《Supremely Talented Tyrant》 Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Beautiful Lady, Its Not Right to Scold People! "Name?""Hao Jian!" "Vulgar? I'm asking for your name, not commenting on your character!" "Uh... My family name is Hao, given name Jian!" ... Xiao Qiang, clad in a business OL outfit, was tightly wrapped in it, her shapely body outlined in a perfect curve! She was only wearing light makeup. Her exquisite features now took on a strange expression, her captivating phoenix eyes examining the young man before the desk with a scrutinizing demeanor! In front of Xiao Qiang, on the sofa, there was a somewhat dejected young man sitting! Although his name gave off an inexplicable sense of humor, Xiao Qiang still pushed up her black-framed glasses on the bridge of her nose and professionally asked: "Hao Jian, since you are applying for the position of the president's driver, what other special skills do you possess besides driving?" Upon hearing Xiao Qiang's words, the slightly dejected young man's eyes lit up. A slight smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he confidently said: "Known as Venomous Dragon Drill, I can handle delicate jobs! Also..." The young man had a delicate face and was dressed in a pair of washed-out jeans and a T-shirt, with slightly long hair. His bangs lightly veiled one eye, and a mysterious sheen flickered in his dark pupils! A smile that was not quite a smile always hung at the corner of his mouth, and he was now talking nonstop. However, Xiao Qiang and the other female interviewers' faces grew redder and redder until finally, Xiao Qiang couldn't bear it anymore and cried out sharply: "Shut up!!!" Uh... Hao Jian was a bit taken aback, staring at Xiao Qiang with an expression of complete innocence, looking like a wronged little wife, which involuntarily aroused a trace of pity! Xiao Qiang was feeling exactly that at the moment! For some reason, although she was almost exploding with anger when listening to this guy spout nonsense, his innocent expression now made her feel somewhat guilty, as if she shouldn't have scolded him so loudly! "Cough, cough... I'm asking about your other skills, as in, besides driving, what can you do? Or rather, what capabilities do you have?" Xiao Qiang coughed to clear her throat, trying to keep her voice gentle, then asked. "Ha! You're asking about my abilities! You should have said so earlier!" At this moment, Hao Jian smacked his forehead, then said with a beaming smile. Pfft! On hearing Hao Jian's words, the female interviewers couldn't hold back anymore and burst out laughing on the spot! And Xiao Qiang, upon hearing this, felt so frustrated she almost spat out blood! Xiao Qiang suddenly felt that this applicant was quite odd. However, with her colleagues present, she had to maintain the composure of a Human Resources Manager. She adjusted her mood and continued to inquire: "You should know that we at Shu Ya Group are recruiting a president's driver. The salary is very high, but so are the requirements! Driving skills are just the basic requirement; looks, manner of speech, educational background, etc. ¨C our standards in all these aspects are very high! If you don't possess any outstanding abilities, then there's no need for us to waste our time!" "Outstanding abilities? Let me think..." When Hao Jian heard this, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, and then he touched his chin, counting on his fingers as he fell into thought: "Making babies, going queer, piloting space shuttles..." Hao Jian's attitude was extremely serious. However, listening to his words, Xiao Qiang and the others were left stupefied! However, what Hao Jian said next truly enlightened them on the highest realm of boasting! "Cough, cough... aside from those few things I can't do, I can do everything else!" What? The female interviewers, including Xiao Qiang, were completely flabbergasted, staring at the unabashed man before them and wondering if his skin was thicker than a city wall's corner turn; otherwise, how could he be so shameless! Xiao Qiang kept shaking her head; in her heart, she had already given this guy a big negative rating! However, upon glancing at Hao Jian's resume again, she furrowed her brows even deeper: "Your previous company was called 'Hell's Eighteen Levels'? What kind of company is that? Why would it have such a bizarre name?" Xiao Qiang found that this resume had only mentioned briefly and casually about Hao Jian's past experiences but mentioned a peculiar name 'Hell's Eighteen Levels'! Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, smiling lightly as he said: "That's not a company, that's a prison! It's located on a barren island off the east coast of Canada, an island known as 'God of Death Island'! And 'Hell's Eighteen Levels' is a prison beneath the surface of God of Death Island!" "Prison? You used to be a prison officer abroad?" Xiao Qiang and the other female interviewers were all taken aback, not expecting this guy to have such a background! But then, Hao Jian slightly shook his head: "I wasn't a prison officer!" "Then what were you?" Xiao Qiang and the others grew even more curious, feeling that this young man had an unfathomable aura about him! Hao Jian smiled slightly and with a snap of his fingers said: "Prisoner! I was the prisoner who was paid a fortune to go sit in jail at 'Hell's Eighteen Levels'!" Prisoner! And paid a large sum of money to go to jail? Upon hearing the word, Xiao Qiang and the others' lips twitched slightly, and their expressions turned unsightly in an instant! "Alright! Mr. Hao Jian, your interview is over! Please go back and wait for our news. We'll notify you by phone once we have a result!" Xiao Qiang's gaze towards Hao Jian was filled with intense disdain; she detested criminals the most! In her eyes, inmates were all evil-doers, committing all manner of crimes and were the scum of society! Especially now, when recruiting a driver for the CEO, how could they consider someone with a criminal record? And without a doubt, at this moment, Hao Jian had made it onto her blacklist! Upon hearing this, Hao Jian slowly stood up, nodded with a smile at the few female interviewers, and then turned to leave! And Xiao Qiang, watching Hao Jian's departing figure, felt her disgust intensify, silently cursing 'you damn convict' while deciding to not pay him any more attention, ready to call the next interviewee. However, just as Hao Jian reached the door, he paused, suddenly turned around, and with a playful look in his eyes, addressed Xiao Qiang: "Beauty, it's wrong to curse at someone!" Huh? Hao Jian's words, though delivered with a serene calm, caused Xiao Qiang's heart to skip a beat, her beautiful eyes instantly widening: "How¡­ how does he know?" Xiao Qiang was both shocked and terrified, but naturally, she wouldn't admit it at the moment. She quickly masked the panic on her face and said indifferently to Hao Jian: "Mr. Hao Jian, what are you talking about? I don't understand!" "Beauty, you understand! Right now, you are thinking, 'How does this stinking convict know what I am thinking?'" "You¡­ you must be mistaken¡­" "Beauty, you're still lying! Now you're thinking, 'Is this guy some sort of demon?'" "I¡­" "Now you're starting to fear me, you dare not think, you dare not curse in your heart, afraid that I will once again say exactly what you are about to think!" ... At this moment, the exchange between Hao Jian and Xiao Qiang was incredibly swift, to the extent that the surrounding female interviewers didn't understand what was happening. But at this moment, they saw Xiao Qiang turning paler and paler with terror and alarm in her expression, and beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, the very image of someone who'd seen a ghost! Xiao Qiang was utterly bewildered, staring at the man before her, her delicate face clouding and clearing unpredictably. After a moment of deep contemplation, she mustered the courage to stand up and, reluctantly, bowed to Hao Jian: "Mr¡­ Mr. Hao Jian, I admit I cursed at you in my heart, I¡­ apologize to you!" Xiao Qiang was truly frightened of this unassuming man before her, almost as if he were a demon, seemingly able to read every single thought in her mind, compelling her to apologize. And upon seeing this scene, the surrounding female interviewers were extremely shocked! Never would they have imagined that everything Hao Jian said was true, and he could actually guess exactly what Sister Qiang was thinking! At this moment, the women in the room looked at Hao Jian as if he were a monster, shocked and frightened! "Cough cough¡­ so you were really cursing at me! I guessed it correctly¡­" Seeing Xiao Qiang bowing and apologizing to him, Hao Jian couldn't help but show an embarrassed expression on his face, scratched his head, and said with a dry laugh. Gah! And upon hearing this, Xiao Qiang and the female interviewers were all stunned! He guessed it? He could guess that? At this point, the female interviewers became interested in this guy, their eyes sparkling with curiosity: "Mr. Hao Jian, could you tell us how you managed to guess it?" Upon hearing this, even Xiao Qiang perked up her ears; Hao Jian's previous display had been too spine-chilling, and she too was extremely curious. "It's quite simple, just psychology!" Hao Jian smiled slightly, not shy anymore, and took his seat once again in front of the female interviewers, speaking animatedly: S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Psychology, do you know it? It's the discipline that studies the psychological phenomena and mental functions of people! When I just mentioned being a convict, I noticed that this beauty's right corner of the mouth lifted by 5mm, that's the angle of disdain! The angle of disdain comes from feelings of disdain, which are rooted in a mental imbalance! It's a precursor to hormonal imbalance in women, a sign that Aunt Flo might visit ahead of time!" At this point, Hao Jian paused, then slapped his forehead, regretfully saying: "Muddled! I got muddled! I'm explaining psychology to you, how did I end up talking about female physiology? It's just a mistake¡­ a mere mistake!" Hao Jian smiled sheepishly, and at that moment, the few female interviewers were trying hard not to laugh, their faces turning red as they struggled to contain their amusement. And Xiao Qiang's face turned bright red with embarrassment and anger. Hormonal imbalance? Aunt Flo visiting? These words struck her like a tail being stepped on, causing her to leap to her feet: "Get out! Get out of here now!!!" Xiao Qiang's scolding made Hao Jian shrink back, his face turning slightly red, as he nodded apologetically to Xiao Qiang: "Sorry, beauty! I accidentally misspoke! By the way, when Aunt Flo comes, drink more brown sugar water; it's good for replenishing blood and reducing heat!" After saying this, Hao Jian saw Xiao Qiang's eyes nearly spewing fire, prompting him to awkwardly make his escape from the room! And just after Hao Jian ran out of the room, laughter from the women inside filled the air! Chapter 2: Chapter 2 Same as Ever! Hua City is a third-tier small city in Huaxia, located in the northern part of Jiangnan Province!At this moment, night was slowly falling, and the entire Hua City was brightly lit, appearing tranquil and serene amidst the secluded Night Color. Phoenix Bar is a rather famous bar in Hua City! Right now at the entrance of Phoenix Bar, car after car pulled up, and groups of enthusiastic young men and women kept getting out, eager to revel in the festivities! And unlike many of those who arrived by car, at this moment, a young man with his hands in his trouser pockets, leisurely approached the entrance of Phoenix Bar! He was wearing a white T-shirt on top, and a pair of bleached jeans below. Right now, he lifted his head to glance at the flashing neon sign above the bar's entrance, a faint smile forming on his lips! He was none other than Hao Jian! Hao Jian wasn't concerned about the job interview at Shu Ya Group during the day. He had only returned from abroad not long ago, and presently, he was attending four to five interviews a day. Being turned down had become commonplace for him, and he was well accustomed to it! But now, his purpose for coming to Phoenix Bar was straightforward: it was to pick up women! Thinking of this, Hao Jian couldn't help but reveal a sly grin, then, with his hands in his pockets and whistling, he walked into Phoenix Bar! As soon as he entered the bar, blasts of heavy metal music thundered in his ears, deafening! The wild rhythm of the music seemed as though it could ignite every nerve in the body, rapidly bringing one into an ecstatic state! Hao Jian surveyed the scene, only to see men and women writhing wildly under the neon lights, and on the dance platform, scantily clad nightclub girls were dancing provocatively! Throughout the bar, the aroma of alcohol, the scent of women, and the odor of hormones were drifting and blending, stimulating every nerve! Hao Jian's glance swept over the sultry figures of the various women in the bar, and then, with a nonchalant smile on his lips, he headed straight for the bar! "Sir, what would you like to drink?" As soon as Hao Jian reached the bar, the bartender behind it immediately asked with a professional smile. "Give me a bottle of American Everclear!" Hao Jian snapped his fingers, gave a slight smile, and sat down as he spoke. However, upon hearing his words, the bartender was evidently startled: "Sir, did you just say a glass? Or a bottle?" The bartender could hardly believe his ears, knowing that American Everclear is one of the world's top ten strongest liquors, with an alcohol content of ninety-five percent, nearly the same as pure alcohol! Moreover, American Everclear is mostly bottled in 750 milliliter quantities, which is the equivalent of about one and a half pounds. If converted to erguotou¡ªa strong Chinese liquor¡ªit's practically the alcohol content of nearly three pounds of erguotou! And this guy... Thinking of a single person consuming the alcohol equivalent of three pounds of erguotou, the bartender couldn't help but shake his head vigorously: "I must have heard wrong! Definitely, I heard wrong!" The bartender suspected that his recent excessive indulgences were causing auditory hallucinations! Meanwhile, Hao Jian was unaware of the bartender's thoughts, and with a smile lingering at the corner of his mouth, he said: "You didn't hear wrong, a bottle! A bottle of American Everclear!" Gah! At Hao Jian's words, the bartender was completely dumbfounded! He stared blankly at Hao Jian; if it weren't for the earnest look on the guy's face, the bartender would even suspect he was being played with! "Sir, are you really intending to order this kind of drink? Its alcohol content is ninety-five percent, it can literally kill people!" the bartender couldn't help but ask one more time! Yet, Hao Jian became somewhat impatient and immediately took out his wallet, pulling out a stack of money and placing it on the bar: "Is this enough?" "Enough! Enough!" Seeing that the other party had made up his mind, the bartender could only take the money and then took out a bottle of American Everclear from the very bottom of the liquor cabinet! Hao Jian looked at this bottle of American Everclear, smiled faintly, and then opened the cap, pouring a fierce gulp directly into his mouth! A burning sensation trickled down his papillae, through his throat, and finally into his stomach. The fiery, spicy sensation made Hao Jian feel exhilarated: "Great liquor! Still the same taste!" At this moment, the bartender was even more dumbfounded. He saw that with that one gulp, Hao Jian had downed a third of it! A third of the American Everclear is equivalent to the alcohol in a jin of Chinese grain liquor called Er Guo Tou! And this guy did it in a single swallow! Gurgle! The bartender swallowed hard, his eyes nearly popping out; he knew he had encountered a tough customer today! Hao Jian paid no attention to the bartender's shock; after so many years, he was no longer surprised by such gazes! At this moment, after taking another sip of liquor, Hao Jian patted his pocket, took out a pack of seven-yuan-a-box Red Double Happiness cigarettes, drew one out, 'snap' lit it, and then took a deep drag! Smoke billowed out; in this moment, Hao Jian, illuminated by the neon lights, exuded a strong aura of mystery! S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. His gaze was somewhat hazy, as if he had returned to the days when he was dominant in the dark underworld, sweeping through the four forbidden zones! "Where's my drink? Uh¡­ where's my liquor?" Just as Hao Jian was engulfed in memories of the past, a drunken female voice came from beside him! The woman's voice was extremely pleasant, like the call of a oriole, although it was a bit slurred at the moment. Nonetheless, the timbre seemed to resonate with the heartstrings! Hao Jian was startled and turned to look, finding a young woman drunkenly sprawled on the bar next to him! In front of this woman were several empty bottles, clearly having drunk a lot, and her pretty face was flushed, very tempting. Her unfocused eyes were scanning the bar as if searching for her drink! The moment Hao Jian saw the woman's pretty face, his eyes lit up! The delicate features seemed carved by the gods, perfect and flawless. Her snowy skin bore a faint flush of alcohol, like a peeled egg, without a single blemish to be found! While Hao Jian's gaze was drawn to the young woman, she hazily snatched up Hao Jian's bottle of Everclear and fiercely guzzled a mouthful! Damn! Hao Jian was somewhat dumbstruck, not expecting this stunning woman, who seemed almost angelic, to actually snatch his drink. Just as Hao Jian was considering whether to warn the young woman, she had barely swallowed the liquor when her cheeks suddenly turned red, and her throat convulsed! 'Pff'! The alcohol in her mouth sprayed out instantaneously, and unfortunately, it went right in Hao Jian's face! Chapter 3: Chapter 3 Women are like water, women are like flowers! Hao Jian's face was covered in Everclear from the USA, and he was staring at the young woman, not angry at all, but with a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth!He stretched out his index finger, dipped it in the liquor on his face, and then put it in his mouth, his eyes lighting up slightly: "Beauty, you used a chocolate-flavored French VISA toothpaste this morning worth $500 a tube, fluoride-free, and whitens and protects against cavities!" Speaking, Hao Jian again pursed his lips as if savoring the taste of the liquor on his face: "You also had a glass of Baileys Irish Cream, a glass of Hennessy, and a bottle of Irish whiskey! Besides that, there's a faint scent of jasmine on your tongue, tsk tsk... truly a fragrant tongue! I like..." Hao Jian seemed quite surprised, looking at the young woman with an even more intense gaze. This woman, with her natural scent of tongue, was definitely among the finest of the fine! Especially the beauty of this woman could definitely be ranked in the top three among the countless women Hao Jian had seen! However, the young woman was currently in a daze, unable to hear what Hao Jian was saying, and now she put down the bottle of American Everclear, muttering: "Whiskey... I want whiskey..." The young woman seemed bothered by something and was drowning her sorrows in alcohol, still drunk but insisting on whiskey! Seeing this, Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders and said to the bartender: "A glass of sake for this lady!" "Yes, sir!" The bartender nodded and then poured a glass of sake in front of the young woman! However, the young woman picked up the sake and drank it all in one gulp, still muttering: "Whiskey, I want to drink whiskey..." The young woman's mumbling had just finished when a middle-aged man slowly walked over from a nearby booth! This man was dressed in a suit and shiny shoes, with a beer belly and his sparse hair all combed back, looking every bit the successful businessman! At this moment, his eyes shone with fervent lust as he smiled slightly wickedly and placed a bottle of whiskey in front of the young woman: "Beauty, please have a drink!" "Hmm?" The young woman, seeing someone speaking to her, looked up dazedly at the middle-aged man: "You... who are you? Why should I... drink your whiskey?" Seeing the stunning face of the young woman, the middle-aged man was even more delighted. He had been observing this woman for a long time since entering the bar! He noticed that she was drowning her sorrows in alcohol. The middle-aged man had also been waiting for a long time, noticing the woman was completely intoxicated and saw an opportunity to make a move! Especially given her beauty, she was definitely the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, making this middle-aged man itch with desire: "Hehe... beauty, let's make friends! This bottle of whiskey is the Royal Salute 38 year Old, worth $11,888! Absolutely authentic flavor!" The middle-aged man seemed intent on showing off his wealth, while casting a teasing glance at Hao Jian, as he had seen that this fellow had shown some interest in his prey! Hao Jian at this moment was sipping his American Everclear, quietly savoring the lingering taste of the young lady's lips, oblivious to the middle-aged man's words! The young lady had not even glanced at the Royal Salute in the middle-aged man's hand and said in a dazed tone: sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Make friends? Pfft... When men and women make friends in a nightclub, don't they just want to get women into bed?!" The middle-aged man, obviously a seasoned hunter of the nightclub, knew his chance had come the moment the woman's tone softened! However, what the young lady said next froze his expression instantly: "Since... you're willing to be my sun, then... how far should you stay from me again?" As she spoke, the young lady scratched her head, seemingly trying to recall the exact distance! Hao Jian couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this, promptly reminding her: "We are 92955886.7 kilometers from the sun!" "Right! 92955886.7 kilometers!" The young lady slapped her forehead in realization and then told the man: "Alright! However far the sun is, you can roll that far away!" Having said this, the young lady clearly had no interest in further banter with the middle-aged man and turned around, intending to order another drink! At this moment, the middle-aged man's face had turned as red as a liver, and he finally realized he had been played! "Hmph! You damned bitch, how dare you trick me! Do you even know who I am?!" The middle-aged man, now furious with embarrassment, grabbed the woman's arm with one hand and holding the Royal Salute with the other, he attempted to force the young lady to drink: "You damn well will drink today! Drink, even if you don't want to! Any woman I, Huang Shulang, fancy, can't escape!!!" This middle-aged man clearly had some clout, not caring about the odd looks from others. Right now, he only had one thing in mind¡ªgetting this young lady into bed! Once he had his way, taking some explicit photos and videos would enable him to blackmail her, thus having total control over this stunning beauty! Thinking of possessing such a prize daily, Huang Shulang's face was wild with excitement and his grinning smirk became even more sinister! However, just as Huang Shulang was about to pour the Royal Salute into the young lady's mouth, a hand suddenly stretched out and firmly grabbed his arm. Huh? Huang Shulang was startled, not expecting anyone to interfere with his conquests. He looked and saw it was Hao Jian: "Fuck! Let go! Kid, if you don't let go now, I'll make you regret it!!!" In Huang Shulang's eyes, Hao Jian had earlier helped the young lady ridicule him by reminding her of 'the distance between the sun and the earth.' At this point, he also loathed Hao Jian! Just listening to Huang Shulang's words, Hao Jian took a sip of his drink and merely smiled, shaking his head: "Women are like water, women are like flowers! Treat them gently!" Chapter 4: Chapter 4 Is My Kick Cool? "Fuck! Who the hell do you think you are, daring to lecture your Brother Huang! Do you believe I won't have someone fuck you up today!!!"Hao Jian's indifferent expression and the smile on the corner of his mouth deeply wounded Huang Shulang, sending him into a rage. His small, mung bean-sized eyes glared at Hao Jian as he shouted: "Kid! You've got guts! Alright! Today I'm going to beat the shit out of you along with him!!!" Having said that, Huang Shulang immediately reached with his other hand to grab a bottle from the table to teach Hao Jian a lesson! But just at that moment, a glint of cold light flashed in Hao Jian's eyes as he exerted a slight force in his hand! Crack! "Ah! It hurts... Fuck, it hurts!!!" The middle-aged man instantly felt a powerful force from Hao Jian's hand, almost breaking his arm, making him cry out in pain: "Let go of me! Let me go, fast! Do you know who I am? I am Huang Shulang!!!" The middle-aged man clearly wanted to intimidate Hao Jian with his name, but Hao Jian just shook his head: "Weasel? A weasel is supposed to steal chickens, right? It's wrong for you to try and steal people!" As he spoke, a hint of cold sarcasm curled upon Hao Jian's lips, and he increased the pressure in his hand, causing Huang Shulang to scream in agony. "Alright! Alright! I... I was wrong! I was blind to not recognize a great man, I shouldn't have been rude to a woman!" Huang Shulang could tell that Hao Jian really hadn't heard his name before. A wise man knows better than to fight when he's outmatched, so he immediately started begging for mercy! Hao Jian was just giving the guy a lesson and seeing him so quickly fold, he lost interest and immediately let go: "Get lost!" After saying that, Hao Jian continued drinking his own liquor! Watching this scene, Huang Shulang could only glare at Hao Jian hatefully and unwillingly before turning to leave! After Huang Shulang left, the alluring young woman just gave Hao Jian a dazed look, then asked the bartender for a tequila and slowly started drinking it! And Hao Jian could see that this young lady had come to the bar just to drown her sorrows, not to seek pleasure. So, he had to shift his target, continuing to scan the bar for his own "prey"! In no time, the young lady finished her tequila and staggeringly stood up to leave the bar! Just as the woman was leaving, Hao Jian noticed two sneaky-looking young men following her out of the bar! Furthermore, Hao Jian saw that Huang Shulang was now sitting in a booth, talking to several thuggish-looking young men! While speaking, Huang Shulang gave a sinister smile and handed a bag to the group, pointed towards Hao Jian, and then also got up and headed towards the exit of the bar! This scene made Hao Jian frown slightly, then he shook his head with a sneer: "Sigh! It seems there are fools seeking death everywhere!" Hao Jian seemed helpless and immediately grabbed the liquor bottle, gulping down several mouthfuls, finishing the whole bottle in one go, stunning the bartender even more! After he finished drinking, Hao Jian burped, a flush of red spreading across his face! And just then, several thuggish-looking young men had already approached him, swiftly grabbing his arms: "Brother, could we have a word?" These young men numbered about five or six, with a yellow-haired leader now looking at Hao Jian with a mocking face! Hao Jian smiled slightly, gazing playfully at the men as he said: "My time is expensive! Taking a step aside to talk will cost a lot. Can you afford it?" "Tsk..." Hearing Hao Jian's words, the group of young men immediately sneered, looking at Hao Jian as if he were a fool! "Your time can be a bit pricey, no problem! No matter the cost, we can afford it!" The yellow-haired leader scoffed and then became impatient, gesturing to his followers: "Cut the crap, and take this little fucker away! Today we're settling both principal and interest!" Seeing the order from their leader, the gangsters revealed vicious smiles. One grabbed an arm of Hao Jian, and they started dragging him towards the exit of the bar! Hao Jian was quite helpless, and without resisting at the moment, he was dragged out of the bar by these people! Outside the bar, the street lights were dim, few pedestrians around, making the place look desolate! Here and there, a few pairs of lovebirds were having quickies in the corners, and they were scared away by the bullying and swearing of these hooligans! The guys pushed Hao Jian roughly against the wall, and then the leader, Yellow Hair, stepped forward, grabbed Hao Jian by the collar, and asked menacingly, "Kid, was it you who fucking ruined Brother Huang's good time?" "Brother Huang? Hmph, are you talking about that weasel?" Hao Jian had heard that middle-aged man call himself 'Huang Shulang', and now a mocking curve played on his lips as he looked at Yellow Hair and the others: "What, you're the weasel's lackeys? So that makes you little mice, then!" "Fine! You've got guts, daring to insult Brother Huang, you're done for!" Upon hearing Hao Jian's words, Yellow Hair and the other hooligans were furious, immediately surrounding him in the corner, with Yellow Hair raising his fist to smash it violently into Hao Jian's face: "Motherfucker! Today we'll properly teach you a lesson on behalf of Brother Huang!!!" Whoosh! It was clear that Yellow Hair had some Kung Fu training, his fists swinging with a whooshing sound, so powerful that if they landed on Hao Jian's face, they would definitely knock out a few teeth! The other gangsters around Yellow Hair were quite confident in his abilities, each one with arms crossed and a mocking smirk on their face, as if they could already see Yellow Hair beating this kid to a pulp! Bang! The fist had violently come crashing down, blood spattered! But at that moment, the smiles froze on Yellow Hair and the other hooligans' faces! Because Yellow Hair's punch hadn't hit Hao Jian's face, but instead had struck the wall! "Ouch!!!" Yellow Hair immediately cried out in pain, clutching his fist that felt like it had split, and sucked in cold air continuously: "Damn! Damn it!" Yellow Hair had never expected Hao Jian to react so quickly, dodging his punch with ease, and now his eyes were red with rage as he yelled at the other dumbstruck hooligans: "Fuck! What the hell are you staring at?! Get him! Teach this asshole a harsh lesson!!!" On hearing this, the other gangsters finally snapped back to attention, and one by one, faces contorted with menace, they howled and lunged ferociously at Hao Jian! S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, they rushed in fast, and were thrown back even faster! Hao Jian's leg whipped out like a lash, and the moment the gangsters pounced on him, he lashed out! Thud, thud, thud! His whip-like leg fiercely struck the gangsters rushing towards him, sending their bodies flying two or three meters away and crashing hard onto the ground! "Fuck¡­ fuck!" Yellow Hair was almost scared stiff; he had never seen a leg whip that could send several people flying, let alone toss them several meters through the air. This had to be movie special effects, right? It couldn't be real! It wasn't just Yellow Hair ¨C the hooligans who had crashed harshly onto the ground were feeling as if they had fallen apart, writhing in extreme pain and struggling to rise but failing, looking towards Hao Jian with terrified eyes! They couldn't understand how this seemingly frail person could possess such terrifying strength! However, Hao Jian didn't care about their shock; the faint smile still on his lips, he walked over to Yellow Hair, straightened his collar for him, and asked with a smile, "Was my whip leg cool or what?" "Cool..." Yellow Hair swallowed hard and stupidly nodded his head! Hearing this, Hao Jian's smile brightened up even more as he took a stack of money out of Yellow Hair's pocket and shoved it into his own, then said cheerily, "Since it's cool, I'm selling it to you!" After he said that, Hao Jian swung his leg again, and like a flash of lightning, his whip leg once again struck Yellow Hair fiercely! Chapter 5: Chapter 5 looks so delicious! "Help... uh... help..."A broken cry for help came from a dim alley, where the beauty who had just left the bar leaned against a wall! In front of her, two gangsters each held a pill, frantically stuffing them into the woman's mouth! "Hehe... pretty lady, stop yelling, just eat the pill, and keep Brother Huang company!" "Haha... even if you scream your lungs out, it's useless! You can't refuse Brother Huang!" ... The two gangsters uttered filthy words and fawned over Huang Shulang with flattery! Beside the trio, Huang Shulang's face was anxious, constantly urging: "Hurry up and make her swallow the pills! Dammit, don't let anyone see this!" Huang Shulang's excited face was flushed; all these pills were female aphrodisiacs, capable of turning a decent woman into a wanton one, and now, by making this beauty ingest them, he would... Hehe! Thinking of possessing such a beautiful woman tonight, Huang Shulang's smile grew even brighter! Soon, the two gangsters had fed all the pills to the woman and, after receiving a stack of money from Huang Shulang, they said contentedly: "Brother Huang, the job is done! Hehe... We'll leave you to your fun now!" The two gangsters looked greedily at the woman before reluctantly starting to leave the alley! Seeing this, the sinister smile on Huang Shulang's face grew thicker, and he stepped toward the woman in the corner, his lustful gaze hardly concealable: "Hehe... pretty lady, now it's just the two of us. Today, I'm gonna be your man! Haha..." Huang Shulang's fat face displayed a nauseating grin as he moved closer to the woman! However, just as his chubby hand was about to reach the drunken beauty, he suddenly noticed the two gangsters who had just left were stepping back! Huh? Huang Shulang hated being interrupted during his deeds, and immediately yelled harshly: "Fuck, didn't I already pay you? Just scram, or do you want me to kick you out? You fuckers..." However, Huang Shulang's words were abruptly cut off mid-sentence because he saw that a young man was blocking the way for the two gangsters! Upon seeing the young man in washed-out jeans and a white casual shirt, Huang Shulang suddenly fell into a rage: "Boy, so it was you! Fuck... How could those idiots fail to take you down!!!" Indeed, the one blocking the gangsters' way was Hao Jian! At this moment, Hao Jian leaned against the wall, a cigarette dangling from his lips and a slight smirk on his face, giving a somewhat sinister and eerie impression! "Cough cough... Those sugar pills the beauty ate just now, do you have any more? They look really tasty!" Seeing Huang Shulang staring at him, Hao Jian scratched his head and asked sheepishly. His demeanor resembled a child eyeing candy, almost drooling over it! However, listening to his words, Huang Shulang and the two gangsters' mouths twitched! Sugar pills? Taste good? Fuck... Is there something wrong with this guy's head? At this moment, Huang Shulang even doubted if Hao Jian's brain had issues; otherwise, how could someone fail to recognize the aphrodisiac pills! But, Huang Shulang had no time to ponder whether Hao Jian was truly foolish, as his most pressing concern was to get the woman into bed. He once again pulled out a stack of money from his pocket and threw it to the two gangsters: "Take this money and take this bastard down! CTM, I've despised this kid for long, and today I'm gonna take both his arms!!!" Huang Shulang spoke with extreme viciousness, and the two gangsters immediately lit up, nodding and bowing eagerly: "Don't worry, Brother Huang, we'll handle this little matter! Just watch us!" Having said this, the two gangsters, faces twisted in cruel smiles, approached Hao Jian, rubbing their hands together, eager to start. "You... don't come any closer... I'm telling you, I... I'm really tough!" Hao Jian saw the hostile looks on the faces of the two gangsters, and fear crept over his face as he backed away, his voice trembling as he spoke. However, his demeanor only made the sinister smiles on the gangsters' faces even richer: "You're tough? Kid, let's hear it, what's so tough about you?" The two gangsters didn't take Hao Jian seriously at all. At that moment, they advanced step by step, toying with him like a cat with a mouse. In the blink of an eye, Hao Jian had been cornered against the wall. "I... I'm really tough. When I go crazy, I even hit myself. I'm asking you, are you scared?" What? Even hits himself? "Hahaha..." Upon hearing this, the two gangsters and Huang Shulang burst into laughter, bending over backward! Still asking us if we're scared? Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I'm scared of your sister! This guy definitely has a screw loose! "Idiot! This guy is actually an idiot! Hahaha... You two, give me... Uh!" Huang Shulang was laughing so hard his stomach hurt, yet just as he was about to instruct the two gangsters to teach Hao Jian a lesson, his speech abruptly stopped! Because he saw Hao Jian's whip kick, suddenly and without warning, strike hard on the heads of the two gangsters! Bang bang! As the sound of two heavy bodies hitting the ground echoed, the two gangsters had no chance to react before a whip kick knocked them unconscious! Gah! The scene unfolded too quickly, unbelievably fast! The smile on Huang Shulang's face instantly froze, his mouth gaping so wide he could fit two eggs in it, the expression utterly ridiculous! A master! When Huang Shulang finally came to his senses, his whole body shuddered! A single whip kick knocked out two men! This bastard was playing possum! Looking at the two gangsters lying unconscious on the ground, and then at Hao Jian, who was approaching with a sinister smile, Huang Shulang's scalp felt like it was exploding. He turned and fled, not even sparing a moment to consider the groggy beauty in the corner! However, at this moment, Hao Jian seemed like a completely different person, his smile tinged with a trace of bloodlust! He flicked his wrist, and a button suddenly appeared, then he hurled it at Huang Shulang! Whoosh! The button, now like a bullet, was too fast to see clearly. In the blink of an eye, it struck Huang Shulang's right leg with incredible accuracy! Splat! Blood splattered, and Huang Shulang felt a pain in his right leg. He fell to the ground with a thud! "Ah... my leg! My leg! Damn it... Ah... it hurts!!!" Huang Shulang saw a bloody hole in his right leg, created by the button, blood gushing profusely, a ghastly sight! Waves of intense pain washed over him like a tide, causing Huang Shulang's body to tremble, sweat pouring down his forehead, nearly fainting from the pain! "Devil... you're not human, you're a demon! You... you're a ghost!!!" Huang Shulang had never seen anyone use a button to shoot through somebody's thigh. It was like something out of a fantasy, a devilish act! Yet, the smile on Hao Jian's face remained as clear and pure as ever. At that moment, he walked up to Huang Shulang, grabbing his right hand: "Earlier you paid money for my hand, tell me, how much are you willing to spend now? To buy your own hand!" Chapter 6: Chapter 6 My name is Hao Shuaishuai! "How much are you willing to spend to buy your own hand?"Hao Jian's words were cold and bone-chilling, causing Huang Shulang to shiver all over! Hao Jian had firmly grasped his arm, making it impossible for him to break free, especially as he felt Hao Jian's grip tightening, making his soul tremble: "Brother, be... be calm! Don't... don't mess around, I'm the general manager of Huang Group, let's talk this over! Talk it over!" After experiencing Hao Jian's methods, Huang Shulang was utterly terrified of the seemingly harmless man; at this moment, he spoke tremblingly. Hearing this, Hao Jian's lips slightly curled up, and with a cold chuckle, he said: "I don't care if you are the general manager or chairman. Tell me, how much is your hand worth?" Seeing that Hao Jian was unmoved by his opening up about his identity, Huang Shulang had no choice but to toughen up and say: "Five... five thousand, I'll give five thousand!" "Five thousand?" Hao Jian's cold smirk became more intense, and he shook his head, ready to apply force! This scene gave Huang Shulang a great fright, and he quickly said: "Twenty thousand, I... I'll give twenty thousand, to buy my hand!" Huang Shulang was genuinely scared by Hao Jian; in his eyes, this guy was a lunatic. No matter who you were, he wanted to break your hand from the get-go, and even gods would be worn out! Sure enough, upon hearing the number twenty thousand, Hao Jian stopped applying force and smiled as he said: "Alright, twenty thousand yuan, you got it cheap! Hurry up and pay!" "Yes, yes, yes..." Huang Shulang finally heaved a long sigh of relief, nodding as he turned his pockets inside out, and finally pulled out twenty thousand yuan and handed it over to Hao Jian! Clutching the thick stacks of cash, Hao Jian burst into a joyful grin! Seeing this scene, Huang Shulang also let out a long sigh of relief, knowing he had narrowly escaped disaster, and now slowly struggled to get up from the ground! At this moment, Huang Shulang had memorized Hao Jian's face; he swore that once he safely returned, he would have someone cripple this bastard! This was the first time he had taken such a massive fall in Hua City, especially feeling the acute pain on his thigh; Huang Shulang's hatred for Hao Jian intensified to the extreme! "Hmph! Just you wait, the next time I find you, I'll make sure to break your limbs, making you realize how formidable I, Huang Shulang, am!" Thinking about how he could severely torture Hao Jian next time, Huang Shulang's lips displayed a sinister sneer! However, at that moment, Hao Jian abruptly grabbed Huang Shulang's arm and brutally twisted it! Crack! With a harsh sound, Huang Shulang's arm snapped! Ah¡­ Huang Shulang immediately let out a tragic scream, clasping his broken arm, writhing in agony: "Damn! Bastard! I already paid you... I already gave you the money, you damned!!!" Huang Shulang could never have anticipated, even after he had paid the money, this bastard would still break his arm! However, watching Huang Shulang writhing in pain, Hao Jian scratched his head in confusion: "Cough... um... Didn't you pay me to cripple your arm? So I took your money, naturally, I had to do the job well!" Fuck!!! Now, Huang Shulang felt like dying; he finally realized that when Hao Jian asked him to pay, it wasn't to spare his arm but to break it! Why the hell would I pay you to break my own arm? You son of a bitch! At this moment, Huang Shulang cursed all eighteen generations of Hao Jian's ancestors, but then he saw Hao Jian grabbing his other arm! "No!!!" Huang Shulang shuddered and began to desperately plead: "No more... take the money, just... just don't break my hand anymore! Please, no!" "No way! I have my own principles; if I take your money, I must complete the task you gave me! Don't worry! I'm not the kind who takes money without doing the job!" Hao Jian's face was always smeared with a deep smile, and then under Huang Shulang's fearful gaze, he exerted force with both hands and fiercely snapped! Crack! Fuck my life... At that moment, Huang Shulang thought he might as well die! "Ahh!!!" Huang Shulang's scream had become so piercing, his whole body ceaselessly rolled on the ground, trembling with pain! Seeing Huang Shulang in pain, banging his head on the ground, Hao Jian scratched his head, full of confusion, and asked: "Does it hurt that much?" Does it hurt that much? Are you fucking asking if it hurts? Huang Shulang was so angered by Hao Jian's words he almost suffered internal injuries, wishing he could tear the bastard into thousands of pieces! Seeing Huang Shulang's fire-breathing eyes, Hao Jian shrugged helplessly: "Alright, seeing how much pain you're in, I'll just pop it back in for you!" With those words, Hao Jian grabbed Huang Shulang's dangling broken arm and then bent and twisted! Crack! The broken arm instantly returned to its place, and Huang Shulang screamed even more: "Ah... No!!!" Huang Shulang was furious. He was already in excruciating pain, and now that his freshly broken arm had been put back, the sharp pain at the break was making him dizzy! Hao Jian, seeing Huang Shulang's pale face, nonchalantly dug in his ears and said awkwardly: "Oops, sorry, you spoke too slowly! I've already popped it back into place!" "You... fucking..." Huang Shulang was tossed about by Hao Jian, gritting his teeth and glaring at him like a wild beast filled with hatred! Seeing this scene, Hao Jian sighed: "Alright! My bad, since you don't want it back in place, I'll help you out again!" No sooner had he finished speaking, Hao Jian grabbed Huang Shulang's arm and snapped it again! Crack! Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Fucking hell... Huang Shulang felt an intense hatred! Broken, reset, and broken again! He's fucking trying to kill me! The intense pain almost drowned Huang Shulang, his eyelids flipped, and he was close to passing out! Meanwhile, Hao Jian cheerfully clapped his hands: "All done! I take the money and ward off disaster for others. Your issue's handled now. If you ever dislike your arm again and want it gone, feel free to seek me out! By the way, my name is Hao Shuaishuai!" After speaking, Hao Jian didn't even bother with the dying Huang Shulang, he walked over, picked up the drunken beauty, and strutted away from the place! ... Fengyang Residential Area was a low-rent building complex! When Hao Jian carried the drunken beauty back to his low-rent apartment, it was already deep into the night. Just as he entered, he threw the dazed woman onto the bed! "Emma! This woman is too Rogue, felt up a guy all the way here. If it weren't for me being a gentleman, I'd have groped her right back!" Muttering to himself, Hao Jian then went to check on the woman's condition by the bed! However, just as Hao Jian reached the bed, the drunken beauty suddenly grabbed him... Chapter 7: Chapter 7 You Really Are Cheap! The morning sunlight filtered through the leaves outside the window, casting patchy shadows across the large bed in the bedroom!The bedding and clothes on the bed were scattered about, as if reflecting the wild night before! On the bedside counter stood an alarm clock, set to ring at six in the morning! Tick, tick, tick! The second hand moved ceaselessly, and just a few seconds remained before the ringing time! However, the very moment the hour hand reached six, a large hand stretched out from the bedding. In the instant before the alarm was about to go off, it suddenly pressed down! Click! The alarm, as always, did not go off, and Hao Jian emerged from under the bedding and leaned against the headboard! "Phew..." Hao Jian let out a long sigh, then took out a Double Happiness cigarette, lit one, and took a deep drag! As the scent of tobacco filled his lungs, Hao Jian turned his head to look at the other side of the big bed! Hao Jian could tell that this beautiful woman was not a prostitute, nor was she looking for a one-night stand. It could be said that last night was just a misunderstanding, but he had taken her body, and that was a fact! The moment these words fell, the beautiful woman quivered under the bedding, her long eyelashes slowly fluttered open, and her watery eyes looked empty and confused, as if the scenes from last night were slowly surfacing! In fact, she had been awake for quite a while, even earlier than Hao Jian, but she did not know how to face all this! Looking at this delicate yet unfamiliar man in front of her, the beautiful woman's pretty face showed neither emotion nor anything but indifference and coldness! She slowly sat up, and the thick bedding slid off her skin, exposing a captivating scene that made Hao Jian involuntarily gasp! "Have you had enough of looking?" Sensing Hao Jian's intense gaze, the beautiful woman's serene words came through! Her voice was pleasant, giving a fresh and clear feeling, but for some reason, Hao Jian only heard intense disgust! "Enough... eh... no, not enough, I mean! Never enough..." Hao Jian expected that this woman might cry, create a scene, hit him, blame him, or demand responsibility, among other possibilities! But he never imagined that she would have no reaction, no emotions at all! This surprised and astonished Hao Jian! The beautiful woman got out of bed, picked up the clothes she had taken off the night before, and slowly put them back on one by one. Her movements were stiff and unnatural as if there was no calmness in her heart as it appeared on the surface! "What's your name?" After putting on her clothes, the beautiful woman looked at Hao Jian quietly and asked coldly. At this moment, the beautiful woman exuded an imposing, stunning aura like an ice mountain! Seeing this ice-cold and imposing side of the top-tier beautiful woman, Hao Jian coughed dryly, then said: "My name is Hao Jian!" "Hao Jian?" The beautiful woman paused, then nodded: "You really are cheap!" Damn... Hao Jian's mouth twitched, and then he saw the beautiful woman slowly take out a wallet, then took out a stack of cash and placed it on the counter! This scene made Hao Jian's forehead break out in cold sweat! Fuck, is this considered prostitute's pay? "This is prostitute's pay!" The beautiful ice queen's words confirmed Hao Jian's guess, and her frosty gaze fixed on Hao Jian, emotionless: "Remember, last night, I paid you, not the other way around! Take this money, and from now on, we have nothing to do with each other!" Coldly stating this, the ice queen turned and walked towards the door! Seeing this, Hao Jian frowned slightly, and lifting a corner of the bedding, revealed a cluster of red petals on the bed: "Did you pay me with your virginity?" This statement made the ice queen, who had just reached the door, tremble violently, and she spun around, her face flushed with deep embarrassment and anger: "You..." "I'm stating the facts, whether you admit it or not, you gave me your first night!" At this moment, Hao Jian, clearly provoked by the ice queen's arrogant attitude, pulled open a drawer, took out a somewhat rusty pendant, and threw it at her: "Here! You can pay me for sex, and I can just as well pay you for your defloration! With this, we are even!" Hao Jian's gaze was filled with dominance, while the ice queen caught the worn pendant and glared at him hatefully before turning and leaving the room! Bang! As the door closed, Hao Jian's dominating expression instantly turned into a bitter smile! Because he saw, she had cried... He heard, she had cried... S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Women, always so troublesome..." Hao Jian shook his head, then pulled the bedding over his head, ready to go back to sleep! However, just as he lay back and covered his head with the bedding, his ears suddenly started to tremble, and he cracked a sly smile. Then like a monkey, Hao Jian leaped from the bed, clad only in boxers, and scampered into the bathroom! Although the bathroom was quite basic, Hao Jian wasn't there to bathe. He pressed his ear against the wall, listening to the noise from the other side, a mischievous grin spreading across his face! "The best time of the day is about to start! Absolutely thrilling..." Muttering to himself, Hao Jian leaned against the wall in front of a little hole, peering through it! "1, 2, 3, Open!" As Hao Jian called out, a 'squeak' sound came from across the way as the bathroom door was pulled open, and a young housewife slowly walked in! The Landlord's wife! Chapter 8: Chapter 8 Mister 23.53cm! Half an hour later, Hao Jian finally came out from the bathroom and crashed onto the bed!"Mama Mia, Sister Lan is getting more feminine by the day... truly unbearable..." All that filled Hao Jian's mind was that graceful figure, and the smirk at the corner of his mouth was unmistakable. Hao Jian had been back in the country for half a month now, and during this time, he had been renting here, and Sister Lan was his current landlady! Sister Lan was a widow living with her daughter. "Come to think of it, having been back home for well over half a month, and with the War of Gods having been over two months, perhaps it's time to go back and take a look..." Hao Jian lay on the bed, slowly smoking, his eyes starting to look a bit hazy! The War of Gods was the ultimate showdown between the world's top powerhouses! God of Mercenary, God of Assassins, God of Bandits, Spear God, the four forbidding divine beings teamed up to battle the formidable God of Death and Moon Goddess! No one knew the outcome of that battle, but the four territories faded from view, and God of Death Island vanished without a trace! Against this backdrop, the God of Death, Hao Jian, quietly returned to Hua City, Huaxia! "Moon, I'm trying hard to be the ordinary person you expect me to be! Even though it's difficult..." At this moment, there was no lewdness, no smirk on Hao Jian's face, only a sense of having seen through the burdens of the world and a touch of sorrow! S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. For that woman deep in his heart, he aimed to be the ordinary person that was so hard to achieve! Thump thump thump! While Hao Jian was reminiscing about the old times, someone knocked at the door! The sound was soft and unhurried, just like the character of the person knocking, giving a sense of tranquility and gentleness! Hearing the two long and one short knocks on the door, Hao Jian knew who it was. He rubbed his face with his palm, and all hints of life's burdens and sorrow faded away, followed by a slightly perceptible smirk! "Just a moment!" After saying that, Hao Jian went straight to the door and opened it! No sooner had he opened the door than he quickly covered his ears! As expected, in that instant, a piercing scream resounded! "Ah... Hao Jian, you're not wearing any clothes again!!!" "Ah... Sister Lan, you always scream every time!!!" Hao Jian looked at the young woman standing before him in utter speechlessness. Her daily screams were as regular as his daily peeks at her bathing, almost without fail¡ªa pattern not to be desired! In front of the door, Sister Lan's fair cheeks were flush with a tinge of red, her demeanor reflecting shyness, especially after hearing what Hao Jian said. She wrinkled her cute nose and looked huffily at him: "Hmph, you rascal, you only wear boxers when you open the door every morning. How can I not scream?" Sister Lan was not yet thirty, tall and buxom, curvaceous from every angle, her figure drawing a perfect S-shape curve, especially her skin which was extremely tender, seemingly ready to burst with water at a single pinch! Moreover, Sister Lan's visage was stunningly beautiful! Her phoenix eyes twinkled, emitting a soul-capturing brilliance, and her egg-shaped face contained a hint of allure. With delicate and perfect features, she exuded the tempting aura of a young widow! Even though Hao Jian saw Sister Lan every day, each time he felt a different sense of amazement! "This woman is definitely a siren..." Hao Jian let out a silent sigh. "Alright, you rascal, breakfast is ready, come out and eat!" Sister Lan, seeing Hao Jian's muscular upper body and the prominent muscles, her pretty face grew redder, and she quickly said something before turning to leave the place! Seeing Sister Lan's shy demeanor, Hao Jian was even more amused. Sister Lan was a mother, yet she still had the shyness of a little girl, which indeed gave Hao Jian a peculiar feeling! When Hao Jian had finished washing up and came to the dining table, he saw Sister Lan and her daughter Tongtong eating breakfast with their heads down. When Tongtong saw Hao Jian coming over, she raised her head and with her bright, sparkling eyes, she asked, "Brother Jian, you're so bad, how could you bully a girl!" Hao Jian was taken aback and immediately picked up a cup of soy milk. While drinking, he smiled and asked, "Tongtong, when did brother ever bully a girl?" "Last night!" Tongtong's little face puffed up with annoyance, and her pink little mouth turned down in a pout. Pfft! Hearing this, Hao Jian sprayed out the soy milk he had just drunk! Damn it, last night's incident has been exposed! Hao Jian thought about how the mother and daughter had heard everything from last night, and his mouth twitched. He turned to look at Sister Lan, but as he did, his eyelids twitched! The soy milk he had sprayed out had hit Sister Lan right in the face, and the sight of it dripping down her pretty face made Hao Jian's heart skip a beat! "Hao Jian!!!" Sister Lan was so angry her teeth were clenched, and she immediately pinched Hao Jian fiercely at his waist! Hiss! Hao Jian winced in pain but didn't dare to dodge! After Sister Lan transformed her rage into pain and transferred it to Hao Jian, she finally calmed down a bit. As she wiped the soy milk off her face, she looked at Hao Jian and said, "Don't worry, Sister Lan, I'll be careful in the future!" Hao Jian quickly nodded and promised. "Alright, I'm just reminding you, I believe you know your limits!" Sister Lan trusted Hao Jian quite a bit¡ªafter all, ever since the guy moved in, he had been helping her and her daughter and never did anything inappropriate. Now, with a smile on her face, she said, "Hurry up and sit down to eat, or the food will get cold!" "Okay!" Hao Jian immediately sat down to eat, and the three of them enjoyed a harmonious meal. If someone who didn't know the situation saw them, they would definitely think they were a warm family! After breakfast, Sister Lan went straight to take Tongtong to school, while Hao Jian, as usual, went out to look for work! But just as Hao Jian stepped downstairs, his phone rang. "Hello! Who is this?" "Hello! May I speak with Mr. Hao Jian, please?" A woman's crisp voice came through the phone, and her words made the corner of Hao Jian's mouth twitch: "Sir, congratulations, you have passed our Shu Ya Group's interview! Please come to the company for a secondary interview at 8 o'clock this morning!" Chapter 9: Chapter 9 Silly Little Gangster Girl! Interview passed? S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.After putting away his old Nokia, Hao Jian's face was full of confusion! Shu Ya Group was naturally the company he had interviewed with yesterday, hiring for the position of the president's personal driver! However, Hao Jian had never met Miss Shu Ya. He had only seen a few HR interviewers, all of whom were very attractive women, just the type suitable for him to fantasize about! Hao Jian could tell that yesterday's interviewer, Xiao Qiang, had a very poor impression of him, and he had even offended her. Originally, he had given up hope for the interview but had not expected... "Hehe... Regardless, I finally got something! Even if I get rejected in the second round, getting to see those beauties is good enough for me!" Glancing at the time, it was already past seven in the morning and he immediately left the building and flagged down a taxi! The taxi slowly stopped, and a small head popped out: "Hey! Handsome, where to?" Hearing this crisp, oriole-like voice, Hao Jian realized that the taxi driver was a girl in her twenties, wearing big sunglasses! The girl had chin-length bob hair, dark and glossy. The big sunglasses almost covered half of her beautiful face, with fine features and snow-white skin. She was chewing gum, looking exactly like a Little Gangster Girl! But this Little Gangster Girl... damn, she was gorgeous! At that moment in Hua City, Hao Jian truly understood the meaning of the city's name. The women here were as beautiful as flowers, each more beautiful than the last! Even the taxi drivers were stunning! "Little sister, to Shu Ya Group!" Hao Jian smiled excitedly and quickly got into the taxi! Damn, having such a beautiful chick as a driver made this taxi ride totally worth it! "Shu Ya Group? What are you going there for? If you want to seek pleasure, you should go straight to Haitian Bathhouse or Pink Club!" The Little Gangster Girl was taken aback and then, while chewing her gum, asked doubtfully. Hearing this, Hao Jian broke out in a cold sweat! Which damn ear of yours heard me say I wanted to seek pleasure? Huh? Am I, so pure, the type to seek pleasure? Huh? Wait, what did she just say? Haitian Bathhouse? Pink Club? Mommy mia, important intel, better jot this down in my notebook, you never know when it might come in handy! "Cough cough¡­ Little sister, I don't think I mentioned seeking pleasure," Hao Jian said, looking at the quirky girl exasperatedly. "Little brother, you didn't say it, true, but the look on your face is exactly that of a pleasure-seeker! I've driven many, and they all smile as lewdly as you do!" the Little Gangster Girl boldly said to Hao Jian. And hearing this, Hao Jian's mouth twitched, and he was left speechless! "Cough cough, I'm going to Shu Ya Group for an interview! Please hurry!" Hao Jian could only silently filter out the driver's quirky traits! "Oh, so you're not going to seek pleasure. You should have said so earlier, really!" The Little Gangster Girl gave Hao Jian a disdainful look and then stepped on the gas, and the taxi zoomed off! Hearing the words of the Little Gangster Girl and seeing her disdainful look, Hao Jian felt really sweaty! Damn, what is this world coming to? Not going to seek pleasure yet still being disdained by a beauty, don't they let a pure guy like me live! But then Hao Jian had no more time to think about this problem, as he saw that the quirky girl was seriously speeding! Buzz!!! The taxi raced down the road like a lightning bolt, crossing one intersection after another, running through multiple red lights, leaving all the cars trailing behind! 50 miles per hour! 62 miles per hour! 93 miles per hour! 124 miles per hour! I... woah... Hao Jian, seeing the rapidly climbing figures on the speedometer, was completely stunned! This... turns out to be a modified taxi! And where the hell is this a taxi? This is clearly a super cool sports car, and in the blink of an eye, the speed already shot up to 220 miles! Vroom vroom! "Wow! This is awesome! Already surpassed 31 sedans! Haha..." In the taxi, Little Gangster Girl, while driving, laughed her head off, continuously slapping the steering wheel! This scene made Hao Jian's head fill with black lines, he quickly said: "You've already run 11 red lights, how many points is that?" "Only 11?" Upon hearing this, Little Gangster Girl curled her pouty lips, her face full of disdain as she said: "I don't have a driver's license, deduct as many points as you want! I don't care!" Vroom! This time, it wasn't the sound of the engine, but Hao Jian's head buzzed and he was stupefied! No driver's license... no driver's license... This sentence buzzed over and over in Hao Jian's head, making his face turn from green to purple, from purple to black: "Damn it! You dare to drive so fast without a driver's license, are you trying to kill yourself? Or am I looking for death???" Hao Jian was absolutely furious! A rogue taxi, he actually got into a rogue taxi! And the one driving the rogue taxi was a total clown! This gave Hao Jian the illusion of getting into a thief's car and being sold into a thief's den, this is damn deadly! Watching Hao Jian's sweat beads continuously dropping, Little Gangster Girl was slightly stunned, scratched her head, and asked puzzledly: "Little brother, are you scared? Don't be scared, I play 'Extreme Racing' every day, always at max level, I won't die!" Damn it!!! That sentence from Little Gangster Girl inflicted tons of damage on Hao Jian! You playing 'Extreme Racing' and driving a taxi, are they the same damn thing? Which clown gave birth to this girl, quickly drag her back into the womb for a redo! Just as Hao Jian was pondering whether his life would end at the hands of this clownish girl, his ears suddenly trembled, and his expression subtly changed: "Watch out!!!" Hao Jian shouted loudly, then grabbed the steering wheel and quickly turned it to the left! Screech! The taxi abruptly changed direction, and just in that instant, from behind the taxi, a harsh buzzing sound erupted as an Aston Martin sped past! Vroom! The two cars nearly brushed past each other, and one could even hear the sound of the bodies scraping against each other, dangerously close! "Damn it!" Little Gangster Girl was also scared into a cold sweat; if it weren't for Hao Jian's quick reaction just now, her car would definitely have been hit by that Aston Martin and thrown off the road, resulting in certain death! Hao Jian also frowned, a hint of a killing intent flashed in his eyes! The owner of that Aston Martin just now was evidently malicious, trying to knock the taxi off the road from behind without any regard for his and Little Gangster Girl's lives! "Lin Dong! It's that bastard! I won't let him get away with this!" At this moment, watching the Aston Martin in front, Little Gangster Girl gritted her teeth in anger, and then stepped hard on the gas pedal, chasing after it! Vroom vroom! The taxi shot off like an arrow released from a bow, incredibly fast! The Aston Martin ahead seemed to slow down a bit, as if waiting for the taxi to catch up! By the time the two sedans were side by side, Hao Jian saw two young men sitting in the opposite car! "Haha... Xiaoxiao, how about that? Scared silly, right? Just a little bit more and you and your boyfriend would have been goners!" "Xiaoxiao, where did you find this scrawny guy? If you're looking for a man, just come to us brothers, we are thousands of times stronger than this skinny dude!" Chapter 10: Chapter 10: My last name is Wang and I live next door! "Lin Dong, Wei Shan, you two bastards!"Seeing the arrogant expressions on the faces of the two youths in the Aston Martin, Che Xiaoxiao was absolutely furious, her pretty face ablaze with anger! Hao Jian's expression darkened similarly; he could tell that these two youths were definitely street racers, and the kind who treated human life as a joke no less! "Haha... Our Little Chili is angry! Come chase us! Can you?" "Che Xiaoxiao, if you can't handle it, have your boyfriend try. Let's see where the wimp you picked is better than us!" Lin Dong and Wei Shan still thought Hao Jian was the new boyfriend Little Gangster Girl had picked up, and with sneering mockery on their faces, they whistled and then sped past the taxi in their Aston Martin! Che Xiaoxiao followed right behind, driving the taxi, her pretty face grim as water. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, Hao Jian saw that, although Che Xiaoxiao had decent driving skills, she was somewhat inferior to the other two youths. At this rate, even if she raced all day, she wouldn't catch up! Thinking this, Hao Jian shook his head, a cold smile playing over his lips, then suddenly scooped up Che Xiaoxiao's delicate body! "Ah... What are you doing! Bastard!" Che Xiaoxiao was almost scared stiff! In this high-speed situation, one careless move could lead to crash and death, yet Hao Jian, recklessly and without care, had just lifted her up! Then, to Che Xiaoxiao's astonishment, Hao Jian sat down in the driver's seat, holding her in his arms, and slammed on the gas! "Hold on tight!" Hao Jian said, as he floored the accelerator. Whoom!!! The taxi's speed surged from 200 mph to 250 mph, then to 270 mph, chasing after the Aston Martin like a bolt of lightning! This scene gave Che Xiaoxiao a fright! You should know, this was a road, not a highway, filled densely with other vehicles, requiring constant dodging and weaving! Now, speeding at 270 mph was practically synonymous with seeking death ¡ª in any sudden situation, human reflexes simply couldn't keep up! "I'm totally screwed! Today I've actually encountered a madman!" Che Xiaoxiao always thought she was quite the daredevil herself, but she had not expected the passenger she picked up today to be even crazier, completely disregarding his own life! It wasn't just her; even Lin Dong and Wei Shan in the Aston Martin ahead were taken by surprise! Watching the taxi that had quickly caught up, their faces turned ashen! "Damn it, it's Che Xiaoxiao's boyfriend driving! That bastard!" Lin Dong, looking through the rearview mirror at the taxi that was lightning-fast weaving through traffic behind them, felt his scalp tingle! It was his first time seeing someone so insanely daring! "Quick! Quick! Quick!" Wei Shan, seeing the two cars getting closer, tenseness crossing his face, kept urging Lin Dong: "This bastard is catching up, go faster!!!" "Shut up! We're already at 240 mph, pushing the limits of what I can handle. If we go any faster, we'll definitely crash!" Lin Dong's expression was steely, and just as he finished speaking, he saw the taxi once again pull up alongside them! "Wow! Lin Dong, Wei Shan, you two bastards, keep running! Haha... My boyfriend is way better than you guys, what can you do about it!!!" Xiaoxiao was watching Lin Dong and Wei Shan's livid faces, and couldn't help but smile radiantly, waving her little fists proudly and excitedly, making Lin Dong's and Wei Shan's expressions turn even uglier! "Xiaoxiao, don't get too cocky!" Lin Dong gritted his teeth, but just then, he saw Hao Jian swerve the taxi sharply! "Not good!!!" Only then did Lin Dong realize that there was a turn ahead, and it was too late to steer! Bang!!! In the blink of an eye, the Aston Martin crashed violently into the guardrail at the road's corner, the front of the car crumpling instantly as plumes of black smoke billowed out! Two airbags deployed in an instant, and both Lin Dong and Wei Shan slammed hard against them! Long after, as Lin Dong and Wei Shan struggled to crawl out of the car, their faces were covered in blood, a mix of embarrassment and fear! "Damn it! Who is that kid, and how is his driving so good!" Lin Dong wiped the blood from his face, full of rage! This time, not only did they fail to embarrass Xiaoxiao, but they themselves were left in a terrible mess, directing all his hatred towards Hao Jian! In his eyes, if it weren't for Hao Jian, they wouldn't have ended up so embarrassed! Wei Shan was equally shocked and scared: "There's no one like this in the Supercar Club! When we get back, we have to find this bastard! Damn it, my Aston Martin is totally wrecked!" While Lin Dong and Wei Shan were full of resentment, the taxi had already reached the entrance of the Shu Ya Group! Squeak! When the taxi stopped, Xiaoxiao finally let out a long sigh of relief, feeling the thrill of having just escaped from the Ghost Gate! "Uncle, what's your name? That was so awesome, oh my god, you handled Lin Dong so easily, super cool!" Xiaoxiao took off her large black sunglasses and spit out her chewing gum, looking at Hao Jian as if he were an alien, her sparkling eyes filled with tiny stars! The excited glow made her pretty face flush with redness, looking extremely alluring! But Hao Jian just twitched the corner of his mouth and lifted his butt slightly: "Could you get off my body first?" Uh... Xiaoxiao only then realized that she had been sitting on Ye Feng the whole way, thinking about how intimately she had been in contact with a man, her pretty face instantly turned beet red! Even though she was extremely embarrassed, Xiaoxiao still pouted and said nonchalantly: "Humph! Uncle, what's wrong with me sitting here? It's not like I'll get pregnant, really!" Saying so, Xiaoxiao firmly sat down again before finally getting off Hao Jian's body! Hao Jian gave a sly smile and then straightaway opened the car door and stepped out! Hearing Hao Jian's words, Xiaoxiao's face flushed even more, but as she saw Hao Jian about to leave, she quickly asked: "Uncle, what's your name? How can I find you next time?" "North wind blows, the autumn air cools, whose pretty wife keeps an empty bed, I live next door, my surname is Wang, if you're in trouble, I'll lend a hand! Little sister, see you!" Hao Jian waved his sleeve and left without a trace! Chapter 11: Auntie is good, open the door to meet! When Hao Jian arrived at the Shu Ya Group training room, it was already around 8:20 AM, a full twenty minutes late!However, this guy had no sense of being late and was smoking a cigarette in the corridor. In front of a mirror in the corridor, he wet his hair with saliva and styled it into a dashing look. Only then did a satisfied expression appear on Hao Jian's face: "Damn, I'm so envious of you, with your handsome and dashing style. You're truly one of a kind, so handsome it's unreasonable, so handsome that the heavens and earth can't bear it! Damn¡­ you're ridiculously good-looking!" Hao Jian admired himself in the mirror for a while before finally turning around and leisurely pushing open the door to the training room and walked in! In the training room, there were at least a dozen people seated, all drivers who had passed the interview, each dressed in crisp suits, looking very sharp! And at the lectern, it was still Xiao Qiang from the last interview, explaining something to everyone! As soon as Hao Jian entered, he instantly drew the attention of everyone in the training room! Realizing that every gaze was fixed on him, Hao Jian even thought they were overawed by his handsomeness. Subconsciously, he touched his slicked-back hairstyle and flashed what he thought was an irresistibly charming smile, then slowly made his way to the back row! "Stop right there!" However, just as Hao Jian had taken a couple of steps, Xiao Qiang from the lectern spoke up! Xiao Qiang's brows were furrowed into a 'Chuan' character. In her gaze toward Hao Jian, there was scrutiny and complexity! She remembered Hao Jian vividly. During the interview, not only had he casually revealed what she was thinking, but he had also nonsensically said her hormones were imbalanced and made inappropriate comments. She had already crossed Hao Jian's name off the interview list because of that, yet here he was again! Xiao Qiang flipped through the re-interview list in her hand, her pretty face turning somewhat gloomy: "Your name!" Huh? Hao Jian paused, but still responded, "Hao Jian!" "How good? How cheap?" Xiao Qiang asked provocatively. Hao Jian, noticing that Xiao Qiang was still upset about the last time, slightly curved up the corners of his mouth: "Aunt Flo says hello! Nice to see you!" Pfft! Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With that remark, Hao Jian instantly had the roomful of drivers in stitches, but as they noticed Xiao Qiang's increasingly dark expression, they quickly shut their mouths! Aunt Flo says hello? Nice to see you? This jerk was clearly mocking her for her period arriving early! Thinking this, Xiao Qiang gritted her teeth audibly: "Gender!" Uh¡­ Hao Jian paused again, then shrugged: "Female!" "As if you could be a woman!" Xiao Qiang nearly swore out loud, questioning him while her head was full of black lines! "Since you've figured out I'm not a woman, why even ask! Or, should I take off my pants and show you!" Hao Jian replied with a smirk on his face. Seeing his carefree demeanor, Xiao Qiang felt like vomiting blood. Not only was she a one-in-a-hundred beauty and the manager of the HR department, controlling the great power of hiring staff, but every employee respected her except for this guy, who consistently taunted and contradicted her! After taking a deep breath and suppressing the rage in her heart, Xiao Qiang finally asked: "Are you Hao Jian here for the training?" "Bingo! You're really sharp, figuring that out all by yourself!" Hao Jian replied with a beaming smile. As these words dropped, the training room burst into a fit of laughter! Xiao Qiang felt so agitated that he almost spat out a mouthful of old blood! Damn it! Damn it! Just answer my damn questions. Can you get pregnant, huh? Can you? You, you wench! What a wench! Xiao Qiang knew he was no match for this damn guy when it came to verbal skills, so his plump and rosy lips quivered slightly, but he decided not to keep bothering him. Seeing Xiao Qiang back down, Hao Jian slightly smiled and started looking for his spot in the training room. He noticed that each position was numbered from 1 to 10, but now there was only one number left¡ª23.53! What the hell! Isn't that my length? A twitch appeared at the corner of Hao Jian's mouth, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and he mentally cursed the girl who had assigned the numbers a hundred times! "Teacher, I protest!" Hao Jian declared righteously. All eyes inside the training room were already on Hao Jian, and when they heard his words, they turned to look at him! Even Xiao Qiang frowned slightly and asked, "Hao Jian, what are you protesting?" "Teacher, I know you all worship, envy, and are jealous of my length! Everyone's number is their length! But your worship of my 23.53CM is also an insult to others!" Hao Jian, full of moral indignation, pointed at a few drivers sitting in the front row and said, "Look at him, his number is 1, meaning he's only 1CM! That one has 2CM, he 3CM... and him! By bluntly writing down their lengths as numbers, you insult their dignity and integrity! Thus, I refuse your worship and call for an end to the humiliation of their shortcomings!" Whoa!!! With that one statement, the whole training room fell utterly silent! Number 1 looked at his own number and his mouth twitched! Number 2 looked at his and his eyelid twitched! Number 3 looked at his and gaped! ¡­ Immediately, lines of worry appeared on everyone's foreheads! Even Xiao Qiang looked at Hao Jian's number 23.53 and the others' as well, and twitched at the corner of her mouth! "The numbers don't mean anything else, they are just numbers for the second round of tests, don't overthink it!" Although Xiao Qiang knew Hao Jian was doing this on purpose, she still explained to everyone. Hearing this, the other candidates also relieved a breath. If numbers truly represented length, they would not stand for it, even if it meant stripping down to prove they had a few millimeters more! But they were equally curious, was that guy really 23.53? "Cough cough¡­ alright! I've already given a brief introduction about Shu Ya Group and Miss Shu Ya, the president! Now, our retest is officially starting!" Because of Hao Jian's eccentric presence, Xiao Qiang dared not delay further, fearing she didn't know what else that damn guy might do: "As a driver for Miss Shu Ya, aside from possessing good qualities and skills, there's another important requirement¡ªKung Fu capability! You must be able to stand up at critical moments! Hence, our next test will assess everyone's Kung Fu abilities!" What? So the participants were taken aback, indeed not expecting that being the president's driver also involved physical capability testing! The participants exchanged looks! However, Xiao Qiang didn't care about their confusion and clapped her hands. Just then, the training room's door opened, and a towering hulk of a man walked in! Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Youre Out! The towering brute had just entered the training room when all inside felt an immediate pressure!This man stood at an impressive one meter ninety, with broad shoulders and a thick waist. His security uniform clung tightly to his body, outlining his perfect muscles as if a coiled dragon lay beneath them, making him look incredibly powerful and virile! Not only that, but his face was covered with tough flesh, and his large, bell-like eyes sparkled with a piercing sharpness. One glance at him gave the frightening illusion of being preyed upon by a wild beast! At this moment, all of the drivers participating in the second round of the selection process inhaled sharply in unison, their gaze towards this strongman filled with fear! "His name's Tie Shan, a military man by training. After retiring, he's been the head of the security team at the Shu Ya Group!" Xiao Qiang pointed to the strongman and spoke to the retest drivers within the training room: "Our group doesn't require you to have the same skills as Tie Shan, but you must be agile enough to handle some minor troubles for Miss Shu Ya! For instance, dealing with gangster harassment or inappropriate actions from business partners! For these, you all need agile skills!" Xiao Qiang's eyes swept through every person in the room, particularly pausing on Hao Jian, with a playful look in his gaze: "Therefore, this final retest will be a live combat with Tie Shan! If any of you can knock down Tie Shan, then he'd surely become Miss Shu Ya's driver! Of course, even if you all lose, Tie Shan will still pick the one with the best skills to become Miss Shu Ya's driver! Remember, there's only one spot, oh!" Xiao Qiang's words made the complexions of all the drivers present in the training room turn ugly! However, thinking of the generous benefits offered by the Shu Ya Group and Miss Shu Ya's enchanting figure, the retest drivers' eyes slowly turned bloodshot as they all stood up from their seats, eager to try! Seeing this scene, Xiao Qiang was extremely pleased; she walked over to Tie Shan, whispered a few words, then gave Hao Jian a deep look before leaving the training room! And when Hao Jian saw this, he smiled wryly, for even when using his bottom it was easy to guess that this woman had certainly told Tie Shan to take special care of him! "This woman's really cunning..." Sure enough, after Xiao Qiang left the training room, Tie Shan's large, bell-like eyes stared straight at Hao Jian, his mouth stretching into a terrifying grin! "Everyone together! We can definitely beat him!" "That's right! Miss Shu Ya is the number one beauty in Hua City, heh heh¡­ For Miss Shu Ya, let's go all out!" "Damn it! I'm going all in!" "..." As howls rang out one after another, the retest drivers madly charged at Tie Shan! Fists and kicks rained continuously upon him! This scene didn't cause the slightest panic in Tie Shan; instead, his mouth curled into a smirk as his large fist swung out fiercely! Bang! As it connected with a driver's forehead, the man grunted and went completely unconscious! "One, eliminated!" Bang! Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Two, eliminated!" Bang! "Three..." All the retest drivers watched in terror as their punches and kicks seemed to have no effect on Tie Shan, as if his entire being was indeed made of iron! With each of Tie Shan's punches, another driver went unconscious. In the blink of an eye, a swath of them had fallen! Just as the fight was heating up, Hao Jian was sitting by himself in seat 23.53, legs crossed, watching the mayhem with a smile, not showing the slightest intention of intervening! Outside the training room, Xiao Qiang lay on the window, watching Hao Jian's leisurely demeanor, her teeth itching with hatred! "Why hasn't this damn hooligan started yet? Is he scared? What a coward!" They say women are petty and hold grudges, and Xiao Qiang was no exception! She had just instructed Tie Shan to give Hao Jian a warm welcome, naturally not wanting to miss this perfect opportunity for revenge! Soon, the fight inside the training room had come to an end, and all the participants of the retest were beaten down, each grimacing in pain, their eyes filled with fear when looking at Tie Shan! Only one person was left standing, and that was Hao Jian! "Kid, it's your turn!" Tie Shan's mouth twitched, and he gave Hao Jian a ferocious smile. At this moment, outside the training room, Xiao Qiang's face was full of smug smiles. She seemed to have already seen Hao Jian being beaten miserably, begging pathetically: "Hmph! You dare to mock me, you stinking rogue, this time I'll make you pay!" Xiao Qiang was delightfully watching from outside while Tie Shan had already approached Hao Jian! The sight of his nearly two-meter-tall figure, like that of Black Bear, standing in front of Hao Jian, was visually stunning! The rest of the beaten drivers looked pityingly at Hao Jian; they also knew that this guy's fate was going to be even more miserable! "Hehe... Tie Shan big brother, you are truly incredible; I'm utterly in awe of you!" However, contrary to everyone's expectations, Hao Jian had no intention of starting a fight. Instead, he scurried over to Tie Shan, his face full of ingratiating smiles, buttering him up: "That Arhat Fist you threw a while ago, taking down one with each punch, was even more awesome than Bruce Lee! It truly opened my eyes!" Hao Jian was only one meter eighty, a head shorter than Tie Shan, and with his slender frame, he seemed like someone who could be easily knocked over, so Tie Shan didn't take him seriously at all. At that moment, hearing the flattery, the corners of Tie Shan's mouth curved up slightly: "You recognize the Arhat Fist? Not bad, promising!" "Haha... Big brother Tie Shan, I've seen a Boxing King perform the Arhat Fist before, but compared to you, he's nothing but trash! You could knock him out with just one punch!" Hao Jian was full of sycophancy and flattery. And hearing these words, Tie Shan was even more delighted. His greatest dream when he was young was to become a Boxing King, and Hao Jian's flattering hit just the right spot! However, Xiao Qiang and the other drivers who had been beaten down were twitching at the corners of their mouths, cursing this guy silently for having no shame, actually trying to get by with brown-nosing! "Hehe... Big brother Tie Shan, I'm sorry!" Hao Jian said with a cheerful grin. Hmm? Tie Shan was taken aback, and then asked: "Sorry for what?" "You've been eliminated!" As his words fell, before Tie Shan could comprehend what had happened, Hao Jian's foot shot out like lightning, striking hard at his groin! Pff! A muffled sound rang out, and Tie Shan's massive body shuddered violently! He hastily covered his groin with his hands, bending over like a cooked shrimp, his face full of bulging muscles turning red, resentfully glaring at Hao Jian: "I've been screwed over..." Chapter 13: Chapter 13 One-on-one, you know what I mean! Thud!When Tie Shan's colossal frame toppled to the ground, the entire training room was instantly plunged into dead silence! The reassessment drivers on the ground, who had been wailing non-stop, fell abruptly silent, their eyes bulging, their mouths wide enough to fit a duck egg! They stared at Tie Shan, who was clutching his groin area tightly, their eyelids twitching wildly! Then they looked at Hao Jian, who wore a smile, the corners of their mouths twitching uncontrollably! "Groin Kick..." For crying out loud, this bastard actually took down Tie Shan with a Groin Kick! After a brief silence, the entire training room erupted into chaos! Some cursed Hao Jian for having no shame, resorting to a sneak attack, while others couldn't praise Hao Jian's cunning enough, lavishing him with compliments! The training room went from blink-of-an-eye silence to a cacophony of noise! Meanwhile, outside the training room, Xiao Qiang kept rubbing her eyes, even suspecting she was hallucinating! "I must have seen it wrong, it's impossible... How could this... This guy possibly take down Tie Shan!" However, once Xiao Qiang confirmed she hadn't been mistaken and that Tie Shan had indeed been taken down, her pretty face betrayed a deep fury: "Despicable!" After cursing under her breath, Xiao Qiang stormed into the training room, the doors flying open! As Xiao Qiang entered, the room instantly fell silent! "HAO JIAN!!!" The moment Xiao Qiang stepped in, her fiery eyes shot daggers at Hao Jian! Hao Jian, however, seemed oblivious to Xiao Qiang's fury, scratching his head and saying with a grin: "Beauty, are you overwhelmed by my bravery? Do you really want to give a thumbs-up for my wit? Actually, there's no need. My cunning and bravery, just like my handsome charm, are lifelong flaws I cannot correct!" Xiao Qiang: "..." Tie Shan: "..." Others: "..." "Shut up!!!" At this moment, Xiao Qiang could only feel the rage in her chest flaring up. She had never encountered such a despicable, shameless, and unprincipled person. She was completely defeated by Hao Jian's scoundrel nature! "Hao Jian, you are eliminated! You resorted to dirty tricks to take down Tie Shan. You do not deserve to be an employee of Shu Ya Group! Now, please leave!!!" Xiao Qiang's voice was resolute, and her declaration caused the faces of everyone in the training room to shift subtly! By the rules, Hao Jian had already won! After all, this was a fight, not a competition; there was no regard for the method used to take down the opponent! And now... Hao Jian's smile gradually faded, his dark eyes fixed intently on Xiao Qiang: "Although I know you're targeting me, I still have to tell you something! On a real battlefield, it's kill or be killed. No method is honorable, and none are despicable. To take down or kill an enemy is always the ultimate goal! You... just don't get it." At that moment, Hao Jian was no longer smiling. His words seemed to create an invisible pressure in the training room, enveloping everyone! Everyone had the illusion that Hao Jian was not the easygoing joker he appeared to be but a Murder God who had walked out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood! This overwhelming aura caused everyone, including Xiao Qiang, to have their hearts pounding fiercely! At that moment, Xiao Qiang felt as if her heart had stopped beating; the intense pressure made it hard for her to breathe. Although she was shocked, Hao Jian's disdainful attitude deeply stung her: S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hao Jian, you..." Xiao Qiang wanted to continue to argue with Hao Jian, but as soon as she began to speak, she was immediately interrupted by him: "I know what you want to say, and I know what you want to do! Don't worry, I won't stick around in your company! Or should I say, your group isn't worthy of my sentimentality!" After saying that, Hao Jian slowly headed toward the door! Seeing Hao Jian act so nonchalantly, Xiao Qiang and the other drivers up for the second interview were all taken aback! In their eyes, although Hao Jian was a bit of a joker and a little sneaky, he still had guts, even giving up the position of Miss Shu Ya's personal driver! Everyone's view of Hao Jian changed somewhat, including Xiao Qiang's! Just as Hao Jian was about to pass by Xiao Qiang, he paused, looked her up and down, and a sleazy smile appeared on his lips: "Oh yeah, beauty, your hormonal imbalance seems quite severe lately, which could lead to other gynecological inflammations. If you need help, you can come to me anytime! One-on-one, professional treatment, you know what I mean!" With that said, Hao Jian winked at Xiao Qiang, emitting a 38V low voltage charm, then sashayed out of the training room! Xiao Qiang's mind was completely boggled! One-on-one? I know what you mean? I know screw you! That asshole was still the same shameless, despicable rogue as ever! Any slight improvement in Xiao Qiang's impression of Hao Jian had completely vanished, especially seeing the peculiar looks from the other interviewees around her, making her wish she could just crawl into a hole! "Mr. Hao Jian, please wait!" However, just as Hao Jian had stepped out of the training room, a crisp voice rang out, stunning everyone! They saw a professionally dressed female assistant approaching! Seeing this assistant, Xiao Qiang blinked in surprise: "Weiwei, why are you here? Did Miss Shu Ya give any instructions?" Xiao Qiang knew that this female assistant was the president's assistant to Miss Shu Ya and was usually responsible for conveying some of Miss Shu Ya's commands! However, what surprised Xiao Qiang was why the female assistant knew Hao Jian's name and what she wanted with him! The other driver candidates in the training room, who did not know the identity of the female assistant, perked up when they heard the name Miss Shu Ya! Under everyone's gaze, the female assistant walked over, smiled slightly at Xiao Qiang, then turned her intriguing eyes to Hao Jian: "Mr. Hao Jian, congratulations, you have successfully passed the second interview and are now appointed Miss Shu Ya's personal driver! Miss Shu Ya would like to meet with you, please follow me." What! The words of the female assistant stunned Xiao Qiang and everyone else present! Hao Jian had passed? This¡­ Xiao Qiang's face showed a hint of urgency as she quickly said: "Weiwei, what's going on?" "Sister Qiang, I don't know! It's a direct order from Miss Shu Ya!" The female assistant named Weiwei, who was obviously very familiar with Xiao Qiang, gave her a wry smile and then said to Hao Jian: "Mr. Hao Jian, please follow me." Upon saying that, Weiwei turned and headed straight towards the elevators! It was only then that Hao Jian reacted, equally astonished. He glanced at the leading Weiwei, then at the somewhat dumbfounded Xiao Qiang, and with a wide grin, Hao Jian coughed: "Ahem... turns out not every beauty is on their period! Aunt Flo, goodbye!" Having said that, Hao Jian flamboyantly swayed his hips and eagerly followed her, leaving behind Xiao Qiang, whose face was green with fury and who was grinding her teeth in hatred! Chapter 14: Chapter 14: The Ancients Sincerely Did Not Deceive Us! In the presidential office of Shu Ya Group, a city beauty quietly sat in a swivel chair!She was dressed in a spotless white OL outfit, her lustrous black hair neatly tied up at the back of her head, showcasing her long, snowy neck. The skin that was exposed was as smooth as congealed fat, flawless! Her beautiful face was stunning beyond words, half-hidden behind a pair of large black-framed glasses, revealing just enough to give a breathtakingly beautiful impression! Cold and proud! Like a fairy fallen from the heavens, giving the impression of being untainted by the mundane world! At that moment, the urban beauty, with her back to the door, gazed through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the bustling crowd below, her beautiful eyes flickering uncertainly, deep in thought. After a long while, a trace of misery crossed her face, accompanied by a long sigh: "Sigh... let it be him..." As she spoke, the city beauty released her tightly clenched hand to reveal a rusted pendant she was holding. Thump, thump, thump! Just as Miss Shu Ya was lost in thought looking at the pendant, the office door suddenly knocked, bringing her back to her senses. Her beautiful face flushed slightly, and she quickly slipped the pendant into her pocket. Only then did Miss Shu Ya's cool voice ring out: "Come in!" Squeak! The door opened, and the president's assistant, Weiwei, entered with Hao Jian. "President, Hao Jian has arrived!" "I know, you... you can leave now!" Miss Shu Ya did not turn around. Her delicate body trembled slightly, and even her voice quivered, revealing her nervousness. Weiwei obviously noticed Miss Shu Ya's demeanor; her surprised face didn't ask more. She nodded and then left the office directly. Only when the door closed did Hao Jian come back to his senses. His eyes wide open, he stammered as he looked at the graceful figure with her back to him: "You... you... weren't you with my woman last night?" Pfft! Miss Shu Ya had just taken a sip of coffee, which she then spat out, tears streaming down her face! Frantically grabbing a tissue, she wiped the coffee stains clean. Only then did Miss Shu Ya turn around with a mix of embarrassment and anger. "Oh! I see now, it was you who let me pass the interview, and you who let me pass the re-examination!" Hao Jian finally understood why he had passed the interview so confusedly. Now, looking at Miss Shu Ya, a sly smile appeared on his lips: "They say a couple for a day is bonded for a hundred, ancient words do not deceive!" Hearing his words and observing his shameless expression, Miss Shu Ya felt a suffocation of rage but managed to push her glasses up on her nose before she spoke coldly: "Hao Jian, don't flatter yourself. The reason I let you pass the assessment is that I need your help with something else!" With that, Miss Shu Ya fell silent for a moment before continuing: "I ask you, what do you want? Money? Power? Or something else?" Hmm? Hao Jian paused, his eyes flickering slightly. Although he didn't understand what Miss Shu Ya was implying, he still said with a smile: "Women! What I like most are women!" "And besides women?" Miss Shu Ya's face flushed slightly, inwardly cursing the scoundrel's shamelessness. "Girls! Besides women, naturally, my next favorite are girls!" Hao Jian shrugged, giving Miss Shu Ya a look as if he were regarding a fool. Miss Shu Ya felt her anger rising, but eventually, she managed to suppress her fury and asked in a chilling tone: "And besides women and girls?" "Aside from women and girls?" Hao Jian was taken aback, deeply glanced at Shu Ya, then smirked cheaply: "Then naturally it's girls!" I'm cutting grass! How furious Shu Ya was in her heart! At that moment, Shu Ya even began to waver in her thoughts, but still clung to a last bit of hope as she asked: S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hao Jian, let's talk straight. I need your help with something right now. As long as you agree, although I can't give you women, I can give you money, lots and lots of money!" Hmm? Hao Jian raised his eyebrow, deeply glanced at Shu Ya, and said with a smile: "Give me money? You aren't thinking of soliciting me, are you?" When Shu Ya heard this, she completely broke down! Her lips twitched, speechless at this scoundrel's shamelessness! "Okay, I was just joking! Tell me, what is it exactly?" Hao Jian watched Shu Ya's distressed look, shrugged his shoulders, and said with a chuckle. Shu Ya took a deep breath to calm herself down, but the calmer she tried to be, the more nervous she became, her palms nearly drenched in sweat: "Marry me..." Mother clucker, what did you say? Hao Jian scratched his ear, even suspecting he was hallucinating: "Cough cough... Miss Shu Ya, could you say that again? I didn't catch it!" "Marry me..." Shu Ya's pretty face blushed, as she bit her red lips, her voice tiny as a mosquito! "That, I still didn't catch it! Could you say it louder?" Hao Jian said with a wry smile. Seeing his expression, Shu Ya, for some reason, felt a surge of anger and yelled: "I said marry me! Now! Immediately! Right away!!!" Gah! Hao Jian felt his brain buzz, completely dumbfounded! He looked at Shu Ya's solemn face, remembering the passionate night before, his lips fiercely twitching: "Cough cough... Miss Shu Ya, although you gave me your first time, and I gave you my purity, but to propose to me now, don't you think it's too soon? Okay, I admit, I am very handsome, charming, and dashing. Men like me are completely extinct in this world! But you took away my purity, and now you want my lifelong chastity, you..." At that moment, Hao Jian felt like a victim of a strong-arming woman, the grievance, the heartache, the silent reproach, made Shu Ya's forehead line with black lines! "Shut up!!!" Shu Ya was about to collapse! Meeting a shameless person isn't scary! But meeting someone who eats shamelessness for breakfast is terrifying! And without a doubt, Hao Jian was the epitome of shamelessness, a marvel among the shameless! Shu Ya took several deep breaths to finally stabilize her emotions: "Mr. Hao Jian, I'm not joking, and I hope you'll take this seriously! Just agree to marry me and maintain it for 3 years, and I promise to give you 10 million!" Shu Ya's words made Hao Jian's eyes light up; he immediately began calculating: "3 years, that's 1095 days. 10 million divided by 1095 days equals 9132 yuan per day! Ten times a day, that means I can charge over 900 yuan each time! Although the price is a bit low, it's pretty similar to sitting around in a rich women's club!" After finishing his calculation, Hao Jian smirked shamelessly and said: "Alright, I agree. I'll supply myself for you to solicit for three years!" Chapter 15: Chapter 15 Too Much Blood Flow, Its Really Not Good! ```Pffft! Shu Ya's coffee, which she had only just taken a sip of, sprayed out wildly for the second time! At this moment, she felt like vomiting blood, vomiting blood ah ah ah! After cleaning up the coffee stains, Shu Ya fiercely rubbed her temples with her jade-like fingers. Her temperament was usually calm and elegant, but she couldn't help wanting to explode every time she faced Hao Jian! Having calmed her emotions, Shu Ya could only continue to speak to Hao Jian, "Hao Jian, I've reached the age where I must get married, especially under external pressures, it's necessary! Last night was an accident! As a conservative woman, I'd rather marry someone I know than a stranger, after all, you were my first!" As she said this, Shu Ya's beautiful eyes stared straight at Hao Jian, her expression filled with complexity. "Don't worry, it's just a sham marriage. You can have your private life, and I won't interfere! Once the three-year term is up, I'll divorce you immediately, restore your freedom, and I'll give you ten million as compensation!" Hao Jian watched Shu Ya intently, observing her expression, and after she finished, he replied with a smile, "Actually, I'm only concerned about one thing!" "What is it?" Shu Ya pushed up her black-rimmed glasses and asked. "During these three years, can we have the realities of married life?" Hao Jian asked with a smirk on his face. Upon hearing this, Shu Ya shook her head, "No!" "That means you expect me to live like a monk for three years!" Hao Jian, with a look of helplessness, shrugged his shoulders, "I'm sorry! I might be without money, might be without power, but I cannot be without women!" "I can give you money, and you can find other women! As long as I don't see it, you can do whatever you want!" Shu Ya still tried to persuade him. However, Hao Jian was resolute, shaking his head repeatedly, "Sorry, I'm a conservative man, I don't like adultery within marriage, even if it is a sham marriage!" A conservative man? When she heard this, the corners of Shu Ya's mouth twitched violently, and she almost burst into laughter at his shamelessness! "Twenty million! Three years!" Shu Ya's expression was serious as if negotiating a business deal. "Sorry, it's not about the money!" "Fifty million!" "No..." "One billion!" "Even if you offered me a hundred billion, my answer would still be no!" Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, as he said, it was a matter of principle, or perhaps, a physiological issue! At this moment, Shu Ya felt as if she was negotiating the most difficult deal in the world. Although Hao Jian might be a bit of a joker, he was clearly not someone who could be swayed by money! Right then, Shu Ya was filled with anger, staring straight at Hao Jian, she asked, "Hao Jian, do you believe that I could sue you for rape and have you thrown in jail for life, never to come out?" Hmm? Hao Jian paused, then followed up with a playful smile, "Okay! I apologize, don't cry!" Hao Jian was most afraid of women crying in front of him and became frantic. "I'm asking you, do you, or do you not, take me as your wife!!!" Shu Ya, wiping away tears, looked at Hao Jian with a look of deep resentment, causing his heart to tremble fiercely! But Hao Jian still shook his head: ``` "I won't marry you!" That single sentence pushed Shu Ya to a corner, casting a shadow of despair and misery over her beautiful face. She opened the drawer and, under Hao Jian's shocked gaze, took out a folding knife, then viciously slashed her own pale wrist! Thud! Blood spurted out, instantly covering the floor! This scene startled Hao Jian, and he quickly tried to step forward to stop her, but at that moment, Shu Ya aimed the folding knife fiercely at her own neck: "Don't come any closer!!!" Shu Ya's sharp command made Hao Jian immediately stop in his tracks, seeing the knife point almost piercing into her neck, ready to plunge deeply into her flesh at any moment! The scene before him truly shook Hao Jian! He had never imagined that the beautiful, fairy-like Shu Ya would act so violently! "Hao Jian..." Shu Ya, disregarding the blood streaming from her wrist, her lovely face tear-stained and soaked, looked at Hao Jian with eyes filled with profound despair and deathly resignation: "I'm asking you one last time, will you... will you marry me?!!!" The crimson blood, the resolute readiness for death, the tragic countenance! All of these images combined to strike at the deepest secrets in Hao Jian's heart, making him shudder violently! He remembered, that woman had also done the exact same foolish thing before! She held the Sun and Moon Daggers against her fair neck, her beautiful eyes filled with sorrow as she asked, "Will you marry me?" The same scene, the same circumstances! As these two images merged, in that moment, Hao Jian couldn't even distinguish whether the woman before him was Shu Ya or Moon? Drip-drop! Drip-drop! Each droplet of blood trailed down Shu Ya's neck, as if beating down on Hao Jian's heart, causing him excruciating pain! "You win! I'll... marry you..." When Hao Jian uttered these words, his voice was hoarse, seemingly exhausted of all his strength! Upon hearing this, Shu Ya smiled, a smile so miserable and apologetic! She had won, but there was no joy in her victory. The folding knife left her throat and was placed back on the table, and Shu Ya looked at Hao Jian with an apologetic expression: "Hao Jian, I'm sorry! I'm out of options, I must get married! I don't want to marry those men with ulterior motives, so I have no choice but to turn to you!" At that moment, Hao Jian showed no hint of a smile, just wearily nodded: "I know, since I've agreed, I won't go back on my word!" Relieved by his response, Shu Ya then took out a stack of papers from the drawer and handed them to Hao Jian: Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Here is the prenuptial agreement. Take a look, and if there's anything unsuitable, we can discuss it further!" Taking the contract, Hao Jian didn't even look at it before he signed his name with a pen! "Don't you want to read it first?" Shu Ya asked in surprise! "They're just some details; what difference does it make whether I read them or not!" Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders and then pointed at Shu Ya's wrist: "You should take care of your wound. Your period is coming, and bleeding too much really isn't good!" Chapter 16: Chapter 16 Hao Jian, so cheap! Shu Ya was taken aback for a moment; she hadn't expected this scoundrel to have such a considerate side.Having signed his own name, Hao Jian passed the contract over, his face brimming with a playful smile: "Well, now you're not just someone who's slept with me, you also own me." Alright, he was just an asshole! Shu Ya thought to herself. "Just thinking about owning a handsome guy like me probably makes you wake up laughing at night, right?" Hao Jian chuckled coldly: "I actually guessed it a long time ago, no wonder Auntie Xiao downstairs was so angered by me but still let me come back. It was all your doing." While saying this, Hao Jian leaned close to Shu Ya, blinked his charming big eyes, and wore a face full of playfulness: "You must have seen me on the day of the interview and were dazzled by my fairy-like good looks, then pretended to encounter me in the bar, arranged for a few hoodlums to harass you, so you could then logically throw yourself into my arms. Little did I know, Hao Jian, with such a brilliant reputation, would be calculated against by you." Hao Jian sighed to the heavens, his expression as shameless as it could be: "I thought keeping a low profile would prevent me from drawing attention, but it's useless. A super handsome, incredibly dashing, and awe-inspiring man like me is like a firefly in the night, shining brightly and standing out wherever I am!" "Hey, hey, where are you going?" Hao Jian was puzzled to see Shu Ya grabbing her bag and leaving. Shu Ya really couldn't stand it anymore. She had seen many a jerk, but one as outrageous as Hao Jian was a first for her. Hao Jian, so shameless! His name really hadn't been wrongly given. ... Once back home, Hao Jian casually tossed his keys onto the table and then walked over to the window, gazing into the distance, where he stood for a full hour. In this moment, there was no sleaziness, no cheap laughter, just endless depth and desolation, like an old man who had seen through the vicissitudes of life, exuding a heartbreakingly lonely air! Moon, how are you now? "Bang, bang, bang." Frantic knocking interrupted Hao Jian's thoughts. "Jerky brother, mom is calling you to come eat!" Tongtong's youthful and slightly mocking voice came from outside the door. Hao Jian, with a face full of black lines, opened the door to see the little girl looking at him with a mischievous grin. "You little brat, who taught you that?" Hao Jian pretended to be angry. But this seemed to have no deterrent effect on Tongtong, who stuck out her tongue at him and then ran off. Entering the room, Hao Jian was greeted by a delicious aroma, and then he saw Sister Lan, with her apron on, bringing dishes from the kitchen. Sister Lan was dressed in a tight yellow sweater, which complemented her fair skin. Her curly hair was tied up in a bun, making her look proficient yet seductive. Hao Jian licked his dry lips. Indeed, Sister Lan was extraordinary to combine these two distinct temperaments together. Seeing Hao Jian staring stupidly at her, Sister Lan's face flushed with a hint of red, and she cast a bewitching glance at him: "Why are you staring at me like that?" Hao Jian, looking at the four dishes and a soup on the table, couldn't help but exclaim, "It's got color, fragrance, and taste all complete. Sister Lan is truly a good wife and mother." "What good wife and mother, don't make fun of me." By this time, Sister Lan was already serving the rice, feeling even more embarrassed at Hao Jian's words. "Mom, what does it mean to be a 'virtuous wife and good mother'?" Tongtong asked with a puzzled face. Because she was short, only her little head reached the dining table, which looked very cute. "It's none of your business, eat your food!" Sister Lan's face flushed red as she glared at Tongtong, then quickly changed the subject, "I saw you weren't home all day, where did you go?" "I went job hunting," Hao Jian said with a smile! Speaking of what happened today, it really felt like a dream, who knew he would just step into a grave like that? He had promised himself he would never marry in his lifetime! Sigh, indeed he was a supremely good man, too soft-hearted! But in his heart, he knew that was just nonsense, if she looked like Luo Yufeng, his heart would be as hard as it could be. "Oh? I thought you didn't need to work," Sister Lan said, her opinion of Hao Jian somewhat improved. Ever since this guy moved in, he had been loafing around and leering at her. If it weren't for the time he stood up for her when a male guest was bullying her, she really would have thought Hao Jian was nothing but a scoundrel. "How could that be possible, I can't just sit around and deplete my savings, can I? Sister Lan, you don't know me well, I am actually a young man of noble character and high moral standing!" Hao Jian boasted. "You bullied a sister yesterday, a noble young man?" Tongtong suddenly interjected with a disdainful look at Hao Jian. "Pfft." Sister Lan couldn't help but burst into laughter, doubling over. Hao Jian, face blackening, complained, "Sister Lan, can't you discipline your daughter?" "Her mouth is on her face, I really can't control it," Sister Lan replied with a mischievous smile. Hao Jian was stupefied, having no choice but to concede. "Excuse me, is Hao Jian living here?" Suddenly, a voice from outside asked. All three turned their heads, only to see a beautiful girl dressed in a white striped dress with a round hat on her head, tall and statuesque as though a fairy had descended to earth, standing at the door. Her skin was as white and smooth as fine porcelain, her perfect features more like a work of art meticulously crafted by nature, stunningly beautiful! S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a proportionate figure, she was slimmer than Sister Lan's voluptuousness, and paired with her refreshingly clean attire, instantly caught everyone's attention. The visitor was none other than Shu Ya, who had just engaged to Hao Jian earlier today. "Why are you here?" Seeing Shu Ya appear, Hao Jian was also stunned. How did this woman find her way here? Was she afraid he would run away? Sigh, beauty can sometimes be a burden! "You. How come you..." Shu Ya stared at Hao Jian, Sister Lan, and Tongtong, dumbfounded! Hao Jian, Sister Lan, and Tongtong together looked just like a happy family of three. "Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not his wife, I'm his landlord," Sister Lan hurriedly stood up and said with an embarrassed face, glaring fiercely at Hao Jian: "Hao Jian, your girlfriend is here, why don't you introduce us!" "She's not my girlfriend!" Hao Jian said defiantly, a person has to breathe even when being hanged, right? Can't you let me enjoy a few last days before entering the grave and not press so hard? "This..." Sister Lan was somewhat at a loss, if she's not the girlfriend, then what could she be? Upon hearing this, a cold smile also appeared on Shu Ya's face, "I'm not his girlfriend, I'm his fianc¨¦e!" Chapter 17: Chapter 17 Who is shamelessly begging? "Clang."Hao Jian's pair of chopsticks fell directly to the ground, and an uglier-than-crying smile appeared on his face. "Mom, brother is crying." Tongtong turned her head and said to Sister Lan. "Hao Jian, why didn't I hear about you having a fianc¨¦e?" Out of curiosity, Sister Lan asked that a fianc¨¦e, such a dramatic term, seemed like something only noble families in TV shows would use. "Not just you, even I found out today that I have a fianc¨¦e," Hao Jian said irritably. "Oh?" Sister Lan became even more puzzled. "Dear, I'm sorry, please don't be mad at her, she realized her mistake." Shu Ya quickly wrapped her arms around Hao Jian's neck, fearful of giving away too much and arousing Sister Lan's suspicion. She had to ensure that the plan was flawless without any slip-ups. Seeing Shu Ya embrace Hao Jian like this, Sister Lan thought to herself that the couple must be having a lovers' squabble, but she couldn't understand why she felt a bit uncomfortable watching them together. "Then, will you still have a 5P behind my back?" Hao Jian glanced sideways at Shu Ya and asked. "Hiss." Sister Lan gasped in shock. 5P? Was this girl that wild? She didn't look the part. In her eyes, Shu Ya seemed so gentle and well-dressed, clearly a well-bred woman. Could such a girl engage in 5P? Shu Ya's expression also froze. This jerk, he did it on purpose! "Yeah, I'll never dare again," Shu Ya said with a forced smile while pinching Hao Jian hard on his waist. "Hiss. For this time, hiss hiss, I'll forgive you," Hao Jian gasped in pain while forcing a smile uglier than crying. The more Sister Lan watched this couple, the more bizarre she found them, and she was at a loss for any response. "Mommy, what does 5P mean?" Curious baby Tongtong started asking questions again. "Children should not ask so many questions!" Sister Lan scolded irritably, her face also flushing red. How was she supposed to answer that? Shu Ya's face was as red as a monkey's butt, and she kept pinching Hao Jian vigorously. By this time, Hao Jian's facial expression had completely stiffened, only his facial muscles twitched relentlessly. "Since you're here, let's eat dinner together," Sister Lan said warmly. "Thank you, my name is Shu Ya, just call me Ya," Shu Ya sat down without any hesitation. "No one wants to know who you are," Hao Jian started undermining her again. Shu Ya glared at him fiercely, then turning to Sister Lan said, "Landlady, you look so young and also so beautiful." What woman doesn't like being praised as beautiful and lovely? Sister Lan was no exception! Upon hearing this from Shu Ya, a shy smile couldn't help spreading across Sister Lan's face: "You're joking, right? At your age, you still talk about beauty? But you, you're the one who's both young and pretty. And that grace about you, you must come from a notable family, right?" "Yes, yes, Sister Lan is as beautiful as a princess," Tongtong added, her small eyes shining. In her eyes, Shu Ya was simply Snow White, who had stepped right out of a comic book, so beautiful and charming! "You're not bad either, look at your cute little cheeks, you must have plenty of boys chasing you at school, right?" Shu Ya said, pinching Tongtong's cheeks with a smile. Tongtong had also inherited her mother's beauty, like a porcelain doll, her whole little face was so playful and cute, clearly a beauty in the making. Hao Jian just watched these three women complimenting each other and suddenly had a bad feeling, wondering if these three women would form an alliance against him in the future. Finally, after finishing the meal, Hao Jian took Shu Ya back to his room. Shu Ya glanced at Hao Jian's room and was immediately disgusted. Beer bottles and instant noodle cups covered the floor, cockroaches and flies crawled and flew around; to call this place suitable for humans was an understatement¡ªit was more like a garbage dump. "You...you actually live in this place?" Shu Ya asked Hao Jian in horror. At that moment, she even doubted how she had managed to sleep there the night before! "What, you have a problem?" Hao Jian raised his eyebrows and glanced at Shu Ya's large suitcase, then said in amazement, "You're not planning to live with me, are you?" "Why not? This is called going all in for the act. Once you and I get married, my family will definitely investigate our past interactions. If they find out we haven't been together before getting married, they'll surely be suspicious," Shu Ya said matter-of-factly. "But you don't have to live in my house for that. Shouldn't we take things step by step? Moving in all of a sudden might make people suspect even more," Hao Jian tried to persuade Shu Ya. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I also want to take it step by step, but I'm running out of time. At that point, I'll just tell them that you saw me during a company interview, fell in love with me at first sight, launched a major offensive, begged me to be with you, and then I reluctantly agreed to date you. After spending some time together, I found you to be a decent person, so I agreed to marry you. Geez, I'm such a genius!" Shu Ya was almost dazzled by her own cleverness. "Why is it me pursuing you? Why not you chasing me?" Hao Jian glared, unhappy with the plot arrangement. Shu Ya looked at Hao Jian with disdain, "Do I even need to ask? I'm the rich and beautiful one, and you are the poor guy. Me chasing you? Who would believe that?" "Nonsense, I'm a man with potential! Plus, I'm handsome! Besides, it's clearly you who desperately wants me to marry you. Why does it turn out to be me chasing you?" Hao Jian was not pleased. "Who was desperately wanting it?" Shu Ya's cheeks puffed up in anger. This jerk¡ªwas he picking and choosing when such a beautiful woman like her was throwing herself at him? Was he even a man? Hao Jian didn't reply, just rolled his eyes, then put a finger to his throat and mimicked in a high-pitched voice, "Hao Jian, will you marry me? If you don't marry me, I'll die just to show you!" "You jerk! I'm going to fight you!" Furiously embarrassed, Shu Ya lunged at Hao Jian, her fists flying everywhere. "Hey, hey, stop messing around." Caught off guard, Hao Jian was swiftly knocked down by Shu Ya! In that moment, both of them froze. Neither of them dared to move, fearing they would make the situation even more awkward. After a moment of awkwardness, Hao Jian immediately snapped back to his senses, looking at Shu Ya who was close at hand, and smirked mischievously. Chapter 18: Chapter 18 Do You Have No Shame? Hao Jian shamelessly shrugged his shoulders, taking it for granted as he said, "Who asked you to molest me?""Molest you? Do you have no shame?" Shu Ya was fuming with rage. This bastard actually accused her of molesting him? Was she that kind of person? "Shame? What is that?" Hao Jian scratched his head, pretending to be clueless. "You." Shu Ya's chest heaved with anger, but she didn't know how to counterargue. "Can't help it, I'm just this kind of person. If you can't get used to it, then just move out," Hao Jian said carelessly, his face the picture of nonchalance. When Shu Ya heard this, she actually calmed down. This guy wanted to force her to leave? Hmph! She's Shu Ya, how could she submit to a scoundrel? "No, I'm not leaving. I plan to settle down here." Shu Ya walked straight to the sofa and sat down with legs crossed, looking intriguedly at Hao Jian. "Suit yourself then," Hao Jian glanced at her and then stood up. "Beep beep. Beep beep." At this moment, Hao Jian's alarm suddenly went off. "Aiya, happy times are here again!" Hao Jian hurriedly turned off the alarm, a sleazy grin appeared on his face, and he scurried into the bathroom. He pressed his face against the small hole in the wall. As for what he was doing, it went without saying. This time, it happened to be Sister Lan's moment to take a bath. "Here it comes. Here it comes." Hao Jian chuckled foolishly, and sure enough, he saw Sister Lan enter the neighboring bathroom in her bathrobe, preparing to bathe. Shu Ya was taken aback at the sight, and then asked with a frown, "What are you looking at?" Although she didn't know what Hao Jian wanted to do, her intuition told her it was definitely not good. "Go away, go away," Hao Jian waved his hand at Shu Ya, his face filled with impatience. Now was Hao Jian's private "happy time," which no one was allowed to disturb. But the more he acted this way, the more curious Shu Ya became. She rushed forward, and when Hao Jian wasn't paying attention, she lifted her long leg and kicked him right in the butt, sending him flying. Then Shu Ya herself pressed her face to the hole in the wall, wanting to see what Hao Jian was actually watching. When she saw Sister Lan getting ready to undress, her face immediately turned red, and she pointed shakily at Hao Jian, trembling with anger, "You, you're shameless!" This bastard even set an alarm? "Quiet down, you're about to shatter my skull," Hao Jian complained as he picked his ear. "You're peeping?" Shu Ya said in rage. Was this guy blind, not seeing that there was a live person standing here? To peep at another woman in front of his fianc¨¦e, wasn't that a bit too brazen? Shu Ya suddenly felt very uncomfortable. This guy clearly didn't take her seriously at all. "So what, you're not my 'who', why should you care what I do?" Hao Jian turned and snorted disdainfully. "I'm your fianc¨¦e!" Shu Ya shouted. "Hey hey hey, that's just in name. Don't forget, our relationship is only a cooperation," Hao Jian sneered. "I'm certainly not ****!" Shu Ya retorted angrily, "Anyway, I won't let you peep at the landlady!" "That's my business, get out of the way!" Hao Jian exploded with rage, was he finding himself a mother? S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "No way!" Shu Ya spread her arms, blocking the hole. But Hao Jian's face showed a trace of disdain and with a gentle push, he shoved Shu Ya aside. A weak woman like her, how could she possibly stand against a big man like Hao Jian. "Are you going to get out of the way or not!" Shu Ya was also furious, giving a final warning. Hao Jian glanced at her sideways, said nothing, but the corner of his mouth revealed a sneer of disdain. It was silent mockery. "Fine fine fine," Shu Ya said 'fine' three times and then screamed at the top of her lungs, "Sister Lan, Hao Jian is peeping at you showering!" The scream resonated through the entire building. Hao Jian also shrank back in fright, staring dumbfounded at Shu Ya. Had this woman gone mad? "Ah!" Then a woman's piercing scream followed. Hao Jian quickly turned his head to look through the hole, only to find Sister Lan had already put on her bathrobe, looking around in horror. "You you you you." Hao Jian pointed at Shu Ya, yet he couldn't utter a word. "Well?" Shu Ya fluttered her eyebrows, a victorious smile on her face. "Bang bang bang." Right at that moment, there was a knock on Hao Jian's door. Hao Jian immediately panicked. Having done something guilty, how could he dare face Sister Lan. "Do you need me to open the door?" Shu Ya provocatively looked at Hao Jian. "Don't open it!" Hao Jian quickly said. If the door was opened, he wouldn't know how to face Sister Lan. "Oh, so now you know fear? I thought you feared nothing," Shu Ya giggled sweetly, and for some reason, she felt exceptionally happy seeing this scoundrel at a loss. "Big sister, Gu Shuishui, are you trying to kill me? Now Sister Lan will surely kick me out, won't she?" Hao Jian complained with a mournful face. "Don't worry, if it really comes to that, you can just stay at my place. After all, you follow whoever you marry, right?" Shu Ya smirked. It would be best if this bastard got kicked out. That way, she could save herself some worry and wouldn't have to fear him cheating behind her back. But why did she care so much about this scoundrel? It had to be a misconception! She was just concerned he would ruin her plans. "Click click." Suddenly, there was the sound of the door unlocking from outside. Hao Jian's heart leapt to his throat, he wanted to rush forward to lock the door, but it was too late. The door was already opened, and Sister Lan rushed in, bathrobe and all, huffing with anger. Chapter 19: Chapter 19 Let me count first! At this moment, Sister Lan's face was completely flushed, spreading right to her earlobes; it was clear that she heard Shu Ya's loud scream just now."Sister Lan, is there anything the matter at this late hour?" Hao Jian asked, pretending to be unaware. "Did you just peep on me while I was bathing?" Sister Lan asked sternly. "How could that be? Do I look like that kind of person?" Hao Jian put on an aggrieved expression, attempting to bluster his way through. "You don't seem like that kind of person," Sister Lan shook her head. "Hehe¡­ Sister Lan is so wise!" Hao Jian was secretly delighted, not expecting Sister Lan to be so easily deceived. "You are exactly that kind of person!" But Sister Lan's next sentence was just like that. "..." Sister Lan said nothing but pushed the door open and walked in, then she saw Shu Ya sitting on the sofa, playing with her fingers, completely indifferent. "Shu Ya, was it you who screamed just now?" Sister Lan asked. Hao Jian shook his head vigorously behind Sister Lan. "Yeah." Shu Ya responded as if she hadn't seen. Hao Jian instantly covered his forehead, sighed inwardly, and felt an urge to strangle Shu Ya. "Where did he peep at me from?" Sister Lan asked, her face ugly. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Shu Ya remained silent, but pointed at a wall in the bathroom. Sister Lan immediately entered the bathroom and then saw a small hole in the wall, which perfectly allowed a view of the opposing bathroom. Not only was the hole concealed, but the angle of the view was exceptionally good. Sister Lan's face reddened even more in the bathroom, turned around furiously, and glared at Hao Jian, "How many times is this now?" Just thinking that she had been watched by Hao Jian every time she bathed, Sister Lan was indescribably ashamed and angry. If it weren't for the fact that he had saved her before, she would have considered calling the police. "Just once, really, today was the first time," Hao Jian quickly defended himself, obviously lying. "Nothing but nonsense." Shu Ya played with her fingers, casually dropping this remark. Hao Jian gritted his teeth, his face turning completely dark. "Aren't you going to be honest? Do I need to call the police?" Sister Lan stated angrily. Upon hearing this, Shu Ya too was startled; she just wanted to play a prank on Hao Jian, not get him jailed. If Hao Jian were to end up in jail, then her entire plan would be ruined. "No, no, no, let me count." Hao Jian had no choice but to admit defeat and began counting on his fingers. "One, two, three, four." Hao Jian counted seriously, and then stopped at four. Sister Lan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself that it was lucky it was only four times and not too bad. But Hao Jian's next sentence was, "Should be around forty times, I guess." Sister Lan and Shu Ya were petrified, Shu Ya especially at a loss for words, realizing that the guy was a habitual offender. "It seems I had better call the police." Sister Lan was furious inside, considering that Hao Jian had only been living there for just over twenty days, and she bathed twice a day¡ªmorning and evening. This meant that this guy was watching her almost every day, without fail! Curse a thousand curses! "Sister Lan! Dear sister! I realize my mistake now, please spare me! I'll never dare to do it again after this!" Hao Jian suddenly shouted out, "Sister Lan, look at me, I'm not even thirty yet, still have my best years ahead of me. I have an eighty-year-old mother above, and a crying son below." "Pfft." Sister Lan was amused by Hao Jian's ridiculousness, having never really intended to call the police. She knew what kind of person Hao Jian was¡ªthough slightly lecherous, he was the type who had the desire but not the guts. The scare was only to teach him a lesson, to stop him from perpetually engaging in nonsensical acts. "Laughing? If there's laughter, there's hope!" Hao Jian thought to himself and started chuckling along. "What are you laughing at?" Sister Lan snapped. Then Hao Jian dared not laugh anymore. Shu Ya was dumbfounded and thought to herself, could it really only be Sister Lan who could tame this bastard? "I'm not saying this to scold you, but you already have a girlfriend. How can you still be so fickle? And your girlfriend is so beautiful, doing this kind of thing in front of her, aren't you taking her too lightly?" Sister Lan completely adopted the tone of an elder. "She went behind my back with someone for a 5P, I don't want her anymore; Sister Lan is better, a virtuous wife and good mother," Hao Jian said with a glance at Shu Ya, then he grinned apologetically at Sister Lan. "You bastard, you were the one who had a 5P! I'm going to kill you!" Shu Ya freaked out, lunged forward with claws bared. This guy just wouldn't stop, even brought that up as a topic. And just like that, Hao Jian was forced to start his cohabitation journey. The next morning, Shu Ya got up to brush her teeth and wash up, but as soon as she opened the door, she heard a singing voice. "Brusha, Brusha, Eh Eh! Brusha, Brusha, Oh Oh." Shu Ya rubbed her sleepy eyes, only to see a guy enjoying a "bubble bath" in the bathtub, playing with a rubber duck in his hands. Seeing Shu Ya come in, Hao Jian was also stunned. The next instant, their eyes locked, both petrified. "Ahhh... you're peeking at me, oh my god... I can't live like this..." The scream tearing through her eardrums was Shu Ya's. Shu Ya quickly retreated, slammed the door shut, and only after doing all this did she feel as if she had just woken from a dream. Her mind was a bit messy now. According to the usual routine, wasn't it her turn to scream first? "You shameless thing!" From inside came the cursing voice of Hao Jian, seemingly very aggrieved. Shu Ya was also angry: "A grown man, do you really have to be like this?" "Grown man? What's wrong with being a grown man? Although I am a man, can't I have the heart of a young girl?" Hao Jian said despondently. For some reason, Shu Ya found herself at a loss for words. After hesitating for a moment, Shu Ya decided to go down and brush her teeth, not wanting to bunch up with this scoundrel. After brushing her teeth and having breakfast, Hao Jian drove Shu Ya to her office. Of course, there was no breakfast for Hao Jian. Sister Lan's response was, "People who do bad things don't deserve breakfast." Hao Jian sat in the Mercedes-Benz, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his demeanor somewhat profound as he puffed smoke. Before long, he saw Shu Ya in professional attire coming downstairs. At this moment, Shu Ya, wearing a white striped shirt with a blue blazer over it, and light grey trousers, looked smart and capable, yet still appealing - a true power woman, which easily ignited one's desire to conquer. "Sister looks so beautiful!" Tongtong pointed at Shu Ya and said to Sister Lan. Sister Lan smiled faintly, thinking to herself she hadn't guessed wrong, Shu Ya was no ordinary person, but why such a girl would fall for a scoundrel like Hao Jian? It was completely baffling. "Tongtong, be good, sis will bring you something tasty when I come back," Shu Ya said as she pinched Tongtong's cheek: "By the way, what do you want to eat?" Shu Ya really liked Tongtong, this little girl was charmingly cute and mischievous! Tongtong thought for a moment, then said with a smile: "Sister Shu Ya, I want to drink Xu's old yogurt!" "Okay! Sister will buy it for you after work!" Shu Ya pinched Tongtong's little cheek again and said with a laugh. Just then, Hao Jian coughed dryly, his face full of a cheeky grin: "Sister Shu Ya, I want to drink milk too!" Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Funny Quotations! "Sister Shu Ya, I want some milk too!"After Hao Jian said that, Shu Ya and Sister Lan were completely thunderstruck! Especially Shu Ya, her eyelids twitched wildly, her silver teeth chattered, she desperately wanted to pin this shameless bastard to the ground and XOXO him a thousand times! "Hmph! Jerk!" Shu Ya's previously good mood was utterly destroyed by Hao Jian, and she immediately turned to Sister Lan and Tongtong to say goodbye before diving into her own sedan! Seeing Shu Ya huffing away, Hao Jian's big mouth split into a grin: "It's just a five-yuan carton of yogurt! I'm blown away, she flipped faster than flipping a book!" After muttering to himself, Hao Jian waved to Sister Lan and Tongtong, then got into the sedan himself! Once Hao Jian got into the car, Shu Ya quickly returned to her typical state of an icy CEO, her face stern: "Drive!" Hao Jian also noticed the change in Shu Ya's aura and didn't dare to joke anymore, he drove quietly. When the car was about to reach the company, Shu Ya suddenly spoke up, "Remember, when we get to the company, you can't tell anyone you are my fianc¨¦." "Ah, why?" Hao Jian asked, surprised. "Because our current relationship cannot be known to everyone in the company." Shu Ya gave her reason, one being that Hao Jian's abrupt appearance was hard to explain since most people at the company knew she didn't have a boyfriend; suddenly popping up with one would surely seem odd to them. The second reason was her worry that Hao Jian, this scoundrel of a hooligan, would take advantage of being her fianc¨¦ to mess around in the company, after all, his head was filled with nothing but libido ¨C for safety's sake, it was better to keep it a secret for now. "Alright," Hao Jian agreed reluctantly! This guy was actually quite ready to use his status to play the field, but with Shu Ya's sudden words, he felt aggrieved and desolate in his heart! Why did it feel like nothing good had happened since he slept with this woman? "Disappointed, are you?" Shu Ya let out a cold, amused snort, obviously aware of what he was thinking. "I feel like I'm at a loss. Not only did you take my body, but I can't even claim to be your fianc¨¦. Ah, this is what you call a name without the benefits!" Hao Jian said facetiously. "Benefits my ass!" scolded Shu Ya, but she couldn't help but be amused by him. The car parked in the company's underground garage, and then Shu Ya and Hao Jian got out, one after the other. Shu Ya instructed, "You go to HR and report to Xiao Qiang. Remember, no more flirting with her!" Hao Jian scoffed, "Joking! Do I look like the kind of man who harasses decent women? I just like to 'communicate' and 'interact' with beautiful women, that's all!" "Don't be such a clown. Although Xiao Qiang is a bit aloof, she is talented, a Harvard University graduate. I paid a lot to hire her, and you'd better not drive her away or I won't let you off," Shu Ya warned. "Okay, okay, what you say goes. Are you happy now, Madam President?" Hao Jian replied, still with a flippant attitude. Shu Ya exhaled deeply, realizing that it was indeed more difficult to get this guy to act seriously than to ascend to the heavens. She guessed that Hao Jian's blood must naturally contain a type of cell called "dumbass." Then, without paying him any more attention, Shu Ya took the private elevator upstairs. "One moment she wants me to be her fianc¨¦, the next she doesn't want anyone to know I am her fianc¨¦, ah, a woman's mind is indeed difficult to understand." Hao Jian sighed, then grinned wickedly, "Forget it, I'll go have fun with Aunt Flo instead; she's more interesting." Inside the HR department, Xiao Qiang was focused on her work when she heard a knock on the door. She looked up and said, "Come in!" Then, she saw Hao Jian entering with a sleazy grin on his face. Seeing Hao Jian, Xiao Qiang's face darkened immediately! If she was displeased with Hao Jian, it was like seeing a pile of stinking dog shit ¨C and now this pile of stinking dog shit had to appear in front of her eyes. She didn't know what the president was thinking by hiring such a person, which was simply corrupting the group's atmosphere and lowering the employees' morale. "Sister Qiang? Busy?" Hao Jian snickered, looking as sleazy as one could be. "I'm younger than you; don't age me!" Xiao Qiang said with blatant disrespect. "Then, Sister Qian?" Hao Jian wiggled his eyebrows. "Don't get cozy, we're not that close," Xiao Qiang added. "Xiao Qiang." Hao Jian stopped jesting and seriously called out her name. "Don't address me by my name; that seems very rude~!" "Auntie!" Hao Jian got angry, and the word "auntie" slipped out in an instant. "You're asking for it!" Xiao Qiang immediately threw a file at him, her pretty face turning red and white with anger. Hao Jian quickly dodged and said with a sense of grievance, "You say I can't call you this or that, what should I do then? Should I call you 'dear'?" "Pah! I could drown you with a single spit! Call me Minister Xiao!" Xiao Qiang was extremely angry; she didn't know why, but every time she saw this clown, she couldn't control herself and always lost her composure in public. "Alright, alright, Minister Xiao." "What do you want?" Xiao Qiang looked explosive. "Nothing much, just the president told me to come here to register, you know, for the payroll convenience later," Hao Jian explained. "Just wait." Xiao Qiang kept her cool and searched through cabinets and drawers for a while before she threw a form at Hao Jian, disrespectfully tossing it onto the floor. In fact, the moment Xiao Qiang threw out the form, she regretted it because she could see that although Hao Jian was a bit shady, he probably wasn't a bad person, and her behavior was clearly a bit too much. But Hao Jian didn't mind, picked up the form from the ground, then came to Xiao Qiang's desk and directly started to fill it in with a pen. Is this guy, mad? Xiao Qiang felt even more regret because she could tell that Hao Jian was no longer joking around. Well, that's normal, I guess; if I were treated like this by someone else, I probably would feel very uncomfortable too. After he had filled in the form, Hao Jian handed it back to her. Xiao Qiang received the form and looked it over seriously. The first half was normal, but then she got to the second half. "Helping an old lady across the street and getting the 'Triple Good Student' award, you didn't really need to write that, did you?" "How can I not? I'm a very serious person, and since there's an option for 'what proud things you've done,' naturally, I had to write it down," Hao Jian said seriously. Xiao Qiang was at a loss for words and continued reading, only to see something that shocked her: "Hundreds, thousands, ten thousand, your desired salary is half a million?" That salary was even higher than hers. "What's wrong, is there something incorrect?" Hao Jian asked with a puzzled look. "Of course, it's wrong, way too wrong! You're here to apply for a driver's position; how could you ask for more than me?" Xiao Qiang was speechless; was this guy delusional? "Minister Xiao, you don't understand, have you never heard a famous saying? A general who doesn't want to be a soldier isn't a good driver." Hao Jian patted his chest and said, looking like the epitome of a good young man. Hearing this, Xiao Qiang nearly spit out a mouthful of old blood! God damn it! S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A general who doesn't want to be a soldier isn't a good driver? Was this some kind of jokester's famous quote? Chapter 21: Chapter 21 The Four Untouchables! "But you can't just ask for such a high amount all at once, right?""I'm just showing my true intentions. Whether you give it or not is up to you. Besides, what if the CEO really gets dazzled and approves it without seeing clearly?" Hao Jian said, winking at Xiao Qiang. "Impossible, unless the chairman has a brain aneurysm!" Xiao Qiang said decisively. "Your chairman must have really had one, otherwise, she wouldn't be so desperately begging me to marry her." Hao Jian muttered under his breath. "What did you say?" "Ah, nothing." Hao Jian hurriedly shook his head, then urged, "Minister Xiao, hurry up, will you? I'm busy here." Xiao Qiang glared at Hao Jian irritably, then crossed out a string of zeros behind the number and said: "The company, well, it's impossible to give you the high salary you're asking for. Five thousand is the most, and not a yuan more." "Ah, that little?" Hao Jian said somewhat disappointedly. Five thousand wasn't even close to one ten-millionth of what he earned for one mission, but for the sake of returning to a peaceful life, it was something he had to accept. "Little? You're just a driver. Aside from driving the CEO to and from work, you don't have to do anything else, and yet you still think it's too little?" Xiao Qiang said, somewhat scornfully: "Do you only care about money?" "Of course not, there are other things." Hao Jian quickly shook his head. "Like what?" "Women. Instead of getting paid, I'd prefer the company to supply women!" Hao Jian answered seriously, he certainly wasn't joking. Xiao Qiang covered her face with her hand, sighing deeply. She suddenly felt that she and Hao Jian were from different worlds. Maybe he really was from Mars. After completing all the procedures, Hao Jian began aimlessly wandering around the company, flirting with female colleagues and fooling around with the male ones. In less than half a day, he had already gotten chummy with a bunch of people. It turned out that this was a family business, reportedly left behind by Shu Ya's mother's side, operating for over two hundred years and was currently preparing to go public. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At that moment, Hao Jian suddenly spotted an acquaintance and immediately shouted, "Hey, Big Brother Tie Shan!" Tie Shan turned around to see it was Hao Jian. His brow immediately furrowed into a '´¨' shape, his face darkened, and he charged at Hao Jian. Hao Jian had made him look foolish that day, and he hadn't forgotten. Catching the kid today, he needed to teach him a lesson, to alleviate the grudge in his heart. But just as Tie Shan was about to raise his fist, Hao Jian already came up grinning, offering a cigarette: "Hehe... Big Brother Tie Shan, are your balls still hurting? Have a Greater China, calm the essence!" Tie Shan twitched his mouth forcefully at the words 'aching balls', glanced at the cigarette, then at Hao Jian, hesitated for a few seconds, and then vigorously nodded: "Alright!" For him, a security guard, it was really too extravagant to spend money on such good cigarettes. Tie Shan and Hao Jian sneaked to the back door of the company to puff and blow clouds of smoke, and at that moment, Hao Jian also probed Tie Shan for information, "Tie Shan, how long have you been working here?" "Almost three years now." Tie Shan exhaled smoke rings with immense satisfaction, the taste of good tobacco was simply unmatched. "So that means you can be considered an old hand, right? I'm new here, could you give me some pointers¡ªwho should I pay attention to or what should I watch out for in the company?" Hearing Hao Jian say this, Tie Shan immediately put on an elder's air and said seriously: "You're not kidding, I've been mixing here for three years and I've seen all kinds of ghosts and goblins, every face in the company, upside down and inside out, is already etched in my brain¡ªI know who likes salty, who likes spicy, who likes to watch flicks, and who likes to jerk off, I know it all." "That awesome?" Hao Jian deliberately made a face of admiration. "Absolutely, I'll tell you, there are a few people in the company you cannot afford to offend." Tie Shan lowered his voice and said: "The first one is Boss Liang." "Boss Liang? He's rich?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. "Rich my ass!" Tie Shan immediately showed a disdainful expression: "He's nothing more than the head of our security department. He always has a stern face, as if someone owes him millions, so we privately call him Boss Liang. This guy, relying on his background as Senior Special Forces, looks down on us security guards. After joining the company, he even talked about militarizing the company management. He drills us little security guards day in and day out, exhausting us to death, and he's still not satisfied, always nitpicking." "But he's from your security department, I'm just a driver; he shouldn't be able to boss me around, right?" Hao Jian said. "Who says? Didn't you know the drivers are also under the security department? Let me tell you, the thing Boss Liang despises most is someone like you who idles around, slouching and loafing. If he catches you, he'll definitely not let you off easy," Tie Shan stated with certainty. "I see, so this Boss Liang is pretty hateful, huh?" Hao Jian nodded. "Isn't that the truth! Security should just be security, why do we have to put up with all that nonsense? We only get a measly salary of a couple thousand a month, is it worth getting so tired? The old man is having a blast while we don't even have the energy left to get intimate with our wives when we get home." Tie San really lived up to being a burly fellow, daring to say anything. "Then why don't you guys complain to the president?" "Complain my ass, you shouldn't have brought that up, it just makes me angry. The president says his discipline is very stringent, worth learning from all of us. He's really in good standing with the president," Tie Shan said with resentment. "So, he's relying on having connections," Hao Jian let out a cold laugh. That's right, if Boss Liang didn't have any backers, with Tie Shan's explosive temper, wouldn't he have rebelled by now? "So, who's the second person I should watch out for?" Hao Jian hurriedly asked, continuing his probing. "The second person to watch out for is that shrew Su Qin from the technology department. That woman, relying on her affair with one of the company's shareholders, struts around the company all high and mighty, as mean as can be. But," Tie Shan chuckled, "she naturally has that foxy look, and she's got a banging body, can't deny it's quite a sight!" "And the third?" Hao Jian asked, while also making a mental note of the name Su Qin. "The third is Old Sun from the sales department, that old geezer's heart is rotten to the core. He's always complaining about their department losing this and that and always tries to shift the blame onto our security department, accusing us of being inefficient, which causes things to get stolen. But privately, a lot of people say it's him who dragged the stuff out to sell. Tell me, isn't he a scumbag?" "He's nasty, definitely nasty. But it seems like it doesn't have much to do with me, does it?" "Eh, you don't understand, do you? The sales department needs to ship out products, and they'll definitely need help from you drivers. If clients say something is missing later, he'll frame you drivers by saying you're not clean-handed and have stolen from the company," Tie Shan said earnestly. Chapter 22: Chapter 22 We are friends, not lovers! "Damn, really?" Hao Jian was shocked, "This old guy is so shameless.""Why not? Several drivers have already been fired because of this." "Doesn't the chairman care?" "Care about what? Every time Old Sun only took one or two items, not enough to raise suspicions! So, the president just turns a blind eye and lets him do it." Hao Jian nodded, quite surprised at how many problems were within the company. "As for the fourth person, you really need to be careful about this one; you absolutely cannot afford to offend her. Once you do, you'll have to pack up and leave," Tie Shan said mysteriously. "Who?" Hao Jian's curiosity piqued. "No kidding, it's obviously the president! She calls the shots in the entire company, and she's very strict; she can't tolerate the slightest wrongdoing and hates lazy people the most. As soon as she walked through the door, she had the company undergo a major cleanup and fired hundreds of people." Tie Shan spoke with lingering fear, thinking that if not for his burly appearance which seemed useful, he probably would have been fired too. Hao Jian wanted to laugh upon hearing this, wondering what the expression on Tie Shan's face might be if he knew that the cool president was actually his wife. "What about Xiao Qiang?" Hao Jian asked, feeling that Xiao Qiang's temperament should also make the list. "Minister Xiao? Minister Xiao is great," Tie Shan said blankly. "Great? You haven't seen how she lashes out at me," Hao Jian sneered, clearly dissatisfied with Tie Shan's remark. "You know nothing, although Minister Xiao seems cold on the outside, she's actually warm-hearted. When the president wanted to lay off employees, we were supposed to be out too, but we stayed because Minister Xiao pleaded for us." Tie Shan was angry and did not like how Hao Jian spoke about Xiao Qiang. Not expecting her to be so kind-hearted, Hao Jian was also surprised and quickly apologized: "Alright, alright, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have spoken out of turn. Let's smoke." "You probably feel this way because you are new here. Once you get to know her better, you'll find she's actually very approachable," Tie Shan quickly said. "I hope so," Hao Jian said with a wry smile, knowing the future was uncertain, but for now, he and Xiao Qiang were like oil and water. "Hao Jian, seeing that we get along, how about I introduce you to some of my security department buddies? Of course, only if you don't mind us being security guards." Tie Shan was that kind of personality¡ªif he got along with someone, they could quickly become brothers. "What are you talking about? I'm just a driver myself, there's no such thing as looking down on anyone," Hao Jian said with a laugh. "Good, let's go." . "Does this guy really never settle down?" In the president's office, Shu Ya frowned. Xiao Qiang nodded bitterly, "That guy's only been here half a day, and our HR department has already received no less than twenty complaints about him harassing female colleagues and pulling male colleagues to smoke and boast, creating a mess in the company." Shu Ya's fingers tapped on the desk, seemingly pondering something. Seeing this, Xiao Qiang didn't dare interrupt. "It seems we really need to find something for him to do. It's not working with him just loafing around," Shu Ya said, worried he might ruin the company if left unchecked. Xiao Qiang was startled; she had thought Shu Ya would fire Hao Jian, but Shu Ya was planning to keep him? "President, why don't you just fire him? I don't think he's a decent person, and keeping him in the company might lead to more troubles," Xiao Qiang persuades, feeling annoyed at the thought of seeing Hao Jian again. "I have my own plans," Shu Ya waved her hand, signaling her to stop talking. She knew what kind of person Hao Jian was, but she couldn't fire him¡ªhe was a key part of her plan. "Oh," Xiao Qiang replied reluctantly. "OK, aren't we short on logistics staff? Let him work there. That way, he'll stay in logistics all day and won't run around," Shu Ya said. "Okay, I'll arrange that," Xiao Qiang replied, then as if remembering something, she said: "By the way, President, Young Master Zhao has been here for a while and says he wants to see you." Upon hearing the name Young Master Zhao, Shu Ya's brows knotted, but she still said, "Let him in." S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon, a handsome man in a suit and tie walked in, his hair slicked back and his shoes shiny, much like a British gentleman. His gentle smile at the corner of his mouth could win many hearts. But Shu Ya seemed immune to all his good qualities, merely glancing up briefly, then returning to her work: "What are you doing here?" Zhao Ziliang gave a wry smile, "So many years passed, and you're still so cold." "I've always been like this, you know that," Shu Ya's cool reply showed she wasn't particularly fond of Zhao Ziliang. "Then, would you like to have dinner?" Zhao Ziliang stood in front of Shu Ya, looking at her earnestly. Without looking up, Shu Ya said, "It's not convenient; I have other things tonight." "Shu Ya, I rarely come back to China; do you really need to be so heartless?" Zhao Ziliang said, sounding a bit dejected, as Shu Ya had always kept him at arm's length. Finally, Shu Ya stopped writing, looked up at Zhao Ziliang, and said, "First, we are friends, not lovers, so there's no question of being heartless. Second, as I said earlier, it's not convenient, and I don't have time, whether or not you believe that is your own issue. And third, Zhao Ziliang, do you really think I don't know why you're here?" Instantly, the atmosphere in the office seemed to freeze, filling the air with a cold chill. Chapter 23: Chapter 23 You Should Feel Lucky! "Shu Ya, do you have some misunderstanding about me?"Zhao Ziliang asked with a smile, his handsome features coupled with a refined smile, which was incredibly lethal. However, his charming smile, in Shu Ya's eyes, was just full of intense disgust! At that moment, Shu Ya looked at Zhao Ziliang expressionlessly, her intelligent eyes seeming to see through everything: "I don't think it's a misunderstanding. If I'm not mistaken, it was my dad who sent you, right?" Like him, Shu Ya was a top Harvard graduate, finishing first in her class. When she took an IQ test, her score was an impressive 185. For such a high-intellect genius, all of Zhao Ziliang's prides were negligible. "Uncle is just worried about you, so he sent me to check on you," Zhao Ziliang admitted, knowing he couldn't deceive her. Of course, Shu Ya thought. Her father's greed for the company never died. Thinking about that disgusting face, Shu Ya's pretty face turned cold as ice: "Zhao Ziliang, you go back and tell him that I will absolutely not hand over the company to him. Tell him to take his woman and scram!" "Shu Ya, don't be like this. Uncle really cares about you. Before I came here, he even instructed me to remind you not to overwork and to eat on time," Zhao Ziliang said, playing the good guy. But he underestimated Shu Ya's hatred for her own father. Not having listened would have been better than hearing that, which instantly made Shu Ya coldly point to the door: "Get out!!!" "Shu Ya, you¡ª" Zhao Ziliang was stunned, not expecting that his words would touch Shu Ya's bottom line. "I said get out, and don't make me call security to escort you!" Shu Ya was visibly impatient; she was too tired to waste more words on Zhao Ziliang. "Fine, since you're not in a good mood, we can talk another time," Zhao Ziliang still kept his smile, maintaining his usual gentlemanly demeanor. He buttoned up his suit, nodded slightly at Shu Ya, turned, and left through the door. Shu Ya collapsed into her chair, her face showing an indescribable exhaustion. Father? What a laughable word. If she had a choice, Shu Ya would wish she didn't have such a father at all. Meanwhile, just as he walked out of the office, the refined smile on Zhao Ziliang's face dissipated with the cold wind, turning into a hint of gloom and frostiness. "Shu Ya, you can never escape from the palm of my hand, never!" ... It hadn't even been an hour, and Hao Jian had already become friendly with a group of security guards, fitting right in with their boisterous banter, thoroughly enjoying their company. Especially since it was lunchtime, some bought lots of dishes, and they ate and chatted in the security room, the atmosphere extremely lively! However, just as everyone was engrossed in their lively conversation, the door to the security room was suddenly kicked open! A burly man swaggered in! When he saw Hao Jian and the others indulging in a feast, his face turned instantly ashen, and his brows furrowed deeply. Hao Jian almost didn't need to guess; just by looking at that stern face, then noticing the uniform, he knew this man must be the so-called Boss Liang. Behind him, another group of security guards followed, each standing straight like soldiers, apparently well-drilled by him. "Does no one need to work!!!" Boss Liang loudly scolded them. He had found this group of security guards displeasing for a while now, and to see them now, feasting and chatting right under his nose, was absolutely intolerable. "Section Chief Liang, it's our lunch break. We're just relaxing a bit," an old man quickly said with a forced smile. His name was Old Zhang, fifty years old this year, a genuinely nice person who had been with the company for almost fifteen years, effectively making him a veteran. On any ordinary day, he was kind-hearted. It was for this reason that Shu Ya, despite seeing his old and frail condition, had not fired him. "Lunch break? And the lunch break allows you to eat and drink so lavishly? Don't forget, this is a company! Have you no sense of organizational discipline at all?!" Boss Liang didn't show the slightest bit of respect for this veteran, pressing him aggressively. In his view, such a freeloader should have been kicked out of the company long ago. "I'm sorry, Boss Liang, that. We won't dare do it again," Old Zhang, reproached by Boss Liang, dared not voice his anger and could only meekly apologize. He also knew that Boss Liang was someone he couldn't afford to offend; he had a family to support and could only cling to his job. "There's a next time? If there is a next time, you won't need to apologize. Just roll up your bedding and get lost, a bunch of lazy, good-for-nothings! All of you, useless!!!" Boss Liang continued to scold unapologetically while the security guards behind him displayed smug smiles, seemingly glad they were unlike these wastrels. Hearing this, Old Zhang's expression stiffened, and he did not know what to say. Hao Jian's eyes flashed. This Boss Liang was indeed as Tie Shan had described, very unpopular. The first impression he gave Hao Jian was of arrogance and tyranny, or rather, of putting on airs! Using the bit of power he held to lord over others, his demeanor was loathsome! "Don't go too far!" Tie Shan, known for his temper, couldn't stand hearing Boss Liang call them useless from one side to the other and abruptly stood up. "Too far? Did I say something wrong? Aren't you all just a bunch of lazy, good-for-nothings?" Boss Liang sneered, S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "All you do is loaf around in the security room every day. If something happens to the company, can you bear the responsibility? Hmph! I really don't understand why the company would hire a bunch of trash like you! Complete waste of space!!!" "Bastard!" Tie Shan was completely furious. This bastard, did he really think he was easy to bully? Even if it meant losing his job today, he was determined to give Boss Liang a beating. "Tie Shan, calm down! Your baby was just born. You need money for everything at this time. If you get fired now, what will you use to support your wife and child?" Hao Jian grabbed Tie Shan's arm and earnestly reminded him. Upon hearing this, Tie Shan indeed calmed down, his fists clenched tightly, he glared furiously at Boss Liang but dared not make a move. That just proved the old saying, "money is a barrier for heroes." "Who are you?" Boss Liang raised his eyebrow, finally noticing this new face, Hao Jian. Hao Jian stood up, walked over with a smile, and casually offered a cigarette: "Me, I'm the new driver, named Hao Jian. If you like, you can also call me Little Hao or Little Jian." Boss Liang did not accept the cigarette from Hao Jian but looked at him with a mocking gaze: "So cheap? Hah! Seems like your parents aren't so great either! Naming their son Hao Jian tells you all you need to know about them!" Boss Liang's face was full of scorn, and these words immediately wiped the smile off Hao Jian's face, replacing it with a chilling coldness! "You should be very grateful that, if it were three days ago, that comment would be enough to get you killed!" Chapter 24: Chapter 24 You Can Get Lost Now! Hao Jian's voice was icy cold, sending an involuntary shiver down everyone's spine in the security room!Seeing that the atmosphere was wrong, Old Zhang quickly gestured to Hao Jian, signaling him to stop talking! He was a warm-hearted man and didn't want to see Hao Jian lose his job, after all, everyone was just trying to make a living, so it was better to endure when possible. "Hao Jian, stop talking!" After grabbing hold of Hao Jian, Old Zhang hastily said to Boss Liang: "Boss Liang, it was our fault this time! Please be magnanimous and give this old man some face! Let's just let this matter go!" "Give you face? Who do you think you are!" However, Boss Liang was utterly unmerciful, his face filled with a cold sneer as he contemptuously said to Old Zhang: "Face is something one earns for oneself, not something given by others. You think I should give face to an old good-for-nothing like you? If it wasn't for the president pitying your old age, I'd have you out on your ass right now!!!" Boss Liang felt that giving face to someone like Old Zhang, an old man just waiting to die, was utterly laughable considering he himself came from the Special Forces! Boss Liang's words made everyone in the security room look extremely uncomfortable! Even Old Zhang, such a good-natured person, was berated by Boss Liang; this man was truly detestable! And just as everyone was filled with righteous indignation, an indifferent voice rang out! "You're right, I completely agree with you, so now. Can you please leave?" This statement caused a subtle change in everyone's expressions; they couldn't believe someone dared to tell Boss Liang to leave, weren't they tired of living! People turned their gaze and to their shock, the person speaking was... Hao Jian! Boss Liang's face darkened instantly, his eyes filled with malice as he looked at Hao Jian: "You little punk, what did you just say?" "If you can't even hear what I'm saying, it seems that you, as a soldier from the Special Forces, aren't all that much!" Hao Jian coldly stared at Boss Liang, a hint of a mocking smile on his lips: "Just like you said, face is something one earns for oneself. Since you've already lost face in front of us, why should we give you any respect! Now, you can leave!" Indeed, face must be earned by oneself, but Boss Liang shouldn't even dream about earning it from them, as no one was willing to give him that respect. Hao Jian's words made everyone in the security room feel exhilaratingly vindicated, but they also began to worry for Hao Jian! After all, Boss Liang was their immediate superior and also in charge of Hao Jian, the driver, and such open defiance surely meant trouble for the future... "You... you dare speak to me like that? The world has turned upside down! This is outright defiance!!!" Boss Liang burst into a furious rage, feeling that his authority had been challenged. "Are you the President of the Country?" Hao Jian, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth and a roguish air, asked. Boss Liang's breathing hitched, wasn't that question pure nonsense? If he were the President of the Country, would he still be here? But he couldn't grasp the meaning behind Hao Jian's words and didn't dare to respond. Seeing Boss Liang silent, Hao Jian continued, "Since you're not the President of the Country, why shouldn't I dare to talk to you like this?" "You!!!" Boss Liang clenched his teeth, completely enraged. This kid was outrageously arrogant, even daring to mock him. Although he was uncomfortable, Old Zhang, Tie Shan, and the others felt great. They were seeing someone talk back to Boss Liang for the first time. They were happy to see Boss Liang's face turn green with rage, though they were also worried. The worry stemmed from the fear that Boss Liang would act spitefully and have the Family Head fire Hao Jian, something he was fully capable of, as there had been precedents. But Hao Jian wasn't afraid because he knew that Shu Ya would never fire him under any circumstances. "If there's nothing else, I'll ask you to leave now! Don't disturb us while we're eating and chatting. Looking at your pig kidney face really f***ing ruins the appetite!" Hao Jian sat back down, pointed towards the door, and acted completely nonchalant. Tie Shan and the others all showed cold sneers as they resumed their meal. "You're asking for it!!!" Boss Liang's patience had reached its limit. Looking at Hao Jian's refined face, he hated him so much that his teeth itched. In an instant, he whipped his leg out in a sweep toward Hao Jian! sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Whoosh! The wind from the kick was fierce and powerful! Seeing this, Tie Shan and the others were all shocked! They wanted to step forward to stop it, but it was too late. Boss Liang's kick was only a few centimeters away from Hao Jian's face. At that moment, Hao Jian casually lifted his hand to scratch his ear. "Bang!" A dull thud sounded as Boss Liang's leather shoe struck squarely against Hao Jian's hand, causing a gust of wind that made Hao Jian's hair flutter. At this point, everyone was dumbfounded. Had Boss Liang's full-strength kick been blocked just by a "scratch?" Then their gaze toward Hao Jian began to change. It was filled with shock and disbelief, and many not only rubbed their own eyes but wondered if they were seeing things. And Boss Liang's complexion turned ugly in an instant! He had thought that kick was enough to land Hao Jian in the hospital. But he never expected that it wouldn't even scratch Hao Jian's skin! At that moment, a serious expression crossed Boss Liang's face; his instincts told him, this guy was no simple matter! "Oh, feeling like starting a fight?" Hao Jian pushed Boss Liang's foot away and said with a strange smile. That look was like a hungry wolf eyeing a little lamb, giving one an eerie feeling! "Hmph! No wonder you talk big. Turns out you have a little bit of skill. But do you think your bunch of shrimps and crabs can defeat my elite guards?" Boss Liang said disdainfully, gesturing toward his own security guards. And those security guards following Hao Jian all straightened their spines, clenched their fists, and grinned menacingly, eager to jump into the fray. In contrast, Hao Jian's side was full of worn-out veterans. When they saw Boss Liang and his men glancing over, they all lowered their heads in fear. "Elite? Hahaha." Hao Jian laughed so hard he teared up. He had seen real elite soldiers before, and these guys were nothing but all bark and no bite, to even consider as elite. "What's so funny?" Boss Liang glared, detecting the mockery in Hao Jian's words. The security guards also cast hostile looks at Hao Jian, wishing they could tear him to pieces. After a long while, Hao Jian finally stopped laughing and then pointed to one of them, "You, have you ever been to the battlefield?" The security guard was startled by Hao Jian's question and shook his head dumbly. "What about you? Have you ever killed anyone?" Hao Jian pointed to another. That person also shook his head, humiliated. "And you, have you ever touched a gun?" Hao Jian continued to question, but all the answers were negative. Seeing Hao Jian's relentless questioning, Boss Liang's face grew uglier by the second. "Boss Liang, I heard you want to turn the security division into an army unit, but none of your men have even been on a battlefield. What makes them qualified to be called elite?" Hao Jian found it laughable. "Security is security, and soldiers are soldiers; there's a difference. The iron-blooded spirit of soldiers can only be cultivated in the military and on the battlefield. Look at Old Zhang; he's already in his fifties. Do you think he can endure your training at this age?" Hao Jian mocked, thinking that Boss Liang was just messing around with no real purpose. "You, come out. I want to have a one-on-one fight with you!" At this point, Boss Liang didn't want to waste any more words; he decided to let fists do the talking. "One-on-one?" Hao Jian raised an eyebrow. "What? Don't dare to?" Boss Liang mocked, thinking Hao Jian was just a coward. "No, I just think you should call over your brothers because you, on your own, are not enough to die!" Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Facing the Number One Formidable Opponent! In the underground garage, everyone from the security department had gathered, forming a circle.And in the center of the circle were Hao Jian and Boss Liang. "Kid, I'll show you what happens when you don't obey orders!" Boss Liang's face darkened as he clenched and rubbed his fists. Hao Jian dug earwax out of his ears and flicked it onto Boss Liang's clothes. Humiliation, extreme humiliation! "Ha!" Boss Liang, like a keg of gunpowder ignited, suddenly stomped his foot and lunged forward like a ferocious tiger. He then kicked directly at Hao Jian's abdomen. "Be careful!" Tie Shan shouted loudly, knowing that although Boss Liang was arrogant, he had some skills. In a one-on-one situation, even he might not be his match. If that kick had hit directly, even he would end up crippled. "Bang!" Hao Jian reached out with both hands and grabbed Boss Liang's leg effortlessly neutralizing the fierce attack without even moving his feet, making it look effortlessly casual. "What?" Boss Liang's face changed drastically! How could this be! That kick was with all his might, enough to burst a sandbag, how could it be so easily neutralized by this guy! Hao Jian grinned and punched at the palm of Boss Liang's foot! Bang! Boss Liang immediately felt a powerful force surge up from the sole of his foot to his leg, forcing him to retreat several steps back explosively, nearly falling to the ground on his backside. At this moment, Boss Liang's right leg was trembling. He felt as if his leg had completely lost sensation, leaving only a tingling sensation as if from an electric shock. "Told you you're not tough enough, but you wouldn't listen." Hao Jian's face was full of mockery, and this was still him holding back. Otherwise, Boss Liang's troubles wouldn't have been just numb limbs; his entire leg could have been shattered. Boss Liang's face turned a livid blue, but he remained stiff, not because he didn't want to move, but because he simply couldn't. "Brothers, let's go together! Take down this kid!" Suddenly, someone from Boss Liang's side roared, intending to start a brawl. The leader was at a disadvantage, and they felt disgraced, so naturally, they wanted to regain their honor. Tie Shan cursed their shamelessness, then turned back and said to the others, "We're going too. We can't let Hao Jian be bullied!" "Let's go, even if it costs me my old life, I can't let Hao Jian be bullied!" Old Zhang also shouted loudly. Hao Jian was in this predicament because of them; how could they just stand by and watch. "You lot, are you trying to stage a mutiny?" However, just as tensions were about to erupt, a clear and crisp voice called out, coming from not far away. Everyone turned to see Shu Ya, accompanied by Minister Xiao, rushing over in a flurry! Upon hearing the report that the security department was brawling in the underground garage, Shu Ya and Minister Xiao immediately guessed that Hao Jian was causing trouble. Shu Ya was furious! It was just his first day at work, and Hao Jian had already turned the company upside down, and that wasn't all; he had even fought with his direct boss and his men. If she hadn't arrived in time, both sides would definitely have exploded into a brawl! Thinking this, Shu Ya could hardly wait to pull down Hao Jian's trousers and pin down this bastard to the ground to punish him a thousand times! "President." Everyone bowed their heads to greet Shu Ya, among them, Boss Liang looked the most serious, almost as if he were meeting a national leader. "Toady." Hao Jian sneered dismissively. "You!" Boss Liang glared with a furious frown. "What on earth is going on here, why are you fighting?" Shu Ya looked sharply at everyone, her authority as the president evident. "President, Hao Jian brought some people from the security department to eat and drink excessively during work hours, turning the whole department into a mess," Boss Liang pointed at Hao Jian and said. "Oh, so quick to tattle? Looks like you're not just a bootlicker but a snitch too," Hao Jian said with a sneer. Boss Liang snorted coldly, ignoring him. "Hao Jian, is it true what Section Chief Liang said?" Shu Ya approached Hao Jian, scrutinizing him seriously. Hao Jian shrugged and said, "I indeed had lunch and chatted with them, but that was during lunch break. Does the company have a rule that prohibits eating or chatting during lunch?" "Hum! Excuses! Being at work should look like work. You're setting a bad example for the company! Can you bear the responsibility for that?" Boss Liang rebuked, this jerk was still making excuses. "Setting a bad example?" Hao Jian asked disdainfully, "Don't you guys eat? Don't you chat? Show me the company rule that forbids employees from eating and chatting!" Boss Liang chuckled coldly, "Humph! As a company security guard, you should protect the company and its employees' property. Your careless attitude is unacceptable, and someone like you doesn't deserve to stay in the company!" This officially worded flattery obviously struck a chord with Shu Ya, who appreciated employees who were meticulous in their work. Subsequently, Shu Ya glared at Hao Jian, demanding an explanation from him. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Alright, alright, I lose," Hao Jian raised his hands, his expression one of resignation. "Lose? Where did you lose?" Shu Ya asked, puzzled, wasn't this the moment to admit his mistake? "I lose because I'm not as good at bootlicking as Boss Liang, unable to make you happy," Hao Jian shrugged and said. "Pfft." Xiao Qiang couldn't help but laugh, amused by Hao Jian's clownish antics. Then Shu Ya's face darkened. "President, listen to this, hear what he's saying. I strongly request you fire him, don't let such a person bring bad influences into our company," Boss Liang said gravely. "Section Chief Liang, I will handle this matter, you may go back first," Shu Ya dismissed Boss Liang with a wave, how could she actually fire Hao Jian. "This. Alright then." Since Shu Ya had spoken, Boss Liang could say no more. But his gut told him, Shu Ya definitely wouldn't fire Hao Jian because, with her decisive nature, she would have fired him on the spot if she intended to. Boss Liang gave Hao Jian a long, hard look before leaving reluctantly, but his suspicions about the young man's relationship with the president grew stronger. "President, don't blame Hao Jian; it's our fault. I was the one who invited him for drinks. If you're going to fire someone, fire me," Tie Shan said boldly, taking all the blame upon himself. "Don't be like this, the president is fair and just, and will never let us 'good' employees suffer unjustly, right, President?" Hao Jian first threw out some flattery, then added with a smile. "Come to my office!" Shu Ya said sternly, then turned and walked away. Everyone had a foreboding feeling, could the president really be planning to fire Hao Jian? Hao Jian shrugged and followed! Others might not know, but didn't he know? Shu Ya was just pretending! "How did you guys end up fighting with them?" Xiao Qiang also hurriedly asked the security guards! She wasn't too fond of boss Liang herself, found him too pretentious and overbearing, but as they were in different departments, she couldn't interfere! Tie Shan immediately told Xiao Qiang the whole story! Upon hearing this, a thoughtful expression appeared on Xiao Qiang's pretty face, thinking: Who would have thought that guy, looking like a ruffian, was actually quite loyal? For the first time, Xiao Qiang's opinion of Hao Jian changed. Just then, Xiao Qiang's phone rang. She glanced at the number, hesitated for a moment, but eventually picked it up: "What's up? Now? But I have plans tonight. Well, alright, where?" After the call, Xiao Qiang seemed a bit off, lost in her thoughts. "Minister Xiao, what's wrong, you don't look so good?" Tie Shan asked curiously. "I'm fine," Xiao Qiang forced a smile and waved them off: "I have to go, I've got another matter to attend to." Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Success is Like Being Pregnant! "Close the door!"Once in the president's office, Shu Ya commanded Hao Jian, still wearing a no-nonsense expression. Hao Jian carefully closed the door before saying, "Wife, do you have to be so serious?" "This is a company, so please address me as President here!" Shu Ya replied coldly and mercilessly, obviously very angry. This bastard had only been here for a day and had already thrown the company into chaos. If things continued like this, wouldn't the company be turned upside down sooner or later? Hao Jian could tell that Shu Ya was really angry and quickly put on a serious face, "Yes, Madam President." "So tell me, what exactly happened?" Shu Ya said, fingers interlocked and propped on the desk, staring intently at Hao Jian. "Men, when they get together, inevitably end up eating and talking big," Hao Jian said, curling his lip, an innocent look on his face. "How was I to know that bootlicker would take it so seriously?" "It's Section Chief Liang!" Shu Ya corrected him. "Liang Bootlicker." Shu Ya sighed, realizing she just couldn't change this scoundrel! "Section Chief Liang is like that, his personality is more stringent. After all, he comes from a military background, unlike you, a scoundrel. He's someone with discipline and organization." "Is he not losing things all the same?" Hao Jian said with disdain, curling his lip: "I see, he doesn't dare to provoke Old Sun, so he only acts high and mighty in front of us." If he was really that capable, why didn't he dare to stand up to Old Sun? "Anyway, you better stop provoking him in the future. He's from the Special Forces, and I have personally seen him punch through a steel plate. If you get beaten up, I'm not taking care of you," Shu Ya warned. "What's so great about punching through a steel plate? I can do the iron crotch, hanging bricks from my lower body!" Hao Jian grumbled dissatisfied. "Pfft." Shu Ya was so frustrated she almost spit out blood, her face turning red as she glared at Hao Jian, "Just behave yourself from now on." "Yes, yes, whatever you say, my dear wife," Hao Jian sneaked up behind Shu Ya and began massaging her. Shu Ya frowned slightly but didn't reject the massage, closing her eyes to enjoy it. "By the way, today I saw a really handsome man enter your office. Who was he?" Hao Jian couldn't help asking. He had just happened to share an elevator with Zhao Ziliang, so he naturally saw Zhao Ziliang going to the top floor. Apart from the president's office, there was nowhere else to go on the top floor, so he must have been there to see Shu Ya. "An annoying person," Shu Ya said, opening her eyes and speaking irritably. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Sent by your father?" Hao Jian ventured a question. Shu Ya turned around in surprise: "How did you know?" She hadn't mentioned Zhao Ziliang to Hao Jian. How did he figure it out? "Do I even need to ask? Who else could make my beautiful wife so vexed, if not your mysterious father?" Actually, Hao Jian was just guessing because Shu Ya had never mentioned Zhao Ziliang to him, which meant that Zhao Ziliang, in Shu Ya's heart, was an expendable character! And given her personality, it was impossible for her to be troubled by an expendable character, so there was only one explanation left. When it came to her father, Shu Ya's expression turned somewhat dim, a look she had never shown in front of others, resembling a wounded child. "Hao Jian, would you like to hear my story?" Shu Ya looked at Hao Jian, and although she was asking, her eyes were filled with hope. "Yeah, as long as you're willing to talk, I'm willing to listen!" Of course, Hao Jian wasn't going to be rude and refuse. Then, Shu Ya told Hao Jian everything about herself, naturally including her father. It turned out that Shu Ya's mother was a young lady from a wealthy family, and the company she now controlled was left by her mother's family. But because she married the wrong man, she lived the second half of her life in misery. Shu Ya's father was an idle social youth who, at a gathering, met Shu Ya's mother and took her by despicable means, forcing his way into the family as a live-in son-in-law. From that point on began the tragic days for Shu Ya and her mother! Her father never worked; he was proficient in eating, drinking, gambling, whoring, and smoking. During Shu Ya's childhood, what she saw most was her mother's tears and her father's yelling and beating. In her eighteenth year, her father took a mistress, which her mother discovered, and afterwards, her mother committed suicide in resentment. And that wasn't the most ridiculous part. The money her father used to support the mistress was actually taken from her mother. Her mother had provided him with a lavish material life, bore his children, but none of this could awaken a single drop of emotion in him as a husband or father. Instead, he repaid her kindness with cruelty, driving her to suicide! This had always been a thorn in Shu Ya's heart and determined that she would never forgive her father, who was worse than a beast. Afterwards, her father disappeared with a sum of money and the mistress. He vanished as if he had evaporated from the world, never to be seen again, and never came to see Shu Ya again, as if he never had this daughter. And Shu Ya didn't feel sad. To be able to leave her father's side was the most fortunate thing in her life. But what she didn't expect was that her father showed up again not long ago, not merely for money, because he and the mistress had squandered it all. This time, he wasn't just after money; he wanted the entire company! Her father was indeed despicable. He knew that money would always run out, but if he had a money-making tool, it would be different, and the company naturally became his prime target. That was the reason why Shu Ya was drowning her sorrows in a bar that day! Because her grandfather had left a will stating that Shu Ya could only gain her inheritance after marriage. Until then, her shameless father also had inheritance rights, which was why she was so anxious to marry, even to the point of threatening with death. Because, even if it meant dying, she did not want to hand over her mother's hard work to that man. Looking at the tear-stained cheeks of Shu Ya, Hao Jian's heart filled with sympathy, and he spoke with emotion on his face: "Being a woman is hard, being a successful woman is even harder! Success is like being pregnant; everyone congratulates you, but they don't know how many times you've been screwed over!" Gah! Shu Ya had thought this jerk was comforting her, but hearing the end, her pretty face suddenly stiffened, then her brows slowly furrowed, a trace of anger quickly gathering, culminating in the words from her pursed lips: "Get lost!!!" Chapter 27: Chapter 27: From Now On, I Will Protect You! Outside the window, a cold breeze came through, stirring Shu Ya's hair, her face still had faint traces of tears, but her lips were smiling."At last, I've said it." This was the eternal pain in her heart, a tenderness she had always been unwilling to touch. Yet today, she had spoken about it, making her feel relieved now. She had suppressed it for too long, and now she realized she had let it go. Unlike Shu Ya, coming out of the office, Hao Jian felt a heavy weight on his heart. Because he realized, this was a fragile woman, she was not as strong as he imagined, she too needed someone to protect her. Hao Jian leaned against the office door, took a deep drag of his cigarette, then exhaled it, and started laughing while looking at the ceiling. From now on, I will protect you! Inside and outside the door, two figures, but at this moment a silent bond formed between them. ... "What, the president actually didn't fire you?" Tie Shan and the others were shocked. "What, you guys want me to be fired that badly?" Hao Jian said annoyed. "Of course not, we're just a bit surprised. Tell us, what exactly did the president say to let you off the hook?" Tie Shan and the others crowded around Hao Jian, all very curious! This wasn't right. Given the president's character, Hao Jian should have been shown the door by now. "Oh, the president said I was a rare talent, the company development can't do without people like me, so he persuaded me kindly to stay." "Bullshit!" Nobody believed that, the company development can't do without you as a talent? If the company's survival depends on a driver, then bankruptcy isn't far off. "Alright, to tell you the truth, actually it's because the president is my fianc¨¦e. He wouldn't dare fire me," Hao Jian said cheekily. "Dream on, unless the president is blind, he wouldn't ever fall for you." "Exactly. Hao Jian, you might as well stop daydreaming, if you really want a woman, tonight I'll take you to the beauty salon, where I'll introduce you to Little Cui, the top girl there. Though she's not the president, having someone is better than none." A security guard known as Heigui said, and he is called Heigui because he is very dark. Hao Jian gave a bitter smile, sometimes people are like this, they believe the lies as truth, but refuse to believe the truth when it's told. "If he's not willing to tell, let it be, we won't force him. Since he hasn't been fired, let's go to a restaurant and celebrate tonight!" Tie Shan suggested. The group of them left and headed directly to the restaurant Tie Shan mentioned. It was a place called Taste Mansion, a rather innovative name, and its decor was also quite upscale. "This place isn't too expensive, right?" Old Zhang asked, as he wouldn't be able to afford it if it were too costly. Before coming here, they had already planned to pool money together for the treat, celebrating that Hao Jian hadn't been fired and also celebrating making a new good friend. And Hao Jian felt relaxed around these security guards, although they lived at the lower strata of society and it might remain that way for their lifetimes. But Hao Jian wouldn't look down on them because of this, because it was this simplicity and honesty that shone through. "No, I've been here with my wife, this place is famously good value for money, there's no mistake," Tie Shan called them to sit. But before their seats got warm, Hao Jian and his friends heard a couple arguing at the next table. "What? Song Zhibang, you actually want me to sleep with your boss? I'm your girlfriend!" the woman said agitatedly. "Hmm?" Hao Jian frowned, this woman's voice, why did it sound so familiar? It was as if he had heard it somewhere before. Followed by a man's deep voice: "Keep your voice down, there are so many people here. I didn't have a choice, the company is considering promoting a vice president, but I'm not the only contender. If we don't use some tactics now, the opportunity could slip away. This is all for our future, think about it, if I become the vice president, you could also have a good life afterward." "What a scumbag." Tie Shan snorted coldly, even allowing his own girlfriend to sleep with another man, this kind of boyfriend is really something else. Hao Jian laughed, but didn't intend to interfere; although such scumbags were common on TV, he was encountering one in real life for the first time. "Shameless! Just for a position, you want your girlfriend to sleep with someone else? Are you even a man?" The woman said emotionally, her voice tinged with crying, clearly hurt by her boyfriend's actions. "Just for one night, just one night," the man pleaded: "If you agree, I promise I won't despise you, and the moment I get promoted, I'll marry you right away!" "Go to hell!" the woman roared. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then Hao Jian and his friends heard someone standing up, followed by the sound of water being splashed. "You wretched woman, how dare you splash me?" the man also angrily stood up, grabbed the woman's hand, and roared: "Don't you forget how much money I've spent on you, all those designer bags and jewelry, didn't I buy them for you? Now you make excuses when asked to do something, you're really ungrateful!" "I'll pay back every cent!" the woman tried to pull away from him; her dignity wouldn't allow anyone to trample it. "Sure, bring me one million now," the man scoffed. "Impossible, how could it be that expensive?" The woman disbelieved, he had only bought her five or six items in total, though pricey, they surely couldn't cost a million. "You didn't buy them, how would you know the prices? Either give me the money, or just sleep with him like a good girl," the man said savagely, disregarding the strange looks from the crowd. And the others just watched, not stepping forward to stop it. This was perhaps a common vice among Huaxia people, that is, to hide their heads in the sand when it doesn't concern them directly, seeming wise and self-preserving on the surface, but in actuality just selfish and indifferent. Nothing is colder than the human heart, and that's what this implies. "Over my dead body!" The woman cried out, how could she possibly sleep with a completely unknown man? Even if it meant death, she couldn't comply! "No? I think you're courting death!" the man roared, and lifted his hand to slap the woman across the face. "Ah!" the woman screamed in fear, shut her eyes tight. But just as the hand was about to hit the woman's face, a thick and strong palm grabbed his hand. Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Its not too good to hit women, is it? Zhuang Yibin was startled when someone suddenly grabbed his hand; he turned around to see a man grinning and smiling at him.Zhuang Yibin immediately frowned, "Who are you?" "Beating a woman, that's not very good, is it?" Hao Jian asked with a smile on his face. No wonder the voice sounded so familiar to him, he only recognized it was Xiao Qiang when he turned his head. Xiao Qiang hadn't expected to encounter Hao Jian here, either. Ashamed, she lowered her head, her face streaked with tears; after all, this was not an honorable matter. Especially in front of someone she knew, she felt even more humiliated. "Kid, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business." Zhuang Yibin spoke with a dangerous look on his face, detesting this Cheng Yaojin who had come out of nowhere. But Hao Jian seemed as if he hadn't heard his threat, and calmly asked Xiao Qiang, "Are you okay?" "I'm fine," Xiao Qiang said through her tears, shaking her head, not wanting to elaborate. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Her boyfriend, whom she loved, was actually asking her to sleep with another man. Could she possibly be alright when he even wanted to hit her in public? Xiao Qiang never knew Zhuang Yibin was such a person. He had always presented himself as cultured and genteel, but only today did she realize he was nothing but a polished scoundrel. With regards to her once-beloved, Xiao Qiang felt nothing but disappointment and sadness. "You dare to mess with my affairs? I'll fucking bury you alive!" Embarrassed and enraged, Zhuang Yibin turned around and threw a punch directly at Hao Jian's face! However, just as his fist was about to connect, Hao Jian's palm shot out and firmly grasped Zhuang Yibin's fist. "Are you sure you want to make a move?" Hao Jian raised an eyebrow, his thumb gesturing behind him. Then, Zhuang Yibin saw several men at a nearby table standing up, each holding a beer bottle and tapping it against their palm, a strange smile playing on their lips. Seeing this, Zhuang Yibin's head shrank back, his aggressive demeanor instantly weakened; he had no confidence in taking on ten men by himself. "Kid, don't think you're something special just because you have numbers on your side. If it's about numbers, with a single phone call, the people I can bring could fill the entire restaurant. I advise you to mind your own business if you don't want to suffer the consequences," Zhuang Yibin threatened fiercely. "Kid, don't think you're something special just because you're scum. If it's about being scum, I've seen enough scumbags to fill an entire restaurant. I advise you to beat it before I make you unrecognizable to your own mother." Hao Jian, imitating his tone and adding a sarcastic voice, made Tie Shan and the others laugh till they were nearly in tears. "All right, all right, all right! You've got guts!" Zhuang Yibin's face turned green with rage, gritting his teeth and forcefully repeating the word 'all right' three times, then, after giving Xiao Qiang and Hao Jian a fierce look, he left. "Why let that guy go? A scumbag like that should have been beaten up," Tie Shan said indignantly. The thought of Zhuang Yibin daring to hit Xiao Qiang incensed him all the more. "No matter what, he's Minister Xiao's ex-boyfriend. If you beat him up in front of Minister Xiao, what do you think she would feel?" Hao Jian said with annoyance, then glanced at Xiao Qiang, only to see her trembling slightly. Tie Shan smacked his forehead, thinking, yes, women are soft-hearted; if he beat up that jerk, he might just end up embarrassing Minister Xiao. "No, if you encounter him again, you must deal with that scumbag for me," Xiao Qiang suddenly said, raising her face. Although still crying, a radiant smile had begun to form on her lips. At this moment, she chose resignation. Just a scumbag, did she need to be so heartbroken for him? She was so beautiful, she would definitely find someone better in the future. "Minister Xiao is so magnanimous, I drink to you," Tie Shan laughed heartily, really liking Xiao Qiang's unpretentious nature. "Sure, let's do it!" Xiao Qiang also picked up a cup, poured herself a beer, and downed it in one go. Seeing this, Hao Jian frowned slightly. Feelings, how could one simply let go just like that? Either Xiao Qiang was really that optimistic, or she was just pretending. Hao Jian felt it was more probably the latter. He knew Xiao Qiang's character was quite stubborn; she just didn't want to cry in front of all these people. Then, Xiao Qiang sat at the same table as Hao Jian and the others, relentlessly drinking with Tie Shan and the rest, toasting each person in turn. At the dinner table, Xiao Qiang didn't seem to show too much distress, joking and laughing with Tie Shan and others, but Hao Jian noticed that her drink was ever-present, clearly intending to get herself drunk. Seeing this, Hao Jian quickly gave Tie Shan and Old Zhang a meaningful look. Old Zhang and Tie Shan had been shouting boisterously, but as soon as they caught Hao Jian's glance, they seemed to grasp the situation and quieted down. "Minister Xiao, let's have a drink," Heigui said with a smile, offering a toast to Xiao Qiang, when Old Zhang hastily tugged at his trouser leg. Heigui also sensed something. He first looked at Old Zhang, who was expressionless, and then, understanding the situation, he sat back down with a wry smile. "Huh? What's up? Weren't you going to drink with me?" Xiao Qiang asked in confusion, then looked around to discover that everyone had stopped drinking and was avoiding her gaze, intentionally or not. "Ah, we've had enough to drink for now. Everyone's starting to feel hungry and wants to eat something." Hao Jian spoke up quickly, afraid that Xiao Qiang might notice what was really happening. At the same time, he silently cursed Tie Shan for his stupidity; why withdraw so abruptly? They should have done it gradually. "Yeah, yeah, I haven't eaten much yet; I'm starving," Tie Shan added quickly, then began to serve himself food vigorously. "Minister Xiao, you should eat something too. We can drink more later, but the food won't taste as good once it's cold." Old Zhang also urged, knowing that Xiao Qiang was just putting on a brave face and was definitely not feeling well inside. "Alright, let's eat then." Xiao Qiang's smile was forced. Looking at Hao Jian and the others, she suddenly felt very aggrieved and on the verge of tears, as her eyes began to well up. They all saw through her, but they said this to spare her the embarrassment. Even these strangers were so considerate towards her, so why could her lover hurt her so ruthlessly? After the meal, as everyone prepared to leave, Hao Jian excused himself to go to the restroom and secretly paid the bill. Because he knew it wasn't easy for his brothers; with just that little salary each month, supporting themselves was hard enough, let alone scraping together a bit to treat him to a meal. So, he felt it wasn't right for him to let them pay. The cost of the meal meant little to him, but for them, it might be enough to buy several days' worth of groceries or cover several days' expenses on cigarettes. However, when Xiao Qiang saw Hao Jian heading to the restroom after the meal, she immediately assumed this guy was skirting the bill, and she couldn't help but feel contempt for him! Sneaking off when it's time to pay is no quality of a friend worth having. If it weren't for Hao Jian having helped her earlier, she would have called him out in front of everyone then and there. Chapter 29: Chapter 29 The Confidence of a Jerk! Seeing Hao Jian head to the bathroom, Tie Shan and the others didn't think much of it. They had already agreed to treat Hao Jian to a meal, and they trusted that Hao Jian was absolutely not that sort of person.Hao Jian didn't know what was on Xiao Qiang's mind, and when he returned, he casually took his seat again. Xiao Qiang chuckled to himself, thinking Hao Jian's plans had fallen through. He had returned so quickly, and they hadn't even started to pay the bill yet. "Waiter, the bill, please!" At this moment, Old Zhang shouted generously, pretending to be a big spender! He knew they were going out to eat today, so he had purposely worn an old-fashioned suit, but because of its style and fabric, it looked like something from a street stall, which not only failed to give him a wealthy look but actually made him seem rather unsophisticated. The waiter walked over, looking a bit confused, and asked, "You want to pay the bill?" "Yes, how much is it?" Old Zhang asked. "But your bill has already been paid." The waiter was even more puzzled, looking up at Hao Jian. He had just paid the bill; why are they paying again? Did these people have money to burn? "Ah? It's paid? When was it paid?" Old Zhang and the others were stunned. "It was this gentleman who just paid," the waiter said, pointing at Hao Jian. Old Zhang and the others looked over and saw Hao Jian waving his hand, signaling them not to make too big a fuss. "Hao Jian, that's not very honest of you. We clearly agreed that we would pay, and you went ahead and sneaked off to pay the bill," Tie Shan said, somewhat displeased. Hao Jian's actions made it seem like he wasn't treating them like brothers. "Exactly, I was wondering why you came back from the bathroom so quickly. Turns out you didn't really go to the bathroom," Old Zhang also complained a bit. "Next time, next time, I'll definitely let you guys treat," Hao Jian said with a laugh, brushing it off. "That's settled then, next time it's definitely our turn to treat, or we'll be upset with you!" Heigui said, gesturing with his fist. "Alright, alright," Hao Jian said, caught between laughter and tears. "Since that's the case, let's keep the money with Old Zhang for now, and we can take it out when we need it," Tie Shan suggested. "Sure, let's do that." Everyone agreed, as Old Zhang was the most senior and it made the most sense for him to hold onto it. They all trusted Old Zhang to be honest and not to pocket the money for himself. Xiao Qiang was also secretly surprised, realizing that Hao Jian had not used the bathroom as an excuse to slip away but had actually gone to pay the bill. She had misunderstood him. Afterward, Xiao Qiang felt guilty for her previous thoughts, realizing she had suspected an honorable person with a villain's mind. Everyone got up to leave when Xiao Qiang suddenly staggered, almost falling to the ground. Having drunk too much, she too was a bit dazed. "Minister Xiao is drunk; who will take her home?" Old Zhang was the first to notice Xiao Qiang's condition was poor, guessing that she wouldn't be able to get home by herself. "Me, me, me!" Heigui and several other bachelors all eagerly volunteered. Xiao Qiang had just broken up with her unfaithful boyfriend, creating the perfect opportunity for them to make a move. For a beautiful woman like Minister Xiao, it would be a lie to say they weren't tempted. Since they all knew she had a boyfriend before, they hadn't dared to make any moves, but now that Xiao Qiang was single again, they realized their chance had come. "No need, I can get back on my own," Xiao Qiang said, somewhat embarrassed. "No, you're too drunk to stand straight. If something happened on the way back, that would be trouble," Old Zhang insisted. It's already not safe for a girl to go home alone, let alone when she's drunk. If she runs into some pervert or hooligan, that would be a real problem. "Stop making a fuss, let Hao Jian take her home," Tie Shan spoke up and even winked at Hao Jian, obviously trying to give Hao Jian an opportunity on purpose. "Me?" Hao Jian, who was smoking on the side, pointed at his own nose, obviously not very willing. It was freezing cold, and he had had a few drinks; he was feeling sleepy and just wanted to go home to sleep. "Of course you, the rest of us still have things to do later, you're the only idle one here," Tie Shan said with an entitled expression, then made a covert sign to Heigui and the others. "Ah, that's right, I just remembered, I have something to do tonight, I need to watch a TV drama with my mom." "I need to go home to do laundry." "I've got a date with some friends to play Mahjong." Xiao Qiang's cheeks were a bit rosy, it was hard to tell if it was from the cold or from embarrassment. "Fine, I'll take Minister Xiao home," Hao Jian said helplessly. He knew these guys meant well, even though he was not interested, but thinking about letting Xiao Qiang, a girl, go back alone late at night, it didn't seem right. However, just then, a mocking laugh came from behind them! "I'm sorry, but you're not going anywhere," the voice said. The words made everyone pause, and as they turned to look, they saw Zhuang Yibin standing not far away with a menacing sneer on his face. "Fuck your grandma, you dare to come back?" Tie Shan, who had a violent temper, couldn't hold back anymore. If Zhuang Yibin hadn't run away so fast before, he would have already taken action. Now that this piece of trash had the audacity to come back, did he really think Tie Shan wouldn't dare to beat him up? But Hao Jian frowned, feeling a bad premonition, because he knew that Zhuang Yibin was definitely not as courageous as he appeared to be, otherwise he wouldn't have been scared off by them earlier. Him coming back now, there was only one possibility: he had some backup. "Why wouldn't I dare to come back? My girlfriend is still here, of course, I had to come back!" Zhuang Yibin burst into laughter, his eyes constantly on Xiao Qiang. For some reason, hearing Zhuang Yibin say "girlfriend," Xiao Qiang suddenly felt disgusted and couldn't help but retort: S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I am not your girlfriend. We broke up just a few hours ago, so please stop pestering me." "You hear that? Come again and I'll break your damn legs!" Heigui directly threatened with a cold voice. "Yo, in just a few hours, you've hooked up with so many wild men? What, planning to have a gang bang tonight?" Zhuang Yibin sneered: "You refuse to accompany my boss, but behind the scenes, you hook up with a bunch of gangsters so quickly; you really are cheap." "You." Xiao Qiang's face turned crimson with anger. How could Zhuang Yibin insult her like that? No matter what, they had a history. "Damn it, beat him to death!" Heigui and Tie Shan were instantly enraged and roared as they charged forward. But seeing them rush up, Zhuang Yibin's face did not show the slightest fear. Instead, he looked even more contemptuous and disdainful. "Vroom." Suddenly, the roar of vehicles grew from a distance. Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Give You a Choice! The roar of the motorcycles was deafening, as if someone were deliberately turning the throttle."Who's still riding motorcycles at this hour?" Tie Shan said, puzzled, but then his expression froze. Because he saw a dozen or more vehicles approaching from afar, each motorcycle carrying two to three people, making it a total of about forty individuals. And all of them clutched steel rods and baseball bats, with faces full of horizontal scars, and an unyielding demeanor that clearly indicated they were up to no good. A look of resignation flashed across Hao Jian's face ¨C indeed, Zhuang Yibin had called for backup. "Come on, you want to hit me, don't you? If you have the guts, do it!" Zhuang Yibin laughed triumphantly, and deliberately crooked his finger at Tie Shan and the others, his face full of provocation. The expressions on Tie Shan and the others were ugly; they didn't respond, as the opposing side outnumbered them by too much. With only nine of them, they stood no chance against the forty enemies. "Kid, I already told you before to mind your own business. Now you have two choices: either kneel down and knock your head on the ground three times, begging me to spare you, or go to the hospital. Pick one," Zhuang Yibin said to Hao Jian, his disdain for him deep to the bone. If it weren't for Hao Jian, Xiao Qiang might have already been taken away by him, and they wouldn't have all these troubles. As he spoke, his attitude was arrogantly superior, as if he were the God of Death that controlled life and death, outdoing even the real God of Death, Hao Jian, in his swagger, which left Hao Jian flabbergasted. Hao Jian couldn't help but want to laugh. Being the God of Death and yet threatened by a petty hooligan; he wondered how many people would lose their teeth from laughing if this story got out. Hao Jian shook his head and smiled with a playful tone, "I'll give you only one choice: disability." Zhuang Yibin's face turned cold, "Fine, then I hope you can be just as tough later!" "Attack!" Zhuang Yibin roared, and the gangsters dismounted from their motorcycles and started moving towards Hao Jian and his group. "Zhuang Yibin, what the hell do you want?" Seeing this, Xiao Qiang instantly panicked; she couldn't just watch Hao Jian and the others get beaten up. If it weren't to save her, Hao Jian and his group wouldn't have needed to get involved in this mess at all. "Xiao Qiang, you really don't know what I want?" Zhuang Yibin said with a skewed smile, "As long as you leave with me, I won't lay a finger on your friends here. If not, I will cripple them first, and then abduct you! The choice is yours." "Minister Xiao, don't listen to him; it's just a fight at worst. The guys here are armed; we aren't afraid of him," Tie Shan said bravely. Zhuang Yibin's threat toward a woman disgusted him! "Yeah, Minister Xiao, you just got away from that beast; you can't go back now," Heigui added in agreement. Xiao Qiang hesitated, torn. If she didn't go with Zhuang Yibin, Tie Shan and the others would get beaten up, but it was her fault ¨C why should others bear the consequences? Xiao Qiang's delicate frame trembled slightly, and after a long while, as if mustering all the strength in her body, she let out a long breath and said, "I'll go with you." S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Minister Xiao!" Tie Shan and the others looked over in shock; they knew that once Xiao Qiang left with Zhuang Yibin, the next moment she would end up in someone else's bed to keep them company. "I know what I'm doing." Xiao Qiang said, trying to appear calm; indeed she knew, but was powerless to resist. She was ultimately too kind-hearted and couldn't bear to watch others get hurt for her sake. Seeing Xiao Qiang give in, not a trace of remorse appeared on Zhuang Yibin's face; instead, he became even more smug. Xiao Qiang took a step forward, preparing to walk towards Zhuang Yibin, but at that moment, she felt a warm, large hand grab hers. Hao Jian looked at her calmly and said authoritatively, "Woman, I didn't say you could leave yet." "Hao Jian." Xiao Qiang stared at Hao Jian, dazed. "Since I said I would take you home, I will definitely take you home. Before I do, you can't go anywhere else," Hao Jian declared firmly. "But." Tears welled up in Xiao Qiang's eyes. She wanted to scold Hao Jian for being nosy, but she just couldn't bring herself to say it. This bastard, why couldn't he understand? She didn't want them to get hurt because of her. "There's nothing to 'but' about; now you just listen to me," Hao Jian said, not allowing any room for Xiao Qiang to argue, appearing very chauvinistic yet also exuding the air of a true man. This type of man, who gives women a sense of security, believes in keeping promises and would protect his woman from any harm, even at the risk of his own life. "Kid, you've been screwing up my plans over and over; do you really think I wouldn't dare touch you?" Zhuang Yibin's face twisted malevolently as he bellowed with bloodshot eyes: "Get him! Break both of that punk's legs!!!" "Stay here, and don't come out without my permission," Hao Jian turned and said to Xiao Qiang, his voice carrying an undeniable seriousness. Xiao Qiang had barely started to object when her eyes met Hao Jian's cold glare. Intimidated, she lowered her head and obediently nodded. When he turned back, a murderous aura covered Hao Jian's face, and his thoughts seemed to travel back to the moment he first stepped into the dark world. Hao Jian directly approached Tie Shan and the others, smiling as he asked, "Are you scared?" "Scared my ass!" Tie Shan cursed with a smile on his face as well. "Good, if you're not scared, then prepare to make a scene," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh, his gaze swiftly turning towards the gangsters in front of him. At that moment, a gangster swung a stick straight at his head. He was convinced that his strike would hit Hao Jian, and in the next moment, he anticipated seeing him with a bloodied head. But just as the stick was about to hit Hao Jian, he drifted away without warning. Yes, drifted! Beyond that, those people didn't know how else to describe Hao Jian's movements. He was like a ghost. Expressionless, Hao Jian slowly lifted his leg and swept it effortlessly. The gangster was sent flying like a deflated ball, tumbling over a dozen others in his path. Tie Shan and the others were stunned. They had no idea Hao Jian was so formidable. A kick that could send a strong man flying must have had at least several hundred pounds of force, right? Seeing Hao Jian take down more than a dozen of them in an instant, Zhuang Yibin's eyes bulged in shock, his eyelids twitching wildly as if he had seen a ghost! "Brother Hu, how... how come your guys are so weak?" Zhuang Yibin asked the burly man beside him with a look of frantic urgency. Hearing Zhuang Yibin's taunt, Brother Hu's face instantly darkened as he bellowed: "Open your damn eyes, you idiots! If you can't take down that kid, wait and see how I'll deal with you afterward!" Chapter 31: Chapter 31 You Are Too Bewitching! Xiao Qiang stood transfixed, stunned by the scene unfolding before her, her gaze fixed on Hao Jian, her pretty face filled with curiosity!It seemed, in that moment, Hao Jian in her eyes had become more mysterious, inscrutable and elusive! Gazing at his not-so-imposing but very reassuring silhouette, a mist of confusion swirled in Xiao Qiang's beautiful eyes. "Let's go up too!" Tie Shan roared, Hao Jian had gone up, and there was no reason for them to just stand by and watch. Eight people rushed toward the twenty-some opponents; Hao Jian took the lead, charging into the crowd, and then it was like a wolf entering a sheep pen¡ªwherever his fists and feet went, injury followed, and bodies thudded down to the ground one by one. Tie Shan and the others, shouting vehemently as they charged, were about to start fighting when they realized that all their opponents had already fallen, without even a shadow standing! Everything had happened so quickly that Tie Shan and his men simply couldn't react in time. "Did one person take them all down?" Gulp! Tie Shan and the others swallowed hard, incredulously staring at Hao Jian, asking themselves, was this guy even human? How long did it take him? Three minutes? Or just one? "What, is something the matter?" Hao Jian said with a smile. He didn't mean to stand out so much, but the problem was if he hadn't done that, Old Zhang and the others might have been beaten. Old Zhang was over fifty this year, definitely an older man, and at this age, a knock or a bump was no joke. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Dude, you're ridiculously formidable." Having recovered, Tie Shan and the others were ecstatic to the extreme! Looking at Hao Jian, their eyes sparkled with excitement, as if at that moment, Hao Jian had become an idol to them all. To defeat thirty or forty armed thugs in just a few minutes was not something an ordinary person could achieve. Xiao Qiang, too, was utterly taken aback; her thoughts affirmed that this guy was truly extraordinary. Just then, Hao Jian turned his gaze toward Zhuang Yibin and Brother Hu. Not far off, Zhuang Yibin and Brother Hu, seeing Hao Jian looking their way, shuddered violently. "You, planning to stand up for him?" Hao Jian said to Brother Hu, his smile more sneer than grin. "No, no, no, I'm just passing by. Just passing through." Brother Hu, swallowing his saliva, shook his head like a rattle-drum, not wanting to court death against such a monster. "Brother Hu, you¡ª" Zhuang Yibin looked at Brother Hu in astonishment, the bastard was about to abandon him? "Sorry brother, it's not that I don't want to help you, but we really can't afford to mess with the person you've offended," Brother Hu said with a wry smile, then quickly waved to his men: "Let's get out of here!" He had met Zhuang Yibin in a bar, and because Zhuang Yibin was generous with his money, Brother Hu had bonded with him. Between them, at most, they were fair-weather friends, and certainly nowhere near the point of risking their lives for Zhuang Yibin. The defeated ones supported each other getting into their cars and leaving, leaving a litter of steel pipes and iron weapons behind. And at that moment, only Zhuang Yibin remained, standing there alone, looking rather ridiculous. Hao Jian crossed his arms, taking strides toward him. Zhuang Yibin's expression froze, and he instinctively stepped back several steps: "Don't mess around, I warn you, or I'll call the police." "Call the police? Do you think that will help? Who saw me touch you?" Hao Jian sneered, as around them, there was no one else; even if he beat Zhuang Yibin or killed him, probably no one would know. Hao Jian walked up to Zhuang Yibin, smiled faintly, then abruptly reached out his hand like lightning and grabbed Zhuang Yibin's throat: "Remember what I told you before? You only have one choice, and that is to be disabled!" Zhuang Yibin's face paled instantly, and then he almost cried out to Xiao Qiang: "Xiao Qiang, for the sake of our acquaintance, save me." He was scared, truly scared. Because he could tell, Hao Jian was not joking, and with his skills, disabling him would be as easy as playing with an egg. He didn't want to end up disabled; otherwise, his life would be ruined. Upon hearing this, Xiao Qiang's expression also hesitated, seemingly reluctant. "How can you still want to protect someone who was going to sell you to someone else?" Hao Jian looked at Xiao Qiang with a bizarre smile, waiting for her decision! If Xiao Qiang asked him to spare Zhuang Yibin, he would agree, but he would never pity her again afterward. For the pitiable must have something detestable, and if Xiao Qiang is willing to be harmed, how does she deserve anyone else's pity? Xiao Qiang shivered slightly, her expression flickering briefly before she finally seemed to make up her mind, "No, I don't intend to protect him." Remembering all that Zhuang Yibin had done before, Xiao Qiang found it hard to feel any sympathy for him, her heart had grown cold. If it were not for Hao Jian and the others being here today, she might have already been forced into submission. "You bitch, I won't let you get away with this!!!" Seeing Xiao Qiang not coming to his rescue, Zhuang Yibin instantly became infuriated and began cursing with a resentful expression. "Slap." Hao Jian directly slapped him across the face, the force of the slap was so well measured that it knocked out Zhuang Yibin's teeth. Zhuang Yibin was dazed, seeing stars, his head swaying, and he occasionally made groaning noises. "Go wait for me in the car." Hao Jian threw the car keys to Xiao Qiang; the things he planned to do next might make Xiao Qiang uncomfortable. Xiao Qiang took the keys and hesitated for a moment before ultimately choosing to leave. Hao Jian left Zhuang Yibin on the ground, then picked up a baseball bat from the ground, towering over Zhuang Yibin with an indifferent expression. "Don't hurt me. I can give you money, a lot of money!" Zhuang Yibin lay on the ground, looking pitifully at Hao Jian without his earlier arrogance, like a dog that had lost its home, he even started crying without any sense of pride. "Alright, two million." Hao Jian demanded a large sum. "Two million? But I don't have that much money," Zhuang Yibin lowered his head. "No money? Then you'll just have to accept your fate," Hao Jian scoffed. "Can you ask for less? You're asking for too much," Zhuang Yibin pleaded. He really felt like crying now, it had turned out to be a case of 'the biter bit.' No possibility of promotion, no girlfriend, and now his money was gone too. Whether he would still have his legs in a few moments was yet another issue. "Too much? I'm only doing what you did." Hao Jian burst into laughter; just earlier Zhuang Yibin had demanded one million from Xiao Qiang, and he was merely following the example set. "." And Zhuang Yibin fell silent. "It seems you really don't have that much money. Since that's the case, I can't be blamed," Hao Jian raised the baseball bat, ready to strike. "No, no, I'll give it!" Zhuang Yibin hurriedly shouted, though he was just pretending. Regardless, as a high-salaried white-collar worker with an annual income of millions, there's no way he didn't have two million in savings. Zhuang Yibin was crying without tears. Now, he could only think of it as paying to avoid disaster. Then Hao Jian provided his bank account details, for Zhuang Yibin to transfer the money. "The money has been transferred to you," Zhuang Yibin put down his phone, looking fearfully at Hao Jian. "Ding." Just then, Hao Jian's phone received a message, indicating that the money had arrived! Hao Jian glanced at his phone, then started laughing: "Indeed, the money has been received." Yet he still raised the baseball bat, his face mocking: "But I still don't plan to let you go." Chapter 32: Chapter 32: A Man, More Than One Side! "You can't do this, you just said you'd spare me." Zhuang Yibin screamed hoarsely, his voice filled with anguish."Sorry, I lied to you." While Hao Jian said sorry, there wasn't a trace of remorse on his face. He wanted Zhuang Yibin to experience what Xiao Qiang had felt before, to understand what it was like to be toyed with and deceived. The baseball bat came crashing down, and everyone heard a crisp crack of breaking bone. Right after, they saw Zhuang Yibin clutching his knee, convulsing and screaming on the ground. Having taught Zhuang Yibin a lesson, Hao Jian then got into the sedan! But the fierce look had not completely left his face. Xiao Qiang glanced at him and immediately lowered her head in fear! At that moment, Hao Jian was truly frightening, completely unlike the somewhat goofy, somewhat lecherous thug. Hao Jian didn't bother explaining, he simply started the car. The atmosphere inside the car grew more and more eerie as time passed. Neither spoke; the silence was so uncanny, they could even hear each other's breathing. "Where do you live?" Hao Jian suddenly asked. "Ah, over at Huaiyuan Street." Xiao Qiang replied, and then the conversation dropped off, making the atmosphere awkward once again. "Um, how is he?" Xiao Qiang couldn't resist and asked out of curiosity. "You're better off not knowing." Hao Jian said expressionlessly. "Oh." Xiao Qiang pouted, feeling somewhat aggrieved, and cursed inwardly: Stinky thug, why act so cool, making me too scared to talk to you. "I have a question." Hao Jian spoke, his face expressionless, his voice as cold as if he was deliberately keeping someone a thousand miles away. "Ask away." S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Xiao Qiang nodded, bothered by Hao Jian's tone, now even somewhat missing the sleazy Hao Jian. "Do you think I look especially cool with a stern face?" Hao Jian suddenly turned around, grinning mischievously at her. "Ah?" Xiao Qiang was slow to react. Was this guy having a split personality? This quick switch in demeanor was too sudden, wasn't it? "No? Wrong, huh? I think I look incredibly cool with a stern face." Hao Jian fiddled with the rear-view mirror, admiring himself, even deliberately throwing a flirty wink at his reflection: "A man has more than one side, I see great potential in you." Xiao Qiang had turned into stone, indeed, this guy was still the goofy one she knew, his 'silly' blood hadn't changed one bit! "Why are you not talking, were you amazed by my handsomeness? But don't think about offering yourself to me just because I saved you. I'm quite sentimental, you know. My first time is reserved for my future wife," Hao Jian said, his expression as sleazy as it could be! The first time, hm, today's first time indeed hadn't been used yet. "Go to hell!" Xiao Qiang laughed out of exasperation, who wanted to offer herself to him? Did she look that foolish? "Yo, you laughed?" Hao Jian also laughed heartily, as long as Xiao Qiang laughed, it meant she could make a new start. Xiao Qiang's smile faded, her face turned gentle, and she sincerely said, "Hao Jian, thank you." She was moved; Hao Jian had done so much for her, even though she had once treated him in that manner. "No need to thank me, just give me a raise," Hao Jian grinned. "That might be up for discussion," Xiao Qiang responded. Hao Jian scoffed, "Cheapskate." Xiao Qiang didn't mind, a faint smile playing on the corners of her lips. For some reason, she felt especially at ease with Hao Jian, able to drop all pretenses and be her true self. And most importantly, this funny guy would go out of his way to make her happy. Xiao Qiang's home was in a very ordinary apartment complex, which she had bought herself, and she was currently paying the mortgage. Hao Jian escorted Xiao Qiang to her front door, but at that moment, Xiao Qiang seemed a bit nervous, as if she were worried about something. "You should head back first," Xiao Qiang said with flushed cheeks, but she didn't invite Hao Jian inside. Seeing this, Hao Jian's interest was piqued, and he leaned his arm against the door behind Xiao Qiang, his voice low, "So, you're not going to invite me in?" Xiao Qiang shuddered all over, her expression frantic as she shook her head: "No, absolutely not! It's too late, let's talk about it some other time." Hao Jian couldn't help but laugh inwardly; this woman was scared he had ulterior motives. Seeing Xiao Qiang looking like a startled little white rabbit was exceedingly amusing to him. "What are you afraid of? I'm not a good person anyway," Hao Jian teased. "Huh?" Xiao Qiang stared at him blankly, feeling that something about that statement didn't quite sound right. "Alright, alright, I'm just teasing you. I'm heading back now, see you tomorrow," Hao Jian waved at Xiao Qiang, then turned and left. Xiao Qiang breathed a sigh of relief, then glared fiercely at Hao Jian's retreating figure: "This damn guy." As he left Xiao Qiang's place, Hao Jian was about to head home, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had forgotten something; however, he couldn't remember what it was right away. As he was about to open his car door, the moment he reached for his keys, his expression froze, and he thought to himself: Damn! When Hao Jian got back to his place, he opened the door only to see Shu Ya sitting on the couch with her arms crossed, her slender feet clad in pink bunny slippers, swaying playfully. But Hao Jian wasn't in the mood to appreciate the scene, as Shu Ya's face looked so gloomy it was almost dripping water. He had forgotten to pick Shu Ya up from work. He didn't know how she got home, but it was evident that she was extremely upset. "Shu Ya, you're still up?" Hao Jian said, trying to curry favor with a smile on his face. "Where have you been?" Shu Ya asked coldly. "I was out drinking with a few friends," Hao Jian replied honestly, scratching his head awkwardly. "Oh, I see," Shu Ya nodded, her expression one of sudden realization. Hao Jian, seeing this, was momentarily stunned, "Shu Ya, you forgive me?" "Of course not," Shu Ya's face darkened again, saying: "Do you know how long I waited for you at the office? Two hours, thirty-seven minutes, and twenty-five seconds. You didn't answer your phone, you didn't reply to messages. What are you, the boss or am I the boss?" Such a trivial issue could have been overlooked, but he'd gone out to mess around with a bunch of irresponsible friends¡ªhow could Shu Ya tolerate that? Hao Jian was utterly exasperated, how could she even track it down to the exact second? "My phone died." "Is that an excuse? Just because your phone died, you think it's okay not to pick up your boss after work? If I didn't want to go to work, does that mean I shouldn't go either?" Shu Ya spoke with a commanding tone. "Of course, if you don't want to work, I'll take care of you¡ªyou take care of the money!" Hao Jian joked. "Go to hell!" Shu Ya burst out. Chapter 33: Chapter 33 Youre Really Rude! "Am I discussing my problems with you now? Don't get things backwards," Shu Ya almost roared.Hao Jian stiffened upon hearing this, then made a very aggrieved expression, "Actually, I just went to help Shuishui cross the road." "Fuck off!" Unable to restrain herself, Shu Ya burst out swearing, like her last nerve had snapped, this bastard was challenging her limits of patience. Just now you were going to have drinks, now you say you were helping old Shuishui cross the road, could you be any more fake? And the smell of alcohol was all over Hao Jian, it definitely looked like he'd gone drinking, okay? "Shu Ya, why are you swearing?" Hao Jian said in shock, as it was the first time he'd ever heard Shu Ya swear. "I didn't." Shu Ya turned away, also in immense surprise within herself, how did she end up swearing? She never used to do this. Shu Ya now felt as if she wanted to crawl into a hole; a lady like herself swearing was a complete loss of decorum. Shu Ya grew up in a wealthy family and received aristocratic education all her life; she had never sworn a word throughout her life. Today, she didn't know what went wrong, but she lost her composure. The phrase was something she had learned from television, found it very interesting, but dared not use. Today, provoked by Hao Jian, she couldn't help but blurt it out. It had to be that guy's fault, it had to be. Shu Ya thought to herself in her heart, and consoled herself that she didn't want to swear at all, it was all provoked by Hao Jian. "You clearly did, you just said 'fuck off,' I heard it clearly," Hao Jian looked astonished, unexpectedly seeing such a fierce side to this woman. "I did not!" Shu Ya raised her voice and looked at Hao Jian coldly. "Alright, alright, you didn't," Hao Jian could only submit. Only then did Shu Ya sit back on the sofa, still looking like she was seething with anger, "You were negligent today, I'm docking a week's pay." "What?" Hao Jian was immediately displeased, but didn't dare to show it, so he just wiped his hands and offered a placating smile: "Shu Ya, isn't that too much? How about docking a day's pay? Or even two days?" "Wishful thinking. You need to understand, you used the official car for personal affairs, making me have to take a cab myself. Do you know how many people get in and out of a taxi daily and how dirty it can be?" Not mentioning it would have been better, hearing this almost drove Shu Ya nuts, she'd even been harassed by the taxi driver today, all because of Hao Jian. "Why don't you just say you're being too delicate?" Hao Jian mumbled under his breath, everyone else can take it, only you can't. "What did you say?" Shu Ya's pretty face expressed her Killing Intent, and she glared over menacingly. "Nothing, I'm saying I'm sorry, it's all my fault," Hao Jian forced a smile, thinking let it go, he had earned a couple million today anyway, a little money doesn't concern him. He felt no pressure about those two million, because he knew Zhuang Yibin didn't have the guts to seek revenge, and calling the police wasn't an option either. If he called the police, wouldn't that mean exposing himself as well, after all, he was the one inciting someone to intentionally harm others, attempting to disrupt public order, and his dirty deed of forcing his girlfriend to sleep with his boss would also come to light. If Zhuang Yibin had any brains, he wouldn't do that. "Alright, I'm going to take a shower now, and I don't want this to happen again, otherwise you're going to have a tough time." Shu Ya coldly snapped, and if there were a next time, she would definitely deal with Hao Jian properly. With Shu Ya's temperament, what she couldn't stand the most was this kind of sloppy laziness; she was a perfectionist and pursued excellence in everything. If Hao Jian had really been her employee, she would have fired him long ago, not tolerate him prancing around the company. "It won't, it definitely won't happen again." Hao Jian deliberately put on a sincere expression, his eyes flickering non-stop, scanning over Shu Ya's delicate body, shining with sincerity. "You're really sleazy." However, Shu Ya bluntly threw out this remark. Hao Jian's face darkened, "You're really rude." It was only after Shu Ya returned to her room that Hao Jian finally sat down and lit a cigarette for himself. But when he looked around, he couldn't help but shake his head and smile. The house now was drastically different from when he lived there. The walls of the room were covered with pink wallpaper, creating a warm atmosphere; the beer bottles piled up on the balcony had been completely cleared; the floor of the house was spotless; tablecloths were replaced on the coffee table and dining table, and vases were put up, making the whole house smell strongly of home. Smoke swirled around Hao Jian's face, obscuring his expression, but it was clear he was smiling. At that moment, he thought: This is a peaceful life, and it seems pretty good. At that moment, he finally experienced the warmth of home. "Alright, I should make something to eat too." After finishing a cigarette, Hao Jian stood up and headed to the kitchen. Since everyone was drinking at the table, he hadn't really eaten much, and now he planned to make something to fill his stomach. After organizing her underwear in the room, Shu Ya headed towards the bathroom, deliberately keeping her underwear hidden within her pajamas, fearful that Hao Jian might see them. Her exterior was very cool, but her heart was quite girlish. "Whoosh." The shower was turned on, and Shu Ya let the water rush over her tender, fair body, a look of enjoyment on her face. "Deadbeat, talking about going for a drink, yet he reeks of a woman's perfume, such a big liar!" Shu Ya muttered, they say a woman's intuition is very keen, but for Shu Ya, it was her sense of smell that was very sharp. When Hao Jian had stood in front of her earlier, his strong scent of alcohol still carried a trace of perfume scent, faint yet still caught by her. It was precisely because of this that Shu Ya was particularly angry. No wonder he didn't pick her up from work, he must have been sneaking off with another woman and deliberately turned off his phone, probably afraid she would ruin his fun? Thinking that Hao Jian, now her fianc¨¦, could act so indecently made Shu Ya extremely angry. Moreover, she herself, a great beauty, was right in front of him; if he didn't stick around everyday that was one thing, but to keep flirting around outside, was she really that bad? Shu Ya carefully examined her shapely body in front of the mirror, and then she concluded: S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "He must be blind." But just then, Shu Ya noticed a black dot on the mirror, about the size of a thumb, and it was oddly shaped. Shu Ya turned around, but there was no black dot on the wall behind her. Then, as if she realized something, her expression suddenly became very weird, her eyebrows twitching, her mouth twitching, and a thing called fear slowly gathering on her face. Chapter 34: Chapter 34 I Cant Do It! "Ah!!!"The next instant, Hao Jian heard an extremely piercing scream coming from the bathroom, which made him shiver, and then he walked toward the bathroom. "Hey, are you okay?" Hao Jian knocked and asked. "There's a cockroach! Hao Jian, there's a cockroach!" came Shu Ya's terrified voice from inside the bathroom, faintly laced with a sobbing tone. Hao Jian was stunned, then couldn't help but burst into laughter. He had not expected Shu Ya, who usually seemed like a leader, to be afraid of something like a cockroach. "Oh, then just kill it," Hao Jian said, holding back his laughter and pretending to be serious. "I... I can't do it." Shu Ya's voice trembled, the sight of the cockroach's many legs and antennae making her scalp tingle, and she couldn't bring herself to strike. "What's so difficult about it? One slipper down, and it's definitely dead." Hao Jian was rolling on the floor with laughter by now, finding Shu Ya incredibly adorable. "I can't do it," what an interesting statement. Hao Jian wanted to tease her a bit more, so he kept giving her some bad ideas. Shu Ya took them seriously, then picked up a slipper with a nervous face, looking at the roach, trying several times to gather her courage to approach it, but every glance at the roach made her scream and retreat in fear, wanting to act but also afraid. "Hao Jian, I really can't do it." Shu Ya was about to cry; she couldn't even get close, let alone kill the roach. "Then open the door, I'll come in and help you," Hao Jian said with a mischievous smile. "No way!" Shu Ya flatly refused since she was completely naked. If she let Hao Jian in, wouldn't she end up exposing everything to him? "Then I can't help you, you'll have to deal with it yourself," Hao Jian shrugged, then turned to walk away. "Don't go!" Shu Ya said with a crying tone, almost begging Hao Jian. "Big sister, you won't open the door, and you won't deal with it yourself, so what do you expect?" "Then, then just wait a moment," Shu Ya said, apparently planning to open the door. Hao Jian suddenly brightened up, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, perhaps she had made up her mind and decided to be honest with him. Soon, the door was opened, and Shu Ya quickly stepped out. Hao Jian then saw Shu Ya wrapping her body with a scarf, her snowy shoulders and delicate feet exposed, her face flushed, looking somewhat charming, and her eyes reflecting a pitiful fear. Hao Jian was somewhat disappointed; he had hoped to see more of Shu Ya's charming body. "Don't just stand there, go kill the cockroach." Shu Ya hurriedly pushed Hao Jian into the bathroom. If the cockroach wasn't dealt with, she couldn't think about taking a bath. "Alright, alright," Hao Jian chuckled wryly, grabbing his slipper and walking into the bathroom. "Smack!" The slipper hit the mirror cleanly, then the cockroach stuck onto the slipper. Seeing the cockroach killed by Hao Jian, Shu Ya finally breathed a sigh of relief. "See, it's dead," Hao Jian turned around, but shook his slipper with the cockroach in front of Shu Ya. "Get that away!" Shu Ya screamed and pushed Hao Jian, but he didn't move, and his own feet slipped, sending him tumbling down. Shu Ya's face turned pale, and she frantically clawed the air in front of her. "Be careful!" Hao Jian was also startled, then quickly dropped his slipper and reached out to catch Shu Ya, but he only caught the corner of the towel. "Whoosh." Then, the towel was in Hao Jian's hand, and what came into view was a patch of tender skin. "Ah, it hurts." Shu Ya ultimately fell on the ground, wanting to scold Hao Jian, but then she saw his gaze fixed on her, seemingly sparkling with flames, and she became confused. Then, she noticed the towel in Hao Jian's hand, and after that, her face turned green! "Ah ah ah ah." This scream was louder than the one she made upon seeing the cockroach earlier, echoing throughout the entire building. That night was too dark for Hao Jian to have paid much attention to Shu Ya's physique, but today he finally got his wish. "It wasn't intentional? If it wasn't intentional, then why don't you give me back the towel?" Shu Ya felt a strong urge to devour this scoundrel; her words said it wasn't intentional, but his eyes seemed anything but sincere. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Oh oh, okay, here you go," Hao Jian reluctantly returned the towel. "You. Turn your face away," "Or, should I just close my eyes?" Hao Jian said, apparently not willing to turn his head. "No, you must turn away!" Shu Ya said determinedly; closing his eyes? Who knows if this scoundrel would peek? "Alright, alright," Hao Jian said helplessly, knowing he couldn't look anymore, and grudgingly turned away. "Don't peek, or I won't spare you!" Shu Ya threatened, then stood up and began to wrap herself with the towel. But after wrapping the towel, Shu Ya grew more and more uncomfortable, this scoundrel had seen her naked, was it not too lenient to just let him off like this? Then she remembered how Hao Jian had ditched her to meet another woman today, and she grew even more furious, a flash of anger crossing her cheeks before it turned into slyness. She stared at Hao Jian like a cunning fox, a mischievous curve appearing at the corner of her mouth. "Are you done?" Hao Jian, hearing no noise from behind, couldn't help but ask. "Not yet, wait a little longer," Shu Ya hurriedly responded, stealthily approaching Hao Jian, then as he was distracted, she suddenly kicked upward, aiming for Hao Jian's crotch. Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Sister Lans Misunderstanding! Whoosh!Although her leg was slender, it moved fiercely, aiming straight for Hao Jian's groin! Just when Shu Ya thought her sneak attack was successful, Hao Jian's legs suddenly clamped together without any warning, firmly trapping her foot. Shu Ya was stunned on the spot, and then realizing her plot was exposed, she roared in anger, "Let me go!" "You little vixen, dare to ambush me? I am going to teach you a lesson!" Hao Jian said with a strange chuckle, his expression wicked. "It's all your fault! Who asked you to look at me!" Shu Ya declared righteously, infuriated that the scoundrel had no manners, not even letting her pick on him. "I don't care, you ambushed me with that sinister Groin Kick; I'm definitely going to teach you a lesson!" Hao Jian grabbed Shu Ya's foot with one hand, looking at the delicate little foot, a crooked smile appeared on his face as he then swiped her sole. "Mommy, it's so noisy." Meanwhile, next door at Sister Lan's place, little Tongtong woke up from sleep and said to her mom beside her. Sister Lan also revealed a bitter smile, "It's nothing, go back to sleep." Tongtong closed her eyes and went back to sleep, but Sister Lan looked up at the wall next to them, thinking that she definitely needed to talk to Hao Jian and others tomorrow. It wasn't that they couldn't do it; they should at least keep it down. Turns out, she had heard the noise upstairs but mistakenly thought Hao Jian and Shu Ya were doing something embarrassing. The next day at breakfast, while Shu Ya and Tongtong were not around, Sister Lan pulled Hao Jian aside to lecture him. "You young lad, I'm not concerned about your fiery passion, but can you keep it down at night? That noise last night must have been heard by the whole building, it even woke up Tongtong, who has kindergarten the next morning; you need to be mindful of the impact," Sister Lan advised earnestly. "Ah?" Hao Jian was taken aback and then burst into laughter, realizing Sister Lan had misunderstood. "I'm serious here, what are you laughing at!" Sister Lan said angrily. Her pretty face blushed and she glared at Hao Jian; she was serious in talking to Hao Jian, but he wasn't taking it seriously. "Sister Lan, you got it wrong, last night Shu Ya and I weren't doing that; she saw a cockroach, and that's why she screamed," Hao Jian explained. "Stop it, your Sister Lan knows better, can't I tell the difference between a scream and a moan? I'm not blaming you guys, because young people sometimes can't control themselves, just keep it down next time if you are, please." Then Hao Jian was rendered speechless and could only nod with a wry smile, "Okay, I got it, I will be careful next time." S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Also, be gentler next time. Last night, Shu Ya's screams were awful; women need to be cherished," Sister Lan advised again. Hao Jian almost cried, looking plaintively at Sister Lan, "Sister Lan." "Alright, alright, let's drop it, just be careful yourself. By the way, remember to come help me fix the light after work today; the light's broken in my place, hey, I wasn't finished talking." Before Sister Lan could finish talking, Hao Jian ran off like a shot. He was afraid to stay any longer in case Sister Lan would come up with more shocking comments. She, a woman, doesn't feel embarrassed talking about it, but he, a grown man, felt shy just listening. This was because Sister Lan didn't regard Hao Jian as a man but treated him like a younger brother, so she spoke from an older sister's perspective, naturally without embarrassment. "What did Sister Lan want just now?" Shu Ya asked curiously as she saw Hao Jian return to the car. Hao Jian replied with a wry smile, "She wants us to keep it down at night; we woke Tongtong up last night." "What? But we weren't doing anything last night, did you explain that to her?" Shu Ya panicked; Hao Jian might be shameless, but she could not be. "I did explain, but she didn't believe it," Hao Jian replied. Shu Ya's expression stiffened, then she pinched Hao Jian's waist hard: "It's all your fault; if you hadn't teased me last night, none of this would have happened, and Sister Lan wouldn't have misunderstood. How am I supposed to face her now?" "Don't worry, she wants me to go fix her light tonight; I'll explain it again then." "What, you are going to fix her light tonight?" Shu Ya said, taken aback, feeling uneasy. Because she always felt that Sister Lan's gaze towards Hao Jian was not entirely pure; at first glance, it seemed like a sister looking at her brother, but on closer observation, it seemed there was something more in her gaze. Shu Ya didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she just felt very uncomfortable. "Yes, what about it?" Hao Jian started the car, looking puzzled at Shu Ya. Fixing a light was a simple task; why did Shu Ya seem so unhappy about it? "It's nothing, just that fixing a light sounds like a simple task; couldn't she do it herself?" Shu Ya complained somewhat. Chapter 36: Chapter 36: This pretense, I give it a hundred points! ```"Don't say that, they're a pair of orphans and widows, quite pitiable, with no man in the house. A lot of things are inconvenient for them. Besides, as neighbors, it's just a small favor, nothing to make a big fuss about, right?" Hao Jian said. If it weren't for Sister Lan taking him in, he probably would have had to sleep on the streets. At that time, he was pretty foolish too, getting pickpocketed right after getting off the plane, losing his wallet with all his bank cards and cash. The idea that the mighty God of Death had his wallet stolen by a pickpocket would be enough to make countless people laugh their heads off. Back then, Sister Lan saw Hao Jian squatting downstairs at her building, smoking and catching the breeze. She called him into her home, prepared food for him, and arranged a place for him to stay; she even let him live there rent-free for the first month. Hao Jian has always remembered this kindness. Hao Jian didn't overthink it like Shu Ya, although he had spied on Sister Lan, he never thought about starting anything with her. How could he have the heart to bully them when they were already in such a vulnerable position? "In that case, why don't I introduce a boyfriend to her?" Shu Ya suggested. Sister Lan didn't have a man, so introducing a boyfriend to her would give her someone to rely on, and perhaps she wouldn't cling to Hao Jian anymore? "This, isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Hao Jian felt something was off about this. Sister Lan had been single for so many years without a man, there must be a reason. Introducing a boyfriend to her seemed quite presumptuous, didn't it? "What's wrong with that? Didn't you say it yourself, that it's inconvenient for her without a man in the house? She can't stay single forever, can she?" Shu Ya crossed her arms and stared at Hao Jian with a sneer: "Or is it that you have some improper thoughts about her?" "How could that be!" Hao Jian hurriedly defended himself. What a joke, Sister Lan treated him like a younger brother, and he just saw her as an older sister, nothing more. Of course, occasionally peeping at Sister Lan taking a bath was one of Hao Jian's greatest joys! "Then why are you so fiercely opposed? She herself hasn't even objected yet." Shu Ya huffed, convinced that this guy definitely had some ulterior motive. "I just think it's a bit presumptuous for us outsiders to do this, and Sister Lan would probably find it very strange," Hao Jian shared his doubts with Shu Ya. "And, you know, she hasn't remarried for all these years, I guess it has to do with Tongtong. I think she's worried that finding another man might not be good for Tongtong." "That's easy, then we just find someone good to Tongtong," Shu Ya said nonchalantly. "It's not that easy." How many men can truly not care when it comes to marrying someone with a kid? "Hey, I feel like you're always opposing me!" Shu Ya got a bit angry. "No, you might be overthinking it," Hao Jian said with a wry smile. "Alright, I'll leave this task to you, but you must ask Sister Lan for her opinion. You can't just do whatever you want, got it?" "Don't worry, I have a sense of it." Shu Ya replied cheerily and then nodded, starting to think about how to set Sister Lan up with someone while snickering to herself now and then. Watching this, Hao Jian just shook his head and said no more. Upon arriving at the company, no sooner had Shu Ya stepped out of the car than a man approached her. The man wore a purple suit, his hair slicked back, a confident smile on his face, exuding a grand and graceful presence. Seeing this person, Shu Ya's expression showed slight impatience: "Zhao Ziliang, what are you doing here?" ``` Hao Jian had also gotten out of the car and immediately recognized the man in front of him as the one he had shared an elevator with before. "Shu Ya, do you have time for lunch today? I'd like to take you out to eat." Zhao Ziliang pretended not to see the expression on Shu Ya's face and asked cheerfully. His expression appeared sincere and genuine, as well as naive¡ªsomething most women would likely find difficult to refuse. But Shu Ya wasn't most women, she coldly replied, "I don't have time, not now, not ever. Don't come back again." Then, she pushed past Zhao Ziliang and headed straight for the elevator. How strange, she thought. She could maintain her composure and clarity with Zhao Ziliang, so why couldn't she keep her cool when faced with Hao Jian? What in the world was this! "I won't give up. I'll come to your company to find you from now on. If not today, then tomorrow; if not tomorrow, then the day after. I believe that one day you'll be moved by my true feelings," Zhao Ziliang shouted at Shu Ya's retreating figure. Hao Jian curled his lips in a mockingly astonished expression, not expecting Zhao Ziliang to be so persistent. He thought: Rich, handsome, and so devoted¡ªwhat woman wouldn't want such a man? They've all but gone extinct in this world. So, this fool is definitely not that kind of man! Upon hearing this, Shu Ya stopped in her tracks, and seeing her reaction, Zhao Ziliang's face lit up with surprise, thinking maybe his words had touched her. The next moment, Shu Ya turned around and walked back, staring straight at Zhao Ziliang. "Shu Ya," Zhao Ziliang said with a gentle smile, calling her name. "Do you realize that you're being a bit too zealous with your affection?" Shu Ya mocked. Zhao Ziliang's smile stiffened, but he feigned confusion as he looked at Shu Ya. "With your looks and wealth, women must be throwing themselves at you, which probably also fosters a strong sense of confidence, maybe even arrogance. Yet, here you are, deigning to chase after me, unfazed and devoted no matter how much I push you away¡ªit's beyond reason," Shu Ya taunted. Zhao Ziliang's acting wasn't bad, but he had overdone it. Which fool would pursue a woman he might not even win, risking insult, when countless others freely offered themselves? Shu Ya certainly wasn't narcissistic enough to believe she could make a man fall so madly in love with her. If Zhao Ziliang was going to such lengths, he must have an ulterior motive! "Shu Ya, you can doubt my sincerity, but I absolutely won't allow you to trample on it!" Zhao Ziliang feigned anger in his response. "You claim you're sincere; alright then, prove it. Transfer all the companies under your father's name to me, and I'll believe you're sincere. Plus, I'll agree to marry you. How's that?" Shu Ya asked, smiling. "This..." Zhao Ziliang hesitated, naturally, he was thinking of an excuse to counter. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then, with a spark of indignation, he said, "No need, if I can't have your heart, I don't want such a marriage!" Hao Jian blinked, at a loss for words to describe his feelings; he felt as if ten thousand Caonima were galloping through his heart. This act, he'd give it a hundred points! Chapter 37: Chapter 37 First Meeting, My Name is Caonima! Shu Ya's expression froze, deeply moved by Zhao Ziliang's cunning and shamelessness.The excuse he made up left her speechless. "So, you disagree?" Shu Ya asked with a cold laugh. "I will touch your heart with my genuine feelings until you believe that I truly care for you. By then, I will naturally offer everything I have!" Zhao Ziliang declared solemnly. Hao Jian was petrified, doubting that even Zhao Ziliang himself believed what he said. Yet, he managed to say it without a hint of embarrassment; Hao Jian genuinely thought he had thicker skin than himself. "No need, I already have a boyfriend. Save everything for your future wife," Shu Ya said with a cold sneer. "You have a boyfriend? I don't believe it! That's impossible!" Zhao Ziliang was shocked but didn't believe it; he had never heard about Shu Ya having any boyfriend. One might say he was completely aware of Shu Ya's every move in the country; she had always been single, so how could she have a boyfriend? In Zhao Ziliang's view, Shu Ya was just saying this to drive him away. "Don't believe it? Hao Jian, come over!" Shu Ya called out to Hao Jian. Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, knowing it was his cue to step up, and briskly walked to Shu Ya's side. He was a whole head taller than Shu Ya. The two of them standing together looked quite matched in height. "He is my boyfriend, and we plan to get married soon," Shu Ya pointed at Hao Jian and said. She intentionally told Zhao Ziliang, also hoping to use him to spread the news to her father to show her determination that she would never hand over the company to him. "Impossible, you would fall for such a loser?" Zhao Ziliang pointed at Hao Jian, glaring furiously. This loser, decked in street vendor clothes, might not even wear outfits totaling more than two hundred yuan. How could Shu Ya possibly fancy someone like him? Hao Jian's eyebrows frowned at this moment, and a cold smile slowly appeared at the corners of his mouth. Zhao Ziliang looked disdainfully at Hao Jian and said to Shu Ya: "Shu Ya, even if you wanted a shield, you should've chosen someone decent, huh? Claiming a guy who looks like he just arrived from the countryside as your boyfriend, isn't that a bit too unconvincing?" "You." Shu Ya felt a surge of anger upon hearing Zhao Ziliang insult Hao Jian and was about to explode. At that moment, Hao Jian pulled Shu Ya's hand, signaling it was his turn to step in; it wasn't the time to hide behind a woman. Hao Jian stepped forward two paces, wearing a humble smile, then extended his hand to Zhao Ziliang. Zhao Ziliang's face showed scorn; indeed, a useless nobody. Insulted like that and still making a warm approach, such a person really has no shame. Thus, he looked down on Hao Jian even more. Seeing this, Shu Ya also couldn't help feeling infuriated; how could this guy fail her at a crucial moment? If only he could punch Zhao Ziliang and curse at him, at least that would be somewhat manly. But this reaching out, isn't that just showing weakness and asking to be slapped in the face? Didn't he hear how Zhao Ziliang insulted him? So, you're saying this guy was just pretending before, and he's actually a coward? Just when both Shu Ya and Zhao Ziliang were feeling disappointed in Hao Jian, he spoke calmly and with a smile, "Nice to meet you, my name is Caonima." Silence. "Pfft." After a brief silence, Shu Ya couldn't hold back and burst into laughter. Then she fiercely glared at Hao Jian, this bastard, couldn't he go a day without messing around? Zhao Ziliang's face turned livid, "You actually swear, have you no decency?" "Decency depends on who it's aimed at. I am more decent than those who talk about decency, but I will be even less decent than those who don't," said Hao Jian, smiling without joy. "You're saying I have no decency?" Zhao Ziliang frowned. "Anyone who starts and ends their sentences by calling others losers, what decency can they have? Do you even know what a 'loser' is? A loser is just scum, and you hang such vulgar things from your lips all day and still talk about decency?" Hao Jian mocked mercilessly. "You¡­" Zhao Ziliang was so angry his face turned green, unable to speak. Meanwhile, Shu Ya fiercely pinched Hao Jian from behind, disgusted that this bastard would say something so vile. "And another thing, stop looking down on country folks. If you go back three generations in your family, you'll find they were rural folks too. Don't pretend to be upper class when you haven't even wiped your ass clean," Hao Jian ridiculed. Those who forget their roots are the most pitiful and the most despicable. Zhao Ziliang snorted coldly, "I'm really surprised Shu Ya would fall for a rogue like you." He had realized Hao Jian was nothing but a street thug. "That's right, I am indeed a rogue, but I'm handsome," said Hao Jian, proudly. Shu Ya held her forehead and sighed. She really wanted to find a hole to crawl into. Embarrassing, this damn narcissist. Zhao Ziliang too was rendered speechless by Hao Jian's remark, struggling to find a rebuttal. "Also, I'm truly genuine, straightforward! Unlike you, overly sentimental?" Hao Jian said with a mocking laugh. Zhao Ziliang's face turned green, the same words Shu Ya had mocked him with earlier, and now used by Hao Jian on him, felt particularly unpleasant. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "No matter how much superiority you feel in front of me, there's one thing you can't change! That's Shu Ya chose me, not you. So stop your yapping and go home to sleep," Hao Jian startlingly said. Hearing this, Shu Ya just wanted to strangle this damn fool, what nonsense he was spouting. All that talk about her, about jerking off, it was all a mess. Zhao Ziliang pointed at Hao Jian, his face red, and his neck thick with rage, yet unable to utter a word! He needs to jerk off? As if he needs to do that. All he has to do is wish, and countless women would throw themselves at him. "Sweetheart, let's go." But Hao Jian, as if blind to the threat in Zhao Ziliang's eyes, grabbed Shu Ya and started to walk away. Shu Ya, collaborating with Hao Jian, didn't resist and said to Zhao Ziliang before leaving, "Don't come looking for me anymore, you stand no chance." "Did you hear that? If you dare harass my darling again, I'll break your legs!" Hao Jian also threatened viciously. Watching the two of them walk away, Zhao Ziliang felt a coldness throughout his body, his eyes ablaze with rage. Chapter 38: Chapter 38: The Trust Between People! "Honey, I was good just now, wasn't I?" In the elevator, Hao Jian asked Shu Ya with a sly grin plastered on his face."Not bad," Shu Ya replied, still with a stern face, unwilling to inflate this scoundrel's ego. But her heart was actually filled with joy at that moment. The reason was simple, because Hao Jian had made her proud. Thinking of how Hao Jian had made Zhao Ziliang swallow his words on the spot, she felt incredibly satisfied. Actually, Shu Ya had long wanted to give Zhao Ziliang a piece of her mind, but she didn't have the thick skin like Hao Jian, who could say anything and curse with the vilest words, she still cared about her image. Err... or rather, she wasn't as shameless as Hao Jian! But Shu Ya couldn't deny, Hao Jian cursing out loud had looked really cool. "What do you mean 'not bad'? It was pretty perfect! Look at you, you say you don't want it, but your body is very honest, smiling even more happily than me!" Hao Jian said with a lecherous laugh. Hao Jian's words made Shu Ya exasperated! This jerk, give him an inch and he'll take a mile! "Get lost, you scoundrel!" Shu Ya kicked at Hao Jian fiercely. Just as her foot was flying out, it was caught by Hao Jian, his face full of a smug smile: "Wife, don't get physical. Be careful or your husband won't be polite!" While saying this, Hao Jian's face was teasing, and he pinched her delicate ankle. "Ah... you¡­ you big pervert, you scoundrel!" Shu Ya was so furious, she immediately grabbed Hao Jian's waist and pinched him hard! Yikes! Just then, as the two were in shock, the elevator doors suddenly opened! Following that, Hao Jian and Shu Ya saw someone standing at the elevator entrance. Xiao Qiang! Because she had an urgent document that needed Shu Ya's signature, Xiao Qiang had been waiting at Shu Ya's private elevator early in the morning. Seeing Shu Ya and Hao Jian together in the elevator, Xiao Qiang was initially stunned! And when she saw the ambiguous posture between Shu Ya and Hao Jian, her mind went blank! "You¡­ you guys..." Xiao Qiang's eyes were wide open, her face full of astonishment! She couldn't imagine how Shu Ya would let her share an elevator, a privilege not even she had. And their posture... Seeing Xiao Qiang at the elevator entrance, the two quickly let go of each other, Shu Ya's pretty face suddenly turned red, and her expression became somewhat unnatural. Because it was her personal private elevator, nobody was supposed to ride with her, but this time she had brought Hao Jian, surely Xiao Qiang would become suspicious. Especially since there had been... But luckily, Shu Ya was quick-witted, and in her panic, she immediately turned her head, looked sternly at Hao Jian, and scolded loudly: "If I ever catch you sneaking into my elevator again, don't blame me for not being polite! This is the first and the last time!" Hao Jian froze, he hadn't quite caught on yet. "What are you staring at, did you hear what I said?" Shu Ya rebuked, her face deliberately showing disgust. "I'm sorry, President, I won't dare to get on your... elevator again!" Hao Jian thought this girl was so clever, she reacted right away. "Hmph!" Shu Ya snorted coldly, then looked at the still stunned Xiao Qiang: "Xiao Qiang, is there something you need?" Xiao Qiang finally came back to her senses, so it was just that Hao Jian had taken the elevator on his own and got caught by the president. She had thought Hao Jian and Shu Ya had some special relationship. Although still a bit suspicious, she didn't ask further! "Oh, president, here is an important document that needs your immediate signature." Xiao Qiang quickly passed a folder over. "Okay, I'll take a look at it first." Then Shu Ya took the folder and walked away without even glancing at Hao Jian, acting as if she didn't know him at all. As Shu Ya walked away, Xiao Qiang nudged Hao Jian's shoulder with her elbow and asked: "You're crazy, daring to take the CEO's private elevator and even trying to flirt with the CEO, you really have a death wish!" "I was just afraid of being late." Hao Jian explained, but thought to himself, who came up with this thing? A CEO's private elevator? Isn't that just artificially dividing people by rank? But what Hao Jian didn't know was that such a hierarchical system is necessary in the workplace, otherwise things would fall into chaos. "Even if you're late, you can't take that elevator. Let me tell you, don't think that just because the CEO is about our age, she's easy to get along with. She's very serious! And this time you've offended her, I can't help you, you're on your own." Xiao Qiang looked at Hao Jian with a gaze full of pity, as if she could see Hao Jian's bleak fate! "Alright, I'll remember next time." Hao Jian scratched his head, yet he was utterly baffled! What is going on here, why is everyone in the company so terrified of Shu Ya, as if she were a man-eater. Anyway, he didn't think that a woman who couldn't even dare to kill a cockroach could be that frightening. But what he hadn't realized was that not everyone was like him, maintaining such an awkward relationship with Shu Ya! And not everyone was like him, so shameless. Upon seeing that Hao Jian took it in, Xiao Qiang finally breathed a sigh of relief and said to him: "By the way, the CEO already told me earlier, when you're not busy, you should go to the logistics department and stay on standby." "Send me to the logistics department? Are there a lot of women there?" Hao Jian asked, somewhat confused. Xiao Qiang was almost choked with anger! Dammit, what does it matter how many women there are in the logistics department? You jerk! "Sending you to the logistics department is nothing special; it just involves picking up packages for the company and buying things for different departments." Xiao Qiang's face went green with frustration, wondering if there was anything other than lust in this guy's head. "Isn't that just running errands for people? That's so tiring, I'm not going... I'd rather die than go..." Hao Jian shook his head like a tambourine, running errands was like being a lackey, and he certainly didn't want to be a lackey. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Xiao Qiang blinked her eyes, a sly gleam in her gaze, and said: "You don't have a choice in this, it is the CEO's order." Hao Jian's eyes instantly squirted out a glint of jealousy! Mama mia, is this a bloody seduction scheme! Am I that kind of lascivious guy? Really, why didn't she say so earlier! "She should at least give me a reason, why on earth would she throw me into the logistics department?" Hao Jian was bemused. Last night, Shu Ya hadn't mentioned this to him at all. This was just too sudden. "Isn't that your own fault?" Xiao Qiang gave Hao Jian a disdainful glance, this guy really had no self-awareness. "How is it my fault? What's it got to do with me?" Hao Jian argued crudely. "Yesterday, you were in the office boasting and farting around with that colleague, even flirting with female colleagues. Several department heads called to complain about you. That's why the CEO had to reassign you to logistics, to keep you from wandering around the office and distracting other employees." Xiao Qiang spoke indignantly, though Hao Jian was a good person, sometimes he was just too cheeky and too much of a troublemaker. "Bullshit, what flirting with female colleagues? Those female colleagues were crying and begging me to tell them dirty jokes. As a warm-hearted man, how could I refuse?" Hao Jian was annoyed by Xiao Qiang's portrayal of him as some kind of nuisance, muttering to himself: "Damn it, it seems honest people really get the short end of the stick..." Goddamn, where's his shame. Xiao Qiang covered her face, not even knowing what to say anymore. "Anyway, you better head to logistics quickly, otherwise the CEO will get mad." Xiao Qiang said to Hao Jian, then checked her watch: "I have other things to handle, so I'm going ahead." Seeing this, Hao Jian could only helplessly make his way to the logistics department! Upon arriving at the logistics department, he found it was just a small room, where mops, brooms, buckets, ladders, and the like were all crammed together, making the already small room feel even smaller. At one end of the room, there was a desk with a telephone on it, clearly for taking calls from other departments. Hao Jian plunked himself down on a wooden stool, legs crossed and smoking, a picture of misery! Damn it, where's the trust between people, can't we just have fun anymore! Chapter 39: Chapter 39: A Quarrelsome Old Woman! Ding-a-ling-ling!Half an hour later, the first call came through, and Hao Jian acted as if he hadn't heard it at all, completely ignoring it. An hour passed, and he didn't answer three consecutive calls. Then Hao Jian's phone rang. He glanced at the number, quickly sat up in fright, and said in an ingratiating voice: "Hello... Wife, did you miss me?" "Hao Jian, listen carefully, if you don't answer the next call, I'll make sure you work for nothing this month!" came Shu Ya's annoyed voice from the other end of the phone. It turned out that when some departments couldn't get through to the logistics, they had called Shu Ya to report, and Shu Ya quickly learned that Hao Jian, the bastard, was slacking off. "Wife, I just went to take a dump, I'm heading back now," Hao Jian hurriedly explained. Hearing this explanation, Shu Ya's face turned green with anger, and she hung up immediately, not bothering to speak with this vulgar guy. Hao Jian gave a wry smile, realizing that slacking off was no longer an option. "Ring-ring-ring." The phone rang again, and Hao Jian reluctantly answered it. "What's wrong with you? You didn't answer the phone repeatedly, where the heck did you go!" This time, an sharp and cynical female voice came through. Hao Jian was instantly annoyed. It was one thing for Shu Ya to speak to him like that, but who was this woman to talk to him this way? "I just went to take a dump, don't humans have emergencies? Don't you know that?" Hao Jian retorted, neither servile nor overbearing. "You spent over an hour in the toilet?" The woman on the other end obviously didn't believe him and sneered coldly. "I have constipation, plus hemorrhoids, and they were oozing pus mixed with blood, so it took especially long, alright?" Hao Jian also scoffed coldly in response. Think you're the only one who can laugh? ".." The other end fell silent, clearly the woman hadn't expected Hao Jian to respond like that. She was really disgusted by Hao Jian, and his description immediately conjured up an image for her. "Hello, why not speaking? If you're not going to talk, I'm hanging up," Hao Jian said impatiently. "A cup of cold green tea, a cup of hot kumquat lemon tea, a cup of extra-sugar less-milk caramel coffee, and a cup of less-sugar extra-milk cappuccino, you have ten minutes to bring them to the R&D department or else you'll see!" the woman threatened. "Hold on, let me write it down," Hao Jian replied grudgingly, really feeling like a grandson now. "Can't you even remember that much, is your brain stuffed with straw?" the woman mocked bitterly. Stunned by the woman's harsh words, Hao Jian faltered for a moment, then a sneer curved his lips as he said: "Five trees on the hill, five pots of vinegar on the rack, five deer in the forest, five pants in the box. Cut down the trees on the hill, remove the vinegar from the rack, shoot the deer in the forest, take out the pants from the box. If you can, repeat it back to me. If you can't, it's not straw in your brain, but silicone!" Ha! The woman at the other end of the phone first went quiet for a moment, then suddenly burst out furiously: "Kid, are you purposely messing with me? Do you freaking know who I am?" "I know!" Hao Jian said nonchalantly! "Hmph! Good that you know!" The woman at the other end seemed somewhat pleased, asking teasingly: "Say, who am I?" "A hysteric old lady!" Hao Jian said with a scoff. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "..." "Jerk! Jerk! Go buy my stuff, right now! Immediately! Now!!!!" The woman's voice thundered in anger, then she hung up the phone immediately. "Hey, quite the temper there." Hao Jian curled his lip but showed an indifferent expression. Then, something seemed to occur to Hao Jian, and he muttered, "The R&D department? That woman just now couldn't be the shrew Su Qin that Tie Shan mentioned before, could she?" After buying the items that woman had mentioned, Hao Jian headed toward the R&D department. He stood at the entrance of the R&D department and shouted loudly, "Who was the old lady who called for a drink just now?" "..." A group of people looked up at him, their expressions somewhat bizarre, wondering what was the deal with shouting and yelling in the department. They had strict discipline in their department, and clearly, Hao Jian did not care about these so-called rules. Especially since he used honorifics... 'old lady'! "Was it you who spoke with me on the phone just now?" At that moment, a woman quickly walked towards Hao Jian. She was dressed in a white shirt and a red skirt, both of which were tight-fitting. The shirt was quite thin, the color of her bra faintly visible underneath, making one's gaze involuntarily stop at her chest upon first glance. The woman had a beautiful face, though not as much as Sister Lan, Shu Ya, or Xiao Qiang, but she had a very seductive kind, with heavy makeup, similar to those commercial models. Hao Jian stared blankly at the woman, who was shorter than him, "You are..." "Su Qin, R&D department head. I'm asking you, was it you who spoke with me on the phone just now?" Su Qin said coldly, feeling her anger rise at the thought of how Hao Jian had mocked her earlier. Especially since this jerk had called her 'old lady' again and again... In all her years at the company, no one had dared to speak to her like that. Hao Jian felt helpless, his luck was truly miserable, offending the two people in the company whom he should least afford to offend right upon arrival. Hao Jian gave Su Qin a serious look, to be precise, he was checking out Su Qin's "peaks". So this was the "foxy spirit" Tie Shan talked about, definitely very charming, those eyes looked so inviting, this woman was definitely no good. "Do you like what you see?" Su Qin said, noticing Hao Jian still fixating on her, a cold smile emerging on her lips. All men, none without lust. That principle Su Qin had understood long ago, but to see someone so brazenly lustful, it was truly her first time. "Not bad." Hao Jian scratched his head, saying somewhat sheepishly. "You." Su Qin was momentarily at a loss for words, so angered she was speechless. "Well, my name is Hao Jian." Hao Jian introduced himself. Su Qin, impatient, waved her hand dismissively, "I'm not interested in who you are, did you buy the things I asked for?" Hao Jian smiled slightly, not getting angry, and handed over the items. "Didn't I tell you no milk in the caramel coffee? Are you deaf?" Su Qin glanced at the item Hao Jian bought, a mischievous smile appearing, but she suddenly became furious. "Impossible, you said before 'extra sugar, less milk.'" Hao Jian defended, he heard it clearly that Su Qin wanted extra sugar, not no milk. "What I said was 'extra sugar, no milk!'" Su Qin's voice grew sharp, suddenly drawing the attention of many colleagues in the office. "Minister Su, I think you should now carefully think about what you have said before, perhaps then you would know whether you had said that or not," Hao Jian said with a smile, though his smile was quite sinister. "Are you saying that you think I'm falsely accusing you?" Su Qin said with a cold laugh, her expression very harsh. Hao Jian's smile froze, and now he was almost certain that this Su Qin was just looking for trouble on purpose. Probably she wanted to retaliate for him talking back to her over the phone, no wonder she was so disliked in the company. Chapter 40: Chapter 40 Youre Playing with Fire! "Is it or is it not, only you, Minister Su, would know, right?"Hao Jian countered Su Qin, and at this time, the entire office staff was watching him and Su Qin. "I'm framing you? Have I got nothing better to do than to frame a loser? Look at yourself, you loser. What good does it do for me to frame you?" Su Qin, acting like a shrew, pointed at Hao Jian and cursed up a storm. In her heart, Su Qin sneered. A stinking loser dares to rebel? Dare to provoke me, Mother Tiger, and I'll curse you till you're bleeding! Su Qin wanted everyone to see Hao Jian's embarrassment, to let everyone know what happens when you offend her. But Hao Jian was not the type to be bullied. As soon as he heard Su Qin spouting off at him, he immediately let out a cold laugh: "Who knows? Maybe it's because I figured out that your breasts are fake, and that's why you're so angry?" Su Qin was stunned on the spot, looking at Hao Jian with terror. How did he know? The office staff, hearing this, also stared at Su Qin in disbelief! Honestly, they also felt that Su Qin seemed different after returning from her business trip to South Korea, but they hadn't paid much attention to it. Having heard what Hao Jian said, they seemed to realize that Su Qin's chest did indeed look much larger. "You... you're talking nonsense!" Her face turned red with anger, full of shame and indignation! She took advantage of the business trip to South Korea to secretly get breast implants, keeping it her personal secret, which she had told no one. She couldn't fathom how Hao Jian found out. "Nonsense? Having a 36E chest, a figure that's usually prone to some drooping, but yours isn't drooping at all; it's clearly shaped by silicone." Hao Jian disdainfully looked at Su Qin's chest as he spoke. Su Qin immediately hugged her chest, utterly panicked because what Hao Jian said was the truth. Her breasts indeed had been reshaped, the fillers inside were silicone and couldn't possibly feel as soft as real flesh. How could this guy's eyes be so sharp, to notice right away that she just had breast surgery? S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian, as if seeing through Su Qin's thoughts, chuckled and said, "You must be wondering right now how I knew your secret, right?" Su Qin didn't speak, but stared at Hao Jian, obviously curious to know as well. But she didn't realize that the more she did this, the more she fell into Hao Jian's trap! Because she forgot to argue, not disputing, which was as good as admitting, wasn't it? Then Su Qin's colleagues began to show mocking smiles, no wonder Su Qin had recently been intentionally wearing tight clothes; so that was the reason. "That's because you came back to work too soon after the surgery; your body isn't quite accustomed to the extra weight yet, so you lean slightly forward when you walk. That's caused by the weight on your chest, and it takes time to adjust," Hao Jian explained, his observations keen. Su Qin's expression subtly changed, and for a moment, she couldn't find the words to retort Hao Jian. Quickly regaining her composure, Su Qin sneered: "You're just spouting nonsense. My breasts aren't wide-set because I exercise regularly, not because I've had surgery. In your view, firm breasts must mean implants, right?" "Of course not, but according to physiological structure, to maintain your figure, you'd have to work out three days a week, and given your busy job, it's hard to find even one day, right?" Hao Jian's face was full of mockery. He spoke with such confidence that everyone present started to believe him. Su Qin was completely irritated: "That's just your speculation. You say my breasts are fake, do you have proof?" "I indeed have no evidence, but that doesn't matter because they all believed me anyway," Hao Jian smirked sardonically, as his gaze shifted to the employees watching him. Su Qin turned her head and immediately saw everyone staring at her intently, their looks somewhat teasing. Seeing this, Su Qin flew into a rage: "What are you looking at? Don't you all have work to do?" Those employees, all quite fearful of Su Qin, the Mother Tiger, scattered at her words, each busying themselves with their own tasks. But Su Qin still heard their sniggering, and her heart felt even more stifled and annoyed. "You asshole!!!" She turned around, furiously tossing a cup of milk tea in Hao Jian's face. The employees, who had intended to leave, were shocked by this scene and stopped in their tracks to watch. A whole cup of milk tea splashed across Hao Jian's face, the coffee-colored liquid soaking his entire upper body. Hao Jian shook his head, revealing a helpless smile without wiping the milk tea from his face, letting it drip off drop by drop. "Aren't you quite the talker? Go on, say something now!" Su Qin sneered, thinking she was to be trifled with? She would like to see who would dare to cross her, Su Qin! She admitted that Hao Jian was formidable, able to tell at a glance that she had had a breast augmentation, but what of it? Was he not just an employee in logistics? She could crush him whenever she wanted, and nobody could say a word against her! If Hao Jian made her lose face in public, then she would make sure Hao Jian's life was miserable! "You're playing with fire." Hao Jian stared at Su Qin, the smile on his face a bit malicious. "So what? What can you do about it?" Su Qin said disdainfully, she didn't believe Hao Jian would dare to do anything to her, unless he wanted to be fired. Hao Jian said nothing more, preferring to let his actions speak for himself. And then, to the amazement of everyone, they saw Hao Jian seize Su Qin's wrists and stare at her fiercely. "You. What do you think you're doing? Let me tell you, if you dare to hurt me, I will have you fired! And I'll take you to court!" Su Qin yelled loudly, beginning to feel a bit scared as she could see Hao Jian was at his wit's end. Just when everyone thought Hao Jian was going to hit Su Qin, he did something utterly astonishing. Su Qin was petrified on the spot, startled by Hao Jian's extraordinary action she forgot to dodge, being caught off guard. The crowd was stunned, mouths agape, blatant sexual harassment! Having seen Hao Jian's ferocious appearance just moments before, they had already speculated about what he might do next. More than eighty percent thought Hao Jian would give Su Qin a lesson and then resign from the company. The remaining twenty percent thought Hao Jian would back down! But no one had anticipated this turn of events. Was this guy really teaching Su Qin a lesson? It looked more like he was taking advantage of the situation! Chapter 41: Chapter 41 Were Even Now! And on Su Qin's shirt, a large stain had spread, exceptionally glaring, the stain on her shirt sadly narrating the crime of Hao Jian.Hao Jian released Su Qin's hand, stepped back a few steps, and chuckled maliciously, "You splashed me with milk tea, I wiped it off with your clothes, I'd say we're even now. Don't worry, although what you did was a bit shameless, I'm a big person with a big heart, I won't mind!" Even? Everyone was speechless, how was this even at all? Yes, you used her clothes to wipe your face, but you chose the wrong place to wipe. "Ah ah." All of a sudden, Su Qin screamed! Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The piercing voice instantly cut through the entire office, and many people covered their ears, trying to block out the unpleasant noise. Su Qin was going mad, humiliated publicly like this, was this not asking for her life? How could she face her subordinates after this? "You. You!" Su Qin pointed at Hao Jian, wishing she could eat his flesh, drink his blood, but her brain was a blank, and she even forgot how to curse at him. "Stop with the 'you you you', I'm not that prissy. Compared to a whole lot of silicone, I prefer the all-natural, at least that's real." Hao Jian gave Su Qin a sidelong glance, his words dripping with humiliation. "Swoosh swoosh swoosh." Su Qin felt as if several swords were plunged into her chest, Hao Jian's words struck her heart with every sentence. "Pfft." A female colleague was the first to burst out laughing, unable to hold it in. Then Su Qin glared at her fiercely, and the girl quickly lowered her head, scared. She did not have the guts like Hao Jian to confront this vixen. At this moment, everyone could see Su Qin gritting her teeth, and the nerves at the corners of her eyes twitching continuously, clearly driven to madness by anger. "Call security to come up here," Su Qin said with a sullen face. She had calmed down quite a bit by now. Since she couldn't handle Hao Jian herself, she would leave it to security. She hoped that they would leave him with missing arms or legs, or else it wouldn't be enough to quell the hatred in her heart. She, Su Qin, had never been bullied like this in all her life. The employees had no choice but to call security. "You're going to pay for what you've done, I will make sure you are ruined." Su Qin's eyes, filled with spite, stared at Hao Jian as she spoke, planning to let the security beat him severely first, then send him to the police station. Public indecency, that should be good for three to five years in prison. "Sigh." Hao Jian sighed helplessly, yet he made another shocking move. He pressed his face against Su Qin's body again, rubbing it back and forth violently. One could only imagine how rich Su Qin's expression was at that moment! Everyone clearly saw her face changing from red to white, from white to green, and finally from green to purple; they were witnessing a unique face-changing act today! "What are you doing?" Su Qin asked through gritted teeth, glaring at Hao Jian. "Since we're already at each other's throats, I might as well get my face properly clean, don't you think?" Hao Jian offered his own explanation, astonishing everybody. Anyway, getting hit for rubbing once is the same as getting hit for rubbing twice, so he might as well get his money's worth. Hao Jian simply didn't let go, continuing to rub his face against her. Su Qin was so angry that she kicked directly at Hao Jian's groin, but Hao Jian used the same technique he had used on Shu Ya against Su Qin, firmly clamping her thigh between his. Su Qin was truly going crazy now; this guy had taken advantage of her in public repeatedly, completely disrespecting her. But while Hao Jian didn't take her seriously, she had no choice but to treat the matter seriously. After all, so many people were watching, and as the head of R&D, she was being insulted continuously by a loser. If this got out, she would become the laughingstock of the company. Just at that moment, a group of security guards came over. It was none other than Tie Shan and Heigui. The two of them saw Hao Jian rubbing against Su Qin's body and firmly clamping her legs with his, and they were stunned on the spot. What on earth was this guy doing? Hadn't they warned him not to offend Su Qin? Moreover, this wasn't just offending her; it was outright sexual harassment! "It's him, catch this pervert right now!" Su Qin, seeing Tie Shan and Heigui, immediately cried for help as if she had seen a savior. At that moment, she was so excited she nearly cried, feeling for the first time that these security guards were so lovable. "Pervert, stop right there!" Tie Shan bellowed with feigned authority. Putting aside anything else for the moment, his presence was intimidating. "Yeah, stop! Or I'll make you regret it!" Heigui followed with a shout, cursing Hao Jian's ancestors in his mind! He was green with envy. How dare this guy touch Su Qin? And to do so in such a provocative manner! Every brother in their security department had inappropriate thoughts about her, because Su Qin had a big chest and a big butt, and that foxy look they all liked. But while they had lustful thoughts, they lacked the courage to act on them and only dared to think about it. But today, unexpectedly, Hao Jian had fulfilled their long-held desire. "Big brothers, I didn't do it on purpose, please let me off," Hao Jian began to show his acting talent, admitting fault and acting pusillanimous, quickly releasing Su Qin. The three of them put on quite the show on the spot, with acting skills that were masterful. Seeing Hao Jian capitulate, Su Qin thought he was genuinely afraid and couldn't help but reveal a chilling smile. "Cut the crap, daring to molest a female colleague inside the company, come with us to the security department," Tie Shan said, his face stern with an air of impartial justice, grabbing Hao Jian by the neck and leading him away. At that time, Su Qin pulled Heigui aside and stealthily handed him a stack of cash. "Minister Su, what are you doing?" Heigui was shocked and asked, confused. "Once we're at the security department, you give that kid a good beating for me, and after it's done, send him to the police station. I want him to go to jail!" Su Qin said, her face filled with hate. If she didn't teach him a lesson, would she still be Su Qin? Heigui was secretly shocked; it is said, "A viper's mouth carries venom, and a wasp's tail has a sting; neither are as poisonous as a spiteful heart." "As long as you can get this done for me, I won't let you be at a loss; this is just a down payment," Su Qin, seeing Heigui hesitating, thought he was concerned about the amount and immediately offered. "Alright, leave it to me," Heigui quickly agreed, accepting the money from Su Qin, convinced that not taking advantage is for fools, and he certainly didn't want to be one. That stack of cash was at least ten to eighteen thousand; it was enough for him and his brothers to splurge for a while, all thanks to Hao Jian. He never expected that by taking advantage of Su Qin, he had inadvertently made a fortune for them as well. Chapter 42: Chapter 42 Stop Talking, Split the Loot First! ```Because Su Qin didn't know that Hao Jian and Tie Shan were acquainted, she thought Tie Shan's group had really come to apprehend Hao Jian. The nearly ten thousand yuan deposit could only end up as a wasted effort, gone never to return. Seeing Heigui counting the money while leaving, Su Qin's mouth curled into a vicious smile: "Hao Jian, I told you, I'd make you pay the price, and I will! Just wait to spend the rest of your life behind bars!" "Holy shit, dude, I gotta say you're freakin' awesome, even daring to mess with that vixen. Aren't you afraid she'll swallow you whole?" Inside the elevator, Tie Shan released Hao Jian, and at the same time, threw him a cigarette. Hao Jian caught the cigarette and lit it before speaking slowly, "Scared? Her eat me? Man, I could have her begging to get out of bed for days!" "How did you guys start this fight?" Tie Shan asked curiously. Then, Hao Jian repeated the events of the morning, leaving Tie Shan completely flabbergasted. "Damn, to talk to Su Qin like that, you're the first one," said Tie Shan, giving Hao Jian a thumbs up. "Damn it, how was I supposed to know she was that Su Qin you were talking about? The moment she called, she was so arrogant¡ªanyone would be annoyed." It was Su Qin who had the bad attitude first; it had nothing to do with him. "So you publicly exposed her flaws and took advantage of her, and that made her happy?" Tie Shan snickered maliciously, this bastard clearly had the upper hand yet still played innocent. "That's none of my concern, but I sure felt great," said Hao Jian. Then, seeing that Heigui was still facing away from them, silent, he gave him a push: "Gone mute, eh? Why so quiet?" "Stop it, I'm counting money," Heigui replied irritably, focussing on the counting. "Damn, where did you get all that money?" Tie Shan also noticed the thick stack of cash in Heigui's hands and asked in surprise. "No shit, it was Su Qin who gave it to me. She asked me to beat Hao Jian into a cripple and deliver him to the police station. I thought, 'Why not make an easy buck?' So I took it." Heigui laughed; he had counted it all¡ªit was exactly nine thousand yuan. "That woman is really vicious," Hao Jian cursed and then said: "Cut the crap, let's split the spoils. Everyone here gets a share." Then, the three of them divided it equally¡ªthree thousand yuan each, pocketing it. Tie Shan laughed heartily, "What do you think Su Qin's face would look like if she knew we were in this together?" "Don't know, but I bet it would be quite a sight." Hao Jian could almost picture Su Qin's expression if she saw him showing up at the company unharmed the next day¡ªshe'd probably go mad. "But what if she complains to the president and gets you fired?" Tie Shan started to worry. If that happened, Hao Jian might indeed have to hit the road. "Don't worry, the president won't fire me," Hao Jian said confidently. He chuckled to himself. Would that girl dare? sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What makes you so sure?" both Tie Shan and Heigui were stunned. Hao Jian sighed and said: "Didn't I tell you guys before? The president is my wife. If I say go left, she wouldn't dare go right! If I say move forward, she wouldn't dare step back! Would she dare fire me?" ``` Heigui and Tie Shan glanced at Hao Jian, their disdain clearly visible in their eyes. "Fuck, what's with those looks?" "Why don't we keep these nine thousand yuan and get him a psychiatrist? I suspect he's delusional, and this can't go on." "Fuck off, you motherfucker," Hao Jian cursed without any curiosity. "Makes sense." Heigui and Tie Shan nodded at the same time. Because the act had to be complete, they naturally had to bring Hao Jian back to the security department. But they hadn't expected Boss Liang to also be in the security department. When he saw Hao Jian walk in, he immediately huffed in displeasure. Hao Jian acted as if he hadn't seen him and sat down on the sofa in the security department, picked up the ancient Nokia, and started the only game available, Snake! Seeing that Boss Liang was there, Heigui and the others didn't dare to chat with Hao Jian and pretended to be busy with their own things, heads bowed. "Loafing around all day at the company, do you really have that much free time? The company's money isn't for supporting useless people like you!" Boss Liang waited for a while and, realizing that Hao Jian wasn't leaving, immediately couldn't restrain himself and scolded. Hao Jian put down his phone, glanced at Boss Liang, and spat out, "What's it to you?" Then he carefully lowered his head to play with his phone, thinking to himself: Damn busybody, this Liang really is a pain in the ass, must he be riled up daily to feel comfortable? Heigui and the others were also amused by Hao Jian's sharp remark. "It's your business if you loaf around, but don't disturb my employees while they work!" Boss Liang said, his gaze intense and his face full of fury. This bastard had disrespected him time and again, and his patience had already reached its limit. "Tch," Hao Jian clicked his tongue, his face already showing impatience. He was just sitting there doing nothing, yet he was accused of disturbing the work. Was this deliberately looking for trouble? "What, did I say something wrong? Aren't you always loafing around? I heard the president assigned you to the logistics department. If you aren't staying there like you're supposed to, why are you wandering into my territory? Is this a place where you should be?" Boss Liang said rudely, his eyes narrowed into slits, filled with mockery. Hao Jian didn't speak but put the cigarette in his mouth out in the ashtray, then suddenly grabbed the ashtray and hurled it toward Boss Liang. "Bang!" The ashtray shattered against the wall, instantly breaking into pieces. Boss Liang watched Hao Jian in shock, not expecting him to suddenly lash out like that. If he hadn't dodged quickly a moment ago, his head would probably be split open by now. Even so, a shard of glass still managed to leave a bloodstain near the corner of his eye. Tie Shan and the others were already stunned. But Hao Jian appeared nonchalant as he said: "That 'tch' just now was a warning to you, telling you not to create problems out of nothing, but it seems you completely misunderstood my intention. Therefore, I have to make a louder statement so you get it." Hao Jian's expression gradually turned darker: "I know you're at your limit with me, and similarly, my patience with you has reached its limit as well. So, right now, it's best if neither of us speak to avoid any uncontrollable outcomes. What do you think?" Chapter 43: Chapter 43 Im Responsible for Being as Beautiful as a Flower! At this moment, Boss Liang truly wanted to lay his hands on Hao Jian and teach this arrogant guy a lesson, yet he dared not do it. The reason was simple: he had no idea about Hao Jian's background.Having clashed with Hao Jian before, although he hated to admit it, he indeed ended up on the losing side. If a conflict arose again now, Boss Liang wasn't fully confident that he could take Hao Jian down. If he were to lose again this time, it would severely affect his prestige. Boss Liang knew this well, which was why he felt stuck between a rock and a hard place and had landed himself in this awkward situation. Old Zhang seemed to have sensed something at this moment and came over with a broad smile on his face: "Boss Liang, we're all from the same department, there's no need to be at each other's throats. I think it's best if we each take a step back." Taking advantage of the situation, Boss Liang snorted coldly and turned his head away. Then, Old Zhang gave Hao Jian a stern glare: "Hao Jian, don't be so hot-tempered. After all, Boss Liang is our department's head honcho. You have to show him some respect. What are you doing acting like this?" "Yes, yes, Boss Liang, I'm sorry, it's all my fault, every last bit of it! The great don't dwell on the offences of the petty, so just treat it like a fart and let it go, okay?" Though Hao Jian spoke apologetically, his face was smug. "That's more like it..." Boss Liang nodded upon hearing Hao Jian's apology, but then he felt that something was amiss! Dammit! What does 'treat it like a fart and let it go' mean? This bastard is still playing me! Once Boss Liang realized this, he grinded his teeth in hatred: "You've got guts, kid! I'll report this to the president, and you won't be jumping around much longer." "Of course, I've got guts. Otherwise, how would you have grown so big!" With a beaming smile on his face, Hao Jian's words nearly made Boss Liang cough up blood! Banana split! This bastard was more than just a thorn; he was a hedgehog, every sentence bristling with spikes, itching the teeth with hatred! With that, Boss Liang glared coldly at Hao Jian and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Seeing Boss Liang leave with a face full of rage, Tie Shan couldn't help but worry: "Hao Jian, he might actually go and snitch to the president. The president always listens to him. You won't get in trouble, will you?" "What trouble could I possibly be in, don't worry about it. The president won't care about that fool anymore. Now that the fool's gone, pour me a glass of Erguotou," urged Hao Jian. Boss Liang did go to find Shu Ya indeed, and he did snitch on Hao Jian, but Shu Ya just asked him to leave and said she would handle Hao Jian herself. This infuriated Boss Liang, and he claimed he couldn't understand Shu Ya's actions. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If it had been in the past, Boss Liang would never have dared to confront Shu Ya like this, but today he was indeed angered, now he and Hao Jian were in a state of absolute rivalry. At this point, Shu Ya had to employ some tactics, claiming that Hao Jian was her distant cousin and that she had reluctantly taken him into the company due to this connection. With that, Boss Liang stopped talking, but deep down, he grew even more disdainful and contemptuous of Hao Jian, who had sneaked in through the back door. Then Shu Ya angrily summoned Hao Jian to her office, but only said one phrase: "Report to the HR department this afternoon." Hao Jian was someone who completely lacked any discipline and definitely needed someone to supervise him. And Shu Ya didn't have the leisure to do this, so naturally, the responsibility fell on her confidant, Xiao Qiang. Caught off guard, Hao Jian asked with a smile, "What, does the HR department also have a beauty who needs my comfort?" Pfft! Your mom's mii! Shu Ya was so infuriated by this shameless jerk, she very nearly spat blood! You fucking fought against Boss Liang in Security, went to Logistics, and clashed with Su Qin! Now, who the fuck do you want to console? You've been in the company for just two days, and you've already pissed off two department heads, switched three departments, fuck your uncle! "Don't play pitiful there. I've long seen through your little tricks," Shu Ya took a few deep breaths before she managed to suppress the urge to explode: "You must report to HR today, or else, I'll make sure you regret it!" Hao Jian knew he couldn't refuse. Anyway, he was getting along fine with Xiao Qiang,, and that chick had big tits and a round ass, just Hao Jian's type. "Also, this is my last warning to you. If you screw up one more time, you'll be packing your bags and going home," Shu Ya said with a CEO's authority, quite rudely. Hao Jian's eyes "glinted and glimmered" wildly as he excitedly said, "What you mean is you'll take care of me? Great, I'll go home now, wash up, and lie on the bed waiting for you!" "Swish!" Shu Ya was writing, and when she heard that, her pen ripped right through the paper documents. She really felt like crying¡ªhow could someone be so shameless? He actually wanted to be a kept man, expecting her to support him? Is he still a man, where is a man's dignity? "Beautiful thinking, I'm telling you to fuck off, as in you're going to fend for yourself from now on!" Shu Ya said, annoyed. , She felt that she should see a psychologist soon because if she kept dealing with Hao Jian like this, she would definitely fall into moron depression. Hao Jian snorted, disappointed, "And here I thought you really had a good heart. Turns out I was overthinking it." "Hao Jian, are you still a man, letting a woman like me earn money to support you?" Shu Ya stared straight at Hao Jian, her gaze fierce as if she were going to devour him. "What's wrong with that? Before becoming a great director, didn't Ang Lee live off his wife for years? And what happened to him? He became an Oscar-winning director and gloriously succeeded for our country!" Hao Jian cited an example. "And do you know that while Ang Lee was living off his wife, he always did household chores so that she could come home to hot meals, and he also studied filmmaking skills in his spare time. He succeeded because of his continuous efforts. How can you compare yourself to him?" "Indeed, I'm incomparable, how could he ever compare to me?" Hao Jian seriously said this, then, as if amused by his own wit, burst out laughing. Shu Ya just rolled her eyes at him, "True, his skin is certainly not as thick as yours." Hao Jian immediately felt displeased, "Insults don't have to include swear words, ok?" "If there's nothing else, get lost quickly, don't disturb my work," Shu Ya said irritably, too lazy to talk to this idiot any longer. "Wife, let's negotiate. How about you be responsible for earning money outside, and I'll be in charge of being beautiful at home?" Hao Jian shamelessly suggested. "Fuck off!" Shu Ya roared. . "Sister Qiang, I'm here to report for duty," Hao Jian said, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, as he appeared in Xiao Qiang's office. "Come in." Xiao Qiang waved her hand at Hao Jian without raising her head, clearly already aware of all the situations. "Put that damn cigarette out. Smoking is not allowed in my department!" Xiao Qiang said irritably. Hao Jian smiled bitterly as he stubbed out the cigarette, "Sister Qiang, don't you think men who smoke are profound, attractive, and flirty?" Xiao Qiang: "..." "You know, can't you just keep it down a bit? Do you really have to go head-to-head with the CEO?" Only then did Xiao Qiang lift her head, speechless, this guy had been transferred to three different departments and lectured by the CEO numerous times in just two days. This definitely was the biggest asshole of an employee in history! Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Is Everyone Developing So Well? "It's not that I want to go against her, it's just that she intentionally seeks trouble with me."Experience new tales on empire Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders and then, with a cheeky grin, said to Xiao Qiang: "Sister Qiang, let me tell you a secret, I guess the president must have a crush on me. Otherwise, why would she always pick on me? Alas... it's no surprise, a sexy guy like me is naturally a huge physiological threat to women!" You jerk... Xiao Qiang watched this scoundrel being self-absorbed and narcissistic in front of her, and black lines of annoyance appeared on her forehead! After holding back for a long time, Xiao Qiang finally said with a dark face: "You really are... flirty¡­" Hao Jian: "..." "By the way, did I hear that you groped Su Qin?" Xiao Qiang was also shocked. "Don't be so surprised, I didn't really intend to do anything to her. It was purely because I couldn't find anything else to wipe my face." Hao Jian explained the incident with a smile at that moment. Xiao Qiang laughed, "To be able to handle Boss Liang and Su Qin like this, you really are unprecedented and unrivaled." Xiao Qiang knew all too well that it had always been Boss Liang and Su Qin who bullied others, and no one dared to bully them. But they were unlucky to have encountered Hao Jian, a guy who plays by his own rules. Xiao Qiang couldn't help laughing at the thought of Su Qin being groped, really wanting to see what Su Qin's expression was like at that time. "When you put it like that, I can't really blame you, why does the president target you so much?" "Isn't that simple? On one hand, it's because I'm too handsome, she can't control herself! On the other hand, it's because I have no power, no position, and I'm useless. If I were her, I'd also pick the soft persimmons to squeeze." Xiao Qiang sighed, but she knew this was the workplace, so such situations were inevitable. Being in a low position meant having no rights; the president wouldn't offend two department heads for a driver. "Don't worry, as long as you work hard, you will definitely make something of yourself." Xiao Qiang said encouragingly, truly believing Hao Jian was being mistreated. Hao Jian then put on a pitiful act, pretending to be disheartened: "It's not that simple. I have no background, only a silhouette! No education, only manual labor! Ah... being handsome makes me sad..." Having said that, Hao Jian let out a long sigh towards the ceiling: "It seems in this company, I'm destined to be just a sad cup!" Seeing Hao Jian's injured appearance, Xiao Qiang's sympathy overflowed. She grabbed Hao Jian's hand softly and said: "Don't worry, I'll protect you here in the company." "Really?" Hao Jian was thrilled and also grabbed Xiao Qiang's hands. With such a great opportunity, how could he, such a 'pure' man, let it pass? "Yes, it's true." Xiao Qiang's face turned slightly red, trying to pull back her hand, but Hao Jian held on too tightly. "Um, Sister Qiang, can I make a small request?" Hao Jian suddenly asked, his eyes hopeful. "Yes, say it." Xiao Qiang, not realizing that this 'big bad wolf' was plotting something sinister, naively agreed. "Can you kiss me?" Hao Jian asked. "What?" Xiao Qiang was shocked; she hadn't expected Hao Jian to make such a shameless request. "No way!" Xiao Qiang hurriedly shook her head, her face as red as a monkey's butt. How could she do such a thing? She had only known Hao Jian for a short while. Even though Hao Jian had really helped her out the night before, and her impression of him was changing, Xiao Qiang was essentially a very traditional person, she simply couldn't bring herself to do such a thing. "If you don't want to, let's forget about it. Sigh¡­ Anyway, I'm just a loser. No girl has ever liked me from childhood to now; no one has ever kissed me. It seems my first kiss is not meant to be given away..." This jerk, playing his tricks again. "Sister Qiang, I won't disturb you any longer, I should get busy." Hao Jian pretended to get up, preparing to leave despondently. Meanwhile, Xiao Qiang was still engaged in an intense internal struggle. Seeing Hao Jian's despondent silhouette, she finally couldn't help but call out: "Hold on!" Hao Jian chuckled to himself non-stop, thinking, indeed, how could a little lamb outwit a big bad wolf? Turning his head around, his expression remained sorrowful, "Why, is there something else?" "Is it possible that if I just kiss you once, you could regain your confidence?" Xiao Qiang said nervously. In her heart, she told herself that this was all just to thank Hao Jian for saving her last night, and it meant nothing more. "I think that shouldn't be a problem." Hao Jian nodded earnestly, internally berating himself 120 times for deceiving such a kind woman. If he were to deceive, he thought he should do it a couple more times! Then, shamelessly, he leaned his face closer. Xiao Qiang clenched her fists, as if gathering all her strength, and finally mustered the courage to say: "Could you, could you close your eyes first?" With Hao Jian staring at her so intently, she really felt very shy. "Okay." Hao Jian immediately closed his eyes, not expecting this woman to be so shy. Relieved, Xiao Qiang slowly leaned her face closer. At that moment, Hao Jian also felt a fragrance wafting towards him, and Xiao Qiang's hurried breathing reached his ears. "Hello!" Just as Hao Jian awaited his dream to come true, a voice clear as a oriole shattered it all. "Ah!" Xiao Qiang was startled, never imagining that someone would barge in at such a moment and witness such an embarrassing scene. Instantly, Xiao Qiang's pretty face blushed scarlet, and she ran out of the office in a panic! "Did I... did I do something wrong?" a girl asked in a flustered tone, standing at the office door with an innocent expression. She was dressed youthfully and attractively in a tight pink dress that hugged her curves, at once dignified and highlighting her sexiness. Light makeup adorned her face, enhancing her already perfect features. "Sigh. You did nothing wrong; it's this world that's wrong!" Hao Jian, feeling like spitting blood from frustration, turned around and glanced lightly at the woman: "Who are you?" This woman was definitely not from the company, because people in the company knew to knock before entering. "My name is Yuan Shanshan. The company notified me to report to HR today," Yuan Shanshan said. She had passed the company's interview yesterday, so she was instructed to report to HR today. But it seemed she came at an awkward time. Yuan Shanshan looked at Hao Jian with a strange expression. Had he been having an affair with that woman and she walked in on them? "You're the head of HR?" S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yuan Shanshan asked, subconsciously assuming Hao Jian was the manager because only someone with some power would have the means to exploit it. Poor Xiao Qiang naturally became the pitiful employee she thought was being exploited. "Me?" Hao Jian was initially stunned, then, recalling how this girl had spoiled his plan, he suddenly felt a bit malicious: "Yes, that's right, I'm the head of HR. Here, have a seat and let me find your file." Hao Jian sat down naturally at the place Xiao Qiang had been before and began searching for Yuan Shanshan's file. Yuan Shanshan cursed her luck internally; her first day on the job and she had already encountered a lecherous manager. The company's culture didn't seem very commendable. But she chose to sit down regardless, because this job was too important for Yuan Shanshan; she needed it to support her family. Latter, Hao Jian found Yuan Shanshan's file, which stated she was an honors student from Tsinghua University and was applying for a position in the design department. "Students from Tsinghua University, they all develop so well?" Hao Jian muttered to himself. Chapter 45 Chapter 45 is not for the average person to see! "What did you say?" Yuan Shanshan asked with furrowed brows."Ah, nothing, I said students at Tsinghua University have such a good life...." Hao Jian replied, then began asking questions, "Name?" "Didn't you already know it just now?" Yuan Shanshan said, her face expressing disbelief, thinking how odd this manager was. Hao Jian's face suddenly darkened, "Listen, I'm your immediate superior now, so whatever I ask, you answer. No need for any nonsense, OK?" "Oh." Seeing Hao Jian's serious expression, she could only nod and said earnestly: "My name is Yuan Shanshan." "Age?" "Twenty-one." "Position you're applying for?" "Designer." "Hmm, give me your ID for registration," Hao Jian said. Yuan Shanshan obediently handed over her ID. Hao Jian glanced at the ID and was shocked. On it was clearly written "Yuan Facai." Hao Jian gave Yuan Shanshan a strange look, her name is Yuan Facai? Then why would she use a fake name to deceive me? She could have been honest, what exactly is she trying to accomplish by doing this? Could she be a corporate spy from another company? Otherwise, why all this secrecy? "Is there something wrong?" Yuan Shanshan asked, sensing something off as well. "Nothing, let's continue." Hao Jian quickly composed himself, thinking he mustn't let Yuan Shanshan see he was suspicious of her, "Do you have any special skills or something you're particularly proud of? "Oh yes, that would be my eyes," Yuan Shanshan blinked her large eyes: "People always say the eyes are the windows to the soul. My eyes are big and bright, my mom and friends say they sparkle like diamonds." "Really? I also have something particularly big, want to take a look?" Hao Jian chuckled mischievously. Something particularly big? Yuan Shanshan's pretty face immediately darkened, and recalling the previous incident with Xiao Qiang, she stood up warily, grabbed her handbag, and prepared to leave. At the same time, Yuan Shanshan looked at Hao Jian with disdain: "Shameless scoundrel!" Then Yuan Shanshan slammed the door on her way out. "Scoundrel? Who's the scoundrel? Have you ever seen a scoundrel as handsome as this?" Hao Jian shouted toward the door, then angrily flexed his arm, squeezing out a bicep: "Really, I just wanted to show you my particularly big biceps, and you're not even grateful. I don't usually show it to just anyone." Before long, Xiao Qiang came back! Seeing Hao Jian posing various fitness postures in her office, Xiao Qiang's face instantly turned green: "What are you doing?" "Ah, nothing. By the way, there was someone named Yuan Shanshan who came for an interview, I feel like something's off about her." Hao Jian said seriously, the mere fact that she hid her real name gave him sufficient reason to suspect that Yuan Shanshan had impure motives. "What's off about her?" Xiao Qiang collapsed weakly onto the sofa, her head in a whirl. As the HR manager, having been caught kissing someone by a newcomer, how was she supposed to face that newcomer again? "I suspect she's a corporate spy!" Hao Jian lowered his voice, saying earnestly. "Ah? Why would you say that?" Xiao Qiang immediately sat up, if that was true, it would be serious, since their company couldn't afford to bring in a business spy. "She told me her name was Yuan Shanshan, but actually her ID says Yuan Facai. She's definitely up to something since she intentionally concealed her real name!" Hao Jian stated decisively. Xiao Qiang clasped his forehead, his face full of speechlessness. "Why the sigh? Aren't you planning to deal with such an important matter? Or report it to the president?" Stay connected with empire Seeing Xiao Qiang's indifferent attitude, Hao Jian immediately became anxious, as this was related to the company's interests. "Hao Jian, if my ID said Xiao Facai, I wouldn't tell others my real name either, and I would change it," Xiao Qiang said with a tone of exasperation. ... "Shanshan, how did the interview go today?" "Don't ask, I met a perverted manager who harassed me right from the start, really bad luck." Yuan Shanshan pulled out a chair in the restaurant and sat in front of a girl, but still looked utterly dejected. "Ah, really? That unlucky?" the girl exclaimed in shock. If Hao Jian were here, he would recognize instantly that this girl was the previously mentioned Little Gangster Girl¡ªChe Xiaoxiao. "Yeah, I actually liked this company because the president is about my age, but I didn't expect such a bad environment. It seems I'll have to submit my resume elsewhere." Yuan Shanshan expressed her disappointment. With such a perverted boss, how could she possibly continue working there? "That severe? What exactly did that manager do to you?" Che Xiaoxiao was also curious about what had happened that made Yuan Shanshan so upset she'd give up such a rare opportunity. "That pervert started by asking me to look at 'that' of his, can you believe how disgusting that is?" Mentioning Hao Jian only fueled Yuan Shanshan's anger, as there should be no such person. "Wow, that is really perverted," Che Xiaoxiao exclaimed in shock: "Do you want me to find some thugs to teach him a lesson? I won't let him off easily for making my good sister lose her job!" Che Xiaoxiao gestured with her small fist, looking playful and cute. But she was not joking; she was actually planning to seek revenge on Hao Jian. Although this girl was a bit odd, she was very loyal. "Forget it, it's just a bunch of ****. Just ignore him; why even bother stepping on him?" Yuan Shanshan didn't have the mood, as it was just a job, and she could continue to look for another one. "Well, then, he's lucky," Che Xiaoxiao snorted and then said: "Let's order something; I'm starving to death." S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Alright, alright." Yuan Shanshan glanced at Che Xiaoxiao with annoyance but laughed helplessly. She knew Che Xiaoxiao was quirky and funny, besides being a food lover. In her life, only three things mattered: money, traffic, and food. Also, playing the fool a bit! Soon, the food was served. Che Xiaoxiao ate heartily, her mouth stuffed full, and mumbled unclearly: "So what are you going to do next, finding a job is not easy nowadays, especially those big companies, all require work experience. Companies like this one that don't require experience are rare!" "After all, you still have a sick mother and a disabled brother at home, you need a lot of medical expenses, if you can't find a high-paying job, your mom might just have to move out of the hospital," Che Xiaoxiao said. With those words, Yuan Shanshan's smile instantly vanished, replaced by a heavy gloom. Yes, she also had a disabled brother to support, and her mom was currently in the hospital. It was almost time to pay the hospital bills, but they had no savings left! If she didn't figure something out soon, her mom would be evicted from the hospital. Chapter 46 Chapter 46 National Secrets, No Visitors Allowed! Yuan Shanshan put down her chopsticks, instantly losing her appetite.For a girl of only twenty to bear so much, one could imagine the torment inside her heart. But she had no choice, because she wasn't cold-hearted enough to abandon the burdens seen by others. Her family. "I'm sorry, Shanshan, I shouldn't have brought it up at this time." Seeing that Yuan Shanshan wasn't eating, Che Xiaoxiao also felt sorry, thinking she should have waited until after the meal to speak. Yuan Shanshan smiled bitterly and shook her head, "No, you just snapped me out of it, now is not the time to relax." Then, Yuan Shanshan sighed, "Maybe I should have endured it earlier, so I could have kept my job and had money." "Don't say that, you were dealing with a perverted boss. What if he had made even more outlandish demands if you stayed there? I couldn't stand for that." What Che Xiaoxiao feared most was that Yuan Shanshan, due to financial distress, might be led astray. Yuan Shanshan thought about it, but suddenly, a figure passed in front of her. When Yuan Shanshan saw the figure, she was first taken aback, then her pretty face instantly soured, her eyebrows furrowed deeply, exuding intense disgust! "What's wrong?" Che Xiaoxiao, seeing Yuan Shanshan's strange expression, asked confusedly. "It's that pervert!" Yuan Shanshan pointed at the figure, and Che Xiaoxiao also looked over in astonishment. Because he had missed the company's lunch time for reporting to the HR department, Hao Jian had to find something to eat on his own. And unfortunately, he came to this restaurant and just happened to run into Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao. Che Xiaoxiao looked at Hao Jian's back and frowned, wondering why this man looked so familiar. "Hey, pretty girl, you look pretty sharp. Wanna join me for a spin to the river in my car?" Hao Jian leaned on the diner's counter flirting with the waitress there. "Sir, if you're not ordering then please step aside and don't obstruct other customers." The waitress said expressionlessly. "Sure you don't want to? My car is an Aston Martin," Hao Jian wiggled his eyebrows and said with a cheesy grin. "Really?" The waitress's expression finally changed, her eyes lit up and even gleamed with a greedy shine, full of anticipation. An Aston Martin? This guy's loaded! Hao Jian laughed haughtily, and then his face turned grim, "Fake, give me a dry-fried beef hor fun." "Jerk," the waitress muttered. But Hao Jian ignored her and walked away with a sleazy smile. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sometimes, people just have to find fun in the little things in life. "He really is a creep, hitting on the waitress just like that." Che Xiaoxiao also said angrily. Indeed, Yuan Shanshan was right, this manager truly was a perverted lecher. "Exactly, just my luck to run into such scum while trying to have a meal." Yuan Shanshan cursed internally about her bad luck. Just then, Hao Jian turned around and, seeing Hao Jian's real face, Che Xiaoxiao suddenly froze. "Uncle¡­?" "What, you know him?" Yuan Shanshan was also surprised, Che Xiaoxiao actually knew this pervert? Che Xiaoxiao nodded, then waved to Hao Jian, "Uncle, over here!" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian looked over and saw Che Xiaoxiao, immediately took a few steps forward, his sleazy smirk growing thicker: "I am big, don't call me uncle!" However, when Hao Jian saw Che Xiaoxiao next to Yuan Shanshan, his face immediately darkened, and he turned around and walked away. Clearly, he was still holding a grudge against Yuan Shanshan for ruining his good opportunity. "Uncle, why did you leave?" Che Xiaoxiao suddenly cried out. "I think he's guilty of something." Yuan Shanshan chuckled coldly, thinking this pervert must feel like he can't face her after what he did. "Guilty of something?" As soon as Hao Jian heard this, he immediately became displeased. Even if I felt guilty, what does it have to do with you, huh? Do I need your permission to kiss someone else? Clearly, Hao Jian thought Yuan Shanshan was referring to his interaction with Xiao Qiang. Hao Jian turned around and came back, plopping down right in front of Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao: "So tell me, why should I feel guilty?" "You still ask?" Yuan Shanshan's face turned red with annoyance. "Why can't I ask? I haven't even blamed you for barging in," Hao Jian replied, dissatisfied. "Just because I accidentally barged in, you had to do that to me? Show me your 'especially big' thing?" Yuan Shanshan scoffed. "I showed you because I thought we clicked, I don't show it to just anyone," Hao Jian muttered. It was just showing his biceps, was it that exaggerated? How did it turn into molestation? "Uncle, you have weird tastes," Che Xiaoxiao couldn't help but mutter under her breath with a twist of her lips. Clicked? He must think she's pretty! Is this guy really a pervert? The moment he sees a pretty girl, he shows her his 'especially big' thing. And I thought he was special. "Who wants to see your¡­ disgusting thing!" Yuan Shanshan, furious and embarrassed, couldn't believe this pervert dared to mention such disgusting things in front of them. "How is it disgusting? Do you know how long I trained to make it as hard as steel? You might choose not to look, but you cannot insult me!" Hao Jian shouted angrily. "Uncle, that thing can be trained?" Che Xiaoxiao asked with a weird expression, hearing such a thing for the first time. "Of course it can. Do you want to learn? I can teach you." "What? Uncle, I'm a girl, I don't have that thing!" Che Xiaoxiao said, caught between laughter and tears, wondering how a girl could train that. "It doesn't matter if you don't have one, train and you'll get one!" Hao Jian said with a laugh. Hearing this, both Che Xiaoxiao and Yuan Shanshan had black lines on their foreheads! Is that even something you can train to get? What? "Xiaoxiao, let's not talk to this pervert anymore. Let's go." Yuan Shanshan now just wanted to leave the place, unwilling to glance at Hao Jian again as it made her feel nauseous. Yuan Shanshan grabbed Che Xiaoxiao and walked away. "Pfft, it was just a bicep," Hao Jian muttered. Yuan Shanshan's body stiffened instantly, and she turned her head to look at Hao Jian: "What did you just say?" "Say what?" "What did you just say you wanted to show me?" Yuan Shanshan suddenly realized something. "My biceps." "You meant your 'especially big' thing was your biceps?" Yuan Shanshan's expression was as rich as it could be. "What else?" Hao Jian snorted coldly, and said, "You wanted to see the other big things on me? I wouldn't allow that! That's national secrets, no visitors allowed!" Chapter 47 Chapter 47 You Really Have No Shame! Yuan Shanshan felt a surge of frustration, marked by a figurative black line over her head.But this also meant that she had indeed misunderstood Hao Jian¡ªwho would have thought he meant that? He wasn't clear at all at the beginning. There's a place that's really big¡ªwouldn't most people think of that first? "I knew it, uncle doesn't look like that kind of person." Che Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief; she actually had a not-so-bad impression of Hao Jian, mainly because he seemed crazier than her and was rather nonchalant towards her, which made her quite concerned. That's because Hao Jian had no interest in little lolitas; he was into busty, rounded-hip 'onee-sans' and mature women. "What kind of person?" Hao Jian wore a face full of confusion; he had no idea about what Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao were discussing before he arrived. "Nothing, can I go back to work now?" Yuan Shanshan quickly waved her hand, how could she dare tell Hao Jian about the previous conversation? The misunderstanding was clear now; this director wasn't a pervert. However, the director was quite the joker¡ª who shows off their biceps to employees upon first meeting? That's not how you show off, right? "Your employment procedures have been completed, and you will start working in the design department tomorrow. Here is your work badge," Hao Jian said, handing a badge to Yuan Shanshan. "You're not angry? The way I insulted you before?" Yuan Shanshan said, somewhat embarrassed. Hao Jian had even prepared her work badge, yet she had insulted him like that before¡ªit was totally inappropriate. "Speaking of which, I want to ask why you called me shameless?" Hao Jian was utterly baffled, as he hadn't said anything offensive. "Um, because you are indeed shameless..." Che Xiaoxiao seriously told Hao Jian. Hao Jian: "..." . "Nurse, could you give me a bit more time? I have found a job now and will get my salary next month. I promise I'll pay all the outstanding medical fees then," Yuan Shanshan pleaded with a nurse in the hospital. She wanted to share the good news about her new job with her mother, but as soon as she entered, she was stopped by the nurse in charge of her mother. "You've been delaying for a week already. I really can't help you any further. If you don't pay the hospitalization fee now, I will have no choice but to ask your mother to leave the hospital," the nurse said helplessly. "Is there really no way to make an exception?" Yuan Shanshan begged. The nurse shook her head, "No, there isn't. I know your family is in a difficult situation, but it's the hospital's policy. I'm just a nurse; I can't make these decisions." "Alright, I'm sorry, I was being too presumptuous." Yuan Shanshan lowered her head in defeat, a slight glimmer of tears in her eyes. Her mother was suffering from a severe heart condition; if she were to leave the hospital, she could pass away at any moment during another attack. Seeing her like this, the nurse also found it hard to bear and sighed, "Here, I'll delay for another three days for you, but it's only three days. Hurry up and arrange the money. If you still can't pay the hospitalization fees by that time, then I won't be able to help you." "Thank you, thank you so much nurse," Yuan Shanshan said tearfully and gratefully. The nurse waved it off: "Go see the old lady. She's been missing you a lot lately, always talking about you." "Okay." Yuan Shanshan cried with joy, but quickly wiped away her tears and walked toward her mother's hospital room. At the entrance to the room, she took a deep breath and a radiant smile squeezed its way onto her exhausted face as she pushed the door open and walked in. "Mom, I'm here to see you." In the room lay an old lady with white hair, but her complexion was as pale as paper, clearly looking unwell. Next to the hospital bed sat a skinny young man holding a crutch, one leg of his pants empty and dangling, revealing his disability. These were Yuan Shanshan's mother and younger brother. Seeing Yuan Shanshan, the old lady was obviously happy, but frowning upon seeing Yuan Shanshan's complexion, she muttered two words: "Thinner." Hearing this, Yuan Shanshan felt a bitter urge to cry but held it back and approached: "Mom, are you feeling any better?" "Yes, the doctor said my condition is stable, there's no need to worry. Didn't I tell you not to come if you're busy?" The old lady chided gently, missing her daughter yet not wanting her to visit. "Mom, I've found a job, it's with a big company, I earn four thousand during the trial period, we won't have to suffer anymore," Yuan Shanshan said, holding the old lady's hand. "Really? I knew our Shanshan would make something of herself," the old lady said, beaming with joy. "So Mom, don't worry about money, just focus on getting better," Yuan Shanshan said encouragingly, choosing to tell a white lie at that moment. Then, looking at her brother beside her, Yuan Shanshan asked curiously, "Today's Monday, shouldn't you be in school?" At her words, Yuan Zhibang's gaze flickered and he said, "The school's closed today for renovations, so there weren't any classes." Yuan Shanshan's brows knitted slightly in suspicion, but she pushed the thought aside. After chatting with the old lady for a few hours, Yuan Shanshan got up to leave. But Yuan Zhibang stood up at once, leaning on his crutch, he limped out after her, taking care to close the hospital room door behind him! Outside the hospital room, Yuan Zhibang then said to Yuan Shanshan, "Sis, I don't want to study anymore, I want to find a job and contribute to the family expenses." S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yuan Shanshan's face darkened at once, "What nonsense are you talking? You're in your final year of high school now, once you're in university there will be plenty of time to work part-time. Why the rush? Your future is at stake, absolutely not!" Yuan Shanshan also knew, with her brother's condition, who would offer him a job? "But aren't we almost unable to afford the medical bills?" Yuan Zhibang said, hanging his head with tears shimmering in his determined eyes, avoiding Yuan Shanshan's gaze. Yuan Shanshan's expression froze, at a loss for words. "Don't try to hide it from me, the nurse has already spoken to me." Obviously, Yuan Zhibang knew everything. Yuan Shanshan offered a smile and then gave her brother a big hug: "Little brother, trust me! Money isn't a problem, I'll figure something out. All you need to do is focus on your studies, don't forget, you are the future pillar of our family." "Sis... you've sacrificed too much for this family... I just don't want you to work so hard," Yuan Zhibang cried, overwhelmed by all his sister had done for their family. Although she never mentioned it, Yuan Zhibang knew that after their father died, his sister would scavenge and sell scrap whenever she got the chance, all to earn a little money. She never had a new piece of clothing all year round; to pay for his schooling, she worked multiple jobs while in university, slept only four hours a day, and still attended classes. Yuan Zhibang was moved yet consumed with guilt. Chapter 48 Im Here to Borrow Some... "Fool, if that's the case, you should be studying hard, right? Only then can you make something of yourself and lighten your sister's family burdens. Otherwise, if you achieve nothing in life, I'll have to take care of you instead," Yuan Shanshan said with a gentle laugh.Just the fact that her younger brother cared about her moved her deeply; that alone made her feel that all her sacrifices were worthwhile. "But..." Yuan Zhibang wanted to say something, but Yuan Shanshan suddenly covered his mouth: "Alright now, don't overthink it. Just focus on going to school, and leave the money worries to your sister to solve. No need to worry." "Okay," Yuan Zhibang could only agree. It seemed there was no other way, and he couldn't waste his sister's hard work. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Here's two hundred bucks. I haven't received my salary yet, so I can't give you much. Take it for now and remember to spend it carefully," Yuan Shanshan took out two hundred yuan and said to Yuan Zhibang. In fact, after giving Yuan Zhibang two hundred yuan, her own wallet was left with only a hundred yuan. But Yuan Shanshan felt she could endure it, as she didn't spend much normally. The company provided meal money, and she only had to pay for bus fare at most. "I don't want it," Yuan Zhibang said quickly, shaking his head. Yuan Shanshan had already given them so much; how could he dare to take her money? "Take it if I tell you to take it," Yuan Shanshan stuffed the money into Yuan Zhibang's arms. "I still have some money on me, so don't worry." Yuan Shanshan knew Yuan Zhibang was worried she would be left with no money after giving money to him. "Well, okay then," Yuan Zhibang accepted the money reluctantly. "I need to go now; you should hurry back to school," Yuan Shanshan instructed before hobbling away. After leaving the hospital, Yuan Shanshan stood at the bus stop. The smile vanished from her face, replaced quickly with a look of distress. The hospital bills for the past month totaled over five thousand yuan, yet she had only a hundred yuan on her. There was no solution other than borrowing money. After some thought, Yuan Shanshan decided to call Che Xiaoxiao, only to hear loud noise on the other end and asked curiously: "Xiaoxiao, where are you? Why is it so noisy?" "Me? I'm at the auto repair shop," Che Xiaoxiao giggled mischievously: "Let me tell you, I'm getting a new heart for my love drive. It cost me tens of thousands, now I'm broke, but it's worth it. My love drive can accelerate to three hundred kilometers per hour now, cool, huh?" Che Xiaoxiao's obsessions were clear, with cars at the top, followed by money and food. "Cool, pretty cool," Yuan Shanshan replied with a forced laugh, having intended to ask Che Xiaoxiao for a loan. But it seemed impossible now. After all, Che Xiaoxiao herself had said she had spent all her money. "By the way, Shanshan, what do you want, calling me like this? Do you want to treat me to a meal?" Che Xiaoxiao, unaware of what had happened, joked. "It's nothing, the thing is, Xiaoxiao, I'm busy now, gotta hang up." Yuan Shanshan quickly hung up the phone, but her expression became even more despondent. If even Che Xiaoxiao didn't have any money, she really didn't know who else to turn to. On the other end, Che Xiaoxiao was bewildered, muttering, "What was that about." Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire Yuan Shanshan had suddenly called, asked where she was, and then abruptly hung up. What did that mean? The next day, Yuan Shanshan showed up at work as expected. She busied herself with work all morning but was clearly distracted. It wasn't until noon that she finally made up her mind to go to the HR department. But as soon as she got to HR, she saw Hao Jian flirting with a female colleague. "Little sister, let me read your palm. My nickname is Race Half-Immortal. Before coming to this company, I made a living by fortune-telling," he boasted. "Really? Are you that good?" The female colleague was quite naive and believed him immediately. "Of course, let me have a look for you, and you'll know about your past and future," Hao Jian said with a wink and a nudge. "Then help me have a look." The girl handed over her hand. "What do you want to ask about?" Hao Jian inquired. "Let's talk about love. I don't have a boyfriend right now, and my family keeps pushing me," the girl explained. "Alright, let me have a look for you, huh." Hao Jian pretended to read her palm, but he kept touching it here and there¡ªhey! You wouldn't believe it, but this chick's hand was really smooth. "Are you done touching, or what? Did you see anything?" The girl felt something was amiss. "Oh, I'm done. Your palm is good, it says you'll encounter some peach blossom luck in the near future, and the guy will be very handsome," Hao Jian bluffed. "Ah, you can tell all that?" The girl expressed her astonishment. "Of course, I'm Race Half-Immortal," Hao Jian said, patting his shoulder with pride. "Then tell me more about him, what's he like?" Hao Jian was naturally willing to continue. While touching the girl's hand, he said: "Hmm. I've figured it out, it's clear. Besides being handsome, he's also humorous, and he's right here in this company. He has thick eyebrows, big eyes, a buzz cut, is about six feet tall, and he's wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans today. If you use this description as your standard, you'll find him no problem." "The person you're describing... isn't that just you?" The girl glanced at Hao Jian and felt a surge of frustration. Hao Jian was clearly talking about himself¡ªhe was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans that day, and he also had a buzz cut. "Eh, me? It turns out to be me?" Hao Jian immediately feigned a surprised expression and deliberately checked his own outfit. Afterward, Hao Jian sighed resignedly: "Ah, who would have thought that your destined one would be me? This is unexpected yet totally makes sense! Perhaps, only a suave and debonair man like me is worthy of your unparalleled beauty! How about we go to a hotel after work, and I give you the most precious thing in my body!" "Get lost," the girl cursed irritably, and then stopped paying attention to Hao Jian, turning to leave. She was furious, having realized that Hao Jian had been teasing her. "Hey, you don't believe me? But I am Race Half-Immortal!" Hao Jian shouted after the girl. The girl didn't turn around but responded by flipping a middle finger. "Tch, whatever," Hao Jian felt disappointed. However, as he turned around, he saw Yuan Shanshan standing not far from him. "What are you doing here?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. "I, I came to find you," Yuan Shanshan said, looking down with embarrassment. After all, she had only known Hao Jian for a day, but here she was looking to borrow money from him. "Looking for me? What for?" Hao Jian was particularly baffled, and suddenly gasped in surprise: "You, you couldn't have fallen for me, could you? Let me tell you, there's no chance, I'm spoken for." You're spoken for? My ass... Yuan Shanshan rolled her eyes, holding back the laughter on her face, then finally said: "No, that's not it... Actually, I came to borrow some..." Chapter 49 Because I am an Orphan! "Borrow what?"Hao Jian was startled and couldn't help thinking slyly: Could this girl, seeing how handsome and charming I am, want to borrow the most precious thing within my body? But Yuan Shanshan had no idea about Hao Jian's indecent thoughts; her pretty face blushing, she said: "I... I want to borrow some money from you." After she spoke these words, Yuan Shanshan's hands tightly grasped the hem of her clothes because she had never borrowed money from anyone before, and she felt very ashamed. Yuan Shanshan was a very proud person, and she never asked for help from anyone, and this was the first time in history. Hearing this, Hao Jian frowned slightly, surprised by her request since he had known Yuan Shanshan for only one day. It was indeed a bit abrupt for her to ask him for money. Seeing Hao Jian frown, Yuan Shanshan felt so ashamed she was almost about to cry, thinking that his frowning meant he disagreed. Indeed, after all, she had known him for less than a day, why should he lend her money? Yuan Shanshan also didn't know how Hao Jian would view her afterward. "I'm sorry, it was presumptuous of me, I disturbed you, goodbye!" Yuan Shanshan gave Hao Jian a deep bow and then turned and ran away, wanting nothing but to find a hole to crawl into. "Wait!" Hao Jian suddenly called out loudly, stopping Yuan Shanshan from leaving. Yuan Shanshan's body stiffened, and she awkwardly turned back, "Is there something else?" "Can I ask what it's for?" Hao Jian asked. He was not unwilling to lend Yuan Shanshan money, but before lending, he wanted to know what she needed it for. If it was for buying luxury handbags or something, Hao Jian certainly wouldn't lend it to her. Yuan Shanshan lowered her head and said softly, "My mom is in the hospital and now I need to pay the hospital fees, but I don't have the money." "What about your father?" Hao Jian asked. If she didn't have the money, surely her father did. Explore stories on empire "He has already died," Yuan Shanshan said with a disconsolate expression. "¡­" Hao Jian hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How much do you need?" "You're willing to lend me the money?" Yuan Shanshan was taken aback; she really hadn't expected Hao Jian to actually consider lending her the money. "It's hard for me to refuse a request from a beauty!" Hao Jian said with a smile. He saw that Yuan Shanshan was not the type of girl who would casually ask people for money; she must be truly in trouble to have taken this step. And Hao Jian chose to believe what Yuan Shanshan said. Since she was indeed in trouble, helping her wouldn't be a problem, especially since he currently had two million in his account. "But we've only known each other for one day," Yuan Shanshan said in shock, having already prepared herself for a likely failure and considering failure highly probable. If it were her, she would not lend money to a stranger she had only met for one day either. "Then you can wait for me to have known you for one hundred and fifty days before asking me, assuming by then your mom is still alive," Hao Jian said with a quirky smile. However, Yuan Shanshan could only give a bitter smile, thinking that by then, it would all be too late... "Everyone faces difficult times, but who knows when they will come? I'm willing to help you, so tell me how much you need," he said. "I need five thousand, five thousand will do," Yuan Shanshan said, not daring to ask for more, just the five thousand for the hospital fees; she was already very grateful that Hao Jian was willing to lend her the money. "I don't have that much money on me right now, I'll withdraw it later, and I'll bring the money to you this afternoon," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Thank you, thank you so much." Yuan Shanshan's expression was somewhat excited, Hao Jian's kind act was like lighting a bright lamp on her dim path! Providing help during hardships always beats adding decorations to something already perfect. Yuan Shanshan had nowhere to turn, and in this situation, Hao Jian chose to help her, filling her with gratitude. Hao Jian waved his hand, indicating there was no need for thanks: "Just go to work properly, I'll come to see you later." "Mm," Yuan Shanshan agreed, bowing repeatedly to Hao Jian. Watching Yuan Shanshan's retreating figure, Hao Jian also fell into deep thought. Soon after, Hao Jian realized he had to do something and went to the president's office to find Shu Ya. "Haven't I told you not to keep running here if there's nothing important?" S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Shu Ya said somewhat angrily, hinting that frequent visits by Hao Jian might arouse suspicion. "Wife, I want to discuss something with you," Hao Jian said as he plopped down in front of Shu Ya. "What is it?" Shu Ya asked, holding back her irritation. "Do you know about a new employee named Yuan Shanshan?" "I do, a quite exceptional staff member, what about her?" Shu Ya frowned; she had reviewed Yuan Shanshan's information and was very satisfied with her. However, she did not know why Hao Jian suddenly brought her up, worrying he might have taken an interest in her. "It seems her family is facing some difficulties. She said her mother was hospitalized with heart disease and she came to borrow money from me today. Do you know if the company has any sort of relief fund?" "You think this is a school? A relief fund? How could the company have such a thing?" Shu Ya rolled her eyes and added: "Could she be deceiving you?" "She shouldn't be, she was almost crying when she asked me for money," Hao Jian shook his head, assured that Yuan Shanshan would not deceive her. "Since that's the case, I'll just start a fundraiser for her in the company," Shu Ya said. That was the only solution, as there was no relief fund in the company and it wasn't possible to set such a precedent just for Yuan Shanshan. "Maybe not, that way, she might be looked down upon by colleagues in the future." Hao Jian was thinking thoroughly; Yuan Shanshan was such a proud person, and going ahead with this might mean she wouldn't be able to continue working at the company in the future. "Then what do you suggest?" Shu Ya was getting impatient, noticing that Hao Jian was more concerned about another woman than her. "What about a pay raise or something?" "Impossible, I can't break the company's rules just because I pity her. Otherwise, if everyone could get a raise whenever something happens at home, how could the company function?" Shu Ya immediately shook her head in refusal. "That's true," Hao Jian sighed in resignation, realizing he had indeed thought too much. "I can switch her probation period from three months to one month, that's all I can do," Shu Ya said, knowing that once the probation was over, Yuan Shanshan's salary would increase as well. "That should work," Hao Jian acknowledged, aware that this was the furthest Shu Ya was willing to compromise. He stood up to leave, but Shu Ya called him back: "Tell me, why are you so concerned about a woman you've known for just one day? Are you really that benevolent?" Hao Jian did not turn back but took a deep drag on his cigarette: "Because I'm an orphan, I know the pain of being an orphan, so I don't want to see anyone else become one like me." After saying this, Hao Jian pushed the door and walked out, leaving Shu Ya staring blankly in a daze. Chapter 50 Inspiration Comes from Life! Hao Jian withdrew a stack of money from the ATM, then walked back smoking a cigarette, but the look on his face was covered with gloom.Because he was an orphan, he didn't want to see Yuan Shanshan become one as well! "Parents, huh." Hao Jian muttered to himself, then burst into hearty laughter. Passersby on the road thought they had seen a madman and kept their distance. Hao Jian went to find Yuan Shanshan after she got off work because he was worried that if he barged into her department and gave her money, it might lead to misunderstandings among her colleagues. So he deliberately waited until everyone had left before entering the department. From afar, Hao Jian could see Yuan Shanshan busying herself, her expression focused and serious! As the saying goes, a man who strives is the most charming, but this also applies equally to women. Hao Jian placed the milk tea he bought in front of Yuan Shanshan, which finally snapped her out of her concentration. "You're here?" Yuan Shanshan said somewhat shyly; she naturally knew why Hao Jian was there. "Tired from working? Have something to drink first." Hao Jian placed the milk tea in front of Yuan Shanshan. Yuan Shanshan glanced at the milk tea and couldn't help but swallow salivatingly. Because of her family's poverty, Yuan Shanshan had seldom drunk such things since she was little, mainly because she couldn't bear the expense. There was a time when every cent had to be carefully accounted for. Seeing Yuan Shanshan like this, Hao Jian also gave a bitter smile, realizing that she must have suffered quite a bit in her childhood. When Yuan Shanshan saw Hao Jian looking at her, her face grew a bit flushed. "Drink it while it's still cold." Hao Jian changed the subject. "Okay." Yuan Shanshan obediently responded, then picked up the milk tea and began drinking. At that moment, Hao Jian also placed the already prepared banknotes in front of Yuan Shanshan. "Eight thousand? Why is there so much more?" Yuan Shanshan looked at Hao Jian in astonishment. When she checked the thickness of the money, she realized it was not right and counted it, discovering an extra three thousand. "If I'm not mistaken, you don't have much money left on you, right?" Hao Jian could tell at a glance. He guessed that perhaps Yuan Shanshan had only taken enough for medical expenses and had not kept much for herself, so he had thoughtfully prepared an extra three thousand yuan. "I, I still have some." Yuan Shanshan quickly counted the three thousand yuan and tried to give it back. "All right then, show me your wallet." Hao Jian said with a smile. "What?" Yuan Shanshan hadn't expected Hao Jian to make such a request. If she really took her wallet out, wouldn't it give her away? "Take it; you can pay me back when you get your salary. How can a girl have no money on her?" Hao Jian said with a smile; surely enough, Yuan Shanshan was out of cash. "This¡­" Yuan Shanshan was filled with both gratitude and anxiety about Hao Jian's caring gesture, and so she hesitated. "Stop dithering, will you? I'm not giving it to you; it's a loan, you have to pay it back." Hao Jian said impatiently. "Alright, I will definitely pay you back." Yuan Shanshan nodded earnestly. "What are you working on?" Hao Jian asked curiously; he had seen Yuan Shanshan frowning before he came in. "The company asked me to design a ring and demanded an answer within a week, but right now, I don't have any ideas at all." Yuan Shanshan said, troubled. Since she was a new designer, the company needed to test her skills. Shu Ya's company was a national chain with centuries of historical heritage, specializing in crafting luxurious diamond jewelry¡ªone of the top brands in China with significant influence. "What do you think?" Hao Jian wanted to offer Yuan Shanshan advice, but he first wanted to hear her thoughts. "I was thinking of designing a pair of couple rings, but there are just too many of them out there. If I design couple rings, too, I might just be following a clich¨¦. Besides, I've never been in a relationship, I lack experience, and naturally, inspiration. So now, I can only start with designing men's and women's rings separately," Shanshan replied, sharing her idea to design a single ring. "That's a good idea, but you need to be clear about your concept and elements," Hao Jian said. "Concept and elements?" Upon hearing this, Shanshan bowed her head somewhat dejectedly: "Right now, I don't even know what concept and elements I want." S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Inspiration comes from life, don't you know?" Hao Jian said with a playful smile: "Seeing how you take care of your mother, it's clear you're very filial. Have you considered designing a ring for your own mother?" That one sentence suddenly made Yuan Shanshan freeze. She indeed hadn't thought about designing a ring for her mother. Shanshan thought to herself: Right, why haven't I considered designing a ring for Mom? It could be said that Hao Jian's words gave Yuan Shanshan tremendous inspiration. "Hao Jian, who would have thought that although you're a driver, you have quite a talent. Maybe you should switch careers and become a designer," said Yuan Shanshan, who had completely revised her opinion of him. This guy was definitely not ordinary. After all, Hao Jian had experience abroad and was well-travelled, so his perspective was naturally different. He spotted the key point at a glance. "Don't tease me. I'm just a rough person. Giving suggestions is one thing, but I really couldn't do the hands-on work," he said, waving his hand to signal his limitations, and then continued to offer advice to Yuan Shanshan: "Since it's a ring for a mother, it must break the mold; you can't use diamonds or anything flashy and impractical. The older generation doesn't fancy that." "Then what should I use?" Yuan Shanshan was stumped. "Gold, of course. Do you even have to ask?" Hao Jian said with a look of feigned disappointment. Yuan Shanshan slapped her forehead in realization. Right, the elderly loved to wear gold. They tended to be indifferent to diamonds. "But if I use gold, wouldn't that be too tacky? I'm worried the company won't approve it," Yuan Shanshan said, her concerns surfacing again. Her company crafted top-tier jewelry, and "gold" was something that just didn't make the cut there. She was worried it wouldn't pass. "To the company, it certainly might seem tacky. But to the customers, that's not necessarily the case, especially when your target market is mothers. To them, receiving anything from their children is satisfying¡ªthey care more about the sentiment than the appearance." "Besides, because everyone else is afraid to do it and you do it, that's innovation. Or are you saying you're afraid to challenge yourself?" "Okay, let's do it!" Yuan Shanshan said excitedly, immediately grabbing her pen and prepared to start. Just at that moment, a small head peeked into the office door! "Is anyone there?" "Xiaoxiao, what are you doing here?" Yuan Shanshan was surprised to see her close friend Che Xiaoxiao enter. "Ah! Uncle, so you're here too!" Che Xiaoxiao hopped in and, with a look of playful reproach on her face, said to Yuan Shanshan: Read new chapters at empire "That's all your fault, you know. You just called me out of the blue, then hung up in such a hurry. I wondered if something had happened to you, so I came to check on you at your company." Che Xiaoxiao complained, but upon seeing Yuan Shanshan's happy expression, she felt relieved. Chapter 51 Your Business is My Business! "I'm sorry, Xiaoxiao, there isn't actually a big problem. It's just that my mom needs money for medical expenses, so I wanted to borrow five thousand yuan from you. But it's not needed anymore; I've already borrowed the money," Yuan Shanshan explained, also feeling guilty for having worried Che Xiaoxiao."You got it? Who did you borrow it from?" Che Xiaoxiao asked curiously, as Yuan Shanshan only had her as a friend. "It was Hao Jian; thankfully, he lent me the money," she said. "Uncle? Why did you lend money to Shanshan? You're not up to something sneaky, are you?" Che Xiaoxiao looked at Yuan Shanshan somewhat suspiciously as she spoke: "Shanshan, you better be careful, he's quite the sleazy uncle, with nothing but lust on his mind!" "Bullshit," Hao Jian scolded irritably, this girl really couldn't say anything nice. "Xiaoxiao, don't talk nonsense. Hao Jian only pitied me," Yuan Shanshan hurriedly explained for Hao Jian. She could tell Hao Jian wasn't a bad person, because when he looked at her, there was no lechery in his eyes. Not only had Hao Jian lent her money, but he had also inspired her at work. Yuan Shanshan couldn't express how grateful she was to him now. "Alright then, thank you, Uncle," Che Xiaoxiao said, glancing at Hao Jian. "By the way, Shanshan, come with me to watch the races at the top of Qiuyun Mountain tonight. I've just upgraded my Little Bumblebee with a powerful new engine. I'll take you for a spin tonight, how about that?" Che Xiaoxiao couldn't wait to show off her car. "Sure, I'm free tonight anyway." Yuan Shanshan nodded. Now that her problem was resolved, her smile was brighter. "Uncle, why don't you come with us?" Che Xiaoxiao suggested. She had a reason for inviting Hao Jian; she was worried she might run into people she disliked at the mountain, and although she loved cars, she knew her driving skills were mediocre. But with Hao Jian there, it would be different, as she had seen his capabilities firsthand. With him present, Che Xiaoxiao would feel much more confident. Yuan Shanshan also looked at Hao Jian full of anticipation and hoped he would join them. But who knew Hao Jian would just turn his head and bluntly say, "No interest." After speaking, he directly walked away. He'd done what he needed to and still had to pick up Shu Ya later; he did not have time to indulge Che Xiaoxiao's whims. He'd once failed to pick up Shu Ya, and she almost went crazy; if it happened again, Hao Jian had no doubts she would tear him apart. Hearing this, Che Xiaoxiao was immediately anxious and grabbed Hao Jian, shaking his arm while pressing her small chest against him, cooing: "Uncle, just come with us. Watching the races is so much fun, and you can also see beautiful girls there." "Not going! Your tricks won't work! Besides, I have to take the CEO home!" Hao Jian flatly refused. "Why do you have to take the CEO home, doesn't she have her own personal driver?" Yuan Shanshan asked, puzzled. "I am her driver." "What? But you told us you were a manager," Che Xiaoxiao was stunned. "I was just teasing you; I am actually just a driver," Hao Jian admitted openly, reasoning that since he was friends with Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao, he shouldn't keep lying to them. "I don't care, you're definitely coming with me tonight," Che Xiaoxiao firmly stated, leaving no room for Hao Jian to refuse. "On what basis?" Hao Jian was also angry, was Che Xiaoxiao truly trying to force him to go? "If you don't go, I'm doomed," Che Xiaoxiao's expression changed as she looked at Hao Jian with tear-filled eyes: "Actually, tonight I've already bet someone to race once, and if I lose, I'll have to be his girlfriend." "What, Xiaoxiao, how could you bet on something like this?" Yuan Shanshan was somewhat angry, as one's lifetime matters shouldn't be taken lightly. "It's just that I couldn't stand Lin Dong's arrogant attitude, and he was the one who provoked me first." Che Xiaoxiao pouted, having agreed to the terms on impulse. Then, Che Xiaoxiao cast a loving glance at Hao Jian, "Uncle, you wouldn't want to see me fall into that jerk's clutches, would you?" Thinking Hao Jian would say no, he just pursed his lips and said, "You're a little witch yourself, what demon's clutches are you afraid of?" With that, Che Xiaoxiao's face darkened, and she mumbled, "The winning prize is three hundred thousand." "Alright, I'll definitely go tonight. We've met after all, and your problem is my problem now. Leave it to me," Hao Jian said, patting his chest and assuring solemnly. Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao were both exasperated. That night, after Hao Jian dropped Shu Ya off at her home, he met up with Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao and headed to Akina Mountain together. By then, Akina Mountain was already swarming with people, filled with the roar of cars and the cheers of spectators. Nearly a hundred cars participated, half of which were supercars, and nearly half of those were worth over ten million. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Lin Dong, I heard you're racing against that little vixen Che Xiaoxiao tonight?" After parking his Maserati, Wei Shan came over and said to Lin Dong, who was flanked by women on both sides. Lin Dong's cheeks revealed a wicked smile, "That girl is just too young. A little provocation from me and she couldn't resist agreeing. Win me with that crappy car of hers? What a joke!" "So, you're expecting to win the beauty tonight?" Wei Shan chuckled lewdly. "Exactly. That little vixen has been disregarding us for long. This time I must show her what Young Master is capable of, making her unable to leave her bed for days," Lin Dong laughed heartily, confident that he wouldn't lose to Che Xiaoxiao. Although his car had been destroyed before, someone of his status undoubtedly owned several luxury cars, so he brought another Lamborghini tonight. "But what if that girl Xiaoxiao calls that guy from last time?" Wei Shan was worried about this. Thinking of Hao Jian's incredible driving skills made him feel scared. "What's there to fear? I've called Young Master Liang over. With him supporting us, even if that guy shows up, it won't make a difference," Lin Dong said dismissively, clearly having great confidence in Young Master Liang. "Young Master Liang? Are you talking about Liang Jiankun?" Wei Shan was secretly surprised but recognized the name. Your next journey awaits at empire Liang Jiankun could be called the founder of the Supercar Club and was the club's number one driver, known as the Car God of Qiuyun Mountain. Moreover, not only were Liang Jiankun's driving skills excellent, but his family background was also significant. In Hua City, his influence was unmatched, even greater than Shu Ya's family enterprise, making him the undisputed Overlord of Hua City! Liang Jiankun was indeed the epitome of the prodigal elite, an existence Lin Dong should not know by normal means. How did he know him then? "Who else but him? He's my brother-in-law. As soon as he heard I was in trouble, he immediately agreed to come and help me," Lin Dong boasted. "Wow, Liang Jiankun is your brother-in-law, Lin Dong, you make me so jealous. With him, you can pretty much do whatever you want in Hua City," Wei Shan flattered, while secretly sneering inside: Brother-in-law? You really dare to add glory to your own face, as if Liang Jiankun would care for your little family? He just sees your sister as a plaything, something to be tossed aside once he's bored. Chapter 52 Bet! Liang Jiankun never lacks women by his side!Moreover, Wei Shan had heard that Liang Jiankun was quite picky. He didn't like those so-called 'green tea bitches' but preferred the spotless, well-bred ladies. But it was always just for fun, never seen him really fall for anyone. In Wei Shan's view, this time was no different for Liang Jiankun. But although he knew it, Wei Shan dared not voice it out; after all, Lin Dong's sister hadn't tired of Liang Jiankun yet, and he couldn't afford to offend him so easily. Meanwhile, Lin Dong, hearing Wei Shan butter him up like that, also couldn't help but laugh proudly, "Well said, well said. If your bro ever makes it big, I definitely won't forget about you." These words sounded loyal, but they covertly distinguished his status from Wei Shan's. "Then I'm much obliged, bro," and although Wei Shan's face was excited upon hearing this, inside he sneered incessantly. Rise to success? Find more to read on empire A fool who only knows how to pick up girls and race cars, how could he ever make it big? "That, Young Master Lin, I mean, just in case, what if boyfriend even loses to Liang Jiankun, then what?" Wei Shan thought of this concern, and his way of addressing Lin Dong had already changed. "Then he'd better pray he doesn't win because otherwise, heh heh..." Lin Dong sneered twice, then looked towards the crowd nearby. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Following his gaze, Wei Shan instantly saw a burly bald man with a scorpion tattoo standing among the people, toasting Lin Dong. "Brother Spice Ginger?" Wei Shan's expression froze; the man in front of him was none other than an old-timer in Hua City's underworld, the kind of figure who could start a storm in the Mafia with a single sneeze. He hadn't expected Lin Dong to know him too. It seemed he was fully prepared¡ªif Che Xiaoxiao's boyfriend dared to show up today, then it would certainly be a one-way trip. Brother Spice Ginger's ruthlessness was famous, and it was precisely because of his ferocity that he got his nickname, Spice Ginger. "Young Master Lin, they're here." Suddenly, Wei Shan saw Che Xiaoxiao and her party slowly walking towards them. Lin Dong looked over, and when he saw Hao Jian by Che Xiaoxiao's side, his face instantly darkened: "Didn't expect that kid to be so ignorant, daring to show up in front of us after messing with our car." "Let's go over!" Lin Dong signaled, then led his people over. "Xiaoxiao, you brought your boyfriend again. What, do you plan on having him race against me tonight?" Although Lin Dong was smiling, his words made people feel uncomfortable. "That's right, unless you beat him, you don't qualify to race against me. But as a defeated underling who couldn't win against my Little Bumblebee with a supercar last time, what will you rely on to win this time?" Che Xiaoxiao retorted unceremoniously. Upon hearing this, Lin Dong's friends were all shocked. Although Lin Dong's driving skills weren't top three in the club, he was certainly within the top ten. How could he have lost! Lin Dong's expression stiffened, and raging anger flared up in his heart, but he still managed to control himself: "Since you've called for reinforcements, then I guess I can call for reinforcements, too, right? I wonder if Xiaoxiao, you recognize Liang Jiankun?" Lin Dong had anticipated that Che Xiaoxiao might bring Hao Jian, so how could he be unprepared? Upon hearing the name Liang Jiankun, Che Xiaoxiao's petite body immediately shuddered. This reaction didn't go unnoticed by Hao Jian, who whispered in Che Xiaoxiao's ear, "What, this Liang Jiankun is amazing?" Che Xiaoxiao nodded hastily, lowering her voice to say: "Liang Jiankun is known as the Qiuyun Mountain Car God; he once ran the Qiuyun Mountain track in sixteen minutes and fifty-three seconds, and no one has broken that record to this day." "Qiuyun Mountain Car God?" Hao Jian rolled his eyes. So Che Xiaoxiao's definition of amazing was just a local hoodlum, huh? Qiuyun Mountain Car God? Outside of Qiuyun Mountain, doesn't that mean he turns to a dog? What really caught Hao Jian's attention were world-class racers, and clearly, Liang Jiankun wasn't one of them. "So, are you scared? But now, it's a bit late to back out, huh." Seeing Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao whispering to each other, Lin Dong subconsciously thought they were scared and couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Scared? Do you think it's possible? We will defeat Liang Jiankun, just like we'll defeat you!" Che Xiaoxiao scoffed, then gently pushed Hao Jian, softly saying, "Don't you agree, dearest uncle?" Hao Jian looked at Lin Dong, "A local Car God, indeed, there's nothing to be afraid of." His words seemed like boasting to Lin Dong and his crew, but only he himself knew he was telling the truth. He indeed did not care about Liang Jiankun because he too was known as the Car God, but without the title Qiuyun Mountain. "Heh, quite the boast. Then if you lose, how about you give me that woman beside you?" Lin Dong snickered, then pointed at Yuan Shanshan. From the moment Yuan Shanshan appeared, he had noticed her, instantly awestruck by her beauty, making the women around him seem dull. If he could get Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao and then have a threesome tonight, how exhilarating that would be! Upon hearing this, Yuan Shanshan's expression stiffened; she hadn't expected Lin Dong to suddenly drag her into this. "Lin Dong, have you no shame? She's just my friend; why are you dragging her into this?" Che Xiaoxiao angrily said, all too aware of the filthy thoughts running through Lin Dong's head. "Don't dare? If not, then let's forget about it," Lin Dong shrugged, not expecting them to agree. "Fine, it's on!" But at that moment, Hao Jian unexpectedly agreed outright. Chapter 53 Are You Hao Jian? "What, Hao Jian, are you crazy! Why would you use Shanshan as a bet?"Che Xiaoxiao's pretty face was filled with shock and anger; this was too much. What if they lost? Then wouldn't Yuan Shanshan suffer too? Yuan Shanshan looked at Hao Jian with astonishment, her eyes filled with disappointment and anger. "Trust me," Hao Jian turned around, looking at Yuan Shanshan with utter seriousness. In that moment, Yuan Shanshan felt as if she saw blazing fires of fury in Hao Jian's eyes, which frightened her into quickly bowing her head, her heart pounding fiercely. Unable to withstand such an intense gaze, she could only look away. "I... trust you," Yuan Shanshan hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose to trust Hao Jian. Not for any other reason, but for that firm and confident look in his eyes! Seeing Hao Jian getting cozy with Yuan Shanshan and Liang Jiankun, Lin Dong was burning with envy, wondering what was so great about this guy that he could charm such beautiful women. "Alright, since you've agreed, then this bet is officially in effect." "Hold on, you haven't said what your conditions will be if you lose," Hao Jian scoffed. Lin Dong inwardly swore, thinking how he could possibly lose, but still said, "If I lose, then this Lamborghini is yours!" That Lamborghini of Lin Dong's was worth at least ten million; the stakes he was offering were incredibly tempting. Of course, the reason Lin Dong dared to make such an offer was not because he was really that generous, but because he believed Hao Jian couldn't possibly beat Liang Jiankun. "Then please, everyone, be my witness and don't let anyone back out later," Hao Jian told the crowd. "You think you've won?" Lin Dong, seeing Hao Jian so full of confidence, was particularly annoyed. "No, I just know I won't lose," Hao Jian said very arrogantly, but his arrogance stemmed from confidence. "We'll see about that. When your girl is in my arms later, you better not cry," Lin Dong huffed. "Lin Dong, you're not that great, but you sure have a sharp tongue, don't you?" Che Xiaoxiao immediately retaliated. Lin Dong snorted coldly and then left without further ado, taking his people with him. It was then that Che Xiaoxiao seriously said to Hao Jian: "Uncle, tell me you're completely confident you can win this race, otherwise, I might just have to slaughter you." Yuan Shanshan was her only friend, and Che Xiaoxiao absolutely did not want to see Yuan Shanshan become Lin Dong's plaything. Yuan Shanshan's expression was also somewhat unnatural. To be honest, she too hoped Hao Jian could provide a clear answer. Hao Jian asked her to trust him, but trust always had to be built on some foundation. "Don't worry, even if we can't win, can't we still run away?" Hao Jian chuckled, it's an era where credit held little value anymore. And for someone like Lin Dong, was there really a need to keep one's word? "You mean... cheat?" Yuan Shanshan was absorbed in thought, stunned. After all this, Hao Jian was planning on this? And he still wanted her to trust him? Yuan Shanshan really wanted to swear now, was she just too kindhearted? Che Xiaoxiao nodded, not opposed to the idea at all since she often did the same¡ªfight if you can win, run if you can't. She wasn't concerned about losing face. It was just like this time when she and Lin Dong made a bet, and if she lost, she would become his girlfriend. In fact, Che Xiaoxiao had already planned it out, if she lost, she would just turn around and run away, disappearing forever, as if she would marry Lin Dong¡ªno way! "Relax, I can't say I'm 100% sure, but I definitely have a 99% chance," Hao Jian explained with a smile, signaling Yuan Shanshan not to worry. "Don't take it lightly. Liang Jiankun is our local Car God, he has competed against top professional players and even won." Che Xiaoxiao reminded him, knowing full well that Liang Jiankun was no ordinary competitor. "Don't worry, I'll crush him!" Hao Jian laughed foolishly. Just as Hao Jian said this, a red Ferrari slowly drove into the arena and then came to a steady stop in front of Lin Dong and others. Then, a man dressed in casual wear and a glamorously dressed woman got out. The man was wearing a cartoon T-shirt and jeans, but even so, it was designer wear, a subtle kind of luxury. He held a cell phone in his hand, his face expressionless, appearing arrogant, and because he was handsome, he immediately caught everyone's attention, making many women go crazy for him. "Is that Liang Jiankun? He's so handsome," a woman said dreamily, feeling her legs trembling. "Forget it, Liang Jiankun wouldn't go for women like us," her companion bluntly discouraged her. "Why not? I'm so beautiful." said the woman, puffing out her chest. "Haha, for Liang Jiankun, it takes more than just beauty," the latter sneered: "See that woman by his side? The Lin Family's heiress. She's just his toy, do you think you can win her over?" The people they were discussing were naturally Liang Jiankun and Lin Dong's sister, Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao was also pretty, not top-tier, but definitely exquisite. Her dressing and demeanor were very tasteful, not exaggerated, but rather elegant and dignified, making her instantly recognizable as a dame from a distinguished family. But Liang Jiankun did not go to hold her hand or open the car door for her after getting out, showing a bit of coldness, clearly not truly treating her as his girlfriend. "Brother-in-law." Lin Dong quickly walked over and then called out to Liang Jiankun. Stay tuned to empire But at that moment, Liang Jiankun furrowed his brows, showing displeasure. Because he did not truly regard Lin Xiao as his girlfriend, and with Lin Dong now calling him brother-in-law, it made him feel uncomfortable, as if Lin Dong was deliberately trying to cling to him. Lin Xiao also noticed Liang Jiankun's look and immediately glared at Lin Dong. Lin Dong immediately realized he had said something wrong and quickly lowered his head, breaking out in a cold sweat. Luckily, Liang Jiankun did not dwell on it and spoke indifferently, "Where's the kid?" "Right there." Lin Dong quickly pointed to where Hao Jian and his two companions were, his face immediately clouding over. Liang Jiankun glanced at Hao Jian and the others, but his eyes did not linger on Che Xiaoxiao and Yuan Shanshan even once, which was enough to show that Liang Jiankun was different from ordinary men. Then Liang Jiankun walked toward Hao Jian, but in that short distance of fifty meters, more than twenty people came up to greet Liang Jiankun, all quite obsequiously flattering him. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing this, the Lin siblings both felt very proud, only such a uniquely positioned man could be the center of attention. Meanwhile, Hao Jian was interacting with Che Xiaoxiao and the others. Seeing Liang Jiankun approaching, he also stopped. "Are you Hao Jian?" Liang Jiankun asked, raising an eyebrow. He was about the same height as Hao Jian, and like Hao Jian, had very fair skin, but unlike Hao Jian's sickly pale complexion, Liang Jiankun's was a delicate white, as if he were a living corpse. Chapter 54 Do You Like Men? Hao Jian raised his head and looked at Liang Jiankun, also feeling that the man before him was extraordinary. First and foremost, his aura overshadowed everyone else's, and even when speaking with this stranger, he did it with a proud, calm composure."That's right, I am." Hao Jian crossed his arms and did not reach out to shake hands with Liang Jiankun. Because he knew that for a man like Liang Jiankun, offering a handshake was ridiculous. Until you've gained his full attention, he is not going to shake hands with you. "I've heard that your driving skills are very impressive?" Liang Jiankun asked with curiosity. He too was eager for a match with a master. His appearance here today wasn't entirely to help Lin Dong; what was Lin Dong, that Liang Jiankun would step in for him? Even if Liang Jiankun had slept with his sister, so what? It was she who had approached him of her own accord. The reason he was here today was purely for his own amusement. "Not too bad, I'm a bit better than the 'Car God' of Qiuyun Mountain!" Hao Jian said directly. "You're asking for it!" At that moment, one of the young masters standing beside Liang Jiankun saw this and immediately got upset, looking ready to step in and vent Liang Jiankun's anger. Liang Jiankun waved his hand, signaling him to back off, and said without any trace of anger, "I heard you beat Lin Dong?" If Hao Jian could beat Lin Dong, then he was worth Liang Jiankun's attention. "That's right, and I can beat you too." Hao Jian still wore a calm expression, but to those familiar with Liang Jiankun's strength, this statement seemed like a joke. Explore hidden tales at empire They hadn't witnessed Hao Jian's capabilities, but they had seen Liang Jiankun's. "Then let's see the real deal with our cars," Liang Jiankun said expressionlessly. "I'll use a Ferrari, what will you use?" "This one right here," Hao Jian gestured with his mouth toward the car parked behind Liang Jiankun. When Liang Jiankun turned around and saw Che Xiaoxiao's yellow car covered in graffiti, his face instantly darkened. Then, turning back to Hao Jian, Liang Jiankun said, "Let me prepare a new car for you." Liang Jiankun did not want to be accused of bullying Hao Jian; he had his pride. "No need, the car is just a tool. The key lies in the skill of the user." Hao Jian waved his hand dismissively. Against an amateur racer like Liang Jiankun, such a car was already more than enough. "Trying to act cool, huh." Lin Dong sneered from behind the crowd, finding it ridiculous. Look at the user's skill? If you raced a van against a Ferrari, could you possibly win? The crowd nodded in agreement, not believing it. "Suit yourself then." Seeing Hao Jian repeatedly showing off, Liang Jiankun's expression was also turning unsightly. Half an hour later, a track had been cleared on Akina Mountain, and Hao Jian and Liang Jiankun were each seated in their cars. "Vroom, vroom." The cars continued to roar, sounding likes beasts ready to spring from their cages at any moment. In front of the two cars, a girl wearing only a bikini walked by, her figure explosive. Just then, amid the cheers of the spectators, she slowly took off her bra and said: "Ready!" Yuan Shanshan shyly lowered her head, not daring to watch the scene. "Go!" The underwear was thrown into the air, and just as it hit the ground, two steel beasts surged forward simultaneously, leaving trails of billowing dust behind. At the same time, a helicopter also took off to follow, capturing the race from above¡ªafter all, the members of the Supercar Club were wealthy individuals, so it was not at all surprising that they could obtain a helicopter. A minute after the race started, Liang Jiankun gradually increased the distance between himself and Hao Jian. There was indeed a significant gap between supercars and ordinary sedans. Sneering within his car, Liang Jiankun thought about just how stupid Hao Jian's words would seem now. Winning him over with such a ridiculous car? Possible? The crew on the plane also relayed the race situation to the spectator's area, and at that moment, Lin Dong burst into laughter, saying to Che Xiaoxiao: "Che Xiaoxiao, just wait to strip naked and have fun with me tonight." "It's only the first lap¡ªwhat are you so smug about?" Che Xiaoxiao's face was a sight of displeasure, but even though she said this, she actually had no confidence inside. To start off already so far behind, it would be too difficult to catch up later on. "Keep being stubborn now, but don't cry when you lose. You think you can run away? I've already arranged for people to be here. The moment you lose, I'll take you away immediately," Lin Dong cackled ominously. How could he not know how crafty Che Xiaoxiao was? He didn't believe for a second that this girl would go with him willingly. With that, Che Xiaoxiao was truly left with no way out. She lowered her voice and shouted into the radio at Hao Jian: S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hao Jian, what the hell are you doing?" Hearing Che Xiaoxiao's anxious voice, Hao Jian knew that the girl was in a panic. He could not help but chuckle inside, finding it amusing to play tricks on her. "Xiaoxiao, I'm sorry, this guy's driving skills are too good, I... I think I'm going to lose," Hao Jian said apologetically. "What? Then why were you so full of it earlier, saying you could definitely beat him?" Che Xiaoxiao felt a chill in her heart and cursed Hao Jian for being unreliable. This was bad. "I didn't expect this guy to be so tough. I'm totally outclassed by him, no comparison at all," Hao Jian pretended to be distraught, but internally he was ecstatic. "What am I supposed to do then?" Che Xiaoxiao felt like crying. Hao Jian's words were as good as selling her and Yuan Shanshan out. "How about I negotiate with Lin Dong to go with him instead of you and Yuan Shanshan?" Hao Jian struggled to suppress his laughter as he asked. "That's nonsense¡ª he's not into men!" Che Xiaoxiao couldn't help raising her voice a few notches. From a distance, Lin Dong was somewhat taken aback. Were they talking about him? "Then I'm out of options," Hao Jian said with apparent regret, his tone indicating he planned to wash his hands of the matter. "You bastard, you..." Che Xiaoxiao wanted to curse out loud, but Hao Jian had already turned off the radio. "What did Hao Jian say?" Yuan Shanshan, seeing Che Xiaoxiao's expression change, couldn't help but ask anxiously. "He said he can't win against Liang Jiankun, that we should fend for ourselves." Che Xiaoxiao was seething with anger. She hadn't expected him to be that kind of person, unreliable at the crucial moment; she had really misjudged him. "What? That doesn't sound like him at all," Yuan Shanshan was equally shocked. Hao Jian didn't seem like the type to abandon them, otherwise, he wouldn't have helped her like he had before. Che Xiaoxiao snorted: "Appearances can be deceiving. I never thought he was that kind of person either." Seemingly noticing the upset expressions of Che Xiaoxiao and Yuan Shanshan, Lin Dong laughed even more contemptuously: "What's the matter, did that fool call? Has he realized that he's no match for Young Master Liang and started chickening out?" "Lin Dong, let me ask you a question," Che Xiaoxiao fixed her gaze on Lin Dong. "What question? If you want to ask if the bet from earlier can be canceled, don't even bother¡ªthe answer is no!" "No, I was wondering if you like men?" "..." Chapter 55 He and I Are Not on the Same Level! At this time, Hao Jian sat leisurely in Che Xiaoxiao's Little Bumblebee, puffing on a cigarette. He watched as Liang Jiankun's car slowly disappeared from his line of sight but didn't seem the least bit tense.He admitted that Liang Jiankun's driving skills were indeed good, his drifting and cornering were well executed. But that was just it, merely good. "Looks like it's time to get serious. I've let you lead for so long, can't be considered bullying you now, right?" Hao Jian chuckled, flicked the cigarette butt out of the car, and his face suddenly took on a determined look. "Ka!" With the throttle floored, the gear stick slammed into place, and the steering wheel turning wildly, the car began to stir restlessly, transforming into a yellow lightning bolt that burst out and dove into the curve. Then, the drifting started, but it wasn't just any kind of drifting¡ªit was the triple drift! His car's tail swung around like a dragon's tail sweep; with each swing, he swiftly navigated a bend, clearing the kilometers-long series of bends in merely three seconds, which meant one second per bend! "This is the triple drift! There are no more than a hundred people in the whole world who can perform this technique!" sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Aboard the plane, the professional driver who was recording exclaimed in surprise and relayed the scene to the spectators. "Triple drift? Does such a thing really exist?" "That kid can do a triple drift, really?" "So what if he can do a triple drift; Liang Jiankun already has a two-kilometer lead. Can he catch up?" The spectators all began to discuss, all surprised that Hao Jian could perform a triple drift. But even so, they still weren't optimistic about Hao Jian's chances because Liang Jiankun was too far ahead, and it seemed nearly impossible for him to catch up before the checkpoint. The expression on Lin Dong's face also didn't look very good at this point, undoubtedly because Hao Jian had stolen Liang Jiankun's thunder. However, he didn't think Hao Jian had a chance to win; at most, this was just a last-ditch struggle. At this time, Yuan Shanshan let out a sigh of relief and said, "Could it be that Hao Jian was just toying with you?" "That, I'm not so sure," Che Xiaoxiao said with a bitter smile. But looking at it now, there seemed an eighty percent chance of that. Liang Jiankun had thought he was sure to win, so he relaxed as he drove, maintaining a steady speed without hurry. At the same time, he couldn't help but smirk contemptuously to himself, thinking how big a talk from a loser, truly ridiculous. But at that moment, he suddenly saw a flash of light in the rearview mirror. Liang Jiankun glanced at the mirror and immediately saw the comical Little Bumblebee appear behind him! Explore more at empire "How is this possible!" Liang Jiankun was shocked, unable to believe it was true. He had left Hao Jian far behind; how did he catch up? After that, Liang Jiankun's eyes were clouded with a combative spirit as he floored the gas pedal, determined to leave Hao Jian behind once again. But he soon realized that it was futile. No matter how he changed his actions and speed, the other stayed on his tail like a ghost, maintaining a consistent distance. Liang Jiankun began to feel increasingly uneasy, but he knew he absolutely could not lose, otherwise he would lose all his face! So Liang Jiankun no longer thought about shaking off Hao Jian; instead, he used his car to block Hao Jian's, not giving him a chance to overtake. As long as he could keep blocking him, preventing him from overtaking, Hao Jian would have to remain behind him until the race ended. At this point, Liang Jiankun finally began to take Hao Jian seriously because this was the first man who made him feel flustered. Hao Jian too noticed Liang Jiankun's intentions, and a slight sneer appeared on his face: "You think you can win against me like this? How naive!" Then, Little Bumblebee began to emit a series of provocative roars, as if to tell Liang Jiankun that it planned to overtake on the next bend. "Dream on if you think you can overtake me!" Liang Jiankun sneered, confident in his drifting skills; he was convinced that Hao Jian couldn't possibly overtake him in the process. But once the two cars entered the bend, Liang Jiankun's pride was shattered. Hao Jian's Little Bumblebee appeared out of nowhere, skimming past the cliff's edge, a sight that was alarmingly dangerous. One of its wheels was already spinning in midair, yet with such a perilous drift, Hao Jian whisked past Liang Jiankun's car, successfully overtaking him. In the moment of overtaking, Liang Jiankun saw Hao Jian in the car smiling at him, his mouth moving slightly! Though he couldn't hear his voice, Liang Jiankun could make out from his lip movements that he was saying, "You're not in my league!" "Bastard!" Liang Jiankun immediately flew into a rage, slamming on the gas pedal, aiming for Hao Jian's Little Bumblebee. The Little Bumblebee hadn't completely overtaken him yet, its rear end tantalizingly in front of him. He intended to ram Hao Jian right off the cliff; after all, with his status, killing someone wasn't a big deal. But Hao Jian was no pushover. As soon as he saw Liang Jiankun's eyes filled with malice, he guessed Liang Jiankun's intentions. Pressing on the accelerator to speed up, Little Bumblebee whisked right past the front of Liang Jiankun's car! Now Liang Jiankun was in trouble. The sudden surge forward nearly sent his car over the cliff, leaving him sweating profusely. When Liang Jiankun looked at Hao Jian again, he saw Hao Jian gesturing a middle finger at him, then the car sped away. "You asshole, I'll slaughter you!" Liang Jiankun angrily slammed the steering wheel, and the car let out a piercing screech. When Hao Jian appeared before everyone in the car, everyone was stunned. They all knew that Hao Jian had overtaken Liang Jiankun's car in the final stretch and left him far behind, making for quite a dramatic scene. They had all thought that Hao Jian was sure to lose to Liang Jiankun, but who could have anticipated this dramatic turn of events. "We won, whoo!" At this moment, Che Xiaoxiao and Yuan Shanshan cheered together, embracing each other. But at this time, only the two of them were cheering; the rest hadn't recovered from their shock, hence their gaze at Hao Jian was somewhat blank. Who would have thought that their undefeated war god would one day be beaten by an unknown youngster? Right now, they were all speculating about Hao Jian's identity: who exactly was he? A world-class racer? Regardless of who he was, one thing was certain today: the title of Akina Mountain's Car God was about to change hands! "Uncle, you jerk, how could you deceive me!" Che Xiaoxiao walked up briskly, then punched Hao Jian in the chest, though it was more playful than painful. "How did I deceive you?" "You just said that you weren't in the same league as Liang Jiankun, that there's no comparison, that you'd lose." "Indeed, he's not in my league; how can he compare to me?" Hao Jian nodded very seriously. "Shameless!" Che Xiaoxiao muttered the words. Chapter 56 is mine! Seeing Hao Jian win, Lin Dong's entire face turned green!He hadn't expected Liang Jiankun to lose, and now that the bet had been placed and Hao Jian won, didn't that mean he had to deliver his car with his own hands? Lin Dong couldn't bear it, as it was his favorite car and a limited global edition; if he gave it away, he could never buy another one. Meanwhile, Wei Shan also sneered, secretly giving Hao Jian a thumbs up in his mind. Arrogant? Thought that clinging to Liang Jiankun was impressive? In the end, didn't you still lose? "Lin Dong, a bet is a bet, you should fulfill your promise," At this moment, Che Xiaoxiao and the others had already come over, demanding their spoils of war from Lin Dong. Che Xiaoxiao looked coldly at Lin Dong, saying, "If you wanted my body, it looks like you'll have to wait for another lifetime." Lin Dong glared fiercely at Che Xiaoxiao, "Liang Jiankun hasn't come back yet, how do I know if you really won?" "That's just nonsense. Whether Liang Jiankun comes back or not, I was the first one here, so that means I won. What, can't you accept your loss? Planning to renege?" Hao Jian immediately retorted coldly, seeing that Lin Dong was intentionally trying to renege. "Oh oh oh." A chorus of boos immediately erupted from the crowd; they all knew about the bet between Hao Jian and Lin Dong, and seeing Lin Dong renege disgusted them. In the Supercar Club, there were many instances of using sports cars as stakes, but everyone honored their bets because they all had their pride and wanted to continue mixing in this circle, even if it cost them money. And Lin Dong, on the other hand, simply abandoned all shame. "Renege? So what if I renege? I've put up with you for a long time, you little pretty boy! Constantly screwing up my good deeds, today you're not walking out of here alive!" Lin Dong snapped, his expression vicious. "Brother Spice Ginger, help me take him down!" Lin Dong pointed at Hao Jian. Then, Brother Spice Ginger walked over with a dozen followers, who encircled Hao Jian with cleavers in hand. "Lin Dong, you are shameless!" Seeing this scene, Che Xiaoxiao was furious. She couldn't believe that Lin Dong could be so shameless as to resort to killing upon losing. "That's right, I am shameless, so what?" Seeing Che Xiaoxiao angry, Lin Dong was even more smug: "Che Xiaoxiao, I'm telling you, you have to obey today whether you like it or not!" "You..." Che Xiaoxiao was extremely frustrated, but there was nothing she could do. She hung her head, her teeth gritted, and after hesitating for a moment suddenly lifted her head: "I'll spend a night with you, just let my two friends go." "Xiaoxiao, you can't do this!" Yuan Shanshan grabbed Che Xiaoxiao anxiously; Che Xiaoxiao was planning to sacrifice herself. Che Xiaoxiao had no choice; it was she who had asked Hao Jian to race, and if not for her, Hao Jian would not have offended Lin Dong, nor would he have attracted this deadly danger. Che Xiaoxiao believed she should not let Hao Jian suffer because of her own mistake. "Che Xiaoxiao, do you think you still have the right to negotiate with me?" Lin Dong sneered, knowing that even if he didn't accept Che Xiaoxiao's offer, Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan couldn't escape anyway. With that being the case, why should he bother negotiating with Che Xiaoxiao? "Lin Dong, don't go too far!" Che Xiaoxiao hated him deeply; she had never realized before that Lin Dong could be such a shameless person. "Che Xiaoxiao, it's not that I never gave you a chance. I pursued you so many times, but you never agreed. Now, it's too late!" Lin Dong said mockingly, deliberately adopting a triumphant look. Che Xiaoxiao clenched her teeth in anger, yet she could do nothing at all. At that moment, Hao Jian pulled Che Xiaoxiao back, smiling, "When men are here, there's no need for women to act tough, understand?" "But I was worried about you," Che Xiaoxiao said softly. "Leave it to me," Hao Jian patted Che Xiaoxiao on the shoulder, then stepped forward. "Kid, thinking of begging for mercy now? Too late, isn't it?" Lin Dong scornfully jeered. He glanced indifferently at Lin Dong, not bothering to engage him, this scum wasn't even worth talking to. This act thoroughly enraged Lin Dong, whose eyes burned with hatred, vowing to make Hao Jian wish he were dead! Hao Jian looked at Brother Spice Ginger, calmly stating, "You take your men and leave now, I'll act as if nothing happened, how about that?" "What?" Brother Spice Ginger thought he had misheard, what was this guy saying? Everyone else also looked perplexed; did this kid have a screw loose? Che Xiaoxiao covered her face and sighed, unsure whether to call him brave or suicidal. "Kid, are you out of your mind? Didn't you see we have more men than you?" Lin Dong was speechless, where did Hao Jian get the courage to say that? It was as if he was sure he'd win. "Having more people doesn't mean you can be fierce, you are not my match," Hao Jian shook his head, speaking the truth. He didn't want to fight; all he wanted was a peaceful life, so he was sincerely advising Brother Spice Ginger and his men. But to them, it sounded like a provocation. "Slash him!" Brother Spice Ginger waved his hand impatiently. The underlings quickly surrounded him, no words wasted; clubs and knives came crashing down. Hao Jian pushed Che Xiaoxiao and Yuan Shanshan behind him, then charged forward. "Hao Jian!" Yuan Shanshan cried out in panic. "Call the police!" Che Xiaoxiao cried anxiously, so many were attacking Hao Jian, he was surely doomed. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Thinking how her troubles had caused Hao Jian to be in this situation, Che Xiaoxiao felt very guilty. Frightened, Yuan Shanshan quickly grabbed her cellphone to make a call, her body trembling visibly. "Call the police?" Lin Dong raised an eyebrow and kicked Yuan Shanshan's cellphone away. "You..." Che Xiaoxiao looked at Lin Dong, her eyes filled with resentment. If it weren't for Lin Dong, they wouldn't have ended up like this. "Nice look, but I wonder if you can still glare at me like that once you get to bed," Lin Dong laughed heartily. "What's so funny? Share the joke with me," suddenly, a voice sounded behind Lin Dong. "Do you even need to ask? It's because that kid is going to die," Lin Dong replied subconsciously. Soon Lin Dong realized something was wrong, rapidly turned around, and saw Hao Jian standing behind him, a smile on his face: "The kid you're talking about, that would be me, right?" "You..." Lin Dong's eyes frozen, then he sharply inhaled, seeing Brother Spice Ginger and about a dozen others all beaten and lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Not just him, even Che Xiaoxiao and Yuan Shanshan were stunned! It hadn't been long, less than two minutes, and Hao Jian had taken down everyone? Was this guy a monster? At that moment, the scene was deathly silent, everyone unable to recover from the shock. They saw Hao Jian charge into the crowd like a whirlwind, then saw those lying on the ground groaning, they didn't even see what had happened. Chapter 57 Curing in Vain! "You want to kill me, so what kind of payback do you expect from me?" Hao Jian scratched his head, appearing somewhat troubled."Kid, I warn you not to mess around. My boyfriend is Liang Jiankun. Do you know who Liang Jiankun is?" Lin Xiao immediately threatened, her attitude brazen, as she wouldn't possibly let Hao Jian harm her brother. "Liang Jiankun? Are you talking about that trash who was defeated by me?" Hao Jian thought for a moment before responding like this. Everyone had a dark line on their forehead, probably only this ignorant fool would dare to speak of Liang Jiankun in such a manner, right? "You." Lin Xiao's face turned green with anger, having never encountered such an arrogant kid before. Suddenly, everyone heard the roar of a car; it turned out Liang Jiankun had returned. Once he got out of the car, his face was so gloomy that it was frightening. "Jiankun, he's going to hit my brother, come quickly." Lin Xiao immediately shouted at Liang Jiankun, now only he could save her brother. Seeing Liang Jiankun appear, Lin Dong also breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately, like a petty person celebrating too soon, he looked provocatively at Hao Jian. Liang Jiankun walked straight over, looking down at Hao Jian from above: "Don't touch him." That sentence directly clarified Liang Jiankun's stance. No matter what, Lin Xiao was his woman, and it wouldn't look good on his face if his younger brother was beaten up in front of him. He admitted that Hao Jian's driving skills were indeed good, but so what? In real life, he didn't necessarily have to be his match. Liang Jiankun had previously lost to Hao Jian and was not in a good mood, and naturally, he would not give Hao Jian face this time. But Hao Jian didn't give a damn about him, and mocked, "You tell me not to move my hand, and I should just obey? What exactly do you count for?" "You dare speak to me like this?" Liang Jiankun glared, as it was the first time someone dared to defy him in his life. "I'm fucking amazed, how can this world be full of so many self-righteous people? Why shouldn't I dare speak to you like this? Are you my son, or my grandson?" Hao Jian brazenly retorted. "Pfft." Che Xiaoxiao was amused by Hao Jian's shameless behavior¡ªit was an indirect way of taking advantage of someone, wasn't it? "If you dare touch him, I'll make sure you die in Hua City!" Liang Jiankun threatened directly, no longer bothering to talk nonsense. "Bang!" However, Hao Jian didn't hesitate, and swiftly kicked out, aiming at Lin Dong's groin. Lin Dong instantly bent over like a cooked shrimp, his face instantly turning pale, morphing into a strange shade of green. Then, everyone saw blood seeping from his lower body, obviously, Hao Jian's kick had robbed him of his manhood forever. Lin Dong couldn't utter a word and could only emit strange groans, crawling on the ground like a dog. "I moved, now come and make me die," Hao Jian said calmly, looking at Liang Jiankun. Liang Jiankun looked at Hao Jian, his face now clearly displaying rage¡ªHao Jian had managed to anger a man who rarely did. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You dare to hit my brother? I'm going to kill you!" Lin Xiao lunged at him, claws bared, ready to strike. "Slap!" Hao Jian responded with a slap, sending her reeling back. Lin Xiao, clutching her swollen right cheek, was dazed and stumbled, then suddenly fell to her knees in front of Liang Jiankun, looking rather ridiculous. "You should spend more time teaching your brother how to behave instead of blaming me for hitting him," Hao Jian snorted coldly. Liang Jiankun's face turned extremely sour. It was bad enough that Hao Jian had hit his woman's brother, but hitting his woman as well was no different from slapping him in the face. "You're playing with fire," Liang Jiankun said hoarsely. "Don't overestimate yourself. Maybe you think you're a tough dish, but to me, you're nothing," Hao Jian mocked. He really didn't take Liang Jiankun seriously at all¡ªhe had killed countless people, and had dealt with all kinds of them. Liang Jiankun was naturally not an exception. "Very well," Liang Jiankun said thrice, not lingering at the scene any longer. Instead, he turned, got into his car, and drove away, not even bothering with Lin Xiao. For someone of Liang Jiankun's status, it was unthinkable to brawl on the streets. Plus, he knew he couldn't necessarily beat Hao Jian, so now he was going home, and then would send people to kill Hao Jian. As for Lin Xiao, she was just a plaything to him, and now, having caused him such humiliation, how could he possibly want her anymore? "This kid has managed to drive Liang Jiankun away, now he's in real trouble, Liang Jiankun won't rest until he's dead," the onlookers thought. "What an ignorant fool, thinking that one can provoke just anyone? Hua City is the Liang Family's territory." The crowd was abuzz, certain Hao Jian was as good as dead. Now Liang Jiankun would surely mobilize all the family's resources against Hao Jian. For these people of wealth and prestige, nothing was more important than saving face, and today Liang Jiankun had been utterly disgraced. "Someone, please call an ambulance for me, save my brother. I'm begging you!" Lin Xiao was crying and shouting miserably, looking pitiful, but no one felt sorry for her because Lin Dong had brought this on himself. Hao Jian looked at the listless Lin Dong: "You wanted to kill me, so now that I've crippled you, you've got nothing to complain about, right?" Lin Dong did not respond, his expression blank, as he was obviously in so much pain that he couldn't feel anything, looking like a soulless husk. "Even if healed, it's a waste of effort." Hao Jian clicked his tongue twice and walked away. Chapter 58 What is that? "Damn bad luck, I didn't expect Lin Dong to be such a loser. He lost and then acted shamelessly. Now the car and the money are both gone."Xiaoxiao muttered, without having transferred ownership, that car wasn't hers. "But at least he's ruined, right? If he could choose again, I bet he'd opt to give up the car and the money," Hao Jian teased, but there are no ifs. "Yeah, he likes women so much, it must be killing him. He'll probably only be able to fantasize about women and sex for the rest of his life." Xiaoxiao burst into laughter, then looked at Hao Jian with adoring eyes: "Uncle, you are so amazing, managing to defeat Liang Jiankun. Why not teach me how to race?" "No teaching," Hao Jian shook his head like a rattle drum. "Why?" Xiaoxiao's face fell, and she asked unhappily. "Because it's not safe. The thrill of speed might feel great, but it's also deadly," Hao Jian earnestly explained. Although his driving skills were excellent, he didn't like racing. It's like having great kung fu but still fearing kitchen knives; even with great driving skills, accidents could happen. Those world-class racers never dare claim they'll never have an accident. Xiaoxiao is still young, she likes the thrill, and Hao Jian could understand that, but he didn't plan on contributing to her recklessness. Kids like to show off. Once he taught her, she would definitely mess around. Eventually, showing off could lead to her showing off to death. "I'll just learn, not use, okay?" Xiaoxiao pleaded as she grabbed Hao Jian's hand, pressing it against her chest, cooing continuously. "Dream on, you don't have much there. No matter how much you squeeze, you can't create a cleavage," Hao Jian said bluntly, as he was not fond of little girls; he preferred them curvy. "You bastard!" Xiaoxiao was furious, shocked that he would speak to her like that. "Let me tell you, what you're saying is like saying a dog won't shit. If you learn and never use, then why learn at all?" Hao Jian, a mature man, wouldn't be deceived by this girl. "You dare call me a dog, I'll fight you!" Xiaoxiao exploded in rage, charging at Hao Jian with her fists, but Hao Jian simply held her head with one hand, stopping her from making any further move. "Don't come any closer, or I'll have to hit you," Hao Jian threatened. You think I'm HELLO KITTY when I'm not acting tough? "Xiaoxiao, I also think Hao Jian has a point. Why would a girl spend all her time learning this?" Yuan Shanshan agreed with Hao Jian's approach. "It's a hobby. Doesn't everyone have their own hobbies? Uncle, please teach me," Xiaoxiao pleaded. "Okay, but you'll have to pay tuition. I won't ask for much, just thirty thousand a month," Hao Jian demanded grandly. "Thirty thousand? Why don't you go rob someone?" Xiaoxiao immediately became angry. She couldn't possibly have that much money, and even with her miserly traits, she wouldn't necessarily give it to Hao Jian. "If you won't pay, forget it," Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, not insisting since he wouldn't be the one losing out. "Let's talk about the money later. What about having offended Liang Jiankun? What will you do about it?" Yuan Shanshan asked worriedly. "Yeah, Liang Jiankun is no ordinary person," Xiaoxiao also sobered up and voiced her concerns. In this circle, Xiaoxiao naturally knew who Liang Jiankun was. After being humiliated by Hao Jian today, he would surely seek revenge. "Don't worry, I have it all figured out," Hao Jian waved his hand, indicating he had no problems. Just as he had said before, Liang Jiankun might seem a big deal to others, but to him, he was nothing. "Come on, I'll drive you guys home," Hao Jian started the car, preparing to take Yuan Shanshan and Xiaoxiao home. By the time he returned home, it was already the middle of the night, and Shu Ya was still awake because she was waiting for Hao Jian to come back. She really had no right to question Hao Jian's nightlife, but for some reason, it made her uncomfortable. How could he think about going out when he had such a beauty like her by his side? Sitting on the sofa in her pink pajamas, Shu Ya saw Hao Jian return and immediately snapped, "Where have you been?" "The salon!" Hao Jian replied irritably, obviously holding a grudge about Shu Ya defending someone else earlier. "To the salon? Did you go see a prostitute?" Shu Ya asked with a weird expression, looking down on Hao Jian. "What, is that not allowed? I have to take care of my needs, don't I?" Hao Jian responded angrily. You won't let me sleep with you, but you won't let me sleep with someone else? "You can't use masturbation?" Shu Ya became increasingly furious, but her voice got quieter toward the end. Discussing this matter in front of Hao Jian embarrassed her. "What's that, huh?" Hao Jian pretended not to understand, finding it quite amusing that this woman was discussing self-relief with him. "You... You jerk!" Seeing the mocking look in Hao Jian's eyes, Shu Ya immediately realized he was teasing her. "I didn't say anything, oh." Hao Jian said with a naughty smile, raising his hands in surrender. "Just don't go again!" Continue your journey on empire Shu Ya said angrily, although she didn't know why she was angry. She just felt uncomfortable seeing this guy flirting around outside. "Alright, alright, I won't go," Hao Jian said nonchalantly, but then noticed a cigarette butt in the ashtray and frowned deeply: "Has someone been here?" At these words, Shu Ya's expression turned rather gloomy. Seeing her like that, Hao Jian was startled: "Damn, you wouldn't be stopping me from seeing other women while you're cheating on me, would you?" "You're going to die!" Shu Ya pinched Hao Jian's arm furiously. How dare he say that about her. "Ow, ow, ow, ow." Hao Jian cried out in pain. Only then did Shu Ya let go of his arm, saying fiercely, "It was my dad who came." "Your dad? What did he come for?" Hao Jian was secretly shocked; Shu Ya and her father hardly ever saw each other. His sudden visit was definitely not a good sign. "I'm tired, I'm going to rest now." Shu Ya clearly did not want to talk about it anymore, looking exhausted as she walked toward her room. Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders and did not press further. . After his shower, Hao Jian went to help Sister Lan change a lightbulb, having been delayed by some matters earlier, only finding time today. Hao Jian knocked on the door, and then Sister Lan came to open it. At that moment, Hao Jian saw that the room was pitch-dark, and Sister Lan was actually using a candle. Seeing this, Hao Jian felt somewhat guilty; if he had come earlier, they wouldn't have had to endure this. Indeed, it was really inconvenient not having a man in the house. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 59! "Why don't you buy a light tube and let the owner install it for you? That way, you wouldn't have to grope around in the dark," Hao Jian curiously asked Sister Lan. Usually, when you buy a light tube from a small store and pay a little extra, the shop owner will help you install it."We have good light tubes at home, don't want to waste them," Sister Lan explained with a slight smile, as she was used to economizing and avoiding wastefulness. Hao Jian just smiled and didn't say anything more. What could he do when Sister Lan was such a good wife and mother? Hao Jian found the light tubes then climbed up the iron ladder to install them. During this time, Sister Lan considerately held the ladder for him to prevent any falls. However, watching Hao Jian diligently installing the light tube, Sister Lan seemed a bit mesmerized, thinking that a man was indeed needed at home. Read new adventures at empire "Done." Soon, Hao Jian had installed the light tube and climbed down from the ladder, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Uncle is so awesome!" Tongtong exclaimed happily. Now she wouldn't have to do her homework in the dark anymore. "It's brother," Hao Jian corrected with a dark expression. "It's uncle," Tongtong stubbornly insisted. "Little brat, really unpleasant," Hao Jian grumbled, frowning. "Hehe," Tongtong giggled, seeming very happy to see Hao Jian annoyed. "Your clothes got dirty, go take a shower," Sister Lan suggested, noticing the dust all over Hao Jian's clothes. It was from installing the light tube, but Hao Jian seemed indifferent: "No need, I'll wash when I get home." "The hot water supply in this building runs until 2 a.m., and it's already out," Sister Lan reminded him. This meant there was no hot water now, except in her home. Hao Jian glanced at his watch and said with a smile, "That might be a bit inconvenient, right?" "What's inconvenient about it, stop talking nonsense." Sister Lan directly pushed Hao Jian into the bathroom, saying, "I'll go get my husband's clothes for you. You won't mind, right? I bought him several outfits he's never worn!" Sister Lan was clearly worried Hao Jian might mind, and her tone was slightly cautious. "I don't mind! Thanks, Sister Lan!" Hao Jian gave a wry smile, then stripped off his clothes and stepped into the bathtub to shower. "Hao Jian, I'm coming in now," Sister Lan announced, pushing the door open and placing the clothes on top of the washing machine. She had planned to leave immediately after putting down the clothes, but suddenly, a sight caught her eye. Through the semi-transparent curtain, a vigorous figure appeared before her! Hao Jian was extremely well-built and muscular, the kind whose physique looked sculpted when undressed and slim when dressed. Especially his sharply defined muscles, surely on par with top male models! Sister Lan had never seriously sized him up before, but for some reason today, she began to take notice. She watched as the water streamed over Hao Jian's robust chest muscles, also eyeing the striking curves of his eight-pack abdominals. "This guy's physique is really impressive. He used to sneak peeks at me bathing. Now it's my turn to sneak a peek, it¡­. it should be okay, right?" Sister Lan thought to herself, her face flushing deeply as she involuntarily swallowed and scrutinized him even more intently, her breathing becoming more rapid. "Sister Lan, do you need anything else?" At that moment, Hao Jian sensed something was off, as it seemed Sister Lan hadn't left. "Oh, no, nothing. I'm leaving now. Take your time, no rush," Sister Lan replied. Sister Lan suddenly snapped back to reality, and like she was fleeing, rushed out of the bathroom, then closed the door behind her. She leaned against the door, her palms already covered in cold sweat, her cheeks flushed red. What was happening to her, why did she suddenly behave like this, almost like a hungry succubus, just short of drooling. After bathing, Hao Jian pushed the door open and walked out, now wearing the clothes of Sister Lan's deceased husband. Logically, wearing the clothes of a deceased person is considered unlucky, but since these clothes were never worn after they were bought, Sister Lan thought it shouldn't matter. Sister Lan's husband had died in a car accident, leaving her and their daughter alone. At that time, Sister Lan was just a housewife and had to take on the burden of supporting the family, sustaining her daughter. Fortunately, her husband had left them a house, albeit a bit rundown, but it was still a means of survival. By now, Sister Lan had calmed down, holding Tongtong while watching TV. "Sister Lan, I'm done washing," Hao Jian said as he walked over. Tongtong and Sister Lan, hearing this, turned their heads to look! However, at this sight, both mother and daughter trembled violently, their expressions became completely blank, looking as if they had seen a ghost. "What's wrong?" Hao Jian scratched his head, knowing he was quite handsome, and even exceptionally so, but that shouldn't shock the mother and daughter to this extent! Sister Lan didn't speak, just kept crying continuously. Tongtong also had tear-filled eyes, pointing at Hao Jian, her voice choked, "Daddy..." "What?" Hao Jian was terrified, his guts nearly failing him, as he hurriedly looked around, thinking that Sister Lan's husband had appeared, angry to see him wearing his clothes, and had come to trouble him. Then he suddenly realized, Sister Lan and her daughter were crying because they saw him wearing her husband's (dad's) clothes, stirring up their feelings of remembrance. It must be said, Sister Lan's husband had a physique quite similar to Hao Jian's, both looking so thin, and now Hao Jian wearing the man's clothes was essentially adopting his style. At first glance, it immediately gave the mother and daughter the illusion that their husband (father) had come back. At that point, Sister Lan and Tongtong both began to weep, staring blankly at Hao Jian, speechless. This emotional turmoil would take time to settle, as Hao Jian had stirred up the pain buried in their hearts. "I... I'm so sorry..." Hao Jian sighed, had he known this would happen, he would never have agreed to take a bath at Sister Lan's place; now, he had ended up making both women cry. This merely showed Hao Jian bore a striking resemblance to Sister Lan's husband, otherwise, no matter how much he wore the man's clothes, he wouldn't have looked similar. "No, it's not your fault, it's just us being too fragile," Sister Lan shook her head, thinking she could be resilient, till she saw that familiar appearance again and realized she had never moved on. "Mom, I want daddy to come back, I don't want daddy to be dead, wuwuwu..." Tongtong hugged Sister Lan, crying loudly, the heart-wrenching sobs heartbreaking to hear. Sister Lan remained silent, just holding Tongtong and crying. She also didn't know what to say, for she too wished her husband could come back, but that was impossible. Hao Jian gave a wry smile, then stepped forward, patting Tongtong's little head, "Tongtong, your dad isn't dead?" "No, you're lying! They all said my dad is dead!" Tongtong slapped Hao Jian's hand away, crying even harder. "No, he really isn't dead, he's just gone to a very, very far place," Hao Jian said softly: "That place is called Heaven, and right now he's in Heaven watching over you." "Heaven? Are you telling the truth?" Tongtong stopped crying, yet asked while sniffling. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 60 Boyfriend! "Of course, when have I ever lied to you?" Hao Jian frowned, pretending to be displeased."It's Uncle." Tongtong, the little girl, corrected him. Hearing this, Hao Jian was exasperated, damn, this little brat was so hard to deal with. Sister Lan also laughed at her innocent look, reaching to wipe the tears from the corner of her eyes. "Alright, alright, it's Uncle," Hao Jian reluctantly said, "Your dad hasn't died, he just went to Heaven, you should know that, everyone has to go to Heaven." "Then why did Dad have to go to Heaven? Doesn't he want Tongtong anymore? Did Tongtong do something wrong to make Dad angry?" By this point, Tongtong's eyes were moist again. "No, he went to Heaven because God needed him," Hao Jian improvised. Sister Lan's expression also turned doubtful, what kind of an explanation was that. "Then why does God need him?" Tongtong voiced her mother's confusion. "That's because your dad was a very excellent person, so God needed him," Hao Jian said with a gentle smile on his face, "God needed an actor, so Leslie Cheung went; God needed a dancer, so Michael Jackson went; God needed a smartphone, so Steve Jobs went; everyone thinks they died, but actually, they were just taken away by God." Hao Jian pinched Tongtong's cheek, smiled, and said, "Your dad might be watching us from Heaven right now, and if he sees Tongtong crying for him, he would certainly be very sad." "Tongtong won't cry! Tongtong is very strong!" Tongtong wiped the tears from the corner of her eye and said loudly. "Very good, I knew Tongtong was strong. Now that Dad is gone, you'll have to protect Mom for him, okay?" Hao Jian said seriously. "Yes, Tongtong will definitely protect Mom!" Tongtong clenched her fists and earnestly promised. Hao Jian ruffled her head again before he stood up to leave. As he reached the door, Sister Lan looked at Hao Jian with a peculiar gaze, "Hao Jian, thank you..." "Thank me for what? I should be saying sorry for making the two of you cry," standing at Sister Lan's doorstep, Hao Jian said with a bitter smile. Blushing, Sister Lan lowered her head, unable to meet Hao Jian's gaze, and said softly, "That, could you keep wearing that shirt?" "Uh?" Hao Jian paused for a moment, then understanding what Sister Lan meant, smiled helplessly, "Alright then." "But Sister Lan, have you thought about remarrying? Given your current home situation, you really need a man." Hao Jian suddenly asked this question, seeing the state of Sister Lan's home, he always felt it lacked something indistinct yet vital. Sister Lan's expression stiffened, but she shook her head directly, "I don't want to think about that question for now, it's very late, you should go back first." "Alright then, I'm heading back!" Hao Jian smiled ruefully, thinking that perhaps he shouldn't have asked that question. Sister Lan closed the door, but let out a weary sigh, this guy actually suggesting she find someone else, where was she in the mood for that? Before she could forget the last one, rashly moving on to a new relationship would be irresponsible to both herself and Tongtong. Just then, Sister Lan saw Tongtong giggling and asked curiously, "What are you laughing at?" "I'm laughing at Uncle, he's so silly, he doesn't know how to comfort people at all, speaking of Heaven as if it's real, does he really think I'm a three-year-old?" Tongtong spoke with an air of maturity, intentionally mimicking an adult. "Then how old are you?" Sister Lan teased. "Five!" Tongtong held up five fingers. ... "Shanshan, where did this money come from?" In the hospital, Shanshan's mother asked. The old lady looked displeased. She knew Shanshan had no money and suspected Shanshan had done something she shouldn't have in order to get the money. "Mom, I borrowed this money from a colleague," Shanshan hurriedly explained. "Borrowed from a colleague? Male or female? You haven't worked long and aren't familiar with them. Why would they lend you money?" the old lady pressed on. "It's a male colleague. I told him about our family situation, and he lent it to me out of pity." Shanshan couldn't help but laugh and cry; her mother was overly worried. "Don't blame your mom for nagging, I'm just worried about you being taken advantage of, after all, there are many bad people out there," the old lady sighed. "Auntie, don't worry. I know him, too. He even lent money to Shanshan without asking for a promissory note. Doesn't that prove he's a good person?" Xiaoxiao chimed in. She knew that if she didn't speak up, the old lady would go on and on endlessly. Hearing this, the old lady still looked skeptical: "Does that only prove his head was caught in a door?" "Mom, he helped us. How can you say such things about him?" Shanshan got a bit angry. "Auntie, he is actually Shanshan's boyfriend!" Xiaoxiao suddenly blurted out. "What?" Shanshan and the old lady shouted in unison. "Shanshan, is this true?" the old lady asked seriously. "This." Shanshan glared at Xiaoxiao, about to explain, but Xiaoxiao interrupted: "Of course it's true. How could we lie to you about something like this?" S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Shanshan was completely stunned. The old lady laughed heartily, "Look at you, why didn't you tell mom about such a big thing?" The old lady knew about her own condition. Honestly, she was not so concerned about surviving anymore; she cared about Shanshan and her brother Zhibang. Zhibang hadn't been admitted to college yet, and Shanshan wasn't married; these were her worries. She also knew that for many years, Shanshan had been sacrificing for the family, which had been unfair to her. Now, because of her own reasons, Shanshan dared not find a boyfriend. The old lady didn't want to continue being a burden to Shanshan, so hearing that Shanshan now had a boyfriend made her extremely happy. "Come out here!" Shanshan beckoned Xiaoxiao with a hooked finger in an unfriendly tone, then walked out. Xiaoxiao stuck out her tongue, saying, "Auntie, don't worry, she's just upset with me for talking about it without her permission. I'll go talk to her, and I'll be right back." Outside the hospital room, Shanshan pulled Xiaoxiao over and asked somewhat angrily: "Why are you talking nonsense? How did Hao Jian become my boyfriend?" "I was considering the old lady's feelings. Didn't you hear what the doctor said? What the old lady needs most right now is to maintain a cheerful mood, as it helps with the surgery treatment." Xiaoxiao explained, "Your mom's biggest hope right now is that you find a good place to settle down. Mine was a white lie. What's important isn't what I said but that it made the old lady very happy, right?" Chapter 61 Movie Star Ah! Hearing Che Xiaoxiao's explanation, Yuan Shanshan said with a somewhat ashamed expression:"I'm sorry, I misunderstood you." "Don't be silly, who are we kidding, do we need to say sorry?" Che Xiaoxiao suddenly hugged Yuan Shanshan's neck and said with a mischievous smile, "If you really feel sorry, then let me grab your chest." As she spoke, her wicked hand made its move. "Ah, no." Yuan Shanshan struggled quickly, her face flushed like the tide. "No fighting or frolicking in the hospital!" a nurse reprimanded sternly. Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao both stuck out their tongues and went back to the ward. "What were you two chatting about?" The old lady asked, puzzled. Was there anything that she couldn't hear? "Nothing much, just that Shanshan felt shy. She originally told me not to mention that she had a boyfriend, but my big mouth accidentally let it slip," Che Xiaoxiao explained with a chuckle. "What's there to be shy about, it's only natural for men to marry and women to wed," the old lady teased, then said: "Right, find some time to bring your boyfriend over." "Ah?" Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao were both dumbfounded; they just wanted to make the old lady happy, they didn't plan on really bringing a boyfriend to meet her. "What, is that not possible?" The old lady was clearly unhappy, her expression filled with suspicion. "Of course not, how could it be?" Che Xiaoxiao forced a laugh, her expression a bit unnatural, thinking to herself that now she was in trouble. "Good, then you bring him tomorrow. Okay, I'm tired, you can go out now." The old lady lay down, leaving them no chance to refuse. Once they left the hospital, Yuan Shanshan looked utterly dejected: "Great, now my mom wants to meet a boyfriend, where am I supposed to find one for her?" "What are you afraid of, there's Hao Jian for problems like this!" Che Xiaoxiao said with a playful grin; wasn't finding a boyfriend simple? Just find someone to pretend. "Guess there's no other choice now." Yuan Shanshan sighed. It seemed she would have to trouble Hao Jian. ... "What? You want me to be your boyfriend?" Hao Jian was completely surprised, looking at Yuan Shanshan with a face full of astonishment! Are the girls of today so direct? Giving a guy no time to prepare... that's just too wicked! And his loud voice made many colleagues look over. "Keep your voice down, it's not about really wanting you to be my boyfriend, but to fool my mom for a bit. She has always wanted me to find a boyfriend, so I just thought I'd fulfill that wish for her," Yuan Shanshan explained. "You got me scared for a moment, sure, when should we go see the old lady? How about tomorrow? I have the day off," Hao Jian said. "You agreed?" Yuan Shanshan stared blankly, surprised that Hao Jian agreed so easily. "It's a simple gesture of help." Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, fulfilling the wish of an ailing old lady was a good thing, and he had no reason to refuse. "Why are you so nice to me?" Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yuan Shanshan couldn't help asking. Clearly, the old lady's words also had some effect on her. She wanted to know if Hao Jian was genuinely pitying her, or if he had other ulterior motives. "Nice to you? Am I?" Hao Jian scratched his head, embarrassed, and started to smile. "Of course, there is!" Yuan Shanshan asserted confidently, "Normal people wouldn't lend money to a stranger, but you not only lent it, you didn't even require me to write an IOU; it's as if you're not even afraid I won't pay you back." "Because I'm an orphan, I didn't want to see you become one too," Hao Jian said with a smile, choosing to be honest with Yuan Shanshan to prevent her from worrying. "You're an orphan?" Yuan Shanshan was greatly surprised, and Che Xiaoxiao beside her also gasped sharply. Because Hao Jian had always been joking and laughing, they had never imagined that he had such a past. "I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose," Yuan Shanshan said, her head lowered. Had she known, she wouldn't have asked. "Come on, do I look like a man with a glass heart?" Hao Jian said impatiently, disliking this sort of fussiness the most. The very next morning, Hao Jian went to the hospital with Yuan Shanshan, Che Xiaoxiao, and the others. At that time in the hospital room, aside from the old lady, Yuan Shanshan's brother, Yuan Zhibang, was also there. Having heard that his sister had a boyfriend, he wanted to see for himself, but when Yuan Zhibang looked at Hao Jian, his eyes showed a trace of hostility. Hao Jian just smiled and didn't mind, knowing this was a child's psychology, feeling as if his sister was taken away from him, which caused him to resist Hao Jian instinctively. Today, Hao Jian was wearing a well-fitted suit, of course, rented for a hundred yuan a day, which made him look rather presentable, like a successful man. "Auntie, hello, my name is Hao Jian, I've come to visit you," Hao Jian greeted the old lady enthusiastically. "Are you Yuan Shanshan's boyfriend?" The old lady's eyes shone. She hadn't entirely believed Che Xiaoxiao and Yuan Shanshan earlier, but now that she saw the man in person, she believed it. "You're my sister's boyfriend, why haven't I heard her mention you?" Yuan Zhibang asked with a stern face. At Yuan Zhibang's question, Hao Jian and the others were taken aback, as the hostility on Yuan Zhibang's face was not the least bit concealed. But Hao Jian responded with ease, smiling, "That's because Shanshan is quite shy, so we had to keep our relationship on the down low. I've always wanted to meet her family, but she was worried about burdening me and so she refused." As he spoke, Hao Jian looked tenderly at Yuan Shanshan, his demeanor as if Yuan Shanshan really was his girlfriend. And in that moment, Yuan Shanshan felt as though she truly was Hao Jian's girlfriend, almost melted by the tender look in his eyes. "Best Actor, for sure!" Che Xiaoxiao sighed inwardly; if she hadn't been in on the secret, she might have truly believed that Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan were an item. Upon hearing this, the old lady sighed, "This girl Shanshan has sacrificed too much for our family ever since she was little, especially with my illness burdening her. Fortunately, I won't live much longer and won't have to be a burden to her." The old lady spoke somewhat willfully, but she was conveying a message to Hao Jian: I'm going to die soon, so you don't have to worry about me being a burden after you marry Yuan Shanshan. She hoped Hao Jian would treat Yuan Shanshan well. "Mom, why would you say that?" Yuan Shanshan, upset by the old lady's words, almost cried. This talk of dying... At this moment, Yuan Zhibang also spoke up, but with a cold expression, "That's right, our family is a burden. If you can't accept that, I suggest you break up with my sister sooner rather than later!" "Zhibang, what nonsense are you spouting? Have you lost your mind?" The old lady hit Yuan Zhibang on the head. Yuan Shanshan had finally found a boyfriend, and now Yuan Zhibang was thinking of scaring him away? Chapter 62 Let Your Brother-in-Law Hear Your Voice! Yuan Zhibang snorted and turned his head away without speaking. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality."Auntie, since I have chosen Yuan Shanshan, I will accept everything about her, including her family and her relatives. You just focus on recuperating with peace of mind. Fortunately, I earned some money in business in my earlier years, so you don't have to worry about the medical expenses." "Easier said than done. Do you know how much a heart transplant surgery costs? Two million! Do you have that much money?" Yuan Zhibang said with sarcasm, thinking that Hao Jian dared to speak like this only because he was unaware of the pressure their family was facing. Once he knew, he would choose to leave them without hesitation. "Two million, I can still come up with it," Hao Jian said with a smile, as it just so happened he had two million on hand. "No, how can I accept your money? You should save that money to get married, buy a house, and give Yuan Shanshan a home." The old lady's head shook like a rattle drum, feeling that it made more sense to use the money to take care of Yuan Shanshan than to save her, someone who was about to die. "Auntie, what makes a 'home' home isn't just having a house. It's the people inside it. If there are no people left, even the biggest house cannot be called a home," Hao Jian said with a smile. He hadn't done many good things in his life, but now he wanted to do some. "And to Yuan Shanshan, you are the 'person' who is essential to this 'home,' so you definitely cannot die. Even if we live in a rented apartment or even a garbage dump forever, as long as we have each other, what does it matter?" Hearing this, everyone felt touched, and the old lady's eyes moistened as she smiled and said: "I didn't expect someone as young as you to be so mature. Your parents must be extraordinary people to bring up a son like you." Clearly, the old lady was very satisfied with Hao Jian. And the reason Hao Jian had matured so much was that he had been through a great deal, which taught him the value of cherishing what's truly important. Wealth and power were fleeting; only simplicity was real. "All talk, looking as pretty as a flower. Show me when you actually do it," Yuan Zhibang said teasingly. Stay tuned to empire He recalled his college professor telling him, if you want to understand what someone is like, do not listen to what they say, but look at what they do. "What's with you today? From the moment your brother-in-law came here, you've been nitpicking on him non-stop. Did he offend you?" the old lady said angrily. "He's not my brother-in-law!" Yuan Zhibang said angrily. At that moment, Yuan Shanshan noticed that Yuan Zhibang had some bruises on his face and asked: "What happened to your face? Did you get into a fight?" "No, I accidentally scraped myself," Yuan Zhibang explained hastily and then walked out of the room with his crutches. "I'm sorry, Hao Jian, I don't know what's gotten into him today." The old lady looked embarrassed; she hadn't expected Yuan Zhibang to be so disrespectful. "It's okay, I'll go talk to him," said Hao Jian with a smile. Then he followed Yuan Zhibang out, seeing through the lie¡ªthere was no way the scar on Yuan Zhibang's face was from a mere scrape. The scar was on the side of his nose. If it was a scrape, the cheek or nose itself would be scraped first, but neither had any marks. If Hao Jian was not mistaken, those marks were likely caused by a fist. Leaving the ward, Hao Jian wandered around the hospital until he finally found Yuan Zhibang in a corner. Yuan Zhibang was there, a cigarette between his fingers, taking deep drags, with a gloomy expression on his face. "If your mom and your sister knew you smoked, they'd be heartbroken, wouldn't they?" Hao Jian said mockingly. Startled by the sudden voice, Yuan Zhibang nearly reflexively threw the cigarette behind him. Seeing this, Hao Jian's smile grew. He was still a kid, after all. When he saw it was Hao Jian, Yuan Zhibang's expression soured: "Do you really need to meddle? Do you actually think you're my sister's husband?" "You might not see me as your brother-in-law, that's your business, I can't stop you. And I could tell your sister about your smoking, and you can't stop me," Hao Jian replied with a chuckle. "You." Anger flared across Yuan Zhibang's face; this guy was just a rascal. "Cut the crap, and call me brother-in-law to see how it sounds!" "Keep dreaming!" There was no way Yuan Zhibang could bring himself to call Hao Jian, this rascal, his brother-in-law. In Yuan Zhibang's eyes, only a truly exceptional person could be worthy of his sister, Yuan Shanshan. Certainly not a rogue. "Then I'm going to find your sister," Hao Jian turned to leave. "You're not allowed!" Yuan Zhibang immediately blocked Hao Jian's way, hands spread wide, like a hen protecting her chicks. "What's the matter, you plan on hitting me?" Hao Jian saw the fierce expression on Yuan Zhibang's face and teased him. "You're not allowed to tell my sister." Yuan Shanshan didn't know about his smoking; if she found out, she would certainly be furious. "Fine, then call me brother-in-law," Hao Jian said playfully. "Why do you insist on me calling you brother-in-law?" Yuan Zhibang was at a loss. Was this guy sick or something? "No reason, I just think you're stubborn, so I don't like you," Hao Jian said bluntly. Then Yuan Zhibang's face darkened; he never expected Hao Jian to be so direct. Hao Jian was not the kind to return hatred with kindness. Yuan Zhibang had just shown him great disrespect, and Hao Jian was quite vindictive. "Are you going to call me or not? If not, I'm leaving," Hao Jian started to take a step away, ready to leave. "Brother-in-law!" Yuan Zhibang shouted with a dark expression, feeling extremely humiliated. "Aye, that's my good boy." Hao Jian laughed heartily, then came over and patted Yuan Zhibang on the shoulder: "Alright, I promise I won't tell Yuan Shanshan." Yuan Zhibang pulled away, his face expressionless, "Can I go now?" "Hold on, first tell me how you got the wound on your face," Hao Jian pointed at Yuan Zhibang's face. Yuan Zhibang's expression became unnatural, subconsciously covering the wound with his hand, annoyed: "What's it to you?" Chapter 63 The Bully Comes Knocking! Yuan Zhibang was becoming impatient as Hao Jian kept asking questions, making him uncomfortable."If I'm not mistaken, you must have been beaten up! Not just your face, but your body too, right? And the injuries are not minor!" Hao Jian looked at Yuan Zhibang with a suggestive expression, having already deduced everything. "How¡­ how did you know?" Yuan Zhibang was slightly stunned, the words slipping out before he regretted them¡ªhe had just admitted to being beaten up. "Because you lean slightly forward when you walk, probably due to a painful wound on your chest, right? Also, your leg has been trembling, clearly from pain! Besides, there's a malicious look on your face, and your mood seems rather irritable. This must mean you are suffering from severe pain, causing your emotions to be unstable and easily angered!" As Hao Jian spoke, Yuan Zhibang's face changed from surprise to shock, and finally to deep fear! Before coming to the hospital, he had carefully concealed his injuries; even his mother and sister hadn't noticed them, but Hao Jian had seen right through him! His insight was almost devilish! "Tell me, who did this to you?" Hao Jian offered Yuan Zhibang a cigarette, then lit one for himself and leaned against the wall, slowly smoking. "I don't want to talk about it," Yuan Zhibang refused to say, feeling it was embarrassing as it bruised his pride. "Then I'll tell Yuan Shanshan." Hao Jian stepped forward as if to leave. "No, I'll talk. It was because they made fun of me for not having a leg, so I retorted and they beat me up!" Yuan Zhibang could only say it with a grim look. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian's eyes narrowed into slits. Bullying a disabled person, those brats were truly excessive. "I told you everything, can I go now?" Yuan Zhibang asked impatiently. Speaking of such an embarrassing event, he too felt uncomfortable. Only then did Hao Jian shrug his shoulders, allowing Yuan Zhibang to leave, but at the moment, he was thoughtfully stroking his chin, his eyes gleaming with wonder. ... "Where's your brother-in-law?" Back in the ward, the old lady asked irritably, confused by Yuan Zhibang's behavior that day. "I don't know." Yuan Zhibang replied impatiently, what brother-in-law, he was simply a rascal! "Ah¡­ you this child¡­" The old lady sighed and shook her head, utterly perplexed by the usually well-behaved Yuan Zhibang's sudden explosive behavior as if he had explosive in his system. "Why do you smell of smoke?" Suddenly, Yuan Shanshan caught a whiff of the smell and gazed sharply at Yuan Zhibang: "Have you been smoking?" Yuan Zhibang's heart skipped a beat, doomed¡ªhe had forgotten to dissipate the smoke smell before returning because he'd been rattled by the jerk. "It's the smell of cigarettes on me." Just then, Hao Jian walked in, claiming that the smell came from him. Hearing this, Yuan Shanshan and the others nodded and seemed relieved. Yuan Zhibang was astonished as he stared at Hao Jian, not expecting him to cover for him. Hao Jian winked at Yuan Zhibang, signaling that he would keep his secret, while Yuan Zhibang just rolled his eyes and ignored him. Hao Jian sat down and began chatting with the old lady, his 'Friend of Women' nature fully coming into play, making her laugh from time to time. Before they knew it, an hour had passed. While everyone was enjoying the lively chat, the door was cracked open and a young man peeked inside! When the young man saw Yuan Zhibang, he suddenly grinned, his expression unnervingly sinister, then he retreated and closed the door! This left Hao Jian and the others quite puzzled, but it made Yuan Zhibang extremely restless. Yuan Zhibang jumped to his feet, his face ashen as he looked toward the door. "What? Do you know him?" Hao Jian, noticing Yuan Zhibang's abnormal reaction, furrowed his brows. "Call the police! Quick!" Yuan Zhibang yelled out, his demeanor becoming tense. "Zhibang, what's wrong, just tell us!" Seeing Yuan Zhibang like this, the old lady also began to feel uneasy. "Just call the police, I don't have time to explain," Yuan Zhibang said anxiously, trying to close the door, but at that moment, the door was kicked open from outside. Bang! Immediately after, huffing and puffing, several fierce-looking burly men barged in! These burly men were tall and robust, with strong, powerful builds and rough, fierce faces! Leading them was a dark-skinned young man with his head wrapped in a bandage, about the same age as Yuan Zhibang! Seeing this person, Yuan Zhibang instinctively backed away several steps, his face showing panic. "Yuan Zhibang, you really made it a hell of a job for me to find you," the dark-skinned young man sneered coldly, his expression turning cruel. "Who are you, and what do you want?" Yuan Shanshan also sensed malevolence in their arrival and stood in front of Yuan Zhibang, shouting at the dark-skinned young man. The dark-skinned young man's eyes lit up immediately, having never seen such a beautiful woman before. Then he chuckled, "Beauty, my name is Du Haitao. What's your name? What's your relationship with this trash?" Upon hearing this, the old lady and Yuan Shanshan both frowned, their faces showing displeasure. "I am Yuan Zhibang's sister. What do you want?" Yuan Shanshan asked impatiently, sensing that Du Haitao was up to no good. "Yuan Zhibang's sister?" Du Haitao was secretly astonished. He looked at Yuan Zhibang, then at Yuan Shanshan, indeed noticing some resemblance in their facial features. "Didn't expect Yuan Zhibang to have such a beautiful sister," Du Haitao sneered strangely, obviously scheming something. "Du Haitao, what... what are you here for?" Seeing Du Haitao leering at his sister, Yuan Zhibang immediately knew what he was plotting, and his expression turned sour as he shouted. "What am I here for? Hehe... Yuan Zhibang, don't you know?" Du Haitao's face was full of sarcasm, then he pointed at his own head: "You bashed my head like this, and now you're asking me what I'm here for? I got hurt, but it's as though you're the one with amnesia?" "What? Zhibang, is what he's saying true?" The old lady looked at Yuan Zhibang angrily; she worked hard for him to study, and yet Yuan Zhibang was causing trouble at school? "They started it first! They called me poor, a cripple! They wanted me to crawl through their legs, so I hit him in anger. The teacher said it wasn't my fault. He deliberately tried to stir up trouble!" Yuan Zhibang loudly defended himself, as Du Haitao was clearly distorting the facts. "Is that so?" Yuan Shanshan watched Du Haitao coldly, clearly unable to tolerate such treatment of Yuan Zhibang. "So what? I didn't say anything wrong, isn't he a cripple?" Du Haitao scoffed disdainfully, then said impatiently, "Alright, Yuan Zhibang, quit your yapping. You've cracked my head; what are you going to do about it?" "I'll compensate you for the medical expenses," Yuan Shanshan stated sternly. "Sis, why should you pay their medical bills? They were at fault, and I got hit too." Find adventures at empire Yuan Zhibang was displeased upon hearing this, why should he, when he did nothing wrong. Hao Jian also slightly raised his eyebrows, but he said nothing in the end, knowing that Yuan Shanshan must be worried. Now that Du Haitao had brought these burly men, if they didn't pay up, today might just turn into an even more unfortunate day. "Shut up," Yuan Shanshan scolded, then asked Du Haitao with a grim expression: Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Tell me, how much?" "Money? I'm not short of money." Du Haitao shook his head disdainfully; his father was a Mafia boss involved in shady dealings. Would he be short of money? "Then what do you want?" Yuan Shanshan felt that Du Haitao was becoming increasingly troublesome. "You," Du Haitao chuckled lewdly, setting his sights on Yuan Shanshan. "As long as you, the older sister, sleep with me for one night, I'll let bygones be bygones. I'll even look out for him at school from now on! Hehe... How about that?" Chapter 64 Im Her Boyfriend! "Money? I sure don't lack money."Du Haitao sneered and shook his head. His father was a Mafia boss, dabbling in all sorts of dirty business, would he lack money? "Then what do you want?" Yuan Shanshan felt increasingly that Du Haitao was tough to deal with. "You," Du Haitao leered with a dirty laugh, setting his sights on Yuan Shanshan. "As long as you, the elder sister, sleep with me for one night, I'll let bygones be bygones, and I'll look after him at school from now on! Hehe... How about that?" When they heard Du Haitao actually suggesting that Yuan Shanshan sleep with him, the faces of everyone in the room instantly turned ugly! "In your dreams!" Yuan Shanshan was so angry her pretty face turned red. Was this Du Haitao really just a high school student? To think he could say such things. Hao Jian cracked a slight smile; he could tell that this Du Haitao was indeed different, with a streak of ruthlessness in his bones, likely related to his family background. "If you don't agree, then I'll just have to let someone find your little brother for a chat every once in a while." Du Haitao looked at Yuan Shanshan with a smirk, while the burly men behind him all revealed fierce expressions. "I'll call the police!" Yuan Shanshan warned, her face pallid. "Call the police? I could simply have someone cripple him, and even if the police investigate, they won't trace it back to me." Du Haitao laughed smugly. His father was a big shot, how could he not have any background? Du Haitao didn't take the police seriously at all. Hearing this, Yuan Shanshan's pretty face looked extremely grim! With Du Haitao accompanied by several vicious men, and not even fearing the police, it was clear he was a young master from a rich and powerful family! Facing such a person, she felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness! "This is a hospital, you should leave quickly! Otherwise, I'll call for help!" the elderly lady urgently shouted, her face showing extreme anxiety. She didn't want anything bad happening to her son and certainly not to her daughter! Moreover, if something happened to her daughter, what would she and Hao Jian do? The elderly lady still naively thought that Yuan Shanshan and Hao Jian were in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, and she was puzzled by Hao Jian's silence at that moment. Her daughter was being bullied like this; why wasn't he saying anything? If Yuan Shanshan really were Hao Jian's girlfriend, then indeed, Hao Jian would do something. But the problem was, Yuan Shanshan was not. Hao Jian now wanted to live a normal life, and having finally found an opportunity to do so, he really didn't want to give it up. Once he got involved in this matter, he would be forced into the midst of conflicts again. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Call for help?" Du Haitao was provoked to laughter, then suddenly he flung a vase from inside the ward, hitting the elderly lady squarely in the face! With a 'crack,' the elderly lady's forehead bore a wound, and blood began to seep out. Du Haitao's eyes glinted threateningly: "Let's see who dares to call for help." Today, no one could spoil his fun, not even the Heavenly King. "You dare hit my mom?" Yuan Zhibang's eyes were about to burst with anger, and he lunged at Du Haitao. "Zhibang, no!" Both the elderly lady and Yuan Shanshan shouted simultaneously, but it was too late; Yuan Zhibang had already swung his crutch at Du Haitao's head. "Screw you!" Du Haitao cursed, and with a swift kick, he knocked Yuan Zhibang to the ground. "Hit him!" Du Haitao commanded fiercely at Yuan Zhibang, and then his father's men started to punch and kick Yuan Zhibang mercilessly. "Stop hitting him! I'm going to call for help!" The elderly lady was so anxious she almost cried, her voice trembling. "Sure, go ahead, call for help. By the time people arrive, your son's other leg will be broken too! Haha..." Du Haitao laughed maniacally. "Stop it! I... I agree to your terms!" Suddenly, a delicate shout silenced the entire ward. The Mafiosi stopped their assault and looked at Du Haitao. "What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly." Du Haitao swallowed hard, feeling a little excited inside. It meant that tonight, he might be able to take the beauty home. "I only agreed to have dinner with you, please... let go of my brother," Yuan Shanshan said with a trembling voice. At this moment, she had no choice; she had to either protect herself or her brother, and she could only choose the latter! Moreover, she had only agreed to have dinner with Du Haitao. If he attempted anything improper, then Yuan Shanshan would rather die than compromise her chastity! "Sister, you can't agree to this; he will ruin you!" Find your next read on empire Yuan Zhibang's eyes were almost splitting with his roars. He was well aware of what kind of person Du Haitao was; if Yuan Shanshan went with him tonight, it would really mean the loss of her chastity. At this moment, Yuan Zhibang regretted that Hao Jian was a coward, standing by doing nothing while someone was about to take advantage of his girlfriend. "Shut your mouth!" Du Haitao stomped hard on Yuan Zhibang's head. Damn, still daring to ruin my plans at this time, truly courting death. "Shanshan, your brother is right, you can't go with him," the elderly woman cried out in panic. "Old hag, do you think I wouldn't dare to touch you just because you're old? Keep nagging, and I'll cripple you," Du Haitao threatened with a ferocious expression. "Mom, don't worry about me; I'm fine," Yuan Shanshan forced a smile, her hands clenched into fists, prepared to end her life at any moment. Hearing this, Du Haitao let out a lecherous laugh and said to Yuan Shanshan: "Beautiful sister, shall we go?" Yuan Shanshan's delicate body trembled slightly, hesitated for a moment, but still decided to go with Du Haitao. "Hold on!" Just then, a voice that had been lurking for a long time finally spoke up. "Hao Jian, you..." Yuan Shanshan turned back in astonishment to look at Hao Jian. "Did I say you could leave?" Hao Jian feigned anger. Yet he sighed inwardly, lamenting that he was too soft-hearted after all. "But..." Yuan Shanshan wanted to argue. She didn't want to go either, but could she really not go? "There's no buts about it. I didn't let you go, so you're not going," Hao Jian said with an air of authority. "Damn, who do you think you are? How dare you speak with such a tone?" Du Haitao was completely furious, one person after another interfering with his good time; did they really think Du Haitao was a pushover? "I'm her boyfriend," Hao Jian declared proudly. "Boyfriend?" Du Haitao was startled for a moment, then dismissed it: "So what? Today, I'm going to have my way with your girlfriend! Aren't you just cheap, if you had acted the quail quietly, wouldn't everything have been fine? Yet you had to play the hero? Now look, I'll not only have fun with your girlfriend but also give you a good beating!" Feeling somewhat triumphant, Du Haitao waved his hand and shouted at his men: "Get him! Beat this guy into a cripple!" "No! Stop it!" Yuan Shanshan screamed, trying to halt them, but was pushed away by Du Haitao's men. Hao Jian looked at the several burly men surrounding him, yet a trace of a smile appeared on his lips. He said to Du Haitao: "I'll give you a chance now. Take your people and leave, and I'll pretend nothing ever happened." "Fuck!" Du Haitao laughed in anger, this was the most ridiculous joke he had heard this century. Then a group of henchmen charged at Hao Jian, whose expression didn't change as he moved like lightning, grabbing one man's throat and subduing him instantly. The man looked at Hao Jian in terror but didn't dare to move a muscle. He felt that Hao Jian had a complete grip on his windpipe, and the slightest movement could cause him excruciating pain. Hao Jian threw him harshly to the ground before darting out like a bolt of lightning. When he returned to his original spot, what happened next astounded everyone present! Chapter 65 Im not short on money At this moment, on the floor of the hospital ward, several burly men lay sprawled!Their eyes tightly shut, their bodies limp, they had already fainted away! "How... how is this possible?" Du Haitao was dumbstruck; he had brought some strong fighters this time, each capable of taking on three with ease. But now they couldn't even make one move against this man before being instantly taken down, and what terrified him the most was that he hadn't even seen how Hao Jian made his move! It wasn't just Du Haitao; everyone in the room, including Yuan Shanshan, covered their mouths in shock, their eyes almost popping out! Several fierce and strong men had been knocked unconscious in an instant... such a feat was nothing short of monstrous! "Come here!" Hao Jian bellowed at Du Haitao, while pointing to the spot at his feet. Upon hearing this, Du Haitao's body jolted, and he felt as if his scalp was exploding; he turned to run away! "Damn it..." Du Haitao had just touched the doorknob, a relieved smile spreading across his face! But that smile didn't last long before he felt his collar grabbed, his neck tightened, and he let out a "quack" similar to a duck's call as Hao Jian yanked him back. "Don't hurt me, please," Du Haitao immediately pleaded with a mournful face to Hao Jian. Everything had happened too fast; before anyone could react, it was all over. Seeing Du Haitao held like a little chicken in Hao Jian's hand, they realized Hao Jian had saved all of them. Hao Jian looked at Du Haitao mockingly, "You tell me, aren't you asking for trouble? If you had just listened to me, wouldn't everything be fine? Why seek death?" "..." Du Haitao was speechless, the same old formula, the familiar taste. "What should I do with you now?" Hao Jian said, grasping Du Haitao with one hand and propping his chin with the other, deep in thought. "Not like this, I can give you lots and lots of money," Du Haitao was on the verge of tears; how could he have known things would turn out this way? Experience more content on empire He thought it was a sure win with five against one; little did he know these subordinates were so useless, all talk of being gold-medal hitmen. Where could Du Haitao have known, it wasn't that his men were too useless, but that Hao Jian was just too powerful. No gold-medal hitman could possibly be a match for the man known as the God of Death, right? "Money? I'm just like you, I don't lack money," Hao Jian said with a peculiar smile, before slamming Du Haitao to the ground. Du Haitao was thrown so hard that he saw stars, yet he dared not utter a sound. "Take off your clothes!" Hao Jian looked emotionlessly at Du Haitao, not revealing what he planned to do. "What?" Du Haitao didn't understand, why on earth was he asking him to take off his clothes. Hao Jian slapped him and cursed, "When I tell you to take off your clothes, you take them off. Who asked for your opinion?" "Oh." Du Haitao, holding his face and looking aggrieved, complied with a sigh and took off his shirt, leaving him bare-chested. "Take off your pants as well," Hao Jian continued. At this point, even Yuan Shanshan and the others were puzzled about what Hao Jian was up to. At this moment, Hao Jian turned to the elderly lady and Yuan Zhibang and said, "Maybe you all should step out, because what I'm about to do may be somewhat unsavory." Hearing this, Du Haitao was nearly in tears, "Big brother, I'm not into guys, please let me go. I can give you money; you can find lots of handsome men." Turns out, Du Haitao thought Hao Jian had taken a fancy to him, planning to assault him. But it wasn't surprising, with Hao Jian making him strip his clothes and pants, and not allowing anyone to watch, it did seem as if he was about to do 'that' to him, right? At the same time, Yuan Zhibang and his group were stunned. Could Hao Jian really be planning to deal with this kid right here? Hao Jian was also angered and slapped Du Haitao across the face, "Don't flatter yourself, who the hell told you I was going to mess with you? Just look at yourself!" "Then why do you want me to take off my pants?" Du Haitao looked at Hao Jian with a "pitiful" gaze. "I wanted to take a nude photo of you!" Hao Jian straightforwardly said. Yuan Shanshan and the others breathed a sigh of relief. So it was just for a nude photo. They really thought Hao Jian was going to do something to Du Haitao. If that were the case, they wouldn't have been able to watch. "A nude photo?" Du Haitao exclaimed in shock. That would be even worse than if Hao Jian had violated him. If he took *that* photo of him, wouldn't Hao Jian be able to threaten him anytime, anywhere? "Of course, I'm teaching you a lesson today, who knows if you'll seek trouble with Yuan Zhibang later. I need to have something to keep you in line, don't I?" Hao Jian said, winking at Du Haitao. But Du Haitao didn't find it humorous at all, his cheeks flushed with urgency: "I won't, I promise you!" "Pah! I never believe in promises, and besides, do you think your promise is worth any money?" Hao Jian said mockingly. At this moment, Yuan Zhibang was also stunned. He never imagined Hao Jian would go to such lengths for him, thinking everything through so thoroughly, even planning for his future. Thinking of this, Yuan Zhibang felt both uneasy and ashamed. He had treated Hao Jian so poorly just before, yet Hao Jian could have chosen only to save his sister and ignore him. The old lady and Yuan Shanshan were also lost in thought, touched by the reliability Hao Jian seemed to offer. "Aren't you all leaving?" Hao Jian asked Yuan Shanshan and the others, but he was speechless. Why were they all staring at him like that? While he knew he was handsome, was there something wrong with that? Staring at someone so blatantly, don't you know, it can make one embarrassed, commonly known as being shy! Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I'm not leaving. My favorite things to watch are R-rated, so I'm staying here." Che Xiaoxiao said with a look that feared the world would not be in chaos. She wanted to see how exactly Hao Jian was going to take that photo of Du Haitao. "I'm not leaving either." Yuan Zhibang got up from the ground, angrily looking at Du Haitao. He wanted to see Du Haitao get humiliated. "I've lived such a long life, seen it all, just never a *beep*. I want to see it too," the old lady said playfully, though on the inside, she too harbored a grudge. "If they're not leaving, then I'm not leaving either," Yuan Shanshan said, her face flushing. Du Haitao genuinely wanted to die. To be photographed like that was one thing, but to be displayed in public? This was like asking for his life, wasn't it? "Alright then." Hao Jian could only give a wry smile and then said to Du Haitao: "You heard them. Everyone's waiting for your performance, so hurry up and take your clothes off?" Du Haitao felt like a delicate woman surrounded by a gang of brutes, waiting to be stripped of her chastity. "Smack!" Another slap went across Du Haitao's face as Hao Jian angrily said, "Son of a bitch, are my words not working anymore?" "They are working," Du Haitao replied miserably and continued to take off his pants. "And you guys, take off your clothes too!" Hao Jian, after several slaps, woke the unconscious thugs up and then pointed at them, ordering. "We'd rather die than submit! If you have the guts, kill us!" "A man can be killed but not humiliated. We will never agree to such a shameless request. Give up!" "Exactly! We would never do such shameful things!" "We're top-notch fighters, not top-notch nude models. You can forget about getting us to take off our clothes!" Chapter 66 Change Position! "Hey, right! Not bad! Very good! Come on, strike a different pose!"At this moment, inside the hospital room, Hao Jian was snapping photos wildly with his phone of Du Haitao and his subordinates. Apart from Du Haitao, all of his subordinates were sporting a bunch of panda eyes, and the previously declared 'death before dishonor' quickly dissipated under Hao Jian's vile threats. Right now, each person looked as if their parents had died, wanting to cry but unable to shed a tear. "Good, keep going! Stick your butt out more, Du Haitao, go sit on top of him," Hao Jian commanded Du Haitao. Du Haitao and the big guy were stark naked facing each other, both holding back their disgust as they hugged, feeling a surge of suicidal impulses. "Again, be more seductive! Du Haitao, put more of a smile on your face, a smile of enjoyment, more shameless, that's right, just like that," Hao Jian continued to snap away fervently. "Hmm, not bad, not bad, let's switch to something sexier. Du Haitao, come on, thrust your butt out and make a charming face." Explore more stories with empire After torturing them for about two hours, Hao Jian finally decided to call it quits. And during those two hours, the entire hospital room was filled with incessant laughter. The ones laughing the most exaggeratedly were naturally the old lady and Che Xiaoxiao. As Du Haitao and the others displayed various moves and expressions, these two straightforward women almost went into convulsions from laughing so hard. Yuan Shanshan, however, kept her head down shyly all the time, not daring to look at the unsightly scene. "All right, put your clothes on and get lost," Hao Jian said contentedly as he glanced at the hundreds of photos on his phone and waved them off. Du Haitao and the others walked out of the hospital room, looking as though they had been violated over and over again, their heads hanging low in defeat. "Remember, if you dare to mess around, we'll release these photos and bring both of us down together," Hao Jian shouted after Du Haitao. Du Haitao shuddered and then bolted. "Tch, what wimps," Hao Jian said disdainfully with a curl of his lip. "Hao Jian, we really owe you a big one this time. If it hadn't been for you, we wouldn't have known what to do. You're a lifesaver to our Yuan family!" The old lady expressed her immense gratitude as, without Hao Jian today, Yuan Shanshan's chastity would have certainly been compromised. "Auntie, what are you talking about? Yuan Shanshan is my girlfriend; isn't it only normal that I protect her?" Hao Jian said with a smile. But Yuan Shanshan herself couldn't help but give a bitter smile since she knew this wasn't normal at all, because Hao Jian was not her boyfriend. Yet for her sake, Hao Jian had gotten involved in this affair, and those people looked formidable at first glance, but Hao Jian had offended them for her. From the time they got to know each other until now, Hao Jian had truly done so much for her, and Yuan Shanshan genuinely felt grateful to him from the bottom of her heart. "That's right, that's right. Shanshan is so fortunate to have found someone like you in her life. It's truly the blessings from her past life," the old lady praised, growing even more fond of her prospective son-in-law Hao Jian. "Brother-in-law, thank you." At this moment, Yuan Zhibang couldn't help but speak up weakly, but he was too embarrassed to look at Hao Jian, scratching the back of his head and turning his face to the side. This left Yuan Shanshan and the others stunned. Had Yuan Zhibang accepted Hao Jian? "Well, all's well that ends well," Che Xiaoxiao laughed heartily, certain that Hao Jian was truly a heaven-sent hero; seeking his help was undoubtedly the right decision. At this time, everyone was happy, except for Yuan Shanshan who felt somewhat despondent. Because she knew that all of this was a pretense, and after today, she would revert to being just friends with Hao Jian. At that moment, Yuan Shanshan couldn't help but think, if only Hao Jian were truly her boyfriend, how wonderful that would be. And just at that moment, Hao Jian's phone suddenly rang. As soon as he answered, a deafening roar came from the other end: "You damned son of a bitch, do you even remember what you're supposed to do tonight?" Hao Jian's heart skipped a beat. He was done for¡ªhe was supposed to meet Shu Ya's father with her today, and now he was completely delayed. Everyone in the hospital room was stunned into a daze; Shu Ya's roar was so loud that they could hear everything clearly even without a loudspeaker. "I'm sorry, boss. I'm coming back right now," Hao Jian hastily said, with utmost respect and without a hint of flippancy. "Be quick, or you'll regret it!" Shu Ya threatened him, but she was extremely clever. Hearing how serious Hao Jian was, she immediately guessed that there must be some of her employees with him. "Is it the president?" Yuan Shanshan curiously asked, recognizing Shu Ya's voice from the phone. "Yes, she wanted me to take her to meet someone tonight, but I completely forgot about it." Hao Jian's face wore a bitter smile. It was all Du Haitao's fault¡ªif it weren't for them, how would he have been delayed? If Du Haitao knew what he was thinking at the moment, he would probably go insane with rage. It was clearly your own fault for losing track of time, what does that have to do with me? "Then you should hurry on now." Yuan Shanshan urged, knowing that work was important. Plus, the act they had put on was over; she couldn't keep troubling Hao Jian forever. "Alright." Hao Jian nodded and then turned to the elderly lady and said, "Auntie, I'm sorry, but I have to go now. I'll come to see you another day." "No problem, no problem. It's fine as long as I have Shanshan and the others to keep me company," the elderly lady said, waving her hand with a beaming smile. As Hao Jian was preparing to leave, he stopped by Yuan Zhibang: "When some things go beyond your capability, what you should do is seek help from your family, not just shoulder it all by yourself. Because some burdens are too heavy to bear, and the more you try to hold on, the more severe the injury could be, and you could even end up involving others." "I understand, brother-in-law," Yuan Zhibang said, nodding emphatically. He had come to admire Hao Jian greatly. Out of concern for his reputation, he hadn't dared to tell his mother and sister about Young Master Du, which almost resulted in his sister being humiliated. If he had spoken up earlier, perhaps a solution would have been found by now. "Take down my phone number, and if Du Haitao bullies you again at school, call me. I'll handle it for you," Hao Jian said, giving his phone number to Yuan Zhibang. Although he held a trump card, no one could guarantee that it would restrain Du Haitao. He didn't want Yuan Zhibang to suffer because of his own revelry that day; if Du Haitao didn't find him, he would definitely go after Yuan Zhibang. Afterward, Hao Jian didn't linger any longer and rushed to the address Shu Ya had given him. ... "Young Master Du, are we just going to let this matter slide?" On the way back, one of the henchmen asked Du Haitao, his face still unwilling to accept what had happened. Being humiliated like that was even worse than being chopped with a knife. The incident today had caused tremendous psychological trauma to all of them, with the extent of their mental scars impossible to measure. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 67 Do You Not Need Lines? "Forget it? When the hell have I, Du Haitao, ever been bullied like this before? I want them dead! That bastard has to die, that stinky bitch and the cripple too! All of them must die!!!"Du Haitao's face was full of resentment, his words oozing with a fierce and ferocious intent! Every time Du Haitao remembered Hao Jian's taunting smirk and the laughter of Yuan Shanshan and others, he felt like his lungs were about to burst. "Then what do we do, our **** is still in their hands. If we make any rash moves, our **** might get exposed," another person said with a mournful face, hating the fact that they wanted revenge but couldn't seek it¡ªsuch a feeling was hard to bear. "Just kill all of them, and I'd like to see who can still upload **** to the Internet," Du Haitao glared with eyes wide, exuding a deadly glare like a jackal. Everyone was shocked. Killing all five of them? That would be a problem for the forces behind them. Things weren't like before; suddenly losing five people would definitely attract significant societal attention. They were also shocked that Du Haitao, at merely eighteen or nineteen, was so ruthless. Given time, he would definitely become a formidable and ruthless Black Boss. Hao Jian and Shu Ya met up at the Swan Grand Hotel, and the moment Shu Ya saw Hao Jian, she couldn't help but reproach, "Didn't I tell you today that I was going to meet him? How could you forget that?" "It's not that I forgot; something urgent came up," Hao Jian replied apologetically. "Hmm? Changed into a suit too, huh? Not bad, not bad, at least there's some brains in there," Shu Ya noticed Hao Jian's attire and nodded in approval. "Yes. Yes, indeed." Hao Jian could only force a laugh. The reason he had put on the suit wasn't for Shu Ya, but to meet Yuan Shanshan's mother¡ªhowever, he dared not say that; otherwise, Shu Ya would likely tear him apart. "Let's go, let's head in," Shu Ya, taking Hao Jian's hand, started walking towards the hotel. Hao Jian caught a waft of her appealing scent and couldn't help but get distracted. He asked, "Just like this? Don't we need to go over any lines or anything?" "No need; the whole point of bringing you to meet him is just for show! His reaction doesn't matter to me; you don't need to be overly humble with him after all, he's nothing but trash," Shu Ya said emotionlessly. Hao Jian grinned bitterly. The rift between this father and daughter was indeed profound. Walking into the hotel's private room, Hao Jian saw a man in his fifties, dressed in a suit and tie with a slicked-back hairdo, and a stylishly dressed woman with wavy hair. Seeing this, Hao Jian frowned because it was too incongruous. The man, despite being over fifty, wore a leopard print suit, which looked garish and though it made him appear somewhat younger, it also seemed frivolous. As for the woman, there was no need to mention her enormous headlights; if she claimed they hadn't been surgically enhanced, Hao Jian would never believe it. Sharp chin, high nose bridge, big eyes; this was nothing but a production line of South Korean cosmetic surgery. Hao Jian never understood what it was about Shu Ya's father's taste that made him prefer such artificial beauties. Hao Jian preferred natural beauty, so this type of woman was definitely not his cup of tea. Stay connected with empire "Shu Ya is here? Please, have a seat, have a seat," the woman briskly pulled out a chair for Shu Ya, looking very obsequious. It was no wonder, considering they always needed Shu Ya to provide money, so naturally, their demeanor had to be somewhat submissive. However, Shu Ya had no fond feelings for this home-wrecker and did not sit, instead casting a look towards Hao Jian. Hao Jian immediately understood and pulled out another chair for Shu Ya to sit. Once Shu Ya sat down, her face reflected that superior and aloof demeanour typical of those in power, speaking in a cold and firm tone, "Speak, why have you called me here?" Here, she didn't seem like a daughter, but rather like a boss scolding her employees. Seeing this, Shu Yuntu's expression soured, but he tried hard to maintain a fatherly dignity and asked, "Shu Ya, how is the company doing recently?" "The preparations for the IPO have passed all the Multivariate Testing, and the Year To Date Financials are also fully prepared; the headquarters have already coordinated with the branches and are ready to go public at any time," Shu Ya said, rattling off a series of technical terms in succession. Hao Jian wanted to laugh inside. Shu Ya was clearly mocking Shu Yuntu. How could an illiterate understand all this? Sure enough, at this moment, Shu Yuntu's face turned red, and after a long while, he only managed to utter one word: "Oh." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Shu Ya had said a lot, but he didn't understand a word. All that MVT, YTD stuff, couldn't she just say whether things were good or bad instead of making it so complicated. "Oh what?" Shu Ya didn't seem ready to let it go. "No 'oh' nothing." "If you have no 'oh' nothing, why did you 'oh'?" "How can't I just 'oh'?" "You know what I'm saying and you still just 'oh'?" Hao Jian was getting dizzy. What in the world was this 'oh' about? "You don't even understand the basic commercial jargon, and yet you think you can manage a company? Isn't that a bit too far-fetched?" Shu Ya said mockingly. Shu Yuntu's face turned grim, "I can learn." "Stop kidding. You can learn professional jargon, but can you learn how to be a CEO? Right now, the company is at a critical juncture with the IPO; no one will give you time to learn slowly," Shu Ya snorted coldly. Her father was really too naive. Chapter 68 Shes Clinging to Me! Shu Yuntu thought carefully and found some reason in it.After all, even if he were to take over the company, he wouldn't know how to manage it¡ªthere was a good chance he might even cause the company to lose money. "So how about this, you give me some shares? I don't ask for too much, just five percent," Shu Yuntu said. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Compared to taking over the company, getting shares was more beneficial. Although he was illiterate, he knew that owning shares would allow him to receive dividends. "Not much? Five percent of Fanzhuo shares could sell for over a billion on the market. Your request isn't excessive at all," Shu Ya mocked him, which was quite a lion's demand. It wasn't Shu Yuntu's fault as a literacy, he thought five percent was very little, but he had no idea how much that five percent was worth. Owning that five percent meant that he would receive tens of millions in dividends annually, which was enough money for him to squander. Detecting the sarcasm in Shu Ya's tone, Shu Yuntu looked displeased: "Shu Ya, no matter what, I am your father. Asking for five percent isn't too much, right? After all, you own fifty-three percent of the shares, don't you?" "Yes, Shu Ya! No matter what, Yuntu is your father. What father and daughter hold grudges overnight? Besides, it's been so many years since then," Fu Jinmei also chimed in. She was playing the good cop at this moment, naturally because of the five percent of the shares. If Shu Yuntu could get those shares, she naturally could continue enjoying her life as a wealthy wife. However, Shu Ya felt utter disgust, staring coldly at Fu Jinmei: "I'm curious what stance you are taking to talk to me. Have you forgotten what you once did to my family? How can you be so shameless?" Fu Jinmei's expression stiffened, her face turned ugly and she lowered her head, but a flash of resentment crossed her eyes. Shu Ya, however, was expressionless. This woman had once shattered her family and even caused her mother's death by grief-stricken suicide¡ªshe was the one who should rightfully hold resentment. "Shu Ya, how can you speak like that? Jinmei is your aunt, no matter what. Don't you think you're being excessive?" Shu Yuntu urgently scolded. "She's just a child, it's no big deal," Fu Jinmei postured. "Stop playing the good person here. Was it not excessive when you got my mom killed?" Shu Ya was furious too. At this point, Shu Yuntu was still defending his mistress. It was hopeless; he would be manipulated by this woman to his death. "She killed herself, it's none of my business," Shu Yuntu said angrily. Thinking about it, it was because of those damn women who killed themselves that he had been kicked out of the house. "Mom did so much for you, and yet you say such things? You're worse than a beast!" Shu Ya was gritting her teeth by now. She felt so unworthy for her mother, who had once committed suicide for Shu Yuntu, a beast who didn't deserve it! "Just give me the shares and cut the crap!" Shu Yuntu exclaimed, infuriated by Shu Ya's public humiliation. Shu Ya remained silent, only scoffing coldly at Shu Yuntu. In that moment, she suddenly calmed down. She realized she needn't be so angry over such a scumbag. Was it worth it? She didn't want to become a weak woman like her mother. Being stared at like this by Shu Ya, Shu Yuntu suddenly felt uneasy and hesitated: "Then... four percent?" Shu Ya stayed silent, her face increasingly mocking. "Three percent!" Shu Yuntu said through clenched teeth, knowing Shu Ya would not give more, so he chose to compromise. Shu Ya shook her head, her face thick with hatred: "Don't even think about it. I won't give you a single penny." The company was her mother's legacy, and Shu Yuntu had been using her mother's money to support his mistress during her mother's lifetime! Now, after her mother's death, Shu Yuntu still wanted to continue? Shu Ya would not agree! "Shu Ya, I am your father!" Shu Yuntu exclaimed, gritting his teeth in anger. He had never felt the slightest remorse for Shu Ya's mother's death! In his eyes, it was all the woman's fault for seeking her own death; he was not to blame! And as Shu Ya's father, he felt entitled to Shu Ya's inheritance; after all, it was only natural for a child to support their parent! "No, my father died long ago," Shu Ya said with a cold laugh. Father? Only remembering that I am your father when you need money, what about when you abandoned your wife? Did you not think of that then? "Shu Ya!!!" Shu Yuntu slammed the table and stood up, looking coldly at Shu Ya: "Don't forget the agreement with your family; you only qualify to inherit the company after you are married. So, currently, the company still partially belongs to me!" Hao Jian couldn't help but laugh and cry; there's too much drama in rich families, these are not father and daughter, but enemies. "Oh, is that so?" Shu Ya chuckled oddly and then hooked her arm into Hao Jian's: "I forgot to introduce you, this is my boyfriend, Hao Jian. We are planning to get married next month!" "What?" Shu Yuntu and Fu Jinmei exclaimed simultaneously. If that was the case, they would get nothing. "What's wrong, my father, your daughter is getting married. Aren't you happy?" Shu Ya tilted her head, feigning confusion. "You cannot marry him!" Shu Yuntu declared emphatically. "Why?" Shu Ya asked with interest. "What do you do?" Shu Yuntu stared directly at Hao Jian. Hao Jian, frightened by Shu Yuntu's abrupt question, gave a bitter smile: "I am a driver." "A driver?" Shu Yuntu let out a scoff, glaring at Shu Ya: "You want to marry a driver?" Shu Ya was also speechless; this damn guy, never honest when he should be, but too honest when he shouldn't be¡ªabsolutely infuriating. "Shu Ya's taste is indeed unique," Fu Jinmei laughed coquettishly, her face full of mockery. At that moment, Shu Yuntu thought of something, a smile suddenly crossing his lips: "If you can find a femme fatale, why can't I find a driver?" Your journey continues on empire And then Fu Jinmei wasn't laughing anymore, her eyes filled with rage, wanting to explode but daring not to. "I am your father, I have the right to demand that you not marry him!" "Of course, you have the right to demand that, but I also have the right to refuse," Shu Ya shrugged, unconcerned. Shu Yuntu's teeth were almost grinding, but he could say nothing to Shu Ya; he knew that his daughter never regarded him as a father. "You should leave my daughter, you're not good enough for her." Since he could not persuade Shu Ya, Shu Yuntu directly turned to Hao Jian, his attitude overbearing and disdainful. Hao Jian smirked and crossed his legs: "Uncle, I think you are mistaken. It's not that I'm clinging to her, but rather, she won't let me go, even if I try to shake her off." Upon hearing this, everyone, including Shu Ya, was stunned. What Shu Yuntu and Fu Jinmei thought was: How could that be possible? But what Shu Ya thought was: Could this guy be about to spill the secret? "What are you joking about? My daughter is a Harvard graduate. You, a poor driver with neither looks, body, nor money, why would she hang onto you?" Shu Yuntu simply couldn't believe it; it was complete nonsense. Chapter 69 The Water Doesnt Flow to Outsiders Fields! "What are you joking about? My daughter is a top student at Harvard. You're a poor driver with neither looks, body, nor wealth. Why would she cling to you?"The sarcasm and contempt on Shu Yuntu's face were undisguised! Watching Shu Yuntu's skeptical gaze and disdainful expression, Hao Jian immediately felt displeased: "I'll agree with the last two, but you're saying I'm not handsome? Did your conscience get eaten by a dog? How dare you say such insincere words?" Shu Yuntu and two others had dark lines on their foreheads. Just how narcissistic was this guy? "If you don't believe it, ask Shu Ya. She initially pursued me because she was infatuated with my looks. Then she relentlessly chased after me and refused to let go," Hao Jian confidently declared. "She pursued you?" Shu Yuntu and Fu Jinmei were petrified and turned in astonishment toward Shu Ya. Shu Ya felt her scalp tingle, thinking: Hao Jian, Hao Jian, can't you just be serious for once and speak properly? Having no choice, Shu Ya could only give a dry laugh and said: "In my eyes, you are always the most handsome." "Did you hear that? So, you should talk to Shu Ya about this, talking to me is useless. It's not like I was the one clinging to her, hiss hiss." Hao Jian was speaking when he suddenly felt a pinch on his thigh from Shu Ya, causing him to hiss in pain. Shu Ya's face carried a smile, but she was actually furious. This jerk, he really dared to say it, continuously claiming I clung to him, it seems he's quite dissatisfied with me. "And in my heart, I also deeply love Shu Ya. After all, she is so beautiful and intelligent. I want to be with her forever. If anyone dares to stop me, I'll have a problem with them!" Hao Jian quickly corrected himself. "I don't believe Shu Ya would choose a man just for his looks!" Shu Yuntu's face darkened, knowing his daughter well; he was sure of what kind of person Shu Ya was! She wouldn't marry a mere driver like Hao Jian just because she thought he was handsome, and this man isn't that handsome after all. "Of course, I have many other qualities, like being funny, humorous, not to mention good-looking." Hao Jian winked at Fu Jinmei: "Mother-in-law, maybe we should compare notes sometime!" Fu Jinmei was stunned; she did not expect Hao Jian to say such an explicit thing in public. He was actually flirting with her. Fu Jinmei immediately blushed and scolded, "You, you shameless!" "Shu Ya, look at what kind of boyfriend you have chosen, he's flirting with your aunt in public." Shu Yuntu was furious, how dare Hao Jian try to seduce his wife? "How my boyfriend behaves is my business, not yours," Shu Ya coldly stated, yet inside she screamed: Well done Hao Jian, your despicable shamelessness finally comes in handy! If Hao Jian knew what Shu Ya was thinking, he'd definitely give her a thumbs-up and tell her to buzz off! "Okay, okay." Shu Yuntu's face was a shade of steel blue, he kept panting heavily, visibly upset and at a loss for words. "Shu Ya, look what you have done to your father?" Fu Jinmei soothed Shu Yuntu's back while scolding. "It's not me, it's Hao Jian," Shu Ya turned away. "How is this my fault? It was the aunt who started rubbing my thigh with her foot first!" Hao Jian, looking aggrieved, spread his hands: "After all, it's best to keep the resources within the family! If your aunt had an affair, it wouldn't be good for anyone, right? I'm thinking about our family here." His face was annoyingly ingratiating as if blazoned with the words: "I am a good person." "You, you, you." Shu Yuntu, trembling, pointed at Hao Jian, his face completely green with anger. And Fu Jinmei's pretty face was covered with frost, glaring at Hao Jian through gritted teeth. Unbelievable! Seriously unbelievable! Right now, Shu Ya just wants to jump up and cheer for Hao Jian! Hao Jian is the type to hit people right in the face, and when he curses, he doesn't even use swear words. Following that, Shu Ya chimed in: "That's right, Dad! You are already fifty this year, but auntie is just in her thirties, in the prime of her life. How could you possibly satisfy her? Hao Jian is doing this for our family's sake; he doesn't want you to be a laughing stock, right? If you're worried about me, you don't have to. Rest assured, I've become very open-minded! For the sake of this family, I can turn a blind eye." Pfft!!! With just one sentence, the emotional damage Shu Ya caused Shu Yuntu was beyond measurable! His own daughter competing to make him wear a cuckold's hat, what the hell is this! "Help me walk," Shu Yuntu rasped to Fu Jinmei! At this point, he no longer wanted to stay here because he was afraid that if he did, he wouldn't be able to restrain himself from killing someone. "Mother-in-law, are you really not considering it?" Hao Jian asked with a beaming smile: "Way more impressive than your father-in-law's!" Fu Jinmei's legs went weak, her face growing even more unattractive as she, like a frightened rabbit, scurried away supporting Shu Yuntu. Meanwhile, Shu Ya was already laughing so hard she couldn't close her mouth, slapping Hao Jian on the shoulder: "That was brilliant, how did you think of that?" But Hao Jian didn't smile, and glanced back at her: "You think I'm making this up?" Shu Ya's laughter stopped abruptly, staring at Hao Jian in shock: "You mean, she really touched you with her leg?" Hao Jian didn't directly answer her question, but instead said, "She's no good, I suspect your dad's life won't be easy in a few years." Find your next read on empire S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. To this, Shu Ya felt no pity, but grew even happier: "Hao Jian, do you believe in karma?" "I do," Hao Jian nodded! He truly believed, after all, fate is sometimes hard to explain! As Buddhism teaches, sow good deeds, reap good fruits! Sow evil deeds, reap evil fruits! Everything is predetermined! "Then Fu Jinmei is his karma. He made my mother suffer for Fu Jinmei, and now it's time for him to suffer," Shu Ya said, her red lips curving into a chillingly seductive smile. Hao Jian gave a bitter smile: "Are you even still father and daughter?" "Yes, father and daughter with a deep-seated grudge." . That evening, Hao Jian drove Shu Ya home, neither of them spoke in the car. Shu Ya was downcast, and Hao Jian was silent because he saw that Shu Ya was not in high spirits. Unbeknownst to her, as Shu Ya drifted into deep sleep, it was uncertain how much time had passed when she felt the car stop in her half-asleep state, slowly opening her eyes. Only to find herself on a scarcely populated highway, with Hao Jian sitting in the driver's seat, his face ominously dark. "What's wrong?" Shu Ya asked, puzzled. Hao Jian gestured angrily with his mouth to the front: "Look, a tiger on the road up ahead." Shu Ya looked forward and saw several SUVs blocking their way. Seeing this, Shu Ya's brows furrowed: "Are they sent by my dad?" Shu Ya thought of this possibility because for Shu Yuntu and Fu Jinmei, killing her might be the only way to take over the company, there was no other method! Given Shu Ya's understanding of her father's crazed nature, it was indeed possible that he would do this. Chapter 70 How come youre addicted to kneeling now? "Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't; one must see to know."Hao Jian pushed open the car door and stepped out, meanwhile instructing Shu Ya, "Stay here, do not come out without my permission." Shu Ya nodded, her expression also somewhat tense; she could see that the current situation was very serious. Then, Hao Jian walked toward the group of people, himself also unclear who had sent them. Liang Jiankun? Or perhaps that Brother Spice Ginger? Once he got closer, Hao Jian noticed that these people were dressed somewhat oddly, all in Kung Fu robes. "Martial Artists?" Hao Jian was somewhat surprised; clearly, this was a group of Martial Artists, their hands holding swords, sticks, and spears, very much like characters from a martial arts drama. "What important business do you several elder brothers have? Is there something this junior has done to offend you?" Hao Jian rubbed his hands as he approached, a pleasing smile on his face. Seeing this, the Martial Artists all frowned, somewhat displeased. Was such a coward worth their Seven Tiger Brothers taking action together? Liang Jiankun was insulting them! Indeed, these people had been sent by Liang Jiankun, of course¡ªonly Liang Jiankun would have the means to summon a group of Martial Artists. "Are you Hao Jian?" one of the bald Monks asked. "Yes, yes, the very same," Hao Jian hurriedly nodded, a sly smile spreading across his face. The Seven Brothers could only laugh at his reaction; that name truly hadn't been mischosen. "We are the Seven Tiger Brothers, commanded to come here to take your life. Do you have any last words?" the bald Monk asked sternly. Now that they were here, there was no reason for them to return empty-handed. Although they held some grudges about Liang Jiankun's orders, he was their master after all, and they could not defy his commands. Hao Jian's expression remained unchanged, and he asked, "Who sent you?" "Liang Jiankun," the bald Monk replied in a grave voice, but something felt off in his heart. This kid was still smiling? Was he not afraid of dying? If Hao Jian's earlier smile was due to weakness, what then did this smile mean? "I thought as much," Hao Jian touched his chin, yet he was not surprised. After all, Liang Jiankun's family influence was even greater than Shu Ya's. Though not rich enough to rival a nation, they were certainly immensely wealthy. "So, you have no last words?" Another lean, dark man approached, his hand clutching a longsword, its chilling glint quite terrifying. "I do," Hao Jian quickly raised his hand. "Speak," the lean, dark man said impatiently. "Why do you call yourselves the Seven Tiger Brothers? Don't you think it sounds a bit archaic? 'Seven Swords Beneath the Mountain' would be better," Hao Jian said. Silence, deathly silence! "Whew." A breeze then swept by. "Kill him!" The Monk shouted furiously, his features savage¡ªhe had wanted Hao Jian to speak his last words, but what was this nonsense Hao Jian was spouting? The lean, dark man struck with his sword, intending to kill this mischievous kid who dared to mock them. "Clang!" But at that moment, the sound of metal rang out, and the lean, dark man found his longsword caught between Hao Jian's fingers, so easily blocked by him. "Hiss." All Seven Brothers gasped; they had seen weapons seized barehanded before, but never with just two fingers¡ªthis was a first for them. The lean, dark man was also stunned; his sword was capable of cleaving metal and stone, yet it was caught between Hao Jian's fingers. He tried to pull his sword free, but found he simply could not¡ªthe grip of Hao Jian's fingers was like iron pincers. "No? Don't like it? How about we go with Gourd Brothers then?" Hao Jian said with a slight smile, then directly snapped the longsword in half. Crack! The longsword shattered in response! The seven brothers were already stunned. Legend had it that only those who had reached the zenith of martial arts could train their bodies to such a terrifying degree that they could kill with a single finger. And clearly, Hao Jian was such a person. This scared them terribly, as killing them would be as simple for him as crushing an ant. Find exclusive stories on empire At that moment, the monk wished he could slap himself. Letting the other guy have his last words? Where did he get that confidence? The seven brothers mentally cursed Liang Jiankun hundreds of times. He had not informed them that they were dealing with a peak martial artist. He had sent them to their deaths! The seven brothers were watching Hao Jian nervously, fearing that he might explode and kill them instantly. "What, don't you like it? Then how about calling you the 'Seven Big Fools' instead!" Hao Jian's eyes turned sharp, a hint of mockery appearing at the corner of his mouth as he kicked the thin, dark man in front of him flying. Whoosh! Hao Jian's kick was as fast as lightning. The thin, dark man hadn't seen it coming before he was kicked hard in the chest! Bang! The thin, dark man was sent flying, crashing into the front of an SUV and vomiting a mouthful of fresh blood! One kick, severe injury! At that moment, the bald men began to smile bitterly. Weren't they the seven big fools? They came pompously to kill someone, and before they could even touch a single hair on him, one of them was already disabled. The remaining six brothers simultaneously took a step back, their eyes filled with terror. "Why so scared? I'm not the Scorpion Demoness or a snake demon." Hao Jian made a joke, but didn't find it funny. "Hero! Please spare our lives!" Suddenly, the monk dropped to his knees with a thump, hugging Hao Jian's thighs and crying out. "Big brother, you..." This act stunned the other six brothers. Was this the same cold, ruthless big brother? Not to mention them, even Hao Jian was taken aback. He had thought the guy was pretty cool, and then he witnessed an extreme change in demeanor. His behavior was completely different from before. Hao Jian was shocked, wondering if the guy might have split personality disorder? "What are you dazed for? Kneel down quickly, do you still want to live?" the monk yelled at the remaining six brothers. "Oh yes." The other six seemed to really respect the monk. Hearing his command, they hurriedly knelt beside him in a line. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You seven must be the clowns hired by ****, right?" Hao Jian's mouth twitched a little. "Great hero, we're just taking someone's money to ward off their disasters. It really isn't our fault, it was all Liang Jiankun's idea," The monk quickly begged for mercy, knowing they could not beat Hao Jian. He decided not to make any futile attempts. Now by begging for mercy, they might still have a chance to live. But if they fought, the strength Hao Jian had shown was enough to kill them all instantly. "Alright, scram now, looking at you guys is irritating," Hao Jian said impatiently. He had lost even the interest in bullying these fools. "Thank you, great hero." The seven brothers quickly got up to run away. "Go back and tell Liang Jiankun to remember to bring some better fighters next time." Hearing this, the seven brothers' faces turned red, because Hao Jian's words undoubtedly implied they were too weak. Ashamed, they fled in utter disarray. Just then, the monk, who was about to leave, suddenly turned around, and again with a 'thump', fell to his knees! What? Hao Jian was astonished, and so were the others! What the hell was he playing at, why this addiction to kneeling? Chapter 71 Brother Zhang, what do you mean by that! "Buddy, what are you aiming at? I didn't birth you or raise you, why are you always kneeling before me like I'm your last hope?"Hao Jian's eyes narrowed, his face expressing a 'Are you kidding me?' look! "No, it's not that. I... I want to follow you." The Monk suddenly said this with a serious expression, not at all as if he was joking. "Follow me? Why would you want to follow me?" Hao Jian was startled, then couldn't help but laugh. Could it be that my charm has now even affected men? Alas, being this handsome is a curse¡ªhow can others compete! "Because what you said is right, we really are too weak, so weak that we don't even qualify to die at your hands. I should be happy that I narrowly escaped death, but after hearing what you said, I found that I couldn't feel happy at all. I feel like maybe I don't want to keep being so weak." The Monk looked down with a bitter smile on his face. Rather than continuing to live in such a miserable way, he would prefer to change his circumstances. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The other six brothers were all stunned, then one by one, they bowed their heads in shame. Just now they were still smugly pleased with themselves, yet they didn't realize how upset their leader was feeling. "So, what you're saying is, you want me to teach you Martial Arts?" Hao Jian let out a meaningful smile. "Yes." The Monk nodded emphatically and said: "The seven of us brothers are all orphans. Our master adopted us since we were young and taught us Martial Arts. But our master passed away a year ago, and there's no one left to teach us anything. However, we do not wish for our Martial Arts to come to an end. That's why..." The Monk could tell Hao Jian was very strong, even stronger than their master. If Hao Jian was willing to teach them, they would become even stronger than they are now. "Give me a reason to willingly become your master. After all, you guys are so weak, you're no help to me," Hao Jian said, stroking his chin with a playful look on his face. He didn't need a bunch of useless guys around; they were of no help and would only slow him down. "We can work for you, risking our lives. Although we're still weak now, as long as you give us a chance to grow stronger, we will definitely follow you without question!" The Monk said with a firm look in his eyes. Hao Jian looked deeply at the Monk then turned and walked away. Enjoy more content from empire The seven brothers all hung their heads in disappointment, and the Monk also started smiling bitterly. He really wasn't willing after all, was he? "Report to the Shu Ya Group's HR department tomorrow." At that moment, Hao Jian's casual words floated back to them. All seven brothers brightened up at once, joy written all over their faces, and they all bowed to Hao Jian in unison: "Thank you, Master!" "What happened?" Back in the car, Shu Ya couldn't help but ask Hao Jian. "Nothing much, just some admirers, that's all. After all, brother here is a legend in the Jianghu. It's only natural for them to come seeking my blessing," Hao Jian made up. "Yeah, right," Shu Ya said with a look of disdain, clearly not believing a word. "Hey, you don't believe me? Alright then, I've hired them at the company anyway; you can go see for yourself tomorrow," Hao Jian said. Actually, he had his reasons for agreeing to the seven brothers' request. He was currently at odds with Boss Liang in the company, and whereas Boss Liang had strong supporters, his own side was full of the defeated and the weak. It was time to bring some fresh blood into the security department, and these seven brothers were the perfect candidates. Their skills were mediocre, yet stronger than the average person, which made them unlikely to draw attention¡ªnothing could be more suitable. "What, you agreed?" Shu Ya said angrily, "Hao Jian, that company is mine; it's not your place to meddle and pull strings, I absolutely won't allow such things." Shu Ya was a very precise person; she would never allow any corruption or misconduct in her company. "Don't make it sound so bad; I'm just arranging a few bodyguards for you. After all, you know how unpleasant things were between you and your father today. With his ruthless nature, who knows what he might do out of desperation! I'm doing this for your own good," Hao Jian pleaded earnestly. "Really?" Shu Ya was half-convinced, always feeling that this fellow wasn't so kind-hearted. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian immediately became unhappy: "I consider your best interests so much, and you still doubt me? In order to test these people's abilities for you, my fingers got scrapped. Come on, give it a kiss." Shu Ya slapped Hao Jian's hand away, scolding, "You're disgusting." Hao Jian burst into laughter. He was starting to understand Shu Ya's personality; although she appeared cold on the outside, she was the least resistant to a mix of nagging, persistence, and playing the victim, which was precisely what he was good at. . "Bastard! How dare she treat me like this, I am her father!" Noises of smashing and crashing came from a villa! Shu Yuntu was throwing a fit in the living room, shattering anything that could be thrown. Of course, everything he smashed was worthless. "You see her as your daughter, but she doesn't see you as her father," Fu Jinmei said indifferently as she sat on the sofa painting her nails. She didn't bother stopping Shu Yuntu, allowing him to vent his frustration, even though it was ridiculous. The more useless the man, the bigger his temper; Fu Jinmei knew this well, and she also knew that her husband was a waste. But she didn't care, as long as he gave her money to spend. "No, I absolutely can't let her get married!" Shu Yuntu clenched his teeth with a fierce look on his face. If Shu Ya got married, he would end up with nothing. He couldn't tolerate such a thing happening. "Then you only have one option," Fu Jinmei said with a smirk, a flash of venom in her eyes. "What is it?" Shu Yuntu asked gloomily. "That is to make her disappear from this world," Fu Jinmei said with a cold laugh. "What?" Shu Yuntu cried out in shock. Was Fu Jinmei asking him to kill his own daughter? "Do you have another choice? If you don't kill her, you won't get anything," Fu Jinmei snorted and then returned to painting her nails. "But she is my daughter," Shu Yuntu hesitated. Even a tiger wouldn't eat its young. Besides, Shu Ya hadn't deprived him of food and clothing over the years. If it wasn't for Fu Jinmei's instigation to seize the Shu Ya Group, he would still be getting millions in pocket money each year. Fu Jinmei was a bottomless pit; at first, she would spend only a few hundred thousand a year, but then it became millions, and eventually tens of millions. Her demands grew greater and greater. And clearly, the few millions in pocket money Shu Yuntu had no longer satisfied her, so she started to urge him to take over Shu Ya's company. The wickedness of a woman's heart, especially one who was both vicious and greedy. "She no longer regards you as her father; why cling to the past? Shu Yuntu, you surely don't intend to spend your life looking up to others, do you? Think about it, if you kill her, the company is yours, and you'll be a billionaire. Who would dare to look down on you then?" Fu Jinmei egged him on from the side, according to the will, as long as Shu Ya died or didn't marry before the age of twenty-three, she would lose her right to inherit the company! Then, by law, the company would naturally transfer to Shu Yuntu's name. With that in mind, Shu Yuntu began to hesitate. Should he choose family or wealth? Chapter 72 You Can Call Me Grandpa! "Mom, Dad, what are you talking about?" Meanwhile, a seventeen or eighteen-year-old teenager suddenly walked out of the room."Come here, my good son. Tell your father that you're his son, and what others have isn't worth a thing." Fu Jinmei gestured to her son while mockingly looking at Shu Yuntu. At this time, Shu Yuntu seemed to have made up his mind, speaking in a deep voice, "Tomorrow I will find that kid and give him some money to get lost. If he agrees, then it's settled. If he doesn't, I'll send both him and his mother to the next world!" "Mom, what on earth is Dad talking about?" The teenager sat next to Fu Jinmei. "Don't mind him. He's senile," Fu Jinmei said disdainfully. In her eyes, Shu Yuntu's approach was nothing but womanly compassion, lacking any backbone. Why bother handing out money for free when you can get rid of that wretched girl directly? What a waste of effort! "Mom, I recently took a liking to a Herm¨¨s men's bag that costs over fifty thousand. Can you buy it for me?" The teenager looked up at Fu Jinmei and asked. "Didn't I just buy you a Louis Vuitton men's bag last month for over thirty thousand?" Shu Yuntu said angrily. "That was last month's, it's outdated now. I want the latest model," the teenager declared confidently. "All my money will eventually be squandered by you and your mother!" Shu Yuntu said with frustration and anger, thinking of them both as vampires. "Mom, look at what Dad is saying about me," the teenager said to Fu Jinmei, pretending to be aggrieved. "You've got the nerve to snap at us, mother and son, but do you dare confront Shu Ya like that?" Fu Jinmei snapped back. "You¡ª Ah!" Shu Yuntu abruptly waved his hand, asking himself what bad karma he had incurred to be plagued by this pair, one big and one small. The next day, the Gourd Brothers reported to the human resources department on time, naturally with Hao Jian registering their information. "Master, you're so skilled, why do you only work as a driver?" the second of the Gourd Brothers asked with confusion; even they as assassins made more than that in a month. "Experiencing life," Hao Jian replied without looking back, while checking the personal information of the Gourd Brothers. "You don't know shit, the master has seen through fame and fortune, hence returning to simplicity," Old Big, the Monk, thought Hao Jian was displeased, so he hurriedly chipped in. "Big brother is right," Old Three added. "The master wants us to be security guards probably to temper our will. Didn't he tell us that martial arts should start from the mundane? Don't you understand such a simple principle?" The Monk looked at his brothers with a look that seemed to say how disappointed he was in their lack of understanding. "Big brother is right," Old Three said again. Hao Jian was at a loss for words, then looking at the three men's information he asked with some incredulity, "Excellent Li, Outstanding Li, Stupid Li, what kind of nonsense are these? How much must your master hate you to give you such names?" Hao Jian was genuinely speechless; could these even count as people's names? Old Big, Excellent Li said with a wry smile, "Our master is a simple man like us, who can't read many characters, so he¡ª" "I'll give you new names," Hao Jian declared, looking lively, as if it was his place to grant the Gourd Brothers a rebirth. "Really? Thank you, master!" Excellent Li and the others hurriedly expressed their gratitude. In truth, they knew the names of all seven brothers were unpleasant, but being martial artists from a young age and illiterate, they had no way to choose better names. "Hmm," Hao Jian nodded and pointed at the seven brothers in turn, saying, "You'll be called Big Baby, Second Baby, Third Baby, Fourth Baby, Fifth Baby, Sixth Baby, Seventh Baby." And so the faces of the Gourd Brothers darkened. Damn it, did they really become the Gourd Brothers? Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire "Master, I think our current names are pretty good, no need to change," Excellent Li said with a forced smile. Compared to the names given by Hao Jian, he suddenly found the name Excellent Li to be quite nice, bizarre as it may be, but at least it had a commanding ring to it. Unlike the names Hao Jian picked, which were not only bizarre but also incredibly tacky. Hao Jian's expression darkened as he stated, "No, that won't do. I can't remember your names like that. It's better to call you the Gourd Brothers, it's easier to recognize." "Alright," said Excellent Li and a few others, forcing a smile uglier than a cry. "And to make it even easier for me to tell you apart, starting tomorrow Big Baby will wear red clothes, Second Baby will wear orange, Third Baby yellow, and so on. If you don't know how to dress, look up 'Gourd Brothers' on Baidu. If the attire isn't uniform tomorrow, you'll be sorry," Hao Jian hummed, his mischievous side taking delight. The Gourd Brothers were speechless, washing their faces with tears. Their master indeed had some pretty special inclinations. "So what do we call you, master?" Big Baby suddenly asked. Since they were the Gourd Brothers, surely Hao Jian must play some role, right? Hao Jian raised an eyebrow, "You can call me Grandpa!" "..." The seven men had only blank expressions. After completing the induction process for the seven brothers, Hao Jian took Big Baby aside and said with a serious tone, "Big Baby, there's something I need you to do," Big Baby responded with due respect, not expecting to be entrusted with a task so soon, and eagerly said, "You just say the word, master." S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then, Hao Jian handed Big Baby a document bag, "I need you to follow and investigate this woman for a while. Here are her photo and various details. From today on, follow her. I want to know everything she eats, drinks, and disposes of daily. And make sure she doesn't notice you." Big Baby glanced at the somewhat seductive woman in the photo and asked, "Master, is this woman a martial artist?" "No, she's just a regular person," Hao Jian replied. "Then there's no problem," Big Baby confidently assured. As long as she wasn't a martial artist, he could guarantee an undetected tail. "Good, I'll leave this task to you then. Of course, once it's done, I won't let you go unrewarded. I will personally teach you and your brothers martial arts," Hao Jian knew that this was the time to offer some incentive. At these words, Big Baby was visibly excited, thumping his chest in promise, "No problem, master, I will complete the mission!" "Go," Hao Jian gestured with his chin to Big Baby, watching his receding figure with an indistinct smirk curling at the corner of his mouth. Chapter 73 I Agreed! Today, an unexpected visitor came looking for Hao Jian¡ªit was Shu Ya's father, Shu Yuntu.His intention was clear: He summoned Hao Jian to a restaurant and directly threw a check for one million at him. Hao Jian glanced at the check but did not take it, roughly guessing Shu Yuntu's intention. He feigned ignorance and asked, "What does this mean?" "Leave Shu Ya, and this money is yours," Shu Yuntu said coldly, getting straight to the point without wasting words with Hao Jian. He planned to bribe Hao Jian to leave Shu Ya, reasoning that as long as Shu Ya couldn't get married this year, the company would be his. "Just this one million, you think I'm a beggar?" Hao Jian sneered. Shu Yuntu's gaze hardened; this kid really wasn't easy to deal with! He had initially considered Hao Jian nothing more than a loser of a driver, thinking one million would be enough to buy off the poor kid. But unexpectedly, Hao Jian didn't even care for it, probably because having been with Shu Ya for so long, his sights had been set much higher. "I'll give you another million," Shu Yuntu said, his teeth clenched in having to offer another million. "If there's nothing else, I'm going to head back," Hao Jian said, tapping his fingers on the table, showing signs of impatience. Experience more on empire "Three million!" Shu Yuntu said in a deep voice, his eyes turning red. "Next time there's nothing to discuss, don't ask me out," Hao Jian said as he stood up, ready to leave. "Four million!" Shu Yuntu roared. He anticipated that Hao Jian would be difficult, but he didn't expect him to be this intractable. He had originally budgeted two million, but now it had more than doubled. These millions were his personal stash of savings; otherwise, it would have already been wasted by Fu Jinmei. "A flat price, ten million!" Hao Jian turned his head back and held up one finger to Shu Yuntu. "What? That's outright extortion!" Shu Yuntu, angered, stood up and slammed his hand on the table. Ten million, the private funds he had hidden over many years amounted to just over ten million. Hao Jian, doing nothing, had the nerve to demand so much? "If you don't agree, then forget it. Bye," Hao Jian waved his hand at Shu Yuntu, losing interest in talking. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Wait!" Shu Yuntu called out, his face stern: "Ten million is too much. Can't it be a little less?" Shu Yuntu didn't want to resort to murder to solve the problem if money could handle it, after all, Shu Ya was his daughter. Moreover, since Hao Jian had already shown some flexibility, it indicated he could be bought. Hence, Shu Yuntu still wanted to negotiate with him. "Ten million, no less," said Hao Jian, firm in his stance, but he sat down again, his face sporting a shamelessly thick grin: "Father-in-law, why are you so shortsighted? Once I leave Shu Ya and she fails to get married, she won't inherit, will she? Then the group will rightfully become yours, won't it? When you're sitting on hundreds of billions, would you really care about this mere ten million?" Shu Yuntu thought about it and felt it made sense; after all, you can't catch the wolf without losing the sheep. But ten million was really too much, maybe. He'd rather actually feed his own child to the wolf. Seeing Shu Yuntu still hesitating, Hao Jian said, "If you give me ten million, I can also agree to help you carry out your plan." "How would you help?" Shu Yuntu looked doubtfully at Hao Jian. "I can keep dragging things with Shu Ya, not marrying her! Wait until the date on that will expires, then I'll dump her! By then, even if she wants to find another man, it'll definitely be too late. Then the group will naturally transfer into your name, right?" Hao Jian said with a wicked smile, seeming very sinister. A jolt went through Shu Yuntu's heart, thinking: Right, why didn't I think of that! Even if I give this young man the money now to make him leave Shu Ya, it's still not a foolproof plan¡ªShu Ya might still find another man to marry. After that, Shu Yuntu scoffed with a cold laugh, "You're really ruthless." Previously, you were professing how much you loved Shu Ya, but now you have completely changed. "It's mutual," Hao Jian replied with a cold laugh of his own. At best, he was a stranger, but Shu Yuntu was Shu Ya's biological father; when it came to being ruthless, Shu Yuntu was far worse than himself. "Why should I believe that you'll definitely do as you say? Maybe you're just fooling me," Shu Yuntu challenged. Though not the brightest, Shu Yuntu was definitely not stupid; he wouldn't easily hand over the money without any written guarantee from Hao Jian. "I can't give you that guarantee, so you only have one option: to gamble that I will keep my promise," Hao Jian shrugged. How could such a thing be guaranteed? Even if there were a written agreement, it wouldn't have any legal effect. Shu Yuntu frowned deeply, and to be honest, Hao Jian's attitude was worrisome to him. Then, a hint of impatience flickered across Hao Jian's face: "Next time, please make sure you have thought things through before you come to me!" he said. "Wait, take the money!" Knowing he had no choice, Shu Yuntu reluctantly issued another check for nine million to Hao Jian. Hao Jian kissed the check twice and burst into laughter, presenting the complete picture of a money-obsessed scoundrel. Seeing this, Shu Yuntu actually felt relieved and said with a smile: "As long as you help me acquire the company, I promise you 5% of the shares. From now on, you'll be a shareholder and will receive this much every year." "Thank you, father-in-law, I will definitely work hard," Hao Jian slapped his chest, showing his excitement. Shu Yuntu's face darkened as he scolded, "Don't call me father-in-law!" When Hao Jian called him that, he was reminded of the scene from yesterday where Hao Jian had been flirting with his wife. Hao Jian just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and with bold strides, he walked out of the restaurant. At that moment, his phone rang, it was Shu Ya calling, and she seemed upset, her voice cold: "Come to my office." "So you've heard already?" Hao Jian couldn't help but smile and was puzzled, how did Shu Ya find out so quickly that Shu Yuntu was looking for him. When he arrived at the entrance to Shu Ya's office, before he could push the door open, he saw Boss Liang coming out. Upon seeing Hao Jian, Boss Liang's mouth stretched into a scowl, and he passed him by, huffing angrily. Hao Jian shook his head with a bitter smile, wondering why Shu Ya had found out so quickly. So, it was because of a Little Ghost. Afterward, Hao Jian entered the office and saw Shu Ya standing by the window, her back to him, making the atmosphere instantly much more serious. Hao Jian, acting as if in his own home, grabbed a drink from the fridge and started to drink. "Did my dad look for you?" The very moment Shu Ya found out that Shu Yuntu had gone looking for Hao Jian, she was worried that Hao Jian could be bought over by him, so she hurriedly called him over. Seeing him still acting like a rascal, she actually felt a sigh of relief. "Yeah, he gave me a sum of money to leave you," Hao Jian said while drinking his beverage. "You refused?" Shu Ya asked, as a smile appeared on her face. Hao Jian's candidness meant he wasn't hiding anything. "I accepted," Hao Jian said slowly. Chapter 74 Lets Get Married! "You turned him down?" Shu Ya's face broke into a smile. Hao Jian's candidness meant he had nothing to hide."I accepted," Hao Jian said leisurely. "What?" Shu Ya's smile froze on her face. "How could you agree to him? You had already promised me!" Hearing that Hao Jian had agreed to her own father, Shu Ya's pretty face turned red with anger! She never expected Hao Jian to be so mercenary! "If I hadn't agreed, where would the ten million reward come from? Who would turn down free money?" Hao Jian looked at Shu Ya. Why did it seem like this girl just couldn't figure it out? "So what you're saying is, you deceived him?" Shu Ya stared blankly. "No shit, he's only offering me ten million, but you're giving me thirty million. Would I help him if I were fool?" Hao Jian curled his lip, thinking you really underestimate me, don't you? Am I the sort of person to choose less over more? "Bastard." Shu Ya glared at Hao Jian, a bit angry. She had really thought Hao Jian was about to betray her. Continue reading at empire This guy, he can't even speak clearly. He's making her emotions bounce all over the place. "Oho, I'm on your side and still get called a bastard. Maybe I should just go over to Shu Yuntu's side," Hao Jian said jokingly. "Fine, go ahead then, if you don't want that thirty million," Shu Ya said with a cold laugh. Now she was getting a read on Hao Jian's personality. After thinking it over carefully, Hao Jian sighed, "Fine, curse me if you want, just as long as the money comes through!" "What else did you tell him?" Shu Ya knew that Shu Yuntu was no fool; otherwise, he wouldn't have managed to deceive her mother. There was no way he would trust Hao Jian so easily. Hao Jian must have promised him something else. "I also told him I'd work together with him, stay undercover by your side, delay but not marry you, so the corporation would naturally fall into his hands." Hao Jian shrugged and lay comfortably on the couch. "That makes more sense." Shu Ya gave a cold laugh. Her father was indeed cunning. To get the company, he was actually willing to spend so much, and what irked Shu Ya the most was that the money was what she had provided. Using the money she had given to go against her felt exceptionally lousy. "Hao Jian, let's get married." Suddenly, Shu Ya looked up, her gaze intense as she watched Hao Jian. ... Meanwhile, at the Liang Family's home. Dressed casually, Liang Jiankun sat at his desk on the balcony, reading¡ªa habit of his to enjoy a little drink while reading in the afternoon. Just then, a bodyguard in a black suit walked in. Before he could get close, Liang Jiankun asked: "Have you found the Seven Brothers?" Since last night, he hadn't been able to contact them. He had thought they were dead, but when he sent people to check, there were no bodies. This left even Liang Jiankun puzzled; if they weren't dead, why hadn't they killed Hao Jian, and why hadn't they reported back to him? "We found them, but¡ª" The bodyguard hesitated. "Hmm?" Liang Jiankun closed his book, his gaze sharpening as he stared at the bodyguard and demanded: "Speak!" "We discovered that the Seven Brothers not only failed to kill Hao Jian, but they also became sworn brothers with him, and now they are working within a corporation." "What?" Liang Jiankun suddenly stood up, his expression turning cold. He had ordered those Seven Brothers to kill Hao Jian, but they had become brothers with him instead? What the hell is this situation? "It's true, we heard Excellent Li and that Hao Jian arm in arm, even calling him something. 'Master. Master!'" the bodyguard said with a wry smile: "That Hao Jian looked even younger than the seven brothers, no idea why they would call him Master." With that, Liang Jiankun's expression darkened completely. Calling Hao Jian Master? What could Hao Jian teach them? Wasn't he just a broken driver? "You must get to the bottom of this for me! From which elementary school he attended when he was little to how many moles he has on his body, I want it all clear! As one of Hua City's Four Young Masters, there's no way I can swallow this indignity!" Liang Jiankun said with resentment in his eyes. From childhood to adulthood, he had never been played like this. The key point was that the seven brothers had already taken nearly ten million in advance from him, yet they had turned to someone else. How could this not anger Liang Jiankun? Just as Liang Jiankun was fuming, someone came to report, "Young Master, Excellent Li has returned." "He has the face to come back?" Liang Jianbin was taken aback, then anger surged on his face: "Let him in!" Not long after, the expressionless Excellent Li walked in, but didn't say a word, like a block of wood. Seeing this, Liang Jiankun glared furiously: "Excellent Li, you think you're really something, huh? Daring to take my money and do nothing, do you think I, Liang Jiankun, am easy to bully?" Excellent Li's mouth curled into a slight smile: "Young Master Liang, I came here today to return the check to you. My brothers and I will not be taking on this job." Saying this, he directly threw the check onto the table. Seeing this, Liang Jiankun was stunned. Then, rage filled his eyes: "You say you're not taking the job just like that, do you think this is child's play? Dare to play me? Do you believe I can ensure your seven brothers can't leave Hua City?" But there was not a hint of panic on Excellent Li's face, his expression full of mocking amusement: "First off, I don't go by Excellent Li anymore, I'm called Big Baby." Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "..." Liang Jiankun and the others were all stunned. Big Baby? What kind of name was that? "Secondly, I've returned the check to you, whether you want it or not is up to you. You think I'm playing you, or bullying you, that's your business! Not my concern, and I don't want to manage." "Then, as for your claim that you can make sure our seven brothers can't leave Hua City, if this were before, you certainly could have done it, but now..." Big Baby didn't continue, but revealed a meaningful smile, filled with amusement and mockery. Liang Jiankun and the others were already stunned. Was this still the same Excellent Li? How dare he talk to himself like this? Had he eaten the gall of a leopard? In the past, he would never dare to speak to Liang Jiankun like this, but now things were different. His master was far more formidable than Liang Jiankun. And Big Baby believed, his master would definitely not let Liang Jiankun touch the seven brothers. Having Hao Jian backing him, he feared nothing. "I've delivered the message. As for what you want to do, that's up to you." Saying that, he turned around and strode off. But just at that moment, Liang Jiankun's two bodyguards stood in front of him, their gazes vicious. Big Baby had caused such embarrassment to Liang Jiankun, so they, as subordinates, naturally had to vent their master's anger. At this moment, a trace of mockery crossed Big Baby's lips. "Bang bang." The two bodyguards were directly flung out, crashing against the wall, and fell to the ground coughing up blood. "Overestimating yourselves," Big Baby said with a cold laugh. His master bullying him was one thing, but even these nobody cats and dogs wanted to dig at his head? Chapter 75 Im Getting Married! Seeing Big Baby hit his own dog right in front of him, Liang Jiankun was on the verge of going mad!This was practically a slap in his own face! But Big Baby seemed unconcerned. He turned his head back to look at Liang Jiankun: "By the way, Young Master Liang, considering our acquaintance, I will give you a piece of advice. Stop looking for trouble with my master, Hao Jian. Because you can't afford to provoke him, and neither can the Liang Family." After that, Big Baby revealed a strange smile and strode away. "Well played, Excellent Li, well played, Hao Jian!" Liang Jiankun's body trembled, his forehead bulging with countless veins like tiny earthworms. He would remember today's humiliation! Continue reading stories on empire Meanwhile, in Shu Ya's office, she faced the window, blowing in the cold wind with cheeks flushed. By now, Hao Jian had already left, yet she seemed to be immersed in the joy of the upcoming wedding. Damn it, what's wrong with me? Why would I be happy about marrying that bastard? Shu Ya covered her hot cheeks, not understanding what was happening to her. She had thought that even if she married that bastard Hao Jian, she wouldn't show any emotion. Even if there were emotions, they should have been of sadness, not this alarming feeling she was experiencing now. At this moment, Boss Liang rushed in, forgetting even to knock. He said urgently: "President, I went to investigate the restaurant where they met today. Someone heard them engaging in an illegal deal, and the object of the deal was you!" Boss Liang also knew about Shu Yuntu, mainly because Shu Yuntu had been coming to the company every other day asking Shu Ya for money. Over time, he became aware of Shu Ya's deadbeat father. And when Shu Yuntu called Hao Jian over today, he sensed something was off, feeling that something was going on. So he followed them secretly and then saw Shu Yuntu and Hao Jian discussing some plot. He came back to report to Shu Ya, but she seemed indifferent, as if she didn't take it seriously. Boss Liang thought she didn't believe him and went to collect evidence for her. "This is the surveillance video I got from the restaurant. You should be able to hear their conversation. Take a look." Boss Liang presented a USB drive to Shu Ya like it was a treasure. Shu Ya looked at him suspiciously and then picked up the USB drive: "Have you seen what's inside?" If Boss Liang had seen it, then he would probably know about her upcoming marriage to Hao Jian, wouldn't he? In that case, she might have no choice but to fire him. "Not yet. I was so eager to let you know the truth that I forgot to watch it." Boss Liang gave a simple smile, as if to show off his loyalty and how eager he was to protect her. "Wait for me on the sofa." Shu Ya said indifferently, plugging the USB drive into her computer. "Oh." Boss Liang was a bit disappointed. He had actually wanted to watch it with Shu Ya, but upon hearing her words, he had no choice but to comply. He did not know that Shu Ya had no intention of letting him see the video. The identity of herself and Hao Jian still had to be kept secret. Shu Ya opened the video and then adjusted the volume so that only she could hear it before she began to watch. And by the end, when Shu Ya saw Shu Yuntu offer Hao Jian a five percent share, her expression froze on the spot. After a moment, a blush crossed her cheeks, and she muttered under her breath, "You deadbeat." All day long talking about money, makes people really think he's a slave to wealth, yet surprisingly he turned down such a tempting offer for his own sake. A five percent shareholding would mean Hao Jian would get tens of millions in dividends every year, not to mention it was more than what she offered, and it was an annual thing! But that damn guy wasn't tempted; instead, he chose to stand by her side. Not only did he choose to stand by her, but he also didn't come to her to claim any credit. Seeing him slack off all the time, she was now sure it was all an act! "President, did you call for me?" Boss Liang, mistaking Shu Ya's words for a summons, hurriedly stood up. Upon hearing this, Shu Ya's expression instantly darkened, "I've already seen the video." "So, is the president planning to fire Hao Jian now, or call the police?" Boss Liang's face lit up with surprise; in his view, after watching the video, Shu Ya would definitely explode with anger, and then fire Hao Jian. Hao Jian, oh Hao Jian, you can't blame me this time; if you have to blame someone, blame yourself for not knowing what's good for you and daring to disregard me! "Senior Section Chief Liang, what on earth is in your head? I assigned you to take charge of the group's security, not to spend all day holding onto your colleagues' coattails!" Shu Ya slammed the desk, her expression icy as she scolded. Boss Liang was instantly flabbergasted; this was definitely not the expected move! Logically, Shu Ya should indeed be furious by now, but it should be directed at Hao Jian, not him! "Hao Jian has already explained today's incident to me, so stop finding fault with him in the future," Shu Ya said emotionlessly. For some reason, listening to Boss Liang badmouth Hao Jian made her very angry, as if Boss Liang was speaking about her. Boss Liang had turned completely to stone, never expecting the plot to twist this way. What the hell did Hao Jian feed the president? "You may leave now. Remember, don't let this happen again, or prepare to pack up and go," she said. Shu Ya was extremely angry. Hao Jian hadn't really done anything to Section Chief Liang, yet this Liang kept looking for trouble with Hao Jian every few days. Even if Hao Jian had offended him, wasn't this a bit too petty? Boss Liang turned around stiffly and staggered out of the president's office! And as soon as he left the office, he slammed his fist into the wall, his expression sinister: "Hao Jian, I will never let you off the hook!" . Meanwhile, Hao Jian was wandering around the HR department like a lost soul, his hands hanging down, face expressionless, walking unsteadily, looking just like a zombie from a TV show; he didn't even notice Yuan Shanshan greeting him. Marriage. I'm about to get married, right? I'm about to step into a grave!!! He wanted to die now, feeling like a death row inmate who hears the sentence for the first time; not too scared at that moment, but truly frightened when the time to ascend the scaffold arrives. Hao Jian pushed open the HR department's door, then strode into Xiao Qiang's office, and crashed onto the sofa. Since Hao Jian had not been assigned to any department, Shu Ya had no choice but to leave him with Xiao Qiang, having him share an office with Xiao Qiang! In fact, to say it was sharing office work was just to have Xiao Qiang keep an eye on him, to prevent him from wandering around. "What's wrong, feeling down?" Xiao Qiang, seeing Hao Jian like this, couldn't help but ask curiously. Lying on the sofa and looking at the ceiling, Hao Jian had a look of utter desolation: "I'm getting married." Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 76 Farewell, My Harem! Hao Jian lay on the sofa, looking at the ceiling with an expression as if there was nothing left to live for, "I'm getting married."Upon hearing this, Xiao Qiang's delicate body shuddered, her head bowed, a hint of loss suddenly appeared on her face: "Why the rush, you've never mentioned it before." "I only found out today myself." Hao Jian forced a bitter smile, cursing Shu Yuntu and Boss Liang in his mind countless times. If not for these two bastards, he wouldn't have to face his execution day so soon. "Then congratulations to you, I guess." Xiao Qiang said somewhat insincerely, her smile appearing rather forced. "What's there to congratulate, I don't even want to marry her." Hao Jian curled his lips, blaming his own soft heart for agreeing to Shu Ya in the first place. Now great, he had to play the "upright gentleman" for three years. Just thinking about it made him want to die, as he wouldn't even have an excuse to cheat anymore. Besides, when that time came and Shu Ya walked away dusting off her pants, continuing her role as a female president while he was left aged and unwanted, what would he do then? Alas, heaven envies the talented! Am I just too handsome or what? Is that why this is happening to me? "What? Then why are you still marrying her?" Xiao Qiang exclaimed incredulously, a glint of hope, or maybe fantasy, flashing in her eyes. "I was forced by the circumstances. She coerced me with death, I had no choice but to marry her," Hao Jian said helplessly. "No way, how can there be such a shameless woman, you don't even like her and yet she's still clinging to you." Xiao Qiang also voiced her indignation for Hao Jian, finding this type of woman the most detestable. Clearly, the other person doesn't love you, yet you still cling desperately, without any dignity. Hao Jian shrank his neck, not daring to respond, knowing that if Xiao Qiang realized she was talking about Shu Ya, whom she respected the most, he couldn't imagine her reaction. "So what are you going to do now?" Xiao Qiang asked urgently, not understanding why she was so agitated. Simply hearing Hao Jian mentioning getting married made her feel very uncomfortable. "What else can I do? Farewell, my little grove! Farewell, my harem," Hao Jian wailed in despair. Xiao Qiang couldn't help but laugh at his antics, "Don't be so informal, you're about to be a husband. How will you provide your future wife with a sense of security with this behavior?" "She doesn't need me to give her a sense of security, she just wants to be married to me for three years. Once the three years are up, she'll divorce me and walk away." "What? What do you mean?" Xiao Qiang was somewhat confused, then looked at Hao Jian with a peculiar expression: "She wouldn't happen to have someone else's child that she's planning to find a father for, and that's why you ended up being chosen, right?" That was the only explanation that made sense as to why that woman would make a three-year agreement with Hao Jian. Hao Jian's face darkened, "Have you been watching too many soap operas?" "Life imitates art. What I said has happened before, it's not just alarmist talk," Xiao Qiang chuckled. "Hey, why do I feel like you are particularly happy that I'm stepping into the grave?" Hao Jian grew a bit annoyed. He couldn't grasp why Xiao Qiang seemed so cheerful. "Me? No way," Xiao Qiang said, a bit guiltily as she lowered her head. A marriage lasting only three years before ending in divorce wasn't entirely unacceptable. Hao Jian looked Xiao Qiang up and down doubtfully but didn't think much more of it and sighed: "Enough about me. Let's talk about you. Has that scumbag boyfriend of yours come looking for you?" "No more, I heard he left Hua City after that last incident. Speaking of which, I ought really to thank you. Why don't you find some time to come over for dinner at my house? I'll cook for you myself." Xiao Qiang was full of anticipation, his bright, shiny eyes extremely lethal. Hao Jian took a cautious step back and murmured tensely, "Are you trying to hit on me?" "Huh?" Xiao Qiang's expression instantly froze. The atmosphere immediately fell silent, with something called "awkwardness" permeating the air. "How could that be, why would you think that? Really, haha, hahaha." Xiao Qiang was the first to break the silence, but the more he smiled, the more unnatural his expression appeared, making it seem increasingly forced. "You are indeed trying to hit on me!" Hao Jian declared, subconsciously tightening his collar. "I am not!" Xiao Qiang grew increasingly angry, his face red and neck thickening, thinking: this deadbeat is so unbearable! "You are, from those spring-like eyes of yours, I can see all the desire! Plus, when you talk, that slight tremble in your voice, it shows how agitated you are at this moment, indicating you really want to possess me. Not just that, even the slightly lascivious expression on your face from time to time, it isn't hard to guess your intentions. Talking about having dinner at your place, I think you actually want to devour me!" Hao Jian said indignantly. Eyes brimming with desire? Explore stories at empire S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Voice trembling? That lascivious expression? Xiao Qiang's complexion gradually darkened until it turned completely livid. "Ah, never mind, I don't blame you. If anyone's to blame, blame my handsome face which even made a rich woman force marriage on me, and now even my boss has lost her nature, planning to take advantage of me. My fault, I suppose, for being too handsome. If the heavens were to gift me beauty but had to take something else away in return, then I am willing to bear it!" Hao Jian, with a seductive look, began to tear at his clothes while licking his dry tongue: "COMEONBABY! Let me go crazy one last time before getting married, else you'll never get another chance!" "Go to hell!" Xiao Qiang directly threw a thick stack of messy documents at Hao Jian. "Bang!" The door to the minister's office slammed shut, and Xiao Qiang walked out with a dark face, still cursing: "This goddamned jerk." Just as Yuan Shanshan arrived at the office doorway and was stunned by the scene, she didn't even get a chance to greet Xiao Qiang, who stormed off, seemingly without noticing her. No need to ask, it must have been that scoundrel Mr. Hao Jian who angered Minister Xiao. Yuan Shanshan pushed the door open, only to see Hao Jian lying on the sofa, covered with all kinds of documents, even a shredder resting on his head. Then, Yuan Shanshan saw Hao Jian's body jerk once, then again. This truly frightened Yuan Shanshan, so she quickly cleared the stuff off him and helped him up: "What happened to you, who did this to you?" "A woman who wanted me but couldn't have me, holding a grudge in her heart." Hao Jian said solemnly, as if it were exactly so. "You mean Minister Xiao?" Yuan Shanshan was stunned. It couldn't be, even if Xiao Qiang couldn't get Hao Jian, she wouldn't resort to physical violence, right? Besides, with her credentials, would she even fancy Hao Jian? "Who else but her? That malicious woman!" Hao Jian said resentfully. Chapter 77 Do you also want to flirt with me? "By the way, what did you want to see me for?" Hao Jian asked Yuan Shanshan."Oh, that's because you gave me the suggestion to design a ring for mothers, didn't you? I wanted to show you my sketch." After saying this, Yuan Shanshan handed over the folder she was carrying to Hao Jian. When Hao Jian took a look, his eyes immediately lit up, "Carnation?" "Yes, the carnation symbolizes elegance and motherly love. That's all I could think of for now, what do you think? Is it good?" Yuan Shanshan looked at Hao Jian somewhat nervously, fearing that he would reject her proposal. "Good, of course it's good!" Hao Jian nodded vigorously: "Your idea is pretty great. Anyone who sees this ring will immediately think of mothers; there's nothing more appropriate than this." "Really?" Yuan Shanshan's face was flushed with excitement, feeling that getting Hao Jian's approval pleased her more than the company's approval. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Of course, the group's anniversary is in a month. You can take this opportunity to launch this product then, and I'm sure it will be very popular," Hao Jian said with finality. This was a breakthrough for Yuan Shanshan. Few companies design a ring specifically for mothers, but Yuan Shanshan did, and it was sure to elicit a good response. "Then I'll take your word for it." With Hao Jian's approval, Yuan Shanshan also gained confidence. "By the way, are you free tonight? I'd like to invite you to dinner, as a way to thank you." Upon hearing this, Hao Jian was immediately startled and looked at Yuan Shanshan warily: "You're not trying to hit on me, are you?" "..." . At eight o'clock in the evening, Hao Jian drove home alone, as Shu Ya was busy with a meeting and would be occupied until midnight, so she had asked him to go back first. As he parked the car downstairs, Hao Jian heard arguing coming from upstairs. "Sister Lan, just sign the paper obediently. You can't fight those developers," a portly middle-aged man said with a sycophantic smile on his face, but his chubby cheeks made the smile seem quite disgusting. "You can forget about it; I will absolutely not sell this house!" Sister Lan stood with Tongtong behind her, her expression stern. "That's not for you to decide. If you don't sign, I'll make your life miserable!" Behind the fat man, a man with a face covered in scars, Scarface, spoke menacingly. His glare was enough to make Tongtong burst into tears! But thinking of what Hao Jian had told her about protecting her mother, Tongtong immediately puffed out her little chest, stepped in front of Sister Lan, and said in her childish voice: "If you dare to mess around, I'll call the police and have them arrest you!" A warmth surged in Sister Lan's heart. "Police? Haha." Scarface was amused by Tongtong: "If we were afraid of the police, we wouldn't come here." "Sister Lan, just listen to my advice. Take the compensation and live a good life with Tongtong. You can't fight them. The property developer has a lot of power in Hua City, with connections in both the police force and the municipal office. Even calling the police is useless," Fatty earnestly said. "Wang Zhendong, you claim to have been good brothers with my husband, and now you're colluding with strangers to bully my daughter and me. Are you even human?" Sister Lan was filled with rage. Wang Zhendong used to get along well with her late husband, like brothers. When Wang Zhendong first arrived in Hua City, he had nothing, and it was her kind-hearted husband who took him in, provided for him, and found him a job. But even then, she felt Wang Zhendong's gaze on her was not quite right, and she mentioned it to her husband, who scolded her for Wang Zhendong's sake. Her husband had trusted Wang Zhendong so much, but Sister Lan could never have imagined that after her husband died, he would side with a stranger to bully her and her daughter. Being criticized like this, Wang Zhendong's face also turned ugly: "Your husband has been dead for a long time, Sister Lan. People need to look forward. What's the use of hanging onto that broken house? The compensation the developers are offering is not low; it's enough for you to buy two such houses." "This is what my husband left for me, I will definitely not sell it!" Sister Lan firmly refused. The reason she clung to this place was that it held beautiful memories for her and Tongtong, allowing her to occasionally reminisce about the departed. If she moved away, she feared she would never be able to recapture that feeling again. This had nothing to do with money; it was all about sentiment, "Not selling? If you won't sell, I'll have you sold into prostitution in the Philippines!" Scarface threatened with a sinister expression. At that moment, his gangsters behind him were striking their palms with wooden clubs, each of them wearing a menacing face, and threateningly looking at Sister Lan. Sister Lan hurriedly pulled Tongtong backwards, increasingly uneasy in her heart. "Sister Lan, don't blame me, Brother Dong, for not helping you. It's your own stubbornness, insisting on opposing them. You're not afraid for yourself, but what about Tongtong? Don't you care about her?" Wang Zhendong's face slowly revealed a sneer; he had lost his patience and started threatening Sister Lan. Sister Lan's expression suddenly stiffened, and she panickedly said: "No, don't hurt Tongtong." Seeing this, Wang Zhendong was taken aback at first, but then a vile smile quickly emerged at the corner of his mouth. Indeed, Tongtong was her weakness. "I can agree not to harm Tongtong, as long as you spend one night with me. This way, I can not only guarantee not to hurt Tongtong but also talk to the developers for you and get you some more money. How about that?" Wang Zhendong chuckled lewdly, his lascivious gaze sweeping over Sister Lan's voluptuous body! "In your dreams!" Sister Lan was so angry that her face turned red, and her lips nearly burst with blood. Wang Zhendong indeed harbored foul thoughts toward her. "Sister Lan, it's been so long since your big brother passed away. It's hard for you to care for Tongtong all by yourself. If you were with me, wouldn't you be so much better off? We could raise Tongtong together, and now that I have some influence in the real estate company, I won't let you suffer," Wang Zhendong said earnestly. "Wang Zhendong, you shameless beast, how can you say such things? How can you live up to my husband?" Sister Lan pointed at Wang Zhendong and cursed furiously, her trembling body unable to contain her anger. To think her husband had considered him a brother, and yet this man proved to be so depraved. "Sister Lan, now that it's come to this, I might as well stop pretending. I've liked you for a long time. My feelings for you are no less than that bookworm's. Give Brother Dong a chance, will you?" Chapter 78 Ill Let You Die Right Here! Wang Zhendong had been stunned by Sister Lan's beauty and the sensual aura of a young widow since the first time he set eyes on her!At that time, Wang Zhendong had nothing to his name, and Sister Lan's husband was still alive, so although Wang Zhendong had some ulterior motives, he dared not do anything to her. But now it was different¡ªSister Lan's husband was dead, and she was a single woman, so his chance had arrived. "Get lost! Get the hell away from me!" Sister Lan snapped furiously, clearly infuriated by Wang Zhendong's shamelessness. "Yo, Wang Zhendong, looks like your little lady isn't giving you much face, eh?" Scarface sneered mockingly. At that moment, Wang Zhendong's gaze also turned somewhat strange: "Sister Lan, you say he's been gone for so many years, and you haven't found a man! Don't you have any physical needs? They say a woman at thirty is like a wolf and at forty like a tiger. Even if you don't find a man now, you'll find one later¡ªit's just a matter of time! Since that's the case, why not me? After all, 'why let the water flow into someone else's field?' I promise I'll take good care of you and Tongtong." What Wang Zhendong said was downright shameless and explicit, clearly suggesting that Sister Lan must be desperate, which was incredibly humiliating for her. And Scarface and the others burst into raucous laughter, their eyes lecherously fixed on Sister Lan: "If you really have those needs, us brothers could help you out." "Wang Zhendong, you're despicable!" Sister Lan burst into tears, angered by Wang Zhendong. Since the death of her husband, she hadn't been involved with any man to protect her reputation. But Wang Zhendong's words were akin to trampling on the one thing she held dear in her heart. How could she not be furious? "You're making my mom mad, you're a bad guy!" Tongtong glared at Wang Zhendong with teeth clenched. "Be good, Tongtong. Uncle isn't a bad guy; I'm doing this for your mom's sake. You don't want your mom to keep struggling, right? If Uncle marries your mom, I can provide for you, and you won't have to be bullied like this anymore." Wang Zhendong was gently coaxing; since Sister Lan was unapproachable, he had to target little Tongtong now. But Tongtong wasn't buying it: "My mom would never like you, you're so ugly¡ªlike a toad lusting after a swan's flesh!" Children are the purest and most outspoken. Knowing that Wang Zhendong was not a good person, she naturally wouldn't give him face and spoke her mind. "Haha, a toad lusting after swan's flesh, the little girl's got it right!" Scarface burst out laughing, his words dripping with mockery. And he truly thought so; with Wang Zhendong looking like a toad, it would be downright bizarre for Sister Lan to marry him. Although Wang Zhendong and Scarface were in cahoots, Scarface genuinely despised Wang Zhendong, who would betray his brothers and seduce their widows¡ªhe was scum in Scarface's eyes. After all, they from the Jianghu valued righteousness above all, and seducing a brother's widow was the utmost taboo. "Aiyowei, Wang Zhendong, it seems your reputation really is terrible. The beautiful lady won't pay you any mind, and the pretty little girl detests you, what are you going to do now?" Scarface's lackeys also mocked. "You little brat!" Wang Zhendong cursed, furious. Tongtong had made him lose face, and in his anger, he slapped her across the face. Slap! Tongtong staggered from the slap, a bright red handprint emerging on her delicate cheek, sobbing piteously from the pain as she clung to Sister Lan: "Wuwuwu, Mommy, he hit me. It hurts, Tongtong's face! He's a bad man!" At that moment, everyone saw Tongtong's cheek swelling rapidly before their very eyes. Even Scarface frowned at this sight; to strike such an adorable little girl, Wang Zhendong was simply heartless and mad. The earlier claim that he would treat them well now seemed all the more laughable. "Tongtong." Sister Lan hurriedly soothed Tongtong's beaten face. "Hiss, Mom, don't touch it, it hurts!" Tears streamed down Tongtong's face like a string of pearls, plopping softly to the ground. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Wang Zhendong, you beast, Tongtong is still a child, what fault does she have that you treat her this way!" Sister Lan trembled uncontrollably, her beautiful face filled with despair. How could she, a frail woman, possibly be a match for these burly men? "Enough talk, you'll sign this contract today whether you like it or not!" Wang Zhendong had completely lost his patience and roared at Sister Lan. Then, wearing a sinister smile, Wang Zhendong said, "Sister Lan, you really should find yourself a man!" "I'd choose anyone but you, so you can just drop dead!" Sister Lan was full of hatred, she would rather marry a beggar than Wang Zhendong, this scum. "Very well, very well, very well." Wang Zhendong repeated 'very well' three times, his face growing completely dark as he commanded: "Do it, smash this place up!" Upon Wang Zhendong's order, Scarface and the others promptly entered Sister Lan's house! Their boss had taken money from Wang Zhendong, and as the saying goes, "take the money and get rid of disasters for others." So naturally, they had to do some conscience-stricken deeds. Like bullying a mother and her orphaned daughter. Sister Lan held Tongtong tightly, crying nonstop, yet there was nothing she could do. A single woman without a husband, anyone could bully her. "Uncle Hao Jian won't let you get away with this!" Just then, Tongtong suddenly shouted at Wang Zhendong! In her mind appeared the figure of Hao Jian, perhaps because thinking of Hao Jian brought her comfort. Sister Lan was also stunned, not knowing why Tongtong would bring up Hao Jian. From the bottom of her heart, she did not want Hao Jian to come, because she could tell that these people were not to be trifled with. Even if Hao Jian came, it would be useless, and might even harm him. Hearing this, Wang Zhendong sneered: "So that's why you've been refusing me. It turns out you had a man on the side already, huh? And here I thought you were so chaste. You're nothing but a whore." "You're the whore, you disgusting toad, I won't let you talk about my mom like that!" Tongtong said angrily, wanting to protect her mother. "It looks like you're asking to die!" Wang Zhendong was furiously enraged and raised his hand again, preparing to hit Tongtong. But Sister Lan would not give him the chance, she hugged Tongtong tightly, her body shivering nonstop, as both mother and daughter were frightened. Wang Zhendong sneered, "Do you think that by protecting her, I won't be able to hit her?" Such a naive woman. "If you dare hit her again, I will make sure you die right here!" Suddenly, a chillingly cold voice emanated from behind Wang Zhendong and Scarface. At that moment, Wang Zhendong and Scarface both felt a sharp, cold wind strike them from behind, sweeping over their entire bodies and making them shiver simultaneously. As they both turned around, it was as though they had seen the phantom of the God of Death. Chapter 79 Brother Zhang Avenges You! The man stood at the staircase entrance, merely five steps away from them, engulfed as if by darkness itself!His body was wreathed in a gloomy and dark mist, his eyes a brutal and fierce shade of murky green, resembling the God of Death returning from Hell, but Wang Zhendong and Scarface blinked, and when they looked at the man again, the illusion had vanished; instead, they saw a young man in his twenties, glaring at them with eyes full of anger and bloodlust. Wang Zhendong and Scarface exchanged a startled look, both seeing the panic in each other's eyes. If this was an illusion, how could two people see it at the same time? There could be only one explanation: it was not an illusion. Wang Zhendong and Scarface both felt something was off about Hao Jian, but ultimately, it was Wang Zhendong who mustered up the courage to confront him: "Who do you think you are, meddling in our business?" "Me? Aren't I just the wild man you were talking about?" Hao Jian said with a mocking smile, and hearing this, Wang Zhendong suddenly had a bad feeling, "Uncle Hao Jian." Tongtong struggled free from her mother's embrace and flung herself towards Hao Jian, then buried herself in his arms. "It's brother," Hao Jian said with a frustrated expression, this little devil. Sister Lan was also stunned; she hadn't expected Hao Jian to actually appear, let alone come to their rescue. "Uncle Hao Jian, they hit Tongtong just now. Tongtong's face hurts," Tongtong said tearfully, sobbing continuously, looking extremely aggrieved. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian's face turned steely. He tried to suppress his killing intent, saying gently: "Little girl, your brother will get revenge for you." At that moment, Sister Lan also stood up, looked at Hao Jian for a few seconds, and couldn't help but lean on his shoulder and cry. Because at that moment, she truly felt wronged; there should have been a man to shelter them, but unfortunately, there was none. Sister Lan had thought that she and her daughter were bound to suffer humiliation today, but she had not expected Hao Jian to suddenly appear. It was like seeing a glimmer of dawn in the pitch-dark night, filling her with hope and intense concern. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Meanwhile, seeing the woman who was originally his being taken away by Hao Jian made Wang Zhendong's face show a chill again, and he sneered: "So it's you! What, are you planning to stand up for them?" "Standing up for them is too grand, just thought I'd teach a lesson to someone like you who bullies orphans and widows." Hao Jian, holding the two beauties, one big and one small, glared fiercely at Wang Zhendong. Upon encountering Hao Jian's fierce gaze, Wang Zhendong's expression slightly recoiled. "Brother, what path are you from, state your name?" Scarface raised his eyebrows, he didn't immediately challenge Hao Jian because he could tell Hao Jian was no ordinary person. "Pedestrian's path, the zebra crossing," Hao Jian responded mockingly. Scarface's expression stiffened, clearly seeing that Hao Jian was mocking him, but still suppressed his anger and said: "Brother, if you know them, I advise you to persuade them to sign the contract quickly and move out. There's no need to have your family destroyed over this shabby house, right?" "You guys step aside first, let me handle this matter." Hao Jian patted Sister Lan and Tongtong's shoulders. The two obediently stepped aside. "Brother, think carefully, the compensation sum is shockingly large, enough for you to buy two houses like this, and also." Scarface didn't want to resort to violence if he could avoid it; this kid was a bit malevolent, and a real fight might not end well. "Not selling!" Hao Jian flatly refused, his expression indifferent. "What?" Scarface was stunned. "I said I won't sell, so you can leave," Hao Jian said bluntly. "Brother, I am speaking to you nicely as a sign of respect, are you sure you won't show me some respect?" A flash of malice crossed Scarface's brow. Having mingled in the Jianghu for so many years, he had never been scolded like this. Instantly, he felt his temper flare. Although somewhat wary of Hao Jian, that did not mean Hao Jian could boss him around. "Show you respect? I'm neither your dad nor your mom. Why should I show you any respect?" Hao Jian laughed in anger. A street gangster asking the God of Death for respect, was this a joke? "You!!!" Scarface was also furious, his face turning an iron shade of blue. He had never expected this guy to be so arrogant! Meanwhile, Hao Jian heard noises of smashing from inside Sister Lan's house. He turned his head towards Wang Zhendong and Scarface's backs and immediately saw a group of burly men smashing things inside. Hao Jian straightened his neck, smiling, "For every item you break, you'll pay ten times its price." Scarface promptly pulled out the machete at his waist, his eyes fierce, and said: "I'm giving you one more chance. Sign it or not?" "Why waste words, just kill him," Wang Zhendong said furiously, then mockingly said to Sister Lan: "Sister Lan, impressive, finding a young chap for an old cow to graze on. Too bad he has nothing but bravery." Sister Lan felt both embarrassed and angry after being ridiculed by Wang Zhendong, also filled with worry for Hao Jian. However, as soon as Wang Zhendong's words were uttered, a slap fiercely landed on his chubby face! Smack!!! The sound was extremely loud, echoing within the room. Wang Zhendong was sent flying several meters away, crashing into the stairwell, where he fell and broke his head open. This scene stunned everyone! They all turned to look, only to find that Hao Jian was the one who had struck the blow! "I usually settle things with actions rather than words. From the start, you've been running your mouth. Did you really think I wouldn't hit you or what? Do I look that harmless to you?" Hao Jian was speechless. How could anyone challenge his confidence, acting as if he wouldn't dare to touch him? Turns out, Wang Zhendong indeed thought so, believing that to lay a hand on him, Hao Jian would have to get past Scarface first. But who could have expected Hao Jian to strike so quickly, like a flash of lightning? Let alone Scarface, even he couldn't react in time, and before he knew it, he was flying through the air. "You're courting death!" Scarface was livid, and he swung his machete towards Hao Jian. "Hao Jian, be careful!" Find adventures at empire Sister Lan cried out in shock, her pretty face filled with terror. She should never have involved Hao Jian in the first place, and now she had dragged him into this mess. But the corner of Hao Jian's mouth curled into a sneer as he moved swiftly, just as the machete was about to land on his head. "Slap!" After a loud slap, Scarface comically spun around twice for three hundred sixty-five degrees and then staggered back against the wall, barely able to stand. This slap had stunned Scarface completely, leaving him dizzy and unable to recover for a long while. "Brother Scar!" The other gangsters in the house, hearing the commotion, rushed out. Scarface shook his head violently, finally coming to his senses and becoming even more furious! Pointing at Hao Jian, Scarface with a ferocious face shouted fiercely: "Go! Kill him!!!" Chapter 80 Just Beat the Disabled! Hearing Scarface had given a deadly order, his cronies charged at Hao Jian, one after another, howling loudly!However, they had just rushed in and immediately, there was a series of crisp, snapping sounds! Find exclusive stories on empire Snap, snap, snap! One by one, the cronies ended up just like Scarface, spinning in place from the slaps, resembling ballet dancers, which was utterly ridiculous to the extreme. "Wow, uncle is so awesome, he can spin people like tops!" Tongtong excitedly exclaimed. Sister Lan was dumbfounded too, she had never seen this side of Hao Jian before. Had he learned martial arts? Alone, he had taken down seven or eight thugs. At that moment, Hao Jian turned to Sister Lan and said, "Sister Lan, go see how much stuff inside the house was smashed." Sister Lan quickly snapped out of her astonishment, hurried into the house, and soon came back out: "The smashed things are all like TVs and stools." "About how much money's worth?" "Maybe over thirteen thousand," Sister Lan said uncertainly, yet she didn't know why Hao Jian was asking this. "Okay, thirteen thousand times ten is one hundred thirty thousand. Time to pay up," Hao Jian said spreading his hands towards Scarface. "Pay my ass!" Scarface roared, as he was always the one extorting others; when had he ever been extorted like this? This feeling was just too suffocating! "Slap!" Hao Jian slapped him again, knocking out two of Scarface's front teeth and swelling up his right cheek. Hao Jian stretched out his hand again, demanding, "Pay up!" "Woah, woah!" The furious-looking Zhou Aimin muttered something unclear. "What the hell are you saying, speak Mandarin!" Hao Jian impatiently said. Then Scarface flipped him the middle finger. "Fuck!" Hao Jian cursed loudly, shouting, "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms!" "Slap, slap, slap." Continuous smacks landed on Scarface's face, making him fling his head back and forth, and soon, he had turned into Pig Head Three. "Stop hitting, five times the payment, I'll pay five times," Scarface almost cried out; this man was simply a demon. "You even dare to beat Brother Scar to this state, our boss won't let you go, you're dead meat!" one of the cronies indignantly said! "Your boss?" Hao Jian frowned slightly, his face showing a flicker of ferocity! "What, scared? If you're scared, just sign the contract peacefully, or you're going to be in big trouble!" Seeing Hao Jian's surprised expression, that person thought he was scared and then started to threaten with a smug grin on his face. Hao Jian gave him a deep look and again raised his hands, using his Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms to beat that thug into the same miserable shape as Scarface, who also became Pig Head Three. "Don't mention your boss; even the Heavenly King is useless!" Hao Jian mocked, for him, these underground forces were just swarms of ants, and he naturally didn't take them to heart! Scarface was utterly shocked; they had already pulled out their boss, and this bastard was still so arrogantly unbearable. Slap!!! After slapping that guy away, Hao Jian coldly looked over the place: "Anyone else wants to disagree? Step forward!" But now, who would dare to step forward? After the lesson given to Scarface, they certainly didn't want to court death. "Since there is none, then everyone kneel down and sing 'Conquered'!" Hao Jian thundered. Dare to create trouble in his territory, were they really going against him? Scarface and the others, not daring to rebut, knelt down one after another, yet all had grimaces on their faces: "We don't know how to sing 'Conquered'." "Don't know? Then eat a slap!" Hao Jian coldly huffed. "I know! I suddenly know how to sing it!" Scarface quickly raised his hand and then started: "Just like this, being conquered by you..." "Come here!" At that moment, Hao Jian waved Wang Zhendong over. Since Scarface and his crew had already been dealt with, how could Wang Zhendong not be involved as well? That would be so unfair to them! Hao Jian was always one for fairness. "Huh?" Wang Zhendong was about to make a run for it; after witnessing Hao Jian's display of Divine Might, he lost all confidence in facing Hao Jian and only wanted to get the hell away from this demon. "I told you to come here, damn it!" Hao Jian barked ferociously. Fucking hell, this damn fatty, the more I look at him, the more disgusting he gets, looking like a toad and still dreaming of swan meat. "Uncle, you're swearing! That's naughty!" Tongtong pouted, unhappy. Mom had told her that swearing was rude, and kids who swear are naughty. Sister Lan gave a slight smile and pinched Tongtong's rosy cheek. "Alright, alright, Uncle won't swear." With no choice, in front of the child, Hao Jian decided to maintain some adult decorum, and mustered a faint smile as he said to Wang Zhendong: "Fatty, hurry up and come over here, okay? Otherwise, I'm really going to stuff your toad head right up your fat ass." Wang Zhendong hurriedly rolled and crawled over, staring eagerly at Hao Jian, awaiting his command, looking every bit the servile lackey. Hao Jian clicked his tongue in amazement, "Looks like a toad, but behaves like a dog." At these words, not only did Wang Zhendong not get angry, but he also obediently barked twice, hardly any different from a dog. "Wow, the more I say it, the more you play along, you really are a cheap one." Hao Jian laughed out loud, clearly delighted, and then slapped him across the face. Probably the most speechless person here would be Wang Zhendong. He saw Hao Jian laughing with joy and thought he was off the hook, only to realize this guy turned around and smacked him. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Dude, why did you hit me?" Wang Zhendong said innocently. "Because I don't like your face, got a problem with that?" Hao Jian sneered. "Fine, of course, it's fine," Wang Zhendong squeezed out a smile more bitter than bitterness itself. "Look at you, living a man yet acting like a cur. Sister Lan's family was so good to you back then, not only are you ungrateful, but you also repay kindness with enmity, bringing people to steal their house. Are you even human?" Hao Jian surveyed Wang Zhendong with interest, his eyes full of contempt. Wang Zhendong hurriedly slapped his own face: "I'm not human, I'm worse than a pig or dog; I definitely will reform, please be magnanimous and let me go as if I were just a fart." A fart, to be let go? Hao Jian was taken aback, then glared fiercely, "Are you fucking trying to say I'm farting around? Are you?" Fucking hell... this works? Wang Zhendong was somewhat dumbfounded, but still pleaded with a sad face: "No, no, no! Boss, I'm a fart, moreover a stinky one, please let me go!" "Damn it! I don't let off stinky farts! If you dare slander me again, I'll slap you to death!" Hao Jian instantly slapped Wang Zhendong across the face again! Wang Zhendong almost cried! Damn it! Holding a stinky fart and stubbornly not letting it go, what kind of freak is this! "Do you really know your mistake now?" Hao Jian asked seriously as he looked at Wang Zhendong. "Yes, I really do know my mistake. I will go home and pray to Buddha, burning incense, and from now on, cultivate kindness." Wang Zhendong saw Hao Jian's tone soften, and was overjoyed, nodding repeatedly, but inwardly cursed: Fool, you're so damn easy to fool; whatever I say goes! Just you wait till I find someone to deal with you, asshole! Suddenly, Hao Jian narrowed his eyes at Wang Zhendong, "Are you thinking right now, how is there such a fool who is so easy to fool?" Wang Zhendong was caught off guard, shit, can this guy read minds? But how could he admit it now, he hurriedly shook his head and said, "No, no, no, how could I think like that? I truly want to change." "Fine then, if you have truly changed, I won't make it hard for you anymore, I'll just cripple you instead." Chapter 81 What you said makes a lot of sense! The first part of the conversation had Wang Zhendong excited, but by the second part, he was devastated.Not difficult for him? Leaving him disabled isn't making things difficult for him? If Wang Zhendong had known that Hao Jian had just intended to kill him, he probably wouldn't have thought this way. "You can't do this, this is illegal, you could go to jail," Wang Zhendong tried to make a final struggle, warning Hao Jian. "Hmm, you make a good point." Resting his chin on one hand, Hao Jian also felt that Wang Zhendong had somewhat of a point. Wang Zhendong finally breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Hao Jian still had some sense, or else he really would have been done for. "So I plan to let them do it," Hao Jian said, pointing to Scarface and the others. Then Wang Zhendong's expression became very animated. But Hao Jian didn't care, he said to Scarface and the others, "Go, break his legs for me!" "This, isn't this a bit much?" Scarface hesitated, no matter what, Wang Zhendong was still his boss's man, and if he were disabled, Brother Spice Ginger and the boss might get angry. "Not a good idea? How about I disable you instead?" Hao Jian cackled strangely, the threat was very clear. Scarface shivered all over, believing that this demon definitely meant what he said. Grinding his teeth, Scarface ordered, "Go break his legs for me!" "Brother Scar, you!" Wang Zhendong was stunned, he hadn't expected Scarface to really go through with it. "Wang Zhendong, if you must blame anyone, blame yourself for provoking the wrong person. Breaking your legs is better than breaking mine, accept your fate!" Scarface sighed and turned away, unable to look at Wang Zhendong. "Scarface, fuck you, if you touch me, I swear I won't let you off!" Wang Zhendong roared like thunder, completely freaking out. Hearing this, Scarface's face also turned cold, getting somewhat annoyed. Already feeling uncomfortable being pushed around by Hao Jian, and now he had to put up with Wang Zhendong's anger¡ªwho wouldn't feel upset? "Mommy, that toad just swore!" Tongtong suddenly tugged at Sister Lan's mouth corner and spoke. "Right, right, right, first a slap, then break the legs!" Hao Jian fanned the flames from the sidelines, completely forgetting he was the instigator. After that, two people grabbed Wang Zhendong from behind to let Scarface personally do the job. Rolling up his sleeves with a sinister laugh, Scarface said, "Dare to curse at me, eh?" Wang Zhendong's face turned ashen; he truly regretted it now. Why on earth did he have to dig his own grave? If not for his suggesting to his boss to develop this piece of land, none of this mess would have happened. Actually, Wang Zhendong's boss had always wanted to develop a piece of land in Hua City, but had no target in mind until Wang Zhendong actively recommended this land to him. The reason he did this was also to trap Sister Lan using illegal means, hoping that once Sister Lan hit a dead-end, she might turn to him for help. Then, he could take the opportunity to deceitfully win her over. But he had never anticipated that Hao Jian would appear out of nowhere like Cheng Yaojin, messing up all his plans. "I think we should let it go." Sister Lan was ultimately too kind-hearted. Seeing Hao Jian about to cripple Wang Zhendong, she immediately felt a surge of compassion. But Hao Jian simply smiled, "If the price of a mistake is too low, then the crime rate in this world would surge dramatically. You understand that, right?" If Wang Zhendong wasn't made aware of what a price is, then in the future, he would only become more ruthless, and even if not Sister Lan, he would harm someone else's family. Sister Lan's expression blanked out, and then she said no more. Just as Scarface was about to make his move, his phone rang; he looked at Hao Jian with annoyance and said, "Big brother, can I take a call?" "Take it," Hao Jian said impatiently. Such a nuisance. Scarface glanced at the caller ID, and as if seeing a savior, he shouted into the phone the moment he answered: "Boss, I'm at XXX, I got beaten up, come and take revenge for me!" "Damn!" Hao Jian was startled, realizing this bastard was calling for backup. He swiftly kicked him so hard that Scarface nearly threw up his gallbladder. But Scarface, wiping the corner of his mouth, sneered, "Kid, you're dead. My boss is already on his way, just wait to be chopped into pieces!" Stay connected via empire "Kid, his boss is a ruthless character; you hit his underling, he'll definitely chop you into nineteen pieces. Be smart and hand over that chick to us now, or else you won't have a whole corpse left!" Wang Zhendong also sneered. These two fools, who had just hated each other's guts, suddenly united over a common enemy¡ªit was both laughable and exasperating. It was also because they knew their savior was close by. As soon as he arrived, Hao Jian would undoubtedly be dead, so they were no longer so afraid of Hao Jian. Scarface's confidence was growing: "If you kneel down and kowtow a few times right now, maybe I'll consider letting you keep a dog's life." "I think there should still be some time left before your boss arrives, right?" Hao Jian rolled up his sleeves and walked towards Wang Zhendong and the other, his face switching expressions incredibly fast. It seemed he had been too kind, unable to make them realize their mistakes. Instantly, Scarface and Wang Zhendong's faces turned green. Just as Hao Jian was approaching, a roar of car engines suddenly erupted downstairs, and a dozen vans squeezed into the yard. "My boss is here! Hahaha, kid, you're dead now!" Scarface burst into laughter, knowing his boss had come to rescue him. Now, the kid was definitely going to die! sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian frowned slightly¡ªdid they really arrive that fast? But even so, he rushed up and beat up Wang Zhendong and the other fiercely. Regardless of who their boss was, beat them first and talk later! "Who dares to touch my brother, I'll slaughter him!!!" At the same time, a fierce-faced bald man shouted from downstairs! He was naturally the boss of Scar and the others, having just been passing by and decided to check on Scarface's progress. Little did he know that he would receive a distress call from Scarface, prompting him to immediately gather his men and rush over. The bald man charged in front, full of fury, and as soon as he reached Hao Jian's floor, he saw a man beating up Scarface and Wang Zhendong. "Stop!!!" The bald man was enraged but utterly baffled¡ªwhy was Scarface getting beaten while his underlings just watched and didn't help? It wasn't that they didn't want to help; they simply didn't dare. They'd lose the fight and just end up getting beaten too, better stay put. The bald man had thought there must be a group, otherwise, why else would there be a distress call? But seeing it was just one man, he couldn't even describe his feelings. Scarface quickly scrambled to his boss and then pointed fiercely at Hao Jian: "Boss, it's this kid. Kill him for me!" Chapter 82 Someone You Can Never Afford to Offend! At that moment, inside the room, seeing the bald man and his men charging in, everyone was ecstatic!Not only were Scar and the others wearing faces of glee and cruelty, but even Wang Zhendong's face also broke into a thick grin: "Haha... Kid, you're finished, you're dead for sure! Brother Spice Ginger is here, soon I'll make you wish you were dead!" "Brother Spice Ginger! Avenge us, kill this bastard!" "Yes! Kill him! This jerk dared to hit my face just now, he must be crippled!" ... These people started shouting aggressively one after another, as if they had already seen Hao Jian's tragic fate! And at this time, the bald man had already led his men in! "Get him! Dare to hit my brother, kill him!" The bald man saw that Hao Jian was still fiercely slapping Scar and the others, and he shouted angrily! Barely had his words come out when he saw Hao Jian turn around; that somewhat delicate face appeared right before the bald man's eyes! This face, as if possessing magical powers, made the bald man shake violently right then! "How... how is it... you?!" The bald man's eyes went wide, as if he had seen a ghost. Not just him, even Hao Jian was a bit stunned, almost laughing out loud! It turned out that this person was none other than Spice Ginger, the gangster whom Hao Jian had severely beaten after a car race! At this moment, seeing Spice Ginger's reaction, both Wang Zhendong and Scarface were stunned! Could it be... that Brother Spice Ginger knew him? Scarface and Wang Zhendong looked at each other in disbelief! However, at this moment, a cold smirk crossed Hao Jian's lips, and he said playfully: "So it's Brother Spice Ginger, seems like I didn't beat you hard enough last time, so you didn't learn your lesson, huh?" What!!!! Hao Jian's statement stunned everyone! Brother Spice Ginger was... beaten by this kid? Scarface and Wang Zhendong's faces were filled with disbelief! But then, they remembered! Brother Spice Ginger had come down from Qiuyun Mountain beaten up; it was said that he was beaten by some unknown newcomer, but Spice Ginger never thought about taking revenge, which Scarface had always found incomprehensible. Could it be that even Brother Spice Ginger didn't dare to touch him? A bad premonition suddenly surged in Scarface's mind. Brother Spice Ginger's face was a spectacle at this moment, looking at Hao Jian, his little heart almost leapt out! The scenes at Qiuyun Mountain were still vivid in his mind, which instilled extreme terror in Spice Ginger's heart! In his heart, he cursed Scarface's ancestors for generations, wondering why he had provoked such a calamity. If he wanted to die, he shouldn't drag him along, right? Last time at the summit of Qiuyun Mountain, Hao Jian, barehanded, had defeated dozens of them armed with knives, basically a monster. Thinking that he had once again encountered this calamity, Brother Spice Ginger's legs were shaking! Then, Brother Spice Ginger turned around gloomily and backhandedly slapped Scarface. "Smack." This slap left Scarface stunned; he pitifully looked at his boss: "Boss, why did you hit me?" It was one thing for Hao Jian to hit him, but for his own boss to hit him without reason, what the hell was that. "Damn! I don't just want to hit you, I damn well feel like killing you!" Brother Spice Ginger cursed loudly, and indeed, he meant it. Of all people to annoy, they had to mess with someone even he deeply feared, and if they angered him, they might get a severe beating again soon. Especially given Hao Jian's ruthlessness, it seemed possible that in a fit of anger, the guy might kill them all! "Scarface, you damn dared to offend this man... this..." Brother Spice Ginger pointed at Hao Jian, trying to say his name but suddenly realized he didn't actually know Hao Jian's name. "Hao Jian." Tongtong promptly added in. "Yes, you dare to offend Brother Jian? I think you're tired of living," Brother Spice Ginger said, growing angrier as he spoke, and slapped him again. By now, Scarface had completely petrified, not even reacting to Brother Spice Ginger's slaps. In that moment, he finally realized that Hao Jian must be the legendary Over River Dragon. From Brother Spice Ginger's attitude toward him, it was clear this was someone he absolutely couldn't afford to offend. Had he just arrogantly declared that Hao Jian was done for? Scarface now truly wanted to slap himself several times. "Scar, apologize to Brother Jian!" Brother Spice Ginger slapped the back of Scarface's neck, causing him to bend over. Then, with a sycophantic expression, he said to Hao Jian: "Brother Jian, this little brother of mine didn't know any better and has offended you. I hope you can forgive us." Brother Spice Ginger's underlings were all dumbfounded¡ªwas Brother Spice Ginger really backing down? Who exactly is this man who could make the tough guy of East City District act like a whipped dog? Let alone them, even Brother Spice Ginger didn't know who Hao Jian was, but having been in the underworld for so many years, he had developed a keen instinct¡ª he could tell at a glance that Hao Jian was no ordinary man. Sister Lan was also stunned, silently speculating about Hao Jian's identity, wondering who he was that even a mafia boss feared him so much. Explore new worlds at empire "Brother Jian, I'm sorry, I won't dare do it again. Please have mercy and spare me this time," Scarface bowed deeply, no longer daring to be flippant as before. "Don't bother them mother and daughter again, the house is not for sale, got it?" Hao Jian said with a stern face. "This¡­" Brother Spice Ginger hesitated, as it was indeed a lucrative deal, but meeting Hao Jian's chilly gaze, he couldn't help but grit his teeth: "I promise you, they won't be troubled by me again." S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Having no money is better than having no life. "Also, you must pay for the things that were damaged. $130,000, hand it over now." Hao Jian's attitude was far from polite, almost as though he completely disregarded Brother Spice Ginger. But Brother Spice Ginger didn't dare show the slightest displeasure and kept nodding his head, reverently writing a cheque and handing it over. After taking the cheque, Hao Jian immediately handed it to Sister Lan. Sister Lan jumped back in shock, stepped backwards, and refused to take the cheque, shaking her head vigorously: "No, this is your money, I can't take it!" Actually, she hadn't even hoped to get the money back; she just wanted the bad guys to stop troubling her. Moreover, the amount was far too large for her, as, after all, the money was reclaimed by Hao Jian and rightfully belonged to him. But Hao Jian insisted, stuffing the cheque into her hands: "Consider it as my rent then." Sister Lan gave a wry smile, thinking to herself, maybe it's best to just keep it safe for Hao Jian. "You guys go inside first, I'll handle everything else," Hao Jian said to Sister Lan, who nodded and led Tongtong inside the house. At that moment, Hao Jian turned to Wang Zhendong, his expression cold, "It's time we sorted out our matters." Wang Zhendong couldn't utter a word, looking stunned and foolish like a quail, watching Hao Jian. Really, from the moment Brother Spice Ginger had been nodding and bowing like a dog in front of Hao Jian, he had been flabbergasted, and still hadn't recovered. Who could have predicted the turn of events? The reputed leader of East City District, Brother Spice Ginger, was actually kowtowing to someone younger than him¡ªhe desperately wanted to know who Hao Jian really was. Wang Zhendong knew he was done for, but before his demise, he wanted some clarity. He raised his head, his gaze blank as he looked at Hao Jian: "Can you tell me, who exactly are you?" "Someone you will never be able to afford to offend." Hao Jian said coldly, not as a boast, but stating a fact. Wang Zhendong could only give a bitter smile; he understood that he didn't even have the right to know Hao Jian's true identity. "Crack." A sound of bone breaking followed. Accompanying that was a tremendously agonizing scream. Wang Zhendong rolled back and forth on the ground, his face twisted in pain. Hao Jian glanced at him indifferently, then shifted his gaze: "Take this trash away." Chapter 83 Call Him God of Death! "Boss, with so many of us, why don't we take down that kid?"A minion asked Brother Spice Ginger, puzzled as to why he would choose to back away when they clearly had the numbers to overwhelm the opponent easily. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Scarface also pricked up his ears, wanting to hear his boss's explanation, and he was even more eager to know what sort of background Hao Jian had that could make Brother Spice Ginger retreat. Brother Spice Ginger snorted, "Take him down? I'd rather live a few more years." "Do you think he's easy to deal with? Didn't you see his eyes? Filled with frenzied violence and cold Killing Intent, utterly inhuman! Anyone with such eyes surely comes from the dark world." "The dark world?" The minion was even more confused. What world was the dark world? Brother Spice Ginger explained, "The dark world is the evil side of this world. In that world, all of humanity's basest traits are reflected¡ªmurder, bestiality, madness, deception, rape¡ªa whole array of darkness all coexisting. Every person seems to revert to a primitive state, reclaiming terrifying bestial instincts just to survive through constant killing." "Back in the day, I was fortunate enough to come in contact with that world. I thought I could step into it, but I ended up being so frightened that my legs went weak and I scrambled out. You can't imagine what I saw." Brother Spice Ginger wore a bitter smile, and as he spoke, his expression became unnatural and his face somewhat pale, evidently, the memory still deeply unnerved him. "Boss, what exactly did you see?" Scarface asked in horror, wondering what could scare Brother Spice Ginger, who was known for his ferocity and ruthless ways. Brother Spice Ginger showed a look of reminiscence, "It was one evening, the sunset was like blood. I saw a man standing in the afterglow, alone as if he was a desolate wilderness, giving off a feeling of bleak desolation, as if everything would lose its vitality in front of him. He held a military knife, with hundreds of top mercenaries' bodies lying at his feet. In the moment he turned around, I thought I was surely dead. That utmost cold gaze was as if he was the high and mighty God of Death, and I was nothing but a lowly ant." Then, Brother Spice Ginger chuckled bitterly, "However, he didn't kill me. Looking back, he probably thought I wasn't even worthy to die by his hand. To this day, I can't recall his face, but I only remember those cold eyes, exactly like Hao Jian's!" "Boss, who was that man?" Scarface asked in astonishment, wanting to know more about the man who even Brother Spice Ginger feared. "I don't know, all I know is, they call him... God of Death!" . "Hao Jian, I really owe you this time; if it weren't for you, my daughter and I wouldn't know what to do," Sister Lan said with a choked voice, still frightened by the events that had just unfolded. "Sister Lan, what are you talking about? If it hadn't been for you taking me in, I would have been sleeping on the streets by now! You treat me as one of your own, so this was all part of my duty, no thanks needed." Hao Jian gave a wry smile, then bent down to pinch Tongtong's little cheek, "Besides, how could I allow anyone to bully my little princess?" "Brother Jian is so nice, I want to marry you when I grow up!" Tongtong hugged Hao Jian's thigh tightly. "You little rascal, why aren't you calling me uncle anymore?" Hao Jian teased. Tongtong pouted and said in a baby voice, "If I call you uncle, then I can't marry you. It's better to call you brother." "Hey, quite clever, aren't you?" Hao Jian laughed heartily, realizing that this little girl was trying to bridge the generational gap between them. "This little mischief-maker is at it again!" Sister Lan also glanced sideways at her, but with a smile at the corner of her lips. Seeing her laugh, Hao Jian finally put his mind at ease and joked: "Sister Lan, you're laughing? That's the way to do it, take everything lightly, don't always look so gloomy. You look much better when you smile." At his words, Sister Lan shyly lowered her head, speaking in an extremely soft voice, "You can just call me Ruo Lan." "Huh?" Hao Jian was stunned, it was the first time he had heard Sister Lan's full name, and he didn't understand why she suddenly wanted him to call her by her full name. "That doesn't seem quite right?" Hao Jian said with a wry smile, feeling that using her full name would make him uncomfortable. "It's okay, just call me that." Ruo Lan looked at Hao Jian earnestly, but upon meeting his gaze, quickly lowered her head again in panic. Tongtong, the clever little girl, tilted her head, looked at Hao Jian, then at her mother, and then sighed heavily: "Well, Hao Jian, I might as well just call you uncle." The little girl probably felt she had no hope, so she took a step back voluntarily. This made both Hao Jian and Ruo Lan blush, neither of them had expected the little girl to be so clever. Hao Jian also coughed twice, patting his chest, "Anyway, if you have any problems in the future, just come to me, don't try to bear it all alone. Let men handle the rough stuff." Hearing this, a warm current surged in Ruo Lan's heart, her lips began to curl into a smile, but when she remembered that Hao Jian already had a girlfriend, that smile turned into a bitter one: "Won't that trouble you? Your girlfriend might be unhappy." "Kidding, I tell her to go east, she wouldn't dare to go west! I tell her to beat a dog, she wouldn't dare to chase a chicken! Unhappy? Would she dare?" Hao Jian snorted, proudly, acting all pompous. Stay tuned with empire Tongtong immediately ran her finger across her face: "Uncle, boasting shamelessly." "Seriously, she even came to propose to me yesterday, begging me to marry her, she even knelt down. But I found her ugly and refused, you know what she did? She cried buckets, ruining her makeup, threatening to jump off buildings, to hang herself, saying if I didn't marry her, she'd die right before me. Ah, no choice, I'm just soft-hearted, so I had to agree," Hao Jian spoke with feigned helplessness. Just then, Shu Ya came home, just in time to see Brother Spice Ginger and others passing through the hallway, and was startled by these "gang brothers." But as soon as she came up, she heard Hao Jian speaking ill of her, and her face gradually darkened. Tongtong and Ruo Lan, seeing Shu Ya standing behind Hao Jian with a murderous expression, both took a step back simultaneously. "What's wrong? Can't handle that? Then wait, in a few days, she's going to drag me to the Civil Affairs Bureau, destroying my lifelong bachelorhood at the hands of such a woman," Hao Jian sighed heavily, as if he were greatly wronged. At that moment, Ruo Lan gave him a look. "Ruo Lan, what's wrong with your eyes? Got sand in them?" Hao Jian asked blankly. Ruo Lan rolled her eyes and decided to ignore him. "Her eyes aren't filled with sand, she just saw me coming back," Shu Ya spoke up, her voice cold as ice, coming from behind Hao Jian. Chapter 84 Women Are All Liars! Afterward, the three of them clearly saw Hao Jian's body suddenly stiffen, then his face, full of a smug smile, instantly froze, his mouth twitching repeatedly!Then, realizing what was happening, Hao Jian approached with a flattering grin, "Wife, you're back; you must be tired from work. Come, let me give you a massage." "So sleazy." Tongtong pouted, uttering this sage-like remark despite her young age. Hao Jian's mouth twitched, and he bared his teeth in a grimace at Tongtong, threatening her to shut up or he'd definitely take care of her. But Tongtong snorted proudly and turned her head away, ignoring him. "Hao Jian, what happened at home? Why did I see so many Mafia youths just now? Did you cause trouble again?" Shu Ya asked, not understanding. She also noticed Sister Lan's house was in disarray, clearly the result of them being targeted. The first thought that popped into Shu Ya's head was that Hao Jian had got into trouble, which then affected Sister Lan's family. "There was a bit of an incident." Hao Jian's expression tensed, opting not to explain because just the thought of nearly committing murder filled him with irritation. He had promised 'her' to live as an ordinary person, but tonight, he almost unleashed his surging urge to kill, almost returning to that bloodthirsty and crazy state! Seeing Hao Jian looking somewhat unwell, Shu Ya didn't dare to ask why but merely nodded in a daze. Hao Jian then turned to Ruo Lan and her daughter, his face breaking into a smile again: "Ruo Lan, remember this, next time anything similar happens you must notify us. We can't say we will definitely help you, but at least the more people are involved, the more solutions we'll have." Shu Ya's eyes narrowed, Ruo Lan? Was that Sister Lan's full name? Why was he addressing her so affectionately? Did her heart feel uncomfortably tight? Sister Lan nodded obediently, "I'll remember that." Watching Hao Jian head upstairs, Shu Ya became even more displeased. Since she couldn't get any answers from Hao Jian, she decided to shift her focus onto Ruo Lan: "Sister Lan, what exactly happened? Why won't he tell me?" "Shu Ya, I'm a bit upset right now, can I tell you when I'm free?" Ruo Lan said with a wry smile. Her feelings were truly in disarray because she discovered that her heart, which she thought would never flutter again, was pounding today. This made her feel somewhat guilty toward her late husband, so she needed some time to be alone and reflect. Without waiting for Shu Ya's response, she turned and walked into the house. "Hey?" Shu Ya was completely baffled. Couldn't those two really have an affair? Why were they both so secretive? "Tongtong, can you tell sister what happened, please?" Shu Ya bent down and spoke tenderly to Tongtong, this being her only hope. "Bad guys wanted to bully Tongtong and Mommy, and they even slapped Tongtong," said Tongtong in her babyish voice. Tongtong pointed to her slightly swollen face, her innocent and tender tone evoking sympathy. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing Tongtong's face, Shu Ya indeed noticed the swelling and furrowed her brows: "Who could be so heartless as to not even spare a child? Tell sister, and I'll definitely sort them out for you." "No need," Tongtong said cheerfully, "because Uncle has already taken revenge for Tongtong!" "Taken revenge? Are you talking about those people from earlier?" It was then that Shu Ya remembered the people she had seen earlier. "Oh, Uncle was so angry when he saw Tongtong being beaten, so he beat them up too. Uncle was really scary just now, and Tongtong was so afraid." Shu Ya nodded heavily, finally understanding why Hao Jian had looked so upset. That guy, he must have been truly angry this time. When Shu Ya returned home, Hao Jian had already gone to take a shower. Her mood was somewhat heavy because she realized she didn't understand Hao Jian at all. If he were just a thug or a rogue, could he have single-handedly scared off dozens of people by himself? Without truly understanding him, she had forced him to marry her, and now Shu Ya felt quite guilty about it. Shu Ya sat on the sofa, lost in thought, and at that moment, the bathroom door opened. Hao Jian walked out and saw Shu Ya daydreaming, he started to laugh, "What are you spacing out for? Aren't you going to take a shower?" Shu Ya turned her head, but her expression suddenly became one of terror, "Your body..." What she saw was Hao Jian's torso covered in a dense array of scars ¡ª knife wounds, gunshot wounds, and even some from explosions. It looked extremely frightening, with not an inch of unscathed skin. Previously in the bathroom, Shu Ya hadn't looked closely at his body, so she hadn't noticed. Experience new stories on empire But today, upon a careful look, she was shocked and speechless. What exactly had happened to this guy, why did it seem like he was falling apart? Hao Jian noticed Shu Ya's gaze, looked down at his own body, and laughed, "Oh, you mean this? These are scars from the battlefield. Didn't I tell you I was a soldier? You just wouldn't believe me." Seeing Hao Jian laughing, Shu Ya suddenly felt a surge of heartache, and her beautiful eyes reddened slightly. Hao Jian was also startled by her sudden reaction, and after a moment's contemplation, he gently asked, "What's wrong?" "Nothing... It's nothing..." Shu Ya quickly turned her head away to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes! At that moment, in her eyes, Hao Jian's body was filled with stories. Each scar, a story. This man was like a book, a lone wolf! Though he seemed optimistic and playful, it was only in the quiet of the night that he would hide away alone, tenderly nursing his wounds. Hao Jian could clearly see what Shu Ya was thinking and, feeling a warm current in his heart, placed his chin on her head and said with a smile, "It's all in the past now..." Shu Ya lifted her head, her eyes still moist, wanting to say something, but unable to speak: "Hao Jian..." Seeing the cute pout of her little mouth, Hao Jian couldn't hold back any longer and embraced her head, kissing her deeply. "Boom!" Shu Ya's mind went blank instantly, not having expected Hao Jian's sudden attack. For a moment, she was totally frozen, even forgetting how to resist. But after a short while, Shu Ya seemed to be enjoying it too and started to respond actively. After kissing for a while, until they were almost unable to breathe, Shu Ya suddenly pushed Hao Jian away and after kicking him in the knee, she stormed into the room, leaving behind the words "You shameless man." "Liars, all women are liars! It's better to believe in ghosts than to trust the lies of a woman!" Hao Jian nearly twisted his nose in anger, swearing under his breath. Chapter 85 Tongtong, Is Your Aunt Here? The next day, Shu Ya got up early for work and left without even saying goodbye to Hao Jian; she just drove off on her own.Hao Jian knew that the woman was probably embarrassed about the incident from yesterday, which is why she couldn't face him. Coming downstairs, Ruo Lan had already prepared breakfast, and upon seeing this, Hao Jian pounced like a hungry wolf and then began to feast to his heart's content. "Uncle Cheapo, you really can eat!" Tongtong looked at Hao Jian's way of eating, her little mouth twitching, before speaking in a babyish voice. "Having an appetite is a blessing, hasn't Sister Lan taught you that?" Hao Jian pinched Tongtong's chubby little cheeks, smiling gleefully. At this moment, Ruo Lan's complexion was somewhat unsightly, and as she watched Hao Jian eat like a pig, her lips pursed, and she said in a plaintive tone, "Hao Jian, I have something to tell you." "Okay, Sister Lan, go ahead," Hao Jian said, nodding while continuing to drink his porridge. "Don't call me Sister Lan!" Ruo Lan said with a dark expression. Hao Jian sighed helplessly, "Okay, Ruo Lan, what's wrong?" He didn't understand why Ruo Lan was so angry. Was it just a name? What difference did it make what he called her? "Shu Ya talked to me today, she wants to set me up with a boyfriend." Ruo Lan's eyes fixed intently on Hao Jian, as if trying to read his expression. Because of the events from the day before, Shu Ya had come to understand her feelings for Hao Jian. Although he was somewhat frivolous, his character was still decent. Even if it was just pretending, it seemed she wouldn't reject the idea. Under such circumstances, she did not want any potential threats to emerge, like an extramarital affair or something. The thoughts of a woman can become deviously cunning when fueled with jealousy. At this very moment, Hao Jian still didn't notice that there was something off about Ruo Lan's expression and straightforwardly nodded and said, "Oh? Isn't that good? It's about time there's a man in the house, so you all have someone to rely on, right?" "You think that's good?" Ruo Lan was visibly frustrated, staring at Hao Jian. Hao Jian was dumbfounded, what had he said wrong? Indeed, wasn't that a good thing? It was time for Ruo Lan to consider her own needs after five years of widowhood. Ruo Lan narrowed her eyes and looked at Hao Jian for a while, then coldly said, "Are you finished eating? Once you're done, I'll clear up!" "Hey, hey." Just as Hao Jian was about to speak, Ruo Lan had already taken away his porridge without further discussion. He was utterly speechless. What was wrong with Ruo Lan today? Had he offended her in some way? "Hey, Tongtong, is your mom on her 'that time of the month'? Why is she so fiery?" "What's 'that time'?" Tongtong was confused, scratching her little head, and asked innocently. Hao Jian grinned, saying cheerfully, "Is your mom having her period? Has your auntie from your mom's side visited?" "We don't have an auntie from my mom's side at our house?" Tongtong felt that Uncle Cheapo was acting weird today, but couldn't quite put her finger on how. "Your house does have an auntie from your mom's side; your mom's period comes to visit for a few days every month, isn't that your auntie from your mom's side?" Hao Jian's leering smile grew even broader! At this moment, Sister Lan in the house heard what Hao Jian said and immediately frowned in exasperation! "Hao Jian, why don't you just go die!!!!!" With screams, pots, pans, cooking utensils, and even a kitchen knife flew out all at once! ¡­ Hao Jian arrived at the company, holding an additional document in his hand that contained feedback on ring designs, which he planned to give to Yuan Shanshan. Because of Hao Jian's acute insight, Yuan Shanshan consulted his opinions on every detail of her ring designs. And it was precisely because of his input every time that Yuan Shanshan had her breakthroughs, perfecting her work step by step. In some sense, the formation of this ring also owed a part of its success to Hao Jian. Now that the ring had nearly been completed, all that was left was the finishing touches, so he intended to give his final thoughts to Yuan Shanshan. However, when Hao Jian entered the design department, he found Yuan Shanshan absent. He blinked in surprise¡ª it was working hours, so why hadn't she come to work? "Hello, is Yuan Shanshan here?" Hao Jian asked one of the female designers. Upon seeing Hao Jian, the female designer's expression turned somewhat odd as she said, "She just had a fight with the department head and then went up to the rooftop." "Do you know what they fought about?" Hao Jian was somewhat startled; considering his understanding of Yuan Shanshan, she shouldn't be someone who lost her temper easily. "How would I know that? You should probably ask Yuan Shanshan herself," the other's attitude became gradually impatient, seemingly reluctant to discuss the matter further. Seeing this, Hao Jian just shrugged and smiled. He could tell that this girl was probably wary of their department head, hence her reluctance to talk more about the incident. When Hao Jian found Yuan Shanshan, he discovered her standing on the edge of the rooftop, hands crossed over her chest, bracing against the cold wind, her face still bearing faint traces of tears¡ªclear signs that she had just been crying. "What's wrong?" Hao Jian approached and knew something must have happened by the look of Yuan Shanshan. Yuan Shanshan had already stopped crying, but upon seeing Hao Jian approach, her tears welled up again in victimized defeat, throwing herself onto Hao Jian and starting to sob. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Tell me everything, what exactly happened? Only then can I help you," Hao Jian comforted her, patting her back. Yuan Shanshan took a few steps back, still sniffling: "My designs were plagiarized by the department head." At that moment, she felt utterly wronged. To win appreciation from the company, she had worked day and night on the ring designs. Just when she had successfully created them, her designs were stolen by the department head. And what made it even more agonizing was that the department head had handled every detail of the design document, leaving her without any proof; it now completely belonged to the department head. Only now did Yuan Shanshan truly understand the ruthlessness and darkness of the workplace. Hao Jian's expression darkened slightly, his eyes growing cold: "Is this why you argued with him?" Yuan Shanshan's eyes, swollen from crying, nodded in grievance: "He plagiarized my work, and I confronted him about it, but he shamelessly insisted that the design document was his creation. Without any evidence, I had no choice but to swallow the bitter pill." "What's your department head's name?" Hao Jian asked with a grim expression. "Our department head is He Runyu, a veteran of the company," Yuan Shanshan shook her head as her eyes reddened once more. Being a newcomer, going against a veteran department head was like a moth to a flame, utterly hopeless! "Lead me to him, I'd like to have a word with him," Hao Jian's face grew darker. This matter couldn't just be dropped; after all, he had contributed half the effort to the design document. If He Runyu plagiarized the design, it was as if he had bullied Hao Jian himself! It had always been him bullying others, with no one daring to bully him. How could he just let this go? "It's no use; his power within the company is too great. We can't afford to offend him." Yuan Shanshan shook her head bitterly. She didn't dare offend He Runyu, fearing that a single displeasure from him could get her fired. With her mother currently in the hospital, and money needed on all fronts, she truly couldn't afford to spend time looking for another job. Chapter 86 This is Fighting! Hao Jian could clearly discern the worries in Yuan Shanshan's heart and, in that moment, he said with a smile, sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality."If you are afraid that he will fire you, then you need not worry. Since I've already planned to stand up for you, I certainly won't let him continue to behave arrogantly in the company. What you need to do is just like last time on Akina Mountain, just trust me!" Yuan Shanshan was taken aback for a moment and then, after pondering for a while, she finally nodded, "I'll take you to him!" When Yuan Shanshan and Hao Jian returned to the design department, all the colleagues immediately turned their attention to them. They were curious about why Yuan Shanshan was bringing Hao Jian. Could it be that she wanted him to stand up for her? With this thought, they found it quite laughable. A mere driver, what could he do to their minister? Yuan Shanshan was truly naive. However, Yuan Shanshan ignored their whispering and directly led Hao Jian into the minister's office. He Runyu was in his office watching a Japanese film; upon seeing Yuan Shanshan enter, he turned off the film and then looked up at her, scoffing as he said, "Yuan Shanshan, have you thought it through? Do you still insist that the design book is yours?" "That design book was indeed mine!" Yuan Shanshan angrily retorted. She had drawn every line of that design herself¡ªwhat did he mean by 'she thought'? "That's not for you to decide, now is it? The law speaks of evidence. Do you have any?" He Runyu smugly motioned for Yuan Shanshan to present her evidence. "All the evidence has been destroyed by you!" Yuan Shanshan was livid, inwardly cursing He Runyu for his shamelessness. He had destroyed the evidence himself, and now he was demanding that she produce it. How could she possibly have it? "That too needs evidence. You claim I destroyed the evidence¡ªdo you have proof?" He Runyu's smile grew even more smug, even shameless. He was sure that Yuan Shanshan couldn't touch him, so he spoke without any reservations. "You..." Yuan Shanshan was so angry she almost ground her teeth to dust, but she could only glare at He Runyu, powerless to do anything. "Minister He, right?" At this point, Hao Jian knew it was his turn to step up. From the conversation between him and Yuan Shanshan, he was fully convinced he was dealing with a scumbag. "Oh, so you brought your boyfriend to fight for you? You think that scares me? If you dare touch me, I'll make sure none of you can walk away from here unscathed! Yuan Shanshan, I heard your mother is in the hospital needing a lot of money for medical bills. What if I fire you now, what would happen then?" He Runyu chuckled coldly, clearly confident he had Yuan Shanshan cornered. At these words, Yuan Shanshan went rigid, hit right at her vulnerable spot. Seeing Yuan Shanshan's reaction, He Runyu laughed even louder: "Yuan Shanshan, I'm not afraid to tell you outright¡ªI plagiarized your work, so what? Without evidence, you can only swallow your broken teeth. Dare to trouble me, and I'll immediately kick you out!" Hearing this, Yuan Shanshan was already thinking of retreating. Indeed, there was nothing they could do to He Runyu. At this moment, seeing that Yuan Shanshan wasn't speaking, He Runyu became even more brazen, leering as he said, "Of course, if you want the design book back it's simple, spend one night with me. Just one night, and I'll return the design book to you and even help you become the chief designer. How about that?" It turned out that He Runyu had harbored inappropriate thoughts toward Yuan Shanshan ever since she joined the company and had always been looking for a chance to get his hands on her. This plagiarism incident partly happened because Hao Jian genuinely admired Yuan Shanshan's design, and partly because he schemed to use the design book to threaten Yuan Shanshan into compliance. Hao Jian raised an eyebrow, He Runyu treated him as if he were Yuan Shanshan's boyfriend, yet he still spoke such words in front of him, which was a clear insult and a slap in his face. By this time, Hao Jian was already ready to fight. "You are shameless! I will absolutely not agree to your demands!" Yuan Shanshan trembled with anger. "Shanshan, people always look forward. What can this 'loser' boyfriend of yours do for you? I'm different. I have both power and money. If you become my woman, I can use my power to benefit you, ensuring your smooth and rapid promotion within the company. Think about it?" He Runyu stared intently at Yuan Shanshan, his eyes shimmering with desire, like a hungry wolf. "No need to think about it, even if I were to accompany someone in bed for free, I wouldn't become a woman to a scumbag like you, because you make me feel disgusted!" Yuan Shanshan scoffed with a fierce response. He Runyu's expression changed, then a sinister smile appeared on his face, "Good! Very good! It won't be long before you come begging me over today's words. Don't forget, I am the head of the design department. As long as I'm above you, you'll never have a chance to turn things around!" "Slap!" As soon as the words fell, a slap flew directly toward him, hitting He Runyu's face hard. Yuan Shanshan was stunned at this moment, not expecting Hao Jian to suddenly strike. Hitting someone was illegal, and if He Runyu called the police, they would be doomed. "You dare hit me?" He Runyu was stunned, then blood rushed to his head, his eyes filled with ferocity, staring straight at Hao Jian. "Hit you? That was nothing," Hao Jian shook his head, a cold smile forming at the corner of his mouth: "This is hitting!" As the words fell, Hao Jian threw a punch that landed heavily on He Runyu's face, knocking him down with several teeth lost and blood gushing from his mouth. Hao Jian looked down at him from a height, his face full of disdain: "How does it feel? Is the flower blooming red?" Continue reading on empire Yuan Shanshan was petrified on the spot, and now there was no turning back. "Yuan Shanshan, you dare bring your lover to hit me, just wait to be fired. And you, I'm going to call the police and have you thrown in jail!" He Runyu's teeth clattered, his face twisted with ferocity, unable to accept that he had been bested by a mere employee, which he absolutely couldn't tolerate. Dare hit me? I will make you pay! "Call the police? Great, I just so happen to want the police to hear what I've recorded." Hao Jian took out his phone, pressed the play button, and started playing the recording. Every word He Runyu had said was captured perfectly. At that moment, He Runyu's face turned ashen. If this got into the hands of the police, he could end up in prison. "Minister He, you were able to successfully steal others' work among numerous subordinates without leaving evidence of the crime, which shows you're somewhat clever. Unfortunately, you're still not clever enough," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. He Runyu had made a very critical mistake. He had become too arrogant, not taking into account that they might record him, and thus he spoke without restraint. At this moment, Yuan Shanshan's eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at Hao Jian. Once again, he had saved her! Chapter 87 Youre Despicable, But I Like It! "What do you want?"He Runyu could no longer be arrogant, staring at Jiang Shan with an ugly expression. "Do you even need to ask? Of course, it's to send you straight to prison," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh, twirling the phone in his palm before putting it back into his pocket. He Runyu's face turned even darker, "Give me the recording, and I'll return the design book to you." All he could do now was to soften, as compared to going to prison, a mere design book really wasn't much. "Even if you don't give it back to us, as long as we give this recording to the police, we can still get the design book back," Hao Jian said dismissively, finding He Runyu's offer meaningless. "I can also help your girlfriend secure the position of chief designer," He Runyu spoke again, his expression now somewhat frantic. "What do you think?" Hao Jian looked at Yuan Shanshan. Yuan Shanshan, with an expressionless face and pridefully said, "Even without his help, I can still secure the position of chief designer." The fact that even He Runyu had to plagiarize her work proved its quality, and she had confidence in herself. Hao Jian smiled with some admiration; had Yuan Shanshan actually accepted He Runyu's offer, although he wouldn't have said anything, deep down, he would have some thoughts about her. Fortunately, Yuan Shanshan made the right decision. "I can give you money, a lot of it, Yuan Shanshan, isn't your mother suffering from heart disease? If you take my money, you can afford her treatment, right? Think about it, that's your mom. Would you really give up your mother's life because of a moment of anger? Is it worth it?" He Runyu's voice had turned somewhat desperate; these two were far more difficult to deal with than he had imagined. If he couldn't bribe them, he really would only be left with prison as an option. "No need for that, your money is all made by exploiting your subordinates! I won't take that kind of money," Yuan Shanshan said coldly. He Runyu's expression instantly froze. "It seems like the only option left for you is to go to jail," Hao Jian chuckled, his expression playful. "No! Give me the phone!" He Runyu roared furiously, charging over with a ferocious face; he had gone mad, absolutely unwilling to let such a thing happen. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Once he went to prison, it would truly be over for him. If the news got out, even after he served his time, no company would dare to hire him. "Idiot!" Hao Jian scoffed coldly, and then he swiftly kicked straight up, striking He Runyu in the face and sending him tumbling to the ground: "Feeling regret now? Weren't you acting all arrogant just a while ago?" "I dare not, please just let me go this once, I'll listen to everything you say from now on, just don't make me go to prison, I promise you anything," He Runyu pleaded. After being kicked down, he immediately crawled back, clutched Hao Jian's legs with both hands, his panic making him forget the pain. "But we do want you to go to jail," Hao Jian said, his face filled with a thick sense of amusement, having no sympathy for such scum: "I suppose this isn't the first time you've plagiarized a subordinate's work, right? Never thought you'd capsize in the gutter one day, did you? This is called karma! Do you understand?" "Please, I beg you." He Runyu's face was ashen, but no matter how he begged, Hao Jian remained unmoved. When a person does something wrong, they should pay for their mistakes. He would always say the same thing: if the cost of committing a crime is too low, then the world would become a chaotic place. Hao Jian kicked He Runyu away and directly pulled Yuan Shanshan towards the exit, but when they opened the door, they saw a dozen employees gathered at the doorway. Stay connected through empire And at this moment, they all wore expressions filled with rage. It turned out that they had seen Yuan Shanshan bring Hao Jian into He Runyu's office and were curious about how Yuan Shanshan would deal with He Runyu, so a group of them gathered here to eavesdrop! Little did they know that not all ears were safe, and upon listening in, it immediately triggered many sad past events among them. Every one of them had been plagiarized by He Runyu before, but because he was the department head, they could only swallow their anger and stay silent. Seeing everyone's reaction, Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan were first shocked, then that despicable Hao Jian quickly turned his eyes, stepped aside, and said: "I now have solid evidence of He Runyu's crimes, and it won't be long before he is arrested! So if you have grievances or vendettas, now is the time to address them, everyone!" Hearing this, everyone's eyes turned bloodshot as they glared at He Runyu. He Runyu shrank back, looking at the crowd anxiously. Immediately afterward, the designers rushed into the office one after another, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks on He Runyu. They had been oppressed by He Runyu for far too long, and now that they knew he was going to prison, they all felt a thrilling sense of pounding the daylights out of a drowning dog. Especially the words from Hao Jian, 'if you have grievances or vendettas,' directly aroused their ferocity. Then, Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan heard He Runyu's frequent cries for help. Yuan Shanshan gave Hao Jian a white look, but her face was blooming with a beautiful, floral smile: "You're really despicable... but I like it..." "Who allowed him to mess with me? He dared to meddle with my stuff; he was really asking for it." Hao Jian snorted. He Runyu had dug his own grave by messing with the wrong person¡ªYuan Shanshan. "Hao Jian, this time, I really don't know how to thank you." Yuan Shanshan felt like there was a little deer knocking about in her heart, and she seemed a bit shy as she spoke. "We're friends, no need for thanks. Besides, that design plan is half mine too; how could I let anyone else touch what is mine?" Hao Jian said with a smile. "Regardless, I should thank you. If it wasn't for you, I might not have gotten the design plans back. How about I treat you to a meal?" "Let's wait until you've been paid. Also, I'll take your design plans directly to the president; I believe she will appreciate them given her character." To avoid further issues, Hao Jian decided to take the plan straight to Shu Ya for her to decide. "Really? What if the president doesn't like it?" Yuan Shanshan was nervous, as it was her first design in the workplace, and if it wasn't approved, it would be a massive blow for her. "No way, I'm the president's driver; nobody knows her taste better than I do," assured Hao Jian, thumping his chest. Half an hour later, the police arrived at the scene, and by this time He Runyu had been beaten to the point his nose was blue and his face swollen, covered in blood, and in utter disarray. The lead officer, a plump cop, was stunned at the sight and couldn't help but wonder about the deep-seated grudge it took to beat someone to such a state. The officer glared and shouted angrily: "Who did this to him?" Chapter 88 Youre So Naughty! Hearing this police officer's bellowing question, no one made a sound; everyone was as silent as the mute, standing there, looking at each other."I'm asking you a question here! Who beat him up like this?" the fat police officer barked. "He fell and hurt himself!" Hao Jian added. "Bullshit, could he beat himself up to this extent?" The fat police officer clearly didn't believe it. Just how stupid would someone have to be to hurt themselves like this? "Who knows? Maybe he fell down the stairs?" Hao Jian said mockingly. "Fell down the stairs?" The fat police officer paused for a moment; if that were the case, then it was indeed possible. Then, he looked towards He Runyu: "Is that what happened?" "Wuu wuu wuu wuu." He Runyu tried to speak, but his whole face was swollen, and almost all of his teeth had been knocked out, producing a weird noise whenever he opened his mouth, similar to the sound of a broken accordion; it made him completely unintelligible. "What the hell are you saying?" The fat police officer glared at He Runyu, growing somewhat angry. "He said you're a dead fatty and that your butt is even bigger than his grandma's face," Hao Jian quickly struck again with the jab. The fat police officer's eyes widened instantly, "What? Why is he cursing me?" "Maybe it's because he plagiarized the work of our company's staff, knew he was going to jail, and figured he was screwed either way, so he might as well curse and let off steam," Hao Jian speculated rudely, smirking, "After all, there aren't many who dare to curse at a police officer; he probably wants to be the first." He Runyu frantically shook his head while making wuu wuu noises, trying to defend himself, but what he said could not be understood by anyone. "Then how can you understand what he's saying?" The fat police officer wasn't stupid. He Runyu was obviously producing nothing but noise; how could Hao Jian possibly comprehend what he meant? Hao Jian kept a straight face and replied: "It's a dialect from a minority ethnicity in the Northwest; I happened to have lived among them for a while, so I understand a bit. I guess he wanted to insult you but didn't dare let you know, so he used that language. Oh, and by the way, shaking his head means 'Caonima' in their culture." "You bastard, dare to insult a police officer?" The fat police officer was livid and swung his hand at He Runyu. He Runyu was truly on the verge of tears; how desperately he wanted to defend himself but was unable to utter a single coherent sentence. And the others were almost suffocated with internal injury, secretly admiring Hao Jian for his ability to spout such nonsense; they had almost believed him. "Take this kid away. Daring to insult a police officer? You'll have a taste of what's coming when we get back to the station!" The fat police officer ordered and had his subordinates pick up He Runyu, ready to take him away. But just as they were about to enter the elevator, the doors opened, and Shu Ya and Xiao Qiang stepped out from it together. At that moment, Shu Ya had a grave expression on her face. Her arrival seemed to carry an air of dominance that shook everyone present. Even the policemen couldn't help but stare for a moment, taking in her beauty and authority, which also left them awestruck. Upon seeing Shu Ya, He Runyu immediately acted as if he had seen his savior, making wuu wuu noises. "What in the world is going on here?" Shu Ya kept a stern face. She had rushed over as soon as she heard that there was a problem in the design department, only to find He Runyu being arrested. He Runyu was the backbone of the company, closely tied to its sales figures. To Shu Ya, he was a vital minister. How could she allow him to be taken away by the police without a full understanding of the situation? Upon seeing this, the design department staff one by one looked disheartened. If the president stood up to speak for He Runyu, then they would truly be out of options. They also knew the value of He Runyu to the company. With everything predicated on interests, Shu Ya would not likely take their side. At that moment, Hao Jian quickly walked over to Shu Ya and whispered a few words into her ear. Shu Ya's expression changed dramatically, and she glared at He Runyu: S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I never thought you would be such a person, truly a disgrace to our company!" He Runyu was stunned. This wasn't right. What on earth did Hao Jian tell the president that made her believe him so easily? With such a cautious and wise character, shouldn't she have questioned him first? Little did he know that it wasn't mainly about what Hao Jian had said, but rather the relationship he had with Shu Ya. He Runyu had thought that Shu Ya would believe him, but in reality, she trusted Hao Jian more. "Take him away!" The plump police officer, snapping out of his brief daze, also recovered and barked an order to his subordinates. At the same time, he couldn't help but inwardly sigh: The female president is really beautiful. "Hao Jian, come to my office!" Shu Ya said expressionlessly, leaving no room for Hao Jian to explain, and turned to enter the elevator. "Hao Jian..." Yuan Shanshan looked at Hao Jian with concern! She could tell that Shu Ya's attitude was not very good and worried that she might take it out on Hao Jian. "Don't worry, it's fine. The president is wise and fair, she won't do anything to me," Hao Jian patted her hand reassuringly, signaling not to worry, and then followed into the elevator. "Are you saying that He Runyu plagiarized Yuan Shanshan's work?" Inside the office, Shu Ya scrutinized Hao Jian. "Yes, and not just hers. That's why he got beaten so badly. You didn't see earlier, a whole swarm of the design department staff rushed at him, hitting him viciously. I desperately tried to stop them, but I couldn't!" Hao Jian exaggeratedly described the scene, and indeed, he did try to intervene. However, while he was trying to stop them, he also didn't forget to give a few sly kicks. No hitting, no hitting. Bam, bam, bam, three kicks landed. "Is there evidence?" Shu Ya asked, raising her eyebrow. "Yes, it's a recording, which I have handed over to the police. Plus, those employees can also testify. The vast majority of them have had similar experiences, but they were too afraid to speak out." Shu Ya's face looked somewhat downtrodden. "I thought I was running the company well, but it turns out we still had some who slipped through the net. I have seriously neglected my duties in management." "You can't blame yourself for that. The main issue is that He Runyu is too cunning. He always destroys the evidence, making it impossible to start an investigation. If he hadn't been careless this time, it would have been tough to catch him." Hao Jian also spoke indignantly, thinking that if he hadn't kept his guard up, that guy would have slipped away again. Shu Ya looked Hao Jian up and down, paused slightly, and then with a face full of disbelief said: "Hey, Hao Jian, I've been wondering why you're involved in everything. Ever since you joined my company, I've noticed continuous troubles here. Could you be some sort of calamity incarnate?" Chapter 89 Would You Like to Enter the Grove with Me? "How can you say that about me? I've just helped you remove a malignancy, which counts as a major accomplishment, right? You're not offering a reward, which is fine, but to talk about me like that, you do know it's hurting my feelings, don't you?"Hao Jian's face was full of grievance as he raised a finger, gently pointing it at Shu Ya's forehead: "You've hurt me and just laughed it off. You're really mean..." Shu Ya broke out in a cold sweat! "Alright, then tell me, what reward do you want?" Shu Ya coldly sneered, wondering what audacious request Hao Jian would dare to make as ugly people sure play long games. "This... Hehehe. Actually, I've thought about it a long time ago; I'm just afraid you wouldn't agree." Hao Jian chuckled foolishly, appearing somewhat sleazy as his eyes roamed indecently across Shu Ya's body, evidently thinking of something not suitable for children. "Oh? You want to sleep with me?" Shu Ya instantly understood the implication in Hao Jian's words and asked with a calm expression. Had it been before, seeing Hao Jian like this would have definitely enraged her, but now that she had figured out what he was really like, she was no longer that angry. If Hao Jian himself wasn't embarrassed, why should she be? "How can you say that? Do I look like someone who seeks rewards for small deeds?" Hao Jian looked very agitated, as though he had just received a profound insult. Shu Ya was shocked. Could it be she had misunderstood him? "Then tell me what reward you want, go on." Shu Ya was now intrigued. If Hao Jian wasn't harboring perverted thoughts, then what did he want? Hao Jian glanced at Shu Ya shyly: "Would you... come with me to the little woods?" "." Shu Ya was silent for about three to five seconds before slamming the table: "In the end, you still want to sleep with me?" "Look at you, how could your thoughts be so dirty! Who says that going into the woods means we've got to do 'that'? We could chat about life there, speak freely, wouldn't that be good too?" Hao Jian's face was as thick as a city wall, still wearing a grin. "If it's just to exchange life experiences, then why go to the woods?" Shu Ya was sweating profusely, not believing a word of Hao Jian's nonsense. If he really just wanted to talk, any place would do. Why did it need to be the woods? "We don't have to go to the woods; we could also go to a hotel. There's a newly opened love hotel near our place. I've heard it's really nice; first-time visitors get free vibrators and massage sticks. Let's check it out?" Hao Jian's eyes shone brightly, full of anticipation as he looked at Shu Ya. "Hao Jian! Can you not be so sleazy!" Shu Ya was exasperated; she thought she could remain calm, but reality proved to her that she was still too naive. No matter how much she tried to stay composed, this jerk always knew how to provoke her. "Even such a small request you won't entertain. And I've been so helpful to you," Hao Jian muttered, deliberately making a noise of disdain. Shu Ya was flushed with embarrassment: "You call this a small request? You want to have... that sort of relationship with me!" "Impossible, I'm not that kind of person. If you don't believe me, try going into the woods with me!" Hao Jian spoke earnestly. "I don't want to." Shu Ya didn't even need to think before she shook her head in refusal! She felt that she couldn't use her own innocence to test whether Hao Jian had any integrity because that was really a vexing matter. "Hmm, since you're not falling for it," Hao Jian said with an annoyed curl of his lip. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Haven't you been getting along famously with Yuan Shanshan lately? You even stood up for her today. She must be utterly touched right now, right? Why don't you ask her if she wants to go into the woods with you?" Shu Ya mocked, feeling inexplicably stifled at the thought of Yuan Shanshan. Hao Jian squinted at Shu Ya, "Are you jealous?" "Ha, what a joke, me, jealous? Our relationship is nothing more than a transaction! Whatever you want to do is your business, I'm not going to be jealous over someone as unscrupulous as you, I don't even like you!" Shu Ya said disdainfully, making a very contemptuous face. "You're jealous!" Hao Jian insisted this time. "Ha, ha..." "Her and I are just friends, and we've been so close lately because we designed a ring together," Hao Jian explained, smiling. His smile implied that Shu Ya's haughty demeanor was quite amusing. How had Hao Jian found out? Generally speaking, if Shu Ya truly didn't care about his relationship with Yuan Shanshan, she wouldn't even have bothered to ask! But now, she deliberately made that disdainful expression toward him, which seemed a bit off. "There's no need to explain it to me. I'm not at all interested in what's going on between you two," Shu Ya huffed, though her expression improved slightly. Pretending not to hear, Hao Jian still asked with a mischievous grin, "You've seen the design for that ring, right? How do you feel about it? It must be pretty good, huh?" "Using motherhood as the selling point is indeed quite innovative. It's going to be Fanzhuo's main focus for the next issue," Shu Ya decisively stated. That's just the kind of person she was; although she didn't particularly like Yuan Shanshan, she kept business separate from personal feelings. Moreover, Yuan Shanshan's idea was excellent, and the ring she designed was elegant and majestic, fitting the theme of motherhood perfectly. Shu Ya had a feeling that Yuan Shanshan's ring would be a big hit. "If Yuan Shanshan knew how you rated her, she would definitely be delighted, especially since you're her idol, and she is striving to reach your level," Hao Jian said with a laugh. Hao Jian also smiled, happy for Yuan Shanshan that her ring could become a highlight. Shu Ya gave a small smile, her expression subdued, as she handed the design portfolio over to Hao Jian: "Have her design a matching men's ring too. There's one for mothers, how can fathers be left out?" "Why not add grandfathers, grandmothers, maternal grandfathers, maternal grandmothers, aunts, and uncles too? Why don't we create a family set series?" Hao Jian suggested with a beaming smile. Shu Ya's expression darkened as she retorted: "At Shu Ya Group, we only focus on premium products, crafting the most luxurious jewelry at the top tier. Do you think it's like cheap street vendor goods? All in one set?" It was precisely because each piece was unique that it was so precious, much like love itself. If they were mass-produced, available to everyone, then the jewelry would lose its inherent meaning, and so would the significance of that motherly love ring. "Alright, then I'll go find Yuan Shanshan now. Oh, and I won't be coming back tonight, you can drive back by yourself," Hao Jian suddenly said. "Why aren't you coming back?" Shu Ya asked, her gaze wary as she watched Hao Jian. "Why even ask? Obviously, I'm taking Yuan Shanshan into the woods," he exclaimed. Crash. A heap of files was thrown by Shu Ya, but Hao Jian had already opened the door and left. Chapter 90 Reward Me with a Tomb! "She didn't give you a hard time, did she?"Hao Jian had just come downstairs when Yuan Shanshan hurried over and asked anxiously. "Of course not, I told you the president is very understanding. After she understood the whole story, not only did she not blame me, but she even said she wanted to reward me," Hao Jian said with animated expressions. "Reward you with what?" Yuan Shanshan also asked curiously, assuming it must be something valuable since it was the president's reward. Suddenly, Hao Jian's face fell as he remembered something upsetting: "She said she wanted to reward me with a tombstone." "A tombstone?" Yuan Shanshan was flabbergasted and asked in confusion: "Why would she give you a tombstone all of a sudden?" "She probably thinks I'm living too carelessly, so she decided to give me a bit of a shock," he guessed. Hao Jian, finding it both funny and sad, said, "A tombstone for love, eh? Once you step into that, there's no coming back." Yuan Shanshan looked at Hao Jian, puzzled. She realized she couldn't understand at all what Hao Jian was talking about. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Enough about me, let's talk about you. The president really appreciates your design and wants you to create another one, a men's ring related to fatherhood," Hao Jian said. "No way, really?" Yuan Shanshan jumped up and down on the spot three times, overwhelmed with excitement. Getting recognition from Shu Ya would give her immense confidence. "Of course, why would I lie to you about something like this? So just do your best." Hao Jian handed the design book to Yuan Shanshan, laughing as he did so. This way, Yuan Shanshan would be able to firmly establish herself in the company. But at that moment, Yuan Shanshan bit her lip and mustered up a lot of courage before suddenly hugging Hao Jian. Hao Jian was stunned by this unexpected gesture. "Hao Jian, thank you. If it weren't for your idea, I would never have been able to design such a ring. I'm taking you out for a meal later, and you're not allowed to say no¡ªyou must come!" Hao Jian was just about to refuse, but hearing Yuan Shanshan say this, he simply gave a wry smile and said no more. At dinner time, Yuan Shanshan indeed took Hao Jian out to eat, and she also invited Che Xiaoxiao along. This girl was still always idle, and when not racing cars, she was working as a taxi driver¡ªunofficially, of course. Che Xiaoxiao just happened to be nearby Yuan Shanshan's company when she got the call, and directly came over. After dinner, the three of them went shopping in the mall. Hao Jian had planned to leave, but both girls insisted he stay with them. Checking that he still had a few hours before his night shift, he agreed. He definitely couldn't go home today anyway, since Tie Shan's wife was giving birth and he had asked Hao Jian to cover for him for the day. The three of them entered a high-end French women's clothing store, already bustling with customers selecting clothes, each dressed to the nines, carrying LV or Herm¨¨s designer bags. Hao Jian glanced at the price tags on the clothes and involuntarily gasped: "A T-shirt for 100,000 RMB? Are they trying to rob us?" "Designer brands are selling fame, not quality, you don't know anything," Che Xiaoxiao retorted sharply. "Xiaoxiao, maybe we should leave, these clothes aren't something we can afford," Yuan Shanshan suggested gently tugging at Che Xiaoxiao's sleeve, as the cost of one item was equivalent to her annual salary. Sometimes life is just that unfair¡ªsome buy clothes that cost as much as a normal family's yearly expenses. But some people, even if they struggle for a lifetime, still can't afford a house of just a few dozen square meters. "So what if I can't buy? It doesn't hurt to look and enjoy the view," said Che Xiaoxiao nonchalantly. Unlike Yuan Shanshan, she was more composed and confident. Even if she couldn't afford it, she wouldn't feel inferior, because she knew it was only a matter of time before she could. "Yo, isn't that Che Xiaoxiao? Are you here to pick out some clothes too?" Just then, a mocking voice came from behind the group. Hao Jian and the others turned around and saw a woman in a red tight dress, flamboyantly dressed, walking over with a middle-aged man in a suit. The woman was quite attractive, but she couldn't compare to Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao; her looks were just above average. And the man beside her was even more unremarkable ¡ª nearly fifty, sporting a big belly as if he were ten months pregnant, and also quite bald, just like a monk. Seeing these two together, one wouldn't need to guess their relationship. Upon seeing the arrivals, Che Xiaoxiao clearly wasn't too pleased, "Yes, what about it?" From Che Xiaoxiao's attitude, Hao Jian could tell she didn't have a good relationship with the woman before them. "Nothing much, just surprised. You always dress so simply, why the sudden interest in designer brands?" Ma Ru chuckled with a playful smile, but she accentuated the word "simply" heavily, loaded with mockery. She and Che Xiaoxiao were university classmates, in the same department, and Ma Ru was a senior. Originally, before Che Xiaoxiao appeared, Ma Ru had been the beauty of their department. However, once Che Xiaoxiao showed up, she took that title from Ma Ru, thus breeding jealousy and discord between them. Of course, Che Xiaoxiao didn't like her either, as Ma Ru had badmouthed her more than once. Moreover, Ma Ru's lifestyle was questionable. Although her family was of the working class, she was always adorned with designer bags and jewelry, making it easy to guess what she was up to. "Ma Ru, who is this? Why don't you introduce me?" At this moment, the middle-aged man beside her also smiled. His name was Liu Fudong, a returned overseas Chinese who had made a good deal of money in business early on, hence he had started keeping university students. As Liu Fudong spoke, his gaze swept over Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao. He had never seen such high-class beauties before and instantly felt his heart pound, barely able to resist approaching them. "Godfather, she's my classmate, her name is Che Xiaoxiao, and she usually shops at Dongzhimen. It's her first time in a place like this, which I also find quite surprising," Ma Ru said with a face full of sarcasm. Dongzhimen was known for selling cheap items costing around forty to fifty, mentioning it was undoubtedly to embarrass Che Xiaoxiao. In school, Ma Ru lost all the attention to Che Xiaoxiao, and seeing an opportunity for revenge, she was certainly not going to let it pass. "Ma Ru, long time no see, I didn't expect to bump into you here." Che Xiaoxiao, however, didn't seem angry at all and went up to shake hands with Ma Ru, all smiles and seemingly trying to ingratiate herself. This demeanor of Che Xiaoxiao puzzled both Yuan Shanshan and Hao Jian, as they expected, given Che Xiaoxiao's character, she would have confronted her directly by now. But Ma Ru didn't speak, just sneered internally, guessing that Che Xiaoxiao must have been envious of her for latching onto a wealthy man, which is why she came up to curry favor. "You are Ma Ru's godfather, right? Thanks for giving us a lift home last time. Your Lincoln Stretch Limousine is really beautiful." After shaking hands with Ma Ru, Che Xiaoxiao suddenly turned to Liu Fudong and said cheerfully. However, this remark made Liu Fudong's expression freeze, as he had never given Che Xiaoxiao a ride home, nor did he own a Lincoln Stretch Limousine. That... Chapter 91 Classmates Who Compete Over Whose Dad is Better! "I don't have a Lincoln Stretch Limousine," Liu Fudong said with a dark face."You don't?" Che Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, then she glanced at Ma Ru with some apology, as if she had realized something, and immediately smiled sheepishly: "Oh, that, I must have remembered wrong! That Ma Ru's sugar daddy must not be you. Don't take it to heart, haha." With that said, Liu Fudong's face turned even darker, his eyes filled with anger as he glared at Ma Ru, filled with suspicion and scrutiny. Seeing this, Ma Ru was almost beside herself with anger, and she quickly said: "Che Xiaoxiao, what nonsense are you talking about? I only have one sugar daddy, and I never asked him to drive you home!" "Yes, yes, my mistake, it was another friend's sugar daddy who drove me home." Che Xiaoxiao nodded repeatedly, but this only seemed to make things more suspicious. Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan could see what was happening. Che Xiaoxiao was deliberately trying to mess with Ma Ru. In terms of spouting nonsense, Hao Jian felt she was almost on par with himself. And Liu Fudong was indeed fooled. It was clear that Che Xiaoxiao was backpedaling because she had slipped up. "Sugar daddy, don't listen to her bullsh*t. This bitch has always had it in for me at school, so now she's taking her revenge," Ma Ru hastily explained, afraid that Liu Fudong would misunderstand. She had worked hard to hook up with this rich man, and she was not ready to let him slip through her fingers until she had milked him for seven or eight bags. Liu Fudong's face was dark, he nodded but didn't speak, and it was uncertain whether he was really listening. "Who are you calling a bitch?" Che Xiaoxiao glared. "A bitch like you!" Ma Ru replied unapologetically, her eyes fierce. At that moment, Che Xiaoxiao giggled: "Right, the bitch is calling me out!" Ma Ru was taken aback, finally realizing she had fallen into the trap Che Xiaoxiao had set for her, and her anger grew. She glared directly at Che Xiaoxiao: "Che Xiaoxiao, you freaking bitch! Don't think I don't know. You're just jealous because I dress and accessorize better than you, so you're trying to slander me in front of my sugar daddy." Ma Ru scoffed condescendingly, "But I can understand. A little gangster girl like you can only wear those cheap street stall clothes. Seeing someone in designer wear, it's no wonder you turn green with envy." "Envious of you? What a joke. I'm not the one selling my body," retorted Che Xiaoxiao, shrugging her shoulders with a mocking curl of her lip. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You dare call me a whore?" Ma Ru was stunned on the spot. Che Xiaoxiao had actually insulted her so blatantly in public? "Oh, my mistake. I take that back. Most whores are forced into it by life circumstances or family issues, but you're different. You threw away your dignity and bottom line willingly out of vanity, so calling you a whore would be an insult to them. You should only be called a bitch, a green-tea bitch!" Che Xiaoxiao laughed mockingly. "Che Xiaoxiao, you lowlife, I'll make you pay!" Ma Ru's expression turned malevolent as she lunged at Che Xiaoxiao, aiming to claw her face. Just then, Liu Fudong stepped in to stop her, a gentle smile on his face as he said to Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao: "We're all classmates. Why let things get so tense? To meet is fate, and since you like the clothes here, go ahead and pick a few sets. I'll foot the bill, and let's consider the grudge with Ma Ru settled." "Godfather!" Ma Ru shook Liu Fudong's hand, looking very reluctant. Why should she buy clothes for Che Xiaoxiao when she insults her like that? She didn't know that Liu Fudong had already taken an interest in Che Xiaoxiao and Yuan Shanshan, and he was doing this to show off his wealth in front of them, to make them admire him. That way, he would have a way to get his hands on them. "Hey, you are all classmates, why be so petty?" Liu Fudong chided, then looked at Che Xiaoxiao and the other with a smile: "Pick whatever you like, it's on me!" When Liu Fudong said this, his gaze towards Che Xiaoxiao and Yuan Shanshan was filled with blatant desire! "No need, we are not here to sell ourselves. We can't earn the money for selling flesh." Che Xiaoxiao directly shook her head to refuse. "Che Xiaoxiao, who are you saying is selling flesh?" Ma Ru glared and said, wishing she could tear this sharp-tongued little wretch to pieces right then. "Don't overreact as if you're afraid others won't know you're up for sale. Since you've become a whore, don't pretend to be a saint. It's not like no one knows what kind of person you are. Your great reputation has long spread throughout the entire school. Green tea bitch, public bus, incense burner - you've done them all, what are you afraid of people saying?" Che Xiaoxiao said mockingly. "You're deliberately smearing my name, I'll sue you for defamation!" Ma Ru roared. "Classmate, this is also just a simple gesture of goodwill, no need to put it so unpleasantly." Liu Fudong also chimed in, his expression turning somewhat ugly. "A simple gesture of goodwill? If I take your clothes, I guarantee, the next moment you will want our phone numbers, then take us out for late-night snacks, and then expect us to sell our bodies just like this green tea bitch." Che Xiaoxiao snorted. Ma Ru was so angry her nose was nearly crooked - Che Xiaoxiao truly never missed an opportunity to insult her. Calling her a green tea bitch was as harsh as it gets. But Liu Fudong didn't get angry. Instead, he just smiled slightly: "You're right, I indeed would do that, but what's wrong with it? Isn't today's society like this? Filled with the stench of materialism and desire. You have something I want, and I have something you want. We're just exchanging goods; at most, it's a lifestyle. There's no need to view it with a critical eye, right?" "Right, it is indeed just a lifestyle, but I choose to live with more dignity." Che Xiaoxiao calmly responded, and then her expression changed as she coldly laughed at Liu Fudong: "However, uncle, you ask me not to view this matter critically, but I wonder, how would you feel if your daughter also married a man your age?" Then, Liu Fudong's face turned green, feeling a rush of anger in his heart. Seeing her man losing the argument, Ma Ru quickly stood up and exclaimed: "Che Xiaoxiao, what are you pretending to be so pure for? I know you too well. Hanging around gangster-like men all day, acting like a Little Gangster Girl. At least I get something in return, and what about you? At best, you're just played with for free, right?" "You wretch, I'll skin you alive!" Che Xiaoxiao clenched her teeth in anger ¨C Ma Ru actually dared to insult her and her friends like this, and she was furious enough to slap her right in the face. But Che Xiaoxiao's hand was caught by Liu Fudong, who looked at her with a smile that didn't reach his eyes: "Resorting to violence at the drop of a hat, seems like you really are a Little Gangster Girl. And you still have the nerve to lecture me? You're probably already worn out from being played with by others, aren't you?" Chapter 92 Competing in Paternity to the Extreme! "Go to hell."With Che Xiaoxiao's fiery temperament, there was no way she could tolerate such insults from Liu Fudong. She immediately launched a kick straight toward Liu Fudong's groin. Luckily, Liu Fudong reacted swiftly, dodging Che Xiaoxiao's kick while glaring at her with a chilling expression and barked, "You little bitch, you're asking for it!" Having said that, Liu Fudong's face turned ferocious, and with a swing of his hefty hand, he aimed a fierce slap at Che Xiaoxiao's cheek! However, before his hand could land, Hao Jian grabbed it! Liu Fudong was startled, and upon seeing Hao Jian, his face instantly darkened, "Who's this loser? Let go! If you don't let go, I'll kill you, you freak!!!" Liu Fudong, judging Hao Jian's outfit, instantly pegged him as a loser and naturally didn't take him seriously. "Loser, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business, or you'll regret it!" Ma Ru also sneered coldly. Since Liu Fudong had some clout in Hua City, if this idiot dared to interfere, Liu Fudong would surely dump him into the sea to feed the fish. Looking at the menacing duo, Hao Jian helplessly shrugged his shoulders and sighed, "I'm a civilized person, I really don't want to hit anyone!" Before Liu Fudong and Ma Ru could comprehend what Hao Jian intended, his fist had already thundered toward them! Bam! A punch landed squarely on Liu Fudong's face, smashing against his row of teeth. The crowd immediately saw most of his teeth fall out as Liu Fudong's mouth filled with blood. Liu Fudong himself was dazed, everything happened so fast, he couldn't even understand what just happened. "Aah!" After about two seconds, the pain gradually overwhelmed him, and Liu Fudong screamed dreadfully, hands covering his mouth. "You freak, you dare to hit me? I want you dead! I will definitely make you die!" Liu Fudong went berserk, yelling at Ma Ru, "Call Captain Ma, get him over here with his men! I want this freak behind bars! I want him dead!!!" Ma Ru too was startled and hurriedly took out her phone to call, then told the other side the exact address. After the call, Ma Ru breathed a sigh of relief, then pointed at Che Xiaoxiao and the others and sneered, "Che Xiaoxiao, I'm telling you, you're in big trouble now! We'll sue you until you rot in jail!" "Fine, if we're doomed anyway, before I sit in jail, let me deal with you first!" Che Xiaoxiao snorted coldly, rushed up, and tackled Ma Ru, then began to pull her hair. "You..." Liu Fudong was dumbfounded; he couldn't believe Hao Jian and the others still dared to strike, even after the police had been alerted. "If you came shopping with a girl, you should have just shopped without making a fuss. Now look, you've caused bloodshed," Hao Jian said, taking a keen interest in Liu Fudong. Liu Fudong kept quiet, being the clever one, he knew better than to provoke Hao Jian now, lest he strike again. But Hao Jian didn't care and kicked over again: "I'm talking to you, why aren't you responding?" "I have nothing to say to you," Liu Fudong said sternly. "But I have something to say to you," Hao Jian kicked Liu Fudong again. "Sir, you can't assault other customers in our shop," at that point, a female waitress approached, speaking to Hao Jian timidly. "Assault? I didn't assault anyone," Hao Jian laughed, then slapped Liu Fudong's fat head: "Speak up! Did I lay a finger on you?" "No, not at all," Liu Fudong said bitterly. His body had been drained by indulgence in alcohol and lust, weak and frail. How could he compare with the robust Hao Jian? If he fought back, he would only be beaten more miserably and lose even more face! "See, I didn't lay a finger on him," Hao Jian chuckled darkly. "I am a law-abiding good citizen, plus I'm handsome. How could I possibly rough someone up?" Everyone was exasperated. Why did he have to mention he was handsome? What the hell did his looks have to do with anything? "But if you didn't rough him up, how did his tooth fall out?" the waitress asked, dazed. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Did you hear that? I'm asking you, how did your tooth fall out?" Hao Jian asked as if he were scolding his son, giving Liu Fudong another slap. "It fell out because I knocked it out myself," Liu Fudong was almost in tears. "See. This has nothing to do with me," Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, showing an innocent expression. "Since it's none of your business, can you ask your companion to stop? I see that lady customer has been crying and yelling for a while now," the waitress said exasperatedly. "Che Xiaoxiao, that's enough, don't hit her too hard, just scratch her face a couple of times," Hao Jian turned his head to speak to Che Xiaoxiao. Che Xiaoxiao looked up at Hao Jian: "You have a knife?" Hao Jian fumbled in his pocket for a moment, then handed Che Xiaoxiao a nail file: "Here, take it!" Che Xiaoxiao's face darkened, and she cursed, "You disgusting wretch!" At that moment, the sound of police sirens reached them, and four or five policemen rushed into the store. "Captain Ma, I'm over here!" Seeing the police arriving, Liu Fudong's face lit up with ecstatic joy, and he immediately shouted at the tall, long-faced police officer leading the team! The tall, long-faced police officer was the local police station chief, Ma Zifeng. Seeing their savior arrive, Liu Fudong and Ma Ru felt as though they had seen a lifesaver. And seeing the disheveled appearances of Liu Fudong and Ma Ru, Ma Zifeng was also greatly surprised: "Old Liu, what happened to you? How did you end up like this?" Ma Zifeng might have wished he hadn't asked, as the question immediately made Liu Fudong break down crying. He pointed at Hao Jian like a resentful wife and bitterly said: "It was them, they beat me up like this, arrest them all!" "Oh?" Ma Zifeng looked up at Hao Jian to see him standing there with a slight smile, calmly looking back at him. Ma Zifeng frowned. He was unhappy with Hao Jian's arrogance; he acted like he didn't take them seriously. "Boy, you've got a heavy hand, to beat someone up like this," Ma Zifeng said with a forced smile. "Not too bad, I was already holding back. He just can't take a hit very well," Hao Jian responded nonchalantly, spreading his hands. "Really? And do you know who I am?" Ma Zifeng asked coldly, anger flaring in his eyes. Hao Jian was speaking arrogantly even after assaulting someone; his audacity knew no bounds. "I know, I heard him: Captain Ma, the police chief," Hao Jian replied. "Since you know, then how dare you lay a hand on my brother?" Ma Zifeng's smile turned increasingly fierce. Chapter 93 More People Say Im Handsome! "I didn't know he was your brother, but even if I had known, I think I would have still gone after him," Hao Jian said with a slight smile, spreading his hands.Ma Zifeng's face darkened instantly, and he sneered: "Kid, has anyone ever told you that you're very arrogant?" Hao Jian made a scissor gesture with his fingers, "Yes, but more have said I'm handsome!" Everyone was speechless. "Do you think you're funny? Do you believe I can wipe that smile off your face?" Ma Zifeng said, somewhat angrily. "I don't believe it." Hao Jian shook his head, still wearing a playful smile. "Put him in the car!" Ma Zifeng barked. He had already planned to teach the kid a lesson once back at the station, to let him know just how many eyes Lord Ma had. "Get in the car, you little rascal!" one of the officers pushed Hao Jian. "Don't push me!" Hao Jian said angrily. "Why can't I push you? Who do you think you are?" the officer scoffed. "Because I'm handsome!" Hao Jian replied seriously. "Damn it, I think you're courting death!" the officer exploded, as Hao Jian was clearly mocking him. The officer kicked towards Hao Jian's back, but just then, Hao Jian furrowed his brows, smiled, and suddenly spun around, brushing past the officer and then driving a fist towards his face. "Bang!" The officer fell to the ground, his face swollen and bruised, his right cheek quickly swelling up. "You dare assault an officer?" Ma Zifeng completely lost his temper and drew his pistol pointing at Hao Jian: "Hands on your head, get down on the ground! Now!!!" Hao Jian looked at Ma Zifeng, smiling with his lips, but his eyes were somewhat cold: "Actually, I really hate having guns pointed at my head. Anyone who dares to do so has ended up dead." "Oh? Is that so? Are you saying you want to kill me?" Ma Zifeng let out a cold laugh, thinking the kid must be brain-dead. No matter how good his Kung Fu was, he was no match for a knife, let alone a gun. "If you continue pointing that gun at me, I won't rule out that possibility," Hao Jian said with a smile, a threat that could unleash his ferocity. His heart was already starting to get agitated. "Fine then, make your move, see if I don't blow your head off with one shot!" Ma Zifeng said fiercely, this kid really was unbearably arrogant. Liu Fudong and Ma Ru both sneered, hoping Hao Jian would resist violently, giving Ma Zifeng a legitimate reason to kill this despised fellow on the spot. "Hao Jian, don't be impulsive, I beg you," Yuan Shanshan also hurriedly shouted, her voice slightly tearful, worried Hao Jian might impulsively do something foolish. "Yeah, uncle, a wise man does not eat the immediate loss. Let's just endure this for a moment," Che Xiaoxiao chimed in. If Hao Jian assaulted an officer at this time, Ma Zifeng would have the right to shoot him on the spot. Hearing this, Hao Jian curled his lip and said to Ma Zifeng: "Alright, you're lucky this time." Lucky? Me? Ma Zifeng was almost amused by Hao Jian, thinking the kid must be brain-dead. Surely, he should be the one holding the gun? The others also found Hao Jian's words hilarious, making it sound like he was sure to kill Ma Zifeng. To ordinary people, having a gun means you're the boss, but for someone like Hao Jian, that didn't apply. He had at least a hundred ways to kill Ma Zifeng before he could even fire his gun. "Put him in the vehicle!" Ma Zifeng shouted, too tired to argue with Hao Jian and directly ordered him to be taken back to the station, where there would be plenty of time to deal with him. This time, Hao Jian didn't resist and obediently got into the police car, and Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao naturally couldn't escape either. "You two also come make a statement," Ma Zifeng said to Liu Fudong and his companion. Liu Fudong leaned in, his face bearing a malicious smile, "Captain Ma, how long will that kid be locked up this time?" Ma Zifeng snorted, "If it were just intentional injury, he could be out in no more than a year, but since he dared to attack the police in public, he's looking at no less than five years." "That's good, that's good. He dared to lay hands on me, just go ahead and crush him to death; I'll cover any cost!" Liu Fudong slapped his chest, his hatred for Hao Jian intense, furious that Hao Jian had dared to beat him to such a state that he was missing a row of teeth. "No problem." Ma Zifeng also snickered strangely because, amongst the money that Liu Fudong was shelling out, he would also have his share. Hao Jian and the two others were taken to the police station, but before they had even got out of the car, Ma Zifeng grimly instructed his subordinates: "Get the tiger bench and such ready; I'm going to make that kid regret being born in this world!" "Understood!" Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The subordinate replied and quickly went to prepare. Turning his head, Ma Zifeng saw Hao Jian sitting in the police car, watching him with eyes as cold as frosty pools, making him shudder. In that moment, Ma Zifeng's expression froze; being stared at by Hao Jian, he suddenly felt every hair on his body trembling. It must be an illusion! Definitely an illusion! Ma Zifeng looked down, bit his teeth fiercely, then looked up and glared at Hao Jian before striding into the police station. This kid is somewhat demonic; better not to deal with him alone. "Hao Jian, what are we going to do?" Yuan Shanshan asked, somewhat scared. She could see that Ma Zifeng and Liu Fudong were in cahoots and would definitely help Liu Fudong deal with them. "What else can we do? Just wait for death!" Liu Fudong, also inside the police car, laughed out loud: "Kid, wise up and kneel down to kowtow to your lord, or else wait to get your ass busted in prison!" "You'll be done over a thousand times a day; let's see if your little body can take it." Ma Ru also scoffed teasingly at Hao Jian, then venomously glared at Che Xiaoxiao: "And you, Little Gangster Girl, we'll make sure you end up in jail too, see if you dare to brawl again!" "Are you done talking?" Hao Jian slowly raised his head, his face covered in a chilly hue, his body emanating waves of murderous aura. With his hands shackled and sitting in the police car, just the tilt of his head created an unsettling atmosphere, as if he were a death row inmate who had killed myriad times. At this, Liu Fudong and Ma Ru promptly shut their mouths, no longer daring to speak. Before long, Ma Zifeng returned, this time with a dozen people in tow, his presence as formidable as if facing a great enemy. "Get out!" Ma Zifeng bellowed at Hao Jian with full confidence, backed by so many of his men; he simply didn't believe Hao Jian would dare do anything to him. Hao Jian couldn't help but smile ruefully at this, yet he obediently stepped out of the car as commanded by Ma Zifeng. "Keep acting tough, you'll suffer soon enough." Seeing Ma Zifeng return gave Liu Fudong some courage, and he said with a sinister tone. "Bang!" Then he rolled out like a kicked ball, landing next to a garbage can, unable to get up for a long time. "You dare to attack someone in the police station?" Ma Zifeng was so furious that steam could have been blowing out his nostrils. Could this kid really be so rebellious? Chapter 94 Long Time No See, Master! "I hit someone? Did I hit someone?" Hao Jian curiously asked Che Xiaoxiao and Yuan Shanshan.Of course, Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao shook their heads in unison¡ªwho would stand up for Liu Fudong? "Nonsense, we all saw you hit him!" Ma Zifeng roared like thunder. Liu Fudong had rolled out, what else could that be if not a hit? "Oh? Is that so? Did you see me hit him with my hand or my foot? Which hand, which foot?" Hao Jian sneered. This moment, Ma Zifeng and the others were petrified! Indeed, they had seen Hao Jian make a move, but which part of his body he used to hit the person, they hadn't seen clearly. This really scared them, for it was too bizarre. They saw Hao Jian make a move, yet they didn't see how he did it, which was very suspicious. "What's the matter, can't say it? If you can't say it, then it didn't happen? He fell on his own." Hao Jian shrugged, indifferent to the matter. Not far away, Liu Fudong was seething with rage, but he couldn't utter a word now, grimacing in pain. . At this time, in the director's office, Director Lin Nantian was chatting with an elderly man. The elderly man wore a Kung Fu robe, was slender, and carried himself with lofty pride, giving off an almost celestial vibe. His face vaguely displayed a touch of arrogance, and during the conversation, his haughty demeanor was visible, obviously a very proud person. Just then, Lin Nantian and the elderly man heard the noise outside. Both turned their heads and saw Hao Jian and Ma Zifeng arguing incessantly. "Hmm?" The elderly man slightly furrowed his brow, also quite surprised, and thought to himself: Why is he here too? "Do you know them?" Lin Nantian noticed the elderly man's reaction and also grew curious. The person able to make the proud Old Man Lin show such an expression must be quite extraordinary. "I know that man, it seems your people have detained him," Old Man Lin said, somewhat displeased. "So what if they have?" Lin Nantian snorted. It was only natural to arrest someone who broke the law, wasn't it unnecessary to even ask? "Let him go," Old Man Lin said calmly. "Why?" Lin Nantian scoffed. "What, is the State Security Bureau going to start meddling in our Hua City Police Station's affairs now?" "Of course, you can also choose not to release him." Old Man Lin remained expressionless, but his eyes held more mockery, seemingly ridiculing Lin Nantian for his ignorance. Seeing this, Lin Nantian also felt something was amiss: "Who is he?" "Someone you can't afford to provoke, that's all I can tell you," Old Man Lin replied, not daring to reveal too much, otherwise he would be reprimanded by his superiors. Hao Jian's identity was confidential; even Old Man Lin knew only a fraction of it. "You can't afford to provoke him either?" Lin Nantian was surprised, knowing Old Man Lin's character, he wasn't one for alarmist talk. "I can't afford to provoke him either!" Old Man Lin affirmed. Then Lin Nantian fell silent, his gaze flickering as he contemplated how to handle the situation. If even Old Man Lin couldn't provoke this person, he definitely couldn't either. "Release him, unless you want him to destroy your police station. Besides, between you and him, no one would choose to stand on your side," Old Man Lin warned Lin Nantian, urging him to quickly decide his stance. "If needed, I can go out with you. I have an old acquaintance with him; he should show me some respect." Lin Nantian nodded: "Come out with me." At that moment, an infuriated Ma Zifeng was shoving Hao Jian into the police station, and Liu Fudong followed behind, cursing: "Kid, I'll make you unburiable! You dare to hit me? Just you wait; once you're in jail, I'll certainly take good care of your two girlfriends!" "What's all the noise about?" A rather authoritative scolding sounded. Lin Nantian and Old Man Lin came out, glaring at Liu Fudong. "Director!" Ma Zifeng and others quickly saluted. "What's going on?" Lin Nantian asked, raising an eyebrow. "This guy intentionally injured someone, disturbed public order, and even dared to attack the police openly." Ma Zifeng pointed at Hao Jian, secretly sneering in his mind, sure that with Lin Nantian stepping in, this man was doomed! At this moment, everyone saw Old Man Lin walk straight towards Hao Jian, slightly bending his waist, and giving a 75-degree bow: "It's been a long time, sir!" Seeing Old Man Lin do this, everyone was stupefied on the spot. The most shocked of all was Lin Nantian; he knew Old Man Lin better than anyone else. Despite his usual inconspicuous demeanor, he was very arrogant and came from a mysterious department like the State Security Bureau, where he could even forego saluting high-ranking officials. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 95 My Friend Got Scared to Pee! But now he was bowing to such a young man in his early twenties. What on earth was this young man's identity?Ma Zifeng and the others were all baffled, wondering what was going on with this old guy. Did he also know this kid? Seeing a dignified elder bowing to Hao Jian, Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao couldn't help but cast surprised glances towards Hao Jian. At that moment, however, they saw Hao Jian looking at Old Man Lin with an indifferent expression: "Old Man Lin, you're here as well?" "Yes, I'm here to take care of some business," Old Man Lin nodded, his attitude becoming even more respectful. "Why is sir here as well?" "Don't ask what you shouldn't!" Hao Jian withdrew his gaze, his demeanor aloof. To tell the truth, he hadn't expected to encounter Old Man Lin here. He didn't want too many people knowing he was here, lest they disturb his peaceful life. "Yes." Old Man Lin nodded repeatedly, no longer speaking. He had originally thought that Hao Jian must have come to withstand the Mercenary Alliance, but now it seemed that was clearly not the case. Lin Nantian was so shocked he couldn't utter a single word. Scolded like a grandchild, was this still Old Man Lin? At this time, Lin Nantian's gaze towards Hao Jian was filled with reverence, and he hastily chastised Ma Zifeng: "Quickly release this sir and his friends!" "But Chief, they attacked the police," Ma Zifeng was stupefied. What exactly was going on now? "I told you to release them!" Lin Nantian said sternly. He wished he could slap Ma Zifeng several times right now. This damn fool had actually brought such a big shot his way. Even Old Man Lin had to treat him with utter respect, and it went without saying that he had to as well. "Yes... Yes!" Ma Zifeng could only brace himself, nodding and agreeing to unlock Hao Jian, while also having a bad premonition. Liu Fudong and Ma Ru's expressions had also become blank. What was happening now, with the Chief personally unlocking the handcuffs for this kid? What was his identity? "No need." Hao Jian replied coldly, then suddenly exerted force with both hands. With a snap, the handcuffs were directly broken. "Hiss." Except for Lin Nantian and Old Man Lin, everyone stared at Hao Jian as if they had seen a ghost. Breaking free from handcuffs effortlessly¡ªwas this guy even human? The awe in Lin Nantian's eyes deepened even further. Indeed, as Old Man Lin had said, this young man was no ordinary person. "Sir, can I assist you with anything?" Old Man Lin, realizing that Hao Jian had encountered trouble, took the initiative to offer his help in solving the problem. He did so not to ingratiate himself but out of respect. Even though Hao Jian was younger than him, the tremendous services he had rendered to the nation were countless and commanded his admiration. "My two friends and I were just strolling through the streets when we encountered this misfortune. You tell me what should be done about it?" Hao Jian naturally wouldn't reject Old Man Lin's kindness. After all, it was better for the police to handle certain matters. If he were to take action, it would result in casualties. Moreover, both Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao were present; he didn't want the scene to become too bloody. Lin Nantian and Old Man Lin exchanged glances, their expressions dark. They had come to understand the situation. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They guessed correctly. A big shot like Hao Jian wasn't likely to bully these small fries. He wasn't that bored, and moreover, these small fries didn't have the stature to be bullied by him. "Plus, this officer, upon his arrival, joined in their oppression, ganging up on me. He scared my two female companions to tears; on the way here, Che Xiaoxiao was even frightened to the point of wetting her pants." Hao Jian suddenly changed tack, resuming his playful banter. The facial nerves of the crowd twitched; they were at a loss for a response. Che Xiaoxiao herself was stunned for a while until she finally snapped back to reality and roared: "Hao Jian, you bastard, it's you who wet your pants!" "You didn't wet your pants? Did you get so scared that you crapped yourself?" Hao Jian asked with a contemplative expression. "Hao Jian!" Che Xiaoxiao burst out in a roar. "I'm using a figure of speech, mainly to reflect how pitiful you are, you know? Why can't you follow the script? I set the stage for you, and you still don't get it, so dumb." Hao Jian sighed, deeply disappointed with Che Xiaoxiao's performance. "To portray me as pitiful, must you use vulgar terms like wetting myself or crapping myself? Can't you just say I was scared to tears? Is that not good enough?" Che Xiaoxiao ground her little tiger teeth, looking utterly aggrieved! Who would want to play along with such a lousy script? Isn't this just smearing one's own image? "How could that be enough? It's not tragic enough unless you're scared into crapping yourself. It's simple and crude and immediately makes people understand the kind of pain you've gone through." "It also immediately lets people know how disgusting I am!" Che Xiaoxiao raged. "How could that be? You're so cute that even if you got scared into crapping, it would still be adorable," Hao Jian consoled. "Could you not keep mentioning crap? Is that not disgusting?" Che Xiaoxiao was speechless, Hao Jian had no shame, but she still had some. "What's so disgusting about crap? Don't you crap every morning? After doing so, you even glance back at it." Hao Jian said discontentedly, then looked to the crowd: "Do you guys find crap disgusting?" Lin Nantian shook his head, his expression stiff, but Old Man Lin, seeming quite used to the topic, wore a very certain look on his face. The rest were on the brink of throwing up but still managed to suppress their disgust and shook their heads. "See, they don't find it disgusting. Talking about crap isn't disgusting, eating crap is disgusting." Hao Jian snorted haughtily, seemingly proud that what he said was correct. "Blech." A group of people turned away and started to vomit violently. "Look, you've made them throw up," Hao Jian said with disgust as he looked at Che Xiaoxiao. "I..." Che Xiaoxiao was petrified on the spot, at that moment truly feeling the urge to kill Hao Jian. "Ma Zifeng, did you lead people in bullying this gentleman and his lady friend?" Lin Nantian could no longer stand to watch and just wanted to quickly resolve the farce. At these words, Ma Zifeng and Liu Fudong were on the verge of tears. They bullied Hao Jian? Ma Ru's face got scratched, Liu Fudong lost a tooth, one of Ma Zifeng's men was knocked unconscious, but looking at Hao Jian and his group, they were all without a single scratch. Who was bullying whom here? "Chief, we're being wronged, look how injured they all are," Ma Zifeng pointed to Liu Fudong, then gestured towards Hao Jian and his group: "And then look at them, do they look injured? Isn't it clear who the bullies are?" "Who says I haven't been injured? I got hurt too, okay?" Hao Jian complained, extending his palm: "Look, my fingernail is broken." That's considered an injury? Everyone was speechless. They had seen many shameless people, but this level of shamelessness was truly a first. Hao Jian was comparing his injury to Liu Fudong's? The man had lost a tooth, for goodness' sake. Chapter 96 I Can Show You! "It's quite severe," Lin Nantian coughed twice, his face turning red as he spoke.After uttering these words, he felt like he could no longer face anyone. Everyone just wanted to say one word, which was Fuck! Could you make it any more obvious that you're covering for someone? "Right, it really is severe. Chief, do you know how they've been bullying us? I can demonstrate it for you," Hao Jian said. "Yes, show me," Lin Nantian responded. Lin Nantian felt like crying, thinking to himself, For God's sake, can you stop making a scene? Just finish this already! "This is how he bullied me." Hao Jian said before backhanding Liu Fudong across the face. Liu Fudong covered his face, looking pitiful and clueless about what was happening. "Then he hit my hand," Hao Jian continued as he kicked Liu Fudong, adding: "And then he hit my foot." "Next, he just kept repeating these two actions." Hao Jian started beating and kicking Liu Fudong relentlessly. The crowd watched Hao Jian's brutal actions, speechless and unsure how to describe their emotions. Shameless! Utterly shameless! How could someone be so shameless? He was clearly beating someone else, yet claiming they hurt his hands and feet. Lin Nantian was about to cry, saying weakly, "Sir, you can stop now, I understand the whole story." If he didn't stop Hao Jian now, he might actually kill someone, and that would not reflect well on him as the chief. "It's good that you understand, Chief. It really wasn't our fault," Hao Jian said, looking innocently at Lin Nantian. Lin Nantian waved his hand, bitterly smiling: "Yes, yes, all of you are innocent." By now, Liu Fudong's face was swollen like a pig's head, and he lay on the ground twitching slowly. Upon hearing Lin Nantian's words, another spurt of fresh blood sprayed out, not from the beating, but from anger. He was beaten to this extent, and they still considered Hao Jian and his group innocent? "Take them and lock them up in the cell, criminal detention for six months," Lin Nantian ordered directly. Hao Jian's intentions were clear by now; since Liu Fudong and his group had offended him, they should pay the price. "What?" Ma Ru's face drained of color as she hastily clung to Liu Fudong's arm: "Godfather, you must think of something quickly. I don't want to go to jail; I'm still a university student. If I go to jail, my life will be ruined!" Her parents had struggled to put her through university. If her family found out about this, they might disown her, and the university would likely expel her. Liu Fudong was utterly dumbstruck at this point! What else could he say now? Not only had he been beaten up, but now he was about to be sent to prison. What on earth was happening? "Arrange a special cell for him. He likes the feeling of chrysanthemums being caressed." Hao Jian's sinister laugh echoed, thinking to himself that if they wanted to violate him, now it was time to see who would end up violated. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Lin Nantian's heart tightened, thinking to himself how ruthless Hao Jian was, planning to make Liu Fudong experience homosexual love. Hao Jian winked at Liu Fudong, "In these six months, I believe you will have a rather lush experience, tough guy." Hearing this, Liu Fudong's eyes rolled back, and he fainted completely, utterly despairing. "Mr. Hao Jian, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this once. I won't dare to do it again," he pleaded. Seeing this scene, Ma Zifeng was already scared to death, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. With a thud, he knelt down before Hao Jian. If even Lin Nantian obeyed Hao Jian, what chances did he have at resisting? Ma Zifeng wasn't foolish. Judging by Lin Nantian's reaction to Hao Jian, he knew Hao Jian must be a big deal, and he had really kicked the iron plate this time. "Realized you've kicked the iron plate, so you're begging for mercy?" Hao Jian chuckled coldly, "Do you still think I was joking when I said I'd spare your life?" Ma Zifeng shuddered, finally understanding why Hao Jian was so composed earlier; the man had never considered him significant at all. To think he had amusingly considered Hao Jian an ignorant fool; the real fool was himself! "But I already gave you a chance. Do you think I would give you a second one?" Hao Jian approached Ma Zifeng with a smile that was not quite a smile, a handgun now mysteriously in his hand. "Is that my gun?" At this moment, one of the officers suddenly cried out in horror. He hadn't felt his gun being taken at all. Seeing this, Lin Nantian gasped, turned his head to look at Old Man Lin, as if asking whether Hao Jian would really kill someone here. "That's his style, perverse, arrogant, unrestrained." Old Man Lin too could only bitterly smile, unfortunately telling Lin Nantian that it was true, Hao Jian was really planning to kill here, and they would have to clean up after him. "Mr. Hao Jian, I... I'm just a lackey. I didn't know your status, this... really isn't my fault," Ma Zifeng pleaded with a mournful face. "A lackey? I think it's more than just that. You must have taken quite a few benefits from Liu Fudong, right? Speaking of which, you are more despicable than Liu Fudong. It's normal for them to be ruthless because they're rich, but you, as a civil servant of the state, misuse the authority given to you by the state to do whatever you want! In the end, you even turned your fangs towards your benefactors!" Hao Jian's face was icy, his tone chilling as he said: "If today you met someone else instead of me, would you be begging me desperately like you are now? You wouldn't! You would torment them cruelly! You would use every means at your disposal to destroy them! And no one would ever know about it." Hao Jian's words struck a chord with everyone present. At this moment, Lin Nantian and Old Man Lin looked most troubled. To have such a person under one's command, and even as the police captain, if this got out, Lin Nantian's reputation would be in tatters, and some might even suspect Lin Nantian was in cahoots with Ma Zifeng. Old Man Lin's anger stemmed from his loyalty to the state and the people. He could not tolerate acts of betrayal against the state and harm to the people. In his view, Ma Zifeng indeed deserved to die. "Let him handle this matter, I will report it to the authorities," Old Man Lin said coldly, his words already sealing Ma Zifeng's fate. Hao Jian was equally enraged for the same reasons as Old Man Lin. Whether a police officer or a soldier, one should protect the homeland and prioritize the people. Hao Jian was proud to be a soldier, but Ma Zifeng's actions were an insult to the medals they wore. Chapter 97 is a handsome talent, and also a weird talent! "Mr. Hao Jian, I... was wrong, I was really wrong, please, have mercy. I have a wife and children."Ma Zifeng sobbed uncontrollably, repeatedly kowtowing to Hao Jian, his face a picture of desperate agony. "Now you remember you have a wife and children? When you harmed others, did you ever think they also had families? Today you can send others to jail, and tomorrow you could send innocent people to Hell!" Hao Jian let out a cold laugh, then raised the pistol in his hand, aiming it at Ma Zifeng: "In your next life, remember to be a good cop!" Ma Zifeng stared blankly at the dark muzzle, his mind a complete blank. Regret? Of course, but even more so, guilt. Hao Jian was right, he indeed deserved his fate, the only thing he felt sorry for was his daughter and wife, leaving them to live in sorrow. "Hao Jian, no!" Yuan Shanshan shouted, her eyes brimming with tears, even if she disregarded Ma Zifeng, she still had to consider his wife and children. If Ma Zifeng died, his wife and children would surely be heartbroken. Ma Zifeng was definitely a bad person, but his family wasn't. But Hao Jian ignored her, simply pulling the trigger. "Click!" The pistol immediately made a sound, but it obviously wasn't a gunshot. Just when everyone thought Ma Zifeng was a dead man, Ma Zifeng survived. Ma Zifeng slowly opened his tightly shut eyes, looking at Hao Jian in confusion; he hadn't expected this outcome. Hao Jian hadn't killed him? Ma Zifeng was drenched in cold sweat, too shocked to utter a word. Hao Jian gave a faint smile, dropped the pistol and the bullets to the ground, and said to Ma Zifeng: "From now on, I believe you will indeed become a good cop." It turned out, he had removed the bullets from the pistol when he got it. The reason he spoke of killing Ma Zifeng was simply to let Ma Zifeng experience life and death. People only truly appreciate the world and awaken to their true selves when faced with life and death. "I'll leave what follows to you guys," Hao Jian told Lin Nantian and Old Man Lin, then turned and left with Yuan Shanshan and the others. At that moment, no one dared to stop Hao Jian; everyone watched him with eyes filled with terror. This man had really scared them. Ma Zifeng finally came to his senses from his bewilderment, yet he still knelt on the ground, wailing. "He's an eccentric," Lin Nantian said, shaking his head and chuckling as he watched Hao Jian's departing figure. Having been a policeman for decades, his insight was usually sharp, yet now he found he couldn't see through Hao Jian. "Indeed, a genius, and an odd one at that," Old Man Lin said with a nod, smiling. "If you want to fend off the trouble that's coming, he will be a powerful ally," Old Man Lin told Lin Nantian. He had two purposes for coming today: one was to catch up with Lin Nantian, and the other was to bring him a piece of news. "Just him alone?" Lin Nantian was astounded. Just Hao Jian alone, how could he be of any use? "He alone is enough." Old Man Lin left a meaningful remark and strode out of the police station. .. "Hao Jian, you really scared me just now, I thought you were actually going to kill him." S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yuan Shanshan sighed deeply, patting her chest, still visibly shaken. Hao Jian forced a smile: "Killing doesn't solve the problem, just like killing more corrupt officials will only lead to more corrupt officials appearing. It has to be solved from the root." "Uncle, I'm really getting more and more curious about your identity, who are you exactly? Why does even the director have to be so polite to you?" Che Xiaoxiao looked at Hao Jian with full curiosity, she initially thought they were all doomed, and was considering whether or not to call her family. Who knew that after the director saw Hao Jian, he acted as if a mouse had come across a cat. "Ever heard of what's called a 'national treasure'? That's me!" Hao Jian said, thumb pointing at himself, with a smug look on his face. "National treasure? You?" Che Xiaoxiao looked at Hao Jian with disdain: "If a national treasure is someone like you, then Huaxia isn't far from doom." "What do you mean?" Hao Jian glared at Che Xiaoxiao, annoyed. Hey, telling the truth yet nobody believes it. "It means cut the boasting, why don't you say that even the President has met you?" Che Xiaoxiao scoffed, Hao Jian's words might fool a three-year-old. Hao Jian was immediately shocked: "How did you know the President has met me?" " " "What a hilarious joke, Uncle," Che Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes, this is getting more and more ridiculous. "Believe it or not." Hao Jian snorted too, thinking if you don't believe it, then forget it. Then, Hao Jian suddenly seemed to remember something, checked his watch, and suddenly exclaimed: "Shoot, I have to cover a night shift for a buddy of mine, gotta run, bye." "It's really weird, a guy who even the director has to treat respectfully is actually going to be a driver, don't you think that's strange?" Che Xiaoxiao pouted and said. "It is quite strange, but I think maybe it has to do with his experiences," Yuan Shanshan said with a slight smile. "How so?" "I don't know, just a feeling? I always sense a kind of inexplicable sadness in his eyes; I don't know if it's just my imagination." Sometimes, Yuan Shanshan really felt that way, when Hao Jian was not paying attention, a touch of desolation always seemed to leak out from the depths of his eyes. "How can that be, that guy is just a rogue, how could he possibly be sad, you must be mistaken." Che Xiaoxiao stated decisively, thinking about how Hao Jian had bullied her at the police station earlier, sad my foot! He's just a complete jerk. Yuan Shanshan just smiled and didn't argue with Che Xiaoxiao, but she did not agree with her either. After all, their understanding of Hao Jian was too limited. When he got back to the company, Hao Jian changed into Tie Shan's security uniform and went on patrol with Heigui! The company was eerily quiet in the dead of night. "You take the floors above the twentieth, I'll take the ones below," Heigui said, but he seemed quite nervous. "Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled, as Heigui's face had turned pale. Normally quite dark, the sudden pallor made him look humorously ridiculous, as if he'd been dusted with a layer of frost. "No, no problem," Heigui hastily shook his head. "No problem?" Hao Jian narrowed his eyes, "then you take the floors above twenty, and I'll take below." "No, please, bro." Heigui suddenly panicked, grabbing Hao Jian's legs, practically turning into a tearful mess. "Tell me! Why are you sending me to the twentieth floor?" Hao Jian demanded. This son of a gun, you can tell he's up to no good, definitely hiding something. Chapter 98 If youre not afraid of people, why fear ghosts? Heigui touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly and said with a forced laugh,"I've heard recently that strange noises often come from the forty-fourth floor, very eerie ones, and many people have heard them. Some say there's something unclean up there, others say someone died on the forty-fourth floor before, a manager and his secretary getting cozy by the window when they accidentally fell down. So, the spirit's been hovering around the forty-fourth floor." "You actually believe that? Are you stupid?" Hao Jian was speechless. Was this meant to fool a three-year-old? Feeling uneasy, Heigui said, "I didn't believe it either, but a few days ago, when I was patrolling the forty-fourth floor, I heard that strange noise too, and I even caught a glimpse of a figure. I was scared stiff right there and then." "Are you sure you weren't seeing things?" Hao Jian asked, furrowing his brows. If that was really the case, then things were indeed a bit fishy. "Of course I saw it right. Tie Shan was with me that day; what do you think that beast asked you to cover his shift for? His wife isn't due to give birth for another couple of weeks." Unscrupulously, Heigui ratted out Tie Shan, mainly because Tie Shan found a substitute to cover for him, and he didn't. "Damn it," Hao Jian cursed under his breath. So, he was the one who'd been duped. "Hao Jian! Brother Jian! Please spare me this time, I really don't want to go to that ghostly place." Heigui hugged Hao Jian's thighs, clearly scared out of his wits. "A grown man scared to death, you might as well be dead." Hao Jian looked at Heigui, who was clinging to his thighs, with disdain, "Get off! Don't cling to my legs, I'm not into that." "I'm not... Brother, you're my own brother..." Heigui was on the verge of tears, snot and tears mixed, after that incident, he would rather die than go to the twentieth floor. "Alright, alright, I'll go patrol for you." sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian was speechless, big and burly but with a heart smaller than a rabbit's! Ghosts? How could such things exist in the world. "Brother, you're my brother!" Heigui shouted excitedly, staring at Hao Jian with emotion, looking as if Hao Jian was the most beautiful person in the world. "Get lost, get lost, get lost." Hao Jian cursed irritably, kicking him out. "Or, let's just forget it, if there really is something unclean up there, by making you go, wouldn't I be harming you? Let's do this, we'll just stroll below the twentieth floor, and by tomorrow we can just cover it up with Boss Liang." Heigui said hesitantly. "That won't do. If we slack off and the company suffers a loss, the entire security department will be implicated." Hao Jian disagreed firmly. This was no laughing matter. He didn't believe in any ghostly stuff, but he worried about burglars. Since so many colleagues had heard strange noises, it definitely wasn't an accident. There could well be a burglar lurking around, and he wanted to clear up what was really going on. "Aren't you afraid?" Heigui looked at Hao Jian in surprise, when he told everyone about this, each person was so scared they were speechless, but Hao Jian didn't seem to be scared at all. Hao Jian chuckled, "I'm not even scared of people, why should I be scared of ghosts?" ... Afterward, Hao Jian patrolled floor by floor, but he did not hear the ghostly screams Heigui talked about. He even wondered if those two were drunk that night, hallucinating sounds and sights. Just when Hao Jian felt amused by the thought, a strange noise came along. It sounded like a broken accordion, whooshing back and forth. With the night wind's accompaniment, it was especially sinister and eerie. Hao Jian frowned slightly, so there really was a weird noise? But Hao Jian didn't think it was any ghost causing trouble, he quickly walked toward the direction of the sound. He soon arrived at the entrance of an old warehouse, or rather this whole floor consisted of warehouses, stacked full with all sorts of clutter, and it was rare for anyone to come up here. At this moment, Hao Jian was on the forty-fifth floor, just one level below the topmost floor. Since many warehouses on this floor had no windows, the wind was particularly strong, howling loudly, coupled with the eerie sound of a wind harp, which made the atmosphere even more sinister. Hao Jian stood at the entrance of one of the warehouses, his eyebrows deeply furrowed, for he heard the noise coming from behind the door. "Creak." Hao Jian pushed open the iron door and walked in, only to be greeted by darkness, with various items littered all over the floor, making the spacious warehouse seem cramped. With the help of the moonlight, Hao Jian saw a man sneakily dragging something, making the whooshing sound, the strange noise Heigui had mentioned probably originated from here. Hao Jian focused his eyes and saw that it was actually a batch of silver ornaments used for jewelry decoration; this guy was actually stealing silver! "What are you doing?" Hao Jian barked angrily. The man had not expected someone to barge in at this time and interrupt him; startled by Hao Jian's shout, he shivered. He turned around to look at Hao Jian and, upon seeing the security guard uniform on him, his face quickly twisted into an expression of intense irritation: "From the security department?" "That's right. Who are you, daring to steal in the warehouse?" Hao Jian retorted coldly. By now he could see the other person clearly; he was a wiry old man, not very tall¡ªprobably only about one meter sixty¡ªand hunchbacked, looking quite like a rat. "Get out!" Seeing Hao Jian come in, the old man was far from scared; instead, he scolded Hao Jian directly, exhibiting an extremely bad attitude. "Hey!" Hao Jian was so angry he felt his nose could be crooked. This old man was really brazen, daring to be so arrogant while stealing. "Old man, I advise you to put the things down, or else don't say I bullied an elderly man later," Hao Jian said with a smirk, seeing that this old fellow dared to be so arrogant, there was no need to show him respect. "You don't recognize me?" Seeing that Hao Jian actually didn't recognize him, the old man immediately furrowed his brows, seemingly quite surprised that there was someone in the company who didn't know him. And true, Hao Jian really didn't recognize him; he sized up the old man and asked, "Are you a national leader?" "No." The old man's face darkened¡ªif he were a national leader, would he need to work in this company? "Are you a big star?" Hao Jian inquired further. "No." The old man's face grew even more unsightly; have you ever seen a star who looks like this? "Then why should I know you?" Hao Jian scoffed disdainfully, the old man's way of talking was quite funny, as if Hao Jian had to know him, and as if not knowing him was a sin. "I'm Sun Minghui, the head of the Marketing Department!" the old man yelled angrily; how dare a mere security guard speak to him that way? "Sun Minghui?" Hao Jian was taken aback, wasn't this the Old Sun that Heigui and the others had talked about? One of the four individuals to keep away from, he hadn't expected to run into him. Chapter 99 Want to Steal Something? Wooden Door! Hao Jian suddenly recalled what Tie Shan had told him; he said that Sun Minghui was dirty-handed, always stealing from the company and then framing it on them.What Hao Jian hadn't expected was to actually catch him in the act. In the deep of night, close to dawn, Sun Minghui was sneaking around the warehouse alone, dragging a batch of iron boxes filled with silver jewelry. His intentions were self-evident. "I didn't expect it to be Minister Sun, a pleasure to meet you," said Hao Jian with a smirk, cupping one hand in the other before his chest in greeting. "Since you know who I am, why don't you just scram?" Sun Minghui said, sneering. "I can't do that. As a security guard of the company, it's my duty to protect the company's property. I can't just watch a thief steal company finances and ignore it," Hao Jian said solemnly. "You're calling me a thief?" Sun Minghui's eyes immediately blazed with rage. He knew many were aware of his deeds. Even the president turned a blind eye, and no one had ever dared to call him out. It was precisely because of this that Sun Minghui became increasingly brazen. And now, a mere security guard dared to call him such piercing words to his face, Sun Minghui was instantly furious. Hao Jian sneered, "Sneaking around and moving stuff in the middle of the night, if not a thief, then what?" Sun Minghui was indeed as the rumors described, engaging in sneaky thefts and being brazen about it. He was stealing, and he did it so confidently. The shamelessness was invincible. Hao Jian didn't even know what to say. "I am the head of the marketing department, and I have the authority to take any item from the warehouse. What does a new security guard like you know? You even dare to meddle in my affairs?" Sun Minghui snorted angrily, his face darkened. He was certain Hao Jian had to be new; otherwise, he would never dare to talk to him like this. Being new and not understanding how things work, Sun Minghui felt it was necessary to teach him a lesson about what it means to understand. "All I know is that a minister can indeed take items from the warehouse! But before taking anything, you must report to security. I suppose you haven't done that, right? And I'll tell you this: I, the small security guard, will definitely handle this matter!" Hao Jian hummed. If Shu Ya had nothing to do with him, he wouldn't bother with such trivialities. But the thing is, Shu Ya was about to become his wife. Although it was just for a term of three years, she would still be his wife, and of course, he had the obligation to protect her property for her. Another thing was that this old fool was acting all high and mighty, which really annoyed Hao Jian. Since he was irritated, Sun Minghui shouldn't expect to enjoy himself. "Are you sure you're not giving me this face?" Sun Minghui's face was filled with ferocity, clearly angered to the point of embarrassment! "If you want to take something, just report to security," Hao Jian said with crossed arms, looking at Sun Minghui with interest. His stance was clear. Thinking of stealing? Dream on! "Damn it, what do you think you are? I have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice; how dare you talk to me like this? Do you believe I can make it so you can't stay in this company?" Sun Minghui exploded in rage. A nobody dared to talk back to him this way; when had he ever lost so much face in the company? In his eyes, getting rid of Hao Jian was as easy as moving his lips. Since this kid was courting death, he might as well oblige! "Eaten more salt than I have eaten rice? Then you must have high blood pressure by now, how come you haven't dropped dead?" Hao Jian mocked. "You¡­" Sun Minghui was suddenly at a loss for words, trembling as he pointed at Hao Jian: "I'm asking you one last time, are you going to get out of the way or not?" "What if I do, what if I don't?" Hao Jian found it amusing. "If you step aside, I'll act as if nothing ever happened. If you don't, hmm, then I'll make sure you regret it!" Sun Minghui snorted heavily, his gaze filled with malice. "Oh, then no," Hao Jian pursed his lips and said. "You... Are you playing me?" Sun Minghui glared at Hao Jian fiercely, realizing that this boy was dead set on courting his trouble. "Wow, you've seen through something so difficult to guess, you're really smart!" Hao Jian exclaimed in admiration. However, hearing this, Sun Minghui flew into a rage. His face grew so dark it seemed it could drip water. He took out his cell phone and made a call, uttering just two words: "Come up!" After that, Sun Minghui stared at Hao Jian, his sinister smile emerging, "Now, even if you want to leave, you won't be able to." Hao Jian just smiled and shrugged, making no comment. It wasn't long before four burly men ran up from downstairs and arrived beside Sun Minghui! Sun Minghui wanted to steal from the company, and of course, he couldn't do it alone. After all, he was too old for the heavy lifting. So, every time it was his job to drag the items downstairs, then the four men would transport them to the pawnshop to be sold. "Old Sun, what's taking so long?" One of the burly men, his face fierce, spoke discontentedly. "This new security guard won't let me take things out, help me deal with him!" Sun Minghui said grimly, the only thought in his mind at the moment was to teach Hao Jian a lesson and show him whom he could provoke and whom he couldn't. "Oh?" The big man turned his head toward Hao Jian, a cruel smirk on his face: "Kid, you dare to mess with Third Zhu's business?" Seeing that Hao Jian barely had much meat on his bones, Third Zhu's men all began to ridicule him. Did a skinny guy like him dare to mess with their livelihood? Wasn't that just seeking death? S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Third Zhu? Why not just call yourself Pig Head Three? That name would suit your character better." Hao Jian teased. Third Zhu's expression instantly stiffened ¨C this kid was pretty cocky. "Boss, he's making fun of you," one of Third Zhu's men said. Third Zhu turned and slapped him across the face: "Damn it, do I need you to tell me that? Don't I know that already?" Then, with a sinister smile on his face, Third Zhu looked at Hao Jian: "Kid, I'm giving you a chance right now. Kneel and kowtow to me three times, and I'll act as if nothing happened. Otherwise, I'll have my brothers break your limbs and cut your tongue out." Hao Jian looked at Sun Minghui, then at Third Zhu, and laughed: "The same old formula, the same old taste! Did you guys rehearse this together before you came?" "Break his limbs for me!" Third Zhu was completely infuriated, his demeanor murderous as he spoke. At this point, the kid was still daring to mock him; he was plainly seeking death. The burly men laughed grimly and charged at him! Third Zhu was at the forefront, his fist aimed directly at Hao Jian's face. Hao Jian let out a contemptuous scoff, his figure shifting like a ghost, silently appearing at Third Zhu's side. Third Zhu's punch just grazed Hao Jian's nose. "Swish!" Then, with a dragon tail sweep, Hao Jian's leg directly kicked towards Third Zhu's abdomen, sending him flying horizontally through the air. The crowd watched as Third Zhu flew five or six meters and 'thud' fell to the ground, then started to moan. "You... you dare to hit our boss?" The others, upon seeing Third Zhu being kicked away, were first stunned, then filled with immense rage, their faces ferocious. "Don't rush, soon you'll all be just like him," Hao Jian said with a playful smile! Chapter 100 Despicable Uncle, Do You Like What You See? "You'll be just like him soon!"After saying this, Hao Jian charged like a frenzied rhinoceros, each step as heavy as a thousand pounds, leaving distinct footsteps on the ground, sending those three men flying in all directions. Bang Bang Bang! One by one, the men were flung out like dead dogs, crashing to the ground! They all felt as if they had been hit by a train, their skeletons nearly falling apart, and they looked at Hao Jian with fear and astonishment, their faces filled with terror. They couldn't understand how this seemingly thin and frail guy could be as terrifying as a humanoid monster. At this moment, Hao Jian walked toward Sun Minghui! Sun Minghui was completely stunned, and when he saw Hao Jian coming, he shuddered all over: "You..." "Slap!" Hao Jian didn't bother to explain and slapped Sun Minghui's face hard. Sun Minghui, covering his face, looked at Hao Jian dumbfounded, thinking to himself that this was not the script he had in mind. This guy isn't following the script at all! "I'm going to fire you!" Sun Minghui shouted, trying to keep his fear at bay. "Fire me, huh?" Hao Jian delivered another slap. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Slap! "I'll dock your pay." Sun Minghui took a couple of steps back. "Dock my pay, huh?" Hao Jian slapped him again. Slap! "I'm calling the police." Sun Minghui cried out, quickly retreating another two steps. "Call the police, right." Hao Jian raised his hand, but this time Sun Minghui caught on and quickly ran away. "Oh, you dare to dodge? Get over here!" Hao Jian reprimanded. Sun Minghui hesitated, looking at Hao Jian and wondering whether to go over or not. "If you don't come here, when I catch up to you, you're in for another beating," Hao Jian threatened directly. With no other choice, Sun Minghui could only walk back dejectedly and stand in front of Hao Jian. "I told you to dodge, I told you to dodge!" Hao Jian alternated left and right, slapping Sun Minghui's face rapidly and furiously. "Stop hitting me, stop it, I won't dare again!" Sun Minghui burst into tears. He had never been mistreated like this in his life, and he felt extremely aggrieved. Hao Jian cursed: "Old bastard, don't think I'll spare you just because you're old." After that, Hao Jian left Sun Minghui behind and walked toward Third Zhu, looking down on him from above. Seeing Hao Jian looking at him, Third Zhu was also shocked, lying there half upright, not daring to move an inch. "You were planning to break my arms and legs, so if I disable your legs, you have nothing to complain about, right?" Hao Jian sneered evilly and then stamped his foot down on Third Zhu's knee. When Third Zhu saw Hao Jian's foot on his knee, his pupils dilated suddenly: "Wait!" "Crack." A bone-breaking sound echoed, and Third Zhu's body convulsed violently, screaming in agony. That sound was particularly grating in the silent night. "In the future, don't let me see you here again, or I'll beat you every time I do, hear me!" Hao Jian said with a show of arrogance. Except for Third Zhu, who had passed out from the pain, the others nodded frantically like pecking chickens. ``` "Scram!" ``` Hao Jian waved his hand impatiently, and those people ran off without looking back, not even caring about Third Zhu. "Hold on," Hao Jian drawled. "Is, is there anything else?" Sun Minghui and the others stopped in their tracks, looking anxiously at Hao Jian. Hao Jian pointed to Third Zhu on the ground, "Take your trash with you." Sun Minghui and the others hurriedly helped Third Zhu up and then slipped away without looking back. ... After working an overnight shift, Hao Jian felt an overwhelming fatigue and took a taxi home after his shift. As he dragged his tired body past Ruo Lan's door on his way home, he heard her calling out: "Hao Jian, wait a moment." Hao Jian turned around and asked, "What is it, Ruo Lan?" "Didn't you come home last night?" Ruo Lan asked with concern. "Yeah, I covered a night shift for a colleague last night, and I'm dead tired," yawned Hao Jian. "Have some breakfast first, then go to sleep after. Skipping breakfast isn't good for you, especially after staying up all night. I just made some preserved egg and lean pork congee, have some while it's hot." Ruo Lan looked at him with hopeful eyes, as if she was worried he would refuse. "Sure," Hao Jian thought for a moment before deciding to sit down. Ruo Lan was pleased with his decision and promptly went to the kitchen to prepare something. Just as Hao Jian was ogling Sister Lan, little Tongtong sneaked up to him, mischief written all over her face: "Uncle Scumbag, like what you see?" "Cough cough... Yes!" Hao Jian had a face full of shameless smiles, but then he realized something was wrong. Seeing that it was Tongtong who was beside him, his face turned red and he coughed awkwardly: "Cough cough... I mean, your mom looks so good cooking!" "And what exactly does 'so big' refer to?" Tongtong's forehead creased with lines of confusion as she stared straight at Hao Jian. "Cough cough... I... I meant your mommy's steamed buns are so big and nice!" Hao Jian touched his nose, feeling incredibly awkward. "And 'so round'?" Tongtong's gaze became even more unfriendly! "That watermelon is really round, and it's so smooth to eat..." Hao Jian touched his nose and chuckled nervously, clearly feeling guilty! Listening to this bastard's ability to fib, Tongtong pouted and then shouted directly: "Mommy, Uncle Scumbag keeps staring at you, saying you're so big and round!" Pfft! Hao Jian almost spurted out a mouthful of blood! This darn kid, she really dares to say anything! Meanwhile, Sister Lan in the kitchen apparently didn't hear clearly and poked her head out, asking: "Tongtong, what did you say?" "Cough cough... Ruo Lan, it's... it's nothing, Tongtong is just hungry, she's asking you to cook faster..." Before Tongtong could speak, Hao Jian quickly said with an awkward laugh. "Okay! Just wait a bit, it'll be ready soon!" Sister Lan smiled serenely, not suspecting anything, and continued cooking. Looking at Sister Lan's virtuous demeanor, Hao Jian's heart fluttered just a bit. Now that's the image of a virtuous wife and mother! But then, seeing Tongtong's disapproving look, he felt even more embarrassed: "Little one, out with it, what's your price?" Hao Jian knew this clever little imp Tongtong surely had something up her sleeve, and that's why she was blackmailing him into a corner! "Hehe... Uncle Scumbag figured it out, I'm so shy..." Tongtong blushed, and with a giggly smile, she said: "Uncle Scumbag, why don't you become my daddy?" Chapter 101 Have you heard the story that Sha Bi said does not exist? ```Crack! Hao Jian was visibly confused, digging at his ear! What? What did you say? "There's a parent-teacher conference at school this afternoon where all the students' fathers and mothers will come together. But I don't have a father, can you pretend to be my dad?" Tongtong pouted, her eyes red and teary within her vibrant gaze, her little face conveying a mix of dejection and hope as she spoke. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She didn't want to be labeled as the child with no father. Even if she never voiced it, in her heart, she still cared, more or less. "Tongtong, what are you talking about? Uncle Hao Jian just got off work and is really tired, how can you bother him with this?" Sister Lan had just brought out a bowl of porridge from the kitchen when she overheard Tongtong's request to Hao Jian and immediately chided her angrily. Tongtong pursed her lips again, tears glistening in her eyes as she hung her head and fell silent, looking wronged. Hao Jian paused, seeing Tongtong's sad face, he felt a twinge in his heart, and then said with a smile: "Ruo Lan, it's fine! I have the day off tomorrow anyway, and the parent-teacher conference doesn't start until afternoon, right? I can still get some sleep." Hao Jian was very fond of Tongtong, so faced with such a request at the moment, he couldn't refuse! "You... you agreed?" Ruo Lan was taken aback, she hadn't expected Hao Jian to actually say yes. "It's just a small effort, what's there to disagree with?" Hao Jian replied with a smile, then pinched Tongtong's little cheek: "Besides, this is a request from my little princess, how could I not agree?" "Cheap uncle, can I call you daddy now?" Tongtong asked eagerly, her face lighting up with excitement upon hearing his words. At that moment, both Hao Jian and Ruo Lan were startled, and then Ruo Lan's eyes began to well up with tears immediately. "Is it not okay?" Seeing Hao Jian not responding, Tongtong thought he didn't agree and her little white face immediately showed a disheartened expression. Hearing her words and seeing her face, Hao Jian felt even more melancholic. She was still just a child, yet unable to experience even a day of fatherly love; this was already an extraordinarily cruel thing. "Of course it's okay, from now on I'm your godfather." Hao Jian held Tongtong in his arms, unable to bear seeing her upset. This child was in such need of love, and all he could do was to try to fulfill her small wish as much as possible. "Really?" Tongtong froze, then lifted her little head, her beautiful eyes brimming with surprised tears, and then turned back to look at her mother: "Mommy, can I call Cheap Uncle my daddy?" Ruo Lan's eyes also couldn't help but grow moist; she covered her mouth, struggling not to let the tears fall, and nodded vigorously: "Yes... you... can..." ... Afterward, Ruo Lan and Tongtong headed to the school first, both mother and daughter dressed with care. The pair, one tall, one small, immediately attracted the attention of many as they walked through the campus. "Tongtong, Daddy will just go to the restroom first, and then I'll come to your class," Hao Jian said, feeling the sudden urge to use the bathroom. "Okay." Tongtong obediently responded, walking into the classroom with Ruo Lan. But no sooner had she sat down than a chubby boy approached, slapped his hands down on Tongtong's desk, and said arrogantly: "Hey, Ma Zitong, didn't you say your dad would come to the parent-teacher conference? Where is he?" "My dad's in the bathroom, he'll be here in a bit!" Tongtong huffed, clearly disliking the chubby boy. "Keep dreaming. You always say your dad will come, but it's only ever your mom who shows up. Heh heh... you're just a wild girl who was born with a father but not raised by one!" the chubby boy sneered. "I'm not a wild girl; my dad will definitely come!" ``` Tongtong's little face flushed with anger, her big eyes brimming with tears, yet she insisted on believing Hao Jian would definitely come back because Hao Jian had never lied to her before. At this time, Ruo Lan also frowned slightly, but after all, the other party was just a child, so she didn't say anything. At that moment, a voluptuously dressed, corpulent middle-aged woman came over, seized Wang Xiaotao's hand, and dragged him to her side: "Xiaotao, how many times has Mommy told you not to make friends with poor people, why don't you ever listen?" At the same time, she gave Tongtong and Ruo Lan a look of disdain. Feeling looked down upon like that, Tongtong immediately felt aggrieved and said: "I'm not his friend, it was he who kept pestering me." Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman scoffed and said, "What a joke, what status does our Xiaotao have, and what status do you have? Some wild girl from who knows where, our Xiaotao would pester you?" "I'm not a wild girl!" Upon hearing those words, Tongtong immediately burst into tears! Ever since kindergarten, her classmates had always called her the wild girl without a father, so Tongtong was particularly sensitive to that label. Ruo Lan's pretty face turned extremely pale at this moment, looking at Tongtong with immense pity! "Alright, Tongtong! We won't cry, Mommy has told you, you have to be strong! Got it?" Sister Lan's tear-filled eyes smiled as she spoke to Tongtong! Tongtong obediently nodded her head, wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes, pouted her small mouth, and said stubbornly: "Mommy, Tongtong knows! Tongtong will definitely be strong!" "Good girl!" Watching this scene, Ruo Lan felt an even deeper surge of heartache! The middle-aged woman, upon seeing this scene, curled her lips and showed a face full of contempt and disgust: "Oh! Being strong? Can strength be eaten? A widow and a wild girl, no matter how strong you are, what's the use? Tell your daughter not to pester my son in the future, otherwise, don't blame me for not being polite! Our Xiaotao will not be friends with your kind of poor losers!" At this time, Hao Jian had just come back from the restroom and saw a middle-aged woman bullying Ruo Lan. His face instantly darkened, and he quickly stepped forward, shielding the mother and daughter behind him. The middle-aged woman, upon seeing Hao Jian glaring at her, was initially startled, but then let out a cold laugh. "Oh! Are you the wild man this widow found? You've come at the right time, from now on, keep this wild girl away from my son. Our family and you poor people are not the same, you know. Our Xiaotao will go abroad for school right after finishing elementary, and I don't want him to make friends with poor ghosts and be laughed at abroad." The middle-aged woman's words were full of bitterness and contempt, and her expression seemed to place herself far above, undisguised in her revulsion and disdain. Hao Jian was taken aback and then, looking at Tongtong's face full of tears, he immediately understood what was happening! At that moment, a sinister curve formed on Hao Jian's lips, and he said flatly: "For an adult to speak such nasty words to a child, don't you think you're going too far?" "Too far? I'm only stating a fact! Aren't you just a bunch of dead poor ghosts? Look at how your daughter is dressed, how tacky. Her whole outfit probably doesn't even cost two hundred, does it? You know what our Xiaotao wears? Dolce & Gabbana, one article of clothing costs over five thousand. Can you afford that? Your daughter with her poverty-stricken appearance wants to be friends with him, does she match up?" the middle-aged woman mockingly retorted without restraint. The middle-aged woman's words were like swords, piercing the hearts of Ruo Lan and Tongtong, casting a forlorn shadow on their pretty faces! A mother and child, with no one to defend them, were left to be bullied! The look in Hao Jian's eyes flashed sharply; this was the first time he encountered such a mean and harsh woman: "Madam, by your appearance, you seem to be an educated person! I wonder if you've ever heard of a story called 'The Emperor's New Clothes'?" Hmm? The woman was taken aback, then furrowed her brow in disgust and said, "No!" "Since you haven't, then you're the fool!" Hao Jian shrugged, mimicking the look of someone watching a fool! It was then that the middle-aged woman realized what he meant, anger and shame flushing through her chubby face: "You¡­ You poor trash, how dare you insult me?" "Insult you? Although I don't hit women, if you dare to say one more word, I may just have to make your fat face bloody!" Hao Jian's eyes flashed ominously, followed by a stern shout: "GET OUT!!!!" Chapter 102 The Teacher Without Morality! Hao Jian's fierce demeanor startled the middle-aged woman, who glared at Hao Jian, wanting to continue her abuse, but her mouth twitched, and she dared not say:"Son, let's go!" At that moment, the middle-aged woman could only lead her son away, fuming! Seeing this, Tongtong and Ruo Lan finally breathed a sigh of relief! "Dad, you are so amazing!" Tongtong's eyes, filled with little stars, looked at Hao Jian as she cried and laughed, obviously very happy! S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ruo Lan also nodded at Hao Jian gratefully! ¡­ Meanwhile, on the other side! "Mrs. Zhang, you are here? Please, have a seat?" At this time, Teacher Zhao walked in; he was a male teacher in his early thirties and immediately ingratiated himself upon seeing the middle-aged woman. It was because Zhang Yueqin's husband was the Director of the Education Bureau of Hua City, and Teacher Zhao desperately wanted to compete for the position of school principal, so naturally, he took the opportunity to suck up. Upon hearing this, the furious Zhang Yueqin, upon seeing Teacher Zhao, lit up and then sneered, pointing towards where Hao Jian and the others were: "Teacher Zhao, I want to sit there." Hmm? Seeing this, Teacher Zhao also hesitated for a moment, then forced a smile: "But there are already people sitting there, and Xiaotao's seat isn't there either." "I said I want to sit there, so I must sit there, Teacher Zhao, please make them leave," Zhang Yueqin said rudely. "This¡­" Teacher Zhao hesitated, as asking him to drive a parent away somewhat compromised his integrity as a teacher. "Teacher Zhao, the old principal is retiring soon! I heard that you're also interested in competing for the position, right? You should know what my husband does; what do you think your chances of becoming the principal are if I say something in his ear?" Zhang Yueqin threatened coldly. Teacher Zhao immediately tensed up and hurriedly said, "Mrs. Zhang, don't be angry; I'll have them vacate the seats for you right away." Then, Teacher Zhao strode towards Ruo Lan, his face turning stern as he said to Tongtong: "Ma Zitong, please switch seats with your mom and dad." "Dad..." Tongtong held Hao Jian's hand, feeling uneasy, as students normally do fear their teachers, and she was no exception. Hao Jian wasn't angry and smilingly looked at Teacher Zhao, asking: "May I ask why?" At this, Teacher Zhao became displeased, thinking Just move when asked, what's with all the fuss? Seeing Hao Jian dressed shabbily, he subconsciously categorized him as a pauper, and when choosing between Zhang Yueqin and a pauper, he knew whom to pick. "Because I want that seat!" Just then, Zhang Yueqin approached again, provocatively looking at Hao Jian, thinking, Who dares to curse me? I'll make you embarrassed in public! Hao Jian's brows furrowed slightly, and his smile turned colder as he looked at Teacher Zhao: "Just because she wants to sit here, you are making us give up our seats for her? She is a parent, I am also a parent, why the discrimination!" Meanwhile, Ruo Lan's face turned deathly pale with anger. It was bad enough that Zhang Yueqin was bullying them, but unexpectedly, even a teacher behaved so mercenarily. Such an immoral teacher, how could he educate students properly! "Because my husband is the Director of the Education Bureau, and you are just a pauper." Zhang Yueqin chuckled twice, looking Hao Jian up and down: "Looking at you, you probably don't even earn ten thousand a month, do you?" Zhang Yueqin's behavior was truly despicable. As the saying goes, don't slap the face and don't reveal shortcoming, yet she deliberately poked at people's sore spots. "Indeed, I don't." Hao Jian shrugged nonchalantly, feeling no inferiority or need to hide his occupation and income, instead, he mockingly looked at Zhang Yueqin, sneering: "But although I earn little, it is money earned through my own labor! And for an education director to spend over five thousand on a single piece of clothing for his child and tens of thousands on a makeover, when did government officials become so wealthy? Or is it through corruption and bribery perhaps?" Hao Jian's gaze was sharp as a knife, causing Zhang Yueqin's expression to change, and then she impatiently said: "Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and switch seats! Don't make us drive you out, then you'll really lose all your dignity!" "This is my seat, I won't switch!" Tongtong angrily said, tears welling up in her eyes. Though young, she could feel that these people were bullying her. "I'm the head teacher, and I have the final say in this class, Ma Zitong, switch with Wang Xiaotao immediately, or I will expel you!" Teacher Zhao also pressured her, as to smooth his own promotion, he could not care much about anything else. Seeing the teacher helping a malicious woman to bully her, Tongtong's eyes glittered with tears, her head stubbornly shaking: "I... I won't switch!" "Good! You dare to disobey even your teacher, let's see how I'm going to teach you!!" Teacher Zhao, infuriated to a livid complexion, since he'd already offended Tongtong's family, didn't mind going a bit further. In his eyes, as long as he latched onto Zhang Yueqin's coattails, that was enough! Right then, a fierce light flashed in Teacher Zhao's eyes, and his hand fiercely slapped towards Tongtong's little face! Smack!!! A crisp sound rang out, and a figure was sent flying! And when everyone snapped out of it, they were completely stunned, for the one sent flying was none other than Teacher Zhao! Chapter 103 Do You Even Deserve to Talk About Upbringing? Bang!When Teacher Zhao was sent flying several meters by a slap from Hao Jian and collapsed to the ground, everyone there was stunned! Especially Teacher Zhao, who touched his rapidly swelling face, disbelief thick in his expression as he stared fixedly at Hao Jian: "You... you actually dare to hit me? I'm your daughter's teacher, do you know what hitting me means?" Teacher Zhao couldn't believe he had actually been hit by a parent! Considering that the current educational resources are extremely scarce and class advisors like him are almost revered by every parent, who usually appease them with red envelopes during holidays and treat them with utmost respect! And now, this bastard had the audacity to hit him, which startled and enraged Teacher Zhao! Zhang Yueqin and Ruo Lan were also taken aback, following which Zhang Yueqin's lips twisted in a mean smirk, her face filled with schadenfreude, while Ruo Lan was full of worry! "Teacher? Those with morals can be called teachers, those without should be called dog shit, and you, you're worse than that!" Hao Jian's gaze was icy! Hao Jian could hit Tongtong even in front of her parents; one could only imagine what Tongtong's situation would be like if they weren't there! "You... you..." Teacher Zhao, upon hearing this, trembled with anger, his face filling with resentment: "Fine! You dare to hit me, then I'll make sure your daughter can't continue school here! Just you wait, just you wait!" Listening to Teacher Zhao's angry words, the plump boy looked gleefully at Tongtong, laughing and saying: "Wow! Ma Zitong, did you hear that? Teacher Zhao is going to stop you from attending school! Beg me, and if you let me kiss you, I might just find a way to let you continue your studies!" The plump boy, full of smugness, spoke while he began to lean towards Tongtong to kiss her! Tongtong's face was full of disgust. As the plump boy leaned in, she immediately pushed him away: "I won't let you kiss me!" Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Tongtong's lips pouted, her face a mixture of grievance and disgust. After the plump boy was pushed away, he immediately started complaining to Zhang Yueqin: "Mom, did you see that? Ma Zitong wouldn't let me kiss her, and she hit me too! Wuu... This wild girl is too much!" Hearing her son's complaints, Zhang Yueqin's plump face instantly showed a fierce expression as she shouted at Tongtong: "You little bastard, how dare you hit our precious child, I'm going to teach you, a rude brat, a lesson today!" Having said this, Zhang Yueqin swung her hand at Tongtong's face! Seeing this, Ruo Lan was shocked and quickly protected her daughter! Slap! With a sharp crackling sound, Ruo Lan suddenly startled! Because she hadn't been hit; instead, Zhang Yueqin staggered from a slap! Zhang Yueqin, disheveled, her chubby face instantly bearing a bright red palm print, stood frozen on the spot, staring straight at Hao Jian: "You... you poor loser dare to hit me?" Zhang Yueqin couldn't believe it, but when Hao Jian heard this, he sneered broadly: "Why do all you idiots like to say that phrase? I'm neither your dad nor your mom, I neither care for you nor love you, so why can't I hit you!!!" "You poor deadbeat, you actually dare to hit me? Good! You just wait! If you dare, don't run away!!!" Sinc[Zhang Yueqin had become the wife of the Director of the Education Bureau, she had never suffered such an indignity, her pain causing her to grimace, quickly pulling out her cellphone to call her husband: "Director Wang, listen up, your wife and son are about to be killed at the school. If you don't come now, just wait to collect our corpses!" Teacher Zhao looked over as Zhang Yueqin was making a phone call. Immediate joy filled her eyes, and she looked at Hao Jian with a gaze full of mockery and hatred! This poor loser is so arrogant. Just wait until Director Wang arrives, and see how you'll die off! And that little bastard of his¡ªoffending me, he better not even think about schooling here anymore; even a word from Zhang Yueqin's husband would ensure no one in Hua City would dare take in that little bastard! Thinking this, a sinister smile crept across Teacher Zhao's face, her expression filling with mockery! And Zhang Yueqin, without waiting for a response from the other end of the phone, just hung up. She then glared at Hao Jian, gritting her teeth: "My husband will be here any minute, you just wait for your downfall! And your little brat, I'll make sure she can't stay in this school or any school in Hua City!" "Smack!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Zhang Yueqin's cheek received another slap. "You." Zhang Yueqin was so infuriated she actually started crying from frustration. "Before your husband gets here, you better keep your mouth clean! Even though I don't like hitting women, that doesn't mean I won't!" Hao Jian said fiercely. Hao Jian could tell immediately that Zhang Yueqin was not a smart person. As the saying goes, 'three times is too many,' yet she insisted on insulting him repeatedly and got slapped each time. Hadn't she learned to behave after getting treated like that? How could she not be asking for it? Zhang Yueqin's face flushed red and then pale, but she stayed silent, bitterly thinking: Son of a bitch, swagger all you want. Once my husband gets here, I'll make you regret being born! About half an hour later, a middle-aged man in his forties appeared in the classroom with two imposing bodyguards. This middle-aged man had fair skin, wore a well-fitting black suit, had a slick back hairdo, and spotlessly polished leather shoes. With a pot belly, he was dressed in typical bureaucratic fashion. "Husband!" As soon as Zhang Yueqin saw her husband, Wang Tianwen arrive, she was so emotional she nearly cried. "What exactly happened?" Wang Tianwen asked sharply, thinking: What has this crazy woman stirred up now? He was supposed to attend a very important meeting, but her inexplicable call had forced him to cancel it and rush over. "It's him! He just hit me! Husband, have someone arrest him, break his limbs, then lock him up! Lock him up for five years, no, ten years!" Zhang Yueqin shrieked maliciously. Wang Tianwen frowned slightly. This damned fool, such things shouldn't be said out loud, especially if reporters caught wind of it¡ªhe would be doomed. Fortunately, aside from Hao Jian and the others, there was no one else around, otherwise he really couldn't resist slapping Zhang Yueqin a few times. Wang Tianwen glanced at Hao Jian and saw him calmly looking back, his attitude somewhat defiant. Seeing this, Wang Tianwen instantly showed displeasure: "Why did you hit my wife?" "Because she was going to hit my daughter." Hao Jian replied indifferently. Wang Tianwen's bureaucratic airs might frighten others, but they surely didn't intimidate him. "It was that little bast**d who hit Xiaotao first, then I reacted!" Zhang Yueqin quickly said. "You're lying; he tried to kiss me, and I pushed him away. I didn't hit him!" Tongtong cried out, feeling utterly wronged; it wasn't her fault at all. "Teacher Zhao, tell us what happened." Wang Tianwen then turned to Teacher Zhao. Teacher Zhao naturally sided with Zhang Yueqin now that Wang Tianwen was present, immediately feeling confident: "Director Wang, Mrs. Zhang is right; it was Ma Zitong who pushed Xiaotao first. I didn't see Xiaotao kiss her. And Ma Zitong's father, he's nothing but a hooligan, not only did he hit Mrs. Zhang, but he even hit me, a teacher!" "You're lying! You clearly saw it! My dad isn't a hooligan!" Tongtong cried out, tears streaming down her face. "When adults are talking, should a child butt in, have you no manners?" Wang Tianwen immediately scolded loudly. Tongtong, intimidated by Wang Tianwen's fierce demeanor, quickly took shelter behind her mother, her sobs continuing unabated. And Hao Jian narrowed his eyes, staring at Wang Tianwen as he spoke: "Manners? You talk about manners? You sire a thug for a son, marry a shrew for a wife, and you, a head of the education department, talk about manners?" Chapter 104 Lets Play a Game! "How audacious! You... you actually dare to say my son is a hoodlum! My wife is a shrew! Good! Very good!" Wang Tianwen's face underwent a drastic change, his eyes glaring at Hao Jian with fury.This kid has some nerve to dare to speak to him in such a manner, as if it were no different from slapping him in the face. "A kid not even ten years old dares to do something as rogueish as forcefully kissing a girl, and your wife spouts 'bastard' as soon as she opens her mouth!" Hao Jian snorted with disdain, his eyes fixed intently on Wang Tianwen: "Is this what you call upbringing? It seems your whole family is really a bunch of well-bred 'things'!" "No matter what, if you hit someone, you have to pay the price." Wang Tianwen's expression was very ugly too, as Hao Jian had put it, he naturally knew what kind of person his wife was. Causing trouble outside wasn't new to her; he naturally wouldn't ask those parents, as doing so would be equivalent to humiliating himself. All he wanted now was to teach Hao Jian a lesson, this arrogant kid. He didn't care in the slightest who was right or wrong. "So you mean, even if you know your wife is in the wrong, you still want to blame us?" Hao Jian asked, frowning. "And what if I do?" Wang Tianwen scoffed. In the past, he wouldn't have dared to speak in such a manner. But today was different. Hao Jian had shown enough arrogance in front of him, and in such a situation, he was close to losing his reason, wishing only to trample Hao Jian thoroughly. "Kid, in this world, it's not all about being able to fight; there are some people you just can't afford to provoke," Wang Tianwen said with a sly and unsmiling face. He had decided that if Hao Jian was daring enough to be so bold, he would send him to the police station later and make sure someone "educates" him properly. Hao Jian nodded seriously: "I quite agree with your point, but it certainly doesn't include you." Wang Tianwen's expression froze, the anger in his eyes intensifying. Hao Jian had not only hit his wife but repeatedly provoked him, and his patience was at its limit. "Do you know who I am?" Wang Tianwen asked with a darkened face, now curious whether Hao Jian really knew his true identity to speak to him this way. "Of course, I know. The head of the education bureau, right? So what, you want to throw your weight around in front of me?" Hao Jian retorted with a cold snort. "You know I'm an official and still dare to speak to me like this?" Wang Tianwen's laugh became colder, realizing this kid knew his status and was deliberately courting death. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A lowly "loser," really thinking he couldn't handle him? Originally, Wang Tianwen didn't want to spoil his image by quarreling with an ordinary person. If Hao Jian had been willing to apologize sincerely and then slap his wife a few times in return, maybe he would have let the matter slide. But unfortunately for him, the kid was too arrogant and even dared to challenge him. If he didn't teach him a lesson, he wouldn't be Wang Tianwen! "In the film V for Vendetta, there's a classic line where V says, 'People should not be afraid of their governments; governments should be afraid of their people. If a government does not serve the people but dominates them, it is not a government, but a dynasty,'" Hao Jian said with a smile, "The people gave you that official's cap, and if you don't treasure it, the people will take it off for you." "Just you?" Wang Tianwen almost laughed in anger, a "loser" thinking he could take his official's cap, which was ridiculous. "Yes, just me," Hao Jian stated confidently. From the moment he saw Wang Tianwen, he knew that such an official should be removed from office. "Beat this kid up, then send him to the police station." Wang Tianwen lost the interest to talk to Hao Jian and wanted Hao Jian to realize just how cruel reality was, and that ordinary citizens could never fight against an official! Upon hearing this, the two bodyguards behind Wang Tianwen started walking towards Hao Jian. "Break his arms and legs, make him a cripple!" Zhang Yueqin excitedly added, maliciously wanting to ruin Hao Jian. "Don't hit my dad!" The little girl heard they were going to harm Hao Jian, and she wasn't happy about it, rushing in front of Hao Jian and spread out her arms wide like a chick protecting its mother hen. Her cheeks were puffed up, and the corners of her eyes were glittering with tears, but her eyes were stubborn, refusing to back down even half a step. At this, the two bodyguards found themselves in a difficult position, turning back to look at Wang Tianwen, seemingly seeking his opinion. "Don't mind her. If she dares to obstruct, hit her as well!" Wang Tianwen snorted angrily, apparently beside himself with fury. As head of the education bureau, he should have been a friend to children, but at this moment, he had become an assassin of children. The two bodyguards looked at each other, helpless resignation clear in their eyes. They didn't want to bully a child, but they had no choice, as Wang Tianwen was their boss. If they disobeyed, they faced the risk of getting fired. At these words, Hao Jian's eyes sharpened, his pupils contracting into dangerous pinpoints. This time, he was truly enraged. "Tongtong, come back," Hao Jian said, grabbing Tongtong's shoulder. But Tongtong shook her head fiercely: "They want to hurt Dad, Tongtong won't allow it." "Be good, Tongtong, these two trash can't hurt Dad. I'll show you a game in a minute," Hao Jian said with a smile boding ill intent. Hearing Hao Jian call them trash, the two bodyguards also looked furious. "What game?" Tongtong turned around, looking puzzledly at Hao Jian. "It's called Invincible Wind Fire Wheel, do you want to see it?" "Yeah! Yeah! Daddy, start the show!" Tongtong looked up with innocent excitement. Hao Jian smiled faintly, turning back to face the two bodyguards, "My daughter wants to see the Invincible Wind Fire Wheel, so I'll have to trouble you two!" Invincible Wind Fire Wheel? Is this guy an idiot? Even now, he still dares to be so arrogant! At this moment, not just the two bodyguards, but everyone around including Wang Tianwen's family and Teacher Zhao were all sporting mocking looks! This attention-seeking fool is soon going to be beaten into an idiot! "You're courting death, kid!" Continue reading on empire Both bodyguards let out a synchronized roar, coordinated in their attacks, kicking towards Hao Jian's face from the left and right. Two legs, one left and one right, sweeping toward Hao Jian's left and right cheeks. "Bang!" Hao Jian effortlessly raised his hands, blocking the two men's assault. The two bodyguards displayed expressions of disbelief, feeling as if they kicked solid steel the moment they connected, their legs beginning to throb slightly with pain. Chapter 105 Great Validation of the Face-Slapping Power Transmission Effect! "Weak! Too weak!"Hao Jian chuckled lightly, then with a backhanded grip, he grabbed their legs. Before the two bodyguards could react, he made his move! Hao Jian stomped his foot and his body began to spin, dragging the two bodyguards into a spin as well. "Invincible Wind Fire Wheel!" He held onto the legs of the two bodyguards, spinning like a giant windmill, filling the entire classroom with the terrified screams of the bodyguards while everyone present was stunned. No one could have imagined that Hao Jian, a slender and delicate-looking young man, could single-handedly lift two burly bodyguards off the ground. "Tongtong, did you see that? This is called Invincible Wind Fire Wheel!" Hao Jian roared with laughter. "Daddy is so cool, Tongtong wants to see more! Spin faster!" Tongtong jumped up and down clapping her hands, absolutely thrilled. Just moments ago she was crying, but now she was laughing because of Hao Jian. "Alright, then faster it is!" Hao Jian laughed loudly and spun even more quickly, like a gust of wind. Then, everybody watched as the two bodyguards frothed at the mouth and rolled their eyes back, completely done for. Ruo Lan gave a resigned smile, thinking about what a troublemaker he was. Among the watchers, Wang Tianwen and his group were the most shocked! Initially, they thought the two strong men would easily take down Hao Jian, but they could never have imagined that within mere seconds, Hao Jian would overpower them! Now, this jerk was using them to impress his daughter, their plight was miserably pathetic. Is this guy even human? "Swish! Swish!" Just then, Hao Jian suddenly let go, and the two bodyguards flew out, landing in a nearby pile of trash with a couple of heavy thuds. The two men lifted their heads trying to stand up, but instead, their eyes rolled back and they passed out. Gurgle! Seeing this scene, Wang Tianwen, Zhang Yueqin, and Teacher Zhao all swallowed their saliva fiercely! Damn, can you even play like this? The three of them felt their hearts pounding wildly, shocked that someone could toss the formidable bodyguards around like trash! "Honey, what should we do?" Zhang Yueqin's face went pale, completely at a loss for ideas. If even Wang Tianwen's bodyguards couldn't handle Hao Jian, they stood even less of a chance. At this moment, she had lost all her earlier arrogance. She was hunching her neck, her face filled with fear. To outsiders, she might appear pitiful, but in Hao Jian's eyes, she got what she deserved. "Don't... don't worry! I had already called Old Lin at the police station before I came! They'll be here soon!" Experience tales with empire Wang Tianwen's face alternated between pale and flushed, clearly frightened by Hao Jian's actions. Zhang Yueqin felt relieved upon hearing this. With her husband's deep connections, dealing with this rascal would be a piece of cake! And while the couple whispered among themselves, Hao Jian approached with a gentle smile: "Before the people you called arrive, would you mind if I conduct a little science experiment with you?" "What... what kind of science experiment?" Wang Tianwen swallowed hard, sweat beading on his forehead as he fearfully looked at Hao Jian. Hao Jian, his face still beaming, said: "Testing the effect of face-slapping power transmission!!" At this moment, Wang Tianwen's face turned completely dark. Damn, just the name sounds like a scam! "If you don't refuse, I'll take it as your agreement." Hao Jian's lips slightly lifted, and with those words, a slap landed fiercely on Wang Tianwen's face! ¡­ When Captain Ma Zifeng arrived at the school with a group of police officers, they immediately witnessed a scene they would never forget! S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A youth was seen fiercely slapping Mr. Wang's face, and then as if the force of the slap transferred, Mr. Wang slapped Mrs. Zhang Yueqin in the face! Afterward, the slapping force continued, and Zhang Yueqin slapped a male teacher across the face! Mr. Wang, Mrs. Wang, and the male teacher all had their faces swollen red, almost resembling pig heads, tears brimming in their eyes, like oppressed daughters-in-law! Seeing this, Captain Ma Zifeng and the group of police officers all twitched their mouths! Damn! They really know how to play it up! "Who called the police?" Although extremely shocked, Captain Ma Zifeng still shouted loudly. And seeing the group of police officers rushing over, the three Wang Tianwens almost cried, more relieved than seeing their own mothers! "This... here, here! Comrade police, hurry up!" Teacher Zhao completely broke into tears, immediately shouting urgently as if he saw a lifeline, his face already swollen like a pig's head, now speaking with a whistling sound in his mouth! And at that moment, Wang Tianwen's bruised face showed a thick sneer, loudly shouting at the police, "Quick! Captain Ma, arrest this man! Damn it, daring to hit me? I must make him regret it!!!" Wang Tianwen and Zhang Yueqin's faces showed thick venomous sneers, as if in their eyes, with the arrival of the police, Hao Jian was completely done for! At this time, six or seven police officers had already run up close, with Captain Ma Zifeng leading. When he saw Hao Jian, he instantly froze. Hao Jian also showed a hint of surprise in his eyes, but it was quickly covered by indifference. "Captain Ma Zifeng, arrest that bastard!" Wang Tianwen immediately pointed at Hao Jian and yelled loudly. Ma Zifeng hesitated for about three to four seconds, then quickly walked toward Hao Jian. As he stood in front of Hao Jian, just when Wang Tianwen and others thought Captain Ma Zifeng was about to arrest Hao Jian, they saw Captain Ma Zifeng bend down ninety degrees and bow to Hao Jian: "Sir." This completely stunned Wang Tianwen, Zhang Yueqin was dumbstruck, and Teacher Zhao was utterly shocked! Sir? What the hell is going on? From Captain Ma Zifeng's attitude toward Hao Jian, it wasn't hard to guess that Hao Jian must have had a significant background, probably more prestigious than Wang Tianwen, otherwise Captain Ma Zifeng wouldn't have directly ignored Wang Tianwen to approach Hao Jian. At this point, Wang Tianwen had a bad premonition because since the beginning, Hao Jian had maintained a confident demeanor! Initially, Wang Tianwen thought Hao Jian was just a reckless brute, but now, it seemed the situation wasn't as simple as he had imagined. Wang Tianwen really wanted to grab Zhang Yueqin by the collar and yell at her, "Look, is this the useless 'fuzzball' you spoke of?" "Didn't expect to meet so soon," Hao Jian said expressionlessly. "Yeah," Captain Ma Zifeng also had a bitter smile on his face. From Lin Nantian's words, he generally knew Hao Jian's identity; this was a man even Lin Nantian couldn't afford to offend. If Hao Jian had really wanted to kill him, he would have genuinely died in vain, with no one daring to question it. But Hao Jian didn't kill him, though he could have, and that was something Ma Renyuan was deeply grateful for. Thinking back to how he had foolishly antagonized Hao Jian, Captain Ma Zifeng felt endlessly embarrassed. Chapter 106 Someone You Cant Afford to Offend! "Ma Zifeng, have you lost your mind? My husband told you to arrest him! Why are you bowing to him?"Zhang Yueqin called out dissatisfied, still unaware that something was amiss, as domineering as ever. Turning his head displeased, Ma Zifeng glanced at Zhang Yueqin and Wang Tianwen, a playful sneer forming at the corner of his mouth, "I won't be arresting Mr. Hao Jian." "What? Are you joking? Ma Zifeng, don't forget we're very close with Director Lin. If you don't listen to us, watch out¡ªwe'll tell Director Lin and make sure you regret it!" Zhang Yueqin angrily threatened, astonished that an underling would dare to disobey his master¡ªit was like the world had turned upside down. "If Director Lin knows that you want to arrest Mr. Hao, he would definitely not agree to your request." Ma Zifeng sneered, thinking to himself that these fools had yet to realize the kind of entity they had provoked. However, by this time, Wang Tianwen had already begun to sense that something was wrong and tentatively asked, "You haven't even asked what happened, so how can you be so sure that Director Lin won't agree to our request?" "No matter what happened, Director Lin won't help you," Ma Zifeng said indifferently. "Why?" "Because Mr. Hao is someone not even Director Lin dares to provoke," Ma Zifeng answered. Upon hearing this, both Wang Tianwen and Zhang Yueqin gasped in shock. Someone not even Lin Nantian could afford to provoke? Was this kid that powerful? They were doomed! Wang Tianwen's heart skipped a beat. If not even Lin Nantian could provoke him, didn't it mean that he was also out of his depth? "Keep calling people. Call everyone you can. I've got all the time in the world," Hao Jian said, amused as he watched Wang Tianwen. Wang Tianwen fell silent. Where did he have anyone else to call upon? Lin Nantian was his final resort, but now that even Lin Nantian dared not touch Hao Jian, who else would? "Who¡­ exactly are you?" Wang Tianwen asked, his face an ashen color as he stared at Hao Jian, wanting to know who this man was, why even Lin Nantian, the top law enforcement officer in Hua City, didn't dare act against him. "Just an ordinary citizen capable of removing your official cap," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Is there¡­ any chance for reconciliation between us?" Wang Tianwen was already showing signs of backing down. He could tell that Hao Jian wasn't joking; he truly had the means to determine his fate. "If I slapped you and then apologized, would you accept that?" Hao Jian didn't directly answer Wang Tianwen's question but instead responded in this manner. Hearing this, Wang Tianwen's expression was as rich as it could be. It seemed like it had been Hao Jian bullying him from the moment he appeared, hadn't it? Explore more at empire "I can offer you a lot of money," Wang Tianwen gritted his teeth, hoping that money could sway Hao Jian. "Oh? How much can you give?" Hao Jian asked with interest. Seeing a glimmer of hope, Wang Tianwen hurriedly said, "Five million, no, eight million!" Eight million was all the money he had embezzled over the past two years. He originally intended to keep three million for himself, but after careful consideration, he decided to throw it all in. Money lost could be earned back, but if he lost his official position, he would lose everything. At this moment, Wang Tianwen could have killed Zhang Yueqin. If not for her, why would he have ended up in such a plight? Why would he have offended such a fearsome figure? Meanwhile, Zhang Yueqin was stunned, staring blankly at Hao Jian, her mind completely blank. Calling themselves a poor loser when in reality they're someone even their own husband dares not provoke! This... this is just too messed up! Hao Jian didn't speak but turned to Ma Zifeng beside him and asked, "Is it reasonable for an official from the Ministry of Education to have so much money?" Ma Zifeng immediately understood Hao Jian's implication and answered, "That's definitely unreasonable." "Then you'd better have a good talk with your director when you get back, and make sure this matter is thoroughly investigated," Hao Jian said leisurely, his underlying meaning clear¡ªhe was preparing to make a move on Wang Tianwen! sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ma Zifeng also knew that Hao Jian wouldn't let Wang Tianwen off the hook and replied with a wry smile, "Okay, when I get back, I'll definitely talk to Director Lin." "Are you sure you want to do this? My uncle is a department-level official, and he won't let you off if you dare to touch me!" Wang Tianwen's expression suddenly turned to panic, showing signs of desperation. "Department-level official? Even provincial-level officials won't be enough to deal with me," Hao Jian said with a thick smirk. Wang Tianwen was completely shocked; he had guessed Hao Jian had a significant background, but this was beyond significant¡ªit was astonishing! If even provincial-level officials couldn't touch him, did that mean there was a similarly powerful figure standing behind Hao Jian? "Alright, take him back," Hao Jian ordered, pointing at Wang Tianwen. "But he's the Minister of Education, and logically, without an arrest warrant, I don't have the authority to arrest him," Ma Renyuan hesitated, not having the proper jurisdiction. "Soon he won't be, take him back to the police station, and have your director follow my instructions. If anything happens, I'll take the blame!" Hao Jian said with a sinister smile, clearly resolved to bring Wang Tianwen down. With those words from Hao Jian, Ma Zifeng was completely at ease and signalled his underlings with a glance; they all walked towards Wang Tianwen. "Don't arrest my husband, let him go!" Zhang Yueqin turned pale with fear at the sight, rushing over to scuffle with the police, refusing to let them take Wang Tianwen away. "Step aside! Otherwise, I'll arrest you for obstructing official business!" Ma Zifeng shouted, fed up with the crazy woman's antics and itching to lay hands on her. "I won't! If you've got the guts, then arrest me too!" Zhang Yueqin looked ready to fight them to the death. Although Ma Zifeng wanted to do something, it was actually Wang Tianwen who acted first; he kicked Zhang Yueqin to the ground and glared at her furiously: "Get lost, you damn fat pig! If it wasn't for you, would I have ended up like this today? I told you not to make trouble everywhere, but you dared to mess with Poria Cocos? The thing I regret most in my life is marrying you, you pig!" Wang Tianwen was genuinely furious. Ever since he became a leader, Zhang Yueqin had been causing trouble everywhere, relying on her status as a leader's wife. Wang Tianwen also had to clean up her mess more than once and now he had hit rock bottom with nowhere to even cry. Wang Tianwen was filled with regret, regretting marrying such a woman. ... Inside the police station! "Lin Nantian, after all these years of friendship, you're actually arresting me?" Wang Tianwen shouted loudly, extremely dissatisfied. Lin Nantian also gave a bitter smile, "It's not that I want to arrest you, but 'he' wants to arrest you, I really have no choice." Chapter 107 Artistic Friends! Lin Nantian and Wang Tianwen had been friends for many years, but there was no way Lin would offend Hao Jian for Wang's sake because crossing Hao Jian would be tantamount to joking with one's life and fortune."Who exactly is he?" Wang Tianwen asked in a deep voice. He knew he was doomed, but before his downfall, he at least wanted to know who his adversary really was. "I don't know either," Lin Nantian shook his head and smiled bitterly, "With my status, I'm not qualified to know his identity. Old Wang, you've really crossed the wrong person this time." "..." . Afterward, Wang Tianwen was locked up for suspected corruption, and Zhang Yueqin was also expelled from the Wang Family because of this incident. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And Teacher Zhao, because of this matter, became infamously notorious throughout the community. After being fired by the school authorities, no other school dared to hire him, and he had no choice but to shamefully slink back to his hometown. A week went by, and suddenly one morning, Hao Jian received a phone call from Che Xiaoxiao. "Uncle, it's my birthday tonight. I'm throwing a party at the bar; are you coming?" Che Xiaoxiao asked. "No." Hao Jian rejected her without a second thought. How old was he, to be mixing with a young girl like Xiaoxiao? He didn't want to end up with people suspecting him of having a predilection for children. Moreover, the party guests would surely all be around Xiaoxiao's age. He had nothing in common with those youngsters. Hao Jian didn't want to go there just to sit around foolishly. "Come on; it'll be fun," Xiaoxiao pleaded when she heard Hao Jian wouldn't come, immediately resorting to a persistent, nagging persuasion. "No, I want to sleep at home. If there's nothing else, I'm going to hang up," Hao Jian said, growing impatient. "Wait, uncle, I have a lot of beautiful women here. Do you want me to introduce you to some?" Seeing Hao Jian's continued refusal, Xiaoxiao resorted to seduction. But who would have known that Hao Jian remained unmoved, uttering indifferently, "Bye-bye." "I'm a child without a father!" Xiaoxiao suddenly yelled out. "Hm?" Hao Jian was about to hang up, but hesitated when he heard this. He was perplexed as to why Xiaoxiao would suddenly say that to him. A somewhat dejected voice came from the other end: "My dad died early, and my mom is always so busy with work that she never has time to spend with me. Although today is my birthday, I think she probably forgot about it too. Honestly, I don't even want to celebrate it because it's always my friends who insist on celebrating for me, and I've grown tired of that feeling." "You don't expect to find your father's shadow in me, do you?" Hao Jian asked with a grimace. "Just this once, okay? My dad never celebrated a birthday with me. Even if it's pretend, I want to experience what it feels like," Xiaoxiao spoke in a disheartened tone. "..." Hao Jian. "If you don't want to, it's fine, I'll tell them to cancel the party," Xiaoxiao said with a wry smile, not wanting to trouble Hao Jian anymore. "Time, place?" Hao Jian finally sighed. "You agreed?" Xiaoxiao asked, full of surprise. Hao Jian gave a bitter smile, "After what you've said, how could I refuse?" At eight o'clock in the evening, Hao Jian appeared punctually at the entrance of a bar called "Bonfire." From a distance, he spotted Che Xiaoxiao standing not far away, clad in a thin backless dress, shivering in the night breeze, her little face also red and flushed from the cold. Yet even so, Che Xiaoxiao's mouth still carried a hint of a smile, her flushed little face full of excitement. Hao Jian shook his head helplessly and walked over to her, "Why didn't you wait for me inside?" "I was afraid you wouldn't find your way here," Che Xiaoxiao laughed carefree. "You," Hao Jian didn't even know what to say to her, so he took off his own jacket and draped it over Che Xiaoxiao. "Thank you." Che Xiaoxiao's face turned a bit redder, she had never been treated with such consideration by a boy before. "Let's go in," Hao Jian ruffled Che Xiaoxiao's hair and walked into the bar with her. The bar wasn't very large, just over a hundred square meters, and when full it probably accommodated around a hundred people. At the moment, the bar was almost empty, with only seven or eight people sitting there drinking and chatting, one of them an old man. Seeing the confusion on Hao Jian's face, Che Xiaoxiao explained, "This is my friend's bar, they closed for business today to celebrate my birthday." Hao Jian nodded in understanding. "Xiaoxiao, your friends have arrived?" a fashionable girl turned around, also scantily dressed, trying to be provocative with every gesture. As soon as she spoke up, she immediately attracted the attention of the others, all of whom started staring at Hao Jian. The group was all dressed in avant-garde, or rather, artistic styles that made it clear at first glance that they were involved in the arts, which made Hao Jian feel they were being pretentious¡ªas if they were afraid others wouldn't realize they were into art. One of the men, seeing Che Xiaoxiao wrapped in a man's jacket, immediately took on a colder expression and said with derision, "Xiaoxiao, your friend here seems a bit old, doesn't he? This getup of his, I often see on my grandfather. Bringing him to hang out with us young folks, won't he feel out of place?" These words were excessively offensive, as Hao Jian was clearly about the same age as them, but the comment implied he was older and dressed like an old man, no doubt a jab at him being old-fashioned. Hao Jian was actually dressed quite normally today, in a tidy shirt paired with jeans; this attire would be considered average, but it certainly seemed out of place compared to the trendy clothes of the others. Hao Jian also scrutinized the man, who was wearing a cape, had messy long hair, and stubble around his mouth, reminiscent of those artists in the movies who are devoted to their art. Upon hearing these words, Che Xiaoxiao's friends all laughed quietly. "Qian Shaohang, why is your mouth so nasty? Does my friend need your judgment?" Che Xiaoxiao said angrily. Hao Jian was someone she had gone to great lengths to invite, yet Qian Shaohang insulted him for no reason¡ªhow could Che Xiaoxiao not be annoyed. For her, all the friends here were less important than Hao Jian. Although they appeared to treat her well on the surface, each of them looked at her with a degree of derision. Unlike Hao Jian, who looked at her with such pure eyes, treating her completely like a little sister. Back on Qiuyun Mountain, the scene of Hao Jian standing up for her remained unforgettable to this day, and perhaps even Che Xiaoxiao herself hadn't realized that she had come to see Hao Jian as someone she admired. Qian Shaohang curled his lips, "I'm speaking the truth. We're talking about things related to art¡ªdoes he even understand that?" Chapter 108 I Know a Little Bit Too! "You." Che Xiaoxiao was so angry she was lost for words.Hao Jian pulled Che Xiaoxiao aside and said with a smile, "What is there to be angry about? Your friend was just joking with me. Moreover, he wasn't wrong, I was dressed rather old-fashioned." sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing that Hao Jian was not only not angry but also showed enough magnanimity, it immediately impressed Che Xiaoxiao's friends. Qian Shaohang, however, did not expect this reaction and snorted in dissatisfaction. He had thought that Hao Jian would definitely get angry and storm off, which would have played right into his hands. Seeing this, a warm feeling also emerged in Che Xiaoxiao's heart. She knew Hao Jian had done so for her, to avoid putting her in a difficult position between him and her friends. "However, speaking of art, I do know a bit about it," Hao Jian said. "You know about art? That doesn't seem likely," Qian Shaohang scoffed, and looking at his old-fashioned outfit, thought to himself, 'Like a nerd with no sense of art, and he dares to claim he understands art?' Hao Jian nodded, "Judging by your outfit, you must be a painter, right? It just so happens I can paint too." "You can?" Qian Shaohang could not help but laugh in disbelief, daring to say he could paint in front of him? "You are hardly comparable to Qian Shaohang, he is a somewhat renowned painter in this city. One of his paintings was auctioned for a hundred thousand yuan," the fashionable woman said with a laugh, her eyes filled with admiration as she looked at Qian Shaohang. Upon hearing this, Qian Shaohang raised his proud head, looking disdainfully at Hao Jian. Heard that? My painting sold for a hundred thousand, and you dare talk about painting in front of me? It's simply showing off in the presence of an expert. "This time in Che Xiaoxiao's birthday, Qian Shaohang, you surely can't be stingy," teased the bar owner at this moment. "Of course, I've already prepared everything." Qian Shaohang huffed, then handed a painting tube to Che Xiaoxiao, and said affectionately, "Just a small token, I hope you can accept it. Although it's only worth fifty thousand yuan, I spent a long time on it." Clearly, Qian Shaohang was interested in Che Xiaoxiao, otherwise, he wouldn't have given such an expensive gift. He tried to sound like the painting was not worth mentioning, but his face was full of pride. "This..." Che Xiaoxiao seemed hesitant about accepting such an expensive gift, even glancing at Hao Jian subconsciously. Seeing this, Qian Shaohang immediately frowned, feeling somewhat displeased. "Take it, after all, it's someone's sincere gesture," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Then thank you very much," Che Xiaoxiao nodded, then thanked Qian Shaohang. If it hadn't been for Che Xiaoxiao's glance just now, Qian Shaohang might have been pleased, but now he managed only a strained smile, barely squeezing it out. "Che Xiaoxiao, since you've accepted such a precious gift, why not show it to us? Let's also have Elder Qiu give his opinion," said the fashionable woman with a somewhat sour tone. Che Xiaoxiao nodded, then pulled open the painting tube and unrolled the canvas, revealing a painting to everyone present. The painting depicted a sea of flowers under a sunset, rendered with appropriate watercolors and strokes, integrating the sea of flowers with the sunset vividly. The primary colors were particularly vibrant, leaving everyone speechless. "How beautiful!" The fashionable woman exclaimed, and although she was no connoisseur of painting, she could tell that the painting was outstanding, giving a refreshing feeling. At that moment, an elderly man in his fifties with glasses approached and observed the painting seriously. He was Elder Qiu, an art appraiser with a certain reputation in Hua City's industry. He could tell the quality of any artwork at a glance. After looking, Elder Qiu also showed a smile, "Not bad, not bad, this painting is indeed worth fifty thousand." Upon hearing this, Qian Shaohang's arrogance intensified, and he provocatively looked at Hao Jian. However, at that moment, Qian Shaohang saw Hao Jian shake his head. Although he didn't say anything, his face revealed his disappointment with the painting. Seeing this, Qian Shaohang was immediately filled with rage and asked, "What? Mr. Hao Jian seems not too satisfied with my painting?" Hao Jian, feeling embarrassed, scratched his head. Not expecting that his unintentional action had been noticed by Qian Shaohang, he had no choice but to speak: "Not satisfied wouldn't be the right term, it's just that I feel this painting could be better." He really felt that Qian Shaohang's painting was still lacking, although it could be considered not bad, it was hard to qualify as truly elegant. Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Hao Jian as if he were a freak. Even Elder Qiu hadn't said anything, and here was a layman passing judgment? Wasn't he taking himself too seriously? Elder Qiu also snorted coldly, glaring at Hao Jian with dissatisfaction. By saying this, wasn't he implying that there was a problem with his own judgment? "Oh? Is that so? It seems Mr. Hao Jian really understands paintings. Since that's the case, why don't you evaluate this painting for me, tell me exactly what's not good about it," Qian Shaohang said with a cold laugh. Hao Jian opened his mouth, about to speak, when that fashionable woman interrupted him, saying sarcastically: "You better not judge casually, if it's not ignorance masquerading as knowledge, then it's just humiliation." Hao Jian smiled and then shut his mouth, choosing not to speak anymore. "If the evaluation isn't good, I won't blame you. You just punish yourself with three drinks and leave, but if you don't evaluate, that means you really are feigning knowledge. In that case, you should still leave." Qian Shaohang added, determined to make Hao Jian critique his painting today. If he couldn't do it, then he should just get out! "Qian Shaohang, Zhang Qiuya, don't go too far!" Che Xiaoxiao was agitated, Hao Jian was invited by her, how could they drive him away? "Che Xiaoxiao, you also see, it's not us trying to make things difficult for your friend, but he's deliberately picking faults!" Qian Shaohang said dissatisfied, yet his stance was still firm. "Fine, since you want him to leave, I will leave too!" Che Xiaoxiao, flustered, immediately grabbed her handbag and was about to leave. This stunned everyone. They had never thought Che Xiaoxiao would leave her friends for a man. What was her relationship with this man? "Hey, today's your birthday, you should be happy. Don't be like this," Hao Jian suddenly grabbed Che Xiaoxiao's arm. "But." Che Xiaoxiao hesitated. She didn't know whether Hao Jian understood paintings. If he didn't, wouldn't that be humiliating? "It's okay, it's just assessing a painting. It's not too late to leave after I've spoken," Hao Jian said with a smile, then looked at Qian Shaohang: "Alright, I'll evaluate your painting." Since someone was offering their face for a slap, why would he refuse? Chapter 109 Painting with Wine? Hao Jian pointed at Qian Shaohang's painting and said, "This painting of yours has a nice layout, excellent coloring, and the combination of colors is top-notch. One glance, and people can't help but be deeply captivated by it."Qian Shaohang snorted rudely and a look of disdain appeared on his face. Do I need you to tell me that? Don't I know it myself? "Handsome guy, we asked you to point out the flaws in Qian Shaohang's painting, not to brown-nose," said the sultry Zhang Qiuya teasingly, staring intently at Hao Jian. Hao Jian nodded. "Now I am going to talk about its flaws. You focus on color but chase perfection too much, making the colors overly pronounced. Could the sea of flowers under the sunset really be this bright and vivid?" Upon hearing this, Qian Shaohang and Elder Qiu were both startled and instinctively took another look at the painting. Elder Qiu looked especially earnest, wondering if he really had misjudged. "Of course, it wouldn't be that vivid. The light of the sunset should be dim, carrying a sense of age, leaning more toward a shade of orange, but your colors are golden. Rather than a sunset, it would be better to say it's the blazing sun." Hao Jian continued his critique, with just the color aspect already seeming unreasonable. "Hiss." At that moment, upon hearing Hao Jian's words, Elder Qiu also couldn't help but gasp, realizing there indeed was a critical issue with Qian Shaohang's painting. Seeing Elder Qiu's reaction, Qian Shaohang's expression started to sour: "But to say my painting is bad just because of this isn't that nitpicking? I could say that my painting aims to capture a certain mood. Since it's a mood, it doesn't need to strictly adhere to realism¡ªyou, an amateur, whether you understand or not?" As Qian Shaohang finished speaking, he threw the question back to Hao Jian, while everyone turned their gaze back to Hao Jian, waiting for his response. "Yes, you could certainly argue it represents a mood. But if it's a mood, what exactly are you trying to convey? Is it cheerful and charming, or melancholic and somber? If it's the former, better to depict the blazing sun, which could more vividly emphasize the painting's brightness; if the latter, why not make the colors deeper and more restrained, perhaps also paint a young girl standing in the sea of flowers gazing at the sunset to bring depth and texture to the painting? Your alternating between vividness and melancholy gives it an inconsistent feel, do you understand?" After listening to Hao Jian's opinions, people looked at Qian Shaohang's painting and felt it wasn't that great anymore. Elder Qiu too seemed contemplative for a while, then deeply bowed to Hao Jian: "I have learned a lot." Everyone was astonished; Elder Qiu's reaction indicated that Hao Jian's identified issues truly existed. Their gaze towards Hao Jian also changed. "You talk as if you know so much, why don't you try painting one yourself?" Zhang Qiuya said disdainfully, standing by Qian Shaohang's side, naturally speaking up for him. At this comment, Elder Qiu frowned and couldn't help but reprimand: "Does it mean that one cannot critique paintings if they don't know how to paint? Does that mean I also have no right to critique paintings?" Elder Qiu also couldn't paint, and Zhang Qiuya's remark had inadvertently insulted him too. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "That's not what I meant," Zhang Qiuya said, her face flushing with embarrassment as she hurriedly tried to defend herself! She did not dare to offend Elder Qiu; otherwise, the art pieces in her gallery might never sell again. "I don't care what you meant, I'm telling you what it means. Those who understand art aren't necessarily artists, just like appreciating a song doesn't require the ability to sing it," Elder Qiu bluntly said. Then Zhang Qiuya had nothing else to say. "It doesn't matter. Since today is Che Xiaoxiao's birthday, I don't have much to gift to Xiaoxiao. I shall paint a picture for her, and if it's not good, don't laugh," Hao Jian said with a smile, then asked: "Do you have watercolors here?" "You really like to joke, this is a bar, how could there possibly be watercolors? You said it because you knew they weren't here, didn't you?" Zhang Qiuya said sarcastically, not daring to offend Elder Qiu, so she vented all her frustration on Hao Jian. Hao Jian ignored Zhang Qiuya's mockery and said, "Since there's no watercolor, we'll use alcohol. I assume there is some here?" "Painting with alcohol?" Everyone found it quite amusing. "Wait here, I'll get it for you right away." The bar owner was suddenly interested and quickly ran off, soon returning with a box of colorful liquors and a sheet of white paper. "Brother, pick whatever you like, it's on the house!" the bar owner said generously, having never seen anyone paint with alcohol before. To feast his eyes on such a sight, a few hundred bucks was nothing. "Thanks a lot, brother," Hao Jian nodded, then picked out four bottles. "That's enough." "Just four colors? Don't you need dozens of colors for painting generally?" the bar owner asked, surprised. "It's enough," Hao Jian said with a smile, then began to paint, ignoring the skeptical looks from the crowd. He took several glasses, then poured his chosen bottles into them, immediately creating a range of different colors in each. Everyone was stunned; Hao Jian had somehow developed five distinct colors from just four bottles of liquor. Elder Qiu stroked his beard and nodded, confirming from this alone that Hao Jian must be an expert. "Wow, that's incredible," a man dressed as a guitarist couldn't help but exclaim. "What's so incredible about that, I can do it too!" Qian Shaohang huffed, displeased. "But he created those colors using alcohol, can you do that?" the guitarist retorted with a curl of his lip. "..." At this moment, Qian Shaohang didn't know how to respond. If he claimed he could, and everyone asked him to demonstrate, he could be in big trouble. After blending the colors, Hao Jian simply dipped his fingers in the alcohol and began to add colors to the plain piece of paper, painting with his fingers. They watched Hao Jian working on the paper, but it barely seemed like he was painting, more like he was just scribbling. After a long time, nobody could tell what he was trying to depict. "What a load of rubbish." Zhang Qiuya scoffed disdainfully, thinking that this kid was indeed pretending to know what he was doing¡ªit was just a bunch of messy colors. Hao Jian ignored her, continuing to focus intently on his painting. Within half an hour, his "scribbling" was a success. "Mr. Hao Jian, why don't you tell us what this painting is supposed to be? A bunch of stains?" Qian Shaohang laughed out loud. Could that even be called a painting? Hao Jian didn't say a word but simply flipped the painting over. Then everyone fell silent. Chapter 110 Masters Touch! Everyone was stunned. The painting had been upside down, so all they had seen was a jumble of colors, but once Hao Jian flipped it over, a completely different scene appeared.On the white paper, a woman emerged, and naturally, this woman was Che Xiaoxiao! Hao Jian had painted this piece based on the very first scene he had seen of Che Xiaoxiao, who was focused on driving her car with a playful smile flirting at the corners of her mouth. The painting was abstract, yet it looked incredibly lifelike. "Painting upside down, this is truly the work of a master! This painting must be worth more than two hundred thousand!" Elder Qiu exclaimed. Such fluid lines and clever curves were beyond the capabilities of an ordinary person. What was even more remarkable was that Hao Jian had created this painting without using any watercolor or brush, which escalated the level of the artwork several notches. At this moment, the crowd still hadn't recovered from the shock of the painting, staring at this unbelievable piece. Although most of them didn't understand art, seeing Hao Jian's painting made them feel it was considerably better than Qian Shaohang's. Qian Shaohang's painting had merely caught their eye, but Hao Jian's was different; it captivated them completely, making it impossible to look away. Che Xiaoxiao was also incredibly excited, as she had not expected Hao Jian to paint her. "This painting, I'll buy it for two hundred thousand!" The bar owner spoke up immediately, knowing even in his ignorance that this was a masterpiece, possibly even appreciating in value in the future. "I'll offer two hundred fifty thousand," another man chimed in, knowing there was no better time to act. "I... I'll offer three hundred thousand." Zhang Qiuya also muttered softly, even she couldn't resist wanting to buy this painting now. At those words, Qian Shaohang immediately glared fiercely at Zhang Qiuya, causing her to quickly lower her head, but she didn't change her offer. She owned a gallery, meaning she was a businesswoman. Since Elder Qiu had mentioned the painting was valuable, naturally, she was inclined to make a bid. Even if it meant offending Qian Shaohang, she had no choice; the painting was too good to pass up. "I bid five hundred thousand!" Elder Qiu also joined in the excitement. With that bid, everyone was stunned as the price had suddenly increased by three hundred thousand. Zhang Qiuya discontentedly said, "Elder Qiu, didn't you say this painting is worth only two hundred thousand?" "I said it was worth more than two hundred thousand. Who said it's worth only that much? After all, the artist created this painting without using watercolors or brushes. Just that fact alone could quintuple its value. If an expert artist finds this, they might not hesitate to pay two hundred thousand, or even two million." Elder Qiu huffed, then scanned the crowd, "Don't compete with me, or I won't introduce you to good items in the future." With that, Zhang Qiuya and others could only smile bitterly and relinquish their claim. "Sorry, Elder Qiu, I've already agreed to give this painting to Che Xiaoxiao as a birthday gift, so I won't be selling it," Hao Jian shook his head apologetically to Elder Qiu. "A birthday gift doesn't have to be so valuable. Why don't you paint another one for Che Xiaoxiao later?" Elder Qiu still wouldn't give up, encountering a piece he admired so much, how could he let it go? "Yeah, Hao Jian! You don't have to mind me, this painting is indeed too expensive. I can't accept it," said Che Xiaoxiao considerately, though her heart actually desired it, not because of its high value, but because it was a gift from Hao Jian. "How could I not? Since I've said it's a birthday gift for you, I must give it to you. After giving it to you, whether you sell it or throw it away, that's up to you," Hao Jian said, stuffing the painting into Che Xiaoxiao's arms with a casual air, as if it was just a piece of scrap paper. "Be careful, be careful," Elder Qiu hurriedly said, feeling incredibly frustrated, almost wanting to hit Hao Jian. Such a treasure should be treated with care. "Are you really going to give it to me?" Xiaoxiao's face lit up with joy, cradling the painting yet unable to let it go. "Of course, when have I ever lied to you?" Hao Jian laughed with a hehe. Xiaoxiao didn't say anything; her smile was exceptionally bright. She tossed Qian Shaohang's painting onto the table and then carefully rolled up Hao Jian's painting and put it into a drawing tube. Seeing this, the corners of Qian Shaohang's mouth twitched uncontrollably. His paintings used to be worth a fortune, but now they were being rejected. At this moment, Qian Shaohang absolutely hated Hao Jian, not only because Hao Jian had stolen his limelight but also because Hao Jian had bewitched his goddess. "Xiaoxiao, can we discuss something?" At this time, Elder Qiu, targeting a shift, approached like a crafty old fox with an ulterior motive. Xiaoxiao knew what he wanted, and she shook her head directly: "Not for sale!" "Eight hundred thousand!" "Not for sale!" "One million!" "Not for sale!" "Then how much would it take for you to sell it?" Elder Qiu was almost crying, staring intently at Xiaoxiao's drawing tube. "No amount of money could make me sell it!" This was a gift from Hao Jian, and just for that reason alone, she would never sell it. "Elder Qiu, Xiaoxiao is much sharper than you. This painting will definitely appreciate in value. She might plan to find a buyer then," sighed the bar owner, filled with all sorts of envy and resentment. "Ah, it seems I must painfully let go." Elder Qiu also displayed a very disheartened expression. "Elder Qiu, there's no need to be like this. If you want, I'll give you another painting some other day," Hao Jian said with a smile. Elder Qiu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he spoke with a tremble: "Are you serious? You better not back out!" "Don't worry, since I've promised to paint for you, I definitely will," Hao Jian assured. "When will you give it to me?" Elder Qiu looked impatient, almost as if he wished Hao Jian could paint it for him right there and then. Hao Jian, caught between laughter and tears, said, "Well, you have to give me some time, right?" "Alright, alright, here's my phone number, make sure to contact me when it's time." Elder Qiu rubbed his hands nervously, knowing that he was being too anxious, and then offered his business card. And after Hao Jian's maneuver, weren't Xiaoxiao's friends no longer underestimating him? Who said he wasn't an artist? He was a great painter, indeed, just very low-key about it. At this time, Qian Shaohang was literally left out in the cold, too embarrassed to talk to Hao Jian, while others naturally couldn't bother to pay him any attention. Qian Shaohang sat alone, drowning his sorrows in drink, feeling as if there was a stone blocking his chest, indescribably angry. "Don't lose heart. I believe you are much better than him," Zhang Qiuya said, standing beside Qian Shaohang, her words belying her true feelings. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Really? If that's the case, then why did you buy his painting?" Qian Shaohang sneered as he looked at Zhang Qiuya. Chapter 111 Doesnt it look like a dog? Zhang Qiuya was at a loss for words, hanging his head low, "You also know I'm a businessman.""Heh heh." Qian Shaohang let out a cold laugh twice, didn't speak, but his expression grew darker. Seeing Qian Shaohang like this, Zhang Qiuya knew Qian Shaohang didn't want to talk to him, so he heaved a sigh and walked to the side. But just as Hao Jian and the others were drinking and chatting, more than a dozen burly men walked in through the doorway, all uniformly dressed in black. Leading them was an especially tall and robust man with a height of one meter ninety-five, sporting a long centipede scar on his face, extremely intimidating. The sight of these men made Zhang Qiuya jump, while the bar owner hurriedly went up to greet them. "Brother Huoniu, what brings you here?" the bar owner said fawningly. Brother Huoniu snorted, "I'm here for a drink, what, not welcome?" "Welcome, welcome, but could it be another day? I'm celebrating a friend's birthday today, how about I treat you another day?" The bar owner's face was filled with a sycophantic smile, knowing the man before him, Brother Huoniu, was the local tough, and he, the humble bar owner, certainly couldn't afford to offend him. "Heh, does Brother Huoniu need your invitation?" Brother Huoniu said with a sneer that was anything but amiable. "Brother Huoniu." The bar owner's face immediately showed a bitter expression. "Quit your damn blathering, my brothers want to drink, hurry up and serve us, or I'll smash up your place," Brother Huoniu threatened rudely. "But I really have friends over today." The bar owner was in a difficult spot, mixing these thugs with his friends, heaven knows what could happen. "Fuck!" Brother Huoniu slapped the bar owner's face with the back of his hand, rebuking angrily, "Situ Ming, am I giving you too much face? I said my brothers want to drink, try fucking whining one more time." Situ Ming, rubbing his face, sighed and nodded, then turned and walked toward the bar. "Dammit, won't smarten up without a beating, truly despicable!" Brother Huoniu spat, spitting on the ground with disdain. Situ Ming, with nowhere to vent his rage, had an increasingly dark expression on his face. He approached Hao Jian and his friends and gave them an apologetic look. Hao Jian and the others nodded, showing understanding. After all, everyone's trying to make a living, and no one's got it easy. Situ Ming delivered the drinks to Brother Huoniu and his group and was about to leave. "Hold on!" Brother Huoniu suddenly called him back, chuckling sinisterly, "Do I look like the kind of guy who drinks without paying?" Then, he slapped a thick stack of cash onto Situ Ming's face, "Take it! The extra is for you!" The bills rustled noisily all around, while Situ Ming's face rapidly turned red. He was paralyzed, unable to move for a moment. "What, you don't want Brother Huoniu's money?" Brother Huoniu laughed heartily. "It's not that," Situ Ming said somberly. "Then hurry up and pick it up," Brother Huoniu's brothers coldly sneered at Situ Ming. With no other choice, Situ Ming had to bend down to pick up the bills, swallowing his humiliation. "Oops, my shoelace is loose." Brother Huoniu suddenly laughed coldly, stepping on Situ Ming's head with his foot. Situ Ming didn't dare move, nearly grinding his teeth to powder. In truth, Brother Huoniu's shoelace wasn't loose at all, he had undone it himself after stepping on Situ Ming's head, and then pretended to busily retie it. Meanwhile, his brothers all started laughing loudly, one of them quoting Master Xing, "Look at him, doesn't he look like a dog?" "Alright, get up." After tying his shoelace, Brother Huoniu patted Situ Ming's shoulder, signaling for him to get up. Situ Ming collected the money, holding back his anger, and turned to leave. "Truly a good dog," Brother Huoniu chuckled with a sneer. Over there, Hao Jian's brow slightly knitted, also very dissatisfied with Brother Huoyun's actions. "Are you okay?" Che Xiaoxiao looked at Situ Ming with concern. Situ Ming shook his head with a bitter smile, wiping the bar table, "It's nothing, I'm used to it." His words were light, yet they felt profoundly sad. "That's too much, I'll call someone to deal with them!" Che Xiaoxiao snorted coldly, very angry. Situ Ming hurriedly shook his head, "Don't, he's not someone you can afford to mess with. He's not like those hoodlums and bullies; he really lives by the blade, a true man of the underworld." Then, a bitter smile appeared at the corners of Situ Ming's mouth, "And what good is it even if you beat him? He would just come back to take revenge on me later." Hearing this, Che Xiaoxiao could only swallow her anger. If she beat Brother Huoniu, what would happen if he later sought retribution from Situ Ming? "Let it be, let's drink," Situ Ming said with a smile, serving drinks to Hao Jian and the others. At this moment, all he hoped was for Brother Huoniu and his men to finish their drinks and leave quickly, to avoid stirring up more trouble. But it just happened that the very thing he feared came to pass, as Brother Huoniu and his buddies drank and chatted, their gaze drifted involuntarily towards Che Xiaoxiao and Zhang Qiuya. Afterward, Brother Huoniu licked his lips, his eyes revealing a hint of lust. "Brother Huoniu, those two chicks aren't bad, eh," one of his underlings noticed Brother Huoniu's intentions. "Indeed," Brother Huoniu nodded. "Why not try hitting on them? I believe with our Brother Huoniu's commanding presence, we can definitely handle those two chicks," the others egged him on. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Alright, I, Brother Huoniu, will go meet them," he said with a lewd chuckle, heading towards the two girls. Seeing Brother Huoniu approaching, Hao Jian and the others couldn't help frowning. But before they could react to what he was about to do, Brother Huoniu had already appeared before Che Xiaoxiao, saying sleazily, "Big sister, let me buy you a drink." "I don't have money to buy my own drinks? Do I need yours?" Che Xiaoxiao replied disdainfully, not harboring any good feelings toward this Brother Huoniu. "Oh my, sassy, aren't we, sister? I like it!" Brother Huoniu chuckled, reaching out to place his hand on Che Xiaoxiao's shoulder. Chapter 112 Isnt this too much?! "Qian Shaohang, you have to go and help Xiaoxiao," Zhang Qiuya urged Qian Shaohang as she saw Che Xiaoxiao being entangled by Brother Huoniu, becoming anxious herself.Although Zhang Qiuya liked Qian Shaohang and resented Che Xiaoxiao for stealing away the man she liked, Xiaoxiao was ultimately her friend, and she didn't want to see Xiaoxiao harassed by Brother Huoniu. Qian Shaohang's body stiffened, and his face turned somewhat ashen. Situ Ming had already said that Brother Huoniu was a man who licked blood from the blade's edge. If he intervened, he would probably get chopped up. Moreover, Brother Huoniu was so burly, his own frail frame stood no chance of stopping him. "She's already fallen for someone else, so what happens to her is none of my damn business," Qian Shaohang said, feigning calmness, seemingly too afraid to meddle in this business. Zhang Qiuya was shocked on the spot, staring fixedly at Qian Shaohang; she hadn't expected him to say such a thing. Wasn't Che Xiaoxiao the girl he liked? How could he be like this? Feeling guilty under Zhang Qiuya's intense gaze, Qian Shaohang lowered his head and muttered, "Since she already has a boyfriend, her boyfriend should be the one to protect her." Qian Shaohang certainly did not want to risk his life for a woman who had already fallen in love with someone else. Zhang Qiuya shook her head, looking at Qian Shaohang with a cold sneer: S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Qian Shaohang, I really misjudged you!" Not just Zhang Qiuya, including Situ Ming, everyone cast contemptuous glances toward Qian Shaohang. With his face pale as iron, Qian Shaohang kept his head down, drinking alcohol, pretending not to see everyone's looks, and ignored Zhang Qiuya's words. "Kid, you have a bright future. I've got my eye on you," Brother Huoniu pointed at Qian Shaohang and laughed heartily. At that moment, Zhang Qiuya turned her gaze to Hao Jian, hoping he would intervene, but instead, she saw Hao Jian, like Qian Shaohang, steadily drinking without as much as a glance at Brother Huoniu. Zhang Qiuya smiled bitterly and lowered her head, thinking that Hao Jian should be somewhat different from Qian Shaohang, only to be disappointed. "Brother Huoniu, could you do me a favor and let my friend go?" Situ Ming chose to step forward at this time. After all, it was his idea to invite Che Xiaoxiao for drinks, so he had to take responsibility. Brother Huoniu's eyes rounded fiercely, and he slapped Situ Ming's face hard while jeering, "What makes you think you're worthy of a favor from me?" With his face burning, Situ Ming clenched his jaw as he said: "Brother Huoniu, no matter what, I've been attending to you for so long. Sometimes you give money when you're happy, and don't when you're not. I've never uttered a word. Even if you won't do me a favor, you should at least consider how often I've played the host." "Oh, you dare to negotiate with me, huh?" Brother Huoniu, furious yet sneering, grabbed a bottle of wine and smashed it onto Situ Ming. Situ Ming fell to the ground, clutching his head and wailing incessantly, his forehead instantly crimson. "Smash this place up!" Brother Huoniu roared, and his lackeys immediately stood up, grabbing chairs and randomly smashing up the bar. "Blind trash, you think you can negotiate with me?" Brother Huoniu snorted coldly and kicked Situ Ming hard several times. "Stop! Or else I'll call the police!" Zhang Qiuya, now frightened into tears, shouted angrily. "Call the police? Do you really think that would do any good? Let me tell you, all the local police, patrol officers, armed police are all well acquainted with me, we refer to each other as brothers," Brother Huoniu said with disdain, and then tossed a cell phone onto the table: "Go on, call the police! I won't stop you." Zhang Qiuya was suddenly speechless, frozen in place, knowing that Brother Huoniu wasn't joking. Which mobster didn't have an official backing? "You, let my friend go!" Che Xiaoxiao also shouted at Brother Huoniu, her face filled with rage. "Let him go? Sure, as long as you come with me to the little woods," said Brother Huoniu with a lecherous chuckle. He was particularly fond of little Lolitas, especially a pretty and cute one like Che Xiaoxiao. "Dream on, and maybe take a look at yourself in the mirror!" Che Xiaoxiao said with disgust, trying to break free from Brother Huoniu's grip, but his hand was like a vice, firmly holding onto her. At this moment, Brother Huoniu's face turned ugly due to Che Xiaoxiao's words, his smile strained as he said: "Girl, it's an honor for you that Brother Huoniu is taking a liking to you. As long as you're with me, you can strut all over East City District. But if you keep disrespecting me, don't blame me for getting rough." Che Xiaoxiao's hand was tightly caught by Brother Huoniu, pain was evident on her face, but she still defiantly met his gaze, "You can forget about it!" "Alright, alright, it seems you really want to force me to be forceful!" Brother Huoniu's face turned cold, and he reached out with his other hand towards Che Xiaoxiao, intending to abduct her on the spot. Just then, from out of the blue, a hand reached over and grabbed hold of Brother Huoniu's hand. "Hmm?" Brother Huoniu's eyes narrowed, focusing on the owner of the hand. Hao Jian casually held a cigarette at the corner of his mouth, a smile in his eyes, "Brother, isn't this going too far?" "Who the hell are you?" Brother Huoniu scoffed with a smile on his face, yet a surge of anger couldn't help but rise in his heart. "I'm her boyfriend. Bullying my girlfriend in front of me, that's not very nice, is it?" Hao Jian chuckled, unfazed. "Boyfriend? That's no big deal, we can have a threesome, I don't mind," Brother Huoniu laughed shamelessly, thinking himself witty, though no one else found it amusing. "I'm sorry, but I'd rather not have my 'cabbage' ravaged by a pig," Hao Jian shook his head, rejecting Brother Huoniu's suggestion. Upon hearing this, Che Xiaoxiao immediately glared at Hao Jian dissatisfied. This jerk, comparing her to a cabbage? Seeing Hao Jian dare to call Brother Huoniu a pig made Zhang Qiuya and others gape in shock. Wasn't this courting death? Didn't Hao Jian see how many people Brother Huoniu had brought with him? At this moment, Qian Shaohang also displayed a cold smile. Talking to a mafia leader like that, this kid must be insane? Qian Shaohang thought it would serve Hao Jian right if Brother Huoniu wasted him, thereby exacting Qian's own revenge. "Kid, you don't seem to get how things work, do you?" Brother Huoniu also laughed coldly, seeing Hao Jian looking at him with an amused smile, his inner fury rising rapidly. Hao Jian smiled and pointed at Brother Huoniu's hand, "Take your hand off her." By this time, Brother Huoniu's lackeys had finished their destruction and started to surround Hao Jian. Brother Huoniu glared at Hao Jian with a cold smile, "Say that again if you dare?" "Shua shua shua." Brother Huoniu's lackeys all drew out their machetes, the glaring blades and killing intent creating an especially frightening scene. "How much money do you want to let this go? I'll pay you!" Zhang Qiuya said, trying to sway Brother Huoniu with money. "Money? Haha." Brother Huoniu laughed coldly, then outright slapped Zhang Qiuya, "I'm after respect right now, not money! Get it?" Then, Brother Huoniu turned his attention back to Hao Jian, "I asked you to say it again!" Hao Jian sighed, "To tell the truth, I really didn't want it to come to this, but reality always seems so relentlessly disappointing, doesn't it?" "Bang!" As his words fell, a beer bottle flew from Hao Jian's hand, striking Brother Huoniu's head heavily. Chapter 113 Does It Come with Special Effects? Clang!The beer bottle shattered in an instant, shards scattering across the ground! Brother Huoniu's whole head blossomed like a flower, as pieces of glass plunged into his eyeball¡ªit looked like that eye was done for. "Ah¡­ Fuck! Kill him for me!!!" Brother Huoniu, after all a ruthless man, commanded his subordinates to kill Hao Jian instead of howling in pain as he hit the ground. The dozen or so underlings raised their knives high, their ferocious gazes fixed on Hao Jian. Hao Jian, hands in his pockets, met their stares, "So you all want to end up in the hospital, huh?" The dozen underlings all took a step back, actually intimidated by Hao Jian alone. "Chop him up! Who the hell do you roll with?" Brother Huoniu, seeing his men not moving, trembled with rage. Hearing this, a fierce ruthlessness flashed across the faces of the underlings, and all of them swung their knives at Hao Jian. Swish, swish, swish! "Hao Jian, watch out!" Zhang Qiuya yelled in fright. On the contrary, Che Xiaoxiao was unusually calm because she had seen Hao Jian's skills and was full of confidence in him. Hao Jian spat out the cigarette butt from his mouth, aiming it right into one of their eyes, causing the man to cry out in pain from the burn. Then his hands moved like the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, striking out fiercely; his palms flickered wildly, smack, smack, smack, sending the dozen underlings in front of him flying back in an instant. "Fuck¡­ Fucking hell¡­" Those underlings glanced at their now twisted and deformed knives with shocked expressions¡ªhad this guy just destroyed their steel knives with his bare hands? Is this... some kind of special effect? But Hao Jian didn't give them a chance to hesitate, charging into the crowd. After a flurry of punches and kicks, all of them were down. And at that moment, Zhang Qiuya and the others were frozen stiff! They didn't know how to describe their emotions; from the time these people surrounded Hao Jian to the time they were all lying on the ground, not even a minute had passed. Was this guy Zhao Zilong reincarnate? Almost everyone thought Hao Jian was done for and were considering whether to help him out, but Hao Jian had resolved it all by himself. After knocking them to the ground, he wasn't finished; he continued on to the next person, stepping on his knee, and with a 'crack', shattered the man's kneecap in an instant. Then the second, the third... The crowd only felt their hearts pounding wildly, completely stunned! Watching the gangsters on the ground screaming in agony, cold sweat appeared on everyone's foreheads! So... so ruthless! Qian Shaohang felt as if his scalp was exploding, a chill running from the soles of his feet to his forehead! Hao Jian's ferocity had nearly scared him witless¡ªwhat if Hao Jian took a dislike to him and did the same to him? Dozens of people, all one by one, had a leg ruined by Hao Jian, who throughout remained calm as if he was doing something utterly mundane. After all that, Hao Jian slowly lifted his head, noticing everyone looking at him with awe, he paused, scratched his head, and asked in confusion: "What's up?" What's up? sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What the fuck do you mean, what's up? Holy shit! "You... you went a bit too far, didn't you? It would've been enough to just beat them up; was there really a need to cripple them?" Zhang Qiuya said with a stiff expression, feeling scared after witnessing Hao Jian's actions. She felt that Hao Jian was even more terrifying than this Brother Huoniu. This guy was simply inhumane, breaking someone's leg as if it were as simple as eating and drinking! Before Brother Huoniu took action, there would be some emotional fluctuation, but Hao Jian had none. That ease and casualness, that indifference, as though it wasn't his first time doing such things. Not only did Zhang Qiuya feel this way, Situ Ming and the others did too. They couldn't help but speculate about Hao Jian's identity. In their eyes, Hao Jian could be gentler than a lamb when calm, but more ferocious than a starving wolf when provoked. "Not necessary? I don't think so. Looking at them, you should know this isn't their first time doing this kind of thing. If left unchecked, more people will suffer at their hands," Hao Jian explained, deliberately slowing his tone: "Think about it carefully, what would have happened if I had not appeared here today? At that time, would you still think they deserve pity?" Everyone was silent, their mouths revealing bitter smiles. The thought was unbearable; had it truly come to that, they could only have watched as Che Xiaoxiao was taken away. The fate that Che Xiaoxiao would have faced... Thinking about their previous disrespect towards Hao Jian, and then the fact that he turned around and saved them, they felt a strange sense of guilt. "In order to prevent them from harming others, I had no choice but to cripple them. I have a saying: 'If the price of a mistake is too small, then one cannot restrain the latent beast within oneself!'" Hao Jian said without expression, feeling he must do this, and that the people should pay the price for their actions. "We're not saying what you did was wrong, we're just worried that you've made such a big scene, it might not end well," Elder Qiu hurriedly explained. "You don't need to worry about that, I have ways to deal with it," Hao Jian replied confidently. A mere dozen gangsters were nothing he couldn't handle. With that, everyone's curiosity about Hao Jian's identity increased. "Don't mess around. My boss is top dog in East City District. If you touch me, he'll make sure you regret it," Brother Huoniu said, still trying to intimidate, even though he saw Hao Jian take down all his underlings single-handedly. "Then let him come. My name is Hao Jian; I'll be waiting," Hao Jian replied, shrugging. He grabbed Brother Huoniu by the hair and flung him fiercely out of the hotel; Brother Huoniu went flying out the door. Zhang Qiuya and the others were shocked by Hao Jian's move. Brother Huoniu, who weighed at least two hundred pounds, was tossed out with just one hand. They looked Hao Jian up and down, but no matter how they looked, they couldn't reconcile Hao Jian's physique with his ability to throw Brother Huoniu out. "Come on, let's drink," Hao Jian said, plopping down at the bar. "Oh, oh." The crowd seemed to awaken from a dream and began picking up their glasses hesitantly. At that moment, in Zhang Qiuya's gaze towards Hao Jian, there seemed to be a hint of something indescribable. She had admired Qian Shaohang's talent, but after today's event, she was utterly disappointed in him. Yet, Hao Jian appeared before them like a Heavenly God descending, resolving the crisis with ease. Zhang Qiuya felt as if there was a deer scampering around inside her. But just then, Hao Jian suddenly turned his head to look at Qian Shaohang: "Aren't you going to scram?" A man who can't even protect the woman he likes is simply a waster. As Hao Jian spoke, almost everyone glared at Qian Shaohang, angered by his previous behavior. Qian Shaohang's face became so dark it was almost dripping, his fists clenched, feeling deeply humiliated. "Qian Shaohang, from now on, we're no longer friends. My bar no longer welcomes you; just go," Situ Ming echoed along. "Right, you call us brothers in daily life, but turn your back at the critical moment. You're such a pitiful person. Just scram!" the guitarist scolded. Chapter 114 When Masters Curse in the Street! "A crummy bar, who cares about coming here?"Qian Shaohang grimaced and huffed, picking up his belongings and quickly left the bar. From that moment, he and these former friends were completely estranged. "Hmph, scum." Che Xiaoxiao also pursed her lips, thinking how lucky she was not to have fallen for Qian Shaohang, otherwise her fate now would be unknown. "Don't get upset over such a scumbag, come on, let's drink. Hao Jian, brother, thank you. We really owe it to you this time." Situ Ming raised his glass to toast Hao Jian. The mood of the others hadn't changed with Qian Shaohang's departure, on the contrary, they were quite pleased. Because today they had made friends with Hao Jian, a talented, dignified, and crucially, formidable in fights. If anyone dared to bully them in the future, they would directly call Hao Jian, and watch him annihilate those people. They kept drinking until twelve at night before the crowd finally dispersed, and Hao Jian incidentally threw out the gangsters from the bar as well. When he was preparing to give Che Xiaoxiao a ride, the drunk Boss Qiu slurred his words, asking Hao Jian to remember to draw for him. Hao Jian couldn't help but smile, they were so drunk they couldn't even stand straight, and still, Boss Qiu was worrying about his painting. Afterward, Hao Jian drove Che Xiaoxiao home. On the way, Xiaoxiao, unlike before, quietly looked out the window, creating a somewhat strange atmosphere. "Hao Jian, thank you." After a long time, Xiaoxiao finally couldn't hold back and spoke. "If we're friends, no need for thanks. Besides, didn't I promise to be your 'dad' tonight?" Hao Jian said with a wicked grin, turning his head to Xiaoxiao and winking, his face not serious at all. Xiaoxiao laughed, gave him an annoyed look, and sighed, "Now I'm suddenly regretting letting you be my dad." "Not be your dad, then what?" "Be my boyfriend." Xiaoxiao suddenly mustered up the courage, looking earnestly at Hao Jian. "Ah? Really?" Hao Jian's expression shifted dramatically; this little girl has a crush on him? But he had no love for 'lolitas'. "Just kidding, why so scared?" Xiaoxiao laughed heartily, pushing Hao Jian lightly. "Whew, you scared me to death. Never joke about that kind of thing again." Hao Jian patted his little heart, really scared by Xiaoxiao just then. "You're really hurting my feelings, do you know that? Am I that bad?" Xiaoxiao glared at Hao Jian, discontent. Was she that unattractive to him, that the very idea of being his girlfriend turned his face green? This big, super duper jerk! "No, it's my issue. Qian Shaohang said it before too, didn't he? I'm so old, you even call me uncle, a wilted flower, how could I possibly match up to you?" Hao Jian hurriedly explained with a bitter smile. "Oh stop it, you're only six or seven years older than me." Xiaoxiao pouted. Hao Jian didn't know how to respond, and could only offer a bitter smile. Hao Jian drove into the residential area where Xiaoxiao lived, only to discover it was a wealthy villa area called "Snowy Moonstream." "I didn't know your family was so rich. So you're a little rich girl?" Hao Jian said, amazed. "What's the use of a big house? There's no one inside." Xiaoxiao said expressionlessly. Hao Jian also noticed that Che Xiaoxiao was in a bad mood and dared not bother her further. Hao Jian drove into the parking lot and was about to reverse into a spot when suddenly, a pretentiously low-key red Ferrari shot out and rudely snatched Hao Jian's parking space. "Screech!" Hao Jian hastily hit an emergency brake, luckily reacting quickly, or else he would have collided with the other vehicle. "Ah!" Che Xiaoxiao, holding her head, had not reacted in time when Hao Jian suddenly braked, and her head knocked against the car window. Although it was nothing serious, it still hurt quite a bit. "Are you okay?" Hao Jian asked anxiously, knowing he would be in deep trouble if Che Xiaoxiao was hurt. "I'm fine, just a bump. What's wrong with this person, doing something so dangerous just to snatch a parking spot?" Che Xiaoxiao also looked displeased at the red Ferrari in front of them. A fierce look flitted across Hao Jian's eyes, "When some people gain status, position, and wealth, they become confident, while others become arrogant. Unfortunately, we've encountered the latter." Just then, a man dressed in a suit, obviously a successful person, got out of the car and gave Hao Jian a provocative glance, scoffing, "Idiot!" Having said that, the man started to walk away! "So arrogant, let's beat him up!" Che Xiaoxiao immediately got upset, what kind of nerve, almost causing them an accident and still so arrogant, did he really think they were so easy to bully? "As you wish!" Hao Jian didn't object and directly opened the car door and stepped out. The other guy didn't expect Hao Jian to get out and simply stopped, looking down at Hao Jian with disdain. "Are you blind? Such a big car, can't you see it? Can't you drive properly? I curse your mother, you damn fool! Later, you're going to crash your car! Your wife and son will be rolled under the wheels and crushed into bits! So you think drifting is cool? Then why don't you drift in your parents' hearse, you idiot!" Hao Jian cursed furiously as soon as he got out, a skill he had picked up from his driving instructor back in the day. That instructor had a sage saying: In this world, there are only two kinds of people, those who drive slower than me are idiots, and those who drive faster than me are fools. Hao Jian had naturally learned a few things while learning to drive, and now he put them into practice. Che Xiaoxiao was totally dumbfounded, damn, a master suddenly turning into a shrew and starting to curse on the street, this really was a possessed old driver. The man's face immediately turned green with rage, and he glared at Hao Jian, threatening, "Kid, dare you curse me like that again?" "I curse your mother, I'll dance on your parents' graves!" Hao Jian shouted at the man, then turned to Che Xiaoxiao, "In my entire life, I've never heard such a bizarre request, someone actually likes being cursed." Che Xiaoxiao laughed as well, glaring fiercely at Hao Jian, was that really what they meant, and you just twisted their words? "Kid, oh shit, do you know who I am? Are you looking to die?" the man asked darkly, encountering someone daring to curse him like this for the first time. "Of course, a fool who drifts a hearse." Hao Jian replied unapologetically. If it weren't for his sudden braking earlier, a tragedy might have indeed occurred, no one knew what would have happened. The man's actions were insane and irresponsible, probably thinking his wealth allowed him to disregard others. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 115 How can you have no principles at all? And indeed, just as Hao Jian had thought, this man looked down on him because he saw that Hao Jian was driving only a BMW worth a few hundred thousand.The residents of this wealthy district were all either rich or noble, with the cheapest car worth over three million. Yet there was Hao Jian, driving a ragged BMW worth a few hundred thousand, which he found disdainful. "Kid, since you don't know who I am, let me tell you. My name is Liu Rizhao, I'm the boss of this wealthy district, which is to say, I built this place. Now, do you friggin' know?" Liu Rizhao said with a gloomy expression. "Liu Rizhao? It's actually him?" Che Xiaoxiao also showed a surprised expression. "What, you know him?" Hao Jian looked at Che Xiaoxiao curiously. Che Xiaoxiao was speechless, "In all of Hua City, probably only you don't know him. He's a real estate tycoon in Hua City. He might not be the richest man, but he's definitely in the top ten." "No wonder he's so arrogant." Hao Jian shrugged; Liu Rizhao indeed had the capital to be pompous. "Now that you know who I am, get on your knees right now, and slap yourself a hundred times! If I'm in a good mood, I'll let you off like a fart!" Liu Rizhao said with a grim smile, looking at Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao. "Oh, what an idiot," Hao Jian chuckled. Liu Rizhao's expression stiffened, and he looked at Hao Jian deeply but did not continue to demand that Hao Jian kneel, choosing to turn around and leave instead. He was alone at the moment and wouldn't just get into a conflict with Hao Jian, but he would have someone investigate Hao Jian first thing in the morning and then teach him a lesson. "Hey, move your car. I saw this spot first." Hao Jian had no intention of just letting Liu Rizhao leave unless he gave up the parking spot. Liu Rizhao indeed turned his head, a cold smirk appearing at the corner of his mouth: "I make the rules in this entire villa area. If I say you can't park, then you can't park here!" "Besides, every car here is worth hundreds of millions. You come here driving a ragged BMW worth a few hundred thousand, do you think you deserve it?" "I said, move the car!" At that moment, Hao Jian didn't seem interested in wasting further words with Liu Rizhao and repeated the phrase coldly with a chuckle. "Idiot," Liu Rizhao sneered, completely disregarding Hao Jian, and turned to walk away. "Bang!" sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And just as Liu Rizhao turned around, he heard a loud bang from behind him, followed by the sound of his beloved car crying like a bullied little girl. Liu Rizhao quickly turned back, only to see that his Ferrari's hood was completely dented, as if it had been struck by a giant hammer. "I... fuck! You dare smash my car?" Liu Rizhao's eyes were about to burst with rage. It was his brand-new car, and a limited edition one at that. "I already warned you," Hao Jian said nonchalantly, breaking off a car light and looking at Liu Rizhao with a smile. "Kid, you're gonna pay for this!" Liu Rizhao pointed at Hao Jian and then started to make a phone call. Before long, five or six security guards wielding batons rushed over. "Boss, what's the matter?" they asked respectfully. "This bastard dared to smash my car. Beat him to death ¨C if there's any trouble, it's on me!" Liu Rizhao said through gritted teeth, almost going mad with grief seeing his car smashed like that. And so, those security guards began to circle around Hao Jian. With their boss right there, it was naturally a good opportunity for them to show off. Their faces full of fierce smiles, they stared at Hao Jian and glanced at Che Xiaoxiao, their expressions filled with lewdness! "Rich people are indeed great, always followed by a few dogs. When I'm rich, I'll keep some too. Without lifting a finger, just by giving an order, they'll bite for me," Hao Jian sincerely exclaimed. Mocked by Hao Jian, the security guards' faces turned black with fury, their malevolence intensifying as each of them seemed eager to break Hao Jian's legs to show him their power. "Hao Jian, you're deliberately making enemies," Che Xiaoxiao said with a grin, without a hint of anxiety, knowing these guys were no match for Hao Jian. "You're asking for it!" The guards were provoked, as being called a lackey was their taboo, yet Hao Jian brought it up repeatedly, touching their raw nerves. "Right, thrash him hard, kill him for all I care. I have plenty of money and can settle this matter for you!" Liu Rizhao laughed heartily from behind. To dare to provoke Liu Rizhao in Hua City? Utterly sick of living. Hearing this, the guards became as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline, even more unrestrained and wild. "Heh heh... Kid, you hear that? Offend our boss, and you're asking for death!" "Beat him mercilessly! Frigging make him recognize how tough I am!" "..." These security guards were extremely fierce, and at this moment, they pounced like tigers and wolves! Hao Jian's lips curled into a sneer as he whisked away like a whirlwind, instantly appearing behind the group of security guards. The guards stood as if they were statues, and it took them about four or five seconds before they collapsed to the ground and began to vomit. Liu Rizhao was stunned; what on earth had happened? How could his men have ended up like this? Meanwhile, seeing Hao Jian approaching, Liu Rizhao's footsteps grew chaotic. As he thought of running away, Hao Jian had already appeared in front of him. "Are you going to beat me to death?" Hao Jian asked Liu Rizhao with a sarcastic smile. "No, no," Liu Rizhao immediately shrank back, shaking his head nervously. Hao Jian nonchalantly slapped him across the face, turning Liu Rizhao's head to one side, "No, what? Can't you speak properly?" "Yes, yes!" Liu Rizhao nodded vigorously like a pecking chick. "Are you the 'Hearse Drifting'?" Hao Jian asked, patting Liu Rizhao on the shoulder. "Yes, I am Hearse Drifting," Liu Rizhao squeezed out a smile uglier than a cry. "Smack." Another slap, and Hao Jian, with a look of disgust, said: "That smile is so hideous. Are you trying to gross me out on purpose?" ".." "Who's in the hearse?" Hao Jian demanded. "My dad and my mom," Liu Rizhao truly felt like dying. Even though his parents weren't with him, saying something like this felt inherently wrong. If Mom and Dad found out, wouldn't they kill him? "Whose ashes do you mix in your rice?" Hao Jian seemed hooked on this game and continued to press. "My wife's and son's." Liu Rizhao was close to tears, wailing inwardly: Heavenly Empress, Jade Emperor, I'm being coerced, please don't let it count! Che Xiaoxiao giggled coquettishly, her body trembling with laughter. She hadn't expected Hao Jian to be so ruthless, making Liu Rizhao curse his own family to death. "Right, not only is your hearse drifting elegant, but you also dance on your dad's grave, hang your mom on a tree, mix your son's ashes in your rice, and surf on your wife's coffin!" Hao Jian rattled off several accusations in a row. "Yes, yes, whatever you say," Liu Rizhao replied with a mournful face, truly a picture of misery. "How can you have no principles at all?" Hao Jian asked angrily. "." Liu Rizhao had no reply. I'd like to have principles, but do I ****** dare? "Do you think you won't get beaten just because you cooperate with me?" Hao Jian asked with a sinister smile. "Hm?" Liu Rizhao looked confusedly at Hao Jian; he really thought so. I've already complied to this extent, do you have the heart to hit me? "You guys, come over here!" Hao Jian shouted menacingly at the remaining security guards. The guards walked over submissively. "Take off your clothes!" Hao Jian ordered unceremoniously. "Ah? What for?" The guards expressed shock. "Just take them off when I tell you to. What's with all the backtalk? Are you asking for a beating?" Hao Jian threatened. "But there's a girl here," they said, glancing warily at Che Xiaoxiao. "Turn your head away," Hao Jian told Che Xiaoxiao. Che Xiaoxiao snorted, "As if I'm interested." Seeing that Che Xiaoxiao had turned away, the guards reluctantly began to strip with sullen faces. Before long, five stark-naked figures stood before him. Chapter 116 Not Suitable for Children, No Watching! "And you, strip as well," Hao Jian pointed at Liu Rizhao.Liu Rizhao's expression stiffened, "Can I, can I not strip?" "You can, but then I'll beat you until you can't take care of yourself," Hao Jian gestured with his fist and smirked. Liu Rizhao looked at Hao Jian resentfully, then started taking off his clothes one by one, soon looking just like the other security guards. Six people stood naked in the cold winter night, shivering uncontrollably. "Attention!" Hao Jian suddenly shouted, and all six stiffened simultaneously. "Turn left and right!" The six turned right! "Run forward! Streak for five laps!" Hao Jian ordered. "What?" All six were stunned, Hao Jian actually wanted them to streak? With so many people in this villa district, if they streaked for five laps, they would become famous by tomorrow. "Run or eat my fist!" Hao Jian huffed, Was he, Hao Jian, easy to bully? Bullying him came with a cost, understand? Then the security guards helplessly lowered their heads. "Remember, while running you must also shout this slogan: 'You are ****, you are shameless stinking ****,' got it?" Hao Jian was very serious while saying something not serious at all. No one responded, they all thought to themselves, had this guy lost his mind? "Are you listening to me?" Hao Jian kicked Liu Rizhao's butt impatiently. "Remembered! Remembered!" Liu Rizhao cried with tears streaming down his face. Why was it always him getting hurt? If this were in a rich district, he'd definitely make the papers tomorrow. "No slacking off, I'll come back to check later. If I find you didn't run or ran too little, it'll be worse for you. Don't think I can't find you!" Hao Jian huffed and then turned towards Che Xiaoxiao: "Come on, I'll take you home." "But I want to watch," Che Xiaoxiao looked a bit disappointed. She had never seen people streak before. "Not suitable for children, you can't watch!" Hao Jian sternly refused. "I'm already an adult! I just turned eighteen today!" Che Xiaoxiao protested discontentedly. "Even so, you're a girl!" Hao Jian ignored Che Xiaoxiao's protests, grabbed her by the collar, and headed home. Upon entering the house, Hao Jian's first impression of Che Xiaoxiao's home was big! His second impression, very big! His third impression, extremely extremely big! The house had at least two hundred fifty square meters on a single floor, and it was a three-story duplex, plus a garden and swimming pool. This villa couldn't go for less than a hundred million. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What do your parents do to be so wealthy?" Hao Jian looked up at the European-style architecture. "My mom works in the government and holds a high position." Che Xiaoxiao turned on the light, then threw her handbag onto the sofa, and seemed eager to find something to frame the painting Hao Jian gave her. "Tsk tsk tsk, three years as a governor can amass a hundred thousand pieces of silver." Hao Jian remarked. "Tch! You speak so crudely, that's not money my mother embezzled. My father was a successful businessman before he died. After his death, we inherited his fortune, that's why we live in such a lavish house," Che Xiaoxiao explained. "I see," Hao Jian revealed an understanding expression: "But this house, despite its size, lacks a human touch and feels quite empty," he said. Upon hearing this, Che Xiaoxiao's smile vanished, replaced by a touch of melancholy: "You noticed? It's because my mom is busy with work and is hardly ever home. It's just me here, so it gets lonely." "You must get scared being alone at home," Hao Jian couldn't imagine how Che Xiaoxiao handled those periods. "I used to when I was younger, but I gradually got used to it," Che Xiaoxiao forced a smile. Hao Jian sighed, "Now I finally understand why you are so wild." Che Xiaoxiao always hung out outside, went to bars, sang at KTV, and even raced with people. It was because she needed to vent, venting the frustration and loneliness inside her. She always dreaded going home because it was just her alone. Every time she returned, it was pitch black, making her feel unfamiliar and frightened. "Environment can drive a person mad." Che Xiaoxiao shrugged and flashed a bright smile, "Enough about me, let's talk about you. Why did you let Brother Huoniu off earlier?" Hao Jian asked with a faint smile, "Did I let him off?" "Stop pretending, others might not see it, but can't I? You beat his followers so badly, but for him, the main culprit, you just threw him out. Why is that?" This question had been puzzling Che Xiaoxiao; logically, Hao Jian wouldn't have feared Brother Huoniu, otherwise he wouldn't have struck. At this, Hao Jian just smiled, remaining silent. He indeed had shown mercy, but his mercy had a purpose. As for what the purpose was, that he couldn't reveal to Che Xiaoxiao. "Fine, don't tell me then, I don't want to know!" Che Xiaoxiao muttered discontentedly. Just then, a roaring sound of a car came from outside the villa. "Oh no! My mom is back!" Che Xiaoxiao's expression drastically changed, and she screamed. "So what if she's back, why the big fuss? Anyone would think you've seen a ghost," Hao Jian quipped. "You don't understand, my mom is very conservative, and she doesn't even know who I hang out with outside. If she sees me bringing a man home in the middle of the night, she'll kill me!" Chapter 117 Your Mom is Teasing You! "What should we do?"Hao Jian was at a loss for words. Surely he couldn't hide himself, right? Wouldn't that be too embarrassing? But little did he know, Che Xiaoxiao had this in mind. She looked at Hao Jian seriously, "You'd better hide first, and after my mom leaves, you can sneak away." "Damn, does it have to be this thrilling? Like having an affair or something. Why don't you just tell your mom that I'm your friend who gave you a lift home?" With mixed feelings of laughter and tears, Hao Jian felt like he was being treated like a cheating husband caught in the act, and honestly, he couldn't stand it. "That's not going to work. You don't understand my mom. She won't allow me to have any contact with boys. If she sees you at my place, it's not just me who's done for; you'll be screwed too!" Che Xiaoxiao threatened. "Cut it out, I don't believe this! It's not like she can kill me, right?" Hao Jian scoffed, underestimating her¡ªa woman's capabilities. "She might not kill you, but she can make sure you wind up in prison with just one word." Che Xiaoxiao snorted twice, thinking that Hao Jian didn't realize how terrifying her mother could be, hence his bravado. "Really, that unreasonable?" Hao Jian frowned; going to jail would be a real problem. "Have you ever seen a woman be reasonable?" Che Xiaoxiao sneered, mocking Hao Jian's naivety. "If you're going to hide, do it now. Otherwise, my mom will come in, and watch out¡ªshe might accuse you of abducting an underage girl!" Che Xiaoxiao pouted, looking indifferent to whether he hid or not. "How could that be? Aren't you an adult today?" "Yes, but the age on my household registration is a month younger than my actual age. Technically speaking, I'm still a minor," Che Xiaoxiao said with a playful smile. "Knowing you, I must have had incredibly bad luck in my past eight lifetimes!" Hao Jian cursed under his breath and then hurried upstairs. "Hehe." For some reason, seeing Hao Jian in a tough spot inexplicably pleased Che Xiaoxiao. "Over here, hide in my room." Che Xiaoxiao led Hao Jian to her room and quickly shut the door. Che Xiaoxiao's room was different from most girls'. It wasn't the typical cute pink but a cool, metallic green and was plastered with various car posters. But Hao Jian had no time to take in these details because he already heard the sound of a door opening downstairs. "Where should I hide?" Hao Jian was as antsy as an ant on a hot pan, nearly jumping up in panic. If Guo Shuxian, Che Xiaoxiao's mother, caught him, not only would he end up in jail, but his good reputation would be completely ruined! "The closet! The closet!" Che Xiaoxiao quickly pointed to her wardrobe. Hao Jian rushed to the wardrobe, but when he opened it, he was dumbfounded by the assortment of colorful, varied styles of underwear piled inside. Lace-trimmed, shoulder-strapped... even thongs were in there! Damn... this could cost him his life... "You want me to hide in here?" Hao Jian couldn't believe his eyes. Che Xiaoxiao's face also flushed red in an instant, "That's a mistake, hide in the bathroom! My bathroom is big enough!" Che Xiaoxiao pushed Hao Jian into the bathroom, but just then, there was a knock on the door of Che Xiaoxiao's room. "Xiaoxiao, are you asleep?" came the voice of Che Xiaoxiao's mother from outside. "Don't move in here, I'll deal with her." Che Xiaoxiao gestured for Hao Jian to keep quiet and then quickly stripped off her clothes at top speed. "What are you doing? At this time, you're still thinking about that?" Hao Jian stared in disbelief at Che Xiaoxiao and began to lament, "To think my good reputation was ruined by a moment of weakness and getting on this treacherous ship. Forget it, I'll throw out all the stops today. If you want to do it, just do it, I won't resist!" "Screw you! Haven't you had enough yet?" Che Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at Hao Jian, annoyed, stripped down to just her underwear, and quickly went to the closet to find pajamas to change into. She couldn't let her mother see her still dressed in casual clothes so late at night; otherwise, her mother would guess she had just returned, given that she was an expert in navigating the bureaucratic world, each member sharper than the last. After doing all this, Che Xiaoxiao finally took a deep breath, put on an act of having just woken up, rubbing her eyes as she opened the door: "What's up?" "You were sleeping? I'm sorry, dear, Mommy came back too late to celebrate your birthday with you. But Mommy brought you a birthday gift." Guo Shuxian suddenly pulled out a helmet from behind her back: "Ta-da-da-da, guess what this is?" "This is..." Che Xiaoxiao was completely stunned because she saw autographs on the helmet. "This is actually Croke's signature, you know. I know she's your idol, so I made a point of asking my friend to get it from her while abroad at one of her races." Guo Shuxian said with a beaming smile, knowing full well how much Xiaoxiao admired racecar drivers, especially Croke. Because Croke was one of the top ten female racecar drivers in the world and the only one who had ever won a world-class competition, Xiaoxiao had always set her as a target. "Thanks, Mom, but I'm really tired and want to sleep." Che Xiaoxiao took the helmet from Guo Shuxian's hands and intended to close the door. Under other circumstances, she surely would have been overjoyed, but now there was a man hiding in her room, making it impossible for her to be happy. "Hold on." Guo Shuxian stopped the door with her foot, looking at Xiaoxiao with a plaintive expression: "You child, Mommy went through so much trouble to get this gift you like, and this is how you treat me?" "Mom, you're drunk, aren't you? I'm really sleepy. Can we talk about this tomorrow?" Che Xiaoxiao covered her nose, smelling the alcohol on Guo Shuxian, no wonder she was acting so crazy tonight. "Okay, then let Mommy check your body, let me see if growing another year older made anything else grow." Guo Shuxian barged in and hugged Xiaoxiao, her hands starting to grope Xiaoxiao's chest. "Ah! Mom, what are you doing?!" Che Xiaoxiao cried out in alarm, with Hao Jian still watching from behind. "Huh, how come they're still so small?" Guo Shuxian asked, genuinely perplexed. "Mom! Stop it!" Che Xiaoxiao was furious, not only had her mother groped her, but now she was complaining about her small chest size. It was almost enough to drive someone insane. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Oh, upset now? You never used to get mad when we played around like this before," Guo Shuxian said, ruffling Xiaoxiao's hair quite hard. How could that be the same, before my room definitely didn't have a secret man hiding in it! Xiaoxiao complained in her mind. "Well then, how about I let you feel mine? Mommy's are the real deal¡ªexploding with E-cups," Guo Shuxian said with a seductive look, clearly quite drunk. Hao Jian inside the bathroom shrank back, thinking that Xiaoxiao's mom was a bit too formidable. "Who would want to touch yours." Che Xiaoxiao, head lowered with an embarrassed expression, knew Hao Jian was inside and must have heard everything. "Hey, rejecting them? Who used to grab my chest and say, 'Mom, your breasts are so big, so pretty; am I really your child? Why are mine so small?'" Guo Shuxian squinted her eyes at Xiaoxiao. "Stop it, just go!" Che Xiaoxiao pushed Guo Shuxian out, almost to her wit's end, her dignity completely lost in front of Hao Jian. When Che Xiaoxiao returned to the bathroom, she saw Hao Jian eyeing her with a peculiar expression. "Will you just drop dead already!" Che Xiaoxiao, cheeks puffed up with anger, couldn't believe this jerk was teasing her too? "Your mom's just kidding with you, actually, yours aren't small at all," Hao Jian looked at Che Xiaoxiao sincerely. Chapter 118 Heading in a More Thrilling Direction! "Shut up!"Che Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth, not wanting to hear anything about "breasts" anymore, or else she really feared she wouldn't be able to restrain herself from killing someone. ... At that moment, Che Xiaoxiao opened the bathroom window and said, "You should leave through here, even though it's the second floor, I think with your skills it shouldn't be a problem." "Mhm," Hao Jian responded, now all he wanted was to leave this damned place as quickly as possible. "Xiaoxiao, open the door." But just at that moment, as fate would have it, Guo Shuxian returned and knocked on Che Xiaoxiao's door again. "Quick, hide. Quick, hide," Che Xiaoxiao hurriedly pulled Hao Jian back in. Hao Jian felt like he was ready to die: "I must be played to death by you mother and daughter!" "Mom, is there something else?" Not to mention Hao Jian wanting to die, now Che Xiaoxiao herself wanted to die. Her mother usually went straight to sleep when she came back, but why didn't it stop tonight? Could it have something to do with being drunk? "Just open the door first." "No, you tell me what it is first." "Hey, you child," Guo Shuxian was getting annoyed: "My pajamas have been washed, I want to borrow one from you to wear." "This... Alright then." S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Guo Shuxian could only helplessly open the door because she knew she couldn't fool her, as she was aware that her daughter had plenty of pajamas. If she refused to lend one, it would only raise her mother's suspicions. "What in the world is going on with you tonight? Why are you acting like you've committed a crime?" Guo Shuxian eyed Che Xiaoxiao disapprovingly. "It's nothing, I'm just tired, oh my god!" Che Xiaoxiao suddenly screamed in horror, pointing at Guo Shuxian. Che Xiaoxiao's scream also startled Hao Jian in the bathroom. Peering through the crack in the door, he wanted to see what was happening outside, but when he got a clear view, he, too, couldn't help but gasp. Guo Shuxian, unbeknownst to how, had already taken off her professional attire, leaving only her undergarments, and what's more, they were the most deadly kind, fiery red with lace trim, showing off her impressive figure in all its glory. Those long, straight, desirable legs; although she was thirty-seven, she had a voluptuous figure that was yet well-proportioned, with tight, fair skin, full breasts, and a perky rear¡ªmainly, she was still beautiful. Hao Jian hadn't taken a good look before, but now that he saw clearly, he realized that Guo Shuxian was indeed a top-notch beauty. That made sense. Che Xiaoxiao was so pretty because she took after her mother. "You silly girl, what are you screaming about? You startled me." Guo Shuxian patted her chest, herself startled by Che Xiaoxiao's sudden outburst. What do you mean, scream? You're stripping in front of my friend, how can I not scream? Che Xiaoxiao felt like crying and quickly blocked her mother's view: "Can you put your clothes on?" "Why? You've seen me like this before, is it worth making such a fuss?" Guo Shuxian giggled, but disregarded Che Xiaoxiao and continued to move around her room in her underwear. Che Xiaoxiao heaved sigh after sigh, covering her face, but was utterly helpless and cursed inwardly: Hao Jian that scumbag is getting a real bargain here! Meanwhile, Hao Jian, witnessing this scene from inside the bathroom, was close to losing control, even wanting to whistle to express his excited emotions. But he knew that if he dared to do so, both women would definitely slaughter him. It took a good while before Guo Shuxian, dizzily, found the pajamas. Che Xiaoxiao hurriedly urged, "Now that you've found it, go back to your room to bathe. I'm going to rest too." "That won't do, the showerhead in my bathroom is broken, so I need to use yours to wash up!" Guo Shuxian pouted and said enticingly. "What?" Che Xiaoxiao's exclamation had now turned into a complete scream. Inside the bathroom, Hao Jian bore an expression that read 'I have nothing left to live for,' lamenting how the author of this book really didn't hold back on playing him to death for a more thrilling plot. "What on earth is up with you, child, with all this screaming late at night? Have you seen a ghost?" Guo Shuxian said somewhat angrily, being scared several times in a row by Che Xiaoxiao. "You can't bathe in my room." Che Xiaoxiao's head shook like a rattle. "Then what do you want me to do? Am I supposed to go without a bath?" Guo Shuxian snorted. "How about you come back tomorrow?" Che Xiaoxiao tentatively asked. But Guo Shuxian was fuming and wasn't going to listen, marching straight past Che Xiaoxiao towards the bathroom. Che Xiaoxiao grabbed Guo Shuxian's hand, pleading, "Mom." "Let go, or I'll really get angry!" Guo Shuxian's tone turned unfriendly. Che Xiaoxiao could only let go helplessly, thinking to herself that they were definitely doomed now. "This silly girl, acting all crazy tonight." Just as Guo Shuxian shut the bathroom door, she started to mumble to herself, without noticing someone was in the bathroom, only seeing that the tub was inexplicably filling with water, bubbles floating on top. "This silly girl, leaving the water running after a bubble bath. Well, that's fine, saves me from having to turn on the water." Guo Shuxian talked to herself, beginning to take off the undergarments she was wearing. At that moment, Che Xiaoxiao, eavesdropping outside the bathroom, also felt something was off. Logically, her mom should have discovered Hao Jian by now, so why was there still no commotion? Perhaps Hao Jian took the chance to slip away while they were talking? It must be the case! Che Xiaoxiao let out a sigh of relief, thankful that Hao Jian was smart enough, otherwise, they would have been dead for sure! "Ah!!!!" But the very next second, a piercing scream of terror echoed from the bathroom. Che Xiaoxiao shrank her head back, a bitter smile crossing her lips: "I... overestimated him!" Half an hour later, Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao both appeared on the sofa in the living room, heads drooping, embodying the picture of guilt with a demeanor that screamed, 'I am culpable, deserving of my fate.'" Chapter 119 Shes Telling the Truth! At this moment, Guo Shuxian was sitting in front of the two, draped in a bathrobe, with her arms crossed over her chest and a sharp look in her eyes that commanded authority as she stared at the pair:"Speak up, what exactly is going on?" "He's my friend. He drove me home tonight, and we just happened to run into you coming back. I hid him to avoid any misunderstandings," Che Xiaoxiao explained meekly, her head bowed. "Hello, Auntie," Hao Jian hurriedly raised his hand in greeting, offering an apologetic smile. "Who are you calling 'Auntie'? Do I look that old to you?" Guo Shuxian's voice was fiercely indignant, her face flush with anger. Just the thought of this guy having seen her naked made her wish she could flay him alive. How dare he call her 'Auntie'? Did she look like an auntie? Couldn't he see she was only eight or nine years older than him? "So, Big Sister?" Hao Jian ventured cautiously, keenly aware that Mother Tiger was in no mood for nonsense and it was probably best not to provoke her. "Big Sister? Ha, 'Big Sister' implies age too, doesn't it? What's the difference between calling me that and 'Auntie'?" Guo Shuxian was especially annoyed. This kid really had no sense of subtlety; wasn't he just trying to say she was old? "I can't exactly call you 'Sister', can I?" Hao Jian was on the verge of tears; now he truly understood why Xiaoxiao used to say her mother was terrifying¡ªshe really was difficult to deal with. "Call me Miss Guo, or Mrs. Guo, got it?" Guo Shuxian said icily. "Understood, understood," Hao Jian nodded earnestly, like a chick pecking at grains. "So, tell me, what's your relationship with my daughter?" Guo Shuxian scrutinized Hao Jian, her stare as if she were interrogating a criminal. "Me? I am just her friend, she said as much earlier, didn't she?" Hao Jian replied with a wry smile. "Friend? I wasn't aware she had such a 'friend'. And you're so much older than her; how could you possibly just be friends?" Guo Shuxian was clearly dissatisfied with Hao Jian's explanation. In her eyes, Hao Jian being alone with Che Xiaoxiao in the middle of the night was highly suspicious. Guo Shuxian had complete faith in Xiaoxiao, but she did not trust Hao Jian. Hao Jian laughed dryly, "Miss Guo, there's no need to pry further. It's not just me; I bet you don't know a single friend of Xiaoxiao's, right?" Guo Shuxian's brows furrowed instantly, surprised by Hao Jian's astuteness in detecting her intentions. She truly did not know much about Xiaoxiao's friends because her busy work schedule had prevented her from getting to know Xiaoxiao's social circle properly. "You're right, I am not aware of the kind of friends Xiaoxiao has, but no matter what type of friends she makes, I will not allow her to befriend someone like you!" Guo Shuxian stated sternly. "Me? What about me?" Hao Jian was also getting annoyed. Me, 'someone like me'? What's wrong with 'someone like me'? "What's wrong with you? You're much older than her, yet you're getting ambiguously close with such a young girl. You think I don't know what's on your mind? You just want to take advantage of her youth and naivety, and once you've had your way with her and got her pregnant, you'll just walk away without a care. I've seen plenty of guys like you!" Guo Shuxian snorted coldly, her first impression of Hao Jian cementing her belief that he was not a good person, his every move as despicable as a scoundrel's. "She's easy to deceive?" Hao Jian was so angry he felt like cursing. With Xiaoxiao's clever and mischievous personality, could he deceive her? It would be a miracle if she didn't end up selling him out! "Well, you can insult my character, but I won't allow you to insult my preferences! I have zero interest in 'lolitas'; mature women like you are my true interest," Hao Jian asserted angrily, unable to contain his indignation at being accused by Guo Shuxian of being a pervert. Enough was enough¡ªeven an uncle has his limits! Che Xiaoxiao and Guo Shuxian both felt like banging their heads against a wall. Such a defense was truly one of a kind! "You are indeed a pervert!" Guo Shuxian said angrily. It was bad enough that he had seen her naked, but now he was even flirting with her in front of her own daughter? "Pervert? How do I resemble a pervert? Have you ever seen a pervert as handsome as me?" As soon as Hao Jian heard this, he felt annoyed. With his good looks, did he need to stoop to being a pervert? Wouldn't that be a waste of my beauty that rivals Pan An's? "From head to toe, you look the part!" Guo Shuxian said darkly, truly speechless at this man. It was bad enough that he was a pervert, but narcissistic too? It's true what they say ¨C every type of bird exists in a big forest. "Stop it!" Che Xiaoxiao stood up and shouted, silencing both Hao Jian and Guo Shuxian. "Xiaoxiao, you..." Guo Shuxian looked at Che Xiaoxiao in shock, unable to believe her usually well-behaved daughter would scold her. "I invited him over. Today is my birthday, but no one was with me, so I had to ask a bunch of friends to go out and have fun. In the evening, I asked him to take me back home. He didn't do anything to me; if you don't believe me, you can take me to the hospital tomorrow to check my virginity," Che Xiaoxiao said expressionlessly. At this, Guo Shuxian found herself at a loss for words. After hesitating for a moment, Guo Shuxian sighed and said with some guilt, "I'm sorry, I know I've been neglecting you, but you shouldn't be bringing a strange man into our house in the middle of the night. What if something had happened?" "Exactly, I don't even bother to scold you, but how can you be so brainless at your age? All those years of education, were they for nothing? Didn't your teachers cover this in school? Haven't you ever heard the story of the seven little lambs and the big bad wolf?" Hao Jian joined in the scolding of Che Xiaoxiao, but with a look of righteous indignation, "This time I'll let it slide, but don't let it happen again, okay? I am leaving now, contact me if you need anything." With that, Hao Jian took the opportunity to stand up and prepare to slip away. "You sit down!" Guo Shuxian shouted angrily, furious at how shameless he was. Couldn't he hear that she was talking about him? And he still had the nerve to lecture Xiaoxiao? Hao Jian obediently sat back down, with a forced smile on his face, "I am mainly worried about getting stuck in traffic if I go back too late." S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "¡­" Guo Shuxian decided to ignore him and sternly said to Che Xiaoxiao, "Your mother is older than you and has seen more people. Some people may seem harmless, but they are filled with bad intentions, always thinking about luring underage girls like you." "Me? Are you talking about me?" Hao Jian stretched out his neck like an alpaca. "Luring? I confessed to him and he rejected me. He isn't even slightly interested in your daughter, okay?" Che Xiaoxiao said, annoyed. Guo Shuxian hadn't brought it up, but now that she did, it made Xiaoxiao feel uncomfortable all over again. "She... She's telling the truth," Hao Jian pointed to Che Xiaoxiao and nodded earnestly, indicating his innocence to Mrs. Guo. "Don't interrupt!" Che Xiaoxiao and Guo Shuxian both scolded simultaneously. "¡­" Don't interrupt... Don't interrupt... Hao Jian was screwed! Dammit, do I owe you and your daughter or what? Hao Jian was filled with rage. What on earth was this all about? Chapter 120 So You Really Are Her Biological Child! "What makes you think you're too good for my daughter? What's wrong with her, huh? She's beautiful, has a great figure, smart, and countless young men are after her. What gives you the right?"Guo Shuxian instantly felt displeased. A daughter is a mother's little cotton-padded jacket, and there's an unspoken rule in the heart of every mother: My daughter can look down on you, but you absolutely cannot look down on her! "It's not that she's not good, it's just that..." Hao Jian was half-laughing, half-crying, wanting to explain. Guo Shuxian interrupted him directly: "Just what? My daughter is so beautiful, being fancied by you should be considered your great fortune? You still dare to be picky, are you blind?" Guo Shuxian threatened, "I'm telling you, if you can't give me a good reason today, don't even think about leaving this room!" "Alright, alright, I actually like her," Hao Jian couldn't bear it any longer and reluctantly changed his tune. "You really are a pervert, not even letting little girls go," Guo Shuxian stared deeply at Hao Jian, a creepy smile on her face as if to say "I knew it." "Can I beat up your mom?" Hao Jian turned to ask Che Xiaoxiao. "What do you think?" Che Xiaoxiao glared back. "Sigh," Hao Jian sighed heavily. "What? You still want to hit me? Abducting an underage girl, and you think you've got the right? Do you believe I would call the cops right now?" Guo Shuxian fumed, her face red with anger. This scoundrel had bullied her daughter and now he was thinking of bullying her? Was Guo Shuxian someone easy to mess with? "You really are her biological mother." Hao Jian looked at Che Xiaoxiao and nodded seriously. Before, Xiaoxiao had said her mother would definitely do this, and sure enough, it happened just as she predicted. "You go ahead first, we'll get in touch another day," Che Xiaoxiao said to Hao Jian, looking a bit worn out. "Don't you dare!" Guo Shuxian shouted. "Are you sure you can handle it?" Hao Jian asked with some concern. "I said you're not allowed to leave, didn't you hear me?" Guo Shuxian shouted again. "It's fine, she's my mom, she's not going to kill me, right?" Che Xiaoxiao forced a smile. "Are you even listening to me?" Guo Shuxian was livid, these two insubordinate youngsters acting as if she were invisible. "Okay then." Hao Jian stood up and left. "If you dare to leave, I will call the police right now!" Guo Shuxian threatened, her hand on her phone as if ready to make a call. Hao Jian's forehead bulged with veins, growing angrier at being provoked in turns. He turned around and smiled slyly at Guo Shuxian: "Auntie, I saw you're a bit saggy just now, but it's understandable with age. I have a method here, just three months, and you can regain your past figure. Not for three or four thousand, not for one or two thousand, just for the grateful price of 998!" "Swish!" A water glass was thrown at him. Hao Jian laughed as he opened the door and left, the water glass smashing against the door behind him. "Bastard!" Guo Shuxian gritted her teeth in anger. This despicable man had to pick on the most sensitive spots, doing it on purpose! After leaving Che Xiaoxiao's home, Hao Jian drove out of the villa compound, then pulled over at the roadside and lit a cigarette for himself. In the night, his face was hazy and profound in the smoke, seemingly hesitant about whether to go through with the unfinished business. After finishing his cigarette, his eyes finally flashed with cold determination, he slammed his foot on the accelerator, and the car shot out like a steel bullet. . "No. Stop! Let me go!" Within a big manor, a woman's fearful screams echoed. "Damn it, strip her clothes off!" Brother Huoniu, his head wrapped in a bandage, yelled ferociously. He was having a tough night. Not only had Spice Ginger swept through his territory, but some unknown punk had beaten him black and blue, scraping his face, fundamentally ruining his appearance. Fortunately, on his way back, he caught a good-looking housewife; Brother Huoniu just grabbed her to take his anger out on her. "Damn it, I must find that kid, then chop him up into a thousand pieces!" Brother Huoniu sat on a nearby sofa, gulping down his alcohol in frustration, suddenly slammed the bottle, and said ferociously: "And that bitch, after I'm done playing with her, I'll send her to the Philippines to become a military prostitute!" "Brother Huoniu, don't be mad. The boss already knows about this and has sent people to find them. We should have news soon," one of his followers said with a sinister laugh. Brother Huoniu nodded, unbuckling his belt, he leered and walked over, "Today you're in luck to meet me. In a while, you'll get to taste the strength of Brother Niu." "You really can't teach an old dog new tricks." S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just then, a light, drifting voice came from the rooftop. Brother Huoniu and his men were startled and looked up to see a man in a trench coat, smoking a cigarette, descending from the skylight with a wild grin on his face. "It's you!?" Brother Huoniu was shocked, not expecting Hao Jian to come to him. "That's right, it's me. I've been thinking about it, and I've decided it's better to end you, so here I am." Hao Jian said with a not-so-friendly grin, judging by Brother Huoniu's ruthless nature, he would definitely come after Situ Ming and Che Xiaoxiao again, possibly even killing them both. Having met too many people like Brother Huoniu, Hao Jian decided not to disable him immediately but chose to come alone now to prevent future trouble. No sooner had Hao Jian finished speaking, Brother Huoniu's men instantly drew their guns on him, their expressions fierce, ready to shoot Hao Jian into a sieve at a word from Brother Huoniu. "You think you can finish me? Kid, do you think this is the same as at the bar?" Brother Huoniu let out a cold laugh. "After I kill you, I'll go find your girlfriend. Don't worry, I'll take very good care of her!" "You won't get the chance. Tonight, you will die here," Hao Jian sneered, looking at Brother Huoniu as if he was looking at a dead man. "I'm going to die here? Kid, did you not see the guns in our hands?" Brother Huoniu burst into laughter. Was this young man insane? How could he possibly think of killing him under these circumstances? "Saw them, so what?" Hao Jian shrugged nonchalantly. Chapter 121 As Long as You Die! "So I can just kill you directly, understand?"Brother Huoniu cursed under his breath. Seeing Hao Jian still looking unconcerned, he grew furious. "You can't do it, because you're nothing but trash!" Hao Jian sneered coldly, then his figure flashed out like a wraith. "Shoot him!" Brother Huoniu roared in rage. ¡­ "Crack! Crack!" The cool evening breeze wafted through the room, accompanied by the sound of something breaking, crisp and bloody. Brother Huoniu and the young woman watched in horror, both too terrified to speak. Hao Jian grabbed one of the underlings by the head and twisted violently. With a crisp "crack," the man's head rotated 360 degrees in an instant! Then, Hao Jian reached out his hand, and seized another gangster by the neck, squeezing it fiercely! Crack! The neck broke with a snap, and the man's head drooped lifelessly down! Brother Huoniu's eyelids twitched wildly, his face pale as paper, with huge beads of sweat streaming down his forehead! S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What was he witnessing? A living man moving through a hail of bullets and killing all his underlings? Was this some kind of sci-fi film? Brother Huoniu could clearly see Hao Jian eerily dodging bullets one after another, like a specter. It wasn't until that underling was dead beyond dead that Hao Jian finally let go of his hand, wiped his bloodstained hand clean on the dead man's clothes, then slowly walked towards Brother Huoniu. "Don't¡­ don't kill me! I can give you lots and lots of money!" Brother Huoniu panicked and knelt down to beg Hao Jian for mercy. The other man wasn't afraid of bullets¡ªwhat could he use to fight him? The smile on Hao Jian's face deepened, looking sinister. Seeing this smile, both Brother Huoniu and the young woman felt as if they were seeing a demon smiling back at them, their hearts pounding with fear. "You don't want money? How about a position then? As long as I introduce you to my boss, with your skills, you're guaranteed to be highly valued in the Dragon Tiger Gang!" Brother Huoniu offered another condition, his body trembling even more violently. He could tell that Hao Jian was different from how he had been at the bar¡ªthat now, he truly intended to kill him, especially since he had already slain so many of his henchmen. Hao Jian remained silent, giving off an ominously quiet air. "Or do you want this woman? I'll give her to you. You can do whatever you want with her." Brother Huoniu quickly knelt and stepped aside, pointing at the woman and said urgently. The woman, who was tied up, shuddered at his words, looking at Hao Jian with dread, afraid that he would accept Brother Huoniu's offer. Just then, Hao Jian shook his head: "I don't want anything, just your death." As his voice faded, he stepped forward, and with a stomp, a "crack" echoed! Brother Huoniu clutched his groin, howling in agony, his forehead bulging with veins, his face turning a ghastly green. His lower body was crushed to a pulp! "So fond of toying with women, huh? I'll cripple your tool, so you won't even be able to mess with female ghosts in the netherworld!" Hao Jian said coldly. "You. You have such a vicious mind!" Venom covered Brother Huoniu's face as Hao Jian tormented him before delivering the killing blow. "Whoosh!" Hao Jian's leg swept out, whipping up a fierce gust, sending Brother Huoniu's head flying off his shoulders. Brother Huoniu died with his eyes wide open, hatred for Hao Jian still etched on his lifeless face as it flew out the window and landed in the nearby grass, where several Dobermans promptly tore it to shreds. "Ah!" The young woman screamed at the sight of the headless body still spurting blood and uneasily eyed Hao Jian, terrified that he might kill her as well. Hao Jian glanced at her indifferently, then stepped forward to snap the ropes binding her with a flick of his wrist before he took off his overcoat and threw it to her: "Wrap yourself in the clothes!" The young woman hesitated, then obediently draped the coat around herself, but asked somewhat timidly: "You... you're not going to kill me?" "Do I have a grudge against you?" Hao Jian looked at her curiously. The young woman shook her head; it was her first time meeting Hao Jian¡ªhow could she possibly have a grudge against him? "There you go. If we don't have a grudge, why would I kill you?" Hao Jian curled his lips. "..." "You don't think I'm some murderer who thinks nothing of human life, do you?" Hao Jian said, clearly displeased. "Mhm." The young woman nodded her head somewhat ashamedly, admitting that she did indeed harbor that thought after witnessing Hao Jian's fierce demeanor. She was not superstitious at all, but after seeing the way Hao Jian had behaved just moments ago, she couldn't help but wonder if demons really did exist in this world. "What a joke, have you ever seen a killer as handsome as me?" The young woman was left speechless, staring dumbfounded. The man had transformed from a cold-blooded assassin to a goofball in an instant¡ªhad the change in character ever been so abrupt? "Wait here for me. I'm going to off Brother Huoniu's boss, and then I'll get you out of here," Hao Jian told the young woman, before moving toward the door. "What? You aren't running away? There are dozens of armed thugs here, and more than a dozen hunting dogs. How can you possibly handle them all by yourself?" The young woman said anxiously, now hoping only that Hao Jian would take her and leave immediately, as she alone had no chance of escaping this trap. "Wait here for me." But Hao Jian seemed disinclined to explain; after dropping that line, he went straight out the door. No sooner had he left the room, he saw a group of over a dozen people with a pack of Dobermans running towards him, clearly having heard the gunshots. "Who are you! Where's Huoniu?" The leading Baldy was obviously the boss, his face covered in frightening scars as he barked at Hao Jian. At the same time, the pack of drooling Dobermans he was holding strained at their leashes, barking wildly at Hao Jian, eager to tear him to pieces. "Brother Huoniu? Dead," Hao Jian replied nonchalantly. "Dead? How?" Baldy was stunned. Brother Huoniu had been killed at their own stronghold? Was that even possible? "I killed him," said Hao Jian with a slight smile. Hearing this, Baldy flinched, then glared at Hao Jian with annoyance: "To dare kill a high-ranking member of the Dragon Tiger Gang in our own headquarters, kid, you've really got some guts, huh?" Chapter 122 Shouldnt you thank me? "Brother Huoniu is one of the top brass in your gang?" Hao Jian said with a smirk. "Then it seems the Dragon Tiger Gang really lacks talent. How about this¡ªI'll introduce a talented individual to your gang.""What kind of talent?" Baldy demanded. "A man of courage and strategy, charming and dashing, carefree and unrestrained, adored by all, a lady-killer whom people welcome and cars stop for! That would be me!" Hao Jian said, laughing. "Are you fucking with me?" Baldy's eyes suddenly turned vicious. "Messing with you? I'm quite serious in discussing this matter. You go back and have a good talk with your Gang Leader. If he is willing to step down gracefully, then I won't kill him," Hao Jian said with a teasing tone. "Tear him to shreds!" In an instant, Baldy released the dozen or so Dobermans that charged towards Hao Jian. "Daring to run wild on Dragon Tiger Gang's turf, you're really asking for it." "My babies, kill him! He's your dinner tonight!" The other mafia members also burst into laughter, believing that with so many Dobermans attacking at once, Hao Jian was certainly doomed. But at that moment, Hao Jian spat, stomped the ground fiercely, and roared at the attacking Dobermans: "Scram!" A wave of sound burst forth instantaneously, and the Dobermans immediately cried out in pain, fleeing in a disgraceful panic. "What?" Baldy and the others were dumbfounded, utterly unprepared for this turn of events. Beasts aren't like humans; they have a perception of danger. When they sense danger, they tend to run away. Just now, they detected an extremely terrifying aura emanating from Hao Jian and subconsciously classified him as a fierce beast like a lion or tiger, losing their will to fight immediately. "These dogs have already been scared off; now it's your turn, you dogs," Hao Jian said contemptuously, looking at Baldy. "You're asking for it!" Baldy drew his gun. "I'll give you one chance: put away the gun, and I'll pretend nothing happened. Otherwise, I will send you to meet your maker," Hao Jian said, the smile on his face growing more sinister. "Asking for it!" Baldy, subconsciously readying to pull the trigger, saw in that moment that Hao Jian's figure vanished from where he stood. By then, Hao Jian had appeared beside him at some unknown moment, his voice soft yet menacing, "You people never learn to behave." Moments later, Hao Jian stood on the lawn, with a dozen bodies lying around him haphazardly. Hao Jian was like someone bathed in blood, truly a blood-soaked figure. Looking at the bodies on the ground, he then picked up his phone and made a call: "I want to see you at the Dragon Tiger Gang's headquarters within half an hour, or else you will bear the consequences!" Upon hearing the dial tone on the other end, Brother Spice Ginger was still in a daze! How did Hao Jian know his phone number? Why was he asking him to go to Fourth Gu's territory? Could it be that he had joined forces with Fourth Gu to get rid of him? The Baldy who was killed was Brother Spice Ginger's rival, Fourth Gu, who had always been competing with Spice Ginger for territory. And now, Hao Jian had asked him to go to Fourth Gu's place, which naturally made him anxious. "Boss, what's wrong?" His underling, seeing his pale face as if he had seen a ghost, couldn't help but ask. "To Fourth Gu's headquarters," Spice Ginger sighed and finally decided to obey. "What? Boss, you're not joking, are you?" Brother Spice Ginger's underling was dumbfounded. Heading to Fourth Gu's stronghold? Wasn't that seeking death? With their enmity with Fourth Gu, wouldn't Fourth Gu want to kill them all? "Do I look like I'm joking?" Brother Spice Ginger snorted coldly, although he was also annoyed. He didn't want to go either, but the problem was he had no choice. People like Hao Jian were not someone he could afford to provoke. Perhaps if he went, he might be able to beg Hao Jian to spare his life, and if all else failed, he would surrender all his territories to Fourth Gu. But if he didn't go, once Hao Jian came knocking, he would be doomed for sure. He had no confidence in dealing with that kind of monster. "Maybe I should call some more people?" the underling asked. "No need, just prepare a few people for me," Brother Spice Ginger waved his hand dismissively, knowing that if Hao Jian wanted him dead, no amount of people would make a difference. Half an hour later, Brother Spice Ginger indeed appeared at Fourth Gu's stronghold, only to find that no one was standing guard, and not a single figure was present at the entrance. "This is really weird. Why isn't there anyone on guard? Could this be a trap?" an underling said uneasily. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Upon hearing this, Brother Spice Ginger also couldn't help but become nervous. The atmosphere was too strange, and he feared that as soon as they entered the stronghold, a bunch of people with submachine guns would rush out and spray their car with bullets. Yet, Brother Spice Ginger still had someone drive the car in. After proceeding about ten meters, he saw a corpse, then a second, and a third. Brother Spice Ginger found that the entire stronghold was littered with dead bodies. Suddenly, Brother Spice Ginger realized something, his eyes emitting an extremely sharp light, and he urged his men, "Drive faster!" Before long, Brother Spice Ginger found Hao Jian on the lawn, covered in blood. He hastily pushed the car door open and scrambled towards Hao Jian. Then, he saw Fourth Gu's corpse lying at Hao Jian's feet, with a head being stepped on under his boot. Brother Spice Ginger felt a chill throughout his body. Fourth Gu was dead? Killed by Hao Jian? "Mr. Hao Jian." Find your adventure at empire Brother Spice Ginger bowed his head low and respectfully bowed. "Brother Spice Ginger, I believe you're quite familiar with who he is, right?" Hao Jian turned back to glance at Brother Spice Ginger, then kicked Fourth Gu's head over to him. "Of course I'm familiar. He was the Gang Leader of the Dragon Tiger Gang, the sworn enemy of my Four Seas Gang." Brother Spice Ginger looked at Fourth Gu's head, his scalp feeling as if it were exploding, yet he didn't understand why Hao Jian brought this up. "Since I've taken care of your sworn enemy for you, don't you think you owe me some gratitude?" Hao Jian said with a smile, looking at Brother Spice Ginger. Brother Spice Ginger shivered and said, "Whatever thanks Mr. Hao Jian requires, please do tell." "I want you to swallow the entire Dragon Tiger Gang for me!" Hao Jian's gaze burned fiercely as he looked at Brother Spice Ginger. "That..." Brother Spice Ginger hesitated. The strength of the Dragon Tiger Gang was not far off from that of his own Four Seas Gang. How could he just swallow them up like that? "I've already killed the Gang Leader of the Dragon Tiger Gang, so now they will surely be headless dragons. If you don't make a move now, are you waiting for them to appoint a new leader?" Hao Jian's lips curled with a hint of cold amusement. Now was the test to see if Brother Spice Ginger had the guts. If Brother Spice Ginger was bold enough, then wealth and glory awaited; if not, then he should quietly await his undoing. Regardless, Hao Jian would not stand by and let the Dragon Tiger Gang continue to exist. If Brother Spice Ginger refused to work with him, he would seek out other gangs. By then, perhaps even Brother Spice Ginger's Four Seas Gang would be swallowed up. "Fine, I'm in!" Brother Spice Ginger gritted his teeth and glared, choosing to agree! He knew that fortune favors the bold, and if he eliminated the Dragon Tiger Gang, he could truly dominate the East City District. Chapter 123 We Are Not People from the Same World! "I just don't understand why Mr. Hao Jian has to wipe out the Dragon Tiger Gang," Brother Spice Ginger said, somewhat puzzled. "Even if you have a feud with Fourth Gu, killing him should suffice. Why bother going to such lengths?""Because I don't like trouble," Hao Jian replied. "I know that after I kill Fourth Gu, his underlings will definitely come after me. And I'm aware of the tactics that you in the Mafia are accustomed to using: kidnapping, threatening. I'm not afraid of them, but I don't want the people around me to be troubled by them. That's why I want them to disappear forever. Do you understand?" Even though Hao Jian had already killed everyone here, there are no walls in the world that are completely impenetrable! The most terrifying thing about the Mafia is their information network. They might not be able to trace it to him now, but sooner or later, they would. Hao Jian couldn't take that risk. Upon hearing this, Brother Spice Ginger was stunned, hesitating with a conflicted expression. After pondering for more than a minute, he finally seemed to make up his mind: "Mr. Hao Jian, I have an inappropriate request to make." Hao Jian frowned: "Speak." "I want to follow you," Brother Spice Ginger said, bowing his head heavily, yet his expression was resolute. "Oh? Why?" Hao Jian looked at Brother Spice Ginger with interest, curious to know what would make him willing to give up the position of Gang Leader. "Because on you, I see something that normal people don't have," Brother Spice Ginger said with a wry smile. "I never believed in the so-called King's Aura until I met you. You have a quality that makes people involuntarily want to submit." "Actually, I hesitated just now. After all, I am the leader of a gang; I'm the biggest figure within it. But I realized that while I can bully ordinary people around, I am no different from an ant in front of someone like you. I don't want to continue like this. I want to follow you, have you lead us to the peak, to truly reign supreme! I know I can't do it, but you can!" Brother Spice Ginger's gaze was fixed on Hao Jian with determination. A man who slaughters dozens of armed Mafia members is someone capable of sweeping through all gangs if he were in the Mafia. Brother Spice Ginger wasn't foolish; he knew that if he worked alone, he'd just be a local hegemon, but if he followed Hao Jian, he might become a meritorious minister before the Emperor of the Huaxia underworld. Find more chapters on empire When compared, the importance of these options was clear at a glance. Hao Jian chuckled: "You're a smart one." Brother Spice Ginger's eyes lit up¡ªcould it be that Hao Jian was considering his proposal? "But I'm not interested in that right now. Let's finish the task I've given you first, then we can talk," Hao Jian said with a slight smile. All he wanted now was to live a normal life; he had no interest in the position of Gang Leader. Moreover, in the real world, many may bully a few, but in the underworld, that tactic doesn't work. In the underworld, there are true masters who can kill hundreds in an instant. Brother Spice Ginger's proposal was meaningless to him and could even become a burden. "Alright then." Brother Spice Ginger said somewhat disappointedly, nodding his head. He knew it wouldn't be easy to get Hao Jian to accept him; after all, he was of no use to Hao Jian at this point. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian said no more and turned back into Brother Huoniu's room. "Let's go," he said to the young woman. "And them?" she asked, meekly, not daring to move. "They're all dead." "Dead, all of them? You killed them?" the young wife was shocked. Had Hao Jian really killed dozens of people and over ten dogs by himself? "Are you leaving or not?" Hao Jian asked impatiently. "I'm going, I'm going. No need to be fierce." The young wife, barefooted, followed behind Hao Jian, exiting from another side. As they were leaving, they encountered the pack of Dobermans. Just when the young wife thought they would pounce, she saw them hanging their heads low, looking at Hao Jian with fear, as if begging for mercy. "What's wrong with them?" the young wife asked, staring at the Dobermans. "I don't know," Hao Jian replied expressionlessly. "Oh," the young wife pursed her lips but watching Hao Jian's retreating figure, her eyes filled with an indescribable emotion. What kind of man was this guy, really? To avoid a similar situation from happening again, Hao Jian proposed to drop the young wife off at her doorstep, but at that moment, she suddenly didn't want to get out of the car. "Um, my name is Su Xinya, what's your name?" Su Xinya asked Hao Jian. "I don't want to know who you are, nor will I tell you who I am. We're not from the same world, and there shouldn't be any interactions between us. So you'd better go back, wash up and get some sleep, and stop asking so many questions," Hao Jian said, glancing at Su Xinya with a hint of coolness. Su Xinya bit her lip, but still persisted: "But I should return your clothes, right? How about you leave me a contact so I can send them back to you later?" "There's no need, consider the clothes a gift to you," Hao Jian said, without giving her any chance. He knew what Su Xinya was thinking, so he had to nip her idea in the bud before she could act on it. "Oh," Su Xinya gave a wistful smile, opened the car door, and got out. Hao Jian didn't pause at all, he simply started the car and drove off in a cloud of dust. Watching the car disappear into the distance, Su Xinya clenched her fists. After standing in the wind for a few minutes, realizing that Hao Jian really wasn't coming back, she unwillingly turned and walked back inside. When Hao Jian got home, it was nearing dawn. To avoid letting Shu Ya see him in a wretched state, he specifically stopped at a hotel to shower and change into clean clothes before coming back. But as soon as he opened the door, he saw Shu Ya asleep on the sofa, curled up and resembling a little cat. Clearly, she had been waiting for him last night and had accidentally fallen asleep while doing so. Feeling moved and guilty, Hao Jian walked over and nudged Shu Ya: "My dear wife, go back to the room and sleep." Shu Ya opened her bleary eyes and seeing Hao Jian return, she immediately perked up, pointing at him and cursing: "You son of a bitch, where have you been messing around again? Coming back at dawn, why don't you just die out there?" What the heck, this sounds like an old married couple's bickering, but we aren't even married yet, are we? Hao Jian touched his nose, somewhat amused and at a loss for words: "I was celebrating a friend's birthday yesterday, and I accidentally stayed out too late." Shu Ya let out a hoarse laugh: "With disaster looming, you still have the mood to hang out with your fair-weather friends?" "Disaster looming? What happened?" Hao Jian was taken aback. Chapter 124 Need Your Help! "What's up? Do I have to ask you about this? You've only been at the company for a few days, and you've already managed to offend several departments. Did you know they're joining forces to impeach you?"Shu Ya was very angry, this damned guy, always causing trouble for her. "Come on, what's the big deal? Just brush them off with a few words, and everything will be fine, right? They wouldn't dare to contradict you, would they?" Hao Jian didn't understand why Shu Ya was making such a big fuss. It wasn't the first time, after all. Was it really necessary? "You make it sound so simple, but this time Su Qin and her lover, the major shareholder, are pressuring me to fire you, or they'll withdraw their investment immediately! The company is about to go public, and if he pulls out now, all our previous efforts will have been in vain." "Damn, that means Su Qin must be really good in bed to make the major shareholder do so much for her," Hao Jian said, grinning cheekily. "Are you still in the mood to joke? Do you realize that the major shareholder has specially called a meeting about this tomorrow? If I can't persuade them, I'll have no choice but to fire you," Shu Ya said angrily. "Then fire me, if they won't keep me here, there are other places that will." Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, appearing unconcerned. It was just a job, after all; if he lost it, he would just find another. "But if you're not at the company, wouldn't our plans fall apart?" S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "How could that be? I can just peacefully stay at home as a kept man. If anyone asks, you can just say you keep me around because you're infatuated with my good looks," Hao Jian said unashamedly, chuckling. Shu Ya gritted her teeth and said, "Keep dreaming. If you get fired, I'll send you to work as a laborer in the branch office!" "Damn, is that harsh?" Hao Jian was astounded, as that would mean doing hard labor. "You'd better pray," she said. Explore new worlds at empire Shu Ya snorted and returned to her room, then slammed the door with a loud 'bang'. "This damn guy, I'm so worried about him, but he's still in the mood to joke? If he gets fired, he deserves it!" Back in the living room, Hao Jian touched his nose and then picked up his phone, smirking ominously, "Thinking of firing me? Easier said than done." "Hello, it's me. I need a favor tomorrow." ... The next day, Hao Jian and Shu Ya went to work together. Hao Jian looked as carefree as ever, but Shu Ya appeared deeply distracted. Seeing this, Hao Jian was somewhat moved; he knew she was worried about keeping his job. As soon as Hao Jian drove into the parking lot, Xiao Qiang quickly approached and knocked on Shu Ya's car window: "President, they're all waiting for you in the conference room." "Are they that eager?" Shu Ya scoffed, then turned to look at Hao Jian beside her, falling back into confusion. "Don't worry, you go up first. I'll be there in a bit," Hao Jian said with a smile, signaling it was no big deal. Shu Ya nodded her head slightly, then pushed open the car door and stepped out. Su Qin's lover, named Zhou Zixiong, was the company's second largest shareholder. Like most entrepreneurs, he sported a protruding belly and a bald head, dressed in a suit, yet still managed to look respectable. At that moment, Zhou Zixiong and Su Qin sat together, their expressions full of impatience, with Zhou Zixiong even holding a cigar in his mouth, looking quite dashing but also very arrogant. When Shu Ya entered and saw Zhou Zixiong like this, she immediately frowned. It was a strict rule that no smoking was allowed in the meeting room. Zhou Zixiong must have been aware of this, and yet he chose to ignore it, clearly intending to challenge her authority. Shu Ya sat in the chairman's seat and smiled, "To call a high-level meeting just over a driver seems a bit too much, doesn't it?" Zhou Zixiong flicked the ash from his cigar and chuckled sinisterly, "Hehe¡­ it indeed seems too much, but only if this driver hadn't significantly disrupted the internal operations of the company. Otherwise, it's a different matter entirely." "Yes, President! Vice Chairman Zhou has a point. Hao Jian has been loafing around the company every day, harassing female colleagues and hooking up with male colleagues, turning our company into a mess. Such a man is a scourge; if we let him continue to stay in the company, I'm afraid the whole company will be in chaos," Su Qin hurriedly chimed in. "I agree, my security department has been thrown into chaos by him already. Those guards no longer listen to my commands," Foreman Liang said bitterly. "I also support firing him. Last time, Hao Jian even blocked me from accessing the warehouse and was extremely arrogant about it," Sun Minghui also spoke up. These three were the most eager to see Hao Jian ousted from the company because all three had suffered under him and could do nothing about it. They had always been the ones bullying others, but ever since Hao Jian had arrived, they had only been bullied. Moreover, since Shu Ya did not discipline him, they had no choice but to resort to this strategy. Zhou Zixiong was there today to support Su Qin. Who in the company didn't know that Su Qin was his woman? A mere driver had bullied his woman, and he could not just let that stand. Shu Ya's brow furrowed deeply, realizing that the situation was indeed very serious. "Shu Ya, make a decision. He's just a driver. Firing him won't make any difference to our company," Zhou Zixiong pressed directly. "You said it yourself, he's just a driver. Then why must you make things difficult for him?" Shu Ya retorted with a cold laugh, watching Zhou Zixiong. "Hey, it's not just me who's making things difficult for him. You must have heard what the three directors just said. There's no need to mention what sort of person that kid is. How can we keep such a morally deficient employee in the company?" Zhou Zixiong played the old fox, skillfully employing Tai Chi to shift the responsibility onto Su Qin and the others. Shu Ya silently cursed Zhou Zixiong for his cunning, thinking that if he hadn't called this meeting, how much trouble could these directors really have stirred up? "He's my relative. Could you give him some face?" Shu Ya asked sternly. The shareholders looked at each other, feeling that this matter was trivial and decided to give Shu Ya the face she requested. After all, it was just a driver, and it wouldn't really impact the company significantly. However, Zhou Zixiong wasn't ready to let Hao Jian off the hook and said slowly: "Shu Ya, you can't say it like that. I think you understand the irritation caused by a grain of sand in a shoe. Although it may not affect the fundamentals, it will ultimately make people uncomfortable. Moreover, a small issue can easily grow into a bigger one! What if someone sees this driver acting so carelessly and decides to imitate him without facing any repercussions? What if someone accuses you of favoritism? Wouldn't your authority as the president be undermined?" Hearing this, the shareholders felt it made sense and began nodding their heads in agreement. Chapter 125 Withdraw Your Shares! "So, this means there's no room for negotiation?"Shu Ya watched Zhou Zixiong with a cold gaze, feeling a surge of annoyance. The shareholders had been about to relent, but Zhou Zixiong's interference had turned them against her. Shu Ya knew exactly what Zhou Zixiong was up to; Hao Jian was nothing more than a scapegoat. He was deliberately pressuring her, intending to embarrass her in front of everyone, which would lead the shareholders to doubt her leadership abilities. She knew that Zhou Zixiong had always been dissatisfied with her position as the president, always looking for ways to find fault with her. Now, he just had an excuse to do so. "My stance is very clear, if he isn't fired, I'll sell my shares. If this company's staff is all about nepotism, I see no future in such a company." Zhou Zixiong dropped this bombshell, using the company's development as a weapon to ruthlessly stab at Shu Ya. Shu Ya was so angry that her face turned green. Nepotism? How dare you say that when key positions in several departments are filled with people you've placed there? But Shu Ya couldn't say this, nor did she dare to because openly clashing with Zhou Zixiong would ruin the company's plans to go public. Upon hearing Zhou Zixiong's words, the shareholders couldn't help but inhale sharply, realizing the gravity of the situation. If Zhou Zixiong sold his shares, their company would be impacted as well. Little girl, you dare to fight me? You're still too green! Zhou Zixiong looked at Shu Ya, his eyes filled with triumph. "You go ahead and sell your shares." Just then, a voice came from the doorway. Discover more stories at empire Everyone turned to look, but upon recognizing the newcomer, Su Qin and the other three directors' faces darkened. "Who are you? Don't you know we're having a meeting? Get out!" Zhou Zixiong snapped rudely, also feeling annoyed. Who was this kid who dared tell him to sell his shares the moment he walked in? "Of course, I know you're having a meeting, and I also know that you're discussing firing me," Hao Jian chuckled. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Oh, so you're that driver?" Zhou Zixiong also sneered mockingly, his tone sarcastic. A driver barging into the meeting room was a sign of disrespect to all the shareholders, and this driver was Shu Ya's man. This would inevitably cause the shareholders to also feel discontented with Shu Ya. Sure enough, the shareholders all frowned, disliking Hao Jian who acted like a hooligan. "Shu Ya, aren't you going to do something about your relative intruding into the meeting room?" Zhou Zixiong said provocatively as he looked at Shu Ya. Shu Ya's face looked terrible: "Hao Jian, you go out first. I will handle this matter." "No, you can't handle it," Hao Jian shook his head, not looking at Shu Ya. "You." Shu Ya was at a loss for words. This guy was publicly embarrassing her; did he know what he was doing? Hao Jian stared directly at Zhou Zixiong: "You said if I wasn't fired, you'd sell your shares, right? Now you can sell your shares!" "What?" Everyone was shocked; a mere driver was challenging Vice Chairman Zhou Zixiong? Zhou Zixiong ignored Hao Jian and turned to Shu Ya: "Shu Ya, your relative seems to be overstepping a bit." "Hao Jian, get out!" Shu Ya also angrily rebuked, for Hao Jian was intentionally making her look bad in front of the shareholders, which would cause them to have opinions about her. Foreman Liang also sneered, seeing that Shu Ya was truly angry. In that case, Hao Jian shouldn't even think about staying in the company any longer. "You shut your mouth!" Hao Jian pointed at Shu Ya and scolded her: "When men are talking, since when is it your women's turn to interrupt?" "." Shu Ya was directly frightened by Hao Jian's ferocious look; she had never seen him like this before. "This is an issue between you and me, there's no need to drag her into this." Hao Jian said with a smile as he looked at Zhou Zixiong: "So, you should sell your shares." This was the third time Hao Jian had repeated this sentence. Zhou Zixiong also smiled awkwardly, "Do you even know what you're saying? Do you have any idea what kind of disaster the company would face if I sold my shares?" "Don't worry, the company won't have any problems, and it will go public as scheduled." Hao Jian still spoke with a grin. "Oh? And what makes you so confident? Do you think just because you're a driver you can change the company? Ridiculous!" Zhou Zixiong scoffed, his fat face full of disdain. "If I couldn't do it, I wouldn't be telling you to get lost. Since I dare to tell you to get lost, it's definitely because I have confidence," Hao Jian was starting to get impatient: "Hey, I said, didn't you want to sell your shares? Why so much pointless chatter? Or are you just bluffing?" Zhou Zixiong's expression turned ashen. He didn't want to sell his shares at all. The company's performance was thriving, he was making money off it too, and moreover, the company was about to go public soon. Selling his shares at this time, wasn't that idiotic? "If Shu Ya tells me to sell my shares, I'll do it immediately!" Zhou Zixiong yelled out directly. To sell, he was reluctant; not to sell, and being aggressively questioned by Hao Jian like this, he felt humiliated, so he simply threw the decision back to Shu Ya. Shu Ya also hesitated. How could she possibly ask Zhou Zixiong to sell his shares? Wouldn't that harm the interests of her own company? But at this moment, Hao Jian's gaze burned intensely as he stared at her, "Trust me!" Shu Ya was stunned, it took a long while for her to snap back to reality. That sentence, as if endowed with a magic power, left Shu Ya unsure of how to react. Seeing Shu Ya's expression, Zhou Zixiong and the others were dumbfounded. They wondered if Shu Ya would really ask Zhou Zixiong to sell his shares just for this young man? After a moment, Shu Ya gritted her teeth and made her decision: "You sell your shares!" At that moment, she chose to make a rash move she would never have considered in her lifetime. "Fine, fine, fine, Shu Ya, you will regret your decision today!" Zhou Zixiong was livid, he stood up abruptly. "Vice Chairman Zhou, please wait a moment." Immediately, a shareholder came up to restrain Zhou Zixiong, then turned angrily to Shu Ya: "Shu Ya, what are you doing? Vice Chairman Zhou was one of those who fought alongside your mother in the early years, he's a veteran of our company. How can you fire him over a driver? You will really regret this." He could overlook the other shareholders comforting her, but he couldn't stand by and watch Shu Ya destroy the company. Shu Ya was also biting her lip, closing her eyes and not looking at the shareholder, as if resigned to her fate. "She won't regret it, the one who should regret is this Vice Chairman Zhou," Hao Jian said with a sneer, then clapped his hands. Everyone was stunned by his action; they had no idea what he was up to. And just at that moment, they saw an elderly man with white hair, leaning on a cane, walked in. The elderly man had kind eyes and a friendly face, and as soon as he entered, he said cheerfully: "Quite lively, isn't it?" Chapter 126 Making it Convenient for You to Show Off Inside! "Elder Xu?"Every person in the room was agape, as none of them had anticipated such an eminent figure gracing their company with his presence. Xu Donghe, hailed as a business prodigy in Huaxia seen once in a century! He started doing business overseas at fifteen, and by eighteen, he was already worth millions. That was in the fifties and sixties when a million was a significant sum. Now, at seventy, no one knew his net worth, with some saying it was more than double that of Bill Gates. To describe Xu Donghe as the richest man in Huaxia was no exaggeration. They didn't understand why such a big shot would visit their company. To him, their company wouldn't even count as a fart. "Elder Xu, why have you come? Do you want to discuss a contract with me? You needn't have come in person. A phone call, and I would have come to you, right?" Zhou Zixiong thought Xu Donghe had come to see him, so he hurriedly went up to greet him. His oil company had just negotiated a contract with Xu Donghe, so Zhou Zixiong subconsciously assumed Xu Donghe had come for him. "You, you, I don't even know what to say to you." The shareholder who had just urged Zhou Zixiong not to leave was also furious, as Shu Ya's actions had caused their company to miss a great opportunity to interact with Xu Donghe. Shu Ya was also dumbfounded, suddenly questioning whether what she had done was right or wrong. Zhou Zixiong's expression grew increasingly smug, and he thought to himself: dare to make me sell my shares? I'll have you on your knees begging me to come back. Xu Donghe just gave Zhou Zixiong a cursory glance before averting his gaze, coldly using his cane to point at Hao Jian, "I'm not here for you, but for him." "For him?" Zhou Zixiong and the others were astonished. Xu Donghe was here for Hao Jian? What would he want with a driver? But Xu Donghe ignored their shocked expressions and walked straight to Hao Jian, sounding rather irritated: "Do you know how impolite it is to make an old man wait for so long?" Upon hearing this, everyone was petrified. This was totally the tone of a grandfather scolding his grandson! Xu Donghe was always so icy in front of the media, when had he ever been like this? Shu Ya's eyes suddenly lit up. Could this be the reason for Hao Jian's overflowing confidence? "What's the big deal? Sitting for too long isn't good for one's health, especially for an elder like you, who should really move around more often." Hao Jian responded with a cheeky grin, not treating Xu Donghe like the wealthiest man in Huaxia, but rather like a regular old man. "Stop it, don't think I don't know that you had me waiting outside just so you could show off in here!" Xu Donghe snorted, as if he had seen right through him. "Well, you got me," Hao Jian sheepishly scratched his head. Zhou Zixiong's face turned green, thinking to himself that this was bad news: this kid knew Xu Donghe? And it seemed their relationship was quite special? This was absolutely bizarre¡ªwhy would a super-duper rich man like Xu Donghe know a small-time driver? Not just Zhou Zixiong, but even Shu Ya, who spent all her days with Hao Jian, was unaware of such a powerful backer. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If his relationship with Xu Donghe was so good, why not ask Xu Donghe to secure him a government position or something? That would surely be easy for Xu Donghe, right? Suddenly, a faint smile appeared on the corners of Shu Ya's mouth. She thought to herself: This guy probably doesn't care about the thirty million at all; he just wants to help me. "All right, knock it off with the nonsense. My friend's company is going public, and you should invest some money," Hao Jian told Xu Donghe. "Here you go again, trying to swindle my money," Xu Donghe huffed, visibly annoyed. "What swindle? I'm offering you an investment. Once her company goes public, you'll also get a share of the dividends, okay?" "I usually don't do such low-yield investments," Xu Donghe said haughtily. He was telling the truth; while Shu Ya's company was a leader in Hua City, to Xu Donghe, it was nothing significant, as he was accustomed to dealing with top-tier international consortia. "You've played with big money so much; aren't you tired of it? Play with a little money, it's more fun," Hao Jian went on to persuade him. "Enough of your nonsense, tell me, how much do you want me to invest?" Xu Donghe demanded. "Not much, just three billion will do," Hao Jian said with a cheeky smile. Enjoy new stories from empire There was an uproar from the crowd! Three billion? That was almost equivalent to their entire company's profit for a year. Wasn't this extortion? Could Xu Donghe agree? Shu Ya was also bemused, thinking: Isn't this guy a bit too ruthless? "Three billion? Why don't you just go rob a bank? Do you think my money falls from the sky?" Xu Donghe glared at Hao Jian, the cheeky kid who wasn't even a bit polite. "Then how about two billion nine hundred and ninety-nine million?" Hao Jian backed down a step. The onlookers were still looking bemused. Was there any difference? "No, fifteen billion," Xu Donghe stated his price outright. As soon as Xu Donghe made his offer, the shareholders were so excited they were almost in tears. Their company was preparing to go public and securing fifteen billion at this point would practically seal the deal. They never imagined Xu Donghe would actually invest in them, for to the colossal figure that was Xu Donghe, they were but insignificant ants. "No, that's too little. Twenty-five billion!" Hao Jian immediately shook his head, indicating it wasn't enough. Hearing this, the shareholders wanted to strangle Hao Jian. Fifteen billion was already on the table and he found it too little? By aiming so high, what if Xu Donghe got angry and didn't invest? Their company's IPO would go down the drain! "Seventeen billion!" Xu Donghe counter-offered. "No! Twenty-four billion!" Hao Jian continued to haggle. And Zhou Zixiong, watching Xu Donghe and Hao Jian argue intensely, was completely dumbfounded. At this moment, there was only one thought in his mind: It's over. In the end, Hao Jian and Xu Donghe agreed on twenty billion. "All right, write the check now," Hao Jian said. "I didn't bring my checkbook, I'll have someone bring the money over tomorrow." "What if you back out?" Hao Jian eyed him suspiciously. "Nonsense! With my status and reputation, would I go back on my word?" Xu Donghe was furious. Chapter 127 The Good Show is Yet to Come! ```Everyone nodded in agreement, with Xu Donghe's status and position, how could he possibly renege? "Okay, then just make sure it's done early. Plus, you need to introduce my friend to the team for IPO inspections, in your name," Hao Jian said, shrugging his shoulders. "Okay, okay, okay, you little brat, it feels like I owed you in my last life," Xu Donghe grumbled, his aged face darkening a bit. "And one more thing, you should stop cooperating with this fool. I don't think much of him, and his company couldn't be much better," Hao Jian remarked, glancing at Zhou Zixiong. Zhou Zixiong had just tried to trip up Shu Ya, and Hao Jian had heard it all at the doorway; he didn't have a shred of fondness for this Fatty. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhou Zixiong wanted to mess with him, so why would he be courteous to Zhou Zixiong? At these words, everyone's faces filled with shock; they could see that Hao Jian was about to take action against Zhou Zixiong. No wonder he dared to speak to Zhou Zixiong like that earlier, it turns out he had a powerful backer like Xu Donghe behind him. Zhou Zixiong, hearing this, also looked anxiously at Xu Donghe, his gaze almost pleading. He had just managed to connect with Xu Donghe and secure this hard-earned business deal. If he could make this deal work, it would double his worth instantly, but if Xu Donghe were to cancel the deal, all his efforts would have been in vain. At this moment, Su Qin and the other two ministers were also dumbfounded! Hao Jian actually had such a background? They had intended to use Zhou Zixiong to force Hao Jian out of the company, but now it seemed they might be the ones to be expelled instead. Especially Su Qin, she should be the most shocked, because if Zhou Zixiong's opportunity was ruined, he would definitely come asking her for an account first. After all, it was her who had caused Zhou Zixiong to go and pick a fight with Hao Jian. If Zhou Zixiong's business fell through, he surely wouldn't let her off easily. Enjoy more content from empire Su Qin started to regret it. If she had just held back a little at the beginning, maybe none of this would have happened. Everyone tensely watched Xu Donghe, waiting for his final decision. Xu Donghe indifferently glanced at Zhou Zixiong and then nodded towards Hao Jian: "Sure." This decision wasn't difficult for Xu Donghe at all. He wasn't close with Zhou Zixiong, and the business they were doing was small; even if it was canceled midway, it wouldn't affect him much. But what didn't matter to Xu Donghe didn't mean it didn't matter to Zhou Zixiong. Upon hearing Xu Donghe, Zhou Zixiong was dumbstruck! "Cancel the cooperation..." At this moment, Zhou Zixiong felt as if all his strength had been drained, thinking he might as well be dead. Had he just lost a chance at fortune like this? For him and his company, it was a devastating blow! Seeing Xu Donghe make such a decision, everyone simultaneously had the same thought: this Hao Jian must be Xu Donghe's grandson! No, step-grandson! If he weren't related to Xu Donghe, how could Xu Donghe be so obedient to him? And at that moment, Shu Ya was agape with astonishment; the company just made an extra two billion out of thin air? Could pies really fall from the sky? "Elder Xu, please reconsider, this is really important to me," Zhou Zixiong begged. He had thrown face out the window at this point, only wanting to preserve this chance to cooperate. Zhou Zixiong, now devoid of his earlier arrogance, looked at Xu Donghe like a dog that had lost its home, his face full of supplication. "Don't ask me, this is the wish of my young friend here, you should ask him," Xu Donghe said, not even deigning to look at Zhou Zixiong. With no other option, Zhou Zixiong could only turn to Hao Jian helplessly: "Hao... Hao Jian, no, Mr. Hao, I was blind and failed to recognize a great man. I realize my mistake, please, don't hold it against your inferior. Just spare me this once." This collaboration with Xu Donghe was too important for him; he had already invested a lot of money, and if Xu Donghe terminated their cooperation, he would lose everything. ``` "Realize your mistake? It's a pity you're realizing it way too late." Hao Jian sneered, "You think I don't know what you're planning? You just wanted to use me to pressure Shu Ya, just for this alone, I can never forgive you." How could he possibly tolerate anyone bullying his wife? Hao Jian looked indifferently at Zhou Zixiong, "This principle is to tell you not to overestimate yourself, and not to underestimate others too much. Being low-key doesn't mean powerless. Some people could take you down as if it were a game. Do you believe that?" While saying this, Hao Jian's gaze intentionally swept over Su Qin and the others, carrying a hint of threat, making the three of them dare not lift their heads. If it had been earlier, Zhou Zixiong and the others would have definitely said they didn't believe it! But now, having seen Hao Jian's capabilities, how could they dare to doubt him? Zhou Zixiong's face was ashen, and he stood frozen like a statue, now full of regret. So he knew after all, he knew everything. "Oh, right, there's something interesting I want you to see." Hao Jian said with a malicious smile, "After you see this, you will regret even more. The best part is yet to come." After that, Hao Jian plugged a USB drive into the computer in the conference room and played a video. Immediately, a woman's seductive moan sounded throughout the conference room. On the screen was a man and woman entwined in a passionate embrace, and the explicit scene was right inside the company. And the female protagonist in the video was the all-too-familiar Su Qin! Upon seeing the video, Su Qin was so shocked she was speechless. When was this filmed? The female protagonist was Su Qin, but the male protagonist was not Zhou Zixiong. "Minister Su, how does it feel? Am I servicing you well?" Behind Su Qin's tender body, a handsome guy teased her, a newly hired employee in her department, a typical fresh-faced young man, just the type Su Qin liked. As one would expect, Su Qin slept with him directly. And the video captured the moment Su Qin and the young employee indulged in a fiery liaison during one such impassioned encounter. "Of course it feels good, much better than Zhou Zixiong, that useless impotent man. He finishes in less than five minutes every time. Every time I still have to pretend I'm enjoying it, which is really aggrieving. Young guys are so much better." Su Qin panted, her words intermittent, the scene exceedingly private. At this sight, Zhou Zixiong's face turned dark as well. "This is a scene captured by one of our security department's surveillance cameras on the rooftop. Minister Su, I suppose you didn't anticipate there being a camera on the rooftop, did you? We have Minister Liang's dutiful service to thank for this; if he hadn't requested a camera to be installed on the rooftop a while ago, we wouldn't be able to witness such a tantalizing scene," laughed Hao Jian heartily. Meanwhile, Shu Ya and some other girls lowered their heads, too embarrassed to watch Su Qin and the man together. "Zhou Zixiong, you're picking a quarrel with me over such a 'fool', what is your brain filled with? Mashed potatoes?" Hao Jian rebuked Zhou Zixiong unapologetically, a sneer crossing his lips. Zhou Zixiong's face was livid, but he dared not lash out at Hao Jian, instead glaring furiously at Su Qin, "How dare you betray me? You whore!" Having said that, Zhou Zixiong harshly slapped Su Qin across the face! "No. I." Su Qin was so frightened she was speaking incoherently, her pretty face completely pale. PS: Thank you everyone for your support, truly appreciate it. Every comment, Shuaishuai has seen them all, especially to those who reward and vote daily, thank you very much! Chapter 128 Shu Ya and Hao Jians Double Act! "You bitch!"Zhou Zixiong, furious, swung his hand and slapped Su Qin to the ground. As Su Qin lay on the ground, she immediately sprung up and clutched Zhou Zixiong's leg, her face pale as she pleaded, "Vice Chairman Zhou, please give me another chance. I'll never dare to do it again. I will go immediately and make things clear to that junior employee, and from now on, I will be wholeheartedly devoted to you." Now that she knew Hao Jian's identity, she knew she couldn't keep her job, and couldn't afford to lose Zhou Zixiong's support either. Otherwise, not only would her reputation be ruined, but everything would be over for her! "Get lost!!!" Zhou Zixiong kicked Su Qin away, by now completely insane with rage. He had stood up for Su Qin, and this bitch went behind his back to seduce some young meat? And even called him impotent? How could Zhou Zixiong face anyone? It was no exaggeration to say that at this moment, Zhou Zixiong really wanted to kill Su Qin. "If you want to make a scene, do it somewhere else. Since you've already decided to divest, you have no relation to our company anymore. You don't deserve to stay here," Hao Jian said to Zhou Zixiong, expressionless. Then, Hao Jian glanced at Su Qin, "And you, such a disgusting employee also doesn't deserve to stay at our company. Go to HR later and get your pay and get out!" Everyone was bewildered, feeling as if in this instant, Hao Jian was the president of their company. A driver gesturing and giving orders in the conference room might seem laughable, but at this moment, no one dared to say he was wrong. "I won't divest! I absolutely won't!" Zhou Zixiong shouted out loud, shaking his head incessantly like someone who had lost his mind. His partnership with Xu Donghe had fallen through, and if he divested now, he would truly be a fool¡ªbankruptcy would follow shortly. "Not divesting? You think I can't do anything to you if you don't divest?" Hao Jian scoffed disdainfully and looked at Xu Donghe, "Elder Xu, how long would it take to turn his shares into worthless paper if it's a case of malicious competition?" Xu Donghe pondered for a moment and responded, "About a week, I suppose." "Elder Xu." Xu Donghe was already stunned. Xu Donghe was obviously playing him to death on behalf of Hao Jian. With a resigned smile, Xu Donghe said, "Don't blame me. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for messing with this kid. Even I can't afford to provoke him, let alone you." "Hiss." Zhou Zixiong and the others all drew a sharp breath. Even Xu Donghe can't afford to provoke him? Just who exactly is this kid? Then, those shareholders began to look at Shu Ya with a strange glint in their eyes! Shu Ya had previously mentioned that Hao Jian was her relative, but they had been in conflict with Jiang Shan alongside Shu Ya's grandfather and mother, and they had no idea there was such an impressive person in her family. So they suspected that Hao Jian was not really Shu Ya's relative as she claimed, but actually her boyfriend. Only as a boyfriend would he lower himself to work as a driver in order to protect her assets. Discover stories at empire They believed that seeing Zhou Zixiong trying to harm Shu Ya, Hao Jian decisively took action. "That Shu Ya, I'm really sorry about before. Uncle didn't know your boyfriend was so powerful, so I spoke out of turn. Here, I'm slapping my face," said the previously confrontational shareholder, making a conciliatory expression and even faking a slap to his own face. He could also see that Hao Jian was not someone he could afford to provoke. It was better to admit his mistake proactively rather than be targeted by him¡ªhe did not want his shares to become useless pieces of paper. "Uncle Sun, you're too serious. You were thinking of the company's interests. How could I blame you?" Shu Ya said. Shu Ya smiled, but she didn't deliberately explain her relationship with Hao Jian, which was tantamount to tacit approval. She had actually been looking for the right moment to let everyone know about it, and now it seemed that even if she didn't acknowledge it, there was no way around it, so she simply chose not to explain further. However, when everyone saw that Shu Ya offered no defense, they were shocked. Could this man really be Shu Ya's boyfriend? At this moment, Foreman Liang's expression was the most animated! Because he harbored feelings for Shu Ya, and now he witnessed Shu Ya tacitly confirming that Hao Jian was her boyfriend. It felt as if his heart had been stabbed repeatedly. "If you don't withdraw your shares, I'll render them completely worthless, choose!" Hao Jian said with a cold and merciless face. "Do you really have to be so ruthless?" Zhou Zixiong looked at Hao Jian with a distressed expression, almost on the verge of tears. Because at this very moment, he didn't even have the courage to hate Hao Jian, let alone confront him¡ªXu Donghe had already said Hao Jian was not someone to provoke, so what could he possibly use to compete with Hao Jian? "It was you who were utterly ruthless first; I am simply following suit," Hao Jian said with a faint smile. "Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and pack your things and get out, don't force me to call security." "Hao Jian, let it be." But just then, an unexpected voice came through. Shu Ya sighed and said with a bitter smile. All eyes turned to Shu Ya. They couldn't understand why she would do this when their company now had sufficient funds to eliminate the threat posed by Zhou Zixiong. "Let it be? But he just..." Hao Jian was also somewhat puzzled. Indecisiveness didn't fit Shu Ya's character. Shu Ya waved her hand to interrupt Hao Jian: "After all, he's a hero who fought alongside my mother to build what the Shu Ya Group is today. Without him, the Shu Ya Group wouldn't be where it is now, so I want to give him another chance." As she spoke, a certain message was conveyed from the depths of Shu Ya's eyes. Hao Jian was a smart man and immediately understood what Shu Ya meant, but he frowned and said: "That won't do, he was just about to fire me. If we let him off the hook just like that, wouldn't I be too aggrieved?" "How about this, then? He owns thirty percent of our company's shares. We have him give up ten percent, how does that sound?" Shu Ya proposed in a tone of negotiation to Hao Jian, but in reality, her words were intended for Zhou Zixiong to hear. Zhou Zixiong's eyes lit up immediately, and he hastily nodded with excitement: "No... no problem! I voluntarily give up ten percent!" Giving up ten percent was better than nothing at all. "Ten percent? Isn't that a bit too little?" Hao Jian said hesitantly. Zhou Zixiong's heart skipped a beat as he looked at Shu Ya with a pleading gaze. Shu Ya gave Zhou Zixiong a reassuring look and said to Hao Jian: "Ten percent is not a small amount already. Let's give him a small punishment for now, and if he disobeys again in the future, we can deal with him more severely." Of course, these words were also meant for Zhou Zixiong to hear. "Of course, of course, in the future, I will serve the company wholeheartedly, never causing trouble without reason again!" Zhou Zixiong assured fervently, thinking to himself: With your man being so formidable, how could I ever dare to oppose you in the future? I'd be smiling secretly if you didn't bully me. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Watching Hao Jian and Shu Ya play good cop, bad cop, Xu Donghe couldn't help but laugh. Chapter 129 The Unbearable Past of Elder Xu! "Uncle Zhou, considering your past service for the company, don't say I'm bullying you. Although I'm taking away ten percent of your shares, I'll still give you thirty percent of the annual profits. What do you think?" Shu Ya asked.Xu Donghe was momentarily stunned, then his aged eyes slightly narrowed. This girl had the makings of a great general. To strike a person and then offer them a date, this was the most common tactic in "The Art of Sovereignty." However, Shu Ya managed to employ it so ingeniously that Xu Donghe couldn't help but marvel. If Shu Ya had solely punished without rewarding, Zhou Zixiong might have been forced to agree, but once the opportunity arose, he could possibly bite back at Shu Ya. But with both reward and punishment, Shu Ya completely bought Zhou Zixiong over. If he thought about making any small moves in the future, he would have some reservations. "I have no issues." Zhou Zixiong bitterly smiled, indeed feeling immensely guilty. He hadn't expected that after putting Shu Ya in such an awkward position, she would bear no grudges. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Do as you please, just don't regret it later," Hao Jian sighed heavily, apparently too lazy to point out Shu Ya's faults. Seeing Hao Jian finally relent, Zhou Zixiong also breathed a sigh of relief. "Since it's settled, everyone should get back to work," Shu Ya commanded the crowd. The shareholders who had originally wanted to get close to Xu Donghe, hearing Shu Ya speak, could only reluctantly leave. ... In the President's office, Shu Ya personally poured a cup of tea for Xu Donghe and said with a smile: "Elder Xu, I really owe this one to your financial support." "I was merely fulfilling someone's request," Xu Donghe smiled and took a sip of his tea. "Tell me the truth, are you and Hao Jian actually grandfather and grandson, or perhaps even great-grandfather and great-grandson?" Experience tales at empire Shu Ya curiously asked, unable to think of any other reason why Xu Donghe would help Hao Jian. "Grandfather? Hahahaha." Xu Donghe burst out laughing, spitting out the tea in his mouth. "How could I possibly have such a grandson? If I had a grandson like that, I probably wouldn't have lived till now. He and I are merely ordinary friends." "Friends?" Shu Ya found it hard to accept this idea, wondering how someone of Xu Donghe's status could possibly be friends with someone like Hao Jian. The two were utterly mismatched in terms of status and social standing, weren't they? Xu Donghe chuckled, "Although I am older, I am indeed his friend. After all, age, nationality, social standing, and status do not define friendship, right?" Shu Ya didn't respond, just stared at him. Xu Donghe finally gave in: "Alright, I admit it's because he once saved my life that I agreed to become his friend." Shu Ya then smiled: "Then tell me, how did he save your life?" After today's events, Shu Ya suddenly became very curious about Hao Jian. "It's better if he tells you himself. I'm afraid if I misspeak, he'll deal with me," Xu Donghe said with a wry smile. "Deal with you? That can't be. How could he possibly bully an elderly person?" Shu Ya was skeptical. "Why not? He even threatened me before, said he'd strip me naked, tie me up in a stable, and feed me **** to the war horses for them to get 'intimately acquainted' with me," Xu Donghe said, visibly shuddering at the memory. "But that was just a threat, right?" Shu Ya said, unable to understand. It was just a threat, why take it so seriously? "Yeah, I had the same thoughts back then," Xu Donghe sighed deeply, his face betraying the ravages of time, looking like he couldn't bear to look back on the past. "You're not going to tell me he actually did it, are you?" Shu Ya asked, gaping in shock. Xu Donghe nodded shamefully, overwhelmed with misery. "..." Shu Ya looked at Xu Donghe with a strange expression, thinking, so, this old man had done that with a warhorse? Could his body even handle that? "What are you guys talking about?" Just then, Hao Jian, who had finished dealing with some issues, walked in from outside. Upon seeing Hao Jian, Shu Ya immediately frowned and angrily said, "Hao Jian, did you used to tie Elder Xu up in the stable and let a warhorse do that to him?" Hao Jian paused for a moment, then yelled at Xu Donghe: "You told her about that too?" "I've waited a long time for this day!" Xu Donghe shouted discontentedly, "You said no one could handle you, but today I finally found someone! I want Shu Ya to avenge me and clear my name from those years!" "Shit, how many years ago was that, and you still remember? How could you be so narrow-minded?" Hao Jian said exasperatedly, thinking how petty this old man could be. Hearing this, Xu Donghe was steaming with anger and said with immense grievance: "Try being naked and tied up in a stable, blowing in the cold wind, facing a group of animals straining their ****, and see if you could forget it?" This memory was indeed unforgettable; even now, Xu Donghe would occasionally dream of a group of warhorses bullying him. Hearing this, Shu Ya's pretty face turned fierce, and she immediately chose to stand by Xu Donghe, rebuking: "Tell me! Did you really do it?" "It's all because that old man wouldn't listen," Hao Jian retorted with a shrug. Back then, he had been entrusted to rescue Xu Donghe's kidnapped granddaughter, but when he got there, Xu Donghe insisted on going along, no matter how hard Hao Jian tried to persuade him otherwise. Out of frustration, Hao Jian ended up doing it. "I did do it, but I let him go right after the first horse got to him. Just from this, you can see I'm a kind person, don't you agree?" Hao Jian blinked his innocent eyes; actually, it was mainly because Xu Donghe's screams were so pitiful that Hao Jian feared he might actually get killed, which would mean no commission for him. "How could you do that? Elder Xu is so old, and you still bullied him like this? Are you even human?" Shu Ya was furious, unable to fathom how someone could behave in such a way¡ªit was utterly, utterly, barbaric! Shu Ya momentarily couldn't even find the words to describe Hao Jian's behavior. "You're not human!" Xu Donghe immediately echoed, also glaring at Hao Jian. "Alright, alright, I'm not human then. Actually, it was mainly because I was too young back then, you know? It's inevitable to make some mistakes when you're young and impulsive," Hao Jian scratched his head, somewhat apologetically. Hearing this, Xu Donghe's expression relaxed a bit! After all, so much time had passed, and Hao Jian had successfully saved both his granddaughter and his own life. Compared to this favor, that incident really was nothing. "If it were now, I definitely wouldn't do that. At most, I would just break your legs, I absolutely wouldn't humiliate you like that," Hao Jian suddenly added. "Damn, thought this bastard had become kind, but he's got even more vicious!" Xu Donghe's face turned dark. Chapter 130 Since ancient times handsome men have faced many hardships! After chatting for a while longer, Xu Donghe finally stood up to take his leave, and Shu Ya saw him out.In the elevator, Xu Donghe said to Shu Ya with a smile, "Little girl, you must be that young man's girlfriend, right?" Discover stories at empire Shu Ya was taken aback for a moment, her pretty face involuntarily blushing as she asked shyly, "What makes you think that?" "You might not know, but that kid is extremely proud deep down, and in his life, he never asks anyone for favors. Today he made a special call, asking me to come and help you resolve the crisis at your company, which is enough to show how much he values you. If it were anyone else, he probably wouldn't have bothered to give them the time of day," Xu Donghe said with a smile, noticing that Shu Ya didn't understand Hao Jian as well as he did. "No. Really?" Shu Ya's mind went blank, could it be that guy... was interested in her? Xu Donghe didn't explain further but said meaningfully to Shu Ya, "If you truly love him, then treat him well. Don't be fooled by the carefree facade he puts on all the time, he's actually been through a lot of hardships, so try not to hurt him." "Yes, I understand," agreed Shu Ya, nodding earnestly. "See you when I see you." Xu Donghe smiled, got into his car, and then the vehicle started up and drove away, leaving a trail of dust behind. Shu Ya watched as the sedan became smaller in the distance and muttered to herself, "Hao Jian, Hao Jian, what kind of person are you really?" ... On the weekend, Hao Jian specifically went to the department store not for anything else but to buy a wedding ring for Shu Ya that would make her heart sing. Even though it was a fake marriage, he could not skip this ritual. After browsing for a while, he found a Shu Ya Group owned store inside the mall and walked straight in. "Sir, what kind of jewelry would you like to pick out?" A sales associate approached him, but when she took a clear look at Hao Jian's face, she paused, then covered her mouth in shock. Hao Jian looked around, then touched his head, puzzled as he looked back at her, "Look, beauty, although I know I'm unreasonably handsome, you don't have to give me that expression, right? Tell me I'm not looking exceptionally devastating today?" The sales associate bit her lip, and then hesitantly asked, "Are... are you Hao Jian?" "Eh? Am I really that famous? I've been laying so low, and you still recognized me?" Hao Jian also let out a small surprised sound. Pfft! The sales associate was instantly defeated by Hao Jian's shamelessness, her smile blooming like a flower! After taking a few deep breaths and hiding her amusement, the sales associate finally said, "Hao Jian, don't you remember me? I was your desk mate in high school, Chen Zhiyan!" Chen Zhiyan was full of surprise, not having expected to encounter Hao Jian here. "Chen Zhiyan?" Hao Jian thought for a moment and then suddenly slapped his hand, "I remember now, you're Little Fatty Girl? Whoa, this is not scientific, did you have plastic surgery? How did you become so beautiful?" "You're so annoying! I've not been fat since junior year of high school, okay?" Chen Zhiyan said, a bit angry, obviously not fond of the nickname. "Yes, yes, yes, but I've gotten used to calling her Little Fatty Girl, you know." Hao Jian laughed heartily. At this moment, as he looked Chen Zhiyan up and down, he found that she had become even more radiant, almost unrecognizable from her high school days. "Right, what brings you here?" Hao Jian asked curiously. "Me? I work here." Chen Zhiyan replied with a somewhat forced smile as Hao Jian asked this question. "But I remember your dad was a real estate chairman. Back in high school, he used to have the driver drop you off at school, which made all of us 'loser' students green with envy. How come you're working in this tiny store now?" Hao Jian didn't understand. To his knowledge, Chen Zhiyan was supposed to be a wealthy heiress. "Oh, I get it, you're here to experience life, right? I've heard about this before - you city folk really know how to live it up." With this thought, Hao Jian burst into hearty laughter. But Chen Zhiyan did not laugh. Instead, her face became shrouded in gloom. Seeing this, Hao Jian instinctively closed his mouth and shrank his head, saying: "Sorry, did I say something wrong?" Chen Zhiyan shook her head and said, "I'm not here to experience life. About five years ago, my dad's company went bankrupt and he racked up a huge amount of debt, which now requires me to work continuously to pay off." Hao Jian was taken aback, and then scratched his head somewhat embarrassingly: "I'm sorry. I didn't know." "It's alright, it's all in the past." Chen Zhiyan smiled again and changed the subject: "Anyway, what brings you here? Looking to buy some jewelry?" "Yes, I'm getting married and want to pick out a pair of rings for my fianc¨¦e," said Hao Jian with a smile. "No way?" Chen Zhiyan looked at Hao Jian with surprise. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Hao Jian asked, not understanding: "Is there something wrong with a handsome guy like me getting married?" "No, it's just strange. Back in school, you said you'd rather die than get married." Chen Zhiyan clearly remembered this. Back then, when Hao Jian was chatting with a bunch of boys, he mentioned this, and it had upset her for a long time. "Damn, so I was already so unrestrained back then? Huh? You can tell you paid a lot of attention to me. You remember things even I don't recall," Hao Jian joked. "Of course. You were quite the figure in high school, and half the topics girls chatted about during breaks were about you. I wasn't an exception," Chen Zhiyan replied straightforwardly, "I had a crush on you back then too. But as Little Fatty Girl, I felt like an ugly duckling next to you and never dared to confess." "Ah? The handsome suffer from their charm," said Hao Jian, scratching his head awkwardly. "Alright, I'll stop teasing you. So, when's the wedding? Are you going to invite me, an old classmate?" Chen Zhiyan asked with a teasing smile. "Of course, I'll invite you. I haven't decided on a date for the banquet yet, but I'll definitely let you know when I do." Hao Jian replied promptly, then suddenly thought of something and asked: sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "By the way, I heard you were dating Sun Renyao a while back. So many years have gone by; are you two married yet?" The moment Hao Jian brought this up, Chen Zhiyan's expression froze, and then she suddenly burst into tears. It was as if she'd been deeply wronged, and without caring about the many customers around, she lost control and sobbed uncontrollably. Hao Jian was dumbstruck. Had he said the wrong thing again? Chapter 131 Pick the Next One for Me! "Don't cry, what exactly happened? You can talk to me about it."Hao Jian was stunned when he saw Chen Zhiyan crying, tears streaming down her cheeks like blooming pear flowers. "It's not your fault, this isn't your mistake." Chen Zhiyan kept shaking her head with a bitter smile. "I broke up with Sun Renyao a long time ago. In the beginning, everyone said that he pursued me because he coveted my family's wealth. I didn't believe it at first, but after my father went bankrupt and all our money was spent, he ran off with a woman who was even richer." "Is that so? Actually, I could tell that kid was no good back in middle school, always hanging around a bunch of girls, acting like some kind of love saint. It's good that you broke up with him. Otherwise, you might have been even more miserable." Hao Jian said softly, trying to console her. "Mm, thank you." Chen Zhiyan knew Hao Jian was trying to comfort her and felt touched. "Chen Zhiyan, are you out of your mind again? You don't need to work here anymore?" Just then, a harsh voice came from behind Chen Zhiyan, startling Hao Jian. Hao Jian only saw a plump middle-aged woman walking over, looking at Chen Zhiyan with an unfriendly expression. A trace of timidity appeared on Chen Zhiyan's face as she apologized, her head hanging low: "I'm... I'm sorry, manager, it wasn't on purpose, I just..." "You just have too many stories inside, right?" The fat woman said sarcastically with a cold laugh: Your next journey awaits at empire "Cut the crap. Ever since you came here two months ago, you've been moping around like you've lost your mother. You, this harbinger of bad luck, just because you've been wearing such a long face, have scared off our fortune god. That's why our store's performance this month has been so dismal!" Chen Zhiyan kept her head down, sobbing, not daring to retort the fat woman. Hao Jian couldn't stand it any longer and rebuked the fat woman: sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What you're saying is a bit too much, isn't it?" It was bad enough that she had no sympathy for others' misfortunes, but she was even verbally abusive. This fat woman lacked even basic decency. "Who do you think you are? You dare to lecture me?" The fat woman frowned at Hao Jian. "I'm her classmate." Hao Jian said, his face cold: "Don't you know what happened to her family?" "Isn't it just her daddy going bankrupt and the kept man running off with someone else?" The fat woman laughed scornfully, her words tinged with mockery. "She's lived the life of a pampered young lady for the first half of her life. It's time for her to taste the hardships of ordinary people." What the fat woman couldn't stand the most were young ladies like Chen Zhiyan, spoiled and pampered, good at ordering people around but useless otherwise¡ªsimply born with a silver spoon, yet without any real talents. In the end, the fat woman was driven by a jealousy of the wealthy! Seeing customers come in and spend thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands to buy items, and then looking at her own life, she couldn't help but feel envy and resentment. Hao Jian heard the subtext in the fat woman's words and mocked: "You're jealous of her, aren't you?" "Jealous? Why should I be jealous of her? She's just a little employee in our store, and I can fire her anytime I want. Are you joking with me?" The fat woman immediately became somewhat agitated. Jealous? Did she really need to be? She said that, but inside she was experiencing different emotions. If she wasn't jealous, why the big reaction? "If you're not jealous, then why are you so worked up? Isn't that a contradiction?" Hao Jian cut in, glancing at the fat woman with contempt: "I've seen plenty of people like you, who can't eat grapes and say the grapes are sour, a typical loser mindset. Bullying others to satisfy your twisted thrill." "You. You're making things up!" The plump woman was hit where it hurt by Hao Jian's words, and suddenly she felt somewhat guilty. "Making things up? Then give me one reason why you are bullying Chen Zhiyan? What did she ever do to offend you, to make you despise her like this?" Hao Jian snorted coldly. "I think you're just looking for trouble!" Left speechless, the plump woman simply became enraged with embarrassment and shouted at the security guards in the store: "You, come over here and kick this troublemaker out!" Hearing this, the two security guards immediately approached with a menacing look. "Hao Jian, you better go, I'm fine," Chen Zhiyan also hurriedly said. She didn't want Hao Jian to get hurt because of her. "It doesn't matter, she can't touch me," Hao Jian said, looking unconcerned as he turned to the plump woman: "Since I've entered this store, I'm a customer here, and yet you're driving a customer away. Do you still want to keep your store open?" At these words, the other customers also turned their gaze towards Hao Jian. Facing the scrutiny of the surrounding customers, the plump woman's hatred for Ye Feng reached its peak, and she barked angrily: "Even if you are a customer, you have no right to interfere with how I discipline my employees! And you say you're a customer, then why don't you buy something? Can you even afford it? She is a down-and-out young lady, and you? To me, you're nothing but a poor loser pursuing a fallen young lady!" The plump woman couldn't help but sneer, how could Hao Jian, in his ragged clothes, dare to call himself a customer? Even the cheapest jewelry of their brand started at a hundred thousand yuan, how could Hao Jian, this poor loser, possibly afford it? Hao Jian let out a mocking chuckle, then turned his head towards Chen Zhiyan: "Pick out a pair of rings for me." "Okay." Chen Zhiyan nodded blankly and quickly took out a pair of rings from the counter: "This pair of rings is called 'Crystal Eternal,' symbolizing pure and everlasting love. It's a great choice, especially for a proposal." "How much?" Hao Jian didn't take the rings, but just looked at them indifferently. "This pair is one hundred thousand." Chen Zhiyan replied, and this was, in fact, the cheapest pair of rings she had introduced to Hao Jian. The others were all over two hundred thousand. "One hundred thousand? No, I don't want it." Hao Jian shook his head straight away. The pair was too cheap, using them to propose to Shu Ya would be insincere. Since he wasn't short on money now, even if spending a million to buy a pair of rings wasn't an issue, after all, marriage was a big deal in life. As long as he could get reimbursed by Shu Ya later, it would be fine. "What, you think it's too expensive? This is the cheapest pair of rings in our store. If you can't even afford this, then you can forget about anything else here. You're a loser, so stop pretending to be someone rich and just get lost," the plump woman immediately taunted Hao Jian. Seeing him hesitate, she subconsciously thought he found the price too high. But that was normal, too¡ª100,000 yuan was enough for an ordinary family's income for a year or two. It was understandable if he found it expensive. After all, which ordinary person would spend 100,000 yuan to buy a ring! And some of the wealthy customers in the store also revealed mocking smiles, thinking: This poor fool really thinks he can just come here anytime? "If you want to buy something cheap, you might as well go to the gold shop next door, where you can get a pair of rings for just a few thousand yuan," the plump woman sneered, continuing to mock Hao Jian. "Hao Jian, I'm sorry." Chen Zhiyan clenched her fists tightly, feeling very embarrassed. It was because of her that Hao Jian was being ridiculed by the plump woman. "Pick another pair for me," but Hao Jian was unfazed and said calmly. Chapter 132 Youll Be Even More Surprised! Chen Zhiyan paused momentarily, but then he saw Hao Jian's confident smile!He really hadn't changed at all since back then, always so full of self-assurance, so spirited no matter the occasion. Chen Zhiyan nodded and then picked out another piece for Hao Jian: "This one is two hundred thousand." "Don't want it." "This one is three hundred thousand." "Don't want it." The plump woman blinked and said with some impatience: "If we keep going like this, the result will be the same. There are no bargains in our store; every piece of jewelry is crafted by a top designer. You, a loser, should stop dreaming and get lost, stop wasting our time." But Hao Jian still ignored her, pointing to a set of couple rings and asking: "This one is not bad, how much is it?" "This..." Chen Zhiyan looked at Hao Jian with some difficulty because he had chosen a pair of couple rings that should not have been chosen. "Haha, you think a poor nobody like you can buy that? It is the treasure of our store, costing over two million twenty thousand." The plump woman mocked and burst into laughter. "However, you have a good eye, you spotted the best item in our shop at first glance. It's just a pity you will never be able to afford it in your lifetime." Hao Jian, as if he hadn't heard the plump woman speaking, smiled at Chen Zhiyan and said: "Tell me about this ring." Seeing that Hao Jian was still ignoring her, the plump woman felt annoyed and snorted coldly, "Pretentious fool." Chen Zhiyan hesitated for a moment, but still spoke up: "These couple rings are called 'Heirloom,' symbolizing the King and the Queen's eternal affection, nobility, elegance, and ultimate luxury." "Heirloom? Indeed, a good name." Hao Jian nodded and smiled, Shu Ya was the Queen, and he was the King; the meaning matched them as well. "I'll take this one," said Hao Jian and then took out a credit card from his pocket. Seeing that card, everyone was stunned because that was a Black Card! The Black Card, also known as the Centurion Card, is known as the king of cards, having one equates to possessing a symbol of status and position. Such bank cards cannot be applied for, they are only offered by banks to invite certain customers. The number of people who have this card is very limited, and although many rich individuals frequent this store, none of them possessed one. So when they saw that Hao Jian actually had such a card in his hand, they were all dumbfounded. Initially, they thought Hao Jian was a nobody who had wandered into the wrong place, but now it seemed he was not a nobody; he was being understated. What could be more convincing than pulling out a Black Card? At this moment, their gazes towards Hao Jian were filled with awe because they knew that Hao Jian must be wealthier than them. The annual fee for the Black Card is about fifteen thousand dollars, only those exceedingly rich tycoons wouldn't care about that. Who would have thought, Hao Jian, dressed so shabbily, was actually so wealthy. And at this time, the most shocked were none other than the plump woman and Chen Zhiyan! They had never imagined Hao Jian would pull out a Black Card, especially the plump woman; her face turned green on the spot. A loser? She really wanted to slap herself several times right now! Of course, this Black Card wasn't actually Hao Jian's; it was given to him by Shu Yuntu as a reward for betraying Shu Ya. Hao Jian hadn't expected it would come in handy at this moment. "Take it already, what are you dazed for?" Hao Jian said to the daydreaming Chen Zhiyan. "Oh, oh." Chen Zhiyan hurriedly nodded, preparing to take the Black Card. "Sir, let me serve you instead." But just at that moment, the fat woman immediately crowded in, her face full of smiles, talking to Hao Jian just like a fawning dog. However, the card Hao Jian had taken out was instantly pulled back, and he looked at the fat woman with some displeasure, uttering only one word: "Scram!" ".." The fat woman froze on the spot, her expression incredibly awkward. "This commission must be credited to your account; no one else is allowed to take it," Hao Jian said expressionlessly. "Hao Jian, thank you. Really, thank you." Chen Zhiyan wept tears of joy. According to their company's policy, each piece of jewelry would earn a five percent commission, which meant a commission of one million one hundred thousand for her. No wonder the fat woman was so desperate as to lose her shame and try to butter up Hao Jian, because that amount was nearly her income for half a year. Clearly, she wanted to snatch the commission, but Hao Jian didn't give her the chance. With this money, Chen Zhiyan would be able to relieve a lot of the pressure on her family. Seeing the commission given to Chen Zhiyan, the fat woman was filled with envy, regretting her attitude deeply. She knew the commission should have been hers; if she had been friendly to Hao Jian from the start, she might have gotten a share of the bounty. "Why thank me? We're old classmates after all, and you know what they say: 'Keep the benefits within your own group.' Why let outsiders profit when someone from our circle can earn it?" Hao Jian laughed. Chen Zhiyan wiped away her tears and managed a faint smile: "I won't bother saying thank you anymore, I'll take you out to dinner sometime soon." Find your next read on empire After that, Chen Zhiyan turned around to swipe the card, and started to wrap the pair of rings for Hao Jian. Hao Jian took the rings and then his gaze fell on the fat woman: "What's the matter? You seem quite shocked?" The fat woman's expression flashed with surprise, then she forced a smile that looked even uglier than crying. "You're shocked too soon. You'll be even more astonished in a little while," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh, then picked up his phone to make a call. "Hello, Hao Jian, what made you think of calling me all of a sudden?" e was greeted by Xiao Qiang's gentle laughter. "Xiao Qiang, as the head of the HR department, do you have jurisdiction over the staff in the stores as well as those in the company headquarters?" Hao Jian asked. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Xiao... Xiao Qiang? At the mention of this name, the fat woman, Chen Zhiyan, and a group of others all showed shocked expressions. This guy actually knew the HR department head of their headquarters? "Yep, what's up?" Xiao Qiang asked, puzzled. Hao Jian glanced at the fat woman and said with a sneer, "There's a store manager in a shop inside Beifu Mall on Huayuan Street in East City District who has seriously violated company discipline, abused her power for personal gain, and insulted and neglected customers, acting in a preposterous manner. I hope you can fire her." Hearing this, the fat woman's face turned deathly pale. "Are you sure?" Xiao Qiang frowned, wondering how Hao Jian knew about this. "Of course, I am right in the store now. If you don't believe me, you can send someone from the headquarters to retrieve the surveillance video," Hao Jian said. "There's no need, I believe you." Xiao Qiang promptly agreed, her tone gradually turning colder. If it was as Hao Jian described, then it was an embarrassment to their company. Should the scandal be revealed by the media, the company's reputation would be completely ruined. "Oh, and there's an employee here named Chen Zhiyan who's performed very well. You could promote her to the new store manager after you fire that one," Hao Jian added. Chapter 133 Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace! "Oh, so you want me to pull some strings for you?" Xiao Qiang said with a mischievous smile:"Tell me! Are you trying to hit on someone?" Pull some strings? Upon hearing these words from Xiao Qiang, Hao Jian suddenly had a wicked thought in his mind! Dammit, I don't want you to pull strings for me, I want to pull your strings! Of course, these despicable thoughts, he knew, were just that, thoughts. So he directly said: Continue your journey on empire "No, she's an old classmate of mine. I figured since the shop needs a manager anyway, instead of assigning someone else, why not promote her directly?" At this moment, upon hearing these words, Chen Zhiyan and the others were completely stunned. Chen Zhiyan stared blankly at Hao Jian and then couldn't help but reveal a bitter smile. Hao Jian was Hao Jian. In his student days, he was a prominent figure at school, and now, even in society, he was a top figure. A single word from him could make her a store manager. What more needs to be explained? Chen Zhiyan had never regretted liking Hao Jian, even now it was the same, and she even felt proud to be able to like such an incredible man. "Alright, I agree to it," Xiao Qiang briskly consented. "Thanks, I'll treat you to dinner later," Hao Jian chuckled. "Well, make sure to keep that promise. I've got to go, hanging up now," Xiao Qiang laughed and then hung up the phone. Hao Jian hung up the phone, but didn't even glance at the plump woman, crossed his arms, appearing to be waiting for something. And as he waited, both the staff and the customers in the shop also stood still, unblinkingly watching Hao Jian, all very curious about how the plot would unfold. A few minutes later, the shop's landline rang. One of the employees glanced at it and hesitated for a moment before picking it up. "Hello." He first greeted and then looked at the plump woman with an uncomfortable expression. The plump woman's heart skipped a beat, she swallowed, and asked uneasily: "Wha... what's the matter?" "It's a call from the headquarters; they said you've been fired," the employee timidly delivered the message. "What?" The plump woman was utterly shocked. Did the HR manager really fire her because of what Hao Jian said? "It's the HR manager who called, she said you don't need to come to work tomorrow, and she said Chen Zhiyan will be the new manager. In a while, she will send someone to register her as the manager," the employee explained. The plump woman was stunned, standing there like a statue. Had she just lost her job just like that? "You actually got someone to fire me?" After a moment, the plump woman recovered and glared at Hao Jian with eyes full of hate. She was gnashing her teeth, appearing almost manic, her face flushed with anger. "I'm just telling you the price of looking down on others," Hao Jian said, the corner of his mouth curling in a disdainful arc. He had never had a good impression of such status-conscious people. "I won't let this go, you, and you, I will definitely make you pay!" The plump woman angrily pointed at Hao Jian and then at Chen Zhiyan, speaking with intense hatred. She hated them immensely at this moment because, if not for them, she wouldn't have experienced such immense humiliation today, nor would she have lost her job. "Fine, I await your 'big arrival,' but for now, can you leave?" Hao Jian asked with a cold laugh, looking at the plump woman. "You. Hmph!" The plump woman glared fiercely at Hao Jian, then stormed out of the jewelry store. At this moment, everyone finally snapped out of their shock and looked at Hao Jian in amazement. "You're still the same as before," Chen Zhiyan's mouth curved into a smile, as proud, powerful, and unrivaled as before! "What was I like before?" Hao Jian asked curiously. Chen Zhiyan thought for a moment, and smilingly answered: "Very handsome!" "Well, I guess I can't ever fix the flaw of being handsome in this lifetime!" Hao Jian said, somewhat embarrassed as he touched his nose. "By the way, there's a class reunion next week; will you be there?" Chen Zhiyan suddenly remembered this because a high school classmate had recently suggested having a reunion. Since Hao Jian was also a classmate, Chen Zhiyan planned to invite him too. "We'll see when the time comes, if I have time, I'll go." Hao Jian said with a smile, but the concept of a classmate was quite vague to him. Since he had joined the army after high school graduation and had left the army to constantly fight in the Underworld, he had become the supreme God of Death! To him, the word 'classmate' had become too distant. "Alright then, call me when it's time." Chen Zhiyan knew that this was just Hao Jian's way, so she didn't insist. "Hmm, we'll get in touch by phone then," Hao Jian agreed, then left the jewelry store. "Zhiyan, that guy is your classmate? What does he do to be so wealthy?" Just then, one of Chen Zhiyan's female colleagues hurried over to ask. "I don't know, but he has been quite impressive since our school days. I didn't expect him to be well-connected after moving forward," Chen Zhiyan answered with a laugh. "That's because true gold always shines. Capable people will always find a way. Zhiyan, can I ask you something? Could you give me his phone number?" Her colleague nudged Chen Zhiyan's elbow, a bit hopeful as she asked. "You can forget it. Didn't you see he was buying wedding rings? He's getting married, you are too late," Chen Zhiyan laughed out loud. "So what? If I can't be the wife, I can be a concubine, right? Being a mistress to such a wealthy and powerful man, many women would wish for that." Chen Zhiyan realised her colleague wasn't joking and immediately dropped the smile: "No way! You're talking about ruining someone's family!" What a joke, how could she possibly let her succeed, even if it was about becoming a lover? If someone had to do it, it should be herself, right? . "Busy?" After leaving the jewelry store, Hao Jian went straight back to the company, then sneaked into Shu Ya's office. Shu Ya looked up at him, then quickly lowered her head and asked: S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What's up?" "There's something very important I need to discuss with you," Hao Jian said with a wry smile, wishing she would look at him. "Yeah, go ahead." Shu Ya still did not look up, focusing intently on her work. The funds from Xu Donghe had arrived, and she needed to use these funds wisely in the shortest possible time, so she was quite stressed. "Can you look at me when you talk?" Hao Jian was a bit speechless, had nobody ever told her that looking at someone while speaking is the basic courtesy? "Speak up, I'm very busy." Shu Ya still remained nonchalant. So Hao Jian got mad and said, "I got someone else pregnant, so I can't marry you!" "Thud." Shu Ya's pen dropped to the floor, and this time, she finally raised her head with a grimace of a smile: "Say that again?" Seeing Shu Ya's expression at that moment, Hao Jian really didn't have the courage to repeat it. "It was a joke." "I don't like that kind of joke." "Don't be so uptight." "I am that uptight." "¡­" "Get to the point, let it out, or get out." Shu Ya snapped impatiently. "Are you sure?" Hao Jian timidly glanced at Shu Ya. "I'm very sure!" Shu Ya's anger was rising, wondering what on earth he was up to. "Pfft¡­" A strange noise suddenly reverberated through the office. Chapter 134 Perform Well! Listening to that muffled farting noise, Shu Ya's face darkened as she clenched her teeth and asked:"You... What are you doing?" "Didn't you tell me to let it out quickly if I had to? Actually, I've been feeling some gas in my stomach since I came in, but I didn't want to disgust you, so I've been holding it back. I never expected Shu Ya to be so considerate," Hao Jian said with a mischievous smile. "Shut up! Get out!" By this time, Shu Ya felt like killing someone. Had this jerk come to find her just to fart and disgust her? "Alright, I was actually planning to propose to you, but seeing as this is your attitude, forget it." Hao Jian huffed arrogantly, turned around, and walked away. "Wait." Shu Ya suddenly panicked and called out to stop Hao Jian. "What?" Hao Jian looked back at her, annoyed. "You. Did you just say you were going to propose to me?" Shu Ya put down the work in her hands, stood up, and stared at Hao Jian from a distance, asking the question. Although she tried her best to hide it, her face was still a bit shy. "Nope, I was actually saying I'm going to return the ring," Hao Jian immediately backpedaled. As if I'm proposing now. Shu Ya pursed her lips, thinking to herself how petty this guy was. Then, she stretched out her hand. "What for?" Hao Jian pretended not to understand. "The ring, aren't you planning to propose?" Shu Ya said, annoyed. Couldn't this guy take a hint, didn't he see how she was behaving? "Oh." Hao Jian responded expressionlessly, then took a few quick steps forward, threw the ring box into Shu Ya's hand, and then mimicked Shu Ya by stretching out his own hand. Continue your adventure with empire "What for?" Now it was Shu Ya's turn to be confused. "You are the one who wants to marry me, so you should be the one proposing. Come on, show me how well you can perform," Hao Jian said, thick-skinned. This jerk! Shu Ya gritted her teeth, opened the ring box, and was about to put the ring on Hao Jian. But at that moment, Hao Jian deliberately took a step back and looked at Shu Ya with disdain: "Haven't you ever seen a proposal on TV? Get down on one knee, understand?" "Hao Jian, don't push it too far!" Shu Ya was about to lose her mind. What she had just found romantic was now only infuriating her. "Tsk, you don't seem to have any sincerity at all. Forget it, I might as well take the ring back for a refund," Hao Jian said as he reached for the ring box. "Swoosh!" Shu Ya knelt down on one knee, looking at Hao Jian with a killing intent. "Say you love me," Hao Jian pressed his advantage. "Hao Jian." Shu Ya almost squeezed these two words through her teeth. "Alright, alright, considering the sight of you crying, shouting, kneeling, and begging me, I'll reluctantly agree," Hao Jian said, feigning magnanimity as he let Shu Ya slip the ring onto the ring finger of his left hand. The nightmare was finally over. Shu Ya stood up and said to Hao Jian: "By the way, my grandfather wants to see you." "See me? Why?" Hao Jian was stunned. "What do you mean why? Now the whole company is talking about our affair, how could he not know about it? You are his prospective grandson-in-law, after all. He's got to see for himself if you're a mule or a horse, right?" "Fine, when?" Hao Jian was straightforward. After all, he had already met Shu Ya's eccentric father; meeting her grandfather probably wouldn't be much different. "Tonight, after we get off work. You'll come back with me," Shu Ya said. When it was time to leave work, Hao Jian and Shu Ya headed to her grandfather's residence, a large ranch with many cattle, sheep, and horses. Hao Jian was amazed at the vast ranch before him; it was like an ecological park, even bigger than Brother Huoniu's estate. And as they passed a small villa, Hao Jian saw about a dozen luxury cars inside, all lined up in an eye-catching row. "Your grandfather also has a hobby of collecting luxury cars?" Hao Jian asked in surprise. This was a bit too trendy; it seemed like something those brainless rich second-generation kids would do. "Those aren't my grandfather's cars; they belong to my uncle," Shu Ya said indifferently, her expression souring a bit at the mention of her uncle. Hao Jian instantly understood her expression and laughed: "I get it now?" "You get what?" Shu Ya also laughed. "I guess your uncle, even if he isn't quite like Shu Yuntu, must be pretty similar, right?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "Oh? What makes you think so?" Shu Ya was interested to hear his reasoning. "Didn't you just say it? The cars aren't your grandfather's, they're your uncle's. A person who buys so many cars clearly has more money than sense, and judging by this ostentatious behavior, we know he loves to show off. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Besides, your uncle, being an adult, still lives with his parents, which suggests he's still 'nursing.' He likely does this to make it easier to ask for money from your grandfather; he must be a typical 'boomerang kid,' right?" "You guessed right," Shu Ya said with a wry smile. She felt sad about being born into such a family, with an irresponsible mother who committed suicide, a worthless pretty-boy father, and a boomerang-kid uncle. To think she, a woman, had to manage the vast family business. "Miss, the master is currently in the back garden. He said that when you arrive, you can go directly there to find him," a servant told Shu Ya. Shu Ya nodded and walked with Hao Jian towards the back garden. Soon after, Hao Jian met Shu Ya's grandfather, a very thin old man with slightly dark skin and covered in dirt, looking more like a farmer than a businessman. Shu Ya's grandfather was named Zhang Cheng, a very simple and honest name, and he was also the founder of the corporation. Ever since he handed over the corporation to be managed by Shu Ya's mother, he had been living a carefree rural life, waking at dawn and resting at dusk. At that moment, he was using a hoe to dig up sweet potatoes. Seeing Hao Jian and Shu Ya approaching, he smiled, "Girl, you haven't visited me for a while." "I've been busy with work lately, and now here I am, aren't I?" Shu Ya said with a smile. "You must be Hao Jian," Zhang Cheng then turned his attention to Hao Jian, who was standing beside Shu Ya. Chapter 135 Invincible Radish Big Stinker! Experience tales at empire"Grandfather Hao," Hao Jian respectfully bowed as well. "I've heard about your accomplishments, truly a hero among the youth, haha," Zhang Cheng laughed heartily, seeming exceptionally cheerful. "Years ago, I met Elder Xu at a charity gala but back then, due to my status, I didn't get the chance to speak with him. I can't believe you know him. Make sure to introduce me when you get the chance." Zhang Cheng, who was well-versed in the affairs of the corporation, naturally knew about how Hao Jian had used Xu Donghe to thwart the major shareholders. "No problem," Hao Jian replied readily. "Good, let me carry these two bags of sweet potatoes over, then we can eat," Zhang Cheng said with a smile. "Elder, let me do that," Hao Jian walked over directly. "No, no, you're here for the first time as a guest. How can we let you do such heavy work?" Zhang Cheng quickly shook his head. But Hao Jian had already picked up the two bags of sweet potatoes with both hands, saying, "It's fine, this weight is nothing to me. Where should I put them?" "Just put them in that warehouse there." Seeing Hao Jian lifting the two bags, which together weighed nearly 150 kilograms, Zhang Cheng was somewhat dazed in astonishment. "Alright then." Hao Jian carried the bags of sweet potatoes directly, making the bags seem as light as feathers in his hands. "Quite robust, very good," Zhang Cheng nodded in approval and then went to wash his hands, ready for dinner. However, before dinner, Zhang Cheng called Shu Ya to the study alone, leaving Hao Jian by himself in the living room. This action was somewhat impolite, but Hao Jian could understand that Zhang Cheng probably wanted to inquire about his background from Shu Ya. He could also tell that this old man was far from as simple as he appeared; after all, he was an old fox who had scrambled in the business world for many years. How simple could he be? Despite being polite on the surface, his heart might be filled with doubts about Hao Jian, a man of unknown origins. The main reason he had been invited over today was probably to assess his character and to see if he harbored any ill intentions towards their family business. Especially since after Shu Yuntu's departure, there was already some unrest among the Zhang Family. Thus, Hao Jian didn't mind, trusting that Shu Ya could handle it. Just then, Hao Jian saw a man walk in. This man was about Hao Jian's age and had a similar build. Dressed in a suit, he was handsome, but his demeanor was somewhat cold, his eyes sharp like knife blades. His first impression of the man was: strong! Very strong! The faint killing intent emanating from him told Hao Jian that he had killed people, many people. But why was such a master in Zhang Cheng's house? The man also noticed Hao Jian and asked coldly, "Who are you?" "And who are you?" Hao Jian smiled and countered. The man's eyebrows furrowed instantly, "Why are you at the Zhang family's home?" "And why are you at the Zhang family's home?" Hao Jian also scoffed, annoyed by the man's arrogance. The man was completely enraged and stared coldly at Hao Jian, "Are you seeking death?" "Oh, come on then, try and kill me," Hao Jian said disdainfully, infuriated by the man's cocky demeanor from the moment he arrived. Didn't your mother teach you to introduce yourself when asking others their names? "Swoosh!" The man charged forward, his leg soaring high from the sky aiming a vicious stomp at Hao Jian! "Bang!" His leg landed on the sofa Hao Jian was sitting on, chopping it in half. At that moment, Hao Jian slowly landed from mid-air, having swiftly back-flipped to dodge the attack the instant the man made his move. The man narrowed his eyes, but didn't expect Hao Jian to be a Martial Artist and couldn't help but admit, "Not bad." "State your name. I, Hao Jian, never kill nameless ghosts," Hao Jian shouted at the man. Already infuriated by the man's arrogance and direct initiation of an attack, Hao Jian was ready to teach him a lesson. "My name is Leng Feng, I'm the head of the bodyguard team for the Zhang Family. Who are you?" Leng Feng realized that Hao Jian wasn't an ordinary person and thought he might be an esteemed guest invited by Zhang Cheng, so he dared not act rashly again. "Hao Jian, your young lady's fianc¨¦," Hao Jian responded. However, for some reason, hearing this seemed to rub Leng Feng the wrong way, as if a cat's tail had been stepped on, and he bristled: "Nonsense! My young lady has never had a fianc¨¦. If you spout nonsense again, don't blame me for being rude." Hao Jian snorted, "How would you know your young lady doesn't have a fianc¨¦? You're just the head of the bodyguards, not Shu Ya's anything. Why would she tell you?" "Just the head of the bodyguards? What do you know!" Leng Feng trembled all over, roared in anger, and was completely infuriated. He charged at Hao Jian again. Hao Jian also got a shock. What's wrong with this guy, getting so emotionally worked up so easily? And wasn't what he said the truth? "I'm going to kill you!" Leng Feng, like a wolf starved for days, lunged at Hao Jian. Then, he was pinned to the ground by Hao Jian. At that moment, Hao Jian's buttocks were sitting on Leng Feng's head, pinning his arms behind him in a reverse grip. "Let go of me! I want to fight you for three hundred rounds!" Leng Feng was furious. This son of a turtle dared to put his buttocks on his face, had he not heard the saying that a soldier can be killed but not humiliated? He hadn't expected Hao Jian to be so formidable that he was flipped over with just a few moves. "Stop shouting!" Hao Jian shook his head, as if pondering something. "Let me go, you soulless thing!" Leng Feng struggled violently, but Hao Jian was like a mountain, unmovable no matter how much he struggled. Hao Jian's buttocks had even flattened Leng Feng's face! "I said, stop shouting¡­" Hao Jian simply stated. And that made Leng Feng furious. You're sitting on my face and yet you won't let a man speak, "You this¡­" Puff! S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just as Leng Feng was about to speak, a muffled sound suddenly erupted, a dense aura rushing towards Leng Feng, even causing his hair to float up! Fuck! "You farted! You... you dare to fart on my face, vomit¡­" Leng Feng's entire face darkened, a bout of dry heaving almost turning his intestines inside out! Hao Jian seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and then said smilingly: "Told you to stop shouting! The moment you open your mouth, you're eating farts! How about it? The radish I ate for lunch today, does it smell good?" Puff! Leng Feng felt like vomiting blood! Damn, it was his first time encountering such an unscrupulous, shameless person; this was way too obscene! Ignoring Leng Feng's expression, Hao Jian sported a playful smile, pressed down harder with his buttocks, and demanded: "Speak! What exactly is your relationship with Shu Ya!" Hao Jian wasn't a fool. Earlier, when he said Leng Feng was merely Shu Ya's bodyguard, Leng Feng got very emotional immediately, which was very abnormal. There must be some reason behind it. "¡­" Leng Feng clenched his teeth and stayed silent, showing his tough spirit. Even if Hao Jian wanted to kill him or torture him, he would not frown, unafraid of death or pain, results of his lifelong training! "Oh, you think by not speaking, I can do nothing to you?" Hao Jian sensed what Leng Feng was thinking and chuckled wickedly: "Would you believe that in a moment, I'll strip you naked and hang you from the living room chandelier for everyone to see?" Leng Feng's eyebrows immediately knitted together, clearly quite wary of this. "Plus, I have some bad news for you. Shu Ya is currently in her grandfather's study and should be coming down soon. What do you think she will think of you if she sees you hanging there bare, witnessed in your disgrace?" "Or perhaps, I brew a few more unbeatable radish mega-stink bombs, give you a few more to drink?" "." "Vomit!" Chapter 136 What happened to your hair? "Have a few more drinks?"Leng Feng's mental defenses completely crumbled, and he broke down. He wasn't afraid of death, but he dreaded making a fool of himself in front of Shu Ya, and even more so that invincible stinky big farting radish. Damn it, that bastard's farts really stink! After hesitating for a moment, Leng Feng's mouth twitched a few times, and he finally chose to swallow his pride and said begrudgingly: "Shu Ya and I grew up together; in a sense, you could say we were childhood sweethearts." Hao Jian paused for a moment and said, "So, you like her?" "Of course not. I'm an orphan who was taken in and raised by the Zhang Family. Their only purpose in raising me was a singular one, to protect Miss Shu Ya's safety. The relationship between Miss Shu Ya and me was doomed a long time ago, it was absolutely impossible for us to become lovers, and it's out of the question for me to have any improper thoughts about her." Leng Feng spoke seriously; he had no love for Shu Ya, just loyalty, like a dog. "But I'm definitely not just a bodyguard as you said, I would die for Miss Shu Ya. Miss Shu Ya is my everything, her every command is my top priority, even if she wanted me to commit suicide right now, I wouldn't blink an eye." Leng Feng emphasized again that he was certainly not just an ordinary bodyguard. "You mean to say, you're like a guardian angel or a knight in shining armor?" Hao Jian asked with a frown. "Yes, you're right." Leng Feng nodded repeatedly, and Hao Jian finally understood him. "Pah! You're really disgusting!" Hao Jian expressed his disgust. On the spot, Leng Feng turned to stone. How was this disgusting? This was clearly a very sacred matter! Leng Feng said blankly, "Don't you feel touched at all?" "Touched my ass, you freaking pervert!" Hao Jian said with even greater revulsion. "I... How am I a pervert?" Leng Feng roared, nearly crying from anger; this bastard was too inhumane! "You've been harboring thoughts about a girl without her knowing, thinking about her all the time, wanting to protect her without her permission, and vowing to guard her for life. Isn't that perverted?" Hao Jian snorted twice and said, "You're the kind of dead pervert who would stand at someone's door in the middle of the night, staring at their window and jerking off!" "I..." Leng Feng had lived for over twenty years and had never been insulted like this, but Hao Jian was sharp-tongued, and he couldn't find the words to fight back. "In the future, I will definitely keep Shu Ya far away from you, you pervert." Hao Jian snorted. "You can't do that! Miss Shu Ya is my life, doing that would be like killing me!" Explore more at empire Leng Feng bellowed, from childhood he had been indoctrinated with the notion: "You live for Shu Ya, she is the meaning of your continued existence!" If Shu Ya died, or ignored him, then his life would lose its purpose! "You see, saying such things in front of Shu Ya's fianc¨¦, and you still claim you're not a pervert?" Hao Jian deliberately wiggled his buttocks, twisting Leng Feng's face out of shape. "I'm going to kill you!" Leng Feng growled through clenched teeth. "Kill me? I'm Shu Ya's fianc¨¦, and since Shu Ya is your mistress, that should make me your master too. If you killed me, do you think Shu Ya would forgive you?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. Leng Feng was utterly at a loss for words; the otherwise unyielding man was so agitated he was about to cry: "What do you really want?" "It's simple, just obey my orders from now on, or I'll have Shu Ya fire you at any moment. And before firing you, I might even strip you naked and hang you from the chandelier, or let you taste the power of the Stinky Fart Divine Skill!" Hao Jian threatened. "You're a demon." Leng Feng's eyes showed a sense of defeat. Consider Leng Feng, who could face thousands of troops without changing his expression, and yet now he was being toyed with by a rascal. Hao Jian had this ability to twist even the most formidable people around his finger because he was the almighty God of Death! "Hao Jian, why are you bullying Leng Feng!" At this moment, Shu Ya had finished chatting with Zhang Cheng and was heading downstairs, only to see Hao Jian sitting on Leng Feng's face in the lobby. Seeing his bodyguard, whom he had raised for over twenty years, being beaten into a dog by Hao Jian, Zhang Cheng was also stunned. Leng Feng was capable of taking on a hundred men alone, just like Zhao Zilong during the Three Kingdoms period. Zhang Cheng had spent so much money on him to train him to this point, and yet Hao Jian managed to knock him down? This... this was just too bizarre, right? Only then did Hao Jian let go and stood up, shrugging his shoulders in embarrassment: "He started it, not my fault." Seeing Shu Ya appear, Leng Feng immediately perked up as if injected with adrenaline, promptly stood up, and gave a respectful bow: "Miss!" Hao Jian sneered, "What a sycophant." Leng Feng glared fiercely at him, struggling to hold back from lashing out. When Shu Ya saw Leng Feng's hair standing on end, she asked with curiosity: "Leng Feng, what's with your hair?" "It's¡­ it's nothing..." sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Leng Feng's mouth twitched. He certainly couldn't say he'd been blown away by one of Hao Jian's farts! "How did you two start fighting?" Zhang Cheng asked curiously, eager to know what had happened and why his tiger of a guard was no match for Hao Jian. "He said he's the Miss's fianc¨¦. I said he was talking nonsense. Someone of the Miss's esteemed status could never marry such a scoundrel. He's clearly a toad lusting after swan meat, so I couldn't help but make a move," Leng Feng said through gritted teeth and in a low voice. "But you just got flattened by that toad. So, what does that make you? A little tadpole? A white tadpole?" Hao Jian clucked with mock amazement, eyeing Leng Feng with amusement. "You." Leng Feng clenched his fists, ready to fight again. But remembering the guy's Stinky Fart Divine Skill, he didn't dare to make a move! "Enough, both of you cut it out," Shu Ya said with a headache. These two were such a pain; why couldn't they make her life a little easier? Then, Shu Ya turned to Leng Feng and said, "He's right, he is indeed my fianc¨¦, and before long, I'll be marrying him." "What? Impossible!" Leng Feng's eyes widened in disbelief. Why would Shu Ya fall for such a scoundrel? "What if I told you that your esteemed young lady actively pursued me? Would that seem even more impossible?" Hao Jian cackled strangely, his voice like a duck's. Shu Ya felt a vein pop in irritation. This bastard, couldn't he let her have even one day without embarrassment? "That's just... absolutely impossible!" Leng Feng couldn't help but curse. Shu Ya was the goddess in his eyes, so beautiful, so intelligent, the dream lover of countless men. Others only yearned for her; it was nonsense that she would chase after anyone! Chapter 137 Bizarre Couple! "But this is the damn truth," Hao Jian lifted his proud chin, raising an eyebrow at Shu Ya, "Wife, tell him your husband isn't lying."Shu Ya really felt like killing Hao Jian at this point, cursing inwardly: This bastard! Meanwhile, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but laugh and cry. He had already learned from Shu Ya's own mouth that her relationship with Hao Jian was purely business, not love. That alleviated Zhang Cheng's worries somewhat, because with Hao Jian's mysterious identity and overwhelming power, even someone like Xu Donghe had dealings with him. If Shu Ya really married him, it wouldn't be long before Shu Ya Group might end up being renamed and rebranded. Zhang Cheng couldn't accept this, so he had a talk with Shu Ya. Naturally, he knew that it was Shu Ya who had actively pursued Hao Jian, or rather, forced him. At this moment, Leng Feng was also eagerly looking at Shu Ya, just hoping she would give a negative answer. Then, Shu Ya disappointed him. "That's right, I pursued him," Shu Ya said, dejected. "Miss," Leng Feng looked at Shu Ya with a face full of sorrow, appearing very plaintive. "Have you all made enough of a fuss? If so, let's start the meal." Shu Ya coldly dropped the sentence and turned to walk into the dining room, too lazy to deal with these two fools. Zhang Cheng, however, looked thoughtfully at Hao Jian and asked, "Hao Jian, do you know Martial Arts as well?" "Just a smattering," Hao Jian said modestly. "I think you're deliberately hiding your skills. Even Leng Feng was defeated by you. That's not just a smattering," Zhang Cheng said, his gaze growing wary after receiving Hao Jian's response. Find more to read at empire A man of mysterious origins, a vast background, and extraordinary Martial Arts skills ¡ª who exactly was this man? "I was just careless, which is why I lost to him. Give me another chance, and I'm sure I can defeat him!" Leng Feng said, unwilling to accept his defeat. But on hearing this, Zhang Cheng scoffed: "A loss is a loss; don't make excuses about being careless. Do you think your enemy will give you another chance on the battlefield? If you keep that attitude, you'll end up dying out there sooner or later!" Leng Feng trembled all over, realizing his impetuousness, and hung his head, exhaling deeply: "I was wrong." Hao Jian raised an eyebrow, watching the scene with interest. This Leng Feng was quite right¡ªhe really was a loyal hound. "Hao Jian, let's go have dinner," Zhang Cheng turned back to look at Hao Jian, his tone polite. It wasn't because Hao Jian was Shu Ya's fianc¨¦, but rather because Zhang Cheng also couldn't figure out Hao Jian's true identity. Seeing Hao Jian unwilling to mention his past, he tactfully refrained from asking further. "Sure," Hao Jian agreed readily, joining Zhang Cheng in the dining room. Leng Feng followed behind as well. Although he was a bodyguard, he had grown up with Zhang Cheng and was considered part of the Zhang Family, so he too had a place at the dinner table. The four sat down at the table while the servants brought out the food. But just as they were about to start eating, a slightly frivolous voice came from outside the door. "Yo, Shu Ya's back? Why didn't she come to visit her dear uncle?" When all four of them looked outside the door, they saw a middle-aged man walk in, wearing pajamas on the outside, a tank top and large boxer shorts on the inside, sporting a face full of stubble, unkempt hair, looking even more like a vagrant than an actual vagrant. Hao Jian was dumbfounded. Was this really Shu Ya's uncle? This getup was a bit too wild, way too cool and explosive, right? Beside this man was a garishly dressed middle-aged woman. In stark contrast to the man's untidiness and dishevelment, the woman seemed to have focused too much on her appearance. It was clear her melon-seed face had been surgically altered, her face heavily made-up¡ªthe powder could fall off in chunks, weighing over two pounds, and her mouth looked as if she had just devoured more than twenty pounds of hot peppers. She even put on makeup to come eat¡ªthis was not ordinary behavior. And this woman was clearly Shu Ya's aunt. Upon seeing Zhang Zicong and Yao Shufen appear, Zhang Cheng's face immediately turned sour, clearly not too fond of his son and daughter-in-law. "Uncle, Aunt." Shu Ya called out politely and then fell silent, not even offering the most basic greeting, obviously not fond of these two people either. Seeing this scene, Hao Jian immediately understood the relationship between the parties and chose not to say anything. Noticing everyone's lukewarm reaction, Zhang Zicong and Yao Shufen felt irritated. Yao Shufen glanced sidelong at Leng Feng and said in a mocking tone: "Oh, how did this dog get on the table again? Old man, you're really spoiling him, aren't you? If he gets used to it, he'll want to be on the table every day." Hearing this, Leng Feng's expression chilled as he glared at Yao Shufen. "Heh, you dare to glare at me? Did I say something wrong? Aren't you just a dog?" Yao Shufen scoffed disdainfully, knowing full well Leng Feng wouldn't dare to do anything to her. "Sit down and eat if you want to eat; if you don't want to eat, then get out!" Zhang Cheng rebuked them gruffly. Yao Shufen's face stiffened, and she huffed, taking a seat at one of the chairs. "Shu Ya, who is this? Why don't you introduce him to your uncle?" Zhang Zicong asked with raised eyebrows, clearly having noticed Hao Jian. "He is my fianc¨¦," Shu Ya said, her eyes downcast as she continued eating, not even lifting her head. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yao Shufen appraised Hao Jian from head to toe and let out a derisive chuckle: "Fianc¨¦? That's hilarious. Shu Ya, your taste in men is just like your mother's¡ªnot that great. You have the nerve to bring someone like this home?" Upon hearing this, Shu Ya, who was eating, immediately stopped her chopsticks. Hao Jian also frowned. Yao Shufen's words were indeed overstepping. She managed to insult both a living person and a deceased one in one go. Shu Ya lifted her head, a smile playing on her lips as she looked at Yao Shufen: "Is it any better to bring home someone who dresses up flamboyantly and ******** like a ***** every day?" "You¡ª" Yao Shufen was momentarily stunned. Did Shu Ya just call her a prostitute? Yao Shufen turned to Zhang Zicong, "Zicong, listen to what your niece is saying. I was speaking for her own good, and she called me a *****." At this, Zhang Zicong also frowned and said: "Shu Ya, that's where you're wrong. Your aunt didn't say anything incorrect. Look at your fianc¨¦¡ªhe doesn't even greet us when we arrive. So wooden, what's he good for?" Hearing this, Zhang Cheng almost choked in anger. Do you know who you are and who he is? He is a giant, someone with a single word who could lead to the shuttering of our Shu Ya Group. And you, a good-for-nothing, lazy freeloader¡ªhow dare you expect him to greet you? Chapter 138 You are like a fool! Hao Jian did not get angry because of Zicong's attitude. Instead, a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth as he slowly stood up and extended his hand to Zicong:"Uncle, hello, my name is Hao Jian." But Zicong gave him a glance and did not extend his hand. In his view, a deadbeat dressed in rags like this one was not worthy of shaking hands with him. Seeing this, Yao Shufen could not help but show a mocking expression, knowing that Zicong had deliberately put Hao Jian in an awkward position. Shu Ya had dared to curse at her, so she must take her revenge. Seeing this, Shu Ya could not help but see fire in her eyes. Hao Jian had already lowered himself to take the initiative to shake hands with Zicong, yet Zicong was there, pretending to misunderstand intentionally. When Shu Ya's father came to their home back then, he had also faced such a cold reception. Shu Ya had heard from her mother that although Shu Yuntu had approached her for money, he had actually loved her initially, but after the constant mocking and insults from her uncle and aunt, he gradually began to recognize money over people. In fact, the ruin of Shu Ya's family had not been without the undeniable responsibility of Zicong and Yao Shufen. "Uncle, I am Hao Jian." Hao Jian, as if he had not noticed Zicong's attitude, called out again while extending his hand once more. "Humph!" Zicong snorted with laughter, his expression full of mockery, thinking to himself that a stinking "loser" like him wanted to shake hands? What a joke! "Uncle?" A colder smile now played across Hao Jian's face. Shu Ya blinked, her expression a bit dazed, because she knew Hao Jian well enough to understand that when he showed such a sinister smile, it meant he was about to do something. The smile on Zicong's face brightened, thinking was this guy a fool? Couldn't he see he was being ignored and yet he still wanted to shake hands? At that moment, Hao Jian slowly withdrew his hand, but just as Zicong and Yao Shufen were about to open their mouths to mock him, his hand shot out again, or rather, he threw a punch. "Slap." A crisp slap landed squarely on Zicong's face. Everyone present was dumbfounded; no one had expected Hao Jian to publicly confront Zicong like this. Shu Ya covered her forehead and sighed, seemingly having anticipated this all along. Zicong was stunned, covering his face while looking bewilderedly at Hao Jian. And Hao Jian also looked at him, his smile not reaching his eyes, and said: "Uncle, you act just like a mistress, you know?" "You. You dared to hit me?" Zicong was completely flabbergasted, staring furiously at Hao Jian, unable to believe that Hao Jian had struck him suddenly, considering he was Shu Ya's uncle. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hit you?" Hao Jian sneered twice, "With my temperament in the past, I would have killed you." It wasn't a lie; the Hao Jian of the past might have indeed killed him. "Dad, look, what kind of person has Shu Ya brought back this time, hitting people casually, with no manners at all, just like Shu Yuntu back then!" Yao Shufen immediately pressed Zhang Cheng with her harsh words. "Yes, Dad! This guy is just a street thug, I think he's just after our family's property like Shu Yuntu was. We should kick him out of the Zhang Family right away, Shu Ya absolutely cannot marry this kind of person." Zhang Zicong spoke angrily as well. "Shut up!!!" Zhang Cheng glared at Yao Shufen and Zhang Zicong, as he had been holding back his anger for a while. Were these fools deliberately trying to create a formidable enemy for their Zhang family? Your next read awaits at empire Zhang Zicong and Yao Shufen were stunned, seemingly not expecting Zhang Cheng to reprimand them. Then, Yao Shufen sneered and said to Zhang Zicong, "I told you that you're not his own son, didn't I? You didn't believe me!" Hearing this, Zhang Cheng's face turned dark immediately, as Yao Shufen's words were extremely grating. "Shut up." Zhang Zicong said, trying to suppress his anger. "What? Am I wrong? Your father would rather protect an outsider than you. I think you must have been picked up," Yao Shufen didn't stop, continuing to mock him coldly. "I told you to shut up!" Zhang Zicong, infuriated and ashamed, slapped Yao Shufen across the face, knocking her from her chair to the floor. "Zhang Zicong, you hitting me shows what skill? Have the guts to hit them! You only know how to be horizontally fierce at home, bullying your wife, are you even a man?" Yao Shufen immediately screeched shrilly. At that moment, Zhang Zicong ignored her, his gaze intensely fixed upon Zhang Cheng: "Dad, I am your own son, the eldest son of the Zhang Family. I suppose you know, and everyone should know. But when choosing an heir, you didn't choose me, instead, you chose my sister who eventually would marry into another family, become someone else's wife. That was your decision, fine, I respected your decision and said nothing." Zhang Zicong then sneered: "What happened next? How much of our family's money did she use to support her gigolo during her time managing the company? She even attempted suicide later because of that gigolo, causing the company to be unmanaged for a long time. Yet, you still didn't choose me, but instead, you chose the eighteen-year-old kid Yellow Hair. Even then, I said nothing." "But this time, I just had to speak out!" Zhang Zicong's voice suddenly rose several decibels. "Are you going to hand over the company to an outsider again and then watch as she and her mother drive the company to ruin?" At that moment, Zhang Zicong finally exploded. He was Zhang Cheng's own son after all! Shu Ya and her mother, one is someone else's daughter, and the other is someone else's wife, total outsiders! Zhang Cheng snorted coldly, "If you were capable, I naturally would have handed over the company to you. Bypassing the elder for the younger leads to chaos, it has been so since ancient times. You think I don't want to pass the company to you? It's you who lacks ambition, spending your days only with riff-raff, drinking and indulging in gambling and prostitution, you learned nothing else, and you want to manage the company? I fear it wouldn't be enough for you to waste!" "So they aren't wasting it? Your sister spends money on her gigolo and even supports a mistress for him. And her daughter is just like her mother, picking up a scoundrel. Soon after they marry, it won't be long before the Zhang Family is thrown out onto the streets. Just think, you at seventy or eighty begging on the streets." Zhang Zicong sneered. "A scoundrel? Hao Jian with just a single word made our family gain an extra ten percent of the shares. What about you? What have you ever done for the Zhang Family?" Zhang Cheng couldn't help but laugh scornfully. Zhang Zicong trying to threaten him? Absolutely ridiculous. Upon hearing this, Zhang Zicong and Yao Shufen were dumbfounded! A single word, gaining them an extra ten percent of the shares? This¡­ how is this possible! Chapter 139 You Unlucky Child! Upon hearing that Hao Jian had actually let his own Zhang Family earn a 10% stake for free, Zhang Zicong and his wife were first full of disbelief, then calmed down, but their expressions grew even darker:"Earn a 10% stake for free? There's no such cheap deal in the world, I bet he's got some ulterior motives." "Can I hit him?" Hao Jian asked Shu Ya, pointing at Zhang Zicong, "This Zhang Zicong is so annoying, I'm a mess, but still can't stand to see others do well." "Hit me? Go on, touch me and try, come on! Hit here!" The moment he heard this, Zhang Zicong immediately got furious, pointed to his own face and roared at Hao Jian, doubting if he really dared to strike. If Hao Jian dared to touch even a hair on him, he could have Hao Jian's body floating in the Huangpu River by tomorrow! "Bang!" Then, Zhang Zicong was sent flying. This time, Hao Jian had not used his hands but his feet instead. Chen Zhiyan was stunned for about three to four seconds before she finally, somewhat slow to react, shouted, "Husband!" "You little bastard, you really dared to hit me!" Zhang Zicong fell to the ground, only feeling dizzy, with one hand covering his mouth resentfully watching Hao Jian. He had never expected that Hao Jian would really dare to hit him, especially in front of his own father! "It was obviously you who told me to hit you, and now you're blaming me? Have you no shame?" Hao Jian said with a resentful face, as if he had been greatly wronged. Zhang Zicong was petrified on the spot, furious enough to roar: How could I know you'd really hit me! You hit me and still call me shameless, fuck... At that moment, Zhang Zicong was almost infuriated to the point of vomiting blood! S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Honestly, I've never heard such a despicable request in my life. Old man, you heard it too, he asked me to hit him. Respecting him as an elder, I just followed his request, and now he even dares to frame me! Tell me, isn't he an old bastard?" Hao Jian looked at Zhang Cheng with a face of aggrievance. Old bastard? Zhang Cheng's mouth twitched severely. This little rascal is calling me an old bastard who has borne another bastard! "Yes, he... he is an old bastard..." Zhang Cheng could only bitterly smile, facing such a shameless and spirited son-in-law, what else could he say? Zhang Zicong looked at Zhang Cheng in disbelief, he simply couldn't believe that his own father would say such a thing. Am I really your biological son? "Alright, you two, if you want to eat then sit down quickly. Otherwise, just get lost." Zhang Cheng scolded, not wanting to offend Hao Jian, a valuable guest, because of Zhang Zicong. Zhang Zicong couldn't hold back anymore, his face full of annoyance: "Dad, you'd rather help an outsider than your own son?" "When you can bring in an investment of two billion like Hao Jian, then I'll help you," Zhang Cheng sneered. "Xu Donghe? This kid knows Xu Donghe? How is that possible?" Zhang Zicong simply couldn't believe it, wasn't this kid just a loser? "The two billion has already been transferred, and the company is preparing to get listed in the USA next month. You want to take revenge on Hao Jian, I don't care, but I absolutely won't allow you to use any of the family's resources. You may want to die, but I won't let the whole family accompany you to the grave, do you understand?" At that moment, Zhang Cheng had no more trace of tenderness, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, closely watching Zhang Zicong. Zhang Zicong trembled all over. If what his father said was true, then wouldn't Hao Jian be a big shot? He finally realized why Zhang Cheng would protect Hao Jian over him. Soon after, Zhang Zicong left resentfully, grumbling as he took Yao Shufen with him. "You really aren't his biological child." Yao Shufen followed behind Zhang Zicong out the door, immediately mocking Zhang Zicong. "Try nagging me one more time, see what happens?" Zhang Zicong stared fiercely at Yao Shufen, having just faced a setback at Hao Jian's, he was already furious, and now Yao Shufen was even giving him attitude. "Don't yell at me, let's talk about how to deal with that bitch Shu Ya first, if we don't think of something, the corporation will end up in her hands," Yao Shufen said with a cold laugh. "Think of something? How? Didn't you see how much the old man likes that kid? We have no say in this marriage." Zhang Zicong said, annoyed, completely aware that once Shu Ya got married, the corporation would belong to her. But what could he do? He didn't dare to mess with someone like Hao Jian. "But if Shu Ya died, then the marriage wouldn't happen, would it?" Yao Shufen said maliciously, a thick murderous intent appearing in her eyes. "Are you saying..." Zhang Zicong was horrified. Were they going to eliminate Shu Ya? "No poison, no husband. Zhang Zicong, do you really want to be dominated by that bitch forever? Don't forget, you are the rightful heir of the Zhang Family! She stole what should have been yours, and for that alone, she deserves to die!" Yao Shufen continued to incite him, filled with resentment thinking of all the money that went to Shu Ya, an outsider, money that should have been theirs. "But if we do this, the old man will never forgive me," Zhang Zicong said uneasily, knowing well how much the old man treasured Shu Ya. "It was that old bastard who was unkind first. You are his son, yet he doesn't pass on the family business to you. If you keep listening to him, you'll always be a good-for-nothing!" Yao Shufen sneered. Provoked by Yao Shufen's words, a fierce look finally crossed Zhang Zicong's face: "What should we do?" "Hire an assassin. My cousin is involved in the underworld; I'll talk to him, just pay him some money," Yao Shufen said, clearly not a spur-of-the-moment thought, but a plan she had long considered. "It won't lead back to us, right?" Zhang Zicong inquired. "No, it will be clean and efficient!" Yao Shufen laughed ominously. Zhang Zicong gritted his teeth and glared fiercely: "Then let's do it, I want to take back what's mine!" After leaving the manor, Shu Ya and Hao Jian drove home, but throughout the journey, Hao Jian kept looking at her with a very strange expression. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Shu Ya was also puzzled. "You poor, unloved child," Hao Jian sighed, looking sympathetic. "Scram!" . "Old classmate, did you forget what day it is today?" Early in the morning, Hao Jian was awakened by a phone call, and as soon as he answered, Chen Zhiyan's cheerful laughter came through. "A class reunion? If you hadn't reminded me, I would have completely forgotten," Hao Jian replied with a bitter smile, genuinely not having paid much attention to it. "So, are you coming today?" Chen Zhiyan asked, her voice carrying a hint of hope. "I guess I'll come, I don't have anything else to do today." After thinking it over, Hao Jian decided to go. Since he had decided to return to a normal life, he should integrate into the group. "Great, Hyatt Hotel, it starts at four in the afternoon sharp; make sure you're there," Chen Zhiyan, hearing Hao Jian would attend, was very pleased. After hanging up, Hao Jian got up and dressed, opening his wardrobe to find he didn't even have any decent clothes, all of them were casual wear. He scratched his head and grimaced, thinking it was indeed time to buy some decent clothes. Hao Jian arrived at the hotel half an hour early, now in a clean white tracksuit, which, while neat, was still very casual. Looking around at his classmates, some were in suits and leather shoes, others clad in various LV and Herm¨¨s brands, as flashy as could be. Experience more content on empire Hao Jian gave a wry smile, finally understanding why class reunions were also called 'show-off gatherings.' Those classmates who were doing well seemed eager to have reunions every day to spiritually dominate the men and physically impress the women, turning the reunions into a stage for flaunting wealth. Chapter 140 Are You Going to Bite a Dog? That's also why Hao Jian doesn't like class reunions. It's not that he's not doing well, but because the current purpose of class reunions has lost its essence. It's no longer about reconnecting and sharing feelings, but about bragging to each other."Hao Jian, you're here?" Upon seeing Hao Jian arrive, Chen Zhiyan immediately left a group of male classmates who were flattering her and, without any embarrassment, invoked their envy and jealousy. Upon a glance at Hao Jian, dressed in the most ordinary sportswear, they lost interest in going up to greet him. Clearly in their eyes, if Hao Jian was wearing such clothes, he must be down on his luck. If they went up to talk to him, he might even ask to borrow money from them. Seeing Chen Zhiyan preferring to chat with such a 'loser' instead of them made them even more irritated. Of course, there was a reason why Chen Zhiyan would just ditch them¡ªit wasn't because she had a secret crush on Hao Jian but because he was the only one who didn't look down on her when she was as fat as a pig. Instead, he often encouraged her. These male classmates were interested in her only because she'd become pretty. If she was still as fat as before, they probably wouldn't even spare her a glance. Today, Chen Zhiyan had also dressed up carefully, wearing a floral dress that made her look fresh and elegant. Read exclusive chapters at empire Feeling the male classmates' gazes as though they wanted to devour her, Hao Jian touched his nose with a wry smile: "Is it really okay to just leave them hanging like this?" "We weren't that close. There's no question of leaving anyone hanging," Chen Zhiyan said with a smile. "But, if you hang out with me, a poor bloke, they might give you the cold shoulder as well." Hao Jian advised her kindly. He could see that his classmates looked down on his simple clothes and only gave him a cursory glance when they saw him, without any interest in looking longer. "Let them give me the cold shoulder then." Chen Zhiyan said indifferently, shrugging her mouth¡ªnone of them mattered to her as much as Hao Jian did. Hearing this, a warm current surged in Hao Jian's heart. He and Chen Zhiyan took seats in a corner, and true to Hao Jian's words, not a single person came up to greet them. The rich ones didn't bother to say hello, and the poor ones were all cozying up to the wealthy ones. Naturally, they were even less inclined to pay attention to them. "Well, isn't this our class president Hao Jian?" Just then, a mocking voice came from behind Hao Jian and Chen Zhiyan. Turning around, they saw a man dressed in an Armani suit coming over, holding a glass of red wine pretentiously and acting like a high-society individual. "Wow, class president? Why are you dressed so shabbily? Wearing sportswear?" The man sneered, "Tsk tsk tsk. You used to be the big shot in our school, how did you end up so down and out?" Upon hearing this, the male and female classmates all looked at Hao Jian with ridicule. How could they have imagined that the once glorious Hao Jian could have fallen so far. Among these female classmates, many had once had a crush on Hao Jian, but now, one by one, they turned pragmatic and were annoyed that they had set their sights on such a man, seeing his current sorry state. "Li Jianwei, he's still our classmate. Is there any need for such foul language?" Chen Zhiyan snapped, angered by Li Jianwei's words. She knew about the animosity between Li Jianwei and Hao Jian from their high school days. Back then, Li Jianwei was a gangster, always harassing female classmates and bullying teachers. Back then, Hao Jian was the school authority. Because of him, the local gangsters didn't dare mess with the students, and even the principal had to show him some respect. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Once, when Li Jianwei was harassing a female classmate, he was caught by Hao Jian and got a beating, and he seemed to hold the grudge even now. After high school graduation, Li Jianwei went overseas to do business with his father. In recent years, it was said he made quite a lot of money, covering up his past misdeeds with his current wealth. At today's class reunion, everyone chose to forget about his past ugliness, and instead started to fawn over him. "I'm just telling the truth. As a fellow classmate, it hurts me to see him struggle so much. Here's what we'll do for old times' sake, since I happen to need someone for odd jobs. President, why don't you come work for me? Five thousand a month, how about it?" Li Jianwei continued to mock, implying that Hao Jian should work for him. The big shot of the school? Li Jianwei only wanted to laugh¡ªdaring to beat me up in school back in the day? Today I'm going to trample you under my feet! "Li Jianwei, don't go too far!" Chen Zhiyan rebuked. Hao Jian was too proud to work as Li Jianwei's errand boy. But Li Jianwei just snickered, "I'm only thinking of the class president's best interest, and besides, you're not him; how would you know he wouldn't be happy? Maybe he's even thrilled." Five thousand a month wasn't a lot, but it was a decent income for the average person, and he believed Hao Jian wouldn't refuse. The thought of being able to order around this once unapproachable guy delighted Li Jianwei. "You..." Chen Zhiyan was so angry she was trembling. "Hey, if a dog bites you, are you gonna bite back?" Hao Jian finally spoke, but he was far from polite, not giving Li Jianwei any face. Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Hao Jian to fight back. What right did he have to retaliate? If it were them, they probably would have just endured it rather than continue to be insulted. Li Jianwei's expression soured as he sneered: "President, don't you think you're being a bit too harsh?" "That's right, what kind of way is that to talk? Don't forget who's hosting today¡ªit's Li Jianwei. Without him, you probably wouldn't have the chance to step foot in this six-star hotel in your lifetime." "Hao Jian, haven't you heard that biting the hand that feeds you is bad form? Li Jianwei is entertaining you with good food and drink, and you still speak out of turn? Do you not understand basic social etiquette?"... Chapter 141 Actually, Im not familiar with him! PS: Apologies, there was an error in the system backend. It has been a day since the issue was reported and the tech department still hasn't resolved it. We can only republish it again and hope for a swift resolution. We are very very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused!"You were somebody back in school, but you think you can still act that way in society? As if." Those classmates all started to join in, eager to step on Hao Jian to curry favor with Li Jianwei. And there was Li Jianwei, scoffing. Think you can fight with me? I don't even have to speak to squash you! "You guys..." Chen Zhiyan was also stunned. She couldn't believe that these classmates of hers were all so mercenary. Talk about classmate loyalty, at this moment she just felt the reunion was disgusting. Despite the accusations from so many classmates, Hao Jian's expression remained calm, and with a smile, he pointed at the empty table: "Which eye of yours saw me eating or drinking his stuff?" "Even if you didn't eat anything, do you have any idea how much it costs just to sit in this six-star hotel?" a female classmate sneered. She had once had a crush on Hao Jian, but he had rejected her, and now she couldn't help but loathe him, seeking revenge. Now Li Jianwei started to assert himself as well, his expression became stern, fiercely staring at Hao Jian, "You must apologize to me for your rudeness just now!" "Sorry, I don't have the habit of apologizing to dogs," Hao Jian shrugged to make his stance clear. "Good, if that's the case, then you are not welcome here, you may leave," Li Jianwei said, pointing his finger toward the main door, effectively ordering Hao Jian out. Publicly kicking someone out¡ªthis was to humiliate Hao Jian to the lowest, nothing could be more insulting. The classmates from the past, they either sighed or sneered, but not one stood up for Hao Jian because no one wanted to offend Li Jianwei over a 'pauper'. Just as Li Jianwei's words fell, a middle-aged man appeared at the door. Displeased with the noisy crowd, his brows furrowed deeply. "We can leave, what's the big deal? Hao Jian, I'll go with you!" Chen Zhiyan was the first to stand up. The reunion was pointless to carry on anyway. "Leave? No, we're not leaving." Hao Jian shook his head with a faint smile. From the moment he saw that man walk in, he knew they didn't have to leave anymore. "How ridiculous. Li Jianwei has already given the order to leave, yet you shamelessly cling on here. Your skin is really thick," his classmates started to mock again upon seeing Hao Jian wasn't willing to leave. "Hao Jian, let's go," Chen Zhiyan also pleaded with Hao Jian, as staying would only bring further humiliation. "Li Jianwei!" Just then, that man shouted towards the crowd. Li Jianwei turned his head, and his face light up with excitement as if injected with adrenaline, boasting to his classmates: "My big client is here! If I can close the deal with him, I'll make a clean profit of ten million!" Then, he glared at Hao Jian and Chen Zhiyan viciously, "If you two are going to leave, then do it quickly, don't stand in the way." After speaking, he basked in the enviable gazes of his classmates as he went up to meet the man. "Boss Zhou, you've arrived?" Li Jianwei approached eagerly, bowing and scraping like a servant, evidently ranking below Boss Zhou in status. This Boss Zhou was none other than Zhou Zixiong, the man who had been squarely put in his place by Hao Jian! Zhou Zixiong, with a frown, questioned, "Didn't you say you wanted to discuss a partnership? Why hold that discussion in a place like this?" He seemed very displeased and looked down on the murky atmosphere of the place, also despising Li Jianwei's classmates from the bottom of his heart. Seeing Zhou Zixiong's attitude rendered those classmates speechless. They thought he must be a wealthy tycoon, otherwise Li Jianwei wouldn't be so servile. "I wanted to have a class reunion, and since you own a six-star hotel and I heard you were coming today, I thought we might as well hold it here," Li Jianwei said in a flattering manner. "Alright, alright, let's get down to business. I'm very busy and don't have time to waste on these petty deals of yours." Zhou Zixiong seemed somewhat impatient. If it weren't for the fact that Li Jianwei was friends with his daughter, he wouldn't even deign to do business with him, as the returns were too low and mainly a waste of time. For a tycoon like him, a single minute could indeed involve hundreds of thousands of dollars. When the classmates heard this remark, they couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. Was ten million still considered a small deal? How extravagantly wealthy must this man be? "Alright, here's the contract, Boss Zhou, please have a look." But even though Zhou Zixiong's attitude was poor, Li Jianwei didn't dare show any dissatisfaction and respectfully handed over the contract. Zhou Zixiong briefly looked over the contract, found no issues, and pulled out his pure gold fountain pen from his breast pocket, preparing to sign. Li Jianwei watched Zhou Zixiong with an excited face, as long as Zhou Zixiong signed, that ten million was as good as in the bank. "I think there's no need to sign this contract, right?" Just then, a light and breezy voice suddenly arose amidst the silent crowd. Everyone turned in astonishment to see that it was Hao Jian who was speaking. At this moment, Hao Jian, with hands crossed over his chest, was looking at Zhou Zixiong with great interest. Zhou Zixiong was taken aback and, following the sound, his body jolted violently! Hao... Hao Jian? Zhou Zixiong had never expected Hao Jian to appear here. After the last incident, he was thoroughly afraid of Hao Jian, so his expression naturally became somewhat unnatural upon seeing him now. Find your next adventure on empire "Who are you to say there's no need to sign? What are you even worth?" sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Li Jianwei suddenly shouted with rage, cursing Hao Jian's ancestors in his heart and thinking this bastard really knew when to pick his moment, coming out to cause trouble now. The classmates initially froze upon seeing this, then also began to show disdainful smiles. Yeah, who are you to wreck Li Jianwei's good deal? Would a tycoon even listen to you? "Boss Zhou, don't bother with him, just an ungrateful loser, I'll have him thrown out in a moment." Li Jianwei apologized to Zhou Zixiong but found that Zhou Zixiong was not even paying attention to him, instead staring intently at Hao Jian. "Boss Zhou?" Zhou Zixiong still didn't respond to him, but walked straight toward Hao Jian instead. Then, to the shock of everyone watching, he bent down at a ninety-degree angle and bowed deeply to Hao Jian, saying in a serious tone: "Mr. Hao!" At that moment, everyone was petrified, especially Li Jianwei! What was Zhou Zixiong's status? Not to mention being the wealthiest man in Hua City, but he was also a well-known tycoon, and he, he actually bowed to a dirt-poor ghost? This... Li Jianwei was completely dumbfounded, feeling as though his brain was no longer functioning! It was as if a salted fish had flipped over right before his eyes, a common chicken transforming into a phoenix, the astonishment and disbelief creeping over his cheeks! And Hao Jian's classmates also stood with their mouths agape, the mockery and sneers on their faces completely frozen, like a flock of dumbstruck wooden chickens, as ridiculous as could be. Chen Zhiyan was also shocked, sitting beside Hao Jian, staring dazedly at him, how many secrets did this man carry? To Zhou Zixiong's bow, Hao Jian remained as indifferent as ever, glancing lightly at Li Jianwei before saying to Zhou Zixiong: "Is he your man?" Zhou Zixiong glanced at Li Jianwei, seemingly understanding something, and quickly dissociated himself from Li Jianwei: "Mr. Hao, no... he's not, it's because my daughter is friends with him that I agreed to give his company the contract, I'm actually not familiar with him at all." Chapter 142 Youre Still a Dog! Seeing Zhou Zixiong so eager to disassociate himself, the sense of panic within Li Jianwei grew ever stronger."If I asked you not to collaborate with him, would you agree?" Hao Jian asked with a smile as he looked at Zhou Zixiong. At this moment, almost everyone's eyes were on Zhou Zixiong, awaiting his response. Zhou Zixiong smiled and hurriedly said, "Mr. Hao, you really joke too much. How could I not listen to what you say?" In an instant, everyone was once again shocked into silence, and their looks towards Hao Jian were filled with fear. Even this wealthy tycoon feared him¡ªjust who was he? At this time, Chen Zhiyan spoke coolly, "Alas, a prominent figure in school and a big shot in society¡ªno wonder our teachers always used to tell us that gold always glitters. It's just a pity that some people look down on others, missing the chance to curry favor with an influential figure. Don't you think so, Hao Jian?" Upon hearing this, all those classmates displayed expressions of shame and regret. If they hadn't looked down on Hao Jian earlier and had spoken to him, maybe they could have basked in his reflected glory. Li Jianwei used to be the most successful among them, but now compared to Hao Jian, he seemed insignificant. The female classmates were beside themselves with regret. They had all once had crushes on Hao Jian and thought he had become a loser, so they didn't want to bother with him while feeling thankful they hadn't married him. But who could have known he'd become a big shot before whom even the wealthy bowed and scraped? Now they bitterly regretted their decisions. The male classmates, meanwhile, could only offer wry smiles. Back in school, all the girls liked Hao Jian, and they had been completely overlooked. So today, seeing Hao Jian dressed so plainly, they couldn't help but feel a surge of schadenfreude, thinking they could finally feel superior to him. Little did they know, by the end, they were still outclassed by far. They smiled bitterly because they knew they might never be able to surpass Hao Jian in their lifetimes. Indeed, a capable person will always achieve greatness wherever they go. And at this time, the one filled with the most regret was naturally Li Jianwei. He could never have dreamed that Hao Jian was of such significance, that even Zhou Zixiong would bow and scrape before him. He kowtowed to Zhou Zixiong, and Zhou Zixiong kowtowed to Hao Jian, so what did that make him in Hao Jian's eyes? An insignificant character? Li Jianwei was indignant and humiliated. Why? Why couldn't he beat him back in school, and why was he still unable to beat him in society? Was Hao Jian born to be his nemesis? "Good, you'll cancel this partnership with him, and I'll remember this favor," Hao Jian said as he got up and patted Zhou Zixiong on the shoulder. Zhou Zixiong was immediately flattered and said with a smile: "What are you saying, Mr. Hao? This is just part of my job." For Zhou Zixiong, this was like manna from heaven¡ªlosing a mere ten million in exchange for a big favor from an influential figure like Hao Jian. He was making a killing! At that moment, Li Jianwei's face turned green with rage, his hands clenched tightly as he glared at Hao Jian. Find adventures at empire Approaching him, Hao Jian looked down on him dismissively, "Back in school, you were nothing but a dog in front of me, and now, you're still nothing but a dog." Li Jianwei glared at Hao Jian with gritted teeth, as if he wished to tear him apart. "Don't look at me like that because I can't help but hit you, and you know very well that even if I did hit you, you couldn't do anything to me." Hao Jian's face was all smiles, as if he was joking, but his words were chilling. Li Jianwei was taken aback, and his ferocious expression vanished because he knew Hao Jian wasn't joking. With that bastard's personality, there wasn't a shameless thing he wouldn't do. And if even Zhou Zixiong had to bow and scrape to him, then he was definitely someone Li Jianwei couldn't afford to provoke. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Now, you can get lost," Hao Jian said rudely to Li Jianwei. "..." Li Jianwei was reluctant to leave, standing stiffly on the spot. He wanted to make one last effort, to plead with Zhou Zixiong when Hao Jian wasn't around, even if the price would be lower, it didn't matter. But then, Li Jianwei saw Zhou Zixiong tear their contract in half and toss it into the trash can. With that, he knew he truly had no chance left. He glared viciously at Hao Jian and left dejectedly. "Remember to settle the bill on your way out!" Hao Jian called out to Li Jianwei from behind. Upon hearing this, Li Jianwei nearly stumbled, thinking incredulously, You're kicking me out and still expecting me to pay? Do you think I'm an idiot? Li Jianwei thought there was no way he would pay, not in a million years. "If he doesn't pay, find him, and break both his legs," Hao Jian then said nonchalantly to Zhou Zixiong. Hearing this, Li Jianwei felt utterly heartbroken. This was just too much of a bullying! "No problem, leave it to me!" Zhou Zixiong assured, thumping his chest. Li Jianwei left with disordered steps, then dutifully settled the bill at the counter. Although he was upset, for the sake of his own safety, he had no choice but to comply. "Hao Jian, we were out of line just now, we're really sorry," With that, Hao Jian's classmates immediately changed their tune, trying to curry favor with him. But Hao Jian was not at all moved and said coldly to Zhou Zixiong: "Please kick out these irrelevant people so they don't disturb my meal with my friends." At those words, the expressions of the classmates stiffened, and one of the guys forced a smile, "Come on, Hao Jian, there's no need for that. We might have been wrong before, but we're still classmates¡ªforgive us this once." "Forgive? I'm not even angry with you guys to begin with." Hao Jian put on a puzzled expression, and the classmates all breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was good that he wasn't angry. But then Hao Jian added, "I'm not angry; I just look down on you all, just like you looked down on me earlier. I don't care to chat with you poor sods." Chapter 143 Men Only Use Their Hands! As soon as Hao Jian's words were released, his classmates couldn't help feeling a little awkward.They had just dismissed Hao Jian out of disdain, but now the tables had turned and it appeared that it was Hao Jian who looked down upon them. This shift was somewhat dramatic, but the irony was more pronounced. What Hao Jian did was a satire on their arrogance, a satire on their failure to recognize true worth. What was even more infuriating was that they could not rebuke him, for they were indeed guilty of looking down on others. "What are you standing around for, hurry up and get these miscellaneous people out of here," Hao Jian said to Zhou Zixiong. Seeing this, Zhou Zixiong immediately put on a stern face and drove them out, "Didn't you hear what Mr. Hao said? Hurry up and leave, or I'll have to call security." With that, the classmates had no choice but to leave, covering their noses in humiliation. "Acting all high and mighty just because of a little money," one of them grumbled resentfully. "Yeah, acting all high and mighty just because of a little money," echoed Hao Jian with a cold laugh. At these words, the expressions of those classmates turned uglier, as they were the ones who had initially used their wealth to bully others. Their words were like stones that came back to hit their own feet, their own hands slapping their own faces. The classmates cursed and left, Hao Jian didn't plan to pay them any attention, but their endless grumbling finally irritated him. "Anyone who feels offended and wants to take revenge on me, feel free to come find me at the Shu Ya Group; I, Hao Jian, will welcome your visit at any time. What's the use of muttering here? Men should act, only women would squabble," Hao Jian taunted coldly. Then those male classmates shut up obediently and ran off with their tails between their legs; they didn't have the guts to take revenge on Hao Jian. As for the female classmates, they sighed with regret one by one. Hao Jian really hadn't changed at all, still so domineering. Those boys simply couldn't hold a candle to him; they weren't even worthy to carry his shoes. Soon, in the spacious private room, only he and Chen Zhiyan were left. Chen Zhiyan gave a wry smile, "Is this really okay?" "What's okay or not? Anyway, I'm not that close to them." Hao Jian shrugged it off nonchalantly, preferring the quiet with fewer people, considering those classmates weren't a great company anyway. "You're imitating me!" Chen Zhiyan looked at Hao Jian with annoyance. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But Hao Jian, like a gentleman, bowed and then slowly extended his hand, "My beautiful lady, would you care to dine with me?" "Pfft." Chen Zhiyan couldn't help but laugh at his comical behavior, also letting out a resigned sigh: "It seems I don't have much of a choice. A dinner for two by candlelight doesn't sound too bad." As she spoke, the smile on Chen Zhiyan's lips grew wider and wider! . "Yuan Shanshan, I've already booked Doctor Lei Yiming for you. He is a professional heart transplant surgeon with a success rate of over seventy percent and is internationally renowned. Even money can't buy his services," explained Hao Jian. "Is that so? Director, I can't thank you enough!" Yuan Shanshan was also overwhelmed with excitement. She hadn't expected the hospital director to summon her early in the morning just to tell her such great news. "Hey, don't thank me yet, I've only managed to book his schedule for you. Whether he's willing to perform the surgery, you'll have to ask him personally," the director said with a wry smile. Actually, the only reason Lei Yiming agreed to come to their hospital was in response to a request from a wealthy tycoon. Otherwise, with the little money Yuan Shanshan was offering, hoping to secure his services was nothing but a dream. He wanted to see whether Lei Yiming, after performing surgery on that wealthy patient, would be willing to also operate on Yuan Shanshan's mother. "Where is he right now?" Yuan Shanshan asked excitedly. Upon hearing this news, her only thought was to find Doctor Lei Yiming and get a clear answer. "He's in my office." The dean said because Lei Yiming was no ordinary person, and knowing he would come, the dean had specifically vacated his own office for him. "I'll go find him right now." After thanking the dean, Yuan Shanshan took the elevator to look for Doctor Lei Yiming. Yuan Shanshan stood at the door of the dean's office and knocked. "Come in," came a magnetic voice from inside. Yuan Shanshan then pushed the door open and immediately saw a man of average height and ordinary appearance sitting in front of the desk. Lei Yiming looked up, and when he saw Yuan Shanshan, his expression instantly froze, for he had never seen such a beautiful woman before. With a gorgeous face, a stunning figure, snow-white skin, and an innocent charm, Yuan Shanshan embodied every man's fantasy. Yuan Shanshan also noticed that Lei Yiming's gaze was somewhat peculiar, but she did not take it to heart. At that moment, her whole being was consumed with her mother's illness, and she urgently asked: "Excuse me, are you Doctor Lei Yiming?" "Yes, I am. And you are?" Lei Yiming was somewhat puzzled; he shouldn't know Yuan Shanshan, right? Otherwise, such a beauty would surely be unforgettable. "Oh, my name is Yuan Shanshan. My mother also has a heart condition and needs an immediate heart transplant. I heard from the dean that you are an authoritative expert in this field, so I hope you can perform the surgery for my mother." Yuan Shanshan looked at Lei Yiming with pleading eyes, hoping he would agree to her request. "Did the dean tell you that because I'm a specialist, my fees will also be relatively high? A single surgery will cost five million." Lei Yiming explained because he was an expert in the field, hospitals around the world invited him to perform surgeries, so naturally, his fees were higher. "Five million?" Yuan Shanshan was shocked and then said worriedly: "But I only have two million; that's not enough." The two million were loaned to her by Hao Jian; otherwise, she wouldn't have a penny. "If you don't have five million, I absolutely can't perform the surgery," Lei Yiming shook his head, his attitude becoming somewhat cold. "Doctor Lei, is there no way to make an exception? Five million might not mean much to you, but for us ordinary people, it might be an entire lifetime's earnings that we'll never reach. My mother's condition is really serious, and she can't wait any longer. I beg you to think of some other way. Yuan Shanshan said with a sob in her voice, looking pitifully at Lei Yiming. Seeing Yuan Shanshan's pitiable appearance, Lei Yiming felt as if his soul had flown away; he almost wished he could pounce on her right then and mistreat her fiercely. Discover exclusive tales on empire Lei Yiming's lewd gaze swept back and forth over Yuan Shanshan's body, seemingly contemplating a sinister thought. But in the end, he restrained himself and pretended to sigh, "There is a way, but it depends on whether you are willing to do it or not." "I'm willing! No matter what the requirement, I agree!" Yuan Shanshan nodded without a second thought. "Really willing to do anything?" Lei Yiming's strange smile grew more intense. Chapter 144 I Dont Care, I Wont Leave! "Yes."Yuan Shanshan nodded again, the naive girl still hadn't realized the look in Lei Yiming's eyes was gradually becoming inappropriate. Hearing Yuan Shanshan speak like that, Lei Yiming chuckled lewdly twice, then walked behind Yuan Shanshan and placed his hands on her fragrant shoulders. "Doctor Lei, what are you doing?" Yuan Shanshan paled with fright and quickly dodged to the side. "Don't move! Didn't you say you're willing to do anything for your mom? If you spend one night with me, I won't just agree to do the surgery for your mother, but I also won't charge you a penny, how about that?" The lust in Lei Yiming's eyes was like water overflowing a tank, almost seeping out. Sharing a beautiful night with such a beauty, what's five million considered then? He didn't lack money, what he lacked was a stunning beauty like her! Yuan Shanshan shoved Lei Yiming away, cursing angrily, "You are shameless! You're taking advantage of a person in a desperate situation!" Lei Yiming fell to the ground but wasn't angered, wiping his mouth, he sneered, "I am indeed taking advantage of a desperate situation, but so what? If you don't accept my offer, your mother will only have one way left¡ªto die!" "You're talking nonsense! Even if I don't come to you, I can seek other doctors!" Yuan Shanshan was so angry that her face turned red. She had never expected Lei Yiming to be so shameless, to make such an excessive demand towards a patient's family. Someone like him had no medical ethics at all; he was a scumbag through and through. "Sure, you can find other doctors, but are they as skilled as me? If you go to them and they end up killing your mom, then what?" Upon hearing this, hesitation suddenly crossed Yuan Shanshan's face. Seeing this, Lei Yiming knew his words had taken effect on Yuan Shanshan, and he chuckled wickedly, "See, I'm different. I'm an expert in this area, only I can ensure your mom's survival rate, and I won't take a single penny, it's just like being bitten by a mosquito." Lei Yiming spoke lightly, but how could he know Yuan Shanshan was a virgin, untouched by any man. She was a very traditional girl, and her first time was extraordinarily important to her; it had to be with someone she loved. It wasn't about five million, no matter the amount, she wouldn't trade it. But she also didn't want her mother to just die like this, yet five million was indeed too much for her, she had troubled Hao Jian so many times already, how could she have the face to bother him again? "I'm not in a hurry, you can think it over slowly. But you don't have a choice, because I will use my connections to warn the other heart transplant doctors, telling them not to treat your mom, and you'll have to come back to me." Lei Yiming cackled heinously, his demeanor was refined, but he laughed like a total scoundrel at that moment. "You¡­" Yuan Shanshan was so infuriated by Lei Yiming's shamelessness that she didn't know how to react, filled with indignation and rage. Yuan Shanshan glared fiercely at Lei Yiming, finally gritting her teeth and slamming the door as she left. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Looking towards the direction of the door, Lei Yiming licked his dry lips, his face twisted with depravity, "Yuan Shanshan, right? Heh, such a pretty little beauty, you definitely can't escape the palm of my hand!" .. Enjoy exclusive content from empire "Hey, cutie, can you let me see what color your underwear is?" "Hao Jian, you pervert! I'm never going to talk to you again!" "How is wanting to see your underwear perverted? Lili is much more generous than you, she even lifted her skirt to show me." Hao Jian complained. "What are you talking about! It was you who sneakily lifted my skirt, and you even touched my butt!" Lili said angrily. "Hey, with such a big butt you're not letting anyone touch, you think you have the reason?" Hao Jian shouted back. "You're the one with the big butt, you pervert!" The women coworkers bantered and argued playfully with Hao Jian for a while before they finally went to work. This was just another day for Hao Jian, casually flirting with his female colleagues and bragging with his male colleagues, the day passed by swiftly. "Hao Jian, come to my office." Just then, Xiao Qiang walked past him with a stern face, dropping this line. Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, wondering if this woman had eaten explosives or something. Why the long face? But he obediently went to Xiao Qiang's office, asking with a pleasing expression, "What's up, did I do something wrong? Yes, and don't even tell me, because I won't change anyway." "..." Xiao Qiang truly couldn't stand this guy's shamelessness, and shot him a look, saying, "You're getting married next month?" "You already know?" Hao Jian was taken aback, fearing that his relationship with Shu Ya had become common knowledge. "Not many know, after all, the president has ordered a news blackout, and there aren't many in the company who dare to mention it." Xiao Qiang explained, she had only heard some rumors herself, so she sought confirmation from Hao Jian. "That's a relief." Hao Jian breathed a sigh of relief. It was fortunate that not many people knew; otherwise, how would he continue to flirt with his female colleagues at the company? If those female colleagues found out that his wife was Shu Ya, they'd surely keep their distance from him. "But I still know it, that the president is your fianc¨¦e," Xiao Qiang added. Hao Jian's face immediately fell. It was over. Even Xiao Qiang knew, and that meant this secret probably couldn't be kept much longer. Seeing Hao Jian like this, Xiao Qiang was also shocked: "Are you really the president's husband?" "Afraid so," Hao Jian said with a wry smile. Xiao Qiang was petrified on the spot. Although she had heard some rumors, those were just speculations, and there was a gap between that and an admission. No wonder from the start, the president had always protected him. It turned out there was this connection. For some reason, hearing Hao Jian's confession made her feel uncomfortable because if it were any other woman, she would have the confidence to compete. But the other party was Shu Ya, more beautiful, better educated, from a wealthier family, and had a quicker wit than she did, not to mention being her boss. What could she use to compete with her? However, the next moment, Xiao Qiang thought of something else and asked, "The person who asked you to sign a three-year contract with her, was that the president too?" "Yeah, it was her," Hao Jian honestly nodded. "So after three years, you two will divorce?" Xiao Qiang looked at Hao Jian anxiously, waiting for his answer. "Definitely. It's just a deal, and when the three years are up, naturally we'll go our separate ways," Hao Jian said with a twist of his mouth. "Then I have a chance!" Xiao Qiang clapped her hands, feeling a secret joy inside. As long as Hao Jian and Shu Ya weren't truly in love, that would be easy. Three years was nothing; she could wait. "What chance do you have?" Hao Jian was somewhat puzzled by Xiao Qiang's words, sensing that this woman was acting a bit neurotic today, speaking oddly. "Oh, I mean that gives me the chance to toast at your wedding. Okay, there's nothing for you here; you can go now," Xiao Qiang waved Hao Jian off. "Summoned at will and dismissed just as easily, what do you think I am? Even if I were a duck, you'd still have to pay for my company and laughter, let alone me being Hao Shuaishuai, the man who's adored by everyone, who makes flowers bloom at his sight, and cars burst their tires!" Hao Jian stood up angrily, looking at Xiao Qiang with a face full of resentment, and then lay on the ground: "I don't care, you won't get me off today unless you overpower me!" Chapter 145 I Demand to See a Psychologist! PS: Just a heads up for everyone, if the chapters are mismatched while reading the book, simply remove the book from the shelf and then add it back. That should fix it! Sorry for any inconvenience caused!.............................. Pfft! Xiao Qiang couldn't help but laugh out loud at Hao Jian's silly antics: "Giggle, you goofball, in my eyes, you are 'Youlemei', does that satisfy you now?" "'Youlemei' my ass, do I look like a bottle of milk tea to you?" Hao Jian's face turned dark as he scolded unhappily. ".." "Considering the dual insults you've hurled at me through your actions and words, which have caused great emotional distress, I hereby request half a day off to see a psychologist." Hao Jian huffed proudly, then scrambled up from the ground, opened the door, and scurried out. It took a good while before Xiao Qiang recovered from her stunned state, cursing: "Shameless jerk! Just slack off if you want to, no need for such a fuss." Having left the company, Hao Jian had intended to go straight home, but unexpectedly, Yuan Shanshan called him at that moment. "Hello, beauty, what's up with calling me today?" Hao Jian began to tease as soon as he answered the call. "Hao Jian, I want to see you." From the other end of the phone, Yuan Shanshan's voice sounded somewhat low and sorrowful. Hao Jian immediately sobered up, his smile fading: "What's wrong?" "I'm in room 308 at the Kowloon Hotel, it's not far from the company, can you come over?" Yuan Shanshan pleaded with Hao Jian. "I can, but why meet at a hotel?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled, but Yuan Shanshan had already hung up. "Hey!" Hao Jian scratched his head like a monkey, puzzledly staring at his phone, wondering why all these women were acting so weird today? When Hao Jian knocked on room 308, he saw Yuan Shanshan with swollen eyes open the door. Yuan Shanshan's eyes were red and puffy, it was clear she had just been crying. "What's wrong? Who's been bullying you? Tell me, I'll take care of them for you!" Seeing Yuan Shanshan like that, Hao Jian knew she must have been wronged and felt a pang of heartache. "Come inside first," Yuan Shanshan said, pulling Hao Jian inside, then turned around to lock the door. "We don't need to lock the door, do we?" Hao Jian gave a wry smile, feeling a bad premonition. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But at that moment, Yuan Shanshan threw herself at him uncontrollably, hugging his face and giving it a fierce nuzzle. Hao Jian was completely flabbergasted! What on earth was this about? Could it be because Yuan Shanshan knew about his impending marriage and was, therefore, having an emotional outburst, unable to control her feelings, wanting to create a beautiful memory with him? Yes, that must be it. Otherwise, she wouldn't have arranged to meet him at this hotel, and she had obviously just been crying. It must be because she couldn't have him, and so she was heartbroken. Ah, Hao Jian, Hao Jian, why do you have to be so handsome? How many innocent girls have you ensnared with your looks? Having resolved that issue, Hao Jian was immediately caught up in another dilemma. That was whether to let Yuan Shanshan have her way, or to remain pure and chaste for Shu Ya? "Forget it, let her do what she wants, I'll have plenty of time to keep chaste in the future," Hao Jian thought to himself, convincing himself that this was just one last feast before going on a diet. Yuan Shanshan pushed Hao Jian onto the bed with a thrust, then pressed her whole body on top of him. At this point, she was desperate, preferring to give her most precious thing to Hao Jian¡ªwho she may not like much, but at least didn't detest¡ªrather than that beast Lei Yiming. At least Hao Jian had helped her before. From the moment Yuan Shanshan made this decision, she had actually been ready to spend the night with Lei Yiming. Because she had no choice, she had to get Lei Yiming to save her mother, and she also knew she couldn't always rely on Hao Jian. Although Hao Jian was just her friend and couldn't help her forever, she needed to learn to solve problems without troubling others. "Oh my God, Shanshan, don't. Please don't do this. I didn't bring a condom, what if I get pregnant? Ah crap, touch a little lower, yes..." While saying no, Hao Jian eagerly stripped off his clothes. At the same time, he cursed inwardly, 'Damn it, why did I wear so much today? It's such a hassle to take off.' But as he was undressing, Hao Jian heard sobbing sounds. When he looked up, he saw Yuan Shanshan straddling him, cupping her eyes with both hands and crying bitterly. That was when Hao Jian realized that he had misunderstood. He dressed himself properly, then lifted Yuan Shanshan off his body and placed her on the couch before he seriously asked, "What on earth happened? Tell me." "I'm sorry, Hao Jian! I really had no other choice, I didn't want to trouble you," Yuan Shanshan sobbed continuously, crying in a way that was extremely heartbreaking to hear. Afterward, Hao Jian learned about the day's events from Yuan Shanshan. Hearing it, Hao Jian's face also darkened, thinking Lei Yiming was truly shameless. Not only did he refuse to treat Yuan Shanshan's mother himself, but he also threatened other doctors not to treat her, clearly forcing Yuan Shanshan into his trap. "So you thought, since you have to sleep with him anyway, instead of giving him your first time, you might as well give it to me, right?" Hao Jian asked. "Mhm." Yuan Shanshan nodded with a flushed face, her voice as thin as a whisper. She had thought she could force herself, but when it came right down to it, she faltered; she was simply too traditional at heart to accept premarital sex. "Alright then." Hao Jian said expressionlessly, feeling very annoyed inside: 'So it's not because I'm irresistibly handsome, huh?' Yuan Shanshan didn't quite understand the meaning behind Hao Jian's "alright then" and looked at him in confusion. "Can you take me to this Lei Yiming? Let me talk to him for you," Hao Jian proposed, since Yuan Shanshan obviously couldn't resolve the issue, it naturally fell to him to step in. "You want to teach him a lesson? That's absolutely not okay!" Yuan Shanshan shook her head like a rattle, knowing too well Hao Jian's approach. Talk? More like 'talk' with his fists, right? Currently, her mother's life was entirely in Lei Yiming's hands; if Hao Jian beat up Lei Yiming and he refused to treat her mother, it would be over. "It won't happen, we're civilized people, how can we resort to violence? When have you ever seen me get violent?" Yuan Shanshan, with a face full of disbelief, thought: 'Aren't your violent encounters quite numerous?' Under Hao Jian's persistent demands, Yuan Shanshan had no choice but to lead him to Lei Yiming. ¡­ "Oh, back so soon? Have you thought it over?" Lei Yiming leaned back in the Taishi Chair, watching Yuan Shanshan with interest, his indecent gaze not concealed in the slightest. Feeling annoyed and embarrassed by Lei Yiming's stare, Yuan Shanshan simply lowered her head, refusing to meet his eyes. "So you're the Doctor Lei, Lei Yiming, right?" It was then Hao Jian knew it was his turn to speak. Chapter 146 I Dare To Kill You! PS: This book will be launched at midnight, with a burst of updates. I expect that after 12 a.m., ten chapters will be released in a rapid succession! I hope for everyone's support!"Who are you?" Lei Yiming looked at Hao Jian with raised eyebrows, his expression somewhat impatient. "Oh, me? I'm Yuan Shanshan's boyfriend," Hao Jian said with a silly grin. Upon hearing this, Lei Yiming gave a disdainful snort, then mocked Yuan Shanshan: "Yuan Shanshan, do you think by bringing this loser here to show off, I'll be scared? You're really underestimating Lei Yiming." "What Doctor Lei said isn't nice. How could we possibly be here to show off?" Hao Jian waved his hands in a cowardly manner. "Oh? Then tell me, what's the purpose of your visit?" Lei Yiming hummed with laughter, looking down at Hao Jian. He found it amusing that Yuan Shanshan had such a cowardly boyfriend. It was like a fresh flower planted in cow dung. "This time, I came to make a deal with Doctor Lei." "A deal? What kind of deal?" Lei Yiming asked. "There are two parts to the deal. The first is for you to honestly treat Yuan Shanshan's mother and then take the money and leave; the second is for you to continue making excessive demands, and then I'll give you a beating, but you'll still have to perform the surgery!" Hao Jian still had that silly smile as he spoke, but his words didn't seem funny at all. Lei Yiming got angry too and slammed the table, "You dare to threaten me?" "No, no, no, Doctor Lei, you just don't understand, so you think I'm threatening you. If you knew me better, you'd know I even dare to kill you," Hao Jian said with a fake smile. "Get out, all of you!" Lei Yiming was furious, pointing at Hao Jian's nose and cursing, "What are you worth? A deadbeat who can't even afford the medical bills, how dare you be so arrogant in front of me?" Suddenly, Lei Yiming glared at Yuan Shanshan, "Yuan Shanshan, listen to me. I'm going to call those hospitals now and have them all refuse to treat your mother. Just wait and watch your mother die with your eyes wide open!" At his words, Yuan Shanshan's face went ashen, and she looked at Hao Jian anxiously. At that moment, Hao Jian let out a deep sigh, "I once was innocent too, but life has forced me into a corner. Doctor Lei, don't blame me; you've forced my hand!" Hao Jian suddenly grabbed Lei Yiming's finger that was pointing at him and twisted it sharply, resulting in a cracking sound. "Ah!" Lei Yiming's scream echoed through the entire office. Yuan Shanshan was dumbfounded on the spot. Hadn't this jerk said he wouldn't resort to violence? What the hell was he doing? No wonder people say it's better to believe in ghosts than to trust a man's words. Hao Jian quickly covered Lei Yiming's chest, shushing him, "Keep it down, or people outside will hear." Lei Yiming eyed Hao Jian desperately, almost crying. I want them to hear, okay? "Come on, I'll break another one of your fingers, and then you tell me whether you agree to do the surgery for us," Hao Jian said as he reached for another one of Lei Yiming's fingers. "Mm-mm-mm." Lei Yiming shook his head vigorously. He wanted to say: I agree now, just stop breaking them! "Crack." But Hao Jian acted as if he didn't see it and still broke Lei Yiming's little finger. Lei Yiming let out another muffled grunt, his eyes constantly rolling back, his face showing an expression of utter despair. "You must be curious as to why I would break another one of your fingers before asking you a question, right?" Hao Jian let out a sinister chuckle, while at this time Lei Yiming was eagerly staring at him, wanting to know why. "Actually, I don't know why myself, hahaha." It seemed Hao Jian was amused by his own sense of humor, unable to contain his laughter. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After a few seconds of stunned silence, Lei Yiming glared venomously at Hao Jian, cursing him as a bastard, a beast! "Don't break any more of his fingers. If all his fingers are damaged, no one will be able to perform the surgery for my mother!" Yuan Shanshan also hurriedly interjected. Lei Yiming glared fiercely at Yuan Shanshan, hating this man and woman before him to his core; they were nothing but demons. At such a time, Yuan Shanshan was only worried about whether he could perform the surgery for her mother, couldn't she see how pitiful he already was? "Alright," Hao Jian curled his lip, then looked at Lei Yiming with a smile: "Doctor Lei, you will perform the surgery for us, won't you?" "Mmmhmm." Lei Yiming quickly nodded; how could he dare to refuse Hao Jian now? Refusing him would be tantamount to seeking death, wouldn't it? "Doctor Lei, you truly understand righteousness, with a Bodhisattva's heart, unconditionally aiding us with medical care. We will never forget this profound favor and will definitely have a banner made and personally deliver it to your residence!" Lei Yiming was dumbfounded. Unconditional medical care? When had he said that? And what use would he have for a lousy banner? Could it be worth five million? "Doctor Lei, you shouldn't feel troubled; this is what you deserve." Hao Jian patted Lei Yiming's shoulder, looking as if to say "don't be shy." "Yes, yes," Lei Yiming could only force a smile, while he silently cursed Hao Jian's ancestors thoroughly in his mind. "Can you do the surgery tomorrow?" Hao Jian suddenly asked with a smile. "Not tomorrow, I have a very important client undergoing a heart transplant surgery," Lei Yiming quickly shook his head, referring to the wealthy client who had offered a large sum for his services. "Cancel it," said Hao Jian bluntly. "What?" "I said cancel it; tomorrow you'll only be doing our surgery," Hao Jian said seriously. At this moment, even Yuan Shanshan felt a bit embarrassed. They'd beaten Lei Yiming up and demanded he operate on them for free, and now they were asking him to drop a major client to prioritize their service. She suddenly felt pity for Lei Yiming because he had encountered a demon like Hao Jian. "This..." Lei Yiming hesitated; this was a deal worth eight million! The wealthy client had already promised a reward of eight million upon a successful operation. If he changed the schedule now, he was worried the client would doubt his capabilities and find another surgeon, causing him to miss out on a substantial income. "What's the matter? Any difficulties?" Hao Jian asked. "Yes," Lei Yiming nodded sheepishly. "Then don't discuss it with me; I won't be sympathetic anyway." "..." Chapter 147 Strike When the Time Comes! PS: I apologize again to everyone. Due to system upgrades, there have been frequent errors these past two days. I hope you can forgive us. Today, Shuaishuai was almost brought to tears! Also, a heads-up, after midnight, this book will be put on sale, and ten chapters will be released explosively! I hope for your strong support!............................ Leaving the hospital, Yuan Shanshan was still somewhat worried and said, "Hao Jian, do you think that Lei Yiming will go back on his word?" "I don't know, but if I were him, I wouldn't." Hao Jian nodded seriously. If Lei Yiming dared to go back on his word, he truly wouldn't mind teaching Lei Yiming a lesson. Beating up a piece of trash wasn't much of a psychological burden for him. "So you're not sure either, huh? Forget it, I'll just go beg him." Yuan Shanshan became increasingly frightened. If Lei Yiming didn't treat her mother and Hao Jian couldn't think of any other way, then her mother's life would really be in jeopardy. But Hao Jian suddenly grabbed Yuan Shanshan's arm and pulled her back, "Do you really plan to agree to Lei Yiming's demands?" "What else can I do? I was even preparing to give my most precious thing to you, and you didn't want it. Whose fault is that!" Yuan Shanshan said angrily, feeling very defeated. She had already made such an initiative, yet Hao Jian remained indifferent, which made her wonder if she was really that undesirable. Hao Jian was dumbstruck. Is this my fault? I'm looking out for you, trying to protect your chastity, and now I'm to blame? Under Hao Jian's gaze, Yuan Shanshan felt even more guilty and, flustered and enraged, she snorted and stepped toward the hospital, but was pulled back after only a couple of steps. "Let go!" Yuan Shanshan glared at Hao Jian, furious. "Even if Lei Yiming doesn't perform the surgery on your mom, I'll make sure she survives," Hao Jian said calmly to Yuan Shanshan: "So stop doing foolish things." Yuan Shanshan was stunned, "Do you really have a way?" "You can trust me, or, trust Lei Yiming." After speaking indifferently, Hao Jian let go of Yuan Shanshan's hand and left on his own. He had given his response; now it was up to Yuan Shanshan to make her choice. If Yuan Shanshan thought Lei Yiming was more reliable, then he had nothing more to say. Watching Hao Jian's retreating figure, Yuan Shanshan bit her lip, ultimately still not brave enough to go against Hao Jian's wishes. .. "Boss Gao, you never expected this day would come, did you?" In the dim alleyway, several black-clothed men wielding knives sinisterly watched the stunning woman before them. The woman was kneeling on the ground, wearing a fiery red backless evening gown that displayed her graceful figure and gleaming skin for all to see. She wore high heels on her delicate and pale ankles, which were somewhat bruised, showing signs of a sprain. Clutching a dagger tightly in her hand, around her lay a dozen bodies. A lone woman had taken down these muscular men, clearly indicating that she was no ordinary person. Gao Jiping lifted her head, her eyes blazing as she stared at a refined man not far away, "Wang Hongsheng, you actually betrayed me?" She was supposed to attend an auction, but unexpectedly, she encountered an ambush on her way! She attended the auction, known only to Wang Hongsheng and a few subordinates. Those subordinates were killed while providing her cover during their retreat. "Boss Gao, blame yourself for being blind, I'm so capable, and you had me play the lackey? Being with the Martial Evil Hall is much better than being with you!" Wang Hongsheng's handsome face revealed a hint of treachery as he spoke. "But rest assured, after you're dead, I'll be sure to take good care of the Red Makeup Society for you. Though 'Red Makeup Society' isn't a very good name; it's too effeminate. Outsiders laughed at us more than once, calling us a gang of women, so as soon as you die, I'll immediately change the name. How about Hongsheng Society?" Wang Hongsheng sneered, embodying the very image of a traitorous scoundrel. Gao Jiping bit down on her teeth, "I really was blind to have taken you in." When Gao Jiping first met Wang Hongsheng, he was a bullied parking steward. She took him in out of pity, never expecting that in the end, Wang Hongsheng would betray her. The Red Makeup Society is the largest gang in Hua City's Xicheng District, with a larger sphere of influence than Brother Spice Ginger's Four Seas Gang; Gao Jiping is the formidable leader of the Red Makeup Society. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, the Martial Evil Hall is not a native force of Hua City but outsiders who, since their invasion, have aggressively claimed territories, even recently targeting Gao Jiping's Red Makeup Society. "Blame yourself for not being smart enough. Why do you, a beautiful woman, insist on competing with men in violence instead of staying at home to be a good wife and mother?" Wang Hongsheng let out a sneering laugh, then turned to the people nearby, "Take action, or once the drug wears off, it won't be so easy to kill her." It turned out that Wang Hongsheng had already drugged Gao Jiping, which explained why she had been weak and unable to resist, even against only a dozen men. "But killing her like this seems a bit of a waste, doesn't it?" A rough-faced man in his forties chuckled with a lewd gaze sweeping over Gao Jiping's body. This woman, who struck fear into Hua City's mafia, had such an enticing figure. He wondered what she would be like in bed? He was the third-in-command of the Martial Evil Hall, leading the vanguard into Hua City. In just one month, he had completely turned the tables, making him quite the capable leader. "Yan Qinghu, don't forget our purpose here. She's not just any woman. Once the effect of the knockout drug fades, none of us will be her match. If you ruin the Big Boss's plan, can you take that responsibility?" Upon hearing this, Wang Hongsheng got angry. Yan Qinghu's lust was infamous; he had once murdered several girls in one night, one of whom was an underage girl, his brutal methods chilling to the bone. Other women might be expendable, but Gao Jiping was like a viper, a rose with thorns. Was she so easy to deal with? If they didn't kill her now, once she recovered, they would be the ones to die. "Okay, okay, let's do this. I was just saying," Yan Qinghu quickly amended, clearly fearing the Big Boss quite a bit. Wang Hongsheng snorted. From the lascivious look Yan Qinghu had just given, he knew that Yan Qinghu was not joking but had indeed harbored that thought. Now, he was only backing down for fear of being reported to the Big Boss by Wang Hongsheng. "Kill her!" Yan Qinghu ordered his men. Several of them took their knives and approached Gao Jiping. "The great river flows eastward, the stars in the sky join the Big Dipper, raising a shout at injustice, it's time to take action when it calls." However, at that moment, an extremely unpleasant singing voice came from afar, breaking into the alley, followed by a man walking in. Hao Jian carried a vegetable basket with an apple in his mouth, strolling in. Upon seeing the scene in the alley, he was completely dumbstruck. It must be a curse, wherever he went this year, trouble found him. "Kid, what the hell are you singing?" Yan Qinghu glared, "Take action when it calls for it? Tired of living?" Chapter 148 Dont You Think Im Handsome? "You guys don't mind, huh? I'm just passing by, I'll walk away right now."Hao Jian nodded and bowed, ready to leave; he didn't want to meddle in other people's affairs. Seeing this, Gao Jiping also sighed, a clear trace of disappointment emerging on her face. But she knew it wasn't Hao Jian's fault, after all, most people would choose to back down in this situation. "Just don't go running your mouth off outside, or you'll pay for it!" Yan Qinghu snorted coldly, and seeing Hao Jian so compliant, he felt somewhat embarrassed to lash out. "Yes, yes, yes, I'll keep tight-lipped, not letting a word out. I know nothing about today and saw nothing." Hao Jian quickly plastered on a smile, retreating with a bowing and scraping manner. "Look at him, doesn't he look like a dog?" Yan Qinghu pointed at Hao Jian and burst into loud laughter. His followers also started laughing, looking at Hao Jian with contemptuous eyes. Although Gao Jiping didn't say anything, her eyes grew colder as she looked at Hao Jian. Hao Jian kept nodding and bowing, though he frowned when Yan Qinghu made the comment, but eventually, he held back. Just then, Hao Jian's phone rang, cursing inwardly at whichever blind fool was calling him at this time. He looked apologetically towards Wang Hongsheng and the others, "Sorry, big brothers, I need to take this call." Wang Hongsheng's expression immediately showed annoyance, and Yan Qinghu even angrily said: "An ugly man acts up, get out of here!" "An ugly man acts up?" Read exclusive adventures at empire Hao Jian's expression suddenly stiffened, then he directly turned off his phone, looking at Yan Qinghu with a sneer, "What did you just call me?" Seeing this, everyone was stunned. What was this guy up to? "I called you an ugly man acting up. So what?" Yan Qinghu glared, thinking this guy must be tired of living to talk back to him like that. "Damn it," Hao Jian cursed under his breath. "You dare curse me?" Yan Qinghu was dumbfounded on the spot. What was going on with this guy? He'd just acted like a total coward, and now he was bold enough to curse back? It wasn't just Yan Qinghu, Gao Jiping and the others were also confused. Hao Jian had endured being called a dog by Yan Qinghu, so why was he picking a fight now? Hao Jian could tolerate others insulting his poverty, calling him a loser, but he absolutely wouldn't allow anyone to say he wasn't handsome! Yan Qinghu had just called him ugly, which was a severe slander to him, akin to a mortal enemy! "Curse you? I'd like to hit you! How can you not see such an obvious handsome guy standing right in front of you? Are your eyes on your ass?" Hao Jian said furiously, that guy must be blind, otherwise how could he call him unattractive? "Handsome guy? Where?" Yan Qinghu was a bit bewildered, looking around to spot the handsome guy Hao Jian mentioned. "It's me, can't you see I'm handsome?" Seeing Yan Qinghu playing dumb, Hao Jian got even more infuriated. "You? What's handsome about you?" Yan Qinghu looked at Hao Jian with disgust, considering Hao Jian's appearance to be merely delicate, and not at all related to being handsome. Wang Hongsheng and Gao Jiping nodded to themselves in agreement. "Fuck, you're really blind!" Hao Jian, annoyed, turned his face away from everyone and said: "Look at my right face, does it look like Andy Lau?" "..." Everyone was speechless. Then Hao Jian flipped his left face over, "Now look at my left face, does it resemble Aaron Kwok?" Following that, he turned around, "And my aged and melancholic back, does it give off a Tony Leung vibe?" Everyone was completely petrified. Was this guy a narcissist? Was it really okay to tarnish those celebrities like that? "You see, I've combined so many handsome features into one, how can I not be handsome? You're so cruel to deceive even yourself," Hao Jian said, looking at Yan Qinghu as if he were looking at an idiot. "Boss, I think this kid must be brain-damaged," a lackey whispered to Yan Qinghu. Yan Qinghu slapped him right away, "Damn it, did I need you to tell me that? Can't I see it for myself?" "Kid, I'm giving you one more chance, scram right now, or eat my Lotus Seed Soup!" Yan Qinghu squinted his eyes and aimed the gun at Hao Jian, his heart also brimming with rage. To think he had wasted so much time on such an idiot, when Gao Jiping came to, they were all going to be dead meat. "Fine, but then you have to praise me for being handsome," Hao Jian said shyly, stealing a glance at Yan Qinghu. "Damn it, I think you're asking for death!" Finally losing his patience, Yan Qinghu pulled the trigger without hesitation, a tongue of flame spurted from the gun, and the bullet shot out with it. But just as the bullet was about to hit Hao Jian, his figure instantly vanished, and in the next instant, he reappeared right in front of Yan Qinghu. Seeing this, Wang Hongsheng and Gao Jiping both frowned. This guy turned out to be a Martial Artist as well? "You." Yan Qinghu stood stock-still, dumbfounded as Hao Jian suddenly appeared before him, and he was somewhat at a loss. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian held down Yan Qinghu's hand with one of his own, preventing him from making any rash moves, while smirking, "So what if you have a gun? I've got one too!" Hao Jian pulled out the water gun he'd bought for Tongtong from the vegetable basket, and kept spraying water on Yan Qinghu's face, while asking: "Does having a gun make you tough? Try to act tough with me again, huh?" Yan Qinghu's face was dripping with water, and he looked as if he were ready to eat someone alive. How had he ever been humiliated like this all the years he'd been around Jianghu? He had now realized that this kid was doing it on purpose, purposefully making him lose face in front of others! The onlookers also felt speechless, shooting someone with a water gun, what was he thinking? Yan Qinghu slapped away Hao Jian's water gun and roared at his underlings, "Are you all just going to stand there and watch the show? Take this kid down and mince him up for me!" Only then did his lackeys snap out of it, all rushing toward Hao Jian, their cleavers falling in unison. "Bang, bang, bang." And then they were simultaneously sent flying outwards, crashing against the nearby wall and falling to the ground, unable to get up. Both Wang Hongsheng and Gao Jiping narrowed their eyes at the same time. This guy was indeed a Martial Artist! "Are you... a Martial Artist?" Yan Qinghu was also taken aback, because before coming here, the Big Boss had cautioned him not to offend any Martial Artist, no matter whom he offended. Even the most common Martial Artist could fend off a hundred, and some high-ranking ones could even stand against a whole army on their own! People like Guan Yu and Zhao Yun really did exist, although they were relatively rare! Take Gao Jiping as an example, she was targeted for elimination by the Martial Evil Hall precisely because she was a Martial Artist, and they had to bribe Wang Hongsheng to administer the Knockout Drug. Otherwise, even if they could take her down, it would require a great deal of trouble. Chapter 149 Handsome Beyond Reason! Yan Qinghu had not expected to encounter a martial artist so soon after arriving in Hua City. From Hao Jian's attire, he had assumed he was just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill homeman."Do you know about martial artists?" Hao Jian frowned. In theory, the existence of martial artists was supposed to be a closely guarded secret, as the strict regulations of the Warrior Judgment Court prohibited martial artists from revealing to ordinary people the fact that they were martial artists. How did these people know about martial artists? Could it be because they had encountered other martial artists? Upon hearing this, Yan Qinghu let out a cold laugh, "More than just know, our Martial Evil Hall has several martial artists. Kid, even if you are a martial artist, I would advise you not to antagonize Martial Evil Hall. The terror of Martial Evil Hall and the background behind it are beyond your imagination." "Martial Evil Hall?" Hao Jian showed a shocked expression. "Scared now, huh? If you're scared, then scurry off and mind your own business, or even if you are a martial artist, you won't withstand the thunderous wrath of Martial Evil Hall!" Seeing Hao Jian's expression, Yan Qinghu thought he was scared and immediately became more arrogant. "What an idiot," Wang Hongsheng cursed inwardly. How on earth did Yan Qinghu secure the position of third in charge? Does he even know what he's doing? "Wow. Never even heard of it," Hao Jian said with disdain, curling his lip. "You," Yan Qinghu said, annoyed, fixing his gaze on him. "Maybe I should just kill all of you, so that way Martial Evil Hall won't be able to trace it back to me, right?" Hao Jian said with a strange smirk. Yan Qinghu's expression stiffened, and he took a nervous step back. Was this guy serious about killing them to silence them? He must be joking, right? "Look, you're not so smart either. By threatening me blindly like this, you only make me angrier. Like now, I'm very angry," Hao Jian said. First, Hao Jian chuckled coldly, then he glared at Yan Qinghu with a deadpan expression, "Kneel down!" Wang Hongsheng covered his face and sighed. The situation he least wanted to see had occurred. He began to regret cooperating with Martial Evil Hall. They were nothing but a bunch of fools! They threatened him without assessing his strength first. What was this if not an act of sheer stupidity? Wang Hongsheng's footsteps slowly moved backward, as he considered beating a retreat. "You!" Yan Qinghu was stunned. Kneel in public? In front of so many of his brothers? Wouldn't that utterly disgrace him, leaving him with no dignity within the gang? "Don't make me repeat myself, because that might lead to me breaking your legs," Hao Jian said, looking earnestly at Yan Qinghu. "Kid, have you really considered the consequences of becoming an enemy of Martial Evil Hall?" Yan Qinghu threatened with a fierce tone. "Bang!" sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian kicked Yan Qinghu's knee, toppling him and forcing him to kneel on the ground. Yan Qinghu gritted his teeth in pain but did not cry out. Instead, he glared venomously at Hao Jian. Hao Jian shrugged, "I warned you just now. It's your own fault for not listening. You can't blame me for that." "Brother, can you spare Martial Evil Hall and not meddle too much? We'll surely repay you handsomely in the future," Wang Hongsheng spoke up, though not as arrogantly as Yan Qinghu. Wang Hongsheng knew Hao Jian was no pushover; if he said he would kill, he would definitely not just be speaking idly. If he didn't placate him now, once the fight really started, he wouldn't escape death either. "Do you think I like sticking my nose into other people's business? Who asked this guy to tell blatant lies? He even dared to say I'm not handsome. I hate liars the most!" Hao Jian huffed. Wang Hongsheng was dumbfounded. How narcissistic was this guy? "And he even broke the water gun I bought for my goddaughter. Do you know how expensive that was? It cost me thirty bucks!" Everyone was speechless again. To oppose the Martial Evil Hall over a single sentence and a water gun? What's wrong with you, kid? Wang Hongsheng could only offer a forced smile, "Indeed, it's our mistake for not speaking properly. I apologize to you here. As for the water gun, I will compensate you with ten thousand times its price. Can you please let it go at that?" "No way, he hasn't called me handsome yet," Hao Jian said, looking at Yan Qinghu. Yan Qinghu gritted his teeth. Was this idiot really fixated on getting him to let go? Helplessly, Wang Hongsheng chuckled, "Third-in-command, could you just tell the truth?" What he referred to as the truth was actually asking Yan Qinghu to tell a lie. "You are very handsome!" Yan Qinghu huffed with a dark expression on his face. "Smack." A slap landed on Yan Qinghu's face. "Damn it, I already said you're handsome, why are you still hitting me?" Yan Qinghu was furious. "You didn't tell the truth!" Hao Jian huffed in dissatisfaction. "The truth?" Yan Qinghu paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "You are ugly?" "Smack." Another slap followed. Hao Jian's expression turned angry, "You dare to lie again?" At this moment, Yan Qinghu's feelings were complicated and he wanted to curse. If calling him handsome wasn't the truth and neither was calling him unattractive, then what was the truth? Even Wang Hongsheng frowned at this point, feeling that Hao Jian was deliberately picking a fight. "Then tell me, how should one speak to be telling the truth?" Yan Qinghu demanded angrily. "You don't understand this? You should start with my natural aura¡ªhandsome and suave, charming and dashing, poised like a stalwart pine, impressive and majestic. I'm adored by people and coveted by all. Aren't you thinking about chopping me right now?" Hao Jian asked. Yan Qinghu subconsciously nodded but then immediately shook his head. He indeed wanted to chop Hao Jian, but how could his intent be known to him? "See, I'm that guy who's so handsome people want to chop me. Now you know what to say, right? Go ahead and praise me boldly; no matter how extensive the praise, I can take it because I am ridiculously handsome!" Hao Jian flicked his hair, with a "I'm already being modest" kind of swagger. "You are extremely handsome?" After much thought, Yan Qinghu squeezed out these four words since he really had never tried complimenting someone before. "Damn, this child cannot be taught," Hao Jian flew into a rage, and his slaps rained down on Yan Qinghu's face as if they were free. "Kid, if you've got the guts, just tell me who you are!" Yan Qinghu was completely enraged, his only thought being to kill Hao Jian! "My name has not changed; my surname remains the same, I am also Zhang Zicong, the supervisor of Shu Ya Group! If you dare, come find me, and I'll make sure you regret it!" Hao Jian declared with immense bravado, batting his eyelids and acting all high and mighty. And naturally, Zhang Zicong was that silly uncle from Shu Ya! "Alright, alright, alright, Zhang Zicong. If I don't die today, I'll definitely seek you out another day to get justice!" Yan Qinghu took his words for the truth and likewise issued a threat. "Don't worry, you won't have the chance, because all of you will die here today!" Hao Jian smirked maliciously. "You're planning to kill us to silence us?" Wang Hongsheng turned pale with shock. This guy couldn't be serious, could he? It was just a few words; it shouldn't have come to this, right? Read the latest on empire Chapter 150 Dont Force Me to Kill You! "Me? How could it be, I have no grudges against you, how could I possibly want to kill you? The one who wants to kill you should be her."Hao Jian chuckled darkly twice, then stepped aside. And behind him, the figure of Gao Jiping was revealed. She slowly stood up, holding a dagger in one hand, and her gaze was truly cold and detached as she looked at Yan Qinghu and Wang Hongsheng. Oh no! Wang Hongsheng's heart skipped a beat, realizing that all their attention had been on Hao Jian just now, and they had not noticed that the effects of Gao Jiping's medicine had worn off. Then, Wang Hongsheng narrowed his eyes at Hao Jian: "Did you do that on purpose?" He had figured out that Hao Jian had been deliberately talking about this and that ever since, surely as a way to buy time for Gao Jiping. Hao Jian replied with an arrogant expression, "So what if I did, you're about to die, what could you do, bite me? If you dare bite me, I dare use your mouth to enjoy myself!" At that moment, Gao Jiping also cast a grateful glance at Hao Jian. Then, like a gust of wind, she swept towards Wang Hongsheng. Traitors, whenever and wherever they are, are the most hated, so Gao Jiping decided to kill Wang Hongsheng first! Wang Hongsheng cursed inwardly and quickly took out two purple orbs from his pocket, throwing them to the ground with force. With a "puff," a cloud of purple smoke engulfed Gao Jiping. By the time Gao Jiping regained her composure, Wang Hongsheng had already disappeared. "Damn it!" cursed Gao Jiping, who had let Wang Hongsheng get away. "Don't be angry, isn't there still one left?" Hao Jian picked up a cucumber from the vegetable basket and started munching on it, then pointed at Yan Qinghu kneeling not far away. Yan Qinghu felt his body hair stand on end instantly, and his face was filled with terror as he looked at the murderous Gao Jiping: "Don't kill me. I can make a deal with you. No one knows Martial Evil Hall better than I do; I can become your inside man!" "This is what I get for not being handsome, you see, you told such a huge lie that even God couldn't stand it and has come to clean you up." Hao Jian shook his head, wearing a face full of lament. Both Yan Qinghu and Gao Jiping fell silent. At such a serious moment, could you not destroy the mood with your jokes? "No need," Gao Jiping said coldly, shaking her head, then her hand moved, and the dagger fell. And then, Yan Qinghu's head rolled away like a ball. "Many thanks for saving me, my name is¡ª" "Hey, stop there, I don't want to know at all who you are, and I don't want to have anything to do with you. I didn't save you just then; I took action because that guy you slaughtered insulted me, so don't get the wrong idea." Hao Jian waved his hand to stop Gao Jiping from continuing. Gao Jiping smiled but didn't believe for a second that Hao Jian would become an enemy of Martial Evil Hall over a mere insult. However, since Hao Jian didn't want to get involved with her, she couldn't say much more. "Regardless, I have to thank you. Tell me your wish. Whatever it is, I can fulfill it for you." Gao Jiping said with a smile, whether it be money, status, or women, she could satisfy all of Hao Jian's desires. "I wish for perpetual world peace, can you make that happen?" Hao Jian glanced at Gao Jiping. ".." Gao Jiping was at a loss for words, thinking to herself that this guy just doesn't play by the rules, does he? Normally, when someone asks you what you want, you're supposed to say a lot of money, or loads of beauties, right? "Then I want to become the most handsome man in the world, can you do that?" Hao Jian asked again. "That... I can't do," Gao Jiping smiled bitterly once more; what kind of requests was he making? She was human, not a god; how could she possibly accomplish that? Hao Jian scoffed, "I really thought you were Aladdin's lamp, but it turns out you're not much use." Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Even though Hao Jian had saved her, Gao Jiping didn't know why, but she felt an urge to actually hit him. Her heart roared: How was I to know you'd come up with these bizarre requests? I really am too gullible! I should've never asked. "Never mind, I still have to rush home to cook for my wife and kids." Hao Jian picked up the vegetable basket and walked back. "Cooking for your wife and kids?" Gao Jiping was shocked, wondering how Hao Jian, a martial artist like herself, could content himself with being a stay-at-home dad? But at that moment, Gao Jiping suddenly turned pale. She had already been injured before, and the strenuous activity had aggravated her wound, sending a sharp pain through her that nearly made her faint. Gao Jiping fell to the ground, covering her forehead with one hand, feeling dizzy and disoriented. Hao Jian turned back and looked at her, his face full of caution: "Damn it, what the hell are you doing?" "I've been injured; I'm very weak," Gao Jiping explained. Hao Jian glared angrily, reproaching her: "I knew it was going to be like this. I wouldn't have saved you if I had known." "Ah? Known what would happen?" Gao Jiping was totally unclear about what Hao Jian was talking about. "I knew that if I saved you, you'd definitely fall in love with me. But I didn't expect you to stoop so low, trying to gain my sympathy by pretending to be sick. Next, you'll certainly ask me to take you somewhere safe, like the nearest hotel or something, and then you'll make your move and throw yourself at me. Once we get involved, I'll never be able to escape your clutches!" Hao Jian said angrily. He then sighed, "But never mind, I can't blame you. If anything, it's my fault for being too handsome; it's inevitable that you'd fall for me at first sight. But I already have a wife, so I can't accept your affection. Please don't lead yourself on!" Experience more on empire "Just go," Gao Jiping waved her hand, signaling Hao Jian to leave quickly. She indeed intended to have Hao Jian take her to the nearest hotel and then call someone to pick her up, but hearing Hao Jian's rich imagination, she decided to let it be. "Oh, I get it. You're trying to act pathetic to drive me away now, to make me feel guilty, right?" Hao Jian acted as if he saw right through her. "Please," Gao Jiping looked at Hao Jian with pitiful eyes. "Hmm? Please what?" Hao Jian appeared to not understand. "Please, don't force me to raise my hand against my lifesaver, okay?" Gao Jiping looked even more miserable, her eyes filled with sorrowful pleading at Hao Jian. "." Chapter 151 Indeed, He Harbors Improper Thoughts Towards Me! ```hao jian kindly dropped gao jiping off at the hotel, but just as he was about to leave, he was stopped by gao jiping. "what now?" hao jian asked impatiently, thinking how troublesome this woman was. "i'd like to take a bath first, can you help me?" gao jiping's cheeks flushed with a hint of shyness as she looked at hao jian. other than being cold-blooded and brutal, gao jiping was notoriously germophobic, especially loathing blood. she had just killed someone and was covered in blood, feeling uncomfortable with the sticky sensation on her skin. and now, being extremely physically weak, she could hardly move even a finger and had no choice but to ask hao jian for help! "you've got to be kidding me. you want me, a big guy, to do this? let me tell you, i am no liu xiahui." hao jian was stunned, to do it for her? this woman was far too bold, wasn't she? "please, i really can't manage right now," gao jiping begged, looking pitiful with a severe case of germophobia that made her believe she would go mad if she had to spend the night covered in blood. "hey! you really are scheming against me, see? you've started to seduce me!" hao jian's mouth twitched with an i've-seen-through-your-trick pose, and said, "but it's no use, i am a very faithful man, and i will not betray my wife for you." "motherfucker." at that moment, even gao jiping, who had never cursed before, couldn't help but blurt out a swear word. how narcissistic could this damn jerk be? "look at you, all angry because you can't have me, and yet you say your conscience is clear?" hao jian pointed at gao jiping with a look of i-knew-it-you-cheater, which almost made her spit blood. "fuck off!" gao jiping roared, then struggled to move her arm, trying to take off her clothes. "fine, fine, i'll do you the favor then." hao jian sighed and then sashayed over to gao jiping. gao jiping rolled her eyes. who exactly was doing whom a favor here? what was the meaning of his disdainful expression? gao jiping was fuming, wishing she could cuss. in the past, men would salivate upon seeing her, but hao jian was different, behaving as if an extra glance would infect his eyes. "hiss." as soon as hao jian helped gao jiping remove her coat, she couldn't help but gasp in pain. a fresh knife wound appeared on her shoulder, several centimeters deep into the flesh. not only that, hao jian also discovered that gao jiping's body was covered with scars, her back filled with wounds of all sizes. stay updated via empire hao jian frowned because his own back was just like hers; only those who are constantly bathed in the flames of battle would have such terrifying scars. what on earth had this woman been through? "why does a beautiful woman like you have to go around fighting and killing like men?" hao jian couldn't help but sigh, he could see that gao jiping must have suffered a lot. gao jiping's delicate body shook, her complexion turning unsightly: "who says a woman can't fight and kill like a man? are men the only ones allowed to strive for power, with women relegated to just staying at home and raising children?" s§×ar?h the n?vel(f)ire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "that's not what i meant. i just think you don't need to live such a hard life," hao jian quickly said with an apologetic smile, realizing he had touched a nerve in this proud woman. "hard?" gao jiping laughed heartily and turned to look at hao jian: "if you knew what my life was like before, you wouldn't think i'm suffering now." "hard before, but at least you didn't have to die, right?" hao jian said with a light smile. gao jiping snorted: "not dead, but worse than dead!" hao jian stopped smiling and said nothing more. he was curious what kind of harsh circumstances had forged gao jiping's wild character. while gao jiping was lost in her thoughts, hao jian had already left the room. at the sound of the door closing, gao jiping was momentarily stunned. he had just left like that? she tried to get up and follow, but then realized she was completely naked and reluctantly sat back down in the bathroom. even if hao jian didn't want her money, he should at least have told her his name. gao jiping was not someone who accepted favors lightly. immediately, gao jiping hummed with a fiery gaze: "no matter who you are, i will definitely find you!" it wasn't just because hao jian had saved her, but also because of the strength he had shown. alone she couldn't withstand much, but if she could hire hao jian to work for her, the outcome might be different. ... in the morning, hao jian set off for the hospital but was interrupted on the way by a call from brother spice ginger, who informed him someone had recently been investigating him. "oh? do you know who it is?" hao jian asked. "it's gao jiping from the red makeup society. mr. hao, have you had a conflict with her recently?" brother spice ginger asked. since gao jiping had been looking for hao jian from yesterday, brother spice ginger had naturally heard the news and immediately contacted hao jian without hesitation. "oh, her. don't worry about her," hao jian said casually. he didn't want any further contact with gao jiping, but neither did he want to deliberately evade her; simply paying no attention would do. "is she a friend or foe to you, mr. hao?" brother spice ginger asked cautiously. if gao jiping was an enemy to hao jian, he wouldn't need to be polite, but if she was a friend, it would be a different story. "neither friend nor foe, you can treat her however you like," hao jian said indifferently. "i understand." brother spice ginger got the message; hao jian didn't want to get involved with gao jiping. after hanging up, hao jian chuckled to himself: "this woman, sure enough she has more than friendly thoughts, even starting to inquire about my identity." when he arrived at the hospital, hao jian hadn't even stepped out of the car when yuan shanshan, crying, threw herself at his car door like a madwoman, looking incredibly frantic and pitiable. hao jian's brows furrowed, and he rolled down the window to ask: "what's wrong with you?" ``` Chapter 152 Im Handsomely Genuine! yuan shanshan sobbed as she spoke, "lei yiming, lei yiming, he..."due to her agitation, her voice was somewhat choked up. s§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lfire .net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. hao jian's expression turned grim, "first, calm down and take your time to explain." taking a deep breath, yuan shanshan slowly began to recount the events. it turned out that lei yiming had a change of heart mid-way and decided not to perform the surgery on yuan shanshan's mother. that was bad enough, but the problem was that he first brought yuan shanshan's mother into the operating room, anesthetized her, and began the surgery before he changed his mind. this meant that yuan shanshan's mother was currently lying on the operating table, unattended. if no one went to perform the surgery on her at this point, the elderly woman would surely die there. a flash of fierce energy passed through hao jian's eyes. what malicious intent lei yiming had, to just leave a patient on the operating table without a care in the world¡ªwasn't this clearly intending to let someone die? moreover, he had sent away all the surgeons capable of performing the operation. it was absolutely impossible that lei yiming was not acting out of vengeance! "hao jian, what should we do?" yuan shanshan cried despairingly, filled with hopelessness and anxiety. "don't panic just yet, let me think," hao jian got out of the car, bowed his head in thought, and eventually sighed: "yuan shanshan, if i say i can perform the surgery on your mother, would you trust me?" "you... you know how to treat illnesses? why haven't you mentioned this before?" yuan shanshan was completely taken aback. that's because i keep a low profile. do i really need to tell you that my master is medicine king liang wangsun? hao jian thought to himself but casually responded, "me not saying it doesn't mean i can't do it." being the god of death, hao jian had witnessed countless slaughters and sustained just as many severe injuries; he can be said to have walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. if he did not possess medical skills, he would have turned into a pile of dry bones long ago! although yuan shanshan was somewhat skeptical, inexplicably, she felt a strange trust in hao jian. at that moment, her lovely face lit up with joy and eagerness as she looked at hao jian: "hao jian, can you really cure my mother?" "i believe there shouldn't be a problem," hao jian smiled slightly. heart transplantation, though difficult, wasn't incredibly so. if he couldn't manage even that, he would indeed disgrace his own formidable reputation as the god of death. "then let's go to the hospital director right away." yuan shanshan wiped the tears from her face, simultaneously shocked and thrilled, and said impatiently. for hao jian to perform the surgery wasn't going to be that easy; he needed the hospital director's approval first. ... "no, absolutely not!" but after hearing the request from hao jian and the others, the hospital director immediately shook his head and rejected it, "you are joking with a patient's life. i absolutely won't allow you to act rashly!" "director, please trust hao jian this once, he really has a way!" yuan shanshan pleaded. "trust him?" the director sized up hao jian and then scoffed: "are you kidding me? do you know medical techniques? can you perform surgery? with your inexperience, even if you know some medicine, how skilled can you really be?" "hey old man, that's not right to say. you can't look down on me just because i'm young and handsome. i may be very handsome, but i'm genuinely capable, definitely not just a pretty face!" hao jian retorted unhappily. yuan shanshan and the dean both had dumbfounded expressions. shanshan remarked, "when you speak, is it necessary to always praise yourself too?" "no need to say more. i will absolutely not let you gamble with the patient's life," the dean flatly refused with a stern face. seeing this, yuan shanshan was extremely anxious, and hao jian, too, became infuriated: "old man, listen to me very carefully now. yuan shanshan's mother is right now lying on the operating table in your hospital. after lei yiming made the incision, he just abandoned the patient on the table. so, it's him who is joking with the patient's life, not me. during this time you and i are wasting with nonsense, the patient's life is constantly under threat. if you have any shred of mercy as a medical doctor, discard your old-fashioned prejudices now!" "is what he said true?" the dean looked at yuan shanshan. he couldn't believe lei yiming would go so far to jeopardize the patient's life. yuan shanshan nodded with a face full of distress. no one felt more tormented and anxious than her at that moment. with a grim face, the dean hesitated for a moment and then finally nodded heavily, "i'll let you try, but i must supervise personally!" even though he wasn't a cardiology expert, he still knew something about it. he planned to stay by hao jian's side in case the latter was clueless, so he could make the worst-case plan to try to save the patient's life. enjoy exclusive chapters from empire "no problem, let's head to the operating room right now!" hao jian agreed promptly, nodding decisively. hao jian and the dean changed into surgical gowns and sterile gloves, then headed toward the operating room. yuan shanshan quickly grasped hao jian's hand, her eyes brimming with tears, "hao jian, you must save my mom. i'm begging you." hao jian nodded with a smile, "in the past, i never let you down, and i surely won't now. all you need to do is believe in me." "yes!" yuan shanshan watched hao jian with a silly giggle, somewhat relieved after seeing the confident smile on his face. "dean." seeing hao jian and the dean enter, the bewildered doctors inside felt as if they had found their mainstay. lei yiming had left and hadn't returned. none of them knew how to proceed with the surgery. as time ticked away every second, the patient was on the brink of death, and they all felt very uneasy. however, as far as they knew, the dean didn't understand heart transplantation either! the dean nodded, his eyes clouded with gloom. it turned out what yuan shanshan said was true. lei yiming had indeed deserted the patient and left, which was nothing short of reckless endangerment. "dean, who is he?" at that moment, someone noticed hao jian and asked the dean. "he, he is the chief surgeon for this operation," the dean explained reluctantly. "chief surgeon? isn't he a relative of the patient? how did he become the chief surgeon?" one nurse, recognizing hao jian, asked in confusion. hearing this, the other doctors panicked: "dean, you're really being reckless, allowing just anyone to perform the surgery. if this results in death, our hospital will have to take responsibility!" clearly, they all doubted hao jian. heart transplantation is an advanced medical technique. it's easy to learn but very hard to master. and without ten or twenty years of clinical experience, success is simply impossible! they could all see that hao jian was just in his early twenties. even if he knew something about medicine, he probably knew only the basics. this was no joke. "do you even have another option? if i don't operate on her, will she not die?" hao jian scoffed disdainfully: "responsible? is leaving the patient on the operating table without care your idea of being responsible?" Chapter 153 You Bastard! hearing hao jian's rebuke, the doctors immediately hung their heads in shame.in their hearts, they had already cursed lei yiming's ancestors from generations back. if it weren't for lei yiming abandoning the operation midway, they wouldn't be getting scolded by hao jian right now. "what do you think will happen to your hospital if i bring this matter to the media?" hao jian asked mockingly. at his words, the doctors were visibly frightened. if that were to happen, their hospital would likely shut down and they would all lose their jobs! only then did they realize the magnitude of the problem lei yiming had caused them. "already being irresponsible, stop pretending to take accountability in front of me," hao jian snorted coldly. he then ignored them, picked up the scalpel, and prepared to begin the surgery. "fully cooperate with him. anyone who disobeys him, pack up and leave immediately!" the director shouted out loud. in the operating room, the lead surgeon is the boss; even he, the director, must obey him. the doctors exchanged glances, seeing helplessness in each other's eyes; at this point, there was nothing to do but make the best of a bad situation. after all, whether they did anything or not, the patient would likely die, so it might be worth taking a chance. hao jian picked up the scalpel and completely opened up the small incision lei yiming had made earlier. his hand was very steady and quick, and in an instant, a perfect incision appeared. seeing this, the director couldn't help but stare in astonishment. this young man was hiding his skill quite well. this archery-style sword technique seemed magical, and even he couldn't accomplish it with hao jian's finesse. the other doctors, witnessing this scene, also lost their previous disdain, realizing that not only did this young man understand medical techniques, but his skills were also exceptional! as they say, you know a professional when you see one. hao jian proved with facts that he was indeed an outstanding practitioner! "wipe the sweat!" hao jian called out expertly. "oh, oh." one of the nurses hurriedly wiped hao jian's sweat, her face blushing with embarrassment. a man in focus is the handsomest, and right then, hao jian looked truly captivating. hao jian then continued to make the cuts, removing the anterior walls of the left and right atria. he preserved the posterior walls and parts of the septum for suturing, and near the semilunar valves, he cut through the aorta and pulmonary artery and successfully removed the heart. the doctors were all stunned. normally, it takes at least half an hour to remove a heart, but hao jian had done it in just five minutes. moreover, the confidence and decisiveness of his incisions shocked them. hao jian seemed not at all afraid of damaging the heart, handling the procedure as if this was not his first time performing this surgery. find exclusive stories on empire having practiced medicine for so many years, none of them dared to be as bold as hao jian in making incisions with such confidence. in his hands, the scalpel seemed to move magically. but at this moment, hao jian had no time to attend to their amazement, and directly said, "inject the patient with 3mg of cambayl phosphonate, 6mg of qiangjixin, 4mg of copper gissucam, and also, bring the donor heart! fast, fast, fast!" one nurse quickly fetched the heart, carefully handing it to hao jian. other assistant doctors hurried to prepare the injections and administered them to the patient! at that moment, all the medical staff in the operating room were mobilized, no one questioning hao jian's orders. with needle and suture in hand, hao jian began suturing the heart of yuan shanshan's mother. his movements were still that fluid, watching hao jian operate was almost like witnessing a visual feast. hao jian showed them that surgery could indeed be performed this way; each needle, thread, stroke, and incision flowed seamlessly like crafting an art piece. "all set," hao jian stated as he finished suturing the heart and likewise neatly stitched up the wound, then he took a deep breath: "the surgery was successful!" only then did the doctors snap out of it. was it over already? what was supposed to be a seven-to-eight-hour operation was completed in two hours? if it weren't for the steady beeping of the ecg, they might have thought hao jian was deceiving them. "sir, we apologize, we underestimated you. you are more skilled than all of us combined... we... are thoroughly convinced..." one of the doctors said with a wry smile, now utterly admiring hao jian. he had practiced medicine for many years, yet this was the first time he had seen such an awe-inspiring surgery. moreover, if it weren't for hao jian, their surgery wouldn't have been completed, and because of their negligence, they would have faced public criticism and scolding, eventually leading to a tarnished reputation. it wasn't just him; the other doctors also looked at hao jian with admiration, and the young nurses were even more starstruck. "the most detestable is that lei yiming. he ran off in the middle of the surgery, leaving us flustered like headless flies. if it weren't for this gentleman stepping in, we would have all become murderers." another doctor, still having palpitations, harbored deep resentment towards lei yiming. "don't say that. i only stepped in because i am a family member of the patient. if it were someone else, i might have just stood by," hao jian casually shrugged. "regardless, you helped us. why don't we have dinner together tonight? my treat," one doctor suggested enthusiastically. "yes, yes, let's have dinner tonight. we have many medical questions to ask you too," the nurses chimed in, eager to get to know hao jian. people are like this; when they see someone with ability and talent, they always try to get closer to them. "what dinner? is the patient well taken care of? does that mean no more work?" the head of the hospital, seeing the doctors and nurses chatting away, suddenly scolded them. the doctors and nurses quickly shrunk their heads and dispersed. hao jian was both amused and relieved, thinking the head of the hospital had done him a big favor, as he was quite afraid of being entangled by them. "mr. hao, this way, please." however, when the head of the hospital faced hao jian, he immediately changed his demeanor, the fawning expression on his face was unmistakable, a stark contrast to his previous attitude towards hao jian. hao jian grinned wryly and followed him outside. "hao jian, how is my mom?" yuan shanshan, seeing hao jian and the head of the hospital come out, rushed up, anxious. "ah." hao jian shook his head, looking dejected. yuan shanshan's expression instantly stiffened, she muttered, "say something, don't scare me." "ah." hao jian sighed again, lowering his head, not daring to meet yuan shanshan's eyes. realizing something, yuan shanshan's eyes blurred with tears, she was about to cry. "okay, stop teasing her; you see how frightened she is," the head of the hospital couldn't stand it anymore and directly exposed hao jian. "what?" yuan shanshan was startled, then her brows furrowed, and she glared at hao jian: "my¡­ my mom is okay?" "nonsense, with me, hao jian, in action, how could there be anything wrong with her?" hao jian said, winking playfully. "you jerk!" yuan shanshan slapped hao jian playfully, then broke down crying tears of joy! s§×ar?h the ¦Çovelfire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. thank goodness, her mother was okay; the worry she had carried for so long could finally be put to rest! indeed, trusting hao jian was the right choice! "oh my, i saved your mom, and instead of thanking me, you scold me? had i known this, i wouldn't have bothered," hao jian feigned a sigh. but before he could finish speaking, yuan shanshan had already lunged at him, and hao jian, unable to dodge, was collided into a full embrace. before hao jian could react, yuan shanshan, face wet with tears, planted a kiss on him. Chapter 154 Im Afraid Ill Disappoint You! hao jian was utterly befuddled on the spot; he hadn't expected yuan shanshan to suddenly pull a move like that.this was hooliganism, right? taking advantage, right? this was her taking liberties with this handsome guy, right? really... so shameless! hao jian's mouth twitched, he touched his lips and hey, not gonna lie, the girl's lips were quite fragrant, soft, and smooth! find more to read at empire the dean also shook his head, thinking that young people these days really are bold. yuan shanshan stepped back a few steps, her face as red as a monkey's butt, and said in a tiny voice: "hao... hao jian, thank you." hao jian smiled but didn't say anything. "hao jian, can you tell me who your teacher is? i want to know who has such great ability to teach such an excellent disciple like you," the dean asked curiously. "my master is liang wangsun," hao jian replied. upon hearing this, the dean was greatly surprised, "is it liang wangsun, the dean of huaxia medical college?" he only knew of one liang wangsun, that was the liang wangsun of huaxia medical college, hailed as the leading figure of medical science, whose medical skills are among the top in the world. when he, liang wangsun, went abroad for academic discussions, he bested scholars from eight countries, bringing glory to his nation and earning the title medicine king, ascending the pinnacle of medical science! the dean never imagined that hao jian could be a disciple of liang wangsun; wasn't it said that liang wangsun never took on disciples? "indeed." hao jian smiled, having long anticipated that mentioning his master's name would cause quite a stir. looking enlightened, the dean said with a wry smile: "it appears i was blind to talent before a giant, doubting your medical expertise." yuan shanshan stood by, wide-eyed. the dean, an elder, was actually addressing hao jian with an honorific? what was going on? was hao jian's master liang wangsun really that influential? "don't say that, my medical skills are indeed quite ordinary, just barely enough not to shame my master," hao jian modestly stated. "then may i ask, mr. hao, which hospital are you affiliated with at the moment?" the dean inquired, a notion forming in his mind. "i am not working in a hospital right now," hao jian said with a wry smile. the dean's eyes lit up, he slapped his hand with excitement and said: "that's just perfect, if mr. hao wouldn't mind, how about joining our hospital? although we can't compare with huaxia medical college, we are still one of the top hospitals in huaxia, and i believe your talents won't be buried here." "this..." hao jian hesitated; despite his expertise in medicine, he hadn't planned on pursuing it long-term. "of course, in terms of salary, i'll offer you a special deal. an annual salary of five million? no, ten million!" the dean said with some excitement. this was after all liang wangsun's disciple, merely having that status was like a living advertisement for the hospital. would the hospital not become a veritable money-spinner in the future? a mere ten million was nothing in comparison. moreover, hao jian's medical expertise had been witnessed by all, even the dean felt there was nothing lacking in comparison to his own, he wasn't the slightest bit worried that hao jian would tarnish their hospital's reputation. on the contrary, he felt the hospital would prosper under hao jian's hands. "it really isn't about the money; it's mainly because i'm too laid-back and dislike the rigid nine-to-five work schedule. having me work in a hospital might disrupt the work system, i'm afraid i might not be up to the job," hao jian tactfully declined. "if that's the case, then you don't need to work in our hospital. but, if our hospital encounters a problem we can't solve, could we call you to help out? of course, we'll pay you for your assistance. how about a 9-to-1 share?" the dean still wouldn't let go. how could he let such talent slip through his fingers? "this... alright." hao jian reluctantly agreed. the dean had already made such a sincere offer; to refuse now would seem rather inconsiderate. it was also a way to repay the dean for his help this time. "great. just great." the dean smiled so widely he could hardly keep his mouth shut, as if he had found a treasure. indeed, this was a gem in his eyes. he believed that in another decade or so, hao jian's medical skills might even rival those of liang wangsun, especially since hao jian had shown such exquisite medical talent in his early twenties, with a boundless future ahead of him. "dean, i've got something to discuss with lei yiming, so i'll take my leave now." hao jian said with a smile, though the smile was somewhat cold. he had been too busy saving yuan shanshan's mother to deal with lei yiming earlier, but now that the surgery was over, it was time to settle accounts with lei yiming. hearing this, yuan shanshan's expression suddenly stiffened, her smile fading as she finally remembered the murderer who had almost killed her mother. if it weren't for hao jian's sudden appearance, her mother might have already died on the operating table. seeing this, the dean also sighed, knowing that hao jian was intending to seek revenge on lei yiming. after a moment, the dean spoke as if making a resolute decision, "go ahead, as long as you don't kill anyone, no matter what you do to him, i'll have your back." "isn't that a bit much?" hao jian said, slightly taken aback. he hadn't expected the dean to go so far for him, and he didn't want to drag the dean down because of him. "nothing's too much. i may just be a dean, but i know some people in hua city. as long as you don't take a life, i'll find a way to smooth things over for you. and that lei yiming, he's made such a mess for our hospital, almost disgraced us, i want to teach him a lesson too," the dean said with a laugh. hao jian laughed as well, then without further ado, briskly walked towards the upper floors. ... "doctor lei, weren't you supposed to be in surgery? how come you're back so soon?" in the office, a middle-aged man asked lei yiming. the middle-aged man was in his forties, with a square face and greying hair, dressed in a low-key luxurious suit, his sharp eyes like that of an eagle, casting a rather sinister look. "what surgery?" lei yiming snorted, his vicious smile emerging: "that was just a dead poor bastard, if he couldn't afford treatment, then he shouldn't force me into performing surgery with violence. as if i, lei yiming, am easy to bully. heh... i just made a cut across that patient's chest and walked away. right now, i'm the only one in the whole hospital who can perform that surgery, let's see what they can do!" lei yiming was unaware that the surgery had already been completed, and he was looking forward to seeing the grief-stricken expressions of yuan shanshan and hao jian when they discovered the old lady was dead. then he planned to use this middle-aged man in front of him to slaughter hao jian, and afterwards, execute yuan shanshan on the spot! "doctor lei, you sure are cunning, more heartless than those of us in the underworld," the middle-aged man chuckled weirdly as he puffed on a cigar. "never offend a doctor, because a doctor can save lives, but can also take them," lei yiming said with a ferocious smile, then looked down at his watch: "judging by the time, that old woman should be about done for." "bang!" as his voice fell, the door was kicked open. two bodyguards flew in from outside and fell with a 'thud' at the feet of lei yiming and the man. hao jian entered with crossed arms, slowly, a mocking smile on his face: "i'm afraid you're going to be disappointed." s~ea??h the ¦Çovelfire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 155 Reach Out Your Hand! "hao jian?"lei yiming saw hao jian suddenly appear and was also tense. the events of yesterday were still vivid in his mind; this guy was like a mad dog, biting anyone he could. "oh? so you're that hao jian who doesn't even consider me worth noticing?" the middle-aged man began to sneer. he was indeed the wealthy individual who had paid lei yiming a high price for surgery. his father had a heart condition that required immediate surgery, but hao jian had forced lei yiming to perform surgery on himself first. the middle-aged man saw this as a provocation. hao jian turned his head and glanced at him, laughing, "what are you? why should i consider you worth noticing!" "i am second in command at martial evil hall, kang xingui. if you haven't even heard of martial evil hall, then that just shows you're nobody significant!" enraged by hao jian's arrogance, kang xingui snorted angrily. "so, you're the second in command at martial evil hall." hao jian's smile was mocking as he thought to himself how his dealings with martial evil hall seemed fated, having clashed with them twice in two days, each time with key figures. "does that mean you plan to stick up for this scum?" hao jian asked with a laugh. "what if i am?" seeing hao jian still so defiant even after learning his true identity, kang xingui became thoroughly enraged. "that's not too good, is it?" hao jian gloomily smiled, "just yesterday a boss of martial evil hall died, maybe today a second one will die." "you¡­ how did you know that? did you kill old three?" kang xingui was momentarily startled, and then his face dramatically changed! the death of their third in command, yan qinghu, was only discovered last night, and besides himself and the big boss, no more than three people knew about it. hao jian wasn't one of their people, so how did he know? unless he was the real killer of yan qinghu! "instead of worrying about others, you'd better worry about yourself first. either get out now or stay behind and accompany lei yiming in death. you choose!" hao jian punched a hole in the nearby wall, looking at kang xingui with a menacing laugh, the threat in his eyes unmistakable. seeing hao jian punch through the wall, both kang xingui and yuan shanshan were stunned. lei yiming shuddered, his face pale. if that punch had been on him, would he have been disabled if not dead? being able to punch through a wall... was this guy a robot? thinking this, lei yiming trembled, his back drenched in cold sweat! "you are a martial artist?" kang xingui's pupils dilated suddenly, his expression finally serious. "knowing that, better scram!" hao jian chided without any politeness. kang xingui clenched his teeth in silence. although martial evil hall had martial artists, he himself wasn't one. to fight alone would be suicidal. feeling threatened by hao jian like this, he was full of resentment and humiliation. "good! very good! martial evil hall won't let this go!" kang xingui huffed, but obediently got up, preparing to leave. without a martial artist by his side, he didn't have the courage to face hao jian directly. now, it was best to beat a hasty retreat! "boss kang, you... you can't go, don't leave me behind." seeing kang xingui about to leave, lei yiming immediately panicked. if even kang xingui didn't care about him anymore, then he was truly doomed. kang xingui walked away with a gloomy expression on his face, not saying a word. at this time, he was barely able to save himself, let alone care about lei yiming. hao jian revealed a sinister smile and walked towards lei yiming. lei yiming was so frightened that he fell into a chair and stammered, "you, you, you. don't mess around, hitting people is illegal. if you dare to hit me, i will call the police to arrest you!" but hao jian ignored his threat and said indifferently, "stretch out your hand." "what?" lei yiming didn't understand why hao jian asked him to stretch out his hand. "bang!" hao jian threw a punch, causing lei yiming to vomit out his bile. "don't make me repeat myself," hao jian said darkly. a warm current couldn't help surging in yuan shanshan's heart, she had never seen hao jian so angry before, and it was entirely because he cared about her. sea??h th§× nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. hao jian did indeed care, but what he cared about even more was that lei yiming, as a doctor, had disregarded human life. hao jian had also studied medicine, and his master had always taught him that a healer must have a parent's heart. lei yiming had left yuan shanshan's mother on the operating table to die, utterly failing as a doctor and insulting the title. how could hao jian not be angry facing such a disgraceful scholar? lei yiming could only extend his trembling hands, repeatedly apologizing. but hao jian seemed to not hear him, looking at the pair of hands on the table with a fierce smile on his lips: "since these hands of yours, trained in medicine, are not used to save people, i see no need to keep them, right?" "hmm?" lei yiming looked up in shock and immediately saw a cold smile on hao jian's lips, like that of a demon. suddenly, hao jian's fists brutally fell on lei yiming's hands. with a 'bang,' the mahogany table immediately split into pieces. "ah, ah..." lei yiming rolled on the ground, crying and calling for his parents in pain. his hands were crushed as if run over by a car, every bone shattered, leaving him no possibility of ever holding a scalpel again in his life. in hao jian's view, since lei yiming did not learn medicine to save lives, he had to stop lei yiming from continuing to harm others. his master had once told him a very philosophical phrase: medical skills must not be taken lightly. if you learn well, you benefit society; if not, you endanger it. clearly, lei yiming fell into the latter category! "let's go." hao jian finally left without giving lei yiming another glance. yuan shanshan, as if awakened from a dream, quickly followed him. but on the way back, yuan shanshan stared at hao jian like a lovesick fool. hao jian, feeling somewhat uncomfortable under her gaze, asked with a wry smile, "why are you staring at me like that?" upon hearing this, yuan shanshan flashed a brilliant smile, her pretty face as bright as a flower: "hao jian, i'm getting more and more curious about your identity. not only are you a first-class driver and a top-tier painter, but you also are a highly skilled doctor, and you even know a bit about jewelry design. you fight so fiercely, it's like you're capable of anything. i'm really curious if you're like doraemon, capable of anything." hao jian looked embarrassed and said, "don't praise me so much; there's one thing i can't do." "what's that?" "that's to get pregnant and have children like you women," hao jian laughed heartily. stay updated through empire yuan shanshan immediately gave him a displeased look and muttered, "you're never serious." Chapter 156 I Just Crippled Them, Thats All! hao jian and yuan shanshan returned to the ward, settled her mother, and then walked out of the hospital, ready to get in the car and leave.but just at this moment, over a dozen figures wielding steel pipes and machetes came rushing out of a nearby alleyway, blocking their way. kang xingui took the lead, sneering at hao jian: "kid, i told you, our martial evil hall wouldn't let matters rest just like that. your death is certain!" hao jian had indeed anticipated that kang xingui wouldn't just drop the matter, but he didn't expect that kang would come for him so soon. behind kang xingui were more than a dozen people, and among these men, three had an arrogant demeanor, standing slightly to the front, obviously of a different status. hao jian looked at them and sneered back: "you've called in martial artists for help, no wonder you're so arrogant." right after leaving the office, kang xingui immediately contacted his subordinates, and upon learning that two martial artists were handling affairs, he called them over at once. "kid, don't think that just because you're a martial artist, you're amazing. i have martial artists under my control too," kang xingui said with a sinister smile, looking as if he had hao jian in the bag: "so tell me, today, are you planning to break an arm or a leg?" "can i break a strand of hair?" hao jian plucked one of his hairs and, with a dead-serious face, offered it to kang xingui. "boss, he means to give you a strand of hair, he's deliberately insulting you!" one of kang xingui's underlings interjected. smack! kang xingui, driven by rage, slapped him across the face, rebuking, "do you think i don't know that? why the hell are you running your mouth?" s§×ar?h the nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. the struck underling touched his face, aggrieved, and dared not speak again. immediately afterward, kang xingui turned to hao jian, his rage turning to a mocking laugh: "you're quite bold, kid, mocking me even at this moment. today, i'll let you know the consequences of offending our martial evil hall!" "break his limbs; i want him to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair! and seize that little wench too; i want to taste what this kid's girlfriend has to offer." kang xingui's gaze turned lasciviously towards yuan shanshan, musing that hao jian really had good fortune with women to have such a beautiful girlfriend. upon hearing this, yuan shanshan's pretty face turned instantly pale, while hao jian's face darkened, not because kang xingui wanted to cripple him, but because of his improper thoughts toward yuan shanshan. the three martial artists now displayed aggressive grins, clenching their fists, striding towards hao jian. their ferocious aura, like that of starving wolves, chilled to the bone. seeing this scene, hao jian sighed softly: "i really don't want to hurt anyone. kneel down, knock your head on the ground three times, then get lost immediately; i'll act as if none of this ever happened, how about that?" he truly wanted to keep the peace, his heart set on returning to a quiet life, and he didn't wish to get entangled with forces like the martial evil hall. but to kang xingui and his men, his words took on a different meaning! what? kang xingui and his men were flabbergasted. let them go? where did this kid get his confidence from? they froze for a moment, then burst into boisterous laughter. "haha¡­ boss, i think this kid is scared out of his wits, he's started talking nonsense!" one of the underlings exclaimed in amazement. "he's actually asking the boss to kneel and knock his head on the ground, he fancies himself ye wen, thinking he can take on ten at once, hahaha." "more like he thinks he's martial god guan yu, aiming to fend off thousands by himself! oh mighty god, please spare me, i'm so scared," mocked the other underlings, nearly choking with laughter. hao jian's words were as absurd as a lamb about to be slaughtered telling the butcher, "just put down your knife, kneel and apologize, and i won't kill you." at this moment, even the three martial artists couldn't help but wear sinister smiles. this kid was so confident in his own ability to win against them alone¡ªit was simply ignorance leading to his doom. hao jian shook his head with regret, "it seems i have still been too merciful." "cripple him!" kang xingui's face twisted with ferocity as he yelled out, completely losing his patience. at this moment, he didn't want to see hao jian's arrogant face anymore. "swoosh, swoosh, swoosh." three martial artists burst forth in an instant, throwing punches and kicks that exploded towards hao jian with a burst of sonic booms. hao jian wore a sneer but did not dodge or flinch, clearly not taking them seriously at all. courting death! witnessing this scene, the three martial artists were all filled with rage as they felt belittled, and the force of their punches and kicks surged several times in an instant. they were not just looking to cripple hao jian now; they wanted to kill him! but just as they were about to make contact with hao jian, his figure suddenly vanished like a gust of wind. at this point, the pupils of the three men shrank, and they froze in place, maintaining their original stances like statues. soon after, hao jian's silhouette appeared behind them, his lips curled in a slight cold smile. kang xingui and his companions were stupefied. what had happened? why weren't the three martial artists moving anymore? read the latest on empire suddenly, at that moment, they heard a simultaneous muffled grunt from the trio, and then their bodies went limp, collapsing to the ground. "what... what did you do to them?" kang xingui stared at hao jian as if he had seen a ghost. what exactly had hao jian done to these three martial artists that they had all fainted? were all three of them together not a match for hao jian? how... how is that possible? "me? i just simply crippled them," said hao jian with an indifferent expression. practicing martial arts to commit crimes, such people were simply a disgrace to martial arts! "what?" kang xingui felt a tingling in his scalp. hao jian had crippled these martial artists, so how would he explain this to the big boss? these martial artists were borrowed from a very terrifying power by the big boss; they had helped martial evil hall take over hua city by sending some manpower to assist. but if that powerful group found out that because of his personal vendetta, he had caused them to lose several martial artists for nothing, they would definitely hold him accountable! at that thought, kang xingui felt as though he was a dead man! all he wanted to know was who hao jian really was. any of those three martial artists could take on a hundred foes on their own, but they were all crippled in an instant by hao jian without even touching the hem of his robe. could this young man really be as formidable as martial god guan yu? "don't be so surprised, you will end up like them in a bit," hao jian said with a sneer that was not quite a smile. seeing hao jian's smile, kang xingui was struck with horror. what did this guy plan to do to him? hao jian started to move toward kang xingui. "stop him! stop him now!" kang xingui screamed in terror, pushing his subordinates forward. although these subordinates knew they were no match for hao jian, they had no choice but to obey kang xingui's orders. otherwise, if kang xingui got angry later, they would all die. it was better to be beaten up than to be killed. but they quickly ended up just like the three martial artists, sprawled on the ground. hao jian stood in front of the petrified kang xingui, smiling faintly: "you were planning to cripple my arms and legs just now, so now that i am crippling yours, you shouldn't have any complaints, right?" "crack, crack." a few sounds of bones breaking, and kang xingui rolled on the ground, howling in agony. Chapter 157 Trouble Really Happened! in just two days, hao jian had killed one house head and crippled another, thoroughly escalating his beef with martial evil hall."heh. hehehe." explore more adventures at empire within martial evil hall, big boss sun bohong's mouth, full of nicotine-stained teeth, formed a fake smile as he stared coldly at kang xingui, who was tied up in bandages and lying in a wheelchair. at this moment, kang xingui was barely lucid, muttering something indistinct, with drool hanging from one corner of his mouth, looking like someone with an intellectual disability. "so you say the kid can fight?" sun bohong turned his head to look at kang xingui's underlings. feeling the gaze of sun bohong, all the underlings had their hair stand on end, and they nodded vigorously. "he took out those three martial artists in just a minute's time; we... we're no match for him," one of them said weakly. sun bohong nodded and said to someone behind him: "call elder xiao, and tell him someone is trying to mess with his plans, that their three martial artists were killed." at those words, everyone was shocked. the three martial artists were just crippled, not actually dead. however, sun bohong saying they were dead implied that he planned to kill them to close their mouths and then pin the blame on hao jian. the three martial artists were crippled because of kang xingui's personal vendetta, and if the higher powers found out, not to mention kang xingui, even he would be implicated. so these three had to die; only with them dead could it be without witness, and only with them dead could he successfully blame hao jian. "big boss, what about these guys?" sun bohong asked, pointing to kang xingui's henchmen. "dump them in the sea to feed the fish," replied sun bohong indifferently. . "lili, are you free after work? i'd like to treat you to a meal," hao jian teased a female employee at shu ya group. "oh? then what are you treating me to?" lili asked, full of curiosity. "a ten-yuan spicy hot skewer + 23.53 cm banana!" hao jian boasted: "how about that? i'm good to you, right? usually, i only eat a two-yuan spicy hot skewer. hey, don't walk away, i'm not finished talking." "hao jian, hitting on girls again?" tie shan approached with a chuckle. "what can i do with all my free time if i don't flirt to add some fun to life? sigh, girls are so hard to figure out these days; they don't even want a ten-yuan spicy hot skewer. back in the day, it was so hard to even get one," hao jian grumbled. "no wonder they say ten drivers nine lechers, it's not wrong at all," tie shan teased. "scram!" hao jian retorted irritably. just then, boss liang passed by, bumping right into hao jian and tie shan. boss liang looked up at hao jian, at a loss, as he already knew hao jian's true identity, and naturally, he didn't dare treat him as he used to. "what are you looking at? scram!" hao jian shouted irritably. since boss liang was a despicable person, hao jian certainly wouldn't cut him any slack! hearing this, boss liang also felt humiliated but dared not retort and walked past hao jian and tie shan, head down, teeth clenched. witnessing this, tie shan was flabbergasted: "dude, what the hell did you do to make that liang guy cower like a grandson? he didn't even dare talk back?" "i fucked his mom." "huh?" tie shan didn't understand whether this statement was intended to be humorous or for real. "i said i fucked his mom," hao jian repeated. "you're joking with me, right?" tie shan's smile became a bit stiff. "what, you don't believe me? if i hadn't fucked his mom, why would he not dare to talk back after i berated him like that? because from now on, i'm his daddy. you know, if your dad scolds you, do you dare to talk back?" hao jian put on an act as though the matter was real. tie shan just shook his head, dumbfounded. "see? since i'm his daddy now, naturally he has to be nicer to me. otherwise, with just a word from me, he could end up as an orphan without a mom." "..." just then, hao jian glanced around beside tie shan and asked in confusion, "by the way, i haven't seen heigui around these last few days. isn't he always inseparable from you?" upon hearing this, tie shan immediately lost his smile and let out a deep sigh, his brows furrowing deeply. seeing this, hao jian realized that something must have happened to heigui. he asked with a frown, "what's going on exactly?" "his mom got hit by a car a few days ago, but the driver ran away. she's still in the hospital, unconscious, and could be in danger of losing her life any moment. the problem is that the surgery costs a large sum of money, so he's been secretly raising funds and has taken several days off work," tie shan explained. so, there had indeed been trouble! hao jian inwardly remarked, then asked with a displeased expression, "then why didn't he tell us?" "he didn't want to burden us. even i only found out about it when i overheard him talking on the phone by chance. you know, we security guards only make so much a month, barely enough to scrape by. heigui knew this, so he didn't dare to ask us for help." tie shan sighed as he spoke, wanting to help heigui but facing the problem that he himself didn't have much money either. his wife had just given birth. they had spent most of their savings, and he had no extra cash on hand to help. sear?h the nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "foolish! is this something he can handle on his own?" hao jian was angry that heigui hadn't treated him like a brother in this situation. "shall we go find him?" tie shan made up his mind. he would help with whatever little he could afford, contributing his bit of support. "no need, you still have to earn a living and support your family. don't let this affect your work. i'll go find him," hao jian said, patting tie shan on the shoulder, then walked towards the exit. once in a secluded spot, he dialed a number on his phone, "i need your help to check on someone." . "uncle, please help us. we really need this money, and we will definitely pay it back!" at that moment, heigui was standing inside a villa, pleading with a distressed expression to a man in gold-rimmed glasses in front of him. "pay back? with what? your piss-poor monthly salary?" the man in the gold-rimmed glasses mocked, "with your pathetic self, i reckon you'll never be able to pay it back in your lifetime. i must have had terrible luck in my past eight generations to be related to poor wretches like you." faced with such humiliation, heigui was indeed angry and embarrassed, but he was out of options, otherwise, he wouldn't have come to his sharp-tongued uncle for help. his uncle had made some money in business years ago and had since looked down on their poor relatives. if it wasn't for dire need, heigui would definitely not have come to borrow money from him. Chapter 158 Im Not Done Smashing Yet! "we'll have the money to pay back, as long as we catch the perpetrator and get the compensation¡ªwe can immediately repay you," heigui continued to plead."catch the perpetrator? well, we'll talk when you've actually caught him," the gold-rimmed glasses man sneered dismissively. if it were possible to catch him, the police wouldn't still be without any leads. "husband, i want to buy the latest lv handbag." just then, a slim young lady came out, clinging to the arm of the man with the gold-rimmed glasses and acting coquettishly. heigui's uncle was almost fifty years old but had taken a mistress younger than heigui. "oh? how much is it?" the man with the gold-rimmed glasses asked with affectionate indulgence. "not expensive, just two hundred thousand." "alright, bought!" said the man with the gold-rimmed glasses generously. "husband, i love you to death!" the young lady was so excited that she kissed him and then rushed back into the house. heigui's face turned ashen; his uncle didn't flinch at spending two hundred thousand on a handbag for his mistress, yet he refused even to lend them the life-saving surgery money they needed. this was heartbreakingly cold. "what are you still loitering here for? i said i'm not lending it, so scram!" the man with the gold-rimmed glasses exclaimed rudely: "what a loser! a deadbeat pauper, don't you ever step foot in our house again. it's bad luck!" heigui's expression was extremely ugly, carrying shame as he prepared to leave, dispirited. "bang!" just then, a loud bang came from the courtyard. followed by the man's piercing shriek: "who? who smashed my ferrari? come out!" heigui was also stunned as he looked at the shattered glass of the ferrari, and at that moment, a familiar silhouette appeared before him. hao jian held a rock, a wicked smile playing on his lips, "i did it." "hao jian? what are you doing here?" heigui was shocked, not expecting his appearance here. "i went to your house looking for you, your dad said you had come here, so i came to find you," hao jian said, weighing the rock in his hand with a chuckle. "nice, so you're in cahoots, resorting to retaliation because you couldn't borrow money, how shameless," the gold-rimmed glasses man said with disdainful contempt. "you just wait, i'm calling security now!" "hao jian, you better leave!" heigui was panicked as well. even though hao jian had smashed his uncle's car¡ªwhich felt gratifying¡ªthe cost to cover it was a huge sum they as ordinary people could never afford. he knew hao jian was retaliating for him, so he didn't blame him for the rash action; he only hoped hao jian could quickly leave this place and then he would beg his uncle to forgive hao jian just this once. "leave? you can't leave now!" the man with the gold-rimmed glasses pressed an alarm button on the wall. "husband, what's wrong?" at that moment, the young lady, now dressed and ready to buy her lv handbag, reappeared, puzzled by the fury on the gold-rimmed glasses man's face. "nothing much, just a couple of losers trying to extort my money without success, looking for revenge. i've already called the security," the gold-rimmed glasses man insulted. "oh, is that so?" upon hearing this, the woman's look toward hao jian and the others filled with disdain and disgust. "hao jian, let's go quickly," heigui said, knowing that there was no way to make amends anymore. once the security arrived, they were all heading for a beating. "leave? but i haven't had my fill of smashing yet." hao jian curled his lips and then threw the stone he was holding, with a sharp crash, the ferrari's headlight shattered. "you." seeing this, the man with the gold-rimmed glasses was nearly fuming with rage, audacious enough to smash the car windows, and now to break the headlight right in front of him. wait till the security guards arrive, he'd make sure they give this kid a severe beating! heigui was laughing through his tears¡ªit was clear there was no room for maneuver now. he really didn't know whether to thank hao jian for his zealous interference or to blame him for being a busybody. "who dares cause trouble here?" just then, a group of security guards appeared inside the villa. "it's them, they couldn't extort me so they vandalized my car, teach them a harsh lesson! hit them! beat these two poor, filthy creeps to death!!!" the man with the gold-rimmed glasses harshly pointed at heigui and hao jian, clearly not intending to show any uncle-nephew consideration. those security guards immediately looked towards hao jian, only to see him grinning and waving at them: "hey! long time no see." in an instant, the faces of the security guards turned as green as if they had swallowed flies. why has this scourge come back again? at that moment, the security guards felt like crying¡ªthey could still vividly recall the scene of running naked in the cold winter night. turns out, the villa area where the man with the gold-rimmed glasses lived was none other than snowy moonstream, and these security guards were the ones previously 'educated' by hao jian. so, seeing hao jian now, they were like mice who had just seen a cat. s§×ar?h the nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "what are you waiting for, take action! what are you standing there for, are you deaf?" seeing the guards not moving, the man with the gold-rimmed glasses promptly got angry. the security guards looked at each other, but none dared to lay a hand on hao jian¡ªthey certainly did not want to run naked once more under everyone's watchful eyes. "sir, i can't handle this situation, you should deal with it yourself," the team leader of the security guards said in frustration. hearing this, heigui looked at hao jian with astonishment, wondering what exactly hao jian had done to these guards to make them act as if they had seen a ghost upon seeing him. the man with the gold-rimmed glasses's face turned a livid green with anger, "fine, fine, fine, if you dare to disobey me, i will call your boss right now. let him come here, and you can all wait to be fired!" the security guards remained expressionless, as if they hadn't heard his threat. the boss? boss liu had been dealt with by hao jian before, so it would be the same even if he came. "what's so urgent that you had to call me over??" before long, liu rizhao appeared. since hao jian was turned away from him, he hadn't noticed him at first and admonished his subordinates. "boss liu, your timing is perfect. you must take good control of your people. these two raggedy creeps vandalized cars in my yard. i asked your men to arrest them, but your people said they couldn't handle this matter. if you can't even ensure the personal safety of your clients, then snowy moonstream is really disappointing," the man with the gold-rimmed glasses scoffed. with that said, liu rizhao's expression turned unpleasant as he glared at the guards causing him embarrassment, "what exactly is going on here?" "boss, take a look at who this gentleman is, and you'll understand," the security team leader said with a bitter smile. "hmm?" liu rizhao looked curiously towards hao jian, also wanting to know who this guy was that had scared his men so badly. experience more on empire at that moment, hao jian also turned around with a smile, "boss liu, been well, i trust?" liu rizhao's heart skipped a beat, and the hairs on his body stood on end. this son of a bitch. why is he here again? Chapter 159 Poaching Right to Their Faces! "boss liu, why haven't your men taken action yet? what are you waiting for!"seeing liu rizhao also standing there, the man with the gold-rimmed glasses couldn't hold back his frustration, thinking if these people were brain-dead, what's there to fear from a damn wimp. take action? at that thought, liu rizhao immediately recalled the consequences of the last time he had people lay hands on hao jian and couldn't help shuddering. enjoy exclusive adventures from empire not daring to delay, liu rizhao quickly walked up to hao jian and then gave him a bow, "sir, actually... i'm not very close to him, he's just a property owner of mine, you... please don't blame me for this." having experienced the humiliation of running naked previously, liu rizhao was extremely wary of hao jian, almost as if he was a venomous serpent, and he was in a rush to dissociate himself from the man with the gold-rimmed glasses, fearing that hao jian would get angry. there's wisdom in the old saying, once bitten by a snake, one fears a well rope for ten years. lay hands on hao jian? forget it, he wanted to live a few more years! watching liu rizhao so eager to distance himself, the man with the gold-rimmed glasses was dumbfounded. was liu rizhao dissociating himself from him for this penniless kid? was it he who was out of his mind, or had he misjudged the situation? not just him, even heigui was stunned. he never imagined the brother he had been close with would suddenly turn out to be such an influential figure, someone whom even the big boss would treat with such politeness. "boss liu, not bad, you're getting sharper," teased hao jian. "it's all thanks to mr. hao jian's guidance, hehe. hehehe," laughed liu rizhao nervously. how could he afford not to be observant? if he wasn't, he and his entire family might have to experience hearse drifting again. now heigui's uncle finally understood, this kid was no ordinary man, otherwise liu rizhao wouldn't be so courteous towards him. what they couldn't figure out was exactly who hao jian was to command such respect from liu rizhao, the real estate tycoon. what puzzled them even more was how heigui, a simple security guard, knew such an important figure. "it's alright now, let's all disperse," liu rizhao waved to the security guards. "all right? what about my car? didn't you see he smashed my car?" the man with the gold-rimmed glasses complained upon hearing this. his ferrari was still emitting a pitiful shriek, protesting hao jian's violent acts. "so what do you want to do about it?" asked liu rizhao irritably. this idiot didn't even know who he had offended and still dared to make a fuss. he was truly asking for trouble. "what do i want to do? he smashed my car at my house, and you're asking me what i want to do? i should be the one asking you what you intend to do! didn't you claim that snowy moonstream is the safest residential area? if you don't give me a satisfactory explanation, then i demand a full refund immediately!" the man with the gold-rimmed glasses said furiously. he felt liu rizhao was simply colluding with hao jian to bully him, so he wanted to use the refund as leverage to pressure liu rizhao. he had spent over seventy million on that villa; it wasn't a small sum, and he didn't believe liu rizhao wouldn't care. but surprisingly, liu rizhao indeed didn't care. he said with a cold face: "a full refund? no problem! i'll have someone return the money to you tomorrow, and please pack up all your stuff at home today, to make it easy for us to take the house back tomorrow." the man with the gold-rimmed glasses was dumbstruck. was liu rizhao really not giving him any face? weren't they at least somewhat acquainted? it wasn't that liu rizhao didn't want to, he just didn't dare to. if he gave face to the man with the gold-rimmed glasses, it would upset hao jian, and if he upset hao jian, then he'd have to run naked around the neighborhood again. damn, this is such a trap! it's all because that gold-rimmed glasses guy messed with the wrong person. "honey, i don't want to move, can't you think of something else?" the young lady also showed a reluctant look, living in this luxurious mansion had been so comfortable, and now she was being asked to move, how could she possibly let go. "beauty, you'd be better off with me than with this old geezer. if you come with me, i'll buy this building for you, how about that?" hao jian was winking and making faces at the young woman at this moment as if he was quite interested in her. the gold-rimmed glasses guy's face turned green. hao jian was actually hitting on his girl right in front of him? "are you serious?" at this moment, the young lady looked at hao jian with a surprised and delighted expression. "of course i'm serious," said hao jian with a beaming smile. then, after hesitating for a few seconds, the young lady glanced at the gold-rimmed glasses guy and walked towards hao jian. she had only been with the gold-rimmed glasses guy for the money to begin with, and since hao jian could offer her better, she naturally leaned towards him. just thinking about soon owning tens of millions made her excitedly blossom with joy. what mattered most was that hao jian was so young and looked better than that old wreck. in all the time she had been with the old man, she had never once reached the peak in bed. now, with someone younger, surely he'd be better in every way, right? the woman squeezed into hao jian's arms directly, cooing, "handsome, my name is wang ke, just call me keke." s§×ar?h the n?vel_fire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. heigui couldn't help but laugh and cry; had hao jian just stolen his aunt-in-law? wasn't that way too easy? however, at the same time, heigui felt a tinge of pleasure thinking about how they had mocked him before, and now his brother made them look like nothing. "you slut!" the gold-rimmed glasses man was shaking with rage. things had escalated to a point far beyond his expectation. being humiliated was one thing, but even his woman was taken away. he wanted to devour hao jian alive. "every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost. hasn't that always been what you taught me?" wang ke said with a cold smirk. the gold-rimmed glasses man gritted his teeth in anger, speechless, how could he have known that one day wang ke would betray him. "congratulations to mr. hao on winning the beauty! consider this building a generous gift from me," said liu rizhao, patting his chest, eager to seize the opportunity to get closer to hao jian. how could he let go of such a chance? on hearing this, wang ke's eyes lit up, and she smiled even more charmingly. she could tell hao jian was way out of the gold-rimmed glasses guy's league. even liu rizhao was treating him with respect and offering him a villa as a gift, surely he was from some major family. if she followed him, boundless wealth and luxury would be hers to enjoy. "what, you think i can't afford to buy it? do i need you to give it to me?" hao jian snorted coldly, giving liu rizhao a meaningful glance. liu rizhao was initially taken aback but then quickly understood hao jian's intention. he wasn't really interested in the woman; it was all just a show to one-up the gold-rimmed glasses guy. liu rizhao also thought to himself that with hao jian's status, he would never be interested in such vulgarity. Chapter 160 but wang ke lacked any self-awareness. upon hearing what liu rizhao said, she almost burst with excitement. if someone turns down even a free gift, they must be a real master kuo."yes, yes, i was overambitious. such a shabby house, how could it be worthy of you, mr. hao?" liu rizhao quickly nodded in agreement, coordinating with hao jian. experience new tales on empire sear?h the n?velfire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. upon hearing this, the man with gold-rimmed glasses visibly twitched at the corners of his mouth. this villa area in hua city might not be the highest-grade, but it was definitely in the top five. yet, in liu rizhao's mouth, it had become a broken-down house? could you be any more obvious with your flattery? "well then, we're also quite busy, so we won't stay here any longer," hao jian said indifferently, then turned to look at heigui: "haven't i told you not to be so calculating among brothers? if you need money, just tell me. why go to your 'third uncle'? a dead pauper who can't even spare a few tens of thousands, what can he help you with?" rage reappeared in the eyes of the man with gold-rimmed glasses, but he didn't dare make a sound. compared to someone like hao jian, who would give away a villa at the drop of a hat, he indeed was a pauper. "oh," heigui nodded blankly, then turned to the man with gold-rimmed glasses and said, "third uncle, i won't ask you for money anymore." the man with gold-rimmed glasses was so angry he felt like vomiting blood. you don't borrow, just don't borrow. did you have to say it out loud? aren't you just trying to slap my face? by the time hao jian and his group left, he still hadn't recovered from his shock. he had lost his house, his car, and even his woman¡ªall just because he didn't lend some money? was it really worth all this? he was about to cry. if he had known this would happen, let alone lending, what would giving you a few tens of thousands matter? but now, it was too late for regrets. hao jian let wang ke off at a department store, ostensibly saying he had matters to discuss with heigui and told her to go shopping at the department store first, and he would come back to pick her up later. before getting off the car, he gave her a card, flamboyantly saying she could swipe it however she liked! then wang ke excitedly rushed off to go on a shopping spree! "hao jian, you couldn't really fancy this woman, could you? she's a vampire. if you marry her, just wait to become an atm," heigui cautioned. he could see with one glance that wang ke was no good¡ªone who always cried for branded bags. this woman was definitely bad news. "nonsense, do you think i don't know that? do you really think i've fallen for her? i'm just trying to irritate your third uncle," hao jian was not fooled. how could he possibly be interested in that kind of woman? "then why did you give her the card? aren't you afraid she'll spend all your money?" "that card doesn't have any money in it. let her spend it however she wants," hao jian said with a sly smile. "damn, you're quite devious, you know. you've managed to trick both my third uncle and her at the same time!" heigui was secretly shocked, thinking to himself how cunning hao jian was. hao jian spit, "pah! i'm doing this to stand up for you, aren't i? besides, if that woman weren't so greedy, i couldn't have tricked her, right? if you want to blame, blame her and your third uncle alike¡ªthey only have eyes for money!" on hearing this, heigui chuckled madly, "you know, you're right, i'm actually feeling pretty good now. imagine the expressions on their faces when my third uncle and that woman find out about this." "well, i wouldn't know about that, because right now i'm more concerned about your issues, not theirs. what are you going to do now?" hao jian suddenly changed the subject, staring intently at heigui. the smile gradually faded from heigui's face, and he looked downcast as he said: "what can i do? the driver who caused the accident wasn't caught, i haven't received any compensation, and i can't even pay for the surgery. my mom is still lying in the emergency room. apart from waiting for news from the police, there's nothing i can do." heigui felt incredibly suffocated. if he had money like his uncle did, would he need to beg everywhere like a stray dog? thinking about this, heigui nearly wanted to slap himself. why can others succeed, yet he was stuck like a lump of mud? hao jian also noticed that heigui was feeling down. he turned to start the car, and said emotionlessly, "i'll take care of the surgery costs for you. don't worry about it." "how could that be possible?" heigui was shocked. honestly, he had not expected hao jian to help him since they had known each other for less than two months. "what do you mean 'how'?!" hao jian promptly snapped, "don't you consider me a brother?" "of course not, from the moment i met you, i felt you were brother material." heigui quickly explained, worried that hao jian wouldn't consider him a brother. especially after today's incident, he realized hao jian was no ordinary person. what right did he, a penniless man, have to call him brother? "if we are brothers, stop talking nonsense. if you really feel bad, just pay me back double later. you can wait, but can the old lady wait?" hao jian spoke sternly. heigui's mother was critically ill and if they didn't operate soon, who knew when her time would come. heigui paused, then his eyes slowly moistened, "hao jian, thank you, really, thank you." "why are you crying? big men crying like wronged brides, aren't you ashamed?" hao jian sternly rebuked him, "men do not easily shed tears, remember this if you're a man!" "all right, i won't cry!" heigui sniffled and calmed himself down. "hold on, i'm taking you to find the driver who caused the accident!" hao jian said with a stern face. "what? did the police find him?" heigui asked in surprise, thinking it didn't make sense. if the police had found the driver, shouldn't the victim's family be the first to know? hao jian smirked, "it wasn't the police who found him; it was me." "you?" heigui stared at hao jian, full of suspicion. "after i heard about your family's situation from tie shan, i asked my friend to look into that driver. he just called to say he's found him and is keeping an eye on him. we need to go there now." hao jian explained, but his expression was indifferent and calm, as if it was all very common. yet to heigui, it sounded extraordinarily unusual. he smiled bitterly, "hao jian, can you tell me who you really are?" a single sentence made his self-important uncle homeless. another sentence made a business tycoon bow and scrape. and now one more sentence has surfaced the culprit that even the police couldn't find. hao jian's identity was too mysterious and too powerful, causing heigui to struggle to accept it temporarily. Chapter 161 Do you want to beat him up? the person who hit heigui's mother was a male celebrity, and he was no small figure, having already reached the first tier of fame.because of this, after the incident occurred, his agency went to great lengths to cover it up, which is why the police claimed they couldn't catch the perpetrator. in reality, it wasn't that they couldn't catch him; they simply had no intention of doing so. after learning about the incident, heigui felt deeply moved. if it hadn't been for hao jian, he might still be in the dark and would never have been able to find the perpetrator in his lifetime. "mr. hao," brother spice ginger bowed respectfully to hao jian. heigui was somewhat surprised. was this man the friend hao jian had mentioned? wasn't he the top boss of the east city district? heigui had once seen brother spice ginger at a bar, where his friend told him that brother spice ginger was the most powerful boss in the east city district. yet, he was bowing to hao jian? "what's the situation?" hao jian asked indifferently to brother spice ginger. "the young celebrity, liu yufan, is currently on set filming inside," brother spice ginger said. in fact, liu yufan was no longer considered a small-time celebrity, but to people like brother spice ginger and hao jian, he was still just a minor star. hao jian nodded and then said to heigui, "let's go in." initially, heigui was somewhat nervous, but seeing hao jian so composed, he relaxed, nodded, and followed hao jian in. "young master liu, we can begin now." on set, a group of people surrounded a refined young actor, all wearing flattering smiles, even the director was pandering to him. he was liu yufan, currently the hottest actor in historic dramas, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a face like a handsome heir, perfectly embodying the demeanor of a classical hero. liu yufan spoke slowly with an air of arrogance, "the sun is too harsh today, and my skin is sensitive to sunlight, so i'll only film for one hour. understood?" "yes, yes, yes." the director could only force a smile and agree, although he was aware this would affect the entire crew's filming schedule, but who could defy a top star? liu yufan's arrogance and imperious behavior on set were well-known, and the director was aware of this. even though he was annoyed, he had to endure it. otherwise, a displeased liu yufan might terminate his contract with their company, and in the end, it would be the director who suffered. now, liu yufan seemed to have completely forgotten about the accident he caused, as his agency was handling everything, so he was completely unconcerned. "i'm going to change my clothes backstage and will return to you shortly," liu yufan said to his group of beautiful female fans, exploiting his female fans' adoration to sleep with them, something he had done more than once before. the female fans, silly with infatuation, nodded and watched as liu yufan left. shortly after liu yufan entered the makeup room, hao jian and heigui pushed the door open and walked in. "who are you? don't you know this is a private makeup room? get out!" liu yufan, seeing hao jian and heigui barge into his makeup room, mistook them for extras who had entered the wrong room. hao jian didn't waste words and got straight to the point, "did you hit an old lady a while ago?" upon hearing this, liu yufan's expression immediately showed a touch of panic; he looked down and retorted, "i don't understand what you are saying, get out of here!" "you don't know what we are talking about? then why are you nervous?" hao jian instantly sneered, having clearly seen the momentary panic that flashed across liu yufan's face. "i can't be bothered with you guys, a bunch of lunatics," liu yufan huffed in embarrassment and anger, then pushed past hao jian and heigui to leave. "hao jian, what if he doesn't admit it? we have no evidence." heigui sighed; he knew everything had to be backed by evidence, and without it, they couldn't convict liu yufan. "he knows how to act, and we can't?" hao jian smirked oddly. "huh?" heigui didn't understand what hao jian meant by acting. how were they supposed to act? hao jian ignored his surprise, picked up a prop mustache from the table, stuck it on his face, dotted a few moles on too, and transformed from a delicate young man into a rugged burly man. "what are you doing?" heigui asked, utterly puzzled. "is that guy arrogant?" hao jian inquired. "arrogant, indeed," heigui nodded. s§×arch* the nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "do you feel like hitting him?" hao jian asked again. "nonsense, of course i do." heigui thought to himself it was indeed nonsense; the guy had injured his mother, how could he not want to hit him? discover hidden stories at empire "then stop asking why and hurry up and get made up. i'll take you to get revenge!" hao jian laughed slyly. heigui, stunned, finally realized what hao jian intended, "are you planning to disguise as an actor and then enter the film set to beat him up amidst the chaos?" "see, i'm smart, aren't i?" hao jian winked playfully, playing a game of acting skill with liu yufan, and wanted to see who among them could act better. "you're so cunning," heigui said, his mouth agape; hao jian was full of crafty plots. "take these things, and use them to hit that guy later," hao jian handed heigui a prop wolf fang club. heigui weighed it, frowning, "isn't this too light? obviously made of hollow wood; it won't hurt anyone when hitting." "nonsense, this thing is just for show. this is your real weapon," hao jian handed heigui his baton. "damn, you even brought a baton; it looks like you planned to beat that guy from the start?" heigui was surprised and then realized hao jian had come prepared. "less talking, let's go out, it's almost time to shoot," hao jian urged, then changed into an actor's costume, becoming an officer while heigui became a bandit. "young master liu, the story goes like this: you are the current crown prince, a prince plots to usurp the throne, so you flee from the imperial palace. during your escape, you encounter a band of bandits who beat you up; at this moment, a loyal group of soldiers come to your rescue. do you understand?" the director explained the plot to liu yufan. however, liu yufan was distracted and didn't hear what the director was saying. he was still puzzled about who those two men were¡ªwhether they were relatives of the victim or police. how did they know it was him who hit someone? then, a trace of coldness flashed through his eyes, feeling it was necessary to investigate the identities of those two people. if they were police, he would just bribe them off. but if they were family members of the victim, he would simply beat them up and intimidate them! considering the old woman was dressed so shabbily, her family likely had no power. with no power, they were naturally easy to bully. Chapter 162 Beating Up a Big Star! "young master liu, did you hear me clearly?" asked the director irritatedly when he noticed liu yufan zoning out."alright, alright, stop nagging and let's get started," liu yufan replied impatiently. "oh, okay." the director agreed with a stiff expression, but a surge of anger welled up inside him. he thought, isn't he just a lucky star who rose to fame? what's so great about that? sooner or later, someone will deal with you! unbeknownst to him, the person who would deal with liu yufan was already among the group of extras. "the extras are ready," announced the assistant director. at that moment, when the assistant director was checking the headcount, he was stunned, "why are there two extra people?" hao jian and heigui were both startled, thinking it was bad news. s§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lfire .net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "assistant director, have you finished organizing? we're waiting to start shooting!" the director blurted out, furious. "forget it, let's just move on. make sure to be focused," urged the assistant director quickly. meanwhile, hao jian signaled to heigui, letting him know to take action when the time was right and to remember to sabotage when possible. heigui responded with a look that said, don't worry, i will definitely make his life miserable! "camera, lights, actors, take your positions, action!" the director yelled. "i planted this tree, i opened this road. if you want to pass, pay the road tax!" the bandit leader shouted at liu yufan. "but, but i don't have a penny on me," liu yufan feigned weakness. "no money? you dare to come this way with no money? brothers, beat him up!" the bandit leader commanded, and the actors started hitting liu yufan with their props. however, everyone was just mock fighting and only lightly hit him a few times. but when it was heigui's turn, he secretly switched to an iron rod while no one was paying attention and struck liu yufan's head hard! "damn it, who the hell hit me?" liu yufan immediately howled in pain, holding his head, his face contorted with rage. the blow had left him completely dazed, his vision still blurry. hearing this, the director became upset, "young master liu, hadn't i already told you that this is a fight scene? how can it be a fight scene without hits?" "i fucking know it's a fight scene, but who the hell hit me with an iron rod?" liu yufan said furiously, wondering if this was still acting or something real. "iron rod? that's impossible, all the props are made of hollow wood," the director expressed his disbelief, his face filled with confusion. "bullshit, if it was hollow wood, wouldn't i be able to tell? look at my head, it's swollen into a huge bump!" liu yufan angrily pointed at his own head, and everyone could clearly see a small swollen area there. with this, the director sternly demanded, "which one of you used the iron rod? step forward!" the extras looked at each other and then shook their heads. heigui, blending in with the extras, naturally would not admit it and shook his head faster than anyone else. "assistant director, check it out!" the director ordered, also impatient, thinking just how much trouble liu yufan could cause. the assistant director checked around, but found that all the actors were holding the hollow wood props they had prepared in advance, and there definitely wasn't the iron rod that liu yufan mentioned. "young master liu, they're all holding the props arranged by our crew, there's no iron rod you mentioned. could you have been mistaken?" hao jian asked with a smile. "mistaken my ass, then what's this bump on my head? are you fucking brain-dead? blind?" liu yufan was about to lose his mind; his head had swollen up so much, and this asshole still claimed it was a misunderstanding? the director's face turned ugly as he was insulted like this by liu yufan; it was the first time he had ever been cursed at by an actor like this. "either you replace this whole batch of people, or i'm not acting!" liu yufan declared brazenly. the director looked serious and said to the assistant director, "no choice then, change the crew." later, those extra actors glared angrily at liu yufan and left the filming site. as an officer, hao jian began to roll up his sleeves, ready to enter the fray. after the actors were replaced, there indeed had been no more problems. as the officers were supposed to enter, hao jian blended into the crowd, fighting the bandits and then kicked liu yufan while nobody was paying attention, making him kneel on the ground immediately. "cut, cut, cut," the director frowned and said. "young master liu, you are the crown prince. even if you're scared, you can't kneel, do you understand? who would like a protagonist who acts so cowardly?" "i was fucking kicked down!" liu yufan retorted, feeling extremely wronged. who the fuck wants to kneel? someone was messing with him! immediately he glared at the group of extras, "who kicked me? step forward!" hao jian and the extras shook their heads in unison. "alright, alright, you were kicked down, but please be careful not to be kicked again, alright? it delays our schedule, and if we run into troubles, you'll be responsible too, young master liu. i assume you wouldn't want to breach your contract, would you?" the director's attitude grew colder. just now you said someone hit you with a rod, now you're saying someone kicked you. if your acting isn't good, don't make excuses. "i..." liu yufan was so angry he didn't know what to say. heigui watched dumbfoundedly and thought to himself that hao jian was really clever, undermining liu yufan without leaving traces, making him more brilliant than himself. "come on, everyone back to your places, let's take it from the top!" hao jian shouted. having experienced it twice before, liu yufan was on his guard this time, watching those extras closely to see who was really playing dirty. but before he could look further, he was hit on the head with a rod, and became dizzy immediately, then hao jian started punching and kicking him like he was beating a thief! "stop, stop, stop." the director was furious and exclaimed, "you're an officer, not a bandit. why are you hitting him?" "isn't he a bandit?" hao jian scratched his head, pretending to be confused. "he's the crown prince, man!" the director was almost in tears, couldn't you see he was wearing brocade clothes? discover hidden tales at empire "oh, sorry, my mistake." hao jian apologized sincerely. "forget it, let's start over!" the director sat back down, thinking to himself, was liu yufan his bad luck charm? normally, such scenes would be done in one take, but today they couldn't get it right even after several tries. "fuck this!" liu yufan roared loudly and suddenly lifted his head, revealing a face that had swelled up like pig head three. Chapter 163 A Completely Unrecognizable Foot! "fuck!"after seeing liu yufan's swollen and bruised face, everyone was shocked and took a step back as if avoiding a snake, also frightened by liu yufan's current hideous state. liu yufan's entire face was swollen, with multiple bruises, now a patchwork of blue and white. they had no idea how liu yufan's face had suddenly turned into such a state. "with the way i look now, how can i still film?" liu yufan had the urge to kill someone, having been beaten four times in a row by an extra during filming, and now his face was disfigured¡ªwhat a shit crew this was! what kind of people were they hiring? "why did you go so hard?" the director asked, stunned, turning to hao jian. but inside, he felt an incredible sense of satisfaction, wanting to laugh but not daring to; he could only pretend to scold hao jian. "this has nothing to do with me, i barely put any strength into it just now, and even if i really did, he couldn't possibly have swollen up like a pig so quickly, right? he must be having an allergic reaction," hao jian said, shamelessly denying responsibility. liu yufan's disfigurement was due to hao jian's "disfiguring kick"¡ªas the name suggests, the kick completely disfigured the recipient's face. it was a unique technique hao jian developed, mixing martial arts with medical knowledge, where he enveloped his limbs with dark energy. when striking, this energy rapidly stimulated the opponent's facial muscles, infiltrating the skin and mucous membranes, causing inflammation, congestion, and swelling. hao jian had combined martial arts and medical knowledge to create this technique and had not yet tested it; he hadn't expected it to be effective today. find exclusive stories on empire listening to this, the crowd also found it reasonable and nodded in agreement. normally, swelling from an injury would start to appear in five to ten minutes at the earliest, but an allergic reaction was different¡ªit could happen immediately, and they all bought into hao jian's explanation. "take young master liu away to rest, we're not going to shoot today. let's continue tomorrow," the director sighed. with liu yufan in this state, they couldn't continue filming. although they couldn't film, he still felt pretty good about it internally. but there was one person who couldn't accept hao jian's explanation, and that was liu yufan! "film your mother's head!" liu yufan snarled. he had been beaten to such an extent, so why the hell should he continue filming? if he continued, he might as well give up his life: "i've seen through your game¡ªyou hold a grudge because i used to be above you, so you conspired with the whole crew to mess with me, right? and you dared to hire some trash actors to beat me up. i'm telling you, i'm not going to let this go¡ªyou just wait for my lawyer's letter!" liu yufan had already concluded that it was the director trying to sabotage him; otherwise, how could he have been attacked repeatedly? and despite being beaten to such a state, the director actually believed the words of a mere extra over him, which clearly indicated a deliberate cover-up! with these words, everyone was shocked, and the extras all stared angrily at liu yufan. they might be extras, but they were a group of young people with aspirations, hoping to become big stars one day through their hard work. liu yufan called them trash actors, insulting their self-respect. and those extras who had been sent away by liu yufan earlier wanted nothing more than to beat him up upon hearing these words. "liu yufan, what the hell are you raving about! with you being beaten like this, the shoot will be delayed, what good does that do us? if you don't want to perform this scene, just say it frankly, don't make up excuses to frame me!" the director was also furious, as liu yufan thought the director was trying to retaliate against him, but the director believed it was liu yufan who was deliberately picking quarrels. since liu yufan had arrived, he had been nothing but troublesome and dissatisfied, either complaining about the script and demanding a rewrite or criticizing the makeup artist for not being able to produce the effect he wanted. now that shooting had finally started, he began to cause trouble again, and the director was also losing his patience. at this moment, heigui truly admired hao jian to the extent of prostrating himself in awe, for striking so openly and yet being able to remain uninvolved, letting liu yufan and the director fight like dogs. this tactic was brilliant! "i can't take this anymore!" hao jian suddenly let out a shout and swung the wolf fang club at liu yufan's head, only to hear a 'bang' as the club broke on impact. but no matter what, the club was made of wood, and with hao jian's full swing, it still caused liu yufan's head to jolt violently and form a third large lump! sear?h the n?velfire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "you dare hit me?" liu yufan glared at hao jian, grinding his teeth. had he just been hit by an extra? "so what if i hit you? aren't extras human too? if a film doesn't have extras, how can the lead actors stand out as exceptional? didn't you start out as an extra and work your way up to where you are now?" hao jian indignantly said: "brothers, let's teach this ungrateful jerk a lesson today and show him that we extras won't be bullied!" hao jian maliciously instigated the extras, who were already dissatisfied with liu yufan. upon hearing this, they became even more agitated and all rushed to beat up liu yufan. "hit him! hit him!" heigui also charged in with great enthusiasm, but this time he was holding an iron rod as he rushed forward! "director, there really is an iron rod over there?" the assistant director exclaimed, pointing at heigui. "what?" the director was dumbfounded. could it be that what liu yufan said was true? but heigui had already charged into the crowd, picking up an iron rod and beating liu yufan mercilessly, causing him to burst into tears and cries for his parents. it took a while before the security personnel managed to pull the actors away, leaving liu yufan crying bitterly. "fuck your mothers, wah wah wah. fuck your mothers!" liu yufan was inconsolable as he cried and accused everyone around him. having been beaten up like this, he estimated that it would be at least half a year before he could appear in public again. the director, however, directly confronted heigui, yanking off his fake beard and scolding him, "who on earth are you? why are you hitting liu yufan?" "it was you?" liu yufan instantly understood that it was this person who had intentionally struck him out of revenge! "young master liu, do you know him?" the director asked, frowning. "he harassed me backstage just now, and he has an accomplice! where's that bearded guy who hit me earlier? tear off his beard, i want to see if he's an accomplice of this guy!" liu yufan was seething with fury; could it be that all these incidents were caused by these two scoundrels? Chapter 164 Hes My Boss! then, hao jian was pushed out.hao jian looked at heigui wearily, "what a pig of a teammate!" "i got excited and forgot," heigui said apologetically as he scratched his head. "you're not our actors. who the hell are you, and why are you hurting people in secret?" the director snorted angrily. although he was quite pleased inside, he still had to put on a show of concern. after all, if there was a problem with the personnel, he had to take responsibility. if he didn't appear diligent, and if the matter reached the big boss, he could get dragged into it too. "liu yufan drove into my mom, causing her injury, and then fled the crime! she is still lying in the icu at the hospital. i wouldn't be overreacting even if i killed him, let alone beat him up today!" heigui declared righteously. what? at these words, everyone was shocked. liu yufan had actually done such a thing? with a flickering gaze, liu yufan quickly defended himself: "you're spouting nonsense! how could i possibly do such a thing? you're framing me. if you claim i hit someone, then bring out the evidence!" "evidence?" heigui looked at hao jian with a bit of a guilty conscience. he had anticipated this scenario. without evidence, how could they accuse liu yufan? "we will have evidence very soon." hao jian had already asked brother spice ginger to look for the surveillance footage from the street that night, confident that they would soon have results. "i bet you don't have any evidence at all," liu yufan said, breathing a sigh of relief as he immediately became smug. he knew that the agency had taken care of all the evidence; how could these two bumpkins possibly have any? "so, tell me, which film company sent you to smear my name?" liu yufan was also cunning, quickly putting the blame on hao jian and heigui. and at his words, everyone was somewhat astonished. it was common for competitors in the industry to try to smear each other's reputation, but usually, they would pay journalists to do the dirty work; this direct approach hao jian and his group were taking was new to them. seeing that hao jian and his group couldn't produce evidence, the director also believed they were deliberately smearing liu yufan and said sternly: "i don't care what grievances you have with liu yufan, but causing a commotion on my set is unacceptable!" sea??h th§× n?velfire(.)net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. then, he turned to the assistant director beside him, "call the police and let them handle this." "i would advise you to mind your own business; it would be better for you," hao jian said lightly. "you dare to threaten me? who the hell do you think you are!" the director laughed in fury. how dare these two nobodies threaten him? did they think he was a pushover? what director doesn't know a few big bosses? and among these bosses, some are good people, others are not, but with just a word from him, he could make hao jian and his companion mysteriously disappear from this world. "what about me? am i qualified enough?" just then, brother spice ginger appeared, standing beside the director with a stern expression. "brother... brother spice ginger?" the director was stupefied and stuttered with fright. this director was a local of hua city and naturally knew who brother spice ginger was¡ªa figure who could make the whole hua city tremble with a stomp of his foot. why was he here? was he this kid's backer? the more the director thought about it, the more frightened he became. he had actually offended brother spice ginger's underling, and with brother spice ginger's reputation, his whole family could be wiped out in minutes. with a cool glance, brother spice ginger just uttered two words: "kneel down!" "yes... yes!" without any hesitation, the director immediately knelt before brother spice ginger. it wasn't that he wanted to kneel, but that he could not help but kneel! he was all too familiar with spice ginger's ruthless and heavy-handed reputation; this man was truly capable of murder! at this moment, all the staff present were stunned. to make their director kneel without a second thought, brother spice ginger must indeed be an important figure. "not to me, but to my boss!" brother spice ginger scolded again. "ah? who is your boss?" the director was in disarray. since when did brother spice ginger have a boss? wasn't he the boss himself? "he is my boss, hao jian, mr. hao," brother spice ginger pointed towards hao jian. this revelation left everyone in utter shock. this man was the boss? but no matter how you looked at him, he just seemed like a fool. enjoy exclusive content from empire the director felt like crying. so the real authority, poria cocos, was hao jian. not only had he insulted the man, calling him who knows what, but he had even dared to threaten him. he had truly courted disaster. thinking of this, he wished he could slap himself in the face. and soon enough, he put this thought into action, slapping his face repeatedly while saying, "i'm sorry, mr. hao, i was blind not to recognize your greatness, i spoke out of turn. please be magnanimous, don't stoop to my level." "told you not to meddle, but you just wouldn't listen, really pathetic," hao jian looked at the director with disdain. "yes, yes, yes, it's my own fault, i am ignorant of my mortality," the director was almost in tears. "have you found the evidence you were looking for?" hao jian asked brother spice ginger, speaking in a tone clearly that of a superior commanding a subordinate. seeing this, the staff finally understood¡ªhao jian was the real big boss! at those words, liu yufan also tensed up. evidence? had this guy really found evidence? "i've got it. i bought the surveillance footage of the incident from a police officer at the police station. this kid's agency destroyed all the evidence, but they didn't expect that officer to have secretly made a backup. my people have it and are on their way," reported brother spice ginger respectfully. liu yufan's face went ashen. how could such a thing happen? hao jian glanced at his watch. "then there should still be some time. heigui, now you can settle your grudges," he said. heigui nodded heavily, then with a somber expression, he walked towards liu yufan. "i beg you not to hurt me, i didn't mean to hit your mother. it was so dark that night, and i had a bit to drink, i really didn't see her." liu yufan was truly scared and pleaded with heigui for mercy. he could tell that heigui was furious, and it wouldn't have been surprising if heigui killed him right there and then. seeing him so pitiful made heigui hesitate as well. "what makes him truly despicable is not what he did, but his attitude after the fact," hao jian reminded him at that moment, urging heigui not to show unnecessary mercy. when mercy becomes unnecessary, it turns into indulgence! heigui's face instantly grimaced with ferocity, as he swung the baton down toward liu yufan. if liu yufan had not committed hit-and-run after injuring someone, why would he have to beg like a homeless dog? hao jian was right; it was liu yufan's attitude towards the incident that was truly infuriating. Chapter 165 Promise Me One Condition! "if i hit him, would that cause you trouble?"heigui still had some concerns; hao jian was his good brother, and he didn't want to bring any trouble to hao jian because of his own actions. hao jian smiled, "no, go ahead and don't hold back!" "okay!" sear?h the n?vel?ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. having received a definite answer from hao jian and with his backing, heigui finally made up his mind. next, everyone watched as liu yufan continuously wailed, rolling and struggling on the ground, in unimaginable agony. a few minutes later, he was covered in blood, seemingly halfway to death. at that moment, hao jian squatted in front of liu yufan and sneered, "actually, i never found any criminal evidence against you. your talent agency has already destroyed all the criminal evidence, so how could i possibly find it? what i said before was just to lure you into a trap." liu yufan suddenly looked up in astonishment, incredulously staring at hao jian. hao jian sneered twice, pointing at a nearby camera: "but now, i do have your criminal evidence." liu yufan looked over in shock, only then realizing brother spice ginger had turned on the camera at some unknown time, grinning at him. liu yufan was stunned; he truly believed brother spice ginger had already obtained his criminal evidence, so he had confessed all his crimes, not knowing it was all a trap set by hao jian! "you. how despicable!" liu yufan glared at hao jian through gritted teeth, wishing he could tear a piece of flesh from his body! "the feeling is mutual," hao jian sneered back, comparing despicableness, how could he match liu yufan? heigui was also stunned; he had always been unaware that hao jian was so cunning, actually getting liu yufan to confess without being coerced. liu yufan gave hao jian a venomous glance and then passed out. hao jian sneered as he stood up and walked towards brother spice ginger: "take this recording to the police station. i want this guy...disgraced...completely!" as hao jian spoke each word, the chilling tone made everyone's hair stand on end, as if listening to a demon's declaration! at that moment, everyone knew liu yufan was doomed! "i understand." brother spice ginger didn't waste words; he just nodded solemnly. after all, crushing a minor celebrity was as easy as squashing an ant. "also, do you have two hundred thousand? i'd like to borrow it," hao jian said. heigui suddenly shivered; he knew hao jian was borrowing this money for his medical bills. mainly because heigui's mother urgently needed surgery, and he hadn't brought his black card, having not much cash on him, so he had to borrow from brother spice ginger. "mr. hao, what are you saying? a mere two hundred thousand, why even mention borrowing? couldn't i afford it?" brother spice ginger beamed, not batting an eye even if it were two million. being able to lend money to hao jian was his honor. today, since hao jian owed him a favor, would he refuse if he asked for help in the future? "good, then thank you very much." this time, hao jian didn't refuse, knowing what brother spice ginger was thinking, and he was willing to grant a favor to brother spice ginger. brother spice ginger, all smiles, took out his chequebook and flamboyantly signed a cheque for three hundred thousand. everyone was stunned, thinking whether this man was out of his mind. others were borrowing money, and why was he reacting as if he had won the lottery? hao jian glanced at the amount, turned around without saying a word, and handed the check to heigui: "take this for the medical expenses first." "this is too much, a hundred thousand or so would be enough," heigui quickly declined. "the excess can be considered a small token for your mother. buy her some tonics after the surgery," hao jian pushed the check back. "no, no, while i appreciate your sentiment, it's just too much." heigui was an honest man. though poor, he had his pride and knew better than to take things from others without giving something in return. like those iron brothers from his neighborhood who had grown up with him, they all avoided him since he ran into trouble. hao jian was willing to help him, and he was already more than grateful for that. how could he dare to accept hao jian's money and that too, several hundred thousand as a token of goodwill? that was way too much. hao jian's face suddenly turned serious, "if we're brothers, then cut the crap, will you? it's not for you. what are you getting excited about?" "this... alright." heigui let out a helpless wry smile, took the check, and pledged solemnly: "i'll definitely give you an iou later." enjoy more content from empire "let's talk about it later." hao jian was quite indifferent, waving his hand. he wasn't very concerned about money. seeing how good hao jian was to heigui, brother spice ginger was filled with envy, admiration, and resentment. to have a boss who was so well-connected and valued loyalty so much¡ªhow great would that be? he couldn't understand it. in terms of abilities and status, a thousand heiguis wouldn't compare to him. but why did hao jian prefer to be brothers with him instead of taking him as his underling? the main reason was that hao jian valued sincerity in friendships over social status. if someone suited his taste, even if that person was a beggar on the street, hao jian wouldn't treat him differently. conversely, even if the other person was the emperor, he would still not show him deference. "by the way, i need you to promise me one condition," hao jian said to heigui. "you say it." heigui nodded vigorously. at this point, not just one condition¡ªhe would agree to ten or a hundred. "that is, don't tell anyone about my real identity," hao jian stated. he still did not want to make his real identity public. one reason was that he wanted to avoid any troubles for shu ya in the future. after all, their marriage was a sham, and once she obtained her inheritance from the company, he could leave. at that time, if he left under the identity of shu ya's husband, it would inevitably raise suspicions within the company. another reason was that he did not want his relationship with heigui and the others to change. once they knew about his and shu ya's status, they probably wouldn't interact with him as casually as they did now. "no problem, i know you like to keep a low profile," heigui quickly agreed. hao jian indeed kept a low profile. if he hadn't helped him so much today, he would still think hao jian was just an ordinary driver. suddenly, heigui seemed to remember something, "i recall you telling me once that the president was your wife¡ªcould that actually be true too?" at the time, he and tie shan had thought hao jian was joking, but now it seemed quite possible. hao jian gave a bitter smile and nodded his head. heigui was shocked for a moment, realizing that this man indeed wasn't bluffing at all. however, heigui quickly regained his composure, thinking: right, only such an outstanding woman as the president could deserve hao jian. hao jian patted his shoulder, "hurry up and sort out things at home, then come to the company to help out." "sure." heigui smiled and nodded. Chapter 166 Shu Ya Goes Missing! early this morning, yao shufen mysteriously summoned zhang zicong, who was flirting with the new secretary via qq. interrupted, he immediately felt annoyed."what do you want?" yao shufen closed the curtains before speaking in a sly whisper, "i've already contacted my cousin. he's agreed to the plan we discussed last time, but he wants a hundred million." "a hundred million? is he planning to rob a bank?" scoffed zhang zicong with a sneer. for a few million, plenty of people would rush to eliminate shu ya for him, yet yao shufen's cousin had the audacity to demand a hundred million right off the bat. that was like a lion opening its mouth wide. "what do you know? he's a professional. he guarantees a quick and clean job that even the police won't be able to trace back to us. besides, once we take over the group, money will be abundant, so what's a little extra?" yao shufen said irritably, not minding the steep price since what mattered most to her was safety¡ªshe didn't want to be wealthy but dead. hearing her perspective, zhang zicong also found it reasonable and clenched his teeth in agreement, "fine, when will he act?" "he's already taken action. my cousin said we're family, so we can pay him afterward." yao shufen spoke with a ruthless expression, driven by her own impatience for shu ya's death, instructing her cousin to act first and planning to pay him later. "are you sure there won't be any problems?" zhang zicong was still somewhat worried; if the police traced it back to him, he would be ruined. "don't worry, my cousin told us to just wait for his good news," yao shufen said with a sly laugh. zhang zicong also began to show a somewhat crazed smile. stay updated with empire shu ya, don't blame your uncle for being ruthless. who asked you to usurp the nest and sit in my rightful place? ... meanwhile, shu ya was at the bank on business, tasks typically managed by finance staff that hardly required the intervention of the ceo herself. however, since the bank president was keenly interested in shu ya group's upcoming ipo, he took the initiative to offer her a loan. though she had ample funds, more money was always better. s§×arch* the ¦Çov§×lfire .net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "president shu, it's finally a pleasure to meet you. i've always heard about the beautiful ceo of shu ya group but never had the opportunity to behold your elegance. today, i'm lucky enough to fulfill that wish." this bank president was clearly a businessman, lavishing shu ya with compliments as soon as they met. but shu ya knew that such bankers were like vampires; they would fawn over you when they saw value in using you. however, when it came to debt repayment, they would quickly turn cold-hearted, like mosquitoes sucking every last drop of your blood! "you flatter me," replied shu ya with a light smile, before asking, "i wonder what president sun called me here for today?" "straight to the point and no-nonsense¡ªi like your approach," laughed president sun, then he said, "i'm very interested in your group, so i hope to invest in it, and i hope president shu will give our bank an opportunity." upon hearing this, shu ya also smiled, "is it because of mr. xu donghe?" in the past, president sun had been polite to their group but would never have tried to ingratiate himself like he was doing now. shu ya knew that this opportunity was given to her by hao jian. without hao jian persuading xu donghe to invest in their group, president sun would never have taken the initiative to seek investment into their group. president sun smiled without saying a word, which amounted to an acknowledgment. "okay, i accept your proposal," shu ya nodded. free money¡ªwho would refuse it? "well then, i'll immediately have someone prepare the funds, president shu, here's to a pleasant collaboration!" president sun raised his glass. "to a pleasant collaboration!" shu ya also raised her glass. "bang!" but suddenly, at that moment, a loud gunshot came from outside the vip room. "what's happening?" president sun immediately frowned, wondering what was causing such a commotion. "i'll go check." one of his male subordinates said before heading outside, but within a few seconds, the man returned pale-faced, his lips quivering, saying: "president, it's a r-r-robbery outside!" "a robbery?" president sun and shu ya both showed a look of horror. "bang!" another deafening gunshot sounded, and then shu ya saw the male subordinate's white shirt rapidly staining with blood as he fell into a pool of blood. following this, several masked thugs rushed in with guns trained on shu ya and president sun, and one of them, wearing a pig mask, had eyes that flickered upon seeing shu ya. though it was just a momentary flicker, shu ya still caught it, this person, he definitely knew her! "nobody move! or i'll make you like him!" . "hao jian, my mom woke up yesterday, and she was so happy when she learned that you were the one who performed the surgery. she hopes you can come for dinner at our place. when do you have time?" yuan shanshan approached hao jian with a bit of trepidation. ever since hao jian saved her mother, she found that she couldn't treat him as she used to, and now she even found it hard to look him in the eye. "how about the weekend? i have time then." hao jian nodded in agreement and then asked: "oh right, you just came from the president's office, is she there? i need to see her about something." the bridal shop had called today to notify him and shu ya to try on the wedding dress. although his marriage to shu ya was fake, they still needed to put on a convincing act, so he intended to take shu ya with him. "the president has gone out, she's not in the office now," yuan shanshan answered, she had also found shu ya not in when she looked for her. "oh, i see, then never mind, i'll catch up with her later." hao jian walked away from yuan shanshan's side and then tried calling shu ya's phone, only to find it was turned off. "turned off?" hao jian furrowed his brows, feeling something wasn't quite right. shu ya was always inundated with work, averaging three to four phone calls every hour, and even carried two fully charged power banks with her at all times. under these circumstances, why would her phone be turned off? just then, hao jian began to feel irritable as if something bad was about to happen. was it just his imagination? hao jian paced back and forth in the corridor with a furrowed brow, but the more he walked, the more agitated he became, with troubling images flashing through his mind. "forget it, i'll go see her anyway!" hao jian's eyes hardened as he decided to look for shu ya. Chapter 167 Idiots Are Always So Numerous! "xiao qiang, do you know where shu ya has gone?"hao jian barged into the hr department to ask xiao qiang. as shu ya's confidant, xiao qiang was the most likely to know where shu ya might be. "president? the president said she was going to discuss a collaboration with president sun. at this time, she should be at the bank. what happened?" seeing hao jian so anxious, xiao qiang was startled and somewhat puzzled. "shu ya's phone is off. i suspect she's in trouble," hao jian said with a furrowed brow and growing tension. "ah? that's impossible, right? even when she's asleep, the president's phone is always on!" xiao qiang couldn't believe it and quickly dialed shu ya's number, indeed finding that shu ya's phone was off. then she directly grabbed her purse and headed outside. "i know where that bank is. i'll go with you." "mhm!" hao jian nodded firmly, his unease steadily mounting. but as they were waiting for the elevator, hao jian ran into zhang zicong. upon seeing hao jian, zhang zicong let out a cold chuckle, "yo, in such a rush, what are you up to?" "none of your damn business!" hao jian bluntly retorted without a shred of politeness. he was in no mood to engage in small talk with zhang zicong. "heh, getting pretty arrogant, aren't you? but your arrogance won't last much longer," zhang zicong snorted. once shu ya was dead, the group would be his, and the first thing he would do is kick hao jian out of the group! hearing this, hao jian couldn't help but fall into deep thought. he could tell that zhang zicong was not making empty threats but was truly planning something. could it be that shu ya's sudden unavailability was due to him? "what have you done?" hao jian asked with a stern face, now almost certain that shu ya's sudden disappearance, even if not zhang zicong's doing, must be related to him. "you'll find out in due time," zhang zicong smiled smugly and said, "soon the group will fall into my hands, and as for you and shu ya, heh, i'm afraid you'll be getting married in the underworld!" he had already planned it out. after dealing with shu ya, hao jian would be next! this guy was so hateful that he couldn't quell his hatred unless he killed him. "there are always so many idiots in this world," hao jian sighed helplessly. zhang zicong's foolishness stemmed from his belief that he could control everything. didn't he realize that even if he truly killed hao jian, given hao jian's relationship with xu donghe, would xu donghe let him off the hook? with xu donghe's financial power and connections, bringing down shu ya group would take mere minutes. only thinking about the immediate gains without considering the repercussions¡ªthat was why he could never be a leader. humiliated by hao jian's words, zhang zicong's face suddenly turned cold, "be arrogant all you want, but once i take control of the group, i will make sure to torture you to death in the most cruel way!" "ding!" right at that moment, the elevator arrived. hao jian kicked out fiercely, sending zhang zicong flying into the elevator. then hao jian, holding shu ya's hand, quickly stepped into the elevator and immediately closed the doors! "you dare hit me?" zhang zicong's eyes were filled with rage, wishing he could tear hao jian to pieces. "hao jian, don't act rashly. he's a director of the group, and with cameras here, if he calls the police, you might be in trouble," xiao qiang reminded. upon hearing this, zhang zicong regained some confidence and sneered, "kid, dare to hit me again? if i don't make you rot in jail, my name isn't zhang zicong!" hao jian chuckled coldly and picked up the walkie-talkie, "later, help me delete the surveillance room footage." zhang zicong and xiao qiang were dumbfounded at the same time. "why not just do it now?" hao jian's smile on his face became more and more brutal as he stomped on zhang zicong's chubby face repeatedly! the elevator reached the first floor, and the employees inside were aghast to see zhang zicong unconscious with the imprint of a shoe on his face, while hao jian and xiao qiang had already disappeared. "do you suspect that he kidnapped the president?" xiao qiang asked hao jian after buckling her seat belt. "almost certainly." hao jian said while starting the car, "what i'm afraid of now is that he might have plans beyond just kidnapping shu ya." xiao qiang's expression stiffened, "you mean he might want to kill the president? what should we do then?" "nothing," hao jian said expressionlessly. "if shu ya is dead, i'll make him pay a price more painful than death," his eyes brimming with menace. s§×arch* the novel(f~)ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. upon hearing this, xiao qiang felt a pang of jealousy for some reason. she even thought to herself how wonderful it would be if she were the one kidnapped this time. when hao jian and xiao qiang arrived at the scene, they found the bank surrounded by crowds of people and cordoned off with police tape. it was only then that hao jian realized that there had been a bank robbery, and shu ya was currently trapped inside. find adventures at empire at that moment, hao jian couldn't help but admire the other party's clever tactics: using a robbery to cover their real intent so that even if they killed shu ya, no one would investigate the cause of death. it was a perfect deception. no wonder zhang zicong dared to be so arrogant just now; he knew that even if the scheme was uncovered, it would not implicate him! immediately, hao jian pushed past the police line, ready to enter the bank. "what are you going to do?" xiao qiang looked at hao jian in astonishment. "you're asking the obvious? of course, i'm going to save shu ya," hao jian replied without expression. "are you crazy? those criminals have guns, and you're going in empty-handed? that's suicide. better wait for the police to rescue her." xiao qiang advised him out of concern, just as hao jian didn't want to see shu ya in trouble, she didn't want to see anything happen to hao jian either. but hao jian shook his head doggedly, with a defiant tone, "no! i'm the only one who can save my woman!" then he no longer paid attention to the stunned xiao qiang and walked purposefully towards the bank. "idiot! big idiot!" xiao qiang cursed bitterly, but her eyes were brimming with tears. she was filled with rage, hating that it was not her trapped inside, for then she wouldn't have been so deeply hurt by his words just now! "hey, hey, hey, you can't come in here, get out!" a police officer blocked hao jian's way. "out of my way!" hao jian, eyes gleaming fiercely, rebuked him. he was beginning to lose control of the rage within him; his fianc¨¦e's life hung in the balance, and he was becoming quite irrational. "hey, kid, pretty arrogant, huh? get out now! otherwise, i'll charge you with obstructing official duties!" seeing hao jian's defiant attitude, the police officer was incensed and started shouting at him. "shush!" hao jian suddenly looked up, his dark, deep eyes narrowed dangerously to a pinpoint, resembling the pupils of a beast, staring down the police officer. Chapter 168 Im telling the truth! the officer immediately gasped for air, sensing a pricking sensation at his back under that terrifying gaze, his whole body stiffened."let me handle this." just at that moment, ma zifeng came from behind, alleviating the brief yet seemingly endless torment for the young officer. the officer nodded, his face pale as he walked away. ma zifeng immediately bowed to hao jian, "mr. hao." "i need to go inside," hao jian stated his purpose without beating around the bush. "may i ask why?" ma zifeng asked with a wry smile. "my fianc¨¦e is inside, i need to go in and save her," hao jian replied expressionlessly. ma zifeng hesitated briefly, then abruptly waved his hand, "let him in." the officers then stepped aside, allowing hao jian to enter the bank. shu ya had never thought she would die so young, nor had she ever felt death so closely. looking at the bodies lying on the floor, she knew these criminals could kill her at any moment, and during this critical moment, for some reason, all she could think about was hao jian. "i must be crazy to think about that shameless jerk. he's so lecherous, always so annoying, and he often doesn't flush the toilet¡ªa real bumpkin. how could i possibly think of him?" shu ya comforted herself internally, but the more she comforted herself, the more bitter her smile became, until she finally couldn't help but cry silently. "hao jian, you bastard! i miss you so much! i don't want to leave you! hao jian, come and save me!" shu ya roared in her heart, her delicate body trembling with agitation. it's easy to deceive others, but hard to deceive oneself; in the end, one cannot hide from one's own heart. "boss, the woman brother sen mentioned is her," one of the subordinates said to the pig-faced man. "oh?" the pig-faced man looked at shu ya, seeing her crying so pitifully, he couldn't help but feel pity, "such a beauty dying like this, what a pity." "what's there to pity? the reward for killing her, plus the money robbed from the bank, will sustain us for generations. what kind of women can't we find then?" "true, but it would be too stupid not to have some fun with her before killing her. take this old guy out, let me be alone with her for a while," the pig-faced man said with a lascivious glance at shu ya. soon, only shu ya and the pig-faced man were left in the vip room. "what do you want to do?" seeing the wrong look in the pig-faced man's eyes, shu ya instantly became nervous. "what do i want? i want you!" the pig-faced man shamelessly chuckled lasciviously. "you better not mess around; my fianc¨¦ is also from the underworld. if you dare do anything to me, he will not let you get away with it." shu ya threatened as she retreated backward, warily watching the pig-faced man. "who are you fooling? i don't believe he can appear right in front of me just like that. just surrender quietly," the pig-faced man chuckled as he began unbuckling his belt. "boss, a man who claims to be this woman's fianc¨¦ has arrived. should we let him in?" at that moment, a subordinate came forward to report. "huh?" the pig-faced man was stupefied. could it be that her fianc¨¦ really came? not just him, even shu ya was stunned. it was just something she said offhandedly; who could have thought hao jian would really come. and hearing that hao jian was here, instead of feeling a trace of joy, she felt utterly panicked. these were all cold-blooded killers, armed with guns; how could hao jian possibly stand a chance against them? initially, she wanted hao jian to come to her rescue, but now that he really had come, she hoped he would leave quickly. "hao jian, don't come in! they are all lunatics, cold-blooded killers!" at that moment, shu ya screamed at the top of her lungs. "damn woman!" the pig-faced man gave her a slap that knocked shu ya to the ground and then shouted to his subordinates, "bring that kid in!" shu ya felt dizzy, and her cheek, which was like white jade, swelled up red immediately, but she laughed¡ªa laugh somewhat maniacal. because she knew hao jian must have heard her scream, he definitely wouldn't come in. unfortunately, she guessed wrong. "this woman." hearing shu ya's howl, hao jian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, gave a wry smile, shook his head, and then walked in led by the thug. "why did you come in? didn't you hear what i just said?" seeing hao jian enter the room, shu ya asked frantically. "i heard, but i didn't say i would follow it." hao jian shrugged his shoulders¡ªhow could he hide behind when his woman was in danger? "are you insane? didn't you see they all have guns?" shu ya scolded angrily. she didn't find hao jian's actions brave at all but rather foolish to the extreme. hao jian's actions not only wouldn't save her but would also get him involved. "i saw, so what?" hao jian still appeared nonchalant. "they will kill you." s~ea??h the nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. shu ya said furiously. was there something wrong with this guy's brain, not understanding something so simple and clear? she felt a tightness in her chest. oh my god, my heart can't take this. i'm going to kill myself with anger before dying¡ªcould this guy be my nemesis? "with these few pieces of trash? don't joke!" hao jian laughed heartily, for if the god of death were so easy to kill, he wouldn't have lived until now. ".." the room fell into an eerie silence. not just the pig-faced man and his crew, even shu ya was left with a blank mind; did this guy even know what he was saying? the adversaries were murderous desperados. you insult them to their face, really thinking they wouldn't dare kill you? "kid, you are quite arrogant, huh?" this time, the pig-faced man couldn't help but laugh angrily, finally regaining his composure from his initial shock. "arrogant? not at all, i'm stating facts." hao jian said, puzzled, looking innocently at the pig-faced man, as if questioning why he would say such a thing about him. shu ya covered her face and sighed. this was a second slap to the face! "do you really think i wouldn't dare kill you?" the pig-faced man asked with a cold sneer. "i of course know you dare, but daring and being able are two different things," hao jian replied, still carefree: "don't say i didn't give you a chance, guys. just put down your guns, hold your heads with both hands, and walk out to surrender, then i'll let you go." stay connected via empire the atmosphere fell silent for the third time. shu ya shook her head and sighed again. how could she have known such a weirdo? the atmosphere was so tense that even she could hardly stand it. "are you joking with me?" the pig-faced man asked with a laugh, but his laugh was clearly forced, obviously a bit unnerved. "i think this kid is frightened so senseless that he doesn't know what he's saying anymore." the thugs all burst out laughing. Chapter 169 You Shouldnt Hit Her! one of them even pointed the gun directly at hao jian's temple, "kid, i want to see how you won't let me go!""sorry, i don't have a habit of joking with strangers, let alone a pig," hao jian said mockingly without even glancing at the gunpoint. "..." "can you talk less?" shu ya was frantic, if this continued, those people might really kill hao jian. "finish him off." pig-faced man coldly ordered, tired of this clown's antics; it was time for him to die. "no!" shu ya's face instantly lost color as she looked at hao jian in terror. "well, to be honest, i really hate it when people point guns at me," hao jian sighed. just as the thug was about to pull the trigger, hao jian suddenly made his move, snatching the gun with the speed of lightning, and with a fierce elbow strike, the thug was hit so hard that blood gushed from his nose and he fell to the ground, not getting up. pig-faced man and others were shocked, seemingly not expecting hao jian to have such a move; how did he manage to snatch the gun? they couldn't even see his movement! "kill him!" the faces of the pig-faced man and the others changed drastically as they all shouted, turning their gun barrels towards hao jian. but in the moment of turning, hao jian's figure suddenly disappeared. that's right, disappeared into thin air! everyone gasped in shock as if they had seen a ghost; a living person just vanished right before their eyes, how was that possible? this wasn't a horror movie! "where is he?" one of the thugs shouted in horror, his body hair standing on end. "this!!!" suddenly, a deafening roar resounded next to his ear, and hao jian's form suddenly appeared. under the impact of the terrifying sound wave, everyone felt as if hammers were pounding their brains, and they couldn't help but be momentarily stunned. the one closest to hao jian was the most unfortunate, directly convulsing on the ground, foaming at the mouth, and rolling his eyes back in his head. "want to know what this is? this is the lion's roar skill," hao jian said, revealing a mouthful of shiny white teeth with a grin. "fuck your grandfather!" the thugs were a mixture of shock and rage, and they began to wildly shoot in the direction of hao jian. but hao jian's figure moved like lightning, appearing in front of them in the blink of an eye, grabbing the collars of two men and sneering, "this time, it's tai chi!" with that, he spun the two men around, hitting the other thugs and sending them flying. "stop!" just then, pig-faced man suddenly yelled. hao jian looked over and saw him holding shu ya with one hand and pressing the gun against her forehead. hao jian's expression instantly darkened, but he didn't expect the other party to be so shameless, taking shu ya hostage to threaten him. "kid, think you're tough? try moving again and see if i don't blow your fiancee's brains out!" pig-faced man said with a ferocious expression. such a carefully laid plan, to be ruined by a fool; how could he accept that? after so many years as a bandit, who would have thought he would capsize in the gutter today? "hao jian, don't worry about me!" shu ya shouted at hao jian. "you're my fiancee, how could i not care about you?" hao jian said with a wry smile. "you know that's not true." shu ya couldn't stop crying. her relationship with hao jian was merely professional, and she didn't understand why he would risk his life for her. "whether it's fake or not, you're my fianc¨¦e now, and we're about to get married. i won't let anything happen to you!" hao jian said with a dark expression. shu ya looked at hao jian without speaking, just continually shedding tears. "nothing will happen? kid, aren't you being a little too confident? kneel down and kowtow to me three times right now, or else i'll kill her immediately!" the pig-faced man bellowed. shu ya cried and shook her head, signaling to hao jian not to kneel. but hao jian had already slightly bent his body, seemingly planning to comply with the pig-faced man's demand. find exclusive stories on empire the pig-faced man sneered, thinking that as soon as hao jian kneeled, he would shoot him at the first opportunity! however, just as hao jian was about to kneel, his figure vanished once again, and the next moment, he appeared in front of the pig-faced man. "ah?" the pig-faced man pulled the trigger directly at hao jian. hao jian could have dodged the bullet, but if he did, shu ya behind him would have been in danger. so, he couldn't dodge; he had to take the bullet! hao jian was shot in the shoulder, but he just grunted and quickly took hold of shu ya, then punched the pig-faced man, sending him flying. hao jian looked at shu ya in his arms and softly said, "see? i told you i wouldn't let anything happen to you." shu ya was initially stunned, then cried even harder, anxiously covering hao jian's wound: "you've been shot, what do we do? what should we do?" "it's just a minor injury, nothing serious." hao jian smiled and shook his head, indicating he was not seriously hurt. not just a bullet, even ten bullets or eight wouldn't be a big deal with hao jian's abnormal physical strength and self-healing abilities. "you get out first; i need to take care of some things," hao jian said, patting shu ya on the shoulder. "what are you going to do?" shu ya lifted her head, looking at hao jian with tear-filled eyes. "don't ask, just go," hao jian said with a smile. shu ya gave hao jian a suspicious look, but obediently left. at that moment, hao jian picked up a handgun from the ground and walked towards the pig-faced man. "you can't kill me, killing people is illegal!" seeing hao jian's ferocious approach, the pig-faced man was terrified. "don't worry, i'll tell them it was self-defense. not only will they not arrest me, they'll probably hail me as a hero," hao jian said with a strange laugh. the pig-faced man was stunned, then glared at hao jian with venom in his eyes: "you're shameless!" killing was the same for everyone, but hao jian was justifiable in his actions, and that made murder legal in his case. "thanks for the compliment," hao jian said as he turned off the safety and aimed the gun at the pig-faced man. "don't kill me, this isn't my fault, it's all chen sen's orders. i'm just a small fry who follows orders," the pig-faced man pleaded. but hao jian gave a peculiar smile: "originally, i didn't want to kill you, but you really shouldn't have hit her." he had noticed the handprint on shu ya's face as soon as he came in, and from that moment, the pig-faced man was destined to die! "bang!" s§×arch* the ¦Çov§×lfire .net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. a gunshot rang out, and the light in the pig-faced man's eyes gradually faded until it disappeared completely. hao jian opened the door and walked out, only to find shu ya standing at the entrance. hao jian's expression suddenly became tense; did that mean shu ya had heard everything he had just said and done? he expected shu ya to inquire, but she just looked at him, then came over to support him without asking any questions, as if she hadn't heard a thing. she knew that hao jian was angry enough to kill because he cared about her. because he cared, he got that angry. she should be happy, so why be upset? hao jian also smiled bitterly. though the wound wasn't much to him, he still let shu ya help him. Chapter 170 I wont let him go to you! "who's practicing tai chi? that lion's roar skill is so formidable!""that guy is not human, he's a master of the martial arts world! he knows how to perform lingering steps on the waves!" when the thugs were being escorted out by the police, they were hollering incoherently, and upon examination by doctors, it was determined that they had all gone mad. but why they went insane so suddenly, simultaneously, was unknown to everyone; the only one who knew why was now howling, but ma zifeng and his gang did not dare ask the howler. explore more adventures at empire "are you hurt?" seeing hao jian injured, xiao qiang was startled and approached him with panic written all over her face, acting as if it were her own husband who had been injured. watching this scene, the orchid-hearted shu ya seemed to sense something, and her eyebrows knitted together imperceptibly. "it's nothing, just a minor shoulder wound," hao jian said with a trace of a bitter smile on his face. "you should get to the hospital to have it checked, just in case something is wrong, that would be bad," xiao qiang insisted, still worried, on taking hao jian to the hospital. at this, shu ya felt increasingly that something was off. she was xiao qiang's boss, after all. an incident had occurred, and instead of showing concern for her first, xiao qiang was fussing over hao jian. wasn't that a bit too obvious? hao jian was also caught between laughter and tears; in his so-called concerned chaos, xiao qiang, due to excessive worry about him, had completely forgotten about the presence of shu ya. at this point, he could only pray that shu ya hadn't noticed anything. all three of them took an ambulance to the hospital, but during the ride, no one spoke, and the atmosphere was somewhat heavy. shu ya sat across from xiao qiang, while hao jian sat beside xiao qiang, shu ya occasionally glanced at xiao qiang, only to find that xiao qiang wasn't looking at her at all. her gaze was entirely fixed on hao jian, as if she were afraid that looking away for just a moment would cause her to lose him. and truth be told, after what happened today, xiao qiang was genuinely worried that if she wasn't careful, hao jian might just vanish. she was concerned, yes, but she did not take into account shu ya's feelings¡ªthis official girlfriend was not having it. why was she staring so intently at my fianc¨¦, that's my fianc¨¦! by now, shu ya was almost one hundred percent certain that xiao qiang was definitely in love with hao jian! hao jian felt like he was on pins and needles and was close to crying, thinking to himself: lady, can you stop staring at me? haven't you noticed you've given us away? finally, they arrived at the hospital, and after hao jian had the bullet removed and was settled in for admission, it was then that xiao qiang took shu ya aside. at this moment, xiao qiang, having shed her previous deference towards shu ya, said coldly, "leave hao jian." "on what grounds?" shu ya had not expected xiao qiang to be so direct, to come right out and ask her to leave hao jian. immediately, she felt angered. on what grounds should she leave hao jian? she was hao jian's official girlfriend, after all. if anyone should leave, it should be you, right? "because you don't really love hao jian at all, i already know your marriage to hao jian is nothing but a trade of money and matrimony. you don't love him; you just want to use him to fulfill your selfish plans; that's all." xiao qiang turned back, her eyes icy as she fixed her gaze on shu ya. "he told you about this too?" shu ya felt a bitter taste in her heart. she had made it clear to hao jian that this matter should not be revealed, so why did he still let it out? what exactly was xiao qiang to him? "he didn't say that woman was you, i guessed it myself." xiao qiang didn't embellish her story with comments like "yes, he and i are closer than you can imagine, he tells me everything" because she was also a proud woman. she didn't want to resort to such despicable tactics to win a man's heart. upon hearing this, shu ya's expression softened significantly, then she declared as if going to war, "i will absolutely not leave him!" xiao qiang's eyebrows immediately furrowed, "you are hurting him!" "how am i hurting him?" "are you playing dumb? you know how much he cares about you. didn't you see that today, he didn't care about his own safety and rushed into the bank to save you? but you don't love him. once you've used him up, you'll kick him to the curb. i don't want to see him upset, so i hope you can back off, or at least be clear with him." xiao qiang didn't want to see hao jian acting like a fool, giving his all for nothing. "how do you know i don't love him?" shu ya sneered. "you mean to say..." xiao qiang was somewhat stunned. "initially, i indeed only intended to use him to achieve my goals, as you've said. but after all, the heart is made of flesh. he has done so much for me, i can't possibly fail to see it, and my heart is slowly changing. although i'm not sure if it's love, what i am certain of is that i do not want to lose him!" shu ya said with a smile. "..." after giving shu ya a deep look and making sure she wasn't lying, xiao qiang finally gritted her teeth, "i won't give him up just because you are my boss. we'll see!" having said that, she left the hospital, her high heels echoing her pride. shu ya clutched her head, which was throbbing with pain. hao jian, oh hao jian, are you my savior or my nemesis? in less than half a year since you joined the company, you dug away my most trusted subordinate. "why are you alone? where is xiao qiang?" hao jian, seeing only shu ya returning to the ward, asked curiously. "why? miss her already?" shu ya asked with a sour tone. that bastard, how dare he talk about another woman in front of her! "what are you talking about? she and i are just ordinary friends," hao jian said with a wry smile. "is that so? i'm afraid you consider her a friend, but she has other intentions," shu ya hinted darkly. hao jian coughed twice to cover his embarrassment, "let's not talk about this. let's talk about what happened today. i suspect it was zhang zicong's doing." "oh? why do you say that?" at the mention of this matter, shu ya stopped joking, her expression turning cold again. sea??h th§× n??elfir§×.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "because when i came to see you earlier, i ran into him. he seemed to know there would be trouble for you, saying that the company would soon be his. i think this matter is mostly likely related to him," hao jian said. "i had my suspicions too. the look the criminal gave me when he first saw me, it was clear he had seen me before. so, i think they must have targeted me from the start, with the bank robbery being just a smokescreen." reminded by hao jian, shu ya also felt that this was probably the case. "i think there is more to this incident. the opponent clearly had precise knowledge of your whereabouts, hence the pretense of a robbery. besides xiao qiang, is there anyone else who knew you were going to the bank today?" hao jian asked. Chapter 171 The Traitor! upon hearing the words "excluding xiao qiang", shu ya immediately became upset, "why exclude shu ya? could she not betray me?"after all, she had every reason to get rid of me, right? "alright, alright, let's include her." hao jian couldn't help but laugh and cry at this woman's jealousy¡ªit was truly something else. shu ya calmed down and seriously replied, "besides xiao qiang, i don't remember whom else i told." "that's troublesome," hao jian frowned, making the situation somewhat difficult. it seemed nearly impossible to find that person. "forget it, i'll handle the investigation; you just focus on preparing for the ipo," said hao jian. he knew the corporation was preparing for an ipo; shu ya was working harder than anyone, waking up earlier than the rooster and sleeping later than a dog. she really had no spare time for anything else. "you investigate? how will you investigate?" hao jian smirked, "didn't i run into zhang zicong before coming to you? i beat him up and sent him to the hospital. just now, i found out that he's been admitted to this hospital, right above my floor!" shu ya was alarmed, "you plan to use torture?" "don't worry, i'll give you a satisfactory response when the time comes." hao jian confidently declared, ready with at least a hundred ways to make fools like zhang zicong spill the beans. "alright then, just be careful not to blow things up too much," shu ya advised. that night, hao jian took advantage of the nurses' and doctors' rounds to sneak into zhang zicong's hospital room. zhang zicong was beaten badly enough, with bruises all over his body and slight concussion. reportedly, he even temporarily lost his ability to speak. "mmm, mmm." he was in so much pain that he couldn't sleep. just then, he saw the very person who caused his current state swagger into the room. zhang zicong, burning with anger, wanted nothing more than to leap up and beat up hao jian. "don't get excited now. the doctor said you need to stabilize your emotions for a quicker recovery," hao jian advised earnestly, like he truly cared. "mmm!" zhang zicong glared at him, almost wishing he could jump up and hit hao jian if it weren't for his immobility. it's all your fault i became like this, and now you dare say such cold words? "sigh." hao jian sighed helplessly, grabbed zhang zicong's injured leg, and then pressed down hard. "mmm." zhang zicong's eyes rolled back in pain as he looked pleadingly at hao jian. "see what you made me do? you keep pushing me to get rough. you can't even speak now, how could you possibly resist whatever i want to do to you?" zhang zicong almost cried, thinking why he had to provoke such a fiend? he originally thought hao jian would stop after beating him, but who knew he would even come to the hospital wearing patient clothes? was he also sick? hopefully, it's cancer! late-stage! zhang zicong thought maliciously. "shu ya and i already know that you arranged for the assassin to kill her, and i've taken care of them. now, i want to know who told you shu ya's whereabouts? i think you'd be eager to tell me," hao jian asked with a sly grin. zhang zicong was shocked. those assassins were taken care of by hao jian? yao shufen, that bitch, had said it was foolproof?! then his gaze flickered, seemingly hesitating. if he confessed now, wouldn't that be admitting to hiring someone for murder? hao jian, smiling, sat down on zhang zicong's arm. "mmm!" zhang zicong cried out in pain, frantically blinking at hao jian, signaling his agreement. "that's more like it." hao jian pulled out a pen and paper from the drawer, instructing zhang zicong to write down the person's name. sea??h th§× nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. then zhang zicong wrote three characters on the paper. hao jian looked at the name and sneered, "so it's him?" . these past few days, boss liang had been on edge, barely getting any proper sleep at night. as the saying goes, only those with guilty consciences fear the knock in the night, and his recent anxiety was clearly due to his misdeeds. "boss, you haven't looked well these past few days. has something happened?" a security guard asked. boss liang was about to respond when he heard a mocking voice coming from outside, "having a guilty conscience would explain why you look so pale," hao jian appeared at the guardroom doorway, his face mocking. "you. what do you mean?" boss liang looked at hao jian, noticeably uneasy. "what i mean, you know very well. despite being part of the corporation, you betrayed the president, exposed her whereabouts to criminals, and facilitated her abduction. your good days are over, boss liang!" hao jian sneered. read exclusive chapters at empire at this revelation, everyone in the guardroom turned to stare at boss liang, shocked that he could have done such a thing. "you're talking nonsense! the president's abduction was an accident, what does that have to do with me? you say i harmed the president, do you have evidence?" boss liang immediately retorted. "evidence? zhang zicong has already confessed; what more do you need?" hao jian looked at boss liang as if he were an idiot. in reality, zhang zicong had not confessed at all; he had merely written a name, and hao jian was merely bluffing boss liang. hearing this, everyone seemed thoughtful. everyone in the corporation knew zhang zicong and shu ya didn't get along. it wasn't impossible for him to have done it. but boss liang didn't realize it was a trap and said blankly, "that's impossible! there's no way he could have confessed!" "you aren't him, so how would you know he wouldn't confess?" hao jian chuckled, boss liang finally revealing a slip of the tongue. boss liang's expression froze, realizing his mistake in speaking too absolutely. his colleagues, meanwhile, took a few steps back, eyeing him warily. "i... i'll fight you!" seeing the truth come to light, boss liang, in a fury of shame and anger, had only one thought¡ªto take hao jian down with him even if it meant his own downfall. like a mad dog, he lunged at hao jian. seeing him coming, hao jian's lips curled in disdain as he slowly raised his leg. Chapter 172 Ive Taken His Life for You! "bang!"with just one kick, boss liang was blasted to the ground. hao jian looked down at him with an arrogant expression, "even with one arm injured, taking care of trash like you is still too easy for me." "alright, you can come in now!" hao jian shouted toward the door. sea??h th§× n?velfire(.)net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. the security guards also turned to the door in surprise, only to see a group of police officers rushing in, with ma zifeng leading the way in handcuffing boss liang. boss liang stood up and sneered at hao jian, "is it such a big deal to go to prison? i'm just an informant, i didn't directly participate in this operation, the judge will give me at most three to four years. three to four years later, i'll still be a tough guy!" hao jian laughed as well, "do you really think i'd let you leave prison alive?" everyone gasped. what did hao jian mean by that? could it be that he was planning to kill boss liang? everyone was shocked, but heigui was not, having seen how terrifying hao jian could be, he knew that hao jian meant what he said. boss liang's expression also froze as he contemplated the sincerity of hao jian's words. "take him away, and make sure to take good care of him!" hao jian said with a sinister smile. "no problem," ma zifeng responded with a mean smile, escorting boss liang out. . leaving the security room, hao jian originally intended to return to the hospital to extract some information from zhang zicong. after all, it was only a matter of time before zhang zicong would be caught, so it was better to get some use out of him before that happened. but just then, second baby ran over in a hurry, panting, "master, it's... it's terrible news!" "what happened? calm down and tell me," hao jian said, slowly frowning. "big brother has been injured, he's covered in blood!" second baby was nearly in tears, so anxious; although the seven brothers were not related by blood, they were closer than real brothers. now that big baby's life was in danger, his siblings were greatly distressed. "take me to him now!" hao jian's face darkened to the extreme. why were there so many troubles lately, first with shu ya, and now big baby was in trouble too. wasn't he just sent to follow a woman? how could he get hurt? with big baby's strength, ordinary people shouldn't be his match. suddenly, hao jian thought of a possibility. could it be that there was a martial artist with fu jinmei? when hao jian saw big baby, he was taken aback by the severity of his injuries: wrists, ankles, all limbs crushed; more than twenty knife wounds; half an ear sliced off; bruising all over the body. if big baby wasn't a martial artist, he would have died from such severe wounds. "master, i'm sorry, i couldn't complete the mission you gave me." seeing hao jian, big baby showed a hint of shame on his face, his hoarse voice made him seem extremely weak. his other brothers either looked furious or were tearful, and the atmosphere was filled with grief and anger. stay connected with empire hao jian waved his hand to dismiss their concern and asked sternly, "who injured you?" "a martial artist with fu jinmei, his knife was too fast, i couldn't react in time," big baby said with a bitter smile. it was just ten moves, and he was defeated by that person, resulting in his current condition. "why did he leave you alive?" hao jian asked with a furrowed brow. if the opponent was stronger than big baby, he could have killed him, so why didn't he? "he told me to come back and deliver a message to you," big baby reported truthfully. "he said if you have the skills, you should go find him yourself instead of sending cats and dogs to their deaths." upon hearing these words, the other six brothers were filled with uncontrollable rage. second baby stood up promptly, "master, let me go. i'll avenge our eldest brother!" "i'll go too!" "master, let me go!" all six brothers stood up. "go? of all seven of you, your eldest brother has the highest martial arts skills, and even he was no match for that person. do you think it would make a difference if you went?" hao jian scolded them; these guys had plenty of guts but not half a brain. at these words, the six men stiffened, feeling somewhat resentful. what does the master mean by this? just let it go? eldest brother ended up like this because he was doing a job for him, yet he chooses to lower his banner, is it because he knows the other party is a master and he is frightened? "do you know where he is? what's his name?" hao jian didn't pay attention to the thoughts of the six brothers but asked big baby instead. "his name is chen sen, and the night fragrance private club is his turf; that's where he injured me. master, you asked me to investigate fu jinmei. i found out she's been visiting this chen sen for over a week in a month, and there might be an unspeakable secret between them," big baby said. so hao jian had sent him to investigate fu jinmei, just to find out whether this wench had been hooking up with other men outside. that day, during dinner, fu jinmei flirted with him. it was clear that this woman was wanton and would certainly have other illicit relations outside. "chen sen? it's chen sen again?" hao jian chuckled, not long ago this same chen sen had nearly killed shu ya, and now he had beaten his own disciple into a cripple. this chen sen was really too arrogant. hao jian was originally indifferent towards him, thinking of dealing with him when he had time, but now it seemed he had to make time to deal with him. "master, you know him?" big baby exclaimed in shock. "can't say i know him, just some grievances, i suppose." hao jian said with a smile, then looked down at big baby: "in a moment, i'll prescribe some medicine for you. just take it on time, rest for a month, and your injuries will heal." "really?" big baby's eyes lit up, and his spirit lifted instantly; he had thought he would be disabled from now on. after all, with injuries to that degree, even a martial artist would hardly be able to fully recover. "of course, it's true. your master is not only a martial artist but also a very skilled physician." hao jian said proudly, lifting his chin slightly, and then said with a smile: "you rest well. i'll go to find that chen sen tonight. i'll take his life for you!" "what?" in a moment, the seven brothers looked at hao jian in disbelief, as if they had never expected hao jian to stand up for them. what were they? simply seven people with poor martial arts skills who had stubbornly followed him. in such a situation, they hadn't dared to hope hao jian would confront a master for their sake, but hao jian's decision truly moved them deeply. "master." big baby looked at hao jian with tear-filled eyes. apart from the master who had raised them and taught them martial arts, hao jian was the only person in this world who truly cared for them. Chapter 173 Do Your Family Know? "men don't shed tears when they bleed, didn't your master ever teach you that?" hao jian said angrily."stop crying!" continue your journey on empire upon seeing this, big baby quickly shouted, but he couldn't help leaking tears himself. "aren't you crying as well?" second baby complained. "nonsense, i just got some sand in my eye," big baby forcibly explained. "then i got sand in my eye too," second baby also made an excuse for himself. hao jian, caught between laughter and tears, said, "alright, enough with the act, just keep an eye on big baby, i'll be back in no time." "master, i want to go with you!" second baby said, standing up straight with a very determined look. "what, you think i'm not a match for that chen sen?" hao jian scoffed. "no, we just want to see how you'll beat that guy into a pulp," second baby defended. hao jian initially wanted to refuse, but faced with the pleading looks from all seven brothers, he could do nothing but nod: "alright, fine, you can come, but you must hide and, no matter what happens, you are not to interfere, got it?" "understood!" all seven shouted together. at eight o'clock in the evening, hao jian appeared alone at the night fragrance private club. "hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?" just as he was about to enter, hao jian was stopped by two hulking bouncers. "i want to go in for a drink," hao jian said with a smile. "go in for a drink?" one of them sneered loudly, "boy, do you know this is a private club, only members are allowed in, go to a bar if you want to drink, stop wandering around here." "then how can i become a member here?" hao jian asked. "that requires a personal review by our boss, we don't discuss it with outsiders, scram!" the bouncer grew impatient. "then can you take me to see your boss? i think he'd be quite willing to issue me a membership card." "kid, are you looking for trouble on purpose?" the other bouncer also stood up quickly, and the two men sandwiched hao jian between them. "bingo! you guessed right, your prize is a gentle kiss from my fist!" hao jian gave a wicked laugh as he threw his punches at both bouncers, slamming them against the wall, knocking them out cold. "master, that double dragons emerge from the sea was truly masterful!" big baby exclaimed. "what double dragons emerge from the sea, that was obviously tiger-crane dual form!" second baby immediately argued. "pah! ignorant, it should be hung fist!" third baby also joined the argument. hao jian gave a scoff, "you're all wrong, that move is called dragon claw technique!" all seven brothers were perplexed. what a mess of names. having dealt with the guards, hao jian and the seven brothers walked right into the private club, only to discover that the deepest part was filled with melodious singing, captivating and beautiful, and it was hao jian's favorite waltz. as they entered the main hall, they saw many distinguished gentlemen and wealthy ladies drinking and chatting. many were even in the dance floor waltzing. "find a place to hide, i'm about to make a move," hao jian reminded the seven brothers. with so many guests around, there surely would be a host accompanying them, and that chen sen was likely among the crowd. the seven brothers nodded and then pushed big baby towards a secluded corner. hao jian stepped into the hall, his gaze sweeping through the crowd as he tried to locate chen sen. just then, he suddenly felt someone pat his shoulder. instinctively, he executed the capturing hand technique and firmly grasped the person's hand. "ouch, ouch. gentle, please." suddenly, the sharp scream of a woman followed. "is it you?" hao jian quickly released her hand, somewhat astonished, seemingly also puzzled as to why this woman would be here. this woman was su xinya, the one he had once rescued from brother huoniu. sear?h the ¦Çovelfire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. su xinya shook her aching arm and looked at hao jian with a mixture of resentment: "since the day you saved me, i've been looking for you. now that i finally found you, i wanted to surprise you. who knew you'd treat me like this? my arm was almost dislocated." "looking for me? what for?" hao jian asked in confusion. "of course to thank you in person, after all, you saved me," su xinya said with a cheerful smile. "i already told you there's no need," hao jian said absently, his eyes continuously scanning the crowd. su xinya noticed this and asked, "are you looking for someone?" "yes, chen sen. do you know him?" hao jian turned to look at su xinya. judging by her appearance, she must be a member here; she should know what chen sen looks like. "the owner of this club, how could i not know him?" su xinya smiled. "then you can tell me?" hao jian just wanted to get it over with and go home to sleep. "i can, but i have a condition?" "what condition?" hao jian asked with annoyance, everyone these days seemed to be extortionists. "that is, you have to tell me your real name, then dance a waltz with me, and i'll tell you who chen sen is," su xinya said cheerfully. "then forget it, i'll find him myself." hao jian turned and walked away. asking around who chen sen was should be enough, no need for such hassles. seeing hao jian leaving, su xinya immediately became furious and threatened: "you can't leave! if you do, i'll immediately shout that you are trespassing in a private club. i've never seen you here before, you are probably not a member, right? you say you want to find chen sen, but it would be a pity if you got thrown out before even seeing him, wouldn't it?" hao jian abruptly halted his steps, turned around expressionlessly, walked toward su xinya, and directly clasped her slender waist, his other hand gently holding her small hand. the woman shyly glanced at hao jian and said, "you haven't told me your name yet?" "hao jian," hao jian replied. "ah? 'jian'? how is asking your name 'jian'?" su xinya asked, puzzled. "i'm not saying you're 'very cheap'. my name is hao jian," hao jian explained helplessly. "hao jian? haha. your name is really interesting," su xinya giggled, finding the name hao jian really amusing. but hao jian didn't find it amusing at all. he looked at su xinya earnestly, silently for a long time. being stared at like that, su xinya felt uncomfortable and shyly lowered her head, avoiding hao jian's gaze. what does he want? he couldn't be interested in her, could he? "i want to ask you a question." hao jian said. "yes?" "your skin is so thick. does your family know about it?" "..." Chapter 174 Kill, Kill, Dance, Jump! xinya was left speechless by hao jian's words, it was only then that she realized she might have been overthinking.the way this guy was gazing at her so tenderly was merely a prelude to his ensuing insult. hao jian indeed thought xinya had a thick face; she knew he was preoccupied yet still came to pester him. if it weren't for her beauty, which happened to be his type, hao jian would have kicked her out long ago. "so, did you come here this time to kill someone too?" xinya asked with keen interest, unexpectedly probing into hao jian's intentions. "yes, i came here to kill," said hao jian expressionlessly. anyway, xinya had seen him kill before, so there was no need to hide it now. hao jian's candidness somehow caught xinya off guard. so this guy was preparing to kill again, but who would be the unlucky target this time? sear?h the n??elfir§×.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. as xinya followed hao jian's steps, twirling and moving with him, she surprisingly found that his footwork was quite skillful, to the point where he seemed to be leading her in a dance. "did you learn to dance before?" xinya couldn't help but ask curiously. "no." hao jian shook his head. he truly hadn't learned to dance; in his past, mired in battlefields, he had only two things to do each day: kill and survive. he didn't have the leisure to learn to dance. "really? then how can you dance so well?" xinya asked, puzzled. either hao jian was lying, or it meant that he was a genius. "i just learned it now. didn't you notice i was watching others while dancing with you? it's because i was learning the steps from them," hao jian explained. hearing this, xinya felt a sudden burst of delight inside. she had thought she held no allure for hao jian, which was why he couldn't bother to glance at her. turns out that wasn't the reason, and she felt relieved. "just by watching, you've learned to dance? you really are a genius!" exclaimed xinya, and then, as if something dawned on her, she suddenly pursed her lips and smiled. "what are you laughing at?" hao jian asked, puzzled. "nothing, just thinking how in a moment you'll be killing someone, but right now, you're here dancing with me. it feels quite peculiar. murdering and dancing, one is bloody violence, the other is graceful elegance, doing these two things together, don't you think the idea is a bit sick?" xinya asked with her eyebrows playfully squeezed together. "right now, i just think you are the one who's twisted," hao jian said with a wry smile. your next read is at empire "you're so annoying." xinya pouted, expressing her displeasure. at nearly thirty years old, such a playful and cute expression on her carried a different kind of charm, which even made hao jian momentarily stunned. hao jian asked softly with a smile, "aren't you scared?" normally, upon hearing he was going to kill, the first reaction of most people would be fear. yet xinya was not only unafraid, but she was also eagerly discussing the connection between murder and dance with him, a rather abnormal reaction. "scared, of course i'm scared, so when you're about to kill later, i plan to leave," xinya answered honestly. she didn't have a heart strong enough to witness hao jian kill without being moved. "you're very smart!" hao jian laughed. "i feel the same," su xinya smiled. the music was drawing to an end, and su xinya politely parted from hao jian, giving him a meaningful look, "the person you're looking for has arrived." at these words, hao jian turned his head and instantly saw a man in a black suit and white gloves leading a group of people towards them. the man was somewhat thin, even thinner than hao jian, appearing to be over 180 centimeters tall. skinny and tall like a bamboo pole, he stood out conspicuously. with just one glance, hao jian knew this was the man he had been searching for! chen sen had received a report that someone had injured the guards at the entrance and broken into the club, so he had immediately ordered a thorough search of everyone present, which ultimately led to the discovery of hao jian. because hao jian really stood out. while everyone else wore evening gowns and suits, he wore sportswear, making it difficult for him to go unnoticed. seeing chen sen appear, the seven brothers hiding in the shadows couldn't help showing a murderous intent, itching to rush out and tear chen sen to pieces. "who are you?" chen sen looked up with a grim expression, staring at hao jian. helping himself to a ruckus in his territory, did he really think chen sen was a pushover? "it was you who injured my man and had him send a message for me to come find you, and now you ask me who i am?" hao jian responded mockingly. "so, it was that dog you sent. however, his strength was nothing to write home about," chen sen laughed arrogantly. upon hearing this, the seven brothers' eyes flashed with anger. had it not been for hao jian's previous orders, they might have actually charged out. chen sen looked at hao jian with an air of condescension and commanded, "from now on, you're not allowed to have anyone track fu jinmei. if you agree, then this matter can be put to rest." "no problem," hao jian nodded and agreed readily. "you agreed?" chen sen frowned, somewhat surprised that hao jian would so readily accept his request. "yes, i agree," hao jian confirmed. after all, big baby's identity had already been exposed and fu jinmei was unlikely to slip up any time soon, so there was no chance for him. at that, chen sen scoffed inwardly; he had thought a significant figure was coming, only to find a coward. "however, accordingly, you've injured my man, so you should give me some compensation, shouldn't you?" hao jian suddenly asked. "what compensation do you want?" chen sen asked impatiently, his expression sour. hao jian had the audacity to demand compensation? he should be grateful that chen sen was willing to let them off. hao jian pretended to consider for a moment, stroking his chin. then he smiled and said, "then let's just settle it with your life!" chen sen's face turned ashen. he realized hao jian was deliberately toying with him! "so, you're saying you intend to stand up for your disciple?" chen sen said with a mocking smile. "no, no, no, how could that be." hao jian quickly shook his head to deny it, yet, with a smile, he said, "it's purely that i want to kill you myself." "then we'll see if you have the skill," chen sen said, throwing his suit jacket up into the air. with hands clad in white gloves, he clenched his fists and revealed a ferocious grin at hao jian, "i really hate the sight of blood, so i always wear white gloves when i strike. i hope you won't bleed when we fight, to prevent me from losing control upon seeing blood. otherwise, if i beat you to death, that would be unfortunate." "i won't bleed, because you're not qualified to make me bleed," hao jian said with a smile. "is that so? well, i say i can knock you down within twenty moves!" chen sen burst into rage, charging forward like a fierce tiger! Chapter 175 One Move! "master, be careful, he's using the sleeve sword!" just then, big baby shouted out anxiously, irritated at himself for foolishly forgetting to inform hao jian about it.at that moment, chen sen also instantly revealed the silver sword from his sleeve, and this scene made everyone present gasp in astonishment, with su xinya also looking at hao jian with a tense expression. chen sen wore a ferocious smile, confident that at such close range, he could kill hao jian in an instant. in his eyes, hao jian was already a dead man. but as the sleeve sword drew closer, a contemptuous curve appeared at the corner of hao jian's mouth. dark energy harms others, it's an underhanded trick, and will never stand up to the elegance of fair play! seeing hao jian's lazy demeanor, chen sen became furious. how dare he mock me? what right does he have to mock me? thus, chen sen's forward-thrusting hand grew even faster and more vicious. he was determined to stab two holes in hao jian, to wipe that smile off his face forever! "swoosh." hao jian's figure vanished from in front of him in an instant. chen sen's eyes whirled in confusion, a sense of shock gripping his heart. where is he? "one move." hao jian appeared behind him, smiling faintly and raising a single finger. hearing this, chen sen felt as if he'd been insulted. he turned his head and swung his sword furiously. but hao jian drifted away like a ghost once more, ignoring his rage and declaring, "that's two moves." "ah!!" chen sen roared with uncontrollable anger, chasing after hao jian wildly. experience new stories on empire "eighteen moves." "nineteen moves." "twenty moves." finally, chen sen had completed all twenty moves he promised, but hao jian looked unaffected, not even a hair out of place. "this guy is no match for master!" second baby said excitedly. after such a long bout, they all could see that hao jian was purposely going easy on chen sen; otherwise, he would have fought back already. and yet, even with one hand injured, hao jian remained unharmed by chen sen, which said it all. "nonsense, master is so powerful, how could that bastard stand a chance against him?" big baby also showed a smile. chen sen, panting heavily, felt his scalp tingle with fear amidst his anger. he'd attacked for so long without causing any harm. and he hadn't even fought back but simply let himself be attacked. did this guy know all along that he couldn't hurt him? looking at hao jian's slightly mocking smile, at that moment, chen sen wasn't angry anymore, but terrified! and then, it was hao jian's turn to attack. he sneered and said, "your twenty moves are done, now it's my turn." hao jian raised a finger, affirming, "one move, just one move, and i'll turn you into a dog!" at these words, chen sen's eyes flashed with a violent light. he had been practicing martial arts since he was five, and now at thirty, not to say he was top-tier, but he had definitely made it to the ranks of second-tier martial artists and was considered outstanding among them. yet hao jian claimed he could defeat him in one move, which was outright insulting! s~ea??h the n?vel?ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. but hao jian immediately backed up his words with action, appearing in front of chen sen like lightning and throwing a punch straight at chen sen's chest. a "puff" sounded, and the dark energy in the punch actually burst right through chen sen's body, utterly destroying the suit behind him. chen sen, with blood at the corner of his mouth, knelt on the ground, staring blankly at hao jian. it really took only one move to make chen sen end up like a dead dog. by this time, su xinya had already left without anyone noticing. she had said before that she would definitely leave when hao jian was about to kill someone, and she knew that hao jian was ready to do just that. "now you should realize the difference between you and me before," hao jian sneered, finding it ludicrous that this guy still dared to provoke him, asking him to come and find him. "master, well done!" the seven brothers simultaneously shouted with mad joy, their eyes blazing with adoration for hao jian. saying it would take one move and then delivering, what kind of pride was this, and what kind of confidence? "don't kill me." chen sen's face was bloodless as he pleaded pathetically with hao jian. but hao jian shook his head: "you almost killed my woman, and you tried to cripple my disciple. i can't let you live." the two things that chen sen had done, either of which would have given hao jian reason enough to kill him, yet chen sen had done both. hao jian picked up his phone to start the video recording feature and said indifferently, "you only have one choice now. tell me plainly who hired you to kill shu ya and what your relationship is with fu jinmei, and i will give you a quick death. otherwise, i will make you wish you were dead." chen sen forced a bitter smile, accepting his fate as he knew hao jian truly had ways to make him wish for death. he sighed and confessed, "the one who hired me to kill shu ya is my cousin yao shufen. fu jinmei and i are lovers, and we've been secretly collaborating, stirring that waste shu yuntu to try and snatch shu ya's company. once the company was ours, our plan was to get rid of shu yuntu and seize the shu ya group for ourselves. this time, yao shufen hiring me to kill shu ya was killing two birds with one stone. if it weren't for your sudden appearance, my plan would have already succeeded." chen sen truly hated hao jian to the bone. if not for hao jian, he might already have taken control of the entire shu ya group by now. but now, all he could do was wait to die. hao jian couldn't help but admire chen sen's cunning and treachery. in the three kingdoms period, a man like him would surely have been a formidable figure. without hao jian's interference, chen sen's schemes might have already been successful. "then, i'm guessing that fu jinmei's son is yours as well," hao jian asked with a smile. chen sen hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded. "don't worry, i won't lay a hand on an innocent child," hao jian reassured him before gesturing to the seven brothers with a wave: "now, he's all yours. remember, don't torture him, make it quick." "understood." the seven brothers immediately charged at chen sen as if they were injected with adrenaline. when hao jian walked out of the clubhouse, he was surprised to find su xinya waiting for him in the cold wind. she had to huddle and pace back and forth to keep warm because of her thin clothes. hao jian greeted her with a peculiar expression: "you're waiting for me?" "yeah, how did it go, did you kill him?" su xinya still had that carefree smile. "you really aren't afraid of me at all?" hao jian was baffled. what was the deal with this woman, knowing he was a murderer and still getting close? "do i have a grudge against you?" "of course not," hao jian retorted. "then why would you kill me?" su xinya asked with a playful smile. "¡­" hao jian scratched his head, feeling strangely: "why does that sound so familiar?" it naturally felt familiar because it was what he had said to su xinya when they first met. "it's late. you should head home and get some sleep," hao jian said, then turned and walked away. Chapter 176 Im a Left-hander! "hello, do you really not recognize me?" su xinya was pretty sure now that hao jian wasn't playing hard to get, she realized he genuinely didn't recognize her.alas, was this guy a caveman or what? how could he not even recognize her? "should i recognize you?" hao jian asked in wonder. "don't you watch tv at all?" su xinya asked in surprise. continue your journey with empire "no," hao jian shook his head, acknowledging that he really didn't have the habit of watching television. "what about surfing the internet?" "not that either." su xinya was utterly speechless, "then what do you do for fun in your daily life?" "chasing girls, chasing girls, chasing girls," hao jian responded expressionlessly. a vein throbbed in su xinya's forehead as she forced herself to keep calm, "that's a rather interesting hobby you have." "what exactly are you trying to say?" hao jian asked, losing his patience. this woman clearly had something up her sleeve. "actually, i'm a singer, and i would like to invite you to my concert," su xinya finally got to the point. "so you're a big star," hao jian finally grasped the hidden meaning in su xinya's words. "yeah," su xinya nodded with a grin. "but i still won't go, i don't like listening to music," hao jian flatly refused. su xinya's face fell, "give it some thought, i sing pretty well." "no need to think about it," hao jian's head shook like a rattle drum. he wasn't a fan of celebrities, so why would he go to a concert? now su xinya was getting angry, "is there nothing in your brain besides women?" "there is, there's also money," hao jian replied honestly. su xinya was utterly defeated by hao jian's shamelessness, "then i'll pay you to attend my concert, just name your price." "sigh," hao jian was rendered speechless. how could this woman be so thick-skinned? he had made it so clear, how could she not understand? there was no other way, he had to use his last resort! "look! a ufo!" hao jian's face twisted as he furiously pointed behind su xinya. "a ufo?" su xinya turned around to look, only to find nothing behind her. "where's the ufo? ah! bastard!" stomping her foot in anger, su xinya turned around to see hao jian had run off¡ªhe had played her! "just you wait! as long as you're still in hua city, i will definitely track you down!" su xinya fumed, clacking away in her high heels. . lately, hao jian showed the video he had recorded on his phone to shu ya, but she only glanced at it indifferently and had no reaction. "that's it?" hao jian was stunned, shu ya's reaction was way too calm. "what else did you expect?" shu ya sulked. "aren't you angry or sad?" hao jian was puzzled, was this woman emotionally numb all of a sudden? "sad?" shu ya chuckled and shook her head, "i figured out long ago that they were behind this, so what's there to be sad about?" from the moment she understood things, she knew that if you could control your emotions, you would be unstoppable, but if they controlled you, you would struggle every step of the way. hao jian looked at her, unable to utter a word, his whole face turning to a shade of iron blue. seeing him like this made shu ya laugh. "you don't need to pity me; i don't need your sympathy," she said. "it's not that, i just want to fart, but i was afraid you would scold me, so i've been holding it in. now that i started talking, i can't hold it anymore," hao jian said with a dry laugh. then, shu ya smelled an odor of rotten eggs and quickly covered her nose as she rushed into the room, "ah! hao jian, you jerk!" "hahahaha," hao jian's mischievous laughter echoed throughout the living room. . "shu ya, get me a glass of water." "shu ya, bring me some fruit." "shu ya, it's a bit windy outside, help me close the window." for the next few days, hao jian acted like a demanding lord, treating shu ya as if she were a servant. "hao jian, aren't you going a bit far? do you really think i'm that easy to bully?" shu ya also got angry. she was always the one giving orders, who dared to order her around? "what's wrong?" hao jian pretended to be clueless. "what's wrong? you tell me what's wrong. these past days, you've been bossing me around, waking me up before dawn to serve you and not letting me sleep if you're still awake. am i your maid or something?" shu ya complained bitterly. "how can you say that? i am a patient, you know. have you not considered that i got injured because of you?" hao jian heaved a heavy sigh, giving her a "i'm so disappointed in you" look. "doctors said i need to rehabilitate my hand and can't do any heavy lifting, but even so, there's a fifty percent chance my hand could be disfigured. if we get divorced, you could walk away without any worries, but i would become disabled. and now you treat me like this, even thinking about it makes me feel so pitiful," hao jian pretended to wipe a tearless corner of his eye. his words made shu ya feel a twinge of guilt. she hastily said, "it won't be like that. even if we... if we get divorced later, and if you really do become disabled, i will still take care of you, i promise!" "really?" hao jian looked at shu ya, touched. "of course, i promise!" shu ya nodded resolutely. if hao jian became disabled, she would take care of him for life. s§×arch* the n?velfire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "well then, shu ya, help me bathe and change," hao jian stretched out his hand as if signaling that it was okay for the eunuch to come and help him. "you want me to help you bathe?" shu ya was shocked. "yes. how else am i supposed to bathe looking like this? didn't you see that one of my arms is useless?" hao jian maliciously enjoyed teasing shu ya a bit. "don't you still have another arm?" shu ya said with a crimson face, the thought of bathing hao jian making her shy. "sorry, i'm a lefty," hao jian explained, implying he could only undress with his disabled left hand. "you're lying! you always use your right hand when you eat!" shu ya countered. if hao jian was truly left-handed, he should also be using his left hand to eat. "forget it, i knew you wouldn't agree, so i guess i'll just become disabled," seeing shu ya catching on to his plot, hao jian simply started acting uncooperative. Chapter 177 Eastern Charm! seemingly aware of hao jian's heated gaze, shu ya suddenly opened her eyes and, sure enough, caught hao jian staring at her chest like pig head three.shu ya immediately took two steps back guardedly and covered her chest in both shame and anger as she scolded hao jian, "what are you doing?" "i wasn't doing anything," hao jian pretended to be innocent. "not doing anything? then why were you peeking at me?" shu ya became furious. she had realized that this guy was planning to act shamelessly again. "i wasn't looking at you," hao jian said earnestly. "no? then what were you looking at?" shu ya asked doubtfully, looking at hao jian but not believing his explanation at all. "i was looking at the purple... under its cover, i couldn't see anything," regretted hao jian. upon hearing this, shu ya was almost spasming with anger, "you were indeed looking at my breasts!" this bastard, pretending to be pitiful so she would bathe him, then seizing the opportunity to act like a pervert! soon after, hao jian saw shu ya tear open her throat and roar, "sister lan! hao jian is peeking at you bathing again!" "holy crap!" hao jian was dumbfounded. when had shu ya become so shameless? "bang!" then hao jian saw ruo lan burst through the door, clutching a kitchen knife, her eyes filled with killing intent as she glared at hao jian. hao jian was so scared his face turned green, "sister lan, let's talk this out, i'm a patient!" "he's not sick, he's faking it!" shu ya rudely exposed hao jian's deceit. "shu ya you..." hao jian was infuriated. this girl, was she trying to torment him to death? "bastard, i just recently fixed that hole, and now you've found a new one, haven't you?" ruo lan was both embarrassed and angry ¨C the damn guy had done it again. "exactly, just now when i pushed open the bathroom door, i saw him holding his 'treasure' shaking it up and down, clearly peeking while doing some dirty deed," shu ya continued to smear his name, pointing at hao jian, "look at him, sister lan; not even wearing pants. if it's not jerking off, what is it?" ruo lan lowered her head and, indeed, noticed that hao jian was only wearing big underpants, with a sizable tent pitched. s~ea??h the nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. immediately, ruo lan huffed with a red face and coldly pierced hao jian with her stare, clearly convinced that he had been watching her while doing dirty things just now! hao jian felt like crying; this time he might as well jump into the yellow river ¨C he wouldn't be able to wash himself clean. having promised elder qiu to paint a picture for him, hao jian spent the following period working on the canvas whenever he had time. after half a month, the painting was finally taking shape. as expected, elder qiu couldn't let go of it and treasured the painting in the most conspicuous place in his private room. after elder qiu took it, zhang qiuya shamelessly approached hao jian for a painting. initially, hao jian quite disliked zhang qiuya, but when brother huoniu bullied xiaoxiao and zhang qiuya stood up for her despite her envy, hao jian started to think highly of her. so, for zhang qiuya's request, hao jian hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed. "what's the name of this painting?" zhang qiuya admired the painting hao jian gave her ¨C it was a towering, distant mountain with a barefoot girl in a straw hat looking into the distance, her demeanor peaceful and her smile warm. just one glance would make one feel the beauty of the scene and the calmness in one's heart. "eastern charm," hao jian replied with a smile. "eastern charm?" zhang qiuya murmured the name to herself, and then nodded with a smile, "that's a really nice name; it fits the artistic conception of the painting very well. i believe it can sell for a good price!" hao jian watched zhang qiuya with a smile but said nothing. zhang qiuya realized she had misspoken and said embarrassingly, "don't blame me, you know i'm a businesswoman. everything i do is for profit." she had asked hao jian for that painting to auction it off because she understood the value of hao jian's paintings, and as an art auctioneer, she hoped to use her connections to sell the painting hao jian had given her for a good price. although this was somewhat impolite, it abundantly reflected zhang qiuya's forthrightness ¨C she didn't pretend otherwise and openly admitted she was doing it for money. her actions made hao jian truly appreciate her, because it showed that zhang qiuya was also very genuine! hao jian smiled slightly, "how could i blame you? the painting is a gift from me, so it's yours now. however you choose to handle it is your business." and it was just a painting; it wasn't something for hao jian to be overly concerned about. if he wanted, he could easily produce ten or twenty paintings of the same quality at any time. "so you mean, even if i sell it, it's okay?" zhang qiuya looked at hao jian in surprise, apparently not expecting him to agree so readily to her request. "of course," hao jian said with a smile. stay connected via empire "you're not angry?" zhang qiuya asked in astonishment. "what's there to be angry about? it's just a painting," hao jian said nonchalantly. hearing this, zhang qiuya was taken aback. just with this attitude, hao jian was many times better than qian shaohang. qian shaohang would never give zhang qiuya a painting for free, even though they had been friends for many years. "in that case, i'll give you half of the auction proceeds!" zhang qiuya offered, and since hao jian could be generous, so could she. "no need for that, keep all the auction proceeds. money and such things don't really appeal to me," hao jian shook his head. since he had already said the painting was a gift to zhang qiuya, the money from selling the painting was all hers; he would absolutely not take a single cent. zhang qiuya really didn't know what to say anymore, hao jian's magnanimity made her feel somewhat ashamed. "actually, i just came to deliver the painting today. if there's nothing else, i'll be leaving," hao jian waved his hand, ready to head out. "wait, since you're here, why not join the auction?" asked zhang qiuya softly, suddenly feeling an urge to keep hao jian around. "never mind, i'm not buying anything," hao jian replied with a wry smile. he was broke, and attending an auction would just be wasting time, wouldn't it? Chapter 178 I Have No Choice but to Sell You Out! "you don't need to buy anything to enjoy looking around, right? are you not curious about how much your painting can fetch at auction?" zhang qiuya asked curiously."well," hao jian hesitated, seemingly persuaded by zhang qiuya. as a painter, he naturally hoped for his works to be recognized and appreciated and he was no exception. "let's go take a look, it's your property after all." seeing hao jian hesitate, zhang qiuya hurriedly added fuel to the fire. "won't this trouble you?" hao jian asked with a wry smile. "what trouble? it's just adding one more seat. come with me!" zhang qiuya said, unable to hide her happiness when hao jian finally agreed to stay. hao jian followed zhang qiuya into the auction hall and discovered that it was already full of guests who were looking at the stage, waiting for the auction to begin. "that's your spot over there." zhang qiuya pointed to a seat near the stairs not far away. hao jian looked in the direction she indicated and saw a woman sitting next to the seat zhang qiuya had pointed out. the woman wore her hair in a noble bun, dressed in a simple yet luxurious black dress, with pearl earrings dangling from her ears. her back was glamorous, and even though he couldn't see her face, hao jian could tell that she was definitely a great beauty from her silhouette alone. but hao jian wasn't staring at her because she was a beauty; it was her familiar silhouette that caught his attention, as if he had seen it somewhere before. hao jian walked with zhang qiuya towards the woman, and at that moment, he finally saw her true face. the woman was holding a bidding paddle, waiting for the auction to begin. she didn't pay much attention when she saw zhang qiuya bringing someone over, but when she saw hao jian, she couldn't help but be visibly astonished. "is it you?" sea??h th§× nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. the woman let out a cry of surprise, seemingly not expecting to encounter hao jian here. experience new stories with empire "hi," hao jian greeted with a bitter smile, now he finally understood why the woman had looked familiar. "auntie, you know each other?" zhang qiuya zoned out, full of curiosity about the connection between hao jian and the woman before her. being addressed as 'auntie' by zhang qiuya meant the woman was naturally che xiaoxiao's mother, guo shuxian. guo shuxian could be said to be one of the last people hao jian wanted to see, for a simple reason: the woman was always threatening to sue him for abducting an underage girl, putting hao jian on constant edge. "know each other?" guo shuxian snorted coldly and glared at hao jian, "more than that. you might say that we cannot coexist under the same sky!" hao jian had dated her daughter and spied on her body, and she wished she could flay him alive! had it not been for che xiaoxiao threatening her with death and forbidding her to trouble hao jian, she might have actually used her connections to do something to him. "ah?" hearing guo shuxian say this, zhang qiuya was utterly dumbfounded. cannot coexist under the same sky? what did that mean? "long time no see, auntie. your gaze has grown even colder," hao jian chuckled, thinking to himself how vengeful this woman was. zhang qiuya was a bit spaced out; she didn't know how hao jian had managed to enrage guo shuxian. "you should go take care of your things," hao jian said to zhang qiuya. "you're okay, right?" zhang qiuya asked uncertainly, she could also see that the relationship between hao jian and guo shuxian wasn't harmonious; guo shuxian looked at hao jian as if she wanted to swallow him alive. "of course, i'm okay, there are so many people here, i believe auntie won't make things difficult for me, right, auntie?" hao jian asked guo shuxian with a smile. guo shuxian snorted and turned her head away. zhang qiuya also forced a smile and said to hao jian, "i'll come to find you after i finish up with my work. just be careful on your own." that last sentence was clearly a reminder to hao jian not to provoke guo shuxian anymore. "okay," hao jian agreed curtly. when zhang qiuya left, hao jian took a seat right in front of guo shuxian. at that moment, guo shuxian turned her head back solemnly and glared at hao jian, "who said you could call me auntie?" "doesn't zhang qiuya call you that?" hao jian was genuinely puzzled; why could zhang qiuya call her that but not him? besides, he was friends with che xiaoxiao, and guo shuxian was che xiaoxiao's mother, calling her auntie should be fine, right? "zhang qiuya is my daughter's friend, and you?" guo shuxian scoffed. "i'm also friends with che xiaoxiao!" hao jian protested, feeling discriminated against by guo shuxian. "you? with the air of a hooligan, do you think you're worthy of being her friend? i warn you, stay away from my daughter. you should know who i am. if you keep pestering her, be careful, i'll make sure you spend the rest of your life in prison!" guo shuxian threatened bluntly. hao jian really felt like crying now, putting on a sad face, "auntie, oh no, miss guo, i remember i made it very clear to you last time, it's not that i'm pursuing your daughter, but that your daughter is clinging to me!" "bullshit!" hearing these words, guo shuxian couldn't help but curse out loud. her curse rang out loudly in the quiet auction, causing everyone to involuntarily look over at guo shuxian. hao jian quickly started whistling, looking around as if to appear uninvolved. seeing everyone looking their way, he pointed at guo shuxian, then helplessly smiled and shook his head at the crowd, indicating that it was this ill-mannered person who was swearing. guo shuxian also felt very embarrassed being stared at by so many people, but seeing hao jian's behavior, she was so angry she wished she could devour him! luckily, those people looked away after a glance, and then guo shuxian lowered her voice to growl at hao jian, "my daughter has never been in a relationship since she was born, pure as an untouched sheet of paper, do you think she would fancy you?" "pure as an untouched sheet of paper?" hao jian was gobsmacked. was she really talking about che xiaoxiao? hao jian leaned in close to guo shuxian and said earnestly, "miss guo, if that's what you say, then i really need to set things straight with you." "speak!" guo shuxian glared at him, curious to see how hao jian would refute her. "the first time i met your daughter, she was driving without a license, pretending to be a taxi driver and playing 'need for speed' on the roads of hua city. i was unfortunate enough to get into your daughter's car and even more unfortunate to experience a brush with ghost gate." "that's impossible!" guo shuxian exclaimed in disbelief. where would che xiaoxiao get a car from? hao jian was clearly making things up! "if you don't believe it, just go look in the grove in your backyard; her little bumblebee has been parked there all the time to avoid you seeing it." hao jian said, raising his eyebrows, while thinking to himself: xiaoxiao, oh xiaoxiao, to vindicate myself, i have no choice but to betray you now. Chapter 179 The Familiar Figure in the Painting! guo shuxian's face was as still as water as she said, "continue!""after that, your daughter introduced me to the local customs and specialties of hua city, allowing me to understand this city in a more vivid way." "isn't that a good thing?" guo shuxian asked in astonishment. "the 'specialties' she talked about were which parlors had pretty masseuses, which ones offered threesomes, and which ones had masseuses with drugs on them." "..." "i also witnessed how a little girl her size could exchange the most authentic vulgarities with an old driver, dine and dash at a restaurant by placing a pre-prepared cockroach into the food, and how she hanged a brat that scratched her car on a tree to beat him. when his parents found out, she immediately framed me for it, resulting in me being chased down the street with a kitchen knife by the boy's father for three blocks." your next read is at empire guo shuxian was completely petrified, looking at hao jian incredulously, "xiaoxiao did all this?" "if i have uttered a single lie, may i become a eunuch," hao jian swore intensely. guo shuxian fell into a daze, murmuring in a trance, "why has she become like this? she used to be so well-behaved." "she's not bad; she's just lonely. pranks are the only way she can make her presence felt," hao jian said with a slight smile. "her dad passed away early, and you've always been busy with work, leaving her to fend for herself at home. she had to find something to do, didn't she?" "so she speeds in her car, smokes, drinks, and would rather turn herself into a bad girl than dare to tell you her true feelings. because she knows you're the mayor, responsible for the people and society, she worries it might affect your job. thus, she can only vent her loneliness through such self-destructive behavior." hearing what hao jian had said, guo shuxian remained silent for a long time. if it hadn't been for him telling her today, she would not have known about all the burdens che xiaoxiao had been bearing alone. however, soon guo shuxian's expression became cold again, "this is our family affair, it's none of your business." hao jian smiled but did not argue, because he knew guo shuxian had taken in his words. at this time, the auction had already begun, with lots being presented one after another. about half an hour later, the painting hao jian had brought was finally on the stage. s§×arch* the nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "this painting is called 'eastern charm.' it was done by a talented young huaxia artist who wishes to remain anonymous. it has been appraised by the well-known authority old master qiu, and the starting bid is three hundred thousand!" zhang qiuya introduced its origin onstage. below the stage, however, guo shuxian's gaze had already stiffened, staring fixedly at the painting with an intense fervor, as if she were looking at her first love. "three hundred and fifty thousand!" "four hundred thousand!" "five hundred thousand!" the bidders sporadically called out prices, which were mostly tentative because they did not know if the painting truly held that value and feared making a high bid that could lead to a loss. "one million!" at that moment, a voice that was not loud but extremely clear rang out. hao jian looked at guo shuxian beside him, somewhat astonished. this woman was interested in his painting too? but guo shuxian didn't notice hao jian's expression; she was captivated by the painting in front of her, a faintly infatuated smile on her lips. from the moment she saw the painting, she knew she had to have it! guo shuxian doubled the price as soon as she opened her mouth, shocking everyone present, who realized that she was determined to own the painting, so naturally, there were fewer bidders. of course, there were connoisseurs who kept bidding against guo shuxian, driving up the price to two million before they finally gave up. "two million for a painting, isn't that a bit extravagant?" even hao jian felt a little embarrassed by now; guo shuxian was really giving him too much face. guo shuxian glanced at hao jian indifferently, "what do you know? it wouldn't matter if it were twenty million; i would still get this painting!" "oh? why?" hao jian became intrigued as there must be a reason for guo shuxian's enthusiasm for his painting. with a distant look and a light smile, guo shuxian said, "because the person in the painting looked exactly like me when i was young." she wasn't joking. from the first glance at the painting, she was moved by the radiant girl depicted, only to discover the astonishing resemblance to her younger self. she came from a small village and, as a child, while shepherding sheep, she would gaze into the distance just like the girl in the painting, dreaming of the world beyond the mountains. back then, she was as pure and passionate as the girl in the painting; looking at it, guo shuxian felt like she was brought back to those innocent days. "damn, really?" hao jian's expression became incredibly animated; he had created the painting on a whim, only to inadvertently strike a chord with guo shuxian. guo shuxian smiled without responding, "though i don't know how he did it, i truly feel that there's a soul in his painting; only a masterpiece has a soul, and this painting must come from the hand of a master!" "well, you flatter me." hao jian modestly waved his hands, embarrassed. aw, shucks, i'm not as great as you make me sound! "i'm talking about the artist of this painting, what are you being shy for? you're a rascal who doesn't know jack about art, i'm afraid you couldn't grasp the soul i'm speaking of even if you tried your entire life." guo shuxian looked disdainfully at hao jian. "probably." hao jian touched his nose, crying and laughing at the same time¡ªhe was the artist of the painting, after all. "i'd really like to meet the painter of this piece," guo shuxian said with a smile, having not experienced such an elevation of the spirit for a long time due to her career. yet, this painting had brought back that long-missed stirring of the soul. "no, it might be better if you never meet him," hao jian mumbled, propping his chin with one hand and looking glum. if guo shuxian knew that he was the artist behind this painting, he figured she would regret buying it and devalue it utterly, so it was probably for the best that she remained unaware. "hick!" guo shuxian huffed discontentedly. after leaving the auction, hao jian accepted zhang qiuya's lunch invitation, but she had to leave midway due to work, leaving him dining alone. as hao jian was dining, guo shuxian walked over with her meal tray. she scanned the room to find the auction house's restaurant crowded, the only available seat being across from hao jian. guo shuxian frowned deeply, the thought of dining with this detestable man made her feel uncomfortable all over. but after a moment's hesitation, she still made her way over; as much as she disliked him, she couldn't very well eat standing up. Chapter 180 I Want to Make Friends with You! "snap."guo shuxian placed the plate down directly and sat opposite hao jian, her gaze intensely fixed on him. hao jian looked up at her, then shifted to the side to avoid facing her directly, and continued to eat his meal. seeing this, guo shuxian grew furious. i haven't even scorned you yet, and you dare to scorn me first? guo shuxian snorted and began to eat as well. "mrs. guo, what a coincidence to run into you here," said a portly middle-aged man with a somewhat sleazy appearance as he walked over. he had a parted haircut, was short in stature, and resembled those traitors in movies. upon seeing him, guo shuxian's brows slightly furrowed, and she said expressionlessly, "coincidence? i think you knew i would be here from the morning." she knew what this man was thinking: ever since their chance encounter at a charity gala, he had been pestering her nonstop, looking for various opportunities to interact with her. there must have been people from his side at the auction today, so they informed him she was here. "mrs. guo, what are you talking about? i genuinely just happened to pass by," retorted he rongsheng, unfazed and unabashed as if he truly just stumbled upon her by coincidence. suddenly, he rongsheng glanced at hao jian and frowned, "kid, scram, give your seat to me!" how could his goddess sit with such a poorly dressed loser? this was an insult to his goddess! hao jian looked up at he rongsheng, then lowered his head to continue eating, muttering indistinctly, "idiot!" "you." he rongsheng's face turned dark instantly. this youngster was asking for trouble, daring to insult him? he had assumed hao jian would choose to give way immediately because from their attire alone, the disparity in their status was evident. he could ruin him in minutes, but unexpectedly, hao jian was so lacking in self-awareness and even dared to talk back? well said! guo shuxian couldn't help but praise inwardly, and, considering hao jian's excellent response, she started to find him not so annoying anymore. with an ashen face, he rongsheng hesitated slightly then pulled out a stack of money from his bag, slamming it on the table with a snap, "this money is enough to cover several months of your salary, you loser. take it and scram, i'm buying this spot!" normally, he rongsheng would have had someone dispose of hao jian already, but with guo shuxian present today, he had to try buying hao jian off to maintain a good image in front of her. at that moment, many people in the restaurant turned their curious gazes towards hao jian, and upon seeing he rongsheng throwing a hefty stack of money, a wave of astonishment rippled through the crowd. he rongsheng seemed to greatly enjoy this feeling, his lips curving into a smug smile, boasting internally, 'i'm rich! i do what i want!' guo shuxian also felt that he rongsheng's actions were excessive. it was simply meant to provoke hao jian. although she didn't like hao jian much, compared to he rongsheng, she'd rather sympathize with hao jian. guo shuxian had thought that this would be the moment when hao jian would stand up, angrily smash the stack of money into he rongsheng's face, and yell, "being rich doesn't make you great!" but what she thought, was ultimately just what she thought. hao jian hastily ate a few more bites of rice, then stood up, took the stack of money, and left. he left? just like that, hao jian walked away? guo shuxian was dumbfounded. where was your dignity as a man? where was your pride? he rongsheng's lips also curled into a scornful smile, "just as expected, a poor loser!" "hao jian! are you just going to leave like this?" guo shuxian roared, infuriated to see hao jian abandon her so ungraciously. your journey continues at empire "otherwise?" hao jian asked, puzzled. "didn't you hear him insulting you? don't you have any boundaries left?" guo shuxian snapped, furious at his indifferent attitude. why did it make her so angry to see him like this? "no." hao jian answered without a second thought. "you." guo shuxian was so angry she could explode. how could there be such a shameless person? "what's wrong with keeping me company?" guo shuxian said angrily. as a beautiful woman like her, there were plenty who wanted to dine with her. yet hao jian would give up such a great opportunity for money, how could she not be angry? she would rather have dinner with hao jian than with he rongsheng because she knew that hao jian's gaze was pure when he looked at her, unlike he rongsheng, who seemed like he wanted to devour her. flirting? guo shuxian was actually flirting with this guy? he rongsheng could hardly believe his eyes. was this the same guo shuxian who dominated the official scene? suddenly, he rongsheng's face darkened, filled with jealousy. what exactly was hao jian's relationship with guo shuxian that she would act like this towards him? "better not, we are not even close. besides, he already paid me, i can't just go back on my word, can i?" hao jian was not interested in being guo shuxian's shield. "as your elder, i command you to sit down and dine with me!" guo shuxian ordered sternly. "didn't you disagree with me befriending xiaoxiao earlier? if that's the case, you are no longer my elder." hao jian said seriously. "i agree! i agree you can be friends with her, and i'll make sure she spends more time with you," guo shuxian said, exasperated. was this guy really holding a grudge? "you are insulting me!" hao jian glared at guo shuxian angrily. "agreeing and disagreeing at will, do you think i, hao jian, am at your beck and call?" "then what do you want?" guo shuxian was almost in tears, this guy was definitely doing this on purpose! "i want to be friends with you." hao jian rubbed his palms together, glancing shyly at guo shuxian. "actually, i'm not interested in your daughter xiaoxiao. what truly interests me is a mature woman like you." sea??h th§× n?vel(f)ire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "..." guo shuxian was petrified. she could never have guessed that hao jian would make such a suggestion. how could he be interested in her? he was her daughter's friend, and her daughter even had a crush on him! upon hearing this, he rongsheng was nearly beside himself with rage. this kid dared to compete with him for a woman right in front of him? in his heart, he rongsheng prayed that guo shuxian would definitely reject hao jian. guo shuxian hesitated for a moment, but then she said with a blush, "i accept." accepting hao jian was better than being harassed by he rongsheng, since hao jian's boldness in speaking out meant that he had no ulterior motives, which was much better than he rongsheng's secretive ways. that's what she told herself, but in reality, she didn't mind befriending hao jian. in fact, she even felt a faint anticipation after hearing what hao jian had said. even though he was much younger, and he was the boy her daughter liked. Chapter 181 Is Awesome? Hao Jian walked back smiling and handed the stack of money back to He Rongsheng, "Sorry, but it seems you're really not well-liked."Having said that, he ignored He Rongsheng's gloomy face and sat down right in front of Guo Shuxian. He Rongsheng looked at the stack of money in his hand, only to feel a burning pain on his face, as if Hao Jian's words had silently slapped him several times! How dare a loser vie with him for a woman? What right did he have? And that wretched Guo Shuxian, she actually preferred a loser over him¡ªtruly damned slutty! He Rongsheng, grinding his teeth in hatred, glared sharply at Hao Jian, "Kid, I'm giving you a chance, get out of here immediately, or I'll make you regret showing up today!" "Or how about I give you a chance, shut your filthy mouth, and roll away from us?" Hao Jian sneered, glanced at He Rongsheng, then asked Guo Shuxian, "Who is this guy?" "An annoying suitor." Guo Shuxian said ungraciously. She had told He Rongsheng more than once that she didn't like him and would never accept his courtship; his constant pestering had also started to wear on her patience. Naturally, her attitude wasn't good. "Very well, you two seem to click." He Rongsheng sneered sinisterly, then pointing at Hao Jian, he ordered his bodyguards, "Take this brat down!" The five or six burly bodyguards immediately began to approach Hao Jian. "He Rongsheng, what are you trying to do?" Guo Shuxian exclaimed in shock, not expecting He Rongsheng to be bold enough to hurt someone in such a public setting. "I already made it very clear¡ªI want to cripple this arrogant brat!" He Rongsheng said with a chilling laugh. "I order you to stop immediately!" Guo Shuxian said sternly, using her status to try and prevent He Rongsheng from making a scene. Hao Jian had become involved because of her, and if something happened to him on her account, her conscience wouldn't be clear. "Mrs. Guo, are you sure you want to go against He Corporation for a loser? Don't forget that your initial position was heavily assisted by He Corporation," He Rongsheng sneered. The more Guo Shuxian protected Hao Jian, the more jealous he felt. He Corporation and Liang Jiankun's Liang Corporation were among the top four firms dominating the business realm of Hua City. "True, He Corporation has helped a lot, but it was Old Master He, not you, He Rongsheng!" Guo Shuxian retorted angrily: "And over the years I have provided plenty of benefits to He Corporation, sufficiently repaying the favors from the past. If you have any complaints, let Old Master He speak to me directly. As for you blaming me in this matter? Do you even qualify?" He Rongsheng, clenching his teeth, was full of rage, "Fine, I won't blame you; I'm focusing on this brat! I'm going to act now, and if you think you can convict me in Hua City for this, just try!" Reluctant to offend Guo Shuxian, yet towards Hao Jian, a mere nobody, he felt emboldened. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Guo Shuxian's expression darkened, silent, knowing He Rongsheng was serious. Although his words were arrogant, they were a clear demonstration of his confidence! As long as it was in Hua City, his family's influence meant even Guo Shuxian couldn't touch him! "It seems I've been underestimated," Hao Jian touched his nose, managing a wry smile, then approached Guo Shuxian, saying, "Step back, let me handle this." "Hao Jian, don't be rash, there are several of them and you're no match for them. Let me deal with this." Seeing Hao Jian attempting to be the hero, Guo Shuxian hurriedly advised. She was also quite perplexed¡ªHao Jian was not usually one to act recklessly. Find your next read at empire "He's made it clear he won't give you any respect, and even if you could punish him later, what about now? Can you stop him before his men beat me up?" Hao Jian said, smiling at Guo Shuxian. Guo Shuxian paused, then lowered her head in shame, "Sorry, it's all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on you staying, you wouldn't have gotten into this mess." Now, Guo Shuxian truly felt terrible; she had never anticipated that because of her, Hao Jian would suffer such a calamity. "It's not your fault; blame that idiot instead." Hao Jian scornfully looked at He Rongsheng, yet he appeared entirely unafraid. "You're pretty arrogant, kid." He Rongsheng was both amused and aggravated by Hao Jian's brazen demeanor, and with a merciless expression, he waved to his men, "Break his limbs for me, I want him to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair!" How dare you compete with me, He Rongsheng, for a woman? You motherfucker who didn't even bother to find out who I am! He Rongsheng scorned in his heart. Guo Shuxian's heart sank immediately; if Hao Jian really became disabled because of her, she guessed she would feel guilty for a lifetime. Seeing the bodyguards with their icy expressions approaching, Hao Jian shrugged, a sneer flitted across his lips, and as everyone screamed, he rushed forward and within less than a minute, all those bodyguards were so beaten they couldn't even crawl back up. "Just with these losers you thought you could take me down? Go dream your mother's pipe dreams," Hao Jian laughed arrogantly. He Rongsheng was outright shocked; all those bodyguards were handpicked from special forces, each capable of taking on ten men each, yet this youngster had defeated them in just a minute? Guo Shuxian was also dumbfounded; just how formidable was this guy? "You bastard!" Guo Shuxian went up and hit Hao Jian, but her manner was more teasing than angry, "You damn guy, why didn't you say so earlier, making me worry for nothing." "What? You were worried about me?" Hao Jian grinned cheekily at Guo Shuxian. "I wish you were dead!" Guo Shuxian cursed, yet her cheeks were flushed, and she was somewhat flustered. Adulterer and slut! Adulterer and slut! He Rongsheng inwardly cursed relentlessly, these two dared to flirt right in front of him? Then, Hao Jian walked towards He Rongsheng; since He Rongsheng had already planned to cripple him, naturally, he intended to return the favor. "What...what do you want?" He Rongsheng stepped back in terror, his complexion turning slightly pale. "Need I say it? Naturally, to cripple you," Hao Jian smiled lightly and, with one kick, knocked He Rongsheng to the ground. Then, grabbing both of He Rongsheng's arms from behind and stepping on his back, he was ready to cripple him. "Kid, I belong to He Corporation; if you dare touch me, I'll make your life a living hell!" He Rongsheng threatened fiercely. Seeing this, Guo Shuxian also furrowed her brows, "Hao Jian, let it be, if you really cripple him, He Corporation won't let you off." "He Corporation? Are they really that powerful?" Hao Jian asked with a sneer. "Very powerful!" Guo Shuxian thought that Hao Jian was genuinely unaware of He Corporation's background and nodded gravely. "I promise you, afterwards I'll have a talk with Old Master He, and get some justice for you. Just... let him go!" "Crack!" The sound of bones breaking filled the air. "Aaaah!" He Rongsheng screamed in agony. Chapter 182 He is the Author! "Let them come find me then!" Hao Jian sneered and tossed He Rongsheng aside like a dead dog.At this moment, He Rongsheng's hands had been twisted and broken by Hao Jian, his whole being was in extreme misery, and the pain had already made him pass out. "You... I already agreed to stand up for you, why... did you still resort to violence?" Guo Shuxian rebuked, somewhat angrily. Hao Jian crippling He Rongsheng meant that He Corporation would definitely not let this go, and sooner or later, Hao Jian would be in trouble. This whole affair, after all, started because of her, which filled Guo Shuxian with deep remorse! "Even if Old Master He would give me an explanation, would he cripple He Rongsheng?" Hao Jian asked with a sneer. "This..." Guo Shuxian hesitated. He Rongsheng was Old Master He's biological son, how could he possibly cripple him? "What I wanted was to cripple him. Since he couldn't do it, then I had to do it myself," Hao Jian said arrogantly. "You... Sigh!" Guo Shuxian didn't know what to say to Hao Jian anymore; she hadn't expected the joking, scoundrel-like Hao Jian to have such a ruthless side. Given her status, she was actually very much against such violent actions by Hao Jian, although it was He Rongsheng who initially caused the trouble, Hao Jian's actions were unwarranted. "I'm leaving. Do you want a ride?" Hao Jian asked. "No need," Guo Shuxian replied curtly, seemingly still angry at how Hao Jian had battered He Rongsheng. Hao Jian did not insist and shrugged his shoulders as he headed outside. "Bastard." As she watched Hao Jian's departing figure, Guo Shuxian muttered under her breath. He sure was quick to leave, dumping a big mess on her to handle. She looked at He Rongsheng lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth, feeling utterly overwhelmed. How could this situation be properly resolved? "Auntie, what happened here? Where is Hao Jian?" Just then, Zhang Qiuya rushed back after finishing her tasks and, seeing He Rongsheng and the others on the ground, she couldn't help but look shocked. "It's a long story," Guo Shuxian said with a bitter smile and then asked, "By the way, Qiuya, who is the artist who painted the 'Eastern Charm'? Can you introduce me?" Ever since she saw that painting, Guo Shuxian had been eager to meet the artist because his work, both in style and essence, deeply resonated with her, feeling like meeting someone who truly understood her, and she admired him greatly. "Ah? You don't know?" Zhang Qiuya asked, surprised. She clearly remembered seeing Guo Shuxian and Hao Jian dining together when she left. "Should I know?" Guo Shuxian was even more puzzled. If she knew, why would she ask you? "Didn't Hao Jian tell you?" Zhang Qiuya blinked, assuming Hao Jian would have told her. "What does that guy have to do with this?" Guo Shuxian pouted slightly, annoyed at the mere mention of him. "Because that guy is the artist of 'Eastern Charm'," Zhang Qiuya said with a wry smile, almost certain now that Hao Jian had told Guo Shuxian nothing. "What?" Guo Shuxian was shocked. Hao Jian was the artist of that painting? That scoundrel? How could that be possible? "You're joking with me, right?" Guo Shuxian's expression was incredibly vivid. Since the auction ended, she had been searching for Hao Jian's whereabouts, yet he had been right under her nose and she had no idea? "Auntie, why would I joke about something like this? The painting is indeed his work; actually, I asked him to paint it. He previously painted one for Xiaoxiao; didn't Xiaoxiao tell you?" Zhang Qiuya asked curiously. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Guo Shuxian was speechless. So the painting at home was Hao Jian's work? When she first saw the painting, she had asked Xiaoxiao who had given her such an expensive piece, but Xiaoxiao had adamantly refused to tell her. "Sorry, Auntie. I thought Hao Jian would tell you, so I didn't say it beforehand," Zhang Qiuya said apologetically. "It's not your fault," Guo Shuxian said with a bitter smile and shook her head, "The blame lies with that guy for deliberately keeping me in the dark." It seemed she had misjudged him, the man's depth was far greater than what appeared on the surface. .. "Hao Jian, where are you?" Just out of the auction house, Hao Jian received a call from Shu Ya. "I'm outside, what's up?" Hao Jian asked. "I'm at the company, come back immediately," Shu Ya said in an unquestionable tone, her voice harsh and cold. Hao Jian was startled, wondering if the woman had eaten gunpowder, and hurriedly asked, "What's going on?" "We're going to find Shu Yuntu!" After saying this, Shu Ya hung up the phone abruptly. Hao Jian stared at his phone, dazed for a long time, before a slight smile appeared on his lips, "She's finally made up her mind." Fu Jinmei hadn't expected Shu Ya and Hao Jian to visit suddenly. When she opened the door, her eyes were clearly moist, obviously having just cried. That morning, she had also received news of Chen Sen's death, stating that he had been beaten to death by seven thugs the night before. Now, nearly a week had passed since the incident, yet the police had still not captured any suspects. The police said the murderer was too cunning, leaving no evidence behind, they were still investigating. Seeing Fu Jinmei's moist eyes, Hao Jian and Shu Ya instantly understood the situation. Explore stories on empire "Thank you." Suddenly, Shu Ya turned to look at Hao Jian, realizing that what he had said was true, that Fu Jinmei was truly conspiring with Chen Sen to seize control of Shu Ya Group, and if not for Hao Jian, they might have succeeded. Hao Jian had done too much for her, so much that it couldn't be measured in money. Even if she gave the entire Shu Ya Group to Hao Jian, she felt it wouldn't compensate for all he had done for her. "Let's take care of business first," Hao Jian said with a smile. "What are you doing here?" Fu Jinmei was already in a bad mood these days, and to avoid letting Shu Yuntu discover, she could only cry quietly by herself when Shu Yuntu was out. Now seeing two adversaries at her doorstep, she immediately showed anger and glared fiercely at Hao Jian and Shu Ya. Chapter 183 The Worlds Biggest Fool! "Is Shu Yuntu here?" Shu Ya asked expressionlessly."You don't even call him 'Dad'?" Fu Jinmei sneered instantly, unable to stand Shu Ya's haughty attitude. Wasn't she just born a bit luckier? What's so great about that? "Sorry, my father died a long time ago." Shu Ya remained indifferent. In her eyes, Shu Yuntu was indeed a dead man. "If that's the case, why are you still here? Get out!" Fu Jinmei screamed sharply, then tried to slam the door shut. Hao Jian seized the right moment and kicked the door forcefully. "Bang!" The door was kicked open instantly, and Fu Jinmei, who was behind it, also fell to the ground. "How dare you hit me? I hope you all die horrible deaths!" Fu Jinmei glared at them ferociously. "Listen to people when they're speaking. It's the most basic manner of courtesy. Didn't your mother ever teach you that?" Hao Jian sneered. "Even if she had a mother, it's like having one without any teaching. Otherwise, how could she become a mistress and destroy someone else's family?" Shu Ya chimed in. "You..." Fu Jinmei was trembling with rage but was helpless to do anything. She couldn't overpower Hao Jian, nor could she rival Shu Ya in terms of wealth and power. She used to have Chen Sen by her side, which allowed her to be somewhat arrogant, but now with Chen Sen dead, and Shu Yuntu, that useless piece, being of no help to her. "Cut the crap and call back that useless Shu Yuntu, or I'll beat you so bad, mother or no mother, she won't recognize you," Hao Jian snorted coldly. "Fine, I'll call him right now!" Fu Jinmei glared and picked up her phone to make a call. But the moment the phone connected, she started cursing like a shrew: "Shu Yuntu, are you planning on dying in that gambling den? Your dead wife's bastard child is here. If you don't come back now, you better prepare to deal with your wife and son!" S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hearing Fu Jinmei describe her mother in such terms, a cold glint flashed in Shu Ya's eyes. Fu Jinmei had destroyed their family and showed not a trace of remorse; instead, she was becoming more arrogant and overbearing. If there were more people like her in the world, chaos would surely follow. After the call, Fu Jinmei glared at the two: "Are you satisfied now?" "Is it okay?" Hao Jian asked Shu Ya. "It's fine." Shu Ya nodded. After being together for so long, they had developed a certain understanding. Although Hao Jian didn't say what was okay, she understood what he meant. So, Hao Jian walked straight towards Fu Jinmei and, under her frightened gaze, slapped her to the ground. Fu Jinmei, after being slapped, immediately took out a makeup mirror to check the injury on her face while she was on the ground. This action made both Shu Ya and Hao Jian chuckle. When she saw her face swelling at a visible rate, Fu Jinmei finally burst into tears, "You dare hit a woman. You're all going to die horrible deaths!" Seeing her like this, neither Hao Jian nor Shu Ya felt any pity; they found her laughable instead. It was she who had first hurled insults, and in the end, it turned into their fault. "I don't like hitting women, but you're an exception. I have a bit of a bad temper, and I have zero tolerance for people like you, so if you don't want to continue being hit, you'd better shut your mouth!" Hao Jian threatened with a sinister laugh. Consequently, Fu Jinmei clamped her mouth shut, daring not to speak, yet she still glared at Hao Jian with resentful eyes. "I, for one, don't like being glared at," said Hao Jian with a smirk. Thus, Fu Jinmei could only bow her head in frustration. It wasn't long before Shu Yuntu rushed back, frantic. The moment he saw Fu Jinmei on the ground, her cheek swollen, he instantly understood what had happened and glared at the two Shu Yas: "You dared to hit my wife?" "Hit her? For all she's done, even killing her wouldn't be too much," retorted Hao Jian coldly, thinking Shu Yuntu must be the world's biggest fool. Wife? Is she really your wife? "Shu Yuntu, hurry up and kick this bastard out. We don't welcome her in our home!" Fu Jinmei cursed, nearly going mad. "Bastard? Who really is the bastard, Shu Ya or your son?" Hao Jian chuckled mockingly. This foolish woman still thought her plan was flawless. At those words, Fu Jinmei's expression stiffened, and she said somewhat guiltily, "What are you talking about? How could my son possibly be a bastard!" "What are you doing here? Didn't I give you money already? You dare to deceive me?" Seeing Hao Jian and Shu Ya come to provoke a confrontation, Shu Yuntu realized that Hao Jian had played him. "Deceiving you is the least of it. Why don't you ask your 'wife' what she has tricked you about?" jeered Hao Jian, eager to see Shu Yuntu's face when he learned the truth. Fu Jinmei's face went pale¡ªhad these two lowlifes discovered her secret? "My wife?" Shu Yuntu looked suspiciously at Fu Jinmei, only to see her lower her head guiltily, silent. "What in the world is going on?" Shu Yuntu pressed Hao Jian with a foreboding sense of dread. Hao Jian said nothing, turned on the video on his phone, and tossed it to Shu Yuntu. "Have a good look, world's number one idiot!" Shu Yuntu took the phone with suspicion, his gaze locked on the screen. His face turned from red to white, then from white to green, and eventually from green to purple, his entire body beginning to tremble. "So it was you two who killed Chen Sen! I want you dead! I'll definitely have you dead! Shu Yuntu, what are you waiting for? Why aren't you throwing them out now?" Fu Jinmei screamed viciously. So it was Hao Jian and his accomplice who had killed Chen Sen, and at this moment, she wished she could tear them to pieces! "I'll throw your mother's head!" Shu Yuntu punched Fu Jinmei squarely in the face. "Ah!" Fu Jinmei clutched her nose, which Shu Yuntu had just broken, blood gushing out. "You slut, you actually cuckolded me! Tell me, is Shu Bingjian really my son or not!" Shu Yuntu bellowed, his ferocious demeanor like a wild beast ready to devour his prey. His own wife not really his wife, his own son not really his son¡ªwhat in this house truly belonged to him? He abandoned his wife for Fu Jinmei, only to end up with such a betrayal? Shu Yuntu felt an overwhelming urge to kill! Discover more stories at empire "Don't listen to their nonsense. Little Jian is of course your son. That video is fake; they made it up to frame me. Don't believe them!" Fu Jinmei was completely terrified now, crying out as she clung to Shu Yuntu's trousers. With Chen Sen gone, if Shu Yuntu abandoned her as well, then she would be utterly destitute. Chapter 184 A Harmonious Family of Three! "If this video is fake, then how did you know from just the voice that the man in there is Chen Sen? Why don't you explain to us who Chen Sen is?" Hao Jian laughed heartily. At this point, could Fu Jinmei still try to argue against the obvious?"Besides, with medical science so advanced, why not just go to the hospital and get a paternity test done?" At the mention of "paternity test," Fu Jinmei's face turned ashen. If they really went for a paternity test, everything would be over! "Call Shu Bingjian down here!" Shu Yuntu roared, having lost all reason by now. "Yuntu." Fu Jinmei looked at Shu Yuntu, pleading like a beggar. Shu Yuntu kicked her away, "You have one minute to call him down, or I swear I'll kill you!" Fu Jinmei was frightened by the sight of Shu Yuntu's bloodshot eyes, because she knew that Shu Yuntu wasn't joking¡ªhe really might kill her. "What are you all yelling about? Can't a person sleep?" Just then, a young man came downstairs, disturbed by the noise and glaring at Hao Jian and the others. "Little Jian, go back to your room! Your dad has lost his mind!" Fu Jinmei quickly shouted. Who knew what Shu Yuntu would do if he found out Shu Bingjian wasn't his biological son. "Come here to me!" Shu Yuntu shouted at Shu Bingjian. Now, looking at this son of his, he couldn't understand why, but he felt a profound disgust. "Coming, okay? What's all the fuss about? Are you sick?" Shu Bingjian said with dissatisfaction as he walked towards Shu Yuntu. "Shu Yuntu, your wife doesn't treat you like a man, and it looks like your son doesn't stand up for you either. As a man, you might as well be dead than live like this," Hao Jian scoffed. Upon hearing this, Shu Yuntu's face darkened to the extreme, and he strode into the kitchen, then rushed out with a bowl of water and a kitchen knife. "Shu Yuntu, have you gone mad? He's your son!" Seeing Shu Yuntu with a kitchen knife, Fu Jinmei was terrified and positioned herself firmly in front of Shu Bingjian. And Shu Bingjian was also stupefied. What in the world was going on? "Get out of the way!" Shu Yuntu, with a fierce look, kicked Fu Jinmei aside and then grabbed Shu Bingjian, dragging him over. He cut one of his fingers, letting the blood drip into the bowl, and then cut his own finger to let his own blood drop in. "A blood paternity test? Shu Yuntu, you've finally had a moment of clarity," Hao Jian jeered with a smirk. A blood paternity test wasn't highly reliable, but it wasn't without its effectiveness. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. For instance, if a person with Type A blood marries someone with Type B blood, their children could be Type A, B, or AB, but definitely not Type O. Meaning, if Chen Sen was Type O blood, and Shu Bingjian just happened to inherit his blood type, then his blood absolutely wouldn't mix with Shu Yuntu's, betting on a probability. Shu Yuntu wanted to use this method first to see if Shu Bingjian's blood would blend with his own, before going to the hospital for a DNA test. At that moment, Shu Yuntu, Fu Jinmei, and Shu Bingjian all watched the blood in the bowl nervously. They saw the two drops of blood intersecting but ultimately separating, unable to blend together. "Fu Jinmei, you're quite out of luck to have hit this probability. It seems even the heavens won't accommodate you," Hao Jian said to Fu Jinmei with a strange smile on his face. Fu Jinmei's face turned deathly pale, her body swaying as if about to collapse, and she finally fell onto the couch. It was all over, everything was finished! "Hahaha. My son? This is what you call my son?" Shu Yuntu laughed maniacally, his gaze fixed sharply on Fu Jinmei like the edge of a knife. "I'm such a goddamn fool! I've been raising someone else's son all these years!" Shu Yuntu shouted in anger as he slapped the bowl of water to the floor. The shards of glass cut across Fu Jinmei's face, leaving a bloody trail, but Fu Jinmei seemed oblivious, her gaze blank. "Old man, have you lost your mind?" Shu Bingjian also flared up, angered by what seemed to be a nervous breakdown in broad daylight. Fu Jinmei had never looked up to Shu Yuntu, and Shu Bingjian followed suit, never treating Shu Yuntu like a father. Seeing him hit Fu Jinmei, Shu Bingjian couldn't help but feel some rage. "I'm crazy? Yes, yes, I'm crazy! I must have been out of my mind to have raised a bastard from someone else's family to this size!" Shu Yuntu slapped Shu Bingjian across the face, knocking Shu Bingjian to the ground. Fu Jinmei quickly embraced Shu Bingjian and yelled at Shu Yuntu: "If you have any anger, take it out on me, the child is innocent!" "Whore?" Shu Yuntu pointed at Fu Jinmei, then at Shu Bingjian: "Bastard?" Then he broke into a maniacal laugh, as if he had gone mad. Hao Jian was right; he was a complete fool. He had abandoned his wife, only to end up raising someone else's wife and son for so many years. Shu Yuntu now wanted to slap himself hard across the face for being played for so long without having a clue. No wonder Fu Jinmei claimed to go to the beauty salon two or three times a week; she wasn't going to the beauty salon at all but to meet her lover! Moreover, Fu Jinmei had even planned to kill him. No wonder she had always egged him on to seize Shu Ya's company, and even urged him to kill his own flesh and blood. It was all so that once he gained the company, she could easily take it from him and then kill him to enjoy a life of luxury with her lover! And he had done everything she wanted! Shu Yuntu felt an icy chill, his body trembling uncontrollably. Could it be that the person he had shared a bed with for over a decade actually harbored intentions to take his life? Shu Yuntu picked up a kitchen knife, staggering towards Fu Jinmei and said in a dull voice, "Since you want to kill me, I'll kill you first!" Shu Yuntu had gone mad. Now that he had nothing left ¨C his wife and son weren't his, and his daughter disowned him ¨C it wouldn't be long before he gambled away all his money with his compulsive gambling. Given the circumstances, he decided to kill Fu Jinmei, who had brought him to this state, before dying. "Little Jian, run!" When Fu Jinmei saw Shu Yuntu coming with the kitchen knife, she quickly pushed Little Jian aside, but she was stabbed in the back, blood gushing out instantly. But Fu Jinmei paid no mind to the wound on her back and started to run. So, Hao Jian and Shu Ya saw Fu Jinmei and Little Jian being chased by Shu Yuntu, shrieking miserably as they dodged up and down. "Ah! What a harmonious family of three!" Hao Jian exclaimed inappropriately. However, Shu Ya remained silent, the corners of her mouth curled in a slight, cold smile. Just then, Little Jian suddenly grabbed a baseball bat from his room and took the opportunity to hit Shu Yuntu on the back of the head. Shu Yuntu collapsed to the ground, his head spinning and unable to stand up for a moment. Little Jian, with a ferocious look, glared at Hao Jian and Shu Ya, "It's all because of you, you're the ones who caused this mess for us, I will never let you go!" Little Jian picked up his phone to make a call: "Boss Du, it's Little Jian. Something's happened here, get over here and help me! It's at my place!" Chapter 185 Sold to the Philippines to be a prostitute! "Little Jian, who are you calling?" Fu Jinmei saw Shu Bingjian making a phone call, her face revealing surprise as well."Calling my boss, he's the school bully at our school, and his dad is a very influential Mafia boss. He's really close to me, and I'm having him come over to avenge us right now!" Shu Bingjian said through gritted teeth. "Good, good, good, you truly are my precious son," Fu Jinmei said as if seeing a lifesaver, having already forgotten her fear, and pointing at Hao Jian and Shu Ya, she said, "When your boss arrives, have this man chopped into pieces, and sell the woman to the Philippines to become a prostitute!" She despised Hao Jian and Shu Ya thoroughly. If it weren't for them, her secret would never have been exposed, and she wouldn't have ended up in such a predicament. "Unchangingly heartless!" Shu Ya snorted coldly. "No problem!" Shu Bingjian responded with a ruthless smile. "You're not very friendly for a first meeting, little brother," Hao Jian teased. "He's not my brother, I have no relation to this family," Shu Ya glared at Hao Jian and said unhappily. She even decided not to bother with Shu Yuntu, let alone Shu Bingjian and Fu Jinmei; their lives or deaths had nothing to do with her. "Oh right, I almost forgot he is a bastard," Hao Jian smacked his forehead and chuckled sheepishly. Hearing the word 'bastard,' Shu Bingjian's expression changed drastically, and venomously he said, "Be arrogant all you want, but once my boss arrives, I'll have him chop off your limbs and soak you in a salt vat, making your life a living hell!" Hearing this, a hardly noticeable cold gleam flashed across Hao Jian's eyes, "Having such vicious thoughts at such a young age, seems like your mom taught you quite well." This Shu Bingjian indeed very much resembled Fu Jinmei in terms of personality. "Shu Yuntu, look at yourself, you can't even avenge your own grievances, how worthless must you be? Back then, you left your wife for such a cheap woman, having others raise your wife and son for so many years. If I were you, I would rather be dead," Hao Jian taunted, facing a somewhat confused Shu Yuntu. Shu Yuntu wore a bitter smile, for he had caused Shu Ya's mother to commit suicide for Fu Jinmei, and now he was facing the consequences. "How should we deal with this old codger?" Shu Bingjian asked Fu Jinmei. Fu Jinmei glanced at Shu Yuntu, hesitated for a moment, and then a ruthless look reappeared in her eyes: "Kill him too, didn't you see him stab me just now?" "Okay!" Shu Bingjian nodded his head; anyway, he had never been close to Shu Yuntu, always whining when asking him for money, and now knowing that Shu Yuntu wasn't his biological father, he felt no loss, but rather relieved. Hearing this, Shu Yuntu just gave a self-mocking laugh, unable to do anything else. This was his wife and son, after all the countless money he had spent on them over the years, this was the result they brought him. About half an hour later, that Boss Du that belonged to Shu Bingjian arrived. "Who dares to touch my brother!" Boss Du burst in with a dozen Knife-Wielders. "It's him! Boss Du, chop them up for me!" Shu Bingjian pointed at Hao Jian and Shu Ya. And Fu Jinmei couldn't help but laugh cruelly, just thinking of Hao Jian being chopped into a bloody mess made her feel a surge of pleasure. As for Shu Ya, she felt it wouldn't be fitting to let her die so cheaply, she planned to sell her to the Philippines as a prostitute, letting her be ridden by thousands! Du Haitao nodded, turned towards Hao Jian, who was facing away from him, and sneered viciously, "Kid, turn your head around, let the boss see what a fuckable face you've got!" So, Hao Jian turned his head back. Then, Du Haitao's face turned ashen. Hao Jian chuckled twice, looking at Du Haitao and said, "I don't know what kind of fucked-up face I have, why don't you tell me?" "Thump," Du Haitao knelt on the ground in fright, his face devoid of any color: "I didn't know it was you, I. I." Du Haitao was already speaking incoherently. He couldn't have imagined that the person Shu Bingjian wanted him to kill was Hao Jian. If he had known it was Hao Jian, even if he had the courage of an audacious leopard, he wouldn't have dared to do it! Though Du Haitao's father had some influence in society, it was because his boss was Brother Spice Ginger and Hao Jian was the boss of Brother Spice Ginger. Did he dare touch him? Wasn't that seeking death? Besides, even if he dared to wipe him out, he wasn't capable of doing so! When Hao Jian wiped out the entire Dragon Tiger Gang, he had just been hiding inside a car. He had watched firsthand the piles of corpses at Hao Jian's feet and seen Brother Spice Ginger bow and scrape to Hao Jian, claiming he wanted to serve Hao Jian as his master. Such an existence was not someone he could afford to provoke! "Did you just say I look fucked?" Hao Jian asked with a cold sneer. "No, no, no, it's me who looks fucked! I have a foul mouth!" Du Haitao kept slapping his own face, using all his strength, afraid that if he didn't strike hard enough, Hao Jian wouldn't feel his remorse. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing Du Haitao like this, Fu Jinmei and Shu Bingjian mother and son both turned pale, their faces looking as if they had just learned they had terminal cancer with not long to live. They were all puzzled about who Hao Jian really was, as seeing Du Haitao acting like a mouse who had just seen a cat. Shu Ya's lips curled in a mocking smile, appreciating the expressions of Fu Jinmei and Du Haitao at the moment. "Are you planning to stand up for them?" Hao Jian asked again, astonished that the help Shu Bingjian had summoned turned out to be Du Haitao. It seemed that even the heavens wanted to eliminate Shu Bingjian and his mother. "No, I came because I didn't know they had offended you. If I had known, I would never have come!" Du Haitao shook his head like a rattle drum, head lowered: "They offended you, and they deserve to die, I won't meddle in that!" Hearing Du Haitao say this, Shu Bingjian mother and son were thoroughly scared, a feeling known as "regret" swirling in their hearts. "Very good," Hao Jian said with a twisted laugh, pointing at Shu Bingjian and his mother. "Take that woman to the Philippines to be a whore!" Since her mind was so vicious, he would let her experience what that felt like! Upon hearing this, Fu Jinmei's face turned ashen; she could already imagine just how painful the rest of her life would be. And she knew, once taken to the Philippines to be a whore, she probably wouldn't survive more than five years. "Okay," Du Haitao nodded, well aware of how terrifying Hao Jian was. Naturally, he couldn't side with Shu Bingjian and his mother, even though he was on good terms with Shu Bingjian. Suddenly, Du Haitao looked toward Shu Bingjian: "And this guy?" Hao Jian thought for a moment and said, "Send him over as well, he has soft and delicate skin, someone might like his type." Du Haitao felt a shiver down his spine, that was too cruel. He could almost imagine a humiliating scene for Du Haitao. "Mom, I don't want to be a whore, I don't want to be violated, please save me." Shu Bingjian suddenly started crying and shouting, clutching at Fu Jinmei's arms in desperation. Chapter 186 Really Deserved It! Fu Jinmei didn't want her son to suffer, so she braced herself and said to Hao Jian, "Hao Jian, whatever you do to me, I won't have any complaints, but Shu Bingjian is still a child, please let him go.""If you had asked me half an hour ago, I might have agreed, but now, it's too late!" Hao Jian shook his head, his cheeks still bearing a gentle, shallow smile, but in this atmosphere, his smile appeared somewhat cruel. It wasn't that he didn't sympathize with Fu Jinmei and her son, but that they simply weren't worthy of sympathy. If Shu Bingjian hadn't called for help, if Fu Jinmei hadn't said she would send Shu Ya to the Philippines to be a prostitute, Hao Jian might have let it go. But in this world, there are no ifs. Fu Jinmei used Shu Bingjian's youth as an excuse to ask him to let Shu Bingjian go, but as the saying goes, "What's set at three is what will be at eighty," what Shu Bingjian is now, he will be in the future. "Take them away!" Hao Jian said impatiently, waving his hand at Du Haitao. Immediately, Du Haitao made a signal to his subordinates, ordering them to grab Fu Jinmei and her son. The mother and son were still finding it hard to accept the turn of events, who could've expected that their so-called rescuers would end up belonging to someone else. "You're bullying us, a mother and her orphan, but Heaven won't overlook this, you won't die a good death!" Fu Jinmei screamed in agitation, since they saw no hope for survival, they were ready to risk everything. "Whether we die a good death, I don't know, but right now, it's you who won't die a good death." Hao Jian said with a faint smile as Fu Jinmei passed by him. "Make sure they don't use condoms when they serve customers, got it?" Hao Jian ordered Du Haitao. The faces of Fu Jinmei and Shu Bingjian stiffened at the same time. Du Haitao nodded with a numb scalp, realizing the grim fate that awaited Fu Jinmei and Shu Bingjian. "Happy?" Hao Jian asked Shu Ya with a smile, who throughout the whole process played the role of a bystander, never intervening or stopping, because Hao Jian was considerate. He was worried that Shu Ya would not have the heart to be ruthless, so he took it upon himself to be ruthless for her. "Happy." Shu Ya revealed a somewhat radiant smile. "Shall we go?" S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Mhm." Hao Jian and Shu Ya left, and in the entire house, only Shu Yuntu was left standing there, stunned. His wife gone, his son gone, his daughter gone, he had lost everything. "Slap!" Shu Yuntu slapped himself across the face, his old tears streaming down as he murmured, "Deserved! Truly deserved!" . "Mr. Hao, I have something I want to talk to you about." Just then, Du Haitao approached. "What is it?" Hao Jian asked with raised eyebrows. "It's about Yuan Zhibang." After much thought, Du Haitao still decided to tell Hao Jian, after all, Hao Jian was Yuan Zhibang's brother-in-law. "Yuan Zhibang? What's happened to him?" Hao Jian's brow furrowed with concern, wondering what sort of mess the kid had gotten into now. "Yuan Zhibang had a girlfriend at the start of school, but recently it seems he's been dumped for a rich second-generation kid from our school. Despite that, Yuan Zhibang seems really into the girl, so he won't give up. I heard some rumors a while back that the rich kid has it in for Yuan Zhibang and plans to pay someone to take him out," Du Haitao reported truthfully. "You didn't try to stop him?" Hao Jian squinted at Du Haitao. Feeling Hao Jian's intense gaze, Du Haitao's legs began to tremble, and he replied, "The rich kid hired the top dog in Nancheng District. I'm no match for him. I was actually going to seek help from Brother Spice Ginger just now, but Mr. Shu's call brought me here instead." After learning about Hao Jian's identity, Du Haitao had done his best to look out for Yuan Zhibang at school. But this time, Yuan Zhibang had gotten into trouble with someone Du Haitao couldn't handle either. "I need to deal with some things, you go back first," Hao Jian said to Shu Ya. Shu Ya nodded and then drove off. "Lead the way," Hao Jian said to Yuan Zhibang. "Yuan Zhibang, are you really planning to go to Sun Zihan's birthday party? I'm not scolding you, but that Sun Zihan is a real sly fox. She can't get enough of that rich second-generation Yang Dong. These past few days, she's been showing off in class about the LV bag Yang Dong bought her and stuff like that. What's so good about such a woman?" Inside the dorm, Yuan Zhibang's roommates were all opposed to him attending Sun Zihan's birthday party since Yang Dong was the one organizing it. Given the awkward situation between Yuan Zhibang and Yang Dong, if Yuan Zhibang went, Yang Dong would definitely give him a hard time. Yuan Zhibang chuckled bitterly, "I still want to try. If it really doesn't work out this time, then I'll let it go." "Yuan Zhibang, face reality. Yang Dong is a rich second-gen. He drives a BMW to school, parties at nightclubs, girls throw themselves at him. How can us poor guys compete with him?" one roommate advised. "I refuse to believe that Zihan is with him just for the money. He must've coerced her somehow," Yuan Zhibang said with a serious expression. "Sigh, I honestly don't know if you're being foolish or just hopelessly romantic," Yuan Zhibang's roommates all felt that it wasn't worth it for him. "Yuan Zhibang, your brother-in-law is here!" Just then, a classmate's voice came from outside. Soon after, Hao Jian and Du Haitao walked in. The students were all fearful of Du Haitao, so when they saw him, they quickly made space. Seeing the situation, Yuan Zhibang immediately understood what was happening and glared at Du Haitao, "Who asked you to meddle? Didn't I say I would handle this myself?" He knew Du Haitao must've tipped off his brother-in-law. "Can you handle it on your own? Yang Dong has hired people to take you out tonight. Going there is asking for trouble!" Du Haitao said anxiously. He and Yuan Zhibang had become friends, and seeing Yuan Zhibang so stubborn was making him angry. Previously, Du Haitao had planned to find Brother Spice Ginger to have him settle the matter. With Brother Spice Ginger's status, he should be able to make the big shot in Nancheng District think twice. But that would only be enough to keep Yuan Zhibang safe, not to prevent him from being humiliated. And if Yuan Zhibang went to the party, he was bound to be humiliated. Yuan Zhibang snorted and turned his head away. Du Haitao could only shake his head with a wry smile, then looked at Hao Jian to signal that it was his turn since Yuan Zhibang wouldn't listen to him. Hao Jian walked up to Du Haitao with a smile and asked, "Are you dead set on going?" Yuan Zhibang hesitated but ultimately nodded, "Dead set." "Alright, lead the way," Hao Jian didn't waste any more words and had Yuan Zhibang take the lead. He too wanted to meet this Yang Dong. "Brother-in-law, you..." Yuan Zhibang looked at Hao Jian in astonishment. "Who hasn't been young before? Since you are young, you're bound to do a couple of foolish things. I know you won't be at peace until you get a clear answer from that girl, so I'll let you see for yourself," Hao Jian said with a faint smile. Chapter 187 Green Tea Bitch! "Zihan, do you think that loser will show up today?" In the makeup room at the hotel backstage, a group of girls crowded around one who was comparatively prettier, gossiping and chattering away.The girl had an oval-shaped face, seductive eyes, and was dressed like a princess, her expression emanated an air of arrogance: "I don't know, but if I were him, I wouldn't come, because showing up would be just asking for humiliation. Yang Dong has already made it clear that if he dares to pester me again, he'll break both of his legs." "A toad lusting after a swan's flesh, he doesn't even see what he's worth," one of the girls said. "Exactly, our Zihan is so beautiful, how could she possibly marry that poor ghost. If he dares to pester her again, he should be made to regret it." Seeing Zihan cozy up to a rich man, they all flattered her competitively, hoping to gain some benefits from her. "I'm so jealous of you, Zihan, to be Yang Dong's girlfriend. I heard his dad owns several listed companies, I really wish I could have such a rich and generous boyfriend," said one of the girls. "That's possible, but first you have to be as pretty as me. Go to South Korea for plastic surgery, and then you'll be set," Zihan said with a biting smile before standing up and heading out. The girl's face flushed with embarrassment, and it wasn't until Zihan had left that she dared to vent: "It's just cozying up to a rich guy, what's so great about that? Wait until Yang Dong gets tired of her and see if she has anything to be proud of." "She actually thinks she's turned from a sparrow into a phoenix, living in her grand delusion of being a wealthy lady. Yang Dong is notorious for being a playboy in school, with no girlfriend lasting more than two months. I bet she won't last long either. It's better to curry favor with her now while she's still in the money and power. Once Yang Dong dumps her, you can humiliate her however you like." The girls' faces changed immediately after Zihan left. You can't blame them, since Zihan had become so arrogant after hooking up with Yang Dong that she looked down on these once close sisters of hers, having ridiculed almost all of them with biting wit. "I actually think Yuan Zhibang isn't bad. He may be poor now, but at least he's a promising stock. Yang Dong, though rich, is too fickle, changing girlfriends more often than clothes. Zihan will only enjoy the limelight for two or three months at most." S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Zihan is blind to see his worth. I heard Yuan Zhibang has quite the background; his brother-in-law is a big shot in Hua City," one girl remarked. "Really? Then why does he dress so shabbily?" "That's him being low-key. You know nothing. Do you know Du Haitao? The school bully, his dad's a Mafia boss, yet he has to treat Zhibang with respect. What does that tell you?" "No way?" The girls were all shocked, as their impression of Yuan Zhibang was of a reserved and somewhat gloomy person, with average looks, the kind that would go unnoticed in a crowd. Could such a person really have such a background? The previous speaker sneered, "Just you watch. I've already heard that Zhibang is planning to bring his brother-in-law here to stir up trouble. Looks like there will be a good show tonight." Then, ignoring the other girls, she sat before the makeup mirror. "Tonight I'm going to put on a lovely makeup, see if I can charm Zhibang's brother-in-law." Hearing this, the girls treated the matter with newfound respect and hurried to their makeup. Meanwhile, as the girls chattered away, Hao Jian and his party had already taken their seats. Since they were classmates, many people were aware of the relationship between Yuan Zhibang and Sun Zihan, so now they looked at Zhibang with odd glances. Zhibang himself was also nervous, because he was uncertain if he could snatch Zihan back from Yang Dong's clutch; he lacked confidence. "Don't be nervous, I'm here with you," Hao Jian reassured Zhibang with a nod. Zhibang responded with a wry nod. "Here they come!" Du Haitao suddenly warned them. Hao Jian and Yuan Zhibang then saw Sun Zihan walking over hand in hand with a man. Zhibang's gaze immediately flared with rage upon seeing the man. Seeing this, Hao Jian asked, "That's Yang Dong?" Zhibang, rather annoyed, nodded his head. Hao Jian looked over and saw that Yang Dong wasn't particularly good-looking, even less so than Zhibang, and wasn't tall¡ªmaybe just around five foot seven¡ªand even Zihan was taller than him. But the Armani suit he wore was quite eye-catching. When he glanced at people, there was an unintentional show of disdain, projecting a sense of haughtiness. "Today is my girlfriend Sun Zihan's birthday, and I've booked the whole hotel. All my classmates can order whatever they want to drink and eat, don't be shy with me," Yang Dong began to show off the moment he spoke, his proud demeanor oozing the air of a host. "He really knows how to act pretentious," Du Haitao snorted. "Moreover, anyone who comes to the reunion today will get a brand-new iPhone 6S!" Upon hearing Yang Dong's announcement, the whole room burst into wild applause, everyone as excited as if they'd been injected with adrenaline. "Not only is he a show-off, but he also knows how to buy people's hearts," Hao Jian commented with a sneer. Then looking toward Zhibang, "No wonder you lost. To give everyone an iPhone right off the bat is indeed a move few girls can resist." Zhibang remained silent, his eyes fixed on Zihan, watching her look at Yang Dong with infatuated attention, knowing he didn't stand a chance. "Let's go," Zhibang no longer wanted to stay, feeling nothing but disappointment towards Zihan. Zhibang stood up to leave, but this caught the attention of Yang Dong and Zihan. "Yo, isn't that Yuan Zhibang? You still have the guts to come?" Yang Dong said disdainfully as he approached Zhibang. Zhibang, who had been planning to leave, stopped at Yang Dong's call. "Haven't I warned you to stay away from Sun Zihan? Did you take my words for idle wind?" Yang Dong stared at Zhibang with a hostile demeanor, annoyed that a nobody would dare compete with him for a woman. "Yuan Zhibang, as I've said, it's not that I could never like you. Don't flatter yourself!" Zihan likewise scorned, eager to show her innocence in front of Yang Dong. Chapter 188 You Are Trash! All those classmates knew that it was Yang Dong who had interfered and that Sun Zihan was vain, but because they were indebted to others and had received favors, they now found it difficult to say much.Being interrogated like this by Sun Zihan and Yang Dong, Yuan Zhibang's expression became quite embarrassed, and feeling the peculiar stares from everyone, he tensed up to the point of stiffness and found himself unable to utter a single word. "Show some backbone, don't act like a woman!" Hao Jian scolded harshly, his voice booming like thunder, startling everyone. At this, Sun Zihan and Yang Dong couldn't help but look towards Hao Jian, both frowning slightly as they pondered his identity. "Could this person be Yuan Zhibang's brother-in-law?" "Don't know, probably is." "He really is domineering, daring to confront Yang Dong." Sun Zihan's friends, sitting at the same table, couldn't help but start discussing among themselves when they heard Hao Jian speak. Emboldened by Hao Jian's scolding, Yuan Zhibang sneered at Sun Zihan, "I admit that I came here tonight to try and keep you, but unfortunately, I've changed my mind now. Because I've finally seen clearly, you're just a vain, promiscuous 'green tea bitch'!" "What? He actually dared to say that about Sun Zihan. Doesn't he know that Sun Zihan is already Yang Dong's girlfriend? Is this guy intentionally seeking death?" Yuan Zhibang's classmates were all stunned; back in school, Yuan Zhibang was always timid and often bullied. But today, he unexpectedly stood up for himself¡ªwhat could be the reason for this? "You dare call me a 'green tea bitch'?" Sun Zihan's face was frosted over as she shook Yang Dong's arm and said, "Darling, did you hear what he said? I want you to give him a harsh beating for me!" Everyone mourned for Yuan Zhibang in silence. Having offended Yang Dong, even if Yuan Zhibang didn't die, he'd still be skinned alive. Although Yang Dong was surprised by Yuan Zhibang's uncharacteristic response, he still looked down on him, smirking and saying, "Sour grapes. People like you, I've seen plenty. What's the matter with Sun Zihan being with me? As if she'd spend a lifetime with a deadbeat like you? Don't joke about it, are you even worthy of her? Go look in the mirror!" "How do you know he's not worthy?" Just then, Hao Jian turned his head and looked at Yang Dong with a smile. At these words, all eyes immediately turned toward Hao Jian. "Who is this guy? He's not from our class, right?" "He must not be, I've never seen him before, must be someone Yuan Zhibang brought along." "Someone Yuan Zhibang brought? Then he's probably not anyone important." "Who the hell do you think you are?" Yang Dong barked angrily, already frustrated since Hao Jian had interrupted earlier, and now Hao Jian was even directly confronting him. "You don't need to know who I am. What I'm asking you is how can you say Yuan Zhibang isn't good enough for that 'green tea bitch'?" Hao Jian fired back, directly insulting Sun Zihan. "You¡ª" Sun Zihan was shaking with rage, even dare to insult her? "What? Don't like being called that? Then. Gold digger? Bus girl? Incense pot? Which sounds more fitting to you?" Hao Jian asked with a laugh. Everyone fell silent; 'bus girl' implying anyone can get on, 'incense pot' suggesting anyone can stick their incense in, these words are much harsher than 'green tea bitch'. "Yang Dong." Sun Zihan looked at Yang Dong helplessly. Seeing Sun Zihan insulted, Yang Dong's face darkened too; Hao Jian insulting his woman was like a slap to his face, Yang Dong said sternly, "Do you even know who I am?" "I know, the son of the Chairman of Proud World Group, your dad owns several listed companies besides Proud World Group, ranked 131st on the Forbes wealth list." Hao Jian listed off, having already investigated Yang Dong's identity before coming here. "I admit your dad is a figure, but you. You're just a good-for-nothing lazy piece of garbage." S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 189 You Cant Compare to Him in One Aspect! "Who are you?" Yang Dong eyed Hao Jian warily. From the fact that Hao Jian could accurately identify him and still not take him seriously, he guessed that Hao Jian must be an important figure."Me? You're not worthy of knowing who I am!" Hao Jian looked at Yang Dong with disdain. Hao Jian ignored Yang Dong's dark expression and said slowly, "You haven't answered my question yet. What makes you think Yuan Zhibang is not worthy of her?" "I can give her the newest LV bag every month, can Yuan Zhibang do that?" Yang Dong sneered. "No," Hao Jian replied with a smile, being honest. It was indeed something Yuan Zhibang couldn't do. "I can drive the newest BMW to pick her up and drop her off at school, can Yuan Zhibang do that?" Yang Dong continued mockingly. "Also not possible," Hao Jian shook his head. Sun Zihan's eyes brimmed with even more mockery, as Yang Dong's words hit right where it hurt. "I can take Sun Zihan to fancy restaurants every other day, where one meal could cover Yuan Zhibang's annual tuition. With all these things combined, what does he have to compare with me?" Yang Dong boasted, his mean-looking face extremely unpleasant. "You say he can't compare with you, but there's one thing you're not better at than him," Hao Jian stated. "What a joke. I'm inferior to him? Tell me, how am I not as good as him?" Yang Dong asked coldly with a sneer, wanting to know how he could possibly be inferior to Yuan Zhibang. Hao Jian sneered twice, then turned to Yuan Zhibang and barked, "Hit him!" "What?" Yuan Zhibang was stunned right there. Hao Jian was actually telling him to hit Yang Dong? "I said hit him!" Hao Jian shouted again. By this time, Yang Dong and his group were also dumbfounded. How did a calm conversation suddenly escalate to violence? Yuan Zhibang also stood frozen in place, looking at Hao Jian with some bewilderment. Hao Jian frowned deeply, impatiently saying, "Do you want to save face or not?" Yuan Zhibang's eyes flickered, and then he grabbed a wine bottle from the table and smashed it over Yang Dong's head, bursting his head open and blood covered his entire head. He hadn't expected Yuan Zhibang to actually hit him. Not just him, even Yuan Zhibang himself hadn't thought he would dare to do it, but he believed there was a reason behind Hao Jian's actions, so he wasn't overly afraid. Hao Jian, sitting on a chair, looked down at Yang Dong and mocked, "This is where you're not as good as him. He can hit you, but you can't hit him." "Yang Dong, are you okay?" Sun Zihan hurriedly knelt down, pressing a tissue against Yang Dong's wound, while glaring back at Hao Jian, "You actually resort to violence. I'm going to call the police and have you arrested!" "I can't hit him?" Yang Dong pushed Sun Zihan away and stood up, his nose twisted with anger. Pointing at Yuan Zhibang and Hao Jian, he shouted, "I'm going to make you wish you were dead right now, do you believe that?" The others also began to laugh bitterly. They all knew that Yang Dong's family was very powerful; they could easily deal with both the underworld and the authorities. They wondered how Hao Jian could say that Yang Dong wouldn't dare to hit Yuan Zhibang¡ªhow arrogant he must be. "Bang!" Hao Jian kicked out, toppling Yang Dong to the ground once more, and Yang Dong scrambled under the table. The other students hurried to rescue Yang Dong, but at that moment, they saw Hao Jian toss a cell phone his way, declaring arrogantly, "Call for help, call everyone you can!" Seeing Hao Jian's brazen arrogance shocked Yuan Zhibang's classmates, and the girls who had been whispering amongst themselves now affirmed that Hao Jian was indeed Yuan Zhibang's brother-in-law! They all opened their eyes wide with curiosity, continuously sizing up Hao Jian. "I want you dead! I'll make sure you die!" Yang Dong howled like a man possessed, his expression ferocious as he barked at his lackeys, "Get Old Fifth and the others in here! I want to chop these bastards up and feed them to the dogs!" His lackeys immediately rushed out, and at that moment, Du Haitao also couldn't help but frown deeply. Old Fifth? Could he be talking about Old Fifth from the Yihe Club? The more he thought about it, the worse it seemed, so Du Haitao stealthily composed a text message to inform his father about everything that was happening. Soon, a dozen tattooed burly men stormed in, all uniformly dressed in white shirts and black pants with imposing figures. Leading them was a man with a mustache, just over fifty, slightly small in stature, but with a dignified presence that commanded respect without anger. He was the Deputy Gang Leader Old Fifth from the Yihe Club. The fact that a Deputy Gang Leader showed up to a birthday party was already quite an honor for Yang Dong. This was owing to the tight cooperation between Yang Dong's father and the Yihe Club; Yang Dong's father would ask for their assistance with matters inconvenient for him, and in turn, their family would share the profits with the Yihe Club, forming a mutually beneficial relationship. Seeing Yang Dong injured, Old Fifth was startled and charged over to Yang Dong's side, "Young Master Yang, what happened to you? Who did this to you?" "It was them! Uncle Five, slaughter them for me!" Yang Dong pointed at Hao Jian and Yuan Zhibang, consumed with rage. Old Fifth's face turned iron blue as he approached Hao Jian. Yang Dong had been beaten in his presence, and if he didn't avenge Yang Dong, he wouldn't be able to explain himself to Yang Dong's father. "Was it you who injured him?" Old Fifth examined Hao Jian with a daunting gaze, his eyes as piercing as if to skewer Hao Jian through. Looking at how young Hao Jian was, Old Fifth instantly felt contempt, having seen too many brash, young fools like him before. They might act tough on the surface, but in reality, they were nothing of substance. "It was me," Hao Jian replied with a faint smile. "Do you know who he is?" Old Fifth asked, visibly displeased to see Hao Jian still able to smile, which ignited some anger in him. "I know." "And do you know who I am?" Old Fifth's eyes grew more intense. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The Deputy Gang Leader Old Fifth from the Yihe Club, I've heard of you," Hao Jian sneered. Hearing this, everyone involuntarily drew a sharp breath. The Deputy Gang Leader? These people were all Mafia? "Knowing our identity, you still dared to lay a hand on him?" Old Fifth laughed in spite of his anger at Hao Jian's audacity. "Have you considered why I would dare to hit him even though I know who you are? That's because you are nothing to me," Hao Jian stood up, facing Old Fifth squarely, "In my eyes, you're just a pile of shit, understand?" Everyone was stunned. Hao Jian dared to provoke these Mafia members. Hadn't he seen how many of them there were? "Kid, I have to admit you surprise me. I haven't seen someone as arrogant as you in many years," Old Fifth said with a spiteful laugh, staring down Hao Jian from less than a centimeter away. Chapter 190 Are You Worthy? "Really? Then I assure you, the bigger surprise is yet to come," Hao Jian said with a flick of his eyebrows, provocatively.Old Fifth stopped talking, a murderous smile slowly forming at the corners of his mouth. Turning around, Old Fifth walked back, saying, "Finish him off." Before he could finish his sentence, Old Fifth felt as though the world was spinning, though it was actually he who was spinning. "Bang!" Hao Jian slammed Old Fifth heavily onto the table with a hook of his arm, sneering, "This is the surprise I was talking about!" Continue your journey on empire "Roar!" All of Old Fifth's subordinates roared angrily, revealing their knives and charging towards Hao Jian. The students witnessing the scene screamed in horror and squeezed into a corner. Yang Dong's face twisted into a fierce smile, thinking if Hao Jian dared to strike Old Fifth, even a god descending could not save him now. "Hack him to death!" Old Fifth, sprawled on the table like a turtle, roared resentfully. Just then, Hao Jian glared coldly and said sternly, "Shut up!" Old Fifth, once a ruthless character living on the edge of a blade, trembled under Hao Jian's gaze, feeling as if targeted by an ancient beast. As soon as he spoke, the underlings had already charged forward, slashing frantically at Hao Jian. With one hand, Hao Jian lifted a stone table, weighing hundreds of pounds, and slammed it towards the crowd. All the students were stunned. What kind of monster was this man, lifting a marble table with one hand that normally would require two strong young men to lift? "Bang!" When the giant stone table thundered towards them, the underlings, unable to dodge in time, were struck down, sprawling on the ground, unable to get up for a long while. "My God." A girl exclaimed, staring dumbfounded at Hao Jian. The aggressive team of knife-wielders was routed in a head-on confrontation? Old Fifth also found it hard to accept, staring at Hao Jian in shock, "Kid, just who are you?" "Don't you think it's superfluous to ask that question?" Hao Jian said mockingly. At this point, no matter who he was, the battle lines with Old Fifth and the Yihe Club had been drawn ¡ª it was a fight to the death. Old Fifth said stiffly, "If you're from the streets, there's still room to talk." "Talk? Are you qualified to negotiate with my boss?" Just then, a light voice came from the entrance, and everyone turned to see Brother Spice Ginger charging in with his men. "Spice Ginger?" Seeing Brother Spice Ginger appear, Old Fifth's expression soured, wondering if this incident was also related to Brother Spice Ginger. Regarding Brother Spice Ginger, Old Fifth was still very wary, after all, Brother Spice Ginger was the top boss of the East City District. Anyone from other districts who came here had to follow the rules he set, or else they'd be the ones at a disadvantage if a fight broke out. "Boss, are you alright?" Brother Spice Ginger walked up to Hao Jian and bowed to him. "Boss?" Old Fifth's eyes nearly bulged out. With Brother Spice Ginger's self-righteous character, he would acknowledge someone as his boss? "How did you get here?" Hao Jian asked, frowning. "I caught wind of it and rushed over to see if you needed help," Brother Spice Ginger said with a smile. Hao Jian hummed in response, "That's good, this old geezer wants to discuss something with me, you talk to him." After that, Hao Jian found a chair to sit down, slowly poured himself a cup of tea, and acted as if he were completely out of the loop. Seeing this, everyone didn't know how to describe their feelings. They felt that Hao Jian letting Brother Spice Ginger speak on his behalf probably meant he thought Old Fifth didn't deserve to speak to him. "How about it, Old Fifth? How do you want to discuss this?" Brother Spice Ginger asked, raising an eyebrow and looking disdainfully at Old Fifth. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Today we acted rashly, thinking too highly of ourselves, and offended you over this matter. We will leave East City District right now," Old Fifth knew he had no choice but to accept defeat today. With Brother Spice Ginger stepping in, he wouldn't be able to touch Hao Jian no matter what. Moreover, with Brother Spice Ginger's subservient attitude towards Hao Jian, if they continued to cause trouble, they might end up dead in East City District. "Uncle Wu." Yang Dong was stunned. Old Fifth actually admitted he was wrong? Was this really Old Fifth? He didn't want to let Hao Jian off so easily, as how could he otherwise hold his head up at school? At this moment, he hoped Old Fifth would toughen up and call a hundred or two hundred men to fight a life-or-death battle with Hao Jian. "Shut your mouth!" Old Fifth snapped irritably. He was extremely agitated at the moment. If it weren't for Yang Dong foolishly provoking someone whom even Brother Spice Ginger had to bow to, he wouldn't have been so humiliated. Seeing this, Yang Dong didn't dare to speak anymore. He clenched his teeth and lowered his head, his eyes filled with resentment. "Boss, what do you think?" Brother Spice Ginger didn't immediately agree but turned to Hao Jian, seeking his opinion. "He can leave, but that Yang Dong must stay!" Hao Jian continued to sip his tea without turning his head. Old Fifth furrowed his brows; leaving Yang Dong here could spell more trouble than not. Yang Dong might be useless, but his father had business dealings with the Yihe Club, which were very important partnerships. If Yang Dong's father found out he didn't attempt a rescue, he might terminate his cooperation with the Yihe Club. "Did you hear that? My boss is leaving you a way out, telling you to take your people and scram!" Brother Spice Ginger scolded Old Fifth unceremoniously. Old Fifth's face turned ugly. Ignoring Brother Spice Ginger, he directly addressed Hao Jian, "Sir, we were wrong in this matter and caused you to lose face. The Yihe Club will definitely set up one hundred and twenty banquet tables to apologize to you with a toast. Whether it's compensation in money or in kind, we have no complaints and hope you can show mercy to Yang Dong for the Yihe Club's sake, and in the future, the Yihe Club will surely show its gratitude!" Yuan Zhibang hadn't expected the plot to develop in this way. They thought that when Yang Dong called Old Fifth, it was certain that Hao Jian and his people would be doomed. But who knew that now, Old Fifth turned out to be the one bowing and scraping to Hao Jian and his people. "Give you face? Are you worthy?" Hao Jian stretched lazily, looking at Old Fifth indifferently. With that, Old Fifth's face completely turned green. "Did you hear that, Old Fifth? Aren't you going to scram? You think East City District is your own backyard?" Brother Spice Ginger, like a loyal dog, aided Hao Jian in driving people away. "Brother Spice Ginger, are you sure you want to do this? Yang Dong is the son of an important elder of our Yihe Club. By taking action against him, you're essentially slapping our Yihe Club's face. Do you want East City District and Nancheng District to go to war?" Old Fifth threatened. Chapter 191 A Strong Fist is the Real Power! At that moment, Yang Dong also realized something, his face turning somewhat pale as he nervously fixed his gaze on Old Fifth. If Old Fifth couldn't protect him and he fell into Hao Jian's hands, who knew how Hao Jian would deal with him."Start a war? Do you think I would be afraid of you?" Brother Spice Ginger laughed contemptuously, with Hao Jian backing their Four Seas Gang, they were ready to bury the Yihe Club should they dare to come! Even the Dragon Tiger Gang was exterminated by Hao Jian just like that, what makes the Yihe Club any better than them? "Old Fifth, I made myself clear. If my boss decides to spare you, you should go home and light incense in gratitude. If you continue to disregard the situation, don't blame me for turning ruthless!" Brother Spice Ginger spoke coldly, "Right now, I've got a hundred brothers just outside, and with one command from me, they'll storm in and chop you into meat paste. If you don't care, then by all means, stay here!" Old Fifth puffed up his beard and glared fiercely. He had been in the underworld for decades and had never felt as suffocated as he did today! His eyes flickered with hesitation over whether to abandon Yang Dong. Abandoning Yang Dong could lead to his father blaming them. But standing up for him might mean failing to protect Yang Dong and risking themselves in the process. After hesitating for a moment, Old Fifth made a wise choice, glaring at Brother Spice Ginger and Hao Jian, "Today's incident, the Yihe Club will remember. There will be a time for payback. Let's go!" Immediately, Old Fifth led his beaten and battered men to prepare to leave. "Uncle Five, you can't ignore me, if you do, I'm done for," Yang Dong cried out, clutching the hem of Old Fifth's trousers, no longer with his earlier defiance and arrogance. He was genuinely afraid, now even Old Fifth wasn't going to protect him, and that meant he was truly done for. "You made your own bed, now you've got to lie in it," Old Fifth said coldly, shaking off Yang Dong's hands. With a heavy heart, he left the hotel filled with depression and frustration. At this time, everyone's gaze fell upon Hao Jian. Hao Jian had a sly smile on his face, "I told you before, there's one thing where you can't compare to Yuan Zhibang. He can beat you, but you can't beat him, because he has an extraordinarily badass brother-in-law." Even at this time, Hao Jian was joking around in an attempt to lighten the mood, his words shameless and narcissistic. But no one found it funny. "I know I was wrong, please don't hurt me, I'll ask my dad to give you money, any amount you want!" Yang Dong pleaded with Hao Jian. "Having money doesn't make you great. It's only by having a strong fist that you can really rule," Hao Jian said with a faint smile, turning to Yuan Zhibang, "What are you thinking right now?" Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yuan Zhibang hesitated for a moment, but eventually he looked up, his gaze sharp, "I'm wondering whether to chop off his hands or his feet." "Ssss." Everyone couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. Was this still the bookish Yuan Zhibang? And at this time, even Sun Zihan was in a daze. Why hadn't she noticed before that Yuan Zhibang could be so manly? Now that Yang Dong was in trouble, the one with the most complicated feelings was probably Sun Zihan, because she had joined forces with Yang Dong to insult Yuan Zhibang. If Yang Dong was finished, she would certainly be finished as well. "Zhibang, it's all my fault, I was the scumbag! I shouldn't have stolen your girlfriend. I'll give her back to you now, please spare me!" Yang Dong kept kowtowing to Yuan Zhibang, bowing to this man he had always looked down upon as nothing but a poor wretch. Yuan Zhibang chuckled coldly in his heart. If it wasn't for Hao Jian, he probably would never have had the chance to see such a scene in his life. "Get to it, and remember to drag him out; don't frighten the other students," Hao Jian said to Brother Spice Ginger. The students all forced a smile. Haven't you already scared us? Then, Brother Spice Ginger had his men drag the wailing Yang Dong out. "What about her? What do you want to do with her?" Hao Jian pointed at Sun Zihan and asked Yuan Zhibang. Sun Zihan's delicate body trembled, and her eyes quickly filled with tears, knowing that a great disaster was upon her. And Sun Zihan's group of friends all showed schadenfreude smiles. They thought that cozying up to Yang Dong made them something special, but today, her backer was destroyed by her ex-boyfriend, whom she had always looked down upon. Now, in their eyes, Sun Zihan was just a monkey in a circus, a mere joke. "Brother-in-law, what do you think I should do?" Yuan Zhibang hesitated, unable to bring himself to harm Sun Zihan. After all, they had once shared feelings. Although Sun Zihan was unkind, he couldn't be unjust; otherwise, how would he be any different from her? "I don't know; it's up to you. But with just one word from you, I can send her to the Philippines to be a prostitute!" Hao Jian said with a smile, though he wondered inwardly: Isn't it a bit too sinister to keep talking about shipping people off to the Philippines to be prostitutes? Hearing this, Sun Zihan was utterly terrified. She looked at Yuan Zhibang with pitiful eyes: "Zhibang, save me." Now, Sun Zihan could only hope that Yuan Zhibang would remember their past and spare her life. Yuan Zhibang thought for a moment and then shook his head with a bitter smile, "Forget it, let her go. If I did that, wouldn't it mean I still care about her?" Immediately, Yuan Zhibang looked up at Sun Zihan, his eyes full of frost: "You leave Hua City tonight, and I don't want to see you in the school anymore. Understand?" "Understood, understood. I'll go back and pack my things right away." Sun Zihan nodded like a pecking chick, showing an unprecedented level of obedience. Yuan Zhibang sighed. When Sun Zihan was with him, she would often kick up a fuss over nothing. Now that she finally showed some gentleness, was it only because she was begging for mercy? "Ah, it's getting late. Time for everyone to go home and find their own mothers. You all can leave," Hao Jian said to Yuan Zhibang's classmates. The classmates nearly cried with gratitude; they'd wanted to leave for a while but didn't dare move without Hao Jian's permission. "Come with me for a bit!" Hao Jian said, thoughtfully looking at Brother Spice Ginger as he walked out. A feeling of dread hit Brother Spice Ginger, and a bitter smile crept onto his face. He had been discovered after all. Hao Jian and Brother Spice Ginger left one after the other. Hao Jian sat down on a bench in a park, but Brother Spice Ginger didn't dare to sit. He stood there with his head down, waiting for Hao Jian's decision. "You being here today, it must have been premeditated, right?" Hao Jian asked with a smile while looking at Brother Spice Ginger. Continue reading at empire "This..." Brother Spice Ginger started to speak but lost the courage to lie upon meeting Hao Jian's sharp-eyed gaze, and said in a hoarse voice, "Yes." The reason he showed up personally was to have Hao Jian's mark tagged on himself, letting everyone know Hao Jian was his boss. This way, even if Hao Jian wanted to stay out of it, he couldn't; anyone who mentioned Brother Spice Ginger would first think of Hao Jian. On the surface, he was there to help Hao Jian, but in reality, he was there to forcefully gain Hao Jian's recognition. Chapter 192 Youre My Dog Now! Brother Spice Ginger was an old hand in Jianghu, naturally full of cunning schemes. Anyone else seeing his loyalty might have been easily fooled by him.But he had encountered Hao Jian, whose apparent simplicity concealed great wisdom. How could his trivial tricks ever deceive Hao Jian? Brother Spice Ginger lowered his head deeply, fearing that a single show of displeasure from Hao Jian could lead to his demise. Discover stories at empire The atmosphere also fell silent. It was exactly this kind of silence that made Brother Spice Ginger feel terrified and uneasy, for he couldn't figure out what Hao Jian's current attitude was. After what seemed like a few minutes, just as Brother Spice Ginger was at his limit, Hao Jian finally spoke, "From now on, you're my dog!" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Huh?" Brother Spice Ginger was momentarily stunned as he lifted his head, and then a look of ecstatic joy spread across his face. Had Hao Jian actually accepted him? What was the reason for this? Could it be that he wasn't angry? "But I don't want today's incident to happen a second time," Hao Jian said as he spat out the cigarette butt from his mouth and stamped it out with his feet several times. "Definitely, definitely," Brother Spice Ginger nodded vigorously. He had acted solely to gain Hao Jian's acceptance. Now that Hao Jian had agreed to accept him, how could he possibly commit such foolish acts in the future? "I'm heading back," Hao Jian said as he stood up and left the park. "Should I have someone send you?" Brother Spice Ginger quickly offered. "No need, I'll take a taxi back," Hao Jian declined directly. "Alright," Brother Spice Ginger didn't dare to insist. . "Boss, we've found that guy," inside the headquarters of the Red Makeup Society, a subordinate came to report to Gao Jiping, but his expression was somewhat strange, hesitating to speak. "Just speak your mind. There's no need to hide anything in front of me," Gao Jiping's red lips moved slightly, emitting a captivating voice. Today, she was dressed in a red hip-hugging, low-cut dress that exaggerated her voluptuous figure, catching the eye and provoking fanciful thoughts in a single glance. Her attire today matched her whole persona perfectly, like a bewitchingly bright red rose with, of course, thorns. "We did find that guy, but it seems his background is somewhat complex," the subordinate said with a wry smile. To be honest, he also got quite a shock investigating Hao Jian's identity. Initially thinking him an ordinary driver, who would have known that he'd cause so many problems, offending so many powers. And that was not all; despite offending so many forces, he still managed to live and thrive. "How complex? Tell me about it," Gao Jiping's interest was immediately piqued. She had long suspected that Hao Jian was no ordinary man, and her curiosity about his identity intensified. "The reason why I say his background is complex is because he doesn't seem to have any, yet he has successively gotten into conflicts with Liang Corporation, He Corporation, Martial Evil Hall, and Yihe Club, and they were all the sort of deadly feuds that don't end until one party is dead. The powers he has provoked, even the weakest Yihe Club, are enough to give us a headache. Yet, he has offended them and still lives well up to this point, which is too strange," said the subordinate with a wry smile. "What?" Gao Jiping's eyes almost popped out of her head. Hao Jian had conflicts with these forces? Apart from the Yihe Club, with which her Red Makeup Society shared equal influence, the other three organizations could easily wipe out her society from Hua City with just a word. Hao Jian had conflicts with them? And he was still peacefully living up to now? Gao Jiping thought she had already held Hao Jian in high regard, yet it turned out she had still underestimated him. "I was also shocked when I first investigated him. You know, even we don't dare to provoke those forces, how could he alone dare to challenge them? Moreover, he challenged all four at the same time. If he weren't still alive, I'd really suspect he had a problem with his brain." Gao Jiping could only wryly smile, "It's normal for you to think that way. Anyone who does such a thing is either a madman or a fool." "Did you manage to thoroughly investigate his identity and background?" Gao Jiping asked again. She wanted to delve deeper into Hao Jian's background; only by knowing what Hao Jian had to rely on could she understand why he dared to confront the four powerful forces at once. Hao Jian indeed had something to rely on, but his reliance was himself! The title "God of Death" was his greatest source of support! "I was just about to tell you about this. His records before coming to Hua City are nowhere to be found. I asked a friend in the police to check his previous records for me. Guess what I found?" The subordinate said in a lowered, mysterious tone. "What happened?" Gao Jiping asked in surprise. Could it be that Hao Jian had an even more shocking background? "I found that his file was encrypted, and it was triple S-level encryption, no less. My friend told me this is the highest state-level encrypted file, accessible only by the national leaders with the authority and clearance to view it." "..." Gao Jiping was silent for a long time. Encrypted files? Accessible only by national leaders? What kind of monster was this guy? "Boss, are you really planning to collaborate with him? That guy is a disaster, constantly stirring up trouble. Now he is at odds with these four forces. Once we work with him, we might become the target of everybody," the subordinate said with some concern. "I don't know what Brother Spice Ginger was thinking, willingly becoming that guy's lapdog. Doesn't he realize that once these four forces retaliate, his Dragon Tiger Gang could be ground to dust in the blink of an eye?" "You are saying Brother Spice Ginger has become Hao Jian's dog?" Gao Jiping's surprise had reached an unprecedented level, and at this moment, she suddenly felt Hao Jian was extremely fearsome. "Yeah, doesn't it sound stupid?" "He's not stupid! On the contrary, he is very smart, smarter than all of us," Gao Jiping said with a serious expression. "Huh?" The youngster was dumbfounded. Smart? Even now? "He must have known Hao Jian's true identity, which is why he dares to risk angering the four forces to become Hao Jian's dog. No, we must also cooperate with Hao Jian as soon as possible. Otherwise, once he builds up his own power, we won't have the chance to get involved." Gao Jiping said with some urgency. "Boss, are you really planning to work with him? He could end up getting us killed," the subordinate said with a wry smile. "Do you think the Red Makeup Society still has a choice?" Gao Jiping also said with a bitter smile. "The Martial Evil Hall's offensive is getting fiercer by the day. We can't hold out much longer. Now we can only find a strong and reliable backer quickly. Since he dares to challenge these four forces and they temporarily don't dare to touch him, it means he must have something that makes the four forces wary of him, which we can use to our advantage." "Cancel all my appointments for tomorrow; I'm going to meet with Hao Jian!" Chapter 193 The Hidden Acupoint! "Hao Jian, you jackass, sleeping on the job again!" As soon as Xiao Qiang walked into the office, she saw Hao Jian sprawled out on the sofa, snoring away with drool at the corner of his mouth."Hmm." Hao Jian frowned, turned over, and muttered discontentedly, "Loud voice, bad temper, those are signs of 'excessive vigor'." "You. Get up!" Xiao Qiang was furious, reaching out to shake Hao Jian awake. The nerve of this guy, daring to say such things about her, and she's still a pure maiden, okay? But she tugged too hard, and ripped off the buttons of Hao Jian's shirt, revealing half of his chest in front of her. Xiao Qiang immediately withdrew her hand shyly, looking somewhat at a loss. Hao Jian looked at her gloomily and disdainfully said, "You sly hooligan!" "Bastard, you really want to piss me off, don't you?" Xiao Qiang felt like strangling Hao Jian right there and then. First thing in the morning and already so annoying, how could her temper be good with him ticking her off all the time? "What does it have to do with me? It's clearly you harboring an unrequited crush on me, and now you're taking it out on me, mixing business with personal vendetta!" "Have a crush on you? Oh please, how can you be so full of yourself? Even if it were the last thing on Earth, I wouldn't choose you over any random cat or dog on the street!" Xiao Qiang roared. Hearing this, Hao Jian immediately moved away from Xiao Qiang as if avoiding a plague, with a bizarre expression, he said, "I had no idea you're into such hobbies, liking to get frisky with animals? That's just evil, oh my goodness, my pure little heart aches." "I'm gonna fight you!" Xiao Qiang lunged at him, raining down a flurry of punches on Hao Jian. That asshole, always talking about R-rated stuff. If you're gonna say it, just say it, why always use yourself as an example? "Move it! If you don't, I'm gonna lose my temper!" Hao Jian threatened fiercely. "Lose your temper? Sure, show me what you got!" Xiao Qiang huffed, her punches still pelted Hao Jian's chest like raindrops. "Alright, you asked for this!" Hao Jian roared, suddenly grabbed Xiao Qiang's hands, and found a specific spot on her waist to press down! "You!" Xiao Qiang's cheeks flushed red, her body instantly went limp. In that moment, she felt an unprecedented sensation spreading throughout her body. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a weak, breathless voice, Xiao Qiang asked, "What... what did you just do to me?" "I pressed an acupoint on you." Hao Jian said with a sly smirk. "Which acupoint?" Xiao Qiang thought she'd heard wrong. "An acupoint that can't be spoken of in our country." Hao Jian laughed. He had learned it from a secret book he found on a flower-thief he captured. Hao Jian reckoned it might come in handy someday, so he remembered it, never expecting Xiao Qiang to be his first test subject. "Bullshit! There's no such disgusting acupoint, I've never even heard of it." Xiao Qiang's face was crimson as she retorted, both embarrassed and angry. "No? Then what was that expression just now?" Hao Jian sneered. "I didn't, I only screamed because you pinched me hard!" Xiao Qiang flatly denied, too embarrassed to admit it. "Fine, let's just say it didn't happen, alright?" Hao Jian said. Just as Xiao Qiang was about to get off him, the door, unfortunately, swung open at that very moment. Both Hao Jian and Xiao Qiang's faces darkened; if someone saw them now, jumping into the Yellow River wouldn't wash them clean. Then, a woman incredibly enchanting and beautiful appeared before them. And as she caught sight of Hao Jian and Xiao Qiang in such a compromising position, her face froze. Hao Jian and Xiao Qiang were petrified on the spot as well. After about five seconds of awkward silence, Gao Jiping finally snapped back to reality, somewhat embarrassed, she said, "I'm sorry, is this a bad time? If so, I can come back later." "No need, no need." Hao Jian quickly separated from Xiao Qiang and hurried over to Gao Jiping. "How did you know I was here?" Hao Jian asked Gao Jiping, feeling extremely awkward. He hadn't expected Gao Jiping to come looking for him. "Do you think it would be difficult for someone with my resources to find you?" Gao Jiping said with a smile. With her network and connections, finding someone in Hua City was easier than easy. "Not really, so, what brings you here? If it's just to say thanks, forget it. I already said that I only acted that day because I couldn't stand those guys, it wasn't really to save you." Hao Jian explained. "I'm here for two reasons today. The first is indeed to say thank you, and the second is to discuss some matters with you." Gao Jiping said with a smile. "What matters?" Hao Jian was puzzled; he couldn't imagine what he had to discuss with Gao Jiping. "It's almost lunchtime, how about we talk over a meal?" Gao Jiping took the initiative to invite. Hao Jian looked back to see Xiao Qiang with her back to him, appearing mortified. He thought it best to keep away from Xiao Qiang at the moment to avoid further awkwardness. "Lead the way." Hao Jian said. Gao Jiping glanced at Xiao Qiang, and seeing that Hao Jian hadn't invited her, she didn't speak up either. Only after Gao Jiping and Hao Jian had left did Xiao Qiang grumble resentfully, "Heartbreaker, close to getting married and still entangled with some shady woman!" At that moment, as if she discovered something, her face suddenly became as red as if she had a high fever, and she hurried into the restroom. Chapter 194 Behind the Glory! "So, what do you want with me?" Hao Jian sat in the chair, giving off a relaxed air.Gao Jiping didn't beat around the bush and straightforwardly said, "My Red Makeup Society wants to ask for your help." "Cooperation? You must be joking. I'm just a wretched driver struggling to make ends meet; how could I possibly help you?" Hao Jian said with a light smile. "Do you think I would believe that? If you were just an ordinary driver, could you have survived after offending Liang Jiankun on Akina Mountain? If you were just an ordinary driver, would the He Corporation not have reacted after you hit He Rongsheng? If you were just an ordinary driver, would you have been able to push back the Yihe Club?" Gao Jiping said teasingly. "Don't use parallelisms, or the readers might think I'm just padding the word count," Hao Jian said with a bitter smile. His background had been thoroughly investigated by Gao Jiping; did he have no privacy left? "I know who you are, and that's why I came looking for you." Gao Jiping smiled, thinking that if Hao Jian really were just an ordinary driver, she wouldn't have gone to such lengths to seek him out. "So, you want to work with me?" Hao Jian knew what Gao Jiping was thinking. Right now, the Martial Evil Hall was ambitious and aimed to take over the entire city of Hua City. Unfortunately, the Red Makeup Society was precisely in the way of the Martial Evil Hall; with its power, taking over the Red Makeup Society was just a matter of time. It must be because she knew of his grievances with the Martial Evil Hall that she wanted to use him to restrain them. Hao Jian admitted that Gao Jiping was a very smart and also very dangerous woman. Working with her, Hao Jian really had some reservations. It's unpredictable when she might betray him. "It's not about cooperating but about surrendering," Gao Jiping said with a faint smile, her gaze sharply fixed on Hao Jian. "Just say the word, and from now on, the Red Makeup Society will become your subsidiary." Upon hearing this, Hao Jian nearly spewed out his tea, "Are you joking?" "Do I look like I'm joking?" Gao Jiping asked with a smile. "Why would you do this?" Hao Jian was shocked, as this meant that Gao Jiping would have to serve him. It was unfathomable, forsaking the position of a powerful female gang leader to become his subordinate? "Because I have no choice. The Martial Evil Hall is relentlessly closing in, and I'm steadily being driven back. If I don't find support soon, the downfall of my society is only a matter of time. Once the Red Makeup Society is taken over by the Martial Evil Hall, we will become their tools to expand their territory, cannon fodder. It's better to surrender to you; at least there's a chance to fight back," Gao Jiping explained. "If that's the case, wouldn't maintaining a cooperative relationship suffice? There's no need to hand over the position of the gang leader, right?" Hao Jian said curiously, wondering what this woman was really planning. Gao Jiping gave a bitter smile and shook her head: "If you can't help us eliminate the Martial Evil Hall, then when the Red Makeup Society falls completely, what would being the gang leader mean to me? On the other hand, if you help our society drive away the Martial Evil Hall, that would prove your capabilities. And once Spicy Ginger decides to take over my territory and become the boss of the entire Hua City, will you help your dog or me, your partner?" Gao Jiping had thought it through clearly¡ªif it was just about cooperation, Hao Jian might not give his all. But if it were a matter of surrender, then the Red Makeup Society would essentially become Hao Jian's property, and he would be expected to protect his assets vigorously. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Furthermore, she was concerned about Brother Spicy Ginger. He was no pushover, and given a chance, he definitely would try to take over the whole of Hua City. At that time, if Hao Jian gave his backing to him, then their society would be in jeopardy. "If that's the case, why don't you approach someone like Liang Jiankun from those powerful families? With their protection, you could stay safe, far better off than with a lone wolf like me." "Although they have considerable influence, they are too aloof. In their eyes, we are like dog meat that can't be brought to the table, not fit for polite society. They look down on us, let alone care about us. Serving them, we would still end up as cannon fodder," Gao Jiping was right; characters like Liang Jiankun indeed would not regard people from the mafia highly. With their powerful status, they only need to say the word, and the local government would mobilize immediately to eradicate them completely. "Moreover, the main reason is that the Martial Evil Hall is supported by a major force. Those big families wouldn't possibly confront it just for our sake," Gao Jiping sighed. Initially, she thought about fighting the Martial Evil Hall to the death, until gradually confronting it revealed some terrifying figures. "Are you that sure I can handle the Martial Evil Hall?" Hao Jian also laughed. Gao Jiping didn't know him well; where did this trust come from? "I'm not sure, but I want to gamble on it. Even if I end up as a dog, I'd rather find a master who would treat me kindly," Gao Jiping said calmly. Hao Jian nodded and then stood up, smiling at Gao Jiping, "Your words are moving, but unfortunately, I cannot agree to your request." Gao Jiping frowned and asked, "Are you really not interested in power and status at all? If you can drive back the Martial Evil Hall, you will be in charge of the entire underground forces of Hua City! With me and Spice Ginger by your side, the city's underworld would already be in your pocket!" Later, Gao Jiping thought of a possibility, and with an odd look, she said, "Or are you scared?" "Scared? What a joke! A nameless trash gang that gathers a bunch of rubbish martial artists, such an existence is supposed to scare me, Hao Jian?" Hao Jian said disdainfully. If he wanted, he could flatten the Martial Evil Hall in an instant. "Then why won't you agree to my request?" Gao Jiping was puzzled. If Hao Jian wasn't afraid, why wouldn't he agree? "I'll answer your previous question now. I really am not interested in power and status. I should say I've already enjoyed the power and status you're talking about. Now, I just want to live the life of an ordinary person. Why else do you think I became a driver? With my capabilities, can't I make money doing anything?" Hao Jian laughed. Back when he was the God of Death, a single man holding his ground against the world's four most forbidding zones and remaining undefeated¡ªwasn't that glorious? Didn't that bring power and status? But so what? When he looked back, he found himself all alone. Behind the glory was a piercing loneliness! And that loneliness was precisely why Hao Jian decided to return to a peaceful life! Chapter 195 Invitation from the Chinese Medicine Hospital! Gao Jiping remained silent, merely sighing repeatedly.She knew Hao Jian was telling the truth. With his abilities, taking control of the Underground Forces would be a matter of minutes. Yet, he did not do so; instead, he chose to become a driver. It was hard for Gao Jiping to imagine why Hao Jian would make such a decision, and it wasn't until just now when Hao Jian explained it that she finally understood the reason. It's lonely at the top. So it turned out this guy had already experienced the highest level of power, and due to that, had become weary of it, hence wishing to live as an ordinary person. As for Hao Jian's decision, she was also full of surprise, thinking to herself that he was definitely an odd one. People can resist the temptation of beauty and the allure of money, but power is much harder to resist. Yet, Hao Jian had forsaken power to return to a life of tranquility. This state of mind, referred to as "contentment," was indeed rare in this world. While Gao Jiping was deep in thought, Hao Jian stood up, ready to take his leave, "Thank you for the lunch, but I'm afraid I must decline your offer. This business of fighting and killing is really no longer suitable for me." A bitter smile crossed Gao Jiping's lips, as she nodded with a look of dejection. "I'll take my leave," Hao Jian nodded, turned around, and left without showing any sign of pity just because Gao Jiping was a beautiful woman. Lust is lust, but principles are principles; the two should not be conflated. Gao Jiping sat for a while longer before finally sighing and leaving with a disheartened expression. Without Hao Jian's support, they would have no chance against Martial Evil Hall. The Red Makeup Society might very well become a trophy of Martial Evil Hall, and she would become nothing more than a plaything. ... "Hao Jian, could I ask you for a favor?" Not long after Hao Jian had returned to the group, he received a call from the hospital director he had spoken to before. "Go ahead," Hao Jian was also curious about what he might need help with. "Here's the thing. Not long ago, I had dinner and chatted with Director Du Yuelin from the Hua City Chinese Medicine Hospital. When he found out you were a disciple of Teacher Liang, he got very excited. He asked me to call you and inquire if you would be willing to lecture at the Chinese Medicine Hospital. There's a salary involved, of course, fifty thousand yuan per class," the director explained. "Director, as you know, I'm not really interested in money." Hao Jian gave a wry smile. If he really wanted money, he would have agreed when the director first asked for his help. "I know you're not a man who covets wealth, and I'm not trying to buy you with money," the director replied quickly, sensing the refusal in Hao Jian's tone. He went on, "You know as well that Traditional Chinese Medicine in Huaxia is beginning to decline, gradually being replaced by Western medicine. But Director Du is a patriot who cares deeply about the entire field of Traditional Chinese Medicine; he doesn't want to see it wither." "And you, as Divine Doctor Liang Wangsun's disciple, might even have more exquisite medical skills than he does. Having you as a teacher will definitely produce a group of excellent practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Hao Jian, your master gained glory for the country by defeating eight foreign physicians with his medical skills; I hope you can also do your part for the nation!" Hao Jian had been planning to refuse, but hearing this, he hesitated. He didn't want to be any teacher, but if it was for the country, that was a different story. "Okay, I agree. But I might not have much time. However, I assure you, as soon as I am available, I will definitely go to the Chinese Medicine Hospital." After some thought, Hao Jian accepted the offer. Revitalizing Traditional Chinese Medicine was a good cause, and naturally, he couldn't shirk the responsibility. "I, I will give you Director Du's phone number right away." The dean, hearing Hao Jian's agreement, was also thrilled. In the afternoon, Hao Jian took advantage of a lull and slipped away to the Chinese Medicine Hospital, where he met with Du Yuelin. Du Yuelin was just as he had imagined: of average height and slightly lean, with a scholarly appearance, a full head of white hair, but still exuding a sharp vitality. He sized up Hao Jian from head to toe, and after a while, suddenly laughed, slapping Hao Jian on the shoulder, "Indeed a young talent, just like your master!" "Director Du knows my master?" Hao Jian asked, surprised. "Of course, I was accompanying the group when your master went abroad and defeated foreign physicians. At that time, I did it in the capacity of an apprentice, without even the right to speak to your master, only doing some menial labor." Du Yuelin said with a smile, but even just doing menial tasks, he felt content for being able to witness the imposing demeanor of Liang Wangsun. "I see." Hao Jian smiled. So, Du Yuelin was a fan of his master as well. "Teacher Liang went his whole life without taking on a disciple, saying in his words: 'Ordinary people aren't qualified to be his disciples.' However, a few years ago, I heard he took a genius as his disciple, but then the disciple ran away after a few years of study, which made Teacher Liang curse for a full year, saying the kid lacked ambition. You're not that disciple who lacked ambition, are you?" Du Yuelin said with a grin, looking at Hao Jian. Hao Jian touched his nose with a bitter smile and nodded, "I am that undetermined disciple." sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It wasn't that he didn't want to learn, but at the time he had been assigned a task overseas and had no choice but to leave. "Your master is called an unshakeable peak in the medical field. I hope that one day, you too can become a remarkable person like your master," Du Yuelin said in the tone of an elder, apparently having some reservations about Hao Jian's sudden departure from the medical field. This was because Liang Wangsun had once said, if his disciple were to focus on studying medicine, it wouldn't take long for the disciple's medical skill to surpass his own. Du Yuelin also wished to witness the rise of a second medical giant in Huaxia. Hao Jian just smiled awkwardly, not engaging in the conversation. "Alright, let me take you to meet the other teachers." Seeing Hao Jian's discomfort, Du Yuelin did not wish to press him further and took the initiative to lead Hao Jian. ... "This new teacher is named Hao Jian, a disciple of Liang Wangsun. His medical skills are perhaps even more profound than mine. If any of you encounter medical troubles in the future, feel free to seek his help." Director Du, with Hao Jian at his side in the office, introduced him to the other physicians, revealing his identity outright. Upon hearing this, all the teachers were stunned. The disciple of Liang Wangsun? Medical skills superior to the director's? Could it truly be, at scarcely over twenty years old, he was that formidable? Therefore, the physicians curiously scrutinized Hao Jian as if he were some rare and exotic treasure. This was mainly because the name of Liang Wangsun loomed so large, renowned not just domestically but also abroad! "Qin Bing, you take Hao Jian to his classroom." At that moment, Du Yuelin suddenly said to one of the female doctors. Then Hao Jian saw a woman who seemed ethereal stand up. She wore a white coat, had a willowy figure with short, efficient hair, eyes like tranquil waters, and her appearance was extraordinary. Chapter 196 Is this guy a sister? This woman fulfilled every man's fantasy about women, but there was just one flaw, her demeanor was too cold.Qin Bing, true to her name, was like a block of ice, watching Hao Jian with an expressionless face, her eyes betraying not a hint of emotion. "You, come with me," Qin Bing glanced at Hao Jian and then ignored him, walking straight towards the exit. "Damn, isn't that a bit too much character?" Hao Jian laughed and cried at the same time, turning to follow her out. Hao Jian walked behind Qin Bing through the Chinese Medicine Hospital. Qin Bing didn't even glance at him, let alone speak to him, which made the atmosphere somewhat awkward. Discover hidden content at empire At this point, Hao Jian decided to lighten the mood and spoke up, "Doctor Qin, you seem a bit hot-tempered lately, breathing erratically, with bloodshot eyes. Did you break up with your boyfriend?" Qin Bing turned around, frowning, "I don't have a boyfriend." Qin Bing was also surprised. Could this guy really tell she was in a bad mood just by looking? "Then, a girlfriend?" Hao Jian asked with a cheeky grin. "..." Qin Bing's face showed a trace of annoyance as she glared at Hao Jian, "Do I look like I'm into women to you?" Hao Jian examined her seriously and then nodded earnestly, "Yes!" Qin Bing indeed met the criteria for being into women, her gaze revealing nothing, her demeanor cold, and most importantly, she disliked men. He could tell that Qin Bing was definitely a feminist, not keen on interacting with men, and the two-meter distance she kept while walking with him was probably for that reason. So, all things considered, it was very likely that Qin Bing was into women. Qin Bing's face was as still as water, she rebuked, "Stop flattering yourself. I'm upset because my little dog was hit by a car and killed not long ago, which is entirely different from what you're talking about." "Oh, I see, I guess I got it wrong then," Hao Jian laughed it off. "Is this your usual strategy for hitting on women? It's really quite low-level. You men are all the same, fawning over any beautiful woman like dogs." Qin Bing scoffed, clearly holding some prejudices against men. "Beautiful? Are you talking about yourself?" Hao Jian feigned shock. "Am I not beautiful?" Qin Bing's frown deepened. Which woman didn't care about her appearance? Even an ice queen like Qin Bing was no exception. Hearing Hao Jian's words, she felt like her lungs were about to explode with anger. "You're the one who's flattering yourself. Our Niuniu is prettier than you," Hao Jian retorted without reservation. This woman dared to act so high and mighty, he thought he would teach her a good lesson. "Niuniu? What the hell is that?" Qin Bing asked with displeasure, was that even a name? "Our family's Golden Retriever," Hao Jian replied. "You're comparing me to a dog?" At this point, Qin Bing was truly ready to kill him. "What's wrong with dogs? Our Niuniu is very popular, always getting approached by other male dogs when we go out. Even being that popular, it doesn't act as arrogant as you," Hao Jian said dissatisfied. "Are people the same as dogs? Dogs eat shit; why don't you go eat shit?" Qin Bing was furious. It was the first time she had ever been so angry; this guy was truly infuriating. "Look at you, so crass." Hao Jian looked at Qin Bing with a face full of disgust, and then suddenly raised his eyebrows, a mischievous thought crossing his mind, "If you're worried that I'm interested in you, rest assured, I don't like women." "What?" Qin Bing's icy countenance showed a trace of humanity for the first time: "Are you saying you're the one who's gay?" "What? Is that a problem?" Hao Jian flicked his hair, displaying a charmingly flirtatious expression. Qin Bing was dumbfounded on the spot, this guy is a sister? "I mean... sorry, I thought you were a man," Qin Bing's icy face finally softened as he apologized. "What? Do you have a strong aversion to men?" Hao Jian asked curiously. "I don't want to talk about it." Qin Bing shook her head and continued to walk away. Hao Jian followed behind her, becoming more convinced that his guess was right, Qin Bing must have been hurt by a man, which is why she harbored such resentment towards men. "This is your classroom." Qin Bing led Hao Jian to a classroom, then left, her figure seemingly lonely as she did. Hao Jian slapped himself, why did he always have to say too much? He then walked into the classroom, but as soon as he pushed the door open, he saw an eraser flying towards him, Hao Jian frowned and dodged to the side. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The noisy shouting immediately quieted down, and all the students inside looked at Hao Jian with astonishment. "I can see, you're all very lively, huh?" Hao Jian said with a smile, slowly walking up to the lectern. "Who the hell are you?" At this moment, a boy hugging his girlfriend spoke up provocatively. In this hallowed hall of study, he was hugging and cuddling in full view of everyone, showing no respect for the place as a center of learning, clearly not serious about studying here. Hao Jian said with a smile, "Me? I'm your new teacher." The new teacher, you're joking, right? You're clearly the same age as us." "Kid, which class are you from? You dare come here and play tricks; are you tired of living?" None of the students believed Hao Jian was a teacher, because he looked too young, nearly the same age as them. When did the school get such a young teacher? "I know you don't believe me, but I really am your new teacher. If you don't believe it, you can go and ask the principal after class," Hao Jian said. Whispers immediately filled the room below. The students were surprised that the school would hire someone their age to teach them. What could he possibly teach them? "It looks like the Chinese Medicine Hospital really is short of people if even a wet-behind-the-ears kid can become a teacher. No wonder foreigners say Traditional Chinese Medicine is no good, I'm starting to believe it's true." The boy with his girlfriend spoke arrogantly, clearly a rich second-generation, decked out in branded clothes and carrying an air of superiority. The students fell silent, feeling that he made a lot of sense. Hao Jian was so young, what could he possibly know? "It seems this student has quite a prejudice against Traditional Chinese Medicine," Hao Jian observed the boy with a smile. "Prejudice is not the word, as what I'm saying is the truth. Traditional Chinese Medicine is almost obsolete. You swallow a bunch of disgusting, nonsensical herbs, and by the time you're done, the patient is dead! And what about that acupuncture, taking the pulse, it's all unscientific, like some primitive ritual. In my opinion, Traditional Chinese Medicine should learn from Western Medicine, otherwise, its decline is just a matter of time!" Chapter 197 You grandson! As these words were spoken, many people's faces underwent drastic changes, because many of them genuinely loved Traditional Chinese Medicine and seeing it insulted like this incensed them."Chen Jingcheng, don't be so full of yourself," "You can insult him all you want, but please don't insult Traditional Chinese Medicine!" A tall and burly male student stood up, glaring at Chen Jingcheng. His father was a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and having seen his father cure countless patients since childhood, he held deep affection for the practice and would not allow others to trample it underfoot. "Luo Tong, you must be wishing for death, daring to talk back at me like this?" Chen Jingcheng suddenly burst into a furious rage, staring down the tall male student. Swish, swish, swish. In an instant, several of his cronies also stood up, glaring at Luo Tong, ready to teach him a lesson the moment Chen Jingcheng gave the word. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Luo Tong's momentum faltered momentarily, but remembering Chen Jingcheng's insult to Traditional Chinese Medicine, he still clenched his teeth and roared, "Anyway, it's not okay for you to insult Traditional Chinese Medicine!" "Aww, look who's tired of living! Hit him!" Chen Jingcheng ordered angrily. In this class, no one had ever dared to defy him. Today, Luo Tong had the audacity to speak to him like this, and without a lesson, he wouldn't know that even Lord Ma had several eyes. "Calm down, calm down," Hao Jian stepped forward to mediate with a smiling face, "We're all classmates, why resort to violence?" "Like hell we are classmates! Who the fuck is classmates with him? Does that pauper look like he's fit to be my classmate?" Chen Jingcheng rudely scolded Hao Jian, "Teacher, when I'm happy, I'll call you a teacher, and when I'm not, you're just an idiot. If you're smart, just shut your mouth, or I'll beat you up too!" Upon hearing this, although Hao Jian still smiled, rage was already flickering in his eyes: "If you dislike Traditional Chinese Medicine so much, why even stay here? Hua City doesn't lack Western medicine." He could see that Chen Jingcheng had little respect for Traditional Chinese Medicine but couldn't understand why he would continue to study it here if he disliked it so much. Wasn't that just stupid? "You think I like staying here? It's my stubborn old grandfather who insists on me learning Traditional Chinese Medicine, saying it's the true medical skill and that Huaxia people should study it. Damn stupid." Chen Jingcheng muttered, clearly having issues with his grandfather's decision. Read latest chapters at empire If it weren't for the need to ask that old man for spending money regularly, he couldn't care less about him. "It's not him who's stupid; it's you, grandson!" Hao Jian said with a pun-laden cold smile. "You dare insult me?" Chen Jingcheng, sensing the hidden meaning in Hao Jian's words, immediately glared wide-eyed. "Calling it an insult isn't quite right, since I'm only stating the facts. Your grandfather should have shot your father onto a wall, then he wouldn't have given birth to a bastard like you!" Hao Jian said mockingly. "Waste him!" Chen Jingcheng's expression turned violent as he roared. It was the first time he'd encountered such an arrogant teacher who dared to provoke him. Those few charged straight at Hao Jian, with some even grabbing chairs to use as weapons. "Teacher, run!" Seeing those outright ferocious thugs charging at Hao Jian, some kind-hearted female students immediately started shouting at Hao Jian. Hao Jian looked at the crowd with a disdainful smile and said, "Today, I will teach you all a very essential lesson in Traditional Chinese Medicine." Everyone was stunned, thinking to themselves, "Is this teacher out of his mind? Didn't he see those people were about to hit him?" But Hao Jian ignored their astonishment and directly took out a box of silver needles from under the lectern, smiling lightly as he said, "The name of this course is... 'Acupoint Pressing!'" At this moment, those thugs had already charged forward, with the stools in their hands descending towards Hao Jian's head. Suddenly, Hao Jian's hands moved like lightning, tightly holding the silver needles, and at that moment, he swiftly struck out. "Swish, swish, swish." In just a few seconds, all the silver needles in Hao Jian's hands had landed in the hands of the thugs, and then everyone saw them standing still like statues, frozen in their striking poses. "Did they really get their acupoints pressed?" a girl with a baby face exclaimed in astonishment, finding it hard to believe that this was real. Acupoint pressing ¡ª isn't that only found in martial arts novels? She thought it was all made up! Hao Jian paid no attention to those statue-like figures, leaning on the lectern with both hands as he faced the students: "Students, acupoint pressing does exist, but it's only found in Traditional Chinese Medicine, which foreigners don't understand. This is one of the ways Traditional Chinese Medicine surpasses Western medicine." "Teacher, why can you press acupoints when my dad and grandpa, who have been practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine for decades, can't?" Luo Tong asked in amazement, now looking at Hao Jian with admiration. "Because acupoint pressing is a very difficult skill to learn in Traditional Chinese Medicine, it's not like the martial arts dramas where you just poke around casually; it requires the use of silver needles as tools. The silver needles stimulate key acupoints when inserted into the body, paralyzing the muscles so that the person can't move, appearing as if they have been pressed on an acupoint. To master this skill, most people need twenty to thirty years, and they must also be taught by a knowledgeable teacher. Your father and grandfather probably haven't met such a teacher." "No way, teacher, you're only in your twenties this year, are you saying you began learning medicine in the womb?" a female student teased, drawing laughter from the crowd? "Of course not, didn't I just say? It takes most people twenty to thirty years," Hao Jian gestured a scissor hand near his eye and said: "But for someone as handsome as me, it only takes two to three years!" "Pfft! Teacher, you're so full of yourself!" "Teacher, even though you're narcissistic, I still think you're so handsome!" The female students looked at Hao Jian with admiration, dazzled by his 'Acupoint Pressing' display. At that moment, Chen Jingcheng's face had turned extremely ugly, almost livid with fear, because now he was also afraid that Hao Jian might deal with him next, and he certainly didn't want to become a statue. Hao Jian smiled and pressed down with his hands, signaling the crowd to quiet down. "Actually, Chen Jingcheng is right, our Traditional Chinese Medicine has declined," Hao Jian suddenly became serious, addressing the issue. Seeing Hao Jian like this, the students also sensibly closed their mouths, no longer laughing and joking, but listening seriously to what Hao Jian had to say. "But the decline of Traditional Chinese Medicine isn't due to the suppression by Western medicine. Our Huaxia has a history of five thousand years, and five thousand years ago we already had Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs, while those Westerners were still playing with mud. Suppress us? They are not worthy, nor do they have the qualifications," Hao Jian said with a mocking tone. Chapter 198 Youre Fired! "The decline of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Huaxia is due to the inferior nature of our people's character. Take Acupoint Pressing, for example. Why do I, a fellow in his early twenties, understand it, while those traditional doctors in their forties and fifties have no clue?" Hao Jian looked towards the crowd.The crowd all looked puzzled and shook their heads. "That's because they haven't met a teacher who knows this technique. Sticking to old ways due to our people's inferior nature, transmitting knowledge only from father to son, from son to grandson, never beyond that¡ªeveryone wants to possess a unique magic technique. But it's this very concept of owning a unique magic technique that kills the transmission of skills, allowing many refined skills to gradually be lost," Hao Jian said with a bitter smile. Seeing this, the students felt deeply moved, each bowing their heads and sighing. "Nowadays, less than ten people in Huaxia understand the art of Acupoint Pressing. I have been fortunate to learn this skill, and I intend to change the status quo. I will no longer keep to myself. I will teach you all I have learned in my life, but how much you can learn will depend on you!" Hao Jian said in a grave voice. "Teacher, I will definitely study hard!" "Teacher, I will certainly spread the greatness of Traditional Chinese Medicine, so that those arrogant foreigners can no longer look down on us!" The students below the stage were very excited because Hao Jian made them realize that they were not just learning medicine; they were learning about national pride! S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The responsibility of revitalizing Huaxia's medical field had invisibly fallen on their shoulders! At this moment, no one dared to doubt Hao Jian's medical skills, for his philosophy was already the highest form of medicine, as he wasn't healing people, but their minds! With his efforts, all self-imposed limits, all unique magic techniques, would be dissolved! The whole classroom was filled with the excited shouting of the students, men and women alike, as if invigorated, excitedly watching Hao Jian, almost regarding him as a deity. Chen Jingcheng's face turned pale. How could this be? How could this guy bewitch people's hearts with just a few words? Since he disliked Traditional Chinese Medicine, even despised it, Hao Jian's speech did not impact him at all. "Seeing you like this makes me relieved. Though Traditional Chinese Medicine has declined, as long as there are young people like you who love it, it is absolutely impossible for it to disappear! Otherwise, with a few more race traitors like Chen Jingcheng who worship foreign things, there would be no hope for its revival," Hao Jian scoffed. The crowd also burst into laughter. "Chen Jingcheng, if you like traditional medicine so much, what are you doing here? Not only do we find you an eyesore, but you probably find us eyesores too!" "Exactly, just get out already! Traditional Chinese Medicine doesn't welcome fakes like you!" "You..." Chen Jingcheng's face turned livid; he hadn't expected his classmates to dare speak to him like this. Had that kid given them the audacity? "Leave. I can accept someone here who doesn't love Traditional Chinese Medicine, but I cannot accept someone who hates it." Hao Jian also glanced at Chen Jingcheng. "My grandfather and the dean are sworn brothers. Our family provides all the medicine for the Chinese Medicine Hospital every year. Do you dare let me go?" Chen Jingcheng was furious, his eyes fiercely glaring at Hao Jian. In this Chinese Medicine Hospital, no one had ever dared to send him away. Hao Jian was the first. Of course, this was also because his grandfather and Du Yuelin had an extraordinary relationship, which allowed him to act arrogantly in the hospital, bullying teachers and beating classmates. And now, Hao Jian was actually telling him to get lost? How could he tolerate this? "If you have any complaints, you can go and report me to the dean," Hao Jian said with a faint smile. "Fine, I will go tell the dean right now to fire you!" Chen Jingcheng huffed angrily, standing up to head outside and find Du Yuelin. "No need to go, I am right here," Du Yuelin suddenly appeared. It turned out that the old man, worried that Hao Jian might not teach well especially because there was a troublemaker like Chen Jingcheng in the class and that Hao Jian was a new teacher, feared Hao Jian might be bullied. Thus, he had quietly come to sit in on the class and had heard everything from start to finish. From the moment Chen Jingcheng started causing trouble, he was already displeased. He had thought that Hao Jian would, like other teachers, storm out in anger, but to his surprise, Hao Jian did not do so. Instead, he dealt with Chen Jingcheng harshly in his own way. His use of "Acupoint Pressing" had stunned him; until Hao Jian made his move, he had no idea that Traditional Chinese Medicine contained such a profound and arcane technique. At that time, Du Yuelin looked at Hao Jian with admiring eyes. Hao Jian's passion and attitude towards Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the speech he had just given, made this man in his fifties feel his blood surge with excitement. Especially since Hao Jian had mentioned his plan to pass on all his knowledge, he was so thrilled he almost jumped up. Hao Jian was a disciple of Liang Wangsun, after all. If these students became Hao Jian's disciples, wouldn't it mean they had learned all of Liang Wangsun's skills and became his grand-disciples? This way, whatever achievements they later accomplished, their medical school would also benefit. By the time Du Yuelin reached their age, things like money, power, and beauties were all trivial, but one thing they cared about was reputation! They all wanted to be renowned in the medical sector, forever revered by later generations. But to achieve this, he needed Hao Jian's help. And now, Chen Jingcheng was planning to drive this rare talent away? How could he not be furious? "Grandpa Du, you've come at just the right time. This guy has been playing tricks in the classroom and even made a few classmates end up like this. Please, just fire him now!" Chen Jingcheng said excitedly, thinking that Du Yuelin would surely support him, since he was somewhat like a nephew to him. However, Du Yuelin merely glanced at him indifferently and said coldly, "You should leave the Chinese Medicine Hospital. Starting today, you are expelled." "What?" Chen Jingcheng was stunned, totally unable to accept the outcome, staring intensely at Du Yuelin. Not only him, but even the students present also showed shocked expressions. It wasn't the first time Du Yuelin had covered for Chen Jingcheng; why was it that this time he didn't care about him at all? Who exactly was Hao Jian, that even Du Yuelin took his side? Seeing that this matter was being handled by Du Yuelin, Hao Jian no longer paid attention to Chen Jingcheng, but instead turned to everyone: Enjoy exclusive content from empire "Additionally, I want to make something clear upfront. I will not tolerate missing classes, tardiness, or sleeping during my lectures. If you have any issues, you must ask for leave in advance. Technical skills can either benefit society if well learned or harm it if not. I do not want my students to discredit me due to their lack of skill." Chapter 199 Breast Enlargement Massage Technique! "Teacher, don't worry, we'll be sure to behave."After hearing Hao Jian's warning, all the students nodded in agreement. At this point, if Hao Jian said shit smelled nice, they would think he was correct. "Very good!" Hao Jian nodded in approval, then turned his gaze to Chen Jingcheng and said playfully, "Aren't you going to scram?" "Scram! You fake foreign devil!" The other students also shouted in anger. "You..." Chen Jingcheng clenched his teeth, his expression extremely ugly. He had always been above everyone else in the class, and now his classmates looked at him as if he were a stinking dog or a pile of shit. "Grandpa Du, my grandfather and you were like brothers in the craft," Chen Jingcheng looked toward Du Yuelin, knowing that once he was expelled, he could forget about ever getting a penny of pocket money from his grandfather. But Du Yuelin just gave him an indifferent glance and then looked away, saying, "I'll speak to your grandfather about this matter. You should go home for now." Chen Jingcheng was stunned on the spot, then took two steps back and pointed at Du Yuelin and Hao Jian: "You two. Very well! I, Chen Jingcheng, will remember this!" "And you, old man! Our family has given so much sponsorship to your Chinese Medicine Hospital, and in the end, you actually join outsiders to bully me? I will definitely tell my grandfather about this. Let's see how your Chinese Medicine Hospital survives without our family's support!" At this time, Du Yuelin didn't even bother to look at Chen Jingcheng anymore, and said mockingly, "If your grandfather knew what you did, he would beat you to death." Chen Jingcheng's expression suddenly became very rich. Was this a threat? This was not a threat from Du Yuelin. If Chen Jingcheng's grandfather knew he dared to bully such a talented doctor, he would beat him until he vomited blood within minutes. Chen Jingcheng might act like a spoiled brat, but his grandfather's personality was completely different. "We'll see about that!" Chen Jingcheng huffed angrily, then turned to his girlfriend and scolded, "What are you still doing here? Aren't you leaving?" But his girlfriend just glanced at him and then lowered her head again, "I'm not leaving, I want to listen to Doctor Hao's lecture." "Dammit, are you joking with me? I've bought you so many branded bags, and now you're telling me you want to listen to this bastard's class?" Chen Jingcheng's nose was almost crooked with anger as the dead woman dared to disobey him. "I will return all those things to you," the girl said expressionlessly. Influenced by what Hao Jian had said, she had come to a realization that if she continued to follow Chen Jingcheng, she would become a useless person as well. She wanted to make her country proud and revitalize Traditional Chinese Medicine, just like all the other students! At this moment, everyone looked at Chen Jingcheng with disdain, even his woman had abandoned him. Chen Jingcheng's face turned as black as a pot, and through gritted teeth, he swept his gaze over everyone: "Just you wait and see!" Afterward, he left with a heart full of anger. "Hao Jian, I'm so sorry you had to encounter such a situation on your first day of teaching," Du Yuelin said with an apologetic face. Now he would do whatever it took to mollify Hao Jian, this deity of a teacher; if he left, Du Yuelin would lose his chance at lasting fame. "No worries, it's inevitable to have a few troublemakers in a class. Fortunately, that's all there were." Hao Jian laughed, indicating it was no big deal, especially since Chen Jingcheng had already taken off. "That's good." Seeing that Hao Jian had no intention of leaving, Du Yuelin smiled broadly and then pointed at the few students standing like statues: sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Look at them. Can you let them go? Keeping them like this isn't a solution either." "They were complicit in tyranny and should be punished, but don't worry, principal. I know what I'm doing. I'll release them after this class," Hao Jian reassured Du Yuelin. "In that case, carry on with your lesson, and I won't disturb you any longer." Du Yuelin could only leave with a bitter smile, knowing that Hao Jian wouldn't rest until he had taught them a lesson. "Alright, now let's begin the class," Hao Jian said with a beaming smile to everyone. "Teacher! I want to learn acupoint pressing!" Luo Tong immediately raised his hand, looking at Hao Jian excitedly. Hao Jian glared at him: "What for? To bully girls?" "Hahahaha." The crowd burst into laughter, moved by Hao Jian's humor. "I... no," Luo Tong scratched his head sheepishly, his face flushing with embarrassment. "Alright, I'm just teasing you. Acupoint pressing was originally used for pain relief; it can instantly make muscles feel sore, soft, and numb, so the patient wouldn't feel pain. But now with anesthetics, this skill is no longer needed, and to truly master it takes a very long time. If you want me to teach you, you'd probably spend your entire college life learning just this," Hao Jian explained with a smile. Hearing that he wouldn't teach "acupoint pressing," the students couldn't hide their disappointment. "But although I won't teach you acupoint pressing, I will teach you something even more practical," Hao Jian said, winking naughtily with a mischievous grin. "Teacher, what exactly are you going to teach us?" a plump and cute girl asked curiously, her big watery eyes fixed on Hao Jian. "Really want to know?" Hao Jian teased, "If you girls learn this, each of you could become a goddess!" "Ah? Really? Teacher, please tell us, don't keep us in suspense, we can't wait!" Upon hearing this, the girls, as if injected with adrenaline, waited eagerly for Hao Jian. "Today the girls are in luck because what I'm going to teach you is... breast enhancement massage!" Hao Jian announced emphatically, slapping the table with authority. "Wow!" All the girls revealed a look of surprise; indeed, this was a treat! Then, Hao Jian took out a chart of human acupoints and said, "Next, I'll teach you which acupoints to press. Pay close attention and watch carefully; I'm only saying this once. If you miss it, that's not my fault." "Hang on, Teacher, let me record this with my phone," a bunch of girls scrambled to get their phones out. The boys, however, found it dull; as they didn't need breast enhancements, this was useless to them. "Press these acupoints clockwise for three to five minutes, and these ones counterclockwise for five to ten minutes," Hao Jian began to explain, while the girls listened intently, afraid to miss a single word. And Chen Jingcheng's girlfriend secretly rejoiced that she hadn't left with him, or she would have missed such an important class. She was good-looking and had a decent figure, but her only flaw was her small bust. If she could correct this flaw, she would be perfect, and then she could snag as many wealthy partners as she wanted in the future. Chapter 200 Ouyu! "Have you all remembered?" Hao Jian looked at the girls."We've remembered," the girls nodded in unison. "Good, if you follow this massage method, you'll see results in a month, and in half a year, you all can turn into dairy cows!" Hao Jian joked. The cheeks of the girls flushed red as they shouted, "Teacher, you're such a hooligan, teacher, you have no shame." "Teacher, is your massage technique really effective?" Yet someone still harbored doubts and wasn't quite convinced. "Of course it's effective, this is a time-honored family secret remedy that money can't buy. If you don't see the effects after a month, feel free to come to me!" Hao Jian patted his chest as a guarantee. "Teacher, if it really doesn't work and we come to you, can you solve the problem?" "Certainly, if it doesn't work when you do it yourselves, then I, the teacher, will personally give you a massage!" Hao Jian chuckled slyly. "You're so bad, teacher!" S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The girls couldn't help but glare at Hao Jian in embarrassed anger, but they never expected that Hao Jian would act so shamelessly in public, however, it also enlivened the atmosphere in the class immediately. "Teacher, you're biased, why only provide benefits for the girls and not for us boys?" Luo Tong grumbled discontentedly. "Yeah, teacher, teach us boys some vigor-enhancing secret remedies too," the boys protested one after another. "Look at the state of you guys, who said this breast-enlargement massage technique is only a perk for the girls?" Hao Jian looked at the boys with disdain. "Hey, how could this be a benefit for us guys? We don't need breast enlargement!" The boys lamented loudly. "Look at you, so stupid. You guys might not need breast enlargement, but does that mean your girlfriends or wives won't need it in the future?" Hao Jian said with a laugh, "If you learn this breast-enlargement massage technique, you can shape your girlfriend's figure into whatever you desire if you're not satisfied with it in the future. Isn't that a benefit?" "Right, how did I not think of that!" A boy smacked his own forehead, finding Hao Jian's words incredibly reasonable. If he ended up with a girlfriend lacking in the bust department, he could still work on improving her. The boys looked at each other, all flashing sleazy smiles¡ªas it turned out, this thing might be even more useful for them than for the girls. "Teacher, you playing dirty is one thing, but why did you have to lead the boys in the class astray too?" A girl pouted. "Is that so? Then I won't teach it!" Hao Jian said bluntly, thinking to himself: These little brats didn't take notes before, and now they want to learn? Too late! "No, teacher, we've realized our mistake, we wronged you. Please explain it once more, we won't let your earnest efforts go to waste," the boys said, looking at Hao Jian with woeful expressions. "No way, serves you right for not learning. Didn't all those girls record it on their phones? You can just ask them for it," Hao Jian said straightforwardly, and just then, the bell rang. "Teacher, when will you come to teach again?" Seeing Hao Jian about to leave, the students watched him reluctantly. It was rare for them to encounter such a unique male teacher. Previous teachers were either very old folks or balding middle-aged men who made their lectures utterly boring to the point of snooze-inducing dullness. But Hao Jian was different. His way of speaking and style were witty and humorous, sometimes even including a touch of rascal charm, which was endlessly entertaining. And so, the class was full of laughter and joy throughout. "That's hard to say, because I'm not a teacher at your school. Your dean asked me to substitute this time, and I only come over occasionally," Hao Jian replied with a wry smile, because he had his own affairs to attend to and couldn't possibly waste all his time here. Upon hearing this, the students all felt very disappointed. Seeing their reaction, Hao Jian also felt a bit embarrassed and said, "Well, here's what I'll do. I will definitely try my best to make time to come here. Although I can't guarantee to be here every day, I can at least promise more than ten lessons a week." "Really? That's great!" The students' eyes lit up with renewed excitement. Though they wouldn't see Hao Jian every day, seeing him frequently was still pretty good. "And the next topic I'm going to talk about is the issue of male virility," Hao Jian said with a mysterious smile. "Ooooohhh!!!" A group of boys howled like wolves, banging on tables and dancing around, even more excited than the girls. Because this was an issue all men take seriously. You could say a man isn't handsome, you could say he's poor, but you absolutely cannot say he's impotent! Because that's a matter of dignity! The strength of a man's abilities in that regard sometimes also pertains to the strength of his self-confidence, so naturally, they were all exhilarated. Hao Jian smiled, then removed the silver needles from the students' bodies. The doctors immediately collapsed to the ground, looking at Hao Jian in terror. Hao Jian didn't hold back and glared at them, saying, "What happened today, I can let slide, but there will not be a next time. You can learn attentively in my classroom, and I will teach you everything I know, or you can continue to seek revenge with that Chen Jingcheng. But let me tell you, if you dare to do so, I will make sure you are expelled from school!" The few male students nodded fearfully, though it was unclear if they really took his words to heart. . "Yu Ou, how did you come here?" Today, Zhiyan's shop welcomed an old friend. Zhiyan looked at the man before her with joy. He was a robust, handsome man with a clean, short haircut, standing as straight as a javelin, though not in military uniform, he radiated a strong military aura, clearly a soldier! "Eh, Zhiyan? You're here too?" Yu Ou said with surprise, seemingly not expecting to bump into Zhiyan at this place. "Yes, I'm the manager of this shop. I heard some years ago that you joined the army, are you back now?" Zhiyan asked with a cheerful smile, obviously having a favorable impression of Yu Ou, primarily because he was Hao Jian's brother. In the past, because of her secret crush on Hao Jian, she often asked Yu Ou to bring Hao Jian drinks and breakfast, of course, that was all paid for by her, but she never let Yu Ou tell Hao Jian. Having heard this, Yu Ou couldn't help but give a bitter smile: "Yes, I did join the army in my early years, but that was only because that guy Hao Jian joined the army, and I just wanted to follow him. But who would have thought, just as I got to the unit, he was already selected by a national secret organization to be one of them. After that, he just climbed higher and higher, leaving me far behind, unable to catch up, so I had no choice but to give up and come back." He had spent the previous years trying to keep up with Hao Jian's footsteps, but he soon realized that no matter how hard he tried, he could never catch up. Hao Jian was simply too outstanding and too powerful, and with a heart full of disillusionment, he chose to return. Chapter 201 Enemies on a Narrow Road! He would give up, not because he no longer considered Hao Jian a brother, but because he didn't know if Hao Jian was still alive, and whether he still remembered his once brother."Hao Jian? He's also in Hua City, don't you know?" Chen Zhiyan asked in surprise. "What? He's in Hua City?" Yu Ou's expression changed instantly, his voice trembling a bit as he asked, "I asked around later and heard he went abroad. Has he come back?" "Yeah, he came back a while ago, I even ran into him. I'll call him right now to come over, he'll definitely be very happy to know you're back. Back in high school, you two were like the combination of light and shadow." Chen Zhiyan joked. The reason she referred to Yu Ou and Hao Jian as light and shadow was that wherever Hao Jian was, Yu Ou would surely be there. Hao Jian was like light, protecting Yu Ou, and Yu Ou followed Hao Jian like a shadow. The nature of their relationship was actually quite subtle; the power of a shadow depends on the brightness of the light. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow. That was the case with Hao Jian and Yu Ou. In the beginning, Yu Ou was bullied at school, but since meeting Hao Jian, under his lead, Yu Ou grew stronger and has now become a formidable martial artist. Everything was because he was influenced by the "light" of Hao Jian, which allowed him to cast such a dark shadow. "This might not be good, right? What if he's at work, and besides, I dressed too casually today. How about another day?" The thought of meeting Hao Jian after so many years made him nervous. "It's not like you're going on a blind date that you need to change clothes," Chen Zhiyan laughed at Yu Ou's expense and gave him an annoyed look, "You big guys, why are you acting like little girls? This isn't like you at all." "I just am. I just am." Yu Ou kept repeating "I just am" and never actually got around to finishing the statement. "Alright, I understand. It's normal to feel a bit nervous after not seeing each other for so long." S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chen Zhiyan smiled, and then the phone connected. She signaled Yu Ou to be quiet and said cheerfully to Hao Jian, "Hao Jian, I have good news. Yu Ou is here with me. Can you come over now? Ah, okay, we'll wait for you here; don't worry, I won't let him escape!" "Hao Jian says he'll be here soon. He told us to wait for him here; I can tell he's very pleased," Chen Zhiyan told Yu Ou. "That's great, that's great. That kid, had me worried." Yu Ou walked back and forth excitedly, then suddenly looked up at Chen Zhiyan, "Does my hair look messy?" "No, it looks very handsome," Chen Zhiyan replied helplessly. Seriously, she was beginning to wonder if Yu Ou was gay; why was he even more excited about seeing Hao Jian than she was? "By the way, what brings you to the jewelry store?" Chen Zhiyan suddenly asked. "Ah, you didn't mention it, and I almost forgot. I'm planning to buy a wedding ring for my fianc¨¦e," Yu Ou smacked his forehead, finally remembering his original intention. "Some forget friends at the sight of beauty, while you forget your love at the sight of friends; whoever marries you is out of luck," Chen Zhiyan huffed. "It was just a moment of excitement, just a moment," Yu Ou said, a bit embarrassed, as he started to laugh sheepishly. As they were talking, a couple suddenly walked in through the door, both dressed in designer brands, obviously from wealthy families, especially the woman, who from head to toe, was sparkling with jewels, very luxurious! But at the same time, so tacky! "Honey, this time you have to buy me a big, big wedding ring, I want one that's twenty carats," the woman said coyly. "Sure, no problem." The man, suppressing the pain of parting with his money, forced a reluctant smile, but the thought of acquiring a share of her family's wealth once he married her made him feel all right again. "Sun Renyao? He doesn't belong to you." Yu Ou was surprised to find the man was Sun Renyao and looked at Chen Zhiyan curiously. But he didn't expect Chen Zhiyan to be looking down, her face ashen. He immediately understood what was happening and didn't ask any more questions. Chen Zhiyan hadn't expected to encounter Sun Renyao here either. If there was anyone in the world Chen Zhiyan didn't want to run into, Sun Renyao was undoubtedly at the top of the list. Especially now that she was in such a sorry state, she really didn't want to face Sun Renyao. At that moment, Sun Renyao also noticed Chen Zhiyan, and at first, he was startled, then he smiled and walked over: "Yo, isn't this Chen Zhiyan? I didn't expect to see you here." "Chen Zhiyan? I didn't expect you to have lost so much weight. Really, if you had lost weight earlier, maybe Sun Renyao wouldn't have divorced you." The woman also sneered, obviously recognizing Chen Zhiyan. Hearing this, Chen Zhiyan's complexion turned a bit pale, and she glared at the woman: "Xiao Meimei, aren't you just a homewrecker yourself? What's there to be arrogant about?" "Steal someone else's husband? Chen Zhiyan, get it straight, I didn't hook up with Sun Renyao; he pursued me of his own accord. It's no wonder, with my figure and looks far better than yours, which man wouldn't choose me? Not a fatty like you, that's for sure." Xiao Meimei laughed coyly, extremely pleased with herself. Xiao Meimei truly loathed Chen Zhiyan, and for good reason. Back in high school, she had a crush on Hao Jian, just like Chen Zhiyan, but Hao Jian would rather hang out with Chen Zhiyan, that "dead fat pig," and wouldn't even give her the time of day. This had dealt a heavy blow to her self-esteem back then. At the time, Xiao Meimei's family circumstances were almost the same as Chen Zhiyan's, and her appearance and figure were both far better than Chen Zhiyan's. But Hao Jian found her a bit contrived and also slightly scheming; nowhere near as sincere as Chen Zhiyan. Hence, he wasn't willing to give her any attention, and she had harbored resentment ever since. No wonder, after all, the deeper the love, the deeper the hatred. Facing Xiao Meimei's insults, Chen Zhiyan clenched her fists but didn't know how to retort. Being overweight was a sore spot for her; she had suffered so much because of it in the past, and even Sun Renyao's departure was related to her weight. If she had been as slim then as she was now, even if Chen Zhiyan had been left, she thought it might not have been with such conviction. "But now you are indeed a lot prettier. However, it's no use. Your family is bankrupt now, and you're just a female loser. What do you have to compete with me for a man?" Xiao Meimei laughed coldly, her gaze boldly sizing up Chen Zhiyan: "Chen Zhiyan, it seems even the gods are against you, making you lose to me for a lifetime." "Compete? Who wants to compete with you for a man? A man who's in it just for the money and lives off selling his body, who would care for that?" Chen Zhiyan retorted: "Xiao Meimei, don't be so smug. The day you run out of money is the day he'll toss you out like a broken rag!" Chapter 202 - Say That Again! "You." Hearing Chen Zhiyan speak of herself in such a manner, Sun Renyao's complexion wasn't looking too good either as he angrily huffed,"It seems I was right to abandon you back then. You are still as foolish and ignorant as you were." "Foolish and ignorant?" Chen Zhiyan immediately became very agitated, pointing at Sun Renyao in anger, "It was precisely because of my foolishness and ignorance that I married you, this ungrateful wretch, against my father's wishes!" She had sacrificed so much for Sun Renyao, and yet, in the end, he dared to call her foolish and ignorant? Was this something a person would say? Thinking of this, Chen Zhiyan couldn't help but start sobbing. "Oh look, crying again? You really haven't changed at all, still as stupid and cowardly, just like a pig," Xiao Meimei mocked without mercy. "We're all classmates, isn't it a bit too much to speak like that?" Yu Ou couldn't help but glare at Sun Renyao and Xiao Meimei. It wasn't his place to meddle in others' family matters, but Sun Renyao and Xiao Meimei were going too far. They had not only stolen someone's husband and hurt her but were now here insulting her¡ªhow could they act in such a manner? There's a saying: 'A night together makes a hundred days of grace.' There's no deep hatred between them, so why the need to be so ruthless? Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Too much? You don't know a damn thing! She never loved me. We were married for two years, and she never let me touch her once! Don't think I don't know, she was always pining for that beast Hao Jian! She even sneakily inquired about Hao Jian's whereabouts behind my back. Who really went too far?" Sun Renyao said with a grim expression. Speaking about this enraged him¡ªChen Zhiyan had married him, yet her mind was always on another man. Who could tolerate that? "You're complaining to me now? Long before we got married, I told you I couldn't forget Hao Jian just yet and might need some time. What did you say then? You said it was fine, that you truly loved me and were willing to wait as long as it took. Turns out all those words were just hot air!" Chen Zhiyan was so angry her face turned red. It wasn't that she hadn't discussed this issue with Sun Renyao; she had, and he had agreed. But now, bringing up past matters, it became her fault? Back then, Sun Renyao just wanted Chen Zhiyan to support him, so of course, he agreed to everything. Now that Chen Zhiyan could no longer support him, he had changed his tune. "So many years have passed, and you still haven't forgotten Hao Jian? You really are hopelessly devoted," Xiao Meimei said with a sneer. "Turns out it wasn't Sun Renyao who cheated, but you who behaved inappropriately first. With that in mind, you are even less qualified to accuse us." "Forget it, let's not bother with her, let's pick out a diamond." Sun Renyao didn't want to waste his breath on Chen Zhiyan anymore. He actually felt guilty about the matter, and when people face something they are ashamed of, they tend to subconsciously avoid it. "Fine, Chen Zhiyan, pick out the most expensive and finest ring in your store for me." Xiao Meimei looked at Chen Zhiyan smugly, intending to have Chen Zhiyan, Sun Renyao's ex-wife, select a ring for her and Sun Renyao¡ªit was the perfect way to utterly trample her underfoot. "I absolutely will not serve you!" Chen Zhiyan said through gritted teeth. "Don't go too far!" Yu Ou also clenched his fist. In fact, he had been angry ever since Sun Renyao called Hao Jian a beast. "How have I gone too far? I'm just driving business for an old classmate, isn't that so? Chen Zhiyan, don't you want the commission? That's worth several tens of thousands at least, and your family owes so much money. It's perfect for paying off debts, isn't it?" Xiao Meimei chuckled, feeling utterly thrilled. "Damn it!" Yu Ou couldn't hold back anymore, and with a roar, he marched towards them, full of rage. "Oh, Yu Ou, you want to fight? If it wasn't for Hao Jian covering for you back in school, you would have been beaten up countless times by now. And now you want to throw your weight around in front of me? Hao Jian was something else, but you? Better not, man!" Sun Renyao looked at Yu Ou with disdain. "Yu Ou, my daddy often dines with the mayor. If you try anything foolish, just one phone call from me, and I'll have you stuck behind bars!" Xiao Meimei also raised her eyebrows, her gaze icy as she looked at Yu Ou. "Smack, smack, smack." Just then, a steady stream of applause came from outside the store, and Hao Jian walked in at a leisurely pace, his face adorned with a composed smile: "Years have passed and scum is still scum, not a single change, huh." "Hao Jian?" Both Sun Renyao and Xiao Meimei sharply inhaled in fear and stared at Hao Jian, unable to believe that he would appear here. Hadn't this guy gone off to join the army? The moment Sun Renyao saw Hao Jian, he shrank away like a mouse who had seen a cat, instinctively hiding behind Xiao Meimei. Because back in high school, he had frequently ended up on the receiving end of Hao Jian's fists and was psychologically traumatized by it. When Xiao Meimei caught sight of Hao Jian, her beautiful eyes couldn't help but shimmer with interest, but as soon as she noticed his shabby clothes, that interest completely vanished. No matter how charming Hao Jian used to be, now he just looked like a down-and-out loser, so she completely lost any interest she had. In comparison, Sun Renyao's clean and handsome appearance actually seemed far better than Hao Jian's current state. If she had to choose between Hao Jian and Sun Renyao now, she would definitely pick Sun Renyao. Although she was aware that Sun Renyao was only after her wealth, if you were going to keep a pretty boy, he should at least be good-looking, right? Men are lustful, and women are just the same; otherwise, they wouldn't be constantly fussing over "handsome young men" all day long. Hao Jian and Yu Ou exchanged a glance, and both nodded at the same time. As brothers for many years, there were things they understood without needing to say them aloud. "Are you okay?" Hao Jian asked with a gentle smile, looking down at Chen Zhiyan. Chen Zhiyan immediately threw her arms around Hao Jian, starting to sob with hiccupping breaths. Hao Jian let out a wry smile, patting Chen Zhiyan's head: "Don't cry now, I will stand up for you." "Shameless couple! Adulterer and slut!" Sun Renyao pointed angrily at Hao Jian and Chen Zhiyan, cursing furiously. Hao Jian's eyes suddenly narrowed, fixing a piercing gaze on Sun Renyao: "Say that again?" Enjoy new adventures from empire Intimidated by Hao Jian's glare, Sun Renyao's confidence faltered momentarily, but then he found his courage again, bolstered by Xiao Meimei's support, and sneered: "Hao Jian, do you think you're still back in high school, where you could bully me? What about you, huh? You two are nothing but a pair of adulterers and sluts, the scum of earth, a bitch matched with a dumbass. Unbeaten in the world!" "Heh, quite the rhyming talent," Hao Jian chuckled darkly, and then his foot flew out swiftly. Sun Renyao was sent flying through the air, crashing heavily against a pillar and collapsing in a daze. "Sun Renyao!" Xiao Meimei panicked at the sight of her boyfriend getting beaten like that and immediately glared at Hao Jian with fury. "What? You want to end up like him?" Hao Jian chuckled. "Hao Jian, after all we were classmates, do you really have no regard for old times?" Xiao Meimei said angrily, her heart filled with envy and hate. It was always like this, always! Why did Hao Jian always stand beside that damn fatso, instead of her? In what ways was she inferior to her! PS: Many readers have mentioned that updates are slow, Shuaishuai is truly aggrieved. I update everything in the wee hours of the morning, just so everyone can see the new chapters first thing every day! And it's always five chapters, ten thousand words! This pace is top-tier in the web novel community! Shuaishuai stays up late every night to write, and I really hope for everyone's support. I sincerely thank every subscribing reader!!! Chapter 203 I Look Down on You! "Since you say you're classmates, why don't you have any old affections for each other? Don't you know that Sun Renyao is Chen Zhiyan's ex-husband? Who else could you seduce, why he of all people?"Hao Jian also reprimanded angrily, having previously merely disliked Xiao Meimei, but now he thoroughly detested her. "Snatching someone else's husband and still being so arrogant, you're utterly shameless. I look down on you!" Hao Jian's gaze was icy as he stared at Xiao Meimei. This scene was quite odd, with Hao Jian holding Chen Zhiyan in his arms while declaring his contempt for Xiao Meimei, giving the impression that it was for Chen Zhiyan's sake that he spoke so. With just a simple sentence, Xiao Meimei was so enraged she trembled all over. She had thought she could stop caring, but now it seemed she was far from reaching that point of indifference. "Sun Renyao! Someone is bullying your woman, are you dead? If not, hurry up and come here!" Xiao Meimei shouted with an attitude that was nothing short of nasty, treating Sun Renyao not as her boyfriend, but more like a servant. "Not dead." Sun Renyao, suppressing his pain, got up, reached Xiao Meimei's side clumsily, and stared sharply at Hao Jian: "Hao Jian, I'm not the same as before, you dare to hit me? I will make you pay!" Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Oh? I really want to see how you're different from before," Hao Jian mocked coldly. "Trash will always be trash, no matter how it changes," Yu Ou snorted coldly, ready to stand with Hao Jian through thick and thin. It was best for Sun Renyao to not touch Hao Jian because if he dared, Yu Ou would definitely use all of his family's power to kill both Sun Renyao and Xiao Meimei! Experience more tales on empire "Fine, fine, fine, you just wait, I'm making a call for backup right now!" Sun Renyao sneered triumphantly and then pointed angrily at Chen Zhiyan: "And you, you slut, don't even think about keeping your job. I know the executives at your company, and I will have you fired!" Upon hearing this, Chen Zhiyan's face went pale as she looked at Hao Jian for help. She really needed this job to pay off her debts. Hao Jian mustered a slight smile: "Don't worry, he won't be able to fire you as long as I'm here." "Mm," Chen Zhiyan nodded dumbly, finding Hao Jian's smile very warm! It was like the warm sun on a winter day, filling her heart with something called a sense of security! Seeing Chen Zhiyan and Hao Jian like this, both Sun Renyao and Xiao Meimei ground their teeth in hatred. Each of them, one having liked Hao Jian and the other having been Chen Zhiyan's husband, couldn't help feeling jealous when they saw two people they had once admired clinging to each other so sweetly. Because the relationship between Sun Renyao and Xiao Meimei could hardly be called love; it was at most mutual use. Sun Renyao was attracted to the money in Xiao Meimei's family, whereas Xiao Meimei was with Sun Renyao merely to find an opportunity to humiliate Chen Zhiyan. It wasn't long before Sun Minghui arrived, and he was quite polite to Sun Renyao: "Nephew, what do you need me for?" It turned out that the person Chen Zhiyan intended to call was Sun Minghui, who also happened to be Sun Renyao's uncle. The reason he had been so polite to Chen Zhiyan was that most of the items he had stolen were sold to Sun Renyao, who then resold them on his behalf. "Uncle, I want you to fire this employee!" Sun Renyao suddenly pointed at Chen Zhiyan, daring to hit him? He would make sure Chen Zhiyan couldn't even keep her job! Sun Minghui looked at Chen Zhiyan in Hao Jian's arms and then at Hao Jian's sneering face, and his expression froze as if he had seen a ghost. In the group, the three biggest troublemakers had met their fate because of Hao Jian. Foreman Liang was sent to jail, and Su Qin's fate was up in the air; how could he even dare to provoke Hao Jian again? Offending this madman wouldn't end well! So Sun Minghui kept shaking his head, too scared to speak up, his face completely pale. "Uncle? Could you say something?" Seeing Sun Minghui like this, Sun Renyao was instantly enraged. What was this about? He was supposed to help, not act like a scaredy-cat. Sun Minghui whispered in Sun Renyao's ear: "He is our group president's husband." "What? Can you speak up? Didn't you eat?" Sun Renyao was growing impatient, annoyed by Sun Minghui's cowardly demeanor: "You can't even fire an employee, and you call yourself a high-level executive!" "He is our group president's husband! I can't fire him!" Seeing this, Sun Minghui also lost his temper and roared out loud. "The president's husband?" All of a sudden, Chen Zhiyan and the other three were shocked. And at that moment, Chen Zhiyan finally understood why Hao Jian's word alone could secure her the position of store manager¡ªit turned out the entire Shu Ya Group was his! Upon hearing this news, Chen Zhiyan felt somewhat disheartened; his wife was the president, which made sense. A man as outstanding as him should marry just as extraordinary a woman. Sun Minghui immediately knelt down with a thump: "Mr. Hao, this really isn't my fault, it has nothing to do with me at all. Please... spare me! Don't kill me, I beg you..." He genuinely feared that Hao Jian's anger would be directed at him¡ªForeman Liang and Su Qin's fates were witness to that, and he didn't want to be the third. And everyone could sense the implications from his words¡ªdon't kill him? Could Hao Jian actually kill a person? Sun Renyao and Xiao Meimei were both petrified. Hao Jian wasn't a loser? At that moment, Xiao Meimei couldn't help but reveal a bitter smile. Yes, how could such a man possibly be a loser? Just now she had looked down on Hao Jian, but now she could only ridicule her own ignorance. At the same time, she felt a vague sense of happiness, at least her first love wasn't wasted because she had fallen for such an incredible man! Yet, Sun Renyao only felt utter humiliation. The president's husband¡ªHao Jian was doing much better than him! He was aware of Shu Ya Group, which was much larger than Sister Xiao's family business. What they earned in a month was enough for Sister Xiao's family for a year. Everyone was surprised, but only Yu Ou thought this was as it should be, for no one understood Hao Jian better than he did¡ªthis man could never be ordinary! "What are you doing?" Hao Jian, somewhat speechless, looked at Sun Minghui, thinking this old guy was just too cowardly. Chapter 204 Waiting for You to Bring Reinforcements! "I... I don't know either, but I just don't want to die," Sun Minghui said with a bitter smile.He wasn't quite clear on what he was actually doing; it was almost an instinctual reaction, mainly because he was so scared of Hao Jian to an extreme degree. With Su Qin and them as precedents, he now felt like seeing a ghost whenever he saw Hao Jian. Sun Renyao and Xiao Meimei were both dumbfounded. Die? Wasn't that a bit extreme? "Did I say I was going to kill you?" Hao Jian said, unable to help but laugh and cry at this outrageous situation. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Sun Minghui didn't know what else to say, so he just kept bowing his head to apologize. Hao Jian was speechless and waved his hand, "Go on, I won't make it difficult for you." "Thank you, thank you." Sun Minghui was so excited he couldn't control himself. "Sun Minghui, what do you mean by this? I've helped you make so much money, and this is how you treat me?" Sun Renyao immediately scolded in dissatisfaction, what the hell was this nonsense? "I fuck your mother, he's not someone you can afford to provoke!" Sun Minghui also lost his temper, bursting into curse words. It was because of Sun Renyao that he now had to face Hao Jian, this Demon Star. Luckily, Hao Jian wasn't angry today. Otherwise, he would have definitely lost his job, and if he were unlucky, he might have even lost his life. The other party was someone who was on a par with Xu Donghe. Just a simple word, and Sun Minghui would undoubtedly be dead! Sun Renyao dared to offend Hao Jian, this Demon; he truly knew nothing about life and death. Sun Renyao didn't know how terrifying Hao Jian was, but he knew he didn't want to accompany Sun Renyao in death. "My mom is your sister, you damned son of a bitch!" Sun Renyao also exploded in rage. Sun Minghui dared to insult his mother, wasn't this fucked up? But Sun Minghui had already walked out of the jewelry store and hadn't heard a word Sun Renyao said. "A whole family of beasts, incredible," Hao Jian said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, then turned to Sun Renyao, "The big shot you counted on isn't pulling his weight, eh? Got any more?" Sun Renyao's face turned ashen with rage, "Don't get too cocky, I have plenty of ways to deal with you!" Immediately, Sun Renyao made another phone call to ask for help; he refused to believe that with all the connections he had made over the years, he wouldn't be able to deal with Hao Jian! "Brother Ma, it's me, Sun Renyao. I've run into some trouble here. There's a bastard who's giving me a hard time. Do you have time to come and help me out? Of course, it's his fault; he hit me first. You'll see when you get here; it's definitely not my responsibility. Alright, alright, I'll wait for you," Sun Renyao said politely. Immediately after, Sun Renyao looked at Hao Jian with a sinister gaze, "Boy, you just wait for your death. The guy I called will be here in no time! He's the head of the East City District Criminal Police Squad. Snuffing you out would be as easy as squashing an ant. If you know what's good for you, you better get down on your knees and kowtow a few times. Since we were classmates, I might spare you if you do. Otherwise, once you get inside that cell, don't think you'll get out without breaking an arm or losing a leg." Sun Renyao laughed darkly, finally seizing the opportunity to humiliate Hao Jian in front of Xiao Meimei and Chen Zhiyan. For a long time, this man had been suffocating him because Sun Renyao knew that both Xiao Meimei and Chen Zhiyan liked Hao Jian. It drove him mad that the two women he was interested in both fell for the same man, how could he accept that? And Xiao Meimei blinked her curious big eyes, wondering how Hao Jian would respond. "The squad leader you mentioned, his name should be Ma Zifeng, right?" Hao Jian said with an amused smile. Stay connected through empire "You... How do you know?" Sun Renyao's expression suddenly froze. Could it be that this guy also knew Ma Zifeng? Sun Renyao felt a vague sense of unease, because he didn't know the relationship between Hao Jian and Ma Zifeng, if their relationship was just average, Ma Zifeng should stand on his side, but if they were close, then it was hard to say. But Hao Jian just smiled without a word, wrapping his arm around Chen Zhiyan and walking towards a side tea table, while also beckoning Yu Ou to sit down. "Let's have some tea, it's boring to just wait anyway," Hao Jian said nonchalantly. "Should I call some people? I have some connections at the Military Department; I reckon if my old man speaks up, they wouldn't dare to touch you," Yu Ou said with some worry. "No need, no need, to deal with trash, there's no need for such fanfare," Hao Jian said disdainfully, then looked up at Chen Zhiyan and said, "Make some tea, it's been a long time since I've tasted the tea you brew." Chen Zhiyan's pretty face blushed. She had learned some tea artistry at school, and every time she brewed tea for Hao Jian to taste. Every time she saw Hao Jian drink the tea she had made, she felt an immense sense of satisfaction. Seeing this, Sun Renyao was almost bursting with rage. It was one thing for Hao Jian to call him trash, but now he was even flirting with his ex-wife right in front of him? Xiao Meimei was also very upset. Since their school days, Chen Zhiyan had always been close to Hao Jian, and it was still the same now. Watching them being so sweet together, Xiao Meimei felt murderous. These two jerks, they were intentionally showing off their affection in front of her, weren't they? Chen Zhiyan obediently went to get the tea leaves but said with some apology, "Because there's no good tea or water, the tea that's brewed might not taste very good." "It doesn't matter, we are all coarse people; even with the best tea, we wouldn't be able to taste the difference," Yu Ou laughed heartily. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You might be coarse, but I am not," Hao Jian quickly corrected, with some bashfulness, "Back at school, everyone called me the 'Fresh Little Prince.'" "After so many years, you're still so shameless," Yu Ou said incredulously as he looked at Hao Jian. The three of them started to chat casually in front of Sun Renyao and his group, leaving them in a stupor. What did this mean? It's one thing to look down on people, but did they have to do it like this? But the more he saw Hao Jian acting so calm, the more uneasy Sun Renyao felt inside. Since he knew that the person he called was Ma Zifeng and yet Hao Jian remained so nonchalant, could it be that Hao Jian had a closer relationship with Ma Zifeng than himself? But it was no use guessing wildly at the moment; he would only know after Ma Zifeng arrived, Sun Renyao turned his head to Xiao Meimei and said, "You go pick out the wedding rings first; don't waste any time." But at this moment, Xiao Meimei hesitated because seeing Hao Jian, she didn't want to marry Sun Renyao so much anymore. She used to look down on Hao Jian because she thought he was a loser, but now it seemed he was clearly not, in many ways, he was much better than the pretty boy Sun Renyao. "Go on!" Sun Renyao reprimanded annoyedly, also seemingly catching on to something, and said with some anger. Xiao Meimei huffed dissatisfiedly, then turned around and left, walking towards the counter. "Don't sell the jewelry to them," Hao Jian spoke up just then. The sales staff were also startled and didn't dare to move. Even Sun Minghui had said that Hao Jian was the president's husband, so naturally, they didn't dare go against what Hao Jian wanted. "Hao Jian, what do you mean?" Xiao Meimei glared at Hao Jian, her pretty face flushing red with anger and humiliation. Chapter 205 A Dog Living Off a Woman! Read exclusive adventures at empire"It's no big deal, just that our family's jewelry isn't willing to sell to you," Hao Jian said, looking up smugly. "As the husband of a CEO, I think I have that much authority." Xiao Meimei stood there stiffly, fists clenched, exceptionally embarrassed. The most embarrassing thing in the world is undoubtedly being publicly humiliated, and the most painful thing is undoubtedly being publicly humiliated by one's first love! "Hao Jian, you be arrogant all you want, but wait till my people arrive; I'll have you kneeling and begging me!" Sun Renyao said through gritted teeth, his face looking somewhat fierce. About half an hour later, Ma Zifeng finally arrived late, and upon arrival, he said to Sun Renyao in annoyance: "You always cause trouble for me; I was in the middle of a task just now. You call me over from so far away, wasting so much of my time." "Sorry, Brother Ma, but I had no choice, you see, the kid is just too arrogant. He got involved with my ex-wife before we divorced and even hit me after. Look what he did to me," Sun Renyao said, pointing at his body. "That arrogant?" Ma Zifeng couldn't help but frown. Taking someone's wife was one thing, but beating someone up after stealing her was really too much. "Exactly, Brother Ma, this time you must take him back to the station and discipline him. Otherwise, he will have no idea how many eyes Lord Ma has," Sun Renyao said with a cold huff, then suddenly pointed at Hao Jian down the way: "They're right there, look at them, so arrogant, injuring me and acting as if nothing happened while they drink tea and chat!" Ma Zifeng looked in the direction of Hao Jian, then involuntarily shuddered. "What, Ma Zifeng? Are you going to tell me how many eyes Prince has?" Hao Jian looked at Ma Zifeng with a smug smile. Seeing this attitude from Hao Jian, everyone was shocked. Wasn't this taunting Ma Zifeng? This kid had a death wish. But unexpectedly, Ma Zifeng, far from being angry, turned back in astonishment to look at Sun Renyao: "Mr. Hao is the man you're talking about?" Could it be that Sun Renyao wanted him to arrest Hao Jian? "Mr. Hao? You mean Hao Jian? Yes, that's him, Brother Ma, hurry up and arrest him," Sun Renyao urged Ma Zifeng still, seemingly slow to react, his cheeks bearing a gloomy smile, already fantasizing about the scene of Hao Jian having his legs broken. "Slap!" A fierce slap landed on Sun Renyao's face. "Brother Ma..." Sun Renyao covered his face, looking at Ma Zifeng with a wronged expression, not understanding why Ma Zifeng suddenly hit him. "Fuck your ancestors, you fucking don't want to live but I still want to!" Ma Zifeng cursed out loud, pointing at Hao Jian: "Do you fucking know who he is? You challenge him? With just a word, he could make you disappear from the face of the earth. What the hell are you?" Ma Zifeng scolded aggressively, because he was truly furious. Previously, he had gotten into trouble for sticking his neck out for an idiot, which almost cost him his life because of offending Hao Jian. Now this bastard is making the same mistake. Who are these dumbasses he knew, why was one more foolish than the next? Xiao Meimei and Chen Zhiyan were all looking at Hao Jian in surprise, never expecting him to have such powerful connections. Could he really make someone disappear with just one sentence? Their tender hearts quivered with surprise and excitement, emotions they hadn't felt for many years, like those of first love, filled with shyness and unease. But Hao Jian seemed as if he heard nothing, continuing to drink his tea at a leisurely pace, just as he had said earlier, Sun Renyao was nothing but trash in his eyes, and dealing with trash wasn't sufficient to cause any emotional ripples in him. "I¡­" Sun Renyao was dumbfounded, just staring at Ma Zifeng, not knowing what expression to wear. "I'll deal with you later!" After venting his frustration, Ma Zifeng humbly approached Hao Jian and said politely, "Mr. Hao." His demeanor now was as obsequious as it could be, like a servant's, a marked difference from his earlier imposing manner. Everyone was astonished, wondering just what Hao Jian's identity was that could make Ma Zifeng's attitude undergo such a drastic change, a full one hundred and eighty degrees. "Ma Zifeng, tell me, do you especially like taking a stand for others?" Hao Jian asked with a cold laugh. Upon hearing this, Ma Zifeng was so scared that he nearly fell apart, hastily shaking his head: "No, that's not it at all, I truly didn't know the reason. I've already heeded your advice to be a good cop, so before coming here, I had asked him whose fault this incident was. It was that kid who lied and deceived me. It really isn't my fault, Mr. Hao." Seeing Ma Zifeng groveling like a dog before Hao Jian, both Sun Renyao and Xiao Meimei's faces turned green, with a bad premonition washing over them. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Alright, you can stand aside now," Hao Jian said dismissively to Ma Zifeng. But Ma Zifeng dared not show any dissatisfaction, obediently stepping aside with his men, like a door god. Hao Jian stood up and walked towards Sun Renyao, who, by now, was sweating profusely and watching Hao Jian with a look of horror. He was now full of regret, having no leverage against Hao Jian, no means to contend with him. "Did you just ask me to kneel?" Hao Jian asked with a smile while scrutinizing Sun Renyao, waiting for his response. "I... I was just kidding with you," Sun Renyao forced out a smile more pained than crying. "Oh, really? Well, I don't find it funny," Hao Jian's smile suddenly vanished, his expression turning fierce as he glared at Sun Renyao. Sun Renyao's gaunt frame immediately started to tremble, shaking uncontrollably like someone with ague. "Hao Jian, we're classmates, please don't be like this," Sun Renyao pleaded. Kneeling in front of everyone would be too humiliating, and Xiao Meimei might look down on him forever, diminishing his status even after marriage. "Now you remember we're classmates? Why didn't you say that earlier? Weren't you the one who wanted Hao Jian to kneel and beg you? Now you've changed your tune?" Yu Ou said with contempt. A man should match his words with actions, and Sun Renyao's current behavior disgusted him. "I've never considered you a classmate. In my eyes, you've always been a dog. And since you're a dog, you should behave like one and lie down properly!" Hao Jian smiled slyly and kicked Sun Renyao in the knee. With a pained cry, Sun Renyao fell to his knees, indeed crouching like a dog. At that moment, everyone looked at Sun Renyao with a sneer, not a shred of pity to be found, even Xiao Meimei's eyes were cold and indifferent, as if she didn't recognize him at all. Because indeed, Sun Renyao was a dog, a dog living off a woman. Chapter 206 Im Still a Virgin! Sun Renyao's face was an ashen iron blue, but he kept his head bowed, a flicker of resentment and venom passing between his brows."I know you're angry and furious right now, but there's no helping it, you're destined to be trampled under my feet forever," S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian sneered, stepping on Sun Renyao's head: "But remember, all of this is the result of your own actions." Immediately, Hao Jian turned his head to Ma Zifeng and said, "Throw this kid into the station, give him a beating, and lock him up for five or six days! No problem, right?" As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked, wasn't this too cruel? Sun Renyao's face turned to the color of death, and he began to shout in horror. But Ma Zifeng didn't dare to hesitate and quickly nodded in agreement, then signaled his men with a glance to seize Sun Renyao. Ma Zifeng arrived in haste and left just as quickly, taking Sun Renyao away with him. With Sun Renyao gone, Xiao Meimei was still awkwardly standing there. "Old classmate, you don't need me to ask you to leave, do you?" Hao Jian said with a smile, looking at Xiao Meimei. "Hao Jian, why must you treat me this way? In what way am I inferior to Chen Zhiyan?" Xiao Meimei became aggravated the moment she heard this, thinking it unfair. "Why? Because you would steal someone's husband, she wouldn't, because you're mean and spiteful, while she isn't," Hao Jian said indifferently. "Why would I steal her husband, don't you know why?" Xiao Meimei yelled angrily, her pretty face flushed with rage. "Should I know?" Hao Jian was taken aback, suddenly speechless. Why should I know about you stealing someone else's husband? "That's because I did it all for you!" Xiao Meimei finally mustered the courage and blurted it out loudly. "..." Hao Jian was immediately stunned. But Xiao Meimei had already run out of the jewelry store in tears, disappearing at the end of the street. "The ties of a romantic debt are hard to cut," Yu Ou said with a strange laugh. "Shut your crow's mouth! Why are you everywhere?" Hao Jian chided him ungraciously. Yu Ou shrank his neck and fell silent. "Xiao Meimei has had a crush on you since middle school," Chen Zhiyan added. "I know, but I don't like her," Hao Jian said flatly, then sat down again and began to change the subject. "How's your grandfather doing?" Hao Jian asked Yu Ou. He held great respect for Yu Ou's grandfather, who was a venerable old leader in the military, an imposing figure who had been very kind to him in the past, often inviting him over for meals. Upon mentioning his grandfather, Yu Ou sighed and said: "Over the years, his health has been declining. Just a while ago, he was barely revived from a coma. The doctors say he may not live past this year." "Really? His health seemed pretty robust a few years ago, felt like he could kill a bull with his bare hands." Hao Jian couldn't help feeling a bit anxious; Yu Ou's grandfather had always treated him as if he were his own grandson, and naturally, Hao Jian didn't want anything to happen to him. Yu Ou said with a bitter smile: "That was years ago. His health deteriorates year by year. Now he doesn't even have the strength to kill a chicken, let alone a bull." Yu Ou's expression grew even more troubled: "You know about our family. The only reason we have a certain say in the Military Department is that my grandfather is the old leader. His students and subordinates respect him and give face to the Yu Family. Once my grandfather passes, they will no longer continue to support us, and our Yu Family may soon lose our status as one of Hua City's prominent families." "During this time, my uncles and such also realized this, but they weren't thinking about curing my grandfather. Instead, they were thinking about how to fight for more power and influence before my grandfather dies. Now, home doesn't feel like home, relatives don't seem like relatives, the smell of gunpowder is strong, and even I've gotten tired of it. If I had known, I wouldn't have come back." Hao Jian remained silent, yet he hadn't expected that such a huge change had occurred in Yu Ou's family after not seeing them for several years. Enjoy more content from empire Then he said, "Actually, I know a bit about medicine, and perhaps I could help your grandfather." "You know medicine? Really?" Yu Ou looked at Hao Jian in surprise. "But my grandfather has already seen the best of both Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Hua City, and they all said it was no use. You sure you can do it?" "I don't know, but we must at least try, right? Do you have any other options now?" Hao Jian didn't dare to boast that he could definitely save the old man; he could only do his best. "Alright, I'll arrange it immediately." Yu Ou was thrilled; he knew well that Hao Jian's word was as good as gold. If he said he knew medicine, then it was undoubtedly true. Without wasting a moment, he stood up and ran outside. "This guy." Hao Jian could only laugh and cry at the sight; Yu Ou was still the same as ever, always acting impulsively. "Hao Jian, thank you for today. If not for you, I might have been humiliated to death by Sun Renyao and Xiao Meimei." Chen Zhiyan said with a smile. "Why thank me? We're classmates; of course, we should help each other," Hao Jian said with a laugh. "Do you really see me just as a classmate?" Chen Zhiyan looked at Hao Jian with a touch of melancholy. But Hao Jian was startled and quickly lowered his head to drink his tea. "Not classmates, then what else could we be?" Chen Zhiyan's cheeks flushed as she glanced at Hao Jian and said in a voice only they could hear: "You heard what Sun Renyao said earlier: I haven't shared a room with him all these years. I mainly wanted to save the most precious part of myself for the person I like the most, so I'm still a virgin." "Pfft." Hao Jian spat out a mouthful of tea, unfortunately, spraying it all over Chen Zhiyan's face. Hao Jian truly wanted to cry now, entangled in these inextricable romantic debts! . "Xiaoxiao, you haven't been to our school for several days. You don't know, our class has gotten a super cool teacher with a lot of personalities," a slightly chubby girl told Che Xiaoxiao during a class at the Chinese Medicine Hospital. "How cool is he? Cooler than me?" Che Xiaoxiao said unhappily, convinced that she was the coolest. "Way cooler than you. He knows Acupoint Pressing! It's like what you see in martial arts dramas. I saw him incapacitate a few people with it," the girl said with admiration. "What's so great about Acupoint Pressing? I can drift race cars!" Che Xiaoxiao, upon hearing that the teacher was cooler than her, felt somewhat discontented. Che Xiaoxiao loved all things "cool"; her passion for race cars stemmed from their cool, thrilling allure. "Drifting race cars isn't as cool as Acupoint Pressing. Oh well, you wouldn't understand. I'm going to talk to someone else about it," the girl left Che Xiaoxiao to chat with other girls. "Hey, I'm screwed." Che Xiaoxiao immediately seethed with anger. Who was this guy anyway, and what gave him the right to steal her limelight? She decided that when she saw him, she would put him in his place! Before Hao Jian arrived, Che Xiaoxiao was considered the coolest person in her class. Everyone knew she was a race car driver, and a girl being one was quite unusual. Especially since she was a pretty girl, so when they looked at Che Xiaoxiao, they couldn't help but bestow her with a halo. Chapter 207 Chaos! Too chaotic! However, Xiaoxiao's halo was extinguished by the appearance of Hao Jian.Hao Jian only knew that Xiaoxiao was a college student but didn't realize she was actually studying at the Chinese Medicine Hospital, and Xiaoxiao also had no idea that the man who had come to teach a few days ago was actually Hao Jian. Of course, Xiaoxiao studied at the Chinese Medicine Hospital not because of any particular passion or hobby but because she had heard the course load was light and it was full of doddery old timers with poor eyesight who wouldn't notice even if she skipped classes. That way, she had plenty of time to sneak out to race cars. "Teacher Hao is here!" At that moment, someone bellowed, and a wave of students rushed into the room and then sat down orderly, waiting for class to start, just like well-behaved elementary school children. Xiaoxiao was dumbfounded¡ªwhen had these guys become so tame? It was truly bizarre. This scene strangely made Xiaoxiao think of a nursery rhyme: "The sun shines right above, flowers smile at me, the bird says 'good morning', why do you have a backpack on? I go to school, always on time, loving to study and to work, I'll grow up to make great contributions for the people!" Dammit, what exactly had Teacher Hao fed these guys? Could it be some pyramid scheme brainwashing? Just then, Hao Jian entered slowly, carrying a stack of books. When Xiaoxiao clearly saw Hao Jian, her expression instantly froze. "Hao... Hao Jian!" Next moment, Xiaoxiao gasped in shock. Xiaoxiao's exclamation immediately drew the displeasure of the other students, who glared at her, and Luo Tong even scolded her: "Xiaoxiao, how do you speak? How can you call the teacher by his name? You should say 'Teacher Hao'!" "Teacher Hao?" Xiaoxiao blinked, so Hao Jian was the teacher they were talking about? "Xiaoxiao? What are you doing here?" Hao Jian was also stunned. Was Xiaoxiao also in this class? Fuck! She was his student? "I'm studying here, of course I'm here," Xiaoxiao said matter-of-factly. Damn it! Hao Jian muttered under his breath. If he had known Xiaoxiao was here, he wouldn't have come here to teach. Seeing what Hao Jian was thinking, Xiaoxiao suddenly became angry and pointed at him, exclaiming: "You son of a bitch, why didn't you answer my calls? I called you so many times. If Yuan Shanshan hadn't told me you were still alive, I would have thought you were dead!" Ever since that incident, Xiaoxiao had been unable to contact Hao Jian; she thought he was mad and was deliberately keeping his distance from her. But the truth was Hao Jian was worried that if he continued hanging around Xiaoxiao, she might fall in love with him. This wasn't narcissism; he genuinely had this concern. Xiaoxiao was still young, and he didn't want to mess up her future. Plus, Hao Jian wasn't the type to rob the cradle. The other students listened, bewildered¡ªso these two knew each other. "Your mom told me not to contact you anymore, and I think she is right," Hao Jian said, looking at Xiaoxiao from a distance. No more contact? The other students immediately imagined scenarios like a snobbish mother-in-law who looked down on the impoverished son-in-law forcing her daughter to break up with him, a teacher-student romance that couldn't withstand societal ethics, tragically leading to the lovers being separated! "You're talking nonsense! Then why are you still in touch with my mom? Don't think I don't know, you even gave her a painting. Tell me! Are you interested in my mom?" Xiaoxiao burst out angrily, staring at Hao Jian as if she was interrogating a criminal. The crowd gasped in shock, their expressions changing dramatically¡ªdid the teacher really plan to play both fields? Damn, that was seriously bold! "This kind of plot, I've only seen in soap operas," Luo Tong said, dazed. "Don't insult my innocence!" Hao Jian was also furious, wasn't Xiaoxiao publicly embarrassing him on purpose? Even if you clearly know I'm interested, don't say it out loud, others might be shy. "That painting was for Zhang Qiuya; she sold it to your mom, what does that have to do with me?" Hao Jian roared, hastily dissociating himself. "Oh, so you're not only interested in my mom, but in my best friend too!" Xiaoxiao looked at Hao Jian with disdain. "Damn it." Hao Jian held his forehead, thinking that this girl wouldn't rest until she'd destroyed him today, right? At this moment, there was only one thought in everyone's mind: Chaos! Utter chaos! Then they started imagining: the son-in-law wolf in sheep's clothing falls for his mother-in-law, the scumbag flirts around everywhere. "Xiaoxiao, are you saying you're uncomfortable if you don't thrash someone in the morning?" Hao Jian glared angrily at Xiaoxiao; his reputation was ruined because of what Xiaoxiao had said. "You made me quite comfortable last time you 'fixed' me," Xiaoxiao said with a suggestive laugh. "Fixed you comfortably?" The students all wore shocked expressions, had Xiaoxiao and Hao Jian done that? This was outrageous! S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian was so angry he felt like spitting blood and pointed towards the door: "Xiaoxiao, get out!" "Get out? That night, you and I were alone together in a room, and I didn't kick you out, you have the nerve to ask me to leave?" Xiaoxiao continued angrily. Hao Jian's nose was practically crooked with rage, she was doing this on purpose, wasn't she? Xiaoxiao indeed was doing it on purpose; that'll teach you not to answer my calls! Watch me destroy you! That night? Alone together? Sharing a room? The students felt dizzy. "Class time!" Hao Jian slammed the textbook down and said furiously, knowing he had fallen into Xiaoxiao's trap; this girl was his nemesis. "Xiaoxiao, is Teacher Hao really your boyfriend?" Some of the girls said dejectedly. They didn't find it inappropriate that Xiaoxiao and Hao Jian might be in a relationship, as more than half of them harbored inappropriate thoughts towards Hao Jian. "Yeah, so what? Is there a problem?" Xiaoxiao said, annoyed. This jerk is such a heartbreaker, it hasn't even been long since he came to this school, and he's already got these girls all lovesick, like cats drawn to the scent of fish. How could she possibly give these girls a chance? Any potential threats must be nipped in the bud! Hearing this, the girls turned away disappointedly and stopped talking, realizing that he was taken, they had to step back. Your adventure continues at empire But a few of the girls, confident in their own attractiveness, were not discouraged after hearing Xiaoxiao's reply. Instead, they gleamed with desire, believing they might not necessarily lose to Xiaoxiao! Chapter 208 The Repulsive Che Xiaoxiao! "Today, what we're going to discuss is how to judge a person's character from their appearance," Hao Jian suddenly said.Continue reading at empire "Teacher, that's not right, didn't you say this class was about boosting virility?" The male students were unhappy. They had been promised a display of virility, so why the sudden change of plans? "We'll leave that to the next lesson; today we'll discuss this," Hao Jian said expressionlessly. Just moments ago, he had been infuriated by Che Xiaoxiao, and he wouldn't be content without getting back at her. "Pfft." The male students all joined in the mockery, thoroughly dissatisfied with Hao Jian's last-minute change of plans. "Everyone shut up! Otherwise, I'll turn you all into statues!" Hao Jian chastised, his gaze sweeping threateningly over the male students. With that, the male students could only obediently shut their mouths, subduing under Hao Jian's tyrannical power. Hao Jian then continued, "Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizes four principles: inspection, smelling, questioning, and pulse-taking! Today, we are talking about the inspection!" "Inspection, as the name implies, is about observing, evaluating someone's complexion to assess their qi and diagnose the root of illness. But what you don't know is that, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, observation can also be combined with fortune telling to judge a person's character." "Teacher, isn't that just what we commonly refer to as 'judging people'?" a girl said. "Right, your phrase is very similar, but the observation I'm talking about is much more detailed and accurate," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Let's have a classmate demonstrate then. Che Xiaoxiao, come up here!" "I'm not going!" Che Xiaoxiao outright refused. She knew Hao Jian was planning to bully her; she wasn't going to fall for his tricks. "Come up!" "No!" "If you don't come up, I'll deduct your credits and you won't graduate!" Hao Jian glared as he spoke. "Deduct them, see if I care," Che Xiaoxiao scoffed. She couldn't care less about graduation certificates; she was just here to kill time. "Furthermore, I'll call your mother to school. I think you also wouldn't want me to meet your mom, right?" Hao Jian suddenly said with a sinister smirk. "You jerk." Che Xiaoxiao muttered under her breath and walked towards Hao Jian. She indeed didn't want her mom to meet Hao Jian, not because she feared her mom finding out she had messed up, but because she worried about Hao Jian's indecent intentions towards her mother. Che Xiaoxiao stood next to Hao Jian, glaring at him irritably. "Look at her, nose tip upturned, big eyes, mouth puckered up; born with an air of superiority, typical of someone who is arrogantly self-assured," Hao Jian fired off immediately. "You." Che Xiaoxiao clenched her teeth in anger, about to explode, but Hao Jian wasn't going to give her the chance. "And look at her, broad forehead, wide chin, frog-like mouth, signifies she's lazy and sly, full of nefarious schemes, and if she ever gets married, her libido will be exceptionally strong!" Hao Jian chuckled mischievously. The crowd roared with laughter. "Hao Jian!" Che Xiaoxiao's face turned green with fury, her eyes glaring murderously at Hao Jian, now truly contemplating killing him. But Hao Jian acted as if he hadn't heard the protest and continued pointing at Che Xiaoxiao: "After the face, let's observe her figure. Although there's not much to see, for the sake of our lesson, please reluctantly keep looking." The crowd laughed again. "Looking at her figure, does it remind you of anything?" Hao Jian smiled mysterly at the audience. The crowd shook their heads; what could Che Xiaoxiao's figure possibly remind them of? "You don't know? It's like an elephant playing with a bucket at an airport," Hao Jian laughed heartily. "Teacher, what does that mean?" a student asked, puzzled. "So dull! It means elephant legs, airport runway, bucket waist, hahahaha," Hao Jian laughed so hard he almost ran out of breath, touched by his own sense of humor. Meanwhile, Che Xiaoxiao was fuming, staring fixedly at Hao Jian. After hesitating for a couple of seconds, she lunged onto Hao Jian's back. "I'll make you talk!" Che Xiaoxiao glared, biting down on the back of Hao Jian's neck. Dare you call me flat-chested; I'll show you! S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Ow." Hao Jian screamed in agony and yelled, "The student is assaulting the teacher! Call security!" "Should we call security?" "Call what, you fool? They are just flirting; do you even understand?" Moments later, Che Xiaoxiao, pointing at the bruised and barely able to open his eyes Hao Jian, said: "Classmates, look at him; squinty eyes, thin lips, inherently lecherous, asymmetrical face smelling foul, a big man yet sporting smoky makeup, utterly disgusting! Simply a pervert!" The crowd was speechless, realizing his squinty eyes and uneven face resulted from Che Xiaoxiao's punches, and his panda eyes she described as smoky makeup were also due to her. "Mother of god, mother of god," Hao Jian laid on the ground muttering continuously, tears streaming down his face. "Che Xiaoxiao, how could you be so excessive? You actually beat the teacher up like this?" The female students disapproved¡ªthey had yet to protect their beloved Hao Jian, yet Che Xiaoxiao was beating him as if he were her own child. Hao Jian's face, initially rather delicate, now looked like Pig Head Three. "Me, excessive? Didn't you hear what he just said about me?" Che Xiaoxiao said angrily, snorting disdainfully, thinking: A bunch of silly fangirls! "The teacher was teaching us how to read faces, not deliberately targeting you. Did you have to hit him so hard?" "Exactly, do you think the teacher really couldn't beat you? He once subdued five or six strong men by himself. He let you hit him because a good man doesn't fight with a woman." "Look, you made the teacher cry; how wronged he must feel!" "Yes, yes, I feel so wronged," Hao Jian nodded vigorously. "Che Xiaoxiao, you really went too far, teacher, don't be sad, we won't let her bully you," At this moment, other female students also came over to comfort Hao Jian. "Are you all blinded by lust?" Hao Jian said exasperatedly, thinking that when women become lustful, they are even scarier than men. Chapter 209 Celebrating at the KTV! "We're screwed, we'll never get girlfriends in our class again." Seeing this scene, Luo Tong said with a gloomy face."Afraid of what, as long as the teacher can help boost our virility, who cares about not having a girlfriend?" One of the Four-Eyed guys chuckled darkly. "Brother Four-Eyed speaks the truth!" "Damn, do you think Chen Jingcheng would go nuts if he knew the teacher was planning to teach this?" "Of course, that guy looks like someone with kidney deficiency, he needs this course the most!" The boys all burst into laughter, but mid-laugh, a stool came flying over, and Che Xiaoxiao shouted angrily, "Stop chatting away, you bunch of dead university students. Can't you see the sisters are being bullied? Aren't you going to stand up for me?" "Stand up?" The boys looked towards Hao Jian. Only to see Hao Jian poke his head out from that **** girl's embrace, grinning sardonically at them, his eyes seeming to say, "Don't you all want the secret to male vitality anymore, huh?" Then their heads shook like rattle drums, "No way, absolutely not, as students, we should respect and honor our teachers, how can we beat up a teacher? I couldn't do such a thing!" "Yeah, Xiaoxiao, as students, we should obey properly, how can you be so rebellious? You should learn diligently just like us." Before the last word 'learn' was uttered, the guy was stepped on by Che Xiaoxiao onto the school desk. Che Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth and said, "Motherclucker, a bunch of disloyal bastards!" "Che Xiaoxiao, not only did you assault a teacher, now you're bullying your classmates too, haven't you had enough?" the girls all accused Che Xiaoxiao. "Forget it, I'll be magnanimous and forgive her. Now you believe that I really have nothing to do with her, right?" Hao Jian pleaded with the girls, then buried his head back into that soft pink embrace. "We believe it, teacher, how could you possibly have such poor taste." The girls all nodded, thinking Che Xiaoxiao must be spouting nonsense. "If you can think like that, then I'm relieved." Hao Jian revealed a contented smile. "Hao Jian, you bastard! It's either you or me from now on!" Che Xiaoxiao roared like thunder, at that moment she could have killed Hao Jian. Hao Jian and the others looked at Che Xiaoxiao for about two or three seconds, then turned their heads away: "Let's ignore her and continue with our own conversation." "Teacher, it's my birthday today, I want to go to KTV with my classmates later, will you come with me?" The busty girl, looking like a cow, said to Hao Jian with a hopeful look, seemingly eager for Hao Jian to go. "No going!" Che Xiaoxiao shouted directly, damn it, seducing her man right in front of her, what was the meaning of this? "Just because you say no one can go, who do you think you are?" The cow-like girl disdainfully said, then turned her head and grabbed Hao Jian's hand: "Teacher, will you come with me?" "What's your name?" Hao Jian eyed her, oh no, he eyed her with a smile. "My name is Zhao Yating." The girl said coyly. "Zhao Yating? Nice name, nice name." Hao Jian chuckled sleazily: "Alright, I will join your birthday party tonight!" "Really? Yay!" Zhao Yating immediately shouted excitedly, while the other girls also looked spirited. They didn't see Hao Jian as a teacher at all, but more like a friend. The most successful thing about being a teacher is to make the students forget that you're a teacher, and Hao Jian had achieved just that. "Well, now two of the three golden flowers from Chinese Medicine Hospital have been charmed away," Luo Tong said with a hint of melancholy. The Chinese Medicine Hospital's three golden flowers were Qin Bing, Che Xiaoxiao, and this Zhao Yating. Qin Bing was known as the "Ice-Beauty," Che Xiaoxiao as the "Crazy Lolita," and Zhao Yating's nickname was straightforward: "Milk Cow!" "Okay, if you let him go, you have to take me with you!" Che Xiaoxiao declared seriously. "No way, we're not taking you." Zhao Yating shook her head outright. How could she possibly invite Che Xiaoxiao after having Hao Jian beaten so badly? "Not letting me go, huh? Then I'll bring a bunch of little gangsters to cause trouble and ruin your birthday party," Che Xiaoxiao sneered, looking every bit the mischievous Little Gangster Girl. "You." Zhao Yating was infuriated by her, never expecting Che Xiaoxiao to dare such a thing. "Let it go, let her come. One more won't make a difference, and one less won't matter, right?" Hao Jian said indifferently. If the whole class didn't go, leaving only Che Xiaoxiao behind would be too hurtful, and Hao Jian didn't want that. "For the teacher's sake, I'll let you come," Zhao Yating huffed. She didn't want her birthday party ruined by Che Xiaoxiao. .. At eight in the evening, Hao Jian changed his clothes and arrived at the Xingtian Earth KTV that Zhao Yating had mentioned. From afar, he saw Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao waiting for him, with a group of students following behind them. However, the two girls looked as if they were fire and water incarnate. "You guys are really something. Why didn't you just wait inside singing songs? Why did you have to come out? I'm not a national leader that deserves such treatment," Hao Jian said with a wry smile. "You think we want to? It's all because of them. One said waiting for you in person shows sincerity, the other didn't want to be outdone and insisted on waiting as well," Luo Tong helplessly explained, looking at Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating who were silently competing with each other. "Milk Cow" Zhao Yating insisted on waiting personally for Hao Jian, Che Xiaoxiao followed because she was afraid Zhao Yating would seduce Hao Jian, and since the birthday girl came down, the whole class naturally had to follow. "Then I'm really a sinner," Hao Jian said with a bitter smile, then took out a simply wrapped gift box from his bosom and handed it to Zhao Yating: Stay updated via empire "Happy birthday." "Damn! Giving such a shabby thing, aren't you embarrassed?" Just then, an inopportune voice rang out. Upon hearing this, everyone in Hao Jian's class couldn't help but frown. The speaker was clearly a rich playboy, dressed in a flashy red suit, accompanied by several similarly dressed young men. "That guy is Chen Jingcheng's brother, Yin Donghan. You chased his brother away, so he's probably really pissed off at you. Looks like he's deliberately trying to pick a fight with you," Luo Tong whispered in Hao Jian's ear. "Is that so," Hao Jian said with an odd smile, being one who never shied away from a challenge. "Yin Donghan, what nonsense are you spouting? A gift is a gesture of thought. What do you mean by saying that? Are you insulting my friend?" Zhao Yating said angrily, clearly displeased with Yin Donghan. "It's 'teacher,' not 'friend'!" Che Xiaoxiao corrected, thinking: This cheap woman, always trying to climb up the social ladder! "Who says a teacher can't be a friend!" Zhao Yating huffed disdainfully. She wanted to be friends with Hao Jian, so what? Zhao Yating took the gift box, then asked cautiously, "Can I open it and have a look?" "I'd advise you not to open it to avoid disappointment. What decent thing could a poor teacher give?" Yin Donghan said scornfully, prompting laughs from the young men behind him. "You." Zhao Yating's face turned red with anger. Being a lady with abundant wealth at home, she didn't care about such things. Even if Hao Jian had given her nothing, she would have been happy just for him attending her birthday party. "Open it," Hao Jian said to Zhao Yating with a smile. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 210 Another Invaluable Item! "I'll just go back home to open it," Zhao Yating said with a smile."Zhao Yating is simply trying to spare you the embarrassment by saying she'll open it at home; it seems she also knows you can't afford anything decent," Yin Donghan laughed heartily, his laughter growing increasingly mocking. "Yin Donghan, would you shut your mouth? If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have invited you!" Zhao Yating said angrily, regretting inviting Yin Donghan in the first place. Yin Donghan and the others were not from Hao Jian's class. The sole reason for their presence was that Yin Donghan was Zhao Yating's friend, and their families had been friends for generations. Knowing that today was Zhao Yating's birthday, Yin Donghan had suggested celebrating it, and Zhao Yating, feeling uneasy to refuse, allowed him to come. But who would have thought that Yin Donghan would cause such a mess at her birthday celebration? Had she known, she would not have brought him along. Yin Donghan snorted but had no choice but to shut his mouth obediently. "Go ahead and open it; it's okay, see if you like it." However, Hao Jian gave Zhao Yating an encouraging look, as if to say the gift certainly wouldn't disappoint her. "All right then," Zhao Yating could only smile bitterly as she opened the gift box and pulled out a simple and unadorned teapot. "Damn, giving such a lousy teapot as a gift? You really don't mind giving this away? You might as well have given nothing and spared yourself the embarrassment!" Yin Donghan sneered as soon as he saw the teapot Hao Jian had given, immediately revealing his mean streak. "I think this teapot would only fetch about twenty to thirty dollars on the street," he added. "This gift really is interesting. What is a girl supposed to do with such a lousy teapot?" Yin Donghan's friends joined in the mockery, clearly looking down on Hao Jian. "No matter whether this thing is good or bad, as long as it's a gift from Teacher Hao, I like it. How about that!" Zhao Yating haughtily said, staunchly taking Hao Jian's side as the kind girl she was. "Zhao Yating, you're just too kind. This thing is obviously junk, he's deceiving you with it, and yet you still defend him?" Yin Donghan said somewhat furiously. "Just because you say it's junk, it's junk? Maybe you just don't recognize what's valuable?" Zhao Yating retorted sharply, yet chose to ignore Yin Donghan and the others. Hearing this, Hao Jian couldn't help but feel a wave of warmth mixed with helplessness surge in his heart; warmth because of Zhao Yating's kindness, and helplessness because it seemed there was no one here who recognized the teapot's worth. "Not recognizing the value? This looks nothing but a lousy teapot, okay?" Yin Donghan persisted with his opinion. "Wow, Hao Jian, you gave a million-dollar painting as a birthday gift before, but now a teapot for someone else's birthday. You really spare no expense, huh? Or is this just your old trick for winning girls over?" Che Xiaoxiao suddenly spoke up, her tone dripping with sarcasm. But Hao Jian knew that the girl was just trying to help him save face by bringing up the million-dollar painting. Upon hearing this, Zhao Yating and others couldn't help but gasp. Hao Jian had given Che Xiaoxiao a painting worth millions? Really? S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Psh, keep dreaming. He could come up with a million-dollar painting? With his bear look!" Yin Donghan couldn't help but burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke ever. "Look, little sister, even if you like your teacher, you don't have to tell such outrageous lies. Do you realize that your lie lacks any credibility?" he taunted. The taunts followed one after another, and Zhao Yating's expression grew increasingly unpleasant. "I'm not lying. He really did give me a painting worth millions, and he painted it himself," Che Xiaoxiao said calmly. "Did you all hear that? This girl said that poor guy painted a painting worth millions for her!" Yin Donghan sneered loudly. "Heard it. Oh my God, I'm dying of laughter. A painting worth millions? Holy shit, then he must be a master-level painter, right?" a companion replied. "Oh dear, a master-level painter, that's truly terrifying. Then why didn't he gift a painting instead of a lousy teapot? Does he think Zhao Yating isn't worth such an expensive gift." Yin Donghan laughed mockingly, his laughter particularly grating. "How do you know he only paints?" Che Xiaoxiao retorted sarcastically. Yin Donghan was really looking down on people. Even she wouldn't dare claim to fully understand Hao Jian, so on what basis did Yin Donghan make such premature judgments? "Are you trying to tell me that this lousy teapot is also worth millions?" Yin Donghan scoffed disdainfully: "If this lousy teapot costs millions, then I'll chop off my head!" "Then get ready to chop off your head." At that moment, a light voice came through. Four-Eyed, who was in the classroom earlier, stepped out from the crowd, looking indifferently at Yin Donghan. "What are you?" Yin Donghan looked at Four-Eyed challengingly, thinking, who is this greenhorn pretending to be? "Me? I'm nothing special, just someone who understands pottery art." Four-Eyed sneered, then turned to Zhao Yating: "Zhao Yating, could you lend me your teapot to check?" Explore more at empire "Of course." Zhao Yating passed the teapot in a daze, also utterly shocked. Could it be that this teapot had something extraordinary about it? Four-Eyed carefully took the teapot, treating it like an artwork, attentively examining it. "A lousy teapot, what's there to look at." Yin Donghan muttered. But Four-Eyed seemed like he didn't hear Yin Donghan's words, focusing intently on the teapot. After a long time, he finally exclaimed with a smile, "Although it appears simple and unadorned, within its simplicity lies a calm and imposing aura, its feel warm and material excellent, its compact size just right, holding it feels like embracing a woman's slender waist, an extraordinary sensation. And the engraving is also exquisite, each stroke seemingly rough and hastily done, yet containing finesse within crudeness, sharpness within coarseness, like iron painting with silver hooks, such fine quality, not visible to the untrained eye! Teacher, if I'm not wrong, this teapot must be worth at least three million, right?" Everyone gasped in shock. How could such a simple, compact teapot sell for so much? Zhao Yating was stunned too. She and Hao Jian were not even close, and Hao Jian had given her such an expensive gift? "It's not that expensive, only about 2.5 million at most." Hao Jian said with a smile. "Mine's not that expensive." Che Xiaoxiao giggled, satisfied. "Whatever." Zhao Yating frowned unhappily. "Are you joking? Just because you say it's worth three million, it's worth three million? Who do you think you are?" Seeing Four-Eyed spouting nonsense, Yin Donghan got angry. "Zhang Jia's father is the most famous ceramic teapot artist in Hua City; one of his tea sets once sold at auction for a high price of a million. Do you think he's not qualified to appraise this teapot?" Luo Tong coldly sneered in response to Yin Donghan, mocking his ignorance. Chapter 211 Not Selling Any at All! Yin Donghan stared blankly, utterly astounded. "Really? Is this true?""Even my father probably can't compare to Teacher Hao; his set only sold for one million, while Teacher's single piece is worth one million. Teacher Hao is the true master here," said Zhang Jia with a bitter smile. As these words were spoken, the other students also looked at Hao Jian with a gaze filled with respect; this teacher was too incredible, not only was he skilled in medicine, but he also understood pottery, and most importantly, he was a master! "You say so, but who knows if you're just making up this nonsense to protect your teacher?" Yin Donghan revealed his suspicions, trying his best to smear Hao Jian. He certainly wouldn't allow Hao Jian to show off in front of Zhao Yating. His actions served two purposes: one was to vent Chen Jingcheng's frustrations, and the other was to prevent Hao Jian from snatching Zhao Yating away from him. Zhang Jia hummed dismissively, "Do I need to lie to you? If Zhao Yating is willing to sell that teapot to me, I could write her a check for three million right now!" At that, Yin Donghan didn't know what to say. Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire And everyone else looked at Yin Donghan with mocking smiles, knowing that if someone dared to write a check directly to Zhao Yating, how could they be a shill? S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I won't sell it, no matter the price," Zhao Yating held the miniature teapot tightly in her arms, her emotions overwhelming her. How could she bear to sell something so valuable and filled with such sentimental significance? Zhao Yating was very emotional; she hadn't expected Hao Jian to give her something so valuable on only their second meeting, and more so, something valuable without being vulgar¡ªthis was truly rare. Seeing Zhao Yating so happy made Yin Donghan's expression turn sour. "Can you not show off for a single day without dying?" Che Xiaoxiao glared at Hao Jian as well, because she noticed the way those female students were looking at Hao Jian, as if they couldn't wait to devour him. "What does this have to do with me? I hardly ever said anything, okay?" Hao Jian felt like crying; how had he managed to displease this lady again? "Che Xiaoxiao, what gives you the right to be so fierce to Teacher Hao? Teacher gave you such a valuable painting and this is how you treat him, do you have no shame?" Zhao Yating immediately came to Hao Jian's defense upon seeing Che Xiaoxiao's attitude. "Oh my, it's only a student-teacher relationship, yet you're already protecting him? Aren't you jumping the gun?" Che Xiaoxiao sneered. "What nonsense are you spouting?" Zhao Yating retorted, slightly embarrassed and annoyed. "What, you don't know what I'm saying?" Che Xiaoxiao surveyed Zhao Yating. "Enough, are we going to keep this up all night? Are we still celebrating the birthday or not?" Hao Jian was speechless; were these two women never going to stop? "Teacher Hao, let's go upstairs," Zhao Yating clung to one of Hao Jian's arms and whispered softly. "Hao Jian, let's go upstairs," Che Xiaoxiao grabbed Hao Jian's other arm, her tone brimming with pride. Seeing Hao Jian enjoying such favor, all the male students were envious, of course, except for the fuming Yin Donghan. "Teacher, can I learn pottery from you outside of our courses?" Zhang Jia looked at Hao Jian with hopeful eyes; his life's ambition was to learn pottery from a master, apart from Traditional Chinese Medicine, pottery was his greatest passion. "Of course you can, as long as it doesn't affect your studies, I'll teach you!" Hao Jian nodded his head. "That's great!" Zhang Jia's face turned red with excitement. With the guidance of such a good teacher, his skills would likely surpass his father's someday. "Alright, if you want to chat, let's go up and do it there. Drinking in this wind is also a delight, huh?" Luo Tong and his friends started to complain; they'd been talking nonsense all evening down here. "Okay, okay, let's go, upstairs." Hao Jian hurriedly waved his hand, and a crowd set off majestically up to the KTV. "Yin Donghan, what do we do now? That kid seems to have some substance to him." At this moment, one of Yin Donghan's friends asked him. "So what if he knows a bit about art? What's so great about that? We'll play it by ear when we get upstairs and make sure he makes a fool of himself!" Yin Donghan spoke through clenched teeth. Hao Jian had just made him lose face; would he still be Yin Donghan if he didn't get revenge? "Don't worry, today I even brought Old Jiang with me. When we get upstairs, let's find an excuse to drink with him. We'll get him drunk and make him embarrass himself!" Another laughed mischievously. "That's a great idea!" Yin Donghan also clapped his hands in approval. In this way, they could embarrass Hao Jian without going overboard, and if things went awry, the blame wouldn't fall on him. "Old Jiang, after we get upstairs, you're the one who'll drink with that kid. With your reputation as the Wine King, you shouldn't lose to him, right?" Yin Donghan looked towards a dark, skinny man beside him. "Just leave it to me. The name 'Wine King' wasn't given to me for nothing. Be it mixed drinks or foreign liquor, nothing can stump me!" Old Jiang patted his chest in assurance, "Just give me a few minutes, and I'll have him under the table!" "Good, in a little while, I want him to lose all face in front of Zhao Yating!" ... Once they got to the KTV, everyone went straight to the luxurious private room and then entered it. But Hao Jian had barely warmed his seat when Yin Donghan came up with his friends to offer a toast. "Hao Jian, we might say we came to blows before we made friends. Drink this cup, and all the unpleasantness between us will vanish into smoke and clouds!" Yin Donghan said smilingly. Hao Jian looked at the brimming jar of liquor and his eyelids twitched twice: "Call this a cup? Shouldn't it be called a jar instead?" "What's the matter? Scared?" Yin Donghan looked at Hao Jian with a playful glint in his eyes, "If you don't drink, that's like refusing to give a brother face. Don't you want to clear the air with me?" "Yin Donghan, what are you going on about now?" Zhao Yating entered the private room and immediately noticed Yin Donghan holding a large jar of liquor in front of Hao Jian, realizing what was happening. "I'm not going crazy. I just want to resolve the misunderstanding with Hao Jian, that's all." Yin Donghan laughed. "As long as he drinks this cup, all our past grievances will be wiped clean!" "Trying to kill someone with all that liquor?" Zhao Yating glared and said. Yin Donghan was just making excuses. "What do you know? A deep emotion means you chug. The more you drink, the deeper the affection. This jar represents my apology to Hao Jian. If he doesn't drink, it means he doesn't accept my apology." Yin Donghan continued unabashedly. "Teacher Hao, don't mind him; he's just a lunatic." Zhao Yating said bluntly, dismissing Yin Donghan's nonsense. "What's the matter? He can't drink?" Yin Donghan asked, feigning ignorance. "Nonsense, if you can drink it, then drink." Zhao Yating retorted sarcastically. Yin Donghan was just being unreasonable. "If he can't drink, it just means he's not a real man, Old Jiang!" Yin Donghan shouted... "Here I come!" The dark, skinny guy immediately stepped forward, grabbed the jar of liquor, and began to chug it with gulping sounds. In no time, they drained the jar to the bottom. Chapter 212 Betting! Seeing this, everyone was stunned. Was Old Jiang too terrifying? He finished off a whole vat of alcohol by himself. Was his stomach made of iron?And, wasn't that way too much to drink? After Old Jiang finished drinking, he wiped his mouth and provocatively looked at Hao Jian. "See, how can my friend drink like that? Because he's a real man! Hao Jian, if you admit you're not a real man, then you don't have to drink," Yin Donghan said, deliberately using reverse psychology. "That's just nonsense. If you're so incredible, why don't you drink it yourself instead of making your friend drink it for you?" Che Xiaoxiao sneered, suggesting that if Yin Donghan were really brave, he'd drink the alcohol himself. "I'm not feeling well today, so I can't drink alcohol, sorry about that," Yin Donghan said pretentiously. Your next chapter is on empire Yin Donghan's words also brought a chorus of jeers from everyone, but Yin Donghan acted as if he hadn't heard, just staring fixedly at Hao Jian: "Well? To drink or not to drink?" "Teacher Hao, don't bother with him, he's just trying to mess with you," Zhao Yating hurriedly said, also fearing that Hao Jian might fall into Che Xiaoxiao's trap. "If you're scared, let's just forget I said anything," Yin Donghan said, turning to leave. "Wait," Hao Jian called out just then. A sly smirk flashed across Yin Donghan's face, this fool, he's finally fallen for it all because of a moment of impulse. If Hao Jian had refused, Yin Donghan couldn't have forced him, but now that Hao Jian had recklessly agreed, he had only himself to blame. "Teacher!" Zhao Yating was startled by this and couldn't help but reach out to grab Hao Jian's arm, seemingly advising him against it. "Hey, it's your birthday today, how can we spoil the mood? What's wrong with drinking a little?" Hao Jian said with a smile, indicating it was no big deal. "But so much alcohol, if you drink it all, it's going to harm your body," Zhao Yating still looked very worried. "Don't worry, if I can't handle it, I'll stop," Hao Jian laughed. Hearing this, Yin Donghan thought snidely to himself: Stop? I'm afraid by then it won't be up to you. "Hao Jian is really straightforward, truly a real man," Yin Donghan laughed heartily and then ordered another vat of alcohol. Afterwards, everyone watched as Old Jiang dumped a variety of random alcohols into the vat, making them shudder at the thought of someone drinking it all; wouldn't he die? sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hao Jian, it's up to you now," Yin Donghan handed the vat of alcohol to Hao Jian. Hao Jian looked at the vat and smiled: "I'm not very good with alcohol. If I get drunk and make a fool of myself, please be forgiving." "No problem, we must be forgiving," Yin Donghan laughed heartily, thinking to himself: That's exactly what I want, for you to make a fool of yourself! Immediately, Hao Jian tilted his head back and under the astonished eyes of everyone, he began to slowly sip the alcohol from the vat. But after only seven or eight sips, he started to sway and chuckled bitterly, "This alcohol is really strong!" Nonsense, after drinking this, I'm staggering; not to mention you, rookie! Old Jiang sneered on the side. "Teacher, maybe we shouldn't drink anymore?" Seeing Hao Jian like this, Zhao Yating immediately spoke up in advice. "Hao Jian, you're now a real man; you can't back down halfway," Yin Donghan completely refused to give Hao Jian a chance to stop. "I know." Hao Jian took a deep breath, picked up the jar of wine with some difficulty, and continued drinking. Seeing this, Yin Donghan was almost bursting with laughter, this guy was about to be finished! He was almost down for the count! "Wait a minute, it's just me drinking, and you're not, isn't that a bit unfair?" Hao Jian suddenly stopped again, staring at Yin Donghan with blurred, drunken eyes. "Oh? So what do you suggest?" Yin Donghan asked with a playful smile, looking at Hao Jian. "It's simple, if I drink this jar of wine, you don't need to drink, just strip naked and run around this KTV!" Hao Jian slurred. "This..." Yin Donghan hesitated, knowing that stripping and running naked would blatantly embarrass him. If he really did that, he would lose face completely. "What are you afraid of? This guy is so drunk, and two-thirds of it is still left. By the time he finishes those two-thirds, he'll be completely sloshed like a dog, how could he possibly win against you?" At that moment, Old Jiang urged Yin Donghan in his ear, encouraging him to place the bet with Hao Jian. "Fine, I'll take that bet!" Stirred up by his words, Yin Donghan immediately nodded in agreement, firm in his belief that Hao Jian wouldn't last that long. "Fellow students, you are all witnesses!" Hao Jian, still drunkenly, looked towards the students. Luo Tong and the others could only smile wryly upon seeing this, clearly believing that Hao Jian had no chance to defeat Yin Donghan, especially in his drunken state. Suddenly, Hao Jian picked up the jar again and, tilting his head back, gulped it down even more fiercely than Old Jiang had. It took Old Jiang a few minutes to finish a jar of wine, but Hao Jian finished it in just thirty seconds. Old Jiang was stunned, so was Yin Donghan, and they suddenly had an ominous feeling¡ªhow had this kid suddenly become so fierce? Hao Jian of course was tricking them. Ever since he was little, he had been steeped in wine. The head of the orphanage where he grew up was a real drunkard and a particularly nasty one at that, who would force-feed Hao Jian with potent medicinal liquor that made him sleep for three to four days each time he drank it. Over time, his body developed a resistance to alcohol. Not to mention one jar, even six jars like this, he could ensure he stayed sober! Upon seeing this, Zhao Yating was also dumbfounded, not knowing how Hao Jian had suddenly changed completely, drinking all the wine like that. "Bang!" Hao Jian slammed the wine jar down on the table, raised his eyes¡ªnone of the drunkenness from before remained, but instead a piercing, spirited gaze as he looked at Yin Donghan: "Alright, now you can start stripping and do your naked run!" The crowd couldn't help but burst into laughter¡ªthey finally realized that Hao Jian had been pretending to be drunk all along, just to bait Yin Donghan into making that bet, and then he completely outsmarted him! "Yin Donghan, a bet's a bet, time to strip down," Luo Tong said with a cold laugh, initially thinking that Yin Donghan was scheming against Hao Jian, only now realizing it was Yin Donghan who had dug his own grave. It was really too amusing. "Yeah, you made the bet yourself, I assume you're not going to back out now, are you?" Che Xiaoxiao also looked at Yin Donghan with curious eyes, feeling utterly delighted. This fool, daring to challenge Hao Jian, was literally asking for it. Yin Donghan's expression was dark, his gaze sharp as he stared at Hao Jian: "Are you playing me?" Chapter 213 Fight with Wine! "I told you I can't drink and you really took me at my word? Can you explain why you are so stupid?" Hao Jian finally showed his true colors:"I grew up soaking in liquor vats, and you dare compete with me in drinking, who gave you such confidence?" Yin Donghan clenched his teeth, by now he wanted to rip Hao Jian's heart out. "Enough talk, you agreed to the bet, now hurriedly strip!" Hao Jian waved his hand impatiently. "What are you bragging about, compete with me if you dare!" Old Jiang was also furious, as it was he who had convinced Yin Donghan to bet against Hao Jian and now, seeing Yin Donghan in this awkward situation, he felt embarrassed and wanted to help Yin Donghan regain face. "You think you're something special?" Hao Jian looked at Yin Donghan disdainfully, saying, "I just heard them calling you the 'Wine King', just a title, and you really think you're a hot shot?" "You." Old Jiang's face turned green with anger, he retorted, "So do you dare or not?" "Psh, what's there to fear in dealing with a piece of garbage like you? But if you lose too, you'll strip and streak as well!" Hao Jian sneered. Enjoy more content from empire "No problem!" Old Jiang agreed promptly, having absolute confidence in his own ability. He admitted he had underestimated Hao Jian, but still did not think Hao Jian could beat him. "Then let's continue, fill it up!" Hao Jian gestured and the students immediately got busy. "I'll count, take your positions, ready, start!" Che Xiaoxiao called out, acting as the referee. Hao Jian and Old Jiang both grabbed their liquor vat, starting to chug fiercely, but Old Jiang could not keep up with Hao Jian's pace. Hao Jian finished a vat in less than a minute, while it took Old Jiang five to six minutes to finish one. Each time Hao Jian finished, he could only wait for him. And every time he saw Hao Jian finish before him, Old Jiang's dark premonition grew stronger. The two of them drank five vats of liquor, going to the restroom seven or eight times, and by then, Old Jiang's legs had begun to waiver, slurring his words: "Impossible, how could I lose to you? I am the Wine King!" Hao Jian smiled slightly, holding up two fingers: "If you're not drunk, then tell me how many fingers are these?" "Heh heh, trying to trick me, how many fingers, isn't this just a 'yeah'?" Old Jiang slurred, laughing foolishly. "Well, he's really drunk." Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, telling Yin Donghan, "You agreed to the bet, now get on with it." "You tricked me!" Yin Donghan gritted his teeth, infuriated that Hao Jian had played him ¨C he was obviously an expert drinker. "Tricked you? You're the one trying to trick me. I don't believe you really wanted to make amends with me. Plus, you never asked if I could drink; you assumed all by yourselves ¨C what's that got to do with me?" Hao Jian scoffed disdainfully. "Anyway, I won't agree to your conditions." Yin Donghan snorted coldly, how could he possibly agree to Hao Jian's terms after being conned? To strip and run naked, how embarrassing would that be? Yin Donghan wouldn't do it! "So, you're planning on reneging?" Hao Jian looked at Yin Donghan disdainfully. "You were the one who suggested the bet, losing and then reneging, you are shameless." Luo Tong also said with disdain. "Exactly, why pretend when you can't handle a loss? Are you even a man, with no guts at all?" a girl mocked. "Fair play accepts loss. Yin Donghan, I look down on you!" More and more classmates criticized Yin Donghan. At this moment, however, Yin Donghan also noticed a hint of disdain in Zhao Yating's eyes, which made him feel even worse. In his view, it was all Hao Jian's fault. If it weren't for Hao Jian, would he have had to face these embarrassing situations, one after another? But he didn't reflect on whether these issues would have arisen had he not provoked Hao Jian in the first place. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Forget it, don't let this ruin the mood, after all, it's Zhao Yating's birthday." Hao Jian also waved his hand, signaling his students to calm down, then expressionlessly told Yin Donghan, "Take your people and scram to the corner, don't come out and embarrass yourself again." Yin Donghan clenched his teeth, but ultimately he said nothing and left toward the other side. "Teacher, I'm sorry. If I had known, I wouldn't have invited him; he really killed the mood," Zhao Yating said apologetically, as if afraid that Hao Jian might get angry. "It's not your fault. His conflict with me isn't just about you. He wanted to avenge Chen Jingcheng. Even if he hadn't come today, he would have come tomorrow or the day after. Teaching them a lesson now is actually good; it will prevent them from bothering me in the future," Hao Jian explained. Zhao Yating smiled, then got up and headed outside. "Where are you going?" Hao Jian asked curiously. "To the bathroom," Zhao Yating said somewhat embarrassedly. "Ah. Oh." Hao Jian scratched his head awkwardly. Damn, why did I even ask? Zhao Yating smiled timidly and walked out. "She's gone, and you're still staring? Wipe your mouth; you're almost drooling," Che Xiaoxiao teased in a snide manner. "What? Envious because someone else is better looking and has a better figure than you?" Hao Jian teased back. "Are you kidding? Envious of her? That exaggerated figure of hers is just a burden. Why would I envy her?" Che Xiaoxiao suddenly became very animated. "Why do I feel like it's a case of sour grapes with you?" Hao Jian glanced at Che Xiaoxiao. "Hao Jian, have you grown tired of living recently? Are you deliberately looking to start a fight?" Che Xiaoxiao glared at Hao Jian, annoyed. This jerk, why must he make me feel miserable? "No." Hao Jian shrank his head, no longer daring to speak up. He certainly couldn't afford to provoke this she-devil. Meanwhile, seeing Zhao Yating leaving, Yin Donghan quickly followed her out, wanting to explain himself properly so as not to let Zhao Yating misunderstand him. He no longer hoped to embarrass Hao Jian anymore; he just hoped that Zhao Yating wasn't mad at him. He waited by the restroom door for Zhao Yating, and soon he saw her coming out after washing her hands. Yin Donghan hurried up to her, "Yating, I didn't do it on purpose earlier." Zhao Yating turned to look at him, "Not on purpose? You insisted on making Teacher Hao drink, and I couldn't stop you, and you still say it wasn't on purpose?" "I, I did it all for you," Yin Donghan said with a bitter smile. "Yating, don't you yet understand my feelings for you? I was mainly jealous of that guy." "Well, you've misunderstood him then. Right now, we're just friends, nothing as serious as you think," Zhao Yating replied calmly. Chapter 214 The Trouble with Cows! "We're just friends now, but what about the future? Can you guarantee you won't fall for him later?" Yin Donghan sneered."..." Zhao Yating fell silent. "See, you can't guarantee it either. I can tell you already have feelings for him, right?" Yin Donghan's expression grew darker. "That's my business, not yours!" Zhao Yating said coldly, unwilling to discuss the matter with Yin Donghan. She had no habit of sharing her emotional life with others. "Yating, we've been childhood friends, we are the ones who truly match. How can that loser be worthy of you?" Yin Donghan said excitedly: "And Uncle Zhao will definitely not agree to you marrying him. You might as well give up hope." "My marriage is up to me, and I'm not even with him right now; what are you so worked up about?" Zhao Yating said disdainfully, but she also felt very angry inside. The fact that Yin Donghan would use her father to threaten her disgusted her immensely. "I..." Yin Donghan was at a loss for words. "Instead of wasting time thinking about all these messy things, you might as well learn some medical skills. If I'm not mistaken, you still don't know what acupuncture is like, do you?" Zhao Yating glanced coldly at Yin Donghan. Yin Donghan, of course, knew nothing about acupuncture because he hardly attended classes. The only reason he was at the Chinese Medicine Hospital was because of Zhao Yating. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hey, beauty, you're quite pretty, which room are you in? Want to have a drink with us?" At that moment, several men dressed like gangsters emerged from the men's restroom; upon seeing Zhao Yating, they were immediately aroused and set their sights on her. Zhao Yating frowned and took a step back, looking at the men warily. Yin Donghan was thrilled, seeing a perfect opportunity to play the hero. He quickly stepped in front of Zhao Yating and stared hard at the gangsters: "Get lost! Or you're going to regret it!" "Hey, punk, tired of living, are you?" The leader, Little Yellow Hair, immediately slapped Yin Donghan, causing him to stagger. "Beat him up! Kill this ignorant brat!" Little Yellow Hair roared. Then his companions charged forward, punching and kicking Yin Donghan! "Stop it! Stop it right now!" Seeing this, Zhao Yating immediately shouted nervously. Although she wasn't very fond of Yin Donghan, he had grown up with her, and she couldn't bear to see him being beaten. "We'll stop if you agree to have a drink with me," Yellow Hair said, pinching Zhao Yating's chin. Zhao Yating quickly dodged, looking at Yellow Hair with disgust. "Don't touch her, fuck your mothers!" Yin Donghan roared. "Fucking hell, this guy is asking for it! Keep beating him!" Yellow Hair continued to roar. At that moment, Yin Donghan pulled out a cellphone from his pocket and, enduring the pain, made a call to his friends to come and help him. Meanwhile, inside the room, Hao Jian saw Yin Donghan's friends rush out of the room, looking worried, and wondered what was going on. "It seems like there's trouble," Che Xiaoxiao also noticed the commotion. "Even if there's trouble, it's Yin Donghan's problem, not mine," Hao Jian said nonchalantly. "Stop right there!" At this moment, Yin Donghan's friend also arrived, rushing towards the gang of Little Yellow Hairs and fighting with them. Since Yin Donghan's group was more numerous and powerful, Little Yellow Hairs gradually found themselves outmatched and were driven away by Yin Donghan's people. "Are you alright?" Zhao Yating looked at Yin Donghan with concern, knowing that he had been attacked because of her. It would seem too unsympathetic to just walk away. "I'm fine. For you, what's taking a beating?" Yin Donghan touched the blood on his nose. Zhao Yating sighed, "Why did you have to do that?" She didn't like Yin Donghan because she always regarded him as a friend. Yin Donghan's sacrifices for her didn't make her happy; instead, they made her feel guilty. "Zhao Yating, don't you see Yin Donghan's good intentions? He's willing to give everything for you. Can that Hao Jian do the same? If he saw these gangsters, he'd probably get scared off." Yin Donghan's friend was quick to speak up for him. Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire "Don't talk about it anymore," Zhao Yating said sternly, seemingly not wanting to linger on this topic. Yin Donghan could only grimace with a bitter smile; he knew he couldn't easily sway Zhao Yating, but he believed she must have taken his words to heart. "Let's go back." Zhao Yating stood up on her own, not helping Yin Donghan up. And with Yin Donghan's words, she felt agitated and wanted to know whether Hao Jian would also stand up for her. Just then, they heard the sound of rapid footsteps approaching from not too far away. They then saw dozens of people sprinting towards them. The leader was Yellow Hair, who had just been driven off. Yin Donghan and his group were stunned. The opponent seemed significant, having dozens of people at his back? Yellow Hair arrived before them, his lips curling into a sinister smile, "Thought you were tough with your numbers, huh? I've got dozens here. What do you want to do now?" Yin Donghan's face also darkened, having initially thought Yellow Hair was just an ordinary gangster. He hadn't expected this. Yellow Hair looked at them arrogantly, his dozens of men glaring fiercely. The moment they started fighting, they could easily crush Yin Donghan's group into the ground. Zhao Yating also looked terrified and extremely uneasy. "Brother, I'll give you a hundred thousand yuan for your medical expenses, and we'll call it even. How about that?" Yin Donghan had no choice but to try and bribe Yellow Hair with money. "Money? You think you're great because you have money? What I hate the most is you people who think money makes you superior." Yellow Hair snorted angrily and then commanded his gang, "Beat these brats to death; daring to fight me on my turf, I'd be unworthy of being called Brother Yellow Hair if I don't tidy them up nicely today." Following that, Yin Donghan's group was beaten miserably, crying and calling for help. It didn't take long for them to have swollen faces and bloody noses. Zhao Yating tried to run back to the private room to summon help, but Yellow Hair didn't give her the chance. He grabbed her wrist with a smirk and said: "Beauty, where you running off to? You haven't agreed to drink with me yet!" Chapter 215 Dont Worry, the Teacher is Here! "Let go of me, or I'll call the police!" Zhao Yating threatened, her tone harsh yet fearful."Call the police? Useless, not only do I have a mutually beneficial relationship with those cops, but do you even have a chance to call them?" Yellow Hair said, his smile growing more arrogant and unchecked. Zhao Yating's expression froze; she indeed had no opportunity to call the police at that moment. "After I deal with them, how about we go for a drink? It's been a long time since I've seen such a beautiful woman like you," he proposed. Yellow Hair's lecherous gaze swept over Zhao Yating's body, fixating intently on her chest. Seeing this, Zhao Yating was nearly in tears; she had never been ogled like this in her twenty-some years of life, a feeling she found difficult to bear. ... "Teacher, something has happened outside!" Just then, Luo Tong rushed in, "Yin Donghan and the others were cornered by a gang." "So they were cornered, so what? That punk is so arrogant, he deserves a lesson," Hao Jian said nonchalantly while munching on a bucket of popcorn. "But Zhao Yating is with them too!" Luo Tong said with a wry smile. "What?" Hao Jian slapped the table as he stood up. "So she is, that woman is so arrogant, she needs to be taught a lesson too," Che Xiaoxiao echoed Hao Jian's earlier words. Hao Jian furrowed his brow and said, "Take me to see." Luo Tong nodded, then walked out with Hao Jian, and at this time, no one else felt like continuing their game and followed Hao Jian outside. Yellow Hair was beating Yin Donghan and the others; seeing dozens of people approaching, he couldn't help but show fear, thinking these bastards must have called for backup. "Stop!" Hao Jian shouted, commanding the thugs to halt their assault. Seeing Hao Jian, Yellow Hair's brow furrowed deeply, thinking this guy must be the leader of the group. He indeed couldn't associate Hao Jian with a teacher, given he was hardly a few years older than these students. "Bro, who are you with? Coming to make trouble in my area, that's not very nice," Yellow Hair challenged boldly. Seeing Hao Jian, Zhao Yating immediately showed a look of relief. Seeing Zhao Yating's relieved expression, Yin Donghan's face darkened. Hao Jian glanced at Yellow Hair, then turned to Zhao Yating, "What exactly happened here?" "They came looking for trouble first!" Zhao Yating said anxiously. Hao Jian nodded and then looked at Yellow Hair, "Brother, as for who's intruding, I think it's clear now. Just so you know, and I'm not afraid to say it, I'm with Brother Spice Ginger. If you don't want trouble, better take your guys and leave, or it won't end well for you." Yellow Hair's expression immediately stiffened, knowing all too well who Brother Spice Ginger was. As a small-time leader who was not truly of the gang world, he was just gathering some unemployed youths for protection money and petty theft; he never really engaged in any significant undertakings. He didn't have the guts to contend with a fierce figure like Brother Spice Ginger, for that was simply suicidal. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire Seeing Hao Jian's entourage and attitude, Yellow Hair instinctively believed him. "What? You want to fight? With so many brothers here, I think we can match you," Hao Jian sneered. "This ..." Yellow Hair quickly forced a smile and said: "Brother, what are you talking about? How dare I confront Brother Spice Ginger? I just failed to recognize Mount Tai here. Please don't take it the wrong way, brother. I'll take my people and leave right away. Everyone, stop fighting and pull back!" The students of Hao Jian were also stunned, thinking how clever Hao Jian was to have fooled Yellow Hair with a simple lie, making him believe that they really belonged to the underworld. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Yating couldn't help but show a look of pleasant surprise, skilled in medicine, a master of pottery, and now his intelligence¡ªsuch a man was indeed rare! Meanwhile, Yin Donghan, who had been closely watching Zhao Yating's expressions, was feeling quite unpleasant. He felt that Zhao Yating's heart was slowly gravitating towards Hao Jian, and if this continued, he would have no chance at all! Suddenly, a sinister look flashed across Yin Donghan's eyes. At this moment, Yellow Hair also reluctantly let go of Zhao Yating's hand. A beauty is good, but one must have a life to enjoy her. Hao Jian mainly used a little cunning. He didn't want to stand out too much, so he thought he'd bluff his way through. Yin Donghan and his friends hurried towards Hao Jian, but at that moment, Yin Donghan suddenly grabbed Hao Jian's hand, and said excitedly, "Teacher Hao, thank you for saving me." Seeing this, Hao Jian's eyebrows instantly furrowed. The students also felt a chill in their hearts at the same time. "Teacher?" Upon hearing Yin Donghan address Hao Jian that way, Yellow Hair also sensed something fishy and grabbed Zhao Yating, who was about to leave, again, his piercing gaze sweeping through the crowd. Then, he indeed noticed that these people all looked like students, all about the same age. If they were from the underworld, there should be both young and old, not just youths. Yellow Hair immediately realized he had been tricked and glared at Hao Jian: "You dare to play me?" This was not some big boss, but a teacher leading a group of students. Hao Jian's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Yin Donghan, who was also unfazed and met his gaze with a smug smile. He had intentionally caused trouble for Hao Jian, successfully diverting Yellow Hair's anger. Now that he had extricated himself, it was Hao Jian's turn to be beaten! Once Hao Jian got beaten like him, he didn't believe Zhao Yating would still regard Hao Jian as a hero! Zhao Yating's expression instantly froze, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Hao Jian. "Beat this kid to death!" Yellow Hair roared furiously, unable to contain his anger. This bastard dared to make a fool of him in public. "Teacher, what should we do?" At this time, the students were terrified because they were just ordinary students who had never seen such a scene before. Seeing Yellow Hair's men charging at them, they all turned pale with fear. "Don't worry, I'm here," Hao Jian said with a slight smile, realizing that trying to keep a low profile was not an option at this time. Hao Jian voluntarily stepped forward, apparently planning to take on these dozens of people alone. Seeing this, the students were all astonished. "Teacher, I'll help you!" Luo Tong stood up. "Teacher, I'll help you too!" Zhang Jia also stood up. "Teacher, we'll all help you." Seeing Hao Jian stepping forward, all the students followed in his footsteps. Chapter 216 Yellow Hair Desperate to Cry! "Everyone back off!" But at that moment, Hao Jian sternly rebuked them:"I am the teacher, you are the students. If something happens, I will take the fall. Why are you trying to act like heroes?" "But..." "Back off!" However, Hao Jian's attitude was very firm. Luo Tong and the others could only retreat with a wry smile. "Teacher, you should call the police, don't try to fight them head-on." Zhao Yating also said in a tearful, aggrieved tone, deeply moved that Hao Jian would stand up for her, yet she was also worried about him. "Don't worry, I will bring you back shortly, no need to worry." Hao Jian squeezed out a confident smile at Zhao Yating. "Save her? You might want to worry about yourself first, teacher," Yellow Hair sneered and then shouted, "Attack him!" In an instant, a group of gangsters rushed up and surrounded Hao Jian completely. Hao Jian crossed his arms and pointed at the floor with his finger, "If you can make me move from where I stand, then you can beat me without me fighting back!" "Heh, what an arrogant kid!" Yellow Hair was also amused by Hao Jian, who dared to provoke them even at this moment. Not just him, even Hao Jian's students didn't understand where Hao Jian's confidence came from. Did he not see how many people the opposition had? Not far away, Yin Donghan's face revealed a malicious smile. Bastard, like showing off so much, huh? I want to see how you can still show off after they beat you to a cripple! And very soon, Hao Jian proved his words. The gangsters approached him, but were kicked away by him one after another. They couldn't even get within a step of Hao Jian before they were kicked away. During this process, Hao Jian indeed stood unshaken, as steady as a mountain, his feet not moving an inch, still standing there. Thus, everyone saw such a bizarre scene, people flying out one after another, scattering all over. "What is happening?" Luo Tong was completely bewildered. "The situation is that the teacher is beating dozens of them by himself, and he's winning," Zhang Jia also started with a wry smile. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never believe it was true in his lifetime. At that moment, what lingered in everyone else's minds was nothing but shock, no other thoughts. Fighting against dozens, what kind of monster is he? Yin Donghan couldn't help but gasp, as if he had seen a ghost, all his pores opened up. Was he really going to be an enemy of such a monster? Was he really so oblivious to death? Meanwhile, Zhao Yating was so excited she couldn't contain herself, her gaze sparkling, she stared unwaveringly at Hao Jian. "Bang Bang Bang." The last three gangsters were kicked away, and everyone was laid down by Hao Jian. Yellow Hair was so surprised he was at a loss for words. Was this a dream? Did this guy just flip all his people like that? Until Hao Jian walked over, Yellow Hair hadn't come back to his senses. Hao Jian directly took the already shocked Yellow Hair's hand away, then pulled Zhao Yating from his grip and dragged her behind him. Afterward, he looked at Yellow Hair with a smile, "Actually, you really shouldn't have kept pursuing this." Yellow Hair was close to crying. Was this a time to say that? He had realized it himself, but by the time he did, it was already too late, "Big brother, it's my fault, don't hit me." Yellow Hair pleaded with a mournful face. "Joking, why would I hit you?" Hao Jian looked at Yellow Hair with a smile. "Because I harassed your student," Yellow Hair blurted out, stunned. As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could slap himself. How could he have let that slip? "Oh, I see." Hao Jian nodded thoughtfully, then kicked Yellow Hair's knee. With a crack, Yellow Hair screamed and knelt on the ground. Yellow Hair immediately began to cry, looking at Hao Jian with grievance, "Didn't you say you wouldn't hit me?" "Yes, but I changed my mind. Is that a problem?" Hao Jian said with a smile. "I..." Yellow Hair was speechless. "Big brother, you've already beaten me like this, can you let me go now?" Now he just wanted to get away from Hao Jian. This Demon, fighting dozens of people alone, was he even human? "No!" Hao Jian flatly refused. "Why?" Yellow Hair was on the verge of tears. I didn't even do anything to Zhao Yating, are you overreacting? "Because they can still move!" Hao Jian pointed at Yin Donghan. "What?" Yellow Hair was confused by Hao Jian's words. "You say you're going to beat someone, shouldn't you beat them to death? Look at them, they're still bouncing around, which shows just how much you've failed! Even as a gangster, you can't do it right. What use are you?" Hao Jian said unkindly. Yin Donghan and the others turned green. Hao Jian was deliberately retaliating. "But... but aren't they your students?" Yellow Hair was shocked. How was Hao Jian not treating everyone the same? "Students? Are you kidding me? Do I look like someone who would take such stupid students?" Hao Jian said, infuriated. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "..." "Go! Beat them until they can't move anymore, and I will let you go," Hao Jian said unkindly. "But... but my men can't move anymore." Yellow Hair felt like dying. What was Hao Jian's intention? He couldn't figure it out at all. Moreover, his men had been crippled by Hao Jian, and now there was no one he could command. Yin Donghan and others were stunned, thinking how malicious Hao Jian's intentions were, wanting to settle personal scores publicly. But none dared to make a sound, as Hao Jian was more terrifying than any gangster. And at this moment, the most shocked was probably Yin Donghan. Yin Donghan had originally planned to frame Hao Jian but had not expected that Hao Jian would handle everyone alone. Explore new worlds at My Virtual Library Empire The gangsters were fierce when they were beating them, but why did they turn into soft persimmons in front of Hao Jian? "Can't you fight them yourself?" Hao Jian said irritably. "What? Me, fight myself?" Yellow Hair said in surprise. "Yes, you yourself. I'll give you ten minutes. If they're still standing after ten minutes, wait to be crippled by me!" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. Yellow Hair reluctantly picked up a baseball bat and charged at Yin Donghan and the others. There was no choice now. If he didn't act, Hao Jian would. But once Hao Jian took action, his fate would be miserable! Yellow Hair immediately struck Yin Donghan on the head with the bat, causing Yin Donghan to scream in pain, then fall to the ground bleeding from his head. "Teacher, please stop, it wasn't intentional," Zhao Yating pleaded for Yin Donghan upon seeing this. "Not intentional? Do you really believe it wasn't intentional?" Hao Jian looked at Zhao Yating with a smile. Chapter 217 Another Police! Zhao Yating's expression froze as she said, "Are you implying that he did it on purpose just now?""Anyone with a brain knows how to act at a time like this, but he slipped up and blew my cover. Are you going to tell me he's as dumb as a pig?" Hao Jian laughed scornfully, looking at the crying and shouting Yin Donghan without a hint of sympathy. Zhao Yating didn't know what to say anymore, so she chose to remain silent. "Fine, even if he really is that stupid, I just had a conflict with him, and now after saving him, his first reaction should be guilt, not gratitude. Don't you think the way he clutched my hand to thank me was too unusual? If it were you and you had bullied someone who then helped you out afterwards, what would your feelings be towards that person?" The doubts on Zhao Yating's face intensified, and her gaze toward Yin Donghan became more complex. "And let's take ten thousand steps back and say that maybe he really wanted to thank me because he was excited, then why did he need to thank me so loudly for everyone to hear?" "I really didn't expect him to be this kind of person!" Zhao Yating bit her lip, convinced by Hao Jian's words. "It's because he likes you and thinks I'm involved with you somehow, so he deliberately took it out on me," Hao Jian said with a sneer. "I already said it before, it was his own choice to think that way," Zhao Yating, infuriated by Yin Donghan's gangster behavior, was trembling all over. "No need to be angry. After all, he has received the punishment he deserves, hasn't he?" Hao Jian snorted angrily, looking at Yin Donghan who had been beaten unconscious. "All right, you can get lost now," Hao Jian waved Yellow Hair off. "Thank you. Thank you." Yellow Hair nodded effusively in thanks and then turned to run off, not even bothering about his own subordinates. "Take him to the hospital. Otherwise, he might really die," Hao Jian said to Yin Donghan's friends. Yin Donghan's friends did not dare delay, quickly lifting him up and leaving the KTV for the outside. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After everyone had left, the students were still unable to snap out of their shock; at this moment, they were all extremely curious. They were all eager to know what their teacher was really capable of, being so formidable that he had handled all the gangsters by himself. "Come on, let's continue our party!" Hao Jian turned around and smiled directly at Zhao Yating and the others. . At three-thirty in the morning, Chen Jingcheng showed up at the Central Hospital, having heard that Yin Donghan had been beaten by Hao Jian. So, both emotionally and logically, he felt he should pay a visit. Meanwhile, Yin Donghan's parents were already waiting outside. Yin Donghan's father, Yin Chengzhi, had a deeply furrowed brow and paced back and forth in silence. "Uncle, Auntie," Chen Jingcheng greeted Yin Chengzhi politely. "Oh, Jingcheng," Yin Chengzhi glanced at Chen Jingcheng, nodding with a bitter smile. "How is Yin Donghan now?" Chen Jingcheng asked with feigned urgency. "The doctor says he's in critical condition; he has a severe brain hemorrhage right now, and he might need surgery." Yin Chengzhi sighed in distress, then thinking of something, his expression turned cold, "Do you know someone named Hao Jian?" "Hao Jian?" Chen Jingcheng feigned surprise. "It seems you really do know him," Yin Chengzhi was fooled by Chen Jingcheng's act. "He's just a nobody, relying on the Dean to back him up, so he acts however he wants in the school, arrogant and unbridled. I've suffered at his hands, tricked out of school by his plots, ruining my chance to study. But I never thought he would actually attack Yin Donghan; this guy is becoming more and more unbridled!" Chen Jingcheng said indignantly. Fueled by Chen Jingcheng's anger, Yin Chengzhi also grew agitated, "How can we tolerate such thugs? If we don't deal with this kind of person harshly, where is the law?" "Alas, there's nothing we can do. He has the Dean's full support at school, and we can't touch him. What can we do?" Chen Jingcheng put on a helpless expression. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire "Oh? His influence doesn't mean squat on the outside. I'm going to use my power to put him behind bars right now! How dare he attack Yin Chengzhi's son, he must be tired of living!" Yin Chengzhi spoke fiercely, completely swayed by Chen Jingcheng. Chen Jingcheng was exactly leveraging Yin Chengzhi's love for his son. With Yin Donghan so gravely injured, Yin Chengzhi had lost all reason. "If that's the case, then it would indeed be a service to the people," Chen Jingcheng also laughed, "But Uncle, make sure you don't contact the East City District police force. They are all well connected with that kid, and if the East City District police get a heads-up, not only might we fail to bring him down, but he might also become cautious." "Don't worry, I have my own judgment," Yin Chengzhi nodded, his expression turning fierce. Chen Jingcheng's expression was normal, but inwardly he sneered, "Dare to stand against me? It's asking for trouble. Hao Jian, just wait for your end!" The next morning, Hao Jian was rudely awakened by a loud banging on the door. "Who is it?" Shu Ya walked out from the inner room, annoyed, and then opened the door, only to see a dozen policemen standing outside immediately. Shu Ya was taken aback for a moment, wondering what these police officers wanted with her. The police captain leading the group showed a hint of lasciviousness in his eyes after seeing Shu Ya, clearly stunned by her striking appearance. Obviously, these policemen were sent by Yin Chengzhi and belonged to the Xicheng District police station. The captain leading the team was named Wu Di, and he had a not-so-simple relationship with Yin Chengzhi. Chapter 218 Are You Guys Being Too Annoying? But soon, Wu Di snapped out of his daze and asked with an icy expression, "Does Hao Jian live here?""Yes, what happened?" Shu Ya immediately sensed something was wrong. Could it be that Hao Jian had committed a crime? "Let him come out," Wu Di said expressionlessly, his face carrying an air of authority as he spoke. "Has he broken the law? Are you here to arrest him?" Shu Ya was getting irritated. These guys hadn't made their intentions clear and were intent on arresting someone without providing any reason. By what right? Even if they were police officers, shouldn't they clarify the situation first? Coming here to arrest someone so abruptly, what did that mean? "He injured someone last night, and that person is now in the hospital, still unconscious. We are here to take him back for investigation!" Wu Di stated coldly. "That's impossible! How could he have hurt someone!" Shu Ya denied vehemently. "No mistake, I'm the one who hurt someone." Just at that moment, Hao Jian's light and airy voice came from behind Shu Ya. Dressed only in big shorts, he walked out of the house, looking at Wu Di with calm eyes. "Are you Hao Jian?" Seeing Hao Jian's disheveled appearance, Wu Di immediately felt a surge of displeasure. His heart cursed silently: All the good stuff goes to the dogs! This chick is so hot, yet she got stuck with a scoundrel like him. "Yes, it's me." Hao Jian nodded, still unruffled. He had already guessed why this group was here and who had sent them. "Do you know what you've done?" Wu Di sneered. For some reason, seeing Hao Jian's defiant attitude, Wu Di felt his anger rising. Did this kid really think they couldn't touch him, being so bold? "I know, it was just beating up Yin Donghan, right? But by the looks of it, you're probably not from the East City District police, are you? Handling a local case without letting the local police take care of it, and instead making a long journey here to arrest me, doesn't that seem a bit ridiculous?" Hao Jian mocked. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire "Cut the crap and come with us! You're in trouble, and it doesn't matter who arrests you," Wu Di huffed. "If I'm not mistaken, it was Yin Donghan's family who sent you to arrest me, right?" But Hao Jian still didn't move, instead looking at Wu Di with a smirk. "So what if it is? Kid, blame your bad luck for messing with the wrong guy. Yin Donghan's family just happens to be relatives with our chief. You injured Yin Donghan so badly, I reckon you'll spend the rest of your life in jail!" Wu Di let out a cold laugh. "So that's the case." Hao Jian said, stroking his chin, no wonder some other police station had sent cops to arrest him. "Uncle Hao Jian, breakfast is ready." Just then, Tongtong, the little girl, ran up quickly. When she saw a bunch of policemen standing at Hao Jian's door, Tongtong first paused, but then she continued to shout inside: "Uncle Hao Jian, Sister Shu Ya, mom is calling you guys to eat breakfast. Hurry down, or the duck eggs will get cold!" "Let me in! Move, let me in!" While calling out, Tongtong also squeezed her way inside. "Where did this brat come from? Get lost!" Wu Di kicked out impatiently, sending Tongtong stumbling into the sofa and her head hitting the wall. "Wow¡­" In a flash, Tongtong started crying pitifully. Hao Jian's eyes instantly flashed with a crimson rage, like a hungry wolf in the night scenting blood, he fixed Wu Di with a savage gaze: "Just for what you've done recently, you're already doomed to a bad end!" Feeling Hao Jian's glare, Wu Di's expression faltered, but remembering he had the upper hand in numbers and money, he brazenly shouted: "Kid, you dare threaten a police officer? Get someone to cuff him!" The policemen charged at Hao Jian all at once. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Bang!" Hao Jian kicked a wooden table beside him. The table flipped into the air toward the charging policemen. They were dumbfounded, but before they could react, a fist burst through the wooden table, striking one of the policemen on the nose. There was a crunch, and the officer's nose broke on the spot. Then, Hao Jian punched another officer in the stomach so hard that he spat out blood and lost consciousness. At that moment, Hao Jian was truly enraged. Wu Di had dared to treat Tongtong so poorly, infuriating him! Seeing Hao Jian as fierce as he was, Wu Di was also stunned. He quickly pulled out his gun and pointed it at Hao Jian, shouting angrily, "Stop or I'll shoot you dead!" By that time, Hao Jian had already stopped his assault and turned to look at Wu Di. His blood-red eyes remained chilling. "Kid, think you can fight? I want to see if your fists are faster or my bullets!" Wu Di sneered, thinking he had never come across someone as arrogant and infuriating as Hao Jian. "Swoosh!" Just as he finished speaking, Hao Jian's figure appeared in front of him. Before Wu Di could react, a hand grabbed the barrel of his gun and then forcefully bent it out of shape. "What?" Seeing his gun barrel bent by Hao Jian's bare hands, Wu Di let out an astonished cry as if he had seen a ghost. PS: Apologies, Shuaishuai is away on a business trip and the updates these couple of days might not be as stable. Please be understanding. The updates will stabilize once the trip is over. Thank you for your continued support of the Boss! Chapter 219 Why are you so worried! At that moment, even Shu Ya was stunned. Hao Jian had actually bent a gun with his bare hands. Was this fellow really that strong?Is he even human? Not only Shu Ya, but Wu Di also trembled violently out of fright! "What kind of monster are you?" Wu Di couldn't help but gaze at Hao Jian in horror, almost scared out of his wits. But Hao Jian didn't directly answer his question, instead, he said with a sneer, "You think you can pose in front of me? You're not qualified!" "Die!" Hao Jian spat out a killing sound and directly threw a punch towards Wu Di's abdomen. If the punch had landed, Wu Di would undoubtedly be dead! The punch hadn't reached him yet, but the force of the punch had already arrived. Wu Di only felt a strong wind hit his face and involuntarily gasped in cold air. "Hao Jian!" Just at that moment, Shu Ya sharply cried out at a critical moment, stopping Hao Jian's motion. The fist that Hao Jian had aimed at Wu Di also came to a halt, but the wind generated from the motion still pushed Wu Di back five or six steps, causing him to fall to the ground vomiting profusely. Turning his head, Hao Jian immediately saw Shu Ya looking at him with a pitiful expression, continuously shaking her head, "Please don't kill anyone, I beg you." Her gaze was filled with extreme unease and panic, like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow, staring straight at Hao Jian. Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire Seeing this, Hao Jian hesitated for a moment and then, looking at Tongtong who was hopefully gazing up at him, he chose to cease his actions. Murdering someone in front of Tongtong would inevitably bring trauma to her young mind. Hao Jian knew he had lost control in a moment of urgency and almost made a grave error. If it weren't for Shu Ya's timely intervention, he might have really killed someone in front of Tongtong. At this time, Wu Di felt a terrifying sense of having narrowly escaped death, his body breaking out in goosebumps. He just stared dumbfoundedly at Hao Jian, his mind blank. Immediately after, Hao Jian threw Wu Di's gun to the ground and looked at Wu Di coldly, "You should feel lucky that there is a child here, so you don't have to die." Wu Di was somewhat perturbed, deeply believing Hao Jian's words. That fellow really did intend to kill him. If it hadn't been for someone's timely interference, he probably would already be dead. Wu Di was truly frightened now. Why did he provoke this harbinger of death? He should have just taken him away quietly. "Hao Jian, what's going on? Tongtong?" Ruo Lan, hearing the loud disturbance from the floor above, also hurried up, and was shocked by the scene before her as well. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Mommy, you lied, the police officer isn't a good person, he hit me just now." Tongtong burst into tears, feeling wronged. She had always liked the police, and would salute them on the street, but after today's incident, her heart might undergo some changes. Hearing this, Hao Jian's eyes narrowed, and he fiercely slapped Wu Di, causing Wu Di to stagger, several teeth falling out. Hao Jian said grimly, "You scum, you've killed a child's innocence!" If children can't even trust the police, who should they turn to when in danger? "Hao Jian, what exactly happened? Why are these police officers trying to catch you?" Ruo Lan looked at Hao Jian with a worried expression. "It's nothing, just revenge from an enemy who thought sending a few losers would be enough to deal with me." Hao Jian said with an air of Pride, not taking these minor characters seriously at all. Upon hearing this, Wu Di's face also looked terrible, as he began to regret accepting this task. It was practically a death wish. "Why do you always bring me trouble day in and day out? Don't you realize our wedding is just around the corner? Are you intentionally trying to avoid marrying me by causing all these problems?" Shu Ya said, somewhat angrily looking at Hao Jian. "What can I do if they want to give me trouble? It's not like I want to have issues with them," Hao Jian muttered. "Cut the crap. Go with them to the police station, and I'll come to bail you out later," Shu Ya said irritatedly, thinking to herself what a nuisance this man was for always getting into trouble. "Police station? I'm not going!" Hao Jian said angrily. He had planned to meet with Yu Ou today to treat his grandfather, and he had no time to waste. "You must go, you have to settle this matter before the wedding! I don't want to see you spending my wedding day in jail!" Shu Ya said assertively. "Even if I don't go, with these losers, they won't be able to do anything to me," Hao Jian said disdainfully, fully capable of punishing these bastards with just a few words. But Shu Ya seemed to have a different opinion, staring fixedly at Hao Jian, her gaze threatening and unmistakable. "Alright, alright, I'll go," Hao Jian pursed his lips, then said to Wu Di, "I'll go back with you guys." "What?" Wu Di was stunned. Was this guy serious? Now he hardly dared to arrest him. "Didn't you hear what my wife said? If she says to arrest me, just do it. Why all the needless talk?" Hao Jian said, clearly annoyed. "Oh, oh," Wu Di hurriedly moved forward with the handcuffs. Hao Jian glared at him instantly: "I said you could arrest me, not handcuff me. Are you fucking stupid?" Wu Di felt like crying. Today was the most humiliating day in his career. As the police chief, he found himself being degraded by a criminal. "Mommy, the bad police are going to take Daddy away. Please save Daddy," Tongtong, terrified, grabbed Ruo Lan's hand and shook it vigorously. Daddy? Mommy? A fianc¨¦e? This family's relationships seemed too messy to comprehend. Wu Di was somewhat unable to understand the family dynamics. "Tongtong, don't be afraid. Daddy will be back soon. These losers won't be able to catch Daddy," Hao Jian made a funny face at Tongtong, saying it casually, not wanting the young girl to worry about him. But inside, Wu Di snorted. Coming back soon? Would he even be alive to come back? Once at the police station, he'd have no escape. If Wu Di didn't kill him, his name wasn't Wu Di! Hao Jian's earlier behavior had also infuriated him. Now holding back his anger, he was just waiting to get back to the police station to deal thoroughly with Hao Jian. Once they were in the station, it would be his kingdom. "Really?" Tongtong looked at Hao Jian with tear-filled eyes. "Of course, when has Daddy ever lied to you?" Hao Jian blinked at Tongtong, then told the two women, "Take good care of Tongtong. I'll be back soon." Afterward, he followed Wu Di and the others onto the police car, heading to Xicheng District's police station, of course. "Shu Ya, Hao Jian won't be in trouble, will he? They seem to have bad intentions," Ruo Lan asked nervously. Shu Ya glanced at her, feeling rather bitter inside, thinking, my husband, why are you so worried? Chapter 220 The Resentful Sun Renyao! "I won't let anything happen to him!" Shu Ya said with a stern face, her tone was firm, as if she was stating her position, yet it also sounded like a declaration of sovereignty.Seeing this, Ruo Lan also revealed a bitter smile. Shu Ya could still use her financial power to help Hao Jian, but she felt powerless to do anything. Not long after Hao Jian had left, Yu Ou came knocking on the door looking for him. When Shu Ya opened the door, she saw Yu Ou standing at the entrance. "You are," Shu Ya looked at Yu Ou with confusion because she didn't recognize this person. "Oh, my name is Yu Ou, I'm Hao Jian's good buddy. You must be his wife, right? You're really beautiful," Yu Ou said with a smile, thinking to himself that it was just like Hao Jian¡ªnot only capable himself but also having such a beautiful wife. "Oh, not at all," Shu Ya said shyly, waving her hand dismissively. What woman doesn't like to be called beautiful? Naturally, Shu Ya was no exception. At that moment, Shu Ya thought: I never expected Hao Jian, despite his unassuming appearance, to have a brother of such high taste. "Um, is Hao Jian here? He promised to treat my grandfather," Yu Ou asked. Since Hao Jian had given him his home address, he had come directly to look for him. "Hao Jian? He can treat illnesses?" Shu Ya was surprised. She never knew that Hao Jian had medical skills, and he had never mentioned it to her. "You didn't know? Even the Chinese Medicine Hospital paid him a high fee of half a million for a single lecture," Yu Ou said just as puzzled. Since Shu Ya was his fianc¨¦e, why would Hao Jian keep it a secret from her? "Damn it," Shu Ya cursed under her breath. That bastard has been keeping quite a few things from her, and it seemed she really needed to corner that bastard sometime and interrogate him thoroughly. "Huh?" Yu Ou was a bit stunned; he didn't expect Shu Ya to swear in front of him. "He's been taken away by the police," Shu Ya said with a wry smile. "Taken by the police? When did that happen?" Yu Ou's expression suddenly darkened. "Just a moment ago, a few minutes before you arrived," Shu Ya answered, "I'm about to get dressed and go to the police station to get him out." "It must have been that bastard Sun Renyao's doing. I've always heard that the kid was up to no good. Damn it, I should have finished him off that day at the jewelry store!" Yu Ou said angrily. After leaving the jewelry store that day, he had been worried that Sun Renyao would harm Hao Jian, so he had someone tail Sun Renyao. Sure enough, he found out that Sun Renyao had tried to use his connections to retaliate against Hao Jian on the very night he was beaten up. He was planning to tell Hao Jian about this today, never expecting Sun Renyao to act so quickly. "No matter who's behind this, what we need to do now is first get him out of the police station. I can tell those people are trouble and will probably harm him," Shu Ya said, starting to feel afraid upon hearing Yu Ou's words. "I'll go with you." As Yu Ou spoke, he began to dial his grandfather's number. Sun Renyao dared to mess with his brother¡ªhow could he tolerate that? The one who gave the order to arrest Hao Jian was, of course, not Sun Renyao, but he was indeed related to the matter. The reason was simple: he was acquainted with Chen Jingcheng and Yin Donghan. Actually, with his pretty-boy status, he truly had no right to be in their circle, but who could blame him for having a rich girlfriend? Sun Renyao got to know Xiao Meimei and Chen Jingcheng through mutual acquaintances, and soon the three of them, finding they were of like minds, became confidants. After Sun Renyao was beaten by Hao Jian, he immediately sought the help of Chen Jingcheng and Yin Donghan, and the three quickly agreed to team up against Hao Jian. At this time, Sun Renyao had also received a notification from Chen Jingcheng and was hurrying to the Xicheng District police station. Sun Renyao's face was lit up with excitement because Hao Jian had finally gotten into trouble, and he could at last take his revenge on Hao Jian. The memory of the day Hao Jian publicly humiliated him made Sun Renyao so angry that he couldn't sleep all night, and today he would have his vengeance, so he was extremely happy now. "Sun Renyao, let's just let bygones be bygones, after all, we were classmates," Xiao Meimei said with some hesitation. "Let it go? Have you forgotten how he humiliated us back then? If I don't cripple him this time, then I am not Sun Renyao!" Sun Renyao said fiercely. His face was a mix of blue and purple at the moment, obviously having been beaten quite badly at the police station. If it weren't for Chen Jingcheng getting him out, he reckoned he would still be stuck there¡ªhow could he not seek revenge? "But you can't really blame him for that, we were too arrogant before," Xiao Meimei sighed, clearly not forgetting the disdainful look Hao Jian had given her. She didn't want to be looked down upon by Hao Jian anymore; that gaze was truly too irritating. Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire "Why do I feel like you're always speaking up for him? Who is really your boyfriend? Do you still have feelings for him?" Sun Renyao said angrily as he looked at Xiao Meimei. "I'm not speaking for him, I just think we don't need to be at each other's throats over a classmate. Besides, I don't think you can necessarily do anything to him," Xiao Meimei responded, displeased by Sun Renyao's accusation. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Meimei sighed. Reignite the old flame? She'd like to, but does Hao Jian even take her seriously? Upon hearing Xiao Meimei's words, Sun Renyao immediately bristled: "I can't touch him? What kind of joke is this? That guy has not only provoked me but also Chen Jingcheng and Yin Donghan. Do you think they are pushovers who will let him off? Don't think I don't know what's on your mind. You've always had a place for that guy in your heart, otherwise why wouldn't you even let me kiss you after dating me for four or five months?" Thinking about it, Sun Renyao felt outraged; was he just fated to be everyone's backup? "Stop the car!" Xiao Meimei shouted in fury, completely irritated by Sun Renyao's obtuseness. "What are you doing?" Sun Renyao asked with a dark look, but he still pulled the car over. Xiao Meimei pushed open the car door, got out, and then slammed it hard: "Sun Renyao, let me make myself perfectly clear; we are done!" Sun Renyao was foolish but not her; back at the jewelry store, it was clear Hao Jian didn't take them seriously at all. Even a police captain had to be utterly respectful toward him. Moreover, Hao Jian's other identity was the fianc¨¦ of the Shu Ya Group president. Although the Shu Ya Group might not rank first in Huaxia, its wealth and influence certainly exceed that of her, Yin Donghan, and Chen Jingcheng combined. She didn't believe that Chen Jingcheng and the others could really do anything to Hao Jian. Too bad, Sun Renyao had already lost his rationality and could not see the situation clearly. Seeing Xiao Meimei storm off after slamming the door, Sun Renyao's face darkened scarily, but he blamed everything on Hao Jian. Hao, I will definitely not let you off! Chapter 221 Enemies All Show Up! Meanwhile, Hao Jian had arrived at the police station and entered the interrogation room, where his hands were cuffed to the iron table in front of him.Knowing the fearsome reputation of Hao Jian, Wu Di had added a few more handcuffs to secure his arms completely before he felt relieved. "Kid, just you wait. How dare you strike my men, I'll show you what's coming!" Wu Di sneered, revealing his true colors since Hao Jian was now trapped like an animal in a cage. "Why didn't you dare say that to me a minute ago?" Hao Jian asked with a sly smile. Hearing this, Wu Di's face turned cold, knowing that Hao Jian was mocking him, and he huffed in angry embarrassment, "Just you wait!" Soon after, he walked out, and before long, Chen Jingcheng, Yin Chengzhi, and a middle-aged man who seemed to be the chief of police, entered. Before they could speak, Hao Jian had already started laughing, "I'm not surprised at all." "You still find this funny?" Chen Jingcheng asked with a laugh that was full of hatred as he glared at Hao Jian. "Why shouldn't I find it funny? Do you think you've got me cornered?" Hao Jian found it amusing ¨C he hadn't even started playing his cards yet, and Chen Jingcheng thought he had the upper hand. "Do you really think you can leave this place?" Chen Jingcheng scoffed. "Exactly, and it will be you who lets me go!" Hao Jian confirmed with a nod. "Young Master, I think this kid must be scared silly by now, he's talking nonsense," said a minion of Chen Jingcheng with a laugh. "Is this Hao Jian?" Yin Chengzhi asked, his expression grim as he looked at Hao Jian. "Yes, this is Hao Jian," Chen Jingcheng replied. "Indeed, quite arrogant, huh," Yin Chengzhi said with a sinister smile, "Kid, I might as well tell you, you dare to beat my son like that, I never planned to let you off today. Prepare to spend the rest of your life in prison!" "But before you go to prison, I'll cripple one of your hands and one of your legs first," Yin Chengzhi stated malevolently. "Dragon breeds dragon, phoenix breeds phoenix, the son of an old dog loves to eat shit. I finally see whom Yin Donghan got his imperious nature from," Hao Jian replied defiantly. "I hope you are still so sharp-tongued in a little while!" Yin Chengzhi said grimly, incensed by Hao Jian's insult. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At that moment, Wu Di returned, bringing a group of police officers wielding batons with him. "Chief," Wu Di nodded at Zheng Fei. "Break one of his hands and one of his legs," Zheng Fei said emotionlessly. Yin Chengzhi was his brother-in-law, and naturally, he couldn't stand by as if nothing had happened when Yin Chengzhi was insulted. Suddenly, Zheng Fei's phone rang, and he frowned immediately upon seeing the caller ID. "Zheng Fei, are you arresting people in our district?" came the reprimanding voice of Lin Nantian from the other end. "So what if I am?" Zheng Fei responded irritably, his relationship with Lin Nantian being particularly antagonistic since both were precinct chiefs vying for the position of director general. "Release him immediately, or you'll face consequences you can't bear!" Lin Nantian commanded, very rudely from the other end. Upon hearing this, Zheng Fei's nostrils flared with anger as he retorted, "Who do you think you are, ordering me around? Do I have to report every arrest to you?" "Alright, alright, you've got guts. If you're brave enough, keep holding him like this!" Upon hearing Zheng Fei's refusal to release Hao Jian, Lin Nantian was almost too happy. He was deliberately provoking Zheng Fei because this would keep Hao Jian detained. Only by doing this could Hao Jian fight back, then Lin Nantian could pack up and leave, thus, no one would compete with him for the position of director. This old fellow is still quite cunning. At this moment, Zheng Fei was still unaware of Lin Nantian's conspiracy and coldly snorted with pride, "Not only will I detain him, but I'll also break his arms and legs and throw him into the dungeon!" "You will pay for this!" Lin Nantian pretends to be so angry that he forcefully hung up the phone. After hanging up, the corners of his mouth almost reached his ears, "Throw him into the dungeon? Haha, still too young." "What's wrong?" Yin Chengzhi saw that Zheng Fei's expression was off and quickly asked. "The head of the East District Police Station called trying to protect the kid, but now that he's in my hands, he still thinks he can take him away? That's a dream!" Zheng Fei said arrogantly, immensely pleased to see Lin Nantian thwarted. "Hao Jian, even your supporter can't save you now. Just wait for your death obediently," Chen Jingcheng laughed loudly, his eyes flashing with madness. "Idiot." Hao Jian dismissively clicked his tongue. Lin Nantian wasn't even qualified to be his backer, and he didn't have any backers; his only supporter was himself. "Why waste words on him? Cripple him quickly, I want him to never be arrogant again!" Yin Chengzhi hissed viciously. "I'll do it!" Chen Jingcheng sinisterly smirked, intending to personally cripple Hao Jian. "And me!" Just then, an excited voice came from the doorway, Sun Renyao had arrived. "Cough, cough." Hao Jian feigned coughing twice and smiled while looking at the crowd, "Everyone is here now, right?" "Huh?" Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire Everyone looked at Hao Jian in confusion, not understanding the meaning of his words. "Since everyone is here, let's settle the overall score!" Hao Jian weirdly smiled and then suddenly bellowed, vigorously shaking his arms. "Crack." All the handcuffs were shattered, those steel cuffs seemed as fragile as paper in front of Hao Jian. Everyone present was shocked. Breaking handcuffs barehanded, what kind of monster was this guy? Hao Jian looked at the people before him with a menacing face, sneering darkly, "Since you dared to show your fangs to the God of Death, you should be prepared to die, right?" "Attack now! What are you waiting for?" Zheng Fei cried out in alarm, feeling suddenly cold all over, panicked to the core. Wu Di and the others immediately began swinging their batons, mercilessly beating Hao Jian. But Hao Jian didn't even flinch, allowing them to hit his body as he mockingly said, "You could hit a little harder; I can take it." Everyone was dumbfounded, no longer knowing how to describe their feelings. Was this guy even human? They watched as Hao Jian remained unscathed under the barrage of batons, his face without a single mark. If it were anyone else, they would likely have been bloody and bruised, but Hao Jian seemed unaffected. "The fact that you can't hurt me even in this manner is very disappointing to me." Hao Jian sighed, then suddenly kicked out. One of the officers was sent flying against the wall, his head smashing open, laying motionless on the ground, his fate unknown. Chapter 222 You Dont Know How to Seize the Opportunity! "What?"Upon witnessing the scene before them, everyone felt as though their souls were terrified, one kick sent a person flying¡ªwas this guy too terrifying for words? At that moment, the vast majority among them began to have second thoughts and started moving towards the door. "Swoosh!" But just then, a flying table soared across the room and crashed into the door, blocking everyone's path. Chen Jingcheng looked uneasily at Hao Jian, only to see Hao Jian grinning ferociously at them, "Today, no one is leaving!" When they turned around, they had already realized that all the police officers were down on the ground, taken out by Hao Jian with a swiftness that left no room for reaction. Chen Jingcheng and the others turned pale with fright; they had only turned away for a moment, and Hao Jian had already taken down all the officers. His speed was almost absurd. Hao Jian, holding Wu Di's leg with one hand, looked at everyone with a cold laugh. Realizing his dire situation, Wu Di screamed in terror, "Please spare me, I was wrong, I shouldn't have opposed you." "You shouldn't have kicked her." Hao Jian said with a slight smile, then suddenly punched Wu Di's leg. Crack. "Ow." With a bone-crushing sound, everyone saw Wu Di's leg grotesquely twist and deform. His face flushed red in an instant, then turned deathly pale, and he passed out completely. "Hiss." Everyone drew a sharp breath¡ªthis man was a demon! "Now for you!" Hao Jian's gaze shifted towards the others. "You dare assault a police officer?" Zheng Fei tried to sound calm as he scolded, his heart filled with extreme panic. What kind of monster was this kid, unfettered by handcuffs, impervious to beating, like some humanoid beast, how did Yin Donghan ever provoke such a being? But Hao Jian ignored his scolding and charged over, grabbing Sun Renyao by the throat and lifting him off the ground. "No. Don't hurt me." Sun Renyao choked, his face turning red and tears forming in his eyes as he pleaded with Hao Jian. "I already gave you a chance, it's just a pity you didn't seize it." Hao Jian said playfully with a smile, then threw Sun Renyao out. Sun Renyao's body crashed through the one-way mirror, directly smashing out of the interrogation room and landing on the floor, spitting blood, his spirit utterly broken. The police outside were completely stunned by the scene. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire "Someone, get help!" Both Zheng Fei and Yin Chengzhi screamed in horror, jumping out through the window. The police station turned into chaos immediately, with all officers shocked, picking up their service weapons and charging over, aiming at the interrogation room. "Shoot that bastard dead!" Zheng Fei, green with fury, gritted his teeth and shouted. "Don't shoot! I'm still in here!" But just then, a very weak cry came from inside. He was being choked by Hao Jian, who used him as a human shield in front of himself, helplessly becoming Hao Jian's protection. Seeing this, everyone frowned, with Chen Jingcheng as a hostage inside, they couldn't directly shoot Hao Jian. "Put him down, or I will shoot you on the spot!" Zheng Fei roared, his face hideous with rage. "You all want me dead, but oddly enough, I don't want to die, so I just need to make sure you die." Hao Jian said with a slight smile. "Hao Jian, there's an owner for every debt, and it was the Yin Family who had you arrested, nothing to do with me at all." Chen Jingcheng was trembling, nearly scared enough to wet his pants. "Nothing to do with you?" Hao Jian slapped Chen Jingcheng's head, dizzying him: "Do you really think I'm an idiot? You're here to laugh at me if it has nothing to do with you? Weren't you the one who was most eager just now? Wanting to cripple my limbs?" S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I... I dare not anymore." Chen Jingcheng was truly frightened to tears, now wishing he could slap himself several times for his loose tongue. "You realize your mistake now?" "I do." "Too late!" "..." "Enough, fire!" Zheng Fei impatiently ordered; he was still trembling from fear of Hao Jian, feeling uneasy with every minute Hao Jian lived longer. He had already sensed a great deal of instability from Hao Jian. Hao Jian causing such mayhem at the police station¡ªif word got out, others would surely call him incompetent for not being able to handle a single criminal, and he would likely kiss his promotion goodbye. Hearing this, Chen Jingcheng was completely shocked, looking at Zheng Fei in astonishment. "But, he still has a hostage." One of the officers looked at Zheng Fei in bewilderment. "Just say the hostage died at the hands of the criminal." Zheng Fei said carelessly, ready to pin Chen Jingcheng's death on Hao Jian. "Looks like you've been abandoned." Hao Jian said mockingly. "Zheng Fei, you Old Bastard, how dare you betray me! Even if I become a ghost, I won't let you off!" Chen Jingcheng cursed loudly, wishing he could literally rip Zheng Fei apart. How could this old man just sell him out like this? "Fire!" Zheng Fei, now provoked, roared loudly. "Stop!" At that moment, a sharp cry rang out. All eyes turned, and they saw a group of people walking in, led by a woman in professional attire, charming and seductive in appearance, yet with a dignified and commanding aura. It was Guo Shuxian! Since the day they parted at the auction, she had people look into Hao Jian's whereabouts. Today, just when she finally found him, she learned he had been captured. "Mayor? What are you doing here?" Zheng Fei and others were all stunned. What was Guo Shuxian doing here? "Release him!" Guo Shuxian said expressionlessly. "What?" Zheng Fei and the others were somewhat flustered, a surreal feeling in their hearts. Was the mayor here for this guy? "I said release Hao Jian!" Guo Shuxian coldly commanded. At this point, she was probably angrier than she'd believed possible. Hao Jian was also stunned. He had considered that someone might come to bail him out, but he never expected that person to be Guo Shuxian. Zheng Fei and the others' expressions darkened drastically. The mayor herself had come personally to rescue this young man. What was his real identity? "But this young man has intentionally injured people, and now he's attacking police too. Releasing such a dangerous person might harm society as a whole." Zheng Fei confidently stated. Naturally, he wasn't about to let Guo Shuxian take Hao Jian away so easily. Although Guo Shuxian was the mayor, she and the police belonged to two different branches of government. Technically, despite her authority, she had no right to interfere in police matters. Behind Guo Shuxian stood Xiao Meimei and her father, Xiao Liren. That was how Guo Shuxian knew of Hao Jian's arrest. Chapter 223 I Insist on Trying! Xiao Meimei sought out Xiao Liren after learning about Sun Renyao and his cohorts' conspiracy, hoping to enlist Xiao Liren's help.At that time, Xiao Liren was chatting with Guo Shuxian and inadvertently heard Hao Jian's name. Later, he learned all about it from Xiao Meimei. At this moment, Xiao Meimei also looked on in shock at Hao Jian, not far away, who was holding Chen Jingcheng hostage. Witnessing the chaos and the fallen police officers, she couldn't help but take a sharp breath. Had this guy gone mad? Was he really daring to attack the police? "Zheng Fei, you must be trying to fool ghosts with that talk, right? If you're intending to step up for someone and settle personal scores, I will definitely not let you get your way!" Guo Shuxian had already learned the ins and outs of the situation from Xiao Meimei, so how could she possibly believe Zheng Fei's words. "Madam Mayor, you need evidence to make such claims; else, it's defamation of the police force. Do you have any evidence?" Zheng Fei sneered. Guo Shuxian's face darkened. Of course, she had no evidence, not yet anyway. "You don't have evidence, but I do. My nephew is still lying comatose in the hospital, and it's all thanks to this young punk. What's wrong with me bringing him in? If he resists law enforcement with violence, shouldn't I stop him?" Zheng Fei snorted. He had righteousness on his side in this matter, and even if it were taken to higher authorities, he wouldn't be afraid. Zheng Fei looked at the crowd with satisfaction: "I might as well tell you, today, this kid won't be able to walk out of the police station, and nobody can stop that! Hmph..." "Well, I'd like to see you try!" Just then, a resonant voice came from outside, and a man as big as a bear strode in. With each step he took, the entire police station seemed to quiver slightly. He was eight feet tall, with a solid build and dark skin; his arms were as thick as tree roots, and his military uniform stood out conspicuously. Following him was Yu Ou. The bear-like man cast a sharp glance at everyone present, then swept his gaze to Hao Jian, who was holding the hostage, and couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Nice one, little rascal, still as thorny as back in the day, huh?" "Uncle Yu," Hao Jian said with a wry smile. This man was Yu Ou's father, Yu Xiatang, the person most likely to be the future heir of the Yu Family. Yu Xiatang had been calling Hao Jian a little rascal since he was young, although back then Hao Jian was just a kid, but now the "little" could be dropped. Everyone was once again shocked; Yu Xiatang was a colonel in the military and was a significant figure in Hua City. The Yu Family wielded considerable influence in Hua City's military, and Yu Xiatang could be said to be a representative figure of the Yu Family. He came to rescue Hao Jian? Zheng Fei's face turned dark instantly. Both a government official and a military big shot came to bail out this kid? Was he, a public security official, actually expected to stand against two powers? Zheng Fei cursed Yin Chengzhi inwardly for bringing such trouble upon him. Yin Chengzhi had previously said that it was just a trivial punk, but now, this punk had transformed into a formidable figure. How was he supposed to deal with this? "Zheng Fei, are you not going to release him? This kid is a benefactor to our Yu Family. If you don't let him go, I'm going to give you a beating!" Yu Xiatang stated domineeringly. Zheng Fei's face was ashen. He knew all too well that Yu Xiatang was a man of his word. If he said he'd beat him up, then he would indeed follow through. "Oh, quite the commotion here, seems like I've arrived just in time," another voice followed, alluring and soft like cotton. Gao Jiping, as always, was dressed in a dazzling red cheongsam, looking like a bewitching, thorny rose as she walked gracefully, her beauty startling and breathtaking. "Gao Jiping, what are you doing here?" Zheng Fei barked angrily. He had never been able to secure the top position in the bureau, and a big part of the reason was Gao Jiping. Her influence had caused trouble in his domain, which cast doubts on his abilities. "Me? I came to see my friend." Gao Jiping smiled faintly, then turned to Hao Jian, "Why didn't you say hello when you came over to Xicheng District?" Veins throbbed on Zheng Fei's forehead. Damn, she came for this kid? "It's not like I wanted to come." Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, feigning innocence. "Since you don't want to stay here, let's go," Gao Jiping said with a light smile, as if it was the most natural thing to do. "Gao Jiping, don't you think too highly of yourself? Who do you think you are?" Zheng Fei burst into rage. Leave? Hah, is that even possible? "Director Zheng, you really hurt my feelings with those words. After all, we've been neighbors for so many years. I even sent someone to visit your nephew when he fell ill. Before coming here, I even stopped by your house, but you weren't in. Your sister-in-law answered the door. I was worried that some criminal might harm your wife and children like they did your nephew, so I had a few people keep watch there. Don't thank me. It's the least I can do as a neighbor," Gao Jiping spoke as if she was offering a favor that didn't need any thanks. Then, Zheng Fei's face turned completely dark. Those words were loaded with threats. "Maybe we should just let them go," Yin Chengzhi chimed in quickly, the idea of backing down sprouting in his mind. Gao Jiping had said it; his son's fate was now in her hands. If they didn't release Hao Jian, his son was as good as dead. Zheng Fei, with a sullen face, hesitated. Releasing the prisoner would mean losing face, but if he didn't, standing against so many influential figures wasn't something he could handle, especially now that his family was being held hostage by Gao Jiping. "If you don't let them go, I will sue you until you can't even afford underwear!" At that moment, Shu Ya finally arrived, not alone, but with an entire team of lawyers at her side. Seeing this, Zheng Fei felt like crying. What the hell kind of background did this kid have? Military Department, administrative agencies, underworld, business sector¡ªalmost all the heavyweights were out to rescue him. He was just a director; was all this fuss really necessary? Zheng Fei was intimidated just looking at the team of more than twenty lawyers Shu Ya brought with her. If a lawsuit really ensued, setting aside win or lose, the sheer exhaustion of the case could kill him. He certainly wasn't like Shu Ya, who had so much money to burn. "I must have really pissed off the ancestors to end up being relatives with you," Zheng Fei glared at Yin Chengzhi in outrage. If not for their connection, why would he need to confront these people? Yin Chengzhi also lowered his head in shame. Little did he know of Hao Jian's significant connections. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Not just him. Even Shu Ya, Gao Jiping, and others couldn't have guessed that Hao Jian knew so many prominent figures, and not a single one of them was simple. "So, Hao Jian," Zheng Fei could only force a smile when confronting Hao Jian. "Who the hell is cheap? You're the fucking cheap one!" Hao Jian roared back. Chapter 224 Kong Xiaozhen! Zheng Fei's expression instantly stiffened, clearly, your name is Hao Jian."Call me Mr. Hao, are we close? Who allowed you to call me by my name?" Hao Jian spoke with visible annoyance. "Hao Jian, I admit you are somewhat capable and well-connected, but don't think you're something special. The world is vast, and there are some people you can't afford to offend," Zheng Fei snapped, seeing that Hao Jian was not interested in negotiating, he saw no need to give Hao Jian any respect. "Zheng Fei is just a dog of Kong Xiaozhen. If it's possible to reconcile, then we should try to," Guo Shuxian whispered to Hao Jian. "Kong Xiaozhen? Who is he?" Hao Jian asked. Guo Shuxian rolled her eyes in frustration, "With your extensive network, even the bigshots in the Military Department back you, and yet you don't know who Kong Xiaozhen is?" "That impressive?" Hearing Guo Shuxian say this, it seemed that Kong Xiaozhen was indeed powerful, and he must also have some connections with the Military Department. Before Guo Shuxian could respond, Yu Xiatang nodded and said: "Our Yu Family has significant influence in the military forces of Hua City, but Kong Xiaozhen's Kong Family has absolute authority at the provincial level. It's not exactly ruling unchallenged, but it's close." "Kong Xiaozhen is one of the Four Young Masters of Hua City. This Zheng Fei too, it's because of him that he has obtained his position. You'd better not conflict with him; otherwise, the consequences could be severe." Guo Shuxian and Yu Xiatang both showed no faith in Hao Jian. After all, Kong Xiaozhen's momentum was too great; Hao Jian couldn't possibly match him. Seeing this, Zheng Fei's expression became even more smug. What did it matter if Hao Jian had many people? The person backing him could overpower everyone present. "How about it? If you're willing to reconcile, I'll pretend nothing happened, and I'll stay out of this trash family's business," Zheng Fei said, knowing that Hao Jian was not someone easily provoked and that clashing with him wouldn't benefit him. Yin Chengzhi's face also looked terrible on hearing this, but he didn't dare to make a sound. Though Zheng Fei was arrogant, he had the capital to be so, and even he had to watch Zheng Fei's moods. "Your proposal is excellent, anyone else would find it hard to refuse, after all, who would want to needlessly make an enemy of a powerful and influential family?" Hao Jian said, squinting and smiling. Zheng Fei was also smiling, but his smile was somewhat mocking. He could understand it, after all, there weren't many in Hua City who would dare to disregard Kong Xiaozhen. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Hao Jian was about to back down. "But I just have a contrarian streak, the more others want me to do something, the less I want to do it. So your proposal, I refuse!" With the last word out, Hao Jian kicked swiftly, sending Zheng Fei flying through the air, landing awkwardly on the ground, coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood. Everyone was stunned. Hao Jian had actually rejected Zheng Fei's proposal. Did he not realize how terrifying the consequences of opposing Kong Xiaozhen could be? With blood-stained teeth, Zheng Fei stared fiercely at Hao Jian, "Young Master Kong will definitely not let you go, you will pay a heavy price for your actions today." "My price may not come until the distant future, but yours is today!" Hao Jian scoffed, approaching Zheng Fei. "What are you trying to do?" Zheng Fei stared uneasily at Hao Jian. But Hao Jian didn't say anything, just grabbed one of his legs and gently snapped it. A clear "snap" sound echoed as Hao Jian forcefully broke one of Zheng Fei's legs. Zheng Fei slapped the floor with his hand, writhing in agony, his face twisted with pain. Shu Ya and Guo Shuxian both involuntarily frowned, clearly frightened by Hao Jian's fierce and barbaric behavior. Even so, Hao Jian had no intention of stopping; his other hand grabbed Zheng Fei's second leg and twisted it with force as well. Zheng Fei passed out from the pain, and his screams abruptly stopped. The people at the police station were all scared by Hao Jian's actions, staring at him in shock. "Why would you do this, don't you know what the consequences will be?" Guo Shuxian walked up to him, furious. Hao Jian was practically courting death; even she had to be extremely cautious when dealing with Kong Xiaozhen, let alone Hao Jian. "I know, but I don't care," Hao Jian replied with a cold laugh. "You think you can crap on my head? Not even if the emperor himself asked!" "You...sigh." Guo Shuxian was so angry she couldn't speak; in her view, Hao Jian was truly too arrogant. "Not bad, like a real man!" Yu Xiatang said, his face flushed, seemingly excited. Hao Jian had done what he had always wanted to do but never dared: stand up against Kong Xiaozhen. Just from that, Hao Jian seemed more of a man than he was! Meanwhile, Shu Ya's beautiful eyes flickered continuously. Just who was this guy, and why were so many people helping him? She had always known Hao Jian was no ordinary man, but she had not realized he was this extraordinary. "Is there anyone else who wants to catch me?" Hao Jian looked toward the officers. The officers all shook their heads in panic; even their chief had been crippled by Hao Jian, none of them dared to trouble him anymore. "In that case, can I leave now?" Hao Jian asked again. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The policemen nodded hurriedly, like chickens pecking at grains. Hao Jian walked over to Yu Ou and Yu Xiatang: "Let's go treat the old master." Without wasting words, Yu Xiatang nodded. He gave Hao Jian a meaningful wink, "After you finish handling your business, we'll wait outside for you." Handle my business? Hao Jian was confused. He thought he had already resolved his matters. Later, he understood what Yu Xiatang meant. He must have misunderstood his relationship with Guo Shuxian and the others; after all, three women were desperately trying to save him at the same time, anyone would think incorrectly. Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire "Why have you come?" Hao Jian asked Guo Shuxian, not expecting that she would come to his rescue. "It was Chairman Xiao's daughter who told me you were framed; that's why I came to rescue you," Guo Shuxian said, looking at Xiao Meimei nearby. Hearing this, Hao Jian was also somewhat surprised as he looked at Xiao Meimei. He hadn't expected that after humiliating her the day before, Xiao Meimei would bear no grudges. Xiao Meimei, feeling somewhat shy, lowered her head, unable to meet Hao Jian's gaze. "Thank you," Hao Jian said with a smile to Xiao Meimei, thinking that his words the day before had not been in vain; Xiao Meimei had truly changed. "You're welcome." Xiao Meimei shook her head, a simple thank you made her heart as sweet as if she had tasted honey. Chapter 225 The Yu Familys Little Tiger Hu! And seeing this scene, Shu Ya was all kinds of displeased. That bastard, his appeal to women really is no ordinary matter, and each one of them is a top-tier beauty.Suddenly, Shu Ya felt a sense of danger, as if her own status was about to be challenged. "They've all said their thanks, why didn't you thank me?" Meanwhile, Gao Jiping sauntered over, swaying her slim waist and ample hips, and asked coquettishly. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire Hao Jian glanced at her indifferently, "Even without you, I would still be able to leave here, and I also know what you want to do. So you're not doing this for me, but for yourself." "It really hurts to hear you say that," Gao Jiping made a wounded expression. "What you're doing is just to have me help you at a critical moment. Fine, I'll pretend you helped me. I can agree to kill someone for you for free, but it's only going to be just one person." Hao Jian spoke dispassionately. As far as Gao Jiping was concerned, he wasn't really grateful to her because she was purposeful, unlike Shu Ya and the others. Having said that, Hao Jian simply ignored her and walked away. Seeing this, Gao Jiping was also overjoyed. Hao Jian agreeing to kill someone for her was undoubtedly a huge favor. "Talking about murder right in front of me, aren't you being a bit too bold?" Guo Shuxian snorted coldly. "Then come arrest me." Hao Jian stretched his arms out toward her, a picture of resignation. "Bastard!" Guo Shuxian's face turned green with anger. This jerk, knowing she wouldn't arrest him, was so arrogant. "Let's go, husband." Shu Ya hurriedly stepped forward at this moment, taking hold of Hao Jian's arm, her face beaming with a happy smile. Hao Jian could only offer a bitter smile, knowing that Shu Ya was doing this on purpose. He hadn't expected this woman to have such a clingy side to her. And seeing Shu Ya's action, those three women indeed had reactions: Xiao Meimei felt a bit dejected, Gao Jiping was curious, and Guo Shuxian was furious. "You go back first. I have to go treat my friend's grandfather," Hao Jian said smilingly. "Alright, I'll wait for you at home," Shu Ya nodded obediently. Then Hao Jian walked out, leaving Shu Ya with the three women. Shu Ya looked at Gao Jiping and Guo Shuxian, her previous smile gone, and mockingly said, "What do you say, ladies? Shall we have a chat?" She knew Guo Shuxian was the mayor and guessed that Gao Jiping was from the underworld. But even if it was one against two, she still possessed absolute confidence. That's who she was, always brimming with self-assurance and a commanding presence no matter the situation. "I'm just friends with him," Guo Shuxian quickly defended herself, sensing that Shu Ya had misunderstood. "I only helped him because I wanted his assistance," Gao Jiping also hurriedly retorted. Shu Ya nodded, her face wearing a smile. "If that's the case, could I please ask you to limit your contact with him from now on? After all, he's my husband, and I will handle any issues that arise." Her implication was clear: she wanted them to stay away from Hao Jian; she was already getting annoyed. At this, both Gao Jiping and Guo Shuxian could only nod with a bitter smile. . "Look at Hao Jian. He has three distinct women by his side: an official, an underworld boss, and a business tycoon¡ªone more impressive than the last. And then there's you, nearly thirty and without even a girlfriend. How could I have given birth to such a foolish son?" Yu Xiatang ground his teeth, feeling extreme frustration upon seeing how many women Hao Jian had around him. Yu Ou curled his lips and grumbled discontentedly, "If I were better than him, then he'd be calling me boss instead of the other way around. Plus, didn't you yourself have me when you were thirty? Mom even said that if it weren't for you kneeling at her doorstep for three days and three nights, and because grandpa was granddad's old comrade-in-arms, she wouldn't have bothered with you at all!" "Talking back, are you? Sick of living, huh?" Yu Xiatang's face turned red, and he smacked him with the back of his hand. "Quite the lively scene here," Hao Jian said as he walked out. Seeing Yu Xiatang and Yu Ou still at it like always suddenly gave him a nostalgic feeling. Yu Xiatang always beat up Yu Ou in front of him, mainly because he never treated him like an outsider. "Look, someone else's kid is here. Go and suck up to him," Yu Ou said sourly. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ever since he was young, his dad had been very fond of Hao Jian, while he frequently gave his own son a hard time with his fists. He even suspected that Hao Jian might be Yu Xiatang's illegitimate child. Yu Xiatang glared at him fiercely, holding back from losing his temper and chuckled at Hao Jian, giving him a thumbs-up, "Three girlfriends, all pretty. You've got skill!" "Uncle Yu, I only have one girlfriend; the other two are just friends," Hao Jian said with a wry smile. "Alright, alright, if you say they're just friends, then they're just friends," Yu Xiatang quickly nodded, but his expression clearly read "I don't believe you." Hao Jian was helpless and knew that whatever he said would be pointless, so he simply stopped explaining. Afterward, the three of them went to the Yu Family's large house, but upon arriving, Hao Jian ran into another acquaintance. "Hao Jian?" A girl in her early twenties, wearing a camouflage T-shirt and military pants and boots, looked at Hao Jian in astonishment. Her hair was tied back in a simple ponytail. Unlike most girls who wished to bleach their skin white, she sported a healthy wheatish complexion, with an attractive and somewhat heroic air about her. "You are..." Hao Jian looked at the girl, confused. He was certain that he had never met her before. The girl furrowed her brows and said coldly, "You've actually forgotten me?" Just then, Yu Ou quickly moved closer and whispered in Hao Jian's ear, "That's Tiger Hu." "Tiger Hu?" Hao Jian was shocked and began to scrutinize her closely. "Don't I have a name? Who allowed you to call me by that nickname?" Tiger Hu said in an unfriendly tone. It was clear that she did not have a good impression of Hao Jian, and it seemed the two had some unresolved issues. "But I don't know your name," Hao Jian said, a mix of amusement and frustration on his face. He only knew her by her nickname. "My name is Yu Jiayi!" Yu Jiayi was furious. This shameless bastard, after doing what he did to her, he didn't even know her name? "Oh," Hao Jian nodded. "That's it?" Yu Jiayi looked at Hao Jian in astonishment. Had she heard wrong? What did 'oh' even mean? "What else should there be?" Hao Jian asked, scratching his head in confusion. Wasn't it over after exchanging greetings? "Don't you have anything else you want to say to me?" Yu Jiayi still didn't give up inquiring. "Oh, I wanted to say, a girl changes eighteen times between childhood and womanhood. You've become much prettier, way better looking than before," Hao Jian thought for a moment before replying. Chapter 226 Itinerant Doctor, not worth mentioning! "I didn't ask you to talk about that!"Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire Jiayi felt her teeth itch with hatred. Had this bastard completely forgotten everything he had done to her in the past? "Have you really forgotten the outrageous things you did to me?" Jiayi roared angrily. "What things?" Hao Jian honestly couldn't remember. It had been so many years since he had seen Jiayi, and he had done so many excessive things to her, who knew which one she was talking about? "The time you spied on me taking a bath!" Jiayi hissed like a female leopard, her eyes ablaze with a fire so intense it seemed to almost incinerate Hao Jian on the spot. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Oh, that incident. I really can't be blamed for that. I was just in a hurry to pee and you didn't shut the door when you were bathing. It was an accident that I barged in. And really, why were you taking a bath in the middle of the day anyway?" Hao Jian sighed. Back then, Jiayi wasn't as fierce as she is now. She was very clean and took several baths a day. "So you're saying it was my fault?" Jiayi asked with a forced smile. "Of course not. What I mean to say is, it wasn't intentional. Besides, back then you were just a chubby girl, nowhere near as pretty as you are now. What was there to see, right?" Hao Jian said with a chuckle. "Clang!" Jiayi immediately drew her military saber and fixed Hao Jian with a tiger-like gaze. Hao Jian's expression stiffened and he instinctively stepped back, "We've been friends for so many years, there's no fun in pulling out knives and guns, is there?" "I don't remember us being friends. Ever since the day you spied on me bathing, I swore that I'd get back at you!" Jiayi said through gritted teeth. "Is she serious?" Hao Jian whispered to Yu Ou beside him. Yu Ou nodded vigorously like a pecking chick, "She's serious. Ever since you spied on her, she's changed completely. No only did she drop her obsession with cleanliness, but she also started training with the old soldiers in our house. She spends all day rolling in the mud. We even call her 'Mud Monkey' now." Yu Ou patted Hao Jian sympathetically, "You can see she really hates you. Your actions even changed her sexual orientation. I've seen her fight over someone else's girlfriend in a bar and send them to the hospital. Our patriarch was furious. So you better be careful; this girl is not the same as before, even I'm no match for her." Hao Jian was shocked, then quickly asked, "Is there no way to clear up this misunderstanding?" "There is. Just let her beat you up," said Yu Ou. "Then maybe it's better not to clear it up," Hao Jian resigned. Meanwhile, Jiayi stared at Hao Jian like a wolf or tiger, "Hao Jian, I want to duel with you. If you're a man, pick a weapon!" Upon hearing this, the doctor-like man beside Jiayi couldn't help but look at Hao Jian with a sneer. Since Jiayi had mentioned the incident of Hao Jian spying on her bathing, his expression had soured, apparently harboring feelings of admiration for Jiayi. Since they were currently standing in the Yu Family's own training ground, the weapon racks on either side were equipped with a full array of eighteen types of weapons. Jiayi didn't want to be accused of bullying Hao Jian, so she let him choose a weapon to duel with her. "What's all this ruckus about outside? Did the wolves chase you or what?" Just then, a group of people approached from not far away, among them two men who looked about seventy percent like Yu Xiatang, they were indeed Yu Xiatang's two brothers, Old Two Yu Zhixun and Old Three Yu Mingxiang. The three brothers were each different, Yu Xiatang was like a General, Yu Zhixun looked like a cunning merchant, and Yu Mingxiang seemed like a frail scholar. They had originally planned to visit the old man, but on their way, they heard noises from the practice yard and decided to check it out. Yu Jiayi was the daughter of Old Three, Yu Mingxiang. Yu Zhixun, feeling wronged, glared at Hao Jian and his group as it was he who had spoken just now. "Yu Jiayi, stop your nonsense! Step aside, Hao Jian is here to treat your grandfather's illness!" Yu Xiatang, seeing this, also quickly scolded. He found his niece Yu Jiayi quite a handful and did not know what to do with her. "Treat an illness? Him?" Yu Jiayi sneered twice, clearly not believing that Hao Jian could cure her grandfather's illness. "No need for that, let him go back. I am enough to handle the old man's illness," said the man standing behind Yu Jiayi, quite arrogantly. "What are you anyways?" Yu Xiatang became upset when he heard the man's arrogance. "His name is Liang Xiaotang, he's my friend. He's also a renowned Divine Doctor in Huaxia, touted by some to be the most likely successor to Liang Wangsun. And you, Hao Jian? What's your title?" mocked Yu Jiayi. Then Yu Xiatang was silenced. Although he wanted to stand by Hao Jian, the safety of the old man was paramount. If Liang Xiaotang truly had a way to save the old man, he naturally had to treat him well. Yu Xiatang was just being prepared for both contingencies; if Hao Jian failed, at least there was Liang Xiaotang. When Yu Xiatang heard Yu Jiayi mention that Liang Xiaotang might become Liang Wangsun's successor, he had already started to lean towards Liang Xiaotang, given that Liang Wangsun's name carried significant weight in Huaxia. Upon hearing this, both Yu Mingxiang and Yu Zhixun also looked at Liang Xiaotang with surprise, not even glancing at Hao Jian. "I've seen him on TV; he's pretty impressive. Many medical schools have invited him to give lectures," Yu Zhixun's wife also chimed in, clearly recognizing Liang Xiaotang. Liang Xiaotang also raised his proud head, like a cock who had just won a fight. But Hao Jian just shook his head and smiled. He knew the media sometimes exaggerated, saying Liang Xiaotang was his master's successor? If Liang Xiaotang were really that impressive, his master would have taken him under his wing long ago. The reason he hadn't was because his master was very proud and wouldn't waste time training someone whom he didn't deem worthy. With his master's astonishing medical skills, Liang Xiaotang would probably never catch up in his lifetime. "I'm asking you, have you won any honors?" Yu Jiayi asked coldly, clearly convinced that Hao Jian was incompetent. Hao Jian touched his nose and wryly said, "An Itinerant Doctor, nothing worth mentioning." Upon hearing this, both Yu Zhixun and his wife couldn't help but show disdain while Yu Xiatang sighed in disappointment. "What Itinerant Doctor, he clearly is¡ª" Yu Ou began to retort upon seeing this. But Hao Jian tugged at Yu Ou's sleeve, signaling him to keep quiet. Yu Ou looked at Hao Jian skeptically, but seeing Hao Jian's smiling face, he quickly shut his mouth. "He is what?" Yu Jiayi asked. "Nothing!" Yu Ou huffed discontentedly. Chapter 227 Quack and Divine Doctor! "Since you're useless here now, just get lost." Yu Jiayi said coldly, quite rudely."Even if you don't need me to treat him, let me see the old man at least. After all, the old man and I are old acquaintances," Hao Jian said with a smile, seemingly unbothered. "You're Hao Jian, right? After all these years, you still haven't changed your habit of freeloading? It was only because the old man doted on you that an unknown wild child like you could eat and stay with us. Do you think you can still cling to our family like before?" Yu Zhixun also said sarcastically, clearly disliking Hao Jian. Because his father had favored Hao Jian more than his own grandson, claiming Hao Jian had a natural, cold-blooded temperament as a soldier similar to himself when he was young, Yu Zhixun thought those words were nonsensical. Therefore, Yu Zhixun had always been biased against Hao Jian. When he heard Hao Jian had joined the military, he even cursed him as an ingrate who turned his back on them after eating their food. But because of that remark, he was severely punished by the old man, which only made him hate Hao Jian more. "Old Two, what's with the way you're speaking? It was rare for Hao Jian to make the old man happy. A few bowls of rice wouldn't have affected our family, right?" Yu Xiatang was unhappy when he heard this. They were a large family; why would they care about an extra pair of chopsticks? Yu Zhixun was obviously being nitpicky and looking for trouble. "Make the old man happy? We have so many descendants in our family; who can't make him happy? What's it to him?" Yu Zhixun scoffed disdainfully. "Don't you know your own son's behavior? Proficient in eating, drinking, prostituting, gambling, and smoking. Make the old man happy? It would be good enough if he doesn't anger him to death." Yu Xiatang said grimly. "Big brother, what are you saying? Is your son any better? He served in the military for so many years, our family used so many resources to help him, and then he just quit, wasting everything our family had done before. Just for that, you have no right to argue with me!" Yu Zhixun retorted with a cold laugh. Both Yu Xiatang and Yu Ou couldn't help but frown upon hearing this. Hao Jian showed a thoughtful expression. Yu Ou was right, the Yu Family was becoming increasingly discordant. Although Yu Xiatang and Yu Zhixun had always been like this, at that time Yu Zhixun didn't dare to openly defy Yu Xiatang. But now that had changed. Yu Zhixun knew the old man was about to die and no one would control him anymore, so he no longer regarded his older brother Yu Xiatang anymore. Only Old Three, Yu Mingxiang, had been silent all along, appearing introverted and quiet, observing from the sidelines stoically. Hao Jian probably knew a little about the personalities of the three Yu brothers. Yu Xiatang was stable and magnanimous with the manner of a general, Yu Jiayi was sinister and cunning, skilled in plotting, while Yu Mingxiang was not outwardly talented but mysteriously unpredictable. If these three brothers could unite in effort, why would the Yu Family not prosper? Unfortunately, these brothers were disjointed, each disrespecting the others. He had also mentioned this to the old man, and it was precisely because he, at the tender age of seventeen or eighteen, had said such things that the old man was tremendously impressed and liked to chat with him, always saying Hao Jian was a young friend of his. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "It's fine to let him come along; it'll be a good opportunity for me to show him the difference between a Divine Doctor and a quack." Liang Xiaotang said coldly, believing it a self-humiliation for Hao Jian to follow. Hao Jian smiled and remained silent. Liang Xiaotang turned to Yu Jiayi and said, "Jiayi, don't waste time on him. Your grandfather's illness is more important." "Consider yourself lucky," Yu Jiayi glared fiercely at Hao Jian and turned to leave with Liang Xiaotang. "This way, Divine Doctor," Yu Zhixun immediately said politely, leading Liang Xiaotang to the side. At this time, except for Yu Xiatang and his son, nobody was willing to pay attention to Hao Jian. In their eyes, an Itinerant Doctor like Hao Jian was useless, and they didn't want to waste their time on him. "Hao Jian, I'm sorry. I didn't expect them to act this way," Yu Ou said, somewhat ashamed. If it weren't for him inviting Hao Jian here, Hao Jian wouldn't have been insulted by Yu Zhixun and the others. "What are you sorry for? The old master was so kind to me back then. It's only right for me to treat him. What does a little grievance matter?" The old master had valued him so much back then, even specially recommending him to enlist. If he couldn't stand a few insults, it would be utterly ungrateful. Hao Jian was not such a person. "Besides, how do you know that Liang Xiaotang will definitely be able to cure the old master? If he can't, won't they still need me?" Hao Jian said with a smile, signaling that he was not angry and would not refuse to treat the old master because of this. "Right, that guy is just a bit arrogant. Who knows if he really has the skills?" Yu Ou quickly nodded. He trusted Hao Jian unconditionally, and Hao Jian had never let him down. However, Yu Xiatang just shook his head helplessly. Yu Ou was still too naive, unable to understand what the title of Liang Wangsun's successor implied. If even Liang Xiaotang couldn't manage, what could Hao Jian do alone? Yu Xiatang had not expected Yu Jiayi to be able to bring Liang Xiaotang. If he had known earlier, perhaps he would not have asked for Hao Jian. When Hao Jian and Yu Xiatang father and son arrived at the old master's sickroom, Liang Xiaotang was still diagnosing. Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire At that moment, Hao Jian also saw the old master, whom he hadn't seen in years. The old master no longer had his once imposing posture; his body was filled with tubes, looking the very picture of a terminal illness. At that moment, Hao Jian couldn't help but sigh deeply. No matter how powerful a person is, he ultimately can't escape the claps of the God of Death. "What, are you here to disgrace yourself?" Yu Jiayi immediately sneered upon seeing Hao Jian come in. "Why haven't you left yet? We've already said we don't need you here. Don't embarrass yourself with your half-baked medical skills!" Yu Zhixun also said insultingly, frowning. "I can't even look? Is this the way the Yu Family treats guests?" Hao Jian said, his face full of scorn as he looked at Yu Zhixun. "A guest? You qualify? You're just a freeloader who likes to mooch off our family," Yu Zhixun scoffed. "Hao Jian came here to treat grandfather too. Doesn't that count as being a guest? In case Liang Xiaotang can't cure grandfather, there's still Hao Jian," Yu Ou said in haste. "A joke. If even Liang Xiaotang can't save this old master, what can this waste do?" Yu Zhixun laughed derisively. "Can you shut up?" Yu Xiatang looked at Yu Zhixun, also angered, his expression turning grim. Yu Zhixun grunted in dissatisfaction but ultimately didn't speak again. Chapter 228 Sure to Die! Everyone was focusing on Liang Xiaotang, waiting for him to diagnose the elder's condition.About ten minutes later, Liang Xiaotang finally stopped diagnosing and turned to the crowd with a smile on his face: "The elder is not seriously harmed. He simply has accumulated blood stasis within his body. The blood stasis is not dissipating, causing inflammation. In a moment, I will prescribe some medicine for him, and after taking it for a few days, he will be better." "How could there be blood stasis in the elder's body?" Yu Mingxiang asked, frowning. The crowd also looked at each other, confused about what had happened. "It could be due to him falling down the stairs some time ago," said Yu Zhixun's wife suddenly in a low voice. "Falling down the stairs? When did this happen, and why didn't you mention it sooner?" Yu Xiatang exclaimed angrily. If they had known about the condition earlier, perhaps things wouldn't have come to this. "I asked the elder at the time, and he himself said it was nothing. So of course, I thought it was nothing. How can you blame me?" Yu Zhixun's wife said, indignant. "You!" Yu Xiatang pointed at the woman, too angry to speak. The elder said it was nothing, perhaps because he himself had not realized the severity of the problem. But you didn't follow up afterwards, that's your lack of care, and you still say it's none of your business? Hao Jian shook his head too, the troubles of wealthy families, indeed. "Doctor Liang has already said the elder is fine, why are you still fussing about it?" Yu Zhixun said impatiently, standing up to defend his wife. Yu Xiatang's face turned ashen, and he stayed silent, deeply disappointed in Yu Zhixun. His wife was an outsider after all, but that his own son could be like this... "Doctor Liang, we owe you a great debt this time. You truly live up to the reputation as the successor to Liang Wangsun. So many doctors have said there was no remedy for the illness, yet you managed to prescribe just the right medicine to cure it." Yu Zhixun couldn't help but flatter loudly, now that the elder was no longer in danger of dying, the power of the Yu Family would continue. "It's a trifle, hardly worth mentioning. Yu Jiayi and I are friends, and it is only right for friends to help each other out, don't you think, Jiayi?" Liang Xiaotang said with a smile, his gaze on Yu Jiayi full of undisguised admiration. "Yes. Right," Yu Jiayi said, looking somewhat uncomfortable. At this moment, Yu Mingxiang's gaze also flickered, as if pondering over something. "The successor to Liang Wangsun? How laughable. If Liang Wangsun himself knew he had such a successor, he would probably be angered to death right then and there," Hao Jian ridiculed. As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked. Liang Xiaotang looked visibly upset, as this was the first time someone had insulted him like this. Because whenever he was called the successor to Liang Wangsun, Liang Xiaotang always felt as if Liang Wangsun was first in the world and he was second. Gradually, he began to get carried away. But Hao Jian's words were like a direct stab at his Achilles' heel. "You dare to speak to Doctor Liang like this? Who do you think you are? Get out!" Yu Zhixun directly scolded without courtesy. "Hao Jian, don't talk nonsense," Yu Xiatang also frowned, not wanting Hao Jian to cause trouble now when his father's health entirely depended on Liang Xiaotang. "What's the matter? Jealous because someone's medical skills are superior to yours?" Yu Jiayi mocked, to her, Hao Jian seemed just to be throwing a tantrum out of jealousy. "His medical skills are superior to mine? Hahaha." Hao Jian couldn't stop laughing, his waist almost unable to straighten. If Liang Xiaotang's medical skills were better than his, he would dare to chop off his own head and let Liang Xiaotang kick it around like a ball! "Do you really think your medical skills are better than mine? I hold dual doctoral degrees in medicine and biology, graduated from Harvard University. And you? What do you have?" Liang Xiaotang looked at Hao Jian with disdain. Just an itinerant doctor, and he dared to look down on a highly educated graduate? "I have nothing, no medical license, and no degrees. But so what? Wasn't Liang Wangsun also without anything? Yet didn't he still become the foremost person in the medical field?" Hao Jian retorted. "Liang Wangsun is Liang Wangsun; you think you can compare yourself with him? Laughable!" Liang Xiaotang said with scorn. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire "Enough, stop arguing. Just have someone throw this ignorant brat out quickly; save us from his nonsense," Yu Zhixun said, waving his hand impatiently. "You can ask me to leave, but if the old master dies, that will be on you," Hao Jian said expressionlessly. "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear Doctor Liang just say the old master is fine? Die? It seems like you deliberately want to curse our old man to death," Yu Zhixun's wife also muttered discontentedly. A group of people immediately glared at Hao Jian with anger, wishing they could flay him alive. "You say the old master is fine?" Hao Jian sneered, looking towards Liang Xiaotang. "Yes, with my prescription, within three days, the old master will definitely recover!" Liang Xiaotang replied confidently. He had made a thorough diagnosis just now, sure there were no mistakes. "Oh? Then I say, within three days, the old master will undoubtedly die!" Hao Jian stated. "Guards, give this punk a good beating and throw him out of the Yu Family!" Yu Zhixun was completely enraged and called for the guards to come in. At this moment, Yu Mingxiang and Yu Xiatang could not help but frown, wondering what Hao Jian was really up to. "Wait!" Yu Xiatang shouted, then quickly stepped towards Hao Jian and said gravely: "Hao Jian, this is no joking matter. If you said this out of a momentary impulse, then I hope you will leave right now." "Uncle Yu, do you think I would joke about the old master's life?" Hao Jian responded with a bitter smile. Yu Xiatang's brows furrowed even more; he knew Hao Jian was not someone to speak without a sense of proportion. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Who knows you? Maybe you are just feeling upset and want to stir up trouble on purpose?" Yu Jiayi snorted, then spoke to Yu Xiatang: "Uncle, surely you don't trust this media-proclaimed divine doctor, Liang Xiaotang, over such an itinerant doctor?" Yu Xiatang's frown deepened further. "Well, since you all seem to trust what he says, then I shall take my leave," Liang Xiaotang said, as he got up pretentiously to leave. "Doctor Liang, please wait." Yu Xiatang quickly spoke up to keep him, seemingly reluctant to give up on this divine doctor. "I can stay, but I must have this kid disappear immediately," Liang Xiaotang said, pointing at Hao Jian, sneering inwardly: Fight with me? You're still too green! Immediately, Yu Xiatang looked at Hao Jian somewhat apologetically: "I'm sorry, Hao Jian, I cannot joke with the old master's life." In the end, Yu Xiatang still chose to trust Liang Xiaotang. Chapter 229 Divine Doctor Turns Quack! Hao Jian shrugged indifferently, "I have already said that it is up to you to decide how to handle the old man's life. If you don't believe what I say, then whatever happens is your problem.""Pretending to be all mystical and such, then why don't you specify what's wrong with the old man exactly?" Liang Xiaotang mocked, wondering how she could humiliate him if Hao Jian couldn't provide a clear explanation. "You claim that the old man has some blood stasis in his body, and that he would recover immediately if he took the medicine you prescribe, right?" Hao Jian counter-questioned instead of answering. "Exactly! As long as I am here, I guarantee the medicine will cure the disease!" Liang Xiaotang nodded confidently. "So, according to you, the old man only has blood stasis inside his body, is that correct?" Hao Jian asked again. "That's correct; I've already made that quite clear." Liang Xiaotang replied, sounding somewhat impatient. "Alright." Hao Jian sneered and nodded, then walked toward the old man, grabbed his body, and prepared to turn him over. "What are you doing, kid? If you dare mess with my dad, you're asking for death!" Yu Zhixun's eyes reddened with anger instantly. The doctors had already said that the old man needed to rest peacefully, should not be disturbed arbitrarily, and certainly not moved. "I told you to kick him out earlier, but you wouldn't listen, and now look, he's probably going to get the old man killed," Liang Xiaotang mocked with a laugh, yet with an attitude of enjoying the drama. Yu Xiatang also had a stony, regretful expression, wishing he had driven Hao Jian away earlier. "You're looking for death!" Yu Jiayi erupted, sweeping a sharp, decisive kick toward Hao Jian. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Bang!" Hao Jian easily caught Yu Jiayi's ankle. This left Yu Xiatang and Yu Jiayi, among others, completely shocked. Yu Jiayi's kick was powerful enough to shatter stones, but it had been effortlessly blocked by Hao Jian. Yu Jiayi looked at Hao Jian in stunned disbelief, unable to comprehend that this was actually happening. But Hao Jian, seemingly oblivious to everyone's astonishment, undid the old man's hospital gown and threw it aside fiercely. At that moment, everyone saw the old man's back. "Hiss." Immediately, sounds of sharp intakes of breath followed. "That's so disgusting!" Yu Zhixun's wife couldn't help but mutter, her eyes wide with horror as she looked at the old man's back. Indeed, the old man's back had long become diseased, covered with a large patch of irregular dark purple congealment, sprawling across his entire back, veined with countless bluish streaks, appearing utterly nauseating. From the dark purple color of his back, it wasn't hard to deduce that this was caused by blood stasis, and the stasis was immense beyond belief. Leaving everything else aside, just this sight was enough to terrify anyone. Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire Liang Xiaotang's expression froze because he had not noticed this at all. "Didn't you say that the old man only had a little blood stasis inside of him? What's this then?" Hao Jian glared at Liang Xiaotang and demanded. Being a doctor and yet not having properly checked the patient's body before jumping to conclusions, Liang Xiaotang's arrogant attitude could potentially harm many people. "This..." Liang Xiaotang was at a loss for words. Hao Jian scoffed coldly, "If it were Liang Wangsun, he would have identified the old man's condition at a glance, but you couldn't even see it, let alone treat it. Liang Wangsun's successor? Do you deserve to be?" "..." Liang Xiaotang's face was gloomy, and he remained silent. Despite his anger, he couldn't refute because it was indeed his mistake. "Now you tell me, could the old man's injuries be cured within three days?" Hao Jian demanded sternly, glaring at Liang Xiaotang. Liang Xiaotang didn't dare meet Hao Jian's gaze and muttered quietly, "No." "Louder!" Hao Jian rebuked him again. "No!" Liang Xiaotang roared out of frustration. He dared not be arrogant anymore; the injury was so severe that it might not even heal in three months, let alone three days. Everyone was stunned; nobody had expected such an outcome. They had just placed absolute confidence in Liang Xiaotang, but in the blink of an eye, Hao Jian proved them wrong with facts. The problems that Liang Xiaotang, a medical doctor graduate from Harvard University, couldn't see were pointed out by Hao Jian, the Itinerant Doctor. The irony was that they had just mocked him. If it weren't for Hao Jian's intervention, they would have foolishly taken Liang Xiaotang's words for granted, and by the end of three days, the old man would have been gone to the Western Heaven. With this thought, Yu Xiatang and the others couldn't help but shiver, secretly frightened by the near catastrophe. "Hmph, what Divine Doctor, it appears he's just a quack doctor who claimed to be a Divine Doctor. Looking down on Jianghu doctors? You're not even comparable to a Jianghu doctor!" Yu Ou also stepped forward to mock Liang Xiaotang, "Thinking you could act tough in front of Hao Jian? Hao Jian could ruin you in minutes!" Liang Xiaotang was stiff all over, but he couldn't utter a single word. Yu Jiayi also stopped mocking Hao Jian. Like Liang Xiaotang, she didn't know what to say. Because Liang Xiaotang was invited by her, and he almost killed her grandfather. If her grandfather really died, she would be partly responsible because she was the one who brought this quack doctor. "I've made myself clear. Whether you believe him or me is up to you. Don't forget what I said, the old man only has three days left. If no one saves him within these three days, he will surely die. I will take my leave now." After saying this, Hao Jian left with an expressionless face. Seeing this, Yu Zhixun and Yu Mingxiang both wanted to speak but felt embarrassed to do so because they had just treated Hao Jian that way, and turning around to ask for his help didn't seem right. Right then, Yu Xiatang reluctantly stepped forward and said, "Hao Jian, since you can diagnose the old man's illness at a glance, you must have a way to cure him, right?" "Yes," Hao Jian nodded honestly. Yu Xiatang and the others' faces lit up. "But I don't want to treat him now," Hao Jian added expressionlessly. Then, the faces of Yu Xiatang and the others darkened. "You little bastard, having eaten so much of our food, and now you repay kindness with ingratitude? The old man was blind to have let a beast like you into our house!" Upon hearing that Hao Jian refused to treat the old man, Yu Zhixun became furiously red-faced, cursing venomously. Hao Jian also turned back to look at him, his eyes cold as he said: "As I said earlier, I planned to treat the old man, but you all hindered me at every turn, preferring to trust a quack doctor over me and even tried to drive me away. I have the heart to save, but you killed it. There's a saying, even a clay Bodhisattva has three parts temper, let alone a human being. Just the fact that I disclosed the true nature of the old man's illness to you, you should be grateful for that alone; that's enough to compensate for the many years of meals I ate at your place." Chapter 230 Waiting for You to Kneel Down! After speaking, Hao Jian let out a cold laugh and strode out of the room.Upon hearing this, everyone's faces showed expressions of shame. If they put themselves in his shoes, and they were the ones to receive such insults, they too would have likely stormed out, leaving the old master to fend for himself. But Hao Jian didn't do that, which was already a stroke of luck amidst the unfortunate circumstance. Yu Zhixun's face was livid, his brows knotted in frustration as he still cursed Hao Jian inwardly for having no conscience, for just walking away like that. "You, go call him back! If he leaves, the old master is as good as dead!" Yu Xiatang smacked Yu Ou on the back of the head and barked in desperation. At such a critical moment, Yu Ou hadn't moved an inch, as if he were a wooden statue. And indeed, Yu Ou responded woodenly: "I won't go. I don't want to force him to do something he dislikes. Besides, once he has made a decision, there will be absolutely no change, so even if I went, the outcome would be the same. It's better to spend our time finding someone else to treat grandfather." "You unfilial descendant! Your grandfather is dying, and you won't even beg him?" Yu Zhixun furiously scolded, completely assuming the stance of an elder. "I'm unfilial? Am I the unfilial one, or are you? Don't forget, who invited Hao Jian here? Me! And who the hell drove him away? You! Now you're blaming me? Do you even deserve to?" Yu Ou, too, was furious and retorted while glaring at Yu Zhixun, "Just a moment ago you trampled him into the ground, and now you turn around asking me to plead for his help? You might have no shame, but I do!" "You..." Yu Zhixun trembled with rage. But Yu Ou, as if not seeing, turned to Liang Xiaotang, "Divine Doctor, please start the treatment quickly. We all have great faith in you, after all, you are the successor to Liang Wangsun." sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Made a laughingstock by Yu Ou, Liang Xiaotang wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole, her humiliation and anger festered, and she grew to detest Hao Jian for bringing all this upon her. "Right, don't we still have Doctor Liang? Even if that kid won't help, since he has diagnosed the old master's condition, just knowing that should be enough, right?" Yu Zhixun argued. Then everyone excitedly turned their eyes to Liang Xiaotang, awaiting her response. Liang Xiaotang could only offer a wry smile and shake her head, "I can remove the blood stasis for the old master, but to completely clear it within three days would be impossible." Hao Jian had just said that the old master only had three days left, and Liang Xiaotang didn't dare overpromise. If she made promises to the Yu Family and then failed to save the old master, the family's wrath would surely reduce her to ashes. Everyone's faces fell, and the atmosphere once again sank into silence. "There's no other way now, we must beg Hao Jian. Since he hasn't gone far, let's make a move quickly," Yu Xiatang decisively said. Since there were no other options, they could only place their hopes in Hao Jian now. "Beg him? Didn't you see how arrogant that kid was just now? Wouldn't begging him be utterly humiliating?" Yu Zhixun grumbled, clearly reluctant. "Wasn't his arrogance just the reflection of how you treated him? The way you acted toward him, he acted in turn. Isn't that fair?" Yu Xiatang retorted sarcastically, thinking if it hadn't been for your insults earlier, would he have been so easily angered away? Yu Zhixun, feeling annoyed, turned his head away, unable to muster a rebuttal. "Let's go together. After all, it wasn't just the second brother's family that insulted him," Yu Mingxiang said, looking at Yu Jiayi. Seeing her father's gaze, Yu Jiayi also lowered her head in shame. At this moment, Hao Jian was slowly walking out of the Yu Family residence. Of course, he wasn't really leaving, but merely pretending to, wanting the Yu Family members to come and beg him. The old man had treated him so well, how could he possibly stand by and watch him die? But he didn't want to make it too easy to save him, as that would make him seem less important, wouldn't it? He intended to feign indifference to provoke the Yu Family members into realizing their mistake, followed by their repeated pleas for his help. Then he would magnanimously save the person in question, and afterwards showcase his Divine Might by curing the old man, earning the Yu Family's profuse gratitude. The script was already written; he was just waiting for the Yu Family to act it out. "Fuck, why haven't they come out yet? Could it be they actually don't plan to save the old man?" Hao Jian's pace grew slower and slower, and as he neared the entrance, he began to feel uneasy. According to his script, someone should be rushing out to stop him by now, but where the hell were they? Why weren't they playing by the rules? "Damn it, could I have gone too far?" muttered Hao Jian to himself. "Go back? No, that's too embarrassing. Say I need to use the bathroom? That won't work either, it's too fake, and they definitely won't believe it," Hao Jian agonized, but just then, he suddenly heard the shouts of Yu Xiatang and the others. As Hao Jian turned around, he saw Yu Xiatang and the others catching up to him. Hao Jian immediately breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that they had finally come, albeit a bit late. "Is there something you want?" Hao Jian reverted to his previous cold demeanor and asked with feigned arrogance. "Hao Jian, we know we were wrong, don't be petty with us. You also know how anxious we are with the old man like this. It's not we don't trust you, but we're afraid that he might worsen if you treat him, so we didn't let you," said Yu Xiatang, with a previously silent Yu Mingxiang taking on the role of the mediator. Indeed, they had that concern, as they didn't know much about Hao Jian. If something unexpected happened during the treatment of the old man, they would be to blame. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire In such circumstances, they naturally preferred to trust the somewhat reputable Liang Xiaotang. "So what now?" Hao Jian asked, without betraying any emotion. "Hao Jian, please just examine the old man. We know you're angry with us, but regardless of the anger, the old man cared so much for you back in the day, you can't forget that old affection. Or else, or maybe I'll kneel down for you," Yu Xiatang said as he started to kneel towards Hao Jian. But Hao Jian couldn't let him do as he wished; he had already steadied Yu Xiatang's body before he could kneel. "Someone definitely has to kneel, but it's not you," Hao Jian said, shaking his head at Yu Xiatang, and then looked towards Yu Zhixun: "It's him who should kneel!" "Me, kneel? You actually dare to ask me to kneel?" Yu Zhixun was amused to anger by Hao Jian. Did this kid really think he was somebody special? "Yes, you. If you don't kneel, I won't treat the old man. Your choice," said Hao Jian with petulant arrogance. "Second brother, just kneel. For the sake of the old man, it's worth it for you to make some sacrifice. Look, I was about to kneel myself," Yu Xiatang urged from the side. "Yes, second brother, this is for the old man, none of us will laugh at you, you can kneel with confidence," Yu Mingxiang chimed in to assist. Chapter 231 Seven-Star Needles! Yu Zhixun's face turned green. Yu Mingxiang and Yu Xiatang's words sounded so strange, didn't they? It was as if they couldn't wait to see him made a fool of.Yu Zhixun glared at Hao Jian and said in a deep voice, "Why don't they have to kneel, but I have to?" "Do you even need to ask? It's because you're ugly," Hao Jian said with a laugh. "..." "Kneel or not, if you don't kneel I'm just going to leave," Hao Jian threatened as he made a move to leave. "Old Two, just kneel quickly, don't force me to get physical!" Yu Xiatang threatened impatiently. He would do anything as long as Hao Jian agreed to treat the old master. Yu Zhixun knelt down sullenly. He knew he had no other choice. If he didn't kneel, Yu Xiatang would force him to anyway. "Kid, you've got guts!" Yu Zhixun's eyes were filled with rage as he ground his teeth in hatred. "Yo, still daring to threaten me? Slap yourself," Hao Jian demanded, glaring at Yu Zhixun. "Don't go too far, you brat!" Yu Zhixun was so angry that he felt like killing Hao Jian. Being forced to kneel was bad enough, but now he was supposed to harm himself? "It seems you're not that eager to save the old master after all. If that's the case, then it probably doesn't make a difference whether I save him or not," Hao Jian sighed and pretended to leave again. "Smack." Yu Mingxiang directly slapped Yu Zhixun across the face. Yu Zhixun was stunned on the spot, never expecting the usually silent and introverted Yu Mingxiang to be the one hitting him. "Old Three, you..." "Why do you talk so much nonsense? Why can't you just kneil down and admit your mistake honestly? What good does the old master's death do for you? Don't drag us down with your bad luck, okay?" Yu Mingxiang spoke with a look of annoyance. If the old master died, the Yu Family would be doomed, and they would all be in trouble. If it were him, he wouldn't hesitate to chop off one of his own hands, let alone slap himself. Yu Zhixun was too calculating, always acting cautiously in whatever he did, which made him lack a certain boldness. "Smack." At this moment, another slap landed on Yu Zhixun's face. He turned around in anger to look at Yu Xiatang, "What are you doing now?" But Yu Xiatang ignored him and sought Hao Jian's opinion instead, "Hao Jian, is that enough? If not, I can hit him some more." Hao Jian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. These two were obviously taking advantage of public affairs for their own benefit. They said they were helping him but really just wanted an excuse to satisfy their own desire to hit someone, right? "Enough, let's save the old master first," Hao Jian said. "Oh." Yu Xiatang nodded slightly disappointed. Seeing Yu Xiatang acting like this, Yu Zhixun felt the urge to kill. This was too much bullying, way too much! When Hao Jian and the others were heading back, Liang Xiaotang was still standing there like a log, not daring to make a sound or move an inch. Because of his negligence, the old master had almost died. If the Yu Family pursued the matter, he could be buried alive at any minute, so he didn't dare to leave. Hao Jian and the others did not pay any attention to him. Hao Jian said to Yu Xiatang directly, "Go prepare a basin of hot water, a box of disinfected silver needles, and a raincoat for me." Everyone was puzzled. They could understand why he would need a basin of hot water and a box of silver needles, but what was the raincoat for? Although they were confused, they didn't ask why and quickly went to prepare these items. Then, Hao Jian slowly put on the raincoat and washed his hands with the hot water before starting the treatment. "Hoo." Holding seven silver needles in his hand, he took a deep breath and swiftly inserted the needles. With just a few swishing sounds, all seven needles were embedded in the old master's back. The whole process was smooth and done in one go, causing everyone to be greatly shocked. "Seven-Star Needles? You actually know the Seven-Star Needle technique?" At that moment, Liang Xiaotang spotted Hao Jian's method of needling and suddenly exclaimed, startling everyone. "What are the Seven-Star Needles?" Yu Jiayi asked in confusion. "The Seven-Star Needle is a technique uniquely invented by Liang Wangsun. It has the special effects of detoxifying, eliminating dampness, and dissipating bruises. The reason no one has been able to master its essence is that the seven acupoints targeted by the needles were all discovered by Liang Wangsun himself, and until now, no one else has been able to learn this unique skill. But the way I just saw him insert the needles, I'm certain it was the Seven-Star Needle technique!" Liang Xiaotang looked at Hao Jian in shock. He had also studied the Seven-Star Needle and, therefore, was somewhat familiar with how the needles were placed and their approximate locations. The technique used by Hao Jian was definitely the Seven-Star Needle. As a result, everyone stared at Hao Jian in astonishment. Could Hao Jian actually know Liang Wangsun's unique skill? How was that possible? "Not much of a skill, but seems like you have a good eye," Hao Jian said teasingly. "Why do you know Liang Wangsun's needling technique?" Liang Xiaotang asked, with a frown on his face. At this moment, he just wanted to know where Hao Jian had learned the Seven-Star Needle technique. "Liang Wangsun is my master. Why wouldn't I know his needling technique?" Hao Jian rolled his eyes. What Liang Xiaotang said was simply nonsensical. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At these words, everyone's shock intensified. Just a moment ago, they had been wondering about Hao Jian's connection to Liang Wangsun, and now Hao Jian had told them he was Liang Wangsun's disciple? "That's impossible. Liang Wangsun doesn't have any disciples. I've never heard of it. Don't try to deceive me," Liang Xiaotang said doubtfully. "If I'm not his disciple, where did I learn the Seven-Star Needle?" retorted Hao Jian with a cold laugh. Liang Xiaotang fell silent. Indeed, if Hao Jian was not Liang Wangsun's disciple, how could one explain his knowledge of the Seven-Star Needle? With Liang Wangsun's old-fashioned obstinacy, he would absolutely not pass on his signature skill to an outsider. "So, now do you see how ridiculous I found it when I heard that you were Liang Wangsun's successor? Even I, his direct disciple, haven't claimed to be his successor, yet you, an imposter, dare such blatant boasting?" Hao Jian scoffed, looking at Liang Xiaotang with disdain. Liang Xiaotang was deeply ashamed, realizing he had been bragging about his identity in front of Liang Wangsun's actual disciple. The expressions on everyone else's faces were odd, as they had just believed in Liang Xiaotang because he was hailed as Liang Wangsun's successor¡ªa title that had been conferred by others. Although everyone thought of him as the successor, it meant nothing without Liang Wangsun's consent. But Hao Jian was different. He was Liang Wangsun's direct disciple; he didn't need the approval of the whole world, just the acknowledgment of Liang Wangsun alone was enough. Yu Xiatang and the others began to smile bitterly. Just a moment ago, they had really hitched their wagon to the wrong star and mistook glass for a pearl. Yu Jiayi also showed a look of guilt because she had almost caused her grandfather's death. Find more to read on My Virtual Library Empire After the Seven-Star Needles were inserted, Hao Jian began massaging the old master's back, alternating between gentle and firm touches, with precise control. After about half an hour, he finally stopped. By then, they could see that the old master's back was slightly swollen, with a clump of bruise gathered right at the Seven-Star Needles' locations. Chapter 232 The Body of an Emperor! Hao Jian suddenly pulled out seven needles and then quickly turned around."Pfft!" Seven pillars of blood shot up into the sky instantly, as if erupting uncontrollably. The blood fell like rain, drenching everyone present. They now understood why Hao Jian had worn a raincoat, realizing he had known this would happen all along. "You bastard, you knew this would happen and didn't tell us in advance?" Yu Jiayi gritted her teeth, glaring at Hao Jian, her pretty face smeared with blood and looking rather disheveled. "I don't like it, are you going to bite me?" Hao Jian scoffed disdainfully. He had done it on purpose. After all, who let these jerks insult him earlier? This was a lesson for them. Yu Jiayi's teeth were almost clenched to breaking point, but she had no way to deal with Hao Jian. "Alright, the old man will probably wake up tonight. After he wakes up, feed him light food, absolutely no fried or spicy dishes," Hao Jian reminded. The folks from Yu Xiatang now truly regarded Hao Jian as a godly figure and naturally took his word without a doubt, nodding their heads in agreement. "And you, the quack, I warn you, stop using your master's name to swindle people around, or you'll regret it," Hao Jian pointed at Liang Xiaotang and scolded. Liang Xiaotang's face turned green. He wanted to retort that he was not a quack, but he lacked the courage to do so at that moment. "Hao Jian, are you just going to leave like this?" Just then, Yu Jiayi suddenly looked at Hao Jian with ill intents. "What else? Do you plan to invite me to dinner?" Hao Jian replied with a smirk. "Dinner's off, how about a spar instead?" Yu Jiayi suggested with a smile. Now that the old man's illness had been cured, it was time to clear the air with Hao Jian. "Hey, why are you so shameless, breaking the bridge after crossing the river?" Hao Jian was speechless. "One thing for another. I'm grateful you saved my grandfather, but that doesn't mean I don't despise you." Yu Jiayi grinned mischievously. If she didn't beat up Hao Jian, her frustration would not be appeased. "Yu Jiayi, don't be ridiculous!" Yu Xiatang scolded. Hao Jian was now a benefactor of the Yu Family, and he was too grateful to let Yu Jiayi mistreat him. "Jiayi, come back here!" Yu Mingxiang also reprimanded. But Yu Jiayi acted as if she hadn't heard and just stared at Hao Jian, "What's the matter, are you afraid? Are you even a man?" "Whether I'm a man or not, do you want to test it?" Hao Jian responded with a shameless laugh. "You despicable scoundrel!" Yu Jiayi exclaimed, her face flushing with anger. "Alright, since you want to settle this, I'll oblige you." Hao Jian agreed to the duel, knowing that if he didn't spar with Yu Jiayi now, she would likely keep pestering him in the future. A few minutes later, Hao Jian and Yu Jiayi appeared on the martial arts training ground. Yu Xiatang and others watched as Yu Xiatang couldn't help but advise Hao Jian: "Maybe let it go, this girl is not easy to deal with. Once she gets going, even a dozen well-trained soldiers can't handle her." "A man must not say he can't do it!" Hao Jian said sternly. "Fine then, I'll go get you some medicinal wine for bruises. Considering you just saved the old master, she probably won't beat you too badly, just a dislocation at worst," Yu Xiatang muttered as he walked away from Hao Jian. "Choose a weapon," Yu Jiayi said to Hao Jian. "No need, bare hands are enough to deal with you," Hao Jian sneered, clearly not taking Yu Jiayi seriously. "Quite confident, aren't you? I'd like to see how you could beat me!" Yu Jiayi said, laughing angrily as she sprinted towards Hao Jian, her military knife stabbing towards his abdomen. Everyone thought Hao Jian would dodge, but instead, he stood still like a wooden post, not moving an inch. "What is he doing?" Yu Xiatang exclaimed, shocked. Was Hao Jian trying to commit suicide? "I don't know either," Yu Ou replied with a wry smile, wondering if Hao Jian intended to atone with his death, which seemed unlikely, given his shameless nature. Yu Jiayi hadn't expected Hao Jian to act this way, omitting even the most basic evasive maneuvers. By then it was too late for her to withdraw her hand, as the knife had already thrust forward. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yu Xiatang and Yu Mingxiang's faces looked terrible. If Yu Jiayi really killed Hao Jian, that would be a disaster since Hao Jian had just rescued the old man, and now they might kill him in turn. Leaving aside the impact it would cause on the Yu Family if word got out, they themselves could hardly bear it internally. And to die in such a baffling manner no less. At this moment, however, there were two people who dearly hoped Yu Jiayi would succeed in stabbing Hao Jian with her knife. Those were Liang Xiaotang and Yu Zhixun, both of whom despised Hao Jian for humiliating them and causing them deep shame today. Both were inwardly urging Yu Jiayi to hurry and finish Hao Jian off. However, just then, a slight smile crept across Hao Jian's lips, and he slightly shifted his stance. "Clang!" With a faint sound, the military knife was caught firmly between Hao Jian's two fingers. Everyone stared at Hao Jian as if seeing a ghost; his two fingers had blocked such a deadly blow? Was this guy even human? Yu Jiayi was stunned on the spot, unable to believe that her hundreds of thousands of practiced deadly thrusts could be so easily blocked. Hao Jian's fingers were like iron tongs, tightly clamping her knife. No matter how much she struggled, she could not pull it out from between his fingers. With the military knife wedged between his fingers, Hao Jian calmly looked at Yu Jiayi: "See the difference between us? To beat me, you'd probably need to train hard for another fifty years, yet it wouldn't matter, because by that time you'll be an old woman, hahaha." "Old Three, do you remember how the old man described us three brothers?" Yu Xiatang suddenly asked Yu Mingxiang. "Of course I remember. The old man said you are decisive with a general's demeanor; the second brother is cunning and shrewd, a master strategist; and I am skilled in manipulation, a talent for governance," Yu Mingxiang answered, recalling their grandfather's words from long ago. Yu Xiatang smiled bitterly, with a hint of self-mockery, "But do you know how the old man evaluated him?" Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire "The old man evaluated him?" Yu Mingxiang asked in surprise, unaware of this. "The old man said he embodies Civil and Martial Strategy fit for an Emperor, being more ruthless, cunning, and wise than us. Together, we three brothers don't even compare to him alone. I didn't believe it at first, but now I do," Yu Xiatang shook his head and sighed. Yu Mingxiang remained silent, not speaking. Had it been before, he surely wouldn't have believed it either, but today's events had completely overturned his thoughts. Being highly skilled in medicine and superior in combat strength were just aspects that made him respect Hao Jian even more, and he knew this was just the tip of the iceberg, and Hao Jian had much more left to show. Chapter 233 The Frustrated Yu Zhixun! "The patriarch also used to say that such a person is better as a friend than an enemy, otherwise there would be a disaster." Yu Xiatang spoke gravely: Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire"Back then, you didn't understand why the patriarch favored him more than you, but perhaps it was because the patriarch had already seen that this young man was no ordinary person. He wanted to make a good alliance with him so that Yu Family could rise step by step." Yu Mingxiang looked down and thought about it, and eventually he sighed: "We are not as visionary as the patriarch!" At least they hadn't seen that Hao Jian would become a big shot in the future. "Although I don't know what Hao Jian has gone through over these years, my intuition tells me that he might have become the 'Emperor' the patriarch talked about. If it weren't for him this time, the patriarch would undoubtedly have died." Yu Xiatang said, then looked toward Yu Ou. "From now on, you must follow him closely. Yu Family needs to leverage his power to reach new heights. The future of the family depends on you, understand?" "Understood." Yu Ou nodded with a smile. Though Yu Xiatang insisted on putting the family's fate on Hao Jian alone, Yu Mingxiang didn't object, because he also knew that Hao Jian indeed possessed the capabilities that warranted their full support. Meanwhile, Yu Jiayi was glaring at Hao Jian with dissatisfaction, clearly mocking her for never being his match in her lifetime. "Go to hell!" Yu Jiayi shouted angrily, leaping up and aiming both feet directly at Hao Jian's face. But in an instant, she was pinned down to the ground by Hao Jian, who said somewhat exasperatedly: "I just don't understand why you obsess over that one thing. Like when you use your mom's lipstick, wear her high heels, blow up your dad's condoms as balloons and I accidentally see. Why don't you get mad about that?" Upon hearing this, the expressions of Mr. and Mrs. Yu Mingxiang became very animated. "Hao Jian, I'm definitely going to kill you!" Yu Jiayi was pinned down by Hao Jian, her face flushed with anger, murderous intent brewing in her heart. This damned jerk had just exposed all her embarrassing secrets. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You really want to kill me?" Hao Jian asked, raising an eyebrow. "You have to die!" Yu Jiayi screamed at the top of her lungs, at her most frustrated. "Fine, since that's the case, then don't blame me for being ruthless." Hao Jian snorted and addressed the crowd: "Besides using her dad's condoms as balloons, she also put firecrackers in the patriarch's pipe. That's the incident where the patriarch got his face injured." "Is that what happened those days? So it was you?" Yu Xiatang exclaimed in shock, staring at Yu Jiayi. Yu Jiayi kept silent. "Not only that, she used Uncle Yu's razor to shave her pet pig. After she was done, she put it back without washing it." Yu Xiatang's face turned green. "When she was playing hide and seek with Yu Ou, she locked him in the wardrobe and went home, causing Yu Ou to cry for days." Yu Ou's face darkened too, obviously recalling that past incident. "She also killed the Diamond Eagle that Yu Zhixun was raising." "What?" Yu Zhixun glared furiously. That Diamond Eagle, he had bought for a large sum of money, he cherished it immensely, only for it to end up killed by Yu Jiayi? "You also pilfered my second uncle's condoms and poked holes in them, why don't you mention that?" Yu Jiayi also exposed Hao Jian's old secrets. "Hao Jian, you damn bastard, it turns out it was you, this bastard, who caused me so much suffering." Yu Zhixun's wife was furious because giving birth to seven or eight children had severely deformed her figure. Originally, Yu Zhixun and his wife had planned to have two children, but somehow they ended up with seven or eight; they had no idea what had happened, but here lay the truth. "What's wrong with having a house full of children? I was contributing to the prosperity of your family; you should be grateful to me," Hao Jian retorted with a sneer. "It's just a pity that while the quantity is there, the quality isn't much," Yu Ou couldn't help but add at that moment. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian immediately got upset and scolded, "You child, how can you be so frank? Don't you know he's your second uncle?" "The illness is cured, the beating has been given, if there's nothing else, why don't you leave first?" Yu Xiatang almost burst into tears; this kid had already been difficult to deal with before, but how was he even more troublesome now? "Someone hold her down for me, I'm afraid if I let go, she'll bite me," Hao Jian told the people around him. "I'll do it." Yu Mingxiang, the father, could only step forward helplessly. "Let me go, I want to butcher that bastard!" Yu Jiayi had just been grabbed by Yu Mingxiang when she immediately began to struggle violently, seeming determined not to rest until she had killed Hao Jian. "Enough, stop making a fuss, you're no match for him," Yu Mingxiang said irritably, as their aim now was to try to ingratiate themselves with Hao Jian, and he absolutely would not allow Yu Jiayi to cause Hao Jian any more trouble. "Impossible! I was just underestimating him, give me another chance, and I will definitely beat him so badly his own mother won't recognize him!" Yu Jiayi argued defiantly. To her, losing to anyone else might be bearable, but losing to Hao Jian was utterly unacceptable. "Even if you tried ten more times, the result would be the same. He could block your strongest punch with just two fingers. Can't you see the gap between you? The only reason you dare to be so arrogant is that you rely on knowing he's been your childhood playmate and won't kill you." Yu Mingxiang hummed in annoyance; if Hao Jian really wanted to kill Yu Jiayi, it would only take a moment to make her die horribly on the spot. Yu Jiayi fell silent, finally feeling a bit guilty. Indeed, she also realized she was no match for Hao Jian. The reason she dared to challenge Hao Jian to a fight was also because she knew Hao Jian wouldn't hurt her, so she dared to keep trying to defeat Hao Jian without any worries. "He's not only the savior of our Yu Family but may also become a patron of the Yu Family; don't bother him anymore," Yu Mingxiang instructed Yu Jiayi. "A patron? What can he do for our family?" Yu Zhixun scoffed disdainfully. Apart from hatred, he had no other feelings toward Hao Jian. "Second brother, don't say I didn't warn you; Hao Jian is not someone we can provoke. You better not cause any conflict with him, or don't blame me for being ruthless and kicking you out of the Yu Family when the time comes." Yu Xiatang gave Yu Zhixun a warning, telling him to be less presumptuous in the future. "You think so? Have you really started seeing yourself as the Family Head?" Yu Zhixun laughed angrily, clenching his teeth and glaring at Yu Xiatang, his heart also filled with annoyance. Chapter 234 Shameless Brother! "And what if you add me to the equation?" Yu Mingxiang chuckled, well aware that Hao Jian was someone he couldn't afford to provoke, as he had no intention of letting Yu Zhixun's foolishness drag their whole family into trouble.Yu Zhixun was suddenly stunned. He wasn't afraid of facing Yu Xiatang alone, but if Yu Mingxiang stood on Yu Xiatang's side, then the outcome would certainly be different. "Fine, fine, fine, you're all wonderful." Yu Zhixun gloomily gave Yu Xiatang and Yu Mingxiang a thumbs up and then huffed angrily as he stormed away. "It's hard to imagine that Second Uncle, always known for his cunning and restraint, would throw a tantrum in front of Hao Jian like a spoilt child," Yu Jiayi shook her head, her heart utterly shocked. "It's not that surprising, because that guy truly has the power to drive people insane." ... Today was the day Hao Jian had classes at the Chinese Medicine Hospital. After breakfast, he left in his car with the little girl, Tongtong, escorting him. But no sooner had he arrived at the school than he saw Qin Bing and a man in his forties tussling with each other. The man was dressed in tattered, shabby clothes, much like a vagrant on the street. "You can go. I'm not going to give you money anymore," Qin Bing said with a cold face. "You're not giving me money? If you don't, I'll go to your hospital and school and make a scene. I suppose you don't want others to know you have a gambling-addict brother, do you?" the man shamelessly threatened. "You... you dare to threaten me?" As soon as she heard this, Qin Bing's pretty face frosted over, clearly enraged by his shamelessness. "I don't want to, but you have to give me money. Before they died, our parents told me to take care of you, and I did. Now that you've made something of yourself, shouldn't it be your turn to look after me?" "Look after me? Qin Huaiming, have you no shame? You were already gambling before our parents died. They told you to take care of me, but you tried to sell me off to become a prostitute. Is that what you call looking after someone?" Qin Bing shook her head with a mocking laugh, not understanding where Qin Huaiming got the audacity to say such a thing. Look after her? It had always been her taking care of herself, working part-time jobs and studying through college, juggling several jobs a day, shedding innumerable sweat and tears to achieve what she had today. And the reason she had achieved this much had nothing to do with Qin Huaiming. It was all due to her own efforts. Qin Bing had only just begun to enjoy a few good days, slowly opening up and adjusting to life, when Qin Huaiming showed up at her doorstep again. Her nature had become so cold because of her personal experiences; she had suffered so much that she had lost all hope in life. It wasn't that she didn't want to smile, but that she simply couldn't. "But in the end, that didn't happen, did it? And didn't I make sure you neither lacked food nor clothes?" Qin Huaiming said, his voice slightly defensive. "Hah, if I hadn't discovered your scheme and secretly stayed vigilant enough to call the police, I would have been sold off long ago!" sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She had nearly lost her chastity back then, it was only the timely arrival of the police that prevented it all. And for all of this, she had her 'dear brother' to thank. Hearing this, Qin Huaiming grew even angrier: "You said you'd run away, but why did you have to call the police? You got me into trouble with their boss, do you have any idea how I ended up getting beaten and sent to the hospital because of you?" Qin Bing was left speechless; even at this point, all Qin Huaiming could think about was himself. Qin Bing, somewhat exhausted, waved her hand dismissively at Qin Huaiming, "You can go now. I've already given you money several times and I won't continue to do so in the future. If you want to make trouble in my hospital, you can, as long as you're not afraid of being arrested and thrown in jail." "Damn bitch!" Enraged, Qin Huaiming lashed out and slapped Qin Bing across the face; quickly, her cheek swelled up red. But Qin Bing didn't cry out in pain. Instead, she stared straight at Qin Huaiming, her gaze as sharp as a knife. Qin Huaiming spat out viciously, "I'm telling you, if you don't give me money today, you're not leaving this place!" "No money!" Qin Bing flatly refused! Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire "Alright, alright, no money, huh? Then give me that jade pendant of yours!" Qin Huaiming reached out to grab the old jade pendant around Qin Bing's neck. Qin Bing apparently didn't expect Qin Huaiming to do this, and by the time the pendant was snatched away, she reacted fiercely, yelling, "Qin Huaiming, have you lost your mind? That's the heirloom our father left for us, are you planning to sell it? Are you even human?" Knowing Qin Huaiming, she was certain he would immediately head to the pawn shop to sell the pendant. The jade pendant was originally a set of two, one given to Qin Bing, the other to Qin Huaiming. There was no need to speak of Qin Huaiming's piece; he had already sold it to a pawn shop. Qin Bing, however, had always kept hers, knowing its considerable value, and no matter how poor or hard-up she became, she couldn't bring herself to sell it because it was a keepsake from her parents. But she never imagined that Qin Huaiming would be so heartless and desperate as to gamble away the only keepsake from their parents. "If you want it back, give me the money, or I'll sell it to the pawn shop," Qin Huaiming threatened baldly, seeing how much Qin Bing cared for the pendant. "How much?" Qin Bing asked anxiously, now out of options, unable to stand by and watch Qin Huaiming, that beast, sell their parents' keepsake. "One hundred thousand!" Qin Huaiming's face twisted into a greedy smile. "One hundred thousand? Why don't you just rob someone?" Qin Bing was flabbergasted. Her monthly salary was just over ten thousand, and Qin Huaiming was demanding one hundred thousand, effectively taking away her entire year's earnings. "Fine, you're not going to pay, huh? Then don't blame me," Qin Huaiming sneered, turning to leave. "Wait!" Qin Bing called out, her face ashen. "What now?" Qin Huaiming turned back with a shameless grin, having guessed that Qin Bing would never give up the jade pendant. It was precisely for this reason he had the audacity to start with such a high demand, knowing that Qin Bing would surely pay up. "I don't have that much money on me right now. Give the pendant back to me, and then come by tomorrow; I'll have it prepared for you," Qin Bing said expressionlessly, no longer wanting to waste another word on the likes of Qin Huaiming. "Give the pendant back to you first? Do you think I'm stupid? What if you play me? Let me tell you, if I don't see the money today, this pendant is going straight to the pawn shop," Qin Huaiming flatly ignored Qin Bing. "Don't measure me by your filthy standards, not everyone is as shameless and pathetic as you," Qin Bing scoffed. "I think you're asking for it!" Qin Huaiming became furious with embarrassment and raised his hand, ready to strike Qin Bing once more. Qin Bing, too, was terrified, closing her eyes tight, but the anticipated slap never landed. Chapter 235 Sisters! Qin Bing slowly opened her eyes, only to suddenly see a man standing in front of her.At that moment, he was holding Qin Huaiming's hand, having blocked a slap meant for her. "Are you all right?" Hao Jian turned and looked at Qin Bing. Qin Bing nodded blankly, not expecting Hao Jian to appear suddenly. "Who the hell are you?" Qin Huaiming glared at Hao Jian, his expression especially displeased. "I'm a teacher at this school and also Qin Bing's boyfriend. It's not very nice of you to hit my girlfriend in front of me, is it?" Hao Jian said to Qin Huaiming with a smirk that wasn't really a smile. Qin Bing's expression froze, but she quickly understood Hao Jian's intention and didn't speak up to contradict him. "Boyfriend? When did you get a boyfriend?" Qin Huaiming frowned and said, not quite believing it. "Do I need your approval to date someone?" Qin Bing retorted sarcastically. "You should find a rich boyfriend, not a teacher ¨C isn't that just another poor soul? I really don't know what you're thinking. You're such a blockhead." Qin Huaiming said with a look of disgust, then provocatively looked at Hao Jian and arrogantly added: "Kid, have you slept with my sister or not?" "Qin Huaiming, have you lost your mind? What are you saying?" Qin Bing's face turned red with anger, unable to believe Qin Huaiming would say something so crude. "So what if I have, and what if I haven't?" Hao Jian asked with a playful smirk, admiring Qin Huaiming's shamelessness to say such a thing in public. "My parents died early, and I'm the elder in our family. If you slept with my sister without my consent, you'll need to compensate. My sister is so beautiful, and probably still a virgin, I think she should be worth a hundred thousand. Hurry up and pay." Qin Huaiming urged Hao Jian, appearing very matter-of-fact. "Qin Huaiming, you're shameless!" Qin Bing shouted through gritted teeth, furious that Qin Huaiming was putting a monetary value on her emotions, essentially insulting her. "What if I say I haven't?" Hao Jian asked again. "Even if you haven't, you still need to pay because sooner or later, you will." Qin Huaiming said shamelessly. "And if I refuse to pay?" Hao Jian asked mockingly. "Then I'll have someone break your legs!" Qin Huaiming said menacingly. "I have connections in the underworld, and I advise you it's best not to court death." "It seems I don't have much choice." Hao Jian sighed and then reached into his pocket. Seeing this, Qin Huaiming's eyes brightened, thinking to himself: This kid is such a pushover, agreeing just like that? "Hao Jian, this is none of your business, don't give him the money!" Qin Bing, seeing Hao Jian reaching for his wallet, thought he was really going to pay and quickly tried to stop him. This was her problem, and she didn't want to drag Hao Jian into it. "It's just a hundred thousand, right? It's not a big deal. Let's just give it to him," Hao Jian responded nonchalantly. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Upon hearing this, Qin Huaiming was shocked. Perhaps this young man was wealthy after all ¨C not caring even for a hundred thousand. Qin Huaiming felt a bit regretful. Had he known, he would have asked for more. Never mind, there would be more opportunities in the future, he thought, planning to come back for more later. "Here you go, one hundred thousand." Hao Jian extended his open palm. Qin Huaiming was dumbfounded. Qin Bing was dumbfounded too. It indeed looked like one hundred thousand, and one could say there was nothing more that resembled one hundred thousand than this. Qin Huaiming, seeing the mahjong tile in Hao Jian's palm, flames of fury flashing in his eyes as if he were a bull enraged: "Are you fucking kidding me?" "Didn't you ask for one hundred thousand?" Hao Jian said, seemingly puzzled. Qin Bing could only offer a wry smile, no wonder Hao Jian appeared completely indifferent¡ªif she were him, she wouldn't care either. "Go to hell!" Qin Huaiming cursed furiously before directly kicking towards Hao Jian's chest. "Hao Jian, be careful!" Qin Bing cried out in shock. "Thud!" Qin Huaiming was sent flying back, crashing headfirst into the bushes. "My back, my back is sprained." Qin Huaiming hissed in pain, shouting out loud. Qin Bing was stunned; everything had happened too quickly, and she hadn't even realized what had occurred. "Where did it sprain? Is it here?" Hao Jian stepped forward. "Ah! Get off! Don't touch me!" Qin Huaiming grimaced in pain. "Not here? Then, how about here?" Hao Jian stepped on another spot. "I know I was wrong, big brother, I'm sorry, stop stepping on me, it hurts to death." Qin Huaiming started crying out. "Hand over the Jade Pendant," Hao Jian commanded. "Here, take it." Qin Huaiming didn't dare to resist and quickly passed over the Jade Pendant. "Keep your stuff safe." Hao Jian returned the Jade Pendant to Qin Bing. Qin Bing's beautiful eyes curiously roamed over Hao Jian; she couldn't imagine Hao Jian stepping forward to defend her. "Stay away from my girlfriend in the future, and if you dare to show up in front of us again, it won't be just a sprained back you'll get," Hao Jian coldly threatened. "I understand, I won't dare again," Qin Huaiming was almost crying. "Get lost!" Hao Jian rebuked without any politeness. Qin Huaiming stood up and quickly walked away toward the distance; he knew he had taken a fall today and could only wait until tomorrow to bring some people to find trouble with Hao Jian. "Just remember this!" Hao Jian yelled towards Qin Huaiming's retreating figure. Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire "You damn remember it! Don't just steal other people's lines!" Qin Huaiming turned his head back and cursed furiously, his nose nearly crooked with anger; that line was supposed to be his, right? Watching Qin Huaiming's figure disappearing into the distance, Hao Jian couldn't help but cry and laugh, then turned back to Qin Bing and said: "Having such a brother, you really are unlucky." At that moment, Qin Bing regarded Hao Jian with an almost scrutinizing gaze, "Why did you help me?" "I helped you, do I need a reason? Can't I just draw my sword to help you when seeing injustice?" Hao Jian found it weird and absurd, saving you and you're not even grateful, but you treat me like I'm interrogating a criminal? Indeed, no good deed goes unpunished. "Do you have any improper thoughts about me?" Qin Bing asked seriously. "Oh come on, big sister, are you paranoid? Haven't I already told you I'm GAY?" Hao Jian decided to continue his grand lie, as it was a necessary evil. Given Qin Bing's disdain and distrust for men, if he said he had no interest in her, she most likely wouldn't believe it. "Right." Qin Bing nodded, then remembered that Hao Jian is gay. "How about you be my sister then?" Qin Bing cautiously asked. "Seriously, why?" Hao Jian looked at Qin Bing, both amused and exasperated, thinking, did I just dig my own grave? Chapter 236 I Used to Be a Soldier! "I don't have many friends because they find me difficult to approach, and I don't want to be friends with them either. But for some reason, I don't dislike you, and most importantly, you're GAY, so I think we could become friends," Qin Bing said, her eyes filled with hope as she looked at Hao Jian. She felt relaxed around him, unlike around normal people, and didn't feel the need to pretend."What kind of explanation is that?" Hao Jian said with a wry smile. "Is that not okay?" Qin Bing looked down, disappointed. "Of course not, okay then, I'll be your sister. But when we're at school, you have to keep my being GAY a secret. I don't want to be judged," Hao Jian said, actually because he didn't want to be identified as gay since he wouldn't be able to enjoy the adoring gazes from the girls anymore. "That's great, why don't you stay at my place tonight? The first thing a bestie should do is share a room," Qin Bing said with a happy smile. "Isn't that unnecessary?" Hao Jian was both amused and troubled. How would he explain this overnight stay to Shu Ya? "What, you don't want to? Or were you just lying to me before?" The smile on Qin Bing's face disappeared as if blown away by a gust of wind, leaving her expression cold as she stared at Hao Jian. "Of course not, I'm just worried it might inconvenience you," Hao Jian said, feeling like crying without tears. Women, oh women, why must you be so fearsome. "Then it's settled. We'll go out for dinner tonight and then buy some snacks to watch movies at home," Qin Bing said excitedly. She had always been lonely, craving friendship but too afraid to take the first step, and now she had finally made her first true friend, one could only imagine how happy she was. In the quiet of the night, having a close friend to watch movies and eat snacks with was her greatest wish. Hao Jian also could sense the melancholy in Qin Bing's simple request and couldn't bring himself to refuse. "Okay, but I'm buying double, and you're paying!" Hao Jian added, even though he didn't really like snacks, it was simply to appease Qin Bing. "No problem!" Qin Bing was smiling, but Hao Jian clearly saw her eyes glistening with tears of joy. It was a relief when evening finally came, and after school, Hao Jian and Qin Bing sneaked out the back door, with Hao Jian quickly getting into Qin Bing's car. "Did anyone see you?" Qin Bing asked nervously. "No, I was very discreet," Hao Jian nodded earnestly, then realized something and said: "Hey, wait a minute, why are we acting like we're having an affair? We didn't do anything wrong." Qin Bing rolled her eyes, "Are you dumb? The other students don't know you're GAY. What would they think if they saw us together all the time?" Hao Jian scratched his head, dazedly nodding, "That makes some sense." "Makes sense, right? Now get in the car quickly," Qin Bing said irritably. "Oh." Hao Jian obediently got into the car. Qin Bing took Hao Jian to her favorite hotpot restaurant, where the per-person cost was four hundred, featuring all sorts of seafood, all of it high-end. As soon as Hao Jian entered, he became the center of attention, mainly because he ate so much. He looked frail and thin, yet he single-handedly devoured over twenty plates of seafood, like a starving ghost reincarnated. Qin Bing's expression was strange, "Why do you eat like you're a starving ghost reincarnated? Haven't you eaten seafood before?" S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Where I used to live, we didn't have these things," Hao Jian said without lifting his head. "No way, these are very common seafood, aren't they? Where did you use to live?" Qin Bing couldn't comprehend. Weren't oysters and lobsters common everywhere? Hao Jian actually said they didn't have such things where he lived. What kind of remote backwaters did he come from? "Red Zone," Hao Jian replied. "Red Zone? What kind of place is that? Is it in our country? I've never heard of it," said Qin Bing, who had been the top geography student in her university class, yet she had never heard of such a place. "The Red Zone is abroad. It's an uninhabited area, or rather, it should be called a battlefield. Some countries prefer not to wage war domestically, so they tend to decide battles there. Also, some countries conduct scientific experiments there; the initial development of the atomic bomb by the USA took place there." Hao Jian answer while he polished off another five or six plates. "No way, you've been on a battlefield?" Qin Bing exclaimed in utter surprise. "Yeah, I used to be a soldier," Hao Jian nodded. "A soldier?" Qin Bing grew more curious about Hao Jian and asked, "But aren't soldiers supposed to be very manly? Aren't you a woman? How did you switch from straight to gay?" Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire "Sexual orientation has nothing to do with being manly. Even the manliest men can turn gay," Hao Jian quipped casually. "Okay then." Qin Bing nodded, half-convinced, but her curiosity got the better of her as she asked: "So based on what you said, that place must be desolate. What did you eat there?" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian suddenly stopped his hands. Seeing this, Qin Bing's expression stiffened and she asked uncertainly, "Did I say something wrong?" Hao Jian gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and then smiled nostalgically: "In that place, there was hardly any normal food available. We ate bark if there was bark, roots if there were roots. If there were neither, then we'd hunt lizards, snakes, scorpions, and such for wild meat. With some luck, we might even catch a wild chicken." "But if none of these things were there, then it was horrendous, because there would only be one type of thing left to eat." Hao Jian looked at Qin Bing, his expression turning somewhat sinister. "What?" Qin Bing asked, suppressing the unease in her heart, her face tense as she watched Hao Jian. "That would be eating human flesh," Hao Jian said calmly. Qin Bing, however, gasped in shock. Cannibalism? Such a horrifying notion, could that really be true? "But don't worry, they were the ones who ate, not me. So I was always in a state of not dying from hunger but never fully satisfied. Now that I finally have a normal life, how could I shortchange myself?" Hao Jian chuckled, appearing very philosophical. But to Qin Bing, that smile was filled with sorrow. The truly sorrowful part about Hao Jian wasn't his experiences, but the optimistic attitude he maintained in the face of them. Chapter 237 Five More Plates of Dumplings! It seems he, just like herself, wasn't having an easy time either."Since life is so difficult, why do you keep persisting?" Qin Bing asked. "In the beginning, I was young and full of bravado, thinking it was an honor. But now, it seems to be nothing more than vanity at play," Hao Jian said with a shake of his head and a smile. "You really are pitiful," Qin Bing sighed and said, feeling sad for Hao Jian's situation. After all, everyone is a woman and knows how difficult it is for one another. "Forget those useless words, if you really think I'm pitiful, then order a couple more plates of oysters!" Hao Jian shamelessly said. "Go ahead and eat, since the money's already been paid." Qin Bing also laughed, moved by Hao Jian's carefree nature. It was like planting a seed in a barren desert, insignificant at first, but with just a bit of time, the seed would eventually grow into an oasis. At that point, Qin Bing also felt that perhaps life wasn't as bleak as she imagined. Hao Jian was struggling much more than she was, yet he still insisted on living optimistically. "At this rate, you're going to eat the boss out of business, even though you're a sister, but after all, you are a man, right?" Qin Bing joked, rarely making light of the situation. "Did you not see that dead Fatty at the counter glaring at me?" Hao Jian said, curling his lip. Qin Bing looked over and sure enough, she saw a well-dressed Fatty at the counter glaring at Hao Jian, his face clearly expressing the words "I'm in pain over the cost." That's because, according to his estimation, Hao Jian had eaten an unknown number of sets worth four hundred each, and if a few more customers like him came along, the business would be close to bankruptcy. Qin Bing snickered, "See, you're making yourself unpopular." "It's his fault for opening an all-you-can-eat restaurant. Since he said four hundred for unlimited eating, then he can't blame me," Hao Jian replied, completely unconcerned. "But he didn't know you could eat so much. If he did, I bet he'd give you four hundred just to have you not eat here," Qin Bing said, laughing helplessly. If she were the boss, she would rather pay Hao Jian four hundred to stay away. "I'm teaching him a lesson, not to assume that no one can really eat up to four hundred. Like me, I can!" Hao Jian laughed slyly. Afterwards, Hao Jian ordered six more plates of oysters, three Emperor crabs, five jin of conch meat, half a roast goose, and five steamed buns, finally calling it quits. "Heh, what a country bumpkin, acting like a famished ghost reincarnated. I bet he's from the countryside." Just then, a man at the next table sneered. His hair was slick with oil, his face full of arrogance, looking at Hao Jian with disdain. The woman with him giggled coquettishly, "To encounter such a bumpkin in such a fancy restaurant, just look at how he eats, doesn't he resemble a pig?" "I think he's more like a dog!" the man sneered, then, jealously eyeing Qin Bing, "Truly a flower stuck in cow dung. I bet the woman must be blind to fancy such a bumpkin." Meanwhile, Hao Jian, who had been eating, squinted slightly. Although the other party spoke softly, he didn't miss a word. Immediately, a sardonic smile crossed the corners of Hao Jian's mouth, but he ultimately held back from making a scene. "Are you full?" Qin Bing had not heard anything. "Full," Hao Jian said with a nod and a smile. "Shall we go then?" Qin Bing stood up and picked up her bag. Hao Jian also stood up but casually grabbed a few oranges from a nearby fruit basket. Seeing this, Qin Bing felt helpless. This jerk, even when leaving, had to swipe a few oranges from someone else. "Sir, our items are not available for takeout." At this moment, a waitress saw Hao Jian's actions and hurriedly came forward to stop him. "No takeout allowed?" Hao Jian simply sat down, looked up, and said, "Fine, then bring on five more plates of dumplings!" "Have him pack up the oranges and get lost!" The boss really couldn't stand it anymore and directly yelled at Hao Jian. He had made up his mind to take a photo of Hao Jian and put it at the entrance, making him their blacklisted customer. Qin Bing also snickered, but at this moment she felt a mix of emotions, unsure what to say. However, Hao Jian acted as if it were no big deal, peeling an orange as he headed towards the entrance. "Even the boss is afraid of him, he's like a starving ghost reincarnated," the man couldn't help but sneer again. At that moment, Hao Jian suddenly stiffened, stopped, and, with a smile, said to Qin Bing, "You wait for me outside, I'll be out in a moment." "What are you going to do?" Qin Bing asked, puzzled. "I've got some business to handle," Hao Jian said with a smile, then turned and walked towards the man who had insulted him earlier. Qin Bing didn't leave, but watched Hao Jian with curiosity, also wanting to know what he was up to. Hao Jian picked up a teapot and walked over to the man's side. Seeing Hao Jian approaching with a grin, the man frowned, disdainfully said, "What's up, little bumpkin? Lost your way out?" "Bang!" Hao Jian smashed the steel teapot on the man's head, followed by a dull thud; the man was left with a bloody head. "You dare hit me?" The man roared like thunder, oblivious to the blood flowing from his head, staring fixedly at Hao Jian. "Bang!" Another blow sent the man crashing against the table. His girlfriend was in a state of shock, her face pale as she watched Hao Jian commit the assault, even forgetting to intervene. The other customers were terrified as well, not expecting Hao Jian to commit violence on the spot. None of them dared to intervene, for Hao Jian was smiling, a smile that seemed especially radiant! If this smile had appeared in another context, they would have found it very friendly, but the problem was, Hao Jian was smiling while committing an assault? This smile sent chills down their spines, as if it were the smile of a demon. None of them knew why Hao Jian was beating up the man, not even Qin Bing, who wore a puzzled expression. But Hao Jian, as if possessed, kept striking relentlessly with a cold expression, hitting four or five times until the man's head was covered in blood and the teapot was completely dented. Only then did he finally stop. As soon as he stopped, the man collapsed to the ground, groaning faintly, semi-conscious. "Watch your mouth in the future, unless you think your head is tougher than a teapot!" Hao Jian snorted, looking down at the man from above, then turned and walked away. Experience new tales on My Virtual Library Empire "What on earth happened?" Qin Bing couldn't help but ask. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Nothing much. It was just that kid's filthy mouth; I decided to teach him a lesson," Hao Jian said expressionlessly. "But you could get into trouble for this. If he calls the police, you're finished," Qin Bing said, somewhat anxiously. Chapter 238 Not Going Home Tonight! "Don't worry, I know people in the police force, he can't do anything to me. Otherwise, why do you think I'd dare to make my move?" signaled Hao Jian, indicating he was in no trouble.Qin Bing nodded, half convinced, half dubious. At this moment, however, the chubby owner approached with a long face, handing Hao Jian eight hundred yuan: "Brother, I'm begging you, please don't come to my restaurant anymore. I'm truly scared of you." After eating so much of his food and even injuring his customers, the owner was really at his wit's end. "Hey, there are such good deals too, eat for free and even get a bonus," Hao Jian laughed happily. Qin Bing held her forehead and sighed. How thick-skinned could this guy be, to not realize the contempt in the other's words? Hao Jian and Qin Bing left the restaurant, then they bought a large bag of snacks, rented some discs, and prepared to go home to watch movies. Just then, Hao Jian received a call from Shu Ya... "You bastard, have you gone crazy with fun out there? Don't you know to come home? Don't you know what time it is?" Shu Ya roared on the other end. "Who are you?" Hao Jian pretended to be shocked. "Did your brain get caught in a door? I'm Shu Ya!" Shu Ya bellowed angrily, wondering what game this son of a bitch was playing now. "Shu Ya? Impossible, my wife should be a demure and gentle lady, how could she swear like you?" Hao Jian expressed his surprise. "Fuck you, I'm giving you half an hour to roll back home or you'll regret it!" Shu Ya threatened directly. Damn, when did this woman become so fierce? Could it be pre-marital jitters? Hao Jian secretly smacked his tongue; Shu Ya never used to curse, but now she was spewing them like a sailor. Being around Hao Jian made Shu Ya pick up some of his bad habits¡ªa classic case of a near monk turns devil. "I'm not coming home tonight," Hao Jian stubbornly said. "Not coming back? Where are you going? Where do you want to mess around? Which slut are you with?" Shu Ya launched into her tirade. Hao Jian was at his wit's end. Was this girl taking her role too seriously, truly thinking she was his wife? Now she was turning the tables on him! So what if I'm hooking up? What's it to you? What can you do about it? "Wife, don't be angry, I'm out drinking with friends. We'll drink till morning, I'll come back first thing," Hao Jian immediately changed his tone, begging like a dog wagging its tail. "Men or women?" Shu Ya asked. "Women." Hao Jian replied truthfully. "What?" Shu Ya's expression changed instantly. "But she thinks I'm a woman," Hao Jian quickly corrected himself. "Hao Jian, what the hell are you doing?" Shu Ya was getting angry, his words were all over the place. "Sigh, it's a long story, but she basically sees me as a sister. Don't worry, I won't have any improper thoughts about her, she's just feeling lonely and wants someone to keep her company. But she utterly hates and detests men, so I just had to turn into a woman," Hao Jian roughly explained, hoping Shu Ya would understand. "Fine then, come back early tomorrow, and don't get yourself into any romantic debts out there!" Shu Ya snorted and then hung up the phone. Hao Jian didn't know whether to laugh or cry; this woman was getting more and more outrageous. "Who was that?" Qin Bing said, coming out of the video store with the discs. "Oh, it was my mom, so annoying," Hao Jian forced a laugh; he couldn't exactly say it was his fiancee who had called, could he? That would be letting the cat out of the bag! Hao Jian felt like he was dying on the inside. Once you start telling one lie, you need countless lies to cover it up. In the end, he would indeed go insane. "Old folks are like that," Qin Bing smiled faintly, a hint of sorrow in her voice: "I wish my parents would nag me, but they've passed away." The atmosphere turned silent for a moment. Hao Jian looked at Qin Bing, sighing inwardly, feeling a pang of sympathy for her. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Let's not talk about that anymore. Let's hurry home and watch the movie. With a good sister like me by your side, you'll never be alone again." Hao Jian put an arm around Qin Bing's shoulder comfortably, his eyes revealing pure friendship, nothing more. Finally, Qin Bing's lips curved into a smile as she wrapped her arm around Hao Jian's waist, and they headed home together. Then, Hao Jian spent the next half hour amid Qin Bing's screams, tormented almost to the point of death. Watching the murderer with a chainsaw on TV, Hao Jian kept yawning, desperately wanting to doze off, but every time he tried, Qin Bing would scream, driving him nearly to the point of a nervous breakdown. "I say, sis, if you're so scared of horror movies, why do you watch them? Isn't that seeking punishment?" Hao Jian was speechless. "I like horror movies, but I'm too scared to watch them alone. With you here today, of course, I can't miss this chance," Qin Bing said, her focus entirely on the television. Chapter 239 Getting Rid of an Ex-Boyfriend! ```Hearing Qin Bing say that, Hao Jian suddenly felt a twinge of heartache. He could fully empathize with her feeling of loneliness and helplessness when alone. "Hey, how come you're not scared after watching it?" Qin Bing asked, looking at Hao Jian curiously. Hao Jian scoffed and said with an arrogant face, "That's because I've seen much bloodier and more brutal scenes on the battlefield, like people being cut in half while still alive, and then having their intestines pulled out and stuffed back in. What you're talking about is just child's play." "Really? Is that true?" Qin Bing asked, stunned. "Of course, it's true. On the battlefield, there was the evil practice of torturing prisoners of war, an expansion of human depravity that no one could stop. Even I couldn't stop my soldiers from doing such things back then. There were all kinds of bizarre ways to torture prisoners. Believe me, each was bloodier than anything in the movies, and the real screams of the victims were far more piercing and tragic, much truer to life than what's shown in movies." "You didn't do that as well, did you?" Qin Bing looked at Hao Jian, horrified. "How could I? How could I possibly do such a thing?" Hao Jian immediately countered, he indeed hadn't done such a thing. "Not possible? Others eat human flesh but you don't, others torture POWs but you don't? Are you that righteous?" Qin Bing expressed deep skepticism. "Righteous? I'm not righteous at all. They tortured prisoners because it pleased them, which means they still felt something, they still saw them as lives. But for me, life is as insignificant as ants. I don't torture prisoners not because I'm a good person, but because they're as insignificant as ants in my eyes," Hao Jian said, looking at Qin Bing with an intense gaze, "Would you deliberately step on an ant for no reason? Only if you were really bored." At this, Qin Bing didn't know what to say. "Do you think I'm cold-blooded? Heartless?" Hao Jian asked with a forced smile, but in that place, if you didn't become like that, you couldn't survive at all. Hao Jian had simply made the right decision. "No, I just think you're pitiable, and I think it must have been very painful for you to force yourself to become that kind of person," Qin Bing shook her head, her voice tinged with sympathy. Seeing this, Hao Jian was the one who was taken aback; he never expected Qin Bing to say such a thing. He thought that after she'd heard about his past, she would become fearful and then gradually keep her distance from him. But rather than being repulsed, Qin Bing actually sympathized with him, which brought a warm feeling to Hao Jian's heart. It was like even when you hated yourself, there was someone who liked you unconditionally. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What are you staring at me for? Don't get too moved," Qin Bing said with a smile, seeing Hao Jian silent and looking at her. Hao Jian quickly came back to his senses and coughed awkwardly a couple of times, then purposely changed the subject, "Where did you buy that wall clock? It's really ugly." A ceramic Clown clock hung on the wall, cheaply made and most importantly, very ugly. But upon hearing this, Qin Bing's expression suddenly changed, and she looked down, dejected. Seeing this, Hao Jian was also puzzled, "What's wrong, did I say something wrong?" "It was made by my ex-boyfriend; he was a ceramic artist," Qin Bing said, her voice low. "How did you break up?" Hao Jian asked curiously, "How could he break up with someone as beautiful as you? Is he out of his mind?" "He's an artist, he has his artistic pursuits, so he said he wanted to go abroad to develop. And since I couldn't go abroad with him, we had no choice but to break up," Qin Bing said with a bitter smile. ``` "What artistic pursuit, I bet he just wanted to have his fill and then shirk responsibility," Hao Jian snorted dismissively. Those artists are the most unreliable, willing to abandon even their own parents for so-called artistic pursuit, let alone a girlfriend. "Don't talk nonsense, nothing ever happened between us," Qin Bing said, her face flushed. "Really? Nothing at all?" Hao Jian stared at Qin Bing in utter amazement. Nothing at all? That either meant Qin Bing was lying, or that ex-boyfriend was an idiot. How could he not do anything with such a pretty girlfriend? "We were university classmates, and because we were all quite shy during our university days, and I'm quite traditional, so we didn't even hold hands back then." Qin Bing's face reddened even more. She had never talked about such private matters with anyone, but she saw Hao Jian as a close friend, so she dared to say anything to him. "Then he really is an idiot," muttered Hao Jian. "What did you say?" Qin Bing looked at him with surprise. "Oh, nothing, I was just saying that's good, at least you didn't lose out too much," Hao Jian quickly corrected himself, then asked, "Since you've already broken up, why don't you throw these things away?" Upon this, Qin Bing once again fell silent. "Alright, I think I know what's going on," Hao Jian smiled, guessing that the reason she couldn't discard them was probably because of her reluctance to let go. It seemed clear to him that Qin Bing still held some hope or maybe fantasy toward that man. "You really are conflicted, hating men on one hand and being obsessed over one on the other," Hao Jian said with a resigned chuckle. "I know I should forget him, but I can't," Qin Bing also sighed. She indeed wanted to forget him, but she was powerless to do so. After all, they had been together for so many years, and she being a person who valued emotions deeply, found herself unable to break free. "If that's the case, then let me help you," Hao Jian suddenly stood up and walked toward the wall clock. "How are you going to help? Wait, what are you doing with the wall clock?" Qin Bing saw Hao Jian taking down the wall clock and her expression changed dramatically. But before she could stop him, Hao Jian had already lifted the wall clock and then smashed it violently to the ground. There was a loud crash as the wall clock shattered into pieces instantaneously. And Qin Bing's expression became incredibly rich. "Out of sight, out of mind. As long as his stuff is here, you'll keep thinking of him. So, the first step to getting over someone is to throw away all his belongings," Hao Jian said seriously. "All... All of them?" Qin Bing instinctively cried out, her gaze inadvertently drifting towards a ceramic teapot not far away. Then she quickly lowered her head as if she was feeling guilty, seemingly afraid that Hao Jian would notice. Hao Jian chuckled coldly and walked toward the teapot; soon enough, the teapot met the same fate as the wall clock, smashed to pieces. Qin Bing's face crumpled instantly, and she murmured dismally, "He gave that to me on my eighteenth birthday." Chapter 240 Help Me Get My Underwear! "Then it definitely needs to be thrown away, lest it distresses you to see it," Hao Jian declared decisively.Qin Bing responded to Hao Jian's ruthlessness with silent sobs. But Hao Jian, as if he had not noticed, continued, "What else did he leave behind?" "Nothing left," Qin Bing said, her gaze flickering. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Nothing left?" Hao Jian chuckled sardonically, nodding toward a pair of doll figurines: "These were also given by him, weren't they?" Qin Bing's face turned pale, and she rushed at Hao Jian, reaching out to grab the figurine, but Hao Jian wasn't about to let her have her way, swiftly grabbing the doll in his hand. "What, can't bear to part with it?" Hao Jian said, looking at Qin Bing with a sneer. "You can smash everything else, but not this one. This pair of dolls was meant to be placed on our wedding cake, something he and I made together," Qin Bing pleaded with Hao Jian. "Crack." The pair of dolls was smashed to pieces, as Hao Jian glared at Qin Bing, "You don't have a wedding anymore, so you surely don't need this thing either." Qin Bing was on the verge of tears. After nearly half an hour of destruction, Hao Jian finally finished smashing everything that Qin Bing's ex-boyfriend had left behind. By then, Qin Bing had the look of complete despondency on her face. "Finally done with the smashing. I'll throw out this trash in a while. Honestly, what was your ex thinking, making such a mess of inane stuff? I'm tired from all the smashing," Hao Jian said exasperatedly. "That's called romance, you don't understand a damned thing," Qin Bing retorted angrily. "Romance is the cheapest thing in this world. Now that the romance is over, didn't that guy run off?" Hao Jian said mockingly. Qin Bing fell silent again; although she didn't want to admit it, what Hao Jian said was indeed true. In the end, she was left guarding a pile of useless romance, while the one who created the romance had long since vanished without a trace. Seeing this, Hao Jian couldn't bear to hit her with more harsh words: "I'm going to throw this stuff away; you just watch some TV by yourself for a bit." Qin Bing nodded obediently like a little lamb, not daring to contradict Hao Jian. And when Hao Jian returned, Qin Bing had already gone to take a shower. Listening to the sound of the running water in the bathroom, Hao Jian was on pins and needles, annoyed at himself: This woman. Is she not the least bit cautious? What if some pervert shows up halfway through, won't she be in trouble? Moreover, with himself, a big, bad wolf around here, does she really think he's Liu Xiahui who can resist temptation? This was mainly because Qin Bing believed he was truly gay, so she was this unguarded; otherwise, she might as well have castrated him. "Hao Jian, can you grab my clothes for me? I forgot them," Qin Bing called out from the bathroom at that moment. "Ah?" Hao Jian was instantly shocked, the hairs on his body standing on end: "You, you come out and get them yourself." "Really, you know going out without clothes on will make one catch a cold," Qin Bing reproached him. "Then put on clothes and come out," Hao Jian shouted back at the bathroom. "That would be such a hassle, just grab them for me," Qin Bing cooed. "Alright, where are they?" Hao Jian said with tears streaming down his face, big sister, are you trying to push me to death? "In the third drawer of the wardrobe in my room," Qin Bing's voice came from the other side. Hao Jian reluctantly entered Qin Bing's bedroom and opened the drawer. "What's this?" But just then, Hao Jian saw something that made his pupils shrink suddenly, and he reached out his hand. Immediately afterward, he picked up a shirt with Crayon Shin-chan on it, staring dumbfounded: "This woman has such an innocent side?" Suddenly, Hao Jian felt a wicked amusement, took the article of clothing, and headed toward the bathroom. "Open the door," Hao Jian shouted to the inside. "The door isn't closed, come on in," Qin Bing said back. Hao Jian responded with an "oh," then pushed open the door. But the scene that followed left him utterly dumbfounded. "You... Why didn't you even draw the curtain?" Hao Jian wanted to cry. He had initially thought Qin Bing had drawn the shower curtain, which is why he had entered without any hesitation. Little did he know, Qin Bing would surprise him so greatly; it was a true test of his self-control. Chapter 241 Shu Ya Checks the Dorms! ```"Why are you sleeping so close to the edge?" Qin Bing leaned against the pillow, eyeing the ill at ease Hao Jian. "I... I'm not used to sleeping with someone else." Hao Jian hastily made up an excuse. "I know, it's also my first time sleeping in the same bed with someone else." Qin Bing said with a cheeky smile, feeling that having a friend was actually quite nice. "Should I just go sleep on the sofa outside?" Hao Jian was about to get up, as this really wouldn't do; to spend the night with a beauty like Qin Bing, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep all night. But Qin Bing grabbed him and said, "I know this adaptation process isn't easy, but I'm learning to adjust, so I hope you can do the same." She really thought that Hao Jian was just uncomfortable. With that, Hao Jian had no more excuses to leave. At this moment, however, Qin Bing disregarded Hao Jian's astonished expression, hugged him tightly, snuggled comfortably into his arms, and, after a moment's hesitation, Hao Jian embraced her back. Yet, in the middle of the night, Hao Jian suddenly felt Qin Bing shivering in his arms. By the moonlight, he saw the helpless and aggrieved look on her face. "Dad. Mom." Suddenly, Hao Jian heard her soft murmur and saw the tear stains at the corners of her eyes. Hao Jian could imagine the blow Qin Bing must have suffered upon learning about her parents' death, being left all alone in the world so abruptly; such a loss was probably unbearable for any child. Hao Jian heaved a deep sigh in his heart, held Qin Bing even tighter, and gently said, "Don't be afraid, I'm here." Upon hearing this, Qin Bing's body tensed up, her eyes snapping open, and she looked up at Hao Jian in astonishment. Hao Jian, with a faint smile, patted her shoulder and said, "Go to sleep." Right then, Qin Bing felt her heart being filled with an inexplicable sense of warmth and happiness. Though her parents had passed away, at least she still had this person by her side. The two of them spent the night like that, but in the morning, Hao Jian was awoken by a sharp scream, and Qin Bing was nowhere to be found. Hao Jian rushed out only to see Qin Bing standing there in a daze. Before he could ask what was wrong, he saw a person, or more precisely a woman, sitting on the sofa. Hao Jian's face collapsed: "How did you get here?" "You know each other?" Qin Bing was stunned, Hao Jian actually knew this intruder? "She's... also a friend of mine." Hao Jian said with a wry smile. "Friend?" Qin Bing was even more confused. Why would his friend come to my house? And behave as if she were in her own home¡ªhow did she even find my limited edition teacup, and where did she get the tea leaves? Hearing this, Shu Ya elegantly set down her teacup and countered, "What, am I not allowed to come?" Last night, the more she thought about it, the more it seemed off. Hao Jian, the wolf, turning into a lamb and staying put? Then, worried, she couldn't sleep all night and eventually couldn't resist coming to look for Hao Jian. "That's not what I meant." Hao Jian almost burst into tears, wasn't everything settled nicely yesterday? How did this woman change her mind midway? "What do you mean 'that's not what you meant'? It's exactly what you meant!" Qin Bing glared at Shu Ya and said: "Is it really okay for you to break into someone else's home without permission like this? Even though you and Hao Jian are friends, we shouldn't know each other, right?" ``` Upon hearing this, Shu Ya shifted her gaze towards Qin Bing and said, "Did you guys sleep together?" "What?" Qin Bing was stunned. What did she mean by that? "Yes, we did," Hao Jian hurriedly interjected. "But nothing happened, you know, I'm GAY, so even if we slept together, nothing could have happened, haha, hahaha." At that moment, there were ten thousand Caonimas running through Hao Jian's mind, and even he felt like he was being a clown. Meanwhile, Qin Bing was looking at him, already showing some doubt. Seeing that Qin Bing didn't contradict Hao Jian, Shu Ya finally began to believe what Hao Jian had said the night before and nervously shifted the topic, saying: Enjoy new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire "Actually, I came to invite Hao Jian to attend an art exhibition by a master potter." "If you wanted to invite him, you could have just called. Did you really need to come to my house? And how exactly did you get in?" Qin Bing asked somewhat angrily. "Your door wasn't locked, so I just came in," Shu Ya said, lowering her head, feeling even more guilty. "The door wasn't locked?" Qin Bing looked at the already battered doorknob with an array of expressions. "That wasn't me." Shu Ya shamelessly lied. Indeed, it wasn't her who had done it¡ªit was done at her command by her employees. Qin Bing was blatantly disbelieving and asked, "How did you know he was at my place?" "What a joke. As long as it is within Hua City, there isn't anyone I, Shu Ya, can't find," Shu Ya said proudly. How hard could it be for her to find someone? Suddenly, Hao Jian had a bad feeling. Does this mean he was truly living out the song Master Xing sang, "I have no freedom, I lost my freedom, my heart aches, tears flow?" From now on, he wouldn't even be able to cheat in peace. "Let's go, Hao Jian. We'll go to the pottery art exhibition together," Shu Ya said to Hao Jian. What pottery art exhibition? That was pure nonsense, something she had overheard from her subordinates and was now using as an excuse. "You're not allowed to go!" That's when Qin Bing suddenly pulled Hao Jian back. Seeing this, Shu Ya got angry as well: "Why can't he go? He is your friend, not your boyfriend, and don't forget, he is GAY!" "Yeah, you said he's my friend. What's wrong with me asking him to keep me company? On the other hand, you barged into someone else's home early in the morning, babbling nonsense and now you even want to take him away. Is that appropriate?" Qin Bing retorted with sarcasm. It's not just couples who get jealous¡ªfriends do too. When a close friend of yours suddenly ignores you and chuckles and laughs with others, you'll also feel uncomfortable inside, and that was exactly Qin Bing's mood right now. And the jealousy she felt was clearly of a different sort than Shu Ya's. Shu Ya was genuinely worried that if Hao Jian spent too much time with Qin Bing, sparks might fly. She had been concerned even before she arrived, and after seeing Qin Bing's looks, she became even more worried. This rascal, not modest at all, always surrounding himself with top-notch beauties. "I've known Hao Jian for seven or eight years. How long have you known him? Can't you see which is more important?" Shu Ya sneered. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian was stunned. Seven or eight years? He was blushing at how audaciously she was bragging. "What's the use of having known each other for a long time? Friends who are as self-centered and arrogant as you, it wouldn't matter if they were gone," Qin Bing shot back. "Stop arguing! The art exhibition, why don't we all go watch it together?" Hao Jian yelled. Chapter 242 Situ Junyan! As it turned out, the three of them still ended up going to the pottery art exhibition together.But on their way there, the two women did not shy away from slinging mud at each other, practically cursing each other out. In response, Hao Jian could only express his helplessness, wanting to keep his distance from these two crazy women to avoid being accidentally hurt by them. However, no matter where he went, the two women followed, sticking to him like a plaster, impossible to shake off. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At the art exhibition, it was crowded with people each admiring the pottery, but the two women seemed uninterested and kept taunting each other with cold sneers and mocking remarks. "Teacher, how come you're here?" Just then, a voice came from behind Hao Jian. Hao Jian turned around and immediately saw Zhang Jia, Zhao Yating, and others approaching, accompanied by a middle-aged man. "Teacher Qin." Zhang Jia seemed somewhat fearful of Qin Bing, timidly greeting him. "Hmm." Qin Bing returned to his usual icy demeanor, responding indifferently. Seeing Shu Ya and such a beauty as Qin Bing by Hao Jian's side, for some reason, Zhao Yating felt a bit uncomfortable. "Dad, this is the Teacher Hao Jian I told you about," Zhang Jia hurriedly introduced the middle-aged man to Hao Jian. Zhang Deqi was a famed contemporary pottery artist who, having heard of the pottery art exhibition, decided to check it out. He was surprised to see how young Hao Jian was: "Teacher Hao truly shows great promise for his age. Not only is his medical skill profound; his Kung Fu in pottery also reaches a master level. I definitely must learn from you when we get the chance." "You know pottery too?" Shu Ya looked at Hao Jian in surprise. She had only recently learned about Hao Jian's medical skills, and now someone was calling him a pottery master? Even Qin Bing looked at Hao Jian in surprise. Did this guy have this skill too? Hao Jian, slightly embarrassed, touched his nose and modestly said, "Don't say that, you are the senior here. I've only been studying for a few years; how can I compare with you? If there's any learning to do, it ought to be me learning from you." Seeing Hao Jian's humility and politeness, Zhang Deqi also smiled satisfactorily: "You don't have to be modest. Art requires experience accumulation, but it needs inspiration even more, and in that respect, you surpass me, so I should learn from you." "Let's learn from each other." Hao Jian still replied humbly and politely. "Teacher, with your discernment, you shouldn't bother with this level of pottery art exhibition, you came over because..." Zhang Jia couldn't understand. If it weren't for his dad being specially invited by the media, they wouldn't bother attending such a low-level exhibition. Hao Jian forced a smile: "My friend mentioned there was a pottery master holding an art exhibition here, so she wanted to check it out, and I accompanied her." "What master, him?" Zhang Jia suddenly showed disdain: "He's just a second-rate pottery artist, merely a former apprentice of my dad's. Arrogant and conceited, he didn't respect my dad and insulted him when he left, alleging my dad misleads his disciples." Zhang Jia snorted and said, "They claimed he went abroad to polish his skills, and now that he's just returned, he's pretending to be a master, even challenging my dad to prove who is the first pottery artist of Hua City. Clearly, he's out to tarnish our family's reputation. He's nothing but an ungrateful wretch, not recalling how my family once looked after him." The more he talked, the angrier he became. How dared such a shameless person pretend to be a master? And what was more outrageous, the public believed it? This was also because the media hyped him up. After all, not many people understand art; if the media says he's a master, then the public will subconsciously believe he is one. Hao Jian and his companions did not know how to respond; they could only keep wearing forced smiles. They were unaware that this pottery master and Zhang Jia had such a past. "Zhang Jia, stop talking," Zhang Deqi noticed the awkwardness of Hao Jian and the others and immediately scolded his son. Zhang Jia then reluctantly shut his mouth. "Oh, isn't this Teacher Zhang? I didn't expect to see you here too." Just at that moment, a man and a woman walked over. The man was quite handsome with a refined dress sense that made him look every bit the artist. Seeing this man, Qin Bing behind Hao Jian was instantly speechless. Is that him? When did he return? Why didn't he tell her he was back? "Junyan, who is that?" At this time, the woman beside the man spoke up. She was also quite attractive with a proud demeanor, giving off the aura of a wealthy heiress. "Him? Isn't he our Hua City's recognized leading pottery artist, Zhang Deqi? But, after I challenge him, I wonder if he'll still be able to hold onto that title, haha." Situ Junyan laughed somewhat proudly and then provocatively looked at Zhang Deqi: "Teacher Zhang, I assume you wouldn't mind teaching me a thing or two, would you?" At this, Zhang Deqi frowned. "What are you bragging about? If it weren't for my dad teaching you pottery, you'd still be a second-rate pottery artist today!" Zhang Jia immediately got excited, unable to stand Situ Junyan's arrogant demeanor. If it weren't for his father's painstaking mentorship, would he have achieved today's success? "Stop joking. He kept all his unique skills to himself and taught me only some useless basics. He teach me pottery? All my achievements today come from studying with a true master, not related to your dad at all!" Situ Junyan retorted coldly. At this, Zhang Deqi also huffed aggrievedly: "I've already told you, your basics are unstable and need intense practice. Once your foundations are solid, I will naturally teach you the real skills. You didn't even learn to walk before you wanted to run, unwilling to start from the beginning step by step, and now you blame me?" "Start from the beginning? Does a talent like me need to start over? Are you blind or what? Now you want to lecture me, wait until you beat me first!" Situ Junyan retorted arrogantly. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian couldn't help but frown; he didn't want to meddle in other people's affairs, but Situ Junyan was indeed overstepping. The other was well-meaning, and not only did he not appreciate it, he even insulted him with disrespect. If this were ancient times, this would certainly qualify as the grave crime of disrespecting one's mentor and destroying one's ancestors. Upon hearing this, Zhang Deqi and his son's faces turned exceedingly grim. Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire Chapter 243 Ex-Boyfriend! And the woman beside Situ Junyan couldn't help but curl her lips into a scornful smile."You don't have to feel smug, my dad will surely defeat you!" Zhang Jia said through gritted teeth. "Defeat me?" Situ Junyan laughed heartily, "I forgot to tell you, my master's name is Abel White." Upon hearing this, Zhang Deqi and his son's faces instantly showed difficulty, as if they had swallowed a dead mouse. Seeing this, Shu Ya was also somewhat puzzled, asking Hao Jian, "Is this Abel White really that impressive? Why do they have such expressions?" "Abel White is a renowned Pottery Artist from France, famous all over the world. He only produces one piece of pottery art each year, but each one can sell for tens of millions and above; he can be called a world-class Pottery Artist. In comparison, Zhang Deqi, who is just a local level, obviously isn't in the same league. Their reaction is understandable," Hao Jian explained. "Then isn't he bound to lose?" Shu Ya exclaimed in surprise. "Not necessarily, the impressive one is Abel White, not him. How impressive he is depends on how much mastery he's learned from Abel White. But Zhang Deqi is different, he's been doing this for over thirty years, his experience is profound. Even I can't match that, so he still has a good chance of winning," Hao Jian analyzed. "You brag about others but don't forget to include yourself. Are you trying to tell me you're better than Abel White?" Shu Ya said with disdainful mockery. Hao Jian just shrugged, offering no comment. "What's wrong with you? Why do you look so pale?" Just then, Hao Jian noticed something off about Qin Bing and immediately asked her. As he spoke, it immediately attracted the attention of Situ Junyan, who also turned his head to look at Qin Bing. Then, even he couldn't hide his surprise, apparently not expecting to encounter Qin Bing here. Shortly after, Situ Junyan started to smile arrogantly, "Never thought I'd see you here, it's been a long time." Qin Bing appeared somewhat flustered, her speech faltering, "Yes. It's been a long time." "Junyan, who is she?" The woman beside Situ Junyan asked with some dissatisfaction, obviously feeling uncomfortable that Situ Junyan knew such a beautiful woman, especially since she and Situ Junyan were in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. "She is the Qin Bing I often mentioned to you," Situ Junyan replied with a smile. Upon hearing this, Qin Bing suddenly felt moved, he often mentioned her? Did that mean he had never forgotten her? At that moment, Qin Bing foolishly felt touched. "Oh, so she's that woman who clung to you desperately, foolishly trying to hinder your dreams?" The other woman suddenly sneered, looking at Qin Bing with disdain. Qin Bing's face stiffened, finding it hard to accept the woman's words. He actually spoke about her like that to others? Was she his obstacle? A burden? Situ Junyan didn't want to acknowledge it, after all, it was just something he said to please this woman. Being with Qin Bing for so long, it was impossible not to have any feelings at all, But after considering who was more helpful to him, Situ Junyan still steeled his heart, saying, "Yes, she was a burden." With that, Qin Bing's face turned completely ashen. He actually admitted it himself, it turned out that it had always been her one-sided love! Hao Jian was also secretly shocked. Was this guy really Qin Bing's ex-boyfriend? Wasn't this too much of a coincidence? Afterward, Hao Jian saw Qin Bing's face turn as pale as paper, and her fist was clenched tightly, as if she were bearing immense pain. "Let's get to know each other for real. My name is Tang Liya, and I'm Situ Junyan's girlfriend," Tang Liya said somewhat provocatively as she extended her hand to Qin Bing. At this moment, Qin Bing faced a dilemma. She didn't want to shake hands with Tang Liya, but if she didn't, she would appear to lack magnanimity. She truly felt helpless, on the one hand bearing the immense anguish in her heart, and on the other hand having to face the other's insult. But just then, Hao Jian stepped forward, shielded Qin Bing behind him, and mocked Tang Liya with a sneer, "Knowing you're that scumbag's girlfriend, what are you pretending for?" As soon as Hao Jian spoke, everyone was stunned; it seemed they had not expected Hao Jian to stand up for Qin Bing. Especially Situ Junyan, both of their expressions were the ugliest because Hao Jian had blatantly insulted him just now. "Who are you?" Tang Liya frowned at Hao Jian, also feeling somewhat displeased. "I'm Qin Bing's boyfriend," Hao Jian declared proudly, as if asserting sovereignty. Shu Ya, standing by, had no extra reaction. She knew what Hao Jian was doing, and she also disapproved of Tang Liya and their arrogance, so she did not stop Hao Jian from defending Qin Bing. "Boyfriend?" Tang Liya scoffed, "Junyan, it seems your taste isn't that great, huh? Your ex-girlfriend isn't much herself, and the boyfriend she finds is like some thug." S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hearing this, Situ Junyan also found it quite amusing and said, "Qin Bing, even though you can't get a good man like me, you don't need to be so desperate as to find such a poor choice, right?" Qin Bing's face was as still as water, and she couldn't utter a single word. Situ Junyan had really changed; he would never have spoken like this before. In truth, it wasn't that Situ Junyan had changed; she had just been too naive all along. Only today, when Situ Junyan revealed his true colors, did she realize she had misjudged him. Hao Jian laughed twice and then suddenly kicked out. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire With a "bang," Situ Junyan fell, sprawling face-forward. Silence reigned, dead silence! All were dumbfounded, no one had expected Hao Jian to suddenly strike someone; it was too rough, too blatant. Didn't he fear being seen by others? By now, many had begun to cast questioning looks in this direction. "You dare to hit me?" Situ Junyan looked at Hao Jian with gritted teeth, wishing he could tear him apart. "Sorry, at times like this, I really can't think of any other way to deal with someone like you," Hao Jian said with mocking mirth. "You really are a rascal, actually daring to hit someone? I'm going to call the police and have you arrested!" Tang Liya was furious and threatened. "Sure, then go ahead and call. Anyway, I'm not the host of today's art exhibition. You'd best shout loudly enough to call over those journalist friends as well, let them know how our Master Situ fooled around and then abandoned Qin Xianglan, clung to a princess, and became a modern-day Chen Shimei," Hao Jian smirked sinisterly. "I didn't, I broke up with her amicably!" Situ Junyan quickly retorted. "I know, but who would believe that? The journalists don't care for the truth; they like gossip, the kind that attracts eyeballs," Hao Jian's smile grew even more sinister. Chapter 244 Only a Dogs Appearance Left! Alarmed by Hao Jian's intimidation, both Situ Junyan and Tang Liya grew fearful.Hao Jian could afford to be shameless, but they couldn't. This was their first art exhibition since returning to the country; if it began with a scandal, it would be detrimental to their development in the domestic scene. There's a saying: the rash fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who are utterly fearless. And Hao Jian was utterly fearless. He was a bachelor with nothing to lose, unfazed by media exposure, while Situ Junyan had just started settling back in the country and needed to cultivate a good image. Hao Jian saw this clearly, so he made a big fuss because he knew that ultimately, Situ Junyan and the others would choose to keep the peace. It was clear he was bullying you; what are you going to do about it? Situ Junyan glared fiercely at Qin Bing and said, "Qin Bing, I am very disappointed in you. I can't believe that in just a few short years, you have degraded to this extent, even choosing a scoundrel as a boyfriend." "We are also disappointed in you. A few years ago you still looked decent, but now, look at you¡ªcompletely a dog," Hao Jian retorted. Situ Junyan was left speechless with anger and coldly threatened, "Keep acting tough. Once my art exhibition is over, I'll have plenty of time to deal with you!" Hearing this, Hao Jian didn't respond, but instead kicked out again, causing Situ Junyan to fall face-first into the dirt. This caught the attention of everyone around, who looked on in surprise at Situ Junyan lying on the ground. "You." Tang Liya glared angrily at Hao Jian, at a loss for how to react. That bastard had hit someone again in public. Situ Junyan's face alternated between pale and flushed, the looks from the crowd making his face burn. At that moment, Situ Junyan felt like killing Hao Jian. The reporters saw this and hurried over. Hao Jian quickly went to help Situ Junyan up, feigning surprise, "Oh my, how did you fall down? Here, let me help you up!" "Get lost!" Situ Junyan pushed Hao Jian away, his face red with anger. Hit him and then play the good guy? Did he think he was an idiot? "I would advise you to behave; the reporters are already here. I don't think you want me to tell them something, do you?" Hao Jian said, smiling insincerely at Situ Junyan. At this, Situ Junyan froze and then looked toward the approaching group of reporters. "Mr. Situ, can you tell us what just happened, why did you fall down?" a female reporter asked Situ Junyan. "That was..." Situ Junyan began to answer but was interrupted by Hao Jian. "It was because the floor was too slippery, so he wasn't careful and fell," Hao Jian said cheerfully. Hearing this, Situ Junyan's eyes nearly blazed with fire. Wasn't careful? You're the one who wasn't careful! "Is that so?" the female reporter looked at Situ Junyan. "Yes, that's what happened," Situ Junyan forced a grim smile. He felt incredibly frustrated; he wanted to deny it but couldn't. Being hit and then having to cover for the person who hit him¡ªit was an infuriating feeling. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "But we clearly saw you kick him," the female reporter said, looking at Hao Jian with suspicion. "Oh, so you all saw that, huh? Well, actually, it's because he's scum who tried to harass my girlfriend, so I lost my temper and beat him up," Hao Jian retorted. "What?" The female reporter was taken aback. She hadn't expected Hao Jian to speak like this. Even if it were true, couldn't you at least pretend to deny it a bit? Admitting it so straightforwardly left her totally unprepared. Situ Junyan and Tang Liya's expressions changed drastically. Had this guy lost his mind? "Just kidding, just kidding. Actually, he's been my good friend for many years. I got so excited to see him that I couldn't control my emotions. Right, Situ?" Hao Jian said, patting Situ Junyan on the shoulder. "Yes, yes," Situ Junyan had turned to stone, a total mess in the wind. "I see," the female reporter believed him and quickly changed the subject. "Mr. Situ, I heard you've come back this time aiming to challenge Old Master Zhang. Where does your confidence come from?" Situ Junyan glanced at Hao Jian, thinking he wouldn't dare to make a scene with the reporters there. He then spoke, "Over the years, I've studied pottery abroad and had the honor to apprentice under the master Abel White. I have carefully studied both Eastern and Western pottery and strived to blend these two cultures. Therefore, I am quite confident in my return to develop my career here." At this, Zhang Deqi and others looked unhappy. Wasn't Situ Junyan implying they were sure to lose? It was a veiled insult. As soon as he had finished speaking, Situ Junyan's face turned green, casting a plaintive look at Hao Jian beside him. "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me so tenderly?" Hao Jian feigned ignorance. Situ Junyan pointed down at his feet. Everyone looked down and saw Hao Jian's foot firmly on top of Situ Junyan's. Situ Junyan felt like crying; he hadn't expected Hao Jian to continue harming him in front of the reporters. "Oh, sorry, that wasn't on purpose," Hao Jian hastily explained, withdrawing his leg. Everyone was incredulous, your foot went straight out to step on him and you say it wasn't on purpose? "Now that Old Master Zhang is here, what would you like to say to him?" the female reporter asked again. Situ Junyan instinctively moved a bit away from Hao Jian to stand beside the female reporter, challenging Zhang Deqi with his gaze, "I hope Old Master Zhang can be generous with his guidance, and have a match with me here at this venue today." Zhang Deqi snorted, "Rest assured, I will not be stingy in teaching you!" "So this is going to be a master-level East versus West match, right? We're all eagerly anticipating," the female reporter became excited upon hearing this. It was big news. "Master? I dare not claim such a title for myself," Zhang Deqi humbly gestured, unable to bear such a title at the moment. "Yeah, he really can't bear such a title right now," Situ Junyan sarcastically remarked, implying that he himself was the real master. "You call yourself a master? What a joke!" Zhang Jia scolded angrily, Situ Junyan declaring himself as a master? How shameless. Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire Situ Junyan snorted angrily, "Whether I am a master or not, you'll find out shortly." At this moment, Tang Liya also seized the opportunity. She flashed a sinister smile, ran up to the stage, took the microphone, and addressed the many guests: "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting. Now, please welcome the distinguished contemporary pottery master and the host of this art exhibition, Situ Junyan." Chapter 245 Defeated! Situ Junyan coldly glanced at Zhang Deqi and Hao Jian before saying, "Excuse me."Once he had spoken, he went straight to the stage, waving to the audience. "Qin Bing, your ex-boyfriend doesn't seem very impressive," Hao Jian said to Qin Bing. Qin Bing glared fiercely at Hao Jian without speaking. Zhao Yating and Zhang Jia were both shocked, they had just noticed that the relationship between Situ Junyan and Qin Bing was unusual, but they had not expected it to be like this. "Forget it, everyone has moments of blindness. It's fine as long as you see him for what he really is now," Shu Ya also said. Qin Bing also let out a slight sigh, "I never thought he would turn out like this." Qin Bing truly felt disappointed, or rather, emotionally conflicted. She had been waiting for Situ Junyan, but never expected such an outcome. "Have you given up on him now?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "I have!" Qin Bing nodded emphatically. Thinking about it, she should thank Situ Junyan for letting her see his true colors. That way, Qin Bing would not have any more wishful thinking about him. "That's good. It looks like Situ Junyan's shamelessness has had some effect, after all," Hao Jian laughed heartily. As long as Qin Bing was no longer infatuated with that bastard, then everything he had done was worthwhile. Meanwhile, on the stage, Situ Junyan was like a drawn bow, pointing at Zhang Deqi and saying: "I've returned to the country mainly to integrate Chinese and Western pottery techniques, so I want to exchange skills with some of the country's outstanding pottery artists. Just now, Zhang Deqi has agreed to compete with me, and soon we will bring everyone a master-level pottery performance." At these words, everyone exclaimed in surprise, clearly very excited. "Zhang Deqi, shall we start?" Situ Junyan said to Zhang Deqi, addressing him by name in a rather impolite manner. Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire Zhang Deqi walked onto the stage with a sullen face. Various tools for pottery making had already been prepared on the stage, obviously Situ Junyan had been planning to challenge Zhang Deqi for some time. Zhang Deqi stepped onto the stage, looking emotionlessly at Situ Junyan and asked, "How shall we compete?" Situ Junyan pointed to a lottery wheel nearby and said with a wicked smile, "Draw lots, whatever comes up is what we'll make, how about it?" "I have no problem with that," replied Zhang Deqi as he turned away. Just then, Situ Junyan gave Tang Liya a look, and a sly smile flickered across her lips. She walked up to the wheel and started spinning it. Soon, a piece of paper fell out, and Tang Liya picked it up and announced to everyone, "A bell!" Hearing this, both Zhang Deqi and Zhang Jia frowned. Seeing Zhang Jia's reaction, Zhao Yating immediately asked in confusion, "What's wrong?" "My dad is the least skilled at making bells. He has made bells less than twenty times in his life. Is it a coincidence that Situ Junyan just happened to draw a bell? Do you think that's a coincidence?" Zhang Jia said through clenched teeth, convinced that Situ Junyan must have tampered with the wheel beforehand, aiming to beat his father at something he's not good at. "Situ Junyan is that despicable?" Zhao Yating was also stunned. Hearing everyone's comments, Qin Bing also felt her face burn with shame. It was embarrassing to have fancied such a man. "Just with this kind of behavior, he doesn't deserve to be called a master," Hao Jian said, shaking his head with a faint smile. And on the stage, Tang Liya continued to draw lots to select the materials she would refine. "Black Pottery." Tang Liya picked up a piece of paper in her hand and showed it to the crowd, proving that she had not cheated. "Damn it, shameless!" Zhang Jia finally couldn't hold back and cursed loudly. "They've picked two skills my dad isn't good at in a row, if this isn't a setup, I'll chop off my own head for them!" "Black Pottery is a traditional pottery craft, your dad can't possibly be unable to do it." Hao Jian couldn't understand, every Pottery Artist should know how to refine Black Pottery. "Teacher, you don't know, my dad had a hand disease years ago, and since then his hands have always trembled. Black Pottery mostly requires a polished plain surface, and its styles often include cord-marked pattern, incised line, and perforation¡ªthree types that his hands simply can't handle now, and Situ Junyan has always known this." Zhang Jia said with frustration as he could already see Zhang Deqi was going to lose. Once Zhang Jia said this, everyone looked grave. They had not expected Situ Junyan to stoop so low. His previous efforts to provoke Zhang Deqi were actually part of such a sinister plot. "Why not let your dad come back?" Zhao Yating suggested. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "If he backs out now after agreeing to compete with Situ Junyan, others will think he's making excuses, that he's scared of Situ Junyan, and it would impact his reputation." Hao Jian, however, shook his head. Zhang Jia also sighed, knowing that what Hao Jian said was true; no matter what, his dad couldn't refuse now. "So are we just going to watch them play dirty tricks?" Zhao Yating said angrily. "Let's wait and see." Hao Jian raised his head, looking towards the stage, and said no more. Because he knew no one could help Zhang Deqi now; Zhang Deqi could only rely on himself. Zhang Deqi also knew his current situation; despite being annoyed by Situ Junyan's shamelessness, he was powerless to do anything about it. "Any problems?" Tang Liya asked mockingly. "No problem." Zhang Deqi gritted his teeth in response. "Good, then let's start!" Situ Junyan didn't give Zhang Deqi any chance to back out, decisively said. Then, both sides went to their respective stations and started refining their pottery. About half an hour later, the pottery made by Situ Junyan and Zhang Deqi had taken shape, but even without evaluation, the audience could see that Situ Junyan's pottery seemed better. "Now, please let us invite the nationally renowned first-class Pottery Artist appraiser, Old Master Sun Hong, for our appraisal," Tang Liya said with an extremely happy smile, for she knew Situ Junyan was certain to win. Old Master Sun was an expert in the field of pottery, having studied pottery for nearly thirty years, so his role as a judge couldn't be more appropriate. He looked at Situ Junyan's pottery, then at Zhang Deqi's, and then looked up at Zhang Deqi with a somewhat regretful shake of his head before turning back. Seeing this, the audience had already anticipated what was coming. "The winner of this round is Situ Junyan!" Sun Hong announced to the crowd. Zhang Deqi's face was like still water; he lowered his head, unable to say a word. He had done his best, but two consecutive fatal flaws were too much for him to handle. Situ Junyan laughed heartily, pointing at Zhang Deqi: "Zhang Deqi, you shouldn't call yourself the best Pottery Artist in Hua City anymore because you're not worthy!" From today on, the title of the best Pottery Artist in Hua City would officially change hands. Chapter 246 Do you dare to smash my pottery? Read the latest on My Virtual Library EmpireZhang Deqi trembled all over as he walked down from the stage with a heart full of humiliation and frustration. He appeared to have aged decades in a moment, for today, the reputation of the Zhang Family was shattered by his own hands. Below the stage, the expressions of Zhang Jia and the others were all downcast. "Shameless scoundrel!" Zhang Jia gnashed his teeth in hatred, his eyes bloodshot. If it weren't for his classmate holding him back, he probably would have gone up on stage to hit Situ Junyan. "It's so unfair, to let such a despicable person win." Luo Tong also snorted, feeling indignant as he watched Situ Junyan converse smugly with the audience. "Let the teacher go up, since he was able to create such expensive pottery, he must have a way to deal with that Situ Junyan!" Zhao Yating interjected. Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits were lifted. Yes, there was still Hao Jian. Hao Jian had not yet made a move, and if he was willing, maybe he could win against Situ Junyan. When Zhang Deqi, who had returned, heard this, his gloomy face couldn't help but show a glimmer of hope. If Hao Jian could dampen Situ Junyan's arrogance, that would be perfect. "Hey, where's the teacher?" Just then, as Zhao Yating went looking for Hao Jian, she discovered he was nowhere to be found. Shu Ya and Qin Bing also suddenly realized that Hao Jian had left without them noticing. "The teacher wouldn't have left because he didn't want to help, would he?" At this moment, Luo Tong voiced his suspicions. "Nonsense! That's not the kind of person the teacher is. I'm sure he just went to the restroom!" Zhao Yating quickly scolded, and with a glare at Luo Tong, her admiration for Hao Jian bordered on reverence. Hearing Luo Tong slander Hao Jian, she erupted in anger. The others exchanged wry smiles, finding Zhao Yating's explanation unconvincing. She thought it was just a coincidence he happened to go to the restroom when they needed his help? At this time, Zhang Deqi and Zhang Jia also showed wry smiles. Indeed, why should someone who was neither kin nor friend stick their neck out for them? But just then, they saw a figure ascend the stage. It was the very Hao Jian they had been so desperately seeking. Hao Jian walked up with his head held high. Seeing this, the guests and art enthusiasts stopped talking and looked puzzled at Hao Jian on the stage. Hao Jian, pacing slowly, walked straight to the pottery created by Situ Junyan. He glanced down at the pottery and then his lips curled into a mocking smile, "What garbage have you fired up?" As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room was shocked. At that moment, Situ Junyan's eyes blazed with anger, looking as if he wanted to devour Hao Jian alive. How dare he call his craftsmanship garbage? What did he think he was? "I told you! The teacher is definitely not the kind of person who would flee before battle!" Zhao Yating said triumphantly, puffing up like a rooster that had won a fight. "Alright, I admit, I judged prematurely," Luo Tong said, somewhat ashamed. Zhang Deqi stared blankly at the stage. Was Hao Jian going to help him regain his dignity? "Dad, the teacher will surely avenge us and protect the Zhang Family's reputation. You can rest easy!" Zhang Jia said excitedly. "Yes!" Zhang Deqi nodded vigorously, his gaze fixed intently on Hao Jian on the stage. But then, Hao Jian did something that surprised everyone even more. He slowly lifted his foot and then kicked towards the ceramic piece. "Crack." The ceramic shattered completely upon impact, and even though its breaking sound made everyone gasp. "You dare smash my pottery?" Enraged, Situ Junyan stormed onto the stage, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Hao Jian actually dared to publicly provoke him. If he didn't do something now, wouldn't he be too cowardly? "Security! Security! Get this troublemaker out of here!" Tang Liya was also calling for security. After all, Situ Junyan had already defeated Zhang Deqi and gained a reputation, so they no longer needed to fear Hao Jian's threats. "If it's trash, then there's no need to preserve it, right?" But Hao Jian spoke as if it was no big deal, casually uttering these words. His statement was not an insult nor a provocation, it was expressed with such calmness and detachment, as if stating a fact. So, when Situ Junyan heard these words, he was extremely annoyed, "Trash? This piece could sell for hundreds of thousands, hundreds of thousands! You're probably too poor to ever afford it in your life!" "It's indeed worth that much, but it's undeniable that it's still trash." Hao Jian shrugged and said, the value of a work of art doesn't depend on hearing the price. Does the Mona Lisa have a price? How much would France's Louvre sell it to you for? Hao Jian acknowledged that the pottery made by Situ Junyan was valuable, but to a master like him, it was trash. If Hao Jian had made such pottery, even if it was worth hundreds of thousands, he would have smashed it too. Why? Because it's embarrassing! Producing such trash was a blow to his own status; displaying it would mean degrading himself! Situ Junyan was almost amused to anger by Hao Jian, "Do you even know what art is? Do you know anything about pottery? How is it that someone as ignorant as you is fit to judge my pottery?" The guests below also laughed, finding Hao Jian ridiculous. The man is a master. Who are you? On what grounds do you declare his work trash? Moreover, if a piece worth hundreds of thousands is called trash, then what price qualifies as not trash? Situ Junyan then deliberately looked towards Zhang Deqi, "What's the matter, Zhang Deqi, can't accept defeat and decided to bring a hooligan to insult me?" At these words, everyone's gaze shifted to Zhang Deqi, their eyes filled with disdain and indifference. "This has nothing to do with them. It's purely my personal opinion. Your pottery is indeed trash. You dare call yourself a master with this kind of water bottle quality? If every pottery artist in Huaxia were like you, I'm afraid the pottery technique Huaxia takes pride in as world-class would decline," Hao Jian said with a sneer. "You." Situ Junyan was immediately irate, his gaze venomously fixed on Hao Jian. "Stop wasting words with him. Security, take him away!" Tang Liya commanded the security directly. "Situ Junyan, I challenge you!" Just then, Hao Jian bellowed. Everyone suddenly stopped their chatter, looking at Hao Jian on stage with surprise. Challenging Situ Junyan? Where did this guy get his confidence? Situ Junyan also signaled the security to hold off and began to laugh himself, "Challenge me? Where's your confidence coming from?" "Just say whether you accept or not," Hao Jian retorted with a cold laugh. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Situ Junyan is a master-level pottery artist, and you? Even if you were a pottery artist, you would probably be third-rate at best. To have him compete with you would be a waste of his time," Tang Liya said mockingly. Chapter 247 The True Master "If I lose, I'll kneel down, knock my head on the ground three times, call you 'Daddy', and compensate you for the tens of thousands of losses for that pottery piece," Hao Jian confidently declared.As soon as he spoke, everyone was a bit stunned. Had this guy gone mad? Seeking punishment wasn't done this way, right? Below the stage, Shu Ya was also shocked. This guy actually wagered such a high stake? Was he really capable? "Wow, the teacher is so cool!" Zhao Yating exclaimed excitedly. "Classmate, is your teacher very skilled in pottery art?" Shu Ya asked Zhao Yating. Zhao Yating first glanced at Shu Ya, and after realizing that Shu Ya was also very beautiful, her attitude turned somewhat cold, "Who are you?" "I'm your teacher's, uh, friend." Shu Ya said with an embarrassed smile, initially wanting to say fianc¨¦e, but immediately changed her words considering Qin Bing was by her side. Upon hearing this, Zhao Yating felt reassured and said, "The teacher once gave me a teapot he made himself. Zhang Jia said it's worth over a million and even said the teacher is a master-level Pottery Artist. That's what Zhang Jia said." Zhang Jia also nodded in agreement, "Judging by the shape and craftsmanship, as well as the artistic value of the teapot the teacher made, it really is worth over a million. It's the work of a master." "Didn't you say you're the teacher's friend? Didn't the teacher tell you?" Zhao Yating asked in surprise. Shu Ya didn't speak, feeling a rush of anger boiling within her. Dammit, even Hao Jian's students knew he was a Pottery Artist, but she didn't know anything. How many things was he hiding from her? Hearing Hao Jian speak with such self-assurance, Situ Junyan couldn't help but frown, feeling a foreboding premonition. Was this guy bluffing to intimidate me, or did he really have some skills? "What's the matter? Scared? If you're scared, let's just forget it." Hao Jian mocked, intentionally provoking. At this point, if Situ Junyan refused, all the guests and buyers below would look down on him, and he wouldn't be able to sell his exhibits. Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire "Who's scared? Since you're seeking your own demise, don't blame me. I accept your challenge!" Situ Junyan snorted coldly, planning to make Hao Jian lose face in a while! "Don't rush. I haven't stated your conditions yet. If you lose, you'll kneel down and call me 'Daddy' three times, then roll out of the Huaxia pottery art scene!" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "Me, lose? What a joke," Situ Junyan was somewhat angered. How could he possibly lose? "Don't get so worked up. I said 'if,'" Hao Jian said with a superficial smile, his expression somewhat refined. Watching this smile from below, Shu Ya immediately felt a bad premonition because this smile was a sign that he was about to trick someone. Whenever he was about to trick someone, the corner of his mouth would reveal such a smile. Situ Junyan indeed fell for it and grunted angrily, "If I lose, I'll do as you said!" "Everyone better listen up, and be my witnesses, in case someone tries to back out later!" Hao Jian told the crowd. The people all had mixed feelings of laughter and helplessness, unclear where Hao Jian's confidence came from. "Old Master Sun, I'll have to trouble you to appraise later when the time comes," Hao Jian then turned to look at Sun Hong, his attitude now respectful and polite. "Sure," Sun Hong nodded. He too was curious whether this young man could defeat Situ Junyan. "Then let's start!" Situ Junyan urged, already impatient to see Hao Jian make a fool of himself. "What's the hurry, rushing to acknowledge your daddy?" Hao Jian asked with a cold laugh. "What's the point of arguing? Let's see the truth through a contest of skills!" Situ Junyan was very annoyed by Hao Jian's words. "If you can't even win in an argument against me, there's no need to talk about anything else, right?" Hao Jian scoffed, and without giving Situ Junyan a chance to reply, he turned and walked towards his side. Meanwhile, Situ Junyan stood in place with a savage expression for a few seconds before sullenly walking back to his side and roaring, "What are you doing?" "Whatever!" "Style?" Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Whatever!" "Material?" "Whatever!" Situ Junyan asked angrily, "Why is everything so casual with you, do you even understand pottery art?" Hao Jian's indifference was clearly an excuse. Hao Jian glanced at Situ Junyan with a cold look in his eyes, "I'm just not trying to bully you by letting you choose, idiot!" "Alright, alright, if you're looking to die! Then don't blame me! Let's go with Blue and White Porcelain then!" Situ Junyan said with his eyes nearly bursting, Blue and White Porcelain was his forte, Hao Jian allowing him to choose was practically courting death! "Is Situ Junyan's Blue and White Porcelain very powerful?" Shu Ya asked Zhang Jia. "I am not his equal," Zhang Deqi interjected, sighing slightly, for even he had to admit that Situ Junyan's mastery of Blue and White Porcelain was indeed a cut above his. "Isn't Hao Jian in danger then?" Shu Ya exclaimed. "No worries, Teacher will definitely win!" Zhao Yating said confidently. Shu Ya was taken aback, "Why are you so sure?" "I just know," Zhao Yating huffed, her face filled with a smile. Seeing this, for some reason, Shu Ya suddenly felt a bit upset. "Then it's Blue and White Porcelain!" Hao Jian shrugged nonchalantly, as he was knowledgeable and skilled in both Western and Chinese pottery arts; it didn't matter to him what to make. "You just wait to kneel and kowtow to me!" Situ Junyan sneered darkly and began to work. The making process began, and Hao Jian completed the six steps one by one, wedging, throwing, sculpting, painting, printing, and glazing. During Hao Jian's making process, Sun Hong, who had been observing all along, noticed a very peculiar detail¡ªthat Hao Jian actually carved characters before firing them in the kiln, and what's more, it was an internal engraving. Sun Hong was astounded, it was clearly the work of a master, he could never have imagined that an invitation to an exhibition for the disabled could have led him to meet a master-level Pottery Artist. And this guy was so young; to have such skill at this age, it was nothing short of genius! This time was rather lengthy, taking over two hours for both to finally complete their work. Situ Junyan was very satisfied with his Blue and White Porcelain, so his glance towards Hao Jian's piece was full of mockery. "Now for our Old Master Sun to comment." Tang Liya had barely started speaking when Sun Hong dashed onto the stage and grabbed Hao Jian's hand. After grabbing Hao Jian's hand, he wouldn't let go, full of excitement, "Master! Oh, master!" "Old Master Sun, what are you talking about?" Tang Liya asked with a somewhat rigid expression. Sun Hong pointed at Hao Jian and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, this man is the real master-level pottery artist, truly deserving!" Everyone was shocked and bewildered. What did Sun Hong mean by this, that Hao Jian was the real master? Then what about Situ Junyan? Chapter 248 Playing Dirty! Seeing this, Situ Junyan was so surprised that his mouth could have fit an entire egg, even he hadn't expected Sun Hong to speak like that."Old Master Sun, what exactly is going on here? We need an explanation," Tang Liya's expression turned incredibly ugly. Sun Hong didn't speak at first but instead pointed at the Phoenix Pattern Jar made by Hao Jian and asked, "May I?" Hao Jian smiled and said, "Yes, you may." So, Sun Hong lifted the Phoenix Pattern Jar and faced everyone, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, please look, this piece of Blue and White Porcelain is thick and solid, with a fine and smooth body, clean and hard. The glaze is rich and moist, the luster soft and not glaring, the glaze quality is lustrous and bright, the color is subdued, and the hue is elegant. From this, it can be seen that it is indeed of the highest excellence!" The crowd was stunned, this guy was actually holding back all along! Even Situ Junyan was dumbfounded, did Hao Jian really understand ceramics? sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Look at the calligraphy, powerful and full of vigor, clear characters, well-proportioned structure, robust and quaint. Let's not even talk about the ceramic piece itself, the calligraphy alone can be considered exceptional!" Sun Hong pushed up his large glasses on the bridge of his nose and gave Hao Jian a thumbs up. Hao Jian smiled and didn't say a word. Sun Hong continued to comment, "Moreover, you all haven't noticed that he carved the characters first before firing. Normally, people would fire the porcelain into shape and then carve the characters, for a very simple reason. If you carve the characters first, the porcelain might change during the firing process, and the characters might be altered as a result, which could lead to blurred and distorted writing." "Yet he has used this unbelievable method to create this piece of Blue and White Porcelain, even more astonishing is that the characters did not change at all, but instead became even more distinct. Can such craftsmanship not be called masterful?" Sun Hong, with a beaming smile, looked towards the crowd and said, "As ceramic enthusiasts, you should know that the finer the material, the more precious the blue and white. And the Blue and White Porcelain that Hao Jian has made, is the most precious among the blues!" Hearing Sun Hong's assessment, Situ Junyan and Tang Liya were already pale as ghosts. But Zhang Deqi and the others were visibly excited. The atmosphere fell silent, everyone was dumbstruck, many knew of Sun Hong but had never seen him this excited before. Now, without a word, they also knew it was because Hao Jian had created a rare treasure. "Old Master Sun, you haven't even looked at Situ Junyan's ceramics," Tang Liya still didn't give up and pressed on. Sun Hong glanced disinterestedly at Situ Junyan, slightly annoyed, "No need to look, he has already lost. His skills are extremely high, but to surpass this master, I fear is a lifetime's hopeless dream." Now that Sun Hong had seen such a genuine piece, he had lost all interest in even glancing at Situ Junyan's work. "Situ Junyan, weren't you claiming to be a master? But according to Old Master Sun, it seems you're not, are you?" From below, Zhang Jia immediately stirred up more trouble. Hearing Zhang Jia say this, the other guests also showed signs of annoyance, they had almost been fooled by Situ Junyan. What master, it seems he was just bragging all along. Some buyers who had been prepared to purchase Situ Junyan's exhibits for a high price also changed their minds on the spot, now targeting Hao Jian instead. They were not short on money; they simply coveted a rare gem! Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire But Sun Hong had already made his move swiftly, "Master, I'd like to offer three million for your piece of Blue and White Porcelain, what do you think?" Situ Junyan's face darkened like an iron pot. How could Sun Hong spend such a high price on Hao Jian's items, especially right in front of him? Was this not an outright insult to him? "Wait a moment, please. I have something to handle right now." Hao Jian gestured to Sun Hong to wait and then approached Situ Junyan with an indifferent expression, "Fair play dictates acceptance of loss, now, it's time to fulfill your promise." "Lost? When did I lose?" Situ Junyan retorted as if deliberately playing dumb. "Even Old Master Sun said you've lost, and you're still denying it?" Hao Jian also sneered, realizing that Situ Junyan was planning to renege on the bet. "Just because he says I lost, I lost? How do I know he's not in cahoots with you?" Situ Junyan snorted disdainfully. "What did you say?" Sun Hong also flared up upon hearing this, as he had no prior acquaintance with Hao Jian; how could he possibly be colluding with him. "I'm saying you might have been bought by them," Situ Junyan said deliberately loud, "An unknown lad is being regarded as a master by you, does that not sound fake? If he really were a master, why does he have no reputation at all? To me, it seems like a trap you've laid intentionally, and the likely target must be Zhang Deqi, right? Zhang Deqi knew I was going to challenge him today, so he bought you off in advance to show me up at the crucial moment." The crowd listening to Situ Junyan's words also started to think there might be some sense in them. If Hao Jian were truly that skilled, why was he completely unknown domestically? They had never even heard of such a person before today, "Don't spit blood! Are you just trying to renege because you've lost yourself?" Zhang Jia in the audience couldn't help but explode in rage, provoked by Situ Junyan's shamelessness. "Trying to renege on a lost bet, is that it?" Hao Jian chuckled coldly, now even he couldn't help but admire Situ Junyan's thick skin, talking nonsense with so many people watching. "Reneging? What I'm saying is the truth, anyway, I don't believe that old man's words!" Situ Junyan huffed, as long as he refused to acknowledge that Sun Hong spoke the truth, what could Hao Jian do to him? "If you don't trust him, then who do you trust? Find someone you consider reliable to appraise it," Hao Jian said. "Let my master do it! I trust my master would never be partial or corrupt!" Situ Junyan declared. Abel White did not know Hao Jian, which meant he couldn't possibly take his side. Besides, as Abel White's apprentice, he had no reason not to support his own rather than Hao Jian's. "To my knowledge, Abel White should be in France, right? Are you suggesting we all go to France to seek him out?" Hao Jian mocked, fully aware of the game Situ Junyan was playing. "No need, I can video call him right now." Situ Junyan replied with a smug smile, then gave Tang Liya a few instructions, and she went off to prepare. Soon after, Situ Junyan was on a video call with Abel White, and he projected the call onto a screen to clearly show everyone that he was indeed speaking with Abel White. "Situ, what's up?" Abel White was a tall, bald Caucasian speaking in an accent that wasn't fluent but comprehensible enough for Situ Junyan. "Master, I had a friendly competition with someone today, but I don't trust the judgement of the umpire. I hope you could help me appraise which is better, my ceramic or his." Situ Junyan spoke to Abel White with utmost respect. Chapter 249 Hes My Friend! "All right, let's take a look at those ceramics."Abel White quickly agreed and prepared to appraise the ceramics for Situ Junyan. And Situ Junyan turned the video towards Hao Jian, but when Abel White saw Hao Jian, he suddenly exclaimed: "Damn it, scumbag, why are you there too?" "The person sparring with your apprentice is me. Why do you think I'm here?" Hao Jian laughed. Situ Junyan had an expressionless look, unable to believe Hao Jian knew his master. How was that possible? Could he really be the so-called master? "Sparring?" Abel White furrowed his brows, then looked at Situ Junyan, "Is it true?" "It's true." Situ Junyan nodded stiffly, not daring to deny it at this point. "No need to look anymore, you lost. You can't possibly be his match." Abel White said coldly, not even in the mood to glance at their work, because he knew without a doubt that if Situ Junyan faced Hao Jian, he was bound to lose. "This is impossible!" Situ Junyan exclaimed in shock, unable to accept such a peremptory statement from Abel White who hadn't even looked at their work. "Why would you say that, Master?" Situ Junyan asked, unable to fathom why not only Sun Hong but even Abel White would say such a thing. "Because he's on the same level as me. Do you think you have the confidence to beat me?" Abel White said coldly. Then Situ Junyan fell silent. Beat Abel White? Where would he get that confidence from? Was Hao Jian really on the same level as Abel White? Was it true or false? Why had he never heard of him? Down below, Zhang Deqi and others were completely dumbfounded. Although they knew Hao Jian was formidable, they had not expected him to be formidable enough to be mentioned in the same breath as Abel White, a ceramic artist who ranked in the world's top ten. If even Abel White said that Hao Jian was on his level, didn't it mean Hao Jian could also rank in the world's top ten? What the hell. Shu Ya felt uneasy again. How could that bastard Hao Jian be so formidable? How much more was he hiding from her? Meanwhile, Zhao Yating's eyes were shining with an emerald glow as she gazed intently at Hao Jian, her obsession reaching the point of madness. At that moment, the guests were also eagerly watching Hao Jian on stage, anticipating his work, knowing he could be compared with the world-class ceramic artist Abel White. These buyers were not short of money; as long as the ceramic piece was from the hands of a master, they were willing to pay any price. Situ Junyan wore an extremely awkward expression. He didn't know what to say at this point; he couldn't outcompete Hao Jian and now even his own master Abel White was on Hao Jian's side. He truly felt utterly defeated. Hao Jian looked at Abel White and smiled, "Abel White, long time no see." Abel White snorted coldly, his curled mustache quivering, "I don't want to see you." Hao Jian laughed heartily, knowing the man still held a grudge against him, "I have an unpleasant request." "Speak!" Abel White retorted impatiently. "Get rid of this disciple of yours. This Situ Junyan lacks moral character and keeps using your name to swindle and bluff. It's lucky he ran into me today so I could put a stop to it in time. Otherwise, your reputation would have been ruined by him," Hao Jian said with an air of self-righteousness. "What do you mean 'lacks moral character'?" Abel White asked, puzzled, his command of Chinese not being very good, only understanding simple phrases. "It means he's trash, scum, a lowlife, a son of a bitch!" Hao Jian explained. With every word Hao Jian spoke, the corner of Situ Junyan's mouth twitched. "Lowlife? Isn't that just like you?" Abel White said, surprised. Hao Jian's face darkened, "Say what should be said, if it shouldn't be said, then don't!" This damn foreign devil! Abel White laughed heartily, his laughter sounding like a duck. "I promise you, but you also have to promise me one condition," Abel White suddenly said with a serious face. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire Situ Junyan was dumbfounded. Abel White actually agreed to Hao Jian's request? But I'm your disciple! "Let's hear it," Hao Jian said, curious about what kind of condition Abel White would propose. "That is to stay away from my daughter, Masha Liya!" Abel White roared. Upon hearing Abel White's words, both Shu Ya and Qin Bing were visibly shocked. Shu Ya thought, This jerk is flirting around again? And Qin Bing thought, Isn't this guy gay? "My relationship with your daughter is innocent." Hao Jian couldn't help but feel amused. He had always maintained a friendship with Abel White and was just a normal friend to Abel White's daughter too. "Just stay away from her, that's all!" Abel White insisted. At that moment, a delicate and beautiful girl with a tall figure appeared on the video screen. She had gorgeous peach-red hair, wore a floral skirt, and looked about eighteen or nineteen, like a princess. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Her entrance dazzled everyone present. This kind of typical Western beauty was a rare sight in Huaxia. Her eyes smiled like crescent moons as she greeted Hao Jian, "Hi, Jian, long time no see, I've missed you. Ever since Dad lost to you last time, he's been brooding and has been trying to keep us from seeing each other, but I won't listen to him. I'm coming to Huaxia to find you after a while." "Dammit, who said I lost to him! It was a draw! A draw, do you understand?" Abel White's roar came from behind her. But Masha Liya gave him an elegant turn and walked away. As she walked away, she coldly dropped a line, "Aunt Sistaya said you lost." "Sistaya? The Louvre's director?" someone exclaimed at that moment. "Damn it!" Abel White swore, glaring at Hao Jian, "Stay away from her!" "Alright, alright," Hao Jian replied, left speechless and just kept nodding. Only then did Abel White seem satisfied and turned to Situ Junyan, "Situ Junyan, you are no longer my disciple from now on, and I will have no further association with you." "Master, I'm your disciple, how can you disown me just because of a stranger's words?" Situ Junyan felt wronged. It was through his status as Abel White's disciple that he could throw his weight around. Without that identity, he would be nothing. The reason these people had come to attend his art exhibition was also that he was Abel White's disciple. If not for Abel White, he wouldn't be able to sell a single piece! Situ Junyan was unwilling to let go so easily, as Abel White was his tool for making big money! "You may be my disciple, but he is my friend. Sorry, I can't choose you." Abel White spoke bluntly, as foreigners tend to be straightforward. He hadn't liked Situ Junyan much to begin with, and now that he had heard Hao Jian suggesting Situ Junyan's character was questionable, his good impression had completely faded. Chapter 250 The Chosen One! Situ Junyan's face turned ashen, he now regretted agreeing to Hao Jian's request.If he had known it would end like this, he wouldn't have competed with him in the first place, because at least that way, he would still have held the identity of Abel White's apprentice and could have continued to rake in money by banking on Abel White's name. But now, he had nothing left. After speaking, Abel White simply ended the call, leaving Situ Junyan in a state of utter desolation. "Ready to kneel now?" Hao Jian looked at Situ Junyan with a smirk and said. "I kneel your mom!" Situ Junyan roared furiously and charged at Hao Jian with a fierce expression, throwing a punch at Hao Jian's face. It was all because of Hao Jian that his relationship with Abel White had been severed; he blamed everything on Hao Jian. Seeing Situ Junyan coming at him, Hao Jian scoffed disdainfully and swung a heavy slap over, spinning Situ Junyan around, leaving him collapsed and dazed on the ground. "You can't beat me in porcelain, you can't out-argue me, and you still can't beat me in a fight, so what use is a piece of trash like you?" With a sigh, Hao Jian heaped extreme humiliation upon Situ Junyan. This time, Tang Liya did not speak up again because Situ Junyan was no longer worth her defense. She had originally planned to make a hefty sum by leveraging Situ Junyan's status as Abel White's apprentice, but that was clearly out of the question now. At this moment, Tang Liya was also very angry, having invested so much money in Situ Junyan for promotion, which now seemed to have gone down the drain. Hao Jian paid no mind to the stupefied Situ Junyan and walked straight to the roulette wheel, disassembling it. Seeing this, Tang Liya and Situ Junyan's expressions dramatically changed. "Ladies and gentlemen, please look, every piece of paper here reads either 'Black Pottery' or 'Bell.' This Situ Junyan knew beforehand that Zhang Deqi was least skilled in these two pottery techniques, so he deliberately set up this plot to trap him. If it were truly a contest of pottery, Zhang Deqi would be streets ahead of Situ Junyan. Today, I originally had no intention of intervening, but Situ Junyan's bullying has gone too far. Zhang Deqi was his former master, and it would have been one thing if he did not show him the proper respect, but the first thing he did after returning to the country was to sabotage his master's reputation. Such a person is simply scum!" Hao Jian argued righteously. "Scum! Go to hell!" "Trash! Fraud! Get out of Huaxia, you don't deserve to be called a Huaxia person!" "An ingrate dog, go lick those foreign devils' *****!" Upon hearing this, the guests below became agitated, realizing they had been deceived by Situ Junyan. They tore their business cards into pieces, and threw anything they could get their hands on at Situ Junyan. Some even hurled their cellphones, hitting Situ Junyan until he was bleeding from his head. "Liya, save me. Save me," Situ Junyan, dizzy and disoriented, instinctively crawled toward Tang Liya. But Tang Liya naturally took a step back and looked at Situ Junyan with cold indifference: "Your plan did not achieve the expected results, and I did not receive the return I anticipated. I am very disappointed in you, I think it's time we ended this." With those words, Tang Liya turned and left, as though sweeping away her robes without taking a single cloud with her. Situ Junyan was completely stunned, seemingly not expecting Tang Liya to be so heartless. Hao Jian clicked his tongue in surprise, his face full of amused smiles, "You really did pick a good woman, didn't you?" Obviously, this was no compliment, and Situ Junyan knew it. So he glared at Hao Jian filled with hate: "It's all because of you, you turned me into what I am now." "Hey, you can't say it like that. If you hadn't insulted me first, how would I have set you up? This is called karma, you know?" Hao Jian laughed as he bent down, eyeing Situ Junyan with interest, "How did Qin Bing ever fall for someone like you?" Situ Junyan was stunned because that was precisely what he had just used to insult Hao Jian. Now he suddenly found his own words laughable. He had looked down on Hao Jian, but Hao Jian hadn't even considered him worthy of notice, able to strip him of everything with just one sentence. "I beg you, I know I was wrong. Can you get Abel White to forgive me? I'll do whatever you ask!" Situ Junyan clasped Hao Jian's trouser legs, pleading pitifully. "Doesn't he look just like a dog?" Hao Jian turned to the crowd. "Yes!" The crowd answered in unison. And Qin Bing was shaking her head and sighing, filled with disappointment. She also hadn't expected that she could ever be attracted to such a person. "For wealth and fame, you really are willing to discard even your dignity." Hao Jian patted Situ Junyan's shoulder and said, "I admire your shamelessness, but I still have to decline your proposal." Hao Jian pulled back his trouser legs, looking coldly at Situ Junyan: "Get out of Huaxia. You're not welcome here. If I find out you're still in Huaxia tomorrow, I will show you what it really means to have nothing. Don't take my word for it. The power I hold in Hua City is beyond your imagination." Under Hao Jian's gaze, Situ Junyan was trembling all over, staring at Hao Jian with extreme unease. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire "That's all." Hao Jian waved his hand dismissively, carrying his Blue and White Porcelain, and left the stage. "Mr. Hao Jian, your Blue and White Porcelain." Old Mr. Sun Hong approached with a smiling face, his eyes flickering with greed as he appraised Hao Jian's Blue and White Porcelain, his covetous desire clearly visible. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I bid four million!" "I bid five million!" "Five and a half million." "Seven million." Seeing their opportunity, the guests began to call out their bids, each wanting to purchase Hao Jian's Blue and White Porcelain. For all they knew, it might become a priceless heirloom in the future. The day was supposed to showcase Situ Junyan's art exhibition, but now it seemed to have turned into Hao Jian's personal show. "Sorry, but I'm not selling this Blue and White Porcelain to anyone. I only intend to gift it to a friend," Hao Jian said, smiling at everyone. "Give it to a friend? Isn't that a bit extravagant?" "Exactly, I've offered nine million. That's not a low price at all!" The guests were wailing, thinking Hao Jian was deliberately driving up the price. But Hao Jian just smiled, ignoring them, and walked over to Zhang Deqi and the others, then handed the Blue and White Porcelain to Qin Bing: "Here, I'm giving this to you, hoping you'll finally get over your heartbreak." Seeing Hao Jian bestow such a valuable item on a beautiful woman, everyone understood what was going on, and their faces showed knowing smiles. The saying that heroes have a weakness for the charms of a beautiful woman has never been more true. "I can't accept this, it's too expensive," Qin Bing's head shook vigorously, her mind recoiling at the thought of accepting something that could sell for nearly ten million. Chapter 251 Give Me Some Time! "This kind of thing, I can easily make a second one, it's not worth much to me," Hao Jian said.Everyone was caught between laughter and tears. It may not be worth much to you, but to us, it is valuable. "But," Qin Bing still hesitated. "Teacher Qin, just accept it. Teacher has already given me a small teapot, which is worth millions, and I accepted it, didn't I?" Zhao Yating encouraged from the side. "Alright then." In the end, Qin Bing nodded, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. Clearly, she was delighted to be able to obtain such an expensive and meaningful piece of art. "Hao Jian, thank you, not for the porcelain, but for curing my blindness," Qin Bing said seriously as she looked at Hao Jian. "Stop it, even if you say that, I won't be happy," Hao Jian waved his hand, unable to help himself. Everyone was at a loss for words. At that moment, Qin Bing noticed a string of words written inside the porcelain. It read, "Being with you, I will die, but without you, I will die all the same." "What does this sentence mean?" Qin Bing couldn't help asking. "These are the words someone once said to me. Just now, while making the blue and white porcelain, I subconsciously inscribed them," Hao Jian replied with a bitter smile, his expression turning somewhat somber. Because, after saying those words, that person had left him and never appeared again. "Teacher, who exactly was that person?" Zhao Yating couldn't help asking. "A very good friend!" Hao Jian thought for a moment and then answered earnestly. Hearing what Hao Jian said made Zhao Yating and the other women curious about this very good friend. Zhao Yating originally wanted to ask if it was a man or a woman, but she felt that asking would reveal her intentions too clearly, so she didn't dare to continue. "Teacher, thank you so much for this time. If it weren't for you, my dad would probably have to swallow his broken teeth," Zhang Jia said as he stood before Hao Jian, bowing deeply. "Teacher Hao, we really owe you a lot this time. It's you who have prevented the Zhang Family's reputation from being tarnished after so many years," Zhang Deqi said, full of respect for Hao Jian. Initially, when Zhang Jia mentioned Hao Jian, he didn't quite believe it. He thought, how impressive can a young person be? Previously, when he referred to Hao Jian as a master, it was just for show. But it was only after he saw Hao Jian effortlessly deal with Situ Junyan that he realized he had been wrong. Hao Jian waved his hand and didn't say a word. Seeing Hao Jian's reaction, Zhang Deqi and his son stopped the compliments, knowing Hao Jian didn't enjoy that. "Let's go, there's no point in staying here any longer," Hao Jian took the initiative to say. Qin Bing glanced at Situ Junyan, who was looking at her pitifully, and walked out of the art exhibit without any hesitation. At this point, the buyers, seeing that Hao Jian was about to leave, blocked his way, insisting that he leave them a contact number before they would let him go. It left Hao Jian with no choice but to honestly give out his mobile number. To avoid any suspicion, Hao Jian didn't go home with Qin Bing. He had already spent one night at Qin Bing's place, and if he spent another, Shu Ya might go insane. "You gave that busty girl a teapot worth over a million?" As soon as she got home, Shu Ya grabbed Hao Jian's ear and asked. "Busty girl? You mean Zhao Yating, right? Yeah, I only gave it to her for her birthday, there's really no other meaning." Hao Jian hurriedly explained. "And what about Qin Bing? Did she have a birthday too?" Shu Ya asked with a cold laugh. Shu Ya felt particularly irked upon hearing that Hao Jian had given such a valuable gift to another woman, especially since he had never given her anything. "That was just to celebrate her getting over her ex's shadow." Hao Jian managed a wry smile. "I don't care about that. Since you've already given them gifts, you can't play favorites. So," Shu Ya looked at Hao Jian without a trace of pity in her eyes, "make me ten of the same teapots and porcelain pieces!" "Damn! You want to cripple my hands, don't you?" Hao Jian asked with a crestfallen face. "How could that be?" Shu Ya wrapped her arms around Hao Jian's neck, speaking in an extremely seductive tone. Hao Jian's heart raced, his mind in a whirl. What was this woman trying to imply? "If you can gift friends such expensive things, then as your fianc¨¦e, I can't just be the same as them, right? Let's not even talk about the style, at least in terms of quantity, it has to be different, doesn't it? Tell me, doesn't that make sense?" Shu Ya smiled like a sly fox. "Right, you make a lot of sense." Hao Jian forced a smile more pained than if he were crying. "By the way, Hao Jian, I've always wanted to ask, who exactly are you? Why are you not only adept at painting but also so skilled at pottery? It seems there's nothing you can't do. Why would someone like you be a driver? What are you really after?" Shu Ya's gaze was piercing as she stared at Hao Jian. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Sigh, to think you would still find out. Alright then, I can only tell the truth now. In fact, I had a purpose for working at the company." Hao Jian sighed. Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire At his words, Shu Ya felt a sudden sense of alarm. No way, did this guy really have an ulterior motive? Shu Ya grew somewhat uneasy. If this good fellow indeed had impure intentions, what was she to do? She wished she had not asked. "Actually, I had seen you before I joined the company. From the very first moment I saw you, I was stunned by your breathtaking beauty, and I resolved to pursue you. So I applied for the job to get close to you, and thankfully, fortune favors the bold, and I finally got you." Hao Jian looked at Shu Ya with deep affection. "You shameless man!" A blush crossed Shu Ya's face in an instant. She would not believe Hao Jian's nonsense, but his praise made her heart bloom with joy. Hao Jian laughed heartily and said, "I'm telling the truth. Don't you know how beautiful you are? The first time I saw you, I was so struck by you that my legs went weak." "Who struck you? Don't try to dazzle me with your flattery. I'm asking you, who exactly are you?" Shu Ya was pleased, but she hadn't completely lost her sense of judgment and continued to pressure Hao Jian with an intense gaze. This time, she was not going to let Hao Jian off with just a deflection. "That, when the right time comes, I'll tell you. But now is really not a good time." Hao Jian said with a rueful smile. Having spent these days with Shu Ya, he had gradually grown accustomed to a life with her. Hao Jian didn't want to lose her, so he didn't plan to tell her about his ugly past. Because nobody knew whether Shu Ya would despise him, the murderer, after hearing his stories. He used to think murdering many people was something to be proud of. But now, he only felt sullied. Seeing the hesitation and unease on Hao Jian's face, Shu Ya also became somewhat distracted and nodded blankly, "Okay then, tell me when you feel like it." "Thank you. Just give me a little time, and I will tell you everything, down to the last detail." Hao Jian nodded with a smile. Chapter 252 Frustrated Zhao Ziliang! That morning, Hao Jian and Shu Ya were heading to the group's office together when they unexpectedly encountered an unwelcome guest on their way.Zhao Ziliang, still dressed to the nines, blocked their path in the middle of the road, cutting off their way. Hao Jian stuck his head out and shouted at Zhao Ziliang, "Good dogs don't block the way, move aside quickly, or I'll feed you a bone later!" Shu Ya didn't expect Zhao Ziliang to show up there; after all, everything had been made clear already, so why was Zhao Ziliang still pestering her? "Bastard!" Zhao Ziliang immediately got angry when he heard Hao Jian say that to him. With someone backing him up now, he wasn't afraid of Hao Jian at all and charged straight forward, giving Hao Jian's car a solid kick. With a loud bang, the headlight of Hao Jian's car shattered. "Zhao Ziliang, what the hell has gotten into you? I already said I don't like you, so why are you still bothering me?" Shu Ya was also furious, berating Zhao Ziliang. Who knew, Zhao Ziliang just gave Shu Ya a dismissive glance and sneered, "Don't be nervous, I've already lost interest in you, and I'm not here for you this time." Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire Shu Ya was taken aback for a moment. If he wasn't there for her, was he looking for Hao Jian? "You're looking for me?" Hao Jian was also taken aback. What did Zhao Ziliang want with him? "You're the one who beat up Zheng Fei, right?" Zhao Ziliang said with a sneer, looking at Hao Jian as if he were looking at a dead man. "Yes, I am. So what, you want to stand up for him? You're hardly qualified for that," Hao Jian said defiantly, completely unimpressed by Zhao Ziliang. If Zhao Ziliang wanted to stand up for Zheng Fei, that would just mean he was looking for trouble. "It's not me who wants to stand up for Zheng Fei, but someone else. You should know that Zheng Fei's master is Kong Xiaozhen," Zhao Ziliang said. At that, Hao Jian couldn't help but take notice. "You're one of Kong Xiaozhen's men?" "That's right, Young Master Kong is very angry right now, so he sent me to have a talk with you." Zhao Ziliang didn't deny it, as being one of Kong Xiaozhen's dogs allowed him to strut around Hua City like he owned the place, Zhao Ziliang was more than happy with the arrangement. "Have a talk? About what?" Hao Jian asked, aware that whatever Kong Xiaozhen wanted to discuss with him probably wasn't going to be good news. "Recently, Kong Xiaozhen has taken a keen interest in jewelry. He said if you give him fifty percent of the Shu Ya Group's shares, he will let bygones be bygones and not pursue the matter of you injuring Zheng Fei." S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Ziliang stood there with an air of arrogance, acting as if he was Kong Xiaozhen himself at that moment! In fact, Kong Xiaozhen's tone when he spoke was just as haughty and arrogant, Hearing Zhao Ziliang's words, Hao Jian couldn't help but burst out laughing. How incredibly arrogant that Kong Xiaozhen was. He was demanding a whopping fifty percent of the shares straight away, which was tantamount to asking for half of the group, and he was doing so with such a commanding tone, as if Hao Jian's life was already in his hands. And when she heard the name Kong Xiaozhen, Shu Ya's expression also turned a shade paler, knowing full well who Kong Xiaozhen was ¡ª an unrivaled power broker in Hua City, with a family that held significant status in Hua City and throughout Baiyue Province. How could Hao Jian have offended him? For Kong Xiaozhen to take down Hao Jian would be as easy as squashing an ant. "What are you laughing at?" Seeing Hao Jian's mocking smile, Zhao Ziliang instantly felt annoyed. How could this guy still manage to laugh? "It's nothing, I just find it funny that both you and Kong Xiaozhen are too full of yourselves, so I couldn't help but laugh." Hao Jian continued to laugh, his body shaking uncontrollably. "Fine, fine, fine, you still dare to spout such nonsense at this time, I see you won't shed tears until you see the coffin. Wait until I contact Kong Xiaozhen, and let's see how you die!" Zhao Ziliang said through clenched teeth, also harboring immense hatred toward Hao Jian. "Hao Jian, why don't we give our shares to Kong Xiaozhen?" However, just at that moment, Shu Ya unexpectedly spoke up. Once these words were spoken, both Hao Jian and Zhao Ziliang were stunned. But very quickly, Zhao Ziliang's face darkened like the bottom of a pot. Back when he pursued Shu Ya, she had always been indifferent to him. Now look, she was actively offering her company for a man. Zhao Ziliang felt jealous and furious, as if there were green horns growing out of his head. What the hell made this bumpkin better than himself? "What a joke! He demands fifty percent just by opening his mouth. The total shares we have together are only fifty percent. Isn't he asking us to hand over the entire group? There's no such good deal in the world!" Hao Jian would definitely not agree. Giving the shares to Kong Xiaozhen would be admitting his own fear, and wouldn't Kong Xiaozhen become even more arrogant then? Hao Jian's principle in dealing with matters was that he would rather take two knives to his shoulder than let an enemy gloat behind his back. But as for Shu Ya being willing to give up everything for him, Hao Jian was quite pleased. At least it proved that the current him held a different place in Shu Ya's heart. "Kong Xiaozhen said before he arrived that he only wants one of two things, either the shares of Shu Ya Group or your life. If you don't want to hand over the shares, then hand over your life!" Zhao Ziliang's eyes glinted with a venomous gleam. He too hoped that Hao Jian would reject the proposal so that Kong Xiaozhen would kill him. There were many who wanted Hao Jian dead, and Kong Xiaozhen just happened to be one of them. "Hao Jian, just give it to him. Money, once lost, can be earned back. But if you lose your life, you really lose everything," Shu Ya sighed. The group was important to her because it was filled with all her hard work, but compared to Hao Jian, it was still something she could sacrifice. "Not bad, at least there is someone sensible here. Hao Jian, hurry up and hand over the share rights, and then kowtow a few times to me, and I'll let bygones be bygones," Zhao Ziliang laughed loudly, appearing extremely pleased with himself. "You just said that Kong Xiaozhen is very angry because I hit Zheng Fei?" Hao Jian asked Zhao Ziliang. "Yes, did you really think you lowlife could lay a finger on Kong Xiaozhen's dog? You really don't know your own place," Zhao Ziliang said with contempt. In his view, Hao Jian's behavior was nothing but foolish. "Oh, is that so?" Hao Jian appeared thoughtful, then suddenly, without warning, he threw a punch, sending it straight into Zhao Ziliang's abdomen. "Whoa." Zhao Ziliang's body shook violently, a mouthful of fresh blood spraying out as he collapsed onto the ground like a mudslide. Shu Ya, witnessing this scene with an "O" shaped mouth, realized that Hao Jian had beaten Zhao Ziliang, the negotiator, and therefore there could be no possibility of reconciliation. Looking at Zhao Ziliang gasping on the ground, Hao Jian said with a smile, "Now, Kong Xiaozhen will be even angrier." Then, Hao Jian pulled Shu Ya into the car and, sticking his head out from inside the vehicle, he said to Zhao Ziliang, "I'm giving you ten seconds to get away from the front of my car, or I'm going to drive straight over you!" Chapter 253 Ceramic Reward! Zhao Ziliang's face turned completely white when he saw what was happening. He didn't know if Hao Jian was bluffing him, but intuition told him that it might be better not to try.Zhao Ziliang struggled to move his body, attempting to crawl away from the front of Hao Jian's car, his eyes flickering with hatred and resentment. But he had been beaten too badly by Hao Jian; not to mention standing up, even moving slightly was very difficult, and he could only slowly crawl away from the front of Hao Jian's car bit by bit. Watching this scene, Hao Jian counted very seriously: "One" "Ten!" Screech! Hao Jian directly started the sedan and drove over it. "Ahhhh. Bastard, bastard, ten seconds, what about the promised ten seconds, my... my legs!" Immediately after, the shrill screams of Zhao Ziliang in absolute agony were heard from behind. It wasn't long since Hao Jian had crippled Zheng Fei, and today he had crippled Zhao Ziliang as well. The car wheels rolled right over Zhao Ziliang's legs, and this assured that Zhao Ziliang would be crippled from then on. "What are you doing? Have you lost your mind? Are you not afraid he'll call the police?" Shu Ya glared at Hao Jian angrily. Hao Jian was way too reckless, wasn't he? There were cameras nearby. "It's useless, I have people in the police station!" Hao Jian replied with a wink and a smirk, clearly in a good mood. He had wanted to hit Zhao Ziliang for a long time, and had been holding back, but today Zhao Ziliang brought the trouble on himself, so he couldn't be blamed. "Even then, you can't just do whatever you want. Don't you know who Kong Xiaozhen is? If you beat up his man like this, he'll never let you off! What's the point of this, really? We could just give them the shares, why do you have to cause trouble?" Shu Ya sighed deeply. She didn't want anything else but for Hao Jian to be safe. Perhaps even Shu Ya herself hadn't noticed the subtle change in her heart at that moment. Hearing Shu Ya's advice, filled with deep concern, Hao Jian almost felt as if he had returned to his past lethal career. Back then, a girl had given him the same advice. "Don't worry, I know who Kong Xiaozhen is. If I dare to talk like this, it means I have a way to deal with him, so don't worry," Hao Jian reassured Shu Ya with a smile. "Really?" Shu Ya looked at him, half doubting. "Really, he can't kill me," Hao Jian said confidently. There were many who had wanted to kill him, what was Kong Xiaozhen compared to them? "Alright then, just be careful. If anything happens, you must tell me. Money can be earned again, but please don't let a moment of anger cost you your life," Shu Ya earnestly advised. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Oh, I need to ask for time off this afternoon; I'm going to the Chinese Medicine Hospital to teach." "No way!" "Why not?" "I know you want to see that little vixen!" "..." ... Despite everything, Hao Jian still went to class that afternoon. As soon as he entered the classroom, all the students stared at him. "What's with the staring? Do I have flowers on my face?" Hao Jian wondered. "Teacher, we all know what you did yesterday; you're incredible! Even a random ceramic piece you made is worth millions," one of the female students said excitedly. "Who's been running their mouth?" Hao Jian's face darkened. Everyone simultaneously looked at Zhao Yating. Seeing this, Zhao Yating also felt a bit guilty, "It's a good thing, what's there to fear about others knowing." "Teacher, why don't you make me a ceramic too? I'd never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of my life!" a male student said excitedly. "Teacher, I want one too." "Me too." The students began to clamor. "Okay, but only if your end-of-semester grades are all A's or better. Only those who achieve this will get pottery made by me," Hao Jian chuckled. "No problem!" Luo Tong snorted with fiery determination. There's a saying that great rewards bring out brave men, and for the sake of that invaluable pottery, he was all in! "Teacher, I don't want pottery, I want to kiss you." One of the girls looked at Hao Jian with fangirl eyes. "What are you saying, I'm a professional teacher with ethics, I never engage in inappropriate relationships like student-teacher romances. However, I must commend your courage in expressing love, and most importantly, your taste is quite admirable. I really appreciate you, hahaha," Hao Jian laughed narcissistically. Everyone else laughed along. Afterward, Hao Jian continued with the lesson, but halfway through, he noticed something unusual among the students. Hao Jian could hardly contain his laughter: "Principal, what are you doing here?" Du Yuelin was earnestly taking notes with a notebook and pen, just like a student. Hearing Hao Jian's question, he felt a bit embarrassed: "Well, I found your class quite impressive, so I decided to come and learn from you." Everything Hao Jian talked about was new to him, something he had never seen or heard of before. Had it not been for Hao Jian's lessons, he wouldn't have known Traditional Chinese Medicine had such methods. After all, learning never ends, and he couldn't miss this great opportunity. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Teacher, I think it's because your class is so unique that even the principal couldn't help but come and listen," Zhao Yating said with a smile. "That's the idea." Du Yuelin quickly nodded in agreement; he felt like bowing down on his knees to Hao Jian after the class, and if not for his pride, he really would have wished to take Hao Jian as his master. "Okay, but next time you come, give me a heads up first. Suddenly popping out like that really startled me." "Sure, sure, I'll do that," Du Yuelin quickly nodded in agreement. After teaching two class sessions, it was time for physical education, but since the PE teacher was on leave today, Hao Jian had to take over the class. However, as soon as the class started, Hao Jian said, "Alright, you're all dismissed." "Really, Teacher? Is this how you're going to conduct PE class?" Zhao Yating couldn't help but feel amused; this seemed too casual, wasn't there at least some pretense to maintain? "Otherwise, how should it be done?" Hao Jian curiously asked, as he had never taught a PE class before. "You should at least have us run a few laps and then let us go, right? That's what the other PE teachers did," Luo Tong chimed in. "Do you guys want to run?" Hao Jian asked. "No," everyone shook their heads in unison. "There you have it. So why all the fuss? Go on, go play, and don't disturb me while I take a nap." Hao Jian laid down on a quiet patch of grass, covered his face with a book, and went off to play chess with Duke Zhou. Zhao Yating and the others were at a loss for words, not knowing what to make of such a carefree teacher. "Zhao Yating, shall we play badminton?" a girl suggested. "Sure, let's go get the shuttlecocks from the equipment room," Zhao Yating nodded, and then she and a few girls headed to the equipment room. Since it was the start of the new academic year, the freshmen were still undergoing military training. At that time, two military instructors who had arranged for the students to rest were chatting leisurely. When they saw Zhao Yating passing by, both couldn't help but have sparks light up in their eyes. Chapter 254 The Perverted Instructor! "Damn, this chick is really hot," one of the skinny, dark-skinned instructors said with a wicked look in his eyes as they roamed over Zhao Yating's body."Yeah, yeah, look at that body, I bet she's an E!" another tall, muscular buzz-cut instructor commented. "Bullshit E, with my years of studying women, I'd say she's at least an F!" the skinny, dark-skinned instructor stated confidently. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Both burst into a very vulgar laughter. "Then go for it, what are you scared of? We're all instructors here. If the school makes a fuss, we'll just say it was an accident. They have no proof, they can't do anything to us," the skinny, dark-skinned instructor said with a sneer. "Really going for it?" the buzz-cut instructor seemed tempted, considering there wouldn't be any consequences. "Like it or not, I'm going in for some fun," the skinny, dark-skinned instructor said, and he couldn't wait to approach her. Zhao Yating and her friends had not yet realized the danger that was approaching, as they were just coming out of the equipment room. As soon as Zhao Yating came out, she saw two instructors heading toward her with strange expressions and gazes that didn't feel right. The buzz-cut instructor and the skinny, dark-skinned instructor passed by Zhao Yating from both sides and, just as they brushed past her, suddenly reached out their sinister hands. "Ah!" Zhao Yating screamed in fright, quickly dodging to avoid their groping hands. "What's wrong, Zhao Yating?" Zhao Yating's classmates were stunned by her scream. "They tried to touch my breast!" Zhao Yating exclaimed with a flushed face, pointing at the two instructors. The female students looked over at the two instructors, their expressions growing strange as well. "What are you talking about, who touched your breast? We are instructors, how could we do such a thing?" The two instructors laughed mockingly, denying with their words, but their expressions clearly said: I did it, so what? Come at me if you dare. However, the two felt a bit regretful; the girl was too quick, and she had managed to avoid them! "You dare to take advantage of students, and you call yourselves instructors?" Zhao Yating shouted angrily. She was absolutely sure of it; as they passed by, they definitely tried to grab her breast, and if she hadn't reacted quickly, they would have definitely taken advantage of her. "Exactly, we're going to report you to the principal, just you wait!" the female students were outraged. "Go ahead, go, just try and see if you have any proof! Words alone are not proof. Even if we did do it, what can you do to us without evidence?" The two instructors said brazenly, already scheming on how they could try again. "You are shameless!" Zhao Yating cried bitterly, having never been treated like this before. And the ones bullying her weren't just any perverts, but the instructors she had always admired, which made it even harder for her to bear. "So what if we are shameless? Having such big breasts and not letting us touch, do you think you are justified?" the two instructors sneered, using a phrase they had learned from the internet recently. The statement was already despicable, and combined with their shameless demeanor, it was utterly reprehensible. "Yeah, being a college student and having such a perverted body, I bet you're not a good girl at all, probably turned into a 'black fungus' already, huh?" another instructor chimed in. Yating was trembling with anger. These words were more explicit and irritating than those of a hooligan. It wasn't like she wanted her body to be this way; it was a genetic issue she had no control over, and the term 'black fungus' infuriated Yating so much that her fingernails dug into her flesh. She was still a virgin, yet the two instructors insulted her, branding her as a slut everyone could have, which was a severe insult to her dignity. "Stop pretending to be pure. I've seen many girls like you, green tea bitches, hanging on to rich old men, sleeping with them. Your body's probably filthy, a touch shouldn't be a big deal for you, right?" the skinny instructor scoffed. "But can those old guys really satisfy you? I doubt it. They're no match for us strong men. If you have such needs, just come to us, we'll make it unforgettable for you," the buzz cut instructor winked and said to Yating. "Go to hell!" Yating threw a badminton shuttlecock at them, but they slapped it away with a smack. "What's the matter?" Just then, Luo Tong and Zhang Jia, along with other boys, came over, frowning as they looked at Yating and the two instructors. They had come to the equipment room to get a basketball but had heard Yating arguing from afar and were puzzled by it. "Little brats, this is none of your business, get lost!" the skinny instructor said impatiently, not taking these yellow-haired kids seriously. "They were trying to molest Yating and insulted her by calling her a green tea bitch!" a girl shouted loudly. At this point, Yating had already started crying out of injustice. Hearing that Yating, the class belle, was insulted, Luo Tong and the others couldn't stand it anymore, glaring at the instructors they demanded, "Is this true?" "Whether it's true or not, what the fuck does it have to do with your mother? You think you can play hero? Believe it or not, I'll beat you so bad your own mother won't recognize you?" The skinny instructor lost his patience and snapped the badminton racket in half, throwing it to the ground with a fierce look in his eyes at Luo Tong and the others. "Fuck! Brothers, let's do it!" Luo Tong also got angry, shouted, and then signaled Zhang Jia and the others to join in. Seven or eight boys rushed towards the two men. Naively thinking that their numerical advantage would give them a slight edge, but the reality was, soon they were beaten up brutally by the two instructors. Sneering and cursing, the skinny instructor said, "Damn, if I don't make you kids obedient today, I'll lick your shoes!" At this moment, the buzz cut instructor had already pinned down Luo Tong, the big guy, under his feet: "Big guy, think you're tough? I'll kill you!" Luo Tong and the rest had awkward expressions, originally intending to stand up for Yating, but they ended up being beaten up instead. Although these two were shameless, they were still elite in the military, handling seven or eight little hoodlums was nothing for them. That's why they were assigned to be instructors in a university. "Stop it!" Seeing Luo Tong and the others being beaten, Yating panicked, hastily shouting at the two men. "Stop? Sure, just let us grab your breasts one more time!" The two instructors laughed loudly, and at that moment, their laughter was the most grating sound in the whole place. Chapter 255 Youre fine, I have something to do! Zhao Yating's face was grave as she said to a girl beside her, "Go find the teacher!"The girl nodded and ran off. Zhao Yating shouted at the two men, "My classmate has already gone to get the teacher. Don't say I didn't warn you, my teacher is no ordinary person. If you don't stop now, once he gets here, he'll definitely beat you until you're on the ground looking for your teeth!" "Heh, who are you trying to fool? Let him come, I'll beat him so badly he'll cry for his mommy and daddy!" the skinny, dark instructor said rudely. "Swoosh." A sudden sound of something cutting through the wind arose. Then a stone landed firmly on the skinny, dark instructor's face, breaking his lips and knocking out his teeth, literally sending him searching for teeth on the ground. "Who? ***** come out here!" the skinny, dark instructor roared with rage, unbelieving that he had been attacked by surprise. "Swoosh." Another rock flew out, hitting the skinny, dark instructor on the forehead, flipping him over, and then he crashed to the ground with blood gushing out. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The crew-cut instructor was stunned. When had the opponent started throwing stones? They couldn't see at all. "**** your grandmother, what are you standing around stunned for? Find the bastard who's attacking us from the shadows!" the skinny, dark instructor was furious and shouted at his companion. "Oh, oh." The crew-cut instructor nodded and prepared to look for the attacker. "Swoosh swoosh swoosh." This time, three stones hit the crew-cut instructor in quick succession, causing his head to bleed, and then the stones fell like rain. "Run for it!" The two men were terrified and scurried away, clutching their heads. The ones who had claimed they would make others cry for their parents were now the ones crying for their parents. Zhao Yating and the others were at a loss, not understanding what had just happened. It was only when Hao Jian showed his face that they finally understood¡ªit was Hao Jian who had stealthily thrown the stones. "Are you okay?" Hao Jian asked Zhao Yating. "I'm fine," Zhao Yating shook her head. "You okay?" Hao Jian asked Luo Tong again. Luo Tong, still staggering, stood up and said loudly, "I'm fine!" "And you? Are you okay?" Hao Jian then asked Zhang Jia. "I'm fine, too," Zhang Jia replied. Then Hao Jian's face fell, and pointing to his own nose he said, "You're fine, but I have a problem." Assaulting military personnel, that's a serious crime! "So, I'm going to leave now. Don't contact me later. If I get caught, don't sell me out. Just say it was all you," he said. Hao Jian grabbed his clothes and books and dashed off, leaving everyone looking at each other in confusion. Hao Jian went back to the office to pack up his stuff and make a getaway. He knew people at the police station, but he didn't know anyone in the military. Just as he arrived at the school gates, he saw a handsome, refined-looking man leaning against a black BMW, smiling at him. The man had long hair tied back with a rubber band, his eyes always twinkling with mirth, yet within that mirth shone the glint of blades. His thin lips moved slightly, exuding an air of unruly arrogance that seemed to say he looked down on the world. He seemed to like black a lot, so he was dressed all in black: black suit, black trousers, black belt, black leather shoes. But unquestionably, this style suited him well, making him appear even more mysterious; the girls passing by were all dazzled, as if they couldn't keep walking. Hao Jian was certain he didn't know this person, but the man smiled at him, indicating he knew him. So, with a heart full of suspicion, Hao Jian walked towards the man and asked, "Do you know me?" "My name is Kong Xiaozhen, so do you think I should know you?" Kong Xiaozhen kept his smile, sizing up Hao Jian from head to toe. He was curious what kind of man dared to defy his will and embarrass him. Clearly, Kong Xiaozhen also knew about Zhao Ziliang's crippling incident. To Kong Xiaozhen, Hao Jian's actions were undoubtedly a provocation, so he came. "To be honest, I'm quite surprised." Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire Hao Jian also smiled, but his expression didn't show too much surprise. He knew Kong Xiaozhen would come for him, but what he didn't expect was for Kong Xiaozhen to come in person. "Surprised I came to see you myself, right? I just wanted to see what kind of man, who dares to slap my face repeatedly, is like." Kong Xiaozhen's eyes narrowed as he looked at Hao Jian. No sooner had he spoken than there was movement from a few other cars; Zhao Ziliang and Zheng Fei were both wheeled out, both sitting in wheelchairs. "I want you dead! I'll make sure you die!" Zhao Ziliang yelled frantically, his eyes bloodshot, filled with endless hatred toward Hao Jian. The doctors had diagnosed him; the muscles in his legs were practically all necrotic, requiring full amputation, meaning he would have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Thus, Zhao Ziliang's hatred for Hao Jian was not without reason. Zheng Fei, although silent, had eyes sharp enough to kill, clearly conveying everything. Hao Jian glanced at Zhao Ziliang, sighed, then after a few steps run-up, kicked right at Zhao Ziliang's face, sending him and his wheelchair flying, before walking back sulkily. "What are you doing?" Kong Xiaozhen asked with a smile, though his smile had grown colder. Because right in front of him, Hao Jian dared to hit his dog; as the saying goes, to beat the dog is to provoke the owner. Now, Hao Jian's action was a direct challenge to him! "He was too noisy, blabbering everywhere and losing your face, so I took the liberty of disciplining him for you." Hao Jian nodded seriously at Kong Xiaozhen, looking as if he was thinking 'I'm only considering your reputation.' Kong Xiaozhen laughed with exasperation: "You really are an interesting person." Kong Xiaozhen said he was interesting, but everyone knew, in fact, it was not interesting at all. Hao Jian shyly glanced at Kong Xiaozhen: "If you got to know me, you would find I'm not just interesting. I'm also quite handsome!" "..." Kong Xiaozhen pulled himself back from his momentary astonishment and asked with a thin smile, "What do you think about the conditions I mentioned today?" "Oh, the matter about shares? Fifty percent is too much, how about a little less?" Hao Jian said. "Less? How much less?" Kong Xiaozhen wanted to laugh but couldn't. Was Hao Jian really still haggling with him at a time like this? Didn't he realize how significant the words 'Young Master Kong' were? "Forty-nine point five percent, I'll give you point five percent. How about that? Generous, right!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, as if he himself was Master Kuo. And hearing this, Kong Xiaozhen's smile became rigid, his face slowly exuding a murderous aura. Fifty percent was what he demanded, and zero point five percent seemed more like charity from Hao Jian, given Kong Xiaozhen's proud character; would he possibly accept it? "Are you playing with me?" Kong Xiaozhen watched Hao Jian, smiling without any humor. "What, not enough for you? It's not too little, point five percent is still worth a few million," Hao Jian said with a smile. Chapter 256 Tit for Tat! Millions are not a small sum, but the issue is, Kong Xiaozhen is asking for tens of billions!"Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?" Kong Xiaozhen's face turned completely cold and as his words fell, another young man who was about the same age as Kong Xiaozhen stepped out of the black sedan. He stood tall and straight, with sword-like brows and starry eyes, dressed in a Tai Chi robe, and looked utterly majestic. This young man was clearly a Martial Artist, surrounded by invisible Qi swirling around him like a dragon. "A person from the Taoist Sect?" Hao Jian recognized the origins of the young man at a glance. Sun Jian and Kong Xiaozhen, upon seeing that Hao Jian could instantly recognize his background, were both stunned. Knowing about the Taoist Sect, could this guy be not an ordinary person? Is he also from Jianghu? "You know of the Taoist Sect? How did you know I am from the Taoist Sect?" Sun Jian asked in surprise. "You are wearing the robes of the Taoist Sect, and the Vigorous Qi emanating is a characteristic of Taoist Sect's techniques," Hao Jian said with a smile, but his eyes swept coldly over Sun Jian: "However, with your level, you couldn't kill me. Let your Sect Leader come instead!" "You are courting death!" Enraged, Sun Jian was one of the most distinguished disciples of the Taoist Sect, whose strength surpassed all other disciples. That was why Kong Xiaozhen had chosen him as his personal bodyguard, and now Hao Jian dared to insult him as not being qualified? "Whoosh!" With a flick of Sun Jian's hand, a shining Soft Sword appeared in his grasp, his expression fierce, ready to strike Hao Jian down with a command. He had never been insulted like this his whole life. To say he wasn't good enough, Sun Jian wanted to see who Hao Jian exactly was, daring to speak to him in such a manner. At that moment, Zhao Yating, along with Luo Tong and others, had just walked out from the school, planning to visit the nearby hospital when they saw Kong Xiaozhen and others confronting Hao Jian with drawn swords and knives out. "What are you trying to do to Teacher Hao?" Zhao Yating stepped out the first, blocking in front of Hao Jian. And Luo Tong's eyes also glared sharply at Kong Xiaozhen and Sun Jian. Kong Xiaozhen watched Hao Jian with interest, "You are also a teacher?" "A hobby of mine," Hao Jian replied indifferently, a bad feeling in his heart. He didn't want Kong Xiaozhen to know about his relationship with the students because no one could guarantee that Kong Xiaozhen wouldn't retaliate against them. "It seems you hold quite a status among these students." Kong Xiaozhen smirked playfully; he could tell that Hao Jian was a tough nut to crack and these students might just be his weak spot. Hao Jian remained silent but watched Kong Xiaozhen. "How about this? Come work for me and I promise not to touch Shu Ya Group," Kong Xiaozhen proposed. He was now greatly interested in Hao Jian; Hao Jian's daring to insult Sun Jian like that indicated he definitely had significant strength, and most likely a strength surpassing that of Sun Jian. Upon hearing Kong Xiaozhen say this, Sun Jian's expression grew deeply troubled. Wasn't Kong Xiaozhen's attitude indicating that he was inferior to Hao Jian? Otherwise, Kong Xiaozhen wouldn't offer an olive branch to Hao Jian right in front of him, especially after such an insult. "What if I say no?" Hao Jian asked with a cold chuckle. "If no, Shu Ya Group will certainly be devoured by me, and your students will also meet with bizarre accidents, like missing arms or legs," Kong Xiaozhen's smile disappeared, his face covered with frost. Upon hearing this, Zhao Yating and the others couldn't help but change their expressions. Was Kong Xiaozhen threatening them? "Can't touch me, so you go after my students? That's truly despicable." Hao Jian also helplessly laughed, then with a smiling gaze turned towards Kong Xiaozhen, "Are you not afraid that I might kill you?" "You certainly could do that, but if you did, my family would still kill your students," Kong Xiaozhen maintained his confident smile, knowing Hao Jian had no reason to refuse him. "What the fuck do you think you are?" Luo Tong, who had a fiery temper, couldn't contain himself at this provocation, directly shouting as he glared at Kong Xiaozhen, ready to fight. Kong Xiaozhen glanced at Luo Tong indifferently, then looked away, showing extreme contempt by not even bothering to engage in conversation. "Damn it, I'm talking to you! Did you hear me?" Luo Tong, seeing this, became even more furious, stepping forward to close in on Kong Xiaozhen. At this moment, Sun Jian also stepped forward, his face expressionless, and said, "Don't come any closer!" This was a warning, but also a threat. But Luo Tong did not take him seriously at all, angrily shouting, "Get out of the way!" At the same time, he reached out to grab Sun Jian. Sun Jian didn't speak but drew his sword instead. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire The soft sword made a whistling sound, trembling like a long snake as it thrust directly towards Luo Tong's throat. Luo Tong's pupils dilated in a flash due to the danger, already feeling a chill on his neck. And just then, Luo Tong felt his body suddenly lift off the ground, and before he could figure out what was happening, Hao Jian had already pulled him back. Sun Jian's sword missed its target. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing this, Sun Jian felt annoyed and lunged forward again, his soft sword sweeping out once more. Hao Jian's face turned cold. He quickly pushed the terrified Luo Tong's head down, and Sun Jian's sword ended up cutting through a nearby streetlight, severely damaging it. Seeing this, Zhao Yating and the others couldn't help but gasp. The streetlight was severed so effortlessly; what would happen if it hit a person? Would it not behead them? These people were not joking around; they really intended to kill. At this moment, Kong Xiaozhen also showed a hint of admiration in his eyes; he had not misjudged the man. This fellow was no ordinary person, no wonder he was so arrogant. Impressive people indeed have short tempers! After failing to kill Luo Tong with two strikes, Sun Jian became thoroughly infuriated. His sword moves were like a sudden violent storm, crazily slashing towards Hao Jian. But Hao Jian remained calm and composed, not only easily dodging Sun Jian's sword moves but also taking care of Luo Tong beside him. "Is this never going to end?" Hao Jian finally lost his patience, sending a slap flying. His slap might have appeared ordinary, but it was extremely cunning and both fast and fierce. Sun Jian had no time to react before he was sent sprawling with a slap. Kong Xiaozhen's subordinates were all dumbfounded. They were well aware of Sun Jian's capabilities, yet he couldn't parry even one move against Hao Jian? At this moment, Kong Xiaozhen also made up his mind that he must recruit Hao Jian under his command; such a man should work for him. "I told you you were not up to par, but you just wouldn't believe it," Hao Jian sneered as he looked at Sun Jian. Sun Jian's expression was extremely awkward, especially being humiliated in this way in front of his own master because it meant he was incompetent, a useless rubbish. Chapter 257 Do You Have a Girlfriend? Hao Jian completely shattered the dignity he had been building all along.Defeated with a single blow, this was a great insult to him. Hao Jian looked at Kong Xiaozhen, "This dog of yours, not very impressive, huh?" Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire "That's why I wanted to recruit you under my command," Kong Xiaozhen said with a smile. "Sorry, I'm not interested in being anyone's dog." Kong Xiaozhen still had no authority to command him. "I can offer you many unexpected benefits." By then, Kong Xiaozhen had already given up on acquiring the Shu Ya Group because the value of Hao Jian alone was worth ten Shu Ya Groups. "Such as?" "Power, status, fame, and women." "I had power and status a long time ago, but I have already abandoned them. Fame and fortune don't interest me, and as for women... Do you think someone as handsome as I am lacks for women?" Hao Jian said, curling his lip. Kong Xiaozhen's eyes narrowed, his eyebrows furrowed, and he gave a frustrated sneer, "So, you're saying there's nothing to discuss?" "Swish!" The next instant, Hao Jian appeared in front of Kong Xiaozhen, grabbed his throat with one hand, and lifted him into the air. Kong Xiaozhen's face instantly turned red due to suffocation, and he glared at Hao Jian both nervously and angrily, outraged at being insulted like this! "Let go of the Young Master!" Sun Jian immediately stepped forward. "Scram!" Hao Jian said without turning his head, and with a rear kick, sent Sun Jian flying away. The bodyguards turned pale at the scene, while Zhao Ziliang and Zheng Fei quickly pushed their wheelchairs back, fearing they might be next. Hao Jian, his face a grim shade of iron, looked at Kong Xiaozhen, "Do you know how much I hate being threatened?" Kong Xiaozhen didn't speak but just looked coldly at Hao Jian. He had his own pride and absolutely refused to back down. For an heir apparent like Kong Xiaozhen, representing not just himself but his entire family, he could lose anything but face. "If you dare touch my student, I will kill you first, then flatten the Kong Family. If you think I can't do it, go ahead and try!" Hao Jian threw Kong Xiaozhen aside, and Kong Xiaozhen landed hard on the ground. Kong Xiaozhen, covered in dirt and coughing, looked extremely disheveled. But Kong Xiaozhen still refused to give up, looking intently at Hao Jian, "So, you really won't consider it?" "If you want me to work for you, first get rid of the Martial Evil Hall for me," Hao Jian scoffed, knowing that of all forces, the Martial Evil Hall posed the greatest threat to him. "Are you joking? Do you not know who stands behind the Martial Evil Hall? Asking me to move against the Martial Evil Hall is like asking me to make a formidable enemy for the Kong Family!" Naturally, Kong Xiaozhen couldn't agree to it, due to the backing behind the Martial Evil Hall which even his family feared. He merely wanted to employ the expert Hao Jian as his bodyguard, adding an extra layer of protection for himself. Naturally, Kong Xiaozhen would not personally undertake risky ventures for Hao Jian. "Then there's nothing more to discuss. Take your people and get out," Hao Jian said emotionlessly. Without a word, Kong Xiaozhen stood up, his expression grim. Today had been a major embarrassment for him. As Sun Jian passed by Hao Jian, he glared at him fiercely. "The Taoist Sect won't let this slide!" Hao Jian curled his lips and ignored him. The mere Taoist Sect, a third-rate force, was nothing to be afraid of. When Kong Xiaozhen and others had left, Zhao Yating and her group approached with some fear. One of the girls cautiously asked: "Teacher, who were those people just now? How dare they kill someone in the street like that? It's just lawlessness." "I don't know, but they're definitely not good people. If they really come to bother you, you must notify me immediately. Understand?" Hao Jian said seriously to the students. He also didn't know whether his warning to Kong Xiaozhen would work. If Kong Xiaozhen didn't take it seriously, then these students would be in danger. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Young Master, are we just going to let this go?" On the way back, Sun Jian asked Kong Xiaozhen. "Am I, Kong Xiaozhen, someone to be bullied?" Kong Xiaozhen said indifferently, looking at Sun Jian. Sun Jian then understood Kong Xiaozhen's meaning, and couldn't help but feel secretly thrilled. If Hao Jian dared to bully Kong Xiaozhen today, then Kong Xiaozhen would surely retaliate tomorrow. Kong Xiaozhen's eyes were sharp as knives, and he sinisterly said, "Since he doesn't want to submit to me, let him die by my hand!" Such talent, if he could not possess it, he absolutely wouldn't let anyone else have it either! . "Teacher, can I go home with you tonight?" After school, Hao Jian, who had planned to go home, unexpectedly encountered Zhao Yating. Zhao Yating was dressed in sportswear, the tight outfit accentuating her full, rounded bust, and she wore a sports mini skirt that made her look youthful and radiant yet also more seductive. Zhao Yating looked somewhat shy, because today's outfit was carefully chosen, and the purpose was clearly obvious. Hao Jian couldn't help but swallow, Zhao Yating's shapely, bare legs were right in front of him, impossible to ignore. Feeling Hao Jian's intense gaze, Zhao Yating also felt a bit embarrassed, but at the same time, she was pleased. It took a good while for Hao Jian to snap out of his shock, then asked, "Well, don't we live in different directions?" He knew well, Zhao Yating's home was in the Eastern Suburb, while his own was in the Southern Suburb, a long way off. "I just happen to have some business in the Southern Suburb," Zhao Yating explained, sounding a bit guilty. "I see, well, okay then." Hao Jian nodded and then walked to the driver's seat. Zhao Yating inwardly shouted "YES!" and hurriedly walked to the passenger seat. "Teacher, thank you for today. If it weren't for you, those two perverted instructors would have bullied me to death," Zhao Yating said, feigning fragility, having heard that appearing delicate and weak could arouse a man's protective instincts. Hao Jian grunted in response and said, "Those two guys probably won't let it go just like that. Be careful at school, and if they harass you again, remember to be alert." "I will. By the way, teacher, who were those people who came to find you today? They seemed quite fierce," Zhao Yating asked, wanting to know more about Hao Jian. But Hao Jian clearly didn't want to talk about it and only said lightly, "It's nothing, just a bunch of bad guys." "Oh, okay then." Zhao Yating said, a bit disappointed, but she didn't press further. "Teacher, do you have a girlfriend?" Zhao Yating suddenly asked nervously. "No, why do you ask?" Hao Jian looked at Zhao Yating puzzledly. Chapter 258 Ill Run Over You, You Despicable Couple! "It's nothing, just asking casually," Zhao Yating's heart leaped with joy¡ªno girlfriend? Fantastic!But Hao Jian's next words were, "However, I have a fianc¨¦e, and we'll be getting married soon!" Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Fianc¨¦e?!" Zhao Yating's expression instantly petrified, as if struck by a bolt from the blue. "Yeah, a fianc¨¦e." Hao Jian smiled and nodded; for some reason, he always felt like smiling when he thought of Shu Ya. "It's over. It's all over." Zhao Yating turned ashen; she had been too slow to make a move. "Hm? What's over?" "Nothing's over." Zhao Yating shook her head, her expression darkening, "Leave me alone. I just want to be 'Jingjing' right now, and don't ask who Jingjing is." Hao Jian shrugged, thinking to himself: Teenagers are such a hassle, utterly inscrutable. As Hao Jian was driving along, he suddenly heard a loud crash from behind, and the whole car jerked, causing Hao Jian and Zhao Yating to lurch forward. "Damn Shuishui to hell." Hao Jian cursed, knowing instantly it was a rear-end collision. He pushed open the car door and saw his car's rear end was smashed in. He glanced at the driver behind him and burst out cursing, "You little wench, are you insane?" "I wish I could run over you, you adulterous ***!" Che Xiaoxiao flipped Hao Jian the bird, clearly incensed. At that moment, Zhao Yating also got out of the car, and upon seeing Che Xiaoxiao, she too was stunned, "Che Xiaoxiao? What are you doing here? And why did you ram into our car?" "I rammed into you, deceivers! Sneaking around behind my back, adulterers. Spill it! Where were you going? Were you going to a hotel?" Che Xiaoxiao bellowed in rage. She had seen Hao Jian and Zhao Yating at a red light earlier, laughing and chatting inside the car, which infuriated Che Xiaoxiao, her anger skyrocketing. "Go to hell with your nonsense. I'm a teacher, how could I do such a thing?" Hao Jian said sternly, rabbits don't eat the grass by their own burrows, so how could he lay a hand on his own student? "Teacher, if it's done, it's done. What's there to fear in admitting it?" And then, Zhao Yating embraced one of Hao Jian's arms and stared provocatively at Che Xiaoxiao. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire She was in a terrible mood already, so now that Che Xiaoxiao had shown up, why not let her vent her frustrations? "Stop it," Hao Jian said, trying forcefully to shake off Zhao Yating's hands, but she clung to him like a conjoined twin, steadfast in her grip. "I'll ram you, you adulterous couple!" Che Xiaoxiao, still seething with rage, pressed the accelerator and rammed the car again. Hao Jian's car was a complete wreck at the rear. Hao Jian's nose was almost crooked with anger as he pointed at Che Xiaoxiao, "You little wench, I'll spank your backside till it's bruised!" "Go on, try to hit me, and I'll have my mom arrest you!" Che Xiaoxiao snorted, clearly unafraid of Hao Jian's threat. "Pay up!" "I won't pay!" "If you don't, I'm calling the traffic department right now. You don't have a driver's license, do you? How many years can you get for driving without a license? Che Xiaoxiao, you're of age, aren't you? That means you should be criminally liable, right?" Hao Jian said with a sinister chuckle. "You bastard!" Che Xiaoxiao shook with fury. "If you dare call the police, I'll make the story of you taking Zhao Yating to a hotel public, expose to the whole school that Hao Jian has a facade of a human but the heart of a beast, a complete moral degenerate!" Che Xiaoxiao was ready to go down fighting, a case of love and hate entwined¡ªwell, who was she afraid of? "Don't spout nonsense. I didn't take her to a hotel!" Hao Jian's face was green with anger; Che Xiaoxiao was maliciously slandering him. "If you weren't going to a hotel, then where were you off to? To watch the sunset?" Che Xiaoxiao mocked; Hao Jian's explanation had no persuasive power at all. Chapter 259 Deliver the Express! "What about you? Skipping school all day long, where the hell have you been messing around?" Hao Jian said irately."Who's messing around? I've been working for my mom these past few days, and now I have to deliver a package to a government department for her!" Che Xiaoxiao immediately retorted, sounding like she was accused of always causing trouble. "Ha, the sun must have risen from the west then." Hao Jian chuckled. "Go fuck yourself!" Che Xiaoxiao swore bluntly. "You dare curse at me?" Hao Jian's nose was practically crooked with rage. "So what if I curse at you? I'd even hit you!" Che Xiaoxiao picked up a water bottle and hurled it at Hao Jian. For some reason, seeing Hao Jian and Zhao Yating together made her feel as though she had been betrayed. "I can't be bothered with you!" Hao Jian decided to leave. Seriously, if I can't provoke her, can't I at least avoid her? "Don't you dare walk away!" But Che Xiaoxiao pushed the car door open and stepped out. "What's wrong now, Gu Shuishui?" Hao Jian was utterly speechless. Was Che Xiaoxiao determined not to stop until she had tormented him to death? "I've lost my way, take me there," Che Xiaoxiao said. Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire Her car didn't have GPS navigation, and with the road being so rugged, she didn't know which way to go. It was getting dark, and if she couldn't find the place soon, the people there would be off work. "I'm not going." Hao Jian flatly refused. Damn it, after she had smashed his car like that, she still expected him to lead the way for her? Dream on! "Then I'll go back to school and badmouth you!" Che Xiaoxiao threatened. "Who are you calling a *****?" Hearing Che Xiaoxiao speak of her that way, Zhao Yating was immediately displeased. What she hated most was when people talked about her figure. She didn't need to rely on her body to showcase herself; she had a decent temperament and cultivation, as well as a superior appearance. But she was constantly forced to be judged by her body. "I'm talking about you, big buffalo!" Che Xiaoxiao huffed. Now, Zhao Yating was becoming more and more of an eyesore. Taking advantage of her absence from school these few days, she went and seduced Hao Jian. Disgusting! "Teacher, she's insulting me!" Zhao Yating pointed at Che Xiaoxiao, fuming. "Wowee, daring to seek help. Are you expecting Hao Jian to be afraid of you?" Che Xiaoxiao scoffed and ordered Hao Jian, "Hao Jian, lead the way, help me with the delivery." "Teacher, we're not going, we've got other things to do," Zhao Yating whispered to Hao Jian. "Other things to do?" Che Xiaoxiao's brows twitched, and she instantly got angry: "No way! Otherwise, I'll call the cops and report you two for having an improper relationship!" "Enough already, stop it, where do you want to go?" Hao Jian really couldn't stand these two girls. He now just wanted to quickly take Che Xiaoxiao to her destination and then hurry to drop off Zhao Yating at hers. If they continued to cause trouble, there was no telling what else would happen. Just the car being smashed up was going to give him enough grief when he got back; Shu Ya would have a million questions. "The Military Discipline Department. Do you know where it is?" Che Xiaoxiao asked. Her mother had instructed her to deliver something to a minister at the Military Discipline Department. "I know. I'll lead in front, you follow behind," Hao Jian said before getting into the car. Zhao Yating stuck her tongue out at Che Xiaoxiao and also hurried into the car. Seeing Zhao Yating and Hao Jian in the same car, Che Xiaoxiao felt extremely upset. Damn it, if only she had known, she wouldn't have driven out today. Then Hao Jian led the way, and in less than half an hour, they arrived at the Military Discipline Department, where they could see a guard on duty from afar, carrying an assault rifle and looking every bit the embodiment of integrity. While blowing bubbles, Che Xiaoxiao walked over, playing with her hair, and asked, "Hey soldier, is Minister Lin inside?" "Who are you? What do you want with him?" The guard didn't relax at all because Che Xiaoxiao was pretty, and he looked at her with a solemn expression. "My name's Xiaoxiao, and I don't personally know your minister. It's my mom who asked me to deliver something to him. Could you see if it's convenient for him to come out and get it?" Che Xiaoxiao looked innocently at the guard. "I haven't been informed of anyone bringing in a delivery or anything, so I can't let you in," the guard shook his head. Anyone wanting to see the high-ups inside had to schedule an appointment in advance. Even receiving a courier package required prior notice. If there was no notification, they would refuse to accept anything, because no one knew what was packed inside. What if it was a bomb? Delivering that to the leaders would be a grave mistake. "Then you help me bring it inside," Che Xiaoxiao suggested. "No can do. I'm on duty and can't leave my post. You'll have to get in touch with Minister Lin yourself," the guard said, unyieldingly. "Hey soldier, please help me out. It wasn't easy for me to find this place, and I don't have Minister Lin's number. If I can't reach him, then I've come all this way for nothing," Che Xiaoxiao pleaded with a hint of coquettishness. Usually, this tactic worked like a charm, but not this time. Upon hearing this, the guard's expression suddenly became stern and he said, "Don't pull these tricks on me. I've already said no, so leave now!" "For fuck's sake! You're just a doorman, what's so great about you? Maybe there's dog food inside this package. Aren't you going to take a look?" Che Xiaoxiao finally lost her temper; her sweet, coquettish trick had actually failed? The guard looked at Che Xiaoxiao dumbfounded: "Are you calling me a doorman's dog?" Only dogs eat dog food, and since Che Xiaoxiao had called him a doorman, didn't that add up to a doorman's dog? S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The guard was angry too and aimed his rifle at Che Xiaoxiao: "Get lost now! Otherwise, I'll treat you as a suspect and gun you down right here! Do you hear me?" Far from being intimidated, Che Xiaoxiao advanced: "Who are you trying to scare? My mother is Guo Shuxian. If you dare to kill me, your whole family will suffer the consequences." "You're the mayor's daughter?" The guard looked at Che Xiaoxiao with skepticism. "No shit. How else would I know Minister Lin?" Che Xiaoxiao glared, "If you know what's good for you, hurry up and deliver this. Otherwise, I'll make things difficult for you!" As she spoke, Che Xiaoxiao thrust the package into the guard's chest. "Even if you are the mayor's daughter, you absolutely can't come in without notification!" The guard rejected her at once, knocking the package away. The onlookers saw the palm-sized package somersaulting through the air for twenty rotations before thudding down on an empty space ten meters away. "Boom!" Then, there was a thunderous explosion, echoing like a clap of thunder. Chapter 260 The Exploding Package! At that moment, whether it was Hao Jian, Che Xiaoxiao, or the guard, everyone was utterly dumbfounded.They distinctly saw that the glowing green lawn was instantaneously uprooted, revealing a wide pit over two meters across, from which a miniature mushroom cloud surged into the sky, while the explosion flung debris chaotically in all directions. Immediately, Zhao Yating and Hao Jian looked at Che Xiaoxiao with strange expressions¡ªwas there actually a bomb in the package? Damn, was Che Xiaoxiao planning to assassinate a government official? Che Xiaoxiao quickly shook her head, "It wasn't me, I don't know what's going on." Che Xiaoxiao couldn't understand why the package contained a bomb. It was her mother who had asked her to deliver the package, and her mother had no reason to set her up like this. The sound of the explosion was long-lasting and continuous, echoing throughout the Military Discipline Department, with smoke billowing and flames raging, just like the turbid thoughts and feelings of the four people¡ªso vast and tumultuous. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire The guard still hadn't snapped back to reality, as he could never have dreamed that someone would dare to deliver a bomb to the Military Discipline Department? "Although I don't know what's going on, I know what we should do now," murmured Hao Jian. Che Xiaoxiao nodded, then took to her heels and ran. Che Xiaoxiao was the first to run, Hao Jian second, and Zhao Yating, a bit slow to react. After Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao started moving, she suddenly realized the gravity of the situation and turned to flee as well. "I knew you all were suspicious, stop right there!" The guard burst out in a furious rage, grasping Zhao Yating's hand. In a panic, she instinctively grabbed onto Hao Jian's hand, and then Hao Jian grabbed Che Xiaoxiao's hand. "Zhao Yating, what are you doing? Let go this instant!" Hao Jian shouted in exasperation. Zhao Yating sobbed softly, "I don't want to get caught alone." "Damn it, can't you say something like 'Don't worry about me, just run' at a time like this?" Hao Jian cursed. "Don't worry about me, you all can go to Hell!" Che Xiaoxiao at the front screamed in terror. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian glared at her, "Even if I go to Hell, I'll drag your soul down with me!" Just then, other guards who heard the noises outside also began to give chase. "Well, there's no helping it," sighed Hao Jian, and he immediately turned around to pick up Zhao Yating, then kicked the guard holding onto her hand away. Zhao Yating, frightened, clung to Hao Jian's head, with her substantial assets pressed right against his face. "Hehehe," Hao Jian's cheeks flushed a shade of red and he chuckled foolishly. "You cow, that's so low!" Che Xiaoxiao pointed at Zhao Yating and rebuked, "Taking advantage of the situation to let Hao Jian cop a feel! Wait, why does that sound so weird when I say it." Hao Jian quickly shifted Zhao Yating to his back and turned to face the group of ferocious guards. With a solemn expression, he said to Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating, "Cover your ears!" "What for?" Che Xiaoxiao asked, puzzled. "No more questions, just do it," urged Hao Jian. And so, Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating obediently covered their ears. At that moment, they watched as Hao Jian took a deep breath and his chest began to weirdly expand, just like a balloon. Then he opened his mouth and let out a roar, a shrill sound that seemed to tear through the eardrums instantly filled the air. Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating covered their ears but still found the noise piercing, their whole bodies dizzy and disoriented, while the guards fared even worse, collapsing to the ground one by one as if they were drunk. Hao Jian carried Zhao Yating on his back and started running back. "My goodness, Hao Jian, what was that sound you just made? It knocked out so many people, how is it so powerful?" Che Xiaoxiao asked excitedly. "That was the Lion's Roar Skill," Hao Jian replied without looking back. Zhao Yating's head peeked out from behind Hao Jian: "Lion's Roar Skill, does such a thing really exist?" "Of course, Zhang Fei's roar at Changban Slope scared off a million enemy soldiers, and that was all thanks to the Lion's Roar Skill," Hao Jian answered casually. "Really? Then can you teach me?" Che Xiaoxiao showed a very interested expression. "Sure, from today onwards you shout for ten hours every day in your room, and it should start working after a month," Hao Jian said. Che Xiaoxiao nodded with a smile, "Then how long will it take to master it?" "Not long, maybe twenty or thirty years," Hao Jian said. "Then forget it," Che Xiaoxiao didn't have so much time to waste on that. The three of them went to Che Xiaoxiao's place together, because the incident had started with Guo Shuxian, it was only natural to clear up what exactly had happened. After all, the parcel was sent by Guo Shuxian to Che Xiaoxiao, and it was absolutely impossible for Guo Shuxian to harm Che Xiaoxiao like that, leaving only one explanation: Guo Shuxian was unaware of it. When Guo Shuxian received the phone call, she immediately canceled all her work and rushed back, and upon opening the door and seeing Che Xiaoxiao, she immediately embraced her, anxiety flashing in her eyes. "Mom, I'm okay," Che Xiaoxiao said with a wry smile. "Let mom check if you've been hurt anywhere?" Guo Shuxian asked anxiously, looking over Che Xiaoxiao's body, having been terrified to the point of nearly fainting when she heard about the bomb attack on Che Xiaoxiao. She had actually sent Che Xiaoxiao off with a bomb? It was fortunate that the bomb had been thrown away; otherwise, Che Xiaoxiao might already be dead. "Mom, I'm fine, the bomb exploded far away from me, so it didn't hit me, don't worry," Che Xiaoxiao shook her head. Guo Shuxian then relaxed and turned toward Hao Jian, "Thank you so much for this time." Hao Jian shook his head, "What we need to do now is to find out what exactly happened." Hearing this, Guo Shuxian's face suddenly darkened: "I had ordered a box of Ginseng to be sent to Minister Lin, and it got switched out along the way." "Who switched it?" Hao Jian asked. Guo Shuxian sighed, "Lately a strange cult organization called the Emperor's Palace has appeared in Hua City. Their leader claims to be the reincarnation of the First Emperor of Qin and is said to be skilled in witchcraft. They deceive their followers for money and sometimes coax female believers into having sex with him under certain conditions." "After I found out, I sent people to investigate this organization and destroyed two of their strongholds. They probably wanted to retaliate against me, so they put a bomb in that package. What they didn't expect was that the box of Ginseng was meant to be a gift, and I hadn't even had the chance to open it." "It's good you didn't open it, because if I'm not wrong, the package must have been rigged. If you had opened the box, it would have been the same as triggering the bomb, and by then, you and Che Xiaoxiao would both be dead," Hao Jian said. "I will definitely bring them to justice!" Guo Shuxian's pretty face was filled with a murderous aura, as the other party had nearly killed Che Xiaoxiao, now she was burning with rage. Chapter 261 Li Tamade! "What did the Military Discipline Department say?" asked Hao Jian."I've already spoken with Minister Lin on the phone, and he said they would fully cooperate with our operation," Guo Shuxian replied, indicating there were no issues. "If that's the case, let's get moving right now," Hao Jian was ready for action. "Get moving? To where?" Guo Shuxian asked, puzzled. "Of course, to deal with that Fake Emperor. By the time you catch him, who knows when that will be," Hao Jian was angry too. Someone was actually claiming to be the Emperor, which was pretty arrogant. And they were even planning a bomb attack. Che Xiaoxiao and Guo Shuxian were his friends. He was naturally infuriated. "But do you know where he is?" Guo Shuxian asked. It was easy for Hao Jian to say, but even she didn't know where this First Emperor of Qin was. How would they find him? "I don't know, but I will soon," Hao Jian said with a mysterious smile, then dialed Brother Spice Ginger's phone. A few minutes later, Spice Ginger called back and told Hao Jian the whereabouts of the First Emperor of Qin. He also told Hao Jian that the man's name was Li Tamade and that he was from an ethnic minority. "In an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Xicheng District, that's his dojo," Hao Jian said, then set off with Guo Shuxian and the others. About an hour or so later, they arrived near the factory. Just as they were about to cross a bridge, they encountered a man around thirty years old planning to jump into the river. He was wearing glasses and looked rather scholarly. He stood on the iron bridge, staring into the pitch-black waters below with an air of utter hopelessness. "What's he trying to do?" Che Xiaoxiao asked. "Isn't it obvious? He's trying to kill himself," Zhao Yating answered. "No shit, I mean why does he want to kill himself." Che Xiaoxiao leaned out and called to the man, "Are you trying to kill yourself?" "Yes, I want to kill myself!" the man wiped his nose and said, tears reddening his eyes. "From that low height? You can't kill yourself like that. You need to climb up to the top of the bridge and jump into the rocks. That'll do it," Hao Jian chimed in. The man turned his head to glare at Hao Jian and began to sob, "Don't you have any compassion? Can't you see I'm trying to jump into the river? You should be trying to stop me!" "Why should I? If you're so set on dying, I should be supporting you. Besides, what I suggested was for your best interest. Jumping like that won't kill you; at most, you'll lose an arm or a leg, or be half-dead and become a burden to your family. Don't you think so?" Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire "You're a demon! Sob sob sob, you're a demon!" the man cried out. A few minutes later, the man got into Hao Jian's car. "What's your name?" Guo Shuxian asked the man. "I'm Chen Huojian," the bespectacled man said weakly. "Why do you want to jump into the river? Was it because you were scammed by Li Tamade?" Guo Shuxian instinctively felt this incident must be related to Li Tamade. As the topic arose, Chen Huojian's eyes turned bloodshot with rage: "That's right, my daughter has leukemia, and I asked him to cure her. He said I needed to contribute money for incense to show my loyalty. I gave him all my money, but my daughter's condition did not improve, it actually got worse." "When I went to argue with him, he had his people beat me up and then threw me out. Now my daughter is close to death, and my wife wants to divorce me over this." As he spoke, Chen Huojian could no longer hold back his tears, clearly filled with regret. "It's my stupidity! I'm useless. I'm the one who killed my daughter!" Chen Huojian slapped his own face repeatedly in self-blame. Seeing this, Guo Shuxian and the other two couldn't bear it, and Zhao Yating even comforted, "Don't be like this, it's not your fault, blame that shameless Li Tamade." "All I want now is to die peacefully. Do you think I'll go to Hell if I die?" Chen Huojian asked Zhao Yating. "No, you won't go to Heaven or Hell. You'll be sent to the crematory and burned to ashes," Hao Jian interjected. "Hao Jian!" Guo Shuxian glared fiercely at Hao Jian, clearly angry. The person is already so miserable, and you still say such things. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And Chen Huojian was crying a river, calling Hao Jian a demon outright. "I'm very curious. What made you prefer to believe in a charlatan than in doctors?" Hao Jian sneered and said that he actually felt no affection for Chen Huojian, solely because Chen Huojian was an idiot. "I was blinded by pork fat at that time, deceived by the several acts of witchcraft he performed, and thus came to completely believe in him," Chen Huojian said with some guilt. "What witchcraft?" Che Xiaoxiao asked curiously. "Like turning a live person into another, striking objects through the air, and conjuring things out of thin air," Chen Huojian explained. "Magic can do that too, idiot." Hao Jian snorted. These things a magician can do, yet Chen Huojian chose to believe. "Hao Jian, don't be like that. He was deceived too," Zhao Yating spoke in defense of Chen Huojian. "Then why wasn't anyone else deceived, only him? Let me tell you, sometimes ignorance and stupidity can be more despicable than malice!" Hao Jian huffed and then said, "I have a principle when it comes to making friends. My friends can be good people or bad, but they absolutely cannot be fools, because fools only bring harm to others!" Hearing this, Guo Shuxian and the other two couldn't help but reflect on themselves and then sighed in relief, thinking it was a close call that they were not fools. Chen Huojian hung his head, too ashamed to join the conversation. After about five minutes of driving, they finally reached the factory and finally saw Li Tamade. There lay a greasy, obese Fatty, his corpulent body sprawling over his throne, half-naked, with concubines on either side, looking just like an Emperor. "Long live, long live, long live the Emperor!" The nearly hundred followers below shouted in unison, kneeling before Li Tamade with utmost devotion, treating him almost like a deity. Hao Jian clicked his tongue in wonder, "How come there are so many idiots in this world?" "My beloved subjects, rise!" Li Tamade got up from the "concubines" and waved his hands at the crowd for silence. Instantly, the scene fell silent. "Today, do you still hold onto dreams just like yesterday?" Li Tamade asked with stirring fervor. "Always holding onto dreams!" the crowd shouted. "Such conviction pleases me greatly. With your support, the restoration of Great Qin is just a matter of time!" Li Tamade laughed heartily, his voice booming, and surprisingly, he did possess a bit of an Emperor's charisma. Chapter 262 You son of a b*tch! "Hey, introduce us!" Hao Jian nudged Chen Huojian."Don't you know he's a fraud?" Chen Huojian asked in surprise, wondering why Hao Jian, knowing that Li Tamade was deceiving people, still planned to join them. "Exactly because we know, that's why we came here, to expose him," Hao Jian said. "Maybe you should reconsider, this Li Tamade is quite lecherous. And with so many of his followers here, if he takes a liking to your female companions, there's no way they can escape." Chen Huojian hesitated a bit since Li Tamade had more than once taken advantage of female followers, usually deceiving them first, and if that failed, forcing them. In any case, he always got his way with them. Once they joined this Emperor's palace, those female followers had absolutely no autonomy. "No worries, you just introduce us, we will handle the rest," Hao Jian said carelessly. Chen Huojian sighed, then walked forward, knelt down before Li Tamade with a stiff expression, and said, "Your Majesty, I have a few important people who would like to join our sect." Li Tamade was somewhat surprised to still see Chen Huojian here considering he had ordered him to be beaten before. How could he still willingly serve him? Li Tamade was doubtful of Chen Huojian's loyalty. However, this doubt completely disappeared the moment Li Tamade laid his eyes on the beauty of Guo Shuxian and the other two women. He unabashedly scanned the three women, his lustful gaze overt. What a catch! All of them are stunning! Three different styles show up at once. Is Heaven favoring me? The thought of indulging in pleasures with these three beauties brought a joyous smile to Li Tamade's face. "It's not impossible to join our sect, but I need to ask you a few questions first," Li Tamade coughed pretentiously and said solemnly. "Do you have dreams?" "What kind of dumb question is that?" Che Xiaoxiao muttered under her breath. "We certainly do have dreams," Guo Shuxian answered in agreement. "And what is your dream?" Li Tamade asked with a sleazy grin, his eyes freely roaming over Guo Shuxian's voluptuous body. "To punish the evil and eradicate all bad elements that disturb public order!" Guo Shuxian answered fiercely. Li Tamade's expression became very animated, and he chuckled awkwardly, "Well, your dream, cough, is excellent. Keep it up." "And you, Chen Huojian? Is your dream still alive?" Li Tamade asked Chen Huojian. "I just want to get the money I was conned out of," Chen Huojian said expressionlessly. But before he could finish, Hao Jian and Zhao Yating each smacked the back of Chen Huojian's head. "And you?" Li Tamade then turned to Hao Jian. "Dreams? I've forgotten such things a long time ago," Hao Jian sighed deeply, making a very melancholic and sorrowful face. "Then what are you doing here?" Li Tamade got angry, this kid was even better at acting than him. "Get out!" Li Tamade roared. "Sigh, if you don't even have a proper dream, what are you doing in our Emperor's palace? Are you really believers?" Li Tamade doubted the identity of Hao Jian and the others. Hao Jian crossed his arms, "Dreams can be set now. We mainly came because we heard about you. We heard you master witchcraft, and we wonder if you could let us witness it. If we see that you truly practice witchcraft, then we'll decide to join." Guo Shuxian pinched Hao Jian and whispered, "You haven't forgotten the original purpose of our visit, have you? Couldn't we just have someone grab him?" "Wouldn't it be more fun to strip off this guy's pretense and then punish him? Anyway, your people aren't arriving that soon, so let's have some fun first," Hao Jian laughed. "How dare you deceive the Emperor, get out!" "The Emperor, being the true dragon's son, obviously wouldn't perform for you." "Get out!" A group of followers all scolded Hao Jian and his group. Hearing the followers' shouts, Li Tamade laughed even more smugly. "Very well, let all you witness my Divine Might!" Li Tamade said pretentiously, then struck a pose and started chanting as if he were summoning spirits. "Oh spirits of heaven and earth, Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad, make your presence known, hey!" Li Tamade patted Che Xiaoxiao's shoulder. "What are you doing?" Che Xiaoxiao looked at Li Tamade, puzzled. "Didn't you say you wanted to become a super beautiful girl?" Li Tamade chuckled. Che Xiaoxiao was startled, then looked down and involuntarily gasped, as her clothing had somehow gained a layer of the garb of a magical girl warrior. "She really turned into a magical girl warrior!" Zhao Yating exclaimed, covering her mouth with a hand. "What on earth is going on?" Guo Shuxian was equally baffled. Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire "He must have pulled some trick." Che Xiaoxiao was certain, recalling how Chen Huojian was fooled by Li Tamade. She looked at Hao Jian, "Right, Hao Jian?" "You damn sir, if you need anything else in the future, just command me," Hao Jian bowed deeply to Li Tamade at this moment. "I'm the one involved, and you, an onlooker, are getting all excited for what?" Che Xiaoxiao yelled. Li Tamade had a vein bulge: "It's Li Tamade's." "Alright, your ****** highness." ".." "We'll hold him up here, you go find the safe," Guo Shuxian told Chen Huojian. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chen Huojian nodded, then discreetly retreated. "Now do you believe in my Divine Might?" Li Tamade laughed heartily. "Your ****** highness, please fulfill my wish as well," Hao Jian looked towards Li Tamade with hopeful eyes. "He's beyond saving," Guo Shuxian sighed, covering her face and shaking her head. "If I'd known this guy was so uncompromising, I wouldn't have brought him along from the start," Che Xiaoxiao agreed with Guo Shuxian's sentiment. Li Tamade's expression immediately stiffened; all he could do was fool people with little magic tricks. How could he possibly make someone's private parts grow by five centimeters? Li Tamade coughed twice: "Well, I can only cast spells once a day, so I'll help you achieve your dream tomorrow." Suddenly, Li Tamade turned his gaze to Guo Shuxian and the other two women, with a sly smile, said: "I see extraordinary potential in you three, therefore, I intend to make you my consorts. Would you like to share in eternal glory and boundless wealth with me?" Chapter 263 Traitor! "No way!"Three women shook their heads simultaneously, they certainly did not want to marry a pig. "Why?" Li Tamad was taken aback and said, "Didn't you see the Divine Might I just displayed?" "We saw, but you're too ugly," Che Xiaoxiao said bluntly, the words piercing Li Tamad's heart like a sword. "Watch your words. His Majesty is the rightful Emperor, and it's an honor for you to be favored by him. Don't be ungrateful," Hao Jian scolded. "Hao Jian, you bastard, whose side are you on?" Che Xiaoxiao stomped her feet in anger. Had this scoundrel lost his mind? S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Me? I stand with His Majesty, of course!" Hao Jian declared resolutely, standing beside Li Tamad. For that extra five centimeters, he had to betray his friends for glory. "Bastard!" The three women cursed in unison. Just then, two burly men brought up Chen Huojian, his face swollen and bruised: "Your Majesty, this man sneaked into your room trying to open your safe to steal money." Li Tamad's expression changed dramatically: "Oh really, you're coveting my wealth, trying to distract me and then take the chance to steal money! You're not really interested in joining my imperial court!" "Everyone, some are trying to trample on the dignity of Great Qin and obstruct the grand cause of Great Qin. What do you think should be done?" Li Tamad looked at the crowd. "Kill them! Kill them!" The followers below had lost their minds and started screaming frantically. "Tie them up for me!" Li Tamad also roared. And so, Guo Shuxian was tied up. "Your Majesty, I genuinely submit to you, I've turned from darkness to light. Please give me a chance," Hao Jian said. "Really?" Li Tamad scrutinized Hao Jian. "Of course, I've been so impressed by your Divine Might that I plan to devote myself to the Emperor's court," Hao Jian quickly nodded. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire "Alright, you don't have to be tied up," Li Tamad nodded. "Traitor!" Che Xiaoxiao cursed. "Kill these troublemakers!" The followers below, clearly very excited, picked up stones from the ground and threw them at Che Xiaoxiao and the others. "You dare to throw at me? I've memorized your face, just wait till I slaughter you later!" Che Xiaoxiao roared. "I am very angry! The consequences will be severe!" Li Tamad yelled angrily, and suddenly, the factory was filled with flashes of lightning and thunder, just like a sci-fi movie. "His Majesty is enraged!" All the followers knelt down, shouting long live our Emperor, obviously stunned by the scene. "A bunch of fools, I just added some light and sound effects, and you were all fooled like this, stupider than pigs!" Li Tamad sneered inwardly. "Click." Suddenly, the sound stopped abruptly. "Huh?" Li Tamad was bewildered, wondering why the sound had stopped. Was the sound technician messing up? The followers also looked puzzled. "Hello? Hello hello. Can you hear me?" On the other end, a man's voice came through. "It's Hao Jian!" Che Xiaoxiao exclaimed suddenly. That was unmistakably Hao Jian's voice. Then Li Tamad's face turned green, a bad premonition arising. Those believers looked around and also started to doubt. "You call yourselves fools, actually believing he could summon the wind and rain? It's just goddamn sound and lighting effects, look how he fooled you." Hao Jian sneered into the microphone backstage. "You wanted to see a grand human transformation, right? I'll show it to you." Then Hao Jian pressed a button, the lights changed, and a projection of a graceful beauty appeared right in front of Che Xiaoxiao. The believers suddenly froze; wasn't this the beauty that had been conjured before? Was this also fake? After that, as if they understood something, their faces gradually showed embarrassment and anger, and they stared fiercely at him: "Fraud!" "Fraud! Return my money!" "Fraud, you dared to deceive me into bed? I'll fight you to the end!" Realizing they had been tricked, all the believers rushed toward the stage. "Listen to me, it's not what you think," he pleaded, his fat face completely pale with fright. But before he could finish speaking, he was kicked down, followed by a beating from the crowd. Guo Shuxian let out a long sigh of relief: "That scared me; I thought that guy had really turned against us." "Dare he? I'd skin him alive!" Che Xiaoxiao huffed. Before she could finish, they saw Hao Jian wielding a stool and charging at him, cursing loudly, "Damn it, dare to play with my feelings? If it weren't for my urgency to find a restroom and accidentally entering backstage, would you have not tricked me? Take this death!" "Well, he's just a scoundrel." Che Xiaoxiao couldn't help but cry and laugh. By the time the police car arrived, he had been beaten half to death; had the police not intervened in time, he might have been killed by the mob. Guo Shuxian was also taken back to the police station for assistance with the investigation and didn't come out until late at night. Chen Huojian was there with them; the police told him that he would soon get his stolen money back, but Chen Huojian wasn't very pleased about it. "Why that look, hasn't the money come back?" Zhao Yating asked, puzzled. "The money has come back, but the problem is his daughter's medical treatment has already been delayed; what's the point of having the money now?" Che Xiaoxiao, knowing Chen Huojian's pain, also sighed. Without mentioning it, Chen Huojian might have been better off, but upon mentioning it, he started crying right away. "A grown man always crying, what use are you?" Hao Jian scolded impatiently. "Hao Jian, aren't you a doctor? Why don't you check up on Chen Huojian?" Che Xiaoxiao suggested. "Yeah, Teacher Hao, with your brilliant medical skills, these little ailments shouldn't be too hard for you, right?" Zhao Yating also looked at Hao Jian with hopeful eyes. Upon hearing this, Chen Huojian turned to Hao Jian, his eyes pleading. "Give me the address of the hospital where your daughter is staying, I'll go there tomorrow," Hao Jian said coldly. "Thank you. Really, thank you so much," Chen Huojian said, bowing repeatedly in excitement. "Don't thank me, I'm not helping you, I'm helping that poor child." After taking the address, Hao Jian walked away without another word to Chen Huojian. Leaving Chen Huojian standing there in awkwardness. "Don't blame him, that's just how he is, cold on the outside but warm on the inside," Zhao Yating explained. "Hao Jian is cold on the outside but warm on the inside?" Che Xiaoxiao mused quietly with her head lowered; was that guy really cold? Or just shameless? "How could I possibly blame him? I'm already so grateful that he agreed to treat my daughter; how could I hold a grudge?" Chen Huojian bitterly shook his head, understanding why Hao Jian was so angry; anger meant he cared, he was concerned ¡ª if one didn't care, why would they bother to meddle at all? Chapter 264 You Realized Your Mistake Too Late! ```Inside the instructor dormitory at the Chinese Medicine Hospital! "Damn it, who the hell is throwing stones in hiding, look how they've smashed my head!" the buzz-cut instructor raged, feeling utterly displeased when he thought of the afternoon's events. He had always been the one to bully others, when had he ever been bullied? "We absolutely can't let this matter go, I must find the guy who did this!" the skinny instructor said through gritted teeth. His fate was a bit worse than the buzz-cut instructor's, his head was cracked open, teeth knocked out, even his private parts had taken a severe blow. "But we don't know who that person is, how can we drag him out?" Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire "We may not know, but do you think those students don't know? It's clear that guy was helping those students. As long as we press those students, I don't believe they won't talk!" the skinny instructor snorted coldly. "Tomorrow morning, call the brothers, we'll corner those little bastards in the dormitory together. If they don't talk, we'll beat them until they do." Early the next day, before Luo Tong and the others had gotten out of bed, the dormitory door was kicked open by a foot, and several men in black rushed in, wielding wooden clubs. "What are you doing?" Luo Tong woke up with a start, looking in horror at the men in black. "Close the door!" the buzz-cut instructor told his brother, then he took off his mask. "It's you?" Luo Tong exclaimed in shock. "Quit the nonsense, who was the one who ambushed us with stones that day? Speak!" the skinny instructor demanded, brandishing a wooden club threateningly. The other people in the dormitory gradually woke up one after another, hearing the instructors demanding Hao Jian's identity, they all chose to remain silent in unison. "Not talking, eh?" the buzz-cut instructor glared furiously, swinging a club straight onto Luo Tong's head, instantly bursting it open. "How can you beat someone like this? We're going to report you to the dean!" Zhang Jia said indignantly. "If you survive to walk out of this dormitory, feel free to report us!" the skinny instructor glowered and said, having lost all reason by then. He just wanted to find the guy who had dared to beat him up like this, emboldened by the knowledge that even if he caused trouble, his superior would cover for him. Luo Tong and the others exchanged a look, then with stern faces, they spoke in chorus, "We don't know anything!" Hao Jian had given up so much for them, how could they betray him? "Good, good, good, you all have quite the backbone. Now, I want to see whether your bones are tougher, or whether the club in my hand is tougher!" the buzz-cut instructor bellowed with bulging eyes. ... "Why haven't Luo Tong and the others come to class?" In the classroom, Hao Jian noticed several people were missing altogether, knowing he had made it clear no one was to skip his class. And this time, an entire dormitory's worth of people was missing. "I don't know, they didn't say they wouldn't come," Che Xiaoxiao and the others were clueless. Hao Jian felt something was amiss. If it were one person, there might be an excuse, but a whole group of people missing was baffling. "This morning, when I passed by their dormitory, I heard arguing noises coming from inside, they should still be there." a male student spoke up. "Arguing noises?" Hao Jian's eyebrows furrowed, putting down the textbook, "You all wait for me in the classroom, I'll go and see what's going on." His instincts told him that it wasn't so simple! And seeing Hao Jian like this, the other students also sensed something, looking at each other uncertainly. ``` "Yating, do you think it was those two instructors from yesterday taking revenge on Luo Tong and the others, intentionally trapping them in the dorm?" someone asked Zhao Yating. Zhao Yating was startled at first but then vehemently nodded, "Very likely!" "I want to see for myself." No longer able to stay seated, Zhao Yating rose immediately and followed Hao Jian out. With Zhao Yating taking action, naturally, the other students couldn't just stay put, so they all stood up and followed them out. As Hao Jian ran to Luo Tong's dormitory, he had barely reached the door when he heard the crew-cut instructor's angry shouting from inside, "Alright, each one of you has a tough mouth, still refusing to tell who that guy is after getting beaten up like this." Hearing this, Hao Jian's eyes instantly turned cold, and he kicked the dormitory door open. "Who?" The crew-cut instructor and the others were startled and looked towards the door simultaneously. "Teacher. Run fast." By then, Luo Tong and the others were unrecognizable, bloodied and beaten, especially Luo Tong; blood gushed from his head, dyeing his entire face red, and he was already barely conscious. Seeing Hao Jian arrive, Luo Tong's lips curled into a wry smile before he fainted. Seeing this, the fury in Hao Jian's eyes intensified. "What are you? Why are you here?" the skinny, dark instructor roared at Hao Jian. "Was it you who beat them up like this?" Hao Jian asked, his gaze sharp. "Kid, you look like you're a teacher, right? I'd advise you to mind your own business; it's better for you," the crew-cut instructor sneered coldly, weighing a wooden stick in his hand, the threat in his eyes obvious. "Don't you want to know who threw the stone at you yesterday?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "So it was you!" The crew-cut and skinny, dark instructors glared at Hao Jian menacingly. "Initially, I just planned to teach you a lesson yesterday, but now I've changed my mind. I want you to regret what you've done today!" Hao Jian roared and charged at the two instructors. "Beat him up!" The crew-cut and skinny, dark instructors also roared in unison. "Bang, bang, bang, bang." The dormitory erupted into chaos, and soon the few soldiers were beaten to the ground by Hao Jian, wailing nonstop. Zhang Jia and the others, seeing this, all revealed a hint of madness in their smiles. Finally, these villains had received their just deserts! Hao Jian picked up the wooden stick that the two instructors had been using and walked towards them. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Don't mess around, I'm a soldier. Assaulting a soldier is a serious crime, you could go to prison for that," the crew-cut instructor was truly afraid, as Hao Jian was simply a demon; he indeed dared to cripple them! "Soldier?" Hao Jian chuckled, shaking his head, then said with a chilling gaze, "Do you deserve that title?" As his words ended, the stick fell, and only a terrible scream from the crew-cut instructor followed, his hand dripping with blood and trembling incessantly. The wooden stick had been broken, and if nothing unexpected happened, the crew-cut instructor's hand must have been crushed. "Don't, I know I was wrong," the skinny, dark instructor looked pitifully at Hao Jian, shaking his head incessantly. As soon as he saw the cruel smile at the corner of Hao Jian's mouth, he knew that pleading was useless. He turned and crawled towards the door, shouting for help. But Hao Jian wouldn't give him a chance, stepping on the skinny, dark instructor's heel firmly, looking down on him from above, "You've realized your mistake too late." Chapter 265 Beat a Hundred! Another blow came down, and the lean instructor's leg was broken.By the time Zhao Yating and others arrived, they witnessed such a chaotic scene. And they quickly understood what had happened. Seeing Hao Jian holding half a wooden stick, his body emanating a murderous aura, everyone couldn't help feeling panicked. They were all stunned. Were these soldiers beaten up by Hao Jian? Hao Jian, with a stern face, said to the crowd, "Take them to the hospital." What he referred to, of course, were Luo Tong and the others. "Oh, oh." The students nodded blankly, hurrying to help Luo Tong and the rest. "Teacher, how should we deal with them?" the remaining people asked Hao Jian, pointing at the crew-cut instructor and others. "Strip them completely naked, I want to parade them through the streets!" Hao Jian said with a sinister smile. And hearing Hao Jian's words, the soldiers nearly cried. This man was a demon! An outright demon! Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ten minutes later, Hao Jian and the students were leading these soldiers through the campus, by then stripped to nothing but their underwear, their expressions one of oppressed suffering, heads hung in shame. And hanging on their bodies were several signs, each one bearing the messages: "I am guilty, I eat; shit with rice, I am a dog. Mother's bane!" Hao Jian's actions boiled the whole school over; teachers and students alike stared dumbfounded as Hao Jian walked the soldiers like dogs. "Hao Jian, what exactly is going on here?" Du Yuelin rushed over upon hearing the news and was immediately dumbstruck upon seeing Hao Jian's treatment of the soldiers. Like many teachers and students, he was most perplexed as to why the soldiers simply let Hao Jian lead them like dogs, why didn't they resist? It wasn't that they didn't want to resist, but that they dared not. Having been brutally beaten by Hao Jian just moments before, they now had a completely new understanding of him. This guy was a demon, a madman, and it was best not to provoke him. "They harassed female students and beat up male students, severely disrupting social and campus order, so I took it upon myself to punish them," Hao Jian said with upright conviction. "What? Are you serious?" Du Yuelin's expression turned grim in an instant. If that was the case, it would turn into a scandal. And he needed to report this to the military authorities as well, to have them handle these soldiers seriously. But if this was false, then their academy would be in big trouble. "All my classmates can testify, and there should be cameras in the dormitory area that have recorded them rushing into the dorms." Hao Jian said. "I understand," Du Yuelin said, his face ashen as he nodded. Their school had military training every year, but such an incident was a first. Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire Harassing female students, beating up male students, how were they supposed to explain this to the parents? "I will contact their superior now. You should release them for now, otherwise it won't look good when he arrives and sees this scene," Du Yuelin said. Although these soldiers had done wrong, face still had to be given. "No need, you just direct that person in charge to come here. I will negotiate with him," Hao Jian declared dominantly, and did not intend to release anyone. The crew-cut instructor and his men dared to rush into the dorms to commit violence, certainly because they thought they had backup. If we let the crew cut instructor and his people off so easily, they'd probably not face any consequences in the end. "Hao Jian, don't be reckless. I will definitely give you and the students an explanation. Let me handle this matter," Du Yuelin said with a bitter smile, knowing that if things got too tense, it wouldn't be good for either the school or Hao Jian. "President, it's not that I don't trust you, but you really can't handle this. Look at how I beat them up¡ªthere's basically no room for maneuver. So, let me handle the next steps," Hao Jian said with a smile. "But..." Du Yuelin hesitated, mainly worried that Hao Jian would be bullied. After all, Hao Jian was powerless, without status, and if he were to confront the team-leading camp commander directly, Du Yuelin feared that Hao Jian might be at a disadvantage. "It's okay, just call him over. I know how to deal with it," Hao Jian saw Du Yuelin's concerns, but he wasn't really taking that camp commander seriously. "All right," Du Yuelin sighed helplessly and eventually called the camp commander. Before long, a middle-aged man with a pot belly, in his forties, appeared on campus, striding quickly towards Hao Jian. His face was gloomy, as he had seen from afar that the crew cut instructor and his men were tied up like dogs, which made him very angry. Zhang Zhijun had been a soldier for over a decade, and was just preparing for a promotion, but he hadn't expected this mishap to occur. On one hand, he was annoyed by his subordinates' lack of foresight, and on the other, he was angered by the school's meddling. "Camp Commander!" Seeing Zhang Zhijun, the crew cut instructor and his men were so moved they shed tears of relief, looking at him as if he was their savior. Being with Hao Jian was truly too painful: their minds and bodies were being tortured. "What the hell happened?" Zhang Zhijun barked. "Camp Commander Zhang, here's what happened." Du Yuelin recounted the entire sequence of events to Zhang Zhijun. Zhang Zhijun nodded, his face darkening, but he walked straight towards Hao Jian, staring at him fiercely, "You dared to hit my men?" "They dared to hit my students, so why can't I hit them?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "If soldiers break the law, the military court will handle them. Who the hell are you to lay hands on them?" Zhang Zhijun said arrogantly. "Handle them? I bet as soon as they return to their unit, they'll face no consequences and continue to live their comfortable lives, right?" Hao Jian sneered at Zhang Zhijun's words. That line might fool these university students who hadn't yet entered society. "That's just speculation. Who says I won't handle them? As long as it's confirmed to be their fault, I will definitely impose the appropriate punishment. And you, regardless of your motives, don't have the right to lay hands on a soldier!" Zhang Zhijun said sternly. "So, what are you trying to say?" Hao Jian said coldly, sensing that Zhang Zhijun had more to say. Seeing Hao Jian's defiance, Zhang Zhijun also lost his temper and shouted, "You need to come back with us to the army for punishment!" "And if I don't?" Hao Jian laughed. Zhang Zhijun intended to deal with him in the army, didn't he? Perhaps in Zhang Zhijun's eyes, once Hao Jian was in the army, escape would be impossible. Upon hearing this, both the crew cut instructor and the skinny instructor's eyes lit up with excitement. Once back in the unit, they had nearly a hundred ways to make life unbearable for Hao Jian! "Not?" Zhang Zhijun laughed in anger, "Then I'll bring a hundred soldiers right now and have a good fight with you. You think you're a good fighter? I want to see how you will fight a hundred by yourself!" Chapter 266 Overbearing! "Camp Commander Zhang, isn't this going too far? Your soldiers harassed female students from our school and even injured a male student. Teacher Hao Jian intervened to stop their violent behavior, so how can you place all the blame on him?"Du Yuelin also stood up to speak for Hao Jian; Zhang Zhijun was clearly protecting those soldiers on purpose. "When he saw my men committing violence, what he should have done was not to play the hero but to notify me first. I am their superior officer, and he is just a teacher. Moreover, isn't it too early to say who is responsible? Maybe those students provoked my men first?" Zhang Zhijun snorted but seemed determined to shield the crew-cut instructor and the others. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Because he was about to be promoted, there was no way he would admit this was his fault now, or else his promotion would become hopeless. No matter what, this issue had to be suppressed, and all the blame had to be shifted onto the students. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire "Enough talk, call your people over," Hao Jian said, no longer willing to waste words with Zhang Zhijun. Zhang was plainly defending his own, and reasoning with him was futile. "Good boy, do you really think you can take on a hundred?" Zhang Zhijun sneered. And Du Yuelin hurriedly advised, "Hao Jian, don't act rashly. This is not something to joke about at all." Hao Jian taking on a hundred? It was more likely he'd be beaten by that many. "I'm not joking, and I'm not in the mood for it right now," Hao Jian said gravely, his gaze sullenly fixed on Zhang Zhijun: "Call them over quickly!" "Since you're bent on seeking death, then don't blame me!" Zhang Zhijun huffed coldly, furious at Hao Jian's arrogance, and took out his phone to call the military base. Meanwhile, Hao Jian was also making a call. "Kid, just wait for your death! Once our brothers from the military arrive, they're going to beat you into a cripple!" the crew-cut instructor said viciously and couldn't help but laugh triumphantly. Once the people Zhang Zhijun called arrived, Hao Jian would undoubtedly be dead. "Why just cripple? Might as well beat him to death," the thin, dark instructor followed with a cold huff, clearly hating Hao Jian to the core. They all thought Hao Jian was foolish. At this point, to dare provoke Zhang Zhijun was suicidal. If he hadn't provoked Zhang, he might have had a way out, but now he had none. Hao Jian didn't speak; instead, he punched one of the crew-cut instructors, sending both vomiting bile. "Let them go!" Zhang Zhijun roared furiously. Hao Jian dared to hit his men right in front of him, treating him as if he was invisible? "You want them? Fine, take them!" Hao Jian sent the crew-cut instructor flying with a kick straight towards Zhang Zhijun, who was tackled to the ground with a full embrace. The scene looked bizarre. The crew-cut instructor, dressed only in red boxer shorts, clung tightly to Zhang Zhijun, desperately trying to get up but unable to balance due to his hands being bound behind him, his lower body kept arching. "Disgusting," a female teacher said, shaking her head in distaste. "There's another one for you!" Hao Jian kicked the thin, dark instructor over, who piled on top of the crew-cut instructor like a stack of dominoes. Zhang Zhijun, pressed underneath, struggled to breathe and roared with a fierce look: "Kid, I will definitely slaughter you!" "Boom." Half an hour later, a military truck arrived at the entrance of the Chinese Medicine Hospital, and a mighty hundred soldiers jumped down and poured into the school with a menacing air. The security personnel at the school were all so terrified that they didn't dare to utter a word to stop what was unfolding. The teachers and students, seeing so many soldiers arrive, were shivering with fear. A uniform presence of burly soldiers, all in matching camouflage uniforms, stood squarely behind Zhang Zhijun. "Kid, you were pretty arrogant before, weren't you? Try acting tough with me now," Zhang Zhijun said with glaring eyes, feeling a murderous rage toward Hao Jian at that moment. "Camp Commander Zhang, this kind of commotion isn't good for anyone. We should be thinking of ways to resolve the problem, not blindly creating more," Du Yuelin said with a grave expression, then looked toward Hao Jian: "Hao Jian, you better hurry up and apologize to Camp Commander Zhang, and stop provoking him." Du Yuelin really didn't want to see Hao Jian get beaten by these soldiers. With so many soldiers here, if a fight were to break out, he would be lucky to escape with his life, if not severely injured. "Hao Jian, let it go," Qin Bing also said worriedly, as Hao Jian was her only friend, and she didn't want to see him get hurt either. "Our issues can be dealt with after I beat this punk up. Today, no matter what, this kid has to lose a hand and a foot, and no one can stop me!" Zhang Zhijun said with a twitch in his lips and a ruthless expression. The humiliation Hao Jian had just caused him had to be paid back with a part of his body! "Enough talk, every man must bear the consequences of his actions, come on!" Hao Jian roared with domineering fury, ripping off his shirt to reveal his strong and fierce upper body. The reason his body was described as fierce is that there was not a single inch of skin without a scar¡ªit was covered with marks from knives and bullets, across his entire torso. Seeing this, Zhang Zhijun and the rest were shocked, as they also noticed several bullet wounds on Hao Jian's body. Wasn't this guy just an ordinary teacher? How could he have so many terrifying scars? The soldiers, one by one, felt their hearts tremble. The total number of scars on all of them combined didn't match the amount on Hao Jian's body alone. This guy had definitely been to the battlefield! Zhang Zhijun was absolutely certain in his heart that Hao Jian had been on the battlefield, and not just once! Suddenly, Zhang Zhijun had an ominous premonition, stemming from the intimidating scars on Hao Jian's body. The girls, including Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating, were initially taken aback by the scars on Hao Jian's body, but then their eyes couldn't help but radiate a heated gaze. In their eyes, Hao Jian was mysterious, and these scars added a brutal charm to that layer of mystery. It's not often that one man can intimidate an army, but today it happened. Although Hao Jian didn't drive the soldiers away, he ignited a flame called "fear" in each of their hearts. The soldiers eyed Hao Jian with a certain dread. Yes, these stout-hearted men were frightened because they could tell from those scars that Hao Jian, just like them, had been a soldier, and an exceptional one at that. Scars are a soldier's medals of honor, and right now, Hao Jian's body was covered in them. "What are you waiting for? Have you all become scared?" Hao Jian burst into hearty laughter, his fists clenched tightly, his arm muscles bulging, veins popping out, making him look especially fierce, like a humanoid monster! Chapter 267 Situation Reversed! ```"Charge!" Zhang Zhijun roared. He simply couldn't believe this nonsense. Could Hao Jian really fight off over a hundred of them by himself? How was that possible? "Roar!" A hundred soldiers roared in unison and charged towards Hao Jian amid the shocked cries of numerous teachers and students. "Scram!" Hao Jian spat out these angry words, and with a ferocious and powerful kick, he sent the leading soldier flying like a cannonball, knocking over more than a dozen comrades behind him. Those dozen soldiers immediately felt dizzy and disoriented, losing their ability to act. There was no need to elaborate on how terrifying Hao Jian's kick was, as it could even shatter diamonds. Just now, he had only used half his strength; otherwise, that soldier would have been dead. Seeing Hao Jian take down over a dozen men with a single move, everyone was dumbfounded. The scene was like something out of a martial arts drama. "Handsome, damn handsome! Worthy of being the man Che Xiaoxiao fancies," Che Xiaoxiao remarked admiringly, almost drooling as she spoke. "A teacher gives such a sense of security. If only my boyfriend were as domineering as the teacher," a girl said wistfully. If she had known earlier, she wouldn't have rushed into a relationship; then, she might still have a chance at this moment. "I can't take it, I'm going to faint." Since ancient times, heroes have loved beauties, and naturally, beauties love heroes as well. In the face of such a domineering and powerful Hao Jian, all the girls were powerless to resist. Hao Jian's fists and feet flew, sending soldiers sprawling in all directions. In just ten minutes, all the soldiers lay on the ground. The crowd no longer knew how to describe their feelings at that moment. It was even more thrilling than watching a Hollywood blockbuster. Because those Hollywood blockbusters are all fake, but this was real. Seeing an unharmed Hao Jian, they all had the illusion that this guy might be the reincarnation of the Martial God. Hao Jian picked up his clothes from the ground, put them on, and then walked towards Zhang Zhijun. Zhang Zhijun and his men were already stunned, and when they saw Hao Jian approaching, they even forgot to run away for a moment. Hao Jian stood in front of Zhang Zhijun, his eyes cold as he looked at him. "Gulp." Zhang Zhijun swallowed his saliva, his expression one of fear, he looked pitifully at Hao Jian. Though he said nothing, his eyes seemed to plead with Hao Jian to spare him. "Think having numbers is impressive?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. Zhang Zhijun hurriedly shook his head, nearly wetting himself with fear. At first, he also thought having numbers was impressive, but now it seemed damn clear that having real skills was truly impressive. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian's solo combat ability was too strong, so strong that Zhang Zhijun couldn't comprehend if he was still human. "No, of course, having numbers is impressive, but unfortunately, your opponent is far too strong," Hao Jian said with a smile. This statement was arrogant, but Zhang Zhijun knew it was the truth. Hao Jian alone could match a platoon, no, perhaps a company, or even a battalion! At this point, Zhang Zhijun just wanted to cry. Fuck your ancestors for eighteen generations, what kind of ****** have I provoked? I'm just a man, did you really have to make me confront a god? "I was wrong. I won't meddle in this matter anymore. You can do whatever you want with these two people, I won't interfere," Zhang Zhijun said to Hao Jian. At this moment, he could only sacrifice pawns to save his king, a reluctant decision to make. It was better for the buzz-cut drill instructors to take the beating than himself. ``` "Camp Commander!" both the buzz-cut instructor and the skinny dark instructor immediately had mournful faces as they looked at Zhang Zhijun, almost bursting into tears in their urgency. "Crying out for what, you brought this trouble on yourselves, so you should bear the consequences!" Zhang Zhijun scolded angrily, hating these two incompetents to his core. If it weren't for them stirring up such a terrifying existence, would he have to lower himself like this, talking to him like a dog? "Teacher, could you please let me off the hook?" Zhang Zhijun asked with a face full of forced smiles. "Slap." Hao Jian slapped him across the face and cursed, "Are you damn Nationalist Party?" The Nationalist Party, where officers in battle surely hide at the very back and abandon their soldiers at the first sign of danger. "Didn't you just say you wanted to take me to a military court?" Hao Jian asked with a cold smile. "I wouldn't dare anymore, I wouldn't dare," Zhang Zhijun said, shaking his head with his hand covering his face. How could he dare to do that now? Wasn't that seeking death? "Boss." At that moment, Yu Ou rushed over quickly from the school entrance, glancing at the soldiers lying on the ground, he clicked his tongue twice, "Did you do all this?" "Mm-hm." Hao Jian nodded indifferently but still kept his gaze on Zhang Zhijun. "Hey, Zhang Zhijun, what are you doing here?" Yu Ou asked in surprise, as the Yu Family held a pivotal position in the Military Department, and he naturally knew this Zhang Zhijun. "Young Master Yu." Zhang Zhijun put on a bitter smile. When he heard Yu Ou call Hao Jian 'Boss,' his legs nearly gave out and buckled beneath him. This guy was actually Yu Ou's boss? Wasn't he just an ordinary instructor? This was just not fair. Formidably powerful, with a deep and obscure background -- he wasn't just kicking an iron board, he was ramming his head against a wall! "Holy shit, don't tell me you're the one who was looking for trouble with my boss?" Yu Ou exclaimed in amazement. "Yes," Zhang Zhijun answered unwillingly. The smile immediately vanished from Yu Ou's face, replaced with a cold tone, "I heard you were about to be promoted, right?" Zhang Zhijun's gaze became vacant as he looked at Yu Ou, a foreboding feeling rising in his heart. "I think you should go back to the lower levels for more polish. In a while, I'll have my dad arrange for you to go to the countryside to inspect the people's conditions," Yu Ou spoke. Zhang Zhijun fell to his knees with a thump, sobbing and sniffling, "Young Master Yu, I know I was wrong, please spare me this once." Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire For Yu Ou to send him to the countryside meant that he would never see a day of success in his life. It was not easy for him to get to his current position, and just as he was about to be promoted, being demoted now would render all his years of hard work in vain. "Don't kneel to me; you didn't offend me," Yu Ou replied expressionlessly. Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhijun instantaneously shifted direction, turning to Hao Jian, kowtowing three times and knocking his head nine times on the ground, "Mr. Hao Jian, I was blind to Mt. Tai, I looked down on people from my lowly position. A noble person does not remember the offenses of a lowly person, please spare me this time?" Zhang Zhijun kowtowed so hard that his head started bleeding. He had to kowtow with all his might for fear that Hao Jian might doubt his sincerity. Everyone around was stunned. This drastic 360-degree turn was hard for them to take in. Zhang Zhijun, who had just been high and mighty, threatening to have Hao Jian killed, was now begging like a dog. At this moment, the students and instructors looked at Hao Jian with curiosity and awe, all wanting to know exactly who Hao Jian was and why even Zhang Zhijun, the camp commander, was afraid of him. "How are you going to deal with these two?" Instead of responding, Hao Jian looked towards the buzz-cut instructor and the skinny dark instructor. Chapter 268 Night Emperor! The two instructors immediately turned ashen-faced, indeed Hao Jian was not planning to let them off.Of course, Hao Jian would not let them off because they had beaten his students so brutally, there was already no room for turning back. The reason why Zhang Zhijun still had some leeway was only because he hadn't directly harmed Luo Tong. "I will definitely punish them without mercy, and handle this justly!" Zhang Zhijun solemnly promised, knowing that whether he could keep his position entirely depended on his attitude toward this matter. "Let's just let bygones be bygones," Hao Jian said to Yu Ou. "Since you say let it go, then we'll let it go." Yu Ou smiled and then glared at Zhang Zhijun, "Aren't you going to thank my boss?" "Thank you, boss. Thank you, boss." Zhang Zhijun kowtowed several more times. "Take your people and scram!" Hao Jian chided ungraciously. "Alright, alright, I'll scram immediately, immediately." But there was not a hint of anger on Zhang Zhijun's face; he couldn't wait to leave this accursed place, not wanting to stay another moment. Zhang Zhijun dejectedly led away a group of the wounded, leaving behind a crowd of stunned teachers and students. "You really are a disaster magnet, managing to stir up trouble wherever you go," Yu Ou teased. "It's not that I want to stir up trouble; what can I do when trouble follows me?" Hao Jian said with a wry smile. "Save it, you could have ignored many things, but you couldn't. Because I know you, you can't stand injustices," Yu Ou said with a smile, knowing that many of the troubles Hao Jian encountered didn't originate from himself but from those around him. Just like this time, Zhao Yating was harassed, Luo Tong and others were beaten up; he could have ignored it, pretended to know nothing about it. But Hao Jian didn't do that because he couldn't; he wasn't that kind of person. Hao Jian just smiled, offering no explanation. "My grandfather has woken up, and he's happy to know you saved him. He wants you to come over for a meal when you have time. It's been many years, and he misses you a lot," Yu Ou said. "Alright, I'll come over when I have time," Hao Jian nodded. "Then I'm off to deal with these troublesome matters. Damn it, Zhang Zhijun caused so many soldiers to get hurt; how the heck am I supposed to write this report," Yu Ou cursed as he walked toward the campus exit. Hao Jian smiled helplessly, but as soon as he turned around, he saw Du Yuelin and others looking at him as if they had seen a ghost. "What's up?" Hao Jian asked, feigning ignorance. "What's up? You're asking us? We'd like to ask you which planet's alien you are, coming to Earth to bully us earthlings?" Du Yuelin retorted, clearly unimpressed; you knocked down over a hundred well-trained soldiers on your own, and now you're asking us what's up? Hao Jian touched his nose, embarrassed, and said, "I learned a bit of martial arts when I was younger." "Yeah, right." Before he could finish, a chorus of boos came from the students, obviously not buying Hao Jian's tall tale; this is what he calls a bit of martial arts? "Stop it. Get on with what you need to do," Hao Jian said, annoyed. Only then did the teachers and students leave, laughing heartily. "You scared me just now," Qin Bing said somewhat resentfully to Hao Jian. "Didn't I tell you before that I've been on the battlefield? You should have a little more confidence in me," Hao Jian joked. "There are plenty of soldiers who have been to the battlefield, but they aren't as incredible as you, and you never told me you were that powerful." Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire "The battlefields I went to are not ordinary ones. Anyone who can fight there is a monster who can take on a hundred by themselves. You're shocked because you haven't seen it." "Alright then," Qin Bing replied indifferently, not wishing to dwell on the topic. "By the way, thank you for before. I didn't have a chance to thank you properly." "We're friends; what's there to thank me for?" Hao Jian said with a smile. Qin Bing smiled tenderly and, without further words, walked away. She was always someone who wasn't good at expressing her feelings, and she believed that Hao Jian could understand her emotions at that moment. "Look at you, hooking up with another beauty in just a few days?" Che Xiaoxiao came over, her tone full of jealousy. "Teacher, you're such a heartbreaker!" Zhao Yating also said, sounding sulky. "Enough, enough already," Hao Jian said, waving his hand impatiently. Meanwhile, at the Liang Family residence. Liang Jiankun stood on the balcony, holding a glass of red wine as red as blood, looking into the distant sunset with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. "Young Master, the Night Emperor has returned," a servant reported. "Let him in," Liang Jiankun said without turning around. Then, a burly man wearing a black cloak, his face unseen, walked in. He was covered in thick layers of black cloth from head to toe, wrapped tightly, looking quite eerie. "Have you seen him?" Liang Jiankun asked. "I have," replied the Night Emperor, his voice hoarse and deep, somber as the night. "What do you think of him?" Liang Jiankun inquired further. "Very strong," the Night Emperor responded without hesitation, giving his candid opinion. Unbeknownst to Hao Jian, the Night Emperor had been watching from the shadows as he dealt with those soldiers. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Stronger than you?" "Stronger than me!" Chapter 269 The Wind, It Rises! Hearing the Night Emperor's praise for Hao Jian, Liang Jiankun also appeared very surprised, and at the same time, a solemn expression swept over his eyes."If you were to fight him, what would your chances of winning be?" Liang Jiankun was eager to know just how strong Hao Jian had become. "If it were just a normal sparring match, perhaps thirty percent," the Night Emperor said calmly. "And if it were a fight to the death?" Liang Jiankun asked again. "Less than ten percent," the Night Emperor gave his answer. After witnessing Hao Jian's strength, the Night Emperor had also self-evaluated, wanting to deny that Hao Jian was superior, but ultimately, he couldn't bring himself to be so shameless. "Less than ten percent?" Liang Jiankun was incredibly surprised and said, "You ranked tenth in the Mercenary Rankings, and you have less than a ten percent chance of winning against him, how terrifying must his strength be?" "I think he must be like the King of Mercenary, the only one who could defeat him is probably the King of Mercenary himself," the Night Emperor said with a bitter smile, at least he didn't dare boast he could win against Hao Jian. Liang Jiankun fell silent, his expression frozen. After a long while, he finally let out a sigh, "It seems I have no choice but to kill him." Such a threat must be eliminated as soon as possible! "Killing him will not be easy," the Night Emperor reminded, Hao Jian was not a simple matter, killing him would probably require dozens, or even more Martial Artists of the same level. "Indeed not easy, but he has made too many enemies, we're not the only ones who want him dead," Liang Jiankun started to chuckle coldly. "When the time comes, naturally there will be others who will strike with us!" To kill Hao Jian with Liang Jiankun's personal power indeed would be somewhat difficult, but the problem was that he wasn't the only one who wanted Hao Jian dead, there were also others like Kong Xiaozhen. No matter how formidable Hao Jian was, an individual's power is ultimately limited, and he wouldn't be able to confront so many people at the same time. With that, the Night Emperor did not speak anymore. He understood Liang Jiankun and knew just how clever he was. Liang Jiankun still wanting to kill Hao Jian after hearing him out meant that he must have a foolproof plan. "Young Master, Yu Zhixun requests an audience," just then, a subordinate came to report. "Let him in," Liang Jiankun nodded, and then said to the Night Emperor, "Please step aside for a moment." The Night Emperor didn't speak, but his figure disappeared from the spot immediately. Before long, Yu Zhixun appeared before Liang Jiankun, respectfully saying, "Young Master." Indeed, Yu Zhixun was Liang Jiankun's dog, and he had been Liang Jiankun's dog for quite some years now. "Yu Zhixun, you haven't come to see me for a while," Liang Jiankun said with a hint of reproach. "I've been busy, haha," Yu Zhixun explained with a laugh. "Busy but you still have time to come see me?" Liang Jiankun asked with a sly smile, knowing all along that Yu Zhixun never came without a reason. Yu Zhixun bit his lip and finally mustered the courage to speak, "Young Master, actually, I've come to ask you for a favor." "Oh? Let's hear it," Liang Jiankun said with interest. "I want to ask you to help me get rid of someone named Hao Jian," Yu Zhixun said outright, his hatred for Hao Jian was bone-deep, gnashing his teeth even in his dreams. "Hao Jian?" Liang Jiankun was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Yu Zhixun had also had a conflict with Hao Jian. "Young Master knows him?" Yu Zhixun was also taken aback. "Far from just knowing him, we are mortal enemies," Liang Jiankun answered with a smile. "Really?" Yu Zhixun's face showed wild joy. In that case, even if he didn't say anything, Liang Jiankun would eliminate him as well. "What's your relationship with him, and why do you want to get rid of him?" Liang Jiankun asked Yu Zhixun. "I don't have much of a relationship with him; it's my older brother who is on good terms with him. It's precisely because of this that I want to get rid of him. That old fogey in my family holds that kid in high regard. If things continue to develop this way, I'm worried that my position as the Family Head might be snatched away by that kid," Yu Zhixun said. Given the old man's fondness for Hao Jian, he would definitely lean more towards the Yu Xiatang family. Read the latest on My Virtual Library Empire "The old man even invited him to have a meal at our house in a few days. Once they make contact, I fear I will no longer have any status in the family," Yu Zhixun said angrily. "What do you want me to do?" Liang Jiankun asked. "I hope the Young Master can come home with me on that day to give that kid a lesson," Yu Zhixun said. If Liang Jiankun was willing to go home with him, he could use Liang Jiankun's influence. Then, perhaps the old man would see him in a new light, knowing Liang Jiankun was his backer. "Go back, I have agreed to your request," Liang Jiankun said indifferently. He wouldn't pass up any chance to cause trouble for Hao Jian. "Thank you so much, Young Master." Yu Zhixun was overjoyed, bowing repeatedly before finally leaving reluctantly. Liang Jiankun looked out the window, a hint of a smile on his lips as he murmured to himself, "The wind has started." S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. . Hao Jian arrived at the Yu Family banquet as promised and saw the Yu family elder again. After a month of recovery, Yu Qianchong had almost completely healed. Wearing a red Tang suit symbolizing celebration, he was seated at the most important spot at the feast, looking vigorous. "Elder." Hao Jian nodded to Yu Qianchong with a smile. Yu Qianchong also smiled gently and nodded, "I really didn't misjudge you back then!" Yu Qianchong had known of Hao Jian's potential early on, so he had gone out of his way to cultivate him. Hao Jian had not disappointed him, truly becoming a talent and even saving his life. Yu Qianchong felt fortunate for having taken action back then, which had saved his own life. "I'm honored to fulfill the expectations," Hao Jian replied with a smile, and then both of them burst into hearty laughter, their camaraderie puzzling to the onlookers. "Please, take your seat," Yu Xiatang said with a beaming smile. But Yu Zhixun scoffed coldly, looking extremely dissatisfied. At this point, all he could hope for was Liang Jiankun to arrive quickly because only Liang Jiankun could control Hao Jian. "Yo, quite the lively scene here," said a familiar voice from behind just as Hao Jian was about to take his seat. He turned around and immediately frowned, for it was none other than Liang Jiankun. Hao Jian was puzzled as to why Liang Jiankun would be here. Yu Qianchong and the others also looked suspicious since they had no close relationship with Liang Jiankun. "Young Master, you've arrived?" Yu Zhixun hurriedly went up to greet him. With this move, Yu Qianchong and the rest realized what was going on¡ªLiang Jiankun was likely invited by Yu Zhixun. A strange smile also emerged on the corners of Hao Jian's mouth. If he guessed correctly, Liang Jiankun was probably invited by Yu Zhixun to deal with him, and likely to teach him a lesson. Liang Jiankun nodded slightly and saluted Yu Qianchong: "It's a joyous occasion that the elder has recovered from his serious illness." Chapter 270 Turmoil! "Young Master is very considerate," Yu Qianchong said with a mere hint of a smile, his expression restrained because Liang Jiankun's appearance here was way too unusual. The Yu Family wasn't acquainted with Liang Jiankun, and there was no way he would have paid a visit specifically for him."Heh, you're here too?" Liang Jiankun pretended as if he had just noticed Hao Jian and asked in surprise. "You talk as if you didn't know I'd be here," Hao Jian replied with a smile. "Hao Jian, what kind of attitude is that? How dare you speak to the Young Master in such a manner?" Yu Zhixun glared at Hao Jian. "You're his dog, I'm not. How I talk to him is my business," Hao Jian said with a scornful laugh. "You..." Yu Zhixun immediately turned green with anger. "You really haven't changed at all since the beginning, just as arrogant," Liang Jiankun remarked, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You're the same as before too, just as annoying," Hao Jian retorted ungraciously. "Do you know how much I dislike the way you speak?" Liang Jiankun asked, his smile chilling. Hao Jian shrugged. "I know, but what does that have to do with me? I like it, and that's good enough for me." "Family Head, I really don't like this guy. Would you mind having him shown out?" Liang Jiankun asked Yu Qianchong with a smile. At this point, Yu Qianchong and the others had realized that there was some grudge between Liang Jiankun and Hao Jian, and it seemed to be a deep one. Given this, Yu Qianchong's expression turned to one of helplessness. If he didn't agree, it would be a slight to Liang Jiankun, but driving Hao Jian away was not what he wanted to do. Hao Jian had saved his life, and to send Hao Jian away would seem ungrateful. "Who the hell do you think you are, saying 'please leave' as if it's that easy?" Yu Ou suddenly erupted, his brother Hao Jian was being pushed out by Liang Jiankun, how could Yu Ou agree to that? "Yu Ou, shut your mouth!" Yu Qianchong scolded sternly. Yu Ou didn't realize who Liang Jiankun was, so he dared to speak so recklessly. But Yu Qianchong knew Liang Jiankun's status and was aware that the young man before him was not someone he could afford to offend. Upon hearing this, Yu Ou could only retreat in frustration but continued to glare at Liang Jiankun. "Um, Young Master, Hao Jian is my life-saver. Could you, perhaps, for the sake of him saving me, not hold it against him?" Yu Qianchong's words were tinged with appeasement, casting the blame entirely on Hao Jian. Because Yu Qianchong knew Hao Jian wouldn't get angry, but it was different with Liang Jiankun. "Family Head, it's not that I wish to disrespect you, but he and I have some old scores to settle; he has insulted me before. If he's willing to give me an apology here, I might consider letting bygones be bygones. But I'm not sure if he's willing?" Liang Jiankun looked at Hao Jian, who was sitting in his chair with his eyes closed as if resting, his smile ambiguous. Liang Jiankun's words were a mix of sincerity and pretense. In truth, he was somewhat willing to reconcile with Hao Jian since he found Hao Jian's strength daunting. Being enemies with such a powerful individual would inevitably lead to serious consequences. Yet, Liang Jiankun didn't want to forgive Hao Jian too easily, as that wouldn't do justice to the insults Hao Jian had once hurled at him. Hearing this, Hao Jian laughed and said, "Want me to apologize to you? What's gotten into your head, water or shit?" Yu Jiayi, who had been enjoying her meal, set down her chopsticks and looked at Hao Jian with a face full of disgust. Liang Jiankun laughed and remained silent; naturally, he couldn't curse like Hao Jian, for he was a man of status and position. How could someone of his standing stoop to trade insults with Hao Jian? "Dad, just listen to him, what is he even saying? How can such a vulgar person deserve to stay here?" Yu Zhixun whispered, egging on Yu Qianchong. Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire Upon hearing this, Yu Qianchong frowned. Although he did not say anything, his disdain for Yu Zhixun was evident. Hao Jian had saved his life, yet not only did Yu Zhixun fail to show gratitude, but he also insulted Hao Jian, which deeply troubled Yu Qianchong. Yu Qianchong's expression was embarrassed, knowing Liang Jiankun was awaiting his response. If his answer did not satisfy Liang Jiankun, he would thoroughly offend him. "Elder, I've heard that the eldest in your family is competing for a key position in the Military Department, right?" Liang Jiankun suddenly brought up the issue. At these words, Yu Qianchong and the others' faces went pale instantaneously. It was true that Yu Xiatang was currently vying for a position; securing it would be a celebratory occasion for the entire Yu Family. But Liang Jiankun's timing in mentioning this was clearly intentional. "It just so happens that I can also have a say in the Military Department," Liang Jiankun said with a fake smile. "I think he's not quite suitable for the position yet. Let him gain a few more years of experience, and then he can compete for it. That should be about right." Upon hearing this, Yu Qianchong and the others' faces turned dark as water, while Yu Ou and Yu Jiayi glared at Liang Jiankun furiously. Yu Jiayi couldn't care less when Liang Jiankun insulted Hao Jian, but now that Liang Jiankun threatened to harm their family, she found it hard to accept. Furthermore, in Yu Jiayi's view, Liang Jiankun's actions were utterly unmanly and despicable. "Dad, please think carefully, what's more important, our family's future or this insignificant kid? Is it really worth it to sacrifice a family for him?" Yu Zhixun went on babbling. "Moreover, the Young Master is leagues above Hao Jian in terms of both status and background. Sure, he saved your life, but haven't we already repaid him with a generous reward?" Yu Zhixun advocated severing ties with Hao Jian, because without his help, Yu Xiatang would have no chance of succeeding as the Family Head. With Liang Jiankun's backing, getting the position would be a piece of cake for himself. "If I slap you twice but then give you compensation, would that be okay?" Yu Ou was provoked into laughter by Yu Zhixun's shamelessness. Hao Jian saved Yu Qianchong, thus extending the Yu Family's lifeline and enabling their family to prosper for another ten years. Could such a favor ever be repaid? How? At this moment, Yu Jiayi also frowned, finding Yu Zhixun's words a bit excessive. "How can you talk like that? Have you forgotten I'm your second uncle? You lack respect. Can friends be more important than the interests of the family? For a friend, would you abandon your relatives?" Yu Zhixun immediately scolded Yu Ou. "Is it the family's interests or your personal interests? Did you bring this person here today truly to protect family interests?" Yu Ou sneered. Yu Zhixun's words were laughable, as if no one knew what he was up to. Meanwhile, Yu Qianchong remained silent, his expression hesitant. "Elder, please make a decision quickly. We can't afford to offend the Young Master," Yu Zhixun urged impatiently. After a long while, Yu Qianchong finally made up his mind and said to Hao Jian, "Hao Jian, why don't you go back first? We'll have dinner another time." Chapter 271 Find Some Fun! The implication was to have Hao Jian leave.At this, both Yu Ou and Yu Jiayi were stunned; the old man really intended to drive Hao Jian away. Even Yu Jiayi, who had never liked Hao Jian, couldn't help but start to sympathize with him now. Seeing this, Yu Zhixun couldn't help but sneer triumphantly, "Did you hear that? Get lost quickly." But Hao Jian acted as if he hadn't heard Yu Zhixun's words, nodding towards Yu Qianchong, "I understand." Hao Jian stood up, but then he stopped next to Liang Jiankun. Seeing this, the Night Emperor quickly stepped forward to stand beside Liang Jiankun, warily watching Hao Jian, fearing he might harm Liang Jiankun. Liang Jiankun also furrowed his brows, glancing at Hao Jian out of the corner of his eye. "Don't be nervous. If I wanted to kill him, you alone couldn't stop me," Hao Jian said mockingly. At his words, the Night Emperor's body shook, feeling insulted. Hao Jian looked directly at Liang Jiankun, "You think you can disregard me, you think someone like me doesn't qualify to be your enemy, yet in reality, you're afraid of me." "Afraid of you? Why would I be afraid of you?" Liang Jiankun sneered, why would he fear a dying man. "If you're not afraid, then why did you bring bodyguards when you see me? I remember the first time we met, you didn't bring anything, right?" Hao Jian hit the nail on the head. Liang Jiankun was taken aback, then immediately tried to retort. But Hao Jian waved his hand with a smile, "Don't be in a hurry to explain, it's clear enough in your own heart." With that, he turned and left the Yu Family, with Yu Ou hurriedly following behind. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Young Master, please take a seat!" Yu Zhixun eagerly gestured to Liang Jiankun, groveling like a lackey, while Yu Qianchong and the others had mixed feelings, finding it hard to swallow. "I'm full," Yu Jiayi also stood up. "How can you be full after just a few bites?" Yu Jiayi's mother asked. "I feel sick today!" Yu Jiayi dropped this statement and also walked out. "Hao Jian!" Yu Ou chased after him from behind. "Why are you here? Aren't you going to eat with them?" Hao Jian turned around and looked at Yu Ou with a smile. Yu Ou scratched his head sheepishly, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect them to be so outrageous, I hope you don't take it to heart, my grandfather really didn't mean to do this, he had no choice." Hao Jian waved his hand dismissively, "Stop talking nonsense. Aren't we family? The old man is also my grandfather, how could I be angry with him? And he didn't treat me as an outsider, that's why he sent me away, I know what he meant." "You're not angry?" Yu Ou asked, astonished. "Your father has taken the position of Family Head, why should I be angry?" Hao Jian said with a beaming smile. "My dad has taken the position of Family Head? When did this happen? How could I not know?" Yu Ou was perplexed, like a Monk who is baffled. Hao Jian laughed, "All of you failed to notice. When the old man asked me to leave just now, he gave me a meaningful glance and kicked my shoe with his foot. He was trying to tell me that he wouldn't let me be wronged for nothing. Yu Zhixun dared to bring Liang Jiankun here to make trouble, which also displeased the old man, so there is no way he would hand the position of Family Head to Yu Zhixun." Yu Zhixun would never have imagined that a move he thought was clever could actually cost him his right to inherit. Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire He had planned to use Liang Jiankun's hand to drive away Hao Jian, and he had succeeded, but he also successfully aroused Yu Qianchong's animosity toward him. "Really?" Yu Ou was taken aback, wondering how he had missed that. "Of course it's true; just wait and see if you don't believe me," Hao Jian said with a smile. He and Yu Qianchong had known each other for so many years and had long since understood each other tacitly, so a single look or gesture from Yu Qianchong was enough for Hao Jian to grasp his meaning. Yu Ou laughed heartily, "If Yu Zhixun knew about this, he would probably be pissed to death, right?" "That's called reaping what you sow; since he did such a thing, he should pay the price. He overestimated his own smarts and underestimated the relationship between me and the old man," Hao Jian chuckled. Yu Qianchong had said before that his relationship with Hao Jian was both as a teacher and a friend, profoundly deep, and not long ago, Hao Jian had even saved Yu Qianchong's life. However, Yu Zhixun had failed to realize this and had been repeatedly causing trouble for Hao Jian. "Alright, don't worry about me anymore. Go back and join them," Hao Jian gestured for Yu Ou to go back, to avoid letting others talk later. "And you?" Yu Ou asked. "Me? I'll find some fun on my own!" Hao Jian chuckled mischievously. A few minutes later, he appeared next to Liang Jiankun's car and took out his own car key. "Think you're tough? Take a cab home later!" Hao Jian punctured several holes in Liang Jiankun's car tires, letting all the air out, then targeted Yu Zhixun's car. This way, Yu Zhixun couldn't think about driving Liang Jiankun back home either. It wasn't long before Liang Jiankun came out from the Ye Family's place. He hadn't come for dinner in the first place, so he casually ate a few bites and sat for a moment before leaving. Now that the deed was done, it was naturally time to make a graceful exit. When Liang Jiankun saw his car tires completely deflated, he couldn't help but shake his head and wryly smile, "What a sore loser." "Damn it, that kid also sabotaged my tires!" Yu Zhixun, gnashing his teeth in anger, said, "Young Master, wait here for a moment; I will go borrow a car from someone." "Jiayi, lend me your car. I need to drive Young Master home," Yu Zhixun said to Yu Jiayi, who was passing by. "I'm busy; I've got an emergency," Yu Jiayi said without turning her head as she walked toward her car. "What kind of emergency could you possibly have?" Yu Zhixun said somewhat annoyed, as Yu Jiayi had made him lose face. "Picking up girls at a bar," Yu Jiayi started the car. "That counts as an emergency?" "It might not to you, but it does to me," Yu Jiayi responded indifferently, then drove away. "Forget it; I'll just take a cab home," Jiankun said, displeased, and then without waiting for Yu Zhixun to speak, he headed straight towards the Yu Family estate. "Hao Jian, we are irreconcilable!" Yu Zhixun roared inwardly. He could tell that Liang Jiankun was genuinely angry as well. Hao Jian walked down the dimly lit street, slowly gravitating toward home. The evening breeze was somewhat cold, carrying a hint of desolation and menace; Hao Jian unconsciously shrank his neck, cursing the damn weather. Just then, Hao Jian's steps suddenly halted for half a second, and his eyelids also showed a hint of fierceness. In that instant, he had sensed a wisp of killing intent. Without any surprise, that whisper of killing intent was directed at him, wasn't it? Was it Liang Jiankun's bodyguard? Hao Jian thought to himself but quickly shook his head; that wasn't likely. That fellow wasn't brainless; he should know he was no match for me. Chapter 272 Night Raid! Hao Jian remained composed and didn't head straight home. Instead, he changed his route, walking towards a sparsely populated alley."Boss, this kid is walking into a dark alley. Could it be that he's discovered us?" In the darkness of the night, several shadows appeared, all puzzled as they watched the direction in which Hao Jian disappeared. They knew that Hao Jian's home was not located there, and his behavior seemed to be deliberately luring them to follow him. "Let's go take a look!" a man with a hoarse voice commanded from the front. The group swiftly flashed forward, rushing up to follow. But when they entered the alley, they found that Hao Jian had vanished without a trace. "Where is he?" The man was bewildered and discolored. This was a dead-end alley with no way out¡ªhow could Hao Jian have disappeared into thin air? "Over here!" A sudden sneer came from above their heads, and as they all looked up, they saw Hao Jian clinging to the wall like a gecko, his limbs bracing against the wall, his entire body wedged midair. "Swoosh!" Hao Jian suddenly dropped down, his feet aiming directly for the shoulders of one of them. The man's shoulders cracked audibly, and then he collapsed to the ground. The others jumped back in alarm, opening a distance between themselves and Hao Jian, warily watching him. At this moment, they were like frightened birds. Had Hao Jian really taken out one of them with his first move? They should know¡ªthey were considered top elites within the Martial Evil Hall! Indeed, these martial artists were from the Martial Evil Hall, and their purpose in seeking out Hao Jian was naturally for revenge. Since Hao Jian had made many enemies, his adversaries had unanimously decided to join forces against him, with Liang Jiankun being the first, followed promptly by the Martial Evil Hall. It seemed as if a storm was about to burst forth, the building filled with tension. "Let me guess, you must be from the Martial Evil Hall, right?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. Though there were martial artists following both Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen, those were people of extraordinary strength, unlike the riffraff before him. Such a horde of riffraff could only belong to the Martial Evil Hall. If Sun Bohong knew that the elites he valued were seen as nothing more than riffraff in the eyes of Hao Jian, one wonders what he would feel. "What's the point in knowing so much when you're about to die anyway?" The martial artists let out cold, mocking laughter. "Kid, daring to be an enemy of the Martial Evil Hall will be the most foolish decision you've ever made in your life!" "Kneel and kowtow, and you may keep your corpse intact!" The martial artists jeered and shouted. "Actually, this grudge between me and the Martial Evil Hall has nothing to do with you. Honestly, there's no need for you to get involved. We don't have any personal grievances, and truthfully, I don't want to kill you." Hao Jian sighed and said, "How about this? You all kneel down and knock your heads on the ground a few times, apologize, and we can call it even. How does that sound?" "Us, kneel down and kowtow? Are you out of your mind? Did a door squeeze your brain? Don't you see how many of us there are?" The martial artists were all furious. Was this kid insane? "I think he's been scared witless; he's talking complete nonsense now." "Kid, originally I wanted to finish you with one slice, but seeing how arrogant you are, I've decided to change my mind. I'm going to torment you a bit, and then I'll kill you." "Enough talk, let's get this started!" The leader of the group barked an order. A group of people charged toward Hao Jian, the bright gleam of knife edges flashing in the dark alley under the moonlight. Discover exclusive tales at My Virtual Library Empire "Sigh, why don't you understand how to seize an opportunity?" Hao Jian felt helpless and his figure burst out accordingly. One minute later, those martial artists all lay in pools of blood, dead to the last man. "You. What kind of monster are you?" The leader, backed into a corner by Hao Jian, looked at him in terror. In just one minute, they were completely defeated with no chance to resist in the hands of this man. This could no longer just be described as powerful¡ªit was sheer terror! This guy was not human, he was a monster! Hao Jian didn't answer his question, but instead asked, "Have you ever seen the color of your own heart?" S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The man couldn't answer, just staring blankly at Hao Jian, not understanding the meaning behind his words. "Do you know that if you remove your own heart quickly enough, you can see what it looks like before you die?" Hao Jian asked again, a demon-like smile spreading across his lips, as he held up his blood-drenched hand: "Just like this." The man was completely stunned. In Hao Jian's hand was a heart, lying peacefully and beating thump-thump vehemently. The man felt his soul disintegrate in fear and instinctively looked down at his chest, only to realize that a bloody hole had appeared there without his notice. "That's... my heart?" The man was petrified. When had Hao Jian made his move, and why hadn't he felt anything? What had he used to extract his own heart? His bare hands? Demon! This guy couldn't possibly be human. A human could never so cleanly remove a heart from another's chest, especially not unnoticed like this. The man felt a chill run down his spine and began to regret not heeding Hao Jian's advice earlier. If they had followed his advice from the beginning, perhaps they wouldn't have had to die. "I have a way to prove this is your heart, which is." Hao Jian chuckled, then suddenly squeezed the heart, crushing it instantly. "Huh." The man gasped as his face turned ashen in an instant. "You see, this is your heart, isn't it?" Hao Jian continued to smile, his grin as brilliant as sunlight, yet it was a dark radiance. Hao Jian wasn't truly unangered that evening. Liang Jiankun had humiliated him at the Yu Family's home; he held back only because of Yu Qianchong's face, choosing not to retaliate against Liang Jiankun at the Yu Family. But now, faced with a group of fools seeking trouble, Hao Jian could no longer contain himself, and a glimpse of his darker side began to show. "Tell me, who exactly are you?" The man knew he was going to die, and before his death, he wanted to know the identity of the one who killed him. "Have you ever heard of the God of Death?" Hao Jian asked, not really expecting the man to know. After all, such a minor character wouldn't have access to such heights and thus was unlikely to know who he was. But Hao Jian was mistaken¡ªthe man did know and was very familiar with it. In fact, it was precisely because he understood too much about the dark world that he was determined to practice martial arts. With a ghastly smile, he asked, "Is it the God of Death who even the sovereigns of the Four Great Alliances fear?" "Oh, you know?" Hao Jian was somewhat surprised. "I. I am a fan of yours." The moment the man spoke, a stream of fresh blood spurted out. Yet, he didn't care: "They all say you died, that you fell to the united offensive of the Four Great Sovereigns, but I didn't believe it. I've always believed you were alive and that one day you would return, rallying to the battle hymn, once again descending upon the throne of the gods!" Chapter 273 You Will Surely Die! Hao Jian did not know that this man had known about him for many years and had stepped into the dark world because of him, just to pursue Hao Jian's footsteps one day.Discover more content at My Virtual Library Empire "Even if you compliment me like this, it won't help, your heart has been removed, and you are undoubtedly going to die." Hao Jian felt somewhat embarrassed and said, "What's going on here? I finally kill someone, and it turns out to be a fan of mine. How awkward is that?" "It doesn't matter, I am happy to die by your hand. I am happy to see you before I die." The man said he was happy twice in a row, showing a slight smile of relief, then his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed weakly. Hao Jian looked at him deeply, sighed, took out a cell phone from his arms, and dialed a number. "Is it done?" The voice of Liu Bohong came from the other end. "They're all dead." Hao Jian casually replied with a smile, but the smile quickly faded, turning into a fierce expression, "You killed them!" Hao Jian did not want to kill, it was Liu Bohong who sent them to their deaths! "Is it, Hao Jian?" Liu Bohong's voice lost color, had all those elite died? "It's me." "Did you kill those Martial Artists?" Liu Bohong asked. "Yes." Liu Bohong gasped, those were tough soldiers who could handle a hundred others, ranking top even among powerful factions. Then, Liu Bohong's face was filled with murderous intent, "Do you know what you have done? Do you know who they were?" "I don't know, and I don't want to know." Since they dared to trouble him, he wouldn't give face to even the emperor! "They were Martial Artists from the Gathering Qi Sect, you've killed them, the Gathering Qi Sect won't let you go!" Liu Bohong roared, already quite furious as he suffered defeat twice in a row, this could make the Gathering Qi Sect doubt his capabilities and even replace him eventually. "Gathering Qi Sect? Hah, I wondered why Martial Evil Hall, a small gang, was so arrogant, turns out you had the Gathering Qi Sect backing you." Hao Jian sneered. The Gathering Qi Sect was a Silver Power within the inner Jianghu, known only to those in the inner Jianghu. Jianghu was divided into the outer Jianghu and the inner Jianghu. The outer Jianghu included forces like Martial Evil Hall and Four Seas Gang, engaging in low-end violence and confined by rules. But the inner Jianghu was different, its powers varied in strength and had a clear hierarchical system. They were powerful and mysterious, unconstrained by rules, and could even intervene in the rules at times. The Gathering Qi Sect had a significant reputation in the inner Jianghu of the nation, a behemoth compared to insignificant factions like the Taoist Sect. "So you know, then you must understand how terrifying the Gathering Qi Sect is? Hao Jian, don't blame me for not giving you a chance, if you are willing to help Gathering Qi Sect take over Hua City ****, I am willing to plead with the Sect Master to spare your life," Liu Bohong made his offer. "Gathering Qi Sect? Let alone the Gathering Qi Sect, even if people from the Three Souls Hall come, I will still kill them without hesitation! You think you can scare me with the Gathering Qi Sect? Hah." Hao Jian chuckled coldly. Liu Bohong fell silent, feeling an ominous premonition. Three Souls Hall? This guy even knew about the Three Souls Hall? Who exactly was he? The Three Souls Hall was a Golden Power, and the Gathering Qi Sect was one of its branches, a secret known by few, yet Hao Jian had revealed it outright. "Who exactly are you?" Liu Bohong became truly fearful, realizing that he had underestimated Hao Jian. This guy was definitely no ordinary man! "You might want to worry about yourself instead of who I am. I will come for you, and I will kill you!" Hao Jian said indifferently, then hung up the phone directly. Liu Bohong stared at the phone dumbfounded, listening to the dial tone, unable to speak for a long while. "Why did you come back so late?" Shu Ya saw Hao Jian return and hurriedly asked. But Hao Jian ignored her and walked straight into the bathroom, turning on the shower and frantically washing the blood off his body. He didn't want to face Shu Ya like this, knowing her intelligence and wisdom would definitely make her notice that something was amiss. Hao Jian longed for a peaceful life, but troubles like today kept finding him, leaving him feeling anxious and disturbed. He had a bad premonition that one day, something he cherished would be taken from him. And this modest apartment of less than eighty square meters was the only place he wanted to protect, not allowing it to be tarnished for any reason. "Hao Jian, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Shu Ya stood at the door of Hao Jian's room, knocking and asking, but she also felt that something was amiss. "I'm fine, I just felt a bit dirty and wanted a shower, that's all." Hao Jian suppressed the irritation in his heart, forced a smile and said. "Oh, then hurry up and shower. I've made some sweet soup which I'll serve to you in a bit," Shu Ya said, half in doubt. "Okay." Hao Jian responded, a warmth flooding his heart, looking at his own reflection, fierce and formidable, he whispered to himself, "Shu Ya, only you, I am unwilling to give up." . At the same time, Liu Bohong, pale as death, paced around his study, his expression gloomy. He believed Hao Jian was not joking; he would definitely find him and kill him. If even the Martial Artists of the Gathering Qi Sect stood no chance against him, how could his own useless men stop him? Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He wanted to seek help from the Gathering Qi Sect but also feared being belittled by them. Since he started serving the Gathering Qi Sect, his progress had been slow, and he still hadn't managed to take control of Hua City. He had borrowed quite a lot of strength from the Sect, but all that strength had been neutralized by Hao Jian. Approaching them now, Liu Bohong feared the Gathering Qi Sect might bear grudges. Chapter 274 Too Silly, Too Naive! Just then, Liu Bohong suddenly thought of something and asked his subordinate next to him, "Isn't there a woman with Hao Jian?"His men had been keeping surveillance on Hao Jian, so naturally, they knew about Shu Ya's existence. "Ah? But there are many women with him," the subordinate said bewilderingly, not sure which one Liu Bohong was referring to. Liu Bohong gave him a slap and roared, "I'm talking about the one who is with him day and night!" The subordinate, covering his face, replied aggrievedly, "But almost every one of them is with him day and night." "F**k your mother!" Liu Bohong flew into a rage, grabbed another subordinate's handgun, and fiercely pulled the trigger, firing several shots that killed the earlier subordinate. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Who the hell else wants to argue? Stand out!" Liu Bohong was filled with rage. Already nearly driven mad by Hao Jian's threats, he couldn't believe he had to deal with such a fool; it was infuriating beyond belief. All of Liu Bohong's other subordinates kept their heads down, silent and fearful, lest they become the next victim. In the end, Liu Bohong decided not to seek help from the Gathering Qi Sect but to handle the matter himself by directly seeking out Shu Ya. In Liu Bohong's view, the other women were probably just playthings to Hao Jian, but since Shu Ya lived with him, her status must have been different. Perhaps through Shu Ya, he could find a breakthrough concerning Hao Jian. . Early in the morning, Hao Jian was woken up by a series of urgent ringing from his phone. Groggily picking up the phone, he angrily demanded, "Give me a reasonable explanation!" "I'm about to lose my f**king life, how's that for an explanation~!" Xu Donghe roared back. "Huh?" Hao Jian immediately sat up straight, puzzled and asked, "Old man, what the hell are you up to now?" Xu Donghe about to lose his life? How was that possible? Wasn't the guy always in robust health? Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire "Where are you now?" Xu Donghe asked, changing the subject and looking quite grim. "At home, what's up?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. "I am sending a driver to pick you up, we'll talk in person in a bit!" Xu Donghe said sternly before hanging up the phone. "Mysterious much, what is he up to?" Hao Jian murmured doubtfully, but still quickly got out of bed to brush his teeth and wash his face. About fifteen minutes later, Xu Donghe's driver arrived. Considering the short time it took for him to come get Hao Jian, he could imagine how anxious Xu Donghe was, and he realized this matter must be serious. Hao Jian was taken to Xu Donghe's private airport and then onto a private plane, which flew him to another city in just over an hour. Upon entering the house, Hao Jian saw Xu Donghe pacing back and forth with a grim face and asked, "Old man, what exactly is going on?" He observed that Xu Donghe looked rosy and moved steadily, which didn't seem like he was seriously ill. "Quick, quick, sit down." Xu Donghe quickly pulled Hao Jian down, then lowered his voice, "Do you remember I have a niece?" "I remember. What about her?" Hao Jian was curious, puzzled why Xu Donghe brought her up. Then, Hao Jian gave Xu Donghe an embarrassed look, "You're not trying to set me up with a girlfriend, are you? Oh my, how embarrassing. Considering you call me brother, what would I call you if I dated your niece? Grandpa? Brother? Bro-grandpa? Or Grand-brother?" "F**k off, you think too highly of yourself. I'd rather have my niece stay single forever than marry you!" Xu Donghe spat unkindly, idiotic bastard, still dreaming about becoming his niece's husband. Hao Jian instantly felt annoyed, crossed his legs, and looked at Xu Donghe, "Get to the point, I'm very busy." "My niece's name is Cheng Weiwei, and she is a member of the Red Cross," Xu Donghe introduced. "And then?" Hao Jian asked, still puzzled. "That damn girl mentioned recently that she wants to volunteer in Atama, providing humanitarian aid to the locals there, can you believe that?" Xu Donghe was infuriated. You can volunteer anywhere else, but why Atama? "Atama? The conflict there has been ongoing for many years. It's said that the local government forces even take pleasure in massacring the people. It's a country bereft of morals, lacking in faith, utterly mad," Hao Jian said incredulously. Hao Jian had been to that country before and had witnessed government forces slaughtering civilians. It was a small country with barren land and underdeveloped economics and culture, which bred fierce local customs, often leading to the use of knives at the slightest disagreement, with children as young as seven or eight daring to kill. Chaos and bloodshed were synonymous with Atama. World organizations had tried to aid Atama, but as soon as aid entered Atama's borders, all the material resources were seized by the military or local bandits, never reaching the people. Over time, the volunteer organizations gave up on Atama. It wasn't just a volunteer organization; it might be said that Atama was a country forgotten by the world, no longer cared about by anyone. Any relatively smart person would likely hesitate to choose such a place to visit. But Hao Jian couldn't understand why Cheng Weiwei wanted to go to Atama. In his view, this wasn't a noble sentiment, but merely foolishness. Xu Donghe sighed, "Alas, I really don't know if that girl is born of her mom. Her personality and values are entirely different from mine and her mom's. She said she didn't want to be as mercenary as we are, so she gave up inheriting our family business to go do something more meaningful. Can you believe how infuriating that is?" "So naive, so foolish." Hao Jian chuckled. "Exactly," Xu Donghe slapped his thigh, clearly pleased to hear someone sharing his opinion. "But all this is your fault," Hao Jian added. "Nonsense, we never sent her to Atama. It was her own reckless decision. What could we do?" Xu Donghe retorted angrily. "If you hadn't spoiled her since childhood, how could she be so naive? Saving the world? Only a fool would have such a stupid idea. You never let her experience the hardships of life, so she naively thinks that just by trying hard, she can change the world. And you say it's not your fault?" Hao Jian sneered. In this world, many things aren't achievable merely through effort¡ªfor example, you won't sprout wings just because you want to fly, nor will you become a star just because you desire fame, and neither can you pluck stars from the sky just by wishing. How could one possibly think to change a completely corrupt nation and affect millions of people with a personal belief? Faced with this, Xu Donghe fell silent; they had indeed indulged Cheng Weiwei too much from a young age. "Because she had everything she wanted, she never learned to be grateful, to appreciate the rich life you gave her, but instead resented your plans for her. In a way, I think she must have a rebellious mindset¡ªit's because you forbid her to go that she insists on going," Hao Jian said. Although Hao Jian had never met Cheng Weiwei, he could guess her thoughts from her actions and her attitude toward Xu Donghe and the others. Because Cheng Weiwei always got what she wanted too easily, she sought something more noble and distinctive. "If she were half as mature as you, I wouldn't have to worry so much," Xu Donghe said with a wry smile. This was also why he was willing to be friends with Hao Jian. Even though Hao Jian was about the same age as his niece, his thoughts bore the scars and complexities of age, like an old spirit. Hao Jian shook his head, "Believe me, if you knew what I have been through, you wouldn't want Cheng Weiwei to end up like me." On that point, Hao Jian was almost certain. His experiences were unimaginable and unacceptable to most people. "By the way, your past has always been a mystery. I originally thought you were just a mercenary, but clearly, your identity is more than that. Who are you really?" Xu Donghe asked, his brow furrowed in curiosity. "You're better off not knowing," Hao Jian said with a bitter smile, knowing his identity could only harm Xu Donghe. "Can't even an old friend know?" Xu Donghe was visibly curious. Hao Jian just smiled and remained silent, seeing this, Xu Donghe knew better than to ask further. "So, what's the reason for your visit this time?" Hao Jian asked, confident that Xu Donghe didn't invite him just to complain. "I hope you can be Cheng Weiwei's bodyguard," Xu Donghe said bluntly, his gaze intense as he looked at Hao Jian. "Be Cheng Weiwei's bodyguard?" Hao Jian was surprised, it sounded like being sent back into battle. "Yes, I'm not comfortable letting that girl go into battle alone. You said it yourself, she's far too naive. She doesn't even know what she's doing. I need someone by her side to watch over her, and you are undoubtedly the best choice," Xu Donghe said, nodding. "But if it's about needing a bodyguard, couldn't you use your own Self-Defense Forces with your family's wealth and power? Even if you don't trust them, you could hire mercenaries to escort her," Hao Jian asked curiously, clearly reluctant to re-enter that world. "You know, in this world, I only trust you," Xu Donghe said seriously, acknowledging Hao Jian as his only friend and a trustworthy one at that. It wasn't that Xu Donghe's relatives were untrustworthy, but they lacked Hao Jian's capabilities. This task, only Hao Jian could accomplish because Xu Donghe had seen Hao Jian's abilities when he rescued his granddaughter amid thousands of soldiers; he could surely protect Xu Donghe from harm. Hao Jian gave Xu Donghe a deep look, then stood up and headed outside. Seeing this, Xu Donghe leisurely picked up a cigar and started smoking. As old friends, they understood each other well without needing too many words. Hao Jian didn't refuse; that meant he had agreed. Xu Donghe finally got a load off his mind. And just as Hao Jian was preparing to return to Hua City, an unexpected visitor entered the Shu Ya Group. Chapter 275 Uninvited Guest! Liu Bohong led a group of people into Shu Ya Group with great momentum, clearly seeking Shu Ya today."Hey, hey, hey, stop, what are you doing?" Just then, Tie Shan and Heigui stepped forward to block Liu Bohong and his group. From the moment Liu Bohong entered the group, Tie Shan and Heigui had been watching him and his group. Just one look was enough to tell them that Liu Bohong was not a good person, so they followed to investigate. "I'm here to see President Shu," Liu Bohong said with a smile, but the smile didn't quite match his demeanor, making it seem awkward and gloomy. Tie Shan frowned slightly, showing some displeasure, "Do you have an appointment?" "Just send a message saying that Hao Jian's friend is here; I think she will see me," Liu Bohong said with a smile. "Hao Jian's friend? I haven't heard that Hao Jian has such a friend. I'll make a call to him first." Heigui picked up his mobile phone to call Hao Jian, knowing that Shu Ya was Hao Jian's wife. Considering how shady the group looked, he couldn't just let Liu Bohong and his men go find Shu Ya. Hearing this, the smile on Liu Bohong's face instantly vanished, and he gave his subordinates a look. His subordinates then walked towards Heigui and Tie Shan and swiftly beat them until they were covered in blood. Although Tie Shan was a former Special Forces member, those accompanying Liu Bohong were Martial Artists, and naturally they were no match for Liu Bohong's subordinates. "What exactly are you people?" Heigui, lying on the ground with a bloody mouth and all his limbs broken, still glaring fiercely at Liu Bohong. "Like I said, a friend," Liu Bohong replied with a half-smile, and then walked past the security guards towards the interior of the group again. However, just as Liu Bohong took a step forward, a hand suddenly caught his leg. Tie Shan angrily glared at him, "I absolutely won't let you pass." "Heh," Liu Bohong chuckled coldly, then violently pulled out the dagger from his waist and stabbed a few holes in Tie Shan's palm, instantly making it bloody. Tie Shan screamed in pain but still refused to let go until Liu Bohong kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious, and he finally had to let go. "Each one is more troublesome than the last," Liu Bohong said in surprise. It was one thing for Hao Jian, but even these minor security guards acted like this; he didn't know what to say. Shu Ya was working in her office when someone suddenly pushed the door open. She immediately frowned, annoyed, wondering who would be so rude as to barge in without knocking. Then, she saw an older man with graying hair, smiling as he stood at the doorway of her office. "May I ask who you are?" Shu Ya asked, puzzled. "Oh, my name is Liu Bohong. I am a friend of Hao Jian," Liu Bohong replied with a smile. "Hao Jian's friend? What do you need with me?" Shu Ya was even more confused, as she didn't know Liu Bohong and couldn't figure out why Hao Jian's friend would seek her. "It's like this¡ªI am from the same village as Hao Jian. His parents heard he had a girlfriend abroad, so they asked me to check on him," Liu Bohong said with a smile, crafting a flawless lie. However, the only flaw in his lie was that Shu Ya knew Hao Jian was an orphan, so how could he possibly have parents? Shu Ya's brow subtly furrowed. She didn't know why Liu Bohong was lying, but this made it clear that he had ulterior motives. Liu Bohong thought he could deceive Shu Ya, but he didn't realize that Shu Ya had already figured everything out. "I think you are mistaken¡ªwe are just ordinary friends, nothing more." Since Liu Bohong was lying, Shu Ya naturally wouldn't reveal the truth either. Liu Bohong was momentarily startled and laughed in a strange manner, "That can't be right, how could you be living together if you're just friends?" Shu Ya felt even more uneasy. If Liu Bohong were really just a villager of Hao Jian, how would he know about her living arrangement with Hao Jian and even her location? Since Liu Bohong asked, Shu Ya naturally had to respond, "That's because I don't get along well with my family, so I couldn't stay at home and had to live with him temporarily. My secretary has already found a place for me, and I will be moving out soon." Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire Liu Bohong frowned, puzzled, wondering if the information was incorrect. He had investigated Shu Ya and knew that what she said was true; she indeed had a poor relationship with her family on both her father's and mother's sides, and it was possible for her to move out. Shu Ya looked at Liu Bohong with a smile, waiting for his response. Liu Bohong's expression flickered, and he had initially planned to kidnap Shu Ya. But after hearing Shu Ya's words, he hesitated. If what Shu Ya said was true, then kidnapping her would be pointless; Hao Jian wouldn't likely risk his life for just an ordinary friend. He wouldn't do it either. "Stay away from him in the future," Liu Bohong said sternly, no longer smiling but reverting to his usual cold and grim demeanor. His tone was not suggestive but dictatorial. "Why? Are you not Hao Jian's friend? Who are you really?" Shu Ya frowned deeply. She did not appreciate the tone Liu Bohong was using, making it clear from this alone that Liu Bohong could not possibly be Hao Jian's friend. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Friends? I'm definitely not friends with him; he killed seven or eight of my men. I hate him enough already; how could I possibly be friends with him?" Liu Bohong sneered, revealing his true nature at this moment. However, this also showed that he had given up the intention to kidnap Shu Ya. Since Shu Ya and Hao Jian were merely acquaintances, kidnapping her was meaningless. Moreover, Shu Ya had some reputation in Hua City, and kidnapping her would likely cause a major uproar, proving to be more trouble than it's worth. "He killed your seven or eight men?" Shu Ya was stunned. She couldn't imagine Hao Jian doing such a thing; that guy always acting like a rogue, how could he kill people for no reason? "It seems you don't know your 'friend' at all," Liu Bohong mocked. Upon hearing this, Shu Ya fell silent; she indeed did not understand Hao Jian. Initially at the bank, she had felt that something was wrong because Hao Jian had killed that person. But Shu Ya had thought it was because Hao Jian was under emotional stress, which led him to lose control and kill. But now, listening to Liu Bohong, it seemed that killing was just a common occurrence for Hao Jian. "Stay away from him. It's for your own good, or you'll either end up killed by him or by someone else," Liu Bohong said with a strange smile. At that moment, Shu Ya was distraught and didn't know how to refute Liu Bohong's words. Seeing that Shu Ya was stunned, Liu Bohong did not waste more words, laughed loudly twice, and left with his men. Shu Ya sat in her office chair, already devoid of any mood to work, feeling cold all over, her brows furrowed with a hint of irritability and unease. About Hao Jian, what she knew had seemed good, but today's information about him came from an unknown old man's mouth. Had she fallen for a murderer? Shu Ya couldn't accept this! For Shu Ya, any form of violence was evil; there was no distinction! Thinking this made Shu Ya shiver all over, her irritability indescribable. ... Hao Jian was dropped off by Xu Donghe's chauffeur but didn't go directly to the office. Instead, he first stopped by the Chinese Medicine Hospital. Because he was about to go abroad for a while to be a bodyguard for Xu Donghe's niece, Cheng Weiwei, he needed to notify Du Yuelin and explain the courses to the students. As for Shu Ya, a simple notification would suffice. At that moment, Hao Jian was unaware that Liu Bohong had visited Shu Ya and didn't know Shu Ya's current attitude toward him. Just as he was about to enter the Chinese Medicine Hospital, he heard the roar of a car behind him, powerful like thunder, speeding towards him amid the cries of the people. "Beep beep beep beep." The driver seemed annoyed that Hao Jian was blocking his way, pressing the horn furiously, the piercing sound instantly cutting through the entire street. Hao Jian frowned, annoyed as he turned around, only to see a flashy red Ferrari speed towards him, then come to a screeching halt right in front of him. At that moment, the car was only thirty centimeters away from him, nearly hitting Hao Jian. "Country bumpkin, are you fucking deaf? Didn't you hear the horn?" a guy with ear piercings and dyed red hair leaned out of the car, arrogantly addressing Hao Jian. "Heard it, but isn't this supposed to be a sidewalk?" Hao Jian replied sarcastically, driving a sports car at high speed on a sidewalk and still having the nerve to blame others for not getting out of the way? "Hey, you dare talk back?" the redhead immediately got out of the car, feeling irritated, as if some nobody had dared to talk back to He Zexi, did he think He Zexi was a vegetarian? He Zexi walked up to Hao Jian, acting high and mighty, glaring at him, "You fucking try talking back to me one more time? See if I don't 'soften' you up!" "Seeing you like this, you must be a student from the neighboring Business School, right?" Hao Jian sized up He Zexi, noting the school badge on him. "So what if I am? I'm a top student at the Business School, going to be a businessman in the future, unlike you dumbasses from the Chinese Medicine Hospital," He Zexi laughed haughtily, certain Hao Jian was from the Chinese Medicine Hospital as he walked on its streets. But he didn't regard Hao Jian as a teacher, instead, treating him like a student, as there were no such young teachers in Traditional Chinese Medicine in his view. To He Zexi, students of the Chinese Medicine Hospital were all fools, studying that nonsense instead of Western medicine. Chapter 276 Just say if you bring it or not! "Whether you become an entrepreneur, I have no idea, but judging by your filthy mouth, bullish behavior, and this vulgar fashion sense you're drenched in, I'd say you're inseparable from two particular words for the rest of your life," Hao Jian said with a smirk."Which two words?" He Zexi inquired. "Moron!" Hao Jian replied succinctly. Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire "I'll fuck your ancestors, you dare to mock me?" Enraged, He Zexi raised his fist, ready to strike Hao Jian's face. "Zexi, don't be rash." At this moment, an elegant-looking student came out of He Zexi's car. Immediately, he looked at Hao Jian with a smile plastered across his face: "Teacher Hao." "You are?" Hao Jian frowned, having no recollection of this young man. "We have met before at the joint event held by the Business School and the Chinese Medicine Hospital," the student reminded him. "Oh, that's right, now that you mention it, you do look familiar," Hao Jian nodded, recalling he was also at that event. The student turned sternly to He Zexi, "Zexi, apologize to Teacher Hao immediately." "Apologize? Are you out of your mind? You want me to apologize to him?" He Zexi burst into a derisive laugh, glaring at his companion. What a joke. Had he, He Zexi, ever apologized in his life? 'Apology' wasn't even a word in his dictionary! "Please don't be angry, Teacher Hao. My classmate has an ugly temper," the student quickly said with a forced laugh to Hao Jian, and then lowered his voice to He Zexi: "Shut up. Don't you know about the military attack at the Chinese Medicine Hospital a while ago? He's the main character of that incident, single-handedly dealt with the entire army. Are you out of your mind to pick a fight with him?" The student seemed utterly exasperated. He Zexi didn't know who Hao Jian was, but he certainly did. Picking a fight with Hao Jian was practically seeking death. A beating would be the very least of his worries, if not worse; the other party could kill them with impunity. "Single-handedly dealt with an army? What is this, a movie scene? I bet someone's been mythologizing this story," He Zexi scoffed, completely disbelieving. "All the students at the Chinese Medicine Hospital saw it. How could it be fake?" The student was angry, seeing He Zexi as nothing but a fool. How could the story that went viral in the Chinese Medicine Hospital be a lie? Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Pfft, the group of morons from Traditional Chinese Medicine, can their words be trusted? Who knows if they're just making stories up to make their school look good," He Zexi maintained a disdainful attitude. "Forget whether that's true or false, but even if it were, so what? I am far more dangerous than any army!" He Zexi snorted. His family had leverage over the army; why should he be afraid of Hao Jian? "You're absolutely hopeless!" The student, teeth clenched in anger, couldn't be bothered with He Zexi any longer and left. "Fool." He Zexi snorted contemptuously, not taking the student's words to heart at all. Then, He Zexi, eyebrow cocked, turned to Hao Jian: "Talking to you, fool. You fucking dare to mock me? Do you want to die? Everybody else might be afraid of you, but I, He Zexi, certainly am not!" "You should be," Hao Jian sneered. "Fuck!" He Zexi was livid, having never encountered such a brazen young man before, and threw a punch straight at Hao Jian's face. "Thud." He Zexi's fist was caught effortlessly by Hao Jian. He Zexi was shocked, staring in terror at Hao Jian. With a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Hao Jian said, "You should have listened to your classmate, shouldn't you?" "Bang!" With a swift kick, Hao Jian sent He Zexi flying five or six meters away; that was him being merciful. Otherwise, given He Zexi's build, he might have been killed with a single kick. "You dare hit me? Do you know who I am?" He Zexi roared furiously, having never been humiliated like this before; his pride was deeply wounded. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" Hao Jian walked up to He Zexi and then stepped on his foot. He Zexi winced in agony, wishing he could rip Hao Jian apart. He bellowed, "Son of a bitch, I'm the third young master of the He Family Clan. You dare to hit me? I'll make sure you don't even know how you died!" "The He Family Clan? How are you related to He Rongsheng?" Hao Jian hadn't expected to encounter a member of the He Family Clan here. He Zexi was suddenly taken aback, "How do you know my dad?" "He Rongsheng is your father? That explains it," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "Explains what?" He Zexi's expression darkened, sensing the sarcasm. "It explains why they say 'like father, like son.' You have perfectly inherited your father's arrogance and stupidity," Hao Jian taunted, looking down at He Zexi condescendingly: "By the way, you are nothing compared to Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun. As fellow heirs, you're not even fit to tie their shoelaces." Hao Jian took one look at He Zexi and knew the guy was an idiot. He couldn't understand¡ªLiang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen were sons of privilege just like He Zexi, so how come they were so much smarter than him? Could it be that the He Family Clan had no talent? Hearing this, He Zexi was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, with his entire body bristling and his eyes filled with resentment and murderous intent, "I will kill you! I definitely will!" No wonder He Zexi was so agitated; ever since he was young, he had been labeled in various ways, often compared to geniuses like Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen. But from some point on, the clan stopped comparing him to Liang Jiankun and the others. It wasn't that he had become less intelligent, but rather that he had started to lag behind Liang Jiankun and the others in smarts. At the age of fourteen, Liang Jiankun started doing business, earning three million for two families in a month, while Kong Xiaozhen enlisted at fifteen and was fighting on the front lines the same year. And at that time, He Zexi had achieved nothing, so he was outclassed by them. Since then, this became a sore spot for He Zexi. Now, hearing Hao Jian say he was inferior to the likes of Liang Jiankun, He Zexi immediately felt that sore spot prodded and lost control without restraint. On hearing He Zexi's threat, Hao Jian just sneered disdainfully and then landed a heavy punch on the hood of the Ferrari. With a loud "bang," the Ferrari emitted a piercing scream, the airbags bursting out, and the entire front hood caved in, with black smoke billowing. He Zexi was dumbfounded¡ªwhat on earth was this guy? How could he dent steel with a single punch? Had he really taken out an entire army by himself? "Want to kill me? Then you'd better weigh whether your bones are tough enough!" Hao Jian huffed coldly and, ignoring He Zexi, headed towards the school gate. In his opinion, if He Zexi was smart enough, this incident would end here. But obviously, He Zexi wasn't smart enough. So after being afraid for a while due to Hao Jian's threat, he then showed an expression of humiliated anger, harboring resentment in his heart against Hao Jian's insult. "Teacher Hao, next month our school is hosting an international chess competition, competing with chess masters from all over the world, are you going to participate?" Inside the classroom, Zhao Yating and other students looked at Hao Jian excitedly. Hao Jian knew about art, knew about ceramics, maybe he knew about chess too? They really wanted to see Hao Jian shine on that international chess stage. International chess, also known as chess, is one of the most ancient strategy games, renowned just like Huaxia's chess. "Probably not next month, because I will be going abroad soon to deal with some matters, and I may not be able to return for a while. Today I came to the school to ask for leave from the principal," said Hao Jian with a smile. "Ah?" Those students immediately showed a look of disappointment¡ªdidn't this mean they wouldn't be able to attend Hao Jian's class for a while? "Then when will you come back, teacher?" asked Zhao Yating, somewhat despondently. "I don't know, probably within two months. Today I came to the school to wrap things up, and I should be leaving Huaxia in the next few days," explained Hao Jian. He also warned them, "While I'm away, don't be naughty and make trouble; you can call me anytime if something comes up. I need to go see the principal now, so don't give the new teacher a hard time." Then Hao Jian left the classroom under everyone's watchful gaze. The students in the classroom immediately began discussing, all speculating about where Hao Jian was going. At this time, Che Xiaoxiao also couldn't help but frown slightly. What was Hao Jian going abroad for? Che Xiaoxiao knew even less about Hao Jian than Shu Ya. She only knew that the guy was like an all-purpose machine who seemed to be capable of anything, yet his background was a complete mystery to her. Was his trip abroad related to his identity? Che Xiaoxiao's interest was piqued, and her eyes shifty, wondering about something. "What are you thinking about?" At this moment, Zhao Yating came over. She had been observing Che Xiaoxiao's expressions and noticed her secretive smiles, as if she was brewing something. Seeing Zhao Yating asking, Che Xiaoxiao immediately dropped her smile and said emotionlessly, "Nothing." "Stop lying, everything on your mind is written all over your face! Tell me! Are you planning to follow the teacher?" Zhao Yating squinted at Che Xiaoxiao, guessing what she was up to. Che Xiaoxiao turned pale, "How did you know?" "Because I was thinking the same thing," Zhao Yating said with a playful smile. "I don't want to take you with me," Che Xiaoxiao said immediately upon hearing Zhao Yating's comment, knowing full well what Zhao Yating intended to do. She had no intention of bringing along Zhao Yating to track down Hao Jian. "Fine, you don't have to take me, but I'll go tell the teacher right now," Zhao Yating huffed and started to stand up to walk away. Che Xiaoxiao got a fright and quickly pulled Zhao Yating back, saying somewhat angrily, "How can you be so shameless?" "So are you taking me or not?" Zhao Yating didn't bother with Che Xiaoxiao's words and continued to ask indifferently. "Fine, fine, fine, I'll take you, you shameless thing," Che Xiaoxiao grumbled, exasperated by Zhao Yating's brazenness. Chapter 277 Not Everyone is Your Daddy! "You're going abroad? When might you be coming back?" Inside the dean's office, Du Yuelin asked somewhat nervously. He was worried that once Hao Jian left, he might never come back to visit."It could be as short as within a month, or as long as within two months," Hao Jian said. "That's good, that's good." Du Yuelin let out a sigh of relief, as two months was an acceptable wait. But just at that moment, a fat middle-aged man walked in. It was the school's Academic Director Wang Zhigang. Wang Zhigang was as fat as a pig, wearing a dark blue suit that appeared as if its buttons were about to burst open, and moreover, there was a disgusting mole with a long black hair hanging from it at the corner of his mouth. Wang Zhigang looked at Hao Jian with a strange expression before reporting to Du Yuelin, "Dean, Dean Qiu from the Business School is here." "Qiu Chenggong? What's he here for?" Du Yuelin frowned, clearly having a low opinion of this Qiu Chenggong. "Because he says a teacher from our school injured one of their students. He is demanding an explanation," Wang Zhigang said, looking somewhat displeased at Hao Jian as he spoke. "A teacher from our school injured their student? How is that possible? Which teacher did it?" Du Yuelin asked in surprise. "It was me," Hao Jian admitted. Although he knew that He Zexi would be making a complaint, he hadn't expected it to happen so soon, and for him to bring the dean along too. "You? Why would you hit him?" Du Yuelin looked at Hao Jian in bewilderment. As far as he knew Hao Jian, he didn't seem like the type of person to cause trouble without reason. "As a teacher, you fail to set a good example, and you even bring this thuggish behavior into our school, recklessly resorting to violence and tarnishing the reputation of our Chinese Medicine Hospital. You're a disgrace to the profession," Wang Zhigang said with a cold huff, clearly prejudiced against Hao Jian. Hao Jian touched his nose, somewhat speechless in response to Wang Zhigang's harsh words. He hadn't even been made aware of the incident and was already being accused ¡ª it was obvious this was nothing but nitpicking. Du Yuelin looked towards Hao Jian, "Hao Jian, what exactly happened? Whose fault was it?" So Hao Jian went on to tell Du Yuelin what had happened earlier. Upon hearing this, Du Yuelin also nodded in understanding, "So, it seems it wasn't your fault ¡ª that He Zexi was being too arrogant." "What do you mean, not his fault? That He Zexi is just a child. As a teacher, can't you be a bit more tolerant? If you can't even tolerate a child, what kind of teacher are you?" Wang Zhigang rebuked unkindly. Hearing this, both Hao Jian and Du Yuelin couldn't help but frown. Even they could see that Wang Zhigang was just being argumentative. And Hao Jian could be fairly certain that this Wang Zhigang must have some issue with him. "Director Wang, isn't that a bit too provocative? He Zexi had nothing but foul language coming out of his mouth, and he even tried to hit me. What's wrong with me teaching him a lesson?" Hao Jian said with a sardonic smile. "If he tried to hit you, you should have called the police, not taken matters into your own hands. What you did was wrong," Wang Zhigang still insisted on his point of view. "Oh, is that so," Hao Jian nodded, then slapped Wang Zhigang across the face, sending him tumbling to the ground and leaving him utterly dumbfounded. Du Yuelin was speechless when he saw this and hadn't anticipated that Hao Jian would actually act on his words so swiftly. "Why don't you call the cops? Let's see if they can help you," Hao Jian said to Wang Zhigang with a cold sneer. Wang Zhigang was also stunned; he had not expected Hao Jian to dare attack him right in front of Du Yuelin. "You." Wang Zhigang was so angry that his body trembled, wanting to retaliate, but when he remembered how Hao Jian had single-handedly dealt with a military troop before, he hesitated. "Wasn't it you who said to call the police after being hit? Of course, you don't have to report it; after all, you are the director. I'm sure you're very forgiving, heh heh," Hao Jian mocked. This left Wang Zhigang at a loss for words, feeling as if he had just shot himself in the foot. "Du Yuelin, you old fool, where are you?" Just then, a very impolite shout came from the doorway. Before Du Yuelin could respond, the person pushed the door open and entered. It was an old man about the same age as Du Yuelin, with a goatee beard and a cane in hand, dressed sharply and carrying an air of arrogance that gave away his identity as a businessman at first glance. He Zexi naturally followed behind him. Seeing this person, Du Yuelin's face turned sour; in the past, whenever their two schools held basketball or soccer matches, it was always the Business School that won. The Chinese Medicine Hospital had never triumphed. Zheng Chenggong had not spared any insults towards Du Yuelin either, indicating just how bad their relationship was. "It was him who hit me!" He Zexi pointed at Hao Jian as he spoke. In a flash, Qiu Chenggong's sharp gaze shot towards Hao Jian, firmly fixing on him. "Well, isn't that nice, running to the teacher for help after being bullied¡ªa good, obedient child indeed." Hao Jian chuckled cynically, mocking He Zexi for not acting like a man. Hearing this, He Zexi also felt a maddening itch in his teeth. "As a mentor, you actually incite fights and brawls, and afterwards, your attitude is still so vile. Do you really think no one can handle you?" Qiu Chenggong was exceptionally infuriated at Hao Jian's arrogance. "Don't pretend to take the high ground with me, do you think I'm unaware of what you want to do? That kid got exactly what he deserved from me, and everyone knows what he did, so quit your pretense." Hao Jian retorted coldly. "Just listen to him, Du Yuelin, what kind of teacher have you recruited for your school? This isn't a teacher, this is nothing but a thug, a hoodlum!" Qiu Chenggong spat out in anger, he had assumed that Hao Jian would give him some face, being the dean, but it seemed he had overestimated the matter. After serving as dean for so many years, this was the first time he had ever come across such an arrogant teacher. But Du Yuelin gave no response, coldly saying, "Our school will handle our teachers, we don't need your interference. Just make sure your own students don't end up like you, acting like mad dogs biting people indiscriminately." "Fine, fine, fine, your Chinese Medicine Hospital is really something! I will certainly report you to the Ministry of Education!" Dean Qiu was incensed beyond measure, completely provoked by Hao Jian and Du Yuelin. "And me! Old fart, I am from the He Family Clan, you dare treat me like this, I'll never let you off the hook!" He Zexi also spoke fiercely. "The He Family Clan?" Upon hearing these words, Du Yuelin's expression also turned ugly. The He Family Clan was a prominent and powerful family in the nation, offending them would indeed bring considerable trouble. "What's the matter, scared? If you know what's good for you, hurry up and fire this dumbass, or else you can wait to be fired yourself." Spotting a moment of hesitation flicker across Du Yuelin's face, He Zexi immediately laughed triumphantly. "Dean, Young Master He makes sense. Our school doesn't need such a morally corrupt teacher. It's not worth offending Young Master He for his sake." Wang Zhigang quickly chimed in. "Shut your mouth!" Du Yuelin immediately scolded him in a fury, clueless about why Wang Zhigang would side with someone from another school. Hao Jian did not interject, waiting for Du Yuelin's decision. If Du Yuelin decided to sacrifice him to placate both He Zexi and the dean, he would leave the Chinese Medicine Hospital immediately. A dean like that didn't deserve his service. Fortunately, Du Yuelin made the right choice and looked emotionlessly at He Zexi, "I'm sorry, if it's an issue with a teacher from my school, I would dismiss him without needing you to tell me, but if it isn't his fault, then I'm afraid I can't comply." "Old bastard, you've got guts!" He Zexi laughed angrily, giving Du Yuelin a thumbs up. Hao Jian, holding the globe from Du Yuelin's desk, smiled satisfactorily and said, "Dean, rest assured, as long as I, Hao Jian, am here, no one can touch you." "No one can touch him? Who do you think you are? Kid, there are many people in this world you can't afford to provoke," Qiu Chenggong scoffed at Hao Jian's na?vet¨¦. He was unaware of Hao Jian's background, but he couldn't help laughing at Hao Jian's bold statement. Hao Jian had no idea how powerful the He Family Clan was; if he did, he wouldn't have made such funny remarks. "In this world, I truly don't know who I can't afford to provoke," Hao Jian laughed, being the God of Death, he had risen to the pinnacle of the world. Who in such circumstances could he not afford to provoke? "It's useless to talk more. Just wait for the He Family Clan's retaliation! He Zexi's father is already on his way here, and once he arrives, you'll be crying without tears!" Qiu Chenggong snorted in anger. He had already informed He Rongsheng, who was presently on his way with backup. Upon hearing this, He Zexi also sneered arrogantly, "Kid, think you're tough? Let me tell you, my dad has brought Martial Artists from the family, each capable of taking on a hundred. They are not like those useless soldiers. In a bit, you just wait to be torn in half alive!" "Ah, why are there so many idiots in the world?" Hao Jian couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed. He hurled the globe on Du Yuelin's desk at He Zexi with such force that it exploded with a loud bang, and He Zexi's nose was broken as his face took the impact. He Zexi collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down his face as he screamed in agony. Everyone present was stunned. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A plastic globe could do this to a person? "Bastard, I will kill you!" He Zexi roared exhaustively in anger, evidently exasperated, having been hit by Hao Jian twice in one day. In his heart, a myriad of Caonimas were stampeding. As soon as he finished speaking, Hao Jian stomped on his head and said with utter arrogance, "Why can't you learn to behave? Is it because you've been coddled from a young age, leading to extreme arrogance? Today, I'll teach you a life lesson. The course is called, 'Not everyone is your daddy!'" Chapter 278 The Misfortunate Father and Son! Having said that, Hao Jian picked up He Zexi with one hand, his grip on He Zexi's throat tight as a vice. Terror mixed with panic in He Zexi's eyes as he looked at Hao Jian with a pleading gaze."What are you doing? Don't mess around!" Qiu Chenggong panicked as well. If He Zexi were to be killed by Hao Jian, he would also be in trouble. "Du Yuelin, aren't you going to manage your teacher?" Qiu Chenggong shouted at Du Yuelin. Du Yuelin showed a helpless smile, as if he had no control over Hao Jian at all. Hao Jian lifted He Zexi with one hand, while the other hand poked He Zexi's body several times in succession, then threw He Zexi to the ground. He Zexi suddenly felt his insides churning and vomited violently, spewing out the breakfast he had eaten that day. "What, what did you do to me?" He Zexi asked in horror. "Me? I've just crippled you," Hao Jian said coldly, annoyed by He Zexi's provocation. He Zexi had always been too full of himself, looking down on everyone. If someone like him were not taught a lesson, he would never realize how many eyes Lord Ma has! Upon hearing this, He Zexi's face turned deathly pale. "Eunuch without a 'handle'?" Would he become a cripple from now on? "You, you, you." He Zexi cried pitifully, pointing a finger at Hao Jian, but he was unable to utter a word. He was petrified, from now on to become a miserable wretch, devoid of human dignity. What joy would there be left in his life? "I warned you before not to provoke me, and you didn't listen. You have no one to blame but yourself," Hao Jian sneered. "We're not on the same level. You can't beat me if you want to play." Hao Jian had never really cared about He Zexi. If He Zexi hadn't mindlessly provoked him, Hao Jian wouldn't have bothered with him. "Bang!" The door was kicked open just as he spoke, and He Rongsheng was wheeled in on a wheelchair. Ever since he was beaten by Hao Jian at the auction, he hadn't recovered. His face was pale as paper, looking gravely ill, with mobility issues that required attendants for any movement, a truly miserable state. As soon as He Rongsheng entered, he saw his son sprawled on the ground like a dead dog and couldn't help but freeze: "Zexi, what happened to you?" "Dad, that bastard castrated me, he castrated me!" He Zexi screamed in tears, vengeance glinting in his eyes. "What?" He Rongsheng was shocked and then his expression darkened, "Who did this? Who!?" "It was him!" He Zexi abruptly pointed at Hao Jian not far away. He Rongsheng's gaze shot towards Hao Jian, and upon realizing it was him, his whole being went numb. Why was this guy here as well? "Hey, Young Master He, long time no see," Hao Jian waved to He Rongsheng. "Dad, you know him?" He Zexi was shocked, his own father knew Hao Jian? "Would you look at that, we're really fated. You were crippled by me, and now your son has been crippled by me as well," Hao Jian said, shaking his head with a bitter smile. "What?" He Zexi was stunned. His own father, crippled by Hao Jian? He had asked He Rongsheng before, but He Rongsheng had never told him, mainly because He Rongsheng felt it was disgraceful to have been beaten by an unknown upstart, hence he kept it from He Zexi. But He Rongsheng never anticipated that He Zexi would encounter Hao Jian as well. Hao Jian seemed to be the nemesis of him and his son. Every encounter with Hao Jian spelled disaster for them both. "You crippled my son?" He Rongsheng's ferocious expression seemed as if he wanted to devour Hao Jian alive. It was one thing for Hao Jian to leave him crippled, but to ruin his son as well? Did they think the He Family was easy to bully? "I can't be blamed for that, he came looking for trouble," Hao Jian said, sounding quite aggrieved. "Kill him!" He Rongsheng roared in a frenzy, having long wanted to kill Hao Jian. If it weren't for Guo Shuxian whispering slander into his father's ears, causing his father to forbid him from making a move against Hao Jian, he would've had him killed long ago. And now that Hao Jian had crippled He Zexi, how could He Rongsheng bear it? "Don't kill him, I want him captured alive, then I'll torture him slowly to death!" He Zexi screamed through his tears, his expression quite sinister. He couldn't let Hao Jian die so easily. He wanted to torture Hao Jian bit by bit, making him regret everything he had done to him. The Martial Artists immediately advanced on Hao Jian, drawing blades from their waists. Seeing this, Du Yuelin and the others changed expression drastically; were these people going to commit murder? "Sir, let's discuss this," Du Yuelin quickly stepped forward to speak. "Negotiate my ass, this kid has to die today, and if anyone fucking dares to interfere, I'll chop them up!" He Zexi roared. "Bang Bang Bang." Those martial artists were all kicked flying by Hao Jian, their bodies covered in wounds, having passed out. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He Zexi was shocked, He Rongsheng was shocked, everyone was shocked. Of course, the most anxious ones were naturally He Zexi and his son. They couldn't understand why their family's elite couldn't even last a single round against Hao Jian. It's not like they were supposed to cripple him, but they should have at least left some marks on him, right? But they hadn't even touched the hem of his clothes before getting knocked out, were they still considered experts? He Zexi and his son nearly cried; useless subordinates meant the masters were in trouble too. "Who did you say was going to die just now?" Hao Jian asked with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, looking at He Zexi. "No, I was just kidding," He Zexi said with a blank expression, shaking his head, having immediately cowered. "Coward." Hao Jian scoffed disdainfully. "Yes, yes, yes, I'm a coward, I'm a piece of trash. Please have mercy and let us go," He Rongsheng also quickly spoke up. Where was the arrogance from before? Now as meek as a dog. Du Yuelin and the others wore strange expressions. Just a moment ago, He Zexi and his son were full of bluster, but now they had beaten a hasty retreat. Such a drastic change was hard for them to accept. "Why are you two so cheap?" Hao Jian couldn't help but express his disdain for the two shameless people. "Yes, yes, we're cheap, we are all lowlifes," He Zexi also shamelessly agreed. "Slap." Hao Jian slapped him across the face, making He Zexi's head spin, and said with disgust, "So cheap! Scram already!" "Yes, yes, yes, we'll scram right now," He Zexi quickly pushed his father's wheelchair, scurrying away in a wretched manner. Seeing the situation turn sour, Qiu Chenggong also hurriedly left, worried that Hao Jian would give him a beating too if he stayed. "Director Wang, why don't you roll out with them? I think you should go be a director at the Business School," Hao Jian teased Wang Zhigang. Wang Zhigang had an awkward expression but didn't dare say a word against it. With a cold snort, he left with his heart full of resentment. "You've completely offended the He Family now; they won't let you off so easily," Du Yuelin said with some concern. "Then let them come; these days, it's all about who has the bigger fist. They thought they could overpower me, and look how they ended up beaten like dogs. Nothing to fear," Hao Jian said, a scornful curve on his lips. "Open spears are easy to dodge, but secret arrows are hard to guard against. It's still better to be careful. No matter how well you can fight, they have connections. If they get the army or the police to come after you, you can't exactly go against the law, can you?" Du Yuelin advised, worrying Hao Jian's casual attitude could land him in serious trouble someday. But what Du Yuelin didn't know was that Hao Jian was used to riding out storms and considered such matters commonplace. The He Family Clan was nothing in his eyes. In comparison to his past enemies, what was the He Family Clan? "Don't worry, I have a plan. Besides, it won't be easy for them to touch me. You don't have to concern yourself; I'll have ways to deal with it. If they decide to trouble you while I'm away, just call me, and I'll handle it," Hao Jian said confidently with a smile. Thus, Du Yuelin no longer tried to dissuade him; he shook his head with a wry smile, "Hao Jian, Hao Jian, who exactly are you? At first, I thought you were just a common healer, but this demeanor and your actions suggest otherwise. I've rarely been wrong in my life, but you, I really can't figure you out." "You don't need to understand me, principal, just knowing me is enough," Hao Jian replied with a smile. Du Yuelin gestured dismissively, "Go on then, I'll take care of your work issues. Come back early." Hao Jian nodded and left Du Yuelin's office. ... "Dad, what are we going to do? Are we really just going to let this go?" On the way back, He Zexi asked He Rongsheng with a downcast face. "How could we just let it go? When that kid crippled me back then, your grandfather told me to endure it. Now, I want to see how much more the He Family can endure!" He Rongsheng said with a dark expression. Hao Jian had harmed two core members of the He Family; if the He Family didn't respond, outsiders would definitely mock them. This time, the He Family was bound to take action, mobilizing all available forces to completely eradicate Hao Jian! "It's not enough to just be able to fight in this world," He Rongsheng said hatefully. After leaving Du Yuelin's office, Hao Jian intended to leave the school directly but passed by a deserted warehouse on his way out and heard cursing noises inside. "Jiang Yutong, you've got some nerve, trying to seduce my boyfriend?" Several girls dressed like little gangsters surrounded a girl wearing glasses who looked bookish and meek. The girl was very pretty, with a doll-like face, big eyes, and skin as white as milk, resembling a porcelain doll. Her delicate and frail appearance aroused pity. Chapter 279 Jiang Yutong! ```Although inherently a stunning beauty in the making, she was dressed in an old-fashioned way, wearing a deep gray long dress, and sporting a pair of black-framed glasses on her nose, much like the university students from old Shanghai in the sixties. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Jiang Yutong was frail but not weak, hearing the other party insult her, she immediately retorted, "I didn't seduce him, he wrote me love letters to pursue me, and I have clearly rejected him already!" Jiang Yutong's family was not well-off, both her parents were workers, and because of an early work injury, her father was no longer able to work, bedridden year-round, with the entire family's burden resting on her mother's shoulders. But though poor, Jiang Yutong was not short on ambition; poverty only spurred her on to strive harder, resulting in her excellent grades that got her into the Chinese Medicine Hospital. She hoped that one day she could use the power of traditional Chinese medicine to treat her father. Jiang Yutong was someone with a very strong sense of self-respect, how could she possibly stoop to become someone's mistress? "My boyfriend wrote love letters to you? What a joke, would he fancy someone like you, a country bumpkin? Look at how shabby you are, even the lady who collects garbage downstairs dresses more stylishly than you," said the leader, a Little Gangster Girl with her hair dyed in various colors, clearly the big sister among these girls, her way of speaking as mean as it gets. Jiang Yutong bit her teeth, feeling utterly humiliated. Clearly, it was the other party's boyfriend who was indiscreet. Why did it end up being her fault? The Little Gangster Girl gave Jiang Yutong a slap, turning her delicate and fair face bright red, while threatening her, "Listen up, stay away from my boyfriend from now on, or else I'll tear your face apart!" After being slapped, Jiang Yutong was both angry and aggrieved, tears welling in her eyes, as she glared fiercely at the Little Gangster Girl. She was wholeheartedly devoted to studying medicine, never causing trouble or inviting disputes, yet she still met with a catastrophe out of the blue, her bitterness and grievances were unimaginable. "You dare glare at me?" Seeing this, the Little Gangster Girl also got angry. This little vixen actually dared to glare at her, had she gone against her? "Su Ran, why waste words with her? Just beat her up, then strip off her clothes and take nude photos. Then spread her nudes online, let everyone know there's a little slut at the Chinese Medicine Hospital who seduces others' boyfriends named Jiang Yutong," one of the Little Gangster Girls suggested. Upon hearing this, Su Ran's face showed a sly smile, and she commanded the Little Gangster Girls, "Take off this little slut's clothes for me!" Jiang Yutong's face instantly tensed up, desperately shaking her head, "What are you doing? Don't mess around!" "Now you're afraid? Why weren't you scared when you were seducing someone else's boyfriend?" Su Ran was enraged yet laughing, the thought of her boyfriend courting this little slut every day making her absolutely furious. "I said I didn't seduce your boyfriend, stop talking nonsense!" Jiang Yutong said angrily. "Still being defiant at the last moment, do it!" Su Ran would not listen to her explanation. Soon, a group of Little Gangster Girls started to pull Jiang Yutong's clothes, completely ignoring her crying and screaming, and in the chaos, they slapped Jiang Yutong several times more. Before long, Jiang Yutong was left in only her underwear, lying on the ground sobbing uncontrollably, already feeling hopeless. Ever since she was little, she had been bullied because her father was disabled, and she had hoped that things would get better in college, but, to her dismay, it was the same. "Well, look at that, little vixen, not a bad figure, huh?" Su Ran sneered, eyeing Jiang Yutong's ample bust that seemed about to burst from the bra, a jealous rage flickering in her eyes. "You're actually a college student and yet wear flesh-colored underwear that only old ladies would wear, how could you be so old-fashioned?" Su Ran's companions all laughed out loud, adding to Jiang Yutong's humiliation. Jiang Yutong's eyes brimmed with tears, she felt extremely aggrieved as she covered her chest with her hands, just hoping this nightmare would end sooner. However, Su Ran had no intention of letting Jiang Yutong off easily, continuing to sneer and command, "Take off her underwear too!" At those words, Jiang Yutong's face turned pale, and she started crying out in desperation, "Don't, please, don't do this." Jiang Yutong curled up like a frightened little bunny, trembling all over as she watched Su Ran and the others with extreme anxiety. "You don't have to kneel. Just kneel down and kowtow a few times, then slap yourself and admit you're a cheap slut, and I'll let you go," Su Ran laughed loudly. Jiang Yutong's expression stiffened. Wouldn't that mean abandoning all her self-respect and pride? "What? Not happy about it? If you're not willing, then I'll just have to remove your clothes by force!" Su Ran sneered continuously, obviously very smug. After hesitating for about a few seconds, Jiang Yutong bit her lip tightly, then stood up and slowly knelt down toward Su Ran. Jiang Yutong had no choice. To abandon dignity was to at least preserve her decency, but if she resisted, perhaps she would lose both. "Don't kneel. Once dignity is abandoned, it's not so easy to get it back," just then, a light, airy voice came from not far away. Jiang Yutong and the others were shocked and turned to look in the direction of the voice, seeing a scholarly young man with his arms crossed leaning against the wall, looking at them indifferently. Hearing this, Jiang Yutong immediately stopped, ultimately not kneeling down. ``` Seeing this, Su Ran was filled with rage and deeply detested the sudden disrupter, scolding, "Who are you? What are you doing here?" "Me? I'm a teacher at this school. You on the other hand, don't seem like students from our Business School, do you?" Hao Jian sized up these Little Gangster Girls. "We are the ten sisters from the Business School. I'd advise you to mind your own business if you know what's good for you," Su Ran threatened with a cold expression, not taking Hao Jian seriously at all. "Ten sisters? Sounds indeed like a gang thing. What flair," Hao Jian found it amusing and mocked, "A few little girls pretending to run with the gangsters, do you even know what the underworld is like? Ever chopped someone? Seen a dead body?" Su Ran's expression froze; they really hadn't seen real gangsters. The ten sisters were just a group they had set up for fun, and they only knew some local thugs. They truly hadn't come across any real underworld figures. "So you know what the underworld is like?" Su Ran retorted. "Of course, for starters, the underworld doesn't bully the weak," Hao Jian said with a chuckle. "Fuck!" Su Ran gave Hao Jian the middle finger contemptuously, "Teacher, your morals are outdated. You're trying to teach me a lesson in morality? Are you out of your mind?" Fucking hell, why are kids these days so difficult to teach? Hao Jian inwardly grumbled, thinking these kids were more audacious than when he messed around in school during his youth. "Teacher, I suggest you stop being nosy; it's better for you. My boyfriend's pretty influential. If you make me unhappy, I'll have him bring some guys over, and you won't be able to handle the consequences," Su Ran chuckled maliciously, threatening Hao Jian. "That won't do, you're in my school bullying my students. If I, as a teacher, don't step in, what kind of example would that set?" Hao Jian said calmly, walking over to Jiang Yutong and draping his jacket over her. Su Ran's face instantly chilled as she pulled out a Folding Knife from her waist, glaring at Hao Jian, "So there's nothing to talk about?" When Jiang Yutong saw Su Ran draw the knife, her expression changed instantly, and she trembled even more. Hao Jian patted Jiang Yutong on the shoulder, signaling that she didn't need to be afraid and looked towards Su Ran: "Carrying a knife around? You're starting to act like you belong to the gang. But even though you have a knife, do you actually dare to stab me?" Su Ran was stunned. Normally, people would be scared upon seeing a knife, wouldn't they? But Hao Jian's reaction seemed a bit too strange. "Come on, stab here, I won't fight back," Hao Jian pointed to his heart, then said to Su Ran. Su Ran's face became very expressive, darkening entirely. "Come on, don't be scared, right in the bullseye. That way, you'll truly be on the path of no return, officially becoming a gangster. After that, you come out ready to fight and kill; you might even claim the throne of the lady boss, and then, the whole underworld could be yours," Hao Jian enticingly said. Su Ran and her friends were left speechless; this asshole teacher was clearly mocking them. Still, Su Ran dared not take action. She could handle a scuffle, but killing? That was beyond her. Plus, Hao Jian's words were sheer nonsense. Becoming the Black Boss just by killing someone? Then the whole damn world would be full of Black Bosses. "What's wrong, you don't dare? If you don't have the guts, why the hell are you pretending?" Hao Jian looked down on her with disdain. Su Ran's face turned green, and she was seething with rage and embarrassment. That bastard, he was deliberately making her look like a fool, wasn't he? "Get lost, and let me never see you around here again. You've got the nerve to try to act tough with that little courage? I look down on you!" Hao Jian gestured dismissively at Su Ran and the others. The ten sisters were also fuming. They had never been insulted like this before in all their time at school. "We'll meet again, just you wait!" Su Ran glared hatefully at Hao Jian, gnashing her teeth, and led her people away in defeat. "Tsk, kids," Hao Jian scoffed, but he didn't take Su Ran's threat to heart at all. "Are you okay?" Hao Jian asked Jiang Yutong, who immediately became nervous, breaking free from Hao Jian's embrace and running off without a trace. "No need to thank me," Hao Jian shouted towards Jiang Yutong's retreating back, speechless at the ridiculous turn of events. Hao Jian shook his head, ready to leave the school, but just then he received a call from Shu Ya. Shu Bing's frosty voice came through the phone, "Where are you?" "Me? I'm at school, what's up?" Hao Jian responded, disconcerted by Shu Ya's cold tone. "Come home immediately, I want to see you." With that, Shu Ya hung up the phone. Chapter 280 Talking Nonsense! "What are you doing all the time?" Hao Jian looked at his phone, half crying and half laughing; he had had a rather unlucky day today.Hao Jian didn't realize that at this moment, he was already in big trouble. With a helpless smile, Hao Jian walked out of the alley. But just after Hao Jian left the alley, Jiang Yutong's head peeked out from around the corner of the wall, secretly sizing up Hao Jian's retreating figure with a curious glint in her eyes. When he got home, Hao Jian saw Shu Ya sitting on the sofa with a dark expression, her arms crossed, not saying a word, and the air was filled with a murderous aura. "What's wrong?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled, seeing Shu Ya like this also gave him a bad premonition. Did he flush the toilet this morning? He must have, right? Did he wash the smelly socks? He must have, right? So why is this woman angry? Could it be that she knew about him using her computer to watch love action movies, resulting in a computer virus? It's over, it must be this! "Sit down!" Shu Ya pointed to the sofa in front of her and commanded Hao Jian. Hao Jian's heart skipped a beat, clearly, Shu Ya's anger was directed at him. Not wanting the situation to get worse, he chose to be honest for leniency and the first thing he said after sitting down was: Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire "I'm sorry, I know I was wrong. It wasn't intentional, I shouldn't have kept it from you." Shu Ya's eyebrows furrowed deeply. This guy actually confessed without being pushed? Huh, so what that old man said was true, he had indeed been deceiving her! "Why did you keep it from me?" Shu Ya's voice trembled a bit with emotion. "I, I was afraid of being scolded by you," Hao Jian said awkwardly, scratching his head. "Afraid of being scolded so you hid it?" Shu Ya laughed angrily, why did this explanation sound so ridiculous? "I thought you hid it because you felt guilty, having a past that isn't honorable, so you chose to hide it. But you actually said you hid it because you were afraid of being scolded, so are you saying you don't feel guilty at all about what you did before?" Shu Ya's eyes were as sharp as blades, staring intently at Hao Jian. "It's not that I don't feel guilty, actually, I have been feeling regretful ever since it happened, but there was nothing I could do to change it," Hao Jian said with a wry smile. Who could have known that website had a virus? Damn it, it was Luo Tong who had given him that site, and he would give Luo Tong a beating later. "Regret? Then why did you still do it afterward?" Shu Ya said angrily, Hao Jian was obviously lying to her. If he really felt guilty, why would he continue to kill? "Afterward? I haven't done it since," Hao Jian was dumbfounded, the computer was broken, and he couldn't watch love action movies even if he wanted to. "Haven't done it? You still want to lie to me? Someone came to the company today and openly said you did it, and you still want to deny it?" Shu Ya scoffed coldly. "Fuck, there's a second person who knows about this?" Hao Jian was startled and hurriedly ran to the balcony to look around. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What are you doing?" Shu Ya asked, frowning. Was this guy out of his mind? "I want to see exactly who is spying on me," Hao Jian said through gritted teeth. Spying on someone watching love action movies, that's just too damn unethical. "Spying? What exactly are you talking about?" Shu Ya was getting angry. This guy was completely deflecting. "Isn't it you who said someone reported me? No one else knows about this but me, so I'm sure someone is spying on me," Hao Jian said seriously. Shu Ya sneered coldly, "If you don't want people to know, then don't do it yourself, so are you admitting you killed someone?" "Killing someone? Weren't you talking about me using your computer to watch love action movies?" Hao Jian was shocked; were he and Shu Ya talking about two different things? "You watched love action movies on my computer?" Shu Ya was also stunned, then shouted in anger, "Son of a bitch, didn't I tell you not to touch that computer?" "I, I just watched it because I was bored," Hao Jian shrank his neck. "Watched it because you were bored? No wonder my internet was unusually slow those days, and it even crashed eventually, it turns out it was your doing, you filthy scoundrel!" Shu Ya yelled excitedly. "How was I supposed to know your computer didn't even have any antivirus installed?" Hao Jian said, aggrieved. "So it's my fault now?" Shu Ya glared at him, shooting a death beam his way. "No, my fault, my fault," Hao Jian grinned sheepishly. At this point, how could he dare to contradict Shu Ya? Wasn't that just asking for trouble? "Wait, I'm not talking about that," Shu Ya calmed down, almost getting tricked by Hao Jian again, "Tell me, didn't you kill Liu Bohong's men?" "Liu Bohong?" Hao Jian's smile vanished, replaced by a deep murderous intent, "Did he go to see you?" Liu Bohong had come for Shu Ya; was he ready to target the people around him? It seemed, this man could not be left alive under any circumstances. "Exactly, he said you killed his men, and he is now looking for you everywhere. Hao Jian, this is the reason you never wanted to reveal your true identity, isn't it?" Shu Ya wanted to sneer, but she found she couldn't laugh at all at this point. She had never been charmed by a guy in her life, and the one and only time she was, he turned out to be a murderer? Hao Jian remained silent. It seemed Liu Bohong had told Shu Ya everything, and at this point, there was no way he could explain himself. Chapter 281 Breakup! "Why won't you speak? Do you think silence can solve the problem?" Seeing Hao Jian remaining silent, Shu Ya grew even angrier. How could silence solve anything?Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire Men always think that by staying silent, everything will be okay, not realizing it only makes women angrier because it makes women feel they are angry with themselves. Moreover, a man's silence makes women unsure of his attitude, whether he admits he is wrong or remains defiant; this leads to wild thoughts. So when she saw Hao Jian not speaking, Shu Ya felt extremely annoyed. But it wasn't that Hao Jian didn't want to speak, but at that moment, he didn't know what to say. In the past, he was articulate, but now he was speechless. What could he say? That yes, he was a Murderer? That he alone had killed more than ten thousand people, and thus was called the God of Death? Seeing Hao Jian still silent, Shu Ya became somewhat hysterical, "It's hard to imagine I ever fell for a freak like you. At first, I thought you were decent, but now it seems, I was blind. You hypocrite, after killing so many people, does your conscience allow you to rest? Don't you feel any shame or unease?" At those words, Hao Jian too grew angry. What did she mean calling him a hypocrite? Did he want to kill? If he really enjoyed killing, he wouldn't have stepped down. Who would want to fight and kill all the time if not absolutely necessary? What Shu Ya said was, in a way, an insult to Hao Jian. "Shu Ya, don't go too far," Hao Jian said sternly. "Too far? What, are you going to kill me? Go ahead. After all, for a murderer like you, killing one or killing two makes no difference, right?" Shu Ya scoffed coldly. Hao Jian instantly fell silent. If Shu Ya's earlier words were an insult to his character, now they were utterly trampling on him. "You actually say I would kill you? So in your eyes, that's how despicable I am." Hao Jian laughed mockingly. Indeed, if Shu Ya knew the truth, she too would fear him, despise him. He had been so naive before, thinking Shu Ya was different, thinking she could accept him as he was. But it turns out he had been too naive all along. "I..." Shu Ya realized she had misspoken, but with her prideful temperament, how could she apologize at that moment? She just snorted coldly, turned her back, and said nothing. "That's right, you are correct. I am a murderer. Not only do I kill, but I also kidnap, rob, steal; I have committed every evil act! What's more, let me tell you, I have even killed children!" Hao Jian burst out, furiously yelling. "You... you psychopath, you monster! You won't end well!" Shu Ya cried out, shocked by his words. The guy had even killed children¡ªthat act was cold-blooded beyond measure, making Shu Ya profoundly disappointed in him. Hao Jian wasn't joking; he had indeed killed children. It was shortly after he began to battle abroad. On a mission in a foreign land with his comrades, they encountered a young boy selling sugar cakes, around eleven or twelve years old. A comrade of Hao Jian bought one of the cakes. Hao Jian, who didn't like sweets and was on a mission at the time, declined to have any. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then, Hao Jian watched as his comrade was obliterated after eating the sugar cake that contained a mini-bomb, leaving his body unrecognizable. Hao Jian could never forget the feeling of his comrade's shattered flesh splattering on him, nor the profoundly cold, indifferent gaze of the child looking at him. From that moment, Hao Jian understood that there is no distinction of the weak or sick on the battlefield, only enemies and allies. "Yes, I won't end well; I've known that for a long time. And let me also tell you, I've massacred thousands of prisoners, decapitating them all. That's how blood-soaked my hands are as a murderer!" Hao Jian had reached his limit; at this point, he needed to vent, to express his frustration and disappointment. He knew that after today, he and Shu Ya would be strangers. Rather than enduring future pain, he preferred to clarify everything now. This was an explanation for himself and for Shu Ya. "You... get out!" Shu Ya, eyes reddened, shouted dramatically. She was thoroughly disillusioned with Hao Jian; she had not expected him to be such a person. Just as Hao Jian was about to retort, he suddenly sensed someone else in the room and couldn't help looking towards the doorway, only to see Tongtong and Ruo Lan standing there, shocked. Clearly, they had come upstairs to intercede upon hearing Hao Jian and Shu Ya arguing, but they had not expected to overhear such explosive revelations. Confronted with Hao Jian's gaze, Ruo Lan timidly lowered her head; hearing how many people Hao Jian had killed, she too couldn't accept it right away, naturally feeling fearful. Realizing this, a self-mocking smile crossed Hao Jian's lips, as he figured he probably couldn't stay here anymore. Without hesitation, Hao Jian swiftly moved to the balcony and leaped off. "My God!" Shu Ya and Ruo Lan were terrified, thinking Hao Jian had jumped out of despair to commit suicide. And at the moment Hao Jian jumped, Shu Ya suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart, her body cramping viciously, making even breathing difficult. Ruo Lan also had that feeling, feeling as if her heart had skipped a half beat. About three to four seconds later, the two women finally snapped out of their shock and hurriedly rushed to the balcony to look down. The closer they got to the balcony, the more uneasy they felt¡ªwhat was merely a few meters seemed to take centuries to cross. As a result, they saw Hao Jian land safely on the ground and then leave the building without looking back, moving so fast that he almost instantly disappeared. At the same time, both women breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Hao Jian was unharmed, they could be at ease. But then, both women showed expressions as if they had seen a ghost. Because they suddenly remembered, this was the fifth floor. How could Hao Jian jump from such a height and be completely unharmed? What kind of monster was he? Shu Ya's mood plummeted to its lowest point. After all, she still hadn't figured out Hao Jian's identity. Moreover, after this incident, she didn't know whether Hao Jian would come back. She thought she could let go easily, but she only realized how difficult it was when it actually happened. "Was he telling the truth?" Ruo Lan asked Shu Ya, eager to clear up whether Hao Jian's recent words were spoken in anger or were indeed fact. "It was true," Shu Ya said with a mournful face, wishing it weren't. Ruo Lan immediately gasped. Had Hao Jian really killed so many people? What kind of person was he? "Do you hate him?" Ruo Lan asked. "What do you mean? Who doesn't hate a murderer? Don't you hate him?" Shu Ya found Ruo Lan's question inexplicable. "A former murderer, now he's changed, hasn't he? 'To err is human; to forgive, divine.' Why can't we give him a chance?" Ruo Lan sighed. "But he killed someone again just a few days ago, where has he changed?" Shu Ya huffed, believing Hao Jian was incorrigible. "But have you asked them why they kill? Maybe he has his reasons?" Ruo Lan asked again. At this, Shu Ya fell silent. She indeed hadn't asked Hao Jian why he killed. From the beginning, she had preemptively judged and labeled him as a detestable murderer, never giving Hao Jian a chance to explain himself. "You see, you never really asked him, right? I don't think you know this, but when I first met him, he was shivering next to a trash bin, nearly frozen to death. With his abilities, he could have easily stolen or robbed, but he didn't. Instead, he chose to endure everything alone. From this alone, couldn't you tell what kind of person he is?" Ruo Lan smiled slightly. Shu Ya's expression flickered, and her stance seemed to waver. "Mommy, will Daddy come back?" the little girl Tongtong tugged at Ruo Lan's clothes, asking worriedly. She was afraid that Hao Jian would never come back, and then she would be a child without a father again. Ruo Lan couldn't answer, only managing a bitter smile, because even she didn't know if Hao Jian would return. The atmosphere in the room became somber. ... Tonight, Gao Jiping tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Martial Evil Hall was closing in step by step, she was gradually wearing out from resisting, her territory was being gradually encroached upon, and defeat was only a matter of time. Therefore, she couldn't sleep and didn't want to. At this moment, Gao Jiping was considering whether to offer herself to Hao Jian, as that was the only way to possibly sway him. Every man has desires, she figured maybe Hao Jian would take interest, especially since she was still confident in her appearance. After all, once she was defeated, she would be captured by Liu Bohong and turned into a plaything. It seemed better to be with Hao Jian, at least she did not dislike him. The night wind blew the curtains, making a whooshing sound. The season had already entered winter, and the wind was cold. Yet Gao Jiping didn't care about the cold. Her heart was colder than her body; she was even too lazy to get up and close the window, allowing the cold wind to brush against her cheeks. But suddenly, the wind stopped, and Gao Jiping felt the atmosphere turn strange. It seemed like there was someone else in the room. Having been in the underworld for so many years, Gao Jiping had developed sharp instincts. With her back to the window, she cautiously reached under her pillow for her gun. For underworld leaders like Black Boss, sleeping without a gun hardly felt safe. Gao Jiping suddenly rolled out of bed and pointed the gun at the window, only to see a man standing there. His bright eyes were also evaluating her. "Who?" Gao Jiping instinctively shouted. Chapter 282 Just Want to Kill! The man walked over slowly, and by the faint halo of the moonlight, Gao Jiping finally made out his features and couldn't help but be startled, "Hao Jian? What are you doing here?"Gao Jiping was very surprised; her residence was triple-secured inside and out, and she even had over a dozen hunting dogs in the yard that would detect the slightest movement. Yet, Hao Jian had infiltrated without anyone noticing, not even the hunting dogs. What was going on? Hao Jian didn't speak but looked down at her from his height, his eyes filled with a sense of aggression. Gao Jiping suddenly felt a bit feverish, remembering just how scantily clad she was. Hao Jian's intense gaze made her subconsciously think the worst. Could it be that he wanted to take advantage of her? However, it wasn't surprising that Gao Jiping was having such thoughts. It was the middle of the night, and Hao Jian had brazenly entered her boudoir. It was hard to believe he had no ulterior motives. But soon, Gao Jiping sensed something was off because she realized that although Hao Jian's gaze was aggressive, it was also somewhat cold. Moreover, there was a faint killing intent emanating from him. Could it be that he was here to kill her? Gao Jiping suddenly had an ominous premonition. If Hao Jian were here to kill her, she wouldn't stand a chance at fighting back. As Gao Jiping was lost in her chaotic thoughts, Hao Jian finally opened his mouth. His voice was different from his usual frivolous tone, harsh and low-pitched, like some kind of beast growling, "Kill... I want to kill." "What?" Gao Jiping didn't understand the meaning behind Hao Jian's words. "I promised you I would kill someone. Just tell me, who should I kill? Liu Bohong?" Hao Jian spoke again, his voice tinged with impatience. "Liu Bohong? No, I won't kill him," Gao Jiping shook her head. "Why not kill him, don't you have a grudge against him?" Hao Jian was the one who was puzzled. Liu Bohong was after Gao Jiping's territory; why wouldn't she want to kill him? Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire Gao Jiping smiled, "Liu Bohong is just a tool. The real mastermind is someone else. Even if I killed Liu Bohong, a second one would appear. Besides, I'm aware of the grudge between you and him. Even if I didn't ask you to do it, you would still kill him, wouldn't you? In that case, why should I waste an opportunity?" Hao Jian was stunned. This woman's intelligence was frightening. "Just name someone, consider it a bonus," Hao Jian said indifferently. At that point, it didn't matter who it was; he just wanted to vent the rage in his heart. "You're particularly full of malevolence tonight. What happened?" Gao Jiping asked curiously. Today's Hao Jian was vastly different from before, which frightened her. "Ask what you should ask, and don't bother with what you shouldn't!" Hao Jian reprimanded her coldly. Gao Jiping shivered and then forced a bitter smile, "Well then, Wang Hongsheng will do. I've always wanted to get rid of that traitor!" The thing people often hate the most isn't your enemy, but the one who betrays you. It was natural that Gao Jiping hadn't forgotten Wang Hongsheng. It was just that she was too occupied to deal with him herself. "Where is he?" S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "In an old factory in the West Suburb. I thought about going to kill him myself, but between Liu Bohong constantly attacking my territory and that guy spending a fortune to hire a bunch of mercenaries, I can't spare the manpower to deal with him. If you're bored, feel free to go kill him," Gao Jiping spoke, seeing it as a free opportunity that she couldn't miss. "Lead me to him," said Hao Jian, without any further ado, directly asking Gao Jiping to show the way. "Wait for me a moment, let me change my clothes," Gao Jiping said, then stood up to change, not minding Hao Jian's presence at all, stripping off her nightgown right in front of him, leaving only her lace panties on. Gao Jiping did this partially as a test. She wanted to see if Hao Jian was the lustful type, but the test left her somewhat disappointed. Because even before she took off her clothes, Hao Jian had already turned away. At this, Gao Jiping could only laugh helplessly. Afterward, Gao Jiping sent out her men, heading to the West Suburb to seek out Wang Hongsheng. With the addition of Hao Jian, a formidable fighter, she felt even more confident. Now, they were all gathered outside the abandoned factory, ready to attack on Gao Jiping's command. The assassins of the Red Makeup Society would storm in immediately. "Should we make a move now?" Gao Jiping asked Hao Jian, who at that moment seemed to be the true boss. "Go ahead," Hao Jian said expressionlessly, yet he didn't get off the car immediately because he needed Gao Jiping's men to clear out the riff-raff; he wasn't interested in small fry. Meanwhile, Wang Hongsheng had no idea that danger was closing in. He cursed while blowing on the liquor bottle, his face showing a trace of viciousness, "Gao Jiping, bastard! I'll **** you! I'll **** you!" Wang Hongsheng hated Gao Jiping to the core. Why? Because as long as Gao Jiping was not dead, he would live in torment, fearing her retaliation at any moment. Having not seen him for a while, Wang Hongsheng looked haggard, no longer having his previous delicate appearance, his face covered with stubble, hair unkempt, looking like a vagrant. Though he had hired mercenaries to protect him, he still didn't feel safe. Even knowing that Gao Jiping might seek revenge, Wang Hongsheng still refused to leave Hua City because he was waiting, waiting for Liu Bohong to eliminate Gao Jiping. Once she was dead, everything she had would belong to him! "Bang!" Suddenly, a gunshot shattered the silent night. "Damn it!" Wang Hongsheng's expression changed instantly, pulling out a handgun from a drawer not far away. Immediately, Wang Hongsheng rushed out of the room and was met by a big black hulk of a man. Built like a mass of tendons, over two meters tall and burly, he looked like a gorilla. He was the leader of the mercenary group Wang Hongsheng had hired, the Black Snake Mercenary Corps, which also had a certain reputation in the underworld. The man himself was ranked twentieth on the list of mercenaries, with notable strength. "Karl Mara, what the hell happened?" Wang Hongsheng asked the black group leader. "A group of people are attacking us, and our men are exchanging fire with them. Wang Hongsheng, your enemy has come knocking," Karl Mara said, grinning to reveal a row of white teeth. If there was anything white on his body, it was probably only this row of teeth. "What?" Wang Hongsheng's expression went through a drastic change, immediately thinking of Gao Jiping coming for revenge; she would be the only one wanting him dead. Seeing Wang Hongsheng turn pale with fright, Karl Mara said with some disdain, "Relax, no matter who comes, we, the Black Snake Mercenary Corps, will make sure they leave empty-handed. Since we've taken your money, we'll naturally ensure your safety. You can go back to your room and enjoy yourself; leave the rest to us." Karl Mara had absolute confidence in his subordinates. "No need, I'll go and have a look," Wang Hongsheng said, having no mood for enjoyment as long as Gao Jiping was alive, he wouldn't be at ease. Karl Mara shrugged, "Suit yourself, you're the boss after all. Whatever you say goes." Meanwhile, Gao Jiping's people had officially engaged with the Mercenary Group, and Karl Mara wasn't exaggerating; each of his men was indeed elite. In just a confrontation, Gao Jiping's people were routed by Karl Mara's men, not daring to show their heads, with over half either dead or wounded. Seeing this, Gao Jiping couldn't help but look grave, each of her subordinates was extremely precious, and it pained her to see them getting killed. "Have your people all pull back. They're no match for the others," said Hao Jian, who had been resting inside the car. He could see that the opponents were well-trained soldiers, whereas Gao Jiping's people were simply an unruly mob, not understanding coordination in group combat, just recklessly shooting, naturally no match for their adversaries. Upon hearing this, Gao Jiping quickly nodded, almost crying with excitement; she had been waiting for Hao Jian to say these words. If Hao Jian didn't take action soon, all her people would be dead. Gao Jiping hurriedly called her people back. At that moment, Hao Jian also opened the car door and stepped out, emotionlessly telling Gao Jiping, "Wait for me in the car." "No, I'll go with you. I want to see Wang Hongsheng die with my own eyes!" Gao Jiping insisted on following Hao Jian, her hatred for Wang Hongsheng overpowering her fear of death. "Suit yourself." Hao Jian ignored Gao Jiping and walked directly towards the battlefield. At this point, Gao Jiping's people had retreated and stood protectively beside her. Seeing Hao Jian walking ahead and Gao Jiping following him like a little brother, they were all utterly puzzled, silently speculating about Hao Jian's identity and the commanding presence he exuded. As the sound of gunfire ceased, Wang Hongsheng and Karl Mara also walked over from that end. Seeing Gao Jiping's people defeated by his own, Wang Hongsheng couldn't help but laugh loudly, "Gao Jiping, long time no see. How have you been?" "If you knew what I came for today, you might not be so happy to see me," Gao Jiping sneered coldly. And Gao Jiping's subordinates also glared at Wang Hongsheng with hate-filled eyes, loathing the traitor. Chapter 283 I Beg You! ```"What are you here for today, I really don't know. To seek death? Hahaha." Wang Hongsheng laughed proudly, his people had already been beaten to this state by Karl Mara's group, yet they still dared to talk big. How ridiculous." Right away, Wang Hongsheng also noticed Hao Jian. The smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a fierce glare. "I didn't expect you to be here, too. It's like you're purposely avoiding paradise and breaking into hell. I've wanted to kill you all along, and since you're here of your own accord today, I'll unceremoniously take your life!" If Gao Jiping was the person Wang Hongsheng hated the most, then Hao Jian was undoubtedly the second on his list. If it weren't for Hao Jian's intervention, he would have already killed Gao Jiping. But it was because of Hao Jian's arrival that his plan was ruined, and all the money he had worked so hard to earn over the years went to paying for the Vampires like Karl Mara. "Just with you, you can't kill me." Hao Jian shook his head indifferently, stating a fact. Upon hearing this, Wang Hongsheng laughed angrily. He patted Karl Mara on the shoulder, "Do you know who he is? He's the leader of the Black Snake Mercenary Corps, the twenty-ranked Karl Mara on the mercenary leaderboard. With him here, killing you all will be as easy as flipping one's hand!" Gao Jiping's pupils shrank immediately. The twentieth ranked on the mercenary leaderboard meant the strength would likely be above hers. However, she wasn't sure whether Hao Jian could be his match. Karl Mara bared his teeth in a smile, making a very gentlemanly bow to Gao Jiping, "My beautiful miss, I really don't want to kill you. After all, you are so gorgeous and generous. But there's no helping it, our Mercenary Group values credibility above all, taking people's money to eliminate their disasters. So, I'm afraid you'll all have to die here today." "All die here? Heigui, don't you think you're speaking too confidently!" One of Gao Jiping's subordinates roared in anger, very displeased with Karl Mara's arrogant attitude. Shua! A flying dagger whizzed through the air, plunging directly into the brow of the one speaking, killing him on the spot. On Karl Mara's side, a female soldier, holding a flying dagger, looked at Hao Jian and the others with ill intent. Gao Jiping's group was taken aback. Even a woman was this frightening; what chance did they stand against this gang? At this moment, even Gao Jiping underestimated the situation because she wasn't clear on Hao Jian's true strength. She didn't know whether Hao Jian could match Karl Mara. If not, this attempt might well be digging her own grave. "I don't like to be interrupted when I'm speaking. So, could you please be quiet?" Karl Mara asked, smiling at Gao Jiping and the others. The members of Red Makeup Society didn't dare to speak anymore, clearly shaken. Karl Mara looked completely dominating, his arrogance uncontainable. "If it's just about killing people, it's a bit too boring. How about we add some excitement?" A fierce glint flashed across Wang Hongsheng's eyes as he chuckled, "Your side fights with Karl Mara's people. If you win, I won't kill you. How about that?" "What should we do?" Gao Jiping asked Hao Jian, her mind in turmoil. "What? Are you scared?" Hao Jian asked with a sneer. "You're not scared?" Gao Jiping murmured in a daze. Was Hao Jian's behavior abnormal, or hadn't he seen how terrible Karl Mara and his men were? Or was he just pretending to be calm? "Scared? Why should I be afraid? They're just trash." The volume of Hao Jian's words was not loud, yet everyone heard him loud and clear. Karl Mara and his team members let out sardonic laughter when they heard such arrogant words from Hao Jian. They stared at him with malevolent intent, clearly marking him as their hunting target. "Kid, you've got quite the nerve. How about you be the first to go?" Wang Hongsheng said sarcastically. He had wanted to get rid of the troublesome Hao Jian for quite some time, and now that Hao Jian had stepped forward on his own, it saved him the trouble. "I'll do it!" But before Hao Jian could respond, one of Gao Jiping's subordinates shouted out, jumping out from the crowd. This man was burly, his face covered in scars, emitting a fierce aura, appearing quite formidable. He was Gao Jiping's top enforcer, much like the once Wang Hongsheng, her trusted aide. Find more adventures on My Virtual Library Empire Seeing Wang Hongsheng humiliate Gao Jiping like this, the servant immediately became upset and decided to vent for Gao Jiping. "Lin Sheng, don't act rashly, come back!" Gao Jiping urgently called out. Lin Sheng definitely couldn't match Karl Mara and his team. He was Gao Jiping's capable lieutenant, and she did not wish to see him throw his life away in vain. "Oh, Lin Sheng, you're so eager to die?" Wang Hongsheng burst into laughter, his face revealing a sinister smile. He'd always competed for favor with Lin Sheng before betraying Gao Jiping, and things between them were inevitably hostile. Now that Lin Sheng had come out as the scapegoat, he was thrilled. It didn't matter; they were going to kill him anyway. Killing Lin Sheng first was just as good. "Wang Hongsheng, cut the crap and send out your man!" Lin Sheng snorted. "Since you're so eager to die, I can't blame myself," Wang Hongsheng said with a cruel smile, then gave Karl Mara a look. Karl Mara sneered and told one of his taller team members, "Earth Bee, you're up!" The one with the nickname Earth Bee let out a strange giggle, walking over to Lin Sheng. He looked him up and down, occasionally licking his dry tongue, as though he was savoring a delicious meal. Lin Sheng's brow furrowed, not liking the other's gaze. He got ready and charged at Earth Bee. ``` "Crack crack." But just at that moment, everyone saw Earth Bee's hand joints suddenly extend in a bizarre manner, the bones of both hands dislocating as if by magic, making his arms instantly more than twice as long as before. Earth Bee bared his teeth, which were brown with nicotine stains, and roared, "Dance of the Earth Bee!" Then, those arms started to flail, lashing out towards Lin Sheng like long whips. And Lin Sheng, struck by what he saw, was also dumbfounded, cursing to himself, Damn it! This was the first time he had ever encountered such a monster, and he was immediately terrified. But there was no time for hesitation now; those whip-like arms swung crazily, one strike after another, pummeling him mercilessly, sending Lin Sheng reeling. In just one minute, Lin Sheng was covered in blood, looking like a bloodied figure. "Hahahaha, Lin Sheng, you dare to brag with such meager skills¡ª you're asking to be slaughtered!" Wang Hongsheng watched with great satisfaction, his sinister laughter echoing in the night sky. Gao Jiping was also in a state of panic; if it weren't for Karl Mara and the others watching like tigers, she would have rushed up to save Hao Jian by now. Under Earth Bee's assault, Lin Sheng had absolutely no power to fight back, not even to defend, let alone get close to Earth Bee. Lin Sheng knew he had overestimated himself¡ªthe group before him wasn't normal at all; they were all damn monsters. But it was too late for regrets now; he was bleeding from his mouth and nose, and being killed by Earth Bee was only a matter of time. "Thud." Just then, a figure stepped forward, appearing in the midst of the scene. Hao Jian appeared emotionlessly between Earth Bee and Lin Sheng, but he seemed to have no intention of intervening. Seeing this, Karl Mara and Wang Hongsheng couldn't help but frown, wondering what Hao Jian was planning to do. "If this kid dares to meddle, don't bother with the others, just take this kid out directly," Wang Hongsheng ordered Karl Mara. "Don't worry, Earth Bee is very strong. If he dares to interfere, he's just looking for his own death," Karl Mara said disdainfully, confident in Earth Bee's strength. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At this moment, Earth Bee also noticed Hao Jian but didn't take him seriously at all. "He's mine, don't interfere!" Lin Sheng also growled lowly, his own pride unwilling to let Hao Jian meddle. "Tch, idiot," Hao Jian sneered and curled his lips, finding Lin Sheng's words laughable. Beaten to a pulp and still telling others not to butt in¡ªit was simply courting death. Moreover, Hao Jian was just watching; he had no intention of helping. Lin Sheng was thinking too much. "Hao Jian, save him!" At this time, Gao Jiping hurriedly shouted to Hao Jian, her eyes flashing with excitement, because she knew that now only Hao Jian could save Lin Sheng. "Are you ordering me?" Hao Jian looked at Gao Jiping, frowning. "No, I'm asking you," Gao Jiping shook her head, her face full of vulnerability and pleading. Seeing this, Gao Jiping's subordinates were all stunned. Gao Jiping had always been an iceberg queen in their eyes, and this was the first time they had seen her like this. Hao Jian turned his head away, ignoring Gao Jiping. Seeing this, Gao Jiping smiled bitterly; indeed, what was she, to have the right to ask for help from others. But just at that moment, Hao Jian suddenly walked over to a human-sized boulder, lifted his foot, and kicked it fiercely. The boulder flew straight out, crashing into Earth Bee's range of attack and crippling him. Earth Bee laid crushed under the boulder, vomiting blood, gasping weakly for air. Everyone was shocked; such a formidable adversary had been dealt with by a single kick from Hao Jian. And to send a boulder nearly a ton in weight flying with one kick¡ªjust how terrifying was his leg strength? And Karl Mara and the others couldn't hide their astonishment, staring intently at Hao Jian. From that moment on, they no longer underestimated him. Wang Hongsheng, seeing how easily Hao Jian had disposed of Earth Bee, also had a bad premonition. Hao Jian picked up a military knife from the ground and walked toward Earth Bee. Earth Bee's mouth continuously spewed blood, Hao Jian's kick had crushed his internal organs. He looked at Hao Jian imploringly, "You¡ª" As the word "you" left his lips, Hao Jian's hand moved and the knife fell, decapitating him. Chapter 284 The Man Even God Fears! "I told you I don't need your help," Lin Sheng roared stubbornly.At that moment, Hao Jian casually tossed the severed head towards Lin Sheng, sneering, "He was mine, this one is for you." Lin Sheng clenched his teeth, feeling humiliated. "Shoosh, shoosh, shoosh, shoosh." Just then, four throwing knives shot towards Hao Jian simultaneously. Hao Jian, without even looking back, reached out with his hands, left, right, up, down, slap, slap, slap, slap, and knocked the flying knives to the ground. Everyone was stunned. Hao Jian was able to detect the incoming positions of the throwing knives without even looking and knocked them down one by one; just this feat alone was enough to dazzle everyone present. The most shocked at this moment were Karl Mara and his companions. They all knew how sharp that female soldier's throwing knives were, so sharp that even Karl Mara himself would have difficulty catching them, let alone someone who did it by feeling alone. Moreover, with such sharp knives and that high-speed impact force, if one tried to block with their body, they would be cleaved in two instantly. But Hao Jian blocked the knives with his bare hands, what did that imply? It meant his hands were harder than the blades. Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire Initially, Karl Mara and the others thought Hao Jian was just an ordinary person, but now their thoughts had changed entirely. Hao Jian was many times stronger than they had imagined; he was a formidable enemy. Panic sparked in Wang Hongsheng's eyes, as he realized that he had still underestimated Hao Jian's strength. "Wang Hongsheng, this enemy of yours is quite troublesome," Karl Mara said with a sinister laugh, "It seems this time I'll have to ask for more money." He had thought this mission would be easy, but Hao Jian's unexpected strength threw a wrench into his plans. "As long as you can kill him, I'll give you any amount of money!" Wang Hongsheng roared. At this point, any cost was worth it to get rid of Hao Jian. "I can't guarantee that, but I will try my best," Karl Mara didn't dare to be overconfident. If he guessed correctly, Hao Jian's strength was about the same as his, so he couldn't promise he'd be able to deal with Hao Jian. Suddenly, a wave of excited cheers came from Gao Jiping's side; the morale that had been beaten down surged up again. At this moment, Hao Jian appeared to them as nothing short of a god of war. Goddamn, this guy was a monster; how could a normal person catch knives with their bare hands? "All of you back off. You're not his match. I'll handle him," Karl Mara told his eager team members. He could tell Hao Jian was incredibly strong. Even he wasn't assured of victory, let alone his teammates. Karl Mara approached Hao Jian, smiling, "Brother, for what reason are you risking your life for this woman? Money? Power? How about we make a deal instead¡ªyou stand with us, and whatever she's offering you, we'll double it!" Gao Jiping and her crowd cursed Karl Mara silently for his shamelessness. If he couldn't win, he tried to buy off his opponent; utterly shameless. "No need, this has nothing to do with money or profits. I just want to kill," Hao Jian said expressionlessly, staring at Karl Mara, "Kill you, kill him." Both Wang Hongsheng's and Karl Mara's expressions stiffened at once. "So be it, then you can go to hell!" Karl Mara shouted and charged violently forward, like a raging bull storming ahead, his footsteps shaking the earth. He went head-on towards Hao Jian, confident that with his charge, he could shatter Hao Jian into bits. But just as Karl Mara neared Hao Jian, Hao Jian suddenly lifted his leg and brought it down furiously, landing squarely on Karl Mara's head and slamming him into the ground. A loud boom echoed, and instantly a huge crater appeared on the ground, with Karl Mara lying inside it, convulsing. With one strike, Karl Mara was defeated. At this moment, everyone felt as if their breathing had stopped; Earth Bee was one thing, but now Karl Mara had been beaten by this man. The hearts of the Black Snake Mercenary Corps were filled with mixed feelings. If Karl Mara had been defeated in a fight with Hao Jian, they might not have been so shocked. But this encounter hardly qualified as a fight, did it? Karl Mara didn't even last a single move against Hao Jian, it was a one-sided slaughter. Karl Mara was ranked twentieth on the Mercenary Rankings, a position among the world's mightiest, and yet he was defeated so easily, which they found inconceivable. Not just them, even Karl Mara himself felt as if a herd of Caonima was stampeding through his mind. He felt as though he'd been cursed; what kind of existence had Wang Hongsheng provoked, for Christ's sake. Wang Hongsheng was also stunned. The situation had turned so quickly his heart couldn't handle it. He had thought he had Hao Jian cornered, but with a turnaround, Hao Jian started annihilating his foes left and right, and even Karl Mara couldn't stand up to him. What should he do now? Wang Hongsheng couldn't help but worry, this was probably the end for him, wasn't it? "Well done, brother!" The people on Gao Jiping's side were as if infused with adrenaline, eyes gleaming as they stared at Hao Jian. Hao Jian had single-handedly reversed the entire situation, something they had not anticipated. Initially, they were annoyed with Hao Jian for showing off, but now they understood why even Gao Jiping had to be polite to him. "Brother, how about I stay out of this matter? You and Wang Hongsheng can settle your own grudges, can I lead my men away now?" speaking fluent Chinese, Karl Mara offered to Hao Jian with a smiling face, trying to make a deal. "Karl Mara, you¡ª" Wang Hongsheng flew into a rage at once. How could Karl Mara betray him at such a critical moment? Fucking hell, what happened to the Mercenary Group's so-called integrity? Is this what they call integrity? At this moment, Wang Hongsheng was already itching to kill Karl Mara. "Wang Hongsheng, you really can't blame me," said Karl Mara with a brazen laugh, showing no sign of embarrassment. "You see how strong they are. Even if I wanted to save you, I couldn't. You wouldn't want me to die alongside you, right? So just bear this one on your own." "Brother, what do you think?" Karl Mara asked with a chuckle. But Hao Jian merely shook his head, "No, I've said it already, this has nothing to do with interests, I just purely want to kill someone." Karl Mara's face immediately displayed a look of terror, "Wait, let's talk this over." "Pfft!" No sooner had Karl Mara finished speaking than his head flew off his body, and then blood gushed out like a fountain. Everyone was shocked, not expecting Hao Jian to be so decisively murderous. He acted without the slightest hesitation. After killing Karl Mara, Hao Jian still didn't feel satisfied. He then turned his gaze to Wang Hongsheng and others, and the murderous intent visible within those profound eyes sent shivers down their spines. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Gao Jiping, I'm willing to tell you everything about Liu Bohong and Martial Evil Hall's operations and secrets. Just make him stop," Wang Hongsheng screamed in horror, completely scared out of his wits. Wang Hongsheng might have been a desperado and quite ferocious himself, but he only dared to be vicious toward others. He couldn't summon that ferocity against a monster like Hao Jian. "I'd love to stop him, but I'm afraid I can't. He's not under my command," Gao Jiping shrugged. She could tell Hao Jian was out for blood, and there was no stopping him now. Hearing this, Wang Hongsheng's expression immediately fell like an eggplant hit by frost. "Swoosh!" At that moment, Hao Jian had already charged into the crowd and began a frenzied massacre. Anyone who came into contact with him was utterly annihilated with a single meeting. The members of Karl Mara's group had thought about resisting but ended up meeting the same fate as Karl Mara. "This man is a demon, a demon! We cannot win against him!" the underlings of Wang Hongsheng had their last line of mental defense completely shattered. If even the Black Snake Mercenary Corps was defeated by Hao Jian, how could they possibly stand a chance? Wang Hongsheng's men immediately fled in all directions, leaving him behind. They didn't want to face Hao Jian; after all, he was simply not human. Wang Hongsheng wanted to run too, but his legs wouldn't move. If he stayed still, he wouldn't attract Hao Jian's attention, but if he started moving, Hao Jian would likely pounce on him immediately. It wasn't until Hao Jian approached Wang Hongsheng that he snapped out of his daze, looking up at Hao Jian as one would look up to a deity, "Don't kill me, please." Hao Jian was such a being that even his enemies looked up to him. Hao Jian gave Wang Hongsheng an indifferent glance, "This isn't your fault. I'm just in a bad mood, that's all." Wang Hongsheng was on the verge of tears. Your bad mood becomes a reason to kill me? Don't you feel the slightest bit ashamed for bullying with your power? With a gentle pinch on Wang Hongsheng's neck, there was no blood, no wound, yet Wang Hongsheng's body slumped down, lifeless. With that seemingly light pinch, Hao Jian had actually crushed Wang Hongsheng's throat. Upon seeing Wang Hongsheng's death, except for Gao Jiping, everyone from the Red Makeup Society showed a look of surprised delight. Gao Jiping felt happy too, but alongside her happiness, she was also more worried about one thing, whether Hao Jian's murderous intent had subsided or not. "Swoosh!" Just at that moment, Hao Jian's gaze suddenly swept over, the air tensing, and an invisible chill spread throughout. The members of the Red Makeup Society all found it hard to breathe, straightening their bodies, nervously watching Hao Jian. Hao Jian, covered in blood, was like a Malevolent Ghost who had emerged from the Hell Blood Sea, fearsome and terrifying, seemingly ready to devour someone at any moment. Fortunately, Hao Jian's gaze shifted briefly before returning to normal, and the fierceness within it gradually dissipated. He turned and walked away without even a nod to Gao Jiping. "Sister Ping, just who is this man? He is too terrifying," a junior member quivered. "A man even God fears," Gao Jiping said with a bitter smile, summing up her assessment of Hao Jian. Chapter 285 Ouyang Shaohua! Late at night, Hao Jian was alone in the bar drowning his sorrows with drink after drink, but after downing over a dozen, he still didn't feel the slightest bit drunk.Sometimes having a high tolerance for alcohol is not a good thing. Take Hao Jian for example: he went to the bar to get drunk, yet he couldn't manage it no matter what. "Little Hui, look at that customer. His gaze is so melancholy; he must be a man with a story." "Come on, are you daydreaming again?" "I just can't resist mature men, especially those with a weathered demeanor. Can you say he isn't handsome?" "Handsome he is, but he's already turned down seven or eight women who tried to chat him up tonight. Even if you go, there's no hope. Better to give up early," a female waitress by their side commented, all of them struck by the melancholy aura that Hao Jian exuded. But tonight, Hao Jian was indeed not in the mood; he could not go from killing people in the first half of the night to indulging in pleasure in the second half. Thus, several women who approached him that evening were gently turned away. At that moment, a girl with black-framed glasses burst out from behind the bar. Wearing a waitress's outfit, she appeared somewhat stiff. "Yutong, you're finally here. Little Hui and I were checking out a handsome guy. If you had been any later, you might have missed him," the waitress said to Jiang Yutong with a smile. Indeed, Jiang Yutong worked as a waitress in this bar because her family was not well off; her mother's single income couldn't support the entire family. So aside from school, she also had to take on part-time jobs to help with family expenses. "Handsome guy? Where?" asked Jiang Yutong. "Over there!" The waitress pointed in Hao Jian's direction. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Jiang Yutong followed where she pointed and jumped in shock when she recognized that it was Hao Jian. Afterward, Jiang Yutong's expression turned rather unpleasant as she quickly approached Hao Jian, hands on her hips, and demanded, "Are you following me?" In her mind, Hao Jian must have followed her here; otherwise, how could he possibly have shown up at this place? Hao Jian looked up at Jiang Yutong, also surprised, "Oh, it's you? You work here?" Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire "Stop pretending. You must have investigated this before you came here. I knew you weren't rescuing me out of good intentions. There had to be a motive," Jiang Yutong retorted coldly. Having been bullied since she was young, Jiang Yutong found it difficult to trust others. After Hao Jian had rescued her, her first thought wasn't gratitude but whether this could be another trick or if Hao Jian had any other ulterior motive. It seemed her suspicions were confirmed: he had just rescued her that day and had followed her to her workplace in the evening. Hao Jian was initially startled, then waved his hand in disgust, "Go away, go play on your own." He really wasn't in the mood for jokes tonight. "You." Seeing Hao Jian's impatience, Jiang Yutong grew angry as well. "As a teacher, do you think it's appropriate for you to frequent such places?" Jiang Yutong mocked. "As a student, do you think it's appropriate for you to frequent such places?" Hao Jian countered. "Is it the same? I'm working here to earn money," Jiang Yutong said, annoyed, thinking Hao Jian was just being unreasonable. "Little sister, the teacher is an adult and knows what he should and shouldn't do. Besides, which law says a teacher can't go to a bar? Just go do whatever you need to do. If you worry that the teacher might be harboring improper thoughts about you, you can rest assured, I have no interest in a sprout like you. I like mature women, understand?" Hao Jian chuckled strangely. For some reason, Jiang Yutong didn't feel the slightest relief upon hearing this and instead felt even more infuriated. Calling her a sprout? Were his eyes blind today? Couldn't he see her impressive figure? But since Hao Jian had put it that way, Jiang Yutong found no reason to linger any further. Hao Jian ordered two more glasses of Whiskey, but realized he still couldn't get drunk, and felt annoyed, planning to leave. "You're leaving?" Seeing Hao Jian stand up, Jiang Yutong asked, unable to explain why she felt a sense of reluctance as she saw him about to leave. "Yeah," Hao Jian replied dispassionately, then headed towards the exit. Just as Hao Jian was about to step out the door, a rich young man with a group of bodyguards walked inside. Upon the appearance of this young master, Jiang Yutong's face immediately turned cold. "Little Tong, I knew you were on duty tonight," the young master chuckled. "Ouyang Shaohua, haven't I told you not to bother me anymore?" Jiang Yutong clearly disdained Ouyang Shaohua, directly scolding him. Ouyang Shaohua, who was Su Ran's boyfriend, had incessantly harassed her since the first day Jiang Yutong encountered him at work. Although Jiang Yutong had clearly rejected Ouyang Shaohua, he refused to give up and kept finding ways to get close to her. Now, he had even secretly bought the shift schedule from Jiang Yutong's colleague, knowing exactly when she started and ended her shifts. "Are you angry because of that crazy woman Su Ran? That really has nothing to do with me, I never expected that lunatic to trouble you, I have already broken up with her. Little Tong, believe me, I really like you," Ouyang Shaohua gazed at Jiang Yutong with deep affection. However, Jiang Yutong felt nothing towards that look, "Since you know you've made my life difficult, please keep your distance. If you really need me to repeat myself, then let me tell you again: Ouyang Shaohua, I don't like you, stop bothering me." Upon hearing this, Ouyang Shaohua's expression also became somewhat unnatural, forcing a laugh, "Little Tong, you have some misunderstandings about me. I know many people in the school call me a playboy, but that's just because they are Envious and spread rumors on purpose. You don't understand me, which is why you see me this way. Once you get to know me, you'll discover I actually have many good qualities." "Does sleeping with three women in one night count as a good quality?" However, just then, an abrupt voice came from behind Ouyang Shaohua. "Of course," Ouyang Shaohua replied instinctively, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately realized something was amiss and hurriedly closed his mouth, turning back to glare at Hao Jian, "Who are you?" Jiang Yutong was also somewhat shocked, not expecting Hao Jian to return again. Was it because of her? A warm surge emerged in Jiang Yutong's heart. Had Hao Jian seen her being harassed by Ouyang Shaohua and decided to stand up for her? "You don't need to know who I am, you just need to answer my question, does sleeping with three women in one night count as a good quality?" Hao Jian asked. "Of course not, such a person is too fickle," said Ouyang Shaohua, his expression very awkward, looking quite guilty. "If so, why do you still do it?" Hao Jian asked. Jiang Yutong frowned, and Ouyang Shaohua's expression suddenly showed panic. How did this guy find out? But in front of Jiang Yutong, Ouyang Shaohua naturally couldn't admit it, and he hastily retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting? How could I possibly do such a thing? Who exactly are you?" Hao Jian didn't respond to Ouyang Shaohua; instead, he said, "You have three different women's perfume scents on you, one is Chanel's Green Encounter, one is Dior's Blooming Heart, and the other is CK Women Eternal. I ask you, why would a man have the scent of women's perfumes on him, and moreover, three different kinds at once?" Ouyang Shaohua was dumbstruck, "Does this guy have a dog's nose?" And Jiang Yutong was so shocked that her mouth fell open wide enough to fit an egg. "I don't know what you're talking about, I'm wearing Cologne, not those messy perfumes you mentioned," Ouyang Shaohua vehemently denied, yet somewhat panicked. "Denying it doesn't matter, just take out that bottle of medicine from your pocket," Hao Jian pointed at Ouyang Shaohua's pocket and said. Ouyang Shaohua was utterly shocked. What on earth was going on? How did this guy know everything, even that he had a bottle in his pocket? Seeming to notice Ouyang Shaohua's surprise, Hao Jian smiled and said, "There's nothing to be surprised about, if I can smell the perfumes on you, how could I not smell the scent of the medicine in your pants?" Ouyang Shaohua felt a chill all over his body, scared by Hao Jian. Was this guy even human? And Jiang Yutong was also stunned, but she became increasingly curious about Hao Jian. "If I guess correctly, the thing in your pocket is Aphrodisiac, right? Judging from the smell of the medicine, it must be an Aphrodisiac. Were you planning to take advantage of Jiang Yutong's inattention to feed it to her?" "What?" Upon hearing this, Jiang Yutong's complexion instantly turned grim, glaring angrily at Ouyang Shaohua. "You... you're slandering me, I never had such thoughts!" Ouyang Shaohua immediately retorted, knowing if Jiang Yutong believed he had such intentions, he would never have a chance with her for the rest of his life. "Is that so? If I'm slandering you, then why don't you show us the drug in your pocket to prove your innocence?" Hao Jian sneered. Ouyang Shaohua remained silent, because his pocket indeed contained Aphrodisiac, and once Jiang Yutong saw it, jumping into the Yellow River wouldn't cleanse his reputation. Seeing Ouyang Shaohua hesitating, Jiang Yutong also became furious, scolding, "Ouyang Shaohua, I never thought you could be such a person, failing openly and resorting to these despicable means. Get out! I never want to see you again!" At these words, Ouyang Shaohua's face turned livid, his teeth nearly crushed in anger, fiercely glaring at Hao Jian. If not for Hao Jian's interference, why would he have ended up in such an embarrassing situation? Chapter 286 Exposed! "Wipe out this punk for me!" Ouyang Shaohua bellowed angrily. "Understood!" Ouyang Shaohua's bodyguards cackled madly, surrounding Hao Jian. "Ouyang Shaohua, what are you trying to do?" Jiang Yutong was furious when she saw this. "Jiang Yutong, I like you so much; you really feel nothing for me? If that's the case, then I won't play any emotional games. Tonight, whether you want to or not, you'll have to!" Ouyang Shaohua sneered, he hadn't wanted to rush things, planning to gradually soften Jiang Yutong's heart. But Hao Jian had disrupted his plan. So he dropped his romantic act and decided to forcefully take Jiang Yutong. Once it was a done deal, she would have no choice but to comply. "You're shameless! You're despicable!" Jiang Yutong was infuriated by Ouyang Shaohua's shamelessness and despicability. When his true colors were revealed, he directly planned to act violently, which Jiang Yutong had not expected. "Say whatever you want, but you must be mine." Ouyang Shaohua chuckled sinisterly, "Jiang Yutong, I hear your father is bedridden, isn't he? Follow me, and I'll cover all his medical expenses. I promise to hire the best orthopedic surgeons in the country to treat his legs. Moreover, I know your family isn't well-off, right? If you are with me, you could have designer bags and luxury cars to take you to and from school just like the other girls. Wouldn't that be nice?" "Shut up! Ouyang Shaohua, what do you think I am? Do you think I, Jiang Yutong, am that shallow? I'd rather starve than take your filthy money! I won't take it, and neither will my parents!" Jiang Yutong trembled with anger. She was a very proud person. She knew many college students were mistresses or kept women, but Jiang Yutong would never agree to that, because of her pride. Yet Ouyang Shaohua talked of financially supporting her, which was an insult to Jiang Yutong. Seeing Jiang Yutong's refusal, Ouyang Shaohua chuckled darkly, "Jiang Yutong, think carefully for yourself. The factory where your mother works cooperates with my family's business. With just a word from me, your mother would no longer be able to work there. If she loses her job, who will your family rely on?" "You are so despicable!" Jiang Yutong's whole body shook, she pointed her trembling finger at Ouyang Shaohua, filled with indescribable hatred. She hated Ouyang Shaohua for his bullying and arrogance, and hated herself for her inability to protect herself. "Indeed a scumbag move," Hao Jian smirked and interjected. Ouyang Shaohua, taken aback, then sneered angrily, "Good lad, even at death's door, you're still stubborn. Do you really think I won't touch you? Beat him! Beat him hard!" "Hold on." Hao Jian suddenly yelled out. "What? Want to beg for mercy? Fine, kneel down and kowtow three times, then bark a few times like a dog, and this young master will let you go," Ouyang Shaohua said smugly. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "No, I just want to tell you that my mood really isn't great today, so you'd better leave quickly. Otherwise, when I lose my temper, you all might not even have tears left to cry," Hao Jian advised earnestly. "Fuck, is your brain squeezed by a door? Why are you spouting nonsense? Don't you see how many of us there are?" Ouyang Shaohua seethed with anger. This guy was really audacious, still threatening them at this juncture. "Just because you have more people doesn't mean you'll win," Hao Jian smiled. "Fuck, this guy must be drunk, spouting nonsense. Just because it's not a lot who wins, does that mean fewer people win?" one of Ouyang Shaohua's bodyguards scoffed. "Damn bad luck!" Ouyang Shaohua cursed, infuriated that this drunkard had messed up his plans. "Enough talk, cripple this punk and throw him out," Ouyang Shaohua said indifferently. "Ouyang Shaohua. Stop!" Jiang Yutong roared, Hao Jian had saved her once before, and she would protect him now, no matter what. "Do it!" Ouyang Shaohua shouted harshly, seeing Jiang Yutong so protective of Hao Jian made him feel very unpleasant. Before the bodyguards could act, Hao Jian made his move, executing a roundhouse kick that knocked all the bodyguards down in an instant. "Fuck!" Ouyang Shaohua couldn't help but curse, seeing a ghost, how could this guy fight so well? "Told you numbers don't matter, believe it now?" Hao Jian said to the stunned Ouyang Shaohua. Ouyang Shaohua dumbly nodded. "Then get down on your knees!" Hao Jian barked. Ouyang Shaohua, scared stiff, clumsily knelt down, pleading with a grim face, "Spare my life, hero! You like this girl? Take her, just don't hurt me, please. I have elderly and children at home, and an eighty-year-old mother to care for." "Fuck, you really are a piece of work, spouting such nonsense!" Hao Jian was astonished. Ouyang Shaohua truly had no shame, coming up with clearly false things as if they were true. Hao Jian didn't even know what to say to him. "I'm telling the truth," Ouyang Shaohua shrank his neck a bit, somewhat sheepishly. The crowd in the bar was dumbstruck. "Whether it's true or not, I already warned you I was not in a good mood today and told you not to provoke me. Since you didn't take my words seriously, don't blame me now," Hao Jian chuckled coldly, then gestured at Ouyang Shaohua: "Hand over that bottle of medicine." Ouyang Shaohua hastily handed over the bottle of aphrodisiac to Hao Jian, not knowing what Hao Jian planned to do with it. "I love big bananas, looks like this is a potent concoction," Hao Jian chuckled. Hearing this, Jiang Yutong's face turned so red it seemed it might drip water; her eyes fixed on Ouyang Shaohua like knives. Ouyang Shaohua looked down guiltily, not daring to make eye contact with Jiang Yutong. "All unrelated personnel, leave," Hao Jian commanded the bar's patrons, clearly intending to drive them out. After seeing Hao Jian single-handedly overpower seven or eight bodyguards, none of the patrons dared to defy him and all fled out of the bar. Hao Jian pointed at Ouyang Shaohua and the others and ordered, "Take off your clothes!" "What?" Ouyang Shaohua and the others were stunned. Take off their clothes in public? "Hurry up!" Hao Jian roared. "Oh." Ouyang Shaohua and the others could only comply honestly, and soon they were left in nothing but their underwear. "Take this pill," Hao Jian commanded Ouyang Shaohua and the others. "What?" The faces of Ouyang Shaohua and the others changed dramatically. Were they being asked to take an aphrodisiac? Hao Jian let out a strange cackle and said, "From now on, you do whatever I say. If there's any hesitation, I'll break your limbs directly." Ouyang Shaohua and the others felt like crying. This man was a madman, a demon! "Eat it!" Hao Jian glared menacingly, his appearance terrifying, and Ouyang Shaohua hastily swallowed a pill of the aphrodisiac. Seeing that Ouyang Shaohua and the others had obediently taken the aphrodisiac, Hao Jian nodded in satisfaction and said to them, "Follow me." They were led by Hao Jian into a private room, where he locked Ouyang Shaohua and the others inside and locked the door of the room. "What are you planning to do?" Jiang Yutong asked curiously, wanting to know why Hao Jian had locked Ouyang Shaohua and the others in there and made them strip to their underwear. "Wait for them to get aroused," Hao Jian said. "What?" Jiang Yutong's cheeks flushed. Was Hao Jian's wording too vulgar? "Do you know about male dogs? Once they get horny, they don't discriminate between sexes; they'd mount anyone. They are pretty much like male dogs now," Hao Jian observed the reactions of Ouyang Shaohua and the others through the glass. "This is inhumane, and also disgustingly vile," Jiang Yutong felt nauseous. She finally realized what Hao Jian was up to. Just thinking about a group of men doing that sort of thing made Jiang Yutong's skin crawl. "I told you, I'm in a very, very bad mood today. They came at the wrong time and it's just their bad luck," Hao Jian sneered. "Why are you in such a bad mood? Is it because of your girlfriend?" Jiang Yutong asked curiously. Hao Jian glanced at Jiang Yutong sideways and said, "Can you stop the pointless chatter? I don't know you at all, and I don't want to chat with you. So now, you can either watch with me or get lost." After saying that, Hao Jian no longer looked at Jiang Yutong. "Humph!" Jiang Yutong pouted annoyedly and was originally determined to leave with dignity. However, she couldn't suppress her curiosity, as she had never witnessed such activities between men before. So she eventually stayed and observed the reactions of Ouyang Shaohua and the others with Hao Jian. About five minutes later, the atmosphere inside the private room became eerily weird, with Ouyang Shaohua and the others all flushed, breathing rapidly, their eyes gleaming crimson. One of the bodyguards even looked at Ouyang Shaohua with longing eyes and grabbed Ouyang Shaohua's hand while shyly laughing. "Get the hell away from me!" Ouyang Shaohua bellowed like thunder, furious and disgusted, cursing the perverse madness for even attempting to touch him. At this point, his situation wasn't much better; he, too, was gradually becoming delirious, hanging on to the last thread of his sanity. "Hmm." The bodyguard whom Ouyang Shaohua had scolded pouted pitifully, giving off a deeply charming vibe. "Pfft." Jiang Yutong couldn't help but laugh out loud seeing the bodyguard's charming demeanor. Hao Jian cast a disdainful glance at Jiang Yutong and scoffed, "Fujoshi!" "..." "Young master, I want it," the bodyguard pressed on, reaching out to caress Ouyang Shaohua's body. "To hell with that!" Ouyang Shaohua kicked the bodyguard hard, sending him flying while shouting, "Go ask your mom for it, get lost! Touch me again, and I'll kill you!" Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire Chapter 287 Homeless! "Do you have to be so fierce? Don't you want it?" the bodyguard said, pointing at Ouyang Shaohua. Ouyang Shaohua was on the verge of tears. "Bang!" He threw himself at the door, crying a river, "Let me out, I don't want to be with these perverts, I'm straight, I don't want to be bent!" "What's wrong with a change of taste once in a while? Try something completely new, you might totally fall for it after one try," Hao Jian chuckled. "I won't try, I won't try, I only like women, I don't want to like men," Ouyang Shaohua wailed miserably, snotty and teary. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If touched by these men, he feared he would be scarred for life. "Young master, come on," but before Ouyang Shaohua could finish, the bodyguards swarmed him and dragged him back. "Help me!" Ouyang Shaohua screamed in agony. The corners of Hao Jian's mouth revealed a devilish grin, and only then did he leave the doorway of the private room, satisfied. "You're just leaving like that? What about them?" Jiang Yutong asked Hao Jian. "Them? Up to you. You could call the police, but before you do, wait until they're done. With that thing so fierce, someone could die if they don't get it out of their system," Hao Jian said. "Is it that serious?" Jiang Yutong was startled. "Yes, so wait an hour or so before calling the police," Hao Jian said, actually not wanting such an interesting event to end so quickly, wanting Ouyang Shaohua to thoroughly enjoy it. As a result, the next day Ouyang Shaohua's story hit the news, "Seven homosexuals gather in a bar's private room for a meeting, the scene was a mess and disgusting." From that day on, Ouyang Shaohua became famous. ... "Hao Jian, what are you doing here? In the dead of night?" Che Xiaoxiao heard someone ring the doorbell at her house, and when she opened the door, she was surprised to find Hao Jian. Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire Immediately, Che Xiaoxiao wrinkled her nose, somewhat disdainfully, "How much have you been drinking, reeking of alcohol like that?" "Is your mom home?" Hao Jian asked Che Xiaoxiao. "She is, what's up?" Che Xiaoxiao asked curiously, but just as she answered, she immediately realized something. This guy was probably asking because he didn't want her mom to be there. What was he trying to do? "Why can't I be here?" At that moment, Guo Shuxian walked out with a relaxed appearance, glaring at Hao Jian with an unfriendly look. "What are you doing running here in the middle of the night instead of staying quietly at your own home?" Hao Jian coughed awkwardly, "Well, I'm currently homeless, so I thought I'd ask to stay with you for one night." "Homeless? Aren't you living with your fianc¨¦e?" Che Xiaoxiao exclaimed in shock. "Broke up," Hao Jian said grimly. "What?" Che Xiaoxiao was dizzied by the bombshell and couldn't help but blurt out, "Well, that's just great." "What?" Hao Jian looked at Che Xiaoxiao blankly. "Oh, no, I mean, that's too bad," Che Xiaoxiao quickly corrected herself. "How did you break up? Was it because you were flirting around and she felt insecure?" Guo Shuxian teased. "Mind your own business," Hao Jian retorted irritably. "Hey, you come to my house asking for shelter and you dare to be so arrogant?" Guo Shuxian laughed at being pissed off by Hao Jian. "Then don't lend it," Hao Jian replied with pride, turning around and walking away. Guo Shuxian was stunned, not expecting him to have such a petty side today, so unable to take a joke. She quickly said, "Hey, hey, I didn't say you couldn't stay, you have to be so petty?" Hao Jian turned back and walked straight into the house as if it were his own. "Quite the temper," Guo Shuxian said with a smirk. "Tonight I'll sleep in your room, you two can share a room," Hao Jian told Che Xiaoxiao and then headed straight for Che Xiaoxiao's room. "Is this what they call a guest taking over the host's duty?" Che Xiaoxiao asked Guo Shuxian. Guo Shuxian looked at Che Xiaoxiao with disdain, "You tell me, of all the friends you could make, why pick one like this?" "The one who agreed to let him stay wasn't me," Che Xiaoxiao pouted, complaining. Guo Shuxian was clearly being two-faced. She actually held a torch for Hao Jian, which was why she no longer opposed Che Xiaoxiao hanging out with him. Now she had turned against her own daughter, utterly lacking in convincingness. "Forget it, let's just share a bed tonight, honey. You don't have any strange habits like grinding your teeth or kicking the covers at night, do you?" "Of course not." "That's good, or else I would have to kick you out of the bed." "I must not be your real child." The next day, Che Xiaoxiao and Guo Shuxian were both awakened by a burst of noisy laughter. When they came out of their rooms, they saw Hao Jian sprawled on the sofa, holding food while watching TV and letting out loud bursts of laughter from time to time. Guo Shuxian couldn't hold her anger and grabbed a slipper only to throw it at Hao Jian's face. "I'm finally on a day off, can't you keep it down?" Hao Jian caught the slipper and said with a faint smile, "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise, haven't you heard?" "Let it go, we're all up now, so let's not make a fuss." Che Xiaoxiao yawned and walked downstairs, "I might as well put on a face mask too. Skin absorbs better in the morning." Che Xiaoxiao opened the fridge only to find that her homemade fruit facial mask was not there. Astonished, she asked Hao Jian, "Hao Jian, have you seen my face mask?" "Face mask? No." Hao Jian shook his head. "How can it not be there? It's the one that looks like a black lump in a bowl, made of cucumber, watermelon, and stuff. I clearly remember putting it in the fridge last night to chill so I could use it this morning. How could it have disappeared out of the blue?" Che Xiaoxiao said, her memory clear about storing it. Immediately, Che Xiaoxiao glared at Guo Shuxian, "Mom, did you steal my face mask?" "What a joke. I wouldn't use your homemade stuff. Who knows if it's poisonous or not?" Guo Shuxian also slowly descended the stairs. "It's just a mask, isn't it? Can't you just make another one? Really now?" Hao Jian said indistinctly while eating. "Hao Jian, what are you eating?" Suddenly, Che Xiaoxiao noticed something amiss and looked at Hao Jian in astonishment, who still held a bowl in his arms. "I don't know; it just tasted good, so I ate it." Hao Jian replied casually, but as soon as he finished, he looked down at the dark lump in his arms and then at Che Xiaoxiao's jaw practically hitting the floor, a bad feeling swept over him. "Er." Hao Jian opened his mouth, and the unknown substance inside fell to the floor with a plop. At the breakfast table, the three of them bowed their heads and ate in silence. "I heard you're going abroad soon, what for?" Guo Shuxian couldn't help but ask. "Going to be a bodyguard for someone," Hao Jian answered. "A bodyguard? Are you really that short on money?" Guo Shuxian asked curiously. "It's not about money. The client is my friend's niece. He doesn't trust anyone else, so he asked me to help out," Hao Jian explained. "Will it be dangerous?" Guo Shuxian inquired, knowing well the inherent dangers of being a bodyguard. "As a bodyguard, how could there not be danger? But it's okay, I can handle it," Hao Jian said cheerfully. "What about your fianc¨¦e?" Che Xiaoxiao couldn't help asking. Hao Jian's hand paused while picking up the vegetables, and the atmosphere suddenly became a bit awkward. Guo Shuxian glared harshly at Che Xiaoxiao, blaming her for bringing it up at such a moment. Hao Jian had just had a breakup, and now she was asking about his ex, how was he supposed to respond? "I don't know, but I suppose we'll never see each other again," Hao Jian said with a slight smile. His relationship with Shu Ya had ended completely, and mending their relationship didn't seem possible anymore. "It's not a big deal; it's just a woman. You're so outstanding; you'll definitely find a better one in the future. How about I introduce a few to you? What's your type? One with a good figure? Innocent? Sexy?" Che Xiaoxiao seemed excited because now that Hao Jian broke up with what's-her-name fianc¨¦e, she had her chance. "Let's wait until I get back," Hao Jian said with a wry smile. "Alright," Che Xiaoxiao didn't insist further. Just at that moment, the doorbell suddenly rang at Che Xiaoxiao's house. She went to open the door, only to see Liang Jiankun standing at her doorstep. Her expression changed immediately and she said ungraciously, "What are you doing here?" "Don't be nervous, I'm not here for you, but for Hao Jian," Liang Jiankun said with a smile. Clearly, he had already planned to take action against Hao Jian. "Hao Jian? How did you know he was here?" Che Xiaoxiao became instantly anxious, aware of the grudge between Liang Jiankun and Hao Jian, which, to some extent, was because of her. Seeing Liang Jiankun bringing so many people to find Hao Jian, she became somewhat uneasy. "Xiaoxiao, who's here?" Guo Shuxian followed suit and came to the door, only to be startled by the sight in front of her. In front of her house, three or four military trucks were parked, filled with armed soldiers, and Liang Jiankun with several senior officers stood at the door, appearing to be ready for a big operation. Guo Shuxian was dumbfounded, unable to comprehend why Liang Jiankun would bring so many people. The setup was similar to preparing for a battle. "Mayor Guo, I believe Hao Jian should be inside, right?" Liang Jiankun asked mockingly. "He is inside. What do you want with him?" Guo Shuxian frowned, interpreting from Liang Jiankun's tone that he was probably there to cause trouble for Hao Jian. "He is suspected of a murder case, having killed eight innocent people. We're here to apprehend him!" Yu Zhixun declared coldly, as Liang Jiankun's loyal supporter, naturally appearing on such occasions. Chapter 288 You Lost! And he absolutely despised Hao Jian; he wanted to see Hao Jian arrested with his own eyes. "Impossible, Hao Jian could never do such a thing!" Che Xiaoxiao immediately denied. Hao Jian could never kill innocent people; if he really did, it must be for some necessary reason. "This is not for you to decide. We need to take him back for an investigation, and we hope you can cooperate," Liang Jiankun said with an unchanged smile, speaking warmly. "Even if you're coming to arrest him, it should be the CID. Why is it the military?" Guo Shuxian questioned. "Liang Jiankun, although your family has great influence, misusing your power like this is still something I can report." Liang Jiankun scoffed and pulled out an arrest warrant from his hand. "This is an arrest warrant from the Military Department because the criminal this time is not like ordinary criminals. Ordinary police officers are not enough, so we had to deploy the military to enforce the law," he explained. Che Xiaoxiao and Guo Shuxian exchanged glances, both seeing shock in each other's eyes. What kind of background did Hao Jian have that made Liang Jiankun go to such lengths? "Mayor Guo, I advise you not to get in the way; harboring a criminal is not a good reputation to have, and I don't think you'd want to be unjustly maligned," Liang Jiankun chuckled. "Are you threatening me?" Guo Shuxian frowned, her expression turning unfriendly. "Just a reminder, after all, we are all intelligent people. Let me tell you, it's not just me who wants Hao Jian dead. Kong Xiaozhen, the He Family Clan, everyone now wants him dead, and this time is different. This time, we are the ones making the move, and we definitely will not let Hao Jian survive!" Liang Jiankun stated confidently, knowing they were not failures like Zheng Fei. Guo Shuxian's expression turned ugly because she knew Liang Jiankun indeed had the power to shake her own. Guo Shuxian had not expected Hao Jian to have made so many powerful enemies; she initially thought that Hao Jian only had a conflict with He Rongsheng, but it turned out he had also offended Liang Jiankun and even Kong Xiaozhen. Guo Shuxian was hesitant now about whether to hand over Hao Jian. If she did, he would probably be finished off by both Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen. Just then, Hao Jian patted Guo Shuxian's shoulder, stepped forward from behind, and smiled, "I'll handle this matter myself." "Can you really handle it?" Guo Shuxian asked, half in doubt. "Don't worry, I have it all figured out," Hao Jian smiled, then looked up at Liang Jiankun and said, "I'll go with you." "You are much stronger than many people," Liang Jiankun smiled approvingly. If it were someone else, seeing such a forceful presence would have scared them senseless, but Hao Jian acted as if nothing was wrong. In his view, Hao Jian's behavior was nothing short of heroic sacrifice. "I know," Hao Jian nodded unapologetically, not embarrassed in the slightest. "Still defiant even when death is imminent," Yu Zhixun scoffed. "Someone like you would probably not dare to talk back with death approaching," Hao Jian retorted teasingly. "You," Yu Zhixun thundered, commanding his subordinates, "Cuff him!" Two soldiers moved toward Hao Jian to handcuff him, but before they could, Hao Jian knocked out both soldiers with one kick and one punch. Liang Jiankun and the others were shocked, and Yu Zhixun roared furiously, "Hao Jian, you dare resist arrest?" Liang Jiankun did not speak. He rather hoped Hao Jian would resist; this way, it would be an open defiance against the state, and even if he did not deal with Hao Jian themselves, someone else would kill him. "I am not resisting arrest, but I don't like handcuffs, so don't put those things on me," Hao Jian said lightly. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Who do you think you are? You are a criminal suspect now; you don't have the right to make demands!" Yu Zhixun shouted angrily, infuriated by such defiance at this time. "I am three steps away from you. At this distance, it would take less than a minute to kill all of you. I am cooperating with your investigation not because I am afraid of you but because I am giving face to this country I love. But if you don't give me that respect, I will make you regret it!" Hao Jian scoffed. Just by agreeing to go with Liang Jiankun, he had already shown tremendous respect to the Huaxia Government. Faced with such a threat from Hao Jian, Yu Zhixun dared not say another word, believing Hao Jian truly had the capability. If provoked, he feared they would all be in danger. "See, this is the difference between you and me. Even now, I am not afraid of you, yet you are still frightened of me," Hao Jian taunted. "That's why you're dying and not me. Arrogant people never end well," Yu Zhixun countered coldly, admitting that he did not have the courage of Hao Jian, but it was also for this very reason that he had survived. "That's why you'll always be just a dog," Hao Jian snorted disparagingly. Some people would rather die standing than live kneeling, like him, like Liang Jiankun, which is why they could be leaders, clearly something Yu Zhixun was not. Yu Zhixun's face was as dark as thunder, unable to think of a rebuttal against Hao Jian, his face full of hatred. "Let's not bother with the handcuffs then," Liang Jiankun finally said. "Yes," Yu Zhixun nodded. Since this was what Liang Jiankun wanted, he naturally didn't dare to defy him. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire "You see? This is why Liang Jiankun is the master and you're just a dog. He doesn't care whether I'm handcuffed or not because in his eyes, I'm already a dead man. What's the use of caring about a dead man? But you're different. You wanted to humiliate me before I die, which just shows how petty you are." But it seemed as though Hao Jian had become addicted to humiliating Yu Zhixun, as he continued to insult him relentlessly. Yu Zhixun's colleagues, hearing what Hao Jian said, thought there was some truth in it. "Are you trying to please me indirectly?" Liang Jiankun asked with a smile, astonished that Hao Jian was actually praising him. Was this guy scared? "You're thinking too much. Although what I said is true, you're still an SB in my eyes," Hao Jian bluntly replied. Liang Jiankun didn't get angry but laughed, "That's good to hear. Now I can rest assured, and I won't be soft-hearted when I kill you." "We'll talk after you manage to do it," Hao Jian laughed heartily and walked directly towards the outside, he didn't get into the prison van but instead entered the red flag sedan that Liang Jiankun had arrived in. "Get the hell out of here!" Yu Zhixun was so furious he was about to explode. That bastard was too shameless, actually thinking of riding in the same car as them. "Forget it," Liang Jiankun waved his hand dismissively. Once Liang Jiankun was in the car, sitting across from Hao Jian, just as Yu Zhixun was about to join them, Hao Jian suddenly spoke up, "You're not allowed up here. Get lost!" "Who the hell do you think you are to be ordering me around!" Yu Zhixun exploded with rage. Hao Jian kept insulting him over and over again, igniting his fury. "If you dare come up here, I'll break your damn legs!" Hao Jian scoffed coldly. He wasn't joking; he really dared to do it. Yu Zhixun's face turned dark immediately. This was too much, way too humiliating. He even regretted why he had come here with Liang Jiankun today. Wasn't this just deliberately giving Hao Jian a chance to trample on his dignity? "Better take a different car," Liang Jiankun told Yu Zhixun, his expression a mix of laughter and tears. This wasn't like catching a criminal at all; it was more like catering to a lord. Yu Zhixun could only leave filled with humiliation. Upon arriving at the military base, Hao Jian had just gotten out of the car when he saw Kong Xiaozhen and a group of people waiting for him. Seeing Hao Jian step down, Kong Xiaozhen's smile became somewhat sarcastic. "I thought we'd be fighting for a long time, but it seems I thought too much." These words were heavily derogatory, as Kong Xiaozhen was mocking Hao Jian for not being strong enough, and therefore unable to keep up the fight. "Don't worry, I won't disappoint you," Hao Jian said meaningfully, then looking around at the surroundings, "It's been quite a while since I've been inside a military base. I really missed it." "You won't be nostalgic much longer because this is going to be your burial ground," Kong Xiaozhen snickered coldly. "Ah, you people are really troublesome, always speaking for yourselves, which I find very contemptible," Hao Jian said lightly, smiling. "A damn dying man still acting tough? I don't fucking believe you can still walk out of here!" Yu Zhixun roared furiously. "What if I really do walk out of here, what would you do then?" Hao Jian retorted with a cold laugh. "If you actually walk out from here, I'll fucking kneel and lick your boots!" Yu Zhixun laughed loudly. Just as Yu Zhixun's words fell, Kong Xiaozhen's phone rang. He answered it with a dubious expression, "Grandpa, what's the matter?" "Come back, you've already lost," came an authoritative old voice from the other end. Kong Xiaozhen's pupils suddenly contracted, as if he had received a massive shock, solely because his grandfather's words were too startling. Lost? Had he already lost? When? "Grandpa, what do you mean? I don't understand," Kong Xiaozhen pressed urgently. Normally, he would never question like this, but in facing Hao Jian, he had lost all rationality and desperately wanted to know how he had lost. "From the moment you went after him, you had already lost. The Provincial Department has personally ordered his release. This guy has someone powerful behind him; he's not as simple as you thought," the old man said, then just hung up, leaving Kong Xiaozhen staring dumbfounded at his phone. The Provincial Department intervened? This guy actually has connections there? Why couldn't he find out anything when he investigated him initially? Meanwhile, Liang Jiankun also ended his call, having obviously received the same news, making his face very cold as well. Seeing the expressions of the two young masters, everyone had an ominous premonition. Chapter 289 I Want Everything! "Ouch, looks like I can leave now, huh?" Hao Jian asked knowingly, appearing very smug and arrogant. "Young Master," Yu Zhixun stared at Liang Jiankun desperately. If what Hao Jian said was true, wouldn't he really have to grovel? "Let him go!" Liang Jiankun ordered with a grim expression. Yu Zhixun was instantly petrified and said, "Why on earth is this happening? We finally caught him, how can we let him go so easily?" "This is an order from the provincial leaders, none of us can defy it," Liang Jiankun said. When even the top provincial authorities had spoken, if they touched Hao Jian again, it would be a death wish. With that, Yu Zhixun had nothing to say. "All done with the commotion? Now it's my turn," Hao Jian chuckled, ready to stir trouble. He was not the type to let people bully him. Since they had come looking for trouble, they had to pay a price! "You, didn't you just say you'd grovel? Come here!" Hao Jian pointed at Yu Zhixun and asked. "Kiss your mom!" Yu Zhixun shouted furiously. How could he possibly do something so humiliating? He just said that offhandedly; he never intended to really do it. "Thinking of going back on your word? Is that possible?" Hao Jian strode toward Yu Zhixun and then clamped down on Yu Zhixun's shoulder with an eagle claw grip. "What, what are you doing? This is the military!" Yu Zhixun's voice trembled. This guy, he wouldn't really be planning to beat him up on his own turf, would he? That was just too disrespectful. "I know this is the military, but do you dare to touch me now?" Hao Jian smirked triumphantly. As soon as he said this, both Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen's faces grew even uglier. With that authority figure having spoken, they dared not touch Hao Jian. Now they could only watch as Hao Jian slapped them in the face repeatedly, unable to do anything about it. "Young Master, save me," Yu Zhixun looked pitifully at Liang Jiankun. But Liang Jiankun just turned away with an ugly expression. He couldn't even save himself, how could he save Yu Zhixun? Seeing Liang Jiankun's reaction, Yu Zhixun's heart chilled. "Looks like your master has abandoned you, huh? But that's normal, who asked you to be just a dog?" Hao Jian sneered. But as much as his words insulted Yu Zhixun, they also mocked Liang Jiankun's impotence in not being able to defend even his own subordinates. At that moment, every pore in Liang Jiankun's body seemed to expand. This was the second time he had been utterly humiliated by Hao Jian, and this time was even more brutal than the last. Last time, he at least dared to talk tough. But this time, he didn't even dare to speak. Watching his own 'dog' getting beaten while being powerless to intervene, one could imagine how frustrated Liang Jiankun felt inside. "Now, grovel!" Hao Jian pushed Yu Zhixun downward and commanded. "Hao Jian, are you really going to do this? I am your brother's uncle," Yu Zhixun began to play the emotional card. But Hao Jian, not in the mood to entertain him, sneered, "When you wanted to kill me just now, why didn't you remember I'm your nephew's brother? Enough talk, hurry up and go home after you're done!" "I won't grovel!" Yu Zhixun roared. He was a soldier. If he groveled to Hao Jian, how could he face his peers in the future? "Not going to grovel? You really think I won't hit you?" Hao Jian picked up a large stone from the ground, weighed it, and asked Yu Zhixun, "Ever seen a stone this big used as a hot pot?" Yu Zhixun's expression stiffened. This guy, planning to hit him with that stone? That would be murder! "Whoosh!" Hao Jian threw the stone, but not at Yu Zhixun. Instead, it hit Liang Jiankun, who had not expected Hao Jian would strike him. The stone crashed into his head, bleeding profusely. Liang Jiankun collapsed head-first into a bush, dazed. The impact of such a large stone had caused him a mild concussion. "Young Master." The officials hurried over to help Liang Jiankun, but he pushed them away fiercely, glaring at Hao Jian with a look that could kill. Yet Hao Jian remained indifferent, pointing at Liang Jiankun and instructing Yu Zhixun, "See, I dare to hit your master, you think I wouldn't dare to hit you?" Yu Zhixun, in tears, knelt down and miserably licked Hao Jian's shoes. He had no choice; if he didn't, he'd end up like Liang Jiankun. Hao Jian was very likely to beat him before forcing him to grovel anyway. Rather than being beaten first, he might as well just do as Hao Jian demanded. "What a good dog, okay, now scram," Hao Jian kicked Yu Zhixun away, just like kicking a dead dog. Having vented his resentment toward Yu Zhixun, it was now Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen's turn. Hao Jian walked up to Kong Xiaozhen with a smile, "I did say I wouldn't disappoint you, didn't I? Do you believe me now?" "I admit I underestimated you!" Kong Xiaozhen gritted his teeth as he glared at Hao Jian, though his heart felt bitter. "Since that's the case, you'd better be careful next time." Hao Jian nodded earnestly. Just when everyone thought he had more to say, he suddenly struck, slapping Kong Xiaozhen hard across the face. The blow sent Kong Xiaozhen staggering sideways, almost plunging face-first into the mud. "Young Master!" Kong Xiaozhen's men hurriedly came up to help him, but Kong Xiaozhen waved them off signifying them to stop. Meanwhile, he looked at Hao Jian with a smirk, "Are you satisfied now?" He knew Hao Jian needed to vent. Had he been humiliated like that, he would have lashed out too. Now unable to defy Hao Jian, he could only let him do as he wished. After all, Hao Jian wouldn't dare kill him; anything else he could tolerate. "Satisfied? Do I look like someone who's easily satisfied?" Hao Jian sneered, mounted Kong Xiaozhen, and started slapping him repeatedly. As he hit, he shouted, "I'll show you for being cheap! I'll show you for bullying me! Satisfied, huh? Are you satisfied now?" Everyone was stunned; Hao Jian wasn't just beating Kong Xiaozhen, but the face of the entire Kong Family! In their eyes, Kong Xiaozhen had always been untouchable. When did he ever fall so low? It was like a street brawl with gangsters. "Enough!" Kong Xiaozhen roared in fury as Hao Jian beat him. Although he was prepared to be manipulated by Hao Jian, this was too much. He thought Hao Jian might leave him crippled, but the continual slapping and this level of humiliation was too excessive. "Enough? You think it's enough because you say so? I say it's not! Still talking back? You really are asking for it!" Hao Jian scolded sharply and then started hitting him again. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Only when Kong Xiaozhen's handsome face had swollen up like a pig's head, bruised in blues and purples, did Hao Jian finally stop. Getting off of him, he snorted, "I hate men who look better than me the most." Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire Kong Xiaozhen flipped Hao Jian the middle finger, but couldn't utter a single word. Meanwhile, having dealt with Kong Xiaozhen, Hao Jian naturally turned his target to Liang Jiankun. When Liang Jiankun saw Hao Jian's menacing gaze, he panicked instantly, "What do you want? You've already hit me once!" His head was already bleeding. Wasn't that enough? "Your head might be bleeding, but you're still in better shape than Kong Xiaozhen. Look, I've beaten him to a pulp. If I don't do the same to you, wouldn't that be unfair?" Hao Jian said with a meaningful and malicious smile. "Of course, if you're willing to kneel and lick my shoes, I might let you go," Hao Jian added. To his surprise, Liang Jiankun burst out laughing, "Kneel and lick? You think I'm Yu Zhixun? Even if you kill me, I would never do such a disgraceful thing!" Liang Jiankun couldn't kneel; he represented not just himself but the entire Liang Family! As the heir apparent of the Liang Family, if he knelt, it would mean the whole Liang Family knelt, implicating the family's honor. He could never do that. Hearing this, Yu Zhixun's face turned red. Damn, he couldn't live like this anymore. It was bad enough that Hao Jian insulted him, but now even his master was joining in. "Go ahead!" Liang Jiankun closed his eyes, resigning himself to Hao Jian's mercy. This time, he had lost, and he was willing to pay the price for his defeat. But just when Liang Jiankun thought Hao Jian would slap him, Hao Jian kicked him over instead and started stomping on his face. Everyone clearly saw Liang Jiankun's face contorting under Hao Jian's foot, flattening and swelling with each stomp. "Why aren't you using your hand?" Liang Jiankun exploded in anger. Hao Jian had used his hand on Kong Xiaozhen, but for him, it was a brutal stomping. Was this fair? "Because what I hate the most isn't pretty boys, but poseurs!" Hao Jian explained, viewing Liang Jiankun as someone who liked to put on airs. "..." Liang Jiankun was left speechless. "Done asking? Once you are, I'll continue," Hao Jian said. "Wait." Liang Jiankun called out, looking awkwardly at Hao Jian, "Can you not hit the face?" Everyone looked on as if they had seen a ghost; they had no idea Liang Jiankun was so vain about his face. "No." Hao Jian cruelly refused Liang Jiankun's request and continued to stomp wildly on his face. Both Young Masters were ruthlessly humiliated by Hao Jian, stomped on severely until they became numb and insensible. Hao Jian slowly backed up a few steps, his smile gradually fading as he spoke in a low voice, "The Liang Family wants to control Hua City's politics, the Kong Family wants to take over Hua City's military, and the He Family aims to monopolize Hua City's business." Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen simultaneously furrowed their brows. Hao Jian clearly knew their intentions. But how? "But let me tell you this, as long as I, Hao Jian, am alive, you can never achieve your ambitions. The Liang Family wants politics, the Kong Family wants the military, the He Family wants business, and I... Heh. I want it all!" Hao Jian declared boldly, his aura soaring. At that moment, a heavy silence fell over the members of the three families. Even Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen felt the weight. If Hao Jian had said this before, they would have simply laughed it off. But after witnessing his capabilities today, they could no longer underestimate him. Chapter 290 Who Dares to Doubt My Ability! Hao Jian walked out of the military base on foot, and as soon as he stepped out of the entrance, he saw a familiar vehicle waiting for him. Heading towards Xu Donghe with a brisk stride, Hao Jian laughed and said, "It seems like your handiwork." "I've recently been planning to do some charity work domestically, preparing to build a high-speed road for the country. When I found out you were in trouble, I went to the bigwigs at the Provincial Department and threatened them that if they didn't get you out, the construction plan would be indefinitely shelved. Naturally, for the sake of a high-speed road, they chose to sell out Liang Jiankun and his ilk," Xu Donghe said with a smile. "Money really does make the world go 'round," Hao Jian chuckled. "It all depends on how you use it. Get in the car, I'll drive you home," Xu Donghe said. Xu Donghe had originally planned to take Hao Jian back to Guo Shuxian and Che Xiaoxiao, but Hao Jian requested to stay at a hotel and told Xu Donghe to have his niece come find him there when she was ready to leave. That night, Hao Jian called Guo Shuxian and Che Xiaoxiao to reassure them of his safety, but he didn't reveal his location to them. Because Hao Jian had also come to realize that even if he returned to a normal life, his list of enemies was growing. Continuing to interact with Guo Shuxian and the others could end up dragging them down with him in the future. It was time for Hao Jian to distance himself from them, he thought. In the early morning, Hao Jian was woken up by a series of urgent knocks on the door. Annoyed, he opened the door, only to be greeted by a strikingly beautiful woman standing at his doorstep. The woman was dressed casually, with camouflage pants and a beige shirt, her hair tied in a ponytail, arms crossed while she gazed at Hao Jian. She exuded a graceful and mature air, giving off a vibe of a caring older sister. Hao Jian was taken aback and couldn't help but whistle flippantly, "Hey, beauty, are you lost? Want to come in and have a seat?" Seeing Hao Jian's frivolity, the woman immediately frowned displeasedly, "Are you Hao Jian?" "And you are... Elder Xu's niece, Cheng Weiwei?" Hao Jian looked Cheng Weiwei up and down, thinking she was quite a looker. "My grandfather said you were some kind of expert, but as far as I can see, you're nothing special," Cheng Weiwei walked in, making herself at home with a somewhat imperious air. This was probably related to her being spoiled in the past, hence she often acted without considering others' feelings. As Cheng Weiwei entered, a dozen or so others followed her in, clearly part of her team. The team members were both male and female, but they all shared one common characteristic: they were all very young. Because they were young, were they na?ve? Hao Jian touched his nose, pondering this to himself. Cheng Weiwei's teammates were all sizing up Hao Jian, one particularly handsome young guy with doubt in his voice said, "Weiwei, this is the bodyguard your grandfather arranged for you? Can this scrawny guy really protect you?" From his perspective, Hao Jian didn't look like a bodyguard at all, but more like a teacher. Cheng Weiwei herself felt humiliated and thus chose to remain silent. "What's your name?" the young man asked Hao Jian arrogantly. "Hao Jian," Hao Jian replied with a forced smile, not particularly fond of this pretty boy. "I'm Chu Zhixin. Here's 200,000 yuan. Take it and don't follow us. With your stature, you'd be of no help to us, just a burden," Chu Zhixin handed Hao Jian a check. Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire Chu Zhixin was obviously the son of a wealthy family, hence his lavish gesture. Hao Jian glanced indifferently at the check in Chu Zhixin's hand and smiled faintly, "I was entrusted by someone, and I will not accept even a dime." "Not a dime? I bet you think it's too little," Chu Zhixin snorted, then added another zero to the check, sneering, "Take another look at the number. I believe you'll be satisfied." "I think I made myself quite clear just now. Unless you're deaf, you should understand what I'm saying," Hao Jian ridiculed. "You..." Chu Zhixin was starting to get irritated. "Enough, don't waste your effort. My grandfather has already said, if I want to go abroad, I have to bring him along. If I don't, I can't leave the country," Cheng Weiwei said indifferently, then approached Hao Jian, "Since my grandfather thinks so highly of you, I suppose you must have some exceptional skills, right?" "With him being skin and bones, what exceptional skills could he possibly have? Kid, let me show you what a real bodyguard is like!" Chu Zhixin laughed conceitedly, then clapped his hands. Suddenly, the sound of uniform footsteps came from outside, and a group of burly men in military attire appeared before everyone, about a dozen in total, each towering over one meter ninety, with the tallest exceeding two meters, all of them robust and all foreigners. "Young Master!" The imposing men all bowed to Chu Zhixin, looking orderly and disciplined. "These mercenaries are arranged by my dad. Any one of them is infinitely better than that worthless man your grandfather picked for you," Chu Zhixin said disparagingly to Hao Jian. Everyone nodded in agreement; indeed, any of Chu Zhixin's bodyguards seemed much more reassuring than Hao Jian. With their protection, they felt less frightened about heading to Atama. Cheng Weiwei was also embarrassed, unable to understand why her grandfather would arrange such a ridiculous bodyguard for her. What use could he be? "They look intimidating enough, but pity, they're all just good-for-nothing boozehounds," Hao Jian, picking his ear, spoke contemptuously. Many of Chu Zhixin's bodyguards were foreigners, but some of them understood Chinese. Hearing Hao Jian's description of them, they glared at him angrily. Hearing Hao Jian's rude insults towards those mercenaries, the team members were stunned too. Was this Hao Jian courting death? At this moment, Cheng Weiwei looked at Hao Jian curiously. Since Hao Jian dared to talk big, could it be that he really had some skills? "A bunch of useless drunks?" Chu Zhixin chuckled disparagingly, "Any one of them could beat you so badly, you wouldn't even recognize your mother!" "Oh, really? Let's give it a try then," Hao Jian continued to provoke. "Weiwei, what do you say?" Chu Zhixin looked towards Cheng Weiwei. There's a saying, to beat a dog one must watch his master. Hao Jian was Cheng Weiwei's bodyguard, so naturally, he had to ask Cheng Weiwei before making a move on Hao Jian. Cheng Weiwei didn't even glance at Hao Jian; she turned her head and said, "His affairs have nothing to do with me." "Well, well, since you're seeking your own death, don't blame me," Chu Zhixin said with an angry laugh, turning to a blond giant beside him, "Jason, teach that kid a lesson." This Jason was over two meters tall, with a burly stature. In front of him, Hao Jian looked like a half-grown child. Jason looked down at Hao Jian with a menacing smile, clearly not taking him seriously. Suddenly, Jason raised his fist and slammed it viciously towards Hao Jian's face. "Smack." With a casual slap, Hao Jian blocked Jason's fist, and held it firmly in his own hand. Jason was dumbfounded, Chu Zhixin was dumbfounded, everyone was dumbfounded. Jason's fist was almost as big as a volleyball. They all thought that once he threw a punch, Hao Jian would either be dead or seriously injured. But who could have expected that Hao Jian, who looked like a child in front of Jason, easily blocked his punch without even a flicker of movement in his body, as if he felt nothing at all. Everyone had no doubt about the power behind Jason's fist, and Jason didn't believe that he had held back either, so the oddity lay with Hao Jian. "This... was it just a fluke?" one of the team members said skeptically. "Probably... yeah." At this moment, Cheng Weiwei's eyes finally brightened, and she looked at Hao Jian with renewed interest. "Is that all you've got?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "SHIT!" Jason swore and threw another punch at Hao Jian which predictably, was blocked again. The crowd no longer knew how to describe their feelings. If the first attack was a coincidence, how could they explain the second one being blocked as well? "You're too weak," Hao Jian said, looking at Jason with disappointment. Then he slapped his abdomen. Jason immediately fell to the ground with a retch, vomiting profusely. "Stop wasting time, let's all go at once," Hao Jian waved his hands at Chu Zhixin's mercenaries in a provocative manner. "Take him down!" The mercenaries immediately exploded with rage and charged at Hao Jian, a barrage of huge fists aiming for him. Under the onslaught of these sturdy men, Hao Jian looked like a little lamb eyed by a pack of wolves. Then, the mercenaries ended up like Jason, sprawled on the floor of the hotel room, all rendered incapable of fighting. "Is that all your bodyguards are capable of?" Hao Jian turned to look at Chu Zhixin, his eyes aloof. At this point, everyone felt the scene was surreal; could so many big guys really be no match for Hao Jian? "Get up, all of you! A bunch of good-for-nothings," Chu Zhixin raged, kicking the backsides of those foreign mercenaries, visibly angry. So many people couldn't beat one; they were a bunch of wastes! "Now, is there anyone else who dares question my abilities?" Hao Jian looked around cockily, his attitude arrogantly unbearable. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You are really impressive; now I acknowledge you as my bodyguard," Cheng Weiwei patted Hao Jian's shoulder with satisfaction. Hao Jian was her bodyguard, and his strong performance naturally made her feel proud. Hao Jian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, since everyone is here, let's head to the airport," Cheng Weiwei said. "To the airport? What for?" Hao Jian asked. "Oh please, to catch a plane, obviously. What else do you think, to walk to Atama?" Cheng Weiwei rolled her eyes, finding Hao Jian's question quite amusing. "You're the one talking nonsense; don't you know Atama's airport is often the target of bomb attacks and robberies against foreign tourists?" Hao Jian snorted. "No idea," Cheng Weiwei and the others shook their heads. Chapter 291 Perilous Journey! Hao Jian was speechless, his gaze strangely fixed on the crowd, "You haven't even looked into the background of Atama, and you want to go there to rescue the refugees?" Cheng Weiwei and the others looked at each other but were at a loss for words. Hao Jian sighed, waved at them, and said, "Come with me." Cheng Weiwei and the others quickly followed. At that moment, Chu Zhixin was still scolding his bodyguard, but his eyes were filled with resentment when he looked at Hao Jian. Because today, in front of Cheng Weiwei, whom he liked, Hao Jian had made him lose face completely. Hao Jian hadn't taken them to go by plane; instead, he chose to smuggle into Atama. Brazenly entering Atama was likely to expose their target and could also lead to attacks; smuggling was the safest method. By now, Hao Jian had changed into a black military uniform, yet his gear was simple: two revolvers holstered at his waist and two military sabers strapped to his thighs. Even so, it was his appearance that made him look incredibly charismatic, his military essence completely undeniable, causing Cheng Weiwei's female team members to occasionally cast admiring glances at Hao Jian. "What exactly is it for that you want to go to Atama?" Hao Jian asked the youths on the boat. "To change the situation in Atama, to provide them with the needed help," Cheng Weiwei answered righteously, and her team members nodded in agreement. "Did you bring guns?" Hao Jian asked with a sneer. "We came for peace; how could we possibly bring guns?" Cheng Weiwei immediately retorted with displeasure. At that, Hao Jian scoffed, "Then you can't change anything." Cheng Weiwei and the others fell silent. There was a clear deeper meaning in Hao Jian's words. "Hmph, people like you could never understand the greatness of our charity work. To you, probably all problems in the world could be solved with violence," Chu Zhixin mocked coldly. Discover more content at My Virtual Library Empire "Not all problems in the world can be solved with violence, but most problems can be," Hao Jian said. The expressions of the team members were bizarre, clearly indicating they did not agree with Hao Jian's statement. Bang!!! Just then, a sudden loud noise rang out. The boat Hao Jian and the others were on lost its balance, shaking violently, and eventually crashed harshly against a huge rock. The front of the ship was completely smashed in, the whole body caving inward. "Damn it! How did you navigate the boat!" Chu Zhixin cursed the boatman. The boatman shook his severely pained head and after muttering a few words in Ataman, he jumped off the boat and fled. In the distance, a military cruiser was rapidly approaching towards Hao Jian and his team. Hao Jian's brows were deeply furrowed, and his expression grew grim. "What's happening?" Cheng Weiwei hurriedly asked Hao Jian, sensing something was off. "Atama Pirates," Hao Jian answered succinctly, but that single phrase made Cheng Weiwei and the others sharply inhale in shock. "Don't be afraid, my mercenary group will protect your safety," Chu Zhixin saw his chance to make an impression and quickly pulled out the walkie-talkie to call the mercenary group, but there was no response. "Damn it, have these bastards gone deaf? Didn't I tell them to keep close to us?" Chu Zhixin was furious as this messed up unexpectedly. He had wanted to show off in front of Cheng Weiwei, but those idiots in the mercenary group weren't responding to him, severely ruining the atmosphere. "They're not deaf; they are all already dead," Hao Jian said indifferently. Chu Zhixin's mercenary group had been following right behind them, and since these pirates also appeared behind them, if the mercenaries were alive, they should have reported something, but since they hadn't, there was only one explanation¡ªthose people were all dead. "Impossible, my dad paid a heavy price to hire this mercenary group. How could they be so easily killed?" Chu Zhixin simply couldn't believe what Hao Jian was saying. Hao Jian just shook his head, not wanting to waste words with Chu Zhixin, this fool, and commanded, "Everyone keep your heads down and stay silent. I'll negotiate with them." When the pirates got closer, the leader, a skinny man with a scarred face, stepped onto Hao Jian's boat, menacingly throwing a bloody package down before them. Suddenly, a human head appeared from within the package, causing all of Cheng Weiwei's girls to scream in fright, for the head was none other than Jason! Hao Jian's guess had not been wrong; the mercenaries had indeed been killed by these pirates. Chu Zhixin's face also turned pale, his mind blank for a moment. Upon hearing Cheng Weiwei's terrified scream, the pirates all laughed proudly. Only Scarface, with a sullen look, glared at Hao Jian and said in Ataman, "Did you not know that we pirates control this sea area? If you want to pass through here, you must pay tribute. You disrespect us like this; we will kill you all!" "I have great respect for you, and we are willing to pay all our valuables," Hao Jian said, conceding, unwilling to cause further trouble. "Boss, we've found a beauty here." Just then, a pirate suddenly grabbed Cheng Weiwei's hair, yanking her out of the crowd and dragging her towards Scarface. Seeing this, Hao Jian's pupils shrank instantly. "Weiwei!" Chu Zhixin exclaimed, but the moment he saw those pirates looking his way, his face turned pale as clay, and he lowered his head, too frightened to speak again. Cheng Weiwei's eyes were brimming with tears as she cast a pitiful look at Hao Jian, pleading for him to save her. Seeing Cheng Weiwei, even Scarface couldn't help but light up, a vile lust appearing on his face. "We will give you all the money and goods, just return that woman to us!" Hao Jian said to Scarface, anger gradually showing on his face. "We'll take the money and goods, and we want this woman too!" Scarface snarled, having never seen such a beautiful woman before, how could he possibly let her go easily. Hao Jian's expression darkened, and he spoke no more. "Hao Jian, save me, you promised my grandfather to protect me." Seeing that Hao Jian remained silent, Cheng Weiwei suddenly became terrified, her delicate body shaking violently. She knew all too well what fate awaited her if she was taken by these pirates. The members of her group dared not make a sound, now realizing that provoking the other party could mean having to endure Lotus Seed Soup. Hao Jian's gaze swiftly moved over all the pirates, silently counting their numbers. The moment Cheng Weiwei was pushed into Scarface's embrace, Hao Jian drew his gun! Bang, bang, bang. The gunfire continued, Hao Jian's fingers repeatedly pulling the trigger. With every pull, another pirate fell into a pool of blood. Soon, all the pirates were dead. The crisis had been instantly averted, and everyone looked at Hao Jian with awe. "Who told you to start killing? Who do you think you are? We came here for peace, and you've destroyed our original intent!" But seeing the danger averted, Chu Zhixin was the first to start yelling. "Fuck!" Hao Jian finally couldn't hold back his anger, kicking Chu Zhixin in the chest, knocking him to the ground, and then stomping on Chu Zhixin's head: "You fucker, who do you think you are? Coming here for peace? Fuck your ancestors, can't even protect yourselves, yet you want to protect others? Where was this talk when you were scared out of your wits just now?" Hao Jian suddenly pointed at Cheng Weiwei: "Do you know what would happen to her if those pirates took her back? They would **** her a hundred times, a thousand times, until she died! And you all. Ha, your heads would be chopped off and used as balls, and your bodies would be thrown in a pigpen to feed the pigs!" "Kids, it's time to wake up. This is Atama, a human hell where every bush and tree is an enemy!" At this point, the volunteers were pale as death, having realized through the recent events that they had underestimated everything. They simply weren't mentally prepared to survive in a war-torn environment, and stepping into Atama had been a mistake from the start. "Now, you choose whether to continue moving forward or to head back immediately," Hao Jian stated emotionlessly to the volunteers. "I want to go home, I want to go home," a girl began to cry uncontrollably, her last line of mental defense utterly shattered. No wonder, with over a dozen bodies lying on the ship, anyone would be frightened upon seeing them. The expressions of the others were also conflicted, hesitating whether to leave. "Keep moving forward!" Just then, a strong though not loud voice came through, Cheng Weiwei looking determinedly at Hao Jian. "Weiwei, have you gone mad? You were almost taken by those pirates just now, are you not afraid?" Cheng Weiwei's group members could not comprehend her decision. Cheng Weiwei managed a bitter smile: "It's precisely because we've experienced such things that we know how much the people of this country are suffering, right? They need us now, and we are already so close to them. Once we help them, we'll leave immediately. It won't take much time." The volunteers sighed, no longer speaking, obviously agreeing with Cheng Weiwei's approach. Cheng Weiwei then turned to Hao Jian: "Let him go, please?" Hao Jian's foot moved off Chu Zhixin's face, but his threat remained: "You little clown, don't ever jump around in front of me again. Your life wasn't saved by God, but by me, and I can take it back at any moment, got it?" Chu Zhixin, covering his face, somberly nodded. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian spoke no more and stood up to check the bodies, only to discover one was missing: Scarface's body wasn't there. Hao Jian's expression instantly turned sour, and the others also stared at him curiously. "What's wrong?" Cheng Weiwei asked. "That Scarface wasn't among them," Hao Jian said gravely, and then threw two handguns to Cheng Weiwei: "Wait here for me, I'll go after him." "Just let him go, even if he goes for reinforcements now, he can't catch up to us, so why waste time?" said a girl, who after the recent events had come to view Hao Jian as their only pillar of support, and realized only he had the ability to save them. Chapter 292 Dont Come Over! If someone attacked them when Hao Jian left, what would they do? "You don't understand, the Atama Pirates are an organization of hundreds of people, and they have close ties with the government. If that guy goes back to tip them off, then the Pirate Group and the army will pursue us from both the waters and the land. I suppose you wouldn't want that to happen again, right?" Hao Jian said. Then the volunteers fell silent. "Grab your guns, and if any strangers approach, shoot to kill immediately, understood?" Hao Jian said to Cheng Weiwei. "But I don't know how to shoot," Cheng Weiwei said, startled. Hao Jian's expression changed, and he shouted fiercely, "If you don't know, learn! If you want to live, you must learn!" Cheng Weiwei felt a sourness in her nose and a bit of a desire to cry from Hao Jian's shout. But ultimately, she nodded heavily; she knew that what Hao Jian said was true, and now they could only rely on themselves. Hao Jian said nothing more and directly jumped off the boat, chasing in the direction where Scarface had left. Scarface had already jumped off the boat when Hao Jian opened fire. His face was ashen, swearing that once he caught Hao Jian, he would definitely throw him into a pigpen to feed the pigs. He staggered toward the headquarters, but a voice came through the evening breeze. Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Are you still going to run?" Hao Jian slowly walked out from the trees on one side, his faint words turning Scarface's face pale. "How did you know I was here?" Scarface was stunned. How did Hao Jian find him? "Footprints, scent, too many flaws." Hao Jian sneered. Scarface tensed up, warning, "Don't push people too far! I am the leader of the Atama Pirates, if you dare touch a hair on my head, the Atama Pirates won't let you go!" "Would the Atama Pirates let us go if I let you go?" Scarface's eyes flickered, then he started to run, firing cold shots at Hao Jian behind him as he fled in panic. "I don't like playing hide-and-seek, but that doesn't mean I'm not good at it." Hao Jian grimly smiled and also chased after him. Although his movements seemed slow, he kept an unrelenting pace right behind Scarface, not letting him gain any distance despite his efforts to accelerate. Seeing Hao Jian getting closer, Scarface's scalp began to trouble him, and he turned around, firing two more shots at Hao Jian. But just as he was about to turn back around, a flash of cold light streaked toward him, cutting off his entire palm at the wrist. "Ow!" Scarface screamed, his forehead instantly covered in fine beads of sweat. He had no time to pick up the pistol on the ground and started running. At that moment, fear completely filled his heart. He had killed countless people and was a desperate desperado, yet for some reason, he felt extreme panic and unease when facing Hao Jian. That's because, as a desperado, he could still fight desperately, but in front of Hao Jian, he had no chance to fight, only a dead end! He began to regret why he had come to rob Hao Jian and the others. Normally, he was the one taking lives, but now it had turned into others seeking his life. He had almost twenty elite subordinates, all killed cleanly by Hao Jian! Firing twenty shots in three seconds, who is this, not a human but a monster, a demon! Just as Scarface felt his soul leaving his body, he suddenly felt a strong wind behind him, and before he could react, a voice swept past him from his side. Hao Jian's face was cold as ice, and his whole being seemed to float as he thrust his military knife into Scarface's abdomen without hesitation. "Cough." Scarface instantly coughed up blood and could run no more; he collapsed to his knees in a pool of blood, his eyes wide with terror as he looked at Hao Jian, "You are, Barbayago!" Barbayago was a mythical figure of Atama, translated into Chinese as the Night Demon, a brutal and vicious demon who killed at night. "After killing so many people, you probably didn't expect to be killed yourself one day?" Hao Jian let out a cold laugh as he pulled the military knife out of Scarface's abdomen, causing a great gush of blood to spurt from the wound. Hao Jian wiped the blood off the knife and tucked it back into his military boots. "You. Who exactly are you?" Scarface's eyes were already growing dim, a sign of impending death. "Me? I'm not like the fake ones among you, I am the real God of Death!" Hao Jian put his foot on Scarface's face, then forcefully kicked out, sending him crashing into a Big Tree, breaking his neck and instantly killing him. Afterward, Hao Jian went back to meet up with Cheng Weiwei and the others, who clung to him like a lifeline upon seeing him return safely. Along the way, they even tried to make conversation with Hao Jian, hoping to get on his good side so that if something similar happened again, Hao Jian would surely save them first. Hao Jian chose not to travel through the night ¡ª partly because the damned guide had run off, and partly because he had expended a considerable amount of energy and needed to rest. Cheng Weiwei had never felt the night to be as long as it was today; she couldn't sleep the entire night. Cheng Weiwei stood up, a slight movement that jolted the keeping-watch Hao Jian awake, "Where are you going?" "I want to take a bath. I got a lot of blood on me when you were killing," Cheng Weiwei said, actually because the smell of blood was making her feel nauseous. "I'll go with you," Hao Jian stood up. "No need," Cheng Weiwei quickly shook her head, not keen on bathing in front of someone else. "Now's not the time to be squeamish. Do you want something like what just happened to happen again?" Hao Jian frowned. After that, Cheng Weiwei fell silent. They found a spot by a little river, where Cheng Weiwei stripped down to wash in the river while Hao Jian stood guard with his back to her. Her fair skin glowed beautifully under the moonlight, casting a gorgeous sheen. Even Cheng Weiwei herself couldn't help but be mesmerized; it was her first time bathing outdoors and under the moonlight, seeing her skin look so beautiful. Cheng Weiwei joyfully thought, but didn't forget to steal glances at Hao Jian to check whether he was peeping at her bathing. Oddly enough, seeing him standing still with his back to her, Cheng Weiwei felt a touch disappointed, really, was her body not attractive at all? Not even a glance. While Cheng Weiwei was brooding over this, she failed to notice that in the pitch-black river, a Viper was slowly making its way towards her. "Ah!" Suddenly, Cheng Weiwei screamed. Hao Jian immediately stood up, alarmed, and ran towards Cheng Weiwei. "What happened?" "You. Don't come closer," Cheng Weiwei said, her voice quivering, her expression extremely awkward. Chapter 293 Detoxification! "What on earth is wrong with you?" Hao Jian asked. "I." Cheng Weiwei looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated, her beautiful oval face now completely flushed. "Speak up!" Hao Jian was furious, it was really maddening. What on earth had happened? Just spit it out; what did this beating around the bush mean? "I was bitten by a viper!" Cheng Weiwei finally mustered the courage to shout. "What, let me see where!" Hao Jian hurried over. If it was a viper bite, the venom needed to be sucked out quickly, or else there would be big trouble. "You, you, you. Don't come over!" Cheng Weiwei cried out almost in tears. She had not expected to encounter such an incident; had she known everything would go wrong, she would never have come to Atama. Hao Jian covered his face in disbelief, "Big sister, since you know you've been bitten by a viper, do you also know that if we don't quickly suck out the venom, you might die?" Why be shy at a time like this? "But the place... where the viper bit me..." Cheng Weiwei was on the verge of tears. That damned snake, it could have bitten anywhere but had to bite there. How was this supposed to work? How could she possibly let Hao Jian suck the venom out like this? Hao Jian was petrified, then, somewhat sheepishly, he scratched his head: "This is indeed a huge problem." "Why are you shy? Just don't get any funny ideas!" Cheng Weiwei warned him sternly. But Hao Jian ignored her. He smiled slightly, walked over to Cheng Weiwei, then lifted her out of the water. "What are you doing? Let go of me! You pervert, you shameless thing, are you trying to take advantage of someone in a crisis? I'm going to tell my grandfather." Cheng Weiwei began to cry woefully. Hao Jian, exasperated, retorted, "Shut up!" "Oh." Cheng Weiwei stopped crying, scared straight by Hao Jian. Hao Jian laid Cheng Weiwei on a rock, and said seriously, "Now I'm going to suck out the venom for you. It's all to save your life. Neither you nor I want this, so after tonight, let's both forget this ever happened, all right?" "Deal!" Cheng Weiwei nodded. She didn't want anyone to know about this incident either. "Now close your eyes, so you won't feel too nervous," Jiang Shan soothed softly. Cheng Weiwei, rather speechlessly, closed her eyes, but closing her eyes still made her nervous. "Squeak, squeak, squeak." Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire Hao Jian vigorously sucked the poisoned blood. "If you are going to suck, could you make no noise?" Cheng Weiwei said, annoyed and embarrassed. "Shut up!" Hao Jian snapped back irritably. "You're the one who should be shutting up!" Cheng Weiwei retorted pointedly. Hao Jian was completely dumbfounded. This woman, she was still in the mood to joke at such a time? If he shut up, wouldn't Cheng Weiwei die? After about a dozen sucks, the venom on Cheng Weiwei's body was essentially cleared. Afterward, Hao Jian found several wild Detoxifying Herbs, crushed them into a pulp, and then applied it to Cheng Weiwei's wound; naturally, this was also something Hao Jian had to do. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But just at that moment, Chu Zhixin woke up in the middle of the night and could not find Cheng Weiwei, so he came outside to look for her; unexpectedly, he saw that scene. Chu Zhixin's nose went crooked with anger. He had been courting her for so long without even touching Cheng Weiwei's hand, but here was Hao Jian, who had only known her for a few days, and¡­ "Stop it!" Chu Zhixin roared, charging towards Hao Jian furiously. "Ah!" Cheng Weiwei too was shocked, immediately annoyed, "Hurry and let go!" What was this idiot doing, didn't he see Chu Zhixin coming? Why hadn't he removed his hand yet? "I would like to let go, but could you please stop squeezing it?" Hao Jian retorted with a bittersweet laugh. Only then did Cheng Weiwei realize that her squeezing was preventing Hao Jian from pulling his hand away, and she quickly let go. "Damn it! What exactly are you doing? You two, how long have you known each other to be together like this?" Chu Zhixin raged like a cuckold. "Why are you so agitated? Are you her boyfriend?" Hao Jian scoffed dismissively, annoyed now because Chu Zhixin had upset his plans; his sudden appearance was really inconvenient. "I'm not, but I am her friend, and I have a right to be responsible for her personal safety," Chu Zhixin snorted, then said, "Hao Jian, don't think just because you saved us that you can hold it over us. Weiwei, tell me, did this scumbag force you?" "No," Cheng Weiwei shook her head. "Not?!" Chu Zhixin's voice rose several decibels; he said with a mournful face, "Turns out you were willing, Cheng Weiwei, I truly misjudged you. I didn't expect you to be this kind of woman." Chapter 294 Bizarre Tavern! "Chu Zhixin, have you lost your mind? Hao Jian was only applying medicine because my chest was bitten by a poisonous snake to get the antidote for me," said Cheng Weiwei indignantly. "Pah! A viper, I think that's a lie and him taking advantage of you is the truth. Where is this poisonous snake? If it's real, then catch it and show me!" Chu Zhixin still didn't believe it and shouted, which was no surprise; seeing the woman he liked being taken advantage of by someone else naturally made him very uncomfortable. Cheng Weiwei rolled her eyes. Chu Zhixin was simply making a fuss about nothing. The viper that bit her had long since fled, probably all the way to Malaysia by now; how could it possibly be found? "Want to see the viper, do you?" A mocking smile crossed Hao Jian's lips as he flung something from behind him: "Here you go!" Chu Zhixin took a closer look and instantly turned green, his voice shrill as he screamed, "A snake! Take it away, take it away now!" Chu Zhixin was scared stiff on the ground, his eyes filled with terror as he stared at the cobra in Jiang Shan's hand. Cheng Weiwei was also stunned; Hao Jian had actually managed to catch the snake. "Didn't you say the viper was fake? Why don't you let it bite you and see if you'll die?" Hao Jian scoffed coldly. "Take it away! Immediately! Right now!" Chu Zhixin shouted, his voice hoarse with desperation. "Look at you cowering like that, not very manly, are you?" Hao Jian snorted dismissively; this guy was too useless, scared stiff so easily. At that moment, a trace of contempt flashed through Cheng Weiwei's eyes, and she secretly felt glad she had never accepted Chu Zhixin's courtship. Chu Zhixin noticed the scorn in Cheng Weiwei's gaze and, infuriated yet embarrassed, he pointed at Hao Jian without being able to utter a word: "You¡­" "Do you really hate me that much?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. Chu Zhixin didn't speak, but his expression said it all. "Seems like you do indeed hate me." Hao Jian nodded in acknowledgment, but just as Chu Zhixin wondered why Hao Jian was bothering with such nonsense, he saw Hao Jian backhand him smack across the face. "What are you doing?" Chu Zhixin glared at Hao Jian, his face red with rage, wishing he could tear him apart, the bastard. How dare he hit him? Cheng Weiwei was bewildered, not understanding why Hao Jian had struck Chu Zhixin out of the blue. "Since you already hate me, a little more won't matter." Hao Jian said expressionlessly, then looked at Chu Zhixin with a taunting gaze: "Because you wouldn't dare do anything about it, without me, you wouldn't stand a chance of surviving in this turbulent war zone. You're just a worthless nobody." "If you're so tough, go make your own way in the war zone. Don't fucking follow behind me," Hao Jian snorted coldly. Chu Zhixin clenched his teeth, his face flush with humiliation, but he still couldn't muster the courage to stand up like a man and retort. He indeed didn't dare to stray from the main group. After what he had been through before, he was keenly aware that he couldn't survive here alone. Seeing Chu Zhixin silent, Hao Jian sneered even more disdainfully: "If you don't dare, then keep your mouth shut and be polite to me. I'll say it again, your life was saved by me, and I can take it back whenever I want." Chu Zhixin inwardly seethed with hatred but still didn't dare to retort against Hao Jian. Having witnessed Hao Jian's ruthlessness, he knew Hao Jian was not joking; the thought likely crossed his mind to get rid of him, thus monopolizing Cheng Weiwei for himself. "Stop it!" Cheng Weiwei chastised, first giving Hao Jian a glare before looking toward Chu Zhixin: "You go back first." "But what if he tries anything improper with you?" Chu Zhixin looked worriedly at Cheng Weiwei. "If I really wanted to take advantage of her, do you think you could stop me? Where were you when Cheng Weiwei was caught by the pirates earlier? What's with the hero act now?" Hao Jian spat in disgust, speaking unkindly. "You¡­" Chu Zhixin, teased about his shortcomings, couldn't help feeling ashamed. "Enough! Can you both stop arguing, please?" said Cheng Weiwei impatiently: "Chu Zhixin, you leave now. I'll return shortly." Cheng Weiwei knew Hao Jian was right; if he truly intended to harm her, not just Chu Zhixin, but all the men in their group combined would have been no use. Chu Zhixin glowered at Hao Jian before reluctantly walking away. "How did you catch this snake?" Cheng Weiwei asked in surprise, not expecting that Hao Jian could actually do it. "It's hard to explain. It's a kind of perception similar to that of a wild beast. My senses are very sharp, and I can detect its presence. Luckily, it didn't go far, so I was able to catch it and come up with the remedy based on its venom. Otherwise, you would indeed be in a lot of trouble," Hao Jian explained. "Beast perception? How can a person have the perception of a beast?" questioned Cheng Weiwei, skeptical of Hao Jian's claim. But Hao Jian just smiled, not intending to elaborate further. Seeing that Hao Jian did not wish to say more, Cheng Weiwei stopped asking. "Let's hurry back and get some rest. We need to prepare because tomorrow will be another tough day," Hao Jian smiled and took the lead back to the camp. Cheng Weiwei jumped with frustration behind him. This bastard, looking at her so openly and yet acting as if nothing had happened; couldn't he show even a hint of being moved? This guy must be gay! Cheng Weiwei thought maliciously to herself. That's how women are¡ªif you behave improperly toward her, she'll call you a beast, and if you don't, she'll say you're worse than a beast. A few Chinese Hours passed, and the sky gradually began to lighten. Hao Jian got everyone up and ready to set off; Cheng Weiwei and the others were headed for the Atama Western War Zone to rescue those innocent civilians suffering from the chaos of war, and Hao Jian, knowing he couldn't persuade Cheng Weiwei, could only obediently lead the way. Fearing they might be pursued, they decided not to continue by boat and chose to walk instead. After walking for several hours, the group began to feel exhausted, and a girl named Xiao Mei couldn't help but complain, "How much longer do we have to walk? My legs are about to break, Hao Jian, do you even know the way?" "Nonsense, I'm using GPRS; there's absolutely no problem with this route," Hao Jian declared confidently. "But how much longer do we have to walk?" Xiao Mei asked. "At this pace, we should reach there after another day and night," Hao Jian replied. "No way, we'll probably be dead tired by the time we get there," other team members also began to complain. Hao Jian curled his lip, "There's nothing I can do about it; I just suggested hijacking a car, but you guys wouldn't allow it." Upon hearing this, Cheng Weiwei and the others were at a loss; what kind of person was this? Suggesting hijacking someone's car just because there wasn't one available was a bit too much, wasn't it? "Absolutely not, we came here to provide humanitarian care to the people of this country; what do you mean by hijacking the people's car?" Cheng Weiwei said unhappily. Hao Jian shrugged, "Then just keep walking." sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The group sighed despairingly; this was truly life-threatening. Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire "Don't lose heart, you must remember we're doing this for those refugees suffering from the ravages of war. Compared to their pain, what's a little hardship?" Cheng Weiwei lifted her head and encouraged the others. "Cheng Weiwei is right, comrades, where is your conviction? Where is your determination? Didn't we agree to seek benefits for those refugees? If we retreat now, what will happen to them?" Chu Zhixin also stood up, echoing Cheng Weiwei with a passionate expression, a clear attempt to brown-nose. In fact, what he was thinking was: Who cares if it's stolen or robbed? It's not us who'll be doing the dirty work. Not taking a car when there's one available, isn't that foolish? But in front of Cheng Weiwei, he had to maintain a shining image. Encouraged by Chu Zhixin and Cheng Weiwei, the group recovered their spirits and continued their journey. Hao Jian watched from behind with a cold detachment, saying nothing, but the hint of coldness in his eyes revealed far too much. About half an hour later, they suddenly came upon a tavern in the middle of a desolate plain. Cheng Weiwei was taken aback and said, "How can there be a tavern in the middle of this vast plain?" Who would build a tavern in a desolate, uninhabited wilderness? That was too strange, wasn't it? "Who cares how it got here, I'm going to ask for a glass of water. This damn weather is killing me," Chu Zhixin complained; by that point, he was sweating profusely, and his throat was burning. "I'll have a drink, too," Xiao Mei and others followed Chu Zhixin's steps, planning to order something to drink at the tavern; they were too tired from the journey and it was time for a rest. "I advise you it's best not to go," however, just then Hao Jian spoke up, looking at everyone with a half-smile. The group turned their puzzled heads back at Hao Jian, not understanding what he meant by that. "Hao Jian, what have you discovered?" Cheng Weiwei asked with a frown, her attitude towards Hao Jian no longer one of disdain as before; if Hao Jian said so, he must have had his reasons. "A tavern in the middle of the wilderness, don't you think that's odd? Only if the owner is out of his mind would he do such a thing. In my opinion, this tavern definitely has some unspeakable secrets. Also, just now, I smelled a strong scent of blood inside; someone must have recently died in there," Hao Jian said excitedly, it had been a long while since he'd come across such an ominous place. "And haven't you noticed the cars parked outside are a bit unusual?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. The group quickly glanced at the vehicles, noticing they were all heavy-duty off-road vehicles, with thickened exteriors, and some even had sharp steel spikes added to their own cars. "In Atama, wars are raging and drug trafficking is rampant; if I'm not mistaken, this must be a drug trafficking station," Hao Jian said. At those words, the crowd was instantly shocked, and their forward steps halted. Having been alerted by Hao Jian, they too began to feel that something was not quite right. Although they had never seen drug traffickers, they all had heard that those traffickers were a group of fearless terrorists, and they were all very afraid. Chapter 295 A More Dignified Way to Die! "Keep blowing hot air¡ªnow it's a drug trade station, huh? Why not say it's a haunted house? That'd be even scarier," Chu Zhixin said with contempt before looking around at everyone: "Don't listen to his nonsense. I think there's nothing wrong with this tavern. Besides, what are the odds of us just happening to run into a bunch of drug traffickers? Even if they really are traffickers, we're in their country to help them. I think they won't give us too hard a time." As soon as Chu Zhixin said this, everyone began to waver. They were thirsty and tired now, just wanting to find a place to rest well. There happened to be a tavern right before them, like a lifeline in the snow. At this moment, few could resist such temptation. Led as if by ghosts, everyone headed towards the tavern. Seeing that he had swayed them, Chu Zhixin then cast a provocative look at Hao Jian. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Idiot," Hao Jian's lips curled with mockery. Chu Zhixin's recklessness would get these people killed. "Is there really danger inside?" Cheng Weiwei couldn't help but ask Hao Jian at this moment. "Highly likely," Hao Jian nodded without denial. Cheng Weiwei was instantly alarmed, "How do you know that?" "Remember what I told you about the beastly senses?" Hao Jian said with a smile. A hint of panic flashed in Cheng Weiwei's eyes as she said, "Then why don't you stop them? Aren't you intentionally harming them?" "Cheng Weiwei, you'd better listen carefully; I am your bodyguard, not theirs. I'm only responsible for your safety; their fate is none of my concern. Besides, if it's destined to rain and a woman destined to marry, what can I do if they're seeking death even after I've already spoken?" Hao Jian sneered. "You're too heartless!" Cheng Weiwei said coldly before walking into the tavern. Hao Jian might disregard their lives, but she couldn't. Hao Jian, feeling helpless, could only follow her inside. Upon entering the tavern, Chu Zhixin and the others were immediately terrified by the eerie atmosphere within. The tavern was neither big nor small, seating dozens of men¡ªall brawny, either carrying weapons or with faces full of scars, all exuding a menacing air. Upon seeing Cheng Weiwei and the others enter, they immediately cast malevolent gazes upon them. Especially towards Cheng Weiwei. After all, she was pretty, and the men stared at her intently, not hiding the greed and lust in their eyes. Cheng Weiwei and the others sensed something was off but dared not make any rash moves, as everyone's eyes were fixed on them. All of them were desperados; the scars on their faces and their fierce demeanors were clear reflections of this. In their eyes, Cheng Weiwei and her companions were like lambs to the slaughter, the kind waiting to be carved up. Hao Jian walked in whistling, hands clasped behind his head, looking flippant, but at this moment, nobody dared cast him a malevolent look, as they sensed a kind of aura from him that was only present in those of their ilk. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire "What would you like to drink?" The bartender was a one-eyed man with a toothpick in his mouth, exuding a bandit's air. "Bring up something drinkable," Chu Zhixin said in English. "Okay," the One-Eyed Dragon agreed and then let out a strange laugh before walking into the kitchen. After a short while, he brought over a few drinks. Being extremely thirsty, everyone dove in like starving wolves at the sight of the drinks, disregarding the odd atmosphere and gulping them down! But as soon as the beverages touched their lips, they realized something was off. Little Mei, with a look of thirst, suddenly grimaced with disgust, spewing out the liquid while retching, "What on earth is this? Why does it taste so fishy?" The others also spat out their drinks, feeling a strong taste of blood. However, after they had finished retching, they saw several puddles of fresh red liquid on the ground. Chu Zhixin immediately panicked, "What did you give us to drink?" The One-Eyed Dragon smiled sinisterly, his mouth spitting out two words: "Human blood!" "What?" Cheng Weiwei and the others were all petrified by his words. The One-Eyed Dragon had made them drink human blood? And where did this blood come from? Seeing this, Cheng Weiwei and the others finally realized Hao Jian was telling the truth¡ªthis place was indeed a den of thieves! "Ugh," Chu Zhixin and the others began vomiting violently, as if even bile was about to come out. The bartender had actually given them human blood to drink, which was horrifying. "Save me!" Just then, a desperate voice came from behind Hao Jian and the others. They all turned around and saw a bespectacled young man among them being held up by a burly man with a big beard. The man's hand was holding a blunt, rusty kitchen knife, with which he promptly slit the young man's throat. Seeing the big man murder, Chu Zhixin and the others' legs went soft with terror. They couldn't understand why the big man wanted to kill their companion, and it was precisely this incomprehensible action that chilled them to the bone. Only Hao Jian continued whistling nonchalantly, unaffected, seemingly used to such things. Only Cheng Weiwei maintained her composure. Staring at the big man with a face full of anger, she demanded in fluent English, "By what right do you murder?" "By what right?" The big man paused, seemingly surprised by Cheng Weiwei's question. He then burst into laughter, "Did you hear that? She's asking me by what right I kill people, hahaha." The rest of the people also joined in with laughter as if they had heard the world's funniest joke. Cheng Weiwei and her companions did not understand, was this question really that funny? "In a place of turmoil like Atama, where there is no order, no rules, everyone can do as they please, murder needs no reason," Hao Jian explained to everyone. After hearing this, everyone was struck with terror. Murder needs no reason? Wouldn't that lead to utter chaos? They finally understood the reason for the perennial warfare in Atama: the nation had no concept of law. Then they all cast frightened glances at Hao Jian, desperate to know why he was so well-informed about such matters, what exactly had he been through? "If Bart really needs to give a reason," the stout man Bart muttered, "it's because Bart hates his hairstyle!" Hate someone's hairstyle so you kill them, what kind of reason is that? Chu Zhixin and the others couldn't accept this explanation, but they didn't dare contradict Bart. "Ah!" Suddenly, another young man behind Chu Zhixin was struck, falling into a pool of blood with a knife in his back, as a gaunt man laughed eerily behind him: "I really like your boots, would you mind giving them to me?" The corner of the young man's eye twitched, he couldn't fathom why the other party would kill first before asking. If he had just asked first, would he have dared to refuse? Why? Because the gaunt man thought it was too much trouble to ask first, it was simpler to just act. In just a few short minutes, two people were bizarrely murdered, an assault on the minds of those volunteers. The men were so frightened their legs went weak, the women burst into loud sobs, and the scene descended into chaos. Cheng Weiwei's expression was extremely grim, as she finally realized that this country, this world, was not as simple as she had imagined. She began to regret, to wonder why she had come here, why she had doubted Hao Jian's words earlier. If she hadn't doubted him, maybe her friends wouldn't have had to die. And then, she went hysterical. "Hao Jian, kill them all for me!" Cheng Weiwei shouted hysterically. The same being English, the outlaws present couldn't help but shock. A meaningful cold smile played on Hao Jian's face, "Kill them all? That goes against the purpose of your trip, do you not care about that?" "I don't care!" Cheng Weiwei roared, her face ashen. "Even if this means you'll become a profiteer, you don't care about that either?" "I don't care!" "Even if later you will feel uneasy about this, feel regret, it doesn't matter to you?" "I don't care!" Now, Cheng Weiwei just wanted all these thugs dead! "Then, as you wish!" Hao Jian drew the Nepalese kukri from his back, walking slowly into the fray. The thugs frowned, they could overlook Cheng Weiwei and her group, but they couldn't ignore Hao Jian. "Everyone, out," Hao Jian said to Cheng Weiwei, the smile fading from his face, replaced by bone-chilling coldness. Without a moment's hesitation, Cheng Weiwei strode towards the exit. The volunteers hesitated at first, but seeing Cheng Weiwei leading, they quickly followed in her footsteps. But suddenly, Bart wielding a large knife, blocked everyone's way, how could he let such a ravishing beauty escape so easily? With a lecherous smile, Bart said, "The men can leave; the women must stay!" Upon hearing this, all the female volunteers shivered, visibly petrified. Originally, he hadn't intended to let anyone go, asking for only the women was simply out of respect for Hao Jian. "Swoosh!" No sooner had Bart finished speaking than a figure swept in like a cheetah and kicked him in the head. With a loud bang, his head flew off. Blood spurted wildly, staining the entire bar red. Everyone including the thugs was stunned, all thinking: Who is this guy who can kick someone's head off with a single kick? "Kill him!" All the thugs stood up, glaring at Hao Jian with rage. Of course, their anger wasn't because of Bart; the concept of friendship didn't exist among them. They were furious because Hao Jian was trying to take Cheng Weiwei away, and that was something they could not tolerate. "Go!" Hao Jian said gravely. Hearing this, Cheng Weiwei and the others stopped daydreaming and hurriedly made for the exit. It was only after Cheng Weiwei and the others had all left that Hao Jian finally allowed himself a relieved laugh, then tossed all the pistols from his waist onto the ground, faced the villains with a raging laugh, and said, "Come on! Let's die a more dignified death!" Chapter 296 Its the World Thats Wrong! The villains were also surprised by Hao Jian's actions, and then they looked at him with respect. Everyone tossed their firearms aside. They had accepted a more dignified way to die! "Cheng Weiwei, Hao Jian won't be in trouble, will he?" Xiaomei asked Cheng Weiwei somewhat anxiously. "Forget him, let's hurry up and leave or we'll definitely be dead once they come after us," Chu Zhixin said anxiously. All he wanted now was to quickly leave this place; as for Hao Jian's death, that was no longer his concern, especially since he hated Hao Jian so much. "Chu Zhixin, Hao Jian was trapped inside because he was trying to save us, and you can actually say that? Are you even human?" A male volunteer named Kang Zhi said indignantly. "If it weren't for you, how would we have walked into that tavern? Ahe and Axin wouldn't have to die either. From the beginning, we should've listened to Hao Jian. You stirred us up, and now Hao Jian is in deep trouble alone because he was saving us, and you actually suggest we abandon him, your mother****er!" A Fatty named Liu Junqi was the first to explode with rage, rushing towards Chu Zhixin with raised fists and knocking him to the ground with a punch as others hurriedly tried to pull him off. "This kind of person is simply a beast! I wish he had died instead of Ahe and Axin!" "Chu Zhixin, I am ashamed to be associated with you. From this day forth, I break all ties with you completely!" Everyone was condemning Chu Zhixin's shamelessness, and even Cheng Weiwei's gaze was filled with coldness when looking at him. Chu Zhixin lay on the ground, grinding his teeth, head lowered, not speaking, his face full of hatred. After a few minutes, under everyone's worried gaze, Hao Jian walked out of the tavern. Now, Hao Jian was no longer recognizable, covered in blood, even his hair soaked with flesh and blood. Seeing this, everyone was dumbstruck. Had Hao Jian truly survived? They found it hard to believe; all the thugs were ferociously wicked, and they had thought Hao Jian was surely dead. But who would have thought that not only did Hao Jian not die, but he survived in good condition, those thugs would never have let Hao Jian off so easily, there could only be one explanation¡ªHao Jian had killed them all! At this moment, everyone's look at Hao Jian was filled with awe. And seeing Hao Jian alive and unharmed, a fleeting sense of disappointment flashed in Chu Zhixin's eyes, and he brooded inwardly: How come this bastard won't die! S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian carried two buckets of water. In this wasteland, there was no source of water, so these thugs had hidden their water reserves, which Hao Jian had found. He threw one of the buckets to Cheng Weiwei and the others, then opened the other bucket and began to wash his body, such a wild and arrogant action shocked everyone present. In that moment, what they saw was not a man, but a wild beast that had just fought a bloody battle. "Are you okay?" Cheng Weiwei ran up to Hao Jian, asking with concern. "I'm fine, this blood isn't mine," Hao Jian said. "What about those guys?" "Just as you wished, they're all dead," Hao Jian replied expressionlessly. "But there were dozens of them." Cheng Weiwei still couldn't believe it. There were dozens of ruthless thugs, each one bigger and stronger than Hao Jian. How did he manage it? Hao Jian took out a handkerchief, wiped the fresh blood off his hands, and looked at Cheng Weiwei indifferently: "To me, dozens or hundreds of people mean the same." At these words, Cheng Weiwei was at a loss for words. This guy was simply not human, a wild and sinister demon, a God of Death who claimed lives. She wondered why her grandfather would know such a person. Just then, Hao Jian walked toward Chu Zhixin with a pistol in hand. Cheng Weiwei was taken aback and said, "Hao Jian, what are you doing?" Seeing Hao Jian's fierce and fiendish approach, Chu Zhixin's expression drastically changed, looking at Hao Jian in fright. "I said his life was given by me, and now it's time to take it back," Hao Jian said expressionlessly. "He has already dragged us down once; I can't let him continue to be a burden." Apart from Cheng Weiwei, everyone else was indifferent, clearly feeling that Chu Zhixin deserved to die. If it weren't for him, they wouldn't have found themselves in such peril. "No! There have already been enough deaths, no more can die!" Cheng Weiwei firmly disagreed. Although she now despised Chu Zhixin, no matter what, they were friends, and she couldn't bear to watch him die. "Fine," Hao Jian said, no longer moving forward and putting away his gun. "That's it? You're letting it go?" Cheng Weiwei was surprised, seemingly not expecting Hao Jian to be so reasonable. Hao Jian let out a cold laugh: "You are my employer, whatever you say goes, but the consequences of your decisions are yours to bear. For instance, if he causes the death of these people again, that's your responsibility." Cheng Weiwei's expression turned complex; she knew Hao Jian was really angry. . Shortly after Hao Jian and his group left, another group of people arrived on the scene, all dressed in floral shirts and beach shorts, appearing very casual. However, at this moment, each of their faces was filled with a sinister expression. They had contacted the trading post half an hour ago and found that no one was answering their phones, which made them realize something was wrong, so they hurried over to check. The leader was a short man, only about 1.5 meters tall, with the appearance of someone suffering from dwarfism, dark and thin. But the fierce, centipede-like scar on his face defined him as no ordinary person. This man was none other than Kegemo, the top drug lord of Atama, who wielded the greatest power second only to the military forces in Atama. Kegemo was also very angry at the moment. Someone had dared to destroy his trading post; they must be tired of living. They pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to be instantly bombarded by a pungent smell of blood. Before they could even react, the sight inside left them utterly stunned. The tavern had turned into a literal hell on earth, with limbs and broken arms everywhere, intestines and flesh dangling from the walls¡ªthere wasn't a single intact body. These were all desperados who lived by the knife's edge, but even they couldn't help rushing out of the tavern to vomit. Kegemo felt a chill all over his body. He had killed countless people and tried all sorts of ways to kill, but none were as cruel and brutal as this. Then, Kegemo noticed an emblem drawn in blood on the wall, and in the next moment, his face went ashen, and he collapsed to the ground, his legs going weak. "It's over. It's over," Kegemo said with a bitter smile on his face. It was his doing, which means everything made sense now. How did his own people come into contact with such a monster? "Boss, what's this thing?" Kegemo's subordinates, seeing how frightened he was, were also shocked. How could Kegemo, infamous for his ruthlessness across Atama, be scared by a mere emblem? Kegemo shivered uncontrollably: "That's the emblem of the God of Death." "The emblem of the God of Death?" Everyone was startled and looked at the blood-stained scythe emblem. "Boss, what is the emblem of the God of Death?" "The God of Death is the overlord of the underworld. Wherever he went, not a blade of grass would grow, mountains and rivers shattered, and even the four major alliances were no match for him. But he mysteriously disappeared a few years ago. Everyone assumed he was dead, but who would have thought he'd show up here, conflicting with us," Kegemo said, looking like he had just lost his parents. On hearing this, everyone was truly frightened, one of the subordinates swallowed hard: "Then, is there any chance it's a fake?" Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire Kegemo shook his head with certainty: "No one dares to impersonate the God of Death, and looking at everything that's happened here, do you still think it's fake?" Everyone couldn't help but inhale sharply, aware that they were in big trouble. "Quick, no matter what, find me the God of Death," Kegemo said through clenched teeth. "No way, boss, if he's as terrifying as you say, isn't going after him like seeking death?" one of the subordinates asked, puzzled. "Are you ******** kidding me?" Kegemo slapped him across the face: "I want to apologize to him!" Go after the God of Death? Am I ******** brain-dead? Meanwhile, Hao Jian and the others had also reached their destination, a small village suffering the ravages of war. Upon arriving here, Cheng Weiwei and the others finally took a breath of relief, starting to provide medical care and education to the local residents, also imparting some knowledge to them. In this village, many people were missing hands or legs, using crutches to walk. This was because there was a One-Legged General of that generation who was born disabled, with one leg capable of walking while the other was as useless as an infant's. Being born this way, he faced ridicule from an early age, leading to a deep-seated bitterness, wishing everyone to be just like him. He gathered the civilians and chopped off their legs. It was only upon reaching this village that Cheng Weiwei and the others realized what kind of life the villagers were enduring, which also made them more grateful for their own country. Thinking of those young people back home who had a stable life but did not know how to cherish it, and then looking at these refugees, she suddenly felt very heavy-hearted. It was Hao Jian, however, who appeared indifferent, having seen too much of the world's coldness to the point of numbness. "Are you still angry?" Cheng Weiwei slowly approached Hao Jian, who was smoking on the hillside. "Angry? Do I even have that right?" Hao Jian sneered. Cheng Weiwei sighed, knowing Hao Jian was still blaming her, "I know you were trying to do what's best for us, but your way of killing people is wrong." "Wrong?" Hao Jian laughed loudly, pointing at the group of refugees with desperate looks on their faces: "You see? You see! It's not me who's wrong, it's this world!" "You want to save them, but your methods won't work! Because you don't understand this world!" Hao Jian snorted coldly and walked away from Cheng Weiwei and down the hillside. Cheng Weiwei stood there, her expression complex. Chapter 297 Expulsion! Hao Jian found a corner to smoke, and the restlessness in his heart couldn't settle for a long time, with a persistent fatigue on his face. He had tried desperately to escape this kind of life, but in the end, he always came back here. He was angry, not because of Cheng Weiwei, but because he saw his own past self in her. He too had once thought about saving the world with his own strength, but later he realized how foolish that idea was. Hao Jian was angry at himself, frustrated by his powerlessness against this tragic world. The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility, but he could change nothing, even though he was the God of Death, a name that made the Underworld tremble. "That Huaxia girl is really beautiful, more beautiful than all the women I've seen in my life." "Why don't we take turns with that girl, they don't have guns anyway, she should be easy to handle." Just then, Hao Jian suddenly heard whispers coming from a thatched cottage, speaking in Atama, a language he understood well, so he listened in on their conversation. "Kill all the men, then capture all the women!" one of them chuckled maliciously. "That's not a good idea, after all, they are here to help us," another hesitated. "What's wrong with it, blame them for being too naive. Trespassing into Atama always comes with a price. It's better to benefit ourselves than that trivial help." Any hesitation from the first speaker was quickly swallowed by the desire of the other, and by the end, they were in agreement and picked up their butcher knives to step outside. However, the moment they came out, they found Hao Jian watching them with icy, watchful eyes. Hao Jian's eyes flashed fiercely, flicked away his cigarette butt, then drew his military blade; his actions said it all without a word. "Kill him!" These scheming villagers knew their plot had been exposed and decided to take down Hao Jian first. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing these people rushing at him, Hao Jian didn't retreat but advanced instead, swinging his butcher knife. "Murder! Murder!" A villager stumbled into the crowd, disturbing Cheng Weiwei and others who were playing games with the children. Everyone stopped, uneasily watching Hao Jian approach with his bloody military blade. Cheng Weiwei was also stunned on the spot, unable to comprehend why Hao Jian would want to kill these innocent villagers. "He wants to kill me, quickly stop him!" the villager shouted and screamed. Although Cheng Weiwei and the others didn't understand his language, they could roughly guess what he was trying to convey. Some children, terrified by the intense murderous aura on Hao Jian, started crying loudly, and the villagers trembled. "Hao Jian, have you gone mad? Why are you killing people?" Cheng Weiwei demanded, now somewhat angry. This guy, could it be he's killing villagers out of spite because he was upset about their argument? But Hao Jian ignored her question, swiftly walked up, and ended the life of that plotting villager with his blade. This explosion of action terrified the villagers, who all scattered in fright, leaving a bewildered Cheng Weiwei and her group behind. "You." Cheng Weiwei's face was furious, visibly trembling with anger. She had spoken to stop him, yet Hao Jian still murdered someone right in front of her. "They wanted to harm you, so I had to kill them," Hao Jian said expressionlessly, wiping his blade. "You're lying! They're just ordinary civilians, what could they possibly do? Besides, we're here to help them, why would they want to harm us?" Cheng Weiwei didn't believe Hao Jian's explanation at all, seeing it merely as an excuse for his crime. "I've always said he's not a good person, but you wouldn't believe me. Now his true nature is revealing itself, isn't it? I think he just got a taste for killing and so he kills anyone he encounters, maybe even us eventually," Chu Zhixin began to slander Hao Jian, knowing as long as Hao Jian was here, he would never be able to rid himself of shame and regain Cheng Weiwei's attention, so he seized any chance to strike at Hao Jian. Hearing what Chu Zhixin said, the volunteers showed shocked faces and involuntarily stepped back a few steps. Considering Hao Jian's previous indiscriminate killing, they all began to feel uneasy. At this time, Cheng Weiwei's face could not have looked worse: "You can leave, we don't need the protection of a murderer like you." Hao Jian's eyes narrowed: "Do you know what you are saying?" Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire "I am well aware of what I'm saying, and I believe you are too. So I ask you to leave now! Immediately!" Cheng Weiwei said passionately, initially she thought she might have misjudged Hao Jian, but it turned out she was right; he was a demon, a cold-blooded animal! "Cheng Weiwei, but if he leaves, who can ensure our safety?" Xiao Mei hesitated, unsure whether they could survive in Atama without Hao Jian's protection. "Don't worry, I've already informed my dad. He's sending a group of world-class mercenaries over. They'll look after our security, we don't need him," Chu Zhixin said proudly, with a sneer on his lips. After that, no one spoke anymore. "I hope you do not regret your decision," Hao Jian said with a cold smile. "Get lost, stop your fucking babble!" Chu Zhixin said mockingly. Hearing this, Hao Jian's icy gaze swept back, causing Chu Zhixin to shudder all over and close his eyes in cowardice. Hao Jian didn't say anything more and turned to leave. Watching Hao Jian's figure disappearing into the distance, Cheng Weiwei said regretfully, "Go explain to the villagers that we don't know this person; he's just a mercenary we met on the road." At that moment, Cheng Weiwei had decided she didn't want to have anything to do with Hao Jian anymore. Seeing that Cheng Weiwei was truly angry, everyone sighed, except for Chu Zhixin, who was extremely pleased. With Hao Jian gone, Cheng Weiwei had only him by her side. Once his people arrived, he could safely escort them out of Atama, by then Cheng Weiwei would surely develop a deep fondness for him. At night, everyone gathered together for a meal, while Cheng Weiwei stood alone by the creek, lost in thought. She was still thinking about the events of the day¡ªwhy had Hao Jian killed those innocent villagers? Was it because he was truly evil, or had she really misunderstood him? "Damn it, why do I keep thinking about that guy? He's nobody to me," Cheng Weiwei said, covering her forehead in pain. Just then, Xiao Mei came over leading a young boy. Cheng Weiwei frowned: "What is it?" Xiao Mei sighed, "This child said he was there when Hao Jian killed those people. It was the villagers who attacked Hao Jian first. He also said that those bad villagers planned to kill all the male volunteers among us first, then imprison us women to be used as sex slaves." Xiao Mei wasn't the only one who understood the language of Atama; she was their team's interpreter. Hearing this, Cheng Weiwei's expression froze, suddenly realizing she had indeed misunderstood Hao Jian. Regret, remorse, all sorts of emotions swirled in her heart. "Weiwei, Hao Jian isn't a bad person, although his actions are sometimes extreme, his intentions are all for our sake," Xiao Mei said. "No! I have to find him!" Cheng Weiwei exclaimed as if she hadn't heard Xiao Mei, and then she started to move. "Bang!" A shell landed just ten meters away from Cheng Weiwei, then exploded suddenly, sending the three people nearby flying due to the blast. The entire village was instantly engulfed in flames, and screams of agony continued unceasingly. "What's happening? What's going on?" Cheng Weiwei cried out as she scrambled up, visibly shaken and unsettled. Xiao Mei was trembling and stammered, "The army. The army has come!" Cheng Weiwei gasped because in Atama, the army didn't mean protection but slaughter! "We're done for, we're all going to die!" Xiao Mei murmured, pale as death, knowing the terror of Atama's army¡ªmen would be killed, and the fate of women would be even more tragic, raped to death by soldiers. Thinking this, Xiao Mei was completely despondent. "Xiao Mei, pull yourself together; we'll be fine, we promised to leave Atama together!" Cheng Weiwei quickly grabbed Xiao Mei's arm, trying to encourage her. Xiao Mei looked at Cheng Weiwei blankly, but then something seemed to dawn on her, her expression turned stern, and she slapped Cheng Weiwei across the face. The slap dazed Cheng Weiwei. "It's all your fault! You caused this! You didn't trust Hao Jian; you drove him away!" Xiao Mei cried bitterly, pointing at Cheng Weiwei and scolding, "You trusted the shameless liar Chu Zhixin over Hao Jian. Now Hao Jian's gone, and there's no one to protect us. We're going to die, and it's all your fault!" At that moment, Xiao Mei probably hated Cheng Weiwei the most. If it weren't for Cheng Weiwei's insistence on coming to Atama, if it wasn't for Cheng Weiwei driving Hao Jian away, they wouldn't have ended up in this predicament. Chu Zhixin had betrayed them once, and Cheng Weiwei had betrayed them again, driving Xiao Mei nearly mad. Cheng Weiwei stood frozen, letting Xiao Mei pull her hair without any reaction. Then, Hao Jian's words suddenly flashed in her mind: "You are my employer, what you say goes, but every consequence of your decision is yours to bear. For instance, if he kills these people again, that's on you." Driving away Hao Jian was indeed her decision, and now, she had to face the consequences of that decision. Soon, Kang Zhi and several others came running over in a panic. Seeing Xiao Mei beating Cheng Weiwei, they quickly pulled her away. "Where's Chu Zhixin?" Kang Zhi yelled, now only Chu Zhixin could save them. "He was taken away by a group of mercenaries," someone replied. "Damn! That bastard, just abandoning us like this!" Kang Zhi cursed bitterly. Chapter 298 One-Legged General! Weiwei let out a cold, mocking laugh, like a madwoman, "Cheng Weiwei, do you see now? This is what happens when you trust Chu Zhixin." "Enough, now is not the time to argue who's right and who's wrong. The military has arrived, let's run!" Kang Zhi anxiously said, knowing that once the troops caught up to them, they would undoubtedly die. "You can't escape now." A light voice rang out, and a man wearing a military uniform, leaning on a crutch, led a group of soldiers over, surrounding Cheng Weiwei and the others. "One-Legged General!" The expressions of Cheng Weiwei and others drastically changed, all terrified of this infamous executioner from Atama. One-Legged General glanced indifferently at Cheng Weiwei and the others, then pointed nonchalantly at one of the male volunteers, "Chop off his head for me." The volunteer couldn't understand what the One-Legged General was saying, but by his gestures, he knew something was terribly wrong. He screamed wildly but was seized by the soldiers and had his head chopped off. "Don't kill me, don't kill me, I came to help you, we are friends!" Kang Zhi yelled, becoming somewhat hysterical. "What did he say?" the One-Legged General asked a subordinate. "He said he came to help us." The subordinate sneered, then looked at Kang Zhi, "We don't need help!" "You want to die?" the One-Legged General tapped Kang Zhi's head with his crutch, and the subordinate translated for Kang Zhi. Kang Zhi quickly shook his head, "I don't want to die, please don't kill me." Kang Zhi started crying, his pants wet, his mental defenses completely collapsing in the face of death. "If you don't want to die, then eat his flesh!" One-Legged General pointed at the decapitated volunteer's body, his face adorned with a maniacal smile. "No, I can't do that." Kang Zhi, tears and snot mingling, replied; asking him to eat human flesh was just too demented and outrageous for him. "Eat or die!!" One-Legged General's gaze hardened, and he struck Kang Zhi's head with his crutch. Blood instantly flowed from Kang Zhi's head. At that moment, a soldier pressed the barrel of a gun against Kang Zhi's head, ready to kill him at any moment. "You are all going to Hell!" Little Mei shouted like a madwoman, collapsing under her own despair, wishing only for a swift death. Because she knew if she didn't die, she would be brutally tortured by the One-Legged General. "Damn woman!" One-Legged General scoffed, "Chop off her head!" "Come on, come and kill me! Come chop off my head!" Little Mei laughed loudly, her face revealing a relieved smile. "Hao Jian, come quickly!" Just then, Cheng Weiwei also roared desperately, her voice echoing throughout the village. "Hoo." The wind started blowing. "Swish!" The sound of clothes tearing through the air was heard; under the night sky, a figure dashed over like a ghostly apparition. "What is that?" the One-Legged General exclaimed, feeling a cold shiver over his body, the air seemingly dropping in temperature in an instant. Just now, he saw a dark shadow flash by. "General, behind you!" Just then, a group of soldiers shouted out in terror, staring fearfully behind the One-Legged General. Cheng Weiwei focused her eyes and also saw a dark figure standing behind the One-Legged General, motionless and silent. One-Legged General was scared out of his wits, but before he could turn around, he felt a coldness on his neck¡ªa sharp blade pressed against his throat, followed by a chilling, gloomy voice, "So, you like toying with others, huh?" One-Legged General's hair stood on end. "Hao Jian!" Little Mei and Kang Zhi, among others, all showed wild joy. And Cheng Weiwei was crying tears of joy; seeing Hao Jian at that moment was indescribable. She initially thought Hao Jian would be angry with her and leave Atama, but Hao Jian hadn't left. He had been protecting her all along. At that moment, Cheng Weiwei felt a deep shame and wished she could die, after having insulted Hao Jian, who didn't care at all and continued to protect her. Cheng Weiwei was full of regret, realizing how ungrateful she had been. Hao Jian, naturally, wasn't angry with her; after all, he was Xu Donghe's friend and shared Xu Donghe's intelligence. In his eyes, Cheng Weiwei was just an immature little girl. How could he possibly hold a grudge against a little girl? "Leave the General alone!" The soldiers all turned their guns towards Hao Jian. Hao Jian chuckled, then swung his knife. "Hmph." One-Legged General grunted; his entire arm was chopped off by Hao Jian and before he had the chance to scream, Hao Jian spoke again. "Have your men put down their guns, or next time it will be your head!" One-Legged General's eyes shifted, then he roared, "Put down your guns!" The soldiers could only obediently lay down their guns. Without their restraint, Cheng Weiwei and the others immediately ran to Hao Jian's side. Everyone's face showed the joy of surviving a calamity and endless gratitude towards Hao Jian. As she passed Hao Jian, Cheng Weiwei said in a low voice, "I'm sorry." "Why say sorry?" Hao Jian appeared indifferent. Cheng Weiwei looked up in astonishment, only to see Hao Jian smiling and winking at her. At that moment, a strange warmth surged into Cheng Weiwei's heart¡ªthis guy, he wasn't angry! Soon, Cheng Weiwei smiled too, but her smile was mixed with tears. "Come behind me," Hao Jian said. "Okay," Cheng Weiwei nodded obediently, relieved as she walked behind Hao Jian. "Who are you really, do you know that you can't escape from Atama if you kill me?" the One-Legged General threatened harshly. As a general, he had never been insulted like this before. But Hao Jian did not respond to him; instead, he turned his head to look at Cheng Weiwei and smiled, saying, "Once, I too wanted to save the world just like you, but later I realized I couldn't, so I gave up. Since then, I have detested people with your unrealistic dreams until today, I finally understand that my hatred was because you dare to do what I didn't." Hao Jian showed a relieved smile, "It was you who ended my confusion. I can't save the world, but I can save people!" Cheng Weiwei was instantly taken aback, and then nodded excitedly, giving Hao Jian a look that was both encouraging and approving. Then, Hao Jian laughed as he beheaded the One-Legged General. With the death of the One-Legged General, he could save many innocent people. And although many like the One-Legged General would still appear in Atama, at least he'd already saved some. If he couldn't save everyone, he chose to save some. He is the God of Death, but he only reaps the lives of the wicked! "Kill him!" The Atama soldiers all went berserk, raising their machine guns ready to spray bullets at Hao Jian. However, Hao Jian pulled out a heavy machine gun he had been carrying on his back, a cold smile crossing his lips, "May God be with you!" "Bang, bang, bang, bang." The heavy machine gun sprayed flames wildly, the frenzied sound of gunfire trembling the ground itself. Hao Jian, holding the hundred-pound heavy machine gun with one hand, continuously mowed down the soldiers' lives, his terrifying and unmatched figure forever etched into the minds of Cheng Weiwei and the others. This man was unbeatable; this man was both a Demon and a God! In just five minutes, Hao Jian had slaughtered all the fully armed soldiers, truly achieving a feat of one against a thousand. The rest were left fleeing in disarray. His visage would become a nightmare they'd remember for the rest of their lives. "Alright, now, it's time to go home," Hao Jian turned back, smiling broadly at the crowd. The others were still dazed but snapped back to reality upon hearing his words. Xiao Mei was particularly excited, rushing forward and hugging Hao Jian, her voice trembling, "Hao Jian, thank you, really, thank you." Seeing Xiao Mei hug Hao Jian, Cheng Weiwei, for some reason, felt somewhat uncomfortable. After releasing Xiao Mei, Hao Jian opened his arms to Cheng Weiwei, teasingly saying, "What, aren't you going to give me a hug?" "I certainly will not," Cheng Weiwei said proudly, not wanting to do the same thing as someone else. Hao Jian laughed heartily, his laughter echoing in the night breeze. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "He is a Heavenly God!" Just then, the villagers who had been fleeing in disarray ran back, kneeling before Hao Jian, calling him a Heavenly God with extreme reverence. "What does this mean?" Hao Jian was immediately confused. Xiao Mei laughed, "That's because the One-Legged General was known as the 'Butcher who can never be killed' in Atama, and legend has it that only a Heavenly God could kill him. But you killed him, so naturally, they regard you as a Heavenly God now." "Is there such a messed-up story?" Hao Jian was astonished. "Atama's culture is backward; it's understandable that people think this way. Besides, doesn't every warlord like the One-Legged General give himself a grandiose title? It serves to intimidate their enemies and deceive more people into submission," Xiao Mei analyzed. Hao Jian nodded, understanding that it was similar to his nickname, "God of Death." Hao Jian hadn't expected that an unintended act would deify him? Suddenly, the roaring sound of engines from afar grew louder, and several military trucks slowly approached. "Could it be the remnants of the One-Legged General?" everyone gasped in shock. "There's no flag of the One-Legged General on the vehicles; it shouldn't be," Hao Jian shook his head. Then, they saw a dwarf jump down from a truck and quickly run towards Hao Jian. When Kegemo saw the One-Legged General's beheaded corpse and the bodies of soldiers scattered around, he too was visibly shocked, but he was sure he hadn't come to the wrong place. "The Dwarf Assassin Kegemo?" the Atama civilians couldn't help but jump in fright; another ruthless character had arrived, and this Kegemo was not any less formidable than the One-Legged General. But now they were not afraid, because they had Hao Jian by their side. Chapter 299 Time to Part! "Is the God of Death present?" Kegemo asked the crowd. "God of Death?" Cheng Weiwei and the others looked at each other in confusion, who was the God of Death? Kegemo frowned, was the God of Death not here? Or had he already left? Just then, everyone saw Hao Jian step forward, an eyebrow raised, as he asked Kegemo, "Are you looking for me?" Cheng Weiwei and the others were shocked, Hao Jian was actually the God of Death? What was his background, and why was he called the God of Death? At that moment, Cheng Weiwei and the rest had some guesses in their minds, it wasn't without reason that Cheng Weiwei's grandfather asked Hao Jian to protect Cheng Weiwei's safety; this guy was definitely no ordinary person. Of course, no ordinary person would be called the God of Death. Kegemo looked Hao Jian up and down, and after sensing the acrid smell of blood on him, he also confirmed his identity and knelt down with a thud. "What are you doing?" Hao Jian frowned, asking somewhat oddly. Seeing Kegemo kneel before Hao Jian, the crowd could not help but gasp in shock. The civilians cried out even louder, acting like heretics, their expressions crazed. The One-Legged General was killed by Hao Jian, Kegemo knelt before him, and they became more convinced that Hao Jian must be a Heavenly God; only a Heavenly God would possess such ability. "My men had some unpleasantness with you at the du product trading post, I've come to apologize," Kegemo said with a nervous expression. Cheng Weiwei and the others were all stunned; the trading post belonged to the dwarf before them. Being able to have such extremely vicious men under him, Kegemo was definitely not good-natured, he must be a notorious villain. Yet, instead of being angry at Hao Jian for killing his men, he came all this way to apologize¡ªwhat did this mean? It meant that Hao Jian was ten times more fearsome than Kegemo. "Weiwei, what's the background of your bodyguard?" Kang Zhi couldn't help but ask curiously. Cheng Weiwei smiled bitterly and shook her head: "He's not my bodyguard. He just promised my grandfather to protect me. In fact, I don't really know him." "I didn't take that incident to heart, so you don't need to worry," Hao Jian said with an expressionless face. "That's good, that's good," Kegemo sighed a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted. "But I have some matters I need you to handle." "Just say the word!" Kegemo nodded vigorously, it was his honor to do a job for the God of Death. "Take care of these villagers for me, don't let their tribe suffer from other forces' harassment again," Hao Jian instructed. He was worried that the remnants of the One-Legged General would come to retaliate against these villagers. "No problem, I will arrange for protection immediately," Kegemo agreed at once, for him, it was a trifling matter. At these words, the villagers grew even more excited, and the volume of their cheers rose even louder. "Let's go home," Hao Jian said to Cheng Weiwei. Now that things had reached this stage, it was time to put an end to it all. Everyone nodded, they also no longer wanted to stay in Atama. Hao Jian glanced at the crowd and suddenly noticed Chu Zhixin wasn't among them, so he asked, "Where is Chu Zhixin?" "Don't mention it, that bastard deserted us and ran off on his own," Kang Zhi said with annoyance. "Ha, he won't get far. You all get on the vehicle first," Hao Jian gestured to Cheng Weiwei and the others, instructing Kegemo to escort them out of the border, as he himself was naturally going to look for Chu Zhixin. This time, Cheng Weiwei did not stop him. Meanwhile, Chu Zhixin was with his mercenaries, driving away from Atama at high speed. Along the way, Chu Zhixin kept urging, "Hurry up, I don't want to stay in this damned place for a moment longer. Damn it, this place is full of lunatics, might as well drop a few atomic bombs and flatten it!" The mercenaries smirked and kept silent, not joining in. But suddenly, the vehicle stopped. "Why the hell are we stopping? Keep driving!" Chu Zhixin roared. "Boss, a man has blocked our way," blurted out a black mercenary in his broken Chinese. Chu Zhixin stood up for a look, then rage filled his eyes¡ªit was Hao Jian who had arrived. At that moment, he stood in the middle of the road, a huge cigar clenched in his mouth, looking completely at ease. "Run him over!" Chu Zhixin ground his teeth, he loathed Hao Jian to the extreme, and now that Hao Jian dared to appear before him, he naturally wanted to grind him into mincemeat. "Yes, boss," the black man replied and then suddenly hit the gas pedal, the car headed straight for Hao Jian. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At that moment, Hao Jian flicked the cigar to the side and walked unhurriedly towards the oncoming car. "Crush him into ground meat! Hahahaha," Chu Zhixin laughed maniacally, in his eyes, Hao Jian was as good as dead. But just as the car was about to hit Hao Jian, he violently raised one foot and then slammed it down, and then the front of the vehicle nosedived into the ground, flipping the vehicle upside down. All of Chu Zhixin's men were sent flying, tumbling to the ground in a daze. "Who the hell are you?" the black demon asked in horror, kicking a car to smithereens¡ªa feat not even he, ranked twentieth on the Mercenary Rankings, could achieve. In his eyes, Hao Jian was certainly no ordinary individual. "God of Death," Hao Jian uttered indifferently. "God of Death?" The black demon and the others all changed their expressions dramatically, knowing full well who the God of Death was within the Underworld. They all wore grave expressions, for if what the other said was true, then they had absolutely no chance of fighting back. After all, even their King of Mercenary couldn't defeat the God of Death, let alone them. Hao Jian pointed at Chu Zhixin, "All I want is him. Hand him over, and I'll spare you from death." Hearing this, the black demon and the others all breathed a sigh of relief. The God of Death was not after them, which was good. Then, turning to Chu Zhixin, the black demon said with some regret, "Sorry boss, it looks like we'll have to leave you behind." They were mercenaries, paid to do a job, not to risk their lives for their employer. "You've taken my money; you can't do this!" Chu Zhixin immediately screamed in terror, knowing he was done for if the mercenaries abandoned him. At this moment, Chu Zhixin couldn't help but wonder who exactly Hao Jian was, that he could turn all these mercenaries against him with just a few words. "Boss, if you've got to blame something, blame the fact that you crossed the wrong person. I remember you Huaxia have a saying: 'If King Yan wants you dead at midnight, who can keep you until morning?' Our Western God of Death must be your Eastern King Yan, right?" the black demon said with a smile, then stepped aside, "The money your father gave us will be returned to him. We're out of this business!" As Hao Jian drew nearer, Chu Zhixin collapsed on the ground in fright, "Hao Jian, don't kill me, there's been a misunderstanding!" But Hao Jian didn't pay him any attention, simply closing in slowly. "Don't kill me, I'll give you money, as much as you want!" Chu Zhixin's face turned a ghastly green, regretting why he had ever clashed with such an evil person. If it weren't for that impulsive act, he wouldn't be in his current predicament. "In your next life, remember to be a good person." Hao Jian sneered, and with a flash of his blade, he beheaded Chu Zhixin. . "Mom! Grandpa!" Just off the plane at the Capital Airport, Cheng Weiwei couldn't wait to rush into her family's arms, fully realizing how precious an ordinary life can be after this ordeal. The moment Cheng Weiwei plunged into her mother's embrace, she couldn't help but burst into tears, obviously traumatized by the events in Atama. Xu Donghe cast a grateful look at Hao Jian, who merely waved a hand and then left toward an unpopulated direction, hiding his fame and accomplishments. "Where's Hao Jian?" Just then, Cheng Weiwei noticed that Hao Jian had disappeared and began looking around anxiously. Little Mei and the others also looked around, only to find that Hao Jian had long since left. "Grandpa, where's Hao Jian? Call him for me, I haven't had a chance to thank him yet." Cheng Weiwei spoke in a somewhat flustered manner, wondering why Hao Jian had left so suddenly without hearing her thanks. Hao Jian's departure made Cheng Weiwei feel uneasy, as she worried she might never see him again. "No need for that, you shouldn't see him again," Xu Donghe said coldly. "Why?" Cheng Weiwei asked in confusion, not understanding why she was forbidden from seeing Hao Jian. "Because he is not from your world," Xu Donghe replied, still stern. Cheng Weiwei laughed in exasperation, "What do you mean by that, is he from Mars or something?" "Cheng Weiwei!" Xu Donghe shouted angrily, silencing Kegemo, "Do you really not understand what I'm saying? If not, then let me tell you, I'm worried you'll fall in love with him. He's a man who's very strong, but also very dangerous. You're not suited for him; you'd only hold him back. In the end, you will cause his death, and your own!" "Grandpa, aren't you thinking too much? How could I possibly fall for him after meeting just a few times?" Cheng Weiwei's expression was uneasy. "I wish I were overthinking it because every woman who gets to know him ends up falling for him," Xu Donghe said with a cold snort. "." Cheng Weiwei was at a loss for words. "Enough, let's not talk about this anymore. The nanny has already prepared dinner at home; let's go home to eat," Cheng Weiwei's mother quickly stepped in to defuse the tension. Xu Donghe snorted and got into the car. "Weiwei, let's go," urged Cheng Weiwei's mother. But Cheng Weiwei, staring at the desolate airport, couldn't help feeling a deep sense of loss. Meanwhile, Hao Jian was wandering desolately through the streets, suddenly realizing he had nowhere to go. Cheng Weiwei and the others had their homes to return to, but he was at a loss. Now that he had fallen out with Shu Ya, he didn't know whether he still had a place at Ruo Lan's, and even if he did, after saying those things that day, he probably had no face to return. To make matters worse, he was penniless, having forgotten to ask Old Man Xu for money. Hao Jian hurriedly called Xu Donghe, but before he could speak, Xu Donghe snapped, "What is it, thinking of going after my niece again? Forget it! No chance! Buzz off! *click*" "I¡­ Fuck." Chapter 300 Womens Products! Xu Donghe hung up the phone directly, thinking that Hao Jian was calling to ask for Cheng Weiwei's contact information. "Damn it, this old bastard." Hao Jian couldn't help but curse, redialing the phone. "What do you want?" Xu Donghe said impatiently. "Old Bastard, I'm broke, send some money over quickly to help me out," Hao Jian said angrily. "No money, not giving, get lost!" Xu Donghe hung up the phone again. "Damn it, this sucks." Hao Jian was so angry he was almost jumping, calling Xu Donghe for the third time. This time he spoke first, "Old Bastard, if you dare hang up on me again, do you believe that I'll come to your house right now and rape and kill Cheng Weiwei?" "What on earth do you want?" "Money!" "I'll give it to you tomorrow. I don't have time now," Xu Donghe refused bluntly. "Then where will I sleep tonight?" "The streets, under the bridge, take your pick!" "Old Bastard, you're burning bridges!" Hao Jian grumbled and cursed under his breath, cursing Xu Donghe for being shameless and for abandoning him after using him up. "What? My signal is bad, hello. Hello. Click." "Damn, I really regret not letting him get run over by a war horse!" Hao Jian lamented and then had no choice but to squat under the bridge in the cold winter night. In the middle of the night, the surrounding residents heard someone singing "Little Cabbage" in a miserable voice. "Little Cabbage, oh, the ground's yellow, two or three years old, without a mother." "You little beggar, here's some money." A passing aunty threw a few coins on the ground. Hao Jian immediately got furious: "Your mom's a beggar, your whole family are beggars!" Then he quietly picked up the coins and pocketed them. "Teacher Hao, what are you doing here?" At this moment, a crisp feminine voice reached Hao Jian's ears. Hao Jian turned around and saw Zhao Yating poking her head out of the car. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire It turned out Zhao Yating was driving home after school and didn't expect to encounter Hao Jian on the road. "If I say I'm here to enjoy the moon, would you believe me?" Hao Jian said with a wry smile. "No," Zhao Yating also said with a smile, shaking her head. She had planned to follow Hao Jian to Atama with Che Xiaoxiao, but they didn't expect him to leave a day earlier, and he even sneaked off so they couldn't follow. "Alright, actually, I'm homeless now," Hao Jian sighed. "How can that be, didn't you go abroad?" Zhao Yating said in surprise, it seemed impossible for someone like Hao Jian to be homeless. "Yeah, but I came back earlier after sorting things out. That damn employer slipped away, and I didn't get my wages, so now I can only sleep on the streets," Hao Jian said with a look of frustration. "Ah, that's terrible!" Zhao Yating was secretly shocked and got out of the car. "Yeah, I'm so pitiful." "Teacher, how about you sleep at my place tonight?" Zhao Yating suggested. "Are your parents or anyone else at home?" Hao Jian asked. "No, my parents are abroad. I'm the only one living here in the country," Zhao Yating said blankly. "That's really great!" Hao Jian exclaimed. Alone together in one house, just thinking about it made him a little excited. "Ah?" Zhao Yating looked at Hao Jian, puzzled. Hao Jian quickly corrected himself, "Oh, what I mean is, it's really great of you to help me." "Don't say that, didn't you take care of us before?" Zhao Yating said with a slight smile. Hao Jian was excited, and she was equally thrilled. She had finally found a chance to be alone with Hao Jian. Che Xiaoxiao, you still want to compete with me? Dream on! "Shall we... go?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "Yeah, let's go," Zhao Yating nodded. Zhao Yating lived in a high-class apartment, and since the building only had four floors, it did not have an elevator. Hao Jian followed Zhao Yating upstairs, but on the third floor, Zhao Yating asked Hao Jian to sneak along quietly. "Why do we have to sneak around like thieves?" Hao Jian didn't understand. "There's a pervert on this floor. Every time I come home, he jumps out to scare me," Zhao Yating complained. "How does he scare you?" "He jumps out naked to scare me," Zhao Yating answered. "Jump out naked? Then you should make some noise on purpose, so he knows you've come back," Hao Jian said with a wicked smile. "Ah, why?" Zhao Yating asked, puzzled. Hao Jian smiled and raised his eyebrows, "Don't ask, just do as I say." "Alright," Zhao Yating said, half-convinced, and when she walked past that pervert's door, she deliberately spoke loudly: "Oh, I'm so tired, finally home." A few seconds later, sure enough, the pervert jumped out naked, just as Hao Jian pulled Zhao Yating over to his side and then kicked fiercely at the man's groin. "Ow!" The pervert howled in agony, then slowly fell to the ground like a cooked shrimp, foaming at the mouth and convulsing. "After this, he'll be out of commission for a long time and won't harass you anymore," Hao Jian said, laughing. Zhao Yating was also thrilled, admiringly looking at Hao Jian. He had come to her rescue once again. When they reached Zhao Yating's home, her eyes were greeted by the cozy pale yellow hues everywhere, the warm color palette of the d¨¦cor had a relaxing effect. "You have good taste," Hao Jian teased. "Oh, this wasn't my doing, a friend of mine did it. She used to live here, but later she had to travel around the world often, so she couldn't continue to stay here and sublet it to me," Zhao Yating explained with a smile. "I'm going to pour you a glass of water." Hao Jian nodded, looking around casually. Then, he saw something on the sofa... There it was, lying quietly, its distinctive color and unique shape betraying its identity no matter how unassuming it tried to be! "Ah!" Zhao Yating came out of the kitchen, and seeing Hao Jian staring straight at the object on the table, she screamed in shock. She quickly put down the glass of water in her hand and pocketed the object, her face turning red as she stammered, "This... This is also my friend's; she often leaves her things around." Hao Jian could not help but smile bitterly. If it was your friend's, would you be this nervous? "Hey," Hao Jian wanted to say something, but what came back was the sound of Zhao Yating slamming the door forcefully. "This little brat, don't you know that Teacher is doing this for your own good?" Hao Jian called out. "Thud!" Zhao Yating kicked the door fiercely, showing her discontent. "Hey, she's got spunk," Hao Jian chuckled, then made his way into the kitchen: "Let's see if there's anything I can eat to fill up." Meanwhile, Zhao Yating leaned against the door from the inside, hating herself at that moment. Why did she forget to put that thing away? Now it was all over, how would Teacher see her? He must think she was a bad girl. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After hesitating in her room for more than half an hour, Zhao Yating finally made up her mind to go check things out. But when she reached the living room, she saw Hao Jian sitting on the sofa watching TV and happily munching on her snacks without any reservations. Zhao Yating was at a loss whether to laugh or get angry. At this point, she didn't know whether to be happy or upset since it seemed he didn't take it seriously at all. Seeing Zhao Yating emerge, Hao Jian looked over plaintively, "Got anything to eat? I'm starving." ".." That night, Zhao Yating lay in bed, unable to sleep. After all, this was the first time she shared a room alone with a man, which was somewhat unsettling, especially since the man was the teacher she had always admired. Just then, Zhao Yating suddenly heard noises from the corridor outside, footsteps approaching, then stopping at her door. Zhao Yating immediately became panic-stricken. Was it Teacher? Why was he looking for her in the middle of the night? Could it be that he wanted...? The more Zhao Yating thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. What if Teacher really intended to take advantage of her? Should she let him do as he pleased, or should she resist? "Creak." Indeed, the door was pushed open, and someone tiptoed inside. Zhao Yating lay still, eyes shut tight, her body tense as she braced for what was to come. Suddenly, Zhao Yating felt a hand cover her mouth. Terrified, she opened her eyes and saw Hao Jian. He was indeed planning to do 'that' to her, wasn't he? Let's get on with it, I'm all ready! But the next moment, she heard Hao Jian whisper, "Shh, someone is trying to break into your house." "Huh?" The blaze of passion in Zhao Yating's heart was instantly doused by a bucket of cold water, and she couldn't help cursing inwardly: Who the hell is so inconsiderate now? Hao Jian gestured to Zhao Yating to be quiet, then signaled for her to follow him to the door. That's when they heard the murmuring voices of several men outside. "Old Wolf, where do you reckon that pretty chick is staying?" "Keep it down. Aren't we searching for her? Today, she dared to let her lover hit me. If I don't do something to her... it'd be a waste of Old Wolf's reputation!" the man nicknamed Old Wolf growled. Zhao Yating and Hao Jian both understood; this Old Wolf must be the pervert they encountered earlier. Now Zhao Yating's face was flushed with shame. Faced with Old Wolf's crude remarks, she couldn't help feeling a mix of anger and embarrassment as the affected party. Chapter 301 Choose One! "After you're done with her, take a few more photos, and she won't dare to call the cops, hehe," another voice with ill-intent spoke. At these words, both Hao Jian and Zhao Yating were infuriated¡ªthese people were too shameless. "Do you have any knives or sticks or something like that in your room?" Hao Jian asked. "Yes!" Zhao Yating nodded, then turned to grab something. "Here, teacher," she said. "Hmm?" Hao Jian looked at the nail file in his hand and couldn't help but twitch his eyebrows before saying to Zhao Yating, "Are you kidding me? Did a monkey invite you to be a joker or what?" Zhao Yating frowned, expressing her displeasure. "Teacher, you're swearing!" she said. "Ah!" Hao Jian covered his face and sighed. Was that really the point? "What's wrong?" Zhao Yating asked, looking puzzled. "Nothing, it's just that fighting with bare hands will do. Put away your "sharp" knife before it accidentally stabs someone to death," Hao Jian said. Zhao Yating was stunned, then immediately realized Hao Jian was teasing her, and she glared at him fiercely. At that moment, Old Wolf and the others barged in, but as soon as they entered, they were seized and beaten up fiercely. "Damn it, who hit me? Come out!" Old Wolf roared. "Your grandpa, me!" Hao Jian snapped the light on and stood in front of Old Wolf and his companions. "It's you again, you bastard!" Old Wolf was furious and gritted his teeth in hatred. "You've got some nerve, hitting members of the Wild Wolf Gang. You're dead meat. We just need to make one call, and dozens of our brothers will rush over here!" another sleazy, curly-haired Fatty yelled angrily. "What Wild Wolf Gang? Never heard of it," Hao Jian rolled his eyes in response. "That's because you're ignorant. The Wild Wolf Gang is composed of like-minded female researchers. We have nearly a hundred members. We're the ones who run this gang, and with one command from us, they'll respond immediately!" Wild Wolf added. "Female researchers? In the end, you're just perverts with an organization. Sure enough, this world is full of demons and devils!" Hao Jian sneered. "So what if we are!" Old Wolf retorted, maddened with embarrassment and anger. "Nothing. I just wanted to let you know that it turns out I'm a male researcher myself," Hao Jian said with a faint smile. "Hmm?" Including Zhao Yating, everyone went pale with shock. A male researcher? Was this guy GAY? Zhao Yating's face turned ashen. Had she fallen for a GAY? As for Old Wolf and his companions, they all tensed up and watched Hao Jian warily. Damn it, this guy better not be entertaining any indecent thoughts! "Don't worry, I'm not interested in men's bodies." Hao Jian chuckled, dragging over his suitcase, and pulled out a chainsaw. "Because I'm only interested in men's lives!" "A chainsaw?!" All three of the Wild Wolf Gang members freaked out, staring at the vibrating chainsaw. What kind of person was this, carrying a chainsaw around with him? Zhao Yating breathed a sigh of relief. So her teacher wasn't gay, which meant she still had a chance. But wait, something wasn't right. Wasn't this the time to be relieved? Also, where did that chainsaw come from? sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Don't like the chainsaw?" Hao Jian frowned, then pulled out a Golden-Backed Cleaver from his bag. "How about this?" All three shook their heads vigorously. "A gun, then?" Hao Jian produced a Desert Eagle. "Cough." The Fatty was so terrified that he fainted on the spot, foaming at the mouth. "How about a hand grenade?" "Sulfuric acid?" "Steel wire?" Watching Hao Jian pull out item after item from his suitcase, the members of the Wild Wolf Gang were completely in disarray. What was the background of this guy, to have so many murderous tools in a single suitcase? "Don't like any of them?" Hao Jian asked impatiently. The two remaining members of the Wild Wolf Gang kept shaking their heads. They really didn't feel like dying yet. "Then let's stick with the chainsaw!" Hao Jian turned on the chainsaw, and its buzzing whir sent the two Wild Wolf members' faces white with fear. "Teacher, stop scaring them. Just kick them out," Zhao Yating couldn't stand it anymore. It was pointless to talk with these scumbags. "Scaring them? Who said I was scaring them?" Hao Jian gave a cold laugh. At those words, Zhao Yating was taken aback. What did Hao Jian mean by that? Was he really planning on killing these people? "Have you ever considered what would have happened if I weren't here tonight?" Hao Jian said with a cold sneer. Zhao Yating shuddered and found herself at a loss for words. "Let me tell you, they would gang up and fuck you, over and over, and you would be trapped in that repeating humiliation. Now, do you still think they're pitiable?" Hao Jian sneered coldly. Zhao Yating fell silent, and the look in her eyes as she gazed at Old Wolf and the others had a touch of chill as well. She knew Hao Jian was right; these people who dared to barge into homes were certainly not doing this for the first time. If Hao Jian hadn't been there, she would have most likely met that fate. "Come on, choose one. There's no begging for mercy in this game, no running away, or you'll die!" Hao Jian chuckled. Wild Wolf and his companions were trembling all over. They knew that if you often walk by the river, you're bound to get your shoes wet, but they never imagined the price they'd have to pay this time would be so enormous. What was terrible was that they had encountered such a psycho. They were perverted in a lustful way, but Hao Jian was a murderer psycho. There was no comparison. "Choose!" Hao Jian shouted angrily. Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire Both men's bodies shook at the same time, and the unconscious Fatty was startled awake as well. "The Wild Wolf Gang has dozens of members." The Fatty tried to threaten Hao Jian, but before he could finish his sentence, his chubby face was stomped to the ground by Hao Jian's foot. With an icy expression, Hao Jian said, "Starting now, every time you spout nonsense, I'll saw off one of your hands." "I... I choose the knife!" Wild Wolf, knowing he couldn't escape, resigned himself to his fate. He dared not choose anything else and could only find something relatively safer among the items. Hao Jian picked up a small knife, approached Wild Wolf without a hint of hesitation, and stabbed it into Wild Wolf's abdomen. Wild Wolf cried out in pain, his face instantly turning as pale as paper, instinctively trying to pull out the knife. "I'd advise you not to pull it out. Once the wound is unblocked by the knife, blood will gush out, and you will die from blood loss within minutes," Hao Jian sneered. Wild Wolf looked at Hao Jian in horror; this guy was definitely a demon! The other two men also received their punishments in turn, each suffering grievous injuries that could be fatal without prompt medical attention. Hao Jian sneered at the three men, "Gentlemen, if you treat women like this, you won't get far. Your future depends on how you treat women. Men who do not respect women have no future! Do you want to have no future?" The three men from Wild Wolf Gang immediately shook their heads. At that moment, in front of Hao Jian, they were like scared little rabbits; even if Hao Jian said shit was delicious, they would nod and agree. "Now, you can get lost," Hao Jian said as he gestured them to leave. The three didn't dare delay any further and supported each other as they stumbled out. Just after they left, Hao Jian noticed that Zhao Yating was still staring at him, and he asked in puzzlement, "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?" "It's nothing. I was just thinking that if women heard those words you said, they would probably fall for you uncontrollably," Zhao Yating said with a smile in her eyes. What Hao Jian said really was touching, especially to women. "You should get some rest. There are classes tomorrow," Hao Jian said with a small smile, preparing to leave. "Teacher!" But at that moment, Zhao Yating summoned her courage and called out. "What is it?" Hao Jian turned back, looking at her with a puzzled expression. "Let's... let's sleep together?" After saying this, Zhao Yating shyly lowered her head, her face blushing as red as a monkey's butt. Hao Jian was stunned, staring blankly at Zhao Yating. With him staring at her, Zhao Yating also grew nervous, her fists clenched tightly and her entire body tensed. After a long while, Hao Jian flicked Zhao Yating's forehead and chided, "What are you thinking about, little missy! Go to sleep right now!" Saying that, Hao Jian ignored Zhao Yating's protests and walked out of her room. But once outside, Hao Jian slapped himself and murmured regretfully, "Pretending to be a gentleman, why the hell are you pretending to be a gentleman¡ªsuch a waste, it's a damn waste." ... "Teacher, there have been some troubles with the chess competition at school these last few days," Zhao Yating said to Hao Jian on their way to school. "What kind of trouble?" Hao Jian asked, frowning. "Our Chinese Medicine Hospital is having an academic exchange with Harvard University from America, and they sent a chess prodigy named Benjamin who is skilled in various chess techniques, especially international chess. As you know, our exchange this time is primarily about international chess, so it's quite clear ¡ª our Chinese Medicine Hospital has been thoroughly defeated," Zhao Yating said with a sigh. "This Benjamin publicly insulted our Huaxia chess players as trash, saying he could beat anyone in ten moves and boasted that after defeating the players of Hua City, he would challenge other regional players." "That arrogant?" Hao Jian was amused. Saying all of Huaxia's chess players were rubbish¡ªthat was not just a little arrogant. "Yes, but Benjamin truly is formidable. To curb his momentum, the dean invited all the chess experts from around Hua City to play against him, and they all lost. Now the whole Chess World is in a slump," Zhao Yating sighed again, then looked at Hao Jian with some expectation, "Teacher, do you know how to play international chess?" Since Hao Jian knew pottery and painting, perhaps he also knew how to play chess? "A little," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Oh," Zhao Yating responded, somewhat disappointed. A little means not very skilled, right? She had hoped Hao Jian could once again showcase his divine might and defeat Benjamin, but now it seemed impossible. However, Zhao Yating understood that no one could do everything. It was already amazing that Hao Jian knew so much. Hao Jian just smiled and didn't explain anything further. Chapter 302 Benjamin! Meanwhile, within the Chinese Medicine Hospital, the game continued. An old and a young man sat in front of the chessboard, the older one appearing to be in his early fifties, dressed plainly, while the younger one was in his early twenties, blond and handsome, with a look of arrogance in his eyes. This was the American chess prodigy, Benjamin, who had already achieved eight consecutive wins that day, and it seemed that the old man was about to lose as well. "Checkmate!" At this moment, Benjamin proudly shouted, officially declaring the end of the match. The old man trembled all over, froze in place for a long while, before finally gritting his teeth and saying, "I've lost!" "Sigh." Around them, sighs of disappointment and humiliation could be heard from the crowd. For the past few days, all the chess masters from Hua City's Chess World had gathered here to play against Benjamin, yet none of them lasted more than ten moves. This was utterly humiliating. They could accept losing, but at least they wished not to lose so disgracefully. Not lasting even ten moves, they were completely steamrolled by Benjamin. Teachers like Du Yuelin couldn't help shaking their heads. Benjamin's progress seemed unstoppable, and at this rate, it was possible he might indeed sweep through the Huaxia Chess World, making this incident a humiliation for Huaxia! Now, Du could only pray that a true chess master would appear out of nowhere to prevent Benjamin's ruthless trampling of Huaxia's Chess World. "Huaxia, do you not have any decent chess players?" Benjamin stood up, looking around arrogantly, with a look of contempt and scorn in his eyes. Everywhere he turned, the faces of the people were ashen. Benjamin's words were a provocation and an insult, and yet they were powerless to refute him. "Heh, it seems that I might have to end my visit to Hua City ahead of schedule. I had thought I would find a worthy opponent here, but it turns out they're all a bunch of garbage. Huaxia claims to have a culture stretching back five thousand years, boasting of profound knowledge, but now it seems that's all there is to it!" Benjamin spoke fluent Chinese, even understanding the more difficult idioms. His words were incredibly rude, insulting not just all the chess players but all Huaxia people as well. At this time, the Harvard University students, seeing Benjamin have defeated all the Huaxia chess players, were excited and chanted Benjamin's name. Benjamin's victory had brought glory to his country, and once he returned to America, he would become a celebrated figure! Meanwhile, an American gentleman in a smart suit and neat attire stood among the American college group, a satisfied smile crossing his lips. "What are you so arrogant about, blondie? The real master just hasn't arrived yet. Once he does, he'll beat you in minutes!" Suddenly, an angry voice came from the crowd. Everyone turned to the source of the voice, and they immediately saw a beautiful girl glaring at Benjamin¡ªit was Che Xiaoxiao. Che Xiaoxiao might not have been a patriotic student, but any Huaxia person would be enraged by Benjamin's remarks. The only difference was that, while others dared not stand up, she did. "A real master? Who?" Benjamin sneered. In these few days, he had seen too many so-called masters. Each one proclaimed a master ended up being defeated by him. So now, to Benjamin, the term "master" felt contemptible and laughable. "Che Xiaoxiao, don't make a fuss!" Du Yuelin scolded as well. The shame endured by Huaxia's Chess World was already enough; they could not afford any more humiliation. If Xiaoxiao casually found someone to play against Benjamin and they lost, it would only make them look worse. But Xiaoxiao acted as if she hadn't heard Du speak and said proudly, "Of course, it's our Teacher Hao, Hao Jian. He's a Chess Grandmaster whose specialty is international chess." "Che Xiaoxiao, what nonsense are you spouting? When did Teacher say he played international chess? You're deliberately pushing him into a pit of fire!" Zhang Jia said discontentedly, as Xiaoxiao was clearly bluffing. "Losing the game but not the face, what do you know? Although we've lost to him in chess, we absolutely cannot be weaker than him in spirit. We have to pretend that Hao Jian is a chess master who could easily crush Benjamin, and anyway, Hao Jian isn't even in the country right now. He doesn't have to play chess face-to-face with Benjamin, who knows his real skill level?" Xiaoxiao replied quietly. Zhang Jia and Luo Tong, upon hearing this, felt that Xiaoxiao's words made a lot of sense. They looked at each other and nodded firmly, then turned to Benjamin and shouted, "If you dare, blondie, don't run. Once our Teacher comes back, he'll make you beg for mercy!" Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire "Right, right, right, don't think you're so great just because you've defeated some chess players. That's because you haven't met our Teacher. If you were to face our Teacher, then it would be your turn not to last ten moves!" Xiaoxiao was suddenly shocked; surely this was taking it too far. "Is he really that good?" Benjamin frowned, his interest piqued. Luo Tong and Zhang Jia were still unaware of their mistake and continued arrogantly, "Of course, with your weak skills, he could win even if he played randomly!" "You should be thankful my teacher has gone abroad, otherwise he'd have beaten you black and blue by now!" Damn it! Damn it! Che Xiaoxiao shook her head while holding her forehead, these two damn fools. "Fine, I'll just wait here for him to come back," Benjamin said with a smile. "Wait for him to come back?" Luo Tong and Zhang Jia were shocked at the same time, then looked at Che Xiaoxiao as if asking for help. "More trouble than you're worth," Che Xiaoxiao glared fiercely at the two Luo Tong. "Wasn't this your idea?" "I told you to put on a show, not to humiliate him," Che Xiaoxiao said angrily. "What should we do then?" The two Luo Tongs were terrified, now it seemed like they had pushed Hao Jian into the fire pit. "What should we do?" Che Xiaoxiao chuckled, "How about you two atone with your deaths!" "This..." Luo Tong and the other didn't know what to say. Benjamin turned his head to look at Du Yuelin, "Principal Du, do you know when their teacher will be back?" "This, I'm not quite sure, because he has been abroad recently and I don't think he'll be returning to the country any time soon," Du Yuelin replied. He was feeling very confused at the moment, because he didn't know if what Che Xiaoxiao said was true or false, if Hao Jian truly understood international chess. And even if he did, he didn't know whether Hao Jian could beat Benjamin; if not, he feared they might be humiliated again. "So, you're saying that you've been deceiving me? Or is there no such teacher at all, and you're just making excuses because you can't accept defeat? Fabricating a person that doesn't exist just to save your reputation?" Benjamin sneered. "How could that be? If we truly lost, our Chinese Medicine Hospital and even the whole Huaxia Chess World would accept it. Our school does have such a person, he's just not in the country," Du Yuelin said with a frown. "Then you should call him, shouldn't you? I would think such a major event at your Chinese Medicine Hospital would have him hurrying back no matter how busy he is. And if he's worried about the cost of the plane ticket, I can reimburse him," Benjamin said, somewhat aggressively, his expression increasingly smug. "This..." Du Yuelin hesitated, not because he didn't want to call Hao Jian, but because he felt embarrassed to do so. Hao Jian had already said he had urgent matters abroad, and now he would feel ashamed to call him and summon him back. "What's the matter, you don't dare to call? I think there simply isn't such a person, right? Haha, it's ridiculous. Huaxia, a great nation, yet when the bet is lost, you refuse to accept it and even fabricate an imaginary person to defend your laughable dignity," Benjamin mocked. "Blondie, what are you talking about!" The Huaxia students all glared, looking like they wanted to rush up and beat up Benjamin. Seeing this, Benjamin's side quickly protected him, looking arrogantly at the students from the Chinese Medicine Hospital, "Did Benjamin say something wrong? Isn't it true that you Huaxia people can't accept losing? If you really have that teacher, why don't you call him out? If you can't, it just means you're lying, it means you are shameful losers!" At that moment, a well-dressed middle-aged man also walked over slowly and said with a smile to Du Yuelin, "Director Du, as we say in America, it's not shameful to fail, but it's shameful to make excuses for one's failure. Now you Huaxia have done both, and I'm starting to regret having this exchange with your Chinese Medicine Hospital." Director Du's face also looked terrible, "Director Giggs, don't you think you're going a bit too far? How do you know that we are definitely lying?" "If you're not lying, then where is the teacher?" Giggs said with a cold laugh. Director Du's face was gloomy, and he didn't know how to respond. Because even if Hao Jian were here, he might not be able to beat Benjamin right now. "It's all your fault!" Che Xiaoxiao glared at Luo Tong and the other, if these two brats hadn't been so arrogant, Benjamin wouldn't have believed that Huaxia still had a master. Luo Tong and Zhang Jia hung their heads in shame, not daring to argue. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "So, you don't even know where he is, yet you dare say he can win against Benjamin?" Giggs laughed heartily. "Principal, why not just give Hao Jian a call? As a part of our Chinese Medicine Hospital, he naturally should advance or retreat with us, right? If he can't beat Benjamin, we'll just fire him!" Wang Zhigang incited from the side, suggesting a bad idea. But Director Du answered him with a sharp look. Wang Zhigang bowed his head and didn't dare to speak again. "If you can't find that teacher, then your Chinese Medicine Hospital might as well just admit you're shameful losers. We don't have the time to waste on you," Benjamin sneered. "No need to look further, I'm already here!" Just then, a voice full of magnetism came from afar. Everyone turned to look and was surprised to see Hao Jian and Zhao Yating walking over together. Seeing Hao Jian appear, Qin Bing couldn't help but show a joyful expression, but then her face soon showed a trace of sorrow. Because when Hao Jian left, he didn't tell her, leaving her worried for him. Chapter 303 The Roadblock Hao Jian! Upon their apparition, Benjamin and Giggs couldn't help but have their eyes narrow in curiosity, sizing him up. Seeing Hao Jian appear, Du Yuelin couldn't help but show a look of joy, "Hao Jian, when did you get back? Wasn't it supposed to be two months?" "Things wrapped up early, so I came back early," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Good, good, it's good that you're back," Du Yuelin nodded. Then, Du Yuelin turned to look at Benjamin and said, "This is the Hao Jian we were just talking about, Teacher Hao!" Benjamin chuckled, took a step forward, and mocked a bow towards Hao Jian, "Teacher Hao Jian, is it? I've heard you're a master of chess. My purpose for coming to Huaxia this time is to exchange chess techniques with Huaxia chess players. I wonder if you could grant me some instruction?" Hearing this, the anxiety Du Yuelin had just set aside soared once again. The last thing he wanted had still happened; although Hao Jian had returned, if he couldn't face Benjamin's challenge, or if he lost to Benjamin, the Chinese Medicine Hospital, and even all of Huaxia would still be insulted. "Exchange? You make it sound so nice. I think you've come to Huaxia just to insult Huaxia chess players!" Hao Jian scoffed coldly. If it were just for an exchange, Benjamin wouldn't have spoken the way he did just now. Benjamin's brows immediately furrowed, for he realized Hao Jian was different from the others; he was even more arrogant and unrestrained. In Benjamin's view, someone who dared to be so arrogant must certainly have real skills. Gradually, a fiery light couldn't help but flash in Benjamin's eyes. Du Yuelin and the others dared not be arrogant because they had lost to Benjamin. Thus, they inevitably felt somewhat inferior when facing him. But Hao Jian was different; wherever and whenever, he preserved an invincible spirit, and it was for this reason that he could ascend the throne of the God of Death, making the Four Kings both hate and fear him. "It's clear you're different from them. Since that's the case, dare you accept my challenge?" Benjamin asked with a cold laugh. "It's just dealing with a little brat whose baby fuzz hasn't even fallen off yet. What's there to be afraid of?" Hao Jian looked at Benjamin with disdain. "Well said!" Che Xiaoxiao and Luo Tong all yelled out, unruly and arrogant, looking down on everything. That's just like their Teacher Hao! Benjamin couldn't help but have his expression stiffen, and in the next instant, he glared at Hao Jian in annoyance. "Are you capable or not? If you're not, don't act tough and spout nonsense, it's not you who will lose face but our Chinese Medicine Hospital!" Wang Zhigang huffed. "Am I not capable? Are you any better?" Hao Jian retorted with disdain. "You." "Hao Jian, this Benjamin is no ordinary person. We've already planned to concede. There's no need for you to go up and shame yourself," Du Yuelin sighed at this point. Anyway, it was not possible to win against Benjamin, so there was no need for Hao Jian to lose face going up there. "Don't be so pessimistic. Who will win or lose is still uncertain," Hao Jian snorted indifferently. Du Yuelin suddenly became lost in thought, "Do you have confidence in beating Benjamin?" "Ninety percent, I guess, not too much," Hao Jian bragged. At these words, including Benjamin, everyone couldn't help but show surprise on their faces, ninety percent? So you're saying that you're sure to win. Zhao Yating was also incredulous. Didn't Hao Jian just tell her he only had a superficial understanding of international chess? How did it completely change now? "That's quite the big talk!" Wang Zhigang couldn't help but mock again. So many chess players had no solution to Benjamin, so what made Hao Jian so arrogant? He really didn't buy it; it wasn't like Hao Jian was omnipotent. "If you're confident, then go ahead!" Du Yuelin patted Hao Jian's shoulder and said, currently choosing to believe in Hao Jian because he never once let him down. "Dean, you can't let him mess around like this; it concerns the reputation of our Chinese Medicine Hospital!" Wang Zhigang panicked; Du Yuelin was essentially entrusting the dignity and honor of the Chinese Medicine Hospital to Hao Jian. "Reputation? With the way things are now, what damn reputation is left!" Du Yuelin retorted with dissatisfaction, they had already lost face completely; now they could only hope for a long shot. "But those chess players weren't Benjamin's match; how capable can he be?" "But at least he's willing to stand up for the college. Dare you? Can you?" Du Yuelin scoffed. The more he looked at Wang Zhigang, the more displeasing he found him to be. He hadn't noticed it before, but now he realized how annoying this guy was. That was because Hao Jian hadn't been here before, and Wang Zhigang had no chance to badmouth Hao Jian. How much Du Yuelin valued Hao Jian went without saying; if Hao Jian wished, he would be willing to give up his position as the dean at any time. So, Wang Zhigang's constant whispers about Hao Jian just made Du Yuelin very annoyed. Not only did Wang Zhigang's words fail to make Du Yuelin have any negative opinion of Hao Jian, but they also made him see Wang Zhigang as a backstabbing villain. Scolded by Du Yuelin like this, Wang Zhigang's face was filled with embarrassment, not knowing how to retort. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire Hao Jian directly walked toward Benjamin, and Benjamin, now extremely angry, laughed in response, "You're saying that you'll definitely beat me?" Benjamin had never been insulted like this before. Ever since his name was known in the chess world, he was treated like a star, advancing through every challenge and earning the title of a chess genius. Even master-level chess players had to be cautious when facing him, yet Hao Jian was utterly disdainful of him, treating him like an insignificant player! "Yeah, how so? Don't believe me?" Hao Jian asked in surprise. "I don't believe it!" Benjamin gritted his teeth, truly infuriated. This Huaxia man was too arrogant! At first, he thought Hao Jian was just proud, but now it seemed he was downright dismissive of others! "You will believe it," Hao Jian continued to insult him as if to aggravate him further. Benjamin was so angry he couldn't speak, his face contorted with rage. "But it would be too boring to have the match like this." sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What do you want?" Benjamin asked impatiently, suspecting the shameless Huaxia man of plotting something. "Simple. If I lose, I will admit that we Huaxia chess players are all useless, and our Chinese Medicine Hospital will publicly claim to become an affiliate of Harvard University!" Hao Jian said with a light smile. But this statement stirred a huge uproar, leaving everyone speechless. This act¡ªput nicely, was self-deprecation; bluntly put, it was an insult to the nation! "Hah, you're just a minor teacher. Can you even make such a decision?" Benjamin scoffed. Hao Jian said nothing but turned his head to look at the other chess players and said in a deep voice, "I know you're dissatisfied with losing to him, and I know you don't want to bring shame to our country because of your own reasons. So now, I ask you to trust me and agree with my approach!" The chess players hesitated for a moment, then began whispering among themselves. They then turned back, and an elderly player of esteemed status spoke, "Kid, just go for it. Whether you win or lose, we'll accept it!" They were already humiliated, so facing further loss of face didn't scare them; they might as well give it their all. "Director." Hao Jian looked towards Du Yuelin. Du Yuelin didn't speak but nodded firmly. Thus, Hao Jian smiled, turned to Benjamin and said, "Now do you believe I can make this call? If you lose, you'll kneel on the ground and shout three times that Huaxia is the greatest country in the world, and you'll apologize to these chess players you've insulted before!" Hearing this, Giggs on the side felt something was amiss. Hao Jian's stakes were too high; he wouldn't propose such terms without being very confident. Giggs was a middle-aged man, with thoughts and experiences Benjamin couldn't match. Seeing Hao Jian's confidence, he knew there must be a trick! "Are you kidding me, how could I possibly lose!" Benjamin laughed arrogantly. "I said 'if'." "Fine, I agree! If I lose, not only will I kneel and apologize to them, but I also swear to never play Xiangqi again!" Benjamin declared confidently. "Benjamin, that's not wise." Giggs wanted to stop Benjamin, but Benjamin didn't give Giggs a chance to speak and directly said to Hao Jian, "Come on, let's play chess!" Seeing this, Giggs could only shake his head and sigh, praying that he was overthinking. Hao Jian also sat down. "What chess do you plan to play?" Benjamin asked Hao Jian with an ugly expression. "Let's play your best game, international chess!" Hao Jian laughed. Benjamin snorted in anger, somewhat annoyed, "You're deliberately seeking death!" Hao Jian actually planned to beat him in his area of expertise, which was simply a fool's dream. "No, I just think it feels particularly rewarding to defeat someone in their area of expertise," Hao Jian arrogantly chuckled. Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao both laughed. Only they could understand Hao Jian's boastful sense of humor! "I hope you're as good as you say, otherwise, because of you, I will use my chess technique to sweep through Huaxia and crush all of your chess players!" Benjamin's eyes flashed with intense anger, planning to defeat the other players after beating Hao Jian, given his arrogance. "You won't be going anywhere, you'll simply return to your America, because I am your roadblock. Today, I'll make a bold mark on your undefeated record!" Hao Jian sneered, then stopped talking and made his move. Hao Jian took the white pieces, and Benjamin took the black. But Hao Jian started with the King's Gambit opening. "Losing a piece right from the start, does he even know how to play chess? I think he's going to lose; Director, you really shouldn't have let him play!" Wang Zhigang complained to Du Yuelin. "Exchanging the f-pawn for speedy piece development is one of the most common openings of the 19th century. If you don't understand, just keep your mouth shut and watch," an old chess player gave Wang Zhigang a stern look and admonished. "Wang Zhigang, from this second onwards, I don't want to hear any sounds related to you, if you can't do that, be ready to pack up and get out!" Du Yuelin said angrily, then turned away from a stunned Wang Zhigang and focused his gaze on the two players before the chessboard. Chapter 304 The Immortal Plot! Benjamin accepted the gambit, and then simultaneously blocked Hao Jian with his bishop and knight, making it impossible for Hao Jian's rook and king to castle. Seeing this, the chess players defeated by Benjamin couldn't help but show a serious expression on their faces. Because just moments before, they had fallen into Benjamin's trap, step by step being devoured by Benjamin until they completely lost the game. However, Hao Jian just slightly smiled, immediately followed up behind his previous rook, thereby causing Benjamin to lose the initiative. Benjamin frowned because he couldn't understand Hao Jian's moves. Under such circumstances, everyone would think of protecting their king or driving away his black pieces, but Hao Jian seemed oblivious to the threat his black pieces were posing to the king, boldly continuing to advance. "Not even protecting the king, what is he trying to do?" At that moment, the other players were also puzzled. If Hao Jian continued like this, he would lose in at most two more moves, not even lasting ten turns, five turns would be too much. An elderly man sighed, "Alas, he's simply too young, too confident, yet not skilled enough." And upon hearing this, Wang Zhigang was pleased because as long as Hao Jian lost, he would be the culprit bringing shame to Huaxia, and perhaps Du Yuelin wouldn't value him anymore. But Benjamin was deeply furrowing his brow, thinking, hesitating; he knew that just one more move and Hao Jian would be checkmated, yet he felt that things weren't that simple. There must be something he hadn't noticed, but he couldn't figure out what the trap was. On this seemingly quiet chessboard, danger was actually lurking everywhere! Yet eventually, Benjamin couldn't resist the temptation of victory, raised his piece, and launched an attack on Hao Jian. Benjamin planned to start disintegrating Hao Jian's defenses from the outside, directly threatening the white knight, and drawing his rook back to protect his pawns, with a direct killing intent towards the white rook. As long as the white rook died, the king's defenses would be completely disintegrated. Just when everyone thought Hao Jian would start defending, he still attacked, stubborn and unyielding. "He's losing, he's losing! It's over, he's lost." The same elderly man who had spoken earlier couldn't help but sigh. "So that's all you're capable of." Benjamin's mouth curled into a sneer, thinking how capable Hao Jian had been believed to be, only to find out that Hao Jian was only verbally skillful. Just one more move, and Hao Jian would be completely checkmated. "That's what I should be saying to you," Hao Jian said with disappointment, shaking his head, "Even now, you haven't seen the killing move. Some chess prodigy you are¡ªit turns out that's all there is to it." "What?" The crowd was shocked, and the looks of the other players were increasingly difficult to control as they flocked around Hao Jian. They all wanted to know what kind of trap Hao Jian had set up to be so confident. Benjamin was also stunned, quickly looking down to find the mistakes in his own game. "It's the queen, his Black Queen is threatened by the white knight!" someone exclaimed. Benjamin finally realized it but couldn't help but gasp. He thought he had threatened Hao Jian's white knight, but little did he know, Hao Jian's white knight had already targeted his queen. "Brilliant!" It was the same elderly man before, who now realized that his own short-sightedness had blinded him to the masterly finesse of Hao Jian's covert strategy. "A beautiful sacrifice! Now the Black side can only passively accept the sacrifice, but if Black accepts it, his queen will be in an extremely passive position." "From this move, the White side's chess will progressively reach an exquisite level." "A stroke of genius, his overall perspective is even more superior. With such skills, he is not just among the top five in the world, but perhaps the top ten!" The players were all abuzz, looking at Hao Jian with increasing respect. "Shh, no talking during the game." Hao Jian mockingly gestured for everyone to be silent, then smirked at Benjamin, "Your choice." Your choice my ass! At that moment, Benjamin really wanted to curse at Hao Jian. His pieces were already under Hao Jian's control, he really had no choice but to sacrifice one of his bishops to keep his queen safe, but as an exchange, he also took one of Hao Jian's bishops, which seemed not too bad, but in reality, he had already fallen into Hao Jian's trap. "Benjamin made a critical blunder with this move. From this point on, Black's position was entirely passive," a player muttered under his breath, his expression surprisingly excited because they finally saw a glimmer of hope for victory. Previously, when Benjamin defeated them, he was quite detached, but now his face had taken on a grave expression. At this moment, Benjamin indeed dared not underestimate Hao Jian any longer. Judging by the chess technique Hao Jian had displayed, he could genuinely be a world-class master-level player. It was not going to be easy to defeat him. "I heard that when you play against someone, you beat them within ten moves every time. If I haven't miscounted, this is already the fifteenth move, right?" Hao Jian said with a smile. "So what? I admit you are indeed better than the others, but it's not going to be easy to beat me!" Benjamin snorted angrily but still refused to concede. "Fine, now I'll tell you, I will defeat you within the next ten moves. If I can't do it, then consider it my loss!" Hao Jian declared confidently. Hearing Hao Jian's words, everyone was shocked. His opponent was Benjamin, a renowned chess prodigy both domestically and internationally. Hao Jian was confident he could defeat him in ten moves? How could that be possible? Hao Jian's students, however, were all filled with fervor, because they believed that if Hao Jian said ten moves, then it would definitely be ten moves! Jiang Yutong stood in the crowd, dazedly watching Hao Jian facing Benjamin. She, too, was surprised and curious. Curious about who exactly was Hao Jian. The first time she met him, he had saved her from the hands of the ten sisters; the second time, he had shown her a scene of evil, yet the third time, he was glorifying the country. Every time she saw Hao Jian, she seemed to discover a different facet of him. At this moment, hundreds of gazes were all fixed on Hao Jian, including those from the students at Harvard University. Hearing Hao Jian's haughty words, they were all angered, glaring at him. "Since you're courting death, don't blame me!" Benjamin's face was now darker than a pot, and as a involved party, he was more furious than anyone else present. Meanwhile, Giggs watched the chess game with a serious face. As Benjamin's teacher, his chess skill was naturally superior to Benjamin's. Even so, at this moment, he could not discern the hidden peril in the game. "Black should not be tempted to capture the bishop but should move to neutralize the threat from the white knight," the chess players realized as they saw Hao Jian make another move, that the situation was completely under his control. Hao Jian further weakened the scenario; Benjamin's rook, knight, and bishop were all positioned initially, their Black Queen driven away, while Hao Jian had already controlled a significant portion of the chess board. At this point, representing the White side, Hao Jian drew a rook as the counter-attack, leaving Benjamin's Black side with the Queen and Black Bishop severely stagnated, while the White side, with its pair of knights and bishop along with the Queen, was poised for a total attack. However, Benjamin had now threatened Hao Jian's two rooks, and then made an extremely poor decision, which was the irresistible temptation to capture the soldiers and threaten the two rooks. After capturing Hao Jian's two rooks, Benjamin completely fell into Hao Jian's trap. "The aim of the White side is to limit the Black King's mobility, intending to cut off the Black side's defensive lines, and threaten the Black side's defense. At this point, Black cannot move because Black has more pieces but their strategic positions are still deficient, the situation remains unclear. A simulated example shows the Black King's life hangs by a thread, with Black having no better strategy than to check for a draw," "A fatal blow, and all hopes for the Black side are dashed," Benjamin clenched his teeth, knowing that he was incredibly passive now, completely led by the nose by Hao Jian. If this continued, the game would probably end with his defeat. The chess players' expressions were also very excited, and if this continued, Hao Jian really could finish the checkmate within ten moves. "This game can be regarded as an immortal match, I've never seen such a game in my life, filled with calculations everywhere," an elder exclaimed in admiration. "There's no reason for it. Such a great master shouldn't be obscure, but how come I have never seen him before?" Everyone felt puzzled. Being able to layout this unforgettable immortal match, Hao Jian must be a grandmaster in the Chess World, such a person shouldn't be without fame. The White side sacrificed another rook, blocking the Black Queen from defending the King. Benjamin still hadn't noticed, the Black chess pieces weakened in the attack after capturing the two rooks, and now it was impossible to prevent the White side's checkmate, regardless of whether they moved, as the White had a three-move checkmate in store. "It seems there's no need for ten moves, the fifth move has already concluded it," Hao Jian said with a light smile. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At this moment, Benjamin was also breaking out in a profuse sweat, because he realized his Black King no longer had any escape. Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire "The final move!" Hao Jian said indifferently to Benjamin, his victory already certain no matter how Benjamin moved. Benjamin hesitated to move his pieces, looking at the chessboard now completely dominated by Hao Jian, suddenly unsure of his next move. "Benjamin driven into a corner? How is that possible?" Benjamin's classmates, seeing him sweating profusely, were all stunned. Since when had Benjamin ever been so bullied in chess? In their eyes, Benjamin was a god, an unbeatable deity, but now this deity was gradually falling into a tight spot due to the presence of this mysterious man. At this moment, Benjamin was also panic-stricken and extremely restless, but his thoughts were not on the chessboard but on matters above it. Losing this game meant he would have to kneel and never touch his favorite game of international chess again, and his myth of invincibility would be completely ended. "Take your time, I've got all the time in the world," Hao Jian said lightly and disdainfully, "But your heart is already in turmoil, you are scared. In this state, you cannot win against me!" Chapter 305 Ten Rounds! Benjamin clenched his teeth fiercely, yet stubbornly refused to acknowledge the situation, and made his move. Then the game ended. Although Benjamin had a clear material advantage: up by a queen, two rooks, and a bishop, Hao Jian successfully checkmated with his remaining two knights and a bishop. Staring at the chessboard that symbolized his defeat, Benjamin was utterly shocked. Lost? Had he really lost? Hao Jian stood up, dusted off his clothes, and said indifferently to Benjamin, "Your offense is sufficient, but your defense is lacking, and your sense of the overall situation is weak. Stop calling yourself a genius in chess in front of me from now on, because you simply don't qualify!" Benjamin's face turned ashen, his teeth gritted, but the full weight of his shame left him speechless. "Wow wow wow." The teachers and students at the Chinese Medicine Hospital were like a pot that had exploded, screaming wildly, and even the chess players looked at Hao Jian with fanatic eyes, because he had salvaged the reputation of both the Chinese Medicine Hospital and the entire Chess World of Huaxia! Benjamin had swept through the chess players of Hua City in ten moves, but Hao Jian had rewritten the saga of the unbeaten myth with an immortal game! This way, those damn foreigners would no longer dare to say that Huaxia had no one! "Hao Jian! Hao Jian! Hao Jian!" Someone began the chant, and the rest joined in, creating waves of shouts that echoed through the Chinese Medicine Hospital, resounding continuously. Listening to them shouting Hao Jian's name, the complexions of both Benjamin and Giggs turned extremely ugly. "Little blond, roll back to your America; Huaxia is not a place for you to run wild!" "Exactly. Don't think that we really have no one in Huaxia, beating you would be a matter of minutes!" Che Xiaoxiao led the students in laughter, as Benjamin had humiliated them earlier, now it was their time to strike back. "Let your teacher play against me. You're not qualified enough." Hao Jian looked at Benjamin coldly, his eyes indifferent, clearly not taking Benjamin seriously at all. Witnessing Hao Jian's scornful gaze, Benjamin trembled throughout his body, his proud dignity shattered to pieces! "Excellent!" Du Yuelin was also clapping his hands in approval, feeling a true sense of exultation. Indeed, Hao Jian had not let him down! Wang Zhigang, however, was gnashing his teeth in resentment, cursing inwardly at how useless Benjamin was to have lost to Hao Jian. Wasn't he acting all high and mighty just a moment ago? Giggs pushed up his glasses and walked towards Hao Jian with a dark expression, "Do you want to play against me?" "What, is that a problem?" Hao Jian sneered. "Do you know who I am?" Giggs's mouth twisted into a sly smile, as it had been many years since anyone had dared to challenge him. "Do I need to know?" Hao Jian scoffed dismissively, determined to defeat Giggs no matter who he was. "Hao Jian, don't act rashly. Giggs is the world's second-ranked chess master; he's not on the same level as Benjamin. Though you've beaten Benjamin, you stand no chance against him, so it's best to stop now." "Yeah, Hao Jian, it's good enough that you won against Benjamin, there's no need to disgrace yourself further." The other chess players were all advising Hao Jian, because they knew how fearsome Giggs was; besides the Chess King, no one could beat him. "I know what I'm doing." But Hao Jian paid no heed to the others' advice, insisting on going his own way. Seeing Hao Jian's firm stance, the chess players felt frustrated, cursing him under their breath for being so ungrateful. Just as they had regained some honor, he was eager to throw it away again. "One small victory and his confidence is inflated. Isn't that just too presumptuous, Teacher Qin?" Wang Zhigang smiled at Qin Bing. But Qin Bing merely glanced at him indifferently and silently walked away. Wang Zhigang's face showed his embarrassment. "What's the matter, you scared?" Hao Jian challenged Giggs with a provocative look. He knew that without Giggs's approval, Benjamin would never dare to humiliate the Chinese Medicine Hospital publicly. Giggs was the real mastermind behind the scenes, and he had also joined Benjamin in insulting Huaxia. If Hao Jian had dealt with Benjamin, there was no reason to let Giggs off the hook. Since Giggs planned to disgrace the Chess World of Huaxia, Hao Jian intended to make Giggs taste his own medicine! "Heh, if you're seeking death, how could I not oblige?" Giggs said with a cold laugh, thinking: This newbie is unafraid of tigers; even a nobody like Wu Ming dares to challenge him. Has it been so long since he made an appearance that he has been forgotten? In his view, the reason why Hao Jian dared to be so arrogant was probably that he had beaten Benjamin, thus naively thinking he could also defeat him. And Giggs was ready to give Hao Jian a resounding slap in the face! Giggs sat down where Benjamin had just been, his face expressionless, "Let's go!" "Don't rush. Before we play chess, some matters need to be settled first," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh, then turned to Benjamin, "I suppose you haven't forgotten what you promised earlier, have you?" Benjamin's expression instantly stiffened, as he knew Hao Jian wouldn't let him off easily. His body rigid, he clenched his fists. Once he knelt, it would make the news tomorrow, and he would become the laughingstock of the entire Chess World. Benjamin began to regret not seeing through his opponent's trick earlier, foolishly agreeing to his demand. "Kneel! Kneel! kneel!" The students of the Chinese Medicine Hospital also shouted in unison; Benjamin had insulted them like that, and now he must apologize! The students from Harvard University didn't dare make a sound. A wager was a wager; Benjamin kneeling was only proper, and they would say nothing about it. Benjamin's expression was awkward as he looked at his teacher Giggs, as if for help. Giggs also frowned, saying, "Benjamin is the son of a member of the Nicholas financial conglomerate. Are you sure you want to do this?" Nicholas was currently the richest conglomerate in America, and Benjamin's father was one of its members. Giggs hoped to use Benjamin's identity to make Hao Jian think twice, but little did he know that Hao Jian was still indifferent. "I don't care who he is or where he comes from. I only know that those who insult Huaxia must be punished, even from afar!" Hao Jian's eyes were cold as he stared at Benjamin. "Now you only have two choices, kneel down, or I'll break your leg!" Hao Jian's attitude was surprisingly tough, which caught both Benjamin and Giggs off guard. Benjamin clenched his teeth, feeling a chill in his body. He could tell Hao Jian was not joking; this madman might really do it. But Benjamin still could not bring himself to make that decision, after all, he had been proud for so many years, how could he suddenly admit defeat. Seeing that Benjamin did not understand, Hao Jian knew what he was thinking and, without any unnecessary words, fulfilled his promise and kicked Benjamin's knee. A sound of bone cracking was heard, Benjamin let out a mournful cry and knelt down, right in front of Hao Jian. Benjamin's face was red with shame and he felt an extreme sense of humiliation! "It seems your bones are not as strong as your pride," Hao Jian said mockingly with a laugh. "What kind of teacher are you? You're nothing but a thug!" Giggs shouted angrily. "So I am a thug, so what?" Hao Jian retorted coldly. "To deal with you hypocrites, we need someone like me. You wanted to insult Huaxia, yet you didn't expect to be slapped in the face, did you?" S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Giggs, grinding his teeth, said, "You're going to cause a diplomatic incident, do you know that?" Hao Jian scoffed, "It was you who insulted Huaxia first, and many journalists recorded everything that happened here today. Even if I were to beat you up in this situation, your country America wouldn't dare to say a word, so don't think too highly of yourselves." Then, Hao Jian no longer paid attention to Giggs, whose face was contorted with anger, and looked at Benjamin, "Apologize, if you don't want to keep getting hit!" Benjamin did not move. "Slap!" Hao Jian fiercely slapped him across the face. Everyone could clearly hear the slap, and then they saw Benjamin's face quickly swell up. "Sweeping through the Huaxia chess players, huh?" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "Director Du, what do you mean by this? You're just going to let your school's teacher act recklessly?" Giggs bellowed at Du Yuelin. But Du Yuelin was just indifferent, "The dignity of Huaxia is not to be violated!" "Apologize!" Hao Jian demanded again. Benjamin still did not move, but his expression began to waver. Hao Jian raised his hand again. Benjamin, his face filled with resentment, said, "I'm sorry, it was my ignorance and arrogance. Huaxia is truly the greatest country in the world!" Under Hao Jian's pressure, Benjamin could only choose to submit, because if he did not, Hao Jian would definitely not stop. It was better to lower his head and apologize than to be beaten like a grandson. At least that way, he could salvage some dignity! And seeing Benjamin concede, the side from Harvard University felt extremely humiliated. On the contrary, the side from Du Yuelin radiated satisfaction. Because with both domestic and foreign journalists present, once today's events were reported, their Chinese Medicine Hospital would be thoroughly vindicated! And all of it, thanks to Hao Jian! "Will you never play international chess again?" Hao Jian continued to mock, leaving no room for Benjamin to retreat. With so many journalists present, every word from Benjamin was critical. Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire "No more!" Benjamin shouted in humiliation. Hao Jian finally smiled in satisfaction and, impatiently waving his hand at Benjamin, said, "Now you can get out." Benjamin glared venomously at Hao Jian, then was led away by his classmates like a beaten dog. "Have you caused enough trouble? Are we ready to play chess now?" Giggs said impatiently, intent on getting back at Hao Jian for all the insults he had suffered. "Ten rounds!" Hao Jian laughed. Chapter 306 Both Master and Disciple Defeated! "What?" Giggs was dumbstruck, not quite grasping the meaning behind Hao Jian's words. "Your apprentice is confident he can defeat our Huaxia chess players within ten turns, so let me say the same thing now, within ten turns, your defeat is certain!" Hao Jian said gravely. Giggs's face turned cold, "And if you can't do it?" "Then I'll kneel down and lick your leather shoes!" Hao Jian replied with a chuckle. "Fine, then get ready to lick shoes!" Giggs huffed angrily. "Hold on, it's a bit dull if only I'm placing a bet, don't you think? If you lose, what will your penalty be?" Hao Jian asked, arching an eyebrow. Seeing Hao Jian like this, Che Xiaoxiao knew this bad guy was up to his old tricks again. Upon hearing this, Giggs hesitated for a moment, as Benjamin had just been forced to kneel because he agreed to a wager with Hao Jian, so seeing Hao Jian repeat the tactic made him wary. "What, you're scared? Your guts are even smaller than your apprentice's!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, taunting deliberately. The students from both schools watching also cast disdainful glances at Giggs. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "A bet is a bet, who's afraid of who? Tell me, how do you want to bet!" Giggs declared, eyes blazing, clearly provoked. He simply couldn't believe he could lose to someone as insignificant as Wu Ming. "If you lose, you'll run naked around the Chinese Medicine Hospital three times, how about that?" Hao Jian suggested. "No problem!" Giggs agreed abruptly, and just five minutes later, paid the price for his promptness. He looked at Hao Jian with an expression of shock, "A ten-move siege? You're 'Kaso'?" "Kaso? What's that?" Che Xiaoxiao asked a middle-aged chess player nearby. The chess player watched Hao Jian with an excited expression, "Kaso is the current Chess King. He was the one who defeated Giggs and won the championship with his signature ten-move siege. This strategy is unsolvable by anyone else, and only he knows how to execute it!" "But if he is the 'Kaso' you're speaking of, then why don't you recognize him?" Che Xiaoxiao asked curiously. If Hao Jian really was the person they described, they should have recognized him right from the start. "You don't understand, Kaso always wore a mask when he played against Giggs, and he disappeared after winning the championship. No one knows what he looks like. If it wasn't for his use of the ten-move siege today, probably nobody would realize he's the former world champion!" The chess player said fervently, Kaso was like a god to them. The ten-move siege meant defeating the opponent within ten turns, and no matter who it was, they couldn't last ten turns against Kaso. Jiang Yutong and the others were stunned by the chess player's explanation, because none of them had expected the ever-jocular Hao Jian to be so formidable, let alone a former world champion. Especially for students like Che Xiaoxiao who were Hao Jian's disciples; they were the most astounded, as they discovered that their teacher was truly all-capable. "You're actually a Huaxia person?" Giggs stared at Hao Jian, dumbfounded. As soon as Hao Jian's familiar chess arrangement reappeared, his face had turned ashen. If there was anyone Giggs hated the most, it was undoubtedly Kaso, for it was Kaso who had knocked him from his throne. Before Kaso's arrival, he had been the world champion three times in a row, but Kaso's rise had relegated him to second best in the world. Now that he knew Hao Jian was Kaso, how could Giggs not hate him? However, Giggs had always thought Hao Jian was European, since Kaso is a name only Europeans would have. Moreover, he believed a country like Huaxia, where people only played their own chess, couldn't possibly produce a master in international chess. But all these notions were completely overturned after Hao Jian's display of the ten-move siege. "Adopting an English name precludes being Huaxia now, does it?" Hao Jian stood up with a cold sneer, his gaze indifferent as he scrutinized Giggs, "It's been many years, and I thought your chess skills would've improved. But to my surprise, it's still the same. You still lose to a game I played three years ago." Hao Jian was disappointed, Giggs still didn't know how to counter a three-year-old strategy, so how could he break the new strategies Hao Jian had devised in the past three years? Under Hao Jian's words, Giggs froze on the spot. After hearing what Hao Jian said, he was no longer angry. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he didn't even have the mood to be angry anymore, now he only felt pitiful. Indeed, if he couldn't even break a three-year-old game, what chance did he have against Hao Jian? Hao Jian looked at Giggs coldly, his face showing neither sadness nor joy, "You're no longer worthy of being my opponent." Giggs shook all over, clenching his fists tightly. Surrounding him was nothing but an overwhelming sense of shame. Silence, a deathly silence! Everyone was stunned by how strong Hao Jian was, having defeated a world-class Chess King with a move from three years ago, which naturally included Benjamin. No one knew better than Benjamin the strength of Giggs. With his current level of chess technique, he would undoubtedly be defeated by Giggs within ten rounds. But Giggs couldn't last ten rounds against Hao Jian. Benjamin finally realized that Hao Jian had been toying with him all along. He could have ended the match earlier, but he didn't. Instead, he let himself believe there was a glimmer of hope, only to cruelly thrust him from Heaven to Hell when he began to harbor such naive thoughts! Benjamin was filled with hatred! Hao Jian's action was an intangible trampling on his dignity, grinding what he prided most into dust! Now, seeing Giggs being scolded by Hao Jian as if he were disciplining a son, everyone's heart felt uneasy, and the reporters frantically pressed their shutters, fearing they might miss this legendary moment. Two world number ones clashing again¡ªif this story were to be made into news, it would undoubtedly create a sensational impact! Hao Jian slowly withdrew his gaze and turned to leave, no longer interested in demanding Giggs to fulfill his promise. Giggs knew, because from that moment on, Hao Jian no longer considered him a rival¡ªhe wasn't worthy! Whether he kept his promise didn't matter to Hao Jian anymore! "Wait!" Giggs suddenly shouted. Hao Jian turned his head, puzzled, looking at Giggs. "Thump." At that moment, something completely unexpected happened; Giggs knelt down before Hao Jian. "What are you doing?" Hao Jian asked, frowning. "Take me as your disciple!" Giggs said loudly, his eyes burning with intensity as he looked at Hao Jian. At these words, the crowd was in an uproar! Giggs was kneeling to Hao Jian to perform the ritual of becoming a disciple? He actually did something so humiliating? Had he forgotten that he was once a world champion? Where was the dignity of a world champion? They didn't know that after hearing what Hao Jian had said, the so-called dignity of the champion in Giggs had long vanished! Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire Giggs didn't care what others thought of him; all that mattered was how Hao Jian saw him! The corner of Hao Jian's eye twitched; he too was surprised by Giggs's action and asked, "Give me a reason!" "I want to defeat you!" Giggs's gaze was firm; he had lost to Hao Jian three years ago and had always believed Hao Jian's victory was due to luck, which left him feeling unconvinced. Only after losing to Hao Jian again did he finally realize the immense gap between them. Now, he was ready to discard all his pride and arrogance and no longer cling to his past title as a champion. "Become your disciple and then use what you teach me to defeat you?" Hao Jian laughed. "Yes, because I know that if I rely on myself, I will never win against you in this lifetime." Giggs spoke confidently. Compared to Hao Jian, he was insignificant. "How do you know for sure that I would agree?" Hao Jian continued with a smile. This time, Giggs laughed, confidently saying, "Because I know you're not someone who can stand being alone in your excellence. Now that you are invincible, without a true opponent, where's the fun in that? And the only person in the world who is most qualified to be your opponent is me!" Hao Jian gave Giggs a deep look and, after a long pause, finally said, "From today on, you are my disciple, Hao Jian!" Everyone was shocked¡ªHao Jian really took Giggs as his disciple? "Quick, take the photo! The former world number one becomes the disciple of the current world number one, this is a historic moment!" The reporters were madly snapping photos. "Thank you, Master!" Giggs bowed deeply to Hao Jian, his face full of excitement. Hao Jian waved his hand nonchalantly, then walked over to Du Yuelin and the others, smiling as he said, "Mission accomplished!" "Excellent, I knew you wouldn't let me down!" Du Yuelin laughed heartily, overjoyed to the point of being unable to contain his glee. This time, not only had Hao Jian redeemed the reputation of the Chinese Medicine Hospital, but he had also dealt a blow to the morale of those foreign scholars, making the Chinese Medicine Hospital the talk of the country. "Teacher Hao Jian, not bad at all, you're surprisingly deep and unassuming. I never heard you mention that you're the world's number one chess player before," a beautiful female teacher said cheerily. "You don't understand, Teacher Hao Jian is being modest," another teacher chimed in supportively. And those teachers and students looked at Hao Jian as if he were a deity. Even the dean of Harvard University, Giggs, became his disciple. What did this mean? It meant that Harvard University was not as good as their Chinese Medicine Hospital! Hao Jian was only a teacher at the Chinese Medicine Hospital, but Giggs was the dean of a world-renowned institution like Harvard University. For such a dean to become the disciple of Hao Jian was akin to an indirect admission that Harvard University was inferior in some respect to the Chinese Medicine Hospital, to the extent that they had to humbly seek guidance. As part of the Chinese Medicine Hospital, how could they not be thrilled? Chapter 307 Resignation Letter! Hao Jian couldn't help but scratch his head in embarrassment, appearing somewhat shy, but then he caught sight of Qin Bing at the back of the crowd, baring her teeth and gesturing a fist as if still angry at his earlier departure without saying goodbye. Hao Jian was also secretly astonished, he hadn't expected that this normally icy woman would have such a playful side. Meanwhile, Benjamin, seeing Hao Jian basking in the bright red admiration and applause from everyone, felt his eyes nearly fire-breathing, his expression was filled with resentment as he glared at Hao Jian. "Some chess prodigy he is, what a joke," "Exactly, he made us all from Harvard University lose face." At the same time, Benjamin's classmates also joined in the jeering, each mocking word stabbing into Benjamin's heart like knives. "Just you wait, I'll make you understand what happens when you cross me, Benjamin!" he said through clenched teeth. After that, Hao Jian returned to his own class. As he walked in, his students looked up at him with eyes filled with admiration. Hao Jian feigned a cough and said with affectation, "No applause, no screaming, please!" "Teacher, please accept my knees!" "Teacher, I want to have your children!" Hao Jian stared in disbelief, "As a girl, you should be reserved, you know? Even if you have such thoughts, you can't just express them so blatantly, you're actually getting me a bit excited." The crowd erupted into laughter. "Teacher, we have a basketball game against Harvard University tomorrow. Why don't you play as well?" Zhang Jia suggested teasingly. "Yeah, as long as you play, teacher, we're sure to utterly defeat them!" Luo Tong chimed in. "Do you really think your teacher can do anything?" Hao Jian said with displeasure. "Yes!" a group of students shouted unanimously. .. Over the past month, Shu Ya had been having a rough time. Ever since Hao Jian left, she felt as if a vitally important part of her was missing. Shu Ya told herself more than once to forget about Hao Jian, but the more she tried to forget, the more she couldn't. Hao Jian had already left an indelible mark in her heart. He had stood up for her, took a bullet for her, and resolved crisis after crisis for her. Even if Shu Ya didn't want to admit it, she had to acknowledge that Hao Jian had become her hero. Due to special family circumstances, Shu Ya had been very independent her whole life, never relying on anyone. It wasn't until Hao Jian came into her life that she chose to trust and rely on someone. But now that Hao Jian had left, it made her feel insecure and anxious. She had not moved out of Ruo Lan's residence, because she still harbored the fantasy that one day Hao Jian would return there. Shu Ya leaned against the window, blowing the cold wind, looking somewhat despondent and angry, annoyed in her heart: To leave without even looking back, you really are cruel! Shu Ya was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice Xiao Qiang walking in. "President, what are you pondering so deeply about?" Xiao Qiang asked with a smile. Only then did Shu Ya come back to her senses, her demeanor returning to its cool composure, "Is something the matter?" "Here's today's newspaper. Have a look," Xiao Qiang handed over the latest newspapers to Shu Ya. Shu Ya skeptically took the newspapers, but after just one glance, she was stunned. The headline on the newspaper was: "The world's number one international chess master Kaso turns out to be from Huaxia, causing Chess Grandmaster Giggs to admit defeat and bow in Huaxia." Then, another foreign newspaper read: "Kaso turns out to be from Huaxia, western chess shines in the East, a legend unshakable is rising, who will prove the West's might by defeating the Eastern champion?" On both newspapers, Hao Jian's portrait appeared distinctly. "Quite a surprise, isn't it? I was surprised too, this guy turned out to be a chess master," Xiao Qiang said with a laugh. Putting down the newspaper, Shu Ya said in shock, "Wasn't he supposed to be abroad? How could he still be in the country?" After Hao Jian left home, Shu Ya had someone search for his whereabouts and found out he had smuggled out of the country. "He did go abroad indeed, and it seems he went to Atama and saved Atama's refugees. There's big news from Atama recently; the notorious warlord, the One-Legged General, was killed by a Mysterious Man, with all the power being taken over by the major drug lord Kegemo. The refugees, to commemorate that hero, even made a statue in the village for future generations to see," "And what does this have to do with Hao Jian?" Shu Ya asked, frowning. Xiao Qiang gave a bitter smile, "At first, I thought it had nothing to do with Hao Jian, but if you take a close look at the stone statue in the newspaper..." Upon hearing this, Shu Ya quickly picked up a newspaper, only to discover, to her shock, that the stone statue bore a striking resemblance to Hao Jian. In an instant, Shu Ya's brows furrowed deeply, and the astonishment in her heart was indescribable. "You and Hao Jian, you've broken up, haven't you?" Xiao Qiang gossiped, looking at Shu Ya with some hopeful anticipation. As long as Shu Ya and Hao Jian were no longer together, she would have a chance. "No," Shu Ya said expressionlessly. She was well aware of what Xiao Qiang was thinking and certainly didn't plan on letting her get her way. "You did break up with him after all!" Xiao Qiang said confidently. "You." Shu Ya was getting angry, this infuriating woman was becoming more and more disrespectful to her. Ignoring her anger, Xiao Qiang handed over her resignation letter to Shu Ya, "This is my resignation. I hope you can approve it!" A hint of annoyance in her eyes, Shu Ya asked, "What are you trying to do?" "I'm going to find him!" Xiao Qiang didn't hide her true intentions and said with a smile, "By your side, I can only be a secretary, always overshadowed by you. In such a situation, I neither have the qualifications nor the confidence to pursue him. Therefore, I'm planning to start my own business and become a strong woman like you. Then, maybe I'll be worthy of him!" "You know I won't approve it!" Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I know, but I don't care. I'm just politely informing you. If you don't approve it, then I'll simply have to skip work." After that, Shu Ya fell silent. She never expected Xiao Qiang would go to such lengths for Hao Jian. At this moment, she couldn't help but admire Hao Jian. She had worked with Xiao Qiang for a year, only for Hao Jian to appear and sway her in less than half a year. The two women stared at each other, sparks flying from their eyes. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire "Sir, you can't just barge in here, or else I'll call the police," the receptionist's voice came from outside amidst a racket just then. Then the door was pushed open, and two men entered at the same time. "President, I tried to stop them, but they insisted on storming in," the receptionist said somewhat apologetically to Shu Ya. "Go on, then," Shu Ya waved the receptionist off and then turned to one of the middle-aged men with an impatient expression, "Uncle, what brings you here to see me?" It was none other than Zhang Zicong. Seeing Shu Ya again, Zhang Zicong's usual downcast demeanor was replaced by a fierce look in his eyes, "Shu Ya, the one looking for you this time isn't me, but someone else." Zhang Zicong naturally despised Shu Ya to the bone, for a simple reason¡ªShu Ya was the reason his wife ended up behind bars. Zhang Zicong and his wife conspired to kill Shu Ya. Initially, Shu Ya had wanted to send Zhang Zicong to prison as well, but then she thought about her grandfather's family having no heirs; arresting Zhang Zicong would mean dooming the Zhang Family to extinction, so she refrained from doing so. But Shu Ya's mercy towards Zhang Zicong did not mean he would show her any in return, so Zhang Zicong started making trouble behind her back yet again. Upon hearing this, Shu Ya also looked towards the younger man. If Hao Jian were here, he would have recognized the youth as Ouyang Shaohua, whom he had recently encountered. When Ouyang Shaohua laid eyes on Shu Ya and Xiao Qiang, he couldn't help but be dazzled. Such stunning beauties were a rare sight overseas, but back in China, he had encountered three, including Jiang Yutong. If he had known this, why would he have bothered going abroad? He finally believed the outside world's claims¡ªShu Ya Group surely was a place with clouds of beauties. "President Shu Ya is as beautiful as the rumors say, seeing you today is indeed a great fortune in my life," Ouyang Shaohua began with a bit of flattery. "Get to the point." Shu Ya, however, was unimpressed and snapped impatiently. Do I not know how pretty I am? Do I need you to tell me that? In the past, Shu Ya might have humored him with a polite response, but her mood was in the dumps because of Hao Jian, so seeing Ouyang Shaohua's playful demeanor only irritated her more. Ouyang Shaohua's expression stiffened momentarily, his face darkening as he muttered, "This time, I've come to discuss the acquisition of Shu Ya Group with you." "Shu Ya Group being acquired?" Shu Ya looked puzzled, then her gaze turned to Zhang Zicong with displeasure, "Zhang Zicong, what are you playing at?" Zhang Zicong let out a disdainful snort, "I believe Young Master Ouyang has made himself clear, he intends to acquire Shu Ya Group." "Acquire Shu Ya Group? Did I agree to that? Zhang Zicong, don't forget that you're just one of the shareholders. What gives you the right to make such a decision?" Shu Ya laughed angrily, as the idea of Zhang Zicong planning to sell off Shu Ya Group was ludicrous. "That's not up to you." Zhang Zicong snorted angrily, a cold gaze in his eyes, "Young Master Ouyang has contacts in both the securities bureau and customs. If you don't agree to the acquisition, Shu Ya Group's jewelry won't be able to go public overseas, and if it does, it certainly won't be able to export. Moreover, Young Master Ouyang's family business, Tianhong Enterprise, is a Fortune Global 500 company. It's an honor for them to consider acquiring Shu Ya Group. What reason do you have to refuse?" "Nice rhetoric, but given the current potential of Shu Ya Group, it could become a Fortune Global 500 company in just about ten years. Selling it now, are you out of your mind?" Shu Ya was furious, Zhang Zicong was simply spouting nonsense. Ouyang Shaohua obviously saw the potential of Shu Ya Group, which is why he was considering acquiring it. Chapter 308 Malicious Takeover! "So what? Do you even have a choice now? If you don't agree to the takeover, Young Master Ouyang will use all his connections to impose business sanctions on Shu Ya Group. By then, you won't be able to maneuver either internationally or domestically!" Zhang Zicong said triumphantly. "This is a hostile takeover, and it's illegal!" Xiao Qiang couldn't help but interject. "Zhang Zicong, have you lost your mind? You actually betray your own family's assets. If your grandfather knew about this, imagine how heartbroken he would be?" Shu Ya shook her head, looking at Zhang Zicong with a face full of disappointment. She used to think that Zhang Zicong was merely foolish, but now it seemed Zhang Zicong wasn't just foolish¡ªhe was completely brainless. "Heartbroken? What I want is for him to be heartbroken! This group was supposed to be mine, yet he gave it to you. Is that fair? Since he doesn't plan to give it to me, I can only take it myself!" Zhang Zicong boasted, "Young Master Ouyang has already said that once he acquires Shu Ya Group, he will give me thirty percent of the shares and appoint me as the CEO of Shu Ya Group, which is much more than what that old fool gave me!" Human nature is like this, incompetent yet always complaining that others don't give enough. At this point, Shu Ya didn't know what to say anymore, for she knew Zhang Zicong was beyond redemption. She was now regretting why she had been soft-hearted and spared Zhang Zicong. If she had listened to Hao Jian's advice back then to eradicate the problem thoroughly, she wouldn't be facing this trouble now. Seemingly discerning Shu Ya's thoughts, Zhang Zicong couldn't help but sneer, "Do you regret not having sent me to jail now? But it's already too late for regrets." "Shu Ya, you should be grateful for Hao Jian's help. If it hadn't been for him, Shu Ya Group would have fallen into my hands long ago! But I heard from the old fool that you broke up with him, right? Now I wonder who can save you!" Zhang Zicong said through gritted teeth, his plan would have succeeded already if it weren't for Hao Jian's interference. Shu Ya blushed and said not a word, always believing she was fearless and could solve any problem on her own. Only now did she realize that some things were indeed beyond her ability to resolve. "President Shu Ya, I have great respect for your management capabilities. If you agree to have dinner with me, I might consider allowing you to continue as president of Shu Ya Group." Ouyang Shaohua looked down on Shu Ya from above, very pleased with himself, thinking to himself: Weren't you very arrogant before? Now aren't you at my mercy? "Young Master Ouyang, you..." When Zhang Zicong heard this, he immediately panicked; if Shu Ya continued as president, wouldn't he still have to work under her? Ouyang Shaohua waved his hand, indicating that Zhang Zicong should not speak. He cared much more about Shu Ya, this great beauty, compared to Zhang Zicong. "Keep dreaming, get out! All of you, get out!" Shu Ya was utterly ungrateful, yelling hysterically. "Fine, fine, fine, since you're so unappreciative, don't blame me for being ruthless. One month, I will completely take over Shu Ya Group in one month's time; Zhang Zicong, let's go!" Ouyang Shaohua huffed angrily. Shu Ya would beg him eventually, and he looked forward to the day he could utterly humiliate her! Zhang Zicong also looked at Shu Ya with a cold smile, "Dear niece, do your best as the president for this one month you have left." Only after Zhang Zicong and his cohort had left did Shu Ya smash everything on the table like a madwoman. She was genuinely going insane, torn between her troubled romantic relationship and her failing career. People say that when one is unlucky in love, they might find luck in gambling, but she was unfortunate in both. Xiao Qiang, seeing Shu Ya like this for the first time, sighed, "Why don't we ask Hao Jian for help? I'm sure he would have a solution!" "I'm not going to find him!" Shu Ya said stubbornly, determined to show Hao Jian that she could thrive even without him. "At this point, what are you still being stubborn for?" Xiao Qiang also couldn't help but smile wryly, though she knew this was just Shu Ya's personality and no longer mentioned seeking Hao Jian's help. "Then let's ask Old Master Xu Xu Donghe for help. He owns a part of the company's shares, and he surely won't just stand by idly," Xiao Qiang suggested, believing that Xu Donghe was the only one who could counter Ouyang Shaohua now. Everyone knew that Ouyang Shaohua, despite his arrogance, indeed had strong backing, as his family had been in business for generations, and their enterprises had expanded internationally, which Shu Ya Group, just starting out, couldn't compare with. "Isn't seeking him the same as seeking Hao Jian? Moreover, Old Master Xu helped me before out of consideration for Hao Jian. He probably knows about my breakup with Hao Jian by now. How could he possibly help me under these circumstances?" Shu Ya said with a bitter smile, rejecting the suggestion. "Is there really no other way?" Xiao Qiang asked worriedly, having worked with Shu Ya for so long; although their relationship was hierarchical, they were also friends, and she couldn't bear to see Shu Ya's efforts go to waste. "I will find a way myself." Shu Ya said stubbornly. Xiao Qiang shook her head and sighed; after hesitating for a moment, she still took back her letter of resignation. "What are you doing? I don't need anyone's pity!" Shu Ya looked at Xiao Qiang with angry eyes; she was a person with a strong sense of pride, and Xiao Qiang's action was a blow to her dignity. "I'm not doing this from a subordinate's perspective but as a friend. Once your group has weathered this crisis, I'll resign again. If you really do lose the group, then we'll start a new business together." Xiao Qiang said this gently, then turned and left. "Thank you." Shu Ya's voice came from behind. Xiao Qiang waved his hand and left Shu Ya's office. At ten o'clock at night, Hao Jian was idly wandering outside. He had just finished celebrating with his students and was planning to return to school to rest. He had declined Zhao Yating's invitation and had voluntarily applied for a teacher's dorm at Du Yuelin's suggestion; jokingly noting the danger of a man and woman alone, what if he couldn't control himself and did something despicable? So, he chose to stay at the school honestly. On his way back to school, Hao Jian passed a barbecue stand and saw an elderly woman in thin clothes tending the grill. It was cold late at night, and no one was buying barbecue, but the elderly woman still hopefullly waited, her cheeks red from the cold and her body shivering, yet she was unwilling to go home. Seeing this, Hao Jian's heart ached with compassion, and he walked over to the barbecue stand. In this society, life is hard for everyone. If one can lend a hand, they should help. Compared to the wealthy magnates dripping with riches, these street vendors need more help. Seeing a customer finally arrive, the elderly woman couldn't hide her excitement and asked with a grin, "Young man, what would you like?" "Beef skewers, chicken skewers, thirty of each, then four chicken legs, four corns, four eggplants, and one of each vegetable," Hao Jian intentionally ordered extra, though he had eaten his fill at the dinner earlier and was ordering just to support the elderly woman's business. "Eating so much? Are you ordering for friends?" the elderly woman asked warmly, clearly pleased to see Hao Jian ordering so much. "Yes," Hao Jian answered casually. "Then have a seat, it'll be ready soon." Hao Jian found a spot to sit down. Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire "Young man, what do you do?" The elderly woman was a conversationalist, and soon after Hao Jian sat down, she started chatting. "I'm a teacher, at the Chinese Medicine Hospital not far from here," Hao Jian engaged in conversation with the elderly woman. "Ah? Really, what a coincidence. My daughter studies there too," the elderly woman said in surprise, her gaze towards Hao Jian turning even friendlier. "Though I wouldn't have guessed, the teachers there are usually quite old; you're the first young teacher I've seen." "I've also only started working there recently, and I might not teach there for long," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Why's that? Being a doctor is a good profession. My husband would not be bedridden now if he'd learned medicine instead of becoming a mechanic," the elderly woman said, a touch of disappointment in her voice. "What's wrong with your husband?" Hao Jian also asked with concern. "He injured his legs a few years back and didn't have the money to treat it properly then, so he developed complications that now affect his back, and he can't even stand up anymore." The elderly woman became visibly saddened when she spoke of her husband. Hao Jian nodded, then said, "How about I come over to your place to see your husband when I have some time? After all, I am a doctor, and I might be able to cure him." "This¡­ How can I accept this?" the elderly woman said, surprised. She hadn't expected Hao Jian, whom she had met less than an hour ago, to offer to help. But in the next instant, the elderly woman thought of something and awkwardly said, "But, but we have no money." All the savings at home had gone to her daughter's education. She herself worked during the day and had to sell barbecue at night; she truly had no extra money to give to Hao Jian. "No money required. If I cure your husband, you can just treat me to a year of free barbecue. If I can't cure him, then it's as if nothing happened," Hao Jian said with a smile, not lacking money and considering it a good deed. "Teacher, you are a good person, a true blessing to our old Jiang family," the elderly woman cried tears of gratitude. In today's society, where everyone is for themselves, who would bother about what happens in someone else's life? Yet Hao Jian, a stranger, was reaching out to help their family, deeply moving the elderly woman. "What blessing, a doctor's heart is akin to a parent's heart," Hao Jian waved his hand and said, "Let's do it tomorrow then; I just happen to have a day off. I'll leave you my contact information in a bit, and you can call me whenever it's convenient for you tomorrow." "Yes," the elderly woman nodded excitedly. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 309 Protection Fee! "Mom, how was business today?" At that moment, a girl walked over from not far away. As soon as Hao Jian saw the girl, he was torn between laughter and tears. Could it really be such a coincidence? Meeting her mother while eating barbecue? "Mom, why are you crying?" Seeing her mother's tear-streaked face, Jiang Yutong was also stunned. "Yutong, come here and meet the benefactor of our family," the mother hurriedly walked over to Jiang Yutong's side. "Benefactor? What benefactor?" Jiang Yutong was confused, feeling that her mother's words were all over the place. "It's that young man, he said he is a teacher at your school, and just after a few words, he agreed to treat your father," the mother said. "A teacher from our school? You couldn't have been deceived, right? Where in the world do such good things happen freely?" Jiang Yutong expressed her doubts, knowing that there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. "Just come over here," the mother pulled Jiang Yutong in the direction of Hao Jian. When Jiang Yutong saw that the person her mother was talking about was Hao Jian, she couldn't help but be greatly shocked: "It's you?" "Hi," Hao Jian said with a bitter smile. "So, you two know each other?" the mother also said in surprise. Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire In an instant, Jiang Yutong's expression darkened, and she pulled her mother aside, "Mom, don't listen to him, he's not a good person." "Ah? Really? I thought he seemed quite nice," the mother said in surprise, not understanding why Jiang Yutong would say such a thing. "How could it not be? He's been bothering me for a long time, first at my workplace, and now he's pretending to be a good person at the place where you set up your stall," Jiang Yutong coldly snorted, looking icily at Hao Jian. The mother, hearing this, couldn't help but gasp, and upon reflection, she too began to think that there might be some plausibility in Hao Jian's actions, as how could a normal person randomly help a stranger? At this point, the mother began to believe that Hao Jian had ulterior motives for Jiang Yutong and was pretending to be a good person for that. "Hey, Jiang Yutong, are you paranoid or just an extreme narcissist? Who said I have to like you?" Hao Jian was really upset. It was tolerable once or twice, but every time it was Jiang Yutong saying this about him. Doesn't he have any self-respect and dignity? The mother was surprised; they were already whispering, how could Hao Jian still hear them? Realizing that Hao Jian had heard, Jiang Yutong simply blurted out: "You dare say your being here is a coincidence?" "I was just finished having dinner with my students and was about to head back to school, passed by here, and thought of buying some barbecue. How could it not be a coincidence? Moreover, how would I know she is your mother?" Hao Jian felt speechless, as Jiang Yutong was trying to overshadow everyone else. "Yeah, Yutong, he didn't know I was your mother, could you be mistaken?" the mother also felt that Hao Jian made sense. "Mom, have you forgotten that he is a teacher? Teachers can access students' family information, and many students know that you set up a stall here; maybe he found out about it from someone else?" Jiang Yutong still insisted that Hao Jian must have unsavory intentions. Where in the world are such coincidences, encountering Hao Jian in the two places where it was least likely for them to meet? Then the mother was silent. Hao Jian sighed and, while taking out his wallet, said to the mother, "Please pack up my barbecue, I won't eat it here." After such an incident, he no longer felt like staying there. "This," the mother hesitated for a moment. She really didn't think Hao Jian was a bad person, and then turned to Jiang Yutong, "Yutong, might you be mistaken?" "That... That might just be him faking it," Jiang Yutong said uncertainly, not entirely convinced that Hao Jian was not there for her, but how could she admit it was a misunderstanding on her part now? If she admitted it, wouldn't it be her fault? The mother sighed and said to Hao Jian, "Teacher, I'm sorry, this was our mistake. This barbecue is on me." But Hao Jian smiled and shook his head: "It's okay, auntie, there's no need to apologize. This isn't your fault, and no one wanted this to happen. Plus, I'm not angry. You're running a small business, and you couldn't earn much on this late night; if I ate for free, how much would that cost you? Keep the money." Despite the mother's protest, Hao Jian forcefully stuffed a handful of bills into her hand. The mother looked awkward and was at a loss for how to respond for a moment. Hao Jian then silently packed up the barbecue himself and prepared to leave. Seeing this, the mother looked reproachfully at her daughter: "You really misunderstood him." Jiang Yutong bit her red lips and remained silent. At that time, another group of customers approached from a distance. The older woman couldn't continue scolding Jiang Yutong any longer and hurriedly went to meet them. "What would you young men like to eat?" the older woman asked. "Eat what?" The leader, Little Yellow Hair, immediately laughed upon hearing this: "We're not here to eat anything." "Not to eat, then what are you here for?" The older woman asked, looking puzzled at the young men with a rough demeanor, feeling a bad premonition. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yellow Hair sneered immediately: "Ma'am, are you aware of the protection money you need to pay for setting up a stall here? Don't you know that this area is all under the control of Blade Club?" The woman's expression stiffened: "But I've had this stall here for several years and nobody has ever demanded protection money." Seeing how weak and vulnerable the older woman appeared, the gangsters became even more unbridled: "That's because we weren't here yet. Now that Blade Club has arrived, you must pay the protection fee on time!" "But I don't have any money," the woman lamented, already not a courageous person, her face turned pale with fear in the face of these menacing gangsters. "No money? Then you shouldn't set up a stall here!" Yellow Hair said arrogantly. "Who are you to decide whether we can set up a stall?" Jiang Yutong quickly stepped forward, staring coldly at the gangsters. "Hey, this little girl looks pretty dashing. Ma'am, I've changed my mind. If you let this little girl beside you spend a night with me and my brothers, you won't have to pay any protection fee in the future, and we'll still protect you for free." Little Yellow Hair's lustful gaze swept over Jiang Yutong. "No, absolutely not!" Hearing that Yellow Hair was targeting Jiang Yutong, the older woman panicked and quickly shielded Jiang Yutong behind her, like a hen protecting her chick. "No? Then pay up!" Yellow Hair glared, bellowing angrily. "How much do you want?" the older woman sighed, realizing that this trouble was unavoidable, and she could only obediently pay up, considering it a loss to avoid disaster. "Three thousand!" Yellow Hair demanded outright. "Three thousand? But I don't even make that much in a month!" the older woman said stiffly. Struggling to maintain her barbecue stall, she barely made a little over two thousand a month. Yellow Hair demanding three thousand was more than she earned to pay as protection money. Yellow Hair sneered coldly: "Can't pay? Then you're not allowed to set up your stall here!" "On what basis do you get to decide? We're not hurting anyone by setting up our stall here, what does it have to do with you? If you don't leave now, I'm going to call the cops!" Jiang Yutong retorted angrily, pulling out her phone as if to threaten. "Call the cops?" Yellow Hair also got angry, his face ferocious: "Go ahead and try calling them. At most we'll be locked up for a few days, and once we're out, we'll kill you all! I see you're wearing a school uniform from Chinese Medicine Hospital; you must be studying at Traditional Chinese Medicine, right? We will be waiting for you every day at your school gate." Hearing this, both Jiang Yutong and her mother's faces turned pale. If that was the case, then Jiang Yutong wouldn't be able to attend Traditional Chinese Medicine ever again. "Forget it, we won't set up here anymore." The older woman shook her head, her face showing defeat. She knew she wasn't capable of standing up to these men and prepared to close her stall and leave. Jiang Yutong also felt very angry but was utterly helpless. "Leave? You can't leave now." Yellow Hair grabbed Jiang Yutong's hand, leering with a sneer: "You've set up here today already, so you owe us today's protection fee as well. Otherwise, you cannot leave." Jiang Yutong became visibly distressed but quickly calmed down, pulling out a hundred yuan from her pocket and throwing it to Yellow Hair: "Here's your protection fee for today!" But Yellow Hair didn't even glance at the hundred yuan, sneering coldly: "A hundred yuan, do you think I'm a beggar?" "The protection fee for a month is three thousand, so a day should indeed be a hundred¡ªwhat's wrong with that?" Jiang Yutong argued angrily. "According to my rules, we charge by the month every day, so you must pay three thousand." The lustful intent was clear on Little Yellow Hair's face, he was just making excuses¡ªgrasping the opportunity to harass Jiang Yutong. Of course, compared to a mere three thousand yuan, spending a night with a beautiful university student was worth every penny! "But we don't have that much money right now, can we do it tomorrow? I'll definitely give you the money tomorrow, please spare my daughter!" the older woman pleaded. "Tomorrow? Do you think I'm an idiot? If you can't produce the money now, your daughter will have to stay with us, and you can come to redeem her tomorrow!" Yellow Hair smirked and then pulled Jiang Yutong along, "Brothers, take this lady and let's head back!" The gangsters all chuckled lewdly. "No! Don't take my daughter!" The older woman hurriedly lunged forward, trying to pull Jiang Yutong back from Yellow Hair, aware of what would happen if Jiang Yutong was taken with them. "Get lost!" Yellow Hair kicked her hard, sending the older woman tumbling to the ground where she hit her head hard, bleeding profusely. Chapter 310 Im a Hooligan Too! "Mom!" Jiang Yutong cried out in desperation, trying to help her mother up, but Yellow Hair held her back tight. "You bastards! Let me go!" Jiang Yutong struggled fiercely. "Don't worry, we'll definitely let you go, but before that, you have to pay the protection fee with your body!" Yellow Hair leered with a sinister chuckle. "Don't touch my daughter, I'm begging you," the mother pleaded with a choked voice, crawling over to grab Yellow Hair's leg to stop him from moving. "Fuck, you old hag, you're asking for it! Let go, or I'm going to get rough!" Yellow Hair threatened harshly. "Mom, don't worry about me, just go!" Jiang Yutong also cried out desperately. "Let go of my daughter," the mother shouted weakly, still refusing to let go. "Go to hell!" Yellow Hair's eyes suddenly flashed with brutality as he stomped toward the mother's head. Whoosh! Just then, a hand grabbed Yellow Hair's leg, and Hao Jian chuckled, "Brother, aren't you going a bit too far?" Jiang Yutong and the others were all stunned, turning to look at Hao Jian. The mother at their feet was also in a daze, seeing Hao Jian return, she exclaimed, "Teacher, why are you back?" "I was actually planning to leave just now, but seeing these scoundrels heading back this way, I thought I'd come over and check things out," Hao Jian said with a smile, and indeed, it turned out just as he had suspected, these people were no good. Hearing these words, Jiang Yutong immediately blushed with shame. She had insulted Hao Jian just now, yet he had come back to save them without holding a grudge. "Kid, trying to play the hero, huh? Have you weighed whether your bones are hard enough?" Yellow Hair glared at Hao Jian, scoffing continuously. "I wouldn't call it playing the hero. She's my student, I'm her teacher. Seeing her bullied by thugs, it's only right for me to step forward, isn't it?" Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders. "A teacher, huh? Heh, beating up teachers is what I enjoy the most!" Yellow Hair laughed heartily. "Kid, you're out of luck. Our Brother Yellow Hair hates teachers the most. You're really asking for it!" The other gangsters also started laughing. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "A fan of beating up teachers, huh? Then you must have been a bad student back when you were in school," Hao Jian said with narrowed eyes. "Right, bullying male classmates, harassing female classmates, beating up teachers, collecting protection fees, I'm up to no good!" Yellow Hair boasted proudly as if it were something to be proud of. "So that's how it is. Well, that's unfortunate, because as a teacher, the kind of student I hate the most is someone like you. Give you a chance: kneel down and kowtow a few times, then scram, and I'll pretend nothing happened and won't mess with your ridiculous hairstyle," Hao Jian said in all seriousness. "Are you out of your mind, telling us to scram? Didn't you notice we've got more people here than you? You think you stand a chance against the lot of us?" Yellow Hair laughed in anger. "Actually, it should be about five or six against one, to be correct," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Five or six? Are you blind or can't you count?" Yellow Hair cursed, thinking the kid must be a simpleton. But Hao Jian just laughed disparagingly, "It's you who overestimate your buddies here. As long as I take down one or two of the toughest among you, then handle another four or five hot-blooded youths, the rest will be so scared that they'll most likely run away. So you see, you only have five or six people who are of any use." "Damn it, this kid's looking down on us, brothers, beat him up!" Yellow Hair was completely enraged and let out a roar. "Teacher, run! These people are not ones you can afford to provoke, you've already done enough for our family, and we can't bear to see you getting beaten up for us anymore," the mother on the ground cried and wailed, not pleading with Yellow Hair and his gang, but begging Hao Jian. Hao Jian had already gone to great lengths for them, mother and daughter, and for that, she was very grateful. "Teacher Hao, I misunderstood you before, I'm sorry, but you really are no match for them, please just go, I'm begging you," Jiang Yutong also cried out to Hao Jian, her heart a mixture of emotions. The person she used to despise the most was now firmly standing by her side. Regardless of whether Hao Jian had any ulterior motives towards her, his loyalty alone was touching; even if he did have malicious intentions, she was willing to accept it! "Leave? As a teacher, to see my own student getting bullied and choose to run away, would I still be worthy of being called a teacher?" Hao Jian said with a faint smile, and then his eyes suddenly turned icy, "Moreover, they're just trash, is there really any need to worry?" "Fuck! Kill that bastard!" Yellow Hair was burning with rage and pulled out a small knife from his pocket. "Today I'm going to carve a hole in you and make you realize there are some people in this world you just can't mess with!" Yellow Hair charged forward first. "Teacher, run!" Jiang Yutong and her mother both cried out in horror at the same time. But Hao Jian didn't run, nor did he hide, watching Yellow Hair, whose eyes were filled with murderous intent, as he drew closer and closer. Yellow Hair was infuriated, and although he had not dared to actually stab Hao Jian, intending only to scare him, seeing that Hao Jian wasn't dodging but instead looking at him with a cold smirk, his anger exploded, and he thrust the knife directly towards Hao Jian's belly. "Slap!" A crisp slap echoed suddenly. Everyone then saw Yellow Hair spinning on the spot before sitting down on the ground, unable to recover his senses for a long time. "Brother Yellow Hair!" The gangsters were instantly terrified. Yellow Hair looked up at the sky dazedly, "Why are there so many stars tonight?" Everyone was speechless. "Dare to hit Brother Yellow Hair, brothers, chop this kid to death!" a tall guy roared and charged forward. "Bang!" Hao Jian simply extended a foot and kicked the tall guy directly into the bushes. Following that, Hao Jian took care of a few more gangsters, and then, just as he had said, no one else dared to come forward. The gangsters were stunned by how ferocious Hao Jian was, one by one bewildered. They were just gangsters, not really deep into the underworld; their bones were full of hot air instead of true ferocity. How could they dare to challenge Hao Jian? Even Jiang Yutong and her mother were taken aback by the sight. They had never imagined that Hao Jian, with his small frame, could fight these gangsters like they were his own children, knocking down five or six of them in no time, and doing so effortlessly, as if it was a walk in the park. "Who the fuck else wants some?" Hao Jian swept his fierce gaze over the gangsters, and they simultaneously bowed their heads in fear, not daring to meet his eyes. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire "Get up there! Who do you think you follow?" Yellow Hair had regained his senses by now, hopping mad. These damn fools really turned into cowards. "Brother Yellow Hair, I think we should let it go. That kid doesn't look easy to mess with," said one of the minions. "Yeah, Brother Yellow Hair, a wise man does not fight when the odds are against him. Let's hurry and go. Tomorrow the boss can gather more men and then we can come back for revenge," another minion added. Then the gangsters exchanged glances and ran away in unison. "Come back here! Fuck your mothers, I'll kill you all later!" Yellow Hair cursed furiously. "See, didn't I tell you?" Hao Jian walked over and crouched beside Yellow Hair, grinning wickedly. Yellow Hair shook slightly, warning with a facade of toughness, "Don't mess with me. My boss is Fat Loach Brother. If you hit me, he won't let you off the hook." "Slap!" Hao Jian simply slapped him across the face and continued to ask with a smile, "Who did you say your boss was again?" "It's nothing," Yellow Hair said, covering his face and looking annoyed. The fact that the other party dared to hit him even after he mentioned his boss clearly showed he didn't care; repeating it would make no difference. "Does it feel good to bully defenseless civilians? If you're so tough, why don't you join the army and go to the battlefield? It'd be so much better to direct that thuggish energy at external enemies. Why the hell do you bully innocent people?" Hao Jian squinted and asked. Yellow Hair remained silent. Then Hao Jian slapped him again, "Fuck, I'm talking to you. Make some noise, will you? You make me feel like I'm talking to myself." Yellow Hair felt like crying. Who the hell was the real hooligan here? "Yutong, your teacher, he's kind of... kind of..." "Kind of like a gangster, right?" Jiang Yutong said with a wry smile. "Yes, exactly," the auntie nodded vigorously. "I don't know about that, but I do know that the last time I met him in a bar, he took down several bodyguards and even fed them some... medicine," Jiang Yutong said. "Ah? He's that bad?" The auntie was shocked, finding it hard to reconcile Hao Jian's scholarly appearance with his dirty deeds. "Yeah, but that time, he did it to help me out. There was a rich second generation named Ouyang Shaohua who tried to trick me into drinking a spiked drink, and Teacher found out. Then he beat up that Ouyang Shaohua," Jiang Yutong recounted. After hearing this, the auntie was also startled, saying, "So that means the teacher has saved our family twice now? How can you call him a bad person then?" "I... I initially thought he did that just to get close to me, you know? Didn't you say it's important to be cautious of others?" Jiang Yutong pouted, feeling wronged. "You... Ah, really, you're so confused!" The auntie didn't even know what to say to Jiang Yutong anymore. "Big brother, I know I was wrong. I won't collect protection money from this area anymore, and I won't bother these two women again. Please... please spare me!" Realizing that he couldn't provoke Hao Jian, Yellow Hair could only start begging for mercy. "Spare you? But you were just about to stab me to death. What if you let me stab you once, and then we call it even? How about that?" Hao Jian asked, feigning a smile. Yellow Hair immediately shook his head as if it were a rattle-drum, "No way, absolutely not. You're a teacher, how can you do such things?" "Teaching is just my side job, actually, my main profession is the same as yours, a gangster," Hao Jian gave Yellow Hair a knowing look that said we're both in the same business. Chapter 311 Saw Nothing! Yellow Hair was completely shocked and after a long while, he suddenly started crying, "Big brother, what exactly do you want, just draw a line for me, will you?" Hao Jian chuckled, then turned to Jiang Yutong's mother and said, "Ma'am, may I borrow a pair of scissors?" Jiang Yutong and her mother had no idea what Hao Jian was about to do, but still handed him a pair of scissors. "I already told you, I hate students like you the most. First, let me cut off this bird's nest on your head." Hao Jian found Yellow Hair's hair displeasing no matter how he looked at it. "No, that's absolutely not okay." Yellow Hair panicked, his hairstyle was more important to him than his life, there's no way he could let someone mess with it. "Not okay?" Hao Jian frowned. "Absolutely not! A head can be broken, blood can flow, but the hairstyle must not be messed with," Yellow Hair declared firmly. Hao Jian fell silent but his gaze toward Yellow Hair was peculiarly eccentric. "Alright, then it's better to behead you." Hao Jian nodded and then, grabbing the scissors, made a motion as if to stab toward Yellow Hair's chest. "Stop stop stop," Yellow Hair quickly changed his tune, struggling in terror. "Didn't you say a head can be broken but the hairstyle must not be messed with?" Hao Jian scoffed coldly. "Me." Yellow Hair had a mournful face, how could I know you'd be so direct, can't you give me some face and let me act tough? With a reluctant expression, Yellow Hair said, "Then just cut my hair." Hao Jian scoffed scornfully, thinking this kid really wasn't as tough as he thought. Hao Jian took the scissors and quickly fixed Yellow Hair's hair, watching big clumps of hair fall from his head. Yellow Hair felt as if his heart was bleeding. "There, this hairstyle is much more pleasant to the eye." Hao Jian put down the scissors, looking very pleased with Yellow Hair's hair. Yellow Hair immediately grabbed his phone, turned on the front camera to see what he looked like, and then he cried out, "You. How could you turn me into Three Hairs?" Now, his head was bald, with only three sparse hairs left on his skull. "What's wrong with Three Hairs, Three Hairs is a star, a witness of an era. With this hairstyle, others will definitely think you look like a star," Hao Jian started spouting nonsense. Yellow Hair's heart was bleeding. Forget it, in the future, wearing a hat would still be the same. He grimly asked Hao Jian, "Can I leave now?" Upon hearing this, a sly smile appeared on Hao Jian's lips, then he suddenly grabbed the scissors and jabbed them into Yellow Hair's thigh, the scissors penetrating the flesh. "Ow!" Yellow Hair's scream pierced the still night. Jiang Yutong and her mother shuddered, Hao Jian's shift in demeanor was too swift, catching them off guard. One minute ago, Hao Jian was all smiles and banter, the next he ruthlessly escalated his actions. "You. Didn't you say you would let me go after cutting my hair?" Yellow Hair clutched his leg, gritting his teeth as he glared at Hao Jian, his eyes filled with hatred. He knew, Hao Jian had played him. "Yeah, but I lied, is that a problem?" Hao Jian grinned maliciously. Yellow Hair's face turned livid, his eyes blazing with fury. "What, can't stand it? Now you know how it feels to be bullied? You thought these two women were easy targets, so you dared to abduct a girl in broad daylight. So, if you look easy to bully in my eyes, why can't I stab you with scissors?" Hao Jian grinned, revealing a wild smile. "Teacher, the police are coming, let's go," Just then, Jiang Yutong saw two patrol officers approaching. "Police, come save me! Murder, police!" At this moment, Yellow Hair saw an opportunity and screamed loudly, trying to attract the officers. Although it was disgraceful for a gangster to seek police help, who knew how Hao Jian would torment him next? At this moment, the safest bet was to have the police take both him and Hao Jian to the station. He reasoned that in front of the police, Hao Jian might not dare to be too arrogant. But Hao Jian did not stop him, letting Yellow Hair scream and shout, the sinister smile never leaving his face. The two patrol officers, hearing the commotion, hurried over and saw the injured Yellow Hair and Hao Jian facing away from them. They instantly became alert and shouted at Hao Jian, "Put down the weapon and raise your hands!" Hao Jian turned around, smiling genially at the two patrol officers, "Who did you just say should raise their hands?" The two patrol officers recognized Hao Jian's face and immediately gasped. They all knew him from the time he had caused a disturbance at the police station, and many officers remembered his appearance. The next moment, the two patrol officers bowed deeply at ninety degrees to Hao Jian, "We're sorry, Mr. Hao, we didn't realize it was you." Yellow Hair and a few gangsters were petrified, while Jiang Yutong and her mother were also stunned. Hao Jian chuckled, "I'm teaching a few little gangsters a lesson here, do you guys have any objections?" "No objections, we didn't see anything!" the two patrolling officers said in unison, and at this moment, Yellow Hair also realized he was in trouble. Even the police were treating this guy with great respect; he definitely wasn't just a simple teacher. Hao Jian stood up and said to the two patrolling officers, "I happened to bump into this gang causing trouble here, and I gave them a lesson. I guess I don't need to tell you what to do with them next, right?" "We will definitely handle it impartially and make them pay for their actions," one of the pudgy officers said loudly. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian nodded in satisfaction, "Do I need to come to the station to make a statement?" "What are you talking about? Such a trivial matter, we wouldn't dare to bother you with that, we can handle it ourselves," the other officer quickly added. "Good, take them all away!" Hao Jian instructed. The two officers immediately approached Yellow Hair and the others and barked, "All of you, get up!" "Officer, my boss, Fat Loach Brother, is well-acquainted with the captain of your patrol squad, give us some face," Yellow Hair pleaded. "Give your mom a hat! Get up quick or I'll let you taste the police baton!" the hefty officer said menacingly. What does the captain matter when offending the big shot right here, not even the chief would dare not give face. Yellow Hair sighed, knowing that there was no turning back, and stood up obediently to leave with the two officers. Now, only Jiang Yutong, her mother, and Hao Jian were left standing there, with Jiang Yutong and her mother still shocked, staring blankly at Hao Jian. But Hao Jian was as casual as if nothing had happened, "It's getting late, doesn't look like there will be any more business tonight. You should head home quickly." After saying this, Hao Jian walked toward the direction of the school. "Teacher, wait a moment." At this time, Jiang Yutong called out to Hao Jian and ran up to him, standing embarrassedly behind him. "If you're thinking of apologizing, don't bother because I absolutely won't forgive you," Hao Jian chuckled. "Oh, thanks. Um?" Jiang Yutong suddenly looked up, astonished at Hao Jian. She had thought he would say it's okay, I won't be angry, as a normal teacher like Hao Jian should have said, after all, he was a teacher. "You thought I would say it's okay? Pfft, I definitely won't say that. I want you to feel guilty!" Hao Jian said mischievously. Jiang Yutong was petrified. What kind of person was this? After a moment, Jiang Yutong glared and said haughtily, "Anyway, thanks for saving me. I misunderstood you earlier, and I apologize for that." Hao Jian nodded, then disdainfully looked at Jiang Yutong, "That's good that you think so. Let me tell you, I'm really not interested in bean sprouts like you. What I like are mature women, mature women, you get it? Like Teacher Qin Bing, not like you." Jiang Yutong was frustrated, "Are you blind?" Couldn't this guy see how well-proportioned her figure was? If she was called bean sprouts, then more than half the women in the world would be bean sprouts. "Jiang Yutong, how can you speak to Teacher Hao like this!" the aunt quickly scolded. "Mom, didn't you hear how he insulted me? He called me a bean sprout!" Jiang Yutong said angrily. Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire "What the teacher meant is that you're just a little girl to him," the aunt spoke for Hao Jian. "Isn't that right, teacher?" "Exactly, that's what I meant. And as an ethical teacher, how could I fancy my own student!" Hao Jian declared righteously. "Really? Then why were you staring at Zhao Yating's breasts during today's class?" Jiang Yutong sneered. Hao Jian was taken aback, looking at Jiang Yutong in astonishment. How did this girl know? "Don't act so shocked. I happened to attend a class in your classroom today, so I saw everything you did during the class!" Jiang Yutong huffed, with a look of 'I've seen through you' on her face. "Nonsense, you must have seen it wrong," the aunt glared at Jiang Yutong. "Right, right, you must have seen it wrong. How could a teacher with my moral integrity do such a vile thing?" Hao Jian also coughed a couple of times, trying to mask his embarrassment: "Ah, children these days really are harder to teach, especially girls with their wild imaginations. Jiang Yutong, you are not getting any younger; how can you still be making such groundless claims? Don't you know that you're making the teacher very sad?" Seeing Hao Jian looking so sorrowfully, Jiang Yutong really wanted to smack him with a slipper. This guy had skin as thick as a city wall; how could he possibly be sad? "Teacher Hao, I'm truly sorry. It's my lack of discipline," the aunt sighed in shame. "It's not your fault, after all, it's not easy to discipline children these days. But in cases like yours, I would recommend seeing a psychologist to check if there are any psychological issues," Hao Jian said earnestly. Chapter 312 The Game! "I see your mom's head, son of a bitch, you dare call me crazy?" Jiang Yutong was completely enraged, exploding in fury on the spot. "Auntie, look at this, first she's having wild thoughts, now she's suddenly irritable and quick to anger, I think we're pretty much on the mark here, you better hurry up about it," Hao Jian said alarmingly. At this moment, the aunt couldn't help but turn to look at Jiang Yutong, her gaze somewhat peculiar. "Mom, you don't seriously believe what he's saying, do you?" Jiang Yutong looked at her mother in shock. The aunt didn't speak, instead turning her head towards Hao Jian: "Er, Teacher Hao Jian, I wonder if you understand psychology?" Jiang Yutong covered her face and sighed in despair, it was over, her mom had completely been swayed by this bastard. "That's not my strong suit, though I do have a little understanding of it, but then again, she dislikes me so much, I doubt she would cooperate with my treatment. You might as well find someone more capable!" "No no no, I will make sure she cooperates with you. If she doesn't, just tell me, and see if I don't beat her to death!" the aunt said fiercely. "Mom! Are you really my mother?" Jiang Yutong was on the verge of tears. "Shut up!" "With that said, I'm relieved. Jiang Yutong, I hope we can get along well in the future. Hey, where are you going? Hey, what are you doing with that kitchen knife? Hey hey hey." Hao Jian took to his heels and ran. "Slow down, or I'll chop off your legs!" . The next day, as soon as Hao Jian got up, he saw a man standing at his door. "Zhou Zixiong, what brings you here?" Hao Jian asked in surprise, but the clever him immediately guessed something and furrowed his brow, "Has something happened?" Zhou Zixiong nodded with an ugly expression: "Zhang Zicong went to the group to threaten the president, demanding him to sell the Shu Ya Group." "Zhang Zicong? Impossible, Shu Ya wouldn't be scared of such trash, would they?" Hao Jian chuckled. Zhou Zixiong forced a smile: "If it were just Zhang Zicong, of course the president wouldn't be afraid. The problem is that Zhang Zicong also brought along Ouyang Family's young master, Ouyang Shaohua, the junior head of Tianhong Enterprise. Tianhong Enterprise has substantial influence domestically, and Ouyang Shaohua, encouraged by Zhang Zicong, plans to maliciously acquire Shu Ya Group. With their financial and material resources, it wouldn't be difficult for them to do so." Hearing this, Hao Jian also fell silent, chin in hand, contemplating: "Ouyang Shaohua." He naturally knew Ouyang Shaohua was the prodigal son he had tricked in the bar that night, but what he hadn't expected was for Ouyang Shaohua to reach out towards Shu Ya. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Mr. Hao, did you really break up with the president?" Zhou Zixiong asked anxiously. Hao Jian smiled wryly and nodded: "I indeed have broken up with her." Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire "Ah," Zhou Zixiong sighed, puzzled. "Why would you break up just like that, the two of you were such a good match." Zhou Zixiong had intended to continue, but seeing Hao Jian looking at him with a grin, he realized something and quickly shut up. "The president is too proud to come to find you, and won't let others do it either, so I had to sneak over. If you don't take action, the group will certainly fall into Ouyang Shaohua's hands this time. Mr. Hao, no matter what the situation is between you and the president, I hope you can help the group out, considering our past collaboration!" Zhou Zixiong earnestly pleaded, now Hao Jian was the only one who could help Shu Ya. "Go back, I'm aware of the situation now. Ouyang Shaohua won't get what he wants," Hao Jian said indifferently, expressionless. Zhou Zixiong immediately showed excitement and then bowed deeply to Hao Jian: "Thank you!" Afterwards, Zhou Zixiong didn't say more and turned to leave, knowing that since Hao Jian had promised to help, he definitely would. "Ouyang Shaohua. How interesting!" A cold smirk crossed Hao Jian's lips as he headed to the basketball court. The game between Harvard University and Chinese Medicine Hospital was over; now it was time for the sports competition. Basketball was an unavoidable contest, as the old saying goes: "Strong youth leads to a strong country," which naturally includes physical strength. Only those who excel both in academics and athletics are truly talented. But when it comes to basketball, Huaxia people are inherently at a disadvantage compared to Westerners because of the different body structures. An eighteen-year-old black kid could take on three adult Huaxia men, but a young Huaxia man would definitely not be able to handle three Western hulks. So, when the players from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital saw those tall, imposing black and white players from Harvard University, they lost half of their morale even before the game started. Every one of Harvard's players was over one meter ninety tall, with robust physiques and strong, muscular bodies. In contrast, the players from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital looked like a bunch of irregularly shaped melons and cracked jujubes. "How are we supposed to play this? We're definitely going to lose." "Dammit, Harvard University is clearly bullying us. Why don't they play badminton or table tennis with us? We'd beat them easily in minutes." The students from the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine were also not optimistic about their basketball team. "Coach, you're here?" Seeing Hao Jian approaching, Giggs hurried over to greet him obsequiously, looking like quite the sycophant. Seeing how Giggs behaved, Harvard University's students couldn't help but be taken aback. Could you be any more bootlicking? Then they turned their heads away, deciding to ignore it altogether. "Hmm." Hao Jian cast his gaze onto the court, expressionless. Giggs's eyes suddenly shifted, "Well, teacher, why don't we switch to a different game? I'm sick of basketball after all this back and forth. How about we try something more interesting?" The reason Giggs had chosen basketball earlier was indeed to exploit their strength against Chinese Medicine Hospital's weakness, and then, after Chinese Medicine Hospital's defeat, to thoroughly humiliate them. But now he had taken Hao Jian as his master and naturally didn't dare to continue with such plans. "No need, if they can't withstand even this test, it just shows that they're worthless. They've got no one to blame but themselves." Hao Jian said indifferently. He was just like that, kind when it was time to be kind, strict when it was time to be strict. "Easy for you to say. After all, it's not you who's going to be embarrassed!" Wang Zhigang couldn't stand Hao Jian's posturing and couldn't help but interject. Hao Jian looked at Wang Zhigang with a cold smile, "Does Director Wang think our school's students are bound to lose?" "Isn't that obvious? Just look at the height difference, it's clear." Wang Zhigang snorted and thought to himself: The more foolish and naive a person is, the more likely they believe they can win against such an opponent. "Then how about we make a bet? If our school's students lose, I'll give you ten thousand yuan, but if they win, you give me ten thousand yuan?" Hao Jian proposed with a smirk. "Another bet?" Wang Zhigang was dumbfounded, feeling reluctant to take the bet. Because those who bet with Hao Jian always ended up badly. "If you're too scared, forget it. Teacher Qin, I told you Wang Zhigang has the guts of a mouse and you didn't believe me, now do you see?" Hao Jian taunted deliberately. Qin Bing was stunned. What did this have to do with her? Why was she being dragged into this? Qin Bing didn't know what was going on, but Hao Jian knew. It was because he had been close with Qin Bing that Wang Zhigang was always hostile towards him. During the time he was close with Qin Bing, every time Wang Zhigang saw him, he would glare at him and mock him. Furthermore, that fatty had clearly impure motives when looking at Qin Bing, always trying to curry favor with her when there was no need. "Who said I'm scared? I'll take you up on that bet!" Wang Zhigang, provoked by Hao Jian's taunt, was instantly infuriated. He couldn't be seen as inferior in front of Qin Bing. "Great, let's have the other teachers bear witness then," Hao Jian said, turning towards the other teachers. "Sure thing," all the teachers laughed heartily. "Zack, don't hold back when you get on the court, try to make sure the opponents don't score a single basket!" Inside the locker room, Benjamin instructed a tall black player. The tall black player Zack replied in English, "Don't worry, Benjamin, I can beat these rookies with my eyes closed!" Zack was the captain of the Harvard University basketball team and was said to have been scouted by an NBA team, planning to make his move into the NBA after graduation. His capabilities were naturally not in question. "Also," Benjamin said, with a sly and sinister smile, "among those you're going up against is a guy named Luo Tong, he's Hao Jian's student. When you get on the court, find a way to cripple him." "Ah?" Zack was flabbergasted, "But wouldn't that be against the rules? I might get ejected from the game." "Don't worry, have you forgotten the Huaxia people's worst quality? That is, they harm each other for their own benefit. I've already given a handsome reward to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital teacher who will be refereeing, he'll side with you on the court," Benjamin said with a sly chuckle. After all, to him, money was just a number; he really didn't care about it. "All right, I'll get revenge for you on the court!" Zack also cracked a malicious grin. "Nervous?" Before going on the court, Hao Jian also had a talk with Luo Tong and the others. "Nervous!" Luo Tong and Zhang Jia said with bitter smiles. There was no choice but to laugh; the opposing team had a future NBA professional player, so it was only natural to feel nervous. "Nervous my ass! You've got me!" Hao Jian shouted. "Teacher, you can't play," Luo Tong kindly reminded him. This was a contest between students; teachers were not allowed to participate. "Though I can't be on the court, I can still command. As long as you follow my orders, we're definitely going to win!" Hao Jian said confidently. Luo Tong and the others looked at each other in disbelief, then said dubiously, "Teacher, are you serious? You're not just joking with us, right?" Winning a game through commands alone presupposed that both teams' strengths were comparable. With such a disparity in their strengths, how could they possibly win? "I'm just asking you, do you believe in me?" Hao Jian cut to the chase. Luo Tong and the others hesitated for a moment, then nodded vigorously. "Go on, then. Let those black guys know that it's not only Westerners who can play great basketball!" Hao Jian said. "Roar!" Luo Tong and the others let out a collective roar. On the court, all five players were brimming with fighting spirit. Zack and his teammates were dumbfounded, unsure what had gotten into these guys. They had seemed downcast just before, but now they were as pumped up as if they were on fire. Zack and his team naturally didn't know that Luo Tong and the others' confidence came from Hao Jian. They were nearly blind in their worship of Hao Jian now; if Hao Jian said they could win, then they were certain they could win. Chapter 313 Black Whistle! Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire As the referee blew the whistle, the game officially began. Zack immediately seized the initiative, snatching the basketball from Luo Tong's hands and then making his way through the defenders to the basket, where he elegantly shot the ball into the hoop. "Zack! Zack!" The cheerleaders from Harvard University started cheering, and from that moment on, the court was now under Zack's control. In the next half hour, Zack kept scoring relentlessly, with the scoreboard showing a stark 30-3 lead. Luo Tong and his teammates were running ragged, but still no match for Zack; he was like a runaway train, three men couldn't stop him. At this moment, Benjamin cast a meaningful glance at Zack, signaling him to start. Zack nodded and a sinister smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. "Why isn't the coach directing us? If it goes on like this, we're going to lose!" Zhang Jia said anxiously, out of breath, with the entire game being dictated by Zack, completely following the opponent's rhythm. They all looked towards Hao Jian, only to see him sitting surrounded by a group of girls, snickering lewdly. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Come, let the teacher read your palm, whoa, you've got quite the palmistry here, it says you'll marry into wealth in the future." "Really?" the girl asked, thrilled. "I want to have mine read too," another chimed in eagerly. "Don't worry, one at a time, take it easy." Luo Tong and the others immediately had gloomy expressions. "I feel like we've been played," Zhang Jia said, almost in tears. "Whistle!" Just then, the referee blew the whistle again, leaving them no time to ponder what Hao Jian was up to; they quickly headed toward the court. "I'll stop that black guy; you find a chance to shoot!" Luo Tong said resolutely. "Okay!" Zhang Jia and the others wasted no words and got moving. It was then that Zack directly charged at Luo Tong, and just when Luo Tong thought he would dribble past, a fierce look crossed Zack's face, and his knee brutally rammed into Luo Tong's belly. "Bang!" A muffled groan escaped from Luo Tong's mouth, and he immediately collapsed on the ground. Zack's knee strike had hit Luo Tong right in the solar plexus, causing him to instantly lose the ability to move. "Referee, he's deliberately injuring someone!" Zhang Jia and the others, seeing this, ran over to check on Luo Tong while yelling at the teacher acting as the referee. They were all glaring at Zack with anger, but Zack was just playing with the ball in his hands, looking completely relaxed. The referee quickly approached and pulled out a yellow card from his pocket. Just as everyone thought he was about to give Zack a warning, they were shocked to see him extending the yellow card towards Luo Tong: "Faking a fall, yellow card warning. Do it again, and you're out of the game." "What?" Zhang Jia and the others were instantly incensed. Zhang Jia shouted furiously, "Are you blind? Didn't you see that black guy hit our player? And you give us a yellow card?" The referee frowned immediately, then coldly said to Zhang Jia, "Insulting the referee, yellow card warning!" "Fuck!" Zhang Jia trembled with rage, ready to teach the coach a lesson. Up in the stands, Hao Jian also stopped his flirting with the girls, a sneer forming at the corner of his mouth. "Stop it!" Just then, Luo Tong shouted loudly, struggling to get up from the ground and said with a pale face, "I'm fine, let's continue the game!" "But you're like this." "I'm fine!" Luo Tong said firmly. The referee then blew the whistle, announcing the game would continue as normal. At that moment, Zack looked coldly at Luo Tong and said arrogantly in the only Huaxia phrase he knew, "Dog eat dog." Luo Tong's eyes turned icy, and anger showed on his face. "Bang!" Again the same tactic, but this time, it was used on another player, who was even less fortunate and was struck directly in the groin, collapsing and unable to get up. "Faking a fall! Yellow card warning!" Naturally, the referee, who had already been influenced, wasn't going to side with Luo Tong's team. "Fuck this, what's with this referee!" Zhang Jia cursed through clenched teeth. The other team was not playing basketball, but hitting people! And yet the referee acted as if he knew nothing. "Must have taken someone's bribe, I guess. That obvious move, everybody saw it; he has no excuse not to," Luo Tong also said with an ugly face. They were already at a disadvantage against the other team, and now with a biased referee, the situation was even more desperate. Seeing this, Benjamin laughed heartily, his expression as proud as could be. "Black whistle! Black whistle!" In the stands, all of the Chinese Medicine Hospital students roared in anger, as the referee was blatantly favoring Zack and his team. The laughing students from Harvard University were also taken aback, but some of them understood what was going on and looked a bit embarrassed. Because they all knew that it was Benjamin who had bribed the referee. "Is this also your handiwork?" Hao Jian turned his head to look at Giggs. Giggs hurriedly shook his head, looking terrified: "No, no, no, I definitely didn't tell them to do this, it must be Benjamin's doing." Hao Jian nodded, also believing it was Benjamin's deeds. Immediately after, he stood up from among the group of girls: "Alright, ladies, it's time for my performance now." "Teacher, do you have a way to make them win?" The girls looked at Hao Jian in stunned silence. "Of course, didn't you see who I am?" Hao Jian said with a proud smile, then whistled towards the court. Luo Tong and the others turned their heads in confusion, looking at Hao Jian. "From now on, follow my commands. Whoever has the ball, listen to me completely. Starting now, brighten up and stay alert, got it?" Hao Jian yelled. "Understood!" Luo Tong and the others all roared with excitement, knowing that Hao Jian was going to make a move. "Making a pointless fuss!" Wang Zhigang sneered disdainfully. And Benjamin, from afar, had a cold smirk on his face. He didn't believe Hao Jian could turn the situation around just with his mouth. How was this different from armchair strategy? With Hao Jian's command, Luo Tong and the others were filled with renewed confidence and morale. This time, Luo Tong took the ball and launched the offensive. "Make them despair!" Zack also roared angrily, determined not to let these guys come back to life. Zack pounced on Luo Tong. Seeing Zack's menacing approach, Luo Tong instinctively halted, but he had barely made the movement when he heard Hao Jian's thundering voice. "Don't stop! Keep charging!" Upon hearing this, Luo Tong gritted his teeth and moved forward once more. At that moment, Zack was only a meter away from Luo Tong. "Left, three small steps, bend over!" Hao Jian shouted, and Luo Tong's eyes brightened as he followed Hao Jian's instructions. Zack charged straight at Luo Tong, thinking he would definitely block him, but he didn't expect that Luo Tong would make a move just as he was about to be intercepted. Zack lunged at empty air as Luo Tong dashed past him. "Bend your arm thirty-five degrees, shoot!" Hao Jian shouted again. Luo Tong did just that, hurling the ball out. "Swoosh!" The basketball went straight into the hoop, making a faint sound. "Three-pointer, it's in!" Everyone from the Chinese Medicine Hospital side exploded with excitement. "Teacher, I admire you so much!" Zhao Yating looked at Hao Jian with a star-struck expression. "Teacher, are you really omnipotent?" The other girls were dumbfounded, staring at Hao Jian with fiery eyes, almost as if they wanted to devour him whole. "Don't get too excited, the climax is still to come!" Hao Jian laughed. Meanwhile, Luo Tong and his teammates, seeing that the shot had really gone in, couldn't help but get overexcited. Now they couldn't wait to go up and give Hao Jian a couple of kisses. At first, they had thought that Hao Jian's command would be about strategy, but they hadn't expected Hao Jian to directly command their actions, which was almost like Hao Jian himself was playing. At this point, Luo Tong and the others were full of confidence, their faces finally breaking into smiles. Seeing this, Zack and his teammates exchanged looks of confusion, as if they had witnessed something supernatural. Up in the stands, Benjamin and Wang Zhigang also had very unpleasant expressions. They hadn't anticipated that with Hao Jian's mere verbal instructions, Luo Tong and his teammates could score. "Continue! Prick up your ears and listen to me!" Hao Jian laughed heartily. "Yes!" Chapter 314 Crazy Girls "Back three to four, bow your head and turn left, bend your arm thirty degrees, shoot!" "Left five to three, left dodge then right dodge, get past them, slam dunk!" Gradually, the score had gotten closer, inch by inch, until just now Luo Tong and the others actually surpassed Zack and his team. Zack and his teammates were completely dumbfounded, their reaction was like, what the hell, this has got to be some kind of cheat! How could they even play against this? Watching Luo Tong and the others score continuously, while their own offense was blocked again and again, Zack truly panicked. What in the world was the deal with that Huaxia man standing in the stands? With just a few words, he could control a basketball team and even have Luo Tong and the others keep scoring¡ªit was simply too incredible! As the score was being caught up, the students from the Chinese Medicine Hospital in the stands were overjoyed, shouting Hao Jian's name. At this moment, Benjamin's face was ashen to the extreme; he could never have imagined that Hao Jian had such ability, that he could lead a team to victory with just his verbal commands. Benjamin looked at Hao Jian, only to see him smirking at Benjamin, and he shouted, "What a pity, your foreign classmates don't understand Chinese. If they did, maybe they would have been able to break my play, haha." "Referee, this person is disturbing the game, don't you care at all?" Benjamin roared at the teacher he had bribed. The teacher then pointed at Hao Jian, "From this moment on, you are not allowed to talk." "You better shut up instead, otherwise I can't guarantee if the money you got will be enough to cover your medical bills," Hao Jian said coldly, sneering. The teacher's expression immediately froze, and indeed he dared not say another word. The man had witnessed Hao Jian's methods firsthand, him alone challenging an entire army. If Hao Jian really decided to do something to him, there was no way he could resist. Plus, the fact that even military officers were so afraid of Hao Jian indicated that he must have a significant social status. If he went against Hao Jian, the one likely to suffer would be himself. Moreover, Hao Jian had made himself very clear; if the teacher dared to meddle further, Hao Jian would make sure the teacher spent the latter half of his life in the hospital, using Benjamin's money to pay for medical expenses! "What are you afraid of? You're the referee!" Benjamin yelled hysterically, his eyes nearly shooting fire. "I... I..." The teacher was conflicted, shaking his head vigorously, indicating his helplessness. "Teacher, I admire you so much!" Zhao Yating threw her arms around Hao Jian in a great big bear hug, squeezing his head into her chest. "Teacher, you must be an angel sent by the three realms!" one girl said dreamily as she gazed at Hao Jian. "All-powerful Teacher Hao Jian, I want to offer you my most precious first night!" another girl said even more boldly. Hao Jian pressed his hands down, gesturing for them to calm down, and smiled meaningfully, "I told you not to get excited, didn't I say the best is yet to come?" S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Teacher, what more is there to come?" the girls asked curiously, wondering what more astonishing things Hao Jian could possibly come up with. "Just watch." Hao Jian smirked in amusement, then turned to Luo Tong, who had the ball, and said, "Luo Tong, stand still, don't move." "Oh." Luo Tong stood motionless under his own basket, waiting for Hao Jian's next command. "Bend the arm to sixty-three degrees, no, a bit more bend, lower, right, throw the ball with all you've got!" Hao Jian commanded. "Huh? Teacher, it's too far, how can I possibly make that shot?" Luo Tong was flabbergasted. The distance was the length of the entire court; how could it be possible to score from there? "Just shoot when I tell you to, will you? Enough with the nonsense!" Hao Jian retorted impatiently. "Oh." Luo Tong responded weakly, then followed Hao Jian's instructions and threw the ball. "Whoosh!" The basketball went straight through the net, creating a crisp sound. "It's in, it actually went in!" The crowd in the stands was astounded; both the Chinese Medicine Hospital and Harvard University were shocked. A three-pointer from across the entire court was successful; it was simply divine! "That Huaxia coach is amazing, I need to get his autograph!" Some of the Harvard University girls couldn't stay seated any longer. "I want to give my precious first time to this Huaxia man!" "I want to marry him! For him, I'm willing to stay in Huaxia forever!" "You have no chance now. I also want to pursue him, and he will definitely become my man!" Those female students all started shouting Hao Jian's name; at this moment, even they couldn't help but switch sides to Hao Jian's. Because Hao Jian was truly miraculous, his precision in estimating distance, parabola, and strength was jaw-dropping. He could score just by moving his mouth, so what would happen if he played on the field? It was likely that their school's guys would be overwhelmed in an instant. "You turn traitor to Traditional Chinese Medicine? Are you still Harvard University students? This is utter disrespect to our nation! You should be ashamed!" Benjamin scolded the female students, his expression agitated. "Isn't it shameful for you to win a game by bribing the referee in such a despicable way?" "Exactly, only using despicable tactics to win, you are the one bringing shame to the country!" "What right do you have to insult us? Ridiculous!" But those female students from Harvard University were having none of it and unceremoniously began to mock him in return. Benjamin's face turned ugly to the extreme, and he was so angered by those girls that he couldn't utter a single word. The girls, no longer bothering to pay attention to him, rushed straight up to Hao Jian. "Teacher Hao Jian, my name is Liana. I like you, my bust size is 36E, and my waist is¡ª" "Teacher Hao Jian, I'm still a virgin, I want to have your children!" "Teacher Hao Jian, be my boyfriend, please. My dad is an Arab sheikh, he owns more than a dozen oil fields!" The girls swarmed around Hao Jian like ravenous wolves, each flaunting their own advantages in hopes of currying favor with him. Hao Jian could only offer a wry smile. Foreign girls really were more open than domestic ones; such straightforward and bold propositions had caught him a bit off guard. "Don't even think about it, Teacher Hao Jian is ours!" At this moment, the Huaxia girls stood up! "That's right, Teacher Hao Jian is ours, and he's not suitable for you. You foreign devils should just go back to America and find boyfriends there." These Huaxia girls had all decided to put aside their past rivalries and join forces, becoming allies. Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire They wouldn't let the benefits fall into the hands of outsiders, especially not these foreign girls! Competition was already fierce among them, and with these foreign girls joining in, their chances would only diminish further. Under such circumstances, banding together was undoubtedly the right choice¡ªto drive the foreign girls away first! "Love knows no nationality or age!" A blonde with big curls shouted in Chinese. "Yes, love knows no nationality or age!" A group of European and American girls all shouted in unison. "But no matter what, you guys pestering Teacher Hao Jian is not okay! If you dare come any closer, don't blame us for not being polite!" A Huaxia girl with a baby face threatened. "Bring it on, we're not afraid of you!" These European and American girls all said passionately. "Enough already, stop making such a fuss and just watch the game quietly!" Hao Jian said irritably, and with this rebuke from Hao Jian, the girls from both sides surprisingly heeded his words and calmed down all at once. But the foreign girls still refused to leave, standing at a distance and occasionally casting glances at Hao Jian. "Teacher, it's my turn, my turn!" Zhang Jia said to Hao Jian excitedly, feeling it was about time for him to shine after Luo Tong had been hogging all the attention. "Luo Tong, pass the ball to Zhang Jia," Hao Jian ordered. Luo Tong reluctantly handed the ball over to Zhang Jia. "Stand under your own basket, turn your back, facing away from the opposing basket. Make a gesture as if embracing the moon, draw it in a little, yes, a bit more. Okay, now throw it hard behind you!" Hao Jian teased. Zhang Jia's face turned red with effort. He was being asked to shoot a basket backward, with his back toward the hoop¡ªthat was incredibly bold. But Zhang Jia did as instructed and hurled the ball behind him. Naturally, it went "swoosh" straight through the net. The crowd fell silent, their expressions filled with shock and bewilderment. "See that, see that? I can make full-court shots without even looking!" Zhang Jia laughed heartily, his face brimming with excitement. Luo Tong slapped him without any good humor: "That's all thanks to the teacher, what does it have to do with you?" "SHIT! I'm not playing anymore!" Zack yelled in frustration, stripping off his uniform and throwing it to the ground. How the hell could they play when the other side was clearly cheating! His teammates then discarded their uniforms one after another, their mental defenses completely shattered. This was a game they simply couldn't win. Against someone as shameless as Hao Jian, how could they ever hope to win? They had thought that with Benjamin cheating, the game would be an easy win, but the reality wasn't as they had imagined. Because they had encountered a super cheater. How could they win against someone who could make baskets just by moving his lips? The other students had gone wild, none paying any mind to Benjamin or Zack; everyone was rushing to congratulate Hao Jian. Benjamin's face turned a particularly nasty shade of ugly. He had planned to humiliate Hao Jian, but in the end, he had only ended up enhancing Hao Jian's popularity. "What do we do now? This Huaxia guy is too good; I can't win against him either," Zack said to Benjamin, clearly annoyed, as he approached him. "This isn't over; I'm going to make this Huaxia bastard pay!" Benjamin's handsome face twisted with streaks of murderous intent. "You want to teach him a lesson?" Zack knew Benjamin very well. Seeing his reaction, he knew Benjamin planned to take action against Hao Jian. "No one can insult me, and I absolutely cannot be humiliated in this trashy country," Benjamin said angrily. Zack looked at him gravely, remaining silent; he knew Benjamin was probably about to do something terrifying. ... Chapter 315 Difficult, Very Difficult And at this moment, Hao Jian strolled over to Wang Zhigang, chuckling, "Director Wang, you should be paying up now, shouldn't you?" "Paying? Pay for what?" Wang Zhigang's expression changed dramatically as he snorted angrily. "Director Wang, we had an agreement earlier. If you lost, you would pay Hao Jian, the teacher. You're not thinking of reneging on that, are you?" A female teacher spoke up at this time. "That was cheating, it doesn't count!" Wang Zhigang said with an ugly expression. How could he have known that all Hao Jian had to do was to move his mouth to lead the school basketball team to victory? If he had known Hao Jian was capable of this, he would never have made the bet. This was ten thousand yuan we're talking about, his monthly salary. If he had lost fairly, he would have been fine with it, but Hao Jian was obviously scheming against him. How could Wang Zhigang accept this? "So, you're planning to renege, are you?" Hao Jian said with a smirk that didn't reach his eyes, grabbing Wang Zhigang by the neck. "Hao Jian, what... what are you doing? Don't mess around, I am your superior!" Wang Zhigang said with a look of terror. Has this guy gone mad? Was he really going to hit him in front of everyone? "What do you think? Since you're planning on reneging, naturally, I have to teach you a lesson," Hao Jian replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "And do you think I care whether or not you're my superior?" Wang Zhigang was struck by a tremor, realizing that this man might truly not care. Recalling Hao Jian's ferocity, alone standing up to an army, Wang Zhigang couldn't help but pale, "Hao Jian, I'm warning you, with so many teachers watching, if you dare to do anything to me, I'll call the police and have you arrested!" "I didn't see anything," one teacher turned his head away. "We didn't see anything either," a group of teachers also turned their heads. "You... you..." Wang Zhigang was stunned, his expression turning stiff as he looked at these heartless colleagues. Hao Jian's laugh was full of mockery, "Considering we're colleagues, I'll let you choose a leg. Which one do you want broken?" "Don't, I'll pay you, I'll pay! That's it!" Wang Zhigang was almost in tears. How could he dare to renege now? Hao Jian was no pushover; if he said he would cripple him, he surely would. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In a panic, Wang Zhigang pulled out a stack of banknotes from his pocket to give to Hao Jian. Compared to ten thousand yuan, his own leg was more important. "Do you realize how petty you are? If you had just paid up honestly from the start, would all this have been necessary? No wonder Teacher Qin can't stand you," Hao Jian counted the money while he spoke. "What?" Wang Zhigang was shocked and quickly looked toward Qin Bing. Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire But Qin Bing said with an expressionless face, "I never said that." Wang Zhigang sighed in relief, relieved that Teacher Qin had never said such things. "How can you say you never did? Didn't you tell me how Wang Zhigang, that Pig Head Three, pesters you all day long, and how he sends you cheap trinkets and hairpins that pinch pennies? And you said he gave you a crystal ball for your birthday that he bought from a street stall for just over ten yuan," Hao Jian said. Wang Zhigang's face turned scorching hot at once, and he could already feel the mocking eyes of his colleagues. And Qin Bing's face also turned rather ugly. Although her expression was still as cold as ever, the twitching at the corner of her eyes was unmistakable. This bastard, he had blurted out everything she had confided in him. How was she supposed to face Wang Zhigang after this? "What's the matter, Director Wang, your face looks terrible. Did I say something wrong again? Oh, why can't I keep my mouth shut!" Hao Jian feigned self-reproach while slapping his own face, then quickly added, "Don't be mad, Director Wang. That's just how I am, I always speak the truth. I don't know how many people I've offended. Don't take it to heart, eh? The crystal ball is nice, too¡ªchildlike and nostalgic, an ode to innocence. Your level of thought is much higher than ours." "Hmph!" With a face shadowed by anger, Wang Zhigang snorted and walked away without looking back, fully aware that Hao Jian was mocking him deliberately. Because Hao Jian led the Chinese Medicine Hospital to victory, the entire faculty and students were thrilled. For a time, Hao Jian's popularity in the Chinese Medicine Hospital was unmatched. Du Yuelin even threw a special celebration banquet for Hao Jian, gathering students from both schools. The original goal of Giggs's visit was to suppress the Chinese Medicine Hospital, but it turned into a genuine mixer, all due to a misstep caused by Hao Jian. The celebration banquet was for Hao Jian, but he only symbolically sat for a few minutes before leaving. "What's the rush? Where do you plan to go?" Hao Jian had just stepped out of the hotel when he saw Qin Bing leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, watching him mockingly. "What are you doing here? Drinking in the Northwest wind in this freezing weather. Are you self-harming?" he teased her. "I harm you to the head! Tell me, what's the deal? Why did you tell Wang Zhigang everything I told you?" Qin Bing said, furiously. This way, wouldn't Wang Zhigang bear a grudge against her? How was she supposed to face him now? "Hey, you said yourself that you hate Wang Zhigang's harassment. I did it to help you drive him away. This way, he won't have the face to bother you anymore, right? You should be thanking me," Hao Jian feigned confusion. "Thank you, my ass! Don't forget he's my direct superior. If he wants to make my life difficult, it would only take a minute," Qin Bing shot back angrily. "Don't worry, he wouldn't dare. If he really does something like that, you tell me. I'll make sure he doesn't live to regret it!" Hao Jian winked suggestively. "Look at you, thinking you're all that!" Qin Bing rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but laugh at Hao Jian's antics. "Tell me, why did you leave without saying goodbye? Even if you were going overseas, you should have told me. You made me worry that something had happened to you." Recalling this matter, Qin Bing still harbored a deep sense of hidden resentment. Hao Jian's departure overseas without informing her had made her think she would never see him again, and that she had lost such a friend for good. "I was working as a bodyguard, escorting a young girl to Atama." "Atama, that place of chaos?" Qin Bing exclaimed in surprise, "I've heard that the people there are very brutal. You didn't get hurt, did you?" Hao Jian smiled, a warm feeling surging in his heart, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm not that fragile." "If something like this happens again, you need to tell me in advance," Qin Bing said with a hint of grievance, like a wife wronged. Seeing the usually cold Qin Bing reveal such a tender side, Hao Jian paused, then somewhat guiltily lowered his head, "Well, I have some urgent business, so I'll be leaving now." "What urgent business?" Qin Bing clearly didn't want to let him go so easily. "There's a student in your class named Jiang Yutong, you know her, right?" Hao Jian asked. "Yes, what about her?" Qin Bing nodded; Jiang Yutong was indeed her student. "Her father is seriously ill, having problems with his legs. I've promised to treat him, and we've agreed on today. It's about time to head over," Hao Jian said with a smile. Qin Bing responded with an "Oh," showing understanding, "Then I'll go with you." "Eh? You don't want to stay here and join the celebration with everyone else?" "Forget it. Crowded events like that have never been for me!" Immediately after, Qin Bing left with Hao Jian for Jiang Yutong's home, where she, dressed in pink pajamas, no longer looked stiff but rather a lot cuter. Seeing Hao Jian and Qin Bing arrive together, Jiang Yutong was also somewhat surprised, "Teacher Qin, what brings you here?" "You girl, how could you not say a word to your teacher when such a big thing happened at home?" Qin Bing reproached. If it hadn't been for Hao Jian telling her, she wouldn't have known about the situation in Jiang Yutong's home. Jiang Yutong bowed her head in embarrassment, "I just didn't want to bother you." "Silly child!" Qin Bing ruffled Jiang Yutong's hair. "Yutong, is that Teacher Hao Jian who has arrived?" At that moment, Jiang Yutong's mother, Wang Wanjun, stepped out of the kitchen. Seeing Qin Bing, she couldn't help but pause, "Is this... Hao Jian's girlfriend?" Upon hearing this, a blush of shyness spread across Qin Bing's face, while Hao Jian let out an awkward laugh. "Mom, what nonsense are you talking? This is my head teacher!" Jiang Yutong said indignantly, visibly upset and embarrassed. "Oh, not the girlfriend? That's a pity then," Wang Wanjun spoke her mind as she was someone who said whatever came to mind, and so she openly spoke her thoughts. In her view, Hao Jian was so good and Qin Bing so beautiful, they should be a match made in heaven, a perfect couple. So why weren't they? At this, Qin Bing's face turned even redder. "Mom! Can you just not talk!" Jiang Yutong stomped her foot in irritation, feeling utterly embarrassed. Seeing the awkward expressions on Qin Bing and Hao Jian's faces, Wang Wanjun realized she had misspoken and quickly tried to make amends with a laugh, "Ah, I'm so sorry, both teachers. I tend to speak without thinking and let the wrong word slip out. I hope you didn't take offense." "We don't mind," Hao Jian said with a bitter smile. "Well then, come on in. I'll just cook a couple more dishes, and it'll be ready in no time," Wang Wanjun chuckled, feeling quite happy inside. This time two teachers had come; surely the chances of successfully treating the old man would double. "No need, let's first have a look at Uncle," Hao Jian decided they should first check on Jiang Yutong's father. "That's... alright," Upon hearing Hao Jian's words, Wang Wanjun was naturally moved because it showed that Hao Jian genuinely cared about her husband's illness and wasn't just putting on a show. It wasn't long before Hao Jian saw Jiang Yutong's father, Jiang Qihui, lying in bed. His limbs had completely atrophied from lack of movement over a long time, and Jiang Qihui himself was as thin as skin and bones. The whole room was filled with a strong medicinal odor, very pungent to the nose. Qin Bing also couldn't help but frown at this sight. When Jiang Yutong saw Qin Bing's reaction, she was startled, "Teacher, is my dad's illness very difficult to treat?" "Difficult, very difficult!" Chapter 316 Uninvited Guest Hearing this, the expressions of Jiang Yutong's family all changed, and they all showed signs of disappointment, knowing themselves the likelihood of a cure was almost impossible. Due to a lack of timely treatment in the early years and missing the optimal period for treatment, Jiang Qihui's condition had completely deteriorated and it was simply not possible to heal. The last time they visited the doctor, the doctor had already said, Jiang Qihui would have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. So what Qin Bing said wasn't wrong, Jiang Qihui's atrophy was too severe, local muscles completely necrotic, impossible to be cured. "If it can't be cured, let it be. After all, I'm fine with this, eating and drinking every day, not having to do anything, and enjoying myself," laughed Jiang Qihui, seemingly nonchalant. But Jiang Yutong and the others knew he was just comforting them. Who would choose to be disabled if they could be healthy? Meanwhile, Wang Wanjun was constantly wiping away her tears, lamenting the harsh fate of her family of three. Qin Bing couldn't help but sigh, thinking she had been too naive, not realizing the severity of Jiang Qihui's condition. If she had known, she wouldn't have come, so as not to have given Jiang Qihui and the others hope only to plunge them into despair. "Who says it can't be cured?" It was at this moment that Hao Jian suddenly spoke up. Jiang Yutong and the others were all startled, staring intently at him. "You have a way?" Qin Bing also exclaimed in surprise. Could it be that Hao Jian had a method? "Just because you can't, doesn't mean I can't," said Hao Jian with a confident smile, then took out a box of silver needles from his pocket and walked towards Jiang Qihui. Jiang Yutong and the others looked at Hao Jian with puzzled faces, all wanting to know how he intended to treat Jiang Qihui's disease. Hao Jian took a deep breath, and the silver needles in his hand quickly fell towards Jiang Qihui's legs. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh. More than a dozen silver needles swiftly covered Jiang Qihui's thighs and calves, his speed so quick that it dazzled Jiang Yutong and the others. "Do you feel anything here?" Hao Jian pinched one of the needles. "No," Jiang Qihui shook his head with a bitter smile. "And here?" Hao Jian pinched another needle. "Still nothing," replied Jiang Qihui. Seeing this, Jiang Yutong and her daughter also became disheartened, realizing things were not as simple as they had thought. "What about here?" "Ah, yes, I feel something!" Jiang Qihui suddenly cried out in great joy and amazement. At those words, Jiang Yutong and Wang Wanjun's faces lit up, staring closely at Hao Jian. "What feeling?" asked Hao Jian with a smile. "It's warm, tingling, and even a bit painful. I haven't felt this sensation in years!" Jiang Qihui was astounded, for ever since his paralysis, his legs had lost all sensation, feeling like they weren't his own. But now, after so many years, his legs finally regained sensation. Jiang Qihui was as excited as a child, for he finally saw the hope of standing up again! Jiang Yutong and Wang Wanjun couldn't help but have tears brimming in their eyes; Jiang Qihui's health had always been a concern for the family. Now seeing his legs responding, they were both excited and anxious. "Not bad, the situation isn't too terrible," Hao Jian retrieved his needles one by one. "Teacher, can you really cure my dad?" Yutong asked Hao Jian, full of hope. Hao Jian nodded, "I'll come again tomorrow. When I needle your dad next, combine it with the medicinal soak I'll prepare for him. Just give it a month, and he'll be able to stand up again." "My God, are you serious?" Jiang Yutong looked incredulously at Hao Jian. So many doctors had been at a loss regarding her father's illness, and now Hao Jian claimed he could cure her father in just a month? This was unbelievable. "Silly girl, there are many mysteries in Traditional Chinese Medicine that you can't understand. Just study well, and you will come to appreciate its power in time," Hao Jian said with a smile. Jiang Yutong nodded vigorously. "I will definitely learn!" Find more adventures on My Virtual Library Empire "Let's eat, or the dishes will get cold," Wang Wanjun hurriedly said, relieved to have one less thing to worry about. Her smile seemed to grow a little wider. "Mr. Hao Jian, I toast to you!" At the dinner table, Jiang Qihui had still not recovered from his excitement and kept toasting Hao Jian. "Drink less, your legs aren't even fully recovered, and you're already drinking so much," Wang Wanjun chided him. "It's okay, I'm happy today!" Jiang Qihui laughed boisterously, clinking glasses with Hao Jian repeatedly. Meanwhile, Jiang Yutong and Wang Wanjun kept serving Hao Jian dishes until his bowl was piled high, leaving him somewhat amused and exasperated. "Bang bang bang." Suddenly, a series of vigorous knocks on the door interrupted the harmonious gathering. "Who could be visiting at this hour?" Wang Wanjun said, somewhat displeased. They had rarely been so happy, and now someone had to come and spoil the mood. "I'll get the door!" Jiang Qihui chuckled and wheeled himself to answer it. "Bang!" But no sooner had Jiang Qihui opened the door than a foot kicked in, knocking him to the ground! "Dad!" "Old Jiang!" Jiang Yutong and Wang Wanjun exclaimed anxiously, both visibly distressed. Immediately, several burly men walked in, led by one particularly striking figure with his dark skin, looking like an unusually smart gorilla. He wore a thick gold chain around his neck as thick as a thumb, and his arms boasted tattoos of a green dragon and a white tiger. Chewing betel nut on one side of his mouth while a cigarette hung from the other, he had a decidedly rough aura all about him. Hao Jian and Qin Bing both frowned at the same time; it was clear at a glance that this group was not to be trifled with. Jiang Yutong and Wang Wanjun's expressions also soured at the sight of this man. Seeing this, Hao Jian quickly asked, "Jiang Yutong, who is this guy?" "His name is Liu Tongsheng. He's a distant cousin, my dad's cousin," Jiang Yutong said with some difficulty. This left Hao Jian and Qin Bing even more puzzled. If he was Jiang Qihui's distant cousin, why would he treat Jiang Qihui like this? At that moment, Liu Tongsheng was standing on Jiang Qihui's chest, laughing with fury. "Jiang Qihui, why did you take so long to open the door? Sick of living, are you?" "Cousin, I... I didn't know it was you," Jiang Qihui could only offer a forced smile, appearing somewhat fearful, knowing well that Liu Tongsheng was a tough character, not to be taken lightly. "Heh, you crippled fool," Liu Tongsheng said with contempt. Jiang Qihui's face fell, awash with embarrassment but he dared not retort. "Wow, the food looks good. Does that mean you can pay me back now?" Liu Tongsheng looked toward the dinner table and broke into a sinister laugh. "Money? We paid you back a long time ago!" Jiang Yutong raised her voice, clearly displaying her disdain for Wang Wanjun. "Oh, I haven't seen you in a while, little niece Yutong. You've grown more and more attractive," Liu Tongsheng said with a lewd laugh as his greedy eyes swept up and down Jiang Yutong's figure. Chapter 317 Liu Tongsheng "We don't welcome you here, leave immediately!" Jiang Yutong said furiously, disgusted by the way Liu Tongsheng looked at her every time with that kind of eye. That explicit gaze made her feel sick! Hearing this, Liu Tongsheng's face turned cold, "Niece, aren't you being a bit too much? Don't forget, when your cripple husband had an industrial injury, who lent you the money for his treatment? When you borrowed the money, I didn't see you being so arrogant." "We have already repaid your money, what more do you want?" Jiang Yutong said sternly. "You only repaid the principal; you haven't paid any interest. Niece, don't forget that I loan money at high interest rates. I lent you thirty thousand initially, and now after all this time, the interest has reached more than one hundred thousand," Liu Tongsheng coldly chuckled. "What?" The Jiang Yutong family was shocked. They had only borrowed thirty thousand from Liu Tongsheng and had paid an extra ten thousand to avoid his entanglements, yet now Liu Tongsheng was claiming they still owed him over one hundred thousand? How did that amount come about? "You're simply jacking up the price; we don't owe you that much money!" Jiang Yutong exclaimed angrily, Liu Tongsheng was clearly trying to scam them. "Niece, you can't say that. When you repaid me, the interest had already accumulated to more than twenty thousand. You repaid the thirty thousand principal and ten thousand interest, leaving ten thousand in interest unpaid. Over time, that amount has ballooned to over one hundred thousand. The miscalculation isn't on me, it's on you," Liu Tongsheng said, smiling smugly. "Then why didn't you mention it when we were paying you back?" Jiang Yutong said, her pretty face turning livid. If Liu Tongsheng had mentioned it then, they would have scraped together the money, even if it meant selling the pot, to pay off that ten thousand. But Liu Tongsheng didn't say anything, and they thought they had settled the debt. It was clear now, Liu Tongsheng was clearly trying to swindle them! Liu Tongsheng obviously wouldn't have mentioned it; if he had, where would his hundreds of thousands come from? "I thought you knew. As relatives, I didn't want to disturb you about the money. I waited and waited, and you just wouldn't pay, so what choice did I have? I had to come and ask for the debt myself," Liu Tongsheng said with thick sarcasm, pretending to act casual. Hearing this, Jiang Yutong and the others all turned pale with rage, Liu Tongsheng was clearly pretending. "This is malicious extortion; I will report you to the police," Jiang Yutong threatened. "Oh, little miss wants to call the police? Do you really think I'm a vegetarian? If you dare call the police, I'll have someone come and kill your crippled husband!" Liu Tongsheng exclaimed angrily, "Niece, you should know what I do, right?" "You..." Jiang Yutong trembled with fury. "Liu Tongsheng, regardless of everything, we are still relatives. Do you have to be like this?" Wang Wanjun was also very angry; despite being relatives, Liu Tongsheng showed no mercy. "It's because we're relatives that I gave you a three percent interest rate. You should know, I charge four percent to others!" Liu Tongsheng cackled strangely. He was talking nonsense; he actually charged two percent to everyone else, only swindling Jiang Yutong's family who didn't know the rates. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire "Cousin, I will surely repay you. My leg is about to be cured, and then I'll work to earn money. Just give me some time," Jiang Qihui said with a forced smile, pleading. "Give you time? Haven't I given you enough already? You think I'm an idiot? With your cripple condition, I see you're doomed to spend your life in a wheelchair, trying to fool me?" Liu Tongsheng sneered, his face darkening as he spoke, "Anyway, I've made it clear now; you must give me the money today. Otherwise, I will make your entire family suffer!" At that moment, Liu Tongsheng suddenly looked at Jiang Yutong with a lecherous smile, "Of course, if you agree to let Jiang Yutong be with me, I will forget about the hundred thousand and also protect your family from now on. No one would dare to bully you!" S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hearing this, Jiang Yutong and the others gasped in horror. Liu Tongsheng was indeed targeting his niece? That was simply inhuman! Actually, Liu Tongsheng had long harbored thoughts about Jiang Yutong. All this drama was just to get a chance to be intimate with her. "Cousin, Jiang Yutong is still young. Don't you feel bad for her? I beg you!" Jiang Qihui, frightened, immediately knelt and kowtowed to Liu Tongsheng. Letting Jiang Yutong go with Liu Tongsheng, Jiang Qihui knew well what would happen. Liu Tongsheng was not someone easy to deal with. "Get lost!" Liu Tongsheng kicked Jiang Qihui away, then walked towards Jiang Yutong with a grin, "Niece, what do you think? If you stay with me, I guarantee you'll live comfortably. Even for your cripple boss, I'll take care of him too. How about that?" "In your dreams! Even if I die, I would never marry you!" Jiang Yutong gritted her teeth angrily, her cheeks flush with rage from Liu Tongsheng's shamelessness. Hearing this, Liu Tongsheng just sneered coldly, "You're not afraid to die, but what about these two old folks? Don't you care about them?" Jiang Yutong suddenly felt speechless with shock. It wasn't a big deal for her, but what about her parents? Hao Jian smiled, took a bank card out of his pocket, and placed it on the table, "There's two hundred thousand in this card, enough to change for your money. The rest can be considered a treat for tea," he said to Liu Tongsheng. "Hao Jian, you really shouldn't," Jiang Yutong and the others quickly said. But Hao Jian just waved his hand, "You can slowly repay me later. For now, let's get past this difficult situation," he said. Hearing this, Jiang Yutong and the other two bowed their heads, both grateful and ashamed. Hearing this, Liu Tongsheng's eyes narrowed into a slit, menacingly staring at Hao Jian. "Kid, trying to play the hero, aren't you?" Liu Tongsheng was extremely furious at this point. He didn't even want the money; what he wanted was Jiang Yutong! Compared to her beauty, what was a mere two hundred thousand? But here was Hao Jian, trying to play the hero and ruin his plan. How could Liu Tongsheng tolerate that? "Calling me a hero isn't quite right; I just can't stand seeing you bully people like this. A person lives with a face, and a tree lives with its bark. We should all be reasonable in this world. It's only fair to repay debts, whether you didn't explain clearly or we didn't hear properly, we accept it; so we're paying you. But naturally, you also can't keep bothering them because that wouldn't be reasonable," Hao Jian said earnestly. Most of the time, he was a reasonable person. If he met someone who was reasonable, he would be even more reasonable than them, but if he met someone who was unreasonable, he could be even more unreasonable! "You damn kid still dare to lecture me? Are you tired of living?" Liu Tongsheng laughed furiously. Hao Jian actually dared to talk about principles with him. Did he need to be principled? Chapter 318 Reasoning "Don't take it the wrong way, I'm a teacher, so I tend to talk a bit much." Hao Jian chuckled and from that moment, he decided not to reason any further because Liu Tongsheng had already shown through his foul language that he wasn't a reasonable person. "So, you're a teacher, huh? Good, then, Mr. Teacher, since you like reasoning so much, let's reason!" Liu Tongsheng let out a cold laugh, then signaled to his underlings with his eyes. One of Liu Tongsheng's lackeys walked toward Hao Jian and then slowly dumped a bowl of vegetables over Hao Jian's head. That bowl of Water Spinach fell on Hao Jian's head, the vegetable juice soaking his hair and clothes. "Mr. Teacher, I call this 'fist logic'¡ªit's that whoever has the harder fist is right. I wonder if you've ever heard of it?" Liu Tongsheng laughed heartily. "Liu Tongsheng, you're crazy~!" Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Liu Tongsheng, don't go too far!" Jiang Yutong and the others were all gritting their teeth in anger as they glared at Liu Tongsheng; they were furious. Hao Jian was their lifesaver, and Liu Tongsheng was treating him like this. And Hao Jian was innocent, what did this have to do with him? He had been reasoning with Liu Tongsheng from the start, it was Liu Tongsheng who was being unreasonable. Qin Bing also looked nervously at helping Hao Jian wipe his face, but Hao Jian waved his hand to indicate it wasn't necessary. "Wow, this is really a first for me, eating like this," Hao Jian said, joking and laughing. But no one found it funny at that moment. "Teach this brat a lesson!" Liu Tongsheng was completely enraged. He could still laugh? Soon, I'll make you cry without tears! The lackey who had dumped the vegetables on Jiang Shan's head sneered, picked up another bowl of vegetables, and was ready to dump it on Hao Jian's face again. But just at that moment, Hao Jian moved! Hao Jian grabbed that lackey's head in one swift motion and slammed it down onto the table before grabbing an iron kettle and swinging it fiercely against the lackey's head. Blood sprayed out instantly, splattering on the faces of Jiang Yutong, Qin Bing, and the others. Qin Bing and the others were all shocked; they hadn't expected Hao Jian to be so ruthless, unleashing violence without any warning. They could clearly see the lackey's head being crushed in a bit by Hao Jian, the fresh blood instantly soaking the entire table. Liu Tongsheng and his men were also stunned; they also hadn't expected Hao Jian to fight back, and in such a violent manner. Seeing how fierce Hao Jian was, Liu Tongsheng and the others were shocked. Wasn't this guy just a f****** teacher? Was this something a teacher could do? After a long while, Liu Tongsheng came back to his senses, his eyes widened with fury as he glared at Hao Jian: "You mongrel, you dare hit my men? Knife him to death!" Instantly, a bunch of thugs picked up blades and rushed toward Hao Jian. "Be careful!" Seeing Liu Tongsheng and the others brandishing knives, Jiang Yutong and the rest were frightened and cried out in alarm. "Bang, bang, bang." Hao Jian kicked out six times in one second, sending those thugs flying and crashing in disarray. "You." Liu Tongsheng was completely baffled. This guy knows Kung Fu? What the hell, and he said he was just a teacher? "Doggie, call for backup!" Liu Tongsheng shouted angrily, pointing at Hao Jian with a somewhat fearful expression: "Kid, let's see if you've got the guts to wait for my backup!" "Calling for backup? Then I'll call for backup too!" Hao Jian also picked up his phone to make a call. He's calling people too? Liu Tongsheng stared blankly at Hao Jian making the call, feeling like his IQ wasn't sufficient. This guy has people to call? What's his background? But Liu Tongsheng quickly came to a realization, this guy must be bluffing. What kind of backup can a teacher have? It surely was a psychological tactic. Liu Tongsheng hurriedly had his own people make calls, and at this point, he also began to feel smug, "Kid, you just wait. Once my people get here, I'll chop you into nineteen pieces!" "Fine, I'll wait." Hao Jian said with a smile, yet not caring in the slightest. Seeing this, Liu Tongsheng's face turned gloomy and he fell silent, feeling like he was punching cotton. This feeling was very irritating to him. "Smash everything! Wreck all the stuff here for me!" Liu Tongsheng roared, eager to vent, otherwise he felt like he might explode in anger. "But boss, this guy can really fight." Liu Tongsheng's minions all showed expressions of difficulty, a bit fearful after witnessing Hao Jian's capabilities just a moment ago. "What are you afraid of? Who do you follow?" Before he could finish the word "who," Liu Tongsheng was kicked to the ground by Hao Jian, then stepped on with great humiliation. "Woooo..." Liu Tongsheng struggled from close by, continuously hitting Hao Jian's leg with his hands, but Hao Jian's foot remained unmovable, pinning his head to the ground. Hao Jian chuckled coldly, "Are you brain damaged? Your guys aren't even here yet, and you dare to act tough with me? You really think I wouldn't dare to hit you or what?" "Let go of our boss!" Those minions called out feebly. "I won't let go. So what? Gonna bite me?" Hao Jian retorted with a cold laugh, deliberately stepping on Liu Tongsheng a few more times. Liu Tongsheng felt an extreme humiliation; he truly harbored thoughts of killing Hao Jian by this point. "Bring me a chair!" Hao Jian said to Jiang Yutong. "Oh, oh." Jiang Yutong nodded blankly and hurried to fetch a chair. Experience new tales on My Virtual Library Empire Hao Jian then sat on the chair while keeping his foot on Liu Tongsheng's face. "That, Hao Jian, how about we just forget about this, huh? Liu Tongsheng is not someone to provoke lightly. If you really anger him, he could actually hurt you," Wang Wanjun said with some fear after seeing what happened; provoking Liu Tongsheng could indeed lead to murder. "Even if I'm willing to let it go now, I don't think he would be. So, there's no need for negotiations," Hao Jian replied indifferently. Hearing this, Wang Wanjun could only give a bitter smile. Half an hour later, a rumble of cars came from downstairs at Jiang Yutong's place. "Boss, our guys are here!" Liu Tongsheng's minions were ecstatic, finally able to regain some face. Liu Tongsheng fiercely shoved Hao Jian's foot away and then awkwardly tumbled and rolled away. At this moment, Liu Tongsheng was covered in dust, his eyes glaring murderously at Hao Jian: "You just wait, I'll make sure you die!" "And you guys, I won't let any of you go. Jiang Yutong, just wait to be sent to a brothel with your mother by me! And you, cripple, I will break your arms and throw you out on the streets to beg!" Liu Tongsheng shouted ferociously, clearly driven to madness. In all the time he'd been in this line of work, he had never been so humiliated before. "Are you done?" Hao Jian said with a calm smile. "What are you being arrogant for? My people are already here, where are yours?" Liu Tongsheng snorted angrily. "Impressive people always make a grand entrance at the end, didn't you know that?" Hao Jian mocked. Chapter 319 Calling Someone "Showstopper? I think you're just out of men! Acting like a goddamn hero for others, I swear if I don't kill you, my name isn't Liu Tongsheng!" Liu Tongsheng gritted his teeth and roared, then bellowed, "Brothers, get your weapons out! Once they arrive, hack away immediately!" "Roar!" The gangsters' morale skyrocketed, as they all roared in response, brandishing their knives and looking at Hao Jian and his people with malice and mockery in their eyes. "Nice energy, but utterly useless." Hao Jian stood up leisurely, smiling at Liu Tongsheng, "I didn't plan on killing you just now, but after hearing what you said, I've changed my mind." "Kill me? Have you had your brains squeezed by a door? The people coming now are mine, not yours!" Liu Tongsheng laughed loudly, looking at Hao Jian as if he were an idiot, not taking his words seriously at all. "Kid, still trying to act tough? You think just a few words from you are enough to scare us?" Liu Tongsheng's underlings also felt bolstered, sneering continuously. Just then, they heard the sound of footsteps at the stairwell, and the smiles on Liu Tongsheng and his people's faces grew even wider. "Happy about what, haven't you noticed that the footsteps are sparse?" Hao Jian looked at Liu Tongsheng as if he were an idiot. At those words, Liu Tongsheng suddenly froze. After Hao Jian pointed it out, he also realized something was amiss. Indeed, why were the footsteps so sparse? If it were a group of people, the sounds should be dense and heavy. At that moment, Liu Tongsheng and his men saw a man covered in blood appear at the door, who immediately cried out in panic, "Boss, run! We were ambushed!" "Ambushed!?" Liu Tongsheng and his men were startled, and Liu Tongsheng himself grabbed the underling by the throat, "Speak clearly! What the hell happened?" "Our brothers just ran into a group of gunmen downstairs, they... they have guns! They killed all our brothers!" The underling was blubbering, clearly terrified. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They were gangsters, used to wielding knives, but now they were faced with opponents who brought firearms into play¡ªhow could they contend? "Bullshit! Then why haven't I heard any gunshots?" Liu Tongsheng still couldn't believe it. Dozens of his brothers, gone just like that? "They fitted silencers on their guns, boss, run for it! They'll be up here in a minute!" At this point, Liu Tongsheng was utterly panic-stricken, turning his horrified gaze towards Hao Jian. Could it be that those people were all called by Hao Jian? Meanwhile, Wang Wanjun and the others were completely dumbfounded. Hao Jian had actually called for backup? And those people had guns? Liu Tongsheng felt a chill enveloping his entire body, coldness seeping into his bones. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire He wanted to run, but felt it would be too shameful; his last shred of rationality struggled against the fear. "Swoosh!" Suddenly, a glint of knife flashed by, and the head of the underling who had come to sound the alarm flew off in an instant, blood gushing from the severed neck. "Ah!" Jiang Yutong and Wang Wanjun, the two timid women, screamed in terror first. They had never seen such a scene before and trembled with fear. Even Qin Bing couldn't help but frown, feeling a sense of dread in her heart. This scene was indeed a little frightening. Blood splattered all over Liu Tongsheng's face, as he stared blankly at the body falling down, and what came into view next was a middle-aged man with a gloomy expression. Seeing him appear, Liu Tongsheng was completely dumbfounded, "Brother¡­ Brother Spice Ginger?" Mixing in the East City District, it was natural that Liu Tongsheng recognized Brother Spice Ginger, the gang boss. Now, seeing Brother Spice Ginger appear, Liu Tongsheng couldn't help but feel his skin crawl. The man who killed his brother was Brother Spice Ginger? Was Brother Spice Ginger the backup that the kid had called for? "Yo, Liu Tongsheng, quite impressive, huh? Haven't seen you for some days, and you dare to stir up trouble on Poria Cocos's turf?" Brother Spice Ginger laughed heartily, his laughter sounding cheerful but in this environment, this atmosphere, it seemed terrifying. Especially since Brother Spice Ginger had killed a man in front of Jiang Yutong, it made their perception of his smile even more chilling. "Brother Spice Ginger, is there some misunderstanding between us? I¡­I've never offended you, right?" Liu Tongsheng said timidly, facing Brother Spice Ginger, he only had one way out¡ªdeath. "You haven't offended me, but you have offended my boss," Brother Spice Ginger chuckled. "Your boss?" Liu Tongsheng was somewhat puzzled, who was Brother Spice Ginger's boss? Brother Spice Ginger slapped Liu Tongsheng across the face and then forced his head to face Hao Jian, saying ominously, "Do you see him? He is my boss!" In an instant, Liu Tongsheng gasped in shock, why would it be like this? How was this kid Brother Spice Ginger's boss? How had he not heard about it? And for Brother Spice Ginger, someone of such an older age, to actually take such a young kid as his boss, that was simply too inconceivable, wasn't it? At first, Liu Tongsheng thought Hao Jian was just an ignorant young punk; then, he thought Hao Jian was just a bit of a brawler who could fight somewhat; and now, his perception had been completely overturned. "Thump!" Without any hesitation, Liu Tongsheng kneeled directly before Hao Jian, "Big Brother, it's all my fault, a thousand faults, ten thousand faults. I shouldn't have provoked you, and I shouldn't have bullied Jiang Yutong's family! I promise you, I will absolutely not harass their family again, please give me another chance!" "I don't need your promise, I just want your life!" Hao Jian revealed a wicked smile, looking down at him, "I wanted to reason with you just now, but you weren't willing to reason with me, insisting on talking about the laws of the fist. Now I'll talk to you about the laws of the fist, my fist is harder than yours, so I can kill you!" Hearing this, Liu Tongsheng started to cry, grabbing onto Hao Jian's legs, "Big Brother, I'll reason with you, I'm reasoning with you now." "Too late!" Hao Jian smiled coldly, then raised his head to look at Brother Spice Ginger, "Dispose of him, don't dirty the place, understand?" "I know what to do," Brother Spice Ginger said with a malicious smile, then signaled to his underlings with a glance. Following that, Brother Spice Ginger's men dragged the howling Liu Tongsheng and his people away, their fate already evident. Either a few more solitary graves would appear in the desolate wilderness tonight, or a few more bodies would float in the rivers. Chapter 320 Palace Coup! "Let's continue eating," Hao Jian said to Jiang Yutong and the others with a smile. Jiang Yutong and the others could only offer a wry smile. Given what had happened, even eating felt as tasteless as chewing wax. For these ordinary people, digesting these matters was not easy. After leaving Jiang Yutong's home, Hao Jian and Qin Bing walked together on the street. Throughout this time, Qin Bing kept sizing him up. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Hao Jian asked in confusion. "Don't you have anything to say?" Qin Bing said, both annoyed and amused. This guy still had a lot hidden from her. "Say what?" Hao Jian asked, feigning puzzlement. "About how you managed to make a big shot kowtow to you," Qin Bing said, rolling her eyes. "Ah, him? I'm not familiar with him," Hao Jian lied through his teeth. "Pfft, not familiar, yet he calls you 'boss'? Lying with your eyes wide open!" Qin Bing obviously sensed the truth. Hao Jian could only laugh bitterly. It wasn't that he didn't want to share, but there were so many connections involved. The more you knew, the worse it would be for you, and I didn't want to drag you into unnecessary trouble. "Alright," Qin Bing agreed, conceding with a nod. Just as Hao Jian secretly rejoiced that Qin Bing was so reasonable, she said, "Anyway, I know you never tell the truth, so it doesn't matter whether you say it or not." Hao Jian felt like crying but had no tears. Now I'm even starting to suspect you're a homosexual. Qin Bing joked half-seriously. Although she spoke carelessly, Hao Jian felt his heart leap into his throat. Because he definitely wasn't homosexual. "Hey, I was thinking, since you want to be a woman, why not just go for a sex change operation?" Qin Bing suggested. Since Hao Jian wanted to be a woman, why not become a real one? "I happen to be an expert in that area. I could personally perform the surgery and guarantee you'll become a beautiful woman." Hao Jian took a sharp breath. What a joke. He hadn't even lived as a man yet, and if he really transformed, would he still write this book? What about the readers? So Hao Jian firmly refused the suggestion: "No way. My body and my hair were given to me by my parents. Without their permission, I can't be ungrateful to them. It would be unfilial." Qin Bing cursed inwardly for his pretentiousness and said, "Unfilial acts are many, but having no descendants is the most serious. Are you living up to them by being like this?" "I'm just not doing the sex change operation," Hao Jian stated firmly. "Why not? Are you hiding something from me?" Qin Bing asked skeptically. "No," Hao Jian quickly shook his head, thinking: Other than the fact that I'm not gay, I really have nothing hidden from you. "Then you don't trust my abilities? I could definitely turn you into a beautiful woman, especially since you have good features," Qin Bing spoke earnestly. Hao Jian was handsome with clear features, surely he would look good as a woman too. "Gay refers to a man with a man, can a man with a woman still be called gay? I don't want to destroy the most sincere feelings," Hao Jian said discontentedly. Qin Bing gave him a strange look and said, "You're so lecherous!" "You, a girl, are always staring at a man's genitals when you have nothing better to do, and you're not lecherous?" Hao Jian retorted unhappily. "You." "Alright, no more joking around. It's so late; I have to head back to school," Hao Jian said. "Go back? Stay at my place tonight!" Qin Bing said. Ever since she had Hao Jian, her GAY honey, Qin Bing didn't want to spend a second alone. "Ah, wouldn't that be inappropriate?" Hao Jian was dumbstruck, his heart fluttering as he remembered the scene of sharing a bed with Qin Bing. This time, he couldn't guarantee that he would stay in control. If he accidentally let his animal instincts loose and devoured Qin Bing, he would be deep in sin. "What's inappropriate about it? You should just move out of the school and live with me instead. I'm all alone anyway," Qin Bing said. Hao Jian shook his head back and forth like a rattle-drum: "No, that's not okay. It would affect my ability to chase men. I'm leaving now, I have a date with a beauty tonight." After saying that, Hao Jian fled embarrassingly. "What a mercenary jerk!" Qin Bing muttered in dissatisfaction. ... "Mr. Hao Jian, Ouyang Shaohua has started making moves," Zhou Zixiong came to the school looking for Hao Jian early in the morning. "Where is he now?" Hao Jian asked. "He's about to go to the group to force the President to step down; I've been having someone keep an eye on him," Zhou Zixiong replied. "Lead the way," Hao Jian said with a dark expression. Meanwhile, Ouyang Shaohua and Zhang Zicong had already arrived at the Shu Ya Group, looking at the stylish building before them, Ouyang Shaohua couldn't help but laugh proudly, "Soon, this building will be mine! And that arrogant bitch, Shu Ya, will also become my plaything!" "Congratulations, Young Master, on gaining both wealth and beauty!" Zhang Zicong remarked admiringly, also quite pleased. He was eager to see the scene of Shu Ya being played with by Ouyang Shaohua. With the power that Ouyang Shaohua possessed, it was not a difficult task to play with Shu Ya. "Zhang Zicong, the one I'm going to play with is your niece, doesn't that make you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable?" Ouyang Shaohua asked, raising an eyebrow at Zhang Zicong. "Me? I hate her so much I wish she were dead!" Zhang Zicong said viciously. Shu Ya had taken everything that belonged to him and caused his wife to end up in jail. "Die? But I don't want her dead, I want her to wish she was dead," Ouyang Shaohua laughed lewdly. "Young Master, I have another request," Zhang Zicong said. "Speak!" Ouyang Shaohua was in a great mood. He wouldn't mind agreeing to one of Zhang Zicong's requests, even ten wouldn't be a problem. He was already picturing the moment when he would win the beauty for himself. "Shu Ya has a lover named Hao Jian. He's the one who caused my wife to end up in jail. I hope you can help me kill him!" Zhang Zicong hissed through clenched teeth. Next to Shu Ya, the person he hated the most was Hao Jian. Without Hao Jian, he would have already taken back what was his. "Hao Jian?" Ouyang Shaohua frowned, thinking the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was. "Fine, I promise you," Ouyang Shaohua nodded in agreement. He had always been infatuated with Shu Ya, but someone had beaten him to it. How could Ouyang Shaohua tolerate that? No matter who that guy was, Ouyang Shaohua had already sworn to find him and punish him severely. Upon hearing this, Zhang Zicong's face bloomed into a grin as radiant as a blooming cockscomb flower, ensuring that both Hao Jian and Shu Ya were doomed. "President, our situation is very bad right now. Customs has detained a batch of our very important goods, claiming there are safety issues with our products, and from their tone, it seems they intend to hold it indefinitely," Xiao Qiang reported to Shu Ya inside the President's office. "It must be Ouyang Shaohua's doing!" Shu Ya said through clenched teeth, not needing to think twice about who was behind it. "Additionally, the suppliers who used to provide us with jewelry materials are no longer willing to supply us. They've all said that they can't afford to offend Mr. Ouyang," Xiao Qiang sighed. Their situation was very serious, and it could cause operational problems for the company if it continued like this. "Bastard!" Shu Ya also punched the desk in anger, which was out of character for her, but she did it because she truly knew she was out of options. They were no match for Ouyang Shaohua, even if Shu Ya didn't want to admit it, the truth was that Ouyang Shaohua had outmaneuvered her this time. Just as Shu Ya was frowning with worry, the door was pushed open, and Ouyang Shaohua and Zhang Zicong, along with a group of shareholders, walked in. Seeing this, Xiao Qiang and Shu Ya were startled. "What is this...?" The presence of Ouyang Shaohua and Zhang Zicong was not a surprise, but what was the deal with these shareholders? Why were they together with them? The shareholders, on hearing this, couldn't help but show shame, lowering their heads, not daring to meet Shu Ya's gaze. Seeing this scene, Shu Ya was stunned; she had already guessed what was happening. "You're betraying me?" Shu Ya said through clenched teeth, it was like misfortunes were piling up in an already unfortunate situation. Hearing this, the shareholders sighed with regret, "President, we really can't blame us. If the company keeps going like this, it will inevitably fall apart, we had to think about our own interests." "Yes, you shouldn't have broken up with Mr. Hao Jian. If you were still with him, you could have asked for his help at this time, but now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to sell our shares." Clearly, the shareholders were aware of recent events, they knew the company was on the verge of collapse under Ouyang Shaohua's encroachment. They believed they couldn't save the company, so they decided to sell their shares to Ouyang Shaohua to avoid further losses. "I'm sorry, President Shu, but I own forty percent of the shares now, which gives me the right to issue orders within the company," Ouyang Shaohua said with a sinister laugh, looking arrogant. Shu Ya's expression was as still as water. Even before Ouyang Shaohua had any share in the company, he had already caused chaos, and now that he had acquired shares in the group, the consequences were obvious. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire It wouldn't be long before the group became Ouyang Shaohua's personal property. In this situation, Shu Ya fully experienced a sense of powerlessness, with the shareholders' about-face dealing her a heavy blow. "President, a wise man adapts to circumstances. You better sell the group to Mr. Ouyang," "Yes, President, with Mr. Ouyang's vast resources, the group will surely reach new heights under his control, you should sell the group." Some shareholders were now persuading Shu Ya to sell. At this moment, Ouyang Shaohua's face was full of triumph, and his thoughts were dark: Slut, you didn't take me seriously at the beginning, now I will make sure you find no peace in heaven or on earth! Chapter 321 The Savior Arrives! ``` "Pfft! I would never betray the Group. You scumbags," Shu Ya said in a furious rage, "back then my grandpa and my mom esteemed you so much, cultivated you and promoted you, even sold shares to you. Yet you people dare to sell the Group just like that. How can you do this to them?" Immediately after, Shu Ya pointed at one of them, "Shareholder Lin, think back to when you owed millions in usurious loans, right? If not for my grandpa paying off your debt, you'd probably have been chopped to pieces by now, wouldn't you?" "And you, Shareholder Wang, it was my mom who loaned you the money for your wife's gastric cancer treatment. They treated you like friends, yet you betrayed them?" Upon hearing this, the shareholders all showed displeasure on their faces. "All that is in the past. What's the point of bringing it up now? Business people are all about profit, after all. If everyone got sentimental, we wouldn't even need to eat," they retorted. "Fine, fine, fine! So ungrateful yet so self-righteous, you're really something!" The struggle and resentment gradually surfaced on Shu Ya's face, but it was this very expression that highlighted how helpless she felt at the moment. The shareholders straightforwardly turned their heads away and stopped talking, leaving everything to Ouyang Shaohua to handle. "Cut the crap. Shu Ya, if you don't hand over the Group, it's fine; I have plenty of ways to snatch your Group from you. If you're smart, I can still let you keep the CEO seat. I know the Group is your life's work, and I believe you don't want others to manage it, right? But if you're not smart about it, don't blame me for being ruthless later on!" Ouyang Shaohua snorted coldly, his words tinted with a threat. "Ouyang Shaohua, why on earth do you want my Group?" Shu Ya glared at Ouyang Shaohua. Her words were firm, but they inadvertently revealed a kind of helpless anger. In response, Ouyang Shaohua looked at Shu Ya with a lecherous grin, "Actually, I don't really want the Group; I want you. If you agree to be with me, I can guarantee I won't touch Shu Ya Group and might even give you the shares of these shareholders. How about that?" Ouyang Shaohua wasn't foolish. Apart from desiring Shu Ya's beauty, he valued her capability even more. Being able to run a company set to go public, Shu Ya's abilities were beyond question. If Shu Ya became his woman, he would naturally entrust his business to her, and his career would sail smoothly¡ªthat was Ouyang Shaohua's plan. "In your dreams! Even if I die, I will never marry a scumbag like you!" Shu Ya denounced furiously. Her repulsion towards Ouyang Shaohua was beyond words. The idea of marrying such a man would probably give her nightmares. Ouyang Shaohua's face turned cold at once, "Then there's nothing more to say. Shu Ya, just wait for me to swallow up your company whole! You think just because you're rejecting me now, I have no other way? I have at least a hundred methods!" "You... You're shameless!" Embarrassment and anger crossed Shu Ya's face, and as despair nearly took hold of her, the image of Hao Jian couldn't help but emerge in her mind. She deeply regretted her own stubbornness¡ªif she had just sought Hao Jian's help from the start, perhaps she wouldn't have ended up in such a plight. "So what if I'm shameless? If you don't agree to me now, then later, you'll be begging me to sleep with you!" Ouyang Shaohua laughed heartily. "Call Hao Jian!" At that moment, Xiao Qiang could no longer stand by and directly reached for the phone to call Hao Jian. And this time, Shu Ya did not refuse. "Good. Just call that Hao Jian of yours, perfect for me to settle things with him too. As long as he dares to come, I dare to kill him!" Ouyang Shaohua said viciously, thinking Shu Ya wanted to use her lover against him. What a fool's dream! "Just from far away I heard some dog barking, wondering who it could be. Turns out it's the Chrysanthemum Knight." Just then, a mocking voice came from behind everyone. Upon hearing this voice, both Shu Ya and Xiao Qiang were instantly ecstatic, their faces lighting up with joy. On the contrary, Zhang Zicong and the other shareholders didn't look too pleased. Ouyang Shaohua turned around with an unhappy face, and upon seeing Hao Jian with a mocking smile, Ouyang Shaohua's expression became particularly animated. Ouyang Shaohua's eyes were bulging as if they were about to pop out of his sockets. How could this guy be here? Clearly, Ouyang Shaohua still had a fresh memory of this man who had caused him great psychological trauma. Now, seeing Hao Jian, Ouyang Shaohua felt his rear end ache. To Ouyang Shaohua, Hao Jian naturally induced a sense of fear, for a simple reason: Hao Jian had left him with an indelible psychological scar. This guy wasn't human; he was a demon! How could he possibly contend against a demon? "Young Master, that's Hao Jian!" Zhang Zicong whispered into Ouyang Shaohua's ear, his expression stern, yet a flicker of smugness danced in his eyes. But Ouyang Shaohua didn't share the sentiment. After hearing Zhang Zicong, he was completely scared stiff, finally realizing why that name sounded so familiar. Damn it, it was all because this bastard had once screwed him over! Ouyang Shaohua was shivering all over. The memory of Hao Jian single-handedly taking down a dozen of his elite bodyguards was vivid in his mind. Clashing with this man, who knew what methods he would use against him this time? Ouyang Shaohua told himself not to be scared; there were many people here, Hao Jian wouldn't dare do anything to him, but still, his legs couldn't stop trembling. ``` "Young Master, what's wrong with you? Why do you look so pale? Are you sick?" Zhang Zicong asked Ouyang Shaohua when he saw his pale complexion. But at that moment, it wasn't just Ouyang Shaohua who had a ghastly face; the shareholders were in the same boat. They had never imagined that after breaking up with Shu Ya, Hao Jian would still help her. It made no sense, could the rumors be false? But that couldn't be possible either, for if they were, why would they call off the wedding? Hao Jian's presence had gradually begun to unsettle them, and some even regretted selling their shares so hastily. "It's because he saw me coming." Hao Jian said with a cold laugh, walking in alongside Zhou Zixiong and standing in front of Ouyang Shaohua, "Long time no see, Chrysanthemum Knight." S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Upon hearing this, everyone was baffled, but Ouyang Shaohua's face turned red with rage, for he knew what a Chrysanthemum Knight signified¡ªbecause that night, he was violated by his bodyguards in turns. Although Ouyang Shaohua had fired them afterward, the psychological shadow lingered. Discover exclusive tales at My Virtual Library Empire Hearing this, Zhang Zicong and others were startled. The sight of Hao Jian had made Ouyang Shaohua's complexion extremely unsightly. Could it be true? Did Ouyang Shaohua and Hao Jian know each other previously? "Should I tell them how we know each other?" Hao Jian asked with a teasing smile, looking at Ouyang Shaohua. Ouyang Shaohua, with a dreadful look on his face, said, "Have you come to ruin my plans?" Zhang Zicong had just told him that Hao Jian was Shu Ya's secret lover, which meant he was essentially his rival in love, so naturally, he couldn't let himself get the group so easily. "No, to be precise, I came to humiliate you!" Hao Jian said with a slight smile and then, without any warning, slapped him across the face. "Slap!" Everyone could clearly hear the slap and then saw Ouyang Shaohua's figure tilt to one side, nearly crashing to the ground. Then they were all shocked. Hao Jian had actually hit Ouyang Shaohua? "You dare to hit the Young Master?" Zhang Zicong glared at Hao Jian furiously. "Yes, I hit him. And I believe you all saw it. What's the matter, want to leap to your master's defense? Come on then!" Hao Jian taunted, waving Zhang Zicong over. Zhang Zicong's ferocious expression weakened significantly. Pick a fight with Hao Jian? He wasn't an idiot. Ouyang Shaohua, clutching his face, glared menacingly at Hao Jian. Never before had anyone dared to humiliate him like this, but Hao Jian had belittled him twice in a row! "Don't glare at me like that, or next time I might strip you naked and throw you into the horse pen, then feed a group of stallions an aphrodisiac and let them have their way with you," Hao Jian mockingly threatened. Ouyang Shaohua was taken aback, and then suppressed his expression; he knew this bastard was capable of carrying out his threats. Watching this unfold, Shu Ya and the shareholders were dumbstruck; it was clear to any fool that Ouyang Shaohua feared Hao Jian. Zhou Zixiong couldn't help but laugh, privately commending himself for choosing the right ally, as Hao Jian seemed to be Ouyang Shaohua's nemesis. "What exactly do you want?" Ouyang Shaohua said, nearly whimpering, now looking as desperate as Shu Ya had earlier. "Slap." Hao Jian slapped him again, hitting the other side of Ouyang Shaohua's face this time. "I thought I already told you, I'm here to humiliate you," Hao Jian said with a grin, looking harmless¡ªyet it was precisely that demeanor that made him all the more loathsome. "You think I wouldn't dare kill you? I have money, and with just a bit of it, I could have you slaughtered!" Ouyang Shaohua finally erupted, glaring at Hao Jian venomously. "Oh, you're scaring me." Hao Jian feigned shock, then took out his phone and handed it to Ouyang Shaohua, "I forgot to tell you, the last time at the bar, I took a video. Imagine what would happen if I uploaded this video to the internet." Ouyang Shaohua picked up the phone and, sure enough, there was footage of his violation; Hao Jian had truly taken a video. Instantly, Ouyang Shaohua's face turned green. Zhang Zicong also leaned in to see what the video was about, but Ouyang Shaohua quickly deleted it. However, Hao Jian still wore a sly grin, saying, "It's no use; I have backups, a hundred copies, in fact! With just a flick of my finger, those copies will be uploaded to major websites in an instant, and you'll become a celebrity." Ouyang Shaohua gritted his teeth in fury. The incident had made the news, but he had used his connections to suppress it. However, if this video got out, there would be no suppressing it¡ªnever underestimate the power of the Huaxia internet users. Chapter 322 Shameless Demand! "Name your terms, no matter what they are, I will agree to them!" Ouyang Shaohua said, his face ashen. At this moment, he had no choice but to compromise, because once the video was exposed, he would have nothing left. Moreover, he might also never garner respect within his family due to this issue, and his status could plummet drastically. Zhang Zicong and Shu Ya, among others, felt as though they were dreaming when they saw Ouyang Shaohua willingly give in. It was surreal. Just earlier, Ouyang Shaohua had been so arrogant and domineering. Why did he start acting meek the minute Jiang Shan arrived? Wasn't it unbelievable? However, Xiao Qiang shook his head and bitterly smiled, saying to Shu Ya, "This guy always has the ability to create miracles!" "It seems I can't do without his help," Shu Ya said, unable to suppress her bitter smile. "So you mean to say you're giving in, right?" Hao Jian asked. "Yes," Zhou Zixiong said with a grim expression. "Louder, tell them, you're just a fool, and you came here only to humiliate yourself!" Hao Jian barked. "Hao Jian, don't go too far," Ouyang Shaohua's teeth were almost crushed, and right then, he really wanted to leap at Jiang Shan and bite him. This guy actually wanted him to humiliate himself? "Forget it, I might as well upload this video to the internet," Hao Jian said as he pretentiously took the phone back from Ouyang Shaohua's hands. "I am a fool, I came here just to humiliate myself!" Ouyang Shaohua howled furiously. Everyone was stunned. Had Ouyang Shaohua actually just insulted himself? What exactly had Hao Jian done to Ouyang Shaohua to make him so compliant? Xiao Qiang and Shu Ya burst out laughing; probably only the two of them found this scene humorous at that moment. It really matched Hao Jian's quirky nature. That guy really hadn't changed at all. "Are you satisfied now?" Ouyang Shaohua nearly roared the words. Hao Jian nodded, "Not bad." Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire "Now, you can go stand aside," Hao Jian said rudely, but at that moment, Ouyang Shaohua didn't dare to resist and obediently stepped aside. "Having dealt with his issue, shareholders, it's time to resolve our matters," Hao Jian said, smiling at the group of shareholders in front of him. The expressions of those shareholders instantly changed, recognizing Hao Jian was planning to target them next. "Mr. Hao Jian, it wasn't on purpose, we just... we just..." The shareholders tried to explain, but didn't know where to start. Hao Jian waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I'm not blaming you, and I won't treat you the way I treated this fool." Ouyang Shaohua's expression darkened, and he rolled his eyes unhappily. "That's good, that's good," the shareholders immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Because you don't deserve it!" Hao Jian said with a faint smile, then pulled out a black card, "Today I came with three objectives, first, to humiliate this fool, which I have already done. Second, to take over the shares of Shu Ya Group, I want all the shares you sold to Ouyang Shaohua." "I suppose Young Master Ouyang wouldn't object, right?" Hao Jian asked, turning his head to face Ouyang Shaohua with a fake smile. Ouyang Shaohua, with a grim face, stayed silent; he had no right to refuse now. "Mr. Hao Jian, I don't want to sell my shares anymore," one shareholder said sheepishly because after Hao Jian had resolved the crisis, he shamelessly no longer wanted to sell his shares. He also knew the value of the company and just needed a few more years to grow his firm to the same scale as the Ouyang family's business, and then he would make even more money. Under these circumstances, how could he possibly give up such a valuable group? The other shareholders felt the same way. If it weren't for being forced by Ouyang Shaohua, they wouldn't have planned to sell their shares. Now that the crisis was resolved, they wanted to retain their shares. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But clearly, Hao Jian had no intention of giving them that chance, facing the crowd with a smile, he said, "Regrettably, I have no plans to return the shares to you idiots. The Shu Ya Group isn't a place where you can come and go as you please!" Upon hearing this, both Shu Ya and Xiao Qiang felt immensely satisfied. Indeed, why should they be able to sell whenever they want and return whenever they want? The shareholders each had an embarrassed expression, but some were still unwilling to give up and explained, "Mr. Hao Jian, we were forced and had no choice but to sell the shares. Please give us another chance, we won't dare anymore." "Yes, Mr. Hao Jian, in the future, we will definitely serve the group with all our heart and soul." Hao Jian waved his hand and scoffed, "Ever heard the saying 'once unfaithful, forever useless'? When the group needed you the most, you abandoned it. If there were a second instance, I think you would make the same decision. Sorry, but I can't entrust the group to you cowards and selfish idiots." The words spoken by Hao Jian were truly the essence of ruthlessness¡ªevery time he would start by appealing to emotions and reason in the first half, but in the second half, he would start to insult and curse without restraint. This way of speaking only served to infuriate people even further. The shareholders, one by one, showed displeasure, all becoming quite unhappy. "Of course, you all can refuse me, but only if you can withstand my retaliation. Because if you refuse me, I will become very angry, and then I don't know what I might do." Hao Jian curled his lip, then looked towards one of the shareholders, "By the way, Shareholder Wang, your daughter has just started college, right? At the Business School, right?" Shareholder Wang immediately gasped. Had Hao Jian actually investigated him? Clearly, Hao Jian was retaliating, and those around him immediately became somber, preferring to remain silent from then on. If Hao Jian had investigated Shareholder Wang, he had undoubtedly investigated the others as well. "Zhou Zixiong, take them down and process their paperwork," Hao Jian said indifferently, naturally getting his money from Xu Donghe. "Alright!" Zhou Zixiong said with a smile full of relief, secretly glad that he hadn't picked the wrong side this time. If he had chosen the wrong side again, the consequences would likely have been even more dire than last time. The shareholders sadly followed Zhou Zixiong downstairs. "All right, let's talk about the third matter now." Hao Jian walked up to Zhang Zicong, smiling, "Last time I let you go, thinking you'd turn over a new leaf. But alas, you've only worsened. So this time, I must deal with you." Zhang Zicong's expression stiffened, he clenched his teeth tightly. He had calculated every possibility, but had not foreseen Hao Jian pulling off another miracle, forcing even Young Master Ouyang to bow before him. "Can you give me another chance?" Zhang Zicong asked, his face ashen. Hao Jian sneered, "If you were me, would you give me another chance?" Zhang Zicong then fell silent, the answer obviously being no. "Are you planning to kill me?" Zhang Zicong asked, furrowing his brow. "No, doing so would mean the end of the Zhang family, wouldn't it? I couldn't possibly do that," Hao Jian said with a smile, "I only want to make you wish you were dead." Hao Jian pulled out a steel baseball bat he had prepared earlier from behind his back. Just as Zhang Zicong thought he was about to be brutally beaten, Hao Jian instead tossed the bat to Young Master Ouyang. Young Master Ouyang, puzzled, caught the bat, but was completely bewildered. "Break his legs!" Hao Jian ordered Young Master Ouyang. "What?" Young Master Ouyang was shocked. "Don't play dumb. You heard me. I want you to break Zhang Zicong's legs!" Hao Jian repeated with a sinister smile. Young Master Ouyang was completely stupefied, "Why don't you do it yourself?" Hao Jian was fully capable of doing it himself¡ªthere had to be a reason he wanted someone else to do it. "Because I'm a 'model youth.' I don't commit crimes," Hao Jian said jokingly. Everyone wore a grim expression, staring at Hao Jian, because his words were completely unpersuasive; everyone was thinking, how could someone claiming to avoid crime commit so little of it? "Fine, actually, I just want you to break his legs, then catch you on camera committing the crime so I can fully blackmail you," Hao Jian said seriously to Young Master Ouyang. Young Master Ouyang felt like he was about to burst a blood vessel. He would have preferred Hao Jian to say nothing at all rather than blatantly speak his mind and enrage him even further. This demand was utterly shameless, harming Zhang Zicong while ensnaring Young Master Ouyang in the process. Young Master Ouyang was full of regret, wondering why he had made an enemy out of such a scoundrel. Wait, it wasn't he who had opposed him, it was Zhang Zicong! It was Zhang Zicong who had pushed him to take over Shu Ya Group, he had even asked him to kill Hao Jian! With this thought, a fierce glare shone in Young Master Ouyang's eyes as he stared at Zhang Zicong. Zhang Zicong was startled, fearfully saying, "Young Master, please don't!" "This is all your fault! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be led around by the nose. It's your own mess yet you dragged me into this; you deserve it!" Young Master Ouyang snapped completely, he picked up the baseball bat and fiercely swung it at Zhang Zicong's feet. "Crack." "Ow!" Zhang Zicong screamed, his face contorting in pain. Yet even so, Young Master Ouyang still did not stop, continuing to hit Zhang Zicong hard. Hao Jian on the side clicked his tongue in amazement, "So vicious, so cruel, utterly inhumane, terrifying, really." Chapter 323 Unexpected Encounter in the Toilet! Watching Zicong constantly howling under Ouyang Shaohua's brutal beating, Shu Ya thought she would feel sympathetic, but this time, she did not. It was not until Ouyang Shaohua left alone, looking dejected, that Shu Ya came back to her senses. At that moment, Shu Ya realized Hao Jian had also left. "Where has Hao Jian gone?" Shu Ya panicked, hurriedly asking Xiao Qiang who was beside her. Xiao Qiang was also clueless, shaking her head to indicate that she didn't know when Hao Jian had left either. Their attention had been focused on Ouyang Shaohua and Zhang Zicong, and they had not noticed when Hao Jian left. Hearing this, Shu Ya bit her teeth, hesitating. "If you don't chase after him now, you might lose him forever," Xiao Qiang kindly reminded her. Finally, Shu Ya hesitated no longer and took the initiative to chase after him outside. But when Shu Ya reached the doorway, she turned her head in confusion to look at Xiao Qiang, "Why aren't you chasing after him?" "I don't want to win you over by stooping so low," Xiao Qiang proudly said, finding the idea of taking advantage of the situation distasteful. Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire Shu Ya gave a small smile and then chased after him without looking back. Shu Ya rushed to the elevator entrance only to find the elevator was at the ground floor; impatient, she stomped her foot fiercely and turned to rush into the emergency stairway. Hao Jian, only you, are the one I cannot afford to lose! "Mr. Hao Jian, are you leaving already?" Just as Hao Jian came out of the elevator, he saw Zhou Zixiong, who had just finished the contract procedures, approaching him. Seeing Hao Jian coming down by himself, Zhou Zixiong was surprised as he had thought Hao Jian would stay a bit longer with Shu Ya. "Everything is done; why stay here?" Hao Jian said indifferently. "Well Mr. Hao Jian, even if the boss did something wrong, all women throw tantrums and show some temper, don't they? We men should be more tolerant, right? Actually, by agreeing to help her, I knew you cared about her. You two are a perfect match. It would really be a pity to break up like this," Zhou Zixiong sighed. But Hao Jian just smiled and shook his head, "The reason I am leaving is not because I am mad at her, but because I know that staying with her would only hold her back. My background is complicated, and my enemies are increasing in number. If they cannot get to me, they might target my woman. So, leaving her is for the best, for both her and me." At this, Zhou Zixiong's expression froze, then he gave a wry smile, "I was being presumptuous." He now realized that he had misunderstood Hao Jian; it wasn't that Hao Jian was petty, but that even Hao Jian had his constraints. Hao Jian patted Zhou Zixiong on the shoulder: "Take good care of Shu Ya, she will make a fine boss." Zhou Zixiong nodded in agreement, but his consent was not solely for Shu Ya, but for Hao Jian. Afterward, Hao Jian got into his car and left. By then, Shu Ya only just arrived, turning to Uncle Zhou she asked, "Uncle Zhou, where is Hao Jian?" "He has already left, Shu Ya, oh, you missed out on a good man," Zhou Zixiong shook his head and sighed, then turned and walked away, not saying anything more. Shu Ya stood, stunned, completely bewildered, wondering what all this meant. After leaving the company, Hao Jian directly went to Jiang Yutong's residence, today he had specially brought the medicines he had prepared ahead of time, planning to give Jiang Yutong's father a thorough treatment. But on the way to Jiang Yutong's house, Hao Jian suddenly felt an urgent need to use the restroom. He inadvertently walked into a department store to find a bathroom, but just as he was pulling down his trousers to relieve himself, Hao Jian abruptly heard a door being smashed behind him. Hao Jian was startled and quickly turned around, only to see a person standing at the restroom door. To be precise, a woman, and unfortunately, Hao Jian knew her. Hao Jian was stunned for a few minutes, then spoke unhappily, "Are you following me?" The other person also hadn't expected to run into Hao Jian here and was just about to explain. "Don't say anything, I know, sometimes beauty is a crime too, the mistake is why do I have to look so handsome and charming." The other person was totally confused. What on earth was this guy talking about? They were just here to take a break from trouble, where on earth did this guy's thoughts wander off to? "I guess such a charming me must have made you think about me day and night, I can understand. At first, I also thought if I dressed shabbily and kept a low profile, no one would notice me, but it was no use. I am like a firefly in the dark night, so bright, so outstanding!" The other person was completely dumbfounded and then rolled their eyes. This really was self-praise without any self-awareness. This comment made them blush for Hao Jian; his face was so thick it could probably stop bullets. "Although I know you're quite infatuated with me, even daring to barge into the men's restroom for my sake, I still have to reject you. After all, I am your daughter's teacher, and our relationship is inappropriate. I cannot accept it! Otherwise, Xiaoxiao would be very hurt!" Hao Jian spoke righteously. Indeed, the one who barged into the men's restroom was Guo Shuxian, and upon hearing Hao Jian's words, she felt so frustrated she was almost at a loss for words. Guo Shuxian quickly walked up, grabbed Hao Jian, and then pushed him into one of the stalls, without saying another word pressed him down on the toilet. "Really? You want to do this here? This is not good, right?" Hao Jian was horrified, as she was about to make a move on him in the restroom. Wasn't that a bit too raunchy? "Or should we find a motel? I just happen to know one nearby, cheap and reasonable!" Hao Jian suggested. Guo Shuxian rolled her eyes and scolded, "Shut up!" "Fine, if you insist on doing it here, please be gentle with me," Hao Jian looked at Guo Shuxian with a mournful expression. Guo Shuxian got mad and said indignantly, this jerk, what did he think she was. Guo Shuxian suddenly looked embarrassed and explained, "I did this for a reason." If it weren't for a good reason, who would barge into a men's restroom for no reason? She wasn't a pervert. "I know, the reason is you wanted to molest me!" Hao Jian angrily said. "Nonsense! Do I look like someone who would stoop so low?" Guo Shuxian snapped back furiously. "Hey, and you're upset about it? Then get off me!" Hao Jian glared at her justifiably. Being molested was bad enough, but to be choosy on top of that, what the heck. "I¡­" Guo Shuxian was suddenly at a loss for words, unsure how to retort, knowing that it was absolutely impossible to leave at that moment. "What? Can't bear to leave, huh? You talk tough, but your body tells the truth," Hao Jian scoffed coldly. Guo Shuxian was so angry she was fuming, but she had to swallow her pride. "Where's that woman? No trace of her now, just now I saw her walking this way, and there's no women's restroom here, did she go into the men's restroom?" "Go check the men's restroom, that seductive vixen dared to hit on my husband, watch as I strip her naked and parade her down the street if I catch her!" At that moment, the voice of a group of middle-aged women suddenly came from the entrance, their tone quite agitated. Hearing this, Guo Shuxian couldn't help but tremble; she was clearly hiding from these women. Meanwhile, Guo Shuxian also noticed that Hao Jian was watching her, she quickly shook her head, looking pitiful as she explained, "I didn't." "Hmm, I believe you," Hao Jian nodded. With Guo Shuxian's beauty, wealth, intelligence, and power, what man couldn't she find? It was unimaginable for her to be someone's mistress. Hao Jian naturally thought it was unlikely. Guo Shuxian is the embodiment of a queen, men were falling over themselves to win her favor; how could she stoop to chasing after someone else? There must be some misunderstanding. Upon hearing this, Guo Shuxian also showed a relieved smile and said with a sigh of relief, "Thank you." sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At that moment, the restroom door was also pushed open, and the group of middle-aged women swarmed in. Guo Shuxian quickly covered Hao Jian's mouth to keep him from speaking. Hao Jian, not to be outdone, mischievously reached out his own mischievous hand. Chapter 324 My Bladder is Going to Burst! "What was that noise?" S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just then, a scolding voice suddenly came from outside. Guo Shuxian instantly snapped to alertness, her pretty face turning pale in an instant. If she were caught by those women, they might actually strip her naked and parade her through the streets¡ªwhat difference would it be from being dead if she, a mayor, were treated that way? Seeing Guo Shuxian like this, Hao Jian also realized he had gone too far and gave her a reassuring look. Guo Shuxian looked at Hao Jian with some resentment. If it weren't for this troublemaker messing with her, how could she have made any noise? "What noise? I didn't hear anything," a middle-aged woman said, puzzled. "Impossible, I clearly heard a woman's voice. Open these stalls one by one; that woman must be in here!" one of the women exclaimed. Following that, the women kicked open the stalls one after another. As they approached, Guo Shuxian's trembling intensified. At that moment, Hao Jian sat up straight and pulled Guo Shuxian into his arms, pressing her head against his shoulder. This posture was protective, causing Guo Shuxian to be momentarily stunned. Finally, the women reached Hao Jian's stall and tried forcefully to open the door, only to find it completely secured. They immediately realized Guo Shuxian must be inside. The leader of the group started shouting, "I know you're in there, come out!" Hao Jian motioned for Guo Shuxian to stay silent and then yelled out, "A bunch of noisy old hags! What's all the fuss about? Can't a man have a moment of peace to take a dump? Are you that starved for action?" The middle-aged women outside, expecting to hear Guo Shuxian's voice, were stunned by the vulgar response that came instead. "Sister Wang, what do we do?" With no idea what to do next, the women turned to their leader for guidance. Sister Wang, also taken aback but not wanting to lose face, retorted, "You little twerp, why so cocky?" "Me, cocky? How am I cocky compared to you broads barging into a men's bathroom together?" Hao Jian sneered derisively. Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire The middle-aged women fell silent under Hao Jian's scolding. Seeing this, Hao Jian grew even more insolent, "Why so quiet now? Weren't you all full of bluster just now? Wait till I'm done, and I'll show you!" Guo Shuxian finally couldn't hold back and pinched Hao Jian hard. Sister Wang, frustrated, demanded, "Little punk, did a woman come in here or not?" "One woman? I saw a group of women march right in, and now they're waiting right outside my door," Hao Jian responded loudly. "You¡ª" Sister Wang and her group were so infuriated they were at a loss for words, realizing Hao Jian was just being obnoxious. "Sister Wang, I don't think that woman is here. Let's just go," a woman suggested timidly, clearly intimidated by Hao Jian's brazenness. That kind of ruffian was more than they could handle. "Leave? Don't go yet. I am almost done here, and when I'm out, I'll sort out each and every one of you bitches!" Hao Jian cursed loudly. Sister Wang and the others didn't dare stay any longer and fled, genuinely fearing that Hao Jian might come out and confront them. It was only after everyone had left that Guo Shuxian breathed a sigh of relief. "What in the world happened?" Hao Jian asked, confused. "One of those women's husbands works with me; he keeps trying to get close to me and even sends me inappropriate text messages. I guess his wife found out," Guo Shuxian said with a wry smile. "Damn, that shameless?" Hao Jian was also taken aback. It often goes this way: as soon as a wife discovers her husband is cheating, her first reaction is to confront the other woman, never considering that the man is the real problem. "Regardless, I owe you big time this time. If it wasn't for you, the trouble would have been much greater," Guo Shuxian said, appreciative. "Let's not talk about that right now, can you get up from me first?" Hao Jian said with a wry smile. Especially since they were in such an awkward position, he was finding it difficult to bear. "Oh, sorry," Guo Shuxian blushed, stood up, and pushed open the bathroom door to walk out. Hao Jian followed, still with a wry smile on his face. "How come you are here?" Guo Shuxian asked. Running into Hao Jian here was really fortunate. If it hadn't been for him, she would have been doomed. "Listen, I want to talk to you, but I really need to pee right now. Can you step out first?" Hao Jian grimaced with discomfort. "Okay, you don't have to take me home, I can go home by myself," Guo Shuxian suddenly said. Hao Jian rolled his eyes, so what you're really saying is you still expect me to take you home? "Wait for me, I'll take you home after I pee," Hao Jian said helplessly. "It's not necessary, I can get back on my own," Guo Shuxian insisted verbally, but she stood still, not moving. "I will definitely take you home," Hao Jian stated firmly. I already said I would take you home, can you please go out? "Really, it's not necessary¡ªI parked my car in the parking lot. No trouble at all," Guo Shuxian emphasized repeatedly. "Then can you hurry up and get out? I'm about to burst here!" Hao Jian finally roared. What the hell is this, Shuishui? You don't actually want to see me use the toilet, do you? Guo Shuxian then huffed in dissatisfaction and left. "Humph, silly girl!" Hao Jian declared conceitedly. But when he walked out of the men's restroom, he saw Guo Shuxian being surrounded by a group of women who were slapping her and pulling her hair, no matter how much she screamed, those women wouldn't let go. Meanwhile, the bystanders were merely pointing and talking, none stepped forward to intervene. Seeing this, a glint of ferocity sparked across Hao Jian's face. "Everyone, come look! This little bitch seduced someone else's husband and ruined their family," Wang Xinling shouted while pulling on Guo Shuxian's hair to the crowd. "If I upload this video online, I'm sure to gain a few hundred more followers on my Weibo," a young man in his twenties, seemingly a college student, chuckled mischievously, talking to his friends while filming with his phone. "Smack." No sooner had he spoken than a hand reached out and knocked his phone to the ground. "What the hell are you doing?" the college student glared at Hao Jian fiercely, and his classmates also glared angrily at him. Hao Jian looked down at him, his eyes sending chills of brutality and coldness. The college student wilted under Hao Jian's gaze, he bowed his head, unable to speak further. "You find joy in the misfortune of others, is that it?" Hao Jian asked with a cold laugh. "Well, she asked for it by being the other woman. If she dares to do it, why should she be afraid of being filmed?" one of the girls stated. "Exactly, she ruined someone else's family, even if it's posted online, it's all Guo Shuxian's fault!" "How do you know she's a mistress?" Hao Jian sneered. Just because Wang Xinling said so, you all believed it? "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear what those women were saying?" one of the girls rolled her eyes sarcastically, finding Hao Jian laughable. "So just because they say she's a mistress, she is? And if I say all of you are brainless idiots, would you be?" Hao Jian remarked sarcastically. "You make judgments without knowing the truth ¡ª did you read your books up your asses or what?" "Then if she's not a mistress, why would those women hit her? Do they have nothing better to do?" a bespectacled male student muttered. "Smack!" Hao Jian slapped the male student across the face without a moment's hesitation. "You. Why are you hitting people?" the college students were stunned. Hao Jian chuckled coldly, "I just didn't have anything better to do and slapped you; does that make you a mistress?" The college students were dumbfounded; the guy before them was simply unreasonable, striking without a word, not caring that this was a public place. "Ignorant of good and evil and unable to differentiate right from wrong, and you call yourselves college students?" Hao Jian shook his head and sighed deeply, threatening, "If anyone dares to film again, don't blame me for being rude!" "I'll film it anyway! What are you gonna do about it?" one of the stocky students yelled, trying to stand up against Hao Jian by pulling out his phone first. Hao Jian let out a cold laugh, not wasting another word, and directly punched him in the stomach. "Pugh." The stocky kid spat out blood and immediately passed out. "Little Fatty. Little Fatty!" His classmates were terrified and hurried to help the stocky student, staring fiercely at Hao Jian: "Just wait, we're calling the police right now. This isn't over! You dare hit someone in public? We're going to expose you online!" Chapter 325 Girlfriend! "That's right, we firmly resist the evil forces to the end!" "You just wait to be thrown in jail!" Watching those university students scolding in a clamor, Hao Jian's lips curled into a sneer, "Then please hurry up, because I'm not afraid of trouble. And my warning is only given once, if anyone else acts as foolishly as this fatty, I wouldn't mind making you continue to spit blood." Those university students really felt like spitting blood; they couldn't beat Hao Jian in a fight, and they couldn't out-curse him either. Now all they could do was bear the humiliation and suffer in silence. Meanwhile, Hao Jian didn't bother with them any longer and quickly walked toward Guo Shuxian and the others. Without saying a second word, he slapped Wang Xinling across the face. The slap stupefied Wang Xinling, who collapsed to the ground. She stared blankly at Hao Jian for a while before suddenly coming to her senses and hysterically screamed, "Who the hell are you, daring to hit me?" Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire Hao Jian helped Guo Shuxian up, and as soon as she stood, she buried herself in Hao Jian's arms, overwhelmed with humiliation and distress. Seeing Guo Shuxian twitching continuously in his arms, Hao Jian's eyes also hardened as he glared at Wang Xinling and the others. Intimidated by Hao Jian's glare, Wang Xinling and the others couldn't help feeling a bit scared. But upon thinking that the "slut" had seduced her husband, and standing on the side of right with so many people around, Wang Xinling believed the man wouldn't dare to do anything crazy and thus felt emboldened enough to say haughtily, "Where did this loser come from, trying to stand up for someone else? Are you even worthy?" "Well then, you can come and try to see if I'm worthy," Hao Jian gestured with a hooked finger, inviting them over. Wang Xinling and the others weren't fools¡ªgoing over there would be asking for a beating. "Damn it, a bunch of old whores taking advantage of my absence to bully my girlfriend, you're really asking for it, aren't you?" Hao Jian said fiercely. Girlfriend? Guo Shuxian immediately looked up, dumbfounded, forgetting to cry as she stared at Hao Jian. "Girlfriend? She's just a vixen, and you've been cuckolded without even knowing it, you cuckold!" Wang Xinling sneered in triumph, finding it hilarious that the loser was still protecting Guo Shuxian despite being cuckolded. "Are you talking about your fool of a husband? You think I don't know he's been harassing my girlfriend? She told me everything, about some man who looks like a toad wanting to eat swan meat, thinking he can make me a cuckold? Do you really think my girlfriend would fancy such trash?" Hao Jian derisively mocked. "More like a field mouse," Guo Shuxian corrected weakly. "Oh, a field mouse, I forgot," acknowledged Hao Jian with a nod. "My husband might not be much to look at, but he's a high official. Isn't his type just what a little vixen like her would want the most? I don't know how many of her kind I've forced away," Wang Xinling mocked coldly, her expression full of pride. "A high official? How high? Call him over for me to see!" Hao Jian said with contempt. "You don't need to tell me that, I'm going to call him anyway. You dare to hit me? I'll make you pay with your life!" said Wang Xinling spitefully. She then took out her phone and called her husband, "Huo Yuandong, I've been hit here at Galaxy Era Plaza, if you don't come over now, don't blame me for making a scene." After hanging up, Wang Xinling wasn't ready to let it go and made another call, "Dad, it's me, I was hit. It was that whore's man who's seducing Huo Yuandong. My face is all swollen. I'm at Galaxy Era Plaza; come over and vent my anger." Only then did Wang Xinling turn back to face Hao Jian and Guo Shuxian, a smug smile spreading across her face, "Kid, just you wait. My dad and my husband are both high-ranking officials in the Military Department. Once they get here, first I'll beat you into a cripple, then let them drag you to the military execution grounds for target practice!" "Dare to hit me? I'll make your life miserable like it's nothing. You're not the kind of person who can afford to provoke me," snapped Hao Jian angrily. "This woman is really unbearable," Hao Jian remarked to Guo Shuxian. "You can say that again," agreed Guo Shuxian with a bitter smile, for she found Wang Xinling just as offensive. It wasn't long before two men, one old and one young, appeared in the plaza and walked toward Wang Xinling. On seeing them, Wang Xinling immediately became excited, "Dad, they are the ones who hit me!" Huo Yuandong and Wang Hechen, seeing the vivid slap mark on Wang Xinling's face, looked displeased. They turned their gaze toward Hao Jian and Guo Shuxian, and upon seeing Guo Shuxian, they couldn't hide their surprise, soon followed by looks of awkwardness. Wang Xinling might not have known who Guo Shuxian was, but they certainly did. At this moment, Guo Shuxian also wore a cold smile as she looked at Huo Yuandong and Wang Hechen, clearly harboring a bellyful of anger. Seeing this, Huo Yuandong and Wang Hechen immediately realized something was amiss. Huo Yuandong, even more upset, strode over to Wang Xinling, "What are you doing here?" "What am I doing? Of course, it's catching an adulterer. I already know about your affair with this vixen. Huo Yuandong, you're quite something, aren't you? Our family helped you to the position you have today, and this is how you repay us¡ªwith an affair?" Wang Xinling not only gave Huo Yuandong a push but also said indignantly. "What nonsense are you spouting? Miss Guo and I are just ordinary friends," Huo Yuandong retorted in annoyance. At this moment, Wang Xinling brought up this issue, not only humiliating him but also potentially angering Guo Shuxian. If things continued this way, he certainly wouldn't get off easily either. "Ordinary friends? Then what about the messages you sent her? Saying you love her? Saying she's all that's in your mind, and that you are willing to give up everything for her, even if it's your family and your life?" Wang Xinling sneered with a mocking laugh. "Ugh. That's just disgusting," Hao Jian made a face, as if he was about to throw up. Hearing this, Huo Yuandong glared fiercely at Hao Jian, but Hao Jian still maintained a smiling, unconcerned expression. "Don't make a scene here. That woman is the mayor; if we offend her, none of us will have a good outcome." At this time, Wang Hechen also realized the situation was bad and, to prevent Wang Xinling from causing further commotion, he could only step forward to play peacemaker, whispering in Wang Xinling's ear. "The mayor?" Wang Xinling was also taken aback. The woman she had just hit was the mayor? No wonder, she thought Guo Shuxian looked familiar. When Wang Xinling thought about how she had hit the mayor, she felt even more delighted. Now, she could boast about it for years when she went back. "It's impossible that she's interested in Huo Yuandong; you've misunderstood. Hurry up and apologize to Guo Shuxian with me. Otherwise, our whole family will suffer," Wang Hechen scolded Wang Xinling. Knowing Guo Shuxian's status, how could she possibly take an interest in Huo Yuandong? Firstly, Huo Yuandong was unattractive, looking like a Field Mouse, and secondly, his position was worlds apart from Guo Shuxian's. "I won't go!" Wang Xinling said stubbornly, feeling that apologizing after having already hit someone would be too humiliating. "You... sigh." Wang Hechen didn't know what else to say. Ever since she was a child, Wang Xinling had been spoiled and indulged in everything by Wang Hechen. This pampering had fostered her arrogant and headstrong character, leaving Wang Hechen at a loss on how to deal with her now. Now that Wang Xinling refused to apologize, Wang Hechen didn't dare to force her and could only think of apologizing to Guo Shuxian himself later. "I can stop bothering that woman, but that kid must die!" Wang Xinling suddenly pointed at Hao Jian, her eyes brimming with venom: "It's this guy who hit me just now!" Upon hearing this, Huo Yuandong and Wang Hechen simultaneously cast icy, fierce glances at Hao Jian. They might not be able to deal with Guo Shuxian, but how could they not handle a commoner like Hao Jian? They knew all the prominent figures in Hua City. Anyone they didn't recognize was clearly not an important person. Since he was a minor character, he wasn't worth their full attention; dealing with such a minor character was a matter of minutes for them. So, Huo Yuandong walked towards Hao Jian, "Was it you who hit my wife?" "That's right, it was me," Hao Jian nodded, but still with a teasing smirk on his face. "Do you know who I am?" Huo Yuandong's face harbored an invisible killing intent, Hao Jian's teasing smile completely infuriating him. Hao Jian standing with Guo Shuxian had already irked him, since he was the first to set his sights on Guo Shuxian. It was bad enough that Guo Shuxian showed no interest in him, but to fancy such a scoundrel was a huge blow to Huo Yuandong's pride. And now, Hao Jian had beaten his wife, which completely snapped Huo Yuandong's nerves. To have his woman taken and his wife beaten, how could he endure this? "I don't know, but I was quite looking forward to it after hearing from your wife that you were some high-ranking official. But now, looking at it..." Hao Jian paused mid-sentence, intentionally glancing at the insignia on Huo Yuandong's shoulder and shook his head mockingly, "I'm rather disappointed!" sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Huo Yuandong's pupils constricted. This guy actually dared to mock his rank? "You're blind, can't you read badges? My husband is a company commander, in charge of more than a hundred soldiers!" Wang Xinling said contemptuously. In her eyes, Hao Jian was just feigning ignorance. "Trash. You're not worth a second glance!" Hao Jian made a dismissive gesture. He really didn't take Huo Yuandong seriously. "I'm giving you a chance. Kneel down and apologize, and I'll act like nothing happened. Otherwise, you won't even know how you died," Huo Yuandong threatened with a dark expression. "Oh, Huo Yuandong, you really have a high opinion of yourself!" At that moment, Guo Shuxian, unable to watch any longer, burst out in an angry laugh as her expression soured. "Miss Guo, I'll give you a satisfactory answer for today's incident. But before that, I must take him away," Huo Yuandong said expressionlessly. Chapter 326 Cursing Involves Three Mothers "You dare?" Guo Shuxian glared angrily at Huo Yuandong. Hao Jian had hit Wang Xinling because of her, and now Huo Yuandong wanted to take Hao Jian away. How could Guo Shuxian possibly agree? Seeing Guo Shuxian defending Hao Jian like this, Huo Yuandong couldn't help but feel a surge of jealousy. He was a commander after all; how was he inferior to that nobody? Why would Guo Shuxian favor a nobody over accepting his courtship? Thinking this, Huo Yuandong's face darkened as he said, "Miss Guo, it was our fault in this matter, but I think you also don't want to blow this thing up, right? Otherwise, it could badly affect your reputation too!" "You." Guo Shuxian bit her teeth in anger, seeing that Huo Yuandong was obviously threatening her. If she didn't hand over Hao Jian, he would escalate the matter. Although it was just Wang Xinling causing trouble out of delusion without any solid evidence, it would ultimately tarnish her reputation. After all, the public's interest in gossip always outweighed their zeal for the factual truth. As an official, if her reputation were tarnished, she would struggle to make progress from then on. If people believed she seduced someone else's husband, even if it were untrue, they would likely view her differently. "Can you only stand behind a woman?" Huo Yuandong looked at Hao Jian with a disdainful gaze, his face breaking into a scornful smile. At that moment, Hao Jian walked over and wrapped his arms around Guo Shuxian's shoulders, softly saying, "Didn't I tell you? Leave the job of protecting you from the storm to us men." Immediately, Hao Jian ushered Guo Shuxian to stand behind him. Guo Shuxian was instantly stunned; she couldn't recall how many years it had been since she had felt this way. Was this man actually protecting me? Since the death of Guo Shuxian's husband, in order to bear the burden of a family, she had no choice but to be strong, taking on everything personally, and tackling each difficulty on her own. But she was ultimately a woman; although she voiced that she didn't care, deep down, she also longed for a man to provide shelter, to stand before her in times of crisis and defend her like this. But what Guo Shuxian had never imagined was that this man would be Hao Jian. For a moment, Guo Shuxian's long frozen heart seemed to be electrocuted back to life, and at this moment, her heart was filled with a strange emotion called being moved! Seeing this, Huo Yuandong felt even more humiliated and sneered, "Kid, I will make you realize there are some people in this world that you simply can't offend!" "Exactly, killing you would be as easy as killing an ant!" Wang Xinling also said with a cold laugh. "Is that so? Then try it!" Hao Jian said disdainfully. Seeing that Hao Jian's attitude was still so defiant, Huo Yuandong couldn't help but flare up, threatening, "Now, I give you two options, either come with me to the military voluntarily or wait for me to call some people to beat you up before dragging you back!" "Wang Hechen, don't tell me you don't plan to intervene in this matter?" Guo Shuxian questioned as she turned to Wang Hechen who was standing not far away. However, Wang Hechen just frowned and said emotionlessly, "He injured my daughter; he should pay the price for it!" "The problem is your daughter started the unreasonable fuss first!" "I am not looking at who is right or wrong now, only the consequences!" Wang Hechen snorted coldly. "Not caring for right or wrong, just the outcome? The old man really does carry some dominance, eh? So, you are clearly using your power to bully others?" Hao Jian couldn't help but scoff. It's said that the older people get, the more reasonable they become, but Wang Hechen clearly wasn't one of them. He has always held himself in high regard and even at his age with hair all turned white, he remained the same. In his view, a nobody like Hao Jian had no right to reason with them. "What if I am?" Wang Hechen snorted coldly. He gave Guo Shuxian some respect due to her status; if she were just a commoner, then if Wang Xinling had hit her, Wang Hechen wouldn't have even apologized; that's just the kind of person he was. Like father, like daughter; without Wang Hechen's arrogance, there wouldn't be Wang Xinling's unreasonable bullying. "Good, if you can be so shameless, then I have no psychological burden," Hao Jian said, nodding earnestly. No sooner had the words left his mouth than a commotion arose not far away as a group of college students accompanied by a group of police officers approached, and one of the students suddenly pointed at Hao Jian, "Officer, it's him who injured our classmate!" Ma Zifeng looked up at Hao Jian and was instantly stunned, soon he couldn't help but give a bitter smile. He didn't know why he and Hao Jian were always so fated to meet each other wherever they went. Ma Zifeng was just about to salute Hao Jian, but he was stopped by a look from Hao Jian. Ma Zifeng immediately understood what Hao Jian meant and said expressionlessly, "Would you come with me to the police station?" Upon hearing this, the college students all smiled triumphantly. Dare to stop them from filming? And even dare to hit their people? Now, if they didn't get Hao Jian thrown into prison, they would not give up. "Fine," Hao Jian said with a light smile. "Hold on, he is under the jurisdiction of our Military Department," Huo Yuandong then stood up, intentionally shaking his shoulders to let Ma Zifeng clearly see his badge. Ma Zifeng immediately furrowed his brows. Ordinarily, he might have given face to Huo Yuandong, but now with Hao Jian by his side, how could he possibly defer to Huo Yuandong? Ma Zifeng said calmly, "Sorry, our police department has taken over this matter. Catching criminals is our police's duty, you military people shouldn't have any right to interfere, right?" "Do you know who you are talking to?" Huo Yuandong suddenly stared at Ma Zifeng, infuriated. A mere police officer dares to defy him? Ma Zifeng glanced indifferently at Huo Yuandong's military badge and said coldly, "I see that, but you still can't take him away!" "Fuck your mother, do you believe I can make you strip off that uniform with just one word?" Huo Yuandong was clearly furious. Not only did Hao Jian ignore him, but now a petty officer dared to disrespect him? "Oh, I don't." Ma Zifeng replied disdainfully, unfazed by his threat, and turned to give Hao Jian a gesture to proceed. Seeing this, Huo Yuandong's expression turned ugly as he snapped, "What kind of cop are you, not knowing criminals should be handcuffed?" Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire "Mind your own fucking business!" Hao Jian immediately flipped Huo Yuandong the middle finger. "You." Huo Yuandong's eyes nearly burst with rage. Ma Zifeng also looked at Huo Yuandong with contempt, thinking to himself: What an idiot, he doesn't even know who he has offended. "No need to get angry with them, once we get to the police station and meet their boss, we'll take care of that cop too!" Wang Hechen said darkly. Huo Yuandong nodded in frustration, swearing that once he got to the police station, he would make sure these two paid dearly! "This kid is a disaster, not only causing trouble with us but also daring to offend a high-ranking military officer; I think he's done for!" Meanwhile, the college students all looked on with malicious glee. "Let's also go to the police station and see how that kid gets killed!" a girl said excitedly. A group of people then got into the police car together. Huo Yuandong naturally wouldn't share a car with Jiang Shan and the others; in their eyes, they were people of status and rank, how could they possibly sit with such scum. In order to get ahead and complain to Lin Nantian, Huo Yuandong deliberately floored the accelerator and shouted as soon as he entered the police station gate, "Director Lin, come out and catch up?" Upon hearing this, Lin Nantian walked out of his office, frowning at the sight of Huo Yuandong and others, as he wasn't fond of Huo Yuandong. Although acquainted, Lin Nantian had always felt Huo Yuandong was a petty man and thus had not fostered a close relationship. But he hadn't expected Huo Yuandong to seek him out. Though displeased internally, Director Lin broke out in hearty laughter on the surface, "Brother Huo, it's been a while, how is everything?" "Director Lin, I have a favor to ask of you," Huo Yuandong got straight to the point. "Oh? What is it?" asked Lin Nantian, still smiling but inwardly wondering, what could Huo Yuandong possibly want from him since they weren't close? "Today I encountered a brat who hit my wife. I originally wanted to take him back to the military for punishment, but one of your men insisted on meddling and brought him here, causing me a lot of trouble," Huo Yuandong complained. "Oh? Is that right?" Lin Nantian couldn't help but be skeptical, wondering if his subordinates would really be so foolish as to obstruct Huo Yuandong after seeing his military rank. "They're on their way here already, I think they'll arrive soon. You'd better have a good talk with your people," Huo Yuandong hinted meaningfully. "Don't worry, I'll definitely give you a satisfactory response when the time comes!" Lin Nantian also emphatically nodded, aware that Huo Yuandong had come to accuse him, and knowing Huo Yuandong was not someone to be taken lightly, he already intended to extend an olive branch. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon after, Ma Zifeng arrived at the police station with Hao Jian, Ma Zifeng walking in first. "It's him! He's the one who ruined our plans!" Upon seeing Ma Zifeng, Wang Xinling immediately pointed at him and shouted, looking particularly annoyed. Seeing this, Lin Nantian also couldn't help but frown and asked, "Ma Zifeng, what's going on here? You dare delay Commander Huo's matter, do you no longer wish to work?" Upon hearing this, Huo Yuandong and the others showed a mocking expression, eager to see Ma Zifeng stripped of his uniform. Ma Zifeng stayed silent, simply whispering a few words into Lin Nantian's ear, after which Lin Nantian's expression instantly changed, looking anxiously at Ma Zifeng, "Are you serious?" Seeing Lin Nantian's expression, Huo Yuandong and the others were somewhat puzzled. "He's right outside," Ma Zifeng said with a wry smile. "Damn it!" Lin Nantian cursed under his breath, glaring fiercely at Huo Yuandong. "Director Lin, what's wrong with you?" Seeing Lin Nantian glaring at him, Huo Yuandong was stunned. "What's wrong? I fuck your mothers!" Lin Nantian cursed outright, infuriated that they still expected his help after offending Hao Jian. Damn his luck, wasn't this intentionally bringing trouble? Of course, Lin Nantian was angry! Huo Yuandong and the others were instantly shocked, completely baffled as to why Lin Nantian would suddenly change his tune and start cursing. Hadn't he just been all smiles a moment ago? "Director Lin, why are you cursing?" Wang Hechen also grew angry, saying. Huo Yuandong's mother was one thing, but when Lin Nantian cursed, he included all three of their mothers, which meant his own wife was insulted too! Chapter 327 Kick Out! "Swear at me? I feel like hitting someone right now!" Lin Nantian roared angrily. Just at that moment, Hao Jian had entered, still looking as carefree as if he were strolling in his own garden, and he beckoned to Lin Nantian, "Yo, Director Lin, we meet again!" Upon hearing this, Huo Yuandong and the others were immediately startled. This kid also knew Director Lin. Lin Nantian hurriedly approached with a fawning smile, bowing and scraping like a servant, and he grabbed Hao Jian's hand, "Mr. Hao Jian, I'm really sorry to have caused you discomfort again." Seeing Lin Nantian's servile behavior, Huo Yuandong and his companions were dumbstruck. Lin Nantian was actually so polite to this kid? Who on earth was he? It wasn't just Huo Yuandong and his group who were taken aback, even the college students were like eggplants beaten by frost, all with a bad feeling brewing inside. They had thought the police would deal with Hao Jian seriously, but if even the police chief had to be so polite to him, how could they possibly handle him? "Hey, don't say that, it's not your fault, and besides, I came to the police station on my own accord. I want to settle everything here. Come to think of it, I still need to thank your men for bringing me back here," Hao Jian said with a polite smile. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Upon hearing this, both Ma Zifeng and Lin Nantian were overjoyed, and Lin Nantian quickly waved his hands, "Mr. Hao Jian, what are you talking about? This is what we should do. It is our honor to be able to help you." At this point, Huo Yuandong and Wang Hechen were so astonished they couldn't utter a word. Now they finally understood why Ma Zifeng hadn't handcuffed Hao Jian, and why Ma Zifeng had dared to disrespect them. It must be because Ma Zifeng knew that this young man was much more important than they were, which is why he chose to side with Hao Jian. "What background does this kid have?" Huo Yuandong asked with an ugly expression, turning to Wang Xinling, wanting to know who Hao Jian really was, if they could afford to offend him, and if there was still room to maneuver in this situation. "Isn't he just a rogue?" Wang Xinling said nonchalantly, as foolish as she was, she had yet to grasp the seriousness of the matter, and even brazenly scolded Lin Nantian, "Director Lin, you curse at us, and yet you're so polite to some worthless punk, are you out of your mind?" Wang Xinling had been arrogant all her life, so seeing Lin Nantian act this way naturally filled her with dissatisfaction, and she couldn't help but scold him on the spot. Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire This was probably because, in Wang Xinling's view, only she was allowed to be arrogant towards others and not the other way around since she had a father who was an official and a husband who was an official! Huo Yuandong and Wang Hechen wanted to stop her, but it was too late; Wang Xinling's arrogant words were already out. Upon hearing this, Lin Nantian slowly turned his head back, his face wearing a cold smile as he looked at Wang Xinling, "Worthless punk? He could make your family die without a burial place with just one sentence!" Upon hearing this, Huo Yuandong and Wang Hechen were immediately startled. Was Lin Nantian joking? "He could make our whole family die just with one sentence? Who does he think he is?" Wang Xinling still didn't believe it. In Hua City, the people who could mess with their family were few, and she knew all of them and would naturally not be foolish enough to provoke them. But what was Hao Jian? "Director Lin, who is he, exactly?" Huo Yuandong asked with some trepidation, realizing by now that Hao Jian was not someone they could afford to provoke. "Him? Isn't he the one who beat up both Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen not too long ago?" Lin Nantian said with a cold, mocking laugh. "What?" Huo Yuandong and Wang Hechen, and the others, all took a sharp intake of breath. There was no need to say who Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun were¡ªwith just one sentence, they could indeed have their entire family wiped out. And Hao Jian had beaten up both of them? Among them, Huo Yuandong and Wang Hechen were the most shocked because as one a retired military officer and the other a current high-ranking official, they were very familiar with military affairs and had heard about the recent incidents. They knew that both Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun had been beaten by a young man, but they had never imagined that the young man was right in front of them! At this moment, Huo Yuandong and Wang Hechen felt a chill run from the soles of their feet to the crown of their heads. If he had dared to beat up Kong Xiaozhen and company, how could he possibly take them seriously? And since Kong Xiaozhen and company hadn't sought revenge after being beaten, it must be because they feared him. How could they possibly provoke such an existence? While Huo Yuandong and Wang Hechen felt uneasy, they also harbored some resentment towards Wang Xinling. If it wasn't for Wang Xinling stirring up trouble with him, they wouldn't have ended up in such an awkward situation. Initially, Huo Yuandong had been dissatisfied with Guo Shuxian's decision, but now he could understand; he wasn't even qualified to carry the man's shoes, so why would Guo Shuxian be interested in him? Looking at Huo Yuandong and the others, pale-faced, Lin Nantian taunted, "It seems the Wang Family has become accustomed to arrogance, daring to stir trouble over someone of Tai Sui's(the God of the Year in Chinese culture, an element of earth associated with age and often used metaphorically to describe someone who is very influential and should not be offended) position without even knowing their identity. Do you really think no one can deal with you?" Huo Yuandong and the others were all red-faced with embarrassment, now fully aware they had encountered someone they couldn't afford to provoke. "Sir, I..." Huo Yuandong came up sheepishly, ready to apologize to Hao Jian. But Hao Jian just waved his hand expressionlessly and said, "Don't talk, waiting for someone." Waiting for someone? Everyone was puzzled. Who could they be waiting for at this time? But at this moment, not a soul dared to question Hao Jian, leaving Huo Yuandong no choice but to sigh and retreat, not daring to speak any further. About fifteen minutes later, Yu Ou appeared inside the police station. On the way to the station, Hao Jian had already planned to thoroughly deal with Huo Yuandong and the others. Thus, he had already made a call to Yu Ou in the car, asking him to hurry over. Yu Ou's arrival made Huo Yuandong and the other two break out in a cold sweat, as their gut instinct told them that the person Hao Jian was waiting for was him. They were well aware of Yu Ou's identity because, whether it was Wang Hechen or Huo Yuandong, both worked under the Yu Family. "Boss!" Yu Ou greeted Hao Jian directly. Boss? Hearing these words, the faces of Huo Yuandong and his companions went ashen, internally exclaiming disaster! Even Yu Ou had to obey him, so it went without saying for them. "You're here?" "Mhm," Yu Ou nodded, then expressed his displeasure, scolding, "Who is the blind fool who dared to upset my boss?" "Young Master Yu, I didn't know he was your boss. If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have caused such a mess!" Huo Yuandong took the initiative to admit his mistake, knowing that there was no avoiding this situation. "Don't you know to check? Causing trouble for my boss is justified?" Yu Ou pressed them aggressively. "No, of course not, a thousand, ten thousand mistakes are mine. Whatever punishment you see fit, sir, I will accept," Huo Yuandong said, on the verge of tears, aware that he couldn't escape punishment and resigned himself to it. Wang Xinling and Wang Hechen by his side also appeared nervous and unsettled, waiting for Hao Jian's decision. "Boss, how would you like me to handle this?" Yu Ou asked Hao Jian. At that moment, everyone's eyes turned to Hao Jian, awaiting his judgment. Hao Jian smirked slightly, astonishing everyone with his words, "Then let's expel him from the Party and kick him out of the military!" "What?" Upon hearing this, Huo Yuandong's face instantly turned pale. Wasn't this punishment a bit too severe? He had spent so long climbing to his current position, and yet Hao Jian was just going to kick him out like that? "Fine, I'll take care of it later!" But to this, Yu Ou appeared indifferent. He always followed Hao Jian's commands and would naturally not refuse his request. "Young Master Yu, please give me another chance. I really won't dare again!" Huo Yuandong fell to his knees, begging Yu Ou without any pride. He truly couldn't afford to lose his position; he was still so young and had limitless prospects ahead. But if he was kicked out now, then he would really have nothing left. Yet, Yu Ou just looked at him with a cold sneer, "Blame yourself for provoking someone you shouldn't have!" That single statement made it clear there was no room for negotiation, plunging Huo Yuandong into utter despair. "Young Master Yu, give him another chance, please. We really didn't do it on purpose. We didn't know about Sir's relationship with you if we had known¡ªeven with the daring of lions and leopards¡ªwe wouldn't have dared to act this way," Wang Hechen also spoke up in persuasion. Huo Yuandong was brought up by him, and naturally, he did not want to see Huo Yuandong fall like this. "So you mean, because you didn't know, you were entitled to be arrogant and because I seemed easy to bully, you thought you could act recklessly?" Hao Jian looked at Wang Hechen with a sneer. What he hated most was people like Wang Hechen, bullies who were cowards at heart. If Wang Hechen had encountered someone else today instead of him, they probably would have been toyed with to death, which is why Hao Jian had not a shred of sympathy for Wang Hechen and his ilk. "That's not what I meant," Wang Hechen quickly defended, his expression awkward. "No need to say more, wasn't it you who said it? Those with power can bully others, so now we're bullying you, how about that?" Hao Jian's bandit-like demeanor became unmistakably evident, his gaze playing over Wang Hechen. Wang Hechen's face stiffened, and he was suddenly at a loss for words. They had been unreasonably arrogant and haughty, but now it was Hao Jian's turn. This was retribution! "Fuck you, it's all your fault!" Huo Yuandong stood up in a rage, turned back, and slapped Wang Xinling across the face. Wang Xinling was stunned by the slap, holding her cheek and staring blankly at Huo Yuandong, not daring to utter a word. It was the first time Huo Yuandong hit her since their marriage. If it had been before, Wang Xinling would have exploded in rage, but now she didn't dare to, knowing that Huo Yuandong was truly infuriated. Looking into those fearful eyes, full of bloodshot veins, Wang Xinling felt that at this moment, Huo Yuandong probably wished he could kill her. "Huo Yuandong, have you gone mad?" Seeing Huo Yuandong hit his daughter, Wang Hechen also hurriedly scolded. Chapter 328 The Bigger the Responsibility, the Less Responsible They Are! "Yes, I am crazy, but it's you who drove me mad!" Huo Yuandong gritted his teeth and said, pointing viciously at Wang Xinling and Wang Hechen, "The Wang Family has ruined me!" If it weren't for Wang Xinling offending Hao Jian, would he have had to be at odds with Hao Jian? Now that the situation has escalated, he has lost everything! All this time, Huo Yuandong had been completely obedient to Wang Xinling because he needed Wang Hechen's help, but now that he had nothing left, there was no need to continue enduring indignities. The frustrations in his heart instantly erupted. "Wang Xinling, I want to divorce you!" Huo Yuandong bellowed like thunder. Wang Xinling was shocked, finally realizing the severity of the situation, and panicked, she grabbed Huo Yuandong's hand, "Husband, don't divorce me, I know I was wrong, I won't dare to do it again!" "In the future? Is there a future?" Huo Yuandong glared at Wang Xinling with a ferocious face. Now that he had been ruined, what was there to talk about the future? Wang Xinling was startled for a moment, becoming distraught, and then suddenly looked at Hao Jian before she knelt down with a thud, "Mr. Hao Jian, I know you're an important person. Please don't be concerned with small folks like us, we really realize our mistake. We will do anything you say, just please don't discharge my husband from military service, I beg you!" Hao Jian looked at Wang Xinling with a smile and uttered a single word from his mouth, "Scram!" Wang Xinling's expression turned numb, realizing Hao Jian would not pay her any attention. Then she turned and crawled on her knees towards Guo Shuxian, kowtowing fervently, "Miss Guo, it's all my fault, a thousand faults, ten thousand faults. I shouldn't have unwarrantedly troubled you, direct any anger at me instead. You can hit me or scold me, and I won't fight back, just please plead with your boyfriend on my behalf!" At this moment, Wang Xinling was no longer the arrogant and shrewish figure she had been, but a pitiful woman grovelling for love. Wang Xinling finally realized the consequences her bullishness and insolence could bring upon herself. Seeing Wang Xinling like this, Guo Shuxian felt some pity and said to Hao Jian, "Hao Jian, perhaps we should just let this go!" Upon hearing this, Wang Xinling and Huo Yuandong both looked at Hao Jian with hope. But Hao Jian's attitude was still unyielding, "No! If the cost of making a mistake is too low, then the world would descend into complete chaos, wouldn't it? Arrogance comes with a price. If you want to blame someone, blame her for taking herself too seriously and not taking others seriously enough!" Thinking of Wang Xinling's current state, and comparing it with her previous spiteful and cutting behavior, Hao Jian didn't find her pitiful at all, because those who are pitiable usually have their hateful sides! And Wang Xinling's hateful side lay in her complete self-righteousness! Just because her father held office, she thought she could bully others? Then Hao Jian could also play people like Wang Xinling at the snap of his fingers thanks to his status! Hearing this, Guo Shuxian merely sighed and said no more. Wang Xinling's face turned pale, while Huo Yuandong mockingly smiled at himself. "Leave Hua City within three days, otherwise, I'll make your life worse than death!" Hao Jian said to Huo Yuandong with an icy expression. Certainly, Wang Xinling was detestable, but the most detestable was Huo Yuandong; it all started because of him. If it weren't for Huo Yuandong's philandering despite having a family, Wang Xinling wouldn't have troubled Guo Shuxian, and the subsequent events wouldn't have unfolded. After his appearance, Huo Yuandong, despite knowing he was to blame, showed not a trace of remorse, but rather was bombastic and arrogant. From that moment, Hao Jian had decided to punish him severely. Hearing this, Huo Yuandong's expression stiffened as he nodded, not daring to retort. "Director Lin, I have other matters, so I'll take my leave now. I'll come to have tea with you after some time," Hao Jian said to Lin Nantian. "Of course, of course, I'll see you out!" Lin Nantian responded with a warm smile, eagerly escorting Hao Jian out. Only five minutes after Hao Jian left did Huo Yuandong, with a pale face of rage, also leave. "Husband." Wang Xinling cried with tears streaming down her face, reaching out to grab Huo Yuandong's leg. "Scram!" Huo Yuandong kicked Wang Xinling away without a hint of courtesy and swiftly walked away. Wang Xinling collapsed on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, but none of the onlooking police officers felt sympathy for her, in their eyes, Wang Xinling had brought this on herself. Not long after, Lin Nantian returned, and upon seeing Wang Xinling wailing on the ground, he couldn't help but let a cold smile cross his lips. "Director Lin, who exactly is that young man?" Wang Hechen asked with an ashen face, already aware of the fate that awaited the Wang Family but before that, he just wanted to know which high-ranking person had ruined them. "I don't know, but someone once told me that this person is a 'national treasure!'" Lin Nantian stated expressionlessly. Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire "A national treasure?" Wang Hechen pondered with his head bowed, his face a mix of anxiety and unease. The weight of those four words was suffocating. "Elder Wang, your Wang Family has been ruined by a woman this time. From now on, don't even think about placing your people in the military, and your family will no longer have the qualifications to enter our circle," Lin Nantian shook his head and sighed, feeling pity for Wang Hechen. "The fault of the son is the fault of the father. I have nothing to say!" Wang Hechen chuckled at himself. It was his failure to properly discipline his daughter that had led to the current situation. Wang Hechen deeply regretted that he had had the chance to stop all of this from happening, but he chose to continue indulging Wang Xinling, which led to events unfolding to this stage. Now a household had fallen apart! "Boss, I heard a few days ago that you beat up Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen?" After leaving the police station, Hao Jian and Yu Ou found a caf¨¦ to chat, and naturally, the conversation turned to the recent events. Hao Jian frowned and asked, "Has this news already spread?" "Of course, it's common knowledge now. After all, Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun are among the four young masters of Hua City. They have always been the ones to bully others, no one has ever dared to bully them before. You beat them up, and the news spread like wildfire," Yu Ou explained. "That's really troublesome," Hao Jian tapped his forehead, sounding a bit distressed. He had hoped to return to society and live a peaceful life, but now it seemed that tranquility was becoming ever more elusive. "Don't worry, those people only know that it was a young man who beat them up, but they don't know it was you. After all, you don't have any influence or power in Hua City, and not many people know you," Yu Ou clarified. "That's a relief," Hao Jian nodded, then, seeing Yu Ou in military uniform, couldn't help but curiously ask, "What, you've rejoined?" "Yeah, the old man said the family needs a pillar, so he let me return to the troop," Yu Ou said, wiping the insignia on his shoulder. However, he saw Hao Jian snort, "Cut the crap, even if the Yu Family needs a pillar, there's your dad and your uncle. When did it become your turn?" Hao Jian knew immediately that Yu Ou was bluffing; he was still so green, just a raw recruit. To rely on him to support the Wang Family's foundation at this time would be a joke. "Alright, nothing gets past you. The truth is, the old man knows you're gaining more enemies, so he hopes I can toughen up in the military and hopefully be there to assist you one day," Yu Ou said with a wry smile, admitting the truth. Hearing this, Hao Jian's heart warmed, but he still shook his head, "Go back and tell the old man not to worry about it. I want to live like an ordinary citizen, not disputing with those people or caring about power and status. There's no question of helping or not." "That's not for certain. The old man said you have the talent of an emperor, with greater ability comes greater responsibility. Even if you don't fight or compete for it, people will still come looking for trouble. He hopes I can always follow you, and once you grow stronger, our Yu Family can also rise. In modern terms, it means following the boss ensures a bite of the pie!" Yu Ou joked. "Wrong, I believe the greater the ability, the less responsibility," Hao Jian stood up and then said to Guo Shuxian, who was still drinking milk tea, "Come on, I'll take you home." He didn't want to continue this topic with Yu Ou, and he also needed to go treat Jiang Qihui. "Ah? But I haven't finished my milk tea yet?" Guo Shuxian was a little reluctant to leave, cherishing the rare afternoon tea time, and moreover, the weather was so nice. The warm sun of the afternoon made her feel so comfortable that she almost fell asleep and did not want to leave. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian rolled his eyes, "If you don't leave, then should I go by myself?" Why hadn't he noticed that this old woman was such a foodie before? Chapter 329 The Cheating Couple "Okay," Guo Shuxian said wistfully as she put down her cup and then stood up to bid farewell to Yu Ou, "Bye-bye!" "Sister-in-law, bye-bye!" Yu Ou also waved his hand. "Sister-in-law? I'm not," Guo Shuxian hurriedly waved her hand, her expression somewhat panicked. Yu Ou's misunderstanding truly made her blush. "Not now, but who says not in the future?" Yu Ou laughed heartily. At his words, Guo Shuxian's face turned even redder, and for a moment her mind went blank, not knowing what to say. Just then, Hao Jian grabbed a doughnut and forcefully stuffed it into Yu Ou's mouth, "Here! Eat this! Shut your mouth that can't spit out ivory!" "Wuu wuu wuu. Save me. Save me." Yu Ou wailed. "Serves you right for running your mouth!" Guo Shuxian said with a smirk. Afterward, Hao Jian drove Guo Shuxian home, but as soon as he had dropped her off, he prepared to leave. "Won't you come in for a bit?" asked Guo Shuxian. "No, I still have things to do." Hao Jian was in a hurry to treat Jiang Qihui, so he did not want to delay there. "Okay, maybe next time then," said Guo Shuxian, somewhat disappointed. "Sure." Hao Jian nodded with a smile, but just then, the door to Guo Shuxian's house burst open, and Che Xiaoxiao came out with a disgruntled face, arms crossed, and bluntly accused, "Adulterers!" "Che Xiaoxiao! You've gotten bold, daring to talk to your mother like that!" Guo Shuxian immediately flared up, glaring at Che Xiaoxiao. "Mom? What kind of mother fights with her own daughter over a man?" Che Xiaoxiao scoffed coldly. "Your man?" Guo Shuxian stared in disbelief and then looked accusingly at Hao Jian. Seeing this, Hao Jian also panicked, "Che Xiaoxiao, what nonsense are you spouting? Who is your man? I'm your teacher!" "Oh, calling someone 'Little Sweetie' when it suited you, and now it's 'Che Xiaoxiao'!" Che Xiaoxiao said resentfully. "Romancing under the moon? Little Sweetie?" Both Hao Jian and Guo Shuxian were astonished. Suddenly, Guo Shuxian glared furiously straight at Hao Jian, "Mr. Hao! Didn't you promise me you wouldn't make a move on my daughter? You're a liar!" "Don't listen to her nonsense; I didn't do anything!" Hao Jian wailed, as Che Xiaoxiao was clearly trying to frame him. "I'm pregnant, three months along, and it's yours," Che Xiaoxiao said emotionlessly. "Mr. Hao! I'm going to kill you!" Guo Shuxian lunged at him, claws out. Not only had Hao Jian tampered with her daughter, but he had also gotten her pregnant? This was absolutely intolerable! Thinking of his personal safety, Hao Jian quickly locked the car door and pleaded pitifully, "Don't listen to her, I'm not interested in this bean sprout at all! If you don't believe me, take her to the hospital to get a pregnancy test right now!" "Who's a bean sprout, I'm just developing!" Che Xiaoxiao trembled with rage, this bastard dared to look down on her? Hearing Hao Jian say this, Guo Shuxian also calmed down a bit and scolded Che Xiaoxiao, "Get back inside now!" "Stealing someone's man and still so arrogant, there's no justice in this world," Che Xiaoxiao said rolling her eyes, then walked away. "You." Guo Shuxian was extremely frustrated. Would this wretched girl stop only when she had driven her to her grave? Guo Shuxian also walked into the house and turned around to fiercely threaten Hao Jian, "Stay away from my daughter!" "I just saved you!" Hao Jian expressed his dissatisfaction from within. "Bang!" Guo Shuxian responded with a slamming door. "Damn it!" Hao Jian cursed and then drove away. When Hao Jian arrived at Jiang Yutong's home, he saw from afar Jiang Yutong and her daughter chatting with a middle-aged woman who, for some reason, kept crying. "Mr. Hao Jian, you've arrived?" Jiang Yutong noticed Hao Jian approaching with bags of various sizes and immediately went up to greet him. "You're here, but why bring so much stuff?" Wang Wanjun also complained a bit. Because she saw Hao Jian had bought a lot of food, drinks, and supplements. "It was just on the way." Hao Jian smiled, as this amount of money wasn't much for him. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The middle-aged woman, seeing there was a guest, quickly wiped her tears, "Since you have a guest, I won't disturb you. I'll come over some other time when I'm free." "Don't be too sad, we'll find a way." Wang Wanjun consoled her. "Sigh." But the woman just shook her head and sighed, saying nothing as she walked away. "What's wrong with her?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. "She is my aunt, there's been some trouble at home. Her son, my cousin, is young but he's been mixing with bad company and doesn't come home. My aunt said he hasn't been home in half a month and she is searching everywhere for him, not knowing whether he's alive or dead." Jiang Yutong sighed, clearly also having complaints about that cousin. "Leave this to me, finding people is my forte." Hao Jian said, knowing that all it would take was a word with Spice Ginger to find the boy. "Really? But you've already done so much for us." Jiang Yutong said, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "It's nothing troublesome, just a phone call away." But Hao Jian appeared indifferent, taking out his mobile phone to call Spice Ginger, "Spice Ginger, help me find someone, here in Hua City, what's his name again?" "Wang Mingzhe! He's twenty this year, a local, living on Changlong Street in East City District." Jiang Yutong rattled off a string of critical information. "Oh, Wang Mingzhe! A twenty-year-old local, living on Changlong Street in East City District. Use this as a clue and find out whom he's been hanging out with recently." Hao Jian instructed. "Alright, leave it to me!" Spice Ginger promptly agreed. Hao Jian ended the call, grinning at Jiang Yutong, "There, it's taken care of, we'll have news soon." "Mr. Hao Jian." Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire Jiang Yutong was about to speak, but saw Hao Jian gesture with his hand, "If you're thinking of thanking me, there's no need, because my ears are calloused from it." "Okay then." Jiang Yutong smiled helplessly, knowing Hao Jian least appreciated formalities, so she didn't dare continue. "I'm going to treat your father." Hao Jian said and went into Jiang Qihui's room; after about half an hour, he came back out. "Teacher, how is my dad doing?" Jiang Yutong quickly approached him. "A few more acupuncture sessions should fully recover him," Hao Jian said, smiling. PS: The previous 323 posts were blocked, but Shuaishuai has already notified the editors, and we believe it will be resolved soon. Thank you all for your ongoing support! Chapter 330 This Mature Woman is Not the Gentle Lady "That's really great!" Jiang Yutong and her son both looked ecstatic, their faces filled with a hint of awe as they watched Hao Jian. Ever since Hao Jian had appeared, their family had been like it shrugged off a curse, with good fortune following one after another. Even the persistent ailment that troubled Jiang Qihui started to show signs of improvement under Hao Jian's miraculous healing. At that moment, the Jiang family's admiration for Hao Jian had become more than just respect. Hao Jian said, "On my way here, I forgot to buy a pouch of herbs. I need to make a trip to the pharmacy now." "There's no need, Teacher. Let me go for you. Just tell me what you need," Jiang Yutong proposed, not willing to let Hao Jian personally take care of such errands. "Alright then, I just need a pouch of Piercing Heart Lotus. Check the nearby pharmacy; they should have it," Hao Jian replied. "Ok, I'll go right now." Jiang Yutong nodded and headed out the door. Meanwhile, Wang Wanjun watched Hao Jian with a rather mischievous look. Hao Jian was momentarily taken aback, "Granny, why are you looking at me like that?" sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Wang Wanjun twiddled her thumbs, "Well, Teacher Hao Jian, do you have a girlfriend?" "No, what's up?" Hao Jian couldn't help but laugh and cry; Wang Wanjun was obviously trying to play matchmaker. "No? That's great," Wang Wanjun's eyes lit up with joy, and then she said, "What do you think about our Yutong?" Hao Jian was flabbergasted, "Come on, Granny. Yutong is my student. If something happened between us, wouldn't that be improper? A teacher-student relationship is not acceptable!" "Yutong will graduate in a few years, and then she won't be your student anymore, right? And you're not much older than her; it's a perfect match!" Wang Wanjun continued to approve more and more of Hao Jian, thinking such a young man should become her son-in-law. "I think it's better not to," Hao Jian said with a wry smile. "What's the matter? Isn't our Yutong good enough?" Wang Wanjun pressed Hao Jian. "It's not that, it's my own reason. I can't accept girls younger than me. I... I like mature women," Hao Jian embarrassedly admitted while scratching his head. "A lady? Our Yutong is a lady!" Wang Wanjun was momentarily lost in thought. "Not the lady you're thinking of, but more mature women," Hao Jian explained with a bitter smile. "This... sigh." Wang Wanjun's expression turned to one of disappointment. She really liked Hao Jian and had her heart set on matchmaking him with Jiang Yutong, but it seemed Hao Jian had no interest in Jiang Yutong whatsoever. It seemed that because of the way Jiang Yutong had previously treated Teacher Hao Jian, he dared not harbor any inappropriate thoughts toward her. What a foolish girl. Afterwards, Hao Jian started to prepare the medicine, but after waiting a full half hour, Jiang Yutong still hadn't returned. Hao Jian became puzzled, "Granny, is the pharmacy far from here?" "Not at all, it's just at the street corner. I don't know what's taking that girl so long to come back." Not just Hao Jian, but even Wang Wanjun was confused. Normally a walk that took only a few minutes seemed to be taking half an hour now. "I think I'd better go look for her," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Then I'll have to trouble you, I'm really sorry, Teacher Hao Jian. If it weren't for cooking, I would have gone to find her myself," Wang Wanjun said with some apologies. "No need to be polite over such a small matter," Hao Jian waved his hand and then stepped out of the house. Afterward, Hao Jian found Jiang Yutong at the pharmacy where Wang Wanjun was, but saw Jiang Yutong confronting a young man. The young man was wearing an expensive Armani suit, obviously a wealthy person, and if Hao Jian wasn't mistaken, the Ferrari supercar parked outside must also be his. "Boss, you clearly agreed to sell me the medicine, now how can you go back on your word?" Jiang Yutong said angrily to the pharmacist. "Indeed, that's true, but this gentleman has offered more money. As a businessman, naturally, I must sell to whoever pays more," the pharmacist said with a bit of embarrassment. "Even in business, there must be integrity. You previously agreed to sell the medicine to me, then all of a sudden you change your mind¡ªthat's dishonest!" Jiang Yutong said in annoyance, obviously angered by the pharmacist's words. "Young lady, people die for wealth and birds die for food; that's just the way of the world. Besides, I'm offering him ten thousand yuan for some Piercing Heart Lotus. As long as he's not out of his mind, he wouldn't refuse my offer, so you can't blame him," the man in the suit laughed. "Why do you have to compete with me?" Jiang Yutong also looked angrily at the man in the suit. If it weren't for him, she would have already bought the herbs and left. "Who asked you to be so beautiful?" the man in the suit chuckled insidiously. He hadn't expected that buying some herbs would lead to encountering a beauty like Jiang Yutong. His heart was immediately stirred, so on a whim, he started to make trouble for Jiang Yutong. "I told you already, just give me your phone number, and all the herbs are yours!" the man in the suit said with a sleazy smile. "In your dreams!" Jiang Yutong rebuked furiously, how could she possibly give her phone number to such a shameless wretch. "If you won't give it, then you won't be able to buy these herbs. It seems like you're quite anxious to purchase them, aren't you?" the man in the suit said with malicious intent. "So what if I'm anxious? If it comes to it, I'll just go elsewhere!" Jiang Yutong snorted, then turned and tried to leave. "It's no use, I'll follow you to other pharmacies and similarly offer them a high price they can't refuse for the Piercing Heart Lotus. In the end, you still won't be able to buy anything," the man in the suit shouted behind Jiang Yutong, looking smug. "After all, if there's one thing I have plenty of, it's money!" "You." Jiang Yutong turned back to glare at the man in the suit, trembling with anger. "Miss, I think you should just give your phone number to this gentleman. After all, you won't be losing out," the pharmacist suggested, unable to understand why Jiang Yutong wasn't interested in such a wealthy man. Was there something wrong with her mind? "I don't want to talk to someone as dishonest as you!" Jiang Yutong scolded furiously. The pharmacist's face suddenly turned to one of embarrassment and he immediately fell silent. Seeing this, the man in the suit couldn't help but laugh, thinking to himself that Jiang Yutong really had character. "Young lady, are you really not going to reconsider? If you don't agree to my request, you won't be able to buy the Piercing Heart Lotus," the man in the suit said tantalizingly. Jiang Yutong was grinding her teeth in hatred but was utterly helpless; she certainly didn't have as much money as the man in the suit, who could casually throw out ten thousand yuan. Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire And just then, Jiang Yutong saw Hao Jian walking over. Instantly, she felt as if she had found her pillar of strength and said with a relaxed brow, "You just keep being arrogant, because you're already headed for a big disaster." Chapter 331 Greedy Pharmacy Owner Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire The man in the suit suddenly froze, completely at a loss. He couldn't understand how Jiang Yutong, who just moments ago was seething with anger, seemed like a completely different person in the blink of an eye. "My boyfriend is already here, and he's no pushover; you're going to regret it in a moment!" "Why haven't you bought the medicine yet?" Hao Jian approached and asked Jiang Yutong. "He's deliberately making things difficult for me!" Jiang Yutong pointed suddenly at the man in the suit and then recounted to Hao Jian what had happened. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian couldn't help frowning and turned to look at the man in the suit. The man in the suit, refusing to show weakness, crossed his arms and stared arrogantly at Hao Jian, as if to say, "What can you possibly do to me?" Assuming Hao Jian was Jiang Yutong's boyfriend, the man in the suit wasn't fazed at all¡ªhe had snatched girlfriends in front of their boyfriends before. The women he encountered would shamelessly abandon their boyfriends as soon as they saw his car and clothes. Although Jiang Yutong was a bit more difficult to deal with than those women, the man in the suit believed that if he splurged on her a bit more, Jiang Yutong would eventually give in. Moreover, after seeing Hao Jian's raggedy attire, the man in the suit's disdain was even more pronounced, and he felt more confident. With such a loser, how could he compete with him for a woman? Wasn't it laughable for Jiang Yutong to think this man could take him on? "Buddy, your pickup strategy is a bit outdated, don't you think?" Hao Jian said to the man in the suit with a smile. "Mind your damn business! Who do you think you are?" the man in the suit said arrogantly. "I didn't want to meddle, but you harassed my student, so that's a different story," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Your student?" The man in the suit frowned and then seemed to realize something. Meanwhile, Jiang Yutong stamped her feet in frustration. Why did he have to admit it so quickly? Wasn't this giving it away? The man in the suit let out a cold laugh, "Naughty girl, lying to me, huh? He's not your boyfriend, he's your teacher. Picking any teacher to pretend to be your boyfriend to fool me? You really don't take me seriously, huh?" Jiang Yutong's expression soured, and she felt a little embarrassed. "So what if he's a teacher? Can't a teacher deal with you?" Hao Jian scoffed. "Deal with me? You sure talk big!" The man in the suit laughed angrily, then glared and said, "Do you have any idea who I am? I'm the 'Little Prince' of the Street Racing Clan!" "Wow, never heard of it!" Hao Jian exclaimed, then said expressionlessly. "You." The man in the suit was infuriated by Hao Jian's unperturbed attitude. "Alright, 'Little Prince,' move aside." Hao Jian unceremoniously pushed past the man in the suit, grabbed the package of medicine from the counter, and headed straight for the door. "Hey! You can't take the medicine," the pharmacy's owner hastily said. He had planned to sell the medicine to the man in the suit, who had offered a high price for it. Seeing this, the man in the suit couldn't help sneering, "If you can't offer a higher price than me, then beat it early and stop making a fool of yourself here!" Hao Jian looked at the pharmacy's owner with an amused expression, "You agreed to sell us the medicine, now do you intend to go back on your word?" "You all, let the highest bidder get it!" the pharmacy owner said greedily. He could tell that Hao Jian and the man in the suit were at odds, and like the proverbial fisherman who benefits when the snipe and the clam grapple, he figured if he could inflate the price of these medicinal materials even higher, he would definitely be the one to profit! He thought Hao Jian would raise his offer, but he was wrong. Hao Jian just smiled coldly, shook his head, and said, "I'm sorry, but I won't raise the price!" "Then I won't sell it to you!" The pharmacy owner huffed coldly, feeling somewhat scornful inside. Not enough money to pay and still want to buy his drugs? Wishful thinking! "But you just agreed!" Jiang Yutong said, annoyed. "I've changed my mind, is that a problem?" the pharmacy owner said arrogantly, acting as if it were his right. At this moment, he wasn't the slightest bit embarrassed. What did shame matter for ten thousand yuan? Hearing this, the man in the suit looked at Jiang Yutong somewhat smugly, "Beauty, don't say he's not your boyfriend. Even if he were, could you be happy with such a penniless loser?" "Are you really pushing me to have someone smash up your shop?" Hao Jian asked the pharmacist seriously, his face darkening with anger. The man in the suit's eyebrows raised in surprise; no wonder this kid was so brazen¡ªhe had backup! When the pharmacy owner heard this, he was shocked and grew anxious. If what Hao Jian said was true, then he was definitely someone he couldn't afford to offend. "Who the hell do you think you're scaring? Call someone? Go on, try it!" the man in the suit said arrogantly. He then slapped the pharmacy owner's shoulder, "Don't be scared, owner. I've got your back. I'll call Tom over right now. I want to see just how tough this kid is!" Hearing the man in the suit speak like that, the pharmacy owner immediately felt reassured, as if he had taken a sedative. He gathered the courage to yell at Hao Jian, "I'm not selling the medicine to you, get out!" Hao Jian didn't speak, but silently took out his phone to make a call. At this moment, the pharmacy owner looked at the man in the suit with apprehension, while the man in the suit just sneered and took out his phone to call someone, "Hey, Old Black, I've got a little trouble here. Some deadbeat is making trouble for me. The address is here." "Buzz buzz buzz." Soon, over a dozen sports cars pulled up in front of the pharmacy, and a crowd of stylishly dressed young men and women got out. The ordinary citizens living in this working-class district were stunned. Most had only seen such luxury cars on TV. This was their first time seeing them up close in real life. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In no time, nearly thirty people crowded into the pharmacy, blocking it off completely. Seeing this, the pharmacy owner finally felt at ease. He could tell that these people were wealthy young masters, likely with powerful families behind them, and most importantly, they were friends of the man in the suit. This meant he didn't need to worry about Hao Jian's threats any longer. Watching all these rich young masters arrive, Jiang Yutong too became somewhat timid, gripping one of Hao Jian's arms. Hao Jian patted Jiang Yutong's arm gently, giving her a reassuring smile, signaling not to worry. "Old Song, what's got you so winded?" a young master asked the man in the suit with a playful grin. "I'm here trying to pick up chicks, and this punk dares to meddle. Help me take this trash out!" the man in the suit said with a sinister chuckle. Hearing this, the friends of the man in the suit all sent malicious glances toward Hao Jian. "Kid, daring to oppose our Street Racing Clan, you must be tired of living, huh?" said a man with pierced ears and an explosive hairstyle, looking like a punk. Chapter 332 The Boss ``` "Hey, this little girl is really quite pretty, Old Song has got good taste!" Many people noticed Jiang Yutong and cast lewd glances at her. Feeling harassed by their stares, Jiang Yutong also began to get annoyed. "She's mine, none of you try to take her from me!" the man in the suit said proudly. "Kid, kneel down and kowtow to each of us brothers, and we'll let this go. Otherwise, I'll break your legs and let you know the consequences of meddling in other people's business!" the person with the fierce broom-style haircut threatened. Upon hearing this, the men and women around all looked at Hao Jian with satisfaction, their eyes full of mockery. But Hao Jian just chuckled: "Haven't even shed your baby hair and you dare to yammer in front of me. Are kids these days all this arrogant?" At those words, the group's faces immediately soured. They hated being called children the most because it implied they were immature. Although they were indeed immature, they obviously didn't want to hear that from someone else. "Fuck!" The broom-hair guy instantly flew into a rage and aimed a punch straight at Hao Jian's face. Hao Jian chuckled coldly, grabbed the broom-hair guy's fist with one hand, gave a violent twist, and with a crack, the broom-hair guy's hand was twisted and broken. "Ah!" With a scream, the broom-hair guy fell to his knees, his forehead covered with sweat and his face contorted in pain. "Kid, let me teach you how to be a polite and civilized good boy, shall I?" Hao Jian asked with a playful smirk. "Fuck your mother!" The broom-hair guy screamed with all his might, wishing he could flay Hao Jian alive at that moment. "Hmm?" Hao Jian raised an eyebrow, suddenly applied more pressure, and twisted the broom-hair guy's arm again. This time, his screams of pain were even more pitiful and wretched. "Can we talk nicely now?" Hao Jian asked, grinning. "Yes, yes!" The broom-hair guy quickly nodded his head, covered in sweat, no longer daring to act tough. If the pretense continued, his arm might truly become useless. Immediately after, Hao Jian looked up at the two hiding at the back of the crowd: "Lin Dong, Wei Shan, how long are the two of you going to hide?" At his words, the man in the suit and others were shocked. He knew Lin Dong and Wei Shan? Immediately, everyone turned to look at Wei Shan and Lin Dong, who were hiding at the back of the crowd. Being rich second-generation kids who also liked street racing, Lin Dong and Wei Shan naturally knew the man in the suit. With the man in the suit's support, they too rushed to the scene quickly but had not expected that the man in the suit was dealing with Hao Jian! Was Hao Jian that easy to deal with? Even Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun didn't dare to make a peep after slapping him, let alone the people from their smaller families. So after they arrived, they unanimously stayed at the back of the crowd, planning to slide away at the right moment to avoid being noticed by Hao Jian. Little did they expect that hardly had they prepared to leave when Hao Jian had already spotted them. "Mr. Hao." ``` Lin Dong and Wei Shan nodded awkwardly to Hao Jian, after all, they had both had a past grudge with him, so now seeing Hao Jian made them appear somewhat unnatural. Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire The sight of Lin Dong and Wei Shan acting this way left the men in suits completely stunned. "Lin Dong, Wei Shan, have you lost your minds? Whose side are you on?" one of them rebuked with dissatisfaction. But Lin Dong and Wei Shan just bitterly smiled and said to the man in the suit, "Let's just drop this matter, please. We can't afford to offend him." "Can't afford to offend him?" the men in suits were all taken aback. Wasn't the other party just a penniless nobody? They had never heard of such a person in Hua City. Clearly, these young masters didn't quite believe what Wei Shan and his companion were saying; the entire Hua City didn't have many people who, when combined, they couldn't afford to offend, and such people were well-known figures. But Hao Jian was clearly just an insignificant nobody; they had never even seen him before, how could they possibly be unable to afford to offend him? "Who is he?" asked the man in the suit, his face darkening as he addressed Wei Shan and Lin Dong. Wei Shan turned his head to look at Hao Jian, saw him smiling without a word, then turned back with a wry smile, "Sorry, I can't say." "To be part of our Street Racing Clan yet have such little courage, you really are a coward!" the man in the suit insulted unreservedly. The others also sneered at Wei Shan and his companion, finding them to be a joke. "As friends, I've already given you friendly advice. Whether you listen is your choice, but we'll take our leave now." However, Wei Shan and Lin Dong weren't angered at all. These people could dismiss it because they simply did not know how terrifying Hao Jian was. Had they known, they would never have spoken such words. After speaking, Wei Shan and Lin Dong no longer paid attention to everyone's astonished looks, walked towards Hao Jian, and then both bowed to him simultaneously, saying, "We are sorry, Mr. Hao Jian." Hao Jian looked at Lin Dong with a grin, "Is it better down there?" "Yes. Yes, it is," Lin Dong said with an embarrassed face. After that area had been disabled by Hao Jian, the Lin Family had spent a lot of money to hire a famous doctor, put forth tremendous effort, and used an unknown amount of precious herbs before finally healing it. And even now, it worked only sporadically. But Lin Dong didn't dare harbor any resentment towards Hao Jian, for he knew Hao Jian was not someone he could afford to provoke. Upon hearing this, the men in suits couldn't help but inwardly gasp, for they all knew about the incident with Lin Dong's injury from a while back. It was said that the person was incredibly powerful, not even giving face to Liang Jiankun and ending up disabling Lin Dong. Could it be that this person was the very one before them? Immediately, the man in a suit shook his head, dismissing the thought internally. How could that be possible? He couldn't be that unlucky; Hua City was so big, how could he just happen upon him? S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Um, Mr. Hao, could we possibly leave now? We really have nothing to do with this matter; we don't want any conflict with you," Wei Shan said with a smile plastered on his face. At this moment, they just wanted to leave the place and not stay a moment longer; they couldn't afford to provoke this Demon before them, and they most certainly didn't want to see him! "Leave? What for? Stay and enjoy the show!" Hao Jian chuckled. Hearing that, Wei Shan and Lin Dong could only give a wry smile, not daring to go against Hao Jian's wishes. Just as Hao Jian was talking, Brother Spice Ginger arrived. The men in suits were also taken aback upon seeing Brother Spice Ginger because they all recognized him as Black Boss. Seeing Brother Spice Ginger, Lin Dong also couldn't help but feel some shock. Since when did Brother Spice Ginger run errands for Hao Jian? But Brother Spice Ginger only glanced indifferently at Lin Dong and the men in suits, and then walked straight over to Hao Jian, giving him a bow, "Boss!" Chapter 333 Smashing It Up Big Brother? Everyone was dumbfounded. Since when did Brother Spice Ginger have a boss? Wasn't he his own boss? And this young man before them was his boss? Among them, Wei Shan and Lin Dong were the most shocked. They exchanged glances, and both saw the deep astonishment in each other's eyes. Because they both knew about the enmity between Brother Spice Ginger and Hao Jian, which meant that Brother Spice Ginger and Hao Jian had indeed no relation before, and Brother Spice Ginger acknowledging Hao Jian as his boss must have been a more recent development. At this moment, everyone's feelings were mixed, because they all knew what kind of person Brother Spice Ginger was. Even their families would not dare to provoke Brother Spice Ginger unless it was absolutely necessary, let alone them. If Brother Spice Ginger alone could make them so wary, what about Hao Jian, who was Brother Spice Ginger's Big Brother? At this point, everyone had a foreboding feeling, suspecting that this time they might have kicked an iron plate. The man in the suit's expression was ugly too. He had called these people here, and if he couldn't resolve the issue with Hao Jian and instead got beaten up by Hao Jian, how could he continue to mix in this circle in the future? The man in the suit had never expected this guy to actually be capable. Now, all he could do was pray that the combined strength of their families would be enough to contend with Hao Jian. Hao Jian nodded, not wasting any words, "Smash this store for me!" "Alright!" Brother Spice Ginger immediately nodded, then whistled. A dozen or so big men in black clothing, each armed with a club and as sturdy as bulls, rushed in from outside. They looked quite intimidating. Seeing this, the pharmacy owner's expression instantly changed as he wailed, "You can't smash it! You can't smash it!" This store was his means of livelihood. The renovation, family, and herbs had depleted all of their savings, and just when they were about to make money, if the store was smashed at this time, he would truly be ruined. The pharmacy owner quickly grabbed the man in the suit's hand, "Sir, please help me. Didn't you just say that you would help me?" The man in the suit's face turned extremely ugly, cursing inwardly that the pharmacy owner had picked the worst possible time. He himself didn't have the confidence to defy Hao Jian, so how could he be expected to care about the pharmacy owner? Originally, the man in the suit intended to remain silent, but a single sentence from the pharmacy owner pushed him into the limelight. If he didn't step forward now, it would mean that the man in the suit was afraid of Hao Jian. "Right, didn't you say you would protect him? Didn't you say that as long as you were here, I couldn't touch him?" Hao Jian also chimed in with a mocking tone. The man in the suit snorted coldly, gritting his teeth as he commanded, "Stop it!" "Stop your mother's head!" Hao Jian retorted. Brother Spice Ginger and the others had no intention of stopping either. The man in the suit's expression froze, and he didn't dare utter another word. Because if he made another sound, he would be the one to suffer next. The pharmacy owner's face turned green with panic. He cried and shouted for them not to smash the store, while trying to pull away the big men, only to be knocked down and punched several times. Afterward, the pharmacy owner also realized the gravity of the situation, kneeling down to Hao Jian, begging with three kneels and nine bows, "Sir, please tell your men to stop. This small business can't withstand such turmoil. You can take the herbs, I admit my mistake, I won't dare to do it again." "I would take the medicine even without you saying it. As for your store," Hao Jian said with a cold smile, "either you will be crippled, or your store will be crippled. Choose one." The pharmacy owner immediately fell silent, as he was already scared stiff. Either the store would be crippled or he would be crippled; any sane person knew which option to choose. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, and he was aware that Hao Jian was definitely capable of doing it. "Jiang Yutong, considering we are neighbors, could you ask your teacher to spare me this time? I truly dare not do it again," the pharmacy owner pleaded with a mournful face to Jiang Yutong. He was truly out of options and could only pin his hopes on her. "Neighbors? Why didn't you think of that when it all started? Didn't you know she had a severely injured father who urgently needed treatment? Didn't you know she was buying medicine for her own father? You knew, yet you chose money over morals. Now you remember to talk about neighbors?" Jiang Yutong was about to speak, but Hao Jian beat her to it. Hearing what Hao Jian said, Jiang Yutong suddenly felt less pity for the pharmacy owner. The pharmacy owner was her neighbor and knew what her family situation was like, yet he still didn't take her seriously, did he? Seeing that Jiang Yutong was also unwilling to help, the pharmacy owner completely despaired, hanging his head dejectedly as he watched the thugs smash up his store. At that moment, the pharmacy owner cast a hateful look at the man in the suit; if not for him, he wouldn't have been in conflict with Hao Jian at all. The man in the suit had resolutely promised to protect him, but when it came to the crunch, he had betrayed him. "Try glaring at me again," the man in the suit said annoyedly. He couldn't handle Hao Jian, but he could still take care of a small-time pharmacy owner, couldn't he? The pharmacy owner sullenly withdrew his gaze. "Now, it's time to resolve the issue between us," Hao Jian turned to look at the man in the suit, his face still carrying that composed and indifferent smile. "What do you want?" Upon hearing this, the man in the suit also looked at Hao Jian warily, now doubting whether Hao Jian was the person he had suspected. "Kneel down and apologize!" Hao Jian said crisply; the man in the suit had demanded an apology from him on his knees before, and now it was his turn. "And what if I say no?" the man in the suit said through gritted teeth. "Then I'll break your legs and force you to kneel!" Hao Jian said with a sinister smile. At those words, the man in the suit felt a chill throughout his body. He would have disbelieved anyone else who said that, but if it was Hao Jian, the outcome was different. "My father is Song Mingye!" the man in the suit shouted loudly, trying to make Hao Jian feel some trepidation. At that moment, Brother Spice Ginger leaned into Hao Jian's ear and said, "Song Mingye is a real estate magnate in Hua City. Within the city, both the underworld and legitimate circles give him some respect." "Compared to the four young masters?" Hao Jian asked. Brother Spice Ginger gave a bitter smile, "Of course, he can't compare to them." "Then he's not worth a second glance from me!" Hao Jian said dismissively, "Trash him!" "Right on!" Brother Spice Ginger responded and started toward the man in the suit. "You... you all..." Seeing Brother Spice Ginger approaching with his men, the man in the suit turned pale with fear. "Sorry, Young Master Song, but your dad just isn't tough enough to scare anyone, huh!" Brother Spice Ginger said with a mocking smile. Stay connected via My Virtual Library Empire "Brother Spice Ginger, my dad invited you to dinner last year!" the man in the suit shouted out. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 334 A Ransom of Ten Million Per Person Brother Spice Ginger shook his head with a cold smile, "I'll send you the medical expenses later as repayment for that meal." The man in the suit was dumbfounded. This could actually work? Before the man in the suit could regain his composure, Brother Spice Ginger's men had already taken action. A cudgel smashed straight down onto the thigh root of the man in the suit with a crack. Onlookers saw him rolling on the ground in agony. "Tsk tsk tsk, looks like racing is out of the picture for you for the rest of your life, huh?" Brother Spice Ginger said with a strange laugh as he watched the man on the ground. Seeing their companion like this, the man's friends couldn't help but have their hair stand on end. Had they actually crippled the man in the suit? "Alright, let me introduce myself. My name is Hao Jian, and even if you don't know me, you should have heard of me. Yes, I'm the Hao Jian who hit Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun," Hao Jian said with a smile as he looked at the wealthy scions. Upon hearing Hao Jian's words, the wealthy scions trembled with fear. They had already guessed somewhat, but it was still different from hearing Hao Jian admit it himself. Acting recklessly because of their wealthy and powerful families, within Hua City, there were some they would have to walk around, and unfortunately for them, Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun were among them. And if Hao Jian dared to hit even Kong Xiaozhen and the others, how could he possibly take these men seriously? Hao Jian looked at the crowd, "I suppose you know what happens if you offend me. If I dare hit those two fools Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun, I naturally wouldn't take you seriously." The wealthy scions couldn't help but force a bitter smile upon hearing this. In the entire Hua City, probably only he would dare to curse Kong Xiaozhen and the other person like this. "Coming here to back him up is disrespecting me, so what do you think I should do?" Hao Jian asked the scions with a quasi-smile. "We didn't know he had offended you!" "Yeah, Mr. Hao Jian, please give us another chance!" The wealthy scions stopped their clamor, all looking at Hao Jian with fear. "Call your parents to come pick you up, a ransom of ten million per person!" Hao Jian said decisively. These fellows were disobedient, and their families didn't care, so Hao Jian felt it was necessary to give a warning to these kids' parents. Left with no choice, the wealthy scions called their parents. The first to arrive was a middle-aged man with a monkey face and a demon look, who arrogantly shouted as he entered, "Who the hell dares to kidnap my son? Show yourself!" "It's me!" Hao Jian stood up. "You? Who are you?" the middle-aged man demanded as he glared at Hao Jian. "Hao Jian!" "Hao Jian?" The middle-aged man mulled over the name in his mind, then his eyes suddenly sharpened, his expression turning to astonishment as he recognized Hao Jian. At that moment, Hao Jian simply fell silent, watching the middle-aged man with a cold smile. "Oh man, look at this mouth of mine, just can't keep it shut, please don't be mad, Mr. Hao Jian. I'm just uneducated and always talk out of turn," the middle-aged man quickly slapped himself on the cheeks twice, offering an apologetic smile. "That's enough, cut the crap. Where's the money? Did you bring it?" Hao Jian asked. "I brought it, I brought it!" The middle-aged man hastily took out a check from his checkbook and started to write down a string of numbers. He hadn't expected the other party to be so formidable. He had thought they were just some local ruffians, so he didn't take it seriously on his way there, nor did he intend to pay. But after seeing Hao Jian, he knew this was someone he couldn't afford to provoke; he'd better just pay up. At the same time, he cursed his prodigal son in his heart for causing trouble; of all people, he had to mess with this grim reaper standing before him. Hao Jian took the check without even giving it a glance and handed it to Brother Spice Ginger. "Mr. Hao Jian, can we go now?" The middle-aged man asked tentatively. "Watch your kid. If there's a next time, money won't solve your problems, got that?" Hao Jian snorted coldly. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire "Understood, understood," the middle-aged man nodded repeatedly, then dragged his son away, scolding him as they left. Seeing this, Jiang Yutong was also stunned. She hadn't expected Hao Jian to be such a big deal, with so many people respecting and fearing him. In that case, why the hell was Hao Jian still a teacher? Afterward, the wealthy young masters were picked up by their parents one after another. Their parents arrived with an air of arrogance, but as soon as they saw Hao Jian, they wilted like frost-bitten eggplants. Lin Dong and Wei Shan behind him couldn't help but grimace, feeling fortunate that they were not as foolish as those guys; otherwise, they'd probably end up with the same fate, or even worse. Before long, all the men and women had been picked up, and only the man in the suit and the owner of the medicinal shop remained. Suddenly, Hao Jian pointed at the owner of the medicinal shop and said to Brother Spice Ginger, "Cripple him!" "What? Sir, boss, didn't you say you'd only smash my shop and not beat me?" The owner of the medicinal shop was stunned. "I've gone back on my word. Is that a problem? You can go back on your word, so why can't I?" Hao Jian said with an indifferent smile. He wanted to show the medicinal shop proprietor just how important keeping one's word was! Brother Spice Ginger also sneered darkly and signaled his men with a look, instructing them to move on the medicinal shop owner. Meanwhile, Hao Jian crouched in front of the man in the suit, looking down at him as he glared back with hatred. "Remember this face, the face you hate yet are powerless against. I welcome you to seek revenge at any time, but next time, it won't be as simple as breaking a leg! I'll slaughter you!" After that, Hao Jian walked out of the medicinal shop with Jiang Yutong, striding forward confidently. Soon after, the anguished screams of the medicinal shop owner could be heard from inside. Brother Spice Ginger came out wiping the blood from his hands and smiled, "Boss, it's done!" For some reason, seeing Brother Spice Ginger's smile made Jiang Yutong feel very uncomfortable. How could Brother Spice Ginger make it seem as if nothing had happened when he had just hurt someone? "Any news on Wang Mingzhe?" Hao Jian asked while smoking. "Yes, he's in Xicheng District. I can take you to see him right now!" Brother Spice Ginger said, having located Wang Mingzhe already. Hao Jian nodded and then told Jiang Yutong, "You go back first, I'm going to find Wang Mingzhe." "No, I'm coming with you!" Jiang Yutong said resolutely. "He's my brother; I can't ignore him. And if I talk to him, he might be less resistant." "Suit yourself," said Hao Jian, not objecting. After taking the medicine back and teaching Wang Wanjun how to brew it, he set off with Jiang Yutong toward Xicheng District. Chapter 335 Twelve Young Masters of the Fifth Ring Hao Jian and Jiang Yutong, led by Brother Spice Ginger, headed for Xicheng District and stopped in front of an abandoned unfinished building. Looking at the gloomy edifice before him, Hao Jian couldn't help but be surprised, wondering how Wang Mingzhe had left East City District and ended up in such a godforsaken place. "After he left East City District, he has been living here, mixing with some idlers from society. If he runs out of money, he'd steal or rob. The police were already onto them, but I spoke to them, and that's why they didn't arrest anyone," Brother Spice Ginger said. It was only upon hearing Brother Spice Ginger's words that Jiang Yutong realized the severity of the situation. If it hadn't been for Hao Jian's help, Wang Mingzhe would have already been caught by the police. Moreover, Jiang Yutong could have never imagined that Wang Mingzhe would have fallen so low to start stealing and robbing. Hao Jian shook his head with a smile, his expression somewhat scornful, clearly looking down on a twenty-year-old like Wang Mingzhe, who was still so brain-dead. Immediately after, Hao Jian and the others walked up to the unfinished building, which had been abandoned long ago and now lay uninhabited. It was precisely because of this reason that it had been taken over by petty thieves and young social misfits like Wang Mingzhe. As soon as Hao Jian and the others walked up to the second floor, they heard the sound of heavy metal music and ghostly wails coming from above, and they could vaguely see some light from a fire. Seeing this, Hao Jian couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, thinking that even the scum of society knew how to entertain themselves. Upon reaching the third floor, Hao Jian and his company saw a group of young men and women dancing wildly around a bonfire, smoking and drinking in a frenzied revelry. "Is Wang Mingzhe in there?" Hao Jian asked Jiang Yutong. Jiang Yutong surveyed the area for a moment, then shook her head and said, "He's not here." Hao Jian immediately furrowed his brows, turned to Brother Spice Ginger, and said, "Could the intelligence be wrong?" "Impossible, my people have looked into it. Wang Mingzhe was indeed hanging out with this bunch of people," Brother Spice Ginger responded assertively. The man who should have been here was nowhere to be seen, which only added to Hao Jian's frustration. Furthermore, the heart-wrenching screams in the heavy metal music seemed to make his head spin even more. He went ahead and kicked the speaker down the stairs with one foot. The music abruptly stopped. All the thieves looked at Hao Jian in astonishment. "The party ends here. Would you mind answering one question for me? Where did Wang Mingzhe go?" Hao Jian asked the male and female thieves with a smile. "Who the hell are you?" A man who styled himself like a rock singer with a dirty plait came out holding a bottle, his gaze fierce as he glared at Hao Jian and the others, clearly the leader of this group. Seeing the boss step forward, the other boys and girls also picked up their bottles and approached. Altogether there were more than a dozen people, all with ill intentions as they looked at Hao Jian and the rest. "I'm here to find Wang Mingzhe. Would it be too much trouble to tell me where he is?" Hao Jian asked the members of the little gang of thieves with a beaming smile. "Over there!" A dozen people pointed in various directions ¡ª northeast, southwest, wherever. Brother Spice Ginger's eyes flashed with anger. These little rascals dared to play them? He was about to deal with them right then and there. At that moment, Hao Jian pulled Brother Spice Ginger back, signaling him not to act rashly. Hao Jian still wore a smiling face and said, "I really need to find Wang Mingzhe urgently. If any of you know where he is, could you do me a favor and tell me?" "Well, one million, give me one million, and I'll tell you where Wang Mingzhe is!" the man with the braids chuckled evilly. Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire "Bro, don't you think that's a bit inconsiderate to talk like that?" Hao Jian said to the man with the braids, with a smile. "Can't pay? If you can't cough up the money, then beat it, or I'll let you guys see why the flowers are so red!" the man with the braids said with a sneer, waving his beer bottle. "Where the hell did you take my brother!" At that moment, Jiang Yutong couldn't restrain her anger and shouted loudly. To her, these people's continual refusal to hand over Wang Mingzhe definitely spelled trouble. Thinking about Wang Mingzhe continuing this way "Yo, this chick is pretty cute, how 'bout leaving me your number?" At this point, the man with the braids noticed the frail Jiang Yutong behind Hao Jian and couldn't help but leer at her, obviously harboring inappropriate thoughts. "Where exactly is my brother, Wang Mingzhe?" Jiang Yutong wasn't interested in wasting words with him and scolded directly. "If you give me a kiss, I'll tell you," the man with the braids said with a sleazy grin. "You..." Jiang Yutong was infuriated by his shamelessness; this guy was even more brazen than the suit-clad men she had encountered before. "Bang!" As soon as his words were out, a fist landed squarely on the man with the braids' face. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The man with the braids hadn't even recovered when Hao Jian grabbed him by the collar and started punching him repeatedly in the face. Before long, the man with the braids' face was unrecognizable, a bloody mess that looked particularly frightening. His henchmen were scared silly seeing Hao Jian beat him to such a state. They might have had the numbers, but they weren't as fierce as Hao Jian. Seeing how violent Hao Jian was, they instantly lost their nerve. Hao Jian pushed the now semi-conscious man with the braids away and took a long breath before smiling and saying, "Now, can you tell me where Wang Mingzhe is?" Jiang Yutong and Brother Spice Ginger were both taken aback. They had thought Hao Jian was really not angry, but seeing the man with the braids getting beaten up by Hao Jian, they then realized that Hao Jian wasn't unbothered, but was simply waiting for his "Skills" cooldown, damn it! Hearing this, the people nodded frantically, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at Hao Jian. "Wang Mingzhe was kidnapped," one of the female thieves said. "Kidnapped?" Hao Jian and Jiang Yutong both frowned at the same time. "Who kidnapped him!" Hao Jian demanded sternly. "A rich second-generation kid known as Prince of the Fifth Ring!" "Prince of the Fifth Ring?" Hao Jian couldn't help but laugh and cry; he had just encountered a Little Prince of the Fifth Ring, and now he was dealing with the Prince of the Fifth Ring. Do they all like to name themselves after places or what? The Fifth Ring is the most bustling area in the East City District and is famously wealthy. Likely, the guy called himself Prince of the Fifth Ring because he lived there. "Spell it out for me, what exactly happened!" Brother Spice Ginger also shouted angrily. Soon after, Hao Jian and the others learned the details about Wang Mingzhe from the thieves. It turns out that after a theft, they went to celebrate in a bar, where Wang Mingzhe got involved with a Little Gangster Girl and slept with her. That girl turned out to be the girlfriend of the Prince of the Fifth Ring. As a result, her people beat Wang Mingzhe up. It should have ended there, but Wang Mingzhe couldn't swallow his pride and later scratched their Lamborghini. You can imagine how furious the Prince of the Fifth Ring must have been. That same night, he found Wang Mingzhe, took him away, and instructed them to tell Wang Mingzhe's family that if they didn't pay the ransom, in one week Wang Mingzhe's corpse would be lying in the Huangpu River. Chapter 336 Li He But why would the braided man bother with Wang Mingzhe? He just forgot about it as soon as he turned around. "How many days has it been?" Hao Jian asked, frowning. "Today is already the seventh day!" the person replied. "Why didn't you report to the police?" Jiang Yutong asked, puzzled. Hearing this, the thieves looked at each other, their expressions odd. Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire "What's the matter?" Jiang Yutong didn't understand why these people wore such expressions. Had she said something wrong? "Sister, they're all thieves, you're asking them to go to the police, isn't that like walking into a trap?" Hao Jian said, unable to suppress a laugh. Upon hearing this, Jiang Yutong also suddenly realized, remembering that these people were thieves. "Do you know this Spice Ginger Twelve?" Hao Jian couldn't help but ask Brother Spice Ginger, who knew more people and shortcuts in Hua City than he did. Brother Spice Ginger nodded and said, "This Spice Ginger Twelve comes from a wealthy family, far richer than the guy you fought before. His real name is Li He, and he often races cars around the fifth ring. We can find him there." "Good, let's go now," Hao Jian said flatly, eager to find out whether Wang Mingzhe was dead or alive. Meanwhile, Jiang Yutong was also sweating profusely, growing increasingly uneasy. "Listen to me, I don't want to see you in this godforsaken place again. I'll have someone watch you guys, and if you dare to engage in sneaky activities in Hua City, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Hao Jian said coldly, watching the thieves. Hearing this, the thieves shuddered, with the braided man's predicament visible to all. They dared not defy Hao Jian, all nodding in agreement. . At the same time, on an unregulated road within the fifth ring, several supercars sped past. At this moment, a handsome man with coffee-colored hair and sunglasses stood by the road smoking and chatting with someone. "Hey Twelve, I heard that guy surnamed Song got beaten up today," someone mentioned the man in the suit. "Oh? Who has such capability?" Li He, rubbing his coffee-colored hair, also asked curiously. The man in the suit was known as the Little Prince of the fifth ring, and he was known as Spice Ginger Twelve; it was clear that both were almost equal in terms of family wealth and driving skill. Because Li He and the man in the suit were rivals, hearing that his opponent had been taken down naturally made Li He happy. "It's that Hao Jian!" the man said, his expression somewhat fearful. "Hao Jian? The one who beat Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun?" Li He asked, surprised, his eyes filled with respect. Clearly, he admired Hao Jian. The reason was simple: Hao Jian had, as an unknown nobody, completely subdued Kong Xiaozhen these two elites without them being able to fight back. That was precisely why Li He idolized him. In the eyes of these young masters, Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun were invincible. Even those from powerful families didn't dare provoke them, yet Hao Jian, with no background at all, made them continually suffer defeats. "How did he offend Hao Jian?" As soon as Li He heard that this matter involved Hao Jian, he suddenly became interested. So the man told Li He all about the incident that had occurred earlier. After listening, Li He couldn't help but applaud, exclaiming, "One man overpowering a dozen families, that's what a real man does!" "Find a way to get me Hao Jian's contact information," Li He said, his expression excited. "All right! Leave it to me." Just then, a lackey came up and said to Li He, "Brother Li, a group of people want to see you. They say they're Wang Mingzhe's family." "Wang Mingzhe's family? Huh." Li He scoffed, "I thought nobody really cared whether that kid was dead or alive!" Li He's expression turned cold. He was angry because Wang Mingzhe had disrespected him not once, but twice. He wasn't unreasonable. Wang Mingzhe knew she was his girlfriend and still slept with her, which was disrespectful. He had beaten Wang Mingzhe, and that was well deserved. Originally, Li He wasn't going to pursue the matter any further. After all, he wasn't very fond of the girl¡ªgirlfriends were just playthings to him, not something he took to heart. But the problem was that, after everything, Wang Mingzhe had even scratched his car. That scratch alone had cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars. To Li He, a few hundred thousand wasn't much, but what he couldn't stand was the loss of face. "Let them come!" Li He flicked his cigarette butt to the ground, his face grim. Before long, Hao Jian and others were brought up. Jiang Yutong immediately asked, "Where's my brother? What have you done to him?" But Li He just coldly smiled at Jiang Yutong, not uttering a word, for in his eyes, Jiang Yutong simply wasn't worthy of talking to him, being not the main person in charge. "You." Seeing Li He act this way, Jiang Yutong couldn't help feeling annoyed. "Don't worry, one thing at a time," Hao Jian said, asking her to step back a few steps before smiling at Li He, "So you are Spice Ginger Twelve, Li He, right?" Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yes, you're here for Wang Mingzhe?" Li He smirked at Hao Jian. "Yes, what will it take for you to release him?" Hao Jian nodded with a smile, knowing the situation wouldn't be easy to resolve. Since he was on Li He's turf, and since they were in the wrong, he had to follow Li He's arrangements. "Release him? You should know he scratched my car, right?" "I know. Name your price," Hao Jian also knew there was no easy way out now that the car had been scratched; compensation was the only option. "Five hundred thousand!" Li He didn't beat around the bush and directly named his price. "Five hundred thousand, are you trying to rob us?" Jiang Yutong was shocked. How could Li He just throw out such a figure? "You know nothing, you twit. My boss's car is the latest model Lamborghini. Do you know how much that costs? Ten million! The paint used on the body isn't available domestically. We have to send the car back to Germany for repairs. Do you have any idea how much just the damn shipping costs?" a heavily tattooed enforcer scoffed. Jiang Yutong was stunned, speechless for a moment. Wang Mingzhe had actually scratched a car worth tens of millions¡ªthat took some nerve! "Fine, five hundred thousand, I'll pay!" Hao Jian was straightforward. Making a mistake and compensating for it was only right. Chapter 337 Talking Sense "Hey, how the fuck can you claim it's just fifty thou? You got that kind of cash?" The tattooed hulk glared at Hao Jian. In his eyes, Hao Jian's shabby clothes didn't look like those of a rich man¡ªhow could he possibly have fifty thousand? Hao Jian glanced indifferently at the big guy and said to Li He, "Give me a day's time. After one day, I'll give you the money." Although he had several checks on him, they were not cashed, and his card didn't have that much money, so he could only wait until tomorrow to cash the checks and then have the money to give to Li He. "One day? I'm afraid even if I gave you one year, you damn poor bastard still wouldn't be able to scrape together that cash! Let me tell you, if you can't come up with the money, I'll make sure that kid's body floats down the Huangpu River!" The tattooed hulk sneered. At that moment, Hao Jian slowly turned his head to look at the tattooed hulk and said with a faint smile, "Stop spouting rubbish all the time, or you'll regret it in the end." "What the fuck's wrong with me? Regret? If you can, make me regret it!" The tattooed hulk laughed in rage, as if he had heard the world's biggest joke. Standing over two meters tall and built like a Black Bear, Hao Jian looked puny beside him, like he could be snuffed out with a single slap. Hao Jian dared to threaten him in this situation? Hao Jian said nothing, just looked at him indifferently, his gaze mocking and aloof, as if looking at an idiot. "Staring at me? Stare me down again, I dare you!" The big guy grew furious when he saw how Hao Jian spoke. "I dare you to stare!" Finally, the big guy lost it and swung his hand straight toward Hao Jian's face. Hao Jian snorted coldly and reached out, grabbing the bear-like hand of the big man and twisting it sharply. "Snap." The big guy's thumb was instantly broken. Following Hao Jian's move, the big man fell to the ground, screaming in agony. "Your mom never taught you how to talk? Mouthful of filth, I break one of your fingers for that, that's called justice! If you dare to curse again, I'll keep fixing you, you fucking moron. Got no fucking manners, do you?" Hao Jian sneered, holding the man's thumb. "Fuck!" At this point, the brothers surrounding Li He all charged, surrounding Hao Jian and his group. "All of you tired of living, huh?" Brother Spice Ginger drew a glossy black gun from his bosom: "Anyone not afraid to die, step up!" "Huh?" When they saw Brother Spice Ginger pull out a gun, those people froze, their momentum weakened. "All of you, fucking stop!" At that moment, Li He, who had been silent, spoke up. He stepped forward, his face dark as he looked at Hao Jian: "You like talking reason, huh? Good, then let me explain some reason to you." "Wang Mingzhe knew she was my girlfriend and still slept with her. I beat her up, is that reasonable?" Li He said in a deep voice. "It's reasonable!" Hao Jian nodded expressionlessly. "Then he scratched my car. I caught him and demanded money for damages. Is that reasonable?" Li He asked again. "That's also reasonable!" "Alright, you come to my place, and before many words are exchanged, you beat up my brother, making me lose face in front of my boys. Isn't that utterly unreasonable?" Li He glared fiercely at Hao Jian. "If he could keep his mouth clean, no one would need to hit him!" Hao Jian said with a laugh. "I'll handle my own brother; no need for outsiders to meddle! You move him, and that's just not okay!" Li He said with a lot of pride. "Little greenhorn, you're pretty bold, huh?" Brother Spice Ginger was also provoked into laughter; Li He was even more arrogant than him. But Hao Jian gestured for Brother Spice Ginger to keep his cool. Right now, Wang Mingzhe was still in Li He's hands, and if they really provoked him, who knows what he might do. Hao Jian looked at Li He and said, "You tell me, what will it take for this to end?" "Simple, on my turf, I call the shots. Race me. If you win, we'll talk again. If you lose, I'll still give you Wang Mingzhe, but I'll break one of his hands as punishment for you messing with my brother!" Li He squinted at Hao Jian, his eyes gleaming sharply. To him, nothing was more important than face, and since Hao Jian made him lose face, he naturally had to pick a fight with Hao Jian. "Fine!" Hao Jian nodded, finding it somewhat amusing to think about racing him. It was like the God of Longevity gulping down arsenic¡ªimpatient to die! S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire "Teacher, don't do it." Jiang Yutong was also anxious. The other guy clearly looked like someone who raced often, while Jiang Yutong was just a Traditional Chinese Medicine teacher; how could he possibly beat him. If they lost, then Wang Mingzhe would truly be doomed. "No worries, I have my plans." Hao Jian conveyed a reassuring look to Jiang Yutong. "Then let's start now. If you win, I won't even take the money, just take Wang Mingzhe and leave!" Li He said with great pride, clearly very confident in his driving skills. "Choose a car!" Li He pointed straight at a row of luxury cars in front of Hao Jian. "No need, I'll just drive this one." Hao Jian patted his decrepit old Santana - he had bought it second-hand because he had thought it would be convenient to have a car, but he hadn't wanted to spend too much, so he settled for a second-hand vehicle. Looking at Hao Jian's Santana, a cold light flashed in Li He's eyes: "Are you fucking kidding me?" In his opinion, Hao Jian was simply insulting him. His car was a supercar¡ªhow could Hao Jian's old Santana possibly win against him? But Hao Jian didn't see it that way and confidently said, "If you can beat me, I'll chop off a hand of my own for you!" "Good, very good!" Li He was nearly bursting with rage. He had seen plenty of arrogant people, but none as arrogant as this. Jiang Yutong and Brother Spice Ginger too looked at Hao Jian with faces full of disbelief, wondering why he was so overflowing with confidence. "Remember your own words; don't regret them later!" Li He huffed angrily and got into his supercar. "Teacher, how could you make this bet? If you lose, your hand is gone!" Jiang Yutong said anxiously. "How do you know for sure that I'll lose?" Hao Jian said angrily. Upon hearing this, Jiang Yutong was stunned: "Do you mean you're confident that you can beat him?" "Of course, why else would I dare to say that? And even if I lose, it's not a big deal. Doesn't Spice Ginger still have a handgun? With him as a deterrent, they wouldn't dare do anything to us," Hao Jian said nonchalantly and then lowered his voice, conspiratorially saying to Brother Spice Ginger and the others, "If I lose later, Spice Ginger, you just grab that Li He, force him to hand over Wang Mingzhe, and then we'll slip away!" Chapter 338 Too Foolish, Too Young Hearing this, both Jiang Yutong and Brother Spice Ginger showed grim expressions. Could he be any more shameless? After that, Hao Jian got into his clunky Santana, a car so rubbish it even outdid Che Xiaoxiao's "freak." Li He, through the car window, gave Hao Jian a chilly look; he couldn't wait to make Hao Jian pay for his arrogance! Hao Jian turned his head to look at him, too, and provocatively blew him a kiss, which nearly made Li He fume with rage. "Boom!" The roar of engines as the two cars shot off simultaneously. Li He immediately left Hao Jian in the dust, as if he were blocks away. "All talk and no action!" Li He couldn't help but start feeling smug. What a joke, how could that beat-up Santana ever compete with his Lamborghini? Li He floored the accelerator, and the Lamborghini surged forward recklessly. Meanwhile, Hao Jian just casually followed behind Li He, yawning out of boredom: "So na?ve, so foolish." Their racing route was to circle the Fifth Ring Road and return to the starting point; the first one back would be declared the winner. Li He sped along, pushing the speed up to 250, maintaining that pace for a good thirty minutes before finally slowing down. At this point, Li He was confident Hao Jian could never catch up with him. A Lamborghini at high speed was no match for a Santana. It was like comparing a race between a rabbit and a turtle, almost without suspense. Li He picked up his phone, ready to order his men to keep an eye on Jiang Yutong and her companion, not letting them escape. He planned to return and chop off both Hao Jian's and Wang Mingzhe's hands. But just at this moment, a dazzling light suddenly flashed in his rearview mirror, and seeing its blinding brightness, Li He was taken aback. In no time, that beat-up Santana appeared behind him, soaring unbelievably fast. "How is this possible?" Li He was horrified. He had left Hao Jian far behind. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Screech." Just then, a piercing squeal came from the Santana's tires as it drifted around a serpentine curve, a move so elegantly done, it bordered on artistry. Through three continuous curves in less than five seconds, Hao Jian handled a sedan as if it were a sports car! At this, Li He was utterly dumbstruck, stuttering, "Dr-drift. Drifting in succession?" Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire Such a difficult maneuver was something only a professional racer could pull off, and even he could only manage it occasionally. Yet Hao Jian had executed it so effortlessly and with such flair and grace. Li He finally understood where Hao Jian's confidence came from, and why despite Li He being much faster, Hao Jian could catch up so quickly. The time Hao Jian took to get around corners was incredibly short, almost negligible. And this road on the Fifth Ring had nothing in abundance but curves. If it had been a straight road, he would surely win, but not with so many turns. However, Li He was overthinking it; even on a straight path, he would still not win against Hao Jian. By this time, Li He had realized the strength and terror of his opponent. His once-relaxed heart tightened again, and he slammed the accelerator, the car shooting out like an arrow released from a bow. Unfortunately, it was all too late; while he had been distracted, Hao Jian had already drifted by, car nose to nose as he passed in front of him. And in that moment, Li He saw Hao Jian in the car, the smirk of disdain and scorn on the corner of his lips. "Boom!" By the time Li He came to his senses, Hao Jian's car had vanished over the horizon of the highway. Sitting in his car, Li He felt helpless, his supercar still roaring angrily but impotently. Li He knew that this time, he had truly lost. When the crowd saw Hao Jian's car arriving at the destination first, including Brother Spice Ginger and Jiang Yutong, they were all stunned. They had been shocked by Hao Jian's words earlier and thought he was sure to lose. Brother Spice Ginger had already started making discreet calls for reinforcements, never expecting that Hao Jian would actually arrive first. "Li He lost? How is that possible?" Everyone was dumbfounded. Could Li He, the best driver among them, really lose? "Kid, you must have cheated!" At that moment, someone pointed at Hao Jian and bellowed, and the others glared at him furiously. In their eyes, Hao Jian must have cheated to win against Li He; otherwise, how could he possibly be his match? With a disdainful smile, Hao Jian said, "Whether I cheated or not, you can ask him when he gets back, right?" Hearing Hao Jian's response, those people lost their nerve to continue berating him, not wanting to humiliate themselves when Li He returned. It took a few minutes, but eventually, Li He also arrived. He stepped out of his car, his expression dark. "Li He!" At that moment, all of Li He's lackeys and friends came up to greet him. But before they could say anything, Li He gestured for silence and looked at Hao Jian with complicated eyes, finally managing to say, "I. I lost!" At his words, everyone gasped in shock! Chapter 339 Mad Dog Li He's driving skills ranked among the top ten throughout Hua City, and he even drove a Supercar, so how could he lose to that kid? No one could figure it out. They initially thought Hao Jian was cheating, but it was only after Li He personally admitted it that they really realized Li He had lost. Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire Jiang Yutong's face instantly lit up with joy, as if she'd been injected with adrenaline, unable to contain her excitement. Seeing Li He so readily admit his defeat, Hao Jian couldn't help but respect him a bit more, because no one knew what had happened during the process. Even if Li He was shameless enough to cheat, there was nothing he could do about it. But Li He didn't do that; he directly acknowledged his failure, which was enough to show he was a real man! Initially, Hao Jian thought that Li He was just like the other pompous rich kids, all arrogance and no substance. But clearly, he was wrong; Li He was more reasonable than he had imagined. "Bring them out!" Li He said, his face grim. "Boss!" Li He's followers seemed somewhat reluctant. Doing whatever the other party said was too humiliating. And with the other party being so arrogant, if they didn't show them their place, how could their Street Racing Clan continue to stand in Hua City? "I said bring them out!" Li He roared. His subordinates had no choice but to sigh and turn to walk towards a car. Soon, Hao Jian saw Li He's men bring over a man and a woman. The man's hair was dyed in various colors, and his nose and ears were pierced with silver rings, making him look bizarre. The girl beside him looked similar, in her early twenties, also sporting a radical hairstyle. Looking at these two, Hao Jian couldn't help but shake his head, thinking that if he ever had children, he definitely needed to discipline them strictly, otherwise just seeing them like this was distressing. The man was naturally Jiang Yutong's cousin, Wang Mingzhe, and the girl was Li He's girlfriend, or rather, ex-girlfriend. "Li He, you bastard, how dare you imprison me, I'm going to fight you!" As soon as the girl came out, she lunged at Li He, all claws and teeth. Being a wealthy heiress, when had she ever been bullied like this? But Li He had locked her up for days, treating her like a prisoner. How could she not be angry? "Slap!" Li He unceremoniously slapped her, leaving the Little Gangster Girl dazed. She covered her face, unable to recover for a long moment, seemingly not expecting the usually polite Li He to hit her. Li He sneered sinisterly, "Giving you face? You really thought you were something? When I liked you, whatever you wanted was granted; when I don't, you're nothing, understand?" The girl was stunned, as Li He had always forgiven her no matter how big her mistakes were, but this time she realized she had really gone too far. Li He wouldn't tolerate her anymore. "Still want to throw a fit in front of me after sleeping with another man? Think you're beautiful? Are you brain damaged?" Li He sneered coldly, looking at the girl as if she were an idiot, and couldn't help but laugh angrily at himself. "You damn dare to hit my woman?" Right then, seeing the girl being hit, Wang Mingzhe got angry and swung his fist to punch Li He. But Li He flipped him over with a roundhouse kick, sneering, "Trash!" Clearly, he didn't regard Wang Mingzhe as anything of consequence. If it weren't for Wang Mingzhe sleeping with his girl, he wouldn't even bother to look at this Gangster. Of course, calling her Li He's woman was already elevating the girl's status. In reality, Li He just treated her as an object of pleasure. He was so angry because Wang Mingzhe's dalliance with the girl made him lose face and even damaged his car. Seeing this, Jiang Yutong was also startled and tried to go help Wang Mingzhe but was caught by Hao Jian. Seeing Hao Jian not letting her help Wang Mingzhe made Jiang Yutong angry too, "He hit my brother, didn't you see?" "I saw, and so what? Doesn't he deserve to be hit? He slept with someone's girlfriend and even scratched their car. They would be justified in killing him! Even now, he's still unrepentant. Does he really think they wouldn't dare kill him?" Hao Jian sneered coldly, and in this situation, Wang Mingzhe still dared to be aggressive. If Li He were really angered, he could have just dealt with him right there. And if that were the case, Hao Jian wouldn't bother getting involved. In Hao Jian's view, this whole mess was Wang Mingzhe's fault to begin with. The fact that Li He didn't make a bigger deal of it was already quite magnanimous. But Mingzhe still stupidly insisted on provoking further, which to Hao Jian meant sheer ingratitude! At those words, Jiang Yutong fell silent and sighed softly, then watched Li He with some concern. Li He also didn't anticipate Hao Jian to speak like this and squinted his eyes, seriously sizing up this unfamiliar man he'd never met before. Upon hearing Hao Jian speak about him like this, Wang Mingzhe became furious with shame and glared at Hao Jian through gritted teeth. "What are you glaring at, did I say anything wrong? If it weren't for your sister's sake, do you think I'd bother saving your brainless self?" Hao Jian looked down on Wang Mingzhe disdainfully. "Who the hell needs your help? Why don't you mind your own business? You guys are afraid of him, but I sure as hell am not!" Wang Mingzhe said defiantly. "First off, I'm not afraid of him, even though he thinks he's something with his Five Rings and Twelve Young title, but he's nothing in front of me. Furthermore, I made myself clear just now, it was your sister who asked me to save you. Since you're so tough, why don't you just turn around and go back? Just pretend we were never here," Hao Jian sneered. With that statement, he simultaneously offended both Wang Mingzhe and Li He. Wang Mingzhe hesitated, go back? What a joke, he's not an idiot. Going back now would be suicide. Given Li He's family background, killing him would be a piece of cake, and without any legal consequences. "What, scared? If you're scared then why act tough? I thought you were really brave!" Hao Jian taunted, knowing that Wang Mingzhe was just fierce on the surface, but actually a coward. "Fuck you!" Wang Mingzhe was furious. Who the hell was this idiot to judge him? He lunged at Hao Jian, aiming a punch at Hao Jian's face. Hao Jian's eyes turned frosty and he fiercely swung a slap that sent Wang Mingzhe spinning 365 degrees in the air before he heavily crashed to the ground, dazed and disoriented. "Wang Mingzhe, have you lost your mind? He's the man who saved your life!" Jiang Yutong also panicked, but she hadn't expected Wang Mingzhe to be so out of control to not distinguish right from wrong anymore. At the age of twenty, if Wang Mingzhe still didn't know how to take care of himself, then there really was no hope for him. "Ah!" Wang Mingzhe had completely lost it. It was bad enough being humiliated in front of Li He, but now even this unknown man was insulting him. Did he deserve to be trampled upon by everyone? Thinking this, Wang Mingzhe, driven by rage, pulled out a dagger from his jacket and charged at Hao Jian. Seeing this, Jiang Yutong couldn't help but scream, her face turning pale with fright. Wang Mingzhe lunged with the dagger, but just as he thought he would stab Hao Jian, Hao Jian suddenly grabbed his wrist, sneering at him, "You're acting like a mad dog, huh!" "Crack!" Hao Jian forcefully twisted, and Wang Mingzhe's wrist was instantly broken. "Ah!" Wang Mingzhe's face distorted in pain, and he couldn't help but scream loudly. "Since you're so brave, why didn't you use it to stab him?" Hao Jian coldly scoffed, pointing at Li He while still holding Wang Mingzhe's wrist: "That's because you're scared, your impulsiveness is just to mask your own impotence and cowardice, because Li He is right, you are nothing but trash!" S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Let go of me!" Hearing Hao Jian describe him this way, Wang Mingzhe was so angry that he trembled all over, even forgetting the pain. Wang Mingzhe was extremely ashamed because what was said was true. He didn't dare to stab Li He because there were so many people with Li He. But Wang Mingzhe wanted to vent his current frustrations, so he conveniently shifted his target to Hao Jian, the man who had just saved him. Hearing this, Li He and his companions couldn't help but laugh, their laughter full of mockery at Wang Mingzhe. They found it hilarious that Wang Mingzhe didn't dare to confront Li He but instead hurt his own rescuer. "You really are worse than pigs and dogs," Li He also said with a cold smile. Upon hearing this, Wang Mingzhe's face showed deep humiliation, and at that moment, he really felt like killing Hao Jian. In his eyes, if it hadn't been for Hao Jian, he wouldn't have been humiliated by Li He. "Enough, both of you stop messing around and just get lost!" Li He said impatiently. Since he had said he would let Wang Mingzhe go, he naturally would keep his word, but that didn't mean he wanted to see them anymore. Hearing this, Li He's girlfriend finally realized the seriousness of the situation and grabbed Li He's hand, "Li He, I know I was wrong, I really didn't do it on purpose, I just thought it would be fun. Please give me another chance, I promise I'll never dare again." It wasn't until Li He told her to get lost that the girl realized she was in love with him. "Get lost!" Li He indifferently spat out the word. The girl's expression instantly stiffened. "Xiaohai, don't beg him, you still have me!" Wang Mingzhe quickly walked up to the girl and softly spoke to her, clearly liking her because he felt like Xiaohai and he were from the same world. No one else understood him like she did, a typical moron. "Get lost!" The girl named Xiaohai pushed Wang Mingzhe away with disgust and scolded: "It's all your fault! If you hadn't sweet-talked me into drinking, how could I possibly end up having relations with you while I was out of my senses?" "Well well, looks like she really doesn't care about you at all. Rightly so, if I were her, I wouldn't go for trash like you either," Hao Jian chuckled. Intoxicate a girl with alcohol and then forcefully take advantage of her, this type of person is scum. Although Wang Mingzhe is Jiang Yutong's cousin, Hao Jian couldn't really do much to him, but that didn't mean he condoned his behavior. Chapter 340 Ungrateful "You fuckin' say that to me one more time?" Wang Mingzhe glared at Hao Jian with teeth clenched. "I said you're worthless," mocked Hao Jian unabashedly, "She doesn't even want to bother with you. Trying to steal someone's girl and ending up humiliated ¡ª tsk, tsk, tsk, could you be any more embarrassing?" He had absolutely no intention of sparing Wang Mingzhe's feelings. If he had known Wang Mingzhe was such a joke, he wouldn't have bothered to save him. If Wang Mingzhe had successfully stolen the girl, Hao Jian wouldn't have said anything, as that would also imply that the girl was problematic. But the reality was that Wang Mingzhe tricked the girl into drinking, and then took advantage of her vulnerability, which Hao Jian found contemptible. "Jiang Yutong, can't you get your man to shut up?" Unable to get the upper hand over Hao Jian, Wang Mingzhe turned instead to roar at Jiang Yutong. "He's not my man, he's my teacher. And he's not wrong, Wang Mingzhe, you really disappoint me!" Jiang Yutong shook her head, her eyes reflecting a trace of disdain. She hadn't expected Wang Mingzhe to be this kind of person. "Alright, alright, you're all so great!" Wang Mingzhe gave Jiang Yutong and Hao Jian a thumbs-up, then glared viciously at Hao Jian and Li He: "You. You just wait! You dare to insult me like this, I won't let you off! I'm calling my boss right now, I want him to kill you both!" Now that Wang Mingzhe was free, naturally, no one would detain his belongings. He quickly took out his phone from his pocket and called for backup. Meanwhile, Hao Jian and Li He just watched, making no move to stop Wang Mingzhe. The reason was simple: Hao Jian didn't care, while Li He was considering his own pride. If he stopped Wang Mingzhe from making the call, wouldn't that mean he was afraid of Wang Mingzhe? He couldn't possibly do something that would make him lose face. After making the call, Wang Mingzhe looked sinisterly at Hao Jian and Li He: "Just you wait, my boss is a 'Double Flower Red Stick' of the Yihe Club. He's on his way with people. You're dead!" Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, never imagining the story would take such a turn. Hao Jian and Li He hadn't clashed, and instead, the rescuer had come to blows with the one he saved. Wasn't this just too ridiculous? "Wang Mingzhe, you are beyond redemption, Teacher Hao saved you! How can you treat him like this?" Jiang Yutong stamped her foot in anger at Wang Mingzhe's crazed behavior. "Saved me? I think he's trying to humiliate me," sneered Wang Mingzhe in fury, "Besides, do I fuckin' need his saving? Even without him, I could have taken this little shit down myself! My boss is a 'Double Flower Red Stick' of the Yihe Club, just a single phone call and I can have dozens of guys coming over!" Everyone snickered upon hearing this. Hadn't Hao Jian suddenly appeared, Wang Mingzhe would have probably been thrown into the Huangpu River by now, with no chance to call anyone. Hao Jian just shook his head in speechless disbelief at this ingratitude. "I've decided to change my mind. I don't plan on letting him leave alive," said Li He, turning to Hao Jian. Hao Jian shrugged and smiled, "I have no objections!" Hao Jian was no saint. Wang Mingzhe was planning to have someone come after him, so why would he continue to protect Wang Mingzhe? "Teacher!" Jiang Yutong panicked. She dared not speak frankly, as Wang Mingzhe was her cousin after all, and the thought of watching her cousin die was something Jiang Yutong found difficult to accept! "You saw for yourself. It's not that I don't want to save him, but that he's too full of himself," Hao Jian said with a helpless smile. "Save me? You'd better think about saving yourself. Once my boss gets here, you're all going to die!" Wang Mingzhe laughed maniacally, preening like a victorious rooster, his gaze venomously fixed on Hao Jian and the others. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Boss, the Yihe Club isn't something we can afford to offend. Maybe we should leave now?" At this point, one of Li He's underlings, who knew about the Yihe Club, advised him. Hearing this, Li He couldn't help but frown. Indeed, the Yihe Club was not to be trifled with, and even with his family's background, he dreaded dealing with such desperados. After a few seconds of hesitation, Li He shook his head and said, "The rest of you go. I'll stay here." His words implied that he planned to deal with the Yihe Club alone. When Li He's friends and underlings heard this, they were all shocked. How could they provoke the Yihe Club? In the end, they were just a bunch of kids looking for fun and occasionally bullying ordinary people. If they really clashed with the mafia, they would be in way over their heads. Li He was much more courageous than them because he knew he couldn't back down. If he did, he would never be able to catch up with that man. That man had once made the Yihe Club lose face. He didn't have the capability to make the Yihe Club eat humble pie, but what he could do was to never show weakness in front of them! "Boss, don't be impulsive. We can leave the green hills without fear of no firewood. Let's use our connections to talk to the Yihe Club later. I don't believe they would offend us for the sake of a small fry. But right now, don't try to act too tough; we stand no chance against the Yihe Club," another underling advised Li He. "Enough. Those who want to leave, leave quickly!" Li He said expressionlessly, prepared to face anything, be it beating or death. But as a man, he absolutely could not cower! Li He's actions earned him a higher regard from Hao Jian, who couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Still too young! A man shouldn't cower, but a mature man knows when to be flexible. While Li He's behavior was manly, it also revealed his immature vulnerabilities. But no matter how you put it, at least in terms of personality, Li He was far superior to Wang Mingzhe. Upon hearing that Li He wasn't leaving, Wang Mingzhe's face broke into a smile like a blooming foxtail, thinking that as long as he could take Li He down, Xiaohan would become his woman! "Teacher, let's just go!" Jiang Yutong said uneasily, feeling anxious when she heard Wang Mingzhe had called the mafia. She didn't want Hao Jian to fall victim to this. "Leave? You think he can leave? Fucking idiot, let me tell you, even if you run to the ends of the earth, it's useless. No matter where you go, I can find you and then play you to death!" Wang Mingzhe cackled madly, looking insane. "Don't worry, I'm not leaving. If I had to run away from a mad dog, I wouldn't have survived until now," Hao Jian said with a cold smirk. "Fine, fine, fine, you scum just keep being smug. Wait until my boss gets here, we'll have plenty of ways to kill you!" Wang Mingzhe gritted his teeth. Hao Jian shook his head with a smile, too lazy to pay any more attention to Wang Mingzhe. Instead, he turned to Li He, asking with interest, "You really won't leave? The Yihe Club isn't something a kid like you can handle." "Why don't you worry about yourself instead of minding my business?" Li He retorted with a cold laugh. Now that Hao Jian was facing the same threat as him, what right did he have to judge? "Eh, I'm not worried at all, because they wouldn't dare touch me!" Hao Jian said confidently. He wasn't afraid of Martial Evil Hall, so why would he fear the likes of the Yihe Club? Upon hearing this, Li He and the others couldn't help but frown, unsure where Hao Jian's confidence came from. The Yihe Club was a rising gang¡ªwas there no limit to one's ignorance? Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire "Everyone can talk big. Wait until my boss arrives, don't piss your pants!" Wang Mingzhe mocked coldly. The others also shook their heads in succession, finding Hao Jian's words somewhat laughable. In their view, Hao Jian probably didn't understand the Yihe Club, which was why he could say such a stupid thing. The Yihe Club wouldn't dare to touch him? What made him think the Yihe Club wouldn't dare? About half an hour later, several vans appeared at the scene. Seeing those vans, Wang Mingzhe's heart leapt with joy. He laughed heartily, "Kid, you're done for. My boss has arrived. Just wait to kneel down and lick my shoes!" Hao Jian chuckled, then landed a kick on Wang Mingzhe's head, sending him flying into a trash can nearby. Immediately following, a strange mini plastic cap hung on Wang Mingzhe's head. Upon closer inspection, his face turned green. Because that plastic cap turned out to be a used condom! "Teacher!" Jiang Yutong glared at Hao Jian, angry. "Sorry, I couldn't help it," Hao Jian shrugged, apologizing with his mouth, but the smile on his face showed no remorse at all. The unidentified white liquid dripped one drop after another down his colorful, exploded hair, eventually falling on Wang Mingzhe's nose. "Yuck," Hao Jian feigned a disgusted expression. He hadn't expected the trash can to contain such an interesting item, let alone for Wang Mingzhe to encounter it. Wang Mingzhe flung the disgusting thing away, his eyes nearly popping out in rage as he bellowed, "I want you dead! I definitely want you dead!" "All right, I'll be waiting!" Hao Jian smiled calmly, not taking Wang Mingzhe's threats seriously at all. At that moment, a group of people got out of the vans. Leading them was a buzz-headed young man in a suit with a sinister face and a deadly aura. "Brother Long!" Wang Mingzhe hurried forward to greet him. "Smack!" Without a word, Brother Long slapped Wang Mingzhe across the face. As a Double Flower Red Stick, Brother Long was certainly skilled in fighting, so the power behind his hand was unquestionable, causing Wang Mingzhe to stagger and nearly fall to the ground. Wang Mingzhe was close to tears. What was going on today? He had been hit by three different people in just one hour. "You son of a bitch, are you always causing trouble for me? Didn't I tell you that if you fucked up again, I'd end you? Did you take my words as a joke?" Brother Long said fiercely, clearly annoyed by the frequent trouble Wang Mingzhe stirred up for him. Wang Mingzhe felt a burning shame on his face and embarrassment washed over him. Meanwhile, Hao Jian looked on with a cold sneer. It seemed that Wang Mingzhe wasn't that valued within the Yihe Club after all. Chapter 341 No Meeting Without Coincidence "Brother Long, this really isn't my fault. They were the ones who came looking for trouble. Just look at what they did to my face!" Wang Mingzhe said, gesturing to his own face with a sense of grievance. Upon hearing this, Brother Long snorted coldly and stopped berating Wang Mingzhe. After all, he was his underling. Someone hitting his underling was a slight against his own face. Brother Long walked over with Wang Mingzhe, confronting everyone arrogantly, "Who hit my little brother? Stand out!" "I did!" "I did, too!" Hao Jian and Li He stepped forward one after the other. "Wow, lining up to seek death? You two idiots know who I am, right?" Brother Long laughed out of anger. Were these kids rushing in to meet their doom? Li He's face darkened. He didn't say a word, as Wang Mingzhe had already told him about Brother Long. How could he not know who Brother Long was? Moreover, Li He could sense something from the murderous aura emanating from Brother Long. That's why he didn't dare to speak. Despite his courage, he wasn't truly fearless. Faced with Brother Long's threat, Li He couldn't help feeling a bit apprehensive. "Of course, we know. The boss of a mad dog is either a mad dog or a stupid dog. Who else could it be?" Yet, at this moment, Hao Jian unflinchingly laughed dismissively. Li He and the others were shocked, staring at Hao Jian as if he were a freak. Had he grown tired of living? Couldn't he see how many people Brother Long had brought with him? At these words, Brother Long narrowed his eyes, smirking at Hao Jian. He couldn't remember the last time anyone dared to speak to him like this. "Boss, this guy is the most arrogant one. He doesn't take you seriously at all!" Wang Mingzhe pointed at Hao Jian and cursed, trying to incite Brother Long. His hatred for Hao Jian had now surpassed that for Li He. "Kid, you've successfully angered me," Brother Long said with a cold smile. "So what?" Hao Jian retorted disdainfully. "So, I'm going to throw your body into the pigpen to feed the pigs!" Brother Long sneered. Still asking 'so what'? He's truly too arrogant. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just then, an old man got out of the car and said to Brother Long, "Along, hurry up and get this over with. The boss wants us back for a meeting!" "Old Fifth is here too?" Wang Mingzhe was startled, he hadn't expected the Deputy Gang Leader to come as well. Seeing Hao Jian among the crowd, wearing a cold smile, Old Fifth's expression changed instantly, and he exclaimed in fright, "Hao Jian!" "Hao Jian?" As soon as these words were spoken, many people present turned to Old Fifth with shocked expressions. Hao Jian was now a well-known figure in Hua City. In fact, there was hardly anyone in the inner circles who didn't know him. Everyone was aware of this freak, who, as a nobody, challenged two Young Masters, embarrassing them and leaving them completely disgraced. Now, the name Hao Jian was a sensitive word. Not knowing Hao Jian? That meant you were not important enough, not yet part of the upper echelons of society! Li He, hearing Old Fifth mention him, was also dumbfounded. His idol was here? Who could it be? Then, Li He turned to look at Hao Jian; he seemed to recall Jiang Yutong calling Hao Jian 'Teacher Hao'. "Hao Jian, where is he?" Brother Long was also panicking, looking around restlessly. For an entity even the Martial Evil Hall was wary of, he naturally was fearful. Although he was a good fighter, he was only good against average people. Against a monster like Hao Jian, he was utterly helpless, for Hao Jian could instantly kill Martial Artists. "No enemies do not meet; how true that saying is," Hao Jian sighed with resignation. He, too, was surprised by the appearance of Old Fifth. And when they heard Hao Jian speak, everyone knew who Hao Jian was. Their expressions frozen, they turned to look at Hao Jian. Seeing everyone looking as if they had seen a ghost, Wang Mingzhe also felt confused and asked Brother Long, "Brother Long, who is Hao Jian?" "Shut your mouth!" Brother Long snapped impatiently. His expression was grave. He hadn't expected Wang Mingzhe to have offended Hao Jian. Wasn't that just asking for trouble? Even the Martial Evil Hall had said not to provoke the monster Hao Jian recently. How could his Yihe Club contend with him? "Hao Jian, it's you again?" Old Fifth's face soured as he spoke, recalling how Hao Jian had once insulted him and couldn't help but grow angry. Is this guy a disaster star? Wherever I go, I run into him? "So what if it's me?" Hao Jian stepped forward with a cold smile, his posture arrogant, seemingly not taking Old Fifth and the others seriously at all. At that moment, Old Fifth and his associates couldn't help but step back, as if avoiding a venomous snake. Seeing this, Wang Mingzhe and the others were stunned. Was this guy really that frightening? Li He's face immediately lit up with joy. It was indeed Hao Jian, no doubt about it. Who else could instill such fear in a gang, other than the legendary "demonic Hao Jian"? "Yo, that scared, huh? Don't be like that, you're the mafia, showing weakness like this will make people look down on you!" Hao Jian mocked with a laugh. Seeing this, Wang Mingzhe suddenly had an ominous hunch. He had thought at first that Hao Jian was just an ordinary teacher who maybe had some decent driving skills. How could he know that Hao Jian had such a big reputation, that even his boss, let alone the Deputy Gang Leader, would be so afraid of him. "Hao Jian, what exactly do you want?" Old Fifth said, both embarrassed and annoyed. "What do I want? It's simple: this kid offended me, so kill this kid and we'll call it even. Otherwise, none of you are leaving today!" Hao Jian said aggressively. "Teacher Hao!" Jiang Yutong suddenly panicked. Was Hao Jian really planning to kill Wang Mingzhe? How could that be okay? If Wang Mingzhe really was killed by Hao Jian, how would she explain it to her aunt when she got back? "He's my little brother, why do you get to say kill and kill?" Brother Long shouted defensively, his voice filled with feigned toughness. Although he was very afraid, as a figure in the underworld backed by so many brothers, if he didn't speak up, how would his brothers see him? Even if it was just for show, he had to say something. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian scoffed with disdain: "Why can't I say kill if he's your little brother? You want to protect him? Do you have the ability?" Brother Long fell silent; he indeed didn't have the ability. Hao Jian didn't consider him a threat at all. If he really confronted Hao Jian, it's likely he would be beaten to death in a few moves. Seeing Brother Long fall silent, everyone realized he had backed down. "Hao Jian, don't be too arrogant!" Old Fifth warned from the side. The continuous insults to their Yihe Club were intolerable to anyone. On the streets, face was everything; if you were hit, you had to hit back, or else you'd be laughed at by other gangs. But Hao Jian kept bringing them disgrace, and what was even more infuriating was that they could only swallow the humiliation, helpless to retaliate. "Arrogant? What about it? What can you do to me?" Hao Jian said, blatantly disrespecting Old Fifth. "I'll say it again, either you personally take that kid down, or let me do it. Your choice!" At these words, Wang Mingzhe trembled uncontrollably as if struck by a chill, anxiously glancing at his boss. Brother Long was also looking at Wang Mingzhe, his expression hesitant, seemingly considering whether to sacrifice Wang Mingzhe. "Boss, I'm your little brother, you can't do this to me." Seeing the expression on Brother Long's face, Wang Mingzhe was on the verge of tears. "Hao Jian, we can't accept your conditions. He's a brother of Yihe Club; we can't turn on our own. Tell us what compensation you want, and we'll do our best to satisfy you," Old Fifth said, his face ashen with defeat. He'd rather compensate Hao Jian than harm Wang Mingzhe¡ªnot because Wang Mingzhe was that important to the gang¡ªbut because if he killed Wang Mingzhe in front of so many brothers, it would undoubtedly discourage his own men. Betraying a brother out of fear of others, how could Yihe Club continue to operate? Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire "No, either he dies or you all die. There's no third option." But obviously, Hao Jian didn't care about that at all, or perhaps it was intentional, designed to shame Yihe Club once more. Old Fifth gritted his teeth in hatred; Hao Jian was driving them into a corner. "Old Fifth, to deal with a small fry, you have to make such a big deal out of it, what use are you?" At that moment, a deep and gruff voice came from inside the vehicle. Everyone saw a van tremble violently, and a giant, burly man emerged from inside. He was over two meters tall, his body all muscle. Despite the winter cold, he was topless, revealing his strong, tanned skin. His long hair, reaching down to his shoulders, gave him a wild look, like a savage from the wilderness. Seeing this man, Hao Jian couldn't help but frown because he sensed a kindred spirit in him¡ªthis man must also be a Martial Artist, and a strong one at that! This man was indeed a Martial Artist, sent by the Martial Evil Hall. The Hall had suffered heavy losses in their previous encounters with Hao Jian; with no other choice, the Gang Leader had to seek help from the Silver Powers and asked them to send a stronger Martial Artist¡ªthis man was one of them. His name was Shi Potian, known for his immense strength, capable of twisting metal and stone with his bare hands, ranking among the top within the entire Silver Level forces. Chapter 342 Three Punches "Mr. Shi, it's not that we want to cause a delay, but we really ran into a tough nut," Old Fifth said with a look of embarrassment. He didn't dare to treat this man from the Gathering Qi Sect with anything but respect. "Tough nut? Where?" As soon as he heard there was a tough nut, Shi Jingtian immediately perked up, because aside from being famous for his immense strength, he was also particularly combative! But Shi Jingtian had been in Hua City for quite a while and had yet to meet a worthy opponent. Those guys were no match for him; he was starting to get bored and felt the loneliness of a superior fighter. "It's him, he's Hao Jian," Old Fifth said, pointing at Hao Jian. "Oh?" Shi Jingtian looked Hao Jian over with interest, "So it was you who killed so many Martial Artists from my Gathering Qi Sect?" "Murder?" Jiang Yutong's expression froze instantly, knowing very little about Hao Jian and never expecting he could be a killer. Wang Mingzhe also turned ashen-faced. If Hao Jian had killed people before, might he kill him too? The more Wang Mingzhe thought about it, the more he felt it was possible, and the more frightened he became. At this moment, the most excited person was Li He, who never imagined that his idol would be right in front of his eyes! "It was me," Hao Jian replied with a faint smile. "So it was also you who killed our Young Master?" Shi Jingtian said with a smirk, his expression growing colder. "It was also me," Hao Jian nodded again, adding, "He put on quite the show, but in reality, he was just trash. I hadn't even exerted my full strength before he was already down." "Is that so? Well then, this time I will be your opponent!" Shi Jingtian bellowed furiously, and in an instant, punched a nearby supercar. The punch not only shattered the car door but also affected the entire body of the car, turning it instantly into scrap metal. "My car!" A rich second generation let out a wail. He had saved up a whole year's allowance to buy it, and now it was just a pile of scrap metal. But he didn't dare to speak out in anger. Shi Jingtian was able to shatter a car with his bare hands; what about hitting a person? Everyone who saw Shi Jingtian's move couldn't help but gasp in shock and fear. Shi Jingtian also appeared very pleased with himself, proudly raising his head, provocatively looking at Hao Jian. "Wow, you've got quite some strength there," Hao Jian said mockingly. Although it seemed like he was praising Shi Jingtian on the surface, he didn't take him seriously at all. But Shi Jingtian, oblivious to this, continued with a flourish, "That's right! They call me the Power King! There are hardly a few in the entire Baiyue Province who can compete with me in terms of strength, and even fewer who can take three punches from me and not die!" Upon hearing this, Jiang Yutong and others were visibly shocked. They had no idea if the claim was true or not, but it sounded intimidating. Wang Mingzhe looked at Shi Jingtian with anticipation, truly hoping Shi Jingtian could kill Hao Jian with one punch; otherwise, he himself would be in danger. When Wang Mingzhe compared Shi Jingtian's bear-like build to Hao Jian's lean and thin frame, his confidence in Shi Jingtian soared. With Hao Jian's frail figure, he probably couldn't even withstand a single punch from Shi Jingtian, right? Damned bastard, you're going to be beaten to death! Wang Mingzhe thought viciously as he glared at Hao Jian. But at that moment, hearing Shi Jingtian speak, Hao Jian just laughed derisively, and then said scornfully, "Bullshit!" "You don't believe it?" Shi Jingtian's face darkened with displeasure. Hao Jian actually dared to question his strength? "You say you're called the Power King, right? So, does that mean you're infinitely strong?" Hao Jian asked, arms crossed, looking at Shi Jingtian with interest. "Yes!" Shi Jingtian replied grimly, disliking the way Hao Jian spoke, as if he was being provocative. "And you also said that very few people could take three punches from you and not die, right?" Hao Jian continued. "What exactly are you trying to say?" Shi Jingtian was getting impatient. Hao Jian was only repeating what he had said, which was essentially talking nonsense. "Well, why don't we have a contest of strength? You punch me three times, and I punch you once. Let me see if you're really as powerful as you claim. How about that?" Hao Jian laughed. As soon as he spoke, everyone was shocked. Hao Jian was actually letting his opponent hit him three times? Was he seeking death? Had he not seen that the other man could smash a car to pieces with his bare hands? And that car was a supercar, at that, with a body meant to be much more durable; yet it couldn't withstand even one punch from Shi Jingtian. Now Hao Jian was saying he would let Shi Jingtian hit him three times. How was that any different from suicide? "Teacher, let's not compete, let's not get involved with this matter anymore, let's just go home right now," Jiang Yutong said hastily when she heard Hao Jian make such a suicidal move, pleading with him with an anxious look on her face. She really didn't want to see Hao Jian get hurt. Now was not the time for showing off; Shi Jingtian could kill a person with one punch, and that was undeniable. While Hao Jian could fight, Jiang Yutong did not believe he was a match for a monster like Shi Jingtian. But Wang Mingzhe couldn't help but sneer, thinking Hao Jian was intentionally seeking death. That suited him just fine. As long as Hao Jian died, his own crisis would be resolved automatically. He now desperately wished he could accept on Shi Jingtian's behalf and then quickly kill Hao Jian and be done with it. Not far away, Li He heard what Hao Jian said and was also extremely excited. Unlike Jiang Yutong and Wang Mingzhe, he had absolute confidence in Hao Jian. After all, Hao Jian was now a legendary figure in Hua City. "What's the matter, you don't believe in me?" Hao Jian softly said to Jiang Yutong, and deliberately pinched Jiang Yutong's cheek to help her relax. But at this moment, Jiang Yutong was far from relaxed. Seeing that Hao Jian refused to leave, she began to cry helplessly, "It's all my fault, everything is my fault. If I hadn't gotten you involved in this, you wouldn't be like this. It's all my fault." "Silly girl, don't be so pessimistic. It's not certain that I'll die. You have to have a little confidence in your teacher!" Hao Jian laughed heartily. "But..." Jiang Yutong lifted her head, looking at Hao Jian with tearful eyes. "There's nothing to 'but' about. I won't have any problems, trust me. Your teacher, Hao Jian, is invincible," Hao Jian rubbed Jiang Yutong's hair and said before walking towards Shi Jingtian, "How about it? Do you accept my request or not?" "You're not joking?" Shi Jingtian frowned and asked. In his eyes, this was simply courting death. Even if Hao Jian was a martial artist, he was confident that he could kill Hao Jian within three punches. Such a request was bizarre. Who would actively seek to be beaten? Wasn't this outright stupid? The guy's name really wasn't chosen wrong. "Unfortunately, I don't have a habit of joking with my enemies," Hao Jian said with a cold sneer. "Hmph! Since you're asking for death, why should I refuse?" Shi Jingtian was also angered by Hao Jian's arrogant attitude and now wanted Hao Jian to pay the price for his actions. At this, everyone couldn't help but be extremely shocked, for they could already envision the scene of Hao Jian being turned into mush under Shi Jingtian's fists. "Boss Shi, our Gang Leader has called us to a meeting. Let's leave quickly and not delay here," Old Fifth panicked. He knew only too well how terrifying Hao Jian was. If Hao Jian dared to say such things, he surely had some reliance. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian had a reputation for tricking people, not just once or twice. Those who knew him were aware. Every time, it was like this: he would lure you in, and just when you foolishly thought you had him, he would turn the tables and swallow you whole, classic playing the pig to catch the tiger. Although Old Fifth didn't know Hao Jian very well, he was aware of some of the rumors. Shi Jingtian was an aid sent by Martial Evil Hall to them, and he didn't want Shi Jingtian to suffer any accidents. "Isn't it just killing someone? It won't take that long!" Shi Jingtian said impatiently, clearly set on teaching the arrogant man in front of him a lesson. Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire "This... Alas," Old Fifth hung his head in dismay, feeling that things were going south. If Shi Jingtian died, the Martial Evil Hall would certainly hold them accountable. But Old Fifth knew he couldn't persuade Shi Jingtian, who wouldn't give a damn about the likes of them in the eyes of a martial artist like him. "Kid, are you ready?" Shi Jingtian clenched his fist, which was as big as a pot, and coldly sneered at Hao Jian. Hao Jian crossed his arms over his chest, too lazy to even change his posture, and arrogantly sneered, "Come on! Big bear!" "Seeking death!" Feeling Hao Jian's contempt, Shi Jingtian was furiously enraged, he stomp the ground forcefully, and his whole body leaped three meters into the air, directly pouncing towards Hao Jian. In mid-air, Shi Jingtian's fist aimed straight for Hao Jian's head. "Ah!" Jiang Yutong, frightened, closed her eyes, unwilling to witness the horrific scene. Wang Mingzhe, however, looked like he had gone mad, continuously shouting in his heart: Kill him! Kill this bastard! "Bang!" A dull sound suddenly rang out, followed by two or three meters of pause, and a terrifying gust of wind suddenly arose out of nowhere, sweeping in all directions, forcing everyone to cover their eyes to block the incoming dust and sand. When the dust settled, they hurriedly looked towards the center, trying to locate the sound of Shi Jingtian and the others. At that moment, Shi Jingtian's punch had landed on Hao Jian's face, squishing his nose and face together. "Teacher Hao Jian!" Jiang Yutong's eyes moistened as she looked at Hao Jian, feeling every pore of her body worrying for him. She just wanted to know how Hao Jian was. Hao Jian stretched out his hand and gave Jiang Yutong a thumbs up, signaling he was fine. Jiang Yutong immediately smiled through her tears, glaring at him with some annoyance, that bad guy, he had really scared her just now. Shi Jingtian and the others, however, were all shocked, especially Shi Jingtian, who knew very well how terrible the power of his punch was. By all rights, Hao Jian's head should have flown off already, but why was he unscathed? Wang Mingzhe, Old Fifth, and some other members of the Yihe Club all showed fear on their faces, ominously feeling that something bad was about to happen. Chapter 343 Crushed to Death by a Car Everyone was stunned by this scene, all believing that Hao Jian would surely be doomed beneath Shi Jingtian's fist, but not only did Hao Jian survive, he smoothly caught Shi Jingtian's punch, and now he even felt leisurely enough to joke around? They had seen Shi Jingtian's ability to explode a car with a single punch, could it be that Hao Jian's body was even harder than steel? Hao Jian took two steps back, then rubbed his somewhat reddened face and calmly said, "Two more punches!" Everyone was dumbfounded, Hao Jian was really unharmed? They clearly saw that aside from some redness, Hao Jian's face was completely without a scratch. Was this guy really made of iron? "Ah! Shi Jingtian," he roared hysterically, taking two steps back and then charging forward again. This time, he employed all his might, launching a punch towards Hao Jian. Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire "Bang!" This time, Hao Jian backed up two steps but still stood firm. Hao Jian took another two steps back and, with a smile, said to Shi Jingtian, "One more punch!" Everyone was both laughing and crying, Hao Jian was clearly mocking Shi Jingtian. Two consecutive punches had failed to harm Hao Jian, so wouldn't the result of the third be the same? At this moment, everyone's shock was beyond measure. Could Hao Jian's slender frame truly withstand Shi Jingtian's bear-like assault? The faces of Wang Mingzhe and others darkened, as they were in the same boat as Shi Jingtian. If Shi Jingtian lost, they would be doomed as well! A sense of fear arose in Shi Jingtian's heart as he suddenly realized he had underestimated Hao Jian's strength. This young man was definitely not as simple as he appeared to be. His skills were considered medium to high in the Gathering Qi Sect. Yet, he couldn't even leave a mark on Hao Jian, let alone defeat him, which made Shi Jingtian feel frustrated and infuriated. "One more punch, are you going to throw it or not?" Hao Jian sneered. He knew that Shi Jingtian had begun to notice something, but it was useless, Hao Jian wasn't about to let him off the hook at this point. If Shi Jingtian delivered the third punch, it would be his turn next. Shi Jingtian knew this too, so he hesitated to throw the final punch. But now everyone was watching him. If he didn't throw it, wouldn't that be a tacit concession? "If you don't throw it, then I'm making my move," seeing Shi Jingtian's hesitation, Hao Jian immediately sneered. "I'll throw it~!" Through gritted teeth, Shi Jingtian yelled, then lifted his fist and violently smashed it towards Hao Jian's chest. Since hitting the head twice had been ineffective, he aimed for another target. "Crack." "Ah!" But at that moment, something unexpected happened. Shi Jingtian's fist, which struck Hao Jian, suddenly broke, and with it, Shi Jingtian screamed miserably, lying on the ground clutching his hand like a dead dog. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, my body is ten times tougher than my head," Hao Jian said mockingly. Shi Jingtian had dared to strike his flesh, which was practically suicidal. Upon hearing Hao Jian say this, everyone felt their breath catch. His body was ten times tougher than his head? Could Hao Jian's body really be harder than steel? Was this guy even human? Yet, what was even more shocking was yet to come. Watching Shi Jingtian convulsing on the ground, Hao Jian showed no mercy, faintly smiling, "Your three punches are done, now it's my turn!" "Don't. Don't kill me!" Shi Jingtian waved his hands frantically, crying out in fear. He was utterly terrified. He wasn't even close to Hao Jian's level, as he couldn't even harm him while he stood still, how could he possibly contend with him? "Take a punch from me. If you don't die, I won't kill you," Hao Jian sneered. "No way, absolutely not!" Shi Jingtian shook his head vehemently. How could he agree? Hao Jian's ability to withstand three punches without harm was proof enough that they weren't of the same caliber. Moreover, although Shi Jingtian's attack power was decent, defense was not his strong suit. Shi Jingtian got up and ran, leaving Old Fifth and the others dumbstruck. He had strutted in arrogantly moments before, and now he was running for the hills. Was this really the demeanor of a master? "Hmph, such spirit!" Hao Jian couldn't help but sneer again, then he walked towards one of the Supercars, grabbing its rear. "What is he trying to do?" Everyone watched Hao Jian's actions, somewhat puzzled. "Lift!" At that moment, Hao Jian roared, his face flushing, and he suddenly lifted with both hands. "Hiss." Everyone involuntarily gasped in shock, as if they had seen a ghost, and even a few women fainted straight away. Because they clearly saw, Hao Jian lifted a nearly two-ton Supercar up. Yes! Lifted it and even held it high above his head! At that moment, those who witnessed the scene were so shocked they could've fit an egg in their mouths, and their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. This was absolutely terrifying, a scene straight out of a movie, lifting a car with bare hands. This guy was definitely not human! "I must be dreaming, or perhaps I'm overly shocked." Jiang Yutong muttered to herself, holding her forehead, choosing self-deception over explaining the inexplicable. Hao Jian, under everyone's intense gaze, lifted the Supercar high and hurled it at Shi Jingtian. With a piercing scream, Shi Jingtian was completely crushed beneath it, reduced to a mush of flesh, blood seeping from under the chassis of the car. A master just like that was smashed to death. Old Fifth and Brother Long both looked ashen, ultimately Shi Jingtian was killed by Hao Jian, and they were doomed. There was no way they could explain this to Martial Evil Hall. The deceased was not an ordinary Martial Artist but an elite of the Gathering Qi Sect, respected even by Martial Evil Hall. Now with Shi Jingtian dead, Yihe Club must pay the price. Yet what they feared most now was not this but how to deal with Hao Jian. This guy dared to kill Shi Jingtian in public, he would surely dare to kill them! "Gathering Qi Sect? Utterly pathetic!" Hao Jian shook his head in disappointment, his arrogance boundless. At that time, no one dared speak, everyone was terrified by Hao Jian's action. "You, come here!" Hao Jian threatened Old Fifth and Brother Long. The two exchanged glances and could only sigh helplessly, approaching Hao Jian. Old Fifth said nervously, "Hao Jian, it wasn't us who sent Shi Jingtian to trouble you, you saw it yourself just now." They were very afraid that Hao Jian would vent his anger on them. "Break his legs!" Hao Jian pointed at Wang Mingzhe and commanded. Wang Mingzhe's face showed fear; he knew Hao Jian wouldn't let him off easily. "Okay, no problem!" At this time, Brother Long dared not act tough anymore, as acting tough would lead to the same fate as Shi Jingtian. "Oh, so now you can harm each other? It seems you aren't that loyal after all," Hao Jian said with a cold sneer. Brother Long looked embarrassed but didn't dare to contradict him. Immediately, Brother Long turned his fierce gaze towards Wang Mingzhe. "Boss, I'm your brother!" Wang Mingzhe cried out with a devastated expression, looking utterly terrified. "I've already told you before not to cause trouble, or else you would eventually offend someone you can't confront. You brought this upon yourself; I can't help you," Brother Long said emotionlessly, shaking his head. He couldn't sacrifice himself for the sake of defending Wang Mingzhe. Wang Mingzhe's expression froze, and after hesitating for a couple of seconds, he turned to Jiang Yutong, "Cousin, save me, I know I was wrong, I really do!" Upon hearing this, Jiang Yutong also felt compassionate. Hesitating for a moment, she still said to Hao Jian, "Master, can you spare him?" "Spare? I've already spared him. If I hadn't, do you think he would still be alive? His death may be pardoned, but he'll not escape punishment; breaking one of his legs is already sparing him," Hao Jian said coldly. "But he's my brother," Jiang Yutong grew anxious, thinking since Wang Mingzhe had realized his mistake, why couldn't he be spared. Hao Jian turned to look at Jiang Yutong, still with a cold demeanor, "So what? Whether he's your brother or not, it's between him and me now. I suppose you also heard that he was trying to kill me just now, didn't you?" From the moment Wang Mingzhe thought of killing him, everything had already changed. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He could consider Wang Mingzhe as youthful and foolish, but he also had to pay the price for his youth. Being young is not an excuse for wrongdoing. One can't say that because of youth, one can act recklessly. If because of youth one can kill, then what's the need for law in this world? "And you shouldn't forget that his life was given by me, right? I saved his life, so how is taking one of his legs unjustified?" Hao Jian said with a cold sneer. Hearing this, Jiang Yutong sighed and said no more. "Aren't you going to do it?" Hao Jian glared at Brother Long. Brother Long clenched his teeth, took an Iron Rod from a subordinate, and walked towards Wang Mingzhe. "Cousin, save me. Cousin, save me!" Wang Mingzhe screamed hysterically, completely despaired. Jiang Yutong turned away, unable to watch the brutal scene. Brother Long struck Wang Mingzhe's leg with the rod, and Wang Mingzhe let out a piercing cry of agony before fainting from the pain. "Is this good enough?" Brother Long asked with a grim face, feeling utterly dishonored at the moment. "Pass a message to Liu Bohong for me, tell him to clean his neck and wait for me; it won't be long before I come to kill him!" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. Liu Bohong was definitely someone he needed to kill; he just hadn't had the time recently. But having seen Shi Jingtian, he decided he needed to find the time to deal with him and not let Gathering Qi Sect's powers fully infiltrate Hua City. What a joke, Hua City was now his turf, how could he possibly let Liu Bohong mess up? Chapter 344 The Unreasonable Family "And you, if I see you again next time, I can't guarantee I won't kill you!" Hao Jian pointed at Old Fifth and said coldly. Old Fifth's face flushed with both shame and anger. As a Deputy Gang Leader being threatened like that, his discomfort was evident. However, he dared not speak out against Hao Jian; he did not have the courage to challenge him. He was now somewhat regretful. Why had he gotten out of the car in the first place? Had he stayed in the car, wouldn't all of this have been avoided? "Now, get out of here!" Hao Jian said unapologetically. Old Fifth and Brother Long dared not respond and walked back with full hearts of humiliation. "Spice Ginger, carry that kid up, let's go." Hao Jian pointed at Wang Mingzhe and said to Brother Spice Ginger. "Sure thing!" Brother Spice Ginger cheerfully agreed, his admiration for Hao Jian soaring significantly after witnessing his actions. "Li He, give me another chance," the girl was still pestering Li He at that moment. "Get lost!" Li He pushed the girl away unapologetically, then moved excitedly towards Hao Jian: "Are you Hao Jian?" "Yes, I am. What do you want?" Hao Jian frowned as he looked at Li He. "I want to follow you!" Li He said seriously, barely concealing the excitement in his voice despite his attempt to restrain himself. "Follow me? Give me a reason." Hao Jian was puzzled. Why did Li He want to follow him, especially since they had just been at odds, and now suddenly Li He was saying he wanted to follow him? It was too quick a change. Li He thought for a moment, then shook his head: "I don't have a reason, but I just know you are my idol. Every act you've done in Hua City has left me in awe. Initially, I had no idea the person I was racing against was you. If I had known, I would never have disrespected you. I hope you can give me a chance!" Hearing this, Hao Jian looked deeply at Li He and saw sincerity and earnestness in his eyes; Li He was not lying. "Follow me? Aren't you afraid of making enemies? You know I have many, right?" Hao Jian said with a smile. "I am not afraid. I'd rather take a risk than continue to be an accomplished nothing as a pampered rich boy," Li He said decisively. He wanted to make something of himself, to be respected even by the father who looked down on him, but he didn't know how, as he had nothing but his background. Li He wanted to prove himself and let everyone know that even without his family's support, he could still make a name for himself! But in this realistic society, if you have no power or influence, how can you possibly make a name for yourself? If he wanted to achieve this, he had to rely on Hao Jian! Because Hao Jian had started from nothing and gradually made his way up, his actions had shown Li He that even with nothing, he could stand out. Thus, Li He wanted to learn from Hao Jian, because Hao Jian always managed to turn the decay into the miraculous, skilled at creating miracles! "Oh? I thought you were enjoying your life as it is?" Hao Jian was truly surprised. Initially, he thought Li He enjoyed the feel of being a wealthy idler, spending his days indulging in pleasure, yet it turned out he had such ambition. Apparently, Hao Jian had underestimated him. "I am not enjoying it, I am just forced to accept it," Li He said with a bitter smile. Hearing this, Hao Jian fell silent, believing Li He's explanation. Being forced to accept such a life? It wasn't impossible, considering that heirs like Li He usually had to inherit the family business and comply with their parents' arrangements. Hao Jian guessed correctly; Li He didn't want that, so he deliberately lived a dissolute life, being a contemptible playboy so his parents would not rush him to take over the family business. "But you don't yet qualify to be my subordinate," Hao Jian said with a light smile. Li He's expression stiffened. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I'm not insulting you¡ªthat's just the truth. You are too weak. If you followed me, you might not survive three days before getting killed," Hao Jian said with a slight smile. "Go to a place called Blood Paradise, an underground fighting ring. If you can win twenty matches there, then I'll take you in." Hearing this, Li He was immediately overjoyed. Hao Jian wasn't giving him no chance at all; he was letting him prove his abilities. "You can be sure, I won't let you down!" Li He nodded vehemently. "Let's go." Hao Jian turned away and no longer spoke to Li He, instead addressing Jiang Yutong. In truth, he wasn't very optimistic about Li He. Although he had just shown some capabilities, Blood Paradise was not an ordinary place. It was deadly, and before joining the army, Hao Jian often went there to earn some extra money. Someone like Li He, a pampered rich boy, could hardly survive in such a place. Hao Jian and Jiang Yutong took Wang Mingzhe back to Jiang Yutong's home; by then, Wang Mingzhe's parents had already received the news and were waiting there. "Child, you're finally back." Upon seeing Wang Mingzhe return, his parents quickly approached him. "What happened to your leg?" However, at that moment, they noticed that Wang Mingzhe was limping, dragging his leg more than walking. They had been better off not asking, but once they asked, Wang Mingzhe began to cry pitifully. He threw himself into his parents' arms and bitterly pointed at Hao Jian: "He is the one who broke my leg!" "Hmm?" For a moment, everyone turned to look at Hao Jian. "That's right, I did it," Hao Jian replied expressionlessly. Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire With that, Wang Wanjun and the others were shocked and dismayed. What did this mean? Why had Hao Jian broken Wang Mingzhe's leg? "Who are you? Why did you hit my son?" Jiang Huiyun, Wang Mingzhe's mother, furiously glared at Hao Jian. She had always doted on Wang Mingzhe, and seeing that Wang Mingzhe had been crippled by Hao Jian, she naturally felt terrible. "Your son deserved a beating, so I hit him," Hao Jian said disdainfully. In his view, it was Jiang Huiyun's indulgence that had turned Wang Mingzhe into what he was today. "You." Jiang Huiyun was livid at Hao Jian's words. What did he mean by 'he deserved it so I hit him'? Was there such an arrogant person? Was there no law left? "Little Yu, what exactly happened here?" Jiang Qihui couldn't help but ask his daughter. Then Jiang Yutong explained what had happened. After listening, Wang Mingzhe's parents were silent for a long time. "Ah, when you think about it, you can't really blame Teacher Hao Jian. It was Little Zhe who wanted to kill him first; Teacher Hao Jian just taught him a lesson," Jiang Qihui spoke fairly. Indeed, it wasn't Hao Jian's fault. With Hao Jian's capabilities, he could have killed Wang Mingzhe without any problem, but he hadn't done so; he had already shown mercy. But upon hearing this, Jiang Huiyun was displeased, "What do you mean we can't blame him? Our Little Zhe is still young and foolish. Hao Jian is older and a role model as a teacher. How could he not be a little more forgiving?" Jiang Huiyun was very dissatisfied with Wang Mingzhe being crippled by Hao Jian. After all, he was a piece of her own flesh. Even if he was at fault, it would have been someone else's fault. And it was precisely Jiang Huiyun's indulgence that had made Wang Mingzhe lawless. Jiang Huiyun's husband also frowned, looking maliciously at Hao Jian. Hearing Jiang Huiyun say this, the family of three, the Jiangs, couldn't help but frown. Jiang Huiyun's words were simply irrational. Wang Mingzhe had tried to kill Hao Jian; anyone would be angry in that situation. Jiang Huiyun should be relieved that Hao Jian had spared his life. Yet Jiang Huiyun kept on harping on the matter. In the end, it would be their own loss, and Hao Jian was not someone to trifle with. If you reason with him, he will be more reasonable than you, but if you choose to be unreasonable, then he will be even more unreasonable than you. Sure enough, upon hearing Jiang Huiyun's words, a strange chuckling sound, "giggle," came from Hao Jian's throat. He then walked towards Jiang Huiyun and slapped her across the face. "Slap!" This slap was sharp and resounding, echoing beautifully, truly stunning everyone present! Jiang Huiyun staggered and nearly smashed her head against the refrigerator next to her. A handprint appeared on her face instantly, and she was completely stunned. She could never have predicted that Hao Jian would suddenly strike in the middle of a conversation. What was the meaning of this? "What are you doing?" Wang Xuantao, Wang Mingzhe's father, also roared hysterically at Hao Jian, feeling extremely displeased seeing his wife hit. "I'm also younger than you, and I also don't understand things. Since you are older than me, you should be able to forgive me for slapping you, right?" Hao Jian asked with a smirk. Seeing this, the Jiang family of three could only smile wryly; they knew that Hao Jian was really angry. "I'm done with it!" Jiang Huiyun lunged at him, clawing her way towards Hao Jian's face. "Heh." Hao Jian scoffed disdainfully, kicking Jiang Huiyun in the stomach, and she rolled away like a rubber ball. "Son of a bitch, I'll have you dead!" Wang Xuantao was furious. Hao Jian had repeatedly hit his wife; if he didn't fight back, would he still be a man? Wang Xuantao looked around, then picked up a bench from the ground and swung it at Hao Jian. Hao Jian didn't even glance at Wang Xuantao. He punched the bench, breaking through it and striking Wang Xuantao's chin, sending Wang Xuantao and the bench flying out, crashing heavily onto Jiang Huiyun. "Ouch!" Jiang Huiyun cried out in pain once again. "Mom! Dad!" Wang Mingzhe was almost scared to pee himself. He hadn't expected Hao Jian to be so unrestrained here. Wasn't he his sister's teacher? Why wouldn't he show any respect? "Teacher Hao Jian, let it go, please, don't get angry with them," Jiang Qihui hurriedly came to pull Hao Jian away, fearing that Hao Jian might really kill Jiang Huiyun's family in a fit of rage. After all, they were his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. However, Jiang Qihui's good intentions were completely misinterpreted by Jiang Huiyun and her husband. Wang Xuantao yelled agitatedly, "Jiang Qihui, whose side are you on? He crippled your nephew, and yet you defend him? Did your conscience get eaten by a dog? Have you forgotten how our family helped you? If it weren't for us, you would have died on your sickbed!" Chapter 345 No Way Back "I was speaking up for you, but you, really, sigh." Jiang Qihui also grew somewhat angry. Hao Jian's background was completely unknown to Wang Xuantao and the others; didn't they realize that he was actually helping them? If Hao Jian really got angry, killing them would be a matter of minutes. "Is that so? I don't feel it. All I know is that the man you called has left my son crippled and beat up my husband and me like this!" Jiang Huiyun was also agitated, screaming at her brother like a shrew. "How can you say that? If it weren't for my dad asking Teacher Hao Jian to find Wang Mingzhe, he would have been beaten to death by that Li He!" Seeing Jiang Huiyun act so unreasonably, Jiang Yutong couldn't help feeling angry as well. They were truly biting the hand that fed them, and even more, they were destroying the bridge after crossing the river. Now that Wang Mingzhe was back, they immediately turned their backs and refused to recognize others. "What a joke, even without him, we could have found Xiao Zhe. Who asked him to meddle in our affairs? If it wasn't for him, our Xiao Zhe wouldn't be in the state he's in now!" Jiang Huiyun argued forcefully, and from that moment on, their family and Jiang Yutong's family were completely at odds. "You..." Jiang Yutong was shocked. She never expected that after doing so much for Wang Mingzhe's family, they would misunderstand her intentions so grossly. It was nothing short of ironic. It was one thing for Wang Mingzhe to act this way, considering he was still young, but for Jiang Huiyun and Wang Xuantao to be so unreasonable, Jiang Yutong didn't even know what to say. "Like father, like son. The saying really is true. I now see where this ungrateful kid gets it from!" Hao Jian sneered. "Don't get cocky, boy. I'm calling the police to arrest you right now!" Wang Xuantao threatened, clearly enraged, having seen arrogant people, but never someone as arrogant as this. "Right, let him rot in jail, intentional bodily harm¡ªenough to lock him up for ten to eight years!" Jiang Huiyun also yelled. "Report me to the police?" Hao Jian shook his head with a smile, then walked up to Wang Xuantao and grabbed him by the collar. "What... What do you want to do?" Having seen Hao Jian's methods before, Wang Xuantao was now somewhat afraid of him, knowing he couldn't beat the man. "Wang Xuantao, I know you, the boss of the renovation company, right? Your company is located at 83 Changhe Road, and your home address is 308, Building B, Dixuan Garden, correct?" Hao Jian asked with a sinister smile, having obtained this information when he asked Brother Spice Ginger to investigate Wang Mingzhe. "What... What do you want?" Wang Xuantao's complexion changed as he heard Hao Jian recite his home address as if it were at his fingertips. Hao Jian let out a strange chuckle, then stood up and said to Brother Spice Ginger, "Brother Spice Ginger, from today on, call ten or twenty brothers to go make a mess in his company every day. Beat whoever should be beaten, smash whatever should be smashed, and then go to his home to splash paint and throw dead rats. I want their family to live in constant turmoil from now on!" "Understood!" Brother Spice Ginger agreed with a nod, then looked at Wang Xuantao and the others with ill intent. Wang Xuantao and his family immediately dared not speak and anxiously watched Hao Jian, unsure if he was serious. But seeing Hao Jian's demeanor, they already believed him by eighty percent. "Teacher Hao Jian, please don't be angry, just consider it as giving me some face, and let them off this once. This time, let's just say we were meddling in affairs that don't concern us. I don't care about future interactions," Jiang Qihui said with an unsightly expression, unwilling to see his sister and brother-in-law lead a life of constant harassment, no matter how insufferable Jiang Huiyun and Wang Xuantao were. Seeing Jiang Qihui plead on behalf of Jiang Huiyun and her husband, Hao Jian knew he shouldn't take things too far. He sighed slightly, then gave the couple a fierce look. Under his gaze, the couple tensed up, as if struck by lightning! S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Your son's life was saved by me. Don't talk about just crippling his leg; even if I took his life, you have no right to complain in front of me. Today, out of respect for your uncle, I'll spare the three of you. But if you utter another word of nonsense, I'll have people hang Wang Mingzhe right here and now¡ªdo you believe me?" Hao Jian asked with a menacing look. Upon hearing this, Brother Spice Ginger also pulled out a handgun, looking at Jiang Huiyun's family of three with malicious intent. The family of three all turned pale and trembled violently. They realized now that the man in front of them was not one to be trifled with. "Now, you can get out!" Hao Jian said rudely. Jiang Huiyun and her husband didn't dare delay, quickly helping Wang Mingzhe out without looking back. "Teacher Hao Jian, I'm sorry. I didn't know they would go so far," said Jiang Yutong with a bitter smile to Hao Jian. Hao Jian shook his head, smiling, "It's not your fault. If they still haven't realized 'rather than blame others for injuring their son, they should teach their own child better,' Wang Mingzhe is bound to repeat his mistakes sooner or later, and these two unqualified parents will soon pay the price for their indulgence and spoiling." Upon these words, the Jiang family remained silent for a long time, pondering the deep meaning in Hao Jian's words. "Teacher Hao Jian," at that moment, Jiang Qihui spoke with a dark expression, seemingly wanting to say something. But Hao Jian did not give him a chance to speak, simply waving his hand, "Don't talk about apologies anymore; I've already made myself very clear. Those who are less than pigs and dogs are them. It's understandable for you to plead on their behalf because you're different from them, you still have humanity." Upon hearing this, Jiang Qihui's spirits also fell, and he lowered his head, no longer speaking, with his eyes slightly moist. Hao Jian's words deeply moved him, because Hao Jian understood him, - knew he only spoke out of brotherly love for Jiang Huiyun, leaving him no choice but to plead. But once Jiang Qihui opened his mouth, he himself fell into dishonor; Hao Jian was his lifesaver, and Wang Mingzhe wanted to kill Hao Jian, making him an enemy of Hao Jian. By asking Hao Jian, his benefactor, to spare Wang Mingzhe, his enemy, what did that make him? "Uncle, give me the address of the real estate company you used to work for," Hao Jian suddenly said. Jiang Qihui looked surprised and asked in confusion, "Teacher Hao Jian, what do you want it for?" "To collect a debt, of course. You were injured on the job while working for them, and they've delayed paying you for so long, there's got to be some accountability," Hao Jian said with a faint smile. "But that real estate boss is very influential in Hua City. We ordinary people can't afford to provoke him," Jiang Qihui said, looking dejected. The other party was too powerful; he had sought help from police officers, reporters, and so on to no avail, and he had long given up, simply accepting it as bad luck. "You might not be able to provoke him, but I might not necessarily be the same!" Hao Jian snorted coldly, genuinely unable to stand idly by as Jiang Qihui's honest family was bullied. Since returning from Atama, his mindset had changed. Although he couldn't save everyone, at least he could save some people! Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire And this was within his means, so why wouldn't Hao Jian act? Upon hearing this, Jiang Yutong's family of three was stunned and couldn't help but show a flicker of hope in their eyes, suddenly unsure what to say. "What's the matter? Don't want to owe me a favor? Look down on me?" Hao Jian feigned displeasure. "What are you talking about, Teacher Hao Jian? You're our family's benefactor, how could we look down on you!" Wang Wanjun said, her eyes brimming with tears. "That's right, before we met you, our family, our family never had a day of peace. It was you who saved us, and I'm a simple man. I don't know how to thank you, I... I'll kneel down for you!" Jiang Qihui, too emotional to contain himself, hastily wiped away his tears, pushed away his wheelchair, and was about to kneel to Hao Jian. But Hao Jian couldn't let him do as he wished, hurriedly stooping to keep Jiang Qihui upright, while staring and saying, "Still claiming you don't look down on me? Doesn't this count as looking down on me? Do you think I helped you just to receive your gratitude and feel obligated to me?" "I..." Jiang Qihui guiltily didn't know what to say. "Stop talking nonsense in the future, or else I'll get unhappy. Besides, I'm not helping for nothing. Having helped your family so much, I might as well eat your barbecue for free for the rest of my life," Hao Jian chuckled. "As long as you come, you'll definitely be well fed!" Wang Wanjun chuckled through tears; their barbecue wasn't worth much, nowhere near the help Hao Jian had provided to their family. "Then that's settled, hahaha." Hao Jian couldn't help but laugh aloud. ... Meanwhile, Liu Bohong also learned that Shi Jingtian had been killed by Hao Jian and received threats from Hao Jian as well. At this time, Liu Bohong felt ice cold all over, as if his breathing might stop at any moment. Shi Jingtian was an elite sent by the Gathering Qi Sect and held a special status within it. He was very likely to become a being like Big Boss in the future. Yet such a being was killed by Hao Jian on his first day in Hua City. If the Gathering Qi Sect learned of this matter, they would definitely not let him off. As Liu Bohong himself had said, he had made enough mistakes, and the Gathering Qi Sect's tolerance for him had reached its limit. Now, Shi Jingtian's death would become the single spark that led to his destruction by the Gathering Qi Sect! Liu Bohong knew he was finished. Since his involvement in Hua City, he had failed to achieve any key breakthroughs. The Gathering Qi Sect was already impatient, and given what had happened now, the sect was unlikely to give him another chance. Liu Bohong's face was so gloomy it seemed to drip with water, filled with hatred, hating Hao Jian. If it wasn't for Hao Jian, he wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state. It was precisely Hao Jian's repeated interference with his plans that ultimately pushed him into an irrecoverable abyss. "Big Boss, what should we do now?" one of his confidants asked Liu Bohong, noticing that Liu Bohong's complexion was off, pale as death, his expression wooden. "We... have no way out now!" Liu Bohong said with a bitter smile, shaking his head, close to despair at this moment. The confidants looked at each other, but none of them knew what to say. Chapter 346 Clown "Gather our forces, we're preparing to go to war with Hao Jian. If Hao Jian doesn't die, then we are the ones who will perish," Liu Bohong said with a weary wave of his hand. At this point, their only chance to live was to kill Hao Jian. If Hao Jian were to die, perhaps they could still make amends for their crimes. Otherwise, all of them would die. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire Although Shi Jingtian died because of his own stupidity, the Gathering Qi Sect wouldn't care about that, just as they didn't care about their lives. "But Hao Jian was able to kill Shi Jingtian, which means his strength surpasses Shi Jingtian's. We... We are no match for him," Liu Bohong's closest followers revealed hesitant expressions. Starting a battle with such a monster was tantamount to seeking death, wasn't it? "Oh? Do you have another plan?" Liu Bohong asked with a cold laugh, looking at the follower. Did he not know how terrifying Hao Jian was? But did he have any other choice now? The follower fell silent. "Also, send another team to the Yihe Club. I want that damned gang to be completely erased from this world!" Liu Bohong said maliciously, clearly enraged to the extreme. He had handed Shi Jingtian over to the Yihe Club, and as a result, the Yihe Club had allowed Hao Jian to beat Shi Jingtian to death. The Yihe Club might not have been affected much, but he was at risk of facing the wrath of the Gathering Qi Sect. This debt had to be accounted for on the Yihe Club's ledger. Since their Martial Evil Hall was going to be destroyed, the Yihe Club would have to join them in death! . At the same time, Li He had also found the Blood Paradise mentioned by Hao Jian. To enter this underground fighting ring, he had spent at least one million to make connections, finally locating the place. As soon as he stepped into the ring, Li He was almost nauseated by a foul stench ¨C a mixture of blood, wild animal odor, and excrement. It was extremely disgusting. Around the edge of the ring, many large cages were placed, imprisoning gorillas, tigers, lions, and other fierce beasts, all of which were props for the performances. The people who came here to watch the fights were all wealthy, and what they sought were thrills and bloodshed ¨C something, without a doubt, that beast fights satisfied. Of course, the outcome was invariably one of two things: either the human was killed by the beast, or the beast was killed by the human. Looking up at the dense crowd in the stands, Li He was shocked. It was a circular stadium that could accommodate at least ten thousand spectators. Seeing the excitement on the faces of the audience, Li He couldn't help but feel a chill as he was confronted with the ugliness and cruelty of human nature. The onlookers cheered for the fighters engaged in life-and-death battles, eager for them to tear each other apart with no mercy. There was only a primal desire for savagery. At this moment, Li He finally understood why Hao Jian wanted him to gain experience here, as this place was indeed a purgatory on earth. After hesitating for a few seconds, Li He walked over to the registration desk and slapped his registration form on the table, "I want to sign up!" The attendant at the desk, Fatty, looked up at Li He in surprise and asked, "Are you out of your mind?" In his view, Li He was so well-dressed that it was clear he was wealthy. Unless he was crazy, why would he join such a fight to the death? Was he tired of living? "I said I want to sign up!" Li He repeated, his expression very serious. Seeing this, Fatty was stupefied. After about a dozen seconds of silence, he suddenly let out a bizarre laugh, "This world really does have all kinds of people." Pretending not to hear the mockery in his voice, Li He continued to stare straight at Fatty. Fatty took Li He's registration form and said indifferently, "I'll arrange a match for you as soon as possible. You will receive a phone call once there's a match." Only then did Li He straighten up with satisfaction. But as he rose to his feet, he suddenly noticed a massive, three-meter-tall statue not far in front of him. It depicted a man, arms crossed, bare-chested, with a clown mask on his face. Just looking at it gave one a sense of invincibility, especially that grinning mask, which was downright chilling. "Who is he?" Li He asked curiously. Fatty looked back at the statue, then said with reverent expression, "Him? He is the legend of Blood Paradise, an unparalleled being, Clown!" "Clown? Is he very strong?" Li He's eyes lit up, thinking he was a character from some mythological story, only to discover he was actually real. "Strong? Are you deaf? Didn't you hear me say he is an invincible being?" Fatty said disdainfully, clearly annoyed by Li He's ignorance: "He is the only one in Blood Paradise with a record of a thousand unbeaten fights. You tell me if that's strong?" Li He inhaled sharply. A thousand unbeaten fights? That was quite exaggerated, wasn't it? Li He then asked, "Is he still here in Blood Paradise? I want to take him as my master!" Such a powerful individual, if Li He could find him to be his master, surely he would easily win twenty matches with his guidance. "Stop dreaming, he left Blood Paradise five years ago and hasn't returned since," Fatty said with a sneer. "Ah? Why?" Li He was stunned. Why would he leave if everything was fine? "Because no one in Hua City could match him anymore. He found it boring and left to seek stronger opponents. Hey! Why the hell are you asking so many damn questions? Get the hell out of here, there are lots of people waiting to sign up!" Fatty said impatiently. Li He walked away in shock. Leaving the underground fighting ring because there was no one left to fight? That's insanely cool. Is this what they call the loneliness of a master? Looking at the majestic statue, Li He suddenly felt his blood boiling. How he wished that one day he could be such a figure, a living legend who truly existed! However, suddenly Li He felt that the statue looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before. "Where have I seen it?" Li He muttered to himself, utterly puzzled. . After returning from Jiang Yutong's home, Hao Jian declined Brother Spice Ginger's offer to accompany him and drove himself back to school. But before he could enter, he saw a familiar car parked at the school gate¡ªa pink Beetle. And a woman stood beside the Beetle, blowing in the cold wind, waiting for something. "Why has this woman come here?" Hao Jian frowned, wondering to himself. "Yo, little girl, looking pretty good. How about going for a drink with us?" Just then, a group of young men who had just finished playing soccer walked by, and their eyes lit up when they saw the beautiful Xiao Qiang. She was a School Beauty-level stunner, perhaps only comparable to the School Beauties from the Chinese Medicine Hospital. But Xiao Qiang just rolled her eyes and turned her head away, too lazy to bother with these little brats. "Aiyo, this little girl has quite the personality, huh? Not giving anyone the time of day?" At that moment, a tall, somewhat handsome young man with Korean-style permed hair, holding a basketball, stepped forward offering his hand to Xiao Qiang. "Hello, my name is Li Jiasheng." This handsome young man squeezed out a self-confident, perfectly pleasant smile. Beneath this gentle smile, who knows how many girls had fallen before? If Jiang Yutong were here, she would recognize at a glance that this was Li Jiasheng, the Business School guy who had persistently bothered her. It was also because of Li Jiasheng that Jiang Yutong had been ganged up on by Su Ran and the others, mistaking her for a homewrecker. Seeing how beautiful Xiao Qiang was, Li Jiasheng, who couldn't change his lecherous ways, thought to hit on her. Li Jiasheng's friends, seeing him make a move, could not help but shake their heads in disappointment because they knew that if Li Jiasheng stepped in, they wouldn't stand a chance. The reason was simple: Li Jiasheng was more handsome than them and even had a prince-like charm. Although he was a scumbag at heart, who knew? The first impression Li Jiasheng gave was always near perfection. Li Jiasheng was also very confident, because under his handsome exterior and gentle smile, no girl had ever successfully escaped his charm. But this time, Li Jiasheng had indeed miscalculated. Xiao Qiang glanced at him dispassionately and said contemptuously, "Little boy, I don't like kids your type. Go play by yourself, don't bother me!" Xiao Qiang was used to such boys who thought that just because they looked decent, all women would fall for them, always acting like a Casanova. On hearing this, Li Jiasheng's friends couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Li Jiasheng, looks like you've made a misstep this time!" At that moment, Li Jiasheng's expression turned awkward, yet he was still unwilling to give up, saying, "Beauty, I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted your phone number. I'm a student from the Business School, you don't need to worry about me being a bad guy." Li Jiasheng thought Xiao Qiang was treating him as a bad guy, which was why she was being defensive and ignoring him. But obviously Xiao Qiang wasn't taking it that way. She finally snapped, "Look here, little brother, let me make it clear to you: I like mature men, grown men, not little brats whose hair hasn't even fully grown in. That spiel might work on clueless little sisters, but it's pointless with me! So stop bothering me and go cool off somewhere else!" Xiao Qiang waved her hand dismissively, as if swatting away an annoying fly. Li Jiasheng's face turned dark in an instant. Xiao Qiang's repeated jibes at him for being a little kid were embarrassing him in front of his friends, and he felt really pissed off. At this time, Li Jiasheng's friends cooperated by laughing uproariously, "Li Jiasheng, did you hear that? She's saying you're too young! Better get moving, don't embarrass yourself here any longer!" "Yeah, always rushing up to pretty girls, what an animal!" Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Always bragging that you're a Casanova, got shot down, did you? Really thought all the girls in the world were in love with you?" "Let's go, Casanova, if you don't leave now, they'll close the school gates on you!" Chapter 347 Between a Rock and a Hard Place All of Li Jiasheng's companions were mocking him, obviously dissatisfied with him because whenever they were with Li Jiasheng, he would always snatch away the pretty girls. "Shut up!" Just then, Li Jiasheng suddenly roared, his eyes fiercely glaring at his companions. In an instant, there was silence. The college students never expected Li Jiasheng to get so angrily embarrassed and were so frightened that they kept silent, not daring to speak anymore. Because they all knew that Li Jiasheng was acquainted with some people from the gangster circles and was not someone to mess with. Seeing Li Jiasheng looking fierce, they didn't dare mock him anymore, lest Li Jiasheng seek revenge by having someone beat them up later. "I'm asking you one more time, are you giving me your phone number or not?" Li Jiasheng said, somewhat annoyed. Seeing Li Jiasheng so shamelessly threaten her, Xiao Qiang couldn't help but sneer, "I've said, no!" "Stupid bitch, you're asking for it!" Li Jiasheng was completely furious, raising his hand, ready to slap Xiao Qiang. Xiao Qiang was startled, having not anticipated that Li Jiasheng would be so bold as to resort to hitting someone just because he couldn't get her phone number. Xiao Qiang instinctively reached out to block, but then she saw a hand reaching from behind Li Jiasheng, grabbing Li Jiasheng's arm. Li Jiasheng was immediately startled and turned back to glare at Hao Jian, "Who the hell are you?" Hao Jian looked at Li Jiasheng indifferently, "You have one minute to get out of my sight!" "Fuck! Threatening me, who the hell do you think you are?" Li Jiasheng laughed in anger. This fool who came out of nowhere was actually daring to threaten him; it was ridiculous. "Li Jiasheng, that's Hao Jian!" At that moment, one of Li Jiasheng's companions reminded him, obviously recognizing Hao Jian. "Huh?" Hearing this, Li Jiasheng was also startled. Of course, he also knew who Hao Jian was; after all, the name Hao Jian had spread like wildfire between the Business School and the Chinese Medicine Hospital. People outside called Hao Jian the "Monster Teacher," meaning he was as terrifying as a monster! sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Now that you know who I am, get lost!" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "Hao Jian, don't get cocky. Others may fear you, but I sure don't!" Li Jiasheng said foolishly, accustomed to being arrogant, he naturally wasn't willing to back down now. "Oh? Really not afraid?" Hao Jian's hand that was holding Li Jiasheng's arm suddenly exerted force. "Ow ow ow ow. Let go already!" Li Jiasheng grimaced in pain, gasping for breath. "Get lost or not?" Hao Jian sneered repeatedly. "I'll get lost, I'll get lost right now! Just let me go!" Li Jiasheng felt as if his arm was about to be crushed by Jiang Shan. Hao Jian then let go of Li Jiasheng and with a smile full of mockery said, "At such a young age you're up to no good, daring to mess with my woman? Are you sick of living?" Hearing this, Li Jiasheng's companions were suddenly shocked. This girl was Hao Jian's woman? And hearing Hao Jian say this, Xiao Qiang was also shocked, then became so anxious she blushed and stamped her foot. This bastard, what kind of nonsense was he spouting at a time like this? Li Jiasheng staggered back two steps, looking at Hao Jian with resentment. "What, not convinced?" Hao Jian said with an interested smile, taking another step forward. "No. Not at all." Li Jiasheng hurriedly shook his head in denial, feeling it might be better to be submissive at this point. He could tell that Hao Jian was not to be trifled with. A wise man does not fight when the odds are against him; after getting through today, he would find a way to deal with Hao Jian later. "You'd better not dare. If you're not convinced, I can slap you a couple more times until you are! Hurry up and get lost!" Hao Jian commanded arrogantly. Li Jiasheng looked angrily at Hao Jian, then sulkily left. "A bunch of kids!" Hao Jian shook his head, feeling somewhat speechless. These days, kids were all so rowdy, even harder to handle than in his own youth. Straightaway, Hao Jian turned towards Xiao Qiang, leaning one hand on her car, trapping her against the wall with a mischievous smile, "Beauty, what do you want from me? Have you missed me?" "In your dreams!" Xiao Qiang exclaimed with a red face, this bastard, it's been so long since she saw him and he was harassing her as soon as they met. "Oh, still in denial? Don't think I don't know that from the day at the company, you've been eyeing me, always finding reasons to make things difficult for me, just to attract my attention. Now even delivering yourself to me, tell me, are you planning to offer yourself to me?" Hao Jian teased Xiao Qiang with a wink and a nudge. "Back off a little first," Xiao Qiang pushed Hao Jian, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with his way of speaking. "Alright, a kiss and I'll leave," Hao Jian said with a sly grin. "You better walk away now, or I won't be responsible for the consequences," Xiao Qiang said with some urgency. "Consequences? What could they be? You don't plan to hit me, do you?" Yet Hao Jian still shamelessly refused to leave. Xiao Qiang sighed, looking at Hao Jian with both annoyance and amusement. Just then, the other door of the Beetle was pushed open, and a woman got out. Seeing the woman, Hao Jian's expression changed instantly, and he began to stammer, "You, you, you. What are you doing here?" Hao Jian never dreamt that Shu Ya would also be here. "What? Do you think I shouldn't appear here? Do you think I ruined your good deed?" Shu Ya sneered repeatedly, with an ugly expression on her face. Clearly, she had heard the conversation between Xiao Qiang and Hao Jian just now. When Xiao Qiang was harassed by Li Jiasheng and others earlier, Shu Ya had already spotted Hao Jian. That was why she didn't step in to help Xiao Qiang but instead let Hao Jian handle the problem. "How about that? I said I wouldn't be responsible for the consequences, right?" Xiao Qiang also started laughing, wearing a schadenfreude expression. Hao Jian was immediately thrown into disarray. He flirted with Xiao Qiang in front of Shu Ya? Wasn't that seeking death? "Say something, why are you silent now? You were quite mighty just now, weren't you? 'Dare touch my woman,'" Shu Ya mocked with a laugh. Feeling embarrassed, Hao Jian shook his head: "Well, you're here too?" Only then did Shu Ya huff, saying, "How much longer do you plan to wander outside? Do you really have no intention of coming home?" Shu Ya had come to take Hao Jian home because she didn't want to lose him, so she wanted to reconcile with Hao Jian. At her words, Hao Jian instantly lost his smile and said somewhat gloomily, "But I've already helped you with what I could, and you have successfully saved the company, so you shouldn't need me anymore, should you?" Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire "What do you mean 'not needed'? The contract isn't over yet, so you must fulfill your promise and continue to stay by my side!" Shu Ya said arrogantly. "Shu Ya, I've thought about it, and I'm really not suitable to stay by your side. All I can bring you is endless trouble, let's just forget it," Hao Jian said with a bitter smile. He didn't want to drag Shu Ya down, especially since he had made so many enemies. "What I want to hear isn't that. You just have to tell me whether you'll come back with me or not!" Shu Ya's eyes reddened, obviously hurt by Hao Jian's words. She had grown accustomed to a world with Hao Jian, so she couldn't imagine what a world without him would be like. "Sorry, I think I can't go back with you," Hao Jian said, feeling lost and unable to look directly into Shu Ya's eyes. Leaving would be good for him or perhaps for Shu Ya. He didn't want her to be sucked into this whirlpool. "Hao Jian, you're a liar!" Shu Ya spoke with a loathsome look, hysterical. Hao Jian sighed, not denying it. "Daddy, will you come home with me?" Just then, the rear car door suddenly opened, and Tongtong rushed out, hugging Hao Jian's legs tightly. "Tongtong, how did you get here?" Seeing Tongtong, Hao Jian's face softened with a smile as he lifted her into his arms. "Daddy, come home with Tongtong. Tongtong doesn't want to be without Daddy," Tongtong pleaded. "Tongtong, be good. Daddy has some things to take care of recently and can't go back for the time being. When Daddy is done with these things, he'll come back, okay?" Hao Jian lied, not wanting to burden Shu Ya or drag Tongtong into it. "I won't, I won't! Daddy is lying!" Tongtong shook her head frantically like a rattle drum. Being more mature than other children her age, she knew that this was just an excuse from Hao Jian. Hao Jian couldn't help but smile wryly at how her smarts could be a bit of a challenge. "Tongtong, be good, Daddy really has things to do and can't come home for now." "I will not! I will not! Daddy doesn't want Tongtong anymore. Tongtong won't have a daddy anymore." At this, Tongtong suddenly burst into tears. Hao Jian's face filled with embarrassment, wanting to console her but finding himself at a loss for words. At that moment, Ruo Lan stepped out of the car, and Hao Jian quickly gave her a pleading look for help. But Ruo Lan turned away with a cold face, pretending not to see him, leaving Hao Jian even more speechless. "Come to godmother, Tongtong, and don't touch this liar; we wouldn't want you to get dirty," Shu Ya said spitefully, taking Tongtong from Hao Jian's arms. Yet Tongtong refused to let go, crying and shouting, "I won't! Tongtong wants Daddy to come home, please come back with Tongtong, Daddy, please!" "Ma Zitong, enough already! Did you really think I wouldn't dare discipline you?" At that point, Ruo Lan walked over and smacked Tongtong's bottom hard twice. "Wah." Tongtong cried even louder, a heart-wrenching cry, her tears flooding out uncontrollably like a breached dam. These were tears of heartbreak, the pain in her heart reflecting in the volume of her crying. Immediately, Hao Jian turned and moved Tongtong away, frowning as he said, "She's just a child, what are you doing?" "It's my own daughter I'm hitting, what's it to you? Do you think you have a say in it? Who do you think you are to her?" Ruo Lan was also agitated, her voice changing tone. Obviously, she too was angry at Hao Jian's callous abandonment of Tongtong. Hao Jian was stunned, at that moment unsure of how to respond, as Ruo Lan was undoubtedly reproaching him for heartlessly leaving Tongtong behind. "Give me my daughter back!" Ruo Lan snatched Tongtong away and scolded the still crying child, "Stop crying, he's not your father, he's just a stranger!" Chapter 348 Kidnapping Hearing this, Hao Jian suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if pricked by a needle, light but suffocating. Shu Ya also looked at Hao Jian with disappointment, "I would rather you had never appeared." Then she added, "That way, I wouldn't have to experience the pain of losing you!" "Let's go!" Shu Ya turned around and got into the car. Ruo Lan followed expressionlessly. "Daddy. I want daddy." Tongtong cried out, stretching her hand and waving it in the air, trying to grab onto the increasingly distant Hao Jian. Compelled by some unknown force, Hao Jian took a step forward, wanting to say something, but ended up unable to speak at all. "Aren't you leaving?" Shu Ya asked Xiao Qiang. "You go back first, I'll return by myself later," Xiao Qiang said with a smile. "Suit yourself!" Shu Ya was too frustrated to waste more words, and immediately started Xiao Qiang's Beetle, driving away from the place. At that moment, only Hao Jian and Xiao Qiang were left outside the school gates. "Are you sure you want to keep it this tense? If you do so, you're really going to lose them!" Xiao Qiang told Hao Jian. Hao Jian gave a bitter smile, "It's better for them this way. Someone like me, if I were by their side, I would only drag them down." "So by that logic, you should never have friends in your entire life? Because you might drag them down too. You might as well hide away in a deep forest, then you won't drag anyone down, how nice that would be," Xiao Qiang scoffed sarcastically. Hearing this, Hao Jian was at a loss for words. "Those who like solitude are either beasts or deities, and sadly, you are neither. So better recognize the reality soon, or else when you really lose them, even regrets would be too late!" Hao Jian was lost in thought, hesitating and considering. After a long moment, his eyes sharply focused, and he said, "I'm going to find them!" He had figured it out, he couldn't forever avoid making friends or getting married. If he couldn't face his past, he wouldn't be able to face his future either! "Go quickly!" Xiao Qiang gave a slight smile and patted Hao Jian on the shoulder. These words should have been said by Shu Ya, but she knew what kind of person Shu Ya was: inherently strong and currently furious, inevitably she couldn't say these things herself. Since Shu Ya wouldn't say it, it left Xiao Qiang to do so. "Right!" Hao Jian nodded heavily and turned to run towards the highway. But he hadn't run a few steps when he suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Xiao Qiang, "Thank you!" Xiao Qiang smiled without speaking, waved her hand at Hao Jian, signaling him to hurry on. ... Meanwhile, as Shu Ya, along with Ruo Lan and Tongtong, hurried on the road home, Tongtong was still sobbing in Ruo Lan's embrace, clearly heartbroken. And although Ruo Lan's eyes were also moist, she forcibly held back her tears. The atmosphere inside the car was very oppressive; no one spoke because no one was in the mood. "Screech!" Suddenly, a huge truck burst out from the side, blocking the road ahead for Shu Ya and the others. Shu Ya completely lost her temper and stuck her head out, cursing the truck driver, "What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you even know how to drive? Where the hell are you going? Are you fucking crazy? What kind of licensing test did you pass to drive?!" Tongtong and Ruo Lan were both dumbfounded behind her. Not only them, even the truck driver was stunned for quite a while, this was not in the script at all! But after freezing for a few seconds, the truck driver descended with a grim face as dozens of men in black emerged from the cargo container of the truck. Liu Bohong walked among them, and seeing Shu Ya's furious outburst, he couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder, "President Shu is not in a good mood today, is she?" "You again, you old bastard?" Shu Ya frowned at Liu Bohong; she already knew Liu Bohong was up to no good, so her face naturally showed no pleasure. Liu Bohong's expression stiffened; this was a stark contrast to the way Shu Ya had behaved the last time he had seen her. Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire Back then, Shu Ya was humble and polite, now she was full of crudeness, what was wrong with this woman? Liu Bohong knew that defeating Hao Jian with force was nothing short of a fool's dream, so Liu Bohong had to change tactics, targeting Hao Jian through his women, threatening Hao Jian with them. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "President Shu, please come with us!" Liu Bohong could no longer maintain a smile, initially, he had intended to be more polite, but Shu Ya's demeanor left him no choice. "Fuck off, I'm busy, get lost!" Shu Ya burst out with a string of curses. Liu Bohong's forehead was covered in veins as he barked, "President Shu, you better understand this isn't a discussion!" How dare this damn woman refuse, did she really think he was asking for her opinion? At this point, Shu Ya finally calmed down a bit and wrinkled her brow, "What exactly do you want?" "It's simple, we want you to come with us!" Liu Bohong said with a grim face. "Come with you, that's a nice excuse. You want to use me to kill Hao Jian, right?" Shu Ya scoffed coldly; she wasn't a fool, she knew what Liu Bohong intended to do. "So what if I do, do you really think you have the option to refuse?" Liu Bohong sneered. Upon hearing this, both Ruo Lan and Tongtong's expressions changed. Tongtong, unable to contain herself, started crying loudly, "Don't you dare kill my daddy, you bad people! Tongtong hates you!" "Take this woman away!" Liu Bohong ordered his men outright, and a group of them charged toward Shu Ya, trying to drag her out of the car. "Don't touch me, I'll walk on my own!" Shu Ya proudly pushed the door open and stepped out of the car. "Big Boss, what about these two women?" someone asked Liu Bohong at that moment. After glancing at Ruo Lan and her daughter, Liu Bohong coldly ordered, "Kill them all!" "What?" Shu Ya turned around in shock. She had thought that Liu Bohong would spare Tongtong and her, as they were innocent and unrelated to this affair. But she had underestimated Liu Bohong's ruthlessness, as he planned not only a thorough extermination but also wouldn't spare even the young girl, Tongtong. "Don't you dare touch them, or I'll bite my tongue and kill myself right now, ruining your plans!" Shu Ya was no pushover, and as soon as she saw Liu Bohong intent on wiping them out, she immediately came up with a countermeasure. Without her alive, Liu Bohong and his men wouldn't be able to use her to threaten Hao Jian. Liu Bohong snorted coldly, then swiftly appeared behind Shu Ya. "You" Shu Ya's expression stiffened, but before she could react, Liu Bohong struck her with a chop to the neck, causing her eyes to roll back as she passed out. "Get her on the car!" Liu Bohong barked, this damn woman thinking she could threaten him? How naive. "Finish them off!" Then, Liu Bohong instructed his subordinates and climbed into the car. "Mom, they've taken godmother away, what do we do?" Tongtong asked Ruo Lan anxiously. Ruo Lan hugged Tongtong tightly; her mind was in chaos as she had also heard Liu Bohong's order and now didn't know how to escape from the clutches of those men. Ruo Lan hesitated for about two seconds, then suddenly mustered the courage, grabbing Tongtong and running out the car door. But before she could get far, she was surrounded by the men of Martial Evil Hall. "Tsk tsk, this young woman is really beautiful! It'd be such a waste to just kill her like that," one man said with a lascivious grin, as he harbored perverted thoughts towards Ruo Lan. "Yeah, guys, killing her is too wasteful. Why not have some fun before killing her?" someone immediately agreed. The others exchanged glances, their eyes similarly filled with lewd thoughts. All of them were attracted by Ruo Lan's beauty, believing it would be a waste to kill her straightaway and better to enjoy themselves beforehand. "So, who goes first?" someone asked, considering the order. "Rock-paper-scissors, whoever wins goes first!" another suggested. "Alright, let's decide like this!" Seeing those thugs discussing who would be the first to sleep with her, Ruo Lan's face flushed with a deep shade of red, overwhelmed with humiliation and distress. "Haha, I'm the first one!" Eventually, a man as dark as charcoal became the lucky winner, his expression very excited, as if he had won millions in a lottery. The other men seemed somewhat annoyed, obviously all wanting to be the first since they had been restless since they first saw Ruo Lan. The charcoal-faced man walked towards Ruo Lan with a lewd smile, smirking, "Beautiful lady, here I come!" "Shit, Old Black really has the devil's luck!" someone said enviously. "That lady's daughter doesn't look too bad either." Suddenly, a man spoke vilely, eyeing Tongtong. "Fuck, Doggie, aren't you being too beastly? That's a little girl!" his companion exclaimed in shock. "So what? They're all going to die anyway, aren't they? Since they are all doomed, why not favor us brothers a little?" Doggie said nonchalantly. ................................. ...... Chapter 349 Hes Back Hearing those men speak like that, Ruo Lan's expression immediately stiffened. She hadn't expected these people to be such brutes, to lay a hand on a little girl! "If you have a problem, come at me, she's just a child!" Ruo Lan shouted, protecting Tongtong behind her. The little girl Tongtong was also scared, her face pale. Although she didn't know what these men intended to do, their expressions alone told her it was nothing good, "You don't get a say in this. She's going to die anyway, might as well let her enjoy being a woman before she dies!" Doggie sneered lewdly, grabbing Tongtong who was hiding behind Ruo Lan. "Let her go!" Ruo Lan, terrified, altered her voice, trying hard to hit Doggie's hand. But Doggie refused to let go regardless, the thrill of his twisted pleasure emerging as he saw Ruo Lan's powerless resistance. Tongtong, scared, started crying loudly, creating a chaotic scene with crying, screaming, and lewd laughter mixing together. Just then, Old Black suddenly hugged Ruo Lan tightly, pulling her away from Tongtong with a lustful look, "Beauty, stop worrying about them, let's you and I enjoy ourselves first!" "Tongtong, Tongtong!" Tears streamed down Ruo Lan's face as she struggled fiercely, but how could she, a frail woman, stand a chance against Old Black, a hulking man? No matter how she punched, it was like a cat's scratches, unable to inflict any damage on Old Black. And so Tongtong was taken away by Doggie and the others. At that moment, Tongtong was also terrified, crying nonstop: "Mommy, save me. Mommy." "You beasts, she's just a child! You won't die a good death!" Ruo Lan yelled desperately, tears rushing out endlessly like a broken dam. But the louder Ruo Lan screamed, the more excited those thugs became, finding the feeling of overpowering the weak utterly exhilarating! "Beauty, here I come!" Old Black laughed heartily, tearing off Ruo Lan's blouse with a rip. "Let me go! You trash!" Ruo Lan pushed hard against Old Black, but her slender waist was held by him, and despite her struggles, she couldn't break free from his grasp. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Don't bully my mom!" At that moment, Tongtong cried out desperately, ready to run over and save Ruo Lan. But how could Doggie and the others let her wish come true? Doggie grabbed hold of Tongtong's hand and pulled her back, hehehe leering, "If not your mom, then we'll just bully you instead!" Saying so, Doggie started to remove Tongtong's clothes. "Doggie, first get this little girl's pants off!" someone urged breathlessly, unable to hold back any longer. "Sure thing!" Doggie cheerfully agreed, reaching for Tongtong's pants. However, just then, a cold, bone-chilling voice suddenly resonated in the silent night sky. "Don't. Come. Near. Them!!!" It was an almost beast-like roar, echoing like a tiger's call through the mountains, its powerful voice making everyone shudder. Then, everyone clearly saw a figure drop from the sky in the moonlight, landing heavily on Doggie's head. "Pu-chi!" At that moment, everyone saw Doggie's head crushed underfoot like a squashed watermelon, bursting apart! Brain matter splattered everywhere, brain blood spurted out, splashing across the thugs' faces. The thugs were dumbfounded, as everything happened too quickly, they had no time to react before they saw Doggie killed by Hao Jian. "Daddy!" Seeing Hao Jian appear, Tongtong immediately cried out excitedly, knowing that with Hao Jian there, he would never let her and her mother come to harm. "You. Who are you?" Seeing Hao Jian stomp Doggie's head into a mess, the thugs were also shocked, staring at him in fear. "Hao Jian!" At that moment, Hao Jian was enveloped in Killing Intent, a powerful malevolence visible between his brows, his form flickering in and out of clarity between light and shadow. The thugs felt as if they saw a black shadow swinging a scythe, the God of Death looming behind Hao Jian, his form continuously merging and separating with this shadow, creating an unnaturally eerie sight. Hearing Hao Jian identify himself, all the thugs gasped in shock. They naturally knew who Hao Jian was. If not for Hao Jian, Liu Bohong wouldn't have been so desperate as to kidnap Shu Ya. But they had never imagined that just a short time after they had kidnapped Shu Ya, Hao Jian would find them. At that moment, everyone was terrified beyond measure, knowing what kind of monster Hao Jian was. How could they, mere mortals, ever stand a chance against him? Seeing Hao Jian appear, Old Black also froze in fear, quickly pulling up his pants. He had clearly heard Tongtong call Hao Jian "Daddy." Could it be that this woman was Hao Jian's woman? Thinking this, Old Black became uneasy, contemplating the grave implications if his guess were true. Ruo Lan also hurriedly donned her clothes, stumbling towards Hao Jian, then tightly hugged Tongtong, finally breathing a sigh of relief. Looking at the not particularly large but imposing figure before her, Ruo Lan felt as if her heart was suddenly filled to the brim. He came back for them! After all, he couldn't leave them behind and came back for them! Hao Jian had initially refused to come back, but now he was here, and his intentions were very clear. Ruo Lan was excited and happy at the same time because this meant that Hao Jian cared for them! "Tongtong, I'm sorry, it's all Dad's fault. If Dad had been with you earlier, you wouldn't have been bullied," Hao Jian said to Tongtong with a hint of apology in his voice, feeling extremely guilty. It was his hesitation that had almost cost Tongtong and the others to fall into a crisis. He had thought by staying away from Tongtong and the others, they would be safe, but now he realized that wasn't the case. They had been involved with him from the beginning, and if he left now, they would have no protection. Hao Jian knew clearly that if he hadn't come to find them at this moment, they would have faced a terrible fate. If Tongtong and Sister Lan had really come to harm, he would have been guilt-ridden about it for the rest of his life. "Tongtong doesn't blame Dad, it's good that Dad is back!" Tongtong said sensibly, squeezing out a forced smile at Hao Jian. Having been excessively frightened just before, she needed some time to recover; thus, her smile seemed stiff and bitter. Hao Jian smiled gently, but seeing how sensible the child was, he felt a sudden pang in his heart, which filled him with even more guilt. "Shu Ya was captured by an old man, and they're planning to use Shu Ya to threaten you!" Ruo Lan quickly told Hao Jian, indicating that Shu Ya was also in grave danger at the moment. Hao Jian frowned. He naturally knew who the old man Ruo Lan mentioned was; his enemy, and the old man in Hua City, could be none other than Liu Bohong. Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire "Take Tongtong to the side, I'll handle this," Hao Jian said to Ruo Lan. The scene that was about to unfold was too gory, and he didn't want Tongtong to witness it. "Okay!" Ruo Lan nodded vigorously, holding Tongtong as they ran toward a nearby Beetle and then locked the car doors securely. Only then did Hao Jian turn to face the thugs from Martial Evil Hall, his voice ice-cold, "No forgiveness, no mercy, for this is the decree of the God of Death!" "Come on!" I'm not afraid of you, one of the thugs said while pointing a pistol at Hao Jian, not believing that Hao Jian was truly invincible, not even fearing bullets. Hao Jian didn't speak, but his face was full of disdain. He walked slowly towards his opponent, his body covered by an endless killing intent. Each step imposed immense pressure, making it feel as though a heavy hammer was smashing into one's heart. Seeing Hao Jian fearlessly approach, the thug panicked and hastily pulled the trigger. "Bang!" Hao Jian dodged by tilting his head. The thugs were immediately startled, while the gunman shook his head, believing it must be just a coincidence, nothing more! "Bang!" That shot was also dodged by Hao Jian. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" The thug fired like crazy, bullets flying out as if they were free, but even after emptying his gun, Hao Jian remained unscathed. By now, he stood in front of the thug. "You." The thug swallowed and barely got a word out. "Bang!" With a muffled sound, everyone saw Hao Jian punch the thug's head so hard it flew off and landed right in Old Black's hands. "Ah!" Old Black jumped in fright, quickly throwing the head away and looking at Hao Jian with a terrified expression. A single punch was enough to blast a man's head off, this truly was a punch that could kill a person. The others, having seen this, were so frightened that their legs went weak. If their opponent wasn't even afraid of bullets, what could possibly hurt him? "The mastermind is Liu Bohong, we were just following orders, it really has nothing to do with us!" Old Black said, his face pale as he immediately chose to betray Liu Bohong; he knew this was the only chance for them to survive. "Please let us go, I'll tell you where Liu Bohong is." The other thugs also nodded one after another, pleadingly looking at Hao Jian; they were thoroughly frightened, knowing they couldn't match Hao Jian in any way, resistance meant certain death. "Where is Liu Bohong?" Hao Jian asked in a deep voice. "If I tell you, will you let me go?" Old Black asked pitifully. Hao Jian sneered and said, "Do you really think you still have the leverage to bargain with me?" "If you won't let me go, then I won't tell you!" Old Black threatened, gambling on the chance that Hao Jian cared about his woman's safety. Chapter 350 Self-Harm Because if Hao Jian wanted to rescue Shu Ya, he would have to choose to compromise, and that was an opportunity for him. Hao Jian sneered, a touch of indifferent smile appearing on the corner of his mouth, then he backhandedly slapped Old Black's face. Afterward, everyone couldn't help but inhale a sharp breath of cold air. Because they saw Old Black's head actually rotate one hundred and eighty degrees, twisting directly to the back of his head. Old Black died on the spot, having underestimated Hao Jian's wisdom and overestimated his own intelligence. Why did Liu Bohong kidnap Shu Ya, if not to threaten him? That meant even if Hao Jian didn't look for Liu Bohong, Liu Bohong would certainly come looking for him. So regardless of whether Old Black revealed Liu Bohong's location or not, Hao Jian would eventually find out. And, whether Old Black spoke or not, he was destined to die! "Liu Bohong is in a small grove next to Shengpu Bay!" At this time, a thug volunteered the information, not daring to bargain with Hao Jian because he knew it would be futile. "Thank you, but you're still going to die!" Hao Jian's expressionless face lunged forward, like a hungry tiger charging into a pack of wolves, and the pitiful screams lasted for a long time. Their actions just now had created their inevitable doom today. Forget Ruo Lan, even a child like Tongtong was not spared, how could Hao Jian let them off easily? After slaughtering these beasts, Hao Jian directly phoned Brother Spice Ginger to come over, to take Tongtong and her mother home and protect them. He himself rushed towards the small grove at Shengpu Bay to meet that old bastard Liu Bohong. Hao Jian's face was grim, clearly with killing intent already decided! "I say, are you guys mistaken? Hao Jian and I have long broken up, didn't you get the message? He will never come here!" Meanwhile, Shu Ya complained discontentedly to Liu Bohong, trying to confuse him. But Liu Bohong, that old fox, didn't care at all, chuckling weirdly, "Nowadays, all I can do is try and see, I've already pushed Hao Jian into a corner." "Pushed into a corner? What has Hao Jian done to you?" Shu Ya asked in surprise. "What has he done to me? He has done too much, he destroyed my gang, and now he's about to kill me soon!" Liu Bohong said with a cold laugh, with resentment in his brows. If it weren't for Hao Jian, his chance would have already been successful! Shu Ya was stunned, although she didn't know what Hao Jian had done to Liu Bohong, from Liu Bohong's reaction, it seemed Hao Jian really did him great harm. "So President Shu, you'd better be glad if Hao Jian comes, otherwise, you'll have to die in his stead!" Liu Bohong laughed, his demeanor somewhat crazy. No wonder, Liu Bohong was at a dead end now, he had nothing left to lose. "Big Boss, someone's coming!" Just then, one of Liu Bohong's trusted aides spoke to him, pointing to an approaching sedan not far away. Liu Bohong looked up and indeed saw a sedan car coming towards them. Liu Bohong immediately smiled in satisfaction, turning back to look at Shu Ya: "President Shu, it seems you've underestimated your significance to Hao Jian, he seems to care about you quite a bit." Shu Ya gritted her teeth, looking very unpleasant, at this moment she was actually hoping Hao Jian wouldn't show up here. Hao Jian got out of the car, glanced around at the empty surroundings, and couldn't help but sneer. He finally knew why Liu Bohong had chosen to meet him here, this was a boundless plain, any slight movement could be spotted, sneaking was impossible. If Liu Bohong had chosen some old factory or dilapidated warehouse, Hao Jian would have had at least a hundred ways to rescue Shu Ya unharmed. This showed how sly and cunning Liu Bohong was. Liu Bohong knew Hao Jian was a martial artist and understood the fearsome nature of one, so he didn't want to take any chances. Hao Jian slowly walked towards Liu Bohong and his people. At this moment, Liu Bohong frowned, pointed his gun at Shu Ya's head, and commanded, "Stop right there!" Hao Jian immediately stopped and raised his hands to show he had no weapons. "Liu Bohong, we finally meet, huh?" Hao Jian said cheerily. For some reason, seeing Hao Jian's frivolous and smiling face made Liu Bohong furious, wishing he could punch that face hard. "Hao Jian, actually, I don't want to see you at all!" Liu Bohong snorted coldly. "I can see that, because you're afraid of me!" Hao Jian taunted. "That's right, I am indeed afraid of you!" Liu Bohong didn't deny it but instead pointed the gun barrel at Shu Ya's forehead with a sinister smile, "But now, it's your turn to be afraid of me!" Hao Jian narrowed his eyes in anger and said, "If you're brave enough, let the woman go, and we'll fight it out fair and square!" As soon as he said this, Liu Bohong and his men couldn't help but laugh. Liu Bohong laughed the loudest, "Hao Jian, do you think I'm an idiot? A normal person like me fighting a martial artist?" "So you're not a fucking idiot, huh?" Hao Jian also seemed very surprised. "..." Liu Bohong's smile instantly stiffened, and he coldly snorted, "What's the use of having a sharp tongue? You think you can talk me to death?" "Of course not, but I can make you uncomfortable. Since I'm a dead man anyway, I might as well insult you a few more times while I can, in case I won't have the chance later." Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, pretending to be nonchalant. Upon hearing that, Liu Bohong burst into laughter, becoming even more cocky: "Hao Jian, it seems like you do have some self-awareness after all!" When Hao Jian said that, Liu Bohong knew Hao Jian was planning to trade his own life for Shu Ya's. "Motherfucker!" Hao Jian cursed. "You." Liu Bohong was so angry that his eyes bulged. "The north wind blows, snowflakes flutter, practicing flying knives with your mom. Left a knife, right a knife, hitting your mom's waist with each throw. The last knife is the most coquettish, flying straight into your mom's yurt!" "Shut up!" "Children of China have many peculiar aspirations; they don't love fancy dresses but martial gear. Donned in red they take up arms, everyone ***** to screw your mom!" "I told you to shut up!" Liu Bohong's forehead bulged with veins, nearly exploding with rage. "What? Don't like these jokes? Then I'll change it up!" Hao Jian switched it up, saying, "Blame me! Blame me!!! It was me who went to the lavatory yesterday and saw your mom hiding inside, she flew at me with a kick and locked me in, I lost my purity, and she her composure, ecstatic was she, exhausted was I, blame me! Blame me! It's all my fault!" "How is that any different?" one of his confidants asked, confused. Isn't this the same as the previous ones? The moment he spoke up, he immediately drew Liu Bohong's murderous gaze and hurriedly bowed his head, not daring to make a sound. "Of course, it's different, didn't you notice I didn't curse this time? It's allegory; now are you satisfied?" Hao Jian said teasingly. Shu Ya had a face full of disbelief. What a hooligan! A complete and utter hooligan, where the hell did he learn all these dirty jokes? And he could recite them so smoothly, had he practiced all the time? "Satisfied? Of course, I am satisfied! Now I even ******* want her to enjoy it with me!" Liu Bohong, losing control, slapped Shu Ya, leaving a handprint on her delicate cheek. Hao Jian's eyebrows imperceptibly furrowed, and a surge of killing intent rose in his heart. "Hao Jian, think you're so fucking great? Keep cursing then, I swear I'll slap her every time you do, let's see who's the unlucky one!" Liu Bohong roared, clearly furious. His own mother was already eighty years old, and being insulted like this by Hao Jian was intolerable. Was there no justice left? "Alright, alright, I'll stop cursing, just tell me what you want?" Hao Jian said helplessly. "End yourself right here, and I'll let you go," Liu Bohong said bluntly, tossing a dagger to Hao Jian. "Hao Jian, get the hell out of here! I don't need a liar and piece of trash like you to save me. After all, even if you save me I won't appreciate it." Shu Ya swiftly cried out angrily, trying to irritate Hao Jian, hoping only then he might give up on saving her. "Really vicious, aren't you?" Hao Jian said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. Liu Bohong's eyes narrowed into slits, cold light shooting from them: "Make your choice, you die, or she dies, there's no third option!" Liu Bohong was ready to throw everything away. If Hao Jian didn't die today, then he surely would have to. If he could drag Hao Jian's beloved woman to the grave with him before dying, Liu Bohong would consider it a win. "Fine, I accept your request!" Hao Jian looked deeply at Liu Bohong before choosing to compromise. At these words, Shu Ya was shocked speechless, cursing at Hao Jian: "Are you fucking crazy? I told you it's none of your business, why the hell are you playing the hero? Get lost; I can't stand the sight of you right now!" Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire "Shut up!" Just at that moment, Hao Jian suddenly roared, immediately silencing Shu Ya. Hao Jian, with a chauvinistic tone, said, "Women should keep quiet when men are talking!" Hearing this, Liu Bohong broke into a satisfied laugh because he could already envision Hao Jian's death. "Hao Jian, please go, I beg you." Shu Ya said through tears, she didn't want Hao Jian to save her, he had already done enough for her. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If Hao Jian really died for her now, she likely would live in pain for the rest of her life. But Hao Jian ignored Shu Ya and looked towards Liu Bohong: "Don't forget to keep your promise!" "Don't worry, I'm only after you. I have no interest in the others. As soon as you die, I'll immediately release President Shu," Liu Bohong swore with conviction. "Hope you keep your word." Hao Jian's lips twisted into a grim smile, his eyes filled with resolve, as if he were prepared to face his death. Whoosh! In an instant, the dagger pierced Hao Jian's chest, straight to the heart. Hao Jian's body shook, and a splash of red spread from his chest! Chapter 351 You Gigantic Traitor "No!" Shu Ya screamed sharply, almost fainting from fright. "Hahaha, he's dead, finally that bastard is dead!" Liu Bohong laughed loudly, feeling utterly exhilarated as he fired several shots into the sky in celebration. "Such a tough guy, but in the end, to die at the hands of a woman¡ªit's truly ironic," someone said. "Since ancient times, heroes have fallen at the beauty gate. This guy, although a martial artist, is after all a man." "How stupid of Qin Huaiming to do this for a woman. There are so many women in the world, why hang himself upon this one tree?" Liu Bohong's followers all mocked Hao Jian, finding him ridiculously foolish¡ªit was downright comical. With Hao Jian's strength and status, what woman couldn't he have? Yet he died for one? "Chop this kid's body into mincemeat to feed the dogs!" Liu Bohong said viciously, his hatred for Hao Jian reaching an almost unimaginable level. Even though he had killed Hao Jian, Liu Bohong still felt it was not satisfying enough; he had to dismember him and feed him to the dogs. Liu Bohong's confidants all had a strange look on their faces¡ªit was one thing to kill a man, but to dismember him? Wasn't that a bit too cruel? But they dared not contravene Liu Bohong's wishes and walked towards Hao Jian's body. "Big Boss, what about this woman?" At that moment, one confidant asked Liu Bohong, pointing at the distraught Shu Ya. Liu Bohong glanced at Shu Ya, then coldly snorted, "Kill her!" Shu Ya was capable and cunning; if he let her go today, she might cause trouble for him someday. Thus, Liu Bohong could definitely not spare her. As for the promises he had made to Hao Jian, that was all hot air¡ªHao Jian was dead, how could he hold him to his promises? At this moment, Shu Ya stood dazed, with tears clearly visible in the corners of her eyes, expressionless as she stared at Hao Jian's corpse not far away, completely oblivious to what Liu Bohong was saying. The confidant sighed, feeling somewhat regretful. Such a beautiful woman was about to be killed¡ªit was truly a waste! The confidant drew his sword, stood behind Shu Ya, and suddenly swung the blade, ready to behead her. "Swoosh swoosh swoosh." Suddenly, a series of whooshing sounds erupted, as sharp glints flew directly towards Liu Bohong and his men. "Ah!" After a unified scream, all of Liu Bohong's subordinates fell into pools of blood. "What?" Liu Bohong was stunned, quickly turning towards the direction from which the blades had come, only to see Hao Jian slowly rising from the ground, hands supporting himself. At that moment, Shu Ya's eyes brightened, her numbness turning into surprise. But Liu Bohong turned pale, saying in terror, "This can't be possible, you were stabbed through the heart, how could you still be alive?" Stabbed through the heart and still alive? Was he even human? "Oh, you mean this?" Hao Jian grinned, "It's because my body is too tough; ordinary blades can't hurt me." Shi Jingtian had already tested his resilience; ordinary blades couldn't inflict the slightest injury on him. "And what about all that blood?" Liu Bohong asked, staring at the pool of blood on Hao Jian's chest, unconvinced. If it hadn't pierced through, where had that blood come from? Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire "Here!" Hao Jian pulled a blood bag from under his clothes at his heart's location and smiled, "This is the blood bag I prepared in advance. Tomato-flavored¡ªnot bad!" With that, he picked up the blood bag and finished off the remaining tomato sauce. Liu Bohong then realized he had been played, and his eyes flickered for a moment before he fiercely grabbed the gun toward Shu Ya, preparing to use her to threaten Hao Jian again. But Hao Jian, who was already prepared, wouldn't let Liu Bohong succeed¡ª he directly threw a flying dagger, piercing through Liu Bohong's palm. Liu Bohong screamed in pain, the pistol falling to the ground. By the time he came back to his senses, Hao Jian had already flashed in front of him, grabbing his throat with one hand and lifting him up off the ground. "Liu Bohong, you're very cunning, but I am not foolish," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "It's too bad you were too eager to kill me, and you even forgot to have your men check the body first." Otherwise, Hao Jian would have had no way out. Unfortunately for Liu Bohong, he made a fatal mistake, one that thrust him into an irrecoverable abyss. Held by the neck, Liu Bohong's face turned red from suffocation, and he looked at Hao Jian with resentment and hatred, "Hao Jian, you¡­ you're really despicable!" "Thank you!" Hao Jian replied indifferently with a smile. Then he drew a Dagger across Liu Bohong's belly, instantly disemboweling him, his intestines spilling out onto the ground. "You have about five minutes to live before you bleed out¡ªenjoy the last five minutes of your life," Hao Jian said cheerily, releasing Liu Bohong. Immediately afterward, Hao Jian lifted Shu Ya into his arms and walked step by step toward his car, leaving Liu Bohong helplessly staring after him with a venomous gaze. . "Shu Ya, are you okay?" When Hao Jian brought Shu Ya back, Ruo Lan and Tongtong both hurriedly greeted her, looking at her excitedly. "I'm fine, don't worry," Shu Ya said wearily. Today's events had left her feeling somewhat exhausted. There was a moment when she believed she might lose Hao Jian forever¡ª an awful feeling that she still hadn't recovered from. Seeing Shu Ya's fatigue, Hao Jian turned to Ruo Lan and the others and said, "After today's events, everyone is exhausted. Let's rest early." Immediately, Hao Jian helped Shu Ya to his house. During his absence, Shu Ya had kept the house immaculately clean. In the early morning, Hao Jian was awakened by the shrill ringing of his cell phone. He answered it and heard Jiang Yutong's voice from the other end. "Teacher Hao Jian, have you woken up?" Jiang Yutong asked. "Oh, Jiang Yutong, what's up?" Hao Jian asked while yawning, thinking to himself just how irksome it was for this girl to disturb him early in the morning. "What do you mean, what's up? Didn't you promise you would go with me to demand compensation today? And now you're asking me if something's the matter?" Jiang Yutong complained. It seemed like Hao Jian had completely forgotten about this. Hao Jian then slapped his forehead, clearly having been overwhelmed by Shu Ya's situation yesterday to the point of forgetting. He quickly apologized, "Sorry, I forgot. Where are you now? I'll come over immediately." After Jiang Yutong provided an address, Hao Jian hung up the phone. Then, he glanced at the beauty beside him and found Shu Ya still sleeping. The craziness of the previous night had drained her energy, so she still hadn't gotten up. Hao Jian laughed and cried at his own situation. He was somewhat skeptical and also profoundly disturbed by Shu Ya's insatiable demands last night¡ª especially since it was only her second time and she was so young. What would happen when she reached her thirties or forties? He'd be doomed for sure. Hao Jian gently got out of bed, then made a phone call to the office to ask for a day off for Shu Ya before dressing and heading out. As he reached Ruo Lan's door, he saw Ruo Lan and Tongtong looking at him with odd expressions. Tongtong angrily said, "Daddy is bad, Daddy bullied stepmom again!" "Ah? When did I bully her?" Hao Jian was stunned. "Don't lie to me, I heard everything last night. Stepmom sounded so pitiful!" Tongtong said confidently. Ruo Lan also glared angrily at Hao Jian and huffed coldly, clearly reprimanding his actions from the previous night. Hao Jian felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment and quickly made an excuse to slip away. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian met up with Jiang Yutong in a square. Today, Jiang Yutong wasn't wearing her usual drab gray dress but a brightly-colored floral short skirt, holding a handbag, and had also ditched the unsightly black-rimmed glasses. Chapter 352 Debt Collection Jiang Yutong didn't look like she was going to collect a debt; she looked more like she was heading out on a date. "You look really beautiful today!" Hao Jian said in surprise, as it was his first time seeing Jiang Yutong dressed up like this. "Thank you!" Jiang Yutong's heart was as sweet as honey when she heard Hao Jian's compliment. To tell the truth, the reason she had dressed up like this was to please Hao Jian. "Come on, get in the car. It's time to settle scores with the debtor!" Hao Jian opened the car door. Meanwhile, at Wanda Real Estate Company. In the chairman's office, a fat middle-aged man with a cigar in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other appeared utterly pleased with himself. This man was Zhu Guangming, the boss of Wanda Real Estate, a notorious swindler in the industry. "Old Liu, you have no idea how damn troublesome those evictees are. I told them to move, and they simply refused, making me so angry that I had to take extreme measures to drive them out!" Zhu Guangming complained to a man sitting across from him. If Hao Jian were here, he would recognize this man as Liu Rizhao, whom he had humiliated before. "Oh? Is it because the compensation you offered was too low?" Liu Rizhao asked with interest. "Too low? I gave each person a million!" Zhu Guangming laughed slyly. Liu Rizhao kept silent with a smile, knowing that the land in question was extremely valuable. By market rates, it would be worth at least two million each, if not three or four million. However, Zhu Guangming had only given each person one million, which was incredibly shady! But Liu Rizhao naturally didn't have anything to say about Zhu Guangming. If Zhu Guangming could handle it, it meant he had the means. After all, what these businessmen valued most was never personal relationships, but interests. However, Liu Rizhao himself wouldn't resort to such means because he knew that it was illegal and would eventually lead to trouble. "Those damn paupers are still not satisfied, kicking up a fuss until I hired a bunch of thugs to go and cripple three or four of them. Then they moved out obediently. Aren't they just asking for it, forcing me to take action?" Zhu Guangming asked with a taunting tone. "Doing things this way is going to cause you trouble," Liu Rizhao advised. "Bullshit. Who in Hua City dares to challenge me? I have every side taken care of; those dead paupers don't stand a chance if they try any tricks," boasted Zhu Guangming proudly. At this, Liu Rizhao could only smile wryly without a word. "Chairman, someone is here to see you." At that moment, a female secretary came to report. "Who is it? Don't they see I'm talking with Chairman Liu?" Zhu Guangming asked impatiently. "She says her name is Jiang Yutong, the daughter of Jiang Qihui, here about the compensation," the secretary replied. "Jiang Qihui? Who is that?" Zhu Guangming furrowed his brow, having completely forgotten about such a person. "That's the worker who was injured a few years ago while doing renovations for our company. He has come to us several times for compensation but never succeeded, and now his daughter is here again." With that reminder from the secretary, Zhu Guangming also recalled the incident and huffed angrily, "More debt collectors! Let them come up; I want to see how they plan to get money from me!" Soon after, Hao Jian and Jiang Yutong arrived at Zhu Guangming's office, and Liu Rizhao's expression changed instantly upon seeing Hao Jian, panicking as he tried to stand up. At that moment, Hao Jian discreetly gestured to Liu Rizhao to settle down, signalling with his hand for him to not make a scene. Liu Rizhao then sat down again, looking flabbergasted. "So you're the crippled man's daughter?" Zhu Guangming couldn't help but brighten up upon seeing Jiang Yutong, surprised to find that the crippled worker had such a beautiful daughter. "My dad became a cripple because of your company! If it hadn't been for your company's shoddy materials that led to the building collapse, my dad wouldn't have had his legs crushed!" Jiang Yutong was furious. Her father had become disabled due to Zhu Guangming's company, and yet Zhu Guangming had the gall to insult her father. "I certainly don't admit that, and the accident investigation results are already out. It was your father's own mistake operating the machinery that caused his injury, what's that got to do with me?" Zhu Guangming laughed coldly. He had already bribed the accident investigation department, so the official results favored him. Jiang Yutong wanted to get money from him? It was a fool's dream. "I've already told you before, if you were willing to let that crippled man die a peaceful death when he was critically ill, I was willing to compensate, but you refused. So now, don't even think about getting a cent from me!" Zhu Guangming declared arrogantly. To avoid paying more, he had once suggested that Jiang Yutong and her mother allow Jiang Qihui to die peacefully, but they insisted on saving him and holding Zhu Guangming responsible. Because if Jiang Qihui died, he could pay less, whereas if he remained a cripple, Zhu Guangming would be liable for his care for life according to the law, which meant paying a significant sum of money. Zhu Guangming couldn't accept that, so he turned around and paid some people off to cover up the whole affair. Now that the situation was settled, how could he possibly still give money to Jiang Yutong's family? "Are you even speaking like a human? If the injured person were your father, would you do the same?" Jiang Yutong angrily said. Put yourself in others' shoes¡ªif Zhu Guangming were in this situation, she didn't believe he would abandon his own father. "Of course I wouldn't, because I'm nothing like you dead poor ghosts. I'm loaded with money. If my dad got sick, I'd have him stay in the most expensive hospital, use the best medicine, and hire the best doctors," Zhu Guangming boasted arrogantly, looking smug. Immediately after, Zhu Guangming's eyes, tinged with lecherous light, scanned over Jiang Yutong's body: "Of course, it's not impossible for you to want money. Be my lover for a year, and I'll give you a million. How about that?" Zhu Guangming's words were very explicit, and also clearer than ever¡ªdirect and rough, but it was this directness and roughness that others found unacceptable. From this, it wasn't hard to see that Zhu Guangming was a very self-righteous person, accustomed to imposing his values on others and forcing them to compromise. "In your dreams!" Jiang Yutong retorted furiously; she would never sell her body. "Then there's nothing more to say. Get lost!" Zhu Guangming waved his hand impatiently. "You... if you don't pay back the money, I'll sue you in court!" Jiang Yutong threatened weakly, feeling both enraged and powerless at Zhu Guangming's arrogance. Hearing Jiang Yutong's words, Zhu Guangming laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, boastfully saying, "Sue me? Are you insane? Can an arm twist a thigh? Besides, you're not even an arm, just a little finger! I have an entire team of lawyers behind me. If you want to fight me in court, you'd better prepare a few hundred million first!" Jiang Yutong gritted her teeth in hatred but didn't know how to counterattack Zhu Guangming. At that moment, Hao Jian pulled Jiang Yutong behind him, then faced Zhu Guangming directly. "You're Zhu Guangming, right?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "Who the hell are you?" Zhu Guangming looked at Hao Jian contemptuously, deliberately blowing a puff of cigar smoke in his face. "My name is Hao Jian. Have you heard of me?" Hao Jian said, still smiling. "Hao Jian? What a fool's name. Never heard of it," Zhu Guangming said scornfully. Hao Jian sighed, "It doesn't matter if you haven't heard of me. Just return the money, and that will be fine." "What if I don't!" Zhu Guangming couldn't help but laugh angrily. Who the hell did this bumpkin think he was, coming to him for money and demanding it so righteously, as if he had no choice but to give it? Zhu Guangming wanted to know where on earth this kid got the nerve to ask him for money. "Then I'm afraid I'll have to teach you a lesson!" Hao Jian said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "Teach me a lesson? Oh please, I want to see what you, you fool, can do to me!" Zhu Guangming said glaringly, then picked up the office phone: "Call all the security guards to my office!" "A few years ago, I was able to cripple that dead lame Jiang Qihui, and today I can just as easily cripple you!" Zhu Guangming said viciously to Hao Jian and Jiang Yutong, evidently intending to teach Hao Jian a lesson. "Zhu Guangming, let it be. You're not short of this little money. Just give it to them," Liu Rizhao couldn't help but advise Zhu Guangming at this point, because he was also a business partner with Zhu Guangming and naturally didn't want to see him come to ruin. "Liu Rizhao, whose side are you on?" Zhu Guangming was displeased. Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire Liu Rizhao smiled bitterly: "I just think there's no need to make yourself unhappy over a moment of anger. It's not a lot of money, just over a hundred thousand; just give it to them." S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Dream on. Once the money enters my pocket, there's no reason for it to go out. My principle in life is to take every little bit I can. No matter whose money it is, don't even think about trying to get it from me!" Zhu Guangming snorted angrily. "Clap, clap, clap." At this moment, the sound of clapping came from the room. Hao Jian shook his head and smiled, "I am truly astounded by your shamelessness." This really was like farting and making it smell like jasmine¡ªblatant nonsense that Hao Jian could hardly abide. "Zhu Guangming, you better back off. This is not someone you can afford to mess with," Liu Rizhao sighed. Zhu Guangming had no idea how fearsome Hao Jian was. "Oh, you know him?" Zhu Guangming became intrigued when he heard Liu Rizhao say this. No wonder this kid was so arrogant; he had some backing. "He's the one who injured Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun!" Liu Rizhao said with a bitter smile. Right now, Hao Jian was a renowned figure in Hua City, and Zhu Guangming didn't even know who he was¡ªLiu Rizhao didn't know what to say about him. Chapter 353 Astonishing Insider Story "So it's him." But after hearing everything, Zhu Guangming did not show any awe. Instead, he was extremely arrogant, "Just a dead man walking, what's there to be scared of? After injuring both Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun at the same time, do you think the Kong Family and the Liang Family will let him off? Just a dying man, what's so great about that?" Zhu Guangming looked at Hao Jian with a gaze as if staring at a dead man: "Kid, if I were you, I'd be hightailing it out of Hua City right now. If you're late, your family will only be able to fish your bones out of a pigsty." Seeing this, Liu Rizhao said nothing more. He had done what he could; since Zhu Guangming was still obstinately unaware of the danger, there was nothing else he could do. "Boss, what's up?" At that moment, the head of security arrived with a group of security guards. "Cripple this brat for me. I'll cover for you if anything happens. And that little bitch, take her to my room," Zhu Guangming said with a lecherous laugh, straightforward as always, without any shame. "Hao Jian, I've heard rumors outside that you're really tough, that it's nothing for you to take on dozens at once. Now, I really want to see if you're that impressive!" Zhu Guangming said coldly. "Beat him up!" The security guards approached Hao Jian with batons, having heard Zhu Guangming's words, they did not hold back, intending to beat Hao Jian to a cripple. But Hao Jian just swayed slightly and picked up a sofa nearby, hurling it toward the security guards. "Ahh!" After a round of screams, the group of security guards was instantly taken down by Hao Jian. Seeing this, Zhu Guangming instantly sucked in a breath of cold air and then, realizing something was amiss, he screamed out frantically, "Get up, get up, you useless trash!" If these security guards couldn't stop Hao Jian, then who would help him when it was his turn to be dealt with by Hao Jian? Liu Rizhao couldn't help but reveal a cold smile, watching Zhu Guangming with irony in his eyes. He had anticipated that Zhu Guangming would pay a price for his actions. Whether Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun would kill Hao Jian, he did not know, but he was certain Zhu Guangming definitely couldn't, because Zhu Guangming was not qualified to do so. "Bang!" As soon as Zhu Guangming finished speaking, Hao Jian slammed the sofa, weighing over four hundred pounds, down on the fallen security guards - they wouldn't be getting up again any time soon. Zhu Guangming's face turned green. Hao Jian also laughed, looking seriously at Zhu Guangming and said, "The rumors are true, I really can take on dozens at once!" "Is that so?" Zhu Guangming forced out a smile uglier than crying. "How should I deal with you?" Hao Jian asked with a mocking smile, walking up to Zhu Guangming, patting his shoulder. Zhu Guangming swallowed hard, internally cursing the useless security guards for being unable to beat one man. Then he looked at Liu Rizhao with a plea for help because he knew only Liu Rizhao could save him now. Liu Rizhao waved his hand and said, "Don't look at me, there's nothing I can do. I've advised you already, but you wouldn't listen. You should think about it, Mr. Hao dared to strike Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen, which means he is on their level. You dared to provoke him; it's simply courting death. I can't save you." Hearing this, Zhu Guangming completely despaired, looked at Hao Jian with a pleading gaze, and then suddenly knelt down: "If I say I know I'm wrong, would you believe me?" "Believe it, but I still have to deal with you!" Hao Jian said very seriously. "It's not that I won't give you the money. I want to, but it's all Wang Xuantao's doing!" Zhu Guangming suddenly yelled out. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Wang Xuantao? What has he done?" Hao Jian frowned in surprise. What did this have to do with Wang Xuantao? Jiang Yutong also stared intently at Zhu Guangming, wanting to understand the reasons from him. "After Jiang Qihui's work accident, it was Wang Xuantao who came to me. He said as long as I gave him half of the compensation due to Jiang Qihui, he would collude with me and testify that Jiang Qihui's work accident was his own fault. Having him in cahoots with me was why I could suppress the matter so thoroughly." Zhu Guangming spilled everything at this point. "You know I'm a businessman, I care about profits above all else. As long as I could pay less, damn, anyone would do it. Jiang Qihui worked for Wang Xuantao, and having his boss speak up would certainly add credibility. I also bribed some workers' compensation department officials, so everything ended up being smoothed over in the end. It's really all Wang Xuantao's fault, it truly has nothing to do with me!" Hearing this, both Hao Jian and Jiang Yutong were shocked. They never expected Wang Xuantao to play such a role, for a renovation company's boss to collude with a real estate mogul to orchestrate a ruse. Wang Xuantao conspired with outsiders against his own people. "Despicable! Absolutely despicable!" Jiang Yutong cried in anger. She could never have imagined her Uncle Wang Xuantao would go so far. Her father worked loyally and diligently for him, yet when trouble arose, Wang Xuantao conspired with Zhu Guangming to cheat their family. ``` It was because of Zhu Guangming and Wang Xuantao that his family hadn't had a single good day over the past few years, his mother could only sleep four hours a day, and he didn't even know how much her hair had grayed. But Wang Xuantao had it good, continuing to enjoy the money Zhu Guangming gave him and expanding his business even further. How could Jiang Yutong not be furious? No, she was beyond furious; she harbored such hatred that she wished Wang Xuantao would drop dead that very moment! "Not only that, he used the money I gave him to help your family, paying a little bit towards Jiang Qihui's medical expenses, making your family deeply indebted to him. He's the real scum, a hypocrite through and through," Zhu Guangming now desperately tried to smear Wang Xuantao further because he knew that as long as Wang Xuantao attracted the ire of Hao Jian and the others, he could disassociate himself from the whole affair. Hao Jian's face was also gloomy as he asked Zhu Guangming, "Does Wang Xuantao's wife, Jiang Huiyun, know about this?" Wang Xuantao wasn't Jiang Qihui's blood relative and, after all, an outsider; his actions might have been somewhat excusable. But if Jiang Huiyun was involved too, then the nature of the matter would change completely. "Wang Xuantao's wife?" Zhu Guangming thought for a moment before nodding vigorously, "She definitely knows. When Wang Xuantao came to find me, he was with his wife!" Hao Jian shook his head and sneered, then turned to look at Jiang Yutong, "Your aunt and uncle, they're really something!" Jiang Yutong was so filled with hatred that she was gritting her teeth, her chest burning with rage, "I'll never let them get away with this!" As part of the family, Wang Xuantao and Jiang Huiyun not lending a hand when their family was in trouble was bad enough, but to actually collude with a person like Zhu Guangming to harm them made Jiang Yutong feel like she could kill them right there. "It seems I should have taken care of them when I was at your place!" Hao Jian also felt some regret; such scum didn't deserve to live. Alive, they wasted the nation's oxygen; dead, they'd waste the nation's land. "Mr. Hao, I really didn't intend to withhold the money on purpose, I just felt that Wang Xuantao's proposal was more advantageous for me," Zhu Guangming continued his explanation, trying his best to extricate himself from the situation. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire "So, where's the money? Are you giving it or not?" Jiang Shan asked with a cold smirk. "I'll give it, I'll give it," Zhu Guangming said with a sullen face, where was the courage to refuse? "Apart from the 1.5 million yuan originally owed to Jiang Qihui, I'll personally add another 1.5 million yuan as compensation, totaling 3 million yuan. Is that acceptable?" "Fine!" Hao Jian nodded, that amount was enough to make up for the losses of Jiang Qihui's family. "Then, does that mean you'll let me go?" Zhu Guangming asked cautiously, clearly very nervous. "No, you just tried to have someone cripple me, so as a return gift, I'll have you crippled!" Hearing this, Zhu Guangming's legs went weak, "But I've already agreed to pay the money." "Paying the money is what you're supposed to do since you owe Jiang Qihui, but Jiang Qihui's business is none of yours; I expect you to pay up for each issue, understand?" Hao Jian discussed the matter very seriously with Zhu Guangming. "What if I give you more money, could you not harm me?" Zhu Guangming pleaded, trying to buy his physical integrity with money. Hao Jian was too lazy to talk nonsense anymore and directly swung a punch at Zhu Guangming's chubby face, sending him flying before crashing into a nearby wall, legs in the air, unable to move so much as his head. That blow had caused his back to give out. "I want to see the 3 million yuan you're compensating in Jiang Qihui's account within three days; if it's not there, you might as well wait for death," Hao Jian said coldly, then pulled Jiang Yutong and left. At that moment, Liu Rizhao hurried over, seeing Jiang Shan and the others out of Zhu Guangming's office. Once out of Zhu Guangming's office, although Jiang Yutong had secured the compensation, she felt no relief from receiving the money, her mood growing even heavier instead. It's hard for outsiders to comprehend Jiang Yutong's feelings at that moment, as harming one's own kin brings misfortune upon the family. "If you want revenge, I can help. But if you'd rather let it go, I won't insist," Hao Jian said softly, knowing that Jiang Yutong was contemplating whether to take revenge on the couple, Wang Xuantao and Jiang Huiyun. "No, I want revenge!" Jiang Yutong said firmly, having made up her mind. If Wang Xuantao and Jiang Huiyun could be so cruel as to betray their family, why couldn't they muster the ruthlessness to seek revenge? "Let's go home; your father deserves to know about this," Hao Jian sighed, patting Jiang Yutong's shoulder. An hour later, inside the Jiang family home. The faces of Jiang Qihui and his wife were as gloomy as could be; they had just learned the truth from Hao Jian and Jiang Yutong. ``` Chapter 354 Exposure At this moment, they were all silent, the atmosphere heavy to an extreme. After a long while, Jiang Huiyun finally let out a cold, mocking laugh and shook her head, then said to Wang Wanjun, "Bring me my clothes, I want to go see my 'dear' sister and brother-in-law!" If someone had touched Jiang Qihui at that moment, they would have found that his whole body was ice-cold, chilled to the extreme. The heart was cold, so naturally, the body was cold too. Wang Wanjun, saying nothing, went to get Jiang Qihui's clothes and then began to push his wheelchair outside. Jiang Qihui's family lived in the affluent district under Liu Rizhao, and they happened to be neighbors with Che Xiaoxiao. Because in recent years Wang Xuantao's career had grown increasingly successful, gaining some fame in the industry, many large real-estate companies had asked for their help with decoration projects. Looking at the luxurious villa in front of them, the expressions on the faces of Jiang Qihui's family of three were very unpleasant because what they saw was not just a villa but the hard-earned money that should have belonged to them! The situation for their family was getting worse and worse, while Wang Xuantao's family was doing better and better. This was undoubtedly unfair. If they hadn't met Hao Jian, they would never have been able to change their situation, nor would they ever have learned the truth. They could have been deceived by Wang Xuantao's family for their entire lives, dying thinking of them as great benefactors. They were both bitter and angry, with an endless rage that seemed ready to burn the villa in front of them to ashes. "Let's go!" Hao Jian said, taking the initiative to walk into the villa. Jiang Huiyun just happened to come out to take out the trash and, upon seeing Jiang Qihui and the others at her doorstep, her face immediately turned icy: "What are you doing here? We don't welcome you! Jiang Qihui, from now on, our families are strangers, we're done. Get lost!" Seeing Jiang Huiyun's spiteful face, Jiang Qihui and the others couldn't help but laugh. Jiang Huiyun's expression made them feel as if they were the ones in the wrong, as if Jiang Huiyun's family had done nothing. At this time, with Jiang Huiyun still acting high and mighty in front of them, they found her exceedingly detestable. "What are you laughing at? Didn't you hear me tell you to leave?" Jiang Huiyun, seeing Jiang Qihui sneering, couldn't help but flare up. Were these people here to start trouble? "All visitors are guests, and all the more so when it's your own elder brother. Don't you plan to invite us in to sit for a while?" Hao Jian said with a sinister chuckle. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire "You want me to invite you into my home after you've crippled my son? Are you out of your mind?" Jiang Huiyun also couldn't help but laugh coldly, speaking with revulsion. "Even if you don't invite us, we're coming in anyway." Hao Jian said, pushing Jiang Huiyun aside, and then proceeded into the house with Jiang Qihui's family. At this, Jiang Huiyun's rage surged, and she shouted, "Wang Xuantao, come down quick, a bunch of penniless troublemakers are here!" No sooner had her words fallen, than a voice came from upstairs: "Who the hell is it?" Then, the sound of stomping footsteps followed, as Wang Xuantao hurried downstairs. Seeing Jiang Qihui and Hao Jian among others, his expression turned dark immediately. "What are you doing here?" Wang Xuantao asked sternly. "Oh, everyone's here? Then let's just settle this issue once and for all!" Hao Jian crossed his arms and looked at Wang Xuantao with interest. "I've already met Zhu Guangming today!" At these words, Wang Xuantao's expression instantly became unnatural, but he still tried to maintain a calm demeanor. "Oh, so what? Do you think you can get back the compensation from Zhu Guangming?" "Of course not, because that compensation has long been swallowed up by you!" Hao Jian snorted. At this accusation, Wang Xuantao and Jiang Huiyun's expressions changed drastically, and they started to look nervous. How did they find out about this? "I don't know what you're talking about!" Wang Xuantao denied vehemently, clearly looking guilty. "You don't know what I'm talking about? Liu Rizhao has told me everything. You've illegally taken the compensation that should have gone to Jiang Qihui, and you provided false testimony to prevent Jiang Qihui from getting the compensation. Then, you used Zhu Guangming's dirty money to pretend to help Jiang Qihui's family, making them indebted to you, right?" Hao Jian sneered. Wang Xuantao's face turned instantly pale, for he hadn't expected Hao Jian to be so thoroughly informed about the matter. Was there something wrong with Zhu Guangming's brain, telling Hao Jian all this? Shouldn't such things rot in one's belly forever? Seemingly guessing Wang Xuantao's confusion, Hao Jian let out a faint smile, "Stop guessing, it wasn't Zhu Guangming who told me voluntarily, it was I who forced him to tell me." Forced? Wang Xuantao obviously didn't believe it. Zhu Guangming was so powerful and influential, how could Hao Jian, merely a petty thug, force him? Zhu Guangming could easily spend a million or two to have him taken out! "And you, fully aware of what your husband was doing, didn't stop him. Instead, you joined him in the mire, conspiring against your own brother. Compared to Wang Xuantao, you deserve to die even more!" Hao Jian's voice was ice cold, and in comparison to Wang Xuantao, Jiang Huiyun truly seemed despicable. If Jiang Huiyun had stopped Wang Xuantao, none of this would have happened¡ªafter all, Jiang Qihui was her own brother! Jiang Huiyun had a stiff expression, her face showing both shock and unease. Aside from knowing that Wang Xuantao had harmed her brother, Hao Jian also knew about her collusion with him. Initially, Jiang Huiyun had wanted to pretend ignorance about the matter, but now it seemed unlikely. "Jiang Huiyun, did a dog eat your conscience? He is your older brother! How could you do such a thing to him?" Wang Wanjun too was furious, wishing she could devour Jiang Huiyun alive. Jiang Qihui also fixed Jiang Huiyun with a sharp gaze, his eyes filled with deep disappointment. Jiang Huiyun, feeling guilty, hung her head low, no longer sporting the arrogance she had previously, mute as a frosted eggplant, daring not to speak. "I used to wonder why Wang Mingzhe ended up like that. Now, I finally understand¡ªit seems your whole family is a bunch of beasts!" Hao Jian chuckled sarcastically. "You all get out of here! Or I'll call security!" Wang Xuantao roared furiously, now driven to a shame-fueled rage. His meticulous plan had been unraveled by Hao Jian, leaving him nothing to say. In that moment, Jiang Qihui, who had remained silent, stared straight at Jiang Huiyun and asked indifferently, "I'll only ask you once, did you do it?" "So what if I did? You might not even get the money anyway. We did it to secure Zhu Guangming and then extract some money from him. Without us, you wouldn't have gotten even half," responded Jiang Huiyun brazenly, considering that the truth was out, she might as well admit it, feeling completely justified. "Who are you fooling? Zhu Guangming already said that he was prepared to compensate from the start. It was you who approached him with a way to reduce the compensation for Jiang Qihui, then ordered your people to fabricate evidence against him. And did you give them the half of the compensation you recovered? Jesus, now you're here playing the good person?" Hao Jian glared at Jiang Huiyun, even he, an outsider, was incensed by her shamelessness. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Intimidated by Hao Jian's glare, Jiang Huiyun responded with a dissatisfied hum but dared not retort. But from Jiang Huiyun's attitude, it was apparent she felt not an ounce of remorse, just like Wang Xuantao. Of course, if they felt any unease, they wouldn't have done such a thing in the first place. "Jiang Huiyun, are you even human? You're siblings from the same mother!" Wang Wanjun shouted, incredulous as she stared at Jiang Huiyun, unable to comprehend how her aunt could be so heartless. By then, even Jiang Qihui's eyes were moist with tears, a deep sense of injustice filling him. Wang Wanjun was taken aback, but how could he have anticipated this? After their parents passed away, Jiang Huiyun was his only relative. Yet this very same relative had reduced him to a disabled man! Because of Jiang Huiyun and her husband, he missed the best timing for medical treatment and completely became disabled. He laid in bed for years, becoming a burden to his family. Watching his wife toil from dawn till dusk and his daughter spend years without new clothes, Jiang Qihui felt a pain that was akin to a knife twisting in his heart. If not for Hao Jian's intervention, perhaps he would have continued on that downward path for his entire life. However, he had accepted his fate, believing it was his misfortune. But now, knowing the truth, his world completely collapsed. His own sister cruelly left him disabled, and after that, she felt not even a hint of guilt, acting as if it was her due. Jiang Qihui was filled with bitterness, yet more than his hatred, it was his disappointment that prevailed. Jiang Huiyun let them berate her without a word in reply; after all, the money was already in her hands, so to her, it didn't matter what Jiang Qihui and the others said. "Why waste words on them? Make them leave quickly!" Wang Xuantao snapped. Now, he found the presence of Jiang Qihui and the others especially irksome. "Get out now, or I'll call security! This is a high-end residential area, not a place for you bunch of dead poor people!" Jiang Huiyun also spoke rudely, her lips curling into a mean sneer. She seemed sure that Jiang Qihui and the others had no power over them, or perhaps she felt they couldn't do anything to them, therefore appearing somewhat triumphant. "I'll sue you!" Wang Wanjun growled, pointing her finger at Jiang Huiyun and Wang Xuantao, cursing them. "Sue me? Do you have any evidence? And it's been several years since the incident, the worker's compensation department has already given evidence, can you overturn the case?" Wang Xuantao chuckled dismissively. He knew the case was settled. If it were to be overturned, neither the worker's compensation department nor the police would be willing, for admitting to a reversal would imply recognizing that their previous investigations were wrong. This would embarrass these departments and cause the public to question their competence; they wouldn't be that foolish. Chapter 355 Enjoy Yourself Seeing Wang Xuantao's arrogance, the whole Jiang Qihui family itched with hatred. "Since we're relatives, get out of here quickly, before I call security and embarrass us both!" Wang Xuantao said with pretense. If he had truly cared about their familial relations, he wouldn't have cheated Jiang Qihui like that. Now, he wasn't afraid of Jiang Shan. After all, this was his home, and he could call a bunch of security guards at any time. He didn't believe Jiang Shan could fight so many people alone. And Jiang Huiyun stood by, watching coldly with her usual harsh demeanor. "Then go ahead and call!" Hao Jian said with a sneer. Call security? As if he was worried about that. The security staff here were all his acquaintances! "Do you really think I wouldn't dare?" Faced with Hao Jian's provocation, Wang Xuantao grew angry and pushed the alarm button in the room. Soon, security guards came knocking on the door, and Jiang Huiyun opened it with a cold smile. "Miss Jiang, what seems to be the problem?" the head of security asked. "Someone barged into my home; help me drive them out!" Jiang Huiyun said haughtily. "Okay, leave it to us!" And with that, he led a group of people inside. "Hey!" Seeing those familiar faces, Hao Jian couldn't help but wave at them, his smile beaming. Seeing Hao Jian there, all the security guards were dumbfounded and couldn't hide their bitter expressions, all of them thinking disdainfully: Not this guy again! Now, seeing Hao Jian was enough to spook them, let alone dealing with him directly. But Hao Jian, like a persistent ghost, was always there, always showing up in front of them. For them, Hao Jian was their nightmare, because nothing good ever happened when he appeared. Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire "Mr. Hao Jian, you're here too?" The security team leader forced out a smile uglier than crying. "Yes, I came here to take care of some business," Hao Jian casually replied. Seeing the security team leader acquainted with Jiang Shan, Wang Xuantao and his wife were momentarily stunned. But quickly recovering, they scolded displeasedly, "Did you hear what I said? I called you here to drive them out, not to babble nonsense!" "I'm sorry, Miss Jiang, but Mr. Hao Jian is a friend of our chairman, and we can't drive him out," the security team leader said expressionlessly. In his view, the Jiangs had definitely offended Hao Jian, and they didn't dare meddle in Hao Jian's affairs. The nightmare that Hao Jian had caused for them was still vivid in their minds. "What?" When Jiang Huiyun and Wang Xuantao heard this, their expressions became incredibly animated. Of course, they knew Liu Rizhao, who was the real estate tycoon of Hua City. There was virtually no one in Hua City who didn't know him. But they had never imagined that Jiang Shan could be a friend of Liu Rizhao's. Suddenly, the Jiang couple had a bad feeling. They had always thought Jiang Shan was just a ruffian, a hooligan, but they never expected him to be a friend of Liu Rizhao's. To be friends with someone like Liu Rizhao, one could not just be ordinary. When had the Jiang family connected with such a powerful figure? They were starting to feel uneasy because, for someone like Liu Rizhao, getting rid of them would be child's play. If Hao Jian were truly on par with Liu Rizhao, that would be their nightmare come true! "Call Liu Rizhao over. It happens that I have some things to explain to him," Jiang Shan told the security team leader. "Yes, I'll inform the chairman right away," the team leader nodded continuously and then phoned Liu Rizhao. The atmosphere in the room had completely changed; Wang Xuantao and Jiang Huiyun dared not bluster any longer. They were uncertain about Hao Jian's real identity. In a short while, Liu Rizhao hurried over. He was speechless himself; encountering Hao Jian twice in one day, what was going on? What made him even more speechless was how Hao Jian seemed to enjoy troubling his clients? Seeing Liu Rizhao appear, Wang Xuantao and Jiang Huiyun's faces drastically changed. Hao Jian indeed knew Liu Rizhao, which wasn't good news for them! "Mr. Hao Jian, do you need something?" Liu Rizhao asked with utmost respect. Seeing this, Wang Xuantao and his wife completely lost their composure. At that moment, they realized the security team leader had exaggerated. Liu Rizhao wasn't really Hao Jian's friend, or else he wouldn't treat Hao Jian with such respect! "You wait over there until I call you," Hao Jian said, pointing to a sofa not far away, indicating Liu Rizhao should sit down for a while. "Alright." Liu Rizhao walked toward the sofa with a wry smile. "Alright, now it's time to deal with our matter," Hao Jian said, smiling faintly as he looked keenly at Wang Xuantao and Jiang Huiyun, then walked toward them. "What... what do you want to do?" Wang Xuantao asked with an unnatural expression. "Since we've already talked this much, if I don't do something, it'd be too disrespectful to your shamelessness," Hao Jian sneered, then gestured to Jiang Yutong with a hook of his finger, "Bring me the thing!" Jiang Yutong also smiled with bad intentions and threw a baseball bat from behind her to Hao Jian. Seeing Jiang Yutong actually hand a baseball bat to Hao Jian, Wang Xuantao and his wife were almost scared witless. Hao Jian weighed the steel baseball bat in his hand and asked Jiang Qihui and his wife, "Do you want to do it, or should I?" Jiang Huiyun immediately cast a pleading look at her brother, but at this moment Jiang Qihui wouldn't care about her, and said with a cold face, "You do it!" Clearly, he also wanted Jiang Huiyun and her husband to pay the price. Since they no longer considered him as their brother, why should he treat Jiang Huiyun as his sister? Jiang Huiyun's expression was one of shock. Hao Jian smiled and nodded, then said to the Wang couple, "A few years ago, you caused Jiang Qihui to break a leg and become disabled, so today, if I break your legs, I'm sure you have no grounds for complaint, right?" "If you dare to mess around, I'll call the police right now!" Wang Xuantao was also terrified. Hao Jian actually wanted to break their legs? "Go ahead, call the police if you think that will stop me. Just do it," sneered Hao Jian. Upon hearing this, Wang Xuantao and Jiang Huiyun were immediately dumbfounded. Could this guy really not be afraid of the police? But on second thought, even Liu Rizhao had to treat him with respect, so it seemed reasonable that he wasn't afraid of the police. At this moment, the couple both felt a chill down their spine. If even the police couldn't do anything about Hao Jian, what did they have to constrain him? "What goes around comes around, ever heard of it?" Hao Jian said, standing in front of Wang Xuantao with a cheery smile. "I... I'll give the money back to Jiang Qihui and pay him an extra million!" In the end, Wang Xuantao realized there was no way out, so he could only admit defeat. Compared to a bit of money, he naturally still hoped to keep his own leg. After all, he was not lacking money right now. If he could just settle the matter with money, Wang Xuantao was willing to accept it. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wang Xuantao was originally a miser, and unless he absolutely had to, he would not agree to part with his money. Now, he knew he really had no other choice. "Unfortunately, it's no longer a matter that can be solved with money," Hao Jian shook his head, then swung the bat onto Wang Xuantao's knee. Wang Xuantao, caught unawares, collapsed to the ground. After a pause of about a second, he let out a scream of unbearable agony, as if he was about to bite his own teeth to pieces. "Husband!" Jiang Huiyun screamed in horror and hurried to Wang Xuantao's side, but she was also petrified. Hao Jian's ruthlessness and decisiveness left her dumbfounded for a moment. At that time, Hao Jian still had his hand lifted, "This is just one leg, don't rush to yell in pain. Wait until I break your other leg, then you can start screaming." Hearing this, Wang Xuantao was so frightened that he even forgot to scream, his face looking awful as he stared at Hao Jian, "What exactly do you want?" "To give you the retribution you deserve!" Hao Jian sneered, as he swung the baseball bat down again. "Aow!" Wang Xuantao let out another scream, his body rolling on the ground like a convulsing sheep, twitching non-stop. Seeing this, Jiang Huiyun collapsed to the ground, looking insecurely at Hao Jian as if she was afraid he would hit her next. "Don't worry, I won't hit you. Because I want you to feel the pain that Jiang Qihui's family has experienced over these years. That is your real punishment," Hao Jian sneered, then turned his head to look at Wang Xuantao, who was still convulsing, "Now your husband has become disabled just like Jiang Qihui was. I want to see if you and your son can shoulder the burden of the family just like Jiang Yutong and her mother did." Upon hearing this, both Wang Xuantao and Jiang Huiyun turned pale with shock. So this was Hao Jian's plan from the beginning, to make them walk the same path as the Jiang Qihui family had. "I want you to maliciously take back their house, can you do that?" Hao Jian turned to look at Liu Rizhao. Liu Rizhao hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded. To maliciously take back meant not just to reclaim the house, but also not to give Wang Xuantao a single cent back. Hao Jian wanted them to be homeless. Hao Jian smiled with satisfaction and then said, "Also, spread the word to all the real estate agents, say that I, Hao Jian, won't allow anyone to do business with them. If someone disobeys, you just call me. I'll handle it!" "Sure!" Liu Rizhao nodded vigorously, realizing that Hao Jian intended to utterly destroy the Wang family. But when the Wang family heard what Hao Jian said, all their faces turned deathly pale. Only then did they realize the terrifying power Hao Jian possessed. The confidence with which he spoke made it clear that in Hua City, even if Hao Jian couldn't do as he pleased, he was definitely an object of widespread adoration. "Enjoy your life now, because soon you'll have nothing," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh, then turned around and walked away. Chapter 356 Beating the Godmother Like This "Big Brother, I beg you, don't let him treat us like this!" Jiang Huiyun cried as she knelt before Jiang Qihui. She truly regretted her actions now, wishing she hadn't let momentary greed lead to this situation. If it hadn't been for their initial greed, why would they have ended up in such a plight? Jiang Huiyun was now willing to do anything to make up for her previous mistakes. Because she knew that Hao Jian had blocked all their ways out. If their company couldn't get any orders for even one day, they would slowly be forced to shut down. By that time, even getting food to eat would be a problem, not to mention survival. But Jiang Qihui only sneered with ridicule, "I used to think such was my fate due to my circumstances, but now I realize it's my own sister who has brought me to this state; it's not my fate. But you are different, good and evil will be repaid in kind, and this is the fate you cannot escape!" "Roll me out of here!" Immediately, Jiang Qihui lost interest in speaking with Jiang Huiyun and looked up to say to Jiang Yutong. Jiang Qihui and his family all headed for the exit. Jiang Huiyun's expression was stiff as she watched her departing brother. She wanted to speak up and retain him, but she had no excuse. "Chairman Liu." Jiang Huiyun then turned to Liu Rizhao, who was now her only hope. Liu Rizhao shook his head with a bitter smile, "Don't look at me. You've displeased Mr. Hao Jian. Not even the Heavenly King could save you now. Take my advice, leave Hua City unless you want to suffer worse in the days to come." "Also, I'll have someone come to take over this house tomorrow. You'd better move out today, so you don't make this harder for me." After finishing his speech, Liu Rizhao also left Jiang Huiyun's home. Jiang Huiyun looked at the unconscious Wang Xuantao, her face completely devoid of color. She knew that her family was utterly ruined. . "Brother Wild Wolf, just give me three more days. I'll definitely pay you back within three days," a shabby-dressed man pleaded to a group of people in a dark alley. "Qin Huaiming, how many three-day extensions have I given you already? Do you really think I would still believe you?" The man known as Brother Wild Wolf sneered. He was nearly eight feet tall with a sturdy build, undeniably muscular, although his features were rather monkey-like. This Brother Wild Wolf was Qin Huaiming's creditor. After Qin Huaiming became addicted to gambling, he essentially sold everything sellable from his home. When out of money, he borrowed from Brother Wild Wolf. Now, the debts had piled up to over a hundred thousand, and Brother Wild Wolf had come to collect. "Brother Wild Wolf, I'm serious this time. Just give me three more days, and I'll be able to pay everything back!" Qin Huaiming promised earnestly, with an ingratiating smile on his face. "Pay back? Do you even have the money to pay back?" Brother Wild Wolf sneered. He had heard this claim from Qin Huaiming more than ten times, each time talking about paying back, but every time failing to do so. "I don't, but... Brother Wild Wolf, would you lend me another thousand? I promise to pay you back once I make it back," Qin Huaiming said shamelessly as he was still trying to borrow money from Brother Wild Wolf even at this point. Hearing this, Brother Wild Wolf was amused into laughter, "Qin Huaiming, oh Qin Huaiming, your shamelessness truly astounds me." Immediately afterward, Brother Wild Wolf's smile disappeared, and he commanded with a gloomy face, "Beat him up!" As soon as the words left his mouth, a group of people rushed forward and commenced beating Qin Huaiming with punches and kicks. Brother Wild Wolf was now extremely angered. Qin Huaiming had duped him every single time, treating him like a fool. He'd never get his money back waiting for Qin to pay back. During the beating by the gangsters, Qin Huaiming fell to the ground with a thud, and one of the brutes even picked up an iron rod and smashed it down onto Qin Huaiming's head. "Augh!" Qin Huaiming let out a miserable scream as his head was struck, and blood flowed down, blurring his eyes. "Stop, stop, I'll pay, I'll pay!" Qin Huaiming cried out hastily. Brother Wild Wolf gestured to his men to pause, then looked at Qin Huaiming with a scornful smile, "Do you have the money to pay now?" "I don't, but I have a sister. Her name is Qin Bing, and she works at the Chinese Medicine Hospital. She's very pretty. I'll let her sleep with you to pay off my debts!" Qin Huaiming shouted, the shameless rogue actually considering letting his sister sell herself to pay off his debts. In the eyes of a gambler, there is no kinship, no friendship, only money and selfishness. "Brother Wild Wolf, I've seen Qin Huaiming's sister, and she's indeed quite pretty," interjected one of Brother Wild Wolf's underlings at that moment. "Yes, yes, my sister is very pretty," Qin Huaiming also nodded hastily, his face full of flattery, utterly devoid of shame. Upon hearing this, Brother Wild Wolf couldn't help but cluck his tongue in wonder, "Qin Huaiming, oh Qin Huaiming, I have even underestimated you. I used to think you were merely shameless. Now it seems you are not just shameless; you are utterly heartless and cruel." To avoid a beating, Qin Huaiming was willing to sell out his own sister¡ªcould any normal person do that? Even Brother Wild Wolf, who was used to the criminal underworld, couldn't stoop so low. "Yes, yes, yes, I have a heart like a wolf and lungs like a dog," Hao Jian nodded repeatedly, not even bothering to argue. After all, as long as he could avoid being beaten, it didn't matter how Brother Wild Wolf insulted him. "Ok, as long as you can get your sister to accompany me for a year, then you won't have to pay back the 100,000 yuan!" Brother Wild Wolf also had his sights set on Qin Bing. Since his brother had said Qin Bing was very pretty, she must be not bad. 100,000 yuan wasn't a lot for him. To have a beautiful girl accompany him in bed for a year, it was definitely worth the money! Of course, Brother Wild Wolf wanted to inspect the goods first. If Hao Jian's sister looked like Sister Feng, he would definitely not agree. "One year," Hao Jian hesitated a bit because he knew Qin Bing's temperament¡ªall too well how impossible it would be for her to be at Brother Wild Wolf's beck and call for a whole year. "What? Is it difficult?" Brother Wild Wolf looked at Hao Jian with a threatening gaze. Hao Jian was so scared he hurriedly shook his head: "No, no, it's just... just a bit troublesome, because my sister is very traditional, still a virgin. To have her accompany you for a year might not be easy." "A virgin?" Brother Wild Wolf's eyes instantly lit up. These days, finding a virgin was like panning for gold in the sand, and a beautiful virgin was even rarer. And now Hao Jian was saying his sister was still a virgin? Immediately, a lustful glint shone in Brother Wild Wolf's eyes, and he said with a lewd smile, "In that case, if your sister really is a virgin, not only do you not have to pay me back that 100,000, but I'll give you another 100,000!" S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Brother Wild Wolf wasn't a fool; he knew that a girl of that age who was still a virgin must be a good girl. Maybe he could even turn her into a wife, so the 100,000 would be used to buy Hao Jian's cooperation. Upon hearing Brother Wild Wolf's words, Hao Jian immediately became as excited as if he had been injected with chicken blood. His earlier hesitation vanished in an instant: "Don't worry, Brother Wild Wolf, I'll definitely bring her to your bed. When the time comes, I'll drug her first, and then you can sleep with her, take a few nude photos, and she will have no choice but to comply!" Hao Jian knew that Qin Bing was a teacher at the Chinese Medicine Hospital and would certainly care about her reputation. He could then threaten her by saying if she didn't comply, he would post her nude photos on her school's forum, letting all the teachers and students witness her allure. He didn't believe Qin Bing wouldn't agree. Hearing his words, Brother Wild Wolf and the others all sneered, mocking Hao Jian's shamelessness and despicability, to be treating his own sister this way, was simply beastly. . Meanwhile, in Hao Jian's rental place. Hao Jian and Shu Ya were sitting on the bed. He gently asked Shu Ya, "Are you feeling better now? Can you go to work today?" Shu Ya smiled wryly and shook her head: "No, it seems to be swollen." "..." Hao Jian was at a loss for words, then gently laughed in exasperation: "I told you not to rush, you're still a novice, how could you ask for so much in one night?" Shu Ya rolled her eyes at him: "You didn't refuse me either, did you? If you had rejected me earlier, then I wouldn't have needed it so many times, right?" When it came down to it, it was all Hao Jian's fault. Who made him so staunch! "How can you blame me for this? Is it my fault that I was born with a natural talent?" Hao Jian said with a mix of laughing and crying. "It's all your fault!" Shu Ya pinched Hao Jian firmly, her face turning as red as a tomato. "Okay, okay, it's all my fault, I'll call in sick for you, you can't go to work like this," Hao Jian said with a smile. "There's no need. There's still a lot to deal with in the corporation. The company has only just gone public, and a lot of things require my attention," Shu Ya said, shaking her head. If it weren't for Hao Jian calling in for her yesterday, she would have intended to go to work. Shu Ya was that kind of career woman who valued her career more than her own life. "But aren't you afraid people will notice something's wrong with you?" Hao Jian teased. "I'll try not to move around much," Shu Ya said, struggling to get up. After taking just a step or two, she winced in pain and nearly collapsed. Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire Hao Jian quickly went to support her, reproaching: "I told you not to overdo it, but you wouldn't listen." "But I have to go to the corporation today. I have a very important meeting," Shu Ya insisted. Hao Jian sighed helplessly and went out. After a while, he came back with a wheelchair: "Use this until you get to the corporation." Shu Ya was shocked, "Where did you get the wheelchair?" "I bought it from a store I passed by on the way home yesterday. I knew you wouldn't be able to get out of bed and walk today, and I also knew that with your stubborn nature, you wouldn't stay put at home, so I got this ready for you," Hao Jian said with a wry smile. Shu Ya's face showed shyness, and she was moved by Hao Jian's thoughtfulness. Hao Jian pushed Shu Ya downstairs. When Sister Lan and Tongtong saw Shu Ya in the wheelchair, they were stunned. "Dad, why did you beat godmom up like that?" Tongtong's mouth formed an "O," as she thought it was too much. Chapter 357 Trap Tongtong had thought Hao Jian had beaten Shu Ya so badly she could only use a wheelchair now, which scared Tongtong terribly. "It was not intentional," Hao Jian could only awkwardly apologize with his face. Shu Ya, too, shyly lowered her head and dared not make a sound. Since Ruo Lan was experienced, she naturally knew what was going on and couldn't help but change the subject with a slightly flushed face, "Have you eaten yet? If not, let's have breakfast together." "I won't be eating, I have a meeting soon and my assistant is already here to pick me up," Shu Ya said, and at that moment, Xiao Qiang appeared at the door. Hao Jian handed Shu Ya over to her, reminding her, "Take good care of her." That was when Hao Jian finally returned to the dining table. Tongtong couldn't wait to ask, "Dad, why did you hit stepmom? Tongtong won't like you anymore." Hao Jian's face showed his embarrassment, "I didn't hit her, she accidentally fell." "Impossible, then why did stepmom scream so horribly?" Tongtong asked suspiciously. Hao Jian looked embarrassed, yet didn't know how to explain, so he could only look to Ruo Lan for help. Ruo Lan glared at him annoyed and said to Tongtong, "Tongtong, your dad and stepmom were just playing around, they weren't fighting." "Oh," Tongtong nodded, half-doubting, half-believing. The little girl was easily distracted and quickly changed the subject, "Dad, are you coming to pick me up from school today?" "Sure, I'll pick you up from school this afternoon!" Hao Jian said with a smile. It had indeed been a long time since he had played with the little girl. "Yay!" Tongtong was exceedingly happy. "Tongtong, hurry up and grab your backpack, the kindergarten bus is coming!" Ruo Lan urged Tongtong. After Tongtong left, Hao Jian hurriedly said to Ruo Lan, "Sister Lan, I think it's really necessary to install a soundproofing system in this building, it'll be good for you, and for me as well!" Upon hearing this, Ruo Lan glared fiercely at Hao Jian, "If you kept your noise down, there wouldn't be so many issues!" "But quietness isn't as thrilling!" Hao Jian said with a mischief. "You... you shameless!" Ruo Lan was so angry her face turned as red as a monkey's bottom, and she ran away as if escaping. Hao Jian laughed heartily, finding pleasure in seeing Ruo Lan embarrassed like that. ... "Teacher Qin, are you free today? Can we have a meal together?" Qin Bing had just arrived at the school gate when she was approached by Wang Zhigang, who was pestering her. This guy was particularly sleazy today, wearing a floral suit, his hair slick and shiny, his face plastered with a flattering smile. Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire Qin Bing felt overwhelmed and somewhat apologetically said, "Director Wang, I think I have said this before, we really can't happen." At that, Wang Zhigang's smile stiffened, "I just want to invite you for a meal, nothing more." "I'm sorry, but I really don't have time," Qin Bing said outright. She didn't like Wang Zhigang and didn't want to give him any false hopes or lead him on because it hurt both parties. Wang Zhigang's expression immediately became embarrassed, but then he seemed to think of something and asked somewhat angrily, "Is it because of Hao Jian? Do you like him?" "Director Wang, I think you misunderstand. Hao Jian and I are just friends," Qin Bing stated emotionlessly; she was always cool and detached. Facing Wang Zhigang now, she was even more distant since Wang Zhigang's persistence had started to irritate her. Qin Bing only ever showed a slight smile when she was with Hao Jian. "Just friends? Teacher Qin, you laugh and talk with him, you've never been like that with other teachers," Wang Zhigang scoffed coldly, feeling annoyed. He wouldn't mind if Qin Bing liked someone else, but the fact that she favored Hao Jian, whom he despised, angered him immensely. Finally, losing her patience, Qin Bing scolded Wang Zhigang, "Director Wang, we are just colleagues. Do you think I need to explain this to you? Don't joke that I and Hao Jian are not in that kind of relationship, and even if we were, is it any of your business?" At this, Wang Zhigang's face turned utterly embarrassed, realizing that Qin Bing was genuinely angry. "Teacher Qin, I didn't mean that. I'm just concerned. That Hao Jian is no good; he hangs around girls all the time, who knows what bad intentions he harbors," Wang Zhigang said seriously. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But Qin Bing completely ignored him, "Director Wang, if you have the time to meddle in these trivial matters, you should rather focus on teaching and educating people. That would earn my respect much more." Xiao Qiang thought Wang Zhigang was ridiculous. If it hadn't been for Hao Jian earlier, their Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital and even the entire Huaxia would have been insulted by the foreign delegation. It was Hao Jian who had saved their reputation. Just for that alone, the entire Chinese Medicine Hospital should have thanked him, but Wang Zhigang always found ways to trouble Hao Jian. After saying that, Xiao Qiang no longer paid attention to him, leaving Wang Zhigang standing there dumbfounded as she walked away briskly. But she had not gone far when suddenly she heard someone calling her name. She sharply turned around, only to see Qin Huaiming and Brother Wild Wolf standing not far away, looking at her. Seeing Qin Huaiming appear, Xiao Qiang immediately showed displeasure, hesitated for a moment, but still walked towards Qin Huaiming. "What do you want?" Xiao Qiang asked gloomily. Qin Huaiming looked embarrassed and did not dare to speak. "Let's talk over there? It's too crowded here," Brother Wild Wolf said to Xiao Qiang, pointing to a deserted alley nearby. This was the entrance of the school, crowded, and Brother Wild Wolf dared not attempt to kidnap Xiao Qiang in front of so many people. The moment he saw Xiao Qiang, he was immediately attracted. Like other men who had seen Xiao Qiang, Brother Wild Wolf was instantly filled with a desire to conquer her, his eyes fixing her in an almost devouring gaze. "Who are you?" Xiao Qiang frowned, looking at Brother Wild Wolf. Seeing Brother Wild Wolf with some hoodlums, she knew he was definitely not a good person. "I am called Brother Wild Wolf, a friend of your brother, Qin Huaiming," Brother Wild Wolf said with a smile, trying to appear friendlier. "Friend?" Xiao Qiang immediately scoffed, "He can't have friends! Don't lie to me, who are you really?" Qin Huaiming's friends had already distanced themselves from him years ago. Who would want to be friends with a gambler like him? Brother Wild Wolf laughed, finding Xiao Qiang's icy demeanor not only unoffensive but rather amusing, "Alright, to be honest, I'm not Qin Huaiming's friend; I'm his creditor. Your brother owes me one hundred thousand yuan, and he can't pay it back. We've come today to collect the debt. If it's convenient, let's go to that alley and talk. I presume you wouldn't want people to know you have a gambler brother." "His issues have nothing to do with me. I'm not going to pay for him, so you guys should leave!" Xiao Qiang said rudely, tired of always cleaning up after Qin Huaiming's messes. Brother Wild Wolf frowned and sneered, "Is that so? Well then, I think I can't let him pay with his life." Upon hearing this, Qin Huaiming knew Brother Wild Wolf's intentions instantly and put on a very fearful expression, "Xiao Qiang, you have to save me! If you don't, they really will kill me!" Ultimately, Xiao Qiang had a soft heart. Hearing what Qin Huaiming said, she suddenly hesitated. "What exactly do you want?" Xiao Qiang demanded, staring at Brother Wild Wolf, it seemed she was backing down. Seeing this, Brother Wild Wolf could not help but look triumphant and somewhat pleased, "It's simple, debt must be repaid - it's only natural. Of course, considering your current situation, I am not unwilling to offer some convenience, we can discuss the details in a secluded place." Brother Wild Wolf insisted that Xiao Qiang follow them into the alley, because only in that deserted alley would it be much easier to abduct her. After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Qiang still walked towards the alley, not wanting the students at the school to see her mingling with these types of people. "Tell me, how much money do you want compensated?" Xiao Qiang asked Brother Wild Wolf directly. "No more, no less, exactly one hundred thousand. But now you don't need to pay it," Brother Wild Wolf said with a malicious smile. Seeing such a smile on Brother Wild Wolf's face, Xiao Qiang was momentarily stunned and began to suspect, asking, "What do you mean by that?" "Your older brother has mortgaged you to me. If you become my lover for a year, you won't have to pay the one hundred thousand," Brother Wild Wolf said with a lewd laugh. "What?" Hearing this, Xiao Qiang was instantly shocked, her gaze piercingly fixed on Qin Huaiming, "Is what he's saying true?" Qin Huaiming hurriedly smiled apologetically, "Xiao Qiang, Brother Wild Wolf is not a bad guy, and he is wealthy and influential. You won't be at a loss staying with him." Upon hearing this, Xiao Qiang was instantly dumbstruck. Qin Huaiming was essentially admitting it; he had indeed sold her out. "Heh." A bitter smile appeared on Xiao Qiang's face. She was unable to describe her feelings at the moment, because Qin Huaiming was her brother, so she was willing to pay off his debt, but she had never expected Qin Huaiming would actually sell her out. "His issues are not my concern, you can do whatever you want with him," she said, then tried to walk away. But at that moment, Brother Wild Wolf blocked her path with his men, his eyes lingering on her voluptuous chest, "We can't let you go now." An easy prey that had walked into their trap couldn't just fly away, could it? Xiao Qiang's eyebrows knitted tightly together at this moment; she realized this was absolutely a trap. Brother Wild Wolf had deliberately led her into this alley to ensure she couldn't leave. "What are you planning to do?" Xiao Qiang shouted, feigning composure, but there was a trace of fear in her expression. "Your brother owes us money, naturally, you need to repay it for him. Also, he has already mortgaged you to me, which means now you belong to me. How can I possibly let you leave?" Brother Wild Wolf said, laughing ominously. Chapter 358 My Friend is Called Hao Jian "So just because he said mortgage, it's mortgaged? Did you ask me? This doesn't have any legal effect at all, do you think this is the old society?!" Qin Bing said coldly, showing extreme anger. "I know, but I don't need any legal effect. It's only right to pay back what you owe. Since he said he mortgaged you to me, you are mine!" Brother Wild Wolf laughed shamelessly, hardly any man could resist such a stunning beauty, and he was no exception. Now, even if it meant losing money, he was determined to get Qin Bing. "Just come with us quietly, don't force me to get physical." Brother Wild Wolf said with a menacing chuckle, already ready to forcibly take Qin Bing away. At that moment, a van had already blocked the exit; Qin Bing couldn't leave even if she wanted to. Qin Bing glanced around and realized she had no way out, knowing she had completely fallen into the trap set by Brother Wild Wolf and Qin Huaiming. "How much does he owe you? I will pay it back for him!" Qin Bing said, her face grim, knowing she had no other choice but to pay, rather than being kidnapped by Brother Wild Wolf. Just consider this the last time I play the fool. After all, I will never trust Qin Huaiming again. "Money? It's not about the money anymore. I must have you!" Brother Wild Wolf said, reaching out and touching Qin Bing's face. Qin Bing slapped away Brother Wild Wolf's hand disdainfully, "What you're doing is illegal; I can call the police on you!" sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You can try, but there are my people in the police station too. And if you still want to stay in this Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, I advise you to keep quiet," Brother Wild Wolf sneered condescendingly. He certainly wasn't afraid of her calling the police; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to do this. Seeing that Brother Wild Wolf wasn't deterred by her threats, Qin Bing's spirits sank to rock bottom, looking at Qin Huaiming she said, "Qin Huaiming, I should really thank you. If it weren't for having such a great brother, my life wouldn't have been filled with so many sufferings." Qin Huaiming still showed no shame and insisted, "Qin Bing, don't say that. Brother Wild Wolf is really a good person." "Haha." Qin Bing no longer wanted to talk to Qin Huaiming; talking to such a shameless person was pointless. In the end, Qin Bing couldn't even bother to look at Qin Huaiming anymore, instead, she turned to Brother Wild Wolf, "I advise you not to touch me because I have a friend named Hao Jian. He's no ordinary man; he has killed many people, including many who are just like you. If he finds out what you're doing to me, he won't sit idly by!" Hearing this, Brother Wild Wolf was surprised, not by the mention of a friend, but by the attitude Qin Bing was displaying now. Earlier, Qin Bing had been frustrated and anguished, yet now, she seemed calm and even disdainful. Brother Wild Wolf was curious about who that friend might be, wondering why she had such confidence. "Oh? Seems like you have a lot of confidence in your friend," Brother Wild Wolf said, quite intrigued. "He will kill you like a dog!" Qin Shuang said contemptuously. Hearing this, Brother Wild Wolf was irritated, snorted coldly, "Really? Then I shall see who he really is!" As they spoke, Qin Bing's cellphone rang perfectly on cue. She glanced at the caller ID, a disdainful smile spreading across her face, she looked at Brother Wild Wolf and said, "It's him calling." Brother Wild Wolf's eyes turned cold; this woman dared to threaten him? At that moment, Qin Bing answered the phone right in front of Brother Wild Wolf. "Hello, beauty, where are you? Free for lunch?" Hao Jian's frivolous laughter came from the other end. "Hao Jian, I've got some trouble here, I need your help," Qin Bing said directly, her tone somewhat morose. Hearing this, Hao Jian stopped joking, his voice became deep, "What kind of trouble?" "A group of people came to the school gate to catch me, they are my brother's creditors, and he wants me to be his lover," Qin Bing said through clenched teeth. After a moment of silence, Hao Jian's voice turned icy, "Hand him your phone, I'll talk to him." Qin Bing walked over to Brother Wild Wolf and handed him the phone, "My friend wants to talk to you." Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire Brother Wild Wolf was skeptical, seeing Qin Bing's full confidence, he couldn't help but wonder, did this woman really know some powerful big shot? But with many subordinates watching, Brother Wild Wolf naturally couldn't show weakness. He took the phone haughtily, "I am Brother Wild Wolf from He'ao, East City District..." He'ao is one of the places in the East City District, and Brother Wild Wolf was the local boss there. He revealed his name directly to intimidate Hao Jian. But Hao Jian didn't care at all, cutting him off before he could finish introducing himself, "I'm not interested in who you are, to say it frankly, someone like you doesn't even deserve to let me know your name. I don't know if Qin Bing has introduced me, but if not, allow me to introduce myself now." "My name is Hao Jian. I'm a soldier, or more precisely, I was a soldier. Throughout my career, I have killed many people, many bad people like you, so many that even I can't count them. It's for that reason that I've acquired certain special skills. I don't care what transaction you have with Qin Huaiming, but if you dare touch Qin Bing, I swear no matter who you are or where you are, I will find you, and I will kill you!" Hearing that voice as though it came from the depths of Hell, Brother Wild Wolf shuddered, his body trembling slightly. A voice was so frightening that Brother Wild Wolf couldn't help but suspect who this person really was, but Brother Wild Wolf naturally wouldn't completely obey Hao Jian just because of a threat. If he was scared just like that, how would his followers view him? And how could he give up on a beauty like Qin Bing so easily? Certainly, the other party might just be bluffing. If it was all just a bluff, wouldn't he be at a great loss? "Are you threatening me?" Brother Wild Wolf asked, frowning. "No, I am considering your personal safety!" Hao Jian retorted with a cold laugh. "Come find me then. I am always ready to welcome you!" Brother Wild Wolf shouted back furiously. At that, Hao Jian fell silent for about two to three seconds and then hung up the phone. Seeing this, Brother Wild Wolf couldn't help but burst into laughter and handed the phone back to Qin Bing, "It seems your friend isn't that formidable after all. He got so scared he couldn't even speak and just hung up." He had thought Hao Jian was significant, but after his provocation, there was no follow-up. Qin Bing accepted the phone expressionlessly, saying at the same time, "He wasn't scared into silence; he just thought he had nothing worth discussing with a fool like you. Congratulations, you just successfully infuriated him. Now, just wait for him to come for you!" Hearing this, Brother Wild Wolf didn't believe it at all, and scoffed, "What a joke! He didn't even ask where I was taking you. Is he really coming for you?" Hao Jian didn't even dare ask where Brother Wild Wolf was taking him. This meant he hadn't planned to come and save Qin Bing at all. "He doesn't need to ask because he will find me," Qin Bing said with confidence. Seeing Qin Bing's firm belief in Hao Jian, Brother Wild Wolf grew even angrier and commanded, "Get this woman in the car!" Brother Wild Wolf's men started to drag Qin Bing, just as Wang Zhigang happened to pass by. "Director Wang, save me!" Qin Bing instantly yelled towards Wang Zhigang. Wang Zhigang turned upon hearing the shout, glanced at Qin Bing, and instantly became furious, straightening his back, prepared to play the hero and save the damsel in distress. However, at that moment, Brother Wild Wolf glared at Wang Zhigang, "You motherfucker want to meddle in other people's business, huh?" With that, Brother Wild Wolf pulled a cleaver from his waist. Seeing this, Wang Zhigang immediately wilted and slowly backed out of the alley, acting as if nothing had happened. The guy was a coward, deterred from acting merely by the sight of the knife. Although he liked Qin Bing, he was not ready to risk his life for her. Since she didn't like him either, her problems were none of his concern. Wang Zhigang comforted himself in his mind: he was definitely not a coward, he just didn't think it was worth it. Seeing this, Qin Bing's expression immediately stiffened. She had never expected Wang Zhigang to be such a coward. Qin Bing didn't actually expect Wang Zhigang to rescue her; she just wanted him to delay for some time, or even just call the police for her. But Wang Zhigang had just deserted her outright. Qin Bing was successfully taken away by Brother Wild Wolf, and not long after Qin Bing was kidnapped, Hao Jian arrived at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. "Has anyone seen Teacher Qin Bing?" he asked the gatekeeper upon entering the gate. "Teacher Qin Bing? She was just talking to Director Wang." the gatekeeper replied. "Director Wang?" Hao Jian looked anxious, scanning the crowd and indeed spotted the uneasy-looking Wang Zhigang. His face would naturally not look good; the woman he liked was kidnapped by a bunch of thugs, possibly endangering her virtue, yet he acted like a wimp and could do nothing. "Wang Zhigang, where is Qin Bing?" Hao Jian asked. Seeing Hao Jian, Wang Zhigang's already grim expression turned even uglier. He replied sternly, "Hao Jian, when you're at the school, please address me as Director Wang!" This kid had no discipline, daring to call him by his name directly. Hao Jian, impatient, rolled his eyes, "Wang Zhigang, let me tell you, I'm in a very bad mood right now. So, if you don't want to get beaten up, you'd better just tell me where Qin Bing is!" "You dare to threaten me? Hao Jian, are you still a teacher?" Wang Zhigang was furious, having just been threatened by a gang of thugs and now by Hao Jian. Did he just exist to be bullied? Chapter 359 Smashing the Place "Ah." Hao Jian sighed, then grabbed Wang Zhigang's collar, "Director Wang, you really like me calling you that, don't you? So, Director Wang, do you want to see me beat you up in front of all these students and teachers?" Wang Zhigang gasped for air instantly, clearly frightened by Hao Jian's words. He certainly didn't doubt the sincerity of Hao Jian's words¡ªthis madman could really do such a thing! At that moment, a group of students and teachers looked at Hao Jian and Wang Zhigang with puzzled eyes. Wang Zhigang felt extremely embarrassed. If Hao Jian really did what he said, it would be a huge loss of face for himself. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "She was abducted!" Wang Zhigang hurriedly replied. "Which way did they go?" Hao Jian asked, frowning. "West!" Wang Zhigang pointed in the direction of the west. "Teacher Hao Jian, what's going on?" At this time, a group of teachers and students couldn't help but come up and ask. "Teacher Qin Bing has been kidnapped." Hao Jian answered casually, then gave Wang Zhigang a displeased look: "You just watched her get taken away?" Hearing this, the teachers and students were all shocked and then looked at Wang Zhigang with suspicion. Under everyone's gaze, Wang Zhigang's face turned ashen, and he said, annoyed, "What could I have done? I can't fight dozens of people like you. There were seven or eight of them, and they had knives. How could I possibly be their match?" "Your excuses are just a cover for your incompetence!" Hao Jian looked at Wang Zhigang with contempt, saying, "If you were even a little bit like a man, you would have stepped in to stop them, even if it meant getting beaten up. At least that would prove you're a man. Unfortunately, you did not. You presume to educate me about what it means to be a model teacher? Do you think you're worthy?" "If I'm not mistaken, you probably didn't even bother to call the police, did you?" "I... I did not want to create trouble." Wang Zhigang said, Ashamed, lowering his head. Hao Jian said nothing more but gave a cold snort and laughed mockingly. Hearing Wang Zhigang say this, the teachers and students couldn't hide their contempt. You say you won't save someone, and you don't even call the police¡ªare you still fitting to be called a teacher? "Teacher Hao Jian, how about we call the police?" suggested a female teacher. "No need, the police won't be of any help at this time. I will handle this matter myself. Don't worry, I'll bring Qin Bing back." Hao Jian nodded to everyone and then turned and walked away. "Spice Ginger, I need you to investigate someone, nicknamed Brother Wild Wolf¡ªhe kidnapped my friend. I need to find him now! Immediately!" Menace flashed across Hao Jian's face. . "Qin Bing, have some water." Inside an old house, Qin Bing was tied back-to-back to a chair, and Qin Huaiming was holding a glass of water, ready for her to drink. Qin Bing glanced coldly at the water glass and sneered, "Does this glass of water have some sort of knockout or hallucinogenic drug in it?" Knowing Qin Bing was mocking him, Qin Huaiming sighed and said, "Qin Bing, I know you hate me, but I had no choice. You wouldn't lend me the money, so I had to resort to this measure. But rest assured, I can tell Brother Wild Wolf really fancies you, and he won't mistreat you. You're not getting any younger; it's time to find a man. I promised dad and mom I'd look after you, so this is like fulfilling one of their wishes." "Shut your mouth! You have no right to talk about mom and dad in front of me!" Qin Bing shouted angrily: "Also, don't think you've won just yet. Hao Jian will definitely come to save me. When he does, I'll make sure you pay a price!" "Hao Jian?" Qin Huaiming suddenly laughed mockingly, filled with disgust for the man who had once beaten him. "What big waves can he make by himself? Brother Wild Wolf is a real gangster, he's got blood on his hands. If he dares to come, Brother Wild Wolf will surely slaughter him." "Really? Then let's just wait and see!" Qin Bing also sneered coldly, mocking Qin Huaiming's ignorance. "Quit the bullshit, Qin Huaiming, and hurry up and take your sister to Brother Wild Wolf. He's already had his bath." A thug spoke with ill intent. "You'd better serve Brother Wild Wolf well." Qin Huaiming spoke coldly as he untied Qin Bing and pushed her towards Brother Wild Wolf's room, then locked the door from the outside. Just then, Brother Wild Wolf walked out from the bathroom, and upon seeing Qin Bing, he couldn't help but smile. At this time, Brother Wild Wolf was completely naked, displaying a lewd demeanor. Seeing Brother Wild Wolf's naked body, Qin Bing appeared much calmer, expressionlessly saying, "Your reproductive organs seem a bit limp, which could be due to overindulgence in carnal activities. If you don't restrain yourself, in another year or two, you'll become impotent." Brother Wild Wolf's smile froze instantly, and the once pleasant atmosphere was destroyed by Qin Bing's words. "You're not afraid?" Brother Wild Wolf frowned, curious as he looked at Qin Bing, whose reaction was not typical. He was about to take her, and normally, Qin Bing should be showing fear. "Afraid? Why should I be afraid? I know Hao Jian will come to save me. I bet he's already on his way. Besides, I can feel it¡ªhe's very angry. Extremely angry!" Qin Bing played with a short dagger on Brother Wild Wolf's desk, giving him a bright, scornful smile. Brother Wild Wolf's face turned ugly in an instant and he barked in anger, "I'll prove to you, he won't come, and today, no one can save you!" As he spoke, Brother Wild Wolf pounced towards Qin Bing. Qin Bing, holding a short dagger, focused her gaze and had already prepared to engage in a fight to the death with Brother Wild Wolf to buy time. However, just at that moment, one of the underlings broke through the door and entered. "Idiot! Who let you in!" Brother Wild Wolf roared in a rage, hurriedly grabbing a piece of clothing to cover his lower body. "Brother Wild Wolf, we have a big problem! Some guy is smashing up the place, he's really fierce, and our brothers can't handle him, he's broken them all!" the underling said in a panic. "What?" Brother Wild Wolf's expression changed drastically. Could it be that what Qin Bing said was true? "Looks like my friend has arrived," Qin Bing also smirked with satisfaction. That was why she wasn't afraid; she knew Hao Jian would definitely come to rescue her. Hao Jian had never let her down. Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire "Go out and have a look!" Brother Wild Wolf, with a grim expression, dressed and then dragged Qin Bing out with him. As soon as Brother Wild Wolf and Qin Bing stepped outside, they saw that Hao Jian had knocked down all his men, all lying on the ground, piled up thickly, wailing in pain. Qin Huaiming, although not piled up like the others, was also paralyzed on the ground, looking with pale-faced terror at the man in front of him who seemed like a demon. Seeing this scene, Brother Wild Wolf was also stunned. He had originally thought that Hao Jian had brought a group of people with him, which was why his men were injured, but seeing that Hao Jian had taken down all his underlings by himself, his legs suddenly felt weak. Hao Jian held a short knife in one hand, looking at Brother Wild Wolf with interest, "I told you I would find you." "Who the hell are you?" Brother Wild Wolf asked with a deep frown, the fact that the other party was able to find them in such a short time meant they were no small fry. "Me? I'm just someone who's come to pick up his girlfriend and take her home," Hao Jian chuckled. "Take her away? You think you can just take her away? Who the fuck do you think you are?" Brother Wild Wolf laughed furiously, roaring at Hao Jian. "First, I'm a person, not a thing, and second, since I've said I will take her away, I will definitely take her away!" Hao Jian corrected him seriously. Brother Wild Wolf sneered and suddenly pulled out a gun, pointing it at Hao Jian, "Let's see you try! You think you can fight? I want to see if your fists are faster than my bullets!" Yet Hao Jian still wore a smile and sighed, "Isn't it boring to bring out a gun?" "What, scared?" Brother Wild Wolf jeered, thinking Hao Jian was afraid. "If you want to take her away, fine. Her brother mortgaged her here because he owed me money. You want to take her back? Then gamble with me. If you win, you can take her away, but if you lose, not only will you not be able to take the woman, but you'll also leave both of your legs here!" Brother Wild Wolf said viciously, his territory had been trashed by Hao Jian; if he didn't get back his reputation from Jiang Shan, how would he be able to continue in this life? Hao Jian looked at Qin Huaiming and shook his head with a sigh of disappointment, "Really worse than pigs or dogs." "Caonima, what did you say? Do you believe I will have Brother Wild Wolf kill you?" Qin Huaiming verbally lashed out in a mix of rage and embarrassment, seeing Brother Wild Wolf had Hao Jian at gunpoint, he gradually calmed down and shouted at Hao Jian. Hao Jian pointed at Qin Huaiming, "Wait a moment, I'll have you kneeling before me and begging." "Psh, you?" Qin Huaiming scoffed disdainfully, not taking Hao Jian's words seriously at all. Hao Jian no longer bothered with the fool and turned to look at Brother Wild Wolf, "Tell me, what are we betting?" "Dice, we compare points. The higher wins!" Brother Wild Wolf said briskly, betting on dice was the most straightforward method. "Fine by me," Hao Jian maintained his composed demeanor. Seeing him like this, Qin Bing also couldn't help but relax because, in the eyes of everyone who knew Hao Jian, he was capable of anything: pottery, chess, sports, and so on. She assumed he must also possess an exceptional talent for gambling, certainly able to win! And soon enough, Hao Jian proved her right with facts! "Qin Huaiming, bring the dice over here!" Brother Wild Wolf ordered Qin Huaiming. Qin Huaiming nodded and then revealed a schadenfreude grin at Hao Jian, "Kid, you're done for. Brother Wild Wolf is the notorious gambling king around here; he can discern the dice by sound and roll the number he wants. Playing dice with him is like seeking your own death!" Chapter 360 You Must Die ``` "Idiot!" Hao Jian looked at Qin Huaiming with indifference and then spat out these two words. Upon hearing this, Qin Huaiming instantly became furious, "Just wait, I'll see how you're going to die in a moment!" Qin Huaiming brought over two pairs of dice, one for Hao Jian and one for Brother Wild Wolf. "Shall we begin?" Brother Wild Wolf asked with a sneaky smile, then suddenly started shaking them, the dice making a crisp noise inside the dice cup. At this moment, Brother Wild Wolf closed his eyes as if he was listening to the sound inside; about twenty seconds later, he slammed the cup down on the table with a triumphant smile, "Your turn!" Hao Jian also picked up the dice, shook them casually a couple of times, and stopped, saying to Brother Wild Wolf, "Open it!" Brother Wild Wolf directly opened the dice cup. "Six six six five six!" Qin Huaiming exclaimed, Brother Wild Wolf's move was indeed divine. And Qin Bing couldn't help but lose color in her face. With such a throw, Hao Jian had to roll five sixes; otherwise, he couldn't possibly win against Brother Wild Wolf. Qin Bing hurriedly looked at Hao Jian, only to see that he still wore a smile, seemingly unconcerned. He must be able to do it, with his skills, this certainly couldn't stump him! Qin Bing comforted herself inwardly. "Open it?" Brother Wild Wolf asked in a tone suggesting he was sure of victory, looking at Hao Jian with amusement. Hao Jian opened the dice, and the result was shocking. Because his dice showed: five ones! "Ah hahaha, kid, seems like even the heavens aren't on your side, actually making you roll the smallest dice." Seeing this, Qin Huaiming couldn't help but burst into laughter, appearing very smug. For he knew that as the price of losing, Hao Jian's leg was going to be broken! Qin Bing was dumbfounded as well; wasn't Hao Jian supposed to be a man good at creating miracles? Where the hell was the miracle? Initially, looking at Hao Jian's confident demeanor, Qin Bing thought this guy was sure to win. But who knew this bastard would disgracefully lose like this? Qin Bing didn't realize that Hao Jian was nearly omnipotent, but not truly so. Gambling was one of the few things he wasn't good at, because he was naturally unlucky, bound to lose every bet, even down to his last pair of underwear! "Hao Jian, where the hell is your miracle?" Qin Bing blurted out in rage, cursing at Hao Jian. Did this son of a bitch just screw her over? "I never said I was sure to win." Hao Jian curled his lip, showing a displeased expression. Who told you that gambling would always lead to victory? "You. If you can't be sure to win, why then did you still bet with him?" Qin Bing was livid. Not sure to win and still confidently betting with someone? You might have enjoyed pretending to be cool, but I'm the one who's unlucky! "If it was a sure win, would that still be called gambling? It's the uncertainty of winning or losing that makes it thrilling!" Hao Jian offered his explanation. "Thrilling? Fine, I'll give you a ******** thrill!" Qin Bing directly took off her high heel and threw it at Hao Jian. "Hey, why are you resorting to violence now? I came here to save you!" Hao Jian protested angrily, truly a case of a 'dog biting Lu Dongbin, not recognizing a good person's heart.' "Save me? Save your ********, is this how you save someone? You're clearly screwing me over!" "If you're going to be like that, I'm leaving." Hao Jian pouted, behaving childishly. "Leaving? Don't forget what you promised me just now. If you lose, you break a leg. Leave? Do you think you can?" Before Qin Bing could speak, Brother Wild Wolf was the one who spoke up in disagreement. Following the bet they had made, he intended to break one of Hao Jian's legs; how could he allow Hao Jian to leave unscathed? Hao Jian lowered his head in thought, then said, "How about this, I'll let it all slide if you let me go without a fight, seeing that I've lost to you. How's that?" "Damn it! Are you out of your mind? You've lost and you still want to take someone with you? Do you understand the concept of honoring the bet?" Brother Wild Wolf was amused by Hao Jian's audacity. He wondered where Hao Jian's confidence came from, not noticing that he had a gun in his hand, and now trying to weasel out of the consequences? "I only agreed to take her with me if I won, I never agreed to leave her behind if I lost!" Hao Jian shamelessly declared; there was no way he would truly leave Qin Bing behind. "So you're saying, you're ******** going back on your word?" Brother Wild Wolf asked, laughing bitterly with rage. Hao Jian thought again and then nodded, "Pretty much." "Alright, alright, I've seen many arrogant people, but I've never seen someone as arrogant as you. Do you really think I dare not shoot?" Brother Wild Wolf asked. He felt Hao Jian's attitude must stem from the belief that Brother Wild Wolf wouldn't dare to pull the trigger. Behaving so rightfully shameless, Brother Wild Wolf indeed had never encountered such a thing before. Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire "Say whatever you want, but I'm taking her with me!" Hao Jian firmly grabbed Qin Bing's hand, ready to leave with her. He had come with this intention all along, regardless of winning or losing, he was going to take Qin Bing away. "Click!" Brother Wild Wolf immediately disengaged the safety and pointed the gun barrel at Hao Jian's head, "I'm truly ******** fed up, you think you're playing me for a fool? Try moving one more inch!" Hao Jian turned his head to look into the dark muzzle of Brother Wild Wolf's gun, scoffed, "Cool it while I'm still not angry, don't do something you'll regret." "Regret? I want to see how you'll make me regret it!" Brother Wild Wolf glowered, his expression fierce as he roared. "Brother Wild Wolf, kill him! Kill this ignorant brat!" Qin Huaiming couldn't help but cheer eagerly. "Heh." Hao Jian sneered, and then swiftly slapped Brother Wild Wolf's face, using only twenty percent of his strength. Although it was only a fraction, it was more than enough for an ordinary person like Brother Wild Wolf. Brother Wild Wolf spun around on the spot, completely baffled, unaware that the gun had fallen from his hand. ``` "Feeling more awake now?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "Fuck your mother!" Brother Wild Wolf suddenly came to his senses, instinctively pulled the trigger, but at that moment he realized his pistol was nowhere to be found. "Looking for this?" Hao Jian said, weighing the handgun in his hand and looking at Brother Wild Wolf with a smile. The expressions of Qin Huaiming and Brother Wild Wolf changed instantly. When exactly had this guy snatched the gun? "Brother Wild Wolf, you've got some guts, daring to mess with my boss's girl!" Right then, a light voice drifted over as Brother Spice Ginger walked over from one side. "Brother Spice Ginger?" Brother Wild Wolf's face turned ashen, his legs began to tremble uncontrollably. Who didn't know that Brother Spice Ginger was the true boss of the East City District? As a local big shot, how could he possibly stand against such a dragon? But Brother Spice Ginger just said this young man was his boss? How could that be possible? Qin Bing, on the other hand, remained calm, not at all surprised by the development. "Boss, how do you want to handle him?" Brother Spice Ginger asked Hao Jian. "I warned him not to mess around; it was he who took my words as nothing, and since that's the case, he can't blame me," Hao Jian said coldly, then with a sudden wave of his hand, "Take him out!" "Brother Wild Wolf, did you hear that? My boss wants you dead, so there's nothing I can do!" Brother Spice Ginger chuckled, watching Brother Wild Wolf with malicious intent. Brother Wild Wolf's knees went weak, and with a pained expression he looked at Brother Spice Ginger, "Brother Spice Ginger, I had no idea he was your boss. Give me another chance, I won't dare do it again!" At that moment, he was truly scared out of his wits. "Chance? A chance wasn't something I didn't give you before. I warned you, but you didn't believe it," Hao Jian tossed the hand gun away casually, and jeered, "Since you don't know how to cherish it, you can't blame me." "Mr. Hao Jian, this isn't my fault, it was all Qin Huaiming's idea!" Brother Wild Wolf pointed at Qin Huaiming and exclaimed, "He owes me money, then pawned his sister to me. I really didn't know anything." "I will deal with Qin Huaiming of course, but before that, I have to take care of you first!" Hao Jian said with a smile. Hearing that Hao Jian would take care of him, Qin Huaiming's face went pale, and he pressed himself against the wall, not daring to move an inch. "I am innocent!" Brother Wild Wolf screamed as he was being dragged away. "Innocent? Look at you, if I hadn't arrived in time, I think you would have already done something you shouldn't have, right?" Hao Jian looked coldly at Brother Wild Wolf, who was left wearing only underwear. "I..." Brother Wild Wolf wanted to cry but had no tears to shed; he was utterly at a loss for words. Hao Jian knew that, if he had been any later, Brother Wild Wolf would probably have succeeded. Even if he managed to save Qin Bing, the scars in her heart would be difficult to heal. And it wasn't that Hao Jian hadn't given him a chance; it was simply that he hadn't known how to seize it. From that point on, he couldn't blame anyone but himself. "Drag him away!" Brother Spice Ginger commanded. At that moment, Hao Jian turned his head towards Qin Huaiming and said, "So, tell me, how should I deal with you?" Qin Huaiming looked at Hao Jian in terror and immediately yelled to Qin Bing, "Qin Bing, I'm your brother, you can't treat me like this!" At these words, Qin Bing hesitated. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing this, Hao Jian knew Qin Bing was not determined enough and hastily patted her on the shoulder, saying, "You go, I'll handle this!" Qin Bing looked at Hao Jian and hesitated for a few seconds then finally nodded in acquiescence. "Qin Bing. Qin Bing! Don't leave me behind, Qin Bing!" As Qin Bing started to leave, Qin Huaiming instantly panicked, crying out in fear. But Qin Bing didn't pay him any heed and left the house on her own. It was then that Hao Jian gestured to Qin Huaiming with a tilt of his chin, "Get up!" "Don't kill me! Please don't kill me!" Qin Huaiming cried and sobbed as a trickle of a yellow fusty liquid flowed from his lower body. "What a damn coward!" Brother Spice Ginger and the others couldn't help but jeer. "Get up, don't let me say it a second time," Hao Jian stood up with a fierce expression. "Walk to the edge of the balcony," Hao Jian commanded. Qin Huaiming seemed to realize something, shook his head incessantly, unwilling to walk towards the balcony, but on seeing Hao Jian's grim face, he realized he couldn't persuade him and obediently walked towards the balcony. "Jump off!" Hao Jian said, smiling. "What?" Qin Huaiming was stupefied. "I said for you to jump off!" Hao Jian repeated, "You should know, only if you die can Qin Bing live well. As long as you're alive, it's torment for her every day, and sorry, I can't let you continue torturing her, so you must die!" "Don't, please don't," Qin Huaiming wept bitterly. Chapter 361 The Red Killing Machine "Don't hesitate anymore, today I'm not going to let you leave here alive, even if you don't jump, I will kill you. So just jump yourself, it will look somewhat dignified." Hao Jian said with a smile, his face showing neither sadness nor joy, as if he was discussing something utterly mundane. "I really know I was wrong, I will change, I will definitely change, I won't bother Qin Bing anymore!" Qin Huaiming said through sobs and tears, willing to pay any price for Hao Jian's forgiveness. But Hao Jian just shook his head, not believing a word Qin Huaiming said, "Jump, don't force me to do it!" In this world, the least trustworthy thing is human nature! Looking into Hao Jian's deep and cold eyes, Qin Huaiming knew that he had no hope of survival, he wouldn't let him go. Glancing at the several-story-high floor, and then at Hao Jian's indifferent, implacable face, Qin Huaiming knew he had no choice left but to obediently walk towards the balcony railing, stepping over it. Finally, he turned his head to look back at Hao Jian, and said with a complex expression, "Take care of my sister!" A dying man's words are good, and finally, in his lifetime, he said something humane. Hao Jian just smiled and said nothing. Qin Huaiming then leapt straight down from the balcony, followed by a burst of screams from the people below. "Get the cleanup done," Hao Jian said to Brother Spice Ginger. "Understood." Brother Spice Ginger nodded, then remembered something urgent, "Boss, there's something I think I need to tell you." "What is it?" Hao Jian turned to look at Brother Spice Ginger. "Didn't you send that Li guy to Blood Paradise for experience?" "Li He? I almost forgot about that. Did he really go?" Hao Jian slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering this matter. Brother Spice Ginger couldn't help but laugh, "Yeah, not only did that kid go, but he has also fought over thirty matches already. He mainly lost at the beginning, but after losing twenty matches, he hasn't lost again, achieving thirteen consecutive victories. He's not far from the goal you set for him; now, his reputation is quite high in Blood Paradise." That day, Brother Spice Ginger also went to Blood Paradise to watch a match, or more precisely, he went there to place bets. Unexpectedly, he actually saw Li He competing on stage and discovered upon asking around that this kid was quite capable, having maintained an undefeated streak for thirteen matches. "Isn't that a good thing? Let me know after he wins twenty matches," Hao Jian said with a smile, his face showing a look of approval. He hadn't expected Li He to really go to Blood Paradise and to actually keep up the fight. Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire Originally, Hao Jian's mention of recruiting Li He was just casual talk, but now he was truly considering it. "But I guess he won't be able to endure twenty matches," Brother Spice Ginger said with a bitter smile. "Hmm? Why's that?" Hao Jian looked at Brother Spice Ginger, puzzled. "Because the kid has won thirteen straight matches, almost everyone is betting on him, causing Blood Paradise to lose a lot of money these past few days. The behind-the-scenes boss is not happy. I got inside information that they are planning to send Blood Paradise's strongest martial artist, 'Red Killing Machine Kuang Dasi,' to eliminate Li He, while also taking a substantial sum from the gamblers!" Brother Spice Ginger explained. "Is that so?" Hao Jian's face became unpleasant, clearly indicating cheating. "Yeah, that Kuang Dasi is a European, an almost invincible presence in Blood Paradise. Sending a newcomer like Li He to face Blood Paradise's Invincible General is simply bullying!" Brother Spice Ginger also expressed dissatisfaction, clearly having a good impression of Li He. Unlike typical wastrels, who only know about eating and drinking, Li He has dreams and ambitions. What Brother Spice Ginger admired most was the wolf-like ruthlessness inherent in him; he was eager to work with such a youngster! "Invincible, huh?" A disdainful smile appeared on Hao Jian's lips, "Come on, let's go have a look at Blood Paradise!" . Meanwhile, in the backstage waiting room of Blood Paradise, a giant man over two meters in height continually swung his fists, striking a heavy bag. His muscles were as hard as stone, covered with tattoos resembling totems, even on his face, giving him a terrifying appearance. What was astonishing was the heavy bag he was hitting, as tall as he was, two meters in diameter, and exceedingly heavy¡ªpossibly weighing around three to five hundred pounds¡ªyet it crazily swayed under his punches. This guy was truly a humanoid monster! He was the monster who would face Li He this time, the Red Killing Machine Kuang Dasi! While Kuang Dasi was hitting a punching bag, a fat middle-aged man walked in, squinting his eyes and pursing his lips, resembling a cunning fat rat. He had a cigar in his mouth and said sinisterly, "Kuang Dasi, this time you must slaughter that kid!" The fat middle-aged man's name was Lei Yuzhe, the current owner of Blood Paradise. His father was the previous owner, but after his father aged and stepped down, Lei Yuzhe took over his father's position. Speaking of which, Lei Yuzhe had a unique identity; he was neither a criminal nor a lawful figure, but a special presence straddling both worlds. If one had to define Lei Yuzhe's identity, it would be businessman! Lei Yuzhe cared only about money and profits; he was indifferent to everything else! Because of this reason, Lei Yuzhe really hated Li He, for Li He had harmed his interests. Lei Yuzhe was no pushover in Hua City. He was even more formidable than Brother Spice Ginger, because he had a group of Martial Artists who depended on him for their livelihood. Therefore, when Liu Bohong first ventured into Hua City, although he made major moves against Brother Spice Ginger and his ilk, he dared not provoke Lei Yuzhe, this fearsome entity. Hearing this, Kuang Dasi slowly turned his head to look at Lei Yuzhe, his eyes eerily blood-red as he said in a deep voice, "Kuang Dasi does not kill the weak." Every Martial Artist had their own pride, and Kuang Dasi was no exception. It wasn't that he sympathized with Li He; he simply felt Li He did not qualify to die by his hands. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Weak? He has won thirteen consecutive matches; does that still make him weak?" Lei Yuzhe said discontentedly. But Kuang Dasi ignored his protest and calmly stated, "He's still too young!" Li He had also been watched by Kuang Dasi in the matches. Although Li He managed to win thirteen times in a row, that was because he hadn't encountered any real heavyweights. While he might handle ordinary foes in Huaxia, facing a monstrous being like him, thirteen lives wouldn't be enough for Li He. Lei Yuzhe squinted, seemingly hesitating on how to persuade Kuang Dasi, because his relationship with Kuang Dasi was merely a partnership; he dared not command this monstrous being. Suddenly, Lei Yuzhe's eyes craftily shifted, a scheme coming to mind, he smiled sinisterly, "Kuang Dasi, you are now the king of our Blood Paradise, but this kid's emergence might very well overturn your position." Hearing this, Kuang Dasi finally stopped and said irritably, "Are you joking? How could a rookie like him be my opponent?" Kuang Dasi enjoyed the honor of victory and the feeling of being worshiped by the masses. But now, Lei Yuzhe suggesting Li He could shake his position was something Kuang Dasi could not accept, as it felt like an insult to him! "Although he's a newbie, don't you see his potential? Winning thirteen matches as a rookie, even you couldn't achieve that at the beginning, could you?" Lei Yuzhe chuckled coldly, deliberately infuriating Kuang Dasi. Hearing this, Kuang Dasi furrowed his brow, and he vaguely sensed some threat. Initially, he did not care about Li He because even with his current extraordinary achievements, Li He was still too young and unworthy of serious attention. But after Lei Yuzhe put it that way, Kuang Dasi started to worry. Although Li He wasn't strong now, his potential was frightening. If he fought for another three to five years, he might indeed be able to challenge him. At this moment, Kuang Dasi began to feel uneasy. If that day really came, would he be able to stand against this youngster? What if he took away all the glory that belonged to him? Seeing Kuang Dasi's hesitation, Lei Yuzhe knew his words had an effect and sneered, "Now, if you kill him and nip this threat in the bud, your throne as the underground king will surely be secure." Hearing this, Kuang Dasi hesitated for a few seconds, then suddenly clenched his fist tighter, "I will crush every bone in his body!" "Bang!" Kuang Dasi punched a nearby punching bag, which immediately split open, its sand spilling out like a torrent. "Xiaoxiao, where exactly are you taking us?" In Xiaoxiao's car, Zhao Yating couldn't help but complain. Since morning, Xiaoxiao had been mysteriously hinting at taking them to a very special place, but she kept the destination secret. Now, having sat until their butts hurt and still not arriving, Zhao Yating couldn't help but grumble. "We're almost there, almost there, trust me, once you get there, it's going to be unforgettable!" Xiaoxiao chuckled excitedly, appearing very eager. Zhao Yating and Luo Tong and the others exchanged looks, all falling silent. When they arrived at Blood Paradise, Zhao Yating was indeed shocked by the scene before her. The crowd was surging, heads bobbing everywhere, cheers nonstop, and on the stage, two Martial Artists were fighting. Even though both were covered in blood, they kept throwing punches and kicks at each other as if they wouldn't rest until the other was dead. "This is too cruel!" Zhao Yating looked terrified, feeling uneasy from the brutal fight between the two bloodied figures on the stage. Chapter 362 Crushing Che Xiaoxiao scoffed dismissively and said, "What do you know? This is called 'violent art.' It's not a place you just decide to visit; I had to move heaven and earth to get these few tickets. Don't fail to appreciate what you're given." "But this makes me uncomfortable," Zhao Yating said a bit plaintively. She did not understand any so-called art in violence; all she knew was that it made her feel terrible. "Then don't look. Just close your eyes," Che Xiaoxiao said indifferently, then turned her attention back to the ring. "Oh," Zhao Yating replied somewhat aggrieved and indeed closed her eyes. Meanwhile, Luo Tong and Zhang Jia were as excited as Che Xiaoxiao, their faces flush with exhilaration, as it was their first time witnessing live underground fighting. Just then, a young man about their age stepped onto the stage. At his appearance, Zhang Jia couldn't help but startle, "Why is he here?" "You know him?" Che Xiaoxiao couldn't help but ask curiously. Zhang Jia nodded, "His name is Li He, a rich second generation. His grandfather loves ceramics, so most of our family's ceramics are supplied to their family. But I never thought I'd see him here, a rich second generation fighting in underground battles?" Che Xiaoxiao also couldn't help feeling surprised. A rich second generation fighting in underground battles? Wasn't that a fanciful tale? "Maybe he's out of pocket money?" Zhao Yating suddenly piped up. Everyone rolled their eyes. Che Xiaoxiao looked at Zhao Yating with disdain, "You'd better keep your eyes closed." "Oh," Zhao Yating pouted, her mood souring. "Wolf Cub! Wolf Cub!" As Li He made his appearance, the crowd on the platform, as if injected with adrenaline, started chanting his nickname fervently. Since Li He had been exceptionally fierce in his fighting style and was the youngest among all the fighters at Blood Paradise, he had earned the nickname 'Wolf Cub.' "It looks like he's quite popular in this fight club," Che Xiaoxiao remarked teasingly. Zhang Jia was so shocked he couldn't speak. Initially, to him, Li He was just a carefree rich kid, but his views on Li He had completely changed after today. The current Li He, his demeanor more restrained and reserved than before. His face now bore two scars, a souvenir from a recent fight with another, which made him look even more fierce and sinister. Up in the VIP stands, Lei Yuzhe also slowly took his seat, his face wearing a sinister smile, malevolently watching Li He in the ring, looking for all the world like he was staring at a dead man. Li He had indeed noticed Lei Yuzhe's gaze and clenched his teeth fiercely, aware of what Lei Yuzhe intended. He knew Lei Yuzhe wanted him to fight Kuang Dasi, the strongest fighter in Blood Paradise, which was essentially a death sentence. Li He guessed it must be his recent rise to prominence that had irked Lei Yuzhe, prompting Lei Yuzhe to personally take action against him. Soon enough, Kuang Dasi made his way onto the stage, and as he did, the crowd fell silent. They felt an instinctive fear toward this killing machine. They had all witnessed Kuang Dasi's methods, which went beyond merely defeating his opponents. After defeating, and even killing them, he would gruesomely dismember their bodies and consume their hearts. Kuang Dasi, a rare descendant of the Cannibal Tribe, belonged to a tribe with a legend that consuming an enemy's heart could strengthen oneself. So, every time after killing, Kuang Dasi would rip open his victim's chest, ensuring they were completely incapacitated, earning him the nickname, 'The Red Murder Machine'! Kuang Dasi stared intently at Li He, his gaze aggressive: "I'm going to tear you apart, shred your body into pieces!" "I know, you're afraid that one day I might surpass you, so you want to snuff me out while I'm still in my cradle," Li He said coldly, laughing as he turned to look at a nearby statue: "I also know you wish to be invincible like the Clown." "But unfortunately, you'll never be like him because, unlike you, he doesn't fear challenges. He would leave Blood Paradise seeking stronger opponents, while you can only ever dominate this tiny fight club. Compared to him, you fall far too short!" Li He despised Kuang Dasi, deeply. Kuang Dasi, worried about his future threat to his position, was trying to kill him. Li He believed if it were the Clown, he would patiently wait until Li He truly became strong and then accept his challenge. Because the Clown had an unconquerable heart, which Kuang Dasi lacked. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. That's why the statue erected inside Blood Paradise was of the Clown, not of Kuang Dasi. "You're courting death!" Provoked by Li He's words, Kuang Dasi was visibly enraged and charged at Li He. Kuang Dasi stomped on the ground, the platform crumbling under his feet, sending debris flying as he launched a fierce side kick directly at Li He's face. As Kuang Dasi battled with Li He, Spice Ginger and Hao Jian had also arrived on the scene and saw the fight unfold. "Boss, that's Kuang Dasi!" Spice Ginger pointed out, his heart racing; even he, Black Boss, felt fear toward Kuang Dasi, which showed just how terrifying Kuang Dasi was. Hao Jian glanced at Kuang Dasi and said nonchalantly, "Indeed, he is very strong!" With Hao Jian's ability, he could tell at a glance that Kuang Dasi was no ordinary opponent. Immediately, Hao Jian looked up at Lei Yuzhe on the high platform and smiled subtly, saying meaningfully, "So the boss of Blood Paradise has changed, huh." Seeing this, Brother Spice Ginger was a bit surprised and hurriedly asked, "Boss, you know about the secret owner of Blood Paradise too?" Hao Jian chuckled and said, "When I was mingling in Blood Paradise, Hua City didn't even have a character like you." Brother Spice Ginger, caught between laughter and tears, scratched his head. Although Hao Jian's words were pretentious, Brother Spice Ginger knew they were probably true. Hao Jian and Brother Spice Ginger walked to their seats and sat down. Because the crowd was so large, Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating didn't notice Hao Jian's arrival. Even though Hao Jian was standing in the same row, none of them could spot each other. "Boss, aren't we going to rescue him right away?" Brother Spice Ginger asked perplexedly, seeing Hao Jian leisurely watching the match and feeling somewhat puzzled himself. "Let's wait and see," Hao Jian smiled and did not plan to help Li He right away. Just then, Kuang Dasi had already engaged with Li He. Kuang Dasi overpowered Li He from the start, forcing Li He to retreat step by step. Although Li He was strong, he was no match for a monster like Kuang Dasi. "Bang!" Finally, unable to withstand another attack from Kuang Dasi, Li He was kicked flying out by Kuang Dasi. Kuang Dasi could punch hundreds of pounds at once, and the fact that Li He had managed to block a few was impressive. But this time, exhausted from defending, his entire body was overwhelmed. At this moment, Li He was trembling all over, bruises appearing all over his body, and with a serious expression, he stared defiantly at Kuang Dasi, his eyes filled with a fierce threatening look. A mocking smile crossed Kuang Dasi's lips, "You are indeed strong. With your talent, you might have won in another two or three years, but as of now, you are still too young, and not my match." In the stands, the spectators all threw their ticket stubs on the ground, shaking with anger, cursing at Li He. Today, many had bet on Li He, thinking he could create another miracle. Some had even staked their entire fortunes on him. But Li He had lost to Kuang Dasi, and at that moment, they felt like killing him. The reason was simple¡ªLi He had caused them to lose money! "If you're going to kill, then kill. Why the talk? You scum!" Li He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and disdainfully said, "Do you think you defeated me? No, you didn't defeat me at all. I only lost because I'm younger than you. If we were on the same level, killing you would be like killing a dog!" Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire Hearing this, Kuang Dasi's face suddenly turned cold, as if someone had exposed his deepest fears, becoming somewhat enraged, "Let me end you, you slick-tongued brat!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Kuang Dasi threw a steel-like, heavy punch directly at Li He's face. If it hit, Li He's head would be instantly obliterated. Up on the platform, Lei Yuzhe couldn't help but show a thrill of joy, looking at the angry bettors, he felt his wallet thickening instantly. This not only covered all his losses but probably earned him a huge profit as well. Was he really stretching himself too thin? Watching Kuang Dasi getting closer, Li He thought this with a bitter smile and then slowly closed his eyes, resigning to his fate. He would never be able to keep up with that man. Perhaps that man had walked out from such trials back then? How did he do it? How did he defeat these monsters? In his dying moments, Li He thought of neither his parents nor his friends, but Hao Jian. His heart was full of regret and frustration, unable to pass the test, not even qualifying for Hao Jian's proper glance. This made Li He feel that even his death was undeserved. With a roar, Kuang Dasi charged at him, his expression turning crazed. His fist hammered towards Li He's forehead, foreshadowing the moment when Li He would be grotesquely dismembered. The spectators on the stands also roared for Li He's death. Li He had caused them to lose so much money, they all wished for his demise! "They. They are terrifying," Zhao Yating shivered as she looked at the crowd in front of her, her fear reaching an extreme. Even Che Xiaoxiao's expression was grim, she had not expected things to escalate to this stage. She simply admired the art of violence, but this was no longer art, it was the annihilation of humanity! Che Xiaoxiao regretted bringing Zhao Yating and the others here to watch the match, because what they were watching was not a match, but a group of murderers! "Boom!" Suddenly, a terrifying noise erupted from the platform, and a gust of wind swept through, stirring up dust and smoke. Kuang Dasi was also shocked, suddenly as if he saw a blurred figure appearing before him. At that moment, the spectators were also taken aback, staring intently at the swirling haze, all wanting to know what had happened. And when the haze cleared, they were suddenly shocked to see a man standing on the platform, a man wearing a mask! Chapter 363 The Clown Returns The man, clad in simple attire and of moderate build, looked utterly ordinary. It was only because of the overly peculiar mask on his face that he might not be mistaken for one of the inconspicuous martial artists. He wore a clown mask, its smile sinister and gloomy, as if mocking Kuang Dasi with contempt. The man lifted his leg high, blocking Kuang Dasi's seemingly unstoppable punch, the two of them frozen in this bizarre tableau. "What?" Lei Yuzhe jumped up in fright, staring at the man on the stage with horror. Because the arena had fallen into a hush, his voice sounded particularly loud. Everyone was stunned. Could it be that man had returned? "It's him," Che Xiaoxiao couldn't help but exclaim. "Che Xiaoxiao, who is he exactly?" Seeing his cool entrance, Zhao Yating and the others were also shocked, quickly pressing Che Xiaoxiao for answers. "He's the legend of Blood Paradise, the unmatched Fighter Clown. That statue depicts him. At first, I thought it was just a gimmick Blood Paradise fabricated to attract business, but there really is such a person!" Che Xiaoxiao said in astonishment, focusing on the Clown onstage: "But I heard he left Blood Paradise, so why has he returned?" It wasn't just Che Xiaoxiao, many regular patrons of Blood Paradise knew the legend of the Clown, so seeing a figure similar to the Clown, they were all taken aback. "Impossible, you've already left Blood Paradise, how could you possibly come back!" Seeing the Clown appear, Kuang Dasi was also overcome with extreme fear and unease, angrily glaring at the man before him. He consoled himself, it must be fake; the Clown couldn't possibly come back! The underground champion's throne was his! Not just Kuang Dasi, even Li He was dumbfounded. Why had this legendary figure suddenly appeared? Why had he suddenly saved him? He felt as clueless as a monk probing his head, as if he'd occasionally bought a lottery ticket and then actually won the jackpot. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Kuang Dasi, test his mettle for me!" Lei Yuzhe roared directly at Kuang Dasi, eager to ascertain the man's identity. Was he really the legendary figure of Blood Paradise, or just an impostor? Kuang Dasi needed no prompting from Lei Yuzhe; he was naturally going to strike at the man, bellowing with rage as he swung his fists from both sides, intending to smash the man's head into mincemeat! But the Clown remained immovable, as solid as a mountain. As Kuang Dasi's fists came hurtling down, he slowly extended his arms. "Bang!" Kuang Dasi's seemingly weighty punches were effortlessly parried by the man, producing a muffled sound. In the stands, everyone was astounded. In Blood Paradise, almost no one could face Kuang Dasi head-on, let alone block his punch so casually. There simply wasn't anyone. Lei Yuzhe's face turned ashen, he slumped into his chair, knowing that the man was real, the Clown had returned! "Impossible, this can't be!" Kuang Dasi bellowed in desperation, clueless about why the Clown had suddenly returned to Blood Paradise and what his intentions were, but Kuang Dasi could not let him undermine his own glory. Kuang Dasi went berserk, unleashing a barrage of combination punches at the Clown, relentlessly striking at his body. But no matter where his punches and kicks came from, the Clown could easily deflect them. In the end, he insultingly blocked Kuang Dasi's offensive with just one hand, his other hand and both feet not even moving an inch. The spectators atop the stage were dumbfounded; they had seen numerous matches in Blood Paradise, yet none were as exhilarating and demeaning as this one. This was sheer mockery; the Clown was toying with Kuang Dasi! Li He's eyes sparkled with admiration, fixated on that figure not particularly muscular, yet towering in stature. Kuang Dasi made him utterly defenseless, but in the eyes of the man before him, Kuang Dasi was as meek as a child in combat. Kuang Dasi also felt humiliated, shouting and cursing in rage, flailing punches and kicks as if to pulverize his opponent into mince, but the more he tried, the more helpless he appeared. If anyone was most excited at the moment, it had to be Brother Spice Ginger; nobody else knew who the Clown on the stage was, only he did! Because right then, Hao Jian was not by his side! Spice Ginger had never anticipated that Hao Jian would turn out to be that legendary Clown; he too had great admiration and reverence for the character. But discovering that Clown was Hao Jian left him so stunned he was speechless. "Che Xiaoxiao, haven't you noticed, the Clown on the stage, his silhouette seems familiar, as if we've seen it somewhere before," Zhao Yating said somewhat shocked, assessing the Hao Jian on the stage. Girls are more attentive to details, and she immediately sensed something familiar about him. Hearing this, Che Xiaoxiao also couldn't help feeling puzzled: "Indeed, but that shouldn't be possible. Since I arrived, he's never appeared in the ring, so we couldn't possibly know him." "I think you two are just lovestruck! Every time you see an impressive man you lose control of yourselves, that's why he seems familiar, so fickle!" Luo Tong said disdainfully, aware that both of the girls liked Hao Jian, and to him, this seemed like infidelity. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire "Your moves are a complete mess!" Hao Jian on the stands uttered a scornful remark before suddenly delivering an exceedingly swift spinning kick. Kuang Dasi was sent flying out of the ring, crashing heavily onto the floor and creating a deep crater where he landed. "Blood Paradise's strongest? Don't make me laugh!" Chapter 364 The True King Before Kuang Dasi, Hao Jian was the strongest existence in Blood Paradise. At that time in Blood Paradise, it was completely dominated by Hao Jian, a period ruled by darkness. The martial artists were not fighting each other but all had one goal, and that was to defeat Hao Jian! As long as someone could defeat Hao Jian, they could receive a reward of 100 million. With such a hefty reward, there would be brave men, and many martial artists struggled for this goal, but they all failed. It was also for this reason that Hao Jian finally chose to leave Blood Paradise to seek more formidable opponents in the wider world. It can be said that at that time, Blood Paradise was filled with a suffocating and oppressive atmosphere. All the martial artists were weighed down by the name "Clown", unable to catch their breath until Hao Jian left Blood Paradise¡ªthey finally had their chance to breathe. Now that they saw the Clown's return, those martial artists couldn't help but recall those miserable years under Hao Jian's dominance. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Lei Yuzhe's face turned ashen, and he slumped into his chair, completely at a loss. His father had warned him before he took over that if that man came back, no matter what he demanded, he must fulfill it unconditionally. Not just because he was fearsomely strong, but also because Blood Paradise was created by the Clown himself. Without the Clown, Blood Paradise could not have the prosperity and fervor it did today. Because the Clown was a legend, and he had turned Blood Paradise into a legend as well. Lei Yuzhe's father told him that everything in Blood Paradise belonged to the Clown; they were merely keeping it safe. If he wanted it back, they must return it to him, or else they would all die! In Lei Yuzhe's eyes, the Clown's return might well be to take back Blood Paradise, so one could imagine how he felt at this moment. But Lei Yuzhe didn't dare go against his father's wishes, because only his father knew how terrifying the Clown was. Seeing how Hao Jian easily defeated Kuang Dasi, Lei Yuzhe didn't have to doubt his true identity anymore. Only the undefeated myth, the Clown, could accomplish this feat. "Impossible, I am the strongest! I am the strongest!" Kuang Dasi shouted frantically, unable to accept the fact that he was defeated by Hao Jian, and charged at Hao Jian again. "The strongest? Bullying the weak is not the act of a strong man," said Hao Jian mockingly, launching a kick towards Kuang Dasi, hitting him on the shoulder and kicking him to the ground, then stepping on him fiercely. "Don't come at me again. No matter how many times you try, the result will be the same. Before I came back, you were the strongest in Kuang Dasi, but now that I've returned, you're nothing," Hao Jian said with a teasing look on his face. "You dare to insult me, you dare to insult me, I will tear you to pieces!" Kuang Dasi roared in anger, slapped away Hao Jian's foot, and threw a punch at him. "Bang!" Hao Jian firmly blocked the attack and caught the punch with just one finger. Everyone couldn't help but stare in disbelief. They had seen Kuang Dasi smash stones with his fist, his punch was more terrifying than a pile driver, but it was neutralized by just one finger of Hao Jian? Is that even possible? Kuang Dasi too was shocked, looking at Hao Jian, unable to speak out of astonishment, only then realizing the massive gap between himself and Hao Jian. "To you, Li He is weak, but to me, you are also weak," Hao Jian said with icy mockery. Hearing Hao Jian say this, Li He was immediately shocked. He knows my name? Why does he know my name? Then, Li He realized something, inhaling sharply in surprise, because he had discovered that the voice was so familiar, very close to Hao Jian's, and he even knew his own name. If it wasn't Hao Jian, Li He wouldn't believe it. Li He finally realized why Hao Jian had him come to Blood Paradise for training because Hao Jian had emerged from Blood Paradise, and he was the legendary figure, the Clown! At this moment, Li He's entire body was covered in goosebumps, overwhelmed with excitement. Hao Jian was the person he admired, and the Clown was also the person he revered. Now that they were one and the same, his admiration for Hao Jian soared by more than a few levels. "Come on! Let's put an end to this pointless battle!" Hao Jian beckoned to Kuang Dasi, already finding it boring. Hearing Hao Jian say that, Kuang Dasi felt so frustrated he almost spat blood. He fought so hard, and it was just a boring fight in the eyes of Hao Jian? Kuang Dasi felt an immense humiliation. This was too bullying! "Kuang Dasi, just surrender, you are not his match!" Lei Yuzhe shouted to Kuang Dasi. He didn't want to lose such a strong fighter like Kuang Dasi, knowing that he couldn't possibly beat Hao Jian¡ªthe difference in strength was too great. "Yeah, surrender. You can only bully the weak. Against a strong person like me, you're just going to get slaughtered!" Hao Jian taunted. For a piece of trash like Kuang Dasi, who only bullied the weak, Hao Jian had nothing but contempt. "Ah! I'll fight you to the end!" Kuang Dasi, who was about to give up, got instantly enraged by Hao Jian's words, exploded in anger, and roared furiously. Kuang Dasi's body suddenly spun and he lashed out at Hao Jian again in rage. Hao Jian chuckled coldly, his face revealing a sly smile as if his scheme had been successful. Just at that moment, Hao Jian suddenly grabbed Kuang Dasi's leg, hoisted him into the air, and then violently swung him down to the ground. "Bang!" The ground immediately cracked open, forming a large pit, leaving Kuang Dasi completely stunned, his head throbbing and swelling. "Thud!" Another strike followed, making Kuang Dasi feel like his bones were about to fall apart. The onlookers watched as Hao Jian repeatedly tossed and smashed Kuang Dasi to the ground, their eyes wide with shock. When had they ever seen Kuang Dasi humiliated like this? Despite his iron-like body, Kuang Dasi couldn't withstand Hao Jian's rough treatment. Before long, he began vomiting blood, his eyes continuously rolling back. At this rate, he figured disability wasn't far off. "Mr. Clown, please, I beg you to spare Kuang Dasi!" At this point, Lei Yuzhe stumbled over. Kuang Dasi was his cash cow, and if Hao Jian crippled him, then his loss would be monumental. "Spare him? Is that possible?" Hao Jian scoffed with disdain. "He intended to kill my brother. Just for that alone, I have enough reason to kill him a thousand times over!" Brother? Upon hearing this, Li He's face flushed red as if invigorated. Hao Jian had actually acknowledged his status? He had gained his recognition? "Che Xiaoxiao, don't you think this Clown looks a bit like our teacher, with the same build and voice?" Zhao Yating suddenly exclaimed in shock, blending the image of the man on stage with Hao Jian. Che Xiaoxiao, reminded by Zhao Yating, also couldn't help but be surprised, finding that the Clown indeed seemed quite similar to Hao Jian. But Che Xiaoxiao still expressed doubt, "That can't be possible, right?" She found it hard to accept that Hao Jian could be the Clown because the Clown was a legend in Blood Paradise, a mythic figure! And Hao Jian? A bastard! A lecher! A hooligan! Shameless! If it came to berating Hao Jian, Che Xiaoxiao figured she could go on for three days and three nights without feeling tired. "How is it not possible? Listen to the way he talks, his voice. It's as if they were carved from the same mold!" Zhao Yating continued to stare at the Hao Jian on the stage, convinced he was too similar to be a coincidence. "Zhao Yating, have you become so obsessed with Teacher Hao Jian that now you think everyone looks like him?" Zhang Jia teased. "Screw you!" Zhao Yating scolded irritably, having no patience for such frivolous talk at the moment. "If you want to know if he's Hao Jian or not, why not just check after the match is over?" Che Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, "For now, let's just watch the match!" Meanwhile, Lei Yuzhe, hearing Hao Jian call Li He his brother, was utterly dumbfounded. After probably being stupefied for about ten seconds, a bitter smile finally surfaced on his face. Yes, Li He had challenged numerous martial artists as soon as he arrived, maintaining an unbeaten streak in thirteen consecutive matches, just like Hao Jian had back in the day. And he had dared to lay a finger on his brother, wasn't that courting death? Hao Jian pointed at Lei Yuzhe and said, "You've made a mess of Blood Paradise, you've defiled it, you've defiled my creation. Later, I will have a thorough talk with you!" He emphasized the "talk" with a particular intensity. When he originally created Blood Paradise, it was merely meant to be a fighting arena. It was Lei Yuzhe's father who saw the business potential, investing and adding elements like gambling. Hao Jian didn't oppose this, but Lei Yuzhe's manipulation of the matches was something that infuriated Hao Jian. A newcomer pitted against a veteran like Kuang Dasi constituted blatant murder and also violated the spirit of martial arts! Therefore, Hao Jian was extremely angry! Lei Yuzhe gave a bitter laugh and no longer pleaded for mercy for Kuang Dasi, realizing that he was in jeopardy himself. Hao Jian stepped on Kuang Dasi's chest, pointing at him with utmost contempt, "Get out of Blood Paradise, do you understand? Because this is my paradise! You don't deserve to be here!" Hao Jian wouldn't allow a lowlife like Kuang Dasi to defile Blood Paradise. Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire With difficulty, Kuang Dasi nodded. Not daring to utter a word of refusal, he was acutely aware of Hao Jian's terrifying power; he was no match for Hao Jian! "Now, get lost!" Hao Jian snorted, then kicked at Kuang Dasi's body, sending him flying towards the exit like a cannonball. Then, Hao Jian looked coldly at Lei Yuzhe and asked, "Are you Old Man Lei's son?" Hearing this, Lei Yuzhe trembled and weakly nodded, "Yes. Yes, I am." Hao Jian slapped him across the face, causing Lei Yuzhe to stumble. His underlings, seeing their boss hit, angrily stepped forward but were stopped by Lei Yuzhe's command. Like a child who had done something wrong, Lei Yuzhe bowed his head and walked over to Hao Jian, staying silent. .............................. Chapter 365 Seeing Through He knew that Hao Jian could have killed him with that strike just now, but Hao Jian had chosen not to do so. Lei Yuzhe understood that Hao Jian had held back with that slap. Otherwise, his face would be more than just swollen now. "Blood Paradise is a paradise for fighters, not a marketplace for the Lei Family. You'd better understand that you're able to make money here because I allow it, but that doesn't mean you can treat Blood Paradise as your own property. Today I spare your life out of respect for my acquaintance with Old Man Lei, but if it happens again, not even the Heavenly King will save you, understand?" Hao Jian darkly challenged. Lei Yuzhe hurriedly nodded, his heart full of mixed emotions. He could empathize with Hao Jian's anger, for if it had been his own brother harmed without reason, he guessed he would have been just as furious. "Now, you can scram!" Hao Jian said ungraciously. Lei Yuzhe didn't dare show the slightest dissatisfaction, nodded to Hao Jian, and left toward the not-too-distant exit. Only then did Hao Jian turn back to look at Li He, whose face lit up with excitement upon seeing the strange mask. "Are you sure you want to follow me?" Hao Jian asked Li He. "Mmm!" Li He nodded confidently. He had never been so eager to seek acknowledgement from someone. Hao Jian was the only person for whom he was willing to put everything else aside and follow unquestioningly! "Alright, from today on, you're my brother. Change clothes and leave this place. You've passed the trial!" Hao Jian said with a smile. The mere fact that Li He faced a monster like Kuang Dasi without fear was enough for Hao Jian to accept him! Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then, Hao Jian left the stage and headed toward the distance. Brother Spice Ginger quickly followed Hao Jian's steps, while Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao in the stands saw this and hurried after them. Eager to uncover Hao Jian's true identity, they couldn't wait any longer. Just as they were about to leave Blood Paradise, Che Xiaoxiao suddenly stopped and said to Zhao Yating, "You go ahead and intercept him. I'll come over in a while." "Where are you going?" Zhao Yating asked, puzzled. "Me? I've got some things to take care of." Che Xiaoxiao answered casually and then turned to head backstage. Backstage, Li He excitedly shed his fighting attire and, anxious, put on his own clothes, preparing to look for Hao Jian. As Li He was about to step out the door, he saw Che Xiaoxiao standing at his doorway. Che Xiaoxiao asked with a smile, "You're Li He, right?" "Who are you?" Li He asked, puzzled, not recognizing Che Xiaoxiao. "Me? I'm a student of Hao Jian. Considering that, I should probably be your senior." Che Xiaoxiao lied to Li He because they had suspected that the Clown, who had rescued Li He, was really Hao Jian. If Li He knew Hao Jian, then Che Xiaoxiao, the cunning girl, figured she could extract information about Hao Jian's true identity from him. If Li He didn't know Hao Jian, he should be clueless now. Conversely, he would admit it outright. Indeed, after a moment of stunned silence, Li He put on a big smile, "So, it's senior sister! My apologies for not recognizing you! May I know what brings Senior Sister to me?" Che Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes, her lips curling into a sly smile, sure now she had guessed correctly - that rascal was indeed Hao Jian! "Hao Jian went out of his way to save you on the stage, you must be quite important to him, huh?" Che Xiaoxiao continued her probing. Completely unaware of Che Xiaoxiao's ruse, Li He frankly responded, "It's an honor to be acknowledged by the boss. I definitely won't disappoint him!" "Yes, I believe that too!" Che Xiaoxiao scoffed coldly. "Senior Sister, I'm going now to find the boss. Would you like to come with me?" Li He asked enthusiastically. "Go, of course, I'll go. How can I miss out at a time like this?" Che Xiaoxiao said with a touch of irony, already eager to see Hao Jian's astonished face. Meanwhile, Hao Jian hadn't yet realized that Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating were inside Blood Paradise. He found a secluded spot to remove his mask and then discarded his fighter attire before slowly heading toward the exit. Brother Spice Ginger had been waiting outside and, seeing Hao Jian come out, quickly greeted him, giving him a thumbs up: "Boss, that was impressive!" "Stop with the flattery, let's get cleaned up and leave. I still have to pick up my goddaughter from school!" Hao Jian said, annoyed. Brother Spice Ginger wasn't offended at all, still chuckling foolishly, beaming like a gloriously bright dandelion. He was in good spirits now, proud to see his boss flourish, which naturally brought him a sense of pride. At this moment, Zhao Yating and the others rushed out and were taken aback upon seeing Hao Jian. "Teacher, was that really you on stage just now?" Luo Tong asked in astonishment. At first, he hadn't believed it, but now seeing Hao Jian there too, he had no choice but to believe. Could there really be such a coincidence in the world? Hao Jian hadn't expected to bump into Zhao Yating here. Hearing Luo Tong ask this, he immediately denied it, "What are you talking about? I just got here and was about to go in and take a look." He didn't want Zhao Yating and the others to know too much about him. "Isn't it you?" Zhao Yating and the others were very suspicious, constantly scrutinizing Hao Jian's face, trying to find some clues on it. "What are you all talking about, what do you mean 'is it me'? Does someone look a lot like me?" Hao Jian feigned surprise as he asked, his acting skill undoubtedly merit a perfect score. Seeing this, Brother Spice Ginger also wisely chose not to speak. "So, it's not you," seeing this, Zhao Yating and the others couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. They had thought that Hao Jian was the Clown, and the thought of their teacher being a legendary figure had left them both shocked and thrilled. But now it seemed like Hao Jian knew nothing at all, which made them realize that they had thought too much. Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire "Hey, what's wrong with you guys, picking on me for fun, huh?" Hao Jian pretended to be displeased. Just then, Che Xiaoxiao and Li He came out of Blood Paradise together, and Hao Jian nearly peed his pants when he saw Che Xiaoxiao walk out with Li He. How did this girl end up with Li He? He didn't let slip, did he? "Che Xiaoxiao, you got it wrong. Teacher Hao Jian isn't the man behind the mask." Zhao Yating turned back to Che Xiaoxiao and said. "Oh? How so?" Che Xiaoxiao asked with a cold laugh, well aware that Zhao Yating and the others had been duped by Hao Jian. "Hao Jian just got here and doesn't know what happened inside. How could he be the Clown?" Zhang Jia said. "Not him? Hao Jian, you still want to keep up the act?" Che Xiaoxiao's face showed a smug smile, then she patted Li He on the shoulder, "Your little brother here told me everything!" Hao Jian covered his face and sighed, a look of helplessness on his face, despite all his calculations he had still overlooked the unpredictable variable that was Che Xiaoxiao. When Che Xiaoxiao said this, everyone was taken aback, and Li He was completely dumbfounded. What was going on? Had he done something he shouldn't have? Zhao Yating and the others also looked at Che Xiaoxiao in astonishment, not understanding the meaning behind her words. But they also remembered the scene where the Clown came on stage to save Li He. Now, with Che Xiaoxiao saying there was a connection between Li He and Hao Jian, had she discovered something? "Li He told me everything. Hao Jian is the Clown. Still trying to play dumb? Do you think acting ignorant is going to help?" Che Xiaoxiao laughed triumphantly. "Did I do something wrong?" At this point, Li He asked Hao Jian somewhat nervously, his intuition telling him he did something he shouldn't have. Hao Jian bit his lip, "You didn't do anything wrong; it's the enemy that's too cunning!" Hao Jian hadn't expected Che Xiaoxiao to approach Li He, and Li He had been tricked without knowing anything. "Teacher, that's so mean of you!" Zhao Yating looked at Hao Jian with a bit of resentment. "Teacher, you really are too much." Luo Tong and the others also looked at Hao Jian with reproach. Hao Jian became somewhat infuriated, "You bunch of little freaks, what are you doing here? Is this a place for you to be?" "It was Che Xiaoxiao who brought us here!" Zhao Yating shamelessly snitched on Che Xiaoxiao! "Che Xiaoxiao?" Hao Jian glared, again this damnable girl! He then turned to Che Xiaoxiao, "Are you ever going to stop? Making trouble every single day, not doing anything serious, and bringing classmates to all these messy places. Is this a place for you to come to?" "She said she appreciates the art of violence!" Zhao Yating added. "The art of violence, my foot... I think she's just a psycho!" Hao Jian huffed angrily. On hearing this, Che Xiaoxiao got mad too, and with a smirk that was not quite a smile, she looked at Hao Jian, "Yeah, just now I saw a psycho participating in a psycho competition in there!" Calling me a psycho for watching a competition, then what does that make you for competing in it? "Teacher, you're actually the Clown! I admire you so much!" "Teacher, have you really maintained an unbeaten record for a thousand matches? Then you must have killed a lot of people in Blood Paradise, right?" "Teacher, I want your autograph!" The students were chirping about all sorts of things. "Enough!" Hao Jian barked in anger, feeling utterly helpless inside. The last thing he wanted was this kind of situation. "One after another, you still haven't had enough, huh? All of you get lost! If I hear any more nagging, I'll drag you on stage right now to fight Blind Bear!" Hao Jian threatened irritably, truth be told, he didn't want his students to idolize this aspect of his identity having to do with violence, murder, and bloodshed, which were all negative things. Hao Jian did not want these future flowers of the nation to set him as their target to become killing machines. "Teacher, you're so fierce!" Some of the girls said with a sniffle, feeling aggrieved. They didn't understand what was wrong with liking Hao Jian. Chapter 366 Lv Shaowei Seeing this, Hao Jian couldn't help but sigh deeply and said with grave sincerity, "Foolish children, the teacher is doing all this for your sake. You shouldn't glorify violence because it is wrong. All acts that resort to violence are crimes. Although I once mingled in the 'Blood Paradise,' I too understand this truth. That's why I chose to leave, to become a teacher and lead a peaceful life. I don't want you to take pride in such things, understand?" Hearing this, the students all nodded deeply, touched. "Teacher, we understand." "That's good to understand. Actually, your teacher has many other strengths too, like a charming temperament, handsome appearance, and so on and so forth. You could admire those positive aspects!" Hao Jian laughed heartily. A collective facepalm followed. "I'm going home now!" Che Xiaoxiao said, and then she left. "I'm also going home," Luo Tong and the others followed, then headed off into the distance. Hao Jian was furious. Was Che Xiaoxiao stirring up trouble again? "I'm not handsome? Have the guts to say that again while holding your conscience!" Hao Jian roared at Che Xiaoxiao and the others, but they were already far gone. After a long while, Hao Jian finally caught his breath and said to Li He, "Tell me why you want to follow me, or what you want to gain from me?" Li He thought for a moment, then with fervent eyes, he uttered two words, "Respect!" He wanted everyone to see him just like they saw Hao Jian, giving him thumbs up instead of scorn. That was Li He's wish. Hao Jian looked deeply at Li He, "You will get it, I'll make sure you get it!" ... At five in the afternoon, Hao Jian went to pick up Tongtong from school on time. But he found a student's parent pestering Ruo Lan, holding his daughter's hand, smiling extremely brilliantly, full of ingratiating expressions, and continuously talking to Ruo Lan. Ruo Lan, on the other hand, looked embarrassed, not wanting to listen to the nonsense but also finding it difficult to outright say so. "Miss Ruo Lan, do you have time tomorrow? How about I treat you to a meal? I really appreciate you taking our little one home before. Maybe we could find some time for you to bring your daughter and we all have dinner together?" the man asked hopefully. It was precisely because Ruo Lan had once helped take his daughter home that this man had noticed Ruo Lan's beauty, thus developing an interest in her. Now he was pretexting his daughter's name wanting to invite Ruo Lan to dinner, while harboring other intentions in his heart. "No need, I've bought groceries at home. I have two guests coming over for dinner at my place tonight; it wouldn't be right to leave them," Ruo Lan politely declined. "What? You have to cook for the guests? Miss Ruo Lan, that's too hard on you. Why not just send them away and come work at my company instead? You won't have to dare do anything, just play around on the computer in the office all day. I'll pay you a salary of one hundred thousand a month, which is much better than being a landlord," the middle-aged man said with a feigned heartbreak, actually just boasting about his financial ability. He told Ruo Lan how awesome he was, able to randomly offer a salary of one hundred thousand a month, just showing off in a roundabout way. Hearing this, Hao Jian immediately felt annoyed, encouraging Sister Lan to send him away¡ªthat man was audacious! The middle-aged man's purpose was very clear. Once he got Ruo Lan into his company, he would have plenty of opportunities to woo her. If Ruo Lan accepted his favor, wouldn't she have to comply with him in everything? As a woman who had weathered many hardships and was now in her thirties, how could Ruo Lan not understand this? She shook her head and declined, "Mr. Lv, thank you for your kindness, but no thanks. I'm quite content with my life as it is now." The middle-aged man was Lv Shaowei, a CEO of a listed company. Although Lv Shaowei was handsome, tall, wealthy, and looked like a perfect catch, Ruo Lan just couldn't feel an attraction to him. Because she felt something fake about Lv Shaowei, especially using children to woo her, which Ruo Lan could absolutely not accept. Realizing Ruo Lan's response, Lv Shaowei also felt disappointed, but he was a clever man. He knew that disturbing Ruo Lan further at this moment would definitely elicit her aversion. He could tell that Ruo Lan was not like ordinary women; conventional methods would probably fail to impress her. "When Tongtong comes out later, I'll drive you guys home. I brought my car," Lv Shaowei suggested intentionally, pointing at his Lamborghini to Ruo Lan. Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire Any woman who saw this car would go crazy, men liked supercars, but women loved them even more! But Ruo Lan was still unmoved, "No need, in a while I have to take Tongtong shopping for clothes!" "Shopping for clothes? That's quite a coincidence, I need to buy clothes for our darling too, how about we go together? It's a good opportunity for me to thank you for the help last time." Lv Shaowei feigned. "No need, it was nothing more than a simple favor, nothing worth thanking for." Ruo Lan gave a somewhat helpless bitter smile. "No, no, no, I must insist, if it weren't for you bringing our darling back from kindergarten, she might have cried her eyes out by now. We must thank you properly!" Lv Shaowei insisted. Just as Ruo Lan was thinking about how to reject Lv Shaowei, she suddenly felt a tightness on her shoulder, and before she could react, she saw a figure pass by her side and then wrap her in an embrace. "Darling, I've come to pick you up!" Hao Jian said with a smile, looking at Ruo Lan. Ruo Lan was startled at first but then immediately understood Hao Jian's intention and just smiled tenderly, without saying anything to explain. At this time, Lv Shaowei was already stunned, his face sour as he asked, "Miss Ruo Lan, who is this?" "This is my lover!" Ruo Lan also pretended, choosing to play along with Hao Jian to rid herself of Lv Shaowei's pestering. "Lover? But I heard you've been divorced for a long time now." Lv Shaowei frowned, expressing his skepticism. He had thoroughly investigated Ruo Lan's background before making advances, knowing that her husband had passed away and she was living alone with her daughter. This was also the reason why he was so confident, because in his view, a single mother definitely has many inconveniences. Long-term hardships naturally require a man for support, and by appearing as a supportive figure, showering Ruo Lan with care and warmth, it wouldn't take long to win her over. But he underestimated Ruo Lan's stubbornness. Although Ruo Lan appeared soft on the outside, she had a very strong heart. She preferred to live alone rather than depend on a man she did not like at all. "You seem to know quite a lot, did you investigate before?" Hao Jian sneered coldly. When Ruo Lan heard Lv Shaowei say this, her face turned ugly and she couldn't help but feel angry. Lv Shaowei had investigated her? What right did he have to investigate her? S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing Ruo Lan's expression change, Lv Shaowei quickly became anxious, explaining, "I haven't bothered with such idle matters, I just heard it mentioned by other parents." "So after divorcing, one can't find someone else? If your wife died, would you never marry again?" Hao Jian asked sharply. Lv Shaowei's forehead was covered with veins, "Your fucking wife is the one who's dead!" Hearing Hao Jian's words, Lv Shaowei appeared extremely angry, how could such a poor loser dare to compete with him for a woman? How could Ruo Lan's taste be so bad? Looking at that broken Santana, damn near like scrap metal, isn't he embarrassed to drive it out? He just didn't understand, why would Ruo Lan prefer to ride in a broken Santana rather than in his latest Lamborghini? Was there something wrong with her mind? "This Mr. Lv, isn't it? You better hurry back home with your daughter, I believe your wife must be anxiously waiting too. Just imagine if she calls, you'd still need to find excuses. And please, stop using your child as a shield, children are innocent, and she's already this big, she might even understand what you're talking about, don't let your own child be disappointed in you." Hao Jian said earnestly. As a father and a husband, one should set an example, but Lv Shaowei having a perfect family still indulged in philandering, an act Hao Jian truly detested. "What the hell are you talking about?" Lv Shaowei glared fiercely at Hao Jian, this deadbeat dares to preach at him? Was he even worthy? "What I said, I think you heard very clearly, if you want to listen then listen, if you don't want to, then pretend I never said anything." Hao Jian said with a smile. "Dad, let's go, Bao'er is hungry." At this time, Bao'er suddenly spoke up, the girl seemed to realize that if she let her dad continue talking with Hao Jian, the two might just end up fighting. Seeing this, Lv Shaowei didn't dare to make a scene in front of Bao'er, but only glared fiercely at Hao Jian, then with a smile to Ruo Lan, said, "Miss Ruo Lan, your boyfriend. Not very impressive!" "Maybe, but as long as I like him, I don't mind whatever he is like!" Ruo Lan retorted. Hearing this, Lv Shaowei squeezed out a forced, awkward smile and dejectedly left. ............ Chapter 367 Bizarre Mother and Son "Sister Lan, I've helped you out again, how are you going to thank me?" Hao Jian said with a playful grin. "Call me Ruo Lan!" Ruo Lan said unhappily, she had told him countless times not to use formal titles, but Hao Jian just couldn't remember. "Alright, Ruo Lan," Hao Jian said helplessly. Only then did Ruo Lan smile contentedly and said, "I'll make you some old fire turkey soup tonight!" "Mommy! Daddy!" Just then, Little Tongtong walked out from the kindergarten and waved at Hao Jian and Ruo Lan. Seeing that Hao Jian was also there, the little girl became excited and waved vigorously at Hao Jian. "Alright, let's go home for dinner," Hao Jian said as he held Tongtong's hand, feeling a warm satisfaction with the life he had and was grateful to have. "I don't want to go home for dinner, I want to eat at McDonald's," Tongtong said in a whiny tone. "What's so good about that junk food, we're not eating it," Hao Jian flatly refused, as he had no love for that junk stuff. "No, I want to eat at McDonald's!" Tongtong insisted stubbornly, as children tend to love these junk foods for their novelty. Hao Jian and Ruo Lan exchanged a resigned smile and agreed to the little girl's wish, taking her to McDonald's. "I'll go to the restroom for a moment." Once inside the McDonald's, Ruo Lan told Hao Jian. "Okay, you go ahead, I'll order," Hao Jian gestured with his hand, then found a seat with Tongtong and instructed her, "Little girl, you wait here for me, Daddy will be back soon, okay?" "Okay!" Little Tongtong, holding a teddy bear Hao Jian had just bought for her, nodded obediently. Hao Jian then went to line up, but shortly after he left, a kid from the next table, Big Head, came over, staring at the teddy bear in Tongtong's hands for a while before saying, "Give me the bear!" "Why should I give it to you? My daddy bought this for me!" Tongtong huffed angrily, pouting her lips, naturally not willing to give up her toy so easily. "If you don't give it to me, I will hit you!" Big Head raised his fist threateningly at Tongtong, wanting the toy she held. Back in kindergarten, he was used to taking whatever he wanted by force, so now seeing the toy in Tongtong's hand, he decided to act immediately. "Even if you hit me, I won't give it!" Tongtong hugged her teddy bear tightly, looking fearfully at Big Head. Seeing that Tongtong dared to disobey him, Big Head was immediately infuriated and swung his fist at Tongtong's face! A child's punch might not be very powerful, but it still hurt when it hit Tongtong's face. Tongtong immediately burst into tears, partly because of the pain and partly because she felt wronged. As soon as Hao Jian heard Tongtong crying, he hurriedly ran over, and when he saw her crying her heart out, he was momentarily stunned. Hao Jian quickly picked her up and asked with concern, "Little girl, what happened? Why are you crying?" "He hit me! He wants to take my toy!" Tongtong pointed at Big Head, looking miserable. Seeing Hao Jian, the parent, show up, Big Head stepped back a little, seeming somewhat guilty and frightened. "Hmm?" Hao Jian looked towards Big Head, but seeing that he was just a child, he felt a bit conflicted, as he obviously couldn't just hit the kid. "I'm sorry, kids are like that sometimes." At that moment, a middle-aged woman adorned in gold and silver came over and apologized to Hao Jian with some embarrassment. Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire Hao Jian responded coldly, "Watch your own child!" Though he couldn't do much to Big Head, he could certainly express his displeasure to this middle-aged woman. This middle-aged woman couldn't even keep an eye on her child, causing her to hurt his daughter. How could Hao Jian not be angry? "Yes, yes, yes." The middle-aged woman hastily agreed, then took her son away. Hao Jian still looked visibly unsettled as he slowly put Tongtong down, and just then Ruo Lan came back. Seeing Tongtong crying, she couldn't help but ask, "What happened to her?" "A little friend just bullied her, you stay with her now, I'll go order," Hao Jian explained. Ruo Lan nodded, not taking it too seriously, and took Tongtong onto her lap, "Come on, Tongtong, don't cry, Mommy's here to comfort you." Ruo Lan just saw it as a minor scuffle between children, as it's not uncommon for kids to have such conflicts. She thought the matter would settle down, but little did she know, Big Head would soon return. Big Head glanced at Ruo Lan, hesitated for a few seconds, then suddenly grabbed the stuffed toy from Tongtong's hands and turned to run! "Don't steal my toy, it's mine! Give it back to me!" Tongtong was so upset she started crying again. Ruo Lan was also shocked; she hadn't expected Big Head to dare to steal Tongtong's toy right in front of her. He really had some nerve, didn't he even care about the presence of adults? This Fatty was indeed frightening, but he only feared men, not women. "What's the matter with you?" Ruo Lan immediately scolded Big Head. "Pah!" Big Head glanced at Ruo Lan, and suddenly spit on her face, his arrogance knew no bounds. That was the last straw for Ruo Lan who stood up, pushed Big Head, knocked him to the ground, and scolded, "Whose child is this? Does no one discipline him?" Just then, a middle-aged woman who heard the commotion came running over. Seeing her child pushed to the ground, she couldn't help but show her anger. "Why did you push my child?" the middle-aged woman yelled aggressively. "Don't you see what your child just did? He stole my daughter's toy and spit on my face. Are you blind?" Ruo Lan wiped her face while she berated the middle-aged woman. "He's just a child who doesn't know better. Do you really need to make such a big deal out of it?" the middle-aged woman argued, showing no signs of apology but suggesting Ruo Lan was making a mountain out of a molehill. The customers in the restaurant who were placing orders watched the scene unfold and couldn't help but look puzzled. "He doesn't know better? So he can spit on people's faces and steal things? It's all about how the parents educate their children!" Ruo Lan hummed angrily, emboldened by Hao Jian's presence, "Why haven't I seen my daughter stealing your son's toys or spitting on your face?" The onlookers laughed at her words, casting mocking glances at the middle-aged woman. The middle-aged woman's expression became embarrassed, yet she stubbornly retorted, "How I educate my child is my business, and it's not your place to interfere. You're making a fuss about children fighting; I can't comprehend how narrow-minded you are, but I guess that's typical of poorer people." When the middle-aged woman noticed that Ruo Lan didn't wear any decent jewelry, she felt a certain disdain. Unable to outreason Ruo Lan, she resorted to talking nonsense! "How you educate your child is indeed your business, but only if it doesn't affect others, and right now, it clearly is affecting us," Hao Jian said, carrying a tray of food over. "I've already apologized, what more do you want?" the middle-aged woman asked impatiently. "We don't want your apology since your words are as good as flatulence!" Hao Jian scoffed as the middle-aged woman had promised to keep an eye on her son, yet he continued to cause trouble. Hao Jian picked up Tongtong and then told her with a smile, "Spit on her face!" Tongtong thought for a moment, then did exactly as instructed, spitting on the middle-aged woman's face. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The middle-aged woman exploded in rage, screaming, "You little brat, how dare you spit on my face?" "Don't overreact, she's just a child!" Hao Jian quipped sarcastically. The middle-aged woman was momentarily stunned, then yelled, "Are those the same? You're deliberately teaching your child this, but I never taught my child to do that." "You didn't? So your son just naturally knows how to steal and spit on people? Hao Jian mocked, as it was clear the behaviour was the result of the middle-aged woman's indulgence. Hao Jian looked at Big Head and mocked, "So, according to you, your son is naturally a thug and a bandit!" "That... that was an accident!" the middle-aged woman argued unconvincingly. "An accident? Then this is an accident too!" Hao Jian cradled Tongtong's cheek and leisurely said, "We never expected that a meal could introduce us to such absurd characters like you and your son!" Then, Hao Jian handed Tongtong her water bottle, "Tongtong, if he dares to try stealing your toy again, use this to hit him, aim for his head, understand?" "Hmm, Tongtong understands!" Tongtong nodded. Upon hearing Hao Jian, the middle-aged woman quickly pulled Big Head to her side, frustratedly said, "Who teaches their child like that? Are you even fit to be a parent?" "If you don't properly discipline your child, then I have to teach my own, right? As for whether I am fit to be a parent, I don't think you're qualified to judge," Hao Jian looked at the middle-aged woman contemptuously, as she was hardly a qualified parent herself yet dared to lecture others. Onlookers also couldn't help but show disdain, clearly finding the middle-aged woman's words ridiculous. They didn't think Hao Jian was wrong. After all, Big Head kept attacking other children. Who could stand that? Hao Jian was even considered patient; if it had been someone else among them, they might have slapped the middle-aged woman or even taught Big Head a lesson themselves. Chapter 368 Bluffing "I can't be bothered to argue with you dead poor ghosts!" the middle-aged woman snorted angrily, also feeling quite humiliated. "You have money? If you were rich, would you need to eat here?" Hao Jian sneered. "Exactly, stop fronting!" At this point, some of the onlooking crowd couldn't stand it and chimed in, questioning whether the middle-aged woman really had money; otherwise, why would she be eating fast food here like them? Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman instantly exploded like a lit keg of gunpowder, cursing, "You don't know shit! This gold chain alone costs tens of thousands, not to mention the bracelet and earrings. The whole set of jewelry is worth over a hundred thousand. Do you dead poor ghosts have any right to compare yourselves to me?" The middle-aged woman pointed arrogantly at the moralizing crowd, "Any of you can bring out something worth over a hundred thousand on the spot, and I'll apologize to this poor ghost's family right now. If you can't, then shut your mouths!" Unfortunately, the faces of the crowd turned sour; if they really had money, they wouldn't be eating here. After all, they were working class and couldn't afford fancy restaurants, which is why they ended up at fast food joints. "What's the matter? Can't do it? You can't, so what now? Am I fronting? I am fronting, so what? I am rich! Are you?" the middle-aged woman said disdainfully, growing even more triumphant as she saw everyone wilt and fall silent before her. At this moment, Hao Jian couldn't help but laugh and said, "It's hilarious that you're bragging about some few hundreds worth of knock-offs, you really do have a thick skin!" "Knock-offs? Are you brain dead? Spouting nonsense just like that, you say it's a knock-off, so it's a knock-off? Where's your proof?" said the middle-aged woman, laughing angrily. Knock-offs? Her set of jewelry was a gift from her husband, complete with receipts and invoices. How could it be fake? The crowd was also puzzled, looking at Hao Jian and wondering how he could tell that the middle-aged woman was wearing knock-offs. Hao Jian gently put Tongtong down and said to the middle-aged woman, "Would you dare to let me inspect your necklace?" "Inspect it? I think you covet my gold and jewels because you're a deadbeat," replied the middle-aged woman, looking at Hao Jian with disdain, as if wary of a thief. Hao Jian rolled his eyes in frustration, "Auntie, are you the one who's brain-dead? With everyone watching here, if I were to steal your necklace and you called the police, couldn't they catch me? Or is it that you already know your jewelry is fake and you're afraid I'll find out, so you dare not let me check?" "Bullshit! My necklace is real, go ahead and check! But if you can't prove anything," the middle-aged woman snickered, "then you'll have to kneel and apologize to me, and then let my son spit on your face!" How dare he call her "auntie"? This kid was really asking for trouble! Hao Jian chuckled helplessly; he finally realized where Big Head got his arrogance from. "Fine, I accept your challenge!" Hao Jian said with a light smile. The middle-aged woman hesitantly removed her necklace and handed it over to Hao Jian. Hao Jian took the gold necklace and then directly used his lighter to bring the flame under the necklace. "What are you doing?" the middle-aged woman cried out in panic, seeing Hao Jian's intentions to burn her necklace. "True gold fears no fire, Auntie, haven't you heard that before?" Hao Jian said contemptuously. The middle-aged woman was taken aback and momentarily halted her attempt to stop Hao Jian, then coldly commanded, "Check it! Just check it!" "Snap!" Hao Jian lit the lighter and brought it under the necklace, starting to burn it. One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes... After a full five minutes, the gold chain showed no change. "It seems it's real." At this time, someone whispered, as there were no changes for such a long time, it must be real gold indeed. Seeing this, the middle-aged woman became exceedingly smug, "So, what now, you dead poor ghost? My necklace is real, isn't it? What have you got to say now?" Hao Jian said nothing but smiled and kept heating the necklace when suddenly, the chain emitted a wisp of black smoke followed by a pungent smell, like burning plastic. "Ew, what's that smell? Why is it so disgusting?" A young girl expressed her discomfort. People stepped back a few paces, evidently choked by the smell. The middle-aged woman was also stunned; how could her own necklace emit such a foul stench? That was impossible! It was then that Hao Jian stopped and sneered, "Auntie, I must say, your gold chain's fake plating was done quite well, taking five full minutes to burn off the coating. Your husband must have spent a few hundred on this chain when he bought it." "It's really fake?" "Of course, it's fake. True gold is not afraid of fire; this chain emitting such a foul odor under the flame means that its outer layer isn't gold at all but merely a chemical coating," someone explained, as people nodded in agreement, accepting this explanation. The middle-aged woman's face turned sour; her own husband had bought her fakes to deceive her? And she had been foolish enough to treasure them as if they were genuine? At that moment, the middle-aged woman felt murderous. Being humiliated so publicly by Hao Jian, she was at the pinnacle of embarrassment. Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire "Ugly folks love to put on a show; scram with your rascal kid already!" "Seriously, wearing knock-offs and pretending to be rich, I can't even; how can your face be so thick?" The onlookers couldn't help but verbally attack the middle-aged woman, avenging the humiliation she had inflicted on them earlier. "Here, auntie, giving you back your fake goods!" Hao Jian mocked as he handed the "fake necklace" to the middle-aged woman. But the middle-aged woman didn't even try to catch it; instead, she furiously took off all the jewelry she was wearing, as though venting, and threw them at Hao Jian. In her eyes, if the necklace her damned husband gave her was fake, then the whole set must be fake too! The middle-aged woman glared at Hao Jian viciously, "My husband is the Captain of the Armed Police Battalion. I'll have him come over right now. You just wait! Don't you dare leave; this isn't over!" With that, the middle-aged woman stormed out with Big Head in tow. "Hey, auntie, you're littering your trash!" Hao Jian called out to the middle-aged woman, holding a bunch of jewelry in his hands. But the middle-aged woman wouldn't listen to him, running off even faster. As the drama came to an end, the gathering crowd started to disperse as well. "How did you know her necklace was fake? Are you an expert in appraising treasures too?" Ruo Lan finally voiced her doubts after everyone had left. "I have no idea," shrugged Hao Jian. "No idea? So everything you just said was made up?" Ruo Lan was shocked. But Hao Jian had clearly pointed out that the middle-aged woman's gold necklace was a fake. "I was just bluffing her. I snuck something in while we were burning the gold chain when she wasn't paying attention," Hao Jian said proudly. In truth, the gold chain was real. He had covertly added a Coke straw to it while burning so nobody could see it, like performing a magic trick¡ªhence, no one noticed. At this revelation, Ruo Lan gasped, "So you mean, all these pieces of jewelry are real?" "Yep, they're all real!" Hao Jian chuckled and nodded in confirmation. "Doesn't that make you a scam artist?" Ruo Lan asked with a nervous face. "How is it a scam? She threw the gold chain to me herself; I didn't ask for it. If she's foolish enough to be rich, that's not my problem," Hao Jian said, spreading the pile of gold jewelry on the table and smirking, "Tsk tsk tsk, a few words and I get jewelry worth over a hundred thousand. Sweet!" "Ruo Lan, you don't wear much jewelry. How about I give it to you?" Hao Jian offered. "No way, you earned it, so it should be yours!" Ruo Lan shook her head vigorously, not daring to accept such a valuable gift. "But I'm a big guy, what use do I have for these things?" Hao Jian said with a wry smile. Several hundred thousands meant little to him now, and he didn't fancy going to a jewelry store to sell all the pieces¡ªit would just be too much hassle. Hearing this, Ruo Lan pouted shyly, "Dummy, don't you know there's a special meaning when a man gives a woman jewelry?" "What meaning? Can't I give them to you as a friend?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. "I don't want them!" Ruo Lan said angrily, glaring at Hao Jian with frustration. The idiot just didn't get it! "Huh?" Hao Jian was perplexed. Had he said something wrong? "Why not take it? It would be a waste otherwise," Hao Jian asked, confused. He had no idea why Ruo Lan was suddenly so angry. At that moment, seeing that Hao Jian still didn't realize, Ruo Lan grew even more annoyed, "I'm not in the habit of using other people's things!" "Daddy's so dumb!" Tongtong couldn't help but giggle. "Dumb? How am I dumb?" Hao Jian was even more baffled. What had he said wrong? "If you're ugly, at least you should talk less. Let's eat!" Ruo Lan delivered a ruthless jab. ".." ... After the three of them finished their meal and came out of McDonald's intending to get their car, they saw from a distance several burly men in camouflage uniforms furiously smashing their car, which was already twisted out of shape and on the verge of becoming scrap metal. The middle-aged woman and Big Head stood aside, watching coldly with a cruel smirk, and beside them stood a middle-aged man with a buzz cut, over six feet tall, and quite stocky¡ªa clear sign of a soldier. It turned out the middle-aged woman was telling the truth after all; she really did have a husband who was an Armed Police Captain. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ... Chapter 369 Child Causes Trouble, Parents Suffer Consequences Seeing his car smashed into scrap metal, Hao Jian couldn't help but feel a chill on his face. Although this second-hand car wasn't worth much, it was still his property, which had cost him over twenty thousand. The fact that they would smash it so casually showed a blatant disregard for him. If he could bear this, then he wasn't Hao Jian! Hao Jian could tell that this guy was used to being arrogant, otherwise he wouldn't have started off by smashing someone's car, apparently unafraid of the consequences. It was mainly because his car was so beat-up. The soldier took one look at the clunker Hao Jian drove and immediately felt contempt, thinking that since Hao Jian drove such a piece of junk, he couldn't be all that impressive, so he just let someone smash the car. If it had been a Lamborghini parked there, he definitely wouldn't have dared to mess around. In the end, it was all about bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and unfortunately for Hao Jian, he had been mistaken for the weaker party! Seeing Hao Jian come over, the middle-aged woman immediately pushed her husband and glared fiercely at Hao Jian, saying, "Old Yang, that bastard is here!" Captain Yang then turned his head to look at Hao Jian, and when he saw how shabbily Hao Jian was dressed, a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He was right after all, this kid was a nobody. A nobody dared to mess with them, he must be sick of living! Captain Yang's face now bore several scratch marks, and the middle-aged woman's face was also somewhat swollen, it seemed that they had already had a fight before Hao Jian arrived! Of course, the most aggrieved had to be Captain Yang. He hadn't done anything but still took a beating from his own hysterical wife who accused him of buying fake jewelry, which he had saved up a year's salary to purchase! To be told it was fake, could Captain Yang not feel heartbroken? What made Captain Yang even more upset was that the middle-aged woman didn't say a word before scratching him. Look at these scratches, they've disfigured him! So, Captain Yang blamed all this on Hao Jian. "Is it you who said the jewelry I bought for my wife was fake?" Captain Yang stared coldly at Hao Jian. The middle-aged woman also realized the truth and cast a man-eating glare at Hao Jian. "Yes, it was me!" Hao Jian said with a light smile, appearing nonchalant. Upon reflection, he had conned them out of jewelry worth over a hundred thousand, yet they had smashed his car worth only tens of thousands, this deal wasn't a loss for him at all. Seeing Hao Jian so calmly admit to it, Captain Yang and his wife both felt insulted. "Return the hundred thousand in jewelry, then kneel and give me several loud knocks on the ground, and I'll let you off! Otherwise, I'll beat you so badly even your mom won't recognize you!" Captain Yang threatened fiercely. "Return it? Unfortunately, that's no longer possible, especially since you've smashed my car to this extent. Consider the jewelry compensation for the repairs," Hao Jian retorted with a shallow smile. "Bullshit! How much can your piece of junk be worth? My jewelry set is worth over a hundred thousand!" the middle-aged woman screamed hysterically. The thought of being cheated by Hao Jian made her furious¡ªit was she who naively gave the jewelry to Hao Jian! "Indeed, my car isn't worth much, but the problem is, I've grown attached to it after driving it for so long. What you smashed is not just a car, but also my sentiment. Can't you see that I'm very upset? A hundred thousand as compensation for emotional distress is already very little," Hao Jian fabricated. "We can't see that!" Captain Yang and others unanimously shook their heads, feeling that Hao Jian seemed very pleased at the moment. "Alright, then it appears that I've hidden my feelings too deeply. Nonetheless, it doesn't matter, it doesn't affect the fact that you have to pay up!" "So you're saying you won't return it?" Captain Yang said with a sneer, and then clapped his hands. His buddies came over carrying Iron Rods, lining up and looking at Hao Jian with ill intent. "If it were you, would you return it?" Hao Jian asked with a cold laugh. "If that's how it is, then don't blame me for not being civil towards you!" Captain Yang huffed and then ordered his men, "Brothers, take down this kid!" "Daddy, I want her teddy bear!" At this moment, Big Head suddenly pointed at the teddy bear in Tongtong's arms. Tongtong immediately tensed up and angrily said, "I won't give it to you, my daddy bought it for me! Can't you buy one for yourself?" "I want to take yours!" Big Head said smugly. He had been a bit afraid of Hao Jian before, but now that his dad was here, he felt confident and unafraid of anyone. "Wait for it, son. I'll take it for you in a moment. Not just the teddy bear, I'll make their whole family kneel down to you," Captain Yang said with a smile, touching his son's head, looking somewhat proud. "Yay, I want to spit on their faces!" Big Head exclaimed, extremely excited. "Sigh, with such parenting, no wonder the kid has turned out this way," Hao Jian sighed. It wasn't Big Head's fault; he had unreasonable parents. "Beat him up!" At that moment, Captain Yang was too lazy to waste more words with Hao Jian and simply ordered his subordinates. A group of Armed Police charged at Hao Jian, swinging their Iron Rods with vicious force, clearly not intending to pull their punches. "Daddy, I'm scared!" Tongtong said, her eyes brimming with tears. "Don't be afraid, Tongtong, Daddy's here! Daddy will teach them a lesson for you," Hao Jian reassured her, pinching Tongtong's cheek, then he said to Ruo Lan, "Take the kid downstairs; I'll handle them!" "Ok!" Ruo Lan didn't hesitate and quickly nodded. She knew these men were no match for Hao Jian; he could handle it. The Armed Police came swinging their Iron Rods with tremendous force, clearly showing no mercy. Seeing this, a cold frost couldn't help but pass through Hao Jian's eyes. If an ordinary person were to be beaten like this, paralysis on one side of the body would likely be inescapable. Those relying on their status as Armed Police acted so recklessly, making it clear they were abusing power for personal gain, bullying others with their authority! Towards such people, Hao Jian had no positive feelings and naturally, he would not show any mercy. Hao Jian threw a punch at the foremost big man, directly causing his nose to bleed profusely as he fell to the ground, unable to rise. Then he kicked another big man behind him in the groin. The man was in such pain that he grimaced and wailed for his mother. In just a moment, Hao Jian had knocked down several other Armed Police who had rushed at him, leaving Captain Yang and the others completely dumbfounded. This guy could actually fight like this? "Talking big, but all I see is a bunch of trash," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "What are you boasting about? You haven't beaten me yet!" Captain Yang snorted angrily. "Beat you? You want to fight me?" Hao Jian was somewhat surprised. Captain Yang wanted to fight him after seeing his skills? Looks like your head's messed up! "My husband has been the consecutive three-time champion of the Hua City Sanshou fighting competition; not even ten men could get close to him! Don't you get all arrogant just because you've beaten a few good-for-nothings. My husband could beat you as easily as beating a dog," the middle-aged woman boasted arrogantly. When the middle-aged woman said this, the Armed Police were so angry they almost spat blood. We got beaten up because we came to help you and you don't show any gratitude, and even call us trash, what kind of person are you? Hao Jian looked at these Armed Police with sympathy, sighing, "I really feel for you." Hearing this, the Armed Police were about to cry out of grievance. After all this, the person who sympathized with them turned out to be their enemy? Captain Yang also snorted coldly, saying, "I will crush every single bone in your body!" Hao Jian shook his head with a light sigh, looking at him, "It seems this champion title has given you a lot of confidence. Well, come on then!" With a look of disdain, Hao Jian gestured for Captain Yang to come at him. "Looking for death!" Captain Yang roared, lunging towards Hao Jian. His thigh swept out, kicking up a gust of wind and aimed at Hao Jian's face. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire This strike was so powerful and fierce that it could shatter stone. Coupled with extraordinary fighting skills, Captain Yang was sure that this kick would paralyze Hao Jian's lower half. But this time, he miscalculated. As Captain Yang's foot came flying, he thought it would bring down Hao Jian, but the strike suddenly stopped as it neared him, or more accurately, it was forced to a halt. Hao Jian grabbed Captain Yang's foot with one hand and said with a smile, "Try harder, I can take it." "Huh?" Captain Yang showed a look of surprise. Hao Jian's words were truly too arrogant. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The middle-aged woman was also dumbfounded. Could this young lad actually block her husband's full-powered strike? Was he that skilled? Captain Yang let out an angry roar and threw another punch, the pressure of the fist wind bearing down even before the punch itself arrived. "Bang!" Hao Jian once again caught Captain Yang's fist effortlessly, smiling as he looked at him, "Is this all you've got, champion?" The emphasis he put on the last two syllables was filled with mockery. "Damn it!" Captain Yang tried to make a third move, but Hao Jian was running out of patience and lightly tapped on Captain Yang's arm. "Crack." "Oww!" Captain Yang screamed in agony, collapsing to his knees on the spot. "Old Yang, what's wrong with you?" The middle-aged woman rushed to support her husband, but was also stunned. She didn't understand how Captain Yang suddenly had been disabled like this. Hao Jian had just tapped him lightly, and now he was incapacitated? Wasn't this a bit too sinister? "What... what have you done to me?" Old Yang asked with a hoarse voice, looking at Hao Jian. He felt that he had completely lost all sensation in his arm; Hao Jian's seemingly casual tap had probably incapacitated his arm. "From now on, you'll never be a whole person again; your arm's nerves are completely dead. You'd better go to the hospital for amputation!" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "You crippled me?" Captain Yang glared at Hao Jian through gritted teeth. He had not expected Hao Jian to truly cripple him. "If a child doesn't understand, then I'll discipline the adult!" Hao Jian said matter-of-factly, snorting proudly, "Disabling one of your arms is already me showing you mercy. If you continue to be ungrateful, I'll take your life!" Chapter 370 Im Going to Hit on You "Let's go!" Hao Jian, tired of dealing with Captain Yang, directly led Tongtong and the others to leave. The middle-aged couple glared venomously at Hao Jian and his group as they walked away, helpless, as they were no match for Hao Jian; continuing the fight would have ended the same way. "You hurt my dad, f*** your mom!" Just then, Big Head suddenly blurted out astonishingly, cursing out loud. He lifted his head, his face defiant, looking very arrogant. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian stopped in his tracks, a hint of a cold smile on his lips, set Tongtong down, then patted her head and said, "Beat him up!" So young and already lacking manners, if he wasn't taught a lesson, wouldn't he think he could rule the sky? Without hesitation, Tongtong ran straight toward Big Head, ignoring his threatening expression, and smashed her water bottle right onto the top of Big Head's head. "Pfft!" A dull sound ensued, and Big Head immediately burst into tears, angrily trying to retaliate by punching Tongtong on her shoulder. But Tongtong didn't cry out in pain, instead, she hit him again with her water bottle! Since Hao Jian had told her to beat up Big Head, she had nothing to fear! Ruo Lan wanted to stop it, but was restrained by Hao Jian, "I don't start trouble, but I'm no pushover. Offend me once, I give way three times. Offend me again, I retaliate. Offend me a third time, I eliminate the threat!" The middle-aged couple's family repeatedly caused them displeasure, and Hao Jian was also infuriated; now they definitely had to pay the price! "But this could spoil her!" Ruo Lan voiced her concern, not wanting Tongtong to end up like Hao Jian¡ªa thug. "This won't change her; it will only make her stronger. She will learn how to effectively and forcibly retaliate when bullied!" Hao Jian sneered, "My daughter absolutely cannot be someone who gets bullied!" At that, Ruo Lan was suddenly taken aback, not understanding why, but her heart fluttered when Hao Jian mentioned Tongtong was his daughter. "Mom!" Big Head, seeing he couldn't beat Tongtong nor out-fierce her, pathetically went to find his mother instead. "You little bastard!" The middle-aged woman, furious, cursed and reached out to slap Tongtong. "Bang!" Just at that moment, Hao Jian kicked out, sending the middle-aged woman flying into his battered car with a bang, causing her to vomit bile. "Wife!" Captain Yang, seeing this, was furiously enraged, wishing he could kill Hao Jian. Hao Jian picked up Tongtong, sneered, and said, "My daughter, are you qualified to discipline her? Dare to ***** again, I'll make you and your husband both turn into 'Yang Guo'! Everyone was dumbfounded, but his description seemed quite apt indeed. "This isn't over, my uncle is the head of the commune, you dare mess with me, he definitely won't let you off!" Captain Yang said through gritted teeth, evidently detesting Hao Jian now. When had he ever suffered such a loss? His family of three, including his seven or eight-year-old son, had been beaten up today; how could he possibly swallow this insult? "Let him come find me, but if you see me again next time, I won't let you off so easily!" Hao Jian faintly smiled, but no longer paid any attention to Captain Yang, leaving with Tongtong and Ruo Lan. Just as Hao Jian and his group arrived home, Shu Ya also reached home, and seeing the three of them, Shu Ya suddenly felt very uncomfortable. It was as if Hao Jian and Ruo Lan were a family of three, and she was just an outsider intruding. No, she had to get the wedding sorted out soon and move out quickly; she couldn't let this continue! Shu Ya thought to herself. If this continued, she might really find herself without a place to stand. Just then, Shu Ya immediately walked briskly forward, very sweetly took the vegetable basket from Hao Jian's hand, and smiled sweetly, "Let me help you with that, my dear?" "Huh?" Hao Jian was somewhat dumbfounded. Was this woman acting weirdly today? Why the sudden coquetry? "What huh? You've been busy all day; let me give you a good massage when we get home," Shu Ya said, sounding very domestic. "Is that... okay?" Hao Jian was still somewhat disbelieving, feeling like this was a peasant taking over as the lord scenario. Nearby, Xiao Qiang was also stunned watching this. Was this still Shu Ya? This image had nothing in common with the frosty CEO. Could it be true that women tend to get love-struck? Seeing Shu Ya with Hao Jian so "sweetly", Ruo Lan couldn't help but look a bit somber. At this moment, Tongtong seemed to sense something and comfortingly said, "Mom, Tongtong will give you a massage tonight too!" Ruo Lan smiled gently, pinching Tongtong's little cheek, "Okay, Tongtong is really good!" Immediately, Ruo Lan looked up at Shu Ya and Hao Jian and said, "You two chat first, I'll go cook. I'll call you when dinner's ready!" "Oh, all right, thanks for your hard work." Shu Ya said politely, a victorious smile on her face. "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now." At this moment, Xiao Qiang also planned to take her leave. "Won't you stay for dinner?" Shu Ya asked insincerely. Xiao Qiang pursed her lips and snapped, "If I really decided to stay, wouldn't you be so anxious that you'd jump around? Also, I should inform you about my resignation. I won't be coming to work starting from tomorrow!" Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire She didn't believe for a second that Shu Ya genuinely wanted to invite her for dinner. "Are you really not considering it anymore?" Hearing that Xiao Qiang was determined to leave, Shu Ya suddenly felt reluctant to let her go. "I must go. I need to compete with you from the same standing ground!" Xiao Qiang said with fierce determination. Then she suddenly pointed at Hao Jian, "Hao Jian, listen up! I'm going to woo you, so you must wait for me. You can't get married so soon, got it?" "Ah? This... I'm in a bit of a bind here!" Hao Jian scratched his head and grinned stupidly, looking as smug as could be. "I don't care; you just can't get married so fast. You must wait for me!" Xiao Qiang pressured aggressively, appearing very forceful, "I'll show you, I will be ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times better than Shu Ya!" Upon hearing this, Shu Ya snorted and looked displeased. Damn, she just turned her head and now she's stealing her man. Has she forgotten how she was groomed in the past? Such an ingrate! "Gosh, even if you say that, it's not making me happy!" Hao Jian feigned a coquettish attitude. "Are you disgusting or what!" Shu Ya glared at Hao Jian, "Son of a turtle, it's not just Xiao Qiang who's infuriating, but this guy¡­ Is he trying to be mesmerizing or what?" Hao Jian immediately straightened up, coughed twice, and resumed a more dignified demeanor, "You really shouldn't say stuff like that in public, it's rather embarrassing." Meanwhile, Shu Ya glared at Xiao Qiang resentfully and snapped, "Just get lost!" Xiao Qiang smiled slightly, said nothing more, dived into her car, and then drove off swiftly. "It's so annoying, why are women nowadays so bold? Such a blatant confession has got my little heart all aflutter. It's so embarrassing!" Hao Jian said timidly. Shu Ya rolled her eyes, angrily retorted, "Did you overdo it? Can't you speak properly?" The current Hao Jian was indeed unbearably flirty, so much so that Shu Ya couldn't help wanting to butcher him! Hao Jian weakly nodded, not daring to make another sound. "Next month, we're having the wedding!" Shu Ya said angrily. The pressure on her increased even more with Ruo Lan and Xiao Qiang around. If they didn't accelerate their plans to have the wedding soon, it was uncertain whether this guy would still be hers! "Ah? So soon?" Hao Jian asked in disbelief, still needing to fulfill his promise to Xiao Qiang. "What, you don't want to? Or did Xiao Qiang, that little vixen, whisper sweet nothings in your ear? So now you're tempted?" Shu Ya advanced, forcing Hao Jian to keep retreating until he found himself backed against a wall, where Shu Ya 'wall-slapped' him! Hao Jian felt humiliated, as he usually wall-slapped others¡ªwhen had he ever been wall-slapped by someone else? "I didn't!" Hao Jian said, looking wronged, "I just think that girl has genuine feelings for me. If I get married without saying anything, wouldn't I be irresponsible to her?" "Irresponsible to her, but have you thought about being responsible to me?" Shu Ya immediately exploded, making a scissors gesture with her fingers, ferociously saying, "Hao Jian, listen to me carefully, I've given you the most precious thing in my life. If you dare abandon me after leading me on, don't blame me for hiding scissors in my pillow while you sleep!" Hao Jian gasped, instinctively covering his groin, feeling a sudden chill there. He didn't know if Shu Ya was serious, but instinct told him it was better not to test the law by himself. "Any objections now?" Shu Ya stared menacingly at Hao Jian. "No no no. No more!" Hao Jian stammered, his head shaking like a bobblehead. "Good, you know, most of the time, I am gentle. The world is so beautiful, I don't want to be so irritable, right?" Shu Ya softly caressed Hao Jian's head while speaking in a silky tone, just like the Wolf Granny luring Little Red Riding Hood. "So, the massage you mentioned, does it still count?" "Yes, it does!" "Really?" "Of course, but you're the one giving it to me!" "Damn it!" ................................................¡­ Chapter 371 Rivettess Obstruction At the dining table, Shu Ya teased Tongtong while chatting about household matters with Hao Jian. "By the way, is the Group's listing in America still going smoothly?" Hao Jian suddenly asked, remembering the matter of Shu Ya Group's listing. Upon hearing this, the smile on Shu Ya's face faded quite a bit, and she said, "The listing did go quite smoothly, but there were some troubles when trying to enter the French market." Hao Jian frowned and asked, "What troubles?" "I wanted Shu Ya Group's jewelry to be featured on the Champs-Elys¨¦es, but the local government seems to think that I still lack the necessary qualifications," Shu Ya said with a troubled expression. The Champs-Elys¨¦es was a paradise for luxury goods, with all world-class luxury brands aspiring to be featured there. Naturally, Shu Ya was no exception. The Champs-Elys¨¦es, located in the heart of the bustling business district of Paris, translates to "Heaven" or "Elysium" in French. The Champs-Elys¨¦es is a famous street in Paris, known throughout the world. It spans the east-west main axis of the Capital, with natural scenery as its primary feature in the east, peaceful and tranquil; the western part is a high-end commercial area with world-class brands, fashion stores, and perfume shops gathered here, sparkling and extravagant. That's why it is known as "the most beautiful avenue in the world." To be featured on the Champs-Elys¨¦es, it's less an investment and more an honor! Because having the right to be featured on the Champs-Elys¨¦es signifies that you are a world-class luxury brand! Hao Jian couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and disbelief, "Is that it? Just keep working hard, and eventually, you'll be qualified if you aren't now." He also knew that, given the current strength of Shu Ya Group, securing a spot on the Champs-Elys¨¦es would be a challenge. "I know, so I wanted to create a brand-new label with one of the local independent brand companies in France. However, their chairman, Rivettes, insulted our products as trash, and even said that we Huaxia people can only make shoddy knockoffs and can't produce first-class luxury goods. This made me really angry!" Shu Ya said indignantly. If they don't want to collaborate, that's fine, but why insult us? Why can't the Huaxia create first-class items? They have many enterprises that are part of the Fortune Global 500, right? "So arrogant?" Hao Jian couldn't help but frown. The other party was basically insulting their entire ethnicity. It would have been fine if they just rejected the proposal, but they also resorted to insults. This guy must have too much time on his hands, right? "Isn't that the case? Several decent local companies valued our group's culture and capabilities and were interested in collaborating with us. However, not only did Rivettes not want to work with us himself, but he also prevented those companies from working with us. Helplessly, his company is one of the leading enterprises in France, and others dared not offend him, so these collaborations had to be abandoned," Shu Ya said angrily. Clearly, she was extremely vexed by Rivettes. If not for Rivettes meddling, even if she couldn't secure a spot on the Champs-Elys¨¦es, she could at least establish the brand in France. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As long as the brand gained prestige, becoming a top world brand would just be a matter of time. But Rivettes, because of his prejudice against Huaxia, had crushed that hope; how could Shu Ya not be upset? In her view, Rivettes must be jealous and afraid that Shu Ya Jewelry Group would become the first Huaxia luxury brand ever on the Champs-Elys¨¦es! After pondering deeply for a moment, Hao Jian lifted his head and smiled, "How about I help you fulfill your wish?" "Really? Big brother, don't joke around, all right? The Champs-Elys¨¦es is France's flagship; how could my small brand, which has just started stepping into the world, catch their fancy?" Shu Ya rolled her eyes, thinking that Hao Jian was boasting too much. She had some self-awareness; what did she have to offer that would earn the Champs-Elys¨¦es' recognition? The brands that could secure a position there, didn't they have a proud history spanning more than half a century? In terms of reputation, business philosophy, corporate culture, product quality, and so on, none could be compared with her newly established small brand. "I indeed can't get the executive representative of the Champs-Elys¨¦es commission to recognize you, but I can stop that Rivettes from giving you any more trouble. As for how the group develops afterward and whether you have the qualifications to open a store on the Champs-Elys¨¦es, that will depend on your own talent," Hao Jian said with a slight smile and a shrug. At those words, Shu Ya was suddenly startled, "You... you really have a way?" "Of course? If I wasn't completely confident, I wouldn't have made the offer," Hao Jian said nonchalantly. "Why are you helping me?" Shu Ya asked with a laugh. Surely, this guy didn't have some ulterior motives, like proposing some condition to take Xiao Qiang or Ruo Lan as concubines, right? She could never agree to that. Hao Jian was somewhat speechless, "Isn't that obvious? Why help you? Because I'm a Huaxia person, just like you! I also hope that Huaxia's luxury goods can one day be qualified to open a store on the Champs-Elys¨¦es and not just in luxury goods but also in mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and other fields to have a place in the world!" America is militarily strong, Germany excels in mechanical manufacturing, and East Ocean's electronic products have a resounding reputation. By contrast, Huaxia seems somewhat wanting. So, hearing that Shu Ya had the opportunity to show Huaxia's luxury goods to the world, he naturally hoped to see that day and would spare no effort to help make it happen. This was not merely about business benefits; it was about fighting for national glory! With a population of 1.3 billion, if each Huaxia person spat once, it could create a tsunami. If everyone upheld this belief and stopped scheming for personal gain, why wouldn't Huaxia become rich and powerful? What others do is none of Hao Jian's business, he only cares about what he does himself! He normally wouldn't involve himself in the affairs of Shu Ya Group, but since this matter affected the prestige of Huaxia, he couldn't just sit back and do nothing! Seeing Hao Jian's eyes shining so brightly they were almost blinding, Shu Ya couldn't help but be infatuated. "I'll find a way to solve this problem in the next couple of days, so you don't need to worry. What you need to do now is to continue maintaining contact with those French companies. When the time comes, I'll naturally make that Rivettes give in!" Hao Jian spoke with a light smile. Shu Ya looked at Hao Jian with some scepticism, but ultimately did not voice her doubts. After having dinner at Sister Lan's and returning to his own home, Hao Jian immediately embraced Shu Ya with a mischievous grin. "You. What do you think you're doing?" Shu Ya looked at Hao Jian with some wariness, knowing that this bad guy was probably up to no good again. "How about, we do something not suitable for children?" Hao Jian suggested with a lecherous grin, quoting an old saying that bodes well for procreation, not a word wrong indeed. Now that he had his fill, Hao Jian was up to no good again. Shu Ya's face turned red, and she glared at him irritably, "You just had your way with me to the point I couldn't get out of bed a while ago, and now you're at it again?" "This time, I'll be gentler, I promise you!" Hao Jian vowed earnestly. Men would say anything to get a woman into bed. "But it's only seven o'clock, are you a stud or something?" Shu Ya said with some disbelief, wondering why this guy only ever thought about those kind of things. Find more adventures on My Virtual Library Empire "The thing about doing that is all about the mood, who cares about the time? Once the mood strikes, time, place, even gender are no longer issues!" Hao Jian shamelessly quipped, the lewd smile still on his face. Shu Ya rolled her eyes, "I've seen many shameless people, but someone as shameless as you, this is really my first time!" "Cut the crap!" Hao Jian directly picked up Shu Ya and strode towards the bedroom, then roughly tossed her onto the bed. "You bastard! You pervert!" Shu Ya protested, blushing and weak, seemingly unable to resist. "That's right, I am a pervert! Now, my lady, here I come!" Hao Jian eagerly began to strip off his clothes. Shu Ya, with a look of coy embarrassment and cheeks as red as cherries, seemed to decide to let Hao Jian have his way with her. But just at that moment, Shu Ya suddenly noticed a gold necklace and a gold ring falling out of the pocket of the trousers Hao Jian had tossed aside. In an instant, Shu Ya's expression darkened. "Honey, I'm coming for you!" Hao Jian dove in naked, but at that moment, Shu Ya planted her foot on Hao Jian's face. "Pah pah. Honey, what are you doing?" Hao Jian asked unhappily, having received a foot in his face to start with was a real mood-killer, wasn't it? Or could it be that this little minx had some peculiar fetish for feet? Should he indulge her? At that moment, Shu Ya got up with a somber face, walked over to Hao Jian's jeans, and pulled out the collection of gold jewelry. She frowned and interrogated Hao Jian, "These pieces of jewelry, who were you planning to give them to?" Just by looking at them, it was obvious they were women's accessories, and she would never wear something so garish and old-fashioned, so they couldn't be for her. Women's accessories that weren't meant for her, so who was Hao Jian planning to give them to? "These, I wasn't planning to give them to anyone," Hao Jian replied with a wry smile, knowing Shu Ya was probably misunderstanding. "I got them from a middle-aged woman, and initially planned to give them to Ruo Lan, but she didn't want them." "To Ruo Lan? You were actually planning to give these pieces of jewelry to Ruo Lan?" Shu Ya exploded, her gaze sharp as she stared at Hao Jian, "Always Ruo Lan, Ruo Lan¡ªyou address her so affectionately. What, have you taken a liking to a widow now?" "I... How could I?" Hao Jian lamented, feeling like crying. Did you just skip over the first part? Women have the habit of conveniently ignoring the parts they don't care about, and Shu Ya was no exception. She only heard that Hao Jian planned to give the gold jewelry to Ruo Lan! Chapter 372 Outrageous Parents "You've never even given me a piece of jewelry, but you gave one to Ruo Lan?" Shu Ya demanded aggressively. "No, listen to me explain!" Hao Jian said as he walked over, flailing his arms. "Don't come over!" Shu Ya stepped back two paces and said seriously, "Hao Jian, you haven't forgotten who's the one sleeping with you, have you?" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian was utterly baffled. What was this sleeping thing? Wasn't this a bit too direct? When did Shu Ya become so bold? "I conned these gold ornaments from some arrogant woman, and I thought that with your taste, you wouldn't like such tacky gold jewelry, so I gifted them to Sister Lan instead. Look, all these pieces show signs of wear. If I intended to give a gift, why would I give something that someone else has used?" Hao Jian quickly explained. Shu Ya glanced at the gold jewelry and indeed noticed signs of wear, but even so, her expression remained cold. Anyway, it was unacceptable for Hao Jian to give anything to Ruo Lan! "Wife, let's not age prematurely. You're killing the mood. Come on, let's go back to what we were doing before," Hao Jian said with a sleazy grin, moving closer, ready to get handsy with Shu Ya. But Shu Ya slapped his hand away, grabbed a pillow, and threw it at him while cursing, "Do your mother's head, get the hell out! Tonight, you're sleeping on the couch!" "Shu Ya, that's enough, okay? I really gave you face?" Hao Jian snapped back, angry. Shu Ya narrowed her eyes at Hao Jian and sneered, "Don't touch me for a week!" "You really think I can't handle you? I've been indulgent with you! Don't ****** be ungrateful!" Hao Jian swore. "Make it a month!" "Fuck, you even dare threaten me!" "Two months." "Wife, I know I was wrong. I'll go out now. Wife, let me close the door for you. Goodnight, wife!" Hao Jian cheekily smiled and walked out, succumbing to Shu Ya's threats. "Cheap skate!" Shu Ya said with disdain. The next morning, Hao Jian left the house early. Because of that set of shoddy gold jewelry, he had been thoroughly ridiculed by Shu Ya. Had he known it would turn out like this, he wouldn't have taken it. So, early that day, he considered selling off those trinkets. After all, he had no use for them, and neither Shu Ya nor Ruo Lan wanted them; keeping them was pointless. Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire Therefore, Hao Jian quickly thought of Chen Zhiyan. It had been a while since he last saw Chen Zhiyan, and catching up with her while selling the jewelry didn't seem like a bad idea. Seeing Chen Zhiyan again, Hao Jian noticed that she looked great, no longer the haggard and feeble woman he had first met. At this moment, Chen Zhiyan stood tall and spirited, exuding great confidence. Clearly, Chen Zhiyan had changed, and her transformation was not unrelated to Hao Jian. When Chen Zhiyan saw Hao Jian, she seemed very happy and quickly walked up to greet him, "Big Boss, what brings you here today?" "Don't make fun of me. The one with money is my wife, not me. At most, you can call me a pretty boy," Hao Jian laughed. "Then you must be a pretty boy good at making girls happy. Otherwise, the president wouldn't fancy you," Chen Zhiyan teased. She didn't believe for a second that Hao Jian was just a pretty boy; if that were true, Shu Ya wouldn't have fallen for him. Chen Zhiyan had seen Shu Ya, who was a super beauty that countless men would kneel and lick her boots for. Would she need a pretty boy? "You're wrong. I won her over with my charm! It was her who pursued me, not the other way around," Hao Jian said self-lovingly. Chen Zhiyan laughed, helpless at his narcissism, and asked, "Alright, tell me, Big Boss, what brings you here today? It's not an incognito inspection, is it?" "I'm here to sell some stuff!" Hao Jian took out all the gold jewelry he had on him and handed it to Chen Zhiyan, "Tell me, how much do you think this is worth?" "Wow, where did you get all this gold? Don't tell me you stole it from your wife?" Chen Zhiyan joked, knowing full well that Shu Ya would never fancy such vulgar jewelry. "How could I? It was given to me by a middle-aged woman who said this set of gold jewelry was too tacky for her, so she didn't want it anymore," Hao Jian lied through his teeth. "Keep blowing smoke!" Chen Zhiyan rolled her eyes in exasperation. Chen Zhiyan didn't press further, handing the gold jewelry to her staff, "Hurry up, exchange these for cash for our Big Boss. Our president has cut off his allowance, forcing him out to pawn stuff for pocket money." Hearing this, the female employee couldn't help but laugh, casting a somewhat flirtatious glance at Hao Jian. Hao Jian couldn't help but cry with laughter. "Big sister, are you trying to kill me here?" "Oh, I'm really sorry, I forgot to take care of your face," Chen Zhiyan said with feigned surprise. "Alright, I'll remember this!" Hao Jian said through gritted teeth. Just then, the employee who had left earlier returned, holding out 100,000 yuan in cash for Hao Jian. They didn't even need to check the authenticity of the jewelry. Since it was brought by Hao Jian, the big boss, it didn't matter if it was fake; the whole store belonged to Hao Jian, and he could do whatever he wanted with it. "Now that you've got the cash, aren't you going to treat your old classmate to a meal?" Chen Zhiyan asked with a smile. "Of course, do you remember when you finish work?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "I finish work at five o'clock," Chen Zhiyan happily replied. She hadn't expected that Hao Jian would really agree to her request and have dinner with her. "Alright, then I'll wait for you," Hao Jian said, no longer wasting words, and found a random place to sit down. However, before he could get comfortable, he heard a burst of wailing coming from the entrance, followed by a noisy commotion. "Here we go again!" The female sales associate who had brought the money to Hao Jian frowned impatiently and then walked towards the entrance. Hao Jian turned to look outside and immediately saw a middle-aged, overweight woman lying on the ground, crying her lungs out. It seemed like there was someone lying in front of her, covered with a white cloth. But Hao Jian could vaguely see the glaring bloodstains on the white cloth. Behind her, like family members, stood several people with ashen faces, holding banners that read: "Unscrupulous merchant, give back my daughter!" Seeing this scene, Hao Jian was immediately confused. What did this mean? Was this family's daughter dead? But surely they wouldn't come to a jewelry store for that? What did Chen Zhiyan do to their family? Kill their daughter? That seemed improbable. Chen Zhiyan also rushed over upon hearing the commotion. Seeing that group of people had come again, she couldn't help but click her tongue in annoyance. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Who are they? Did you kill their daughter?" Hao Jian asked. "Go to hell!" Chen Zhiyan snapped, hitting Hao Jian hard. He was making such a joke at a time like this. "They are just a bunch of unreasonable barbarians!" Chen Zhiyan said angrily. "Oh? What happened? Tell me about it," Hao Jian said, knowing from Zhiyan's reaction that there must be more to the story. Immediately, Chen Zhiyan told Hao Jian the whole story. It turned out that the couple kneeling outside, named Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingyun, had a sixteen-year-old daughter who came to their store to shop about a week ago. Perhaps because they weren't wealthy, and the girl really liked a piece of jewelry worth several hundred thousand yuan, she was tempted to steal it. But all the products in their store's counters were fitted with alarm devices. The girl had barely started stealing before she triggered the alarm, which made Chen Zhiyan and the others discover and catch her. They initially planned to hand her over directly to the police, but thinking that the girl was so young, Zhiyan worried it might affect her reputation and make her despised at school. So Zhiyan chose not to call the police and instead directly contacted the girl's parents to deal with the situation. But perhaps feeling disgraced, the girl's parents, upon arriving, publicly beat their daughter, causing her both physical and mental trauma, and she killed herself of shame the next day. The matter should have ended there, but it did not. The climax came on the third day when this odd couple brought their daughter's body to the store, demanding compensation. They said their daughter was killed by Chen Zhiyan and others. Zhiyan had been considerate for the girl's self-esteem and chose not to call the police, but the parents lashed out and publicly beat their daughter, contributing to her suicide. Now, instead of shouldering the responsibility, they were shifting the blame onto the jewelry store, accusing them of killing their daughter, which was absurd. Day after day, they came to make a scene, and Zhiyan had called the police more than once, to no avail. Even when the police convinced them to leave, they would return the next day. Their daily disturbances negatively impacted the store's business. "Is there really such outrageous behavior in the world?" Hao Jian was astonished, stunned by the shamelessness of Zhu Hongyu and her husband. After listening to Chen Zhiyan, Hao Jian knew that the couple were fools. If they had not treated their daughter that way, she would not have killed herself in shame. "It gets even more ridiculous. Now they want our store to compensate them with 950,000 yuan, otherwise they'll keep bringing their daughter's body to our store every day." Zhiyan said with a bitter smile, at a loss for what to do. Although everyone felt sorry for the girl's death, behaving so unreasonably was utterly devoid of sense. Chapter 373 Unscrupulous Journalist "Call the police!" Hao Jian said with a smile as he stood up and addressed Chen Zhiyan. "It's no use, we've already called the police many times. They just come, take a look, and leave." Chen Zhiyan shook her head, indicating it was futile. "That's because I wasn't there at the time, but now it's different. I'm here, and I absolutely won't let them keep causing trouble!" Hao Jian snorted coldly. How could he tolerate trouble at his wife's jewelry store? If it was their fault, they would pay as much as they should, without any complaints from Hao Jian. But if it wasn't their fault, the other party wouldn't get a penny out of them! "Unscrupulous business, return my daughter!" "Unscrupulous business, you drove a young girl to her death! May you rot in hell!" "Compensation! Compensation!" Zhu Hongyu and the other family members were clamoring, holding banners high, demanding compensation from the Shu Ya Group. The onlookers who were unaware of the situation also began pointing fingers at the jewelry store, suspecting that it was indeed Hao Jian's store that had driven Zhu Hongyu's daughter to suicide. Some even said they would never patronize the store again. "Don't talk nonsense. Your daughter committed suicide herself. What does that have to do with us?" At this point, a female employee, dissatisfied, rebuked them, seeing their behavior as nothing but unreasonable harassment. "If you hadn't insulted my daughter, why would she be so ashamed as to commit suicide?" Zhu Hongyu roared back furiously, her voice raw and strained as though she was extremely angry. "You're lying! We never insulted her at all. Clearly, it was you and your husband who abused your own daughter, leading to her suicide!" The female employee was infuriated by the shamelessness of Zhu Hongyu and her husband. They had done nothing; Chen Zhiyan's soft-heartedness had even prevented them from calling the police, allowing Zhu Hongyu and her husband to collect their daughter. The idea that Zhu Hongyu and her husband had caused their daughter's death was one thing, but to push the blame onto them was absurd. "What a joke. No matter how angry we get, we would never drive our own daughter to her death. It must be because your words were insulting that she couldn't bear it and committed suicide!" Sun Lingyun retorted angrily. He was a thin man in his forties, with a scrubby appearance, a beard around his mouth, looking like a hairy abalone. Everyone who heard this thought it made sense. Even if Sun Lingyun and his wife did scold their daughter, they wouldn't actually drive her to suicide, right? Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire Consequently, the crowd's gaze towards the jewelry store started to take on an ominous tone. "You... You..." The young female employee, a little over twenty and not quite mature, was so angry at Sun Lingyun's words that she didn't know how to retort. "Get lost quickly, or don't blame us for being impolite!" Meanwhile, the store's security had arrived, glaring at Zhu Hongyu and her family. Their ruckus affected business and tarnished the reputation of the group. If this were to be pursued by their superiors, they could all lose their jobs. Therefore, seeing these belligerent people who refused to leave, the security guards were seething with anger. Coming here every other day to make trouble, wasn't this enough already? "Impolite? Go ahead and try being impolite to me! Today, I brought reporters with me!" Zhu Hongyu boasted aggressively. She had been chased out by security several times before, so this time she had come fully prepared! "Reporter Liang, make sure you capture these sympathizers and lackeys! Let the public see how they conspired with Shu Ya Group to cause my daughter's death!" Sun Lingyun yelled. Reporter Liang, whose real name was Liang Wenyan, had naturally been bought off by Zhu Hongyu and her husband, specifically to smear Shu Ya Group. Zhu Hongyu and her husband had promised to pay Liang Wenyan 100,000 yuan as a reward if he could help them tarnish the image of Shu Ya Group. They had already given him an advance of 50,000 yuan. So Liang Wenyan knew the purpose of his presence that day was to take overly dramatic photos, then embroil them in extra hype and scandal, and Shu Ya Group's reputation would be completely ruined. Upon hearing Zhu Hongyu's call to take photos, Liang Wenyan inwardly rolled his eyes, thinking that this couple was really dumb. If Zhu Hongyu actually got hit by the security guards, it would be a great chance for him to take some pictures portraying how tragic Zhu Hongyu's family was: after their daughter was driven to suicide by Shu Ya Group, they went to seek justice only to be beaten up by security guards on management's orders. That would have credibility and truly tarnish Shu Ya Group. But Zhu Hongyu had exposed him too early, and now the security guards wouldn't dare to lay a hand on them. If they didn't act, what would he take photos of? It was really frustrating to work with such idiots! Liang Wenyan cursed in his mind, but then thought, whatever, he had been paid to deal with calamities, so just a few random pictures for the sake of due diligence would suffice. Originally, he wanted to get some money from Zhu Hongyu and then extort Shu Ya Group as well, but now it seemed he had lost that chance, which naturally annoyed Liang Wenyan. The security guards, upon hearing that Zhu Hongyu had invited a journalist, didn't dare to act rashly anymore. They didn't want to become famous. If Liang Wenyan were to post their photos online and a large group of people started a human-flesh search on them, it would be miserable. After all, the ferocity of Huaxia netizens is immeasurable. To put it bluntly, as long as you are still on Earth, they can dig you out! At this moment, Hao Jian and Chen Zhiyan also came out. Hao Jian patted the female employee's shoulder and smiled, "You can all go down first!" "Yes, boss!" The female employee nodded and then retreated along with the group of security guards. Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingyun, hearing the female employee address Hao Jian as the boss, couldn't help but brighten up. The boss was here too? They must not let him escape this time, they had to force him to cough up the money! S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Reporter Liang hurried forward, holding the microphone and questioning Hao Jian, "Are you the person in charge of the Shu Ya Group? What do you think of your group pressuring a sixteen-year-old child to death?" Reporter Liang slapped a huge label on Hao Jian right from the start, as if Hao Jian was the one who had driven the sixteen-year-old to death. Hao Jian glanced indifferently at Liang Wenyan, "Our group has not pressured anyone to death!" "No? If not, then why do they insist that it was your group that killed their daughter?" Reporter Liang said with a sneer, thinking to himself: You think you can get out of it just by denying it? Aren't you underestimating me, Liang Wenyan? Reporter Liang's gaze turned contemptuous, was Shu Ya Group out of people? To think they sent such a youngster to be a scapegoat. I, with just a few words, can obliterate him! And at this moment, the corners of Hao Jian's mouth revealed a faintly unfriendly smile, "Just because they insist it was our group that killed their daughter, our group must be the real culprit? Now if I say I've slept with your mother, should you start calling me 'dad'?" "You." Reporter Liang was so angered by Hao Jian that he couldn't utter a single word. Only now did he realize that he had underestimated the young man, to be choked by a single sentence. This young man was not someone to be trifled with. "Sir, if you're going to speak like that, don't blame me for being ruthless with my pen!" Reporter Liang threatened coldly, internally cursing, was this kid brain-dead? Doesn't he know that in today's society, there's no one you can't offend more than journalists? Because with just a few strokes of their pens, journalists can sway public opinion. What's black can be touted as white by them, and what's white can be twisted into black. But Hao Jian still didn't take Reporter Liang seriously, disdainfully saying, "You speak as if being polite to you would result in newspapers and magazines singing our praises." How could he not see that Reporter Liang had been bought by the Zhu couple? For a journalist who turns right into wrong and has no professional integrity, whether Hao Jian was polite or not, the outcome would be the same. In that case, why should Hao Jian bother to fawn and embarrass himself? Reporter Liang narrowed his eyes, trembling with anger. But Hao Jian, as if he had not seen him, simply pushed past him and walked towards a place not far away. "You're the boss?" Sun Lingyun raised an eyebrow as he looked at Hao Jian, his eyes filled with a hint of hatred. Hao Jian didn't speak, only walked to the body of the girl, bent down, and lifted the curtain slightly to look at the girl's true face. However, the girl's face was already a blur of flesh and blood. Apart from the bloodstains all over it, nothing could be seen. "What are you doing?" Zhu Hongyu shouted angrily at Hao Jian, pushing him away, causing Hao Jian to lose his balance and sit down on the ground. "Don't mess around; this is our group's boss. If you dare to touch him, we will sue you until you can't afford to wear underwear!" Chen Zhiyan threatened coldly, having lost all patience with Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingyun after several days of troubles. Hao Jian didn't mind, patting the dust off his buttocks and standing up, expressing his regret, "Such a young age, and gone just like that. It's a pity, such a beautiful season of life!" He wasn't boasting but was genuinely moved. Although the girl's face was covered in blood, he could tell from her contours that she must have been a beauty. Such a pretty girl should have been attending school, frolicking with boys and girls her age, but now she had become a cold corpse. "Stop your crocodile tears, it was you who killed my daughter!" Zhu Hongyu threw dirt on Hao Jian's reputation, already coached before coming here, that if she met the store's boss, she should do everything possible to besmirch him, forcing him to give money. She was also told by that person that this store was part of a corporate group, and its boss was very wealthy, so she should take him for all he was worth if possible. And if they refused to pay, to keep seeking journalists to expose them. Chapter 374 Framing and Entrapment ``` "If your daughter was killed by our group, then please bother to provide some evidence. As long as you can produce evidence, I will pay any amount of money!" Hao Jian stated bluntly, willing to pay as long as there was proof that they had caused the girl's death¡ªthey would fork over the cash immediately. "Evidence? My daughter committed suicide the day after leaving your store¡ªthat's the evidence!" Zhu Hongyu pointed at Hao Jian and roared furiously, resembling a crazed madwoman. Yet, it was this very image that made people feel more sympathetic toward her. Everyone thought Zhu Hongyu was a mother who had lost her mind due to the heart-wrenching pain of losing her daughter, which is why they looked at Hao Jian with a certain moral condemnation in their eyes! Upon seeing this, Sun Lingyun couldn't help but reveal a faint, inscrutable smile, thinking to herself that Zhu Hongyu was putting on quite a dramatic act. Like this, they would be able to get the money. Sun Lingyun hurriedly sent a look to Zhu Hongyu, signaling her to keep it up. Zhu Hongyu immediately responded with a glance, indicating that she understood. As it turned out, all the grief and anger over her daughter's death were feigned, merely to extort a substantial sum in compensation from the Shu Ya Group. In their family, which clearly favored sons over daughters, the girl had hardly gotten any attention at home, often subjected to abuse and beatings. Otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen to end her life over such minor setbacks. To them, she was nothing but a dispensable loss; dead meant dead. Now, the family was thinking about how to exploit her death to fish as much money as possible from the large corporate group! "So just because she died after leaving my store, you blame me? Our Shu Ya Group has dozens of stores, with over ten thousand customers coming and going daily. Are we responsible for any accidents that befall the customers after they leave our stores? Is our jewelry business also expected to purchase personal accident insurance on behalf of the customers?" Hao Jian scoffed coldly. "By your logic, if I fall outside a restaurant after leaving it, I could sue them for having a slippery floor that caused my fall. If I catch a cold after leaving my house because of the wind, I could sue the property developer for building houses in such a cold place. If I have cancer and can't be cured in a hospital, I could sue the hospital for incompetence, right?" As the crowd heard Hao Jian's arguments, they couldn't help but feel there was some truth to them. Zhu Hongyu's explanation seemed somewhat far-fetched. Merely committing suicide shortly after leaving their store didn't seem enough to serve as evidence. "It was you who falsely accused my niece of stealing from your store, leading her to feel humiliated and choose suicide. Are you saying it has nothing to do with you?" Just then, a man resembling Sun Lingyun but bigger and more robust strode forward. He was nearly two meters tall and imposing, glaring fiercely at Hao Jian as if ready to fight if Hao Jian didn't agree to pay up. Clearly, his stepping forward was meant to apply pressure on Hao Jian, in the hope of intimidating him into relenting and paying up. But who did Hao Jian think he was dealing with? To him, this brute was no different from a slightly larger ant¡ªeasily crushed if need be! "Who are you?" Hao Jian asked with a frown, wondering where this fool had popped up from. "My name is Sun Lingzhi! I am the uncle of the little girl you drove to death!" Sun Lingzhi declared, with an air of raging indignation. "You say we insulted her? Do you have any evidence?" Chen Zhiyan also couldn't help stepping forward at this point, sharing a common enemy with Hao Jian. There were many of them, and naturally, they could not lose in terms of momentum. Hao Jian looked at Chen Zhiyan with a mix of amusement and exasperation, as this was a situation he could have handled on his own. There was no need for Manager Chen to step in. Since Manager Chen meant well, however, Hao Jian didn't want to say too much. "Whore, everyone look at this whore¡ªshe's the one who killed my daughter, accusing my daughter of stealing from their store, resulting in her suicide!" Zhu Hongyu berated while pointing at Chen Zhiyan. At these words, the crowd cast strange looks at Chen Zhiyan. "So young and yet so cruel!" "Exactly, she's just a little girl, but you drove her to jump from a building. Did your conscience get eaten by a dog?" "You." Chen Zhiyan was caught off guard by Zhu Hongyu's shamelessly blaming her in retaliation. Hearing the crowd's accusations, she turned beet-red with fury and was utterly aggrieved. "Leave it to me to handle this!" Hao Jian patted Chen Zhiyan on the shoulder, flashing a heartwarming smile. ``` "Hmm!" Chen Zhiyan first froze for a moment, then couldn't help but nod happily and meekly hid behind Hao Jian, letting this man shield her from the storm. "You say she shamed your daughter, leading to her suicide? Do you have any evidence?" Hao Jian asked Zhu Hongyu with a smile. "I... I saw it with my own eyes, what more evidence do you need?" Zhu Hongyu retorted somewhat defensively, she could tell that Hao Jian was much harder to deal with than Chen Zhiyan. The moment Zhu Hongyu saw Hao Jian, she realized this man was no simple character; calm and collected, smiling even in the face of their accusations and insults, his expression unchanging, always appearing indifferent. It was as if he didn't take them seriously at all. In the end, Zhu Hongyu was overawed by the composed aura that Hao Jian exuded. This guy's calm manner suggested that he probably had a strategy in place already, which is why Zhu Hongyu felt like a clown when confronting Hao Jian, feeling somewhat guilty and uneasy. Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire "So that means, you don't have any evidence?" Hao Jian asked with a cold smile, then lifted his head to address the surrounding crowd: "Ladies and gentlemen, this woman says our group killed her daughter, yet she cannot provide any evidence. We, on the other hand, are different¡ªour store has surveillance cameras that clearly captured how her daughter stole jewelry from our store and how she was caught!" Upon hearing this, the crowd couldn't help but be surprised. So, the girl really did steal something? In that case, they couldn't blame the jewelry store. "Our Manager Chen, Chen Zhiyan, out of kindness because the girl was still young, chose not to call the police. Instead, she let this couple come to pick up their daughter. It was they who were so angry they publicly beat their own child, and that is what led the girl to become emotionally distressed and contemplate suicide. All of this is recorded by the surveillance cameras. If you want to see it, I can show you at any time!" If Hao Jian's previous words were just a fuse, then these words were undoubtedly an exploding bomb! The public began to point fingers at Zhu Hongyu and her husband. If Hao Jian dared to show them the surveillance, it meant he was telling the truth. Zhu Hongyu and her husband had killed their own daughter and yet blamed it on the jewelry store, which in their eyes was too shameless and despicable. Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingyun were both stunned, having forgotten about the surveillance cameras. That's to say, the ugly should read more, and the foolish should read even more, otherwise their brains are simply not enough! Seeing Zhu Hongyu and her husband like this, Liang Wenyan couldn't help but roll his eyes, knowing that the couple's scheme had been exposed. They had forgotten such a basic thing, and were truly fools. Yet Liang Wenyan didn't care, as the fifty thousand he had received was already in his pocket. Whatever happened to Zhu Hongyu and her husband next was no longer his business. "Our Group's employees are kind-hearted and honest, yet they suffer such unfair treatment; is this fair to them? I think, next time we encounter this situation, regardless of whether it's a young girl or not, we should hand them over to the police, regardless of whether they'll be reported and criticized by the school, regardless of whether they'll be discriminated against by their classmates, regardless of whether they'll have psychological shadows from then on, even regardless of whether they'll commit suicide! After all, no good deed goes unpunished; we might as well just be bad people all the way! At least then the police station will be the ones to take the blame, not us!" Hao Jian said indignantly. These words struck home for Chen Zhiyan and some other employees. They had good intentions, but instead received a backlash. During the time Zhu Hongyu made a scene at their store, being watched with disdainful and judgmental eyes by the public, their frustration and anger were unspeakable. No one wants to be blamed for something they didn't do, and they were no different. But there was no helping it; they weren't as shameless as Zhu Hongyu and the others, nor as cunning, so they could only be bullied. This is why there are fewer and fewer good people in the world, more and more bad people, and more and more indifference. It's not that we don't want to help an old person who has fallen; it's that we dare not help. One wrong move and we could be extorted, paying out tens of thousands for no reason¡ªhow can anyone bear that? Take the current situation, for example. If Chen Zhiyan and the others had been tougher and handed the matter directly to the police, they wouldn't have had this trouble. It was simply because Chen Zhiyan was too kind, but her good intentions went unrewarded. Wouldn't anyone feel disheartened by that? You do a good deed, and in return, you get accused¡ªwould you dare to do good deeds in the future? What needs to change is this society, people's thoughts¡ªthe way people think. If we want a society that isn't indifferent, people first need to learn how to be grateful, instead of repaying kindness with enmity. Hearing what Hao Jian had to say, the onlooking crowd also felt deeply touched, each unable to hide their shame. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After hearing Hao Jian's remarks, Zhu Hongyu, Sun Lingyun, and the others knew they had lost. And at this moment, Sun Lingzhi suddenly shifted his gaze craftily, making a mournful face, and excitedly pointed at Hao Jian, saying, "What's the use in speaking so nicely, the person is already dead. She was just a sixteen-year-old girl, and it's inevitable to make occasional mistakes. Why couldn't you just let her go after a reprimand when you caught her? Why did you have to involve the parents?" Chapter 375 The Cunning Hao Jian "Which parent wouldn't be angry upon hearing their child turned to theft? It's understandable to be upset and emotional, it's you! You could have shown some mercy, but you didn't! Yes, you didn't call the police, but you called their parents. How could the child who did wrong face their parents at that moment? Wouldn't she be terrified and guilty inside? You might not have killed her directly, but there's no doubt you played an indirect role!" When Hao Jian heard Sun Lingzhi say this, he couldn't help but frown, feeling somewhat surprised in his heart. It seemed that Sun Lingzhi was smarter than Sun Lingyun and Zhu Hongyu. This guy actually learned from him and appealed to emotions and reasoned with him as he did. Furthermore, the key point was that this guy had learned from him to launch a counterattack by pressing on weak spots. Seeing this, Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingyun were immediately overjoyed, thinking that Big Brother was really smarter after all¡ªhe had managed to regain some ground! The expressions of the people in the crowd were torn, and they didn't know whose side to take. "Sister Chen, our boss... he isn't giving up, is he?" Seeing that Hao Jian remained silent, the employees started to get nervous. One of the male employees couldn't help but sigh and clenched his teeth: "If we have to blame someone, it's because the other side is shameless. What kind of world is this? Who would dare to be a good person in the future?" "Don't talk like that, there are still more good people in this world, and evil can never triumph over justice. Just watch, Hao Jian will definitely have a way to deal with this!" But Chen Zhiyan had full confidence in Hao Jian. She believed he would never admit defeat; the silence was just a precursor to a better counterattack! Indeed, Chen Zhiyan had guessed correctly. Hao Jian's silence was only because he was considering how to respond to Sun Lingzhi's words. After all, Zhu Hongyu and the others had lost their daughter, and since they were poor, they were naturally seen as the weaker party, gaining the sympathetic side. What Hao Jian needed to do at this moment was to figure out how to dismantle that advantage. After a while, Hao Jian let out a deep sigh and said, "You're right, this is all our fault!" "What?" All the employees were shocked. Was Hao Jian really admitting defeat? Were they in the wrong? Where had they gone wrong? The female employees were disheartened, while the male employees were grinding their teeth with anger. Although they knew they wouldn't be the ones paying, the frustration burdened their hearts. What felt worst was being labeled as the bad guys despite being good people. Upon hearing this, Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingyun couldn't hide their delight, a smug, contemptuous smirk appearing on their lips. Liang Wenyan also frowned and made a disdainful snort, thinking this kid wasn't as capable as he'd thought. Turned out he was no different after all! "So, you're planning to compensate?" Sun Lingzhi chuckled gleefully, assuming the air of a victor. "Yes, tell us, how much?" Hao Jian feigned resignation and sighed. "One million and a half!" Zhu Hongyu shouted out, demanding a higher price on the spot after initially asking for just nine hundred thousand. "What? But you were only asking for nine hundred thousand just now, this is extortion!" Chen Zhiyan was furious, those people were utterly shameless to hike the price like this! But Zhu Hongyu didn't care at all about Chen Zhiyan's accusations and coldly responded, "That was then, this is now. Your boss has admitted it's your fault, so it's only right you pay more!" Listening to Zhu Hongyu, Liang Wenyan's expression became strange, feeling something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on it right away. And at that moment, Liang Wenyan suddenly noticed a sly grin flash across Hao Jian's eyes and was instantly alarmed. That's not right! The guy was smiling! Although Hao Jian had a look of helplessness, for that brief instant, he was clearly smiling! Liang Wenyan quickly realized something and looked around at the crowd, and swiftly his pupils dilated. Because the look the crowd gave Zhu Hongyu and the others was clearly filled with hostility! Zhu Hongyu still hadn't realized that she shouldn't have said what she did. At that moment, with her lips curled up triumphantly and her demeanor exuberant, where was the semblance of pain and anger? The people in the crowd were not blind; how could they fail to notice? The moment Hao Jian agreed to pay up, Zhu Hongyu's face lit up with joy, and the effect her demeanor had on the spectators went without saying. Zhu Hongyu herself had not realized that she had fallen right into Hao Jian's trap. But you couldn't blame Zhu Hongyu for that¡ªif there was anyone to blame, it was just that Hao Jian was too cunning, too astute, completely manipulating Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingyun with his deep understanding of human nature. Zhu Hongyu had not expected Hao Jian to concede so easily; after all, even if they took the matter to court, it would still be their fault with no relation to Shu Ya Group. Initially, Zhu Hongyu was just trying her luck, but she never imagined encountering Hao Jian, this foolish and easy target who directly agreed to compensate them. The joy she felt made her involuntarily reveal her true nature. Hao Jian had anticipated Zhu Hongyu's reaction, so he deliberately provoked her, aiming to expose her weakness. As expected, Zhu Hongyu took the bait. At that moment, Liang Wenyan couldn't help but gasp in awe, overwhelmed with fear. This guy was too terrifying! With such deep scheming and calculation, what kind of horrific world did he live in? Watching Hao Jian's expression, which carried a faint smile, Liang Wenyan felt as if he were staring at a Demon's grin, his legs trembling slightly. "One million five hundred thousand? That's it? I thought you'd ask for more," he sighed heavily, putting on quite the act, "Alas, it's my fault for trying to gauge the depth of your sorrow and grief for your deceased daughter with money. Your daughter is gone, and no matter how much money I give you, it won't bring her back." Chen Zhiyan and the others were dumbfounded. Is this guy brain-damaged? To actually complain that they were asking for too little? Just how rich is he to be so willing to throw money around like this? Even Chen Zhiyan was puzzled, at a loss as to what Hao Jian was up to. At the same time, Sun Lingzhi, having heard Hao Jian's words, began to sense that something was amiss. He frowned slightly, showing a trace of suspicion. He wasn't like Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingyun; he had brains. If someone said that, it meant they either thought the money was too much, or something was wrong with their head. However, no one in their right mind would think the money was too much, so the only other possibility was that something was wrong with the person. Yet, after what had happened before, Sun Lingzhi didn't believe that Hao Jian was mentally ill, which led to a third possibility¡ªthis was a trap! At the same time, Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingyun were oblivious to the fact that they had fallen into Hao Jian's trap. When Zhu Hongyu heard Hao Jian's words, she thought he was really remorseful and willing to pay more, regretting her hasty actions and showing a regretful expression on her face. Sun Lingyun too, annoyed, pushed Zhu Hongyu, scolding, "Why did you have to open your mouth so quickly?" "I..." Zhu Hongyu was somewhat at a loss, hesitating for a few seconds before she suddenly spoke up. And with that single utterance, she completely ruined everything! What Zhu Hongyu said was, "Then give us more money? With more money, we won't be sad anymore!" Liang Wenyan's mouth curled into a cold smirk because he knew this family of fools had lost, completely played by Hao Jian. Even Sun Lingzhi gasped, thinking how could his relative be so improper, wondering how one could say such things. "Animals!" "To think there are parents like this in the world, today has really been an eye-opener!" "Fine, I see now. From the beginning, they were only after the money. As for their daughter's death, they couldn't care less!" "Trying to extort an innocent business using their daughter's death, this family truly has no morals, worse than pigs and dogs!" "I wouldn't be surprised if they made up the whole thing just to swindle money!" "In my opinion, it's all a scam. They drove their own daughter to death and then sought an excuse to squeeze money out of the business!" "That can't be possible, can it?" Someone still couldn't believe anyone could be so heartless. "Why not? What wouldn't such parents do? Didn't you see how brightly their faces lit up with joy when they heard there'd be money as compensation?" Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire All those bystanders were denouncing Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingyun, expressing contempt for their actions. At this time, the corners of Hao Jian's mouth also couldn't help but reveal a hint of a smile. "You really... have some serious calculating skills," Chen Zhiyan approached Hao Jian, giving him a thumbs up. "What? Sister Chen, do you mean to say that all this was orchestrated by the boss?" The employees were somewhat shocked, but they had clearly seen Zhu Hongyu and her husband slip up themselves. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chen Zhiyan just smiled slightly and said, "Of course, it's not nonsense. If it wasn't for this crafty guy acting weak and letting his guard down, how could they have revealed themselves so easily?" At this, everyone became astonished, speechless, realizing everything was within Hao Jian's calculations. They had thought Hao Jian was about to concede in defeat, only to discover that he had been toying with Zhu Hongyu and her husband all along. "Don't get happy too soon; the best is yet to come. After you've seen the show I've got planned, then it won't be too late to laugh," Hao Jian said with a mischievous grin and walked towards Zhu Hongyu and her husband. Seeing this, Chen Zhiyan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, praying inwardly for Zhu Hongyu and her family because she knew that Hao Jian was about to give them the works. Facing the crowd's accusations, Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingyun felt somewhat guilty, but the thought of getting their hands on the money soon made them stop caring. Chapter 376 The Truth Revealed Zhu Hongyu, domineering and bossy, yelled at the crowd, "What the hell does it concern you? This is my family business; who asked for your opinions? Get the hell out of here! A bunch of bastards!" It must be said, Zhu Hongyu played her cards beautifully with her betrayal after crossing the river. Just now, when she needed to find Hao Jian to get money, she kept inciting the public to denounce Hao Jian and Shu Ya Group. Now that she had seen the money was in hand, she immediately kicked the people to the curb! "Exactly, a bunch of deadbeats. Are you just jealous of us because we're about to get rich?" Sun Lingyun snickered, taking pleasure in the crowd's growing anger. And at that moment, the crowd was boiling with rage, feeling used by Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingyun, and what was worse, their emotions had been manipulated! They had sympathized with Mr. and Mrs. Zhu, only to find out in the end that this couple was utterly heartless! "So, what do you think I should pay as compensation?" Hao Jian continued to feign weakness. "Don't compensate them! They don't deserve the money!" A middle-aged woman shouted; she had been the fiercest in berating Hao Jian just before, yet now, she was standing up to speak for him. Hao Jian deliberately made a troubled expression, "How can that be, it's our Group's fault. We did not consider everything thoroughly and caused the death of their daughter. Next time we encounter this kind of situation, we will know how to respond." "How to respond?" Chen Zhiyan cooperated and asked. "Let her steal the jewelry, of course! That way, no one would need to die!" Hao Jian naively said. "But boss, that piece of jewelry is worth hundreds of thousands. If we let her steal it, wouldn't our Group suffer a loss of hundreds of thousands for no reason?" Chen Zhiyan said in surprise. "Are you stupid or something? A stolen piece of jewelry only loses us hundreds of thousands, but I'm about to pay one and a half million now. That's the price for not letting her steal it in the first place! I'm telling you, this is all your fault. Why did you catch the girl? You couldn't just let her steal it? Causing me to lose so much money for nothing, don't bother coming into work tomorrow!" Hao Jian scolded severely. "Boss, please don't do this, I... I didn't mean to!" Chen Zhiyan immediately pleaded with a crying tone, her acting skills unmatched. "Boss, give me another chance. I have a sick father at home who needs care. The burden of the whole family rests on me alone. If you fire me, my family will starve to death!" Seeing Chen Zhiyan in such a pitiful state, the people couldn't help but feel guilty, because they knew that it was they who had done this to her. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They had believed Zhu Hongyu's slander, wrongfully accusing Chen Zhiyan, the real kind person, causing her to be fired while the bad people, Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingyun, ended up with a huge compensation ¨C all because of their own doing. The onlookers felt a heavy weight in their hearts, each person feeling as if they had done something wrong, hanging their heads low. Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire This was exactly the result Hao Jian wanted to see! To let these naive and gullible people suffer internally, the punishment they deserved! "Young man, it's our fault, we were wrong to trust others. This young woman really isn't to blame; don't fire her!" The middle-aged woman pleaded for Chen Zhiyan. Hao Jian clicked his tongue in irritation: "Old lady, what are you trying to do, huh? You were the one who cursed her the most just now, and now you're saying it's not her fault?" "I... I was deceived too," the middle-aged woman said, embarrassed. "Don't fucking pay any attention to these idiots. Hurry up and pay, three million!" Zhu Hongyu demanded brazenly. "Oh, then I'll write you a check," Hao Jian said, rather foolishly pulling out a checkbook from his pocket, seemingly ready to sign a check for Zhu Hongyu and her husband. "Young man, don't be fooled, they're scamming you for your money!" Seeing Hao Jian so easily agreeing to pay, an old man was so infuriated that he jumped up, inwardly cursing how there could still be someone so naive in the world, not seeing that he was being deliberately trapped? If Hao Jian had known what the old man was thinking at that moment, he probably would have woken up laughing in the middle of the night. Naive? Hahahaha. (Here are ten thousand more "hahas.") "How could that be? They are the families of the victims, aren't they? As you all said, the unscrupulous business should quickly compensate," Hao Jian feigned confusion. The crowd was both anxious and angry, wanting to stop Hao Jian, but he simply wasn't listening to them, which infuriated them so much that they turned red, scratching their heads in frustration. Seeing the crowd being teased by Hao Jian like monkeys jumping up and down, Chen Zhiyan couldn't help but snicker, once again confirming to herself that this guy was indeed not someone to be trifled with. Hao Jian had written the check and was about to hand it over when Sun Lingyun, with an excited face, rushed out ready to accept Hao Jian's check. Seeing this, Hao Jian suddenly withdrew the check just as Sun Lingyun thought Hao Jian was going to renege and was about to scold him, he saw Hao Jian say, "Now, who should take this check?" Sun Lingyun said impatiently, "Isn't that a stupid question? Of course, it should go to the child's father!" "Oh," Hao Jian said, nodding his head in a daze, then unexpectedly walked past Sun Lingyun towards Sun Lingzhi, handed the check over to him, and said, "Take the check and give the poor child a proper funeral. Take it easy." Everyone was stunned. Sun Lingyun was the girl's biological father, so why on earth was Hao Jian giving the check to Sun Lingzhi, the girl's great-uncle? "Are you brain-dead, kid? I am her father!" Sun Lingyun roared, internally cursing Hao Jian as an idiot. Sun Lingzhi also turned his head away in embarrassment: "I am not the girl's father, I am her great-uncle!" "Impossible. I just took a look at the girl and noticed that her jawbone is very wide, while both her mother's and your brother's jawbones are narrow. From a genetic perspective, this should not be the case. Your jawbone, on the other hand, resembles the girl's quite a bit." Hao Jian smiled as he appraised Sun Lingzhi, it was clear that he had noticed some secrets unknown to others. Sun Lingzhi frowned immediately: "Just for that reason, you're saying I'm her father? It could just be a coincidence, your divisive tactics are a bit too crude, aren't they?" "Just this alone cannot determine she's your daughter, and as you said, it could indeed simply be a coincidence. But both your brother and his wife have double eyelids, you and your niece have single eyelids¡ªis that a coincidence? Your brother and his wife have flat noses while you and your niece have high-bridged noses¡ªis that a coincidence?" "Your brother and his wife have broad foreheads, you and your niece have narrow foreheads; your brother and his wife have straight hair, you both have naturally curly hair¡ªis that still a coincidence? Lastly, you were born deaf in one ear, and your niece is also deaf in one ear¡ªtell me that's a coincidence?" Hao Jian analyzed with reason and order. Sun Lingzhi was already shocked. How had this guy guessed that he was deaf in one ear? "Don't be so surprised. I am a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and in our field, we emphasize observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking, so just one glance is enough for me to know what ailments you have!" Hao Jian said, appearing somewhat smug. Hearing Hao Jian say this, Sun Lingyun also seemed to realize that something was amiss, and the plot was turning in a way he could not accept. Only now did he suddenly realize that his past suspicions were well-founded; it wasn't just that he felt his daughter didn't resemble him. Sun Lingyun had always thought his daughter didn't look like him, but rather, she bore a resemblance to his older brother. Therefore, he became increasingly dissatisfied with his daughter, and once questioned Zhu Hongyu about it. However, Zhu Hongyu's response was that he and Sun Lingzhi were brothers and naturally looked alike, so Sun Lingyun's impression that his daughter looked like Sun Lingzhi was just his misconception. Sun Lingyun didn't take it to heart at the time, but now, hearing Hao Jian's analysis, he realized that something was indeed very wrong. Immediately, Sun Lingyun cast a scrutinizing glance at Zhu Hongyu, who at that moment became very evasive and lowered her head, not daring to meet Sun Lingyun's gaze. Seeing this, Sun Lingyun's brows furrowed tightly together, and he couldn't shake the ominous feeling in his heart. "One or two coincidences could be called just that, but if everything bears a resemblance then it's not a coincidence, it's heredity!" Hao Jian said, his smile seemingly hiding more as he looked at Sun Lingzhi as if he had completely seen through him. Sun Lingzhi tensed up and glared at Hao Jian through clenched teeth, because he too noticed that the looks from friends and relatives, and even his brother, had become rather meaningful. "Talking nonsense! My niece is in such a state, and you expect me to believe you can still see what she looks like?" Sun Lingzhi huffed angrily, naturally unwilling to easily admit to an affair with Zhu Hongyu. "Talking nonsense? Dare you compare your niece's DNA at the hospital, and if she's not your daughter, I'll eat shit live!" Hao Jian scoffed and then turned to address the crowd: "Everyone, take out your phones and cameras and record me. Yes, I said it. If I'm wrong, not only will I eat shit, but I'll also have the chairman of our Shu Ya Group eat shit along with me!" The crowd buzzed with shock. Hao Jian's confidence was extraordinary, and with such confidence came an undeniable self-assurance. Upon hearing this, Sun Lingyun's expression became even more sour, as Hao Jian's confidence made him feel that the situation was developing out of his control. "Do you think my brother would believe you? He won't be easily deceived by your slander!" Sun Lingzhi spoke with little to no confidence. Sun Lingyun remained silent, but his expression made it clear that he was convinced. "But if he smells the scent of Cologne on his wife that you just left on her this morning, then I guess he'll believe it," Hao Jian said with a cold chuckle. Chapter 377 Family Misfortune PS: It's a new year, wishing everyone a Happy New Year, filled with joy for the whole family! Previously, Shuaishuai used to write 6,000 characters three times a day, but now each part has 3,000 characters, and two parts still make it 6,000 characters. I've been very busy lately, but I will find some time to burst forth with more writing after the new year. I sincerely appreciate the support for Shuaishuai over such a long time. A heartfelt thank you to every reader, whether you subscribe, tip or vote. Thank you, everyone! ......... "What?" Sun Lingzhi took a sharp intake of breath, shocked beyond measure. Did Hao Jian even know about this? Did he have a nose like a dog's? Upon hearing this, Zhu Hongyu's face turned ashen in an instant. Indeed, before coming here today, she had gone to see Sun Lingzhi, and it was needless to say why she met Sun Lingzhi but obviously involved matters not suitable for children. Sun Lingyun also got angry, grabbing Zhu Hongyu's clothes and leaning in to sniff her, trying to smell something on Zhu Hongyu. "Sun Lingyun, what are you doing? You can't seriously believe this kid's nonsense, right?" Seeing Sun Lingyun behave this way, both Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingzhi panicked. But Sun Lingyun ignored them, continuing to do his own thing, and after a moment, Sun Lingyun raised his head, his eyes almost bursting into flames, staring intimidatingly at Zhu Hongyu: "Where is this cologne scent coming from?" Sun Lingyun was a worker; he had no money to buy Zhu Hongyu perfume, and he had never seen Zhu Hongyu use perfume. But now, the scent on Zhu Hongyu was clearly that of perfume! "Don't rush, wait until you see your wife wearing the sexy lingerie she put on to disgust your older brother before you explode in rage." At these words, Sun Lingyun instantly fluffed up like an angry cat and went crazy, grabbing Zhu Hongyu by the collar, ready to strip her right there! "Sun Lingyun, have you lost your mind? There are so many people here!" Zhu Hongyu screamed in terror, how could she endure being undressed in such a public place? But no matter how much Zhu Hongyu struggled, she was eventually stripped by Sun Lingyun. Although he was thin as a rail, he was still a man, and Zhu Hongyu, a woman, could not match his strength. Sure enough, under Zhu Hongyu's coat, there was indeed a set of sexy lingerie, a black lace bikini, whose style was incredibly seductive, with Zhu Hongyu's breasts partially visible. Everyone was stunned. Hao Jian was truly amazing; how had he discovered Zhu Hongyu was wearing erotic lingerie? At that moment, Sun Lingyun, like an enraged bull, stared fixedly at a kiss mark on Zhu Hongyu's chest. That kiss mark was not made by him, which meant someone else had done it! Along with what Hao Jian had just mentioned, it wasn't hard for Sun Lingyun to guess who was responsible! Zhu Hongyu turned completely pale, seemingly already realizing what consequence she would face, her whole body trembling, looking at Sun Lingzhi with a pleading gaze. However, Sun Lingzhi just turned his head away, refusing to look at Zhu Hongyu. At this moment, there was nothing he could do. Seeing this, Zhu Hongyu was also shocked, seemingly not expecting her lover to abandon her at such a crucial moment. "Slut, slut!" Sun Lingyun roared and slapped Zhu Hongyu to the ground. Zhu Hongyu's head hit the ground, stunning her completely. "You whore, you've never been so coquettish in front of me, and now you're wearing such shameless lingerie to seduce other men?" Sun Lingyun gritted his teeth with hatred, feeling his pride deeply wounded. Because Zhu Hongyu had never been so attentive to him, yet she wore sexy lingerie for his older brother. "Your daughter just died recently, and you shamelessly went to see your lover. You utter whore, do you deserve to be a mother?" Sun Lingyun thundered. "I don't deserve? If I don't, do you?" Zhu Hongyu laughed furiously, covering her face and glaring at Sun Lingyun: "Have you ever cared about her? Among the daughters I have born for you, which one have you ever cared about? Since you don't care about their life or death, why should I? I want to go out and seduce men. I'd rather have an illegitimate child for someone else than bear a child for a loser like you!" "Fuck you!" Sun Lingyun was utterly furious, his fists raining down on Zhu Hongyu like raindrops. "A family disgrace! What a family disgrace!" Sun Lingyun's mother cried out, having not anticipated things would turn out this way. What was supposed to be a case for her granddaughter's sake had degenerated into such a devastating family drama. Meanwhile, Chen Zhiyan and the others just watched coldly, wearing mocking expressions, seeing Zhu Hongyu and her husband as getting what they deserved. But Hao Jian couldn't smile, because no one could understand his feelings at the moment, everyone was only concerned about Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingyun and didn't care about the tragic fate of the deceased. The fault lay with Zhu Hongyu, with Sun Lingyun, and with Sun Lingzhi, with these despicable adults! But that girl was innocent! She was just unlucky to be born into such a despicable family and then unluckily passed away! But fortunately, she would never have to suffer anymore. "Sun Lingzhi, how much longer are you going to stand by and do nothing? Are you still a man?" Zhu Hongyu roared with blood on the corner of her mouth, deciding to drag Sun Lingzhi down with her since the secret was out anyway! On hearing this, Sun Lingyun instantly turned his head and shot a murderous look at Sun Lingzhi. "I. I don't know what you're talking about," Sun Lingzhi said stiffly, eager to extricate himself from the situation. "You don't know what I'm talking about?" Zhu Hongyu laughed wildly, her battered face paired with that manic laughter making her look deranged. "I bore you three children, namely Old Three, Old Fifth, and this dead bastard. And now you pretend you don't recognize me? Fine, fine, fine, everyone in the Sun Family is a ****ing beast!" "Calling your own daughter a bastard, doesn't that make you a beast?" Hao Jian sneered coldly, and if there was anyone he wanted to kill right now, it was undoubtedly Zhu Hongyu. People always say there's no one like a mother and that maternity is the greatest thing. But Hao Jian saw just how despicable this mother, Zhu Hongyu, was. She did not deserve to be called a mother; she was a beast! A criminal deserving of a thousand cuts! "If you didn't love her, you shouldn't have had her. Why did you let her be born only to suffer?" Chen Zhiyan glared at Zhu Hongyu angrily. It was Zhu Hongyu who had killed that girl; the theft and beating were just the triggers. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I like it. What are you going to do about it?" Zhu Hongyu scoffed, completely disregarding Chen Zhiyan's words. Chen Zhiyan's arrogant and domineering attitude annoyed everyone present. Was this even something a human would say? "Sun Lingzhi, you son of a ***** will you dare to sleep with my wife!" At that moment, Sun Lingyun had already picked up a broom and charged at Sun Lingzhi, swinging it without a word. "Old Two, don't listen to his nonsense, he's just stirring up trouble!" Sun Lingzhi shouted desperately. "Stirring up trouble? Zhu Hongyu admitted it already, are you still going to pretend? Go to hell!" Sun Lingyun beat Sun Lingzhi vigorously, as if trying to vent all his frustration. "**** you!" Sun Lingzhi was also infuriated. While his bear-like stature could handle Sun Lingyun's beating, who could stand being hit like they were beating a grandson? Sun Lingzhi instantly swung his fist towards Sun Lingyun's face. Sun Lingyun's body couldn't take it, and he fell to the ground, hitting his head, unable to get up for a long time, only lying there groaning pitifully. "Hahahaha, that's what you get! You useless trash!" Zhu Hongyu laughed maliciously, delighting in the misfortune as if the man lying on the floor wasn't her husband but her enemy. "Wife, what's wrong? Wife, wake up!" At that moment, seeing her two sons fighting each other, the mother fainted on the spot. The relatives, no longer concerned about Zhu Hongyu and the others, hurriedly took the elderly woman to the hospital, and also brought along the half-crippled Sun Lingyun. Everyone was still in shock, staring blankly. They could never have dreamed that what started as a simple debt collection could reveal such a disgusting truth. "You, quickly give me the compensation money!" Sun Lingzhi barked at Hao Jian. Although he wanted nothing more than to tear Hao Jian apart, he held back for the sake of the three million check. It was better this way. Now that everything was exposed, there was no need to consider Sun Lingyun anymore. He could split the money evenly with Zhu Hongyu, even getting more in the process. Zhu Hongyu also dragged her painful, heavy body over, her eyes full of venom as she looked at Hao Jian. Hao Jian couldn't help but find it amusing: "You hate me, yet you still want my money, you really are a bunch of cheap ****!" "**** your mother, are you going to give it or not!" Sun Lingzhi directly threatened, his explosive temper evident as he glared at Hao Jian, his eyes as large as copper bells and somewhat frightening. "If he doesn't, beat him to death!" Zhu Hongyu said viciously, for Hao Jian had made them miserable, and if he didn't pay up, they would never let it go. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire Hao Jian helplessly shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, but I really can't give you the money. It's not just me; everyone agrees, right everyone?" "Right!" The crowd shouted together, all of them looking mockingly at Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingzhi. "See, they all disagree with me giving money to you two scumbags. So, sorry." Hao Jian tore up the check in front of everyone. At that moment, Zhu Hongyu and Sun Lingzhi seemed to hear the sound of their hearts breaking. Chapter 378 Expensive Land "You're asking for it!" Sun Lingzhi roared and charged at Hao Jian, swinging a punch at Hao Jian's face, intending to utterly cripple him. "Beat the crap out of this bastard!" Zhu Zhihong also sinisterly incited. "Heh..." Hao Jian scoffed disdainfully and then suddenly grabbed Sun Lingzhi's hand, followed by a knee strike to the joint of Sun Lingzhi's arm. With a crack, Sun Lingzhi's arm twisted instantly. Twisting along with it was Sun Lingzhi's rough face. Sun Lingzhi's screams sounded like a broken gong, ridiculous and laughable. Seeing this, Zhu Zhihong was dumbstruck., How could someone as big as Sun Lingzhi be no match for Hao Jian? "I'm really sorry, but I don't show mercy to animals like you," Hao Jian said coldly, then kicked Sun Lingzhi away. Sun Lingzhi lay on the ground motionless, whimpering like a dying dog. Seeing Sun Lingzhi like this, Zhu Zhihong panicked completely, stuttering a threat at Hao Jian, "You, don't mess around, or I will call the police!" But Hao Jian just sneered, followed by a slap that sent Zhu Zhihong sprawling to the ground, her face filled with horror as she looked at Hao Jian. "You call yourself a mother?" Hao Jian sneered. Hearing this, Zhu Zhihong went berserk and yelled, "You bastard dare to hit me? I'll call the police; I will sue you till you rot in jail!" "Fine, I'll indulge you!" Hao Jian said in a judgmental tone to Zhu Zhihong. Zhu Zhihong frowned slightly, what did this bastard mean by that? Just then, the sound of police sirens filled the air, and the local police rushed to the scene. The leader was a short, dark-skinned stout officer, who nearly wet himself when he saw Hao Jian there, thinking, why has this important figure shown up? Then he saw the troublemaker Zhu Zhihong, and his face went ashen. This damn fool had drawn this significant figure here? He had always been neglectful at work, mostly ignoring Chen Zhiyan's previous reports, never expecting Zhu Zhihong to bring Hao Jian into the fray. The stout officer regretted it now, not realizing things would escalate this much and disturb Hao Jian. This was bad; if Hao Jian pursued it, he was definitely doomed. The stout officer quickly ran towards Hao Jian. "Officer, this bastard hit me! Arrest him quickly; I want to sue him!" Zhu Zhihong, seeing the police arrive, couldn't help but get arrogant. However, the stout officer didn't even glance at him. Instead, he bowed deeply at ninety degrees with a pale face, saying, "Mr. Hao Jian!" Sun Lingzhi and Zhu Zhihong were dumbfounded. Even the police bowed to him; who on earth was this guy? "Slap!" Hao Jian slapped the officer backhandedly, a corner of his mouth lifted in a disdainful curve, and asked, "Didn't you know this store is mine?" Discover hidden stories at My Virtual Library Empire "I... I knew," the officer said awkwardly. He obviously knew, but what he hadn't expected was for Hao Jian to blow up over such a trivial shop. You're a big boss, leave your big company to mind but fuss over a small shop, what for? However, it wasn't that Hao Jian intentionally cared for this small shop; it was merely because he happened to pass by. Since he encountered it, there was no reason to turn a blind eye! "You knew and yet you dared to slack off?" Hao Jian said, laughing angrily. If it wasn't for this guy slacking off, so much trouble wouldn't have happened. "I..." The officer didn't know what to say anymore, looking completely dejected. "Arrest these two inhuman beasts, and tell Lin Nantian that I want these two to rot in jail; got it?" Hao Jian demanded angrily. The expressions of Sun Lingzhi and Zhu Zhihong stiffened, realizing they had kicked an iron plate. This guy was definitely no easy target. Moreover, even the local captain bowed and scraped to him, which meant he was definitely no ordinary person. "Rest assured, Mr. Hao Jian, I know what to do," the stout officer hurriedly nodded, knowing this was the best time to redeem himself. "I hope you really do know what to do, otherwise, you can expect to strip off that uniform of yours," Hao Jian said curtly. The stout officer tensed up immediately; he knew Hao Jian was not joking. With his power, achieving this was not difficult. Upon hearing what Hao Jian said, Sun Lingzhi and Zhu Zhihong realized they were doomed, as Hao Jian was determined to destroy them. They wanted to beg for mercy, but upon thinking of how they had just shouted in front of Hao Jian, they realized he couldn't possibly forgive them. The words of pleading were stuck in their throats, unable to be expressed. "Let's get off work, I'll take you out to dinner," Hao Jian said, turning back to Chen Zhiyan. "Okay!" Chen Zhiyan nodded, then left with Hao Jian without even changing her clothes. At that moment, Sun Lingzhi quickly said to the muscular police officer, "Officer Su, I treated you to dinner last year, do you remember?" "I'll eat your mother's head!" The muscular police officer struck Sun Lingzhi's head with his baton, instantly causing him to scream tragically and collapse to the ground, blood flowing from his forehead. At this moment, Officer Su felt like killing Sun Lingzhi. Had it not been for their acquaintance, he would have dragged Sun Lingzhi away earlier. His momentary soft-heartedness had led to Hao Jian's hostility and even threats. Fortunately, that important figure didn't consider him significant; otherwise, he really wouldn't know how he might die. Thinking about this, Officer Su was filled with rage¡ªhow could he possible let Sun Lingzhi off lightly? Hearing Sun Lingzhi speak now only infuriated him more, and he didn't hold back at all. Sun Lingzhi was very likely to have a concussion from the blow. Zhu Zhihong, seeing Sun Lingzhi being beaten so severely by Officer Su, was so scared that he was completely dumbfounded and shivered as if he had caught a chill, not daring to make a sound anymore. "Take these two fools away!" Officer Su shouted angrily, cursing internally at the stupidity of Sun Lingzhi and Zhu Zhihong, which had led to his being scolded by Hao Jian as if he were a grandson. ... On the way out, Chen Zhiyan curiously looked at Hao Jian with a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. "Nothing, just thinking you're quite handsome," Chen Zhiyan joked; she felt strangely grateful for having met Hao Jian, even if they were just ordinary friends. Loving such a charismatic and strong man, Chen Zhiyan felt very content. "Really? I actually think so too," Hao Jian shamelessly scratched his head and chuckled. "You shameless man," Chen Zhiyan laughed, tickled by Hao Jian's brazen self-acceptance. She had only mentioned it offhand, yet Hao Jian readily agreed without any modesty. Hao Jian chuckled and then asked, "By the way, how's your dad now? Still sick?" At the mention of her father, Chen Zhiyan's expression immediately became gloomy, and she sighed disheartedly, "Still the same, we've seen many doctors, but to no avail. Probably the bankruptcy hit him too hard, and he hasn't recovered yet." "Why don't I give it a try?" Hao Jian suggested, having long wanted to treat Chen Zhiyan's father but never finding the time. Now he had resigned from Shu Ya Group and had plenty of time to spare. "You know medical skills?" Chen Zhiyan asked in surprise, unaware that Hao Jian possessed such knowledge. "Medical skills? Are you underestimating me? I'm not just knowledgeable; I am a Divine Doctor!" Hao Jian replied, indignant. "Really? You're not just bragging, right?" Chen Zhiyan looked at him skeptically. Hao Jian was so young; even if he knew some medical skills, it seemed unlikely he could be compared to a Divine Doctor. "Don't believe me? Take me to see the old man, I guarantee I'll cure his disease!" Seeing Chen Zhiyan doubt him irritated Hao Jian, and he wanted to astonish her. "Better not, my cousin has already taken my dad for treatment; it might be inappropriate if I bring you now," Chen Zhiyan said with a wry smile. "Your cousin? Why rescue him so late and not earlier? Why choose now?" Hao Jian found it surprising. Chen Zhiyan's father had been ill for a long time; it was strange for them to offer help at this point. Upon hearing this, Chen Zhiyan scoffed. They were so eager only because they wanted her father's land. It turned out, Chen Zhiyan's father had bought a piece of land before going bankrupt. He had planned to start a construction project as soon as he gathered the funds, but lost all his money in the process, delaying the project until now. However, with more and more business centers rising nearby, the market price of that land had soared, now reaching a sky-high price of one hundred thousand per square meter. Hao Jian was stunned, "Your dad owns a piece of land and your family is still living in poverty?" Chen Zhiyan couldn't help but laugh and cry, "I've told my father to sell the land, but he won't agree. He has seen the potential for the land to appreciate in value early on. Selling it too soon would mean losing a lot of money. You know, my dad is a businessman; he puts profit above all else, to the point of sacrificing his life for money." Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian just shook his head and smiled, "Your dad is a qualified businessman." Chapter 379 This Favor Cannot Be Owed A competent entrepreneur's ultimate goal is money, and they prioritize interest above all. They don't crave money; they simply relish the thrill of making it. But it was also because Chen Zhiyan's father didn't sell that piece of land that it is now worth so much more. Just a few years ago, it was only ten thousand per square meter, but now it's up to one hundred thousand per square meter, a world of difference. If the old man had sold the land back then, the loss would have been huge, at least several billion. "So you're saying your cousin was being so attentive to your dad and offering to treat him just because he was after that piece of land?" That would explain everything. "Although he didn't say so, I feel that's the case." Chen Zhiyan nodded. Otherwise, she wouldn't believe her materialistic second uncle and his family would have voluntarily offered to treat her father. When her dad was sick, Zhiyan had asked them to lend a few tens of thousands of yuan for medical expenses, and they refused, even though her second uncle and cousin had an annual income of tens of millions. A mere few tens of thousands was just a day's wages for them, but they simply wouldn't give it. If it hadn't been for relying on their family's wealth, her second uncle would still be selling vegetables in the market to this day. Now that they had money, they acted as if they didn't know anyone. Zhiyan was infuriated just thinking about it. "Do you trust them?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Whether I trust them or not, my dad has already been taken away by them. I can't just bring him back at this time, can I?" Chen Zhiyan said with some difficulty. Although she knew Hao Jian meant well, the back-and-forth would be troublesome if she took her dad out of the hospital now. Old folks with serious illnesses can't withstand such commotion. "Do you intend to let them just take your dad's land?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "This¡­" Zhiyan hesitated; that piece of land was her dad's life, and she certainly didn't want to easily let it go. Hao Jian turned his head, his tone meaningful, "Then you can't owe them this favor!" Chen Zhiyan's expression became somewhat blank, as it was clear that Hao Jian seemed quite confident. "By the way, besides you and your dad, does anyone else know you still have that piece of land?" Hao Jian asked curiously. Zhiyan's cousins couldn't have known about it from the start, otherwise they wouldn't have maintained such an attitude towards Zhiyan all this time. If so, there must be a reason. "This¡­ there shouldn't be anyone else." Chen Zhiyan was also puzzled by this question; it should be that no one else knew. "What about your ex-husband?" Hao Jian suddenly asked. Upon hearing this, Chen Zhiyan's expression froze, and she had an epiphany, "He definitely knows!" Hao Jian sneered, "What's the relationship between him and your cousin?" "They hang out together all the time!" Chen Zhiyan said with an unsightly face; had Hao Jian not mentioned it, she wouldn't have realized it herself. "It seems your ex-husband still isn't planning to let you go." Hao Jian's smile turned somewhat sinister. Although the other party hadn't taken action personally, they had incited Zhiyan's relatives to try to grab her properties, making her family fight among themselves. Such behavior was even more ruthless. At that moment, Zhiyan was both furious and shocked, angry at the other party's shameless behavior, and shocked that Hao Jian could see through their intentions. It was incredible! "Let's go, let's deal with your relatives first, and then confront your ex-husband!" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. ¡­ "Uncle, look at you, so frail and unable to take care of yourself, why didn't you talk to us about your difficulties earlier?" In front of Chen Dexing, a polite young man was saying with an apologetic smile, dressed in a suit and tie, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, appearing clean-cut. "Yeah, big brother, you should have told me if there was a problem. When people get sick, they need treatment, you can't just let it drag on." Another middle-aged man was also hypocritically saying. These two were Chen Zifan and his father, Chen Dexiu, Zhiyan's cousins and second uncle. A few days ago, they brought Zhiyan here for treatment and then began to warmly tend to Chen Dexing, behaving pretentiously. Chen Dexing looked up indifferently at the pretentious father and son, then said, "I know what you want, but you can stop dreaming. I will absolutely not give you that plot of land." Chen Dexing was no fool; if he were, he wouldn't have become the chairman of a conglomerate. From the moment Chen Zifan and his son appeared, he had already known what they wanted to do. Therefore, no matter what Chen Zifan and his son did, there would not be a trace of emotion in him. If Chen Zifan and his son had offered their help when he first fell ill, perhaps Chen Dexing might have considered it. Unfortunately, at that time, Chen Zifan and his son had refused him, unwilling to lend even tens of thousands of yuan, and they had even insulted Chen Zhiyan. Chen Dexing had always kept these events close to his heart, and he also harbored resentment toward Chen Zifan and his father. If not for him, Chen Zifan and his father would not have the qualifications to live in a mansion and drive sports cars, yet in the end, they were so ungrateful. "Uncle, you're being unreasonable. We're not asking for your property for free. Look at you now, so poor and destitute, and with no money to invest in real estate over there¡ªisn't it a waste to leave it empty? How about we give you ten million, and you sell us that piece of land?" Chen Zifan said with a smile. Chen Dexing snorted angrily, "A piece of land worth billions, and you want me to sell it to you for ten million? Are you out of your mind? Or do you think I'm as brain-damaged as you?" Hearing this, Chen Zifan became unhappy. His father had never scolded him like that. How dared this good-for-nothing old man speak to him in such a way? "Uncle, look at the bigger picture. You're penniless and seriously ill. If you don't have some money on hand, how are you going to get treatment? Instead of holding onto a useless piece of land that you can neither eat nor drink from, it's better to take this money and retire in peace. Isn't that right?" Chen Zifan said. Chen Dexing just sneered and lost even the interest to talk to Chen Zifan. Seeing this, Chen Zifan couldn't help frowning deeply. "Uncle, ten million is already a lot. Now that you've become a commoner, you should live like one and stop daydreaming. You'll never rise again. Rather than letting the land go to waste in your hands, it's better to let my father and I develop it. After its successful development, we will give you five percent of the company's shares. This way, you won't have to worry about your future livelihood." "We're family, we won't cheat you!" "Not cheat me? Others are offering ten billion, and you claim not to be cheating me with ten million?" Chen Dexing sneered. If this wasn't cheating, what was? Chen Zifan also felt embarrassed, knowing that his offer had been too low. Chen Dexiu stared at Chen Zifan, irritated by how greedy he was. Chen Dexing wasn't stupid; nobody would agree for a mere ten million. "Brother, don't listen to him. The kid drank last night, and his brain's still foggy, spouting nonsense," Chen Dexiu hurriedly explained. It was crucial not to let Chen Dexing feel resentful toward them; otherwise, there would be no point in even thinking about the acquisition. Chen Dexing snorted and couldn't be bothered to look at Chen Dexiu again. "Big brother, we're brothers. I won't cheat you either. I'll give you twenty billion and add five percent of the company's shares. Sell me that piece of land. How about that?" Chen Dexiu stated his terms. Unlike Chen Zifan, he wasn't foolish. He knew dealing with Chen Dexing was not easy. Being too stingy wouldn't sway this crafty old fox. "You also know you don't have the money to start work on this land, which is like clutching a treasure chest that's been locked. Even if you know its immeasurable value, you can't open it, can you? It's better to let go and sell the chest to me. With those twenty billion, you and Chen Zhiyan could live without worries or hardship for the rest of your lives. Isn't that good?" Chen Dexiu had to admit, he was much smarter than Chen Zifan. His emotional appeal and logical reasoning had indeed begun to sway Chen Dexing. Chen Dexing knew his time was limited, and even if he recovered, he probably wouldn't live long. His own death didn't concern him, but he worried about Chen Zhiyan being left alone and helpless. Chen Dexiu's offer of twenty billion wasn't exactly high, but it was certainly not small. Indeed, it was enough for Chen Zhiyan to live a carefree life. Chen Dexing also wanted to leave something for Chen Zhiyan before he died, ensuring her future would be free of worry. Seeing Chen Dexing hesitating, Chen Dexiu seized the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot. "Big brother, do you even need to think about it? Others may offer more, but it's unlikely they'd offer as much as I have. Even if they did, it would probably only be an extra ten billion. But you should remember that I'm offering five percent of Chen Dexing's company shares. Just the annual dividends would be up to ten million, which equates to a long-term wealth. If you're still worried, I can even throw in a house and a car for free, ensuring she'll have a place to live and be above ten thousand people!" "Dad!" Upon hearing that Chen Dexiu was offering so much to Chen Zhiyan, Chen Zifan immediately became discontent, as this would entail significant expenses. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire "Don't worry, I have a plan," Chen Dexiu said with a cunning smile, whispering to Chen Zifan. Seeing this, Chen Zifan brightened up, knowing his father was planning to trick someone. Underneath these boundless benefits must lie a trap that even Chen Zifan was unaware of. If Chen Dexing dared to agree, he would be cheated out of everything. "Big brother, what do you think?" Chen Dexiu asked Chen Dexing with a smile. "Not much!" As Chen Dexing wavered whether to agree, a haughty voice suddenly rang out from not too far away. Hao Jian and Chen Zhiyan appeared on the scene together. ............... Chapter 380 Meeting Again "Zhiyan?" Upon seeing Chen Zhiyan appear, Chen Dexing was slightly surprised, but when he saw Hao Jian beside her, he couldn't help but be taken aback, "Hao Jian, what brings you here?" Chen Dexing naturally recognized Hao Jian, after all, Hao Jian often visited their home for homework sessions. Chen Dexing knew that because Chen Zhiyan was considered ugly in her childhood, not many people wanted to play with her, the only exception being Hao Jian, who didn't shun her. So, from the bottom of his heart, Chen Dexing liked Hao Jian and had encouraged Chen Zhiyan more than once to pursue Hao Jian, but Chen Zhiyan never dared. Eventually, Hao Jian joined the military, never to return, and Chen Zhiyan, defying her father's opposition, married a scoundrel and ended up living a life of misery. Chen Dexing felt regret for Chen Zhiyan more than once, saying if she had only taken that brave step, she might not have had to endure such a painful life. But every time he mentioned it, Chen Zhiyan would tearfully feel wronged, and as time passed, Chen Dexing dared not bring it up anymore. But this matter had always been a sore point for him, and now seeing Chen Zhiyan and Hao Jian together, Chen Dexing was suddenly excited. Could it be that these two were planning to rekindle their past relationship? Had Chen Zhiyan opened up? Had she taken the initiative to pursue Hao Jian? If that was indeed the case, then Chen Dexing felt he could breathe a sigh of relief, as Hao Jian was definitely a trustworthy person. "Old Master, it's been a while." Hao Jian also greeted Chen Dexing with a smile. Chen Dexing too nodded absently, noticing that Hao Jian had become much more mature and composed than he was in the past, giving off the impression of someone higher up in status. Having been in the business world for so many years, Chen Dexing had developed a keen insight, and he knew that Hao Jian must be no ordinary person now! Meanwhile, Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu both looked at Hao Jian with displeasure, as they both knew it was Hao Jian who had interjected earlier. Who was Hao Jian to them, and what right did he have to interject? "Made something of yourself?" Chen Dexing looked at Hao Jian and chuckled. Although it was a question, the smile in his eyes already conveyed his strong belief that Hao Jian had succeeded. "Not at all, I'm just a humble teacher," said Hao Jian modestly. Hearing this, Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu couldn't help but display a look of disdain on their faces. Oh, just a teacher, what's so great about that? A teacher, no matter how capable, could hardly compare to them, could they? "A teacher, huh? Being a teacher is good, too, imparting knowledge and educating people, one's influence extends far and wide," Chen Dexing said, a bit disappointed. However, upon reflection, being a teacher was fine, as what he valued was Hao Jian's character, not his capabilities. As long as Hao Jian was no worse than Sun Renyao, that was enough. Of course, if Hao Jian was a bit more capable, that would be even better; then Chen Dexing could entrust him with that piece of land to manage. But for now, he could only give Hao Jian and Chen Zhiyan a dry twenty billion. Hao Jian had only just arrived, yet Chen Zhiyan was already planning to give him her property, clearly showing how much she liked him. Because ever since Hao Jian was young, he got along well with him, being a teenager who was already proficient in business and had proposed several strategies for business management to Chen Dexing, allowing him to run the company even better. If it weren't for Sun Renyao squandering the family fortune, the Chen Family could have reached new heights. Chen Dexing really couldn't imagine how such a prodigy could become a teacher; it was a waste of talent, a waste of human resources, wasn't it? And upon hearing that Hao Jian was just a teacher, Chen Zifan was immediately displeased, shouting at Hao Jian, "Who the hell do you think you are? Did I speak to you? What right do you have to butt in? Get the hell out of here!" "Hao Jian is my friend, he's here with me, what right do you have to tell him to leave?" The moment Chen Zhiyan heard this, she was upset. Having never had a good impression of the father-son duo, Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu, she could not bear it when she saw Chen Zifan trying to send Hao Jian away. "Zhiyan, you're our Chen Family's princess, how can you be friends with a loser? Aren't you ashamed?" Chen Zifan sneered. "At least he helped me when I needed it, what about you? How did my cousins and my second uncle refuse to lend me money when my father was critically ill? How did you force me to leave your house?" Chen Zhiyan retorted with a bitter laugh, she could vaguely remember the contemptuous expressions on Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu's faces when they refused to lend her money, treating her as if she were a plague. At these words, Chen Dexiu and Chen Zifan both looked slightly embarrassed, obviously remembering how they had driven Chen Zhiyan away. But ultimately, it was Chen Dexiu, the crafty old fox with the thicker skin, who after a brief silence, laughed and shamelessly said, "Zhiyan, you must be mistaken, how could I possibly do such a thing, we are your family after all. Given our wealth, would we care about a little money? How could we possibly refuse to lend you a few tens of thousands?" S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yes, yes, cousin, you must be mistaken, even if we were stingy, we couldn't possibly do such a thing," Chen Zifan quickly caught on to his father's drift and eagerly echoed. "You..." Chen Zhiyan was once again stunned by the shamelessness of the father-son duo, Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu. They had clearly done such a thing, but now they were outright denying it; just how thick could their skins be? "Enough talk, let's treat the Old Master first," commanded Hao Jian, urging Chen Zhiyan not to waste any more words on these two shameless rascals, as the priority was to cure her father's illness. "Cure the sick? You?" Chen Zifan sneered bizarrely, his voice sounding as if air was leaking from his mouth, which made it very strange. "Kid, I advise you to stop making a fool of yourself here. We've already invited a famous doctor to save my big brother's life. We don't need a quack doctor from some mountain village sticking his nose where it doesn't belong," Chen Dexiu said rudely. "Famous doctor? Who?" Hao Jian asked with great interest. He also wanted to know who exactly Chen Zifan and his son had invited that made them so arrogant. "Liang Xiaotang, ever heard of him? He's now the most prominent figure in Huaxia's medical field!" Chen Zifan said with animated eyebrows, bragging. To secure the services of Liang Xiaotang, the famous doctor, they had paid millions in consultation fees. But millions for billions¡ªthis deal was worth it! "Oh, so it's him," Hao Jian scoffed mockingly, yet he also felt surprised; it turned out it was his defeated opponent. "What, even a country doctor like you knows him?" Chen Zifan mocked. "My defeated opponent, how could I not recognize him?" Hao Jian said earnestly. "Defeated opponent?" Both Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu were stunned for a moment before bursting into exaggerated laughter, leaning forward and backward as if they'd heard the funniest joke in the world. Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire Chen Zhiyan and Chen Dexing felt embarrassed as well, thinking that Hao Jian might have gotten a bit carried away with his boasting. Liang Xiaotang was known as a Divine Doctor in Huaxia. For Hao Jian to call him his defeated opponent, wasn't that saying he was a Divine Doctor among Divine Doctors? "Why don't you say that Liang Wangsun, the North Star of the medical world, is your defeated opponent too? That would really show how awesome you are!" Chen Dexiu couldn't help but sneer, finding it too ridiculous. This kid actually claimed Liang Xiaotang was his defeated opponent. If it were true, he would be nationally famous by now, but they had never even heard of Hao Jian. "Liang Wangsun isn't my defeated opponent; he is my master," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Aiyo, I can't take it, let me wipe the tears from my eyes first." Chen Zifan was laughing so hard he couldn't straighten his back. He thought they, father and son, had thick skins, but Hao Jian's skin was even thicker than theirs. "Dad, did you hear that? He said he's Liang Wangsun's disciple. I'm laughing so hard I could pee." Chen Dexiu spoke with a sneer, "Kid, you probably don't know, but Liang Wangsun doesn't have any disciples at all. Please do your homework before you boast next time, so you don't end up embarrassing yourself." Chen Dexing also sighed with disappointment. In his memory, Hao Jian was a very steady person. Why was he boasting now? This frivolous behavior made Chen Dexing hesitate to entrust Chen Zhiyan to Hao Jian's care. "Kid, if you are Liang Wangsun's disciple, then I am Liang Wangsun's father!" Chen Zifan said disrespectfully, a triumphant smirk at the corner of his mouth: "Come on, quickly call me 'Ancestral Master'!" Hearing this, Hao Jian's expression suddenly turned icy: "Illness comes from the mouth as disaster comes from the tongue; there are some things that should not be said recklessly, do you understand?" Liang Wangsun was his master, and Chen Zifan was insulting Liang Wangsun right in front of him. How could Hao Jian tolerate that? This was a matter of principle! "What did I say? I am Liang Wangsun's father? You don't believe me? I almost believed you're Liang Wangsun's disciple, so why can't you believe I'm his father?" He laughed heartily, the words full of humiliation toward Hao Jian. Hao Jian also chuckled ominously, "Considering what you said, I think I have no choice but to break your leg!" If warnings were ineffective, then he had nothing more to say. "Break my leg? Based on what you can?" Chen Zifan looked disdainful, not taking Hao Jian's words seriously at all. "Is someone here looking for a doctor?" Just at that moment, Liang Xiaotang finally arrived, late as he was. "Divine Doctor Liang, you've finally come!" Chen Dexiu hurriedly went up to greet him, saying, "Divine Doctor Liang, there was a kid just now claiming to be a doctor, and he even had the audacity to say you are his defeated opponent!" "Who?" Upon hearing this, Liang Xiaotang's face turned cold instantly, as he had become extremely sensitive to the term "defeated opponent" after his defeat to Hao Jian. "It's this kid!" Chen Dexiu angrily pointed at Hao Jian. Liang Xiaotang looked in the direction Chen Dexiu was pointing, and his expression instantly froze. Hao Jian, smiling merrily, waved at him and greeted enthusiastically, "Hey, nice to see you again." ............ Chapter 381 The Divine Doctor is Not a God Liang Xiaotang was petrified on the spot; that bastard was actually here too? How could she run into him everywhere she went? The person Liang Xiaotang hated the most was Hao Jian, and the person she was most afraid of running into was also Hao Jian. She was no match for him, and she felt utterly ashamed in his presence. "Divine Doctor Liang, that kid not only said that he was beaten by you but also claimed to be Liang Wangsun's apprentice. Isn't that funny?" Chen Zifan laughed heartily, thinking himself very humorous. At that moment, Liang Xiaotang shot Chen Zifan a murderous look, "Is it funny?" Chen Zifan thought it was funny, but Liang Xiaotang didn't find it amusing at all, because she truly was defeated by Hao Jian. Seeing Liang Xiaotang's gloomy expression, Chen Zifan was also caught off guard and hurriedly said, "Divine Doctor Liang, these weren't my words, that kid said it!" Although Chen Zifan appeared to be Liang Xiaotang's employer, he knew better than to provoke her. She had saved the lives of many people, some of whom were far superior to their family in terms of power and status. If Liang Xiaotang really decided to take action against their family, all she had to do was say the word, and there would be a whole bunch of people vying to help out. After all, in this era, everyone is afraid of death, and everyone hopes to have a Divine Doctor on their side to help in critical moments. Moreover, what was really important was that Liang Xiaotang had another identity besides being a Divine Doctor, and it was this identity that truly intimidated him. "I asked you, do you think it's funny?" Liang Xiaotang demanded aggressively, her eyes seeming to breathe fire. Both Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu were bewildered, clueless as to why Liang Xiaotang had suddenly picked a quarrel with them. "I'm asking you!" Liang Xiaotang roared like a mad person. She was indeed furious, for losing to Hao Jian was a lifelong humiliation, and Chen Zifan's mockery only fueled her anger. Chen Zhiyan and Chen Dexing were also stunned, unsure of what was wrong with Liang Xiaotang, who seemed like a lunatic. "No... it's not funny!" Chen Zifan quickly shook his head, completely intimidated by Liang Xiaotang's demeanor. "If it's not funny, why are you laughing?" Liang Xiaotang roared again, seemingly unwilling to let Chen Zifan off easily. "Then... is it funny?" Chen Zifan asked tentatively. "I laugh at your mother!" Liang Xiaotang, unable to contain her rage, swung her hand across Chen Zifan's face. Chen Zifan was struck dumb on the spot; he was almost in tears. If not laughing was wrong and laughing was also wrong, should he laugh or not? At least give him a straight answer! "Divine Doctor Liang, where did my son offend you? Just tell us, and I assure you he will change." Chen Dexiu tried to appease with a smile, not daring to upset Liang Xiaotang. "Change? I'll change your mother's head!" Liang Xiaotang exploded, kicking Chen Dexiu hard in the stomach and knocking him to the ground. "Dad, are you okay?" Chen Zifan rushed to help Chen Dexiu, then glared furiously at Liang Xiaotang, "Liang Xiaotang, have you gone mad? How have we offended you?" "You mock me, and yet you say you haven't offended me?" Liang Xiaotang said with a face full of hatred. "Mock you? When did we ever mock you?" Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu were completely taken aback; they hadn't said anything at all. "You all know that I lost to him, yet you mock me with it, and you say you're not mocking me?" Liang Xiaotang laughed bitterly, her face twisted with spite. Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire When Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu heard Liang Xiaotang say this, they were instantly dumbstruck, their faces a picture of surprise. Liang Xiaotang had really lost to this guy? Was this guy really as he claimed, a Divine Doctor even more formidable than Liang Xiaotang? If it hadn't come from Liang Xiaotang's own mouth, Chen Zifan and his son would never have believed it to be true. "Losing to him is my damn business, what's it to you? Who the hell are you to judge? You ****** what?" Liang Xiaotang said venomously, thinking that Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu were deliberately irritating him with the knowledge that she had lost to Hao Jian. "Divine Doctor Liang, you've misunderstood, we really didn't know that you lost to him," Chen Dexiu said, his voice filled with sorrow, knowing that Liang Xiaotang had misunderstood. "You're still talking!" Liang Xiaotang's eyes were about to split with rage, and she lifted her leg, ready to kick Chen Dexiu again. How dare this guy bring up exactly the topic she least wanted to hear? Chen Dexiu quickly curled up tightly, trembling all over, not daring to say another word. "Two stupid pricks, inviting that son of a bitch and then inviting me, you're deliberately making fun of me, aren't you?" Liang Xiaotang scoffed coldly, clearly harboring deep resentment towards Hao Jian. "Hey hey hey, I'm still here," Hao Jian complained, upset that Liang Xiaotang was cursing him right to his face, showing him no regard at all. Liang Xiaotang turned her piercing gaze on Hao Jian, "Hao Jian, don't you feel smug. Though I lost to you once, at next month's international Traditional Chinese Medicine conference, I will defeat you! Do you have the courage to accept my challenge?" "The defeated, why should I fear?" Hao Jian said nonchalantly. Upon seeing Hao Jian's smugness, Chen Zifan and the others were also stunned. Was this guy too arrogant or what? After all, Liang Xiaotang was the youngest Divine Doctor of the era! "Very well, very well, very well..." Liang Xiaotang's face darkened as he repeated the word three times, giving Hao Jian a thumbs-up, "You'll find out what real Traditional Chinese Medicine is when the time comes. I hope you can bring your mentor Liang Wangsun as well, so he can see how his disciple falls at my hands!" Liang Xiaotang's words were like a bombshell, startling Chen Zifan and the others. Could it be that this guy was actually a disciple of Liang Wangsun? Chen Zhiyan and Chen Dexing couldn't help but show a look of shock. Initially, they had some doubts about Hao Jian. Chen Dexing even thought Hao Jian was bragging, but it wasn't until Liang Xiaotang revealed the truth did they realize Hao Jian was truly formidable. "After you defeat me, I'll take you to my mentor myself so you can humiliate him!" Hao Jian said rapidly, exuding supreme confidence. "I'll be waiting," Liang Xiaotang snorted coldly and then turned to leave. "Divine Doctor Liang, you haven't treated our illness yet." Chen Zifan hurriedly called out. Liang Xiaotang looked at Chen Zifan coldly, "If you've already invited him, why do you need me? S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Having said that, Liang Xiaotang ignored Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu, who were already standing there dumbfounded, and walked away. Not just them, even Chen Zhiyan and her father were dumbstruck. They too had thought Hao Jian only understood a little bit of medicine, never imagining that even a Divine Doctor like Liang Xiaotang would be defeated by him. Chen Dexing couldn't help but be overjoyed, secretly pleased that he hadn't misjudged the person. He had known from the start that Hao Jian was no ordinary person, and now it seemed he was indeed so. At this time, Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu's faces were looking pretty ugly, and their gaze towards Hao Jian was tinged with fear. If even someone of Liang Xiaotang's standing was humiliated by Hao Jian, how could they dare to challenge him? With a background as profound as Liang Xiaotang's, if Hao Jian were just a nameless nobody, the former could put an end to him with a mere word. Yet Hao Jian was still alive and well, which said everything. It wasn't that Liang Xiaotang didn't want to kill him, it was that he couldn't. "Dad, let's go," Chen Zifan whispered to Chen Dexiu, realizing something was off. Hao Jian was definitely playing coy, he couldn't possibly be just an ordinary character. Just the title of Liang Wangsun's disciple was enough trouble for them. Liang Wangsun was a towering figure in the medical field, even national leaders treated him with great respect, let alone them. If they really did something to Hao Jian, and Liang Wangsun blamed them for it, they'd be in trouble. "Right." Chen Dexiu also quickly nodded, knowing there was no hope for today's matter and that there was no point in staying any longer. "Hold on, did I say you could leave?" Hao Jian suddenly shifted his gaze, firmly locking onto the two Chens. Chen Zifan and his son suddenly changed their expressions, looking at Hao Jian somewhat unnaturally, their hearts uneasy. "You will sit here obediently, wait until I've cured the old man, and then I have words for you," Hao Jian pointed at the two Chens as he spoke, his words carrying an undeniable authority. Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu exchanged glances, and both could not help but let out a wry smile, knowing Hao Jian didn't plan to let them off so easily. "Old master, shall I have a look at you?" Hao Jian asked. "That would be appreciated!" Chen Dexing nodded with a happy smile. Hao Jian proceeded to take Chen Dexing's pulse and asked him to stick out his tongue to check its color, after which his expression grew more solemn. Seeing this, Chen Zhiyan couldn't help but grow nervous, "How is it, is my father's illness very severe?" "This... sigh..." Hao Jian seemed hesitant to speak. Seeing this, Chen Dexing was actually much more composed, smiling, "Hao Jian, speak your mind. Life and death are predestined, and wealth and honor are in heaven's hands. Whatever the result is, I can bear it." It was only then that Hao Jian began, "Old master, over seventy percent of your bodily functions are already necrotic, which is probably related to your state of mind. You have been in a state of anxiety and pessimism for a long time, which has accelerated the deterioration of your illness. If I don't treat you, you have at most two years left to live!" "What?" At these words, Chen Zhiyan was also shocked. Although she knew her father was seriously ill, she hadn't expected it to be this serious, with only two years left. However, Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu felt a surge of joy at the news. Chen Dexing was going to pass away so soon; after his death, the land would definitely fall into Chen Dexing's hands. Given how na?ve Chen Dexing was, they might even be able to buy the land from her at a much lower price. Hearing what Hao Jian said, Chen Dexing's face remained calm as he asked with a smile, "Then how long could I live if you saved me?" "Ten years! You have only ten years left, and after that, even I will be helpless," Hao Jian sighed. "It won't be like that. Aren't you a Divine Doctor? Liang Xiaotang has lost to you, so you must have a way to save my dad, right?" Chen Zhiyan clutched Hao Jian's hand tightly, refusing to let go as she looked at him pleadingly. Chapter 382 Son-in-law Hao Jian also revealed a bitter smile, "Though I am the Divine Doctor, I am not a god after all. The cycle of life, how could it possibly be decided by me?" Upon hearing this, Chen Zhiyan was completely stunned, as if her soul had left her, and she couldn't snap back to reality for a long time. Chen Dexing patted Chen Zhiyan's hand, smiling as he comforted her, "Don't be like this. To be able to earn another eight years, I'm already content. I originally thought I wouldn't live much longer, but now that I have ten years, I can do many things. This year I'm fifty-five, another ten years and I'll be sixty-five, that's about right." Chen Zhiyan threw herself into Chen Dexing's arms, crying out loudly, "Dad, I'm sorry, I have let you down. If it weren't for my marriage to Sun Renyao, if I hadn't squandered the family fortune, you wouldn't have been so furious as to fall ill from it. It's all my fault!" "Dad's health issues are the result of long-term irregular living habits, it has nothing to do with you," Chen Dexing shook his head, lovingly stroking Chen Zhiyan's head. Then, Chen Dexing looked up at Hao Jian with sincerity, "Hao Jian, you know I don't have long to live. In light of our acquaintance, I have a favor to ask of you, and that is to take good care of Chen Zhiyan for me. I don't ask for much, just make sure she's well-fed and warm and doesn't suffer." "Rest assured, leave it to me!" Hao Jian nodded firmly. Even if Chen Dexing hadn't mentioned it, Hao Jian would have taken care of Chen Zhiyan, since this was well within his means. Immediately after, Chen Dexing, as if without any regrets, turned to look at Chen Zifan and his son, and said in a deep voice, "I'll sell that land to you!" At these words, Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu were instantly overjoyed. They had thought that this deal was off, but Chen Dexing had unexpectedly made this move. "Old man, you can't do this," Hao Jian suddenly interjected. He knew what Chen Dexing intended to do, but he had already investigated and knew that Chen Zifan and his son had no intention of paying. It was all just conspiracy and calculation. Hearing Hao Jian's objection, Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu were itching with hatred but didn't dare to utter a sound. Chen Dexing was taken aback, asking in confusion, "What's wrong?" "They never intended to pay you. Yesterday, they borrowed two billion in your name. As soon as you sign the contract, they'll immediately inform their creditors to come after you. Those people are not to be trifled with, you'll have to pay whether you like it or not. Moreover, the five percent shares they promised you earlier are false. Their company has been losing money for years and has already been acquired by another group. From start to finish, they never planned to pay you a single cent!" Hao Jian said with a sneer. Upon hearing this, Chen Dexing was instantly shocked. His eyes widened as he turned to look at Chen Zifan and his son. At that moment, Chen Zifan and his son also looked as if they had seen a ghost¡ªthey couldn't understand how Hao Jian knew about this. This matter was known only to them and the creditors; no fourth person was aware. How did Hao Jian know? Seeing the expressions on Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu, Chen Dexing immediately realized the truth in Hao Jian's words. These two beasts were actually planning to swindle him. "Very well, you really are my good brother and nephew indeed!" Chen Dexing had not expected that, even at this point, Chen Zifan and his son would still try to swindle him. Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu were completely stunned, speechless, and thus did not respond to Chen Dexing's accusation. Hao Jian looked at the two, who now appeared rather ridiculous, and sneered, "Surprised, are you? Wondering how I came to know about this?" Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu didn't speak, but the hope in their eyes gave away their desire to know. Their scheme was supposed to be foolproof. How did Hao Jian find out? "The mistake was in choosing the wrong person. You shouldn't have gone to Liu Rizhao because, as it happens, I know Liu Rizhao, and as it also happens, Liu Rizhao is very afraid of me. So with just a little investigation into you, I've got your whole story clear as day," sneered Hao Jian. At those words, Chen Zifan and Chen Dexiu finally understood¡ªit was Liu Rizhao who betrayed them. What shocked them was that Hao Jian could say that Liu Rizhao was afraid of him. If even Liu Rizhao, the real estate magnate of Hua City, feared Hao Jian, how terrifying must Hao Jian's identity be? "You could be so ruthless to your own brothers, it seems your hearts have indeed been eaten by dogs," Hao Jian said as he slowly walked toward Chen Zifan and his son. "What do you want to do?" Chen Zifan looked at Hao Jian, nervous. "I've already made myself clear. If you insult my master, I will break your legs, and now I'm going to keep my promise," Hao Jian said with a sinister smile. Hao Jian grabbed Chen Zifan by the throat and lifted him up in the air. "Dad... help... help me!" Chen Zifan's voice was strained, intermittent like a duck being strangled. "Mr. Hao Jian, we know we were wrong. Please give us another chance..." Chen Dexiu hurried over, ready to plead for Chen Zifan. But Hao Jian didn't even glance at him, swinging back a slap that sent Chen Dexiu flying. Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire "To be arrogant, you need capital, but obviously, you two don't have it!" said Hao Jian expressionlessly. "Big brother, save Chen Zifan! He's your nephew, too!" In utter despair, Chen Dexiu humbly turned to Chen Dexing for help. A hint of satisfaction flashed across Chen Dexing's face, "You're not my brother, and he's not my nephew." Chen Dexiu's expression instantly tensed, clearly aware of what Chen Dexing's words implied, meaning he wasn't planning to meddle in their affairs anymore. "Bang!" Hao Jian forcefully slammed Chen Zifan to the ground, a move that left Chen Zifan dazed and unable to get up for quite a while. At that moment, Hao Jian stomped on Chen Zifan's knee. "Aow!" Chen Zifan let out a sharp cry on the spot, his entire body tensed as if his muscles were being pulled, his agonizing scream tearing through the hospital. "Young man, you should learn some manners, otherwise you're going to suffer," said Hao Jian, patting Chen Zifan's contorted, twitching face before delivering a kick to his head. Bang! S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chen Zifan's head hit the floor, and his cries suddenly stopped. "Finally, some peace," Hao Jian revealed a cruel smile. "Zifan, Zifan, are you okay, Zifan!" Chen Dexiu rushed over, embracing his son, whose life or death was uncertain, looking suddenly decades older. "Don't worry, I didn't kill him, just crippled him. After all, you said it yourself, you are the old man's brother. I have to give the old man some face, don't I?" Hao Jian said with a grin, his arrogance enough to infuriate anyone! Chen Dexiu watched Hao Jian through gritted teeth, looking as if he wanted to tear Hao Jian limb from limb. "I really dislike when people look at me with that sort of eyes. If you keep glaring at me like that, I think I will have no choice but to gouge out your eyes," said Hao Jian, shrugging his shoulders in feigned helplessness. Upon hearing this, Chen Dexiu quickly suppressed his emotions and lowered his head, no longer daring to glare at Hao Jian. Since Hao Jian dared to hurt his son in public, it meant that he truly didn't care about the law, and gouging out his eyes wouldn't be a problem for him. Against such a ruthless person, Chen Dexiu thought it was better not to provoke him. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, look at how you have no backbone. I tell you to stop glaring, and you just stop. Are you still planning on avenging your son with your cowardice? Do you even have the right?" Chen Dexiu was so angry he almost spit blood¡ªthis was too damn frustrating! "Alright, I won't tease you anymore, just get lost and pay the medical bills on your way out," Hao Jian said impatiently, gesturing for Chen Dexiu to leave as if shooing away an annoying fly. Chen Dexiu took Chen Zifan away, his face full of shame, casting a seething look at Chen Dexing and his daughter, and then left resentfully. However, throughout the process, he never dared to glance in Hao Jian's direction. "I'm really sorry about this, Hao Jian, for causing such a scene," said Chen Dexing with an apologetic face. Even now, he seemed distressed. If he could have helped it, no one would want family to turn against each other. "It's okay, old man, I've seen all of life's warmth and coldness. Nothing surprises me anymore," replied Hao Jian, waving it off as if he had seen worse. Chen Dexing gave a wry smile, then calmed his emotions and changed the subject, "Let's not talk about this anymore, I have something very important to discuss with you." "What is it?" Hao Jian asked, surprised. Chen Dexing looked at Hao Jian, then at Chen Zhiyan, and said, "Since you are not an outsider, I'll speak plainly. I plan to sell that piece of land and give the money from the sale to you and Zhiyan." He trusted Hao Jian completely. Knowing how much Chen Zhiyan adored Hao Jian, she would definitely not hide the news of a highly valuable plot of land from her family. And from Hao Jian's earlier comments, Chen Dexing gathered that Hao Jian already knew. In such a scenario, most people would wish for his swift death since, once he was gone, Chen Zhiyan would be left alone and they could easily sweet-talk the land out of her hands. But Hao Jian hadn't acted that way; he chose to extend his own life, to let him live another ten years, which meant Hao Jian would wait ten more years to get that land. This meant that Hao Jian was not after his money. Since Hao Jian was willing to act this way, he should too! "No, I can understand you giving it to Chen Zhiyan, but why give it to me?" said Hao Jian, both amused and dismayed. After all, he was an outsider, wasn't he? "Hey... you can't say that. Now that you and Zhiyan are together, you're practically my son-in-law. Whether I give it to her or to you, isn't it all the same?" Chen Dexing said. "Son-in-law?" Hao Jian was caught between laughter and tears, looking at Chen Zhiyan for help. Chen Zhiyan could not help but blush, somewhat annoyed, "Dad, what are you talking about? When did I tell you Hao Jian was my boyfriend? We're just normal friends." " " Chapter 383 Financial Summit "It doesn't matter if you don't have it, you still have a share in this land," Chen Dexing sighed. Although he felt somewhat disappointed because Chen Zhiyan hadn't been able to resolve Hao Jian's issues, it didn't affect Chen Dexing's trust in Hao Jian at all. "How can this be? There's an old saying, 'no work, no pay,' I dare not accept such a valuable gift," Hao Jian said with a bitter smile, feeling somewhat helpless. The old man had just met him and was already giving such a valuable gift, leaving Hao Jian at a loss for words. "Hao Jian, I'm not afraid to tell you outright, I'm giving you this land not without strings attached¡ªyou have to promise me that you will take good care of Zhiyan in the future," Chen Dexing said, his main concern being Chen Zhiyan. "Old man, look at what you're saying, even without this land, I would still take good care of her, after all, we have been classmates for so many years," Hao Jian said with a mix of laughter and tears, Chen Dexing was really underestimating him. "I know, I didn't mean it that way, you also know that the land is valuable, it would be such a waste to just sell it. But Zhiyan is not business-minded, even if I handed the land over to her, I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to capitalize on it," Chen Dexing said with a bitter smile. If Chen Zhiyan had such abilities, he wouldn't have needed to rely on Hao Jian. "Then how do you know I can handle it? I know nothing about running a business," Hao Jian gently refused. "My eyes are sharp, you can't fool me," Chen Dexing said somewhat proudly, his murky eyes squinting into slits: "If you were just an ordinary teacher, you wouldn't have been able to scare off those two scoundrels. I believe in your abilities." "This..." Hao Jian hesitated. "Hao Jian, just listen to my dad, as a man, shouldn't you have your own career? I also believe you can do well, and then you just need to give me dividends every year. I really don't understand business matters," Chen Zhiyan also chimed in from the side. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Alright¡­" Hao Jian reluctantly agreed, and what Chen Zhiyan said made sense. After all, a man should indeed have his own career. Shu Ya's company was hers, and although he was one of the major shareholders, it was ultimately not his own. Seeing Hao Jian agree, Chen Dexing appeared very excited. His aged hands, looking like withered branches, tightly clung to Hao Jian and wouldn't let go. "Hao Jian, our Chen family fell into decline because of me. I hope to see it rise again through you before I die. You... you must not disappoint me!" ... After dropping off Chen Zhiyan at her home, Hao Jian then drove back to his own. Upon arriving at the doorstep, however, he saw Lv Shaowei standing there, and at that moment, Tongtong was very unwillingly walking down from the car. Ruo Lan came out from inside and seeing Tongtong coming back in Lv Shaowei's car, her expression turned gloomy. She scolded Tongtong, "Tongtong, didn't I tell you that Mommy would come to pick you up? Why bother uncle?" "It wasn't me bothering uncle, he insisted on bringing me back," Tongtong pouted her lips, looking as if she could hang a kettle off them in injury. "Don't blame the child, I just happened to be passing by," Lv Shaowei said with a face full of smiles, still unwilling to give up, he couldn't believe that he was worse than some "loser." Ruo Lan was about to scold Lv Shaowei, but seeing Hao Jian appear, she suddenly changed her demeanor and smiled warmly, "Well, thank you very much. How about I get you a glass of water?" Seeing this, not just Hao Jian, even Lv Shaowei was taken aback, unable to fathom why this woman had suddenly changed her attitude so drastically. However, this was naturally good news for Lv Shaowei; he thought: Could this woman have had an epiphany? Given Ruo Lan's apparent interest, Lv Shaowei certainly wasn't going to refuse, and he happily followed her inside. When he saw Hao Jian, he purposely gave him a provocative look. "Little kid, still trying to compete with me for a woman? You're still too green!" Hao Jian couldn't help but frown, but after Lv Shaowei went in, he asked Ruo Lan, "Ruo Lan, why is he here?" Ruo Lan puffed her cheeks and said with some resentment, "What's it to you? Do I have to report to you when I receive a guest?" "Uh¡­" Hao Jian was at a loss for words and couldn't help but feel confused. Was this woman on something today? "But this guy is no good, you know that," Hao Jian pleaded, Lv Shaowei clearly had a family yet was still seducing other women, and was shamelessly using a child as an excuse, clearly with nefarious intentions. Being with such a man, Ruo Lan would definitely suffer. "Choosing what kind of man I want is my freedom, I will absolutely not let it affect my emotions again, absolutely not!" With those words, Ruo Lan slammed the door and went inside. "Has this woman lost her mind?" Hao Jian stood dumbfounded at the door, unable to comprehend what had just happened. "Miss Ruo Lan, I had no idea you cared so much about me, I'm truly touched," Lv Shaowei inside thought Ruo Lan was interested in him, nearly drooling in excitement. But at that moment, Ruo Lan, her face stern, coldly replied, "Hurry up and drink, then leave!" "..." Lv Shaowei was stunned¡ªRuo Lan had just welcomed him with a smile and then abruptly changed, what did it mean? ... Meanwhile, Hao Jian had returned to his own home, puzzled, he asked, "Shu Ya, what's wrong with Sister Lan today?" Shu Ya, who was folding clothes, turned around, equally puzzled, "Her? How would I know what's wrong with her?" "She just blew up at me for no reason," Hao Jian said with a look of grievance, feeling that he hadn't done anything wrong. Shu Ya chuckled coldly, "That's probably because you're too annoying." "Nonsense, I look like Pan An, how could she possibly dislike me? I guess it's because she loves me too much, and because she can't have me, she's furious," Hao Jian said narcissistically. Shu Ya stared blankly, this jerk actually knew? However, seeing the earnest look on Hao Jian's face, Shu Ya was certain this guy definitely had no clue; he was just putting on airs. Upon realizing this, Shu Ya slightly relaxed and then handed Hao Jian a suit, "This is a suit I just bought; come with me to a banquet tonight." "Banquet? What banquet?" Hao Jian looked uncomfortable, as he loathed mingling with high society and didn't want to face those hypocrites. "The International Finance Summit, organized by a Huaxia business organization. Some of Huaxia's most notable figures will be there, and I'm fortunate to have been invited," Shu Ya replied, though usually, with her status, she wouldn't qualify to attend such a grand event. Though Shu Ya Group is among the top in Hua City, it doesn't qualify to participate in international conferences like this. Her invitation was simply because the organizer wanted to give face to Xu Donghe, after all, Shu Ya was his business partner. Of course, this was all thanks to Hao Jian, who enabled Shu Ya to stand at the pinnacle of the world, gathering with countless top business elites from around the globe. "Can I not go?" "You try not going!" Shu Ya glared. "Son of a b****!" Hao Jian muttered, annoyed. "F***! You dare curse in front of me?" Shu Ya immediately became upset. Hao Jian couldn't help but laugh and cry, "Big sister, didn't you just curse too?" "It's not the same!" Shu Ya retorted coquettishly. "How is it different?" Hao Jian asked with a sneer. "I'm prettier!" Shu Ya declared proudly; being around Hao Jian had thickened her skin, so much so that she said it as if it were the most natural thing, leaving Hao Jian stunned. Wasn't shamelessness his trademark? Robbed of his trademark, could Hao Jian tolerate it? "Bullshit, I'm also very handsome!" Hao Jian retorted angrily. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire "Can handsomeness be used as money? Can it swipe an ATM?" Shu Ya scoffed derisively, what use is being handsome when beauty is truly valuable today? "Why not? Didn't you chase after me because I am handsome, even insisting on financially supporting me! Ordinary handsomeness might be useless, but it has to be standout like mine!" Hao Jian replied with disdain, didn't Shu Ya covet his good looks back then? Shu Ya snorted, "If it weren't for a despicable little person taking advantage of me while I was asleep, doing things he shouldn't have, would I fall for your ugly ass?" With that, Shu Ya no longer wanted to interact with this narcissistic man and walked outside. Ugly ass? Am I an ugly ass? She actually called me an ugly ass? Hao Jian was shocked, as if struck by lightning, and couldn't recover for a long time. After a long while, he finally gestured spasmodically with his facial muscles, muttering to himself, "Impossible, that absolutely can't be her true thoughts, she must have said that just to insult me, ha ha¡­ ha ha ha ha¡­" ... Not only did Shu Ya take Hao Jian along, but she also specifically invited Ruo Lan and her daughter; after all, invited guests could bring family members. However, in the car, Ruo Lan remained silent the whole time, her face expressionless. Seeing her mother unhappy, Little Tongtong didn't dare to be naughty and sat quietly next to her, making the atmosphere in the car awkward. Noticing this, the corners of Shu Ya's mouth seemed to curl into a faint smile, as if she had realized something. Jinxiu Villa, Hua City's most luxurious private clubhouse, which typically only catered to the elite. Money alone couldn't grant access here. Yet today, the usually tranquil and elegant Jinxiu Villa was bustling, best described as a swarm of guests. Business elites from around the world had gathered here this evening. Just then, two grand rows of car fleets entered Jinxiu Villa; the first to step out of the vehicle was a refined young man in an immaculate white suit. His long, flowing hair didn't make him look effeminate but rather more dashing and unrestrained. Coupled with his delicate features, many socialites were taken aback upon seeing him. "He's here, Kong Xiaozhen is here!" a stir went through the crowd, men looking at him with respect and women with adoration. Chapter 384 Make Him Beg Me to Enter As Kong Xiaozhen slowly put on white gloves, his hand grasping a costly scepter, he walked into the venue with a leisurely grace, a faint smile eternally playing at his lips. At the same time, another car procession brought a figure clad in a black suit and white scarf, his features proud and his brow bearing a hint of an imposing air. "Liang Jiankun is here too?" A stir arose once more among the crowd. At this moment, everyone, regardless of gender, looked at Liang Jiankun with fearful eyes. It wasn't because Liang Jiankun lacked good looks or charm to appeal to women, but because everyone in high society knew that he was ruthless and brutal. His past deeds had instilled enough fear that women didn't dare to approach him. In their eyes, Liang Jiankun was a fierce monster, selective in his prey no one dared to entertain thoughts about him, in any aspect. Unconcerned, Liang Jiankun walked into the venue with his head held high, his presence so commanding that many of the young talents present dared not even raise their heads. "Have you arrived?" Kong Xiaozhen got two glasses of wine from a waiter and handed one to Liang Jiankun. Liang Jiankun gave Kong Xiaozhen an indifferent glance and accepted the glass. Not everyone was privileged enough to offer him a drink, but Kong Xiaozhen happened to have that privilege. "Out of the Four Young Masters of Hua City, it's just the two of us. It's quite lonely, isn't it?" Kong Xiaozhen teased. "He Changhuan is abroad, and as for Baili Zhan, that idiot, do you really want to see him?" Liang Jiankun scoffed. Among the younger generation of the He Family, there was no one capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun. Although He Changhuan was also among the Four Young Masters, he was almost forty years old, almost an elder compared to Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun. It's somewhat shameless to admit, but there's no help for it when the He Family lacks a standout youth to step up. Reluctantly, they had to put He Changhuan forward. As for Baili Zhan, he was an oddity, the only one of the Four Young Masters who didn't act the part, a freak known as "the legendary useless man"! Hearing Liang Jiankun speak this way, Kong Xiaozhen couldn't help but crack a smile, "Are you still holding a grudge over that time he got drunk and puked on you?" At this, Liang Jiankun immediately shot Kong Xiaozhen a murderous look. That incident was an embarrassing blot on his life, and due to it, his hatred for number 4 was as strong as his resentment towards Hao Jian. Kong Xiaozhen shrugged and said with a smile, "Don't look at me like that. Others may be afraid of you, but I am not." Liang Jiankun's stature might intimidate others, but it had no effect on Kong Xiaozhen, who was also one of the Four Young Masters. This also highlighted that the relationship between the Four Young Masters was not exactly harmonious. Liang Jiankun knew that Kong Xiaozhen wasn't afraid of him, so he just huffed displeasure and remained silent. "Do you think he will come today?" Kong Xiaozhen asked with interest. "Him? What qualification does he have to attend such a gathering?" Liang Jiankun sneered. He was well aware that Kong Xiaozhen was referring to Hao Jian. In his opinion, Hao Jian was just a bumpkin, clueless about business, and those gathered here were business elites and magnates. What qualification did Hao Jian have to come here? To humiliate himself? Everyone else would be discussing finance and corporate culture, what would he understand? Just then, Hao Jian walked past, holding Shu Ya's hand. Instantly, Liang Jiankun's brows twitched uncontrollably. This was an outright slap in the face. "Look, isn't he here?" Kong Xiaozhen walked up to Liang Jiankun, chuckling, as his gaze, sharp as a viper's, locked onto Hao Jian. Clearly, both men loathed Hao Jian to their very bones, still vividly remembering the events that had transpired. For a Young Master held in such high regard, being publicly humiliated was an intolerable disgrace. If you were to ask who hated Hao Jian the most in the world, undoubtedly it would be Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun. "How does he have the gall to attend this kind of summit?" Liang Jiankun said with a murderous face, trembling all over. He and Hao Jian, appearing in the same place¡ªwhat would people talk about? S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They would say he was beaten by Hao Jian! They would say he was nothing but a loser beneath Hao Jian, claiming that the Four Young Masters of Hua City were worth less than nothing! Hao Jian was his nemesis. If he hadn't shown up, nothing would be amiss, but here he was, showing up at the worst possible moment, humiliating him all over again in front of everyone. "It must be because of his fiancee, I guess," Kong Xiaozhen conjectured and then instructed someone beside him, "Stop that kid." "Stop him? You think these useless ones of yours can stop him?" Liang Jiankun said with disdain. "We still have to try. Or would you rather just stand by and watch him walk all over our faces?" Kong Xiaozhen said with a dark smile, sipping from his glass. "I know the owner of Jinxiu Villa, and I believe he'll give me this face." "Hello, I am a guest invited to the summit. My name is Shu Ya; would you mind checking my name on your list?" Shu Ya said to the middle-aged man who resembled a butler at the entrance. The butler glanced at the names on the list, then nodded and made a welcoming gesture to Shu Ya and the others, "Please, this way!" "You can enter, but they cannot!" However, just at that moment, a cold, mocking laugh came from not too far away. Hao Jian and the others looked towards the direction of the voice, and immediately saw a middle-aged man in a tailcoat approaching, his hair somewhat gray and his figure slightly plump. "Boss!" The housekeeper nodded slightly, his attitude very respectful. "Hmm." The middle-aged man responded indifferently, a contemptuous gaze falling onto Hao Jian and his companions; he was none other than the owner of Jinxiu Villa, Lin Yuanhui. Of course, he had come to stir up trouble, with the goal of preventing Hao Jian from smoothly entering the venue. Hearing this, Shu Ya and the others couldn't help but frown, "Why not? It was clearly stated earlier that there was no restriction on bringing family members." Shu Ya also felt something was amiss. Even the owner had come forward to stop them; wasn't this an exaggeration? "Others may bring family, but you cannot," Lin Yuanhui said with a cold laugh. "Why?" Shu Ya's voice began to turn icy. The other party was clearly picking a fight. Why could others bring family but not her? At that moment, Hao Jian noticed Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen standing at a distant second floor. Liang Jiankun was staring at him coldly, while Kong Xiaozhen had a malicious look on her face. In an instant, Hao Jian understood why he had been stopped, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl into a fierce arc. "No reason. I just don't like the look of you, is that okay?" Lin Yuanhui sneered. Having offended someone they shouldn't have, they still ask why? Truly brain-dead. Lin Yuanhui himself was a prominent figure in Hua City. Although he wasn't quite on par with Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen, he wasn't far behind, so he wasn't afraid of Hao Jian. Moreover, today he was merely lending his house to an influential figure in the world of business, who had quite the clout on Wall Street. Now, all the business elites were gathered here to discuss world finance. If Hao Jian dared to make trouble here, that person would certainly not let him off easily! That influential figure wasn't like Liang Jiankun, just some young upstart. A sneeze from him could send tremors down Wall Street¡ªa terrifying existence that could play with someone's life as if it were nothing. "You..." Shu Ya stamped her foot in anger, also infuriated by Lin Yuanhui's shamelessness. At that moment, like Ruo Lan, both had flushed faces because all the surrounding people were looking at them with a mocking gaze. "Well then, you can either come in by yourself, or you can scram with them. In any case, Lin Yuanhui's residence absolutely does not allow riffraff to enter!" Lin Yuanhui said with a spiteful expression. "Who are you calling riffraff?" Ruo Lan also lost her temper. She hadn't done anything to provoke him¡ªon what grounds was Lin Yuanhui verbally abusing them? "Aren't you riffraff?" Lin Yuanhui looked at Ruo Lan and Tongtong with disdain, huffing, "Don't think you can change your nature just by putting on nice clothes. Your inherent lowliness is blatantly obvious, glancing around nervously, making noise wherever you step. Do you even know what elegance is? You're just like migrant workers entering the city, exuding such a wretched air!" As these words were spoken, the nobles couldn't help but laugh mockingly, casting scornful looks at Ruo Lan and her daughter, with someone even jokingly asking if they had gotten lost. "You...you are too much!" Ruo Lan pointed at Lin Yuanhui's nose, her whole body shaking with anger. Was she at fault for not knowing how to walk with the pretentious posturing of these high society frauds? Was there a need for such humiliation? "So what if I'm too much? This is my place. You can enter if I say you can, and you must not if I say you can't. Bullying you? Are you even worthy?" Lin Yuanhui scoffed disdainfully, "Stop wasting words and get lost! Otherwise, I'll call security to throw you out!" "This godforsaken place, not coming is just as well! Let's go!" Shu Ya, her face now also reddened, had suggested bringing Ruo Lan and her daughter. But as a result, she had inadvertently subjected them to such baseless humiliation, and she felt both furious and guilty. Shu Ya turned and began to leave, while Lin Yuanhui merely watched her with a smile that was not a smile, his face bearing a look of scorn. But just then, a lean and strong hand suddenly grabbed Shu Ya's arm, holding her back. Shu Ya looked at the person beside her with a puzzled face, not understanding his intentions. Hao Jian smiled slightly, calm and collected, "Now that we're here, where's the reason to go back?" Continue your journey with My Virtual Library Empire After all, it was his fault that Ruo Lan and her daughter were insulted by Lin Yuanhui. If he didn't get revenge, how could he face the mother and daughter? "But..." Shu Ya began to speak but then stopped herself, because continuing would be too embarrassing. The other side had already made it clear they were not allowed in; wouldn't it be disgraceful to insist on barging in? "There's nothing to 'but.' You go on in first. Trust me, in a little while, I'll have him begging me to enter!" Hao Jian said, the corner of his mouth twitching with a sharp smile. Chapter 385 Killing Three Birds with One Stone Upon hearing this, Shu Ya also felt surprised and gave Hao Jian a deep look, seemingly doubtful about the truthfulness of his words. She was worried that this was just an excuse Hao Jian made up so that she could enter the venue. Although this summit was very important for her, she didn''t want to abandon Hao Jian just for one summit. But Hao Jian just returned her worry with a confident smile, giving a reassuring squeeze to her palm. After hesitating for a moment, Shu Ya finally nodded and walked towards the venue. At that time, Lin Yuanhui was also amused by Hao Jian''s arrogance and scoffed, "Beg you to go in? Who do you think you are? Really think you''re hot stuff?" Unless he was out of his mind, he would absolutely not let Hao Jian in. "Come on! Insult me all you want, smear my name as much as you can, because you won''t have the chance later," Hao Jian said with an amused smile. "Hmph, idiot," Lin Yuanhui said disdainfully. In his view, Hao Jian was just blowing smoke. After all, there were magnates from all over the world gathered here¡ªif he dared cause a scene, he wouldn''t be offending just one person. If Hao Jian was truly foolish enough to do such a thing, then Lin Yuanhui would actually be glad, because then Hao Jian would undoubtedly be digging his own grave. "In a while, you''ll find out who the real idiot is," said Hao Jian, not getting angry, with his arms crossed and a smile on his face. "They''ve already given you the boot, and yet you shamelessly stick around. How disgraceful!" a socialite mocked coldly. "Get lost, quick. This isn''t a place for a pauper like you. Stop bothering everyone here with your lowliness! Hahaha..." a nouveau riche middle-aged man, with an arm around a beauty, laughed loudly. "Boss Lin, hurry up and kick these deadbeats out, don''t let them spoil our mood," a haughty young talent commented at that moment. "Hao Jian, we should go," Ruo Lan sighed. She could see that Lin Yuanhui was absolutely not going to let them into the venue. Rather than staying here and being a laughingstock, it was better to leave sooner. Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire "Yeah, hurry up and scram. Don''t ruin the mood of my guests. The sight of you is filling enough," Lin Yuanhui said with utmost derision, his face bearing a scornful smile. "Miss Ruo Lan, what are you doing here?" Just then, an unexpected voice followed, as a young man in a crisp suit quickly approached¡ªit was Lv Shaowei. Seeing Lv Shaowei appear, Lin Yuanhui also frowned slightly, "Young Lv, you know them?" Clearly, Lin Yuanhui knew Lv Shaowei. Lv Shaowei glanced over Ruo Lan and her mother, then looked at Hao Jian beside them, and soon after, said with a sneer, "I only know this mother and daughter. As for who this person next to them is, I have no idea." Hao Jian was his love rival¡ªhow could he possibly help Hao Jian? Moreover, this was an excellent opportunity to show off in front of Ruo Lan and suppress Hao Jian at the same time; Lv Shaowei did not want to miss it. Lv Shaowei could see that Lin Yuanhui was blocking Hao Jian''s entry, and it just so happened that he had some connection with Lin Yuanhui¡ªit would only take a few words to get into the venue. What would happen if he brought Ruo Lan in? She would surely think about how suffocating it was to be with this poor guy who couldn''t even get through the door, and thus she would come to her senses and turn to him. The script was already written; it was just waiting for him to perform. Thinking about it made Lv Shaowei a bit excited. In face of Lv Shaowei''s childish behavior, all Hao Jian could do was respond with a helpless smile, not deigning to pay it any heed. "Fine, then you guys go on in," Lin Yuanhui nodded, it was fine as long as he kept Hao Jian out, the others were inconsequential. "Miss Ruo Lan, shall we go in?" Lv Shaowei first gave Hao Jian a provocative look, then turned to Ruo Lan with a smile plastered on his face. "This..." Ruo Lan hesitated. Although she was still upset with Hao Jian, she didn''t want to leave him behind at this time, and after such an incident, she had lost all fondness for Jinxiu Villa and didn''t really want to continue staying there. "If daddy isn''t going, Tongtong won''t go either," Tongtong said, holding on to Hao Jian''s pant leg with her milky voice. She also didn''t want to leave Hao Jian behind; she knew that doing so would surely make him sad! "Tongtong is such a good girl, but don''t worry, Daddy will definitely go in," Hao Jian pinched Tongtong''s cheek and then stood up, saying to Ruo Lan, "It''s okay, go inside. Have a drink and wait for me; I''ll meet you inside in a bit." "Meet inside? Are you deaf? I told you to get lost!" Lin Yuanhui was also getting irritated. Was this guy deaf? Had he not heard what he had said? "Miss Ruo Lan, let''s not bother with this loser, quickly go in. This place isn''t meant for him to enter," Lv Shaowei also urged hurriedly. After a moment''s hesitation, Ruo Lan still took Tongtong and went inside. "Alright, they''re all gone, so I have nothing to hold me back." Hao Jian stretched lazily, then suddenly fixed his gaze on Lin Yuanhui, and said word by word, "Starting from this second, if you dare to speak another dirty word, I''ll punch you once for every word you say, until you can''t make a sound." He hadn''t laid a hand on him earlier, simply because Shu Ya and the others were present; he didn''t want to scare them. Otherwise, Lin Yuanhui would have died many times over. Lin Yuanhui''s momentum weakened instantly, and a tinge of timidity appeared on his face. Seeing Hao Jian had remained silent when he humiliated him, he believed Hao Jian was an easy target and became more aggressive. Now, seeing Hao Jian''s true colors, he couldn''t help but feel apprehensive. After all, people are known by the reputation that precedes them, and Hao Jian was said to be an unbridled mad dog. So, Lin Yuanhui thought it best to be cautious. The powerful onlookers were stunned to see Lin Yuanhui intimidated into silence by Hao Jian. Who was Lin Yuanhui? He was almost on par with the four young masters of Hua City, and yet he was being silenced by a nobody named Wu Ming? "Who is this kid, how can he scare Lin Yuanhui like that?" someone asked, puzzled. "No idea, I''ve never seen him around Hua City," another replied. Although Hao Jian was now well-known, those who had seen him were few and far between, so nearly everyone present didn''t realize this was the same Hao Jian who had been causing a storm in Hua City recently. "Heh, I was planning to suppress this kid, but who knew he''d steal the limelight again," Kong Xiaozhen lamented with a wry smile, finding this youngster truly troublesome. Liang Jiankun remained silent, his face almost dripping with gloom. Fortunately, Hao Jian couldn''t enter the venue, and at the moment, not many people recognized him, so Liang Jiankun wasn''t too worried. He had been hoping Lin Yuanhui would quickly get rid of Hao Jian, because if Hao Jian was recognized, it would be a major embarrassment for him. But now it seemed impossible, as Lin Yuanhui was too frightened to even squeak by Hao Jian. Seeing Lin Yuanhui stay silent, merely giving him a symbolic glare, Hao Jian couldn''t help but laugh, "Why bother, since I can beat Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun like dogs, what are you worth that you dare stand in my way?" His words sent the crowd into an uproar. And the faces of Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun turned dark instantly, especially Jiankun, who nearly choked with fury. Hao Jian hadn''t been recognized, because he had just announced it himself! "Beat Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun like dogs? Is this guy Hao Jian?" someone exclaimed. Although he had never met Hao Jian, the latter''s impressive acts in Hua City had become well-known, and only Hao Jian would dare to take on those two Young Masters. The moment they heard that Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun had been beaten like dogs, everyone''s first thought was of Hao Jian because they had indeed been ... well, beaten like dogs! They were the notorious Young Masters of Hua City, with vast powerful connections behind them, yet they were battered helplessly, their dignity trampled underfoot¡ªwhat was that if not akin to dogs? The mention of Hao Jian brought complete silence to the room, as all eyes turned to Hao Jian with a mix of awe and unease. However, the women around looked on with fascination, intrigued by Hao Jian. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Women have always had a weak spot for mysterious men. Hao Jian had no power, no influence, no connections in Hua City¡ªnothing but a nobody, yet he gave Jiankun and the others a tough time. How could he not be enigmatic? "He did it on purpose!" Jiankun said through clenched teeth, his fist slamming into the fence in anger. Hao Jian had deliberately let slip this piece of information to establish his identity, then insult him and Kong Xiaozhen, and mock Lin Yuanhui as well; three birds with one stone! "This kid, he''s not simple. If he were just brave without sense, it would be fine, but now he''s shown he possesses both brains and brawn; our predicament has just gotten worse," Kong Xiaozhen said seriously, for once without his usual nonchalance. "Right now, you''re not one of the four young masters of Hua City. When you become one, then you can try to stop me. I''m giving you a chance; if you leave quietly, I''ll act like nothing happened. Otherwise, you''re really going to hit rock bottom," Hao Jian said impatiently, gesturing dismissively at Lin Yuanhui as if swatting away an annoying fly. "Are you joking with me?" Lin Yuanhui spat angrily, furious. Leave in disgrace? How would he ever survive in this circle if he did? He didn''t want to end up a laughingstock of Hua City like Jiankun and Xiaozhen. "So, you''re saying you won''t leave?" Hao Jian asked with a slight smile, looking at Lin Yuanhui. Seeing Hao Jian''s ravenous, beast-like gaze, Lin Yuanhui couldn''t help but shiver, feeling as if he would be torn to shreds the moment he refused. At that moment, people saw Lin Yuanhui shivering as if with a chill, and their faces showed puzzlement. A seemingly ordinary sentence had scared Lin Yuanhui to this extent, it seemed excessive, didn''t it? Little did they know Lin Yuanhui felt this way not because of Hao Jian''s words, but because of his sharp gaze that seemed to pierce straight to the heart. In front of Hao Jian, Lin Yuanhui felt as exposed as if he were naked, filled with a sense of shame. Chapter 386 Duke Bartley It''s not surprising that Hao Jian was unintentionally emitting a bit of killing intent while staring at him, a kind of murderous aura that few people could withstand from someone like him¡ªa murderer. "Do you think I want to kill you?" Hao Jian mocked lightly when he saw Lin Yuanhui like this. "You... if you dare to do anything to me, naturally someone will take care of you. Let me tell you, this summit is hosted by Duke Bartley, and if you don''t know who he is, then I can certainly tell you, he is..." "Duke Bartley, the Grand Duke of England, the richest man in all of England, with industries spread across the globe in various sectors, including food, medicine, petrochemicals, transportation, and so on and so forth..." But before Lin Yuanhui could finish, Hao Jian sneered and cut in, "Most notably, he is famous for luxury goods¡ªover eighty percent of luxury goods exported from England are his, earning him the title ''King of Gems''. He has been listed at the top of the Forbes wealth rankings twelve times and was chosen as one of the hundred most influential people in the world in his thirteenth year. By now, he belongs to the class of financial emperors globally, right?" Lin Yuanhui was stunned. Right? That was exactly right, Hao Jian mentioned some things even he was unaware of. Having regained his composure, Lin Yuanhui snorted coldly, "Since you know him, then you should know the consequences of offending him, right?" "Offend him? Am I afraid of offending him?" Hao Jian scoffed with a tilt of his forehead, an air of disdain all over him. "Pretending to be tough, let me tell you, Duke Bartley is far more terrifying than Kong Xiaozhen and the likes. With just a flick of his finger, he could make you disappear without a trace, and by that time, you won''t even know how you died!" Lin Yuanhui said venomously, his heart filled with resentment. Was this kid addicted to putting on airs? Did he really think no one could deal with him? No sooner had the words left his mouth than a very imposing Lincoln Stretch Limousine approached from a distance. In the eyes of ordinary people, a Lincoln Stretch Limousine was something quite extraordinary, but to these tycoons, it was no more ordinary an item. Compared to such bland and non-descript things, they favored all kinds of luxury cars even more. However, at this moment, no one felt the Lincoln Stretch was bland. Instead, they found it understated, all because of the person sitting in the car. That person''s name was Gerlan Bartley. "Duke Bartley has arrived, Hao Jian, get out of the way!" Lin Yuanhui said anxiously. He didn''t want to slight Duke Bartley because of Hao Jian. Hao Jian turned to glance at the Lincoln Stretch, but he still stood unmoved in the middle of the road, the corner of his mouth holding a detached smile, "And if I don''t move, what can you do to me?" "Fine, fine, fine, if you think you''re so capable, then just stay there. I dare you to block Duke Bartley''s way¡ªI want to see how you die!" Lin Yuanhui raged furiously, his gaze malicious as he glared at Hao Jian. Hao Jian merely shrugged carelessly, still unmoving, every inch the show-off. "Has this kid gone mad? To actually dare block Duke Bartley''s way." "I don''t think he''s crazy; I think his confidence is simply inflated, thinking he''s so great after beating Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun, as if nobody in this world can deal with him." "And here I thought he was something special, turns out he''s just a fool." The onlooking tycoons started to snicker at this scene, all well aware that Duke Bartley was not someone like Liang Jiankun. Putting aside his official position in England, just the wealth he possessed was enough to annihilate a small country. To describe it as rich as a nation was an apt description. Up on the second floor, Liang Jiankun couldn''t help but sneer, turning to Kong Xiaozhen, "After all, you overestimated him." Kong Xiaozhen had just mentioned how clever Hao Jian was, yet immediately, Hao Jian did something so foolish. In Liang Jiankun''s eyes, this was a path to certain death. Kong Xiaozhen replied with a shrug and a smile, not commenting further. The Lincoln Stretch continued honking, but Hao Jian still didn''t move. After about two or three seconds of silence, two black bodyguards with gloomy faces got out of the car. Both men were over two meters tall, with formidable and muscular builds, looking like two black bulls. "SHIT!" One of them cursed angrily, then moved toward Hao Jian with the intention of grabbing his collar. To the towering black bodyguard, Hao Jian''s height of 1.8 meters seemed insignificant; thus, the bodyguard did not take Hao Jian seriously, his eyes filled with clear scorn. But just as his palm was about to latch onto Hao Jian''s collar to throw him, Hao Jian moved with the speed of lightning, grabbing the big man''s thumb and giving it a light twist! "Snap..." The thumb was broken instantly, the black bodyguard screamed in pain, and instantly knelt on the ground. He couldn''t believe that this seemingly frail Huaxia man could be so formidable; he did not even notice how Hao Jian made his move until he was already caught in his trap. Then his partner rushed over quickly, aiming a kick straight at Hao Jian''s face, whipping up a fierce gust of wind. Hao Jian grabbed the black man''s finger with one hand, and with the other hand, he reached out to grasp his companion''s leg. He then hoisted the entire person up, lifting the nearly three hundred pounds of muscle with one hand. Hao Jian started to slam the big man to the ground violently, battering him into unconsciousness. The crowd witnessed this scene with a gasp of shock, not because of how miserably the bodyguards fared but because of Hao Jian''s actions at that moment. ``` Even Duke Bartley''s men dare to hit¡ªthis guy really is looking for shit¡ªlooking for death! Seeing this, Lin Yuanhui and Liang Jiankun both instantly revealed a malicious smile, they couldn''t wait for Hao Jian to mess around like this. As long as Hao Jian angered Bartley, he would be killed by Bartley without them having to lift a finger. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They were eager to see Bartley''s thunderous rage. "Click!" At this moment, the door of the Lincoln Stretch Limousine was pushed open, and a handsome middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes stepped out from within, his hair slicked back shiningly, his features made more charming by the traces of time, his eyes sharp like those of a mighty eagle. At that moment, Bartley was indeed as everyone had imagined, his face dark, his gaze slightly annoyed as he stared at Hao Jian, seemingly very dissatisfied with Hao Jian beating up his bodyguard to such an extent. Seeing this, the previously spectating crowd couldn''t help but feel secretly delighted, wanting to see how the famous Duke Bartley would deal with this ignorant ruffian. Bartley walked slowly towards Hao Jian with a grim face, seemingly intending to handle Hao Jian personally. "Duke Bartley, be careful with this guy, he''s very dangerous," said Lin Yuanhui as he obsequiously approached, his face full of flattery when speaking to Bartley. Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire However, Bartley didn''t even spare him a glance, his gaze fixed intensely on Hao Jian, burning with intensity as if Hao Jian were an extraordinarily beautiful woman. "Do you think this kid might even hit Duke Bartley too?" "Would he dare? If he did, the country wouldn''t let him off, and no matter how powerful he is, could he really contend with an entire country?" "Now that Duke Bartley is personally getting involved, this kid is done for!" "Courageous but foolhardy, his death would be well-deserved!" By now, Bartley had stopped in front of Hao Jian, yet he continued to stare at him coldly. After a hesitation of about three to four seconds, something happened that nobody expected. Bartley''s grim face suddenly brightened like the breaking dawn, and in an instant, he was as radiant as a gowan. He hurled himself forward and tightly hugged Hao Jian. "Great Jian, we finally meet again!" Silence, a deathlike stillness. At that moment, it was as if everyone held their breath, their faces a mixture of shock and disbelief, watching the scene unfold before them. Seeing the powerful Duke Bartley smiling obsequiously and warmly embracing someone they had assumed was doomed to die. Everyone was dumbfounded; they had never expected such an outcome. Did Duke Bartley actually know this guy? "Crash..." A wine glass inadvertently hit the floor, but the socialite didn''t notice at all, her eyes fixed in disbelief on the two men brimming with a strong bond. Just what kind of terrifying backing did this man have, for even Bartley to be familiar with him? If anyone''s expressions were the most animated at that moment, it would undoubtedly be the likes of Liang Jiankun and Lin Yuanhui. In particular Lin Yuanhui, who had come looking forward to a spectacle of Hao Jian being dealt with by Bartley. But in a turn of events, it was as if Bartley had encountered a long-lost brother and embraced Hao Jian tightly. It was as jarring as drinking a cold beverage on a hot summer day and then suddenly choking on it; Lin Yuanhui now found himself without tears even if he wanted to cry. Hao Jian hastily pushed Bartley away, while saying, "Uncle, we''re not close" Bartley was taken aback for a moment, then finally understood what Hao Jian meant, and laughed while punching Hao Jian in the chest, "You rascal, you haven''t changed a bit!" Hao Jian couldn''t help but laugh too: "Is Vivian doing well?" "She''s fine, but ever since you saved her, she''s been nagging me non-stop about seeing you, giving me a headache," Bartley said helplessly. Upon hearing this, everyone was petrified once more. Because they all knew that Bartley''s daughter''s name was Vivian. If Hao Jian had saved Bartley''s daughter, then the relationship between the two was self-evident. Those aristocrats who had just been yelling at Hao Jian, at that moment, only wished they could slink away unseen by Hao Jian; if he decided to trouble them later, they would be finished. "It''s not that I overestimated him, but that you underestimated him," Kong Xiaozhen said, looking at Liang Jiankun''s stiff back from the balcony on the second floor. She turned and left with a bitter smile, having lost interest in watching further. .................................................................................................... ``` Chapter 387 Are You Begging Me? "Bang!" Liang Jiankun crushed the wine glass in his hand, a ferocity in his eyes that was somewhat intimidating. He couldn''t understand why this kid always had so many nobles helping him. "After I''ve dealt with my business in Huaxia," said Hao Jian with a smile, "I plan to go to England and visit that little girl." Reminded of the playful and adorable little girl, he couldn''t help but reveal a look of nostalgia. Since Bartley was one of the world''s powerful men, it was inevitable that he had some enemies; one of them had employed the terrorist organization "Black September" to kidnap Vivian. Bartley had then asked for Hao Jian''s help to resolve the matter. Not only did Hao Jian save Vivian, but he also dealt a heavy blow to Black September, claiming the throne of the underworld. Therefore, Duke Bartley always remembered the favor Hao Jian had done for him. "Alright, let''s talk inside..." Bartley said warmly, draping his arm around Hao Jian''s shoulders, ready to walk inside. However, Hao Jian stood still, squinting and smiling, "I''d love to join you, but unfortunately, someone finds me too lowly to attend such a major conference. They said my mere presence is offensive and would taint the esteemed guests inside!" Upon hearing this, everyone was at a loss for words. Even Duke Bartley treated you with respect; who would dare say you''re lowly now? Lin Yuanhui was also shaking all over, his head hung low in guilt, but in his heart, he had already cursed Hao Jian''s ancestors. This bastard was obviously setting him up. "Who?" Bartley''s brows knitted together, and a chilling frost momentarily crossed his face. Hao Jian was his friend; who dared call his friend lowly? Wasn''t that also an insult to him? Suddenly, everyone''s gaze turned and fixed on Lin Yuanhui. Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire knowing he couldn''t escape, Lin Yuanhui walked toward Bartley with an embarrassed expression, saying, "I''m sorry, Mr. Bartley, I had no idea he was your friend." "So you know now?" However, Bartley was not buying his story, and said coldly. "Know... I know now." Lin Yuanhui nodded with a stutter, not daring to be as bold with Bartley as he was with Hao Jian, unless he had a death wish. "And you still haven''t apologized?" Bartley rebuked, his pure English accent sounding exceptionally pleasant. Turning to face Hao Jian, Lin Yuanhui, feeling humiliated yet not daring to defy Bartley''s will, bowed to apologize, "I''m sorry, Mr. Hao Jian, I was unaware that you were friends with Duke Bartley." Hao Jian looked at Lin Yuanhui indifferently, chuckled coldly, and said word by word, "I told you, I would make you beg me to get in." Lin Yuanhui frowned but dared not make a sound. At that moment, Hao Jian turned his back, his voice cold, "I don''t accept your apology!" Instantly, Lin Yuanhui''s body stiffened, his facial expression extremely awkward, as he felt a burning shame on his face. He knew Hao Jian was set on revenge, but even with that knowledge, he was helpless to resist, which was the most frustrating part. Once again, Hao Jian successfully leveraged his position, a fox borrowing the tiger''s might, with someone as powerful as Bartley backing him up. Who would dare to speak ill of him now? "This¡­" Lin Yuanhui looked at Bartley with a pleading gaze. Bartley, expressionless, said, "Since he is not willing to forgive you, there is probably no need to keep this Jinxiu Villa running, right?" At those words, Lin Yuanhui''s face turned ashen. Jinxiu Villa was his lifeblood, more than just a hotel for him. Here he could meet all kinds of celebrities; it was his network of connections. He also knew that with Bartley''s clout, just one word could put him out of business. If that happened, all his years of hard work would be in vain. With a ghastly pale face, Lin Yuanhui looked at the unsmiling Bartley and quickly realized what he had to do. He turned urgently to Hao Jian, pleading, "Mr. Hao Jian, I was blind to your status and looked down on you. I shouldn''t have been influenced by Kong Xiaozhen to block your way, I''m not a good dog." Seeing Lin Yuanhui groveling in such a manner left the crowd flabbergasted, branding himself as a dog was a self-insult! At this moment, Lin Yuanhui was on the verge of tears, not by choice, but by necessity. Who could have known this kid had connections with Duke Bartley? Today, Duke Bartley was the star of the conference, and if Bartley was slighted, he was known to be capable of mocking the entire conference on a whim. The guests had traveled from all over the world to attend this conference. If it were canceled, they would have to return dejectedly. Would they be pleased with such an outcome? If they didn''t dare confront Duke Bartley afterward, they would blame Lin Yuanhui, and whether he could continue to mingle in high society would be uncertain. "Are you saying Kong Xiaozhen made you do it?" Hao Jian asked with a smile, his suspicions already pointing to either Kong Xiaozhen or Liang Jiankun. But there was always a gap between suspicion and fact. This way, Hao Jian wouldn''t have to worry about falsely accusing anyone. "Yes, yes, in fact, I have absolutely no grudge against you. It was only due to my friendship with him that I reluctantly did it at his request," Lin Yuanhui''s attitude changed in an instant, even using honorifics. At this moment, he pinned all the blame on Kong Xiaozhen, considering he was already throwing his dignity to the wind. Hao Jian propped his chin, appearing to be deep in thought as if considering how to deal with Kong Xiaozhen, the true manipulator behind the scenes. "Mr. Hao Jian, this really isn''t my fault," Lin Yuanhui spoke weakly, looking at Hao Jian with a pitiful expression. "Are you begging me now?" Hao Jian turned his head, asking with a cold sneer. Even though Lin Yuanhui was not the initiator, he was an accomplice and couldn''t be let off easily. Lin Yuanhui nodded his head like pecking rice: "Yes, I am begging you." "Since you are begging, you should show some sincerity. Kneel down!" Hao Jian pointed to the ground with a hand, his tone domineering and haughty. "What?" Lin Yuanhui''s face turned green instantaneously. To kneel in front of so many people, wasn''t that too cruel? Wasn''t this trampling him to death? Lin Yuanhui was nearly in tears. He had been worried that Hao Jian would be too harsh on him, so he had tried to trample on himself first. But who knew that Hao Jian was unmoved and still wanted to trample on him. "Begging requires kneeling to show your sincerity. What, don''t you have any sincerity?" Hao Jian asked with a smile, but inside he was thinking: The early bird gets the worm, you fool. Dare to stand in my way? I''ll make you cry without tears! "No... it''s not that." Lin Yuanhui forced out a smile uglier than crying. "Then why don''t you kneel quickly?" Hao Jian rebuked impatiently. Lin Yuanhui shuddered and then slowly knelt down, saying gruffly, "Mr. Hao Jian, forgive me this time. I won''t dare anymore." Hao Jian bent down and humiliatingly patted Lin Yuanhui''s face: "Now tell me, who is the lowlife?" "I am, I am the lowlife!" Lin Yuanhui said through clenched teeth, regretting why he had agreed to Kong Xiaozhen''s request. If he had not agreed, he wouldn''t have to kneel like a grandson in public now. "You are a dog!" "Yes, I am a dog!" "You are a wretched dog!" "I am a wretched dog!" sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Fuck, even more wretched than me!" Hao Jian said with a look of disdain. Then he gestured to Lin Yuanhui, "All right, bow three times and kowtow nine times to express your gratitude and then you can leave." Bow three times and kowtow nine times? Lin Yuanhui was stunned. Was this wanting him to smash his head open? But when he saw that mocking expression on Hao Jian''s face, he knew that without kneeling, Hao Jian absolutely wouldn''t stop. Taking a deep breath, Lin Yuanhui, swallowing his pride, knelt down to kowtow. "The sound is too light, lacks sincerity, do it again!" "The sound is too loud, annoying to listen to, do it again!" "The sound is neither loud nor light, lacks character, do it again!" Lin Yuanhui completely broke down. His head bloody, he clung to Hao Jian''s leg, crying without any pride: "Mr. Hao Jian, please spare me. I truly won''t dare again; if I keep kowtowing like this, I''ll die!" He realized then, Hao Jian intended to torment him to death. Too light was no good, too heavy was no good, neither heavy nor light was no good; he guessed that by the time he satisfied Hao Jian, he would not be far from death. "Ah, what are you doing? As a noble, how could you kneel to someone like me, a lowlife? Isn''t this a laughing stock?" Hao Jian said, somewhat angrily. "I am the lowlife! My mother a ***** gave birth to a beastly hybrid like me, my father sells his ass, I am the most wretched of lowlifes!" Lin Yuanhui wailed. Everyone felt their scalp tingle, had Lin Yuanhui gone mad? "You... Ah... How could you say such private things to me? But I like your honesty. Alright, we''ll consider this matter settled," Hao Jian finally nodded in satisfaction. "Thank you, Mr. Hao Jian... Thank you, Mr. Hao Jian..." Lin Yuanhui was tearfully grateful, so excited that he was almost ready to kneel and kiss Hao Jian''s feet. It was finally over. This demon had finally decided to calm down! Lin Yuanhui thought he must find a fortune teller to check if he was offending the Poria Cocos or had been cursed by a malicious star this year. After dealing with Lin Yuanhui, Hao Jian still didn''t plan to enter the venue. Instead, his gaze turned and fixed on two men and a woman who were slowly moving towards the outside. Those three were the ones who had just insulted Hao Jian. Worried about Hao Jian''s retaliation, they had planned to sneak away while Hao Jian was not paying attention, but Hao Jian had still noticed them. "Where do you three think you''re going?" Hao Jian asked with a cold laugh. Instantly, the three of them tensed up, freezing on the spot, their faces ashen. At this moment, everyone''s gaze also converged on them. Pointing at the two men and a woman, Hao Jian said to Lin Yuanhui, "Make them slap each other''s faces a hundred times. They''re not allowed to leave until the count is complete. If they slap too lightly, they''re not allowed to leave. If you fail to do this, I''ll make you continue to be wretched!" Chapter 388 Ill Go Up and Give a Slap Just as Hao Jian said, he was never a generous man, in fact, one might even say he was a bit petty. He could not possibly let someone slap his left cheek and then offer his right to be slapped. With his personality, if someone hit him once, he would hit back ten times, if someone kicked him, he would break their leg. He never sought out trouble, but he was never afraid of it either! Upon hearing Hao Jian speak, the two men and the woman instantly wore mournful expressions, the ominous premonition in their hearts finally coming true. "I will do exactly as you say!" Lin Yuanhui nodded frantically, so scared by Hao Jian that he was almost pissing his pants, not daring to utter a single word of dissent. Then, Hao Jian turned his gaze to the onlookers and sneered, "You should all feel lucky, fortunate that you only looked foolish and didn''t speak out to insult me. Be glad that my memory isn''t that good, unable to remember everyone who spoke, otherwise, what we''d be having here isn''t a financial summit, but a cry-fest for mommy and daddy!" Wherever Hao Jian''s gaze landed, everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes. Given Hao Jian''s brazen behavior earlier, they fully believed this lunatic was quite capable of doing exactly that. Not a single person dared to make a sound, being completely subdued by Hao Jian''s dominance. They did not wish to end up like Lin Yuanhui and the others. It was at this moment that Hao Jian and Bartley entered the venue together. At that time, within the venue, Shu Ya and Ruo Lan, although among the crowds, seemed as if they could not blend in. They cast expectant and anxious glances toward the entrance from time to time, appearing to be distracted. Lv Shaowei had also noticed this and a flash of animosity swept across his features, but it quickly dissipated. He said with a smile plastered on his face, "Miss Ruo Lan, there''s no need to wait. With his status, he doesn''t have the qualifications to enter this place. Those who have the privilege to be here are the elite of Hua City." The implication was that he was also one of the elite. But Ruo Lan ignored him, still looking at the door. She thought to herself that if Hao Jian didn''t come in within the next ten minutes, then she would leave as well. Seeing Ruo Lan''s cold attitude, Lv Shaowei''s anger grew, and he said sarcastically, "Miss Ruo Lan, is such a poor wretch really that good? Is he worth your longing?" Ruo Lan, seemingly picking up on the thorns in Lv Shaowei''s words, turned her head back in displeasure and said, "Do you understand him?" "Me? How could I possibly understand him? With my status, why should I bother to know a ''Diaosi''? A poor wretch?" Lv Shaowei said contemptuously. A trash that wouldn''t even be able to enter Jinxiu Villa''s gates, worth his time to understand? "Then you have no idea how foolish you are!" Ruo Lan scoffed, looking at Lv Shaowei with a strange expression, one that seemed both pitying and disdainful. Feeling the sting of that gaze, Lv Shaowei could not help but frown, the viciousness in his eyes uncontrollable, like that of a ferocious wolf. Tongtong, however, noticed his expression and quickly grabbed Ruo Lan''s hand, hiding behind her in fear. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire There''s a Buddhist saying that the face reflects the heart, meaning that one''s appearance reveals the true emotions within, even if one tries to suppress them, there will always come a moment when the facade slips, like right now. Lv Shaowei realized he had lost his composure and quickly offered a forced smile, saying, "Alright, my fault, I shouldn''t have spoken out of turn. Don''t worry, I won''t bother you again after this. Here, have a drink while we wait for him. As soon as he arrives, I''ll leave you alone and just keep you company until then, so you won''t feel awkward here." Lv Shaowei handed Ruo Lan a glass of wine, and she, believing Lv Shaowei had truly given up, took a sip without any suspicion. And at that moment, a concealed sinister smile crossed Lv Shaowei''s face, thinking to himself, "Ruo Lan oh Ruo Lan, since you don''t want to drink a toast, you''ll have to drink a forfeit. After taking my specially prepared aphrodisiac, tonight I will make you ****." Just then, Hao Jian and Bart appeared at the entrance together. The entire venue fell silent instantaneously, every gaze turning towards the entrance in amazement and suspicion. They were surprised to see Duke Bartley, and puzzled as to why he would show up alongside Hao Jian. Lv Shaowei''s eyes nearly popped out in astonishment, utterly baffled how this guy could appear with Duke Bartley. Could it be they knew each other? Upon spotting Hao Jian''s arrival, both Shu Ya and Ruo Lan could not help but breathe a sigh of relief, their faces bearing a slight smile tinged with reproach. But this was wrong. How could a guy who drove a broken-down Santana know Duke Bartley? But if he didn''t know Duke Bartley, why would they stand together? At that moment, Hao Jian''s gaze swept across the crowd and finally settled on Kong Xiaozhen, not far away. Immediately, under everyone''s bewildered gaze, Hao Jian slowly walked towards Kong Xiaozhen. Kong Xiaozhen held a glass of wine and was enthusiastically talking with some foreign entrepreneurs. Seeing Hao Jian approaching, he couldn''t help but be puzzled as to what Hao Jian wanted. With a smile on his face, Hao Jian suddenly quickened his pace and, without warning, sent a slap flying. Kong Xiaozhen was stunned, as were all the guests. Kong Xiaozhen, cradling his face, staggered back several steps and looked at Hao Jian in shock and anger. In his wildest dreams, he had not imagined that Hao Jian would hit him in such a setting. Did he not see how many foreign guests were here? Causing such a scene at the financial summit, was he not afraid of offending these entrepreneurs? Bartley also bore a bitter smile, knowing full well that Hao Jian was just that kind of person, one who once enraged didn''t care about the identity of the other party, let alone the time and place. Sure enough, the foreign guests were clearly displeased, frowning heavily. The purpose of this financial summit was to network and conduct business, and while everyone had been enjoying themselves, Hao Jian''s sudden actions had completely soured the mood. At that moment, they all couldn''t understand why Hao Jian had acted out, wondering what Kong Xiaozhen had done to offend him. "I''ll start with a slap! Motherfucker, don''t you know I hate people who are handsomer than me? And you dare to stand out so conspicuously, trying to steal my thunder? Really think I won''t hit you? Was I too soft on you last time? Itching for another beating?" Without waiting for Kong Xiaozhen to speak, Hao Jian launched into a tirade. And in the end, he snorted in disdain, his face full of disgust as he said, "Son of a bitch, pretty boy! Sissy! Show-off!" The crowd was floored. Just because someone was handsomer, you''d hit them? What kind of reasoning was that? It was nothing but making trouble out of nothing! Indeed, Hao Jian was making trouble out of nothing because he knew even if he claimed that Kong Xiaozhen had obstructed him first, and he had hit him after, Kong Xiaozhen would definitely not admit it. Any excuse was good enough as long as he got to beat him up. "You motherf¡ª" Kong Xiaozhen was furious, opening his mouth to curse. But Hao Jian wasn''t giving him the chance, snapping, "Aiyo, dare to curse? Asking for a beating!" With that, he threw a punch straight into Kong Xiaozhen''s stomach. Kong Xiaozhen let out a "wow" as he vomited out his evening meal. Of course, Hao Jian had done this intentionally, his knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine telling him precisely where to hit to make someone vomit even their bile. Hao Jian''s actions were aimed at humiliating Kong Xiaozhen in public. Kong Xiaozhen was violently throwing up, looking as if he were about to vomit out his internal organs. Seeing the mess on the ground and the lingering stench, everyone couldn''t help but furrow their brows, looking at Kong Xiaozhen with disgust. Even Liang Jiankun, who had been standing beside Kong Xiaozhen, took two steps back, his eyebrows deeply furrowed. Kong Xiaozhen was vomiting so hard his tears came out, feeling as if all his internal organs were churning, experiencing unbearable pain. But what caused him even more agony was the fact that he had vomited in front of so many people, destroying the sterling image he had built up in a moment. Hao Jian chuckled coldly, "I told you to be elegant. Try being elegant for me again, will you?" That night, Kong Xiaozhen''s suave and agile image was entirely shattered, what everyone remembered wasn''t his handsome and dignified appearance, but his almost convulsing, red-faced self while vomiting. Kong Xiaozhen stared at Hao Jian with murderous intent in his eyes, truly wishing he could kill Hao Jian at that moment. But after undergoing a significant internal struggle, he found it challenging to even move, let alone speak. For some reason, Kong Xiaozhen now felt a hint of bitterness in his heart. As the Young Master who was the center of everyone''s attention, when had he ever been subjected to such humiliation? Looking at the guests'' frowning, disdainful expressions, he felt like crying! S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And Liang Jiankun was also staring at Hao Jian in shock. Hao Jian''s behavior was a direct declaration of war against the Kong Family! Because Kong Xiaozhen didn''t just represent himself; he stood for the entire Kong Family! By doing this, Hao Jian was slapping the face of the entire Kong Family! How could the Kong Family let this go? Could it be that this guy was planning a counterattack? Until now, it had always been them targeting Hao Jian, with Hao Jian on the defensive. However, this time, Hao Jian had taken the offensive. "What are you looking at? Keep looking and I''ll beat you too, you son of a bitch!" Hao Jian rebuked unkindly. Liang Jiankun''s expression froze, and then his facial muscles violently twitched. As one of Hua City''s Four Young Masters, being scolded like a grandson in front of so many people by Hao Jian was nearly the same as killing him. It was the second time. This was the second time he had been humiliated in front of Hao Jian. And this time, he was tragically unable to fight back. All because this damned bastard knew Duke Bartley! The guests stood around like dazed chickens, not knowing who invited this vulgar man full of obscene language and offensive behavior. While Shu Ya was holding her forehead, shrinking into the crowd, distancing herself far from Hao Jian, afraid of being recognized as someone associated with him. ....................................... Chapter 389 Singing the Grand Opera Liang Jiankun dared not make a peep, for he feared ending up like Kong Xiaozhen. At this moment, both their complexions were quite peculiar; Liang''s face was flushed with restrained anger, whereas Kong''s was the pallor of exhaustion. "Hao Jian, I swear, I will make you wish you were dead!" Kong Xiaozhen said through gritted teeth, his narrow phoenix eyes shooting cold daggers. He resembled a man-eating beast, with only one thought: to devour Hao Jian. Hao Jian had knocked his crown off and then trampled him underfoot, an act that filled Kong Xiaozhen with boundless resentment. However, before he could finish speaking, a hand reached out and pressed down on Kong Xiaozhen''s head, forcibly bending him at the waist. "Puh!" Kong Xiaozhen''s face was pushed down into the very filth he had vomited. "OH! SHIT!" a blond foreigner exclaimed with a twisted expression, clearly disgusted by the spectacle before him. "Ha? What did you say? I! Can''t! Hear! You!" Hao Jian said, pressing down on Kong Xiaozhen''s head with one hand and shaking his head in a most provocatively annoying manner. "Eh~" Explore new worlds at My Virtual Library Empire The aristocrats also grimaced, showing extreme disgust. Liang Jiankun''s eyebrows twitched uncontrollably. At this time, he was truly thankful he had kept his mouth shut; otherwise, he would have ended up in the same embarrassing position as Kong Xiaozhen. This kid has gone mad, definitely stark raving mad. He''s completely burned his bridges with the Kong family. If the Kong family lets Hao Jian off, Liang would write his own name backwards. Everyone''s expressions said they were thoroughly shocked by Hao Jian''s audacity. How was this different from killing someone, disgracing a favored son of heaven like this? "Young Master!" Just then, hearing the commotion inside, all of the Kong family bodyguards charged in. Seeing Hao Jian treating Kong Xiaozhen this way, they couldn''t help but fly into a rage. "Let go of the Young Master!" a bodyguard bellowed as he charged over, throwing a punch at Hao Jian''s face. Hao Jian gave a cold smile and replied with a kick, sending the bodyguard flying and crashing into a table, where he scattered glasses and dishes all over the floor. "Duke Bartley, please, ask him to stop. If this continues, my Jinxiu Villa will be ruined," Lin Yuanhui, who had just walked in and seen the scene, pleaded with a mournful face. If Hao Jian set this precedent, surely more and more people would come to his place to fight and cause trouble. And with this guy''s destructive power, it was possible he could smash the whole of Jinxiu Villa to pieces. However, Bartley merely shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly, "Sorry, once Jian gets going, not even I can stop him. You can only pray he doesn''t get too angry; otherwise, your villa is definitely going to be reduced to ruins." Upon hearing this, Lin Yuanhui rolled his eyes and fainted on the spot. The day''s events had been too thrilling, and his system finally short-circuited under the strain. Lin Yuanhui''s men screamed as they ran to his aid, while Bartley helplessly shrugged his shoulders and turned his gaze back to the center of the room. By this time, all of Kong Xiaozhen''s bodyguards had been taken down by Hao Jian, lying scattered around on the ground. "Old Man Yan!" Just then, Kong Xiaozhen, gathering all his strength, lifted his face smeared with filth and blood and bellowed hysterically. "Waa ya ya ya... I have arrived!" No sooner had Kong Xiaozhen finished than a loud, weird howl followed. A yellow-robed old man leaped out of the crowd, brandishing a strangely shaped fishing rod. His face was painted with the make-up of a scheming villain from Beijing opera; he hopped thrice on the spot and pointed straight at Hao Jian, shouting in the singing style of the opera, "Who is the scoundrel daring to harm the Kong Family''s Young Master? You infuriate me..." Hao Jian was stunned, Shu Ya was stunned, everyone was stunned. Where did this opera singer come from? "Who is this old guy? Is he here to make jokes?" Someone asked incredulously. How did a performer suddenly appear out of nowhere? "Don''t you know? He''s a Grandmaster hired by the Kong Family for a hefty sum. He can scale walls and capture tigers, and it''s said he''s a Sect Leader of a certain clan, having agreed to serve the Kong Family in return for a previous favor from the old master," someone else responded, apparently aware of this mysterious elder''s reputation. "So why is he dressed like that, like an opera singer? Isn''t it a bit too pretentious?" "What do you know? Old Man Yan enjoys opera, especially Beijing opera. He combined it with Martial Arts, creating his own Martial Drama Fist, unbeatable in Baiyue, quite remarkable indeed." "Combining drama with Martial Arts? This old man really knows his stuff!" The guests chattered about Old Man Yan, and Hao Jian also learned a bit about the old man''s identity and background from their conversation. Old Man Yan? Hao Jian rubbed his chin thoughtfully, it seemed he had also heard of this fellow. After all, Old Man Yan''s name did boast some fame in the Martial Arts circles of Huaxia, as he was considered a genius in Martial Arts for being able to integrate drama into Martial Arts, something unprecedented. "Play actor, sing ''The Release of Su San'' for your master," Hao Jian sneered, really treating Old Man Yan like an opera singer. "Damn you, shameless youngster, to mock me like this! Today I do not tear you to shreds, my name is not Yan!" Old Man Yan howled furiously¡ªit was not just the insult of being called a play actor, but the demand to sing ''The Release of Su San''? How could he, a grown man, sing women''s roles? This bastard was clearly making a fool of him! "Can''t do ''The Release of Su San''? What about ''Drunken Concubine''? ''General Mu Guiying Takes Command''? None of them? What good are you, wasting all that gear?" Hao Jian exclaimed in a way that could enrage people to death. Old Man Yan shivered all over; all those plays Hao Jian rattled off were women''s roles¡ªwhat was the point? Old Man Yan, frustrated, yelled, "Shameless brat, have the guts to request a man''s opera! Pah, opera my foot; I''m here for a fight!" Old Man Yan was so angered by Hao Jian that he had lost his bearings¡ªwhat was meant to be a fight was being derailed into a performance. "Old Man Yan, have you finished your nonsense?" Kong Xiaozhen was so angry he nearly vomited blood. "Just kill this brat and be done with it¡ªwhat''s with all this jabbering? Are we playing around?" "Damn it, kid, for injuring our Young Master and insulting me, your life is forfeit!" Scolded by Kong Xiaozhen, Old Man Yan felt a surge of fury. He stomped his foot, the ground beneath cracking open as dust and debris shot into the air. Old Man Yan''s figure charged violently, his foot having left a huge crater in the ground. "OH, MY GOD! Is this Huaxia Kung Fu? It''s astounding!" The foreigners were stupefied, having heard that Huaxia Kung Fu was no trifling matter. They thought those martial arts moves were just movie special effects until they witnessed the real thing today. Hearing the exclamations of the crowd, Old Man Yan grew even prouder. With a vicious expression, he swung the fishing rod with a blade attached toward Hao Jian, bellowing, "You little wretch, die!" At that moment, he was less than two meters from Hao Jian. Hao Jian chuckled coldly, lashing out fiercely with his foot: "Get lost!" Thud! The swift kick, as quick as a flash of lightning, struck Old Man Yan right in the face. Old Man Yan never expected Hao Jian''s kick to be so rapid, and he hadn''t even managed to react before it was already in front of him. Then, everyone saw the once-fearsome and charging Old Man Yan rolling backward at a speed too fast to track with the naked eye, slamming into a wall and embedding his head into it. "GOD!" The foreigners gasped, shocked. How could he not be dead after such a hit? They had not expected Old Man Yan, who appeared so formidable moments before, to be floored so easily. Kong Xiaozhen too looked utterly shocked. He knew too well how strong Old Man Yan was, considering him as quite possibly the strongest in Hua City. Yet such a figure had been kicked away by Hao Jian? Old Man Yan pulled his head out of the wall, his face red with rage and humiliation. He had never been so insulted his entire life. Old Man Yan glared viciously at Hao Jian, his murky eyes saturated with fierce bloodshot veins, imparting a particularly frightening appearance. By then, the hitherto-hidden Night Emperor appeared, guarding in front of Liang Jiankun, on high alert as he oversaw Hao Jian. Now that Old Man Yan had attacked, the Night Emperor could no longer afford to observe from behind, especially since Hao Jian had already injured Kong Xiaozhen and Old Man Yan, which meant he could potentially harm Liang Jiankun as well. He had to protect his master. "The one who spied on me in the dark last time¡ªthat was you, wasn''t it?" Hao Jian said, looking at the Night Emperor with some disdain. Beneath the mask, the Night Emperor''s face registered shock. This guy had known all along. But if he was aware of the spying, why hadn''t he exposed him? "Because you''re not worth it..." Hao Jian seemed to guess the Night Emperor''s doubts, suddenly breaking into a smile. "What did you say?" The Night Emperor asked with a furrowed brow, his voice growing deeper. "What I mean is you''re not worthy to be my enemy. To me, you''re just a fly. As long as you don''t buzz in my ear, I can''t be bothered with you," Hao Jian explained. Upon hearing this, the Night Emperor''s face turned livid with anger. The famed Night Emperor, a world-renowned mercenary, was being compared to a fly¡ªit was an insult! S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Come at me together, don''t say I''m bullying the weak!" Hao Jian gestured mockingly at the Night Emperor and Old Man Yan, his words laden with insult. Both Night Emperor and Old Man Yan''s faces darkened. At their level, they scorned the idea of joining forces, for they possessed the pride of the strong. But Hao Jian was prompting them to act together, clearly looking down on them. "Clang!" The Night Emperor whipped out a blood-red folding sickle, the blade a brilliant scarlet with a shining silver edge, glinting with a harrowing sharpness that could incite terror in the heart. The Night Emperor snorted coldly, "My sickle is five feet three inches long and weighs ninety-seven pounds and eight ounces. Made of Ultra-Hardened Steel Alloy, its impact rivals the bite of a Tyrannosaurus rex¡ªwith one touch, death; with a knock, injury. Be careful!" Chapter 390 Dummy Hao Jian snorted with disdain and then pulled out a round metal ball from his bosom, saying, "This thing is called ''Dumbbell,'' because it won''t explode unless you throw it. I don''t know its length, its width, or its weight; I just know it has killed countless Martial Spirits, and no Martial Arts master can withstand a single blow. You... better be careful!" Everyone was stunned. Dumbbell? Isn''t this damn thing just a hand grenade? What kind of person is this, bringing a hand grenade to a party? The Night Emperor and Old Man Yan''s eyes were twitching; they were both shocked by Hao Jian''s shamelessness. True warriors should fight bloody battles with cold weapons, which can be considered as the dignity and pride of a martial artist, even though they knew that firearms were more powerful. So, the Night Emperor and Old Man Yan only used cold weapons, but they never expected that someone like Hao Jian, who was one of them, would shamelessly use a firearm? And you''re even stronger than us two. How can you still use firearms under such circumstances? Have you no shame at all? The crowd also cast contemptuous glances at Hao Jian, who had just boldly challenged Old Man Yan and another person to step forward. Who the hell would dare with you holding a hand grenade in your hand? "Go, Pikachu!" Hao Jian hurled the hand grenade right out. "Shit!" Even the usually composed Night Emperor couldn''t help but curse aloud as he grabbed Liang Jiankun and ran like the wind. "Ahhhh, it infuriates me too!" Old Man Yan cursed while retreating with Kong Xiaozhen in his arms. He was so angry because he didn''t want to touch the current Kong Xiaozhen at all, who was covered with vomit, and he felt like vomiting just looking at him. But he had no choice; he couldn''t just stand by and watch Kong Xiaozhen get blown up by Hao Jian, could he? "F*ck! This Huaxia person is really shameless!" "Hand Grenade, run for it!" Everyone was in complete disarray, scrambling in all directions. Seeing this scene, Shu Ya also wanted to cry but had no tears, "My financial summit, my business opportunities..." She had planned to network today with some foreign entrepreneurs to see if they could develop business, but now everyone had been scared away by Hao Jian. So much for networking! "Boom!!!" A deafening explosion shook the entire manor and even woke up Lin Yuanhui, who had passed out. Lin Yuanhui opened his eyes in a daze, and when he saw his manor was in ruins, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out again. Hao Jian''s hand grenade exploded among the crowd, and needless to say, the ensuing power was immense, creating a crater over three meters in diameter with thick smoke billowing unceasingly. Everyone''s faces were ashen, staring in horror at the terrifying Huaxia person in front of them. This guy carried hand grenades on him and even detonated one. "Cough, cough..." A coughing Hao Jian waved his hand to disperse the dust and finally saw the ashen-faced Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen in the crowd. At this moment, both Young Masters were filled with terror, and deep in their eyes lay a hint of fear. Had this man gone mad? Detonating a hand grenade at such a large financial summit? Any random attendee here was an important figure who could spread the news of this incident far and wide, both domestically and internationally. Hao Jian had no reason not to know this. "Shameless scoundrel, I''ll kill you!" Old Man Yan bellowed in anger. Using firearms in a fair duel had completely enraged him. "Stop shouting, let''s retreat!" It was at this moment that Kong Xiaozhen on his back rebuked him, his cold gaze fixed on Hao Jian. "Retreat? But this scoundrel has just insulted the Young Master. If we leave now, what will become of the Kong Family''s face?" Old Man Yan hesitated, wanting to regain face for Kong Xiaozhen. "It''s useless, you''re no match for him," Kong Xiaozhen shook his head, having calmed down by now. The fact that Hao Jian could send Old Man Yan flying with a kick was enough to show that there was a massive gap in strength between the two. "Nonsense, I was just caught off guard for a moment. That''s why I fell for the boy''s trick. If I get another chance, I''ll definitely cut him down!" Old Man Yan said reluctantly, as he attributed his previous misfortune to a moment of carelessness. "No, you''re not as cunning as that boy, nor as shameless. Besides, how can you be sure that he only has one hand grenade on him?" Kong Xiaozhen sneered. From the moment Hao Jian took out the hand grenade, he knew this battle could not be fought. Old Man Yan immediately fell silent, right, if that bastard resorted to using hand grenades to launch a sneak attack again, that would be really bad. This boy is so shameless, he must be rigged with all kinds of nasty tricks from head to toe; taking Kong Xiaozhen along to have a conflict with him is truly unwise. Old Man Yan glared at Hao Jian fiercely, then carried Kong Xiaozhen on his back and dashed away into the distance. At this moment, the Night Emperor also exchanged a glance with Liang Jiankun and then left through the back door in succession. Everyone present didn''t know how to describe their feelings at this point¡ªwere the two Young Masters actually forced to retreat by Hao Jian? Weren''t they supposed to be the proud sons of heaven? Weren''t they said to be unmatched in their generation? How did they end up getting scared away? "Leaving just like this? That''s really boring. Alas, it''s lonely at the top," sighed Hao Jian, sounding rather helpless. Everyone couldn''t help but roll their eyes. Lonely at the top? Have you no shame? If you''re so great, then don''t use hand grenades. Just then, within the crowd, a gaze locked tightly onto Hao Jian. It belonged to a masked woman wearing a black dress. She was tall and well-proportioned, with skin as tender and white as snow. Unlike other women who relied on revealing clothes to attract attention, her tight dress conservatively covered seventy percent of her skin, giving her a dignified and elegant appearance. Around her neck hung a low-key yet luxurious light blue pendant, perfectly positioned at her collarbone, creating a flawless match that sparked fanciful thoughts. If you paid enough attention, you would notice that there wasn''t anyone standing within a meter of this woman; everyone intentionally kept their distance from her, as if they held her in awe. "Who is this person?" asked the lady. Her voice was as melodious as the sound of a piano¡ªa simple four words, yet they rang so pleasantly. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Standing by her side was another woman, wearing black-framed glasses, presenting the image of elegantly demure scholarliness. However, at this moment, her face was as frosty as ice, sporting a look of disdain as if everyone owed her millions. Hearing the lady''s question, the secretary frowned but still responded emotionlessly, "Hao Jian, of unclear origin and identity, appeared in Hua City a year ago, became infamous overnight as the fianc¨¦ of the president of Shu Ya Group, with a vast background. Those who associate with him are no ordinary people. Once, he humiliated both Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen and yet has survived to this day. He is a very mysterious and terrifying individual." The Eyeglasses Lady''s analysis was well-organized, like that of a computer, even knowing the outsider''s "overnight infamy," which she surely knew in detail. She had obviously investigated Hao Jian, but being able to recite such detailed information without a single error¡ªthat was the most frightening part. "Miss, if you need more detailed information, I can have someone prepare it afterwards," offered the Eyeglasses Lady to the woman in black. "No need, this is enough. He is a very interesting man. Ma Li, find a way for me to get in touch with him," the lady in black said as the red lips under her veil curved into an alluring arc, though shrouded by the veil, still tempting. "The miss wants to get in touch with him?" Ma Li was taken aback, knowing somewhat about Hao Jian. No, she should say, she remembered anyone who might pose a threat to their family. Ma Li''s brain was like a super-computer, storing all the details of key figures, down to how many meals they eat a day, clear and precise. No one could escape Ma Li''s investigation, or rather, the investigation of the family behind her. The only exception was Hao Jian; his identity was actually a state-encrypted file, which made Ma Li feel somewhat defeated and more curious about him. Hence, she had deliberately looked into him recently and found that this guy was notoriously infamous, so she was not too keen on her young lady interacting with Hao Jian. "What, is it not possible?" the lady in black asked with a smile, a stunningly frightening beauty emerging from the celestial visage beneath the veil. "Miss, all the women who have been in contact with this man have ended up falling in love with him," Ma Li said hesitantly. The lady in black seemed to be amused by Ma Li''s statement, "Are you worried I''ll fall in love with him? Do you think I am as easily deceived as those women?" Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire "Of course not," Ma Li quickly retorted, the miss with an IQ of 201 could not possibly be fooled by Hao Jian. "But this isn''t about IQ, it''s about emotional intelligence. Miss, you have an IQ of 201, but your EQ..." Ma Li hesitated, although her young lady''s IQ was tested, her EQ was unknown. "You''re overthinking it. The reason I want to contact him is simply because I value his abilities and hope he can work under my command. After all, such a powerhouse should be put to use for me," the woman in the black dress said ambitiously, already harboring the thought of recruiting Hao Jian. After witnessing Hao Jian''s skill and cunning, the lady realized he must be no ordinary person and thought that if she could employ him, he would undoubtedly add strength to her own! "I see," Ma Li breathed a sigh of relief but then voiced her concern, "But miss, this man is an unstable ticking time bomb, dangerous and uncontrollable. If we bring him into our ranks, I fear we won''t be able to manage him, and it might even be a case of inviting a wolf into the house." The more Ma Li knew about Hao Jian, the clearer his danger became to her. Recruiting him was definitely not a good idea¡ªthis guy was like a wild wolf, one that could never be tamed! Chapter 391, Its All Yours! "Are you afraid I can''t control him?" The woman in black was somewhat displeased. "Miss, this guy really isn''t easy to deal with." Ma Li said helplessly. "No more words, do as I say!" the woman in black commanded. "I... I understand," Ma Li sighed and could only reluctantly agree. At that moment, Hao Jian also noticed the gaze of the woman in black and looked towards her direction. Their gazes suddenly met; hers was bright and piercing, his sharp and intense. They stared at each other, and neither felt any fear. From the woman''s eyes, Hao Jian saw extreme wisdom and intelligence. And from Hao Jian''s eyes, she saw absolute invincibility and dominance. Then, she laughed, and Hao Jian was stunned. "Who is this woman?" Hao Jian asked Bartley. Bartley followed Hao Jian''s gaze, and upon seeing the woman in black, he couldn''t help but give a wry smile, "If you have any ideas about her, you better dismiss them right away. Even I can''t afford to provoke her." "Really?" Hao Jian was shocked. How could it be that even Bartley couldn''t provoke this woman? Immediately, Hao Jian became curious. Who was this woman, that even Bartley was so wary of her? But by the time he looked again, the woman and Ma Li had already left. Hao Jian frowned deeply. Who exactly was this woman? Why was she fixated on him? At that moment, Shu Ya timidly approached, somewhat nervously extending her hand to Bartley, "Hello, my name is Shu Ya." Bartley furrowed his brows, glancing at Shu Ya with displeasure. He didn''t recognize Shu Ya; being a grand duke, he inherently carried an air of nobility. To someone like Shu Ya, who was merely a commoner, he generally showed disregard¡ªnot out of contempt but due to his innate pride. Seeing Bartley scrutinizing her this way, Shu Ya also felt somewhat uneasy. Although she was a corporation president, this status held no advantage before a duke. And she clearly saw a flicker of mockery and disdain in Bartley''s eyes. He wasn''t taking her seriously. Shu Ya could only look pleadingly at Hao Jian, overwhelmed by Bartley''s imposing gaze. "She is my girlfriend," Hao Jian quickly interjected, not wanting Shu Ya to feel uncomfortable. "So, she''s the young lady," Bartley''s attitude changed drastically, his demeanor turning warm as he grabbed Shu Ya''s hand and gave a thumbs up, "The young lady is quite beautiful indeed, with a remarkable presence." Shu Ya was bewildered. How could he change so quickly? Just moments ago, he was indifferent, and now he''s warmly calling me ''young lady''. Do I really seem that inferior? No wonder, as a grand duke, Bartley was innately aristocratic, and what beauty hadn''t he seen? Thus, to him, beauty held no significance; what mattered more was status. While Shu Ya did have the identity of a chief executive, this might be impressive to others, but in the eyes of this grand duke, it was trivial. If not for her being Hao Jian''s girlfriend, Bartley might even have punished her for disrespect. "Grand Duke, how do you know Hao Jian? Your status is so esteemed and he''s merely a commoner." Shu Ya asked curiously, hoping to coax some information out of Bartley. "A commoner? How could he just be a commoner? He''s the famous dea... Sss!" Bartley was just about to reveal Hao Jian''s identity when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower back, causing him to sharply inhale. Hao Jian pinched his flesh, his face twisted into a mocking grin. Discover more content at My Virtual Library Empire "The famous what?" Shu Ya asked with suspicion. "No... nothing," Bartley, ever so clever, immediately understood Hao Jian''s intent. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Suddenly, Shu Ya frowned unhappily, knowing Hao Jian must have interfered. His sneering expression made it all too clear. At that moment, a figure caught Shu Ya''s attention, causing her face to darken with anger. "What''s wrong?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. "It''s Rivettes," Shu Ya said through gritted teeth. It was this man who had hindered her corporation''s progress. At the same time, Hao Jian couldn''t help but cast his gaze towards a brown-haired middle-aged man in the distance. He was dressed in luxurious western attire and appeared very gentlemanly with his polite smile. "Let''s go over and have a chat with him," Hao Jian said with a smile. "This, isn''t that a bit inappropriate?" Shu Ya hesitated, as she had just been insulted by Rivettes not long ago, so now she felt a bit timid seeing him. "What''s inappropriate about it? Are you still afraid that he might scold me?" Hao Jian said, laughing and crying at the same time. There were so many people around; even if Rivettes wanted to make a scene, it was hardly possible. "I''m worried you might hit him," Shu Ya asked, somewhat concerned. She knew Hao Jian well; if this ancestor ended up beating Rivettes, her plan to move into Champs-Elys¨¦es would be completely ruined. "How could I? What do you take me for? I''m a civilized person!" Hao Jian yelled, visibly upset. "Civilized?" Shu Ya looked around at the chaotic surroundings and smirked at Hao Jian. "This was an accident. You saw that they were the ones making trouble for me first," Hao Jian said, rubbing his hands embarrassedly. Things had not meant to escalate like this. "Hao Jian, tell me, why do you carry a hand grenade with you?" Shu Ya asked seriously, wanting to know where on earth he got that grenade! At her words, Hao Jian became even more sheepish. "Nobody said I attended this financial summit. You said it yourself; all the people gathered here are business elites, entrepreneurs, impressive figures. I''m just a country bumpkin, scared of being bullied, so I brought something for self-defense." Shu Ya was stunned. Scared of being bullied? Who in the world would dare to bully you? Moreover, at a financial summit, where all the bigwigs gather, who would act like a ruffian and start hitting people? Plus, even if one were to carry something for self-defense, who would bring heavy weaponry like a hand grenade? Are you planning on a mutual destruction or what? Didn''t you see me in the crowd too? Furious, Shu Ya pointed at Hao Jian''s nose and scolded, "Tell me, how many of these dangerous items did you bring?" On hearing this, Hao Jian looked up somewhat aggrieved and said faintly, "Not... not too many, just another twenty or thirty." "Twenty or thirty?" Shu Ya was shocked, her beautiful eyes wide as if they might fall out at any moment. This guy was carrying twenty or thirty hand grenades? Was he planning to blow up the entire Jinxiu Villa? "Even if you wanted to defend yourself, you didn''t need to bring so many, right?" Shu Ya nearly cried tears of despair. Meeting such a person was truly her ill fate; he was practically a terrorist. Hao Jian pouted and complained, "There are a lot of people here; one won''t kill them all... so..." At his words, the guests were terrified; they all scurried away, the men''s faces ashen and the women''s eyes tearful. Was this bastard planning to kill them all? "Don''t be like this. As long as you don''t provoke me, I won''t kill you. Actually, I am very kind," Hao Jian hastily explained, squeezing out a "friendly" smile. But this smile, in the eyes of the guests at that moment, seemed like the devil''s grin, making them shiver with fear. Mama, I never want to come to Huaxia again in my life; the people here are too terrifying... Shu Ya sighed and rubbed her forehead, lamenting that her reputation had been completely ruined by this guy. She looked Hao Jian up and down, then frowned and said, "Where did you hide all those hand grenades?" Hao Jian said he brought twenty or thirty hand grenades, which should have been obvious; no matter how he hid them, they couldn''t have been completely concealed; his clothing should have bulged. Yet at that moment, Hao Jian looked normal, and it seemed impossible for him to hide that many grenades. Hao Jian hesitated for a moment, then pulled two hand grenades from his chest. "Just these?" Shu Ya asked, dissatisfied. Weren''t there supposed to be twenty or thirty? Hao Jian sheepishly chuckled, then walked over to a nearby plant and pulled out two hand grenades. Then he walked to the fountain, pulled out two more; under the table, from the chandelier, out of the trash can, and even crawled under one girl''s skirt to retrieve two grenades from there. The girl blushed deeply but did not dare to scold Hao Jian, allowing him to carry on as he wished. The guests were dumbfounded, unsure how Hao Jian managed it. Since Hao Jian appeared, they had been watching him; logically, he shouldn''t have had the time or opportunity to set up these grenades. Just thinking that such dangerous items were all around them made the guests increasingly fearful, and their looks towards Hao Jian grew more terrified. Clearly, in their eyes, Hao Jian was now equivalent to a terrorist. Seeing Hao Jian had set up hand grenades all over the venue, Shu Ya didn''t even know how to describe her feelings at that moment; this guy wasn''t here to attend a banquet, he was clearly out to launch a terrorist attack! Hao Jian gathered the grenades in a tablecloth, placed them in front of Shu Ya, and said, "They''re all here now." "Go away, go away, don''t let others know I know you," Shu Ya said disdainfully, waving her hands. "Oh," Hao Jian replied, feeling wronged, then turned and tossed the pile of grenades to Bartley. "All yours." And observing this, the crowd gasped in shock, then looked at Shu Ya with fear. To dare to scold someone who seemed like a terrorist, could this woman be the real boss? Huaxia really is a terrifying country, with a woman so formidable. No wonder it produced empresses like Empress Wu Zetian and Mi Yue. Chapter 392 I Want You to Get Out of Huaxia "Give it to me, what do I need these things for?" Duke Bartley chuckled helplessly. "None of your business, just make sure they''re disposed of," Hao Jian replied rudely, without giving the least bit of face to the Grand Duke. "Alright then," Duke Bartley felt helpless but dared not show any dissatisfaction in front of Hao Jian; he carefully accepted the bag of hand grenades. "Wife, I''ve taken care of it," Hao Jian turned around and said to Shu Ya with a grin on his face, "Can we go over now?" To be honest, Shu Ya really didn''t want to be with this guy at the moment, not because she was afraid of losing face, but because she feared the other guests wouldn''t dare to speak with her after seeing Hao Jian. The words "I am very frightened" seemed to be written on their faces without them having to say a word. You jerk, causing trouble at the event is one thing, but scaring away her business opportunity is another. "Let''s go," Shu Ya replied reluctantly. The trio then walked towards Rivettes, and at this moment, when the guests noticed Hao Jian approaching, they hurriedly scattered like a swarm of bees, like mice seeing a cat, leaving Rivettes alone there, stupefied. Since Rivettes had just arrived, he had no idea what had happened and was surprised to see the venue in such a mess. He was about to ask someone what was going on when everyone ran off. Rivettes glanced over, puzzled, only to see Hao Jian and the others approaching. When he saw Shu Ya and Bart together, his thick eyebrows slightly knit together. Clearly, this was not the scene he hoped to witness. Although with his status, he was not afraid of Bart, he naturally did not want to offend such a significant figure. "Duke Bartley, it has been a while," Rivettes extended his hand politely, though his attitude was neither servile nor overbearing, with not a trace of flattery. "Hello," Bart replied, extending his hand, but his demeanor remained cold. Even so, it was still a great honor; not many could expect Bart to offer his hand in greeting. "You''re Rivettes, right?" Hao Jian interjected at this moment, a smile forming at the corner of his mouth. Seeing this, Rivettes frowned in displeasure. He had been speaking with Bart and Hao Jian''s interruption was quite impolite. To those of their stature and position, such courtesies were deeply valued. Rivettes cast an inquiring look at Bart, who slightly lifted his chin and said with a light smile, "I don''t know him." His meaning was clear: he wasn''t responsible for Hao Jian''s behavior. Rivettes, of course, did not believe what Bart said. If he didn''t know him, then why was he standing with him? Out of politeness, Rivettes still answered Hao Jian''s question, "Yes, I am Rivettes. Who are you?" "I''m Hao Jian. You probably don''t know who I am, but you should know her." Hao Jian pointed to Shu Ya beside him and proudly said, "She''s my wife." Rivettes looked at Shu Ya next to Hao Jian, and at this moment, Shu Ya seemed much more confident with Hao Jian by her side, meeting Rivettes'' gaze calmly. Rivettes immediately realized something and laughed coldly, "Do you think that by bringing your man here, I would be afraid of you? I''ve said before that under no circumstances will Huaxia brands be allowed onto Champs-Elys¨¦es!" Rivettes was resolute, in his opinion, Shu Ya was bringing Hao Jian to pressure him, and he could also tell that Hao Jian probably had some connection with Bart, further leveraging Bart''s influence. With a scornful smile on his face, Rivettes admittedly did not want to offend Bart, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t! "Why do you have to target us Huaxia people like this? What have we Huaxia people done to offend you?" Shu Ya was also furious; this was just unreasonable troublemaking with no justification. "No reason. You Huaxia haven''t offended me; I just simply dislike you. It''s like some people are naturally averse to eating garlic. I just naturally dislike you Huaxia people," Rivettes sneered arrogantly. "You''re being completely unreasonable!" Shu Ya snarled, her eyes frosting over like glittering stars, resembling a spittling spore, wishing she could tear Rivettes apart. "Yes, I am being unreasonable. So what are you going to do about it?" Rivettes sneered menacingly, looking like a cunning groundhog. Rivettes regarded Shu Ya with the eyes of one who watches a loser, "You Huaxia people should stick to making your knock-offs. Don''t even dream of advancing onto Champs-Elys¨¦es or hoping to secure a spot in the world of luxury goods! As long as I am here, it will never happen!" "You... you''re too much!" Shu Ya trembled with anger. If he had a rational basis for his actions, she would have willingly accepted it, but rejecting her purely based on personal preference was something she could not accept. Seeing Rivettes''s attitude, Bartley also became a bit angry, stepped forward ready to take up the fight for Shu Ya, of course, this was also for the sake of Hao Jian''s face - otherwise, he couldn''t be bothered to intervene in such a trivial matter. "You say it''s impossible and it''s impossible? Who do you think you are?" Just at that moment, Hao Jian suddenly let out a laugh, as if he had heard the funniest joke. At this moment, Hao Jian had a wildly arrogant smile on his face, making him seem somewhat sinister, with a pair of piercing eyes sharp as a blade. When Bartley saw that Hao Jian had taken action, he stepped back, knowing that once Hao Jian made a move, there was no place for him to intervene. "Do you really think you have a way to win against me?" Rivettes asked with a contemptuous attitude. The entire luxury goods sector in France had to give him face; without his permission, who the hell would dare to collaborate with Shu Ya? Hao Jian raised three fingers and said with a faint smile, "Three days, all it takes is three days, and I will make every company, factory, and store of yours in Huaxia stop their production lines and work!" "Just you? Aren''t you afraid that bragging will make your tongue snap?" Rivettes was laughed at by Hao Jian''s shamelessness. How dare this nobody, this Yellow Hair, spout such bold words when he, the leader of a commercial empire, should fear a threat from a junior? Hao Jian said nothing more, letting out a cold laugh, then picked up his phone to make a call: "Old man, I''m butting heads with a dumbass, this dumbass is called Rivettes. Use all the connections you can to tear down his commercial empire in Huaxia." The person on the other end, Xu Donghe, was silent for a moment before replying, "Leave it to me!" He naturally recognized Rivettes, you could say, they were on the same level. The difference was that Rivettes sold luxury goods, while he ran shopping malls, providing brands like those of Rivettes a platform for sales. If Xu Donghe decided to kick Rivettes''s brand out of his malls, then Rivettes would lose a significant portion of the Huaxia market. Seeing how confidently Hao Jian made the call, Rivettes began to feel that something was amiss. Was he really making a call, or was this just an elaborate bluff? After hanging up the call, Hao Jian looked at Rivettes with a mocking smile, "You won''t let me enter the French market, then I''ll make it so you can''t stay in the Huaxia market! Rivettes, you should know we Huaxia people are the most famous luxury goods consumers in the world. We Huaxia people may not have much else, but we have money. If your brand is driven out of Huaxia, you will lose nearly half your revenue!" Hao Jian''s laugh was incredibly sarcastic: "I can afford not to make money in your place, but you can''t afford not to come here and make money." Rivettes''s face immediately turned ugly because what Hao Jian was saying was the truth. He would rather give up half the world''s market than the market here in Huaxia. Huaxia, a vast country with a population of 1.3 billion, consumes more luxury goods annually than any other nation, and every year Rivettes earns a substantial profit from Huaxia. If what Hao Jian was saying was true, then indeed he would lose a significant part of his market. "Look down on our Huaxia, yet you want to make money here? Who do you think you are, Chapman To?" Hao Jian scoffed continuously. "Pretentious, I''d like to see how you''re going to make me unable to stay in Huaxia!" Rivettes snorted angrily, he just couldn''t believe that this nobody could really collapse his commercial empire in Huaxia in just three days. And just as he was saying this, Rivettes''s phone rang. At this time, receiving a call was not at all welcomed. Before coming here, he''d instructed his staff that this meeting was very important to him and he should not be disturbed under any circumstances. Therefore, unless it was absolutely necessary, his people wouldn''t call him. At this moment, Rivettes saw Hao Jian''s mocking expression, as if he were signaling for him to answer the call. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Rivettes, quite annoyed, let out a scoff before answering the call: "What''s the matter?" "Chairman, there''s trouble. East River Group intends to terminate their contract with our company and have our counters removed from all of East River Group''s malls," a voice of a frantic female secretary came from the other end. Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire "What?" Upon hearing this, Rivettes''s expression drastically changed - how had everything come to this so quickly? "Chairman, the person in charge of Galaxy Era Plaza wants to terminate our contract." "Chairman..." A successive barrage of over a dozen calls hit, leaving Rivettes completely flustered. By this time, the look he gave Hao Jian was starting to change significantly - could this guy really be that influential, able to affect all his business arrangements with just one sentence? Who the hell was this person? At this moment, Rivettes began to take Hao Jian seriously. Initially, he hadn''t paid much attention to him. Although he appeared alongside Bartley, he had just considered Hao Jian to be someone like Bartley''s lackey, but evidently, that wasn''t the case. Hao Jian didn''t bother with him anymore, standing up once again, he raised three fingers: "Three days. In three days, I''ll see to it that you''re completely ousted from Huaxia!" Chapter 393 Dad is Angry Rivettes''s thick eyebrows were tightly knitted together, and his eyes were dead set on Hao Jian, as though he wanted to devour him alive. What a tremendous disgrace, truly a tremendous disgrace! Rivettes had never been humiliated like this by anyone, and especially not by an obscure young man! Hao Jian, with his arm around Shu Ya''s waist, snorted arrogantly, "Damn it, dare to bully my wife, and think my family has no one to stand up for it? What are you, acting all high and mighty? Offending our great Northwest, each one of us spitting can drown you!" Shu Ya''s pretty face blushed; this was the first time she had been embraced like this in public, which did not match her proud personality. If it had been any other time, she would have definitely pushed Hao Jian away, but not now, because she felt completely safe. Being protected by a man, no, by a powerful and domineering man, felt amazing! Especially Hao Jian''s words, "Dare to bully my wife? Think my house has no one?" directly left Shu Ya reeling. No matter how strong-willed a woman is, she can''t withstand such assertive yet tender words. In the past, when Shu Ya faced Rivettes, she was always humiliated by him with no room to retort, but now, with Hao Jian by her side, it was Rivettes who ended up being humiliated. Indeed, having a man in the family is wonderful. "Mr. Bartley, who exactly is he?" After Hao Jian and Shu Ya left, Rivettes asked Bartley with an unsightly expression. "Someone neither you nor I can afford to provoke," said Bartley with a sarcastic smile before walking away with his glass of wine. Rivettes''s brows were deeply furrowed, his mood at its gloomiest. "Daddy, daddy, mommy was taken away!" Hao Jian and Shu Ya were drinking when they saw Tongtong crying and running over, her snow-white princess dress now bearing a conspicuous shoe print, seemingly out of nowhere. Hao Jian''s face changed slightly, and he quickly picked up Tongtong, "Mommy was taken away? By whom?" "That Lv... Lv... the bad person," Tongtong tried to say Lv Shaowei''s name, but couldn''t seem to get it right, crying out of frustration. "I understand," Hao Jian''s eyelids showed a hint of chill; he knew she must be talking about Lv Shaowei. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire "Tongtong, can you tell godmother what happened, okay?" Shu Ya asked softly. It was important to calm Tongtong''s emotions first before they could extract useful information. "Just now mommy fainted, and the bad person took her away. Tongtong didn''t let him, and he kicked Tongtong." Tongtong pointed at her little stomach with a look of grievance, her tears falling like pearls. Hearing this, Hao Jian took a deep breath and handed Tongtong to Shu Ya''s embrace, "Take good care of Tongtong." Shu Ya nodded, "I will, you go." "Take care of them," Hao Jian said, looking up at Bart. And at that moment, Bart couldn''t help but shiver. In Hao Jian''s eyes, he seemed to see an exceedingly profound and cold darkness, endless and seemingly about to devour him. Bart hurriedly averted his gaze, not daring to meet Hao Jian''s eyes, and gasped, "Don''t... don''t worry, leave it to me!" "Swoosh!" The moment the words left his mouth, Hao Jian burst out like a dark panther, raising a gust of wind. "What was that that just passed by?" "It must have been the wind..." "Impossible, didn''t I see a black shadow?" "Godmother, what''s wrong with daddy?" Tongtong weakly asked. "Daddy is angry," Shu Ya said with a wry smile. Hao Jian rushed out of Jinxiu Villa like a breeze, but momentarily he did not know where to go. He did not know where Lv Shaowei had taken Ruo Lan, and pursuing now seemed futile. "Are you looking for that woman who was drugged?" As Hao Jian was about to call for help, a light and floating voice came. Hao Jian glanced sideways and immediately saw a drunk man slumped on the lawn. The man was handsome, but dressed eccentrically, a suit with... oh, slippers? S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. That''s right, a suit with slippers. It would be more accurate to say he was treating this event as a casual visit rather than attending a summit. "Who are you?" Hao Jian felt it was odd; how could such a person appear here? "I''m Baili Zhan, you should have heard of me," said the drunken man with a smile, clearly recognizing Hao Jian. "Baili Zhan?" Hao Jian naturally recognized him, because Baili Zhan was, just like him, one of Liang Jiankun''s arch-rivals and also one of Hua City''s Four Young Masters. Due to Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen, Hao Jian didn''t have a good impression of the Four Young Masters of Hua City. Thus, upon learning Baili Zhan''s identity, his face immediately showed displeasure, "Tell me, where did they go?" Since Baili Zhan had said that, it was certain that he knew where they had gone. "Before asking someone to do something, shouldn''t you say ''please'' first? Don''t you know that?" Baili Zhan glanced at Hao Jian while continuing to drink his wine. Hao Jian grabbed him by the collar, his voice filled with viciousness, "Listen, I don''t have time to joke with you right now. You''d better tell me where they went immediately, or else..." "Or else you''ll kill me, right?" A hint of mockery appeared on Baili Zhan''s lips as he interrupted without showing any fear of Hao Jian. "If you kill me, that woman will be ****ed by that guy. If you don''t mind, then go ahead." Hao Jian couldn''t help but freeze because he saw death in Baili Zhan''s eyes as he spoke; this guy was truly not afraid to die! "You''re not afraid of dying?" Hao Jian was astonished. This guy, as listless as mud, actually had such courage. "Die? I''ve been dead for a long time already." Baili Zhan''s sarcastic smile was evident as he took another swig of wine, not minding Hao Jian''s grip on his collar. "You... You really are an interesting guy," Hao Jian was somewhat at a loss for words. He had seen many people, but it was his first time encountering someone like this. "Interesting?" Baili Zhan squinted his eyes towards Hao Jian, looking as if he had seen an astonishingly beautiful woman. "You''re the first one to say that about me." "Oh? Then how do others describe you?" Hao Jian asked with interest. "Trash, useless, beggar, vagrant, all the bad adjectives are concentrated on me," Baili Zhan laughed self-deprecatingly. "You don''t seem that bad," Hao Jian couldn''t understand ¨C if Baili Zhan could become one of the Four Young Masters, then logically he shouldn''t be that terrible. Baili Zhan just kept drinking silently and didn''t reply until after a long while when he finally said, "They went in the northwest direction." Seeing that Baili Zhan wasn''t willing to talk more, Hao Jian didn''t press further. After giving him a deep look, he dashed off towards the northwest. And a few minutes after Hao Jian had left, Baili Zhan finally let out a leisurely smile, "Interesting? You''re the truly interesting one!" Meanwhile, Lv Shaowei was driving at high speed with the unconscious Ruo Lan, searching for hotels. Looking at Ruo Lan next to him, with her voluptuous and bewitching allure and exquisite charm, Lv Shaowei couldn''t help but swallow his saliva as the lust within him surged, making him wish he could take her on the spot. At this moment, Ruo Lan was completely out cold from the medicine, her lush lips glistening with a trace of drool, looking irresistibly enticing, which, paired with her mature and sophisticated evening gown, elevated her seductive demeanor to a new level. "Damn it, what kind of godforsaken place is this? There isn''t even a hotel around," Lv Shaowei grumbled, distressed by the presence of such a stunning beauty by his side but being unable to do anything ¨C it was a terrible feeling. While he spoke, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a figure flash by in the rearview mirror. Lv Shaowei quickly looked back, only to find nothing behind him but the wide and desolate highway. "Did I see that wrong?" Lv Shaowei muttered to himself. However, at that moment, the shadow flashed past again, and this time Lv Shaowei was thoroughly spooked. If the first time could be a mistake, this time definitely could not. He stared intently at the rearview mirror, where indeed a figure was reflected. But in the dead of night on a mountain road, where could a person come from? Even if there was someone, why would they continuously appear in his rearview mirror? Could it be that he had encountered... "Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Lv Shaowei quickly shook his head to dismiss the thought. How could there be ghosts in this world? He shouldn''t scare himself. But just as this thought came to him, he saw a man running parallel to his car just a meter away from the window. Lv Shaowei was dumbfounded. He looked at Hao Jian for about two to three seconds, then quickly glanced at the speedometer, and then gasped in shock. Because he was in a hurry to take Ruo Lan to a hotel and was on a deserted mountain road, he had almost floored the gas pedal, bringing the speed up to 180 miles per hour. And under these circumstances, Hao Jian was able to run alongside him? Was this guy even human? At first, Lv Shaowei thought he was driving too slowly, but one look at the speedometer, and he was petrified. Simultaneously, a sensation called fear came over him instantly; it was no less terrifying than encountering a ghost. Because Hao Jian''s supernatural and surreal behavior right now was no different from that of a ghost. "Smack!" Suddenly, Hao Jian turned his head and without warning, pressed his whole face against the car window. In that instant, Lv Shaowei saw a ghastly face, with Hao Jian''s eyes and mouth twisted down in a sinister arc, as if it wasn''t a face but a mask. He saw Hao Jian laughing at him, grinning fiendishly, which frightened Lv Shaowei so much that he let out a childlike scream, jerked the steering wheel sharply in his fright, causing the whole car to flip over and crash into a pond. Hao Jian tore open the car door with one hand and then lifted the unconscious Ruo Lan out of the car, leaping ashore with her in his arms. Chapter 394 The War between Two Women Just then, Lv Shaowei clumsily climbed out from his car, stood atop his Lamborghini, and pointed at Hao Jian, cursing fiercely, "You fucking bastard, you dare to smash my car? I''ll have your life!" Seeing his easy prey slip through his fingers, Lv Shaowei also forgot his fear and jumped with rage. "Click." Hao Jian yanked the pin and, without looking back, tossed a hand grenade over his shoulder. Whoosh... Lv Shaowei saw a clear parabolic arc and wondered to himself what that object could be. Boom! The object landed right at Lv Shaowei''s feet and rolled into the Lamborghini that was submerged in water. At that moment, Lv Shaowei finally realized what it was and uttered two words in shock, "Fuck me..." Bang! A roar erupted from the pond as Lv Shaowei was instantly turned into a pile of flesh, scattering in all directions, with flames shooting into the sky. But Hao Jian, as though he had heard nothing, walked back step by step with a grim face, carrying Ruo Lan in his arms. After an unknown amount of time, Ruo Lan slowly woke up under the chill of the wind. Seeing herself lying in Hao Jian''s arms, she couldn''t help but freeze and asked groggily, "What happened to me?" "Nothing, you''re just drunk," Hao Jian said softly, resting his chin on Ruo Lan''s forehead, making her more comfortable leaning on him. He did not want to tell Ruo Lan what had happened. After all, it was a horrifying incident for any woman, and he did not want to scare her. "Then why am I here?" Ruo Lan asked, still confused. "Don''t ask, just sleep peacefully. You''re still a bit dizzy, don''t talk," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Oh," Ruo Lan obediently responded, a rare blush appearing on her delicate face. She enjoyed this feeling, nestled in those strong arms like a fragile girl, feeling securely protected. After some time, Ruo Lan suddenly asked, "Hao Jian, do you think I''m beautiful?" "Beautiful, of course. It''s a stupid question. If you''re not considered beautiful, then I don''t know who is," Hao Jian spoke the truth. Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire "Then do you like me?" Ruo Lan suddenly lifted her head, gazing with her autumnal eyes at Hao Jian, waiting for his response. This question took Hao Jian by surprise, and he replied with a wry smile, "But Sister Lan..." "Call me Ruo Lan!" Ruo Lan glared fiercely at Hao Jian. She tired of being called ''Sister Lan'' all the time, it made her feel old. She didn''t want to be Hao Jian''s sister, why couldn''t this blockhead understand? "Alright, Ruo Lan..." Hao Jian shrugged helplessly: "You should know Shu Ya is my fianc¨¦e; we are getting married soon. This..." "I know, but if we calculate the time, I met you first, and she met you afterward. If I had taken the initiative earlier, perhaps there wouldn''t be anything between you two, right?" Ruo Lan said with a hint of resentment. "True, but you also know that there are no ''what ifs'' in this world, right?" Hao Jian was secretly alarmed. What did Ruo Lan mean by these words? Was this an implicit confession? "It was her who seduced you, wasn''t it?" Ruo Lan narrowed her eyes and said viciously, no longer the soft person she had been but instantly becoming assertive. "Between her and me, there shouldn''t be a matter of who seduced whom," Hao Jian said, half laughing and half crying. His relationship with Shu Ya was accidental; there was no question of seduction. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, Ruo Lan did not believe it. She struggled to rise from Hao Jian''s lap, and just as Hao Jian was utterly puzzled, she pushed him into the bushes nearby. Gradually, Hao Jian also realized that something was off. There seemed to be more people around, and not just one. He quickly opened his eyes and immediately saw Bartley and the others watching him with interest. Hao Jian''s face darkened, and he stammered, "When did you... you guys get here?" "Right when you were saying you couldn''t betray your wife, while you were stripping off your clothes," Shu Ya said with a cold laugh. "This, listen to my explanation..." Hao Jian was close to tears. Why had Shu Ya come down here? Wasn''t she supposed to wait for him up there? "Do we still need an explanation? It''s all clear," Ruo Lan bent down and flicked her tongue on Hao Jian''s face, then looked maliciously at Shu Ya. "Embarrassing..." Tongtong quickly covered her eyes, too embarrassed to look any longer. Seeing this, Shu Ya was furious, "Ruo Lan, do you even realize what you''re doing? He''s my fianc¨¦, and you''re seducing a married man. Have you no shame?" "Shame? The shameless one should be you. I knew him before you did. If it weren''t for your interference, he would''ve been my man!" Ruo Lan retorted sharply, tossing her hair to reveal her alluring demeanor, stunning the bodyguards who cursed the bastard''s good fortune to be monopolizing two stunningly different women. Ruo Lan provocatively continued, "And look at how fierce you are; you don''t have the slightest bit of femininity. No man would like a woman like you. Even if you marry, you won''t be happy. I am different; I embody the traditional virtues of a good wife, am gentle and proper, raised to adhere to the womanly virtues and have no complaints about fulfilling whatever he asks. I would treat him like an Emperor." "What a shameless woman, stealing another''s man and yet so sanctimonious. Your face is so thick it could probably stop bullets!" Shu Ya raged, her face murderous with anger. She should have never let Hao Jian come to rescue this wretch. It would have been better to let Lv Shaowei harm her so she wouldn''t come and vie for her man. Chapter 395 Concert Watching the two women fight, Hao Jian was filled with helplessness and cast a pleading glance at Bartley. Bartley hurriedly tilted his head up to look at the cloudy night sky, "Ah, the moon is so round tonight." Hao Jian was so annoyed his teeth itched and he had no choice but to once again seek Tongtong''s help with a pleading look. But it seemed Tongtong had seen it coming and with arms crossed, she huffed coldly and turned her head away from Hao Jian with a haughty twist. Hao Jian was in despair. "You, come home with me!" Shu Ya grabbed Hao Jian''s ear and said fiercely, as if wondering if he couldn''t deal with Ruo Lan, couldn''t he at least handle Shu Ya? "Ouch, ouch, ouch. Lighten up," Hao Jian cried out in pain. Bartley was completely taken aback, tamed and obedient at the hands of a woman¡ªwas this the same God of Death that made the entire dark world tremble? "If it''s going home, then let''s go home!" Ruo Lan was adamant as she grabbed Hao Jian''s arm and said unabashedly. "Let go of my husband!" Shu Ya bellowed furiously. "Your husband, have you two gotten married yet? As long as you aren''t married, I still have a chance!" Ruo Lan said triumphantly. "This is intolerable, I''m going to have it out with you!" Shu Ya yelled and charged at her like a shrew. Hao Jian wore an expression of utter desolation, "Oh heavens, why did you have to make me so handsome? It''s causing me such life-altering choices!" Everyone had a facepalm moment. ... "Teacher, are you free tonight?" As soon as she left the teacher''s room, Zhao Yating couldn''t wait to catch up and ask. "Tonight?" Hao Jian thought for a moment to confirm that he indeed had free time that evening before he nodded and said, "I''m free tonight, what''s up?" "That''s great, come with us to a concert," Zhao Yating said excitedly, with a group of girls behind her also looking very pleased. It was already exciting enough to go to a concert, but to have Hao Jian accompany them made it even better. "A concert? No thanks, I have no interest in things that kids enjoy," Hao Jian rejected outright. He was already a superstar, did he need to watch other stars? Besides, he didn''t idolize anyone. The only person he worshipped was himself. You could say he was narcissistic or that he looked down on everything, but that was just his frank nature. "Don''t be like that, come with us, please. Just consider it keeping us company," Zhao Yating wheedled, rubbing her ample ''headlights'' vigorously against Hao Jian''s arm. "What are you doing? Show some respect," Che Xiaoxiao hurriedly pushed her away. Damn it, this was at school, in public no less, and this cow was rubbing up against him so shamelessly! Zhao Yating stamped her feet in frustration, her rare chance to get close to Hao Jian ruined by Che Xiaoxiao. "Teacher, please come with us. It''s Su Xinya''s concert, and the tickets are tough to get¡ªa hot commodity both domestically and abroad. It''d be a waste if we don''t go, given that Yating managed to get a few tickets," a girl said, filled with hope. More than watching the concert, she actually wanted to go out with Hao Jian. It could be said that almost all the girls present felt this way. Their admiration for Hao Jian had transcended everything else. The Pop Diva might be great, but she was too distant for them. However, Hao Jian was different; he was truly by their side. So compared to any Pop Diva, they were more infatuated with Hao Jian. Some girls from the Business School even transferred to the Medical School just to spend time with Hao Jian. "Su Xinya? Why does that name sound so familiar?" Hao Jian scratched his head, feeling that the name was very familiar but couldn''t recall to whom it belonged. Explore new worlds at My Virtual Library Empire "Wow, teacher, you can''t be serious? You don''t know Su Xinya? She''s Huaxia''s current pop music queen and has even won two Grammy Awards. Her appearance fee is ten million per event, and her advertising contracts start at thirty million. She''s really something," another girl said, astounded. She couldn''t believe there was someone in Huaxia who didn''t know Su Xinya. Su Xinya was the hottest female star in Huaxia, loved by everyone from eight to eighty, and yet Hao Jian didn''t know her? All eyes looked bizarrely at Hao Jian, wondering just how out of touch he could be. "I don''t follow stars, so it''s normal not to know her," Hao Jian retorted nonchalantly. "Teacher, it''s not about whether you follow stars or not. With Su Xinya''s fame, even if you don''t chase stars, you should still know her. Don''t you watch TV at all?" Zhao Yating said, exasperated. This was beyond being out of touch. "TV? Indeed, I don''t really watch it," Hao Jian admitted, scratching his head and feeling a bit embarrassed. With so many enemies, who had time to watch TV? He was too concerned about not getting killed by his enemies. "Haha, caveman," Che Xiaoxiao couldn''t help but sneer. "You''re so mean, I''m not going then," Hao Jian pouted, clearly annoyed. A bunch of boys shuddered, goosebumps covering their bodies at the coquettish tone. That whine was truly intoxicating. "Che Xiaoxiao, what kind of way is that to talk? Apologize to Teacher Hao Jian right now," "Exactly, it''s all your fault the teacher won''t go now!" "Teacher Hao Jian is a scholar, dedicated to studying medicine. It''s only natural he doesn''t have time to watch TV. What do you know?" When the girls heard that Hao Jian was angry and wouldn''t go, they all became anxious and scolded Che Xiaoxiao. Che Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes and said discontentedly, "I think you fangirls must have broken brains, don''t you?" "We''re fangirls, and you''re not? If you''re not a fangirl, give me back my ticket," Zhao Yating said, reaching out to snatch the concert ticket from Che Xiaoxiao''s grasp. Che Xiaoxiao couldn''t agree to that. If she lost that ticket, it would be like giving Zhao Yating a chance to be alone with Hao Jian¡ªno way she would like that. "Who takes back a gift once it''s given? Have you no shame?" sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I didn''t give it to you, you took it yourself!" Zhao Yating huffed. Why would she ever give a ticket to her rival like Che Xiaoxiao? "Didn''t you say these tickets are hard to get? How come you all have so many?" Hao Jian didn''t understand. They said the tickets were precious, yet it seemed everyone in the class got one; they were like cabbages. "Because Su Xinya and I are friends, of course I have ways to get tickets," Zhao Yating said with a smug smile, filled with pride as she spoke. "So what, you think you''re important because you have a celebrity friend?" Che Xiaoxiao said with disdain, unable to stand Zhao Yating''s pretentious act. "Having a celebrity friend is nothing to brag about, but I think having a celebrity teacher is something worth showing off," Zhao Yating said, wrapping herself around Hao Jian''s arm when Che Xiaoxiao wasn''t paying attention, looking at him with eyes full of infatuation and admiration. "My favorite students are the honest ones like you. Let''s go to the concert!" Hao Jian laughed heartily. "Yay!!" A group of students all cheered aloud. Afterward, Hao Jian notified the school and borrowed the school bus to take this group of students to the venue of the concert. On the way, someone started to sing Su Xinya''s new song "A Blank Page." The memories of our first encounter, I was like the scorching summer sun, and you, the cold frost of harsh winter, a symphony of ice and fire, lost forever in a place we could never reach. The sweet past recorded in history books has finally turned into nothing more than a blank page. As Hao Jian drove, he listened to his students singing. Although he was never one to listen to music much, upon hearing this song, he too couldn''t help but feel moved. The song was filled with sorrow and helplessness, describing the pain of two lovers who deeply loved each other yet tortured each other due to their incompatible natures. At the end of love, the sweetness they had turned into a void, and thus the song was named "A Blank Page." Especially paired with the deep and graceful melody, the song seemed to transcend, no wonder it received the world-class Grammy Music Award. So this was the reason. Hao Jian gradually became interested in Su Xinya. At the same time, Hao Jian''s school bus had arrived at the concert venue. After parking, he began to count the number of students, then, like a mother hen protecting her brood, led this flock of chicks out. Instantly, Hao Jian and his students became the focus among the crowd. It wasn''t unheard of for groups to come to a concert, but a batch of dozens of people was unprecedented. This is Su Xinya''s concert we''re talking about, where getting just one ticket is already quite an accomplishment. Where the hell did these dozens of tickets come from? "Mommy, mommy, I want to go to a school like that in the future!" "Dad, hurry up and find out if there are any vacancies at the Chinese Medicine Hospital. Let''s send our child to that school in the future! If a school can organize students to attend the diva''s concert, it must have a big background!" "You think you''ll get this treatment just by entering the Chinese Medicine Hospital? Do you know who that young teacher is? He''s Teacher Hao Jian who recently crushed a foreign genius chess player and is hailed as the savior of Huaxia''s Chess World. Only by becoming his student would you get this privilege. Look, he''s brought his entire class to the concert," a middle-aged person chuckled, looking quite pleased with himself. "Really? How do you know?" the people around him were stunned to hear this. "Nonsense, my son is his student. I''m here today to catch a glimpse of Teacher Hao Jian." It turned out that not only did some students become fans of Hao Jian, but even some parents did too. This middle-aged man knew that Hao Jian would be bringing the group to the concert today, so he drove here and waited at the entrance just to see Hao Jian. After hearing the middle-aged man''s comments, many people memorized Hao Jian''s face and name, thinking that they must send their children to the Chinese Medicine Hospital in the future and ask specifically for Teacher Hao Jian! ............ Chapter 396 The Evil Youngster At this time, the audience began filing into the venue one after another, the noise reaching a crescendo as the place became packed. It was then that the fans noticed something unusual: dozens of seats at the very front of the auditorium were conspicuously empty. Sitting among these seats was a man clad in designer clothes who looked like a spoiled young master, flanked by two stunningly beautiful women, with bodyguards encircling them, preventing anyone from getting near. Many people moved about discontentedly, thinking that it was somewhat excessive for three people to occupy dozens of seats, especially when so many others couldn''t even purchase a ticket. Yet this young man had monopolized so many places for himself and had bodyguards protecting him; wasn''t this showing off a bit too much? "Money makes you so great, huh?" A man with glasses snorted discontentedly. As if overhearing the man, the entitled youth turned around with a mocking smile and said, "Without money, you''re nothing. Being wealthy is what makes someone great. With my money, I can take all the VIP seats for myself, while a poor loser like you can only stand in the common area without even a spot to call your own. Anyone who ends up with a penniless wretch like you is truly down on their luck." "You¡ª" the man with glasses started, clearly humiliated and quite angry. "Forget about it," his girlfriend quickly tugged at him, fearing that he might actually confront the rich bully, who was surrounded by numerous bodyguards; it would be embarrassing to try anything. "What''s the matter, can''t stand it? If you can''t stand it, come up and hit me! I''m afraid you''ll have the guts to come up but no life to go back!" the rich bully taunted loudly. The man with glasses was so angry his face turned green and his whole body trembled, but he didn''t dare to go forward. With over a dozen bulky bodyguards standing guard, a frail man like him risked getting disabled before he could even reach the bully. "Tch, trash!" the entitled youth dismissed disdainfully. "Young Master Le, don''t stoop to the level of this loser. Let''s just enjoy the concert, okay?" At this moment, a girl with a baby face and speaking in a coquettish manner said this to the spoiled young master at her side. Upon hearing this, Young Master Le sneered and then slapped her across the face, shouting furiously, "Since when is it your turn to speak when men are talking! Do you think too highly of yourself?" "I... I realize my mistake," the girl said, covering her face and crying pitifully, looking extremely wronged. She knew all too well that Young Master Le was unpredictable and volatile, so she dared not speak any further to avoid another beating. "Realized your mistake? Then why aren''t you kneeling?" Young Master Le said with a lecherous smile, pushing the girl''s head towards his crotch and bellowing, "Start screaming!" "But Young Master Le, there are so many people here," the girl said uneasily, feeling deeply ashamed to do such a thing in front of so many onlookers. "What does it matter how many people are here? Who dares to say a word against me? As long as I like it, it''s not just you; even the damn Su Xinya would have to get down and pleasure me!" Young Master Le boasted arrogantly. Experience more tales on My Virtual Library Empire Hearing this, anger flashed across the faces of many fans, who wanted to teach Young Master Le a lesson, but upon seeing the bodyguards by his side, they all deflated. "Hurry up, don''t fucking dawdle, or I''ll throw you to my brothers later for a round each!" Young Master Le threatened with a steely expression. The girl, engulfed in endless humiliation and with tears in her eyes, did what Young Master Le demanded. "Oh~" Young Master Le let out a contented moan, his face twisted into a lewd smile. He was as relaxed and casual as if he were in his own home, completely ignoring the presence of so many spectators. This Young Master Le''s real name was Xiao Xiaole, and his family ran a business in the entertainment industry, owning a large-scale entertainment company in Huaxia. Given this, he had no shortage of opportunities to indulge in the company of stars. His personality was perverse, and he acted without any regard for others, considering no one worthy of his attention. He enjoyed a certain notoriety in elite circles and was known by the moniker Young Master Le. The woman he was currently embracing was a tender model he''d recently taken up with. Having grown bored with stars, he was now looking to experience the flavor of models. "A13, A13, A13, where are you? Hey, found it." Meanwhile, Zhao Yating was leading her classmates, following the seat numbers until they finally arrived at Xiao Xiaole''s location. Upon seeing that Xiao Xiaole had taken their seats, Zhao Yating''s brow furrowed, and she became unhappy. Su Xinya had clearly promised them the front-row seats, and given the relationship between her and Su Xinya, it was unthinkable that Su Xinya would go back on her word. Even if she were to do so, she would definitely have called in advance to inform Zhao Yating. Since Su Xinya had made no such call, it suggested that she herself was unaware of the situation, meaning these people must have taken the wrong seats. With that thought, Zhao Yating strode towards Xiao Xiaole, but just then, two bodyguards blocked her path. "What do you want?" the two bodyguards glared at Zhao Yating and demanded. And the commotion here also caught Xiao Xiaole''s attention, he quickly turned his head, and as soon as he saw Zhao Yating, with her exaggerated figure and peach blossom face, his eyes were immediately glued to her. He had played with countless stars and models, and beautiful women were never scarce around him, but none could compare to the one before him. Because her **** were too big, Zhao Yating''s figure seemed slightly chubby, the kind with baby fat, but it was this baby fat that added to her innocent charm. Even though the one serving him now also had a youthful face and ****, she couldn''t compare to Zhao Yating''s youthful face and ****. Xiao Xiaole hurriedly pushed the girl who was serving him away, ignoring the girl''s resentful and helpless gaze, and directly pulled up the zipper of his pants. "Let her come over!" Xiao Xiaole called, squeezing out a smile. Only then, the bodyguard agreed to let Zhao Yating through. After Zhao Yating came over, she glanced at the girl kneeling on the ground crying, then at Xiao Xiaole who was smiling with some ill intent, and couldn''t help but frown slightly. "Do you know you''re sitting in the wrong seat?" Zhao Yating confronted Xiao Xiaole. "Wrong seat?" Xiao Xiaole was amused, and said disdainfully, "At this concert venue, I, Xiao Xiaole, can sit wherever I want. The seat you say I''ve got wrong, I think it''s you who hasn''t understood the situation, beautiful." "But we have already purchased these seats," Zhao Yating said, displeased. This guy was simply being unreasonable. "So what if you''ve bought them? If I, Xiao Xiaole, say you can''t sit, then you can''t!" Xiao Xiaole said proudly. "If you keep this up, I''ll call the staff!" Zhao Yating threatened, clearly angered. This was clearly their spot, but Xiao Xiaole had taken up a lot of it and was being so arrogant, acting as if he was the supreme one under the heavens. "Call the staff? Why don''t you call them then? I forgot to tell you that this concert venue belongs to our Young Master Le, who is the boss here. Do you think these staff members would dare to go against their boss?" another girl beside Xiao Xiaole said scornfully. Upon hearing this, Zhao Yating''s face turned gloomy. This guy was actually the boss of the concert venue? "Since you''re the boss here, you can come to watch the concert anytime. Why do you have to fight us for these seats?" At that moment, Che Xiaoxiao also came over, staring at Xiao Xiaole with equal displeasure. Xiao Xiaole was shocked. How come another beauty has arrived? Was he on some **** streak today? Faced with a little beauty like a fiery Little Chili, Xiao Xiaole found it hard to contain himself for a moment. One Zhao Yating was enough, but now there was another. These beauties that were hard to come by on regular days had both shown up today. No, no, he absolutely had to get both of these beauties in bed today. They were too **** tempting. "I''m not interested in concerts or anything like that. Those stars who are celebrities in your eyes, they''re just performers in mine. I came today because I heard that Su Xinya was having a concert here. That chick looks fresh and bright. I just wanted to see her and maybe invite her out for a meal," Xiao Xiaole unashamedly revealed his intentions, even proudly, because he knew that the more arrogant he acted, the more these girls would realize how big his background was. "If you want these seats, it''s not impossible. Just promise to kiss me each, and in return, I''ll make an exception tonight and take you to meet Su Xinya. How about that?" Xiao Xiaole winked, taking Che Xiaoxiao and the others for silly fans. In general, fans would agree to anything to meet their idols, and Xiao Xiaole thought Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao would certainly be the same. If they dared to accept his request, then their chastity was doomed. Once these chicks were with him, they would have to comply whether they wanted to or not. These two chicks, plus Su Xinya, that would be three super beauties. He would have to go to a pharmacy and buy a box of Viagra, or else he simply wouldn''t be able to handle it! Che Xiaoxiao laughed, a charming laugh as warm as a sunny day in winter, giving a feeling as if one were basking in sunlight. Xiao Xiaole was also taken aback. If she was so pretty when she laughed, wouldn''t she be downright enchanting in bed? But just as he was spellbound, Che Xiaoxiao pointed at her head and asked him, "Do you have a bubble in there?" "Huh?" Xiao Xiaole was like someone who''d had a bucket of cold water thrown over him, looking at Che Xiaoxiao with displeasure. No one had ever dared to talk to him like that. Although he quite liked Che Xiaoxiao, to him, she was just a woman, and women, in the eyes of people like him, were mere playthings. A mere plaything dared to mock him? This made Xiao Xiaole, who was used to being proud, feel a bit unhappy. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "She is a friend of Su Xinya. As long as she''s willing, we can see Su Xinya anytime. Do we need your help? Do you think knowing a few people makes you amazing? Knowing celebrities, what of it? Do you know Liang Wangsun, the leading figure in the medical field? Do you know Giggs, the world-renowned chess player? Do you know Xu Donghe, the king of the business world?" "." Chapter 397 The Aquarius Fight "I don''t know them, do you?" Xiao Xiaole asked stiffly. The names Che Xiaoxiao mentioned were all people he couldn''t afford to offend, even someone like Giggs, the chess player. Because in this world, apart from power and money, there''s something called prestige. Having prestige naturally earns you respect, and both Liang Wangsun and Giggs are prestigious figures, so Xiao Xiaole couldn''t provoke them. He was only famous locally, whereas Giggs and Liang Wangsun were world-famous. After all, Xiao Xiaole was just a nouveau riche, how could he possibly know those people? Che Xiaoxiao teased him about this, undoubtedly making him very embarrassed. And he was not happy about it. He didn''t know these people, but did Che Xiaoxiao know them? "I don''t know them either," Che Xiaoxiao replied. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Xiao Xiaole cursed angrily, a fierce look appearing on his face. Che Xiaoxiao herself didn''t know those people, so what the hell was she talking about? "Don''t rush, though I don''t know them, my teacher does," Che Xiaoxiao said with a smile. As the saying goes, you can judge a person''s abilities by looking at their friends. Birds of a feather flock together. It''s not without reason that a millionaire would never be friends with a gangster. "Your teacher? Where is he?" Xiao Xiaole asked disdainfully. A teacher who could know big shots like Xu Donghe? Was that possible? "Right behind me," Che Xiaoxiao pointed backward subconsciously, but then saw Hao Jian holding a girl''s hand and laughing. The next moment, Che Xiaoxiao''s face darkened. Holding the pretty girl''s hand, Hao Jian said affectionately, "Miss, would you mind having my children?" "Is this the so-called amazing teacher you mentioned?" Xiao Xiaole scoffed. Such a scoundrel could know important figures? He didn''t believe it! Che Xiaoxiao, furious, took off her sneaker and threw it at Hao Jian''s smirking face. It was so damn embarrassing. Just when she wanted to praise him for once, this guy had to let her down like this. And he dared to flirt with another girl right in front of her? How was she worse than the girl he was holding on to? "Ouch." Hao Jian''s head hurt, and he immediately cried out, then turned around angrily and yelled, "Who? Who the fuck hit me? Stand out!" "Teacher, you promised to come with us to the concert, why are you hitting on girls here?" "Exactly, you don''t want the three thousand beauties of your harem, but go outside to flirt. Are you being fair to us?" A group of girls complained discontentedly. They had so many chicks, and Hao Jian wouldn''t even give them a second glance, but he was out flirting with other women, which made them feel annoyed. Seeing this, Xiao Xiaole was also a bit annoyed. This guy wasn''t good-looking, how come so many people liked him? "What''s up?" Hao Jian asked with an embarrassed smile. "Someone took our spots," Zhao Yating pouted. "Who? Which fool dared to take my spot?" Hao Jian swaggered over, walking with his feet splayed, acting like a total gangster. Che Xiaoxiao covered her face and sighed. How she wished she didn''t know this guy because he was just too damn embarrassing. Yating suddenly pointed at Xiao Xiaole, "It''s him!" Xiao Xiaole''s gaze darkened because he had also heard Hao Jian just call him a fool, so he had already planned to take Hao Jian down. Hao Jian turned to look, and when he saw Xiao Xiaole, his eyes immediately turned cold, "So it was you who took my spot?" "What about it?" Xiao Xiaole said defiantly, surrounded by girls on either side. "I give you one minute to get lost," Hao Jian said with a grin, the damn kid, obviously used to acting tough because no one ever confronted him, but today he was unlucky to meet me. "Telling me to get lost? Are you out of your mind?" Xiao Xiaole was amused. He had no idea where Hao Jian got the audacity to say that. Didn''t he see the number of bodyguards he had? Was he looking for trouble? Read the latest on My Virtual Library Empire Xiao Xiaole''s two female companions and his bodyguards also laughed. They weren''t sure whether to call this kid humorous or a death-seeker. The onlooking crowd also couldn''t help but shake their heads, thinking Hao Jian''s words were stupid. He had plenty of courage but no brains, totally useless. "How about I give you a choice? Kneel down and kowtow three times, then bark three times, and I''ll let you go. Otherwise, I''ll show you what happens to show-offs!" Xiao Xiaole sneered, appearing very arrogant. "Show-off? Only the weak try to show-off. Someone like me, with real strength, need to show-off?" Hao Jian scoffed disdainfully. He was so awesome, where was the need to show-off? Everyone was speechless and thought, "Are you even aware that you''re showing off while saying this?" "A talented elite?" Xiao Xiaole chuckled coldly and said, "I really haven''t seen many talented guys like you, acting like some street thug!" People like Xu Donghe and Liang Wangsun, aren''t they all full of style, imposing aura, giving off a commanding presence without anger? And Hao Jian? He just completely looks like a little gangster. "You know shit, I call this ''returning to the original purity''! Don''t believe me? Ask my students. They know just how awesome I am, right?" Hao Jian shamelessly said. "Yes!" The students from the Chinese Medicine Hospital all yelled out, knowing very well how sharp Hao Jian could be; how could they not know as his students? At that moment, everyone was as if injected with adrenaline, all excited and their faces flushed red. At this time, Xiao Xiaole also noticed something was off, because these students, instead of showing a trace of fear when facing him, were looking at him with disdain, seemingly not treating him seriously at all. This baffled Xiao Xiaole¡ªwhat made these guys so confident? Could it really be because of this bizarre teacher? Xiao Xiaole saw Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating also standing by Hao Jian, glaring at him furiously, and his face darkened immediately. "Alright, alright, alright, I see now, you want to show off in front of your students, huh?" Xiao Xiaole jeered with a sinister laugh, then abruptly turned to Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao: "I''ll give you one more chance¡ªjust agree to have a meal with me, and whatever demands you have I can meet them, otherwise, you will be kicked out of this venue!" "Fuck off! Don''t even look at yourself in the mirror. You think I''d dine with you? Dream on!" Che Xiaoxiao, upon hearing this, was immediately displeased and straight up gave Xiao Xiaole the middle finger. "Yes, fuck off! Fuck off!" Zhao Yating, usually a demure girl who didn''t swear, now that she thought of having Hao Jian''s backing, no longer had any worries and began to jeer as well. "Fine, don''t you regret this!" Xiao Xiaole was furious, a few lowly commoners daring to talk back to him? Did they really think he, Young Master Le, was softhearted? "Cripple them!" Xiao Xiaole ordered his bodyguards with a grim look. All his bodyguards were capable of fighting ten at a time; handling a few students was nothing but a piece of cake. Hao Jian had annoyed him, and Xiao Xiaole took his anger out on Hao Jian''s students! The bodyguards immediately advanced menacingly, surrounding Hao Jian''s students, their faces twisted into malevolent grins. Seeing this, the students inevitably felt uneasy, especially the girls, who huddled closely behind Hao Jian. Some even clutched at Hao Jian''s clothes, seeking shelter in this firm harbor. Hao Jian looked at Xiao Xiaole, his mouth''s curve rather icy: "If you dare touch my students, I will make you regret being born in this world!" "Hit them! Especially target his students!" Xiao Xiaole roared venomously, enraged that this bastard dared to threaten him. Not hit his students? He specifically wanted to hit them, and hit them hard. And those two bitches who dared to ignore him, once he dealt with this kid, he would let them know what a mistake they made! sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian''s eyes narrowed, a chilling gleam flashing through them. The bodyguards no longer hesitated and rushed towards Hao Jian''s students at high speed. Hao Jian shook his head and a sneer appeared on his lips. He immediately grabbed a water bottle from a stunned spectator nearby and threw it at one of the men. "Bang!" Hao Jian''s arm strength was so great that the water bottle, with the added force of the impact, became enormously more powerful, smashing the bodyguard''s head to a bloody mess, and the bottle itself even burst on the spot. Everyone was a bit incredulous; until the explosion, they hadn''t even seen clearly what Hao Jian had thrown. Knocking someone out with a plastic water bottle¡ªthat''s a bit too exaggerated, isn''t it? "Hand me the water bottles!" Hao Jian shouted. He couldn''t afford to be distracted to deal with the bodyguards converging from all sides, so using projectiles was the best option. The students quickly handed their water bottles to Hao Jian. Hao Jian then, like a catapult, hurled one water bottle after another, hitting his targets accurately, each one striking squarely in the face. The bodyguards, hit by these impromptu projectiles, felt like bricks had been slammed on their heads, leaving them dazed and down for the count. Seeing his bodyguards being defeated one by one, Xiao Xiaole''s face turned green, a hint of fear emerging for the first time. How could this be? All his bodyguards were rigorously selected, each a fierce warrior, accustomed to licking blood off knife edges, yet they hadn''t even gotten close before being knocked down by Hao Jian¡ªwhat on earth was this terrifying guy made of? And the audience was also amazed. A water bottle fight? This was definitely a first. Chapter 398 Sister Ying Some of the unaware people even thought it was a real-life show performance. They stirred up the atmosphere before Su Xinya came out. Only when all the bodyguards were beaten down by Hao Jian did Xiao Xiaole finally understand the profound meaning behind those students'' smiles. They had known all along that their guys were no match for Hao Jian¡ªthis guy was simply pretending to be a pig to eat tigers! Hao Jian walked over to the already stunned Xiao Xiaole, grabbed him by the collar with one hand, and lifted him up. His female companion was so frightened that she screamed repeatedly, stepping back several times in fear. Since Xiao Xiaole didn''t respect them in everyday life, they naturally didn''t like him, so watching Xiao Xiaole get beaten, neither of them had any intention of saving him, not even a hint of sadness. "You, what are you going to do? I''ll tell you, Young Master Le''s family has power and influence, if you dare to touch me, I will make your whole family die!" Xiao Xiaole threatened in terror. But Hao Jian seemed not to have heard him at all, and simply backhanded him across the face, then coldly smiled, "Do you know, you scared my students?" "Fuck your mom!" Xiao Xiaole felt like his lungs were about to explode, when had he ever suffered such humiliation? Hao Jian let out a heh, followed by another slap. This slap knocked Xiao Xiaole''s teeth out, and he fell to the ground. "Stop, stop hitting me." Xiao Xiaole waved his hands repeatedly, realizing threats were useless against this guy. Fearing more beatings, he quickly pleaded with Hao Jian to spare him. "I already warned you, I''ll make you regret living in this world," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh, and then fiercely stepped on the other''s knee. With a crack, Xiao Xiaole''s face twisted in pain instantly. He rolled continuously on the ground in agony, and even the noisy concert venue couldn''t drown out his screams. "You wait, I won''t let this go, I will make sure you die!" Xiao Xiaole gritted his teeth, eyes filled with hatred. He had never suffered such humiliation and been bullied like this. "Heh." Hao Jian smiled sinisterly, without wasting any words, delivered another kick. This time, he didn''t step on Xiao Xiaole''s foot, but on his crotch. "Ahh." This scream was even more piercing than before, Xiao Xiaole vomited foam at the mouth and convulsed uncontrollably on the ground, making the crowd involuntarily inhale sharply. This blow had thoroughly turned him into a eunuch; he would never be able to sleep with women again. At this time, the two models, seeing Xiao Xiaole in such a state, not only did they show no sympathy, their faces even revealed a hint of schadenfreude. From this, it was not hard to see how terrible a person he usually was, that even his women detested him. "Now, you''ll have a lifetime to regret," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "Stop it, all of you!" Just then, a middle-aged woman dressed sharply with spectacles, accompanied by a group of security guards, ran over. Seeing Xiao Xiaole beaten up like this, she was also shocked. She knew that Xiao Xiaole was not someone to mess with, and if he was upset, they could forget about holding concerts in Hua City ever again. She hurriedly stepped forward to help Xiao Xiaole up, "Young Master Le, what happened to you? Who did this to you?" Xiao Xiaole, pale as paper, shakily pointed at Hao Jian. Even now, as pain threatened to knock him unconscious, he looked at Hao Jian with a face full of loathing. The middle-aged woman turned to Hao Jian angrily, "Who are you? Why are you hurting people here?" "He took my seat and had people beat up my students, shouldn''t I deal with him?" Hao Jian replied with a smile. "Took your seats? This entire venue belongs to Young Master Le; it''s perfectly reasonable to kick you out, let alone take your seats, and you still had the guts to hit someone? Someone grab him for me!" the middle-aged woman was hopping mad. The company had been told over and over again to maintain a good relationship with Xiao Xiaole before they arrived. Now that Xiao Xiaole had been beaten at their concert, if they couldn''t handle this matter, and if Young Master Le''s father pursued it, they might very well be blacklisted in the entertainment industry. Xiao Xiaole''s father was an entertainment mogul, while Su Xinya, although a popular star, was not yet in a position to contend with such a titan. And this middle-aged woman, as Su Xinya''s agent, naturally had to do everything in her power to protect her artist''s interests. "Sister Ying, this really isn''t our fault, they took our seats first," Zhao Yating suddenly spoke up. She was good friends with Su Xinya, so she naturally knew this agent. "Yating?" Sister Ying glanced at Zhao Yating, then it suddenly dawned on her that Su Xinya had told her to save seats for Zhao Yating and her classmates. But as soon as she thought of Xiao Xiaole, Sister Ying''s demeanor instantly changed as she said coldly, "Seats? Young Master Le has booked the whole place for tonight; these seats were his to begin with." "That''s impossible, Xinya clearly told us beforehand that she''d reserved seats for us, look, we even have the stubs," Zhao Yating handed over the stack of stubs she had. However, Sister Ying didn''t even glance at the stubs and simply knocked them out of her hands, saying expressionlessly, "The reason Xinya saved the tickets for you is that she didn''t know Young Master Le would be coming. Now that Young Master Le is here, the seats naturally belong to him. What status do you have, and what status does Young Master Le have, to dare to compete with him for seats?" "Sister Ying, you..." Zhao Yating was shocked, never having expected that the usually amicable Sister Ying would speak like this. Sister Ying was clearly twisting the truth; the seats had been theirs to begin with, but just to butter up Xiao Xiaole, she was willing to muddle right from wrong. "Yating, out of consideration for your friendship with Xinya, I won''t make things difficult for you. Move aside!" Sister Ying scolded. Zhao Yating clenched her teeth and then, with a cold expression, stood beside Hao Jian, "Sister Ying, I advise you not to poke your nose into this matter, otherwise, you won''t be able to bear the consequences." Hao Jian, standing beside her, also gradually revealed a mocking smile, looking at Zhao Yating as if she were a fool. "Alright, alright, since you''re so obstinate, I can''t blame myself," Sister Ying said angrily upon hearing Zhao Yating speak that way. She had been trying to be nice to her, and here she was, daring to threaten her. But what Sister Ying didn''t know was that Zhao Yating was also thinking of her well-being. This wasn''t a threat but a warning, because Zhao Yating was aware of Hao Jian''s power. "Before you decide to get physical with me, I think it would be wise for you to consider the consequences first. Why don''t you ask Su Xinya first?" Hao Jian asked with a grin. Since Zhao Yating was friends with Su Xinya and Sister Ying was Su Xinya''s agent, he didn''t want to sour relations too much either. "No need, I can handle such trivial matters myself; there''s no need to bother Xinya," Sister Ying flatly refused because she knew that Su Xinya''s temperament would definitely side with Zhao Yating, completely offending Xiao Xiaole, and she couldn''t allow that to happen. So she planned to take action first and explain later, dealing with Hao Jian and his group first, and then reporting to Su Xinya. Even if Su Xinya blamed her later, she would at least have protected the company''s interests, and more importantly, her own personal gain. Xiao Xiaole had promised her a reward of twenty million if she brought Su Xinya to his feast tonight. But now that Xiao Xiaole had been beaten up like this, the feast that evening was canceled, and her money evaporated as well. Since Hao Jian was the cause of her loss tonight, she naturally wanted to teach him a lesson. Breaking arms and legs was pretty much a given, and anyway, with Xiao Xiaole backing her up later, she didn''t have much to worry about. With that in mind, Sister Ying''s lips twisted into a chilling sneer, "Consequences? The consequence is that I will cripple you and then throw you and these ignorant fools out of the venue!" "Ah, why are there so many idiots in this world?" Hao Jian sighed helplessly, looking utterly exhausted. "You''re asking for it!" Sister Ying could no longer contain her anger, having never encountered such an arrogant young man before. Even at this critical moment, he still dared to threaten her? "If you dare to have someone lay a hand on me, your fate will be the same as his," Hao Jian pointed to Xiao Xiaole, who was lying on the ground convulsing not far away, his face bright with a cheerful smile as if he were discussing something utterly mundane. "Attack!" Sister Ying shouted loudly. Having been in the industry for so many years and encountering all kinds of people, she had never been threatened like this! A group of security guards then swarmed in, but they were not as bold and well-trained as those bodyguards, screaming wildly and acting chaotically as they clustered together. In the eyes of ordinary people, the scene might be quite scary, but to someone like Hao Jian, who was a king in his own right, it was laughable. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire With a slight smile, Hao Jian extended his foot and kicked the chest of the person at the forefront, the impact sending the group behind flying, tumbling over each other. "What?" Sister Ying''s jaw dropped in shock; so many people, and this guy had dealt with them with just one kick? "Next time you decide to have someone take action, it might be best if you take a look at your surroundings first," Che Xiaoxiao walked over to Sister Ying, then wrapped her arms around the dumbfounded Sister Ying''s head and slowly turned it to one side. Following that, Sister Ying''s face turned green as she finally noticed the bodyguards spread out haphazardly not too far away. Earlier, she had been confused about why Xiao Xiaole got beaten, with this guy being so cocky, always with a dozen bodyguards even when going to the bathroom. Where had all the bodyguards gone? It turned out they hadn''t disappeared; they had all been taken down by Hao Jian. Chapter 399 Why Should I Give You Face? Even professional bodyguards were no match for him, so sending these security guards after him was practically a suicide mission. She had been so intent on avenging Xiao Xiaole just now that she had completely failed to notice her surroundings until it was too late. Sister Ying swallowed hard, astonished, "Who, who exactly are you?" "Asking this now, don''t you think it''s too late?" Hao Jian sneered. In any case, he would never let Sister Ying go. It was not that he hadn''t given her a chance; Sister Ying simply didn''t know how to seize it. Looking for help, Sister Ying turned to Zhao Yating, who just shook her head helplessly, "Sister Ying, I already warned you earlier. You didn''t listen." I warned you, and you didn''t listen, so it''s your problem now. At those words, Sister Ying''s face fell, and she exhibited an extreme look of ugliness before frantically making calls. "Xinya, come save me. I, I''m in big trouble," Sister Ying said in a trembling voice, clearly terrified. Zhao Yating wouldn''t save her, so now she could only pin all her hopes on Su Xinya. Considering Zhao Yating and Su Xinya''s relationship, surely she couldn''t just stand by and watch her die, right? It didn''t take long before Su Xinya arrived flanked by a group of bodyguards, her hair disheveled and her clothes thin. The moment Su Xinya heard Sister Ying''s cry for help, she rushed over immediately. She had been back-stage preparing for a performance when she had to abandon what she was doing, which explained her current appearance. The fans, seeing their idol, forgot their fear and started screaming excitedly, creating a frenzied scene almost instantly. "Sister Ying, what happened, what''s the matter?" Su Xinya asked anxiously as she approached and supported the fright-stricken Sister Ying. When Hao Jian saw Su Xinya, his brows furrowed deeply. So it was her? No wonder the name sounded so familiar. "Xinya, save me, you have to save me this time no matter what," Sister Ying clung desperately to Su Xinya''s hand, refusing to let go, highly agitated. "What exactly happened, Sister Ying? Don''t panic, just tell me what''s going on?" Seeing Sister Ying like this, Su Xinya was also anxious. She didn''t know how someone as shrewd and well-connected as Sister Ying could be so distraught and in tears. "Yating''s teacher wants to hit me. Help me, don''t let him hurt me," Sister Ying sobbed, not wanting to end up like Xiao Xiaole. "Yating''s teacher?" Su Xinya furrowed her brow slightly, then looked in Hao Jian''s direction and upon seeing him, she couldn''t help but be startled. "Hi," it was Hao Jian who recovered first, greeting Su Xinya with a smile. Remembering that he had forgotten her name, he felt a bit embarrassed. Su Xinya was utterly stunned. She had thought that after their last goodbye, she would never see Hao Jian again, but unexpectedly, she ran into him here. "You know him?" Zhao Yating was very surprised, having thought that Hao Jian and Su Xinya were meeting for the first time. "We''ve met a few times," Hao Jian said with a wry smile. "Met a few times, and yet you didn''t know when I mentioned her?" Zhao Yating was utterly speechless. Previously, Hao Jian had acted as if he didn''t know Su Xinya. "That''s because, that''s because I forgot her name," Hao Jian said sheepishly, uttering a statement that countless fans wanted to strangle him on the spot for. It''s Su Xinya, after all, a huge star, and you forgot her name? Wasn''t that essentially saying she wasn''t charming enough to be memorable? Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire Su Xinya could only laugh and cry, but this also seemed very much like him. "Xinya? You know him, that''s great. Please plead with him for me," Sister Ying begged eagerly. "Hao Jian, what did Sister Ying do to offend you?" Su Xinya asked, puzzled. "She helped tyranny, joined others in seizing our spot, and ordered security to hit my student. How has she not offended me?" Hao Jian said with a smirk. Hearing this, Su Xinya''s expression darkened as she looked at Sister Ying, "Is what he said true?" "I," Sister Ying''s gaze flickered, afraid to answer. Seeing the situation, Su Xinya realized what was going on and said angrily, "Didn''t I tell you that those seats were to be saved for Yating?" "But the one who took their seats was Young Master Le, and he is not someone we can afford to offend," Sister Ying said with an embarrassed expression. "So what, if it comes to it, I just won''t hold a concert in Hua City at all. And you even had someone hit them? You are putting me in an unjust position, how am I supposed to face my fans after this?" Su Xinya was very furious. If today''s events were leaked by some malicious people, how would she face her fans and the national audience in the future? Moreover, she had already explained this matter early on, yet Sister Ying directly went against her command. What about Xiao Xiaole? She hated this kind of domineering behavior from spoiled young masters the most. Sister Ying didn''t know what to say, but still clung desperately to Su Xinya''s hand, since Su Xinya was now her only lifeline. Without Su Xinya''s help, she would surely be severely dealt with by Hao Jian. Helplessly, Su Xinya sighed, knowing that now was not the time to blame Sister Ying, but rather to resolve the crisis at hand and prevent Hao Jian from developing a grudge against them. Having experienced Hao Jian''s methods before, Su Xinya knew how terrifyingly dangerous he could be. Indeed, if he were truly angered, he might resort to killing. Thereupon, Su Xinya, suppressing her anxious heart, asked Hao Jian, "Could you, for my sake, let her off just this once?" The crowd was in uproar. The national Goddess was actually pleading with an unknown young man? "Yes, yes, of course," Luo Tong, acting like a lackey, immediately softened upon seeing the pitiful appearance of Su Xinya and hurriedly nodded in agreement, only to be dragged away and beaten up by a group of girls right after. Hao Jian scoffed and said, "Give you face? Sister, are you confused? Are we familiar? We''ve only met a few times. Don''t you think your request is a bit over the top?" Hao Jian''s words were very impolite, especially considering that Su Xinya was a celebrity. She had initially thought that given her status as a celebrity and pleading in front of so many people, Hao Jian would give her some face, considering a man''s pride. But to her utter surprise, it was just her wishful thinking. Hao Jian simply didn''t care about her at all. Seeing Hao Jian''s mocking gaze, Su Xinya realized that Hao Jian had long seen through her intentions. Immediately, she felt ashamed and lowered her head, her face filled with embarrassment. Hao Jian''s mockery was not without reason. Su Xinya thought that with many people around, he would care about his reputation and comply, but the last thing Hao Jian tolerated was others scheming against him, so he got angry right there. If Su Xinya had just apologized from the beginning, he might not have taken it personally, but it was her fault for being too clever for her own good. She thought this might make Hao Jian compromise, thus neglecting the most direct and effective method. Seeing Hao Jian''s attitude like this, Sister Ying too was trembling with fear. Was she really doomed? "What are you being cocky about? The Goddess herself is pleading with you and yet you still won''t give in? Is it really worth being so petty over such a trivial matter?" a burly man said displeased, unable to stand seeing his Goddess humiliated, and instantly could not hold back. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Exactly, the Goddess herself is pleading with you, and yet you''re still inflexible. Did your brain get smashed in the door? Are you even a man?" the fans also started shouting one after another. As the saying goes, there is safety in numbers, and although Hao Jian had dealt with dozens of bodyguards and security personnel, there were still hundreds of people in this area. They didn''t believe Hao Jian could fight a few hundred people by himself. If Hao Jian could manage that, then he was not human, but a god! What they didn''t realize was that Hao Jian was indeed a god, and among all gods, he was the most cruel and violent God of Death! So, Hao Jian didn''t take them seriously at all, his cheeks pulling into a not-so-friendly smile. Seeing the curve of Hao Jian''s mouth, Su Xinya knew trouble was brewing, as that was the same smile he had when he was about to kill someone last time. This smile was Hao Jian''s signature, known in the dark world as "the God of Death''s smirk." "Just because she''s a big star, does that mean her word is final? Stars can do whatever they want, can they? So if I were a star, and I fucked all your mothers, would you also let it slide?" Hao Jian asked very disdainfully and crudely. "Fuck your mom, I think you''re looking for death!" The burly man immediately vaulted over the railing, angrily approaching, followed by his companions and several enraged male fans. "Am I wrong? Isn''t that your logic? Why are you so angry?" Hao Jian feigned confusion as the fans closed to within ten meters of him. "Stop them!" Su Xinya urgently shouted to her bodyguards. Seeing the opposition''s overwhelming numbers, some of them hesitated, but these were Su Xinya''s orders, and they dare not defy them, advancing quickly to meet them. Su Xinya also moved to intercept them, preventing them from confronting Hao Jian. "Everyone, I appreciate your intentions, but this is our fault. It''s understandable that he doesn''t forgive us. I already feel very guilty, so please don''t make things worse, okay?" The reason she came forward to stop these fans was not because she feared they would hurt Hao Jian, but because she feared Hao Jian would kill them! ............... Chapter 400 You Yang, Impotence "Goddess, you''ve done nothing wrong; in our hearts, you''re always right!" a male fan said with a lovestruck face. "Exactly, it''s all this guy''s fault for being so unappreciative, and he even dared to reject Goddess. He''s really asking for trouble," the burly man snorted coldly, feeling utterly displeased by Hao Jian''s defiant demeanor. Of course, his boldness was only because he knew he had a group of people behind him; otherwise, he would never dare to confront Hao Jian head-on. "Psh, a bunch of brain-dead fans," Hao Jian said disdainfully. "This brat is too arrogant, beat him up!" The fans finally couldn''t hold back anymore and roared as they rushed towards Hao Jian. The fans broke through the bodyguards'' line of defense and pounced on him with bared fangs and brandished claws. "Stop, you guys stop!" Su Xinya screamed in a panic but was forcibly carried away by one of the bodyguards. Given the situation, it was not suitable for Su Xinya to take risks here. Seeing so many people rushing towards him, Hao Jian said innocently, "Why are you all so angry? I was just talking; I didn''t actually ''fuck your mothers''!" "Fuck, kill him!" The burly man, taking the lead, roared and threw a punch towards Hao Jian''s face. But at that moment, Hao Jian suddenly grabbed the man''s throat with one hand and lifted him into the air. "Looks like you''re the one looking for death, aren''t you? There''s a limit to ignorance. If I''m willing to hurt so many people, would I hesitate to deal with you?" Hao Jian said, his eyes glinting with a sharpness akin to the edge of a blade. Fear shone in the burly man''s eyes as he stared at Hao Jian, unable to believe that his body, weighing over three hundred pounds, was being lifted by the skinny Hao Jian with just one hand. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Bang!" Hao Jian punched the burly man''s abdomen, sending him flying over ten meters into the surge of fans. Witnessing this, the fans were petrified; a punch that sent a man flying more than ten meters was meant to kill! The fans who were initially intent on teaching Hao Jian a lesson suddenly retreated, their gaze towards Hao Jian filled with extreme wariness. "Being a fan isn''t bad, but using it as an excuse to act like hooligans is something I must punish you for," Hao Jian said with a cold sneer. Then he clenched his fists and looked at the crowd, "Do you think I''d be afraid of you just because there are many of you? A bunch of fools who are nothing more than wine bags and rice bags. Even professional bodyguards are no match for me; you think you dare to attack me? Let me tell you, from now on, I won''t show any mercy. Whoever comes at me, I''ll beat them to death! After all, you all started it. It''s called self-defense, and I won''t be legally responsible." Hearing this, the fans'' expressions dramatically changed, for they could see that Hao Jian was definitely not joking. Hao Jian looked at the pale-faced Su Xinya and his mouth curled into a sneer, "A star? What of it? Whoever dares to touch my student, even the Heavenly King would not be spared my wrath! Giving you face? You''ve got to be kidding." Su Xinya bit her teeth tightly and bowed her head, not daring to meet Hao Jian''s gaze, feeling stiff all over from extreme shame and embarrassment. Read the latest on My Virtual Library Empire "Go back; there''s no turning back from this," Hao Jian said expressionlessly, and then walked directly towards Sister Ying. The fans, seeing Hao Jian move, thought he was going to hit someone and were terrified, retreating rapidly. "Don''t kill me," Sister Ying pleaded, her face distraught with tears as she knelt on the ground. "Kill you? Why would I kill you? Men shouldn''t hit women, and I wouldn''t want to be that kind of scum," Hao Jian said as he forced a friendly smile. However, to Sister Ying, that smile seemed sinister and evil. "However, we need to take something from you as punishment," Hao Jian said with a slight smile and then gently pressed a point on Sister Ying''s forehead. Sister Ying''s eyes immediately lost their luster and focus, and she stumbled backward several steps before collapsing onto the ground. "I''m blind, I''m blind!!" Sister Ying suddenly cried out in terror, her face overtaken with shock as she discovered she couldn''t see anything¡ªher world had turned pitch black. Xiao Xiaole liked to toy with women, so Hao Jian took away his manhood, and since Sister Ying loved to look down on others, Hao Jian simply took away her eyesight. After all, it was useless for her to keep it. "Sister Ying, Sister Ying, how are you?" Su Xinya rushed over in panic, staring at Sister Ying, wondering how she could have suddenly gone blind. The fans, too, showed faces of terror, too scared to speak for a long while. With just a light touch, Hao Jian had blinded someone. Who on earth was he? "He made me blind; he''s blinded me," cried Sister Ying, her tears flowing freely. Without her eyes, she was now blind, never again able to see the beautiful world. As for her career as an agent, she could forget about continuing it, for no one would hire a blind person. Su Xinya was in shocked disbelief; Sister Ying had just become blind? What exactly had Hao Jian done to her? "Teacher, was that the Six-Pulse Excalibur?" Luo Tong exclaimed in amazement. Upon hearing this, everyone was utterly dumbfounded; could it be that the techniques from ''Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'' were actually real? Could there truly be a Six-Pulse Excalibur? "This isn''t some kind of ''Six-Pulse Excalibur''; rather, it''s Traditional Chinese Medicine''s Acupoint Pressing. I''ve told you Chinese medicine is profound," Hao Jian said with a faint smile, then turned to Su Xinya, "Hurry up and take these trash away. We are here for a concert, and we certainly don''t want to see you crying and whining." Tears welled up in Su Xinya''s eyes as she glared fiercely at Hao Jian before helping Sister Ying to leave. At this moment, she was also very angry because she hadn''t expected Hao Jian to treat her this way. No matter what, they were old acquaintances. Even if they weren''t very close, did he really need to insult her time and again? How had she offended Hao Jian, such that he would treat her this way? "To make the Goddess cry, you bastard!" a male fan cursed furiously. "Hmm?" Hao Jian turned his head, his ferocious gaze falling upon the male fan''s face. The man immediately didn''t dare to make a sound. "Teacher, you''re too awesome, even making Su Xinya cry," Zhang Jia said to Hao Jian, giving him a thumbs-up. "Hao Jian, I used to think you were a pervert, but now I realize you''re not. Well done!" Che Xiaoxiao also gave Hao Jian a thumbs-up. "Well done my ass, that''s my friend you''re talking about," Zhao Yating said, on the verge of tears. Her teacher had just ruined Su Xinya''s agent, and she didn''t know how she was going to face Su Xinya afterwards. "We haven''t done anything wrong, so we don''t need to feel any guilt. If she doesn''t understand to empathize and to put herself in our shoes, then it''s no great loss to be rid of such a friend," Hao Jian said indifferently, before sitting down in a chair, folding his arms, and stopping his words. If he hadn''t been there today, considering Xiao Xiaole''s unrestrained behavior, it was uncertain what would have happened to Zhao Yating and the others. By then, the ones ruined wouldn''t have been Xiao Xiaole and his company, but these innocuous college students. Seeing Hao Jian like this, Zhao Yating sighed and said no more. "You, I will definitely kill you. My dad is Xiao Wenqiang, the entertainment tycoon. You dare to end my family line, I will destroy everyone around you! And your students too, you want to protect them, right? I won''t let a single one of them off!" At this point, not far away, Xiao Xiaole suddenly screamed frenziedly. At that moment, he had completely lost his sanity, or else he wouldn''t be challenging Hao Jian when all his bodyguards were down. "Damn, looks like this kid is tired of living!" Luo Tong clenched his fists, teeth gritted, and started walking towards Xiao Xiaole. But at that moment, Hao Jian held him back and smiled faintly, "Don''t be like that. He''s already beyond help, truly pitiful. Let him vent a bit, there''s no need to hurt him further." Everyone was at a loss for words. He was this pitiful all because of you, wasn''t he? Now you''re playing the good guy at this time, isn''t that a bit fake? And Hao Jian wouldn''t have had to say it, but upon hearing this, Xiao Xiaole was just about to vomit blood with rage. Not only had Hao Jian robbed him of the greatest pleasure in his life, but he was also pretending to be the good guy now? And he''s actually showing sympathy now? A feeling called "humiliation" engulfed him in an instant. "Fuck your mom!" Xiao Xiaole roared, his eyes bloodshot, filled with the desire to kill Hao Jian. "Don''t worry, I won''t get angry," Hao Jian sighed, the corner of his mouth holding a hint of a mocking smile as if the angrier Xiao Xiaole got, the happier he became. Hao Jian pointed at Xiao Xiaole and asked Luo Tong and the others, "Look at him, doesn''t he resemble a dog?" Xiao Xiaole was so furious he was close to spitting blood. Damn it, not only had he been beaten, but now he was also being humiliated in public. When had he ever been treated like this? "Fuck your ancestors for eighteen generations!" Xiao Xiaole kept cursing. Since he couldn''t win against Hao Jian in a fight, all he could do now was swear to vent his frustrations. With everything already ruined, and nothing left to cling to, he might as well go all out. "I don''t get angry," Hao Jian laughed. "You damn bastard, may your son be born without an asshole, your wife cheat on you, and your mother get gangbanged by thousands!" "I don''t get angry," Hao Jian''s forehead began to show a vein throb. "Let me tell you, your wife screwed me; I did her hard on the bed, and she just kept moaning." "Alright, my patience has its limits." "Limits your ass, you fool, wearing a cuckold''s cap and not even knowing it, hahaha..." Xiao Xiaole laughed maniacally, yet with tears in his laughter. "Ah, I really didn''t want it to come to this," Hao Jian sighed helplessly, then looked tenderly at Xiao Xiaole, as if preparing to strike back. After a long time, Hao Jian finally uttered three words: "You''re impotent!" Boom! These three words exploded like a bolt from the blue over Xiao Xiaole''s head, causing him a ton of damage. Xiao Xiaole was stupefied on the spot, his mind echoing endlessly with the three words uttered by Hao Jian. I''m impotent??? Chapter 401 Who is he? I''m impotent. I''m impotent. I''m impotent? Xiao Xiaole felt like he had been struck by lightning and couldn''t calm down for a long time. After a while, he couldn''t bear the pressure in his heart any longer and started to cry aggrievedly. The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt, the more helpless he felt, until he couldn''t hold back any longer and burst into loud sobbing. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hahaha. Teacher, there''s a saying ''don''t hit a man in the face, and don''t expose someone''s shortcomings'', don''t you think you''ve gone too far?" Luo Tong laughed so hard he couldn''t straighten his back. "Teacher, that was a killing word by word." Zhang Jia also clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Ah, who asked him to curse at me? Actually, I didn''t want this either. Having been around me for so long, you should know I''m actually very kind-hearted," Hao Jian said with a shy look on his face. Everybody looked at him with disdainful eyes, thinking, if you really didn''t want to do that, why did you beat him up like this? "Fuck your mother, wuwuwu. Fuck your mother, wuwuwu." Xiao Xiaole had collapsed, crying and cursing without dignity, in a very comical and laughable manner. "Ah, still cursing at me? Luo Tong, Zhang Jia, go break his legs, knock out his teeth, gouge out his eyes, Che Xiaoxiao, you join in too!" Hao Jian ordered. Everybody gasped, this guy was simply a demon. It was bad enough to cripple someone, but now he wanted to continue bullying them. Xiao Xiaole, who they initially viewed as detestable, now somehow seemed pitiful to them. "Teacher, I''m a girl, you know," Che Xiaoxiao said, dazed. "You''re a girl? Oh, I forgot," Hao Jian glanced at Che Xiaoxiao and then lowered his head. "Dammit," Che Xiaoxiao couldn''t help but curse, thinking that this son of a bitch was deliberately making fun of her. "Stop what you''re doing!" Just then, a commanding voice rang out, and a middle-aged man with gray hair walked over with a group of soldiers. "Dad, save me, please save me," Xiao Xiaole exclaimed as if he had grabbed a lifeline upon seeing the middle-aged man. It turned out that this middle-aged man was Xiao Xiaole''s father, Xiao Wenqiang. While Hao Jian and his group were not paying attention, a bodyguard had secretly called him. "Son, I''ve brought Uncle Yu to help you. How are you feeling?" Xiao Wenqiang walked over anxiously and slowly lifted Xiao Xiaole into his arms. Standing behind him was a dignified middle-aged man in military uniform, none other than Yu Zhixun! It turns out that Xiao Wenqiang and Yu Zhixun had known each other for some time. After hearing the report from the bodyguard, he knew ordinary bodyguards would be no match for Hao Jian, so he hurriedly asked Yu Zhixun to bring people over to help. "Dad, I''m ruined, I can''t hold my head up anymore," Xiao Xiaole said with a mournful face. "Ruined? Where are you ruined?" Xiao Wenqiang turned pale with shock and looked over Xiao Xiaole''s body, but he couldn''t find anything wrong. Feeling ashamed under his father''s scrutiny, Xiao Xiaole became enraged and roared, "I''m impotent now!" "What?" Xiao Wenqiang''s expression became extremely animated, and a trace of anger showed between his brows, "Who did this to you?" "It''s him!" Xiao Xiaole suddenly pointed at Hao Jian, and at that moment, Yu Zhixun also looked over. When he saw Hao Jian, he was stunned too. How could he run into this bastard everywhere? Yu Zhixun somewhat regretted coming to help Xiao Wenqiang and his son. If it were someone else, it wouldn''t be a problem, but the other party was Hao Jian. That was just absurd. Just thinking about how he had been humiliated by Hao Jian last time made him feel a burning shame on his face, something he considered a lifelong disgrace. Xiao Wenqiang looked over with a somber expression and said through gritted teeth, "Was it you who crippled my son?" "It was me," Hao Jian nodded nonchalantly. Xiao Wenqiang was taken aback, and then his eyes blazed with fury, "Do you know the consequences of what you''ve done?" He had seen many brash people, but he had never encountered someone as brazen as this. To talk like that even after seeing he had brought a group of soldiers indicated that Hao Jian didn''t take him seriously at all. Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire Did this kid really think he could contend with the military? Absurd! "Consequences? Of course, I know. The consequence is that in a bit you''ll have to kneel down and apologize to me," Hao Jian nodded seriously and said to Xiao Wenqiang. "Hahaha. What did you say? I''m going to kneel? Did your brain get squeezed by a door?" He truly didn''t understand where Hao Jian got his confidence from; him kneel down? "Dad, kill this arrogant bastard. I want to cut off his limbs and keep him like a dog!" Xiao Xiaole said viciously, as Hao Jian had doomed him to such a fate, and he was determined not to let Hao Jian off easily. Xiao Wenqiang showed a cruel smile and then turned to Yu Zhixun beside him, "Brother Yu, help me take down this kid!" At this, Yu Zhixun''s face twitched a few times. Take down this kid? More like he was the one taken down by him. "Brother Yu?" Seeing that Yu Zhixun didn''t move, Xiao Wenqiang paused, puzzled, and asked. "So, Brother Yu,, aren''t you going to come over and finish me off?" Hao Jian said with a cold sneer, his eyes full of mockery. Upon seeing this, Xiao Wenqiang and Xiao Xiaole both became somewhat puzzled; looking at Hao Jian, it seemed like he was acquainted with Yu Zhixun. The onlooking crowd was also baffled¡ªcould it be that this officer was actually afraid of this youngster? Being mocked like this by Hao Jian, Yu Zhixun''s complexion grew even uglier. After hesitating for a moment, he turned his head to look at Xiao Wenqiang and his son, "You two better kneel down and apologize to him." As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked. "What?" Xiao Wenqiang and his son were also dumbfounded. Was Yu Zhixun actually asking them to kneel to this kid? Xiao Wenqiang wasn''t a fool either; he quickly realized something was amiss and said with an uneasy smile, "Brother Yu, you can''t possibly be joking with me, can you?" Yu Zhixun didn''t speak, but his gloomy expression clearly said: I''m dead serious! Xiao Wenqiang was completely flabbergasted, staggering back several steps, his face reflecting panic and unease. If it weren''t for some reason, Yu Zhixun would never say such a thing. Since Yu Zhixun had said it, that meant the other party was someone they couldn''t afford to offend. "He... who is he?" Xiao Wenqiang said with difficulty. "Hao Jian." Yu Zhixun stated this flatly, believing that Xiao Wenqiang could not possibly be unaware of this name. Xiao Wenqiang''s expression instantly showed panic, his eyes quivering non-stop. It took him a long while before he finally managed a bitter smile, "So it''s him." "Dad, who is Hao Jian?" Xiao Xiaole asked, confused. "Who is Hao Jian?" With a backhand slap, Xiao Wenqiang hit Xiao Xiaole, trembling with fury, "I''ve told you long ago not to clash with Hao Jian. Can''t you even remember his name?" "You mean the Hao Jian who beat up Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun?" Xiao Xiaole, on the other hand, paled, evidently aware of who this person was. Surely, if there was anyone in Hua City who should not be provoked right now, it was without doubt Hao Jian. Everyone outside said that this guy was like a rabid dog, biting anyone he caught sight of, and those targeted by him would be lucky to escape with just a scrape; he was even more terrifying than the former rulers of Hua City, the Hua City Four Young Masters. Even Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen had suffered defeats at his hands. Before he came out, Xiao Wenqiang had especially warned him not to have any conflicts with Hao Jian. Xiao Xiaole didn''t take it seriously, thinking that Hua City was so big, how could he possibly encounter him? What he did not expect was that he actually would. "If not him, then who? You worthless son, you''re going to kill me!" Xiao Wenqiang, furious, slapped him again, appearing extremely angry. Xiao Xiaole cried out in distress; how could he have anticipated such an outcome? Now, even his father wasn''t on his side. Today, it seemed, he had been beaten for nothing. "Why aren''t you kneeling yet!" Xiao Wenqiang kicked Xiao Xiaole to the ground, then looked at Hao Jian with a forced smile, "Mr. Hao Jian, my foolish son has offended you, please don''t take it to heart." "Why aren''t you kneeling?" Hao Jian asked with a smug smile. "Ah?" Xiao Wenqiang''s expression instantly changed. "He''s kneeling and you''re not? Do you think that''s appropriate?" "But I haven''t offended you," Xiao Wenqiang forced out a smile uglier than crying. "You haven''t offended me, but he has. A father must answer for his son''s faults, so you must take responsibility," Hao Jian dismissed his pleas outright. Xiao Wenqiang''s expression froze; as someone of status, how could he kneel in public like this? If word got out, how could he face anyone ever again? Seeing Xiao Wenqiang hesitating, Hao Jian sneered coldly: "If you don''t kneel, I''ll make you and your son eunuchs, and then your family will truly come to an end. Of course, if your father can still manage, you won''t have to worry about this." The crowd went silent; that was a bit too crass, wasn''t it? Xiao Wenqiang looked well into his fifties, so wouldn''t his father be in his eighties or nineties? Could he still manage? Was that likely? Xiao Wenqiang knew he couldn''t avoid it. He signaled to his bodyguards, who quickly surrounded him to shield him from onlookers. Only then did Xiao Wenqiang kneel down towards Hao Jian. "Without my permission, none of you may stand up. Now, let''s enjoy the concert." Hao Jian chuckled contentedly and then turned to his students, "Come on, find your seats. No one dares to compete with us for them now." "Woo woo woo." The students all cheered, exceedingly excited, for this feeling was truly exhilarating; they were proud to have such a domineering teacher. Xiao Wenqiang and his son, however, had bitter expressions and obediently remained kneeling there, not daring to move a muscle. Especially Xiao Xiaole, suffering unbearable pain in his lower body, had initially hoped to quickly deal with Hao Jian and then head to the hospital to see if there was still a chance for treatment. Now, that seemed unlikely. Meanwhile, Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating naturally took their seats next to Hao Jian. .................. Chapter 402 Electronic Demon Seeing this, Xiao Xiaole was deeply regretful. No wonder such beauties had appeared here all at once. It turned out they were all Hao Jian''s women. Not long after, Su Xinya took to the stage. After the recent incident, her condition seemed off. Her eyes were red and stained with tears, and although the makeup artist had touched up her makeup several times, it still couldn''t be completely concealed. Clearly, she had cried backstage. Being humiliated by Hao Jian like that, the poor girl was obviously unable to cope. With no introduction, she started singing right away, as at that moment, Su Xinya no longer felt like speaking. She feared that she would burst into tears the moment she opened her mouth, so she decided to remain silent instead. Her first song was "A Page Left Blank," which Hao Jian and his group had heard in the car. But whether it was because she had just cried, or perhaps due to her emotional agitation, her singing was below her usual standard. Her voice was no longer ethereal, but instead, it seemed a bit hoarse and low. Although still not bad among singers, it was far from her usual vocal quality. "This voice is much different from before." At that moment, Luo Tong, a loyal fan, immediately noticed the discrepancy and shook his head in regret. "Teacher, you''re really something, bullying the young master and ruining an entire concert," Zhao Yating said displeased. "Cough, cough." Hao Jian also coughed awkwardly a couple of times. And the troubles only escalated. As the concert progressed, Su Xinya''s performance worsened, even having off-key moments, incorrect rhythms, and other low-level mistakes. On stage, Su Xinya was aware of these errors, so she felt more and more aggrieved as she sang, and the more aggrieved she felt, the more she wanted to cry, her voice slowly becoming choked. "If this continues, the concert will really be ruined." "Teacher, you''re too cruel. No matter what, she''s just a girl, and your insults could leave scars in her psyche that might never heal." "Su Xinya is known as a soulful singer. If her spirit is damaged, she might never be able to sing touching songs again." Seeing how pitiful Su Xinya was, the young women couldn''t help but blame Hao Jian. "Fine, fine, I''ll take the blame. I''ll go up now and try to salvage the situation, as a form of restitution," Hao Jian stood up, then straightened his clothes. "Teacher, you''re going up on stage? What could you possibly do?" The students were all stunned. What could Hao Jian do going up there? "Nonsense, what else is there to do on stage but perform? Speaking of which, you guys haven''t yet seen my musical talents!" Hao Jian chuckled. "Teacher, you can sing?" The students were astonished. "Of course, you haven''t seen it only because I''ve been concealing my skills," Hao Jian said proudly. "Give it a rest, the concert isn''t great as it is. Once you go up, I bet the audience will want refunds. You''ve already hurt that girl enough, give her a break," Che Xiaoxiao said bluntly. "Tch, how can you say that? And you guys, you don''t trust me?" Hao Jian looked angrily at his students. The students nodded simultaneously, their gazes sincere, hoping to awaken Hao Jian''s compassion and stop him from further tormenting their idol. "Damn!" Hao Jian cursed in annoyance, pointing at the group of kids: "Wait and see, I''ll knock your socks off!" "My eyes are already blind seeing you, teacher. Don''t go up," Luo Tong begged as he grabbed Hao Jian''s legs, weeping bitterly. He just couldn''t bear to see his idol smeared by Hao Jian again. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire "Get off!" Hao Jian, furious and frustrated, kicked Luo Tong away, then strode toward the stage. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When Su Xinya saw Hao Jian approaching the stage, she was stunned, then her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and her eyes soon became moist again, looking angrily at Hao Jian. Was this guy bent on making her life even more miserable, coming up on stage just to humiliate her further? At that moment, however, Hao Jian made his way directly to the band, snatching an electric guitar from one of the guitarists. "Hey, hey, what are you doing?" The band members were shocked. "Shut up!" Hao Jian barked, his voice amplified by the microphone, sounding exceptionally loud. The band members dared not speak, as they were aware of the incident that had just happened, hence they didn''t dare to confront Hao Jian. "Jerk! Get off the stage!" "Son of a bitch, haven''t you hurt the goddess enough?" "Get off! Stop making a mess!" The fans, seeing this, also couldn''t help but start cursing at Hao Jian on stage. "What do you want from me? I already realize my mistake," Su Xinya also cried out, her voice tearful. Did this guy really want to drive her to her grave? No matter how you look at it, they once shared a dance. Why didn''t Hao Jian show any mercy? "Don''t get me wrong, I''m not here to harm you; I''m here to save you!" Hao Jian laughed and then suddenly strummed the bass, unleashing a heavy metal tune instantly. Su Xinya stared absently and asked, "Are you going to accompany me?" "Yes, pick the wildest song. I''m not interested in those half-dead songs," Hao Jian said proudly. "Trust me, this will be the most unique experience of your life; my music will tear your eardrums apart!" Su Xinya looked at Hao Jian skeptically and then said, "I have a song called ''I''m the Hottest.'' Have you heard it?" "No," Hao Jian said bluntly. He didn''t listen to music much. "Then how are you going to accompany me?" Su Xinya was furious. Was this guy here to joke around? "Not having heard it doesn''t mean I can''t accompany you. Just sing!" Hao Jian''s slender fingers suddenly plucked the bass strings, and the music followed. Su Xinya hesitated momentarily, but finally decided to trust Hao Jian and started singing. All at once, Hao Jian''s distinctive heavy metal music filled the venue, and those fans who had been yelling for him to get off the stage closed their mouths and quietly enjoyed the thrilling rhythm. Hao Jian''s electronic music was unusually unique, like a demon sound from hell, making it seem as if a horde of demons was rushing at them. As the waves of music attacked one after another, everyone looked dazed, as if they were in a distorted space. "This music has such aggressive invasiveness. It''s terrifying!" a girl exclaimed in panic, wanting to cover her ears and stop herself from listening to this seductive yet evil music. However, after a while, she couldn''t resist the music''s allure and let go of her hands. She ended up covering and uncovering her ears repeatedly, wanting to listen but afraid of succumbing, which tormented her endlessly. "I can''t listen to this anymore; what if I never hear such strangely enticing music again?" a fan said obsessively. The music was like a stunningly beautiful woman, constantly teasing him but keeping out of his reach, torturing him immensely. "The music is like a siren, bewitching people with its eerily beautiful tunes. My God, this guy is a genius!" some music-savvy artists remarked, their faces filled with emotion. Because the sound was really too special, he had never heard such tones before. It felt like it was tearing at his soul. The entire crowd was ecstatic, all crying out together, as if they had been injected with adrenaline, incredibly excited. This scene was more intense than any of Su Xinya''s previous concerts. "Su Xinya''s voice is like an angel''s, but his music is like a demon''s. The bizarre combination of angel and demon is astounding!" "Electronic Demon!" an enthusiastic fan yelled out. "Electronic Demon! Electronic Demon!" The shouting of the audience grew louder and louder, everyone bursting with excitement. On stage, Su Xinya was also stunned. If anyone felt it the most, it was her. After all, she was the one harmonizing with Hao Jian; the aggressive and invasive tones from Hao Jian felt as if they were violating her, an unequaled bizarre sensation. No wonder this guy had been so confident earlier, saying it would be an unprecedented experience; it indeed was a feeling she had never had before. Gradually, Su Xinya regained her composure and began to synchronize with Hao Jian''s music. Originally, Hao Jian was accompanying her, but now she became the supporting role because his music was simply too overpowering; she couldn''t suppress it. Unable to suppress it, she decided to push Hao Jian''s music to its climax! "Our teacher really knows music, eh?" Luo Tong marveled to himself. "He never mentioned it before. Had I known, I would''ve skipped the concert and just listened to him play the electric guitar." "When we get back, I''m going to ask the teacher to teach me the electric guitar. It''s so damn cool; how could any girl resist it? It''s a literally perfect tool for flirting!" Zhang Jia said with a sly smile. If he could learn this song, he''d be unstoppable at picking up girls in the future. "Damn, showing off again!" Che Xiaoxiao said indignantly. "Exactly, shameless, showing off!" Zhao Yating chimed in. What they worried most about was this, because it meant more and more people would fall for Hao Jian, and they would face countless more competitors in the future. At first, it was competing with the other girls in the class, then with the school girls, and now, damn, they might have to compete with girls across the country. Right then, in the darkness, a graceful figure, after seeing Hao Jian''s performance, couldn''t help but add a note in her notebook: "Capable both in words and deeds, hidden deeply, potential skills unknown!" She then turned and left the concert venue, preparing to return and report. Chapter 403 Come Your Damn After the song ended, everyone felt a sense of longing, as if a goddess had stripped naked just waiting for you to favor her, only to run away, and a god was about to let you **** when he ran away with his clothes on. "Another song! Another song!" "God, you''re so handsome, I love you, God, play another one for me!" "God, sign for me, from today on, I''m switching from hater to fan!" "Damn, a bunch of brain-dead fans!" Che Xiaoxiao muttered unhappily, seeing that all the screamers around her were her rivals in love! "Exactly! A bunch of shameless freaks!" Zhao Yating also snorted. Meanwhile, Su Xinya on stage was also stunned, looking at the excited crowd, she fell into a daze. Even at her peak, she had never seen such a scene, the crowd was so agitated, it was almost like seeing a deity. She had only seen such a scene at Michael Jackson''s concert. It was apparent that the audience was very satisfied, and with that, Su Xinya was relieved. At that moment, her look towards Hao Jian was complex because at that time, she didn''t know whether to be grateful to Hao Jian or to hate him. Everyone was cheering for Hao Jian, everyone was excited, waiting for Hao Jian to give them a fervent response. At that moment, Hao Jian stretched out his right hand and then reached forward, soon after, his middle finger slowly extended out. Hao Jian actually gave the middle finger to the audience, and then contemptuously said, "Come on, motherfucker, do you guys pay for the performance? A bunch of freaking idiots!" Hiss. Su Xinya gasped in shock, that bastard, what was he saying, how could he speak to the fans like that? And yet Hao Jian still looked defiant, damn it, I performed impromptu to save this girl, and they really think I''m just an entertainer? And they want another song? Another your ass, I''m volunteering here, no money involved! Hao Jian was very pissed off, just having made you happy for a moment isn''t enough, now you want more? Damn, do you think it''s free? And after you insulted me before, you still want to see me perform? Don''t you know I''m petty? "Teacher, this, this is too cool, right?" Zhang Jia said, dumbfounded. Publicly insulting the audience, probably only Hao Jian could do something like this. "It''s deliberately provoking tens of thousands of people, it''s simply courting death!" Luo Tong was also shocked, not very loyally saying, "I think we''d better get out of here quickly, otherwise I worry the audience will rush up here and beat us." The scene instantly fell silent, the audience too didn''t expect Hao Jian to respond to them this way, everyone was stunned. The previously noisy concert suddenly became silent as a tomb, so quiet that you could hear each other''s breathing. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "It''s over." Su Xinya covered her face and sighed, Hao Jian had completely ruined a perfectly good concert. However, unexpectedly, after a few seconds of silence, the atmosphere suddenly burst into a wave of crazy cheers again. "God, you have such a great personality, so cool!" "So handsome, I love you so much!" "God, yell at me, the more you scold, the happier I am!" The audience below went crazy, in their view, Hao Jian was showing real personality, much better than those stars who pretend and maintain their own image. Compared to those celebrities, they liked Hao Jian''s straightforwardness even more. Although Hao Jian always used swear words, it also represented his true nature. Like Hao Jian, such a singer with personality, it was their first time seeing one, just like a scoundrel, but this scoundrel was impressive. Such a star who dared to curse at fans probably had no precedent or successor. "Holy crap, are they really brain-dead fans?" Hao Jian was shocked. Initially, he didn''t believe when others told him how scary brain-dead fans could be; only when he saw them today did he realize it was indeed true. On stage, Su Xinya was also stunned. What was going on? Had the fans gone mad? "God, I reached climax listening to your electronic music; don''t believe me? I''ll take off my pants and show you!" "God, I want to have your babies; I''m an E cup!" The female fans below the stage were one by one excited, and some even threw their bras onto the stage. Being handsome is really troublesome," Hao Jian sighed slightly, his expression somewhat helpless. Su Xinya was completely exasperated, having seen narcissistic people before, but never someone this narcissistic. Do you even know what shamelessness means? "God, play one more song!" "No!" Hao Jian pursed his lips and then walked towards the stage on his own. The fans, seeing that Hao Jian was no longer playing, all showed disappointed expressions. "No worries, everyone, I will perform next," Su Xinya said with a smile, trying to take control of the concert, since it was her concert after all and Hao Jian had already stolen enough of the spotlight. "No, we want to hear God play the bass!" "Yes, we want to hear God play the bass!" Su Xinya felt like crying. This jerk was supposed to rescue the situation, not only did he steal the spotlight, but he was also stealing her fans. He wasn''t here to save the situation; he was here to ruin it! Su Xinya felt like crying without tears, at this point she had the heart to kill Hao Jian, that was too bullying; who does that. "Let''s go." Back at their seats, Hao Jian directly told his students, prepared to leave since they had already seen the concert. "No way, teacher, go up and play one more song?" Luo Tong pleaded. "Play, play, play, play my ass, why don''t you go up and play?" Che Xiaoxiao scolded angrily, she couldn''t wait to drag Hao Jian out of there; if they let Hao Jian stay here any longer, wouldn''t these female wolves swallow him alive? Chastised by Che Xiaoxiao, Luo Tong dared not utter a sound. Immediately after, Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao left the venue together, but at that moment the fans were not happy. "God, don''t leave!" Immediately the crowd began to get restless; a group of fans surged forward, preparing to surround Hao Jian and prevent them from leaving. "Quick, call security to maintain order!" Su Xinya shouted anxiously. Although she despised Hao Jian, she didn''t want to see him get hurt. When so many fans rushed forward, it was easy for a stampede to occur. At that moment, Hao Jian was also furrowing his brow; had he known it was like this, he wouldn''t have performed on stage. Now, great, a crowd of fans rushed forward, and they had no place to run. "Look, it''s all your fault. How do we leave now?" Che Xiaoxiao complained. "This is beyond my control, ah, who told me to be so handsome? There''s a reason they are so obsessed with me," Hao Jian sighed and then stood on the high platform and shouted to everyone, "Alright, don''t be infatuated with brother; brother is just a legend, understand?" Chapter 404 Three Women One Stage "Go to hell!" Che Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes, practically ready to kill Hao Jian. This bastard, it was clear he was doing this on purpose to flirt! "Teacher, what do we do?" Seeing those frenzied fans surge forward, Hao Jian''s students also couldn''t help but feel scared. Hao Jian was also very anxious, not knowing what to do at this moment. He couldn''t possibly start fighting with these fans, could he? S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Follow me!" Just then, Su Xinya suddenly jumped down from the stage and gestured to Hao Jian and the others to follow her. "Teacher, the Goddess is calling for us!" Luo Tong was so excited that he was about to dash towards Su Xinya. The boys next to him also lost their self-control and rushed forward. "Teacher, are we going?" It was the girls who were more composed. Rather than showing overtly obsequious behavior upon seeing Su Xinya, they asked for Hao Jian''s opinion instead. "Go ahead, there''s no other choice now anyway." Hao Jian nodded and then called his students to follow Su Xinya. Su Xinya led Hao Jian and the others towards the backstage, and the fans were held back by the security guards. At this moment, Xiao Xiaole and his son were the unlucky ones. Even with a group of bodyguards protecting them, they were still shoved around by the enthusiastic crowd and got kicked several times from behind. Su Xinya brought Hao Jian and his group to her backstage makeup room, and the more than two-hundred-square-meter room suddenly felt extremely cramped because so many people were crowded into it. At that moment, Su Xinya turned around and glared at Hao Jian, "Look what you''ve done! My concert is a total mess now. What are we going to do?" "What do we do? Just chill!" Hao Jian retorted with a dismissive curl of his lip, "Sister, you need to understand, I was saving your show. If it weren''t for me, you''d probably have ruined this concert." "Now look, I''ve heated up the atmosphere. Didn''t you see how excited the fans were? Your fame will rise, and you''ll be even more popular." "Pfft, you''ve stolen all of my fans. Who will come to my concerts now?" Su Xinya grumbled gloomily. "This..." Hao Jian was at a loss for words. "Anyway, I''ve saved you twice now. You should at least thank me a bit, right?" Hao Jian said discontentedly. "Twice? Teacher, you''ve saved Miss Su before?" Luo Tong exclaimed in surprise. As soon as his words fell, Su Xinya''s cheeks flushed red. She felt embarrassed just thinking about the time Hao Jian had seen her naked. Back when she was kidnapped by the gang members and presented herself naked in front of Hao Jian, it didn''t seem to matter at the time, but now, she was so ashamed she wished she could crawl into a hole in the ground. Seeing Su Xinya''s reaction, Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao couldn''t help but feel a bad premonition. "You all go out first; I have some things to discuss with your teacher." Su Xinya hurriedly dismissed the students, lest Hao Jian actually spill her embarrassing secret¡ªhow could she face people after that? Luo Tong and the others exchanged looks, feeling it improper to go against Su Xinya''s wishes, especially since she had just saved them. But after everyone else left, Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao chose to stay behind. "Why aren''t you leaving?" Zhao Yating looked at Che Xiaoxiao somewhat curiously. And Su Xinya also frowned deeply, puzzled. But seeing Che Xiaoxiao''s hostile expression, which seemed to indicate she didn''t like Su Xinya, it was confusing why she would attend her concert if she didn''t like her. Could it be... Su Xinya considered a possibility and then looked at Hao Jian strangely. Could it be that this guy and this young girl were involved? My God, is this guy so beastly? "I''m staying to prevent him from making some mistakes he shouldn''t!" Che Xiaoxiao pointed at Hao Jian and declared righteously. This guy actually had a past with Su Xinya? Playing hero to save her? Earlier when she asked him who Su Xinya was, he wouldn''t admit it, which now seemed to be out of guilt. Hearing Che Xiaoxiao say this, Su Xinya became fully convinced that Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao were an item. Teacher-student romance, this guy was actually seducing a minor, such shamelessness! Immediately, the look that Su Xinya gave Hao Jian carried a hint of contempt. "Psh! I''m more afraid that you guys might have designs on me. A bunch of female perverts!" Hao Jian crossed his arms over his chest and slowly retreated a few steps. "Who are you calling a female pervert? Make yourself clear!" Su Xinya was furious, outrageously so. It was fine to talk about them, but she was a big star¡ªhow dare he insult her. "Aren''t you?" Hao Jian let out a cold laugh, looking at Su Xinya with amusement. "Do I look like one?" Su Xinya said through gritted teeth, clearly infuriated by his taunting. Unable to come up with a refutation, Su Xinya was utterly bewildered. After a long while, she turned and glared at Zhao Yating resentfully, "You actually told him such a private thing?" "I didn''t. He saw it accidentally," Zhao Yating said, flushing with embarrassment. After all, it''s mortifying for any girl to be publicly exposed for using a sex toy. "Hao Jian, you''ve seen her use a vibrator?" Che Xiaoxiao was not pleased either and pulled Zhao Yating to one side, "Slut, didn''t we agree to compete fairly? How could you use such a low method to seduce him?" "I didn''t. I just left it on the desk and he saw it by accident!" Zhao Yating''s face showed her distress. The scene suddenly turned into complete chaos, with Zhao Yating being the most aggrieved as she was attacked by the other two women. Chapter 405 Foolish Woman "Such a private item, why would you leave it out on the counter?" Che Xiaoxiao was very skeptical. Such intimate objects should, of course, be well kept. "I didn''t expect the teacher to come over that night," Zhao Yating added weakly. "That night???" Che Xiaoxiao suddenly bristled, and after a moment of shock, she suddenly glared at Hao Jian, "What did you guys do that night?" S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Su Xinya was also secretly shocked. Could it be that Che Xiaoxiao had already been intimate with Hao Jian? "That night I was homeless, so I stayed at Zhao Yating''s place. What could I have done?" Hao Jian rolled his eyes. How could he engage in a teacher-student romance when he always maintained professional integrity? "You were that well-behaved?" Che Xiaoxiao was highly doubtful. Su Xinya didn''t believe it either. Facing a stunning beauty like Zhao Yating, which man wouldn''t be tempted? Not just Hao Jian, even if she were a woman, she would fall for Zhao Yating. "Get lost!" Hao Jian said angrily, refusing to talk to Che Xiaoxiao. This wretched girl, how dare she question him? "Yating, how could you be so careless? Haven''t I told you? If you give yourself away too easily, men won''t cherish you," Su Xinya said angrily. "I really didn''t," Zhao Yating stomped her foot in frustration. She would have liked to, but the problem was that Hao Jian just wasn''t interested in her. But Su Xinya didn''t believe it at all and looked disdainfully at Hao Jian, "As a teacher, to lay hands on your own student, you really are a beast!" Before, Su Xinya thought Hao Jian was cool and mysterious, but now it appears, he''s nothing but a lecher! Thought he was different from other men, turns out he''s just as lascivious! "Are you deaf? Didn''t you hear her say it didn''t happen? And do you even have a right to accuse me? You femme fatale!" Hao Jian retorted rudely. "You..." Su Xinya was so angry her face turned green, powerless to retort because Hao Jian had discovered her secret of teaching Zhao Yating how to use the vibrator. The thought of how he had spoken about her earlier made Su Xinya shiver with rage, feeling like she had been branded a whore. "Alright, enough arguing. Xinya, let''s not forget that Teacher Hao helped you out today. You could be a bit more polite," Zhao Yating said. "Be more polite? If it weren''t for him, would my concert have turned out like this?" Su Xinya was filled with resentment, suspecting that after today, half of her fans would turn to Hao Jian. "If it weren''t for your manager messing things up, I wouldn''t have had to act. Ultimately, it''s because you didn''t keep your people in check," Hao Jian said with a dismissive smile. "Even if Sister Ying did something wrong, you didn''t have to blind her, did you?" Su Xinya said resentfully. She was so angry because of Hao Jian''s cruelty. "Blind her? She deserved it!" Hao Jian snorted arrogantly. "You, you''re unbelievable!" Su Xinya trembled in anger, pointing at Hao Jian, "Get out, I don''t welcome you here!" "Xinya, don''t be like this, it''s really not the teacher''s fault," Zhao Yating quickly intervened, fearing that Hao Jian and Su Xinya would completely fall out. Caught between her secret crush and her best friend, she felt torn. "It''s not his fault? If Sister Ying was wrong, teaching her a lesson would have been enough. Even if he had broken her leg, I wouldn''t have said a thing. But he blinded her; how is she supposed to live now?" Su Xinya argued, infuriated. One can still see the world without limbs, but without eyes, life becomes impossible. "Let''s go, Hao Jian, don''t waste your time on this ungrateful woman," Che Xiaoxiao huffed, grabbing Hao Jian''s hand and ready to walk out. Su Xinya treating Hao Jian like this was exactly what she wanted. This would make Hao Jian despise Su Xinya completely, eliminating a strong rival for herself. But Hao Jian didn''t move, standing still like a statue no matter how much Che Xiaoxiao pulled. At that moment, a dangerous smile appeared on his face. He raised three fingers at Su Xinya, baring a row of teeth that now seemed somewhat fierce, "Including blinding Sister Ying, I''ve saved you three times in total." "A joke? You blinded Sister Ying to save me?" Su Xinya rolled her eyes, completely disbelieving Hao Jian''s assertion. He obviously did it out of anger. Blind Sister Ying for her sake? Why would he blind Sister Ying? Ridiculous! Hao Jian sneered contemptuously. "Do you know your manager planned to send you to Xiao Xiaole''s bed tonight? If I hadn''t dealt with her and Xiao Xiaole, I guess by this time you''d be gasping and moaning in Xiao Xiaole''s bed." "You''re talking nonsense! Sister Ying would never do such a thing!" Su Xinya shook her head hurriedly, blushing at Hao Jian''s explicit words. "Impossible? Just a moment ago, Xiao Xiaole had promised them that she would take them to meet you, the big star tonight. If there was no insider pulling strings, do you think she would be so confident in saying that?" Hao Jian asked with a sneer. "It''s true, teacher. Xiao Xiaole did say exactly that to us before," Zhao Yating hurriedly said, confirming that it was indeed the case. However, hearing Zhao Yating admit it, Su Xinya also couldn''t help but look bewildered. "Xiao Xiaole making such promises to them, probably thought of them as typical brainless fans, hoping to impress them and then trick them into bed. In this case, having devoured them, do you think she would spare you, who was on the table?" Hao Jian sneered repeatedly, seeing right through Xiao Xiaole''s intentions. "But that still doesn''t prove she is the insider," Su Xinya retorted. "Firstly, the only people with the power to summon you, aside from the boss, is the agent. And if it were your boss''s idea, you''d probably have been notified early on, and Xiao Xiaole wouldn''t need to be secretive, so it wouldn''t be your boss doing this." "Secondly, if it weren''t for her, why would you perform at Xiao Xiaole''s venue in Hua City, where there are bigger and better places? Why would she specifically choose this place for the concert? What is her motive?" Su Xinya was left speechless. This time''s performance was indeed arranged by Sister Ying, and she didn''t know that this place was Xiao Xiaole''s venue. Logically speaking, given Xiao Xiaole''s notorious reputation in their circle, Sister Ying would never cooperate with him, and she had also expressed her stance: to never collaborate with Xiao Xiaole and his backing entertainment company. So why would Sister Ying do this? Was it a coincidence, or was it really as Hao Jian had said? "Finally, why don''t you try investigating your Sister Ying''s bank account? If you look carefully, I think there will be astonishing findings," Hao Jian sneered. Xiao Xiaole surely had given a deposit to Sister Ying for her services. "It''s not necessary," Su Xinya said somewhat disheartened, because she had inadvertently seen a check hiding in Sister Ying''s pocket while helping her just now. Initially, Su Xinya hadn''t thought much of it, but now, hearing Hao Jian''s words, she seemed to realize something. Hao Jian paused for a moment, then also sneered, "It seems you''ve realized something." Biting her lip, Su Xinya asked after a long while, somewhat reluctantly, "How did you find out about it?" She really wanted to know how Hao Jian had found out about Sister Ying''s betrayal. "Because I, use this place to see things," Hao Jian pointed to his head and chuckled. Su Xinya''s expression instantly soured¡ªthis guy, he dared to suggest she was brainless? "Alright, I''ve said all that needs to be said, nothing more to tell, goodbye! Oh, no, I mean never see again." Hao Jian waved his hand and headed toward the exit; he didn''t want to meet such a foolish woman again. Hearing Hao Jian say this, Su Xinya was extremely embarrassed. As a celebrity, when had she ever been so disdained? But Su Xinya couldn''t say anything at that moment, knowing she was at fault. If what Hao Jian said was true, then he really had saved her three times, yet she had misunderstood him. Seeing Hao Jian leave, Su Xinya felt very awkward. She wanted to say something to make him stay but felt she had no excuse to do so. "That''s that then," Xiaoxiao also gave Su Xinya a cold smile, then followed Hao Jian''s steps. At that moment, Zhao Yating also looked at Su Xinya with mixed emotions: "Xinya, you really misunderstood the teacher. Every decision he makes, has his reasons." Immediately, Zhao Yating glanced at the door and hurriedly ran out, saying, "Xinya, I''ll contact you later." Zhao Yating had intended to stay there with Su Xinya, but fearing Xiaoxiao might take advantage of Hao Jian''s vulnerability, she too left in a hurry. Suddenly, the dressing room was left with only Su Xinya, who stood there lost in thought for a long time. A strange feeling called guilt rapidly overcame her. ... A week had passed since the last concert, and within this short week, Hao Jian''s popularity had skyrocketed. Everyone knew about the Demon of Electronic Music who had performed alongside Su Xinya on stage. The musical tones he played touched hearts, winning over countless fans. Moreover, a clip of this electronic music had been uploaded to Weibo. In just two days, the shares had broken through three million, astonishing everyone who heard the piece. Moreover, some entertainment companies were willing to pay a great deal of money to scout Hao Jian, but unfortunately, no one had ascertained his real identity till now. ........................................ Chapter 406 The Murong Family Because photography was not allowed at the concert that day, and the venue was equipped with camera jammers, no one captured Hao Jian''s appearance. Su Xinya''s entertainment company also did not respond to the incident, so no one knew Hao Jian''s true face. Of course, it wasn''t that they didn''t want to respond, but mainly because they also didn''t know what was going on and why this mysterious man had appeared at their concert. Faced with the media''s relentless barrage, Su Xinya''s entertainment company was also filled with helplessness. At this moment, Hao Jian was standing in a convenience store, watching the latest entertainment news, and laughed like an idiot. "Mommy, there''s a perverted uncle over there," a little girl said, pointing at Hao Jian. "National idol, public heartthrob, electronic music demon? Ugh, these reporters are so annoying. Things like heartthrobs and idols expose so much character," Hao Jian said shyly, and only moments later did he realize he was running late and hurriedly rushed out. On his way to school, he happened to brush past a black BMW Z4 convertible parked by the roadside. At that moment, a woman wearing toad sunglasses was sitting in the car, and upon seeing Hao Jian pass by, she pulled down her sunglasses and watched Hao Jian''s retreating figure for a long time. Only when Hao Jian''s figure completely vanished from her sight did she take out her phone to make a call: "I''ve found him. Tall and thin, all mysterious, his feet barely touching the ground as he walks, and he has a somewhat annoying look." But just as she was speaking, suddenly a black shadow flashed over and leaned on her car door. "Excuse me, miss, except for looking somewhat annoying, the other features you described seem very similar to me," Hao Jian asked with a pained expression, eyes unblinking as he stared at her. The woman was dumbfounded on the spot. She had clearly seen Hao Jian walk away just moments before. How did he get over here so fast? And with the distance being so great just now, how could he have heard her? However, this woman had been through a lot and quickly regained her composure, a smile flickering across her lips, thinking: Just as Miss said, this guy is no simple character. "It''s him. Bring him back!" a woman''s cool voice came through the phone. "Understood," the woman with toad sunglasses replied, then hung up the phone and looked at Hao Jian with interest, her head raised. "You''ve got it wrong, I wasn''t talking about you," the woman said expressionlessly. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "That''s right, how could I, being so handsome, possibly have an annoying appearance? Haha. Hahaha," Hao Jian scratched his head and laughed embarrassingly. The woman had a black line across her forehead. Was this guy brain-dead? "Let me introduce myself, my name is Bai Zihui!" Bai Zihui extended her delicate hand with a mocking smile on her face. "A surname Bai? That''s quite rare." Hao Jian chuckled, having never heard such a surname before. "Aren''t you going to shake my hand?" Bai Zihui asked with a smile. Hao Jian gave Bai Zihui a deep look and then took a deep breath of smoke, "Sorry, I think I can''t shake hands with you." "Hmm? Why not?" Bai Zihui frowned slightly. Could it be that her identity had been discovered? "Because," Hao Jian pondered for a moment, and then suddenly gave a sleazy, despicable smile, "I''m afraid you''ll fall in love with me." Bai Zihui''s eye twitched as she forced a smile through feelings of disgust, "How... how could that be?" "Because I am a bad guy, especially one who breaks the hearts of women, known as the strongest heartbreaker. If you get to know me, you''re sure to fall in love with me, and then I''m definitely going to hurt you. So, for your own good, it''s better for you to keep your distance from me," Hao Jian said proudly. "..." Bai Zihui felt she could no longer converse with Hao Jian. He had reached a level of self-love that she couldn''t even imagine. At that moment, Bai Zihui slowly retracted her hand, her smile stiff as she said, "Never mind the handshake, let''s go for a drink. I find you quite pleasing to the eye, I wonder how you feel about me." While speaking, Bai Zihui took off her toad sunglasses, revealing a stunningly beautiful and radiant face in front of Hao Jian. Bai Zihui''s face was exquisite, a charming melon-seed shape. Of course, it was a natural, surgery-free melon-seed shape, which made it look very natural. Relatively speaking, Bai Zihui was very confident in her own beauty. She believed that once Hao Jian saw her beauty, he would never reject her again. Sure enough, upon seeing Bai Zihui''s beauty, Hao Jian was instantly astonished; this beauty was exactly his type: voluptuously charming, full of amorous feelings, and mature. This kind of woman knows how to play on the bed! Damn it, why do such super beautiful women keep appearing one after another around him? Wasn''t the heavens being too kind to him? Seeing Hao Jian''s pig-headed look, Bai Zihui sneered inwardly, her lips curving into a beguiling arc. Indeed, a man was just a man, no matter how tough, he couldn''t resist the temptation of a beautiful woman. Miss, you have overestimated this guy. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire "That''s not a good idea, I said I''m afraid you''ll fall in love with me," Hao Jian expressed his worry. "That won''t happen, I have very good self-control!" Bai Zihui quickly denied, how could she possibly fancy this scoundrel. "Sigh, you still don''t understand the situation. In the face of a rare specimen of a man like me, even the best self-control is useless. Unconsciously, through my words and actions, you will fall in love with me," Hao Jian confidently flicked his "hair" and stated. Bai Zihui felt an urge to kill someone. Could this guy not understand human language? She had already said she wouldn''t fall for him, why was he being so relentless? Why did she have to accept this premise that Hao Jian was setting? Zihui bit her teeth and then said with great reluctance, "Yes, I''ve fallen for you!" "Oh my God, really?" Hao Jian was momentarily stunned into a daze. "Really." Zihui nodded with difficulty, cursing inwardly. If she didn''t admit it, would you let it go? This bastard was clearly forcing her to confess her feelings for Hao Jian. "Sigh, I knew it. With my charm, it''s indeed quite harmful." Hao Jian covered his forehead, speaking with a bit of helplessness. "Alright, since you''ve fallen for me at first sight, which shows your good taste, I''ll agree to sit down and have a chat with you," Hao Jian said with a smile. Zihui took a deep breath in relief, finally having dealt with this jerk¡ªit was truly a struggle! "Get in the car!" At that moment, Zihui gestured for Hao Jian to come over. Hao Jian confidently got into Zihui''s car. The car started and, like an arrow released from a bow, shot out and disappeared over the horizon. However, after driving for a full hour without reaching the destination, Hao Jian also found it strange and asked, "We''re just going for a drink. There''s no need to go this far, right?" "I don''t plan on going for drinks anymore." Zihui''s red lips curled into an alluring smile. Hao Jian was startled and asked, "If we''re not going for drinks, then what are we doing?" "We''re going to do something adults should do!" Zihui turned back to look at Hao Jian, her eyes filled with aggression. Boom! Hao Jian was instantly dumbfounded. Could this be the legendary one-night stand? No, no, it''s broad daylight¡ªmaybe a one-day stand? This sounds good, and it has a nice ring to it. Immediately, Hao Jian grinned like a blooming chrysanthemum, his cheeks revealing two devilish dimples. Zihui felt nauseated and slammed on the accelerator, eager to spend as little time as possible with Hao Jian. The car entered a British-style estate, which was very broad, covering thousands of square meters, endless at a glance. "Wow, your house is so beautiful," Hao Jian exclaimed in admiration. But by then, Zihui was no longer speaking; her face was gloomy as water. By bringing Hao Jian here, she had completed her task and had no need to be courteous to Hao Jian anymore. After the car stopped, Zihui didn''t bother with Hao Jian; she got out of the car and left. Hao Jian smiled wryly and then also got out of the car. Afterward, Hao Jian saw, not far away at the entrance of a small castle, a graceful figure standing. She was wearing a dress and had a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on her nose. Her figure seemed agile against the backdrop of the warm sun, and she was watching him with an expressionless face. "Hmm?" Hao Jian frowned, naturally recognizing the woman before him as Ma Li, whom he had seen at the party before. However, this time she was alone, the enigmatic woman who had been by her side was nowhere to be seen. Hao Jian immediately understood that Zihui was just bait, and the person who really wanted to see him was that mysterious woman. Immediately, Hao Jian also began to smile; he was quite curious about what the enigmatic woman wanted from him. In the distance, Zihui put her sunglasses back on and gently flicked her smooth long hair, exuding allure. At that moment, with her back to Hao Jian, she seemed to think that even glancing at Hao Jian would contaminate her eyes. Anyway, now that the person was brought here, what happened next should be Ma Li''s business. "Mr. Hao Jian, right?" Ma Li approached and extended her hand politely. "That''s right, and you are?" Hao Jian sized up Ma Li. "Has Mr. Hao Jian ever heard of the Murong Family?" Instead of directly answering Hao Jian''s question, Ma Li responded with her own question. "The Murong Family? Of Huaxia''s four great families?" Hao Jian was inwardly surprised; the four great families held significant power in Huaxia, far beyond anything the Four Young Masters of Hua City could compare with. The Four Young Masters of Hua City might just throw their weight around in Hua City, but the four great families dominated various fields in Huaxia, true titans of their world. What Hao Jian couldn''t figure out was why the Murong Family was looking for him; he shouldn''t have had any conflict with them. "It seems Mr. Hao Jian is indeed a man of broad knowledge and experience," Ma Li said with a smile, but her smile seemed to have an underlying unsettling intention. Chapter 407 Because I Was Too Proud "I''m flattered," Hao Jian chuckled. "The fame of the four great families is deafening; it would be hard not to know, even if I tried." It turned out the one seeking him out was from one of the four great families, but he had no idea why they were looking for him. "You''re quite the talk of the town yourself. The stories of you are all over Hua City," Ma Li said with a tinge of complimentary politeness. "I''m just a minor character. How can I compare with the four great families?" Hao Jian replied with a smile. "But may I know why the Murong Family has sought me out? I shouldn''t have offended you, right?" "Mr. Hao Jian, you misunderstand. We didn''t summon you to reproach you," Ma Li quickly clarified. "It''s because our miss wishes to meet you." "Your miss?" Hao Jian frowned, thinking to himself that he had guessed correctly¡ªit must be that mysterious lady who wanted to meet him. "Our miss is called Murong Qiushui. She met you once at Jinxiu Villa and took quite a liking to you, so she wants to see you," Ma Li explained and then gestured for Hao Jian to follow her. Without any hesitation, he took big, purposeful strides towards the interior. Shortly after, he encountered the legendary Miss Murong Qiushui from the Murong Family in a back garden! She was dressed in a flowing long gown, supremely graceful and elegant, looking as if she stepped out from a painting. Even her simple garb couldn''t conceal her breathtaking beauty. Before seeing Murong Qiushui, Hao Jian firmly believed that the phrase ''beauty as stunning as a celestial'' was nonsense¡ªyou''ve never seen a celestial, so how could you claim her beauty compares? It was only after seeing Murong Qiushui that he came to grasp the true meaning of ''beauty as stunning as a celestial.'' Although Hao Jian had never seen a celestial, Qiushui''s beauty could certainly rival that phrase. Even in the plainest of dresses, she exuded an air of nobility and allure, no wonder she chose to veil herself that day, perhaps fearing her stunning appearance would cause trouble. Hao Jian previously thought someone as beautiful as Shu Ya or Ruo Lan was unmatched, but after meeting Qiushui, he realized there were always higher mountains, and even more beautiful people in the world. There she was, Miss Murong Qiushui, with a mist sprayer in one hand and a small trowel in the other, carefully tending to roses, occasionally wiping the sweat from her forehead. That slight movement simply highlighted her exceptional grace and composure. That such a renowned beauty was engaged in gardening only added a unique charm. Noticing Hao Jian''s eyes almost popping out of their sockets, both Ma Li and Bai Zihui couldn''t help but smirk coldly. In their view, Hao Jian had already fallen for Qiushui''s beauty. And no surprise there¡ªthey had been following Qiushui for so long and had yet to meet a man who could stay calm after seeing her true face. Hao Jian may be mysterious and powerful, but he was still a man, wasn''t he? Every man inevitably succumbed to the allure of beauty! Thus, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Qiushui would succeed in recruiting Hao Jian. When Qiushui sensed Bai Zihui and the others'' arrival, she stopped her work, washed her hands, then picked up a silk handkerchief from the table to dry her fingers. Every action she took was so graceful, she resembled a queen from the royal court. Seeing Hao Jian entranced by her, a smug smile crossed Qiushui''s lips. In her eyes, Hao Jian was now no different from any other man. "You must be Hao Jian, right?" Murong Qiushui approached with a beaming smile, extending her hand. Faced with her presence, Hao Jian quickly snapped out of his astonishment and replied with a smile, "Since I''m here, there''s no need for secrecy anymore. Tell me, what do you need me for?" "How dare you speak to the miss in such a manner!" Bai Zihui immediately scolded. Seeing Hao Jian''s nonchalant attitude, she couldn''t help but grow angry. "Why wouldn''t I dare speak to her like this? First off, you are her underling and I''m not; secondly, you invited me here, which means you need something from me. With that being the case, why shouldn''t I speak my mind?" Hao Jian responded logically. Seeing this, Murong Qiushui gestured for Zihui to calm down and then looked at Hao Jian with a smile: "The rumors indeed do not lie; you truly are a very unique individual." "The rumors also say I''m very handsome. Why didn''t you mention that?" Hao Jian pouted, clearly dissatisfied that Qiushui had forgotten the most important attribute about him. Qiushui''s face went blank¡ªit was true, the rumors were right; this man was shamelessly thick-skinned and extremely narcissistic! "That, I have genuinely not heard," Qiushui said with a wry smile, scrutinizing Hao Jian from head to toe. To her, he could, at best, be considered fair-looking, far from handsome or dashing. "Then you''ve heard wrong. According to the rumors, I''m supposed to be dashing and debonair. All my other merits are just there to complement this ultimate one," Hao Jian said confidently. Murong Qiushui didn''t argue back; her glamorous red lips revealed a hint of a sagacious smile, as if she had seen through Hao Jian''s tricks. She had probably discerned Hao Jian''s pattern; this guy deliberately acted like a joker to nauseate others and establish his own aura. Read chapters at My Virtual Library Empire Once you''re disgusted by him, then you''ve officially fallen into his trap. Sly as a fox, Murong Qiushui quickly realized this, so she snapped out of it quickly. If this guy were really brain-dead, she wouldn''t consider him so highly. Feeling Murong Qiushui''s gaze, Hao Jian also felt a bit uncomfortable. No wonder men don''t like women who are too smart; it''s true indeed. In front of Murong Qiushui, Hao Jian felt like a gorilla prancing and posturing. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Ahem." Hao Jian coughed awkwardly, not daring to play the fool any longer, "So, what do you want with me?" "I want you to serve me!" Murong Qiushui stated her intention directly. Hao Jian''s skills were exceptional, enough to make her want to recruit him. Of course, Murong Qiushui''s recruitment of Hao Jian wasn''t solely because of his skills. The fact that he could contend with the four young masters of Hua City with his own strength showed that he was an extremely intelligent person, brave and strategic, and that was the kind of person she needed. "Serve you? What could I do?" Hao Jian asked in confusion. "Help me confront the other three families!" Murong Qiushui smiled gently and beautifully, intoxicatingly so. She spoke as if she were talking about a matter of no consequence. Hao Jian frowned slightly and said, "Are you joking with me?" Taking on the other three families¡ªwas he out of his mind? Why should he bother with the other three families for no reason? "Our miss never jokes," Bai Zihui said expressionlessly. Murong Qiushui also smiled and spoke, "I greatly admire your abilities, and I believe that with your support, I will be as powerful as a tiger with wings. By then, you can stand at the pinnacle of power just like my Murong Family, with a name that will echo through the ages!" If any other woman had said this, Hao Jian would have found it laughable; just a woman aspiring to compete on the battlefield like a man, vying for the world. But this was said by Murong Qiushui, which wasn''t quite as funny. Because he could tell, just like himself, Murong Qiushui was also of imperial caliber. Since she dared to say it, she was determined to make it a reality, because she had that confidence. In a chaotic world, she would be like Empress Wu Zetian, Mi Yue, an existence of that stature¡ªsuch a woman possessing both talent and grand strategies, easily manipulating men to her advantage, was extremely terrifying. Hao Jian didn''t find it laughable, but he still laughed¡ªa laugh filled with irony and puzzlement. "The miss is being sincere with you, and yet you dare to be so rude?" Seeing this, Bai Zihui was the first to get angry, glaring at Hao Jian. "Why do you laugh, sir?" Murong Qiushui also asked curiously, smiling. Her words weren''t funny, or did Hao Jian think she wasn''t qualified? "No, no, no, I''m not laughing at you, but at myself. If it were a few years earlier, and I heard what you said, I might have really agreed in a moment of excitement. It''s just a pity you''re a few years too late," Hao Jian laughed. After experiencing endless slaughter and darkness, he had lost interest in any struggle for power or influence. Murong Qiushui''s brows furrowed slightly, "Do you really just want to linger in this insignificant Hua City?" "That''s right. I''m not interested in power struggles now; I just want to live a peaceful life," said Hao Jian. "A peaceful life? Does your current life seem peaceful to you? I bet you have no shortage of enemies, right?" Murong Qiushui continued to smile serenely, her face betraying no emotion. Even now, she was somewhat angry because no one had ever dared to refuse her before. Everyone knew that becoming a dog for one of the four famous families meant standing at the pinnacle of power, yet Hao Jian had just passed up such an opportunity? "Yes, that''s because I have many enemies now, so I don''t want to attract more trouble," Hao Jian explained. "But if you follow my Murong Family, those enemies of yours won''t matter at all. With my family''s support, they would never dare bother you again," Murong Qiushui coaxed gently. But Hao Jian wasn''t fooled, and smiled, "But by doing so, I would face even more formidable enemies. I don''t want to attract sharks just because of some small fry." "And," Hao Jian suddenly narrowed his eyes, staring straight at Murong Qiushui, his smile became devilish as he said, "I''m not in the habit of being someone''s dog!" What a joke, I am the formidable God of Death, the man atop the throne of gods, and you want me to be your underling? "Do you look down on women?" Murong Qiushui''s face darkened immediately, thinking Hao Jian''s comments stemmed from underestimating her. There were not a few who held Hao Jian''s attitude; many felt she was no match for the other three families'' geniuses, so her gender had become a thorn in Murong Qiushui''s side. "Don''t get me wrong, I don''t look down on women; on the contrary, I respect them. All great men have been brought into the world and raised by women, myself included," Hao Jian quickly denied, with a wry smile, "The reason I refuse you is simple: I''m too proud!" Chapter 408 Driven Mad Because of excessive pride, one can''t bear to be second to others, and because of that same pride, one would rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix! "Just like you, I am proud, so it''s impossible for me to serve anyone else. If I told you, ''I really admire you, be my lapdog,'' would you be willing?" "How dare you! Who do you think our young lady is, and who are you? Do you think you''re worthy of having her serve you?" Bai Zihui was already furious, glaring venomously at Hao Jian, as if she wanted to devour him alive. At that moment, Hao Jian finally turned his gaze towards Bai Zihui, and with a sneer, said, "And what do you know of my identity? Let me tell you, with my status, your young lady isn''t even qualified to be my lapdog!" In the eyes of Bai Zihui and others, Murong Qiushui might be impressive, but to this God of Death, she was hardly worth mentioning. Perhaps Murong Qiushui was intelligent, perhaps she truly had the makings of an Emperor, skilled in strategy and knowledgeable, but all schemes are worthless in the face of absolute power. And, unfortunately for them, Hao Jian represented that absolute power! He could now easily dispose of Murong Qiushui and the others, and not even the Murong Family could dare to let out a fart in retaliation! Want to seek revenge? I''d just kill members of the Murong Family every now and then until they''re all wiped out, since I have the capability to do so. Upon hearing these words, the faces of Murong Qiushui and the other two couldn''t help but change. Hao Jian''s words were an immense disrespect towards Murong Qiushui. If she wasn''t even qualified to be Hao Jian''s lapdog, didn''t that mean she was less than a dog? Bai Zihui also sneered coldly, "Powerless, brainless, and without influence, don''t you feel ashamed saying such things?" "No, he''s not boasting." However, at that moment, Murong Qiushui replied thoughtfully. "What? Miss, you''re not joking, are you?" Bai Zihui was shocked. How could this man''s status possibly be more prestigious than Murong Qiushui''s? If it were true, he couldn''t be some unknown nobody. "Have you forgotten? This man''s identity is a 3S encrypted file. If he were just a nameless minion, how could he possibly be a national secret?" Before Murong Qiushui could speak, Ma Li took the initiative to say it. Because of this reason, Ma Li''s attitude towards Hao Jian had noticeably improved upon meeting him that day. Someone who could be classified by the state with a 3S file must be someone of significant importance, even Murong Qiushui didn''t receive such treatment. So, perhaps what Hao Jian said was true, his identity might indeed be more special than Murong Qiushui''s. Bai Zihui was so astonished she was speechless, internally screaming a million impossibilities ¨C wasn''t this guy just a ruffian, a self-absorbed braggart? Meanwhile, Hao Jian was looking at Bai Zihui with a mocking expression, "I''m not like you, I''m not a dog, let alone a bitch!" "You''re courting death!" Finally unable to restrain herself, Bai Zihui yelled furiously and then, wearing her sharp high heels, kicked towards Hao Jian''s chest. The diameter of the heel was only an inch thick, extremely sharp; with enough force, it could pierce through a person''s body! "Zihui, stop!" Murong Qiushui hurriedly shouted when she saw this. She knew Hao Jian was someone better as a friend than an enemy, and if they antagonized him, they were likely the ones who would suffer. But Bai Zihui was no longer listening to Murong Qiushui; Hao Jian had dared to call her a bitch, and now she just wanted to slaughter him. "Nonsense!" Hao Jian scoffed, and with just two fingers, lightly flicked Bai Zihui''s shoe heel, sending her flying and crashing to the ground with scraped knees. Seeing this, Murong Qiushui and Ma Li were both shocked. They knew Bai Zihui''s strength well ¨C she was a Martial Arts genius heavily invested in by the Murong Family. At only twenty-four, she was already at the level of a Master of a Generation. Yet such a figure was unable to withstand even one of Hao Jian''s fingers? Murong Qiushui had yelled earlier not because she worried Hao Jian would be hurt by Bai Zihui, but because Bai Zihui had launched a sudden sneak attack while Hao Jian was unguarded. Bai Zihui''s forte was assassination, which had always been successful till that point, and even though Murong Qiushui had great esteem for Hao Jian, she hadn''t believed he could remain unscathed under Bai Zihui''s surprise attack. Nevertheless, Hao Jian''s actions truly shocked her; no wonder this youngster was so confident ¨C it was for this reason. "I''ll kill you!!!" Bai Zihui, with disheveled hair, roared through gritted teeth, like a volcano about to erupt. Hao Jian smiled scornfully and then threw a punch at a rockery nearby. "Bang!" A muffled sound, and the rockery seemed to shake slightly. Bai Zihui stopped in her tracks, looking at Hao Jian with Murong Qiushui and the others in confusion, wondering why he had done that. "Crack. Crack crack crack." A fissure appeared in the rockery first, then those cracks began to spread, until like a spiderweb, they covered the entire rockery. "Boom!" Thereafter, the three-meter high rockery, resembling a small castle, collapsed with a thunderous crash, turning into a mound of rubble amidst rising dust and smoke. Murong Qiushui and the others were stunned speechless; a single punch had shattered a rockery. What would happen if it hit a person? And Bai Zihui also swallowed hard, no longer having the courage to step forward. "Don''t provoke me, or the consequences will be severe," Hao Jian warned with a cold laugh. "Who on earth are you?" Bai Zihui asked, frowning. To smash a rockery with bare hands, this man couldn''t possibly be a nobody. Yet, she had never heard of such a person in the Huaxia Martial Arts World. "You do not have the right to know my identity," Hao Jian retorted disdainfully as he dusted off his hands, then added, "Alright, if there''s nothing else, I''m leaving." Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire "What will it take for you to help me?" Murong Qiushui called out in desperation, asking urgently. If she had doubts before, now she was almost certain that Hao Jian could definitely help her annihilate the other three families! He had the background, the ability, and the brains¡ªwhere could she find such a person? "Sure, it''s simple if you want my help: spend one night with me, and I''ll help you," Hao Jian said mockingly. At those words, both Bai Zihui and Ma Li couldn''t help but look grim. Murong Qiushui was pure and noble¡ªhow could she possibly agree to sleep with this scoundrel? They were both angered by Hao Jian''s shamelessness; this guy really was bad news, targeting their young lady. Murong Qiushui''s brow also furrowed. According to the investigation, Hao Jian was supposed to be a relatively upright individual, but as he made this indecent proposal, Murong Qiushui realized that he too was a despicable and shameless man. "What, not willing? Then forget it," Hao Jian said, turning to walk away. "When?" Murong Qiushui''s voice broke the silence. "Huh?" Hao Jian was taken aback. "I''m asking when do you want?" Murong Qiushui said, biting her red lips, her face so flushed it seemed it could ooze blood. For her, of such high stature, uttering such words was extremely humiliating. "Miss, you absolutely mustn''t!" Bai Zihui and Ma Li both panicked. Was Murong Qiushui seriously considering sacrificing herself to satisfy this lowlife? "I have my plans; shut your mouths!" Murong Qiushui snapped harshly, her brows tightly knitted, her expression one of distress¡ªit was obviously no easy decision for her to make. Hao Jian was also stunned. Had this woman lost her mind? Was she really planning to trade her virginity for an exchange? There''s a unique fragrance that virgins possess, which can make men''s hearts flutter, and Hao Jian, being a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, could clearly distinguish this subtle fragrance. "You''re terrifying!" Hao Jian looked at Murong Qiushui with a bizarre expression. To trade one''s most precious chastity for the future of a family was too great a sacrifice for a woman. Yet, Murong Qiushui was still willing to go through with it, indicating that she had a ruthlessness to her, even more so than some men! In the past, Wu Meiniang had killed her own daughter to frame Queen Wang, and now, Murong Qiushui was willing to sacrifice her virginity for power. These women were truly more frightening than the next. Feeling Hao Jian''s intense gaze, Murong Qiushui too felt exceedingly awkward and uttered in annoyance, "Well, what do you say?" "What do I say? I say you''re insane!" Hao Jian curled his lip in disdain. How could he possibly take Murong Qiushui''s body? That would be taking advantage of someone in a vulnerable situation, and how could he do such a shameless thing? "You were joking just now?" A sharp look flashed across Murong Qiushui''s features. She had laid all her cards on the table, and he was saying it was a joke? It was as if Murong Qiushui had already stripped herself naked, only to hear Hao Jian say it was all in jest, that he had no intention of taking her. What was Murong Qiushui supposed to do now? She had discarded all her dignity and shame, only to be told by Hao Jian it was all just a game? "Of course, do I look like the kind that would take advantage of someone?" Hao Jian declared with noble intent, as if he were a virtuous young man of great moral character. "Kill him for me!" Murong Qiushui roared, unable to control her fury any longer. The bastard, she wanted to kill Hao Jian now! Damn it, she had seen many shameless people, but never one as shameless as him! Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was damn infuriating; was she being played for a fool? What did she become then? Just a lascivious harlot? Murong Qiushui was originally a very generous and virtuous person, but she was pushed by Hao Jian into becoming a harlot, and now, damn it, she went from a harlot to a shrew. Ma Li, standing by the side, couldn''t help but cover her face with a sigh. Hadn''t she said not to provoke this guy? This guy just had a way of driving people insane. Chapter 409 Let Him Reap What He Has Sown At this moment, even Ma Li couldn''t help but admire Hao Jian for being able to infuriate the usually unflappable Murong Qiushui to such an extent. Murong Qiushui''s face was full of killing intent. She didn''t think she had overestimated Hao Jian, but now it seemed she had still underestimated him. This was the first time she had been pushed into behaving like a shrew. "I''ve already taken my clothes off, and now you''re telling me you can''t perform?" "But miss, I... I''m no match for him?" Bai Zihui said with an embarrassed face. Murong Qiushui had told her to stop, but she insisted on fighting. Now that Murong Qiushui was ordering her to fight, she dared not. This guy was obviously much stronger than her, shattering a rockery with a single punch. Bai Zihui had no confidence in challenging him. This would simply be courting death! "You still go! Ma Li, you call someone!" Murong Qiushui commanded with an air of killing intent. "Miss, please calm down," Ma Li urged hurriedly, somewhat bemused, thinking: Weren''t you the one who said at the beginning we absolutely cannot make an enemy of this guy? "Calm? I''m very calm," Murong Qiushui squeezed out these words through clenched teeth. This bastard''s bullying me; how can I stay calm? Bai Zihui sighed and charged forward. Knowing she was no match for Hao Jian yet following her master''s order meant she could not rebel, even if she knew she was outmatched and facing death, she had to fight! But Hao Jian wasn''t the least bit intimidated. He performed a backward somersault, leaping over three meters high and landing gracefully on a wall, saying with a smile, "I''ve got things to do, so I won''t stick around and play with you folks!" After that, he cheekily jumped over the high wall and fled the estate with a speed that lightning couldn''t match. "Bastard!" Murong Qiushui stomped her feet in anger. It was her first time being toyed with like this. "Miss, what do we do now?" asked Bai Zihui, her voice weak but inwardly relieved that Hao Jian had run away, thus sparing her from seeking further humiliation. "Follow him, no matter what I must make him obey my orders!" Murong Qiushui gritted her teeth. How dare he refuse me? No man can refuse me! ... After leaving Murong Qiushui, Hao Jian went straight to the Chinese Medicine Hospital, but as soon as he entered the gate, he bumped into Du Yuelin. "Hao Jian, you''ve come at the right time; I have something I need to discuss with you." "What''s the matter?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. "Isn''t New Year''s Day coming up? Our Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital and the Business School plan to jointly host a New Year''s Eve gala," Du Yuelin said with a smile. "Since when have the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital and the Business School gotten along so well?" Hao Jian said, surprised. "Isn''t it all because of you?" Du Yuelin said with a smile. "Because of me?" Hao Jian was puzzled. What did this have to do with him? "It''s because of you defeating the chess player from Harvard University before, bringing honor to Hua City, that the Education Bureau has used us as an example for others. Qiu Chenggong, in order to please the Education Bureau, had no choice but to invite us to their gala," Du Yuelin laughed heartily, clearly very happy. Because the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital had been specifically named by the Education Bureau, Du Yuelin, as the dean, naturally felt honored. For Du Yuelin, an educator, wealth and power weren''t important. What he valued most was reputation, a reputation that would be admired by future generations. When everyone mentioned him, they''d say: "Du Yuelin was the most effective dean in the history of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. With his help, the hospital reached its pinnacle and achieved unparalleled honors!" Of course, this was all thanks to Hao Jian''s assistance, which was why he''d succeeded so easily. "Speaking of which, I have to thank you. Without you, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital could never have been so splendid," Du Yuelin said with a beaming smile: "It''s also because of you that Qiu Chenggong had to come groveling to me to organize a joint gala. That feeling, it''s just so exhilarating!" Even Du Yuelin felt somewhat elated. Before Hao Jian came along, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital had been losing to Qiu Chenggong''s Business School in every aspect, causing Du Yuelin to be mocked at Education Bureau meetings. However, after Hao Jian''s appearance, the tables had turned, and the normally arrogant Qiu Chenggong had actually bowed his head in request. "I don''t think it''s that simple," Hao Jian felt there was something fishy about this matter. "Oh? Why do you say that?" Hao Jian''s words made Du Yuelin begin to wonder if there were any traps hidden within. Thinking it over, Du Yuelin also felt something was off, suddenly recalling how happy Qiu Chenggong seemed after receiving his affirmative response. Logically speaking, Qiu Chenggong should have been embarrassed to be forced into hosting this joint association event with us, but on the contrary, he seemed quite pleased. This, in itself, was an unusual occurrence. Originally, Du Yuelin hadn''t thought much about it, but upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, he also began to sense some deeper meaning. "Think about it, this is Chinese Medicine Hospital, where students spend most of their time engrossed in studying medical arts, leaving no spare time for other activities. In contrast, the Business School is different with their extremely rich array of extracurricular activities¡ªstreet dance clubs, piano clubs, and the list goes on." "Compared to them, we definitely lack greatly in talent. Sharing the stage under these circumstances will inevitably make us look inadequate. Qiu Chenggong''s purpose in doing this is probably to use their strengths to overshadow us, reclaiming his pride while making us look foolish." "If I''m not mistaken, the big boss from the Education Bureau will also be attending tonight''s event, right?" Hao Jian''s gaze burned into Du Yuelin as he spoke. At those words, Du Yuelin couldn''t help but inhale sharply, a look of shock crossing his face. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire From Du Yuelin''s reaction, Hao Jian got his answer, and he smiled, "Qiu Chenggong intends to embarrass us in front of that big boss. They are multi-talented, we are mediocre¡ªthe prestige that Chinese Medicine Hospital has worked so hard to build might just crumble away." "Damn that despicable old fox!" Du Yuelin clenched his teeth in hatred. He had been quite pleased before, but now, upon reflection, he realized he had been plotted against. It seems Qiu Chenggong had been harboring this plan for a while, taking this opportunity to suppress them. "Hao Jian, why don''t we just cancel this joint association event?" Du Yuelin suggested, knowing that talent was a weak point for Chinese Medicine Hospital, and they would certainly lose to the Business School in a performance. "If we cancel now, Qiu Chenggong will just have more to say. He will claim that Chinese Medicine Hospital is arrogant and complacent, dismissing their goodwill outright. He might even accuse you of being petty, unwilling to reconcile, which would still harm the reputation of Chinese Medicine Hospital," Hao Jian remarked. "This¡­ to cancel is no good, not to cancel is no good either, what should we do?" Du Yuelin now regretted his decision immensely. Had he known, he would not have listened to Qiu Chenggong''s slander. That old fox was truly deceitful, utterly shameless. "Don''t panic, isn''t that what I''m here for? If the old fox Qiu Chenggong is good at scheming, then let him be hoisted by his own petard," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "You¡­ you have a way?" Du Yuelin brightened upon hearing Hao Jian''s words. Right, how could he have forgotten about Hao Jian? The guy was his lucky star, seemingly capable of anything. With Hao Jian on the case, they should be able to outshine the Business School. "Of course, when have I ever let you down?" Hao Jian replied with a confident smile, quickly asking, "What are the Business School''s performance items this time around?" "Huh? Shouldn''t you be asking about our school''s items?" Du Yuelin asked curiously, thinking that Hao Jian should be more concerned with their own school''s performances. But Hao Jian shook his head, speaking with significant meaning, "What''s the fun in doing our own thing? If Qiu Chenggong wants to use their strengths to overshadow us, then let them reap what they have sown. If they have street dance, we''ll do street dance; if they sing, we''ll sing too; and we''ll beat them in every single thing, letting that leader see that the Business School is second-rate in everything compared to us. That will be the best counterattack!" "How confident are you?" Upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, Du Yuelin was also tempted. If they could outperform the Business School in every aspect, then Qiu Chenggong''s conspiracy would crumble, and to outsiders, it would seem as though the Business School, by doing the same things, was merely making a fool of themselves. The issue was how confident Hao Jian was. If they couldn''t surpass the other side, they would be playing with fire. "Not much," Hao Jian replied. "Is that so, well, that''s normal, after all, you''re not omnipotent," Du Yuelin sighed with some disappointment. "Maybe eighty or ninety percent," Hao Jian added. "..." Du Yuelin was startled for a moment, then irritably slapped Hao Jian on the shoulder, "You rascal, you''re teasing me, aren''t you?" Hao Jian burst into laughter, "Come on, give me the program list. I guess you''re planning to have me lead the team, right? Then I''ll go take a look at the Business School first." Immediately thereafter, Du Yuelin handed the Business School''s program list to Hao Jian. Hao Jian only glanced at it once, then handed it back to Du Yuelin. "Tonight, just wait to laugh till you can''t close your mouth!" With that, Hao Jian walked in the direction of the Business School. Watching Hao Jian''s receding figure, Du Yuelin was filled with emotion, "Such a good kid, if only he were my grandson." "Hmm, have I forgotten something?" Suddenly, Du Yuelin bowed his head in thought, feeling like he had forgotten something, but he couldn''t recall what it was at the moment. What he had forgotten was to give Hao Jian the pass, which is why Hao Jian was now being stopped by the security guard at the school gate, not letting him in whatsoever. "Just let me in, I really am a teacher at Chinese Medicine Hospital," Hao Jian said to a security guard in his fifties or sixties. "Nonsense, the male teachers at Chinese Medicine Hospital are basically around my age, none of them as young as you," the old man obviously didn''t believe him and scolded, "Alright, young man, stop trying to fool me. It''s not the first time today that someone claiming to be a teacher has tried to enter our Business School. Don''t think I don''t know your intentions¡ªyou just want to sneak in and gawk at the beauties, right?" Chapter 410 Big Sister Ye Linglan "No way, are there really so many bored people around these days?" Hao Jian was secretly amazed. It was all those perverts pretending to be teachers that prevented him from entering. Damn it, couldn''t they come up with a better excuse, like pretending to be a student''s parent or something? "Old man, just believe me, okay? I''m really a teacher at the Chinese Medicine Hospital, our principal is Du Yuelin, and your principal is Qiu Chenggong. See, I even know their names," Hao Jian said. "Hmm?" The old man, hearing Hao Jian actually mention the names of the two principals, couldn''t help but waver a bit, "Are you really a teacher?" "Truly, I am really a teacher. If you don''t believe me, you can ask around at your school. My name is Hao Jian, and some students at your school know me," Hao Jian said. "In that case." The old man actually believed him somewhat and was about to let Hao Jian in. But at this moment, a group of female college students approached, dressed coolly for the approaching summer season in short sleeves and shorts, displaying their long legs. "Damn, beautiful women!" Hao Jian immediately reverted to his true nature, whistling flirtatiously at the group of college girls, "Beauties, want to go boating on Che River with me?" "Ah! Pervert!" The girls screamed in terror and quickly ran into the school. The old man''s face darkened immediately, "You really are no good!" "No, old man, listen to me explain!" "Old man, don''t swear!" "Old man, don''t hit me with the broom!" "Old thing, you damn try touching me again!" "Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, okay, you''re tough! I''m gonna go call someone!" Hao Jian walked away reluctantly, feeling incredibly wronged, all watery-eyed. If it weren''t for your old age, I''d have knocked you out long ago! "Sigh, looks like I can only wait for Xiaoxiao and the others to arrive." Hao Jian sighed helplessly, then squatted at the school entrance, smoking a cigarette while waiting for his friends. From time to time, he teased the female students walking by, frightening them into screaming again and again. "I didn''t expect the girls at the Business School to be of such high quality," Hao Jian said somewhat amazed, finding all the Business School girls to be stunning. At this moment, a group of gangster-looking college students surrounded Hao Jian. Hao Jian, looking at the group in front of him with dyed hair, wearing earrings and ripped jeans, who looked like something out of a crazy fashion trend, was so startled he couldn''t speak for a long while. Is this some Journey to the West? Where did all these demons and monsters come from? And to think they call themselves college students; it''s a total insult to the term. In Hao Jian''s era, college students were genteel, clean-cut. Now, some college students are more thuggish than thugs, a sad testament to the moral decline and lack of belief in today''s society. The ringleader, wearing a headband and a nose ring, sneered, "Dressed all proper and decent, don''t you know that''s a crime, huh?" "I didn''t know, actually," Hao Jian shook his head innocently, pretending to be clueless. Seeing this, the nose ring guy got even more excited, suddenly grabbing Hao Jian''s collar, "You''re really a peeping Tom, huh? If you want us to let you go, take out your wallet, or else we''ll beat you up and then send you to the police station. Your choice!" In his view, Hao Jian looked so foolish and confused that he was easy to bully. With a simple scare, Hao Jian like him would usually hand over his money obediently. "Hmm?" Hao Jian narrowed his eyes, then suddenly punched a nearby stone lion. "Bang!" The stone lion instantly turned into a pile of rubble. The group of college students suddenly freaked out. A punch that shattered a stone lion, was this guy even human? The nose ring guy quickly let go, freezing in place, unable to recover his senses, utterly shocked. Hao Jian, yawning, spoke in a low voice, "Alright, now I''ll ask the question. Who''s going to get a thorough beating? One, as a Demon Teacher known as a pervert, or two, the foolish college students who tried to extort me and ended up getting fixed up. So, who could it be?" Crack, smack. The few college students knelt on the ground, all bruised and singing ''Conquered.'' "Just like that, you conquered me." "Fatty, you''re off key! Hey hey hey, Yellow Hair, you''re half a beat too fast, and you, Nose Ring, can you put some feeling into it? Let me feel your FEEL." S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A crowd of baffled students watched as Hao Jian chided these students. "Who is this guy?" Just then, a woman riding a motorcycle, with a graceful figure and a beautiful face, appeared at the entrance of the Business School and asked the boy next to her, puzzled. "Sister Linglan, this guy is the Demon Teacher from the Chinese Medicine Hospital," the boy answered truthfully. "The Demon Teacher? The one who, according to rumors, took on an entire army by himself?" the girl asked, surprised. "Yeah, that''s him," the boy nodded. Ye Linglan looked at Hao Jian with interest, then scoffed disdainfully, "Doesn''t look that impressive to me." "But the Ten Sisters, Li Jiasheng, and He Zexi have all been taught a lesson by him," the boy reminded her. "So what? Don''t compare me to those losers!" Ye Linglan snorted coldly, her eyes sharp as she continued, "This guy dares to tarnish our Business School''s reputation, I won''t let him off lightly! All of you need to perk up, we must suppress the momentum of the Chinese Medicine Hospital at tonight''s evening event, got it?" "Understood!" Those boys, clearly very convinced by Ye Linglan, shouted in unison. If anyone were to ask who the big boss of the Chinese Medicine Hospital was now, it would undoubtedly be Hao Jian, and if they asked the same about the Business School, it would certainly be Ye Linglan! This female devil was a troublemaker ever since she entered the Business School, just like Hao Jian, never stopping her antics. Forming cliques, she gathered over a hundred lackeys in one semester, truly becoming a boss in her own right. That wasn''t all, she used to take her lackeys to sweep up the local Mafia, once fiercely chasing a group of over ten people with two machetes for over twenty miles, to the extent that there was almost no Mafia presence near the Business School anymore. And now, Ye Linglan had set her sights on Hao Jian, because in recent years the Business School had been dominating the Chinese Medicine Hospital in all aspects, until Hao Jian emerged and turned the tables. As a leading figure like Ye Linglan, how could she permit such a thing? That''s why she was planning to show the Chinese Medicine Hospital a thing or two at tonight''s social gathering, to crush Hao Jian''s momentum! Think playing chess is impressive? They at the Business School had many more tricks up their sleeves! Seeing Hao Jian still bullying their school''s students, Ye Linglan couldn''t stand it anymore and walked straight over to him. "Stop right there!" Ye Linglan barked angrily, glaring at Hao Jian. Caught by the beautiful, curvaceous woman before him, Hao Jian was momentarily stunned, then with a smile full of charm, he whistled, "Beauty, you''re quite the looker, what brings you here?" Seeing Ye Linglan appear, those scoundrel students suddenly felt emboldened, quickly got up from the ground, and hid behind Ye Linglan, "Boss, save us, he''s trying to extort us!" "Extort you?" Ye Linglan bristled at the comment, Hao Jian had already embarrassed their Business School and now he even dared to extort their students. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire Ye Linglan stared at Hao Jian and demanded, "You dare to extort students from our Business School?" Hao Jian sighed, answering indirectly, "Do you know what''s above a person''s neck?" "Nonsense, it''s definitely a head, what else could it be?" Ye Linglan laughed, irritated, Was this guy an idiot for asking such a ridiculous question? "Then do you know what''s inside the head?" Hao Jian asked again. "Of course, it''s the brain. Why else would it be called a head?" Ye Linglan rolled her eyes, a bit puzzled, This guy must have some intellectual issues, right? "No, no, it should be filled with mush!" Hao Jian said with a knowing smile, implying something more profound. "You dare say my head is filled with mush?" If Ye Linglan didn''t realize what Hao Jian was implying at this point, then she really would be an idiot. "If your head wasn''t filled with mush, then why would you believe whatever they say?" Hao Jian shrugged and then pointed at those students, "They tried to extort me first, so I was just teaching them a lesson!" Hearing this, those students suddenly panicked, shouting, "Boss, don''t listen to his lies, we are your beloved juniors, how could we do such a thing? You always said absolutely no stealing or robbing, how could we dare to mess around?" Ye Linglan thought it over and found it made sense, these guys wouldn''t have the guts to defy her orders. Suddenly, Ye Linglan glared resentfully at Hao Jian, "You scoundrel, so shameless to twist the truth and try to fool me? Am I, Ye Linglan, so easily deceived?" "Ugh!" Hao Jian leaned against the wall pretending to vomit, "Don''t talk, let me throw up first!" "Your mother''s a bitch!" Ye Linglan cursed outright, her aggression surging as she charged towards Hao Jian. And those college students, seeing Ye Linglan about to make a move, couldn''t help but smirk. In their eyes, Hao Jian was definitely going to end up in the hospital, for Ye Linglan taking on over twenty by herself during brawls was no problem at all. Without any nonsense, Ye Linglan kicked straight at Hao Jian. Hao Jian was startled, quickly clamping Ye Linglan''s calf between his legs, and looked at her in amazement, "Damn, you trying to end my lineage here!" Chapter 411 The thing is broken Ye Linglan sneered repeatedly, "A bad seed like you keeping such a thing is redundant. It''s better if I just take care of it for you, and save you from causing trouble for others!" Saying this, Ye Linglan launched another straight punch towards Hao Jian''s face, this punch bringing with it a gust of wind. A hint of wonder flashed across Hao Jian''s eyes¡ªcould this girl actually know martial arts skills? "Bang!" Ye Linglan''s fist landed solidly on Hao Jian''s right cheek! "Nice one! She hit him! So far, no one has been unscathed from our boss''s punches; this kid is done for!" exclaimed the boy with a nose ring, delighted. Ye Linglan too couldn''t help but reveal a smile on her face, confident that this punch would certainly knock Hao Jian out. But after about two seconds, Ye Linglan realized something was off. Her punches normally weren''t something ordinary people could withstand, usually knocking someone unconscious with a single strike. So why hadn''t Hao Jian fallen yet? "Heh." All of a sudden, a faint chuckle escaped Hao Jian''s lips. He slowly turned his slightly reddened cheek and looked at Ye Linglan with a mocking gaze, "Did you really think that punch would take me down?" Ye Linglan''s face was a picture of shock, "Did you truly single-handedly defeat an entire army?" Originally, Ye Linglan thought this rumor was ludicrous¡ªwho could achieve such a feat? It was nothing short of a tall tale. It wasn''t until Hao Jian took a punch from her and remained completely unharmed, that Ye Linglan began to suspect there might be some bizarre truth to it. You should know, she had been the continuous champion in sanda for three terms, plus a ninth-degree black belt in karate; ordinary people couldn''t withstand her punches. "Do you think it''s an exaggeration?" asked Hao Jian, smiling. "I don''t think it''s an exaggeration," Ye Linglan said seriously as she looked at Hao Jian. "I think it''s complete bullshit!" "But in fact, it is not bullshit!" Hao Jian scoffed with a smile, then suddenly clamped Ye Linglan''s leg and leaped backward, causing her leg to stretch forward. "Ah!" Suddenly, a heart-wrenching scream echoed; following a wide split, Ye Linglan''s entire face went pale, her expression agonized, tears welling up in her eyes. Hao Jian was also taken aback, "It''s just a split; it shouldn''t hurt that much, should it?" Ye Linglan glared at Hao Jian, hatefully, but was in too much pain to speak. Immediately afterward, Hao Jian noticed the white shorts she was wearing starting to stain red, and he couldn''t help but inhale sharply, "You... you got your period?" On hearing this, Ye Linglan was filled with shame and wanted to die, her tears rolling down her face. Clearly, she also realized what had happened, feeling utterly wronged. Just like that, lost? Her most precious thing gone just like that? Seeing Ye Linglan remain silent, Hao Jian also thoughtfully shook his head, "No, that''s not right. You wouldn''t be in such pain from your period that you couldn''t speak." Then, suddenly, Hao Jian''s face showed horror as he exclaimed, "My God, you couldn''t possibly be¡­" "If you dare say it, I''ll kill you!" Ye Linglan said through gritted teeth, the anger in her heart reaching its peak. Because aside from sexual activity, intense exercise could also cause that thing to rupture. Just now, Ye Linglan had been caught off guard and forced by Hao Jian into such a drastic split, directly causing that fragile layer to break. Hao Jian had not expected this outcome either; he had only intended to give Ye Linglan a hard time but ended up ruining her most prized possession. This girl was actually still a virgin; weren''t those who were known as bosses usually bad and promiscuous, sleeping with any man casually? Hao Jian''s worldview was thoroughly challenged by Ye Linglan, this peculiar boss. And those hooligan college students still hadn''t realized what had happened. Why couldn''t Ye Linglan get up after a split? And more and more students were passing by this area. At this moment, Ye Linglan was probably the most distressed. She was close to crying with urgency. She couldn''t stand up under these circumstances, and continually doing the splits was not an option; sooner or later, someone would notice something was amiss. She didn''t want others to know that her thing had been damaged by a split; if word got out, how could she continue to blend into the school? Others would definitely make fun of her, and her authority as a boss would be completely undermined. Although Ye Linglan was fierce enough to chase someone for over twenty miles with a knife, she was still essentially a girl¡ªeasily embarrassed and with a very strong sense of self-esteem. She couldn''t help but feel completely disoriented in such a situation. Just as Ye Linglan was at a loss for words, Hao Jian walked over with a determined expression and, ignoring her struggles, scooped her up in his arms. "What, what are you doing?" Ye Linglan looked at Hao Jian warily, full of hatred for him at this moment. This damn man had taken her virginity under inexplicable circumstances! "I''m taking you to the infirmary. I guess you don''t want to be gawked at like this, right? More and more people are coming, and if this continues, your... incident will be exposed," Hao Jian said, running toward the Chinese Medicine Hospital with Ye Linglan in his arms. This time, Ye Linglan didn''t choose to argue since she knew she had no other options left. But she wasn''t willing to give in so easily, so she retorted with defiance, "What is this supposed to be, your way of making amends after the fact?" "Yes, because of my mistake, you lost the most precious thing. It''s all my fault. I was such a fool," Hao Jian said solemnly, feeling very guilty for his prank which resulted in a girl losing her purity. Hearing Hao Jian say this, Ye Linglan found it hard to scold him further. At this moment, Ye Linglan took a serious look at Hao Jian and noticed that when he wasn''t acting frivolously, he actually looked quite handsome. Her heart, which had never been moved before, suddenly fluttered with an unfamiliar sensation. Hao Jian rushed into the Chinese Medicine Hospital with Ye Linglan, then quickly headed to the infirmary. After putting her down, he began removing Ye Linglan''s trousers. "What are you doing? Are you taking advantage of the situation, you bastard!" Ye Linglan was so angry, her face turned green. Just when she had been feeling a bit better about the guy, he went ahead and did such a detestable thing. After causing her so much harm, he still wanted to defile her? Ye Linglan wanted to struggle, but her body was completely devoid of strength at the moment. "You''ve misunderstood, I want to check your injury to see if there''s any way to remedy it," Hao Jian explained. "Can it still be remedied after being broken?" Ye Linglan asked with utter disbelief. "Others may not be able to, but I can. Of course, this still depends on how severe your injury is. If it''s too severe, even I can''t do anything," Hao Jian said honestly, wanting to do whatever he could to make amends. "But... I would feel embarrassed," Ye Linglan said with an embarrassed look on her face, as she was not accustomed to being naked in front of a man. After all, it was quite shameful to strip down and be fully exposed to someone else. "I am a doctor!" Hao Jian said with a stern face. Seeing Hao Jian''s earnest demeanor, Ye Linglan calmed down quite a bit. Yes, he was a doctor, and in the eyes of a doctor, there''s only the patient, without distinction between men and women. Once she stopped resisting, Hao Jian continued. But when he saw the HELLO KITTY panties, he was stunned, "I never expected someone as fierce as you to have such an innocent heart?" "Shut up!" Ye Linglan shouted, her face burning red. At a time like this, he still had the mood for such jokes? Hao Jian fell silent and continued with his task, while Ye Linglan knew what to anticipate and tensed up immediately, filled with nervousness. "I''m sorry, I was wrong. I won''t talk anymore, believe me. Why aren''t you saying anything? Don''t you believe me? I really know I was wrong," he said. "Fuck off!" Ye Linglan yelled, lashing out with a straight kick to Hao Jian''s head, knocking him to the floor. You damn well shouldn''t say anything! Didn''t you know she was extremely upset and panicking? Ye Linglan was near tears, infuriated by this fool who just couldn''t handle things properly. And to think he claimed to be a doctor. What kind of doctor was he? "Oh, sorry, sorry, I''ll stop talking," Hao Jian said hastily, regaining his composure and continuing to examine Ye Linglan. After a while, he finally sighed and said with a sense of guilt: "The extent of the damage is more serious than I imagined. It''ll take some work to repair. The materials are not complete now. I''ll prepare them and help you with the repair next time." Ye Linglan also sighed but then said, "No need, what''s done is done." Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire She didn''t have the courage to strip naked a second time for Hao Jian''s examination. "But wouldn''t this affect your future life in some way?" Hao Jian asked with an embarrassed look on his face. Ye Linglan understood what he meant and said indifferently, "If my future husband cares more about that membrane than about me, then he doesn''t truly love me. I don''t need such a man!" S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian was secretly shocked; this girl was remarkably open-minded. Truth be told, of all the women he had met, Ye Linglan was the only one he had seen who was this straightforward. "If you can think like that, then I''m relieved!" Hao Jian wiped the sweat from his brow. He had been scared out of his wits just now, but since Ye Linglan could think like that, it freed him from much of the guilt. Chapter 412 You Have to Take Responsibility for Me "Relax? What have you got to relax about? You ruined my first time; you know you have to take responsibility for me?" Ye Linglan looked coldly at Hao Jian, a mocking smile on her lips. Relax? You can''t relax! "What?" Hao Jian was taken aback when he heard this and said, "Girl, don''t be impulsive. You still have a great future ahead of you. Why insist on being with a guy like me who has no money, no influence, and nothing but good looks?" Ye Linglan had a dark look on her face¡ªwas this guy praising himself or putting himself down? Ye Linglan snorted with an air of arrogance, "I''m not just any guy''s for the taking. The reason I fancy you is that you''re decent looking, not so much that I find you repellent, but more importantly, you''re stronger than me. I swore a long time ago that I would find a man who could overpower me one day, and you meet all these criteria!" Hao Jian could single-handedly take on an entire army and was much stronger than her. Plus, Hao Jian was so gentle when he was anxious about her. A man with both dominance and tenderness¡ªthis was the kind of man she needed! Hao Jian ticked off all the right boxes on her mate selection criteria, making Ye Linglan wonder if this whole incident was fated by the heavens. Destined by the heavens for her to become Hao Jian''s woman! "I can''t overpower you; I can''t even begin to hold you down," Hao Jian said hurriedly, shaking his head. He grabbed Ye Linglan''s leg and smashed it against his chest, then with a cry of pain, pretended to fall to the ground, yowling in agony. Ye Linglan''s forehead bulged with veins: "Are you brain-damaged?" "Right, you notice? Indeed, I''m brain-damaged. Not only that, but I''m also impotent. Aside from being a bit handsome, I really have no other strengths," Hao Jian quickly agreed. Ye Linglan couldn''t tell if Hao Jian was insulting himself or boasting again. Annoyed, she said, "I don''t care, you must take responsibility!" Hao Jian was on the verge of tears, "But didn''t you just say yourself that you didn''t care about that membrane?" "Yeah, I plan on making you take responsibility, so what''s there to care about?" Ye Linglan said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Hao Jian ****, so that was her game? And he thought she was straightforward! The guy still didn''t understand a woman''s mindset; even the most unrestrained woman wouldn''t feel nothing about her first time. Especially in a country like Huaxia with such strong traditional views on chastity. "But, but I''m already married!" Hao Jian objected anxiously. "Then get a divorce!" Ye Linglan replied casually. "That, that won''t work," Hao Jian said, laughing and crying at the same time. The girl was decidedly straightforward in this matter. "What''s wrong with that? In terms of figure and looks, I''m top-notch among women, and I''m still so young. How am I not better than that old hag at your home?" Ye Linglan said in annoyance. She was a prime beauty; how could Hao Jian not be willing to ditch his hag at home for her? "She''s not an old hag; she''s a beautiful wife," Hao Jian retorted. "I don''t care; since you did this to me, you must compensate!" Ye Linglan said through clenched teeth. "This... Is there really no way out? How about if I pay you?" "Can a woman''s chastity be bought with money?" Ye Linglan snorted angrily, her eyes reddening with rage. She was truly infuriated¡ªHao Jian actually wanted to buy her chastity with money, as if she were what? Hao Jian shook his head with a sigh. This was a real headache; he''d gone too far this time. "Fine, you won''t divorce her, will you? I''ll send someone to find her now, chop her into pieces, and feed her to the fishes. That way, you won''t have any worries left!" A sick smile appeared on Ye Linglan''s face. At those words, Hao Jian was instantly terrified. "Don''t, Sister, let''s talk this out. Please don''t resort to violence!" "I''ll ask you one more time¡ªmarry or not?" Ye Linglan glared at Hao Jian, turning back into the ferocious and domineering big sister, her demeanor threatening. "Marry. Marry," Hao Jian forced out a smile uglier than crying. "I know this is difficult for you, so I''ll give you some time to deal with your ex-wife. I''m not unreasonable after all. How about a year''s time?" Ye Linglan said generously, immediately bursting into joyful laughter as she heard Hao Jian''s agreement. Not unreasonable? Forcing me to marry you isn''t unreasonable? Just then, Ye Linglan slowly sat up, her delicate hands gently spreading open the Peach Blossom Spring, and gave Hao Jian a lewd smile, "Since it''s already broken, aren''t you going to take this opportunity to do something?" They say men are creatures of sense, and that is absolutely true. Women are captivated by emotions, while men are captivated by sensations. Thus the saying was born: women give sex for love, and men give love for sex. Ye Linglan believed that after enjoying her body, Hao Jian would surely be unforgettable, and thus forget his beautiful wife at home, because men always favor the new over the old. And facing such blatant seduction, how could Hao Jian possibly hold back? A flash of ruthlessness crossed his brows, and he thought angrily, "Damn it, I''m responsible either way, wouldn''t I be a fool not to go for it?" With that thought, he stood up and took deliberate steps toward Ye Linglan. Fortunately, at this time, all the students from the Chinese Medicine Hospital had gone to the Business School to watch the performance, so no one heard the long and loud moans that came from the infirmary. By the time Hao Jian emerged from the infirmary, it was already evening, and the evening gala was about to begin. Ye Linglan didn''t come out from inside because she needed time to recover. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian locked the door from the outside and then headed toward the Business School. A wry smile was on his lips. Was this considered playing with fire? After a while, he sighed, "Forget it, I won''t think about that for now. I need to focus on getting the gala sorted out first." . "Director Cao, your illustrious presence graces us. I am sorry for not greeting you farther away!" Meanwhile, Qiu Chenggong was receiving a special guest at the school entrance. Cao Guobin, the chief of the Hua City Education Bureau, looked to be in his fifties, with a stern and dignified appearance. He was well-regarded because of his reputation for being upright and maintaining the dignity of teaching. Therefore, in front of Cao Guobin, Qiu Chenggong didn''t dare to be too flattering and kept the pleasantries simple. Cao Guobin nodded indifferently and then looked toward Du Yuelin with a poker face, finally squeezing out a faint smile, "Du Yuelin, your Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital has brought glory to Huaxia this time, and you''ve made me look at you in a new light. Don''t disappoint me tonight!" Seeing that Cao Guobin ignored him and spoke to Du Yuelin first, Qiu Chenggong couldn''t help but burn with jealousy, and he kept his face very low, fearing that Cao Guobin would see the annoyance on his face. Qiu Chenggong thought bitterly, "Just wait until tonight is over, and it will be my Business School that will impress you!" At this moment, Du Yuelin also wore a confident smile on his face, "Director Cao, rest assured. I definitely will not disappoint you tonight at the gala!" Hearing this, Qiu Chenggong couldn''t help but let out a low laugh, thinking to himself, what big words, not to disappoint Director Cao? What does your Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital have to show? "Very good, I''m looking forward to it!" Cao Guobin laughed heartily and proceeded into the Business School, with everyone around him playing up to him. At that moment, Qiu Chenggong couldn''t help but sneer at Du Yuelin, "Old Du, why do I feel that after not seeing you for a few days, your face has gotten thicker? Not disappoint Director Cao? Your entire Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital is full of bookworms, and with that, you still dare be so confident?" Du Yuelin snorted coldly, disdainfully replying, "Facts speak louder than words, Qiu Chenggong, don''t think I don''t know what you''re up to. I''m telling you, your schemes won''t succeed!" Qiu Chenggong laughed heartily, "So you know. Since you do, you still dare to bet against me?" "Why not? You think your Business School is sure to win?" Du Yuelin sneered arrogantly, appearing not the least bit worried about losing. Seeing Du Yuelin like this, Qiu Chenggong''s face darkened, "Du Yuelin, don''t think your Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital is something special just because you have Hao Jian. Do you really think he''s all-powerful?" "Hey, don''t say it, he is all-powerful," Du Yuelin chuckled slyly, looking extraordinarily cunning. Soon after, Du Yuelin couldn''t bother talking to Qiu Chenggong anymore and chuckled, "Qiu Chenggong, just wait and see, see how you humiliate yourself in front of Director Cao, see how Hao Jian shames you utterly!" Having said that, Du Yuelin straightened his back and walked confidently, catching up with Cao Guobin''s steps. Simultaneously, backstage at the Business School, the students from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital were becoming anxious, as they felt ashamed after seeing the lineup of the Business School''s performances. The variety of their performances was so impressive, yet their own was nothing but poetry and literature. In this day and age, who still likes poetry and literature? Such outdated performances simply couldn''t make it to the stage. Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire "Should we cancel the gala?" one of the girls said nervously, unable to bear the thought of public embarrassment. "Don''t talk nonsense, the program is already arranged. If we back out now, won''t others laugh at us just the same?" Che Xiaoxiao scolded. "But we will be laughed at if we go on stage too. Look at their program, and then at ours, sigh." "Don''t lose heart, your savior is here!" Just then, the door was pushed open, and in came Hao Jian, his face beaming with smiles. "Teacher, you''re finally here! We were about to panic!" Seeing Hao Jian appear, Zhao Yating and others felt as if they had found their pillar of strength, their spirits lifted instantly, and their previous dejection vanished. Because they knew, Hao Jian had the power to turn the rotten into the magical. As long as Hao Jian showed up, he would surely lead them to victory! Chapter 413 Ye Chunliang "Teacher, why are you so late? We almost packed up and left," a girl said with some blame in her voice. "Ah, the reason is the old man at the gate stubbornly refused to let me in. He said I didn''t look like a teacher, which isn''t surprising after all; I look like a star, not a teacher. It''s normal for him to think that way," Hao Jian said, laughing. "Maybe he thought you were a pervert," Luo Tong blurted out without thinking. "Get out!" Hao Jian kicked Luo Tong on his chubby butt, and Luo Tong shrank his head and walked out meekly. "So, how did you manage to get in?" Zhao Yating asked curiously. "I climbed over the wall! Damn it, if he has his Zhang Liangji, I have my ladder. Let''s not talk about this now. Find me a pair of pants that fit," Hao Jian requested. "Looking for pants? What do you need pants for?" Everyone was puzzled. Why would he suddenly need pants? "Ah, don''t mention it. Some idiot in this school is keeping a poodle, and that''s what bit me when I climbed over the wall. Look, right here," Hao Jian said, turning slightly to show a patch of his pale buttocks. The dressing room fell silent for about three to five seconds before erupting into a roar of laughter. "Teacher, you are so funny, getting bitten by a poodle. A poodle is the size of a baby; how could it bite you?" Zhao Yating laughed so hard that tears came to her eyes. "Stop laughing! Taking joy in other people''s misfortune, what kind of behavior is that!" Hao Jian scolded with a stern face. Damnit, I sacrificed my butt to come and save you guys. You''re not grateful and even find it funny. This is infuriating! "What''s so funny?" Luo Tong, who had just gone out, pushed the door open, curious. "Get out!" Hao Jian glared with anger. "Oh!" Luo Tong pouted, feeling wronged, and withdrew again. "Hao Jian, wait a second," Che Xiaoxiao suddenly walked over with a doubtful expression and sniffed at Hao Jian''s clothes. "What the fuck are you doing?" Hao Jian was stunned. What was this girl trying to do? A moment later, Che Xiaoxiao stared at Hao Jian with an unhappy face: "Tell me, why does your jacket smell like women''s perfume!?" "Nani?" Hao Jian was bewildered. Was this girl a dog? Her nose was even sharper than his? Identifying things by scent had always been his forte, hadn''t it? Since when had Che Xiaoxiao learned this skill? "Impossible, you must have smelled it wrong!" Hao Jian argued. "Smelled it wrong?" Che Xiaoxiao let out a cold laugh, "Chanel COCO Mademoiselle, the pink series." Hao Jian''s mouth gaped open in an "O" shape, shocked as he looked at Che Xiaoxiao. You have to look at a man as if you are seeing him for the first time after three days! "Say it, were you fooling around with a woman before coming here?" Che Xiaoxiao asked seriously; she was completely certain that Hao Jian must have done something improper before coming here, or else he wouldn''t have the scent of a woman on him. "Teacher, that''s so out of line. We were waiting for your support, but you went off flirting with girls," the other female students said, looking at Hao Jian with mournful eyes. Hao Jian cleared his throat awkwardly, "Don''t listen to her nonsense. I just accidentally bumped into a girl on the way here, that''s all. I wasn''t flirting with anyone." "Really?" Che Xiaoxiao scrutinized Hao Jian with a hint of suspicion. "Of course, it''s true," Hao Jian said, feeling guilty, and then added, "Let''s not talk about this anymore, quickly give me our program list." Zhao Yating handed Hao Jian the program list. After looking over the list, Hao Jian shook his head helplessly. With these programs, it would be difficult to beat the Business School because they were too clich¨¦ and wouldn''t wow the audience. Hao Jian then pulled out a red pen, used for grading student papers and crossed off a few programs, axing them. He added some new programs and jot down the names of the performers next to them. "Alright, just hand this to the emcee later," Hao Jian said, handing back the program list. Zhao Yating glanced at the list and was so astonished she nearly fainted: "Performers: Hao Jian, Hao Shuai, Hao Diao, Hao Yingjun, Hao Baqi." "Teacher, I don''t mind you performing several acts, but can you not be so self-absorbed?" Zhao Yating said incredulously. The shamelessness of this thoroughly embarrassed her. "Ah, I have to change the name, don''t I? If I went up for all the acts, how could we show that our school is brimming with talent? You don''t understand the pains I go through," Hao Jian sighed. "You just want to show off in a roundabout way, don''t you? If you were really so concerned, why not name Li Dazhuang or Wang Ergou?" Che Xiaoxiao mocked. ``` "Stop messing around!" Hao Jian scolded irritably, then turned to the crowd and said, "When we go on stage to perform later, everyone must follow my lead. As long as I''m in command, we will surely beat the Business School." ``` Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire Everyone nodded, exuding full confidence. "Let''s go, get ready backstage!" Hao Jian waved his hand and immediately walked outside with the crowd. But just as they were about to push the door open and leave, Hao Jian saw a group of college students from the Business School approaching head-on. Leading them was none other than Li Jiasheng, who had recently been taught a lesson by Hao Jian. Li Jiasheng was dressed in a western fencing uniform, his face full of pride and smugness. Seeing Hao Jian, Li Jiasheng was momentarily taken aback, but soon a cold smirk appeared on his face, "Well, well, isn''t this the trash from the Chinese Medicine Hospital? What, you''re planning to go on stage now? What can you perform? A monkey show? Hahahaha." Li Jiasheng and his classmates laughed loudly, although they all knew that the Business School certainly couldn''t put on any decent performance. They had seen the Chinese Medicine Hospital''s program list earlier and almost burst into laughter. Who would perform a speech in this day and age? S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What are you so proud of? Just wait until we get on stage. We''ll crush you so hard you won''t be able to lift your heads!" Luo Tong snorted angrily. "Oh, look, you don''t have much talent, but you sure are good at blowing your own trumpet. You trash think you can beat our Business School? Maybe in another ten years!" Li Jiasheng laughed out loud, his face filled with mockery. At this moment, he didn''t take Hao Jian seriously at all. It was the intercollegiate evening party tonight. No matter what, Hao Jian couldn''t possibly hit him in front of so many people, right? If Hao Jian really dared to do so, his reputation would be utterly ruined. Moreover, he knew that Cao Guobin, the head of the Education Bureau, was also present today. If Hao Jian dared to hit him, he would dare to report him, and it would be Hao Jian who ended up in trouble! Li Jiasheng''s mouth curled into a cold smile, looking completely confident that he had Hao Jian pegged. "Stick to your books, nerds of the Chinese Medicine Hospital. Talent shows aren''t for you. Just go back and memorize that damn ''Materia Medica''," sneered a handsome young man with an earring. He had a melon seed-shaped face, regular features, and fair skin, giving off a very handsome appearance. This guy was the vice president of Karate at the Business School, Chunliang. Hearing Chunliang speak, Hao Jian couldn''t help but frown slightly, noticing that Chunliang''s facial features bore some resemblance to Linglan. "What''s your relationship with Linglan?" Hao Jian couldn''t help asking. "How do you know my sister?" Chunliang was immediately shocked when he heard this. It turned out he was Linglan''s younger brother; while she was the president of the Karate Club, he was the vice president. However, Chunliang did not expect Hao Jian to know Linglan. Could it be that this guy, like those bastards, had long coveted his sister? "This... Hehehe... Hehehehe." Hao Jian scratched his head in embarrassment, grinning sheepishly. He certainly couldn''t tell Chunliang that he had just slept with his virgin sister, could he? Seeing Hao Jian''s shameless grin, Chunliang couldn''t help but clench his teeth, a hint of fierceness appearing on his face. This bastard, he indeed had designs on his sister. If Chunliang knew it was his sister who had forced Hao Jian, it''s hard to say what his reaction would have been at this moment. "I warn you, stay away from my sister, or I won''t be polite!" Clad in his Karate uniform, Chunliang was full of posture. His eyebrows furrowed, he glared at Hao Jian with a cold gaze. His sister was his absolute untouchable line! "Oh? Why should I?" Hao Jian asked with raised eyebrows. It wasn''t him who wanted to pester Linglan; it was Linglan who wouldn''t leave him alone! "Why should you? Because I can punch you so hard you''ll be searching for your teeth on the ground!" Chunliang snarled. Was this guy an idiot? Couldn''t he understand such an obvious threat? Hao Jian shrugged helplessly: "It''s reasonable for a young man to be confident, but you should consider your capabilities. Linglan couldn''t even defeat me, do you think you can?" "You''ve fought with my sister?" Chunliang was shocked. He didn''t expect Hao Jian to have already encountered Linglan. But if they had interacted, why was Hao Jian still standing here unharmed? With his sister''s temper, it would be strange if she hadn''t beaten Hao Jian into the hospital. Immediately, a bad premonition sprouted in Chunliang''s mind, and he asked nervously, "What did you do to my sister?" I slept with her! Hao Jian really wanted to say this, to dampen this sister-obsessed guy''s spirit. But considering there were so many people around, he could only offer a shrug and say, "She challenged me to a duel and lost. She''s resting in the medical room at the Chinese Medicine Hospital now!" "You dare hurt my sister? I''ll slaughter you!" Hearing that Linglan was in the medical room, Chunliang exploded on the spot. He strode up to Hao Jian, intending to teach him a lesson. "Chunliang, don''t be impulsive!" Li Jiasheng quickly held Chunliang back, reminding him, "Cao Guobin is visiting our school right now. If you beat him up, it will all be for naught¡ªall the effort we put into preparing for the event!" If guests invited to perform at their school were beaten up by their students, it would certainly reach the ears of Cao Guobin, who would doubtlessly criticize them for lack of discipline. ``` Chapter 414 Sword Dance ``` Ye Chunliang''s gaze flickered for a moment, but in the end, he calmed down and pointed at Hao Jian, "You wait for me, I won''t let this go so easily!" "Fine, I''ll wait." Hao Jian also smiled in response, but he didn''t take it to heart. To him, a green kid still wet behind the ears like Yellow Hair was hardly a threat. Seeing Hao Jian''s disdainful attitude, Li Jiasheng couldn''t help but feel a rush of anger, "Hao Jian, keep being arrogant. Once our Business School beats your Chinese Medicine Hospital in the talent show and leaves you battered and bleeding, you''ll realize how stupid it was to compete with us in talent!" S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Are you done?" Hao Jian glanced at Li Jiasheng indifferently, "Can you roll out now that you''re finished?" "Alright, alright, you just wait!" Li Jiasheng, full of resentment, shouted, "Let''s go!" Li Jiasheng''s companions also cast amused smiles at Hao Jian as they followed Li Jiasheng''s footsteps and left. At that moment, Ye Chunliang glared viciously at Hao Jian, "I warn you, if you dare have any ill intentions towards my sister, I absolutely won''t let you off." Hao Jian smiled without saying anything. Ye Chunliang snorted coldly, stamped his foot hard, and then also left. "These Business School students, they''re all so full of themselves." Che Xiaoxiao said discontentedly, feeling irritated by the arrogance shown by Li Jiasheng and Ye Chunliang. Hao Jian also shook his head in disappointment, "Teachers teach them knowledge but seem to have forgotten to teach them how to be decent humans!" "Alright, let''s hurry up and get ready backstage!" Hao Jian led a group of students backstage. Meanwhile, at the event venue, students had already moved the chairs and were waiting in the hall. Du Yuelin, Qiu Chenggong, and Cao Guobin sat in the front row of the judges'' seats. Cao Guobin wore a poker face, Du Yuelin appeared calm and collected, while Qiu Chenggong had a cold smirk. He couldn''t wait to see the Chinese Medicine Hospital being suppressed by their Business School. At that time, Hao Jian and his group also arrived backstage, standing apart from Li Jiasheng and his peers, but even so, Hao Jian could still feel the hostile glares from those Business School students. "Please enjoy the fencing performance brought to you by our Business School student Li Jiasheng!" announced the host at that moment. At the announcement, Li Jiasheng confidently donned his protective mask, then threw a mocking glance towards Hao Jian''s direction before stepping onto the stage. "Li Jiasheng! Li Jiasheng! Woo woo." The girls in the audience screamed wildly, indeed, Li Jiasheng was quite popular in the Business School. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire His handsome features and wealthy background made him the dream lover of many girls. Seeing him dressed in fencing attire, appearing like a White Prince, the girls were so excited that they could faint! The reason Li Jiasheng chose to learn fencing was because it was flashy; fencing was a game of Western nobility in ancient times, combining elegance and agility, and it was a perfect tool to impress girls! Seeing how the girls were cheering for him, Li Jiasheng couldn''t help but reveal a smug smile. Below the stage, Cao Guobin also brightened up a bit, as fencing performances were not something he got to see often. Seeing Li Jiasheng take the stage, Qiu Chenggong also sneered to himself, as if he could already see the dumbfounded look on Cao Guobin''s face. Subconsciously, Qiu Chenggong looked in Du Yuelin''s direction, only to see that Du Yuelin was still seated with a nonchalant expression, as if the matter did not concern him. Seeing this, Qiu Chenggong couldn''t help but feel puzzled; was the old fogy feigning composure? In front of Li Jiasheng, there was a stand holding three apples. Li Jiasheng''s sword thrusts were fast, each strike hitting an apple dead center ¨C quick, precise, and ruthless. His movements were clean and crisp, yet still elegant, as he skewered all three apples in succession. "Li Jiasheng! I love you!" Instantaneously, thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Although they didn''t understand fencing, there was no doubt that Li Jiasheng''s moves looked really cool! Then, Li Jiasheng performed several more impressive fencing moves, sustaining the applause from below the stage. At this point, Cao Guobin also nodded in approval, "Not bad, not bad!" Hearing Cao Guobin''s praise, Qiu Chenggong immediately smiled radiantly as if his tail was wagging, and sneered inwardly: Old man, let''s see how long you can keep up your act! Soon after, Li Jiasheng exited the stage, but upon descending, he realized that Hao Jian had disappeared, and he sneered, "What happened to Hao Jian? He didn''t get embarrassed by my performance and leave to avoid losing face, did he?" Che Xiaoxiao and the others remained silent, looking at Li Jiasheng as if they were staring at an idiot. Feeling the peculiar gazes on him, Li Jiasheng also started to feel embarrassed and, with a snort, he walked away. "Next, please welcome the student from the Chinese Medicine Hospital, Hao Yingjun, to perform a sword dance for us!" "Pfft! Hao Yingjun? Why would someone give themselves such a name, weren''t his parents a bit too self-absorbed?" Immediately, a man wearing a bronze mask and ancient attire took the stage, holding a sword in his hand that flickered with a cold gleam. ``` He stood in the center of the arena, his back as straight as a rod, and even without hearing his voice, his mere presence was enough to command respect. "Damn it, he''s even wearing a mask. Such a show-off," "Based on my years of experience, people who have names like Yingjun or Beautiful are usually ugly. I think he''s wearing a mask so we don''t have to see his ugly face. He''s being considerate of us, so let''s stop the trash talk!" "He dares to compete with us in swordsmanship, he really has no shame!" "What''s there to fear? Our Li Jiasheng is more than enough to crush him!" Students from the Business School couldn''t help but mock him. At the same time, Cao Guobin was also intently staring at the figure on the stage. He preferred the heritage of his country over Western fencing. Of course, that''d be assuming that the student on stage could surpass Li Jiasheng; otherwise, it would be nothing but self-humiliation. Hao Jian seemed as if he didn''t hear the taunts from the audience, still standing proudly. As the music began, he slowly bowed to everyone, calm and graceful, bearing the air of a great general. Then, Hao Jian lightly tapped the ground with the tip of his toe and started drawing circles, his body moving fluidly, light and smooth. "Whoosh." Suddenly the sound of a sword resonated, but it wasn''t the usual sound of a sword, it was louder. "This guy is actually using a Soft Sword!" Someone exclaimed in surprise. Indeed, Hao Jian was using a Soft Sword! Our country boasts four great famous weapons, with the sword being one of them, historically honored as the "king among hundreds of blades" and "the leader among weapons." Many people practice swordsmanship to cultivate their character and temperament, and the Soft Sword is known to be the most difficult to learn within the category of swords. Because the blade is as soft as silk and difficult to control, practitioners must concentrate their essence, energy, and spirit highly. It often requires more than twenty years of practice to master it. Once mastered, the Soft Sword becomes a terrifying weapon. Its attacks are cunning and lethal, and with just a light flick, it can move like a viper over every inch of the opponent''s body. Often it means a swift end with a throat strike, taking one''s life! "It strikes like thunder filled with rage and stops like the calm and clear light of a still river." That''s what the Soft Sword is! Cao Guobin couldn''t help but lean forward with interest, closely observing Hao Jian on stage. Swordsmanship is the essence of our nation, but today, there are few who truly excel in it. He was curious to see if Hao Jian would bring something impressive. Hao Jian performed his sword dance to the music, now gentle and elegant, now stern and sharp, and now wildly aggressive. As his sword flowed with the music, the audience felt as if they were transported to an ancient Jianghu, filled with chivalrous souls and gentle hearts. Especially the masked man, who earlier seemed ridiculous to them, took on an aura of greatness and mystery. Just then, Zhao Yating, who was watching excitedly from below, also made her way onto the stage, holding several bricks in her hands. This job was supposed to be Luo Tong''s, but after seeing Hao Jian''s martial splendor while sword dancing, she couldn''t control herself and insisted on going up to accompany Hao Jian. Below, Che Xiaoxiao lay beside a trash can. She had been arguing with Zhao Yating about who would go on stage to accompany Hao Jian, and in the scuffle, Zhao Yating had pushed her to the ground. At this moment, she couldn''t help but curse incessantly: "All my life I''ve been hunting eagles, yet now an eagle has pecked my eyes, dammit!" It had always been her bullying Zhao Yating. She never imagined that one day the tables would turn, and she would be made a fool of by Zhao Yating. No wonder, after seeing Hao Jian''s sword dance, Zhao Yating was so stunned by his charm that she nearly passed out. Whoever dared to stop her then would have a fight on their hands! Below, Du Yuelin finally showed a smug smile, while Qiu Chenggong was dumbfounded, a bad premonition sweeping over him. Qiu Chenggong had arranged this event to undermine the Chinese Medicine Hospital in front of Cao Guobin. But now, it seemed as though he''d trapped himself. Originally wanting to embarrass the Chinese Medicine Hospital, he had not expected them to steal the show instead. Hao Yingjun? When did such a student appear in the Chinese Medicine Hospital, and why hadn''t he heard of him? Wait, his surname was Hao? The same as that despicable Hao Jian? Suspicion crept into Qiu Chenggong''s mind as he stared at the masked man on stage, and he froze for a moment. Could this person be Hao Jian? Seeing Du Yuelin''s unruffled demeanor, he grew more convinced of the possibility. Because Du Yuelin had told him before that Hao Jian was capable of anything. Now, the masked man, in both height and build, seemed extremely similar to Hao Jian¡ªit had to be him! Thinking this, Qiu Chenggong wished he could flip the table right then and there. It was that damned Hao Jian again! Not only had he humiliated him in the Chinese Medicine Hospital before, but now he''d come knocking right at his door. "Damn it, is this Hao Jian fated to be the bane of my life, always getting in my way?" Seeing Zhao Yating walk onto the stage, everyone was confused, but when they saw the brick in her hand, they were dumbstruck. "Hey, don''t mess this up, I haven''t had enough fun yet!" At this moment, a female student from the Business School shouted angrily, assuming Zhao Yating to be some radical from the Business School who couldn''t stand Hao Jian''s exceptional performance and wanted to teach him a lesson. Chapter 415 - 415: Teach Me a Harsh Lesson If it were before, they might have admired someone doing this, but now they were so captivated by Hao Jian''s sword dance that they couldn''t stop watching. At this point, they were unwilling for anyone to interrupt them. "Is this a student from your school?" Cao Guobin frowned, turning to look at Qiu Chenggong beside him. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Qiu Chenggong shivered, "This, I''m not very clear about that." With so many students in the school, how could he know if this girl was a student from their school? If she were, it would be a big blunder, smashing someone with a brick in front of Cao Guobin. The image of the Business School would be completely ruined. Seeing this, Cao Guobin stopped talking, but his face turned darker than the bottom of a pot. Qiu Chenggong was on the verge of tears, praying in his heart that she must not be a student from their school, otherwise, he would be finished. At that moment, Zhao Yating stopped ten meters in front of Hao Jian and then threw the brick in her hand into the air. "Swoosh swoosh swoosh." Hao Jian swiftly drew his sword with a speed that even thunder couldn''t cover his ears, and those bricks instantly turned into chunks of stone in midair, then scattered on the ground. At the same time, eight large characters appeared amidst the edge of the sword and neatly landed on the stage in front of them. The eight characters organized in order were so neat that it was bewildering. The students seeing Hao Jian carve out eight characters in midair were all dumbfounded. From the throwing of the brick to its landing, the whole process didn''t even take three seconds. Hao Jian managed to carve out eight characters in less than three seconds? How did he do it? But they didn''t have time to be surprised and curiously turned their gaze towards the eight characters on the stage. Those characters boldly declared, "Huaxia Dragon Soul, everlasting and undying!" Upon seeing this, Cao Guobin breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed loudly, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Immediately followed by Cao Guobin''s hearty laughter, obviously, Hao Jian''s maneuver had dazzled him. This was much better than Li Jiasheng''s fencing. Li Jiasheng could only skewer apples, but Hao Jian could even carve words on bricks. The difference between them was like heaven and earth! Moreover, the characters that Hao Jian carved held a great implication that was very much to Cao Guobin''s taste. Li Jiasheng, watching from below, was also stunned, as the other party had beaten him in his most skilled area. Both were swordsmanship, but his swordsmanship compared to Hao Jian''s was like a child playing with mud, simply not worth mentioning. At this moment, Li Jiasheng was utterly humiliated! "Impossible, this is impossible!" Li Jiasheng could not believe it. How could anyone achieve this? To simultaneously carve eight large characters within three seconds meant wielding around twenty sword strikes, each one had to be precisely executed. This was utterly impossible. How could someone''s hand be fast enough to strike more than twenty times in three seconds? Others might not be able to, but Hao Jian could because he was the God of Death! Unlike Li Jiasheng''s thunderous applause, the audience was silent after seeing Hao Jian''s performance. Because they were shocked by Hao Jian''s performance. It was nothing short of magical, powerful beyond imagination! "Du Yuelin, your student is very impressive, truly impressive! It''s a great fortune for Huaxia to have such a learned individual!" Cao Guobin laughed heartily, patting Du Yuelin''s shoulder, "It seems I''ve underestimated you in the past. Your Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital is a hidden dragon and crouching tiger." "Not at all, not at all," Du Yuelin said modestly, but his two white eyebrows were bent with a smile. However, Qiu Chenggong wasn''t very happy at this point; today''s evening event was originally meant to boost the prestige of the Business School, but in the end, it turned out to be a dowry for the Chinese Medicine Hospital. Hao Jian bowed to the audience with calm and poise before heading towards the stage below. And just after he left, sudden thunderous applause erupted from the audience, its magnitude much stronger than that for Li Jiasheng. As Hao Jian descended from the stage, he passed by Li Jiasheng and took off his mask, patting Li Jiasheng''s shoulder: "Don''t be disheartened, practice for another three to five hundred years, and you might be able to surpass me." Li Jiasheng sent a murderous glare at Hao Jian, clearly understanding that Hao Jian was mocking him. "Ouch, didn''t you just say you wanted to make our Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital lose face? You said that, right?" Hao Jian continued to tease without appearing to see Li Jiasheng''s look. Li Jiasheng''s face turned red with anger, nearly bursting with rage. "Young man, don''t act tough if you can''t do it. If you know you''re worthless, just be content with being worthless, okay?" Hao Jian teased. "Just a small win, and you''re already acting like a petty person who got lucky?" Ye Chunliang approached with a sneer, fixing his gaze intently on Hao Jian. Hao Jian frowned, "Ye Chunliang, I''d advise you not to meddle with things that don''t concern you, this is between Li Jiasheng and me." Hao Jian was already cursing inwardly; if it weren''t for the fact that you are Ye Linglan''s brother, I would have beaten you so badly your mother wouldn''t recognize you. "I want to meddle, I want to trip you up, what about it?" Ye Chunliang said arrogantly, who was this guy to threaten him? "Out of respect for Ye Linglan, apologize to me, then I''ll act as if this never happened," Hao Jian said expressionlessly to Ye Chunliang. "Don''t mention my sister!" Ye Chunliang roared, and for some reason, whenever he heard Hao Jian call Ye Linglan''s name, he felt extreme disgust. "Ye Linglan. Ye Linglan. Ye Linglan," Hao Jian sneered as he repeated the name three times. "You''re asking for it!" A murderous aura flashed across Ye Chunliang''s stern face as he threw a punch toward Hao Jian''s face. Hao Jian didn''t dodge or flinch, instead, he looked down on Ye Chunliang with a cold smile. "Bang!" Ye Chunliang''s punch landed squarely on Hao Jian''s cheek. "Teacher Hao Jian!" "You bastard, how dare you strike our teacher?" Luo Tong and the others were immediately upset and rushed towards Ye Chunliang, ready to teach him a lesson. "Stay back!" Hao Jian commanded Luo Tong and the others to stop with a turn of his head. Luo Tong and the others paused, looking at Hao Jian with confusion. Hao Jian slowly turned his head, his gaze mingled with contempt as he looked down at Ye Chunliang, "Your punch is even weaker than Ye Linglan''s!" Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire Ye Chunliang''s pupils shrank. His words implied that he was inferior even to a woman? Ye Chunliang''s expression became extremely awkward, and he couldn''t understand why this was happening. His punch should have been strong enough to knock him down. "Here''s the deal, I''ll give you another chance. If you can make me move from my spot with ten punches, then I lose. I will kneel before you in front of everyone and never appear in front of Ye Linglan again; likewise, if you can''t do it, you''ll cancel this performance, how about that?" Hao Jian asked with a friendly smile. Meanwhile, Che Xiaoxiao and the others were at their wit''s end, knowing that Hao Jian was up to his tricks again. "Are you joking?" Ye Chunliang asked with a dark face. "Do you think I''m joking?" Hao Jian sneered. "Since you''re hell-bent on getting yourself killed, why should I refuse!" Ye Chunliang huffed. Hao Jian curled his lips, "It''s still unclear who''s seeking death." Immediately, Hao Jian spread his arms open, smiling leisurely, "Come on, give it your best shot, and teach me a lesson!" Even Li Jiasheng and the others were stunned by such arrogant remarks. Wasn''t this looking down on people too much? Ye Chunliang was also brimming with rage. Did this guy really dare to take him so lightly? Grinding his teeth with hatred, Ye Chunliang roared and launched a series of combination punches at Hao Jian''s chest. Ye Chunliang''s classmates all gasped: "Ye Chunliang''s going to kill him!" They had all seen the power of Ye Chunliang''s fists, capable of smashing bricks with one blow. How could a succession of ten punches not kill someone? At that moment, Li Jiasheng''s face bore a cruel smile. He would rather Ye Chunliang cripple Hao Jian. After all, he was now humiliated and furious, and at this point, who the hell cared about school honor? If possible, he would have wanted Hao Jian dead! "Hurry up and call an ambulance, just don''t let him die in our school. Otherwise, it would be troublesome," a student said anxiously before taking out his phone to call for an ambulance. Just then, a hand pressed down on the student''s phone, and Ye Chunliang said coldly, "What''s it to you? Why are you meddling?" "But he''s going to be beaten to death by Ye Chunliang," the student said weakly. "That''s Ye Chunliang''s business, not yours. Get lost!" Li Jiasheng said rudely, preferring best that Hao Jian was dead, so why would he allow anyone to meddle now? The students from the Business School looked at each other but did not dare to disobey Li Jiasheng, the second young master, so they had no choice but to swallow their anger. "Bang bang bang bang." Ye Chunliang was still attacking ferociously, and everyone thought Hao Jian was done for, but then they noticed something was amiss. No matter how Ye Chunliang attacked, Hao Jian stood immovable, appearing unscathed. After finishing his assault, Ye Chunliang also suddenly realized, had Hao Jian really not moved an inch? Che Xiaoxiao and the others looked at Ye Chunliang with mocking faces. He had been played by Hao Jian and didn''t even know it, how foolish. Yawning, Hao Jian looked at Ye Chunliang leisurely, "Ten punches are up, and I haven''t moved a bit. According to the bet, you should call it quits!" Ye Chunliang''s handsome face was covered in frost, but he acted like a man and didn''t welch, instead leaving in a huff after shooting a cold glare at Hao Jian. Li Jiasheng was utterly dumbfounded. Could this guy be made of iron? "Alright, now it''s time to settle things between us." Just then, Hao Jian turned to look at Li Jiasheng next to him, smiling with ill intent. "It seems like you really wanted me dead by Ye Chunliang''s hands?" Chapter 416 - 416 The Omnipotent Teacher Hao Jian had heard every word Li Jiasheng had said loud and clear. Li Jiasheng jumped in fright, taking two nervous steps back, "What, what do you want? I''m telling you, Cao Guobin is still sitting in the auditorium. If you dare to do anything to me, I''ll go straight to him and tell on you, making sure everyone knows that your Chinese Medicine Hospital is full of nothing but riff-raff and hooligans!" "Hey, don''t get it twisted; it was you who hit me first. So isn''t it only fair that I teach you a lesson?" Hao Jian walked over with a malicious grin. "The one who hit you was Ye Chunliang, not me. You should be settling accounts with him!" Li Jiasheng said hastily. "He was acting on your orders," Hao Jian pointed at Li Jiasheng. "That''s nonsense! I didn''t!" Li Jiasheng suddenly realized something¡ªthis guy was trying to sling mud at him! "If I say you did, you did. Who do you think the head of the education bureau will believe, someone just like me who has just brought glory to the country, or a wastrel like you who indulges in pleasure all day long?" Hao Jian taunted. Li Jiasheng was stunned, and after a while, he pointed at Hao Jian, trembling, "You... You are shameless!" "Of course, did you forget my name is Hao Jian?" Hao Jian said mockingly, then went up and slapped Li Jiasheng across the face. The slap sent Li Jiasheng spinning a full three hundred and sixty-five degrees. Immediately following that, Hao Jian grabbed Li Jiasheng and unleashed a barrage of ruthless blows. "I''ll teach you not to learn your lessons!" "I''ll teach you to cause trouble!" "I''ll teach you to be cheap! Are you as cheap as me?" Li Jiasheng took several slaps to the face, which quickly swelled up. He took a deep look at Hao Jian and then, with a cry of grievance, ran away crying. Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire "Wow, would you look at that, the guy''s crying?" Hao Jian sighed helplessly. And the students from the Business School looked at Hao Jian as if he were a monster. Was this guy really a teacher? "Next, please welcome Hao Jian to perform the guitar for us!" "Next, please welcome Hao Diao to perform a live street dance for us!" "Next." Hao Jian then went on stage, wearing a mask, and performed several acts in a row. But at this time, Director Cao was feeling a bit puzzled, "Du Yuelin, why do all the students from your school have the surname Hao?" "Well..." Du Yuelin was also embarrassed and not sure how to respond. "That''s because it''s the same person performing all along!" Qiu Chenggong snorted coldly, not holding back as he exposed Du Yuelin. Hearing this, Director Cao frowned slightly, his voice tinged with displeasure, "Du Yuelin, what''s the meaning of this?" Seeing this, Qiu Chenggong felt a surge of schadenfreude. As long as Director Cao found out that all the performances were Hao Jian''s doing and that the students from the Chinese Medicine Hospital were actually good for nothing, the reputation the hospital had laboriously built in front of Director Cao would vanish into thin air. "All the performances just now were done independently by Hao Jian." Du Yuelin knew he couldn''t hide the truth anymore. Being upfront was better; otherwise, it would be worse if Director Cao found out later. "Hao Jian? Is that the teacher who won the Chess Technique competition for Hua City?" Director Cao naturally knew of Hao Jian, as he was a hero, after all. "Yes, indeed. And not only that, this Teacher Hao Jian is also the disciple of Medicine King Liang Wangsun. It took me enormous effort to invite him to our Chinese Medicine Hospital to teach," Du Yuelin said with a beaming smile, appearing as if he was flaunting an incredibly precious treasure he possessed. "Medicine King Liang Wangsun''s disciple? Really?" Director Cao was astonished because Liang Wangsun was a revered elder he had to bow to, a figure that could be described as the soul of Huaxia''s medical community. And Hao Jian was his disciple? That would make the rise of the Chinese Medicine Hospital unstoppable! At that moment, Director Cao, upon hearing what Du Yuelin said, also started to daydream. If he could turn the Chinese Medicine Hospital into a prestigious institution comparable to Tsinghua University or Peking University, it would be a great achievement for himself! "Medicine King Liang Wangsun''s disciple? You''ve got some nerve saying that. Everyone in Huaxia knows he doesn''t have a disciple. Your lie doesn''t even hold water," Qiu Chenggong jeered, as he was certainly not going to let Du Yuelin bewitch Director Cao. "Is it truly that he doesn''t have one, or are you just ignorant? Are you Liang Wangsun?" Du Yuelin retorted with a sneer, then turned his head to look at Director Cao, "Director Cao, if you think I''m lying, you''re welcome to verify with Liang Wangsun yourself. I believe that with your status, finding his contact information shouldn''t be difficult." "No need, I believe you," Director Cao waved his hand, knowing Du Yuelin was a man of integrity from their years of working together; he was someone who spoke the truth and wouldn''t deceive him. ``` "So it seems that this Hao Jian is truly a treasure!" Cao Guobin''s eyes shone as he watched Hao Jian on the stage, his gaze resembling that of someone beholding an unparalleled beauty. Hearing Cao Guobin say this, Du Yuelin felt a rush of excitement, "Director Cao speaks truly! Not only is Hao Jian an expert in medicine, but he also knows Chess Technique and basketball, and as you just saw, he can play musical instruments and dance among other things. He''s simply omnipotent! Having such an all-round genius serve as a teacher is a great fortune for Huaxia! I believe that in the future, he will surely nurture extraordinary students!" Cao Guobin nodded thoughtfully and then burst into hearty laughter, "Du Yuelin, it''s your capability indeed! To have the discerning eye to discover such talent, maybe our Chinese Medicine Hospital could also become a prestigious institution!" Upon hearing this, Qiu Chenggong''s expression stiffened immediately, for he clearly heard Cao Guobin say "our Chinese Medicine Hospital," implicating himself with the Chinese Medicine Hospital unwittingly. This meant that in the future he would be more inclined toward the Chinese Medicine Hospital. Damn it! Qiu Chenggong now felt like crying. He had picked up a rock only to drop it on his own foot. Originally he wanted the Chinese Medicine Hospital to embarrass itself. Instead, Hao Jian had stolen the show and even gained Cao Guobin''s admiration. Now he really had suffered a loss after attempting a sly move. Du Yuelin couldn''t help but snicker to himself. Damn, did they really think I''m a fool? Du Yuelin knew he couldn''t keep it from Cao Guobin, so he simply heaped praise on Hao Jian, exalting him to the skies, to make sure Cao Guobin was well aware that they had an outstanding teacher in the Chinese Medicine Hospital. In such a case, he would surely focus on nurturing the Chinese Medicine Hospital! "Hao Jian, oh Hao Jian, you truly are my lucky star!" Du Yuelin thought to himself gleefully. And the following performances by Hao Jian were all eye-catching, earning the applause and admiration of everyone and causing Cao Guobin to laugh merrily. No wonder Du Yuelin called Hao Jian a man of many talents; the guy indeed possessed them! "Hurry and bring that young man to me; I want to see if he really has three heads and six arms!" laughed Cao Guobin, becoming increasingly interested in Hao Jian. "I''ll go call him right now!" replied an elated Du Yuelin, who quickly ran backstage. Shortly after, the unabashed Hao Jian was brought over by Du Yuelin. "Hao Jian, hurry and pay your respects to Director Cao," Du Yuelin said to Hao Jian. But Hao Jian merely looked indifferently at Cao Guobin, "Hello!" Seeing this, Du Yuelin was also embarrassed. What was going on with this guy? Why was he so cold? Didn''t he know that the big shot before him was not someone to offend? "What is this attitude? To merely say ''hello'' to Director Cao without a proper greeting?" Qiu Chenggong scolded angrily, sneering inside. The kid really doesn''t know what''s good for him. To be so arrogant in front of Cao Guobin is like not taking him seriously at all; if he angers Cao Guobin now, no matter how well he performed earlier, it will be for naught. Don''t lose heart; I still have a chance! thought Qiu Chenggong to himself. "Eh, it''s fine. Young people are supposed to be full of vigor. Besides, talented individuals are often temperamental, and I can understand that," said Cao Guobin magnanimously, not taking offense at Hao Jian''s demeanor. But Hao Jian shook his head and said, "No, it has nothing to do with temperament. You are a public servant, and I am a taxpayer. You live off my money, so the one who should be bowing is not me, but you!" Hao Jian looked deeply at Cao Guobin, "Have you seen ''V for Vendetta''?" Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "No," replied Cao Guobin with a smile, shaking his head. "There''s a classic line in it: ''People should not be afraid of their governments; governments should be afraid of their people.''" Upon hearing this, Qiu Chenggong burst into laughter. Was this guy courting death? Asking Cao Guobin to salute him was one thing, but now he was schooling Cao Guobin? Was his head squeezed by a door? Du Yuelin was also frightened, his body breaking out in cold sweat. What a loose cannon! If he had known this was going to happen, he would have never called Hao Jian over. This is it. Now he''s definitely offended Cao Guobin; the Chinese Medicine Hospital will likely become the thorn in his side from now on. Cao Guobin also looked at Hao Jian with a frown, an imposing presence without even being angry, extremely intimidating, especially those piercing, dazzling eyes that no one dared to look at directly. Seeing Cao Guobin like that, Du Yuelin''s legs went weak. Could it be that it was due to Hao Jian that they had succeeded, and now it would also be due to Hao Jian that they failed? However, Hao Jian was unafraid, meeting Cao Guobin''s gaze with calm and indifference, as cold as an icy cellar. Cao Guobin was inwardly shocked, thinking this guy had guts. But just when everyone thought Hao Jian was done for, Cao Guobin suddenly laughed, "I''ll make sure to check out that movie you mentioned." "Huh?" Now, it was Hao Jian who was surprised. The guy didn''t get angry? That''s pretty rare. "So, should I show you respect now?" asked Cao Guobin with a smile. "Director Cao, you can''t! How could you, a distinguished director, salute him? You are a prominent figure; there''s absolutely no need to pay attention to this scoundrel," said Qiu Chenggong, hasty in his flattery. ..................... ``` Chapter 417 - 417 You Are Not His Match "No, he''s absolutely right. We are public servants of the people, living off taxpayers'' money, and it is we who should bow to the taxpayers," Cao Guobin said with a laugh. As an official known for his integrity, he naturally has the people''s interests at heart, and found nothing wrong with what Hao Jian had said. To Hao Jian''s surprise, here was an official with authority but without the pretense ¨C truly the mark of a good leader. Just as Cao Guobin was preparing to bow to Hao Jian, Hao Jian quickly stepped forward to support him and said, "It was just a casual remark, no need to take it so seriously." Hao Jian was not ungrateful, and since Cao Guobin had displayed such humility, it was only natural that he no longer maintained any arrogance. "Are you Hao Jian?" Cao Guobin asked, looking at Hao Jian with a smiling face. "I am," Hao Jian replied, wondering why Cao Guobin wanted to see him. "I''ve heard from Du Yuelin that, aside from medicine, you have other talents as well. What can you do?" Cao Guobin was curious to know if Hao Jian was as extraordinary as Du Yuelin had described. "Musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and composing, I''ve mastered them all," Hao Jian declared proudly. "Very good, very good, now I''m reassured," Cao Guobin said, his face brimming with surprise and delight. "What do you mean?" Hao Jian frowned, puzzled. What did his own skills have to do with putting Cao Guobin at ease? Cao Guobin laughed somewhat awkwardly: "To be honest, I''ve been considering merging the Business School with the Chinese Medicine Hospital into one institution, with you serving as a teacher at both schools." "What?" Qiu Chenggong was stunned to hear Cao Guobin''s plan, to merge the Business School and the Chinese Medicine Hospital. Who would be the principal then? Surely, one school couldn''t have two principals? "I agree, but once the two schools merge, I want Principal Du to serve as the head principal of both schools," Hao Jian stated. Upon hearing this, both Du Yuelin and Qiu Chenggong were taken aback, the former with elation, the latter with dread. "No problem. Even if you hadn''t mentioned it, I was already planning to appoint Du Yuelin as the principal," Cao Guobin said, smiling genially. If it weren''t for Du Yuelin discovering this Thousand-Li Horse, he could have missed the opportunity to meet someone like Hao Jian in his lifetime. Du Yuelin''s face lit up with joy. Was he about to become the principal of two schools? This was beyond his wildest dreams; Du Yuelin had never imagined he would one day become the principal of two schools. "But what about me, Director Cao?" Qiu Chenggong asked with a gloomy face. If Du Yuelin became principal, what would happen to him, given that he was the current principal? "You? You''ll become vice principal and manage the school alongside Du Yuelin. Your current duties will remain the same," Cao Guobin replied. "Vice... vice principal?" Qiu Chenggong''s face went pale. The two titles might sound similar, but their significance was as different as Heaven and Hell. So, going forward, Du Yuelin was to be his superior? Although his and Du Yuelin''s status had been equal, with a single statement from Cao Guobin, he was now relegated to being Du Yuelin''s subordinate? There was no helping it. Cao Guobin now had to rely on Hao Jian, so any request Hao Jian made did not seem excessive. You, Qiu Chenggong, want the same treatment? Sure, find me another Thousand-Li Horse, why don''t you? Du Yuelin was also in a daze, feeling as though it was all just a dream, too surreal to believe. "I hope to learn much from you in the future, Vice Principal Qiu!" Hao Jian said with a sly smile, deliberately emphasizing the last four words heavily as he extended his hand. "..." Qiu Chenggong was dumbstruck, now regretting why he ever provoked Hao Jian, this freak. It was clearly a path to self-destruction. . Meanwhile, Ye Linglan was struggling to walk out of the Chinese Medicine Hospital; her movements were still somewhat awkward, and she had to deliberately spread her legs to walk properly. She was on her way back to the Business School, but just as she reached the door, she saw Ye Chunliang storming out, clearly furious. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Chunliang, what''s happened?" Ye Linglan was puzzled to see Ye Chunliang in such a state. "Sister?" Upon seeing Ye Linglan, Ye Chunliang hurriedly approached her, "Sis, are you alright? Hao Jian didn''t hurt you, did he?" At his words, Ye Linglan felt embarrassed and lowered her head guiltily, "How could he... what could he have done to me?" Ye Linglan thought that Ye Chunliang had discovered something between her and Hao Jian. Surely that couldn''t be possible ¨C Hao Jian wasn''t the kind of fool who would blab about such things, right? "He said he defeated you, and I was worried he might''ve injured you," Ye Chunliang said anxiously. "Oh, that. Yes, I did lose to him," Ye Linglan said, relieved. "Did that bastard use some dirty tricks to beat you? How else could he possibly be a match for you?" Ye Chunliang felt indignant, unable to believe his tough sister could lose to Hao Jian. "No, he won fair and square. I truly am not his match," Ye Linglan shook her head. If Hao Jian hadn''t defeated her, she would''ve never acknowledged him. "How is that possible? How could that scoundrel have beaten you, a black belt ninth dan? He must have used some conspiracy!" Ye Chunliang refused to believe it was true. Hearing Ye Chunliang refer to Hao Jian as a scoundrel, a frost appeared on Ye Linglan''s face, "I''ve made it very clear, there was no conspiracy, and he''s not a scoundrel, don''t you dare speak of him that way again." "Sis, what''s gotten into you? Why are you defending that guy?" Ye Chunliang was stunned. Was Ye Linglan actually speaking up for Hao Jian? Didn''t she swear before that she would definitely teach Hao Jian a lesson? How come she seemed like a completely different person now? "It''s nothing, I just suddenly feel that guy isn''t as detestable as we thought," Ye Linglan said with an embarrassed expression, she knew that saying one thing and doing another was somewhat shameful. But she had no choice now, since she had already become Hao Jian''s woman. She couldn''t possibly raise her hand against Hao Jian, could she? Ye Chunliang couldn''t accept this explanation and said, "Sis, what''s really going on? Has that guy got something on you? Just tell me, and I''ll take care of him!" "There''s nothing, don''t think nonsensically!" Ye Linglan said with a cold face. "Then what is it?" Ye Chunliang pressed, anxious to know what Hao Jian had done to make Ye Linglan change her attitude towards him. Ye Linglan looked deeply at her brother and then answered reluctantly, "I''ve fallen for him!" "You, are you joking with me?" Ye Chunliang''s eyes twitched, unable to believe it was true. How could his sister, known as the Violent Queen, possibly fall for such a scoundrel? Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire Ye Linglan fell silent, just calmly looking at Ye Chunliang. Ye Chunliang was completely dumbfounded, "But you met for the first time today!" "Love at first sight!" "But he''s a scoundrel!" "I''m not a good woman either!" "I''m going to kill him right now!" Ye Chunliang ground his teeth fiercely, he wouldn''t allow his pure and innocent sister to be defiled by a beast like Hao Jian! Ye Linglan looked indifferently at Ye Chunliang, "You can''t beat him." "I..." Ye Chunliang didn''t know what to say, what on earth was going on? He felt like crying, not because Hao Jian had humiliated him, but because Ye Linglan was now infuriating him. Pointing at Ye Linglan forcefully, Ye Chunliang also tapped a few times, "So disappointed, so disappointed in you!" "Bang!" With one punch, Ye Linglan floored Ye Chunliang, veins popping on her forehead, she said coldly, "Don''t be too smug, I''m still the older sister!" "Wuwuwu. I will never let that guy off the hook!" Ye Chunliang pounded the ground fiercely. ... "Hello, classmates, I''m Hao Jian. Starting today, I''ll be your teacher. If I do anything wrong in the future, please feel free to point it out, though I''m not going to change it anyway." The very next day, Hao Jian appeared in a junior classroom at the Business School, grinning and greeting the students. At this time, Li Jiasheng, Ye Chunliang, and He Zexi, who was in a wheelchair, all had grim faces, their eyes aflame with hatred, wishing they could tear him to pieces! The students were dumbfounded, thinking if he wasn''t going to change, then why bother saying anything? "Why has this guy come here?" At this moment, Su Ran, the leader of the ten sisters, was also puzzled. She naturally disliked Hao Jian as well. Last time, if it hadn''t been for Hao Jian''s meddling, she would have dealt with that little bitch, Jiang Yutong, already. "Don''t you know? Yesterday, the education bureau director already announced the merger of the Chinese Medicine Hospital and the Business School and specially asked this guy to be our teacher," one of the ten sisters said. "Our teacher?" Su Ran''s eyes lit up with a scheming glint, she sneered, "It''s like you deliberately shun heaven and seek hell." "Darling, I will take revenge for you!" Su Ran gazed adoringly at Li Jiasheng beside her. But Li Jiasheng''s face was filled with hatred, he glanced at Su Ran indifferently, "You? What can you do?" "Don''t underestimate me, I have plenty of ways!" Su Ran huffed dissatisfiedly, then whispered something to Li Jiasheng. Li Jiasheng''s eyes lit up, a cold smile crossed his lips, "If you can do it, I''ll marry you!" "Really?" Su Ran was overjoyed. She truly liked Li Jiasheng. He was her White Prince, and she dreamt of marrying him! "Of course, it''s true. I, Li Jiasheng, keep my word," Li Jiasheng said, feigning tenderness, but inside he sneered at Su Ran''s naivety. He knew exactly what Su Ran felt for him, but as far as he was concerned, she was just a plaything, he never had feelings for her. He was simply seducing Su Ran with his words. ................................................................................... Chapter 418 - 418 Get the Hell Out! Ye Chunliang''s eyes were filled with fury, thinking this jerk must have come to teach at the Business School because he wanted to get close to his sister. "Drive him out of school in the shortest time possible, got it?" Not only was Li Jiasheng ready to make a move, but Ye Chunliang couldn''t restrain himself anymore and spoke to two of his friends with whom he got along well. "Don''t worry, our class is the hardest to manage in the whole school. He''s asking for trouble by coming here to teach!" A chubby boy said with a mischievous grin. "Oh hey there, Ye Chunliang, you''re in this class too? What a coincidence!" "Huh, He Zexi? You fool, you''re here too?" "Wow, Li Jiasheng is here too." "And wow, so is Little Gangster Girl, all four fools are gathered now, we can summon the dragon!" Hao Jian circled around the group, causing the four people he mentioned to blush with embarrassment. "I''m switching classes! I strongly demand to switch classes!" He Zexi shouted as he burst out of the class, looking like he''d seen a ghost. Ever since the last incident, he had been terrified by Hao Jian, and knowing that Hao Jian was to be his homeroom teacher scared him even more. What would he do if Hao Jian kept picking on him relentlessly from time to time? So, he absolutely couldn''t stay in this damned place. He had to leave! Everyone was stunned. How could He Zexi, known as the school tyrant, be so frightened? "So petty. It was just one beating, and I forgave him, but he still holds a grudge. Doesn''t act like a man at all," Hao Jian pouted as he spoke. Everyone was shocked. He Zexi had been beaten by Hao Jian? Wasn''t he the school tyrant with a powerful background? They had always seen He Zexi bullying others, but when had they ever seen him being bullied? And to be so scared as to want to switch classes? That was just too cowardly! "How about it? Do you also want to switch classes?" Hao Jian asked Ye Chunliang with a smile. "As if I''d switch classes. Are you worthy?" Ye Chunliang laughed in extreme anger. If he was pushed away by Hao Jian like this, how could he protect his sister? "Great!" Hao Jian gave Ye Chunliang a thumbs up. "I love that overconfident yet beaten down attitude of yours the most." "You." Ye Chunliang was so angry he jumped, and at that moment, he wished he could kill Hao Jian. But Hao Jian gave him no chance to speak, roaring, "Now, class is officially in session!" "Class? Class my ass!" Ye Chunliang coldly sneered in his heart and just lay down on his desk, sleeping right in front of Hao Jian. It was Hao Jian''s first day teaching, and he chose to sleep during Hao Jian''s class, full of provocation. Initially, Ye Chunliang had planned to pretend to sleep just to irritate Hao Jian, but after laying down, he became increasingly sleepy and eventually fell asleep unconsciously. When Ye Chunliang woke up, everything around him seemed to have changed. Because he clearly saw that his classmates were actually playing games with Hao Jian! The boys were talking and laughing with Hao Jian, just like good brothers, while all the girls gathered behind Hao Jian, blushing and admiringly looking at him. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Am I dreaming?" Ye Chunliang could hardly believe it. What exactly was going on? How had the whole class''s atmosphere changed after a nap? Just now everyone hated Hao Jian to the core, but after his nap, everything had changed. Seeing their intimacy with Hao Jian, was this still the notorious Demon Class? What on earth did Hao Jian do during the short minutes Ye Chunliang was asleep? "Little Fatty, what on earth is going on?" Ye Chunliang nudged Little Fatty next to him. "You don''t know, Teacher Hao Jian is so funny. He just performed magic tricks and monologues for us, really impressive, and made everyone laugh. You missed a big show while you were asleep," Little Fatty explained enthusiastically. But just as Little Fatty finished speaking, he felt a chilling killing intent beside him, and he realized he had said the wrong thing. Then, looking at Ye Chunliang next to him, he saw him giving a weird smile. Ye Chunliang cackled weirdly and asked, "Funny, is it?" "No, no, not funny at all!" Little Fatty quickly shook his head, knowing this was not the time to say the wrong thing as Ye Chunliang could really cut him down. "Plate Immortal, Plate Immortal, who is the most handsome man in the world? Oh, turns out it''s me! Ah, sorry about that!" At that moment, Hao Jian idly played Plate Immortal with the students. "Pfft, Teacher, you''re shameless!" a girl chuckled, amused by Hao Jian. "Playing Plate Immortal at your age? Ridiculous! Misleading the students. How can such a person be called a teacher?" Ye Chunliang scoffed rudely. "Uh." Everyone then looked at Ye Chunliang, somewhat helpless at his sudden accusation. Smirking, Hao Jian then said, "Plate Immortal, Plate Immortal, who in the class has body odor?" Immediately, Hao Jian pressed his finger on the letter board, moving it to spell out Ye Chunliang''s name, and then pretended to be shocked, "Ha? It''s Ye Chunliang?" The crowd burst into laughter at once. "It''s Chunliang, I''ve actually thought so before." "Yeah, he always smells stinky all day." Chunliang''s face turned green as he roared, "Cut the crap, it''s because I practice karate every day!" Practicing punches every day, how could his body not have a sweaty smell? "Plate Immortal, Plate Immortal, is it true that Chunliang''s dick is only three inches?" Hao Jian continued to stir up trouble, moving the plate to the word "yes." "That guy''s dick is only three inches!" Hao Jian suddenly pointed at Chunliang. "You son of a bitch, I''m going to slaughter you!" Chunliang suddenly stood up, his face turned yellow like wax, his lips turned pale, his cheeks bulged like a toad, and his eyes stared deadly at Hao Jian. Hao Jian pursed his lips, with an odd expression, he said, "Don''t you not believe it? If so, what does it matter asking again?" "Plate Immortal, Plate Immortal, who in the class has the biggest sister complex?" Hao Jian asked again. "Of course it''s Chunliang!" By this time, Hao Jian didn''t need to say anything as the students all shouted in unison. "Go to hell!" Chunliang immediately picked up a stool and swung it at Hao Jian''s head, by now he had lost it. Hao Jian smirked and slowly drifted backward. "Bang!" Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire The table was instantly smashed by Chunliang. "Ouch, ouch, ouch, such fiery temper!" Hao Jian said nonchalantly. Just then, Qiu Chenggong happened to be passing by, and seeing the noise in Hao Jian''s class, he snorted coldly. He had purposely placed Hao Jian in the Demon class, hoping the little demons would drive Hao Jian away, and if Hao Jian left, the merger plan between the two schools would be completely rejected. Now, on the first day of class, Hao Jian''s class had exploded in chaos, just what he had hoped for, and now he could go find trouble with Hao Jian. Qiu Chenggong strode into the class and yelled at Hao Jian, "What kind of behavior is this in class? Is there no discipline at all?" Upon seeing Qiu Chenggong''s appearance, everyone immediately stopped laughing and quieted down. Qiu Chenggong thought to himself with a sneer: So much for the omnipotent teacher, I can silence the students you can''t deal with just with a single word! And Hao Jian slightly lifted his head, looked at Qiu Chenggong, and then, with an arrogant sneer, he said, "It''s none of your fucking business, get lost!" Qiu Chenggong trembled all over, staring at Hao Jian, "What did you say?" "I said get lost, didn''t you hear?" Hao Jian said contemptuously. Chunliang and the others were stunned; a teacher daring to confront the principal like this was no common spectacle! Seeing Hao Jian''s rebellious attitude as if Qiu Chenggong meant nothing, everyone was shocked. "You, you, you. Are you even fit to be a teacher?" Qiu Chenggong pointed at Hao Jian, trembling and almost spitting fire. "Not really, more like a thug, but what can you do about it?" Hao Jian forced a sneer, provocatively said, "Not happy? Go complain to the principal then." Upon hearing this, Qiu Chenggong almost wanted to kill Hao Jian; everyone knew the principal of both schools was Du Yuelin, and with the relationship Du Yuelin had with Hao Jian, how could he possibly fire him? Complaining was useless! "You''re lawless!" Qiu Chenggong was so furious he felt his lungs might explode. "It''s you who are as dumb as a pig," Hao Jian snorted and said, "Speaking of which, I owe my position at Business School to you, old man!" Qiu Chenggong''s face turned red, his neck veins bulging, looking terrifying. "Just get lost!" But Hao Jian didn''t take him seriously at all, scolding him insultingly. Trying to show off in front of me? Look who you are first? "You remember this!" Qiu Chenggong gritted his teeth and snorted, but he no longer had the courage to confront Hao Jian, and he turned and walked out of the classroom. "Classmates, this teaches us, if you aren''t capable, don''t act tough, because failing to act tough will just screw you over! Just like this old dog!" Hao Jian turned to say to the others. Outside, Qiu Chenggong staggered, almost falling to the ground, nearly crying, so damn bullying, I haven''t even left yet! .. In the afternoon, Chunliang went to find Linglan to have dinner together, waiting for Linglan downstairs at the girls'' dormitory. "Chunliang, you don''t think your sister really wants to be with Teacher Hao Jian, do you?" Little Fatty said doubtfully, as Chunliang had told his two best friends about the conversation Linglan had with him yesterday, and Little Fatty and his friend also felt Linglan''s attitude towards Hao Jian was somewhat ambiguous. "He''s only been at our school for one day and he''s already captured our school''s Violent Queen, this Teacher Hao Jian is really something." A boy nicknamed Old Niu said. "Isn''t that so? Talented, humorous, and good at fighting, damn slick!" Little Fatty also said enthusiastically, not hiding his admiration for Hao Jian. Chapter 419 - 419 Ye Linglans Transformation "Give me a break, you two dead college students!" Ye Chunliang looked at the pair with a taunting smile. Soon, Ye Linglan came out. But just as she had come out, she saw Little Fatty and Old Niu lying on the ground convulsing, foaming at the mouth. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Sister. Hmm?" Ye Chunliang was about to greet Ye Linglan but suddenly noticed that she was wearing a tight, provocatively short skirt! "What''s wrong with them?" Ye Linglan asked, puzzled. "Never mind them, just tell me what''s going on with this outfit of yours?" Ye Chunliang said darkly, Ye Linglan had been really acting out of character recently; she never used to wear such clothes before, thinking it was embarrassing. But ever since Ye Linglan told Ye Chunliang that she liked Hao Jian, Ye Linglan seemed to have become a different person, even wearing such sexy and revealing clothes? Hearing Ye Chunliang ask, Ye Linglan smiled joyfully, "How is it, do I look good?" "Look good my ass, I''m embarrassed for you! You''re dressed way too revealingly!" Ye Chunliang said discontentedly, his face flushing with anger. Ye Linglan unapologetically shot back at Ye Chunliang with a fierce, eerie voice, "Don''t get cocky, you little brat!" It was rare for her to change her style, and now Ye Chunliang even found fault with her. When a woman asks if her new outfit looks good, it''s not that she really wants your opinion; she just plainly wants you to compliment her. Then, Ye Linglan left the school with Ye Chunliang and three others because Ye Linglan suggested going bowling. Ye Chunliang hadn''t thought much of it until he saw Hao Jian at the bowling alley. "Why the hell is he here!" Ye Chunliang pointed at Hao Jian and yelled at Ye Linglan; had Ye Linglan actually invited Hao Jian? Ye Linglan pursed her lips, and with a lecturing tone said, "Isn''t it because of you? Don''t think I don''t know, I heard about how you acted in class today. If it wasn''t for your inability to get along with the teacher, I really would have been troubled." Ye Linglan had brought Ye Chunliang and Hao Jian together to mend their relationship. After all, one was her brother, and the other was her man; naturally, Ye Linglan didn''t like them being at odds with each other. Moreover, Hao Jian and Ye Chunliang were classmates, so the two would spend more time together. Meanwhile, Hao Jian stood behind Ye Linglan, shabbily picking his nose, boredly looking at Ye Chunliang, then flicked his booger onto Ye Chunliang''s collar. "Fuck! Sis, look what he did with his booger on my collar!" Ye Chunliang roared, almost going crazy. This bastard, daring to pull such a stunt in front of Ye Linglan? "Enough! Ye Chunliang, I know you don''t like Professor Hao Jian, but you can''t slander him because of that. As a people''s teacher, how could he possibly do such a low-level thing? Quickly clean your booger, you''re so old and still playing with boogers; I''m really embarrassed for you!" Ye Linglan scolded coldly, yet she firmly stood behind Hao Jian. At this time, Hao Jian smiled extremely shamefully, his eyebrows trembling disgracefully. "Sis, you''re being deceived, this guy is an absolute rogue!" Ye Chunliang argued despairingly. "Shut up! Do you want a beating?" Ye Linglan brandished her fist in threat and then turned to Hao Jian, "Don''t be upset, my little brother is just like this; no ambition and quick-tempered." "It''s okay, kids will be stupid sometimes, hehehe." Hao Jian said magnanimously. "Me. Fuck your mom!" Ye Chunliang roared inwardly, so aggrieved he nearly cried. "Let''s go inside," Ye Linglan said, then affectionately looped her arm through Hao Jian''s and walked into the bowling alley with him. Watching the intimate behavior between Hao Jian and Ye Linglan, Ye Chunliang felt as if his heart was being ripped apart. "It''s okay, we care about you," Little Fatty said, draping his arm around Ye Chunliang''s shoulder. "Fuck off!" . Inside the bowling alley, Ye Linglan held a bowling ball, her delicate face exuding limitless charm as she focused. Ye Linglan stylishly threw the bowling ball, the rumbling sound echoed, followed by a loud bang as she knocked down all the pins. "Strike, so awesome!" Little Fatty and Old Niu couldn''t help but praise. Ye Linglan was not only great at sports and smart but also beautiful - truly a goddess! Seeing this, a smirk of pride flashed across Ye Linglan''s lips, then she said to her brother, "It''s your turn!" Ye Chunliang too picked up a bowling ball and slowly walked towards the lane. "If you dare throw a gutter ball, I will beat you, hehehe," Hao Jian remarked while picking his nose. A sneer crossed Ye Chunliang''s stern face, and he instantly rolled the bowling ball down the lane. "Bang!" A strike as well! Ye Chunliang turned his head and looked at Hao Jian with great interest, "It''s your turn, Teacher!" Ye Linglan and he both had perfect strikes, and if Hao Jian couldn''t match up, he would be utterly embarrassed. "Hehe," Hao Jian moved his head, stood up, and walked towards the alley with a bowling ball in hand. But his posture was not that of a bowling stance, rather, it resembled a basketball shooting stance. "Hey, hey, hey, do you even know how to bowl? Your posture is all wrong." Ye Chunliang laughed heartily. Hao Jian didn''t even know the correct way to bowl. But Hao Jian, as if he hadn''t heard, concentrated intently on the pins in front of him and suddenly hurled the bowling ball with terrifying force, creating a fearsome blast of air. Everyone then saw the bowling ball spin through the air and suddenly smash into the pins! "Bang! Crack! Boom!" Hao Jian knocked down all the pins at once, but it wasn''t just the pins he knocked down¡ªthe entire machine exploded because of him! Everyone watched in amazement as the machine sparked and its parts started falling off one by one. Ye Linglan gently covered her mouth, equally shocked that Hao Jian could explode a machine so effortlessly. Ye Chunliang and the others were dumbfounded. Was this guy a monster? "Whoops, I accidentally used too much strength," Hao Jian scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, but beneath his embarrassment, there was a hint of slyness. Indeed, this guy was just showing off! "You are so awesome!" Ye Linglan couldn''t help but give Hao Jian a kiss on the lips. Such a domineering man was a perfect match for her! Seeing this, Ye Chunliang''s eyes nearly popped out. While Hao Jian gave a silly grin and shot a provocative look at Ye Chunliang. Ye Chunliang''s face darkened with rage, helpless to vent his anger. If it weren''t for his sister being there, he would have beaten up that damnable face of Hao Jian right on the spot. Just then, Ye Linglan''s phone rang. She quickly answered, "Hello, Anan, what''s up?" As soon as she heard the voice on the phone, Ye Linglan''s expression drastically changed, then she said grimly, "I understand, I''m on my way now!" "What''s wrong?" Seeing Ye Linglan like this, both Ye Chunliang and Hao Jian were taken aback. Ye Linglan squeezed out a faint smile, shaking her head, "It''s nothing big, just some trouble at school that I need to take care of." "I''ll go with you!" As soon as Ye Chunliang heard there was trouble at school, he immediately volunteered. "No need, you guys stay here and keep having fun. I will be back soon. Hao Jian, can I leave them with you?" Ye Linglan said with a grin. Hao Jian narrowed his eyes, emitting a sharp light, "Is it really that simple?" He wasn''t as easily deceived as Ye Chunliang. Ye Linglan''s moment of hesitation and panic didn''t seem to be about just some disturbance. Finding himself under Hao Jian''s intense gaze, Ye Linglan also felt somewhat guilty but, of course, he wouldn''t admit to any real trouble now, and chuckled, "Of course, it''s just some outsiders causing trouble at school." "Alright then, if there''s any trouble, give me a call," Hao Jian nodded, saying no more. But this didn''t mean Hao Jian believed her that naively. Since Ye Linglan wasn''t willing to tell him, he wouldn''t press the issue. "Okay!" Ye Linglan smiled, gave her word, and then turned around to leave, but the moment she did, her face was grim. Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire Yet Ye Chunliang also looked suspicious. If it were just some simple disturbance, Ye Linglan could have sent her subordinates to handle it, there wasn''t any need for her to go personally. "Why should I play bowling with you, you smelly Little Ghost?" Hao Jian said impatiently, appearing rather arrogant. "I think that''s my line, you pervert who leches after students!" Ye Chunliang coldly chuckled twice, grabbing a bowling ball from the rack behind him. "Hey, hey, hey, Ye Chunliang, you can''t be serious, right?" Seeing Ye Chunliang like this, his two companions were stunned. Ignoring them, a cunning smile crossed Ye Chunliang''s face. With Ye Linglan gone, it meant he could do whatever he wanted. Ye Chunliang fussed around behind Hao Jian for a while and then positioned himself behind him, aimed the bowling ball at Hao Jian''s foot, and suddenly let go. "Thud!" The bowling ball landed directly on Hao Jian''s foot. Hao Jian''s face turned green immediately, his face contorted for a while before he finally let out a long, "Ow~~" "You Little Ghost! I''m only lenient with you because of Ye Linglan. You''ve got nerve to provoke me!" Hao Jian glared at Ye Chunliang, grinding his teeth, then reached for a bowling ball to throw at Ye Chunliang. But he found the bowling ball stuck to his fingers, unable to shake it off no matter how hard he struggled! "Ahahaha, fool, did you think I didn''t know what you were up to? I already coated that bowling ball with super glue earlier!" Ye Chunliang laughed heartily; apparently, that''s what he had been busy doing behind Hao Jian''s back. Chapter 420 - 420 Mountain Tiger Brother "Fuck!" Hao Jian shouted in frustration, only to pick up another bowling ball and prepare to throw it at Ye Chunliang, but he discovered there was glue on this one too! Ye Chunliang was laughing so hard he couldn''t straighten his back, "Hao Jian, you''re really as dumb as a pig. If I''ve already put glue on the bowling balls, why would I only do it to one?" Little Fatty and Old Niu were both speechless, faced with these two clowns, they didn''t know what to say anymore. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck." Hao Jian''s face turned black instantly, his hands flailing wildly, trying to shake the bowling ball free, but to no avail. "Hahaha, idiot, you might as well be Doraemon for life!" Ye Chunliang was laughing so hard he was in tears, then he said to Little Fatty and the others with a laugh, "Let''s go!" "Isn''t this a bit too much?" Little Fatty hesitated to say, feeling this was perhaps a bit too much to do to Hao Jian. "Cut the crap, anyone who helps him is against me, choose for yourselves!" Ye Chunliang snorted coldly. Little Fatty and Old Niu exchanged glances, hesitated for a moment, and then rather ashamedly said to Hao Jian, "Sorry, Teacher Hao Jian, you''re on your own!" Clearly, when it came to choosing between a teacher and a brother, they chose the brother. "Don''t go. Don''t gooo." Hao Jian howled, trying to follow them. But at that moment, a young girl blocked Hao Jian, saying sternly, "Sir, you''ve damaged our equipment, you must compensate us!" "Ye Chunliang!" Hao Jian''s roar echoed throughout the bowling alley. ... Meanwhile, Ye Linglan also appeared at the entrance of the nightclub called "Night Color." "Night Color" was rumored to be owned by a gang leader and was located not far from Business School, a place Ye Linglan often visited for fun. It was the only territory Ye Linglan had not been able to take over because the owner, Jiang Zhendong, was a Black Boss who had been entrenched in the area for nearly a decade. He had considerable influence locally and his underlings numbered over two hundred, making him a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, Jiang Zhendong was ruthless and extremely cunning, with extensive connections in the area. It was a pipe dream for Ye Linglan, with her current forces, to think she could take them down. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Not to mention she didn''t have as many people as Jiang Zhendong; her underlings were all college students who couldn''t contend with Jiang Zhendong''s thugs. This time, Ye Linglan wasn''t here for fun, but to negotiate with Jiang Zhendong. This was the result of a phone call she had received earlier; Jiang Zhendong had kidnapped her underling Anan and others, threatening her to come for negotiations within an hour or he would dump her brothers into the sea as fish food. Although she was a woman, she took loyalty seriously, and so she showed up here, intending to rescue her brothers. The reason she didn''t tell Hao Jian was that this was her own problem, and she didn''t want to drag Hao Jian into this mess. Another reason was that Ye Linglan knew how cruel Jiang Zhendong was and that he harbored ulterior motives for her. If Jiang Zhendong knew about her relationship with Hao Jian, it might put Hao Jian in jeopardy. As Hao Jian''s woman, it was natural for her to protect her own. Looking at the nightclub that was like a dragon''s den and a tiger''s lair, Ye Linglan hesitated for a while before still stepping forward and walking in. "Bang!" A muffled sound as the nightclub''s door was kicked open, and two of Jiang Zhendong''s underlings were kicked inside along with it. This commotion immediately attracted the attention of everyone inside, with all eyes turning to Ye Linglan. The club "Night Color" wasn''t entertaining any other customers today, but it still didn''t seem empty, as it was already filled with over a hundred members of the gang. A youth in his early thirties sat on a sofa in the center, his face ferocious and covered with dense scars, making him look horrid and ugly. All the underlings stood behind him, and since everyone was standing except for him sitting, his presence was very commanding, indicating clearly who was the boss. At this moment, Jiang Zhendong was glaring at Ye Linglan with a sinister look: "Long time no see, you''re just as fierce as ever, but... I like it!" "Boss!" Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire Anan and others, seeing Ye Linglan appear, grasped at her like a lifeline. Ye Linglan''s face was grim as she looked at Jiang Zhendong, "What do you mean by this?" "You don''t know what I mean?" Jiang Zhendong laughed coldly, glancing sidelong at Ye Linglan, "I''ve heard you''ve been getting particularly close with a certain teacher recently?" Jiang Zhendong had always coveted Ye Linglan and naturally had his plants within the school she attended. Although Jiang Zhendong had once declared his love to Ye Linglan, he was rejected. Appreciating Ye Linglan''s feisty spirit and purity, he didn''t force her. He figured he would take it slow, step by step to conquer her. But when he heard the report from his spies, he became restless. He heard that the teacher was talented both in literature and martial arts, and might truly move Ye Linglan''s heart, so Jiang Zhendong had her underlings captured, ready to use them as leverage against her. Ye Linglan felt a sinking feeling. Had she been discovered by this guy? Wouldn''t that put Hao Jian in danger? Ye Linglan gritted her teeth and scolded, "So what if it''s true?" "Nothing much. I just plan to grab that boy, chop off his limbs, and feed him to the fish in the sea!" Jiang Zhendong chuckled, his face revealing a cruel smile. "You dare!?" Ye Linglan''s brows furrowed instantly, her face showing a murderous intent. Hao Jian was her man. She would never let Jiang Zhendong off the hook if he messed with Hao Jian! "Why wouldn''t I dare? Ye Linglan, have you forgotten what I do?" Jiang Zhendong replied indifferently. Others might fear Ye Linglan, but not him. In his eyes, she was still too naive. Jiang Zhendong put his hands on the table, leaning forward slightly, his gaze on Ye Linglan was not kind, "Tell me, who around here doesn''t know that you, Ye Linglan, are my woman? If that guy dares to compete with me for my woman, he should be prepared to be slaughtered!" "He''s competing for your woman? Jiang Zhendong, aren''t you giving yourself too much credit? I have never had any interest in you!" Ye Linglan ridiculed, stating that even without Hao Jian, she would never be interested in Jiang Zhendong. Why? Because Jiang Zhendong wasn''t dominant enough for her taste. She liked men who were like fierce dragons and raging lions, while Jiang Zhendong at best was a cunning wolf. The smile on Jiang Zhendong''s face instantly disappeared, replaced by a dark and ruthless expression: "It seems you really have a thing for that boy?" Ye Linglan speaking up for Hao Jian infuriated Jiang Zhendong. Without answering, Ye Linglan laughed angrily, "If you dare harm him, I''ll make you regret it!" "Hahaha." Jiang Zhendong suddenly stood up, his deep-set eyes shining with a vengeful gleam: "I was originally planning to continue playing with you, but since you''re being ungrateful, don''t blame me! Get her, catch her for me!" "Whoosh!" As soon as Jiang Zhendong''s words fell, dozens of people on the outskirts stepped forward, eying Ye Linglan like a pack of hungry wolves, closing in on her tightly. But Ye Linglan, the Violent Queen, didn''t flinch at such a display. She scoffed coldly, pulling out two sharp daggers from her waist, and taunted Jiang Zhendong and his men, "Just a heads-up, I won''t show any mercy. Some might end up dead!" . "Haha, did you see the look on Hao Jian''s face just now? He looked as if he swallowed a fly." On the way back to school, Ye Chunliang laughed heartily, overjoyed because he had always been bullied by Hao Jian, and now he finally got back at him. "I don''t think what we did was right, the teacher never wronged us," said Old Niu. True to his name, he was as sturdy as an ox and, just like one, quite simple-minded, which made him feel quite guilty. "Didn''t wrong us? Didn''t you see how he was coveting my sister? How can you say that was nothing?" Ye Chunliang glared as he spoke. "Actually, I think he and the boss are a good match. The boss herself said that the man she ends up with must be able to handle her. The fact she likes Hao Jian means he''s no ordinary guy, and I also think he''s not bad," Little Fatty said earnestly. "Hey, whose side are you on?" Ye Chunliang said unhappily. He couldn''t understand it¡ªwhat kind of spell had Hao Jian cast in class? Not only had he changed Ye Linglan''s temperament, but he also had his two best buddies speaking up for him? "No, no, no, I was just speaking off the cuff. Don''t mind me." Little Fatty hastily stammered, waving his hands, afraid Ye Chunliang would take his frustrations out on him. "Hmph! You''ve all been bewitched!" With anger boiling inside and nowhere to vent, Ye Chunliang''s path was suddenly blocked by a supercar. In a fit of rage, he kicked the car door! "Bang!" The sound was massive as Ye Chunliang''s kick shattered the supercar''s headlight. "Damn it, Ye Chunliang, have you gone mad? That''s a supercar! We can''t afford this!" Old Niu was terrified when Ye Chunliang kicked the headlight of a supercar to pieces right there. The repair alone would cost tens of thousands. Realizing the mistake, Ye Chunliang saw that it was indeed a supercar and was stunned in place. "Let''s run before the owner shows up, or we are doomed!" Little Fatty was the first to snap out of it and suggested they make their escape. At that, Ye Chunliang and Old Niu immediately came to their senses and were about to flee the scene. But just as they were leaving, a group of burly men charged out from a nearby restaurant. The leader glanced at the car and then shouted back, "Mountain Tiger Brother, someone smashed your car!" "Ha, dare to smash my car? Which blind mutt did it?" As he spoke, a strange man with long yellow hair and dressed in a suit came out. Chapter 421 - 421 My Name Is Doraemon Upon seeing Ye Chunliang and the other university students, the corner of his mouth revealed a sinister smile, "Kids, do you have a problem with my car?" Ye Chunliang and his two friends swallowed hard, clearly recognizing that the guy was from the streets, and judging by his looks, he seemed to have considerable influence. Otherwise, he wouldn''t come out to eat with a group of more than a dozen people. Now that they were not on their own turf and couldn''t call for backup, all three of them braced for the worst outcome. Mountain Tiger Brother walked over to his car, glanced at his headlights, and his eyes instantly flashed with ruthlessness. While clicking his tongue, Mountain Tiger Brother shook his head with a sneer, "Look at that kick, you might make it into the national team someday. Since you dare to kick a supercar, I reckon your family must be pretty wealthy, right? Well, I won''t make it hard for you; just casually compensate me with five or six hundred thousand, and we''ll call it even." "You''ve got to be kidding me, don''t think I don''t know cars. The repair cost for the headlights of your Gallardo at most is only one hundred thousand, and you have the nerve to ask for five or six hundred thousand?" Ye Chunliang exclaimed angrily, fully aware that Mountain Tiger Brother was trying to extort him. In fact, the repair costs for Mountain Tiger Brother''s Lamborghini weren''t even close to that amount! "You''re right, the repair costs are indeed only a hundred thousand, and the rest is for emotional distress. I''ve had this car for over two years, and we''ve developed a deep bond, but you went and kicked it, which is like disfiguring it. Even if you fix it, it won''t be the same car anymore!" Mountain Tiger Brother said with a sinister grin. "All this talk is just you trying to swindle me. I don''t have the money, and I only have one life! If you''re capable, come and take it!" Ye Chunliang declared as he pushed Mountain Tiger Brother away. As the brother of Ye Linglan and the Deputy Gang Leader of the Linglan Club, how could he possibly cower? A fight was just a fight. But as soon as Ye Chunliang pushed him, Mountain Tiger Brother suddenly collapsed to the ground, at the same time screaming out, "Ah! My arm is broken!" Ye Chunliang and the others were dumbstruck; how could a gentle push lead to a broken bone? Shortly after, the three of them realized something ¡ª Mountain Tiger Brother was planning to continue his scam. "What are you playing at? I merely pushed you gently; how could that break your bone?" Ye Chunliang roared furiously. "I was born with osteoporosis; it''s very easy for my bones to break," Mountain Tiger Brother claimed seriously, holding his arm. "Bullshit!" Ye Chunliang was furious to the point of exploding; this guy was even more shameless than Hao Jian. "Are you implying that my boss is lying, huh?" A burly man covered in scars approached Ye Chunliang, looking down on him coldly. "Oh no, this is bad, the injury is so serious, it probably won''t heal for hundreds of years," Mountain Tiger Brother dramatically wailed. Hundreds of years? Ye Chunliang and the others were struck dumb; could you even live to that age? "Car repair costs, medical expenses, emotional distress fees, let''s just round it down to one million for you," Mountain Tiger Brother stated. "I don''t have the money!" Ye Chunliang glared, insisting. It wasn''t just about not having a million ¡ª even if he did, he wouldn''t give it to these extortionists who were clearly scamming them. "No money?" Mountain Tiger Brother laughed out of anger, quickly getting up from the ground, and moved next to Ye Chunliang, his face sinister, "If you don''t have money, then we''ll just have to slowly break every single bone in all three of your bodies!" "My sister is Ye Linglan, and if you touch me, she won''t let you off!" Ye Chunliang retorted coldly, bringing up Ye Linglan because she had some reputation in the nearby area. "Ye Linglan? Is that the girl who''s been making quite a stir lately?" Mountain Tiger Brother asked with a hint of surprise, and then burst out laughing, "To think you''re resorting to bringing up a woman? Bullied and running to your sister; are you even a man? Since you''ve brought up Ye Linglan, let''s do this ¡ª if you can cry out in the next three minutes, kneel down, and kowtow three times, you won''t owe me a penny!" Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire Ye Chunliang clenched his fists, his eyes seething with hatred as he stared at Mountain Tiger Brother, as if ready to devour him. "What, not convinced? Think you''re the hot stuff? Ye Linglan? Ha, if Jiang Zhendong wasn''t backing her, do you think she could be this boisterous? Even Jiang Zhendong has to be polite when he sees me; who are you putting on airs for?" Mountain Tiger Brother scoffed, not afraid of Ye Linglan at all. "My sister subdued the gangs without relying on Jiang Zhendong!" Ye Chunliang corrected him. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Without him? If it weren''t for Jiang Zhendong, your sister would have been chopped into eighteen pieces a long time ago!" Mountain Tiger Brother guffawed, "A woman wanting to act like a gang leader, utterly laughable! But your sister does have some tricks up her sleeve, climbing up to Jiang Zhendong and using his support to build her momentum. I bet she''s already gone all the way with him. Why don''t you ask your sister to be with me instead? Whatever Jiang Zhendong can offer her, I can offer more, plus I''ve got eighteen centimeters that is sure to satisfy her, hahaha." "Motherfucker, go to hell!" Ye Chunliang could not tolerate Mountain Tiger Brother insulting Ye Linglan like that and roared as he lunged at Mountain Tiger Brother. A straight punch aimed straight for Mountain Tiger Brother''s face, immediately shattering his nose. Mountain Tiger Brother had not anticipated that Ye Chunliang would suddenly strike, and with no defense, he staggered back several steps, blood streaming from his nose. "Kill this brat for me!" Mountain Tiger Brother bellowed in anger. Ye Chunliang had dared to strike him, and he would never let Ye Chunliang go! Upon hearing this, the muscular brute covered in scars was the first to pounce towards Ye Chunliang. Ye Chunliang, seeing the assailant coming at him fiercely, became alert. He could tell that this man was no good sort either. But though Ye Chunliang could fight, he was not a match for these gang members. He had learned karate, yet he lacked real combat experience, unlike these people who practically made a daily routine of brawling and knifing. Originally, Ye Chunliang would not be fazed facing the brute alone, but when a dozen of them rushed him at once, Ye Chunliang was outmatched. Soon enough, Ye Chunliang and the other two were strung up. "Not bad, kid, to be able to fight to a draw with my top enforcer. If it weren''t for the fact that you damaged my car, I might have really considered taking you under my wing," Mountain Tiger Brother chuckled with a sly grin. "Yo, yo, yo, did I miss some good entertainment?" Just then, a casual voice came from not too far away. Hao Jian sauntered into the scene, looking at Mountain Tiger Brother and his gang with interest. "Hao Jian? We''re saved!" Seeing Hao Jian, Little Fatty immediately exclaimed with joy. Having taken ten punches from Ye Chunliang without flinching, it meant he was much stronger than Ye Chunliang. If he were willing to help now, perhaps he could take down Mountain Tiger Brother. "Hao Jian? I certainly don''t go by the name Hao Jian, I''m freaking Doraemon!" Hao Jian raised his bowling ball hands and gritted his teeth. He wasn''t here to rescue Ye Chunliang and the others; on the contrary, he was here to butcher them! These damned bastards had forced him to trek here in this ridiculous state, and under the endless ridicule of passersby, Hao Jian had nearly crumbled mentally. So seeing Ye Chunliang and company, the first thought that sprouted in his mind was to butcher them! "Stop joking around, Teacher. We really know we were wrong," Little Fatty squeezed out a smile uglier than crying, knowing Hao Jian was probably angry. But if Hao Jian didn''t save them now, then no one else could. "Teacher? Are you sure you haven''t mistaken me for someone else? I''ve told you, my name is Doraemon," Hao Jian asked with a puzzled face. "Don''t save us then, don''t save us. We don''t need to rely on him!" Ye Chunliang huffed angrily. He was a proud person, and since Hao Jian wasn''t intending to help, he wouldn''t shamelessly beg him either. "Wow, kid. You''re quite arrogant," Hao Jian sneered as he walked over, then provocatively asked Mountain Tiger Brother, "You guys want to beat them up? Looks fun. Can I join?" Hearing this, Ye Chunliang was completely stunned. This bastard wouldn''t save them and was even thinking of ganging up with Mountain Tiger Brother? Was this guy really a teacher? Seeing Hao Jian''s stance, a murderous look flashed through Mountain Tiger Brother''s eyes: "Who the fuck are you?" "Me? Oh, I just hang with Brother Spice Ginger. They call me Doraemon, just ask around and you''ll find out." "Brother Spice Ginger?" Mountain Tiger Brother and his gang immediately bristled. Currently, Brother Spice Ginger was undoubtedly the top dog of the East City District. Originally, Brother Spice Ginger was about the same level as Mountain Tiger Brother, with the latter only slightly inferior. But rumors had it that Brother Spice Ginger encountered a mysterious man who cleared his enemies in a single night, elevating him to the throne of East City District king. The reason Mountain Tiger Brother now feared him was not due to Brother Spice Ginger himself, but because of the fearsome figure behind him. Everyone knew that Brother Spice Ginger was just a dog to that man; opposing Brother Spice Ginger meant courting trouble with that ominous person! Mountain Tiger Brother could never have imagined that the terrifying figure they envisaged was now standing right before them. As soon as they heard Hao Jian was with Brother Spice Ginger, Mountain Tiger Brother and his men were no longer arrogant; their demeanor softened significantly. "Sorry, brother. I didn''t know you were with Brother Spice Ginger," Mountain Tiger Brother hurriedly apologized with a forced smile. Although it wasn''t Brother Spice Ginger who had come, even one of his minions was too much for him to provoke. Otherwise, if Brother Spice Ginger were displeased, Mountain Tiger Brother''s modest gang power could be wiped out in an instant. How many gangs had been wiped out by that mysterious figure? "No worries, no worries, ignorance is not a sin," Hao Jian said magnanimously. But his eyes held a deep meaning when looking at Mountain Tiger Brother. Because he had heard quite clearly how Mountain Tiger Brother had described Ye Linglan earlier. ... Chapter 422 - 422: Addicted to Acting Because he had been with Ye Linglan, he knew that contrary to what Mountain Tiger Brother had said, she had never been with another man. For such a pure and innocent woman who belonged to him, Hao Jian naturally wouldn''t allow anyone to insult her, and Mountain Tiger Brother had touched this taboo. "That''s good, that''s good." Hearing what Hao Jian said, Mountain Tiger Brother thought Hao Jian was truly not angry, and immediately heaved a sigh of relief. "Hao Jian, you''re actually brothers in arms with these Mafia, are you still a teacher?" Ye Chunliang chastised angrily, looking down on Hao Jian with disdain. "Stop blabbering, who the hell knows you? I''ve said my name is Doraemon!" Hao Jian turned around, his gaze cold as lightning, staring straight at Ye Chunliang and the others. Being stared at like this by Hao Jian, Ye Chunliang and the other two instantly felt their hair stand on end, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar in the blink of an eye. "Come play with us. I haven''t exercised recently, and these kids are just right for a warmup!" Hao Jian loosened his limbs, saying with relish. "No problem, Brother. I''ll make sure to teach these rude brats a lesson for you!" Mountain Tiger Brother said eagerly, and then he gave a wink to his underlings. The big man clenched his fists and walked towards Ye Chunliang''s group. At this moment, Mountain Tiger Brother said to Hao Jian and Jiang Shan, "This brother of mine is Mad Dog, skilled in Sanda; with one punch he can dent a metal plate. They''re going to have a tough time soon!" "Hmph! What idiots!" Hao Jian scoffed with a sneer. "Yeah, they''re idiots for daring to talk back to you!" Mountain Tiger Brother echoed. "I meant you''re the idiot!" Hao Jian turned his head towards Mountain Tiger Brother and said. "Huh?" Mountain Tiger Brother was instantly dumbfounded. Hao Jian was insulting him out of nowhere¡ªif it weren''t for the fact that Hao Jian mingled with Brother Spice Ginger, he would have beaten him so bad right then and there. "Are you kidding me? You''ve been in the underworld for so many years and you still don''t know how to handle people? I really feel sorry for you," Hao Jian said with contempt. Mountain Tiger Brother and his men were stunned. Taking a moment, Mountain Tiger Brother humbly asked, "Then, Brother, do you have any better ideas?" "Tie up these kids'' feet, and throw them from Dongjiang Bridge to give them a thrilling bungee jumping experience," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. Ye Chunliang and the others were so angry they wanted to curse. It was bad enough that Hao Jian didn''t help them, but now he was actually strategizing for Mountain Tiger Brother and his gang. "Great idea, I''ve never played like this before!" Mountain Tiger Brother laughed upon hearing this. Hao Jian''s idea was so astonishing he felt energized just by listening. Before long, Ye Chunliang and the others were standing on Dongjiang Bridge, their legs tied with hemp ropes, pushed to the edge of the bridge railing. Looking at the thirty-meter-high bridge, Ye Chunliang and the others felt their legs go weak. Jumping from such a height would definitely give a thrilling sensation. Moreover, the rope Hao Jian used to bind them was not rubber, but hemp, a material with no elasticity. Under the pressure, the sudden pull could snap it¡ªnot to mention, even if it didn''t, the force of the jerk would be enough to make it unbearable. Being pulled like that, it was certain that one''s internal organs would churn, and vomiting bile would be a possibility! Ye Chunliang roughly guessed that either they would die or wish they were dead in a moment. "Hao Jian, have you gone mad?" Ye Chunliang roared at Hao Jian. This guy was simply committing murder. "What''s the matter, begging for mercy? Weren''t you all so brave in school? Why are you shrinking like ants now?" Hao Jian, with a cigarette slanting from his mouth, sneered at Ye Chunliang: "Or do you mean that you can''t do anything when you face trouble except calling for help?" Hearing this, Ye Chunliang''s pupils shrank; he knew Hao Jian was mocking him for always relying on his sister when in trouble. "I don''t need your help!" Ye Chunliang gritted his teeth, determined not to accept Hao Jian''s help just because of what he had said. "Then prove to me that you''re a man, not just a little kid with a sister complex," Hao Jian chuckled. Ye Chunliang nearly cracked his silver teeth, looked back at the unfathomable river, a resolute glance flashing in his eyes, "What''s the big deal about jumping? How bad can it be?" Immediately, Ye Chunliang turned and walked to the edge of the bridge. "Hey, hey, Ye Chunliang, don''t be rash." His companions hurriedly shouted. If Ye Chunliang really jumped from here, anything could happen¡ªwho knows if the rope was secure. Ye Chunliang turned and glared fiercely at Hao Jian, "If I jump from here, please stay away from my sister." Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire "Okay," Hao Jian nodded with a smile. Ye Chunliang huffed, took a deep breath, and then leaped like a soaring bird suddenly. "Ye Chunliang!" Little Fatty and Old Niu were both shocked and yelled at the same time. "Swoosh!" In mid-air, Ye Chunliang''s body abruptly stopped, and as expected, the force of the pull caused him immense pain, which made him vomit. "That was close, no harm done!" Little Fatty and the others wiped the cold sweat from their brows simultaneously. And standing by the railing, Hao Jian couldn''t help but show a hint of admiration. This is what a real man looks like. "Hahahaha, this is so interesting, how come I never thought of that?" Mountain Tiger Brother burst into laughter, finding it quite amusing. He then turned to Little Fatty and Old Niu, "Their turn now, throw them down too." But as soon as Mountain Tiger Brother finished his sentence, he felt his legs bound by something. He quickly looked down and his face darkened instantly, for he saw Hao Jian tying his legs with a rope. "What are you doing, Doraemon?" Mountain Tiger Brother was stunned. Was this guy planning to throw him down as well? "Do I even need to ask? Of course, it''s to let you experience the same," Hao Jian said as if it was the most natural thing to do. "Stop joking, you freak with a bowling ball in each hand!" Mountain Tiger Brother cursed angrily. Even if Hao Jian was associated with Brother Spice Ginger, this joke was taking it too far, inciting Mountain Tiger Brother''s rage. Mountain Tiger Brother had noticed that Hao Jian''s hands were clenching two bowling balls since the beginning. Wasn''t that just crazy? What normal person walks around holding bowling balls for no reason? So, from the start, Mountain Tiger Brother had taken issue with Hao Jian. If it weren''t for the fact that he was with Brother Spice Ginger, Mountain Tiger Brother would have beaten him just for being so brain-dead. And now, with Hao Jian trying to mess with him, Mountain Tiger Brother absolutely couldn''t tolerate it anymore. "Doraemon, don''t mess around!" At this point, Mountain Tiger Brother''s brothers also warned Hao Jian. "Heh." Hao Jian scoffed contemptuously and suddenly shook his hands fiercely, causing the two bowling balls to shatter out of nowhere. "Holy shit!!!" Everyone was horrified. Breaking bowling balls all of a sudden, was this guy even human? "I''m not Doraemon, damn it!" Hao Jian denied vehemently at that moment. "Then who the hell are you?" Mountain Tiger Brother asked, his expression ugly. Had he encountered a lunatic? Hao Jian didn''t respond to Mountain Tiger Brother''s question. A playful smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth, and then he roared, "For Athena!" "Saint Seiya?" One of Mountain Tiger Brother''s underlings recognized Hao Jian''s posture and said absentmindedly. Meanwhile, Little Fatty and Old Niu had pulled Ye Chunliang back up. Seeing Hao Jian acting foolishly, they were also dumbfounded. Had this guy lost his mind? What was he playing at now? "Pegasus Meteor Fist!" Hao Jian bellowed and sent an uppercut straight to Mountain Tiger Brother''s chin, sending him sadly flying into the air and then crashing down behind them towards the base of the bridge, hanging there like a dried squid. "How dare you hit our boss, get him!" The number one hitter of Mountain Tiger Brother''s gang roared angrily and charged at Hao Jian, throwing a punch directly at Hao Jian''s face. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Ha!" All of a sudden, Hao Jian let out a fierce cry, sweeping menacingly at the crowd. The Mafia members were so scared they hastily retreated, warily watching Hao Jian. After all, the scene where Hao Jian smashed two bowling balls with his bare hands was too shocking. They were very cautious around Hao Jian. Just then, Hao Jian suddenly pointed a finger, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably as he said hatefully, "Huaxia people are not the sick men of East Asia! Ah za!" "Bruce Lee?" The crowd was baffled. Was this guy done playing around? "Beat him up!" The burly man with scars roared, feeling played by Hao Jian and his anger rising rapidly. A dozen people rushed at Hao Jian at the same time, and Hao Jian, truly getting carried away, was hopping wildly on the ground as if he really thought he was Bruce Lee. The scarred man, leading the charge, threw an uppercut at Hao Jian! However, by the time the punch neared his face, Hao Jian''s own fist had already flown out. Along with a Bruce Lee-like shriek, he punched the big guy in the stomach, "Wu ah!" The big guy spit out a mouthful of blood and then fainted on the spot. At that moment, Ye Chunliang deeply realized how great the gap between him and Hao Jian was. He had been evenly matched with the big guy just before, but Hao Jian had taken him down with a single punch. "Ah da da da da." While shrieking, Hao Jian kept throwing punches, knocking the onrushing Mafia members into the river one by one. They weren''t like Ye Chunliang and Mountain Tiger Brother, tied with ropes. Falling from that height, it was unclear if they would live or die. While the scene was incredibly dramatic, upon reflection, it also seemed quite cruel of Hao Jian. By now, Little Fatty and Old Niu were utterly impressed by Hao Jian, and although Ye Chunliang was full of discontent, he had to admit that Hao Jian was indeed terrifying. Just then, Ye Chunliang''s phone rang suddenly. He answered the call, and an anxious voice came from the other end, "Brother Liang, something terrible has happened." Chapter 423 - 423 Covered in His Stench "What?" After hearing the report, Ye Chunliang was dumbfounded. No wonder he had noticed something off about Ye Linglan''s expression earlier, it turned out she went to meet Jiang Zhendong on her own. Ye Chunliang was naturally aware of who Jiang Zhendong was, and after hearing his subordinate''s report, he was immediately terrified. "Where are they?" Ye Chunliang asked grimly. After Ye Chunliang hung up the phone, the shadow on his face still lingered for a long time. "What''s wrong?" Little Fatty noticed Ye Chunliang''s complexion and felt that something was amiss. "My sister went to see Jiang Zhendong alone," Ye Chunliang replied. "What? The gang leader went to see Jiang Zhendong alone? That guy is so cunning, and he has designs on her. Isn''t her going alone just like walking into a trap?" Little Fatty said in shock. Hao Jian, who was not far away, overheard their conversation and furrowed his brow deeply. Indeed, things were as he had suspected; Ye Linglan was indeed hiding something from him. "Let''s go now!" Ye Chunliang made a decision on the spot; he couldn''t let Ye Linglan suffer. Meanwhile, Hao Jian silently got into Mountain Tiger Brother''s Lamborghini and yelled at Ye Chunliang and the others, "Get in the car!" Ye Chunliang rolled his eyes and said, "Are you out of your mind? How can you start the car without the keys?" "Bang!" As soon as Ye Chunliang''s words fell, Hao Jian threw a punch at the car, instantly creating a big hole, then quickly grabbed two wires inside and rubbed them together for a while before starting the car. "Damn, this guy seems quite skilled at this," Old Niu said speechlessly. This guy was simply a seasoned car thief. The three of them hurried into the car and rushed to Ye Linglan''s location. At that moment, inside the Night Color Bar, Ye Linglan was gasping for air. In front of her, Jiang Zhendong''s underlings lay disorganized on the ground, wailing non-stop. Dozens of them had taken on Ye Linglan alone, yet she had beaten them into this state. However, Ye Linglan herself wasn''t faring well either, with her arms and thighs sliced by blades, bloodied and dripping. Although Ye Linglan knew some martial arts skills, strictly speaking, she couldn''t be considered a Martial Artist yet. Facing dozens alone was already her limit. After witnessing Ye Linglan''s abilities, Jiang Zhendong''s eyes revealed a thick frenzy. Such a woman was worthy of him! "It looks like you''re really determined to fight me to the death?" Jiang Zhendong said with a sneaky smile. From Ye Linglan''s fierceness, he saw a kind of violent art, an art where beauty and violence coexisted. As he spoke, Jiang Zhendong sneered and took out a handgun, aiming it at Ye Linglan. Ye Linglan snorted and laughed, amused by Jiang Zhendong, "Do you think I''m afraid of death?" If Ye Linglan were afraid of death, she wouldn''t have been able to subdue so many small factions. "You''re not afraid of dying, but what about your lover?" Jiang Zhendong cackled menacingly. "What do you mean?" Ye Linglan''s face turned icy as she glared at Jiang Zhendong. Jiang Zhendong stood up laughing and walked towards Ye Linglan, "What if I sent a bunch of gunmen to the school and shoot him down?" At those words, Ye Linglan''s eyes flashed coldly as she pressed the dagger against Jiang Zhendong''s neck and shouted, "You dare?!" Jiang Zhendong looked down at the sharp blade but remained unflinching, not only showing no fear but smiling even more proudly. "Listen up! If Ye Linglan kills me, then you''ll go to the school and kill her brother and lover," Jiang Zhendong bellowed to his underlings. "Yes!" The underlings of Jiang Zhendong shouted in unison. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You." Ye Linglan gritted her teeth with hatred, never expecting Jiang Zhendong to be so despicable, using Hao Jian and Ye Chunliang to threaten her. "Ye Linglan, this is what real ***** is about. You''re still too young." Jiang Zhendong chuckled lecherously. He thought Ye Linglan was naive because she did not understand the extent of being ruthless! For Jiang Zhendong, as long as he achieved his goal, he didn''t care about the consequences at all. He could tell that Ye Linglan couldn''t be as heartless as him, and he was certain that Ye Linglan would never abandon Ye Chunliang and Hao Jian. That''s why Jiang Zhendong knew Ye Linglan wouldn''t dare to kill him, even though she really wanted to at this moment. "Make your move, what''s wrong? Don''t have the guts?" Jiang Zhendong sneered. "What exactly do you want?" Ye Linglan asked indignantly, now completely led by the nose by Jiang Zhendong. "What do you think? I''ve already made myself very clear just now." Jiang Zhendong started with a chuckle, then suddenly grabbed the back of Ye Linglan''s blouse, yanked with all his might, and completely tore it apart. A glint sparkled in Jiang Zhendong''s eyes as he stared intently at Ye Linglan. Ye Linglan quickly covered herself with her hands. Although she often appeared fearless, she was quite conservative in this regard. But Jiang Zhendong didn''t give her a chance, flipping her hands over and pinning Ye Linglan onto the bar table. Clearly, he intended to exact his punishment right there and then! Ye Linglan could have resisted, but she was afraid that angering Jiang Zhendong would lead him to target Hao Jian and the others, so she had to endure. By then, Ye Linglan also realized what Jiang Zhendong intended to do and threatened coldly, "If you dare touch me, I will kill you!" "If you dare resist me, I will slaughter Ye Chunliang and that guy named Hao Jian!" Jiang Zhendong bared his teeth, revealing a row of nicotine-stained teeth. "As if you could? Pah!" Ye Linglan spat scornfully. "You think I can''t kill them?" Jiang Zhendong asked with a smirk, but his smile was sinister, and his eyes were venomous. He was greatly displeased by Ye Linglan''s attitude, simply because from the first time he saw her, she never looked at him directly, and this infuriated him to the limit. All the women he desired in the past were on their knees for him, yet Ye Linglan, a mere female college student, dared to look down on him again and again. The fact that she looked down on him was one thing, indicating that Ye Linglan had high standards ¨C that he could understand. But for Ye Linglan to fancy some teacher over him ¨C he had power, status, how could he be inferior to a simple schoolteacher? "Of course you''re inferior to him. Compared to him, you are nothing but a puddle of mud!" Ye Linglan said disdainfully. "Alright, alright. Then now, this puddle of mud is going to ride over you!" Jiang Zhendong''s eyes flashed dangerously. His scarred face looked particularly ferocious as he grabbed Ye Linglan''s hair and hissed, "If you really think I can''t kill him, then why don''t you resist?" From Ye Linglan''s submissive attitude, it was clear; she didn''t dare to defy him, for she feared involving Hao Jian. Ye Linglan chose silence, her beautiful face covered with rage and humiliation. Jiang Zhendong burst into loud laughter, feeling immensely proud that he had seen through Ye Linglan''s thoughts. "In a little while, I want to see if you can still maintain that proud demeanor under me!" "As for the rest, do you want to strip yourself, or shall I do it for you?" Jiang Zhendong looked her over with interest, acting like a wild beast that had caught its prey and was not in a hurry to devour it but rather keen on toying with it first. At this moment, this was exactly what was on Jiang Zhendong''s mind: Damned bitch, daring to cheat on me? You think you''re too good for me? Now I''ll let you know what happens when you underestimate me! Ye Linglan''s expression was cold and arrogant as she looked at Jiang Zhendong, "Stripping is nothing to me. It''s just that I''m no longer clean now. Does that bother you?" "Huh?" Hearing this, Jiang Zhendong''s pupils suddenly shrank. What did Ye Linglan mean by that? Could it be that she had already slept with that guy? At that moment, Ye Linglan seemed to regain control of the situation as she pointed to her lips. "He has touched here," she said. "He has touched here too!" "And here, he has touched every inch!" With a mocking smile, Ye Linglan said, "Every inch of my skin is tainted with his smell, and yet I am utterly infatuated with that stench. I''ve never smelled anything so intoxicatingly potent." "Damn you, you''re asking for it!" Jiang Zhendong roared furiously, and at once, he swung his hand toward Ye Linglan''s cheek. Chapter 424 - 424 I Belong to Him Listening to the woman he liked describing how great another man was, which man could bear it? Moreover, what Ye Linglan depicted were the intimate details she shared with Hao Jian, which was just like slapping Jiang Zhendong across the face openly, if not worse. Hearing Ye Linglan describe so thoroughly, Jiang Zhendong felt like his lungs were about to explode, as if he had witnessed Ye Linglan and Hao Jian''s **** with his own eyes. He felt the green hat on his head was almost turning black. Ye Linglan, while lying on the ground, looked at Jiang Zhendong with a mocking smile, her derision was more than clear. "Did I make you lose your temper? I haven''t even told you all the details. Do you know where we did it? In the staff room of the Chinese Medicine Hospital." Ye Linglan grinned, but her mouth was full of blood, making the scene look quite gruesome. Ye Linglan, completely ignoring Jiang Zhendong''s already ashen cheeks, continued to mockingly talk to herself. At that moment, she raised three fingers and said with a sneer, "Do you know how many times he made me climax last time? Three times, and within half an hour, something none of you could ever achieve!" "Shut up!" Jiang Zhendong roared furiously, this time with more hatred, as he aimed a kick straight at Ye Linglan''s face. Ye Linglan staggered and fell to the ground, her two front teeth knocked out. Her delicate cheek was marked with faint bloodstains, making her look especially pitiful yet beautiful. But at that moment, Ye Linglan was laughing happily and mockingly. The angrier Jiang Zhendong got, the happier she became, "That''s right, I''m no longer pure. My body and soul belong to him alone, even if you rape me, you can''t change that fact! My first time was his!" Ye Linglan knew Jiang Zhendong dreamed of possessing her body, but sadly for him, her first time had been given to Hao Jian. "You still dare to laugh?" Jiang Zhendong completely lost it, he grabbed Ye Linglan''s hair, pushed her directly onto the table, and pinned her down mercilessly. Jiang Zhendong, nearing the edge of madness, roared with a murderous fury, "You filthy ****, I won''t let you off. After I''m done with you, I''ll let my brothers have their turn with you!" "So you look down on me? Enjoying it, aren''t you? Then I''ll make you the top attraction in this brothel, taking more than twenty clients a day without protection!" Jiang Zhendong bellowed, laughing uncontrollably like a madman. "You could have been the big sister-in-law, but sadly, you gave up that chance. You''ve got no one to blame but yourself!" "Pah! Even if a thousand people ride me, I would never want to be the woman of trash like you!" Ye Linglan retorted sarcastically. "Fine, fine, fine, we''ll see if you can still talk tough when you''re actually being passed around later!" Jiang Zhendong roared, his claws reaching for Ye Linglan''s underwear, about to take his abuse on the spot. . Meanwhile, Ye Chunliang and Hao Jian had also arrived at the scene. As soon as Ye Chunliang got there, he charged straight into Jiang Zhendong''s territory but was promptly grabbed by Hao Jian. "What are you doing?" Hao Jian asked, frowning. "Are you kidding me? Of course, I''m going to save my sister!" Ye Chunliang found Hao Jian''s question laughable. "Save her? I think you''re more likely to harm her! Charging in like that, do you think the others are blind? You''re just alarming them!" Hao Jian was at a loss for words. The guy seemed smart enough, yet here he was, completely thoughtless. "Heh, with things the way they are, and you''re still worrying about such trivial things. If you''re too scared to go in just say so, no need to put on an act!" Ye Chunliang mocked coldly. In his eyes, Hao Jian was just making excuses for his own cowardice. With his sister in such danger, and Hao Jian still concerned about other things, his sister must have been blind to fall for someone like him. "Hey, don''t you appreciate what''s good for you?" Hao Jian was speechless. Him, the God of Death, afraid of a few thugs and hooligans? The reason he didn''t want to barge in so brazenly was not out of fear, but concern that it might startle the enemy and put Ye Linglan in greater risk, especially since he didn''t know exactly what was happening inside. Ye Chunliang, however, just snorted coldly and, without bothering to engage with him further, waved his hand and commanded the assembled crew, "Let''s go, save the Violent Queen!" "Roar!" All of Ye Linglan''s underlings let out a loud roar and charged into the nightclub armed with various weapons, even throwing contemptuous glances at Hao Jian, seemingly mocking his timidity. Hao Jian held his forehead, feeling overwhelmed. Young people are just young, all vigor but no brains! Hao Jian hurried to follow, fearing those guys might encounter trouble. The moment Ye Chunliang burst into the nightclub, he saw Jiang Zhendong groping Ye Linglan, who was nearly stripped of her clothes, clad only in her underwear, with seventy percent of her skin exposed. And it seemed Jiang Zhendong was about to take off the last piece of clothing covering Ye Linglan''s modesty. At this sight, Ye Chunliang''s eyes turned blood red, and he bellowed, "Stop!" Jiang Zhendong and the others turned their heads around, and when Ye Chunliang appeared, Ye Linglan couldn''t help but panic, "Chunliang? What are you doing here? Get out of here!" Jiang Zhendong was not an easy opponent, with his ruthless nature, he might very well take action against Ye Chunliang at any moment! "Where''s Hao Jian?" Ye Linglan anxiously asked. Since Ye Chunliang was here, didn''t that mean Hao Jian had come too? After going through great lengths to protect the two of them, had they both walked right into the trap? "Sis, at a time like this, how can you still be hung up on that cowardly scoundrel!" Ye Chunliang became infuriated upon hearing Ye Linglan mention Hao Jian. That guy had clearly abandoned Linglan and run away, yet she was still thinking about him. "Big Sister, as soon as that guy heard you were captured, he bolted," one of Linglan''s underlings said. "Shut your mouth!" Ye Chunliang rebuked sharply. He had not wanted Linglan to know about this to spare her from heartache, but someone blurted it out without thinking. The underling then hung his head, not daring to speak again. At this moment, however, Ye Linglan also looked shocked. Hao Jian had abandoned her and run away? Could it be that she had really misjudged him? "Hahaha. Ye Linglan, is this the man you chose? Turns out he''s just another cowardly scoundrel!" Jiang Zhendong roared with laughter. After all that big talk about Linglan''s man, he turned out to be worthless! Ye Linglan was left in a daze, even at this point unwilling to believe that Hao Jian would desert her. Wasn''t that guy the Demon Teacher? Wasn''t he the one who went up against an entire army alone? If so, why would he be afraid of Jiang Zhendong? Then, the corners of Linglan''s mouth curled into a bitter smile. Forget it; she didn''t want him to come anyway. This really wasn''t his business. "Ye Linglan, don''t say I didn''t give you a chance. You still have an opportunity to please me. Just kneel down and lick my boots, and I might overlook your betrayal, still giving you the chance to be my woman," Jiang Zhendong laughed heartily. Linglan''s expression right now was truly laughable. "Pleasing my ass! Why don''t you get your mom to come please me?" Ye Chunliang shouted angrily, feeling an overwhelming urge to punch Jiang Zhendong every time he saw that face. Jiang Zhendong, who was already ugly, looked even more repulsive when he laughed. "You little shit, what did you say?" Jiang Zhendong''s underling glared at Ye Chunliang when he heard such brazen words. Read exclusive chapters at My Virtual Library Empire "Hey, don''t be so aggressive. If the Violent Queen here agrees to kneel and lick later, then this little brother would become my little brother-in-law. How could you treat him like this?" Jiang Zhendong''s tone shifted to mocking disdain, his laughter more sarcastic and contemptuous, sounding like an owl. "Fuck!" Ye Linglan roared in anger and charged at Jiang Zhendong with the iron rod in her hand, eager to cripple the shameless scoundrel! S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Her underlings surged forward at once. Jiang Zhendong sneered, and with a wave of his hand, his henchmen, armed with machetes, met the charge. In the crowd, a melee suddenly erupted. The nightclub instantly filled with a flood of people, and the racket was incessant. Ye Chunliang, iron rod in hand, charged straight at Jiang Zhendong. Seeing Chunliang coming his way, Jiang Zhendong''s scarred face twisted into a cold smile, and his scarred eye revealed a chilling glint. "Chunliang, back off, you''re no match for him!" Ye Linglan shouted, for even as fierce and vicious as the wolf Jiang Zhendong was, she had to respect him. And Ye Chunliang was even less a match. "Go to hell, you!" But Ye Chunliang ignored Linglan''s warning and swung the iron rod down towards Jiang Zhendong''s head. "Clang!" The expected dull thud did not materialize; instead, the sound of metal clashing was heard. At that moment, Jiang Zhendong was seen holding a knife in one hand, smirking sinisterly: "Did you really think you could touch me?" Ye Chunliang clenched his teeth fiercely and threw his left fist at Jiang Zhendong''s face. But Jiang Zhendong simply snorted with disdain as his other hand flipped over, revealing a small knife that he thrust directly toward Ye Chunliang''s fist. "Ah!" Ye Chunliang screamed in pain as Jiang Zhendong''s blade pierced through his palm. "Young man, you should learn to be humble. Don''t think you''re something special just because you''ve learned a few fancy moves. With so many excellent martial arts in Greater China, you had to learn karate? Pathetic!" Jiang Zhendong sneered, pressing down with the blade, causing Chunliang to kneel from the excruciating pain, his face twisted in agony. Ye Chunliang looked up at Jiang Zhendong with a ferocious gaze like a cornered beast: "Don''t think you''re great just because you beat me. I still have my brothers!" "Your brothers? Take a look at what''s become of your brothers now," Jiang Zhendong laughed loudly, nodding towards Chunliang''s comrades. Chapter 425 - 425: Stop Playing with Toys Ye Chunliang hurriedly looked back, and was instantly horrified, as his brothers had already been utterly defeated and scattered by Jiang Zhendong''s encirclement! The people Ye Linglan had recruited were just a bunch of irregulars, some ruffians and hooligans, and even some students. But Jiang Zhendong was different, all his men were true desperados, ready to fight and kill. Naturally, they fought ruthlessly, causing Ye Linglan''s underlings to start crying for their parents right from the first encounter. At this moment, Ye Chunliang felt ice cold all over, finally understanding the meaning of "stirring the grass and startling the snake" as Hao Jian had described. He had originally thought that having superior numbers would put some psychological pressure on Jiang Zhendong. But now it seemed Jiang Zhendong hadn''t taken him seriously at all. Watching his own brothers being hacked to death on the spot, Ye Chunliang was so shocked he couldn''t speak. Had he led them to their deaths? Ye Chunliang''s face was an ashen blue at this time, and he had also realized just how foolish he had been. His reckless charge hadn''t saved his sister, but instead, it had caused the death of his brothers. "You lost, so as a punishment, I''m going to f*ck your sister right in front of you!" Jiang Zhendong slapped Ye Chunliang''s face, smirking maliciously. "You dare? I''ll kill you!" Ye Chunliang''s eyes flashed murderously as he roared with all his might. "Ha, let''s see if I dare!" Jiang Zhendong said with a cold laugh and then walked straight towards Ye Linglan, grabbing her hair and yanking her up. "Let her go!" Seeing his sister treated so shamefully, Ye Chunliang was beside himself with rage, screaming furiously. "Swoosh!" Just as Jiang Zhendong grabbed Ye Linglan, a cold glint suddenly shot from not far away, circling around his wrist and dazzling his eyes. Jiang Zhendong blinked, somewhat dazed. Then he saw a spray of blood shoot up. He looked down abruptly to find his palm had been cut off without him realizing it, bleeding profusely. "Ahh!" This time, the scream came from Jiang Zhendong. He clutched his wrist, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Ye Linglan was also stunned, not understanding what had occurred for Jiang Zhendong''s hand to disappear like that. "Who? Who did this to me!" Jiang Zhendong roared, his eyes bloody as if he wanted to devour someone. "It was me!" Right at that moment, a mocking voice came from the doorway. Everyone turned to look at the doorway, their faces filled with confusion. Soon after, they heard footsteps and saw a swaying shadow. A man with fine features walked in¡ªit was Hao Jian. Seeing Hao Jian appear, Ye Chunliang and the others were somewhat dumbstruck. They had thought Hao Jian was too scared to show up, yet here he was. And seeing Hao Jian, Ye Linglan''s pretty eyes sparkled. He hadn''t abandoned her! She hadn''t misjudged him! With that, Ye Linglan could die content! "Who are you?" Jiang Zhendong glared viciously at Hao Jian, his rage spreading. "Me? Am I not the ''coward and scoundrel'' you mentioned?" Hao Jian said with a mocking smile, his devilishly handsome face showing a hint of amusement. "You''re Hao Jian?" Jiang Zhendong could hardly believe it. Hadn''t Ye Chunliang said that this guy had run away in fear? Immediately, Jiang Zhendong''s expression darkened: "You''re the one who hurt me?" "Sorry, I didn''t want to do this, but I really don''t like other men touching my woman," Hao Jian shrugged, speaking as if he were discussing a triviality, his demeanor calm and even slightly helpless. "Kill him for me!" Jiang Zhendong was consumed with fury. Now that he knew Hao Jian was responsible, there was nothing more to say. Hao Jian had maimed him; if he did not kill Hao Jian, it wouldn''t quell the hatred burning in him. "Hao Jian, run for it!" Ye Linglan yelled, now knowing Hao Jian wasn''t the coward she feared, which was enough for her. She hadn''t expected him to actually risk his life. But Hao Jian just stood there like a stake, motionless as Jiang Zhendong''s men surrounded him. Seeing this, Jiang Zhendong laughed: "Kid, not bad, pretty gutsy, huh? Given the chance to run, and you stay?" "Not running doesn''t mean I''m gutsy; it''s because I know you lot of trash can''t hurt me," Hao Jian said with a smile. At his words, Jiang Zhendong and his men first were taken aback, then anger appeared on their faces. Jiang Zhendong even laughed in rage: "Alright then, I''d like to see if you''re truly as formidable as you claim! Come at him!" Whoosh! In the blink of an eye, dozens of machetes fell from the sky, slashing straight at Hao Jian''s head. Ye Linglan''s face drained of color in fear. With so many blades descending at once, even she would meet her end, not to mention Hao Jian''s chances of survival. And just then, Hao Jian, who had been standing with his arms crossed, suddenly covered his mouth and yawned lazily. And after that yawn was completed, his figure vanished from the spot. This frightened everyone out of their wits. How could a person just disappear into thin air? It was too unbelievable! Vanishing without a trace was a phenomenon that only existed in paranormal stories. It couldn''t happen in real life, so witnessing such a supernatural event left everyone''s skin crawling and filled them with indescribable horror. "Where is he?" Jiang Zhendong was both shocked and furious, his bloodshot eyes sweeping through the crowd. "Am I not right here?" A ethereal voice came through, and Hao Jian''s figure reappeared where he had just been standing. "Ah?" Jiang Zhendong''s men took two steps back in fright, their faces turning green. Disappearing and then bizarrely reappearing without a sound¡ªcould this guy possibly have mastered invisibility? Everyone was terrified; this guy simply wasn''t human! Ye Linglan and Ye Chunliang were also dumbfounded; they couldn''t figure out what sort of trick Hao Jian was playing, how he could disappear and reappear like that. Seeing everyone''s scared expressions, Hao Jian remained indifferent, "What, scared already? Weren''t you boasting how awesome you gangsters are?" That''s true, but their ferocity was meant for people, and you''re simply not human, right? The mafia members were all faces of fear; Hao Jian was just too eerie. "Do something! Who the hell do you guys follow!" Jiang Zhendong couldn''t contain his rage or his embarrassment; his men had been spooked by a small trick, which made him, the boss, lose face. Chastised by Jiang Zhendong, the mafia members slowly regained their composure. After all, they didn''t dare ignore the boss''s orders and charged at Hao Jian once again. This time, Hao Jian didn''t just feign strength to scare them; he leapt into the air and unleashed a roundhouse kick that sent everyone flying. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire Dozens of men taken out with a single kick¡ªeveryone who witnessed the scene was tongue-tied and dumbstruck. The power in Hao Jian''s legs was terrifying. Though they were only watching, they could still perceive the fearsomeness of the force, for as the kick swept out, they could feel a strong gust of wind hitting their faces. Douzens of men were thrown into the air and then scattered on the ground, unable to get up. Other gang members gasped in cold air, feeling glad they hadn''t been the first to charge forward, or they would have ended up the same way. Ye Linglan and Ye Chunliang were both dumbstruck. Although they knew Hao Jian was a good fighter, they hadn''t expected him to be this good. No, "good" wasn''t the right word to describe it¡ªit was terrifying! Ye Linglan even felt as if Hao Jian had been born in the wrong era, as though someone like him should have lived on an ancient battlefield, wielding cold weapons and sweeping away thousands of enemies! In that moment, an indescribable feeling filled Ye Linglan''s heart, leaving her unable to resist it. And that feeling was called obsession! Ye Linglan had originally thought she was strong enough, with no man able to come close¡ªyet in front of Hao Jian, she was still as insignificant as an ant! With this thought, Ye Linglan''s lower body involuntarily moistened, her pale yellow underwear spotting with water, becoming somewhat muddy! At this moment, she couldn''t help but wish to pounce on Hao Jian and deal with him on the spot! Jiang Zhendong''s face was ashen at this time; having dozens of his men laid out flat in an instant was undeniably a blow to their morale, and it was a slap in the face for him as the boss. "Bang!" With a vicious expression, Jiang Zhendong lifted his hand and shot at Hao Jian! The bullet shot towards Hao Jian in an instant! "Be careful!" Ye Linglan exclaimed in alarm. Hao Jian''s brow furrowed as he stretched out two fingers and violently pinched the bullet! S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Thud!" Gun smoke twirled around Hao Jian''s fingers, and everyone clearly saw the bullet caught between his two fingers. At that moment, it wasn''t just a matter of gasping for air¡ªeveryone was so scared that their hairs stood on end. Catching a bullet with bare hands? Were they filming a martial arts movie? Was this guy Superman? "Brother, support me a bit, my legs are a little weak," one of the gang members said, leaning on the shoulder of his comrade. Being an enemy to such a monster, what was the difference between that and seeking death? Jiang Zhendong''s face had gone pale. Catching a bullet with bare hands? How could that be possible? Jiang Zhendong refused to believe it, continuously pulling the trigger, the bullets incessantly shooting towards Hao Jian. Hao Jian moved forward, taking steps towards Jiang Zhendong, his figure shifting to dodge Jiang Zhendong''s bullets. By the time Jiang Zhendong''s magazine was empty, Hao Jian had already reached him. Jiang Zhendong looked at Hao Jian in horror, mechanically pulling the trigger of the now empty handgun. He couldn''t understand, he really couldn''t comprehend, how this guy had dodged all those bullets. Hao Jian reached out, grabbed Jiang Zhendong''s handgun, and then crushed it with one hand, while scoffing, "You''re grown up now, you shouldn''t play with toys anymore." Chapter 426 - 426 They Call Me God of Death "Play. A toy? A pistol is just a toy to him?" Jiang Zhendong''s mind went blank, and he didn''t know how to describe his feelings at that moment. "Now, we need to settle some scores," Hao Jian said, smiling but not really smiling as he looked at Jiang Zhendong. Then, without warning, he grabbed Jiang''s throat and hoisted him up. "Boss!" Seeing this, Jiang Zhendong''s underlings came forward, hoping to save him. Whoosh! Hao Jian swiftly turned his head, his deep and fierce gaze instantly locking onto the gang members. Following that, they stood frozen in place as if struck by a Paralysis Spell, not daring to move. Hao Jian''s voice was low and deliberate, "Who comes forward, who dies!" At that moment, he was truly furious. Jiang Zhendong had dared to lay hands on his woman and used him to coerce Ye Linglan into compliance. If he hadn''t arrived in time, his head might have been green. Since Jiang Zhendong had already planned on giving him a green hat, he was going to pay the price! "You. You''re not human," Jiang Zhendong gasped, his eyes fixed intently on Hao Jian even as he was choked. Such dark and cold eyes could not possibly belong to a human. From that look, Jiang Zhendong could almost see a vision of Hell. "They all call me God of Death!" Hao Jian said, revealing a chilling smile. Snap. Jiang Zhendong''s head tilted, and he immediately stopped breathing. The onlookers saw Jiang''s neck eerily shrink to the size of a teacup as Hao Jian broke it with his bare hands. Everyone''s glance towards Hao Jian was filled with awe, as if they were looking at a devilish god. Tonight, Hao Jian''s arrival had completely twisted their values, leaving an indelible mark in their hearts. "How long are you planning to stay here?" Hao Jian glanced at Ye Linglan, his expression still cold and lacking the expected comfort and tenderness. Ye Linglan''s face stiffened, at that moment she lacked any resemblance to the Violent Queen, resembling a little girl who had made a mistake, lowering her head and walking to Hao Jian''s side. Hao Jian merely glanced at Ye Linglan indifferently, then turned and left the nightclub. At that moment, those students had already revered Hao Jian as a figure of authority and quickly followed in his steps. On the street, nearly a hundred people calmly followed behind Hao Jian, a sight that looked quite spectacular as people occasionally threw strange looks towards him. Ye Linglan and the others could see that Hao Jian was in a bad mood, so they dared not speak and just followed behind him. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As they were approaching the school gate, however, Hao Jian stopped walking, and everyone else halted as well. Hao Jian turned around and quickly walked towards Ye Linglan. Just as she was wondering what he was about to do, Hao Jian reached out his hand. "Slap!" Instead of the expected warm embrace, it was a loud slap! Ye Linglan''s head jerked to one side, and she staggered, almost falling down. She was stunned since she couldn''t understand why Hao Jian had hit her. "What the hell are you doing?" Ye Chunliang saw his sister being hit and immediately became upset, storming towards Hao Jian. Although Hao Jian had saved them, it didn''t mean he could do whatever he wanted! Ye Chunliang grabbed Hao Jian''s shoulder, but before he could react, Hao Jian suddenly turned and punched Ye Chunliang in the stomach. "Wow." Ye Chunliang immediately bent over and vomited blood, his body stiffening as he stayed in the posture of someone who had just been punched, unable to move. "What do you think you are? Daring to meddle in my affairs?" Hao Jian slapped Ye Chunliang across the face, knocking him to the ground, limp. Immediately, Hao Jian turned to look at Ye Linglan, his gaze cold and stern, "Know why I hit you?" "Because I caused the deaths of those students," Linglan said in a low voice, her head bowed. "Ha, it seems you''re not as foolish as I thought," Hao Jian laughed bitterly in anger. "So, how do you plan to compensate their families? Give them a settlement?" "I... I don''t have any money," Linglan admitted guiltily. She understood what Hao Jian meant. Logically, she was supposed to be responsible, but the irony was she had no means to be responsible. "How is that possible? Aren''t you the gang leader? With so many underlings relying on you, how can you have no money?" Hao Jian scoffed coldly, his face full of indescribable disdain. Linglan sighed, "I know you hate me, so it doesn''t matter how you want to humiliate me." "No, no, no, you''ve got it all wrong. I don''t hate you; it''s the families of the students you killed who hate you," Hao Jian said with a strange chuckle. Linglan was petrified on the spot, not knowing how to respond. Seeing that Linglan was silent, Hao Jian was unwilling to let her off, continuing to mock her coldly, "You think you''re so great? You think running down streets with dual blades makes you awesome? You can''t even protect your own people, what the hell kind of boss are you?" Read the latest on My Virtual Library Empire Suddenly, Hao Jian pointed at Chunliang, "And you! All brawn and no brains. If today you hadn''t taken it upon yourself to bring so many people into a fight and had instead let me handle it, those students might not have died. It''s you and your sister who caused their deaths, they believed in you, yet you killed them, you''re even worse than Jiang Zhendong!" Hearing this, even Chunliang, who had been looking angry, suddenly became stone-faced. He knew Hao Jian was telling the truth. With Hao Jian''s capabilities, he might have been able to save Linglan without a single casualty, but he had overstepped, and those brothers died because of him. So if Linglan deserves a beating, he deserves it even more! "And you people, you had a peaceful life but you chose to follow gang life? Are you ****ing stupid? It''s the twenty-first century, do you know it''s a society governed by law now? Do you know about the state''s zero tolerance policy against gang power? You try to act like slicing people up is smart? Are your brains not developed properly?" Hao Jian berated over a hundred people, but what really angered him was these guys. They were all adults, yet so thoughtless. The world is full of people who yearn for stability but can''t have it, yet these people had it and didn''t cherish it. "I think with all this energy, you should all go to Afghanistan or Syria! Go experience the local customs there!" Hao Jian said with a sneer. Only through experiencing brutal wars would these fools appreciate the value of a peaceful life. At this moment, the students all hung their heads in shame, unable to meet Hao Jian''s gaze or respond, their hearts a mix of emotions. After lecturing them, Hao Jian turned his gaze back to Linglan. Seeing that Hao Jian was about to come at her again, Linglan quickly lowered her head in a panic, looking extremely uneasy. "You think you can handle everything yourself? You''ve got guts, don''t you? But in the end, isn''t it your brothers who die for you? Linglan, let me tell you, the world isn''t as simple as you think, it''s not enough to be full of hot blood. Get rid of that underdeveloped brain of yours. I''m giving you three days to dissolve your so-called gang, otherwise, I''ll do it for you! And if I have to step in, you won''t even have a chance to regret it!" Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Linglan turned ashen, while her gang members stood around like statues. They had just witnessed how terrifying Hao Jian could be; even Jiang Zhendong had been killed by him. If Hao Jian really decided to go after them, they were doomed. Hao Jian watched Linglan coldly and said, "Women should have the resolve to be women; squabbles and murder don''t suit you. You. Take care of yourself!" With that, Hao Jian no longer paid any attention to the stunned Linglan and turned to leave. At this moment, Chunliang, clutching his abdomen, slowly walked towards Linglan and asked hesitantly, "Sis, are you... okay?" Linglan shook her head, watching Hao Jian''s departing figure, a bitter smile playing at her lips, "He''s really angry this time." "He''s really scary when he''s angry," Chunliang agreed, still shaken. Hao Jian had always acted like a joker, but Chunliang hadn''t expected him to be this frightening when angered. Hao Jian was really angry indeed, furious at Chunliang''s recklessness and even more at Linglan''s arrogance. Linglan had actually thought she could shoulder the whole situation herself, did he, as a man, need a woman to protect him? If so, what was the difference between him and a pretty boy? To protect him, Linglan was even willing to sacrifice herself, which made Hao Jian feel deeply ashamed, as if his self-respect had been trampled. Therefore, he had to kill Jiang Zhendong, not killing him would not appease his hatred. The next day, as scheduled, Linglan and Chunliang arrived at school. That night, they had dissolved all their gang influence, resolved to be normal university students. But Hao Jian didn''t show up for class, not on the first day, nor the second, nor even the third day. Now, Linglan was truly panicking. She didn''t know if Hao Jian had left because he was disappointed in her, so she frantically searched for him, but no one knew where he had gone. From Du Yuelin, Linglan learned that Hao Jian''s status was quite special; when he came to class and what classes he attended were all decided by his mood, and their college authorities had no say in it. Thus, Linglan fell into despair. . Meanwhile, Hao Jian appeared inside Shu Ya Group, shooting the breeze with Heigui and the others. "I was saying it''s been a while since you''ve come around, we thought you''d forgotten about us," Tie Shan complained somewhat. "What are you talking about? I could never forget you guys. It''s just that I''ve been really busy lately, so I didn''t have much time to come over," Hao Jian explained with a laugh, but noticing that Old Zhang wasn''t there, he curiously asked, "Speaking of which, where''s Old Zhang? Why haven''t I seen him? It''s rare that I come back, and he doesn''t come out to greet me. Does he not consider me a brother?" Chapter 427 - 427: It is difficult to raise only women and villains "You''ve misunderstood Old Zhang, he''s been so stressed out lately because of family issues, he''s probably out searching the streets for his daughter again," Old Black said with a sigh. "Looking for his daughter? What happened?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. "She was a university student, but for some reason, she started dating some gangster. It''s said that she''s been hanging out with him in bars all day, not going to classes anymore. The teachers from the school called Old Zhang to report that his daughter hadn''t attended for several days, so Old Zhang took a few days off to go look for her," Tie Shan took over the conversation, clearly in the know. Hao Jian shook his head and gave a wry smile. "Every family has its own problems." "Nonsense, or why else would the ancients have said that only women and villains are difficult to raise?" As a new father, Tie Shan had his fair share of feelings on the matter, knowing all too well that being a parent is far from easy¡ªit takes not only patience and endurance but also a strong heart to avoid being infuriated at any moment. "That''s why I''ll never want kids in my lifetime!" Heigui said in disgust, having already experienced the terror of children through Tie Shan and Old Zhang. They were in the middle of their conversation when they heard a commotion outside, followed by the door being pushed open. Old Zhang came in, dragging a young woman in her twenties along with him, still cursing under his breath. "I really didn''t expect you to fall for such a gangster, with his flashy looks. Look at how many rings he has on his nose and ears, what does he think he is, the Bull Demon King?" "It''s the fashion. Forget it, I can''t expect someone as old-fashioned as you to understand," the girl rolled her eyes with some disdain. She was quite pretty, a bit chubby, and didn''t resemble Old Zhang much¡ªshe probably took after her mother. "Zhang Wenying, what did you say?" Old Zhang trembled with anger. "You would speak to your father like that for some gangster?" Zhang Wenying bristled at his words, "He''s not just some gangster, he''s rich, drives a BMW, and all these designer bags and jewelry I have are all bought by him. He can give me things you could never afford in your lifetime!" "You!" Old Zhang''s eyes instantly reddened with bloodshot veins, and he reached out with the intent to teach Zhang Wenying a lesson. But at that moment, a hand grabbed Old Zhang''s wrist, and he turned in surprise. When he saw Hao Jian looking at him with a smile, his own face lit up with joy. "Hao Jian, when did you get here?" He had been so angry before that he hadn''t even noticed Hao Jian was there. "I''ve been here for a while. You need to teach your child properly, don''t just resort to hitting, it will only provoke her rebellious spirit," Hao Jian said with a smile, knowing that if Old Zhang''s slap landed, it could very well sever his relationship with Zhang Wenying, effectively pushing her into the arms of that gangster. "I know, I''m just too angry. She''s not studying and instead hanging out with jobless youngsters, is that reasonable?" Old Zhang said with a heavy sigh, clearly feeling helpless about Zhang Wenying. He was not well-educated and didn''t know how to raise his children properly, so his most direct response when angry was to lash out physically. Old Zhang knew this wasn''t right, but he felt he had no other choice; he didn''t know how to make Zhang Wenying understand his genuine concern for her. "Let me talk to her, I''m a teacher," Hao Jian patted Old Zhang on the shoulder, signaling him to stay calm, then turned to Zhang Wenying, "Little sister, why aren''t you studying?" At these words, Zhang Wenying gave Hao Jian a once-over and, noticing his simple attire, she quickly dismissed him as someone like her father, sneering, "What''s it to you? Country bumpkin?" "How dare you speak like that!" Old Zhang''s nose was almost crooked with rage. Was this the obedient daughter he knew, or had she completely changed in just a few days? "Did I say something wrong? Isn''t he just a bumpkin?" Zhang Wenying laughed scornfully, disregarding the fierce look on her father''s face, "You know what? I''m sick of this life. I don''t want to end up like you all!" "Don''t want to be like us? What''s wrong with us?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "I don''t want to be a loser like you, poor and worthless!" Zhang Wenying said bluntly, her gaze filled with contempt for Hao Jian, "Someone like me is destined to be above all that. I have a handbag worth over fifty thousand, which is more than you make in a year!" "It seems your boyfriend has really changed you," Hao Jian shook his head and sighed softly. Money and vanity, the quickest ways to destroy a person, they could turn a sweet and obedient girl into a gold-digger, just as easily as they could turn a loose woman into a paragon of virtue. "Of course, Xuanye spoils me a lot! He buys me anything I want!" Zhang Wenying''s face lit up with pride as she spoke of her boyfriend. "Have you ever considered that he might just be playing with you?" Hao Jian said mockingly, thinking Zhang Wenying was truly naive. A man wouldn''t shower you with attention without reason. If he was doing so, he clearly had an ulterior motive. Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire Because a man who truly loves you would never try to win you over with a bunch of luxury goods¡ªthe only thing needed to impress a woman is sincerity! Of course, that''s assuming the woman wants sincerity and not anything else but sincerity! "Impossible, Xuanye loves me the most, he said he would love me for a lifetime!" Zhang Wenying asserted. "I mean if." "Then I don''t care, because what he has given me is something you bumpkins could never afford in your entire lives." Zhang Wenying continued to boast shamelessly, making Heigui and the others feel exceedingly humiliated. Hao Jian shook his head and turned to Old Zhang, "She''s too far gone, not even a deity could save her now." Zhang Wenying was completely captivated by the financial siege of a man named Xuanye, and at this point, no one''s advise would get through to her. It just proves an old truth, it''s difficult to teach someone to be good, but all too easy to learn bad habits. Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenying immediately became enraged, "What are you, a dead poor wretch, talking about? Trying to teach me a lesson? Come back to me when you can afford a BMW!" "BMW? Our family''s Hao Jian doesn''t even fancy Lamborghini, let alone a BMW," Tie Shan joked, as everyone in the company now knew Shu Ya was Hao Jian''s wife. Why would Hao Jian, so rich, care about a BMW? "Exactly, if Hao Jian is a pauper, then there are no poor people in this world!" The mocking smile on Heigui''s face was like looking at an idiot while facing Zhang Wenying. But Zhang Wenying snorted dismissively, unconvinced, "He''s just a teacher, how much money can he have? You''re not just poor but also uneducated. Please, do yourselves a favor and look up a teacher''s monthly income on Baidu before you talk to me!" "You!" Old Zhang puffed up his beard and glared, raising his hand as if to strike again. The reason being, in insulting Heigui and the others, Zhang Wenying had also insulted her own father, the depth of Old Zhang''s frustration was unspeakable. "Forget it, it''s useless talking to you bumpkins. I''m about to go shopping with Xuanye, he''s buying me some more designer shoes. I won''t stick around here with you all!" Like a proud hen, Zhang Wenying turned and left. "Don''t you dare leave! You must go to school tomorrow!" Old Zhang commanded Zhang Wenying, grabbing her hand. Yet Zhang Wenying impatiently shook off Old Zhang''s hand, coldly retorting, "Are you joking? Ask me to go to university? I''m about to be a wealthy lady, why would I need university? Are you sick in the head?" Now that she was with such a wealthy man who had vowed to marry her, did she really need to bother with university? "You. You." Old Zhang trembled as he pointed at Zhang Wenying, but his rage left him speechless. "Don''t bother looking for me in the future. Xuanye is not very good-tempered. He spared you this time because Xuanye and I pleaded for you, but you might not be so lucky next time!" Zhang Wenying warned her father, then turned and left without looking back. "You''re not allowed to go!" Old Zhang, furious, made to chase after her but was pulled back by Hao Jian. "What''s the use? Even if you drag her back, can you lock her up forever?" "But I can''t just watch her jump into a fire pit!" "She needs to be hurt to learn the pain, how else would she know the complexity of human nature?" Hao Jian shook his head, "Let her go. It''s her own path. You can''t walk it for her, nor can you change her destiny!" "This. Sigh!" Old Zhang stomped in frustration, helpless as the saying goes, a grown child can''t be controlled by their parents, a saying filled with the wisdom of the ancients. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then, Hao Jian and the others sat down to drink with Old Zhang, trying to console him. During this time, however, Hao Jian noticed that Old Zhang''s hand kept pressing on his abdomen and a pained expression would occasionally cross his face. "What''s wrong with your stomach?" Hao Jian hurriedly inquired. Upon hearing this, Old Zhang lifted his shirt to reveal a large bruise, expressionless, "I got beaten up by that girl''s man when I went to find her. He wouldn''t let me take her away." "Beating your future father-in-law, is there no law left?" Heigui shouted angrily. This was too much, not only did he take someone''s daughter, but he also resorted to violence? Hao Jian also couldn''t help but frown. To lay hands on Old Zhang, an elderly man over fifty, indicated that this so-called Xuanye had to be scum. Furthermore, his act of hitting Old Zhang meant that he never considered Old Zhang as his future father-in-law, not to mention any serious intention of marrying Zhang Wenying. Hao Jian fell silent, then pulled out his phone to call Spice Ginger, "Find someone for me, his name is Xuanye, don''t know his last name, he''s been hanging around with a Westwind University student named Zhang Wenying. Once you find him, don''t touch him, just inform me!" Chapter 428 - 428 Su Yuqing At this moment, Old Black and the others were all staring in astonishment. Was Hao Jian planning to make a move on that Xuanye guy? Old Zhang was also bewildered and asked, "Didn''t you say to just let her be?" "Yeah, I can stay out of your daughter''s business, but it''s unacceptable if he hits you!" Hao Jian slammed his hand on the table and stood up, "Can anyone just upset a brother of mine, Hao Jian, whenever they want?" "Do you... do you really consider me a brother?" Old Zhang was so moved that he was in tears. He knew that he was worlds apart from Hao Jian. Hao Jian was a privileged elite, while he was just an ordinary person. What right did he have to call Hao Jian ''brother''? "Nonsense, since when do you need qualifications to be brothers? A person''s status may vary, but human dignity is not to be differentiated!" Hao Jian''s gaze was intense as he looked at Old Zhang. That''s just the kind of person he was; if he liked someone, even a beggar from the streets could become his brother. Hao Jian patted Old Zhang, who was too emotional to compose himself, on the shoulder, "Don''t think too much, leave this matter to me." "Alright!" Old Zhang nodded firmly. Hao Jian left the security room to find Shu Ya, but as he was waiting for the elevator, he saw two women approaching. One of the women was dressed fashionably, pretty and sporting toad sunglasses, carrying herself with an air of arrogance. The woman by her side seemed to be her assistant, even pressing the elevator button for her. When they noticed Hao Jian looking at them, both women showed a hint of scorn; first, because Hao Jian was too casually dressed for such a large corporation and second, because they felt superior in their own status and simply did not take Hao Jian seriously. Hao Jian didn''t mind and just glanced at them briefly before looking away. Ding! At that moment, the elevator arrived, and the two women walked in first, with Hao Jian quickly following. "What are you doing?" The assistant saw Hao Jian trying to take the same elevator as them and immediately shouted at him in objection. "Riding the elevator," Hao Jian said, looking unimpressed. Wasn''t that obvious? The assistant burst into laughter out of anger and demanded, "What makes you think a construction worker like you is qualified to share an elevator with us?" At this comment, the toad-sunglass-wearing beauty also revealed a sneer, clearly agreeing with her assistant. Startled by the comment, Hao Jian then laughed, "Is there a rank or status for taking an elevator now?" "Of course, there is. How can Miss Su Yuqing, of such a distinguished status, share an elevator with a peasant worker like you? If you''re wise, you''ll wait for the next one," the assistant said arrogantly. "Wow, Su Yuqing, eh? Never heard of her," Hao Jian exaggeratedly exclaimed before his expression immediately shifted to one of indifference. "You!" Su Yuqing was furious. She glared at Hao Jian and spat out coldly, "You must be blind, not recognizing me!" Su Yuqing was a second-tier celebrity who had recently risen to fame after playing the second lead in a TV drama and gaining widespread attention, thus obtaining a bit of fame. Her visit to the Shu Ya Group was mainly to discuss a potential advertisement collaboration. Of course, it wasn''t Shu Ya Group who invited Su Yuqing; the group was so wealthy, it had no need for such second-tier celebrities. The real reason was the boss of Su Yuqing''s agency had some connections with Shu Ya and wanted to promote Su Yuqing using Shu Ya''s brand relationship. The simple reason was that Su Yuqing was the boss''s mistress. Because of the friendship, Shu Ya had no choice but to agree. Su Yuqing thought that Hao Jian ought to recognize her, but she had overestimated him. Hao Jian, that guy, didn''t even recognize the diva Su Xinya, let alone a second-tier starlet like Su Yuqing. "If I recognized you, that would be the real blindness," Hao Jian mocked. "You... you just wait!" Su Yuqing pointed at Hao Jian, her delicate frame shaking slightly. Ever since she debuted, she had been treated like a star and had never been insulted this way. Hao Jian, a mere construction worker, dared to speak to her like that? Seeing Su Yuqing''s anger, her assistant became indignant too and scolded, "Do you even know that Miss Su Yuqing was invited by your group''s Chairman to shoot an advertisement? You dare to insult her with your words; it looks like you don''t want to work here anymore!" "Our Chairman is wise; he would never fire me over some third-rate fans we don''t even know about," Hao Jian retorted with a sneer. What did it matter if she was a star? He was Shu Ya''s boyfriend! "Who are you calling a third-rate star? Say it one more time if you dare!" Su Yuqing was enraged, she had gained a certain level of fame, and Hao Jian dared to call her a third-rate star? "Miss Yuqing, there''s no need to stoop to arguing with this yokel. Let''s report him to Chairman Shu Ya once we''re upstairs and get him fired!" The assistant tried to calm Su Yuqing while giving Hao Jian a fierce glare. Su Yuqing pointed aggressively at Hao Jian, "Just you wait. If I don''t get you kicked out of this company, I''ll take your surname!" With that, Su Yuqing furiously pressed the elevator button and headed upstairs. "It''s like there are weirdos every year, but this year there seem to be especially many." Hao Jian couldn''t help but touch his nose, somewhat at a loss for words. Immediately, he headed for the stairway. He didn''t want to waste any more time waiting for the elevator, so he might as well take the stairs for some exercise. Su Yuqing and her assistant came out of the elevator, puffing with anger, but as soon as they exited, they saw Hao Jian in front of them. Both were taken aback. How did Hao Jian get up here? Even if he took another elevator after them, he couldn''t have arrived at the same time, right? Could it be that this guy climbed the stairs? But that''s impossible, this is the twenty-first floor. Even if Hao Jian were fast, he couldn''t be faster than the elevator, right? Hao Jian swept a disdainful glance over Su Yuqing and the others, then walked into Shu Ya''s office. Su Yuqing was left dumbstruck. What did Hao Jian''s glance mean? He actually dared to look down on her? What right did this country bumpkin have to disdain her? She was a celebrity, after all! With this thought, Su Yuqing''s anger grew. She strode into the office, determined that if she didn''t get Hao Jian kicked out of Shu Ya Group today, she wouldn''t call herself Su Yuqing! "Wife, are you busy?" Hao Jian entered with a smile plastered all over his face, looking at Shu Ya. Shu Ya, who was busy reviewing documents, looked up with surprise, "Why are you so free to visit me today?" "I missed you!" Hao Jian said with a chuckle. Shu Ya pretended to be annoyed and rolled her eyes at Hao Jian, not in a good mood, "What nonsense. Didn''t we just see each other this morning?" "But I miss you again now," Hao Jian said, his tone slippery. "Stop with your slick talk! What did you really come for?" Shu Ya''s cheeks flushed. Even though she and Hao Jian were already married, she still felt shy in the face of his teasing. "I really just came to see you, by the way, I ran into someone named Su Yuqing on the way up, do you know her?" Hao Jian asked. "Su Yuqing? What, you''re thinking of hitting on her?" Shu Ya''s brow furrowed immediately, her voice tinged with wariness. No wonder this guy was so smarmy today¡ªhe was clearly up to something. "Hit on her? What a joke, I wouldn''t want a woman like her even if she were offered to me for free!" Hao Jian scoffed. He wasn''t that low-level. Now it was Shu Ya who was puzzled, "How did she offend you?" "She said in the elevator that I was a construction worker, a country bumpkin, and didn''t have the right to share an elevator with her. I insulted her a few times, and now she''s coming up to tell on me to you," Hao Jian explained. "What?" Shu Ya''s face showed displeasure. She was quite protective when it came to her own people. Su Yuqing calling her husband a country bumpkin was like indirectly insulting her too¡ªbecause she had married a country bumpkin! "Why didn''t you tell her you''re my husband?" "If I told her I was your husband, how would I be able to enjoy her shocked expression later? Besides, even if I did tell her, she might not believe me. After all, I''m just a country bumpkin construction worker," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Is Chairman Shu Ya in?" At that moment, the voice of Su Yuqing''s secretary came from the door. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire "Come in!" Su Yuqing said, her face looking rather displeased at the moment. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Suddenly, the high-and-mighty Su Yuqing walked in, her expression icy, "Chairman Shu Ya, I want to terminate my contract! I can''t continue to endorse your group anymore!" Su Yuqing went for a preemptive strike, thinking that Shu Ya would surely ask why. Then she could accuse Hao Jian of his wrongdoings and get him fired by Shu Ya! Su Yuqing was quite scheming herself, so she quickly figured out a plan. If she just went back like this, Shu Ya wouldn''t have a way to explain it to their boss, and she didn''t believe Shu Ya would offend their boss over some country bumpkin. "Oh, okay! I''ll have my secretary discuss it with you later!" To Su Yuqing''s expectation, Shu Ya didn''t inquire further but simply agreed to her request. Shu Ya knew exactly what Su Yuqing was up to, and she deliberately didn''t ask, just to stifle Su Yuqing! Sure enough, upon hearing Shu Ya''s response, Su Yuqing and her companion were completely dumbfounded. Su Yuqing looked at Shu Ya incredulously, "You, you''re just agreeing like that?" "If you want to terminate the contract, what''s there for me to disagree with? Considering that I am friends with your boss, I won''t even ask for the penalty fee!" Shu Ya said with a sneer, looking at Su Yuqing as if she were an idiot. "Don''t you want to know why I want to terminate the contract?" Su Yuqing was at a loss for words. Things were not going as she had imagined. After a moment of reflection, Shu Ya shook her head, "No, I don''t!" "..." Su Yuqing was left speechless. Could you have a bit more personality? Su Yuqing felt like crying but had no tears. It had been a struggle to get this opportunity, which meant a lot to her visibility. If Shu Ya truly didn''t need her, then she would no doubt lose out on a lot. Chapter 429 - 429: Hes My Husband! "Chairman Shu, actually, what happened was this construction worker from god-knows-where offended Miss Su Yuqing in the elevator, so that''s why she was so angry," Su Yuqing''s secretary hurried out to salvage the situation. She was terrified of really missing this opportunity, because if Su Yuqing was finished, she wouldn''t be spared either. "A construction worker? You mean him?" Shu Ya pointed at Hao Jian and asked the assistant. "Yes, yes, yes, that''s him!" The assistant hadn''t realized Shu Ya''s face was gradually darkening and nodded emphatically in agreement. "Do you know who he is?" Shu Ya asked gravely. "Him? Isn''t he just a construction worker?" The assistant was stupefied. "Ha, a construction worker, he is my husband!" Shu Ya declared sternly. "What?" Su Yuqing and her secretary''s faces turned pale in an instant. This man dressed like a construction worker was actually the husband of Hua City''s business queen? There had always been rumors about Shu Ya''s husband, who was said to be an extraordinary figure, even the Four Young Masters of Hua City had to look up to him. But Su Yuqing had never expected that this plainly dressed man was her husband? "Can''t you buy some proper clothes? Always being looked down upon like this has made me lose face too," Shu Ya grumbled. "What''s the use of dressing up? Isn''t it just a case of ''all that glitters is not gold''?" Hao Jian chuckled coldly, his gaze fixed on Su Yuqing, obviously mocking her. Shu Ya helplessly shook her head, then turned to look at Su Yuqing and her secretary, who were practically petrified, and scoffed coldly, "Miss Su Yuqing, you really think highly of yourself, don''t you? I pay you to shoot advertisements, yet you insult my husband in my group''s building and deny him the elevator. It makes me wonder, is this your group or mine?" "Of... Of course, it''s your group," Su Yuqing said stiffly, already realizing she had made a grave mistake. "Oh, so it is my group," Shu Ya pretended to have an epiphany, "then what gives you the right to boss people around in my group? You''re still a B-list celebrity and you''re already so arrogant. If you actually became famous, wouldn''t you even look down on Boss Sun?" The Boss Sun mentioned by Shu Ya was naturally the boss of Su Yuqing''s entertainment company. The moment Su Yuqing heard this, her legs went weak. If Boss Sun found out she had been throwing her weight around in Shu Ya Group and offended the one person she should never have, she might very well be permanently sidelined. "Chairman Shu, I realize my mistake, please don''t tell our boss about what happened today. Otherwise, I''m ruined!" Su Yuqing pleaded, dropping to her knees before Shu Ya, a pitiful sight in contrast to her previous haughty demeanor. Her career had just started to take off. If she were to be sidelined now, all her previous efforts would be in vain. "I won''t actively call Boss Sun, but if he asks, I won''t hide the truth. And as for the role as the image spokesperson for our group, you don''t fit the bill, so the contract is null and void. Now, you can get lost!" said Shu Ya unceremoniously. Shu Ya had no liking for the holier-than-thou attitude of this green tea bitch like Su Yuqing. If she didn''t make her realize her mistake, Su Yuqing would never know how vast the world is. In a flash, Su Yuqing''s face turned ashen. Cancelling her role as a spokesperson was the same as indirectly signaling to her boss that she had offended Shu Ya, wasn''t it? "Chairman Shu, please give me another chance!" Su Yuqing begged tearfully. But Shu Ya was unmoved, "If you don''t leave now, I''ll have to call security." Su Yuqing was now beyond tears, looking at Shu Ya''s cold face, she felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet to her crown. "Let''s go, Miss Su Yuqing." Su Yuqing''s secretary quickly helped her up, her expression not much better, because she knew Su Yuqing was definitely finished. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire She could also tell that no matter how much Su Yuqing pleaded, Shu Ya wouldn''t pay her any attention. Instead of wasting more time there, it was better to leave earlier. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Su Yuqing''s tears gushed uncontrollably like a breached lake, her complex gaze flickered to Hao Jian for a moment before she left with a heart full of grievances. She couldn''t understand how a seemingly guaranteed opportunity for fame had slipped through her fingers just like that. At this moment, she regretted her actions so much that she felt sick. She walked out of Shu Ya''s office, lost and helpless, and left the Shu Ya Group. What lay before her was an endless sidelining of her career, and her dreams of stardom came to a definitive end¡ªall because she had offended a man named Hao Jian! After Su Yuqing left, Shu Ya finally turned around and said to Hao Jian, "Get your things ready tonight, You''re coming with me to France on a business trip!" "To France? What for?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. "Yuan Shanshan''s jewelry design won the championship at the Goldsmith Jewelry Design Competition. We''re going to accompany her to France to accept the award and take the opportunity to promote our group as well as discuss cooperation prospects with local entrepreneurs," Shu Ya explained. "The Goldsmith Jewelry Design Competition? That''s quite impressive. It''s known as the Oscars of the jewelry world. This girl has finally made her mark," Hao Jian said, happy for Yuan Shanshan. Her hard times were finally over. "She''s impressive? I think you''re the impressive one. Don''t think I don''t know¡ªshe told me her inspiration came from you!" Shu Ya said with a sneer. Hao Jian scratched his head sheepishly, "I just blabbered a bit; it was mainly her own design, wasn''t it?" Shu Ya gave Hao Jian an exasperated look and then laughed helplessly, "You... I really don''t know what to say about you. A casual remark from you can turn into a brilliant idea. The foreign media praised Yuan Shanshan''s work as bold and delicate, daring to use a niche concept like ''mother'' as a design theme, and using gold, considered a low-end material, to create eye-catching and heartwarming jewelry. If they knew that the idea actually came from someone else, I wonder what they would think." "Don''t, please don''t. I have no desire for fame. Let her keep the credit," Hao Jian said, waving his hands dismissively. He was already famous enough lately and really didn''t want to be more so. "Even if you wanted the fame, I wouldn''t allow it. Having the reputation attributed to Yuan Shanshan benefits our group more. After all, she is our designer, and her ability to create such remarkable jewelry will surely be seen as related to the cultivation she received from our group. In such circumstances, our group''s notoriety will also rise," Shu Ya stated, her mindset always on business and profit. Compared to Hao Jian, Yuan Shanshan, a designer at Shu Ya Group, needed the fame even more. "Since it''s just about receiving an award, wouldn''t it be fine for just you to go? There''s no need to drag me along, right?" Hao Jian said reluctantly. What could he possibly do there? Then, a mischievous smile crossed Hao Jian''s face as he thought of something, "Wife, you''re not already used to having me by your side and can''t bear to leave me, are you?" "Haha," Shu Ya scoffed twice, looking at Hao Jian as if he were a monkey, "I''m just worried that by the time I return home, there will suddenly be a second, third, fourth, fifth, and even sixth or seventh mistress!" Hao Jian''s face turned dark. ... Leaving Shu Ya''s office, Hao Jian realized he hadn''t visited Yuan Shanshan in a while and decided to swing by her department. It was lunchtime at the moment, and all the employees had gone out to eat, leaving the design department deserted. Hao Jian smacked his forehead, thinking he was foolish for not considering that Yuan Shanshan would be out for lunch as well, and his trip here seemed to have been in vain. Hao Jian was about to leave when he suddenly heard arguing from the head of the department''s office. Now that Yuan Shanshan was the head, it was naturally her inside, but there was also a man''s voice. "Young Master Dong, I''ve made it very clear, there''s no possibility between you and me!" Inside the office, Yuan Shanshan faced a handsome young man with anger on her beautiful face. She was gradually losing her patience with his persistent entanglements. "Shanshan, why won''t you accept me? You are talented, and I am wealthy. If we joined forces, we could definitely launch a business even more splendid than Shu Ya Group!" Dong Xingui pleaded earnestly, unable to understand why Yuan Shanshan would not accept him. He had the looks and the wealth, and many coveted a place by his side but never caught his eye. Dong Xingui was an overseas returnee and the son of a shareholder in the company. Thanks to his outstanding performance and his father''s backing, he had climbed up to a directorial position soon after joining the company. A while back, he had a chance encounter with Yuan Shanshan and fell for her at first sight, launching a vigorous pursuit since then. But regardless of his efforts, Yuan Shanshan felt nothing for him, and thus she never responded. During the lunch break, when all the employees were out, Dong Xingui came to bother her again. Dong Xingui was determined to win Yuan Shanshan over, not only because she was beautiful but also extremely competent. This time she even won the Oscars of jewelry design; with this title alone, she could live worry-free for a lifetime. If he could marry Yuan Shanshan, Dong Xingui could use her fame to start a new jewelry business, and possibly surpass the Shu Ya Group in the future. Hao Jian, listening intently outside the door, couldn''t help but reveal a cold smile on his lips. Yuan Shanshan could be said to be his protegee. Dong Xingui thought he could just poach her? What did he think he was? But Hao Jian didn''t step in immediately because he wanted to hear Yuan Shanshan''s answer. If she planned to go with Dong Xingui, there was nothing more to be said. Fortunately, Yuan Shanshan was not swayed by Dong Xingui and rebuffed him with a sneer, "Even without you, I can make my way to the top on my own!" Chapter 430 - 430: Just 10 Billion Then Yuan Shanshan had never relied on a man, which was why she worked hard despite coming from difficult circumstances, unlike some women who sought out wealthy men to support them. Yuan Shanshan had strong self-respect. She disliked depending on others, just as she had in the past and still did now. "Shanshan, why won''t you give us a chance?" Dong Xingui was getting angry. Even if Yuan Shanshan rejected him, she should at least give him a reason, shouldn''t she? Yuan Shanshan didn''t even give him the chance to try and just outright rejected him, which was something the proud Dong Xingui couldn''t tolerate. "How can I give you a chance when I have absolutely no feelings for you?" Yuan Shanshan said innocently. With no feelings for him, how was she supposed to give him a chance? Heard this, Dong Xingui''s expression stiffened, then he looked at Yuan Shanshan with a dangerous glint in his eyes, "Yuan Shanshan, don''t be ungrateful. I''ve done so much for you, and yet you don''t show me any respect. Don''t you know my dad is a shareholder of the group?" Dong Xingui had also lost his patience. Yuan Shanshan''s words were basically a slap to his face, openly stating that she looked down on him. Seeing Dong Xingui''s change of face, Yuan Shanshan decided she wouldn''t show any courtesy either, retorting coldly, "I know your dad is a shareholder, so what? You want him to fire me? Do you think the Chairman would agree to that?" Now the Shu Ya Group was fully managed by Shu Ya, who had been promoted from the original President to Chairman. Considering Shu Ya''s high regard for her, Yuan Shanshan didn''t believe Shu Ya would fire her. Did Dong Xingui still think she was the same naive girl who had just joined the company? Dong Xingui scoffed and said, "Don''t be too confident. Though you have the Chairman''s support, this group isn''t controlled by just one person; there are many other shareholders. I have plenty of money. Designers like you can be replaced if I''m willing to pay the price. If I spend a little money to find someone to replace you, I don''t believe they won''t show me this favor." "The champion of the Goldsmith Jewelry Design Competition? I just happen to know two of them. As long as I can afford them, they can join Shu Ya Group anytime. I think two people can surely replace you, right?" "You''re despicable!" Yuan Shanshan glared at Dong Xingui furiously, her pretty face changing color. She never expected Dong Xingui to stoop so low, to go to such lengths just to coerce her into compliance, being so utterly petty. "I''m despicable, but it''s all because I like you, Shanshan. Give me one more chance!" Dong Xingui''s expression changed abruptly as he pleaded with Yuan Shanshan, appearing utterly infatuated. This tactic of combining soft and hard approaches rarely failed with women. But he overlooked one thing: Yuan Shanshan''s heart already belonged to someone else, so she had no intention of entertaining him. Hearing Dong Xingui say such shameless words, Yuan Shanshan trembled with anger and pointed straight at the exit, "Get out! Get out of here!" Upon hearing this, a defiant look crossed Dong Xingui''s brows, "Yuan Shanshan, you''re choosing to face the consequences instead of acknowledging the toast!" "I''d rather quit this job than let you have your way. You want me to be your girlfriend? In your dreams!" Yuan Shanshan rebuked. "Fine, fine, fine. Just wait. I won''t let this go. I''m not only going to have you fired, but I''ll also drag you to court!" Dong Xingui sneered, "Imagine what would happen if the jewelry you designed disappeared overnight, and you as the manager couldn''t explain what happened?" "What... what do you want?" Yuan Shanshan''s gaze turned wary as she looked at Dong Xingui. Was this guy planning to frame her? "Yuan Shanshan, don''t think you''re so important just because you''ve become a manager. You''re still too naive for this wicked workplace!" Dong Xingui sneered sinisterly. Yuan Shanshan fell utterly silent, her delicate eyebrows locked tight in distress. "Now, you only have two choices: be with me or end up in jail with a theft charge!" Dong Xingui revealed a cunning grin, a sharp contrast to the warmer, more refined demeanor he had shown earlier. Clearly, this man was the epitome of a wolf in sheep''s clothing. "Applause." Just then, the door opened. Hao Jian walked in, clapping his hands and smiling at Dong Xingui, "Well, well, well, I''ve seen many shameless people, but someone as shameless as you is truly a first for me!" "Hao Jian!" Seeing Hao Jian''s arrival, Yuan Shanshan immediately lit up with joy and rushed to greet him. She hadn''t seen Hao Jian for some time and was deeply concerned about him. At that moment, Yuan Shanshan was also very excited because each time Hao Jian would appear just when she needed help the most, helping her out of a tough spot. This time was no exception. She had just been wishing for Hao Jian to be there to deal with Dong Xingui when he actually showed up, leading her to wonder if it was a case of telepathy. Without thinking, Yuan Shanshan took Hao Jian''s arm, an indication of their closeness. Seeing Yuan Shanshan act so intimately, Dong Xingui was about to explode with rage. The woman he had long coveted was throwing herself into another man''s arms. And looking at that man''s attire, so out of style, how could he compare with Dong Xingui himself? Why couldn''t Yuan Shanshan see his worth? Dong Xingui was at a loss for words. Yuan Shanshan, standing beside Hao Jian, looked completely infatuated, her eyes shimmering, her face bearing a strange smile, as if she couldn''t wait to swallow Hao Jian whole. This was entirely different from her usual icy demeanor when facing him. A nameless jealousy flared up in Dong Xingui''s heart. He took a step forward and demanded of Hao Jian, "Who the hell are you?" "Who is he? He''s," Yuan Shanshan said with a cold smile, about to reveal Hao Jian''s identity, but he stopped her. "Me? Aren''t I just Yuan Shanshan''s boyfriend?" Hao Jian said with an amused smile. When she heard him say that, Yuan Shanshan''s cheeks blushed, and she shyly lowered her head, yet she did not object. Seeing this, Dong Xingui was steaming mad. Shy my foot! You whore! "I heard what you said just now. It seems you''re interested in my girlfriend?" Hao Jian asked Dong Xingui with a cold smile, as Dong Xingui''s face gradually turned a shade of iron blue. Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire "So what if I am?" Dong Xingui frowned slightly, his words tinged with resentment. He had initially thought Yuan Shanshan was a chaste young woman, but now it seemed she might be someone else''s cast-off. "Oh, digging away at someone''s corner and still so righteous?" Hao Jian was amused by Dong Xingui''s audacity. Dong Xingui couldn''t be bothered with Hao Jian and said sarcastically to Yuan Shanshan, "Yuan Shanshan, this is your boyfriend? Your taste is pretty awful, huh? Passing up a future as bright as mine as a director, to be with a laborer who''ll never see the light of day? Looking at him, I bet he''s just some lowly office worker, right?" "I like it, what''s it to you?" Yuan Shanshan scoffed, "I''d rather be with a laborer than with a so-called ''cultured'' scumbag like you." "You sure have an admirable spirit. I just wonder if your boyfriend here shares the same sentiment." Dong Xingui turned his head to look at Hao Jian, "Name your price, how much to let her go?" S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Even though Dong Xingui no longer saw Yuan Shanshan as pure, her talents were still highly regarded by him. Getting Yuan Shanshan was like getting a free worker¡ªwhy not? But Dong Xingui no longer wanted to marry Yuan Shanshan; he just wanted her as a lover. In his view, a tainted woman like her did not deserve to be his wife. "Really?" Hao Jian asked with feigned surprise, his eyes seemingly shining with gold. "You." Seeing Hao Jian react like this, Yuan Shanshan herself was taken aback. Was this guy really planning to sell her off? Seeing Hao Jian''s money-grubbing appearance, Dong Xingui couldn''t help but sneer as well, thinking: A penniless fool just can''t resist even the slightest temptation. "Of course, it''s real. Just name your price!" Dong Xingui said, feigning generosity, wanting Yuan Shanshan to see just how trashy her boyfriend was. "My demands aren''t that high, so let''s just say a casual ten billion," Hao Jian said nonchalantly, throwing out that astronomical figure. "What? Ten billion? Are you out of your mind?" Dong Xingui erupted upon hearing Hao Jian''s outrageous demand. Ten billion? His entire family''s assets combined didn''t amount to that much, and Hao Jian had the audacity to ask for such a price? Dong Xingui had thought he could settle Hao Jian, a country bumpkin, with a few million, at most ten million. But he had not expected Hao Jian to ask for a hundred times more! Pfft! Yuan Shanshan couldn''t help but burst into laughter. Initially, she really thought Hao Jian was going to sell her, but it turned out he was just playing Dong Xingui for a fool. If she were really worth ten billion, she wouldn''t have waited for Hao Jian to speak up; she would have sold herself off. Seeing this, Dong Xingui''s face turned green too, and he glared at Hao Jian, growling every word, "Are you fucking toying with me?" "Ah, the kind of person I hate the most is someone like you, always acting all high and mighty, asking others to name their price. When someone really does, you complain it''s too expensive. Just say you''re broke and stop pretending to be a big spender." Dong Xingui felt like vomiting blood. Even if he was rich, he couldn''t possibly spend his entire fortune to marry a ''usedÉÌÆ·,'' could he? It was clearly you who set the wrong price, okay? Chapter 431 - 431 Do I Look Like an Idiot? One hundred billion? Even a celestial being could be bought with that, let alone a woman? Although I told you to name your price, that doesn''t mean you should just blurt out any absurd number, okay? "He can''t afford it, but I can. Work well here, and I''ll give you one hundred billion, paid in installments!" Hao Jian declared with grandiose generosity. Meanwhile, Yuan Shanshan was rolling her eyes because she knew Hao Jian was talking about a salary! Damn, it''s the Chairman of Shu Ya Group who pays my salary, okay? How dare you take credit for this? Have you no shame? How can you have the face to say that? And Dong Xingui was so amused that he said, "If you have one hundred billion, I''ll chop off my head and give it to you!" "What would I want with your head? Use it as a soccer ball?" Hao Jian scoffed disdainfully. "You... which department are you from? Do you still want to keep working here?" Dong Xingui glared and lost his patience, commanding Hao Jian, "Be smart and take ten million to get lost immediately. Otherwise, I''ll have you pack up and leave for good!" Ten million, that was the only bargaining chip he could accept. "How about I give you a choice instead, give me one billion, and you can continue to stay in this company, otherwise you''ll have to pack up and leave." Hao Jian said with a smirk as he looked at Dong Xingui. "What? Are you trying to make me laugh?" Dong Xingui was stunned, Hao Jian actually suggested that he wouldn''t be able to stay in this company? How dare an insignificant employee talk to him, a director, like that? Dong Xingui had not been with the company for very long and didn''t know that Hao Jian was the Chairman''s husband. Seeing his simple clothes, he had taken him for just another low-level employee. "You don''t believe what I''m saying?" Hao Jian feigned surprise but looked at Dong Xingui with the eyes one reserves for an idiot, enjoying the sensation of seeing someone else act arrogantly and then knocking them down a peg. "Believe, I believe my ass!" Dong Xingui roared with a contemptuous expression, "Ha, no ability, but the bravado is certainly big." But just as Dong Xingui finished speaking, footsteps were heard from outside; the employees who had gone out for lunch were returning. Upon seeing Hao Jian there, each of the employees approached him with tense expressions and then bowed their heads in unison, "Mr. Hao Jian!" Seeing this, Dong Xingui was dumbfounded. Why were these employees greeting Hao Jian before him? Were they blind? Thinking this, Dong Xingui was instantly enraged, "Are you blind?" "Ah? Director Dong, you''re here too." Only then did the employees notice Dong Xingui and greeted him. Dong Xingui''s face darkened; only after he reminded them did these fools realize something that for Dong Xingui was a blatant insult. It really wasn''t their fault; between the Chairman''s husband and Dong Xingui, they naturally greeted the Chairman''s husband first. "You all know this man?" Dong Xingui asked the employees, looking at their reaction it seemed as if they recognized Hao Jian. The employees exchanged glances, all of them with a puzzled and confused expression. Was Dong Xingui playing a joke on them? Hao Jian was the Chairman''s husband, how could they not recognize him? They had thought Dong Xingui would surely know him as well. "I''m talking to you all, have you all suddenly become mute?" Dong Xingui was getting angry seeing these employees silent. "They haven''t become mute, they just find your question laughable," Hao Jian said with a slight smile, then turned to the employees, "Tell him, who am I?" At that moment, a female employee stepped forward and explained to Dong Xingui, "This is our Chairman''s husband, Mr. Hao Jian." "The Chairman''s husband?" Hearing this, Dong Xingui''s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Was this guy really Shu Ya''s husband? The man who with his own strength turned the tide and saved the entire group? Dong Xingui was like a man who had seen a ghost, scrutinizing Hao Jian up and down, his shock escalating beyond measure. Wasn''t it said that the Chairman''s husband rarely came to the company? Why then was he here? Quickly, Dong Xingui''s complexion turned green with the realization that he had dared to challenge the Chairman''s husband. Wasn''t that simply courting death? Because Dong Xingui knew that Hao Jian was even more formidable than Chairman Shu Ya, for he had once merely said a word and made the business tycoon Xu Donghe cough up twenty billion to help Shu Ya Group go public. Although Hao Jian had no actual power within the group, everyone inside knew he was wealthier than Shu Ya. Dong Xingui felt like crying; this fellow had such a beautiful and capable wife as Chairman Shu Ya, so why did he go after Yuan Shanshan, a department head? Wasn''t that bullying? How were they, the others, supposed to live? However, Dong Xingui also understood why Yuan Shanshan had rejected him, it turned out she had already been involved with Hao Jian. If that was the case, why didn''t you say so sooner? If I had known earlier, I wouldn''t have dared to harbor any inappropriate thoughts towards you even if I had the gall of a leopard. "Now do you believe I have one hundred billion?" Hao Jian chuckled, teasingly speaking. "Mr. Hao Jian, there seems to be some misunderstanding here, I didn''t know it was you earlier," Dong Xingui hurriedly laughed and tried to appease him. In front of Hao Jian, he dared not be arrogant because he had no capital for arrogance. Previously, several major shareholders in the group had been crushed by Hao Jian, let alone a newcomer like him. "Are you apologizing to me?" Hao Jian asked, feigning confusion. "Yes, I was reckless, please forgive me." Dong Xingui hurriedly nodded, then bowed deeply to Hao Jian in front of everyone. The employees were all stunned, as they didn''t know what had happened in advance and why Dong Xingui was apologizing to Hao Jian. "Oh, so that''s what this is about." Hao Jian said meaningfully as he glanced at Dong Xingui, then took a step forward, approached Dong Xingui, and without any courtesy, slapped him right across the face. "Slap!" A crisp slap landed on Dong Xingui''s face, sending him staggering almost to the point of falling to the ground. Several teeth fell from the corner of his mouth in an instant, and Dong Xingui looked up at Hao Jian in disbelief: "Mr. Hao Jian, you..." Dong Xingui never expected that after he had already apologized, Hao Jian would still strike him. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire "Sorry, I don''t think I can forgive you. Let me tell you something, not every ''sorry'' can be met with ''it''s okay''. The way you mocked me just now, it made me very angry," Hao Jian said seriously, then patted Dong Xingui''s shoulder: "So, I want to make you angry too!" "Slap!" Another backhanded slap, and this time Dong Xingui staggered in the opposite direction, losing several more teeth. The employees were dumbfounded, seeing the big bully Hao Jian beginning to pick on someone again. He had already driven away many senior executives, and now his target was set on Dong Xingui. However, they felt no pity for Dong Xingui, as he usually relied on his father being a shareholder of the company and on having some achievements of his own. He constantly exploited them, assigning all the dirty and tiring tasks to them, while he did nothing. The hard work was theirs, the credit his, so they had long harbored a dislike for Dong Xingui. Seeing him being taught a lesson by Hao Jian now, they couldn''t contain their glee. Dong Xingui''s face turned ashen with shame and rage. In all his life, even his father had never hit him like this. But this was not the most humiliating part. The worst came when Hao Jian stepped forward, wiped his hand on Dong Xingui''s clothes as if cleaning it, and sneered, "Pay up, one billion, or get out of the company!" "I don''t have that much money," Dong Xingui, his face ashen, uttered through gritted teeth, suppressing the fury within him. "No money? So you''re planning to pack up and scram?" Hao Jian wasn''t buying his act. "No, it''s because I''ve just started working and don''t have much in terms of savings," Dong Xingui pleaded. "I only have thirty million. How about I give you that first, and then the rest later?" If his father found out he had offended Hao Jian, he''d probably be beaten to a pulp when he got home. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian pointed to his own face, "See this face?" "Ah? Yes, I see it," Dong Xingui uttered, confused by Hao Jian''s intentions. "Handsome, isn''t it?" "Huh? This... Yes, handsome!" Dong Xingui was utterly baffled. Was this guy here to joke around? "Slap!" Hao Jian slapped him again and scolded, "Hesitated for three seconds, and you dare question my good looks?" "Pfft." Yuan Shanshan and the others couldn''t help but laugh. Hao Jian was obviously just looking for an excuse to mess with him. Dong Xingui felt his face burning, not with pain, but with embarrassment. As Director, to be publicly disciplined like this, Dong Xingui wished he could die. "Now look at my face again. Do I look like an idiot?" Hao Jian asked again. "No!" This time, Dong Xingui did not dare hesitate and quickly shook his head to avoid being hit again. But, as it turned out, he was still too na?ve; Hao Jian''s hand swung back for another slap. "Since I don''t look like one, how dare you give me that look?" Hao Jian said with an angry laugh, thinking that he couldn''t be sure if Dong Xingui would pay up later. It was only real when the money was in his hands. "So what do you want me to do?" Dong Xingui asked, his face darkening. He knew that without meeting Hao Jian''s demands, Hao Jian would never let things slide. "Is that even a question? Call your dad right now and have him bring the money!" Hao Jian commanded. "Isn''t that a bit too much?" Dong Xingui said with a wry smile, thinking how embarrassing it was to call his parents over a problem like this. "Too much? Would getting fired by me be better? Cut the crap; if I don''t see the money in half an hour, get ready to write your resignation letter!" Hao Jian retorted coldly. Left with no alternative, Dong Xingui gritted his teeth and called his father. Within minutes of the call, Dong Wantong arrived at the scene and, seeing Dong Xingui standing off against Hao Jian, approached Dong Xingui with anger on his face and, without a word, slapped him across the face. ............ Chapter 432 - 432: Just Compensate with Money "Have you lost your damn mind?" Dong Xingui yelled, feeling wronged, with tears swirling in his eyes. At this moment, he really wanted to cry. It was bad enough that Hao Jian hit him; his old man also joined in without a second word and started beating him up. And if he had to be hit, why did it always have to be his face? Doesn''t he know it can damage his looks? "Unfilial son, kneel down!" Dong Wantong scolded, his belly churning like a barrel of wine. "Kneel down?" Dong Xingui was dumbfounded. If he knelt down, how would he ever face these employees again? And how would he get by in the company? "You''ve offended Mr. Hao Jian, and you think it''s over just like that? Kneel down and apologize to Mr. Hao Jian!" Dong Wantong barked in anger, somewhat furious inside. He knew Hao Jian was no easy mark; those who had crossed him never met good ends. He demanded Dong Xingui act this way to protect him from Hao Jian, the demon, and his persecution! "Are you fucking kidding me?" Dong Xingui snapped, utterly enraged, feeling like his last shred of dignity was being trampled upon. "Shareholder Dong, it seems your son still hasn''t realized his mistake," Hao Jian said, his expression a mix of smiling and not smiling as he looked at Dong Wantong. At these words, Dong Wantong''s expression dramatically changed, and out of sheer terror, he swiftly kicked at Dong Xingui''s leg and pressed down hard on his shoulder: "Kneel!" Thud. Dong Xingui was forced onto his knees, and his face, once an iron blue, now turned the color of liver. "Oh no, why are you doing this? As long as you recognize your mistake, that''s enough; there''s really no need to actually kneel. Look, so many people are watching, how embarrassing, and those who don''t know might think I am being petty," Hao Jian complained somewhat reproachfully. Everyone present was at a loss for words. If you were really so magnanimous, why didn''t you speak up when Dong Wantong was forcing Dong Xingui to kneel? You''re clearly just taking advantage and playing innocent now! When Dong Xingui heard what Hao Jian said, he was so furious he almost spewed out blood. If Hao Jian hadn''t spoken, would his father have made him kneel? And Dong Wantong, too, felt defeated by Hao Jian''s shamelessness. Although he cursed inwardly, he still had no choice but to squeeze out a forced smile: "Not at all, it''s only proper." "Actually, kneeling or not doesn''t really matter, paying up is what counts." Hao Jian chuckled, looking every bit the avaricious character. "Pay money?" Dong Wantong was stunned. Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire "Didn''t Dong Xingui tell you? Because he offended me, he felt remorseful and voluntarily offered to compensate me one billion," Hao Jian said shamelessly. The crowd was again dumbfounded. Could you be any more shameless? It was obviously you who forced Dong Xingui to pay up, and now you''re making it seem like it was Dong Xingui''s idea to offer compensation because he felt bad? Dong Xingui''s face showed utter shock, then he quickly said to his father, "Dad, I didn''t!" "Shut up!" Dong Wantong reprimanded in a voice as cold as iron. Immediately after, he forced a smile as he pulled a check from his pocket, wrote down a sum for Hao Jian, and said, "Mr. Hao Jian, this is your compensation." "Oh no, there''s no need, it was just a small matter, no need for money," Hao Jian continued his pretense. Those watching rolled their eyes in disbelief. Would you die if you didn''t pretend? If you didn''t want it, why did you bring it up before? Now that the offer was being made, you pretend to be embarrassed, how utterly shameless. You''re making monkeys out of Dong Xingui and his father! "No, we must insist, the fault is ours, compensation is certainly in order." Dong Wantong promptly stuffed the check into Hao Jian''s pocket. Although Hao Jian said there was no need for compensation, he didn''t naive enough to believe that was what Hao Jian truly meant. "Alright then, since you insist on compensating, I''ll just have to reluctantly accept it. Take your son away, and make sure from now on he keeps a low profile at school, and stops harassing female colleagues. It''s a good thing I showed up this time, otherwise, he might have done something worse than a beast," Hao Jian said. Dong Xingui''s face flushed red, every vein in his neck bulging as he glared at Hao Jian, his body shaking uncontrollably with emotion. Hao Jian was clearly setting him up; he hadn''t harassed Yuan Shanshan at all, but according to Hao Jian''s narration, it was as if he had nearly assaulted Yuan Shanshan. What would the company''s employees think of him now? Dong Xingui''s vision darkened with anxiety, and he actually fainted from anger. Toyed with by Hao Jian and overwhelmed by psychological upheaval, he collapsed, his mind breaking down. "Xingui!" Dong Wantong panicked at the sight of his son in such a state and immediately held Dong Xingui in his arms. Hao Jian sighed, "Shareholder Dong, your son''s psychological resilience seems a bit weak. I think he should see a psychiatrist." Dong Wantong fell silent, his face ashen as he carried Dong Xingui away, clearly at the height of humiliation. "That''s enough, everyone can leave now." Seeing Dong Xingui and his father depart, Yuan Shanshan hurriedly ordered her subordinates, and only then did the employees disperse. Yuan Shanshan relaxed, wanting to have a moment alone to speak with Hao Jian. "Why are you here?" Yuan Shanshan asked with some delight. "Just came to see you. Not bad, huh, you''re a department head now," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Stop teasing me. If it weren''t for your help, could I have achieved what I have today?" Yuan Shanshan didn''t dare take all the credit. Without Hao Jian''s inspiration, she couldn''t have won the award. "Don''t talk like that. You''ve earned it all yourself. Your parents gave you a good name, Yuan Facai, haha..." Hao Jian laughed out loud. "You''re so annoying!" Yuan Shanshan hit Hao Jian hard on the chest. This bad guy always reminded her of the things she didn''t want to think about. Didn''t he know she hated that name? "You''ve been busy all day. You haven''t had lunch yet, have you? Let me treat you to a meal, to celebrate your accomplishment," Hao Jian said. "Really? You know I''m going to want a feast!" Hearing this, Hao Jian shook the check for one hundred million yuan he had in his hand and said, "Don''t worry, I''m not short of money!" Immediately, Hao Jian took Yuan Shanshan out for a meal, but as soon as they arrived at the hotel entrance, they saw the last person he wanted to see standing there. Hao Jian squinted, looking at Yuan Shanshan beside him: "Did you invite her?" Yuan Shanshan said somewhat sheepishly, "Because Xiaoxiao asked, I told her I was with you. Then she said she wanted to come over too." "Well, this just got lively," Hao Jian said helplessly. With Che Xiaoxiao, the calamity star present, who knew what kind of trouble could arise. Immediately, Yuan Shanshan and Hao Jian got out of the car. As soon as Che Xiaoxiao saw Hao Jian, she got angry: "You jerk, what''s with that look on your face?" "Tch!" Hao Jian dismissed her contemptuously: "Aren''t you supposed to be in school today? What are you doing here?" "Having lunch with my best friend!" Che Xiaoxiao said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Humph, knows nothing but nonsense!" "You!" Che Xiaoxiao felt angry and a bit wronged, since she would be going on a school trip the next day and wouldn''t be able to see Hao Jian for a while. She had wanted to meet up with Hao Jian, but he was showing such an attitude. "Alright, stop fighting, I''m so hungry I could eat a horse," Yuan Shanshan quickly interfered to make peace. At that moment, Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan also noticed a boy standing beside Che Xiaoxiao. He was neat and tidy, wearing branded clothes from head to toe, clearly from a well-off family, a rich second generation. The boy, upon seeing Yuan Shanshan, also showed a look of admiration. He thought Che Xiaoxiao was pretty, but he didn''t expect her best friend to be so attractive as well. Perhaps after dealing with Che Xiaoxiao, he might find an opportunity to get to know Yuan Shanshan. Clearly, the boy was a suitor of Che Xiaoxiao, but upon seeing Yuan Shanshan, he began to entertain inappropriate thoughts about her. And seeing him looking at her like that made Yuan Shanshan frown slightly, feeling a bit offended. As a beautiful woman, she was very aware of what a lustful gaze from a man was like. To be looked at with such an invasive gaze upon their first meeting made Yuan Shanshan feel disrespected. However, the boy seemed to instinctively ignore Hao Jian, considering Hao Jian''s attire to indicate he was nothing more than an ordinary office worker, not someone to be taken seriously. Thus, he didn''t deign to give Hao Jian a second glance, focusing all his attention on Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao. He was presently considering how to pull Yuan Shanshan away from Hao Jian''s side, automatically assuming that Yuan Shanshan might be Hao Jian''s girlfriend upon seeing them together. Even if Yuan Shanshan had a boyfriend, he still harbored inappropriate desires towards her, an issue of moral character. "And who is this?" Instead, it was Hao Jian who humbly inquired about the identity of the boy. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "He''s my classmate and one of my suitors, named Wang Mingquan. Insisted on driving me here and then refused to leave," Che Xiaoxiao said, clearly somewhat irritated, not particularly fond of Wang Mingquan. "Xiaoxiao, my affection for you is deep. Why won''t you give me a chance?" Wang Mingquan put on a sincere expression, which of course was just for show to impress Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao. Handsome, rich, and most importantly, devoted¡ªa man like that could wreak havoc on most women''s hearts. If it were not for the lecherous look Wang Mingquan initially had, Yuan Shanshan might have actually considered him a devoted man. But after perceiving his true nature, Yuan Shanshan felt disgusted seeing his performance now. "Hello, I''m Hao Jian." Hao Jian extended his hand to the boy in a friendly gesture. Wang Mingquan gave Hao Jian a cursory glance and frowned subtly, feeling annoyed: A bumpkin wants to shake his builder''s hand with him? He really has no sense of self-awareness, does he? It was clear that Wang Mingquan did not want to shake hands with Hao Jian, so he coldly said, "Sorry, I don''t have the habit of shaking hands with strangers." Chapter 433 - 433: Must Finish the Assembly Even on Knees - B "Wang Mingquan, do you even know how to speak?" Che Xiaoxiao got annoyed upon hearing this. They were already here, what was he putting on airs for? Che Xiaoxiao couldn''t stand Wang Mingquan''s pretentious, self-righteous attitude. Wang Mingquan showed a distressed expression: "Xiaoxiao, it''s really not my fault, this is a habit I''ve had since I was a kid, and I can''t change it. And look at him, he''s definitely not clean, who knows if there are germs on his hands?" When Wang Mingquan said this, he didn''t try to keep his voice down, so Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan heard every word loud and clear. Yuan Shanshan''s eyebrows immediately knitted in anger as she looked at Wang Mingquan disapprovingly. No matter what, they were Che Xiaoxiao''s friends. Since Wang Mingquan was a suitor of Che Xiaoxiao, he should have given them some face. Starting off so aggressively, anyone who didn''t know better might think Wang Mingquan was there to pick a fight. At this moment, Hao Jian merely smiled wryly and touched his nose, not saying anything and withdrawing his hand. "Let''s go inside!" Hao Jian said. The group headed towards the restaurant and casually picked a spot to start ordering. "Who''s treating us today?" Che Xiaoxiao asked lazily while holding the menu. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hao Jian is treating." Yuan Shanshan replied. "Oh, then great, get an Australian Big Dragon lobster, a deluxe Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, six Eight-Head Abalones, three Sea Tiger Shark''s Fins, one serving of Sea Emperor Braised Shark''s Fin..." Seeing Che Xiaoxiao picking out the expensive items, Hao Jian felt an itch in his teeth. Even if he were rich, that was no reason to waste money like this. "Xiaoxiao, I think that''s enough, you''ve ordered so much, there''s no way we''ll finish it all," Yuan Shanshan said with a mix of laughter and frustration. "How can that be okay? It''s rare for him to treat us, if I don''t take him for all he''s worth, am I still Che Xiaoxiao?" Che Xiaoxiao snorted coldly. Hao Jian''s mouth curved into a playful smirk, "Indeed, I''m treating today, but I only invited Yuan Shanshan. I''m definitely not paying for your portion!" "You bastard!" Che Xiaoxiao trembled with rage. Was this damned guy happy only if he pissed her off every day? "Don''t worry about it, Xiaoxiao, order whatever you want, I''ll pay!" It was then that Wang Mingquan spoke up, a bit smug. This was the perfect opportunity to show off, how could he let it pass? While speaking, Wang Mingquan even looked at Hao Jian with a disdainful gaze: "What''s this small amount of money? Order whatever you want, I''m not as stingy as certain people." At these words, both Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao couldn''t help but roll their eyes. Hao Jian was clearly joking, how could he actually expect Che Xiaoxiao to foot the bill? But Wang Mingquan took it seriously, which could only mean he wasn''t very smart. "Seems like you''re pretty wealthy, huh?" Hao Jian teased, growing a bit impatient with Wang Mingquan''s constant provocation. "Not a lot, just the five million in pocket money that my dad just transferred to my card," Wang Mingquan boasted arrogantly, showing off the pocket money given by his parents. This might have a fatal attraction for other girls. Five million in spending money a month could be lethal to any girl. But to Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao, it held no appeal. Instead, they felt Wang Mingquan was pathetic, a grown man still depending on his parents for spending money. Such a man gave a woman no sense of security. "You have money, I don''t. Why don''t you treat this meal then?" Hao Jian suggested sarcastically. Because he knew that with Wang Mingquan''s fondness for showing off, he would surely agree. True to form, in order to prove his lavishness in front of Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao, Wang Mingquan confidently slapped his chest, "I''ll pay, I''ll pay. If I can''t afford this, what kind of man am I? Later, order whatever you want and don''t hold back!" "Really?" Che Xiaoxiao played along perfectly, looking up at Wang Mingquan with an admiring expression. Seeing this, Wang Mingquan was itching with excitement at feeling like he''s made a difference. Now Che Xiaoxiao had changed her attitude towards him. "Of course, it''s true. Xiaoxiao, order whatever you like, money is no object," Wang Mingquan told Che Xiaoxiao, and at the same time he gave Hao Jian a provocative glance, as if to mock Hao Jian for pretending to be rich when he wasn''t. "He''s way more generous than you are," Che Xiaoxiao snorted heavily at Hao Jian. Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire "Yes, yes, yes... He''s rich, and I''m not," Hao Jian deliberately showed a helpless expression, going along with Che Xiaoxiao''s act. Hearing that, Wang Mingquan felt even more exhilarated. Was Hao Jian admitting his own inferiority? With that, mightn''t his own girlfriend start looking down on him too? So, in a bid to strike while the iron was hot, Wang Mingquan looked up and turned to Yuan Shanshan, "Miss, why don''t you order something too? Anything you like, the treat''s on me today!" "I don''t need it," Yuan Shanshan responded emotionlessly. She had no fondness for Wang Mingquan and naturally wasn''t about to accept his generosity. "No need to be polite, you''re Che Xiaoxiao''s friend, which makes you my friend. It would be my pleasure to treat you to a meal," Wang Mingquan insisted generously, trying to cozy up to Yuan Shanshan. He mistook her refusal as shyness, not realizing Yuan Shanshan simply disliked him. By now, Yuan Shanshan had grown very impatient with Wang Mingquan''s showing off and was about to scold him, but at that moment, Hao Jian gave Wang Mingquan a nudge and said with a beaming smile, "It''s not every day someone treats you to a meal. You don''t eat¡ªare you stupid?" Yuan Shanshan was stunned. Was she not allowed to turn down the offer? At that moment, she saw Hao Jian winking at her vigorously. Yuan Shanshan immediately understood Hao Jian''s intention and picked up the menu as well: "Since that''s the case, I might as well order something nice too." Seeing this, Wang Mingquan was overjoyed and suggested, "Why don''t we order some wine?" In his view, Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao had already been captivated by his display of wealth; this was the perfect time to get the girls to drink a little. Once they got a bit tipsy, he could do as he pleased. As for this pesky construction worker, he''d simply call a few people later to beat him up and chase him away. "Why not go for a ''82 Lafite? I''ve lived so long, but I''ve never had Lafite," said Hao Jian¡ªfor all his lack of sophistication. At these words, Wang Mingquan let out a derisive laugh: "How unsophisticated. What''s so great about Lafite? That stuff''s only good for mouthwash in our house." "You''ve got money, I don''t," Hao Jian retorted without getting angry, chuckling. Whatever Wang Mingquan said at this point went unchallenged. "At least you have some self-awareness," Wang Mingquan said sarcastically, his sneer very much like putting on airs, which really irked Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao. Yuan Shanshan was about to scold Wang Mingquan, but Che Xiaoxiao held her back once again, pointing at the menu, indicating for Yuan Shanshan to order as much as she could. Yuan Shanshan clenched her teeth and proceeded to pick the most expensive dishes. Soon, the waiter began serving the dishes, which were so numerous that they required two tables to hold them all. Seeing this, Hao Jian was also dumbfounded, thinking the girls hadn''t held back at all. Knowing they couldn''t eat that much and still ordering so generously¡ªthey were out to bankrupt Wang Mingquan. And Wang Mingquan, seeing all the dishes, couldn''t stop the twitching at the corners of his mouth, feeling as though he had been duped. As Wang Mingquan revealed his irritation, Che Xiaoxiao put on a pitiful face: "What''s wrong? Did I order too much? Should we ask the chef to take some dishes back?" "Take back what? I''m not short of money!" Wang Mingquan forced out a smile uglier than crying, thinking that since he had started the charade, he must see it through, even if he had to do it on his knees! Wang Mingquan knew it was going to be an expensive evening, with over a million surely gone. The other customers couldn''t help but be shocked when they saw the amount of food ordered at Hao Jian''s table. Seeing this, Wang Mingquan finally felt a bit better. The money was spent, but he had managed to show off successfully. Bathed in the envious gazes of the others, Wang Mingquan felt his social status skyrocket. This meal had been a chance to flaunt his wealth, especially in front of the two beauties, making Wang Mingquan feel that every cent was well spent. Hao Jian didn''t hold back either, wolfing down the food. Within half an hour, the table was almost completely cleared. Eighty percent of it had gone into Hao Jian''s belly. "You''re like a starving ghost reincarnated! There are two ladies here, and you don''t even have the decency to let them have some," Wang Mingquan said contemptuously. He was angry because the dishes that were meant for Yuan Shanshan and the others had been devoured by Hao Jian alone. The nearly one-million-yuan meal had cost him three hundred thousand on Hao Jian alone, which naturally irritated him. "First come, first served. Don''t you know that?" Hao Jian glanced at Wang Mingquan indifferently, without an ounce of shame. At the sound of this, Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao hurried to grab some food, knowing well that Hao Jian wouldn''t yield to them. But how could they compete with Hao Jian? Half an hour later, the other table was picked clean as well, with more than eighty percent going into Hao Jian''s stomach. Hao Jian lay back in his chair, belching with satisfaction and rubbing his slightly bloated belly, waving his hands, "I can''t eat anymore. I simply can''t." Wang Mingquan was seething with frustration as they had hardly eaten anything, and all the food had ended up in Hao Jian''s stomach. "Waiter, open that ''82 Lafite. I need to moisten my throat!" Hao Jian boasted loudly, and anyone who didn''t know better might think he was the one paying the bill. "Have you no shame? Was it you who ordered the wine? What right do you have to ask?" Wang Mingquan''s nose was nearly bent out of shape with anger. It was bad enough that Hao Jian had indulged in his dishes, but now he was setting his sights on his wine too; how shameless could a person be. "Pfft, so stingy. Can''t even drink your wine anymore. If you can''t afford to act the big shot, don''t put on a show. If it comes to it, I''ll just buy the wine myself," Hao Jian sniffed disdainfully. Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao also shot Wang Mingquan disapproving glances, playing along. "That''s not what I meant. I just¡ªsigh, go ahead and drink..." Wang Mingquan said, swallowing his anger with nowhere to direct it at Hao Jian. Chapter 434 - 434: The Frustrated Wang Mingquan No way, I''ve already bragged this much. There''s no reason to give up now. Now I can only let this guy get away with being so pushy. No worries, once I get these two beauties handled, I''ll have someone beat him up to teach him a lesson for offending me, the young master. The waiter had taken the Lafite and was about to pour it for Hao Jian and the others, but at this moment, Hao Jian snatched the bottle and laughed, "Why bother with such a fuss!" Immediately, he tilted his head back and started to blow on the bottle. Wang Mingquan''s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. It took him a good long while to react, and then he shouted, "Who let you blow on the bottle?" If Hao Jian blows on it, who would dare to drink from it? "Ah? Am I not supposed to blow on the bottle? Oh, I''m really sorry. When I drank beer with my friends before, we would each have a bottle and blow into it like this. It''s way more thrilling that way," Hao Jian said apologetically, scratching his head. Upon hearing this, both Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao felt like they were going to burst an artery. Can Lafite be drunk like beer? This red wine definitely needs to be savored slowly! At this time, Wang Mingquan was also close to bursting an artery, but from anger caused by Hao Jian. "You want us to drink your saliva?" Wang Mingquan yelled hysterically. "Sorry about that, I thought each person would have their own bottle. Who knew you were so stingy, only ordering one bottle for four people," Hao Jian retorted with a sneer, making it seem like Wang Mingquan was the one being unreasonable. "I..." Wang Mingquan was dumbfounded, nearly driven mad by Hao Jian. One bottle per person would be almost a hundred thousand yuan, and even if you order that much, can you drink it all? It was clearly Hao Jian who was being boorish, yet he had the audacity to blame it all on Wang Mingquan¡ªhow could Wang not be furious? "Sir, please lower your voice and sit down to eat. You''re already severely disturbing the other customers. If this continues, we''ll have to ask you to leave," the restaurant manager came over and said very politely to Wang Mingquan. Wang Mingquan, resentful yet having no choice, sat down and then bellowed, "Another three bottles of Lafite!" He decided to go all out¡ªwhat''s the big deal about money? I''ve got plenty! Seeing Wang Mingquan fall for Hao Jian''s taunting, Che Xiaoxiao took the opportunity to speak up, her eyes dewy and sorrowful as she looked at Wang, "Mingquan, I''d like to order some more dishes. I haven''t had enough to eat." Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire "Order!" Wang Mingquan declared majestically. He was now determined to cross swords with Hao Jian, blaming him for the extra hundred thousand or so yuan he had to pay, and resolving to put that amount on Hao Jian''s account. Wang Mingquan had already decided that later he would make Hao Jian pay, literally and figuratively. Sure enough, another table of dishes arrived, yet Che Xiaoxiao and Yuan Shanshan couldn''t eat even a third of it before they were full. "Waiter, the check," Wang Mingquan requested as he pulled out a Gold Card from his pocket, and, in front of Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao, handed it to the waiter. This should have been a routine action, nothing to make a fuss about, but Wang Mingquan managed to make it look extraordinary. Because as he handed the card to the waiter, he did it in slow motion, deliberately passing it slowly, right in front of Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao, as if afraid they wouldn''t notice that he had a Gold Card. At this moment, the corner of Wang Mingquan''s mouth also revealed a smug smile. It was during times like this that he felt most pleased with himself. Yet Hao Jian and his companions found this gesture childish and ludicrous. It did, however, seem like something the profligate Wang Mingquan would do. The waiter handled the card respectfully and went out to process the payment. A while later, he returned, his expression not as pleasant, "Sir, I''m sorry to inform you, but the balance on your card isn''t sufficient." "What? Not enough balance? How is that possible?" Wang Mingquan glared at the waiter. Just that day his father had transferred five million yuan to him, and he had checked it himself. Then, sensing something off, Wang Mingquan inquired, "How much did this meal cost?" "With the wine and the dishes, the total is 5,237,800 yuan. To round it down for you, let''s call it 5.23 million," the waiter said courteously. "5.23 million? Why is it so expensive?" Wang Mingquan was stupefied. Five million for a meal? Wasn''t that a bit too outrageous? The waiter seemed a bit annoyed upon hearing this, as it sounded like Wang Mingquan was implying he had eaten without the intention to pay. "Sir, the prices of our dishes are all listed on the menu, which you should have reviewed before ordering. Moreover, our restaurant is a high-end private establishment, and our ingredients are air-shipped from around the world. The rarity of our ingredients is even higher than that of six-star restaurants, thus naturally very costly. You ordered three tables'' worth of food, so the price is definitely reasonable," the waiter explained officially. Fearing disbelief from Wang, he pointedly recounted the prices of the ordered dishes. Items such as deep-sea Eight-Head Abalone, Martian baby bok choy, prime caviar, clearly indicated their substantial value just from their names. Then Wang Mingquan''s face turned green. He had never expected the meal to be so costly; he thought at most it would be around a million. Yet, to his shock, it soared to five million! "Are we all set to go now that we''ve eaten our fill?" Hao Jian asked Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao, acting as if he had completely misunderstood the waiter''s words. "Sure!" Yuan Shanshan and Che Xiaoxiao stood up simultaneously, apparently also oblivious to Wang Mingquan''s presence. Wang Mingquan''s face turned the color of bitter gourd, by this time utterly stunned. These guys were just going to abandon him after stuffing themselves? He had spent five million! Shouldn''t they at least show some face, inquire a bit? "Don''t go, please!" Wang Mingquan hastily called out to Hao Jian and the others, not wanting to be ruthlessly abandoned. If they left, wouldn''t he be stuck washing dishes? "What''s up?" Hao Jian asked, feigning confusion. What''s up? Hearing this, Wang Mingquan nearly wished he could hammer Hao Jian to death. After spending over five million on him, he still had the nerve to ask what''s up? But all Wang Mingquan could do was to suppress his anger and say, "Could you lend me some money? I''m short." "How could I do that, when you said you''d pay the bill? How could I steal your thunder?" Hao Jian rejected the request without a second thought. Because he wanted Wang Mingquan to know there was a price for putting on airs! "Sir, if you cannot produce the money for the bill soon, we will have to take you to the police station!" The waiter also said angrily. Wang Mingquan looked both embarrassed and awkward, feeling the disdainful gazes from the people around him. So Wang Mingquan got a bit heated himself, "I already spent five million, what''s the big deal with chipping in a little." "Your five million weren''t spent on my account. It was you who wanted to treat everyone, wasn''t it? That''s none of my business," Hao Jian said, not giving him the time of day. "I already said I was borrowing it, not that I wouldn''t pay you back!" Wang Mingquan was getting frantic. How could this guy be so stingy? "Alright, if that''s the case, then I reluctantly agree," Hao Jian sighed feigning helplessness and asked the waiter, "How much is still owed?" "About two hundred thousand," the waiter replied. Hao Jian was about to pull out his wallet, but upon hearing the amount, he immediately put it back, glaring as he said, "No loan!" Damn, two hundred thousand? That''s enough for over a hundred trips to the hair salon. Hearing this, the waiter turned to Wang Mingquan, sternly stating, "Sir, please pay the bill immediately! Otherwise, we really will have to call the police!" sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I''ll pay you back the two hundred thousand, I promise!" Wang Mingquan pleaded bitterly, feeling utterly humiliated. When had he ever dined and dashed? He had just wanted to show off today, but ended up overdoing it. "Skip the promises, just write an IOU. Borrow twenty, pay back fifty," Hao Jian said. "You... you''re taking advantage of my misfortune!" Wang Mingquan exploded with anger. How could anyone be so shameless? "Oh my, you noticed? So, are you taking it or not? If not, I''m leaving!" Hao Jian was indeed taking advantage of the situation, but how could he not teach Wang Mingquan a lesson after acting so arrogantly earlier? "No, no, no, I''ll give it... I''ll just give it!" Wang Mingquan nearly burst into tears from frustration. He had tried to steal a chicken only to end up losing his rice, having nearly four hundred thousand worth of food ending up in Hao Jian''s stomach, and now he was being extorted for an additional two hundred thousand. At this point, Wang Mingquan was truly on the verge of murder. "Bring paper and a pen!" Hao Jian jubilantly told the waiter who soon returned with paper and pen for Wang Mingquan to write the IOU. After writing the IOU, Wang Mingquan felt utterly dejected. That was five million, and even as a rich second generation, he couldn''t feel nothing about it. Not only was he out over five million in spending money, but damn, he was now in debt for another two hundred thousand. When had Wang Mingquan ever been so downtrodden? Reluctantly, Hao Jian handed over his card to the waiter, mumbling incessantly, "Really now, pretending to be rich without money. Young people nowadays, they''re just increasingly thoughtless." Hearing this, Wang Mingquan almost spat out blood in fury. He had just spent five million and now he''s broke? Leaving the hotel, Wang Mingquan felt like life lost all meaning, whereas Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao were all smiles and laughter. Forget about it. As long as he could woo the two beauties, even five million would be worth it. Right after, Wang Mingquan suggested, "Let''s go to a bar! I know one that''s open during the day, it should be pretty quiet around this time." "No need, we have other things to attend to, we won''t join you," Yuan Shanshan flatly refused. They had already scammed what they could, and she had no interest in lingering with Wang Mingquan any further for it was pointless. "Wang Mingquan, you can head back now," Che Xiaoxiao''s attitude also turned cold, not wanting to continue the charade anymore. Chapter 435 - 435: I Will Avenge You "You... you all..." Wang Mingquan stared dumbfounded at Yuan Shanshan and the others, suddenly realizing he had been tricked. These two girls had no interest in him at all, their coquetry was just to swindle his money, otherwise, they wouldn''t be acting one way then and completely different now. After eating their fill, they now wanted to run off, wasn''t this treating him like a fool? A moment ago, Che Xiaoxiao was still acting all coy, but now she had quickly turned her back on him. Wang Mingquan knew he''d been played, and immediately his face, which could be considered handsome, was overcome with hatred, "Are you playing with me?" "Playing with you? How did we play with you, wasn''t it you who said you''d treat us? We didn''t force you. You invited us to eat, we''ll remember your kindness. How would we play you?" Che Xiaoxiao feigned ignorance. "Stop spouting bullshit, if you weren''t playing me, why are you trying to ditch me now?" Wang Mingquan, unable to contain his anger, no longer pretended to be the lovestruck fool and started cursing angrily. "That''s because we don''t like you. Although we appreciate your kindness, we really can''t stand being around someone like you!" Yuan Shanshan said bluntly, her words cutting to the heart of the matter. "You all, very good!" Wang Mingquan gave Hao Jian and the others a thumbs-up, his eyes nearly bursting from their sockets, almost as if he were insane, "From the start, you''ve been collaborating in a play to set me up, and now after you''re full and satisfied, you want to turn against me?" "Just you wait, I won''t let you get away with this!" Wang Mingquan huffed angrily, his eyes filled with venom as he glanced at Hao Jian and the others, then went straight to his Maserati and drove off haughtily. "Xiaoxiao, aren''t you afraid he''ll retaliate after you''ve angered him like this today?" Yuan Shanshan asked with some concern, she could tell that Wang Mingquan would not let things go easily. "Afraid of what? Don''t I have Hao Jian?" Che Xiaoxiao spoke playfully, wrapping an arm around Hao Jian''s. Hao Jian immediately stepped back two paces, eyeing Che Xiaoxiao warily, "Show some respect!" "Damn it all!" ...... In the following week, Hao Jian did not go back to teach at the Business School. He was busy preparing for his trip to France. After all, this time his trip was not just for leisure, he needed to act as a bodyguard for Yuan Shanshan and Shu Ya. At that moment, he had just come out of a shopping mall, ready to drive home. However, as he passed by a business center, he overheard a familiar voice. "Chairman Wang, please give me a chance. My fashion brand and design team are quite good. If you allow my brand to have a promotional sale in your mall, it will surely bring good returns!" a woman said so. "No, no. Your brand was only established less than a month ago; it''s not really perfected in many aspects. My store is a decades-old brand. If something goes wrong with your brand, wouldn''t it damage my store''s reputation?" Chairman Wang shook his head and refused. "That won''t happen. If any loss occurs to your company, I will fully compensate for it!" the woman said anxilly, confident in her own abilities with Chang Ping, feeling she only lacked an opportunity. "Compensate?" Chairman Wang laughed scornfully, "My company is a large enterprise, and yours is a small firm; can you really afford any significant losses?" Hearing this, the woman was stunned, sighed helplessly, and her expression filled with dejection. She knew she couldn''t persuade Chairman Wang and thus decided to back down. And at this moment, Chairman Wang noticed her expression and feigned depth, "If you really want to enter my mall, it''s not impossible, but there''s a condition!" "What condition?" The woman asked nervously, as if seeing a glimmer of light in the dark. At this time, Chairman Wang''s expression suddenly changed, becoming lecherous and despicable, "That is to be my mistress for a year. As long as you agree, I''ll allow your brand into my mall!" "You... you''re shameless!" The woman trembled with rage, never expecting Chairman Wang to make such an outrageous demand. Chairman Wang snorted coldly, "Xiao Qiang, think carefully. If you miss this opportunity, you might never get another. My mall is a top brand in the country; there are many brands I turn away." "Any other woman wouldn''t even get the opportunity to sleep with me, but for you, I''d make the exception," Chairman Wang''s eyes, full of lasciviousness, roamed over Xiao Qiang''s body. With these words, the employees standing behind Chairman Wang burst into raucous laughter. Xiao Qiang''s face flushed with a mixture of anger and pallor, as if she were desperate to physically tear a piece from Chairman Wang. Xiao Qiang pointed at Chairman Wang, her voice filled with revulsion, "In your dreams, even if I have to shut down, I will never sleep with a pig like you!" Speaking of a pig, Chairman Wang did resemble one, with his pot belly and pale complexion, not to mention his balding. Insulted by Xiao Qiang like this, Chairman Wang''s face instantly showed a trace of hatred, "Hmmph! You''ll regret refusing my toast and having to drink a forfeit instead. Xiao Qiang, I''m telling you, with my influence in Hua City, with just one word from me, your brand won''t be able to enter any mall in Hua City!" Xiao Qiang clenched her teeth, shouting defiantly, "Whatever! Don''t think everyone is as disgusting as you!" At her words, Chairman Wang''s laughter turned mocking as he regarded Xiao Qiang, "I heard that you were kicked out of the Shu Ya Group for fighting over a man with the company''s Chairman, isn''t that right? That itself is a scandal, and with my word added, do you think anyone would dare to work with you?" "You..." Xiao Qiang''s eyebrows shot up in anger, her delicate body trembling. Losing to Shu Ya was a thorn in her heart, and it was for this reason she wanted to start her own business. But Chairman Wang was using this to humiliate her, pushing Xiao Qiang to an extreme point of embarrassment. "Isn''t she just a homewrecker? Why the pretense of innocence?" Chairman Wang sneered. "Go to hell!" Xiao Qiang finally couldn''t hold back, lifting her head to swing at Chairman Wang''s chubby face. Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire But before she could strike Chairman Wang, his bodyguard had already grabbed her hand, pushing her harshly to the ground. "What are you doing?" A male employee following Xiao Qiang saw his boss being pushed down and couldn''t help but glare at Chairman Wang with rage in his eyes. However, Chairman Wang didn''t even glance at him, instead looking at Xiao Qiang on the ground with a sneer, "Playing the saint while being a ****, how ridiculous!" Soon after, he couldn''t be bothered to look at Xiao Qiang anymore and turned to enter the company. At this moment, Xiao Qiang could no longer bear the grievances in her heart, and she started crying with her knees hugged to her chest. The failed business talk and subsequent humiliation were too much for her to bear, and she broke down under the pressure. Xiao Qiang''s street-side crying immediately attracted the attention of many passersby, and her employees tried to console her, but no comfort could stop her tears. "Sigh!" Seeing this, Hao Jian also let out a sigh, dropped the things he had bought on the ground, and walked toward Xiao Qiang. Her employees were consoling her when they suddenly saw a strange man approaching, which made them furrow their brows. The male employee who had spoken earlier even called out directly, "Who are you, and what do you want?" But Hao Jian ignored him and squatted down, helping the crying Xiao Qiang to her feet. Seeing Hao Jian dare to touch his ''goddess,'' that male employee immediately became irritated, "Hey, I''m talking to you, are you deaf?" Xiao Qiang was crying when suddenly she felt herself being lifted up; she couldn''t help but open her eyes and look at the newcomer. When she saw it was Hao Jian, she was taken aback. "Are you okay?" Hao Jian asked softly. Xiao Qiang felt even more aggrieved by his question, and with a wail, she threw herself into Hao Jian''s arms, crying profusely as if an avalanche had been set off. All because of this man before her, she had given up a good job and embarked on her own. It was also because of this man that she was entangled with many troubles, and now, she was publicly humiliated. And seeing Xiao Qiang bury herself into Hao Jian''s arms, that male employee was completely dumbfounded, followed by the sound of a heart shattering. Hao Jian patted Xiao Qiang''s back, sighed, and comforted her, "Let it out, it will feel better once you cry." This cry lasted straight for half an hour. Only then did Xiao Qiang gradually stop sobbing, wiped her reddened eyes, and asked Hao Jian, "What brings you here?" "I was just passing by to buy some things; I didn''t expect to run into you," Hao Jian said with a smile. Embarrassed, Xiao Qiang looked down, "I''m sorry you had to see that." "There''s nothing between us to be embarrassed about," Hao Jian shook his head. Hearing this, the male employee''s face went ashen, and his already battered heart was now completely shattered. "If you''re in trouble, why not turn to Shu Ya? If she were to introduce you, your brand could get into any company you wanted," Hao Jian asked, puzzled. He knew how difficult entrepreneurship could be, especially for a new brand, and even more so for a clothing brand. The industry was already saturated, and it was not easy to carve out a niche without connections. "No, I don''t want to rely on her!" Xiao Qiang shook her head firmly, resolute. She could lose to anyone else, but she could not lose to Shu Ya. Because losing to Shu Ya would mean losing Hao Jian! No matter how exhausting or difficult it was, she could endure it because she had a pillar of strength in her heart. Hao Jian sighed, "What is the point of tormenting yourself like this?" "You may not like me, but you have no right to stop me from loving you!" Xiao Qiang looked at Hao Jian with a fiery gaze. Upon hearing this, Xiao Qiang''s employees were petrified. Her identity? She was a graduate from a top world-renowned university. Such a queen-like figure, secretly in love? sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At this moment, Hao Jian was also stunned. After a long pause, he eventually rubbed Xiao Qiang''s hair with a helpless gesture, "Alright then, since that''s how it is, I shall take revenge for you!" Chapter 436 - 436: Get Lost "Revenge?" Xiao Qiang seemed confused and asked, "Are you talking about going after Wang Yuanbo for revenge?" Wang Yuanbo, naturally, was the same Chairman Wang. "Yes, he dared to humiliate you like that, so he must pay a price!" Hao Jian said coldly. "Going after Wang Yuanbo for revenge? You talk like it''s easy, do you think Wang Yuanbo is so easy to deal with? And who do you think you are!" The male employee scoffed at Hao Jian, who was shooting his mouth off, confronting Wang Yuanbo? What a joke. Backed by power and authority, what makes you think you can take him on? He had always harbored affection for Xiao Qiang, and seeing how close Hao Jian was with Xiao Qiang, he was immediately displeased. "Yuan Shanxin, stop talking!" Xiao Qiang scolded Yuan Shanxin. "Boss, I just don''t want to see you humiliated again, this guy is all talk, definitely not a decent man, I''m afraid you''d get hurt by him and humiliated by Wang Yuanbo again." Yuan Shanxin made a sincere face, seemingly considering Xiao Qiang''s wellbeing. "Shut up..." Xiao Qiang was furious, Yuan Shanxin spoke nonsense because he didn''t know Hao Jian''s capabilities. With Hao Jian''s skills, how could he possibly fear a mere Wang Yuanbo? "Hey, don''t be like that, he does make some sense," Hao Jian stepped in and then turned to Yuan Shanxin: "Your worries are not unfounded, it''s just that you, being a fool yourself, are too scared to confront Wang Yuanbo, and you shouldn''t assume everyone else is as trashy as you are. That''s not quite right." "You..." Yuan Shanxin was fuming with anger, this guy, he actually dared to call him trash? "Let''s go." However, Hao Jian didn''t look at Yuan Shanxin again; he simply took Xiao Qiang''s hand and walked into the business center. How could he not notice that Yuan Shanxin had feelings for Xiao Qiang, but you have feelings, so what? Why take it out on me, if you''re so capable, why don''t you challenge Wang Yuanbo? Seeing how easily Hao Jian led Xiao Qiang away, Yuan Shanxin''s expression became somewhat distorted. "Did you see that woman''s face just now? She wanted to cry but didn''t dare to, puffing up her mouth like a toad, it killed me." "Isn''t that so? A whore still tries to erect a memorial archway, what a joke!" "Our Chairman Wang taking a liking to her was her good fortune, yet she had the audacity to refuse him, ungrateful, she deserves a life of being someone''s mistress!" In Wang Yuanbo''s office, his employees were all chattering and making fun of Xiao Qiang. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Meanwhile, Wang Yuanbo sat leisurely in his Taishi Chair, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, relaxedly commented, "That bitch dares not to take me seriously, I could send her back to farming!" Hao Jian at the door also naturally heard Wang Yuanbo''s words, yet he couldn''t help but give a grim smile, and promptly pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing Hao Jian and Xiao Qiang enter, Wang Yuanbo and his people were all taken aback. Soon after, Wang Yuanbo revealed a sinister smile, staring straight at Xiao Qiang: "What? Made up your mind? Decided to become my lover now?" Wang Yuanbo had actually thought Xiao Qiang showing up here meant she wanted to be his lover. After all, he believed she was smart enough to know that she alone would never be able to resist him. "Be your lover my ass! Slick pig!" With Hao Jian by her side, Xiao Qiang''s courage had also grown considerably, and she started insulting Wang Yuanbo. Wang Yuanbo''s expression stiffened, seemingly did not expect Xiao Qiang dare to curse at him, was she not here to make peace? "Well cursed!" Hao Jian gave Xiao Qiang a thumbs up. "Who the hell are you?" Wang Yuanbo looked at Hao Jian somewhat angrily, this bastard encouraged Xiao Qiang''s cursing? Was he tired of living? "Me? I''m someone you can''t afford to mess with," Hao Jian said arrogantly, and then pulled up a chair, sat down in front of Wang Yuanbo, and with his legs crossed said, "Giving you a chance, let Xiao Qiang''s brand into your mall, and offer her permanent free rent plus strong promotions, then I might forgive you." At this, everyone was speechless, was this guy joking? And Wang Yuanbo and his people were also stunned, for a moment they couldn''t quite react. What was this guy talking about? After a long pause, Wang Yuanbo slapped his thigh and burst into a furious laugh, his potbelly shaking, he angrily exclaimed: "Did you hear what this guy just said? He''s actually talking about forgiving me?" "Kid, I think your brain got squashed by a door. Do you know who you are talking to?" "Xiao Qiang, really? Bringing a lunatic to stand up for you? You think we''ll be scared of you then?" "Wow, this kills me, what a fool, just spouting nonsense as soon as he arrives!" Wang Yuanbo''s employees couldn''t help but laugh and mock, finding it extremely funny. As soon as Hao Jian showed up, he acted as if he ruled the world, thinking too highly of himself. At that moment, Yuan Shanxin and some employees also felt very embarrassed, Hao Jian''s incoherent talk not only didn''t help them regain any face but made them feel more embarrassed. Hearing the mockery from Wang Yuanbo and others, they wished they could crawl into a hole, feeling utterly humiliated. "Boss, let''s just leave quickly and stop embarrassing ourselves here," Yuan Shanxin sighed, knowing there would be nothing good from following this guy, and it turned out just as expected. "Shut up!" Xiao Qiang snapped impatiently. She was growing increasingly agitated by Yuan Shanxin''s repeated disrespect towards Hao Jian. She found it ridiculous that he, knowing nothing, still acted like he was thinking on Hao Jian''s behalf. At those words, shame and annoyance flashed across Yuan Shanxin''s face, and he dared not speak any further. However, his gaze towards Hao Jian was filled with resentment. In his view, it was all because of Hao Jian that Xiao Qiang treated him this way! "How about I give you a choice? If you kneel down and kowtow to me a few times, I won''t let my men break your legs and throw you out of my office," Wang Yuanbo offered not so kindly, watching Hao Jian. Hao Jian came into his office talking nonsense; if he didn''t teach Hao Jian a lesson, he himself wouldn''t be able to stand it. "It seems you don''t believe me," Hao Jian sighed helplessly. Every time he gave someone a chance, they refused to believe he was telling the truth, which left him utterly without options. Immediately, Hao Jian fixed his piercing gaze on Wang Yuanbo and smiled, "So, what are you waiting for then?" "What?" Wang Yuanbo didn''t quite understand what Hao Jian meant. "Didn''t you just say you wanted someone to break my legs? Well, if that''s the case, why wait?" Hao Jian looked at Wang Yuanbo with a puzzled expression, a ''let''s get on with it'' type of expression, why waste any more time? Upon hearing this, Wang Yuanbo''s bulbous eyes instantly flared with anger. Hao Jian was challenging him! Did this guy really think he wouldn''t dare touch him? Right away, Wang Yuanbo turned to his bodyguard and said, "Lion, snap this brat''s legs for me!" The ''Lion'' was the same bodyguard who had knocked down Xiao Qiang, a towering figure over two meters tall, with a rugged Western face and curly hair, well-suited to his nickname. "No problem, leave it to me!" Lion clenched his fists, a sinister smile forming as he walked towards Hao Jian. At that moment, Yuan Shanxin''s face revealed a sly smile, ''Serve you right for showing off, deserves to get his legs broken. Now let''s see how you play hero in front of Xiao Qiang!'' "Kid, how do you want to die?" Lion stood over Hao Jian, looking down at him with a scornful smile, clearly not taking him seriously at all. As he spoke, his Chinese was immaculate, but that was to be expected since he had been working as Wang Yuanbo''s bodyguard in Huaxia for so long, he naturally needed to learn the language. "Wow! You''re so tall, did you grow up eating ****?" Hao Jian looked at Lion and then exclaimed in admiration. "Seeking death!" Lion was infuriated by Hao Jian''s words. His fist, large as a bowl, swung directly at Hao Jian''s head. Seeing this, Wang Yuanbo and his employees all couldn''t help but reveal cruel smiles, for they had all witnessed the brutal methods of the Lion. This guy had once smashed a stone slab with his bare hands¡ªif it hit someone, Hao Jian would certainly get a concussion! Hao Jian dared to provoke him, so it had to be either death or serious injury. Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire "Thud!" The punch thundered towards Hao Jian, but it did not land on his head; instead, Hao Jian caught it with one hand. Hao Jian casually gripped Lion''s fist, clearly not taking him seriously at all. Hao Jian smirked and taunted, "You''re too weak, not even qualified to carry my shoes!" At this, everyone was stunned. Especially those who knew the strength of the Lion, seeing how easily his attack was neutralized, they couldn''t help but be dumbfounded. The Lion was a foreign Special Forces operative, who had once killed a man with his bare hands, and yet his attack was blocked so effortlessly by Hao Jian¡ªhow was that possible? Even the Lion himself was stunned. At this moment, his face was filled with shock, and he no longer dared to underestimate Hao Jian. From the fact that Hao Jian had caught his punch, it was clear Hao Jian was no ordinary man. "Crack!" With a single twist of his hand, Hao Jian caused a bone-cracking sound. Lion immediately screamed and fell to the ground, his entire arm dislocated. Hao Jian looked down at him with a faint smile and said, "This time, I''ll just cripple one of your hands. Remember to be more gentlemanly towards women next time, or you''ll lose more than just a hand." "Understood... understood," Lion said, his face ashen, expression distorted. Being able to handle him so easily, his opponent must be a master! "Scram!" Hao Jian kicked Lion away. Lying in a corner, Lion''s eyes burned with rage, yet he kept his head down, not daring to show it. Chapter 437 - 437 The Corpse Floating on the Huangpu River "You dare to hit my men?" Wang Yuanbo glared at Hao Jian, instantly ignited like thunder. His own subordinate being knocked down by Hao Jian naturally made him lose face. "Not only do I want to hit your men, I want to hit you too!" Hao Jian sneered, "Considering your performance, you must vacate the five best spaces in your mall for them and heavily promote their brand. Only then might I consider forgiving you." "Are you insane? Think you''re tough just because you beat a bodyguard?" At these words, Wang Yuanbo''s employees also grew angry. And at that moment, Wang Yuanbo''s face darkened as he said, "Kid, do you think I have no way to deal with you? I''ve got clout in both the underworld and legitimate circles in Hua City. Don''t assume that just because you hurt my bodyguard, you can boss me around." "Oh, so you''re well-connected? Then you must know Brother Spice Ginger, right?" Hao Jian asked with a mocking tone. "You know him too?" Wang Yuanbo frowned, surprised. This guy knew Brother Spice Ginger as well? "Since we both know Brother Spice Ginger, this makes things much easier," Hao Jian said, lounging on the sofa, "I believe your relationship with Spice Ginger is nowhere near as close as mine with him, and I also believe that in the end, you''ll accept my terms no matter what!" "You claim to know him just like that? If you do know him, then call him here to show me!" Wang Yuanbo snorted in disbelief, wondering if Hao Jian was bluffing. Thousands knew of Brother Spice Ginger, but only a few truly knew him, and even he had met Brother Spice Ginger just a few times. Yet, Hao Jian claimed to have a close connection with Brother Spice Ginger. Wang Yuanbo was skeptical. Even as a big boss, he couldn''t catch Brother Spice Ginger''s eye, so what was Hao Jian, and what right did he have to claim a deep relationship with Brother Spice Ginger? "If you want me to call Spice Ginger, then the stakes have to go up," Hao Jian said with a faint smile, raising five fingers, "In addition to the demands I''ve already made, add fifty percent of your company''s shares!" "Fifty percent of the shares? Are you dreaming?" Wang Yuanbo was incredulous at Hao Jian''s audacity; this loser actually dared to ask for half of his company, as if he were something important! "Sixty percent!" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "Fuck your mother..." "Seventy!" "Fine, call him. I want to see who you can bring here!" Wang Yuanbo said through gritted teeth. He was eager to see if Hao Jian could actually summon anyone. Hao Jian gave a playful smile, then picked up his phone and made a call, simply saying, "Come to the chairman''s office at Vanke Plaza. I''m waiting for you here, quickly!" The commanding tone of Hao Jian''s voice took Wang Yuanbo by surprise. Was this kid really calling Brother Spice Ginger? And in such a tone? Who in Hua City nowadays would dare to talk to Brother Spice Ginger like that? Right away, Wang Yuanbo sneered. He thought Hao Jian was just feigning ignorance, but he was overdoing it. Brother Spice Ginger was not someone to be bossed around. Ridiculous! "Kid, you''re quite the actor, huh? But you''re overplaying it! Daring to summon Brother Spice Ginger? Do you even know who Brother Spice Ginger is? Can''t even put on a proper act, and you have the nerve to pretend?" Wang Yuanbo laughed scornfully. "Who''s Brother Spice Ginger?" At this point, someone clueless asked Yuan Shanxin since he had been drifting through society for a long time, seen a lot, and knew many people. "Brother Spice Ginger is a very prominent Black Boss in Hua City, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say he''s big time. He''s got both the underworld and the legal channels in his pocket." Yuan Shanxin said, with a mocking smile on his lips, "This kid dares to brag about knowing Brother Spice Ginger, it''s laughable. Let''s see how he gets slapped in the face soon!" Meanwhile, Hao Jian looked at Wang Yuanbo with a taunting gaze, "You don''t dare to boss him around because you''re not qualified, but that doesn''t mean I''m not." "Yeah, yeah, yeah, playing a hunter with a dead mouse, let''s see if you can really call him here!" Wang Yuanbo snorted coldly, no longer bothering to argue with Hao Jian. Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire About half an hour passed, but Brother Spice Ginger still hadn''t appeared, and Wang Yuanbo was getting impatient. "Kid, I think this Brother Spice Ginger of yours isn''t coming, huh?" Wang Yuanbo said with a sinister sneer, he knew this would happen; how could a nobody like Hao Jian know Brother Spice Ginger. "What? Anxious to get slapped in the face?" Hao Jian replied with sarcasm. Wang Yuanbo scoffed disdainfully, "Slapped in the face, by you? Don''t make me laugh, okay? I just don''t want to waste any more time here with you." Then, Wang Yuanbo turned and instructed one of his employees, "Call the bodyguards up. I want to deal with this brat thoroughly." The employee glanced at Hao Jian with a weird smile and then went to make the call. "Boss, we''d better get out of here fast. This guy is just showing off, and if this goes on, we''ll get dragged into it too!" Yuan Shanxin urgently said to Xiao Qiang, not wanting to get beaten. "If you want to leave, leave on your own. Don''t bother me here!" Xiao Qiang said impatiently. She used to think Yuan Shanxin was a fairly ambitious and reliable guy, but after today, she changed her mind and started to dislike Yuan Shanxin. The reason is very simple, because Yuan Shanxin always doubted Hao Jian. With a stiff expression, Yuan Shanxin couldn''t understand why Xiao Qiang trusted Hao Jian so much. Didn''t he see that Wang Yuanbo had already started calling people? Soon, more than a dozen bodyguards entered the office and surrounded Hao Jian and the others. Hao Jian glanced at everyone, still looking unruffled and said to Wang Yuanbo, "It''d be better for you to stop while there''s still room to turn things around." "What, scared? Weren''t you acting all capable just now?" Wang Yuanbo sneered, in his view, Hao Jian was already showing weakness. Each of his bodyguards was as fierce as a lion. Hao Jian might have been able to handle one lion, but he wanted to see if he could take on so many at once. "Scared? Scared of these wastes?" Hao Jian shook his head with a light sigh. If he was afraid of this, would he still be Hao Jian? Wang Yuanbo was underestimating him. "I''m thinking of your wellbeing, worried you might do something you shouldn''t and pay a painful price later," Hao Jian said earnestly, with a look of having your best interests at heart. "Beat him up!" Wang Yuanbo finally couldn''t contain his anger and burst out shouting. "I''d like to see who the hell dares to touch him!" Right then, an imposing voice entered from outside, and a man strode in. "Brother... Brother Spice Ginger?" Seeing Spice Ginger appear, Wang Yuanbo was also stunned. Did this kid really bring Brother Spice Ginger here? But Brother Spice Ginger ignored him and confidently walked towards Hao Jian. "Boss, what did you need me for?" Spice Ginger came to Hao Jian''s side, bowed respectfully, and said. Seeing this, Wang Yuanbo was terrified. Brother Spice Ginger called this kid what? Boss? This young guy was actually Brother Spice Ginger''s boss? How could that be possible? Hao Jian just watched Wang Yuanbo with a cold laugh, "Now, do you believe what I''ve said?" Wang Yuanbo, on the brink of tears, how could he not believe it now? Not just Wang Yuanbo, but even Yuan Shanxin and the others were shocked. They had never imagined that the young-looking Hao Jian would have such a significant background. Biting his teeth in frustration and jealousy, Yuan Shanxin knew he could no longer win against Hao Jian. "How about the thing I mentioned before? Have you thought it through?" Hao Jian asked with a smiling face. "This... Sir, there must be some misunderstanding..." Wang Yuanbo hurriedly said with an appeasing smile, no longer able to act arrogantly. "A misunderstanding? I don''t think it is. I believe I''ve already made myself very clear. If I call Spice Ginger here, you''ll have to compensate with an additional seventy percent of the shares. Now, hand them over!" Hao Jian gestured with an open palm to Wang Yuanbo. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "This..." Wang Yuanbo looked troubled. Giving Hao Jian seventy percent of the shares was like handing over the company on a platter. "It was my mistake earlier. I apologize to you. Could we possibly not compensate so much? Can we stick with the original fifty percent?" Wang Yuanbo begged, knowing he couldn''t afford to provoke Brother Spice Ginger, and knowing Hao Jian was that man''s boss made the situation even more explicit. "Heh, what do you think you are? You think you are fit to bargain with me?" Hao Jian said scornfully, without any deference. Such insulting words left Wang Yuanbo utterly embarrassed while everyone else was astounded to see Wang Yuanbo getting scolded by Hao Jian like a grandson. Wang Yuanbo''s face turned ashen, his expression incredibly awkward. He had never been chastised like this before and found himself at a loss for words. "I gave you a chance, and you didn''t seize it, so you can''t blame me now," Hao Jian chuckled as he stood up, hands behind his back, "You even dared to covet my woman. Quite a hefty nerve you have, eh?" Hearing Hao Jian call her his woman, Xiao Qiang couldn''t help revealing a shy smile, her cheeks blushing prettily. "I... I didn''t mean to." Wang Yuanbo said with an ugly expression, how could he have known Hao Jian was such a big shot? "I don''t care whether it was intentional or unintentional, the problem is you did it, so you should pay the price for it!" Hao Jian was a picture of ruthless indifference, ignoring Wang Yuanbo altogether, he indifferently said, "I''ll give you one week. In one week, give me what I want, or else, I''ll have your body floating in the Huangpu River!" At those words, Wang Yuanbo''s face turned deathly pale, terrified beyond measure. Because he knew Hao Jian meant what he said, now that Brother Spice Ginger was the local hegemon, he could be hunted down every day of the year with just one word from him. Chapter 438 - 438: Second Murong "Brother Spice Ginger, could you please plead for me? I really realize my mistake now." Seeing that he couldn''t persuade Hao Jian, Wang Yuanbo could only turn to Brother Spice Ginger with a pleading look. But Brother Spice Ginger simply turned his head away, "The boss''s wishes are my wishes!" "One week, I want to see Xiao Qiang''s brand on the shelves of your mall; otherwise, prepare for a funeral!" Hao Jian said coldly, then took Xiao Qiang''s hand and walked out of the office with big strides. At that moment, Xiao Qiang felt like she was the long-haired damsel rescued by a prince, filled with emotion and bashfulness. Meanwhile, Wang Yuanbo lay on the ground, utterly disheartened, muttering to himself, "It''s over, everything''s over!" ...... As Hao Jian walked out of the business center, he suddenly turned back to Yuan Shanxin and said, "From today on, you don''t have to come to work anymore." "What? On what grounds?" Yuan Shanxin was initially stunned, then burst into cursing. What right did Hao Jian have to fire him? "Because I don''t like your face!" Hao Jian gave his reason. Yuan Shanxin was dumbfounded. Was that even a reason? Just because Hao Jian didn''t like his face, he was going to be fired? He didn''t like Hao Jian''s face either! "Fire him!" Hao Jian said to Xiao Qiang, pointing at Yuan Shanxin. "Alright!" Xiao Qiang didn''t even think before agreeing, still not recovered from the happiness of before. Now whatever Hao Jian said went; even if he told her to go to a hotel to check in, she''d probably agree without hesitation. "Boss..." Yuan Shanxin was shocked, not expecting Xiao Qiang to fire him just like that, without a moment of hesitation. "Get your wages settled with the accountant later, Yuan Shanxin. You''re not suitable to work under me anymore!" Xiao Qiang said decisively, ready to agree unconditionally to anything Hao Jian decided. Yuan Shanxin clenched his fists tightly, hesitated a few seconds, then left with a look full of hatred on his face. "Where are we going now?" Xiao Qiang asked with joy and anticipation, looking at Hao Jian. Hao Jian looked at Xiao Qiang and uttered two words lightly: "Go home!" "Sure, let''s go to my house!" Xiao Qiang said, batting her eyelashes at Hao Jian. Hao Jian couldn''t help but smile wryly. This girl must be doing it on purpose. "I meant my own home. I''m about to go abroad, so I need to prepare a lot of things," Hao Jian explained with a bitter smile. The smile on Xiao Qiang''s face disappeared in an instant, and she said sullenly, "There''s also someone I want you to help me deal with, someone who has become my sworn enemy!" "Who?" Hao Jian asked in surprise. Sworn enemy? Was it that serious? "Shu Ya!" "...." ...... Afterward, Hao Jian went home, but at the doorstep, he witnessed a bizarre scene. A man dressed in a white long robe, looking like an ancient person, stood at his doorstep, amusing Tongtong. If there was something most eye-catching about this man, it was his looks ¨C a pallid complexion, delicate and handsome features, the very image of a beautiful man. Combined with the ancient attire, he appeared even more ethereal. Seeing this, Hao Jian couldn''t help but admire, "What a pretentious guy!" "Big brother, you''re so handsome, will you marry me when I grow up?" Tongtong asked with a giggle, the charm of a handsome man knows no age limit. Hearing this, Hao Jian suddenly felt unhappy, as if he had been abandoned. This was infuriating. This little bastard, daring to abduct his daughter? Hao Jian stormed over, picked up Tongtong, and said in a mocking tone, "Tongtong, how many times has Daddy told you not to talk to strangers? And especially not to men who are strangers and good-looking at that, because those kinds of men are all scam artists! Of course, your dad is the exception!" The man was left speechless... with the corners of his mouth twitching involuntarily. "But Daddy, you''re not handsome!" Tongtong said seriously, looking at Hao Jian''s face. "Pff, hahaha..." Upon hearing this, the man could no longer contain himself and burst out laughing. Hao Jian''s face turned ashen, and he said awkwardly, "You child, always talking nonsense." "I''m not talking nonsense," Tongtong protested, feeling wronged. "With a dad as resplendent and dashing, elegant and imposing, full of youthful vigor (omit ten thousand words here), you actually say dad isn''t handsome? And you deny spouting nonsense?" Hao Jian scolded. "Wow... Mom, dad is scolding me!" Tongtong cried out, turning her head to shout at Ruo Lan. Ruo Lan, who was nearby, couldn''t stand it any longer and walked over to pick up Tongtong, not forgetting to throw in a complaint before she left: "Why must you trouble the child like this?" "I..." In Hao Jian''s mind, herds of caonima galloped past, this wasn''t how you played the game; what was wrong with showing off a bit in front of outsiders? At that moment, the man chuckled softly, but covered his mouth with the back of his hand in a somewhat coquettish manner. At that instant, a phrase surfaced in Hao Jian''s mind, that was... androgynous! "What are you laughing at? Look at that sleazy face of yours. A grown man but looking like a woman, clearly not a good sort. Speak! What suspicious things are you doing at my doorstep? And seducing my daughter, you wouldn''t be one of those pedophiles with a lolita complex? A young-girl pervert, huh?" Hao Jian looked at the man suspiciously. "You... you''re so rude!" The man was also furious, his handsome face twitching continually. How could such an elegant and noble person like him endure being called a pervert by Hao Jian? At this moment, he truly had the urge to strangle Hao Jian. No one had ever spoken to him like that, Hao Jian was the first! Being born with such an appearance, he was already extremely self-conscious, so he hated it when others said he looked like a woman. This was his Achilles'' heel. Anyone who dared to say he looked feminine met a very miserable end; one of the dandies, ignorant of his status, once called him effeminate and ended up being brutally murdered by him. The dandy''s family hadn''t even found all the pieces of his broken body yet. "I''m starting to dislike you!" The man''s narrow, phoenix eyes emitted a chilly gleam, while his handsome face showed cold severity. Hao Jian curled his lip disdainfully, "As if you liking me would elevate my soul!" "You''re Hao Jian, aren''t you?" the man asked Hao Jian; he wanted to confirm whether the person before him was the one he was looking for. If not, he would kill him on the spot for the offense. Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire "I am, and who might you be?" Hao Jian asked, raising his eyebrow, assuming the man knew him since he called out his name right away. "My name is Murong Chengkong." Murong Chengkong replied indifferently, gently waving the folding fan in his hand, embodying grace and elegance. "A Murong? What''s your relation to Murong Qiushui?" Upon hearing his name, Hao Jian immediately thought of Murong Qiushui, considering that Murong was quite a rare surname. And since the man was obviously here to see him, he must be related to the Murong Family. "I am her elder brother, the second son of the Murong Family," Murong Chengkong said coldly. "Oh, the elder brother is it? Please come in, please come in." Hao Jian immediately changed his demeanor, greeted Murong Chengkong with extreme enthusiasm, as if they were long-lost friends reunited, and began to pull Murong Chengkong inside. "How dare you! To treat me with such disrespect, let go of me! I said let go, do you hear me, hey, you --" Murong Chengkong was dragged into the house by Hao Jian, who then specifically brewed a pot of Kung Fu tea for him. "Smooth to the palate, a single line to the throat; this tea has a very unique flavor. With its aroma, there''s a hint of rot, an amalgam of fragrance and foulness, what kind of tea is this?" Murong Chengkong, after sipping, asked with some surprise. It was his first time tasting such an unusual tea, one that could combine both fragrance and stench. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "It''s special, huh? Just bought it for twenty bucks from the supermarket," Hao Jian said, scratching his head in confusion. Then he picked up the tea box for a glance: "Oops! It''s expired!" "Pfft! Cough cough cough..." Murong Chengkong choked badly, immediately spewing out the tea. No wonder he detected a scent of decay¡ªit was bloody expired! And to think he had just been seriously tasting the tea, only to find out it was way past its sell-by date! "You actually offered me expired tea?" Murong Chengkong glared, asking. He was furious. Considering his status, who in the world didn''t cater to him? Yet this guy dared to fob him off with expired tea. Hao Jian waved his hands apologetically, saying, "No, no, no, no, it was a genuine oversight, I didn''t do it on purpose. How about we skip the tea, and I cut some fruit for you?" "No need, let''s get to the point," Murong Chengkong said, suppressing the rage in his heart and signaling for Hao Jian, who was about to stand, to sit back down. "Alrighty, may I know the purpose of the elder brother''s visit today?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "Don''t call me elder brother!" Murong Chengkong snapped. What''s your status, and what''s mine? You''re not qualified to call me elder brother. "Then brother Chengkong, what brings you today --" "Don''t address me as your brother either!" Murong Chengkong interrupted him again. "Um, Chengkong!" "Are we that familiar?" "Damn it, Second Murong!" Hao Jian finally lost his temper. "You..." Murong Chengkong''s eyebrows shot up in anger, looking ready to explode. With trembling fingers, Murong Chengkong pointed at Hao Jian: "Vulgar! Too vulgar!" "Are you still not done? What do you want with me, spit it out! Annoying the hell out of someone!" Hao Jian said impatiently. Dammit, if it''s not this, it''s not that, are you just toying with me? Murong Chengkong initially thought about turning around and leaving, but thinking of the family mission he came for, he had no choice but to sit down and swallow his pride. "I want to know what Murong Qiushui said to you?" Murong Chengkong stated his intentions directly. With Murong Qiushui''s status, every move she made attracted attention, and Murong Chengkong also understood her; she never acted without cause. The fact that she met with Hao Jian alone, without informing the family, must have a special reason behind it. Chapter 439 - 439: You Have to Compensate! Now, Murong Qiushui could be considered the nominal spokesperson for the Murong Family, and her actions were closely related to the family''s reputation. Naturally, the Murong Family couldn''t afford to let her act recklessly. That''s why they sent Murong Chengkong today, to find out what Hao Jian was really about. "She wanted me to become one of her underlings," Hao Jian replied. "And what did you say?" "I refused!" "Refused? Our Murong Family took a liking to you, which is a blessing you could only earn in eight lifetimes. What reason do you have to refuse?" Once he heard this, Murong Chengkong immediately felt displeased. So many people would crack their skulls trying to squeeze into the Murong Family''s door, yet Hao Jian had the nerve to refuse? Although Murong Chengkong looked down on Hao Jian, him refusing the Murong Family was unacceptable. "Don''t think too highly of yourselves," Hao Jian quirked his lips, also speechless. Murong Chengkong, like Murong Qiushui, saw the Murong Family as too invincible. To some ordinary people, the Murong Family might indeed be invincible, but for Hao Jian, they were not unbeatable. "Are you the mountain?" Murong Chengkong said, lost in a daze. "Do I not look it?" Hao Jian said haughtily, looking up. He should be more like the sky, right? Murong Chengkong was speechless. How could this guy be so shameless? "Anyway, stop contacting Qiushui in the future," Murong Chengkong changed the subject. "Why are you changing the subject? Don''t you think I look it?" Hao Jian got angry. This bastard was actually changing the subject, which was infuriating. "Just remember what I said!" Murong Chengkong was struggling with a splitting headache. Why couldn''t this guy just understand plain speech? "Why?" Hao Jian asked, confused. "My sister''s status is different from yours. Our Murong Family won''t allow her to associate with riffraff like you," Murong Chengkong said coldly. Hao Jian was too ignorant, he hadn''t wanted to speak like that originally, but Hao Jian forced him to. "I''m not riffraff. I am a people''s teacher¡ªdo you understand? Such a noble profession!" Hao Jian quickly retorted. Murong Chengkong''s face turned green as he scolded, "Are you really not understanding, or are you pretending not to understand? Her status doesn''t allow her to be friends with commoners. Do you get it?" "Does she suffer from ''Cannot make friends with commoners syndrome''?" Hao Jian asked in surprise. "...." Murong Chengkong felt a surge of anger: "If you continue to interact with her, it will be very dangerous for you and those around you." "Is this a threat?" Hao Jian frowned, his expression growing darker. "No, this is advice. Our Murong Family won''t do anything to you, because in our eyes, you''re just like a clown. But you should know that our family has many enemies. If you keep interacting with her, it''s likely that someone with ulterior motives will take notice of you," Murong Chengkong said, sitting up straight and lightly waving his folding fan. "If I''m just a clown in your eyes, then why bother sending a young master like yourself to advise me?" Hao Jian let out a sarcastic laugh, his gaze piercing as he stared at Murong Chengkong, seemingly seeing through his intentions. If the Murong Family truly didn''t care about him, they wouldn''t have sent Murong Chengkong to talk to him. It was primarily because the family cared about their reputation; they didn''t want Murong Qiushui to be associated with a reprobate like him. Upon hearing this, Murong Chengkong was startled and then shook his head with a bitter smile, "The rumors out there are wrong." "Oh? How are they wrong?" "They say you''re a foolhardy person who''s just lucky. But from what I see, you''re not stupid at all," Murong Chengkong said with a grin, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. Murong Chengkong rarely smiled, but he smiled now in front of Hao Jian. That was because he liked smart people and enjoyed talking to them, and in his eyes, Hao Jian was one of those smart people. Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire "I admit we do have that concern. If you''re willing to agree, we can offer you a generous compensation. Of course, even if you refuse and insist on contacting my sister, that''s fine too. Our Murong Family won''t trouble you either because we wouldn''t stoop to dealing with an insignificant pawn in such an inelegant manner," Murong Chengkong said with a faint smile. At this moment, Murong Chengkong suddenly flipped his hand, and a glint of cold light swept past, shooting down just beside the tip of Hao Jian''s nose. Hao Jian only slightly furrowed his brow but did not move. "Bang!" The marble coffee table in front of Hao Jian instantly split in two. By now, Murong Chengkong was holding a Bronze Short Sword in his hand, smiling as he said, "Just like now, this Short Sword is named Cangfeng because it''s too sharp for any sheath to hold, so it must always be carried in hand. With such a divine sharpness, a mere flick on your body would slice you in half. But I haven''t done that because you''re not worth it, and I don''t do such things to commoners." Only then did Hao Jian understand why Murong Chengkong''s other hand had been flexing all this time. It turned out he had been holding this divine Short Sword all along. The edge of Cangfeng was so sharp that even Hao Jian couldn''t help but marvel. He admitted that even with his monstrous physique, he couldn''t withstand such a divine blade. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian looked down at the shattered coffee table and then angrily said, "That coffee table cost me over ten thousand, you owe me compensation!" Murong Chengkong was at a loss for words. Did this guy truly not understand human language? After showing such a move, he was still fixated on that broken coffee table? Murong Chengkong felt he was unable to converse with Hao Jian and then gave Hao Jian a deep look, silent for a long while. He really wanted to know if this guy was even human. After who knows how long, Murong Chengkong finally got up and said coldly, "I''m going home!" The words were full of frustration, as if he were a little kid about to leave in a huff after a squabble with playmates. Murong Chengkong was indeed frustrated, or perhaps furious; he estimated that he had never been as angry in his life as he was today, all told. The guy before him was just too much. "Breaking stuff and not paying for it, claiming to be from a great family, shameless!" Hao Jian huffed in displeasure. Murong Chengkong, who was about to leave, nearly tripped and fell to the ground when he heard these words. Then he turned around, his face red and his teeth clenched, as he glared at Hao Jian. It should be you who''s shameless, shouldn''t it? Can''t you show a bit of dignity over a measly ten thousand RMB? To Murong Chengkong, a paltry ten thousand RMB was not even worth bending over to pick up if it dropped on the ground, so would he care about such a sum? Murong Chengkong hurriedly pulled out a thick stack of banknotes from his purse¡ªno less than fifty or sixty thousand¡ªand slammed it onto the ground, "Here''s your money!" At the same time, a trace of contempt appeared on Murong Chengkong''s face. Normally, he would disdain to use money to insult someone. It was just too degrading. But now he didn''t see it that way anymore. For a money-grubber like Hao Jian, this was the appropriate method. Murong Chengkong sneered, waiting, looking forward to seeing Hao Jian fly into a rage, shout at him, "So what if you have money?" "Thank you, boss, thank you, boss..." However, the scene Murong Chengkong wanted to see did not happen. Instead, he saw Hao Jian bowing and scraping as he picked up the money from the ground, in a manner utterly devoid of pride. Murong Chengkong was petrified on the spot. He had thought the guy was just thick-skinned, but now it seemed he had no shame at all! Murong Chengkong suddenly felt like throwing good money after bad. Murong Chengkong gritted his teeth and then, like an eagle swooping down, he lunged towards the ground and started picking up the money too. Damn it, even if he had to feed that money to dogs, he wouldn''t give it to this shameless wretch! "You have the nerve to take back the money you gave to someone¡ªis there no shame left in you?" Hao Jian finally erupted in anger! "I''d rather burn it than give it to you!" Murong Chengkong snarled viciously, the corner of his mouth twisted in cold mockery. Hao Jian gritted his teeth in frustration and then, suddenly, a playful smile appeared on his lips, and then... "Ha, ptooey!" Just then, Hao Jian pursed his lips and spat directly onto one of the RMB banknotes. Murong Chengkong froze, aghast he looked up, only to see Hao Jian''s mocking smile. "You..." Murong Chengkong really wanted to swear, though he had never done so before, but in this moment, he was truly on the verge of losing his composure. He would never have thought Hao Jian would use such a shameless tactic to prevent him from picking up the money. Now with spit on it, he couldn''t bring himself to pick it up shamelessly. Because he had a germ phobia! "Kid, you''re still too green to compete with me!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, his smug look not unlike that of Curator Jin. Murong Chengkong stood up furiously, deciding he must leave immediately, because at that moment he remembered a saying: Don''t argue with a fool, because they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience. Murong Chengkong didn''t want to become a fool himself, so he had to leave right away. "Not enough to die, definitely not enough!" As Hao Jian picked his nose, he shook his head, then casually flicked the booger. It flew through the air in an arc and landed precisely on Murong Chengkong''s shoulder. Roar! At that moment, a sleeping lion was awakening! Half an hour later, Murong Chengkong emerged from Hao Jian''s house, his nose swollen, face bruised, and clothes in tatters. Inside, Hao Jian was holding a handkerchief and waved at Murong Chengkong, "Dear customer, come back when you can!" **** it, never coming back again, let whoever wants this garbage job take it! Murong Chengkong cursed inwardly. .... At mealtime, Hao Jian was eating with Tongtong and the others. Tongtong, that little girl, still seemed to be angry about today''s events, turning her head away refusing to look at Hao Jian. "Tongtong, still mad at daddy for scolding you? How about daddy apologizes, alright?" Hao Jian said, trying to placate her while serving her some food. "Hmph!" Tongtong huffed angrily and turned her head away, ignoring Hao Jian. Chapter 440 - 440: The Frustrated Zhang Wenying "It''s not that she was mad at you for scolding her; she was mad because you beat up her handsome brother like that," Ruo Lan added. "..." Hao Jian smiled awkwardly, "Silly girl, what''s so good about Murong Chengkong? He looks good but is useless. I barely pushed him a few times, and he ended up like that. How can such a man provide a sense of security to women? Tongtong, wouldn''t you agree?" "So the handsome brother is called Murong Chengkong, yay, I finally know his name!" Tongtong cheered. Hehe... Hahaha... Hao Jian squeezed out a smile uglier than a cry. It seemed that the next time he met Murong Chengkong, he''d have to engage in a deep exchange of martial arts with him. Just then, Hao Jian''s phone rang; it was Old Zhang calling. "Hello, Old Zhang, what''s up?" "Hao Jian, where are you?" On the other end, Old Zhang''s voice trembled with tears. Hao Jian was startled, "Me? Aren''t I at home? What''s wrong?" "Can you come over? There''s been an accident here, my daughter... she''s trying to jump off the building to kill herself!" Old Zhang''s voice shook with panic and fear. He didn''t want to bother Hao Jian with a phone call, but now he was really out of options. "Where are you now? I''ll come to you right now," Hao Jian said urgently. Immediately, Old Zhang gave him an address. Hao Jian quickly grabbed his coat and left the house, heading to Old Zhang''s residence. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire By then, the area was already crowded with people. Old Zhang lived in a rental house, since people with a salary like his couldn''t afford to buy a house. At that moment, Hao Jian saw a woman in white standing at the railing of the top floor, her figure wavering. It was indeed Zhang Wenying. Hao Jian furrowed his brows. He didn''t need to think to know that Zhang Wenying was devastated by being dumped by someone named Xuanye, which was why she was driven to consider suicide. But what Hao Jian hadn''t expected was for everything to happen so quickly and for Zhang Wenying to react so drastically. After all, the impression Zhang Wenying had previously given off was that of a gold digger. Would a gold digger care about these things? Meanwhile, both of Zhang Wenying''s parents were trying to persuade her. Their eyes were red with tears, and Zhang Wenying''s mother was worse off, collapsing on the ground, crying inconsolably. However, Zhang Wenying looked numb, completely unmoved by their pleas, clearly unaffected by their words. "Hey, are you going to jump or not? You''ve been standing there for half an hour; do you dare to jump or not? I still have to hurry home for dinner!" At that moment, a seemingly gentle boy shouted. Though he looked gentle, his words were anything but gentle. At that moment, Hao Jian couldn''t help but frown. Was this even human speech? Wishing death on someone else? "Hey, hurry up and jump. Die early and be reborn early, don''t waste everyone''s time!" Another youth, apparently a companion of the boy, also started yelling at the same moment. From the badges on their clothes, Hao Jian could tell these two guys were university students. Seeing university students with such a moral decay deeply saddened Hao Jian. Because many people now say that Huaxia is in a phase of moral decline, with most people lacking faith, their only faith being in money! The sole criterion for men and women being together is no longer love but cars, houses, and money. Parents want their children to succeed but overlook moral upbringing, leading to a general indifference among modern society''s youth. This could be because we are transitioning from a traditional society to a modern one, but this transition lacks proper moral standards and values. This reminded Hao Jian of a recent news story: a top-university student brutally killed his mother and continued to take loans in her name after her death. Having murdered his own mother without any remorse and continuing to exploit her identity for loans was utterly ruthless. However, what you wouldn''t expect is that this student was previously highly esteemed, ranked first in his school and revered almost as a deity by his classmates, winning scholarships every year, and his mother had always said she was proud of him. But what good was that? Teachers and parents had taught him knowledge but failed to teach him how to be a person. What''s more ridiculous is that his mother was a teacher herself. Being both a teacher and a mother, yet she raised such a monstrous murderer. This shows that today''s society values knowledge over moral education. Hao Jian mourned because a strong youth leads to a strong nation. But if every young person is ruthlessly crazy, what hope does the country have? "Are you going to jump or not? If you''re scared, stop pretending, okay? Are you just trying to keep us in suspense?" the gentle-looking boy shouted. "Shut up!" Hao Jian finally couldn''t contain his anger any longer and burst out shouting. The two were stunned, not expecting anyone to dare to scold them. They both turned to look at Hao Jian, and seeing he was alone, they immediately showed disdain. "What''s it to you? Get lost!" "From now on, if you dare utter a word, I will break your legs!" Hao Jian''s gaze coldly swept over the two men. "Hey!" The two men were instantly enraged and pushed through the crowd, walking towards Hao Jian. "Just try and hit one of us, damn it! Where did this fool come from to meddle in other''s affairs? Did we talk about you?" The refined-looking student moved his face to within two centimeters of Hao Jian, and his expression was filled with arrogance and disdain. Hao Jian smiled faintly, then suddenly made his move. He grabbed the man''s face and delivered a knee strike. "Boom!" "Cough!" The college student instantly vomited bile and fell to the ground, motionless. "Since your parents failed to teach you, let me do it." Hao Jian grinned fiercely and stepped on his knee. "When you see others facing misfortune, you may not sympathize, but do not gloat over their misery. Life is long and unpredictable; you never know when you might end up miserably. Put yourself in others'' shoes, show more tolerance and kindness, and the world will be a better place." "Crack!" Hao Jian stepped down, and the student''s kneecap shattered instantly. He grimaced in pain, his face twisted, and his screams lasted a long time. Then, Hao Jian moved his foot onto the knee of the other leg and continued sneering, "Furthermore, what makes us human, and different from animals, is our sense of morality and civilization. Thus, humans must not slaughter each other; otherwise, what difference is there from a wild beast?" "Crack!" The other leg also broke. "Ow!" The miserable scream echoed throughout the venue, shocking all the onlookers. The college student had passed out from the pain. But in Hao Jian''s eyes, there was not a trace of pity as he said, "Sorry, even though you have a long life ahead of you, I don''t want to waste time letting you slowly learn what humanity is. But now, you have a lifetime to ''sit'' down and ponder this issue!" Immediately, Hao Jian looked up at another man who was already scared silly, "What about you? Do you also need a lesson on morals and ethics?" "No, no!" The man quickly shook his head, his face pale with fright. "Then why haven''t you scrammed already?" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "I''m leaving! I''m going right now!" The man, who was terrified by Hao Jian''s fierceness, quickly turned and ran away. Afterward, Hao Jian snorted and walked towards the building. The firefighters were also placing safety air cushions, but they were unable to position it ideally because a sports car was illegally parked at the roadside. The sports car arrogantly blocked the entrance to the apartment, making it inconvenient for people to come and go. This illegal parking also prevented proper placement of the safety air cushion, potentially resulting in a tragedy if Zhang Wenying were to jump at that moment. "Why not use a crane to move this car?" Hao Jian asked the firefighters. The firefighters, also frustrated, replied, "Do you think I don''t want to? Where can I find a tow truck in such short notice? The girl could jump any moment. I don''t know who the irresponsible idiot is who parked here, causing inconvenience and now hindering our rescue efforts!" Thereupon, Hao Jian frowned and walked towards his own car. Everyone watched him with a mix of respect and awe, wondering what Hao Jian was planning to do next. Hao Jian got into the car, started it, and then, amid the gasps of the bystanders, he suddenly revved up and charged at the sports car. "Bang!" A loud noise followed as the sports car was knocked a distance away and the front of the car was badly dented. Everyone was stunned, no one had expected Hao Jian to go to such lengths to save the girl. That was a sports car after all, worth at least several million. Hao Jian had caused damage that would cost at least 500 thousand to repair. The firefighter who had been talking with Hao Jian was completely dumbfounded. Despite their urgent wish to resolve the situation, none had the boldness of Hao Jian to completely wreck someone''s car like that. However, Hao Jian remained undeterred, continued to reverse, and then charged again! "Bang!" Another hit, and the sports car was completely moved out of the way, thus clearing a large space. But correspondingly, the sports car was now totally unrecognizable; at this point, it looked less like a sports car and more like a pile of scrap metal. The sports car let out a series of piercing screeches, voicing its misery. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 441 - 441: A Kick Down Hao Jian got out of the car and walked towards the group of firefighters. Then he scolded the firefighters who were already dumbfounded, "What are you all gaping at for? Why aren''t you getting to work?" "Oh, oh, oh, get moving! Damn, a bunch of fools, hurry up! Do you want to watch someone die?" The captain immediately cursed at the firefighters. The firefighters then began to move in a flurry, placing the safety air cushion where Zhang Wenying would land. "Brother, I admire you! You''re a real man, with such spirit, even we soldiers feel ashamed!" The fire captain gave Hao Jian a thumbs up. "Don''t worry, I will have my men keep it secret; no one will know it was you who damaged his car." sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "It doesn''t matter if they keep it secret or not, I want to see which nouveau riche is so ostentatious to park his car here," Hao Jian sneered. If he hadn''t been here today, a tragedy would have been almost unavoidable. And the car owner would have had to pay for today''s incident. "Brother, I think we should keep a low profile. Anyone who can drive such a luxury car is not someone we can afford to offend," the fire captain warned kindly, fearing that Hao Jian would act rashly. If he really confronted the car owner, it was likely that Hao Jian could end up getting sued out of his pants. Hao Jian smiled without saying a word, too lazy to explain anything. He asked, "Can I go up? The person who wants to jump is my sister." "It''s your sister? No wonder," the fire captain revealed an expression as if he had just realized something. No wonder Hao Jian dared to act so recklessly, it was because it was his sister. "Alright, I''ll go up with you. You have to talk some sense into her. Don''t let her become desperate. By the way, the vulgar one here is named Huang, Huang Zhijun. If you don''t mind, let''s be friends," Huang Zhijun said, appreciating a man of Hao Jian''s mettle. "Hao Jian." Hao Jian extended his hand to Huang Zhijun. "Hao Jian?" Your name is quite interesting," Huang Zhijun laughed heartily. "Brother Huang, although I would like to chat with you right now, my sister..." Hao Jian said with a wry smile. "Ah, sorry, my oversight, let''s go up now." Huang Zhijun walked upstairs with Hao Jian. "Hao Jian, you finally came." Seeing Hao Jian arrive, Old Zhang was so excited he almost cried and hurriedly greeted him. "What''s the situation now?" Hao Jian asked with a darkened expression. "That Kong Xuanye dumped her and circulated her *** in the school. She, she can''t show her face anymore!" Old Zhang said with a hint of sobbing in his voice, feeling a mix of hatred and annoyance. Hatred for Kong Xuanye''s shamelessness, yet also annoyance at his own helplessness, unable to assist his daughter. "Why didn''t you call the police? And what''s with the injury on your face?" Hao Jian asked in an unfriendly tone, noting the fresh injury on Old Zhang''s face. "It was Kong Xuanye who hit me. After the incident, my wife and I went to confront him. But not only did he refuse to acknowledge what he''d done, he also had people beat us up like this," Old Zhang said through clenched teeth. "We did call the police afterward, but Kong Xuanye''s family is rich and powerful. He was detained for less than a day before being released!" Old Zhang hated his own powerlessness, unable to restore his daughter''s honor or avenge her. "Let''s talk about these matters later. Let''s deal with the situation at hand first," Hao Jian nodded to show his understanding and then walked towards Zhang Wenying. "Old Zhang, who is he?" Old Zhang''s wife asked in confusion. She didn''t know Old Zhang had such a friend. "He''s my brother!" Old Zhang said proudly, "My brother is very capable, there''s nothing he can''t do!" "Really? Don''t brag. When have you ever met someone like that?" Old Zhang''s wife dismissed him curtly. Old Zhang was just a security guard; how could he know such a person? In her view, either Old Zhang had been deceived, or he was just boasting! "Nonsense, how am I bragging? What I said is true!" Old Zhang said discontentedly. "You''re a woman who knows nothing, just shut up!" How dare she look down upon him. Even Hao Jian, a man of such stature, did not look down on him, so what gave her the right to scorn him? Hao Jian walked towards Zhang Wenying and as she saw Hao Jian approaching, Zhang Wenying''s emotions became significantly more agitated, warning him, "Stop right there, don''t come any closer! Otherwise, I''ll jump!" But Hao Jian acted as if he hadn''t heard her speak and continued walking toward Zhang Wenying. "You..." Zhang Wenying was stunned to see that Hao Jian wasn''t listening to her, wondering if he didn''t care about her life at all? "Hey, hey, hey, who are you? Don''t provoke her!" a police officer present told Hao Jian. "Brother Hao Jian, your sister is agitated; it''s better if you persuade her from a distance," Huang Zhijun also said to Hao Jian, fearing that a careless act by Hao Jian might provoke Zhang Wenying to jump. However, Hao Jian kept walking as if he hadn''t heard them until he reached Zhang Wenying. Zhang Wenying was also stunned, not knowing what Hao Jian wanted to do. Save her? It seemed unlikely. There was not a hint of worry on his face; instead, he wore a smile that seemed almost eager for her to jump. At that moment, everyone saw Hao Jian stop in front of Zhang Wenying and then, with a swift motion of his foot, kicked Zhang Wenying off! "Ahh!" A shrill scream instantly pierced the sky and echoed through the entire building. "Wow!" Downstairs, some people who witnessed the scene couldn''t help but scream in fright, never expecting Zhang Wenying would actually jump. Old Zhang was stunned, Huang Zhijun was stunned, everyone was stunned. The atmosphere instantly fell silent. After hesitating for about three to five seconds, everyone seemed to wake from a dream and rushed to the railing to look down. Only when they saw Zhang Wenying land safely on the air cushion did they finally breathe a sigh of relief. At that moment, Old Zhang''s wife burst into flames, pointing at Old Zhang''s nose and cursing loudly, "Old Zhang, what kind of people did you invite? Did you intend for him to kill our daughter?" She was really angry. Hao Jian had actually kicked Zhang Wenying off. Wasn''t this wishing Zhang Wenying dead? The policemen were also angrily eyeing Hao Jian, as his action had already bordered on attempted murder. Huang Zhijun was also full of astonishment. Was this guy really the brother he knew? "I..." Old Zhang was also taken aback. At this moment, he didn''t know what to say, because he had no idea Hao Jian would save Zhang Wenying in such a manner. Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire "If she doesn''t ''die'' once, she will never know the preciousness of life. I believe she felt the fear of death in that instant," said Hao Jian, smiling as he addressed Old Zhang''s wife, "Sister-in-law, I knew in advance there was an air cushion below, so I dared to do it; otherwise, wouldn''t I be a murderer? Do I look like a fool to you? Killing someone in front of a crowd of policemen?" With that, the expression on Old Zhang''s wife''s face eased a lot. "Look at you, I told you my brother wasn''t ordinary. Every move he makes is profound!" Old Zhang snorted, and then looked at Hao Jian curiously, "Hao Jian, I saw there was a supercar below just now, how did you get it moved?" "This brother is fierce. He drove and knocked that supercar out of the way, or else we wouldn''t have been able to carry out the rescue," praised Huang Zhijun to Hao Jian. Immediately, Old Zhang was taken aback, then quickly approached Hao Jian and grabbed his hand: "Hao Jian, there''s nothing else to say, my family owes you a life!" He knew all too well the price to pay for knocking away a supercar¡ªit would be at least a couple of million yuan. His wife was also embarrassed, feeling ashamed for having wrongly blamed Hao Jian just a moment ago. "He''s our brother. Why say these unnecessary words? Let''s go down and see how Zhang Wenying is," Hao Jian shook his head. At once, everyone hurried downstairs to find Zhang Wenying, who was sitting inside the air cushion, staring blankly as if she had lost her soul. She didn''t move at all when someone tried to pull her up and screamed at anyone who tried to help her. "Daughter!" When Old Zhang and his wife saw Zhang Wenying like this, they quickly approached her. "Get away! It''s all your fault! If it wasn''t for you, Xuanye wouldn''t have abandoned me!" Zhang Wenying pushed them both away, shouting loudly like a shrew. "Sigh..." Old Zhang let out a sigh; his already aged face now seemed even more haggard. He didn''t dare argue back, allowing Zhang Wenying to curse. Her emotions were too volatile, and he dared not upset her further. Zhang Wenying''s mother was weeping, her sobs unceasing. At that moment, Hao Jian let out a cold laugh and walked over to Zhang Wenying, delivering a slap directly across her face. "Slap!" Zhang Wenying''s body lurched to the side, tumbling to the ground, as a bright red handprint appeared on her face, which quickly swelled up. "Wenying!" Seeing this, Zhang Wenying''s mother was immediately frantic. She had never hit Zhang Wenying so hard before, but Hao Jian''s slap was so fierce. But Old Zhang held her back, shaking his head at her, signaling that they should let Hao Jian handle this. "Sigh..." Old Zhang''s wife could only heave a helpless sigh. "How dare you hit me?" Zhang Wenying turned her head in shock and then swung her hand towards Hao Jian''s face. But just as her hand was about to hit Hao Jian''s face, he delivered another slap. "Slap!" Yet another slap landed. "You..." "Slap!" Hao Jian kept hitting Zhang Wenying, his slaps relentless, hammering her face. Old Zhang and his wife, though heartsick, were helpless and could only watch from a distance. Finally, Zhang Wenying stopped moving, maybe realizing she could never beat Hao Jian. She had already fallen so low, she didn''t care about being humiliated by Hao Jian anymore. Chapter 442 - 442 Song Chunlai Zhang Wenying was in utter despair at this point, and if possible, she truly wished she could just die. "Have you calmed down?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. At his words, Zhang Wenying was startled, then finally could no longer hold back her sorrowful emotions and burst into tears. "She''s crying, crying is good!" Seeing this, Old Zhang and his wife were extremely agitated. For the past few days, Zhang Wenying had been neither eating nor drinking and showed neither happiness nor sadness, just like a walking corpse. They had actually been hoping that Zhang Wenying would have a good cry, so at least her sadness could be released. Psychology says that if people don''t vent their repressed emotions, it can cause great psychological trauma, which might lead to the situation at hand, where Zhang Wenying''s depression had nowhere to go, resulting in her suicide attempt. But now, Zhang Wenying finally cried, shedding tears¡ªthe only way humans can vent their sadness. As long as there are still tears to cry, it means everything is not too late. "You know very well what Xuanye''s abandonment really was all about, but you just refuse to accept it. That''s why you''ve been taking all your anger out on your parents. Do you realize how messed up that is? You grovel before someone who doesn''t love you, yet you hurt those who do. Your parents might not be able to give you the best, but they''ve given you everything they have. If you can''t be grateful for that, then go ahead and jump again, and next time I won''t save you." With that, Hao Jian no longer paid attention to the stunned Zhang Wenying and walked towards Old Zhang and his wife. Zhang Wenying was stunned for a moment, then covered her face and ran upstairs, crying. Old Zhang and his wife wanted to follow but were stopped by Hao Jian, "Let her think things through by herself. If she doesn''t, today''s events will happen again. You can''t save someone who is determined to die, just like you can''t wake someone who is pretending to be asleep." Hearing this, Old Zhang and his wife couldn''t help but sigh with helplessness. They also knew that they were out of options now; only Zhang Wenying herself could come to an understanding. All they could hope was for Hao Jian to shock Zhang Wenying into awakening. "Now, let''s head to the police station," Hao Jian told Old Zhang and his wife. "To the police station? What for?" Old Zhang and his wife asked in confusion. "Of course, for revenge. I want to see who the hell dares to release the person I want to catch!" Hao Jian exclaimed angrily. Old Zhang was startled, and then couldn''t help but show a gleeful expression. Hao Jian was planning to stand up for them! "Motherfucker, who messed up my car like this?" Just then, a piercing voice came from not far away. A gaunt young man with a voluptuous woman in tow came over. The young man seemed to be in his forties, about 1.6 meters tall, so skinny that he was practically all skin and bones, and appeared to be malnourished. The woman beside him was significantly taller, standing at 1.8 meters with a sexy dress on, giving off a vibe of flaunting her sex appeal. She was clearly the type of woman that could be a model. Seeing his car wrecked, the youth was immediately enraged. They had merely passed by to shop, and upon returning, found their car in such a state, which left him filled with rage. Upon seeing this man, Huang Zhijun''s heart tightened, and he nervously murmured to Hao Jian, "Be careful, this guy is called Song Chunlai, and he wields a lot of power in Hua City. Even our fire department chief has to watch his face. You mustn''t admit to wrecking his car; otherwise, he''ll destroy you!" Huang Zhijun rarely encountered men as daring as Hao Jian and naturally did not want him to fall victim to Song Chunlai. "Huang Zhijun? Get your ass over here!" At that moment, Song Chunlai also spotted Huang Zhijun and barked at him. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire Since Song Chunlai was friends with Huang Zhijun''s immediate superior, he naturally recognized Huang Zhijun. Seeing his car in such a state while Huang Zhijun''s team was present, Song Chunlai was sure Huang Zhijun would know what had happened. Huang Zhijun gave Hao Jian a look that said "You must not admit to it at all costs," before he plastered a smile on his face and went to greet him. At that moment, Huang Zhijun was also feeling a bitter taste in his mouth. Who would have thought that the car belonged to Song Chunlai? Wasn''t this coincidence a bit too uncanny? S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Brother Lai, what a coincidence, you''re here too?" Huang Zhijun said ingratiatingly. Song Chunlai frowned, "Cut the goddamn crap. Tell me! Who messed up my car? Was it you?" "No, no, of course not. How could I dare to touch Brother Lai''s car?" Huang Zhijun said sycophantically. Although Huang Zhijun was a hot-blooded man, what could he do? Aside from being a man of passion, he was also someone''s son, husband, father, so he didn''t dare to offend Song Chunlai, lest he lose his job. "Then who the fuck did it?" Song Chunlai asked impatiently, as if he was close to slapping Huang Zhijun. He didn''t take even Huang Zhijun''s immediate superior seriously, let alone Huang Zhijun himself. "I, I don''t know either," Huang Zhijun lied, with a bitter smile on his lips. "Slap!" Song Chunlai viciously slapped Huang Zhijun across the face, grinding his teeth as he said, "Do you fucking think I''m an idiot, huh? You don''t know? There had to have been a lot of noise when my car got smashed up like this! Your guys were here the whole time and didn''t see who hit my car?" "My people didn''t see anything either," Huang Zhijun said as he covered his face, trying to defend himself. Although he was flushed with anger, he loyally did not betray Hao Jian. Seeing him being this way, his subordinates, one after another, dared not make a sound. They could tell that Huang Zhijun wanted to protect Hao Jian, and they all knew Hao Jian hadn''t done anything wrong. After all, human life is at stake; it was understandable that Hao Jian did what he did. They even felt some admiration for Hao Jian because he had done something they didn''t have the courage to do. Since they hadn''t done anything, and it wasn''t them who had saved the person, what they could do now was to keep this secret for Hao Jian and help him get past this tough spot. Song Chunlai gave another vicious slap, his eyes filled with angry bloodshot veins as if he was about to devour someone, staring down Huang Zhijun fiercely, "Do you fucking know they didn''t see anything without even asking?" This scene looked rather comical. Huang Zhijun stood two meters tall, whereas Song Chunlai was only one meter sixty, so to reach up to hit Huang Zhijun, he had to stand on tiptoes, looking like a dwarf against a giant. It was only then that Huang Zhijun turned his head and pretended to shout at the crowd, "You didn''t see who smashed Brother Lai''s car either?" "No!" The firefighters shook their heads in unison. "Fuck!" Song Chunlai, driven by rage, kicked Huang Zhijun in the back, knocking him to the ground, his expression turning utterly ferocious, "You think you''re clowning me, do you?" It was obvious to him that Huang Zhijun was deliberately protecting the perpetrator. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have claimed not to have seen anything without even asking. These firefighters had been here the whole time; how could they possibly not have seen anything? And Huang Zhijun''s feigned questioning was nothing more than an attempt to fob him off. If Song Chunlai was so easily fooled, he wouldn''t have made it to where he was now. So, he got pissed off. Although he didn''t know why Huang Zhijun was lying to him, he was certain Huang Zhijun was deceiving him! After knocking Huang Zhijun to the ground, Song Chunlai pounded him with his fists and feet, shouting, "I''ll beat your fucking ass silent! I''ll beat you to death, you damn mutt!" Soon Huang Zhijun was bleeding from his head, hanging it in shame while allowing Song Chunlai''s punches to fall like rain, not fighting back. Given his size, he could have crippled Song Chunlai in a matter of minutes, but he knew that Song Chunlai was not someone he could afford to mess with, so all he could do was endure it. Now, all Huang Zhijun could do was pray that Song Chunlai would vent his anger soon and then let the matter go. Taking a beating was worth it to save a good person! Meanwhile, a cold light swept through Hao Jian''s eyes as he approached Song Chunlai. Song Chunlai was still beating Huang Zhijun and had even picked up a brick from nearby, ready to give Huang Zhijun a harsh lesson. Being powerful, dealing with a small fry like Huang Zhijun was all just fun and games for Song Chunlai. Flicking the brick in his hand, he looked at Huang Zhijun with a menacing gaze, "You spineless cur, you think you''re tough? I''m telling you, unless you cough up that person today, I''m going to crack your skull open!" Huang Zhijun just gave Song Chunlai a cold look and said indifferently, "I. Don''t. Know." "Alright, alright, go die then, you spineless cur!" Finally, Song Chunlai lost his temper, swung the brick, and went for the kill. "Bang!" The brick shattered, making a loud noise. However, it wasn''t Huang Zhijun''s head that it fell upon, but rather onto Hao Jian''s fist. "You¡­" Seeing Hao Jian break his brick with a punch, even Song Chunlai was taken aback. "Brother Hao Jian, why did you come out? Oh no, get back inside!" When Huang Zhijun saw Hao Jian come out to save him, he was not only far from happy but also extremely anxious. In his view, Hao Jian coming out at this time not only couldn''t save him but also might end up getting himself in trouble too. Then Huang''s beating would have been for nothing. "The trouble I caused, I have no reason to let you take the fall for it. And if I don''t come out now, you''d probably end up in the hospital for several months," Hao Jian said. He had only just met Huang Zhijun, and Huang was willing to go to such lengths for him, which had already moved him deeply. He couldn''t just stand by and watch Huang Zhijun get beaten. "A few months lying down doesn''t matter. A man should be able to take some knocks. Get out of here!" Huang Zhijun chided Hao Jian irritably, full of urgency. He feared that once Song Chunlai noticed Hao Jian, Hao wouldn''t be able to leave at all. "Who the fuck are you?" Song Chunlai, looking impatient, glared at Hao Jian, clearly very displeased that Hao dared to intervene in his business with Huang Zhijun. Chapter 443 - 443 Great Demon King Hao Jian "Brother Lai, this guy is a friend of mine, don''t mind him, he doesn''t know better," Huang Zhijun hurriedly said, pulling Hao Jian along with a forced smile towards Song Chunlai. "It was me who smashed up your car!" However, at this moment, Hao Jian spoke directly without hiding his identity. As soon as these words came out, Huang Zhijun and the others were all scared stiff. Had this guy lost his mind? How could he admit in front of Song Chunlai that it was him who had wrecked his car? Wasn''t this deliberately provoking Song Chunlai? Huang Zhijun also panicked, yanking on Hao Jian as he scolded, "What are you babbling about? Even if you want to save me, you don''t have to go this far, do you? Do you really think Brother Lai is a fool to believe such a crude lie from you?" However, Song Chunlai actually believed it, and coldly stared at Hao Jian, "Why did you smash my car?" Huang Zhijun''s expression instantly stiffened, and with a smile, he said, "Brother Lai, he''s just playing with you." "Shut up! Huang Zhijun, if you dare spout another word of nonsense, I''ll make you regret it big time!" Song Chunlai roared ferociously. At this, Huang Zhijun fell silent, sighing deeply, his heart filled with mixed emotions and some resentment towards Hao Jian. This whole thing could have ended with just a beating for him, but Hao Jian had to mess it up, and now, not only could he not save Hao Jian, but he also took a beating for nothing. "I''m talking to you, kid!" Song Chunlai''s imposing gaze fixed on Hao Jian. "Your car was illegally parked, and just now a girl tried to jump off the building, preventing the firefighters from deploying their safety airbag. So to save people, I had no choice," Hao Jian shrugged nonchalantly, his face showing no sign of embarrassment. "Just for that?" Song Chunlai glared, clearly unconvinced by the excuse. "What, isn''t that reason enough?" Song Chunlai, infuriated yet amused by Hao Jian, said, "That woman jumping off the building was her own fault, what does that have to do with me? Besides, her lowly life is worth my car that costs five million?" At those words, Old Zhang and his wife were instantly furious, "What kind of person speaks like that, how can you compare a human life to a car?" "You guys know shit. My car is a limited edition, it''s no longer in production; it''s like a piece of art, do you understand? It''s something money can''t buy anymore, and something you country bumpkins could never afford!" Song Chunlai scoffed coldly, "It''s her own cheap life if she wants to kill herself! Can a cheap life compare to my car?" "You!" Old Zhang and his wife were so choked by Song Chunlai''s words they couldn''t find anything to say in retort. "So in your view, a human life isn''t even worth as much as a car?" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "It depends on who the person is. Someone living in a slum like this can''t compare to my car, of course," Song Chunlai arrogantly said, his expression suddenly turning cold, "Kid, you dared to smash my car, I hope you have the money to pay for it, otherwise, I''ll make you wish you were dead!" "Ah, I really didn''t want to do this," Hao Jian sighed helplessly and then walked over to Song Chunlai. Just as Song Chunlai was puzzled about what Hao Jian was going to do, Hao Jian threw a punch directly into Song Chunlai''s abdomen. "Cough!" Song Chunlai immediately coughed up blood. His body was so frail; how could it withstand Hao Jian''s punch? The blow caused multiple fractures internally. "What are you doing?" The model next to Song Chunlai saw him getting beaten up by Hao Jian and got completely panicked. Hao Jian''s face broke into a warm smile, as if it was the most natural thing, "Well, of course, I''m teaching a scumbag a lesson!" At that moment, the model was stunned because she had never seen someone smile so beautifully, with bright teeth and red lips, dimples on his cheeks, and a smile that felt like a warm breeze. At that moment, the model couldn''t help thinking that she would willingly sleep with Hao Jian for free even if no money was involved. "You damn dare to hit me? I''ll make sure you suffer for this!" Song Chunlai roared, infuriated like never before; he immediately burned with rage, wishing he could kill Hao Jian there and then. "Call people!" Song Chunlai hysterically yelled at his woman. "Oh, okay." The model was startled for a moment and then hurriedly picked up her phone. Although Hao Jian had moved her heart, Song Chunlai was her sugar daddy, and which side to take wasn''t even a question. Song Chunlai was no fool; he knew he couldn''t beat Hao Jian by himself, so he could only rely on his network of connections! "Brother Tian, it''s Shufang. Brother Lai and I got beaten up at XX. Bring people quickly!" "Kid, just you wait. Once my people arrive, you''re dead without a doubt!" Song Chunlai laughed uproariously, his face filled with anticipation, eager to see the scene of Hao Jian being completely destroyed. "So you mean, it will take a while before your people arrive here?" Hao Jian sneered sinisterly, eyeing Song Chunlai with ill intent, as if Song Chunlai was a peerless beauty and he was a great pervert. Seeing this, Song Chunlai immediately panicked, and his words stumbled, "What... what do you want to do?" "Me? I just want to have a thorough discussion with you about the correct way to deal with ''scumbags''," Hao Jian grinned broadly, showing off a row of shining white teeth, then swung a slap right across. "I want you dead! I''ll definitely have you dead!" Song Chunlai roared fiercely, utterly humiliated and infuriated to the extreme. "Boom!" Hao Jian kicked right into his mouth. "Caonima, I not only want you dead, but also your whole family! I''ll have people rape every woman in your family!" "Crack!" Hao Jian grabbed Song Chunlai''s hand and snapped it. "You bastard, I..." "Bang!" "You son of a..." "Bang!" .... "Dad, you''re my dad, stop hitting me, sob sob sob..." Song Chunlai completely broke down, lying on the ground like a child throwing a tantrum, refusing to stand back up. The guy in front of him was not human at all, he was a beast! "Oh, giving in already? I thought you were tougher," Hao Jian said, shaking his head in disappointment. Just then, Huang Zhijun hurried over and said anxiously, "Hao Jian, you can''t do this. If you beat him like this, there''s no way this matter can be resolved amicably." "I never said I wanted to resolve it amicably," Hao Jian replied, dazed. Why should he make peace with Song Chunlai? "Oh man, my dear brother, what are you thinking? Stop boasting, all right? He''s really not someone we can afford to provoke!" Huang Zhijun said, frustrated at Hao Jian''s stubbornness. "You better leave now. I''ll hold them here, otherwise once their men arrive, you won''t be able to leave!" Huang Zhijun pushed Hao Jian, urging him to leave quickly. "Huang Zhijun, fuck your mom!" Song Chunlai cursed furiously, wishing he could tear Hao Jian apart. He was waiting for his men to come, yet Huang Zhijun was letting Hao Jian go? "Hey, still daring to curse!?" Hao Jian was amused and irritated. He pushed Huang Zhijun away and rushed up, stomping fiercely on Song Chunlai again. Song Chunlai was covered in blood, looking even more miserable than Huang Zhijun. Hao Jian was extremely sinister, always striking non-vital spots. Thus, Song Chunlai remained conscious, continuously enduring the pain. "Enough, enough, brother, you should get going!" Huang Zhijun hurriedly came over again to break it up, hoping Hao Jian would leave quickly. However, just then, several vans drove up from a distance and stopped not far from where Song Chunlai and the others were. Seeing them arrive, Song Chunlai was even more excited than if he had seen his own parents. "Brother Tian, I''m here!" Song Chunlai hurriedly called out to the first imposing young man who stepped down from the van. When the young man saw Song Chunlai beaten up like that, he was so angered that he threw his cigarette butt down: "Motherfucker, dare to touch my brother, guys, let''s go get them!" Immediately, he led the charge toward where Song Chunlai was. "Haha, kid, just you wait, I''ll catch you and flay you alive!" Song Chunlai laughed loudly, appearing extremely pleased with himself. "Brother, you run!" Huang Zhijun pushed Hao Jian and then rushed towards those thugs, shouting, "Guys, stop them!" "Yes!" The firefighters shouted in unison and charged at the thugs. "Huang Zhijun, after this, I swear I''ll have your whole family killed!" Song Chunlai roared in fury. Huang Zhijun, a minor character, dared to ruin his plans? Who the fuck dared to rescue someone from him? If Hao Jian got away, Song Chunlai swore he would skin Huang Zhijun alive! At that moment, the onlookers by the roadside, seeing the menacing confrontation, all fled in terror. "Heh, ignorant fools! Kill them!" Brother Tian scoffed upon seeing the dozen firefighters daring to block their way, which numbered in the dozens. "Huh?" Hao Jian heard the shouting and turned his head in confusion. "Fuck! It''s Hao Jian! Run!" sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, a ridiculous thing happened. Brother Tian, upon seeing Hao Jian among the crowd confronting Song Chunlai, was so terrified that he almost pissed himself and immediately turned and ran. Once Brother Tian spoke, it set off a frenzy in the crowd; his followers also panicked and scattered. "Fuck, it''s the Great Demon King Hao Jian, run!" "It''s the nemesis of the wastrels, Hao Jian, run!" "It''s the **** overlord Hao Jian, run!" "It''s the pretentious offender, Hao Jian!" "Motherfucker, who''s calling me a pretentious offender, come out here!" Hao Jian bellowed, when had he ever been pretentious? Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire "Hao Jian is pissed!" "Swoosh swoosh swoosh..." Dozens of people got into their vehicles. "Bang bang bang..." The car doors were closed neatly. "Roar!" Several vans started their engines and sped away, disappearing in an instant. Chapter 444 - 444: Drinking Tea, Spilling Tea They came in a hurry and left in a hurry, shouting a few times, leaving knives and clubs scattered all around, without taking a single cloud with them. Silence, the silence of death! This usually bustling street was now so quiet you could almost hear the breaths of the people. Song Chunlai was petrified on the spot, and it took him a few seconds to snap back to reality. He jumped towards the departing convoy, "Brother Tian, don''t go! Save me!" By this time, Huang Zhijun was also stunned. Were these vicious gangsters really scared away just by a glance from Hao Jian? At that moment, the look Huang Zhijun gave Hao Jian was filled with shock and bewilderment, "What on earth is the background of this guy?" "Heh heh, how about that, my brother is awesome, right?" Old Zhang burst into laughter, patting his own dumbfounded wife on the shoulder as he spoke. "Awesome, awesome..." Old Zhang''s wife nodded blankly, also dumbfounded. Hao Jian walked up to Song Chunlai and kept clucking his tongue, "These reinforcements you brought, they''re not rescuers at all, just a bunch of jokers." "Who exactly are you?" Song Chunlai looked at Hao Jian with eyes full of fear. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He had heard it clearly just now; even Brother Tian, a known boss in the streets, had been scared away by just one look at Hao Jian, indicating that this guy was no ordinary person. Song Chunlai realized he definitely hit an iron plate. "Didn''t you hear just now? Prodigal nemesis, ''bully dominator,'' you can call me whatever, but I prefer others calling me Handsome Hao." Hao Jian held his chin, pondering. "I think you should be called a scoundrel." Song Chunlai thought to himself, but his mouth sycophantically said, "This big brother..." "Who the hell is your big brother? Look at your own manner, you''re so old like dried tofu, and you dare call me big brother?" Hao Jian angrily interrupted Song Chunlai. "Then... what should I call you?" Song Chunlai was on the verge of tears. "Call me Daddy, isn''t that what you called me just now?" Hao Jian looked straight at Song Chunlai. "..." "What? You don''t agree?" "How could that be? Daddy, it''s me, your son, who''s being unwise; it''s your son who parked recklessly, and your son who got beaten. Please, don''t be mad, Daddy!" Song Chunlai slapped his already swollen face twice, not sparing any mercy, making it even more swollen. Song Chunlai truly felt like dying at this moment; he had never felt so humiliated in his life. The most miserable thing in the world is to be slapped in the face, and even more so when you slap your own face, but the absolute worst is when you have to keep smiling while doing it, like a Pekingese with a flowered tail. Hao Jian clicked his tongue in wonder, "I''ve seen many shameless people, but someone as shameless as you, this is a first for me." "Yes, yes, I''m shameless, I''m despicable and shameless," Song Chunlai nodded repeatedly, where would he dare to say no. "Didn''t you just say you were going to trouble Huang Zhijun? Wanting his entire family to die off?" Hao Jian said neither smiling nor serious. Song Chunlai hurriedly shook his head, like a servile dog, trying to appease, "How could I? Huang Zhijun is Dad''s friend; how could I dare to trouble him?" Slap! Hao Jian slapped Song Chunlai across the face, cursing, "Is Huang Zhijun someone you call by name? Call him Uncle Huang!" "Yes, yes, Uncle Huang," Song Chunlai respectfully called out to Huang Zhijun. By this time, Huang Zhijun was also petrified. When had Song Chunlai ever been so polite to him? It literally felt like a dream! "Kneel down, apologize to your Uncle Huang!" Hao Jian commanded. Song Chunlai immediately knelt down, bowing and scraping, "Uncle Huang, I misspoke just now. You''re a generous man, please forgive me this once?" "Ah, um," Huang Zhijun also nodded blankly, shocked to the extreme. "Alright, you can scram now!" Hao Jian said bluntly to Song Chunlai. "Alright, Dad, I wish you a pleasant day!" Song Chunlai said with a beaming face, nearly crying from excitement. Oh my God, finally freed from this torture. "Seeing your father makes me very displeased! Hurry up and scram!" Hao Jian said impatiently. Song Chunlai dared not speak any more, hurriedly ran off alone, even forgetting his girl. "Brother, who are you exactly?" At this point, Huang Zhijun realized he had been blind to the true greatness, as Hao Jian himself didn''t need any help at all; he had been too presumptuous. No wonder Hao Jian had always seemed unconcerned, feeling as if Hao Jian truly didn''t care. It turned out it was because Hao Jian didn''t consider Song Chunlai significant at all. "Me? Aren''t I just Hao Jian?" Hao Jian said with a smile. "That''s not what I''m asking." Huang Zhijun laughed and cried, saying, "I''m asking about your identity, why did those gangsters run away upon seeing you?" "You heard it just now, didn''t you? I''m involved in the underworld," Hao Jian casually brushed aside, his real identity was far more complicated. Huang Zhijun thought to himself that it was indeed so, he hadn''t guessed wrong, then he tentatively asked, "Then you must be some kind of boss?" "Correct, I am," Hao Jian couldn''t be bothered to explain further, letting Huang Zhijun think so was fine. Embarassed by Hao Jian''s affirmation, Huang Zhijun said, "Well, I''m really sorry, brother. I was getting ahead of myself, calling you a brother." He even fancied making friends with someone as important as Hao Jian, which was utterly ridiculous. "Friendship depends on fate, not background," Hao Jian waved his hand and said, "If you respect me, then we are friends. Don''t say such things in the future." That Huang Zhijun would take the blame for him during their first meeting alone made him worthy of being considered a friend by Hao Jian. Upon hearing this, Huang Zhijun was first stunned, and then burst into laughter, "Brother, I really didn''t misjudge you!" Huang Zhijun was glad for everything he had just done for Hao Jian, and it was because he had, that led Hao Jian to make such an amazing friend. Soon after, Hao Jian and Huang Zhijun exchanged phone numbers and then parted ways. "Let''s go to the police station!" At this point, Hao Jian said to the Old Zhang couple. Having seen Hao Jian''s methods, the Old Zhang couple also felt more confident. "Director Lin, Boss Hao Jian is here!" Ma Zifeng appeared in Lin Nantian''s office, looking anxious and restless. "Hao Jian? What is he doing here?" Lin Nantian was puzzled; he wasn''t close with Hao Jian, so it didn''t make sense for Hao Jian to come to him. "He, he brought people with him; it''s the couple who called the police to arrest Kong Xuanye," Ma Zifeng said with an extremely troubled expression. "Damn!" Lin Nantian cursed loudly, frightened out of his wits. How the hell did Hao Jian get involved with that couple? Previously, because the Old Zhang couple had accused Kong Xuanye, Lin Nantian hadn''t dared to touch him, fearing the power behind Xuanye. But who would have thought that the Old Zhang couple would bring an even bigger backer like Hao Jian now? At that moment, Lin Nantian was truly so astonished he almost spat blood. This was terrible. Offending Hao Jian was going to be much more troublesome than offending Kong Xuanye. Hao Jian bringing that couple along definitely meant they shared a deep relationship; such misconduct of his own likely couldn''t avoid being severely handled by him. "Quick, quick, quick, come out with me to meet them!" Lin Nantian hurriedly said, needing to make the first move before Hao Jian got angry. The saying goes ''you don''t hit a smiling face'', so he first tried to appease Hao Jian, hoping he would be considerate. By then, Hao Jian had already entered the police station, shouting the moment he opened his mouth, "Where is Lin Nantian?" The police officers in the station recognized Hao Jian, so seeing this formidable man come in, none dared to make a sound. "Mr. Hao Jian, what a rare guest! Your visit truly brings light to this humble station!" Lin Nantian started off with flattery, hoping to stabilize Hao Jian''s mood. And the Old Zhang couple was dumbfounded. The last time they came, even the officers were indifferent to them, but now even Lin Nantian had to bow and scrape. This contrast left them unsure of what to say. At this moment, Hao Jian was gazing at Lin Nantian with a smile that was not quite a smile, his playful look seemingly seeing right through him. Lin Nantian immediately shuddered, feeling a bad premonition in his heart. Hao Jian''s look clearly saw through him; at that moment, Lin Nantian felt like a mere monkey before Hao Jian. "Mr. Hao Jian, right this way, please. I''ve just prepared some fine tea these past few days; try it," Lin Nantian quickly changed the subject and led the way to his office, taking Hao Jian inside. The Old Zhang couple stood stunned; this time the treatment was distinctly different. The last time they couldn''t even enter Lin Nantian''s office, but this time he had actively invited them in. Old Zhang thought to himself: Indeed, having a powerful friend can change many things! Once in the office, Lin Nantian hastily started to prepare tea, taking out the premium Da Hong tea he had treasured for many years and brewed a full pot of hot tea for Hao Jian! Then Lin Nantian respectfully pushed the tea cups toward Hao Jian and the Old Zhang couple, "Have some tea, please drink." "Ah, okay," Old Zhang was still somewhat unused to this attitude shift, momentarily bewildered. Hao Jian also picked up the tea cup, took a sip, but suddenly splashed the scalding tea onto Lin Nantian''s face. "Pfffft!" Old Zhang, seeing this scene, was so frightened that he spat out the tea in his mouth. He hadn''t expected Hao Jian to suddenly strike Lin Nantian, Lin Nantian''s face was immediately covered in tea and tea leaves, but he didn''t dare to wipe it away. "Do you know why I splashed you?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire "I know, you blame me," Lin Nantian bitterly smiled, he clearly knew what Hao Jian meant. Chapter 445 - 445 His Name is Hao Jian Old Zhang and his wife were shocked to see Lin Nantian behaving like a grandson in front of Hao Jian. After all, Lin Nantian was a bureau chief, not some nouveau riche like Song Chunlai to be compared with. That such a personage had to be so respectful toward Hao Jian, just who on earth was Hao Jian? "Do you think I should blame you?" Hao Jian asked with a smile, but although he was smiling, Lin Nantian knew that Hao Jian was not really smiling. "I should, but I had no choice," Lin Nantian said helplessly. He, too, dared not offend Xuanye, so he could only turn a blind eye to the plight of Old Zhang and his wife. "How could you have no choice?" Hao Jian asked, frowning, it seemed that Lin Nantian still had some unspeakable difficulty. "That Xuanye is... is Kong Xiaozhen''s cousin!" Lin Nantian finally dropped this bombshell. "Kong Xiaozhen''s cousin? So, he is a member of the Kong Family?" A chill flashed through Hao Jian''s eyes. As a great family of Huaxia, they not only failed to restrain their descendants but indulged their misbehavior. Hao Jian felt extreme disgust toward the Kong Family at this moment. Seeing the anger on Hao Jian''s face, Lin Nantian knew he had gained Hao Jian''s understanding and hurriedly said, "It''s not that I didn''t want to arrest him, but my superiors took Kong Xiaozhen''s side and ordered me to release him. I really had no choice." It wasn''t that he didn''t want to help Old Zhang and his wife, he was truly powerless. Listening to this, Old Zhang and his wife also expressed their understanding. It wasn''t easy for Lin Nantian, after all, he was just a district chief, and there were many officials higher than him. "Bring Xuanye back, I''ll cover for you on this matter," Hao Jian commanded Lin Nantian. "This..." Lin Nantian hesitated. Although Hao Jian said he would cover for him, how could Lin Nantian be sure that Hao Jian meant it? Setting aside whether Hao Jian''s words were true, in his opinion, going against the Kong Family was not an easy task. Hao Jian had no fear of the Kong Family, no fear of Kong Xiaozhen, but he had to be afraid. If he helped Hao Jian make the arrest, then Kong Xiaozhen would naturally categorize him with Hao Jian''s side. Then both the Kong Family and Kong Xiaozhen would target him. "What? You disagree?" Hao Jian''s eyebrows shot up instantly, his eyes glinted with icy sharpness, a coldness that seemed to pierce to the bone. Cold sweat broke out on Lin Nantian''s back, and he said with a tearful voice, "Mr. Hao Jian, it''s not that I don''t trust you, it''s just that I really dare not!" Hao Jian let out a cold laugh, "You dare not catch Xuanye when I ask, but you dare defy me, is it because in your eyes, I am easier to bully than the Kong Family?" Hearing this, Lin Nantian''s legs went weak, "Mr. Hao Jian, I really didn''t think that way, I..." Lin Nantian didn''t know what else to say; he felt like he was in a lose-lose situation whether he agreed or not. "Cut the crap, either bring Xuanye to me within an hour, or else you can just pack up and leave! Don''t think Kong Xiaozhen can''t touch you, but I can''t touch you!" Hao Jian said coldly, as a public servant, what use was he if he didn''t alleviate the people''s worries and difficulties? Lin Nantian''s face turned completely white. He truly felt like crying now. What had he done to deserve all these troubles coming his way? Lin Nantian bowed his head, clenching his teeth tightly, seemingly weighing which side he leaned toward. Hao Jian was extraordinarily capable, with a mysterious background, and an unclear origin. He had repeatedly made Kong Xiaozhen suffer, even thrashing him more than once, resulting in neither Kong Xiaozhen nor the entire Kong Family daring to touch him. Meanwhile, Kong Xiaozhen, coming from an established family, held immense power in Hua City, controlled the local military, and was comparable to a local tyrant. Faced with a mysterious maverick on one side and a colossal force firmly rooted in the area on the other, Lin Nantian was hesitant to decide which side to take. Because once he made the wrong choice, what he faced would be irreversible destruction. Hao Jian was forcing him to take sides, and if he chose the wrong side, losing his black gauze cap would be the least of his problems, his life might be at stake too. After a long while, Lin Nantian finally let out a long sigh, looked at Hao Jian, and asked, "If I do as you say, are you willing to look out for me?" "Of course! I''m the one assigning you this task. You can use the threat I pose as an excuse to bring back Kong Xuanye. That way, even if the Kong Family wants to vent their anger on you, their rage will be somewhat diminished!" Hao Jian said with a smile. "Alright, I''m in!" Lin Nantian gritted his teeth and glared fiercely, finally ready to go all out. He chose to stand with Hao Jian because Hao Jian had already demonstrated miracles time after time, confronting the entire Kong Family alone and subjecting them to repeated humiliation. It wasn''t just the Kong Family, the Liang Family, the He Family, none could do anything to him, so he thought he''d take a gamble! "Ma Zifeng, move out, make the arrest!" Lin Nantian walked toward the door and called out to Ma Zifeng, who was waiting outside. "Chief, who are we arresting?" Ma Zifeng asked in confusion. "Kong Xuanye!" Lin Nantian said with a cold huff. "Kong Xuanye? But isn''t Kong Xuanye..." Ma Zifeng was astonished, Lin Nantian was actually going to move against Kong Xuanye? "Enough with your damn nonsense, just take your team and go arrest him. If I don''t see Kong Xuanye here within half an hour, you can forget about being captain any longer!" Lin Nantian stated with an unyielding expression. "Yes, sir!" Ma Zifeng snapped to attention, saluted Lin Nantian quickly, and then hurriedly led his men out. Meanwhile, in a luxurious villa in the East City District, a group of men and women, about a dozen in total, were all gathered here. They were blasting ear-piercing metal rock music, listening to the singer''s hysterical screams, while dancing wildly to the music as if possessed. Their appearances were different, and so were their identities, but at this moment, they shared one thing in common¡ªall of them were stark naked! Obviously, this was a decadent orgy, complete with rock music, foreign liquor, drugs, and, of course, the indispensable sex. The men were growling deeply, and the women were moaning loudly, their sounds mixing with the metallic music, filled with a sense of corruption and frenzy. "Kong Xuanye, you are suspected of spreading pornography, leaking others'' privacy, organising orgies, drug use and other charges. I am here to arrest you, so come with us," someone announced. Kong Xuanye was stunned for a moment, then frowned furiously, "Do you know who I am? Arrest me? You''ve got some nerve!" Ma Zifeng snorted coldly and said, "Of course, I know who you are, Kong Xuanye, the scion of the Kong Family." This last remark seemed to stupefy Kong Xuanye even further: "Knowing that I''m from the Kong Family, you still dare to arrest me? Is your brain crushed by a door?" "The one who got his brain crushed is you. The person wanting to arrest you isn''t me, but someone else, and that person, I think S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 446 - 446: Ill Hold Up the Sky When It Falls As a member of the Kong family, he naturally knew who Hao Jian was, even Kong Xiaozhen had repeatedly faced setbacks at the hands of Hao Jian. And their Kong family had no means to deal with him at all, which clearly showed that Hao Jian was much stronger than Kong Xiaozhen. This guy actually wanted to take him on? Why did he want to take him on? Kong Xuanye felt vaguely uneasy now, if what Ma Zifeng said was true, then his situation was indeed dangerous. "Why does he want to take me on?" Kong Xuanye asked Ma Zifeng nervously. "Heh, have you forgotten what you did to a girl named Zhang Wenying?" Ma Zifeng mocked coldly, saying, "As the saying goes, what comes around goes around, which applies both in Jianghu and in love affairs." Kong Xuanye had played with the emotions of so many girls, hurting so many of them, and now, he was about to pay the price for his actions. Upon hearing this, Kong Xuanye''s expression changed dramatically, finding it hard to believe that Hao Jian was actually standing up for Zhang Wenying? How could Zhang Wenying know Hao Jian? She had never mentioned it before! If Kong Xuanye had known earlier that Zhang Wenying knew Hao Jian, he would never have messed with Zhang Wenying. Provoking Hao Jian over someone like Zhang Wenying was indeed unwise! Seeing that Kong Xuanye was already in a state of panic, Ma Zifeng laughed coldly, "Kong Xuanye, you''ve picked the wrong person this time!" "Call my cousin Kong Xiaozhen! Have him save me!" Kong Xuanye yelled out while being confronted by Ma Zifeng. ... At this moment, Kong Xiaozhen was playing chess with Old Master Kong, but throughout, Kong Xiaozhen''s brow was deeply furrowed, his expression filled with worry. "General!" Old Master Kong completely closed off all of Kong Xiaozhen''s paths of retreat, checkmating him for the tenth time, including this instance. And at this, Kong Xiaozhen seemed dazed, as if he had just awakened from a dream. "I lost again." Kong Xiaozhen sighed, clearly disinterested, with no mood to continue playing. Old Master Kong looked very kind on the surface, with a kindly face that could easily deceive people at first glance, making one forget that he was the formidable leader who had developed the Kong family into its current thriving state. "Your mind is troubled!" Old Master Kong said with a shake of his head. "Troubled?" Kong Xiaozhen frowned, not quite understanding the meaning behind his grandfather''s words. "You have lost to that boy too many times, becoming agitated and doubtful about whether you are truly his inferior, so your mind is troubled," Old Master Kong explained, neatly storing the chessboard back into the cabinet behind him. "I haven''t lost to him! He just got lucky!" Kong Xiaozhen stubbornly said, unable to accept that he could lose to Hao Jian. That guy was just lucky! "Once might be luck, twice could be luck, but what about the third and fourth time? No one lives by luck alone, and the fact that this boy keeps humiliating you proves that he''s not just lucky," Old Master Kong said, shaking his head with a smile. "I''ll defeat him!" Kong Xiaozhen stubbornly insisted, not heeding any advice. He knew his grandfather wanted him to be patient, but he could wait for anyone except Hao Jian. This man had left an indelible mark of humiliation in his heart, and not just once! "Your mind is truly troubled! Haven''t you realized that he''s already affecting your emotions?" Old Master Kong sighed, feeling a bit disappointed by Kong Xiaozhen''s behavior. Kong Xiaozhen was the descendant he valued most, whose past performances had made him proud; only the aspect of enduring patience was where Kong Xiaozhen still fell short. Kong Xiaozhen was upset, losing the interest to continue speaking and planned to get up and leave. But just then, a servant hurried in, exclaiming, "Sir, Kong Xuanye has been captured!" Upon mentioning Kong Xuanye, Old Master Kong''s brow imperceptibly furrowed. He clearly did not think highly of his grandson who was lazy and incompetent. He asked unhappily, "Captured? Who dares to capture him?" Even though he did not like Kong Xuanye, Kong Xuanye still carried his blood, the root of the old Kong family; he could not neglect him. "It''s... Hao Jian''s doing!" the servant said. Hearing this, Kong Xiaozhen, who had originally planned to leave, sat back down. Because it involved Hao Jian, he couldn''t ignore it. Old Master Kong, noticing Kong Xiaozhen''s reaction, frowned even deeper. Being overly concerned about your opponent is not a good thing, as it can lead to obsession and cause you to forget your own development. If Kong Xiaozhen wanted to surpass Hao Jian now, he could only do so by becoming stronger. "I''ll go save Kong Xuanye!" Kong Xiaozhen said, standing up. Although he did not like Kong Xuanye, if the matter involved Hao Jian, it was a different matter altogether. Old Master Kong did not want Kong Xiaozhen to go, believing that facing Hao Jian again would only lead to another failure. But Kong Xiaozhen, without waiting for Old Master Kong to speak, had already left the Kong residence. ... S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ultimately, Kong Xuanye was taken to the police station, and on seeing him, Old Zhang and his wife looked at him with eyes full of hatred. It was Kong Xuanye who almost drove Zhang Wenying to suicide¡ªnot only that, he felt no guilt about harming her and even had his men beat them both. Both husband and wife harbored deep hatred toward this scoundrel. Kong Xuanye never took them seriously, a sneer with a trace of scorn curling his lips. "Are you Kong Xuanye?" Hao Jian looked at Kong Xuanye, disliking his careless demeanor. It seemed as if Kong Xuanye feared no one knew he was a spoiled rich kid. Seeing Hao Jian, Kong Xuanye''s expression became much more restrained, and he didn''t dare to be as reckless as before, filled with contempt and provocation, but instead, his expression turned solemn. "I am Kong Xuanye. Are you Hao Jian?" "Yes, I am Hao Jian. Do you know why I asked to meet with you today?" Hao Jian asked with a smile, standing with his hands behind his back. "You want to take revenge for Zhang Wenying? Please, I didn''t even know she had anything to do with you. Besides, isn''t she just a gold-digging green tea bitch? Does it have to go this far?" Kong Xuanye just couldn''t understand why Hao Jian was troubling him for such a woman; wasn''t this just looking for trouble? "What if I say it does matter?" Hao Jian''s gaze deepened as he walked toward Kong Xuanye. Kong Xuanye stepped back in fear, but Ma Zifeng grabbed him. Knowing he had no way out, Kong Xuanye said in a panic, "She''s just a woman!" "To you, she''s just a woman, but to others, she''s their beloved!" Hao Jian reached out to touch Kong Xuanye''s face, then suddenly seized his head and slammed it into his knee! "Bang!" Kong Xuanye''s nose was immediately broken, and blood gushed out. Kong Xuanye himself felt dizzy, seeing stars swirling as he fell to the ground. Hao Jian patted Old Zhang''s shoulder: "Don''t just stand there. Now''s the time for retribution!" "Will this bring you trouble?" Old Zhang hesitated to ask. He wanted to deal with Kong Xuanye himself but had learned from Hao Jian that Kong Xuanye came from a powerful family, and he was worried that attacking Kong Xuanye might negatively affect Hao Jian. "Afraid of what? I''ll handle it even if the sky falls!" Hao Jian scoffed, slapping his chest. Lin Nantian and Ma Zifeng couldn''t help but give Kong Xuanye weird looks, believing that there was no way he was leaving the police station unscathed. Emboldened, Old Zhang, along with his wife, roared and charged at Kong Xuanye! "Wait a second..." Hao Jian suddenly shouted. Old Zhang and his wife immediately stopped, looking at Hao Jian in astonishment, wondering if he was having second thoughts. Hao Jian handed them two batons, saying irritably: "What good is using fists? Use these instead!" "Hao Jian, screw you! I''ll never let you go!" Kong Xuanye, seeing Hao Jian arm Old Zhang and his wife, exploded in rage. Old Zhang and his wife, moved to tears, grasped the batons and vigorously swung at Kong Xuanye. "Mr. Hao Jian, you mustn''t kill him. If you kill him, we can''t explain it to the Kong Family," Lin Nantian came over to remind him, knowing that if Hao Jian actually killed Kong Xuanye, the Kong Family would have every reason to retaliate. "I''ll take responsibility for any issues. Don''t worry, I won''t drag you down," Hao Jian ignored Lin Nantian''s caution. Since he had already decided to move against the Kong Family, killing one of its younger members didn''t seem like a big deal to him. Kong Xuanye was beaten to tears by Old Zhang and his wife under the batons, his head literally exploded, and blood furiously streamed. No matter how much Kong Xuanye screamed, no one was there to help him, truly a situation with no escape route. Hao Jian was determined to make him pay a heavy price. It was reasonable for he and Zhang Wenying to break up, as Zhang Wenying was materialistic and had fallen for his trap, but his actions of maliciously spreading photos of her after the breakup were immoral. You can be heartless, but you can''t be scum! So, in this life, it''s best to make as few mistakes as possible because you never know which mistake you will never be able to bear. "What exactly is going on here?" Just then, a cold voice came from the door. Kong Xiaozhen had finally arrived, his gaze sharp as he stared at Hao Jian. "Brother, save me..." Seeing Kong Xiaozhen, Kong Xuanye was so emotional he almost cried. "Lin Nantian, you''ve got some nerve to even arrest my brother!" Kong Xiaozhen sneered, fixing his gaze on Lin Nantian because he knew these words wouldn''t apply to Hao Jian. Hao Jian, the rogue, didn''t care whether the person he captured was his brother, so he directed his accusation at Lin Nantian. Since Lin Nantian had arrested Kong Xuanye, it meant he had sided with Hao Jian. Kong Xiaozhen was attacking Lin Nantian in front of Hao Jian to embarrass him! Chapter 447 - 447: The Monsters Wisdom But Hao Jian didn''t give him a chance, mocking coldly, "The one who caught Kong Xuanye wasn''t him, it was me. You can stop pretending here; I won''t let you take Kong Xuanye away." Upon hearing this, Kong Xiaozhen glared angrily at Hao Jian, "You think you can just snatch people away as you please? Do you really think the Kong Family is to be trifled with?" "That''s for you to figure out; how would I know if the Kong Family is a monk temple?" Hao Jian taunted. Kong Xiaozhen, not wanting to waste words with Hao Jian, directly ordered Lin Nantian, "Now, release him immediately!" "This..." Lin Nantian hesitated, looking towards Hao Jian as if seeking help. Now that Kong Xiaozhen had ordered the release, if he didn''t comply, he feared Kong Xiaozhen wouldn''t let him off lightly. "Lin Nantian, do you want to be enemies with my Kong Family?" Kong Xiaozhen rebuked sternly. "Yes, Director Lin, it''s time to make a choice." Hao Jian also looked toward Lin Nantian; he now had to choose whose side he was on. Anyway, he was determined to take action against Kong Xuanye, and no one could stop him; it was up to Lin Nantian to decide. Lin Nantian''s gaze flickered, he hesitated for a moment, then finally clenched his teeth and sided with Hao Jian, "Young Master Kong, I''m sorry, I can''t release him!" "Very good, you dare to defy me? You''ve really turned the world upside down." Kong Xiaozhen said with a furious laugh, irate that a mere chief like Lin Nantian dared defy him. Immediately, Kong Xiaozhen glared at Hao Jian, "Do you think by doing this, you can do whatever you want with him? All you''ve done is give us a pretext to attack you!" "I might not be able to, but it certainly can." Hao Jian said, waving a camcorder in his hand. Kong Xiaozhen''s pupils contracted, curious as to what was on the camcorder. "I think you must be very curious to know what''s inside. This contains a video of your brother gathering crowds for drug abuse. Right before you arrived, I had someone upload it onto Weibo." "The title is, ''Kong Family Young Master crosses the line, gathers crowds for drug abuse ¡ª too proficient, defiant in the face of the police, power and influence infuriatingly rampant!''" Hao Jian chuckled maliciously, "What do you think the general public will say after seeing this? What impact will this have on your Kong Family?" Upon hearing this, Kong Xiaozhen couldn''t help but stiffen his expression, then he glared murderously at Kong Xuanye. For a prominent family like theirs, reputation mattered most. But the actions of Kong Xuanye had undoubtedly brought disgrace upon their esteemed family. Once the video spread online, it would leave an indelible stain on the Kong Family. How could Kong Xiaozhen not be furious? A major family stained by scandal was akin to having a blotch of ink on a white sheet¡ªnearly impossible to clean. This was a disgrace, caused by the unforgivable actions of Kong Xuanye! At that moment, Kong Xiaozhen even harbored thoughts of killing Kong Xuanye! And, faced with Kong Xiaozhen''s gaze, Kong Xuanye lowered his head in fear, knowing his guilt, and thus not daring to meet his gaze. Kong Xiaozhen looked extremely upset, realizing that he had still underestimated Hao Jian. Although it seemed like Hao Jian was only troubling Kong Xuanye, he had calculated the entire Kong Family without them even realizing! All this while, Kong Xiaozhen had thought Hao Jian was just lucky, but now he understood that Hao Jian was far more cunning than he had imagined. "By the way, I heard the Kong Family is vying for a very important position lately. Do you think, with this video going public, you still qualify to compete? Alas, given Huaxia''s current zero tolerance for corruption and vice, I doubt it''s possible," Hao Jian mused, a hand on his chin. Kong Xiaozhen looked shocked¡ªhow could Hao Jian know such a confidential matter? Kong Xiaozhen was utterly astonished; at that moment, he finally realized that he had underestimated Hao Jian; he had greatly underestimated him. Hao Jian had the Kong Family at his fingertips. Despite not knowing why, it was undeniable that Hao Jian had thoroughly grasped all the details about the Kong Family. "Don''t be so shocked; I didn''t touch you guys before simply because I didn''t want to. But now..." Hao Jian let out a sinister laugh, his lips twisting into a vicious curve, "I want the Kong Family to disappear forever!" Hearing this, both Lin Nantian and Ma Zifeng couldn''t help but be thrilled¡ªwhat is a real man? This is a real man! Picking a fight with a major family and pushing them into a corner, how many in Huaxia could achieve that? "So now, would you prefer to stay here and be humiliated by me, or would you rather scurry off right now?" Hao Jian crossed his arms and watched Kong Xiaozhen with a smug look. With those pieces of evidence in his hand, he was sure Kong Xiaozhen wouldn''t dare rescue Kong Xuanye, because if he did, then there would be talk online. If gathering a crowd for drug abuse didn''t require arrest, what else would? He believed Kong Xiaozhen wasn''t foolish enough to pull Kong Xuanye out at this time; soon enough, Kong Xuanye would likely find himself back here, and the harm to the Kong Family would only be greater. At this moment, Kong Xiaozhen felt an extreme shame; he hadn''t expected Hao Jian to hold such incriminating evidence against Kong Xuanye¡ªand such damning evidence at that. Kong Xiaozhen had thought that with the Kong Family''s influence, he could force Hao Jian and Lin Nantian to release the captive, but if Hao Jian held these pieces of evidence, that was another matter. Kong Xiaozhen''s face was ashen, his fists clenched tightly, his body trembling as though chilled; once again, he had lost to the man before him. He had lost to the ruffian, the scoundrel he had always looked down upon! S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After a long while, Kong Xiaozhen finally let out a cold huff and turned to leave. Staying here would only amuse Hao Jian. With this incident, he absolutely couldn''t save Kong Xuanye. "Cousin, cousin, don''t go, please save me," Kong Xuanye panicked when he saw Kong Xiaozhen was about to abandon him, kneeling on the ground and yelling towards Kong Xiaozhen''s retreating figure, looking utterly pitiful. This sight greatly embarrassed the Kong Family. "Hmph! Kong Xuanye, if you still consider yourself a member of the Kong Family, just end yourself! Stop dragging us down!" Kong Xiaozhen said coldly and then walked away without looking back. Kong Xuanye was dumbfounded. What did Kong Xiaozhen mean by his words? Asking him to commit suicide? "You wait for your promotion!" At that moment, Hao Jian also patted Lin Nantian on the shoulder. "This, thank you, Mr. Hao Jian," Lin Nantian was overwhelmed with excitement; he finally understood why Hao Jian had Ma Zifeng gather evidence against Kong Xuanye before sending him. It was perfect evidence to bring down the Kong Family! As a minor director, daring to arrest a member of the military family, how would outsiders view him? Everyone would say he was incorruptible and hated evil! Moreover, he would get noticed by superiors. Having made such great achievements, and with the public outcry for his promotion afterward, his promotion was almost a certainty. More importantly, after this incident, he would become a famous person. The Kong Family would not dare touch him and would rather protect him. Because if he died, everyone would point fingers at the Kong Family, believing they had killed him, which could destroy their reputation and even lead to an investigation. It was then that Lin Nantian realized how wise and cunning Hao Jian was. This guy was more than just brawns with no brains. Everything had been calculated by him. "Make sure you serve me well, I won''t treat you badly," Hao Jian said with a light smile. "Yes, I surely will work to my utmost, even if it costs me my life!" Having tasted the benefits, Lin Nantian, who initially was somewhat reluctant, now completely bowed down in submission. "Throw this guy into the prison!" Hao Jian pointed at Kong Xuanye and said to Lin Nantian. "Hao Jian, you can''t do this! You have no right to do this!" Kong Xuanye roared hoarsely. "No, of course I can!" Hao Jian leaned over to look at the blood-covered Kong Xuanye: "And I already have." "Take him away!" Hao Jian barked, his patience having worn thin, not wanting to glance at Lin Nantian any longer. Lin Nantian had people drag Kong Xuanye away, and at that moment, Hao Jian turned to talk to Old Zhang and his wife: "Alright, now he''s going to spend the rest of his life in prison." "Hao Jian..." "There''s no need for thanks, I don''t want to hear it, you understand?" Hao Jian said. Old Zhang swallowed back a belly full of words. Hao Jian patted Old Zhang''s shoulder: "Go and see Wenying now, she needs you the most at this time." .... Three days later, Hao Jian drove to the airport in Hua City, preparing to fly to France with Yuan Shanshan and Shu Ya to attend an awards ceremony. By the time they arrived in France, ten hours had passed, and due to the time difference, it was one o''clock in the afternoon local time. Yuan Shanshan was the first to finish the formalities and went out of the airport alone to find the car that had been arranged to pick them up. But during this process, a black sedan slowly drove towards Yuan Shanshan. A man rolled down the window, revealing a handsome face with blue eyes and blonde hair, slightly bearded, exuding a strong masculine charm. He asked in English, "Miss, do you need a cab?" His voice was charismatic. At that moment, the man''s face was filled with a confident smile, his good looks combined with his charming voice, few women could resist his charm, and once ensnared by him, those women''s lives would turn exceedingly tragic. However, he was disappointed, for he saw not a hint of interest on Yuan Shanshan''s face. Yuan Shanshan shook her head indifferently and replied in English, "No, thanks. Someone is coming to pick me up." "Oh, I see." The man gave a faint smile, then suddenly raised his hand holding a spray bottle and sprayed it toward Yuan Shanshan''s face. After inhaling the spray, Yuan Shanshan felt the world spinning and herself falling backwards. Chapter 448 - 448: Perilous Journey in France At that time, a burly man appeared behind her, scooped up Yuan Shanshan, then opened the car door and stuffed her in. The coordination between the two men, inside and outside the car, was seamless. Pedestrians on the road hardly noticed as they had already kidnapped Yuan Shanshan. When Hao Jian and Shu Ya came out, they discovered that Yuan Shanshan had vanished without a trace. "Where did Yuan Shanshan go? Didn''t we tell her to wait for us outside?" Shu Ya said puzzled, just as the car that was supposed to pick them up had arrived. "She must have gone back on her own," Hao Jian suggested. "That''s impossible, she wouldn''t just leave without saying a word to us," Shu Ya retorted irritably, glancing at Hao Jian. Yuan Shanshan wasn''t the type to act so irresponsibly. "Well, you never know, perhaps she wanted to give us some alone time?" Hao Jian teased, winking at Shu Ya, "Wife, why don''t we go shopping then?" "Go shopping, my ass. You might be fine after a ten-hour flight, but I''m falling apart here!" Shu Ya rolled her eyes, devoid of any energy. All she wanted now was to head back to the hotel, take a hot shower, and then sleep beautifully. After over ten hours on the plane, she was exhausted, her back and waist aching. Hao Jian''s mouth formed an "O" as he exclaimed in surprise: "Wife, you swear!" "It doesn''t matter anyway, this is France, there are no Huaxia people around, and these foreigners don''t understand, so what does it matter?" Shu Ya said, nonchalantly shrugging. In fact, she had long wanted to experience the feeling of swearing in the streets, but had never had the chance. Of course, she would never have had such absurd thoughts before meeting someone named Hao Jian. "But I understand," Hao Jian said with a wry smile. Shouldn''t you consider my feelings a bit? What is it like seeing your dignified and proud wife swearing in the streets? Embarrassing! Shu Ya glanced at Hao Jian: "Cut it out, scumbag isn''t even human!" "I..." .... "Excuse me, has Miss Yuan Shanshan checked in yet?" Half an hour later, Hao Jian and Shu Ya arrived at the hotel lobby and asked one of the front desk clerks. "Please wait a moment, I''ll check for you!" The clerk said politely, then looked down to check and soon shook her head, "I''m sorry, Miss Yuan Shanshan has not checked in yet!" "She hasn''t checked in yet? So, where did that girl run off to?" Shu Ya was completely speechless. It was Yuan Shanshan''s first time in France, in a completely unfamiliar place, where could she go? At that moment, Hao Jian also realized something was wrong. He immediately took out his phone to call Yuan Shanshan, only to find her phone was turned off. Shortly thereafter, Hao Jian''s eyebrows knitted closely together. Yuan Shanshan definitely wouldn''t turn off her phone without a reason, and the problem had started right from the airport, meaning something might have happened to her. "What should we do now?" Shu Ya couldn''t help but panic, now realizing the seriousness of the situation. Though she was experienced in business, personal safety issues were completely out of her depth. "We must find her, even if it means searching every inch of the ground!" Hao Jian said sternly, his face full of determination. Meanwhile, the kidnapped Yuan Shanshan slowly regained consciousness, her groggy eyes trembling, unable to open, but her ears caught sound first. She heard a stream of jarring electronic music, along with two men speaking in English. "Tucker, I never thought we''d score such a hot chick on this outing, and a Huaxia beauty no less. She''ll definitely fetch a high price!" said the handsome young man. "Yeah, Armstrong, but let me have a taste first before we sell her. I''ve never been with a Huaxia beauty," the other burly man chuckled. "First, let''s take her back and check if she''s a virgin. If she''s not, you can do whatever you want with her, but if she is, then you''re out of luck. You know the boss doesn''t allow us to mess with virgins. Each virgin can sell for tens or even hundreds of thousands, especially stunning beauties like her, she''s worth even more, easily three or four hundred thousand!" Armstrong explained. Yuan Shanshan heard everything clearly and began to grasp the situation; these two guys must be part of a criminal gang that trafficked women. Yuan Shanshan was on the brink of tears due to her misfortune. Why was she so unlucky - kidnapped by a criminal gang on her very first day in France. This was mainly because she was beautiful and alone, which drew the attention of Armstrong and Tucker, who often prowled around the airport looking for solo female travelers to prey on. Because these kinds of girls weren''t local, they were harder to trace. Even if their families noticed their disappearance and reported it immediately, it would take days for the information to reach France and start official proceedings. During these days, they could easily transport the girls around the world. Yuan Shanshan dared not open her eyes and pretended to still be unconscious while reaching for her phone in her pocket to call Hao Jian for help. But when her hand touched the pocket, she realized her phone had disappeared. Armstrong had thrown away her phone after capturing her. These international criminal organizations had strict discipline and were highly capable of countering surveillance. This realization plunged Yuan Shanshan into complete despair, feeling utterly trapped with no escape. Just when she didn''t know what to do, she suddenly remembered the smartwatch Hao Jian had given her. Hao Jian told her that the watch was equipped with satellite communication and location systems, broadcasting signals through satellite that covered every place on the globe. Originally, the watch was military equipment and had been used by Hao Jian, but Yuan Shanshan took a liking to its cool appearance, so she took it for herself. Yuan Shanshan didn''t care about the positioning system or satellite communications; she cared only about the watch''s cool appearance. Of course, Yuan Shanshan had absolutely no idea that the cost of this single watch could compare to a million-dollar BMW. At this time, Yuan Shanshan hadn''t anticipated that the watch would actually come in handy. She slowly extended her hand to fiddle with the watch and then dialed Hao Jian''s number. Since it was military-grade equipment, naturally, it didn''t require any charge for the call. At this moment, Hao Jian was pondering how to find Yuan Shanshan when suddenly a foreign number appeared on his phone. The moment Hao Jian saw the number, he knew it was from the satellite watch. This confirmed his suspicion that Yuan Shanshan was calling from the watch and not her phone, which definitely meant trouble. "Shanshan, where are you?" came Hao Jian''s anxious voice from the other end. Yuan Shanshan quickly tucked her body in, covering the watch with both hands to ensure that only she could hear Hao Jian''s voice. Hearing Hao Jian''s anxious voice, Yuan Shanshan immediately burst into tears, her voice choked as she said, "I... I don''t know!" "Is there anyone else around you?" Hao Jian could sense Yuan Shanshan purposely lowering her voice, seemingly afraid of being overheard. "There are two men, they kidnapped me, I... I don''t know what to do." Yuan Shanshan was nearly sobbing. "Calm down, listen to me!" Hao Jian said to Yuan Shanshan gravely, emphasizing the need to remain calm now more than ever. At that moment, the usually easygoing Hao Jian''s face had turned resolute and stern. The ferocious aspect of him seemed to have resurfaced. Only then did Yuan Shanshan manage to stifle her sobs and quiet down. "Can you see their faces?" Hao Jian asked. "One of them has blue eyes and blond hair, a square face, speaking English," Yuan Shanshan responded. She had only seen Strang; she hadn''t gotten a good look at Tucker. Even for Strang, she had only caught a fleeting glimpse, not remembering too many facial details. Hao Jian frowned, knowing that just with this information, he wouldn''t be able to track them effectively. "Anything else?" S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I can''t see," Yuan Shanshan said with a sobbing voice. At that, Hao Jian took a deep breath: "Shanshan, from now on, you need to listen carefully to every single word I say. What I''m about to instruct you to do is crucial!" Then, Shu Ya noticed the focused and serious expression on Hao Jian''s face and was momentarily captivated by it. "First, take a deep breath, calm yourself. You must believe that I will definitely rescue you!" Hao Jian said. Yuan Shanshan hurriedly did as told, taking a deep breath, which indeed stabilized her trembling body under Hao Jian''s directive. "Now, move the watch as close to them as possible so I can hear their conversation as much as possible, then take it back after fifteen seconds." Hao Jian commanded. Yuan Shanshan suppressed her inner fear and unease, slowly moving the watch closer to where Strang and the other man were, being extremely cautious not to alert them. Meanwhile, Hao Jian activated the recording function on his phone. After fifteen seconds, Yuan Shanshan brought the watch back and asked anxiously, "Did you hear?" "I heard. Now, Shanshan, this is the most critical step, listen very carefully..." Hao Jian''s voice grew solemn. Yuan Shanshan held her breath, sensing the change in Hao Jian''s tone. Hao Jian sighed, "They will take you to a place we cannot find." Upon hearing this, Yuan Shanshan immediately burst into tears again, devastated by the thought of never being able to return home. "So, you need to pay close attention to every word I''m about to say, you''ll probably only have fifteen, at most twenty seconds. During these twenty seconds, I need you to draw their attention; when they turn around, shout out their height, appearance, including hairstyle, tattoos, scars, and so on. Can you do that?" "I can!" Yuan Shanshan nodded vigorously, understanding that Hao Jian was making every effort to rescue her. Only by knowing their physical characteristics could Hao Jian find these men and rescue her. Chapter 449 - 449 Night Stars "Put the watch on the ground, and then we can start," Hao Jian said in a deep voice. Yuan Shanshan slowly placed the watch on the ground, then hesitated for a moment before finally, as if making up her mind, she slowly got to her feet and summoned the courage to shout out. "Hey, you two bastards, fu*kyou!" Yuan Shanshan flipped them the middle finger. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian too was stunned. It seemed Yuan Shanshan was really going all out; he had never heard her swear before. Her voice completely drowned out the rock music playing in the car, catching the attention of Strong and Tucker. When Strong and his companion turned around in astonishment, they saw Yuan Shanshan provocatively flipping them the bird. As for that international gesture, *** would not know it. Instantly, the expressions on Strong and his companion''s faces darkened, as they had never encountered such an arrogant hostage before. Then they both got out of the car, planning to give Strong a lesson! At this moment, their appearance was fully observed by Hao Jian. "Two guys around six foot three, buzz cuts, bald, one black and one white, the black guy has a scar over his eye," Yuan Shanshan hysterically yelled. By then, Strong and his companion had realized something and quickly pulled open the car door and dragged Yuan Shanshan out. "The black guy has a scar over his eye! Both have scorpion tattoos on their necks!" Yuan Shanshan had just finished shouting this when Strong knocked her out with a punch. Hearing the commotion over there, Hao Jian also understood what Yuan Shanshan was going through, and a fierce intention to kill crossed his face. Suddenly, he felt someone pick up the watch but did not speak. However, Hao Jian was certain the other party was listening. Hao Jian''s face grim, he began in English, "Listen, I don''t know who you are, or what you want. But I want to tell you, in my long career, I have developed a particular set of skills, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. I have killed many people, hurt many people, people like you. If you let her go now, that''ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, but if you don''t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will... kill you!" Hao Jian''s voice was cold and sinister, like a devil howling from the depths of hell, filled with a chilling and terrifying air. And at that moment, Shu Ya, seeing Hao Jian''s fierce demeanor, was scared stiff. There was silence on the other end for about three to five seconds before a deep voice came through, "Come on..." Click... The call was abruptly cut off on the other end, and then Hao Jian heard a piercing buzz, indicating that the other party had smashed the watch. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian squinted his eyes, which undoubtedly shimmered with a cold and ruthless light. "What do we do now? Should we call the police?" Shu Ya said worriedly, it seemed there was no other option but to alert the authorities. "I trust myself more than the police," replied Hao Jian, and then he added, "Let''s go back to the room, I need to use the computer." Shu Ya didn''t know what Hao Jian was planning to do, but hearing his words, she nodded in agreement with his approach. Back in the hotel room, Hao Jian immediately turned on the computer, then accessed a website Shu Ya had never seen before and entered a string of highly complex codes. Suddenly, a video automatically played, showing a woman wearing a Fox mask seated on the other side of the computer. Shu Ya was secretly shocked¡ªwhat was this woman up to, using such tight security measures, even for a video call? "Well, well, what do we have here if it isn''t the God of Death, the bane of the entire Underworld? What do you want with me?" the woman''s voice came through, laced with a hint of mockery. Hearing this, Shu Ya couldn''t help but frown; God of Death? What kind of thing was that? But Hao Jian was not in the mood for jokes and said solemnly, "Prophet, I have some information I need you to look into for me." Prophet? Shu Ya could no longer keep her composure¡ªfirst God of Death, now Prophet? Were these guys playing some kind of role-playing game? Then, Hao Jian sent the previous recording to the Prophet, and said, "Help me find out their identities and backgrounds!" "How curious, I thought you had retired!" the Prophet teased. "Stop joking around!" Hao Jian roared, his entire demeanor becoming even more intimidating. The Prophet also seemed taken aback by Hao Jian''s sudden outburst and fell silent for a moment. After a long while, she finally nodded and said, "I... understand!" She knew this matter must be of great importance, otherwise, Hao Jian wouldn''t have been so agitated. Afterward, Shu Ya heard the sound of fingers rapidly typing on the keyboard. Time passed by, minute by minute, and half an hour slipped away unnoticed. "Found it!" At that moment, an exhilarating voice came through the video call. The Prophet, while looking at the data, analyzed, "Judging from their English accents, they must be from a remote small town called Declay in Maxite. The scum and lowlifes they produce are even shunned by the local government. Unfortunately, Declay''s leader, Victor, arrived in France about a few months ago. Before they reached France, they had already established an international crime organization called Night Stars, which specializes in trafficking women." "At first, they kidnapped women by hiring them as maids online, but later they found it more cost-effective to abduct young and beautiful girls directly from the airport, who came for tourism. These girls are younger, prettier, and worth more money. Your friend was likely kidnapped by them," the Prophet analyzed point by point. "Continue!" Hao Jian said, his face as grave as water, now fluctuating between calm and agitation. "They have their own sophisticated criminal network. They gather the kidnapped girls, and within a few days, they sell them in batches all over the world, clean and untraceable. Not only that, but they also bribe local officials to facilitate their operation, which is why they haven''t been caught yet." "How much time do we have?" Hao Jian asked the Prophet. "Three days," the Prophet sighed. "What if we don''t find her in three days?" Shu Ya couldn''t help asking. "Then she''ll be lost forever." The Prophet''s voice was low, conveying the gravity of the situation to Shu Ya. Shu Ya was immediately stunned, the situation more dire than she had imagined. Hao Jian''s face also turned extremely grim. Three days, he had only three days to find Yuan Shanshan, otherwise, she could end up being sold to any country. "Understood, thanks. I''ll transfer the money to your account," Hao Jian said indifferently, ready to end the call. He knew the Prophet wouldn''t work for free. As the all-knowing Prophet of the Underworld, whatever information you wanted, she could provide; of course, as long as you could afford it! "God of Death, are you really not going back to the Underworld? We all miss you, and your Divine Country still needs you to rule!" Just then, the Prophet spoke up, full of anticipation. "My Divine Country has already collapsed; it no longer belongs to me," Hao Jian said coldly. "Is it... because of the Moon?" the Prophet asked. She knew that Hao Jian''s retirement was intricately linked to the Moon Goddess. "Shut up!" Hao Jian suddenly shouted, his gaze stern as he scanned the Prophet. The Prophet stopped talking and immediately ended the video call. "Hao Jian, what is she talking about? What God of Death, what Moon? Are you even of this world?" Shu Ya asked with a frown, feeling like she and Hao Jian were from different worlds. She couldn''t understand anything he said. "I will find time to tell you about these things, but not now," Hao Jian said dispassionately, not wishing to dwell on the topic, as it was a perpetual pain in his heart. While they were speaking, there came a knock on the door. Shu Ya hurried to open it, only to see a man with an Eastern face standing before her. Though this man had an Eastern face, he was dressed in a French police uniform, stirring curiosity about whether he was Eastern or Western. "Excuse me, are you Miss Shu Ya?" the man then spoke, his Huaxia dialect flawless. "You''re Huaxia?" Shu Ya was somewhat surprised, not expecting the man to be Huaxia. "Yes, I''m Chief Officer Li Mingxiong. I just received a report from your subordinates that your friend was kidnapped at the airport upon her arrival in France today, is that correct?" Li Mingxiong asked politely, his interest piqued upon seeing how beautiful Shu Ya was, trying to appear gentle and refined to attract her. He had heard that Shu Ya was the director of a corporation; her wealth was a given, not to mention her beauty. If he could get involved with such a woman, he wouldn''t have to worry about a thing for the rest of his life. "Yes, it''s an organization called Night Stars. They are from a remote town called Declay, and they specialize in crimes like trafficking women," Shu Ya revealed everything the Prophet had just told them. Upon hearing this, Li Mingxiong''s eyebrows involuntarily twitched, a subtle movement that immediately caught Hao Jian''s attention. Li Mingxiong showed a hint of surprise when Shu Ya mentioned Night Stars. From Hao Jian''s perspective, Li Mingxiong must know about Night Stars! Hao Jian suddenly remembered what the Prophet had said about Night Stars bribing a portion of the officials. Could Li Mingxiong be one of them? "How did you come to know it was Night Stars'' doing?" Li Mingxiong asked with a smile, but that smile betrayed a hint of unease. "I have my ways," Shu Ya smartly avoided being too specific and changed the subject, "What you should be doing now is to start a sweep in the entirety of Paris and find my friend as quickly as possible!" Chapter 450 - 450 Youre Playing with Fire ``` "Miss Shu Ya, although you say that, it''s just speculation, isn''t it? We can''t simply conclude there''s a criminal organization lurking in Paris based on that alone. We need to follow the rules. I hope you can inform me about your friend''s background and provide a statement so I can start the investigation," Li Mingxiong said in an entirely official tone, implying, "I don''t know if it''s Night Stars, but you need to give a statement first." "By the time the statement is taken, who knows where in the world the person will have gone!" At this moment, Hao Jian scoffed and approached Shu Ya with a mocking look at Li Mingxiong. "Who are you?" Li Mingxiong raised his eyebrows at Hao Jian. Seeing him standing with Shu Ya, he immediately understood something and was annoyed in his heart, thinking, "The good scene is ruined by this jerk." "I''m the friend of the missing girl; this is my wife!" Hao Jian boasted, hugging Shu Ya. He could clearly see the lecherous gaze of Li Mingxiong; he was telling Li Mingxiong to stop dreaming since Shu Ya was already taken. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Li Mingxiong was annoyed. Hao Jian was obviously showing off. "I''ll have someone come over to take the statement in a while," Li Mingxiong said, his attitude suddenly much colder. Since Shu Ya was already married, he saw no chance for himself and decided not to waste any more time on her. "I think you should be ordering someone to review the airport''s surveillance right now, not wasting time here taking statements," Hao Jian sneered. Li Mingxiong didn''t have the look of a cop at all, and with such a serious incident, he was still fussing about statements. Hao Jian could see that this guy wasn''t in a hurry at all. "Are you the police or am I the police? Do I need you to teach me how to handle a case?" Li Mingxiong retorted angrily, his expression fierce. "If you''re a policeman, you should act like one. My friend has been kidnapped, and if we don''t rescue her immediately, she might very well be trafficked somewhere else," Shu Ya said angrily. "Cut the crap. We''ll do things step by step. If you keep rambling, I''ll charge you with obstructing official duties!" Li Mingxiong snapped, losing his patience. "You''re wasting your breath with him; I''ll investigate," Hao Jian told Shu Ya, having already figured out the police wouldn''t be reliable. "Hold on, did I say you could leave? Get back here!" Li Mingxiong saw Hao Jian trying to leave and smirked coldly. Offend him and think you can run away? If I don''t teach you a lesson, I''m not Li Mingxiong! "Why do you need two people to take a statement?" Hao Jian asked with a frown. "Right, taking a statement indeed doesn''t require two people, but I now suspect you''re involved in this kidnapping case. You''re very likely a suspect!" Li Mingxiong said with a malicious smile. "You''re just looking for trouble!" Hao Jian said sharply, aware that Li Mingxiong was deliberately making things difficult for him and preventing him from rescuing Yuan Shanshan! "Looking for trouble? Do you think with your status you''re worth my time?" Li Mingxiong sneered but didn''t admit to the mockery. "You''re playing with fire." Hao Jian was on the edge of exploding. Normally, he could tolerate Li Mingxiong''s foolishness, but now things were different; he didn''t have time to waste! "Quit your damn yapping and stay put, or I''ll arrest you for attempting to flee!" Li Mingxiong watched Hao Jian with malicious intent, knowing well what Hao Jian wanted to do, but he was determined not to let him have his way. He also knew he couldn''t pin any charges on Hao Jian, but holding him for a few days wouldn''t be a problem; by then, Yuan Shanshan would be god-knows-where. "After this is over, I will kill you!" Hao Jian said with narrowed eyes, the ferocity in his gaze like that of a beast stalking its prey. "Threatening a police officer now? Arrest him!" Li Mingxiong pointed at Hao Jian, sneering to himself. Stupid brat, I was just looking for an excuse to nail you, and now you''ve delivered yourself to me on a silver platter, so you can only blame yourself! Several French police officers headed towards Hao Jian, but how could he possibly let himself be captured at a time like this? He quickly knocked down the French officers. "What''s your deal?" a two-meter-tall cop, who seemed to be joking, asked in awkward Chinese, not understanding how Hao Jian could be so tough, managing to fight several of them alone. "My deal, Chinese Kung Fu, so damn awesome it''s insane!" Hao Jian patted his chest and said. Shu Ya covered her face and sighed, feeling extremely embarrassed. "What the hell are you talking about?" The tall cop was confused, his Chinese on par with Hao Jian''s French, so phrases like "so damn awesome" went right over his head. "My deal, fuck your motherfucking mother!" Hao Jian patted his chest and then kicked at the cop''s head, stunning him on the spot. "Damn it, dragged me down to this level and can''t get back up," Hao Jian muttered resentfully, unable to revert to his usual tone. At this point, Li Mingxiong was stunned. After a while, he suddenly gasped, "You... you dared to assault an officer?" "Put your hands on your head and raise your hands!" Immediately, Li Mingxiong pulled out his own gun, ready to shoot Hao Jian. A sly smile played on his lips. He wasn''t originally planning to kill Hao Jian, just to mess with him a bit, but he hadn''t expected Hao Jian to be so uncooperative. Since that was the case, he couldn''t be blamed. Hao Jian shook his head with a smile and walked towards Li Mingxiong. ``` "Stop! I told you to stop!" Li Mingxiong''s eyes were practically bursting with rage, but he was also seething with anger. The guy actually dared to mock him¡ªdid he truly believe he wouldn''t dare to shoot? However, Hao Jian remained unphased and continued to advance at his own pace towards Li Mingxiong. "You''re asking for it!" Li Mingxiong roared, pulling the trigger to shoot Hao Jian dead. "Bang!" The bullet shot out rapidly. Shu Ya was also startled¡ªshe hadn''t expected Li Mingxiong to actually fire the gun. But Hao Jian dove straight for it, snatching the bullet from Li Mingxiong''s hand, then grabbed Li Mingxiong by the face with a sly smile, "Don''t get... too ahead of yourself!" Immediately after, Hao Jian violently smashed Li Mingxiong''s head into the coffee table behind him. There was a loud crash¡ªglass shattered, and Li Mingxiong laid unconscious amid the broken shards on the floor. Hao Jian gave the now disfigured Li Mingxiong a deep look before heading outside. "Hey, what about me?" Shu Ya panicked as she watched Hao Jian leave alone. Hao Jian was leaving, and she was left with a group of unconscious policemen? What was she supposed to do? "You could take a bath and then get some sleep," Hao Jian said without turning back. "What?" Shu Ya was confounded. Take a bath and then get some sleep? What did that mean? After such an incident, could she possibly sleep? Hao Jian stopped, turned his head back to look at Shu Ya: "Since you''re not planning on resting, why aren''t you hurrying up to follow?" "Oh," Shu Ya agreed with a tinge of grievance, no longer daring to act spoiled and willful as before¡ªshe could tell that Hao Jian was not in a good mood. The two set off for the Paris airport together. To find the person who had kidnapped Yuan Shanshan, they needed to check the airport''s surveillance footage. Only by obtaining the kidnapper''s true appearance might they capture him, and through him, find Yuan Shanshan. "Hello, I''m Officer Li Mingxiong, here''s my badge. I need to review the airport''s surveillance footage for an abduction case," Hao Jian said to an airport staff member while presenting a badge. Of course, the badge belonged to Li Mingxiong, but it had been altered with Hao Jian''s own photo. The staff member glanced at the badge, compared it, and then waved Hao Jian and Shu Ya over: "Follow me!" They led Hao Jian into the surveillance room and showed the footage from the afternoon, where upon exiting the airport just after her flight, a blonde man had been watching Yuan Shanshan closely, eventually even following her out. That blonde man was naturally Strong. He lurked daily near the airport, scouting for targets, then posing as a handsome driver to pick up girls. Typically, the girls couldn''t resist such an attractive driver and naturally got into his car, but what followed was unlucky for them; Strong would directly deliver them to the organization where they''d be imprisoned, forced into drug addiction as a means of control for their exploitation. This was Night Stars'' method of making money: kidnapping women, forcing them into drugs, then exercising control over them to exploit them. The money made from their exploitation was then used to buy more drugs. It was a vicious cycle, and the women gained nothing! It could be said that every target Night Stars set their sights on would have no other end than being played with until death. "I remember Yuan Shanshan mentioning that among the people who kidnapped her, there was a blonde man with blue eyes," Shu Ya exclaimed in shock. At that moment, Hao Jian was staring intently at Strong, and after a long while, he affirmed, "That''s him!" Standing almost two meters tall, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a scorpion tattoo on his neck¡ªall the features fit! "What should we do now?" "Wait," Hao Jian said as he walked out of the surveillance room. "What? Wait? But we don''t have much time," Shu Ya protested anxiously. Time was of the essence, and yet Hao Jian spoke of waiting. Looking at her as if she were an idiot, Hao Jian said, "By ''wait,'' I mean wait for this blonde guy to show up. Since he frequently targets women in the airport, it means he''ll appear here again." "Oh~ I see!" Shu Ya suddenly realized, slapping her palm with an enlightened expression. Hao Jian rolled his eyes, thinking to himself that Shu Ya was usually quite clever¡ªhow could she be so slow at a time like this? It wasn''t really Shu Ya''s fault, as the events had shocked her into stupidity, leaving her unable to recover for a long while. And, most importantly, everyone had their own strengths¡ªShu Ya was skilled in business, while Hao Jian was the expert in these matters. Chapter 451 - 451 Water Torture "Miss, need a taxi? I can offer you a much cheaper ride than the other cabs!" Sure enough, just as Hao Jian had predicted, Strong had returned to the airport after kidnapping Yuan Shanshan, looking to pick up another woman. The woman he accosted was from Europe or America. Yuan Shanshan was so taken by Strong''s good looks that she quickly lost the will to resist, opened the door, and prepared to get in. "Umm, sorry, but you can''t get into this car." At that moment, Hao Jian and Shu Ya pulled the girl back and, before she could react, sat themselves next to Strong. "Who are you?" Strong was taken aback when Hao Jian and his companion forced their way into the car. Hao Jian didn''t say a word but immediately started pounding on Strong with relentless force, his iron-like fists smashing into Strong''s thighs and abdomen. Strong grimaced in pain, screaming continuously while violently struggling in the driver''s seat. Just from those blows, his legs were broken, and his internal organs suffered severe damage. Hao Jian was a head shorter than Strong and not as well-built, but Strong couldn''t fight back. No matter how much he struggled, Hao Jian kept him pinned down with a frightening amount of strength. Shu Ya watched from the backseat as Hao Jian beat up Strong. Rarely for her, she felt no disgust this time, and even seemed somewhat pleased. For a scum like Strong who only preyed on weak women, Shu Ya wouldn''t feel pity even if he were used for target practice. "I''ll only ask you once, so listen well," Hao Jian raised a finger in front of Strong and started to chuckle darkly, looking like a ghastly Malevolent Ghost baring its ferocious steel teeth, ready to devour its prey at any moment. Strong looked at the terrifying Huaxia man before him with horror, unable to respond, his entire body frozen. "The Huaxia girl who was taken by your people this afternoon, where is she now?" Hao Jian asked coldly. At those words, Strong''s pupils suddenly shrank. Of course, he knew Hao Jian was talking about Yuan Shanshan, as she was the only Huaxia woman they had kidnapped that day. At that moment, Strong felt a chill over his entire body as he suddenly remembered the voice of the man he had heard earlier through Yuan Shanshan''s strange watch. Strong couldn''t believe that the man had really come for him as he had said, and in just a matter of hours? How had he found him so quickly? Strong began to feel fear. Who was this man, and how could he have found him so quickly? Reading the confusion on Strong''s face, Hao Jian sneered. "Don''t be surprised. There is no one I, Hao Jian, can''t find¡ªno matter if they''re hidden at the ends of the earth." Strong''s gaze flickered rapidly, and he quickly shook his head. "I don''t know what you''re talking about. I''m just a normal driver, you''ve got the wrong person." Naturally, Strong wouldn''t easily admit to being the mastermind behind Yuan Shanshan''s kidnapping. Betraying the organization would bring him a fate worse than death. At this, Hao Jian let out a couple of weird laughs. "Are you trying to insult my intelligence?" Strong''s expression instantly became very animated. Had Hao Jian convinced himself that he was the culprit behind Yuan Shanshan''s abduction? This was not good news for Strong. "It seems you won''t talk. No matter, I have all the time in the world!" Hao Jian said with a menacing laugh, then punched Strong in the temple, knocking him unconscious. Immediately, he pushed Strong aside, took the driver''s seat, and started the car to leave the airport. At this point, Shu Ya was completely baffled and asked, "Where are we going now?" "To a place with no people, but plenty of water!" Hao Jian let out a strange chuckle. "..." Dozens of minutes later, a bruised and swollen Li Mingxiong appeared at the airport. He rushed to the front desk and roared, "Where is the guy who just pretended to be me and was doing the investigation here?" Li Mingxiong brought a large group of people, determined to catch Hao Jian. In all his years of service, he had never seen someone so audacious. Hao Jian had beaten him up, and he was seething with anger, vowing that once he found Hao Jian, he would show no mercy! Then, Li Mingxiong saw Hao Jian getting into a car and a chill crossed his face. "Because he knows it''s Strong''s car, Hao Jian must have found Strong," he thought. Li Mingxiong''s brow furrowed with worry. If Strong were to be caught, it wouldn''t be good news for him. "Track that car immediately!" Li Mingxiong ordered his men without delay, determined to kill Hao Jian before he could uncover any more secrets. .... At that moment, inside an abandoned factory, Strong slowly woke up, but as soon as he became lucid, he realized he was tied to a chair. Strong was immediately terrified. That damned Huaxia man had actually kidnapped him. He had always been the one kidnapping others, when had he ever been kidnapped? "Oh, you''re awake?" Just then, Strong saw Hao Jian approaching slowly with a towel in his hands. That confused Strong. What was this guy planning to do, wash his face? "I''ll give you another chance," Hao Jian said with a smile that didn''t reach his eyes. "Tell me, where did your Night Stars take my friends?" That completely dumbfounded Strong. This guy actually knew about Night Stars? Only then did Strong realize that they had provoked a terrifying enemy. Since this guy knew about Night Stars, he was definitely not someone ordinary. However, after the expressions on Strong''s face shifted briefly, a look of determination flashed across and he spat directly in Hao Jian''s face, bursting into laughter. "Fuck you, I will never betray the organization!" Once he betrayed the organization, they would make his life a living hell, torture him to death. Rather than that, Strong preferred to be killed immediately by Hao Jian. But, at that moment, Hao Jian simply wiped off the spit on his face with a handkerchief, not angry in the slightest, but instead a sinister smirk crossed his face. "I like tough guys like you the most, because that''s when torturing you becomes interesting." Strong''s face stiffened. This guy, was he planning to torture him? So, Hao Jian turned to Shu Ya and spoke, "You should leave. What I''m about to do might make you uncomfortable." "No, I want to stay here." But Shu Ya was stubborn. She knew that if she wanted to be with Hao Jian, she had to accept all aspects of him, and she was also curious about how Hao Jian would torture Strong. "Suit yourself," Hao Jian said, not insisting further, and then he turned back to Strong with a meaningful smile, "Have you ever heard of Water Torture?" Strong relaxed slightly, although he didn''t know what Water Torture was, it sounded like it wasn''t that lethal. Seeing that Strong didn''t understand, Hao Jian explained, "Water Torture is a method of interrogation that makes the prisoner think they''re about to drown. The prisoner is tied up with their feet higher than their head; their face is covered with a towel, then water is poured onto the towel. This torture makes the prisoner feel like they''re choking and about to drown. I assume you''ve experienced the sensation of choking on water before? The principle of Water Torture is the same." The sensation of choking on water? Strong''s face immediately went green; he was all too familiar with that agonizing feeling. But Hao Jian kicked him, toppling him to the ground, causing Strong to lie with his back on the floor, his body arched upwards. Hao Jian covered Strong''s face with the towel and poured water on it; as Strong tried to breathe, the water rushed into his nostrils, making him cough repeatedly. He wanted to struggle, but Hao Jian stepped on the stool, rendering him immobile. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Water Torture acts like a one-way valve. The water keeps pouring in, and the towel prevents you from spitting it out, so you only get one breath. Even if you hold your breath, it still feels like the air is being sucked away, like with a vacuum cleaner. ''Water Torture,'' ever since being devised in the Middle Ages, has always been recognized as a form of cruel punishment. It has also been banned along with other methods that are considered ''cruel, inhumane, or degrading'' in interrogation by the Geneva Conventions." Strong could only hear Hao Jian''s words as a blur because, at that moment, he was too overcome with pain to pay attention to anything else. Meanwhile, Shu Ya, hearing Hao Jian''s explanation, couldn''t help but feel her hair stand on end. Because she had learned about the Geneva Conventions in college, she naturally knew how inhumane Water Torture was, but this was her first time seeing it used on someone. "After about two or three minutes, the victim basically loses consciousness, but the central nervous system is still working, still protecting its owner, so even though the victim loses consciousness, the physical agony becomes even more excruciating. From the victim''s lungs and airways, a large amount of viscous secretion is produced¡ªessentially a large quantity of thick mucus. The victim starts to lose control of their bladder, and some may defecate. Then the victim begins their final convulsive struggle¡ªthat''s what is commonly referred to as the death throes, where the victim experiences full-body convulsions, flailing their arms and kicking their legs violently, and they may also fart. Sometimes blood would flow out of the victim''s eyes, nostrils, and mouth." Sure enough, Strong started coughing up blood, its vivid red color stark against the white towel, and began to lose control of his bladder and bowels, filling the factory with a foul stench. Shu Ya couldn''t help but cover her nose and mouth, but even that could scarcely hide the pungent odor. But Hao Jian looked as if he smelled nothing at all, his face brimming with excited laughter. He turned back to Shu Ya and explained, "To reduce the mortality rate among victims, some improvements have been made to the technique: increasing their pain while decreasing their chance of death. For example, using cold water¡ªreducing the consumption of blood oxygen in the human body, thereby prolonging the time of agony for the victim. Or adding chili powder to the water being poured¡ªto further irritate the victim''s lungs and airways." Chapter 452 - 452: Fake Cop "Can you turn your face back? I... I''m a bit scared," Shu Ya said weakly, shivering as she listened to Hao Jian cheerfully describing torture methods. At this moment, Hao Jian was like a child showing off a new toy, except that his toy was a horrifying form of torture. Speaking of which, Hao Jian shook his head with a hint of regret, "It''s a pity there''s no chili powder here, but there''s plenty of cold water. So you won''t die immediately, I reckon you could last half an hour." Upon hearing this, Strong immediately started slapping the floor, letting out muffled cries. In less than three minutes, he had been tortured to the brink of madness¡ªhow could he last half an hour? At this point, Strong felt his internal organs churning, the piercing pain making death seem a welcome escape. "It seems he''s about to speak," Shu Ya quickly reminded. Such an inhumane interrogation method was too cruel; she couldn''t help but try to call a halt. The scene was too disgusting and cruel, and it was a grave insult to human dignity. In front of Hao Jian, Strong lost control of his bladder and bowels, a deeply humiliating event. He truly wished for death at that moment. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Severely traumatized, Strong was ready to concede, but Demon Hao Jian showed not a hint of mercy, seemingly intent on continued torture. About ten minutes later, Hao Jian finally turned off the tap, smiling at the semi-conscious Strong, "Now, are you ready to tell me where my friend is?" "I''ll tell! I''ll say anything! Please don''t torture me anymore, I beg you!" Strong cried, his nose running and tears streaming, completely broken by Hao Jian''s torment. "On Bill Street, we have a branch there, with a big black iron gate. It''s easy to recognize! All the girls we deceive are taken there and then shipped out in batches," Strong hurriedly said. "Is my friend there too?" "No, she, Yuan Shanshan isn''t there," Strong said with an awkward expression. Hao Jian frowned, "Why not?" "Because... because she''s a virgin and so beautiful, and Huaxia women are very popular in the West. So she was taken to headquarters, probably to be sold at an auction within the next few days," Strong said with a grimace. "What kind of auction deals in human trafficking?" Shu Ya was shocked. She couldn''t believe that such a practice still existed in the 21st century¡ªit wasn''t like the days of the old slave trade, was it? Hao Jian snorted coldly, "The world is filthier and more squalid than you can imagine. If you can pay the price, it''s not just virgins you can buy, even the stars could be plucked for you!" Immediately afterward, Hao Jian glared at Strong, "Speak! Where is your headquarters?" "This, I don''t know," Strong hurriedly shook his head, explaining, "Pawns like me aren''t privy to the location of headquarters. We''re just responsible for delivery." Hao Jian didn''t speak again, instead covering Strong''s face with the towel once more. "No! I''m begging you, I really didn''t lie to you, please believe me!" Seeing Hao Jian about to torture him again, Strong burst into a disgraceful fit of bawling. But by then, Hao Jian had already turned on the tap again, saying, "I believe what you said, but you must still die, you must pay for your actions!" Strong didn''t know how many women he had trafficked, and though he hadn''t directly killed them, they died because of him. They were tormented and died wrongfully; countless families shattered due to their deaths. Strong''s deeds were utterly inhumane. So from the moment Hao Jian caught Strong, he never intended to let him go. People must pay for their mistakes, and the price varies in severity! But as soon as Hao Jian stepped out of the factory, he suddenly froze, his brow furrowed and eyes sweeping sharply across the nearby woods. "What''s the matter?" Seeing this, Shu Ya couldn''t help but halt as well. What happened to Hao Jian to make him show such an expression? "Back to the factory, quickly!" Hao Jian urged urgently. But in a flash, Li Mingxiong, with a sniper rifle in hand, revealed a crazed smile, internally roaring, "Die, bastard!" "Bang!" Immediately after, Li Mingxiong pulled the trigger, and the bullet shot out, speeding toward Hao Jian. Hao Jian''s pupils instantly constricted to terrifying pinpoints like those of a wild beast, and he almost instinctively lunged towards Shu Ya. "Pfft!" A jet of blood spurted suddenly from Hao Jian''s arm. "Hao Jian!" Seeing him like this, Shu Ya was shocked. She knew Hao Jian had been injured while trying to save her; otherwise, it would''ve been easy for him to dodge the gunfire. "Get inside!" Hao Jian roared at Shu Ya. By then, Shu Ya didn''t dare to hesitate for a moment, knowing the assailant intended to kill them both. She quickly ran into the shelter of the factory. ``` "Damn it!" Seeing that he couldn''t kill Hao Jian and Shu Ya with one shot, Li Mingxiong also cursed in frustration. His shot had been aimed at both Hao Jian and Shu Ya at the same time, since he couldn''t have Shu Ya, then there was no need to keep her around. Li Mingxiong was someone with such a strong vengeful spirit. In any case, Hao Jian and Shu Ya were now considered suspects, so killing them wouldn''t matter much. But Li Mingxiong hadn''t expected that this guy could dodge a fatal shot at the critical moment, suffering only a slight arm injury. Back in the police academy, Li Mingxiong was known as a marksman. His shot just now was meant to be lethal, but he hadn''t expected Hao Jian to resolve this crisis, which infuriated Li Mingxiong. At this moment, Hao Jian stood up straight, his gaze shooting straight toward Li Mingxiong. Through Li Mingxiong''s scope, Hao Jian''s cold gaze, brimming with killing intent, seemed exceptionally glaring. Despite the distance of a kilometer, Hao Jian could still look straight at him. Why did he know Li Mingxiong was here? Suddenly, Li Mingxiong felt his hairs stand on end¡ªthis guy was too damn eerie! But the next moment, Li Mingxiong regained his composure, his face turning extremely grim. His instinct told him, he had to eliminate Hao Jian immediately, or Hao Jian definitely wouldn''t let him off. Just as Li Mingxiong was about to pull the trigger again, he saw Hao Jian''s figure disappear without a trace. This scared the hell out of Li Mingxiong. He rubbed his eyes vigorously, unable to believe what he saw¡ªcould someone actually vanish into thin air? "Go! Get up there! Surround them!" Li Mingxiong was completely scared and shouted in panic, his voice changing. But by the time they rushed into the factory, Hao Jian and Shu Ya had long since disappeared, leaving only Strang''s body lying there quietly. Li Mingxiong recognized Strang at a glance, and he also knew that Hao Jian had tortured Strang to death with water torture. No, to be precise, Strang died by biting his own tongue in suicide. He couldn''t endure the agony and committed suicide. Seeing the state of Strang''s body, Li Mingxiong realized he had provoked a truly terrifying entity; that guy wasn''t human, he was a demon! Hesitating for a moment, Li Mingxiong took out his phone and started making a call, uttering only a brief sentence, "Victor, he... he''s come!" ... At the same time, Hao Jian and Shu Ya found the branch Strang had mentioned. The dark door was ajar, not deliberately closed. It seemed the people inside were not afraid of someone daring to cause trouble on their turf, and indeed, no one did dare. "You wait for me in the car; I''ll be back soon," Hao Jian said to Shu Ya in the car. His wound had been hastily bandaged, but his face was still grim. Li Mingxiong''s actions made Hao Jian even more determined to kill him! "But your injury... Let''s go to the hospital," Shu Ya said worriedly. She was concerned seeing Hao Jian like this. "No need, we don''t have that kind of time now," Hao Jian shook his head. It was already noon, and a day and a half had passed since the Prophet mentioned the three days. He didn''t have much time left to save Yuan Shanshan. If he failed, Yuan Shanshan''s fate would be extremely tragic, becoming a plaything in the hand of some rich man! Immediately, Hao Jian stopped paying attention to Shu Ya and walked toward the door. Meanwhile, Shu Ya couldn''t help but sigh. She didn''t understand the world Hao Jian was in, but her intuition told her it was a cruel world! Hao Jian walked into the gate and casually took a suit hanging outside someone''s home to wear. After entering the gate, Hao Jian saw two burly men guarding the entrance, drinking tea. Seeing Hao Jian come in, they frowned. One of them approached Hao Jian and demanded coldly, "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Hao Jian swept a detached glance at them and then looked towards the second floor, asking casually, "Where''s your boss?" "Our boss? We don''t have a boss here, or rather, everyone here is the boss," the two burly men scoffed. They naturally wouldn''t tell Hao Jian who their boss was because they hadn''t figured out Hao Jian''s identity yet. At this, Hao Jian sneered, holding his cellphone and said, "You like playing games, huh? Do you believe that with just one phone call, I can have over thirty cops storm in here, and then you''ll all be arrested and taken away? Then, will you be willing to tell me who''s your boss?" Hearing this, the two burly men were shocked. Was this guy a cop? But Hao Jian stopped talking and just looked at the two of them with a half-smile. After a moment of hesitation, one of the burly men finally spoke up, albeit displeased, "Stay here." Then, he went upstairs, evidently to report to the boss. He soon returned and gestured at Hao Jian with his finger, "Come up!" ``` Chapter 453 - 453: You Can Go Die Now Hao Jian followed him upstairs to the second floor and entered a room, where he found seven or eight burly men sitting. These men all had defiant expressions, and several were playing with handguns, watching Hao Jian with smirks that were far from friendly. Clearly, even though Hao Jian was a policeman, if he couldn''t demonstrate a way to intimidate them, they were not going to give him the time of day. Hao Jian also brought his cover identity to the extreme, pulling out a chair to sit down, and then, as if nobody else was there, he picked up the hot coffee from the table and poured himself a cup, adding two sugar cubes with deliberate slowness and composure. Seeing Hao Jian like this, the members of Night Stars were completely stunned by his presence, everyone froze in place. After taking a sip of coffee, Hao Jian finally spoke leisurely, "Alright, now tell me, where is Victor?" "Victor? I am Victor!" At this moment, a black man spoke up, naturally the same Tucker who had kidnapped Yuan Shanshan with Strang. "We are all Victor!" the burly men scoffed. Hao Jian nodded, feigning an epiphany, "Looks like you still want to play, huh." With that, Hao Jian took out his phone, ready to make a call. At this point, Tucker quickly grabbed Hao Jian''s hand, looking unpleasant as he asked, "What do you want?" By now, he had realized that neither numerical superiority nor firearms could intimidate Hao Jian. If Hao Jian really made that call to the police, their branch would be doomed. Even though they dared to do as they pleased in France, they did not dare to offend the police. Offending the police meant an end to their good days, and all their criminal activities would have to be halted. "I want to talk about protection money timing. It''s time for you to pay this month''s protection fee!" Hao Jian said, pretending to be serious. He knew that these gang members dared to wreak havoc in France because they were sheltered by the police. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have been able to do anything, so there must have been dealings involving protection fees. From this, it could be seen just how experienced and crafty Hao Jian was with these matters. Being in the underworld, he knew all the dark sides of things and had naturally become skilled at it. This was knowledge, and it was skill! "We have already paid our protection fee to Li Mingxiong!" Tucker complained, and in his certainty that Hao Jian was a policeman, he carelessly blew Li Mingxiong''s cover. Hearing this, Hao Jian''s eyebrows twitched imperceptibly. As expected, Li Mingxiong was involved with Night Stars. No wonder Li Mingxiong had constantly obstructed his investigation. Once Night Stars were brought down, he could be exposed and sent directly to jail. Even if he didn''t end up behind bars, he would lose a major source of income, a source by the name of dirty money! "Li Mingxiong has been transferred to another department. I''m in charge of this area now, so it''s time to reset the protection fees here," Hao Jian said convincingly, even showing a hint of greed to make Tucker believe him. Hao Jian held up three fingers, "Starting today, the monthly protection fee will increase by thirty percent." "Thirty percent?" Tucker and the others were shocked, thinking this new cop was extraordinarily greedy, demanding such a hefty increase right away. Unhappy, Tucker said, "What kind of joke is this? We''ve already been giving you forty percent of our earnings, and now you want to increase it by another thirty percent? Doesn''t that make it seventy percent? Then what do we live on?" In that scenario, they would only be left with thirty percent of the profits. At this moment, the Night Stars members were also looking at Hao Jian coldly. "That''s your problem, not ours. Unless you no longer want to stay in France, I''d advise you to just pay up," Hao Jian postured like a thug. "You''re pushing us into a corner!" Tucker said darkly. As his words fell, his men simultaneously released the safety catches on their guns, ready to shoot Hao Jian at his command. But Hao Jian was unimpressed, scoffing, "Do you think I''ll be scared if you do this? If you dare kill me, this place will be raided by the police in a few days. I informed my colleagues before I came here. Once your branch is busted, your headquarters won''t be far behind, and then all of you ruffians will have to roll back to your homelands!" Tucker''s face immediately showed a grave expression. He knew Hao Jian was telling the truth, and if his mistake led to such a result, Victor would never let him off the hook. Seeing that Tucker and his men were silent, Hao Jian knew his intimidation had been sufficient; now it was time to offer them a carrot. "Of course, with the thirty percent increase in protection fees, I''ll offer you more conveniences so that you can develop your business with peace of mind, and I guarantee no more price hikes for two years. As long as you show enough sincerity, I will certainly reciprocate," Hao Jian said, his eyebrows raised as he looked towards Tucker. Tucker''s eyes flickered briefly, then he signaled to one of his men, who handed over a thick stack of banknotes. Hao Jian pocketed the money and deliberately patted his pocket, putting on the air of a money-grubber with a smile, "Now, can you tell me who really is Victor?" He believed that after his previous performance, Tucker and the others were fully convinced that he was a completely corrupted cop. "The boss isn''t here. He doesn''t usually come here, only appearing to settle accounts once a month," Tucker revealed truthfully. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian got annoyed¡ªthe damn Victor wasn''t even here? Son of a bitch, he had wasted so much breath arguing with these assholes? Grandma''s, I''m going to kill these sons of bitches! Tucker and the others would never have imagined that just because Victor wasn''t here, and Hao Jian had to waste a bit more saliva, it would cost them their lives. "Sigh..." Hao Jian let out a sigh, then slowly stood up, reaching into his bosom for something. Seeing this, Tucker and the others immediately became alert, drawing their handguns and aiming at Hao Jian. But at that moment, they saw Hao Jian take out a piece of paper and hand it to one of them, while saying, "This was given to me by a friend, it''s in your language, can you tell me what it means?" Only then did Tucker and the rest lower their guard, rolling their eyes, as they had thought Hao Jian was about to draw a gun. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The man took the paper, then chuckled mockingly twice, and said, "Bring it on!" What was written on there were the exact words spoken by the person who had spoken to Hao Jian before. And now, Hao Jian wanted to know who exactly that guy was! Immediately after, he passed the paper to Tucker and said, "You say it too!" "Didn''t you already know what it means?" Tucker asked, utterly puzzled, thinking the guy must be crazy. "Just say it if I told you to, why all the nonsense?" Hao Jian retorted impatiently, with a chilling look gradually appearing on his face. Tucker humphed displeased but repeated the words anyway, "Bring it on!" As soon as he spoke out, a cold killing intent instantly swept across the room. Tucker and the others were all shaken, feeling a chill rising from within, and at this moment, they all stared at Hao Jian, who wore a sickly smile on his face, their eyes filled with confusion and unease. Hao Jian''s laugh was maniacal, not a loud guffaw, but a sneer that wasn''t quite a smile, or perhaps, a grimace. Clearly, he had identified from Tucker''s voice that he was the other culprit behind Yuan Shanshan''s abduction. He wouldn''t let off anyone involved in capturing Yuan Shanshan. Tucker, puzzled by Hao Jian''s staring, could tell by instinct that this wasn''t a good sign. At that moment, Hao Jian spoke up, "I think you shouldn''t have forgotten me, given that we only spoke a day ago. I told you I would come for you, that I would find you, that I would... kill you!" At these words, Tucker first was taken aback, then suddenly filled with terror, remembering the man he had spoke to yesterday. Only then did Tucker realize he had been fooled. He reached for his handgun, but Hao Jian wouldn''t give him the chance, kicking him and sending him flying. The other organization members also came to their senses, drawing their guns to shoot Hao Jian. Without looking back, Hao Jian turned and threw a punch, hitting the head of the big man who had brought him in. Then, a bizarre scene unfolded, the big man''s head rotated a full 180 degrees, ending up behind his own back. "Ah?" Seeing Hao Jian turn a man''s head with one punch, all the members were stunned. But before they could react, Hao Jian had already begun his life harvest. He grabbed the handgun from the table and, with a few clean shots, killed several organization members. "You... what exactly are you?" Tucker, lying on the ground, looked at Hao Jian with terror, still unable to believe this was real. Did Hao Jian take down all of them in less than a minute? No, less than thirty seconds? Or perhaps ten seconds? "A handsome guy who''s going to wipe out your Night Stars!" Hao Jian shamelessly claimed. Tucker was shocked. Talk is talk, but why boast? And isn''t the focus of what you just said only the word "handsome"? Immediately after, Tucker also roared, "Night Stars are invincible, Victor will torture your family, friends, and everyone related to you in the cruelest ways imaginable!" "Don''t worry, Victor won''t be lonely. After dealing with you guys, I''ll go find him," Hao Jian said as he patted Tucker''s face, soothingly adding, "Now, you all can go die!" ............... Chapter 454 - 454: Its the fathers fault when the child is not taught. "Click." Hao Jian gently twisted Tucker''s neck, and Tucker immediately stopped breathing. Just at that moment, Tucker''s phone rang. Hao Jian picked it up and answered the call. On the other end, a man''s authoritative voice came through, "Tucker, get the brothers ready immediately. A Huaxia person is interfering with our business. Once he shows up, kill on sight without discussion!" "The Huaxia person you''re talking about is me, right?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "You... Who are you? Where''s Tucker?" Victor asked frantically, seemingly not expecting Hao Jian to act so quickly. He had just been notifying the branches after receiving a call from Li Mingxiong, but he didn''t expect Hao Jian would show up in person. "Tucker? Oh, they''re already dead," Hao Jian replied with a smile. Then, Victor on the other end fell silent. Dead? But that place was guarded by more than twenty of his brothers, all armed! "Victor, this is not over yet. I will let you know that this time, you''ve messed with the wrong person!" After finishing his words, Hao Jian directly threw the phone on the ground and crushed it! When Hao Jian walked out, Shu Ya hurried over, "How did it go, is Yuan Shanshan inside?" Hao Jian sighed and shook his head, "She''s already been taken away, and Victor wasn''t there either. Now no one knows where Yuan Shanshan is; this lead is completely cut off." "What should we do then?" Shu Ya became anxious upon hearing this. The only clue was gone; who else would know Yuan Shanshan''s whereabouts? "Don''t hurry, we''re going to visit a guest. I believe he should know where Li Mingxiong is," Hao Jian said, his face revealing a cunning smile. Seeing Hao Jian''s smile, Shu Ya was dumbfounded as well. Half an hour later, Li Mingxiong received a tip and arrived at the scene, only to feel a chill at the sight of the corpses everywhere. All this, done by that guy? He could hardly imagine that Hao Jian killed so many people alone, and it seemed like he had left unscathed. Li Mingxiong had to admit, the bloody scene truly terrified him. That person wasn''t human at all, but the Devil! One man rampaging through the Capital of France, making a fool of their French police, and challenging an entire nation alone! That guy was like a ghost, elusive, and even with the entire French police force dispatched, they could not arrest him. Hao Jian''s counter-surveillance skills had become so strong that they were eerily uncanny. After leaving that branch, Li Mingxiong felt utterly overwhelmed, staggering towards his car. "Captain, where are you going?" A policeman couldn''t help but ask at that moment. "Home," Li Mingxiong said weakly. He didn''t want to go anywhere else right now but home. "Home? What about the case..." The policeman was obviously confused. Li Mingxiong had always been in charge of this case, and it was he who insisted on arresting Hao Jian. But now Li Mingxiong said he was going home; are they not going to chase the murderer anymore? Li Mingxiong waved his hand impatiently, "Leave this matter to you guys." Li Mingxiong clearly didn''t want to say more and drove off directly. Li Mingxiong, exhausted, returned to his family home, only to smell the aroma of food as soon as he entered. He found it strange that dinner was being prepared so early today. Just as his mother came out to take out the trash, Li Mingxiong couldn''t help but ask, "Mom, why are you cooking so early today? It''s only four o''clock in the afternoon." "Your friend came over, and they said you were hungry, probably arriving soon," Li Mingxiong''s mother said with a smile, "Mingxiong, it''s been so long since you''ve been in France, and I''ve never seen you bring friends home for dinner. This is the first time." Due to Li Mingxiong''s special status and his association with criminal organizations like Victor''s, he couldn''t possibly have any real friends. Therefore, Li Mingxiong was also taken aback by this statement; he had no friends, how could he possibly invite friends over for dinner? "Where is he? Take me inside quickly!" Li Mingxiong panicked completely, because if he wasn''t mistaken, it had to be Hao Jian inside. Before going in, Li Mingxiong hastily sent a message to his subordinates, telling them to come over quickly. As he entered, he saw it was indeed Hao Jian, who with Shu Ya, was sitting at the dining table with his father, sharing dinner. Hao Jian was gobbling down his food, not considering himself a stranger at all. Even when Li Mingxiong walked in, he only glanced up briefly before continuing to eat. Li Mingxiong felt a chill throughout his body. Had that guy actually come to his door? What was he planning to do, kill him? Seeing Li Mingxiong appear, Shu Ya was truly shocked. Hao Jian had told her earlier that Li Mingxiong would be home soon, and there he was, indeed having just come back. Hao Jian had anticipated that after seeing Victor''s branch wiped out, Li Mingxiong wouldn''t be in the mood to carry on the investigation and had nowhere else to go but home. So, Hao Jian waited for him at Li Mingxiong''s house. Everything was within Hao Jian''s calculations. "Why are you standing there, hurry up and wash your hands for dinner?" Li Mingxiong''s mother, oblivious to the situation, hurried Li Mingxiong along. "Okay, I''ll go put away my clothes," Li Mingxiong pretended to say, then headed to his room. He pulled out the pistol hidden under his bed, tucked it behind his waist, and only then did he feel reassured enough to walk outside. Sitting across from Hao Jian, Li Mingxiong absentmindedly ate his meal. Facing such a murderer, he was on edge every single moment. But Hao Jian acted as if he noticed nothing, continuing to devour his food voraciously. His favorite thing to do was to torment other people mentally. The agony Li Mingxiong was going through was second only to that of Strong! Because he didn''t know whether Hao Jian would kill him, and if so, when it might happen. It was this uncertainty, this unknown, that filled him with the deepest unease. "Um..." Suddenly, Hao Jian spoke. These simple words scared Li Mingxiong so much that he leaped up, clumsily drawing his gun and pointing it at Hao Jian''s forehead in a somewhat comical fashion. "Put your hands on your head and raise them!" Li Mingxiong yelled in terror, his forehead dripping with sweat, completely panicked. "Li Mingxiong, what are you doing? Is this how you treat a friend!" Li Mingxiong''s parents scolded him urgently upon seeing him like this. "They''re not my friends, they''re criminals!" Li Mingxiong yelled back without turning his head. "What?" At his words, Li Mingxiong''s parents were stunned, and then took several frightened steps back, looking at Hao Jian and his companion with suspicious eyes. At this point, Hao Jian stopped playing the friend game. He leisurely wiped his mouth and then, with a smile, said, "Why can''t you learn to behave? Do you think a gun is of any use against me?" "Cut the crap, put your hands on your head!" Li Mingxiong bellowed. Although he also knew that Hao Jian wasn''t afraid of firearms, he had no other choice. Rather than sit and wait for death, he''d rather fight to the death! Li Mingxiong wanted to survive. Though everyone dies, he didn''t want to die now! "I can''t do that right now, I can''t put my hands up," Hao Jian shrugged innocently. "Why?" Li Mingxiong was taken aback. Did Hao Jian have some untold difficulties? "Because I just finished eating and don''t want to move!" Hao Jian rubbed his belly and scoffed. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Li Mingxiong laughed angrily, turned off the safety on his pistol, and said ominously, "Do you really think I wouldn''t dare to kill you?" "If you want to kill me, why haven''t you fired yet?" Hao Jian yawned. Shu Ya was shocked at these words. Has this guy gone mad? Not only does he not try to stop him, he even dares to make snide comments? Li Mingxiong was completely enraged and immediately pulled the trigger. "Ah!" Shu Ya was so frightened that she crouched down, holding her head. "Click, click..." But Li Mingxiong''s gun only made the sound of being empty. Li Mingxiong was dumbfounded. How could his gun be out of bullets? He was sure he had loaded it earlier. With a sneer, Hao Jian spread his hand open, letting the brass-colored bullets fall one by one onto the table: "You call yourself a cop yet can''t even tell the difference between a loaded gun and an empty one. I''m truly embarrassed for you." Only then did Shu Ya finally realize, glaring at Hao Jian with a trace of reproach. The bastard knew all along that Li Mingxiong''s gun had no bullets and didn''t bother to inform her, making her make a fool of herself in public. Only then did Li Mingxiong realize that Hao Jian had tampered with his gun. He slumped into his chair, his face ashen, completely despairing. It was at that moment Li Mingxiong realized how foolish it was to provoke Hao Jian. He could have stayed completely out of it, as if he had nothing to do with the matter. Even if Hao Jian had investigated, he wouldn''t have become his enemy. But now it was too late for regrets; Hao Jian had already come knocking. "What do you want?" Knowing he was on a path to certain death, Li Mingxiong didn''t bother trying to resist any longer. "Simple, Victor!" Hao Jian snapped his fingers, smiling. At that, Li Mingxiong scoffed, shaking his head: "Do you think I would give him up? With Victor''s methods, if I dare betray him, he would kill my whole family. Don''t think I''m as worthless as Strong. You want to torture me? I''m not scared." Li Mingxiong had already prepared himself for the inevitable torture. In terms of enduring torture, he was much better than Strong. "Bang!" Just then, a gunshot suddenly rang out. Li Mingxiong''s father fell to the ground, hit in the arm, crying out in pain on the floor. Li Mingxiong''s expression changed dramatically, and then he glared at Hao Jian, filled with resentment. "What if I told you that I would kill your parents too?" Hao Jian toyed with a pistol in his hand, looking at Li Mingxiong with a smile that wasn''t quite a smile. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Li Mingxiong''s face completely darkened. Originally, he had held onto a sliver of hope that Hao Jian still had a conscience and would only kill him and not harm his parents. Chapter 455 - 455: The Moving Corpse But Li Mingxiong was wrong, Hao Jian was even more ruthless than he''d imagined! "Hao Jian, have you lost your mind? They''re innocent!" Shu Ya couldn''t help but scold Hao Jian when she saw this; she hadn''t expected Hao Jian to actually lay hands on two innocent old people. "Innocent? ''The son''s failings reflect the father''s errors.'' That doesn''t count as innocence." But Hao Jian couldn''t be concerned with that anymore. He had to save Yuan Shanshan, and he was willing to pay any price for this. If he had to choose between the world and his friends, then let everyone in the world die! Shu Ya didn''t know what to say anymore. "You''re insane, you''re a madman!" Li Mingxiong roared furiously, his eyes nearly bursting, pushed to the brink of collapse. Hao Jian aimed the gun at Li Mingxiong''s father and shook his head, "I really don''t have the patience to listen to your bullshit. Tell me where Victor is, and then I''ll let your parents go, how about that?" Hao Jian spoke of letting go of Li Mingxiong''s parents, but he never said he would let him go, because one way or another, Li Mingxiong was going to die. "Kiran Auction House!" Li Mingxiong ground his teeth and said, having been driven into a corner by Hao Jian, so he had no choice but to reveal Victor''s whereabouts. Whoosh! Just as Li Mingxiong''s words fell, a soft sound suddenly came from outside the window, and then Li Mingxiong looked down in astonishment, watching as his white shirt was gradually stained red. "Mingxiong!" Seeing Li Mingxiong shot, both of his parents cried out in shock, their aged faces filled with astonishment. Shu Ya gave Hao Jian an inquiring look, and Hao Jian shook his head in response, "It wasn''t me!" Whoosh whoosh whoosh... Suddenly, bullets continuously shot in from outside the door. "Assassin!" Hao Jian tackled Shu Ya to the ground, then kicked the table over to shield them from the onslaught of bullets. After being knocked down, Shu Ya quickly came to her senses and said anxiously, "Save them!" "It''s too late!" Hao Jian shook his head regretfully. Shu Ya was stunned for a moment, then saw that Li Mingxiong''s parents had both fallen in a pool of blood. "It was Victor''s doing! He''s probably trying to silence them; he''s even more venomous and cruel than I imagined!" Hao Jian, looking at the three corpses of the family, was filled with rage. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Although Li Mingxiong was a scoundrel, there was no doubt he was also a filial son. Even though Hao Jian had just appeared ready to kill in his furious state, he truly couldn''t bring himself to harm two old people. But Victor had no such scruples¡ªhe intended to eliminate everyone who knew anything! "You should leave through the back door and then head back to the police station to report this. I''ll handle the matter," Hao Jian ordered Shu Ya. This situation was unmanageable; with Shu Ya by his side, he would only be hampered. "Okay!" Shu Ya nodded and quickly left through the back door. Hao Jian glanced out the window, his smile tinged with a trace of coldness. "Victor, the brothers who went to assassinate Hao Jian are all dead, and only the bodies of Li Mingxiong''s family were found on the scene," half an hour later, inside the Kiran Auction House, a subordinate reported to Victor. Victor''s face was extremely ugly. Hao Jian was not dead, which meant that the danger had not been eliminated! "What about the bodies of our brothers?" Victor asked wearily. "They''ve all been brought back. We also cleaned the scene very cleanly; no one knows it was us." Victor then waved his hand, "Go on, continue searching for that guy''s whereabouts. Also, bring that woman to me. I want to see just what kind of woman makes a man so fearless to save her." Soon, Yuan Shanshan was brought up, but before she arrived, Yuan Shanshan''s cries of protest could already be heard: "Let me go, you foreign devils! Just wait until my Brother Hao gets here; he''ll smash your faces in!" Hearing Yuan Shanshan''s shouting, Victor''s face also turned dark as water. Yuan Shanshan was pushed in front of Victor, who looked at her with interest, "You, you''re Hao Jian''s woman?" "That''s right, I am Hao Jian''s woman. If you know what''s good for you, let me go now. Otherwise, once my man arrives, you''ll be in for it!" Yuan Shanshan snorted, not feeling very afraid at the moment because she knew Victor must have run into trouble; otherwise, they wouldn''t have called her up. To them, she was nothing more than goods, at best something that could fetch a high price but still just goods, not worth the personal attention of Victor. "Let you go?" Victor laughed furiously, the mustache at the corner of his lips quivering, "Do you know how many of my brothers your man has killed? He destroyed one of my branches and forced me to personally kill a business associate. Now the entire French police force is on to us, making us pause our operations to lie low. We won''t even think about doing business for half a year or a year. I have so many brothers to support, yet we have no income. Do you know how much money I''m going to lose? And you want me to let you go?" Upon hearing this, Yuan Shanshan was already stunned. Although she knew Hao Jian would certainly make a big scene, she had not anticipated that he would create such chaos, turning the entire organization into a complete mess. Soon after, a blissful smile couldn''t help but spread across Yuan Shanshan''s lips, "So handsome, truly worthy of the man Yuan Shanshan set her eyes on!" "..." Victor trembled with rage. This idiotic woman, how dared she drool over a man in front of him? "Tie her up, and then let the brothers take turns," Victor roared furiously, having reached the pinnacle of his anger. Hao Jian killed so many of his brothers; he wanted to * her to death. But at that moment, Yuan Shanshan, upon hearing Victor''s words, was not the slightest bit panicked; on the contrary, her lips revealed a trace of disdain. She let the big guys grab her without even bothering to struggle. Seeing this, Victor was taken aback. His eyebrows almost bunched into a lump as he said coldly, "Aren''t you afraid?" "Afraid? Why should I be afraid? I know he will definitely come to save me. You can torture me, you can * me, and you can kill me. But I can assure you, your end will be a thousand times, ten thousand times more miserable than mine!" Yuan Shanshan curved her lips into a charming arc, speaking with a light smile, "I know he''s already on his way here, and I can feel it, he''s very angry now!" "Good, good, good..." Victor nodded repeatedly, driven to utter insanity by Yuan Shanshan''s words, "Then I want to see if he can save you in time!" "Do it!" A group of strong men rushed up and began to tear at Yuan Shanshan''s clothes. Before long, Yuan Shanshan was left in nothing but her underwear. Yuan Shanshan''s face bore humiliation, but still, she glared coldly at Victor, her face etched with defiance. Victor grabbed Yuan Shanshan''s head and pressed her down onto a table, beginning to unbuckle his own belt, "I heard you''re still a virgin, right? Such a precious thing and that kid doesn''t want it. Since that''s the case, I''ll gladly take it." Yuan Shanshan looked at Victor with contempt, "With your little toothpick, even if you enter, you won''t be able to pierce that layer!" "Is that so? Then I''ll have to let you see whether mine is really just a toothpick!" Victor shouted in anger, taking off his trousers. "If you dare touch her, I''ll kill you." Just then, an abrupt voice, without warning, sounded from the midst of the room. "Who?" Victor panicked all at once, and everyone looked around in shock, scanning their surroundings constantly. But besides their own brothers and a few corpses on the ground, there was nothing else. "He''s here, you''re all as good as dead!" Yuan Shanshan laughed mockingly, a laugh all too familiar to her. It was the sound that echoed in her ears on countless nights, the sound that encouraged her to be strong whenever she was in despair, the sound that always told her "Don''t be afraid, I''m here!" whenever she was bullied. The owner of this voice was Hao Jian! "Shut up!" Victor, out of desperation, slapped Yuan Shanshan across the face, leaving a bright red handprint, but she continued to laugh, a laugh crazed with despair. In her eyes, the people before her were already dead. Victor was utterly panicked, his fearful gaze sweeping around continuously. Where was the other person, and why couldn''t they see him? And how did he get in? Their place was heavily guarded, every checkpoint was extremely strict, not even a fly could get in, so how could Hao Jian have come in? "You touched her, so, you must die, all of you must die!" The cold voice rose again, as if coming from the Nine Nether Mansion, sinister and intimidating. "Where is he?" Victor roared in terror, his roar purely a way to bolster his own courage, for he was already scared out of his wits. The voice sounded as if it was right beside their ears, yet why couldn''t they see the guy? The subordinates looked at each other, then shook their heads in unison, all unaware of where the voice had come from. At that moment, they were like lambs lost in the wilderness. "Swish!" Suddenly, something unexpected happened, a corpse lying on the ground abruptly stood up. It was a Fatty, a tall man at one meter ninety, weighing nearly three hundred pounds, shot between the eyebrows, originally a dead man, but now he eerily started to move. This sight scared Victor''s men nearly to the point of wetting themselves. "Demon? Has he been possessed by a demon?" one of them cried out, resurrected undead? This had to be possession by a demon! "Smack!" Victor gave that guy a slap, scolding, "Nonsense! There are no demons in this world!" "But, but why would a corpse move?" the subordinate, covering his face, watched the corpse anxiously. This sudden reanimation needed an explanation, didn''t it? .................................... Chapter 456 - 456: You Are a Robber Victor fell silent. He had no idea why there was a sudden case of a corpse splitting open, but rationally, he was sure that it couldn''t be the work of malevolent spirits. Suddenly, the back of the body twitched, and then a man, completely naked except for a pair of underwear, separated from the corpse. He was covered in blood, having separated from the flesh and blood as if reborn in blood like a malevolent ghost, his appearance extremely frightening. Seeing this, everyone was stupefied. A person had actually emerged from a dead body? "Demon, he is a demon! It was he who possessed Frank!" The gang member who had spoken earlier suddenly screamed, his whole face paling with fear. With these words, everyone began to regard Hao Jian with a mix of fright and apprehension. "SHIT!" Victor shot the gang member directly and angrily said, "Anyone else who spouts nonsense, don''t blame me for being rude!" He wasn''t like these fools. If he could be so easily frightened by Hao Jian, he would never have become the leader of the Night Stars. Victor squinted at Hao Jian. "That guy was just hiding inside Frank''s body!" "He killed Frank and then dug out Frank''s flesh from his body, leaving only a shell, and then hid inside it to make it safely here," Frank said with a cold laugh, clearly having already seen through everything. He was an atheist, not believing in the existence of ghosts or gods. If there really were gods in this world, someone like him might have died countless times already. Hearing this explanation, everyone couldn''t help but get goosebumps. Digging the flesh out from a person''s body and then hiding inside? This guy might not be a demon, but how was his act any different from that of a demon? Despite Victor''s explanation, the gang''s anxiousness did not ease; in fact, it only intensified their fear. "He is a demon in human skin!" Suddenly, someone else shouted loudly. Victor was so angry he wanted to curse out loud. Were these guys really so brain-dead? After all this time, they were still circling back to the same conclusion! "I never thought, for this woman, you would go to such lengths. Should I say I''m impressed?" Victor said to Hao Jian, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "If I hadn''t done this, how else would you have become so furiously embarrassed that you had to call her over?" Hao Jian also sneered back. If he had taken action himself, it probably would have wasted a lot of time, and no one could guarantee that Yuan Shanshan wouldn''t be auctioned off during that period. And if he had made a direct entrance, he could have also risked startling Victor, forcing him to change locations and take Yuan Shanshan away. So, Hao Jian had played a trick, a ruthlessly inhumane one! At the same time, Hao Jian pulled out two machetes from Frank''s corpse. Seeing Hao Jian reaching for something, the gang members initially thought he was grabbing a gun and involuntarily jumped in fright, but when they saw it was just two machetes, they were all dumbfounded. With a machete in each hand and a malicious grin, Hao Jian looked at Victor: "Ever heard of ''Hua City''s Thirteen Protectors''? I''m their boss. Back in the days, with a machete in each hand, I chased men for miles, from Dongtian Road all the way to Beihuai Middle Road. I earned the nickname ''The Incredible Beast'' back then!" "Pfft¡­" Yuan Shanshan could hardly contain her laughter at these words. As he spoke, Hao Jian then suddenly swung his arm and chopped one of the men to the ground. "Ah?" Seeing this, the members of the Night Stars were stunned and began to scream in terror. "Run, this guy''s gone crazy!" "Hurry, we can''t handle this man-shaped devil!" S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The gang members yelled disgracefully, terrified to the point of nearly wetting themselves by Hao Jian''s appearance. "Damn it, you have guns, and he only has two machetes. What are you afraid of?" Victor roared in indignation, driving himself insane with frustration at the cowardice of his men. A group armed with guns being scared off by someone with knives was pathetically ludicrous! "Uh, yeah, we have guns. What are we afraid of?" Only then did the gang members snap out of it, one by one stopping in their tracks. "Kill him!" All members were ruthless, aiming their handguns at Hao Jian. Without waiting for Victor to say anything, they started shooting. At that moment, they were so panicked by Hao Jian, they just wanted to eliminate him as quickly as possible. Guns kept firing, but Hao Jian seemed indifferent, hurling the machetes. The machetes spun in the air, continuously harvesting lives. Usually, it was a slice to the throat, and in just moments, seven or eight men had died. Meanwhile, the organization members were shooting at Hao Jian frantically as if they had gone mad, because they all knew well the terror of Hao Jian¡ªthey didn''t want to die, so they had to eliminate Hao Jian immediately. Hao Jian caught the watermelon knife that flew back to him, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. He stomped hard on the ground, his figure bursting forward like a runaway train, and at the same time, he swung the butcher knife again. Before long, a group of people had fallen in a pool of blood, all killed by a single slash to the throat. At this sight, Victor''s expression changed drastically with fear. Was this guy even human? One man taking on gunfire with two kitchen knives, are you kidding me? Is this a movie scene? "Now, only you are left," Hao Jian said with a smirk, looking at Victor. "Do you think I would beg for mercy? Just kill me and spare me the nonsense! I, Victor, am a gang leader after all. I will not bow to you!" Victor said proudly. Ten minutes later... A bruised and swollen Victor wailed, "Dad, stop hitting me, I know I was wrong, dad... dad..." Victor was indeed a tough guy; however, he had underestimated Hao Jian''s methods of torture. "Alright, I''m done playing with you. I will send you to your death now!" Hao Jian raised the firearm in his hand, aiming at Victor, ready to shoot him dead. "No no no, please forgive me, it was just business!" Victor slowly shook his head. "For me, it''s not just business, it symbolizes justice! Since it''s about justice, there must be an evil side, and sadly for you, you''re that evil side. So now, I, Hao Jian, am going to eliminate you on behalf of the Moon!" Hao Jian struck a Sailor Moon warrior pose, then suddenly pointed at Victor. "..." Victor was stunned for a moment, then realized Hao Jian was not planning to let him go, and started to curse, "******, you Huaxia fool!" "Huh? You dare to insult me? Alright, I had thought about letting you go, but given your attitude, I guess I have no choice but to kill you now," Hao Jian said with an unhappy snort, unlocking the safety. "What? No no no, you heard it wrong, I wasn''t insulting you, I... Ah, why can''t I keep my mouth shut?" Victor, sensing a glimmer of hope to live, began to fiercely slap himself, making loud smacking sounds, quickly swelling up his face. Victor looked pitifully at Hao Jian, showing none of the demeanors of a leader, "Now, can you let me go?" "No, you have insulted me, and now I am angry," Hao Jian pouted unhappily. "I didn''t mean it, I... I was just confused for a moment, I''m an idiot, don''t stoop to my level," Victor hurriedly pleaded sycophantically. "How about this? If you don''t kill me, I will give you all the money I have made over the years, several billion!" Nothing is as convincing as tangible benefits, and Victor knew this well. Mere persuasion wouldn''t convince Hao Jian, so he put forward his bargaining chips since no one in this world isn''t greedy for money! "Alright, seeing how sincere you are..." Hao Jian pondered for a moment. "Yes, yes, I''m very sincere!" Victor quickly nodded, his face flushed with excitement, believing he could make a comeback as long as he stayed alive! Suddenly, a sly smirk crossed Hao Jian''s face: "Seeing how sincere you are, I won''t torture you anymore, I''ll just kill you with one swift blow now!" "What?" Victor''s face turned green, this wasn''t how he expected things to go. In his script, the scenario was supposed to be: after being punished by Hao Jian, he sincerely repents and decides to change his ways, adding that he will hand over all his wealth as compensation, thus deeply moving Hao Jian, who decides to spare his life, and then Hao Jian leaves France and he can continue to commit crimes. No, there was something wrong with the script, it wasn''t supposed to go like this! This guy wasn''t supposed to kill him after all this, why, after all this, was he still going to kill him? "Did you really naively think I wouldn''t kill you?" Hao Jian scoffed contemptuously. "******!" Victor cursed aloud. "Cursing at me? I''m going to kill you!" Hao Jian glared. "Would you let me go if I didn''t curse?" "No!" "Then what''s the difference whether I curse or not?" Victor roared hysterically, feeling utterly toyed with by Hao Jian. "The difference is, if you curse, I get upset, and if I''m upset, I won''t let you die so easily! I''ll torture you bit by bit. So, in order to receive my pardon, hurry up and transfer those billions to me!" Hao Jian shamelessly said. "Damn it, you think I''m a fool! You''re going to kill me and still expect me to give you money?" Victor, driven to fury, his face turning green, had seen many shameless people, but this level of shamelessness was a first for him. Hao Jian kicked Victor to the ground, then stepped on his face: "I''m giving you one more chance, will you give it or not?" "No! You''re a robber!" Victor yelled, lying on the floor. Chapter 457 - 457: All Trash "Hey, you really called it!" Hao Jian nodded in deep agreement, since Victor''s wealth was ill-gotten, why not take it if it''s free, right? Hao Jian grabbed Victor, then tied him to a stone pillar, ready to execute him. "Come on! Even if I die, I will not hand over the money to a robber like you!" At this moment, Victor roared with righteous indignation, as if the roles between him and Hao Jian had switched¡ªnow Victor was the innocent victim, and Hao Jian had become the unforgivable villain. Another ten minutes later, Hao Jian looked at the incoming transfer notification on his phone with satisfaction, then glanced disdainfully at Victor, who was no longer in human form, and snorted, "What I hate most is people like you who don''t keep their word!" You said you wouldn''t give it up even if you died, so you should stick to your commitment. Giving in so quickly, how disappointing! "Kill me, just kill me! I can''t take it anymore aaaaahhh..." Victor, snot and tears streaming down his face, had completely broken down. "Alright alright alright, so annoying," Hao Jian tossed a handgun to Victor, allowing him to end it all. Victor hurriedly picked up the handgun and aimed it at his head. He couldn''t take it anymore; this guy was not human at all, and he didn''t want to be toyed with by Hao Jian any longer. "What an idiot, you have a handgun in your hand and don''t even think to resist?" Hao Jian said disdainfully. Hearing this, Victor also froze for a moment. Right, he had a gun in his hand. Why should he be afraid of this kid? Immediately, he aimed the gun at Hao Jian, "Don''t move, or I''ll kill you all!" "Fuck, you really are an idiot. Did you think I would give you a gun with bullets?" Hao Jian curled his lips, his face wearing a disdainful expression that looked quite fierce. "Click click..." Victor fired two shots and, as expected, found there were no bullets inside. Then he stood there stunned, and after that, he burst into tears. This is just too much bullying; how can there be such a shameless person! He wasn''t tormented to death by Hao Jian, he was pissed to death by him! It was too much to bear, thinking he was the head of an international criminal organization, when had he ever been toyed with like this? He was about to die, yet he couldn''t even die in peace. Hao Jian had tricked him once again. "Look at him, doesn''t he look like a dog?" Hao Jian asked Yuan Shanshan, pointing at Victor. Yuan Shanshan also couldn''t help but give a dry laugh, at a loss for words, now even beginning to feel pity for Victor. Getting entangled with Hao Jian must be the most tragic event of his life. "Alright, I feel sorry for you being so pitiful, I won''t trick you anymore. Here''s a real gun for you," Hao Jian threw another gun to Victor, but Victor didn''t catch it; he let it fall to the ground. "Look at you, why didn''t you catch it? You''re really wasting my good intentions," Hao Jian said angrily. "No need, I''ll do it myself!" Victor gave Hao Jian a desperate look and then, mouth wide open, tongue out, he bit his tongue and committed suicide. "Tsk tsk tsk, quite the brave man," Hao Jian expressed his amazement, sounding utterly astonished. "Goddamnit, he wasn''t being brave. He killed himself because you drove him to a mental breakdown!" Yuan Shanshan couldn''t hold back anymore, she rebuked Hao Jian, really pissed off. Just kill the guy, why play him like that? "Fuck, I was doing this to save you, wasn''t I?" Hao Jian retorted with a bit of grievance, twisting his lips. What kind of person was this? Someone went out of their way to save you and all you do is complain about them. "Hao Jian." Suddenly, Yuan Shanshan called out. "What?" Hao Jian turned back impatiently, and just as he turned his head. She had wanted to do this for a long time but never had the chance or courage, but now, she had finally mustered up the courage. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian looked at Yuan Shanshan with a resentful gaze, "I always considered you a friend, I didn''t expect you to be this kind of person!" Yuan Shanshan: "Get lost!" .... Meanwhile, Rivettes was also watching the day''s news when he was stunned to see Hao Jian appear on the wanted list. Then, a fierce look crept onto Rivettes'' face, thinking that this really confirmed an old saying from Huaxia: Heaven helps those who help themselves! Just thinking about how Hao Jian had cost him the Huaxia market, and had maliciously issued him a tax bill overnight, Rivettes wished he could drink his blood and eat his flesh. Because of Hao Jian, he had become a laughingstock, he wouldn''t have been in such a sorry state if not for Hao Jian! And because Hao Jian was in Huaxia, in his own territory, Rivettes couldn''t touch him, but now it was different. Hao Jian had come to their France. This was another example of an ancient Huaxia saying: "You don''t take the road to Heaven, yet you barge into Hell with no gate!" Suddenly, Rivettes stood up, looked at the wanted photo on the TV, and sneered coldly, "Hao Jian, this time I will make sure you never return!" "Shanshan!" Seeing that Yuan Shanshan had been successfully rescued by Hao Jian, Shu Ya couldn''t help but be overjoyed and hurried forward. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Shu Ya asked Yuan Shanshan anxiously. Yuan Shanshan gave a wry smile and said, "Don''t worry, President, I''m fine. Hao Jian arrived just in time." Only then did Shu Ya turn to look at Hao Jian, "What about you? Are you hurt?" "I''m fine. Just some prawns and crabs, not enough to cause me trouble," Hao Jian said scornfully, a single Night Stars, let alone ten, wouldn''t be enough to challenge him. "What about Victor? Did you bring him to justice?" Shu Ya asked with concern, knowing that as long as Victor was at large, tragedies like today would continue to occur. "No, I killed him." "Killed... killed him? Okay, well, killing him works too," Shu Ya at first was taken aback, then nodded her head, showing indifference. "Hm?" Hao Jian was a little surprised. Wasn''t Shu Ya the one who used to oppose his violence the most? Why was she not opposing it now? Had she changed? "Oh, and I also tortured him, forced him to bite his own tongue and commit suicide," Hao Jian added. "Hmm, he deserved it. You did nothing wrong," Shu Ya nodded, her response casual, indicating she was informed. Inside, a myriad of Caonima were running wild through Hao Jian''s mind: "Wife, you''ve changed." If Shu Ya had known before that he was killing indiscriminately, she would have been furious, but now not only was she not angry, she was even giving tacit approval to his actions. "I''ve changed? How have I changed?" Shu Ya asked, puzzled. "If it had been before, you would have been furious to know I was killing people, but now you..." Shu Ya cast an indifferent glance at him, "Don''t get me wrong, I''m still disgusted by your killing, but Victor really deserved to die, so you did nothing wrong. Killing one villain can save countless good people. If that''s the case, why not kill?" "Wife, I''m so moved," tears welled up in Hao Jian''s eyes, and he was so emotional that he couldn''t contain himself, and then he embraced Shu Ya. "Hao Jian, you bastard!" Shu Ya roared furiously. This damned jerk, how dare he take advantage of her in public? While the three were talking, a shrill screech of brakes suddenly sounded not far away. Dozens of police cars appeared around them, along with goddamn armored vehicles and special forces. "Hao Jian, hands up, you have nowhere to run!" A plainclothes officer then shouted to Hao Jian through a megaphone. Hao Jian looked around with a desultory glance at the mass of police officers, his lips curling into a sneer. "Don''t be rash. You go with them, and I will find a way to get you out," Shu Ya, seeing Hao Jian''s defiant demeanor, was scared he wouldn''t be able to resist clashing with the officers and the special forces. If that happened, then there would be no turning back between them and France. After all, as strong as Hao Jian was, he couldn''t possibly make an enemy of an entire nation, right? But she was wrong. With Hao Jian''s capabilities, he could indeed take on a whole nation. "Don''t worry, I won''t clash with them. What benefit would there be for me? After all, I want to live like a normal person," Hao Jian shrugged and then raised his hands, walking towards the police. At that moment, hundreds of machine guns and pistols were all pointed at Hao Jian, each person on high alert. In less than two days, Hao Jian had turned Paris upside down, and he was now an S-rank fugitive, classified as the number one dangerous person. This just goes to show that the French government really thought highly of him, deploying special forces and the military just to arrest him. "I surrender, take me back!" Hao Jian said to the plainclothes officer. "Cuff him!" The plainclothes officer, seeing Hao Jian''s indifferent demeanor, was immediately annoyed. Having killed so many people and caused so much trouble in Paris, yet he was acting as if it was nothing. "Hold on, although I plan to go with you, I never agreed to let you handcuff me," Hao Jian said with a smirk. There was no one in this world bold enough to put handcuffs on him! "You think you have a choice?" the plainclothes officer asked disdainfully. Under the barrels of so many guns, did Hao Jian really think he could negotiate terms? "It''s only you who think I don''t have a choice," Hao Jian scoffed, then looked around at all the officers, running his finger over them: "Garbage, garbage, garbage, all just garbage!" Though some of the police and special forces didn''t understand what Hao Jian''s words in English meant, they knew from his expression that he definitely wasn''t saying anything pleasant, and they all glared at him furiously. Chapter 458 - 458: Tears Behind Bars! "Capture him, and if he resists, shoot him on the spot!" The plainclothes officer was completely enraged, and he wanted to teach Hao Jian a lesson. Thus, the officers went up to handcuff Hao Jian. "Shoot on the spot? With just you guys!" Hao Jian''s eyes narrowed, and he kicked a car not far from him, flipping it over with a single kick. The car rolled several times and then landed on a group of special forces soldiers, followed by cries and wails. Seeing this, everyone else was dumbfounded. Kicking a police car into the air with one kick? Was this guy a humanoid monster in human skin? "Fire! Shoot now!" At this point, the plainclothes officer couldn''t hold back anymore and roared at his subordinates. He had realized the threat and horror of Hao Jian, and if things continued this way, the situation would be very unfavorable for them. So he decided to strike first and kill Hao Jian directly. After all, Hao Jian was too dangerous, and there were too many unstable factors. Kicking a car into the air was simply not something a human could do! Not to mention them, even Yuan Shanshan and Shu Ya were stunned. This scene was more thrilling than watching a sci-fi movie. "Slap me!" Shu Ya said to Yuan Shanshan. "What?" Yuan Shanshan froze, thinking she had heard wrong. Shu Ya actually asked her to hit her? "Just slap me, no more talking!" Shu Ya said impatiently. "Smack!" Yuan Shanshan did as Shu Ya asked and slapped her. Instantly, Shu Ya, rubbing her reddened face, squeezed out a smile that was close to tears, "It hurts, I''m not dreaming!" Hao Jian, oh Hao Jian, why must you always be so unbelievable? Shu Ya didn''t think this was a good thing at all; standing out too much was like courting trouble, and a capable person could never remain obscure. Hao Jian snorted coldly, lifted a police car with both hands, and smashed it towards the officers prepared to shoot. Then, once again grabbing a police car to use as a shield, he blocked the bullets flying towards him, charged into the crowd, and with a furious spin, sent a large group of people flying. A force of over two hundred people, under several charges by Hao Jian, were completely routed. Watching Hao Jian single-handedly take on an entire army, Shu Ya, Yuan Shanshan, and the plainclothes officer were all dumbfounded. This spectacle would certainly be more unforgettable than anything else they had ever witnessed in their lives, and the sight of Hao Jian handling cars as if they were weightless would forever stay in their minds. "Is this... Divine Might?" Yuan Shanshan suddenly uttered this term, as she couldn''t think of anything else to describe Hao Jian. At that moment, Hao Jian slowly walked towards the plainclothes officer, who had been scared stiff. It was not until Hao Jian approached that he finally snapped out of his trance, completely petrified. "Damn it, what the hell is going on? Weren''t you supposed to be just a wanted criminal? How could a wanted criminal possibly defeat an army?" The plainclothes officer silently cursed his superiors countless times. They were really using him as cannon fodder. "Now, do you still want me to wear handcuffs?" Hao Jian asked him with a half-smile. The man hurriedly shook his head, where he dared to say anything at this moment. Hao Jian nodded slightly, "So, can we go now?" The plainclothes officer hastily nodded again; whatever Hao Jian said was final now. "Good," Hao Jian said with a shallow smile and then dived into one of the police cars, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes to rest. The plainclothes officer didn''t dare to move, unsure what exactly Hao Jian meant. Was he allowed to arrest him or not? "You have one minute to get in the car, or face the consequences!" came Hao Jian''s icy voice. The plainclothes officer felt like crying; honestly, he really didn''t want to ride in the same car as Hao Jian, but he had no choice now. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon, Hao Jian arrived at the police station, but the moment he walked in, he saw Rivettes talking with an old man with white hair. This man, who looked like he might be the chief, was clad in a police uniform and eyed Hao Jian with a gloomy look. Seeing Rivettes there, Hao Jian instantly knew what Rivettes was up to. When Rivettes saw Hao Jian again, a sinister smile appeared on his face, clearly harboring deep hatred for Hao Jian. Rivettes was there to pressure the white-haired man next to him to sentence Hao Jian as quickly as possible. "Hao Jian, we meet again," Rivettes said with a sinister smile. Hao Jian looked at Rivettes expressionlessly and impatiently said, "I really didn''t want to see you, you''re so ugly!" "You..." Rivettes squinted his eyes, burning with rage. This guy was already a prisoner, and yet he still dared to be so arrogant? "Mr. Rivettes, is this the guy you said cost you billions?" the white-haired man spoke up at that moment. "Yes, Mr. Ming Li''an, it''s him!" Rivettes said with full hatred, his cold gaze fixed on Hao Jian. "Don''t worry, I''ll treat him well. This guy dared to cause such a big mess in Paris; we can get rid of him without going through Huaxia!" Ming Li''an said with a sinister grin, his gloomy eyes continuously sweeping over Hao Jian. "Fuck, can anyone tell me if this old guy is gay or not? Just to be clear, I''m not into that kind of thing. Your magic won''t work on me," Hao Jian turned to the plainclothes officer and said. The plainclothes officer was sweating profusely; he dared not speak at this time, caught between Hao Jian and Ming Li''an, whatever he said would be wrong. Ming Li''an also realized that Hao Jian was talking about him and, frowning, asked the plainclothes officer, "What did he say?" "He said, he said you''re gay and want to hit on him." The plainclothes officer replied with a look of wanting to cry. "Hmm?" Ming Li''an was initially stunned, then glared fiercely at Hao Jian, "You''re looking for death!" No one had ever dared to speak to him like that; Hao Jian was the first! "Hey, can someone tell me what this old geezer is saying in some bird language? I don''t understand!" Hao Jian yelled loudly, completely acting like a hooligan, and then gave Ming Li''an the middle finger, "Old geezer, please speak Huaxia, fuck your mother, your dad can''t understand you!" "What did he say again?" Ming Li''an asked the officer again. The officer felt like dying; how the hell should he translate this? "He''s cursing you; he said he wants to fuck your mother and also said he is your father!" Rivettes tried to phrase it more elegantly, but his expression was ugly. They were all nobles, prominent figures, so none of them would swear, but Hao Jian was different. He spoke foul language as soon as he opened his mouth, completely shameless. "Bastard!" Ming Li''an was so angry his whiskers bristled, and he barked, "Someone, take him to a cell right now!" Ming Li''an couldn''t stand to look at Hao Jian for another second, fearing he might burst a blood vessel if he continued. Thus, Hao Jian was taken away. At that moment, Rivettes and Ming Li''an discussed how to deal with Hao Jian, both fuming because of him. "Immediately report to the Ministry of Defense, tell them this guy is extremely dangerous and must be executed right away. If you and I both speak up, they should compromise." Rivettes said to Ming Li''an, wanting nothing more than to kill Hao Jian right away. "Good, let''s do that! But before that, I want to let that kid know what happens when you cross me!" Just then, a vicious smile appeared on the corner of Ming Li''an''s mouth. Hao Jian was locked up in a cell with many French prisoners. Soon, a police officer came over, gave Hao Jian an ominous look, then whispered something through the bars to one of the muscular bald men. The bald man twitched his eyebrows, nodded, and then also gave Hao Jian a strange look, Immediately after, the police officer patted the bald man''s shoulder and left. The bald man sneered, went back to his mates, and whispered something to them. But Hao Jian seemed completely oblivious, sitting by the iron bars, looking forlorn and choked up as he sang a song that touched the hearts of many prisoners! "Iron doors, iron windows, iron chains Hands on the iron windows looking outside Outside life seems so beautiful When will I return to my homeland When can I return to my homeland Each chain holds me Friends, listen to my song The song has regrets and also hatred Flying with the song Flying with the song The moon, oh crescent shines on my heart In prison thinking of my mother Regretting not listening to mom''s words Now I have become a person in prison Now I have become a person in prison." If Shu Ya were here, she would definitely curse, "This asshole has screwed up again. Even sitting in jail, he can''t stop messing around." "Shut up, your singing is terrible, it''s bothering us!" At that time, the bald man seized the opportunity, leading a group of men toward him. "Please speak Huaxia, sons, your dad really doesn''t understand French." Hao Jian turned and said seriously to the bald man. "Does anyone know what he''s saying?" the bald man asked. "He says we are his sons," replied one of the prisoners who understood a little Huaxia. "What? Kid, are you tired of living?" the bald man angrily rebuked. "Although I can''t understand what you''re saying, seeing your expression as if someone slept with your wife and you''ve been cuckolded, I have reason to believe you''re definitely not saying anything nice," Hao Jian nodded earnestly. "Boss, he said someone slept with your wife!" "Bastard, beat this kid to death!" the bald man roared and charged at him first. Chapter 459 - 459 Release People In the office, Rivettes and Ming Li''an were all smiles when suddenly a police officer burst through the door, looking anxious, and blurted out, "Chief... Chief, something terrible has happened!" "What''s got you so flustered?" Ming Li''an said, displeased. As a police officer, making such a fuss was unbecoming. "That Hao Jian, Hao Jian he..." the officer shouted, visibly unsettled. "What''s happened to Hao Jian?" Upon hearing this, both Ming Li''an and Rivettes became tense. Then, Rivettes and Ming Li''an went straight to the cells to check, and there they saw the prisoners bowing and scraping to Hao Jian, massaging his shoulders and rubbing his legs, acting like servile lackeys. Even more absurd was that all of these prisoners were French, and each one of them was much more robust in stature than Hao Jian. Considering there were so many of them, Ming Li''an thought for sure they could take care of Hao Jian, but instead, it turned out that all these men got taken care of by Hao Jian! "A bit more on the left, harder on the left, you foreign devils. You look quite big, but every single one of you is soft as a jellyfish without any strength," Hao Jian said with particular disdain. "Hao Jian, are you here to be imprisoned or to enjoy yourself?" Ming Li''an roared angrily, having initially intended to teach Hao Jian a lesson, only to find the local hooligans were the ones being schooled. Rivettes repeated Ming Li''an''s words. "Who says you can''t enjoy life in prison? As long as you have my badassery, prison can be a pleasure! But looking at you, it seems if you ended up in prison, you''d quickly go from chrysanthemum to sunflower," Hao Jian said, looking at Ming Li''an with contempt. Upon hearing Rivettes''s translation, Ming Li''an''s face turned grim, and he glared fiercely at Hao Jian, "You just wait, as soon as the written application comes through, I will shoot you on the spot, and then we''ll see how brazen you can be." "And I will make sure that Shu Ya Group''s trip to France ends in failure!" Rivettes also smiled ominously, saying, "In France, especially in Paris, all entrepreneurs must show me respect, even in official competitions I can be in control. I recall Shu Ya Group has someone named Yuan Shanshan who won an award, right? With just one word from me, her award can be instantly transferred to someone else!" "With just one word from me, I can make you go bankrupt overnight!" When Hao Jian heard Rivettes''s threat, a sinister smile spread across his face. "Wow, you sure talk big. I''ve worked hard to build such a powerful business empire, and not even Xu Donghe and Bartley joining forces could bring me down, let alone you claim you can make me go bankrupt?" Rivettes clearly didn''t believe him. If this were Huaxia, perhaps he''d believe what Hao Jian said, but this was France¡ªhis turf! Who could touch him here? Immediately after, Hao Jian turned his head to look at Ming Li''an, "And you, your position doesn''t quite suit you either, better to switch out." Ming Li''an glared furiously; if he could, he would really like to slap Hao Jian dead right now. "Chief, General Trelai from the Ministry of Defense has arrived!" At that moment, another officer reported, looking tense. "General Trelai?" Upon hearing this, both Rivettes and Ming Li''an were somewhat surprised. General Trelai was the second-in-command at the Ministry of Defense, a pinnacle figure of power in all of France. Why would he show up here? Afterward, Ming Li''an''s face was filled with excitement as he said to Rivettes, "Mr. Rivettes, this kid is done for. He''s caused so much trouble that it must have alerted the Ministry of Defense to send General Trelai to deal with him!" Hearing this, Rivettes also felt it was very likely, his face flushed with excitement, "Kid, do you even know who General Trelai is?" "Do I need to know?" Hao Jian asked disdainfully, with a shrug. "Alright, alright. Just keep on being obstinate, but let me tell you, your actions have attracted the attention of the Ministry of Defense, and now there''s no place for you in the whole of France!" Rivettes smiled viciously, looking at Hao Jian as if he were looking at a dead man. "Once you''re dead, I will use all the power at my disposal to target Shu Ya Group, to bring Shu Ya to ruin! You Huaxia brands want to enter my Champs-Elys¨¦es? Dream on!" Rivettes laughed heartily, completely presuming victory. "Do you have body odor? Get lost!" At that moment, Hao Jian said to a Frenchman massaging his leg, as if he hadn''t heard a word Rivettes said. At that, Rivettes''s face turned green, and he bellowed, "Bastard, are you even listening to what I''m saying?" It was hard enough to let Hao Jian strut around for a while, but Hao Jian seemed completely oblivious. "Ah? What did you say?" Hao Jian looked up, puzzled, at Rivettes. Rivettes felt his anger boiling. He was of noble birth, yet seemingly couldn''t show his nobility in front of this man! "Stop wasting words with him. Come with me to welcome General Trelai. Once General Trelai arrives, we can execute him immediately!" Ming Li''an said coldly. After all, he was a dead man, so what did it matter if he acted arrogant for a bit longer? "Right!" Rivettes nodded, giving Hao Jian a dark look before following Ming Li''an out. Inside the police station, a middle-aged man of one hundred and ninety centimeters stood tall. His blue eyes sparkled with starlight, his features were angular, and his presence distinguished. Dressed in military uniform, he exuded an aura of authority that commanded respect without anger. Flanking him were two guards, gun in hand, standing rigidly straight, forming a conspicuous scene with him. "It has been some time since we last met, General Trelai," Ming Li''an greeted the General energetically as he approached. But General Trelai simply waved him off, clearly not in the mood for small talk with Ming Li''an, and got straight to the point with a stern face, "You''ve captured a man named Hao Jian?" Ming Li''an looked somewhat embarrassed but answered truthfully, "Yes, we''ve arrested him. That guy has been disturbing the social order, killed many people, and is suspected of murder, kidnapping, extortion, assaulting police officers, among other charges. We believe this individual poses a grave threat to French society and must be executed immediately!" Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When he spoke these words, Ming Li''an bore an upright and unyielding appearance, as if his actions truly had the best interest of the entire French people at heart. "Take me to him," General Trelai said expressionlessly, signaling for Ming Li''an to lead the way. "Very well, this way please!" Ming Li''an gestured for General Trelai to follow. A group of people then returned to the cells. "General Trelai, this man is Hao Jian!" Ming Li''an suddenly pointed at Hao Jian, who was still in the cell enjoying massages from several inmates. After looking at Hao Jian, General Trelai couldn''t help but chuckle. Where was this guy serving time? He was practically on vacation. General Trelai, perplexed, asked Ming Li''an, "What is going on here?" "This..." Ming Li''an''s expression became one of utter embarrassment, because he couldn''t explain what was happening either. General Trelai shook his head and smiled, not saying another word, and this significant gesture made Ming Li''an realize just how disappointed General Trelai was with him. Being a government official and allowing a criminal to do as he pleased on his turf was illogical. At this moment, Ming Li''an detested Hao Jian thoroughly because he knew that General Trelai might report this incident after leaving. Consequently, he guessed he would be subject to criticism and be labeled accordingly. Immediately afterward, General Trelai turned his gaze to Hao Jian and asked, "You are Hao Jian?" "I am Hao Jian, you''ve come?" Hao Jian stood up, walked to the bars, and looked at General Trelai with a grin. General Trelai was taken aback by this. "You knew I would come?" "Of course. With that busybody ''Prophet'' and his style, how could he ignore the fact I''m in trouble?" Hao Jian laughed. Without even thinking, he knew General Trelai had been sent by the Prophet. Otherwise, why would a Defense General bother with the murder of a mere criminal? Hearing Hao Jian daring to refer to the Prophet as "that guy," General Trelai was utterly shocked. Even their President had to address the Prophet with respect, calling him "Your Excellency!" Yet Hao Jian dared to show such disrespect toward the Prophet? General Trelai was getting angry, wondering how this guy could have a closer relationship with the Prophet than the President did. The Prophet, in a certain sense, even had a stature that surpassed Hao Jian''s, occupying an extremely important position in the hearts of leaders worldwide. The reason was simple: Hao Jian only dealt in slaughter, but the Prophet knew everything, there was nothing he was not aware of! It could be said that he was privy to all the secrets of the world; any secret he wished to uncover, there wasn''t one he couldn''t dig up. Whether it was the latest weapon invented by America, what the French President ate for breakfast that morning, or how the people from East Ocean were acting subservient, he knew it all. Such a person posed a threat to the entire world! Yet no one dared to lay a hand on him. "You want to kill me? Fine! I''ll sell your secrets to your enemies!" And then seek protection from other countries! Over time, to avoid pointless hostility, no one dared to offend this unique individual anymore. When the French government received a call from the Prophet, one could hardly express how thrilled they were¡ªa life in exchange for a world-shattering secret. No matter how you crunched the numbers, it was a win. So, they immediately sent General Trelai, an officer of no small rank, to deal with this matter. "Are you well acquainted with the Prophet?" General Trelai asked, frowning at Hao Jian, as he prodded for some information. "Not that acquainted," Hao Jian shook his head. General Trelai breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself it was true, how could a ruffian like this man be familiar with the Prophet. "I''ve just seen her take a bath, that''s all," Hao Jian continued. "Impudence!" General Trelai roared angrily, visibly flustered. The Prophet had many followers, and General Trelai was one of them. General Trelai almost revered the Prophet to the extent of a deity. So, when he heard Hao Jian speak so offensively about the Prophet, he immediately became furious. Rivettes and Ming Li''an listened, completely confused. What ghost is this Prophet? What on earth were they discussing? Chapter 460 - 460: Awards Ceremony People of their status couldn''t possibly come into contact with someone on the level of the Prophet, not even General Trelai knew more than a mere smattering about the Prophet. Seeing General Trelai so angry, Rivettes and Ming Li''an were all the more delighted because the angrier General Trelai became, the closer Hao Jian was to his death. "General Trelai, this guy is so arrogant and domineering, I say we kill him right now?" Ming Li''an suggested. To tell the truth, General Trelai really didn''t want to save Hao Jian, but he was on a mission, and he had no choice. General Trelai''s face was grim, and he shouted, "Release him!" "What? General Trelai, you mean to say kill him, right?" Ming Li''an was confused. Had he heard wrong? "I said release him!" General Trelai said impatiently. "This..." Ming Li''an was shocked. Wasn''t General Trelai here to kill Hao Jian? S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Can''t you understand human language?" General Trelai shot Ming Li''an a cold glare. His mood was already soured by Hao Jian, and Ming Li''an''s nonsense was making it worse. "But he''s a national fugitive!" Ming Li''an said anxiously, still somewhat disbelieving that this was actually happening. Was General Trelai really about to release a wanted man? General Trelai let out a cold laugh, "I said release him; it''s a directive from the president himself. What right do you have to question me? If you have any objections, call up the president''s office!" A directive from the president? This truly scared the hell out of Rivettes and the others. Just who was this guy, to warrant personal directives from the president? "Release... release the prisoner," Ming Li''an said with an ugly look on his face. Now, he had no choice but to release him. And so, the officer went to unlock the door, still in a daze. "Whoa, who would have thought I''d be out in less than two hours. Plus, I got to enjoy a prisoner massage. Though it''s not as good as a blind person''s massage, it''s novel. I''ll give this police station four stars, and I''ll leave you a good review later!" Hao Jian said as he passed by Ming Li''an, patting him on the shoulder. Ming Li''an might not understand what he was saying, but his instincts told him Hao Jian was definitely not saying anything pleasant! "And you..." Hao Jian walked up to Rivettes, who thought Hao Jian would insult him verbally as well, so he looked at Hao Jian with a face ashen with rage. "I really don''t have anything good to say to you, so... sigh..." Hao Jian let out a sigh, then backhandedly slapped him across the face. Rivettes was sent flying to the ground by the slap, unable to get up for a long time. At that moment, he was truly dumbstruck; he had expected Hao Jian to curse at him, but instead, Hao Jian had hit him. He''s really a piece of work! "Sigh, I''m impulsive in my actions and pretty straightforward in my speech, so if there''s anything offensive I''ve done typically..." Hao Jian brought his face close to Rivettes, hehe chuckling, "Why don''t you come and hit me, eh?" Looking at that despicable face, Rivettes really felt the urge to slap him, but his intuition told him that if he dared to do so, his end would be miserable. "Farewell, everyone, no need to see me out!" Hao Jian laughed heartily as he strode out of the police station. And the officers were only then jolted from their stupor, looking on with their mouths agape at the audacity of this Huaxia man! Two days later, Yuan Shanshan attended the award ceremony on time and received the only trophy of her life''s significance, an extremely important one. Hao Jian and Shu Ya looked at Yuan Shanshan on stage in her evening gown, the corners of their mouths involuntarily revealing a hint of a smile. Today''s Yuan Shanshan was very beautiful, like a blooming white lily - fresh, simple, dignified, and gentle. "This Huaxia chick is really pretty! Look at those perfectly round breasts, that slender waist! Such a figure is rare even among Western women, she''s a top-notch beauty." Just then, Hao Jian and Shu Ya heard an inappropriate comment from the seats beneath them. They were sitting in the fifth row, while the other party sat in the front row, giving them the perfect angle to scrutinize them closely. It was a Western hunk, dressed in a suit and tie, clearly a man of no ordinary status. Firstly because he was wearing designer brands, and secondly because he was sitting in the foremost seats. At that time, the man was ogling Yuan Shanshan on stage with undisguised lust, clearly harboring nefarious thoughts toward her. "Mr. Dwight is interested in this woman?" Just then, a bald fatty covered in flesh asked Dwight. "Indeed, I''m very interested in her," Dwight didn''t hide his lust as he replied to the bald man, "Hayden, can you help me get her for me?" "No problem, leave it to me. She''s just a designer. I''ll have her delivered to your bed tonight!" Hayden said ingratiatingly, patting his chest in assurance, obviously very confident. "Hmm? You''re that sure? I can tell this woman is not that simple," Dwight said with a smirk that was not quite a smile. "Isn''t she still a woman even if she''s not ordinary? Plus, I''m the organizer of this competition, so if she dares to refuse my request, I can work some internal magic. By then, she can kiss the championship goodbye. As long as she''s smart, she should know what to do!" Hayden said with a malicious grin. "In that case, I''ll leave it to you. Once it''s done, I will reward you handsomely!" Dwight promised. "Yes, yes, thank you, Mr. Dwight." Hayden was overjoyed. With the Dwight family''s influence in France, if he could secure a promise from him, his prospects in France were bound to shine brightly. "What a scumbag!" At this point, Shu Ya couldn''t suppress her frustration and blurted out. "Isn''t that the truth? It''s like a big forest attracts all sorts of birds!" Hao Jian shook his head and then gestured to Shu Ya, "Give me the drink bottle!" "What for?" Shu Ya handed over the drink bottle, puzzled. Without a second thought, Hao Jian threw the drink bottle in the direction of Dwight and his companion. "Bang!" The bottle struck Dwight square on the forehead with such force that it knocked him off his seat and sent him flying before he face-planted onto the ground. Yuan Shanshan, who was in the middle of her acceptance speech, was dumbfounded when she saw a man suddenly kneeling headfirst about ten meters away from her. She didn''t understand why Dwight would show her such respect. Everyone looked confused¡ªwhat the hell was going on? Shu Ya was shocked. She would have never imagined Hao Jian would dare to do something so beneath his dignity at such a prestigious event. "Who? Who the hell hit me?" Dwight stood up, clutching his head and bellowed furiously, his handsome face now the color of liver. Someone had attacked him; who had such gall? Soon, Dwight''s gaze swept through the crowd, searching for the assailant. Then, his eyes stopped in the direction of Hao Jian and the others, and he was bewildered. Because he clearly saw two groups staring at each other in shock. Hao Jian''s mouth was slightly agape, his face one of shock and confusion as he looked at a couple next to him, seemingly questioning why they had thrown something at Dwight. And that couple had the same expression, as they sat beside Hao Jian and had witnessed the entire incident. Dwight was bewildered because he couldn''t tell who the actual assailant was; both Hao Jian and the couple seemed so surprised, as if they couldn''t understand the other''s actions. Shu Ya was speechless. This guy was shameless beyond belief. Not only had he attacked Dwight, but he was also trying to pin the blame elsewhere while feigning innocence. Sigh, why did she have to deal with someone like him? "Sir, could you please return to your seat?" The host had noticed Dwight and politely requested him to sit down. Dwight gritted his teeth and returned to his seat, unable to identify his attacker, while all eyes were on him. Continuing to rage would only make him a laughingstock. "Got another bottle?" Hao Jian asked Shu Ya. "Do you think I''m a water cooler or what? Stop it!" Shu Ya replied irritably. Getting caught would be incredibly embarrassing. "Alright then¡­" Hao Jian shrugged helplessly. Seeing that Hao Jian seemed to have vented his frustrations, Shu Ya breathed a sigh of relief; if he continued like this, she might get dragged down with him. But after about thirty seconds of silence, Hao Jian suddenly took off his leather shoe and threw it at Dwight. This time, it hit the back of Dwight''s head, and he flew out once again, landing face-first like before. "SHIT! Who the hell did it? Show yourself!" Dwight turned around hysterically; one hit was enough, but a second? Hadn''t enough been enough? Did they really think he was that easy to bully? If he found out who did it, he''d make sure they paid! Then, Hao Jian repeated his act of feigned surprise, turning to look at the couple beside him. The couple seemed to have realized something, their faces darkening as they angrily glared at Hao Jian. They didn''t do anything; were they to be wrongly accused? But this time it was different. Not only the couple but also the people sitting next to Shu Ya stared incredulously at Hao Jian, having seen what happened. Dwight cast a suspicious glance at Hao Jian, now somewhat certain that Hao Jian was the culprit. Shu Ya covered her face and sighed, staying quiet. Chapter 461 - 461: Its Not Me "Sir, if you continue causing trouble, I''m afraid I''ll have to ask you to leave!" The host on stage looked at Dwight angrily, because he didn''t recognize Dwight and was completely unaware of Dwight''s extraordinary status. To him, Dwight was simply a maliciously disruptive guest. At that moment, everyone also cast disdainful looks at Dwight, clearly unhappy with his interruption of the award ceremony. Dwight, full of shame, sat back down and said to Hayden with an ugly expression, "Later, pull out that guy who dared to throw a shoe at me¡ªI''m going to kill him! And that host, throw him into the river to feed the fishes!" He wanted to kill not only Hao Jian but also the host who had embarrassed him in public! "Understood!" A fierce look crossed Hayden''s face. Dwight spoke subtly, but Hao Jian still caught it. Suddenly, a cruel expression swept across Hao Jian''s face as he also took off his other shoe. The result was, naturally, predictable¡ªDwight was sent flying once again. "Bastard!" Dwight was completely furious after being beaten repeatedly like this; he had already lost his temper. "Sir, you..." The host began, becoming somewhat angry upon seeing Dwight''s behavior. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Shut up!" Dwight glared at the host, his expression extremely fierce. The host, startled by Dwight''s ferocious demeanor, couldn''t help but freeze. "Everyone, get in here!" Dwight yelled. Immediately, Dwight''s bodyguards, who had been waiting around the area, rushed out. "Sir, you can''t do this. Security, where is security?" The host panicked seeing Dwight summon a group of black-suited bodyguards; how could the ceremony continue with Dwight causing such a disturbance? A group of security guards also charged forward, trying to stop Dwight''s men, but they were quickly overpowered, sprawling on the ground. Dwight''s bodyguards, all former Special Forces, each capable of taking on dozens, easily handled the security guards. The celebrities in attendance were all stunned, seemingly never expecting someone to dare cause chaos at such a world-class award ceremony. Of course, Dwight was no fool. He immediately had his men take control of all the journalists on-site, to prevent any leaks that could damage his reputation. While the celebrities were initially very unhappy, once they saw it was Dwight causing the disturbance, they didn''t dare complain. After all, when it came to status, probably no one present could compare to Dwight, a scion of his family. Dwight''s family had been in business since his grandfather''s time, particularly excelling in foreign trade and almost monopolizing the entire market in France. In other words, Dwight''s family possessed the same level of influence as the Rivettes. "Find out who! I want to know who dared attack me!" Dwight was almost grinding his teeth in anger; unprovoked attacks like this would not sit well with anyone. "Start from over there!" Dwight pointed in the direction of Hao Jian and his group, deeply suspicious of that area¡ªthe culprit was definitely there. Immediately, Dwight''s men rushed out and began a thorough search. Shortly after, they found Hao Jian. Because at that moment, Hao Jian really stood out; everyone else had shoes, only he wore socks without shoes. The bodyguards couldn''t help but twitch their eyebrows. You can go without shoes, but couldn''t you wear better socks without holes? Not only did Hao Jian''s feet stand out, but his socks did too, looking like something a beggar would wear. Yet, he acted as if nothing were amiss, hands behind his head, casually whistling. When those bodyguards looked towards Dwight, he quickly approached with a grim face. Once he saw Hao Jian''s bare feet, he was certain that it was Hao Jian who had thrown the shoe at him. Soon, Dwight couldn''t help but sneer, mocking Hao Jian for his foolishness, thinking he could hide just like that? You throw a shoe at me, and you have no shoes on your feet, and I still wouldn''t find you? But what he didn''t know was that Hao Jian had no intention of hiding it at all, let alone taking Dwight seriously. "Was it you who hit me with something?" Dwight glared at Hao Jian; now that he had found Hao Jian, he was certainly not going to let him off easily. "No," Hao Jian firmly shook his head. Dwight and his men were at a loss for words... This was blatantly lying! You''re shoeless, and you still say it wasn''t you? They were all stunned by Hao Jian''s shamelessness. In this kind of situation, it would have been better to admit it openly, since pretending was futile. "Where are your shoes then?" Dwight growled, his mood as dark as water, feeling an urge to flay Hao Jian on the spot. "I didn''t wear shoes here," Hao Jian earnestly replied. "You think they would let you in at an event like this if you didn''t wear shoes?" Dwight coldly stared at Hao Jian, finding his lie ridiculously sloppy. "They would!" Hao Jian nodded and then seriously added, "Because the gatekeeper is the third fatty, the friend of my neighbor Doggie''s second aunt''s boyfriend''s fourth uncle''s wife''s sixth nephew. I know him, so that''s why I could be here." "What are you talking about?" Dwight listened as Hao Jian spouted a string of nonsense, but he didn''t catch a single word. "I don''t know either, but I''m just messing with a fool!" Hao Jian grinned and laughed. "Bang!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Hao Jian''s chair burst apart. One of Dwight''s bodyguards, hearing Hao Jian''s insult towards Dwight, decisively acted and kicked the chair to pieces. Hao Jian did a backflip and landed in the seventh row, then with a snap, he flicked open a lighter and lit a cigarette for himself. Seeing this, Dwight and his bodyguards were all stunned, seemingly not expecting Hao Jian to dodge the attack. "Break his legs and then push him to my car. I''ll deal with him harshly tonight," Dwight ordered his subordinates. The bodyguards walked over, rolling up their sleeves eagerly. "Don''t come any closer, I don''t want to hurt you," Hao Jian said in English, with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. "Hurt us? With you?" The lead bodyguard burst into angry laughter, mocking the arrogant young man. Then, he charged at Hao Jian and threw a punch at his face. "Aza!" Hao Jian roared, and his fist collided with the bodyguard''s fist. "Thud!" "Ah!" The bodyguard instantly screamed in agony, stepping back in fear, with one hand turned into a bloody mess, all the bones crushed. Everyone was shocked. One was burly as a bull, the other slender. They had originally thought Hao Jian was toast, but to their surprise, he sent the brute flying with a single punch. "Attack together!" The bodyguard, holding his mutilated hand, roared. He knew they had encountered a tough nut, and the opponent was no saint. The celebrities cast puzzled looks at Hao Jian, curious whether the slender Huaxia man could resolve the crisis again. "I''m warning you, stay back, or I''ll make you eat socks!" Hao Jian threatened the bodyguards while taking off his own socks. From a distance, everyone could distinctly smell the foul stench coming from the socks. The bodyguards stepped back in alarm, clearly disgusted by Hao Jian. "Go on! It''s just smelly socks, what''s there to fear?" Dwight, seeing his own bodyguards intimidated by Hao Jian''s dirty socks, was furious. The bodyguards couldn''t help but smirk. After all, they''re not the ones who are going to eat the socks. It''s one thing to fight this guy, not being stunk to death by him is already a relief. But bound by Dwight''s command, they had no choice but to move forward. Suddenly, the bodyguards each had a piece of sock in their mouths, kneeling in the aisle. Meanwhile, shock was written all over Dwight''s face. Over ten bodyguards, and none of them could handle Hao Jian. Hao Jian walked straight towards Dwight and said, "They each get half a sock, but since I''m especially nice to you, you get one all to yourself!" Idiot! This isn''t exactly a treat, and damn it, who would want such ''gifts''? "Do you even know who I am to talk to me like that?" Dwight glared at Hao Jian angrily. What was his status? A man standing at the pinnacle of power, and Hao Jian dared to insult him? It was as if Hao Jian was blind! "Today, even if you were the emperor himself, you''re still going to eat this sock!" Hao Jian said with a smirk. "My goodness..." Hearing Hao Jian say this, many who understood English gasped in astonishment, surprised not only at Hao Jian''s audacity but also at his courage to force Dwight to eat his sock. It was simply suicidal! Didn''t he know the consequences of angering Dwight? "I won''t eat it!" Dwight flatly refused Hao Jian''s suggestion, unwilling to perform such a humiliating action. "Won''t eat? Then I''ll break your legs!" Hao Jian chuckled. On the stage, Yuan Shanshan was utterly helpless; this was supposed to be her award ceremony. "Even if you break my legs, I won''t eat it. I''m telling you, my father is a commissioner of the Nicholas Consortium. If you dare lay a finger on me..." "Crack!" Hao Jian immediately kicked Dwight''s knee, and after a sound of bone cracking, Dwight fell to the ground, howling in pain. Everyone was stunned. They hadn''t expected Hao Jian to strike Dwight even after he had revealed his identity. Chapter 462 - 462: Magic Mirror Magic Mirror Hao Jian sneered at Dwight in front of him, "You talk too much, which is why I had to break one of your legs first before having this conversation. Now, have you calmed down?" "If you dare hurt me, you''re opposing the entire Nicholas Consortium. You won''t survive long, hahaha..." However, instead of showing any remorse, Dwight laughed wildly, his demeanor arrogant and overbearing. "It seems you still haven''t learned how to talk properly," Hao Jian sighed, grabbing Dwight''s other leg. "You... what are you trying to do?" Seeing Hao Jian grab his leg, Dwight suddenly became anxious. "Since I''m as good as dead anyway, why don''t I take you down with me before I go?" Hao Jian smirked maliciously. "Mr. Hao Jian, let''s talk this over. Please, don''t harm our young master!" At that moment, an elderly man hurried over. "Fute, call my dad here right now; I want this brat to have nowhere to bury his corpse!" Dwight roared. With a sigh, Fute responded anxiously, "Young master, I came here precisely because it was the old master''s wish." "My dad''s wish? What do you mean by that?" Dwight was somewhat taken aback. Could his own father have known that he would encounter Hao Jian? "The old master instructed me to remind you under no circumstances to offend Mr. Hao Jian. But I''ve come too late," Fute said helplessly. "Why shouldn''t I offend him? What''s so special about him?" But Dwight still appeared defiant. "Young master, the old master already said if you offend Mr. Hao Jian, he will disown you. From then on, you will no longer be the prince of our family," Fute reminded him. "Impossible, you''re talking nonsense! How could my dad ever do that to me?" Dwight was in disbelief, his expression filled with shock. To disown him over an outsider was unthinkable. If it were someone else, Dwight''s father might indeed not do such a thing, but if it was Hao Jian, that was an entirely different matter. Now, Hao Jian had become a celebrity in France''s elite circles, even the president had to personally pardon him; his power was unimaginable. Every move Hao Jian made in France was closely watched by many powerful groups. Dwight''s father knew Hao Jian would appear here and knew of Dwight''s interest in Yuan Shanshan. Since Yuan Shanshan was a friend of Hao Jian, he was worried that Dwight might offend Hao Jian. So, upon hearing the news, he immediately sent someone to stop Dwight, but it was still too late. "Young master, we should hurry back home. Mr. Hao Jian really isn''t someone we can afford to mess with," Fute said with a bitter smile. Dwight stood there, stunned and solemn. In fact, he believed what Fute had said; he just couldn''t get over it internally. Being humiliated by Hao Jian like this, it would be too shameful to just run away. "Oh, reinforcements have arrived? I thought someone as badass as you wouldn''t need any," Hao Jian remarked, looking at Dwight with a mocking smile. "Fute, take me home!" Dwight yelled. "...." .... At midnight, Hao Jian sat in front of a computer, his face pale in the dim blue light. His expression was serious, his demeanor focused, as if he were performing a very important ritual. He silently stared at the computer for a minute before leaning forward and asking in a hushed, mysterious voice, "Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, tell me, what is Rivettes''s sordid secret." "F*** you!" Prophet yelled hysterically from inside the computer. Two minutes later, Hao Jian exclaimed in shock, "My God, Rivettes has such a fetish, he''s not what he appears to be at all!" "Less bullshit, pay up! Secret fee of a billion!" Prophet spread her hands out. She charged a starting price of a billion for secrets, and the price could go higher depending on the significance of the secret. She also reserved the right to refuse based on her mood. "What secret fee? I don''t understand what you''re talking about," Hao Jian responded, feigning confusion with an arrogant expression clearly intending to shirk the payment. "Ha!" Prophet flipped open a notebook and began to read aloud: "July 3, 2012, Hao Jian asked the question ''What are the Moon''s measurements,'' risking being found and slaughtered by the Moon to inform him. Secret fee was twelve billion!" "May 23, 2013, Hao Jian asked how to eternally enhance male vigor and double the size; I informed him of the most effective¡ªbut cough-inducing¡ªmethod, which resulted in one month of swelling due to overdose, impacting Hao Jian mentally and physically, thus reducing the fee to one billion." "March 3, 2014, Hao Jian asked if he could share a bed with me to discuss the deepest mysteries of life. After being refused, he became enraged and declined to pay one billion. I had to ask the Moon to beat him into a pulp before he reluctantly agreed to fulfill his commitment, which he has yet to honor." "October 6, 2015, Hao Jian inquired whether he was the world''s most handsome man; he was given the honest answer, but the principal Hao Jian disputed the accuracy of the divined secret, refusing to pay and still not accepting the outcome to this day!" The Prophet kept listing Hao Jian''s various crimes. "The total fee you owe me is 1.5 billion, pay up now!" the Prophet extended his hand toward Hao Jian. Hao Jian picked his nose, his face filled with disdain, "Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, ask yourself, am I not the handsomest man in the world?" "No!!" the Prophet was about to lose his mind. "Hmm?" Hao Jian immediately sat up straight, his eyes sharp as he stared at the Prophet, "Could it be that there''s still a Snow White Prince in this world?" The Prophet covered his face with his hand and sighed, shaking his head, "Forget it, as if I never said anything." The two of them were simply not on the same wavelength, he was speaking human language, while the other was spouting nonsense. The Prophet was about to hang up the phone since he couldn''t get the money. "Hold on, tell me one more secret for free, and I''ll pay you all the money," Hao Jian said. "What secret?" She hadn''t planned to set this precedent, but for the sake of her money, she had no choice but to go all in. "That would be to tell me what unknown secrets Ming Li''an has," Hao Jian asked, he had said he would make Rivettes and Ming Li''an pay a price, and he meant to make them pay. Although he wasn''t afraid of the two, having flies constantly buzzing around was indeed annoying, like Rivettes who kept troubling him for no reason. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And Ming Li''an was just incidental. Instantly, the Prophet also disclosed Ming Li''an''s secrets to Hao Jian. "Darn it, these guys are more badass than each other, all fancy themselves nobles, look down on us common folk, but the things they do actually challenge the ethical standards and question the very essence of humanity!" "Alright, thanks, bye bye." Hao Jian said, planning to end the video call. "Bye what? Where''s my money?" The Prophet was stunned; this guy had promised to pay back the money. "What money?" Hao Jian feigned confusion. "Didn''t you just say that if I told you a secret for free, you''d pay back all the money you owe me?" The Prophet said somewhat resentfully, realizing Hao Jian had tricked her again. "Yeah, I did say that, but I don''t owe you any money, so how can I pay you back?" With that, Hao Jian immediately hung up the call. At the other end, the Prophet froze for about two or three seconds, then stood up and smashed the computer with his keyboard. If there was anything in the world that the Prophet didn''t know, it was probably when Hao Jian would lower his shamelessness limit again! "Darling, why are you so angry today?" A seductive voice gently asked in Rivettes'' study. Rivettes grunted angrily, "It''s that damn Hao Jian. I didn''t expect the president to personally pardon him. He caused me to lose so much money, yet I can''t kill him. It makes me uncomfortable!" Rivettes slammed the table, his face grim, "Just a bit, just a tiny bit, and I would have been able to put him to death, but that kid still survived and even made me lose all face!" "Don''t be angry, what if it harms your body? I believe things will turn around. Come, let''s go to bed, I''ll give you pleasures like you''ve never experienced before." The person winked at Rivettes and started undressing, revealing... his muscular physique! Yes, muscular, because the owner of that seductive voice was a man! This was Rivettes'' little-known secret, he was GAY! No one ever knew Rivettes was GAY, and to cover up his identity, he even got married for cover. But this man, in reality, was his true partner. "Watch how I take care of you!" Rivettes stood up and also quickly stripped off his clothes, throwing himself at the man. However, the voice was not from Rivettes, but another person. At the same time, Rivettes and his "lover" both stopped, shocked at the sight of a man sitting on the windowsill. The man was still opening his mouth, imitating moaning sounds: "Ah, oh, dying looks, wave after wave!" Then, the faces of Rivettes and the other man turned dark. Chapter 463 - 463: To Enhance Your Pleasure "Giving a BJ, Yata, Dead Dog Aunt..." Hao Jian threw a flirtatious look toward Rivettes while cooing seductively. Clearly, he was mocking him. "Shut your mouth!" Rivettes, whose secret had been exposed, was extremely incensed, all his body hair stood on end, and at that moment, he wished he could slash Hao Jian into a thousand pieces. Why was this family member appearing at his window? Were all his bodyguards dead? "What''s wrong, don''t like East Ocean style? Then I''ll change." Hao Jian sat up straight and called out again, "Oh! Hiss! Fuck! COME ON BABY! Fuck ME!" This time, it was Western. "Do you really think I meant that!!!" Rivettes roared with fury. Was he talking about the sound? He wanted Hao Jian to stop this shameless mockery. "Then what do you mean? Prefer Huaxia style? That works too!" Hao Jian said earnestly, "Ah ha, lighter, harder! Ah ah ah ah.!" "Can you just shut up!" Rivettes was about to go mad. He''d seen plenty of shameless people, but never someone this shameless. What the hell was this? Rivettes felt like crying. How could he keep running into this guy everywhere, spoiling his rare fun? Rivettes felt a chill run through him. If this got out, it would undoubtedly damage his reputation. What was he to do? "Yay~ What''s the matter? I just wanted to spice things up for you, why won''t you appreciate it?" Hao Jian said, looking aggrieved, as if he had only had Rivettes'' interests at heart. "Rivettes, who is he? Do you have another man outside?" Rivettes'' little lover was not pleased to see Hao Jian. "How is that possible? You think I would fancy someone like him? Stop joking, this kind of Old Bastard is better left for you." Hao Jian disdainfully said. "Rivettes, you tell me!" Rivettes'' lover pressed him, clutching Rivettes'' arm and looking triumphantly at Hao Jian. A big man over six feet tall making such a gesture was too much for Hao Jian to take. "He is the Hao Jian I told you about!" Rivettes also frustratedly pushed his lover away. The last thing he wanted to reveal was his sexual orientation, yet the most dreaded secret was ultimately uncovered. "So it''s you!" On hearing that, Rivettes'' lover couldn''t help but glare at Hao Jian. "Hao Jian, don''t you know it''s illegal to invade someone''s private residence?" Rivettes glared at Hao Jian. "I know, but so what? You wouldn''t dare to arrest me!" Hao Jian pouted, unconcerned. "Are you that sure?" Rivettes asked with a grim expression. "Yeah, I''m sure, because if you dare arrest me, I''ll upload the video I took today to the internet. Mr. Rivettes, as a celebrity like you, I think many people would be interested in your orientation, no?" Hao Jian held a camcorder and smiled maliciously. Just moments ago, he had captured all the lovey-dovey moments between Rivettes and his little lover. Seeing the camcorder in Hao Jian''s hands, both Rivettes and his little lover were stunned. Rivettes was a corporate chairman, and his lover was an internationally renowned male model. Neither wanted their relationship exposed. But if Hao Jian uploaded the video from that camcorder to the internet, their secret maintained over many years would be blown. "You... You''re truly despicable!" Rivettes gritted his teeth, he obviously understood that Hao Jian was threatening him. "Oh, you just realized? Didn''t you experience it when you were in Huaxia?" Hao Jian sighed slightly, as though chiding Rivettes for only realizing it now. "If I had known earlier, I would never have let you come to France alive!" Rivettes said venomously. If he had been decisive enough to kill Hao Jian back in Huaxia, he probably wouldn''t have all these troubles now. "Even if you had known, you wouldn''t have been able to kill me," Hao Jian sighed. Rivettes was overestimating himself. "What exactly do you want?" Rivettes was gradually losing his patience. "What I want is quite simple, that is to let our Shu Ya Group''s brand be featured on Champs-Elys¨¦es!" Hao Jian stated. This was what he had promised Shu Ya, and it was also a milestone for a Huaxia brand! "No way!" Rivettes replied without a second thought; he could never let a Huaxia brand taint Champs-Elys¨¦es. "If that''s not possible, then there''s nothing to be done," Hao Jian said with some regret, turning to leave. "You are not leaving. Leave the camcorder, or else I''ll call the bodyguards!" Rivettes shouted at Hao Jian, looking rather anxious. How could he possibly let Hao Jian take that camcorder away? If Hao Jian really uploaded the video online, his reputation would be completely ruined. "Call your bodyguard? I''m so scared, call them then. But if you do, we''re done negotiating and I''ll have no choice but to upload this video online," Hao Jian said nonchalantly. Rivettes looked grim, hesitating and weighing his options. His fists were clenched, and he trembled all over as if stricken with a cold. Because he wasn''t confident he could overpower Hao Jian, who was an unpredictable factor, a fact Rivettes knew all too well. If he really ignored him, he feared he would be the one to suffer. Unwilling to take a gamble, Rivettes asked, "Can you make another demand? I''ll agree to anything but what you just mentioned." Hao Jian pinched his chin, and after a moment''s thought, said, "Alright then, give me 50% of the shares in your subsidiary companies." "Are you fucking dreaming?" Rivettes said with a sarcastic smile. Hao Jian was directly asking for 50% of the shares; wasn''t that virtually taking over his entire brand? With that kind of stake, Hao Jian could establish his brand in France in a matter of minutes. What right did he have to divide his fortune? It was laughable! "What, you don''t agree? Well then, see you on Twitter!" Hao Jian waved his hand dismissively and made to leave. "Wait!" Rivettes suddenly shouted, his face uglier than ever. Hao Jian was going too far. "What now?" Hao Jian turned around, smirking at Rivettes. "Even if I don''t interfere, getting a spot on the Champs-Elys¨¦es isn''t easy," Rivettes said with a dark look. "That''s no longer your concern. Just keep it straight and don''t play tricks, and we''ll find a way to get the official approval," Hao Jian stated emotionlessly. Getting rid of Rivettes, the biggest obstacle, meant everything else was trivial. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Fine, I agree!" Rivettes gritted his teeth as he spoke. He had no other choice at this point. "Give me back the DV now!" "No way, do you think I''m an idiot? You expect me to hand over the DV recorder just like that? What if you renege?" Hao Jian rolled his eyes, clearly distrusting Rivettes. "Impossible, I am Rivettes, a man of integrity. I''m not like you Huaxia people who are full of lies and so cunning," Rivettes sneered coldly. Hao Jian snorted with laughter, raising a finger, "First of all, we are not full of lies; we are just more traditional. There are things we can''t say outright, so we resort to what you might call benevolent lies, it''s just a cultural difference between us and the West," For instance, if an ugly person asked you, "Am I very ugly?" If asked by a Huaxia person, they would likely respond: "You''re not ugly, quite pretty." This is to spare people''s feelings and self-respect. But if it were a Westerner, they might say, "You really are ugly, try a different style!" It''s not that they lack social graces; that''s just how their education shapes them to speak their minds. It''s about liking or disliking something straightforwardly. To Rivettes, Huaxia''s traditions turned into a web of lies, and this irked Hao Jian. "Secondly, we are not cunning; we''re wise. Otherwise, people around the world wouldn''t call us the ''Jews of Asia.'' Everyone knows Jews are the smartest people in the world, and since we''re the ''Jews of Asia,'' our intelligence speaks for itself. You''re not cunning, so why has no one ever referred to you French as the ''Jews of Europe''?" Hao Jian said mockingly. "Finally¡­" Hao Jian''s expression changed, his teeth clenched as he glared at Rivettes with a ruffian''s sneer: "Do you not understand the relationship between us right now? You still dare to provoke me? Slap yourself!" "You want me to slap myself?" Rivettes exclaimed angrily, incredulous that someone of his standing would be asked to do such a thing. "Not going to do it, huh? Well then, nice knowing you, look forward to the headlines tomorrow!" Hao Jian turned to leave. "No, no, no, let''s talk this out," Rivettes hastily went forward to grab Hao Jian, no longer daring to put on airs, all obsequious and appeasing. Hao Jian could afford to ignore whether Shu Ya Group established themselves in France, but Rivettes couldn''t bear the thought of his private life being spread online. "Harder, I want to hear a heart-wrenching sound!" Hao Jian turned to look at Rivettes. "Slap!" Rivettes slapped his own face, instantly turning it red. "Does it hurt?" Hao Jian turned to look at Rivettes'' lover. "Huh?" The big man was dumbfounded. What did any of this have to do with him? "It seems there''s still no feeling of heartache," Hao Jian said, disappointed, and then told Rivettes, "Continue, until it really hurts." Rivettes stood there, gaping, only now realizing that the ''feeling of heartache'' Hao Jian referred to was about whether his lover would feel the pain. Chapter 464 - 464: The 464th Masochist "Slap!" Rivettes slapped himself in the face again. "Are you feeling the pain now?" Hao Jian asked Rivettes''s lover again. "Yes." Rivettes''s lover, now learning his lesson, quickly nodded. "You dare claim your heart aches without even shedding tears? You lie! Keep hitting!" Hao Jian ordered Rivettes. "Hao Jian, don''t go too far!" Rivettes, extremely aggrieved, his face turning the color of liver, cursed internally that the bastard was just toying with him. But Hao Jian just sneered, "Are you going to hit or not? If you don''t, I''m leaving." "I''ll hit!" Rivettes gritted his teeth and continued hitting his face! Half an hour later, Rivettes''s lover finally knelt before Hao Jian, weeping inconsolably, begging him to stop letting him hit himself, or else he would be disfigured! By then, Rivettes''s face was covered in scars, blood dripping down. At that moment, Rivettes had confused himself, his mind foggy, repetitively hitting his face without needing Hao Jian''s command. "Good, it seems you finally feel the pain. Alright, I''ll be magnanimous and forgive him. Tell him, tomorrow morning at seven, be on time at my hotel, or face the consequences!" Hao Jian then stood up, satisfied, and left. "Rivettes, are you alright?" Rivettes''s lover hurriedly rushed over, embracing Rivettes. It was then that Rivettes came back to his senses, and without saying anything, he burst into tears first. That''s too fucking bullying!! .... "Ah, harder, just like that, whip me fiercely!" In a club named "Misty Enchantress", an old man lay on the ground, calling out in pleasure. "Ming Li''an, you wretched dog, come kneel and lick!" At this moment, a woman, acting as the Queen and holding a whip, harshly rebuked him, followed by the whip landing on Ming Li''an''s body. This was Ming Li''an''s secret, and if Rivettes''s secret was shocking, Ming Li''an''s would disgrace the entire French government! Being the head of the Capital police, to have such a peculiar fetish was simply a disgrace to the force! That Rivettes was gay was nothing to be criticized about; after all, sexual orientation is a personal preference, and even the government has no right to interfere. But SM, that''s a fucking mental issue! Yes, Ming Li''an had a masochistic tendency. Who would have thought that this authoritarian chief, who usually ordered people around, was a masochist in private? "Slap!" "Ah!" By now, Ming Li''an''s body bore over a dozen marks from the whip. "Damn it, the bigger the forest, the more kinds of birds." Just then, a amazed voice sounded from within the scene. "Who''s there!?" Hearing this, Ming Li''an immediately jumped in fright, looking around vigilantly to locate the speaker. It was then that Hao Jian, with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, slowly emerged from behind the scenes, looking at Ming Li''an with a weird expression: "Chief Ming Li''an, what are you doing?" "Is it you?" Seeing Hao Jian appear, Ming Li''an was immediately shocked, and even more so when he saw the DV in Hao Jian''s hand. "What''s in that DV?" Ming Li''an pointed at Hao Jian''s DV and asked. Although Hao Jian didn''t understand what he was saying, from his facial expression and the direction he was pointing, it was clear he was asking about the DV. Hao Jian didn''t answer, just pointed at Ming Li''an, then pointed at the stunned waitress behind him, and shyly covered his mouth, laughing softly. Ming Li''an was dumbfounded, damn it, just answer the damn question, why the hell are you being shy? But from Hao Jian''s reaction, Ming Li''an could tell that Hao Jian had indeed filmed everything that had just happened. He walked quickly towards Hao Jian: "Give me the DV!" "Haha..." Hao Jian let out a strange laugh, and Ming Li''an rolled back like a ball. Hao Jian waved the DV in his hand: "Want to take it back, huh?" "You actually attacked a police officer, I will sue you?" Ming Li''an said in French. Hao Jian looked deeply at Ming Li''an, then sighed, and turned to leave: "Talking to you is pointless, I might as well upload it directly to the internet." "Don''t go, I understand Huaxia language!" Just then, the waitress who was engaged in passionate role-playing with Ming Li''an timidly spoke up. Although her Huaxia language wasn''t particularly standard, she at least understood it. When she heard Hao Jian say he would upload the video online, she panicked immediately. She didn''t care about Ming Li''an''s wellbeing, but she still cared about her own reputation! She had so many followers on her Twitter, if this got out, her Twitter would explode in minutes! "Alright, tell him, ''Fuck his mother!''" Hao Jian said to the waitress. The waitress was petrified on the spot. What... what kind of statement was that? Shouldn''t Hao Jian have just stated his terms directly? But that was just the kind of person Hao Jian was, embodying shamelessness and stupidity in one, transforming into the supreme jerk beyond words! "Speak up, or I''m leaving!" Hao Jian said impatiently. "No, no, no, I''ll say it, I''ll say it!" The waitress almost cried. How had she gotten involved with such a rascal? Quickly she translated Hao Jian''s words to Ming Li''an. Ming Li''an''s face instantly turned furious, and he bared his teeth at Hao Jian, cursing loudly. The waitress also accurately translated Ming Li''an''s words to Hao Jian, which naturally involved offensive references to reproductive organs and female relatives of Hao Jian''s family. Hao Jian glared and said, "Tell him that I can curse him but he can''t curse me, otherwise I''ll upload the video of him groveling just now." The waitress quickly translated this to Ming Li''an, who immediately toned down, opening his mouth several times as if to speak, then finally managed to say, "What exactly do you want?" "I want my Shu Ya Group brand to successfully enter the Champs-Elys¨¦es!" Hao Jian revealed his intention. Ming Li''an frowned, vetoing, "I can''t do that; it''s not under my control!" He was a chief of police, not a committee member there; how could he possibly intervene in that matter? "I don''t believe that. Since you''re the chief, you must know people there. As long as you speak up, they will somewhat respect you," Hao Jian disbelieved Ming Li''an''s words. Working in the Capital, it was impossible for Ming Li''an not to know the committee members there. "I can try to mediate, but I can''t guarantee success. After all, the Champs-Elys¨¦es represents the face of France; they won''t allow a stain to exist," Ming Li''an said troubled, admitting he indeed knew people there who would certainly give him face, but the weight of that face varied. "I don''t care, if you can''t handle this, I will upload the video online. And then, hahaha..." Hao Jian laughed like Stephen Chow. The waitress, seeing Hao Jian''s expression, was also stunned. This Huaxia man, he laughs so damn cheekily! Yet, she still faithfully translated to Ming Li''an, naturally omitting that spine-chilling, cheeky laugh. "You can''t do this; this is tantamount to extortion!" Ming Li''an shouted. "So what? Now that I have leverage over you, I am the boss!" Hao Jian patted his chest proudly and said, "You old fool, if you don''t obey, I can strip you of your official hat in minutes! If I didn''t do this, you''d think I was just farting in prison!" Hao Jian had said he would bankrupt Rivettes and make Ming Li''an lose his official position, so now he had come. "Fine, I will definitely solve this problem for you!" Ming Li''an had no choice but to compromise with Hao Jian. If he didn''t compromise, by tomorrow he would be headline news, and certainly, the French authorities would dismiss him over this issue. Ming Li''an didn''t want that day to come, now feeling so frustrated he was nearly crying, regretting why he had ever agreed to provoke Hao Jian on behalf of Rivettes. This guy was trouble. Once involved with him, you were doomed for sure. "Ming Li''an really is a sensible person." Hao Jian patted Ming Li''an''s shoulder gravely, showing a face that said, "I really admire you." The waitress was somewhat dizzy by now. Was this guy a demon? "When will you return the DV to me?" Ming Li''an asked Hao Jian, now only concerned about his privacy. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "That naturally has to wait until after the matter is settled." Hao Jian said with a smile, "How can I possibly return it to you before the matter is resolved? Really, what if you trick me?" "What does ''trick me'' mean?" Ming Li''an asked, confused. "It means... um, ''fuck your mom,''" Hao Jian said, nodding with a smile. "Oh... but why would you curse at me?" "Don''t worry about those details; the important thing is that we have reached an agreement, right?" "Well, okay..." Ming Li''an nodded helplessly. At this point, whatever Hao Jian said went, though he was angry about Hao Jian cursing at him, he dared not retaliate. "That''s being a good boy." "..." Chapter 465 - 465 The Power of Secrets "Hao Jian, get up already!" "What''s the big deal? It''s so early, can''t a person get some sleep?" Hao Jian grumbled, turning over in bed angrily. "Get up, will you? Didn''t you set up a meeting with Rivettes and Ming Li''an?" Shu Ya was starting to think she should be the one who''s angry. This jerk arranged to meet others at seven and here he was, still in bed at ten, probably would''ve kept them waiting like idiots if she hadn''t run into them when she went downstairs for breakfast. "Oh, I forgot." Hao Jian muttered, finally sitting up groggily, remembering that he had arranged to meet them today. "What did you arrange to meet them for?" Shu Ya asked suspiciously. What could those two possibly have to discuss with Hao Jian? "Nothing much, just had some things I wanted to talk to them about," Hao Jian replied. "Like what?" "You''ll find out in a bit." Hao Jian said with a mysterious smile, then flopped back down onto his pillow. "Hey, they''re waiting for you downstairs, how can you still be sleeping?" Shu Ya was somewhat speechless. Did this guy have any concept of time at all? "Scared of what? They''re the ones who need me now, not the other way around. Let them wait!" Hao Jian declared confidently, then lay down and continued to snore away, and soon, loud snores filled the room. Shu Ya shook her head helplessly, then turned and left. Around three in the afternoon, Hao Jian finally woke up leisurely and shuffled downstairs in his slippers. "Sorry, I got lost on the road of life, which is why I''m late," Hao Jian yawned and said. Rivettes was furious. This bastard didn''t even bother to come up with an excuse, just fobbed him off directly. But they were angry yet dared not speak out, because they were all at the mercy of Hao Jian''s hands. There sat Shu Ya, equally stunned. She didn''t understand why Rivettes suddenly became so polite to Hao Jian. "Okay, I think I made myself pretty clear yesterday. Give me what I want, and then I''ll give you what you want," Hao Jian said while lounging on the sofa, legs crossed, staring at the two in front of him. Shu Ya was shocked. Give them what they want? What did Hao Jian have that they desired? "I''ve already talked to those businessmen. They''ll fully support Shu Ya Group''s foray into the French market," Rivettes said grimly. Under Hao Jian''s threat, he had made calls to the businessmen he had warned before, asking them to fully support Shu Ya Group. Although Rivettes didn''t know what they were thinking, he was sure they were cursing him as an S-B behind his back. One moment they were to target Shu Ya Group, the next to support it. Wasn''t that crazy? S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Upon hearing this, Shu Ya was dumbfounded on the spot. Rivettes actually compromised? What had Hao Jian done to him that made Rivettes, who had been so resolute before, change his mind? Initially, Rivettes had suffered a total market loss in Huaxia due to Hao Jian, but even so, he had not compromised. So what was it that made him give in now? "And what about you?" Hao Jian asked Rivettes, a teasing smile on his face. "I too will fully support the development of Shu Ya Group!" Rivettes said, his voice laden with frustration. "Good, that''s the attitude I like!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, then turned to Ming Li''an, "Now, Rivettes has made his stance clear, don''t you think you should do something too?" Ming Li''an gave Hao Jian a resentful look, and after a long while, finally let out a helpless sigh, "I''ve already spoken to them over there. Their chairman has agreed to give you the green light." To establish a presence on Champs-Elys¨¦es, one must get approval from hundreds of members of the Champs-Elys¨¦es Committee through a voting process, only then might there be a chance of entry. Through internal maneuvers, Ming Li''an had secured this auditing opportunity for Shu Ya. At this point, Shu Ya felt dizzy, wondering if she could really smoothly enter the French market. It was like a dream! Immediately after, Hao Jian turned his head towards Shu Ya, "I''ve done all I can to help you. Whether you can qualify and succeed is up to you now." Hao Jian had done his part, now it was time for Shu Ya to prove herself. "I got it! Don''t worry," Shu Ya nodded, determination flashing across her expression. She knew that Hao Jian had given her an opportunity to enter the French market smoothly. As for securing a spot on Champs-Elys¨¦es, that would depend on how her products fared in the French market. "Alright, you can go now," Hao Jian gestured dismissively to Rivettes, his demeanor nonchalant. "Then, um... Mr. Hao Jian, since we''ve already agreed to your terms, our items¡­" Rivettes asked tentatively. "Oh, that? Don''t worry, I''ll definitely return them to you after the deal is done. I might be a bit shameless in how I do things, but I''m pretty honorable in this respect," Hao Jian assured him, patting his chest. "I''ll keep your secret until then, won''t tell a soul!" At that, Rivettes and Ming Li''an breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Hao Jian didn''t spill their secret, all was well. "I''ll just tell my students, aside from them, I won''t tell anyone." "Absolutely not!" Rivettes and Ming Li''an roared in unison, their expressions panic-stricken as they looked at Hao Jian. Telling his students meant dozens of people would learn their secret! At that moment, seeing how tense both parties were, Rivettes and Ming Li''an were utterly bemused. They couldn''t help but wonder: What''s going on, why is this guy so nervous? What could be the terrible secret that Hao Jian had come to know? "Then can I just tell my wife?" Hao Jian asked, pointing at Shu Ya beside him. "No way! You must keep it to the grave!" Rivettes shouted angrily. "Fine, stingy," Hao Jian pouted, clearly annoyed. Rivettes and his companion were nearly in tears. Was this really a matter of being stingy? Even the most generous person wouldn''t allow what you''re doing! Soon after, Rivettes and Ming Li''an took their leave. At that moment, Shu Ya approached Hao Jian and asked, "What is their secret? Is it really that serious?" "I can''t tell you, I promised them I would keep their secret safe till my last breath," Hao Jian firmly refused. Shu Ya''s brow furrowed, and then she seized Hao Jian''s ear: "I''ll give you one more chance, do you spill it or not?" "Ouch, ouch, I''ll talk, I''ll talk..." So, Hao Jian, who had just sworn to Rivettes and Ming Li''an he would keep their secret, spilled everything to Shu Ya. After hearing it, Shu Ya couldn''t help but gasp: "Oh my god, they actually..." "Shush, shush, that''s their secret, you can''t tell anyone," Hao Jian quickly signaled to Shu Ya with his eyes. "But how did you find out?" Shu Ya asked, puzzled. Since this was a secret Rivettes and the others would not reveal, how did Hao Jian come to know of it? Hao Jian sighed, a melancholic expression on his face: "Don''t you know? Every beautiful person has a ''Magic Mirror''." "..." ... The next morning, Hao Jian and the others returned to Huaxia. They had barely stepped out of the airport when two men approached them. Both men had peculiar looks. One was dressed in a long robe, fanning himself gracefully like a noble gentleman. The other was taller than nine feet, with a sturdy build like a wild bull, wearing grey hemp clothes with two large iron rings on his wrists. Standing together, the two gave off a vibe of a dashing young man and a wild beast. Due to their distinctive attire, passersby gave them odd looks. At that moment, Hao Jian rolled his eyes and said to Shu Ya and Yuan Shanshan, "You two go ahead, I have some matters to deal with." "Okay!" Shu Ya nodded and then walked out with Yuan Shanshan. Hao Jian approached Murong Chengkong and asked, somewhat baffled, "What''s the problem now?" "Ever since I got injured fighting you last time, I''ve reflected on my deficiencies and have decided to challenge you again!" Murong Chengkong humphed angrily. "Itching for another beating? Alright, let''s find a place, and I''ll loosen up your joints," Hao Jian had long wanted to deal with Murong Chengkong. This guy had actually lured away his daughter, and without teaching him a lesson, Hao Jian''s grudge would not be settled! "Hold on, the one to spar with you this time isn''t me, but my elder brother Murong Yeyun!" Murong Chengkong suddenly pointed to the burly man beside him, telling Hao Jian. The man who resembled a raging bull greeted Hao Jian with a salute: "Murong Yeyun, I hope for your guidance!" Hao Jian teasingly looked at Murong Chengkong: "Oh ho, calling for backup when you can''t beat me yourself, how shameless can you get?" At those words, Murong Chengkong''s face turned awkward as he retorted, "Enough chit-chat, he didn''t come at my request, he insisted on dueling with you to prove himself stronger than me!" "That''s right, it has nothing to do with him; I simply want to show I am stronger than he is," Murong Yeyun said expressionlessly. Murong Chengkong''s lips moved silently, muttering under his breath. "Are you cursing me?" Murong Yeyun turned and glared at Murong Chengkong. "So what if I am?" Murong Chengkong sneered. Even though Murong Yeyun was his cousin, he had never shown much respect for him. These two heirs of the Murong Family had been in competition since birth, vying to be the most outstanding talent of the family. However, sadly for them, Murong Qiushui was born, and their struggle became pointless. Murong Qiushui''s intelligence quickly established him as a key figure in the Murong Family and potentially the future successor. Nevertheless, the competition between Murong Chengkong and Murong Yeyun hadn''t ended; the two still couldn''t stand to acknowledge the other''s superiority. Chapter 466 - 466 Shameless Without Limits So, after finding out that Murong Chengkong had been so miserably dealt with by Hao Jian, Murong Yeyun immediately rushed from the Capital City to Hua City overnight, just for the damn sake of mocking Murong Chengkong a few times. As a result, Murong Chengkong flew into a rage on the spot, challenging Murong Yeyun¡ªif he really had the ability, he should go and fight Hao Jian one-on-one! Where could Murong Yeyun, with his hot temper, endure this? He directly set a date and, in front of Murong Chengkong, challenged Hao Jian, reasoning that if he could defeat Hao Jian, he would prove himself stronger than Murong Chengkong. At this moment, Hao Jian just rolled his eyes and cursed, "F***ing hell, is the Murong family treating me like their sparring partner?" Hao Jian was furious. It was bad enough with Murong Chengkong, but now Murong Yeyun also wanted to use him to prove his own strength? Goddammit, was he being looked down on by Murong Yeyun? "What do you say, dare you fight me?" Murong Yeyun cocked an eyebrow, looking at Hao Jian somewhat provocatively. "I don''t dare, I''m really rubbish," Hao Jian nodded, pretending to be scared. "Eh, Brother Hao Jian, why so angry?" At this time, Murong Chengkong approached Hao Jian with a sly smile and whispered in his ear, "Beat this guy for me, and I''ll stop meddling in your affair with my sister. I can also ensure that the Murong family won''t bother you anymore." "Huh? Isn''t he your brother?" Hao Jian looked at Murong Chengkong in shock, puzzled. You''re sabotaging your own brother, is that really okay? "Yes, but first and second will never be friends, don''t you understand that? This dude has been flaunting his status as the eldest in the family since we were kids, I''ve disliked him for a long time now. Help me take care of him and I''ll make it worth your while!" Murong Chengkong whispered secretly to Hao Jian. Hao Jian looked at Murong Chengkong with a weird expression: "You''re afraid that if I don''t fight him, he''ll laugh at you for the rest of your life, aren''t you?" "..." Murong Chengkong narrowed his eyes, slightly irritated, and turned his head away: "I''m starting to dislike you a little." Indeed, this was what Murong Chengkong was truly worried about. If Hao Jian didn''t give Murong Yeyun a good thrashing, then the only one who had been defeated by Hao Jian would be him alone. In that case, his status, which had been on par with Murong Yeyun, would probably be dwarfed by Murong Yeyun. "As if I liked you," Hao Jian retorted dissatisfiedly. "If you don''t fight me, I''ll have someone kill your woman!" And at this time, Murong Yeyun also challenged Hao Jian with a shout. "Alright, I finally understand why you hate him!" Hao Jian sighed. Murong Yeyun had successfully annoyed him. "Right? You take care of him, and then I owe you a favor, how about that?" Murong Chengkong heard Hao Jian agree and immediately rejoiced. Because Murong Chengkong knew that Murong Yeyun''s strength was actually not much different from his. If he couldn''t beat Hao Jian, Murong Yeyun definitely wouldn''t stand a chance either. "Fine!" Hao Jian agreed immediately. Even if Murong Chengkong hadn''t put it that way, he had already planned to deal with Murong Yeyun. "Don''t hurt him too badly though, or I won''t be able to explain to the old man. Just break an arm and a leg casually," Murong Chengkong told Hao Jian. "...." ... Green Willow Manor, one of the Murong family''s properties in Hua City. The Murong family was extremely wealthy, owning numerous manors like this one all over the country, too many to count. Murong Yeyun chose a manor closest to them, preparing to have a showdown with Hao Jian there. "Murong Yeyun, the 18th generation heir of Heavenly Rushing Divine Fist, known as the Divine Fist King, hopes you won''t be stingy with your guidance!" Murong Yeyun gave Hao Jian a salute as he spoke. "Wow! Never even heard of it!" Hao Jian said with a dismissive expression. "You..." Murong Yeyun was angered by Hao Jian''s attitude, and with great indignation, he huffed, "Ignorant!" "Are you f***ing fighting or not? I still need to go home and finish my dinner!" Hao Jian scratched his ear with disdain. "This is killing me!" Murong Yeyun was so furious he could barely contain himself. He abruptly unveiled a cloth bundle he was holding, revealing a golden-colored large knife. "This weapon is called the Golden-Backed Cleaver, it weighs fifty-five catties, is one meter three in length, supremely sharp, cuts through iron like mud, you''d better be careful!" Murong Yeyun laughed heartily, provocatively speaking to Hao Jian. At this moment, Hao Jian also took out a handgun from his suitcase with a serious look and made up a bunch of nonsense: "My secret weapon is known as the Desolate Soul Pistol, twenty centimeters long, weighing over eight catties, equally indestructible, with an assault as swift as the wind, you, too, should be careful!" His suitcase was crafted from special materials, undetectable even by the scanners at entry points. Thus, while traveling, Hao Jian always carried his weapons all over the place. "Fuck your eighteen turns and endless bullshit! That''s clearly a goddamn handgun!" Murong Yeyun was so infuriated by Hao Jian''s shamelessness that he nearly exploded, listening to Hao Jian spouting such nonsense made him feel his worldview had been refreshed. He had seen plenty of shameless people before, but never one quite like this. This calling a pistol a hidden weapon, and saying it so earnestly, is this because he thinks I''m uneducated? Yet, Murong Chengkong wasn''t surprised at all. At this moment, the corners of his mouth also curled into a cold smirk because he knew all too well how shameless Hao Jian was. Last time he dueled with Hao Jian, he was already defeated by Hao Jian''s shamelessness. Now it was time for Murong Yeyun to experience the same sort of pain. You think you''re better than me? I want to see how much better you can be in front of this monstrosity! "Brother Yeyun, you are mistaken. Although my Desolate Soul Pistol looks quite similar to an ordinary pistol, it''s truly not one," Hao Jian shamelessly said without the slightest blush while spouting nonsense. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Do you take me for an idiot? If this is not a pistol, then what is a pistol? Don''t think just because I''m accustomed to cold weapons, I don''t understand firearms. This is clearly a Desert Flying Eagle!" Murong Yeyun roared angrily. From a young age, he was interested in firearms and had a collection, so he could identify almost any firearm at a glance. The fact that Hao Jian was using a pistol and pretending it was a cold weapon was one thing, but treating him like an idiot? That made Murong Yeyun extremely furious! "Ah! Brother Yeyun is indeed well-informed; you can''t be fooled!" Hao Jian sighed, as if very annoyed, and slapped his thigh. He seemed angry that he couldn''t deceive Murong Yeyun. Murong Yeyun was startled for a moment, then his roar thundered like the sky tearing apart: "Are you kidding me? Are you acting like a moron?!" "Big brother, you don''t have a good temper," Hao Jian pointed at Murong Yeyun and said to Murong Chengkong with a disdainful expression. It was as if fighting with such a person was below his dignity. Murong Chengkong kept his head down and silent. What could he say? Any good-tempered person would turn neurotic when dealing with you¡ªit wasn''t others'' fault at all! "Look out for the gun!" Hao Jian immediately pulled the trigger, and the bullet shot out at high speed. Murong Yeyun and Murong Chengkong were both stunned. They never expected Hao Jian to suddenly open fire while talking¡ªit was a complete ambush. Such shamelessness! Murong Yeyun cursed loudly in his heart. But at that moment, he also knew he didn''t have the luxury to think about anything else and quickly raised his Golden-Backed Cleaver to block. "Clang!" The bullet hit Murong Yeyun''s Golden-Backed Cleaver, sending him stumbling backward multiple steps. His right foot slammed into the ground before he finally stopped. "Ah! Brother Yeyun, what martial arts!" Hao Jian held the pistol and exclaimed admiringly, as if he wasn''t the one who had just fired the shot. "Wow, shameless scoundrel, I''m going to take your dog life!" Murong Yeyun was as furious as a thunderstorm, his eyes nearly bursting. He swung the cleaver and charged at Hao Jian, intending to slay him. "Bang bang bang bang..." At this moment, Hao Jian continued shamelessly firing the pistol, with bullets one after another shooting towards Murong Yeyun. "Clang clang clang..." Murong Yeyun deflected the incoming bullets, knocking them away with his cleaver. At the same time, Murong Yeyun laughed triumphantly, "Hao Jian, do you think having a gun makes you great? For someone like me, the speed of bullets is like a turtle''s pace! I can easily block them!" "To think you can defeat me with a firearm is preposterous! You are destined to die at my hands!" Murong Yeyun swore loudly as he rushed forward swiftly. "Alas..." Hao Jian sighed somewhat helplessly as he watched Murong Yeyun getting closer. He then tossed his pistol back into the case. "Heh, giving up already? Don''t think acting pitiful will make me spare you. The moment you shamelessly brought out that pistol, you sealed your fateful death! Insulting a martial artist, death without pardon!" Murong Yeyun, seeing Hao Jian like this, thought he was admitting defeat and became increasingly arrogant. Then he saw Hao Jian bend over to pick up another weapon. Seeing this new weapon, both Murong Yeyun and Murong Chengkong couldn''t help but show shock on their faces. Hao Jian actually had this thing, too? There, Hao Jian was holding an AK47, aiming it straight at Murong Yeyun: "Brother Yeyun, be careful, I''m about to use a move!" Murong Yeyun''s eyes nearly popped out of his head, his forward motion stopping mid-air, and then he dove to the right, tumbling into a rockery. After a long while, Murong Yeyun''s frustrated and angry voice came from the rockery: "Hao Jian, fuck your mother!!!" Hao Jian frowned, somewhat displeased: "Brother Yeyun, what are you doing? Duels are common in martial arts; you can''t insult me just because you can''t beat me!" "I can''t beat you? Have you no shame? If you have the guts, put down the machine gun and let''s fight bare-handed. Then you''ll see if I can beat you!" Murong Yeyun retorted indignantly. He could block bullets, sure, but that was only pistol bullets. He wouldn''t dare attempt to block machine gun bullets, with their high firing rate and penetration power, likely turning his Golden-Backed Cleaver to scrap. Chapter 467 - 467: Are You Kidding Me? Murong Chengkong''s mouth was so agape it could have fit a chicken egg, although he had long known Hao Jian was shameless, he never imagined Hao Jian could be this utterly despicable. Handguns were one thing, but to actually bring out a goddamn machine gun. How many more weapons like this was this guy hiding? "Da da da..." "Come out, you coward," Hao Jian cursed furiously, "acting all hesitant, what kind of man are you?" So angry now, weren''t they supposed to have a fair fight one-on-one? Hiding like this, and he calls himself a master, what a spineless coward. Murong Yeyun was nearly driven mad by these words. What kind of man am I? Shouldn''t I be the one asking you that? What kind of man are you? Using a machine gun in a one-on-one situation? Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This is just freaking unbelievable! "Da da da..." Hao Jian fired several more shots and cursed loudly, "Are you coming out or not? If you don''t, I''ll just leave, alright? Calling yourself the young master of the Murong Family, you trash dog!" "Fuck it, I''m going all out with you!" Murong Yeyun could no longer contain his thunderous roar as he charged out from behind the artificial hill. "That''s the way!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, aiming his gun towards the source of the voice. Then, Hao Jian saw Murong Yeyun leap out with a boulder, the bastard using it to shield his body as he charged towards Hao Jian. "Fuck, you truly have no shame!" Seeing this, Hao Jian was shocked and then burst into a tirade of curses. Murong Chengkong, with a black line across his forehead, thought to himself: Do you even have the face to call someone else shameless? Compared to you, Murong Yeyun is downright honorable, okay? "What qualifications do you have to talk about me, get lost!" Murong Yeyun roared, hurling the massive rock at Hao Jian. "Hehehehe..." Upon hearing that, a sinister smirk suddenly appeared on Hao Jian''s lips, and he burst into a wretched laugh, as insidious as could be. Following that, Hao Jian''s palm opened up to reveal a hand grenade: "This is another one of my hidden weapons, named ''Monkey Thunder''! Just by the name, you can tell it''s powerful, right?" Hao Jian sneered, with a smirk that reeked of cunning, "There''s nothing in this world a single ''Monkey Thunder'' can''t solve. If there is, then use two!" With those words, Hao Jian pulled the pin and tossed the hand grenade at Murong Yeyun. "Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn... this is bad, this is really bad..." Murong Yeyun was scared shitless; though he was strong, he wasn''t so strong as to be able to withstand a hand grenade with his body. Murong Yeyun was frustrated, not knowing why Hao Jian''s snake-skin suitcase was filled with all these treacherous things - handguns, machine guns, hand grenades? Gosh, next thing you know, he might even bring out nuclear weapons, right? Murong Yeyun plunged straight into a nearby fish pond. "Plunk." The hand grenade landed, rolled a few times, and then came to a stop. Murong Chengkong broke out in a cold sweat, cursing loudly, "Hao Jian, I curse your fucking guts!" Then he ran away because the direction of Hao Jian''s hand grenade was right towards him. "Boom..." The artificial hill was instantly reduced to ashes. Murong Chengkong, covered in soot, got up and roared at Hao Jian, "Hao Jian, have you gone mad? Were you trying to blow me up along with him?" "Tsk, I''ve been spotted," Hao Jian annoyed, clicked his tongue in frustration. "What?" Murong Chengkong immediately blew his top. This bastard was actually planning to take him down too? "Fuck this, Hao Jian, I''m going to fight you!" Murong Chengkong said through gritted teeth. Originally, he wanted Hao Jian to teach Murong Yeyun a lesson, but now, he wanted to join forces with Murong Yeyun against him! At that moment, Murong Yeyun also leaped out of the fish pond, glaring fiercely at Hao Jian, his shaking finger pointing at him, "Shameless, you''re utterly shameless!" "Murong Yeyun, shall we join forces for now?" Murong Chengkong inquired of Murong Yeyun. "Agreed!" Murong Yeyun, who originally hated Murong Chengkong the most, changed his mind after Hao Jian appeared. Now, Hao Jian was the one he despised the most. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that at this moment, Murong Yeyun truly wanted to kill Hao Jian. From childhood to adulthood, he had never been so humiliated as he was today. If he had lost to Hao Jian in a fair fight, he would have accepted the loss. But Hao Jian had cheated to win, and that he could not accept! Immediately, Murong Chengkong stood alongside Murong Yeyun, glaring at Hao Jian, who was now turned away from them. "What''s the matter? Scared?" Murong Yeyun laughed from extreme anger, thinking Hao Jian was scared since he had turned his back on them. "Hao Jian, I can''t beat you on my own, but with the two of us together, that''s a different story!" Murong Chengkong also began to laugh heartily, vowing to teach that bastard a lesson. Hao Jian''s body kept twitching, and with his back turned, it was unclear what he was doing to Murong Chengkong and the other person. "Is this guy crying?" Murong Yeyun watched Hao Jian''s convulsions and couldn''t help but be stunned. "This..." Murong Chengkong was also unsure because, given that guy''s bizarre and unpredictable nature, no one could guarantee what he would do next. "Pfft, you said he was so capable, but look at him now, nothing but a crybaby. Is he even a man?" Murong Yeyun laughed mockingly. Just then, Hao Jian turned around, holding an already assembled mortar, aiming it at Murong Chengkong and his companion, "Come on, aren''t you two supposed to join forces against me? I''m ready for you!" The smiles on Murong Chengkong and Murong Yeyun''s faces vanished instantly, and then Murong Chengkong let out a sigh, walked up to Hao Jian, and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Brother Hao Jian, why go to such lengths? How could I do something as shameless as gang up on you? I was just kidding." Murong Yeyun also hurriedly gave a formal bow to Hao Jian, sincerely saying, "Brother Hao Jian''s martial arts are extraordinary, truly a heroic figure of this era. I am utterly convinced and concede defeat." At the sight of the mortar in Hao Jian''s hands, the two brothers deflated immediately; their thick-skinned behavior was now on par with Hao Jian''s. Hao Jian clicked his tongue in displeasure, "Ugh, and here I was, actually looking forward to it!" "Brother Hao Jian, there will be other opportunities in the future. Keep it for dealing with others. Let''s call it a day for this friendly spar," said Murong Yeyun hurriedly, afraid that Hao Jian might actually use the weapon in a moment of excitement. "Clap, clap, clap..." Just then, a burst of applause sounded, and Murong Qiushui approached, flanked by Bai Zihui and Ma Li. "Zihui, I''ve missed you!" Murong Yeyun quickly went up to greet Bai Zihui. Bai Zihui immediately frowned, then took a few steps back, warily watching Murong Yeyun, "Young Master, please show some respect!" "Ma Li, it''s been a while. Look at me, have I become even more handsome lately?" And at that moment, Murong Chengkong was posturing in front of Ma Li. "Second Master, I''m not fond of handsome men. Handsome men are often fickle," Ma Li tactfully declined. "Who''s the handsome guy? Stand up for me, c''mon, I hate handsome guys the most!" Murong Chengkong suddenly roared, apparently not hearing the rejection implied in Ma Li''s words. "..." Ma Li simply didn''t know how to respond. At this moment, Murong Qiushui was shaking her head with a wry smile. As for her two ridiculous brothers, she didn''t know what to say either. "Ah, who would have thought that the prestigious second and eldest young masters of the Murong Family would turn out to be love-struck fools, smitten with the servants!" Hao Jian laughed uproariously while clutching his belly, pointing at Murong Chengkong and Murong Yeyun. "Who''s talking? Stand up!" Murong Yeyun was furious upon hearing this, turning his head angrily. "It''s me, so what?" Hao Jian looked at Murong Yeyun arrogantly, with a "what can you do to me" expression. "Nah, just asking," Murong Yeyun replied with a face full of forced smiles, a stupid chuckle accompanying his words. Murong Qiushui and the others were dumbfounded, shocked by Murong Yeyun''s attitude. The once insufferably arrogant Murong Yeyun was now tamed by Hao Jian? At this point, Bai Zihui and Ma Li were probably the most surprised. They had not thought much of Hao Jian, believing that Murong Qiushui had overestimated him. But after seeing the attitude toward Hao Jian, they realized they were nowhere near as perceptive as Murong Qiushui. "Little sister, what are you doing here?" Murong Chengkong asked Murong Qiushui out of curiosity, wondering why she had appeared here too. "You invited my friend over, so naturally, I couldn''t pretend nothing was happening. What if you hurt him?" Murong Qiushui looked at Murong Chengkong and his companion with a mocking smile, clearly aware of the family''s orders. Although Murong Qiushui admired Hao Jian and really wanted to recruit him, she didn''t want to drag him into unnecessary disputes due to her unilateral infatuation. So, after learning that Murong Chengkong and Murong Yeyun had "invited" Hao Jian over, she immediately set out to prevent any mishap from befalling him. After all, Murong Qiushui was very aware of how fearsome her two brothers could be; hailed as rare talents of the century, she thought that even if Hao Jian was formidable, he would still be evenly matched with them. Dealing with one might not be a problem, but facing both, he could well find himself outmatched. However, the situation differed from Murong Qiushui''s expectations. Hao Jian didn''t feel pressured under the combined efforts of Murong Chengkong and Murong Yeyun¡ªhe almost thrashed them. The submissive words from Murong Chengkong and Murong Yeyun earlier were clearly overheard by the newly arrived Murong Qiushui and the others, leaving them completely astounded. They couldn''t help but wonder what had happened before their arrival that caused their brothers to be so reverent toward Hao Jian. "Look who''s talking; he''s your friend, and we''re your brothers. How could we possibly hurt him? Hehe...hehehe..." Murong Yeyun forced out a smile uglier than crying. He might want to hurt Hao Jian alright, but could he even do it? Murong Qiushui ignored Murong Yeyun and turned to Hao Jian, "On your trip to France, you really made the nation proud, huh?" At that, Hao Jian immediately furrowed his brow and asked with displeasure, "Are you investigating me?" ............ Chapter 468 - 468: A Different Kind of Borrowing the Tigers Fierceness Hao Jian really disliked it when others investigated him, regardless of whether their intentions were good or not. "It can''t really be called an investigation," Murong Qiushui hurriedly explained, "I just happen to have someone on my side in Hua City, so I know a little about your situation." Naturally, she couldn''t admit that she had someone look into Hao Jian''s affairs. It was also because of this trip to France that Murong Qiushui became even more interested in Hao Jian. She thought to herself that if it were her friend who had been caught by Night Stars, she might be able to save them, but it would definitely not be possible in a mere two days, yet Hao Jian had managed to do precisely that. What''s more, this guy had even managed to have the President of France personally issue a secret order to pardon him, which was somewhat inconceivable for Murong Qiushui. "True or false, don''t do such things in the future. I don''t like it," Hao Jian picked up his suitcase and patted it clean. Ma Li and Bai Zihui couldn''t help but frown; they really didn''t like the way Hao Jian talked to Qiushui¡ªit was as if he didn''t take Murong Qiushui seriously at all, which made them quite angry. "Okay!" However, Murong Qiushui showed no displeasure and nodded her agreement directly. "If there''s nothing in the future, don''t come looking for me again. Of course, even if there is something, don''t come looking for me. I don''t want to have anything to do with the Murong Family," Hao Jian said to Murong Qiushui. His words were directed not only at Murong Qiushui but also at Murong Chengkong and Murong Yeyun. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Brother Hao Jian speaks too harshly," Murong Chengkong said displeasedly, "we hit it off right from the beginning and our relationship is not shallow. How can we talk about breaking off ties so easily?" This guy was clearly no ordinary person; Chengkong planned to use him to teach Murong Yeyun a lesson in the future! Hao Jian responded to Murong Chengkong with a big "middle finger" before picking up his suitcase, ready to leave. "Brother Hao Jian is really humorous, ha ha...hahahaha..." Murong Chengkong laughed dryly, his face full of embarrassment. "Since it''s rare that we meet, aren''t you going to invite me for a drink? Even if we never meet again after this, you ought to give some face, right?" Murong Qiushui said with a smile that was not quite a smile, her face brimming with a smile that made it difficult to guess her thoughts. At that moment, Hao Jian also furrowed his brows, somewhat puzzled by Murong Qiushui. It was said that a woman''s heart is as deep as the ocean, and Murong Qiushui was perhaps the best example. "Better not!" Instinct told Hao Jian that he absolutely must not agree at this time; otherwise, his ties with Murong Qiushui would become a tangled mess he could not cut through or sort out. Upon hearing this, Murong Qiushui''s eyes instantly narrowed into slits, "Hao Jian, do you know how much face and emotional turmoil it costs a woman to invite a man? Do you also know how embarrassed and angry a woman is when she is rejected, especially a proud woman?" "Besides, let me tell you that women are very petty!" Murong Qiushui was undoubtedly warning Hao Jian that if he dared to refuse her, she would exact a painful price. At that moment, Murong Qiushui was indeed angry; there were plenty of people who would line up from the Pacific to the Atlantic just for a chance to invite her to dinner. Yet now that she rarely invited Hao Jian, he was being picky. Hao Jian clicked his tongue in displeasure, "Being handsome is such a hassle!" "I can join you for a meal, but the location must be my choice, and you must pay. Also, I''ll accompany you to eat but not to sleep, so don''t harbor any inappropriate thoughts about me," Hao Jian said very seriously to Murong Qiushui. Everyone present looked as if they had a black line drawn across their foreheads, finding Hao Jian''s words problematic. What status did Murong Qiushui hold? Would she want him to accompany her to sleep? Was he dreaming? Murong Qiushui''s expression stiffened slightly, but she still forcefully suppressed the anger in her heart and nodded, "Fine, I agree!" Shall we go to ''Huancui East Wind''?" Hao Jian asked for Murong Qiushui''s opinion, though it was only a token inquiry. "Huancui East Wind belongs to Kong Xiaozhen," Ma Li whispered something into Murong Qiushui''s ear. Upon hearing this, Murong Qiushui laughed rather than getting angry; was Hao Jian planning to have them take on Kong Xiaozhen? Could it be that this guy was already leaning towards the Murong Family? If they helped Hao Jian get rid of Kong Xiaozhen, then without a doubt, Hao Jian would owe them a favor. In that case, if they made any requests, wouldn''t Hao Jian have to accept them? "Alright, let''s go there!" Murong Qiushui also nodded, her mood quite pleased, not at all upset about being Hao Jian''s tool. Immediately, Murong Qiushui and Hao Jian took the lead and walked out of Green Willow Manor. "This kid, really shameless! He even has the nerve to want to be accompanied to sleep, he should take a good look at himself in the mirror. Beside my sister, it would be like the odd couple of ''Beauty and the Beast,''" Murong Yeyun grumbled discontentedly until Hao Jian had left. Bai Zihui was taken aback, then looked up and down at Murong Yeyun, who was as massive as a black bull, then looked at her own graceful self, shook her head, and sighed before walking out. "Zihui, wait for me!" Murong Yeyun quickly followed. "Tsk, scared by Hao Jian like this, only daring to speak ill of him behind his back, not very manly!" Murong Chengkong looked at Murong Yeyun with disdain as he spoke. "Second Young Master, aren''t you afraid of Hao Jian?" Ma Li pushed up her glasses, looking expressionlessly at Murong Chengkong. "Me, afraid of him? How could that be possible? Afraid of him? Tsk, that''s a joke. Well, actually, I am a little scared." "....." ..... Huancui East Wind, a high-end leisure club in Hua City, where the only patrons are influential people. The owner of this place, Hao Jian, was very familiar with it¡ªit was Kong Xiaozhen''s territory. Of course, it was precisely because he knew it belonged to Kong Xiaozhen that Hao Jian chose to dine here. Once inside, Hao Jian played it straight and handed the menu to Murong Qiushui, "The guest follows the host''s lead!" "No, the guest is most important," Murong Qiushui pushed the menu back. "How can I accept that?" Hao Jian said awkwardly, pushing it back. "There''s nothing to be embarrassed about," Murong Qiushui insisted, pushing it back again. Murong Chengkong and the others watched as Hao Jian and Murong Qiushui pushed the menu back and forth, spacing out in bewilderment. It''s just ordering¡ªwas all this politeness really necessary? As she pushed the menu back, Murong Qiushui deliberately added, "Don''t worry, I''ll pick up the tab!" "Oh come on, what are you talking about? Given your status, would I really worry about you stiffing the bill?" Hao Jian looked at Murong Qiushui reproachfully, then called the waiter over, "Waiter, we won''t need this, or this, or this¡ªeven the rest can come!" The faces of Murong Chengkong and others were filled with speechlessness, their heads hung low; they finally understood the meaning of "too pure waters are bereft of fish; a person who is too perfect inspires no affection." So this jerk was being polite just because he was worried about settling the bill! "Guest, do you really want all of these? These dishes are very expensive when added up, and with so many of you, you might not even be able to finish them all," the waiter advised kindly. This much food would be too much even for six more people. "I''m rich and capricious! What''s it to you? If I can''t finish it, I''ll just dump it. It''s not like I can''t afford to pay, so hurry up and serve it. Otherwise, we''re leaving!" Hao Jian glared at the waiter, impatiently stating. "Alright then, please wait a moment. I''ll go down and arrange it with the kitchen," the waiter said, helplessly leaving. "Hey, don''t you think you''re going a bit too far? Even if you''re not paying, isn''t this a bit too much?" Bai Zihui complained, clearly seeing Hao Jian was taking advantage of Murong Qiushui! "Exactly, wasting food is shameful, right Zihui?" Murong Yeyun said, gazing at Bai Zihui with a sappy look. At that moment, Hao Jian couldn''t help but look surprised. Then, he turned to Murong Qiushui embarrassingly, "Did I order too much? Should I have some dishes canceled?" "No need, it''s only a small amount of money," Murong Qiushui said with a bitter smile. If you really wanted to help me, why just cancel a few dishes? What difference would that make? "Then that''s great, so in that case, bring us a bottle of ''82 Lafite as well?" "...." Soon enough, the dishes were served, and Murong Yeyun and Hao Jian, starving like ghosts, started feasting. The two gobbled up like reincarnated starved ghosts, the dishes that had just been served were swiftly devoured. This scene left Murong Qiushui and the rest in a daze. "This is an insult to refinement! An absolute insult!" Murong Chengkong looked down on Hao Jian and his comrades dismissively. "Eat, eat, eat, don''t be shy everyone!" Hao Jian, with his mouth full of food, mumbled unclearly. "You know what, I''m full," Bai Zihui put down her chopsticks. Eating with these two was just too revolting; she had lost her appetite. "Zihui, you should eat more. How can you put on weight if you don''t eat? Look at how thin you are," Murong Yeyun said, feigning concern. "Right, look at how thin you are, your chest is almost flat," Hao Jian glanced at Bai Zihui''s chest and commented. "You!" Bai Zihui instantly became furious. Small chest? Was he blind? "Are you blind or something?" That''s when Murong Yeyun spoke on behalf of Bai Zihui, revealing her inner thoughts, "Haven''t you noticed how big Zihui''s chest is? Like a dairy cow, 38C man, and they''re natural, not surgically enhanced. Can you say the same?" Bai Zihui swore on the honor of her ancestors that at that moment, she truly wanted to kill someone! Chapter 469 - 469: The Tyrants Meal Hao Jian hadn''t expected Murong Yeyun to speak like that; he thought he was unique enough, but it turned out that Murong Yeyun was the real deal. Hao Jian gave Murong Yeyun a bow, seriously saying, "I admit defeat!" "Good that you admit it." Murong Yeyun snorted with arrogance, still thinking Hao Jian was actually praising him. "Murong Yeyun!" Bai Zihui was so angry that her face turned red, driven crazy by Hao Jian and Murong Yeyun. "Mm-hmm, I''m here, what''s up?" Murong Yeyun asked, feigning confusion. "What do you mean, ''what''s up''? Hasn''t anyone ever taught you not to judge people by their appearance?" Bai Zihui was fuming with barely suppressed rage. "But I was complimenting you!" protested Murong Yeyun, looking a little wronged. "I don''t want that kind of compliment!" Bai Zihui shouted angrily. A milk cow? Did Murong Yeyun actually dare to call her a milk cow? From this moment on, she began to hate that term! "Humph, a couple of vulgarians!" Murong Chengkong couldn''t help but mock them, while ingratiatingly looking at Ma Li, "Ma Li, you see I''m different from them, right?" "Hmm, you''re better at putting on airs." "..." At this point, Hao Jian looked at Murong Yeyun with obvious disgust: "Look at you, really can''t talk properly, even if her chest is really big, you can''t call her a milk cow." "Then what should I say?" Murong Yeyun asked, as if eager to learn. "Do you even need to ask? Be tactful, anything like ''Ball King,'' ''Busty Emperor'' is fine, or be artistic and make a poem: ''Barely three or five steps out of the courtyard, ***** already at the great hall''s front!''" Hao Jian mischievously suggested. "Brilliant, truly brilliant! Brother Hao Jian, you have such literary talent!" Murong Yeyun said, giving Hao Jian a thumbs up. "Thud thud..." Two flying knives shot directly towards Hao Jian and Murong Yeyun, landing on the wooden chair behind them. If it weren''t for the two dodging quickly, the knives would''ve struck right between their eyebrows. At that moment, Bai Zihui looked at both of them, her killing intent boiling over as she darkly asked, "You, are you looking to die? "Everyone shut up and eat your food!" Murong Qiushui slammed the table fiercely, unable to tolerate it any longer; these idiots were too infuriating. What kind of nonsense were they causing during a meal? Seeing Murong Qiushui get angry, Bai Zihui reluctantly sat down but continued to glare at Hao Jian and Murong Yeyun. Hao Jian also froze; this was the first time he saw Murong Qiushui lose her temper, and even he got a bit scared. "Hao Jian, you should''ve heard the principle that one should not speak while eating and be silent while sleeping, so can we eat our meal in peace and quiet?" Murong Qiushui asked gently, her demeanor changing completely. But looking at her, Hao Jian felt like there was a hidden threat behind her smile, scaring him into nodding quickly. Everyone then lowered their heads to eat in silence, after Murong Qiushui''s outburst. Murong Yeyun and the others dared not fool around anymore, and the atmosphere turned somewhat somber. But Murong Qiushui seemed not to notice and continued to dine gracefully and unhurriedly. "Ptui! What the hell is this crappy food, it tastes terrible!" Just at that moment, an untimely protest rose again. Sigh! Murong Qiushui sighed deeply in her heart, her face full of helplessness as she looked at Hao Jian; she knew this guy could never keep quiet. Hao Jian spat out a mouthful of minced meat, looking disdainfully at it as if it had done him a great wrong. "Waiter? Where is everybody? Did you all die or something?" Hao Jian cursed, complaining aloud. The dining environment was originally very quiet and chic, but his yelling immediately disturbed the mood, drawing displeased glances from many of the customers. Murong Chengkong and the others were also puzzled by Hao Jian''s behavior, wondering what he was up to. At that moment, a man dressed like a manager quickly approached, glanced at the lump of minced meat on the ground with a slight frown, then, putting on a professional smile, said to Hao Jian, "Dear customer, my surname is Zhou, and I am the manager of this restaurant. May I know what dissatisfies you? Is our food not to your liking?" "Yes indeed, your steak is crispy on the outside yet tender inside, deliciously juicy, the meat is firm, and the aftertaste lingers on the tongue ¡ª nothing short of perfection!" Hao Jian said. "Ah?" Manager Zhou was bewildered and uncertainly asked, "Could you... could you please repeat that?" He thought he must have misheard it¡ªsince Hao Jian praised it so much, where could the dissatisfaction lie? "The steak is crisp on the outside and tender inside, deliciously juicy, the meat is firm, and the aftertaste lingers on the tongue ¡ª it''s truly excellent!" Hao Jian repeated. This time, Manager Zhou was thoroughly puzzled and asked with a mix of laughter and tears, "Dear customer, if our steak is so good, why are you dissatisfied then?" "The problem is that because it''s so good, I want to eat it again. But I''m a poor guy who can''t afford such a fancy place. This time I''m only here by hanging onto a rich patron and risking being kept as a gigolo. You tell me, you make such a delicious steak that has successfully seduced me, what am I supposed to do when I can''t afford to eat it later?" Hao Jian argued confidently. Manager Zhou was first taken aback, then looked at Hao Jian with a strange expression, thinking to himself: Is this guy brain-dead? Whether you can eat here is none of my business, right? Just because of this, you''re not satisfied? So what? Am I supposed to tell the chef to make it taste worse? It wasn''t just Manager Zhou who was angry, but also Murong Qiushui! When she heard Hao Jian talk about "hanging onto the wealthy" and "being kept," she already felt the urge to flip the table. "This customer, I''m afraid I can''t handle this issue for you," Manager Zhou said in a polite tone, but his expression had already turned somewhat unsightly. In his view, Hao Jian was clearly just picking a quarrel. Even if he wanted to address the issue, there was nothing he could do. Surely he couldn''t turn around and ask the chef to make the food taste worse, right? Wouldn''t that just be making things difficult for the chef? "You can''t deal with such a simple problem? I really don''t know how you run this place," Hao Jian said with a disdainful look on his face. "If you don''t have anything else, then I''ll just..." "Who said I''m done? Don''t you know there''s another problem with this steak?" Hao Jian said impatiently. "What other problem might there be?" Manager Zhou asked, suppressing his irritation. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "There are bugs in it!" Hao Jian exclaimed. "Impossible! Our restaurant''s dishes absolutely cannot have bugs in them." Manager Zhou replied confidently. They triple-checked the dishes before serving, and hygiene had always been top-notch¡ªS-grade, in fact. In five years of operation, they had never once had a hygiene issue, so the presence of bugs was simply out of the question! Murong Chengkong and the others were also stunned. Bugs in the dishes? How come they hadn''t seen any? However, hearing Hao Jian say this, Murong Chengkong and the others had already put down their chopsticks, not daring to eat any further. "Not there? My own eyes saw it, could it be fake?" Hao Jian retorted irritably. "So, where exactly is the bug?" Manager Zhou asked skeptically, eyeing Hao Jian. Since Hao Jian claimed there were bugs, he was curious to see where they were. Hao Jian pulled out a dead cockroach from his pocket and tossed it into one of the soup bowls, declaring, "Right here!" The crowd was speechless... Could your dine-and-dash tactics be any cruder? If you were going to put a cockroach in the soup, couldn''t you have done it before calling someone over? You put a cockroach in it in front of everyone and say it was in the dish¡ªare you treating everyone as fools? Murong Qiushui and the rest were speechless, as Hao Jian was blatantly arrogant! He was clearly provoking Manager Zhou on purpose! "You see, such a big cockroach, and you say your restaurant is clean? You''ve got the nerve to run a restaurant with that condition?" Hao Jian pressed on aggressively. Manager Zhou''s face went green in an instant, "Customer, if you continue to make trouble without reason, we will have to call the police!" Manager Zhou was also very angry, as Hao Jian had dared to throw a cockroach into the soup right in front of him and then tell him the soup was contaminated. Wasn''t this deliberately trying to swindle him? "Call the police? Wow, there''s an issue with cleanliness, and you still think you''re right?" Hao Jian leaned back on the couch with his legs crossed, looking at Manager Zhou with the attitude of a thug. Furious, Manager Zhou snapped, "That bug was clearly thrown in by you!" "Oh? Do you have proof? Who saw it?" Hao Jian scoffed, acting like a complete rogue with a dismissive sneer. "We have surveillance footage!" Manager Zhou stated coldly. The restaurant was equipped with surveillance cameras, which could prove this was Hao Jian''s problem, so he had nothing to fear. "Surveillance footage?" Hao Jian, instead of being angry, smirked. "You think just that will scare me?" "Sir, maybe you should''ve investigated whose turf this is before causing trouble!" Manager Zhou''s tone started to harden too. There''s an old saying about the might of the mighty backing someone, and since Manager Zhou knew how extraordinary Kong Xiaozhen''s identity was, he naturally didn''t take Hao Jian seriously. In his view, by stirring up trouble on Kong Xiaozhen''s turf, Hao Jian was practically seeking death. "I know, it''s Kong Xiaozhen''s turf, right? If it weren''t for his place, I wouldn''t even come here!" Hao Jian said carelessly, nonchalantly cleaning his ears. "So, you''re saying you came here intentionally to cause trouble?" Manager Zhou''s eyes sharpened. These people really had come to pick a fight. "No, I simply came here to eat for free! If you''re willing to play dumb and act as if nothing happened, maybe everything would have been fine, but it seems you don''t want to play it that way, so..." Hao Jian''s expression darkened, and then he suddenly flipped the dining table. Seeing this, Murong Chengkong and Murong Yeyun hurried to protect Bai Zihui and Ma Li, fearing they might get caught up in Hao Jian''s rampage. The table immediately soared through the air and crashed down towards a group of customers not too far away. "Ah!" Consequently, the customers at that table were knocked into disarray by the flying table, which also took down the patrons seated nearby. "You!" Seeing Hao Jian''s insolence, Manager Zhou was also incensed. Hao Jian had disturbed his patrons, causing a blot on the reputation of their restaurant! Chapter 470 - 470 You Shouldnt Have Come "If you don''t give me a free meal, I''ll smash your restaurant to bits!" Hao Jian stood on the couch, laughing loudly. "Hao Jian¡­" Suddenly, Murong Qiushui spoke up, her teeth clenched as if she was about to crush them. "Huh? Hiss¡­" Hao Jian looked back, puzzled. When he saw Murong Qiushui''s face, he immediately gasped in shock. At that moment, Murong Qiushui had a bowl of vermicelli overturned on her head, and the noodles were sliding down her hair, covering her entire body. "What in the world¡­" Seeing Murong Qiushui like this, Murong Yeyun and Murong Chengkong also gasped in shock. They had been so preoccupied with taking care of Bai Zihui and Ma Li that they had completely forgotten about their own sister. "Hao Jian, are you courting death?" Murong Qiushui glared at Hao Jian, her face had turned ashen with rage, because at that moment, she was so angry she felt like her lungs were about to explode. Hao Jian had actually dragged her into this mess. She had never been so unlucky in her entire life. "Sorry, it was an accident!" Hao Jian hastily apologized, but he was also stunned. He couldn''t understand how Murong Chengkong and Murong Yeyun could prioritize women over family, neglecting their own sister to rescue two subordinates? "Hao Jian, you dare to harm my sister?" Murong Yeyun glared at him with wide eyes, full of rage. "Hao Jian, this is collateral damage! I... I strongly condemn you!" Murong Chengkong chimed in, originally intending to challenge Hao Jian to a duel, but upon reflection, realizing he was no match for him, he immediately changed his tune. "Shut your mouths!" Murong Qiushui roared with rage, her narrow phoenix eyes sweeping across Murong Yeyun and Murong Chengkong: "I''ll deal with you two later!" Hao Jian certainly deserved death, but in Murong Qiushui''s eyes, those who deserved it most were Murong Yeyun and Murong Chengkong, these two actually dared not to protect her? "Qiushui, this really isn''t our fault." Murong Yeyun said with a look of grievance on his face. "That''s enough of this farce!" At this moment, Manager Zhou returned with a group of tall and burly black-clad security guards, giving Hao Jian and the others a cold glance, and said expressionlessly, "Break the legs of all the men and throw them out!" "What about the women?" one of them asked with a smirk, his eyes roving indecently over the three women of the Murong Family. Manager Zhou understood what he meant and said with a sinister smile, "Search them to see if they''ve stolen anything from our restaurant; if not, let them go." "Alright!" The security guards surrounded Hao Jian and his crew with malicious intent. "I would strongly advise against any rash actions!" Murong Chengkong snapped open his folding fan with a flourish and waved it gently, a hint of chill appearing on his face. "I really dislike the way you''re looking at my woman, so I''m going to gouge out your eyes!" Murong Yeyun pointed at Manager Zhou and said. ¡­ "Young Master, there''s trouble," a bodyguard said nervously, knocking on Kong Xiaozhen''s door. Kong Xiaozhen frowned and asked, "What''s happened now?" "Someone''s causing a mess at Huancui East Wind. Manager Zhou and a group of security guards have been injured, and it''s even worse for Manager Zhou¡ªhis eyes have been gouged out," the bodyguard reported. Kong Xiaozhen''s eyes narrowed as he asked coldly, "Who did it?" "It was¡­ it was Hao Jian." "Hah, Hao Jian, always Hao Jian¡­" Kong Xiaozhen said with a bitter laugh mixed with anger. Hao Jian was practically his nemesis, constantly coming to trouble him. "Young Master, what do we do? They''re still at Huancui East Wind causing destruction, and many customers have been scared away." "Call Old Man Liu and Madman!" Kong Xiaozhen ordered with a cold face, aware that if he didn''t go there himself, Hao Jian would not let things lie. Everyone knew that Huancui East Wind was Kong Xiaozhen''s most important asset, and Hao Jian causing havoc there was like openly stepping on his face in front of all of Hua City. If Kong Xiaozhen didn''t take action, then everyone would think he was afraid of Hao Jian. Half an hour later, Kong Xiaozhen appeared at the entrance of Huancui East Wind, flanked by two people. One was an old man holding a large saber, with an air of a martial arts master, and the other held a pair of scissors, his face twisted with a sinister and lecherous smile. These two were experts hired by Kong Xiaozhen for a hefty sum, both with extraordinary strength. Kong Xiaozhen couldn''t afford to take Hao Jian lightly, so it was only prudential to bring some people along for protection. Previously, Hao Jian was on the defensive, so Kong Xiaozhen didn''t have to worry about these problems. But now, Hao Jian was on the offensive, and that meant he had to be cautious. As soon as Kong Xiaozhen and his entourage entered Huancui East Wind, they were stunned by the scene before them. Everything inside had been smashed to pieces, leaving a scene of complete devastation. Upon seeing this, Kong Xiaozhen''s expression instantly turned icy, and an unnamed rage surged in his heart. In front of him, Murong Yeyun, Hao Jian, and the other two were hopping around like monkeys, wreaking havoc inside the entire private club. Kong Xiaozhen had invested a lot of money in this Huancui East Wind, spending a full one hundred million on decorations alone, and now all that money had gone down the drain. "Stop!" Kong Xiaozhen suddenly roared, causing Hao Jian and the other two men to turn their heads simultaneously. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh... Countless pairs of eyes fell on Kong Xiaozhen. Manager Zhou, upon hearing Kong Xiaozhen''s voice, was also extremely agitated, bursting into tears on the spot, "Young Master? Young Master, you''re finally here... They... they blinded me, you have to stand up for me!" Kong Xiaozhen''s gaze swept across the crowd, but he did not recognize the identities of Murong Qiushui and the others, because Murong Qiushui always appeared with her face covered and had never shown her true face in public. Therefore, Kong Xiaozhen did not know that this woman, as beautiful as a celestial, was Murong Qiushui from the Murong Family! And there was no need to mention Murong Yeyun and Murong Chengkong, whose fame was overshadowed by Murong Qiushui, making it so that even though they were well-known, few knew what they looked like. Kong Xiaozhen simply regarded them as helpers brought by Hao Jian. Upon hearing Kong Xiaozhen''s words, Hao Jian also slowly turned his head, looking at Kong Xiaozhen, finding his arrival both unexpected and, at the same time, to be expected. Why is that? Because according to his thoughts, it would be better if Kong Xiaozhen did not show up at all, for he had already made Kong Xiaozhen lose face. Kong Xiaozhen showing up here would only lose more face. Had it been him, he would not have come. As for why he deemed it expected, it was because Hao Jian understood Kong Xiaozhen''s character; probably no one in the world wanted to be him more than Kong Xiaozhen did right now. Given Kong Xiaozhen''s competitive nature, he would naturally show up. "You''re here?" Hao Jian asked courteously, as if greeting Kong Xiaozhen after a long separation, and hopped down from the table at the same time. "What are you doing here?" Kong Xiaozhen watched Hao Jian with a fierce sneer, his face filled with coldness. "Oh, nothing much, just wanted to dine and dash at your place. After all, you know, given our bad blood, I thought I''d take my revenge whenever possible. Who knew this fool wouldn''t let me have a free meal? Frustrating, isn''t it?" Hao Jian said angrily, pointing at Manager Zhou. A cold light shot from Kong Xiaozhen''s eyes as he mocked, "So you''re saying, by not allowing you to dine and dash, we''re the ones at fault?" "Isn''t that so? Think about how you bullied me before. What''s wrong with me having a free meal?" Hao Jian said indignantly. Bully you? When the hell did I bully you? I''ve always been the one being bullied by you, alright? Kong Xiaozhen roared hysterically in his mind. But Kong Xiaozhen still managed to suppress his outburst and asked, "Tell me, what exactly do you want?" "Nothing much, just felt like smashing up this Huancui East Wind," Hao Jian nodded, speaking in a light and breezy manner. "What if I say I don''t agree?" Kong Xiaozhen said darkly, his face devoid of any trace of a smile. Hao Jian sighed, "You really shouldn''t have come here, actually." "Oh, why''s that?" Kong Xiaozhen was also curious. You say I shouldn''t come, and I just shouldn''t come? Who do you think you are? "You might think that by coming here you can stop me, and salvage your own reputation, but the reality is, by coming here, you''re just bringing humiliation upon yourself. Not only can you not stop me, but you''ll also be humiliated a second time, perhaps even lose your life. Why bother?" Hao Jian stated earnestly. "There might be another possibility, that I bring people to slaughter all of you!" Kong Xiaozhen rebuked coldly. "Wishful thinking is good, but that''s all it will ever be. You''re not unaware of my strength, how could you possibly kill me." Hao Jian shook his head, pitying Kong Xiaozhen''s naivet¨¦. "I admit I can''t kill you, but I can kill your friends," Kong Xiaozhen pointed at Murong Chengkong and Murong Yeyun. "Hmm?" Upon hearing these words, the two brothers became unhappy. Kong Xiaozhen was provoking them, looking down on them! Instantly, the two brothers wore angry expressions, looking at Kong Xiaozhen as if they were about to devour him. If Kong Xiaozhen knew that he had inadvertently deeply offended the Young Master and Second Young Master of the Murong Family, one of Capital City''s four illustrious families, one wonders what he would be feeling. Whether it was Murong Chengkong or Murong Yeyun, they were figures who could dispatch Kong Xiaozhen to hell with just a word. This was also why Hao Jian invited them out for dinner tonight; to pull in the tiger''s skin, to borrow a knife to kill someone. Damn it, for constantly harassing me. Might as well charge you some fee! Upon hearing this, Hao Jian knew his moment to shine had come, and looking up at Kong Xiaozhen, he said, "Kill them? Without meaning to discourage you, my two brothers might not be as strong as me, but they are still quite formidable. The idea that you two losers could kill them is just ludicrous!" .......................................... Chapter 471 - 471: Got Screwed Over? "Nonsense! If it hadn''t been for your sneaky tricks, how could I have lost to you?" Murong Yeyun said discontentedly, thinking about Hao Jian''s suitcase full of deceitful tricks, which made him utterly frustrated. Had it not been for Hao Jian pulling out all those deceptive tricks, how could he possibly have lost to Hao Jian? "You don''t accept it?" Hao Jian glanced at Murong Yeyun and said, "If you don''t accept it, shall we fight again another day?" "I... I am a greater person and do not dwell on petty matters, I will not stoop to your level!" Murong Yeyun said with an unnatural expression, not wanting a second encounter¡ªgod knows what despicable and shameless methods Hao Jian would resort to next time? "Are you done talking? Can you go die now?" Kong Xiaozhen looked at Murong Yeyun with a smirk that didn''t reach his eyes, knowing he couldn''t kill Hao Jian, but believed handling these two would be no issue. "Fuck, just die because you said so? Who do you think you are!" Murong Yeyun glared and said; he would let Hao Jian off since he couldn''t beat him and was convinced both emotionally and logically! Murong Yeyun knew that although Hao Jian used underhanded tactics, as the old saying goes: "In war, deception is key." If Hao Jian could beat him, then it was his capability! But what the hell does Kong Xiaozhen think he is? Parading around with a group of misfits in front of him? Murong Yeyun, the proud Young Master of the Murong Family, when had he ever been looked down upon like this? Seeing Murong Yeyun like this, Hao Jian couldn''t help but squint his eyes. Murong Yeyun was far from being as foolish and naive as he appeared on the surface; on the contrary, he was a very ruthless person. When he fought with him, he genuinely intended to fight to the death. And that Manager Zhou, who merely glanced at Bai Zihui, had his eyes gouged out by Murong Yeyun, which shows how violent he could be. The only reason he was submissive in front of him was probably due to the circumstances. To yield and endure is the mark of a true man! This Murong Yeyun, he''s not a simple character! From this point, Hao Jian preferred Murong Chengkong over Murong Yeyun. Although Murong Chengkong was somewhat arrogant, at least he showed his true character. "Just one of the Four Young Masters of Hua City, and you think you''re a big deal?" Murong Chengkong said coldly, fanning himself with a folded fan. Upon hearing this, Kong Xiaozhen couldn''t help but laugh drily: "I should be the one saying that to you. Your master acts all high and mighty in front of me, but what right do you, his dogs, have to act arrogant in front of me?" "Dogs?" Both Murong Chengkong and Murong Yeyun''s foreheads prominently bulged with veins, clearly enraged by Kong Xiaozhen''s words. As future heirs of the Murong Family, they were naturally arrogant and prideful. To be insulted as dogs by Kong Xiaozhen was a great disgrace, a trivial sentence in the eyes of others but a deep humiliation for them. Kong Xiaozhen looked at the two arrogantly, "Don''t say I didn''t give you a chance. Just kneel down and kowtow to apologize, and call me ''Master,'' then I''ll let you go. Otherwise, humph, though I can''t kill Hao Jian, killing you two is more than easy!" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian stuck out his tongue in a weird expression, a look begging to be punched on his face. At this moment, he was gleeful; this damn Kong Xiaozhen really knew how to push his limits. Initially, he wanted to divert trouble elsewhere, but now it seemed unnecessary! To dare have the two young lords of the Murong Family kneel before him took a special kind of audacity. "Very well, ''Master''!" Murong Chengkong sneered in fury, his handsome yet sinister face revealing deep ruthlessness. "I will crush every bone in your body and then show you who the real master is!" Murong Yeyun, like a ferocious beast, glared intensely at Kong Xiaozhen, as if ready to devour him at any moment. As soon as the two parties confronted each other, the atmosphere turned immediately tense and hostile. "Kill them!" Kong Xiaozhen commanded Old Man Liu and the Madman, then he stepped back, hiding among his bodyguards. The Madman licked his dry tongue, his eyes gleaming with lust as he looked at Qiushui and the other women, then turned back to Kong Xiaozhen and asked, "Young Master, after I kill all of them, can I have these women?" The Madman, even before serving Kong Xiaozhen, was a serial rapist and murderer involved in multiple cases, brutally harming over ten women and often escaping the police due to his exceptional skills. After being captured, Kong Xiaozhen scooped him up and made him one of his top enforcers. But even after all these years, his true nature hadn''t changed. After seeing Qiushui and the other two women, his lascivious desires flared up again, intending to assault them once more. Especially for Qiushui, her ethereal beauty that seemed not of this world made him desperate to pin her down and ravage her intensely. Seeing the Madman''s gaze, Qiushui and the other women couldn''t help but frown and show their anger. "Do as you please!" Kong Xiaozhen replied coldly, his only concern was the fate of Murong Yeyun; he had no interest in the women. "This guy is mine!" Murong Yeyun declared, thumping his chest. Upon hearing this, Murong Chengkong tapped his folding fan against his head, somewhat distressed, and said, "What should we do then? I really don''t want to bully an old man." Murong Yeyun wanted to deal with the Madman, so naturally, he had to deal with Old Man Liu. "Foolish boy, you know nothing about life or death!" Old Man Liu roared furiously, swinging his broadsword overhead to strike at Murong Chengkong. At the same time, the Madman exchanged blows with Murong Yeyun, thrusting a sharp pair of scissors directly at Murong Yeyun''s chest as Yeyun fought back barehanded. "Why aren''t you joining in?" Murong Qiushui and her group approached Hao Jian and, puzzled, looked at him. "Hey, isn''t that obvious? When have you ever seen the boss enter the battlefield to fight and kill? Didn''t you see how Kong Xiaozhen, that coward, has already hidden himself? These messy tasks are naturally for the underlings to handle," Hao Jian rolled his eyes at Murong Qiushui and her group as if mocking their obliviousness. Murong Qiushui was so shocked she couldn''t speak. Underlings? Who the hell are his underlings? When Murong Yeyun and Murong Chengkong heard this, they were both suddenly taken aback and turned their heads to glare at Hao Jian, now fully realizing they had been made pawns! "Hao Jian, you massive traitor!" Murong Yeyun cursed vehemently, filled with hatred. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hao Jian, this isn''t over between us!" Murong Chengkong then roared, his usual cleverness outwitted by Hao Jian. "What? I! Can''t! Hear! You!" Hao Jian shouted back, cupping his ear towards the two. But at that moment, Murong Yeyun and Murong Chengkong had no time to care about him, as Old Man Liu and the Madman were coming back at them; they had to focus seriously on the battle! "Hao Jian, by orchestrating our Murong Family''s clash with Kong Xiaozhen, are you planning to ally with our Murong Family?" At this, Murong Qiushui couldn''t help but ask. Though she thought it was the case, it seemed prudent to confirm. Given Hao Jian''s shameless nature, who knew if he''d renege on any commitment. "When did I manipulate you all? You saw it yourself; it was Kong Xiaozhen who provoked your brothers, causing them to retaliate. What does that have to do with me?" Hao Jian retorted, denying any involvement. As expected, Murong Qiushui''s expression darkened instantly, cursing inwardly, ''Asshole!'' Initially, Murong Qiushui thought she understood Hao Jian well, but she realized now she had underestimated him; his skin was thicker than she had imagined. "If you hadn''t brought us here to eat and deliberately started trouble to lure Kong Xiaozhen out, would we have had any conflict with him?" Bai Zihui said furiously, finding Hao Jian unbearably shameless. "Hey, you can''t just say anything. It was you who insisted on treating me out to eat. I just provided a location. Besides, I don''t believe you didn''t know this was Kong Xiaozhen''s turf to begin with. Knowing that and still coming, I thought you were at odds with Kong Xiaozhen just like me; why didn''t you tell me earlier that you weren''t?" Hao Jian said innocently. Hearing Hao Jian turning the tables, Murong Qiushui and the others felt an urge to kill. They had seen shameless people before, but never someone this shameless. Could it really be their fault, then? How were they to know that Hao Jian would be so thick-skinned, using them to deal with Kong Xiaozhen and then pretending to know nothing? By now, the battle between the Murong brothers and the two agitators was reaching its conclusion, with both opponents thoroughly subdued. Although the Madman and Old Man Liu were formidable, as core members of the Murong Family, Murong Chengkong and Murong Yeyun had been practicing martial arts from a young age and were considered martial arts prodigies. Taught by the famed Master of a Generation, their skills could naturally not be matched by the likes of Liu and the Madman. Kong Xiaozhen initially thought that Murong Yeyun and Murong Chengkong were merely Hao Jian''s lackeys, brought along to cause trouble. He hadn''t expected that the abilities of these two lackeys weren''t any inferior to Hao Jian''s, managing to incapacitate his top two enforcers. Seeing Murong Chengkong and Murong Yeyun approaching with malicious grins, Kong Xiaozhen''s face turned pale. "If you dare touch me, I will make sure your entire family dies!" Kong Xiaozhen threatened the two brothers. "Make us die, our whole family?" Murong Yeyun was so angered by Kong Xiaozhen''s words that he laughed. "Oh, Young Master Kong, I forgot to tell you something. These two individuals are not my lackeys, but the eldest and second sons of the Murong Family from Capital City," Hao Jian said, grinning evilly at Kong Xiaozhen. "The Murong Family? Which Murong Family?" Kong Xiaozhen was stunned on the spot, suddenly feeling a bad premonition, wondering if it could be the Murong Family he was thinking of... "Young Master Kong, how many Murong Families do you think there are in Capital City?" Hao Jian sneered. Chapter 472 - 472: Are You My Uncle? "Hiss..." Kong Xiaozhen instantly gasped, these two oddly dressed guys were actually the first and second sons of the Murong Family? Was he being plotted against? Suddenly, Kong Xiaozhen felt like he had been manipulated, had Hao Jian intentionally provoked a conflict between him and the two young masters from the Murong Family? In an instant, Kong Xiaozhen''s face turned fiercely ferocious, almost menacingly beast-like. Because he knew he was doomed, the humiliation was inevitable. Not only had he provoked the two Murong Yeyuns, but he had also threatened to kill their entire family? He was practically seeking death! And all of this, it was damn Hao Jian''s fault! That bastard, he had set him up from the start, causing trouble on his turf, then forcing him to appear, and subsequently intensifying the conflict between him and Murong Chengkong. At this moment, Kong Xiaozhen truly hated himself for being manipulated by Hao Jian once again. Meanwhile, Murong Yeyun stood in front of Kong Xiaozhen, looking down on him with a cold smirk, "Are you my uncle?" "This is a misunderstanding, we..." Kong Xiaozhen was trying to explain. But Murong Yeyun just smacked him across the face, hitting Kong Xiaozhen, and demanded again, "Are you my uncle?" Kong Xiaozhen''s face turned red with fury, yet he dared not retaliate, although he could be imposing in Hua City, he was no match for someone like Murong Yeyun. He couldn''t provoke any of these guys. At the end of the day, Kong Xiaozhen was just a local snake, and the Murong Family was a strong dragon. "Young Master, I didn''t know it was you, that''s why..." Kong Xiaozhen had just been slapped and was trying to speak, but was immediately interrupted by another slap from Murong Yeyun. "Slap!" The slap almost knocked Kong Xiaozhen off balance, almost making him fall to the ground. Murong Yeyun looked like a broken record, coldly staring at Kong Xiaozhen and asked, "Are you my uncle?" "..." Kong Xiaozhen was extremely frustrated, why obsess over that one phrase? Didn''t he say it wasn''t intentional? Kong Xiaozhen quickly shook his head, "I''m not your uncle!" "Slap!" However, despite the denial, Murong Yeyun still slapped him and snorted coldly, "Do I need you to tell me that?" Kong Xiaozhen was on the verge of tears, if I shouldn''t speak, why do you keep asking? "And you still wanted to kill my whole family?" Murong Yeyun, as if addicted to slapping, continued after every question he posed. By then, Murong Yeyun was also infuriated, thinking of how someone as noble as the first son of the Murong Family had been insulted by this nobody, him demanding to be called uncle and even threatening to kill his entire family, how could he endure that? "I wouldn''t dare, I wouldn''t dare..." Kong Xiaozhen said, head bowed, his face red but filled with a murderous intent. Of course, this murderous intent was not directed at Murong Yeyun, but at Hao Jian. One, because he couldn''t afford to provoke Murong Yeyun, and two, because Murong Yeyun was also being manipulated, the real culprit was Hao Jian. "Not dare? Then why did you ask me to call you uncle?" Murong Yeyun held Kong Xiaozhen and delivered several slaps in succession, reducing Kong Xiaozhen to a feeble state, standing dazed on the spot, unable to gather his senses. "Hey, don''t do that, after all, he''s one of the four famous young masters of Hua City. How can you treat him like this?" Hao Jian approached, stopping Murong Yeyun from continuing to beat Kong Xiaozhen. Murong Yeyun grunted reluctantly and stepped back two steps. Seeing this, Kong Xiaozhen was stunned, the first son of the Murong Family actually took orders from Hao Jian? Could this guy be linked with the four great families? "Four great young masters? Bah!" Murong Yeyun spat directly onto Kong Xiaozhen''s head, looking down on him with disdain. Kong Xiaozhen didn''t dare move, only allowing the spit to fall on top of his head. Kong Xiaozhen gritted his teeth in hatred, he had never been so humiliated in his life, but ever since he had met Hao Jian, he had been repeatedly insulted. This time was even worse; he was directly assaulted and spat on! If it was Hao Jian doing these things, he might be able to fight back, but since it was Murong Yeyun doing them, he was utterly powerless, feeling so stifled he almost spat blood. Hao Jian squatted down, looked at the miserable Kong Xiaozhen, and revealed a playful smile, "You see, didn''t I tell you? You would be better off not coming, coming here, someone might die, and you would lose face." S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Do you want to kill me?" Kong Xiaozhen looked up at Hao Jian, who was jovially talking, but he clearly saw the ruthlessness in Hao Jian''s eyes. "Well, how should I put it, I''m contemplating it. Thinking about whether or not to kill you." Hao Jian didn''t hide his mood; he was indeed considering whether to kill Kong Xiaozhen. Because if he didn''t, Kong Xiaozhen would keep causing trouble every few days, but if he did, he was worried about provoking the Kong Family, leading to their crazy retaliation. Upon hearing this, Kong Xiaozhen fell silent, he would not beg for mercy, as it didn''t fit his character! Even in death, he would die with dignity! "You see, being bullied isn''t a pleasant feeling, is it? You must learn to accept that there are some people in this world you just can''t provoke!" At this moment, Kong Xiaozhen''s emotions were incredibly mixed, because in the past, these were the words he used to say to others, yet he had never imagined that one day someone would say them to him. "The only reason the Kong Family still exists is that I haven''t had the time, nor have I bothered to deal with you. Maybe in your eyes, your Kong Family is something remarkable, but in mine, it''s nothing!" Hao Jian said with a wicked smile as he stood up and then looked down at Kong Xiaozhen, "This time, I won''t kill you, but if you continue to trouble me, not only will you die, but the entire Kong Family will pay the price!" "..." Kong Xiaozhen remained silent, uncertain whether he had taken Hao Jian''s words to heart. Hao Jian didn''t particularly care about Kong Xiaozhen''s indifferent attitude; after all, he had delivered his message. It was up to Kong Xiaozhen himself to decide what to do. Although he didn''t want the trouble of making enemies with the Kong Family, he also wasn''t afraid of making enemies with them. "Now, you can get lost!" Hao Jian said rudely to Kong Xiaozhen. Kong Xiaozhen stood up, preparing to help Old Man Liu and Madman leave together. "Although I let you go, I never said they could leave!" Hao Jian stopped Kong Xiaozhen''s actions with a sneer, "You think you can come trouble me and leave without paying any price?" Hearing this, Old Man Liu and Madman both couldn''t help but gasp in shock; Hao Jian intended to kill them. The moment the words fell, Murong Yeyun burst out laughing and pounced; he had been unable to restrain himself any longer. Madman had offended Bai Zihui earlier, and even if Hao Jian hadn''t permitted it, he had to kill Madman. "Young Master, save me!" The two shouted simultaneously, but just as they had finished speaking, Murong Yeyun twisted their heads off. Blood sprayed from their headless bodies. Seeing this, Qiushui and the other two women couldn''t help but turn their faces away, unable to bear the bloody scene. Murong Yeyun laughed wildly, appearing extremely brutal. Seeing Murong Yeyun''s ruthless demeanor, Hao Jian couldn''t help but frown. Kong Xiaozhen felt extremely aggrieved, but at this moment, he didn''t dare to delay any longer and, after giving Hao Jian a deep look, turned to leave. "Thanks for the hospitality, what can I say, I''m full now, so I''ll be leaving. Let''s not meet again whether there''s business or not, alright?" Hao Jian said to Qiushui and the others, planning to leave. "You think you can just use us and walk away?" Bai Zihui blocked Hao Jian''s path, visibly agitated and embarrassed. Hao Jian alone had played them all. "So what do you want me to do, ''Cow''?" Hao Jian asked with a peculiar expression. "Go to hell!" Hearing this nickname, Bai Zihui immediately became furious and kicked furiously at Hao Jian. But before she even started to lift her leg, Hao Jian flicked his finger and sent her flying. "Let him go!" Suddenly, a weary voice came through, and everyone turned to see Qiushui, who waved her hand tiredly, unwilling to dwell on this topic any longer. She knew they couldn''t stop Hao Jian, and even if they could, they couldn''t make him submit. She also knew that Hao Jian knew what she was thinking; he was doing this to get back at her. "But they dared to play us, are we just going to let it slide?" Bai Zihui was somewhat reluctant. "I said, let him go!" Qiushui''s expression shifted slightly, showing some impatience. Hearing this, Hao Jian looked at Bai Zihui with a sneering laugh, his face full of provocation. Bai Zihui, feeling infuriated, stamped her foot hard, eventually stepping aside reluctantly. At that moment, Hao Jian turned to Qiushui, "Consider this me owing you a favor; from now on, whatever request you make, as long as it''s not too excessive, I will agree." "What if I say I want you?" Qiushui boldly said, her expression aggressive as she looked at Hao Jian. Hao Jian shrugged, "Then I am powerless." "Then your promise is meaningless!" Qiushui shook her head. "Don''t say that; one day, you will realize how precious this promise is." Hao Jian smiled and said, a favor from the ''God of Death'' was invaluable, yet Hao Jian was offering it for free. Thereupon, Hao Jian waved his hand and walked out of the restaurant. "Damn it, that guy actually took advantage of us!" Bai Zihui said resentfully. Qiushui glanced at her and then looked towards the door: "What do you know, he''s doing this because he doesn''t want to take advantage of us without owing me a favor, so he''s also giving me a promise." Thereupon, Qiushui didn''t pay heed to Bai Zihui''s astonished gaze and walked out of Huancui East Wind. At that moment, Bai Zihui still appeared unconvinced, unable to comprehend why Qiushui always sided with that despicable man, who was lustful and shameless; what was there to like about him. "Um, Zihui, are you free tonight? How about we go for a drink?" At that moment, Murong Yeyun approached somewhat shyly and nudged Bai Zihui with his elbow. Chapter 473 - 473: The New Spokesperson "Fine then." Bai Zihui chuckled meaningfully as he stared at Murong Yeyun. "Really?" Murong Yeyun was overjoyed. Whenever he had invited Bai Zihui before, Bai Zihui would decline for various reasons, but Murong Yeyun hadn''t expected Bai Zihui to agree this time? "Of course, as long as you kill Hao Jian for me, I''ll agree to your request," Bai Zihui said with a cold expression. "This..." Murong Yeyun faltered, then seriously looked at Bai Zihui, "Zihui, I''ve thought it over and suddenly feel we''re not suitable. From now on, let''s just be friends, shall we?" "Get lost!!!" ... The moon rose high, casting a lone shadow at the balustrade, savoring fine wine, occasionally offering a smirk. Soon, a figure arrived, gliding through the air effortlessly, almost ethereal, poised and dignified. "You''re here?" The lone figure turned, his voice buoyant with a hint of amusement. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You called me here, what do you want?" The newcomer asked somewhat displeased. "Nothing much, just wanted to ask what you think of Hao Jian," the other revealed the true purpose of inviting him for drinks. "Genius, monster, rogue, ruffian, which description would you prefer?" The newcomer snorted coldly, obviously finding the question foolish. The other had already encountered Hao Jian today; didn''t he already know what kind of person Hao Jian was? "You''re right about all, but from my perspective, he should be considered a disaster, our disaster!" Murong Yeyun spoke openly, his earlier anxiety and frivolity gone, replaced by a calm and profound demeanor. However, this was the true face of Murong Yeyun. Murong Chengkong furrowed his brows slightly, asking displeased, "What do you mean by that?" "Nothing much, I''m just thinking that if he truly agrees to serve our sister, the Murong Family might no longer have a place for you and me." Murong Yeyun sighed deeply, still smiling, but his smile was somewhat cold. "He has already made it clear he has no intention of being anyone''s blade. What are you still worried about?" Murong Chengkong''s voice grew colder, sensing that Murong Yeyun had more to say. "Nothing is absolute. He lacks intention now, but what about later? Who can guarantee his future disinterest? Besides, heroes often fail at the hands of beauties, and being a beauty gives our sister an advantage." Murong Yeyun spoke seemingly with some apprehension. "You want to kill him?" Murong Chengkong picked up the underlying meaning in his words, worried that Hao Jian might become a threat in the future. Apparently, the relationship among the three siblings in the Murong Family wasn''t as harmonious as it seemed. This was also often mentioned in old sayings: In an emperor''s house, there is no kinship, only struggles and desires for power. "I can''t kill him?" Murong Yeyun turned to look at Murong Chengkong, finding his question somewhat ridiculous. Murong Chengkong seemed surprised that he wanted to kill Hao Jian, but what was so surprising about that? Since they considered Hao Jian a threat, he was bound to die; killed and done, nothing surprising about it. "I will kill him," Murong Yeyun said definitively. "You think killing him will stop our sister?" Murong Chengkong asked, puzzled. In his view, Murong Yeyun shouldn''t be so foolish. Suddenly, Murong Chengkong thought of something and, astounded, pointed at Murong Yeyun, "You..." Murong Yeyun looked up at the stars and placed his finger on his lips, signaling Murong Chengkong to keep silent: "Shh..." .... Since Shu Ya Group was preparing to expand into France, Shu Ya had been busy managing the operations. Taking the brand global was her mother''s dream, as well as hers, and with the precious support given by Hao Jian, she naturally couldn''t let him down. "Wife, what are you up to?" At that moment, Hao Jian popped his head in again. Shu Ya looked up at Hao Jian, "You''re here?" "Yeah, wife, why did you call me here?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. "Last time, you cost me my spokesperson, so this time I''m thinking of hiring a new one and wanted your opinion," Shu Ya said. Normally, she managed these affairs alone, but ever since she had been with Hao Jian, she had changed, always wanting to hear his opinions. Hao Jian couldn''t help but laugh and cry, "Why don''t you decide these things, I know nothing about them." "You own part of the company, so naturally, I need to ask for your opinion. Cut the nonsense, just tell me if you have any suitable candidates in mind." Shu Ya said impatiently. "Alright, but I don''t know any celebrities," Hao Jian said, at a loss for words. "Then I''ll choose one, what do you think about Su Xinya? She''s very popular recently and has significant influence domestically; why don''t we invite her?" Shu Ya asked. "Su Xinya?" Hao Jian gasped in disbelief; Shu Ya was actually considering inviting Su Xinya? "No way! Absolutely not!" Hao Jian hastily shook his head; his relationship with Su Xinya was so terrible that he didn''t want to work with her at all. Plus, the media was all over him; if they found out he was hiding in the Shu Ya Group, he could forget about living a peaceful life in the future. "Why are you so nervous? Do you know Su Xinya?" Seeing Hao Jian like this, Shu Ya couldn''t help but look at him suspiciously, "I don''t know her!" Hao Jian quickly shook his head; he wasn''t a fool. If he said he knew Su Xinya, Shu Ya would definitely ask how he knew her, leading to all sorts of problems. "Then why are you so nervous?" Shu Ya rolled her eyes, since Hao Jian didn''t know Su Xinya, why not let her use Su Xinya? "No, I just heard that what''s-her-name, Su Xinya, doesn''t have a proper way of handling things." Hao Jian blurted out, trying to prevent Su Xinya from becoming their partner. Su Xinya, oh Su Xinya, please don''t blame me, blame your fame, and every time I''m with you, something bad happens. So, for my brother''s peaceful life, I have to frame you. Upon hearing this, Shu Ya was also surprised: "Really? I''ve heard from outsiders that Su Xinya is very upright; she''s never been involved in any scandals." "No scandals? Impossible, I have a friend who works for Su Xinya; he says she has body odor and smelly feet, and if we let her endorse for us, she''d definitely stink up our company." Hao Jian said nervously. Just then, a figure walked in, and upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, also couldn''t help but freeze. "That''s her personal issue; it shouldn''t affect the advertising, right? After all, these problems won''t be exposed on camera," Shu Ya said, puzzled. "Not only that, but she''s also pretty bad. I heard she had multiperson and SM sessions with several men in one night and continued until the next morning," Hao Jian suddenly dropped the bomb. "That, really? She''s so pretty; how could she engage in such things?" Shu Ya was astounded. She had met Su Xinya before, and her first impression was that she was humble and polite, without any celebrity pretense. How could such a woman do something so outrageous? "How could she not? Don''t let her beauty fool you; she''s quite promiscuous. Not only that, but I also heard she often exploits her fans!" Seeing that Shu Ya believed him, Hao Jian eagerly added more. "Really?" Shu Ya looked at Hao Jian, half-doubtful. "Of course, it''s true! I''m your husband; would I lie to you?" "Oh, okay then, well, Miss Su Xinya, may I ask if what my husband said is true?" Shu Ya slightly tilted her head, asking the person behind her. "Miss Su Xinya?" Hao Jian was suddenly taken aback and turned around only to see Su Xinya standing behind him with a murderous look. Hao Jian was instantly dumbfounded; when had Su Xinya appeared behind him? "Mr. Hao Jian, I''d also like to know, when exactly did I engage in SM and multiperson activities?" Su Xinya glared at him fiercely, her teeth itching with hatred. Hao Jian was smearing her behind her back? Even if there had been some past grudge between her and Hao Jian, this was unlike any man, too far indeed. "This... this was just a harmless joke," Hao Jian hurriedly corrected himself, then seriously told Shu Ya, "All that just now was what I heard from others, but I don''t believe a word of it. How could a dedicated and virtuous artist like Su Xinya do such things? That rumor is utter nonsense; wife, you mustn''t believe it!" Shu Ya rolled her eyes; Hao Jian''s face could really change fast. "So I have body odor and smelly feet too?" Su Xinya looked at Hao Jian with a quasi-smile; clearly, she had heard everything. "Nonsense! Like Miss Su Xinya, a beautiful star like you, how could you have such defects? That''s obviously fake!" Hao Jian stated earnestly. "Mr. Hao Jian, it seems like you really don''t want me to collaborate with your company; could you tell me why?" Su Xinya asked Hao Jian; she hadn''t expected to find Hao Jian here and especially not as Shu Ya''s husband. She was becoming more interested in Hao Jian; she had thought he was an assassin, but he acted like an artist, yet he actually turned out to be a CEO husband? "How could it be? I just feel like my temple is too small to accommodate a deity like you. Look at your image and temperament, they are top-notch; using them for our company would be a bit of an overkill." Hao Jian complimented, inwardly extremely reluctant about Su Xinya entering their company. "Aiya, Mr. Hao Jian, you really flatter me too much; you praising me like this, I don''t even know what to say. Given that, I''m even more determined to work with your company now, so as not to let down your trust and acknowledgement," Su Xinya said, smiling wickedly; not letting me into your company? Just watch me! Chapter 474 - 474 Gu Qingcheng "No way, absolutely not!" Hao Jian hurriedly shook his head; this woman was a disaster magnet, plus wherever she went, the paparazzi would follow. Working in the same environment as her, it was hard to ensure that the paparazzi wouldn''t notice them. "What''s the problem? I think she''s quite suitable." Just then, Shu Ya interrupted Hao Jian, walked over to Su Xinya, and extended her hand, "Miss Su Xinya, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to be our spokesperson. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation." "Definitely," Su Xinya replied, also reaching out her hand and shaking hands firmly with Shu Ya. Done for! Seeing this, Hao Jian suddenly wore a gloomy face; his peaceful days were over. "Then may I ask when can we start shooting the advertisement?" Shu Ya asked, looking somewhat anxious. In fact, her brand was about to enter the French market, and naturally, she wanted it to happen as soon as possible. "Let''s just start today, since I also have time," Su Xinya said to Shu Ya. "Great, then I''ll have someone prepare immediately," Shu Ya was also overjoyed; she really liked Su Xinya''s attitude. Immediately after, Su Xinya went down to shoot the advertisement and was busy until it was dark before leaving. And the advertisement was only halfway done. To show her gratitude, Shu Ya specifically invited Su Xinya to dinner. Initially, she planned to go with Hao Jian and the others, but because Shu Ya had to rush off to deal with something midway, she let Hao Jian take Su Xinya instead. At this moment, Hao Jian and Su Xinya were standing by the roadside, staring at each other. After a long while, Hao Jian turned his head and waved dismissively at Su Xinya, "Alright, you can go home now." With that, he simply walked away. "Huh?" Su Xinya was stupefied. She never expected Hao Jian to just abandon her and leave. Thinking of how Hao Jian had left her, a big star, to walk away on her own, Su Xinya felt incredibly displeased and quickly stepped forward to block Hao Jian. "What?" Hao Jian looked down at Su Xinya from his high stance, his demeanor nonchalant. "If I remember correctly, President Shu Ya mentioned that she intended to treat me to a meal?" Su Xinya bit her lip and said, What''s the matter? What are you saying? This guy is playing dumb? "Yes, I heard that too, but didn''t you also hear her saying she was busy with work?" Hao Jian said, digging his nose with a sleazy look on his face. Seeing Hao Jian''s sloppy appearance, Su Xinya felt nauseated; how dare he pick his nose right in front of her? "I heard that, but I also heard her ask you to take me out for a meal. What do you think she would say if she knew you ditched me halfway?" Su Xinya said with a threatening smile. Hao Jian clicked his tongue impatiently, his gaze full of disdain. At this, Su Xinya was flabbergasted. What did his expression mean? She was giving him the chance to invite her to dinner, and he seemed reluctant? Hao Jian looked deeply at Su Xinya and, after a long while, finally sighed, "Sorry sis, I''m not taking the bait!" "Bait? Your mother''s bait! Who said I wanted to bait you?" Su Xinya was furious enough to stomp her feet. She just wanted Hao Jian to take her out for dinner; who wanted to do anything else with him? "Not taking your so-called bait yet insisting I treat you to dinner? Does your agency not feed you or what?" Hao Jian looked at Su Xinya with a peculiar expression. "I''m insisting because President Shu Ya promised earlier. Since it was promised, it should be honored!" Su Xinya stubbornly said, but she also felt somewhat guilty. If it were someone else, she would have just turned around and left, but somehow, she really wanted Hao Jian to treat her. Seeing Hao Jian''s discontent made Su Xinya rather happy. "Here''s money for you then, go eat by yourself." Hao Jian fished out a ten-dollar bill and a five-dollar bill from his pocket, hesitated as he looked at them both, and finally, with great reluctance, handed the ten-dollar bill to Su Xinya, "There you go, treat yourself to spicy hot pot, ten bucks! Just so you know, I wouldn''t even splurge on myself, just you." Looking at the wind-blown, crisp ten-dollar bill, Su Xinya was petrified on the spot. After a long pause, she abruptly slapped Hao Jian''s hand away, scolding, "Do you think I''m a beggar?" "Then then then, take the remaining five dollars too!" Hao Jian, irritated, handed over the five dollars as well, muttering resentfully, "Such greed!" "..." At this moment, Su Xinya truly wanted to cry. Did this guy think she was complaining about the amount? No, she indeed found it less, but was fifteen bucks much better? I mean, come on, I am a big star, a public figure. You expect me to go buy my own spicy hot pot? "What now, still not enough? Too bad, I''m out of money," Hao Jian shrugged, immediately starting to act brazen. "You, as a CEO''s husband, are out of money?" Su Xinya couldn''t believe it. "Her money is her money, what''s that to me? I don''t live off women," Hao Jian muttered discontentedly with a curl of his lip. "Don''t you have your own salary?" Su Xinya was somewhat surprised. The CEO husband only has a few bucks on him? Isn''t that embarrassing? "I do, it''s in the bank. Didn''t bring the card," Hao Jian said. "Didn''t bring it? Who goes out without their card?" "That''s because the card is with my wife. All my money is with my wife!" Hao Jian said, somewhat annoyed. This woman was really irritating, always digging for more details. Upon hearing this, Su Xinya first paused, then burst out laughing, "I didn''t expect you to be henpecked!" "Cut the crap. Eat it or not, if not, give me back my money," Hao Jian stretched his hand to grab the money from Su Xinya''s hand. Su Xinya dodged and then said with a resigned laugh, "Fine, I''ll treat you!" "No, I don''t live off women," Hao Jian sternly refused. "Really no? The place I''m taking you to has a lot of beauties," Su Xinya winked at Hao Jian, tempting him. Hao Jian grabbed Su Xinya''s hand, "Ah, what beauties or not beauties, do I look like someone who cares about that? Let''s go. I''ll treat you to dinner, consider it a celebration for our first cooperation with my company." "Hehe... hehehe..." Su Xinya''s face was full of embarrassment. This guy''s face could not be thicker. Su Xinya took Hao Jian to a place called Destiny Wellness Center, which was serene and nestled among greenery on a mountaintop. Just looking up was enough to see the birds and smell the flowers, creating a wonderful atmosphere. Guests dining here had to first take a bath and change clothes, ostensibly to wash away the worldly dust! Hao Jian and Su Xinya had both taken a bath, and at this moment they walked out of their respective rooms dressed in Hanfu. "Come on, I''ll introduce you to my friends." Su Xinya hooked her finger and smirked at Hao Jian. "Are they all celebrities?" Hao Jian asked, surprised. Since they were Su Xinya''s friends, they must all be celebrities, right? "Not only that, there are celebrities, supermodels, entrepreneurs, and so on..." At this point, Su Xinya had already pushed open the door. Immediately, Hao Jian heard a burst of women''s laughter from inside, and as Su Xinya and Hao Jian entered, the men and women inside immediately stopped chatting and looked towards them. "Hey, Xinya, who is this handsome guy with you?" a woman curiously asked at that moment. "Need you ask? Since he came with Su Xinya, naturally he''s her man," another woman said with a mischievous smile. "Xinya, you''ve kept a deep secret there. Keeping a lover in the golden house and not telling your sisters!" a particularly charming and seductive voice exclaimed. Initially, Hao Jian didn''t care much, but upon hearing that particularly enticing voice, he couldn''t help but pay attention. Hao Jian looked up to see a woman in a red dress sitting in the center of the table. She had a round face, exuding elegance, and a voluptuous figure that appeared to be in her early thirties. Every frown and smile radiated the charm and maturity typical of mature women. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She was like a ripe red apple, irresistibly tempting one to take a bite. At this moment, she was curiously sizing up Hao Jian, her eyes sparkling and lively like rippling waves, quite aggressive in a way that seemed to entrap anyone who looked at her. "Demon Gu, stop making trouble, will you? He''s not my boyfriend!" Su Xinya said somewhat shyly, feeling overwhelmed by the teasing of these female hooligans. At that moment, Demon Gu stood up, walked toward Hao Jian with a playful smile. "Go, go, go..." Demon Gu said irritably. "Handsome guy, let''s get acquainted. Gu Qingcheng!" Gu Qingcheng extended her hand to Hao Jian with a seductive smile. "Hao Jian," Hao Jian responded with a smile. Upon hearing this, Gu Qingcheng and the others couldn''t help but stiffen their expressions. "Hey, it was just a joke, why so serious? Why the insults?" At that moment, a young man finally spoke up, scolding Hao Jian. At this time, Gu Qingcheng and the others also looked at Hao Jian with displeasure. Clearly, they hadn''t expected Hao Jian to take it so seriously and publicly claim Gu Qingcheng was "so cheap." "You misunderstood, I wasn''t saying she''s cheap. I said my name is Hao Jian," Hao Jian explained with a smile. "Hao Jian? What kind of joke is that? Who would have such a name?" the man who spoke earlier scoffed, "If you think you''re too good for us, feel free to leave. Nobody''s stopping you here. Just a little joke and you insult people, really ungrateful!" Chapter 475 - 475: Subduing Demon Gu Hao Jian also let out a wry smile and touched his nose, but he chose not to explain. Because in his view, these people were not yet worthy of his explanation. "Luo Ruihe, if you don''t understand anything, then don''t spout nonsense. His name is Hao Jian, ''Hao'' from the surname Hao, and ''Jian'' as in build!" At this time, it was actually Su Xinya who stood up to speak for Hao Jian. Only then did Gu Qingcheng and the others'' expressions finally improve a bit, and with a charming smile, Gu Qingcheng said, "Your name is really interesting." "Your name isn''t bad either. Gu Qingcheng, it''s quite arrogant," Hao Jian teased, admitting that the person who named Gu Qingcheng really had literary talent. They had indeed made good use of the surname Gu to extend it into a fine line like Gu Qingcheng. "Arrogant? Don''t you think I match this name well?" Damn, this woman is trying to seduce him! Hao Jian had been seduced before, but such blatant seduction in front of so many people was something he could hardly cope with. Hao Jian instinctively backed away two steps, looking at Gu Qingcheng with some trepidation. No wonder they all called her Demon Gu; she really was a temptress! "Oh, what''s the matter? Scared? There''s nothing to be afraid of, I won''t eat you!" Gu Qingcheng continued to approach with a flirtatious smile, her lips curving into a seductive arc: "You see, Sister Gu, I simply like fresh meat!" "Demon Gu, are you looking to die? Are you planning to devour him right here and now?" Gu Qingcheng''s friends all smirked, the gang of female ruffians enjoyed teasing men the most, especially shy young men. And Luo Ruihe, seeing Gu Qingcheng like this, huffed with some annoyance. The reason was simple, because Luo Ruihe had some feelings for Gu Qingcheng, but that was just him; Gu Qingcheng had no feelings for him at all. He dreamed of being teased by Gu Qingcheng like that, but she had never done so. That was already frustrating enough but now she was seducing another man right in front of him; how could Luo Ruihe stand it? "If you end up eating him, Su Xinya might cry herself to death when she goes home tonight," one person teased. Su Xinya waved her hands continuously: "Don''t talk nonsense, he and I are just friends. If Demon Gu wants to eat him, she can just go ahead!" S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hey there, handsome boy, your little girlfriend just said she''ll let me have you, how about it?" Gu Qingcheng rested a hand on Hao Jian''s shoulder and looked at him with a half-smile. "Oh, whatever," said Hao Jian, feeling somewhat lightheaded, as the womanly fragrance emanating from Gu Qingcheng muddled his senses. Undoubtedly, Gu Qingcheng was a very beautiful woman; her beauty was not just in her appearance but in her mature aura! "Whatever, hahaha, he actually said whatever¡ªtoo amusing. Demon Gu, you scared the poor handsome boy!" "Handsome boy, your dumbfounded look is really cute!" The women were amused by Hao Jian''s goofy appearance, each of them teasing him in turn. Hao Jian scratched his head embarrassingly. He was starting to regret coming here with Su Xinya to meet her friends. This was hardly a group of women, but rather a pack of female hooligans, really. Hao Jian was shocked and hadn''t expected Gu Qingcheng to be so brazen as to take advantage of him, and in front of everyone at that. Hao Jian wanted to dodge, but it was already too late. Gu Qingcheng had wanted to see Hao Jian''s embarrassed expression, but very soon, she couldn''t laugh anymore. Damn it, what is this! Gu Qingcheng had intended to tease Hao Jian, but she hadn''t expected to be implicitly teased by Hao Jian instead. "Demon Gu, how about that?" The ruffian women, seeing this, all looked devilishly gleeful. "..." Gu Qingcheng was too surprised to speak. "Like it?" Suddenly, a voice full of magnetism came out. Gu Qingcheng looked up in astonishment only to see Hao Jian''s cheek wearing a mischievous smile, his bright eyes staring at her intently, filled with a frightening light. At that moment, Gu Qingcheng was even more stunned. Wasn''t this guy just shy a moment ago? How could he have changed so completely in the blink of an eye? Under Hao Jian''s gaze, Gu Qingcheng actually became somewhat timid and lowered her head. At this moment, Gu Qingcheng''s face was filled with astonishment, contemplating how she, who was well-versed in human affairs, could be intimidated by this young man. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Gu Qingcheng raised her head, intending to glare back. She couldn''t lose to Hao Jian; otherwise, her lifelong reputation as Demon Gu would be ruined, wouldn''t it? However, just when Gu Qingcheng was about to glare at Hao Jian, she suddenly felt her waist tighten, and a pair of warm and strong arms enveloped her. "You..." Gu Qingcheng stared at Hao Jian in shock. Did this young man just dare to take liberties with her? "What''s wrong? Sister, didn''t you just say you wanted to ''eat'' me? Come on then," Hao Jian said as he brought Gu Qingcheng closer to himself, his expression teasing. Su Xinya''s friends were all stunned as well. Was Hao Jian striking back? Only Su Xinya wasn''t surprised because she knew that if Gu Qingcheng went to tease Hao Jian, she would not end up well. This guy was not to be trifled with. At this moment, Luo Ruihe''s expression was grim. If Gu Qingcheng teasing Hao Jian was something he could tolerate, Hao Jian turning around to tease Gu Qingcheng was not. No exaggeration, he really felt like killing Hao Jian right now. "You... let go of me!" Gu Qingcheng said somewhat frantically. She knew that if this continued, she would probably fall victim to this man''s aggressive onslaught. "What''s wrong, Sister Gu? I''m only following your wish," Hao Jian retorted, not willing to let go and still holding Gu Qingcheng tightly. At these words, Gu Qingcheng suddenly cried out, "No, absolutely not!" "What''s not? Demon Gu, what did he say to you?" The other women, seeing Gu Qingcheng''s panicked look, were also shocked. Everything was fine just now; why did Gu Qingcheng suddenly act as though she had seen a ghost? "Nothing, it''s nothing," Gu Qingcheng said with an embarrassed expression, not having expected Hao Jian to be so bold as to make such an excessive request. Initially, Gu Qingcheng thought Hao Jian was a shy young man, but now she realized that he was even dirtier than her! When a woman flirts with a man, most people will just laugh it off, and it was for this reason Gu Qingcheng dared to flirt with Hao Jian. But when a man flirts with a woman, that''s truly lewd! Just now, Hao Jian had indeed been truly lewd. "Look at you, you''re not as wanton as you pretend to be," Hao Jian continued to whisper in Gu Qingcheng''s ear, his demeanor akin to intimately caressing and sweet-talking her. He had seen others more promiscuous than Gu Qingcheng, so there was no way she could intimidate him. Although initially taken aback by Gu Qingcheng''s boldness and initiative, he quickly regained his composure. "You¡­ let go of me, I''m not playing with you anymore," Gu Qingcheng said anxiously, trying to pry Hao Jian''s hands away, but she found his arms were as solid as steel, impossibly hard and unbending no matter how much she struggled. "You tease me and think you can just run away? Do you think I''m that easy to bully?" Hao Jian said with a smirk. "I have to properly savor your charm!" Su Xinya''s friends were all dumbfounded. The current Hao Jian was like a completely different person¡ªjust a moment ago he seemed so refined, and now, in the blink of an eye, he had turned into a rogue. "Bastard, let go of Gu Qingcheng!" At that moment, Luo Ruihe slammed the table and stood up furiously, glaring at Hao Jian. Seeing his Goddess being held so closely by a strange man, Luo Ruihe was about to explode with rage. Plus, this damned guy was even pushing his luck further. Luo Ruihe really felt murderous! At that moment, Hao Jian also raised an eyebrow slightly and released Gu Qingcheng. Gu Qingcheng, seeing that Hao Jian had finally decided to let her go, couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief; the ordeal had truly been torturous. "It was just a game, do you have to be so stingy?" Hao Jian said to Luo Ruihe, mimicking his tone and laughing without a shred of shame. "You¡­" Luo Ruihe glared with wide eyes, gritting his teeth in rage, clearly angered by Hao Jian''s brazen attitude. "Luo Ruihe, can you not spoil the mood, please? It''s rare that I get a chance to see Demon Gu getting put in her place¡ªdon''t meddle!" At that time, a woman scolded Luo Ruihe unhappily. "Exactly, Demon Gu, you must be thrilled, right? Now that you''ve met Sun Wukong, let''s see how much of a splash you can still make!" Chapter 476 - 476: Confrontation at the Dinner Table "Who would''ve thought, Demon Gu, that you''d see this day, too? Come on, spill it, what did that handsome guy say to you just now that has you so tense?" Gu Qingcheng''s gal pals, all looking mischievously at her, these fujoshi were all eager to know what exactly had happened just now. Seeing this, Gu Qingcheng was quite relaxed and immediately returned to normal, saying, "He just told me he''s packing twenty centimeters, asked if I wanted a taste first. I figured my 0.5 mm mechanical pencil couldn''t possibly fit a 0.7 mm lead, so I''m hoping you sisters can help me out here." Hearing this, Hao Jian was also speechless. This woman sure had a unique way of describing things! "Oh my god, Demon Gu, you must be bragging, right?" "Exactly, he looks so skinny and tall, gentle and refined, how could he possibly have twenty centimeters?" Those women clearly didn''t believe it, twenty centimeters, that was just too exaggerated. "Twenty centimeters, him?" Luo Ruihe also joined in the mocking, his face turning a bit uglier. As a man, it was inevitable to compare certain things where the "size" mattered a lot! Upon hearing Hao Jian had twenty centimeters, Luo Ruihe became a bit unhappy. "Bragging? Can''t you see for yourself?" Gu Qingcheng simply walked aside. "Hiss..." Gu Qingcheng''s girlfriends all simultaneously gasped in shock, staring at Hao Jian in utter amazement. Gu Qingcheng looked at Su Xinya with some grievances, "I thought you brought a little boy over, but it turns out to be a bona fide hooligan, that jerk, he''s been pressing against me with ''it'' ever since just now." "What?" Luo Ruihe, after hearing Gu Qingcheng''s explicit description, suddenly became filled with rage, nervously saying to Gu Qingcheng, "He dared to molest you just now? Let''s call the police and catch him!" Gu Qingcheng rolled her eyes with some speechlessness, looking at Luo Ruihe, "Call the police for what? It''s just a harmless joke, and... I kind of enjoyed it!" "...." Luo Ruihe felt like crying. Couldn''t you consider my feelings before you speak? At this time, Gu Qingcheng''s girlfriends had already surrounded Hao Jian, looking at him as if he were a rare and strange creature. Not just looking at him, but also tsk-tsking in astonishment. "This is odd, I thought all Huaxia people were ''short but doughty.'' Turns out there are indeed such terrifying specimens among Huaxia people." said a Western woman who had lived in Huaxia for several years. Hao Jian''s size was longer than any man she had enjoyed before. "Hao Jian, what exactly did you eat growing up? I''ll have my husband take some supplements too!" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian proudly curled his lip: "Born special, can''t be supplemented!" "Handsome, why don''t you come home with me?" At this moment, a young wife winked and teased Hao Jian. A bunch of women laughed together again, in high spirits. And Luo Ruihe looked at Hao Jian with deep hatred, grinding his teeth as if he wished he could devour Hao Jian. "All that showing off, does having a long one necessarily mean it''s good? Maybe it''s limp!" Next to Luo Ruihe, a man wearing glasses grumbled discontentedly. Originally, this gathering was initiated by him, and in theory, he should be the host, yet Hao Jian had totally stolen the spotlight. And on top of that, Hao Jian had used his "asset" to hook all the ladies, something the other guys couldn''t tolerate. "Sour grapes, having a long one is indeed good, and it pees further than you could shoot!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, not taking the bespectacled man seriously at all. "Oh, you''re so bad!" With that remark from Hao Jian, the women were once again amused to laughter. "Bad boys are what girls love, right? So who''s taking me home tonight?" Hao Jian smiled, looking towards the women. "Me! Me! Me!" A group of women all raised their hands, smitten by Hao Jian''s witty humor and "asset." But Luo Ruihe and the bespectacled man, pretending to be unfazed, had faces as dark as water, full of dissatisfaction. Luo Ruihe pondered for a moment, and then sneered, saying to the bespectacled man, "Zichen, there''s no need to be so angry, there''ll be plenty of ways to make that guy look foolish in a bit." The bespectacled man, Wang Zichen, looked at Luo Ruihe with a mix of surprise and suspicion. "You have a way?" Luo Ruihe gave a bizarre smile and then leaned over to whisper a few words in his ear. After that, Wang Zichen also began to smirk maliciously. "Alright, alright, alright, if you want to take me home, that''s fine, but you gotta feed me first, right? Otherwise, how would I have the strength?" Hao Jian said with a sly grin. "Okay, let''s eat first! Waiter, bring up two pots of soup!" "Two pots? Not enough¡ªlet''s have five!" Hao Jian was dumbfounded, these women were really giving him a hard time. After that, Hao Jian took his seat. At this moment, Gu Qingcheng didn''t dare to continue teasing him, afraid he might play a trick on her in retaliation. Meanwhile, Su Xinya wore a smile that wasn''t quite a smile, evidently pondering something. "This gentleman here, you''re Hao Jian, right?" At this point, Wang Zichen spoke up politely, a smile on his face. But even though he appeared to be smiling, his eyes carried a hint of mockery and malice. Clearly, encouraged by Luo Ruihe, Wang Zichen was preparing to make things difficult for Hao Jian. "Yes, hello," Hao Jian responded, reaching out his hand to Wang Zichen. But Wang Zichen glanced at Hao Jian indifferently and did not reach out his own hand: "You see, I''m quite proud, so I generally only shake hands with those of equal social and status. For those whose societal status is beneath me, I give them a hundred bucks¡ªlike I would to a beggar!" Then, Wang Zichen took a hundred yuan from his wallet and placed it in Hao Jian''s hand. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What do you mean by this, Wang Zichen?" Seeing this, Su Xinya instantly became furious, as Hao Jian was her guest and thus her friend¡ªinsulting Hao Jian was akin to insulting her, wasn''t it? And if Hao Jian suffered humiliation because of her, how could Wang Zichen behave as if nothing had happened? "No harm intended, just wanted to let him know that there are some places he can''t go, and some people he cannot associate with," said Wang Zichen with an expressionless face, his demeanor growing more arrogant: "If he wants to prove he''s qualified to blend into our circle, then he should reveal his identity to us, so we can determine whether he''s worthy. He might be an interesting guy, but even the most interesting person could become boring over time. I suppose none of you would like a pauper coming to borrow money from you every other day, right?" With those words, Wang Zichen stopped speaking. They didn''t look down on Hao Jian because many of them had started with nothing and had become millionaires or multimillionaires; they had been poor once too. In their view, if Hao Jian couldn''t clear his own name, it meant he indeed wasn''t fit to be one of them. Now, they were curious to see how Hao Jian would counter Wang Zichen. "You''re really tying yourself into knots!" Su Xinya huffed, sitting back down without saying another word, her expression a bit odd as she looked at Wang Zichen as if he were an idiot. Provoking Hao Jian would turn out to be the biggest mistake of Wang Zichen''s life. Obviously, Su Xinya had decided to wash her hands of the matter because she knew Hao Jian didn''t need her meddling; he could make Wang Zichen learn what regret meant all by himself. "May I ask Mr. Hao Jian, where do you work?" Luo Ruihe chimed in, very much in sync with the earlier provocation. "Chinese Medicine Hospital, just a regular people''s teacher," Hao Jian replied with a smile. "Oh, a teacher is good, educating students, bearing fruitful influence, must be making about seventy or eighty thousand a month, right?" Luo Ruihe''s face then revealed a hint of contempt as he deliberately ridiculed him. Teachers earning seventy or eighty thousand were not common; the typical wage was just a few thousand yuan. How could Luo Ruihe, who had so many years of experience in society, not know this? He was blatantly insulting Hao Jian. Forget about a teacher''s salary not being that high¡ªeven if it was, it wouldn''t impress them because even their lowest earners made hundreds of thousands a month with ease. Upon hearing Hao Jian''s response, some of Gu Qingcheng''s friends showed changes in their expressions. Obviously, not everyone was indifferent to the issue of status; they had assumed that since Hao Jian was brought by Su Xinya, he must be of significant standing, yet it turned out he was just a teacher. On the contrary, Gu Qingcheng looked calm throughout, her bright eyes curiously examining Hao Jian as if she was intrigued to see how he would respond. "No, a teacher''s salary is just five or six thousand a month," Hao Jian replied, naturally. Of course, the base salary for a teacher was merely five or six thousand, the rest of his compensation came from additional sources. A single class worth five hundred thousand! "A person earning a few thousand in dead salary has the nerve to show up here? Do you know how much it costs to drink tea here once? Ten thousand per person; that''s two months of your salary!" Wang Zichen said quite rudely. "Hey, Wang Zichen, how can you talk like that? After all, Hao Jian is also a friend of Xinya''s, and it''s just this one time¡ªthere won''t be another chance, so hold back a bit, will you? Come on, Teacher Hao Jian, I''ll drink to you; help yourself to a couple more glasses. This tea isn''t cheap, and you won''t get many more chances to enjoy it," Luo Ruihe intervened, playing the good guy but his words were full of veiled spikes, each one aimed at making Hao Jian look bad, humiliating him for being penniless. Chapter 477 - 477: The Bet Hao Jian snorted coldly inside. How could he not know that Luo Ruihe was indirectly insulting him? With a smile that hid a knife, this Luo Ruihe was even more hateful than Wang Zichen. Yet, Hao Jian did not lose his temper. Instead, he picked up the teacup and sniffed it delicately, then genuinely sighed, "Mmm, good tea." "Psh, you speak as if you understand tea!" Wang Zichen said with disdain. In his view, Hao Jian, just a penniless teacher, was merely putting on airs. How could he understand something so refined from their high society? "What? Does Teacher Hao Jian also understand tea?" Luo Ruihe looked at Hao Jian with a mocking smile, curious to see if Hao Jian truly knew his tea. If he did not know, then Luo had plenty of ways to make Hao Jian lose face. "A little, a little..." Hao Jian waved his hand, feigning modesty. This only increased the scorn in Luo Ruihe and Wang Zichen''s hearts. As expected, this guy knew nothing at all, and now that he could not pretend any longer, he resorted to saying ''a little, a little.'' But Luo Ruihe was not about to let him off the hook so easily, smiling, "Since that''s the case, would you mind enlightening us? It would certainly be a chance for us to broaden our horizons, wouldn''t it?" "Exactly, didn''t you say you know tea? What tea are you drinking right now? If you can tell us, I will cover all your expenses today. But if you can''t, you''ll bark like a dog right here three times, then get out!" Wang Zichen watched Hao Jian with a cold smile. Mimicking a dog bark was undoubtedly the ultimate insult for anyone. With such a statement, Wang Zichen clearly intended to crush Hao Jian completely. Hao Jian also saw the meanness and disgust on Wang Zichen''s face, but he did not get angry. Instead, he responded with a gentle smile, "There''s no need to cover the expenses. Although my salary isn''t high each month, I can still afford this little amount. However, if I can''t discern the tea, then I will mimic a dog. But if I can, how about you mimic a dog, how about that?" At his words, Gu Qingcheng immediately burst into a cold laugh, knowing that Hao Jian was about to make things difficult for Wang Zichen and Luo Ruihe. "You can tell? Hah, acting like a hunter with a dead mouse in your pocket, I really want to see what you''re capable of!" Wang Zichen sneered, "If you can tell which tea this is, not only will I bark like a dog, but I''ll eat shit right here and now!" "With that statement, I''m relieved," Hao Jian said with a smile, then sighed and tapped the teacup in front of him, "The leaves are tightly curled, the color is a lush green-brown, after brewing it turns a bright orange-yellow, and it has a rich fragrance with a hint of orchid. Is this not Wu Mountain Supreme Dahongpao Tea?" At his words, Luo Ruihe and Wang Zichen were both shocked because what Hao Jian had said was correct; they were indeed serving Wu Mountain Supreme Dahongpao Tea. At that moment, Su Xinya and the others looked at Hao Jian with a new respect; although he was a teacher, he was no ordinary one. Then, the expressions on Luo Ruihe and Wang Zichen''s faces turned quite unpleasant. They had planned to embarrass Hao Jian, but unexpectedly, he actually knew about tea and even correctly identified it. This not only did not embarrass Hao Jian but instead allowed him to show off, which somewhat upset them. Among them, Wang Zichen was the angriest, because he had a bet with Hao Jian. If Hao Jian identified the tea, not only would he have to bark like a dog, but he would also have to eat shit! "Did I perhaps get it wrong, Mr. Wang Zichen?" Hao Jian looked at Wang Zichen with a mocking smile, his words dripping with sarcasm. At this point, Gu Qingcheng let out a soft sneer, reveling in disaster from the sidelines, thinking anyone daring to provoke this guy must be a fool, utterly pitiable! Wang Zichen clenched his teeth, his expression changing constantly. Even if he wanted to deny it, he could not, because there were people here who understood tea, like Su Xinya, who was better versed in tea art than he was. Even if these people didn''t stand up to reveal him, all Hao Jian had to do was call over a waiter, glance at the bill, and know what tea it was. "Seeing you''re not talking, I take it as an acceptance? Since that''s the case, shouldn''t you fulfill your promise now? Barking and eating shit¡ªwhat a perfect match!" Hao Jian laughed. "Don''t be too excessive!" Wang Zichen glared at Hao Jian through gritted teeth. He had spoken off the cuff, never seriously considering the possibility. But who knew Hao Jian, this unsophisticated fellow, actually knew a bit about tea, making him want to curse bloody hell, as it seemed this guy was intentionally setting a trap for him! "Excessive? I think that would be more fitting for you, after all. I have no grudges against you, yet you meet me with a cold stare and rude words, you insult me and even demand that I bark like a dog¡ªwho''s truly being excessive here?" Hao Jian scoffed contemptuously, "Of course, you can choose to renege. After all, it''s your face, not mine, and there''s not much I can do about it. Wang Zichen was seething with anger yet stood motionless. What could he do? Actually eat shit in public? If so, he could forget about ever making his mark in the elite circles of Hua City. "Teacher Hao Jian, Wang Zichen was just joking with you. Why take it so seriously? We are all here to have fun; he jokes with you, and you make a big deal out of it¡ªisn''t that a bit petty? With such a small spirit, and still a people''s teacher?" At that moment, Luo Ruihe stepped forward to speak for Wang Zichen, standing as if on the moral high ground, constantly criticizing Hao Jian for his lack of spirit. It was as if Wang Zichen had only made a harmless joke. At that moment, Luo Ruihe sneered inwardly. If Su Xinya knew that Hao Jian was such a petty man, she''d definitely not fancy him. And that was exactly Luo Ruihe''s intention, to make everyone believe that Hao Jian was petty and making a big deal out of nothing so that nobody would welcome him, naturally forcing him out of there. Luo Ruihe was also very cunning. He knew that if he played his cards right from the beginning, he could influence others'' opinions to some extent, making them likely to agree with him. Another issue was the depth of their relationships. They had been playing together for at least half a year, and their relationships were quite good. This indirectly meant that during a dispute with Hao Jian, over eighty percent probably would side with them. After all, they had been together for so long, but Hao Jian had only been there one day. Even if they liked Hao Jian, they wouldn''t place him higher than Wang Zichen. "Fuck your mom!" Suddenly, Hao Jian spoke up, starting with the most common greeting from the streets. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At that, not just Luo Ruihe, but everyone was stunned. No one had expected Hao Jian to swear out of the blue. "You¡­ you''re actually cursing? Are you still a teacher? Get the fuck out now, we don''t welcome scumbags like you!" Luo Ruihe said angrily. "Oh, why so angry all of a sudden? I was just joking with you. Since we''re all fortunate to gather here, can''t you take a joke? Are you even a man?" Hao Jian mocked, imitating Luo Ruihe''s disdainful tone. With that, the women who were initially leaning towards Luo Ruihe''s side were amused by Hao Jian''s witty retort. "You!" Luo Ruihe, infuriated, stomped his feet. At that moment, he couldn''t remain calm, pointing a finger at Hao Jian without being able to utter a word. "Me? I don''t know if he was joking, and even if he was, I doubt it''s acceptable. Any man cannot accept being insulted as a dog. Oh, except you, of course, since it seems you consider such insults as jokes, right?" Hao Jian said with a smiling face. At this point, Luo Ruihe''s face turned green. Hao Jian''s words were essentially calling him less of a man. Luo Ruihe never expected Hao Jian to hit back like this. This left him momentarily speechless, at a loss for words. Suddenly, the situation shifted towards Hao Jian as everyone began to see his point; there is a limit to everything, and Wang Zichen''s insults were indeed a bit too much. "Alright, it seems someone is dead set on playing dirty. Oh well, let''s just forget the bet then. So folks, really, don''t look down on people. Although I''m just a poor teacher, I still understand the concepts of courtesy, righteousness, integrity, and honor, as well as the saying ''you win some, you lose some,'' unlike some people here¡ªrich on the outside but rotten within." Hao Jian sighed deeply, as if resigned to his fate. Having heard this, the women in the audience cast disdainful looks towards Wang Zichen. "You agreed to the bet, you should accept the loss. If you didn''t have the guts, you shouldn''t have bet in the first place, to avoid embarrassing yourself," Su Xinya also added with a cold sneer. "Wang Zichen, aren''t you usually so full of yourself? How come you don''t seem like much of a man today?" a woman mocked. Wang Zichen swore in the name of Jesus Christ, sure without needing to check, that his face had turned pitch black. "Who says I''m playing dirty? I accept the bet!" Wang Zichen suddenly slammed the table and glared furiously at Hao Jian. He absolutely couldn''t show weakness now, or else these women would look down on him. He''d rather lose face than be disrespected. "Woof woof woof..." Wang Zichen, suppressing his anger and humiliation, barked three times. "Hmm, not bad, truly sounds like a barking dog," Hao Jian mockingly said, implying that Wang Zichen had just barked madly at him. Everyone naturally caught the insinuation in Hao Jian''s words, their looks towards Hao Jian gaining an extra dimension. "The dog has barked, now it should eat shit," Hao Jian said, not satisfied yet. Merely barking couldn''t satisfy him; Wang Zichen had also mentioned eating shit, and he wanted to see if Wang Zichen would really do it. Upon hearing this, Wang Zichen''s face instantly darkened like a cast-iron pot: "Hao Jian, are you really sure you want to go this far?" Chapter 478 - 478 Eat Feces "Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean I have to do this? You agreed to it yourself. What''s the matter? You think it''s too much? If you thought it was too much, why did you say it in the first place? Bragging doesn''t cost money, right?" Hao Jian rolled his eyes. Wang Zichen finally realized, this guy just doesn''t understand human relations. If it were someone else, making them bark like a dog would usually be enough, point taken and stopped there, at least leaving some room for the relationship to heal. But Hao Jian had thoroughly offended him. It''s not that Hao Jian didn''t understand human relations, but rather Wang Zichen simply wasn''t worth him bothering with such niceties. Did he need some room to maneuver with Wang Zichen? Who the hell did Wang Zichen think he was? "Hurry up, man. I''ve seen a lot of weird stuff, but I''ve never seen anyone eat ****," Hao Jian urged impatiently. Hearing this, the female gangsters burst into uproar again, egging on Wang Zichen, "Yeah Wang Zichen, hurry up, man up and accept the loss, and let us sisters gain some insight to see what eating **** is like." At this moment, Wang Zichen really wanted to cry, his heart breaking inside. Eat ****? Wouldn''t he be ridiculed to death afterwards? And if he really ate ****, who here would ever respect him again? Who would dare to? "Stop messing around, when are we and where are we supposed to find ****? Besides, eating it in front of you all, aren''t you disgusted?" Luo Ruihe spoke up for Wang Zichen again, trying to defuse the crisis. Of course, he wasn''t being kind, he just purely didn''t want Hao Jian to get his way. Upon hearing this, Wang Zichen grasped at it like a lifeline, nodding frantically at everyone, signaling not that he was afraid to eat ****, but that there was no **** available for him to eat right now. "Don''t worry, when I came in I saw the shop owner''s backyard had a dog, and that dog dropped a few **** on the ground, it just happens to be handy," Hao Jian spoke up. "You all know **** is odorless and tasteless, and not as disgusting as human ****. I think watching someone eat it wouldn''t be much of a problem." Upon hearing this, everyone found it quite reasonable and soon looked at Wang Zichen meaningfully. Wang Zichen''s eyes nearly burst into flames, filled with bloodshot, and right then, he wanted nothing more than to kill Hao Jian. So damn infuriating! He could''ve gotten through this ordeal peacefully, but damn Hao Jian had to interfere and put him right back into the spotlight. "Wang Zichen, please, shall I get someone to bring the **** over?" Su Xinya taunted with a smirk, clearly also eager to see Wang Zichen make a fool of himself. The reason was simple, because Wang Zichen and his crew were too reckless, offending Hao Jian, and that naturally led to this outcome. A saying goes, ''one makes one''s own bed, so one must lie in it.'' Thus, Su Xinya had no sympathy for him. Wang Zichen''s gaze flickered, his expression uncertain; how could he really go eat **** now? "What''s the matter, you think **** is not good enough? If that''s the case, I can eat it for you," Hao Jian, seeing Wang Zichen''s indecision, kindly offered. His remark immediately caused a roar of laughter from the crowd. "Oh my, Hao Jian, you''re terrible! Originally, he just needed to eat a few pieces, and with you stepping in, he''d have to eat the whole lot!" Gu Qingcheng also laughed seductively, letting loose. "There you go freezing up, huh? I''m thinking of him ¡ª there''s a saying, ''**** doesn''t compare to the warmth,'' people eating cold stuff is bad for health. I was considering his health, that''s why I planned to step in," Hao Jian said earnestly. "Hao Jian, I just love how you can talk nonsense with such a straight face," said Gu Qingcheng and the others, bursting into laughter. "Stop it!" Hao Jian posed coyly. Meanwhile, Wang Zichen, seeing Hao Jian still making fun of him, was shaking with fury, hating Hao Jian, but how could he not also resent these female friends? Can''t you see I''m struggling here? Can''t you see I might have to eat ****? Out of respect for our long friendship, can''t you consider my feelings for once, and not every frickin'' one of you flirt with this jerk? "So, have you made up your mind yet? To eat or not to eat?" Gu Qingcheng turned to Wang Zichen and asked, her gaze intense and playful. "Can we change the punishment?" Wang Zichen asked awkwardly. Eat ****, this subject really can''t do it! He had accepted the bet as not to be looked down upon by these chicks, but if he ate ****, though he wouldn''t be disrespected, he''d surely disgust the chicks to death, and wouldn''t the result be the same? "No way, a bet is a bet, if you said you''d eat ****, you have to eat ****!" Hao Jian insisted firmly. "I wasn''t freaking asking you!" Wang Zichen roared. "Eat ****! Eat ****! Eat ****!" Hao Jian stopped talking, but Su Xinya and the others started shouting. Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders playfully. "You see, this is the voice of the people. It looks like you absolutely must eat it!" Wang Zichen''s face turned an iron blue, and his expression could not have been uglier. He never expected that all his female friends would also kick him while he was down. "I... I couldn''t care less about you all!" Wang Zichen angrily got up and then fiercely glared at Hao Jian. "You watch yourself; this isn''t over." Having said that, Wang Zichen quickly grabbed his clothes and sullenly left the room. Obviously, he had lost face and couldn''t stay any longer. Otherwise, these guys would keep egging him on to eat it. "Yay~" Seeing Wang Zichen run away like a sore loser, everyone couldn''t help but scornfully cheer. From that moment on, Wang Zichen was completely ousted from their social circle. At this time, Luo Ruihe looked at Hao Jian with a bit more wariness because now he was the only one left fighting alone. If he couldn''t get Hao Jian to leave, he might end up like Wang Zichen. Luo Ruihe thought it was better to keep quiet for now and wait for an opportunity to deal with Hao Jian later. But just because he kept quiet didn''t mean Hao Jian would let him off easily. "Who ordered this tea?" Hao Jian asked, holding the cup of tea in his hand. "I ordered it. What''s the problem?" Luo Ruihe looked displeasedly at Hao Jian. Hao Jian glanced at Luo Ruihe, put down the tea, and said with some mockery, "I was wondering who the heck would order such tea. Turns out it was you. Now I understand." "What? What''s wrong with the tea I ordered? If you don''t know, then shut up. Do you know how much this Supreme Dahongpao costs? This kind of Supreme Dahongpao is only produced a few kilograms each year, it''s incredibly rare and valuable. Do you think you really understand tea just by knowing a bit about it?" Luo Ruihe snorted coldly, his lips curled in derision. Did Hao Jian think that simply being able to identify this as Supreme Dahongpao made him impressive? Did he think he could show off in front of a seasoned tea aficionado like himself? It was laughable. "Heh, any tea that hasn''t been plucked from the mother trees on Wu Mountain isn''t worth mentioning." Hao Jian scoffed. Wu Mountain has six mother trees, hundreds of years old, and the Dahongpao plucked from them is the most expensive and rare, costing over ten million per kilogram. The world continually praised it, and saying it was the most expensive in history wasn''t enough because it had already become priceless, even listed in the World Heritage Index as a rare tea species. Of course, Luo Ruihe couldn''t afford the mother tree Dahongpao. Even if he could afford it, he wasn''t likely to get it, as nowadays, mother tree Dahongpao was truly hard to find. "Of course, your tea is good, but compared to others at the same price, it''s not the best. With this price, why wouldn''t you choose a better quality like the Imperial Eight Bushes from West Lake Longjing?" Hao Jian mocked. Luo Ruihe was taken aback. Imperial Eight Bushes? What was that? "Hao Jian, what is the Imperial Eight Bushes?" a girl asked Hao Jian. "Imperial Eight Bushes is one of the tea species from West Lake Longjing. West Lake Longjing has always been crowned as the foremost among Huaxia''s top ten famous teas. Its fame needs no further description. Among them, ''Imperial Eight Bushes'' is an extraordinarily pricey tea, yielding only around two liangs per year, which is rarer than this Supreme Dahongpao," Hao Jian explained. "So, Supreme Dahongpao isn''t good anymore?" Su Xinya also joined in, laughing while asking. "It''s not that Supreme Dahongpao isn''t good; it is good. But first, we should be able to tell whether this Supreme Dahongpao is genuine or fake!" Hao Jian laughed. "Hmm? What do you mean by that?" Everyone stared at Hao Jian, curious about how he could tell this was a fake. "You''re saying my tea isn''t Supreme Dahongpao. You think you know more about tea than I do?" Luo Ruihe pursed his lips, disdainfully speaking. "You know tea? Haha, if you know tea, then no one in this world doesn''t know tea." Hao Jian unapologetically mocked. "You..." Luo Ruihe glared, then angrily said, "Fine, since you say my tea isn''t Supreme Dahongpao, then explain why! If you can''t explain, then you can get lost just like Wang Zichen!" "So if I explain it, does that mean you''ll get lost like Wang Zichen?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. Just like that, Luo Ruihe fell silent. With Hao Jian being so cunning, he didn''t dare to lightly make a bet with Hao Jian, afraid of being tricked like Wang Zichen. But Hao Jian didn''t pay him any mind; amidst the eager gazes of everyone, he slowly began, "Dahongpao is divided into three grades: premium, supreme, and fine." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ....................................... Chapter 479 - 479: Tea Tasting Master "Supreme Dahongpao Tea, in terms of appearance, shows even, clean strips with a jewel-like or oily sheen. Aromatically, it is sharp, rich and prolonged or ethereal and distant. In taste, it exhibits distinctive rocky tones, full-bodied flavor, a refreshing and solid taste, and a lingering aroma at the bottom of the cup, while the liquor is clear, brightly colored, and deep orange-yellow. The leaves at the bottom are soft, even, and shiny, with red edges or a touch of cinnabar." "Fine Dahongpao, the appearance presents as tight, sturdy, slightly twisted, with a slight jewel-like or oily sheen, overall quite even. Aromatically, it is rich and prolonged or ethereal and distant. In taste, it has pronounced rocky tones, full-bodied, swift in returning sweetness, and lingering aroma at the bottom of the cup. The color of the infusion tends to be clear, bright, deep orange-yellow. The leaves at the bottom are softer, evenly shiny, with red edges or a touch of cinnabar." "Fine Dahongpao, in form, color, aroma, and the bottom of the leaves, greatly falls short of the first two, but in taste, still possesses pronounced rocky tones, full-bodied, swift in returning sweetness, and lingering aroma at the bottom of the cup." "You say this tea has all these characteristics, how could it not be Fine Dahongpao then?" Mr. Luo glared as he spoke, thinking that the tea he ordered met all those qualities, right? Hearing Mr. Luo say this, everyone also nodded unanimously, casting curious glances at Hao Jian. "What''s the rush? I haven''t finished yet." Hao Jian rolled his eyes and continued, "The method of making Oolong Tea varies significantly between north and south. As a representative of the northern Oolongs, Dahongpao Tea is an ambassador of traditional teas, characterized as a mature-fragrance tea with relatively ample roasting. Initially, the tea presents a natural dry aroma of tea leaves and charred firewood, with a strong fired flavor, free from any miscellaneous flavors. At the same time, drinking Dahongpao requires water at over ninety-five degrees Celsius, a yellow-brown infusion color which is bright and heavy. This relates to the tea''s firing process. The initial taste is slightly bitter yet rich in aftertaste, heavy in tones and returning sweetness but should not start sweet to the taste. Even with prolonged steeping, it doesn''t turn bitter, and it can be re-infused multiple times, with more than ten infusions still leaving a lingering taste." "Keep looking at this liquor color, it''s gleaming yet not sufficiently clear, and though it retains some aftertaste, it lacks enough of it, leaving a weak returning sweetness. Think about it, isn''t that so?" Hao Jian asked the crowd. Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly took a sip of their tea, and they soon nodded in agreement, clearly noticing the shortcomings of this tea infusion. "So you see, although your Dahongpao is a Fine one, it''s only halfway to being supreme, or perhaps a pseudo-supreme. Choosing such a type of tea at this price is simply a failure. You didn''t even notice these flaws, yet you claim to understand tea?" Hao Jian mocked. Mr. Luo turned ashen, unable to utter a word for a long time; he never expected that not only did Hao Jian understand tea, but he also possessed such deep knowledge and research in it. He explained each type of tea''s characteristics thoroughly, evidently well-prepared, a feat even an avid tea aficionado like himself could not match. After Hao Jian finished his explanations, the women''s interest and enthusiasm for him surged once again. Women always have a weakness for men shrouded in mystery, and to them, Hao Jian seemed profoundly inscrutable. A teacher of Traditional Chinese Medicine, yet knowing so much; logically, his status shouldn''t afford him such fine teas, but he commanded a mastery over these expensive famed teas, how could he not appear mysterious? "Applause..." Just then, a round of applause broke out in the room. Gu Qingcheng, clapping her hands, looked at Hao Jian with interest, "Teacher Hao Jian truly is extraordinary. With such knowledge of tea, I, a seasoned tea drinker, cannot help but admit inferiority. I believe you must be a master-level Tea Connoisseur, aren''t you?" Given his understanding of tea, Gu Qingcheng felt it very likely that Hao Jian was a master-level Tea Connoisseur; otherwise, he couldn''t have detailed the tea''s nuances so meticulously. Hao Jian waved his hand: "I dare not claim to be a master of tea tasting, but indeed, I am a bit stronger than those who fake understanding, aren''t I, Mr. Luo?" Hao Jian intentionally looked towards Luo Ruihe, further taunting him. At these words, Luo Ruihe was seething with anger, gnashing his teeth, yet powerless ¡ª what could he do when outclassed? "Alright, let''s have dinner first. After eating, we can continue whatever ruckus we want. But before that, shouldn''t everyone take out their things?" Just then, Su Xinya suddenly said with a mysterious smile, looking around at everyone. The others all had meaningful expressions, whereas Hao Jian was stunned, not knowing what Su Xinya meant. Soon after, he saw everyone turn around and rummage through their bags, shortly pulling out gifts. "Demon Gu, happy birthday, may you have this day every year, and outdo yourself each year!" "Right, Demon Gu, you must carry on your rogue spirit diligently. We sisters are getting older and can''t keep up anymore; you must fulfill our unfulfilled grand desires, seduce all the men in the world!" "Demon Gu, nothing more to say, may your bedsheets be like vast oceans every day!" Hearing these women''s birthday wishes, Hao Jian was completely shocked; this wasn''t a birthday party, it was more like an erotic exchange convention. Following that, Gu Qingcheng''s friends proceeded to present their gifts, with Su Xinya naturally not falling behind, handing over the gift she had prepared in advance. Now, it was Hao Jian who felt somewhat embarrassed, as everyone had brought gifts except him. Finally, when this moment arrived, Luo Ruihe was also overjoyed, finally reversing his earlier downturn. It was now an excellent opportunity for him to perform. Immediately, Luo Ruihe took out an exquisite gift box from his bag and handed it to Gu Qingcheng, "Qingcheng, this is a treasure I hunted down in Myanmar. Open it and see." S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Gu Qingcheng opened the brocade box and found a jadeite Buddha inside. "Glass bottom?" A woman sucked in a breath of cold air, clearly also a connoisseur, recognizing at a glance that the color and pattern were the most expensive glass bottom in jadeite. "Wow, Luo Ruihe, giving a glass bottom, huh? You must have spent quite a fortune on this," another woman joked, her eyes clearly filled with a hint of admiration and jealousy. Although they were rich, they would not casually give away something so expensive. This glass bottom must cost at least a million, if not less. "It''s nothing, just 1.5 million," Luo Ruihe said with a smile, but his expression was somewhat arrogant, even though his words suggested otherwise. "I cannot accept such an expensive gift. Please take it back," but Gu Qingcheng did not accept Luo Ruihe''s gift. She knew well what Luo Ruihe intended, and that very knowledge made her all the more determined to refuse and not give any room for ambiguity, to avoid harming both parties. As soon as Gu Qingcheng spoke, Luo Ruihe''s expression turned sour. His gift was meant for Gu Qingcheng, and her public rejection was undoubtedly embarrassing for him. "Qingcheng, why is this? You accepted everyone else''s gifts, only mine you refuse. Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me?" Luo Ruihe said helplessly, his look bordering on pleading as he assumed the guise of a lovelorn man. "It''s not that I don''t want to accept it, but that yours is truly too valuable," Gu Qingcheng shook her head. "What''s so valuable about it? It''s just a piece of jadeite. For me, nothing I give you could be too precious!" Luo Ruihe spoke charmingly. "Demon Gu, Luo Ruihe put so much effort into this, you should just accept this generous gift." "Exactly, it''s worth over a million, why not take it when it''s free?" "Demon Gu, aren''t you always thick-skinned? Why are you suddenly becoming shy now?" "Qingcheng, please accept it. Don''t make me feel embarrassed, okay?" Luo Ruihe pleaded. "Sigh, fine, but this is the last time. If you bring something this expensive again, I really won''t accept it." Gu Qingcheng sighed, feeling that there was no point in further discussion. "Okay, you have my word, absolutely no next time." Luo Ruihe was overjoyed, having gone all out financially in his pursuit. Just then, Luo Ruihe turned his head to look at Hao Jian, and smirked, "I wonder what gift Mr. Hao Jian has brought?" "Nothing at all," Hao Jian answered honestly. He hadn''t brought anything because he hadn''t known it was Gu Qingcheng''s birthday. Even if he had known, he might not have brought anything, since he didn''t really know Gu Qingcheng. At most, he was just friends with Su Xinya. "Nothing at all? You have the nerve to show up here without a gift? You have the nerve to eat and drink here for free?" Luo Ruihe finally found a point of attack, and furiously interrogated Hao Jian. "He was brought by me. It''s my fault for not telling him about Qingcheng''s birthday in advance," Su Xinya said somewhat embarrassedly¡ªshe had indeed forgotten, and that had put Hao Jian in this awkward situation. "Xinya, I know he''s your friend, but you don''t need to defend him repeatedly, do you? If he forgot to bring a gift, he could still give one now, if he really intends to," Luo Ruihe said with a sinister smile. In his view, even if Hao Jian did give something to Gu Qingcheng now, it could never be more expensive than his gift. A Traditional Chinese Medicine instructor, how much money could he have? Enough to buy a gift worth millions? He didn''t believe it! If Hao Jian couldn''t produce a decent gift, he would shamelessly and harshly mock him, ensuring Hao was thoroughly humiliated! "Let it be. Teacher Hao Jian came in a rush; he probably wasn''t prepared. He can make it up later," Gu Qingcheng, being a reasonable person, although upset by Hao Jian earlier, couldn''t let him be embarrassed in public and quickly stepped in to help. "Then let''s forget it. Given his poor status, he probably couldn''t afford any decent gift. Rather than give some worthless item, it''s better not to give anything at all, saving you the trouble of having to throw it away later." Luo Ruihe continued taunting, looking at Hao Jian with disdain. Although Hao Jian was knowledgeable and diverse, he had money, which was the only thing he held over Hao Jian. Chapter 480 - 480: Crazy Woman "A gift is a definite must, but my visit was hasty this time, and I didn''t prepare anything. If the gift isn''t to your liking, I hope Miss Gu won''t scorn it," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Don''t worry, even if I don''t like it, I won''t say so," Gu Qingcheng replied playfully. "As magnanimous as Qingcheng is, if you pull out something too cheap, better not to embarrass yourself by showing it," Luo Ruihe mocked, clearly not planning to let Hao Jian off the hook that easily. At that moment, all eyes were on Hao Jian, but their expressions were teasing, doubtlessly skeptical that Hao Jian could produce anything of value. A teacher at Chinese Medicine Hospital, with a monthly salary of a few thousand yuan, what decent gift could he afford? Swiftly, everyone saw Hao Jian pull a bottle from his pocket, place it on the table, and say, "Just a small token, no great homage, but I hope you accept it." "Giving medicine? That''s really in line with your job," Luo Ruihe let out a chilling laugh, his face full of disdain and mockery. Was Hao Jian really implying that Gu Qingcheng was already ill by giving her medicine? "Handsome, don''t you know that medicine isn''t something to give away carelessly, especially at a birthday party?" a woman asked, her tone playful. Luo Ruihe also looked somewhat embarrassed, as she hadn''t expected Hao Jian to give her medicine, which felt like a bad omen. "This is no ordinary medicine; this is called the ''Marrow-Cleansing Detox Elixir.'' Once taken, it detoxifies and beautifies," Hao Jian explained. "So it''s just the Detoxifying Beauty Capsules, but you call it the Marrow-Cleansing Detox Elixir? Do you think we''re fools?" Luo Ruihe scoffed disdainfully. Everyone else also found it somewhat laughable¡ªit was just Detoxifying Beauty Capsules, nothing special. "It works on the same principle as Detoxifying Beauty Capsules, but its effects are hundreds of times stronger. Just one pill, and you''ll see effects within ten minutes!" Hao Jian claimed. "A hundred times stronger than Detoxifying Beauty Capsules? If you had such a thing, would you still be a penniless teacher?" Luo Ruihe teased. If it were him, he''d have marketed it already and be counting his money every day. Any normal person would do the same, so he simply didn''t believe Hao Jian''s pill was as miraculous as claimed. "First off, I teach as a hobby. Secondly, who said a teacher has to be broke? Lastly, would you have achieved today''s success without teachers? Don''t you understand gratitude toward teachers? ''Once a teacher, a lifelong father''¡ªdon''t you get that? Have you forgotten Huaxia''s five thousand years of noble tradition? Have you lived the last twenty-plus years as if on a dog''s years?" Hao Jian ranted on and on. "You... you..." Luo Ruihe pointed at Hao Jian, too angered to speak. "Teacher Hao Jian, what is so extraordinary about your elixir?" At that moment, Gu Qingcheng''s friends couldn''t help but ask. "This elixir is my own creation, a unique secret formula, priceless, and I even take it myself. If it doesn''t work, I''m willing to bet my head and use it as a football!" Hao Jian declared confidently, his good health attributed to his periodic use of the Marrow-Cleansing Detox Elixir to rid his body of toxins. "Hmph, you talk as if it''s real. It''s better not to believe him. You heard him¡ªthe medicine is his own concoction and hasn''t passed any safety certifications. Don''t let it kill someone by accident; that would be a real problem," Luo Ruihe said sarcastically. The women, initially curious about Hao Jian''s medicine, hurriedly diverted their attention away from it after hearing this. Feeling resigned, Hao Jian merely shrugged his shoulders without explanation and reached for the medicine bottle on the table: "Since you don''t like it, forget about it." He wasn''t very eager to give it away anyway. Producing a single bottle of elixir was no small feat¡ªit took at least a week, and the ingredients were extremely rare. Giving it to Gu Qingcheng was meant to honor her, and if she didn''t want it, that was her loss. "Hold on!" Just then, Gu Qingcheng grabbed Hao Jian''s hand, her eyes blazing as she smirked, "Did I say I didn''t want it?" "Huh?" Hearing this, Hao Jian was taken aback. Luo Ruihe was also stunned, looking at Gu Qingcheng in confusion: "Qingcheng, this guy''s medicine is definitely fake; don''t just take it rashly, it could upset your stomach." "If even the medicine from a Divine Doctor is considered fake, then there''s no real medicine in this world," Gu Qingcheng said with a smile. Hearing this, Hao Jian couldn''t help but furrow his brows, also surprised that Gu Qingcheng knew of his identity. "Divine Doctor? Demon Gu, what are you talking about?" The crowd was utterly baffled. "You don''t recognize this guy?" Gu Qingcheng pointed at Hao Jian and asked the crowd. "Are you joking? Isn''t he a new friend brought by Xinya? How could we possibly know him?" the crowd responded, half amused¡ªthey had only met Hao Jian today; how could they possibly know him? "You really are ignorant," Gu Qingcheng said with a resigned shake of her head, "Did you forget the Chinese Medicine teacher from the Chinese Medicine Hospital who recently overcame a foreign chess genius with his Chess Technique that we talked about?" "Of course we remember, wait, Demon Gu are you saying he''s that teacher?" Everyone''s expression suddenly became blank. They had talked earlier about inviting this Teacher Zhongyi, who had brought glory to the nation, to dinner if they ever got the chance, but who could have expected that he was so far yet so near? Gu Qingcheng nodded and smiled, "He is that Traditional Chinese Medicine teacher, and moreover, he''s not the pauper you think he is. His master is Liang Wangsun, a highly revered figure in Huaxia''s medical community. Therefore, the director of the Chinese Medicine Hospital pays him a high price of 500,000 per class to give lectures there. At 500,000 for a 40-minute class, he earns more than any of us." Upon hearing this, everyone couldn''t help but gasp. A disciple of Liang Wangsun? Just that title alone is worth millions, right? 500,000 for 40 minutes, making over 10,000 a minute, that''s a lot more money than any of them had. Initially, everyone had looked down on Hao Jian because he was a teacher, but now, having heard what Gu Qingcheng said, they all looked at Hao Jian with awe. This also reflected a truth indirectly: if you excel in anything you do, you can reap rich rewards. Who says you can only make big money in business? Isn''t Hao Jian, a doctor, earning more than them? S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Luo Ruihe was literally petrified on the spot, still somewhat unable to recover even after hearing Gu Qingcheng''s explanation, staring blankly at Hao Jian. "What the hell is going on? Why does this guy have such a big background?" At this moment, not only was Luo Ruihe stunned, but Su Xinya was also taken aback, for she too had not realized that Hao Jian had such an extraordinary background. Entrepreneur, artist, doctor, teacher, just how many identities does this guy have? Meanwhile, Hao Jian, also interested, looked at Gu Qingcheng: "It seems you know a lot about me?" "The director of the Chinese Medicine Hospital, Du Yuelin, is my grandfather, so what do you think?" Gu Qingcheng said with a smirk, having recognized Hao Jian from the first glance and thus decided to tease him a bit. However, she did not expect that, in the end, she would be the one getting teased by Hao Jian. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian was immediately surprised. Gu Qingcheng''s answer caught him off guard¡ªGu Qingcheng was Du Yuelin''s niece? This is interesting! Hao Jian smiled and nodded: "I see, it seems your grandfather has told you all about me." "No, he hasn''t told me everything, at least he didn''t tell me that the legendary Teacher Hao Jian is actually so... wolfish behind the scenes!" Gu Qingcheng teased with a mischievous smile. "Cough, cough..." Hao Jian coughed awkwardly, feeling somewhat aggrieved: It was clearly you who seduced me first, right? "So, this means the elixir is real, huh?" A girl stared eagerly at the Marrow-Cleansing Detox Elixir on the table, utterly mesmerized. Clearly, if Hao Jian was indeed the Divine Doctor, then the elixir must be genuine. "I believe a master of Traditional Chinese Medicine wouldn''t bring a fake medicine just to fool me, smashing his own reputation," Gu Qingcheng said with a beaming smile: "Right?" Hao Jian, half laughing, half crying, replied: "Of course not." "So, Teacher Hao Jian, how much is this bottle of medicine?" someone asked, now deeply interested in the Marrow-Cleansing Detox Elixir. "About one million," Hao Jian said after some thought. At his words, everyone was shocked; the medicine was that expensive? "Talking nonsense, selling one bottle of medicine for a million, do you think you''re selling gold?" Luo Ruihe said resentfully, his ego bruised by Hao Jian stealing the spotlight. "You''re wrong, my medicine is even more expensive than gold. For those I like, I give it away for free, for those I don''t like, not even for ten million would I sell!" Hao Jian retorted with a scoff. He wasn''t lacking money and he certainly didn''t need to rely on his talents to make a living because he was also very handsome. "Do you really think someone would be foolish enough to spend a million on your medicine? Ridiculous!" Luo Ruihe scoffed, disbelieving that anyone would spend so much. "I''ll buy it! I want a bottle!" "I want one too, Hao Jian, sell me one, please? I don''t mind if it''s expensive, maybe two million?" "Hao Jian, do you have any on you right now? I''ll give you three million!" However, as soon as Luo Ruihe''s words fell, Gu Qingcheng''s friends started scrambling to buy Hao Jian''s medicine. "You all..." Luo Ruihe was dumbfounded, these women were literally slapping him in the face. Just said no one would buy Hao Jian''s medicine, and the next thing they did was scramble for it, unbelievable... Wasn''t this deliberately making him embarrassed? Chapter 481 - 481: An Unkind Invitation "Sorry, I only have this one bottle right now, and crafting the elixir is very time-consuming. Most importantly, the ingredients are particularly hard to find, so I might not be able to provide a second bottle in the short term," Hao Jian politely said, his implication being that he wouldn''t give any more. But the women, hearing this, were not ready to give up. They continued to ask, "When can you supply the second bottle then? Can I give you a deposit to reserve it?" "I''ll pay full price, it doesn''t matter if it''s a smaller amount!" "Hao Jian, if you give me a bottle of elixir, I will keep buying it at a high price. I''ll even be yours." The women had gone mad; who didn''t want to be beautiful? They spent so much money going to beauty salons, all in the pursuit of eternal youth, didn''t they? Now that they heard Hao Jian had such a good item, they were naturally tempted. Initially, they thought Hao Jian was just a friend who was a doctor, so they didn''t take him seriously. However, after learning about his real identity from Gu Qingcheng, they couldn''t control themselves. As Liang Wangsun''s disciple, Hao Jian''s medical skills were undoubtedly exceptional, and with his reputation known far and wide, they believed that he wouldn''t deceive them. "It''s really not about the money, but the ingredients are hard to find," Hao Jian said helplessly. He hadn''t expected these women to be so persistent. Was he being too indirect? In fact, he had underestimated how much women valued their own beauty. "What ingredients? Write them down for me, and I''ll go find them for you. Just craft it for me when the time comes, same price, I''ll cover the cost of the ingredients!" Seeing this, one woman immediately changed her approach and said. "This... let''s eat first, and then we can talk about it after dinner," Hao Jian tried to change the subject. "Eat? No way, you''re not allowed to eat until you''ve made this clear!" Noticing Hao Jian was evading the issue, the women were not prepared to let him off so easily. "Hold on, Demon Gu, what are you doing?" At that moment, someone noticed Gu Qingcheng''s subtle action and immediately yelled. Gu Qingcheng''s lips twitched, and she retorted, "I''m eating my own elixir, what''s it to you?" "Shameless! This is a blatant seduction! You''re showing off!" The women went mad with rage. It was okay to eat, but why did she have to eat in front of them, not knowing how desperately they wanted it? "You can eat, but can you stop smacking your lips?" One woman said through gritted teeth, fiercely angry. The lip-smacking was as if she was flaunting something they lacked. "Ouch, it''s so hot!" After a while, Gu Qingcheng suddenly started fanning herself. "That''s because the elixir is taking effect, and you should get ready for detoxification," Hao Jian explained with a smile. "Didn''t you say it takes ten minutes to work?" Gu Qingcheng asked curiously. "That varies from person to person. Some, like you, are more sensitive and can feel the effect within a minute." "What will happen next as I detox?" Gu Qingcheng''s eyes, full of curiosity, were fixed on Hao Jian. Hearing this, Hao Jian revealed a meaningful smile, "I think you should hurry to the restroom to avoid any embarrassment later." But it was already too late. "My God, why does it smell so bad? What is that odor?" someone exclaimed. "It''s Demon Gu, look at her!" Everyone turned to Gu Qingcheng and saw that she was sweating profusely, the sweat mingled with greasy smears, making it look sticky. As Gu Qingcheng wiped her face, it turned green, realizing that detoxification had begun. "Well, I need to use the restroom!" Qingcheng said with an embarrassed expression, then hurriedly rushed toward Hao Jian. She could hardly bear her own stench. Meanwhile, the women who saw Gu Qingcheng like this did not show the slightest disgust; instead, they were even envious. Sweaty and smelly meant Gu Qingcheng was detoxifying, indicating that Hao Jian''s elixir was effective. "Hao Jian..." All the women cast reproachful glances at Hao Jian, who quickly lowered his head, pretending to be oblivious. By now, Luo Ruihe didn''t dare to speak, as he realized all the women were bewitched by Hao Jian. If he dared to contend with Hao Jian at this point, he might well be attacked by the group. Not long after, Gu Qingcheng returned, now dressed in clean clothes. The process of detoxification was indeed embarrassingly revealing. Her skin had exuded black sweat, full of vile-smelling toxins. Not only that, but once she had entered the restroom, she kept releasing foul gases, expelling toxic substances from her body. After half an hour of this ordeal, the detoxification was finally complete. Now, Gu Qingcheng''s cheeks were rosy, and her skin gleamed more than before. It shone under the light, clearly visible to all, and the sight made the many women present drool with envy. "My heavens, Demon Gu, where are your crow''s feet?" "I don''t know." "Demon Gu, how did your skin suddenly become so much whiter and firmer?" "Don''t know." "Demon Gu, you bastard!" "...." "Hao Jian, just help me make another bottle, please!" A girl grabbed Hao Jian''s hand and shook it vigorously, "If you give me one, I''ll let you do whatever you want with me." "Hao Jian, I want one too." A bunch of women surrounded Hao Jian, grabbing his hands, hugging and kissing him. "Hehe... hehehehe..." Hao Jian laughed like Pig Head Three, drooling uncontrollably. "Geez, what a perv!" Watching Hao Jian act like that, Su Xinya couldn''t help feeling somewhat angry. "What''s the matter, did you think you were bringing a sheep into a pack of wolves, only to find you''d brought in a starving tiger?" Gu Qingcheng teased with a smile. "If I''d known he was such a lecher, I wouldn''t have brought him here!" Su Xinya said resentfully, deeply disappointed in her friends. She had hoped her friends would stand up for her, but now they had all sided with Hao Jian. "Alright, alright, can''t do anything about you all. I''ll write you a list later, and you go find the ingredients for me. Once I have the ingredients, I''ll start making the elixir for you," Hao Jian finally surrendered to the onslaught of the beauties. "Yay, Hao Jian, I love you to death!" A woman planted a kiss on Hao Jian''s face, leaving a bright red lipstick mark. "Ahem, got a bit thirsty," Hao Jian pretended to say. "Here, Your Majesty, this is your tea!" Another woman quickly handed him a cup of hot tea. "Shoulders are feeling a bit sore too," Hao Jian rubbed his shoulders, feigning exhaustion. "Your Majesty, let me give you a massage," a woman came up to pound Hao Jian''s legs. "Is he an idiot?" Hao Jian asked, pointing at Luo Ruihe. "That''s right, he''s an idiot!" the women cried in unison, at this point whatever Hao Jian said was law. Luo Ruihe''s face twisted with rage, looking almost cannibalistic, teeth nearly crushing together. "Sigh, getting hungry," Hao Jian rubbed his stomach and said. "Waiter? Where the hell are you, hurry up and serve the food!" Watching this scene, Gu Qingcheng and Su Xinya could only exchange wry smiles and remained speechless. Soon after, Hao Jian began to wolf down the food as soon as it arrived. The women were sometimes putting food in Hao Jian''s bowl, those who usually behaved like queens, had suddenly become demure housewives. Luo Ruihe ate quietly, no longer daring to say another word, knowing he had lost his right to speak. Just then, a man walked in through the door, glanced around, then his eyes settled on Su Xinya, and he broke into a smile, "Miss Su, I knew you''d be here." "May I ask who you are..." Su Xinya looked at the man with some confusion, as she didn''t recognize him. "I''m Yang Zhuoxiong, secretary to Boss Wei Guolin, I think you shouldn''t be a stranger to Boss Wei?" Yang Zhuoxiong said with a smile. "Oh, so you''re Boss Wei''s secretary. What can I do for you?" Su Xinya asked, puzzled. She certainly knew Wei Guolin, an advertiser from Taiwan who had hired her for a commercial. However, what Su Xinya found strange was that the cooperation with Wei Guolin had ended, so why was Wei Guolin looking for her? "Well, our boss happens to be here with some friends, and he saw you were also here, so he thought to invite you over for a drink and catch up," Yang Zhuoxiong said politely. But as Yang Zhuoxiong finished speaking, Gu Qingcheng and the others frowned at the same time. Boss Wei''s invitation was inappropriate. If Wei Guolin truly wished to have a meaningful conversation with Su Xinya, he should have come over to offer her a drink himself, not ask Su Xinya to join them. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was clear that Wei Guolin was expecting Su Xinya to join them for drinks, or he would not have sent Yang Zhuoxiong to invite her over instead of coming himself to extend his hospitality. Su Xinya was also very angry about this. Although she was a performer, she never wanted to ingratiate herself with those in power. The current achievements she had were all because of her own efforts, without relying on anyone else''s influence. Wei Guolin might lack respect, but he had no right to insult her, especially since their business cooperation had ended. What right did Wei Guolin have to demand such a thing from her? Suddenly, Su Xinya said with a cold face, "No need, go back and tell Wei Guolin that I have friends here, and I can''t leave." At this point, Su Xinya started to call Wei Guolin by his name, since Wei Guolin hadn''t treated her seriously, she naturally wouldn''t give face to Wei Guolin either. Chapter 482 - 482 Mysterious Man Upon hearing this, Yang Zhuoxiong couldn''t help but be surprised for a moment, then his face turned angry as he sarcastically said, "Miss Su, I think you better consider this carefully, you doing this will make our boss very unhappy." "Your boss? Your boss is nothing! Didn''t you see our Su Xinya already said she''s not going? Get lost!" Luo Ruihe retorted very MANly at Yang Zhuoxiong, knowing it was time for him to step up. Tonight, Hao Jian had stolen all the limelight, causing him not to exchange even a few words with Gu Qingcheng. At this point, he couldn''t miss the opportunity to gain Gu Qingcheng''s favor, wanting her to see his masculine side! And seeing that Hao Jian didn''t speak, Luo Ruihe couldn''t help but sneer. Although Hao Jian was somewhat capable, who could guarantee that he would act like a man? Maybe by now he was too scared to make a peep? Hearing this, Yang Zhuoxiong stared hard at Luo Ruihe, feeling quite indignant inside. He naturally loathed meddlers to the extreme. He intentionally memorized Luo Ruihe''s appearance, considering whether to report him to Wei Guolin later, to let Wei Guolin deal with this ignorant young man properly. Yang Zhuoxiong ignored Luo Ruihe and continued speaking to Su Xinya, "Su Xinya, you must understand what the consequences of offending our boss would be, right? It''s just going out for drinks with his friends, and it''s not for free either, one hundred thousand per drink, no ceiling, what do you think?" S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Get out!" Su Xinya finally couldn''t suppress her roar and pointed angrily towards the door, at this point she didn''t want to say even a word to Yang Zhuoxiong anymore. Wei Guolin actually wanted to insult her dignity with money? This was something Su Xinya couldn''t accept! Upon hearing this, Yang Zhuoxiong''s face turned furious as he snapped, "Su Xinya, aren''t you just an actor? What''s there to be proud of? Our boss asking you to drink with him is considering you highly, truly not knowing what''s good for you! Do you really think you''re something special?" "I respect you a lot, too. How about from now on you start barking like a dog, and I''ll give you one hundred thousand for each bark, how about that?" Gu Qingcheng asked with a cold smile. "Who are you? Did I talk to you? You want to stand up for her? Don''t overestimate your own weight, if you anger our boss, all of you will suffer!" Yang Zhuoxiong snorted coldly, not the least bit intimidated even though Su Xinya and the others were numerous and formidable. Because Wei Guolin was very powerful in Taiwan, and his connections on the Mainland were also quite good, dealing with a celebrity like Su Xinya would be a matter of minutes. In the eyes of ordinary people, Su Xinya was a celebrity, but in the eyes of someone like Wei Guolin, she was nothing more than a low-level actor! Su Xinya dared to disrespect Wei Guolin, it goes without saying that he wouldn''t let her off easily. "Me? I''m her friend! I don''t care what kind of background your boss has, but bullying her is not going to happen!" Gu Qingcheng said assertively as he hugged Su Xinya''s shoulder. Seeing this, Hao Jian couldn''t help but smile, looking up at Gu Qingcheng. Unexpectedly, this woman was quite loyal. No wonder these women liked her so much; it must be that special charm of hers. "A woman trying to be a hero? I think you''re asking for trouble!" Yang Zhuoxiong sneered ferociously. "Done with the nonsense? If you''re done, then scram!" At this moment, Luo Ruihe stood up and angrily glared at Yang Zhuoxiong, embodying a very masculine demeanor. He knew it was time to show himself, whether or not he could win Gu Qingcheng''s heart depended on this moment. It''s undeniable that Luo Ruihe was quite tall, easily reaching one meter ninety, with a burly physique to match. Standing in front of Yang Zhuoxiong, who was around one meter seventy, he towered a full two heads over him, giving Yang Zhuoxiong a sense of oppression. At this moment, Luo Ruihe''s face was full of threatening intent, as if telling Yang Zhuoxiong that if he didn''t leave, there would be physical consequences. Seeing Luo Ruihe, who was two heads taller than himself, Yang Zhuoxiong''s face turned dark. He was both angry and annoyed at this Cheng Yaojin who had sprung out halfway through the affair. "Fine, fine, fine, I''ve got my eye on you, big guy," Yang Zhuoxiong glared vengefully at Luo Ruihe, then turned to Su Xinya, "This won''t end here, Su Xinya, you just wait!" Having said that, Yang Zhuoxiong left the room. At this moment, Luo Ruihe scoffed disdainfully, "Thought he was capable of something, turns out he''s just a coward." Luo Ruihe patted his chest, full of bravado, "Don''t you worry, Su Xinya, I''ve got this. If that Wei Guolin dares to trouble you again, just let me know, and I''ll take care of him for you!" "Thank you," Su Xinya nodded and thanked him. Luo Ruihe helped her, and naturally, she wasn''t the ungrateful type. "I didn''t expect it, Luo Ruihe, usually so silent, and yet, turns out you''re pretty MANly." A girl gave Luo Ruihe an admiring glance. Although Luo Ruihe was showing off, it had to be admitted that just now, he was indeed quite charming. "Well, I''m certainly not like some men who, despite having some abilities, hide like a turtle when things get tough, not at all manly!" Luo Ruihe sneered and took a deliberate glance at Hao Jian. At that moment, no one dared to respond to Luo Ruihe''s comment; everyone looked embarrassed because they too knew he was right¡ªHao Jian had indeed been acting like a shrinking turtle. But since they all had favors to ask of Hao Jian, they dared not speak ill of him. Even though no one said anything, they were all influenced by the insinuations in Luo Ruihe''s words and considered Hao Jian a cowardly weakling. In response, Hao Jian just shrugged his shoulders, wearing a smile and appearing totally indifferent. The reason he didn''t get involved was that he saw Luo Ruihe stepping up and thought that Luo Ruihe could handle it, so he didn''t interfere. However, Hao Jian didn''t plan to explain himself because he didn''t care about how others viewed him. Capable people don''t need to be understood. "That''s not true, Hao Jian is not a shrinking turtle," Su Xinya hurriedly defended Hao Jian. Only she truly understood Hao Jian. How could this mass-murdering demon be a shrinking turtle? He probably just didn''t think Yang Zhuoxiong was worth his effort, right? "Su Xinya, what are you doing still speaking up for him at a time like this? He clearly just wanted to stand by and watch. You''d be better off keeping your distance from that kind of friend," Luo Ruihe advised Su Xinya, his tone one of earnest concern. "Enough, let''s eat," Gu Qingcheng said, interrupting Luo Ruihe, but her complexion was not looking good either. Seeing this, Luo Ruihe smirked coldly, knowing that Gu Qingcheng was probably also furious with Hao Jian''s inaction. Yang Zhuoxiong, on the other hand, returned to his private room in a huff. Wei Guolin was a corpulent middle-aged man with layers of fat covering his face, his eyes squinted into slits and his mouth displaying yellow, tobacco-stained teeth¡ªmaking him look as sleazy as one could be, like a conniving old rat! At this moment, Wei Guolin was dining with a few friends, one of whom was particularly striking¡ªa man in his early thirties with a square face and a full figure, wearing a military uniform that exuded a strong military aura, imposing a sense of oppression on those around him. Upon seeing Yang Zhuoxiong return alone, Wei Guolin''s brow immediately furrowed in displeasure: "Where''s Su Xinya?" "That ungrateful wench has no manners. I told her you wanted to invite her for a drink, but she didn''t take you seriously at all. She asked what right you have to command her. Not only Su Xinya but her friends too insulted you. There was this arrogant guy named Luo Ruihe who even chased me away, claiming to protect Su Xinya, saying trash like you wouldn''t even be able to touch a hair on her head," Yang Zhuoxiong exaggerated maliciously. Resentful of Luo Ruihe''s humiliation, he intentionally mentioned Luo Ruihe''s name, hoping Wei Guolin would handle him too. "What?" Wei Guolin''s eyebrows knitted together, he slammed the table with fury and said, "Dare to slap my face, gave her face for what?" "Exactly, exactly, she''s just an actress. What''s so great about her that she disregards you," Yang Zhuoxiong flattered. "Heh, some people just can''t seem to recognize their place properly. Old Wei, seems like you''ve been looked down upon by that actress," Wei Guolin''s friends then began to tease. At those words, Wei Guolin''s expression turned even uglier. Failing to invite even a minor celebrity, he had lost face in front of his friends. Wei Guolin huffed in anger and said to Yang Zhuoxiong, "Lead the way, I want to see just how capable that bitch really is!" "Boss, uhm... we should call for backup, right? That guy Luo Ruihe is pretty tall, we might not be a match for him," Yang Zhuoxiong said, sounding a bit fearful. "Is being tall useful?" At that moment, the man in the military uniform, who had been sitting with arms crossed and eyes closed, suddenly spoke up, his expression filled with disdain and contempt. Yang Zhuoxiong was a bit taken aback because he did not quite understand the man''s identity and had not seen his boss introduce him; he only knew that this man was someone significant, that even their boss had to treat him with utmost courtesy. Upon hearing this, Wei Guolin''s interest was piqued and he asked with a smile, "Oh? Brother Li, you''re interested too?" "I''m generally not interested in dealing with small fry, but I must admit, I find Su Xinya rather appealing," Li Minghuan lifted his gaze toward Wei Guolin, a sinister smile forming on his face. Wei Guolin immediately understood Li Minghuan''s intent and burst into laughter, saying, "Fine, that woman is yours then!" ............... Chapter 483 - 483: Smashing the Scene Perhaps it was because of what had just happened, so the atmosphere at the dinner table had quieted down considerably. The women who had been enthusiastic about Hao Jian earlier also cooled significantly in their demeanor, so while they didn''t show overt disdain, their attitude had indeed changed, engaging with Hao Jian half-heartedly. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This was exactly what Luo Ruihe had hoped for¡ªas now Gu Qingcheng would certainly consider Hao Jian a coward, thereby looking down on him, which meant Hao Jian would not be able to compete with him for Gu Qingcheng anymore. Hao Jian didn''t care, however, and continued to eat and drink as before. Su Xinya also sighed helplessly. She wanted to explain for Hao Jian, but she feared that her explanations wouldn''t be believed by the crowd. Although it was she who had invited Hao Jian to dine, the situation had put Hao Jian in an awkward position, making Su Xinya feel quite guilty. But the stifling atmosphere didn''t last long, as soon Wei Guolin soon arrived with his entourage. "Well, this is quite a spread, Su Xinya. It seems you''re living well," Wei Guolin said with a sneer. "Wei Guolin, what exactly do you want?" Su Xinya was furious. How could this not be finished yet, didn''t she even have the right to refuse? "What do I want? You made me lose face in front of my friends, what do you think I want?" Wei Guolin snorted coldly, his tone tinged with anger born of humiliation. Wei Guolin''s gaze settled on Su Xinya''s pretty cheeks, filled with cruelty: "Is it so hard to have a drink with me, Su Xinya? You''re really something, thinking you can''t be touched just because you''re a minor celebrity?" "Fuck, everyone thinks they''re the big shot these days, huh? You fucking touch her and see what happens!" Luo Ruihe, standing up aggressively, glared at Wei Guolin. "Boss, this is the Luo Ruihe I told you about!" At this moment, Yang Zhuoxiong whispered to Wei Guolin, his gaze filled with hatred towards Luo Ruihe. "So you''re Luo Ruihe, huh? You''ve got some nerve protecting the person I intend to mess with," Wei Guolin said to Luo Ruihe, his eyes filled with cold ferocity. "Wei Guolin? You think you''re someone special? Just a foolish Taiwanese, thinking you''re impressive just because you''ve got some dirty money? You''re still coming to our turf to make a buck. Let me tell you, Hua City is my territory, and if you want to cause trouble here, I''ll fucking end you!" Luo Ruihe snorted disdainfully, not placing Wei Guolin in his eyes at all. "Cough cough cough¡­" At that moment, Hao Jian couldn''t stop coughing, choking when he heard Luo Ruihe claim Hua City as his turf. His coughing immediately drew the attention of Wei Guolin and the others, all eyes turned to him. Hao Jian quickly waved his hands, embarrassed, saying, "It''s nothing, carry on." "Humph, coward!" Luo Ruihe said, disdain apparent in his mocking tone. Wei Guolin didn''t pay Hao Jian any mind, turning to face Luo Ruihe and coldly said, "I''m giving you a minute to get lost, or else you''ll see how nasty a Taiwanese can be!" "You want me to get lost?" Luo Ruihe laughed at Wei Guolin, pointing at him and shouting, "I''m giving you a minute to get lost, or else I''ll make a call and bring a bunch of people over to beat you bloody!" Having been involved in Hua City for so many years, Luo Ruihe had accumulated some connections and didn''t view Wei Guolin as a threat at all. However, he underestimated Wei Guolin''s influence. Wei Guolin might not have dozens of men to command in Hua City, but with just one man, he could take care of all Luo Ruihe''s men. Wei Guolin chuckled humorlessly and, tired of talking, simply turned to the man beside him and said, "Brother Li, would you do the honors?" At this moment, Hao Jian also looked at Li Minghuan standing next to Wei Guolin and narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing something unusual about him. Li Minghuan took a step forward, but instead of addressing Luo Ruihe, he pointed at Su Xinya with a bizarre smile and declared, "Tonight, you''re coming home with me!" This blunt directness took many in the room by surprise. They had seen arrogant people before, but never someone as audacious as this. Li Minghuan acted as if it were a given that Su Xinya would go home with him tonight. "Crazy!" Su Xinya chided angrily, finding Li Minghuan completely absurd. "I know you don''t believe me, but I assure you, you''ll definitely go home with me tonight!" Li Minghuan said with a confident smile, a mischievous arc forming at the corner of his mouth. "Fuck, kid, you must be tired of living, huh?" Luo Ruihe couldn''t hold back any longer. Li Minghuan had actually treated him as if he were invisible. Luo Ruihe grabbed Li Minghuan by the collar. Although Li Minghuan was already quite burly, Luo Ruihe was notably quicker. But Li Minghuan appeared unconcerned, glancing indifferently at Luo Ruihe''s hand on his collar and smirked, "In the next second, I will break your hand." "You touch me and try..." "Snap!" The last word hadn''t left his mouth when Li Minghuan chilledly snapped Luo Ruihe''s hand. "Ah!" Luo Ruihe immediately screamed in agony, falling to the ground as his entire arm drooped, clearly disfigured. "Luo Ruihe!" Upon seeing this, Gu Qingcheng and the others couldn''t help but change their color. On the side, Hao Jian showed a helpless smile. Pretending to be tough comes with a price, and clearly, Luo Ruihe wasn''t capable of bearing that cost yet. "Damn, just a fool! Got no skills but still trying to act tough? Think I can''t beat you to death?" Yang Zhuoxiong cackled strangely, his expression extremely smug. Just a moment ago, wasn''t Luo Ruihe acting all tough? Daring to chase him away, now he wanted to see what kind of death Luo Ruihe would meet. Wei Guolin''s face also showed a cruel expression as he disdainfully bent down and patted Luo Ruihe''s face, "Young man, the world is much more complicated than you think. Don''t assume you can look down on others just because you''ve got some skills." "You dare to hit me? I''ll have someone kill you right now!" Luo Ruihe said maliciously, and then reached for his phone with his other hand to make a call. But Wei Guolin and the others just watched with a sneer, not stopping Luo Ruihe. Seeing this, everyone else couldn''t help but feel a foreboding sense of doom. The way they acted made it clear they weren''t afraid of Luo Ruihe calling for backup; this meant they definitely had something to rely on. And they had also seen what Li Minghuan was capable of. Their instincts told them Li Minghuan was no ordinary man. About a half hour later, the people Luo Ruihe called arrived: forty or fifty thugs wielding machetes burst in, glaring aggressively at everyone. "Brother Luo, who the hell did this to you?" Those thugs helped Luo Ruihe up from the ground, looking murderously fierce. Seeing that the reinforcements had arrived, Gu Qingcheng and others couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief. So many people should be able to make a difference, seeing that there were only a few of them on the other side. "It''s them, chop them up for me!" Luo Ruihe pointed at Wei Guolin and his group furiously. "Brothers, attack!" The men Luo Ruihe had called all roared at once and then charged at Wei Guolin and the others. "You guys back off," Li Minghuan told Wei Guolin and the rest. Wei Guolin gave a weird smile and stepped back several steps to clear some space for Li Minghuan. Hao Jian subconsciously moved a few steps back with his bowl of rice, distancing himself from Li Minghuan and the others. "What are you doing?" Gu Qingcheng looked at Hao Jian with some displeasure. "Isn''t a fight about to start? I''m staying back to avoid being affected," Hao Jian shamelessly explained. Gu Qingcheng rolled her eyes, thinking how annoying, wondering how Su Xinya could know someone like this. "And this kid too, take care of him!" Luo Ruihe suddenly pointed at Hao Jian, saying if Li Minghuan was the person he hated the most right now, then Hao Jian was definitely the second. "Luo Ruihe, have you lost your mind? Hao Jian is with us!" Su Xinya angrily said, that bastard actually planning to target Hao Jian? "Shut the hell up, anyone who stops me will die!" Luo Ruihe roared with rage splitting his eyes, his hand being broken, he was truly infuriated now, having had a rough night, and it was all because of Hao Jian and Li Minghuan¡ªthey must pay the price. "You..." Su Xinya was furious, but was completely powerless against Luo Ruihe. "You really are like Prince Wang Zichen, nothing but a mad dog that bites randomly," Hao Jian shrugged helplessly. "But before you act against me, could you first look at what''s become of your little pawns?" At these words, Luo Ruihe also looked toward his men, only to find all his people had been knocked to the ground by Li Minghuan. At that moment, Li Minghuan, with one hand, grabbed a person''s head and savagely pounded it, and even though that person was already bleeding profusely and had fainted, he still wouldn''t let go. Everyone was terrified by Li Minghuan''s ferocity, especially the women like Su Xinya. Being naturally timid, they turned pale upon seeing Li Minghuan''s fierce demeanor. "How can this be possible?" Luo Ruihe''s face turned pale, unable to believe this was actually happening. His group of more than fifty people, they couldn''t stand up to Li Minghuan alone? More than fifty people, either dead or injured, and those wounded seeing the terrifying Li Minghuan scrambled away in fear. Luo Ruihe felt a chill throughout his body, looking at Li Minghuan as if he had seen a ghost. Because he knew that after Li Minghuan finished dealing with his little brothers, he would be next. And Su Xinya and the others were already stunned. How could this guy fight like this? Even though he was a soldier, wasn''t this too exaggerated? Then, Wei Guolin, with a cigar in his mouth, slowly walked toward the stunned Luo Ruihe, and without waiting for a reaction, kicked him down to the ground. Wei Guolin mocked, "Weren''t you pretty tough just now? Saying you''d chop me to death, now go ahead and try to chop me?" Chapter 484 - 484: Put Her Down While speaking, Wei Guolin even deliberately patted his own neck, his eyes showing a fierce glint and his face wearing a mocking smile. Luo Ruihe was so frightened that he didn''t dare to utter a word, as he feared he would end up like his own subordinates. "Boss, you''ve scared this kid into silence," Yang Zhuoxiong said with a cold laugh next to Wei Guolin, looking disdainfully at Luo Ruihe. "Heh, what a waste," Wei Guolin snorted with laughter, then said to Luo Ruihe, "Aren''t you going to kneel down? Do I have to do it myself?" Luo Ruihe clenched his teeth, but still knelt down obediently, keeping his head down, without uttering a word. The silence at this moment highlighted his inner fear and anxiety even more. "What a silly dog!" Wei Guolin then taunted. "I told you, you''re definitely coming home with me tonight!" Li Minghuan approached Xinya, grabbed her, and said with a wild grin, all while behaving uninhibitedly. "Let go of me!" Xinya swung her jade hand and hit Li Minghuan in the face, but he caught it. Li Minghuan smirked at Xinya, his face showing a hint of intoxication: "Tough on the inside while soft on the outside, tasty! I like that!" "You shameless!" Xinya''s face turned red; her beautiful eyes were brimming with tears, making her look helpless. "You''re right, I am shameless, but what can you do about it? Can you resist me?" Li Minghuan laughed proudly, lifting Xinya up and walking out. "Let me go! Let me go!" Xinya struggled incessantly, crying out in desperation, but no matter how she struggled, she couldn''t escape from Li Minghuan''s grasp. "Let her go, or we will call the police!" Gu Qingcheng also stood up, glaring at Wei Guolin and the others. Luo Ruihe was unreliable, and Hao Jian, the coward, was even less worth mentioning. Now they could only rely on their own strength to save Xinya. "Yes, we will call the police!" Xinya''s friends all stood up. "Call the police? Whoever dares to call the police, I''ll slash their face!" Wei Guolin threatened fiercely, then turned to Li Minghuan: "Brother Li, just go, I''ll handle things here. You just enjoy yourself." Hearing Wei Guolin say this, Xinya''s female friends all seemed less defiant, as no woman would be indifferent about her appearance. Disfiguring, which was undoubtedly the cruelest torture for a woman. Seeing that no one dared to speak again, Wei Guolin also laughed triumphantly. At this time, Li Minghuan laughed as he carried Xinya toward the door. "Whoosh!" A bowl of Yangchun noodles flew through the air. "Bang!" It landed squarely on Li Minghuan''s head, and noodles slowly slid down his hair. Li Minghuan stopped in his tracks, reached up to touch his hair, and grabbed a handful of noodles. Then, his smile froze, and his face turned from white to livid, his expression twisting fiercely. At the same time, Gu Qingcheng and the others were stunned. Who was so bold to provoke Li Minghuan, this terrible god? Who even dared to splash a bowl of Yangchun noodles on him? Li Minghuan turned around, looking at Gu Qingcheng and the others, "Just now, who splashed me?" At this moment, Gu Qingcheng and the others all turned their heads, their gaze fixed on Hao Jian, who was still eating at the dining table. Li Minghuan also stared at Hao Jian, his eyes narrowing into slits, emitting a startling cold glare. At this moment, Xinya seemed to realize what had happened, stopped crying, and stared eagerly at Hao Jian. "Hiss..." Hao Jian slurped a noodle into his mouth, without lifting his head, he pointed at Xinya: "Put her down!" Li Minghuan froze, everyone froze. Was Hao Jian challenging Li Minghuan? Had he lost his mind? They had all seen Li Minghuan''s methods just now; he could take on dozens single-handedly. Hao Jian daring to challenge him like this was clearly suicidal. Gu Qingcheng frowned at Hao Jian, curiosity flickering in her eyes; she felt she understood him less and less. Li Minghuan initially startled, then mockingly asked, "And why should I?" "Because shortly I will break your legs and make you eat your own toes," Hao Jian lifted his head, his face squeezing into a warm smile. If this smile were in another setting, it certainly would have charmed many girls, but in this situation, it seemed very inappropriate and awkward. Hearing Hao Jian say this, Gu Qingcheng and the others couldn''t help but inhale sharply. Was this guy seriously not wanting to live? "Alright, alright, I want to see how you''re going to make me eat my own toes!" Li Minghuan laughed in fury, threw Xinya down, and walked toward Hao Jian. At that moment, he had been infuriated by Hao Jian, and the only thought in his heart was to make this arrogant fool pay for his arrogance! "Brother Li, you don''t need to deal with such matters yourself; let me clean up this ignorant fool for you!" Wei Guolin volunteered, clearly trying to curry favor. "No, I want to do it myself, I want to crush every single bone in his body!" Li Minghuan said fiercely and then charged like lightning, delivering a front kick straight to Hao Jian''s face. "Be careful!" Gu Qingcheng cried out in alarm, extremely anxious because she knew very well how terrifying that kick of Li Minghuan was, having just watched him kick a man to death with it. Even before the kick landed, the murderous aura had arrived. Gu Qingcheng and the others couldn''t help but close their eyes tightly, unable to bear witnessing the scene of Hao Jian''s head splitting into pieces. At the same time, Luo Ruihe, who was kneeling not far away, also showed a trace of Schadenfreude in his smile. This is the baser nature of humans; if both parties are suffering, and one''s suffering is more severe, people tend to naturally feel Schadenfreude, which was exactly what Luo Ruihe felt at that moment. He was now kneeling down, forced by Wei Guolin and others, which was quite embarrassing, but Hao Jian was in an even worse situation, perhaps even on the verge of losing his life. As Li Minghuan''s kick came, his face wore a crazed and cruel smile, believing that Hao Jian would never be able to withstand the force of his kick and would be killed instantly. Meanwhile, a mocking smile also spread across Hao Jian''s face as he slowly raised his hand, and with a nonchalance akin to a gentle breeze, he reached forward. Li Minghuan was amused yet furious at Hao Jian''s demeanor; how dare he dismiss his powerful strike as nothing? "Bang!" A loud sound erupted, and a strong gust spread in all directions. Gu Qingcheng and the others couldn''t help but cover their eyes, and when they opened them again, their faces were filled with shock. Because the scene before them was utterly shocking. In front of them, Hao Jian was confronting Li Minghuan head-on, blocking Li Minghuan''s terrifying kick. What shocked them even more was that Hao Jian had blocked Li Minghuan''s kick with just one finger. Not just Gu Qingcheng and the others, but even Li Minghuan himself was shocked. How was it possible? His kick was powerful enough to shatter stone, yet this guy blocked it with just a finger? Hao Jian, with one hand against Li Minghuan''s shoe sole, flashed a mocking smile and leisurely looked at Li Minghuan, "If violence isn''t for the sake of killing, it''s meaningless. Of course, bullying the weak and mistreating women may be your thing, but this time... you''ve really messed with the wrong person!" Immediately, Hao Jian caught Li Minghuan''s leg with a counter-hand catch while Li Minghuan, being an experienced martial artist, quickly swept his other leg toward Hao Jian''s face in a side kick. But it was already too late for Li Minghuan to act; Hao Jian lifted him up and then harshly threw him out, resulting in a thunderous crash as Li Minghuan was suddenly flung out of the room and landed in the courtyard. At this moment, everyone''s surprise had reached an indescribable level, and faces like Wei Guolin''s turned dark. They all knew very well about Li Minghuan''s skills, hence they held him in high respect, but they hadn''t expected that Li Minghuan would be thrown out in such a humiliating manner by Hao Jian. In front of Hao Jian, Li Minghuan seemed no longer able to continue his undefeated legend. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Thus, seeing Li Minghuan downed by Hao Jian made everyone vaguely uneasy. "This guy, he must be pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger!" Gu Qingcheng said somewhat displeased, but her face betrayed a hint of a smile. "Isn''t this guy a teacher? How come he''s even better at fighting than these villains? That doesn''t make sense," a woman said. "Teacher? Which part of him looks like a teacher to you?" another stylishly dressed woman retorted. "Then like what?" "Like the man of my dreams!" the woman said with stars in her eyes, completely captivated by Hao Jian''s imposing figure as he flicked Li Minghuan away with a flick of his finger. "Pah! So shameless!" the latter couldn''t help but mutter sarcastically. "What are you joking about at a time like this?" Gu Qingcheng frowned at her sisters, showing a sort of exasperation as if they had never seen a man before, and although this man was out of the ordinary, it wasn''t to that extent. Li Minghuan, having been thrown out of the room, was also dumbstruck. When had he ever suffered such humiliation? "This guy, who is he, and how can he be so fearsome?" Li Minghuan quickly rolled up and warily watched Hao Jian, who was strolling leisurely out as if he were walking in his own backyard. Hao Jian clenched his fist and looked down at Li Minghuan from a height, "Thinking you''re invincible after dealing with some trash? Daring to snatch someone in front of me, your guts are too fat." "So now, I''m going to keep my promise and make you eat your toes inside your stomach!" "Die!" Li Minghuan roared in fury and charged toward Hao Jian; he could not tolerate such an insult from Hao Jian. Li Minghuan leaped into the air, sweeping a kick at Hao Jian''s face. Chapter 485 - 485: Eating Ones Own Toes ``` "Still coming? You just can''t learn to behave, huh!" Hao Jian sneered in extreme anger, and then hurled his fist out to meet Li Minghuan''s foot. "Bang!" The fist struck Li Minghuan''s leg, and instantly a sound of cracking bones reverberated; Li Minghuan''s face turned green on the spot. Li Minghuan screamed miserably, falling to the ground like a lump of mud, his body convulsing continuously as he clutched his leg. In a head-on confrontation, Li Minghuan was no match for Hao Jian. Wei Guolin and the others were scared silly; it was clear to them that Li Minghuan was not in the same league as Hao Jian. If the first time Li Minghuan made his move and was blocked by Hao Jian was an accident, this second time made everything clear. Wei Guolin found it hard to believe that Li Minghuan could lose. Li Minghuan had after all served as a soldier in the chaotic Middle East region, once known as the ''Slaughterer of a Thousand'', implying he had led a hundred men to wipe out a thousand enemies, thus earning a thunderous reputation. This was also why Wei Guolin spent a fortune to bring him back to serve as his bodyguard; although he called him a bodyguard, Wei Guolin treated Li Minghuan like an Emperor. Li Minghuan had never disappointed Wei Guolin; no matter whom Wei Guolin ordered Li Minghuan to kill, he always completed the mission successfully. Therefore, Wei Guolin had near-blind faith in Li Minghuan, and now seeing Li Minghuan unable to withstand a single move from Hao Jian, he simply couldn''t believe his eyes! Hao Jian looked down at Li Minghuan from above: "Perhaps you''re a god in the eyes of others, but to me, you''re nothing more than trash that bullies the weak." Li Minghuan looked at Hao Jian with shame and anger, but he was unable to utter a word, filled with doubt and disbelief. How could this guy be so powerful, what was his background? "Now, chop off your toes and eat them, or I''ll twist off your head!" Hao Jian said expressionlessly. He was a man who always did as he said, especially with the likes of Li Minghuan who bullied the weak; he would show no mercy. Li Minghuan''s expression was extremely unsightly, and he turned to look at Wei Guolin, seemingly hoping that Wei Guolin could save him. Indeed, now only Wei Guolin might be able to save him. "Kid, let him go, or I''ll make you regret it!" Wei Guolin, realizing what Li Minghuan intended, stepped forward and threatened Hao Jian, though his voice lacked any real confidence. If even Li Minghuan was no match for Hao Jian, how could Wei Guolin dare to act rashly? At this moment, he was merely putting on a show. He was feeling quite miserable inside, almost cursing Li Minghuan to death, blaming him for what he had gotten them into. Wasn''t this just pushing him out to take the fall? As expected, Hao Jian glared back at Wei Guolin and sneered: "Where do you get your confidence from?" Wei Guolin''s expression stiffened, but he still managed to muster some courage and said, "I know you can fight, but in this world, being able to fight isn''t everything. I will use all the power at my disposal to deal with you. If you let Li Minghuan go, we can forget this matter and will also stop troubling Su Xinya. Everyone takes a step back, how about it?" "If you dare say another word, you too will chop off your toes and eat them!" Hao Jian scoffed coldly. Then, Wei Guolin didn''t dare to say another word. Li Minghuan was completely desperate, lying on the ground like a dead dog. Meanwhile, Gu Qingcheng and the others were completely stunned. Wasn''t this plot twist a bit too dramatic? Just a moment ago, Wei Guolin and his companion were lording it over everyone, and now they didn''t dare to even pass gas? "If you don''t do it, then I will." Hao Jian snorted coldly. "I''ll chop!" Li Minghuan bellowed, knowing he had no other choice, for losing toes was better than losing his life. Having survived the battlefield for many years, Li Minghuan understood one thing deeply: to live at all costs! Let alone eating toes, even if it were shit, it wouldn''t matter! "Give him a knife." Hao Jian said to Gu Qingcheng. Gu Qingcheng nodded with a smile, turned around to fetch a dinner knife, and handed it to Li Minghuan. The look she gave Li Minghuan carried a hint of inexplicable amusement. Li Minghuan gave Gu Qingcheng a complex look, filled with suspicion. What was with this woman, what did that meaningful smile imply? Was she mocking him? Li Minghuan was full of resentful grudges, really wishing he could execute Gu Qingcheng right then and there. "Do it!" Hao Jian said impatiently to Li Minghuan. Li Minghuan looked up with a little fear in his eyes, hesitated for a moment, but then lifted the knife. "All of you turn your heads away." Hao Jian said to Gu Qingcheng and the other women. ``` Hearing this, Gu Qingcheng and the others all burst into laughter. "What''s so funny? Did I say something wrong?" Hao Jian wore an utterly puzzled expression. Gu Qingcheng glared at Hao Jian with annoyance and teased, "I mean, aren''t you underestimating us a bit too much? Each of us sisters has seen our fair share of turmoil, what''s the big deal about watching someone self-mutilate?" Hao Jian was shocked. He had specifically told them to turn their heads so as not to frighten them, and yet they didn''t seem to take it seriously at all? "Alright, I apologize for underestimating you," Hao Jian said, scratching his head in embarrassment, and then looked towards Li Minghuan, "Get on with it, chop-chop. Everyone''s waiting to see your ''performance''!" Performance??? Li Minghuan felt such humiliation that he wanted to kill. Wasn''t he mutilating himself? Performance? That''s too insulting! Although Li Minghuan''s face was full of resentment, he didn''t dare hesitate; he swiftly chopped off all five of his own toes. It must be said, Li Minghuan truly lived up to being a soldier; chopping off his five toes without even frowning, as if it were nothing at all. Then, Li Minghuan disgracefully picked up his toes and ate them one by one, crunching loudly as he did so. Normally, if fingers or toes are severed, they could potentially be reattached if the cells had not completely died, but if you eat them... After he finished eating, Li Minghuan looked up at Hao Jian with a ghastly expression and asked, "Can I go now?" "Of course not, you haven''t chopped off your other leg yet." Hao Jian nodded toward Li Minghuan''s other leg. "What? But didn''t you say that chopping off one leg would be enough?" Li Minghuan was dumbfounded. Was this guy tricking him? "When did I say one leg would be enough? I only mentioned your toes; I didn''t say just one leg. You kicked twice, shouldn''t you pay the price with both legs?" Hao Jian acted as if it was the most natural thing in the world. At Hao Jian''s words, Gu Qingcheng and the others couldn''t help but snort with laughter. This guy really had no shame. But Li Minghuan couldn''t laugh. In his heart, he cursed every ancestor Hao Jian had. Too damn aggravating. Who does this? He never specified a clear amount at the beginning, and now suddenly he''s changing his tune. Just thinking about how he had lost the toes on both his legs, Li Minghuan felt as if a herd of ten thousand Caonimas were storming through his mind. And were toes so delicious? Damn it, he could even smell his own foot odor! "Hurry up and eat, or I''ll kill you!" Hao Jian said decisively. Li Minghuan really felt like crying. He wished he could slap himself twice. Why had he been so blinded by lust? If he hadn''t been so foolish, would he be in all this trouble now? He felt incredibly unlucky. Such monsters were rare, yet he had just returned to the country and immediately encountered one. With no other choice, Li Minghuan chopped off the toes from his other leg and ate them. When he finished, he nearly vomited. The mix of foot odor with the scent of blood was indescribably vile! "Alright, after you kill this Fatty, you can leave," Hao Jian said, pointing at Wei Guolin to Li Minghuan. "What?" Li Minghuan''s face turned completely green. Was this guy changing his tune again? "You didn''t add this condition just now! That''s not fair!" Li Minghuan said angrily. This guy was just playing with him like a monkey. He''d rather be killed directly than continue this way. The most innocent one at this time should be Wei Guolin. He didn''t understand why he was getting shot while lying down. Li Minghuan had just been punished with amputation for kicking Hao Jian, yet he hadn''t done anything¡ªwhy should he be the one to die? This was all because everything had started with Wei Guolin, who was so full of himself that he didn''t treat Su Xinya as human, thinking that his power and influence meant he could bully others with impunity. So in a sense, he was even more detestable than Li Minghuan. "I added it just now, is there a problem? Don''t forget who''s the boss here!" Hao Jian curled his lip, amused by Li Minghuan''s plea for fairness. Had Li Minghuan thought about fairness when he was bullying others before? Li Minghuan hesitated as he looked at Wei Guolin; after all, Wei was his boss, and he felt somewhat embarrassed about killing him. Feeling Li Minghuan''s gaze, Wei Guolin shuddered. He could tell that Li Minghuan was hesitant about whether or not to kill him. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Why do you have to kill him?" Li Minghuan asked Hao Jian with a complicated expression. "I''m afraid he might hold a grudge and seek revenge against me or my friends later on," Hao Jian explained. What he truly feared was Wei Guolin troubling Su Xinya later. Even if Wei Guolin didn''t dare confront Su Xinya openly, causing her trouble in secret seemed inevitable. "I won''t, I promise!" Wei Guolin said anxiously. Hao Jian glanced at Wei Guolin and responded, "Even if you won''t now, you might think differently about this incident later and still want to cause trouble... Haha, I don''t trust you." Chapter 486 - 486: Will it Reach Heaven? ``` "Enough talk, either he dies or you die, choose!" Hao Jian said coldly, unwilling to waste any further words with Li Minghuan. Immediately after, Li Minghuan sighed helplessly, "Don''t blame me, I have no other choice." Upon hearing this, Wei Guolin was suddenly dumbstruck. Had Li Minghuan made his choice? "Li Minghuan, you can''t do this; I''ve been good to you!" Wei Guolin wailed. "If I don''t kill you, I''ll die, so it''s better that you die!" Li Minghuan stumbled towards Wei Guolin. "You bastard, you son of a bitch!" Wei Guolin roared weakly, his corpulent body retreating continuously. "Go to hell!" Wei Guolin''s cursing not only failed to have any effect, but it also fueled further anger. "Yang Zhuoxiong, save me quickly!" Wei Guolin grabbed Yang Zhuoxiong and used him as a human shield. "It''s not my fault, it''s not my fault!" Yang Zhuoxiong yelled, pushing Wei Guolin away before fleeing himself. At this moment, despair was the only way to describe Wei Guolin''s feelings. He wished he could drag these two disloyal beasts to hell with him, if only he could. Li Minghuan punched Wei Guolin in the head, sending him flying for over a dozen meters; Wei Guolin''s skull shattered, his neck twisted, and he died on the spot. "Clap clap clap..." Hao Jian clapped his hands and then said to Li Minghuan, "I appreciate your shamelessness. Now, you can run away, because I''ve already called the police, and we all saw you kill Wei Guolin." Li Minghuan looked at Hao Jian with extreme annoyance, his face turning green with anger. He had indeed been played for a fool by Hao Jian. Forced to eat his own toe, to kill his own boss, and now to flee the country to escape the trouble, could this man be his nemesis? S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Li Minghuan and his group were all chased away by Hao Jian. It was only then that Hao Jian came back to his senses, crossing his arms and looking at Su Xinya, "Three times, including this one, I''ve saved you three times!" Su Xinya didn''t speak but rushed towards Hao Jian with tears in her eyes, and before Hao Jian could react, she threw herself at him and kissed him on the lips in an instant. Hao Jian instinctively wanted to struggle but was met with Su Xinya''s fierce growl, "Don''t dodge!" Hao Jian was stunned but did indeed stop moving. Su Xinya''s lips left a blush on his, relieved that Hao Jian hadn''t embarrassed her. "Xinya, you''re so cunning!" "Oh dear, why didn''t I think of that!" "Too slow, such a misstep!" Watching Su Xinya force a kiss on Hao Jian, the other women all had expressions of regret on their faces. Hao Jian felt the sweet, moist heat of her lips pressed against his, losing himself for a moment. Before he knew it, the kiss lasted for two whole minutes, both of them seemingly lost in passion. "Hey hey hey, that''s enough, do you think we''re dead?" Gu Qingcheng said irritably. Did these two think this was their own home? Su Xinya let go of Hao Jian, a little shy, her face as red as a monkey''s butt. This was her first kiss with a man, and the first time she had been so proactive, but she did not regret it because Hao Jian was worth it. After all, Hao Jian was the first woman to make her heart flutter. "Xinya, I didn''t see that coming. You always seem so prim and proper, but deep down, you also have a fierce tiger inside," Gu Qingcheng teased. "Demon Gu, stop teasing me!" Su Xinya said with blushing cheeks, growing even more shy. "You''ve certainly brought the right person this time. If you hadn''t brought him, you really would''ve been in trouble today." "Hao Jian, are you really a teacher? Where did you learn these Kung Fu skills?" "Hao Jian, come back to my place tonight, I''ll give you a memory unlike any you''ve ever had before." The women talked all at once, their thirsty appearance as if they wanted to devour Hao Jian alive. And Luo Ruihe was already too ashamed to stay there any longer, knowing that staying would only bring more embarrassment. He had failed to handle a situation that Hao Jian had easily resolved; he should be relieved that Hao Jian hadn''t killed him. After struggling free from those demonesses, refusing their suggestion to play some multi-fly action, Su Xinya went home honestly. In the car, the atmosphere turned somewhat silent. After what had just happened, Su Xinya was very shy and didn''t dare to talk much with Hao Jian. Suddenly, Su Xinya thought of something, her cheeks flushed with a delighted smile, breaking the silence, "Hao Jian, do you think that after people die, they go to Heaven?" ``` "No, you get taken to the crematorium." Hao Jian didn''t even think before he answered. "..." Su Xinya''s expression turned dark immediately. A perfectly good sentence was successfully ruined by Hao Jian. Su Xinya had wanted to say something touching at that moment, but Hao Jian made her so flustered that she didn''t know what to say anymore. "What? Did I say something wrong?" Seeing that Su Xinya was silent, Hao Jian immediately realized he might have misspoken, but I didn''t say anything incorrect, after all, people do go to the crematorium when they die, right? "I hate your bluntness." Su Xinya said mournfully, that idiot had destroyed the feelings she had been brewing with great difficulty. "Oh, okay, then. I believe there is a Heaven, where kind people go and bask in the merciful sacred light of Jesus Christ for eternal life. Actually, I think going to the Heavenly Court would be better, since that''s the god of us Huaxia people," offered Hao Jian. With a snort, Su Xinya laughed at what Hao Jian said. Then, with a hint of sadness in her voice, she said, "Actually, my dad died when I was very young. It was my mom who brought me up. Before he died, my dad told me that he wasn''t really dead, but had gone to Heaven and that he would ask God to send down an angel to protect me." "You still believe that?" Hao Jian laughed. He didn''t expect Su Xinya to have such an innocent side. "I didn''t believe it until today." Su Xinya stared at Hao Jian, her eyes gleaming. "Hao Jian, I think you might just be the angel sent by God to protect me." Hao Jian looked a bit embarrassed and said, "Are you confessing to me?" "Pfft, although I admit I''m fond of you, there''s still a gap before it becomes liking," Su Xinya stuck out her tongue at Hao Jian, making a playful face. "That''s good, then. Now I can rest easy." Hao Jian let out a sigh of relief and patted his chest. "Hey, what''s that supposed to mean? I''m a star, you know. Liking you would be your blessing; what''s with that look on your face?" Su Xinya said unhappily. Was she really that bad? As if it were a crime if she happened to fancy Hao Jian. "No, you know that I''m already married. If you were to fall for me, then you''d be out of luck," joked Hao Jian. "I see, you''re quite faithful." Su Xinya was somewhat surprised as she looked at Hao Jian. She hadn''t expected this hooligan to actually have such a quality about him. "Of course! I''m the model of a good man on the Huaxia server," bragged Hao Jian shamelessly. After escorting Su Xinya to her place, Hao Jian was ready to leave: "Good night, get some rest early." Su Xinya turned back and lightly touched Hao Jian as she said, "Don''t get the wrong idea, it''s not because I like you, but because I''m grateful that you saved me today." "Don''t worry, I won''t misunderstand," Hao Jian smiled and then waved goodbye to Su Xinya before driving off. .... "Young Master, about Hao Jian..." "No need to say it, I already know." Liang Jiankun waved his hand, standing on the balcony looking somewhat fatigued. Clearly, he was aware of the beating Kong Xiaozhen had received from Hao Jian. What he couldn''t understand though was how Hao Jian had gotten involved with the Murong Family. If the Murong Family was interfering, he had no way to deal with Hao Jian. The attendant hesitated for a moment before speaking again, "Young Master He Changhuan has also come." "He Changhuan? What''s he doing here?" Liang Jiankun''s expression changed slightly; he had no close ties with He Changhuan. However, since He Changhuan had come to see him, there must be a significant reason. Liang Jiankun pondered for a moment and then said, "Let him in!" Before long, under the attendant''s guidance, He Changhuan arrived, dressed in understated luxury, with a calm demeanor and an elegant bearing. Although he was in his forties, he still had a charming presence typical of a mature man. "Jiankun, long time no see," greeted He Changhuan, a cheerful man true to his name. But Liang Jiankun wasn''t in the mood to reciprocate, asking indifferently, "What do you want?" "Look at you, we haven''t seen each other for years, and you''re still so heartless," He Changhuan laughed. "Show him out!" Liang Jiankun said brusquely. "Wait! I''ve come today to talk to you about Hao Jian." He Changhuan stopped joking and spoke seriously. "Hao Jian? You want to deal with him?" Liang Jiankun immediately grasped He Changhuan''s intent. "Don''t you want to? That guy has humiliated both our families. As long as he''s alive, our families will be the laughingstock of others. Don''t you mind that?" He Changhuan asked with a smile. "What''s the use of minding? Perhaps you''re not aware that he''s now involved with the Murong Family? With the Murong Family backing him up, trying to kill him is a fool''s dream," Liang Jiankun scoffed. How easy would it be to kill Hao Jian now? The man''s personal power alone was already terrifying. And with the Murong Family backing him up, that made it nearly impossible. "Murong Family? This world''s fearsome overlords aren''t limited to just the Murong Family!" Hearing this, He Changhuan laughed lightly instead. "Huh?" Liang Jiankun frowned, not quite understanding the meaning behind He Changhuan''s words. If He Changhuan dared to say this without having something to rely on, then he must be out of his mind. Chapter 487 - 487: The Logic of Fists "I''ve been developing overseas these years and just happened to meet Third Young Master Ye. We hit it off right away and quickly became friends," He Changhuan said with some pride. The Ye Family is also one of the four prestigious families, so it''s no wonder He Changhuan was proud to have made a connection with them. Upon hearing this, Liang Jiankun finally showed some emotion. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "What are you planning to do?" "Cooperate. If our two families join forces against Hao Jian with my relationship with Third Young Master Ye, he will surely stand with us," He Changhuan proposed. "Relationship? I''m afraid you''re nothing but his dog," Liang Jiankun sneered to himself. Given He Changhuan''s status, he didn''t believe the man could earn a place in Third Young Master Ye''s eyes. Third Young Master Ye was notoriously unruly and overbearing. Forget about friends, he didn''t even have any close confidants. Did He Changhuan even qualify to call himself a friend? However, though he thought this, Liang Jiankun didn''t show it, but replied with a sneer, "How do I know what kind of cooperation you''re talking about? What if you want the Liang Family simply to be cannon fodder?" "Since we''ve agreed to cooperate, I will naturally show sincerity. I''ve already asked Third Young Master Ye for permission, and he has allowed me to take action against Hao Jian. Even the Murong Family''s intervention will be useless! Therefore, the He Family will be the first to take the lead against Hao Jian!" He Changhuan confidently stated. On hearing this, Liang Jiankun''s heart settled into peace. As he had thought, He Changhuan was nothing but the other''s lackey. After all, he had clearly heard He Changhuan use the words "ask for permission" and "allowed." If he wasn''t Third Young Master Ye''s dog, why would he need to ask permission? "How do you want to cooperate?" Liang Jiankun, now interested, asked. Though he knew that He Changhuan relying on the Ye Family might not bode well for them. But to Liang Jiankun, Hao Jian was the more hateful one. "Before coming back, I already investigated Hao Jian''s background, and I''ve discovered his weakness¡ªit''s the women around him. If we strike at the women by his side, we can doom him," He Changhuan said with a cold laugh. "Attack women? That''s really despicable," Liang Jiankun sneered, showing disdain for He Changhuan''s tactics. Although he hated Hao Jian, he had never stooped to targeting innocent women. He felt it was a shameless act; he had his pride, preferring a stalemate with Hao Jian rather than bullying women. Hearing Liang Jiankun''s words, He Changhuan wasn''t angered. Instead, he laughed and said, "Great undertakings do not get entangled in trifles. I will spare no expense to take down that brat!" "How you decide to act is your business, but I won''t lay a hand on women," Liang Jiankun said expressionlessly, not so base in character. "Fine, dealing with Hao Jian''s women will be up to me. As for the rest..." He Changhuan looked at Liang Jiankun with a smirk bordering on a smile. "I know what to do," Liang Jiankun huffed coldly. ....... After a week passed, Hao Jian had been resting at home. Driven by Du Yuelin''s persistent urging, Hao Jian had no choice but to continue his job at the school. But as soon as he arrived at the school gate, he saw Che Xiaoxiao and others in a standoff with a group of burly men. Hao Jian felt a headache coming on. Damn it, couldn''t these dead weights keep to themselves for once? Always causing trouble and nearly making his blood boil in frustration. "I''m giving you three minutes to leave, or else don''t blame me for not being polite!" said a man in a basketball uniform, holding a basketball, as he stood at the front of the crowd. Clearly, these burly men were his underlings. "On what grounds? This basketball court is a public facility. It''s meant for everyone. Why should it be just for you to use?" Che Xiaoxiao angrily retorted. They had intended to play basketball here on this public court, only to find this annoying guy trying to drive them away without a word. "On what grounds? Because my fists are bigger!" Wei Guoming waved his fists and sneered. "From today on, this basketball court is mine, Wei Guoming''s private court. Without my permission, no one is allowed to use it, and if you want to, you have to pay!" "Of course, if you''re willing to grab a drink with me, I wouldn''t mind letting you come here every day," Wei Guoming said as he approached Xiaoxiao, twirling her chin and leering at her. This kind of harassment was brazen and undisguised. Luo Tong and others couldn''t help but show their fury. This man had taken their basketball court and was now making advances on Xiaoxiao. If not for their overwhelming numbers, they''d have attacked Wei Guoming on the spot. "Fine, but you have to agree to one condition," Xiaoxiao said, pretending to be shy. "Hmm?" Wei Guoming was taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to agree so readily. It was just offhand remark, and he certainly didn''t expect her to accept it. Suddenly, Wei Guoming''s grin was so wide he couldn''t close his mouth. "Not just one condition, even ten is fine. Just say it!" "I''m too embarrassed," Xiaoxiao said coyly, looking down and acting shy. "It''s okay, you tell me. No matter what it is, I will agree," Wei Guoming said, eyeing Xiaoxiao''s pitiful look, itching to devour her. Wei Guoming had been successfully aroused by Xiaoxiao. "Then lean in closer, I want to whisper in your ear," Xiaoxiao lifted her eyes, gazing at Wei Guoming with amorous intent. "Fine... finefinefinefine, come on." Wei Guoming was startled for a moment, then hurriedly scurried up with a disgusting lecherous grin on his face, looking like a pervert. Wei Guoming brought his ear close to Che Xiaoxiao, ready to hear what sweet nothings she would whisper to him. Che Xiaoxiao also slowly leaned towards Wei Guoming, who immediately smelled an intoxicating fragrance, utterly enraptured. With a slow smile, Che Xiaoxiao said, "Promise me you''ll go see a doctor right away afterwards." "Huh? Why?" Wei Guoming couldn''t help but be stunned. What was the need to see a doctor all of a sudden? "Because you''re going to hear the sound of eggs cracking very soon!" Che Xiaoxiao said playfully, then suddenly lifted her leg and delivered a fierce Groin Kick to Wei Guoming''s crotch. Wei Guoming''s face instantly turned from white to blue, then he doubled over like a boiled shrimp and collapsed to the ground. "Young Master!" Seeing Wei Guoming like this, the muscular brutes hastily came to his aid. They had not expected the petite and cute Che Xiaoxiao to strike with such ferocity, debilitated Wei Guoming with a single Groin Kick. The bodyguards tried to grab Che Xiaoxiao, but she had already taken off running, cursing as she fled, "You little beast, blinded by your dog eyes, you dare take advantage of me, not even checking who you are!" "Catch her!" Wei Guoming roared hoarsely. He swore he would catch Che Xiaoxiao and then torture her with the most brutal cruelty! With that, the bodyguards rushed forward. "Run, what are you doing just standing there like idiots? Waiting to get beaten up?" Che Xiaoxiao angrily yelled at Luo Tong and others who were standing around dumbfounded. "But... Teacher Hao Jian is here," Zhang Jia said, pointing at Hao Jian not far away. With Hao Jian present, there was nothing to fear. "Hao Jian?" Che Xiaoxiao was taken aback, then turned her head to see that Hao Jian was indeed approaching slowly. "Then what are we waiting for? Close the door, unleash Hao Jian! Damn it!" Che Xiaoxiao shouted, her face flushing with excitement. Hearing Che Xiaoxiao''s words almost made Hao Jian trip over. Unleash him? Was he being treated like a dog? Hao Jian glared fiercely at Che Xiaoxiao, thinking he''d settle the score with her later. Walking straight to Wei Guoming, Hao Jian said to him, "Take off your pants!" "What?" Wei Guoming thought he had misunderstood. Was this guy asking him to take off his pants? "I said take off your pants!" Hao Jian repeated. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Are you freaking brain-dead? Why should I take them off just because you say so?" Wei Guoming retorted angrily. This guy must be nuts. "Because my fist is bigger than yours," Hao Jian chuckled. Wei Guoming had used this reason to make Che Xiaoxiao and the others leave earlier, and now he used it to force Wei Guoming into a humiliating action. "What are you all doing just standing there? Why don''t you get this idiot away from me?" Wei Guoming bellowed furiously; he was too bloody angry¡ªthere seemed to be an unusual number of lunatics around these days. Wei Guoming''s bodyguards turned back and advanced on Hao Jian with formidable determination, one of them reaching for Hao Jian''s shoulder. But before the hand even touched Hao Jian''s shoulder, he was already sent flying. "What, what did he do?" Everyone was stunned; they hadn''t seen Hao Jian do anything, only their companion flying out. "I didn''t see clearly!" another one answered. Hao Jian didn''t waste words. With a fierce stomp, his foot fell just in front of Wei Guoming''s crotch on the floor, causing it to crack instantly. The fissures spread across the area, sinking into a large pit. Wei Guoming''s eyes nearly bulged out. What would happen if that foot had landed on his jewels? And Wei Guoming''s bodyguards, seeing Hao Jian''s action, also dared not make a sound, clearly frightened as well. Just one stomp created a pit¡ªif it landed on a person, they would likely be dead or severely injured. "Me, I''m not one to waste words either. So, hurry the hell up and take off your pants!" Hao Jian started with a laugh, then suddenly bellowed. Wei Guoming and the others were shocked. They were all freaking confused; what did he mean by taking off pants? Could this guy be gay? But Wei Guoming and the others didn''t dare to hesitate, seeing the malice spelled out in Hao Jian''s eyes. If they didn''t strip as told, they might end up like the floor. Chapter 488 - 488: Men, Not a Single Good One Wei Guoming glanced at the crowd around him and said with an unpleasant expression, "Bro, how about we reason this out?" "Reason this out? The one with the bigger fists has the hard truth, isn''t that what you said?" Hao Jian sneered coldly. Upon hearing this, Wei Guoming wished he could slap himself twice, "Well, I''ll never come to this basketball court again, is that okay with you?" "No problem, feel free to come anytime, I''ll always be welcoming." However, Hao Jian seemed very welcoming, believing that after this incident, Wei Guoming, even if he wanted to come, would not dare to. Hearing Hao Jian say this, Wei Guoming''s face turned as pale as death, and he was almost certain that Hao Jian intended to make him take off his pants. "How about I compensate you with some money?" Wei Guoming tentatively asked. "If you don''t take them off now, I think you might really end up in the hospital soon." Hao Jian was also gradually losing his patience. Wei Guoming was almost in tears, looking at Hao Jian with a complicated expression and then, feeling extremely aggrieved, he took off his pants in front of everyone, leaving only his underwear. Seeing that he had taken off his pants, his bodyguards could only helplessly follow suit. Several grown men stood in the middle of the road in their underwear, instantly drawing the attention of all onlookers. "Now, dance!" Hao Jian commanded. "Dance?" Wei Guoming and the others were stunned, thinking Hao Jian was really out to get them. "That''s right, dance!" Hao Jian chuckled and said, "Dance ''Two Tigers.'' If you don''t know how, I''ll have someone teach you. Dance for two hours, and then you can leave." "You''re being too much!" Wei Guoming said angrily, his face turning an ashen hue. It was bad enough to make them take off their pants, but now having them dance a children''s dance in their underwear was just too humiliating. Wei Guoming felt that he was a wealthy young man after all and had to maintain some semblance of dignity. If he had to dance a children''s dance for two hours here, wouldn''t everyone know about it? Then everyone would know that Wei Guoming stripped down to his underwear and danced like a fool on the street. Moreover, Wei Guoming lived nearby. If his neighbors saw this, wouldn''t they laugh him to death later? "Too much? But I''m just being reasonable!" Hao Jian swung his fists, looking at Wei Guoming with admiration, "Of course, you can choose not to dance." "Heh, you say not to dance and I won''t dance? I''ll damn well dance!" Wei Guoming retorted proudly and then started dancing "Two Tigers." Everyone was shocked, Wei Guoming''s method of saving face was truly clever; they were at a loss for words. With a smile that was not quite a smile, Hao Jian glanced at Wei Guoming and then headed towards the school, casually pointing at Che Xiaoxiao and a few others, "You, you, you, and you, all come with me!" "Oh..." Che Xiaoxiao and the others followed behind Hao Jian with pouted lips, walking into the school. "Smack!" Hao Jian slammed the book onto the desk and then looked at Che Xiaoxiao and the others somewhat angrily, "How many times have I told you not to cause trouble? Why don''t you ever listen?" Hao Jian felt frustrated, as if iron could not be forged into steel. These guys clearly didn''t understand how dangerous the world could be. If it hadn''t been for his timely arrival, they would have been certainly taken care of. Even if they had hidden in the school, they eventually had to come out, and to people like Wei Guoming who had nothing better to do, what they had the most was time, plenty of time to deal with them. "It''s not our fault, they were the ones who took our court and wanted to kick us out first!" Che Xiaoxiao said, looking wronged. "Couldn''t you just give it to them? Don''t you know the saying, ''a moment of patience may ward off great disaster, to yield may bring fortune unbounded''?" Hao Jian said sternly. "Teacher, this is not what you taught us before." Luo Tong scratched his head and said. "That''s not? Impossible, this has always been my principle in life, to endure when one should." "Teacher, what you taught us was definitely not that." Zhang Jia also chimed in. "Not that? Then what did I teach you?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but ask. Zhao Yating continued, "You previously taught us: Don''t be a coward, just go for it. A man dies facing the sky, he lives for thousands of years if not. If you can fight, fight; if you can''t..." "If you can''t, then call on Hao Jian!" Che Xiaoxiao interrupted. "Che Xiaoxiao!!! Get out of here!!!" Hao Jian shouted hysterically, his voice echoing throughout the office. "What''s with the early morning fireworks?" At this moment, Qin Bing pushed the door open and walked in, having rushed back as soon as she heard Hao Jian had returned. "Teacher Qin, save us." Che Xiaoxiao and the others looked at Qin Bing with hopeful eyes. "Who allowed you to speak! Shut up!" Hao Jian said irritably, still daring to ask for help, do you have the gall? "You guys go out first," Qin Bing told Che Xiaoxiao and the others. Soon, only Hao Jian and Qin Bing were left in the office. "Did you come to see me for something?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. He had only just started work when Qin Bing came to look for him, so there must be a reason. "Where have you been for the past half-month, not even showing up for classes at school? Do you have any idea that the students in your class are about to explode?" sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I went abroad for some business," Hao Jian casually replied. "I bet you went abroad to flirt with some blonde hunks, didn''t you?" Qin Bing said with a teasing smile. "How could that be? You think I am..." Hao Jian laughed, about to retort, but suddenly remembered that Qin Bing had always thought he was GAY. "You think you are what?" Qin Bing asked, puzzled. "You think I''m that casual?" Hao Jian quickly corrected himself. "Who knows? Anyway, let''s drop that subject. Are you free tonight? I''ll take you to a nice place," Qin Bing suddenly said with a mysterious smile. Hao Jian paused for a moment and asked, "What kind of nice place?" "I can''t tell you right now, but you''ll find out tonight. Tell me, do you have any plans for today?" Qin Bing intentionally kept him in suspense, it wasn''t the moment to tell Hao Jian. After thinking for a bit, Hao Jian confirmed, "I''m free tonight." "That''s great, I''ll wait for you at the school gate at five o''clock sharp. I have to go now," Qin Bing said, standing up to leave. But when she reached the door, she turned back and winked playfully at Hao Jian, "You can start looking forward to it now." "This woman..." Hao Jian shook his head, at a loss for words. Immediately after, Hao Jian started to prepare his materials for class. "Sister, sister, are you in there? Something big has happened!" Meanwhile, in a luxurious villa, Ye Chunliang was excitedly banging on Ye Linglan''s door. This villa was just a few hundred meters from the Chinese Medicine Hospital and could be said to be extremely valuable, commanding a sky-high price in this area! That Ye Chunliang and his sister Linglan could live in such an expensive villa just showed their extraordinary background. To date, nobody knew their true identities, nor had they mentioned what their family did. Soon after, Ye Linglan came out with messy hair and a dirt-smudged face. At this moment, her eyes were sunken, she wore a T-shirt, and reeked, clearly indicating that she had not had an easy time while Hao Jian was away. During this period, she had been searching frantically for Hao Jian, afraid that he would leave her. Despite trying every possible means, she couldn''t find him. Incidentally, she had also approached Che Xiaoxiao and others, only for those jealous vixens to deceive Ye Linglan, telling her that Hao Jian had gone abroad and would never come back. After that, Ye Linglan went into seclusion, stopping attending school, staying in her room for one and a half months, spending her days lying in bed staring at the ceiling, and at night, cursing on the rooftop with a beer bottle in hand: "Hao Jian, you heartless bastard!" Every night, Ye Chunliang was woken up by a whirlwind of cursing and knocks from neighbors. The property management had also come looking for them several times, each time it was Ye Chunliang who had to answer the door. Linglan had been having a tough time these past half-month, but the truly miserable one was actually Chunliang. It was Linglan who caused the disturbance, but he was the one who had to apologize. To make matters worse, after apologizing, he still had to clean up the drunken mess that was Linglan. Chunliang had been through hell and back over these half-month. Opening the door, Linglan saw Chunliang standing before her. She gave a mocking smile, looking at Chunliang with disdain, "Men, there''s not a good one among them!" "..." "Sis, I''m your brother!" Chunliang pleaded, incredibly aggrieved. Over the past half-month, he had been tormented by Linglan to the point of death; complaints from the neighbors were one thing, but now even his own sister didn''t appreciate him¡ªhad he offended someone somehow? "So what? You''ll eventually get a girlfriend, and then you''ll abandon your girlfriend just like Hao Jian did!" Linglan said decisively; she was harboring some serious grudges against men now. And that was understandable, considering Linglan had just experienced her first relationship, only to be dumped by Hao Jian - how could she not be angry? Even if Hao Jian was angry, hadn''t she already apologized? She had also disbanded her gang, so why did Hao Jian still leave her? Where had she gone wrong? It was all the fault of Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating. To stop Linglan from competing with them, they had lied to her, resulting in Linglan''s heart being completely shattered. "Bro, I won''t do that," Chunliang said, bemused. "You will!" Linglan asserted. "I really won''t¡­" Chunliang sounded a bit aggrieved, he didn''t even have a girlfriend yet, how could Linglan know for sure he would end up like that? Hao Jian hurt you, but don''t take it out on me. "Right, you won''t," Linglan nodded, then her expression grew even more scornful, "You single dog!" "..." Chunliang truly felt like crying. One shouldn''t play with people like this; she was his own sister after all. Was she trying to drive him mad? Chapter 489 - 489: The New Transfer Student "Hao Jian, you bastard! You slept with me and then you ran off! I''ll never let you off, even as a ghost!" All of a sudden, Ye Linglan started cursing out of nowhere, and then she collapsed to the ground with a thud, sobbing loudly. "Sis..." Ye Chunliang called out softly. "Get lost!" Ye Linglan said irritably. "You really want me to get lost? Alright, I was going to tell you that Hao Jian came back." Ye Chunliang curled his lip, pretending to turn around to leave. "Wait, what did you say?" Ye Linglan suddenly grabbed Ye Chunliang''s leg, her face filled with ecstatic joy as she looked up at him. Ye Chunliang was at a loss whether to cry or laugh, "Sis, can''t you have a little pride? He''s just a man!" "Shut up with that bullshit. Is Hao Jian really back?" Ye Linglan stopped crying and asked with delighted surprise. "He''s teaching at the Chinese Medicine Hospital right now. Someone saw him return today, and he even dealt with a rich second generation at the school gate." Ye Chunliang spoke in a sullen tone; you''ve never been this concerned about me, truly a case of ''a prodigal daughter is not detainable''. "That''s great, I knew he wouldn''t abandon me¡ªI knew it; such a man is worthy of me, Ye Linglan!" Ye Linglan let go of Ye Chunliang''s leg and stood up. Hao Jian couldn''t help but click his tongue, "Sis, you sure changed your tune fast? Weren''t you just calling Hao Jian an irresponsible beast just a moment ago?" "Don''t talk about your brother-in-law that way!" Ye Linglan glared at Ye Chunliang. Ye Chunliang rolled his eyes, truly, ''a woman''s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the ocean''. "I''m going to see him right now!" Ye Linglan said excitedly, ready to rush out, but was held back by Ye Chunliang. "Sis, have you not bathed for several days? Are you going to see him looking like this?" Ye Chunliang scrutinized Ye Linglan and said helplessly, "Even though you''re my sister, I don''t want you to embarrass me." Only then did Ye Linglan realize she hadn''t bathed for several days; she then looked at Ye Chunliang and said, "Go to his classroom right now and catch him; don''t let him run away again, I''ll take a bath and be there ASAP." "..." ........ When Hao Jian appeared in his classroom, a thunderous applause erupted instantly. Hao Jian pretentiously waved his hands, "No need..." The crowd hurriedly stopped their applause. "Stop..." Hao Jian continued, making it sound like "Don''t stop." "You''re so naughty, teacher!" the crowd laughed heartily. Hao Jian was also smiling. It was only in interacting with these students that he could truly relax wholeheartedly. However, this sense of ease didn''t last long before he saw a familiar figure among the students. Hao Jian was petrified on the spot because he didn''t know why she was here and what her intentions were. Meanwhile, Murong Qiushui, sitting among the students, also waved at Hao Jian as a greeting, her face bearing a gentle and playful smile. "These city folks sure know how to play!" Hao Jian murmured to himself, then bowed his head to continue preparing for his class. Suddenly, he heard the sound of running in the hallway and furrowed his brow. Who would dare to run in the hallway during class time? "Bang!" Ye Chunliang and Ye Linglan came bursting through the door together. When Ye Linglan saw Hao Jian, she was so excited she almost cried. Hao Jian was also dumbfounded; he didn''t expect Ye Linglan and her brother to suddenly show up here¡ªat the Chinese Medicine Hospital of all places¡ªshouldn''t they be at the Business School attending their classes at this time? Ye Linglan, with tears in her eyes, went straight to Hao Jian; amidst gasps from the crowd, she hugged him tightly. In that moment, Che Xiaoxiao and everyone else were stunned. Although they all held some fantasies about Hao Jian, very few had the courage to cross moral boundaries. Ye Linglan did what they dared not do. At this time, Murong Qiushui also let a provocative curve flicker across her lips, looking with interest at Hao Jian and Ye Linglan on the stage. Ye Linglan stood frozen in place, thinking, what the hell is going on here? Ye Linglan also noticed people watching her, so she didn''t hug for too long. Now clean and dressed in a fresh T-shirt and jeans, her hair tied back in a neat ponytail, she radiated with the vibrant beauty of youth. She patted Hao Jian on the shoulder and smiled, "Welcome back!" Hao Jian was completely speechless. He had only been gone for half a month, right? Was all this really necessary? "Darn it, I knew this little vixen had indecent designs on Hao Jian!" Che Xiaoxiao said angrily, witnessing the scene. Zhao Yating, too, covered her face and sighed, "Why do women just love Hao Jian so much?" "You don''t know?" Che Xiaoxiao snickered coldly. "You know?" Zhao Yating looked at Che Xiaoxiao with surprise and curiosity. "Because he reeks of sleaziness!" "..." "Aren''t you supposed to be in class? What are you doing here?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. "We are here for a class too. I''ve suddenly become very interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine." Ye Linglan said with a playful smile and then directly found a seat and sat down. Hao Jian really felt like he was between a rock and a hard place. Did all these women have bubbles in their brains? Somehow, he made it through the class, feeling dazed and unsure of what he had actually lectured about. After class, all the students left except for Murong Qiushui and company, who still sat in their spots. 3. Zhao Yating, Ye Linglan, Murong Qiushui, the four women looked at each other silently, a silence that fell upon them. "Who are you?" Che Xiaoxiao was the first to confront them, staring down Ye Linglan and Murong Qiushui alongside Zhao Yating. The more beautiful a woman is, the more she makes her peers uneasy. Ye Linglan glanced at Che Xiaoxiao and said emotionlessly, "I''m a student at the Business School." "I am a student at the Chinese Medicine Hospital," Murong Qiushui followed up. "Pfft, you are not a student at the Chinese Medicine Hospital." Hao Jian said angrily. How could he not know Murong Qiushui''s identity? Who was she trying to fool? "I wasn''t before, but I am now. Is that a problem?" Murong Qiushui said playfully. "What a shameless woman, coming here of your own accord. Can''t you see that our Teacher Hao Jian does not welcome you?" Zhao Yating said angrily. In her view, it had to be Murong Qiushui who was pestering Hao Jian. Ye Linglan, after hearing Murong Qiushui''s words, also cast a hostile glance at her. Hao Jian sighed and then said to Ye Linglan, Che Xiaoxiao, and Zhao Yating, "You three, go outside for a moment." "Teacher, you can''t be serious. Are you kicking us out for this little vixen?" Che Xiaoxiao was stunned. Although Murong Qiushui maybe a bit prettier, did it have to be so blatant? Frustrated, Che Xiaoxiao said, "Teacher, I know she''s prettier than us, but Zhao Yating and I make two people, you know. We can join you for some fun. Do you really have the heart to do this?" Hao Jian, with a headache, commanded, "Stop talking nonsense. I have something to discuss with her. Wait for me outside." "Little bitch, you better behave, or I won''t let you off easy." Ye Linglan glared at Murong Qiushui menacingly, but she dared not go against Hao Jian''s wishes. Murong Qiushui just shrugged her shoulders, clearly not taking Ye Linglan''s words to heart. Now, only Hao Jian and Murong Qiushui were left in the classroom. Murong Qiushui was the first to break the silence: "I didn''t realize you were so popular." "Cut the crap. Tell me, what are you really here for? I''m pretty sure I told you before to stay away from me, didn''t I?" Hao Jian scrutinized Murong Qiushui, suspecting her persistence made her all the more suspicious as a daughter of a major family. He really wanted to know why Murong Qiushui insisted on sticking to him. "You''re mistaken. My being here has nothing to do with you this time," Murong Qiushui said with a smile, crossing her arms. At that moment, wearing a light blue shirt with white stripes, her posture highlighted her full chest in a very enticing manner. "Then what is it for?" Hao Jian didn''t believe her at all. The Chinese Medicine Hospital was just one school, what could possibly be there that Murong Qiushui would want? "I can''t reveal that to you yet. All I can tell you is it''s something, something that could change the fate of all mankind," said Murong Qiushui, being cryptic. "Your excuse lacks any sort of credibility," Hao Jian looked at Murong Qiushui with disdain, seemingly angry that she didn''t even bother to come up with a decent excuse. "I''ve said all I had to say, whether you believe it or not is up to you," Murong Qiushui said as she stood up, straightened her clothes, and walked over to Hao Jian, extending her hand politely, "Teacher Hao Jian, my name is Murong Qiushui, the new transfer student. I hope you can teach me well." "Sure, I will ''teach you well''!" Hao Jian replied with a forced smile, purposefully emphasizing the words ''teach you well''. Murong Qiushui raised an eyebrow but coolly said, "Oh, and Teacher Hao Jian, I hear that your ****** company is planning to expand abroad, is that going well?" Hao Jian''s expression suddenly stiffened. Was this woman threatening him? S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Teacher Hao Jian, I would like to get along with you, and I think you should feel the same, right?" Murong Qiushui inquired with a smile. "Yes, I would love to get along well with you, more than you can imagine!" Hao Jian said, grinding his teeth. "If that''s the case, then I look forward to spending more time together in the future," Murong Qiushui said, pretending not to notice Hao Jian''s dark expression, and then she walked away. But just as she reached the doorway, she suddenly turned back to Hao Jian and asked, "By the way, do you still remember Jing Xinlian at Bagu Thunder?" "I only remember Xia Yuhe on the banks of Daming Lake!" "..." ............ Chapter 490 - 490: Club Upon hearing this, Murong Qiushui looked deeply at Hao Jian and then shook her head somewhat disappointedly, "You really did forget." Immediately, she stopped talking and walked out of the classroom. Hao Jian curled his lips and muttered softly, "Crazy!" However, soon after, a look of confusion appeared on Hao Jian''s face, "How did this guy know that I had been to Bagu Thunder?" The next class was physical education, and Hao Jian had the students run laps on the track while he sat and watched from a short distance away. At that moment, Ye Linglan hurried over, somewhat shyly, "So, are you still mad?" "Mad? How can that be? Why would I be mad?" Hao Jian said, grinning without mirth, "Ye Chunliang, run ten more laps for me!" "..." Not far off, Ye Chunliang turned his head with a gloomy face, "You''ve got to be kidding me?" He really had had enough; what did Hao Jian''s spat with his sister have to do with him? Were they just using him to entertain themselves whenever they felt like it? "This has nothing to do with Chunliang. Don''t blame him," Ye Linglan said nervously, thinking Hao Jian was still angry and bowed her head in fear. "How do you know it has nothing to do with him?" Hao Jian snorted coldly. When Ye Linglan was involved with the gang, Ye Chunliang didn''t stop her but actually abetted her; that made it his business. Ye Linglan stiffened and didn''t dare to speak. She was really afraid that Hao Jian would get angry and also very anxious about losing him. This was her first love, so she cherished this opportunity greatly. Hao Jian was the only man who could conquer her, and she couldn''t just give up on him that easily. Seeing Ye Linglan so helpless, Ye Chunliang became somewhat angry and broke away from the group to walk towards Hao Jian. "Hao Jian, don''t go too far. My sister has already apologized, what more do you want? Even the Violent Queen, for your sake, has lowered her proud head. Is it fun for you to be so aggressive?" Ye Chunliang rebuked Hao Jian, but he was still mindful of their surroundings and did not shout. "Linglan, stop talking," Ye Linglan said in a panic, fearing that her brother might provoke Hao Jian into really leaving her. "Sis, I know you like him, but liking someone doesn''t mean losing yourself," Ye Chunliang said anxiously. "You''ve already given enough for him. He doesn''t appreciate your feelings at all. You''ve starved and deprived yourself of sleep these half-months, turning yourself into a mess, but how has he treated you? He just won''t let go of a minor issue. Is that how a man behaves?" Hearing this, Hao Jian frowned, but not because of Ye Chunliang''s words, but because of what Ye Linglan had done for him. Had she really suffered so much for him these past weeks? "It''s not like that. I can understand why he is mad, I really did wrong and caused those people''s death," Ye Linglan said, her head low and her expression lost. "If you dare call this a minor issue again, I will slap you hard, understand?" Hao Jian said coldly to Ye Chunliang. A few lives had been lost; was that a minor issue? "I...I just spoke without thinking," Ye Chunliang said with some regret, turning his head away as he dared not face Hao Jian, realizing he had misspoken. "Are you done?" Hao Jian gave Ye Chunliang a quick glance and said expressionlessly. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Done," Ye Chunliang nodded. "Then get lost now!" Hao Jian snapped irritably. "Oh..." Ye Chunliang responded meekly, feeling incredibly frustrated inside, thinking to himself, if it weren''t for the fact he couldn''t beat him, he would surely have fought back! Suddenly, only Hao Jian and Ye Linglan were left. Ye Linglan kept her head down, appearing utterly helpless and pitiful. Hao Jian couldn''t help but sigh and asked, "So, ahem... are you free tomorrow night?" "Huh?" Ye Linglan lifted her head in surprise, seemingly not expecting Hao Jian to ask that out of the blue. Quickly realizing something, she nodded eagerly, "I''m free tomorrow night!" "Tomorrow night, let''s go to the movies, just the two of us," Hao Jian said. He wasn''t an unreasonable person; Ye Linglan had given up so much for him, and he couldn''t remain unaffected. Ye Linglan''s expression froze, then suddenly brightened, and she nodded vigorously, "Yes!" Ye Linglan was somewhat excited, suddenly remembering that she had never been to a movie theater before. "Alright, I''ll call you tomorrow," Hao Jian said. "Mhm," Ye Linglan nodded like a pecking chicken, then walked away contentedly. Immediately, Ye Linglan went to find Ye Chunliang, "Ye Chunliang, you''re staying over at your friend''s house tomorrow night!" Ye Chunliang: "..." ... After school, Hao Jian waited for Qin Bing at the school gate as scheduled, humming a tune to himself. Suddenly, a man got into his car. Hao Jian looked at the bearded man in surprise and wondered, "Bro, did you get into the wrong car?" "It''s me!" The bearded man spoke, revealing a crisp female voice. Hao Jian took a closer look and realized it was Qin Bing. It turned out that this guy had dressed up in men''s clothing at some point and even stuck on a fake beard, looking utterly ridiculous. This left Hao Jian dumbfounded, "Why are you dressed up like this?" "Didn''t I say I wanted to surprise you tonight?" Qin Bing smiled mysteriously. "This is the surprise?" Hao Jian was astounded. "Stop talking, drive already, I can''t wait to take you there," Qin Bing said, full of playful intent. Half an hour later, Hao Jian and Qin Bing stood at the entrance of a place called "Longyang Private Club." Hao Jian was utterly baffled. Wasn''t it supposed to be to Qin Bing''s home or a hotel at this time? "This place is..." Hao Jian looked at the doorman who was dressed only in briefs, resembling a duck, and was speechless about this place. "This is the surprise I have for you!" Qin Bing chuckled and then quickly ran towards the club, waving at Hao Jian, "Come on, Hao Jian!" Hao Jian suddenly had a bad feeling, but since they were already here, there was no reason to leave, right? As soon as Hao Jian went in, he regretted it because he saw that this private club was filled exclusively with men, and they were all in pairs. Watching them kiss and talk sweet nothings, Hao Jian immediately understood what Qin Bing meant by "surprise." This damn place was a gay club, and Qin Bing was planning to bring him here to solicit men! Hao Jian finally understood why this place was called the "Longyang Private Club," the Longyang being a pun on dragons desiring suns, symbolizing homosexual relations. "How about it? Do you like it?" Qin Bing asked with a mischievous smile. She dressed up like this just to get into this private club because women were not allowed inside. Hao Jian was on the verge of tears and asked, "How did you find this place?" "The men''s public restroom. I heard they have lots of these gay club ads there, so for you, I ventured into the men''s bathroom and even noted down this club''s number," Qin Bing said excitedly, as if she had achieved a great feat. "Come on, tell me you''re happy?" Qin Bing asked with a grin. "Happy... haha... happy." Hao Jian was nearly crying. How could he be happy? This was not a surprise; it was a shock! If he were gay, that might be okay, but the problem was he wasn''t! So in this situation, Hao Jian felt completely helpless. "Hey, Jessica!" Just then, Qin Bing greeted someone not far away. Hao Jian looked over and saw a curvaceous woman walking towards them. Hao Jian breathed a slight sigh of relief. Thankfully, there was still a woman here. "Uh, you must be Qin Bing?" However, as soon as the woman spoke, Hao Jian''s heart almost stopped. Her voice was a rough male voice! "That''s me, and this is the friend I told you about," Qin Bing said with a smile. Then, noticing Hao Jian staring, she couldn''t help but chuckle evilly and nudged him with her elbow, "Hey, even if Jessica is a stunning beauty, you shouldn''t keep staring at her like that." "..." Hao Jian really wanted to curse out loud: I''m staring because it''s hard to tell her gender! Hearing this, Jessica also gave a flirtatious smile, perhaps because of her transition, she looked no different from a woman, but her voice instantly gave away the secret that she was still physically a man. "Oh, so this is the handsome young man, people call me Jessica!" Like a slithering snake, Jessica moved closer, trying to hug Hao Jian. Hao Jian stepped back immediately, avoiding Jessica while glaring coldly, "If you''re going to transition, why not go all the way?" "You''re mean, why would you ask someone that?" Jessica pouted. Watching this scene, Hao Jian felt like slapping her; he had seen annoying people, but never someone this irritating. What was the point in putting on that coy act? Was it deliberately to disgust people? Chapter 491 - 491 Wang Daxiong If Jessica were really a woman, it would be one thing, but damn it, Jessica isn''t, so every smile and frown from her made Hao Jian feel queasy. "But since you''re so handsome, and since you so want to know, I''ll tell you..." Jessica threw Hao Jian a coquettish look. Hao Jian suppressed the urge to beat him to death and said indifferently, "No need, I actually don''t really want to know." "Mmh~ Don''t be shy, I know you do want to know," Jessica whined coquettishly, stamping her foot gently, behaving even more womanly than a woman. But that flirtatious tone, combined with a man''s gruff voice, was just too weirdly refreshing. "..." Hao Jian had turned to stone. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I didn''t go through with the full surgery because I want people to know that I was once a man, you see. If he likes me, then he has to accept the fact that I''m a transsexual. I don''t want to deceive anyone. But if I meet a man who really loves me, I would get my voice done for him," Jessica said with a smile. "Wow, so touching," Qin Bing couldn''t help but wipe away tears, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Jessica. "Touching my ass, you fujoshi!" Hao Jian roared hysterically in his heart. "Hao Jian, Jessica is just like you, although biologically male, their heart is female. You two should get along well," Qin Bing then turned to Jessica and said, "Tonight, I will leave him in your care." "No problem, leave it to me," Jessica assured Qin Bing with a confident look. Hao Jian had a look of utter despair, wanting to turn around and leave, but worried that doing so would raise Qin Bing''s suspicions, he felt extremely frustrated. Then, Jessica came up and took Hao Jian''s hand. Hao Jian really wanted to punch her face, but he held back in front of Qin Bing. "I''ve explained everything, just enjoy," Qin Bing said to Hao Jian with a wink, giving him an encouraging look as if cheering on a comrade. "Heh heh..." Hao Jian let out a dry laugh, thinking the first person he wanted to strangle was Jessica, and the second was Qin Bing. Hao Jian was annoyed, why had he pretended to be gay in the first place? Now he was really in for it. "Hey, let go, did you hear? Let go, or I really will hit you, hey! Damn it!" Hao Jian finally couldn''t hold back and threw a punch, hitting Jessica right in the eye socket. "Ah!" Jessica immediately covered her eyes and stepped back, looking a bit dazed at Hao Jian, seemingly not expecting him to actually hit her. And Hao Jian glared back at him, annoyed, thinking he must have mistaken me for a pushover. After about two to three minutes of stunned silence, Jessica suddenly smiled coyly, and with an annoyed look glared at Hao Jian: "You naughty boy, you actually like this kind of play? I don''t usually do SM, but for a handsome guy like you, I''ll make an exception this once!" With that, Jessica moved closer again. "Bang bang bang..." This time, Hao Jian didn''t hold back and let loose several punches, sending Jessica stumbling back multiple steps. "Wah wah wah, you hit a woman! You''re not a man!" Jessica cried out in pain, covering her face. "Pah, you''re a woman?" Hao Jian said through clenched teeth, annoyed, thinking you keep provoking me, not listening, huh? I''ll beat the hell out of you! "You messed up my face, I won''t be able to work anymore, you owe me money!" Jessica wailed, checking his face in the mirror, now with a black eye. "Compensate my ass, I told you not to mess with me, you took my words for the whistling wind, didn''t you? I''ll beat you to death!" Hao Jian snorted coldly. Then, Jessica suddenly thought of something and blurted out, "Aren''t you gay?" Hao Jian was a bit surprised by the question and asked, "How did you know?" "The answer is simple, no GAY could resist my charm!" she said pompously. Hao Jian rolled his eyes, this shameless person, even more shameless than him. Immediately after, Hao Jian warned Jessica, "Just don''t touch me for the next hour, the price will be paid as agreed." "I get it now, you deceived Qin Bing, right? You actually like her and pretended to be gay just to trick her!" Jessica said with a look that said she saw right through him. Hao Jian couldn''t be bothered to explain himself, to say that he liked Qin Bing was preposterous; he had only lied initially because he didn''t want Qin Bing to arrogantly think he liked her. "But don''t you want to enjoy it a little? My body, besides having a man''s voice, is no different from a woman''s in every other way." Jessica once again spoke teasingly. Hao Jian frowned and walked over with fists clenched. "Fine, fine, if you won''t come over, sigh, you really have a man''s charm, I just love it," Jessica said with a look of melancholy longing, her meaningful glances making Hao Jian feel sick. As a result, Hao Jian ended up sitting in the private room with Jessica, staring at each other while Jessica, unfazed, prattled on about his own affairs. As it turned out, Jessica was originally heterosexual. He loved his wife very much, but because he was ugly, his wife eloped with another man and even forced him into a divorce, having people beat him up. But because Jessica loved his wife too dearly to let go, he kept trying all sorts of methods to retain her. His wife liked cars, so, in an attempt to please her, he even spent all his savings to buy her a car worth more than two hundred thousand yuan. Afterwards, his wife never mentioned divorce again, and Jessica naively thought that was the end of it. However, one night after drinking a bowl of soup prepared by his wife, he lost consciousness. When he woke up the next day, his face was unrecognizable, covered with knife scars, flesh turned inside out, looking especially terrifying. Jessica''s already unattractive face became even more horrifying due to these scars. At that time, Jessica had a mental breakdown, screaming and howling in front of the mirror in his room, passing out and waking up over and over again, repeating this cycle three times. He fell apart not because his appearance had changed but because the woman he deeply loved had done this to him. Later, Jessica discovered that the property deeds, car, and bank cards were all gone from his home. Jessica knew she had scarred his face and then run away with everything and that man. Since then, Jessica no longer trusted women and became a homosexual. Hearing this, Hao Jian stayed silent for a long time. From a psychological perspective, there are many causes for homosexuality, and one of the most common and frequent is psychological trauma. Women hurt by men, men hurt by women, unable to step out of that psychological shadow, thus developing a repulsion and fear towards the opposite sex, which could easily lead to homosexuality. "Why didn''t you seek revenge?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. Any man experiencing such an event would want to bring those two down with him even at the cost of his life. "Revenge? How can I take revenge when I don''t know where they are? Besides, they are powerful and well-connected. After I got injured and went to the police, they didn''t even file a case," Jessica said mockingly with a laugh. And Hao Jian fell silent again, realizing it wasn''t fair to blame Jessica. It wasn''t that he didn''t want revenge, but that he was willing yet powerless. "I don''t mean anything by telling you this, I''ve just kept it inside for too long and wanted to share it with someone," Jessica said with a bitter smile, not wanting Hao Jian to feel any psychological pressure because of his words. Hao Jian still did not speak. Just then, a commotion came from the door. "Where''s Jessica? Jessica, come out to me!" a rough and arrogant male voice rang out. Hearing that voice, Jessica instantly panicked, leaping up from his spot, muttering, "This is bad, this is bad," as he looked for a place to hide. "What''s wrong? Who is he?" Hao Jian asked, curious why Jessica seemed like a mouse that had just seen a cat upon hearing that man''s voice. "His name is Wang Daxiong; he''s a local thug and also a homosexual. He likes to come and mess around with me for no reason," Jessica said, looking troubled as he dived under the bed to hide. "Isn''t that a good thing? Isn''t it good for business when people visit you?" Hao Jian was even more puzzled; wasn''t this Jessica''s line of work? "What do you know? He never pays, and he makes me play SM with him, SM! Whipping and wax dripping, who can stand that? He''s just a pervert!" Jessica said resentfully, evidently having been tormented by Wang Daxiong. "I think you''d better hide too. Wang Daxiong gets very jealous. If he sees you in my room, he might take it out on you," Jessica warned Hao Jian, as Wang Daxiong was rather fond of him, but it was an affection that greatly troubled Jessica. "No need," Hao Jian shook his head and said, "Because I''m going back now." He guessed by this time, Qin Bing would no longer be suspicious. "What, you''re just going to leave me like this?" Jessica exclaimed in shock. Chapter 492 - 492: Dead Demon, Come Over Hao Jian rolled his eyes and glared at Jessica, "First off, we just met today and haven''t known each other for even an hour, so we''re not close, second, I''m a guest and you''re a waitress; I''ve already paid, so I can leave whenever I want, and lastly, Wang Daxiong is your problem, not mine, got it?" Jessica opened her mouth but didn''t know what to say because, although what Hao Jian said wasn''t very agreeable, it wasn''t wrong either. Hao Jian then pushed the door intending to leave, but as soon as he opened it, he saw a hulking brute blocking his doorway, over eight feet tall, with leopard eyes and tiger whiskers, his expression fierce as if he were some malevolent deity, glaring at Hao Jian. In his heart, Hao Jian cursed, "Damn, this guy looks just like Zhang Fei." Without guessing, Hao Jian knew this man had to be Wang Daxiong, the one Jessica mentioned. "Huh?" Just as Jessica had said, Wang Daxiong, seeing a strange man emerging from Jessica''s room, instantly glared unhappily. "Who are you? Where''s Jessica?" Wang Daxiong asked, his face stern. "Under the bed!" Hao Jian suddenly pointed under the bed where Jessica was. "Damn, damn, damn..." A thousand ''Caonimas'' rampaged through Jessica''s mind, almost on the verge of tears, ''If you''re not helping me, could you at least not harm me?'' Wang Daxiong glanced under the bed and then ordered his minions, "Drag her out for me!" Then Wang Daxiong''s men grabbed Jessica, who awkwardly walked up to Wang Daxiong, "Brother Daxiong, long time no see." "Why are you avoiding me?" Wang Daxiong asked fiercely, glaring at Jessica. "No...not at all, I was just looking for something under the bed, hehe... hehehe..." Jessica, wanting to cry but forced to laugh, glared furiously at Hao Jian, if it weren''t for him, she wouldn''t have been caught. "Who is he?" Wang Daxiong turned and pointed at Hao Jian, asking Jessica. "Him? He''s just a friend," Jessica lied, although Hao Jian had betrayed him, he still couldn''t reveal Hao Jian''s true identity as a guest because the consequences would be dire. "A friend? I think he''s more of a lover! With your charm, which man would truly want to be just friends with you?" Wang Daxiong snorted coldly. Hao Jian felt utterly speechless. Were these people all morons? "He''s really just a friend, he''s not gay, he likes women," Jessica hurriedly explained. "Is that so?" Wang Daxiong glared at Hao Jian and asked. "Exactly, I like women," Hao Jian replied expressionlessly, already growing impatient. What does their mess have to do with me? "That''s impossible, even if he''s heterosexual, given your good looks, he''d still fantasize about you. What were you doing in the room just now? Speak!" Wang Daxiong''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he stared intensely at both Jessica and Hao Jian. What the hell! Hao Jian clenched his fists, his face showing traces of anger. Isn''t this over yet? "Brother Xiong, things really aren''t what you think; he was just here to chat," Jessica, unsure what else to say, found Wang Daxiong''s stubbornness beyond her imagination. "Chatting, who are you kidding?" Wang Daxiong berated, then turned his head to glare at Hao Jian, "Do you fancy my woman? Speak!" "No... I''m not interested in her," Hao Jian stated indifferently, too lazy to even explain, Wang Daxiong was clearly an idiot. "She''s so pretty, why wouldn''t you be interested in her? Speak!" Wang Daxiong shouted furiously. Hao Jian''s head throbbed with veins, and then he suddenly punched Wang Daxiong in the face, knocking him over with that single blow. Then, not yet appeased, Hao Jian continuously kicked Wang Daxiong''s body, "Speak? I''ll make you speak! Speak your damn speak!" Hao Jian was furiously angry, utterly disregarded. Speak, speak, speak, what''s there to talk about, must I admit I fancy Jessica to satisfy you? I''ll beat the crap out of you! Jessica was dumbfounded, so were Wang Daxiong''s minions; they had not expected Hao Jian to be so bold and attack Wang Daxiong. "Fight back! What are you standing there for?" Wang Daxiong roared, furious to the point of nearly spitting blood after being beaten by Hao Jian. As a result, Wang Daxiong''s men ended up just like him. "Fighting back, huh? You think you''re tough? Being gay is extraordinary, is it?" Hao Jian''s punches continued to fall, extremely angry, "I don''t discriminate against you for being gay, but can you stop insisting that I must become gay too?" "You wait, I''m calling people!" Wang Daxiong scurried toward the door, then venomously threatened Hao Jian. "You''re still calling people?" Hao Jian picked up a "Fake No. 2" and was ready to deliver another beating to Wang Daxiong. Startled, Wang Daxiong hurriedly fled. Wang Daxiong could tell that although Hao Jian was slighter in build than him, he was much stronger¡ªa single slap from Hao Jian could leave him dizzy. A direct confrontation was a sure loss, so Wang Daxiong thought about rallying his crew and coming back to settle the score with Hao Jian¡ªhis Jessica absolutely couldn''t be taken by someone else. "Handsome, you''re so impressive! I love a man as powerful as you!" After Wang Daxiong and his gang had fled, Jessica looked at Hao Jian with admiring eyes. "If you don''t take your hand off my chest right now, I''m going to beat you up!" Hao Jian coldly glared at Jessica, who was touching his chest. Jessica quickly retracted her hand in fright and looked at Hao Jian a bit fearfully. "Who were those guys just now, eh, Jessica, what''s going on, who did this to you?" Qin Bing walked in from outside and was immediately stunned to see the bruises on Jessica''s face. Jessica instinctively looked towards Hao Jian but, seeing his stern gaze, quickly lowered her head and remained silent. Qin Bing looked at Hao Jian in surprise and then angrily said, "I didn''t expect you to be gay!" Hao Jian was shocked by her outburst. What was this woman thinking? She couldn''t possibly think he was playing SM games with Jessica, could she? "You guys should leave quickly, or if Wang Daxiong brings people back, you won''t be able to escape," Jessica hurriedly reminded Hao Jian and the other. Hao Jian glared at Jessica, "Do I need you to tell me that?" He had no intention of staying in this place of trouble any longer. He could tolerate competing over a woman, but for a shemale, it just wasn''t worth it. Without delay, Hao Jian grabbed Qin Bing''s hand and headed outside, but as they reached the door, they saw a group of people blocking their way. Wang Daxiong stood among the crowd, carrying a machete, and pointed directly at Hao Jian: "Kid, think you''re tough? You dare mess with me? I''ll take your life!" "Brother Daxiong, this is a misunderstanding, let him go," Jessica ran up and pleaded with Wang Daxiong as if she was protecting her own lover. "You''re pleading for him? And you still say he''s not your lover?" Wang Daxiong angrily said, the more Jessica pleaded for Hao Jian, the angrier he became. Hao Jian also braced himself, Wang Daxiong was really tempting fate. But suddenly, Hao Jian noticed a special tattoo on the hand Wang Daxiong was pointing with. And Hao Jian''s gaze froze upon seeing that tattoo. It was a skull engulfed in black flames, sinister and fierce, with a series of numbers marked on it¡ªHao Jian knew it was the code of the tattoo owner. Without delay, Hao Jian asked with a frown, "Are you from the Mercenary Alliance?" "What Mercenary Alliance? What are you talking about?" Wang Daxiong was utterly confused; this guy must have been scared silly, speaking nonsense now. "Right, the Mercenary Alliance wouldn''t have a loser like you." Hao Jian thought about it and also found it unlikely; Wang Daxiong was too weak, unable to withstand even one of his moves, how could he possibly be from the Mercenary Alliance. "Hey, you dare insult people? Brothers, chop him up!" Wang Daxiong bellowed suddenly, waving his hand. "You guys run, I''ve got this!" Jessica shouted, very loyally blocking in front of Hao Jian and Qin Bing. "Get out of the way!" Brushing off Jessica''s head, he moved towards Wang Daxiong''s underlings. "Damn it, what a day!" Hao Jian cursed, dishing out punches and kicks, sending Wang Daxiong''s men howling in pain. A crowd surged up massively, only to be swiftly knocked back. Having machetes made them look fierce, but it was utterly pointless. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wang Daxiong felt a chill run through his body; he knew Hao Jian could fight, but he didn''t realize just how capable he was, his men were completely battered. Watching his men unable to get up, Wang Daxiong felt his heart rise to his throat. "So cool, just as expected from the man I fancy!" Jessica''s eyes twinkled with little stars. Hao Jian walked over to Wang Daxiong, who upon seeing Hao Jian approach, turned tail and ran. But this time Hao Jian wasn''t about to let him go, he quickly lunged forward, grabbed Wang Daxiong, and started beating him again. "Caonima, wuwuwu... my Caonima..." Wang Daxiong crouched on the ground, holding his head, looking mournfully at Hao Jian, and wept. "Oh hey, still daring to swear?" Hao Jian looked at Wang Daxiong, half-smiling, then grabbed him and headed towards the clubhouse, saying to Jessica, "Dead shemale, come here!" Being called a dead shemale by Hao Jian, Jessica not only wasn''t angry but happily agreed and followed along excitedly. Hao Jian imprisoned Wang Daxiong in one of the private room chairs they had left earlier, picking up an erotic whip. Seeing this, Wang Daxiong immediately broke out in a cold sweat, terrified: "What¡­ what are you going to do?" Chapter 493 - 493: Brother Black Cat "Don''t you enjoy playing SM? I''m just indulging your hobby by playing with you," Hao Jian said with a wicked smile, then handed the whip to Jessica, "Take your revenge, no need to hold back on my account." Jessica was stunned. Could she really get her revenge? "Go ahead, if he dares to take revenge on you later, come to me!" Hao Jian snorted coldly. Although he disliked Jessica flirting with him, he still sympathized with her. Just like the saying goes, love knows no age, nationality, or even gender. If it''s true love, why stop it? Jessica''s fate was already fraught with hardships, yet Wang Daxiong still bullied her, which angered Hao Jian. Upon hearing this, Jessica felt as though she had taken a calming pill and took the whip. Wang Daxiong looked at Jessica in horror and shook his head vigorously at her. But Jessica ignored him, her face carrying a hint of playful smile, and she lashed out with the whip. "Snap!" "Oh ho!" ...... "Brother Black Cat, Wang Daxiong got beaten up, they''re asking for our help," at the same time, inside the headquarters of the Red Makeup Society, an underling said to a man dressed in a black jacket who looked quite cool. Brother Black Cat was about six feet tall, with a striking scar on his neck as if someone had slit it open with a knife, marking him as a ruthless character. His skin was somewhat dark, and his eyes were sharp like blades, making his entire appearance seem gloomy and fierce. "Who dares to beat up my underlings?" Brother Black Cat spoke in a hoarse voice that sounded as uncomfortable as a pig squealing. In Hua City today, apart from Brother Spice Ginger, whom did their Red Makeup Society fear? Someone dared to mess with Brother Black Cat''s underlings, wasn''t that disrespectful to him? "Don''t know, it was said to be a homosexual," the underling replied. Previously, after Wang Daxiong was dealt with by Hao Jian, he had called his gang and had someone notify his boss, Brother Black Cat. However, he did not know the precise identity of Hao Jian, so he just mentioned it was a "damn homosexual." "A homosexual? Just one person?" Brother Black Cat''s face turned as dark as a pot, wondering how Wang Daxiong couldn''t handle one person. "That''s what I heard." "What a waste of space!" Brother Black Cat snorted coldly, his expression turning extremely grim. As his top underling who managed a crew of thirty to fifty people, it was disgraceful that they couldn''t handle one person, which could lead to them being mocked along with Wang Daxiong. Brother Black Cat picked up a cigarette from the bar counter, stood up, and said coldly, "Lead the way. I want to see who has the gall to mess with my people." Brother Black Cat led a group of his men out of the headquarters, just as they ran into Gao Jiping coming back. Seeing Brother Black Cat and so many brothers heading out, Gao Jiping asked in confusion, "Black Cat, where are you going?" "Sister Head, there''s been a bit of trouble with the underlings, I need to handle it," Brother Black Cat said somewhat sheepishly, as Gao Jiping had just cautioned him recently that the situation in Hua City was unstable and to avoid causing trouble unnecessarily, in case they provoked someone untouchable. Sure enough, Gao Jiping was somewhat displeased on hearing this, "Don''t always cause trouble, I''ve told you before!" "Yes, yes, it''s just that this time the other party was too arrogant, they trashed my place and beat up quite a few of my brothers. If we don''t reclaim our ground, our Red Makeup Society would lose face," Brother Black Cat replied offhandedly, not fully aware of the crux of the conflict between Wang Daxiong and Hao Jian, but he shifted the blame onto Hao Jian anyway. Gao Jiping looked at Brother Black Cat doubtfully, not sure whether to believe him, and simply said, "Just keep it down and, most importantly, don''t let it lead to any deaths." "Understood, Sister Head, I know what to do," Brother Black Cat replied with a broad smile. "Fine, go ahead," Gao Jiping said no more and entered the bar. As soon as Black Cat left, his smiling face immediately disappeared, replaced by a hint of disgust, and he felt annoyed inside, "Damn woman, always sticking her nose into my business!" Clearly, Brother Black Cat did not have much respect for Gao Jiping; he always felt that working under a woman was humiliating. Brother Black Cat was an ambitious man, otherwise, he wouldn''t have risen to become a hall master. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Originally, Gao Jiping did not think highly of Brother Black Cat either. Though he had the capability, his ambitions were too big, and his temperament too fierce and unstable. If it hadn''t been for significant losses of capable gang members during their clashes with Martial Evil Hall, she would not have promoted Brother Black Cat. Ever since Brother Black Cat became a hall master, he had been eyeing Gao Jiping''s position as the gang leader, believing he already had what it takes, with only a chance to topple Gao Jiping and take charge himself lacking! Of course, these thoughts were not something Brother Black Cat dared to mention lightly, even to his closest confidants. He kept this secret buried deep in his heart, waiting for the day to act. Shortly after, Brother Black Cat took a group of people and left in his cars. Just as Gao Jiping stepped into the bar and heard the sound of cars, she immediately instructed her confidant, "Send someone to follow Brother Black Cat, see what he''s up to." "Boss lady, you suspect Brother Black Cat is deliberately causing trouble?" the confidant paused in surprise. Previously, Gao Jiping had given Brother Black Cat a free rein, and he had thought she trusted him a lot. He hadn''t expected this shift where she would instruct him to keep an eye on Brother Black Cat. "It''s not suspicion, but a certainty that he will cause trouble," Gao Jiping said with a smile, and then a fierce look flashed across her eyes, "Brother Black Cat is no angel. From the start, he''s been coveting my position. What if I don''t keep a close eye on him and he finds a loophole?" "If you''re so worried, boss lady, why don''t you get rid of him? Instead, you promoted him?" the confidant asked, puzzled. "Although his ambitions are large, he is capable. Right now, the Red Makeup Society is in need of people; it''s not time to act against him. Just need to restrict him appropriately," Gao Jiping shook her head and said. What she didn''t say was that once Brother Black Cat had earned her enough profit, she would kick him to the curb. ..... Meanwhile, at Longyang Club, Wang Daxiong had already been tortured beyond recognition. Jessica furiously whipped him, cursing as she struck, "Damn it, you like playing SM, huh? Messing with people for fun, right? Today, you''ll taste it too!" "Scream! Is it fun!?" Jessica asked with a thrill of pleasure. "Fun!" Wang Daxiong answered miserably, tears streaming down his face, his butt had already started to bleed from the beating, and this woman was ruthlessly fierce. "Really despicable!" Jessica snapped the whip at him a few more times. "Jessica, I really know my mistake now, please spare me this time," Wang Daxiong begged without any shame. "Pah! No way! If I don''t straighten you out today, then I shouldn''t be called Jessica!" Jessica snapped viciously. Qin Bing clicked his tongue in wonder, "This woman has gone mad." "This is called not doing to others what you don''t want done to yourself; humans are creatures of vengeance," Hao Jian said, not particularly surprised by Jessica''s behavior. "Ah! My boss is Brother Black Cat, you won''t get away with torturing me like this!" Wang Daxiong screamed out in agony. "Brother Black Cat? You know this guy?" Qin Bing asked Hao Jian. Hao Jian shrugged, shaking his head, "Never heard of him, but I have heard of the Black Cat Police Chief." Why would he bother to remember the name of such an insignificant person? Just as Brother Black Cat was about to push the door open, he heard Hao Jian''s comment and his hand trembled involuntarily, a hint of resentment appearing on his face. Bang! Suddenly, Brother Black Cat kicked the door open. The people inside startled all turned around and immediately saw Brother Black Cat standing at the doorway, radiating murderous intent, with the hallway crowded with knife-wielding ruffians blocking the way. "Boss, boss save me!" Wang Daxiong saw Brother Black Cat appear and burst into tears of excitement, as if seeing his savior. "What a useless piece of trash!" Brother Black Cat looked at Wang Daxiong with a disgusted expression. He wasn''t there to save Wang Daxiong, he was there to salvage his own reputation. Wang Daxiong bowed his head in shame, not daring to reply. Then, Brother Black Cat''s penetrating gaze turned to Hao Jian and the others, and he maliciously smiled, "Having fun with SM, huh?" Jessica, frightened, dropped the whip, and Qin Bing also felt somewhat nervous upon seeing this scene. But Hao Jian appeared nonchalant, retorting, "Not really skilled at it, just sort of messing around. Why, do you practice it too? Want to show us a few moves?" "So you''re the one who said I was the Black Cat Police Chief?" Brother Black Cat then glared at Hao Jian, remembering his voice. "How could I possibly have said that?" Hao Jian was stunned and quickly denied it, "Heh, bold enough to say it but not to admit it, huh? What a piece of trash!" Brother Black Cat mocked. Hao Jian couldn''t even own up to his actions; what more was there to say? Brother Black Cat had thought Hao Jian was someone formidable, but he turned out to be nothing much. "Kid, you were acting all tough just now? Try being tough now, my boss will kill you! Let me tell you, my boss is not like me, he has a gun!" Wang Daxiong laughed haughtily, a sense of imminent revenge thrilling him. "Shut up!" Brother Black Cat snapped impatiently, finding Wang Daxiong''s voice utterly sickening now. Wang Daxiong bowed his head and didn''t dare speak again. "I never said it! The Black Cat Police Chief is so cute, and this guy looks so scrappy. How could I ever compare him to the Black Cat Police Chief? That would be an insult," Hao Jian sneered coldly. Chapter 494 - 494: This is called Thousand-Hand Guanyin Hearing this, Brother Black Cat''s eyelids flickered with annoyance. Was this guy mocking him? "As for guns, what''s the big deal with them? I have a gun too!" Hao Jian said nonchalantly. "You have a gun?" Brother Black Cat was stunned. Guns were banned, tough to get hold of, and Hao Jian had one? Who on earth was he? "Of course I do. Every man has a gun. It''s so powerful that it makes all women immersed in it, achieving an irresistible effect," Hao Jian said with a sleazy look. Hearing this, Qin Bing glared fiercely at Hao Jian, the bastard daring to joke like this. But Jessica burst into laughter. Not only did she not find it offensive, but she also found it rather amusing. "Are you fucking playing me?" Brother Black Cat''s face darkened, and a terrifying murderous intent seeped from his eyes. It was bad enough that Hao Jian insulted him, and now he dared to treat him like a monkey. "Playing you? Pah, are you even worthy? Which onion or garlic do you think you are?" Hao Jian scoffed. "Kill him!" Brother Black Cat said impatiently. He didn''t want to listen to Hao Jian''s nonsense anymore. "Boss, what about those two women?" someone asked Brother Black Cat, referring obviously to Jessica and Qin Bing. "Keep them, take them to the club to entertain clients!" Brother Black Cat said coldly. Hearing this, both Jessica and Qin Bing''s faces changed, and Hao Jian''s lips also curled up into a dark arch, thinking Brother Black Cat really was ruthless. Suddenly, five or six people drew their guns and pointed them at Hao Jian. "Don''t shoot, I''m still here. Someone untie me!" Wang Daxiong screamed. If Brother Black Cat ordered to shoot now, it was possible Wang Daxiong could be hit by mistake, after all, he was right behind Hao Jian. "Never mind him. Wang Daxiong, if you die, just blame your bad luck!" Brother Black Cat didn''t bother with him, what use was keeping such a waste? Hearing this, Wang Daxiong was stunned on the spot; he never expected Brother Black Cat to abandon him. "It looks like you''re not that important in your master''s eyes, huh?" Hao Jian said mockingly. "Fire!" Brother Black Cat yelled, with several dark gun muzzles all pointing at Hao Jian. At that moment, both Jessica and Qin Bing were petrified. Hao Jian squinted his eyes at Brother Black Cat, "Are you sure you want to do this? If you really do, I''m afraid there will be no way back for me, are you sure you can afford the cost?" "What? Scared?" Brother Black Cat sneered, thinking Hao Jian dared to mock him fearlessly. Hao Jian shrugged. "I''m just thinking of you." "Bang!" Brother Black Cat snatched a gun from one of his men and fired at Hao Jian instantly; his patience had run out with Hao Jian''s annoying banter. "Swoosh!" The bullet raced towards Hao Jian at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, but Hao Jian didn''t need to see it to know where it was. At that moment, Hao Jian suddenly reached out his hand and caught the bullet. "Shh!" The bullet smoked in Hao Jian''s hand. Seeing this, Brother Black Cat and his men were dumbstruck. How was this kid unharmed? Where was the bullet? Even Brother Black Cat began to wonder, had he missed? That couldn''t be possible. He was so close, how could he miss? And at that moment, Hao Jian slowly opened his palm and dropped the brass bullet on the ground. Brother Black Cat and his men all gasped. They were all shocked by Hao Jian''s action. Catching a bullet barehanded? Was this guy even human? Hao Jian looked sinisterly at Brother Black Cat, "The weapons you take pride in are just toys in my eyes!" sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian rarely used guns, preferring barehanded combat over firearms. Brother Black Cat''s brows furrowed; what was this guy? "Kill him!" Brother Black Cat roared and then fell back a few steps timidly, hiding among the crowd. "Bang, bang, bang...." The gunfire continued, and the gangsters deeply felt the terror of Hao Jian, not stopping until all the bullets in the pistols were fired. Hao Jian''s gaze was profound, his face carrying a cold smile, his hands stretched out like the Thousand-Hand Guanyin, swirling in the air, leaving trails of afterimages. The sound of gunfire mixing with Hao Jian''s afterimages left everyone aghast. "Did this guy get his quick hands from being single for twenty years?" Or maybe he''s Straw Hat Kid, Luffy? When all the bullets had been fired, Hao Jian''s hands stopped moving, and everyone clearly saw that there was not a single scratch on this guy. Does that mean that the dozens of shots fired just now didn''t hit Hao Jian at all? A chill swept through the bodies of Brother Black Cat and the others instantly. At this point, they were shocked beyond measure, their horror comparable to seeing a ghost. Hao Jian opened his palm, and one by one, brass bullets fell out of his hand. Qin Bing and Jessica looked at Hao Jian with admiration, truly thinking this guy was a god. "Cool or what? This is called Thousand-Hand Guanyin!" Hao Jian joked. But at that moment, no one responded because everyone was dumbfounded. "So boring." Seeing that no one reacted, Hao Jian clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and then with ill intent, stared at Brother Black Cat and the others and smiled, "Now, tell me, how do you want to die?" "Stop him!" Brother Black Cat roared again, but this time his voice had changed, turning into a terrified scream. Brother Black Cat was no fool; if guns couldn''t deal with this guy, more people wouldn''t make a difference. It was better to run than to wait to be slaughtered. Brother Black Cat pushed through the crowd and ran towards the outside, ordering his subordinates to block Hao Jian to buy himself a chance to escape. "He runs the moment things look grim, what a loyal leader indeed." Hao Jian scoffed, preparing to chase Brother Black Cat, but as he took his first step, more than a dozen steel blades simultaneously blocked his way. "It seems you''re not going to let me catch up to that guy so easily, huh?" Hao Jian said, somewhat troubled, shaking his head. "Kill him!" A crowd surged forward, ready to chop Hao Jian into mincemeat. But just then, Hao Jian performed a corkscrew kick, fiercely booting out; the two leaders at the front were instantly blown away like cannonballs, colliding into the group behind them. Hao Jian lightly flicked the dust off his clothes and calmly stepped over the thugs'' bodies, walking towards the exit. At that point, no one dared to block him again, although they all held steel blades, they dared not approach, letting Hao Jian walk past them, then chasing after Brother Black Cat. Jessica and Qin Bing also hurried to follow Hao Jian''s steps, partly because they wanted to see how the situation would unfold and partly because they didn''t dare stay among so many bad guys. Meanwhile, Brother Black Cat rushed out of the clubhouse, and his subordinates waiting outside were somewhat stunned to see him coming out so disheveled, "Boss, what''s going on? What about the brothers?" "Stop talking, just drive and get out of here!" Brother Black Cat was sweating profusely, and even before he got in the car, he was already shouting. Then he rushed into the car, and as it started, he saw Hao Jian chasing out of the clubhouse. Seeing Hao Jian resolve his men so quickly and start chasing him, Brother Black Cat was even more grateful that his decision was so correct. If he had delayed for even a few seconds, he probably would have been caught in the disaster too. "Drive, drive fast!" Brother Black Cat cried out, his voice changing as though someone was gripping his throat. As the car sped away, Hao Jian''s figure gradually shrank, and only then did Brother Black Cat let out a long sigh of relief, then arrogantly flipped a middle finger at Hao Jian. "Heh heh..." Hao Jian chuckled coldly, then walked towards the garden next to the clubhouse, picking up a stone the size of an egg, weighing it in his hand as if gauging its weight. Seeing this, Brother Black Cat''s pupils shrank because he didn''t know what Hao Jian was planning. "Swoosh!" Hao Jian suddenly hurled the stone he held, which instantly shot out like a bullet, its speed so fast it was heard but not seen. Brother Black Cat''s hair stood on end, and before he could react, he heard a loud bang, and then the whole car body flipped into the air. It turned out that Hao Jian''s throw had directly hit the rear tire of Brother Black Cat''s car; a sudden tire burst at high speed would instantly cause the car to overturn. Brother Black Cat''s car flipped through the air and then overturned next to the roadside, coming to rest upside down and motionless. Inside, Brother Black Cat felt dizzy and confused, having hurt his head in the crash. But he had no time to think about these problems, as he instantly kicked open the door, trying to escape before Hao Jian could catch up. But as soon as he opened the door, a hand landed on his shoulder. Brother Black Cat trembled all over, as if he had seen a ghost, his face turning pale with terror as he looked at Hao Jian. This guy had been about a thousand meters away just now. From the tire burst to the rollover was no more than ten seconds. Had he run a thousand meters in ten seconds? "Hey, we meet again." Hao Jian squeezed out a smile, but to Brother Black Cat, that smile was as demonic as it gets, making him tremble all over. "You... don''t mess around, I''m a member of the Red Makeup Society. If you touch me, you''ll be making enemies with the entire Red Makeup Society. They''ll drain all their resources to deal with you and your family and friends. I don''t think you want to be assassinated all day long, do you?" Chapter 495 - 495: Wei Guoming Goes Mad "Oh, it''s the Red Makeup Society." Hao Jian laughed and nodded, then pinned Brother Black Cat to the ground and said, "Send my regards to Gao Jiping!" Brother Black Cat was instantly stunned. Did this guy actually know his boss? What kind of background did he have? As soon as Hao Jian finished speaking, he stomped on Brother Black Cat''s leg. There was a cracking sound, and Brother Black Cat screamed in agony; both of his legs were crippled by Hao Jian. "Boss, things are bad!" Gao Jiping''s confidant rushed into the bar, causing Gao Jiping, who was enjoying a couple of drinks, to frown involuntarily. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What happened?" Gao Jiping asked. "Brother Black Cat¡ªhe went after Mr. Hao Jian!" the confidant said anxiously. "Damn it!" Gao Jiping cursed under her breath, nearly spilling the drink in her hand. How could Brother Black Cat dare to mess with Hao Jian? Wasn''t that deliberately pushing them into the fire pit? "Boss, should we go and apologize to Mr. Hao?" the confidant asked uneasily, knowing full well how terrifying Hao Jian could be, and that offending him was no laughing matter. Gao Jiping shook her head: "No need, Mr. Hao Jian is a smart man. He should know that this was not my doing. We better do nothing at all; seeking him out would only make us look guilty." Gao Jiping knew that Hao Jian could distinguish right from wrong, and she wouldn''t dare to provoke a conflict with him. "What about Brother Black Cat? How should we deal with him?" asked the relieved confidant. Gao Jiping snorted coldly, "Don''t bother with him, let him fend for himself!" "Alright." The confidant nodded and then retreated. At that moment, a slight smile crossed Gao Jiping''s face: "Speaking of which, it''s been a while since I last saw that guy, hasn''t it? Maybe it''s time to find an opportunity to meet up." .... "Young Master Wei, how have you been lately?" In a bar, a seductive-looking woman came up to strike a conversation with Wei Guoming. But Wei Guoming clearly did not want to engage with her, merely giving her a fleeting glance before turning his head away. "Oh, Young Master Wei, what''s the matter? You''re not even paying attention to me. You used to call me Little Sweetie!" the woman continued provocatively. "Get lost! Don''t freaking annoy me!" Wei Guoming said irritably. After being taught a lesson by Hao Jian, he had been in psychological discomfort; never in his life had he suffered such humiliation, and now everyone in the circle knew his peculiar penchant for stripping and dancing in public. It wasn''t enough that he had to dance himself; he had even dragged his bodyguards to join him. Now Wei Guoming was indeed a sensation in high society. That''s also why Wei Guoming was in the bar this late at night, drowning his sorrows in liquor. He was full of hatred, resentment against Hao Jian, but he was powerless to take revenge, a sickness festering in his heart. The woman was resentfully stared at Hao Jian after being scolded by Wei Guoming, then sulkily moved to another seat, quickly blending in with another group, laughing and chatting away. Hearing that grating laughter, Wei Guoming suddenly turned his head sharply, glaring at the woman. What was that woman saying? She must be talking about his embarrassing moment, right? She''s taking revenge just because he ignored her! The more Wei Guoming thought about it, the more he was convinced it was true. His eyes turned bloodshot with frightening blood vessels as he stood up and lunged at the woman, grabbing her hair and yanking her up. "Ah! Let go, Wei Guoming, have you lost your mind?" The woman screamed in pain but didn''t dare to struggle, as resisting would only increase her agony. "Bitch? You dare mock me?" Wei Guoming roared, throwing the woman to the ground and then kicking her face relentlessly with his foot. Everyone was stunned, not understanding what had driven Wei Guoming mad. "What are you doing?" A man tried to stop Wei Guoming''s violent behavior but was knocked to the ground by Wei Guoming. Then Wei Guoming picked up a wine bottle and smashed it hard on the man''s head who tried to intervene. Wei Guoming''s ferocity scared everyone stiff; no one dared to stop him anymore. "You dare mock me, I''ll kill you all!" Wei Guoming roared like a maddened dog filled with rage. He was somewhat drunk, so half his sense was gone; seeing these people laughing and joking, he assumed they were laughing at him. "We weren''t mocking you; we don''t even know who you are, how can we mock you? We were just telling jokes!" a girl said, somewhat fearfully. Wei Guoming suddenly jolted in shock, then angrily threw the woman to the ground and harshly said, "Don''t let me see you here again." The woman covered her face and wept bitterly, feeling incredibly wronged. She didn''t understand why she had encountered such misfortune. Given her lifestyle, not to mention not knowing what had happened to Wei Guoming, even if she did, she would not dare to speak carelessly. Wei Guoming then stumbled out of the bar and headed toward the outside. "That guy must be crazy," people at the booths all expressed their speechlessness. Someone came up and started hitting people for no reason, claiming they were laughing at him when they didn''t even know who he was. The reason for this was that Wei Guoming had been driven crazy by Hao Jian, creating a psychological shadow. Now, whenever he saw people laughing on the street, he couldn''t help but think they were laughing at him. As Wei Guoming left the bar, he cursed his bad luck under his breath, ready to get into his car and leave, but at that moment someone patted him on the shoulder. Wei Guoming turned around to find two men in black standing behind him. "Who the hell are you?" Wei Guoming yelled, not taking the two bodyguards seriously at all. "Mr. He invites you to talk in the car," one of them said. "Mr. He? Which Mr. He? I don''t know him, let him come to me if he wants to see me!" Wei Guoming continued his bluster, what nerve, expecting him to go meet with someone. Couldn''t the other person come to him? "It''s He Changhuan, Mr. He," one of the bodyguards said with a sneer. In an instant, Wei Guoming''s drunkenness sobered up by half because he was well aware of who Wei Guoming was. If He Changhuan wanted to see him and he still acted arrogantly, then he would be courting death. Wei Guoming asked somewhat nervously, "Uh, does Mr. He want to see me for something?" "You''ll know once you get there." After saying this, the two bodyguards turned and walked away without giving Wei Guoming another glance, as if they were unwilling to leave without him following. Wei Guoming hesitated for a moment, but eventually followed them. If he ignored He Changhuan''s summon, it wouldn''t just be courting death; it would be a particularly brutal end. Once in the car, Wei Guoming saw He Changhuan puffing on a cigar, warmly inviting him to sit, and said with politeness, "They say Elder Wei has a talented young man in the house. Seeing you today, your reputation is well-deserved indeed." Wei Guoming only gave a bitter smile. Outside, his reputation stank, where did the ''talented young man'' talk come from? He knew He Changhuan was just being polite. What he didn''t understand was why He Changhuan was looking for him. As far as he knew, he hadn''t had any contact with He Changhuan, let alone offended him. "So let me be brief," He Changhuan cleared his throat, then asked in a lowered voice, "I heard you''re not on good terms with a man named Hao Jian?" Wei Guoming''s heart tightened immediately. How did He Changhuan learn about this? Could it be that he was sent by Hao Jian for revenge? Seeming to sense Wei Guoming''s suspicion, He Changhuan waved his hand, "Don''t worry, I''m not friends with Hao Jian, and I''m not here to pick a fight. On the contrary, I have a deep hatred for him." A deep hatred for Hao Jian? Wei Guoming was even more surprised. When had Hao Jian offended He Changhuan? "So, the reason I''m looking for you this time is that I want you to help me with a task¡ªthat is to capture Hao Jian''s woman. As long as you can catch her, I''ll find a way to kill him," He Changhuan said with ill intent. Wei Guoming''s eyes brightened; he finally understood why He Changhuan had sought him out. He was planning to use him to kidnap someone. But Wei Guoming was no fool; if He Changhuan was letting him do this instead of doing it himself, it meant it was surely not going to be easy. Moreover, Hao Jian was terrifying, and if he found out that Wei Guoming had abducted his woman, wouldn''t he seek revenge? However, He Changhuan had already seen through his thoughts and chuckled lightly, "Don''t worry, once it''s done, I''ll ensure your safety. Besides, by then Hao Jian will be dead; do you still have to be afraid of him?" "You''re sure you can kill him?" Wei Guoming looked at He Changhuan skeptically, his interest piqued. At this point, he despised Hao Jian to the bone. If there was a chance to kill Hao Jian, he certainly wouldn''t pass it up. "If I weren''t confident, why would I come to you? If you suffer the consequences, do you think I''d be spared? He''d only seek revenge on you and not on me? Is that possible? So we are, in fact, grasshoppers on the same string," He Changhuan persuaded soothingly, his voice deep, "And it''s not only me who''ll act, Jiankun will be involved too!" The truth was, He Changhuan wasn''t seeking Wei Guoming out due to a lack of manpower, but rather to make sure his own hands stayed clean! He Changhuan was a very cautious man, especially when dealing with a monster like Hao Jian. He couldn''t afford to take any chances. If the action succeeded and the powers behind Hao Jian sought revenge, they would target Wei Guoming because, since he hadn''t shown his face, everyone would think Wei Guoming harbored bad intentions against Hao Jian and so kidnapped his woman; even if the action failed, Hao Jian would first look for Wei Guoming and not him, giving him plenty of time to prepare, a win-win situation. At this moment, considering the people who were at odds with Hao Jian and eager for revenge, He Changhuan thought only of Wei Guoming, who had recently clashed with Hao Jian. The more you knew about Hao Jian, the more fear you felt, so He Changhuan wanted to take advantage of Wei Guoming''s heated state of mind to lure him into acting. Sure enough, when Wei Guoming heard He Changhuan speak that way, his head heated up, and he nodded vigorously, "Okay, I agree!" "Tomorrow, same time, same place, I''ll be waiting here for you," said He Changhuan with a smile. Wei Guoming nodded, understanding that He Changhuan was ready to see him out, and promptly got out of the car. Chapter 496 - 496 Alliance Wei Guoming got out of He Changhuan''s car and immediately took out his limbs, "Brother Black Cat, I need to see you." It was at the hospital that Wei Guoming saw Brother Black Cat, and by the time he saw him, he was already stunned. Brother Black Cat lay in the hospital bed, both legs encased in plaster, his head wrapped in bandages, his face also covered in scars. Seeing this, Wei Guoming instantly exclaimed in horror, "Brother Black Cat, what happened to you?" "Nothing much, just messed with someone I shouldn''t have," Brother Black Cat said with a bitter smile. After Hao Jian had dealt with him, he immediately investigated Hao Jian''s identity. When he found out that Hao Jian was the one who had caused chaos in Hua City, he slapped himself twice on the spot. Getting involved with such a being, he was practically courting death! Wei Guoming nodded, then said, "I have a business deal I want to discuss with you." Whenever Wei Guoming encountered a tricky problem, he would turn to Brother Black Cat. This seemed to be a common ailment in the world of strategy and intrigue; when those big bosses found some matters inconvenient to handle themselves, they would hire members of the Mafia to take care of them. That''s why developers always sought the Mafia to deal with those stubborn nail-household owners, because they needed to keep their own hands clean. Wei Guoming''s thinking was the same as He Changhuan''s, both wanted to keep their hands clean! Upon hearing this, Brother Black Cat hesitated and said, "Thing is, for the time being, I don''t think I can do anything for you." Having just been taken down by Hao Jian, Brother Black Cat understood the importance of keeping a low profile. So, he dared not cause any more trouble, lest he provoke certain forces he shouldn''t mess with. "Brother Black Cat, this time I''ll make it worth your while, ten million, just to help me kidnap a woman!" Wei Guoming said earnestly. He needed Hao Jian dead, no matter the cost. "Ten million?" The normally cautious Brother Black Cat was tempted. Previously, the jobs Wei Guoming had him do ranged from five hundred thousand to a million, but this time he was offering ten million upfront, successfully luring him in. The saying went that there would always be someone willing to do the job if the reward was generous enough, especially since it was just a woman¡ªthey probably wouldn''t have anything to do with Hao Jian, right? Brother Black Cat felt he couldn''t be so unlucky as to run into a dead end twice in a row. Finally, Brother Black Cat gritted his teeth and glared, saying angrily, "Fine, I''ll take it. Give me the woman''s information." "She''s a teacher at the Chinese Medicine Hospital, named Qin Bing. I''ve inquired about her, and it turns out she has a day off at home tomorrow. Help me grab her, and after the job is done, I''ll give you ten million!" Wei Guoming said. Originally, Wei Guoming had wanted to go after Che Xiaoxiao, but after having someone inquire at the school, he learned that Che Xiaoxiao was just a student of Hao Jian''s. Wei Guoming was worried that Hao Jian might not take the bait, and since He Changhuan had also mentioned Qin Bing, Wei Guoming had no choice but to target Qin Bing. "A female teacher? How did she offend you?" Brother Black Cat asked, puzzled. "She hasn''t offended me, but her man has," Wei Guoming said with an ugly expression, the mere thought of Hao Jian like a bone stuck in his throat. "Her man? Who is it?" Brother Black Cat immediately tensed up. A man? It could be Hao Jian, right? Wei Guoming''s next words indeed made Brother Black Cat''s hair stand on end. "That woman''s man is named Hao Jian, quite infamous lately, I suppose you must know of him," Wei Guoming said. "Hao Jian?" Brother Black Cat instantly showed a look of horror, near tears at how things were turning out. What on earth was happening these days? Why was Hao Jian popping up everywhere, had he been fated to clash with him? "Young Master Wei, I can''t help you with this," Brother Black Cat quickly waved his hands. Offending Hao Jian once was enough to break his legs; he had no wish to lose his life over it. "Why not?" Hearing this, Wei Guoming was somewhat astonished. Brother Black Cat pointed to his own legs, "Who do you think caused this to me?" S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wei Guoming was also taken aback, "Also Hao Jian? Then you have even more reason to take revenge!" At that moment, Wei Guoming felt a sense of shared misery. Brother Black Cat felt an urge to curse out loud. You might be foolish¡ªI''m not. After seeing a ghost, would one still not fear the dark? Truly, seeking death shouldn''t be like this, right? "I can''t help you, Hao Jian is not someone to provoke lightly," Brother Black Cat shook his head, his expression becoming a bit icy. "I know what you''re worried about, but this time, Hao Jian is definitely dead," Wei Guoming said menacingly. "Oh? How come?" Brother Black Cat looked at Wei Guoming with confusion and asked. "Because it''s not just me going after Hao Jian; He Changhuan and Liang Jiankun are doing it too. I''m just helping out with their plan," Wei Guoming said with a sinister laugh. "What? He Changhuan and Liang Jiankun are going to make a move on him too?" Brother Black Cat was instantly stunned. Two of the four young masters of Hua City were targeting Hao Jian, which greatly surprised Wei Guoming. "It''s not just that. The guy has made quite a few enemies, you know. I heard that even Kong Xiaozhen doesn''t get along with him. Now that Liang Jiankun and He Changhuan are taking action, do you think Kong Xiaozhen will just sit by?" Wei Guoming tried to convince Brother Black Cat in the same tone as He Changhuan. Brother Black Cat fell silent, seemingly hesitant. "Brother Black Cat, if you hesitate any longer, you''ll miss out on the opportunity. Don''t you want to get revenge after what Hao Jian did to you? Besides, haven''t you always been dissatisfied working for that wench Gao Jiping as her top enforcer? If you can complete this task for He Changhuan, I can ask them to help you take Gao Jiping''s position as Gang Leader. Then you won''t have to keep feeling aggrieved under Gao Jiping, and you might even be able to treat her as your plaything," said Wei Guoming, inciting mischief. Hearing this, Brother Black Cat finally made up his mind ¡ª treating Gao Jiping as a plaything? This was something he had dreamed of doing. Compared to taking the position of Gang Leader, this was far more tempting to Brother Black Cat. "Fine, I''m in!" Brother Black Cat finally nodded vigorously, agreeing to Wei Guoming''s proposal and deciding to act against Qin Bing. Meanwhile, Hao Jian had no idea that a storm was approaching. "Hao Jian, I need to go abroad to prepare for our expansion in France. I estimate it will take about a month. During this time, you''ll be in charge of the company," said Shu Ya as she finished packing her luggage, addressing the soundly sleeping Hao Jian on the bed. Hao Jian opened his bleary eyes and said, "But I don''t know the first thing about running a business. If you leave it to me, I might ruin your company." "Don''t worry, I''ve already asked Shanshan to help you. She''ll teach you everything you don''t understand," Shu Ya replied. "Hm? You''ve made Yuan Shanshan your secretary?" Hao Jian exclaimed in surprise. From what Shu Ya was saying, it sounded like she had managed to recruit Yuan Shanshan. "What''s wrong? Can''t I? She''s so capable. She can only improve and learn more by staying close to me," said Shu Ya as she sat in front of the mirror putting on makeup. Suddenly, she turned her head sharply and glared at Hao Jian, "I''m warning you, you''ve already taken one of my secretaries, and I don''t want to lose a second one." Clearly, Shu Ya was worried that Hao Jian would take advantage of Yuan Shanshan next. "You should be more worried about picking up French guys in France," Hao Jian teased. "Tsk, a dog''s mouth can''t spit out ivory!" retorted Shu Ya, not amused. Then, picking up her suitcase, she gave Hao Jian a kiss on the mouth and said, "Be good at home. I''ll be back in a month." "Okay," Hao Jian happily agreed, a touch of warmth in his thoughts. "Bang!" The door closed, and Hao Jian was wide awake. He climbed out of bed, muttering to himself, "I''m so hungry. Looks like I''ll have to scrounge for lunch again. But whose place should I go to?" Indeed, Qin Bing hadn''t gone to class today and was resting at home. And in her house wasn''t just Qin Bing but also Jessica, who had become friends with her since leaving the club that day. Mainly because Jessica had pestered her nonstop for Hao Jian''s contact details, leaving Qin Bing with no choice but to agree to be friends with Jessica. "Bingbing, what type do you think Hao Jian likes exactly?" asked Jessica as she sat beside Qin Bing, applying nail polish while inquiring. Qin Bing thought for a moment and replied, "Considering that guy''s flirtatiousness and a bit of chauvinism, he probably likes the demure type." "Am I not demure?" Jessica asked in astonishment, thinking she should fit into the type Hao Jian liked. However, it wasn''t really about being demure or not, but rather an issue of gender. Even though Jessica had transitioned, she was once a man, and Hao Jian couldn''t accept that. Qin Bing couldn''t help but laugh and said, "No, you''re not demure; you''re seductive and enchanting. I guess that''s not really his taste." "Alright then, I''ll try to change," Jessica pouted, thinking maybe she had been too forward, causing Hao Jian to take her lightly. She decided to be more reserved in the future. "Actually, that guy is all bark and no bite. There''s nothing to be afraid of. If you indulge him a bit, he''ll be hooked in no time," Qin Bing reassured her. "Mm-hmm!" Jessica nodded with full confidence. She was aware that Hao Jian wasn''t gay, but now she was a woman too, and a pretty one at that. She didn''t believe Hao Jian could resist. Suddenly, Qin Bing''s phone rang. She answered the call and asked, "What''s up? Oh? You want to come over for lunch? Sure, see you soon." "Is he coming over?" Jessica said, unable to contain her excitement. "Yeah. You''d better put on a good show when he gets here!" Qin Bing said jokingly. "Right, I''ll do my best." Jessica was excited like a child but couldn''t help asking with a bit of concern, "He''s not going to beat me up, is he?" "If he dares? I''ll skin him alive!" Qin Bing snorted arrogantly, thinking she knew exactly how to handle Hao Jian. .................................................................. Chapter 497 - 497: An Unexpected Betrayal "We should hurry up and start cooking; he will be here soon, and I want to showcase my culinary skills!" Jessica said excitedly, finally having the chance to show off. "Bang!" But at that moment, the door was kicked open, and a group of burly men rushed in. This time it was Brother Black Cat leading the team, but differently from before, he no longer had his imposing demeanor. Sitting in a wheelchair, his face was somewhat pale. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yet his eyes were still fierce as he looked at Jessica and Qin Bing, suddenly yelling, "Grab her!" Brother Black Cat remembered clearly that he had seen Qin Bing the night before, so he recognized at a glance that she and Hao Jian were involved. "You again? Have you already forgotten how Hao Jian fixed you up yesterday?" Qin Bing glared at him and asked. Upon hearing this, Brother Black Cat''s expression changed drastically, and like a rabid dog, he yelled at Qin Bing, "Slap her! Slap this bitch to death!" Because of Hao Jian, he had lost both his legs, and the doctors said he would have to spend his next life in a wheelchair. Brother Black Cat utterly despised Hao Jian. When Qin Bing used Hao Jian to humiliate him, "Don''t make a fuss!" Jessica quickly shielded Qin Bing, glaring furiously at Brother Black Cat. "Dead tranny, trying to act tough like others? I think you are tired of living!" Consumed by rage, Brother Black Cat ordered, "Hit him too!" His bodyguards then started slapping Qin Bing, and they were not gentle with Jessica either, pinning him down and brutally kicking him. Since they all knew that Jessica had been a man before, they did not go easy on him, and soon Jessica was knocked unconscious, but Brother Black Cat''s men did not stop there. "Keep hitting! Beat him to death!" Brother Black Cat laughed maniacally, his eyes filled with vengeance. A dead tranny dared to block his way? Simply tired of living! "Stop! This has nothing to do with him. Come at me if you have a problem!" Qin Bing yelled at Brother Black Cat, nearly crying, the way they were beating him¡ªno man could withstand it, let alone Jessica, who had become a woman. Jessica might die if this continued. "Oh, you''re quite loyal, aren''t you? But I insist on beating!" Brother Black Cat snorted coldly, then commanded, "Don''t stop! I want this dead tranny to know the consequences of offending me, Brother Black Cat." "You are shameless! Hao Jian won''t let you get away with this!" Qin Bing struggled fiercely, but how could she possibly match those strong men? No matter how much she struggled, she couldn''t break free from their grasp. Qin Bing could only watch helplessly as they beat Jessica and even watch helplessly as Jessica spat blood, unable to stop them. The only things echoing in her mind were Jessica''s cries of pain and Brother Black Cat''s wild laughter. "Hao Jian? It should be me who won''t let him get away. His end is near." Only when Jessica lay motionless on the ground did Brother Black Cat and his men finally stop. "Is he dead?" Brother Black Cat asked coldly, looking at Jessica as if he were looking at a pig or a dog, certainly not a human. "Boss, he''s not dead yet, but it''s close," someone replied. "That''s good," Brother Black Cat then relaxed slightly and waved his hand: "Take that woman with us; let''s go!" When Hao Jian arrived, he was immediately faced with the chaos in Qin Bing''s home, and found Jessica unconscious in the hall. Hao Jian was shocked and rushed over to Jessica, helping him up, "Hey, tranny, how are you? Where''s Qin Bing? What happened?" But Jessica had already passed out, unresponsive to any slapping, and since Brother Black Cat was worried that Jessica might not die, he had someone intentionally stab Jessica in the abdomen, causing blood to flow freely, unsure when he might breathe his last. Seeing this, Hao Jian''s brow furrowed deeply, and he quickly pulled out a medicine bottle from his embrace, poured out an Elixir, and fed it to Jessica. Being a doctor, it was inevitable for him to carry some medicines. After taking it, Jessica''s complexion improved slightly, but he remained unconscious. Hao Jian knew that the medicine could only act as a temporary blood stoppage, so he hurriedly sent Jessica to the hospital. Once at the hospital, Hao Jian had Jessica taken into the emergency room before he called Brother Spice Ginger with a grim expression, "Spice Ginger, check who entered and exited room 305 of Jingxiang Community around ten this morning. Someone has taken my friend, find them for me!" "Understood!" Brother Spice Ginger did not dare to delay, and immediately ended the call to start searching. Approximately three hours had passed when the doctor finally emerged from the emergency room and approached Hao Jian, "Your friend is seriously injured. If you had been five minutes later, he probably wouldn''t have survived. Who was so ruthless to beat him like this?" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian''s face instantly turned grim to the extreme. The person had injured Jessica and kidnapped Qin Bing, clearly targeting him. Since Qin Bing and Jessica would not make enemies on their own, it was due to him that Jessica and Qin Bing had ended up in such a plight, and guilt and annoyance inevitably arose in Hao Jian''s heart. What Hao Jian hadn''t expected was that the person who kidnapped Qin Bing would be Brother Black Cat. Logically, after the previous incident, Brother Black Cat should have been too scared to cause more trouble, but he hadn''t expected that Brother Black Cat had sided with He Changhuan, thus becoming reckless. "This is also something I want to figure out!" Hao Jian said coldly. Hearing that Jessica had almost died, Hao Jian''s anger surged, and he made up his mind that whoever it was, he would make them pay a blood-like price! Immediately, Hao Jian asked the doctor, "Is my friend awake now?" Hao Jian was eager to find out from Jessica''s mouth who had kidnapped Qin Bing. "He is awake now, but still very weak. If you have something to say to him, make it quick and try not to disturb the patient''s rest," the doctor advised. "I understand," Hao Jian nodded and then pushed the door open to enter. He immediately saw Jessica lying on the hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling with a vacant expression and gaze. Upon seeing Hao Jian enter, Jessica''s dull eyes suddenly lit up, and she exclaimed, "Hao Jian, hurry and save Qin Bing, he''s been captured by Brother Black Cat!" "Brother Black Cat?" Hao Jian''s brow furrowed, and his eyes instantly flashed with cold light. So it was him who dared to be so reckless. He should have killed him earlier! Immediately, Hao Jian said to Jessica, "Stay here and rest quietly, I''ll handle this!" After speaking, Hao Jian headed toward the door. "Be careful!" Jessica couldn''t help but say. Hao Jian nodded at her, and without further delay, strode out. To find Brother Black Cat, naturally, he had to go to the Red Makeup Society, since Brother Black Cat was Gao Jiping''s man. Therefore, he also had to hold Gao Jiping accountable for this matter. At this moment, Gao Jiping had also received the news and knew that Brother Black Cat had kidnapped Hao Jian''s woman. She was anxiously pacing back and forth inside the bar. Gao Jiping''s subordinates dared not make a sound, all standing by her side, hardly daring to breathe because they all knew she was in a terrible mood. "Dammit, I should not have let him run wild before!" Gao Jiping slammed her hand on the table, a murderous look crossing her pretty face. If Brother Black Cat had just provoked Hao Jian, that would have been one thing, but he had kidnapped Hao Jian''s woman, and what was worse, now Brother Black Cat had also disappeared. This would definitely bring trouble upon her from Hao Jian. "Boss, should we find Mr. Hao Jian and clarify that we weren''t involved in this?" one of her trusted lieutenants suggested. Gao Jiping slumped onto the sofa, exhaling miserably, "It''s useless. I think he must already be on his way. We''ve all caught wind of it; how could he possibly be unaware?" "Moreover, even if it wasn''t us, Brother Black Cat is still one of our Red Makeup Society. With such an incident and Brother Black Cat missing, he will definitely hold us accountable." "Damn that Brother Black Cat, I knew he was plotting something right from the start. I should never have supported him!" another one spat out angrily, also upset, because he knew what the consequences would be for their Red Makeup Society if Hao Jian decided to target them. The fault of one individual, yet all of them might have to pay with their lives. How could they accept this? "It''s all my fault. I only valued his abilities and underestimated his ambition," Gao Jiping sighed, her annoyance reaching its peak. However, Gao Jiping soon collected herself and ordered her men, "Check, check who Brother Black Cat has recently been in contact with. With Brother Black Cat''s cunning nature, he definitely wouldn''t dare to move against Hao Jian without backup. There''s something fishy about this!" Gao Jiping knew that if she fell apart at this juncture, then they were truly doomed. If Gao Jiping could be so easily defeated, she wouldn''t have gotten this far. Gao Jiping was also very smart; she understood Brother Black Cat well. With Brother Black Cat''s personality, it was unlikely he would throw caution to the wind. Although Brother Black Cat was notorious, Gao Jiping knew that he was actually very afraid of dying and wouldn''t dare to do this without someone backing him up. "I... I know who did it!" Just then, a henchman raised his hand and slowly stepped forward. "Wang Daxiong?" Gao Jiping looked at Wang Daxiong in surprise and suspicion. She of course knew that Wang Daxiong was Brother Black Cat''s top lackey, but she had no idea that Wang Daxiong would betray Brother Black Cat. "Speak! If there''s half a lie, I''ll bury you alive," Gao Jiping snapped. At these words, Wang Daxiong shuddered, quickly saying, "Before this, Brother Black Cat had contact with a wealthy second generation named Wei Guoming, who offered ten million for Brother Black Cat to kidnap Hao Jian''s woman. He also said that someone named He Changhuan was backing them, so there was no need to fear Hao Jian''s retaliation." Chapter 498 - 498: The God of Slaughter Comes Calling In an instant, Gao Jiping''s willow-brow furrowed sharply, and her complexion turned exceedingly ugly. It turned out that the one who was about to make a move against Hao Jian was He Changhuan, which made the situation much more complicated. Facing the behemoth that is He Corporation, even Gao Jiping didn''t dare to act rashly. Although she felt displeased, she feared in the end she would have to swallow her broken teeth. At this moment, Gao Jiping was also worried. If Brother Black Cat had truly formed ties with He Changhuan, that meant she could no longer touch Gao Jiping. Moreover, if Brother Black Cat had He Changhuan''s support in the future and decided to strike at them, their troubles would be significant, especially since she was aware of Brother Black Cat''s lingering interest in her position. Immediately afterward, Gao Jiping looked at Wang Daxiong with some suspicion, "Why would you betray Brother Black Cat? Isn''t he your boss?" Wang Daxiong hung his head, his body tensed as if all his strength had been drained. After a long while, he finally spoke in a deep voice, "Because he killed my woman!" Who would want to betray their own boss unless it was absolutely necessary? If Brother Black Cat had just kidnapped Qin Bing, he would never have betrayed him. But during the kidnapping of Qin Bing, Brother Black Cat had killed Jessica¡ªa fact he learned from his own brothers. The news made Wang Daxiong''s scalp tingle, and there was even a moment he considered going to his death by confronting Brother Black Cat. Despite toying with Jessica, there was no doubt he was truly fond of her. Her kind and strong nature were Jessica''s shining points, and it was these traits that profoundly attracted Wang Daxiong. Even though Jessica had humiliated him, Wang Daxiong knew he had it coming, for he had done something improper to her, and that had infuriated her. With his lover murdered, Wang Daxiong was naturally filled with resentment, but he was no match for Brother Black Cat, so he had no choice but to turn to Gao Jiping to eliminate Brother Black Cat. "Hmm? Your woman?" Gao Jiping asked in puzzlement. Was there someone other than Qin Bing involved? "She was a prostitute who was there at the time. Brother Black Cat killed her while he was abducting Qin Bing," Wang Daxiong spoke gloomily, his face filled with hatred. "Hall Master, I know that by speaking out like this, I might get killed by Brother Black Cat''s lackeys, but I really don''t care anymore. He killed my woman, and I want him dead!" Wang Daxiong declared fiercely, his eyes filled with hope as he looked at Gao Jiping, as if he was seeking her decision. Gao Jiping stood up, walked over to Wang Daxiong, and patted his shoulder, "To risk your own life for a woman, you''re a real man!" Every man who values his woman is a real man! That''s the principle¡ªyou can fool around outside, you can philander, but you must be home by midnight! It''s not a serious fault for a man to be lustful; chasing women, visiting prostitutes, it''s all not so problematic. But you can''t abandon your own woman, and even more, you can''t keep another woman on the side. That''s betrayal! "Bang!" Suddenly, a loud bang came from the entrance. The closed double doors were kicked open, flying inward and crashing down heavily onto the bodies of Gao Jiping''s underlings, toppling a group of them. Gao Jiping, with a bitter smile, knew without looking who had arrived. Hao Jian, dressed in a light green camouflage outfit, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, walked in slowly, his expression cold as ice, and his aura intimidating. "It''s been a while, Gao! Jiping!" Hao Jian said, with a smile that didn''t quite reach his eyes. "Honestly, I wasn''t eager to see you at this time," Gao Jiping replied, caught between laughter and tears¡ªthe reason was simple: Hao Jian had come for her life! "Come! Let''s play an interesting game, the name of the game is... hide and seek!" Hao Jian grinned, but his smile had a sinister feel to it. "So, now, who will tell us where Brother Black Cat is?" Hao Jian asked cheerily. "Mr. Hao Jian, we really don''t know where Brother Black Cat is. It has nothing to do with us, we''re also looking for him," one of the hallmasters said urgently. "Bang!" Hao Jian sent him flying with a kick, smashing him against a nearby liquor cabinet. His head burst open, and he lost consciousness. "Boss!" Instead of charging at Hao Jian, the underlings rushed to aid the hallmaster. Many of them had witnessed Hao Jian''s methods. Guns were no match for him¡ªhow could they possibly stand against him? S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Alright, next!" Hao Jian continued, smiling as he looked over the crowd. "Teacher Hao Jian, Brother Black Cat dared to strike at you because he has joined forces with He Changhuan. We really didn''t know," said another. "Bang!" Moments later, that person was also kicked away by Hao Jian, ending up with the same fate as the aforementioned Jessica. "I know what you''re trying to say, so why don''t you tell me something I don''t know?" Hao Jian asked. At this point, nobody dared to speak anymore, because it was evident that whatever they said, Hao Jian wouldn''t listen. If they said the wrong thing, they''d get beaten up¡ªnobody was that stupid. "Not talking? You think it''s over if you keep silent? If you don''t talk, I''ll wipe out all of you!" Hao Jian''s face was menacing as he effortlessly lifted the heavy iron door that he''d almost kicked in, weighing over a hundred pounds, and looked at everyone coldly, as if he were ready to start a fight at any disagreement. "Hao Jian, you''re holding us to account for the mistakes of others, don''t you think that''s a bit too much?" Gao Jiping said with a grim expression. She had a total of three Hall Masters under her command, one had defected and the other two had been crippled by Hao Jian, which infuriated Gao Jiping. "So, is Brother Black Cat a member of your Red Makeup Society?" Hao Jian demanded. "Yes!" Gao Jiping answered with a face ashen. "Then, if he causes trouble and I can''t find him, am I supposed to come to you?" Hao Jian asked again. "Yes!" Gao Jiping answered again but then added, "But even if you killed all of us, we wouldn''t know where he is!" "You really think I wouldn''t dare to kill all of you? Let me tell you, if Qin Bing really is dead, all of you are going to die!" Hao Jian said coldly. "Why? Aren''t we old acquaintances? To kill so indiscriminately, without a shred of mercy for old times'' sake¡ªdoesn''t that bother you at all?" Gao Jiping was becoming angry. Both women, both beautiful¡ªwhy was she treated so differently? Gao Jiping knew that Qin Bing was never Hao Jian''s woman, perhaps just a friend at most. Under these circumstances, in what way was she inferior to Qin Bing? Hao Jian was willing to kill her for Qin Bing? Hao Jian raised his finger and shook it: "You''re no match for her." Gao Jiping was stunned into silence, then her teeth clenched as she stayed quiet. Hao Jian''s words were an insult, the ultimate insult, making Gao Jiping feel extremely embarrassed. Women are creatures of intense jealousy, loving nothing more than to make comparisons. Hearing what Hao Jian said, Gao Jiping truly felt an urge to kill him. It was a blow to her pride that she had portrayed herself as someone close to Hao Jian, yet he treated her like this. Gao Jiping took a deep breath, trying her hardest not to swear, and stared at Hao Jian: "This is the Red Makeup Society''s fault, and we will take responsibility to capture Brother Black Cat. If we can''t bring him back, the Red Makeup Society will be at your disposal." Gao Jiping had no choice; if she didn''t satisfy Hao Jian, everyone present today, including herself, might end up getting a severe beating from him. "Good!" Hao Jian finally cracked a slight smile, consenting at last, and said to Gao Jiping, "You have one day. If you don''t find him by then, I will come looking for you!" "Understood. Oh, and I forgot to inform you¡ªsomeone named Wei Guoming is also involved in this. I think you should take care of it, shouldn''t you?" Gao Jiping asked. "Wei Guoming?" Hao Jian was shocked momentarily, unable to believe that Wei Guoming was connected to this mess, or how he might be involved with Brother Black Cat and He Changhuan. "I will handle Wei Guoming. Just find Brother Black Cat," Hao Jian said icily, and then he left the bar. "Aaaah... Bastard! Son of a bitch! Motherfucker! I! @#£¤ you¡­" Just after Hao Jian had left the bar, Gao Jiping began smashing anything she could throw in the bar. She was furious. Calling him all the names she could think of¡ªdidn''t Hao Jian know she was a girl? Gao Jiping''s underlings watched her rage and were stunned, having never seen Gao Jiping lose her composure like this, ranting like a fishwife. Usually very mature and composed, now she was acting like a petulant little girl. Meanwhile, Brother Black Cat and Wei Guoming had successfully handed Qin Bing over to He Changhuan. He Changhuan was circling around Qin Bing, sizing her up, and after a moment, a smirk finally emerged on his face: "That kid is quite lucky, snagging such a beauty." "You''re wrong, I''m not Hao Jian''s woman," Qin Bing replied indifferently. "You''ve slept together and you''re still not his woman?" He Changhuan scoffed with a cold laugh, plainly disbelieving Qin Bing''s words, thinking she was just lying to stay alive. Qin Bing gave a cold laugh: "You''re wrong. It''s true that we''ve slept together, but Hao Jian''s gay. He doesn''t like women." "Hao Jian doesn''t like women?" He Changhuan was initially taken aback, then burst into hearty laughter, as if he''d heard the biggest joke in the world. At this, Qin Bing glared unhappily at He Changhuan: "What''s so funny?" "I suppose this is the funniest joke I''ve heard all day! Hao Jian likes women? Don''t you know he''s married to a female CEO? Not only that, he''s surrounded by countless lady friends, including celebrities, rich beauties, and high officials'' daughters, and so on¡­" He Changhuan laughed uncontrollably, holding his belly: "Your joke really cracked me up." Chapter 499 - 499: Liking Women At that moment, Qin Bing was also dumbfounded. Hao Jian actually liked women? That''s impossible, right? "You were deceived by him, but that''s normal. After all, that guy has always been a smooth talker and has deceived quite a few women," He Changhuan said, curling his lips. "Impossible, you''re lying to me!" Qin Bing couldn''t believe it. Wasn''t Hao Jian her best friend? Wasn''t he gay? Could it be that he did all this just to get close to her? "Do you think at this point, I still need to lie to you? And if you don''t believe me, why don''t you ask Hao Jian himself?" He Changhuan said with a cold laugh. "..." Qin Bing fell silent, probably stunned by the realization that the man had been deceiving her all along. Recalling how she had once been naked in front of Hao Jian and even shared all her secrets with him, Qin Bing felt utterly disgusted. Hao Jian had always been deceiving her emotionally! "All right, I now admit that you truly aren''t Hao Jian''s girl but since we''ve already captured you, I guess there''s no way to let you go. You can only pray that Hao Jian really shows up, because if he doesn''t, I''ll have no choice but to kill you," He Changhuan said, shrugging his shoulders. Qin Bing just glared fiercely at him, keeping silent. "You two, keep a close eye on her and wait here for Hao Jian to come!" He Changhuan ordered Brother Black Cat and Wei Guoming. "Are you leaving?" Seeing He Changhuan walk away, Wei Guoming and Brother Black Cat became terrified, doubting their ability to match Hao Jian. "Under these circumstances, it''s not appropriate for me to show up. However, I''ll send an expert to assist you in killing Hao Jian," He Changhuan answered, then turned to a girl with a ponytail, dressed like a punk, and said, "Miss Vivian, from here on, I leave it to you." The girl had delicate features but her face was covered with messy paint, starkly resembling a pale clown face. The painted, oversized lips looked ridiculous, but no one dared to mock her for it. Mouth clasping a lollipop and humming a melody of unknown origin, she sat on the table, silent, staring at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought and ignoring He Changhuan''s words. Seeing this, He Changhuan also felt somewhat awkward, but he dared not show any dissatisfaction. Vivian, sent by Young Master Ye to assist him, held a status far more prestigious than his. Rumor had it that she was a top assassin from a secretive assassin organization, known as the "Rampaging Lolita." Originally, Vivian was the personal bodyguard of the Third Young Master Ye, and now, being sent to assist He Changhuan was quite an honor for him. "Both of you must obey Miss Vivian''s orders, understand?" He Changhuan said sternly. "Yes!" Brother Black Cat and Wei Guoming nodded in unison, not daring to utter a word of disagreement. Meanwhile, in the Wei Family''s mansion, Wei Qinghong was reading in his study, occasionally checking his cell phone, then muttering, "That damned boy, what time is it already? He still isn''t home, always causing trouble outside." "Oh dear, the child is grown up and has his own opinions, let him be," said a distinguished woman on the sofa, reading a magazine, chiding him. "Let him be? It''s because I let him be too much in the past that he ended up dancing a striptease in public, utterly disgracing our family! Now when I chat with people, they praise me for having such a talented son with artistic flair!" Wei Qinghong said annoyed, obviously embarrassed because of He Changhuan''s actions. "It''s not like he wanted to do it; it''s the fault of that teacher at the Chinese Medicine Hospital being too much! Sooner or later, I''ll take care of him!" the distinguished woman said indignantly, always overly indulgent towards Wei Guoming and angry when she learned he was forced to perform a striptease by Hao Jian. But her primary concern was not what Wei Guoming did, but what was done to him. "Don''t do anything rash. I''ve inquired about it; that teacher is no easy target, and provoking him is of no benefit to us!" Wei Qinghong warned. "So you''d let our son be humiliated for nothing? Wei Qinghong, are you still a man?" the distinguished woman became upset, wondering why they should endure when they hadn''t done anything wrong. "It was Wei Guoming who bullied his students first; he deserved the lesson. What''s there to discuss?" Wei Qinghong snorted coldly. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "So what? Can those students compare to my precious son? My son bullying them is elevating them!" the distinguished woman said arrogantly, completely dismissive. "You... you are simply unreasonable!" Wei Qinghong trembled with rage. Suddenly, he felt a chill on his neck and involuntarily turned his head, only to find that the window of his home had somehow opened. "Did you open the window?" Wei Qinghong turned to ask his wife, but what he saw when he turned nearly scared the daylights out of him. Behind the couch where the distinguished woman sat, stood a man! A man wearing a clown mask! This man had appeared out of nowhere, silently and strangely. The clown mask on his face was sinister and lifelike, making it seem not like a mask but a real human face! "How could I possibly open the window in this freezing weather? It must have been you," the lady haughtily retorted, still unaware of what was happening. But when she saw her husband''s expression, she was also taken aback, "Old man, what''s wrong with you? Why do you look so awful? Did you see a ghost?" "You... behind you..." Wei Qinghong pointed tremblingly at the masked man. The lady cast a doubtful glance at him and then turned around. Upon seeing Hao Jian, she couldn''t help but scream in terror, jumping up from the sofa and then falling back onto the floor. "You, you, you... who exactly are you?" Wei Qinghong had now regained his senses, pointing at Hao Jian with a shaky hand. "Am I supposedly the teacher from the Chinese Medicine Hospital that you''ve been talking about?" Hao Jian scoffed. "It was you who injured my son, and even made him strip and dance?" At these words, the lady suddenly became aggressive, pointing angrily at Hao Jian. "Yes, it was me!" Hao Jian replied with a smile. "I haven''t sought you out, yet you dare to come looking for me? You''ve really gone too far! Someone, help me!" The furious lady immediately tried to call the guards to deal with Hao Jian. "No need to call, I''ve already dealt with them." Hao Jian stepped forward, picked up a bottle of freshly opened red wine from the table, and then began guzzling it down greedily. Upon hearing this, both Wei Qinghong and his wife were shocked; then they looked at Hao Jian with a certain fear, "You... what exactly do you want to do?" "Tell me where Wei Guoming is?" Hao Jian stepped forward, grabbed the lady by the throat with one hand, and with deep eyes under the mask, stared intensely at her, "Otherwise, I will kill you both." "Stop it! If you continue like this, I''ll call the police!" Wei Qinghong, frightened, felt his legs weaken, regretting how Wei Guoming had provoked such a madman. "You can call the police, but I assure you, before the police arrive, you''ll both be cold corpses!" Hao Jian sneered. Wei Qinghong tensed up, not daring to mention calling the police again; this guy had dared to break into his home and had handled all his bodyguards, indicating he certainly wasn''t afraid of the police. "Even though my son bullied your student, you already punished him, didn''t you? Why are you still being so aggressive?" Wei Qinghong said solemnly, his face filled with fear, worried that Hao Jian might accidentally kill his wife. "Yes, and then he colluded with others to abduct my friend. Now that I can''t find Wei Guoming, I had no choice but to turn to you," Hao Jian said coldly. "What?!" Wei Qinghong''s expression changed drastically, and then he glared at the lady with gritted teeth, "This is the good son you''ve raised! He even commits crimes like kidnapping; what is he not capable of doing?" The lady, no longer arrogant, had tears welling up in her eyes, looking pitifully at Hao Jian. With her throat clasped by Hao Jian''s hand, she couldn''t utter a word and her face turned ashen. "A son''s failure to be taught is the father''s fault, ''a mother''s indulgence ruins the child.'' I think you''ve both heard this saying before, right? So you suffering on behalf of Wei Guoming should be without complaints, right?" Hao Jian chuckled, tightening his grip on the lady''s neck. The lady immediately rolled her eyes back, her face turning the color of liver. Hao Jian had clearly heard what the lady had said earlier, and for such a despicable person, he was not going to be merciful. "Don''t kill my wife!" Wei Qinghong cried out, suddenly falling to his knees and begging Hao Jian for mercy. "Then tell me where Wei Guoming is!" Hao Jian demanded fiercely. Without Wei Guoming, Wei Qinghong and his wife would have to pay the price. "I really don''t know where he is, believe me, I''m not lying to you!" Wei Qinghong seemed to have aged ten years all at once, his old face full of worry. "I know, but still, you both have to die!" Hao Jian pulled out a short knife from his waist, waved it in front of the lady a couple of times, "Now, I''m going to make a hole in your head!" The lady immediately started crying, looking at Hao Jian with a pleading gaze. "Oh, what''s this now? Weren''t you very arrogant just a moment ago? Weren''t you going to have someone deal with me? This is quite embarrassing for you, isn''t it?" Hao Jian taunted. "No, no, I''ll call Wei Guoming right now!" Wei Qinghong screamed, at this point left with no choice, hastily taking out his mobile phone to call his son. .............................. Chapter 500 - 500: The Fault of the Father for Not Teaching the Son Weiqing Hong frantically tried to call Wei Guoming, but couldn''t get through no matter how hard he tried. Weiqing Hong, with a gloomy expression, turned to Hao Jian, "I can''t reach him on his phone." "If you can''t get through, keep calling. Do I need to teach you such trivial matters?" Hao Jian rolled his eyes and pinched the noblewoman hard, "Let me tell you, if you can''t contact Wei Guoming, then you all are going to die!" "No, no, no, I''m calling now, don''t hurt my wife," Weiqing Hong said anxiously, hastily redialing Wei Guoming''s number. Weiqing Hong kept calling for over half an hour before he finally got through to Wei Guoming. "Dad, is there something urgent?" Wei Guoming asked in confusion. "You unfilial son, did you kidnap a girl?" Weiqing Hong scolded furiously. Wei Guoming was taken aback on the other end, "Dad, how did you know?" "They''ve come knocking on our door, what do you think?" Weiqing Hong roared, nearly going mad with anger; Wei Guoming had indeed committed such an outrage. "Came to our house? Was it Hao Jian?" Wei Guoming''s expression stiffened immediately. Hao Jian had actually gone to his house? "Yes, it''s him. He already said you must release his friend immediately, or else he will kill me and your mom. Wei Guoming! Don''t make another mistake!" Weiqing Hong shouted loudly. "Dad, I can''t release her right now," Wei Guoming said anxiously, his gaze drifting towards Vivian not far away. Right now, he wasn''t the one calling the shots here, and with the situation progressed this far, how could the other party let him do as he pleased? sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Releasing Qin Bing now? That would bury him alive by He Changhuan. Wei Guoming hadn''t expected Hao Jian to stoop so low as to kidnap his parents as well. "Rascal, do you want to see your mother die?" Weiqing Hong''s eyes reddened with urgency; Wei Guoming still had his head in the clouds even now, potentially dooming them all. Wei Guoming''s expression also turned extremely grim as he shouted into the phone, "Hao Jian, if you dare hurt my mom, I will torture your woman to death!" "Haha, still daring to threaten me? Should I admire your courage?" Hao Jian sneered, then suddenly grabbed Wei Guoming''s mother''s hand and squeezed hard. With a crack, he crushed it. "Ah!" The noblewoman cried out in pain, sweat pouring down like a waterfall as she endured immense suffering. "Don''t!" Weiqing Hong screamed in dismay, turning completely pale as his legs trembled. He knew Hao Jian would keep his word and certainly kill them. "Hao Jian, you..." On the other end, Wei Guoming couldn''t believe it. Wasn''t Qin Bing his woman? Why did this guy not care at all? Hao Jian took Weiqing Hong''s phone, his voice sinister, "Wei Guoming, do you know what the biggest difference is between us? It''s that you are brainless, and I''m not. I dare to kill your parents; do you dare to kill Qin Bing?" Dare? Naturally, it''s not that he didn''t dare; Wei Guoming knew if he killed Qin Bing, Hao Jian probably wouldn''t fall for it, and their plans would be ruined. Hearing Wei Guoming''s silence, Hao Jian''s laugh grew more mocking, "You see, you don''t dare. So on what grounds do you threaten me? Let me tell you, if even one hair on Qin Bing''s head is harmed, your parents will have to be buried with her! How would someone parasitic like you, without your parents, struggle to survive in this harsh world?" "...." Wei Guoming gritted his teeth with hatred but had no reply. With his limited capabilities, if his parents died, he probably wouldn''t even inherit the property, and would be annihilated by those shareholders. "What do you want?" Wei Guoming asked Hao Jian, feeling somewhat embarrassed as he was being led by the nose by Hao Jian. He had thought that by kidnapping Qin Bing, he could blackmail Hao Jian, flaunting power before him; but who would have thought it would end this way, as if Hao Jian didn''t take him seriously at all. "I won''t ask you to release Qin Bing because I believe trash like you isn''t capable of such a deed. So just honestly tell me your location, and then go off to wait for your death!" Hao Jian mocked coldly. Hearing this, Wei Guoming really wanted to argue a few words, but he didn''t have the standing, being thoroughly dominated by Hao Jian. "Xicheng District, Muxiang Gardens, number 83. I expect you to arrive within half an hour, or else I...beep beep...hello? Hello? Damn it!" Wei Guoming hadn''t finished speaking before Hao Jian hung up, infuriating him so much he nearly smashed his phone. At that moment, Hao Jian turned to look at Weiqing Hong and his wife. The couple looked as if they were mourning their dead, their faces deathly pale as they stared at Hao Jian. "Don''t worry, I won''t kill you because what I''m about to do will make you suffer even more than death! I... am going to kill Wei Guoming!" Hao Jian laughed coldly. "No, please spare him. Please, I beg you, spare my son," the noblewoman knelt, kowtowing and crying her eyes out. "If you knew this would happen, you should have disciplined Wei Guoming properly from the start," Hao Jian left without agreeing, leaving them a ruthless silhouette. As Hao Jian had just left Wei Guoming''s home, he encountered Gao Jiping who had just arrived. "I found Brother Black Cat!" Gao Jiping told Hao Jian. At this moment, she also breathed a sigh of relief, because finding Brother Black Cat finally seemed to cool Hao Jian''s anger. However, Hao Jian merely glanced at her, his patience thinning, "I had already found him." After that, Hao Jian ignored Gao Jiping and walked away. Gao Jiping stood there, stunned before angrily stamping her feet. Wouldn''t saying ''thank you'' kill this guy? If he was going to search on his own, why did he even ask her to look? Actually, this was mainly because Hao Jian wanted to be cautious¡ªhe wanted some good news from Gao Jiping if Wei Guoming couldn''t be found here. And since Wei Guoming had been located, Brother Black Cat must be with him; Hao Jian planned to catch them all in one go. Hao Jian got into the car, ready to leave, but before he could start it, Gao Jiping squeezed in too. Hao Jian glared at her irritably, "What are you doing?" "Isn''t it obvious? I''m going to snipe the traitor. Brother Black Cat betrayed me; I naturally want to kill him," Gao Jiping answered matter-of-factly. "Then you should take your people and go on your own; why do you need to accompany me?" Hao Jian asked discontentedly. "That''s because you''re stronger; I''m safer with you." Gao Jiping shamelessly admitted, but what she said was true. Since He Changhuan had decided to take action against Hao Jian, he would surely have left a backup plan, and her few men probably wouldn''t be enough. So it was safer to stay with Hao Jian. Hao Jian was defeated by Gao Jiping''s shamelessness, but given the urgency of the situation, he didn''t bother to argue with her and just started the car. .... At that time, the Kong Family. After leaving Brother Black Cat, He Changhuan headed straight for Kong Xiaozhen''s residence. It had been a while since they had seen each other, but He Changhuan hadn''t expected the meeting to be this awkward. At that moment, He Changhuan was almost scared by the sight of Kong Xiaozhen; disheveled, wearing a sweat-stained T-shirt, his eyes lifeless, his eye sockets sunken, his complexion sallow, and his body emitted a foul stench. He Changhuan couldn''t figure out why Kong Xiaozhen had turned into this. Wasn''t this guy always a clean freak? How could he let himself go like this? Since the last defeat to Hao Jian, Kong Xiaozhen had completely collapsed, indulging in self-destruction and self-degradation, thus ending up in the state he was in now. The once handsome and elegant gentleman had now turned into a filthy tramp. "You..." He Changhuan was about to speak. "Ha...ptui!" But before he could say a word, Kong Xiaozhen spat out a mouthful of phlegm, landing it on He Changhuan''s feet. He Changhuan''s entire face turned green; was this guy doing it on purpose? "I want to deal with Hao Jian; Liang Jiankun and I have already taken action; we''re just missing you," He Changhuan said, holding back his anger. If Kong Xiaozhen also took action, Hao Jian would be surrounded from all sides. Kong Xiaozhen yawned, getting up and saying, "I''m going to sleep now." At that, He Changhuan frowned and shouted angrily, "Are you scared of him?" Kong Xiaozhen turned around, smiling, "I just don''t want to die, that''s all!" A hint of mockery surfaced between He Changhuan''s brows: "It seems he really scared you." "Say whatever you want." Kong Xiaozhen just smiled, not getting angry. He had indeed changed. If it were before, such a proud man being ridiculed would have exploded in fury. One could say he had changed, and he had matured. "Coward!" Seeing Kong Xiaozhen walk away, He Changhuan huffed angrily, standing up and heading outside. At that time, Hao Jian had already arrived at the location Wei Guoming had mentioned. It was a small villa, located on a hilltop in the suburbs, isolated with no one else around, appearing very desolate. The owner must have had some strange thoughts to build a residence in such a place. Before even entering, Hao Jian felt a palpable killing intent in the air; he glanced left, then right, furrowing his brow. "What''s wrong?" Gao Jiping asked, puzzled. "There''s a sniper on the hillside thirty meters to the left, and another on a tree sixty meters to the right," Hao Jian said calmly. Gao Jiping gasped sharply, "How did you know? Does this guy have X-Ray Vision?" "Killing Intent," Hao Jian replied. "Killing intent? Is that really a thing?" Gao Jiping was suddenly shocked; she had thought the so-called killing intent was just a fabrication in martial arts novels. "Of course, it''s just that ordinary people can''t perceive it," Hao Jian explained. For someone like him, who regularly encountered life-and-death situations, his sense of such feelings was extremely sharp. Killing intent, in essence, is just a sixth sense for danger, similar to the perception of wild animals that can also be developed through training. Chapter 501 - 501: Crazy Lolita Vivian Gao Jiping was so astonished that she was at a loss for words. Who on earth was this guy? Meanwhile, the sniper waiting nearby saw that Hao Jian had not yet gotten out of the car and couldn''t help but feel puzzled. Logically speaking, there was no reason for Hao Jian to have discovered them. "Boom!" Suddenly, Hao Jian started the car again, and it charged through the gate into the villa like an arrow released from its bow. "Team A has lost the target!" "Team B has lost the target!" "Damn it!" a group of snipers cursed aloud. How had he discovered them? Hao Jian drove into the villa, which was enclosed by walls on all sides, making it impossible for the snipers to see them. Hao Jian was not afraid of the snipers, but he had Gao Jiping in the car, and he couldn''t afford to look after her. Brother Black Cat and Wei Guoming, hearing the commotion outside, also quickly stood up, both looking uneasy because they knew all too well how terrifying Hao Jian was. Although there were countless bodyguards present, they were still scared. At this moment, Qin Bing was also in a daze, still unable to recover from the shock, sitting there with a vacant expression and oblivious to the deafening bang outside. Vivian suddenly stopped playing with her ponytail, jumped off the table, and looked towards the door. At that moment, everyone was in a state of high alert, all eyes fixed on the door as they raised their guns, ready to riddle the newcomer with bullets. Just then, the door opened. "Fire!" Wei Guoming shouted, and then they all frantically pulled their triggers. Brother Black Cat was among them, his face full of resentment as he gritted his teeth, knowing that if Hao Jian didn''t die, they would be the ones to perish. But after a round of firing, they found no one outside. "Cease fire!" Wei Guoming quickly called for a halt, feeling annoyed. Hao Jian was clearly toying with them. "Swoosh!" At that moment, a dark figure darted out from outside. "Fire!" Wei Guoming and the others were terrified again, and then gunfire erupted continuously. But after firing, they realized it was just a man''s jacket. "Damn it!" Wei Guoming cursed, grinding his teeth. Hao Jian was too despicable, repeatedly throwing things to confuse them. Vivian rolled her eyes, infuriated by Wei Guoming''s stupidity. Such a simple trick could deceive Wei Guoming, which showed he was even more foolish than Hao Jian. "Stay alert, make sure before you shoot," this time Wei Guoming warned everyone more carefully. But no sooner had he finished speaking than a hand slapped him across the face. Wei Guoming stumbled to the ground, then looked up in fright at Vivian standing fiercely before him, "Miss Vivian, what are you doing?" "Get out of the way!" Vivian rebuked coldly, gripping two katanas and striding towards the door. Wei Guoming watched Vivian''s departing figure with hatred but dared not make a sound. Even He Changhuan was courteous towards Vivian, let alone him. "Stop skulking around, come out!" Vivian shouted at the door, provoking Hao Jian. These little tricks might fool idiots like Wei Guoming and Brother Black Cat, but they were useless against her. "Gurgle gurgle..." At that moment, an object rolled in from outside. Vivian and the others looked at the object, and their hair stood on end, they were terrified on the spot. Because what had rolled in was a hand grenade. "Damn it!" Vivian cursed and quickly did a backflip, putting some distance between herself and the grenade. "Boom!!!" The grenade exploded instantly, blowing Wei Guoming and the others away, sending them sprawling. "You dare show your face, pretending to be a hero!" Vivian shouted angrily at the door. Although she was Western, her Chinese was fluent, her idioms flowing naturally without any awkwardness. "Gurgle..." Just then, a sudden voice came from behind Vivian and the others. Vivian and her people turned their heads simultaneously, only to see Hao Jian standing at the door of the refrigerator, holding a just-opened beer, gulping it down ceaselessly. He then turned back to face Vivian, "Hiding your head but showing your tail, who are you talking about?" Vivian''s expression grew solemn. When had this guy come in, and how had she not noticed at all? This made her feel somewhat uneasy; this guy was a bit eerie. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Are you Hao Jian?" Wei Guoming looked at Hao Jian with some terror, yet he didn''t understand why he was wearing a mask at this time. Qin Bing, seeing Hao Jian appear in this guise, was also stunned; it was her first time seeing Hao Jian wearing a mask. Was this his demeanor on the battlefield? Hao Jian glanced at Brother Black Cat, then at Wei Guoming, and immediately put on a playful smile. And with Hao Jian staring at them like that, Brother Black Cat and Wei Guoming both felt their hair stand on end, as if they were facing the death threat of the God of Death. "Where''s He Changhuan? How come I don''t see him?" Hao Jian felt somewhat disappointed. If He Changhuan were also here, he could have captured everyone in one fell swoop. "To kill you, we are enough!" Wei Guoming said fiercely, but in fact, he felt that He Changhuan had treated them as cannon fodder. Hao Jian laughed softly, hardly interested in even speaking to Wei Guoming. He turned his head to look at Vivian, "So, you plan to stick your neck out, do you?" "Don''t misunderstand, I have nothing to do with them. The only reason I''m here is because I want to kill you," Vivian said with a smile, having been in Huaxia so long without encountering a real expert had bored her, known as the crazy Lolita. Hearing that there was a tricky character in Hua City from Third Young Master Ye, she had decided to come over to see, intending to spar with a master. "Kill me? Would you bear to? Look, I''m just like you, also a clown," Hao Jian said with a mischievous grin, walking up to Vivian, pinning her against the wall, and teasingly lifting her chin. Wei Guoming and the others felt nauseated. Vivian''s face covered in face paint was so unappealing that one look was enough to kill the interest, and yet Hao Jian was teasing her. What peculiar taste he had. Meanwhile, Vivian, too, flashed her unnaturally wide mouth in a sinister smile, "Whether I bear it or not will depend on your performance! "Don''t worry, I will definitely perform well," Hao Jian leaned closer, bringing his face close to Vivian''s. Gao Jiping rolled her eyes, feeling angry. At this crucial time, this guy still had the mood for flirting? "Hehe..." Vivian smiled slightly, then her eyes suddenly flashed with a murderous intent, and with a swing of her twin swords upward, she swept them towards Hao Jian in a scissor motion. Hao Jian remained unflustered, clapping his hand against the wall, his body instantly springing away. "Swoosh!" But in an instant, Vivian shot forth. So fast! Hao Jian was also startled. Vivian''s speed might even surpass his own. Originally, Hao Jian had thought Vivian was just a young girl. How powerful could she be? But when Vivian made her move, he realized he had been mistaken. Just in terms of speed, Vivian had already surpassed him, and considering her youth, she might even stand on the same level with him given some more time. Seeing Vivian''s fierce approach, Hao Jian realized it was hardly possible to dodge. Subconsciously, he tilted his head, and Vivian''s blade grazed past his cheek, leaving a shallow cut. Hao Jian touched the blood on his face, revealing a cryptic smile. He couldn''t remember how long it had been since he had been injured, and now he had been wounded by an unknown young girl he didn''t know? Indeed, he was getting old. How long had he been away from the Underworld, and already so many formidable newcomers had emerged. Seeing Vivian manage to heavily injure Hao Jian, Wei Guoming and Brother Black Cat suddenly became as excited as if injected with adrenaline, their eyes reddened. They had been skeptical about Vivian''s strength, but now, seeing her in action, their doubts were completely dispelled. Their underlings hadn''t even scratched Hao Jian before being defeated by him, yet Vivian managed to injure him? Wei Guoming couldn''t help but burst into laughter, "Hao Jian, you thought you were so tough? You thought you were invincible? Just wait and see how you die! Hahaha..." "But don''t worry, we won''t kill your girl. After all, she''s so pretty. I''ll keep her caged as my **** and savor her slowly!" Wei Guoming laughed maniacally, now completely confident in Vivian''s ability to kill Hao Jian¡ªit was just a matter of time. At that moment, Brother Black Cat began taunting Gao Jiping with a somewhat triumphant expression: "Gao Jiping, you wretch, I''m so capable, and yet you had me serve as a mere underling? Once Hao Jian is dead, I''ll make you my **** too!" At this moment, Gao Jiping''s complexion also turned unsightly. She had not expected Hao Jian to lose to Vivian in the first round. Knowing Hao Jian''s strength, she was surprised that Vivian could injure him. Now, Gao Jiping couldn''t help but worry. If Hao Jian really was defeated by Vivian, that would spell trouble for her. Moreover, Brother Black Cat had now revealed his ulterior motives. If Hao Jian died, Brother Black Cat would really do as he said. At this point, the most shocked person was probably Vivian. Extreme Instant Kill, her signature move, had always been infallible, never failing before. Her opponents always fell under this move, yet Hao Jian had dodged her deadly strike at that last moment, surviving. This was hard for Vivian to accept. Immediately, Vivian straightened up, her expression suddenly crazed and sickly. She looked at Hao Jian as if he were a stunning beauty, and she the major lecher. Chapter 502 - 502 Still Too Young "I''m really becoming more and more interested in you," Vivian laughed loudly. She could tell that Hao Jian was truly strong, and she had finally found a worthy opponent. Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders and said, "I told you, I won''t disappoint you." "Out of respect for you, I''ll kill you with my own hands," Vivian cackled madly, then turned to Wei Guoming and Brother Black Cat and the others, "You are not to interfere, he''s mine!" Hao Jian looked at Vivian in surprise, "It seems you really enjoy a one-on-one fight, huh!" Vivian licked her bright red lips, appearing insatiably thirsty, "Come on, I can''t wait any longer!" "Hehe..." Hao Jian gave a strange laugh and then suddenly flipped over the table next to him, sending it flying toward Vivian. Vivian''s eyes narrowed, her twin blades moved with incredible agility in her hands, dazzlingly swift as she slashed the table into pieces. But by this time, Hao Jian had already appeared in front of Vivian. Her pupils shrank, and her only thought was, so fast! Vivian was very confident in her own speed, but she had not expected Hao Jian to be nearly as fast. Vivian instinctively swung a horizontal slash, cutting directly across Hao Jian''s body. "Dead! Haha..." Wei Guoming laughed loudly, clearly seeing Hao Jian being cut in half at the waist by Vivian. But Vivian''s brows furrowed, her expression seemed a bit off, because she felt something was wrong with her cut. The sensation of a blade cutting into a body wasn''t like this, the feeling Vivian had while making that cut was as if she had hit thin air. Immediately after, Vivian saw Hao Jian''s figure in front of her blur, and then completely disappear. "Afterimage!" Vivian gasped in shock. This was the most advanced Fighting technique, only possible with extremely high speed, something even she could not achieve. Forming an afterimage required terrifyingly explosive speed. Although Hao Jian generally could not match Vivian''s consistent speed, in terms of instantaneous bursts, even ten Vivians could not compare to him. Vivian frantically started looking around for any sign of Hao Jian. At that moment, a whistle sounded from above Vivian''s head; she quickly looked up to see Hao Jian hanging from the ceiling like a spider, eyeing her amusedly. "Thousand Catty Drop!" Hao Jian bellowed with fury. "Whoosh!" The next instant, Hao Jian plummeted downward with extreme speed, instantly landing on top of Vivian without giving her any chance to react. "Bang!" A loud noise boomed as the floor instantly cracked all around, creating a large crater. Hao Jian''s body weight had skyrocketed to several thousand catties in that moment¡ªthe impact of such a drop was naturally terrifying. "I... fuck!" Vivian let out a cry of despair and then stiffened, passing out. Hao Jian got up from Vivian''s body and then patted her cheek, "Little girl, you do have talent, but you''re still too young. It''s not yet your time to sit on the throne!" The place fell into complete silence. Brother Black Cat and Wei Guoming, who were so boisterous before, were now dumbstruck. Were they being toyed with? Fate seemed too cruel; they had just begun to see hope, and in the blink of an eye, despair had set in again. They only then realized they had spoken too soon. They had thought that Vivian could beat Hao Jian in an instant, but in the next moment, it was Hao Jian who had instantly beaten Vivian. The scene changed so suddenly they could hardly accept it. Seeing Hao Jian defeat Vivian, Gao Jiping also let out a long sigh of relief, her worries instantly evaporating. She thought so, how could this guy lose so easily to a little girl? Hao Jian walked over to Brother Black Cat and Wei Guoming, rotating his somewhat sore neck, and looked at them, "Tell me, how do you want to die?" "Hao Jian, let''s talk this out, we were actually forced by He Changhuan. He threatened us, saying if we didn''t kidnap your woman, he would kill us. We had no choice," Wei Guoming quickly changed his expression, pleading with Hao Jian. Brother Black Cat also hurriedly nodded in agreement. "Oh? Is that so?" Hao Jian said with a smirk. "Yes, yes, that''s exactly what happened, ah!" Wei Guoming said with a forced smile, but before he could finish his sentence, Hao Jian suddenly made his move, tearing one of Wei Guoming''s arms right off. Seeing this, Wei Guoming was initially stunned, and then the agony followed, causing him to scream in pain. Wei Guoming was terrified, shivering on a nearby sofa, looking at Hao Jian as though he had seen a ghost, unable to utter a word. This man is a Demon! He ripped off an arm with just one hand, without even blinking. Hao Jian''s ruthlessness and cold laughter made him very uneasy. And Brother Black Cat on the side was even worse off, almost completely collapsing, because he knew after Wei Guoming, he would be next. The two who were previously arrogant now resembled quails, not daring to say a word. "Some people just don''t know their place. Trash should stay in the trash heap. If they foolishly seek a sense of existence, their end will undoubtedly be tragic," Hao Jian slowly walked up to Wei Guoming, placed one hand on his head, and softly smiled, "Don''t worry, I won''t let you suffer too much!" At that moment, Hao Jian''s smile could be said to be quite charming, paired with those lovely dimples, he looked like a sunny handsome man. However, under the current circumstances, it seemed rather out of place. Upon hearing this, Wei Guoming started to tremble uncontrollably, every pore in his body quivering because he knew Hao Jian was going to kill him. "Don''t... please don''t kill me... I beg you..." Wei Guoming cried out without any dignity, terrified by Hao Jian''s demeanor, like a helpless child. Now Wei Guoming couldn''t even stand steadily, he felt death was so near to him for the first time. "In your next life, remember to be a good person," Hao Jian smiled once again but didn''t give Wei Guoming a chance to speak, snapping his neck with a clean twist. Qin Bing turned her head away, unable to bear the bloody scene. As Brother Black Cat saw Wei Guoming killed by Hao Jian, he immediately knelt before Gao Jiping with a thump, "Boss, I know I was wrong, please forgive me this once. I''ll work like an ox and horse for you from now on. Please beg Mr. Hao Jian for mercy on my behalf, ask him to spare me!" Brother Black Cat knew he had no chance against Hao Jian, and now only Gao Jiping might be able to save him. "Oh? Why is that? Weren''t you planning to make me your ****?" Gao Jiping mocked, watching Brother Black Cat''s face, a sense of satisfaction surged in her heart. In Gao Jiping''s view, the reason Brother Black Cat ended up like this today was solely because of his own doing, he had no one else to blame. Brother Black Cat hastily slapped his own face, "It''s because I ran my mouth off, said nonsense. Boss, I really know I was wrong. From now on, I will definitely work tirelessly for you, until my dying breath!" S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Oh? Is that so? Then why don''t you chop off one of your arms and show me?" Gao Jiping said with a playful smile, knowing Brother Black Cat''s character all too well; his words were prettier than flowers, but his actions always contradicted them. "This..." Brother Black Cat hesitated. To chop off one of his own arms, wasn''t that too cruel? "What? Don''t want to do it? Didn''t you say you''d work tirelessly until your dying breath?" Gao Jiping mocked. "Fine, I''ll do it!" Brother Black Cat clenched his teeth and glared, making up his mind. He knew that if he didn''t do it today, Gao Jiping definitely wouldn''t let him off. As he spoke, Brother Black Cat took out a knife from his waist and chopped at his other arm. "Pfft!" Blood suddenly sprayed out, and Brother Black Cat screamed in agony, holding onto his arm as he lay on the ground, his complexion instantly turning pale. "Boss, can you let me go now?" Brother Black Cat asked Gao Jiping. "Let you go? When did I say I would let you go?" Gao Jiping appeared completely baffled. Brother Black Cat''s expression froze, "But didn''t you just say that if I cut off my arm, you would let me go?" "You must have heard wrong. I only said I would consider it if you''re willing to cut off an arm, never did I say I''d let you go if you did it," Gao Jiping clarified, shrugging helplessly, "And whether to let you go or not isn''t up to me. After all, Mr. Hao Jian and I are just friends. I have no right to command him." "Gao Jiping, you bitch, how dare you fool me?" Brother Black Cat immediately realized Gao Jiping had no intention of pleading for him; she was simply toying with him. "Fool you? You wanted to kill me; what''s wrong with taking you for a ride?" Gao Jiping chuckled coldly; this was just payback with his own coin. "Enough talk," Hao Jian walked towards Brother Black Cat. Upon seeing Hao Jian approaching, Brother Black Cat was petrified as if he''d seen a ghost. In that moment, Hao Jian seemed to him like the God of Death reaping lives, while he was as insignificant as an ant in front of Hao Jian. With one hand, Hao Jian twisted off Brother Black Cat''s head, sending him to join Wei Guoming. After that, Hao Jian hurried over to release Qin Bing from the ropes, anxiously asking, "Bing, are you alright?" Qin Bing didn''t make a sound, her expression somewhat gloomy. Hao Jian also felt something was amiss but didn''t press the issue, continuing to untie Qin Bing. But as soon as the ropes were untied, Qin Bing suddenly stood up and backhanded Hao Jian with a slap. "Ah!" Gao Jiping covered her mouth with her delicate fingers, her eyes wide with surprise, seemingly unable to understand why Qin Bing would slap Hao Jian after he had rescued her. ....................................... Chapter 503 - 503: Yan Yuhong "Liar!" Qin Bing viciously glared at Hao Jian, her eyes shimmering with angry tears. Hao Jian touched his face and laughed, "I saved you!" "Smack!" Qin Bing slapped him again, coldly stating, "Don''t let me see you again!" After that, Qin Bing ran out of the villa crying. "Hey, I don''t think I can do that, after all, we are colleagues, we see each other all the time! Why don''t you resign?" Hao Jian shouted after the fleeing Qin Bing. "Ah, do you really have to be so vile?" Gao Jiping couldn''t help but sigh. "Shut up!" Hao Jian scolded darkly and then he too left the villa. On the other side, He Changhuan quickly received news of what happened, apart from Vivian, everyone else had perished; even Vivian was no match for Hao Jian. At that moment, Vivian lay on the hospital bed, her face bearing a crazed smile, "I will kill you, I definitely will kill you!" This was Vivian''s first defeat since her debut, and she would deeply remember the man who had brought her this taste of defeat. Like Vivian, He Changhuan tasted defeat, but unlike Vivian, he didn''t think about how to get revenge on Hao Jian, instead, he thought about how to escape from Hao Jian. If even Vivian had lost to Hao Jian, how could he possibly stand a chance? Now, all he wanted to do was to run as far as he could. "Hurry up and prepare the plane, I am leaving Hua City for abroad tonight!" He Changhuan said tensely, all his people had died, even Wei Guoming and the others, Hao Jian had killed so many, he wouldn''t spare him either, it was time to quickly escape from Hua City. "What about Miss Vivian?" someone asked. "Just leave that useless trash here!" He Changhuan snorted coldly, perhaps she could still be used to buy some time. Vivian''s failure to defeat Hao Jian made him very angry, forcing him to flee abroad for refuge. He Changhuan left Hua City on a private jet, and although Hao Jian indeed wanted to chase and kill him, he was unable to find the location of He Changhuan''s hangar, so he had to give up. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Life gradually returned to normal, as Shu Ya had moved from Hua City to France, Hao Jian took over managing the entire Shu Ya Group, and when he had time, he would also visit the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. His agreement with Ye Linglan was also delayed by a week due to Qin Bing''s incident. Since the kidnapping, Hao Jian hadn''t seen Qin Bing in the Chinese Medicine Hospital, which made him wonder if Qin Bing really had resigned. However, Hao Jian didn''t care about this. He understood Qin Bing''s actions and felt it was better that way because only by staying away from him would Qin Bing be absolutely safe. "Knock knock..." A knocking sound came from outside. "Come in!" Hao Jian said without lifting his head. Yuan Shanshan walked in with a grin, saying, "You''re starting to sound more and more like the chairman." Hao Jian laughed heartily, "That''s right, if not for resembling her, how could I possibly manage you guys?" Yuan Shanshan also smiled slightly, walked up to Hao Jian, and placed a document in front of him, "Since you''re so capable, let''s see if you can manage everything as neatly as the chairman." Hao Jian looked at the document in confusion and asked, "What is this?" "The new price list from the jewelry suppliers." Yuan Shanshan''s smile faded, a hint of displeasure visible on her cheeks. Hao Jian looked at Yuan Shanshan skeptically and then lowered his head to examine the document. After a moment, he couldn''t help but express his displeasure, "How did the prices increase so much all of a sudden?" The jewelry for Shu Ya Group wasn''t developed by themselves, but purchased from jewelers, and then designed, cut, and later sold on the market. The prices had been stable until this new price list suddenly increased the cost of each type of jewelry by fifty percent, adding unnecessary expenses to their company. Gold and silver were manageable, but the gemstones, with a fifty percent increase per gram, meant that gemstones worth a million would now have to be sold for one and a half million, which was an outrageous jump. "Raising prices like this is simply extortion!" "I don''t know either. I just called their person in charge, but they stubbornly refused to answer the phone and insisted that the price would not be lowered. Either pay up or they''ll cut us off!" Yuan Shanshan said with an unpleasant expression, clearly seeing that the other party was deliberately making things difficult. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn''t be a big issue, but the problem was that their group was currently planning to enter the French market and urgently needed a batch of goods to establish their position there. If the other party cut them off now, they wouldn''t be able to design their jewelry, and all their previous efforts would be wasted! Hao Jian also understood the severity of the issue; his expression turned ugly. "Have you found out the reason for their sudden price increase?" "Not yet. All I know is that the jewelry supplier''s boss, Yan Yuhong, decided overnight to raise the prices and, specifically, only targeting us. Hao Jian, do you think they know we''re planning to penetrate the French market and urgently need to produce a batch of goods, so they''re purposefully being slippery to extort a hefty sum from us?" Yuan Shanshan asked. Hao Jian shook his head, "That''s unlikely. We''ve worked with them for so long; he wouldn''t ruin our relationship over such a small profit." Immediately, Hao Jian sighed, "I''m afraid this time, they''re targeting me!" Hao Jian didn''t need to think to know that it must be He Changhuan or Liang Jiankun, or someone from their group, causing trouble. Otherwise, the supplier''s attitude wouldn''t have undergone such a drastic three-hundred-and-sixty-degree change, and more importantly, it was only targeting their company, clearly showing animosity. "Are there any other jewelry suppliers we could consider?" Hao Jian asked Yuan Shanshan, knowing that any delay in jewelry market launch was unacceptable. Yuan Shanshan shook her head with some regret, "Finding another supplier that can offer comparable quality and this amount of stock is almost impossible. Even if we found one, negotiating the contract and getting the goods shipped would take weeks, which would still delay our launch." Their group currently had a huge demand for jewelry; only that one group could supply it. "It seems that we have no choice but to rely on Yan Yuhong," Hao Jian said with a wry smile, seeming to have no other options. "Should we call Chairman Shu?" Yuan Shanshan asked Hao Jian, noticing his distress. "It might be better for Shu Ya to handle this situation." "No need. I can handle this situation. She has a lot to deal with in France right now; let''s not distract her with this trivial matter," Hao Jian said, then added, "Arrange a meeting with Yan Yuhong for me today." "But I''m worried Yan Yuhong might avoid the meeting," Yuan Shanshan said worriedly, as her attempts to meet with Yan Yuhong had been repeatedly rejected. "Tell Yan Yuhong that I know where his daughter goes to school, and I believe he will want to meet me then." "..." ..... In the evening, Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan appeared in Yan Yuhong''s office on time. Yan Yuhong really didn''t want to meet Hao Jian, but after being threatened by him, he had no choice but to meet, albeit reluctantly. Yan Yuhong was a typical businessman, evident from his spotless suit, shiny shoes, and sharp, hawk-like eyes. At that moment, Yan Yuhong, with a cigar in his mouth and his slightly chubby cheeks looking pale, glanced at Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan displeasedly and said indifferently, "I have already given you the quotation. Either raise the price as I requested, or I cut the supply. It''s that simple!" "We''ve always cooperated at the old prices; this sudden hike seems quite unreasonable. Besides, our group is on the rise currently; isn''t this an obvious case of extortion?" Yuan Shanshan said angrily. "Say whatever you like, but without seeing the money, I simply will not deliver the goods!" Yan Yuhong said coldly, his attitude firm. "Boss Yan, we have had such a long cooperation, and this sudden debacle seems quite ungrateful," Hao Jian also chimed in, squinting at Yan Yuhong. Yan Yuhong gave Hao Jian a dismissive look and said disdainfully, "I didn''t want this either, but what can I do when Shu Ya Group became involved with you? Hao Jian, you think I''m targeting Shu Ya Group? I''m actually targeting you!" Yan Yuhong made no effort to mask his intentions; he was clearly confronting Hao Jian. "Oh? Then tell me, is it Liang Jiankun, Kong Xiaozhen, or He Changhuan who asked you to trouble me?" Hao Jian asked with a smirk, as if he could see right through Yan Yuhong. Yan Yuhong''s pupils contracted involuntarily; had this guy noticed it all along? "Let me guess, it must be Liang Jiankun? He''s had quite some spare time lately to engage in such boring activities," Hao Jian said teasingly, now as He Changhuan was busy fleeing, it seemed unlikely to be him. "So what if it is?" Yan Yuhong snorted, "Blame yourself for provoking those you shouldn''t have." "There is no one under the heavens that Hao Jian shouldn''t provoke," Hao Jian arrogantly said, then stood up, "I''ll give you a choice, either deliver the goods honestly, or repent in hell!" "What? Are you threatening me? Let me tell you, others might fear you, but I don''t. Before you came here, I had already installed surveillance cameras in this office. If I die, everything that happens here will immediately be sent to Liang Jiankun and uploaded to the internet. You will become known as the murderer across the nation!" Yan Yuhong snorted, clearly aware of the dangers of provoking Hao Jian, having prepared in advance. Chapter 504 - 504: Dark Cuisine Yan Yuhong let out a strange cackle, "Hao Jian, I admit you''re very capable, but no matter how capable you are, I''m afraid you can''t contend with an entire country, right?" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian couldn''t help but frown; Yan Yuhong was much more despicable than he had imagined. As such, it indeed wasn''t easy for him to make a move on Yan Yuhong. After a long while, Hao Jian finally shook his head with a haughty and mocking laughter. "What are you laughing at?" Yan Yuhong glared at Hao Jian, with an expression of displeasure. "Boss Yan, don''t you know that sometimes to kill a person, you don''t have to do it yourself?" Hao Jian said with a laugh, then turned and walked outside with Yuan Shanshan. The color drained from Yan Yuhong''s face in an instant; was this guy planning to hire a hit on him? Impossible, he must be bluffing. Without him, where would Hao Jian buy so many jewels? The group''s listing would also be affected. He couldn''t be that stupid, could he? "Boss Yan, please think thrice before you act. Our chairman is not as friendly as our chairman. Also, I wish you a pleasant day!" Yuan Shanshan said with a sneer, bowed to Yan Yuhong, and then briskly walked away. Yan Yuhong stayed in his office for a long time, then suddenly picked up his phone to call, "That, Old Huang, find me some foreign mercenary bodyguards! Yes, price is not a problem, they have to be formidable!" Xinran, Hao Jian''s words had indeed played a crucial role for Yan Yuhong, so much so that he had to think of his own life''s safety. "What do we do now?" Back in the car, Yuan Shanshan asked with some confusion. With Yan Yuhong''s path cut off, they had to look for alternatives. "There''s no way we can raise the price; it''s clear that Yan Yuhong is targeting me. Even if we''re willing to pay fifty percent more, there''s no guarantee he will deliver. Even if he does, we can''t be assured there won''t be problems with his goods, since he''s our enemy now," Hao Jian replied, indicating they absolutely couldn''t use Yan Yuhong''s supplies. Hao Jian rested his chin on one hand as he pondered how to solve this problem. Yuan Shanshan also didn''t dare disturb him. After a while, Hao Jian finally seemed to have an idea; his frown smoothed out, "Got it, send me a list of the materials we need later, I''ll have my friends overseas help us procure them. Meanwhile, you also reach out to domestic jewelry suppliers for procurement; just make sure to keep a close eye on the quality. We''ll proceed from both ends; we absolutely can''t have the factory run out of stock!" Yuan Shanshan couldn''t help but brighten up at the idea; it indeed was a viable plan. As long as they could smoothly get through the current difficulties, they could find other suppliers later on. With Hao Jian handling overseas procurement and her managing the domestic side, they could likely fill the gap. Although the process might be a bit laborious, after all, when dealing with new suppliers, they had to pay close attention to quality, and she might even have to personally inspect everything. But for the development of the company, this was an unavoidable task. "Then it''s settled!" Yuan Shanshan was decisive. Hao Jian was responsible for most of the procurement, so she only had to handle a small part. She believed she could accomplish the task! Immediately, Hao Jian called Spice Ginger, "Spice Ginger, there''s a task I need you to handle!" ... "Ye Chunliang, why are you still at home?" At dinner time, Ye Linglan pushed open Ye Chunliang''s door, only to find him still sleeping in. She couldn''t help but get angry. Ye Chunliang opened his eyes, looking at Ye Linglan with confusion, "This is my house, is it odd for me to be here?" "Didn''t I tell you that Hao Jian is coming over tonight? Hurry up and go to your friend''s house!" Ye Linglan urged impatiently. "So what if he comes? Can''t I just stay in my room?" Chunliang said, bewildered. Why did he have to be driven away just because Hao Jian was coming? He had been living here for years; this was his territory, wasn''t it? "No, it''s not okay. Later, I want to have a candlelight dinner with him. After the candlelight dinner, we have a lot, a lot of things to do, so hurry up and leave!" Ye Linglan''s mood shifted from daydreaming to stern in a second as she glared at Ye Chunliang. Ye Chunliang felt utterly wronged and muttered resentfully, "There''s a saying, ''A grown daughter can''t be kept at home.'' How true!" "What did you say?" Ye Linglan glared, her eyebrows raised. "Nothing..." Ye Chunliang dressed quickly and headed to the door, adding as he left, "Oh, and remember to use protection if you''re going to do ''that.'' Don''t wind up with an accident!" "Drop dead!" Ye Linglan grabbed her slipper and threw it at Ye Chunliang, who had already disappeared from sight. Ye Chunliang chuckled as he bounded down the stairs, ready to head out, but as he opened the door, he saw Hao Jian, holding roses in one hand and red wine in the other, standing at their doorstep. Seeing Ye Chunliang about to leave, Hao Jian asked in puzzlement, "Why are you going out at dinner time?" "It''s all because of you, my dear brother-in-law," Chunliang said sarcastically. He was annoyed at the sight of Hao Jian. Once, it had been just him and Ye Linglan. But since she had Hao Jian, she had decisively pushed Chunliang aside. "Because of me?" Hao Jian was utterly perplexed, failing to grasp the meaning behind Chunliang''s words. "My sister is planning to surprise you with a candlelight dinner, and in order not to ruin the mood, she sent me away," Chunliang grumbled. "Well, okay..." Hao Jian was speechless, finally realizing what was going on. No wonder Chunliang held a grudge against him. Then, Hao Jian patted Chunliang''s shoulder, "Alright, don''t leave. Stay for dinner, I''ll talk to your sister about it." Ye Chunliang turned pale with shock, "Aren''t you afraid I''ll be a third wheel?" "What''s there to be afraid of?" Hao Jian said nonchalantly. "But I might hear you guys making love, you know. The soundproofing in this house is pretty bad," Ye Chunliang said. "..." "Hao Jian! Hey, Ye Chunliang, why haven''t you scrammed yet!" Ye Linglan got excited when she saw Hao Jian arriving, but the smile on her face vanished in an instant when she realized Ye Chunliang hadn''t left yet. Ye Chunliang was so aggrieved he was about to cry; in his heart, he grumbled: He definitely wasn''t Ye Linglan''s real brother! "Let him stay and eat with us. The more the merrier," Hao Jian spoke up. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Is that so, well alright then, whatever you say," Ye Linglan agreed obediently, leaving Ye Chunliang dumbstruck. Was this really his sister? She was totally infatuated! The three of them reached the dining table where candles were lit. Ye Linglan turned on the sound system, Celine Dion''s high and elegant voice filled the room, creating a romantic atmosphere. And Ye Chunliang also sat at the dining table, looking impatient. He knew that these past days, Ye Linglan had been painstakingly honing her culinary skills to prepare a sumptuous dinner for Hao Jian. But Ye Chunliang never had the chance to taste Ye Linglan''s cooking because she said her "first time" must be reserved for Hao Jian! Ye Chunliang could never have imagined that he would actually get to share Ye Linglan''s "first time" with Hao Jian! "Dum dum dum... Allow me to proudly present my original dishes!" Ye Linglan excitedly lifted the lid off a pot, revealing a mysterious yellow concoction mixed with rice underneath. "This is Durian on Rice!" "Next up is Oreo Fried Rice!" "And there''s Celery Stir-fried with Oranges!" "Steamed Eggs with Tomato!" "Braised Sweet Rice Balls!" As Ye Linglan enthusiastically introduced her dishes, Ye Chunliang''s face turned from red to white, from white to blue, and then from blue to purple. "You know what, sis, suddenly I think I''d better go to a friend''s place. After all, this is your first date alone, I really shouldn''t intrude!" Ye Chunliang suddenly said earnestly, looking up at Ye Linglan before attempting to escape. Are you kidding me? Is this even edible? If I eat this, won''t I die? I''ll definitely die, right? "Sit down!" Ye Linglan forcefully pushed Ye Chunliang back into his chair by his shoulders and gave him a threatening look. Instantly, Ye Chunliang felt like crying; he wished he could slap himself for his greediness. Now he was in trouble; his very life might be at stake! At that moment, Hao Jian simply smiled and took a spoonful of the Oreo fried rice, starting to eat. "How does it taste?" Ye Linglan eagerly asked Hao Jian. "Hmm, not bad!" Hao Jian nodded, chewed a few times, then swallowed. "Really?" Ye Linglan was overjoyed. It was her first time cooking, and she hadn''t expected such a positive reaction. Immediately, Ye Linglan also tried a bite, but then she couldn''t smile anymore. She almost had to force that thing down her throat. It was at that moment she realized just how horrible her cooking was. Seeing Hao Jian eating with an apparent relish made Ye Linglan feel like crying. He must be saying that to spare my feelings, right? "Hao Jian, why don''t we just stop eating?" Ye Linglan suggested, her voice close to weeping, touched and saddened by Hao Jian''s feigned composure. "Why''s that?" Hao Jian asked with a puzzled smile. "Why? Because this isn''t fit for human consumption. I''m such a failure to have made something like this," Ye Linglan said, full of guilt. "It''s not too bad for me. Granted, the taste is a bit unique, but to say it''s not fit for human consumption is a bit much," Hao Jian explained. "Damn, you haven''t lost your sense of taste, have you? Just looking at this stuff makes me feel sick, and you say it''s not too bad?" Ye Chunliang couldn''t help but interject. But the buttinsky was quickly put in his place with a swift thump from Ye Linglan. "Shut up! Who asked for your opinion?" Ye Linglan glared. Ye Chunliang sniffled, feeling wronged, and nearly on the verge of tears. Chapter 505 - 505: Exchange Two Hundred for Five Thousand "Because I''ve eaten things a hundred times worse than this!" Hao Jian replied. "No way?" Ye Linglan and her brother Ye Chunliang were both shocked. Was there something out there even worse than this culinary disaster? Hao Jian cracked a smile and said, "Back when I was on the battlefield, I survived on things like roots and wild grasses, and on a bad day, I had to eat snakes, bugs, mice, and ants." Ye Linglan and Ye Chunliang were both stunned. They hadn''t expected Hao Jian to have been on the battlefield, let alone to have had such a tough time. Immediately, Ye Linglan made up her mind and said, "I will definitely learn to cook well, so you can eat truly delicious food!" "Good!" Hao Jian smiled faintly and then asked Ye Linglan and her brother, "Aren''t you two going to eat?" "Let''s just go out to eat!" Ye Chunliang suggested. What kind of food was this supposed to be? He didn''t want to spend all day squatting in the bathroom or laying in the hospital. "Yeah, let''s go out," agreed Ye Linglan, who had not objected this time. She didn''t have confidence in her own cooking skills, and the taste test earlier had almost made her vomit. "Fine by me," Hao Jian said nonchalantly. He stood up and headed out the door with Ye Linglan and the others. However, when he left, he forgot to take his coat with him, and his wallet was in it. It wasn''t until they reached the bottom of a shopping center that Hao Jian suddenly remembered his wallet was in his coat. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "It''s okay, I''ve got it," Ye Linglan said with a smile, not minding at all as she reached for her wallet. But then her face also turned green. Because Ye Linglan realized she hadn''t brought her wallet either. "Hahaha, two fools," Ye Chunliang laughed, pointing at Hao Jian and Ye Linglan, mocking them for forgetting their wallets. Then, Ye Chunliang took out his own wallet, feeling relieved, and said, "Thank goodness I brought mine." Ye Chunliang pulled out two hundred yuan from his wallet, but then his laughter ceased. He realized he hadn''t withdrawn any money; what could he do with just two hundred yuan? "Haha, you''re a fool, too!" Hao Jian laughed, pointing at Ye Chunliang. Ye Chunliang huffed discontentedly but didn''t expect himself to make such a low-level mistake. "Shall we go back and get our wallets?" Ye Linglan suggested, feeling helpless without any money on them. "No need. By the time we go back and forth, it will be late; we might as well be having supper," Hao Jian said, somewhat speechlessly. "Then what do we do? We don''t have any money on us," Ye Linglan said, troubled. "Don''t worry, leave it to me," Hao Jian patted his chest, then said to Ye Chunliang, "Give me those two hundred yuan!" Ye Chunliang handed the two hundred yuan to Hao Jian, adding, "These days, two hundred yuan can''t buy much." "Relax, leave it to me," said Hao Jian, taking the two hundred yuan and then said to Ye Linglan and her brother, "You guys get out of the car and wait for me here!" Ye Linglan and Ye Chunliang were both full of suspicion but obediently got out of the car and stood to the side. As soon as they left the car, Hao Jian started the engine and headed for the exit. "Damn, he''s not thinking of running off with the money, is he?" Ye Chunliang said, shocked. Was Hao Jian planning to ditch them and eat by himself? As soon as Ye Chunliang spoke, Ye Linglan gave him a slap on the head, saying angrily, "Are you an idiot? For two hundred yuan, would he really run away with the money? Is it worth it to him?" Ye Chunliang fell silent. Then, they saw Hao Jian''s car stop at a parking spot near the exit, apparently waiting for something. Car after car came in, but there was no movement from Hao Jian, leaving them wondering what on earth he was doing. Ye Chunliang yawned and said, "How much longer are we going to wait? What in the world is he planning? I''m getting impatient." Ye Linglan also wore a puzzled expression, unsure why Hao Jian was sitting there like a hunter waiting for his prey. Just then, a supercar rolled in, clearly worth a fortune at a glance. Seeing it, Hao Jian was moved, "Here it comes!" The supercar was driven by a dashing young man, wrapped in a mink coat, oozing extravagance. As soon as the young man parked, Hao Jian drove up to him, holding the two hundred yuan and tossing it to him, "Hey, give up this parking spot to me, here''s two hundred yuan for you." Song Xiaobao was completely taken aback by such a situation. He looked at the shabbily dressed Hao Jian, then at his almost broken-down Santana, and instantly became angry. Where did this joker come from? Did Hao Jian really think he could insult him with just two hundred yuan? Did he look like he was short on cash? Couldn''t he see he was driving a supercar? "Hey, I''m talking to you. Take the money and scram!" Hao Jian said impatiently, acting like he was some high-and-mighty Master Kuo. Song Xiaobao was instantly so angry that he was shaking; with trembling hands, he took out an Armani wallet from his chest and threw a thick stack of cash at Hao Jian''s face, "Two hundred yuan? Who the hell do you think you''re looking down on? Get lost! Don''t try to act tough in front of me!" The cash, at least five or six thousand yuan, fluttered to the ground. Clearly, Song Xiaobao had lost his temper. How dare a beggar try to show off in front of him? He simply couldn''t tolerate it~! To his surprise, Hao Jian didn''t get angry at all; he quickly bent down to pick up the scattered bills, not feeling ashamed in the slightest! Seeing this, Ye Linglan and Ye Chunliang were both astonished. Could this actually work? "Damn, this guy is too clever, right? Just like that, we''ve got money for our meal!" Chunliang laughed out loud, not expecting Hao Jian to pull off such a stunt. Linglan''s eyes shone with admiration. This guy truly deserved her attention¡ªimpressive indeed! "Hey, what are you idiots doing standing there? Come and pick up the money!" Hao Jian said, somewhat angrily, to Linglan and Chunliang not far away, thinking to himself how foolish these two were not to pick up free money. Linglan and Chunliang were stunned for a moment, then hurried to pick up the money. When Song Xiaobao saw two more people join to pick up the money, he was shocked; was this some new generation scamming technique? Damn impressive! He wasn''t planning to pay any more attention, but when he saw the stunning-looking Linglan, he just couldn''t keep his composure. It was rare to see such a beautiful girl; despite having been with so many women, none could compare to Linglan. Even though Linglan was dressed simply in jeans and a T-shirt, her exceptional and cool beauty was undeniable¡ªher fair, jade-like skin and charming melon-seed face possessed immense killing power over men. Moreover, Linglan had a tall figure, and whether it was her demeanor or appearance, all were beyond reproach! Seeing Linglan approaching, Song Xiaobao was instantly thrilled and began, "Miss..." But before Song Xiaobao could finish speaking, Linglan simply bent down to pick up the money, seemingly ignoring his presence. On the spot, Song Xiaobao was petrified. What the hell was meaning of this? How could it be possible? He couldn''t fathom why a stunning beauty like Linglan would stoop to picking up money from the ground¡ªhow was she any different from the riffraff? At that moment, it felt as if Song Xiaobao''s heart was shattering. My goddess, how can you do this? Don''t you feel this is beneath your status? However, he quickly thought of something and came to a realization. If this woman was so greedy, could he use that to his advantage? With this thought in mind, Song Xiaobao gradually became unrestrained, stepping on a bill that Linglan was about to pick up. Linglan looked up, her expression slightly annoyed as she met the lecherous gaze of Song Xiaobao. "Beauty, is such a small sum of money worth you lowering your proud head? How about spending a night with me and I''ll give you a hundred thousand? No, two hundred thousand?" Song Xiaobao asked with a weird smile, his lust-filled eyes unmistakably blatant. Upon hearing this, Linglan immediately scoffed, her lips curling with derision, clearly finding Song Xiaobao''s words laughable. Chunliang also scoffed in anger, "Fool, you really think we''re beggars? We just happened to not have brought our wallets, so we tricked this fool into getting some money, that''s all!" Then Chunliang turned to Hao Jian with a suggestive wink, "Hao Jian, I''m starting to admire your cleverness now, exchanging two hundred for five thousand¡ªbrilliant!" "Not everyone falls for it, first off, you have to meet a rich and self-important fool for this trick to work! You seemed like the perfect mark!" Hao Jian also mocked Song Xiaobao in response. At these words, Song Xiaobao was incredibly angry. It wasn''t enough they tricked him out of five thousand yuan, but now they dared to insult him? "You... you guys..." Only then did Song Xiaobao realize he had been played by Hao Jian. It was intentional, a bait-and-switch with two hundred yuan. "Give me my money back!" Song Xiaobao reached out to grab the money from Hao Jian and the others. How dare these guys band together to con him? He''d rather feed dogs than give money to Hao Jian! But how could Hao Jian and the others return it? They pushed Song Xiaobao away, and Chunliang cursed fiercely, "Damn it, is this your money? I picked it up from the ground!" "You..." Song Xiaobao was red-faced with rage, but being outnumbered, he couldn''t possibly take on Hao Jian and another person, and he dared not rashly move forward for fear of getting beaten up. "Alright, enough with the back-and-forth. Anyway, this amount of money is but a drop in the ocean for you, just consider it charity!" Hao Jian taunted, picking up all the money. "Let''s go have a lavish meal together!" Hao Jian said to Linglan and Chunliang. "With five thousand, we can eat very well!" Linglan said joyfully. Xiaobao could only watch them leave, powerless to do anything, his body trembling with fury. "I will not let you get away with this! I absolutely won''t!" Song Xiaobao gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot with rage; in this moment, his fury reached its peak, feeling like he was being made a monkey of by Hao Jian and the others! Chapter 506 - 506 Extortion Hao Jian and Ye Linglan entered a seafood workshop that had all kinds of seafood, a complete range, extremely abundant. They quickly forgot all about having tricked Song Xiaobao, and ate the seafood with great enthusiasm. Since they now had plenty of money and no worries, they ate boldly! But they ordered dishes and had been waiting for over half an hour without any food coming, which made Ye Linglan and the others feel puzzled and impatient. It''s normal and understandable if the restaurant is busy with customers, but it''s unreasonable that not even one dish had been served after more than half an hour, right? Even if they served one dish to fill the stomach for the time being that would do, but it was already past eight o''clock, and the three of them were starving with their stomachs glued to their backs. Eventually, Ye Linglan couldn''t stand it any longer, and said to one of the waiters, "Hey, waiter, what''s taking so long? The table next to us came later than us and have all their dishes now, but we''ve been here for over half an hour and haven''t had a single dish?" Ye Linglan was very angry, why was it that other people got their food first, and why was only their table being neglected? The waiter glanced at them indifferently and said with some impatience, "I don''t know, just wait!" "Hey, what kind of service attitude is that?" Ye Chunliang also got angry at the waiter''s attitude. "That''s my attitude, take it or leave it!" The waiter snorted dismissively and then walked away to the side. "What''s wrong with this restaurant, how can it do business with this kind of service attitude?" Ye Linglan was a little annoyed, such service attitude was infuriating. "I reckon we''ve been set up, otherwise it couldn''t be like this. If they open the door for business, then customers are their bread and butter, and their behavior is against common sense," Hao Jian analyzed carefully. Things were definitely not as simple as he imagined, "Set us up? Who dares to set us up?" Ye Chunliang''s eyes widened, and he shouted angrily. "Who have we offended recently?" Hao Jian asked with a mock smile. "That rich second-generation son?" Ye Chunliang exclaimed in doubt, as the most recent offense was just tricking that rich second-generation guy out of more than five thousand yuan. At the mention of this, Ye Linglan and her brother began looking for Song Xiaobao among the crowd and indeed saw Song Xiaobao sitting at a table not far away, watching them with a face full of hatred. Ye Chunliang''s face darkened, saying unhappily, "What, is this never-ending or what?" "Let''s just go to another restaurant," suggested Ye Linglan, who didn''t want to spoil the occasion by getting into a conflict with Song Xiaobao. "Changing restaurants won''t help, I reckon if this guy can command one restaurant, then he can definitely command other restaurants in this mall," Hao Jian said, and then got up from his seat, "Let''s go somewhere else, we won''t eat in this mall." Seeing Hao Jian and his group preparing to leave, Song Xiaobao''s expression changed subtly, and then he made a signal to a man dressed in a suit who looked like a manager not far away. The manager immediately nodded at Song Xiaobao and approached Hao Jian and the others who were about to leave. "Where are you going?" Manager Sun Bingwen asked Hao Jian and his group, blocking their way. "Waiting so long for a dish, we''re not eating here!" Ye Chunliang said impatiently, it was really special that they had not come out sooner, and only when they were all ready to go, did they appear. This restaurant truly didn''t know how to do business. "If you are not eating here, that''s fine, but please settle the bill," said Sun Bingwen coldly. "The bill? Are you out of your mind? We haven''t eaten anything, so what is there to pay for?" Ye Chunliang rolled his eyes and found Sun Bingwen''s statement ludicrous. "Sorry, according to our restaurant''s rules, once the customer places an order, it cannot be refunded. Even if you don''t eat, you must pay," Sun Bingwen said indifferently. "That''s nonsense, what kind of rule is that? You are clearly extorting customers, it''s a tyrannical clause!" Ye Linglan fumed. It was obvious that Sun Bingwen was colluding with Song Xiaobao. Making a joke, not eating but still having to pay, if that''s not extortion, what is it? "If you have any complaints, feel free to complain to our head office, but if you want to leave, you must pay!" Sun Bingwen said with a stern face, clearly not intending to let Hao Jian and his group leave without paying. "Fine, we won''t leave, when will you serve the dishes?" Ye Linglan asked coldly. Since they had to pay even without eating, it was better to eat. "I don''t know, we have many customers today, you''ll just have to wait," Sun Bingwen put them off, with no intention to serve Hao Jian and his group anytime soon; he clearly had plans to wait until it was almost closing time to then serve their food. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. How could Ye Linglan and her companions be pleased to hear such irresponsible words from Sun Bingwen? They immediately became annoyed, "Are you joking? You won''t let us leave or serve food, are you playing us for fools?" "Take it or leave it, if you don''t wait, you have to pay," Sun Bingwen said with impatience, showing no courtesy. "Fine, let''s just consider it feeding the dogs, how much?" Ye Linglan said angrily, really not wanting to argue with Sun Bingwen. After all, there were many people around, and with Hao Jian by her side, she didn''t want to appear unladylike in front of him. "$17,000!" Sun Bingwen responded without even thinking. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian''s face turned cold. Sun Bingwen had quoted $17,000 without even looking at the bill, which clearly indicated it was a number he had just blurted out. "$17,000? You''re trying to swindle us! We only ordered a few dishes, at most it''d be just over $3,000!" Ye Linglan didn''t believe it at all. She had seen those menus before, and there was no way they could be that expensive! "We only ordered a few dishes, how could it be so expensive? $17,000? Tell me where this $17,000 came from!" Ye Chunliang also stared at Sun Bingwen angrily, looking utterly furious. Sun Bingwen pretended to pick up the menu and pointed at a dish that Hao Jian and his friends had ordered earlier: "Green Island Prawns, $45 each!" "What? $45 each? Isn''t it $45 per dish? What are you selling here, prawns or gold?" Ye Chunliang couldn''t believe Sun Bingwen would talk such nonsense. It was clearly supposed to be $45 per dish, but he was claiming it was $45 per prawn, which was absurd. But Sun Bingwen ignored Ye Linglan''s complaints, continuing to quote the prices from the menu as if everything that was sold by the dish was now being sold by the item. "Enough, no need for any more nonsense. We are not going to pay this bill!" Hao Jian said expressionlessly, as it was clear Sun Bingwen was openly trying to extort them. This was probably instigated by Song Xiaobao, who wants to settle the score from the earlier incident. "Not going to pay? If you don''t, then I have no choice but to hand you over to the police station," Sun Bingwen said coldly. "Sure, why don''t you also call some reporters over? That way, your restaurant can become thoroughly famous. $45 for a prawn; your place will become the most outrageous in Huaxia," Hao Jian sneered, then turned his head to Ye Linglan, "Call some reporters over to see how this unscrupulous restaurant scams money from its customers." At those words, Sun Bingwen''s expression suddenly froze. If Hao Jian really did that, it could ruin him. Their establishment was part of a chain, and if this issue came to light, the entire company would be affected, and he, the resident manager, would be in big trouble. "Don''t worry, I have some friends in the media as well. I''ll have a word with them to ensure they don''t report nonsense," Song Xiaobao came over at that moment and said, patting Sun Bingwen''s shoulder. With Song Xiaobao''s assurance, Sun Bingwen immediately felt like he had been injected with a heart needle, without any further concerns. Seeing Song Xiaobao appear, both Ye Linglan and Ye Chunliang were visibly enraged. Yet, Hao Jian laughed, "I thought you were just going to keep hiding in the back like a coward." Seeing Hao Jian''s smiling face, Song Xiaobao felt displeased and snorted coldly, "You think you can easily swindle my money? Let me tell you, you''re dead meat today!" "Can I just say I love how confident you are before getting beaten down like a dog?" Hao Jian mocked. Song Xiaobao''s face turned cold, "Manager Sun, it seems these people have no money to pay. Just call the police directly." "Alright!" With that, Sun Bingwen took out his phone to make the call. "Are you sure you want to call the police?" Hao Jian asked with a stern face. "What, getting scared now? Then why not just pay up like you''re supposed to?" Song Xiaobao said with mocking laughter. "I''d advise you not to call the police. Otherwise, the consequences will be more than you can handle," Hao Jian warned. However, to Song Xiaobao and Sun Bingwen, his words sounded extremely amusing, as if a condemned prisoner was claiming he would definitely survive. Sun Bingwen still picked up his phone and made the call: "Hello, 110? There are people here trying to dine and dash. Hurry over!" "Ah, you''ve really made the wrong decision," Hao Jian sighed and then suddenly punched Sun Bingwen right in the bridge of his nose, causing a gush of blood to stream down his face. Looking at Hao Jian in shock, Sun Bingwen said, "You... You dare to hit me?" "Well, you''ve already called the police, so hitting you shouldn''t make any difference, right?" Hao Jian shrugged nonchalantly. Seeing Song Xiaobao and Sun Bingwen just made him sick, and he had been eager to deal with these two scumbags. Song Xiaobao was startled. Did Hao Jian really feel indifferent because the police had been called? "Beat up those two!" Hao Jian directed Ye Linglan and her brother, pointing at Song Xiaobao and his accomplice. Ye Linglan and Ye Chunliang were ready to rumble, moving towards Song Xiaobao and his cohort. "I don''t want to hit a woman, don''t force me!" Song Xiaobao warned Ye Linglan, but as soon as he finished speaking, Ye Linglan kicked him right in the groin. "You..." Song Xiaobao''s face instantly turned green, and cradling his legs together, he slowly knelt to the ground like a little girl. And as Ye Chunliang moved towards Sun Bingwen, Sun Bingwen was taken aback and, before he could respond, Ye Chunliang''s fist was already coming his way. Chapter 507 - 507: Medical Sage "Don''t hit the nose!" Sun Bingwen screamed in agony. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Bang!" Ye Chunliang''s fist landed squarely on Sun Bingwen''s nose. Sun Bingwen screamed in pain, tears streaming down his face. He had pleaded for Ye Chunliang not to hit his nose, but this bastard deliberately targeted it. The customers were terrified by the fierceness of Hao Jian and the others and were momentarily stunned. "It''s okay, it''s okay, just keep eating," Hao Jian gestured to them with a wave of his hand. The customers dared not make a sound, each bowing their heads to their meals, clearly realizing that Hao Jian was not someone to be trifled with. "You wait, I''ll sue you until you''re bankrupt!" Song Xiaobao roared in fury, reaching the peak of humiliation. He had lived for so long; when had he ever been humiliated like this? "Oh, still threatening me? You really are tired of living!" Hao Jian laughed angrily and said to Ye Linglan, "Slap his face for me!" "Sure thing!" Ye Linglan went up and started slapping Song Xiaobao''s cheeks with a series of smacks. As Hao Jian and the others were beating Song Xiaobao, a sudden scream came from not far away, and a pregnant woman collapsed to the ground. "Wife, what''s wrong with you? Are you going into labor? Call someone! Can someone please call for me!" A middle-aged man who seemed to be her husband shouted frantically at the crowd around him, anxiously standing by his wife''s side. The pregnant woman was also in so much pain that she was gasping for air, "The amniotic fluid! My amniotic fluid broke!" Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked. If the amniotic fluid had broken, the baby was about to come out; they probably wouldn''t be able to wait for the ambulance to arrive. "Is there a doctor here? Is there a doctor?" The middle-aged man was almost crying in his urgency. At a time like this, if they didn''t facilitate the delivery quickly, it might end up being a matter of life and death. Hearing this, both Ye Linglan and Ye Chunliang looked towards Hao Jian, because they all knew that Hao Jian was a doctor, and a highly skilled one at that. Without saying a word, Hao Jian walked over to them and then bent down in front of the pregnant woman: "I am a doctor." "Doctor, please save my wife, whatever it costs, I''ll pay," the man said, desperately clutching Hao Jian''s hand. "Let me check the condition of the pregnant woman first," Hao Jian nodded and then extended his hand to feel the woman''s wrist. Seeing Hao Jian''s gesture, the man''s heart sank. Was this guy a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine? Could he be trusted? A moment later, Hao Jian spoke with a grave expression, "We need to prepare for delivery now. We can''t delay even a moment because the amniotic fluid has broken, causing the placenta to contract. Currently, the fetus is in a state of placental distress and must be delivered immediately, or else it might suffocate in the womb." Hearing this, both the husband and wife were terrified and urged Hao Jian to proceed quickly. "Don''t be fooled by him; does he look like a doctor to you? What kind of doctor goes around hitting people at random? He''s just a thug; do you really want to entrust your child''s life to such a person?" Song Xiaobao yelled, clutching his crotch. "You''re asking for it!" Ye Linglan struck him with another slap across the face. Seeing this, the husband hesitated and asked Hao Jian somewhat awkwardly, "Doctor, may I ask if you have a medical license?" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian snorted coldly and walked away. "Hey, doctor, don''t go!" The husband was stunned to see Hao Jian walking away and hurriedly beckoned him to stay. "How can I not leave? After all, I don''t have a medical license. I don''t think I''m qualified to help your wife give birth. You might as well wait for the ambulance," Hao Jian said with a smirk, his expression somewhat mocking. Hearing this, everyone was a bit astonished, realizing that Hao Jian was angry and that was why he was walking away without helping. Wait for the ambulance? You yourself said the fetus is already suffocating, so if we wait for the ambulance, won''t the baby have already died in the womb? "Wang, do you really want me dead? What the hell are you thinking at a time like this? You''re actually bothering about a medical license! I must have been blind to marry you!" The pregnant woman also roared in anger. She was in so much pain that she wanted to kill her own husband at this point. How could this bastard still be in the mood to ask about a medical license? Couldn''t he hear that their child was nearly dying? At a time like this, they should do everything possible to save her child. Who cares about a medical license, as long as the person was a doctor that would be enough. "Wife, I''m just worried about you, aren''t I? I''m afraid that if he''s not skilled enough, it might harm you and the baby," Old Wang said, troubled. "Worry about your mom? If he didn''t have some skills, would he have volunteered to deliver my baby? Have you had your brain squeezed by a door? It''s not him but you endangering me and the baby! The baby''s nearly dead now, and you still want me to wait?" His wife was really going crazy. "Wang, listen to me, if my child dies, I''m divorcing you!" "Doctor, I was wrong. I shouldn''t have spoken out of turn. Please hurry up and help my wife give birth." Old Wang was suddenly terrified and then pleaded with Hao Jian. "You sure? But I don''t have a medical license, you know. Aren''t you afraid I''ll kill your wife and child?" Hao Jian asked with a cold sneer. "I''m not afraid. As long as you can save my child, anything goes!" Old Wang was desperate. As long as Hao Jian could save his child and wife, it didn''t matter to him that Hao Jian didn''t have a medical license or even if he wasn''t a doctor at all! Hao Jian chuckled coldly: "Your wife is much smarter than you. I don''t know how she ended up marrying someone like you." Upon hearing this, Old Wang''s face turned to embarrassment, while his wife was fuming. If it wasn''t for that night at the bar when she got drunk and had an unexpected affair with Old Wang, resulting in his child, she would never have married him! Hao Jian instructed the waitstaff: "Bring me two basins of hot water, some hot towels, and a pair of scissors. Also, strip off those tablecloths over there. You guys form a circle and block the view of the woman in labor. We can''t let anyone see the birthing process!" At his words, the waitstaff sprang into action. With a life at stake, they dared not delay. "If you listen to him, you''ll regret it! He''s going to kill you all!" Song Xiaobao continued to sow fear from the sidelines. "Fuck your mom!" At this, a burly man couldn''t stand it any longer. He kicked Song Xiaobao to the ground, infuriated: "The doctor is trying to save lives here, you fucking sniveling little shit, just won''t shut up, huh? You think you''re above everyone''s reproach?" "You... you hit me?" Song Xiaobao stared at the burly man in shock, momentarily dumbfounded. "Fuck, I''ll hit you if I want. Who''s giving you face?" Another man also kicked Song Xiaobao right in the face. "Damn bastard, the doctor''s trying to save lives, and this asshole is creating obstacles. I think he''s deliberately wanting to see someone die!" The crowd was cursing and glaring coldly at Song Xiaobao, with no one showing him sympathy. Several male waitstaff used the tablecloths to form a barrier with their backs to the pregnant woman, so that those outside couldn''t see what was happening inside. The female waitstaff were acting as Hao Jian''s assistants. "Take deep breaths, then exhale long and keep pushing at the same time!" Hao Jian instructed the pregnant woman. The pregnant woman hurriedly followed his instructions, breathing and pushing as directed, and after about ten minutes, the baby was finally born. The female waitstaff all showed expressions of joy, looking at Hao Jian with admiration. At this moment, Hao Jian was a hero, the hero who saved the mother and child. The pregnant woman collapsed into her husband''s arms as if drained, while Hao Jian held the infant, his brow furrowed all the while. Because the baby wasn''t crying and also had not yet started to breathe. Babies in the womb don''t breathe because they''re in amniotic fluid, getting oxygen through the placenta from the mother. Their lungs are collapsed and the pulmonary artery isn''t carrying blood. Upon birth through the birth canal, the lungs quickly expand, the arterial duct closes, blood starts flowing through the pulmonary artery, and the baby begins to breathe with its lungs. The baby''s cries trigger the first breaths. But this baby wasn''t crying and had not initiated breathing. Noticing this, the pregnant woman grabbed Hao Jian''s hand frantically: "Doctor, why isn''t my child breathing?" From outside, Song Xiaobao, upon hearing the screams of the pregnant woman, sneered: "I told you before that this guy''s a fraud, but you wouldn''t believe me. Now see what happened, your son''s been killed by him! Now what are you going to do?" "Shut up!" Ye Linglan glared viciously at Song Xiaobao. Hao Jian was trying his very best to save lives inside, but Song Xiaobao kept on with his relentless babbling, infuriating everyone. "What, did I say something wrong? Isn''t it true that he killed their child? Pretending to be a doctor when he knows nothing, it''s ridiculous! Now that he''s killed their child, he can just wait to go to prison!" Song Xiaobao said, laughing coldly. "Fuck your mother, I can''t take this anymore!" A burly man roared at Song Xiaobao, rushed towards him, and his fists pummeled Song Xiaobao relentlessly. "Kill this gloating son of a bitch!" "Damn it, kill him! All talk and no action!" A group of people began to beat up Song Xiaobao. They were angry and disappointed over the baby''s death, and Song Xiaobao''s endless chatter was testing their patience. "Woo woo woo... my poor child." The pregnant woman sobbed helplessly as she lay in her husband''s arms. She didn''t blame Hao Jian, for he had already told them that the child was suffocating. They only lamented that they realized it too late. Chapter 508 - 508: The Amazing Effect of a Straw "It''s all my fault, all my fault!" Old Wang fiercely slapped his own face, filled with regret. In his eyes, it was all his own doing¡ªif only he had not doubted Hao Jian and let him deliver his wife''s baby immediately, perhaps his child would not have died. "Don''t panic, the child can still be saved!" Hao Jian said, urging the couple not to panic. "What? Doctor, my child can still be saved?" The woman looked at Hao Jian in shock. Hao Jian nodded and then said to a server, "Get me a straw and a cup of clear water!" A straw? Everyone was somewhat puzzled. What did they need a straw for at a time like this? Still, the server followed the instructions and brought Hao Jian a straw and clear water. Hao Jian took the straw, picked up the newborn, gave the sole of his foot a tap, and then inserted the straw into the newborn''s airway. He sucked in and a gush of murky fluid was drawn out. Afterward, Hao Jian spat the fluid onto the ground and rinsed his mouth with the clear water. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Wah!" And at that moment, the newborn finally opened his mouth and began to bawl his lungs out. "He''s alive, he''s alive! This is truly miraculous!" People exclaimed in amazement¡ªHao Jian had revived a dying newborn with just a straw? While rinsing his mouth, Hao Jian explained, "If a newborn''s airway is blocked with amniotic fluid or during a cesarean section, the baby won''t cry. At that point, slapping the child''s foot to make the newborn spit out the fluid from the air passage or using a straw to extract the liquid from the throat can make the baby cry out." Employing both methods, Hao Jian pulled the dying newborn back from the brink of death at Jiumen Pass. "Doctor, thanks to you. If it weren''t for your help, my wife and child both would''ve been in danger," Old Wang said as he grabbed Hao Jian''s hand, his face showing intense emotion. And the looks people gave Hao Jian were also filled with admiration. Let alone his medical skills, the calm and composed demeanor that Hao Jian exhibited while saving lives had already won them over. "It was just a helping hand," Hao Jian replied, waving it off as though it was nothing. "Doctor, there''s no way I can repay this debt. This is just a small token, please accept it!" Old Wang took out a stack of money from his wallet. No amount of money could repay Hao Jian for saving his son, but at least it would make him feel better, knowing he had offered something and not felt too indebted. "I already said, it was just a helping hand, and I don''t accept money," Hao Jian shook his head, clearly unwilling to take the money. First, he did not need it, and second, it was not right to accept such money. A doctor''s heart is akin to a parent''s love; faced with such a situation, it was only natural for Hao Jian to step in without hesitation. He didn''t save the pregnant woman for money, so he really couldn''t accept it. Hearing this, Song Xiaobao was furious. This bastard had just conned him out of his money, and now when someone else was offering him money, he refused? What, was he an easier target to bully? "Doctor, you must take this money. You''ve helped our family so much, we have no way to repay you. This small amount is meant as a respect, please don''t refuse it!" Old Wang insisted stubbornly, determined for Hao Jian to accept the money. But Hao Jian''s stance was also firm: "Legally speaking, since I don''t have a medical license, I can''t be considered a real doctor, and thus I can''t accept money for treating someone as it would be illegal. If I took your money, I would be breaking the law; for that reason, I cannot accept it. Besides, our encounter was fate, and any conscientious doctor faced with this situation wouldn''t stand idly by. Saving lives is part and parcel of our duty as doctors, so don''t take it too much to heart." "This..." Old Wang hesitated, initially thinking that Hao Jian was simply being modest, but it became clear that Hao Jian really was a doctor with high moral standards. And upon hearing Hao Jian''s declaration, everyone''s respect for him deepened. "Take it back. No matter what you offer, I won''t accept it," Hao Jian emphasized. He would not accept the money under any circumstances. "Alright then..." Old Wang took the money back somewhat reluctantly, but then had an idea, "Doctor, why don''t you become my child''s godfather? You saved his life, you owe him that much. It''s only right for you to be his godfather!" But Hao Jian still shook his head: "We met by chance and there''s no need to force a connection." At that moment, Ma Zifeng arrived with his men. Seeing the police, Song Xiaobao and Sun Bingwen hurried over as if seeing a savior: "Police, someone''s been beaten! They hit someone!" "Who hit someone?" Ma Zifeng frowned. "Them!" Song Xiaobao pointed fiercely at Ye Linglan and Ye Chunliang, but realized that Hao Jian had somehow returned to his seat, so he pointed at Hao Jian''s back, "And him!" Ma Zifeng''s expression darkened as he questioned Ye Linglan and Ye Chunliang, "Why did you hit someone?" "Because I told them to," said Hao Jian, turning to face Ma Zifeng. "Mr. Hao Jian?" Ma Zifeng was startled. Mr. Hao Jian? Song Xiaobao and Sun Bingwen looked at Ma Zifeng, puzzled. This police officer knew this guy? And it seemed he was quite familiar with him too. "These two people altered and inflated the menu prices on their own, deceiving consumers. They''ve violated commercial fraud laws; you know what to do, right?" "Rest assured, leave it to me," Ma Zifeng assured, patting his chest, and then ordered his men, "Arrest these two scammers!" "I''m not a scammer! Don''t arrest me!" Song Xiaobao yelled frantically, stunned by the turn of events. He never expected the other party to have such significant influence that it would command the immediate attention of the police. "It''s over... It''s all over..." Sun Bingwen''s face turned ashen, knowing that not only was his job gone, but he also faced legal charges. However, Hao Jian and his group didn''t bother with them and headed straight towards the exit. After such an incident, they were no longer in the mood to continue their meal. "Shall we just go home and make some noodles?" Hao Jian suggested with a wry smile. "Seems like that''s the only option left," Ye Linglan and her brother agreed with a helpless nod. However, on their way back, they saw a group of uniformly dressed people blocking the road home. They were all clad in blue shirts with a three-leaf emblem on their chests. Seeing these people, Ye Linglan and her brother''s expressions changed drastically, and their faces darkened to the extreme. "What''s the matter? Do you know them?" Hao Jian clearly saw resentment and anger written on their faces. "Deep as the sea!" Ye Chunliang said through gritted teeth. Hao Jian was struck with realization. He had always been curious about the siblings'' identity, and now, hearing Ye Chunliang''s words, he understood that they might truly have a significant background. With a steely expression, Ye Linglan said, "You guys wait in the car for me. I''ll go talk to them!" "Sister, they must be here to kill us. There''s nothing to talk about. Let''s get out of here quickly!" Ye Chunliang protested anxiously, not wanting Ye Linglan to leave the car because he knew that whether they talked or not, the outcome would be the same. "Do you think we can still get away at this point?" Ye Linglan gave a bitter laugh, her expression full of helplessness. If they could have escaped, she wouldn''t want to face these terrifying guys, but the problem was that they could not! Ye Linglan didn''t expect that after so many years and so many escapes, their pursuers were still unwilling to let go. "They''re enemies, right? If so, I''ll handle it. I''ll just drive them all away!" Hao Jian said nonchalantly. Ye Linglan sighed with a sense of helplessness, "They''re not as simple as you think. Even you might not be able to tackle all six Impermanence at once!" Ye Linglan knew Hao Jian was powerful, but no matter his strength, he was at most a Martial Artist. These people were a mix of martial and mystical arts. She had even seen them use paper to kill and slice through water ripples with their palms when she was little. These people were not human! "Impermanence? That''s an amusing name," Hao Jian mocked, guessing it derived from "Impermanence claims lives, evil spirits ensnare souls." "Let me handle this. If things go south, Hao Jian, you immediately take my brother and run!" Ye Linglan urged urgently. "I won''t, sister!" Ye Chunliang shouted emotionally. How could he just stand by and watch Ye Linglan face danger while he ran away? "Do you think I would abandon my woman and flee?" Hao Jian also scoffed. Ye Linglan was really underestimating him. "Hao Jian!" Ye Linglan rebuked sharply, her voice changing urgently. At this moment, she was no longer as gentle as before. Tears glimmered in her eyes, and she looked at Hao Jian with a heart-wrenching plea, "Promise me, do as I say and don''t try to be a hero! These guys are not human. They are not something you can deal with." Ye Linglan seemed to have foreseen everything. Her only hope now was that Hao Jian would do as she said and escape at all costs! Hao Jian paused for a moment and then nodded, "Okay, I promise you!" He knew that if he didn''t agree, Ye Linglan wouldn''t back down. "Thank you." It was at that moment that Ye Linglan finally broke into tears of relief, and then she looked towards the six people not far away, her face shrouded in gloom. With a deep breath and resolute expression, she pushed open the car door, stepped out, and walked towards them. "To capture me, you sent out six Impermanence. It seems she really wants us dead," Ye Linglan said with cold sarcasm. "Miss is exaggerating. The lady simply misses you and the Second Young Master. She wishes for you to return and enjoy family happiness," one of the silver-haired elders said sinisterly, his eyes filled with chilling ferocity as he stared at Ye Linglan. Even though he addressed Ye Linglan as ''Miss'', there was no respect in his tone. Hearing the man''s address to Ye Linglan, Hao Jian was also puzzled. If Ye Linglan was their miss, why would they want to kill her? Chapter 509 - 509 Impermanence Although Hao Jian was more than ten meters away from them, it still couldn''t escape his hearing. "Miss us? I think she wants us dead!" Ye Linglan sneered. "Miss, please forgive us, but without your death, the third young master cannot rise to power, and the lady is restless," just then, a bald man also smiled wickedly, pulling out a double-edged blade from behind, looking ominously at Ye Linglan, "So, may I ask you to die?" Ye Linglan''s expression froze, but she was not surprised by this outcome. Since he had appeared here, he wouldn''t allow her to live. "Spare Chunliang, as long as I die, he is not to be feared. At the same time, I assure you that he will never seek revenge against you!" Ye Linglan said to these people, pleading for Chunliang. She knew she couldn''t escape today. With that woman''s malicious mind, she definitely wouldn''t let her go, but she hoped her death could save Chunliang. "We are afraid we cannot agree to your request. Before coming out, the lady had already instructed us, we absolutely cannot let both you siblings live. So, miss, please hurry and bring out the second young master. We won''t make you suffer the slightest pain," said a person in an extremely effeminate and enchanting manner. "You..." Ye Linglan stared at these people in shock, indignantly saying, "Have you forgotten how my father used to treat you? You ungrateful beasts!" "Miss, the Family Head has been dead for many years now, and now the one in charge is the lady, and we are simply following orders," said an old man with crane hair, smiling faintly. "Why waste words on her? Rape her before you kill her! Such a beauty, it would be such a waste to just kill her! I''ve wanted to taste her mother''s flavor for years, but alas, her mother is dead. Now, let the daughter pay the debt!" A skinny monkey said with a lewd laugh. This guy had improper thoughts about Ye Linglan''s mother while she was still alive but didn''t dare to act recklessly because her father was the Family Head. Now that the Family Head was dead and Ye Linglan had become the new thorn in the master''s side, he naturally had no more scruples. The others did not object, but coldly looked on. At this moment, the old man with crane hair said, "Miss, please take your own life! For the sake of the Family Head, I won''t let him **** you!" "Old man, are you seeking death?" The Skinny Monkey''s eyes turned venomous as he stared at the old man, clearly unhappy about him spoiling his fun. "You all go to hell!" Ye Linglan screamed and charged at them. At this point, she had been driven mad with rage ¨C these people, once her father''s subordinates, were intent on completely annihilating them. The only thing she could do now was to kill even one of them, reducing the threat to Hao Jian and Chunliang. "She''s mine!" The Skinny Monkey sneered and also charged at Ye Linglan, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with her. Ye Linglan loathed this pervert and suddenly swept a kick at the Skinny Monkey. "Well done!" The Skinny Monkey laughed loudly, but with a reversal, he captured Ye Linglan''s leg, disgustingly licked her calf, and then with an intoxicated expression said, "Hmm, so savory! Truly like mother, like daughter!" Ye Linglan, enraged and ashamed, her face flushed with anger, tried to pull her leg free, but she was not as strong as the Skinny Monkey and could only be held in such a way. The other Impermanence merely watched with cold eyes, doing nothing to stop the Skinny Monkey''s behavior. In their eyes, Ye Linglan was already a dead person, so there was nothing wrong with letting the Skinny Monkey entertain himself a bit. Although they were all once subordinates of Ye Linglan''s father, with the death of a king came the rise of another. Now that her father was dead and someone else had taken charge of their faction, they could only take orders from the lady. By this time, the Skinny Monkey had already tightly embraced Ye Linglan, his face showing a lecherous smile, "Come here, baby, let me give you a kiss!" "Let me go! You disrespectful beast!" Ye Linglan shouted fiercely, nearly gagging from Skinny Monkey''s disgusting breath. "Oh, still trying to act like the proud young miss at a time like this?" the Skinny Monkey mocked, staring at Ye Linglan with a gaze like a hungry wolf eying a sheep, "Stop struggling! Just enjoy it, I''ll make sure you have a good time!" "You have ten seconds to let her go, or else every second that passes, I''ll chop off one of your fingers, until I''ve carved up your entire body!" Hao Jian said coldly. And it was at this moment that a slightly severe voice came from not far away. Everyone turned towards the source of the voice and saw Hao Jian smoking a cigarette, leaning against a car, casually watching everyone. "Hao Jian, what are you doing coming down here? Hurry up and take Chunliang away!" Ye Linglan said urgently. The guy had clearly promised her, why had he suddenly reneged? Ye Linglan was very worried, afraid that Hao Jian wouldn''t be able to resist dealing with these people, and if so, none of them would be able to escape. "Do I really look like someone who would run away and abandon his woman? I couldn''t do such a thing," Hao Jian pursed his lips. "You... ah..." At this moment, Ye Linglan didn''t know whether to feel touched or angry. However, the Skinny Monkey and others couldn''t help but pause, Ye Linglan actually had a secular boyfriend. Immediately, the Skinny Monkey burst into laughter, mocking, "Miss, this is your boyfriend? Your taste is really poor, isn''t it?" "Seeing so many of us and still daring to threaten me, you''ve got some nerve, kid." Skinny Monkey chuckled but still refused to let go of Linglan. "Some old, weak, sick, and disabled, hardly worth mentioning," Hao Jian retorted with a dismissive look, as if he didn''t consider them worth his attention at all. At his words, Skinny Monkey and the others couldn''t help but change their expressions, for indeed, most of them were quite old. The youngest among them was already over forty¡ªafter all, they were Linglan''s father''s former subordinates. How could they still be so young? S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Although they were old, they were a far cry from being old, weak, sick, and disabled. Hao Jian''s words were clearly intended to humiliate them, and at this moment, all six of them couldn''t help but show their anger. "Kid, you are truly annoying!" Skinny Monkey sneered menacingly, his gaze toward Hao Jian filled with murderous intent. "The feeling is mutual." Hao Jian''s gaze was as cold as frost. He glanced at his wristwatch, then stared directly at Skinny Monkey, "Two minutes and thirty-five seconds have passed now. According to what I said earlier, I suppose I have to reduce you to nothing but a skeleton!" "Seeking death!" Skinny Monkey roared furiously, no longer able to bear Hao Jian''s provocation, and threw Linglan aside as he pounced toward him. A mere mortal daring to challenge him, he was literally asking for death! "Hao Jian, run!" Linglan lay on the ground, forgetting even to stand up, as she yelled urgently at Hao Jian. But Hao Jian completely ignored it, not even sparing Skinny Monkey a glance as he lit another cigarette and narrowed his eyes in enjoyment. Grinding his teeth in hatred, Skinny Monkey couldn''t believe Hao Jian dared to underestimate him. He pulled out two strangely shaped short knives from behind and charged at Hao Jian. "Skinny Monkey even resorted to using the Dragon Break Blade. It seems he is truly enraged by this guy," that effeminate voice chuckled, sure that Hao Jian would soon meet a grisly end. "Die, you insect!" Skinny Monkey laughed loudly, leaping from the sky and fiercely attacking Hao Jian''s throat with the twin blades. "Heh..." A sneer passed over Hao Jian''s lips as he flicked away his cigarette butt, then stood up straight. Skinny Monkey descended sharply, but at that moment, a hand reached out and suddenly grabbed Skinny Monkey by the throat. "Crack!" Skinny Monkey''s descending body instantly stopped, hanging from Hao Jian''s hand. The one who had been roaring now seemed like a duck whose throat had been grasped, instantly going limp. Seeing Skinny Monkey defeated by Hao Jian, the other five Impermanence couldn''t help but be shocked. As beings as powerful as them, each was a force to be reckoned with once they appeared in the world. People capable of matching them were few and far between, yet Hao Jian had grabbed one of them as easily as if he were picking up a chick? Skinny Monkey also looked at Hao Jian with a face full of terror. What kind of freak was this guy? Such a simple, brutal move had stopped his cunning and vicious attack, how could this be possible? Linglan outside the car and Chunliang inside were also dumbfounded, unable to believe this was true. The masters in their clan were well-known for their strength, and they had never seen anyone defeat any of them with a single blow. "Adapting to unchanging conditions with an unchanging response! Killing with one move, this guy has evolved Martial Arts to the ultimate!" That effeminate voice exclaimed in awe, looking somewhat uneasy. By now, Skinny Monkey looked at Hao Jian with eyes full of terror. This guy had evolved Martial Arts to the ultimate? Wasn''t that close to being the strongest? "Swoosh!" Hao Jian effortlessly tore off one of Skinny Monkey''s arms with one hand. "Ow!" Skinny Monkey let out a piercing scream, his eyes blood red, like a wounded beast. "Remember what I told you?" Hao Jian said coldly, watching Skinny Monkey. Skinny Monkey shook his head vigorously, then looked toward his companions for help. "The dignity of Ye Heavenly Mansion is not to be trampled upon. Young man, if you don''t let him go, you are certainly courting a major disaster!" The crane-haired elder stood up, watching Hao Jian coldly. "Ye Heavenly Mansion?" Hao Jian furrowed his brow, feeling the name seemed familiar, but he couldn''t recall what force it referred to at the moment. Then, Hao Jian scoffed. Staring at the elder, he said, "I don''t care if it''s Ye Heavenly Mansion or Li Mansion. If you dare touch my woman, then I''m Monkey Sun, specifically here to stir up trouble in the Heavenly Mansion!" .......................................... Chapter 510 - 510: Madam "Ignorant fool, the only reason you dare to be so insolent is because you do not understand how terrifying the Ye Heavenly Mansion is!" the white-haired elder snorted coldly. If Hao Jian knew what the Ye Heavenly Mansion represented, he would not have dared to speak like this. "Ignorant fool, the only reason you dare to speak to me like this is because you do not understand how terrifying I am!" Hao Jian mimicked the old man''s tone and snorted coldly. "I''m so furious, let''s all attack! Slaughter this brat who does not know the immensity of heaven and earth!" the white-haired elder exploded in rage, roaring angrily as he flicked a chilling frost blade from his sleeve and charged at Hao Jian. "Frost Cold Nine Provinces!" The white-haired elder bellowed in fury, as he brought his sword crashing down. A startling frost swept over, instantly turning even the green leaves into ice shards, a truly horrifying sight. The other Judges joined the attack, with dazzling radiance flickering non-stop, as they all brought out their own weapons. It was evident that these weapons were extraordinary, forged from various types of Mysterious Iron Spirit Stones, shimmering all over, and looking quite splendid. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Despicable, you''re all despicable!" Che Xiaoxiao was itching with hatred; they were actually ganging up on the outnumbered! But at that moment, no one paid attention to her words; everyone just wanted to slay Hao Jian immediately. This guy had reached the pinnacle of Martial Arts, almost invincible. In a one-on-one fight, probably no one could be his match and would only be slain by him. They did not want to end up like Skinny Monkey, so they decided to attack together, to kill Hao Jian as quickly as possible and to eliminate future troubles! Seeing the white-haired elder lunging at him, Hao Jian did not retreat but advanced, clenching his fists and striking directly at the elder''s Frost Cold Sword. The white-haired elder laughed in extreme anger, "You''re too arrogant, young man, thinking you can block the Frost Cold Sword with your bare body. I will mince you into meat paste!" "Don''t kill him. Sever his limbs and capture him back to the Ye Heavenly Mansion to be a slave, let him suffer forever!" the effeminate one snorted coldly, annoyed in his heart. He wanted Hao Jian to know the consequences of offending the Ye Heavenly Mansion! "Come! Let me see just how capable the so-called Ye Heavenly Mansion really is!" Hao Jian laughed arrogantly, like an unbeatable Monarch, fearless of the incoming Judges, boldly punching towards the Frost Cold Sword. "Courting death!" All five Judges roared simultaneously, their expressions filled with ruthlessness. "Clang!" The white-haired elder''s Frost Cold Sword emitted a tremble, constantly vibrating before shattering with a loud bang! "What?" The white-haired elder was horrified beyond belief, unable to accept that this was real. His Frost Cold Sword, made of deep cold hard ice and hundred times harder than diamonds, was actually smashed by a punch from Hao Jian? He couldn''t believe it, was this guy some kind of monstrous human form? "Terrible, he''s not near invincible in Martial Arts, he is already invincible! Retreat quickly!" The effeminate one''s voice changed in his rush. Only now did he realize his misjudgment; the opponent''s physical body was invincible, worthy of being the number one in Martial Arts, far stronger than all of them, who were half Martial and half cultivated! The white-haired elder and the others were all in shock. They did not dare to continue fighting and flew backwards, trying to escape from Hao Jian''s clutches. "You bullied my woman and think you can run? Stay where you are!" Hao Jian bellowed, grabbing the white-haired elder''s leg and slamming it towards the four fleeing Judges. The white-haired elder was so angry his nose was almost crooked. Having lived to such an age, everyone gave him at least some respect. But Hao Jian humiliated him in such a way that he wanted to spew blood! Upon hearing this, Ye Linglan''s face flushed with happiness, her expression radiating sheer joy. Thrown like a ball, the white-haired elder collided with the backs of the four Judges and knocked them all to the ground. The five Judges, disregarding their pain, scrambled to their feet to flee. But Hao Jian had already caught up, leaping down like a descending Demon King, grasping the effeminate one with one hand and pressing the others to the ground, their faces intimately meeting the earth. Their noses broke and blood streamed. "So it was you who said you wanted to chop my limbs off, wasn''t it?" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "I... I was wrong." The effeminate one was almost scared to wet himself, realizing that his rash words had led to such a dire situation. "How about I offer to be your slave forever?" "No need, you''re too weak," Hao Jian retorted mockingly. On hearing this, the effeminate man felt an impulse to curse in frustration. With his status, countless powers wanted to recruit him, yet Hao Jian despised him for being too weak? Was there a greater insult than this? "Bang!" With one punch, Hao Jian burst the effeminate man''s head open. The white-haired elder and the others were utterly dumbfounded, a chill running through their entire bodies. They had always been the ones in control of other people''s lives, and now for the first time, they were having their lives dictated by someone else. The feeling made them helpless. Hao Jian looked up, his eyes cold as frost, gazing at the remaining four, "Today, none of you shall escape!" "You... don''t make a mistake! If you kill us, be prepared to withstand the wrath of the Ye Heavenly Mansion''s thunder!" one of them threatened Hao Jian, but without much confidence in his voice. But as soon as he had spoken, Hao Jian instantly moved beside him, swung back his fist, and instantly burst his head open. "Don''t kill me! I''m willing to be a slave, forever loyal!" another Judge knelt down, speaking in a panicked tone. The man before him was too terrifying; he was no match and only by begging for mercy could he save his life. "If the master is dead, you annihilate his offspring, your words have no persuasive power!" Hao Jian threw another punch and exploded Impermanence''s head again. Six Impermanences arrived, and in the blink of an eye, two were dead, leaving the remaining two trembling. Impermanences claim lives, fierce spirits hook souls, but now others had hooked their souls and claimed their lives. They were terrified; this guy was the real soul-hooking Impermanence! Facing Hao Jian, the elder with crane-like hair and one other felt completely powerless. Hao Jian''s physical body was extremely strong, able to shake divine weapons and blades with his flesh alone. This type of person was terrifying; he could take lives with his bare fists, something they could not defend against. "My lady will avenge us!" One Impermanence let out a hysterical scream, knowing he couldn''t possibly survive, so he didn''t beg for mercy and shouted excitedly instead. "Bang!" However, his end was the same as the previous Impermanences, head rolling on the ground. Immediately after, Hao Jian turned his gaze to the elder with crane-like hair: "Don''t you have anything to say?" "Kill or mutilate as you please; I have nothing to say!" the elder with crane-like hair snorted coldly, his attitude defiant. He did not make futile threats, nor would he beg Hao Jian for mercy. "Good, I appreciate your spirit!" Hao Jian sneered, then crushed the elder''s head with one hand. None of the six Impermanences who came survived; Hao Jian killed them all. Hao Jian walked over to the stunned Ye Linglan and gently picked her up: "If something like this happens again, rely on the man of the house to support you. Don''t shoulder it alone anymore, or end up like last time. Otherwise, I''ll have to spank you!" This threat was laced with deep indulgence. Ye Linglan nodded blankly, completely disoriented. "Now, can you tell me their background?" Hao Jian asked with a smile, feeling entitled to know Hao Jian''s identity. "Hao Jian, it''s not that I don''t want to tell you, but I truly can''t. If you know too much, it would mean dragging you into this, and that''s not my intention. Besides the six Impermanences, there are four King Yans, two Judges, as well as one Meng Po and the Nether King. Their strength is innumerable times greater than the Impermanences'', and you won''t be able to handle them," Ye Linglan sighed sadly. Hao Jian glanced at the corpses on the ground: "Do you think I can still escape under these circumstances?" Ye Linglan was taken aback, then with some regret, said: "Maybe a person like me really shouldn''t have a boyfriend. It''s my fault for involving you!" "Slap!" Hao Jian directly slapped Ye Linglan''s buttocks. "Mmm~" Ye Linglan uttered a moan, looking at Hao Jian with a hint of grievance, and muttered softly: "Chunliang is still in the car." "Then do you dare to talk nonsense again? See if I don''t beat you up!" Hao Jian snorted angrily. "I won''t say it anymore," Ye Linglan pouted and said aggrievedly. "Now, tell me what Ye Heavenly Mansion is!" Hao Jian commanded Ye Linglan. ... This was a misty range of peaks, with one dominant peak surrounded by six others in an undulating formation, like a dragon coiled in slumber with the main peak as its head. Atop this main peak, sat a grand and majestic palace, isolated from the world. Inside the palace, a beautiful woman in light gauze held a pair of small scissors, pruning the branches of a bonsai in front of her. Her hair was done up in a bun, her appearance luxurious and exquisite, somewhat ethereal and otherworldly. Although she was close to forty, she remained as lovely as a girl of eighteen or nineteen, with time leaving no marks upon her face. "My lady, the six Impermanences have failed," a servant approached and bowed to her. "Snip..." The lady accidentally cut off a newly budding shoot, prompting the servant to bow even lower as sweat began to appear on his back. On this mountain top, there was not a single person who was not afraid of this femme fatale; everyone kept their distance with respect. Soon after, the lady placed the scissors on the table without turning around and asked indifferently: "Are they all dead?" "Yes, all six are dead," the servant replied. "That''s good," the lady''s fiery red lips curled into a seductive smile. Upon hearing this, the servant''s legs trembled. The six Impermanences were subservient to this woman, yet she''d said it was good that they were dead; her heart was indeed unforgiving! He knew that since the six Impermanences failed their mission, they would die at the hands of their enemy if not by the hands of this woman upon their return. "Who is protecting those two scions?" the lady asked again. At this, the servant was shocked, not knowing how the lady knew someone was protecting them; he hadn''t mentioned anything. Chapter 511 - 511: Mountain Monster Incident It seemed she detected the servant''s astonishment, and the noblewoman sneered, "Don''t treat me like I''m a fool, will you? With the strength of the six Impermanences, killing those two offspring would have been as easy as flipping one''s hand, unless someone meddled unnecessarily. Otherwise, those two should have been the ones to die." The servant was sweating profusely¡ªwho would dare to think of you as a fool? Wasn''t that simply asking for death? He answered, "That man is the miss''s boyfriend, but his identity and background are unclear. It was he who killed the six Impermanences alone." The noblewoman''s eyebrows knitted together, her cheeks displaying a frosty expression, "Investigate his identity and background for me. I want to know exactly who is making an enemy of the Ye Heavenly Mansion!" "Furthermore..." The noblewoman''s expression suddenly turned fierce. She grabbed the treasured sword that was on the table and swung it back, chopping off the servant''s arm right then and there. "Ah!" The servant collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony as blood spurted from his arm. "There is no miss in the Ye Heavenly Mansion. Never let me hear that title again, understood?" the noblewoman coldly stared at the servant. "Unde... understood!" Where would the servant dare to utter a word of dissent? He quickly nodded his head, his terror reaching extreme levels. "Now, get out! Do not dirty my lawn with your blood, or else I''ll take your life as compensation!" the noblewoman declared without a trace of mercy, her glare icy to the core. The servant did not dare to delay and ran out of the back garden, dragging his maimed body. "Bang!" The noblewoman punched the stone table in anger, causing it to crack instantly. She gritted her teeth and said, "You two miscreants from the Ye family, twenty years ago you escaped, but twenty years later, I will not fail again!" ...... From Ye Linglan''s account, Hao Jian learned that the so-called Ye Heavenly Mansion was one of the most powerful sects in Huaxia, with a long history and profound heritage, and was a dominating force in the world of Martial Arts. Ye Linglan and her brother were the descendants of this supreme sect; they should have been at the pinnacle of the world, yet due to an incident twenty years ago, they fell into dire straits. Ye Linglan''s mother had died early, and not long after, her father was assassinated, which led to his death. After that, the Ye Heavenly Mansion fell under the control of Ye Linglan''s stepmother, a woman as venomous as a viper. In order to secure her own son''s legitimate ascent to the position of Sect Master, she plotted to kill Ye Linglan and her brother. However, an Elder who had seen through her scheme helped them escape the Ye Heavenly Mansion that very night, and since then, they had been on the run. This Elder provided them with information and financial assistance from within the Ye Heavenly Mansion, allowing them to survive until this day, yet they could never return home. Hao Jian was silent for a long time after hearing this; this was essentially the Eastern version of a prince''s tale of revenge. Hao Jian told Ye Linglan not to worry and assured her that if her adversaries dared to come again, she must inform him immediately, and he would handle the matter. Moreover, Hao Jian sent people to contact someone from the Ye Heavenly Mansion, hoping to settle the matter through dialogue. When Hao Jian returned to Chinese Medicine Hospital, as soon as he entered, he noticed Che Xiaoxiao, Zhao Yating, and others were missing. "Where did Che Xiaoxiao and the others run off to?" Hao Jian asked everyone. "Apparently, they went hunting," Luo Tong replied. "Hunting? Where did they go hunting?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled and somewhat annoyed. Were they really skipping his class to go hunting? Clearly, they didn''t hold him in high regard. "I don''t know; it was a senior graduate from Chinese Medicine Hospital who took them," he answered. "Then why didn''t you go?" Hao Jian queried, puzzled. Weren''t Zhang Jia and Luo Tong inseparable from Che Xiaoxiao and the others? How could they leave those two behind? "That guy was trying to pick up girls, and since we aren''t close to him, why would he take us along?" Luo Tong responded helplessly. "Exactly, Sun Yibo that guy is really contemptuous of others, always flaunting his family''s wealth and fooling around, trying to pick up girls at school every day. Even though he''s graduated, he''s still up to his old tricks, coming back to the school to chase girls¡ªdisgusting!" Zhang Jia expressed her grievances. "Alright, never mind them, let''s start the class," Hao Jian, not wanting to deal with these issues, decided to wait for Che Xiaoxiao and the others to return and then teach them a lesson. After his lecture, Hao Jian went to the hospital to visit Jessica. At that time, Jessica was lying on the hospital bed, looking much better. Wang Daxiong was feeding her soup with a bowl, overjoyed at knowing that Jessica was out of danger, his face beaming with satisfied smiles. Jessica also felt somewhat shy since it was her first time being taken care of by someone like this. Moreover, Hao Jian was surprised to find Qin Bing there as well, since, given such circumstances, Qin Bing couldn''t possibly stay uninformed. But at that moment, Qin Bing had regained her usual cool and aloof demeanor. Seeing Hao Jian come in, she merely glanced at him indifferently and then turned her head away, as if she didn''t recognize Hao Jian at all. Seeing Hao Jian arrive, Wang Daxiong hurried over to greet him with a respectful bow, "Mr. Hao Jian!" Hao Jian waved his hand and said, "We''re all friends here, no need for that." "What merits or abilities do I have to dare be your friend?" Wang Daxiong was overjoyed. Hao Jian actually said he was his friend? Just that sentence alone was enough for him to boast for three years. "If I say you are, then you are!" Hao Jian dropped those words and then ignored the stunned Wang Daxiong, walking towards Jessica, "Feeling any better?" "Just a minor injury, I''m not dying." Jessica revealed a smile. "That''s all because I''ve been taking care of him!" Wang Daxiong hurriedly said, as if afraid that Hao Jian might steal his Jessica, declaring his own sovereignty. "Don''t worry, I have no plans to steal your woman." Hao Jian seemed to see through Wang Daxiong''s thoughts and said with a light smile. "Exactly, why get so tense? He''s not into men, he likes..." Jessica followed up, then glanced towards Qin Bing not far away. Qin Bing snorted and turned her head to look out the window, seeming quite unhappy that Jessica mentioned her at this moment. She was still mad at Hao Jian and didn''t want to get involved with him. "Let''s not talk about that. Let''s discuss your problem. I''ve already found the couple responsible for your disfigurement!" Hao Jian said. Upon hearing this, Jessica''s smile instantly froze, clearly knowing who Hao Jian was referring to. But Jessica hadn''t expected that Hao Jian would actually go out of his way to find them for him. He had only vented at the time, but Hao Jian had kept it in mind and had Spice Ginger search for their whereabouts. It took half a month, but finally there was some progress. Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Wang Daxiong couldn''t help his rage, because he too knew of Jessica''s ordeal and hated that couple to the bone. "How do you want to deal with them? Just say the word, and I''ll make sure you get your wish," Hao Jian said with a smile. "I¡­ want revenge!" Jessica said through clenched teeth, having woken up from nightmares countless times over the years. Each time he woke up, what echoed in his mind was his wife''s cold, disdainful gaze, along with that treacherously smirking face. "Then you better get well soon and leave the hospital," Hao Jian said with a smile. As soon as Jessica was discharged, he would take him to get his revenge. The wicked must pay the price. "And you, since you love him, you should treat him well, stop playing with that SM stuff, he doesn''t like it," Hao Jian turned his head and cautioned Wang Daxiong. In fact, with Wang Daxiong''s love for Jessica, as long as those low tastes were avoided, they were quite compatible. "That, I thought he liked it!" Wang Daxiong scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "Liked it my ass, shut your mouth!" Jessica scolded, his face turning a bit red. "Oh," Wang Daxiong said, feeling a bit wronged. Ever since the last time Jessica had dealt with him, he had become even more fascinated by Jessica and naturally followed Jessica''s words obediently now. Hao Jian was taken aback and soon chuckled wryly, it seemed he had been overthinking. Jessica had indeed kept Wang Daxiong in line. Just then, Hao Jian suddenly saw a news report on TV, featuring an on-site interview by a reporter. It was a desolate forest, now filled with police cars and caution tape. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Officer Lin, what is your opinion on this incident? Many locals say a mountain monster has attacked people, is that true?" asked the female reporter to a police officer. "That''s nonsense, we should trust in science, there are no such things as monsters in this world," Officer Lin said with a smile. "Really? Then why do so many villagers say it''s a mountain monster? The casualty number has already exceeded twenty people, and according to the victims'' accounts, the attacker was not a wild animal. What do you think about this?" the reporter continued to press. "I personally think it''s very likely that the victims, due to severe fright, were stimulated and developed hallucinations, thus believing it was a mountain monster," Officer Lin said in an official tone. "So, has the police determined what exactly is attacking people?" "The police are actively investigating, and I believe we will have results soon. Meanwhile, I hope that everyone avoids going into the mountains in the near future to prevent unnecessary dangers," said Officer Lin, growing gradually impatient since those villagers'' senseless claims had put him in a tough spot. How was he supposed to know what was attacking people? Everyone said it was a mountain monster, but he couldn''t say that; otherwise, if it got out, he''d have to pack up and leave. After listening to the interview, Hao Jian''s brows furrowed deeply, and he immediately called Luo Tong, "Which mountain did Che Xiaoxiao and the others go hunting on?" "Jade Spirit Mountain," Luo Tong said, puzzled as to why Hao Jian was asking this. Hao Jian''s pupils constricted, because the mountain the reporter had just reported on was Jade Spirit Mountain. Chapter 512 - 512: Deep in the Jungle "I need to go out immediately for something, I''ll find you guys later," Hao Jian threw down these words and then dashed into the hospital room. Jessica and Qin Bing, among others, were still in a daze, especially Qin Bing. Had that jerk just run off without saying a word to him? Seeing Qin Bing''s expression looking off, Jessica hurriedly said, "Bing''er, he might really have something urgent." "I don''t give a damn!" Qin Bing said coldly and then walked straight out of the hospital room. "Ah, this couple, seems even more troublesome than us," Wang Daxiong sighed. "Isn''t that the truth," Jessica responded, shaking her head helplessly, but then suddenly thought of something and stared fiercely at Wang Daxiong. "Who asked for your opinion? Are you very familiar with the two of them? Why are you putting your nose into their business?" "..." "Sun Yibo, how much further is it? It''s been over two hours already," Che Xiaoxiao complained from inside the car, feeling impatient after sitting for two hours. Normally, as a race car driver, sitting for an hour in a car wasn''t a big deal for Che Xiaoxiao, but unfortunately, Sun Yibo, the chatterbox in the car, always tried to make conversation with them, which annoyed her immensely. "Yeah, didn''t you say it was close? How much longer, I want to go back!" Zhao Yating also said impatiently. Neither she nor Che Xiaoxiao had wanted to come initially, but they couldn''t resist the persistent pleas of a group of female classmates and had agreed to come. "We''re almost there, just a turn ahead," Sun Yibo quickly said, not daring to offend the two beauties, Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating. In fact, he didn''t even have enough time to ingratiate himself with them. Last time, when he was dealing with something in school, he was smitten at first sight upon seeing Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating and immediately harbored ulterior motives toward them. He had a former junior female classmate arrange a meet-up with Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating. To arrange a meeting with Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating, Sun Yibo had indeed put in a lot of effort. He knew a regular date wouldn''t be convincing enough, so he chose to go hunting. And since his favorite pastime was hunting, it was the perfect opportunity to show off his formidable shooting skills and masculinity in front of Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating. Soon after, Sun Yibo stopped the car at a mountain pass. Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating got out of the car and were immediately captivated by the beautiful scenery ¨C the lush green grass, towering trees, birds and flowers everywhere. It was tranquil and peaceful, lacking the noise of the city. At the moment, Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao both thought this place was great, extremely suitable for vacation and tourism. They definitely planned to bring Hao Jian here next time. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If Sun Yibo knew his painstakingly found spot would ultimately benefit someone else, he probably wouldn''t have any tears left to cry. Seeing Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating enthralled by the place, Sun Yibo was also pleased, and said with a smile, "How about it? Nice place, isn''t it?" "Yes, it''s nice," Che Xiaoxiao nodded, though she wasn''t too fond of Sun Yibo, the place itself was indeed wonderful. "Glad you like it," Sun Yibo managed to squeeze out a smile, thinking he was halfway to success. Meanwhile, other students who drove here arrived gradually; the two guys driving were Sun Yibo''s friends, also rich second generations. Their aim was the same as Sun Yibo''s, looking to hook up with some innocent young girls to try something new, as they were already bored with female models and celebrities and were planning to target the more innocent kind. "Let''s head up the mountain quickly! I can''t wait to show off my precision shooting skills," said a rich second-generation guy named Adong. "But why are there so many police around?" another rich second-generation named Old Tian commented, noticing an unusually high number of police at the mountain entrance and wondering what had happened. "Should we not go in? If they don''t let us in, let''s just go back," Sun Yibo said, actually indifferent about this hunting trip; not being allowed in would be best for him. "No rush, let me go check out what''s going on," Sun Yibo quickly said, not wanting Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating to leave so soon. After all, he knew they weren''t easy to win over, and if he missed this chance, arranging another meeting with them wouldn''t be so simple. Sun Yibo walked to the entrance of the mountain path and immediately spotted Officer Li, which somewhat surprised him, and he shouted, "Li Xiang!" Li Xiang turned around, and upon seeing Sun Yibo, he quickly approached with warmth, "Young Master Sun, what brings you here? Is there something you need?" Li Xiang knew Sun Yibo because Sun Yibo''s father would occasionally dine with their bureau chief, which led to their familiarity. Knowing Sun Yibo was not someone to be trifled with, Li Xiang was exceptionally respectful towards him. "A few friends and I came here to have fun, what''s going on here?" Sun Yibo asked, frowning, greatly displeased that Li Xiang might have ruined his plans. "Oh dear, you might have to choose another day, an accident has occurred here, many people have died already. You should return to avoid unnecessary trouble," Li Xiang said with a broad smile. "What accident?" Sun Yibo asked, displeased, as naturally he couldn''t just leave like this, letting go of Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating, who were like ducks already at his mouth. "This..." Li Xiang was also at a loss for words. Should he tell Sun Yibo there was a Mountain Ghost inside? Li Xiang figured Sun Yibo would consider him insane if he mentioned that. Immediately, Sun Yibo changed his statement, saying, "There are wild beasts appearing here, and we still can''t figure out exactly what it is. The local villagers say it might be a Mountain Monster. For safety''s sake, you should take your friends and leave this place." "Mountain Monster?" Sun Yibo was amused by Li Xiang''s words, "Li Xiang, do you think I''m easy to fool? Even a three-year-old child wouldn''t be deceived by that story." Obviously, Sun Yibo didn''t believe it. As an adult, he couldn''t possibly believe such absurdity. "It''s what the local villagers said," Li Xiang said, his face flushing with embarrassment. "So you''re an idiot now, huh? Just because someone said something, you believe it? Don''t you know those fools have no brains?" Sun Yibo scoffed, clearly looking down on the villagers. Li Xiang didn''t dare to answer, although he too was unconvinced; he knew this guy wasn''t someone he could afford to offend. "Enough, you can leave now. I''m taking my friends up the mountain. Don''t get in the way here, and later remember not to talk nonsense. If they ask, just say you were here catching a thief, nothing else," Sun Yibo said impatiently, waving his hand and then, without waiting for Li Xiang''s response, he started to walk back. "Captain, what do we do now?" one of his men asked. "What do we do? What else can we damn do? Just guard at the foot of the mountain, lest that bastard dies up there!" Li Xiang said angrily, knowing there would be trouble if Sun Yibo actually died up there. By now he was extremely frustrated, Sun Yibo was intentionally making things difficult for him. He dared not stop Sun Yibo, yet he had to ensure Sun Yibo''s safety. "Sun Yibo, what''s actually going on over there?" Seeing Sun Yibo return, Adong couldn''t help asking. "Oh, nothing, just a bunch of police catching a thief," Sun Yibo casually replied, determined to let nothing interrupt his day with Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating. "Can we go up the mountain now?" a girl asked. "Of course, anytime," Sun Yibo said with a smile, then led everyone towards the mountain. "Why do I feel like something is off?" Zhao Yating said, sensing something unusual about the surroundings as they ascended the mountain. Che Xiaoxiao also noticed and asked Sun Yibo, "Where are the villagers from the surrounding village? Why is there not a single person in such a large village?" "Oh, they happened to go to the market today. You know how it is in the countryside, it''s not as developed as the city," Sun Yibo chuckled in explanation. Che Xiaoxiao looked at Sun Yibo skeptically but ultimately said nothing more. The group ascended the mountain, and Sun Yibo and two other men took shotguns from their jackets and began searching for game. They soon shot a wild boar and two pheasants, causing the girls to scream continuously. Sun Yibo was about to show off in front of Che Xiaoxiao and the others, but he saw that these two were bored and messing with their phones, and suddenly felt a sense of defeat. Then, Sun Yibo had a very dangerous idea: "Let''s go! Let''s venture deep into the forest and see!" "Isn''t that dangerous, though? Entering deep into the forest might lead us to encounter fierce beasts," Adong hesitated, knowing that fierce animals roamed deep within Jade Spirit Mountain, so people rarely ventured up there for leisure, and if they did, they seldom went too deep. "What''s there to fear? We have three shotguns, even a grizzly bear wouldn''t scare us. What''s the fun in shooting wild boars and pheasants? Let''s hunt some big fierce animals! Why, are you scared?" Sun Yibo said, challenging Adong and Old Tian. Provoked by Sun Yibo, both Adong and Old Tian immediately got angry and shouted together, "Damn it, let''s do it, who''s afraid!" A group of girls instantly screamed excitedly, indeed, hunting bears and other large fierce animals was far more thrilling than hunting wild boars or pheasants. "Sun Yibo seems to plan to hunt hyenas, wolves, tigers, and leopards deep in the forest!" Zhao Yating said. But Che Xiaoxiao, who seemed to have already seen through everything, sneered twice, "He just wants to show off and prove his masculinity, how juvenile!" "Should we go then?" Zhao Yating asked. "If you want to leave now, who''s going to take you home? In these remote wilds, you can''t even get a car," Che Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes, now having no choice but to follow Sun Yibo. Zhao Yating sighed, "I knew I shouldn''t have come. Now I''ve missed the chance to see Teacher Hao Jian." "It''s just one day and one night, just endure it," Che Xiaoxiao consoled her, and then pulled Zhao Yating towards Sun Yibo and the others. As the group ventured deeper into the forest, they hunted two wild wolves but did not encounter the large fierce animals they had anticipated. Later, they set up camp by a river bank; as the Night Color gradually darkened, Sun Yibo lit a Bonfire and began to cook the game they had hunted that day. "Whoosh!" Suddenly, a fierce splash of water sounded by his ear. Chapter 513 - 513: Evil Water Shows Its Form Sun Yibo turned his head toward the nearby river, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. Was it an illusion? Just a moment ago, he had heard a strange sound coming from the river, which had made him feel a bit uneasy, wondering if there really could be a Mountain Monster. Sun Yibo stared at the river, but all he saw was pitch darkness; nothing was visible, and the strange noise did not sound again. Sun Yibo wryly shook his head, thinking to himself how he had even let Li Xiang, that idiot, get to him. How could there possibly be such a thing as a Mountain Monster in this world? Immediately after, Sun Yibo picked up the roasted meat and headed toward Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating''s tent. Shortly after he left, a serrated tail emerged from the river, slapped the water, and submerged again, as a sinister atmosphere quietly spread around. "Xiaoxiao, Yating, I''ve grilled some chicken, do you want some?" Sun Yibo called out in front of Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating''s tent. Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating unzipped their tent and stepped out, thanked him, took the chicken from Sun Yibo, and were about to head back to their tent. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing this, Sun Yibo quickly spoke up, "Hey, do you want me to teach you hunting tomorrow? I see you haven''t used guns before, how about you try?" "No need, I''m not interested in firearms," Che Xiaoxiao quickly declined without a second thought. "I don''t want to try it either," Zhao Yating also said. Hearing this, Sun Yibo felt somewhat displeased. Since he had invited Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating, they had always been on guard against him, making him gradually lose his patience. Damn it, the two of you are really putting on an innocent act. You''d better let me have my way, or you''ll regret it! Sun Yibo scoffed inwardly, thinking that if this date couldn''t win over Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating, then he planned to force them into compliance. But while he thought this, Sun Yibo still maintained a gentlemanly appearance on the surface and politely smiled, "Alright, since you don''t like it, just watch me hunt then." At that moment, however, they suddenly heard some commotion not far away, as their classmates formed a group and pointed toward the river. "What is that? Why is it glowing?" a girl said, looking at a dim light in the distance. The light, partly submerged in the water and partly floating in the air, appeared very mysterious. "Shit, could it be some kind of water monster?" Adong said mischievously, trying to scare the girls. However, the girls just disdainfully looked at him, and some even mocked him, "A water monster? How old are you?" Adong was left speechless, as girls these days were really getting harder to fool. Then, Old Tian picked up a beer bottle and threw it toward the dim light; it landed a few centimeters away, causing ripples on the water. "No reaction? What the hell is that thing?" Old Tian was also filled with curiosity. "Who cares what it is, if it dares to come over here, we''ll blast it!" Adong snorted coldly, loading his gun. At that moment, Sun Yibo and Che Xiaoxiao also walked over. After hearing everyone''s remarks, Sun Yibo felt a bad premonition, his gaze settling on the dim light in the distance, his face turning somewhat somber. "Whoosh." Suddenly, the dim light moved, emitting a pale blue glow, and slowly swam toward the shore. "Hey, hey, hey, it moved. Old Tian, you probably hurt it just now with that throw, and it''s coming for revenge!" Adong joked, unafraid, ready to end whatever it was if it posed a threat to them. Old Tian also grew nervous, loaded his gun, and aimed at the approaching dim light. The pale blue object drew closer, while its half-submerged tail also sank beneath the water surface. Seeing this, Sun Yibo suddenly remembered the Mountain Monster Li Xiang had told him about, his expression turning frantic as he stepped back a few steps. At that moment, Che Xiaoxiao noticed Sun Yibo''s subtle movement, furrowing her brows as she suspected that Sun Yibo might know something. The dim light stopped two meters away from the shore, remained motionless. "It stopped?" Adong was initially puzzled, then tentatively aimed and fired at it, but the object didn''t move. "Damn, I thought it was a real sea monster. It''s probably some kind of glowing garbage," Adong sneered, somewhat disappointed, then turned around and waved everyone off, "Alright, let''s go, nothing exciting here, just some glowing garbage, probably something like a plastic bag or whatever!" "Whoosh!" As soon as the words left his mouth, the river behind Adong suddenly surged, and a massive black silhouette with a blue glow fiercely sprang from the water. At that moment, everyone was instantly stunned. The scene that met their eyes was one that shattered their worldviews and defied all reason. It was a ferocious monstrous fish, with a head as large as a cement mixer, its appearance hard to describe. Rather than resembling a fish''s head, it looked more like a lion''s head, covered with various disgusting blisters, densely packed and oozing dark green pus, causing one''s skin to crawl. It looked like a fish, but had limbs with webbed forelimbs, those softly glowing parts¡ªshockingly its tail! Its appearance was bizarre, as if a mishmash of wild beasts and fish had been shattered and pieced together, utterly mismatching in every way. At this time, it was gaping its uneven, sharp-toothed maw, biting towards Adong. Adong''s lips still bore a smile, completely unaware of the looming danger. And the pupils of the crowd dilated in terror at this moment, watching Adong in horror. "Swoosh!" A strange noise, and before Adong could even scream, the monster bit off two-thirds of his body, leaving only his severed legs still standing there. Silence! A dead silence! "Ahhhhhh..." A heart-wrenching scream suddenly pierced the night sky, jolting the already petrified crowd awake. "What on earth is that thing?" Old Tian exclaimed in terror, retreating several steps and collapsing to the ground. "It ate Adong... It ate Adong..." A girl muttered in shock, also terrified out of her wits by the scene. At this time, if anyone was most shocked, it naturally was Sun Yibo. He couldn''t believe that there actually was the Mountain Monster Li Xiang had spoken of. How could this be possible? How could such a thing exist in this world? Sun Yibo had always been a skeptic of paranormal claims, until he saw that scene. That creature was definitely not a creature that should exist on earth, at least not any creature known to humanity. With a body like a fish, a head like a lion, limbs like a monkey, and feet like duck''s webbed feet, how could such a thing possibly exist in this world. Sun Yibo was utterly petrified, his first thought was to flee! The farther, the better. Li Xiang had said that creature had already killed many, and if they continued to stay here, they might be killed too. But Sun Yibo was rather cruel, he didn''t tell everyone what it was, nor did he urge them to escape quickly. One reason was to shirk responsibility, and the second was to use these people to buy him time to escape, considering they were so close to the shore, the monster would likely kill them first. "Sun Yibo, where are you going?" Just then, Che Xiaoxiao noticed Sun Yibo was trying to escape, and she quickly yelled out. With these words, everyone turned their gaze towards Sun Yibo. Sun Yibo''s expression stiffened suddenly, and his figure froze on the spot. "Sun Yibo, you know what that thing is, don''t you? Otherwise, you wouldn''t be running. What exactly are you hiding from us!" Che Xiaoxiao glared and demanded angrily, and with a death already occurring, the situation had become very serious. "I don''t know, I don''t know anything, don''t ask me anything!" Zhang Yibo shouted angrily in embarrassment, picking up his shotgun, ready to leave. At this time, he naturally couldn''t admit he had been aware of this beforehand, otherwise he would face legal action for his responsibility. At this point, he didn''t even care for Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating. With such a situation, surviving was the most important thing¡ªwho could still think about flirting? But Old Tian couldn''t just watch Sun Yibo leave, he directly grabbed his collar and roared, "Sun Yibo, are you even human? Adong and I treated you as a brother, and you knew there was danger here yet still brought us? You killed Adong!" "Let go of me! I need to get out of here!" Sun Yibo was in no mood to listen to anyone or deal with anything; he just wanted to leave this damned place, as far away from that monstrous creature as possible. "If you don''t give me an explanation, you''re not going anywhere!" Old Tian roared, gripping Sun Yibo''s collar and refusing to let go. "Fine, I''ll give you an explanation!" Sun Yibo''s eyes flashed with ruthlessness, he suddenly pressed the barrel of the gun and pulled the trigger aimed at Old Tian''s thigh. "Bang!" A gunshot rang out, and Old Tian fell to the ground, clutching his thigh and wailing in pain. At such close range, the bullet penetrated deeply into the flesh and into the bone, blood gushing profusely. Everyone was shocked, none had expected Sun Yibo to be so heartless and cruel, even willing to harm his own brother! Chapter 514 - 514: The Killer, Hao Jian Meanwhile, Hao Jian also arrived at Jade Spirit Mountain. Before he even started climbing, he saw Li Xiang and others gathered there, boasting and chatting, so he hurriedly approached them. When Li Xiang and the others saw Hao Jian appear, they immediately glared at him resentfully, thinking to themselves how many people were seeking death today; Sun Yibo and his dozen people had just gone up, and now someone else was showing up. "Excuse me, have you seen a group of college students walking up the mountain?" Hao Jian asked. "We saw them, so what?" Li Xiang looked up at Hao Jian, his face wearing a not-so-friendly smile. "Could you tell me which way they went?" Hao Jian still asked humbly, as he was also very anxious, having learned from the news reports about the tragic events that had happened here, worried that Xiaoxiao and the others might be in danger. "I can''t. You say please and expect me to tell you, who do you think you are?" Li Xiang scoffed coldly, increasingly displeased. Sun Yibo had already been enough to handle with so many people, and now here was another one sending themselves to their doom. Did these guys worry that they wouldn''t be expelled? Having been snubbed by Sun Yibo earlier, Li Xiang was already frustrated and looking for a way to vent, and Hao Jian had unwittingly offered him just that. Hao Jian was momentarily startled, then saw that Li Xiang was intentionally picking a fight. Instantly, he turned his head and couldn''t be bothered to engage with Li Xiang anymore, planning to continue searching for Xiaoxiao and the rest. Seeing Hao Jian so arrogantly ignore him and head straight for the mountain, Li Xiang got angry, pushed Hao Jian and said, "Hey, did I allow you to go up there? Do you have a death wish or something?" "Since you are unwilling to tell me where they are, why can''t I go up and look for them myself?" Hao Jian asked. "Because I''m not letting you!" Li Xiang arrogantly replied. "Don''t you know this area has been cordoned off? If you want to go up, you must have my permission." "Fine, then how can you let me go up?" Hao Jian was already becoming quite impatient. "Kneel down and call me daddy!" Li Xiang mocked, and behind him, the police officers all burst into laughter. Hao Jian snorted and muttered, "Idiot!" "What did you say?" Li Xiang suddenly glared, furious. Hao Jian dared to insult him? Sun Yibo already did not take him seriously, and now Hao Jian dared to treat him this way? "You heard me," Hao Jian said with a sneer. "You bastard, you dare to insult me, do you really think I''m a pushover?" Li Xiang roared in fury. Originally, he just wanted to humiliate Hao Jian, but seeing Hao Jian''s arrogance, he decided to teach him a harsh lesson. In a fit of rage, Li Xiang threw a punch at Hao Jian''s face. "Smack!" Hao Jian caught Li Xiang''s fist with one hand, his expression turning rather grim: "There''s a limit to fooling around, you know? Do you really think I won''t get angry?" "What are you going to do, try to assault a police officer?" Li Xiang looked scornfully at Hao Jian. If Hao Jian dared to attack a police officer, he had a thousand ways to put him to death. "Listen up, if this guy dares to assault a police officer, shoot him dead!" Li Xiang instructed his subordinates. After all, he could write the report however he wanted and conveniently pin any charge on Hao Jian. "Smack!" A slap landed straight on Li Xiang''s face, shocking him senseless. Did this guy really dare to assault an officer? Had he not heard him just now? Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If it had been any other time, Hao Jian might have settled this matter with a phone call, but with the situation being urgent, he didn''t bother with words and simply took action! "Fucking hell!" Li Xiang cursed ferociously. "Smack!" Hao Jian slapped his twisted face again. Li Xiang''s head swiveled from the blow, his eyes filled with shock. Was this guy really treating him like a pushover? Li Xiang''s subordinates were also stunned, unable to understand Hao Jian''s behavior. Did he really dare to assault an officer? Didn''t he know what the consequences would be? "Kill him!" Li Xiang bellowed hysterically. At this point, he was furiously enraged, only wishing to immediately kill this young man who had brought him shame. "But captain, he hasn''t broken any laws," the other officers hesitated, still harboring some rationale. As police officers trained in police academy, they were taught to punish evil, encourage good, and protect the populace; killing someone without a valid reason would make them no different from criminals. Although Hao Jian had hit Li Xiang, it wasn''t a capital offense. Taking his life for this was a bit far-fetched. "Quit your damn babbling, shoot when I say shoot!" Li Xiang snapped impatiently, now only wanting Hao Jian dead, with no second thoughts. Yet no one moved; they did not want to become murderers. "Useless trash!" Li Xiang roared, then picked up his own pistol, cocked it, and pointed it menacingly at Hao Jian, "Try hitting me again!" "Smack!" And Hao Jian did indeed hit him again, landing another slap across his face. Li Xiang was utterly dumbfounded; was this guy mentally ill? He dared to strike under such circumstances? The other officers were also staggered, now fully realizing what inviting your own demise meant. Haven''t you seen that Li Xiang''s sanity was nearly depleted? At such a time, this guy still dared to provoke him. Li Xiang''s face turned red and his ears were hot, anger and fear filled his eyes as if they might pop out at any moment. "You seem very angry," Hao Jian said, surprised. Everyone couldn''t help but laugh bitterly. Wasn''t that obvious? After all, he had been slapped three times. Who wouldn''t be angry? Li Xiang remained silent because he was too angry to speak, with a raging fire burning inside him. "Why are you so angry? Didn''t you ask me to hit you? Honestly, I keep hearing such strange requests lately. Do you guys all have a masochistic streak? Every time you ask me to hit you, and then you get angry. I really can''t understand you," Hao Jian said with a helpless look. "Go to hell!" Li Xiang couldn''t hold back anymore and pulled the trigger. "Bang!" The bullet flew out swiftly, stunning the police officers who hadn''t expected Li Xiang would actually attempt to murder Hao Jian. But after the gunshots, they found Hao Jian still standing unharmed, a mockingly cold smile on his face. Li Xiang was also stunned. How was this possible? Had he missed? No way, Hao Jian was so close, how could he miss? Seeing Hao Jian''s detestable face, Li Xiang felt even angrier. Was this man mocking him? "Unforgivable!" Li Xiang burst into rage, his pistol firing bullets repeatedly, but despite all this, Hao Jian stood there unscathed. "What... what are you exactly?" Li Xiang''s anger vanished instantly, replaced by terror. The man was so close, and he had fired so many shots; missing was impossible. If it were said to be coincidence every time, that excuse was too far-fetched. Therefore, Li Xiang felt a chill all over his body. This guy was too eerie; how could so many shots not kill him? But Hao Jian didn''t answer his question directly. Instead, he stared coldly at Li Xiang, "You... wanted to kill me?" As soon as Li Xiang met Hao Jian''s gaze, he shivered in fear, seeing the killing intent in his eyes. "If you don''t say anything, I''ll take it as a yes," Hao Jian said as he grabbed Li Xiang''s throat. "No... don''t..." Li Xiang pleaded, looking at Hao Jian. "Snap!" Hao Jian twisted his neck, breaking it cleanly. Upon seeing this, everyone inhaled sharply. Ha0 Jian had not only attacked police but had also killed Li Xiang right in front of them? "Put your hands up!" one of the policemen raised his gun, aiming it at Hao Jian. The other officers also raised their guns, their expressions fierce. Hao Jian''s actions had infringed the law, and they could not turn a blind eye. Li Xiang was undoubtedly at fault, but that did not justify Hao Jian''s act of murder. "You should have seen just now that bullets are useless against me, so stop pointing your guns at me, or I''ll take it as a provocation, and I will kill you!" Hao Jian said, barely smiling at the officers. The policemen''s expressions stiffened, suddenly recalling Hao Jian''s unharmed stance under Li Xiang''s gunfire. Hao Jian''s threat made them feel scared too. "Go back and tell your chief, the murderer is Hao Jian." Hao Jian dropped Li Xiang and headed towards the mountain. "Hao Jian? Is he the scourge of the wealthy brats? The freak who taught a lesson to the Four Young Masters of Hua City?" one of the policemen exclaimed in shock. "What do we do then? Just watch him walk away?" "What can you do? Given this guy''s abilities, even if you catch him, you can''t pin the crime on him. If you don''t want to end up like Li Xiang, you''d better not meddle," another said. "Ah, it''s all because Li Xiang overestimated himself and messed with this dreadful star," the group fell silent, realizing that confronting Hao Jian was beyond their abilities, and chose to wait and see how things would unfold. ........ Meanwhile, on Jade Spirit Mountain, Sun Yibo glared at Old Tian with venom, saying coldly, "If you want to die, don''t drag me down with you!" Right now, he just wanted to escape, and he''d kill anyone who dared to stop him! "Sun Yibo, have you lost your mind?" Xiaoxiao shouted in panic. Sun Yibo had completely lost his reason, even firing his gun at Old Tian. "Enough talk, whoever dares to stop me I''ll kill," Sun Yibo roared, panicked and furious. The other girls were stunned, taken aback by the shocking scene before them, watching Sun Yibo lash out, they all just stood there in shock. "Whoosh!" Suddenly, the alien returned, bathed in a pale blue glow, pressing closer to the shore again. Chapter 515 - 515: Desperate Che Xiaoxiao "It''s back, get away from the riverbank!" Zhao Yating shouted at the female students. The girls were so scared that they started crying and running away. It was not until they had escaped ten meters away from the riverbank that they finally stopped. And the Alien had also finally stopped moving, circling around the shore but never getting any closer. Seeing that the creature couldn''t get onto the shore, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They felt a bit more relaxed, knowing that they were out of danger. Upset at what had transpired, Sun Yibo couldn''t help but regret his actions. If he had known, he would have never confessed; he thought the Alien would come onto land, so he tried to escape as quickly as possible. But now, it seemed the creature couldn''t even get onto land? His worries had been for naught. Sun Yibo felt as if his guts were colored with regret. Now, he had lost his brothers, and there was no chance with Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating, the two beauties, and he might even be despised by the younger female students. Seeing that the Alien could not get onto the shore, people''s faces finally regained some color. But just at that moment, the water where the Alien was began to churn with bubbles. A serrated tail burst from the water in an instant, striking out towards Old Tian who was nearest to it, wrapping around him. The others had all managed to escape, but since Old Tian had been shot, he lay paralyzed on the ground, unable to move, and became the Alien''s primary target. Everyone was stunned; they had thought that reaching the shore meant safety, but the monster could still attack them from the water. Old Tian let out a terrible scream as the serrated tail, sharp as a knife, pierced right into his flesh, and blood flooded out. Then, the Alien exerted its force, intending to drag Old Tian into the river and devour him. Seeing this, everyone screamed in horror, and the female students were so frightened that they became weak all over. "Save me, save me!" Old Tian screamed desperately, crying out in fear knowing what his fate would be if this continued¨Ddeath was terrifying, but what was even more terrifying was watching oneself being eaten by a monster. At that moment, Che Xiaoxiao''s eyes narrowed as she lunged towards Old Tian, grabbing his hands to hold him back. Old Tian''s body jolted, but he was still being dragged towards the riverbank; just Che Xiaoxiao''s weight wasn''t enough to stop the Alien. Seeing this, Zhao Yating hurriedly rushed over to grab Old Tian''s other hand, and the Alien''s speed in dragging Old Tian slowed considerably. "Don''t let go, please don''t let go!" Old Tian begged Che Xiaoxiao with a desolate look in his eyes. "Hold on to me!" Che Xiaoxiao urged with anxiety¨Dshe was also unwilling to just watch Old Tian die. Immediately, Che Xiaoxiao shouted at Sun Yibo behind her, "Sun Yibo! Come and help!" Sun Yibo was burly, much stronger than them; if he was willing to help, they might be able to save Old Tian. As for the female students, they could not be counted on, having all become frightened beyond reason. But Sun Yibo hesitated, his gaze flickering. In the end, he did not step forward. Instead, with a grim face, he picked up his gun and bag, preparing to leave the scene. He did not want to take the risk. To hell with beauty and brotherhood! "Coward!" Che Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth, finding Sun Yibo''s cowardice far more despicable than she had imagined. By now, Che Xiaoxiao, Zhao Yating, and the others were almost dragged to the edge of the riverbank. Realizing that no one would be able to save him today, Old Tian hoarsely told Che Xiaoxiao, "Xiaoxiao, let go!" Since they were going to die anyway, he didn''t want to drag Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating down with him. Moreover, the sharp pain at his waist, coming in waves, told him without looking that his waist was nearly severed. By this time, Old Tian''s consciousness was fading. "Don''t talk! Hold on to my hand!" Che Xiaoxiao said fiercely, veins standing out on her forehead. This was a life at stake. How could they just give up? She was not Sun Yibo! "Go help them!" In that moment, one of the girls finally snapped out of her shock, shouting as she rushed towards Che Xiaoxiao and the others, grabbing Old Tian by the shoulders. Then, a few more girls charged forward to help. Seeing Che Xiaoxiao''s bravery, they all snapped out of their fear and came forward to save the man, suppressing the fright in their hearts. "A bunch of idiots, better off dead," Sun Yibo snorted coldly, but he had grabbed his belongings and turned away without looking back. The combined strength of the group began a tug-of-war with the Alien, and Old Tian, trapped in the tail, finally stopped moving. And then, the Alien stopped moving too. "It stopped? Did that thing give up?" one of the girls said with relief, sensing that the tail wasn''t pulling on Old Tian anymore. "Get a knife, quick!" Che Xiaoxiao did not dare to be careless and shouted loudly, wanting to cut off the Alien''s tail and completely save Old Tian. But just at that moment, an unexpected change occurred. The tail, which had been motionless, suddenly exerted a tremendous force, far greater than before. This powerful pull sent Che Xiaoxiao and the others flying. The group was flung two meters into the air before crashing down hard on the ground, dazed and disoriented. The hand they had been holding onto Old Tian''s was also forcibly released. Che Xiaoxiao had held on the tightest, so she fell the hardest, and when she lifted her head, what she saw was Old Tian''s body being sliced into two by the serrated tail, blood dyeing the air. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The bisected corpse then fell into the river and was greedily devoured by the alien. Che Xiaoxiao''s expression was numb, her eyes clouded with an inerasable gloom. Witnessing a life vanish before her eyes, brutally murdered, was without a doubt a tremendous trauma for Xiaoxiao. At that moment, her fear was not of the alien''s ferocity, but of the terror of death itself! Just half an hour ago, Old Tian was still laughing and talking with them, but now he had become a dead person, unable to even leave his body behind. Hearing the loud noise behind him, Sun Yibo couldn''t help but turn back. His expression immediately stiffened. "Boom!" It was at this moment that the alien surged out of the water and lunged onto the shore! "What? It... it can come ashore?" Everyone was petrified, their bodies retreating incessantly as their faces were filled with horror. The morale they had built up because of Xiaoxiao instantly dissipated into thin air. The alien scanned the crowd with its large and small dark green eyes, its gaze devoid of any emotion, filled with indifference¡ªas if it were a cold-blooded single-celled organism that only knew relentless killing! Finally, it set its sights on Xiaoxiao, letting out an angry roar, a bizarre sound like a rooster whose throat had been cut. In just a few strides, it reached Xiaoxiao. With a sweep of its tail, it coiled around and lifted her up. "Xiaoxiao!" Seeing this, Zhao Yating couldn''t help screaming out in horror, then she dashed towards Sun Yibo nearby, grabbing his collar and shouting, "Sun Yibo, save her, save her now! Don''t you have a gun? Kill that monster, hurry up!" But Sun Yibo pushed her away: "Get lost! If you want to die, go on your own. Don''t drag me into it!" Sun Yibo didn''t have the courage to face that monster. He turned tail and ran, no longer daring to stay there a moment longer. Zhao Yating was utterly desperate. She collapsed to the ground, crying and screaming. If Xiaoxiao really died, how was she going to explain it to Hao Jian? "No! I need to save her!" Zhao Yating suddenly screamed out loud, sitting up straight and charging towards Xiaoxiao. But at that moment, several girls held Zhao Yating back, preventing her from going any further. "Yating, you can''t save her. Let it go!" the girls said with tears in their voices. How could Yating, such a frail girl, possibly deal with such a terrifying creature? They didn''t want to watch helplessly as she went to her death. "Xiaoxiao!" Zhao Yating sobbed unrestrainedly, her arms flailing, yet she was firmly held by a group of girls. At that moment, Xiaoxiao seemed to realize that her life was coming to an end. The man-eating alien in front of her would certainly not let go of this feast. A self-mocking smile tugged at Xiaoxiao''s lips as she thought bitterly: Hao Jian, you damn fellow, I won''t be able to bully you anymore. Alas, it''s so unfair. I''ve lived for over twenty years and never had a boyfriend. I really should have confessed to you sooner! "Roar!" The alien opened its wide, bloodied mouth, lunging at Xiaoxiao. Xiaoxiao, now fully aware, trembled with fear. A bitter smile flickered across her lips, and with all the strength she could muster, she bellowed out, "Hao Jian! I love you!" "Roar!" The gaping maw fell. "Whoosh!" A swift shadow suddenly leaped out from the woods, wielding a Black Iron Rod sourced from who knows where, carrying it behind him with one hand as he charged at the alien. "Teacher Hao Jian?" The girls were stunned because they recognized him from his silhouette. It was indeed Hao Jian. Although the girls didn''t see his face, after spending so much time with him, how could they not recognize his silhouette? On seeing Hao Jian, everyone displayed a shocked expression. It seemed that no one had anticipated Hao Jian''s sudden appearance. Hao Jian moved like lightning, his footsteps thundering on the ground and kicking up clouds of dust as he rushed toward Xiaoxiao. At that moment, his eyebrows were like inverted swords, his gaze sharp and domineering. Carrying the Black Iron Rod taken from who knows where behind his back, he followed the cloud of dust. He gave off the strange sensation of a Martial Arts World master making an entrance. His gaze toward the alien held not a hint of surprise, only a surging intent to kill. Because in his eyes, no matter what that creature was, in the next second, it would become a corpse! Seeing Hao Jian appear, Zhao Yating finally calmed down, no longer struggling. Because she knew that with Hao Jian there, there were no problems at all¡ªXiaoxiao would definitely be safe! Chapter 516 - 516: Biochemical Weapons Upon hearing the noise behind her, Che Xiaoxiao didn''t even bother to turn her head. Was it just a dead person? Why all the fuss? If people are going to die, can''t they do it quietly? Che Xiaoxiao was somewhat speechless, thinking that, indeed, even in death one can''t find peace. At that moment, the alien had fully turned hostile. Half of its mouth had already engulfed Che Xiaoxiao, and it would only take a gentle bite more to end her completely! "Bang!" Hao Jian''s feet stomped the ground forcefully, and he shot out like an arrow released from a bow, leaping three meters across the air toward Che Xiaoxiao. His face was filled with deadly seriousness, and he swung the Black Iron Rod in his hand round and round, yelling thunderously, "Get away... from her!!!" Then, the thick Iron Rod the size of a wrist was smashed directly toward the alien''s head. The previously resigned-to-fate Che Xiaoxiao, hearing that roar, suddenly opened her eyes wide, and tears immediately began to flow. She had guessed that the man who haunted her dreams had arrived! He always appeared like this, in her most dangerous and difficult moments, just like her own Guardian Angel. You jerk! Making me cry again! Che Xiaoxiao thought to herself, already crying a river. "Bang!" The Iron Rod broke apart, and the alien screamed in agony, thrown backward, crashing into several towering trees before it finally stopped. The freed Che Xiaoxiao fell from mid-air but was caught by Hao Jian. Seeing Hao Jian''s resolute face and cold eyes, Che Xiaoxiao felt as if her heart was completely filled. Zhao Yating and others finally breathed a sigh of relief, visibly overjoyed. The appearance of Hao Jian had finally resolved the crisis. Che Xiaoxiao looked at Hao Jian with a dazed expression, "You... why did you come?" "I faintly heard someone say they loved me, so I came," Hao Jian said with a slight smile. At these words, Che Xiaoxiao suddenly became flustered, bowed her head, her cheeks blushing, showing an unusual shyness, unlike her usual forthright demeanor. "You... you heard wrong," Che Xiaoxiao argued, her cheeks turning even redder. Hao Jian was taken aback, not expecting Che Xiaoxiao to show such a demure side. "Roar!" Just then, the alien shook its head and stood up again, roaring angrily at Hao Jian. Apparently, it too was enraged by Hao Jian; how dare this little guy injure it? Hao Jian''s smile froze instantly. He slowly put Che Xiaoxiao down and shielded her behind him. "Step back for a moment, I''ll handle this trouble first." "You want to take it on? Forget it, we can''t handle this thing with manpower alone. Better call the police and let them deal with it!" Che Xiaoxiao said nervously, grabbing Hao Jian''s hand. Just looking at the creature was terrifying, let alone confronting it. No matter how capable Hao Jian was, he was only human, wasn''t he? Che Xiaoxiao didn''t think he could handle the alien. But Hao Jian winked at Che Xiaoxiao confidently, "Just trust me, I will beat it until it''s green." Che Xiaoxiao was stunned, but by the time she thought to persuade him otherwise, he had already lunged forward. "Oh my god, Teacher Hao Jian is actually going to face this monster; what are we going to do?" The girls were anxious, afraid to see Hao Jian torn to pieces by the alien. In their eyes, the monster was unstoppable. Although Hao Jian had managed to repel it, he hadn''t really injured it. And earlier, Hao Jian had a weapon, but now he was unarmed, how was he going to fight this creature? By then, the alien had already rushed up to Hao Jian and snapped its huge mouth at him. Seeing this, everyone gasped in shock, closing their eyes in fright, dreading seeing Hao Jian devoured. At that moment, Hao Jian fearlessly stepped forward, grabbing the alien''s mouth with both hands. Hao Jian was being pushed back steadily but then he snorted angrily, stomped the ground forcefully, and with a thunderous noise, he stabilized his retreat, astonishingly managing to block the huge creature. Seeing this, all the girls gasped in shock, their scalps tingling. The events of today were utterly unimaginable. First, a shocking alien creature appeared, and now a teacher with the strength of a wild buffalo was resisting it¡ªthey felt like their entire world view was being overturned. They had felt the alien''s strength earlier; seven or eight people couldn''t hold it back, yet Hao Jian, alone, had managed to subdue it? Watching the alien struggle and scream continuously, they only felt the scene was surreal. How could there be such a person in the world, truly able to fight a giant monster with human strength? By this time, Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating had also been stunned. They originally thought they knew Hao Jian well, but in reality, Hao Jian always managed to refresh their knowledge of him unexpectedly. "You are really ugly!" Hao Jian looked at the Alien with some disdain and then suddenly swung it down to the ground, creating a loud thud that raised a cloud of dust. "The teacher actually knocked down that monster with his bare hands?" The girls were astounded. "Roar!" The Alien, after being knocked down, was extremely annoyed. Its serrated tail swung over, instantly cutting the surrounding big trees at their midsections, showing how terrifying the strength of the tail was. "Teacher, be careful!" Zhao Yating shouted anxiously. "Snap!" Hao Jian simply caught the long tail with one hand, a smirk tugging at his lips, thinking that this beast was quite clever, knowing it couldn''t win in close combat and thus attacking from a distance. Hao Jian casually pulled and ripped off its tail, scattering green blood through the air. He then grabbed the torn tail and whipped it out like a long whip, striking the Alien''s arm, severing the limb, which was thicker than a human head. The Alien cried out in pain, losing an arm and its balance, toppling to the ground with its huge eyes staring at Hao Jian in fear. It seemed to be wondering why this little guy was so terrifying, impossible to kill. And a beast''s instinct told it that if it continued to struggle, it would surely be killed by this little guy. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. So the Alien got up and immediately turned tail, limping toward the river; once it reached the river, it would escape Hao Jian''s pursuit. Che Xiaoxiao and the others were completely dumbfounded, feeling surreal. That monster, was it actually scared away by Hao Jian? "What did I just see? Teacher Hao Jian scared away a monster?" a girl muttered. "Teacher Hao Jian must be a devil! He must be!" another girl said agape. "Is this what it feels like when a little monster meets the ultimate big boss? It''s completely no match!" said another, unable to help but laugh and cry. They chattered with various opinions, finding the scene in front of them somewhat comical. The Alien monster, which had terrified and almost driven them to despair, was scared off by Hao Jian without any effort? "You put on a show and now you want to run?" Hao Jian snorted coldly, not intending to let it escape that easily. He whipped out the long tail in his hand, dragging back the Alien, which had leaped up, about to plunge into the water. The Alien let out a desperate cry, just a step away from the water, from escaping by diving into it. This little guy was too terrifying; it had no chance of resisting. Hao Jian forcefully dragged it back and then punched it in its head. After letting out a pained howl, the Alien''s body went still because Hao Jian''s punch had shattered its brain. Looking at the corpse oozing green blood, everyone went into a frenzy, thinking, is that it? That was an unknown Alien monster, far more terrifying than a dozen Black Bears combined, yet in Hao Jian''s hands, it was nothing? Hao Jian released the serrated tail and then dusted off his hands as he began to examine the Alien, seemingly pondering its origin. This kind of species could not possibly exist in this world; where did it come from? "Teacher, what exactly is this thing?" The girls, seeing Hao Jian had dealt with the Alien, relaxed and approached him. "Could it really be some kind of Mountain Monster?" one girl asked somewhat fearfully. "How could that be possible, there''s no such thing in this world," Che Xiaoxiao immediately retorted, still preferring to believe in science rather than superstitions. "Then you tell me what this is?" Zhao Yating looked at Che Xiaoxiao. "This..." Che Xiaoxiao didn''t know how to explain either. "This is certainly not any kind of Mountain Monster." At that moment, Hao Jian spoke up, his expression a bit grave as if he had made some discovery. Che Xiaoxiao and the others were all surprised, looking curiously at Hao Jian, waiting for his answer. "Look at its arm," Hao Jian pointed at the remaining arm of the Alien, where there was a series of strange numbers, "This series of numbers should represent its code, and if I''m not wrong, it must be an experimental subject." "Experimental subject?" Che Xiaoxiao and the other girls all gasped in shock, meaning there were more of these things out there? Suddenly, the relief they had just felt tightened up again, the group of girls huddled around Hao Jian, nervously looking around as if every bush held an enemy. "This thing must be some kind of Biochemical Weapon, likely artificially cultivated. Look at its appearance, although it looks bizarre at first glance, upon closer inspection, you''ll see it bears traits of other animals, likely cultivated from the DNA of several species," Hao Jian speculated. The group accepted Hao Jian''s explanation, for if the Alien truly were wild, how could it have a code on it? Surely it hadn''t just whittled that into itself out of boredom. Chapter 517 - 517 Che Wendong At that moment, Hao Jian stretched out his hand and plucked a small black dot from the alien''s forehead, sneering, "And, I believe, the owner of this thing has been watching us all along!" Everyone looked at the dot in Hao Jian''s hand, instantly realizing what it was¡ªit was sure as hell a pinhole camera! Does that mean that this monster was released by someone? And that its owner has been relishing the process of their slaughter all along? At this point, everyone felt a surge of nameless anger. The other party conducting such a terrifying scientific study was bad enough, but they actually used them to let their experimental subject kill, treating them as what? Lab rats? The other side''s disregard for life, along with their actions, thoroughly enraged the girls. If the perpetrator were present, probably these girls would immediately pounce on him and tear him to pieces. Hao Jian stared at the pinhole camera with a menacing smirk and said, "I don''t know who you are, nor do I know what you want to do, but let me tell you, this time, you''ve messed with the wrong person! Given your attempt to harm my students, I will find you and then kill you!" Hao Jian knew the pinhole camera had a sound recording feature and the other party could hear what he was saying very clearly. With that, Hao Jian pressed his fingers together and the pinhole camera was crushed to dust. Meanwhile, in a deserted island laboratory north of Huaxia, a man looked at the screen flickering with static and wore a smile of unfinished amusement on his face. After a long while, he spoke in English, "What an interesting man!" .... Soon after, Hao Jian set the alien ablaze with a burst of fire and also warned Che Xiaoxiao and the others, "I''ll handle the deaths of these two. No one is to speak of what happened today to anyone." "Why?" asked a girl, puzzled. "For your safety," Hao Jian said seriously. "Anyone capable of creating such terrifying things must not be taken lightly. I''m worried they will kill to keep you silent, so keeping you quiet is to protect you." This matter could be big or small, and it wasn''t something to be trifled with. Sensing the gravity of the situation, the girls fell silent one after another and nodded to Hao Jian, indicating they would obey. "Are you all alright now?" Hao Jian asked the group of girls. "We''re fine," they nodded in response. "Right, now listen up, stand up straight! Start running! Run back to the Chinese Medicine Hospital, damn it!" Hao Jian cursed. "What?" Zhao Yating and the others all slumped in dismay, and Zhao Yating even began to wail, "But, Teacher, the hospital is hundreds of kilometers away, it would take hours even by car, and having us run back is like sending us to death, isn''t it?" "Oh, now you realize the downside of running too far? Then you should give some thought to me who drove for hours to save you," Hao Jian said expressionlessly. "This is your punishment for skipping class to court death here. Either do as you''re told or don''t bother attending my class anymore." Hao Jian felt he had to teach these kids a lesson, or else they would keep making trouble like they did today. Of course, Hao Jian didn''t really make them run all the way back to school. Joking aside, it was such a long distance that if he really made them run, they probably wouldn''t reach the Chinese Medicine Hospital even in a month. He only made the girls run for one kilometer before letting them get in the car. In the car, Hao Jian also learned about Sun Yibo''s deeds and how he had put Che Xiaoxiao and the others in danger before running away himself. After finding out, Hao Jian''s expression darkened, clearly, Sun Yibo''s shamelessness had annoyed him. Hao Jian dropped the girls off at their homes one by one. When they arrived at Che Xiaoxiao''s home, Xiaoxiao was already asleep. Hao Jian had no choice but to have Zhao Yating ring the doorbell, and only after Guo Shuxian answered did he carry Xiaoxiao inside. Guo Shuxian was taken aback and asked puzzledly, "What happened to her?" "She got a bit scared, but she''s alright now," Hao Jian explained. Guo Shuxian glanced at Hao Jian skeptically, but ultimately didn''t press further. "Is Xiaoxiao back? Good timing. You come and judge for us!" Just then, a strident voice came from inside Guo Shuxian''s house. Hao Jian and Guo Shuxian both frowned involuntarily; they didn''t have the heart to wake Xiaoxiao, but with the other party shouting so loudly, Xiaoxiao had no choice but to wake up. Then, a group of middle-aged couples came out, led by a middle-aged man with white-flecked hair who bore a slight resemblance to Xiaoxiao. These two were clearly a couple, and their faces, for some reason, were filled with anger. It was evident they had just had an argument with Guo Shuxian. Che Xiaoxiao rubbed her bleary eyes and slowly opened them to see the couple, her face immediately turned sour. Che Xiaoxiao snapped, "What are you doing here?" Clearly, Che Xiaoxiao also did not welcome the couple. "You child, how can you speak to your uncle and aunt like that? You have no manners, I wonder how your mother raised you," the middle-aged woman huffed disapprovingly. Hearing this, Guo Shuxian immediately glared at the woman, "Big sister, how to teach a child is my business, it''s none of your concern." As it turned out, this couple was none other than Che Xiaoxiao''s uncle and aunt, the man named Che Wendong and the woman named Ouyang Mei, both of whom also worked for the government. Although they did not hold positions as high as Guo Shuxian, they were not far behind. But their relationship with Che Xiaoxiao''s family had always been ill, and when Che Xiaoxiao''s father died, the couple even fought over the inheritance, although they ultimately failed. Not yet giving up their greedy intentions, just half a month ago, when Che Xiaoxiao''s grandfather passed away, the couple came to seize the inheritance again. This couple had never shown the slightest filial piety towards the old man, while it was Guo Shuxian who had always looked after him, even dealing with the messiest tasks. Consequently, when the time came to write his will, the grandfather left everything to his daughter-in-law, Guo Shuxian, instead of to Che Wendong and Ouyang Mei. That really infuriated Che Wendong and Ouyang Mei. Che Wendong was the old man''s biological son, and he was getting nothing? How was that supposed to sit well with him? So he came directly to Guo Shuxian to hassle her and try to force her to change the will. Guo Shuxian was in no mood to agree. If Che Wendong and his wife had behaved decently, perhaps she would not have minded so much. But Che Wendong and his wife looked like humans yet never did anything humane. They dared to covet her property after her husband''s death, bullying a widow and an orphan. How could Guo Shuxian tolerate them? Che Xiaoxiao also knew what had happened before, so she felt extreme disdain for her uncle''s family as well. Ouyang Mei originally wanted to coax Che Xiaoxiao, trying to get her to side with them, but she forgot that Che Xiaoxiao was no longer the easy-to-bully little girl she used to be. "A family of barbarians!" Ouyang Mei snorted coldly, her expression turning uglier. Upon hearing this, Che Xiaoxiao and Guo Shuxian were both stunned. Barbarians? Did Ouyang Mei have any right to say that? It was like the pot calling the kettle black. "Quit the nonsense, Guo Shuxian, I''m not unreasonable. You know, by rights, all of the old man''s inheritance should belong to me since I am his biological son. But considering that you''re a widow and an orphan, I''ll settle for half the property," Che Wendong said arrogantly. However, upon hearing this, Guo Shuxian just laughed out loud. With her current status, position, and wealth, she did not care at all about the inheritance. But Che Wendong had contributed nothing and expected her to hand over money just like that; it was an attitude she could not accept. Wanting to reap the benefits without doing anything, that seemed utterly ridiculous to Guo Shuxian! "Don''t even dream about it, I won''t give you a dime!" Guo Shuxian said coldly, her stance unwavering. "Guo Shuxian, don''t be ungrateful. I am speaking with you out of respect for my brother and niece. Do you really want to force me to play hardball?" Che Wendong reprimanded coldly. "Respect for them?" Guo Shuxian said with a scornful smile. "If you had really cared for them, you would never have come to snatch the inheritance in the first place!" "I bet you knew all along that the old man made his wishes clear in the will, and because you can''t get the money, you''ve been forced to compromise, haven''t you?" Guo Shuxian said with a cold smile, seeming to have seen right through them. Even though they were confronted by Guo Shuxian, Che Wendong and Ouyang Mei showed no hint of embarrassment; instead, they became even more furious. "Cheap woman! You should never have been allowed into this family to begin with!" Ouyang Mei cursed at Guo Shuxian like a shrew, pointing at her nose. "You..." Guo Shuxian did not expect Ouyang Mei to be so vulgar, hurling insults without any regard for face in front of others. Hao Jian also flinched slightly¡ªit was true that every household had its own problems. He had thought Guo Shuxian was well-off, but it turned out she too had suffered grievances. "Do you have rabies, barking and biting like mad dogs early in the morning?" Che Xiaoxiao couldn''t stand it anymore and glared angrily at Ouyang Mei and the others as she spoke out. What right did they have to insult her mother? Her grandfather had left the estate to her mother because he thought highly of her; it wasn''t their fault. "You brat, shut your mouth! Don''t think for a second that I won''t slap you now that you''re grown up!" Che Wendong threatened fiercely, he and his wife were perfectly in sync. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Slap me? Then come on and try!" Che Xiaoxiao said defiantly, tilting her head and looking at Che Wendong with contempt. "You''re asking for it!" Che Wendong lashed out with a slap. But Che Xiaoxiao, as if she had expected it, didn''t even dodge. And sure enough, in the next instant, Hao Jian firmly caught Che Wendong''s hand, smiling as he said, "When it comes to property disputes, I believe you should go to court. Shouting here won''t help matters at all." ............... Chapter 518 - 518: I Really Dont Want It This Way ``` "Who the hell are you? Daring to interfere in our family affairs?" Che Wendong looked at Hao Jian displeasedly. From Hao Jian''s attire, he neither seemed like a wealthy second-generation nor like an official''s progeny, which made Che Wendong and his wife look down on him with disdain. "I am Che Xiaoxiao''s teacher, and as her teacher, I naturally can''t just watch someone bully my student," Hao Jian explained. "A teacher?" Che Wendong was provoked into laughter before he sneered, patting Hao Jian''s shoulder, "Do you believe that with just one phone call, I could make you pack up and get lost? Let me tell you, I''m very close with someone from the Ministry of Education!" An insignificant teacher daring to challenge him was utterly ludicrous. He wasn''t afraid of Guo Shuxian; why would he fear a mere teacher? "Pretending to be a big shot without any real ability, that''s just laughable!" And at this moment, Ouyang Mei also joined in the mockery, "If you know what''s good for you, scram now, or you''ll regret it!" "It seems you and your husband are quite the haughty pair," Hao Jian shook his head helplessly, their attitude made it clear how they usually conducted themselves. "Kid, mind your own business and stay out of what doesn''t concern you, lest you cause trouble for yourself," Che Wendong said with overbearing confidence, as if he already had control over Hao Jian''s fate. "Trouble? You? I don''t think that quite qualifies," Hao Jian shook his head with a smile, clearly not taking Che Wendong and his wife seriously. Naturally, Che Wendong and his wife caught the sarcasm in Hao Jian''s words and stared at him angrily, "Are you saying, then, that you''re going to meddle in things that don''t concern you?" "Meddling doesn''t quite fit the bill, but indeed, I am tired of listening to dogs bark," Hao Jian shrugged. "You dare call us dogs?" Ouyang Mei''s eyebrows shot up instantly, shouting like a shrew, "Husband, kill this bastard for me. I want him dead!" Che Wendong''s face was just as unsightly, he grunted angrily, "You''re courting death. You just wait, I''ll make sure you can never be a teacher again, and then I''ll make you suffer in every way possible!" Saying this, Che Wendong picked up his phone to make a call, cursing as he dialed. "You shouldn''t have dragged Hao Jian into this; after all, it''s our family matter," Guo Shuxian sighed, speaking to Che Xiaoxiao. She felt quite embarrassed for always troubling Hao Jian. Guo Shuxian also knew that Ouyang Mei and her husband held some authority, and it would be quite easy for them to cause her small teacher to lose his job. Even if she intervened, there was no guarantee she could protect Hao Jian. "It''s okay, I''m the one who finds them disagreeable," Hao Jian shook his head. If it weren''t for Che Wendong and Ouyang Mei being so detestable, he probably wouldn''t have gotten involved. "But I''m afraid you''ll lose your job!" Guo Shuxian said worriedly. "Don''t worry, I won''t lose it," yet, Hao Jian seemed very confident. Hearing this, Guo Shuxian was taken aback, wondering where Hao Jian''s confidence came from. "Hello, Elder Cao, yes, it''s me. I have something I''d like to ask you," And at that moment, Che Wendong connected with the big shot at the Ministry of Education. And that big shot was naturally Cao Guobin. "You just wait to die!" Seeing her husband on the call, Ouyang Mei spoke arrogantly at Hao Jian. "Idiot!" Hao Jian smiled without a word. "Have the guts to tell me your name!" Che Wendong glared at Hao Jian. "Hao Jian," Hao Jian shrugged and gave his own name. At that moment, Che Wendong told the person on the other end, "Elder Cao, I just want to ask if you know a teacher named Hao Jian?" "Hao Jian? From the Chinese Medicine Hospital?" Cao Guobin was immediately surprised. Immediately, Che Wendong looked at Hao Jian unpleasantly, "You teach at the Chinese Medicine Hospital?" "That''s right," Hao Jian did not deny. "Elder Cao, it''s him," Che Wendong responded. "What do you want with him?" Cao Guobin sensed something was amiss. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I hope you can help me fire him. That guy is meddling in my family affairs and I really can''t stand him!" Che Wendong spoke while triumphantly looking at Hao Jian, as if saying, "I''ll see how you die in a moment." After a moment of silence, an unhappy voice came from Cao Guobin, "I can''t do that!" Hearing this, Che Wendong was dumbfounded. Impossible? With the power that Cao Guobin wielded, wasn''t it a piece of cake to dismiss a teacher? "Why?" Che Wendong asked, perplexed. "Hao Jian is a rare talent for our nation, with a promising future. Such a person should continue to sow seeds and cultivate more capable young students on the educational path. Che Wendong, regardless of your grudges against Hao Jian, I won''t allow you to touch him!" Cao Guobin''s stance was extremely firm, clearly warning Che Wendong, leaving him unable to recover for a long time. Cao Guobin''s high regard for Hao Jian even outstripped the entire Ministry of Education. In his view, as long as Hao Jian was around, not just the whole of Huaxia, but the entire education system of Hua City could be comprehensively improved. This talent was extremely precious for their nation and not something to be easily given up. Moreover, Cao Guobin understood Hao Jian; he knew Hao Jian wouldn''t get into conflicts with others easily, and if he did, it was almost always the other party''s fault. ``` And Cao Guobin knew that Che Wendong and his wife always acted in unconventional ways, and this time, without a doubt, they must have provoked Hao Jian first. So, both emotionally and rationally, he would not take Che Wendong''s side. Che Wendong, somewhat infuriated, hung up the phone, not bothering to waste any more words with Cao Guobin. "Oh-ho, looks like someone hit a wall," Hao Jian teased. Upon hearing this, Guo Shuxian was instantly alarmed. Could it be that this guy really had a way to deal with Che Wendong? At this moment, Che Wendong''s complexion had turned incredibly ugly. "Who exactly are you?" If Hao Jian were just a regular teacher, Cao Guobin would definitely not protect him to this extent, even threatening Che Wendong for Hao Jian''s sake. "A regular people''s teacher," Hao Jian said with a chuckle. Che Wendong was not yet worthy of knowing his true identity. "What did that old fart, Cao Guobin, say?" Ouyang Mei asked impatiently. Che Wendong remained silent. "I''m asking you a question? What did he say?" Ouyang Mei was becoming rather frantic, her heart set on making Hao Jian pay, but seeing Hao Jian unscathed had left her feeling quite out of sorts. "He warned me not to touch this kid, or he would go against me!" Che Wendong roared, but he was also angry at his wife for being so foolish, forcing him to reveal such an embarrassing matter. "What?" Ouyang Mei was shocked. Guo Shuxian also couldn''t help but show a look of surprise. Hao Jian actually knew Cao Guobin? Moreover, it seemed their relationship was not ordinary at all. Cao Guobin''s status and position were not far off from Guo Shuxian''s, conversing on the same level. The fact that Hao Jian knew him caught Guo Shuxian completely off guard. The very confident and arrogant Ouyang Mei had now gone completely silent. "You all should leave," Che Xiaoxiao spoke up at this point, outright ordering Ouyang Mei and her husband to leave. "Che Xiaoxiao, what kind of attitude is that? Have you forgotten that we are your elders?" Ouyang Mei said, her anger flaring. "Elders? No, my grandparents passed away, my dad passed away. Our family has nothing to do with you anymore! So if you don''t leave now, I have every right to call the police on you!" Che Xiaoxiao threatened. "I will not leave without the will!" Che Wendong exclaimed, his eyes bulging with determination. "Didn''t you hear the lady telling you to leave? Hurry up and scram!" Hao Jian then stood up, lifted Che Wendong with one hand, and started walking him outside. Che Wendong, who weighed over a hundred and fifty pounds, was like a child in Hao Jian''s hand, easily lifted with one hand and carried outside. "Let me go, let me go!" Che Wendong''s face turned green with rage. He was a man of status, how could he be treated in such a manner? Being handled by Hao Jian as if he were a child was immensely humiliating for Che Wendong. "Let go of my husband!" Ouyang Mei also shouted as she followed, trying to pull Hao Jian off, but she was kicked away by Hao Jian. But Hao Jian, unconcerned about Che Wendong''s protests, lifted him straight up and then dropped him at the front door. Che Wendong fell face-first to the ground, his face turning ashen, and he kept repeating, "I will kill you! I must kill you!" "Well, since you''ve said so, I see no reason to hold back," Hao Jian said indifferently as he glanced at Che Wendong and then rushed at him, giving his bottom a series of fierce kicks. "Hey, you''re killing someone, help!" Che Wendong screamed at the top of his lungs, sounding almost like a pig being slaughtered. "Let go of my husband, let him go right now!" Ouyang Mei also began shouting frantically, but she didn''t dare to rush forward herself. Seeing that Hao Jian paid her no mind, Ouyang Mei turned to Guo Shuxian with a menacing look, "Guo Shuxian, aren''t you going to stop him? Do you want him to beat our old Che to death before you''re satisfied?" Ouyang Mei could tell that Hao Jian was standing up for Guo Shuxian; their relationship must be quite deep. Guo Shuxian was originally not planning to interfere, but considering the status of the two, if something really happened to them, it probably wouldn''t be justifiable. Immediately after, Guo Shuxian walked over to Hao Jian and said, "That''s enough, Hao Jian. Let him go." "Alright, you kick him a couple of times to feel better," said Hao Jian. "Well, that''s probably not a good idea," Guo Shuxian said with a mixture of a laugh and a cry. Although she really wanted to do it, Che Wendong was still her uncle, and it seemed somewhat wrong. "If you don''t kick him, I won''t let go," Hao Jian said stubbornly. "Sigh, you really are impossible to deal with," Guo Shuxian said, pretending to be helpless, then turned to Che Wendong and Ouyang Mei, "You see, I really didn''t want to do this." ..................... Chapter 519 - 519: The Trap of Beauty Che Wendong felt like he was about to vomit blood upon hearing these words. Didn''t want it to be this way? I think you''re itching for it to be this way, right? "He''s glaring at me, I''m so scared," Guo Shuxian said in a frightened tone, not daring to step forward. This made both Che Wendong and his wife roll their eyes. Can''t you freaking stop acting? If a mere glance can terrify you, are you still Guo Shuxian? "How dare you glare at her? I''ll beat the crap out of you!" Hao Jian instantly snorted coldly and relentlessly kicked at Che Wendong. "I won''t dare again, won''t dare to glare again!" Che Wendong completely submitted, crying rivers of tears. So Guo Shuxian stepped forward. Hao Jian initially thought she would, at most, kick once, but who knew this woman would be so cruel, to directly stomp on Che Wendong''s crotch, and not just that, she intentionally stamped a few times back and forth. "Ow..." Che Wendong immediately screamed in agony, every pore in his body trembling. "Hiss..." Hao Jian also couldn''t help but take a sharp intake of breath. This woman was far too ruthless, what immense hatred did she hold? It''s true what they say, you can offend anyone but never a woman. Just looking at Che Wendong made him feel the pain. "Guo Shuxian, you slut! How dare you kick my husband there?" Ouyang Mei erupted in fury. Why kick there of all places? Was she wanting to be a widow for the rest of her life? "Sorry, my eyesight is bad, didn''t see clearly," Guo Shuxian said, somewhat embarrassed. "You..." Ouyang Mei was shaking with anger but didn''t know what to say, because Guo Shuxian had made such a contrite expression that she didn''t know how to scold her. Hao Jian was also in shock. Your ''not seeing clearly'' had made Che Wendong bedridden in the hospital for at least half a month! At this point, Hao Jian was feeling a bit embarrassed too. He only wanted to teach Che Wendong a lesson, not expecting Guo Shuxian to be so heavy-handed. "Well, you two can go now," Hao Jian said to Che Wendong and his wife, no longer having the heart to torture them further. Ouyang Mei hurried to support her husband, anxiously reaching out to touch his crotch, "Honey, are you okay here?" That touch was incautious. It made Che Wendong wince in pain and, in anger, he lashed out with a slap, "Fuck! Bitch, take your hand away!" At that moment, Che Wendong was furious. Hao Jian insulted him, Guo Shuxian injured him, and even his own wife was tormenting him? "Don''t you know I''m in freaking pain right now? Why the hell are you touching?!" Che Wendong roared, eyes bloodshot, feeling murderous. "It was just a touch, right?" Che Xiaoxiao muttered quietly. "Shut up!" Che Wendong glared fiercely at Che Xiaoxiao. Do you need to be such a busybody? Che Xiaoxiao shrugged her shoulders and said no more, but her lips curled in a clear smirk. Che Wendong was about to explode with anger. This bunch of assholes, clearly out to make him look bad! "What do you mean, ''honey''? I''m worried about you, aren''t I?" Ouyang Mei hastily explained. "Worried about me? I think you''re freaking worried about ''it'', you slut!" Che Wendong yelled. Ouyang Mei''s face turned red in anger. "Husband, how could you say that? I really am worried about you." "First you worry about not the person, but the ''little brother.'' Indeed, ''thirty and wolfish, forty and tigerish,''" Hao Jian couldn''t help but comment. "Shut up!" Ouyang Mei screamed hysterically. If it weren''t for you guys, would I be like this? At this time, Che Wendong was also glaring fiercely at Hao Jian, warning, "You just wait, I won''t let this go!" "Oh, you dare threaten me?" Hao Jian scoffed, making a move as if to step forward. Che Wendong was immediately scared, not even giving Hao Jian a glance, and took off running. "A lot of talk with swift feet," Hao Jian hummed with a mocking tone, then turned back to Che Xiaoxiao and the others. "All right, it''s getting late, I should be heading back." "Teacher, how about coming to our place for a cup of tea?" Che Xiaoxiao didn''t want Hao Jian to leave so soon and tried to invite him to stay for tea. "Tea? Drink your fucking tea! Do you really think I''ve calmed down? I''ll deal with you tomorrow!" Hao Jian said fiercely. This damn girl, thinking it''s all over? If it wasn''t for seeing you so shocked earlier, I''d have hit you by now! "You... Why do you swear so much!" Guo Shuxian was so angry her face turned green. Che Xiaoxiao you motherfucker, wasn''t that directed at her? Hao Jian was cursing her? "Teacher, that was really low of you!" At this time, Che Xiaoxiao was looking at Hao Jian with a smile that wasn''t quite a smile. "Shut up!" Hao Jian scolded and realized his own slip of the tongue, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Well then, I''ll be on my way!" "Running away out of guilt? You just swore at my mom!" Che Xiaoxiao teased. Hao Jian glared at her fiercely and rebuked, "I''ll deal with you tomorrow!" Having said that, Hao Jian turned and got into the car, ready to leave. "Teacher, wait for me." Zhao Yating also hurriedly shouted, her heart filled with immense excitement; finally, she could be alone with Hao Jian. "Yating, stay with me, will you?" Che Xiaoxiao seemed to have figured out what Zhao Yating was planning and quickly spoke up to stop her. "Why the hell should I?" Zhao Yating looked at Che Xiaoxiao with suspicion, feeling that this girl was trying to trick her. "No reason, I just want to chat with you. After all, with what happened today, I''m still a bit scared and worried I won''t be able to sleep tonight. But if you keep me company, I think I won''t be afraid." Che Xiaoxiao''s eyes brimmed with emotion as she gazed at Zhao Yating with an expression of vulnerable appeal. Zhao Yating was immediately taken aback; this was the first time she had seen Che Xiaoxiao like this. She had to admit, Che Xiaoxiao occasionally adopting this demeanor could indeed be quite endearing; even she felt as if she''d been zapped. "To think that she cares about me this much." Then, Zhao Yating let out a small sigh and then cruelly rejected Che Xiaoxiao, "I don''t want to! I want to be with Teacher Hao Jian!" At the same time, she looped her arm through Hao Jian''s, looking at Che Xiaoxiao with a provocative stare. Che Xiaoxiao''s expression stiffened, and she cursed inwardly: Damn Shuishui for messing things up. Does this mean my acting wasn''t good enough? But Che Xiaoxiao was still not ready to give up and continued to plead pitifully, "Yating, it''s so rare for me to beg you like this, can''t you consider our classmateship? We''ve just gone through a life-and-death situation together. I''ve now realized that you are my true friend, and I have so much I want to tell you!" "You have so much to tell me? I bet you just don''t want me to be alone with Teacher Hao Jian, you cunning little bitch!" Zhao Yating looked at Che Xiaoxiao with contempt, cursing inwardly: Damn it, does she really think I''m stupid? When things are too abnormal, there must be a demon lurking. I certainly don''t believe you''re interested in sharing your feelings with me. Upon hearing this, Guo Shuxian couldn''t help but be shocked. Does this girl also like Hao Jian? Goodness, why does this guy always go after his female students? Thinking this, Guo Shuxian became somewhat angry; this guy was truly a scoundrel in scholar''s clothing. And Che Xiaoxiao''s face turned red with anger. This little slut, daring to speak of her like that in public? "I''m only going to ask you once¡ªare you coming over or not?" Che Xiaoxiao threatened, true to her tomboy nature, and she was already stamping her foot in frustration. What others could resolve with a bit of coquettish pleading, she would typically solve with her fists. "Teacher, save me," Zhao Yating nestled behind Hao Jian in fear, yet she was sticking her tongue out at Che Xiaoxiao behind his back. "Alright, knock it off," said Hao Jian, at a loss for words with these two girls. "Xiaoxiao, if you''re scared, mom will hold you as you sleep tonight," Guo Shuxian also chimed in. Che Xiaoxiao was on the verge of tears: "Mom, that''s not what I meant!" "Then what did you mean?" "Just, ugh!" Frustration surged through Che Xiaoxiao, how was she supposed to explain that all she wanted was to wreck things between Hao Jian and Zhao Yating? Could she blatantly tell her mom that? "It''s fine!" Che Xiaoxiao turned and stomped into the house, leaving everyone else exchanging puzzled glances. "Debauched scholar!" Guo Shuxian glared fiercely at Hao Jian before turning to enter the house herself. "Fuck, what did I do?" Hao Jian was speechless. He hadn''t done anything; how did he end up being the scoundrel? "Teacher, even if the whole world abandons you, I will still stand firmly by your side," Zhao Yating clung to Hao Jian''s arm and cooed. "Go away, go play over there!" ... Meanwhile, in a nightclub. "Boss Yan, you haven''t been here for fun in a while," a woman, resembling a madam, greeted him, clinging to Yan Yuhong''s hand. Yan Yuhong, with a lecherous smile, grabbed at the madam''s plump behind: "Hey there, Mother He, haven''t seen you in a while. This ass of yours seems to have gotten even bigger, hasn''t it?" "You naughty man, flirting with me like this," Mother He cooed with a seductive smile but did not stop Yan Yuhong from continuing to grope her. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As the saying goes, what man isn''t lustful? If a man isn''t lustful, he''s either impotent or gay! Naturally, Yan Yuhong couldn''t escape this truth. Like most men, he enjoyed pleasure-seeking and would occasionally come to this establishment in search of girls. After frequent visits, he grew familiar with Mother He, and whenever she had some "good merchandise," she would let Yan Yuhong know. Today, Yan Yuhong was here again because Mother He had said she had some new girls to introduce to him. "Mother He, where are those new girls you said you''d introduce to me?" Yan Yuhong asked, hardly able to wait. These days, finding new girls wasn''t easy, and pretty ones even less so; even with money, they were hard to buy. "Oh, Boss Yan, what''s the rush? I''ve got everything ready for you!" Mother He flashed an all-knowing look. Immediately, Yan Yuhong, as if injected with adrenaline, urged impatiently, "Come on, stop beating around the bush and bring them out!" Yan Yuhong could no longer contain himself. As a rich man, what kind of woman hadn''t he experienced before? Ordinary beauties no longer satisfied him, so Yan Yuhong needed something fresher! Chapter 520 - 520: The Corrupt Crocodile Take the young girls, for example! The beautiful young girls! "Boss Yan, I''ve prepared for you some untouched girls from East Ocean, a total of three. Each one is sweet-looking. As for the price..." Mother He knew she had successfully whetted Yan Yuhong''s appetite; it was the perfect time for a price hike. "Two hundred thousand for each!" Yan Yuhong declared boldly. Those who can afford to play with girls never care about money. "Aiyo, I knew Boss Yan was generous. You wouldn''t let us down," Mother He said with a beaming smile, clearly satisfied with the price as well. "Boss Yan, please wait here for a moment, and I''ll bring the girls over!" said Mother He before walking away. Shortly after, she returned with three girls in kimonos, the oldest just turned eighteen and the youngest barely sixteen, their youthful appearance and pale skin marked with shyness and timidity¡ªit was obvious they were new to this world. Seeing their docile appearance, Yan Yuhong''s excitement surged immediately, and with some impatience, he said to Mother He, "Mother He, arrange a private room for me, the most luxurious one. And bring me two Viagra pills ¨C tonight I''m going to thoroughly enjoy these beauties. Today, I''ll be playing the role of a hero in a resistance drama!" His face flushed with excitement, he looked like a lecherous demon. These girls were so young and pretty, with some even underage, which excited him immensely. Such things often happened in East Ocean, with high school or college students standing on the streets soliciting clients. As long as you could pay enough, they were willing to sleep with you for some pocket money. These three girls were no different, but what they never expected was that someone would actually take them, or rather, would dare to sleep with them. Because all three of them had hidden ailments! "Don''t worry, everything has been prepared for you," Mother He said with a seductive smile, then instructed a waiter beside her, "Hurry, take Boss Yan to the room. Don''t keep him waiting." "Alright. Boss Yan, please follow me this way," the waiter gestured to Yan Yuhong inviting him to proceed. Yan Yuhong eagerly wrapped his arms around the waists of the three East Ocean girls and chuckled lewdly, "Ladies, let''s go!" The three girls blushed, but they didn''t dare to resist because they knew Yan Yuhong was the boss. Soon after, Yan Yuhong entered the room, but at that moment, Mother He''s expression changed, revealing a sinister smile. She then picked up the phone and called, "Hey, Brother Spice Ginger, it''s me. Everything''s taken care of. Yes, I gave him three young girls, all HIV carriers. Yeah, he''s a goner this time!" "Good, thanks for your trouble. Mr. Hao will remember this favor," said Brother Spice Ginger gravely from the other end. Hearing this, Mother He became extremely excited, "He Rong dares not take credit!" "You deserve credit. Mr. Hao always makes clear distinctions between rewards and punishments. Doing things for him won''t leave you shortchanged! From now on, we''ll cover your place. If anyone troubles you, feel free to call us!" Brother Spice Ginger said arrogantly, a confidence stemming from his association with Hao Jian. Mother He was so excited she was almost speechless. Although she didn''t know Hao Jian personally, his legend was well-known in Jianghu. She could hardly avoid hearing about him. Initially, when she found out Hao Jian needed her help, she couldn''t believe her ears and couldn''t imagine she would be in contact with such a figure. From the very beginning, Mother He didn''t dare to take credit or seek reward when doing tasks for Hao Jian. After all, a big shot like Hao Jian could easily dispose of her as if playing a game; she had no right to refuse. But she''d never expected Hao Jian to offer her such a generous gift¡ªan everlasting amulet. "Thank you, Mr. Hao, thank you, Mr. Hao..." Mother He was overwhelmed with gratitude. "Serve Mr. Hao well, and he won''t shortchange you," Brother Spice Ginger concluded before hanging up the phone. Meanwhile, Hao Jian stood on his balcony, bare-chested, showing off his robust muscles. He, too, had received a report from Brother Spice Ginger. "Okay, I got it," Hao Jian responded indifferently, as if he had anticipated this outcome all along. "Mr. Hao, I don''t understand why you didn''t just kill that guy directly instead of letting him contract HIV," Brother Spice Ginger said, puzzled. If Yan Yuhong was Hao Jian''s enemy, why not just cut him down and be done with it? Why waste time letting him get sick first? "That guy has evidence that I want to kill him. If I killed him directly, I''d likely be pushed into the spotlight, exposed for all to see, and that''s not my intention. Besides, who told you I want to kill him?" Brother Spice Ginger was rendered speechless. Not kill him? Then why let him contract HIV? Is there any hope of recovery from such a disease? "Deal with the matters I''ve assigned to you, don''t worry about anything else; I''ll take care of it. Once we topple the four young masters of Hua City, I''ll make you the sole power in the future!" Hao Jian said coolly. Though it sounded like boasting, for him, it was not difficult at all. Because he was the God of Death, his influence was global! And Brother Spice Ginger trusted Hao Jian without reservation, not because he knew Hao Jian''s identity, but because of the judgments he made based on Hao Jian''s actions. Hao Jian''s ability to single-handedly toy with the four young masters of Hua City was proof enough that his words were no lie. So upon hearing Hao Jian''s promise, Brother Spice Ginger became incredibly excited. To become the only and most powerful figure in Hua City? That was something he never even dared to dream of before. He was an underworld boss, and although he appeared to be glamorous, he ultimately couldn''t show his face in the open, and he always had to look at the moods of those big bosses. But if he could become an influential figure as Hao Jian said, then all his businesses would be whitewashed, and from then on, he could also become a legitimate businessman. Of course, a so-called legitimate businessman is one who, under the guise of legitimacy, does illegitimate things. It''s like, although everyone knows that capitalists and bankers are the real bad guys, many times worse than the so-called mafia, they can''t be prosecuted for their crimes because they''re "licensed"! Brother Spice Ginger also wanted to get licensed and no longer be like a rat crossing the street, nor did he want to be constantly watched by the police anymore. Afterward, Brother Spice Ginger naturally couldn''t help but express his thousands of thanks before he hung up the phone. Not long after Hao Jian hung up, Yuan Shanshan''s call came in. "What''s up, something the matter?" Hao Jian asked. "Didn''t you yourself say you wanted to inspect the group''s work and tidy up the group while the chairman''s away?" As Yuan Shanshan spoke through her Bluetooth headset, driving her way toward Hao Jian, she rolled her eyes when she heard that Hao Jian had actually forgotten his own purpose. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Was this jerk really not taking it seriously, or what? "Oh, right, right, right, what''s up? You have a target?" Hao Jian then remembered and quickly asked. "There''s a branch of our group in the city center. Issues had arisen even before the group went public," Yuan Shanshan began. "What issues?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but become intrigued; if problems had been brewing since before the group went public, that was quite some time. "That branch company is suspected of embezzlement. The branch manager, Guo Bixi, is under major suspicion. If it wasn''t because the group was going public and because the president needed to address critical issues with opening up the France market, I bet the president would have already acted!" Yuan Shanshan''s tone was somewhat cold. "How did he embezzle?" asked Hao Jian, since Yuan Shanshan was sure that Guo Bixi was embezzling, she must know the details. "Intercepting sales revenue, raising prices without permission, falsifying income to gain profits; overstating expenses, creating fictitious transactions, defrauding organizations of payments; padding headcount, reporting two hundred employees for a company that only has one hundred; as well as inflating expenses, inflating profits to obtain bonuses, selling designs and jewelry privately, and so on. If we were to go into details, it could take a whole night," Yuan Shanshan answered. "Fuck!" Hao Jian couldn''t help but swear because Shu Ya''s group was essentially his group. Guo Bixi''s embezzlement made Hao Jian feel like he was stealing money from his own pocket. Who was Hao Jian? He was someone who only took advantage of others; he would never allow someone to take advantage of him. "Since this Guo Bixi is such a huge embezzler, why hasn''t Shu Ya acted?" Hao Jian was getting angry. This woman was wasting money, wasn''t she? Since she kept such a scourge around. "What do you know? If the chairman had sufficient evidence, she would have acted a long time ago; why would she wait until now? Although I know everything he has done, there''s no concrete evidence, and it wouldn''t be appropriate to fire him like that. Moreover, the group is facing a critical moment, and any personnel changes at such a time could affect the group itself because that branch is the largest in the group and cannot afford any mistakes, which is why the chairman has been biding her time," she explained. "So, are you hoping I find the evidence, and then once the group has stabilized, we take down Guo Bixi in one fell swoop?" Hao Jian immediately understood Yuan Shanshan''s plan. Yuan Shanshan snapped her fingers, saying, "Exactly, we must uproot this tumor. We can''t let him become an obstacle to the group''s growth!" Later, Hao Jian met with Yuan Shanshan, and she detailed the things Guo Bixi had done to Hao Jian. From Yuan Shanshan''s words, Hao Jian learned that Guo Bixi treated the branch as a "private company," disposing of it at will. To cover up his crimes, Guo Bixi had strictly forbidden any staff on-site from making unauthorized contact with any personnel from higher levels, "immediate dismissal for violators," and required all employees to maintain a consistent outward narrative, creating an internal fortress, attempting to be "airtight." ..................... Chapter 521 - 521 Zhuang Weixiong To evade criminal charges, from the first year of embezzling, Guo Bixi personally or instructed subordinates to periodically delete financial data and destroy accounting records and vouchers. This included data on computer hard drives, in an attempt to evade or even oppose investigation, with very serious circumstances. According to the investigation results of Shu Ya and Yuan Shanshan, Guo Bixi personally participated in and caused others to destroy financial records involving the "Little Treasury," with the amount involved reaching about two hundred million... "Clap, clap, clap..." Hao Jian applauded warmly, shaking his head in amazement, "Brilliant! Freaking brilliant! This Guo Bixi is a real piece of work, bribing subordinates to collude in the corruption; and with all the data deleted, there''s nothing to find, their crimes will never be discovered." But Yuan Shanshan laughed, "But there''s no wall in the world that doesn''t leak, the net of heaven has wide meshes, but it lets nothing through. His secrets eventually came out, didn''t they? Although we have no evidence now, just give us more time, and we will certainly find the evidence." "Furthermore, Guo Bixi is not as smart as you think. He only bought off the senior executives at the branch, but when it came to the subordinate staff, he would skimp wherever possible. Whether it was bonuses, wages, or other benefits, it was for this reason that there were constant personnel changes at the branch, so he always hired employees at probationary wages, but actually reported regular salaries to headquarters." Hao Jian was stunned, and then found himself speechless, "Shit, this guy really is a big catfish, eating everything. He''s greedy for big money from the group, and even the employees'' petty cash, truly insidious!" "What do you expect? If he hadn''t done that, we wouldn''t have received complaints from the employees, and we wouldn''t have noticed him," Yuan Shanshan replied, "Guo Bixi is smart, but he is just too greedy. If he hadn''t skimped on his subordinates, perhaps we never would have discovered this secret." "Alright, then I''ll go meet this Guo Bixi, to see how capable he really is," Hao Jian rose abruptly. "I''ll go with you," Yuan Shanshan suggested. "No way, you''re the chairman''s secretary. If you come with me, wouldn''t that startle the snake? I need to investigate secretly to get his embezzlement evidence," Hao Jian said. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "But without me leading the way, under what capacity can you enter the group?" Yuan Shanshan blinked her eyes at Hao Jian. "Don''t worry, I have my own ingenious plan, just wait and see," Hao Jian said with a confident smile. Half an hour later, Hao Jian appeared at the entrance to the branch, now looking nothing like his previous ruffian self. He had donned a well-fitting suit, carried a briefcase, his hair slicked back, and a pair of glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, the epitome of a business elite. Hao Jian looked at the building before him and shrugged his shoulders, "Well then, time to start acting the part!" "Aling, not bad, your chest has grown again, let brother have a feel." "Little Ke, wow, your butt is so bouncy. Don''t go, let me grab it a couple more times." "Meimei, dressed so sexily, are you trying to seduce us? I confess, I''m hard, and I''m dying to enter your Peach Blossom Cave!" "Mina, come with me to the hotel tonight, I''ll show you the joy of being a woman. I''ve got an ''Optimus Prime'' down there, guaranteed to make you utterly infatuated!" Hao Jian had just walked in when he saw a group of security guards harassing some female employees. They were being handsy, and the things they were saying were appalling. Rather than security guards, they were more like street gangsters. The female employees were angry but didn''t dare to speak out. Being humiliated and harassed at work had become a daily occurrence. If they dared to resist, they would be severely punished; these security guards would take them to the security room, strip them of their clothes to take indecent photos, utterly humiliating them before firing them. Because the guards had dirt on them, most of these women chose to keep the peace, not even calling the police, as Guo Bixi would sell out whoever was necessary to smooth everything over. In the end, they could only swallow their broken teeth. So they had to endure it every day, and the entire company was filled with gloom. From the behavior of these guards, Hao Jian could also discern the company''s ethos and how Guo Bixi managed the group. If this had been any other time, Hao Jian would have taught these guards a harsh lesson, but he was here to secretly investigate Guo Bixi and naturally couldn''t afford to attract too much attention. Just endure it a bit longer, and soon I''d take care of the trouble that is Guo Bixi once and for all! As Hao Jian thought this, he walked towards the interior of the company. "Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Just as Hao Jian was about to head inside, a man dressed in security uniform blocked his path. This man was as burly as a grizzly bear, his arm muscles bigger than Hao Jian''s head, and he appeared like a humanoid monster. Hao Jian recognized him; his name was Zhuang Weixiong, the captain of the branch''s security team. According to information from Yuan Shanshan, he was one of the corrupted high-level executives, one of Guo Bixi''s lapdogs. Seeing Hao Jian brazenly heading into the company, Zhuang Weixiong was furious, angered that Hao Jian dared treat him as if he were invisible. No one in the entire company had the audacity to ignore him like that. Everyone, man or woman, who came to work had to greet him. Zhuang Weixiong enjoyed the feeling of being feared. If anyone dared call him ''Brother Xiong,'' he would instantly get agitated! So seeing Hao Jian''s blatant disregard, Zhuang Weixiong''s anger flared up, and he thought he must teach this ignorant brat a severe lesson. "Ouch, looks like we''ve got a clueless one here. Hey, kid, are you new around here? Not even greeting Brother Xiong, are you tired of living?" "Perfect, I was just feeling so bored it was killing me; might as well use this kid for some fun. What should we play today? Make him kneel and bark like a dog or strip him naked for a streak through the office?" "Let''s try something new, how about making him drink urine?" The security guards began to close in, eyeing Hao Jian with malignant intent. Hao Jian loosened his neck, smiling slightly. This was incredible¡ªwas it fate? Did the heavens want him to teach Zhuang Weixiong and those fools a lesson? He had not wanted to stir up trouble, but Zhuang Weixiong and his cronies just had to block his path. "Such a naive calf not afraid of tigers. Seeing as you''re new here, kneel and bow to me, and we''ll call it even. Otherwise, I''ll have you drink urine in the men''s toilet!" Zhuang Weixiong said scornfully, looking at Hao Jian with an air of arrogance. Clearly, this was not the first time he''d done this sort of thing, so he had no qualms about doing it again. In this company, whether male or female, anyone who dared to go against his wishes suffered a very miserable fate. By now, quite a few employees had gathered around. They all sighed and looked at Hao Jian with eyes full of sympathy, as most of them had been through the same ordeal and naturally felt a sense of empathy. Though they felt pity for Hao Jian''s humiliation, they dared not intervene, for they knew meddling would result in the same fate. In this company, no one dared to defy the likes of Guo Bixi and Zhuang Weixiong¡ªthe higher-ups wielded the knife, and they were the fish on the cutting board. "A naive calf not afraid of tigers?" Hao Jian suddenly found Zhuang Weixiong''s words amusing and looked up at him: "Are you talking about yourself?" Zhuang Weixiong dared to challenge him, the God of Death, to kneel? That was truly a naive calf not afraid of a tiger! "Hmm?" Zhuang Weixiong glared, surprised that the kid dared to speak to him like that. "Kid, you''re asking for death, daring to speak to Brother Xiong like that. Offending him is not a good thing. The last kid who did is still lying in a hospital bed!" one of the security guards sneered coldly. "Brother Xiong, no more crap, let''s beat the shit out of him and show this kid who''s really in charge here!" The security guards began to shout, all excited like they were on some kind of high, because in their view, Hao Jian was their amusement. Zhuang Weixiong also gave a cold snort and said, "Kid, you just missed a chance to beg for mercy!" Hao Jian looked at Zhuang Weixiong in astonishment and then looked at him full of affection: "You''re so kind, giving me a chance to beg for mercy. Unlike me¡ªI''ve been thinking of beating you to a pulp from the start!" Zhuang Weixiong frowned; he was shocked. Was Hao Jian challenging him? Could this guy really be unafraid of death? "What, this kid dares to challenge Brother Xiong like that? I bet he''ll end up crippled!" "Crippled? He might even lose his life. Have you forgotten about the kid who Brother Xiong punched into the hospital for accidentally stepping on his foot? This kid dares to provoke him; if he doesn''t end up dead, that''ll be a surprise!" The security guards chattered away, already imagining Hao Jian''s demise. At that moment, Zhuang Weixiong took off his shirt, revealing the disgustingly veined and ferocious muscles underneath. "Oh my gosh!" Many of the girls screamed at the sight of Zhuang Weixiong''s muscles because they were truly terrifying. Zhuang Weixiong''s muscles were so bloated that they seemed nauseating, like a lump of flesh had grown on his body, very uncoordinated. Such horrifying muscles seemed like they could punch someone to death. "Kid, how do you want to die?" Zhuang Weixiong bared his teeth, revealing a row of yellowed teeth, and said with a somewhat fierce smile. "You look intimidating, but you''re just a paper tiger." Hao Jian shook his head helplessly, then casually threw down his briefcase and beckoned to Zhuang Weixiong: "Come on, let''s see if I can help you become the dog!" The crowd was stunned by Hao Jian''s words. They didn''t know where this guy got his confidence from, daring to speak to Zhuang Weixiong like that. Did he really think he could beat Zhuang Weixiong? Chapter 522 - 522: Drinking Urine "Looking for death!" Zhuang Weixiong was completely enraged by now, bellowing as he pounced toward Hao Jian. In front of his bear-like stature, Hao Jian''s well-built frame seemed insignificant. Zhuang Weixiong spread his arms wide, lunging to embrace Hao Jian with a fierce expression on his face. At that moment, everyone couldn''t help but take a sharp breath in. "It''s here, Brother Xiong''s bear hug! If he hugs you with that much strength, you could be dead on the spot or at the very least suffer shattered bones!" A security guard exclaimed in shock; they all knew how terrifying Zhuang Weixiong''s move was. But Hao Jian just smiled, and just when Zhuang Weixiong thought he had grabbed Hao Jian, he suddenly grasped at air. Everyone rubbed their eyes in disbelief. How had this guy just disappeared into thin air? Zhuang Weixiong was also deeply confused. The guy was right in front of him a second ago; how could he vanish in the blink of an eye? "Sorry, I don''t like the company of men, especially not being embraced by them, particularly those with body odor!" Hao Jian taunted. Hao Jian pointed out something everyone knew but dared not mention - Zhuang Weixiong had body odor! Zhuang Weixiong''s body odor was unbearable. Sitting in the company lobby, anyone could smell him once the wind blew right outside the company doors. The scent was so sourly unimaginable that many new employees nearly fainted from the stench. As for the older employees, well, they wore masks! This still managed to irritate Zhuang Weixiong. Not only did the morally corrupt man use his body odor like a weapon, but he also shamelessly forbade them from wearing masks, forcing the employees to hold their breath upon entering to avoid being poisoned by "Biochemical Weapons." And now, with Hao Jian calling out Zhuang Weixiong''s body odor in front of so many people, that was a severe blow to him! "AAAAHH... I''m going to kill you!" Zhuang Weixiong roared non-stop, almost losing his mind, his eyes blood-red as he charged over, swearing he would beat this fool to death! Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, "Although I''d like to play with you more, sorry, but I really need to go report for duty now!" "Bang!" With a kick from Hao Jian, Zhuang Weixiong was sent flying three meters high, crashing down onto the ground not far away. Everyone was stunned, not snapping back to reality until Zhuang Weixiong flew three meters high and traveled five to six meters away. Zhuang Weixiong had been defeated? The beast-like Zhuang Weixiong was beaten? And they hadn''t even seen clearly how it happened; how was he sent flying? What on earth had Hao Jian done? "How did he send Brother Xiong flying? Why didn''t I see anything?" A security guard said in shock. "It... it must have been his foot, right?" His colleague said uncertainly. Seeing Zhuang Weixiong sent flying by Hao Jian, many people revealed schadenfreude smiles. If there were ten people there, all ten disliked Zhuang Weixiong and had been bullied by him. Seeing him finally getting bullied by someone else, they naturally enjoyed the spectacle. Zhuang Weixiong himself was dumbfounded on the spot. What had this guy just done? How did he end up flying? Zhuang Weixiong only felt as if his chest had been struck by a heavy hammer, a dull pain faintly emanating from it. Now looking at Hao Jian, his gaze no longer held that earlier contempt. The kid was tricky! Zhuang Weixiong thought to himself before yelling out, "Brothers, grab your weapons, let''s take this brat down!" "Yes!" A group of security guards shouted and charged at Hao Jian with their batons. Zhuang Weixiong''s expression was dark, thinking that he absolutely couldn''t stumble at this time. He always bullied others; who dared to bully him? If he let a newcomer teach him a lesson now, how could he continue to work in this company? "Good, bring it on! I was just planning to give you a proper lesson!" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh, finding no moral pressure in taking these less-than-stellar security guards down. "Teach us a lesson? Let''s see if you have the skills!" A security guard roared, swinging his baton straight for Hao Jian''s head. If that baton hit, the result would surely be a bloody mess. Many female employees closed their eyes, too scared to watch. But just as the baton was about to hit Hao Jian''s head, Hao Jian quickly reversed the grip and caught him, laughing coldly, "This is the hand you used to grab that girl''s chest earlier, right?" At those words, Aling''s face turned crimson, slightly annoyed, because she was the girl who had been groped earlier. "Well then, there''s no need to keep this hand, is there?" Hao Jian revealed a cruel smile and gave a sudden yank. "Crack!" The security guard''s hand was immediately broken by Hao Jian. "Ah!" He screamed miserably before Hao Jian pushed him fiercely to the ground, rendering one of his arms useless. The rest of them had the expression of seeing a ghost, petrified by Hao Jian''s ferocity. This newcomer... he''s vicious! At that moment, this thought emerged in everyone''s mind. To incapacitate a man''s arm with one move, without even blinking, this guy was definitely no ordinary person. "So, it was you with the dirty mouth, huh?" "You, you''re especially tough downstairs, aren''t you?" All those security guards who had harassed the female staff paid the price. The female staff, who had witnessed the bully security guards getting thrashed by Hao Jian, felt immense satisfaction, feeling like all the grievances they''d suffered were now worthwhile. At this moment, they all wished they could shout and cheer for Hao Jian; he was practically their idol now. Seeing his subordinates beaten by just one man, Zhuang Weixiong was also stunned. Who the hell was this guy, and how could he fight like that? Zhuang Weixiong felt his hair stand on end and, seeing Hao Jian approaching, he started to retreat in a panic, "What... what do you want to do?" "Just now, you wanted me to drink urine, right?" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh, grabbing Zhuang Weixiong''s collar and lifting him with one hand. Everyone felt their breath catch; Hao Jian''s actions had shocked them time and again, to the point of sheer astonishment. To lift a nearly four hundred pound giant of a man with one hand¡ªcould this be the act of a normal person? "Don''t mess around... I''m the head of security. You''ll have to work here in the future. Opposing me will do you no good. How about this, if you spare me, I''ll let bygones be bygones with what you did, and from now on, we''ll call each other brothers, sharing the good times and the women together? What do you say?" Zhuang Weixiong, now completely scared, knew he stood no chance going head-to-head with this young man. So he planned to make peace with Hao Jian for now and discuss with Guo Bixi how to deal with him later. "You make a lot of sense!" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian also stroked his chin, appearing to be seriously considering Zhuang Weixiong''s offer. Hearing him say this, those employees who had just started to see him in a positive light immediately sank their faces, disappointed that Hao Jian was bought so easily. "Thought he was a good guy, but he''s just the same as Zhuang Weixiong!" a female employee angrily said, completely disillusioned with Hao Jian. "Sigh, one Zhuang Weixiong was already enough for us to handle. Now we have another monster like this. Our future looks bleak; I think we''d better resign quickly," a male employee said in despair. One Zhuang Weixiong had already caused them enough headache, and now there was Hao Jian, even more terrifying than Zhuang Weixiong¡ªhe simply couldn''t imagine what would happen to them in the future. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At this moment, the crowd''s expressions varied: some were angry, some contemptuous, some sighed, and others were disheartened. "Right, brother? You think I''m making a lot of sense, don''t you? Just think about it. With your fighting skills, if you joined our security department, we''d be getting another tiger general. I guarantee you''ll live the good life after this!" Seeing Hao Jian seemingly convinced, Zhuang Weixiong hurriedly continued to persuade. But inside, he sneered: What a fool, believe whatever you''re told¡ªdo you really think I''d treat you as a brother? After today, I have plenty of ways to deal with you! "You''re tempting, but... I refuse!" Hao Jian narrowed his eyes, smiling maliciously as he dragged Zhuang Weixiong toward the toilet, "Rather than calling you a brother, I''d much rather see you drink urine." Hao Jian wasn''t low-level enough to be brothers with scum like Zhuang Weixiong. Seeing Hao Jian dragging Zhuang Weixiong into the toilet, one after another, the onlookers followed excitedly. Even some female employees forgot their image and squeezed into the men''s room. Inside the men''s toilet, Hao Jian threw Zhuang Weixiong directly into the toilet bowl. But that wasn''t all; he proceeded to step on Zhuang Weixiong''s neck and pushed him further into the bowl. Zhuang Weixiong''s face and mouth made intimate contact with the toilet, as he wailed miserably, frantically waving his hands, struggling to get up. But Hao Jian would not let him have his way. His foot pressed firmly on Zhuang Weixiong''s neck, pinning him down immobilized. "Really drinking urine, huh?" Everyone was stunned. They thought Hao Jian was just talking big, but he really made Zhuang Weixiong drink urine. This scene was incredibly satisfying; watching Zhuang Weixiong guzzle the yellow liquid, the crowd was both excited and happy, and they looked at Hao Jian with increasingly fervent admiration. Just then, the toilet door was pushed open, and in walked a middle-aged man with a goatee and a lean build. The man had deep-set eyes, a stern expression, and was not one to smile easily; his gaze occasionally betrayed a venomous streak, resembling a viper. This was the tyrant king of this branch, the authoritarian ruler, Guo Bixi! Having heard his subordinates report a disturbance in the company, he immediately came down to investigate, only to witness the scene before him. His own man being forced to drink urine? Who the hell was this kid? ........................ Chapter 523 - 523 Director Guo Bixi''s bodyguards pushed their way through the crowd of employees, clearing a path for her, and upon seeing Guo Bixi''s appearance, the employees wisely stepped aside, their eyes filled with a mix of hatred and fear as they looked at her. Guo Bixi glared coldly at Hao Jian, who was threatening Zhuang Weixiong, and shouted, "Stop!" Hao Jian then turned his head to look at Guo Bixi but did not cease his actions; his foot remained planted on Zhuang Weixiong''s neck. "Didn''t you hear me when I told you to stop?" Guo Bixi said through gritted teeth, astonished that this kid dared to defy her. "I heard you, but I''m using my foot." Hao Jian looked down at his own foot. A girl with a ponytail couldn''t help but laugh out loud. She hadn''t expected Hao Jian to crack a joke at a time like this. Guo Bixi instantly cast a chilling glare at the girl, who, upon seeing Guo Bixi looking at her, was scared into lowering her head. Narrowing her eyes with a murderous look, Guo Bixi asked, "Do you think you''re funny?" "Of course, humor and charm are my two unique qualities!" Hao Jian shamelessly claimed, without a hint of embarrassment. "Break one of his legs, then throw him out!" Guo Bixi ordered grimly. Upon hearing this, two fierce-looking bodyguards beside Guo Bixi walked over, cracking their knuckles. The scars all over their bodies indicated they were no easy foes. Zhuang Weixiong also burst into crazed laughter, boastfully saying, "Kid, you''re done for! President Guo''s bodyguards are ex-Special Forces, they''ve killed many, you''re as good as dead!" Hao Jian, although he had beaten them, might not necessarily be able to defeat Guo Bixi''s bodyguards. "Shut up! Go drink urine!" Hao Jian scolded impatiently, then stepped on Zhuang Weixiong''s neck again. A defeated soldier still has the face to babble? Really... you''re getting spoiled! Zhuang Weixiong was so furious he felt like his lungs were about to explode, and he swore he''d kill this bastard at all costs! As the two bodyguards approached, Hao Jian suddenly made a crying face and wailed, "You''ve got to be kidding me? Still coming? I''m already sick of bullying trash; I''ve been bullying trash until I want to throw up these days!" Despite feeling nauseated by bullying, there was still a whole lot of trash eagerly rushing over for abuse, leaving Hao Jian feeling quite speechless and helpless. Being referred to as trash, the two bodyguards, former Special Forces, were also infuriated. They had slain countless enemies and were elite among the elite, yet Hao Jian dared to call them trash? "Dragon Claw Technique!" "Tiger-Crane Dual Form!" The two bodyguards charged together, one aimed for Hao Jian''s throat with the Dragon Claw Technique, and the other targeted his head with the Tiger-Crane Dual Form ¨C both with ferocious and tricky moves meant to be fatal. Hao Jian sighed helplessly and slowly extended his arms. Whoosh! Hao Jian suddenly moved in front of both men and grabbed their throats, slamming them hard onto the ground. "Wow!" Struck hard, they couldn''t help but vomit a mouthful of blood, quickly taken down by Hao Jian. A cigar dropped from a stunned Guo Bixi''s mouth as her eyes filled with panic. How... how is this even possible? Zhuang Weixiong''s expression was also complex, thinking about the well-regarded Special Forces, the countless lives taken, the ability to fight dozens alone, and yet they were easily defeated by this kid... What Special Forces? "Bastard, who the hell are you?" Guo Bixi trembled with rage. Who was this guy who dared to challenge her authority? "Hao Yingjun, the new supervisor," Hao Jian replied with a smile, naturally not willing to admit his real name to Guo Bixi. Everyone was surprised. A supervisor? Really? "The new supervisor? Why haven''t I heard anything about this from headquarters?" Guo Bixi asked doubtfully. If the headquarters had truly sent someone over, they would definitely notify her in advance. However, she had received no such information. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "It was a last-minute decision. If you don''t believe me, you can call headquarters to check," Hao Jian responded nonchalantly. After all, he had already arranged everything with Yuan Shanshan, and even if Guo Bixi really did call to verify, she wouldn''t find anything. Seeing Hao Jian so confident, Guo Bixi also had her suspicions. Could this guy really be sent from headquarters? But why would headquarters suddenly send a supervisor? "Why did headquarters send you over?" Guo Bixi voiced the doubt in his heart. "What do you think? Do you really believe that the higher-ups don''t know what you''re doing? With so many complaints and reports coming into the branch office, they specifically sent me to investigate!" Hao Jian replied with a cold laugh, knowing this was not the time to lie, as doing so might make Guo Bixi suspicious of an act. So he stated his purpose directly, which could also serve as a smokescreen, making it hard for Guo Bixi to tell truth from deceit. As expected, upon hearing Hao Jian reveal his purpose, Guo Bixi''s expression changed, and he seemed somewhat uneasy. Could it be that the higher-ups had noticed some of his actions, which was why they sent this young man to investigate him? Guo Bixi felt a great crisis brewing. He had worked hard to build this Black Gold Empire, and how could he just watch it collapse? Guo Bixi''s complexion changed momentarily, and then he suddenly burst into a hearty laugh, warmly grabbing Hao Jian''s hand, "So it''s Supervisor Hao Yingjun! True to your name, extremely handsome. I apologize for not managing my people well, leading to today''s misunderstanding. But, isn''t this how we say we don''t get to know each other without a fight?" Everyone was petrified, including Zhuang Weixiong. The ever-stern-faced Guo Bixi, who acted as if everyone owed him millions, was now fawning over this young man like a dog? They were surprised and astonished. Guo Bixi knew he had to bow his head and steady Hao Jian at this moment, or if he let him find anything substantial against him, headquarters would probably send more people. So he needed to silence Hao Jian, at least prevent him from speaking out today. At this moment, Hao Jian couldn''t help but sneer inwardly. Guo Bixi really was an old fox, having just been confrontational and now completely changing his tune, ingratiating himself in every possible way. If it were someone else, they might be a little embarrassed, but not Guo Bixi, who acted as if nothing had happened before. Fine, let''s see what kind of tricks you can play! Hao Jian thought, and with a smile on his face, said, "If you say so." Seeing Hao Jian appeared to soften, Guo Bixi''s eyebrows lifted in joy, and he hurriedly invited, "Since it''s said that a fight leads to friendship, how about we put this conflict behind us? If you don''t mind, would you like to come to my office for a chat? I have some top-quality tea to offer!" "Tea? I love good tea the most!" Hao Jian laughed heartily. "So, shall we go?" Guo Bixi asked with a sycophantic smile, making an inviting gesture to Hao Jian. "Let''s go!" Hao Jian smiled and walked out of the restroom. At that moment, Guo Bixi''s smile vanished, and he turned to look coldly at everyone present, "I don''t want to hear anyone mention today''s events ever again. Anyone who does will be immediately fired, got it?" "Understood!" All the employees nodded timidly, not daring to go against Guo Bixi''s will. "And you, worthless trash, clean yourself up right now; you''re useless!" Guo Bixi coldly glared at Zhuang Weixiong. Zhuang Weixiong didn''t dare to reply and timidly lowered his head. Immediately after, Guo Bixi strode out towards the exit. In Guo Bixi''s office, the scent of tea wafted through the air, heady and strong. Inside, Hao Jian was smiling and chatting with Guo Bixi as if they were old friends catching up after many years. "Brother, you really have impressive skills. Both of my bodyguards are from the Special Forces, yet they were no match for you. What did you do before? How did you attain such prowess?" Guo Bixi asked tentatively. Is this where it begins? Hao Jian sneered inwardly; Guo Bixi was starting to probe him. With a disdainful look on his face, Hao Jian arrogantly said, "I started learning martial arts at the age of three, and now, after more than two decades, I naturally have developed some skills. A few Special Forces are nothing to me, especially since I was also in the Special Forces, and even part of a secret unit." Upon hearing this, Guo Bixi felt a start of shock in his heart. It seemed impossible to deal with this youngster by force, so he would have to find another way. Quickly nodding with a smile, Guo Bixi replied, "No wonder, no wonder. I thought there was something different about you the first time I saw you. You have that aura of a dragon among men." "Oh, you flatter me, Brother Guo," Hao Jian modestly scratched his head, pretending to be overwhelmed. Seeing this, a hint of contempt flickered in Guo Bixi''s eyes. So this guy was that easy to fool? He actually fell for flattery. "Brother, I feel a kindred spirit with you. I hardly have any friends, so how about from now on we treat each other as brothers? Share our fortunes and misfortunes¡ªhow does that sound?" Guo Bixi asked with a sincere expression and earnest gaze. Starting to play the sentiment card? Hao Jian sneered inwardly but put on an appearance of being pleasantly surprised, "That sounds great; I would love nothing more than to be on brotherly terms with someone as capable as President Guo. It''s just that I have a humble position, merely a supervisor, I''m afraid I might not be worthy of you." "Hey, don''t talk like that. Between brothers, there should be no distinction of rank or standing. That''s it, from now on we''re brothers!" Guo Bixi said generously, yet his smile was somewhat sinister, believing that Hao Jian had taken the bait completely. Catching that the discussion was going well, Guo Bixi began to inquire about Hao Jian''s purpose of visit, looking earnestly at Hao Jian, "Brother, could you tell me, what is the real reason the headquarters sent you here?" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian sighed and said, "Actually, the reason headquarters sent me is because they received a report claiming you committed embezzlement, damaging the group''s interests. The group''s executives were outraged, so I was sent here to investigate." Hao Jian also put on an act as if he respected and valued talent, telling Guo Bixi something that seemed unspeakable, as only this would make Guo Bixi lower his guard, believing he was completely deceived. Chapter 524 - 524: I Am a Decent Person Upon hearing this, Guo Bixi furrowed his brow and thought, "Just as I suspected, it seems that the higher-ups have indeed noticed me. I don''t know who the hell dared to report me, but I must thoroughly investigate this and find that person, then do whatever it takes to kill him!" At that moment, however, Guo Bixi displayed a very dejected expression and sighed, "I really didn''t expect this. I''ve labored like a dog and horse for the company for over a decade, working meticulously and tirelessly, only to be slandered like this in the end. Even the headquarters top management is doubting me. It truly breaks my heart." Hearing Guo Bixi''s words, Hao Jian was almost amused by the outrage. Indeed, shamelessness knows no bounds. If he hadn''t already been aware of the corruption involved with Guo Bixi, he might have really fallen for his act. "Brother Guo, why care so much about it? It''s just some petty malice. It''s better to disregard it," Hao Jian consoled, appearing as though he were on Guo Bixi''s side. Guo Bixi raised his eyebrow, secretly delighted, but put on a deeply aggrieved face, "Does that mean, brother, you believe in me?" "Of course! Brother Guo, you seem very just and strict, how could you possibly engage in corruption? Don''t worry, I will report back to the headquarters soon, and tell them that these accusations are utterly groundless!" Hao Jian exclaimed indignantly, as though aggrieved on Guo Bixi''s behalf. "If so, then thank you, my brother! It''s so rare to meet someone as understanding as you in this world. I... I don''t even know what to say!" Guo Bixi''s expression was convincingly overjoyed, on the brink of tears. But inside, he was deeply scornful, sneering at Hao Jian for being muscular but simple-minded, easily manipulated by him despite his strength. "What''s there to thank me for? If we call each other brothers, then naturally I should help you with this little favor," Hao Jian waved his hand dismissively. At that moment, Guo Bixi took several bundles of thick banknotes from a drawer and slapped them on the table, "Enough talk, just a small token of appreciation, I hope you won''t refuse it!" Hao Jian had anticipated that the plot would unfold this way, with Guo Bixi attempting to buy him over to his side. Once he became corrupted like him, he would effectively be Guo Bixi''s puppet. "Oh, how could I possibly accept this?" Hao Jian grabbed the banknotes and hugged them to his chest, acting completely like a money-grubber. This money had to be accepted; otherwise, how could he completely eliminate Guo Bixi''s wariness towards him? Seeing this, Guo Bixi sneered incessantly, as he seemed to have witnessed the birth of another puppet. "Work hard in the future, and I will definitely not treat you poorly," Guo Bixi laughed heartily, heavily patting Hao Jian''s shoulder. "Don''t worry, Brother Guo, I know what to do." Hao Jian gave Guo Bixi a knowing wink, making a "you know what I mean" kind of gesture with his eyes. "Very good, truly, my good brother!" Guo Bixi laughed out loud and then clapped his hands, calling out to a room, "Come on out!" Huh? Hao Jian frowned slightly, wondering who else was in the room. Shortly after, a man and a woman walked out. The man was in his thirties, wearing glasses, and looked scholarly; the woman was in her twenties, pretty and voluptuous like a young wife, quite provocative, but her face was caked with a thick layer of makeup, making Hao Jian wonder if the powder might weigh three pounds if it fell off. "This is Minister Pan Jiyuan, the head of our company''s design department. And this beautiful lady is Minister Song Kexin, head of our business department. They are both highly competent people in our company," Guo Bixi laughed heartily, introducing the two ministers to Hao Jian. Hao Jian nodded, memorizing the appearances of Pan Jiyan and Song Kexin, knowing that they were colluding with Guo Bixi and were puppets just like him, and they must also be removed eventually. Originally, while Guo Bixi was talking with Hao Jian, Pan Jiyuan and Song Kexin had been hiding in that room, eavesdropping to understand more about this new Imperial Envoy. If Hao Jian had refused to be bought by Guo Bixi, they would have stayed hidden, but now that Hao Jian had accepted the bribery, they were all in the same camp and naturally had to meet him. Hao Jian, cunning and calculating, had successfully lured the snakes out of their den. Effortlessly, he had drawn out all the associates connected to Guo Bixi. Hao Jian squinted his eyes, now that he knew who all were part of Guo Bixi''s corrupt faction, it was time to consider how to eliminate these harmful horses from the herd. "Director Hao is truly talented and young, and also skilled in martial arts. I really admire men who excel in both literary and martial arts," Song Kexin said, casting a flirty glance at Hao Jian. Certainly, she had also heard Hao Jian''s earlier words. Given that Hao Jian had practiced martial arts from a young age and even Special Forces were no match for him, his body must be in excellent shape. Perhaps he could endure a lot more through the night! Clearly, this Song Kexin was a promiscuous woman, which, of course, was no news within the company. Everyone knew she liked to mess around with men, simultaneously hooking up with Guo Bixi and several other top executives. Their business department''s deals were all secured through her sleeping with men. Meanwhile, Pan Jiyuan merely gave Hao Jian a cold glance, clearly not taking him seriously. In his view, if Hao Jian could be fooled by Guo Bixi in just a few words, then he definitely wasn''t a smart man. "Ooh, beauty." Hao Jian whistled at Song Kexin, with a flippant air. But in the eyes of Pan Jiyuan and Guo Bixi, this guy was beyond saving; he couldn''t even see through Song Kexin''s beauty trap. It seemed he would be easily manipulated by her in the future. "Okay, from today onwards, we must all get along and work together for the company''s benefit!" Guo Bixi laughed heartily, feeling extremely proud of himself. So what if the head office had noticed him? In the end, he had still managed to turn danger into safety, Guo Bixi couldn''t help but feel proud of his own cleverness. "General Manager, Minister Chen wants to meet the new director." At that moment, a secretary knocked on the door. Hearing this, Guo Bixi and others all frowned, clearly not fond of this Minister Chen. Hao Jian also noticed this, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly upwards, indicating that this Minister Chen was not of the same ilk as these people. Soon after, Minister Chen came in, and he was familiar with Hao Jian. After entering, Chen Zhiyan first glanced at Guo Bixi and the others, then turned to Hao Jian and said, "This must be the new director, right? Hello, my name is Chen Zhiyan. Please, guide me!" "Another beauty?" Hao Jian also pretended not to recognize Chen Zhiyan and quickly went forward to shake her hand. Chen Zhiyan had originally been a store manager in a shopping mall, but due to her outstanding performance, she was transferred to work as the head of the marketing department in the branch office, tasked with boosting its value. And she was the one who had reported Guo Bixi. This was also why Hao Jian didn''t want Yuan Shanshan to bring him into the company because he already had acquaintances here. At the moment, both pretended not to know each other, naturally to deceive Guo Bixi. Seeing Hao Jian reach out eagerly to shake Chen Zhiyan''s hand, as if possessed by lust, Pan Jiyuan immediately showed his displeasure. Since Chen Zhiyan''s arrival, he had been smitten by her resilience and intellect, so seeing Hao Jian now drooling over Chen Zhiyan made Pan Jiyuan feel as though his possessions were being stolen. Meanwhile, upon seeing Chen Zhiyan, Song Kexin''s eyes also revealed a hint of cold frost, and she sneered somewhat jealously. Before the arrival of Chen Zhiyan, the title of company''s belle should have belonged to her, but since Chen Zhiyan''s appearance, it no longer did. Women are creatures of jealousy, especially when encountering someone prettier than themselves; hence Song Kexin naturally disliked Chen Zhiyan. "I heard that as soon as Director Hao arrived, he taught Zhuang Weixiong and the others a lesson. Those security guards have always disrespected female staff. You really did our female employees a favor this time," Chen Zhiyan said with a smile, appearing quite fond of Hao Jian. Hearing this, Pan Jiyuan''s expression immediately soured; he could tell that Chen Zhiyan seemed to have a good impression of this young man. Did he now have another competitor? And Guo Bixi also felt a sense of crisis; Chen Zhiyan was not his ally but instead troubled him in various ways. If it weren''t for the fact that she was sent directly by Shu Ya, he would have wanted to deal with her long ago. And now that Chen Zhiyan was clearly trying to allure Hao Jian to her side, how could Guo Bixi not worry? "It''s almost noon, why don''t we have lunch together? Consider it a welcome for you," Chen Zhiyan suggested. Pan Jiyuan was instantly stunned; Chen Zhiyan was inviting this young man to lunch? She had been in the company for so long but had never been known to invite any man to dine. What made this newcomer so privileged? And Guo Bixi''s face darkened, quickly he gave Song Kexin a meaningful glance. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Kexin immediately understood Guo Bixi''s intentions, sashayed towards Hao Jian, and placed a hand on his shoulder: "Handsome, I want to invite you to lunch too. Besides eating, I''d love to treat you to something else." Song Kexin threw a flirtatious wink. This was not just a hint; it was an overt proposition. Guo Bixi thought he absolutely could not let Chen Zhiyan whisk Hao Jian away; he had to keep this guy at any cost. Otherwise, if he were to align with Chen Zhiyan, he would be in trouble. But Hao Jian turned around and looked at Song Kexin seriously, "Minister Song, please show some respect. I am a decent person!" Upon hearing this, Guo Bixi and the others were taken aback. This guy had his eyes set on Chen Zhiyan, hadn''t he? Just moments before, when facing Song Kexin, he had looked like a man driven by lust, but the moment Chen Zhiyan appeared, he assumed the posture of an honorable gentleman. Could he be any more fake? Chapter 525 - 525: Starting with the Dead Pan Jiyuan was clenching his fists tightly at that moment, truly wishing he could kill Hao Jian. However, if someone were to kill Hao Jian first, it should be Song Kexin, right? How could Hao Jian reject her in front of another woman? Wasn''t that saying she was inferior to Chen Zhiyan? Song Kexin was shaking with anger, her charming face now full of hatred. But Hao Jian didn''t look at her again; instead, he turned his head and ingratiated himself to Chen Zhiyan, saying, "Minister Chen, shall we go? It''s my treat!" Chen Zhiyan couldn''t help but laugh, amused by Hao Jian. This guy really knew how to infuriate people without paying the price, deliberately provoking Guo Bixi and the others. With a playful and charming smile, Chen Zhiyan said, "You''re really bad!" Pan Jiyuan was dumbfounded. Was Chen Zhiyan actually coquettish? Hao Jian laughed heartily and said, "Bad boys are loved by women, aren''t they?" "Since it''s a welcome dinner for you, how can I let you pay? I''ll cover it today." said Chen Zhiyan. "Hey, no need, I just made a killing today, let me treat!" Hao Jian showed Chen Zhiyan a big stack of cash he had in his arms. "Wow! That much money?" Chen Zhiyan couldn''t help but be astonished. "Yeah, I don''t have much else, but I do have plenty of money. Let''s go! I''ll take you somewhere delicious!" Hao Jian put his arm around Chen Zhiyan''s shoulders with an overfamiliar air. Guo Bixi was so angry he felt like vomiting blood. Damn it, was this scumbag actually showing off with his money? "Why don''t we just kill him?" Pan Jiyuan roared angrily, unable to bear watching Chen Zhiyan being taken away by Hao Jian, his murderous intent growing. "Do you think I don''t want to? If we killed him, wouldn''t the headquarters become suspicious? If they send someone else here, what good would that do us?" Guo Bixi snorted coldly, his gaze filled with venom: "At least we can bribe this guy. As long as we give him some benefits, I believe he''ll obey us like a good dog." "So I have to sacrifice my woman for that? You know how much I like Chen Zhiyan!" complained Pan Jiyuan vexingly. "Idiot, it''s just a woman. Is she worth all this fuss? Think about the money you embezzle every month, what''s more important, money or a woman?" Guo Bixi glared at Pan Jiyuan. Pan Jiyuan was at a loss for words but still said resentfully, "Without this guy, I could have had both wealth and the woman!" "Relax, this guy is just a temporary transfer from headquarters; he won''t be here forever. There will come a day when he leaves. Plus, you know how difficult it is to get with Chen Zhiyan. It won''t be easy for this guy to win her over." Guo Bixi reassured Pan Jiyuan. Then, Guo Bixi sternly said to both of them, "The urgent matter at hand is to secure this guy on our side. Once we''ve corrupted him, won''t he dance to our tune? Then he wouldn''t dare compete with you for a woman." Pan Jiyuan snorted coldly and finally stopped complaining. Immediately after, Guo Bixi turned to Song Kexin: "Song Kexin, I don''t care how you do it, but you must make that guy infatuated with you, and make Chen Zhiyan aware of your ambiguous relationship with him, causing her to dislike him!" "Don''t worry, I know what to do!" Song Kexin said with a vengeful expression. The recent behavior of Hao Jian had completely infuriated her, and she vowed to toy with Hao Jian and then cruelly dump him, letting him learn the consequences of offending her! All men bewitched by Song Kexin met extremely miserable ends, ranging from family breakup to utter ruin. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Kexin was comparable to the Enchantress Daji, driving men mad with love before cruelly casting them aside. Immediately after, Guo Bixi looked toward the doorway with a hint of chill on his lips: "A clown jumping on stage, trying to leap around in front of me, not knowing whether he''s alive or dead!" ... Meanwhile, Chen Zhiyan and Hao Jian were dining in a restaurant, repeating what Guo Bixi had just said: "Just a clown. You''re going to take care of it yourself, right?" Hao Jian scoffed and said, "My wife went to France, so naturally I have to protect the group. Besides, I''m free anyway, might as well find something to do." "So you came to bully Guo Bixi?" Chen Zhiyan teased. "How can you say I''m bullying him? He''s so smart, we''re evenly matched, okay?" Hao Jian said in surprise. "Don''t flatter yourself, Guo Bixi and the others are completely playing you for a fool, and they still have no idea who you really are. Tell me the truth, is it really that interesting to bully those weaker than yourself?" Hao Jian thought for a moment, then looked up seriously and said, "It''s very interesting!" Chen Zhiyan rolled her eyes, finding herself at a loss for words. At that moment, Hao Jian changed the subject, "By the way, have you been here long enough to collect evidence that could take down Guo Bixi in one fell swoop?" "You wouldn''t believe it, but yes." Chen Zhiyan nodded, recalling someone, "There was an old head of the design department in this company who worked diligently for over a decade. He was assigned to this branch office by headquarters, but he jumped to his death in less than half a year after starting here. And then Guo Bixi''s nephew, Pan Jiyuan, took over his position and became the new head. I think there''s something fishy about this whole thing." "Pan Jiyuan is Guo Bixi''s nephew?" Hao Jian was taken aback by this information. "When did this happen?" "Two years ago. Since it was a suicide, it was not considered a work-related injury, so the company refused to pay any compensation. His family has insisted that the head would not have committed suicide and has been in litigation with the company for two years now, asking for compensation. But so far, they''ve gotten nowhere," Chen Zhiyan explained, clearly having delved deeply into the matter. "Did nobody investigate this?" Hao Jian was puzzled; such a significant event had occurred, yet there was no whisper of it. Chen Zhiyan gave another eye roll, "Guo Bixi rules the company with an iron fist¡ªwho dares to gossip? Speak out of turn, and you''re fired, no one wants to take that risk. Since Guo Bixi has put a lid on this information, no one knows about it. Had I not worked here for a month and overheard people mention it accidentally, I probably would never have known that this happened." "Take me to see the family of that head!" Hao Jian decided resolutely, perhaps taking down Guo Bixi would start with this dead man. Immediately after, Chen Zhiyan drove Hao Jian to the family''s home, only to discover shockingly that they were living right in the middle of a dump! "They... live here?!" Hao Jian, looking at the foul-smelling dump cluttered with various kinds of waste and crawling with flies and cockroaches, asked Chen Zhiyan incredulously, Is this place fit for people to live in? "Surprised? I was too when I first came here. How could the family of a former executive earning a million a year live in such dire straits? Even if their luck had turned, they should still have had a million in savings over those years, right?" Chen Zhiyan sighed. "What led them to such a downfall?" "The lawsuit!" "The lawsuit?" "Qiu Shaohong, the head of the department, after his death his wife insisted he did not commit suicide but was killed by someone. So she has been constantly suing Guo Bixi. Consequently, over the past two years, all the family''s savings have gone to lawyers'' fees," Chen Zhiyan answered. Hearing this, Hao Jian''s facial muscles twitched, and his voice turned hoarse, "They... they just want some justice!" Hao Jian knew without a doubt that Qiu Shaohong must have been harmed by Guo Bixi. If he committed suicide after less than half a year at the company, then why was there nothing wrong during over a decade at headquarters? It was too suspicious that it happened right after he transferred here. In Hao Jian''s view, Qiu Shaohong must have discovered some secret of Guo Bixi''s but refused to be complicit in his corruption, which led to Guo Bixi''s retaliation! "I hope you can be the justice they seek," Chen Zhiyan said, glancing at Hao Jian, then leading the way. Clenching his fists, Hao Jian followed her. But as they approached the dump, they heard the sound of a fierce quarrel. "From tomorrow on, you must move out of here, or I won''t be polite!" a man said coldly, carrying a briefcase under his arm and holding a handkerchief over his nose and mouth, disgust apparent on his face as he looked at the disheveled woman in front of him. Behind him stood several men in black, all staring menacingly at the woman. "Please, we won''t affect you by living here, don''t drive us away!" the woman pleaded. It was the only place she and her daughter could call home; if they couldn''t stay there, they''d have no choice but to sleep on the streets. "I can''t allow it. Did you not know this dump is mine? Who gave you permission to live here? And you even dare set up a shelter, you''ve got some nerve!" the man huffed. He was the owner of the dump and had gotten angry when his subordinates told him that a mother and son had moved into the dump and had been living there for over half a year. He immediately decided to evict them. Upon seeing the smelly, disheveled woman, a deep disgust welled up in his heart, and he resolved to not allow her to stay any longer, simply because he couldn''t stand the sight of her. "Please, have mercy! My daughter and I have nowhere else to go, and my mother-in-law is severely ill. If you drive us away, we''ll freeze to death on the streets!" the woman said with sobbing voice, choked up and overwhelmed with helplessness. "That''s Qiu Shaohong''s wife, Ye Mei. Those bastards. They''re not even close to the dump, their living here doesn''t affect them, and yet they still come to chase them away. It''s completely overbearing!" Chen Zhiyan gritted her teeth in anger; the middle-aged man was clearly just looking for trouble. On hearing Ye Mei''s words, the middle-aged man suddenly sneered sardonically, "The stench on you is even stronger than the dump''s. I''m afraid if you keep living here, you''ll stink up my whole dump!" Chapter 526 - 526: Who is the Real Trash Ye Mei''s face instantly turned red with humiliation; she stood frozen in place, her dignity severely trampled. Watching this scene unfold, Hao Jian also furrowed his brow in anger. This was too insulting. If one weren''t driven to desperation, who would choose to live in a garbage dump? To say that Ye Mei smelled worse than a garbage dump was utterly ridiculous. Even if she didn''t bathe for an entire year, she wouldn''t smell worse than a garbage dump. Such an insult was heart-rending, more painful than a physical beating! "Tear down her shack!" the middle-aged man bellowed with rage. Ye Mei''s so-called home was nothing more than a few broken wooden boards and old tarpaulins; yet, these meager possessions were all she had, all she cherished! His underlings picked up iron rods and approached menacingly, transforming from working-class citizens into thugs as they smashed the wooden shacks. "Don''t smash it! Please, I beg you, don''t smash it!" Ye Mei discarded all her self-respect to plead and to intervene, only to be pushed to the ground by them. But she refused to give up hope, rushing once again towards the middle-aged man, hugging his legs and begging pitifully, "Big brother, please don''t do this. My mother-in-law is still inside; you''re going to hurt her!" "Get lost!" The middle-aged man roared furiously, kicking Ye Mei away. He was also infuriated¡ªhow dare this disgusting, filthy thing touch his leg? He glared coldly at Ye Mei: "So what if she''s inside? Your garbage mother-in-law must be garbage too. Since she''s garbage, she should be buried in the garbage heap!" "This is too much!" Chen Zhiyan shouted angrily, ready to intervene with a menacing demeanor, but she was stopped by Hao Jian. "I got this!" Hao Jian said, his expression turning fierce, and then he walked toward Ye Mei. "Beat this wretch! She dares to touch me with her filthy hands!" The middle-aged man shouted furiously. However, just as his words fell, a cold hand reached out from behind him, swiftly grabbing his throat. Before he could even turn around, a chilling voice came from behind: "If your men touch her, I''ll break your throat!" Seeing this, everyone was shocked, including Ye Mei, who had no idea who the man in front of them was or why he was saving her. "Who... who are you?" The middle-aged man was petrified. "I am a man who can twist your head off at any moment," Hao Jian slowly turned his face to look at the middle-aged man. Seeing the grim expression on Hao Jian''s face, the middle-aged man instinctively swallowed, saying, "What do you want to do?" "Nothing much, just letting you know what real garbage is," said Hao Jian with an indifferent smile, then suddenly slapped the man''s wrist joint. Crack! Ow! The middle-aged man screamed in agony, his arm going limp, obviously dislocated. "Boss!" The underlings of the middle-aged man all rushed forward. "Anyone who takes a step further, I''ll break his neck!" Hao Jian''s fierce gaze swept through the crowd, scaring them back. They had already witnessed Hao Jian''s ruthlessness; he''d broken someone''s hand without hesitation¡ªthis guy was no soft touch! "So, do you now know who the real garbage is?" Hao Jian asked the middle-aged man menacingly. "I am garbage! I am garbage!" the middle-aged man hurriedly admitted, nearly crying in fear, as the man before him was formidable and terrifying. "Hmm, garbage, do you find it fun to bully a widow?" Hao Jian fiercely squeezed the man''s neck. "Cough cough... No, nothing like that," the middle-aged man''s face turned a shade of purple, feeling somewhat suffocated. Ye Mei was stunned; how did this young man know she was a widow? "Nothing? Then why act as you did?" Hao Jian pressed with a question. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Big brother, this dump is mine; she set up a shack here without my permission, so of course I have to take care of it," the middle-aged man said, his legs trembling with fear. Who in the world was this guy, and why was he sticking his nose into this business? "Is her shack within your dump?" Hao Jian''s eyes narrowed, hiding a threat. Ye Mei''s shack was a good ten steps away from this guy''s dump, clearly not within the bounds of his property. The middle-aged man fell silent. "Bang!" Hao Jian threw a punch straight to the back of the man''s head, causing him to feel dizzy, nearly collapsing to the ground. "No, no more, please don''t hit me," the middle-aged man really started crying now, all his earlier arrogance vanished. "Has she caused you any trouble?" "No... not at all." "She is a mother and son alone; isn''t that pitiful?" "Pitiful." "Good." Hao Jian then released him. ``` "Hmm?" The middle-aged man was also stunned; it was over just like that. But then, he saw Hao Jian leap into the air and deliver a flying kick that swept directly across his face, sending him flying out. The middle-aged man was thrown towards the right and plunged headfirst into a pile of trash. "One thing you said is right, trash should be buried in the trash pile!" Hao Jian snorted coldly, his sword-like eyebrows slanted upward, radiating a formidable aura. "Kill him for me!" The middle-aged man shouted while looking up, already driven to madness. No longer feeling threatened by Hao Jian, he let loose completely. Now, he wanted to cripple this ignorant fool¡ªdaring to break one of his arms, he wouldn''t hesitate to confine Hao Jian to a wheelchair for the rest of his life! "Bang!" A thunderous boom resounded, and billowing dust swirled into the air. With a single stomp, Hao Jian created a gust of dust, and the ground caved into a massive, gaping pit, which was incredibly sinister! "Ah?" All the underlings were dumbfounded, too terrified to move. "Do you all want to end up in the hospital?" Hao Jian laughed in fury, scanning the crowd. At that moment, no one dared to make a sound; they were all petrified by Hao Jian''s show of strength. A kick like that, if landed on them, would either kill or cripple them! The middle-aged man was also filled with terror. Hesitating for about three seconds, he suddenly toppled backward and then covered his head with a broken bucket, thinking it was better to play dead at this moment. But Hao Jian was in no mood to let him off the hook. He bellowed, "Get over here!" The middle-aged man quivered, knowing the command was meant for him. He hurried over, a flattering smile on his face, "Brother, I was wrong." "Kneel!" Hao Jian commanded, expressionless. "Thump!" Without a word, he knelt down. There was no chance of disobeying Hao Jian unless he wanted to lose his other hand as well. "Not to me, to her!" Hao Jian pointed at Ye Mei, who stood nearby, dumb as a wooden chicken. "Yes, yes, yes..." The middle-aged man quickly turned his head and began kowtowing to Ye Mei incessantly, "I''m sorry, big sister, it''s all my fault. I shouldn''t have looked down on you, calling you trash. I''m the real trash, the true trash! Please forgive me this time, big sister; I''ll never dare do it again." "Ah? Oh." Ye Mei nodded her head dazedly, finding everything unreal. "Big brother, the big sister has forgiven me," the middle-aged man looked at Hao Jian with a pitiful expression. "Get lost!" Hao Jian commanded coldly. "Yes, yes, yes, I''ll go right away!" The middle-aged man, as if receiving a royal pardon, hurriedly got up and ran off. "Young man, thank you, I really thank you." Ye Mei held Hao Jian''s hand excitedly. If it weren''t for Hao Jian stepping in to drive these people away, her home might have been destroyed. Hearing this, Hao Jian felt guilty. Qiu Shaohong had sacrificed his life for the Shu Ya Group, and as a result, he died because of the group and, in the end, couldn''t even get the compensation. In a sense, it was his own group that had caused Ye Mei''s family such distress, and now she was thanking him profusely, which he felt he didn''t deserve. "Young man, why did you save us? Do we know each other?" Ye Mei looked at Hao Jian with confusion. Why would Hao Jian save them for no reason? "I''m from the Shu Ya Group." Hao Jian declared his identity. Immediately, Ye Mei''s expression froze. After hesitating for a moment, she picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at Hao Jian. Hao Jian didn''t dodge, letting the stone hit his head. He knew that Ye Mei needed to vent, and he should let her. It was only natural for Ye Mei to hate the Shu Ya Group. Even if he were in her situation, he probably would hate the Shu Ya Group too. "Sister Ye." Chen Zhiyan hurriedly stepped forward, trying to prevent Ye Mei from doing anything more irrational. "Chen, tell him to get lost! I won''t sign that contract even if it kills me!" Ye Mei shouted coldly, assuming Hao Jian was Guo Bixi''s lackey. "Sister Ye, you''ve misunderstood. Hao Jian isn''t here to make you sign the contract, and he isn''t one of Guo Bixi''s people," Chen Zhiyan explained quickly. "It doesn''t matter. There''s not a single good person in the Shu Ya Group!" Ye Mei persisted, clearly harboring a deep grudge against the Shu Ya Group. "Sister Ye, if you say that, then am I not a good person either?" Chen Zhiyan said with a wry smile. "Of course, you''re different, aside from you," Ye Mei added quickly; during this time, Chen Zhiyan had always been helping their family, naturally setting her apart from the rest. "Alright, don''t be so quick to get angry," Chen Zhiyan consoled, and then she told Ye Mei the real identity of Hao Jian and the reason for his visit. Upon hearing this, Ye Mei was shocked, "Are you saying that he is your chairman''s husband?" Chen Zhiyan nodded. "Chen, you must be joking, right?" It was hard for Ye Mei to believe that the chairman of the Shu Ya Group''s husband would personally deal with their family''s matter. Could it be possible? In Ye Mei''s view, how could someone as important as Hao Jian care about the life and death of ordinary people like them? "Sister Ye, I''m telling the truth. Our chairman came here to find evidence of Guo Bixi''s embezzlement and feels that your husband''s death was suspicious. He wants to investigate it and give your family justice," Chen Zhiyan explained. ``` Chapter 527 - 527 Meiya Ye Mei hesitated for a few seconds before suddenly throwing herself in front of Hao Jian, crying and wailing, "Chairman, you must redress my husband''s injustice. Otherwise, he won''t rest in peace even in death!" Hao Jian quickly helped Ye Mei up and solemnly said, "Don''t worry, Sister Ye. If your husband was indeed killed by Guo Bixi, I will definitely see justice done for you!" "My husband was definitely killed by Guo Bixi. Before his death, he had already mentioned to me more than once that he had discovered Guo Bixi embezzling and had gathered enough criminal evidence to expose him. But right when he had all the evidence ready, he mysteriously committed suicide. Don''t you think that''s too much of a coincidence?" Ye Mei said. Although she wasn''t well-educated, she knew what desperate people are capable of, like murder to silence someone. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian''s brow furrowed deeply, and he then asked, "By the way, what was the contract you just mentioned?" "Guo Bixi has always wanted me to sign a contract stating that my husband committed suicide. He said that as long as I signed it, he would give me a substantial sum of compensation. But I refused because I know my husband didn''t commit suicide. He wanted to use it to shut me up, and I''ll never let him get his way!" Ye Mei said coldly, her expression resolute, without a hint of regret even though her refusal had cost her a stable life and led to her current destitute state. Because she believed in "good will be rewarded with good, and evil with evil; it''s only a matter of time," and finally, Heaven had not forsaken her, as Hao Jian appeared, she finally saw some hope! After listening to her words, Hao Jian also came to respect this seemingly ordinary middle-aged woman. To seek justice for her husband, the hardship and toil she endured without complaint showed just how deeply she loved Qiu Shaohong. "What do you think?" Chen Zhiyan asked for Hao Jian''s opinion. "I can''t be sure it was Guo Bixi, but there''s an eighty to ninety percent chance," Hao Jian replied. Indeed, Guo Bixi was the prime suspect. It was very possible that Guo Bixi, having his embezzlement exposed, resorted to murder to silence the whistleblower! Hao Jian handed Ye Mei the stack of money he had obtained from Guo Bixi, "Sister, please take this money for now!" "No, no, I can''t take your money," Ye Mei quickly shook her head. She was already extremely grateful for Hao Jian''s help in seeking justice; she dared not accept his money. "This money is what you deserve. Your husband worked so hard for our corporation for many years, only to end up losing his life because of our corporation. This is our compensation to you, but it''s far from enough. Take this money for now, and after we have avenged your husband, I will compensate you in full," Hao Jian insisted. Ye Mei still wanted to decline, but Chen Zhiyan came over to persuade her, "Sister Ye, now is not the time to be proud. Auntie is sick; if we don''t get her to a doctor soon, things could get worse. And isn''t Meiya also of age to attend kindergarten? You should take this money, buy her some clothes, dress her up, and find her a good kindergarten. We can''t delay matters concerning children and the elderly." "But¡­" Ye Mei still felt embarrassed to accept the money. "There''s no ''but'' about it. This guy is so rich, this bit of money is nothing to him!" Chen Zhiyan spoke unceremoniously. When Hao Jian heard this, he almost wanted to cry. What do you mean ''it''s nothing''? It''s easy for you to say when you''re not the one paying. All my pocket money for a month amounts to just a thousand, and just when I manage to earn some extra cash, I have to give it all away. How is that nothing? But, swallowing his frustration, Hao Jian had to force a smile on his face, "Right, right, I can earn this little amount of money back just by taking a nap, ha ha... ha ha ha ha..." "Alright, then." Finally, Ye Mei accepted the money from Hao Jian. "By the way, Sister Ye, how about Meiya? I miss her!" Chen Zhiyan really liked Ye Mei''s daughter, the little girl named Meiya. Though only six years old, she was very sensible, which made her especially endearing. "That girl probably ran off to town again," Ye Mei replied, also rather helplessly, "That little girl insists on picking up trash to sell and contribute to the household income. I can''t stop her, and today she slipped away when I wasn''t watching." "Then let''s hurry and go find her. We''ll take your mother-in-law, too. Tonight we''re going to stay in a hotel. This place is no fit for people to live in," Hao Jian said. Before, he might have let it slide, but now that he was here, he was determined to change their situation and no longer let Ye Mei and her family suffer. Immediately, Hao Jian and company drove into town to look for Meiya. Ye Mei knew where her daughter usually hung around, so they started their search in that area. And just at an intersection, a small figure suddenly darted out. "Watch out!" Chen Zhiyan shouted. Hao Jian hurriedly braked, just about to curse which reckless child that was when Ye Mei exclaimed in shock, "It''s Meiya!" That little girl was Meiya? Hao Jian quickly took a closer look and saw a young girl in an old linen dress, her face covered in dust. She looked panic-stricken for some reason, fleeing for her life and ignoring the cars on the road, which was extremely dangerous. "Stop! Thief!" And at that moment, a skinny middle-aged man came running out, chasing after Meiya. "We have to hurry and follow!" Hao Jian realized something was wrong. Most likely, Meiya had stolen something. Hao Jian stepped out of the car, and Chen Zhiyan and Ye Mei quickly followed suit. By that time, the skinny middle-aged man had already caught Meiya. At six years old, with such short legs, how could she possibly outrun this agile adult? He caught up to her in just a few strides. He hoisted Meiya up, "Look at you, you little wretch, daring to steal from my store? You must really be tired of living!" "Uncle, don''t hit me¡­ I... I was just hungry, I won''t ever do it again, here''s your bread back." Meiya''s dirty face was full of pleading, and tears also flickered in her eyes, as she reluctantly handed the bread back to Skinny. "Hungry? What do I care if you''re hungry? I don''t want this bread anymore, I just want to beat you up right now!" Skinny growled coldly and then raised his hand, ready to punish her. "Stop!" Hao Jian bellowed fiercely, stopping Skinny''s actions. "Mommy!" Seeing Ye Mei had arrived, Meiya immediately felt like she had found her savior, and called out in surprise, breaking free from Skinny''s hold and rushing towards Ye Mei. "Meiya, how could you steal? Haven''t I taught you better? No matter the circumstances, you can''t steal. Are you trying to kill me with worry?" But Ye Mei wasn''t sympathetic; rather, she was extremely angry. "I''m sorry, Mommy, I was hungry... I was really so hungry, I won''t ever do it again, please don''t be mad, okay?" Meiya said with tears in her eyes, looking anxiously at Ye Mei, knowing she had done something wrong and upset her mother. In fact, it wasn''t really her fault, because she hadn''t had a full meal for several days in a row, and Ye Mei''s meager salary all went to buying medicine for her mother-in-law, leaving the household very strapped for cash, to the point where they could only afford a little porridge each day. Chen Zhiyan quickly picked up Meiya, "Let it go, Sister Ye, she''s still a child, and children make mistakes, but she knows she did wrong now." "Ah..." Ye Mei''s eyes also reddened; she wasn''t angry with Meiya, but with herself. If she had been capable, Meiya wouldn''t have to be so miserable. "So you''re the thief''s parents, huh? How do you educate your kids? Letting her steal like this, are you that poor?" Skinny scorned coldly. "I''m sorry, the child is ignorant, here''s some money for compensation." Hao Jian quickly apologized, pretending not to hear the other''s excessive words, as he had no temper left, given Meiya was at fault. Hao Jian passed over two hundred yuan, two hundred for a loaf of bread was quite a sincere compensation. But seeing Hao Jian take out so much money, Skinny immediately became greedy and shouted, "Two hundred yuan to settle this? No way!" "What do you want then?" asked Hao Jian, looking at Skinny with a smile that wasn''t really a smile. "Give me one thousand yuan, or else I call the cops and say all three of you encouraged the kid to steal!" Skinny said shamelessly. "A thousand yuan for a loaf of bread? Why don''t you just rob someone?" Chen Zhiyan glared suddenly, seeing clearly that the man was deliberately trying to extort them! "Hao Jian, don''t bother with him, I want to see what he can do!" Chen Zhiyan huffed angrily, unwilling to let this unscrupulous person succeed. "Fine by me, I don''t care if you agree, after all, it wasn''t me who stole anything. Let the police deal with it when they arrive!" Skinny shouted defiantly. "Forget it, let''s not quibble over these trifles," Hao Jian said indifferently, unwilling to argue with Skinny, and directly pulled out a thousand yuan for him. "Not bad, you''re sensible! Hahaha..." Skinny cackled with delight, took the money, and prepared to leave. As he passed by Meiya, he glared at her viciously, "You bastard born without a father''s teaching, if you dare steal from my store again, I''ll break your legs!" That comment struck a nerve with Meiya, and she immediately burst into tears, glaring at Skinny, "You''re the bastard without a father''s teaching!" For the past two years, life had been tough for Ye Mei and her family, and it was the same for Meiya. Once idolizing her father, she was heartbroken to learn of his suicide; it felt like he had abandoned her in a way. Since then, Meiya knew she was a child without a father. And now, hearing someone speak of her that way, her little heart felt as if it were about to explode. It was a fact she couldn''t accept; she didn''t want to be labeled as a child without a father. "Hey, you little bastard, still dare to talk back? Have you lost your mind?" Skinny glared at Meiya and said. "The money''s given, now scram!" Chen Zhiyan was also very annoyed, knowing Skinny had hurt Meiya with his words. "Tch, these days, thieves have such nerve, but for the sake of the money, I won''t stoop to your level!" Holding the cash in one hand, Skinny sneered and prepared to leave. "Hold on!" S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just then, a stern voice rang out. Chapter 528 - 528: When the Medical Bills are Spent "Something else?" Skinny asked, turning his head toward Hao Jian. Hao Jian walked up to him, took out a stack of bills, and stuffed them into Skinny''s front chest pocket, "Here''s some money for you." As soon as these words were uttered, everyone was dumbfounded. Why would Hao Jian give him money? Didn''t they hear him cursing? "Why are you giving me money?" Skinny was also dumbfounded. Could cursing make money? Was this kid crazy? Did he enjoy being cursed at? "It''s for medical expenses. Take it and see a doctor!" Hao Jian said with a slight smile, and then threw a punch straight into his abdomen. Skinny immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and knelt on the ground, slowly collapsing down. "Let''s go." Hao Jian gave Chen Zhiyan and the others a look and then walked toward his car. Chen Zhiyan hurried to keep pace with Hao Jian, "You didn''t kill him, did you?" S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "No, I just crippled him a bit. Now he can lie in a hospital bed and learn how to get rid of his nasty and sharp tongue!" Hao Jian said coldly. ...... "Uncle, something terrible has happened!" Pan Jiyuan burst into Guo Bixi''s office, shouting. "What are you yelling about? Did wolves chase you here or what?" Guo Bixi looked up, asking impatiently. "That new bastard... he went with Chen Zhiyan to find Qiu Shaohong''s family," Pan Jiyuan said anxiously. "What?" Guo Bixi stood up from his desk, his expression somewhat terrifying, "Why did he go to Qiu Shaohong''s family?" "I don''t know, but I don''t think it''s anything good. He also took Qiu Shaohong''s wife, daughter, and mother to stay in a hotel for over two hours. I guess they were probably gathering information about us," Pan Jiyuan replied. Guo Bixi, extremely cunning, had never truly trusted Hao Jian, so he had Pan Jiyuan secretly follow Hao Jian, and sure enough, he discovered that Hao Jian had ulterior motives. "Very well, very well, very well..." Guo Bixi said ''well'' three times, his face filled with malice, realizing that Hao Jian had played him for a fool. "I''ve always said that Hao Yingjun had ulterior motives. I think he came here just to oppose us," Pan Jiyuan said. "Great, taking my money and messing with my plans," Guo Bixi''s face turned ashen, hands on the surface of the desk, teeth almost gritted to pieces. "Since he wants to die, I''ll help him achieve that!" "Uncle, what should we do now?" Pan Jiyuan''s eyes lit up, somewhat excited, because he too wanted to see Hao Jian dead. "Call Song Kexin here. Tonight, I want to ruin that Hao bastard''s reputation!" Guo Bixi hummed coldly, slamming the desk in anger. He had previously considered Hao Jian an idiot, thinking he was not to be feared, but he was the real fool. Soon enough, Song Kexin walked in, wearing a fiery red low-cut dress, looking incredibly sultry. "I told you that kid was no good. We should have gotten rid of him early on. A whole day wasted, and in the end, we still have to deal with him," Song Kexin complained, then plopped down on the sofa. "I called you here, not to listen to your whining," Guo Bixi glared fiercely at Song Kexin, her words seemingly a reminder of his own stupidity. Song Kexin shrugged her shoulders, not daring to respond any further. She could see that Guo Bixi was in a bad mood. It was best not to rub him the wrong way at such a time. "Tonight, we set a trap for him!" Chen Zhiyan said with a determined expression. "You''re not talking about using force, are you? Don''t joke, not even Special Forces can match him. Who else could take him down?" Song Kexin scoffed. "Who said I was going to use force? If I wanted to use force, why would I call you here?" Guo Bixi snorted. "Then what''s your plan?" Song Kexin asked. "We''ll do it like this..." Guo Bixi shared his plan with Pan Jiyuan and Song Kexin. After hearing it, Pan Jiyuan and Song Kexin couldn''t help but give Guo Bixi a thumbs up, exclaiming, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! With this, the kid will definitely be ruined, and even if headquarters gets wind of it, they won''t be able to say anything." "I want that kid to know what happens when you cross Guo Bixi!" Guo Bixi sneered relentlessly. ...... In the last couple of days, Hao Jian was not in good spirits. At first, he thought it was a simple case of corruption, but what he did not expect was that behind the corruption, there was also a hidden murder case. Originally, he wanted to play games with Guo Bixi, but after seeing the plight of Ye Mei and her daughter, he completely lost his patience. Hao Jian strode into the company, and Zhuang Weixiong was still sitting in the lobby as always, but without his former arrogance. After being disciplined by Hao Jian, he learned to keep a low profile and no longer dared to yell and bully the staff. However, when Zhuang Weixiong saw Hao Jian come in, he lowered his head deeply, not daring to make eye contact, in case Hao Jian decided to beat him up on a whim. Since the incident yesterday, Zhuang Weixiong was truly afraid of Hao Jian and would avoid him whenever possible. But just because he didn''t want to provoke Hao Jian didn''t mean Hao Jian wasn''t interested in dealing with him. After entering the company, Hao Jian first glanced at Zhuang Weixiong and then walked straight toward him. Zhuang Weixiong sensed it and immediately panicked, looking up at Hao Jian with trepidation. Hao Jian walked straight up and slapped Zhuang Weixiong without saying a word. Everyone was stunned, casting surprised glances at Hao Jian, not understanding why he had hit Zhuang Weixiong again. Zhuang Weixiong was also holding his face in grievance, looking at Hao Jian somewhat angrily, "Why did you hit me?" "Don''t you know to greet me when you see me? You good-for-nothing!" Hao Jian cursed. Zhuang Weixiong stood there dumbfounded. Weren''t these the exact words he had said to Hao Jian yesterday? Zhuang Weixiong was not stupid; he knew Hao Jian was deliberately picking on him. Seeing Zhuang Weixiong remain silent, Hao Jian slapped him again, demanding angrily, "Aren''t you going to say hello?" "Hao... Brother Hao!" Zhuang Weixiong touched his face, speaking up with immense frustration. "Smack!" Another slap followed. "Why hit me even after I greeted you?" Zhuang Weixiong complained tearfully. The employees wanted to laugh because they had only ever seen Zhuang Weixiong bully others, but now they were seeing him being bullied instead. "Call me ''Master'', not ''Brother''!" Hao Jian scolded fiercely. "You''re taking advantage of me!" Zhuang Weixiong said plaintively. "Will you call or not?" Hao Jian glared at him. "Master..." In the end, Zhuang Weixiong swallowed his pride and called out. "From now on, you should call me ''Master'' whenever you see me. Aren''t you a bit too old to be so damn rude?" Hao Jian voiced his disgust. "Yes~" Zhuang Weixiong nodded emphatically, seething with anger inside, thinking, ''You know I''m not young, right? I''m older than you, yet calling you ''Master''? "Good, you can be taught." Hao Jian patted Zhuang Weixiong''s head as if he were patting a dog, which made Zhuang Weixiong feel utterly humiliated. Only then did Hao Jian walk away satisfied, suddenly feeling much better in spirits. Along the way, many employees came up to greet Hao Jian; the female staff invited him out for meals and to the movies, while the male staff couldn''t stop offering him cigarettes. "Boss, am I just going to let this guy keep shitting on me forever?" A security guard asked Zhuang Weixiong, not hiding his indignation. Zhuang Weixiong watched Hao Jian''s retreating figure and sneered with malice, "He won''t be smug for long. After tonight, that guy will be completely disgraced and sent to rot in jail!" "Oh, Hao Yingjun, I just happened to be looking for you." Hao Jian was waiting for the elevator when suddenly, as the doors opened, Pan Jiyuan stepped out with a smile. Hao Jian was utterly puzzled, having no idea why Pan Jiyuan wanted to see him. Did the guy have something against him? He also knew Pan Jiyuan liked Guo Bixi, so he held a deep animosity towards him. In such circumstances, why would Pan Jiyuan approach him voluntarily? Trouble comes from unexpected places, Hao Jian always believed. In his view, Pan Jiyuan must have had an ulterior motive. "What do you want with me?" Hao Jian inquired, puzzled. "Because Chen Zhiyan invited you out yesterday, we didn''t get a chance to welcome you properly. So tonight, we plan to throw you another celebration party to welcome your arrival," Pan Jiyuan said with a smile, acting polite in order to lure Hao Jian into the trap set for him. Hao Jian sneered. Did such a matter require a personal invitation from you? With the degree of hate you have for me, would you be so kind to invite me? Hao Jian immediately spotted the flaw, suspecting that Pan Jiyuan and others were planning to set him up. Seeing Hao Jian not respond, Pan Jiyuan became anxious and hurriedly said, "Tonight my uncle has arranged lots of beauties. You really wouldn''t want to miss out." "Beauties? Haha, why didn''t you say so earlier! Alright, I''ll definitely be there tonight!" Hao Jian laughed heartily and then gave Pan Jiyuan a hearty slap on the shoulder. "Cough cough..." Pan Jiyuan felt as if he had been smacked by a bear''s paw, coughing continuously with his face flushed red. But he dared not lash out. Although he was nearly driven crazy with rage, he still managed to keep a smiling face, "Okay, then. We''ll meet at the company entrance on time tonight." "Fine, I''m off to get busy!" Hao Jian laughed boisterously, though he too wanted to know what Guo Bixi and the others were up to. After Hao Jian had left, the smile immediately froze on Pan Jiyuan''s face as he said with profound contempt, "What an idiot!" After completing the invitation to Hao Jian, Pan Jiyuan headed straight for Chen Zhiyan''s office. For apart from dealing with Hao Jian tonight, he had other plans. Chen Zhiyan''s attitude towards Hao Jian had given Pan Jiyuan a sense of crisis, and tonight he planned to throw caution to the wind. "Zhiyan? Are you busy?" Pan Jiyuan pushed open the door to Chen Zhiyan''s office and walked in with a sycophantic smile. "Is there a problem?" Chen Zhiyan looked up at Pan Jiyuan, then indifferently lowered her gaze again, denying Pan Jiyuan any show of favoritism. Chapter 529 - 529: Romantic Trap Pan Jiyuan couldn''t help but feel a bit embarrassed, his eyes flickering with thin anger, "In front of that kid, you act like a flirt, but in front of me, you pretend to be an ice queen, right? Just wait, I''ll teach you a lesson tonight!" Pan Jiyuan quickly regained his composure, concealing the anger on his face, and then said with a smile, "Tonight, we are planning to throw a welcome party for Hao Yingjun. He has already agreed to come, why don''t you join us?" "Are you guys really that kind-hearted?" Chen Zhiyan said mockingly, yet she still didn''t look up. She wasn''t from Guo Bixi''s faction, and they would rather distance themselves from her¡ªwhy would they invite her? Chen Zhiyan wasn''t foolish. "Zhiyan, look what you''re saying. We''re all colleagues; there''s no need to make our relationship so tense, right? We all actually want to mend things with you; give us a chance!" Pan Jiyuan believed his words carried sincere intentions, thinking Chen Zhiyan wouldn''t refuse. But Chen Zhiyan simply ignored him, and pointed straight at the door, "The exit is right there!" Pan Jiyuan''s face turned steel-blue¡ªChen Zhiyan was clearly showing him the door. "Zhiyan, don''t be like this. It does no good for either of us to keep this up, especially since we work in the same company." Pan Jiyuan still wasn''t ready to give up. "Don''t worry, I''ll go tonight," Chen Zhiyan finally put down her pen, looked up, and said with a meaningful smile. Hao Jian had agreed to attend, and she had no reason to refuse. "Really?" Pan Jiyuan said, overjoyed. He had thought she''d refuse since she was so cold just a moment ago, but now that she had agreed, it seemed like he might finally get his chance tonight. "Of course, I believe tonight will be quite the show!" Chen Zhiyan chuckled, and then bent her head down to continue working, not giving Pan Jiyuan another glance. Pan Jiyuan was greatly puzzled¡ªwhat did she mean by "a good show"? Could she possibly know their plan? That seemed impossible. "You can leave now," Chen Zhiyan said, somewhat impatiently. "Oh, okay," Pan Jiyuan finally left, filled with suspicions. That evening, Guo Bixi drove to pick up Hao Jian, but she was accompanied by Song Kexin. Song Kexin''s actions were naturally aimed at seduction. Men are visual creatures; with her pretty face and voluptuous figure, she believed few men could resist her. "Director Hao, I missed you so much today," Hao Jian had just gotten into the car when Song Kexin clung to him like a wet noodle, while Guo Bixi drove forward as if blind to the scene. "I missed you too, Minister Song!" Hao Jian said with a mischievous smile, then suddenly pinched her front light fiercely, taking any advantage he could get¡ªoffered freely, he wasn''t about to turn it down. Song Kexin''s face turned green with pain¡ªwhy was this bastard so strong? "You''re naughty. How could you think of someone else and leave with Chen Zhiyan?" Song Kexin said with a touch of melancholy, batting her big, pitiful eyes at Hao Jian. "I regretted it as soon as I left with her; who knew she genuinely just wanted to have dinner." Hao Jian said, annoyed. Upon hearing this, Song Kexin couldn''t help but sneer. If Hao Jian had chosen her yesterday, maybe she would have given him a little sweetness, but now... it was too late! "You better not run off today!" Song Kexin cooed. "With a beauty beside me, why would I run? Only if I had my brain squeezed by a door," Hao Jian laughed heartily, clearly lust-driven. Guo Bixi, who was driving, flickered a glance, revealing a hint of cunning that was hard to notice. After Hao Jian had left, Pan Jiyuan also came to pick up Chen Zhiyan. Naturally, Pan Jiyuan wasn''t foolish enough to let Chen Zhiyan meet with Hao Jian; if Hao Jian ended up leaving with Chen Zhiyan, he would have been laboring for naught. So he had Guo Bixi and Song Kexin take Hao Jian first, then he came to get Chen Zhiyan. "Where is Hao Jian?" Chen Zhiyan asked, puzzled. Hearing Chen Zhiyan start by asking about Hao Jian, Pan Jiyuan burned with jealousy but still forced a smile, "We are going to set things up over there; they''ll arrive shortly." Chen Zhiyan wasn''t suspicious at all and soon got into Pan Jiyuan''s car. When they arrived at the bar, Pan Jiyuan led Chen Zhiyan in through the back door and booked a private room. The spot Guo Bixi had arranged for Hao Jian was in the lounge area, ensuring that Chen Zhiyan and Hao Jian wouldn''t run into each other. "Wait here for a moment while I have someone prepare some drinks," Pan Jiyuan said. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chen Zhiyan nodded, completely unaware that she had fallen into Pan Jiyuan''s trap. Pan Jiyuan walked out of the private room with a smile, then stealthily approached one of the bartenders, "Abao, did you prepare the thing I asked you to?" "Brother Pan, how could I forget something you asked for?" Abao said with a sly smile, then handed a bottle to Pan Jiyuan, "Brother Pan, this is good stuff, imported from America, besides a man''s thing, nothing can detox this!" "It''s that powerful?" Pan Jiyuan was also stunned. "Absolutely, one hundred percent success rate! Once a woman takes it, she definitely can''t escape from your palm!" Abao revealed a knowing expression. "Quickly put the drug in the wine and send it to my private room!" Pan Jiyuan was becoming impatient, as long as Chen Zhiyan took this drug, even if he didn''t make a move on Chen Zhiyan, she would beg him for it! "Got it!" Abao made an OK gesture to Pan Jiyuan, the two conniving together, already plotting against Chen Zhiyan. "Remember to lock the private room from the outside later, don''t let anyone in, I want to deal with her there!" Pan Jiyuan said, wanting to act sooner rather than later to avoid complications, of course, his impatience was also a reason. "Should I prepare a condom then?" Abao asked considerately. "No need, I''m going raw! Once the deed is done, she can''t refuse me anymore, hahaha..." Meanwhile, Hao Jian and Guo Bixi were drinking outside the booths, Hao Jian unaware that Chen Zhiyan had arrived, and even less aware that she was facing imminent disaster. At this moment, Hao Jian noticed Pan Jiyuan was missing and asked in confusion, "Where''s Pan Jiyuan? Why don''t I see him?" "Oh, he got held up with something, he''ll be here soon!" Guo Bixi hurriedly explained, naturally not going to tell Hao Jian that Pan Jiyuan went to **** Chen Zhiyan. "Hey, why do you care about him? Why don''t you pay some attention to her instead? She''s feeling really uncomfortable!" Song Kexin said seductively to Hao Jian, thinking the mood was right after a few rounds of drinks, it was time to make a move on Hao Jian. "What''s uncomfortable?" Hao Jian laughed, knowing this woman was up to her tricks again. "I''m hungry!" Song Kexin said, looking pitiful. When she touched the terrifying size, Song Kexin suddenly gasped. Guo Bixi was puzzled, not understanding why Song Kexin had that expression. Hao Jian leaned closer to Song Kexin''s ear, his voice playful, "What? Can''t handle it?" Song Kexin swallowed, Is this guy a monster? Suddenly, Song Kexin felt a bit disappointed, how great it would be if this guy weren''t their enemy. "Whether I can handle it or not, I won''t know until I try." She really had feelings for him, and even if she couldn''t enjoy him in the future, at least she could enjoy today. "Then how about finding a secluded place and having a good talk?" Hao Jian said, his gaze slightly aggressive as he stared at Song Kexin. Feeling Hao Jian staring like that, Song Kexin suddenly felt a bit nervous, having played countless men, she was experiencing this strange feeling for the first time. To her, previous men were like prey, but now she felt like prey in front of Hao Jian. If you say Song Kexin was a beautiful viper, then Hao Jian gave her the feeling of a huge dragon! "Okay...okay," Song Kexin said, her heart fluttering, no longer able to flirt as usual, feeling very uneasy. Hao Jian smiled, picked up his coat, then said to Guo Bixi, "General Manager, we''ll be off then!" "Sure, sure, have fun, colleagues should indeed cultivate good relationships," Guo Bixi said with a beaming smile, thinking Hao Jian had totally fallen for it. After Hao Jian left, Zhuang Weixiong and a few security guards came out of a private room, standing behind Guo Bixi, ready for his orders, all holding cameras and other devices, their purpose now clear. Guo Bixi glanced at them and said coldly, "If you screw this up again, you better pack your bags and get lost!" Clearly, this was Guo Bixi''s plan, to have Song Kexin seduce Hao Jian, coerce them into going to a hotel, then have Song Kexin pretend to be raped, immediately followed by having Zhuang Weixiong and company capture footage of Hao Jian committing the crime, and submit it to the police. In this way, not only would Hao Jian be ruined and thrown into jail, but also, the headquarters couldn''t say anything since it would appear to be an issue of Hao Jian''s personal integrity, unrelated to them directly. Chapter 530 - 530: The Hoaxing Clown "Don''t worry, Manager, I will definitely complete the task perfectly!" Zhuang Weixiong assured with an oath, feeling a bit excited inside, as he could finally take his revenge! Even though he had been bullied by Hao Jian these past two days, as long as he could get Hao Jian thrown into jail, it would all be worth it. "Then that''s settled!" Guo Bixi then stood up, ready to leave. He was a clever person, always keeping himself out of things, so even if something went wrong later, it wouldn''t involve him. Afterwards, Zhuang Weixiong gave his men a look, and a group of them strode out with grandeur. Shortly thereafter, Hao Jian opened a room in a hotel not far from the bar. A smirk appeared on Hao Jian''s face; he knew what Song Kexin was up to and had a good guess about their plan. By acting drunk, Song Kexin was trying to mislead the front desk staff and the police to set the stage for what she was going to do next. It would appear that Song Kexin had not willingly entered the hotel with him but had been forced to after getting drunk. Late, when she would scream for help, claiming assault, he would be successfully framed for the crime! Once in the room, Song Kexin sat on the bed pretending to play with her phone, and Hao Jian didn''t need to guess to know this woman was messaging her accomplices. But Hao Jian didn''t stop her and just watched her play her clownish tricks. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After sending the message, Song Kexin became somewhat eager to pounce on Hao Jian. She had told Zhuang Weixiong and the others to arrive 20 minutes later. Within these 20 minutes, she needed to experience the formidable power of Hao Jian''s "little brother"! "Let''s not waste any time, let''s do it!" Hao Jian let her fumble with his clothes, all the while watching Song Kexin with a very peculiar gaze. Song Kexin noticed Hao Jian''s gaze and froze on the spot, as she sensed something mocking in his look. Under Hao Jian''s scrutiny, Song Kexin felt as though she was being seen through, his gaze piercing and frightening her. "What''s wrong with you?" Song Kexin asked, feeling apprehensive, as she too sensed that the atmosphere had subtly shifted. "Nothing, I just find it quite funny," Hao Jian jeered. "Funny? You think I''m funny?" Song Kexin stared at Hao Jian in astonishment, having no idea what he meant. "Yeah, why would I be interested in someone like you?" Hao Jian shook his head with a helpless expression, did he look like someone of such a low level? Indeed, he liked beautiful women, but it wasn''t just about looks, their hearts had to be beautiful too. How could he possibly be interested in Song Kexin, a woman who had been with everyone? "You..." Song Kexin was stunned; she had not expected Hao Jian to insult her like this. If you didn''t like me, why did you still get a hotel room with me? Song Kexin felt every inch of her skin trembling with anger, her heart filled with uncontainable resentment. No one had ever insulted her like this. She was obviously so beautiful, yet Hao Jian dared to scorn her? This blow to Song Kexin''s self-esteem was severe. In the past, which man hadn''t been dizzyingly enchanted by her? Yet, Hao Jian was not at all moved by her; he even went so far as to mock her? Song Kexin realized that Hao Jian had probably gotten a hotel room with her just to humiliate her. "You dislike me and yet you set up a date? Are you playing me? Let me tell you, today you''re getting undressed, whether you like it or not!" Song Kexin declared coldly. "So, you arranged the hookup, now you have to finish it even if you''re crying?" Hao Jian sighed. "Bastard!" Hearing this, Song Kexin, furious and gritting her teeth, swung a slap towards Hao Jian''s face. This statement was the ultimate humiliation for her! But Hao Jian caught her hand and pushed Song Kexin to the ground with a cold face, "Enough, stop acting!" "Acting? What are you talking about? I don''t understand at all." Song Kexin lowered her head guiltily, her heart also shockingly astounded. Could this guy possibly have already known? "Still pretending to be ignorant? You really think I''d be so dumb as to let you manipulate me?" Hao Jian snorted disdainfully, then walked over to the table, picked up Song Kexin''s phone, and threw it to her. "Call them, then you can start your performance!" "You... you''ve known already?" Song Kexin looked at Hao Jian with a mixture of fear and surprise. Why would this guy know about their plan? "Don''t really take me for a fool, the little tricks you''re playing, I stopped using them decades ago." Song Kexin completely panicked. This guy really knew. Immediately, Song Kexin clenched her teeth and decided to go all out, retorting coldly, "That''s right, we did want to set you up. So what if you know? The surveillance camera captured you carrying me, unconscious, into the hotel. If I scream now, everyone will think you''re a rapist!" Song Kexin started laughing smugly: "Hao Yingjun, just wait to go to jail! Offending us, did you think you''d have any good outcome? I want your life and reputation to be ruined!" Right after, she couldn''t wait to see Hao Jian''s angry expression. But to her disappointment, Hao Jian looked at her with disdain, and it took him a while to finally reply with a single word: "Oh." "You''re not afraid?" Song Kexin was completely dumbfounded. What was this attitude from Hao Jian? Could it be that he thought she was joking? Hao Jian clicked his tongue in wonder, "At first, I thought you three were quite smart. Now it seems you''re all fucking idiots." "You... What are you swearing at?" Under Hao Jian''s relentless scorn, Song Kexin felt a grievance filling her, making her want to cry. This wasn''t how the script was supposed to go. Wasn''t this guy supposed to be scared? Normally in queen mode, Song Kexin had always been in control when facing various men, but this time she felt like she had capsized in the sewer, encountering such a freak like Hao Jian. She couldn''t maintain her imposing aura at all. Instead, it was being utterly consumed by Hao Jian. His eyes, which seemed to pity her and yet were full of disdain, inflicted tons of psychological damage, making her feel an urge to cry. "Do you think if I were afraid, I would have come to this hotel with you? Can you use your brain, big sister?" Hao Jian sighed helplessly, then continued, "Come on, let''s not waste time anymore. Hurry up and make the call, so we can officially get into the story." Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Song Kexin began to feel uneasy. Seeing Hao Jian''s calm and composed demeanor that seemed not to be an act, she realized he didn''t take her seriously at all. At this moment, Song Kexin felt that if she made the call, she probably wouldn''t be able to ruin Hao Jian as she had anticipated. On the contrary, it might be them who ended up ruined. "Hurry up, weren''t you fully confident just now that you could ruin me? Aren''t you going to make the call?" Hao Jian taunted. But Song Kexin still didn''t move. The more domineering Hao Jian acted, the more uneasy she felt. "And if I said Chen Zhiyan is far prettier than you, not like you, ugly as hell like a sow, and your face is fake, breasts are fake, buttocks are fake, legs are fake, every damn thing about you is fake," Hao Jian said insultingly. "Hao Yingjun! You bastard!" Song Kexin screamed hysterically. This asshole had revealed all her secrets, but how on earth did he find out? Song Kexin''s body had undergone surgeries, but it had always been secret; she had never told anyone. "Why are you so mad? I didn''t say anything wrong. You indeed are no match for Chen Zhiyan. She is a natural beauty, while you''re an artificial one. Even after the procedures, you''re not as pretty as her. If she had surgery, you wouldn''t even be qualified to carry her shoes. But she''s so naturally beautiful, she doesn''t need to, unlike you, your whole body is fake, Magobi! And yet you want to seduce me, you think I like silicon?" Hao Jian said, crushing her with his words. This man had one requirement for women: for his and his future children''s health, the water must be pure! Song Kexin was fuming with rage, sneering, "Chen Zhiyan? Now I''m afraid she''s already Pan Jiyuan''s..." Hao Jian''s brows furrowed abruptly, "What do you mean?" "What do I mean? It means Pan Jiyuan plans to drug Chen Zhiyan. Your Goddess will soon be a..." Song Kexin laughed maniacally, her expression somewhat crazed. Because she finally saw a trace of anger on Hao Jian''s face. Hao Jian''s eyes turned icy in an instant, and soon he chuckled coldly, "Well, now, either you start acting, or I''m leaving!" "Leaving? I will not let you go!" Song Kexin grabbed the phone to make a call. She was now all-in, ready to pay the price if need be! Hao Jian had humiliated her so much; she had to get revenge no matter what. She could tell Hao Jian cared a lot about Chen Zhiyan. The more he cared for Chen Zhiyan, the more she wanted to stop him from saving her! "Considering your current actions, I think I have no choice but to make you pay a heavy price!" Hao Jian said with a sinister smile. "Indecent assault! Help!" And at that moment, Song Kexin began to rip her own clothes, tousle her hair and scream like a shrew. Chapter 531 - 531: True Nature Revealed ``` Hao Jian just watched coldly and did not stop them. Then, Zhuang Weixiong and the rest burst in, glanced at Song Kexin, and angrily said, "Hao Yingjun, how dare you molest a female colleague?" "Idiot!" Hao Jian scoffed, his contempt evident as he curled his lip. The theatrics were just too over the top. "Well, well, still so arrogant after molesting a colleague. Brothers, quickly take pictures of his criminal evidence!" Zhuang Weixiong picked up the camera and started snapping furiously at Hao Jian, the flash blazing incessantly. Hao Jian shielded his eyes with his hand, growing impatient, "Can you stop taking pictures?" "What, scared? Too late!" Zhuang Weixiong laughed heartily. "I just find the light particularly glaring," Hao Jian said as he reached out with one hand towards Zhuang Weixiong. Zhuang Weixiong quickly hopped back with a smug laugh, "Trying to destroy the evidence? Don''t even think about it!" "Bang!" Next thing he knew, his nose was struck by a punch, blood gushing out as he fell to the ground, and the camera in his hand shattered into pieces. "You misunderstood; it''s you I wanted to hit!" Hao Jian said with a cold smile before pouncing on the other security guards like a starving tiger. Screams then rose and fell, one after another, as the security guards were taken down by Hao Jian, ending up in the same plight as Zhuang Weixiong. "Hao Jian, you... you molested a female colleague and attacked male colleagues, you... you''re definitely going to jail!" Zhuang Weixiong shouted weakly at Hao Jian, unable to even stand up. "Then bite me," Hao Jian said with scorn, turning his head to look at Song Kexin. His gaze grew darker, "Tell me, where is Chen Zhiyan now?" "You think I''d tell you?" Song Kexin snickered, having been humiliated by Hao Jian earlier; she was unlikely to tell him where Chen Zhiyan was. Hao Jian shook his head with a bitter smile, "Some people just can''t figure out their place." Immediately, he approached Song Kexin and grabbed her throat, lifting her off the ground. At this moment, Hao Jian''s eyes flickered with a dark, piercing light, as stark as black diamonds, deep and mysterious. "Maybe you think since I''m a man, I surely won''t hurt a woman. Indeed, I generally dislike using force on women. But you''re not a woman; you''re a wretched creature!" Hao Jian sneered, "Now, you have two choices: tell me where Chen Zhiyan is or die!" Song Kexin stared into Hao Jian''s eyes, her pupils dilating rapidly, and in that instant, it was as if she saw death itself! Song Kexin knew Hao Jian wasn''t joking; if she didn''t reveal Chen Zhiyan''s whereabouts, he really might kill her. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "She... she''s at the bar we were at before," Song Kexin struggled to say, the suffocation causing her excruciating pain. "Are you playing me? If she was at that bar, why didn''t I see her earlier?" Hao Jian yelled angrily. "She was taken into a private room by Xu Ani, that''s why you couldn''t see her. I really didn''t lie to you!" Song Kexin, frightened, was already on the verge of tears. "You''d better not have lied to me, or else I''ll still come back to kill you!" Hao Jian threw Song Kexin to the ground. "This matter won''t end here. You, Pan Jiyuan, and Guo Bixi, your good days are over!" Hearing this, Song Kexin was suddenly startled¡ªwhat was this guy planning to do? But Hao Jian no longer paid her any attention and swept away like a gust of wind. Song Kexin hurriedly called the police, "Hello, is this the police station? I''ve been molested, and that person also injured several of my colleagues and ran away. Please come quickly! And remember to bring guns, the more the better; that man has firearms on him!" At this moment, Song Kexin detested Hao Jian to the core, so she deliberately told the police Hao Jian had a gun, hoping they would bring their own to shoot him dead. ....... "Why isn''t Hao Jian coming yet?" Chen Zhiyan was getting impatient in the private room; it had been an hour, and Hao Jian still hadn''t shown up. "He''ll be here soon, he''ll be here soon. Zhiyan, come on, have a drink and wait patiently!" Song Kexin handed a glass of wine to Chen Zhiyan. That drink had been prepared half an hour earlier, but Chen Zhiyan seemed wary and had not taken a sip. This made Pan Jiyuan restless, prompting him to speak up. Chen Zhiyan glanced at Pan Jiyuan and then said, "I won''t drink." "Zhiyan, you can''t suspect that I''ve drugged the wine, can you?" Pan Jiyuan looked at Chen Zhiyan with a somewhat heartbroken expression. ``` "I don''t think so, you''re just overthinking it," Chen Zhiyan replied indifferently, clearly unwilling to get entangled on this topic. In fact, she did doubt Pan Jiyuan, especially since she didn''t really understand him. "But your actions clearly tell me that you doubt me," Pan Jiyuan sighed, as if hurt by Chen Zhiyan''s attitude. He took out the bottle of liquor, poured himself a glass, then took a sip, "See? I didn''t drug it." Of course, the liquor was drugged, but Abao had already told him that it would only affect women, it was ineffective for men. Right now, Pan Jiyuan was simply trying to confuse Chen Zhiyan. Watching Pan Jiyuan do this, Chen Zhiyan''s beautiful eyes flashed with an unusual light, seemingly surprised that Pan Jiyuan hadn''t actually drugged the liquor. "I think you''ve really misunderstood," but Chen Zhiyan naturally wouldn''t admit she was wrong and still insisted she hadn''t doubted him. "Since it''s all a misunderstanding, would you be willing to have a drink with me?" Pan Jiyuan asked. "I''m sorry, I don''t drink," Chen Zhiyan declined politely. Even if there were no drugs in the liquor, continual drinking would probably lead to drunkenness, right? Chen Zhiyan didn''t want to give Pan Jiyuan any openings to take advantage of her. "As colleagues, you wouldn''t even give me this bit of face? Just one glass, one glass will do, one won''t get you drunk," Pan Jiyuan continued to urge her to drink, knowing that if Chen Zhiyan didn''t drink, he wouldn''t be able to achieve his goal. "This... alright then!" Chen Zhiyan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately allowed Pan Jiyuan to persuade her, thinking that one glass shouldn''t be a problem. "Good, good, let me pour for you, let me pour!" Pan Jiyuan was ecstatic, quickly pouring a glass for Chen Zhiyan. Chen Zhiyan took the glass but drank like a woman from South Korea, turning her body sideways and using her hand to cover her face. Pan Jiyuan was also stunned, not expecting this woman to have such a classical side to her. How interesting! "How''s the taste?" Once Chen Zhiyan had finished drinking, Pan Jiyuan eagerly asked her. "I don''t really like it!" Chen Zhiyan honestly stated. Pan Jiyuan had poured her a strong spirit, which she didn''t quite enjoy. "No problem, if you don''t like it, you don''t have to drink," Pan Jiyuan said considerately, not continuing to urge Chen Zhiyan to drink any more because he knew that with this kind of strong drug, such a small glass was already enough. Now, all he had to do was wait for the drug to take effect. After a while, Chen Zhiyan grew somewhat impatient and asked, "Why hasn''t Hao Jian come yet?" "Hao Jian, Hao Jian, do you only have eyes for Hao Jian?" Pan Jiyuan finally couldn''t restrain his outburst. Since they''d been sitting there, Chen Zhiyan had asked about Hao Jian no less than ten times. Why did she only have eyes for Hao Jian, and in what way was he not good enough? "What are you doing?" Chen Zhiyan looked at Pan Jiyuan surprisingly, who now seemed somewhat crazed. She hadn''t expected the previously civil Pan Jiyuan to suddenly change like this. With a madness reminiscent of delirium, and a sickly grin on his face, Pan Jiyuan declared, "Hao Jian? I''ll tell you, Hao Jian will never come. Tonight, you''re mine!" Chen Zhiyan suddenly felt Pan Jiyuan was terrifying and quickly moved back, looking at Pan Jiyuan with a touch of fear, "What... what are you talking about? Where exactly is Hao Jian?" "I never told Hao Jian you were here, I lied to you!" Pan Jiyuan laughed eerily, since Chen Zhiyan''s drug effects were about to kick in, he had nothing to worry about. "What?" Chen Zhiyan was shocked. Pan Jiyuan had actually deceived her? Chen Zhiyan had a bad feeling. She didn''t care Pan Jiyuan had lied to her, what concerned her more was why Pan Jiyuan had lied. "That kid''s probably been seduced by Song Kexin to book a hotel room by now, and tomorrow you''ll hear the news that the newly appointed supervisor of our company has been imprisoned for raping a female colleague!" Pan Jiyuan laughed heartily, feeling pleased at the thought of Hao Jian''s fate. "You like Hao Jian, don''t you? I''ll make sure you never see him again. Anyone who dares to compete with me for a woman deserves to die!" Pan Jiyuan yelled like a madman, his crazed demeanor revealing the extent of his possessiveness. "You guys actually conspired to frame Hao Jian?" Chen Zhiyan exclaimed in surprise. Were these people courting death? "Get angry, get as angry as you want, the angrier you are, the happier I''ll be!" "Angry? Why should I be angry? I should be happy instead. That way, you guys will all be thoroughly annihilated by him!" Chen Zhiyan sneered disdainfully. Pan Jiyuan was taken aback, not expecting such a reaction from Chen Zhiyan. His expression stiff, he said, "Could it be that you think that kid still has a way out?" "The terrifying thing about Hao Jian is not something you idiots can comprehend," Chen Zhiyan shook her head, looking at Pan Jiyuan with pity, "Anyone who dares to oppose him meets an extremely miserable end, and it''s unfortunate that you''ve made such an unwise decision." Immediately after, Chen Zhiyan stood up, grabbed her bag, "Well, this farce can end now. I''m going home. You just wait for that guy''s retaliation!" As she spoke, Chen Zhiyan was ready to leave, but Pan Jiyuan quickly stepped in front of her. Chapter 532 - 532: Are You Trying to Seduce Me? "Leave? At this point, do you think you can still get away?" Pan Jiyuan sneered. How could he let go of a duck that was practically in his mouth? Chen Zhiyan immediately furrowed her brows in displeasure, "Do you know what you''re doing? If I call the police and have you arrested, do you know that you''ll be charged with rape?" "The basis for a charge of rape is that I indeed forced you to have sexual relations with me, but if you voluntarily had sex with me, the result would be quite different," Pan Jiyuan said lewdly. "Voluntarily have sex with you? Are you dreaming?" Chen Zhiyan scoffed, herself wanting this kind of trash? Ridiculous! Seeing the disdain on Chen Zhiyan''s face, Pan Jiyuan''s anger intensified, and through gritted teeth, he said, "Normally it wouldn''t be possible, but if I put something in your drink, then the outcome would be different!" "What?" Chen Zhiyan''s expression changed instantly. "That''s right, I drugged your drink! Soon, I will record a video to prove that you were the one pleading for pleasure, making it a consensual act, not rape!" Pan Jiyuan was very sinister, having planned everything thoroughly. Therefore, even if Chen Zhiyan called the police, the judge, after viewing the video, would believe that Chen Zhiyan had consented to the relationship with Pan Jiyuan. "You... you despicable!" Chen Zhiyan''s face went green with anger; she could never have imagined that Pan Jiyuan would stoop so low. "I am despicable, but what can you do about it? As long as I get to have you, that''s all that matters!" Pan Jiyuan said shamelessly, not caring at all about Chen Zhiyan''s scorn. Soon, Pan Jiyuan walked towards Chen Zhiyan with ill intentions, "Zhiyan, come! Let''s enjoy ourselves. I just took a Viagra; today we can do it several times, and no one will disturb us!" ..... Meanwhile, Hao Jian also barged into the bar, without wasting any words, he kicked open every private room he could see! "Bang bang bang bang..." The doors of the rooms were kicked open one after another, making loud noises that scared the hell out of the customers inside. "Hey hey hey, what are you doing?" Abao, accompanied by a group of security guards, came to stop Hao Jian, indignant that someone dared to wreck their place. "Get lost!" Hao Jian spat out a word without turning his head. "Fuck! So arrogant? **** him!" Abao immediately cursed, and because they had wrecked their venue and even told them to get lost, they felt they had to teach this kid a lesson or they wouldn''t be able to swallow their anger. "Sorry, I have something that I must do right now, so please kindly lie down for me!" Hao Jian roared, grabbing a couch with one hand. "Boom!" Hao Jian, with one hand, swung a steel couch weighing hundreds of pounds, furiously smashing it down on Abao and the others just like swatting flies, all of them were knocked out cold, The weight of several hundred pounds was no joke when landing on a person, immediately knocking them unconscious. Hao Jian continued kicking open the doors of the private rooms, beating up anyone who dared to obstruct him ruthlessly. "If you dare lay a hand on me, Hao Jian won''t let you off!" Chen Zhiyan, cornered against the wall by Pan Jiyuan, still did not forget to threaten him. "Not let me off? He can''t even protect himself right now!" Pan Jiyuan smirked disdainfully. "Zhiyan, stop resisting, just enjoy it," greed glinted in the eyes of Pan Jiyuan. "Just wait, I will make you wish you were dead!" And just then, a chilling voice suddenly came from the entrance. Someone pushed the door open, and when Chen Zhiyan saw who it was, her face suddenly brightened and she relaxed. Suddenly, Chen Zhiyan''s expression changed, her eyes turned blurry, and she collapsed limply to the ground. Seeing Hao Jian appear, Pan Jiyuan turned pale and extremely shocked, "You? How are you here?" By all accounts, Hao Jian should have been detained in the police station at this time. How could he appear here? Hao Jian, showing no interest even in glancing at Pan Jiyuan, walked directly to the limply fallen Chen Zhiyan, and as he passed by Pan Jiyuan, he casually seized Pan Jiyuan''s head and smashed it against the wall, with a bang, Pan Jiyuan''s head burst open and he fainted immediately. "Are you alright?" Hao Jian bent down to Chen Zhiyan''s side, relieved to see that her clothes were still on. "Do I look alright?" Chen Zhiyan said weakly, casting a somewhat resentful look at Hao Jian. "What happened to you?" Hao Jian asked anxiously, as Chen Zhiyan indeed looked very off. "You took the medicine?" Hao Jian exclaimed in shock. Chen Zhiyan nodded weakly, "I feel completely weak now, something is really off with me." "I''ll take you to the hospital immediately." Hao Jian also realized the urgency and quickly picked up Chen Zhiyan, intending to rush her to the hospital. "It''s pointless; Pan Jiyuan just said that this is a potent drug, with particularly fierce effects; only a man''s semen can counteract the poison." Chen Zhiyan said enticingly, her enticing eyes showing a hint of desire. "Huh?" Hao Jian turned to stone, what did that meaningful look mean? Could this woman actually be wanting his semen? Chen Zhiyan''s voice was somewhat hoarse and deep, carrying a strange allure that was intoxicating. "Hao Jian, if it were someone else, I wouldn''t accept their treatment, but if it''s you, that''s different." Chen Zhiyan gazed affectionately at Hao Jian, and although she didn''t say it outright, her message was clear. Hao Jian was utterly shocked, did this woman really want him to sleep with her? "I know you might feel some psychological pressure, but don''t feel pressured. We are compelled by the situation, so I won''t blame you. Let''s consider what happens today as just a dream, okay?" Chen Zhiyan completely adopted a tender and caring persona. Hao Jian was completely speechless; this script was all wrong, wasn''t it? Usually, in these situations, it''s the man who comforts the woman, right? Why had the roles reversed? "Come on, I''m ready, remember to be gentle!" Chen Zhiyan said breathily, then calmly looked at Hao Jian, apparently ready to surrender herself fully. Thereafter, Hao Jian watched Chen Zhiyan with a bizarre expression, feeling an urge to laugh but unable to. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Chen Zhiyan asked somewhat guiltily, looking down, unable to meet Hao Jian''s gaze, thinking to herself: Does this guy know? No way; my acting is so impeccable. "You are not poisoned by any medicine!" Hao Jian stated confidently. At those words, Chen Zhiyan''s expression instantly turned a bit panicky, "What are you talking about? I''m obviously poisoned by the aphrodisiac; don''t you see how weak and limp I am?" "That''s all an act!" Hao Jian said without hesitation. "I''m not!" "You are!" "I''m not!" "You are!" "I said I''m not!" Chen Zhiyan said, frustrated. This bastard, why can''t he be more understanding? Hao Jian snorted, analytically, "Someone who took such a drug couldn''t possibly be as clear-headed as you are; they would have been half unconscious by now, not chatty like you, talking nonstop. You''re comforting me not to feel pressured? What kind of pressure could I possibly feel in this situation?" Chen Zhiyan was just pretending; he felt no psychological pressure at all. Chen Zhiyan lowered her head in a mix of anger and embarrassment, grunting, "I don''t know what you''re talking about." "Playing dumb won''t help you. You just want to seduce me!" Hao Jian mimicked Chen Zhiyan''s grunt but with more pride and disdain, fully expressing his scorn for her words. At this moment, Chen Zhiyan knew she had no way out and coldly turned to look at Hao Jian, "Can I swear?" "No! Because you are the one in the wrong." Hao Jian stated decisively. "Where did I go wrong?" Chen Zhiyan really wanted to curse. How did she go wrong? Was she just trying to give this jerk a taste of sweetness? And she was wrong? "You want to use the excuse of being poisoned by the aphrodisiac to force me to save you with my chastity, taking advantage of me!" Hao Jian complained discontently. If it weren''t for his unique insight, Chen Zhiyan''s scheme would have succeeded. "I''m taking advantage of you?" Chen Zhiyan was completely dumbfounded, having mustered her courage to reveal herself, and, in this guy''s view, she seemed to be taking advantage of him? "Please, you''re a man, aren''t you? Usually in these situations, it''s the women who end up at a disadvantage, right?" Chen Zhiyan fumed, she was so pretty, why would she need to take advantage of him? "What about being a man? Men and women are equal in today''s society; how come men can''t be harassed? Especially when some are as pure as ice and as chaste as jade!" Hao Jian grunted discontentedly. Chen Zhiyan was on the verge of spitting blood, how did she end up with such a creature? S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Luckily I was clever and saw through your scheme, or I would have let you succeed!" Hao Jian said, somewhat proud of himself. "Yes, yes, it''s all my fault. I shouldn''t have thrown myself at you, okay?" Chen Zhiyan rolled her eyes, visibly angry. If it weren''t for him being married, Chen Zhiyan would have wondered if he were gay. Chapter 533 - 533 Another Arrangement I couldn''t be more direct with my actions, yet he remained unresponsive, which was really infuriating. "It must be your fault, you know. We''ve been classmates for so many years, so familiar with each other. Even a rabbit wouldn''t eat the grass beside its burrow. How could you bring yourself to do such a thing? And to stoop so low as to pretend to have taken an aphrodisiac to deceive me, how is your behavior any different from Pan Jiyuan?" Hao Jian kept scolding with an "I''m so disappointed in you" look. "I..." Chen Zhiyan was suddenly at a loss for words and had nothing to say in return. I haven''t done anything to you, right? Why act as if I''ve wronged you a thousand times over? ? Chen Zhiyan was at her wit''s end. Even a grown man was more pretentious than her, leaving her at a loss for what to say. "Although you have disappointed me, who made me such a nice person? I''ve chosen to forgive you. Don''t do it again, I''m a decent person," Hao Jian said earnestly. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ? "You''re a decent person, so that means I''m not?" Chen Zhiyan glared at Hao Jian fiercely. ? Hao Jian immediately cowered, "Why so fierce? It''s as if you''re trying to take someone''s virginity with that attitude." ? Pan Jiyuan, slowly waking up from unconsciousness, decisively fainted again upon hearing the conversation between Chen Zhiyan and Hao Jian. Damn it, he had tried every trick in the book to win over Chen Zhiyan, to no avail, leaving him no choice but to play rough. ? And now, Chen Zhiyan was pretending to be poisoned to sleep with Hao Jian, what the hell? The contrast before and after wanted to make him die. How could there be such a huge difference between people? ? This really was a case of "comparisons between people can drive one to death." ? Chen Zhiyan hadn''t actually drunk any alcohol just now. When she turned to the side, it looked like she was drinking, but in reality, she poured the drink away while her hand was covering the cup. She ultimately still didn''t trust Pan Jiyuan. ? Hao Jian carried Chen Zhiyan out of the bar, but as soon as they stepped outside, they saw Song Kexin and Zhuang Weixiong with a group of police officers approaching. ? "Officer, it''s him! He tried to rape me!" Song Kexin angrily pointed at Hao Jian and told a middle-aged police officer. ? The middle-aged officer glanced at Hao Jian and instantly gasped. ? "Are you sure it was him trying to rape you?" the middle-aged officer asked gravely. "Yes, it was him!" Song Kexin said confidently, a hint of smugness on her face. What good is fighting skills? These are the police. Do you dare go against the police? "Officer, you must arrest him. Not only did he try to rape me, but he also injured my colleagues who tried to save me. This man is utterly wicked and has guns on him. I suggest shooting him on the spot!" Song Kexin said malevolently, truly living up to the saying ''the most poisonous thing is a woman''s heart.'' The officer slapped Song Kexin across the face and roared, "Do you take me for an idiot?" "Officer, what... what are you doing?" Song Kexin looked at Lin Nantian in horror. At this moment, Lin Nantian also felt a murderous urge. After receiving a report of someone carrying a gun and committing violence, he was so frightened that he personally led the team there. After all, Huaxia is a country with very strict gun control. It absolutely does not allow private ownership of guns, especially not by criminals. In order not to risk the public''s safety, he immediately led his team there, only to find upon arrival that the person Song Kexin was talking about was Hao Jian. Was this some kind of joke? Hao Jian, a criminal? Hao Jian committing something as low-level as rape? So Lin Nantian''s first reaction was that Song Kexin was lying, and this infuriated him. He had dispatched dozens of officers, even bringing guns. This grand operation was meant to catch a criminal, and yet, it was all for this. Lin Nantian clearly felt played. "How could he possibly be a criminal? Has your brain been crushed by a door?" Lin Nantian raged. "Why can''t he be a criminal? He really did try to rape me!" Song Kexin was dumbfounded; something in Lin Nantian''s words didn''t quite add up. "Officer, what she said is true. I can testify!" Zhuang Weixiong also hurriedly interjected, speaking on behalf of Song Kexin, both of them eager to have Hao Jian sent to prison as soon as possible. Lin Nantian kicked Zhuang Weixiong in the chest, knocking him to the ground, "Did I ask you to speak? Get lost!" Hao Jian, holding Chen Zhiyan, just shook his head with a smirk, then walked up to Lin Nantian, "There''s someone called Pan Jiyuan inside. He''s the real offender; arrest him." "Right, I will do just that!" Lin Nantian nodded eagerly, not daring to go against Hao Jian''s wishes. Seeing this scene, Song Kexin and Zhuang Weixiong were scared silly. Lin Nantian glared at them fiercely, yet he was obedient when it came to Hao Jian? They could also tell that Hao Jian definitely knew Lin Nantian; otherwise, Lin Nantian would never be so polite to him. At this moment, Song Kexin suddenly had an ominous premonition. She suddenly remembered what Hao Jian said to her before, and finally understood why Hao Jian was so disdainful of their plan. Because Hao Jian also had backing, a very strong one at that; even the police chief had to be polite to him. Song Kexin realized that Hao Jian might not be as simple as he appeared on the surface. What he said before might not have been empty words. He really could make them suffer consequences they couldn''t escape from. Thinking of this, Song Kexin felt a chill in her heart and deeply regretted becoming enemies with Hao Jian. "What about them?" Lin Nantian pointed at Song Kexin and Zhuang Weixiong, asking Hao Jian what to do with them, wanting to know how Hao Jian would deal with them. Hearing this, Song Kexin and Zhuang Weixiong couldn''t help but shudder, their complexions pale as death. They knew if Hao Jian wanted to deal with them, it would only take but a word! "The man, drag him to the station and beat him up, then charge him with the crime of indecency toward women. If you need witnesses, go to my subsidiary; there are plenty of female employees who can testify," said Hao Jian. Zhuang Weixiong collapsed to the ground in fright. Hao Jian was out to ruin him. "Director Hao, no, Old Master Hao, please don''t send me to jail, I know my mistake!" Zhuang Weixiong immediately panicked, knelt down, and flung himself at Hao Jian''s feet, weeping and begging. Once he went to jail, his life would be over! If his relatives and friends learned he was sent to prison for indecent behavior toward women, they would despise him. "Since you''ve shown up here, you''ve essentially made a choice. I''m sorry, but I can''t forgive you," Hao Jian said coldly; now it was useless to even call him "Old Master". Lin Nantian immediately understood Hao Jian''s meaning and also shouted, "Someone come, take this kid away for me." Shortly after, Zhuang Weixiong was dragged away, crying and screaming. "And this woman, how will you deal with her?" Lin Nantian asked again. Upon hearing this, Song Kexin''s hair stood on end, and she looked at Hao Jian in terror, fearing that he would turn on her. Hao Jian smiled indifferently and said, "Don''t bother with her; I have other plans for her." Song Kexin''s expression changed. For some reason, after hearing Hao Jian''s words, she felt somewhat envious of Zhuang Weixiong! "Right, that Pan Jiyuan, I want everyone to know he''s a violator of women. Remember to have the inmates in jail take good care of him, understand?" Upon hearing this, Song Kexin''s expression turned to one of horror; she could already foresee the torture Pan Jiyuan would face once in jail, a fate worse than death. ........ In recent days, Yan Yuhong found his health deteriorating more and more. He suffered from unexplained heart palpitations, shortness of breath, weakness in his legs, and occasional colds and fevers, feeling a drastic decline in his immune system. And after coming out of the hospital, his face was ashen¡ª he had AIDS? How was this possible? The truth was hard to accept, but no matter how hard it was, it had to be accepted. At this time, Yan Yuhong was incredibly depressed. He had AIDS, and he might have already infected his family. The thought alone made Yan Yuhong feel utterly hopeless, as if death wasn''t enough, he had dragged his family into misfortune as well. After his depression, came anger! Yan Yuhong wanted to find the source of his infection. He spent a lot of time thinking about how he could''ve contracted this terminal disease and then he remembered He Rong. Before now, he hadn''t tried doing it without protection, except for that one time. And it was after that one time that he fell ill. How could such a coincidence exist in the world? So Yan Yuhong went to find He Rong in a furious rage, kicking open the door to her office, only to see her drinking and enjoying herself with a group of wealthy gentlemen, which made him even more furious. He Rong had put him in such a state and still had the mood to drink? "He Rong, you... you actually set me up with a sick chick!" Yan Yuhong roared, wishing he could swallow He Rong alive. If it wasn''t for He Rong setting him up with a diseased woman, how could he have ended up in such a miserable state? "Oh, you''ve found out?" But to Yan Yuhong''s surprise, He Rong did not even rebut and just admitted it. She slowly set down the wine glass, a cigar in her mouth, and looked at Yan Yuhong with a smirk that wasn''t quite a smile. Yan Yuhong was taken aback. What was He Rong''s reaction? Did she know all this from the beginning? Initially, Yan Yuhong thought He Rong might not have known those were sick women because he couldn''t figure out why He Rong would have any reason to go against him. But seeing He Rong''s reaction at the moment, he realized he was wrong. She had known it all along and had done it on purpose. "Why did you do this?" Yan Yuhong asked with an ashen face, wanting to know why He Rong had treated him this way. "Because you messed with the wrong person, you know?" He Rong scoffed. Upon hearing this, Yan Yuhong became puzzled, "Who did I mess with?" He Rong was actually being instructed by someone? Who was it that instructed her? "What a fool, still doesn''t know who he''s offended; this is hilarious!" A middle-aged man wearing glasses laughed and coldly taunted, "Fool, you''ve crossed Mr. Hao!" Chapter 534 - 534 Is it you? "Hao Jian? You''re one of Hao Jian''s people?" Yan Yuhong was shocked as he looked at He Rong. "That''s right, Yan Yuhong, you''re too full of yourself, daring to make an enemy of Mr. Hao Jian. This is your just desserts!" He Rong said mercilessly. "Yan Yuhong, at first I thought you were quite smart. How could you be so foolish at a time like this? In a contest of the level of Mr. Hao Jian, do you think we''re qualified to take part? The smartest choice is to sit on the fence and not take sides! But you chose to stand with He Changhuan and oppose Mr. Hao Jian, now how do you like the consequences?" Another middle-aged man taunted, once a business partner of Yan Yuhong, but now he felt no pity for him. Everyone here was among the powerful and wealthy elite, all part of high society. They had all heard about Yan Yuhong before he arrived and found the whole thing laughable. That Yan Yuhong actually tried to contend with Hao Jian was, in their eyes, no different from courting death! About Hao Jian, they were all very clear: He could play Hua City''s four young masters like a fiddle, which proved he was no ordinary man, so naturally, they should keep their distance. But Yan Yuhong still foolishly provoked him. "Isn''t He Changhuan your master? Why don''t you go to him? See if he can save you?" one of them said sarcastically. Yan Yuhong was at a loss for words, his entire face had turned an ashen blue. This was a trap laid by Hao Jian, something Yan Yuhong had not expected. Ever since their last argument in the office, Hao Jian had been quiet, and Yan Yuhong thought he had intimidated Hao Jian, feeling smug in his heart. But now it seemed he was too naive; Hao Jian had been secretly planning all along, and he had successfully ensnared him. Yan Yuhong finally understood what Hao Jian meant by "You don''t have to get your hands dirty to kill someone," but by the time he realized this, it was already too late. "I''m going to kill you!" Yan Yuhong roared hysterically, then lunged at He Rong. If he was going to die, he wanted to take He Rong down with him. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But before Yan Yuhong could even get close to He Rong, he was floored with a punch by a bodyguard. "Since I knew you were coming, did you think I wouldn''t be prepared?" He Rong sneered and then shouted to her subordinates, "Drag him out and give him a good beating, as long as he doesn''t die, anything goes!" If it were in the past, He Rong would never have dared to touch Yan Yuhong. But now, it was different. With Hao Jian behind her, she didn''t need to treat Yan Yuhong seriously. .... Meanwhile, Song Kexin was also rushing frantically into Guo Bixi''s office. Guo Bixi was flirting with his female secretary. Seeing Song Kexin burst in, the two of them were startled, and the female secretary, even more scared, shrieked and ran out. Guo Bixi was also stunned and said, "What are you doing here? Shouldn''t you be at the police station at a time like this?" Seeing Song Kexin''s ghost-like appearance, Guo Bixi was also baffled. "Something... something''s happened." Song Kexin panted, then quickly related the recent events to Guo Bixi. After hearing the account, Guo Bixi''s expression changed dramatically, "That guy knows the police chief?" Guo Bixi''s expression immediately became uneasy. Hao Jian had actually gotten Pan Jiyuan and Zhuang Weixiong thrown into jail. Zhuang Weixiong was one thing, just a dog, but Pan Jiyuan was different; he was his own nephew by marriage. If his sister and brother-in-law found out that Pan Jiyuan was jailed because of him, wouldn''t they fight him to the death? Guo Bixi had no idea how to explain this to them now. "What do we do now? After dealing with them, Hao Yingjun will definitely come after us next. He''s already said it, he won''t let us off easily!" Song Kexin''s pretty face turned pale, asking anxiously. She was terrified of Hao Jian''s retaliation, which she couldn''t withstand. "Don''t panic, we haven''t been driven to absolute desperation yet!" Guo Bixi scoffed, as if he didn''t care at all. "You have a plan?" Song Kexin was astounded. "Do you know who Chen Zhiyan really is?" Guo Bixi asked Song Kexin with a sinister smile. "Chen Zhiyan? Isn''t she the new minister?" Song Kexin asked, puzzled, wondering why Guo Bixi was bringing up Chen Zhiyan at this time. "You''re wrong, Chen Zhiyan is more than just a minister. She was just an ordinary employee, yet she got promoted to minister within less than a year. Do you know why?" Guo Bixi asked. "Why?" Song Kexin''s curiosity was piqued by Guo Bixi, wondering if there was a special reason behind it. "Not long ago, I had someone investigate Chen Zhiyan, and now we finally have the result. That woman is actually the lover of someone from above!" Guo Bixi said with a strange laugh, referring to Hao Jian, of course. "You mean Hao Jian?" Song Kexin couldn''t help but be astonished. She indeed hadn''t expected this; Chen Zhiyan turned out to be the lover of their Vice Chairman. Song Kexin naturally knew about Hao Jian too. Currently, the gossip throughout Hua City was all about Hao Jian. It was said that even the four young masters of Hua City had been played for fools by him. According to the rumors, Hao Jian was an extremely fearsome person. The whole Hua City gave him respect. "Who would''ve thought that woman, appearing so cold and distant, pushing people thousands of miles away, turned out to be a mistress!" Song Kexin couldn''t help but sneer. Chen Zhiyan always liked to act high and mighty in front of her, looking down on her. Who would have guessed that Chen Zhiyan was nothing but a scheming bitch who climbed her way up by relying on a lover! "If it weren''t for that person pushing things along, do you think she could have ascended to her current position based on her own abilities? That''s a fool''s dream!" Guo Bixi let out a cold snort, with a glint of ferocity in her eyes, "But she won''t be able to prance around for much longer. What do you think would happen if we told that person about Chen Zhiyan and Hao Yingjun''s affair?" The moment Song Kexin heard this, her eyes lit up. Was there even a need to ask? Both Chen Zhiyan and Hao Yingjun would undoubtedly be dead meat! In their view, no matter how capable Hao Yingjun was, could he compare with Hao Jian, who could cover the sky with one hand in Hua City? However, what they didn''t know was: Hao Yingjun and Hao Jian were, in fact, the same person. "I admit I underestimated that kid before, but this time I definitely won''t make the same mistake!" This time, Guo Bixi was determined to completely take down Hao Yingjun! Otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to explain himself to Pan Jiyuan! "Song Kexin, go and report to headquarters immediately. Tell that person about the sordid affair between Chen Zhiyan and Hao Yingjun. Before Hao Yingjun makes a move against us, we''ll finish him first!" Guo Bixi said viciously. "I''ll set off right now!" Song Kexin was overjoyed as well; there was finally a way to eradicate Hao Yingjun. This way, she wouldn''t have to worry about Hao Yingjun''s revenge. Half an hour later, at the Shu Ya Group headquarters. "Vice Chairman Hao, the division manager Song Kexin requests to see you," the receptionist relayed the call into Shu Ya''s office. Since he was Shu Ya''s husband, Shu Ya''s office naturally became his office too. "Song Kexin?" Hao Jian furrowed his brows, wondering what Song Kexin wanted with him. "Let her in!" Hao Jian spoke with a grave tone. He wanted to see what kind of trouble Song Kexin could stir up now. At this moment, Song Kexin also couldn''t help feeling puzzled. Why did Hao Jian''s voice sound so much like that bastard Hao Yingjun? "Vice Chairman Hao has agreed to see you. Please go up," the receptionist said to Song Kexin. Song Kexin rubbed her chest, deliberately straightening her spine to make her breasts appear even firmer, and squeezed out a gentle smile on her face. Although her purpose today was to denounce the affair between Chen Zhiyan and Hao Yingjun, if she could successfully seduce Hao Jian as well, that would be great. In the future, she could also soar to the branches like Chen Zhiyan and turn into a phoenix. Thinking this, Song Kexin deliberately unbuttoned two buttons, then pulled down her collar a bit, exposing a swath of her fair skin. After doing all this, she headed straight for the elevator. Arriving at the Chairman''s office, Song Kexin knocked and entered, only to find Hao Jian sitting in the boss''s chair, his back to her. "Vice Chairman Hao," Song Kexin bowed respectfully. "What''s the matter? You came to see me for something?" Hao Jian''s deep voice resonated throughout the office. "I want to report that the new supervisor Hao Yingjun and the manager Chen Zhiyan are committing adultery. Those two are in cahoots now, creating turmoil throughout the company!" Song Kexin said indignantly, waiting for Hao Jian''s reaction. Hao Jian fell silent. At that moment, he wanted to laugh. Guo Bixi and the others actually thought they could use this to bring him down? Going upstairs to tattle? As soon as Song Kexin opened her mouth, Hao Jian knew that she and Guo Bixi were probably aware of his unusual relationship with Chen Zhiyan and wanted him to go against himself. Self-sabotage? No wonder Hao Jian felt like laughing. Wouldn''t anyone laugh? Seeing Hao Jian silent, Song Kexin thought he was angry and secretly rejoiced. This way, Chen Zhiyan and Hao Yingjun were doomed! Then, Song Kexin fanned the flames further, "These two have been flirting in the office, and they even brazenly went to a hotel last night. Now everyone in the company knows." Hao Jian immediately became displeased upon hearing this, "When have I ever gone to a hotel with Chen Zhiyan? How can you tarnish someone''s reputation like that?" "Vice Chairman Hao, I wasn''t talking about you, I meant Hao Yingjun!" Song Kexin hurriedly explained. "Hao Yingjun, is it?" Hao Jian chuckled meaningfully, then turned around to face Song Kexin with a mocking smile, "Are you referring to me?" "You?!" Song Kexin was instantly flabbergasted. How could Hao Yingjun be here, sitting in the Chairman''s chair? "Isn''t it me? What, are you surprised?" Hao Jian teased. Chapter 535 - 535 I am Hao Jian "Accident? You must be looking to die, taking Hao Jian''s woman and daring to sit in his seat. You truly have sinister intentions!" Song Kexin said grimly, not knowing why Hao Yingjun was here, but daring to sit in Hao Jian''s seat was essentially seeking death. "Why shouldn''t I dare to sit in his seat? You all may fear him, but I certainly don''t!" Hao Jian snorted with an air of arrogance. Of course, he wasn''t afraid because he was Hao Jian; he was Hao Jian! "Hao Yingjun, are you out of your mind? You dare to oppose Hao Jian for a woman; do you even know who he is?" Song Kexin found it laughable and couldn''t believe the man before her was so bold, paying no heed to Hao Jian. "I don''t know; why don''t you tell me?" Hao Jian said with a seemingly eager to learn demeanor. "Hao Jian is our group''s Vice Chairman, the chairman''s husband. He has power and influence, and he reigns supreme in Hua City, almost like the Underground Emperor! In Hua City, both the underworld and law-abiding citizens must watch his face. A sneeze from him and Hua City would experience overnight downpours! If he stomped his foot, the entire Hua City would tremble. You dare to challenge him; what gives you the right?" Song Kexin looked down on Hao Jian, finding his words at the moment laughable. In Song Kexin''s view, with the authority Hao Jian possessed, there were at least a hundred ways he could have toyed with this man from a year ago! "I didn''t expect such high praise from you; it''s quite flattering." Hao Jian said, surprised. Were all these stories about him circulating outside now? "Praise you? What a joke! I''m talking about Hao Jian!" Song Kexin scoffed in disbelief at Hao Jian''s assumption. "But I am Hao Jian," Hao Jian shrugged, seeing as there was no longer any need to keep up the act. "You''re Hao Jian? Are you trying to make me laugh?" Song Kexin scoffed disdainfully. "Why don''t you say you''re a national leader?" "It''s so helpless when you believe all the lies but not the truth," Hao Jian sighed. "Stop playing dumb; I''m telling you, I came here to find Hao Jian today. I''m going to tell him everything about you and Chen Zhiyan. Hao Yingjun, you dared to touch his woman; wait to be chopped into pieces and thrown into the sea to feed the fish!" Song Kexin''s face filled with killing intent as she spoke. "You really don''t believe I''m Hao Jian?" Hao Jian was amused by Song Kexin. "Unless my brain was caught in a door!" Song Kexin huffed. Just then, a knock came from the door. Seeing this, Song Kexin immediately smirked, "Hao Yingjun, you''re finished. Someone has come looking for Hao Jian, and if they see you sitting in the chairman''s seat, they will surely tell him!" Song Kexin couldn''t wait to see this damned man skinned and deboned by Hao Jian. However, Hao Jian didn''t give her a glance and called out to the door, "Come in!" "Tsk! You''re acting quite convincingly, but what''s fake will always be fake!" Song Kexin smirked, still not believing that Hao Yingjun was Hao Jian. At that moment, Yuan Shanshan walked in through the door, looking doubtfully at Song Kexin before heading straight for Hao Jian. "Chairman, there''s a document here that needs your signature," Yuan Shanshan placed the document right in front of Hao Jian on the desk. "Hiss..." In an instant, Song Kexin gasped in shock, her face turning pale. Song Kexin recognized Yuan Shanshan. Shu Ya had once taken Yuan Shanshan to their branch for market work, so she knew that Yuan Shanshan was Shu Ya''s personal secretary. Now that Yuan Shanshan was calling Hao Jian the chairman, it confirmed everything; he indeed was the chairman, Hao Jian! Then it all made sense, why the icy beauty Chen Zhiyan had invited Hao Jian to dine with her upon their first meeting¡ªChen Zhiyan had already known Hao Jian was Hao Jian! Song Kexin felt her legs go weak because she knew she was finished, as were Guo Bixi and everyone else. They had been trying to mess with Hao Jian, the city''s Local Tyrant? Song Kexin finally understood what it meant "you won''t die if you don''t seek death." After signing the document, Hao Jian had Yuan Shanshan leave. Then Hao Jian looked at Song Kexin, who seemed to have turned to stone, "Now, do you believe I''m Hao Jian?" "Thump." Song Kexin knelt down on the spot, bursting into tears, and looked pitifully at Hao Jian. "Chairman, this was all Guo Bixi''s idea; it has nothing to do with me!" "It has nothing to do with you? You dare say you haven''t been embezzling?" Perhaps going against him wasn''t Song Kexin''s original intent, but she definitely was part of Guo Bixi''s embezzlement vortex, Song Kexin''s gaze flickered, yet she still tried to deny it with a stroke of luck, "I... I haven''t!" "Not? Song Kexin, are you overestimating your intelligence or underestimating my judgment? If I didn''t have solid evidence, do you think I''d personally visit the branch in disguise?" Hao Jian sneered, and a fearsome killing intent surged from within him. Under the influence of that killing intent, Song Kexin trembled uncontrollably and couldn''t help but collapse to the ground. "I''ll tell everything! I''ll say it all!" Song Kexin dared not hide anything any longer, shouting hoarsely. Meanwhile, Guo Bixi, still oblivious to the impending doom, continued holding meetings in the conference room. Hao Jian then walked into the company with a group of employees, including Song Kexin. The employees all looked at Hao Jian with puzzled faces, not knowing why the people from the head office had suddenly arrived. Hao Jian walked at the forefront of the crowd, with Yuan Shanshan and Chen Zhiyan following behind him, while Song Kexin trailed behind Chen Zhiyan with her head drooping and a mournful expression on her face. It was clear to any discerning eye that Hao Jian was the leader of this group, as only leaders walk at the front, and everyone else consciously kept a step, or even more, behind him. "Isn''t that the chairman''s secretary? Why is she here too, and it seems like she''s also taking orders from Director Yingjun? What''s going on?" one female employee wondered. In their view, although Hao Jian was a director, he was not in a position to be compared with the chairman''s secretary. Yet Yuan Shanshan walked behind Hao Jian, seemingly looking to him for direction, which they found incomprehensible. "Our Vice Chairman is called Hao Jian, and the director is called Hao Yingjun; both are surnamed Hao. Could they be related somehow?" someone speculated with doubt. "I''m pretty sure they are brothers. It must be the Vice Chairman who sent the director here to investigate Guo Bixi," a male employee said confidently. "How do you know?" asked the former. "Isn''t that obvious? Haven''t you seen how imposing the director is right now? Even the chairman''s secretary is here, what do you think?" the male employee rolled his eyes in response. "Oh my God, is Guo Bixi''s tyrannical reign finally coming to an end? I''m so moved, I want to cry!" a female employee with a ponytail said, her eyes brimming with tears. "I''m going to skip work today to see what''s happening!" said one employee, determined to witness Guo Bixi''s downfall personally! "I''m going too!" "I want to go as well!" A crowd followed behind Hao Jian, intending to find out what was going on. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Get rid of them!" Yuan Shanshan said to her subordinates, somewhat displeased. Having so many people trailing behind them wasn''t a good look. "No need, let them follow. They have been oppressed by Guo Bixi for so many years, they need to vent, and today is a good opportunity!" Hao Jian said expressionlessly. With that, Yuan Shanshan said no more. "Bang!" The door to Guo Bixi''s meeting room was kicked open, causing everyone inside to turn in astonishment toward the entrance. When Guo Bixi saw Hao Jian and Song Kexin appear, he frowned immediately and rebuked, "Song Kexin, didn''t I tell you to find Hao Jian? Why did you bring him here?" Song Kexin opened her mouth to speak but, seeing Hao Jian in front of her, she closed it again as if betraying her intention to remain silent. "What are you afraid of, tell him," Hao Jian said softly to Song Kexin. Guo Bixi, hearing this, was utterly puzzled. This guy knew that he was supposed to find Hao Jian and yet dared to be so arrogant? After much hesitation, Song Kexin finally spoke, "He... he is Hao Jian!" "What?" Guo Bixi was shocked and dismayed. Hao Yingjun was Hao Jian? How could this be? "He disguised himself as Hao Yingjun to get close to us, and he has already gathered evidence of our crimes. We''re done for!" Song Kexin said, incredibly dejected. At this, Guo Bixi also couldn''t help but freeze. Hao Jian impersonating Hao Yingjun? His face turned green as if he''d just swallowed a fly, and he couldn''t utter a word for a good while. Had he been played by Hao Jian? And the many employees following behind were also shocked when they heard Guo Bixi''s remarks. Was their Director Yingjun actually their Vice Chairman? To think he''d impersonated a director to conduct an undercover investigation, how badass is that! No wonder Hao Jian had the audacity to hit Zhuang Weixiong''s security guards the moment he arrived; so he was this kind of chairman! "Guo Bixi, we are from the Commercial Crime Investigation Division. We now suspect you are involved in a business fraud case, please cooperate with our investigation at the station," a few men in black stepped forward at this point, saying to Guo Bixi without any facial expression. "Impossible, I''ve done nothing illegal, you''re framing me!" Guo Bixi cried out desperately. How could he so easily admit to his crimes at this point? Once admitted, he would be doomed! "Stop resisting. Song Kexin has already told us all about your crimes!" one of them said. "Song Kexin, you..." Guo Bixi looked at Song Kexin in astonishment, seemingly unable to understand why she would do such a thing. If Song Kexin admitted the criminal facts, wouldn''t she go to jail too? What good would that do her? "Guo Bixi, don''t blame me. We can''t beat him; I don''t want to die," said Song Kexin, her head down, avoiding eye contact with Hao Jian. Chapter 536 - 536 Trading Hao Jian told her that as long as she was willing to recount all of Guo Bixi''s crimes, he wouldn''t pursue Song Kexin''s responsibility too much; Song Kexin would just need to spend a couple of years behind bars before she could get out. The main reason was that Song Kexin hadn''t done anything as outrageously wrong as Pan Jiyuan and Guo Bixi, so Hao Jian was willing to give her a chance. Naturally, Song Kexin agreed to Hao Jian''s terms and sold out Guo Bixi. Guo Bixi never imagined that by sending Song Kexin to find a savior, he actually brought a scourge upon himself! "You... you bitch!" Guo Bixi, gnashing his teeth in hatred, charged forward wanting to die together with Song Kexin, but was kicked down by Hao Jian. "Hao Jian, what grudge do you have against me?" Guo Bixi yelled from the ground, feeling extremely aggrieved. Hao Jian had ruined his prospects, and now he was even interfering with his plans to perish together with Song Kexin. Hao Jian let out a chuckle, placed a hand on Guo Bixi''s shoulder, "You see, at first, I was just planning to teach you a lesson. But what you did to Qiu Shaohong made me change my mind." Guo Bixi stared at Hao Jian as if he''d seen a ghost. Did this guy want to avenge Qiu Shaohong? And upon hearing this, the employees also showed surprise because they all knew Qiu Shaohong and that it was very possible he had been harmed by Guo Bixi. But they didn''t expect Hao Jian to actually seek revenge for an employee. "Repent well in Hell!" Hao Jian patted Guo Bixi''s shoulder again before standing up. Looking at Hao Jian''s meaningful gaze, Guo Bixi shivered, thinking what did this guy mean? Was he going to kill him? But Guo Bixi had no time to consider it further, as he was already being dragged away by the criminal investigation officers. Meanwhile, Hao Jian simply took a seat directly across from some of the senior managers. Yuan Shanshan naturally stood behind Hao Jian. Chen Zhiyan also wanted to stand beside them, but upon considering her position wasn''t quite suitable, she held back. "I won''t mince words," Hao Jian said. "I know many of you here are in the same boat as Guo Bixi, even colluding with him. I have enough evidence in my hands to send anyone involved to prison, but I don''t want to do that. Not because I think highly of you, but because sending so many people to jail would leave this branch with no one in charge. So I have to give you another chance." Hearing this, the managers involved in corruption couldn''t help but smile bitterly. This was a perfect opportunity for Hao Jian to curry favor, but instead, he claimed he was giving them another chance reluctantly, leaving them unsure of how to respond. "I should let you know, Guo Bixi''s corruption and damage to the company''s interest mean that I have no intention of letting him live to walk out of prison. If you continue this path, I''ll make sure you end up just like him. Many of you have heard of me, so you should know I''m not blowing hot air!" Hao Jian said expressionlessly. These guys needed to be put in their place, reminded of their standing. Hearing Hao Jian''s words, the managers turned ashen. They certainly knew what Hao Jian was capable of. In Hua City, he was untouchable by both the underworld and law enforcement. Killing someone was like child''s play to him, and Guo Bixi was proof of that. Guo Bixi was a tyrant in the branch, and everyone had to obey him unquestioningly. But with one move from Hao Jian, he instantly became a dead dog. "That''s it. It''s up to you now. Don''t force me to make another trip here!" Hao Jian spoke coldly and then stood up to leave with Yuan Shanshan and the others. At this moment, the lower-level employees looked at Hao Jian as if he were a god. Someone like Hao Jian actually cared for these lower employees, even clearing their names. This came as a surprising delight. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When he reached Song Kexin, Hao Jian spoke indifferently, "I''ve already made things clear with the police. Turn yourself in, I didn''t let them arrest you here to spare you the embarrassment." "Thank you..." A trail of misery flashed across Song Kexin''s face. By doing this, Hao Jian had already helped her greatly, maintaining her last shred of dignity. "Hao Jian, I''ve just solved a big problem for you, you owe me a meal!" As soon as they stepped out of the company, Chen Zhiyan said to Hao Jian with excitement. "Sure, and bring Sister Ye and Meiya," Hao Jian replied with a smile. But just as he finished speaking, he saw a middle-aged man approaching them, his face the color of iron, clutching a watermelon knife with a murderous look. Hao Jian laughed as the man appeared, as if he had expected him to come. "Hao Jian, I''m taking you down with me!" Yan Yuhong raised the watermelon knife and hacked towards Hao Jian. At this point, he had lost his mind¡ªsince he was going to die anyway, he might as well take Hao Jian with him. Yan Yuhong knew Hao Jian was formidable, but now that he had nothing to lose, what was there to care about? Then he was sent flying by a kick from Hao Jian. "The spirit''s there but unfortunately utterly useless," Yuan Shanshan shook her head, chuckling lightly. She knew right away that Yan Yuhong was in for it from Hao Jian. However, Yuan Shanshan was curious as to what exactly Hao Jian had done to drive Yan Yuhong to such a mad state that he would dare to come at him with a watermelon knife. "Hey, "Hao Jian, I''m going to kill you! I swear I''m going to kill you! How dare you let me get infected with AIDS, you''ve ruined me!" Yan Yuhong pointed at Hao Jian''s nose, cursing vigorously. But as he cursed, he began to cry, feeling so wronged. He was just forty years old, with a life still so long ahead of him, yet because of Hao Jian, his life was forcibly brought to an early end. And it wasn''t just his death¡ªhe would be taking his wife and son with him. How could he not go mad? "Hao Jian, you didn''t do it to him, did you?" Yuan Shanshan said, her face one of shock. Because Yan Yuhong''s words were indeed easy to misinterpret. Hao Jian let him get infected with AIDS? Did that imply Hao Jian did something to him? Chen Zhiyan also looked at Hao Jian with horror. She was planning to do that thing with this guy tonight, and now he supposedly had that kind of disease? "Get lost, what''s all the fuss about? Can''t you see he''s like this already? And you''re still in the mood for jokes?" Hao Jian glared at Yuan Shanshan, clearly annoyed. Yuan Shanshan stuck out her tongue and fell silent. Seeing this, Chen Zhiyan also let out a sigh of relief. So it was just a joke. "Hao Jian I curse you... I damn well curse you... sob sob sob..." Yan Yuhong cried in frustration. This bastard, he''s so damn unscrupulous. I''m already dying from a terminal illness, and he still has the nerve to flirt with girls. "Boss Yan, why don''t we find a place to talk slowly?" Hao Jian bent down, smiling as he looked at Yan Yuhong. "Talk? Go talk to your mom!" Right now, Yan Yuhong wanted nothing but to kill Hao Jian. "Aiyo, so aggressive. I was actually considering curing your disease, but since you have this attitude, forget it." Hao Jian sighed. Chen Zhiyan and Yuan Shanshan, who knew Hao Jian, realized that he was again up to no good. "You have a way to save me? Who are you trying to fool? This is AIDS, there''s no cure!" Yan Yuhong snapped back to reality, realizing Hao Jian was just spouting nonsense; AIDS was incurable. "Just because others can''t save you, doesn''t mean I can''t. Of course, it''s up to you to believe or not." Hao Jian sneered and began to walk away. "Wait..." Suddenly, Yan Yuhong called out to stop Hao Jian. Hao Jian paused, with a trace of a smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "Can you really cure my disease?" Yan Yuhong asked. "Of course, but you have to cooperate with me properly. If you do, I''ll save not only you but also your family!" "How do we cooperate?" Yan Yuhong asked, frowning. "Tell me where He Changhuan is," Hao Jian said gravely. He had gone through all of this just to deal with He Changhuan. Because of what he had done to Qin Bing, he had completely infuriated Hao Jian, who now had to get rid of him no matter what! "I can''t betray him. If I do, I''ll die!" Yan Yuhong shook his head frantically, aware of the consequences of betraying He Changhuan. "If you don''t betray him, you''ll die just the same!" Hao Jian sneered, then slapped Yan Yuhong across the face, knocking out his front teeth. "Hey, I''m really wondering, what makes you think I''m definitely a good guy? Is it because I''m handsome that made you think so?" Hao Jian complained bitterly. Hao Jian felt infuriated. Betraying He Changhuan meant death, but did offending him not lead to death as well? Damn it, it must be because I''m too handsome and lack an intimidating presence, he thought, vexed. "Stop, please stop..." Yan Yuhong gestured frantically, speaking weakly. "Tell me where He Changhuan is, or take your whole family to meet King Yan!" Hao Jian scoffed. "How do I know that after I betray He Changhuan, you will definitely cure me?" Yan Yuhong said suspiciously, not foolish enough to believe that selling out He Changhuan without a guarantee would leave him with nothing. Hao Jian didn''t say a word but pulled out an elixir from his bosom and tossed it to Yan Yuhong: "Swallow this, wait three days to get better then see a doctor, and you will know I''m not joking with you." Hao Jian was very confident about the elixir, called the Nine Revolutions Resurrection Pill, known for its miraculous effect to bring back life from the brink of death. As long as you have a breath left, it has the power to cure! Of course, such a pill was worth a fortune, requiring extremely rare ingredients. Even Hao Jian only had three of them. But for three pills like that in exchange for He Changhuan''s life, Hao Jian felt it was a good deal! Chapter 537 - 537: The Fat Woman Yan Yuhong took the elixir from Hao Jian but hesitated, suspecting that Hao Jian might have poisoned the medicine. Seeing his pitiful state, Hao Jian, infuriated, slapped him again, "To hell with it, you''re practically a dead man already, do I really need to kill you again?" Hearing this, Yan Yuhong finally put aside his suspicion and swallowed the elixir. "One pill can only save one person. If you don''t want both your wife and son to die, then tell me where He Changhuan is at, honestly," Hao Jian said with a smile, confident that Yan Yuhong would make the right decision! Three hours later, Hao Jian received a text from Yan Yuhong ¡ª it was the WeChat location coordinates! Hao Jian stuffed his phone into his pocket and then stepped out of the car. "Mom, where are we going?" Meiya asked, puzzled. "We''re going to an anime-themed restaurant!" Before Ye Mei could speak, Hao Jian interjected. Hearing Hao Jian speak, Meiya hid behind Ye Mei, staring fearfully at Hao Jian. "Meiya, don''t be afraid, uncle isn''t a bad person," Ye Mei said softly to comfort her. "Mom, what''s an anime-themed restaurant?" Meiya now a bit braver, asked Ye Mei. "This..." Ye Mei was also embarrassed because she didn''t know what an anime-themed restaurant was; she was already forty years old and had never dined in such a trendy place. "An anime-themed restaurant is where everything is based on cartoon characters, like Doraemon, Snow White, Mickey Mouse. Meiya, which cartoon character do you like?" Hao Jian asked, patting Meiya''s head. "I... I like McDull," Meiya said timidly. "They have McDull there too!" Chen Zhiyan chimed in. "Really?" The little girl''s eyes lit up with excitement, eagerly asking. "Of course, come on! Let''s go see McDull fast!" Chen Zhiyan said, grabbing Meiya''s hand and heading towards the restaurant. Once inside the mall, Meiya ran around like a wild horse that had broken free, here and there, looking utterly fascinated. This was a children''s mall, with everything related to kids including clothes, shoes, restaurants, and more. This was precisely why Hao Jian chose to dine here on purpose. Meiya, seeing many people dressed as Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and other cartoon characters in the mall, screamed with delight. Ever since her father died, she had never set foot in a mall, let alone a children''s one. "Hey, slow down! Really!" Ye Mei shook her head helplessly but didn''t stop Meiya, knowing that she needed to let off some steam. "Wow, a Christmas tree!" Meiya exclaimed while pointing at a Christmas tree, stepping back continuously in her excitement, so much so that she didn''t notice someone passing behind her. Then Meiya accidentally bumped into the person behind her. It was a slightly overweight middle-aged woman carrying a Louis Vuitton bag, dressed in brand-name attire, evidently someone of some economic means. When Meiya bumped into her, the woman immediately turned around, and upon seeing Meiya''s ragged clothing and even her flip-flops, her face turned dark. "Whose brat is this?" the plump woman bellowed immediately, her voice exceptionally loud, drawing sidelong glances from many. Hao Jian and others took notice, frowning disapprovingly upon hearing the fat woman''s words. Realizing she had caused trouble, Meiya lowered her head embarrassingly, "Auntie, I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to." "Sorry? Is sorry useful? Do you know how expensive these Gucci leather shoes of mine are? You dared to step on them? And also you''ve dirtied my Armani pants! Get your parents to come here, you''ll pay for this!" the fat woman said with an extremely nasty attitude, her gaze sharp and filled with disdain. "Wuwuwu..." Meiya, intimidated by the fat woman''s fierce demeanor, started to cry, her head lowered and her hands tightly clutching the corners of her clothes, sobbing pathetically. "Crying? You''ve got the nerve to cry? Little brat, are you trying to win people''s sympathy? Then extort me? Speak!" Seeing Meiya cry, the fat woman felt not a whit of sympathy, but grew even more annoyed. In her view, this girl, looking no better than a beggar, was surely instigated by someone to extort her deliberately. "I haven''t..." Meiya shook her head frantically in panic, her lips pouting with a clueless expression. "Haven''t? I think you have! Look at your ragged clothes; which other kid here looks like you? With your status, what right do you have to come to this kind of mall? Still saying you don''t want to blackmail someone? Speak! Who''s behind this, let him come out!" The fat woman was insistent, convinced that Meiya was trying to scam her. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I didn''t... I really didn''t..." Meiya cried out lamentably, her sobs especially piercing, as if she might stop breathing at any moment. She was truly aggrieved, and such grievance did not stem merely from the fat woman''s insults but from the realization that her father, who should have been there to protect her at this time, was gone! In the past, no matter how aggrieved she felt or who bullied her, her father would always step up to protect her at the first opportunity! But now, the man who had sworn to protect her for a lifetime was no longer there. Thinking of this, Meiya''s psychological defenses collapsed completely, and she cried uncontrollably, her wails so heart-wrenching that it pained others to hear them. The surrounding crowd could not stand to watch, either. It was just a child, was it necessary to be so harsh? Some people were even prepared to come forward and blame the fat woman. Just then, Hao Jian hurried over, quickly scooping up Meiya and glaring defiantly at the fat woman, "She''s just a child. Do you really need to be so harsh?" "Are you her guardian? Are you the one who let her go out and scam people?" The fat woman sized up Hao Jian from head to toe, and after seeing Hao Jian dressed like a construction worker, the disdain on her face grew even thicker. "Watch your mouth! We came here to eat!" Hao Jian glared angrily at the fat woman. "Eat? What a joke! With your bumpkin looks, what right do you have to eat here? I think you''re just trying to scam people!" the fat woman scoffed. "Pfft, I can''t be bothered with you!" Hao Jian rolled his eyes, uninterested in giving the woman another glance. This kind of idiot was not worth his time. "Trying to leave? You stay right there!" The fat woman abruptly blocked Hao Jian''s path, not allowing him to leave so easily. "What do you want?" Hao Jian asked frostily, his patience wearing thin. He didn''t want to stoop to the woman''s level, but she persisted in her harassment. "This little runt got my shoes and pants dirty. Pay up!" the fat woman demanded arrogantly. How dare Hao Jian dismiss her? Did he really think she was a pushover? "You''re quite amusing. If the shoes are dirty, wipe them. If the pants are dirty, wash them. Do I really need to teach you that?" Hao Jian sneered, fully aware that the woman was trying to extort him. This fat woman, on one hand, accused them of scamming, and on the other, she was attempting to scam them, which Hao Jian found laughable. "I have OCD; when something gets dirty I don''t want it anymore, especially if it''s been touched by hands as filthy as a beggar''s. That kid is all grimy, wearing clothes that look like they were picked from a garbage pile¡ªwho knows if there are germs on her? What if she transmitted viruses to me?" the fat woman said with contempt. "Alright, then how much do you think you should be compensated?" Hao Jian asked with a cold laugh. "Hao Jian, don''t bother with her. She''s clearly being unreasonable," Chen Zhiyan hurriedly interrupted, recognizing that the fat woman was just looking to cause trouble. Yet Hao Jian raised his hand to stop Chen Zhiyan from continuing. He wanted to see just how much of a fuss this fat woman could make! "These are Gucci shoes and Armani pants that I just bought in Europe; they cost a total of five hundred thousand. You''ve dirtied them, so just give me a cleaning fee of thirty to fifty thousand, and we''ll call it even!" the fat woman demanded audaciously. "Thirty to fifty thousand? Why don''t you just go rob someone?" Yuan Shanshan also said angrily. She worked in the fashion industry and knew the cost of cleaning designer brands well¡ªit wasn''t nearly that expensive. A few thousand would usually suffice, at most ten thousand. Thirty to fifty thousand was just ridiculous. "Country bumpkin, do you have any sense of fashion at all? These are luxury items that can be damaged by regular cleaning. If you don''t know, then don''t pretend to," the fat woman said with disgust. Yuan Shanshan was speechless. She specialized in fashion and luxury goods, had designed for top luxury brands, and now she was being insulted by this fat woman? "If the luxury goods were indeed authentic, paying that amount wouldn''t be an issue, but are you sure what you''re wearing is the real deal?" Hao Jian asked with a wry smile. Upon hearing this, the crowd grew puzzled. What did Hao Jian mean by that? Could it be that the luxury items the fat woman was wearing were fake? The fat woman''s expression certainly changed, briefly revealing a flicker of guilt before she grew angry and defensive, "You... what nonsense are you talking about? My things are obviously real!" "Is that so?" Hao Jian mocked with a sneer, then pointed at the fat woman''s LV bag, "Let me tell you the difference between a real and a fake bag!" Immediately after, Hao Jian turned his head to look at Chen Zhiyan and Yuan Shanshan, "Both of you work in fashion, so make sure to listen carefully to what I''m about to say." Chen Zhiyan and Yuan Shanshan both nodded simultaneously, appearing eager to learn. Hao Jian then addressed the onlookers, "If anyone else is interested, feel free to listen as well, so you can avoid buying fake luxury items in the future." On hearing this, the crowd looked at Hao Jian expectantly, curious as to what he was going to do. "First of all, authenticating luxury goods is similar to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which involves looking, smelling, asking, and feeling. The authentication of luxury items involves looking, smelling, touching, and checking! As for how to look, let me show you all next!" Chapter 538 - 538 Luxury Goods Appraisal Several girls and older women unconsciously nodded their heads, showing that they cared a lot about what Hao Jian was saying. Because they often bought luxury goods, they suffered from not knowing how to identify them. Many of them had bought fake luxury goods before and been deceived by unscrupulous merchants. Even when shopping abroad, it was inevitable to encounter counterfeit goods. So after hearing Hao Jian''s words, they all appeared extremely serious. "First," Hao Jian continued, "identify by the metal accessories." "The metal accessories of a luxury item should have specific markings, texture, and weight. Most luxury goods are expensive yet understated, while many counterfeit merchants do not understand the ethos of top brands'' subtle elegance. They make hardware that is glaringly shiny, whereas genuine pieces look simple yet generous, with a matte bronze color that is slightly greenish, devoid of dazzling brilliance, but exuding a sense of rugged practicality. The feel of the metal should not be like plastic, and the sound it makes when struck should not be tinny. The zipper should glide smoothly without any resistance, and opening and closing should be effortless." Some women who had bought luxury items couldn''t help but nod in agreement, feeling that Hao Jian''s words were very reasonable, as their experiences with luxury goods were indeed as he described, understated yet luxurious. Chen Zhiyan and Yuan Shanshan listened very attentively, like students, with Chen Zhiyan even taking out a notebook to jot down notes. Being a newcomer, she knew she had a lot to learn, and with Hao Jian personally giving the lesson, she naturally wanted to seize this opportunity. Hao Jian continued, "Second, by the leather grain." "A replica Herm¨¨s bag can imitate the leather ''vein pattern'' of an original. However, it cannot replicate the soft feel of real leather." "Other signs of counterfeits include lightweight metal parts and zippers that get stuck." "Third, the zipper." "The patterns on a genuine LV will not be divided by the zipper. Due to the proliferation of counterfeits, many top brands have also adopted countermeasures. A spokesperson for Chanel said that the company uses a unique coding system to control the production process of every handbag, somewhat like the vehicle identification number on a new car, then prints this unique code on a card, which is sold along with the handbag. For consumers, when they take the product to an official store for authentication, these anti-counterfeiting measures come into play." "Fourth, smell the leather." "A genuine leather LV, for example, will emit a natural leather fragrance, palpable the moment you enter a boutique¡ªdistinctively bovine, pure, and unique. Real experts can determine authenticity just by the scent of the bag. The odors of fake leather bags are varied and peculiar, some even having a strong smell of glue. Therefore, frequenting luxury brand counters can be very beneficial in learning how to discern the authenticity of luxury goods." Then, Hao Jian shook his head and looked at the heavy-set woman, "Yet your bag lacks even these four most basic fundamentals and you still claim it''s genuine?" At that moment, people looked at the heavy-set woman with eyes filled with mockery. Because Hao Jian had captivated them with his extensive knowledge, they were nearly certain he was an expert in luxury goods identification, otherwise he couldn''t have known so much about luxury goods. This heavy-set woman actually thought she could take advantage of him; it was simply laughable. She even had the gall to call someone a pauper. What right did she, a person carrying a fake bag, have to say that? The heavy-set woman was also stunned, not expecting Hao Jian to really have such in-depth knowledge of luxury goods. She was dumbfounded on the spot. Seeing the somewhat contemptuous looks from the crowd, the heavy-set woman felt exceptionally embarrassed and annoyed, harshly retorting, "You... you''re talking nonsense!" "I''m talking nonsense? You said you bought your bag in Europe, right?" Hao Jian asked. "Exactly!" the heavy-set woman replied confidently. "When did you buy it?" Hao Jian continued to question. "Just last week!" "Last week? Alright then, tell us the address of the shop where you bought the LV bag. I''ll call LV company right now to check if they sold a bag to you last week," Hao Jian said indifferently. As everyone heard this, they were all instantly shocked. This guy could actually communicate directly with LV company? Was he just showing off? They were skeptical, for Hao Jian''s clothing was indeed too simple, making him look like a construction worker. And now, not only had he displayed a rich knowledge of luxury goods, but he also claimed to be able to communicate directly with LV company, which was astonishing to them. Only highly influential and impressive individuals could communicate directly with LV company. "Pretending to be a hunter with a dead rat in your pocket, just by looking at your poor appearance, you think you can talk directly with LV company? What are you trying to show off?" The heavy-set woman looked disdainfully at Hao Jian with a sneer, her expression sharp and unpleasant. At that moment, Yuan Shanshan could no longer stand by and watch. She stepped forward and presented her work badge: "I am the secretary to the chairman of Shu Ya Group, my name is Yuan Shanshan. I believe there is no one in Hua City who doesn''t know about Shu Ya Group, right?" Yuan Shanshan was right, there were indeed few people in Hua City who did not recognize Shu Ya Group. Because Shu Ya Group had now become the symbol of Hua City, having monopolized the entire city''s jewelry business and even now, it had reached beyond national borders, aiming for the world, becoming the only Huaxia brand on Champs-Elys¨¦es. This made the people of Hua City very proud, because Shu Ya Group was their local brand, and they all felt honored by its successes. It just never occurred to them that these people were from Shu Ya Group. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The plump woman was also stunned. So, these people had such significant backgrounds? "If you suspect that my work badge is fake, you can call our company to confirm if I exist. If you don''t know the number, I can tell it to you," Yuan Shanshan said, her face expressionless, clearly feeling very annoyed at this point. It was bad enough to bully a child like Meiya, but to also insult her idol, did they really think she was a pushover? "What exactly are you trying to say?" The plump woman''s face fell, and she asked angrily. "Nothing much, just trying to tell you, don''t you fucking look down on people. Because the man you''re looking down on is our group''s Vice Chairman!" Yuan Shanshan cursed directly. The moment these words came out, not just the plump woman, but everyone present was astonished. This man, dressed like a construction worker, was really the Vice Chairman of the Shu Ya Group? "The Vice Chairman of the Shu Ya Group? Are you joking? If he were the Vice Chairman, would he dress like a construction worker?" The plump woman still did not believe it and continued to scoff disdainfully. "Our chairman has always been low-key, just like the brand culture of LV. People who are truly capable are the ones who are low-key and substantial. Unlike some people who can''t afford real luxury brands, they flaunt A-grade knockoffs!" At this point, Chen Zhiyan also stood up, speaking on behalf of Hao Jian. Seeing this, the audience was now completely convinced of Hao Jian''s identity as the Vice Chairman. Only a Vice Chairman could have such beautiful women speak up for him. Even Hao Jian himself was caught between laughter and tears. He had always been the one helping Chen Zhiyan and Yuan Shanshan, but today, having these two protectors championing for him, he had a very peculiar feeling. "Just saying so makes it true? Prove it if you can!" The plump woman taunted; her goal now was to vehemently deny Hao Jian''s identity as the Vice Chairman, otherwise, she would lose face big time. Chen Zhiyan lifted one of Hao Jian''s hands and said, "The wedding ring on our chairman''s hand is the Shu Ya Group''s latest product, a top-grade jewelry piece worth a million yuan. And I know there''s a branch of our group in this mall. We can go there at any time and have the jewelry appraiser verify the authenticity of this ring!" When saying this, Chen Zhiyan was full of confidence, and this confidence also affected the onlookers, who knew that Chen Zhiyan wouldn''t lie. The plump woman''s face instantly turned green. Chen Zhiyan dared to say this with such certainty, and if she agreed to go, the result would only be more embarrassing. "We have the means to prove ourselves, what about you? How can you prove that your bag is real? I think you''ll probably say that you forgot where you bought it, and then forgot the name of the shop, won''t you?" Chen Zhiyan sneered repeatedly. The plump woman was gritting her teeth but dared not retort. Her items were indeed fake, and if these people were really from Shu Ya Group, then they truly had the means to talk to LV, and she did not want to be humiliated. "Don''t judge others through a narrow crack in the door, it flattens your perspective. Our Vice Chairman may be low-key, and he may wear simple clothing, but even if you really wore head-to-toe designer labels, what of it? A small ring on his hand could buy dozens, hundreds of the items on your body!" Yuan Shanshan chimed in with her own cold mockery. "Since you''re so rich, then pay up! What''s with the act!" The plump woman bellowed. "If what you have is real, of course, I will compensate, but your stuff is fake, so what should I compensate you with, an egg?" Hao Jian ridiculed: "Just now, didn''t you claim that I was scamming? Then hurry up and call the police. Then, along the way, have your bag appraised to see if it''s real or fake, because if it''s a fake, then you''re committing malicious fraud!" These words from Hao Jian immediately took the wind out of the plump woman''s sails; if the police were really called, she probably would be the one to endure disgrace. After a long while, the plump woman finally glared at Hao Jian with intense resentment and said without any confidence, "I won''t stoop to your level!" "Tsk tsk~" A chorus of jeers rose from the crowd, all looking disdainfully at the plump woman. "You just remember this!" The plump woman left angrily, throwing down these words before fleeing in a most embarrassing manner! At this time, Hao Jian softly comforted Meiya, who was still sobbing, "Meiya, always remember, when someone bullies you, don''t cry, be strong! If somebody bullies you, hit them, and if you can''t beat them, call me! From today on, I am your godfather, understand?" Chapter 539 - 539 You Have Body Odor "Vice Chairman Hao, this won''t do," Ye Mei hastily came up to stop him. How could their family, humble as it was, become connected with a big shot like Hao Jian? But Hao Jian just raised his hand to stop her from continuing and then pinched Meiya''s little cheek, "If you''re bullied in the future, just find godfather, understand?" "Understood," Meiya nodded vigorously. "Such a good girl!" Hao Jian pinched the little girl''s nose affectionately. After that, Hao Jian and his party headed for the anime-themed restaurant. At the entrance to the themed restaurant, they saw that fat woman from before was also present. The fat woman also noticed Hao Jian and his group; she was first taken aback, then a fierce glint flashed in her eyes. She said to the greeter beside her, "That group of people are thieves; they just stole a lot from a children''s clothing store. Don''t let them come into the restaurant to eat later." When the female greeter looked toward Hao Jian''s group and saw how shabbily Hao Jian was dressed, her face instantly showed contempt, clearly believing some of what the fat woman had said. "Please don''t worry, I will make sure they don''t come in and disturb your meal," the greeter said very respectfully. Upon hearing this, the fat woman finally felt satisfied and went inside. Dare to fight with me? I''ll play you to death! When Hao Jian and his group were about to enter, the female greeter indeed stopped them. "Sir, I''m sorry, but you can''t enter!" "Why?" Hao Jian asked with displeasure. He had clearly seen the fat woman talking to this girl a moment ago. Without guessing, Hao Jian knew the fat woman must have badmouthed them, which is why this girl was stopping them. "I''m sorry, but our restaurant does not serve people who are not dressed properly," the girl said. "Not dressed properly? Where are we not dressed properly?" asked Hao Jian. "This girl is only wearing slippers, which counts as being not properly dressed," the greeter said so. Hearing this, Meiya immediately became shy and tried to hide her feet behind her, but there was simply nowhere to hide, making her look somewhat comical. But Hao Jian and his companions didn''t find it funny; they only felt heartache. It was incredibly cruel to repeatedly strike against the self-esteem of a six-year-old girl like this. "I don''t know what that fat woman told you, and I don''t care whether or not you really believed her words. But now you must pay for what you''ve done!" Hao Jian''s voice was stern, obviously angered. If she had only been influenced by the fat woman''s deception, Hao Jian wouldn''t have held it against her, but her words were too excessive, insulting Meiya, which Hao Jian could not tolerate. "Apologize to her, or else I will make you understand what regret is!" Hao Jian said icily, each word deliberate, his expression as cold as frost, exuding an imposing aura. Yet the greeter showed disdain, apologize to a little brat? How could that be possible? "Please leave immediately, sir, or else I''m calling security!" The greeter said coldly, her attitude dismissive, not taking Hao Jian''s threat seriously at all. "Hao Jian, why don''t we try a different restaurant?" Ye Mei sighed, not wanting to make things difficult for Hao Jian. "No, we''re eating here today!" Hao Jian said domineeringly, and then turned to Yuan Shanshan, "Find out who owns this place right away, and then have him roll over to me!" S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yes!" Yuan Shanshan responded and then hurriedly made a call to get the information. "Psh, who''s scared by that? Don''t think you can bluff me with that!" The greeter scoffed, finding Yuan Shanshan''s words laughable, as if they were all just acting. If Hao Jian really had such a background, why dress so raggedly? Dressing himself so poorly was one thing, but even his daughter was dressed in rags and wearing worn slippers outside, looking just like a beggar. Such a group of people daring to act rich in front of her? "You''ll soon find out whether I''m bluffing you or not!" Hao Jian scoffed. At that moment, Yuan Shanshan had also finished her call and approached Hao Jian, "I''ve informed the owner of this restaurant, but he isn''t in the country. However, he''s sent the manager here to take care of the situation. Moreover, he says he''s truly sorry and hopes to receive your forgiveness, not wishing you to be angry with him over the stupidity of his employees." Thinking about the almost pleading tone of the owner speaking to her, Yuan Shanshan couldn''t help but want to laugh. It seemed that in the eyes of some people, Hao Jian was indeed like the Devil himself, terrifying to such an extent. "It sounds so true; I''d like to see if you can actually bring our manager here!" The greeter laughed coldly, finding Yuan Shanshan''s words far too ridiculous, like something out of a play. But Hao Jian couldn''t be bothered to talk to her anymore, and after about five minutes, a young man in his thirties came running out of the store, sweating profusely. Seeing her manager actually come out, the greeter''s expression changed drastically. Their manager had really come ¨C could it actually be because Hao Jian called him? Gradually, the derision on the receptionist''s face disappeared, giving way to a trace of uneasiness and trepidation. And then, something even more shocking happened that almost made her jaw drop. Their manager walked straight up to Hao Jian and bowed, "Mr. Hao Jian." Could their manager actually have been summoned by Hao Jian? Weren''t these guys a gang of thieves? It was only then that she realized she''d been played by the fat lady, and had unwittingly offended a figure she shouldn''t have. "Was it your boss that asked you to come?" Hao Jian asked indifferently. "Yes, our boss wants to offer you his sincerest apologies. We will provide you with a satisfactory answer. Moreover, as a gesture of apology, all expenses today will be on the house!" the manager said humbly. Afterward, the manager turned towards the receptionist, who was frozen in shock, and said with a cold face, "You, don''t bother coming to work tomorrow!" "Manager..." The receptionist tried to say something to salvage the situation but was interrupted by the manager. The manager was still unyielding and sternly said, "No more words! Hurry and gather your things, go to the finance department to settle your salary! In the future, I don''t want to see you here again! How dare a mere receptionist show disrespect to Mr. Hao Jian, what do you think you are?" The receptionist looked at the manager, dumbstruck, and then burst into a grievance-filled cry before running away. Never in her life had she been humiliated like this. In response to this, Hao Jian and the others didn''t show a shred of sympathy; in their eyes, the receptionist had brought this upon herself. "Let''s go in," said Hao Jian, not wanting this small interlude to spoil his mood. Immediately, everyone walked into the restaurant together. The manager did not dare delay and followed closely by Hao Jian''s side, leading the way for them. He knew that Hao Jian was a VIP guest and their boss had specifically instructed them to treat him well. If anything went wrong, he too would have to pack up his belongings and roll out! Just then, Hao Jian saw the fat lady and a few friends dining at one of the tables. When the fat lady saw Hao Jian and his group entering, she too was stunned. Hadn''t the receptionist already stopped Hao Jian and his friends? How did they get in? At this moment, Hao Jian turned his head and whispered a few words to the manager, his lips curling into a mischievous smile. The manager chuckled briefly, then nodded to Hao Jian, "Don''t worry, leave it to me!" Then, the manager walked toward the fat lady. "What are you up to?" Chen Zhiyan asked, utterly baffled. "You''ll see soon enough." Hao Jian replied cryptically, found a spot to sit down, and then turned his gaze towards the fat lady. "Ma''am, please dine elsewhere!" said the manager, who had already approached the fat lady with a face void of expression. "Why?" The fat lady was instantly dumbfounded, filled with skepticism. "Because the body odor you have is affecting other guests at several tables. They find it repulsive and think your odor is disturbing their meal. To avoid further inconvenience to them, I''m afraid I have to ask you to leave," the manager said, naturally following Hao Jian''s instructions. The fat lady''s friends, upon hearing she had body odor, couldn''t help but look astonished and then gazed at the fat lady with a strange expression. "What are you talking about? I don''t have body odor at all!" The fat lady was taken aback. She had never had such a problem. How could she possibly affect others? The fat lady''s face turned red because she could sense the peculiar way her friends were looking at her. If she were thought to have such an issue, then they would likely start avoiding her in the future. The guests at the neighboring tables listened to the manager''s words and were all staring at the fat lady with looks of surprise. As the manager had not lowered his volume¡ªin fact, he seemed to have made sure everyone heard¡ªso all of them heard loud and clear. "Hao Jian, you''re so mean!" Chen Zhiyan glanced at Hao Jian, knowing full well that the reason the manager said those things was that Hao Jian was stirring up trouble. "She wanted to embarrass us, and I''m just returning the favor with her own methods!" Hao Jian said with a slight smile. "Ma''am, whether or not you have body odor is not up to you to decide. It''s up to the guests. If you didn''t bother them, they wouldn''t complain," the manager said seriously. "Who said I have body odor? Let them come out!" the fat lady shouted, eager to see who dared to slander her so recklessly! "My friends haven''t smelled any body odor on me, you claim there is?" The fat lady glared, visibly upset. "Since you say someone complained about my body odor, let them confront me in person!" "I smelled it, you indeed have a foul odor, and it''s unbearable, I was about to suffocate!" Hao Jian immediately raised his hand and spoke with a taunting look at the fat lady. Chapter 540 - 540 "I smell it too. The odor is particularly strong and it''s affecting my appetite," Chen Zhiyan joined in, a mischievous smile on her face. "You... you all!" The plump woman gnashed her teeth in rage, realizing it was Hao Jian and his gang causing trouble for her. "Just hurry up and go outside, don''t disturb our meal; we can smell you from a mile away," Hao Jian said impatiently. When the other customers heard what Hao Jian said, they too believed it and looked at the plump woman with disdain. "Ma''am, please go quickly, or else I will have to call security!" the manager threatened. "You''re kicking out a customer? I''m going to complain about you!" the plump woman said icily. "Sure, our shop has the company''s phone number; feel free to complain at any time," but the manager appeared utterly unconcerned. He knew that even if the plump woman complained, it wouldn''t make any difference. Their boss had asked him to step in and help Hao Jian, so the outcome would be the same regardless of her complaint. Seeing the manager''s attitude, the plump woman was seething with rage but was utterly powerless. "You... very well! Remember this!" The plump woman trembled with anger and, feeling extremely frustrated, huffed as she walked outside. "Remember to see a doctor, get treated for your bromhidrosis and vanity, so you won''t be looked down upon when you go out again!" Hao Jian didn''t forget to get in one last jab. The plump woman glared back at Hao Jian but held back her anger and left the place in humiliation. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Let''s eat! No one will disturb us now," Hao Jian said. "I bet she''s going to be so angry she won''t be able to sleep all night," Chen Zhiyan said, giggling. "It''s her own fault. How dare she bully our Meiya? She deserved a lesson," Yuan Shanshan said, pinching Meiya''s little cheek affectionately. "Thank you all, really. Thank you," Ye Mei said, tearfully grateful to see so many people caring for their family and cherishing Meiya. She felt truly fortunate. "What''s there to thank for, when we all love Meiya?" Yuan Shanshan said dotingly. "Sister Ye, here is a check for ten million, as compensation for you and Meiya. Please don''t refuse it," Hao Jian handed Ye Mei a check straightforwardly. "No, no, you''ve already done so much for us; how can we take your money?" Ye Mei quickly pushed it back. "You must take this money. It''s not just for you and Meiya, but also for Qiu Shaohong. He worked in our company for over a decade, and the value he created for the company is worth far more than just these ten million, so this amount is not excessive," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Chen Zhiyan was right before, Meiya is already at the age for kindergarten, and everything requires money. I''m sure you don''t want your child to live in a junkyard forever, right? You must take this money to ensure your child can grow up in a better environment, not for your sake, but for Meiya''s," Upon hearing this, Ye Mei fell into silence, as Hao Jian''s words indeed made her hesitate. "Sister Ye, didn''t I tell you last time? This amount of money is nothing to this guy. If he''s asking you to take it, just take it," Chen Zhiyan also eagerly chimed in, eliminating Ye Mei''s doubts. Ye Mei ultimately couldn''t refuse and accepted the money, yet she still solemnly promised, "I will definitely not misuse this money, every cent will be used for Meiya." Hao Jian smiled and nodded, then said, "By the way, there''s some good news for you today." "What good news?" Ye Mei was stunned. Wasn''t the ten million already good news? "That is, Guo Bixi has been clapped in irons and will soon be sentenced to death. Your husband won''t die in vain, as Guo Bixi is about to join him in the grave!" Hao Jian said calmly. Yet, to Ye Mei, these words struck like thunder, dumbfounding her on the spot. Seconds later, Ye Mei burst into tears. She released all the suppressed grievances she had been holding on to for so many years. She had persevered just to seek justice for her husband, for which she had given up her once opulent lifestyle, lived at the dump, endured disdain, and suffered contempt and insults. Now, finally, the clouds had parted to reveal clear skies, and how could Ye Mei not be overwhelmed with emotion? Chen Zhiyan, Hao Jian, and the others exchanged bitter smiles and didn''t attempt to comfort Ye Mei because they knew she needed to vent. Ye Mei had been holding on for too long and suppressing too much. After dinner, Hao Jian suggested buying some clothes and shoes for Meiya, as it really wasn''t fitting for her to continue wearing her current attire. Although she was a little princess, circumstances had forced her into a Cinderella situation, which pained everyone''s heart. Once Meiya was dressed up, she looked completely transformed, as pretty as a little princess, a stark contrast to her earlier appearance. "I''m Bala Little Magic Fairy!" Meiya waved her magic wand happily, the gloom on her face swept away, replaced by childlike innocence. Hao Jian and the others couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief, knowing they had brought a child from a single-parent family back onto the right track. After dropping Chen Zhiyan and Ye Mei off at home, Hao Jian drove alone through the city, letting the night''s cold wind blow against him, enjoying his solitude. Sometimes a man just needs to be like this, driving alone around the city, observing the neon lights and the crowds, savoring that uniquely male solitude! Just then, Shu Ya''s call came through, and Hao Jian picked up with a smile, "Hey, wife, is everything going smoothly over there?" "Yeah, pretty smoothly. What about you? Have you been behaving? No picking up girls, right?" Shu Ya''s vigilant voice came from the other end. "Of course not. You have no idea how well-behaved I''ve been!" Hao Jian teased. "I''ve heard about it. Not bad at all, being able to eliminate a scourge like Guo Bixi. I''ve even heard that now the lower-level employees at the branch company see you as a deity!" Shu Ya also chuckled. "No helping it, it''s personal charm," Hao Jian declared conceitedly. "Get over yourself!" Shu Ya snorted, then continued, "I called to tell you that I won''t be back so soon. You keep an eye on the company for me, don''t screw anything up. Also, make sure to tighten up cooperation with Su Xinya, and push out the advertisement as soon as possible!" "Got it, you can count on me!" Hao Jian promised earnestly. After hanging up, Hao Jian knew that "Hao Jian''s Happy Time" had come to an end. Now, it was time to get down to serious business. Chapter 541 - 541: This is Hao Jian! The night was silent and desolate as water. He Changhuan stood alone on the villa''s balcony, his expression as placid as still water. Originally, his purpose here was to kill Hao Jian, but he ended up being forced to flee Hua City by Hao Jian, a humiliation in his eyes. Fortunately, Yan Yuhong was restraining Hao Jian, making him feel restricted. Otherwise, he might have come after him already. But He Changhuan couldn''t take Hao Jian lightly; everything that had happened made him realize how troublesome and terrifying Hao Jian was. Thus, he was anxious, pondering how to deal with Hao Jian while worrying about when Hao Jian might come for revenge. Although he served the Third Young Master Ye, recently even his master had been busy vying for power within the family and had no time to care for him, so he had to rely on himself. While pondering strategies, He Changhuan suddenly felt a chill breeze from behind. Turning around, he saw a figure descending from the sky, landing precisely in front of him. Seeing the newcomer, He Changhuan gasped in fright and said, "Is it you?" Hao Jian grinned, showing a row of pearly white teeth. "Come..." He Changhuan was about to shout, but before he could get the word out, Hao Jian''s knife was already at his throat. Hao Jian shook his head at him and said, "Don''t yell, or I might have to slash your throat!" "You... What do you really want?" He Changhuan pressed down his fear and challenged Hao Jian. "You want to kill me, yet ask what I want? Aren''t you amusing?" Hao Jian sighed, making it seem as though he was the victim instead. "Hao Jian, we can talk this out. There''s no need for violence," He Changhuan said, seemingly seeking reconciliation with Hao Jian. "Is this you showing weakness?" Hao Jian looked at He Changhuan with surprise. "I''m not afraid of you; I just think that continuing this conflict is of no benefit to either of us," He Changhuan said, his face ashen. "So what are you suggesting?" Hao Jian asked, curious to see what He Changhuan would propose. "My proposal is that we collaborate to bring down the other three families and rule over Hua City!" He Changhuan declared boldly, clearly harboring such intentions. He Changhuan had also realized that Hao Jian was stronger than Kong Xiaozhen and Liang Jiankun, even stronger than himself. Hao Jian was a formidable opponent, and rather than constantly battling him, it made more sense to join forces with him. "Honor and power¡ªthat''s what I can offer you!" He Changhuan claimed confidently. "Is that it?" Hao Jian laughed. Honor and power? He had had his fill of those things long ago and was already tired of them. Therefore, they held no attraction for him. He Changhuan was taken aback. Which man wouldn''t covet such things? Yet Hao Jian remained unmoved. Immediately, He Changhuan changed his tune, "Not just honor and power; you can have anything you want!" Hao Jian fell silent, looking at He Changhuan with interest. Feeling that Hao Jian might be considering his offer, He Changhuan continued, "Hao Jian, listen to my advice. If you don''t want your friends and family to suffer, you must accept my proposal. You might not understand the Third Young Master Ye''s character. He''s an ambitious and capable ruler; everything within his sight he must dominate and possess, and Hua City is precisely one of his objectives!" "If the Third Young Master Ye decides to target you, then with just one word, the whole nation will be against you, no one will stand by your side. He could have killed you outright, but given your impressive performance before, he appreciates you and once suggested that I should talk to you, hoping you would serve him." "So, what would I need to give?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The Third Young Master has only one simple requirement for you, and that is to offer your loyalty, to submit to his will," He Changhuan said, his eyes gleaming with a predatory light. "Submit?" Hao Jian curled his lips and then shook his head, laughing, "I think that would be problematic." Upon hearing this, He Changhuan''s expression instantly turned icy, "Hao Jian, consider your next words carefully, as they might very well be the last ones you say in the face of the Third Young Master," he warned. "Haha..." Hao Jian laughed derisively, dismissively, then suddenly drew his sword from his waist, pointing it at He Changhuan. "You''re insane! You''ve gone insane!" He Changhuan, pushed to the edge of the balcony, screamed shrilly. He couldn''t believe that Hao Jian would dare to draw a sword; didn''t he fear death at all? He Changhuan found him utterly mad, daring to confront the Third Young Master Ye. As a lackey of the Third Young Master Ye, He Changhuan was well aware of how frightening the Third Young Master could be. Hao Jian''s action seemed like madness to him. "Submit... is that it?" Hao Jian scoffed, saying, "Don''t assume everyone is as spineless as you, willing to kneel so easily. For people like you, it may be easy, but for me, it is absolutely impossible!" Hao Jian looked fierce, like a ferocious beast, and said every word emphatically, "You came here with hostility and humiliation, you insulted me, you harmed my friends, and now you threaten everyone related to me! He Changhuan, I have carefully considered your words. Perhaps earlier, you should have used your own brain before speaking!" "Too insane, too insane! You are a madman!" He Changhuan yelled, overcome with shock and anger. "Insane?" Hao Jian laughed heartily and then abruptly called out in a commanding tone, "This is Hao Jian!" Chapter 542 - 542: Taking a Gamble Hao Jian plunged a knife directly into He Changhuan''s heart, and then kicked him in the chest, sending him tumbling down the building. He Changhuan''s face showed horror; he couldn''t believe that Hao Jian would actually dare to kill him until the very end. He fell from the sky, thudding into a bed of flowers. Dropping from a height of seven to eight meters, all his bones shattered upon impact, and he died on the spot. "Young Master!!!" The surrounding bodyguards, hearing the commotion, hurried over, and were horrified to see He Changhuan lying in a pool of blood. The leader of the He Family, just like that he was dead? The many bodyguards lifted their heads to look towards the rooftop, and in the evening breeze, they saw a figure standing like a ghostly apparition. But when they blinked, the figure had vanished. ...... Liang Family. "Young Master, He Changhuan is dead!" "It was Hao Jian''s doing!" Liang Jiankun said with a grim face. This matter didn''t need consideration; it must have been Hao Jian. Meanwhile, at the Kong Family. "Young master, He Changhuan is dead." Kong Xiaozhen, disheveled, yawned and looked out the window wearily, "This was expected, what''s there to be surprised about?" He had known that He Changhuan would die because he had made the same mistake, a fatal one: underestimating the enemy! He Changhuan, like him, had once underestimated Hao Jian and thus paid a brutal price for his underestimation. He Changhuan thought that the backing of the Ye Family meant he had nothing to fear, but he didn''t realize that Hao Jian was like a mad dog. After a long while, Kong Xiaozhen sighed, "It''s also time for me to get moving." Upon hearing this, the servant was startled. Kong Xiaozhen had been in decline for over a month, and no one knew how long it would last. But they didn''t expect Kong Xiaozhen to come out of it so quickly; some even asserted that Kong Xiaozhen might live in Hao Jian''s shadow for the rest of his life. Half an hour later, Kong Xiaozhen changed into a clean suit, not the symbolically pure white, but a deep, somber black, very different from his usual style. Now, Kong Xiaozhen had regained his past luster, but he was deeper and more reserved than before. His usual arrogance and scorn were replaced by calmness and serenity. Clearly, Kong Xiaozhen had begun to transform, becoming more stable and restrained. As he stepped out of the room, those who saw him looked as if they had seen a ghost, bewildered by why Kong Xiaozhen would be smiling so confidently. After all, with the death of He Changhuan, the Kong Family had lost a strong ally. Logically, Kong Xiaozhen should be upset, so why did he seem so happy? But Kong Xiaozhen ignored the astonished looks from everyone and walked straight towards his grandfather''s house. Old Master Kong, seeing Kong Xiaozhen approach, showed a fleeting smile, and asked, "Have you figured it out?" "I have," Kong Xiaozhen nodded and sat down in front of Old Master Kong. "What do you plan to do?" Old Master Kong asked Kong Xiaozhen. "I plan to find Hao Jian," Kong Xiaozhen said with a smile, not hiding his thoughts; he had already made a certain decision. Upon hearing this, Old Master Kong immediately furrowed his brow and asked doubtfully, "At such a sensitive time?" "It''s precisely because this period is sensitive that he''ll see my sincerity," Kong Xiaozhen replied with a smile, resolute. "Are you really going to do that?" Old Master Kong knew what Kong Xiaozhen intended to do, but this course of action would impact the Kong Family greatly, and the consequences could be very serious, perhaps even leading to their downfall! So, he needed to make Kong Xiaozhen aware of the costs and consequences! "Now, it''s only a gamble for me; if I win, it''s glory for generations, if I lose, it''s doom and destruction!" Kong Xiaozhen picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and spoke indifferently. "We''re not yet at the point of making a last-ditch effort," Old Master Kong said. "No, we''ve already reached the point of a last-ditch effort. If we don''t pick a side now, later we''ll either be annexed by Ye Wenying or wiped out by Hao Jian. There''s no third option," Kong Xiaozhen shook his head, the situation far graver than he had imagined. "Is Third Young Master Ye interested in Hua City?" Old Master Kong looked shocked, this was beyond his expectations. He hadn''t expected Ye Wenying to also be interested in Hua City. Eventually, they would likely have to follow his lead, turning the Kong Family into a vassal. "Set on it!" Kong Xiaozhen said expressionlessly, having discussed this with He Changhuan, he knew Ye Wenying aimed to monopolize the entire Hua City. Eventually, all four young masters of Hua City would have to submit, leaving no other way out. That''s why Kong Xiaozhen said the Kong Family now had no other choice but to make a last-ditch effort. As such, Old Master Kong ceased to speak. After an unknown period, he suddenly asked, "What makes you so sure that Hao Jian will be stronger than Ye Wenying? The Ye Family is one of the biggest families in Hua City!" "I never said that Hao Jian would definitely defeat Ye Wenying. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be a gamble," Kong Xiaozhen said, and then looked intently at her grandfather: "But I do understand one thing, if we choose to submit under Ye Wenying''s feet, then our Kong Family will forever be just a vassal, Ye Wenying has a cruel nature, and to him, we are merely dogs, he won''t care about our life or death." "In this regard, Hao Jian is somewhat stronger than Ye Wenying, at least he has some humanity." "But if Hao Jian cannot compete with Ye Wenying, our Kong Family will perish with him. In this case, submitting to Ye Wenying should be the best strategy!" Old Master Kong had a different opinion; he still believed that it wasn''t possible to contend with Ye Wenying. "He Changhuan became Ye Wenying''s dog and ended up dead, killed by Hao Jian," Kong Xiaozhen spoke of such an event. Old Master Kong furrowed his brow, he had also heard about the death of He Changhuan, but he didn''t understand why Kong Xiaozhen brought up this matter at this time. "What are you trying to say?" "Grandfather, you''ve overestimated Ye Wenying while underestimating Hao Jian, a mistake we all made, and the cost of the mistake is falling into an abyss of disaster, just as I have lost miserably," Kong Xiaozhen replied calmly. The old master was silent for a long while, seemingly pondering, or considering. After a long time, he finally lifted his head, his gaze profound, "You know, I can''t let the entire family take this risk with you!" If Ye Wenying knew that the Kong Family had sided with Hao Jian, it would undoubtedly anger him, and the Kong Family could not withstand his wrath. Thus, Old Master Kong could not afford to risk the entire Kong Family. "I know, and I don''t need the family to take risks for me!" Kong Xiaozhen shook her head and then stated word by word, "From today onwards, I am no longer a member of the Kong Family!" Only by leaving the Kong Family could all her actions be completely severed from the Kong Family! No matter what she did, it would have nothing to do with the Kong Family. Conversely, no matter what she did, the Kong Family would not provide any help; starting today, Kong Xiaozhen was truly alone. "I hope you win the gamble!" the old master said faintly, then stood up and left, walking towards his room. "Thank you!" Kong Xiaozhen deeply bowed to her grandfather and then resolutely walked towards the door to leave. Soon, the news of Kong Xiaozhen leaving the Kong Family became known to everyone. Many people thought Kong Xiaozhen was foolish to relinquish a position of power and status that everyone envied, content to become an ordinary person. However, the younger generation of the Kong Family saw it as a great opportunity; they might use this chance to become the true successors of the Kong Family. The entire Hua City was instantly stirred into a major commotion. Some even said that Kong Xiaozhen was scared off by Hao Jian, which was why she left the Kong Family. Various opinions emerged, all targeting Kong Xiaozhen, but she ignored them. At this time, Hao Jian, too, had received word, sitting with his legs crossed on a boss chair, his face full of puzzlement. "Kong Xiaozhen, what exactly is she trying to do?" Hao Jian couldn''t understand Kong Xiaozhen''s behavior. Having left the Kong Family, what could she rely on to compete with him? Wasn''t this suicidal? Just as Hao Jian thought this, the phone in his office suddenly rang. "Vice Chairman Hao, a Mr. Li He wishes to see you!" the receptionist said. "Let him come up," Hao Jian responded directly, not too surprised by Li He''s visit as he had assigned him the responsibility of collecting jewelry; he thought that might be the reason for his visit. But when Li He arrived, he also brought along Kong Xiaozhen, who had recently left the Kong Family. "Hmm?" Hao Jian frowned, somewhat surprised by Kong Xiaozhen''s visit. "He found me at the racetrack and said he wanted to meet with you," Li He quickly explained, not wanting Hao Jian to think there was any special relationship between him and Kong Xiaozhen. "I see, you can leave now," Hao Jian said. After Li He left, Hao Jian looked at Kong Xiaozhen with interest, "So, tell me, what brings you here?" Seeing Kong Xiaozhen here, Hao Jian vaguely felt that her leaving the Kong Family might have something to do with him. "It was you who killed He Changhuan, wasn''t it?" Kong Xiaozhen asked with a smile. "I don''t know what you''re talking about. If you''ve come here just to say this nonsense, then you can leave," Hao Jian said expressionlessly. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Alright, whether you admit it or not doesn''t matter, I believe you did it," Kong Xiaozhen said with a smile, then casually sat down in front of Hao Jian. "I''m here to propose a deal." "What deal?" Hao Jian asked. "I want to collaborate with you to take over Hua City, to prevent it from falling into Ye Wenying''s hands. In return, you must not harm our Kong Family. You should know, if Ye Wenying gets Hua City, it will be very unfortunate for you since you killed his dog!" Chapter 543 - 543 I Want to Be with You Hao Jian lifted his head and remained silent, merely looking at Kong Xiaozhen with great interest, waiting for his next words. "And if Ye Wenying wants to take control of Hua City, he must first get past the four major families. After all, we are the local powers here; they must subdue us first to truly claim Hua City." "You killed He Changhuan. The He Family will definitely not stand with you, the Baili Family is an uncertain factor, and Liang Jiankun is too proud to join you. Whether I stand with you or not depends on your decision," Kong Xiaozhen reminded Hao Jian. "Oh? So, you''re threatening me, saying that if I don''t accept your terms, you will side with Ye Wenying?" Hao Jian asked with a mocking smile; Kong Xiaozhen clearly meant this. "Hao Jian, do you really think so highly of yourself that you believe you can take on the four major families and the Ye Family at the same time?" Kong Xiaozhen asked with a frown, his expression no longer calm. This guy was too arrogant, leaving him at a loss for words. He had come seeking cooperation, but seeing Hao Jian''s attitude, he was getting anxious. "Taking on the four major families and the Ye Family at the same time is indeed impossible, but if I target one of them first, say, your Kong Family, then defeat each one by one, consuming them all, wouldn''t that work? Once I eliminate the four major families, Hua City will still be mine, and Ye Wenying will get nothing!" Hao Jian said with a bizarre smile. "You''re insane!" Kong Xiaozhen''s eyes showed shock; this guy was really scary, actually planning to stand against several major families on his own¡ªit was suicidal! "Kong Xiaozhen, don''t overestimate your importance. Perhaps in your eyes, but in mine, you are nothing but a bunch of clowns, a group of lowly ants, easy to crush!" Hao Jian scoffed coldly, his expression very indifferent. As the God of Death, he stood at the pinnacle of power, able to alter the world with just a sentence. Anyone he wanted dead, even if it was a national leader, would be in mortal danger. The Kong Family may seem supreme to ordinary people, but to him, a fiend, a Demon King, they were just a bunch of ants, easily crushed underfoot. "Now, get out!" Hao Jian said rudely, not bothering to waste words with Kong Xiaozhen anymore. Because what Kong Xiaozhen said was similar to He Changhuan''s words, trying to persuade him to accept their terms. But Hao Jian''s personality was stubborn, the more they wanted him to compromise, the more he refused to! Having been insulted by Hao Jian like this, the old Kong Xiaozhen would probably have exploded with rage on the spot. But this time, Kong Xiaozhen just smiled and said, "If your attitude weren''t so strong, perhaps I would have turned around and left immediately, but fortunately, you didn''t disappoint me." It turned out that Kong Xiaozhen was testing Hao Jian; if there had been the slightest hesitation from Hao Jian, Kong Xiaozhen would have lost faith in him. Because this would mean Hao Jian was afraid of Ye Wenying. Why fear him? Because he lacked confidence. Fortunately, Hao Jian showed no signs of cowardice, which finally convinced Kong Xiaozhen. Hao Jian frowned at Kong Xiaozhen, wondering if there was something wrong with this guy''s brain. "I want to follow you!" Kong Xiaozhen stated outright. "Are you f*cking kidding me?" Hao Jian was stunned for a moment before looking at Kong Xiaozhen. Follow him? The proud Kong Xiaozhen actually wanted to follow him? Wasn''t that a joke? He had targeted Kong Xiaozhen before, causing Kong Xiaozhen to lose face terribly, and now Kong Xiaozhen was telling Hao Jian he wanted to be his dog? "I''m not joking. I want to follow you!" Kong Xiaozhen said seriously. He naturally knew that the Kong Family no longer had a choice by now: either go to Ye Wenying or submit to Hao Jian; there was no third option. "Give me a reason!" Hao Jian said. There should be a reason if Kong Xiaozhen wanted to follow him. "No reason. I just chose you over Ye Wenying," Kong Xiaozhen said candidly. If Ye Wenying had not threatened the Kong Family, he wouldn''t have stepped forward. Or maybe he would just continue to degenerate, but he still cared about the Kong Family, so he had to stand out. Old Master Kong, knowing this, let Kong Xiaozhen go ahead. Even though Kong Xiaozhen had been degenerating, as long as he cared about the family''s honor, everything could be forgiven. "Then why choose me? Logically speaking, isn''t Ye Wenying a better choice for you?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. It seemed to everyone that Ye Wenying was stronger than him. "Indeed, from appearances, Ye Wenying does seem more likely to win," Kong Xiaozhen said with a smile, sighing as if recalling a painful memory, "When you provoked me and Liang Jiankun back then, everyone thought we had the upper hand, thinking you were doomed. But the result was that He Changhuan was killed by you, and I was almost driven mad by you." "I have a premonition that Ye Wenying will also become another corpse under your feet!" Kong Xiaozhen said with a piercing gaze, having changed completely after being repeatedly humiliated by Hao Jian. Everyone thought Kong Xiaozhen had degenerated in that month, but only he knew that he was constantly reflecting on the real reason why he lost to Hao Jian. He finally concluded that Hao Jian was too mysterious. Every time they thought Hao Jian was surely doomed, Hao Jian would always find various ways to resolve the danger, making them feel utterly outplayed and ultimately manipulated to death by him. Kong Xiaozhen still didn''t know what other methods or trump cards Hao Jian had, but his instincts told him that Hao Jian wouldn''t be that simple. Therefore, Kong Xiaozhen was willing to bet on Hao Jian, though of course, this required a certain amount of courage and boldness. "You really think highly of me!" Hao Jian said with a smile that was not quite a smile. "I underestimated you in the past, which has led me to where I am today. Now, I definitely will not make that low-level mistake again!" Kong Xiaozhen said resolutely. He had learned his lesson and would rather treat Hao Jian as a god than underestimate him again. "Although what you say sounds sincere, I can''t just take your word for it, can I?" Hao Jian said. "Then tell me, what do I need to do to make you believe me?" Kong Xiaozhen was prepared for this; he knew Hao Jian wouldn''t easily trust him. "He Changhuan is dead. Bring me the He Family on a silver platter, then I will believe you!" Hao Jian said with a playful smile. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Kong Xiaozhen frowned. If he still had the backing of the Kong Family, there might be a possibility of achieving this. But now that he had parted ways with the Kong Family, he had to rely on himself for everything. How could swallowing the He Family be easy under these circumstances? "Give me some time!" Kong Xiaozhen did not refuse, knowing this was Hao Jian''s test of his loyalty and capability. Of course, Hao Jian was not interested in a useless weakling or a traitor always ready to stab him in the back. Immediately, Kong Xiaozhen bowed deeply to Hao Jian and then resolutely turned and walked away. "Boss, how did the talk go?" Li He quietly approached after Kong Xiaozhen left. "Not bad," Hao Jian said casually and then asked, "But how come he came to you? Did you know each other before?" "How could I know him? In the past, he never even looked me in the eye, as if I was too insignificant for his attention," Li He said with a bitter smile, feeling somewhat thrilled discussing it. Previously, he was a low-level character unnoticed by others, but now, after following Hao Jian, even a Young Master like Kong Xiaozhen would seek his help, which made Li He feel indescribably proud. "He wants to follow me. As a test of his loyalty, I told him to eliminate the He Family," Hao Jian told Li He. Li He stared blankly, astonished that Hao Jian shared such a confidential matter with him. Suddenly, Li He was overwhelmed with excitement, realizing that Hao Jian completely trusted him. "But he has already left the Kong Family. To ask him to confront the substantial He Family, I think that''s hardly possible," Li He expressed his doubts. "That is no longer my concern," Hao Jian shrugged and stood up, "Come on, let''s go to the bar. It''s been a while since I drank, and you are joining me!" "Sure!" Li He agreed without a second thought. Immediately, Hao Jian and Li He left the corporation, ready to find a bar for a leisurely drink. Later, they were drinking at a bar named "Prosperous Era," where Li He, that rascal, even specifically found a few good-looking girls to accompany them. All of them had sizable breasts, melon-seed faces, and seductive eyes, but the traces of plastic surgery were quite obvious, as their bodies were clearly sculpted by surgeons. In Li He''s view, how could you go to a bar without female company? But Hao Jian actually wanted to drink quietly with just the two of them and casually chat, not expecting Li He to overdo it. Seeing the helplessness on Hao Jian''s face, Li He realized his mistake and shot an apologetic look at Hao Jian. "Forget it, sit down," Hao Jian waved his hand at Li He, signaling it was okay. Since the people were already invited, it wouldn''t be right to send them away now. "Handsome, what do you do for a living?" At that moment, the hostess girls crowded around, leaning on Hao Jian and Li He. Of course, more of them leaned on Li He because he was dressed in Armani clothes and trousers, his whole body donned in designer brands, clearly a wealthy man, so they fawned over Li He more. While Hao Jian, dressed unfashionably like an unsophisticated country bumpkin, was simply ignored by them. Hao Jian didn''t mind at all; having no one to bother him was even better as he preferred to drink quietly by himself. ........................ Chapter 544 - 544 Extortion Of course, there were those with discerning eyes. A stunning woman draped in a red gown, with her **** half-revealed and a tall, alluring figure, had taken notice of Hao Jian''s extraordinariness. Her gaze locked onto the watch and ring on Hao Jian''s hand; as a loyal fan of Shu Ya Group, she was intimately familiar with its products. The watch and ring that Hao Jian wore were definitely from Shu Ya Group, and she had just seen this particular set. The ring was worth millions, while the watch was worth tens of millions¡ªthis was truly a Master Kuo. Suddenly, the gorgeous woman approached him, draping her hand over Hao Jian''s shoulder, and flirtatiously said, "Handsome, how about a drink with me?" S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian was taken aback, as it seemed he hadn''t expected a woman to approach him so boldly. After a moment''s thought, he nodded, "Alright." Since she had taken the initiative to invite him, it would seem uncourteous to refuse. At this moment, those girls cast disdainful glances at the woman, as if laughing at her for picking a deadbeat. Li He noticed this and pointed at Hao Jian, somewhat angrily, "You look down on him?" "No, not at all..." The social climbers wouldn''t dare to admit it outright, hastily shaking their heads. Even if they looked down on Hao Jian in their hearts, they wouldn''t dare to say it outright¡ªwouldn''t that offend people? Of course, they weren''t afraid of offending Hao Jian, but rather, of offending Li He. But Li He clearly didn''t believe them and scoffed, "A bunch of fools, daring to look down on him. Do you know he''s my boss? I rely on him for my livelihood!" Upon hearing this, the women were stunned. Li He had to rely on this guy for a living? But this guy looked no better than a beggar. At this point, all the women gazed at Hao Jian in surprise, unable to comprehend how this shabbily dressed man could be Li He''s boss. The woman in red who had approached Hao Jian was also overjoyed, thinking to herself that she had a truly discerning eye to have recognized Hao Jian''s extraordinariness at a glance. "Our boss is just more low-key, which is why he dresses simply. Do you know who he is? He''s the Vice Chairman of Shu Ya Group!" Li He said with a cold laugh, "A bunch of frogs at the bottom of a well. You could have tried to gain his favor, but now you''ve missed your chance!" With that said, the women were dumbfounded¡ªHao Jian was the Vice Chairman of Shu Ya Group? Their expressions turned to embarrassment and regret for missing out on a true magnate. The woman in red was also taken aback. Although she knew Hao Jian was wealthy, she hadn''t realized he was this wealthy¡ªto be the Vice Chairman of Shu Ya Group. This explained why Hao Jian had so much jewelry from Shu Ya Group on him. "Why bring this up?" Hao Jian was somewhat displeased. He didn''t like to flaunt his status because he knew that it would attract unnecessary troubles. "I just can''t stand their snarky comments," Li He said indignantly, standing up to drive away the women. "Life is full of different characters, not something you can control on your own. Sit down," Hao Jian waved his hand, then said to the group of embarrassed women, "Don''t mind him; he''s just having a moment." After tonight, they would never see these women again, so there was no need for anger or annoyance. Besides, the whole point of coming out tonight was to have fun¡ªif things escalated to a fit of rage, what would that accomplish? Li He reluctantly sat down, and the women all breathed a sigh of relief. If they offended these two benefactors, their efforts tonight would be in vain. However, the woman in red kept her eyes fixed on the ring on Hao Jian''s finger, her eyes flickering with Greed. Finally, the woman in red spoke up, fixing a sultry gaze on Hao Jian and seductively said, "Give me your ring, and I''ll be your lover for a year!" That ring was her favorite, but as she wasn''t wealthy, she couldn''t afford it. Hence, seeing it on Hao Jian''s hand, she was immediately filled with avarice, wanting to make a deal to get it. Hao Jian was somewhat speechless, then smiled and shook his head, "Sorry, I can''t give you this ring, as it is my wedding band." To him, it wasn''t just any ring¡ªit represented his promise to Shu Ya. "Then just get me another one, won''t you? You''re not short of one, are you?" The woman in red was still not giving up, thick-skinned as she was, asking Hao Jian to buy another one for her. She was infatuated with that ring, having longed for it intensely, but her desire was futile, since she couldn''t afford it! Now, seeing a chance within reach, how could she possibly give up? However, Hao Jian just smiled faintly without responding. He wasn''t in the habit of giving gifts to strangers on a whim, especially not one worth millions. ```"Heh heh... You really dare to ask for a high price. My boss''s ring is worth over a million, and you want to pay with your body? Do you think you''re made of gold? With that million, we could have different women every day of the year!" At this moment, Li He spoke but was mocking the woman in red for being too greedy. To hear this, the peripheral girls were all shocked, having not expected the ring on Hao Jian''s finger to be worth over a million. At the same time, they were filled with regret for missing out on such a wealthy client. But the woman in red remained unfazed and indifferent, stating, "If I''ve made such an offer, it naturally means I''m confident that you''ll find it more than worth your while. Trust me, I''ll make you ********." "No amount of ******** can be as thrilling as new experiences," Li He scoffed coldly, deeming the offer from the woman in red meaningless. "Sorry, I never keep mistresses, nor do I need one," Hao Jian shook his head, saying that men are naturally lustful, which is inevitable, but keeping a mistress would be a betrayal. Therefore, smart men just play around and don''t financially maintain a woman for the long term. Only a foolish man would keep a mistress and give so-called promises, eventually leading to trouble and ruin. Hearing this, the woman in red''s face turned cold, and she looked quite displeased, insisting adamantly, "You must agree to my request!" She had run out of patience; today, she was determined to get her hands on that ring one way or another. Whether Hao Jian was willing to give it or not¡ªhe would have to give it! "Oh? Why should I?" Hao Jian looked at the woman in red, smiling yet not smiling, feeling a hint of anger. He did not like the tone she used to speak to him. I''m neither your father nor your husband¡ªwhat right do you have to order me around? He found the woman''s behavior laughable. "Exactly, do you think you''re a fairy descended from heaven? If you really were, perhaps you''d be worth the price, but you''re not, are you? You''re just a money-hungry social climber!" Li He joined in the mockery. The woman in red''s companions didn''t take her side either, agreeing that she had indeed gone too far. Forcing a client to part with a gift goes against their code of conduct. Insulted by Li He, the woman in red looked quite upset, her anger flaring as she threatened, "If you don''t give me the ring, I''ll scream right now that you harassed me. I suppose someone of your status doesn''t want others to know you frequent such places and harass other women, right?" The woman in red stared at Hao Jian with a certain confidence, as though she was certain that Hao Jian would give in, not wanting to tarnish his reputation over such a small sum. "Hey, you stinking ****!" Li He burst into anger, standing up as if ready to teach the woman in red a lesson. But Hao Jian waved his hand, signaling Li He to sit down. Seeing this, the woman in red thought Hao Jian was about to give in and mocked, "I thought you were a smart man who knew how to make the right choice. Just give me the ring, and for the next year, I''ll do whatever you ask! Plus, I''m quite good at networking, and I can also help you close some deals over the dinner table." "Go ahead and shout!" But Hao Jian replied just so. "What?" The woman in red looked stunned, clearly not expecting such a response from Hao Jian. "I said go ahead and shout, let everyone know I''ve harassed you!" Hao Jian said with a smile. The woman in red and the other girls were taken aback. Could Hao Jian truly not be afraid of the woman''s threats concerning his reputation? However, the peripheral girls soon came to understand, someone with Hao Jian''s status likely had little to fear, possessing enough power and influence to resolve such trivial issues. In their eyes, the woman in red extorting Hao Jian would only end in utter misery. "You think I won''t dare?" The woman in red''s expression turned icy. Under Hao Jian''s scornful gaze, she felt insulted, her anger boiling. Why would Hao Jian do this¡ªis it because he thinks I won''t go through with it? "I didn''t say you wouldn''t dare, but if you''re going to do it, please hurry up, or else I''ll have to ask you to leave," Hao Jian said, still smiling but very rudely. The woman in red glared at Hao Jian deeply before saying fiercely, "You just wait!" Then, she stood up and left. "Boss, should I call some people?" Li He asked Hao Jian. "No need, she''s just a Clown causing trouble, she can''t stir up much," Hao Jian said expressionlessly, not caring in the slightest, assured that the outcome would be the same no matter what the woman in red did. The peripheral girls all stood there, dazed, admiring Hao Jian''s calm and kingly demeanor. Before long, the woman in red returned with a group of people. These burly men were covered in tattoos with fierce expressions. The leader had a square face, thick lips, and a prognathous jaw, combined with dark skin, he looked very much like a chimpanzee. Seeing this, Hao Jian was taken aback for a moment. This guy was literally the spitting image of a sentient chimpanzee. "Brother Black Dog, this is the guy!" The woman in red pointed at Hao Jian suddenly, full of aggression, and her face showed a hint of smugness.``` Chapter 545 - 545 Brother Black Dog From the woman in the red dress''s perspective, Hao Jian would soon be treated like a punching bag by Brother Black Dog and his crew, so she was very smug. That was the consequence of refusing her. So what if you are the Vice Chairman? Are you not still a man? At most, you just have more money! Seeing Brother Black Dog show up, the peripheral girls were all taken aback, not expecting that the woman in the red dress had connections with Brother Black Dog. Brother Black Dog owned the bar, and they needed his approval even to do business there. Moreover, they''d heard that Brother Black Dog used to be a tough character, with several lives on his hands! So, seeing Brother Black Dog appear made them all very uneasy, feeling ill at ease. Because Brother Black Dog really was a murderer, they felt Hao Jian had to bow down tonight. Even if he had power and influence, it was useless against someone as reckless as Brother Black Dog. At this point, they all clam up, too scared to speak. On the contrary, Hao Jian and Li He appeared relatively relaxed. They both just bowed their heads and drank, as if they didn''t see Brother Black Dog and his people. "What, too scared to speak?" Seeing Hao Jian downing drinks, Brother Black Dog immediately showed a look of disdain, thinking Hao Jian was scared of him. "Idiot!" Hao Jian said contemptuously. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hmm?" Brother Black Dog and his crew immediately glared with rage, glaring at Hao Jian, "Alright, lad, you''re quite arrogant, huh? You harassed my woman and dare to insult me, do you know who I am?" "I know, didn''t she say just a moment ago? A stray dog," Hao Jian replied with a smirk, looking at Brother Black Dog. "It''s Brother Black Dog, not black dog!" Brother Black Dog shouted angrily, infuriated by the insinuation that he was a mere dog. "You might as well drop the ''Brother''; why bother pretending to be a person when you''ve chosen an animal''s name?" Hao Jian quipped. This enraged Brother Black Dog, who squinted his eyes as anger surged within him. "Kid, you dare to insult Brother Black Dog, you''re dead!" Upon seeing this, the woman in the red dress immediately began to shout, her face inevitably revealing a cruel expression. She had seen Brother Black Dog cripple a man who had been chopped up seven or eight times, and his fate was very gruesome. Hao Jian daring to insult Brother Black Dog like that, his fate should be no different, perhaps even more tragic. Brother Black Dog, enraged by Hao Jian, pointed coldly at Hao Jian''s hand, "Give me that ring!" He had learned from the woman in the red dress that the ring was valuable. If he could get it for her, she promised to be his lover for free for a year. This deal was an obvious choice for Brother Black Dog, especially since the woman in the red dress was already his paramour, and with such an offer, of course, he would not refuse. Especially after seeing that Hao Jian and Li He were only two people. He took them even less seriously. "Why should I?" Hao Jian looked up disdainfully at Brother Black Dog, thinking it was rather naive of Brother Black Dog to want his possessions. "Why? Because you harassed my woman! And because I want it!" Brother Black Dog said fiercely, his eyes bulging with rage and veins, looking particularly menacing. "Harassed your woman? Do you have proof?" Hao Jian sneered, clearly seeing Brother Black Dog and the woman in the red dress as cut from the same cloth, both used to having their way without regard for others. "Proof? I, Brother Black Dog, never need proof! Just hand over the ring and get out of my place, and we''ll call it even. Otherwise, you''re in for a world of hurt!" Brother Black Dog threatened, not considering Hao Jian a threat at all, convinced he could knock him down with a single punch. "Brother Black Dog, his watch is also very valuable, worth at least ten million! You would look very handsome with it!" At this point, the woman in the red dress chimed in again with a sneer, wanting Hao Jian to be completely robbed. True to form, Brother Black Dog''s eyes lit up and he ordered, "Take off the watch and hand it to me!" A ten-million-dollar watch, something he reckoned he could never afford in his lifetime; how could he pass up such an opportunity now? "Didn''t your mother teach you not to take other people''s stuff without permission?" The smile on Hao Jian''s face gradually turned sinister, clearly losing his patience, ready to teach Brother Black Dog a lesson. "Brother Black Dog, this kid is all talk, clearly doesn''t want to hand it over; just teach him a lesson already!" the woman in the red dress said maliciously. "Kid, did you not hear me telling you to hand over your stuff?" Brother Black Dog picked up a glass of wine and splashed it on Hao Jian''s face. Hao Jian got splashed squarely, from top to bottom, his head drenched in liquor, which trickled down his forehead. Everyone was stunned, hardly believing that Brother Black Dog would make such a move, clearly the ultimate humiliation for a person. The woman in the red dress, however, chuckled coldly, her eyes filled with schadenfreude as she rejoiced over Hao Jian''s plight. This was the fate of anyone who dared refuse her! "Fuck your mother!" Li He burst out in anger, how dare this asshole treat his boss like this? But Hao Jian pulled Li He back and wiped the liquor off his face, smiling at Brother Black Dog, "Given your performance, I''m taking your life!" "What? Did I hear that wrong? Just you?" Brother Black Dog roared with laughter, always used to threatening others. Being threatened himself was a first. What did Hao Jian have? After all, he was just a desperado. What did that count for? "That''s right, just me!" Hao Jian said with a definite smile. "Then try touching me and see!" Brother Black Dog sneered, deliberately bringing his face close to Hao Jian, provocatively challenging him. Just then, Hao Jian grabbed Brother Black Dog by the collar, violently pulled him down, and slammed him onto the coffee table. Brother Black Dog was stunned on the spot, seemingly not expecting Hao Jian to strike with so many of their men around. Immediately, everyone saw Hao Jian holding an ashtray in his hand, violently smashing it down on Brother Black Dog''s head. "Bang!" A loud noise erupted, and Brother Black Dog''s head burst open, blood instantly splattering everyone nearby. The fiercely struggling Brother Black Dog also stopped moving in an instant, killed on the spot by a single ashtray from Hao Jian. For such a malicious accomplice, Hao Jian had no sympathy and believed that killing him was the most direct and effective way to prevent further evil! Everyone was stunned; Hao Jian''s ferocity terrified them, making them think they were dreaming. Could Hao Jian actually kill someone in front of so many people? But the warm blood on their faces reminded them that everything that had happened was real, and Hao Jian had indeed killed Brother Black Dog. "Brother Black Dog!" Brother Black Dog''s followers were instantly shocked by the scene and then looked at Hao Jian both shocked and angry. "What, want to take revenge for him? Then bring it on!" Hao Jian said playfully, clearly not taking these guys seriously. All of Brother Black Dog''s followers took a step back, as if they had seen a ghost, instinctively feeling that this was not a man to provoke; getting into a conflict with him would leave them meeting the same fate as Brother Black Dog! The woman in red also weakened at the knees, collapsing directly onto the ground, terrified. She had not anticipated Hao Jian could be so fierce, killing Brother Black Dog outright. Such ruthlessness was chilling to the bone! "No one else? Then scram!" Hao Jian barked. "You killed Brother Black Dog; our boss won''t let you off!" a follower blustered, frightened but obligated. As Big Brother''s followers, they couldn''t just run off, or else it would be considered disloyal and dishonorable. Even if they wanted to run, they still had to throw out some tough talk. "Your boss? Who is he?" Hao Jian asked, intrigued. He really wanted to see who in Hua City would dare to disrespect him. "My boss is known as Chongtian Tiger, the leader of the White Tiger Gang! Apart from Brother Spice Ginger, our gang is the largest in Hua City. Brother Black Dog was a Hall Master of our gang, and you''ve killed him. The boss won''t let you off!" another follower shouted. "So, what do you think we should do?" Hao Jian asked, genuinely interested. Thinking Hao Jian was scared, they got a bit more courage and arrogantly said, "If you were wise, you''d come with us to the gang headquarters to let the boss decide what to do, otherwise you won''t escape death!" "I do have another suggestion," Hao Jian said after thinking for a bit. "What suggestion?" "That''s for Chongtian Tiger to roll over here within half an hour. Otherwise, he won''t escape death either!" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "You''re too arrogant!" "Don''t be mistaken!" Hearing this, the followers couldn''t help but find it inconceivable. Was Hao Jian really daring to challenge their boss? "Cut the crap, didn''t you hear what my boss just said? Either scram or end up dead just like Black Dog!" At that moment, Li He also stood up and scoffed at the followers. "Just you wait, our White Tiger Gang won''t let this go!" one of them pointed at Hao Jian and Li He. Li He stepped forward and kicked him, sending the follower flying into a pillar before he was knocked unconscious. Seeing this, the other followers no longer dared to threaten Hao Jian and fled in terror, cursed at their fate for not having more legs. "Clueless to the bitter end!" Li He snorted coldly. Meanwhile, the women on the sidelines were stunned by what had unfolded. They had thought that with the numerical advantage, Brother Black Dog would dominate and badly beat Hao Jian and Li He. Instead, the quiet man they had just witnessed unexpectedly turned into a murderous maniac. ................................. Chapter 546 - 546: Encountering the Gathering Qi Sect Again Everyone fell silent, for they were all terrified to the point of stupidity. "Boss, how should we deal with her?" Li He immediately pointed to the red-clothed woman on the ground and asked Hao Jian. Hao Jian also looked over, and when the red-clothed woman saw his gaze sweep towards her, she was frightened to the point where her body hair stood on end and she cried out in terror, "Don''t kill me, please don''t kill me." "Kill you, don''t worry, I will not kill you," Hao Jian shook his head and then sneered, turning to Li He, "Slash her face!" At those words, the red-clothed woman became extremely frightened. She relied on her face to make a living, and if her face was slashed, how could she earn money in the future? "No, please... please don''t!" the red-clothed woman screamed. For a woman, their appearance is more important than their reputation. By ruining her looks, Hao Jian might as well have killed her; how could she accept this? But Hao Jian was cold and ruthless, completely ignoring her pleas, because in his eyes, evildoers had no gender. The red-clothed woman was blinded by her own greed and should pay a painful price for it. Li He let out a cold chuckle and then broke a bottle, grabbing the sharp remains and walking towards the red-clothed woman. "Don''t hurt me... please don''t hurt me!" the woman kept begging, but Li He seemed not to hear as he kept advancing. "Don''t move around, or I might disfigure your face. Just get plastic surgery to fix it. But if I accidentally cut your carotid artery, then not even gods could save you," Li He said with a twisted laugh. Ultimately, Hao Jian showed some mercy and didn''t take the woman''s life. Upon hearing this, the woman indeed dared not move. Immediately after, a piercing scream was heard, and a shocking bloodstain appeared on the red-clothed woman''s face. The other peripheral women were also terrified, really scared, as the fate of the woman before them was so miserable it took them a while to calm down. "Let''s go," Hao Jian said, no longer in the mood to continue playing. "Okay, sure!" Li He hurriedly followed. The other women felt a great relief; after such an incident, they dared not continue to entertain Hao Jian. But as they were preparing to leave, they saw a crowd gathering in the alley behind the bar. A group of fashionably dressed men and women were surrounded by three men in ancient garb, the scene somewhat strange, as three men daringly enclosed around more than a dozen others. A leader stood in front of those dozen people, but it turned out to be a girl; she was flanked by two beauties, exuding an air of arrogance that drew a few extra glances. Obviously, this girl was the leader of these people. Hao Jian and Li He couldn''t understand why the leader would be a girl, what special abilities this seemingly clever girl had, and moreover, how the hell she had two women clinging to her. "Are girls nowadays all so fierce?" Li He thought in astonishment. However, Hao Jian frowned, for he found the girl somewhat familiar, as though he had seen her somewhere before. At that moment, as the girl slowly turned her face, Hao Jian saw her true features. Instantaneously, Hao Jian inhaled sharply, uncertainly exclaiming, "Yu Jiayi!?" This woman was none other than Yu Ou''s sister, Yu Jiayi, Hao Jian''s arch-nemesis. Of course, it was Yu Jiayi who considered herself Hao Jian''s arch-nemesis, but in reality, Hao Jian didn''t take her seriously at all. However, Hao Jian did not expect to encounter Yu Jiayi here, and moreover, she was involved in a conflict with others. "Girl, our Deputy Sect Master fancies you, and you should be grateful. Don''t be such an ungrateful fool!" Just then, one of the men in ancient attire spoke up. He had a gaunt face and sunken eyes, exuding a somewhat effeminate air. In their midst stood a man with a distinctive demeanor, a full forehead, and a broad chin, with heroic eyebrows and bright eyes, looking very handsome. Dressed in ancient attire, he gave off the air of a carefree and unrestrained hermit. Clearly, this man was the Deputy Sect Master the other man had mentioned. When Hao Jian saw their attire, he too could not help but frown, for the garments were those of the Gathering Qi Sect. Had the people from the Gathering Qi Sect come to Hua City again? Hao Jian didn''t need to think twice; these people must be seeking revenge on him. After all, he had sabotaged the Gathering Qi Sect''s plans for domination and killed their Young Master¡ªof course, the Gathering Qi Sect would seek his life. Subsequently, a flicker of cold light passed through Hao Jian''s eyes, and a killing intent rose in his heart. The reappearance of the Gathering Qi Sect''s people in Hua City was no good news for him, as it meant his friends could all be in danger. Although he himself was not afraid of the Gathering Qi Sect, his friends were not fearless. Therefore, he must eradicate these people from the Gathering Qi Sect now, otherwise once they find his friends, they will be in danger. The incident of Liu Bohong kidnapping Shu Ya was still vivid in his mind, and Hao Jian would absolutely not allow it to happen again. It didn''t matter that he hadn''t seen them today, but now that he had run into them, he couldn''t let these people from the Gathering Qi Sect go. Sending even the Deputy Sect Master, the Gathering Qi Sect really holds me in high regard, Hao Jian thought mockingly, his gaze firmly fixed on the handsome middle-aged man, brimming with murderous intent. "Deputy Sect Master? What a strange name, it sounds as stupid as an idiot!" Yu Jiayi sneered without any concern, using it to ridicule the man for not even daring to reveal his real name while being so arrogant in front of her. "Scum! Deputy Sect Master is a title, not a name!" Another man, towering at eight feet tall, bellowed angrily. He stood like a black iron tower, exuding a majestic aura, with fierce eyes and a rough appearance. "Scum? Damn, this big guy is really addicted to imitating ancient people, no one talks like that anymore." Yu Jiayi''s companion laughed mockingly, feeling that these people from the Gathering Qi Sect were trying too hard to act cool. "With acting skills like that, why not become an actor?" "Ancient people coming to the bar?" "Dressing in ancient costume to pick up girls? Is that some new trick, brother? Your family knows how S-B you are, right?" The group of young people around Yu Jiayi couldn''t help but sneer. They were confident with their number advantage, and they didn''t take these three from the Gathering Qi Sect seriously at all. "You''re seeking death!" The effeminate man shouted furiously, his eyes about to split. No one had ever dared to disrespect them like this; these people actually had the audacity to insult them so rudely? The effeminate man and the Black Tower Strongman were both important figures in the Gathering Qi Sect, serving as the Left and Right Protectors. In the sect, their status was second only to the Sect Master and Deputy Sect Master, and everyone was in awe of them. Yet now, a group of ignorant youngsters dared to provoke them, infuriating them greatly. "Hey, calm down." At this moment, the handsome middle-aged man spoke, his voice magnetic, making the women around Yu Jiayi pause, and their expressions softened a bit. That''s the thing, as long as you''re good-looking, even if you are a bad person, people find it hard to feel any resentment towards you. Addressing Yu Jiayi, he said with a light smile, "My name is Nangong Fenglin." Nangong Fenglin came to Hua City indeed to kill Hao Jian. But when passing by this bar, he decided to sit down for a drink and happened to see Yu Jiayi celebrating with her friends. He was immediately attracted to the aura around Yu Jiayi and was overcome with lust, wanting to make her his own. So, he approached and tried to strike up a conversation with her. When Yu Jiayi ignored him, he decided to forcibly take her away. But Yu Jiayi was not one to be trifled with. Seeing Nangong Fenglin''s ill intentions, she became unhappy at once and even planned to give Nangong Fenglin and his group a good beating. So the two groups left the bar and prepared to face off in this back alley. Nangong Fenglin''s eyes swept over Yu Jiayi with an aggressive gleam as he proudly said, "Come with me." "Go with you? On what basis?" Yu Jiayi laughed scornfully, finding Nangong Fenglin''s words ridiculous. "On the basis that I''m telling you to go!" Nangong Fenglin tilted his head up, his attitude arrogant. "Uncle, are you sick? Look how old you are, trying to go after a younger girl? Don''t you see our Yu Jiayi''s age, and then look at yourself, all old and faded. Do you think you''re worthy?" a young man taunted. "Old man, if you''re eyeing Yu Jiayi, I think you''ve picked the wrong person. Because our Yu Jiayi likes women, hahaha..." a girl laughed convulsively. Yu Jiayi also said with a mocking tone, "I''m sorry, but I probably won''t be able to accept your profound affection, because I''m a lesbian. Physiologically we might differ a bit, but other than that, we''re both real men!" Upon hearing this, Nangong Fenglin was momentarily stunned, then he began to laugh peculiarly, "A lesbian, huh? Interesting. But no matter if you''re a lesbian, even in front of me, Nangong Fenglin, I''ll make you obediently become a woman!" "Is that so?" Yu Jiayi laughed furiously, thinking Nangong Fenglin was boasting and actually believed he could tame her. "Don''t waste words with that fool, just hit him!" Instantly infuriated, one young man shouted and then rushed towards Nangong Fenglin! S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Nangong Fenglin''s face was expressionless, with a hint of a cynical smile. At that moment, the young man pulled out a Telescopic Baton from behind and swung it fiercely at Nangong Fenglin''s head. "Bang!" A dull sound, and Nangong Fenglin''s head took a hit. The young man was also thrilled, not expecting Nangong Fenglin to not even dodge; with that baton coming down, wouldn''t he become an idiot? But then he couldn''t laugh anymore, because he saw his Telescopic Baton had completely deformed, and at the same time, Nangong Fenglin just rubbed the spot where he had been hit and said with a vicious smile, "That does hurt!" Chapter 547 - 547: The Humiliated Yu Jiayi This sarcastic remark pointed out that not even a single trace could be found on his head, let alone any injury. Soon afterward, Nangong Fenglin directly grabbed the young man''s neck with one hand and fiercely squeezed. With a crack, the young man''s body instantly slumped down. Seeing this, Yu Jiayi and the others couldn''t help but dramatically change their expressions. Had Nangong Fenglin just killed a man with one hand? The two protectors from the Gathering Qi Sect, however, had sinister smiles on their faces, seeming to take pleasure in the misfortune. This was what happened to those who dared to provoke their Gathering Qi Sect! "You... you actually dare to kill?" a young man said in terror as he looked at Nangong Fenglin. He had also insulted Nangong Fenglin just a moment ago, so seeing Nangong Fenglin kill now, his legs turned weak with fear. "Killing? I do this often, nothing surprising," Nangong Fenglin said calmly. For him, killing an ordinary person from the Secular World was no different from squashing an ant. With these words, everyone with Yu Jiayi was stunned. Killing often? Who exactly were these people? "Bullying ordinary folks takes no skill. Let me join you in this game!" Yu Jiayi, furious to the extent of laughing, released her two female companions and walked towards Nangong Fenglin, extremely angry because Nangong Fenglin had killed her friend. "You are a Martial Artist too?" Nangong Fenglin sensed the change in Yu Jiayi''s aura, also much surprised, seemingly not expecting Yu Jiayi to be a Martial Artist. Immediately, Nangong Fenglin burst into wild laughter, recklessly declaring, "No matter what, I will take you away today!" "That depends on whether you''re qualified!" Yu Jiayi snorted angrily and delivered a flying kick through the air towards Nangong Fenglin''s face. With a lewd smile, Nangong Fenglin caught Yu Jiayi''s calf with one hand and then abruptly pinned her against the wall. The situation was rather suggestive: Nangong Fenglin holding Yu Jiayi''s calf with one hand, while she was pinned against the wall, legs apart. Fortunately, she was wearing jeans, or else she might have accidentally revealed more than intended. "Beauty, stop struggling. Become my Sect Master''s wife! I''ll assist you in cultivation, we can achieve immortality together!" Nangong Fenglin said with a lewd laugh. "I''d rather die than share immortality with someone like you!" Yu Jiayi, angered and humiliated, was terrified to her core. The opponent''s strength was beyond her imagination; she was subdued before she could make a single move. This oppressive feeling, Yu Jiayi had felt only from Hao Jian; was this lecher as terrifying as that bastard Hao Jian? "Good, I like your fiercely wild nature. It''s more satisfying to conquer you!" Nangong Fenglin said with a sharp gaze, determined to have Yu Jiayi the more she resisted. Although Yu Jiayi''s strength was weak, as long as she was a Martial Artist, he could cultivate her well. Yu Jiayi''s personality greatly pleased Nangong Fenglin; he enjoyed conquering those who would not submit to him. "Let go of Yu Jiayi, do you know who she is?" a young man boldly shouted at Nangong Fenglin and the others. "I don''t know, why don''t you tell me?" Nangong Fenglin sneered. Although he was asking, it really didn''t matter who Yu Jiayi was to him. Unless she was an important figure in the Martial Arts World, he was fearless. "Yu Jiayi is the daughter of the Yu family from Hua City, a major family in the Military World. If you dare to harm her, tomorrow an army will come to your door to arrest and even execute you! Be wise and let her go!" the young man yelled. And a girl also sternly commanded, "Let Yu Jiayi go, or we''ll call the police to arrest you!" However, Nangong Fenglin merely shook his head and sneered, "The rules of the Secular World mean nothing to me. A local army thinking about killing me is pure fantasy!" Nangong Fenglin was disdainful; with his strength, he could roam freely across Hua City, and neither the police nor the military would be able to touch him. Everyone was greatly alarmed, yet they didn''t understand what Nangong Fenglin meant by ''Secular World''. Was this guy not from the Secular World? Only Yu Jiayi understood Nangong Fenglin''s words and was profoundly shocked. Were these people from some Hidden Sect? She had clearly heard those two refer to Nangong Fenglin as a Deputy Sect Master. "Beauty, come with me! At the Gathering Qi Sect, I''ll ensure you live a life pleasurable as the gods!" Nangong Fenglin said, moving his face closer to Yu Jiayi, leaving less than a centimeter between them. Yu Jiayi looked at Nangong Fenglin with disgust, "Keep away from me, I can already smell the stench from you, and it makes me feel sick!" Upon hearing this, Nangong Fenglin''s expression suddenly stiffened, then he laughed sinisterly, "The thing I like least is forcing people, so I''m giving you a choice!" Immediately, Nangong Fenglin turned to the two protectors and said, "Starting now, if she says ''no'' even once, you will kill one person, starting with the men, then the women, until everyone here is dead!" With these words, the entire place was shocked. Were these guys planning a massacre? Having already witnessed Nangong Fenglin kill, nobody now dared to doubt the seriousness of his statement. And Yu Jiayi was also filled with rage, her normally pristine face flushed with angry embarrassment: "You... you are shameless!" "Shameless? How so? I''m giving you a choice!" Nangong Fenglin laughed heartily, but although he spoke of giving Yu Jiayi a choice, it was essentially no choice at all. If Jiayi chose to say no, then someone would die because of her. "Silence, in my view, is consent. Attack!" Nangong Fenglin, seeing Jiayi remain silent, suddenly shouted angrily. The effeminate man then pounced on one of Jiayi''s male friends, lightly twisted his neck, and with a crack, his neck was broken. "Ahh!!!" Seeing this, everyone was terrified; it seemed Nangong Fenglin truly intended to kill them all. "I''ll kill you!" Jiayi, furious and grinding her teeth, nearly went mad when she saw Nangong Fenglin actually resorting to violence. "Kill me? You''re not capable!" Nangong Fenglin shook his head, deeming Jiayi''s strength inadequate to threaten him for another twenty or thirty years. "Be my woman?" Nangong Fenglin spoke again, still awaiting Jiayi''s answer. "Go to hell!" Jiayi''s eyes nearly bulged out as she screamed hysterically. Nangong Fenglin chuckled and then waved his hand again: "Do it!" "Crack!" Another young man''s head was twisted and broken, instantly killing three people, which was a tremendous torment for Jiayi''s friends. "Run!" At that moment, one of the boys finally broke down, screamed, and tried to flee the scene. But as soon as he had spoken, Nangong Fenglin acted personally, punching him in the chest. His fist went straight through the body, leaving a hole in his chest. "Anyone who dares run, I will kill him now!" Nangong Fenglin said coldly, completely indifferent to the people in front of him; to him, they were just animals awaiting slaughter. Even if he killed, the law couldn''t touch him, because he wasn''t bound by the rules of the Secular World. Once he was done with his business, he would return to the Gathering Qi Sect, and no one could find him. Sure enough, after those words, nobody dared to make a move, as they all didn''t want to die. "Jiayi, just agree to his request. Otherwise, we''re all going to die," a thin boy said pleadingly, his face pale and his body trembling with fear. "Xue Zhi, what nonsense are you talking? Do you want to compromise Jiayi''s integrity?" one of the women close to Jiayi retorted. "I just don''t want to die, and besides, spending one night with him won''t be so bad. We can''t all die because of her, can we?" The boy wasn''t the least bit embarrassed. After all, they were being targeted because of Jiayi, so she should sacrifice herself to save them. It was just spending one night with the man; it wasn''t a big deal. "You... you are utterly shameful!" the woman exclaimed, visibly upset. At that moment, Jiayi sighed deeply, looking at her friends with a complex expression, and then said to Nangong Fenglin, "Let them go; they are innocent. I agree to your request." As soon as she spoke, naturally, some were relieved and some were distressed, but more were relieved because they no longer had to die. "What? Speak up; I didn''t hear you," Nangong Fenglin said, smirking, insisting Jiayi say the words herself. "I said I am willing to be your woman!" Jiayi shouted humiliatingly, even someone as defiant as her tearing up at this moment. She knew what would follow, that Nangong Fenglin would surely ***** her, a thought that deeply disgusted her, being a lesbian. Almost every lesbian is a feminist, and thus despises men to the extent of needing to sterilize or throw away anything a man has touched. So, one could imagine the agony Jiayi would suffer internally if Nangong Fenglin violated her. "Wasn''t that simple? Let''s go! My beauty, to the bridal chamber!" Nangong Fenglin laughed out loud, putting a hand on Jiayi''s shoulder, ready to take her away. "Cough, cough... You can''t take her away!" But just then, a figure not far away intentionally coughed twice, drawing everyone''s attention. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Nangong Fenglin and the others looked over, and when Jiayi saw who was coming, she couldn''t help but feel overjoyed. How did this guy show up? He must be here to save me, right? Yes, he surely will save me, especially since we have been friends since childhood! ................................. Chapter 548 - 548: Call Brother Hao Seeing Hao Jian''s appearance, Yu Jiayi''s expression immediately relaxed a lot, and she was no longer as tense as before. In her view, probably only a freak like Hao Jian could compete with Nangong Fenglin. Yu Jiayi didn''t know why she had so much confidence in Hao Jian, but in her memory, Hao Jian had never lost a fight. "Who the hell are you? Dare to mind the Gathering Qi Sect''s business?" The Black Tower Strongman was the first to disapprove, glaring furiously at Hao Jian, his lips betraying a sinister sneer as if he wanted to swallow Hao Jian whole. Nangong Fenglin was also frowning at Hao Jian, his eyes like stars filled with a cold glint. "I don''t really want to get involved in your affairs, since I find this guy really annoying too. But there''s no helping it. Who asked her to be my brother''s sister? So I have no choice but to step in." Hao Jian shook his head helplessly, acting as if he was reluctant to save her but had no other option. Yu Jiayi''s delicate nose wrinkled, and she clenched her teeth, looking as if she wanted to bite a piece of flesh off Hao Jian''s body. She was truly furious, cursing in her heart that a dog would never spit out ivory. Originally, Yu Jiayi was grateful for Hao Jian''s appearance, but after hearing what he said, her gratitude instantly vanished into thin air. "Damn bastard, it''s as if I really like you!" Yu Jiayi glared at Hao Jian, her watery almond eyes slightly tinged with anger. "Hey, you still dare to curse? Fine, I won''t save you. Pray for your own luck!" Hao Jian pretended to turn and walk away. "Don''t... don''t go..." Upon hearing Hao Jian was about to leave, Yu Jiayi immediately panicked and called out in a faded beauty. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian turned back, looking at Yu Jiayi with a smile that was not quite a smile, and remarked in amazement, "Well, well, look at Yu Family''s young miss begging someone? Aren''t you supposed to fear nothing, neither heaven nor earth? Tsk, women will be women after all. No matter how much you want to be a man, it''s just impossible!" "Cut the crap! What will it take for you to save me?" Yu Jiayi was so irritated, her teeth itched. This guy must be doing it on purpose! "Call me something nice, and I''ll save you." Hao Jian said with a mischievous grin and a wink, "Call me Brother Hao!" Yu Jiayi felt like gagging. Brother Hao? Wouldn''t saying that sound like "good brother"? How could she ever utter such a cheesy line? "Hurry up, if you don''t call me that, I''m leaving," Hao Jian said impatiently. "Hao Jian!" Yu Jiayi yelled, utterly exasperated. "It''s Brother Hao, not Hao Jian. You calling me by my name exposes too much of my character!" Hao Jian teased. "Brother Hao," Yu Jiayi said gruffly, feeling so humiliated she wanted to die on the spot. She had never been so feminine in her life, and now this scoundrel had forced her to act this way. "Your words are too stiff, emotionless. You''ve disappointed me, say it again." Hao Jian ordered. "Don''t push it too far!" Yu Jiayi''s eyes widened with rage, wishing she could devour Hao Jian alive. "Put some feeling into it, gentle and lyrical. Let me feel the tender softness that befits your femininity!" Hao Jian coached enticingly. "I am not a woman!" Yu Jiayi argued forcefully, always thinking of herself as a true man! Hao Jian clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and said, "Enough talk, hurry up, or I''m really leaving!" Yu Jiayi nearly crushed her teeth. This jerk was clearly kicking her while she was down. But she had no choice; at her brother''s mercy, if she didn''t do as Hao Jian said, she might really be taken away by Nangong Fenglin. Yu Jiayi let out a heavy sigh, looked at Hao Jian with a bit of resentment, and finally, imitating the coquettish tone of her female friends, called out, "Brother Hao~" The call was enticing and charming, with a plaintive yet playful tone that made everyone present stunned. Especially Yu Jiayi''s friends, who were in complete disbelief. When had Yu Jiayi ever shown such a side? They were baffled on the spot, finding it utterly inconceivable. Yu Jiayi had always been more macho than the machos, so watching her put on the airs of a daughter felt incredibly surreal to everyone. "Ha ha ha ha... How disgusting! Yu Jiayi, I didn''t expect you to have a day like this!" However, at that moment, Hao Jian was laughing like an idiot, leaning against the wall with his belly shaking uncontrollably. Yu Jiayi''s delicate face contorted into a ferocious snarl as she hysterically yelled at Nangong Fenglin, "You help me kill this scumbag, and I''ll be your woman!" At this point, Yu Jiayi hated Hao Jian even more than she hated Nangong Fenglin. This bastard dared to humiliate her like this! "Enough!" Nangong Fenglin roared with a dark expression, his cold gaze fixed on Hao Jian. "Are you playing me for a fool?" In Nangong Fenglin''s eyes, Hao Jian and Yu Jiayi were just flirting, and doing so right in front of him. "Deputy Sect Master, let me dispose of this nuisance for you!" The Black Tower Strongman said with a fierce face. He had disliked Hao Jian from the moment he appeared, feeling irritable and even somewhat uneasy, which made it all the more infuriating for Nangong Fenglin to sense such apprehension from a mere ant from the Secular World. "Make it quick. I still want to hurry and enjoy the pleasures of the flesh with a beauty!" Nangong Fenglin said with a lewd smile as he pinched Yu Jiayi''s sharp chin, while she glared back coldly at him. But at this very moment, Yu Jiayi couldn''t help but worry, with three opponents and only one Hao Jian. The Black Tower Strongman walked towards Hao Jian and stood directly in front of him, just a few centimeters away. He towered over Hao Jian by a good margin, making Hao Jian look like a child in his presence. He looked down at Hao Jian from on high, his face twisted into a cruel smile, "Kid, how do you want to die?" "So you''re certain you''ve got me?" Hao Jian sneered, feeling rather helpless inside. These guys came to kill him without even preparing some photographs or anything, making the situation embarrassingly awkward. "Otherwise, what? Do you think you can still make any significant waves?" The Black Tower Strongman scorned, then patted his chest with a thudding sound, "Come on, hit me! As long as you can leave some marks on me, I won''t kill you!" This strongman was brazen, believing that Hao Jian could never be his match, thus he was very disdainful. "Fine!" Hao Jian nodded, not saying anything. He believed it was foolish not to take advantage of such an opportunity; if this guy was practically asking for death, he couldn''t blame him. Immediately, Hao Jian took a deep breath and then threw a punch that seemed calm and without violence. Feeling the light breeze of the punch, the Black Tower Strongman''s face filled with more scorn as he mocked, "Didn''t you eat? Is that all the strength you''ve got?" But just then, Hao Jian suddenly let out a cold, harsh laugh, and the power behind his punch surged fiercely, cutting through the air with a whoosh. The Black Tower Strongman also instantly realized something was wrong, but it was already too late to dodge. "Puff!" A cloud of blood sprayed out behind the strongman, stunningly beautiful and brilliant. The strongman looked down at the fist that had pierced through his chest, and his eyes began to glaze over. Hao Jian, like Nangong Fenglin, had punched through a person''s body with a single blow. The difference was, Nangong Fenglin killed a commoner, while Hao Jian had killed a formidable martial artist. The light in the strongman''s eyes gradually faded, and then with a spurt, he coughed up blood, his body slowly falling forward. To his death, the strongman could not comprehend how the man before him could be so powerful, to kill him with a single strike. Yu Jiayi and her friends were also stunned; Hao Jian could actually kill a person with one punch, wasn''t that just like Nangong Fenglin? But Nangong Fenglin and his group were at a loss for words. They knew all too well the strength of that strongman; in their wildest dreams, they couldn''t have imagined that Hao Jian would kill him with just one punch. Afterward, Nangong Fenglin''s face took on a grave expression as he stared fixedly at Hao Jian and asked coldly, "Who exactly are you?" By now, Nangong Fenglin no longer dared to underestimate Hao Jian. Anyone who could kill a protector of the Gathering Qi Sect with one punch was definitely not an ordinary person. "You come all the way to Hua City to kill me, and now you ask who I am? Isn''t that a bit ridiculous?" Hao Jian replied with a disingenuous smile, giving Nangong Fenglin a wake-up call. Nangong Fenglin''s pupils contracted in shock, "You are Hao Jian?" "Kindly next time when you''re out for revenge, bring a photo of me, all right? Look at how awkward this is," Hao Jian said, exasperated. Nangong Fenglin''s rage was unappeased, and he glared viciously at Hao Jian, "You''re the bastard who humiliated the Gathering Qi Sect?" "Just to clarify, I may be cheap, but certainly not a bastard!" retorted Hao Jian. "It''s the case of ''no pains, no gains''! Who would have thought, without us having to look for you, you would deliver yourself to our doorstep, Hao Jian, today is your day to die!" Nangong Fenglin roared. Yu Jiayi was dumbfounded. What was happening here? Had the target shifted? Suddenly, Yu Jiayi''s expression turned strange and fierce, as though she wanted to tear a piece of flesh from Hao Jian''s body. So it turned out that these guys were Hao Jian''s mortal enemies. This scoundrel would have killed them sooner or later, even if he didn''t save her; her rescue was merely incidental, and yet he acted as if he had done something remarkable. Thinking of how that guy had teased her earlier, Yu Jiayi felt an urge to kill him herself. "Quite the big talk, just like this idiot here," said Hao Jian, glancing coldly at the corpse on the ground. "He was killed only because he underestimated his opponent, but we won''t make that mistake again! Attack together, kill him at once!" Nangong Fenglin bellowed, as he and the slim man charged forward. Nangong Fenglin didn''t dare to be complacent; he could see that Hao Jian was no ordinary person and failing to eliminate him promptly could lead to serious trouble! "Thud! Thud!" Two flying daggers shot out from the slim man''s sleeves, targeting Hao Jian. "Using hidden weapons? How despicable!" Yu Jiayi, now unfettered, immediately chastised them, finding Nangong Fenglin and his companion utterly shameless for not only outnumbering their opponent but also resorting to hidden weapons. Chapter 549 - 549: Are You Having an Affair? But Nangong Fenglin and his companion disregarded her; their only thought was to eliminate the threat as soon as possible, everything else was irrelevant! "Heh..." Hao Jian gave a faint smile, his figure unmoving like a towering mountain, exuding a sense of cool elegance. Just as the flying knives were about to hit, for some reason, they suddenly flew backward and with a "clang clang" sound, nailed themselves into the wall not far away. "What?" The effeminate man was instantly terrified because he had not seen clearly what Hao Jian had done, why the knives had flown backward and then stuck in the wall¡ªwhat exactly had happened? Hao Jian had deflected the knives with his hands, but his movements were so fast that the human eye couldn''t catch them. At this moment, Nangong Fenglin also felt panic-stricken, thinking Hao Jian was too eerie. "Swoosh!" It was then that Hao Jian suddenly swept his gaze across the effeminate man. The effeminate man instantly became rigid, feeling as if every pore on his body had dilated. At that moment, he felt as if he was being watched by a peerless beast, a suffocating sense of panic quickly enveloping him. Then the next instant, Hao Jian appeared in front of him, grabbing his throat with one hand. "What?" The effeminate man was scared witless. Was Hao Jian''s speed really that fast? As swift as lightning. He didn''t even have time to react before Hao Jian had him pinned against the wall. "It turns out, even if you weren''t careless, the result would have been the same!" Hao Jian said indifferently, his fingers tightening. "Wait..." "Crack!" But Hao Jian didn''t give him the chance to continue speaking and directly twisted his neck, breaking it. Seeing this, Nangong Fenglin was so frightened that he seemed to lose his soul, leaping three meters high onto a rooftop, desperately trying to flee the scene. Even he couldn''t instantly kill two protectors in a blink; yet, Hao Jian had done it, which meant Hao Jian''s strength far surpassed his own. He knew he was no match for Hao Jian¡ªwith such speed, he couldn''t compare. If he insisted on competing with Hao Jian, he would surely be cut down. Nangong Fenglin''s departure was extremely fast, he had fled more than twenty meters in an instant, leaving Yu Jiayi and the others dumbstruck. "Trying to run?" Hao Jian let out a cold laugh, pulling one of the flying knives out of the wall. He charged it with Vigorous Qi and then hurled it with all his might. The knife streaked across the night sky, leaving a brilliant trail of silver light, and then directly hit Nangong Fenglin''s head, exploding it on impact. Nangong Fenglin was killed instantly! Yu Jiayi and the rest were petrified by the scene. Compared to Hao Jian, the ruthlessness of Nangong Fenglin and his men was nothing. They were mere ants in front of Nangong Fenglin''s group, but weren''t Nangong Fenglin and his men just as much ants in front of Hao Jian? "Thanks." Yu Jiayi walked over, glanced indifferently at Hao Jian, and then, somewhat reluctantly, uttered these words. "Thanks for what? I wasn''t helping you; I was helping Yu Ou!" Hao Jian glanced at Yu Jiayi and said. "Do you have to be so annoying?" Yu Jiayi felt a surge of anger towards Hao Jian. "I''m not the one saying this, but you''re not young anymore, yet you waste your days away. Do you really think you''re still young? How much longer can you play around? A girl, learning from others to be the boss, do you realize how ridiculous you are?" Hao Jian, for once, dropped his smile and reprimanded Yu Jiayi seriously. If he hadn''t been there today, it was imaginable what would have happened to Yu Jiayi. It was because he had grown up with Yu Jiayi and saw her as his sister that he was giving unwanted advice. If it were anyone else, he wouldn''t have given them the time of day. "I''m not a girl; I''m a real man!" Yu Jiayi said adamantly. "A real man? Why are you pretending in front of me¡ªwhat exactly are you trying to prove?" Hao Jian scolded, then grabbing Yu Jiayi''s clothes, he said, "Looking at you, dressing like a tomboy every day, do you think that makes you a man? Wrong, it just highlights your inner fragility and sensitivity." "You dress up as a man because in your heart, you think men are much stronger than women, so you intentionally make yourself look like a man to seem less feminine. But a truly strong woman doesn''t need these pretenses; you can''t achieve that because you''re just putting on an act!" Hao Jian snorted coldly. Yu Jiayi gritted her teeth, unable to find a word in retort. She hadn''t expected Hao Jian to see through her so clearly. It should be said that Hao Jian was the only one who could see her so clearly, not even her biological parents, who thought she was truly homosexual and had scolded her many times. "Get in the car! Let''s go home! And cut down on hanging out with those good-for-nothing friends!" Hao Jian commanded Yu Jiayi with the attitude of an elder. "I won''t!" Yu Jiayi pouted like a child, resentful. Why should she do whatever Hao Jian said? She just didn''t want to make things easy for him. "No? Do you want me to spank you in front of these friends of yours?" Hao Jian threatened. "You wouldn''t dare?" Yu Jiayi glared back at him. Hao Jian, his presence dominating and fierce, strode toward Yu Jiayi while sneering, "You think I wouldn''t dare." Hao Jian hoisted Yu Jiayi onto his shoulder and then slapped her butt with a "smack." "Hao Jian, you bastard, I''m going to kill you!" Yu Jiayi was infuriated and embarrassed; this asshole actually dared to slap her butt in front of all her friends. "Smack!" Hao Jian gave Yu Jiayi another slap, "Say it again!" "You..." "Call me Brother Hao!" Hao Jian taunted evilly. "Hao, your mother!" cursed Yu Jiayi. "Smack!" Hao Jian delivered another slap, and despite Yu Jiayi''s struggles, she couldn''t escape his grip. Yu Jiayi''s friends were shocked; known to be a tough cookie, she was now being spanked in front of a crowd, which was indeed a spectacle. "You little brat, so you''re rebelling now!" Hao Jian laughed smugly and then bellowed, "Do you dare to curse me again? If you do, I''ll keep beating you!" "I dare not," Yu Jiayi said, utterly humiliated. "Call me Brother Hao!" Yu Jiayi fell silent; her hatred for Hao Jian had burrowed deep into her bones¡ªhow could she possibly address him that way? "Smack!" Hao Jian, enraged, slapped her butt again. "Why are you crying? Hey, don''t cry now!" Seeing Yu Jiayi burst into tears, Hao Jian panicked. She''d always been tough before; why had she suddenly changed? "You''re going to pay for this, you bastard!" Yu Jiayi said, feeling very wronged. "..." On the way back, Hao Jian drove Yu Jiayi home, but she remained silent during the journey. Seeing Yu Jiayi''s dispirited mood, Hao Jian didn''t dare to speak either, and the atmosphere stayed oppressively heavy throughout. Not a single word was exchanged between them until Yu Jiayi reached home. "Ah! The night sky is so beautiful tonight!" Yu Ou stood at the doorstep alone, holding a glass of red wine and looking up at the stars and moon, speaking pretentiously. "This breeze is so cool, and the moon so pure, but... what the hell is that?" Yu Ou''s eyes bulged in disbelief as he spotted a car approaching. What did he see inside it? Yu Jiayi was sitting in a car with Hao Jian? Unaware of Yu Ou at the doorway, Yu Jiayi stormed out of the car and slammed the door once she reached home. Seeing Hao Jian dropping off Yu Jiayi, Yu Ou was staggered, "You two... are having an affair?" Yu Jiayi had always seen Hao Jian as an enemy; it was absolutely impossible for them to return in the same car as they did now. But the impossible had happened, making Yu Ou feel something was amiss. Perhaps Yu Jiayi''s constant dislike was just a facade; in fact, she might have developed secret affection for Hao Jian long ago, deliberately showing hatred in front of others to deceive them. And now he had caught them red-handed. Upon hearing this, Yu Jiayi, already livid, charged at Yu Ou and delivered a Groin Kick directly to his crotch. Yu Ou then howled in pain, lying on the ground for a long time, unable to get up. Yu Ou''s face turned the color of eggplant as he pointed at Yu Jiayi, "You... are you trying to make your brother childless?" "Hmph! You deserve it!" Yu Jiayi huffed in annoyance before striding away. "What the hell were you playing at?" Hao Jian, with a cigarette in his mouth, came over, his expression a mix of amusement and disdain, as he looked at Yu Ou. "Rage turned to violence, wanting to silence me, you adulterous piece of ****!" Yu Ou seethed. "Fuck! Would I fall for that tomboy?" Hao Jian flicked away his cigarette and then pummeled Yu Ou with a flurry of punches. Yu Ou was on the verge of tears, wondering whom he had provoked. He decided never again to pose like a poser late at night! On his way back, Hao Jian made a call, "Prophet, do me a favor and take out a Huaxia sect called ''Gathering Qi Sect.'' "Money!" The Prophet demanded matter-of-factly, cutting straight to the chase. "Put it on my tab, I''ll pay you later!" Hao Jian said thick-skinned, losing count of how many times he had promised to pay. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You think I''d still trust you after all this time?" The Prophet scoffed, having been fooled by Hao Jian so many times, how could she possibly believe him again. Chapter 550 - 550: Yanbo Mansion ``` "So you''re saying you refuse, huh? You''re not afraid I''ll just refuse to pay back the money I owe you?" Hao Jian threatened. "You dare? I''ll get the Eight-Nation Alliance to swarm your house, believe it or not?" The Prophet''s attitude was equally tough, and she could indeed make it happen. With just one order, she could gather a large group of people to serve her. "Alright, alright, Big Sister, you''re the boss, you''re the big shot. What do I need to do to get your help?" Hao Jian had no choice but to compromise. "I need you to investigate an international crime organization named ''Black September''. They are a bunch of crazies specializing in biochemical research. They were originally conducting their research in America, but after being expelled, they moved to Huaxia. Help me find them." "Since when are you interested in such stuff?" Hao Jian was puzzled. "They killed one of my puppets! I need a proper explanation for this!" The Prophet''s voice carried a hint of chilliness. Hao Jian fell silent. The Prophet knew everything not just because of her massive information network, but also because of the informants she controlled. The Prophet referred to these informants as her puppets, meaning they obeyed her orders and collected information for her. Black September killing one of her important puppets had made the Prophet very angry. "Fine! You help me eliminate the Gathering Qi Sect, and I''ll help you destroy Black September!" "Should I assign this task to the Crazy Faction?" The Prophet asked. "That''s fine, but don''t let them know I''m in Huaxia!" Hao Jian reminded her, not wanting his old subordinates to know he was in Huaxia, otherwise they would all swarm to Hua City, and that would be too much for him to handle. "Relax, I know what to do!" The Prophet assured confidently and hung up the phone. "Well then, I''ll hang up first," Hao Jian said. "Okay, good night," The Prophet said in a soft tone. After hanging up the call, Hao Jian felt something was not quite right, but he could not pinpoint what it was. It was mainly because the tone of the Prophet''s speech had changed, which made Hao Jian very uncomfortable. The sudden softness surprised him. Having hung up the phone, the Prophet immediately called someone else: "Hey, Crazy Faction? The God of Death has a mission for you. Go to Huaxia and eliminate a sect called the Gathering Qi Sect. Yes, he''s in Huaxia, he''s in Hua City, and he says he misses you a lot. Hurry up and meet him!" After the call, the Prophet smiled happily and murmured, "Hao Jian, Hao Jian, you''ve fooled me so many times. Isn''t it time to pay some interest?" .... Two nights later, the Gathering Qi Sect received an uninvited guest. He was eight-feet-tall, with a burly build like a big brown bear, his steps firm and powerful, each one stirring up the dust. "Who goes there?" The Mountain Gate Disciples called out to the stranger. "Crazy Faction!" came the reply in a voice that was coquettish and gentle, causing the two disciples to falter for a moment. The person''s massive build suggested a man, yet the voice was alluring and feminine, creating a striking contrast. "Why have you come here?" one of them challenged. "I wanted to see some fireworks," the Crazy Faction responded, the seductiveness in their voice intact, and as they approached, the two disciples finally got a clear look at their face. Subsequently, both disciples inhaled sharply. The visitor was enormous, dressed in a pink gown with two braids atop their head. Their face was as round as Big Bing''s and surrounded by stubble, reminiscent of Ruohua from Master Xing''s films; they were unmistakably a man. The two Mountain Gate Disciples were dumbfounded. How could there be such a freak in the world? Cross-dressing was one thing, but to also have such a coquettish voice? The voice had been enticing at first, but upon seeing the visitor''s appearance, it felt repulsive to them. "What are you looking at, want to marry me?" the Crazy Faction said, puckering their lips. The girlish pose made the disciples feel nauseous. They hurriedly looked away, not daring to gaze upon her, fearing they might really have to marry her. But after a moment of bewilderment, they felt the absurdity of their situation¡ªthey were the Mountain Gate Disciples, why should they fear an outsider? Therefore, one of them said indignantly, "Fireworks? Our Gathering Qi Sect never sets off fireworks. You''ve come to the wrong place!" "There aren''t any now, but there will be shortly," the Crazy Faction replied with a twisted smile. "We''ve said there are none, now get lost, or we''ll get rough!" one of the disciples threatened, no longer wanting to see the Crazy Faction''s dreadful face for fear of vomiting if they continued to look. "Alright, alright, I''ll leave, don''t be so fierce," the Crazy Faction said flirtatiously and then turned to leave. "I can''t stand it anymore!" one of the disciples shouted, charging at them. "Damn it, die you demon!" the other disciple also yelled, swinging their stick and attacking. But as the Crazy Faction turned around, the two Mountain Gate Disciples suddenly froze, and then their heads flew off their bodies, killing them instantly. ``` "I told you not to be so fierce, what''s the need~" The Crazy Faction said resentfully, her smile devilish as she looked at the two corpses on the ground. Then she picked up a device in her hand and pressed a sequence of buttons methodically. "Positioning complete, missile launch imminent!" After that, the machine issued a sound, and it was only after completing all these actions that she slowly started to leave down the mountain. Five minutes later, a dazzling meteor fell on the Gathering Qi Sect''s mountaintop, followed by a thunderous explosion. In an instant, the entire Gathering Qi Sect was razed to the ground, all members, including the Sect Master, were dead without exception. The Crazy Faction looked at the blast of mountain fire with satisfaction and smiled, "Hao Jian, my lover, I''m coming to find you. We can be together very soon!" "Achoo!" "Damn, who''s cursing me early in the morning?" Hao Jian got up from bed, not knowing why he felt a chill, always feeling like something bad was about to happen. "Daddy, it''s time to get up!" the little girl Tongtong rushed onto Hao Jian''s bed and shouted at him. "Come here, my little treasure, let Daddy give you a kiss!" Hao Jian hugged Tongtong and went straight for her tender white cheeks to give her a nibble. After that, Tongtong glared at Hao Jian with some resentment: "You didn''t brush your teeth, your mouth stinks!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, "Okay! I''ll go brush my teeth now!" After brushing his teeth and coming downstairs, Hao Jian suddenly saw Ruo Lan had prepared a table full of sumptuous breakfast: tuna sandwiches, cappuccino cakes, sunny-side-up eggs, and so on. Hao Jian was a bit stunned, "What''s the special occasion today?" At that moment, Ruo Lan came out of the kitchen with two cups of hot cocoa and said with a wicked smile, "To celebrate Shu Ya''s absence." "..." Hao Jian felt exasperated, a frown and a bitter smile emerging simultaneously, "Sister Lan, you''re biased against Shu Ya. She''s actually quite nice." "I know she''s nice, but that has nothing to do with me. Any woman who tries to steal my man is an enemy!" Ruo Lan said with a smile that didn''t quite reach her eyes. Hao Jian was dumbfounded, sensing that Ruo Lan had really changed a lot. The Ruo Lan of the past was gentle, tranquil, and tender like water, but now she seemed to have grown a bit more forthright. "Excuse me, is this Hao Jian''s home?" Just then, a light and graceful voice suddenly came from the doorway. Everyone turned to look and saw a woman in a white dress standing at the entrance. She had a natural beauty, with fair skin like jade, an oval face, watery almond-shaped eyes, and a figure as graceful as silk. She was wearing a white formal hat, giving off an ethereal aura. Behind her stood two young men, both exuding arrogance in their expressions, looking down on everything with disdain. "Looking for you?" Ruo Lan looked at Hao Jian with suspicion. "I don''t know them," Hao Jian said, equally puzzled. He had no idea who these people were. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But the fact that they knew his name was baffling to him. "My name is Bai Suqin, from Yanbo Mansion!" Bai Suqin explained, her face bearing a pleasant smile, so charming that it made both Tongtong and Ruo Lan momentarily stunned by her otherworldly beauty. Bai Suqin''s aura was extraordinary. Despite living in the modern world, she gave them the feeling of a fairy untouched by the mundane. "Yanbo Mansion? What the hell is that?" Hao Jian said, utterly confused. "How dare you speak like that?" The two young men became annoyed upon hearing Hao Jian''s irreverent words about Yanbo Mansion, scolding him immediately. Hao Jian frowned, feeling somewhat displeased. He could tell that these guys looked down on them. They had barged into his home, spouting nonsense, and now they even dared to rebuke him. This annoyed Hao Jian quite a bit. However, Bai Suqin remained calm and said, "Our Yanbo Mansion is an enemy of Three Souls Hall, historically at odds. I heard you destroyed Gathering Qi Sect?" Ruo Lan, still not fully understanding, threw an inquisitive look at Hao Jian. Hao Jian shook his head, "I don''t know what you''re talking about." "Stop pretending. We all know Nangong Fenglin came to see you and that he was killed by you!" a young man with a buzz cut scoffed. Indeed, Yanbo Mansion had heard rumors that Nangong Fenglin had gone to Hua City to kill a young man named Hao Jian but ended up dead along with two protectors. Soon after, Gathering Qi Sect was decimated, with all its members dead, a fact that couldn''t be ignored. Therefore, Yanbo Mansion started considering recruiting Hao Jian, hoping he would join them. After all, someone who could wipe out a Silver Level power was well worth recruiting. That''s why they sent the Holy Maiden Bai Suqin from Yanbo Mansion to persuade Hao Jian. "Can you tell your people to shut up?" Hao Jian asked Bai Suqin, already tired of their nonsense. "You''re asking for it!" The buzz-cut young man immediately glared and stepped forward aggressively. Chapter 551 - 551 Conflict "Ye Wenxi, back off! Don''t forget who''s leading this time!" Bai Suqin shouted angrily, yet with an exasperated look. Higher-ups repeatedly instructed her to ensure that Hao Jian would join Yanbo Mansion, even if he couldn''t become one of them, they must not make an enemy of him. A person who could easily annihilate a Silver Level force was naturally terrifying beyond words. Only then did Ye Wenxi reluctantly step back, but still fiercely glared at Hao Jian. "Hao Jian, we''ve come with sincerity, hoping you would consider cooperating with our Yanbo Mansion!" Bai Suqin stated their purpose directly. "Cooperate with you? Team up against Three Souls Hall? No, thanks. I don''t want to be embroiled in your conflict!" Hao Jian outright rejected Bai Suqin''s proposal, jokingly thinking, You want to use me as a pawn, do you think I''m a fool? "Do you think you have a choice? You annihilated the Gathering Qi Sect, do you think Three Souls Hall will spare you? Let me tell you, Three Souls Hall is nothing like the Gathering Qi Sect, killing you would be as easy as slaughtering a dog! Without the support of our Yanbo Mansion, you''re as good as dead!" Another handsome man spoke coldly, laughing. His name was Zhao Wuheng, and like Ye Wenxi, he was a prodigy of Yanbo Mansion. Yanbo Mansion''s upper echelons highly valued Hao Jian, but he was dismissive of it. In his view, it wasn''t necessarily Hao Jian who had destroyed the Gathering Qi Sect. They had investigated Hao Jian''s background and origin; he was just an ordinary person. It was impossible for him to annihilate a Silver Level force alone, something even Yanbo Mansion couldn''t achieve, let alone him. In his opinion, the downfall of the Gathering Qi Sect was definitely due to provoking some super-powerful force, like a Diamond Level force, and had nothing to do with Hao Jian. To make Hao Jian submit, he should rightfully kneel and kowtow, giving thousands of thanks. Yet, he dared to show such an arrogant attitude, which was simply courting death! "That''s my business. What does it have to do with you?" Hao Jian scoffed. Ye Wenxi''s eyelids flashed with a fierce color as he sneered, "Do you know that people who are too arrogant usually don''t live long?" "I''m arrogant because I have the right to be. Why don''t you try annihilating a Silver Level force and see?" Hao Jian sneered, finding it distasteful to deal with a kid who milked behind his ears thinking he was invincible. "You are arrogant, but it''s not a good thing. If you don''t submit to our Yanbo Mansion, then you will be our enemy, and perhaps we will even join hands with Three Souls Hall. Are you sure you can withstand the attack of two Gold Level forces?" Zhao Wuheng asked sharply, his expression defiant. "You can try!" Hao Jian, also angered, stared coldly at Ye Wenxi and Zhao Wuheng with a murderous look, daring them to threaten him on his own turf. "Both of you, shut up!" Bai Suqin was angry, regretting bringing these two along, as they only seemed to cause trouble. Before coming here, her master had specifically told her not to provoke Hao Jian, yet these two were doing just that. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Bai Suqin was speechless at the idiocy of these two. If it was really Hao Jian who had annihilated the Gathering Qi Sect, it meant his power had reached a terrifying level. He could erase the three of them in a blink, yet these fools were still provoking him. They were the ones truly courting death. "Senior Sister, we need not bother with this haughty guy. If he doesn''t join our Yanbo Mansion, he will surely be killed by Three Souls Hall!" Zhao Wuheng scoffed with contempt. Bai Suqin repeatedly rolled her eyes, really at a loss for words. "Are you done talking? If so, get out quickly and don''t disturb us while we''re eating." Hao Jian said rudely, issuing a direct order to leave to Bai Suqin and the others. Bai Suqin wore a troubled look; having offended Hao Jian upon arrival, recruiting him was not going to be an easy task. Upon hearing this, a fierce look instantly appeared in Ye Wenxi''s eyes, and then a cold gleam shot out from his sleeve, slicing through the dining table in front of Hao Jian. The breakfast fell to the ground, and the bowls shattered, making a clattering noise. "Attack then. I want to see if you''re as formidable as my master says!" Ye Wenxi, holding a silver short sword, aimed it directly at Hao Jian''s throat. Hao Jian''s casual demeanor irritated him; he wanted to see if Hao Jian really had the ability to annihilate the Gathering Qi Sect on his own. "Ye Wenxi, have you lost your mind?" Bai Suqin was terrified; such provocation could incite any man of blood to retaliate, and this time they had completely turned Hao Jian into an enemy. "Wow!" Tongtong was directly frightened into crying; she had just been enjoying her favorite egg pouch, which was knocked onto the floor by Ye Wenxi''s sword. "What are you doing?" Ruo Lan quickly held Tongtong, glaring angrily at Ye Wenxi. These people were really going too far; just because Hao Jian did not agree to their demands, they had resorted to smashing things in his house. "What? Scared to fight?" Seeing Hao Jian remain silent, Ye Wenxi immediately sneered provocatively. "Even unable to protect your own daughter and woman, it seems the rumors are false! I think someone else must have annihilated Gathering Qi Sect and killed Nangong Fenglin, not this kid!" Zhao Wuheng also burst into laughter. Hao Jian still held the pose of picking up food, stunned for a few seconds before he finally put his hand down, then shook his head with a smile, "You really shouldn''t act like this." At this, Bai Suqin suddenly gasped. Was Hao Jian about to lash out? "What? Finally planning to fight back? I thought you''d keep playing the weakling!" Ye Wenxi sneered derisively. Hao Jian looked at Ye Wenxi, smiling enigmatically, "Is your sword very sharp?" "In Yanbo Mansion, my swordsmanship is number one!" Ye Wenxi boasted proudly, as he was pinned with high hopes and destined to be a master someday. His swordsmanship was so superior even his master felt inferior, and as a result, Ye Wenxi was quite pleased with himself. "Is that so? Then try using your left hand to wield the sword from now on!" Hao Jian said indifferently. "Seeking death!" Ye Wenxi, in a fit of rage, thrust his sword directly at Hao Jian''s head. At that moment, Hao Jian simply raised his hand and extended two fingers. Clang! With just two fingers, he firmly clamped Ye Wenxi''s sword blade, making what seemed like a fierce strike appear powerless before Hao Jian. Seeing this, Ye Wenxi and the other two were dumbfounded. It was already impressive to disarm a blade with bare hands, but Hao Jian did it with just two fingers, which was even more astonishing! Bai Suqin was extremely shocked. She thought Hao Jian was terrifying enough, but only now, seeing this display, did she realize he was much more horrifying than she had imagined. Ye Wenxi struggled to pull out his sword, but Hao Jian''s hand was like a pair of iron tongs, unmoved no matter how hard he tried. Hao Jian then pulled away Ye Wenxi''s sword blade with his fingers and grabbed his throat with one hand, dragging him over. "Hao Jian, don''t!" Bai Suqin urgently shouted. This Ye Wenxi was a disciple of a highly respected Elder from Yanbo Mansion, and if Hao Jian really disabled him, there would be serious trouble. "Take Tongtong out," Hao Jian said, ignoring Bai Suqin, speaking to Ruo Lan. Ruo Lan, without speaking, immediately took Tongtong and left. Hao Jian grabbed Ye Wenxi as if catching a dog. At that moment, Ye Wenxi''s body hair stood on end, and he finally realized how foolish his mistake was; this man was not someone he could provoke. "Be smarter in the future; don''t think you''re great just because you learned some mediocre Kung Fu," Hao Jian said coldly. Ye Wenxi''s face turned red. He was known as a genius disciple, and his strength was considered upper tier among martial artists. Yet, Hao Jian called his skills mediocre? To others, Ye Wenxi was indeed strong, but in front of Hao Jian, it was just mediocre Kung Fu. "Crack!" Hao Jian directly crushed Ye Wenxi''s arm. He didn''t just break it; he chose to crush it completely, a wound not even a Daluo Golden Immortal could cure if they descended from the heavens. "Ow!" Ye Wenxi immediately screamed in pain, writhing on the ground, his forehead covered in cold sweat as he cried, "My hand, my hand!" Without his right hand, how could he wield a sword? "Next time, don''t recklessly ruin someone''s breakfast. Such behavior is truly impolite! This time I''ve only disabled one of your hands; next time I''ll take your life!" Hao Jian looked down at Ye Wenxi, his demeanor very cold. Bai Suqin also sighed, knowing that this was unlikely to end well. They had come hoping to win Hao Jian over, but had directly turned into deadly enemies instead. "How dare you attack a genius from Yanbo Mansion? Yanbo Mansion won''t let you get away with this!" "Scram!" Hao Jian rebuked harshly, his eyes sharply fixed on Zhao Wuheng. If Zhao Wuheng dared to speak another useless word, he would disable him as well. Zhao Wuheng immediately swallowed his saliva, not daring to speak further. He didn''t want to end up like Ye Wenxi. He could tell that Hao Jian was a madman and would not spare him simply because he was a disciple of Yanbo Mansion. Ye Wenxi was a clear example. "Hao Jian, this incident was truly not my intention. I hope you can forgive me!" Bai Suqin hastily explained, not wanting to become hostile with Hao Jian. "No need to say more, I won''t cooperate with you or Yanbo Mansion!" Hao Jian said coldly. "Why?" Bai Suqin couldn''t help but ask. "I and Ye Heavenly Mansion are sworn enemies. Can your Yanbo Mansion protect me?" Hao Jian scoffed coldly. At this, Bai Suqin couldn''t speak and just stared at Hao Jian, her mouth slightly agape in shock. She had not expected Hao Jian to have a grudge against Ye Heavenly Mansion, which was a Diamond Level power, unequaled even by their own forces. ........................... Chapter 552 - 552: You Will Be Screwed "Leave now. I''m not someone you can afford to provoke, and neither are my enemies within your capability to handle. If you want to recruit me, first assess whether you have the qualifications to do so!" Hao Jian said with a cold expression. Bai Suqin remained silent, the development of the situation had already exceeded what she could decide upon. Bai Suqin very much wanted to recruit Hao Jian, but she also worried that this would bring great trouble to Yanbo Mansion. After all, Ye Heavenly Mansion was no laughing matter¡ªwith a long history and profound heritage, they had dominated Huaxia for three hundred years. Their halls were filled with numerous experts, and they were not something Yanbo Mansion could contend with. "So, you''ve provoked Ye Heavenly Mansion as well, you deserve death!" Ye Wenxi laughed wildly, looking frenzied. Hao Jian even dared to be an enemy to Ye Heavenly Mansion; this was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot or a mayfly shaking a tree! "You''re from Ye Heavenly Mansion?" Hao Jian was also somewhat surprised as he looked at Ye Wenxi, now recalling that Ye Wenxi also had the surname Ye. Ye Wenxi was the son of a distant relative from Ye Heavenly Mansion, technically making him Ye Linglan''s cousin. Yanbo Mansion had some connections with Ye Heavenly Mansion because Ye Wenxi''s master had discovered his talent by chance and had brought him into Yanbo Mansion to study. "What, getting scared now? Kneel down and kowtow to me, and then cripple both your hands. Then maybe I''ll consider sparing your life! Otherwise, you''ll face a great disaster!" Seeing Hao Jian''s question, Ye Wenxi thought he was scared and immediately spoke in a commanding tone. Ye Wenxi''s expression was vicious; as long as Hao Jian crippled his own hands, Ye Wenxi would immediately kill him! Hao Jian had ruined his future, and it could only be repaid with his life! "Originally, I was just going to cripple one of your arms, but since you are also a person from Ye Heavenly Mansion, I have no choice but to cripple both of your arms. In the future, you can try using your feet to wield a sword; I believe you can do it!" Hao Jian said with a sly smile. "What?" Ye Wenxi was stunned; he hadn''t expected that after revealing his identity, Hao Jian would still dare to harm him. And Bai Suqin was also shocked. She could see that the enmity between Hao Jian and Ye Heavenly Mansion had reached an irreconcilable level; otherwise, he wouldn''t have insisted on crippling Ye Wenxi''s arms even after knowing his real identity. "No... don''t!" Ye Wenxi was completely panicked. If he lost his right hand, he could still follow Hao Jian''s suggestion and use his left hand for the sword. But if he lost his left hand as well, then he would never have the chance to wield a sword in his life. Hao Jian telling him to use his feet to wield a sword, how was that even possible? Even if he could somehow achieve such a divine ability, he surely wouldn''t be able to execute it, right? In a fight, are you supposed to slip off your shoe and then grip the precious sword with one foot, standing on one leg like a golden rooster? What would that look like? However, Hao Jian disregarded Ye Wenxi''s wailing. Because of Ye Linglan, he held no good feelings toward Ye Heavenly Mansion. Ye Wenxi''s provocation upon arrival, with that arrogant and domineering manner, also intensified his disgust toward Ye Heavenly Mansion. Clearly, Hao Jian was not going to let Ye Wenxi off, so before long, Ye Wenxi lay on the ground like a dead dog. Having suffered consecutive heavy blows, the mental trauma was far worse than the physical. By crippling his arms, Hao Jian cut off his path in Martial Arts, turning him into a cripple. Bai Suqin and Zhao Wuheng were also in a state of fear and anxiety, merely watching Hao Jian, not daring to speak. Hao Jian''s ruthlessness and mercilessness were beyond their imagination; such a monster made them very uneasy. "Now, you can all get lost!" Hao Jian said rudely, not giving Bai Suqin and the others any face. Bai Suqin sighed helplessly. With such an incident occurring, she had no face to continue staying there. Bai Suqin turned back to Zhao Wuheng and said, "Take Ye Wenxi with you!" When she spoke, Bai Suqin''s voice was already somewhat cold. These two, good for nothing but trouble, were really frustrating for her! Zhao Wuheng, where dared he utter a word of dissent at this moment? He hastily carried the unconscious Ye Wenxi on his back and rushed out without looking back, his heart nearly shattered by fear, just wanting to leave this damned place quickly. "Hao Jian, who exactly are they?" Soon after Bai Suqin and the others had left, Ruo Lan came over and asked Hao Jian with a hint of confusion. "Just a bunch of senseless people, not worth bothering about," Hao Jian said indifferently. "Won''t there be any trouble?" Ruo Lan asked, a little worried, noticing that the visitors had been up to no good. "No, they wouldn''t dare to trouble me, not if they don''t want to die," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "Alright, Sister Lan, I''ve got to go out now. I might not come back for lunch or dinner. If there''s anything at home, just give me a call," said Hao Jian, and then he walked out. Creak! But just as Hao Jian stepped through the gate, a car came rushing towards him and nearly hit him. "Damn it, who''s that, can''t you drive? Nearly hit someone, do you know that? If you can''t do it, I''ll slap you so hard you''ll go back into your mother''s womb to be remade!" Hao Jian cursed loudly. Encountering two disasters early in the morning had soured his mood considerably. "It was you who I hit!" a voice seethed viciously, as Yu Jiayi stepped out of the car with toad sunglasses on, her face flushed with annoyance. "Yu Jiayi? What are you doing here?" Hao Jian was somewhat at a loss, unsure of why Yu Jiayi had come to him. Logically speaking, after the way he treated her yesterday, Yu Jiayi should have hated him to the bone, so how could she possibly come to him proactively? Immediately, Hao Jian thought of something and asked displeasedly, "Are you here for revenge?" Yu Jiayi rolled her eyes and scolded, "Revenge my ass!" Although Yu Jiayi did indeed want revenge, the problem was that she had to be able to actually get it. She wasn''t stupid; she knew she was no match for Hao Jian. "So, what are you here for?" Hao Jian was now utterly perplexed. If she wasn''t here for revenge, then what business did he have with Yu Jiayi? "Get in the car!" But that''s all Yu Jiayi said coldly before turning and getting back into the car. "Tsk!" Hao Jian scoffed dismissively, not giving Yu Jiayi the time of day and turning to leave. Just because Yu Jiayi asked him to get in the car didn''t mean he would; that would be too damaging to his pride. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As Hao Jian was about to leave, Yu Jiayi, watching the scene, was itching with frustration and then leaned out to roar at Hao Jian, "If you don''t get in the damn car, I''ll go smash up your company right now!" Sure enough, these words brought Hao Jian to a halt because he knew she was indeed capable of doing such a thing. Hao Jian turned back begrudgingly and got into Yu Jiayi''s car. Only then did Yu Jiayi start smiling satisfactorily, resting a finger on Hao Jian''s chin and provocatively saying, "That''s more like it. Don''t worry, Sis won''t eat you up. I''ll treat you very gently." "Are you seducing me?" Hao Jian frowned as he looked at Yu Jiayi, surprised. Was this woman starting to switch gears and act more womanly? "What, is there a problem with that?" Yu Jiayi scoffed. "Do you know what can happen when you seduce a man under the current circumstances?" Hao Jian asked with a snarky laugh. "What can happen?" Yu Jiayi asked with a wicked grin. And at that moment, Hao Jian flipped over and pinned Yu Jiayi beneath him, his sudden action leaving her completely terrified. All she could see was Hao Jian looking at her with a lecherous grin, "You''ll get ****ed, just so you know!" "You... let go of me!" Faced with Hao Jian''s somewhat fervent gaze, Yu Jiayi felt intimidated, her eyes flickering as she lowered her head, not daring to meet Hao Jian''s eyes. She had suddenly taken a perverse pleasure in teasing Hao Jian, having not anticipated that he would flip the seduction on her. "Don''t mess around, I''m telling you, there are a lot of people here!" Yu Jiayi quickly warned him, fearing that Hao Jian really would take things too far. "Scared now? Then why were you seducing me just now?" Hao Jian said, puffing up with annoyance. Really now, if a tiger doesn''t display his might, do you think I''m a HELLOKITTY? "I was just joking with you, now get away!" Yu Jiayi''s cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, looking quite playful and cute. Only then did Hao Jian move back to his own seat and asked Yu Jiayi, "Alright, so tell me, what do you want with me?" "Have you heard of Dragon Tooth?" Yu Jiayi suddenly asked. "Dragon Tooth? The most mysterious and formidable organization in Huaxia?" Hao Jian expressed his surprise, wondering why Yu Jiayi suddenly brought up Dragon Tooth. Dragon Tooth was established three years ago. Although a newly established division, it had quickly climbed the ranks. Nowadays, it held a significant position within Huaxia. "Didn''t expect you to know so much," Yu Jiayi said with a peculiar smile. As the most secretive organization, there weren''t many who knew about it, yet Hao Jian did, which couldn''t help but surprise her. Hao Jian just laughed and said nothing, thinking to himself: Will I tell you that I''m actually the founder of Dragon Tooth? Hao Jian had founded Dragon Tooth three years ago, training a batch of excellent talents for the country. After that, he went abroad. Since then, Dragon Tooth had grown step by step, becoming today''s leading organization in Huaxia. "You''re looking to join Dragon Tooth?" Hao Jian asked, instantly grasping Yu Jiayi''s intent. "Seems you''re not as dumb as I thought," Yu Jiayi said with a smile. She indeed had this intention, in fact, it had been in her plans for a long time, but she always felt she wasn''t qualified. Now, Yu Jiayi felt the time was ripe, so she planned to sign up for the assessment. Dragon Tooth was holding a selection in Hua City, and as the young miss of the Yu Family, she had the fortune to get a chance for this assessment. Yu Jiayi certainly didn''t want to miss out. "Why do you want to join Dragon Tooth?" Hao Jian found it somewhat amusing and wondered what she would think if she knew he was the founder of Dragon Tooth. Hao Jian could tell Yu Jiayi admired Dragon Tooth greatly, but also found her quite annoying. If she knew that the organization she aspired to belong to was created by him, he figured she''d probably be hopping mad. "Isn''t it obvious? In just three years, Dragon Tooth has become one of the strongest forces in Huaxia, strong enough to compete with the hidden super sects. Its status is right behind Huaxia''s number one organization, ''Divine Tiger.'' Someone as badass as me should join such an organization!" Yu Jiayi boasted. Chapter 553 - 553: Dragon Tooth Divine Tiger and Dragon Tooth are the twin pillars of Huaxia, handling assassinations, espionage, protection of leaders, and so on. When Hao Jianjian first established Dragon Tooth, his intention was simple: to check and balance hidden sects like Three Souls Hall and Ye Heavenly Mansion. The martial artists from these sects were monsters capable of facing hundreds or even thousands in battle, unlikely to follow the rules of the Secular World. So, to ensure that these rules were not broken and to prevent the sect disciples from becoming too arrogant, he founded Dragon Tooth. And now, Dragon Tooth has indeed become a symbol of strength that even Diamond Level forces dare not provoke. Many sect disciples even take pride in being able to join Dragon Tooth. "If you want to join Dragon Tooth, why don''t you go by yourself? Why do you have to bring me along?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but laugh and cry. If he went along, wouldn''t he be discovered? It would be troubling if someone recognized him. Speaking of this, Yu Jiayi became a bit embarrassed, "This time, those participating in the assessment are all demon-level talents, and I''m feeling a bit insecure, so having you with me is safer." Hao Jian was so strong that if anyone bullied her, she could drag him into the mess. "Damn, you''re using me as a free bodyguard?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but curse, knowing Yu Jiayi was up to no good. "We''ve been old friends for over a decade. Don''t you feel embarrassed not to help?" Yu Jiayi said with a mischievous grin. "Pfft! I''m not even slightly acquainted with you, okay?" Hao Jian quickly retorted. "Stop your whining. I''ll give you some perks afterwards, okay?" Yu Jiayi tempted. "What perks?" "I''ll introduce you to a few beautiful girls!" "Cough, cough, cough... Look at you, making it weird now, huh? Do you think I''m the type of person who would succumb to such minor favors? I''m helping you because of our decade-long friendship. In fact, I''ve always thought of you like a sister!" Hao Jian''s demeanor changed on a dime, displaying a cheeky grin like Pig Head Three. Yu Jiayi rolled her eyes at Hao Jian''s shameless antics and said word by word, "Then I''m truly honored to have your care, Brother Hao!" "It''s nothing, it''s what I should do." "..." After arriving at the military base, Hao Jian looked around and found that a long queue had already formed, with many people gathered, among which many could be seen to be sect disciples. Hao Jian was surprised; he didn''t expect Dragon Tooth to have developed to such an extent today, almost appearing to have a trend of worship from numerous sects. "What do you think? Impressive, isn''t it?" Yu Jiayi asked Hao Jian, noticing the surprise on his face. "It''s indeed impressive!" Hao Jian nodded. There were at least two thousand people here, many of whom were not ordinary, and a few even made him feel a hint of danger. Hao Jian couldn''t help but feel moved by the multitude of talents emerging in Huaxia, knowing that the day of its rise was not far away. The American ghosts always have an issue with Huaxia, aren''t they just afraid of Huaxia''s terrifying developmental potential? Worry that Huaxia might overthrow them and become the world''s number one superpower. But seeing this scene, Hao Jian realized that Huaxia was brimming with talent, and its rise was unstoppable. Dominating the world was just a matter of time. "Hao Jian!" Just then, someone called out Hao Jian''s name. Hao Jian turned to look and saw Bai Suqin, Ye Wenxi, Zhao Wuheng, and others standing not far away. Ye Wenxi had bandages wrapped around both hands and a persistent gloom and resentment on his face. Hao Jian had crippled him, so naturally, he wouldn''t show a pleasant face. "Why are you all here?" Hao Jian asked in confusion. "We''ve also come to take the assessment, hoping to join Dragon Tooth!" Bai Suqin didn''t conceal her purpose and straightforwardly told Hao Jian why they were there. With Dragon Tooth''s renowned reputation, even some sects eagerly wished to join, and Bai Suqin and the others were no exception. Actually, Bai Suqin had two purposes for coming to Hua City: one was to try to recruit followers, and the other was to join Dragon Tooth and become a member. Because becoming a member of Dragon Tooth would mean that Yanbo Mansion would also enjoy Dragon Tooth''s care in turn. "Join Dragon Tooth? Can you still join Dragon Tooth now?" Hao Jian looked towards Ye Wenxi not far away and taunted. "You!" Ye Wenxi seethed with such irritation that his teeth itched. Hao Jian was simply stating the obvious; with his hands crippled, he could only return to his sect to seek his master''s treatment and forget about the assessment. So, Ye Wenxi harbored a bone-deep hatred for Hao Jian, yet he dared not act out. Even at his peak, he was no match for Hao Jian, let alone now. Bai Suqin felt helpless, she had wanted to come over and greet Hao Jian, but didn''t expect another conflict to arise. "Don''t be so angry, man. If it''s not possible this year, maybe you''ll have a chance next year? Perhaps your hands will suddenly get better, right?" Hao Jian mocked jovially. "Hao Jian, do you really need to go this far? It was bad enough that you ruined someone''s hand, and now you''re maliciously mocking them!" Zhao Wuheng rebuked with dissatisfaction. "Had he not provoked me first, none of this would have happened. In the end, he has no one to blame but himself for his misery!" Hao Jian snorted icily, then turned around. "Sorry, I have other matters to attend to. I won''t keep you company any longer!" Immediately after, Hao Jian walked away with Yu Jiayi. "I warn you, don''t provoke Hao Jian again, or don''t blame me for being rude to you!" Bai Suqin said coldly, having completely lost her patience by now. After speaking, Bai Suqin turned and walked away, leaving Ye Wenxi and Zhao Wuheng seething with dissatisfaction. "As the Holy Maiden of Yanbo Mansion, she actually sides with outsiders to bully her own sect mates. What kind of nonsense is this!" Ye Wenxi muttered darkly, feeling extremely aggrieved. It was bad enough that Hao Jian was bullying him, but now Bai Suqin was also standing with Hao Jian, which made Ye Wenxi incredibly angry. "No need to fret, he won''t be able to jump around for much longer!" But just at that moment, Zhao Wuheng suddenly said with a sinister smirk on his face. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You have a way to deal with him?" Ye Wenxi heard an implication in Zhao Wuheng''s words and couldn''t help asking in surprise. Zhao Wuheng smiled with pride. "My cousin is the examiner for this examination. I''ll just give him a hint, and that''ll be the end of his hopes to pass the exam!" "That''s fantastic!" Ye Wenxi couldn''t contain his joy, thought of something, and deliberately added a reminder. "And his woman, don''t let her off either!" He regarded Yu Jiayi as Hao Jian''s woman since he saw them together. "Don''t worry, I know what to do!" Zhao Wuheng said with an ominously playful smile, and then he walked over to a young man in a military uniform not far away and whispered a few words into his ear. The young man appeared surprised and then nodded somberly, his gaze fixed on Hao Jian and Yu Jiayi, obviously planning to cause trouble for them. Hao Jian also noticed and furrowed his brows, warning Yu Jiayi. "Be careful, they''re probably going to target us soon!" Yu Jiayi nodded and then asked Hao Jian, "Who are they, and why are they looking for trouble with you?" "People from Yanbo Mansion," Hao Jian replied. "Yanbo Mansion?" Yu Jiayi gasped in shock. "That''s a Gold Level sect. How did you offend them?" "They wanted me to join them, but I refused. Then that guy with his hands wrapped up like Doraemon provoked me, and I turned him into Doraemon." Hao Jian explained, his mouth curling into a half-grin. Yu Jiayi was at a loss for words. "Aren''t you afraid they''ll kill you for offending Yanbo Mansion like this?" "Kill me? They don''t have the capability for that!" Hao Jian scoffed, showing little concern. "..." Yu Jiayi didn''t know what to say. At this moment, she became even more curious about Hao Jian''s identity and background, wondering what had happened to make him seem fearless. "Hey, kid, get lost!" Just then, a brusque voice came from behind Hao Jian. Hao Jian and Yu Jiayi both turned around, only to see a bald musclebound man standing behind them, his upper body bare and crisscrossed with all sorts of horrific scars¡ªnot cuts or gunshot wounds but terrible gashes that looked like they had been inflicted by a ferocious beast, intimidating to behold. "It''s a Beast Walker; he actually showed up too?" someone exclaimed, recognizing the big man. "The one who specifically fights with wild beasts for training?" "Who else but him? Legend has it that this guy has wrestled with bears, raced against cheetahs, and matched strength with elephants. He has taken care of all the fierce beasts on the road. I heard his next step is to go to sea to hunt marine life. He even wants to fight a whale!" "Damn! This guy is a monster, just unlucky for anyone who provokes him!" someone said with residual fear, feeling very apprehensive. Having fought every land beast, and now preparing to venture into the sea, this man was truly non-human. "How did these two manage to get on the wrong side of the Beast Walker?" "Who knows, but whoever offends the Beast Walker has a miserable end. The Beast Walker can defeat wild animals, let alone two ordinary people. They''re probably about to be torn apart by him alive," someone said as they cast a sympathetic glance at Hao Jian and Yu Jiayi. And Hao Jian and Yu Jiayi heard everyone''s discussion, realizing this man was a formidable character. Known for his ability to fight with beasts, he was hailed as the Beast Walker. But Hao Jian''s eyebrows lifted slightly because he noticed that the Beast Walker had come over with that examiner earlier. Clearly, it was by special instigation! Zhao Wuheng and his cousin Sun Zetian walked over and stopped not far away, their faces wearing cold smirks as if they were ready to enjoy the show. And Ye Wenxi was following behind, his eyes maliciously fixed on Hao Jian, ready to kick him out of the place immediately if he dared to make a move, but if Hao Jian didn''t retaliate, he would then be brutally beaten. Chapter 554 - 554: Assessment Turmoil "Didn''t you hear me when I told you to scram?" Beast Walker roared, his arms folded as he looked down on Hao Jian from above, his attitude filled with contempt. To him, someone like this could be killed with just one punch; having Sun Zetian send him to deal with such a person made him feel like it was an underuse of his abilities. "I heard you, but why should I?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "Why? Just because if you don''t listen, I dare flatten you!" Beast Walker bellowed, his voice like a tiger''s roar, causing the whole Military Department to tremble slightly. "Flatten me? You''re not capable of that," Hao Jian said nonchalantly, picking at his ear. "Kid, do you even know who I am?" Beast Walker glowered at Hao Jian, a sneer on his lips. In his view, Hao Jian''s mockery came from ignorance of his true identity; if Hao Jian knew, he surely wouldn''t dare to speak like that. "Cousin, this guy can deal with him, right?" Zhao Wuheng asked uneasily, for he had a deep understanding of how formidable Hao Jian was. Not even Ye Wenxi, a swordsmanship prodigy, was a match for Hao Jian, so could Beast Walker win? "Beast Walker''s body is nearly invincible; even I fall short by three points when it comes to physical combat," Sun Zetian scoffed, having great confidence in Beast Walker, for he was a terrifying existence capable of contending with him. At this, both Ye Wenxi and Zhao Wuheng felt relieved, for they knew Sun Zetian''s strength. He was a level above them, which was why he was a member of Dragon Tooth. "A hairless giant gorilla?" Hao Jian taunted. "You''re courting death!" Beast Walker was instantly infuriated by Hao Jian, suddenly swinging his fist towards Hao Jian''s face. "Idiot." Hao Jian curled his lip and then slowly raised a hand. "You think you can block my punch with your bare hands? You''re way too arrogant!" Beast Walker laughed heartily, seeing Hao Jian''s behavior as nothing short of suicidal. Sun Zetian also snorted coldly, "This kid is asking for death! Trying to compete in physical strength with Beast Walker, wait for his head to be blown away!" Even he, a formal member of Dragon Tooth, would not dare to clash directly with Beast Walker, so what made Hao Jian think he could? Everyone watching Hao Jian plan to take on Beast Walker''s punch couldn''t help but be dumbfounded ¨C wasn''t this too rash? How was this any different from seeking death? The fist drew closer to Hao Jian, and the cruel smile on Beast Walker''s face grew even more intense, as if he already saw the scene of Hao Jian being instantly killed by him. "Bang!" Suddenly, a muffled sound echoed, followed by a gust of wind sweeping out. "What?" Everyone was shocked, finding it difficult to believe the scene before them. Hao Jian casually caught Beast Walker''s fist with one hand, still nonchalantly picking his ear, he slowly lifted his head to look at Beast Walker, "You''re too noisy, would you please shut up?" "You... what kind of monster are you?" Beast Walker also stared at Hao Jian in terror, hardly able to believe that his full-strength attack could not defeat him. Beast Walker struggled to accept this outcome, his full-strength attack was so effortlessly blocked by Hao Jian. He had trained his body hard for decades, fighting with wild beasts to forge the strongest physique. He thought his body was now several times stronger than those beasts, a punch that could kill an elephant, yet it couldn''t take down Hao Jian? Meanwhile, Sun Zetian and the others standing afar were also stunned and struggled to accept what they had seen. "This guy was able to take Beast Walker''s punch head-on, he''s a monster too!" someone said, terror-stricken. "Impossible, my body is nearly invincible, there''s no way I could lose!" Beast Walker roared again, launching another punch towards Hao Jian''s face. But this time, Hao Jian couldn''t even be bothered to block. Bang! Hao Jian''s head shook slightly, but that was the only reaction. "Hiss..." Everyone gasped, the scene was too shocking. Had it been someone else, their head would probably have been blown off, yet Hao Jian was completely unharmed? A moment ago, they thought Beast Walker was incredibly strong and fearsome, but now, it seemed Hao Jian outshone him in awesomeness by a huge margin! Beast Walker himself was struck dumb in place, too astonished to speak, every hair on his body standing on end. By this time, his fists had swollen, tremoring non-stop, and the bones inside were shattered, but he didn''t care at all, just staring straight at Hao Jian. "So your flesh is nearly invincible, huh? You''re just close to invincible, but I am truly invincible!" Hao Jian declared proudly and then threw a punch directly. "Bang!" The Beast Walker flew backward like a cannonball, then slammed heavily against the wall and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood with his head thrown back. "Tempering your flesh by fighting wild beasts, that old trick is something I haven''t used in years," Hao Jian said disdainfully. Upon hearing this, the Beast Walker immediately became furious and spit out another mouthful of blood, then passed out on the spot. Meanwhile, Sun Zetian, Zhao Wuheng, and the other two were dumbfounded. The Beast Walker was defeated by Hao Jian in his own area of strength? "Cousin, get this guy out of here fast!" Zhao Wuheng urgently shouted to Sun Zetian. With this guy''s ability, he would surely pass the Dragon Tooth selection. He didn''t want to be confronted with such a monster day and night; it would be torture. But what Zhao Wuheng didn''t expect was that Hao Jian had no intention of joining the Dragon Tooth. Sun Zetian quickly walked over with a somber face and shouted at Hao Jian, "You, get out of the venue now!" "On what grounds should we leave?" Yu Jiayi was immediately upset upon hearing this. They hadn''t done anything wrong, so why should they be the ones to leave? "On what grounds? You''ve just injured others here, deliberately provoking and causing trouble. As an auditor, I have the right to expel you from the venue!" Sun Zetian said with a cold face, putting on an auditor''s airs. "We injured someone? Didn''t you see that he was the first one to take action?" Yu Jiayi retorted angrily, her face turning somewhat crimson, realizing they were being targeted deliberately after being reminded by Hao Jian. "I didn''t see it. I only saw you injuring him!" Sun Zetian replied sternly, sneering inside: So what if you can fight? I still have ways to make your life miserable! "So many people saw him take the first action, and you didn''t?" Yu Jiayi glared at Sun Zetian. This man was clearly distorting the truth. "Even if he was the first to strike, did he injure you? No, right? On the contrary, you are the ones who hurt him. Your punch made him vomit blood, and who knows if it will cause him internal injuries later. Don''t you think that''s excessive?" Zhao Wuheng chimed in with a sinister smile. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "So according to your theory, I can only fight back after he''s injured me?" Hao Jian scoffed, finding Zhao Wuheng''s words ridiculous. "Although it''s wrong for him to start it, ''to forgive is divine.'' A lesson would have been enough, but to beat him to such an extent, that''s too much! We at Dragon Tooth don''t need someone like you!" Sun Zetian declared with an air of righteousness, causing many of the martial artists present to hesitate. At first, they thought Sun Zetian was deliberately targeting Hao Jian, but it seemed that wasn''t the case now. "So, it''s okay for him to hit me, but not for me to hit him?" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. What kind of logic was that? "This is an assessment venue, not a place for ruffians to fight and cause trouble. When someone bothers you, you''re supposed to report it to me or another auditor, not engage in a brawl with them. Otherwise, if everyone starts causing trouble here, do we even continue with the selection?" Sun Zetian exclaimed angrily. "Why waste words with him? A person who doesn''t follow the rules doesn''t deserve to stay here!" Zhao Wuheng said viciously. "Indeed, even if such a person were to join Dragon Tooth, he would surely be insubordinate and disrespectful to his superiors. Rather than let him bring shame upon Dragon Tooth later, better to expel him now!" Ye Wenxi also spoke up. Under no circumstances could they allow Hao Jian to enter Dragon Tooth; otherwise, it would be difficult for them to deal with him later. Even Ye Heavenly Mansion wouldn''t dare to offend Dragon Tooth lightly. If Hao Jian became a member of Dragon Tooth, that would be akin to acquiring an amulet, and future troubles would be inevitable. "Leave here immediately!" Sun Zetian ordered Hao Jian sternly. "And what if I say no?" Hao Jian said with a sinister smile, also feeling a bit angry. "No? Then I will let you know the severity of Dragon Tooth!" Sun Zetian snorted coldly. He acknowledged that Hao Jian was somewhat capable, but he didn''t believe that Hao Jian could stand against the entirety of Dragon Tooth by himself. "Trying to pressure me with the Dragon Tooth?" Hao Jian felt somewhat amused. As the founder, he was actually being driven out. It was truly ironic. In the distance, Bai Suqin saw that Hao Jian was being harassed by Sun Zetian and others and wanted to speak up, but she didn''t dare offend Sun Zetian, so she could only shrink back helplessly in the crowd. "What''s going on?" Just then, a woman walked over. She appeared to be in her early thirties, with neat and tidy short hair, dressed in a leather jacket and pants, her feet in military boots, exuding a sharp and valiant presence. Her features were well-defined, seductive, and soft, but her eyes were somewhat cold, or rather empty and numb, as if missing something very important. She had a cigar in her mouth and walked into the center of the venue. Wherever her gaze fell, everyone bowed their heads in fear because they all knew who she was. "The Moon Goddess Jiang? Why is she here? It''s just an audit; why has the leader of Dragon Tooth arrived?" someone asked in surprise and bewilderment. Moon Goddess Jiang, the leader of Dragon Tooth, should not be underestimated for being a woman; she was in fact a true superpower, said to be second only to the founder of Dragon Tooth. As for the founder of Dragon Tooth, there were only vague rumors. Some said that there was no such person at all, while others claimed that Moon Goddess Jiang herself was the founder. Upon seeing Moon Goddess Jiang, Hao Jian was also shocked. What was this woman doing here? ......................................................... Chapter 555 - 555: Moon Goddess Jiang Hao Jian hurriedly turned his head, not daring to face Moon Goddess Jiang. Naturally, he knew of Moon Goddess Jiang, but precisely because he knew her, he couldn''t let her see him. If she found out that he had returned to Huaxia and didn''t look for her, she would probably tear him into pieces. "Sister Moon Goddess, there is a troublemaker here who has wounded other martial artists and challenged the authority of our Dragon Tooth. I am in the process of expelling him," Sun Zetian said respectfully. In the presence of Moon Goddess Jiang, he too didn''t dare to act rashly. Immediately, Moon Goddess Jiang turned her gaze towards Hao Jian, who stood with his back to her. "I''m leaving now!" Hao Jian whispered, and then quickly headed towards the exit. He worried about letting his true identity slip if he stayed any longer, as Moon Goddess Jiang might realize who he was. Moon Goddess Jiang, watching Hao Jian''s departing figure, couldn''t help but frown deeply, feeling something strange, as if the silhouette was familiar. However, Moon Goddess Jiang didn''t pay much attention to it and turned to Sun Zetian, "Keep a close eye, make sure there are no more mishaps." "Understood!" Sun Zetian nodded emphatically, yet his gaze towards Moon Goddess Jiang was extremely fervent. "A coward, scurrying away at the sight of Moon Goddess Jiang. I thought he was capable of something!" Zhao Wuheng couldn''t help but sneer after Moon Goddess Jiang had left. "No wonder, even if that kid was impressive, he couldn''t possibly be a match for Moon Goddess Jiang. He knows when to retreat, that''s a smart man!" Sun Zetian said, his face displaying mockery. If only he knew that it was Hao Jian who had trained Moon Goddess Jiang, one wonders what he would think. "Hey? Why do we have to leave, we haven''t done anything wrong. The leader of Dragon Tooth, Moon Goddess Jiang is a person of integrity, if we explain the circumstances to her, she''ll ensure justice for us!" Yu Jiayi said discontentedly. They hadn''t done anything wrong, so why should they run? Wouldn''t that just make them look guilty? With the appearance of Moon Goddess Jiang, it was the perfect opportunity to complain, but now Hao Jian had given up that chance. "I''ll explain to you later," Hao Jian said nervously. "I have to go now, I have some urgent matters!" He needed to avoid Moon Goddess Jiang quickly, otherwise, if she discovered him, it would be all over. "No way! You''re not allowed to leave until I have completed the exam!" Yu Jiayi couldn''t let Hao Jian leave so easily. She was still a bit panicked at heart, but as long as Hao Jian was by her side, she felt secure, and she didn''t know why she felt this way. "Your enemies are still watching me eagerly. What will happen to me if you run?" Yu Jiayi said. Hao Jian thought about it and felt that Yu Jiayi had a point. If he left, it was indeed likely that Sun Zetian and the others would target Yu Jiayi. Hao Jian did not want Yu Jiayi to lose the opportunity to join Dragon Tooth because of him. "Contestant number one hundred and fifty, Yu Jiayi, please proceed to the assessment point for your examination!" At that moment, the announcement came. "I''m going for my assessment!" Yu Jiayi said. "Hmm, I''ll wait for you outside. If you have any trouble, call me or come to find me," Hao Jian said. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Okay!" Only after making sure that Hao Jian wouldn''t leave did Yu Jiayi finally head towards the examination point with ease. Yu Jiayi arrived at the checkpoint only to find, unfortunately, that her examiner was Sun Zetian. Upon seeing Yu Jiayi, Sun Zetian couldn''t help but hum, coldly commanding, "Begin the assessment!" The first part of the examination was to test the hopping speed of the left and right feet during rapid stepping, to see how fast one could go. Although displeased, Yu Jiayi complied with Sun Zetian''s instructions, beginning to step in place. During this process, she deliberately counted her steps¡ªone hundred and fifty per minute¡ªsatisfied with her reaction speed, and confident in passing the assessment. But Sun Zetian simply made a mark in his notebook and indifferently said, "Next item." Following that, Yu Jiayi underwent additional physical tests¡ªstrength measurement, running, shot put, long jump¡ªachieving scores that, while not extremely excellent, were certainly enough to pass. As other candidates wrapped up their assessments and prepared for the written exam. But at this moment, Sun Zetian directly said to Yu Jiayi, "You''ve failed the physical test, you don''t need to participate in the written exam." "What kind of joke is this? I''ve passed the qualifying score in every category, how could I possibly fail?" Yu Jiayi said angrily, knowing that it wouldn''t be easy, and sure enough, Sun Zetian had begun to make things difficult for her. "If I say you failed, then you failed, no more nonsense!" Sun Zetian coldly replied, completely ignoring Yu Jiayi''s complaints. "This is deliberate suppression and revenge! Not to mention nepotism and corruption!" Yu Jiayi said angrily. "So what if you do, what can you do to me? If you must blame someone, blame yourself for following the wrong person!" Sun Zetian snorted coldly. "You dare not trouble Hao Jian, but you come to pick on me instead? You really have some nerve!" Yu Jiayi looked with contempt at Sun Zetian, who didn''t dare to trouble Hao Jian but harassed a girl like her, which she found ridiculous. Yu Jiayi, having exposed his true feelings, made Sun Zetian even more infuriated, prompting him to scold her directly, "Get lost! Otherwise, don''t blame me for not being polite!" Meanwhile, Ye Wenxi, Zhao Wuheng, and some martial artists led by Sun Zetian came over, wearing cold smirks and staring maliciously at Yu Jiayi. Some of them even reached out for Yu Jiayi brazenly, attempting to grope her chest. "What are you doing?" Yu Jiayi took two steps back, glaring at the man who had assaulted her in annoyance. "Why so nervous, a lady of Jianghu should be open-minded!" The man laughed heartily. "Exactly, you''re not a spring chicken anymore, so stop pretending to be pure," Ye Wenxi mocked with a snicker. "Little miss, don''t say I didn''t give you a chance, leave that bastard Hao Jian and follow me, and I can get you into Dragon Tooth!" Zhao Wuheng said with a lecherous face, his unrestrained gaze sweeping over Yu Jiayi''s body. Yu Jiayi''s cheeks flushed with anger from their words: "You... you''re despicable!" "Yes, we are despicable, but what''s it to you? If you can, why don''t you try getting Hao Jian to take you into Dragon Tooth?" Ye Wenxi laughed derisively, showing no embarrassment as he laughed it up with Zhao Wuheng and the others. "Just you wait, I''m calling Hao Jian right now, and you''re all finished!" Yu Jiayi said fiercely, they had touched her chest and insulted her so, if she could endure this, then she wouldn''t be Yu Jiayi! "Go ahead and call him! Let me tell you, our leader is right here, and if you''re not afraid of him dying, then by all means, let him come!" Sun Zetian said with an arrogant air, clearly not taking Yu Jiayi''s threats seriously. Now that Moon Goddess Jiang was present, they feared no one, not even the reclusive old eccentrics¡ªif they were not afraid of them, would they fear a mere nobody? On hearing this, Yu Jiayi''s expression stiffened, shaking her head in disbelief, "That''s impossible, Moon Goddess Jiang is known for her integrity. If she knew the intricacies involved, she would surely administer justice on our behalf!" "Well, that''s not necessarily the case, who would side with outsiders over their own? Didn''t you know the Moon Goddess is famous for her nepotism? Moreover, I''ve already altered all your scores. Who''s going to know your real ones?" Sun Zetian was far from worried, as he was well aware of Moon Goddess Jiang''s character and had prepared everything in advance. "You... you guys!" Yu Jiayi was stunned. "Stop with your ''you'' this and ''you'' that; you should worry about how to keep Hao Jian safe. Just so you know, we''ve already agreed to tell Moon Goddess Jiang that Hao Jian killed Nangong Fenglin and his group, deeming him an extremely dangerous person. Given Moon Goddess Jiang''s intolerance for flaws, what do you think she''ll do to Hao Jian?" Zhao Wuheng said with a malicious grin, having just figured out a scheme to kill Hao Jian. Even though they were no match for Hao Jian, Moon Goddess Jiang should be able to take him down. And knowing Moon Goddess Jiang''s strong sense of justice, once she learns of a martial artist wreaking havoc and destabilizing society, she would surely spare no effort in taking action. At these words, Yu Jiayi''s expression immediately froze; she had underestimated their shamelessness and ruthlessness. "What do you want?" Yu Jiayi''s brows furrowed tightly, her pretty face filled with unease and trepidation. She was confident in Hao Jian, but Moon Goddess Jiang''s formidable reputation nevertheless inspired awe; her leadership over Dragon Tooth for three years did not come from luck, but from real strength. Being known as Huaxia''s most ruthless figure was testament enough to how fearsome Moon Goddess Jiang was. Yu Jiayi feared Hao Jian might indeed be killed by Moon Goddess Jiang, and at this moment, she had no choice but to consider a compromise. "Clean up this venue, not just a scrap of paper, but even sweat drops from the examiners ¨C you must wipe it all clean. Perhaps then, I might consider sparing Hao Jian!" Sun Zetian declared indifferently, his expression cold. Of course, he had no intention of sparing Hao Jian, he was just playing with Yu Jiayi. Yu Jiayi also knew this, but still she humiliatingly chose to give it a try: "Are you really speaking the truth?" "Of course, as long as you do as we ask, we''ll spare him," Zhao Wuheng said insincerely, perceiving that Yu Jiayi had taken the bait and continuing to toy with her. "Mop, broom!" Yu Jiayi said with a dark face to Sun Zetian. To save Hao Jian''s life, she was willing to go all out. "We don''t have that stuff, you''ll have to figure it out on your own," Sun Zetian and the others sneered in jest, even though the broom and mop were right behind them, they claimed not to have them. And Yu Jiayi knew what they meant; she huffed displeasedly before stripping off her shirt and crouching down to start cleaning the floor. Chapter 556 - 556: Silence You Forever At that moment, Yu Jiayi''s proud figure was fully visible. Yu Jiayi had a fiery personality, and since Sun Zetian was unwilling to let her use a broom and mop, she naturally would not beg them. Even though cleaning this way was much harder, tiring, and humiliating, Yu Jiayi didn''t mind at all. "Wow, nice figure you have there! Are you trying to tempt us into committing a crime?" Zhao Wuheng laughed lewdly, deliberately following behind Yu Jiayi and making vulgar thrusting gestures. Since Yu Jiayi was now bending over on the ground, that pose indeed looked somewhat suggestive. But Yu Jiayi acted as if she saw nothing, continuing to scrub her floor. But if you looked closely, you could see her delicate body slightly trembling, and she, with her head always down, also had tears twinkling in her eyes, unknown to others. She had never been humiliated like this in her entire life. Although her heart was filled with immense grievance, she had to hold back her tears from falling. "Hey, everyone, come back and look at this trash girl! There''s a trash girl here ready to be picked up!" Just then, Ye Wenxi, who was deliberately causing trouble, called out to the martial artists to attract them to watch Yu Jiayi''s embarrassment. Remembering everything Hao Jian had done to her, Ye Wenxi was consumed by rage, and torturing Hao Jian''s woman made him feel a surge of pleasure within. Soon, a group of martial artists gathered around, looking at Yu Jiayi with mocking smiles, occasionally hurling a joke or two. Being watched by so many, Yu Jiayi felt an extreme sense of humiliation, and her trembling body shook even more violently. Under normal circumstances, she could have run away, but she ultimately endured it because she knew that if she ran away at that moment, Hao Jian would surely die. "How cheap!" Sun Zetian said with a sneer. "Don''t say that, a cheap man and a trash girl, they are a perfect match, aren''t they?" Zhao Wuheng laughed loudly. Seeing Sun Zetian and others bullying Yu Jiayi, some unscrupulous men joined in, spitting on the ground, stepping on her, and throwing trash. Even more outrageously, some went as far as to kick Yu Jiayi to the ground. At that moment, Hao Jian noticed the crowd gathering and couldn''t help but approach them with some suspicion. Upon seeing Sun Zetian and others humiliating Yu Jiayi, Hao Jian''s pupils dilated instantly. Then, everyone seemed to hear an angry roar from a dormant dragon as an immense killing intent surged out, instantly overwhelming everyone like a tide. "What a terrifying killing intent!" In the office, Moon Goddess Jiang was lounging with her legs crossed, smoking a cigar when she suddenly felt a fearsome killing intent. She promptly sat up straight, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and quickly walked downstairs. At that moment, in the venue, everyone couldn''t help but feel a chill down their spines, then turned their heads and saw Hao Jian standing there like a demonic god. "What are you... doing?" Hao Jian was smiling, but his smile was not friendly at all; instead, it carried a bit of coldness. Seeing this scene, the martial artists who had joined in the bullying of Yu Jiayi also stopped their actions, knowing full well that Hao Jian was not to be trifled with. And at this moment, they were also somewhat stunned. Hadn''t Hao Jian been driven away just a while ago? How had he returned to the scene? Hao Jian had been waiting outside for too long without seeing Yu Jiayi come out, so he came back to find her, only to encounter this scene, which ignited an immense fury within him. Seeing Hao Jian appear, Yu Jiayi couldn''t help but cry out in indignation, her eyes instantly becoming red and teary. Even the strongest of women have a fragile side, especially in the presence of the man they trust, in whom they show a vulnerability that is heart-wrenching. "Who allowed you to come back? Didn''t I tell you to get out just now? Get out now!" Ye Wenxi, seeing Hao Jian return, immediately grew impatient and bellowed at him. Hao Jian immediately grabbed Ye Wenxi by the throat, cutting off his shouting abruptly. Turning around, Hao Jian''s fierce glare was like a sharp knife plunging directly into Ye Wenxi''s heart. In an instant, Ye Wenxi''s body involuntarily shivered; he felt an invisible killing intent surrounding him. "I told you, you are very noisy! I also told you to shut up! Since you''re unwilling to shut up on your own, I guess I''ll just have to force you!" Hao Jian''s fingers tightened, and with a snap, Ye Wenxi''s neck was broken by Hao Jian''s grip, killing him instantly. "You... you actually dared to kill someone?" Zhao Wuheng was completely stunned, as if he had not anticipated Hao Jian would dare to kill someone under so many watchful eyes. Especially at a Dragon Tooth recruitment meeting, wasn''t this a challenge to Dragon Tooth? Sun Zetian''s face also looked very ugly, "Kid, you dare to show violence at a Dragon Tooth recruitment meeting? You''re dead!" Hao Jian tossed Ye Wenxi''s body aside, then coldly stared at Sun Zetian, "Shut your mouth, or you''ll end up like him." Instantly, Sun Zetian dared not speak, his face turning iron blue with a sense of humiliation overwhelming him. The crowd too was surprised to see this, Hao Jian even dared to threaten an examiner? Wasn''t that too arrogant? "Now, I ask one question, you answer one question. If you make noise, I''ll kill you! If you lie, I''ll kill you! If you don''t answer, I''ll kill you!" Hao Jian''s words were like a heavy hammer, striking at everyone''s hearts. Sun Zetian didn''t dare to utter a sound, just stiffly standing there with a face of iron blue. "Why did you make her mop the floor?" Hao Jian asked. "She wanted to protect you!" Sun Zetian dared not conceal the truth and spoke frankly. "You think you could kill me?" Hao Jian scoffed, then looked down at Yu Jiayi and sternly said, "How much longer do you intend to kneel?" Yu Jiayi quickly stood up, pouting, and looking very unhappy. She thought she was humiliated because of Hao Jian, yet Hao Jian was still so fierce. "What? Feeling wronged? You deserve it! Who told you not to believe in me!" Hao Jian snorted, then realized what was happening, and glared at Sun Zetian, "You, deserve to die!" Sun Zetian immediately swallowed his saliva, "Even if you kill me, it won''t help the situation, it was her choice, it has nothing to do with me!" "Without your coercion, would she have volunteered?" Hao Jian didn''t believe it at all and slowly walked towards Sun Zetian. "If you kill me, I''ll make sure she''ll never enter Dragon Tooth!" Sun Zetian shouted loudly. At this, Hao Jian hesitated, killing Sun Zetian was indeed easy, but it might affect Yu Jiayi. An examiner was equal to the face of Dragon Tooth; killing him was like hitting Dragon Tooth in the face. Although Hao Jian was a founder, he now had no relation with Dragon Tooth, and people inside couldn''t be managed by him arbitrarily. "I already passed the assessment, but he deliberately plotted to erase all my scores!" Yu Jiayi said urgently. Upon hearing this, everyone gave Sun Zetian a strange look, tampering with assessment scores was an abuse of power, and if this got out, it would have a very negative impact on Dragon Tooth. "Looks like you really are asking for death?" Hao Jian clenched his fists with a crackling sound, his anger simmering. These guys, daring to corrupt the force he painstakingly built, unforgivable! "Nonsense! You say I tampered with your assessment scores, do you have evidence?" Naturally, Sun Zetian wouldn''t admit his deeds, otherwise, he might be expelled from Dragon Tooth. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yu Jiayi remained silent; she indeed had no evidence, as all her assessment records were deleted by Sun Zetian, and he only recorded failing grades for her." "I don''t need evidence!" Hao Jian said arrogantly, grabbing Sun Zetian by the collar. Knowing the full story, he now had nothing to worry about. "Wait!" Just then, another Dragon Tooth examiner spoke up, obviously not allowing Hao Jian to easily kill Sun Zetian, as it would damage Dragon Tooth''s reputation. "We agree to give this girl another chance to retest. As long as her scores meet the standards, we agree to let her join Dragon Tooth. At the same time, we will also deliver an appropriate punishment to Sun Zetian." said the examiner expressionlessly. If it truly was Sun Zetian''s fault, Dragon Tooth would clarify itself; and if it wasn''t, and it was Hao Jian making unreasonable trouble, Dragon Tooth would not let it go! Hao Jian chortled bizarrely, "Seems like not all are fools in Dragon Tooth!" The examiner frowned and asked, "So, you agree?" "Yes, I agree to your conditions!" Hao Jian stated. He wouldn''t bend the rules to push Yu Jiayi into Dragon Tooth because if he set such a precedent, then more and more people would seek backdoor entries in the future, and Dragon Tooth would become corrupted like some official institutions, which was not what Hao Jian wanted to see. Yu Jiayi had already tested once, and she was not qualified! There is no precedent for a second assessment in Dragon Tooth; otherwise, if every person who failed the test needed a retest, wouldn''t our testing system be in chaos?" Sun Zetian quickly spoke out to stop him, knowing the results of Yu Jiayi''s test¡ªhe was certain she could pass the physical test. Chapter 557 - 557: Breaking Records Once Yu Jiayi passed the test, his conspiracy would be exposed, and he would be expelled from Dragon Tooth. Therefore, Sun Zetian could not let Yu Jiayi retake the test under any circumstances. "If she gets to retake the test, then I want to retake it too!" "Yes, me too!" "Me too!" A group of failures soon clamored to go first since Yu Jiayi got a chance to reassess, they felt they should have the same opportunity. Sun Zetian watched Hao Jian with a sinister smile. These troublemakers were indeed doing him a big favor. Now, Yu Jiayi couldn''t retake the test, or else a large group of Martial Artists would also demand to be retested, and they at Dragon Tooth didn''t have that much spare time. The auditor also looked troubled, unsure of how to proceed. "She doesn''t need to retake the test, I will take it! If I pass the test, then she is a member of Dragon Tooth!" Hao Jian declared, already seeing through everything from Sun Zetian''s uneasy demeanor. Surely because Yu Jiayi had passed, Sun Zetian was unwilling to let her take the test again. "No! You weren''t part of this round of testing, I just checked, and you''re not on the testing list. You aren''t qualified to take the test!" Sun Zetian said nervously, fully aware of how terrifying Hao Jian was. In his view, it was as easy as playing for Hao Jian to pass the physical test; he certainly wasn''t foolish enough to agree to this. "What if I add a condition to the test, like breaking all your previous records at Dragon Tooth?" Hao Jian confidently chuckled, locking eyes with Sun Zetian. "What? Hao Jian, are you out of your mind? What nonsense are you spouting?" Yu Jiayi panicked immediately. The founder of Dragon Tooth was regarded as a godlike figure, and his records were considered epic. To use left-right jumping as an example, Yu Jiayi could, at best, do over two hundred in a minute, but the founder could do eight hundred. What did this signify? It meant he was virtually a human piling machine at high speed! Hao Jian wanted to compete with such a monster? This was purely seeking humiliation, deliberately looking for abuse! "Are you joking? All our records at Dragon Tooth are made by the founder, and no one has broken them till now. And you think you can break his records?" Sun Zetian scoffed, thinking Hao Jian was too arrogant. In the eyes of all Dragon Tooth members, the founder was virtually a godlike figure, even a super-strong Martial Artist like Moon Goddess Jiang was trained by him. And Hao Jian dared claim he could challenge a god? That was ludicrous. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Then do you dare accept the challenge?" Hao Jian coolly asked in a provoking manner. "Fine, if you can break his records, then not only will I let this girl join Dragon Tooth, but I will also take my own life right here!" Sun Zetian scoffed coldly, truly not believing that Hao Jian could challenge their god. "That''s your own words!" Hao Jian''s lips curled into a sinister smile, although there was a slight disappointment in his eyes, sad that even after three years, no one had yet been able to break his records. It seemed only he himself could surpass them. "What if you can''t break the record?" Sun Zetian glared at Hao Jian menacingly. "Then I will also take my own life right before your eyes!" Hao Jian confidently stated. "Hao Jian, don''t!" Yu Jiayi was shocked. Hao Jian was courting death! She didn''t want Hao Jian to risk his life for her sake. "You''ve said it yourself, a gentleman''s word, whip the horse onward!" Sun Zetian didn''t give Hao Jian any chance to back out. Since Hao Jian had made such a statement, it meant certain death. Even if he didn''t kill Hao Jian, Dragon Tooth surely wouldn''t let him off. "You all be witnesses, if he fails, he must kill himself here!" Sun Zetian looked extremely excited, as if he was injected with adrenaline, because he firmly believed Hao Jian couldn''t break the record. He was confident about it and his laughter was somewhat mocking. "Enough talk, let''s start the test right away!" Hao Jian didn''t want to waste time and directly requested to start the test. With so many people watching, Sun Zetian couldn''t possibly cheat. "Let''s start with the test for speed of alternating left and right jumps. There''s an automatic sensing device under your feet, start jumping as fast as you can now," one of the auditors instructed. Hao Jian flashed a slight smile, then slowly began undoing the buttons on his clothes, taking off each piece and dropping them to the ground. He also took off his shoes and socks, rolling up his trouser legs as well. "Stop fooling around with those mysterious antics, if you''re going to test, just hurry up! The result will be the same anyway!" Zhao Wuheng jeered. "Why worry, let him play his mystic and magical act, I want to see how long he can keep it up!" Sun Zetian snorted coldly. Actually, Hao Jian wasn''t trying to show off. He just didn''t want to ruin his clothes and shoes during the test. After finishing all these preparations, Hao Jian slowly walked to the center of the room, took a deep breath, and instantly, his demeanor changed, his eyes shimmering with sharpness that rivaled the brilliance of the sun and moon. "Bang, bang, bang, bang..." A series of supersonic booms crazily layered, leaving everyone only able to see two lingering afterimages constantly vibrating on the spot. The floor beneath their feet instantly became a huge pit, continuously sinking under Hao Jian''s frantic stamping. "Five hundred! Eight hundred! Nine hundred! A record is broken!" an auditor exclaimed in horror. Had Hao Jian actually shattered the record of that revered god in their minds? "The numbers are still climbing, twelve hundred! Thirteen hundred! Damn it, it''s only been forty seconds, and this guy actually broke ''his'' record? What kind of monster is he?" a person said in utter shock, unable to believe it was true. Everyone else was, without doubt, dumbstruck. The constantly red-flashing digital display blinded their eyes, and the urgent booming vibration shook their souls. In just over forty seconds, Hao Jian had broken the record and had far outstripped the previous holder''s record. "The machine must be broken. I''m sure it''s the machine that''s broken! Otherwise, these numbers couldn''t possibly be climbing this fast; this simply isn''t a record a human could achieve!" one person said, comforting himself. Yu Jiayi was floored, so were Sun Zetian and Zhao Wuheng; all the auditors were stunned. They originally did not have high hopes for Hao Jian, believing he couldn''t break that person''s record. After all, the record set by that person was already at the "Hell Level," and many who attempted to break it had failed. After Hao Jian appeared, not only did he shatter the record, but he also doubled it. What was originally a Hell Level record would now probably need the words "eighteenth layer" added to it. Yu Jiayi finally understood why Hao Jian was so confident. This guy''s physique was comparable to a monster; he was a human-shaped monster. On the other hand, Sun Zetian also realized he had been tricked. Hao Jian was playing the fool to catch the foolish. Sun Zetian felt an icy chill over his whole body because he realized something else: if Hao Jian could so easily break that person''s record, didn''t that mean he was even stronger? Sun Zetian felt a chilling fear¡ªif Hao Jian decided to kill him, maybe even Dragon Tooth couldn''t protect him! Hao Jian, compared to three years ago, had indeed become much stronger. Breaking the record from three years ago was now a breeze for him. Meanwhile, some auditors had secretly resolved to make Hao Jian one of them. Having someone with such terrifying strength join Dragon Tooth could elevate their power once again; they might even shake the established Huaxia organization, Divine Tiger. Divine Tiger had existed for ages, since the founding of New Huaxia. Although Dragon Tooth had developed rapidly in recent years, there was still a significant gap compared to it. A minute later, Hao Jian stopped, finding the data froze near two thousand at nineteen hundred. Therefore, Hao Jian let out a disappointed sigh, "Only nineteen hundred? I thought it could break two thousand!" Actually, Hao Jian''s true level was far beyond that. At the fiftieth second, the numbers had already stopped moving because he had completely smashed the automatic sensing device, making it impossible to record further data. But at this moment, no one wanted to remind him, as everyone was infuriated by his seemingly "disappointed" demeanor. All damned nineteen hundred and still not satisfied? They knew that achieving these numbers would be impossible in their lifetimes. He was acting cunning, flaunting his achievement to taunt others, wasn''t he? Breaking the record was one thing, but did he have to act so regretfully after breaking it? It was like gnawing on pig''s trotters in front of a group of beggars, then complaining that the pig''s trotters were too greasy. Everyone felt the urge to beat Hao Jian up. Sun Zetian''s face darkened, and he had an ominous feeling. If Hao Jian could easily break one record, what about the others? "Next event!" Without any fuss, Hao Jian immediately requested the next round of testing. By this time, Sun Zetian and others could no longer boast arrogantly, particularly Sun Zetian, whose face was as pale as gold foil. If Hao Jian truly broke all records, he would have no choice but to kill himself here. "Next event, speed test!" Hao Jian stood on the running track, ready for the hundred-meter sprint test. Meanwhile, Sun Zetian prayed and comforted himself in his heart: It can''t be, that guy probably just has a quicker reaction time; he can''t possibly break records in everything! Whoosh! Hao Jian shot off like an arrow released from its bow, causing everyone, including Sun Zetian, to literally drop their jaws. ........................................................................ Chapter 558 - 558: Long Time No See Hao Jian streaked past like a gust of wind, creating a breeze wherever he went. "Five seconds for a hundred meters? That speed is even faster than a cheetah!" The crowd stared in stunned disbelief. A lap was one hundred and twenty meters, yet Hao Jian had completed it in just six seconds. His previous record was eight seconds for a hundred meters. With this speed, breaking the record was just a matter of time. In five laps, Hao Jian took just slightly more than thirty seconds to finish, successfully breaking his previous record. "He has already broken two records! He might very well surpass that person!" an auditor exclaimed in shock. If Hao Jian truly broke the record, their entire belief system would crumble. "Wash your neck and wait!" Hao Jian patted the shoulder of Sun Zetian, who stood there dumbfounded. Sun Zetian was completely petrified, every pore on his body dilating, feeling a chill all over, shaking uncontrollably. Sun Zetian''s expression fluctuated wildly, tormented internally. If Hao Jian truly shattered all the records, he would be doomed. "Bang!" Hao Jian threw the shot put, sending it flying hundreds of meters away, crashing into a stone wall and immediately toppling it. "Record broken!" "Bang!" Hao Jian jumped high, his feet powerfully hitting the earth, blasting the ground apart, then propelling himself upwards more than twenty meters high. Jumping so high he couldn''t stop, he ended up slamming his head on the roof, embedding it there. The crowd was dumbstruck again. What the hell was this? "Does this guy have a deity living inside him?" Everyone stood there, their mouths agape. As Martial Artists who were physically superior to ordinary humans, they were terrified to discover that Hao Jian was even more fearsome. This was no longer an issue of human limits; no human could accomplish such feats. Without a doubt, Hao Jian had broken all his previous records, leaving everyone shockingly bewildered. "The assessment is over, I''ve broken all records, and according to our agreement, you must commit suicide here!" Hao Jian approached Sun Zetian, expressionless. "You''re not human, you''re not human! This isn''t fair to me!" Sun Zetian howled hysterically, regretting why he had antagonized such a non-human monster. At that moment, Sun Zetian felt a murderous urge against Zhao Wuheng, blaming him for instigating conflict with Hao Jian. "Fair? Since when is bullying with your power fair?" Hao Jian ignored Sun Zetian''s resentments and kept approaching him. Sun Zetian hung his head, his eyes flickering, as he struggled internally. No! I can''t die like this! I still have a promising future ahead! Suddenly, a sharp light flashed in Sun Zetian''s eyes, he threw his notebook at Hao Jian, and then turned to run. He needed to escape from this place, to flee from the monster that was Hao Jian. "Swoosh, swoosh..." However, at that moment, two figures appeared in front of Sun Zetian, blocking his way. "You..." Sun Zetian looked astonished at the two people before him, obviously not expecting them to block his escape. "A bet is a bet!" one of them declared. "No frivolous words in the military!" the other echoed. Both individuals were members of Dragon Tooth. Seeing Sun Zetian trying to flee, they immediately stepped forward to stop him. For the honor of Dragon Tooth, Sun Zetian had to die! "Although you are in Dragon Tooth, you don''t truly understand Dragon Tooth!" Hao Jian''s light voice came from behind, standing behind Sun Zetian. "Dragon Tooth prides itself on honor. They will never accept such disgrace!" Sun Zetian turned around in shock, but as he did, he felt an iron-like grip choke his throat. "Don''t... kill me..." Sun Zetian''s face turned red with horror, struggling to get the words out. "In your next life, remember to be a smart person!" Hao Jian said coldly, then suddenly exerted force. Crack! Sun Zetian''s neck was sharply twisted and broken by Hao Jian. The onlookers didn''t dare to speak, overwhelmed by Hao Jian''s ruthlessness. At that moment, Zhao Wuheng found himself isolated amid the crowd, since everyone knew he was connected to Sun Zetian. Being related to Sun Zetian meant being an enemy of Hao Jian; they hurriedly disassociated from Sun Zetian, not wanting to get involved in this calamity. Zhao Wuheng was also afraid. With Sun Zetian dead, how could he possibly contend against Hao Jian? "Cripple an arm and get out of here, or die!" Hao Jian looked towards Zhao Wuheng. Having killed Sun Zetian, he naturally wouldn''t spare Zhao Wuheng. "You can''t just watch him rampage," Zhao Wuheng said to the auditors. Yet the auditors kept silent. Zhao Wuheng had instigated Sun Zetian to confront Hao Jian and ought to pay the price for that. Though they were displeased with Hao Jian, since he had broken all the records they held in high esteem, causing their faith to crumble, they wouldn''t defend Zhao Wuheng. Seeing all the auditors silent, Zhao Wuheng despaired completely. Reluctantly glancing at his own arm, he then gritted his teeth and, with fierce determination, violently struck down on it. "Crack!" Zhao Wuheng had just disabled his own left arm, and now he was sweating profusely from the pain, his complexion turning somewhat pale as his entire left hand dangled there. "Now, are you satisfied?" Zhao Wuheng, with a burning gaze, stared at Hao Jian. But Hao Jian did not speak. Instead, he walked up to Zhao Wuheng, grabbed his arm with both hands, and began to squeeze. "Crack, crack, crack...crack, crack, crack..." The sound akin to squishing foam followed, and everyone clearly saw Zhao Wuheng''s arm completely twist and deform, and it even shrank a size smaller than before. "You!" Zhao Wuheng was so furious he almost vomited blood. This bastard had him disable an arm and still wasn''t satisfied, even going so far as to crush his hand, completely shattering the bones. "This makes me satisfied!" Hao Jian stepped back two paces, admiring his handiwork, and finally, after a long while, he nodded contentedly, "Yes, yes, this is the result I wanted!" Everyone was speechless. Wasn''t this too much? "Alright, you can go now!" Hao Jian patted Zhao Wuheng''s shoulder and said. "Pfft!" Zhao Wuheng immediately fainted from a surge of rage, vomiting blood on the spot. "This guy really can''t handle much stress," Hao Jian shook his head and remarked disdainfully. "Alright, who else bullied her? Stand out, I''m going to deal with you one by one!" Hao Jian pointed at Yu Jiayi and demanded to the crowd. Although Sun Zetian and Zhao Wuheng were detestable, those who kicked them when they were down were even more contemptible. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Enough, don''t go too far!" a Dragon Tooth member admonished. Hao Jian was even planning to hit the other competitors; how could they proceed with the tests then? "It''s they who went too far. So many grown men bullying a girl, they should all pay a price!" Hao Jian sneered. "We, Dragon Tooth, will give you an explanation. Their behavior today will be severely punished, so stop now!" an old man approached, speaking expressionlessly. "Since they are going to be punished anyway, we might as well get it over with now!" Hao Jian refused to give an inch, unsure if Dragon Tooth would actually punish these people after today. "Impudent! Do you think you can represent Dragon Tooth?" a young man in a buzz cut military uniform shouted angrily. "No, representing myself is enough!" Hao Jian huffed, then turned to Yu Jiayi and said, "Tell me, who bullied you just now?" Yu Jiayi glanced around the crowd, then stopped at a very fat man: "Him!" The fat man immediately felt his hair stand on end and turned to run; he didn''t want to confront a monster like Hao Jian head-on. "Swoosh!" Hao Jian immediately chased after him, his hand shaped like a claw, reaching directly for the fat man''s back. "Stop!" "Audacious!" All the members of Dragon Tooth were enraged and also moved to stop Hao Jian. Hao Jian was flexing his muscles right in front of them, clearly not putting them in his eyes. All four Dragon Tooth members blocked Hao Jian''s path. "Scram!" Hao Jian bellowed angrily, advancing instead of retreating, and with both fists flying, he sent all four Dragon Tooth members flying. "No way, did he actually defeat four Dragon Tooth members by himself?" "This guy is challenging Dragon Tooth!" "For so many years, no one has dared to challenge the authority of Dragon Tooth. Does this guy think he can defy heaven?" At that moment, Hao Jian grabbed the fat man with one hand and then sent him flying with a punch. The fat man crashed to the ground and passed out. "You..." All the Dragon Tooth members were furious but were severely injured by Hao Jian''s blow and lay on the ground unable to move. "I say, are you really planning to dismantle your own gang?" Just then, a seductive yet cool voice rang out. Everyone turned to look and saw Moon Goddess Jiang approaching slowly. The clack of her military boots was loud, and she exhaled rings of smoke as she stared intently at Hao Jian with her vacant eyes. At that moment she finally realized why she had found Hao Jian''s back so familiar. Seeing Hao Jian again, Moon Goddess Jiang''s expression was calm, her face showing no hint of emotional fluctuation. Hao Jian, hearing Moon Goddess Jiang''s voice, couldn''t help but break out in goosebumps, feeling an ominous premonition in his heart. "Moon Goddess is here; this kid is done for!" Upon seeing Moon Goddess Jiang appear, the martial artists immediately became excited, especially those who had bullied Yu Jiayi, who couldn''t help but breath a sigh of relief. In their view, if anyone could stop Hao Jian at this moment, it would likely be only Moon Goddess Jiang. "Leader, this guy wants to create chaos here; he has already hurt a lot of people," one of the Dragon Tooth members complained. Moon Goddess Jiang waved her hand, signaling him to be quiet, then walked right up to Hao Jian. She moved until she was less than two centimeters away from Hao Jian, almost touching him, and then coldly stared at him. Everyone was puzzled. What was Moon Goddess Jiang doing? Hao Jian''s expression was awkward as he chuckled, "Long time no see!" Chapter 559 - 559: Identity Exposed "Huh." Moon Goddess Jiang blew a puff of smoke into Hao Jian''s face, and Hao Jian immediately smelled the strong scent of cigar leather. "Smack!" Then, Moon Goddess Jiang slapped Hao Jian across the face. Everyone was shocked, as no one had expected Moon Goddess Jiang to be so forceful; she struck without a moment''s hesitation, showing no mercy. After that, some of them felt a schadenfreude, finally someone could handle the monster that was Hao Jian. Yu Jiayi saw Hao Jian being hit by Moon Goddess Jiang and wanted to explain, but just as she stepped forward, Hao Jian pulled her back. Hao Jian, rubbing his face, bitter-smiled, "I know you hold grudges..." "Smack!" Before he could finish, Moon Goddess Jiang slapped him again. "Can''t you wait until I finish speaking?" "Smack!" "I know I did you wrong!" "Smack!" "Alright, alright, fine, hit me if you must." "Smack smack smack smack smack..." Upon hearing this, Moon Goddess Jiang unleashed a flurry of slaps. "Motherfucker, are you really hitting me?" Hao Jian complained, his face swelling up fast. Moon Goddess Jiang threw another slap, but Hao Jian caught it, angrily said, "Stop hitting, don''t you see so many people around here?" "You''re a liar!" Moon Goddess Jiang said vehemently, but she looked as aggrieved as a little girl, her eyes flashing with frustrated anger. Everyone was astounded; was this the same person known as Huaxia''s fiercest? Why did she look like a bullied widow? "But still a very handsome liar!" Hao Jian corrected. "You!" On hearing this, Moon Goddess Jiang became furious and aimed a Groin Kick at Hao Jian''s groin, intending to cripple him on the spot. Even at this moment, Hao Jian still dared to joke; Moon Goddess Jiang was absolutely furious. Hao Jian was startled, hurriedly clamped down on Moon Goddess Jiang''s lower leg while exclaiming in panic, "Holy menses, are you trying to end my bloodline here?" "That thing''s only a menace; better snip it off early!" Moon Goddess Jiang sneered. Everyone was stunned; even a fool could tell Hao Jian and Moon Goddess Jiang knew each other, and there seemed to be a secretive history between them. "Have you even tried it? How do you know it''s a menace?" Hao Jian leered, his demeanor completely frivolous. "To hell with you!" Moon Goddess Jiang threw another leg toward Hao Jian''s face. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But this time, Hao Jian simply raised a hand lightly and blocked Moon Goddess Jiang''s kick. Hao Jian frowned, somewhat displeased, "Stop fooling around!" Moon Goddess Jiang, older than him, acted like a child, leaving Hao Jian speechless. However, probably only he would think this way; if Moon Goddess Jiang''s enemies knew she was treated like a child, God knows what they would think. Hearing Hao Jian''s reprimand, Moon Goddess Jiang did not dare continue her antics but huffed dissatisfiedly, posing like a demure lady. The crowd watched Moon Goddess Jiang in terror; the Violent Queen actually subdued after being scolded? What exactly was her relationship with this guy? "How do you want to handle this?" Moon Goddess Jiang asked Hao Jian gloomily, obviously understanding what he intended to do. "Crippling everyone isn''t realistic, just drive them all out and never allow them back into Dragon Tooth!" Hao Jian declared nobly. "Alright!" Moon Goddess Jiang agreed without any nonsense, directly instructing Yu Jiayi to choose who stayed. "This isn''t fair! Even if we joked about that girl, it was just for fun, we didn''t really hurt her, how can you expel us just because of this?" "Exactly, you''re abusing your power, I want to report you!" "On what grounds?" All the martial artists who had bullied Yu Jiayi protested loudly, unwilling to easily give up the future that Dragon Tooth represented. "On what grounds? Just because he is the founder of Dragon Tooth!" Moon Goddess Jiang snorted coldly, her voice not loud, but everyone could hear it clearly. "What?" Everyone was utterly shocked; Hao Jian was actually the founder of Dragon Tooth? Yu Jiayi was also agape, staring at Hao Jian in disbelief, as though seeing some rare creature. The Dragon Tooth she revered, the Dragon Tooth she longed for, the Dragon Tooth she dreamed of, was Hao Jian''s? Yu Jiayi felt very unreal. Why was this guy the founder of Dragon Tooth? How could he possibly be the creator of Dragon Tooth? Yu Jiayi felt utterly defeated. All along, Yu Jiayi had regarded Hao Jian as her imaginary enemy, always thinking that one day she would trample this bad guy underfoot. But now that Hao Jian turned out to be the founder of Dragon Tooth, just that fact alone meant she could never ever defeat Hao Jian in her lifetime. Everyone finally understood why Yu Jiayi had such an ambiguous attitude towards Hao Jian¡ªit turned out that Hao Jian was the founder of Dragon Tooth. There had always been rumors that Moon Goddess Jiang was cultivated by the founder, and combining the events and legends of this moment, everyone deeply believed that Hao Jian was definitely the founder. "Boss, are you telling the truth? Is he really our founder of Dragon Tooth?" The old man who had talked with Hao Jian earlier asked Moon Goddess Jiang somewhat excitedly. "Do you think I would deceive you with such a matter?" When facing others, Moon Goddess Jiang once again adopted her usual aloofness, "Gulp..." The old man swallowed hard, then burst into a foolish grin. So, Hao Jian was indeed the founder of Dragon Tooth¡ªthis just simplified matters. It was the records themselves, set by their founder, that were being broken. The strongest was still their own Dragon Tooth! The other Dragon Tooth members also laughed heartily, staring at Hao Jian with fervent eyes. Their faith had not collapsed, for the record-breaking Hao Jian was their god, effectively one of their own. Their god had set a new record¡ªthey were naturally overjoyed. Hao Jian had set records no one had broken for three years, only to break them himself, and now he had established a new benchmark, one that likely would never be broken. "I dare anyone to say our founder of Dragon Tooth is just a figment of our imagination!" The old man huffed coldly, his face full of pride. Because after cultivating elites like Moon Goddess Jiang, Hao Jian had left Huaxia and had not appeared since, so Dragon Tooth members only knew of him as an overwhelmingly powerful and terrifying person. Yet the outside world thought this was merely a way for Dragon Tooth to mythologize themselves, really without any real founder at all. But Hao Jian''s appearance had utterly shattered this skepticism, letting everyone know he truly did exist! "See? The founder of Dragon Tooth really exists! And he is stronger than any of you!" Another Dragon Tooth member also shouted, his expression ecstatic. "Get lost! If you don''t want to die under Dragon Tooth!" Moon Goddess Jiang rebuked the martial artists who had bullied Yu Jiayi. "Right! Get lost if you dare to challenge Dragon Tooth¡ªit''s like you''re begging for death!" the other Dragon Tooth members also joined in the clamor. This scene left everyone speechless. Moments before, they were trying every possible way to stop Hao Jian from committing violence, and now they were aiding and abetting him. Those martial artists could only scurry away with their tails between their legs. Meanwhile, those Dragon Tooth members eagerly came forward, wanting to strike up a conversation with Hao Jian, but were scolded away by Moon Goddess Jiang. "Our business isn''t finished yet, follow me!" Moon Goddess Jiang pointed at Hao Jian. Hao Jian gave a bitter smile, shook his head, then followed Moon Goddess Jiang''s lead. "You come too!" Hao Jian turned and said to Yu Jiayi. "May I?" Yu Jiayi asked hopefully. Moon Goddess Jiang was her idol; she had always dreamed of facing her. "Come on!" Hao Jian beckoned with a hooked finger. Once in Moon Goddess Jiang''s office, Moon Goddess Jiang slouched in her chair, with her boots up on the desk, lazily looking at Hao Jian, "So, where have you been all these years?" "I was expanding territories and conquering the world!" Hao Jian said, his head held high, his demeanor full of ambition. "Speak human!" Moon Goddess Jiang said coldly, already used to this guy''s buffoonish nature, hence she hardly believed what he said. "Cough cough... I went around showing off." Hao Jian replied awkwardly. Yu Jiayi was dazed; maybe Moon Goddess Jiang was the only one who could handle Hao Jian after all? In fact, Moon Goddess Jiang and Hao Jian had a conflicting yet complementary relationship; Hao Jian feared Moon Goddess Jiang, and Moon Goddess Jiang submitted to Hao Jian. "Really? You must have enjoyed yourself then?" Moon Goddess Jiang coldly sneered. Hao Jian had been enjoying himself around, leaving her to clean up after this mess. "It was okay, it was okay," Hao Jian snickered foolishly, feeling quite embarrassed, and said, "Well, these past years have been tough on you? I knew this, so as soon as I came back to the country, I came to find you!" "Really?" Moon Goddess Jiang looked skeptical. "Of course it is. After all, you are important in my heart! Otherwise, why do you think I''d come here today? Would I come if I didn''t want to see you?" Hao Jian said slickly, now was definitely not the time for the truth, otherwise, he was doomed. "Oh, is that so?" Moon Goddess Jiang''s smile deepened, the grin along with her bright red lips was incredibly alluring. "Absolutely!" Hao Jian laughed heartily. "Tell me, is what he said true?" Moon Goddess Jiang suddenly turned to Yu Jiayi. Yu Jiayi was immediately stunned. She had never expected Moon Goddess Jiang to suddenly ask her, especially since she and Moon Goddess Jiang were not close. Being suddenly questioned by her idol left Yu Jiayi flustered. For a long time, she didn''t know what to say. At this moment, Moon Goddess Jiang stood up and walked towards Yu Jiayi, a slender finger resting provocatively on Yu Jiayi''s delicate chin, "I''m asking you¡ªis what Hao Jian said true? Did he come back recently?" Yu Jiayi could only feel her heart pounding uncontrollably. Although Moon Goddess Jiang was another woman, Yu Jiayi didn''t understand why she would feel so nervous facing her, suddenly experiencing a strange, heart-fluttering feeling. Chapter 560 - 560: Scrambling for Milk Who says only men can flirt? Women can do it too! Facing Moon Goddess Jiang, a woman with an incredibly strong aura, Yu Jiayi simply had no resistance at all. Then, with a serious expression, Yu Jiayi shook her head directly, "That''s false, he''s been back for half a year!" Under Moon Goddess Jiang''s flirting mode, Yu Jiayi completely collapsed and confessed everything. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You traitor! And to think I just stood up for you!" Hao Jian was so annoyed his teeth itched, this damned romantic, seeing a beauty and he couldn''t keep his legs shut, oh no, it was his mouth he couldn''t keep shut, and he actually betrayed me. "Well... who made her so cool," Yu Jiayi said shyly, lowering her head, looking very aggrieved. She felt that she should be the angry one, toyed with by Moon Goddess Jiang without losing her temper, and instead was happy about it. What on earth? Could she be a masochist? "Hehehe..." Then, Hao Jian saw Moon Goddess Jiang laughing sinisterly. "Hao Jian, you should know what happens when you deceive me, Moon Goddess Jiang, right?" Moon Goddess Jiang said with a smirk not reaching her eyes, her face suddenly filled with an intense killing intent. "Queen! Spare my life, Queen!" Hao Jian immediately made a face of distress, his legs turning to jelly. Although he was very awesome, Moon Goddess Jiang was also awesome, and if it came to a one-on-one fight, he could probably beat Moon Goddess Jiang, but getting beaten up by her was unavoidable. Moon Goddess Jiang was called the Violent Queen because she possessed extremely terrifying strength, able to inflict damage weighing ten tons with a single punch, something even Hao Jian couldn''t compare to. Hao Jian didn''t want to be hit because taking a punch from Moon Goddess Jiang meant even he''d have to spend half a month in the hospital. "Call me Queen!" demanded Moon Goddess Jiang, her gaze sharp and commanding. "Yes, yes, Queen!" Hao Jian still wore a smile, humiliated to the extreme. "Kneel!" Moon Goddess Jiang roared on. And Yu Jiayi was utterly shocked. Making Hao Jian kneel? Wasn''t that too harsh? It''s said that a man''s knees carry gold; how could one easily kneel? At that moment, Yu Jiayi also felt that Moon Goddess Jiang was being too excessive; this was such an insult. And she knew that Hao Jian would definitely not agree; no person with any backbone could agree to such a demand. "Isn''t that a bit too much?" Hao Jian''s face showed displeasure, and he clicked his tongue in disdain. "Make me kneel? Do you think that''s possible?" Yu Jiayi nodded as well, agreeing that she wouldn''t kneel either. She hadn''t misjudged Hao Jian after all. "No kneeling means punches!" Moon Goddess Jiang''s brows were deeply furrowed, her face full of menacing energy. "I''m telling you I''m not afraid of you! Don''t even think about using violence to threaten me. I''ve roamed the seas for so many years, what kind of storms haven''t I seen? Do you think a beating can scare me?" Hao Jian argued indignantly. As he spoke, his knees bent and flexed until they finally gave out and he knelt down completely. Yu Jiayi was so astonished she was speechless. His mouth kept saying no, but his body was quite honest, wasn''t it? "This, I''m not afraid of you, this is just a man''s ability to adapt. A true man won''t suffer immediate loss!" Hao Jian rationalized his "weakness." "Yeah, you''re really so full of guts!" Moon Goddess Jiang sneered. "Pfft, like you''re the one to talk?" While kneeling, Hao Jian tried to feign defiance, trying hard to appear unconcerned and not at all afraid of Moon Goddess Jiang. "Bang!" Suddenly there was a loud noise. "Does the Queen want me to grovel?" Hao Jian let out a desperate scream and immediately fell prostrate to the ground. "Oh dear, I accidentally knocked over the water cup. Huh, why are you so nervous?" Moon Goddess Jiang feigned surprise. Naturally, she was the one who had knocked over the cup. Yu Jiayi looked at Hao Jian with a very strange expression, and although she didn''t say a word, her eyes clearly expressed her disdain. "Cough cough..." Hao Jian coughed awkwardly twice and said, "Well, stop scaring people for nothing. We''ve all known each other for so long, why do you keep intimidating me?" "That''s still better than you, leaving me in this broken place for three whole years, without any news for those three years, like you had evaporated. What did you say back then? You''d return in a year at most, but what happened? It took three years for you to come back, and even when you did, you didn''t come to find me?" Moon Goddess Jiang complained like a resentful woman. On the side, Yu Jiayi''s mouth opened in an O shape¡ªcould it be that Hao Jian had a thing with Moon Goddess Jiang in the past? That must be it, and that''s also why Moon Goddess Jiang was so angry. Right away, Yu Jiayi''s gaze towards Hao Jian filled with even more disdain; in her eyes, Hao Jian certainly had played and then abandoned Moon Goddess Jiang, causing her to wait in vain hope for her lover''s return. A woman''s imagination is rich, no matter her age. "I also encountered some troubles!" Hao Jian scratched his head sheepishly. He had originally planned to go for a year and then return, but one thing led to another and he was pushed into a new wave of events, forcing him to continue fighting on the battlefield. When he finally decided to return, he was already disillusioned and no longer wanted to get involved with Dragon Tooth affairs. Seeing the look of disappointment on Hao Jian''s face, Moon Goddess Jiang couldn''t bear to scold him any further. She knew that Hao Jian must have had a hard time drifting around for all those years. "Mommy, I want to nurse!" Just then, a little girl with a pacifier ran out from the room on the side. The little girl was dressed in a floral dress and had her hair tied back in a ponytail, her fair skin as delicate as that of a porcelain doll, strikingly beautiful! She threw herself into Moon Goddess Jiang''s arms, displaying a sleepy-eyed look as if she had just woken up. "Xiaolu, didn''t Mommy tell you to wait for me in the room? How come you ran out again?" Moon Goddess Jiang picked up Xiaolu, speaking with adoration on her face. Yu Jiayi and Hao Jian''s jaws dropped. Moon Goddess Jiang actually had a daughter? Neither of them had ever considered that Moon Goddess Jiang might have a daughter, as nobody had ever mentioned it before. But soon Hao Jian came to a realization. Given the sensitivity of Moon Goddess Jiang''s identity as the leader of Dragon Tooth, it was natural that she couldn''t let anyone know she had a daughter. Otherwise, her enemies would definitely target her daughter for a series of revenges, and even Hao Jian probably would have done the same, keeping his own daughter hidden. However, the fact that Moon Goddess Jiang revealed her daughter in front of him meant that she trusted Hao Jian completely, which moved him somewhat. "You...You got married?" Hao Jian asked in utter disbelief, not having expected Moon Goddess Jiang to ever marry, for had not the Violent Queen declared she would never marry in her lifetime? What intrigued Hao Jian even more was which man was so impressive to have managed to tame Moon Goddess Jiang, the Violent Queen? "What, are you surprised?" Moon Goddess Jiang mocked, then pulled down the zipper of her leather jacket and started to breastfeed her daughter. "Don''t tell me you actually thought I''d foolishly wait for you for three years? I''ve been married for a long time!" "How could I possibly be so vain," Hao Jian said with a laugh, but in all honesty, not feeling a bit hurt would be impossible. After all, the two of them were once known as the Dragon Tooth Twosome and had been regarded as a couple, but then, due to being separated from each other, they never managed to get together. Years had passed, and it was natural for Moon Goddess Jiang to marry and have children; Hao Jian wasn''t going to be petty and become jealous. However, Yu Jiayi was quite taken aback. Moon Goddess Jiang was directly exposing her breasts in front of Hao Jian, which was admittedly rather excessive. No matter how well-acquainted two people were, it shouldn''t be to this extent, right? Hao Jian also felt awkward. He and Moon Goddess Jiang were very familiar with each other, but it was the first time she had exposed herself like this in front of him, leaving him not knowing quite how to react. On the other hand, Moon Goddess Jiang continued breastfeeding her daughter as if nothing was wrong. "Hey, why do I feel like this kid looks a lot like me?" Hao Jian joked. "Hmm?" Moon Goddess Jiang suddenly cast a glance at Hao Jian, her expression becoming somewhat unnatural. "What nonsense are you talking about?" Yu Jiayi immediately hit Hao Jian, also feeling his joke was inappropriate. Hao Jian also realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly shut his mouth, though he wore an embarrassed expression. This time, however, Moon Goddess Jiang didn''t scold Hao Jian, but her face clearly didn''t look too pleased. "So, when are you going to introduce me to my brother-in-law?" Hao Jian said, trying to break the awkward tension. "There will be a chance!" Moon Goddess Jiang scoffed, irritation on her face. "Can I go now?" Hao Jian asked somewhat fearfully. "Get lost!" Moon Goddess Jiang said impatiently. "By the way, I''d like to ask you to help me investigate something," Hao Jian suddenly remembered something and turned to Moon Goddess Jiang. Moon Goddess Jiang frowned: "What is it?" "Have you heard of Black September?" "Black September? The criminal organization involved in biochemical research?" Moon Goddess Jiang sounded surprised. Had Hao Jian crossed paths with Black September again recently? Hao Jian nodded: "Them. A friend of mine said they''ve come to Huaxia, and I''m worried they might harm Huaxia." "Don''t worry, I''ll look into it," Moon Goddess Jiang said with a cold demeanor. As the Protector of Huaxia, she naturally wouldn''t tolerate any foreign invader causing trouble on this land. "Burp!" And at that moment, the little milk baby had finished drinking and let out a satisfied burp. "Not eating anymore? Have a little more?" Moon Goddess Jiang said. But the milk baby just kept shaking her head. At only two years of age, she wasn''t very articulate, expressing herself through actions instead. "Be good, drink more milk. If you don''t, uncle might just swoop in and drink it instead," Hao Jian pretended to threaten. "Swoosh!" Yu Jiayi and Moon Goddess Jiang simultaneously shot angry looks at Hao Jian. Realizing something was off in their gaze, Hao Jian quickly understood the problem, his body breaking into cold sweats as he chuckled awkwardly: "I...I didn''t mean it!" He had good intentions, hoping Moon Goddess Jiang''s daughter would eat her fill, but it turned out he had misspoken. "You can really get lost now," Moon Goddess Jiang said coldly, holding back a bellyful of rage, fearful that she might accidentally slaughter the man if she lost control. Chapter 561 - 561: Gone Mad "Fine, fine, fine, I''m leaving right now, I''m leaving right now," Hao Jian hurriedly nodded and then ran out of the office as if fleeing. Damn it, how could I have said something so bold as to drink from Moon Goddess Jiang''s breast milk? What was I thinking? Isn''t this asking for trouble? Seeing Hao Jian leave, Yu Jiayi had no choice but to follow. But on the way back, Yu Jiayi felt quite resentful and said, "It''s all your fault. Now you''ve made Moon Goddess Jiang angry, she definitely won''t let me join Dragon Tooth!" "Don''t worry, she''s not that kind of person. Moreover, if she disagrees, I''ll go and find her myself. Aren''t my words as the founder of Dragon Tooth effective?" Hao Jian said proudly. "Speaking of which, Hao Jian, how come you''re the founder of Dragon Tooth? You never mentioned that before," Yu Jiayi said, surprised. Hao Jian rolled his eyes and said, "Miss, I haven''t seen you and your brother since I joined the army. How was I supposed to tell you? And this is confidential, could I just talk about it carelessly?" "That''s true!" Yu Jiayi nodded, feeling that Hao Jian''s words made a lot of sense. "What''s your relationship with Moon Goddess Jiang? Did you two have something before?" Suddenly, Yu Jiayi asked curiously. She had heard Hao Jian and Moon Goddess Jiang''s conversation and was certain that there used to be some affection between them. "How could that be? She''s several years older, and she has said she wouldn''t want to be with a younger man because they are immature. She doesn''t want to be both a wife and a mother," Hao Jian shook his head, not surprised at the idea of Moon Goddess Jiang marrying, as they were just partners and nothing more. "No way, but I really think that little girl looks a bit like you," Yu Jiayi said. Although she had just scolded Hao Jian for talking nonsense, she actually thought Xiaolu looked a bit like Hao Jian. "You are overthinking it. The basic requirement for having children is that you first have to engage in that kind of activity. I''ve never done anything with her; how could there be any children?" Hao Jian firmly shook his head, he had always respected Moon Goddess Jiang and never crossed the boundaries. "What are you talking about doing or not doing, that''s just disgusting!" Yu Jiayi looked at Hao Jian disdainfully. "So not do, just hang out?" "Hao Jian!!!" ...... In the following days, a startling event occurred in Hua City. Kong Xiaozhen first inexplicably separated from the Kong Family, then inexplicably turned against the He Family. During those days, many core members of the He Family were attacked and injured to varying degrees, and four or five had even died. Kong Xiaozhen also stepped forward to take responsibility for this, claiming he was Hao Jian''s dog, and now he would bite whoever Hao Jian directed him to bite. This move made many people think it was foolish because Hao Jian had just killed one of Ye Wenying''s dogs, and now Hao Jian and Ye Wenying were sworn enemies. At this time, Kong Xiaozhen''s choosing to stand by Hao Jian was practically provoking Ye Wenying. At this time, Hao Jian also held a newspaper in his hand, looking at the recent incidents of attacking the police, constantly shaking his head, "Interesting, really interesting!" He now believed that Kong Xiaozhen was genuinely loyal to him. With everything that had been done, the chance of Kong Xiaozhen faking it was extremely slim. "Boss, I think Kong Xiaozhen really wants to follow you. Why don''t we bring him over? That guy is arrogant, but he is capable," Li He suggested. "No rush, no rush, it''s still not clear yet," Hao Jian said calmly, completely unfazed. The chance of faking was extremely slim, but there was still a possibility. "But at this rate, he might just get killed. Now the whole Hua City knows he''s your man, and they also know he killed the core members of the He Family. The He Family is already preparing to retaliate, and without the Kong Family supporting him, he is dead meat!" "Well, he isn''t dead yet. Let''s talk about it when he''s about to die," Hao Jian remained unmoved. Li He was immediately startled, but he didn''t ask why, believing that Hao Jian must have his reasons. Just then, Hao Jian''s phone rang. He glanced at it, noticing it was an unknown number, which he had never seen before. But he still answered, "Who is this?" "It''s me!" On the other end, a familiar voice came through. Hao Jian couldn''t help but be surprised; now that was really calling Cao Cao and Cao Cao appeared. They had just been discussing Kong Xiaozhen, and here he was calling. "What''s up?" Hao Jian pretended not to understand. "Ran into a bit of trouble, I need your help," Kong Xiaozhen said, continuing lightly. "What help?" "I''m currently in the City of Water Charm," Kong Xiaozhen said. The City of Water Charm? Hao Jian was familiar with this place since it was Ye Wenying''s headquarters in Hua City, or rather, his stronghold. It was a super high-class leisure club where, exaggeratively speaking, as long as you could afford it, even planes and cannons could be arranged for you. However, Hao Jian was puzzled: what was Kong Xiaozhen doing there? It seemed that Hao Jian also sensed some doubt within himself, and Kong Xiaozhen hurriedly explained, "I offended Ye Wenying." "What did you do?" Hao Jian asked with interest. "I disfigured the Oiran here," Kong Xiaozhen said nonchalantly as if he were discussing something completely mundane. Hao Jian was stunned by the comment, as the Oiran of the City of Water Charm was very famous in Hua City. Even Hao Jian, who seldom frequented such places, was aware of her. It was said that this Oiran, known as Miss Suxin, was proficient in singing, dancing, playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, and crucially, was extremely beautiful with a fairy-like aura as if she was untouched by worldly concerns. One could imagine how much money Ye Wenying had invested in cultivating such a "fairy," so the price for sharing her bed had to be astronomically high. How could just anyone lay a finger on a fairy''s bed? Without tens of thousands in gold, you couldn''t even touch her finger! This was a money-making machine, but Kong Xiaozhen just admitted to disfiguring the Oiran, essentially dragging the fairy down to the mortal realm. Hao Jian could imagine Ye Wenying must be furious. If it were him, having such a profitable asset destroyed would make him spitting mad too. Kong Xiaozhen must be insane, as this was akin to slapping Ye Wenying across the face. "Are you insane?" Hao Jian asked. "I''m with you, I''ve always been crazy!" Kong Xiaozhen joked. "Do you hope I''ll save you?" Hao Jian asked, intrigued. "Yes!" Kong Xiaozhen answered. "You did this to gain my trust, so you went ahead and did such a thing?" Hao Jian asked in surprise. Kong Xiaozhen laughed, "I''m gambling that you will believe me, that you will save me." "And what if I don''t save you?" Hao Jian chuckled coldly. Kong Xiaozhen seemed to have him all figured out, but what if he chose not to care? "Then I''ve lost the bet," Kong Xiaozhen replied nonchalantly, though in reality, having lost to Hao Jian, he felt like an empty shell without a soul. Death would probably be a relief for him; if it wasn''t for the concern about his family, he might have considered suicide. Because the humiliation Hao Jian caused him was indelible! sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian was somewhat surprised. Was this guy truly insane? Hearing Hao Jian''s silence, Kong Xiaozhen continued, "I know you need me. No one knows Hua City better than I do. With my help, you could freely build up your business empire and truly become an Underground Emperor!" "Are you tempting me?" "No, I''m stating facts. Though I''ve lost to you, you can''t question my capabilities, right?" Kong Xiaozhen confidently said. And Hao Jian also knew that there was reason in what Kong Xiaozhen said. If Kong Xiaozhen were useless, he wouldn''t possibly represent the Kong Family or be one of the Four Young Masters of Hua City. After a moment of silence, Hao Jian said solemnly, "I''m coming over now!" Even he had to admit that Kong Xiaozhen was talented; there seemed to be no reason to refuse such a person willingly offering his loyalty. "Good, I''ll wait for you!" Kong Xiaozhen said nonchalantly, then hung up the phone. "Boss, could this be a trap? I''m worried it''s a setup!" Li He expressed his concern, suspecting Kong Xiaozhen had ulterior motives. "A setup? If Kong Xiaozhen dares set one for me, it would only be his own undoing!" Hao Jian scoffed, unconcerned. "Alright, grab your stuff. Tonight, I''m taking you to the best private clubs in Hua City!" Hao Jian picked up his jacket and headed out. Meanwhile, Kong Xiaozhen, having hung up the phone, was lazily yawning, smiling ambiguously at a group of angry men and women in front of him. Among these men and women, there was a woman dressed in white chiffon, akin to Chang''e in the moon, sitting beside a zither, clutching her bloodied face. Her white clothes were now stained red. On her face, there was a striking scar, as if slashed by a knife, spanning across her entire right cheek. At that moment, she stared at Kong Xiaozhen with eyes filled with bitter resentment, wishing she could tear him to pieces. "Don''t look at me like that. If you want to blame anyone, blame your arrogance," Kong Xiaozhen said expressionlessly. He hadn''t wanted it to come to this. But this woman, knowing his discord with Ye Wenying, had been dismissive from the start. She had refused to play the music he wanted to hear, insisting on her own choices instead. Moreover, she had neglected all courteous gestures like pouring tea or giving a massage, completely ignoring him. Chapter 562 - 562: So What If You Dare to Come Kong Xiaozhen was no stranger to this place, so he knew exactly what kind of services were offered here. This woman daring to cut corners and wantonly change the songs to her own liking clearly showed she didn''t take him seriously. If Kong Xiaozhen could tolerate this, then he might as well go **** himself. Hao Jian could bully him, and he had nothing to say. Ye Wenying could bully him, and he still had nothing to say, but it was a joke if a mere prostitute thought she could bully him too. "Third Young Master won''t let you off!" Suxin said viciously. At this moment, she no longer possessed that ethereal temperament and looked more like a deeply resentful shrew, wishing that Kong Xiaozhen would die a violent death. "Even if that''s the case, that''s a matter between him and me, and it''s got nothing to do with a minor character like you. A prostitute trying to command and dictate to us elite, do you think you''re Ye Wenying?" Kong Xiaozhen mocked and didn''t take Suxin seriously. "Arrogant fool, you think just because you''re with Ye Wenying''s people, you can order me around? What are you?" Kong Xiaozhen snorted disapprovingly. "Kong Xiaozhen, you''re too arrogant!" Just then, a man walked over, glaring at Kong Xiaozhen. He was dressed in a meticulously tailored luxurious suit, with an impressive demeanor, short hair, and a square face that made him look resolute. He stood straight with an aura of a military man. "Zhuang Kefan? I didn''t expect you to come too. It seems Ye Wenying really cares about me," Kong Xiaozhen laughed heartily, familiar with the man before him. That''s because this guy was Ye Wenying''s representative in Hua City, all of Ye Wenying''s businesses were managed and operated by him. With Suxin, the Oiran, having her face ruined by Kong Xiaozhen, Ye Wenying had lost a money-making tool. This was a serious issue, naturally calling for someone like him to be contacted. "Kong Xiaozhen, do you think no one can deal with you just because you''ve latched onto Hao Jian?" Zhuang Kefan said coldly, his fury apparent upon seeing the scars on Suxin''s face, knowing that she would no longer be able to serve clients. "Of course not, but the person who can deal with me isn''t you. Let Ye Wenying do it!" Kong Xiaozhen said defiantly. "Hmm?" Zhuang Kefan''s brows furrowed and he growled viciously, "You think you''re worthy of making the Young Master take action? I can take care of you myself!" "You? You''re not up to it. Other than Ye Wenying, no one can take me down!" Kong Xiaozhen smiled scornfully. "Kong Xiaozhen, have you gone mad?" Zhuang Kefan scolded angrily. Kong Xiaozhen was actually provoking Ye Wenying; who gave him the audacity? "Gone mad? Perhaps a little. I also think I''m quite abnormal right now." Kong Xiaozhen laughed loudly, looking very amused. "Who told you to do this?" Zhuang Kefan demanded. "Hao Jian!" Kong Xiaozhen said boldly. "So, you''re saying you''re a dog that bites for its master?" Zhuang Kefan scoffed. Kong Xiaozhen was not annoyed and teased, "Aren''t you the same? A good dog that protects his master!" Zhuang Kefan snorted with disdain, "That''s right, both of us are nothing more than someone''s dogs, but I''m not like you. I know if I''ve decided to be someone''s dog, I naturally need to choose a stronger master, unlike you, who chose a loser." "A loser? Dare you say that to his face?" Kong Xiaozhen sneered; even Ye Wenying wouldn''t dare call Hao Jian a loser, so what was Zhuang Kefan? Zhuang Kefan''s expression stiffened instantly; of course, he didn''t have the guts, as Hua City was rife with legends of Hao Jian. Even the four big families were played by him. Zhuang Kefan dared to call Hao Jian a loser, but that was only when Hao Jian wasn''t present. If Hao Jian were present, he would never dare to say such a thing because everyone knew Hao Jian was a madman. Those who offended him in Hua City either ended up crippled by him or killed. Moreover, nobody knew the madman''s true status; he had committed so many crimes and yet no one dared to arrest him. Of course, this wasn''t because the authorities didn''t want to arrest him; they didn''t dare to. Hao Jian had been rampaging through Hua City for so long, killing so many people. Even Lin Nantian would find it difficult to protect him. He had long been noticed by those above, and once noticed, they would naturally investigate his identity, only to find out he was a top-secret S-level agent of Ye Wenying. The people above then wouldn''t dare to act rashly. What does an S-level secret file for Ye Wenying signify? It indicates that this guy has a pivotal status in the nation that must not be easily offended. So, even though Hao Jian had attracted attention, nobody dared to actively seek trouble with him. "He won''t get away with this much longer. Third Young Master will definitely take his dog life!" Zhuang Kefan gritted his teeth. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "He''ll be here in a bit. Save that talk for him!" Kong Xiaozhen sneered. "What?" Zhuang Kefan''s expression changed drastically. Hao Jian was coming here? He began to feel uneasy. With that guy''s temperament, if he knew he had been insulted like that, he might just flip the place upside down. "Oh, scared now? Weren''t you the one who said he wasn''t a big deal? You even called him a loser. If he''s such a loser, what are you so afraid of?" Kong Xiaozhen asked, feigning confusion, his laughter filled with irony, because Zhuang Kefan''s expression was indeed quite hilarious at the moment. "Who said I''m scared? This is Third Young Master''s territory; here, nobody dares to touch me!" Zhuang Kefan snorted coldly, quickly restoring his composure. This was their stronghold, and if Hao Jian dared to come here, he would be the one who is unlucky. "Enough, Kong Xiaozhen, stop stalling. You''ve done this to Suxin, and you''re going to have to give an explanation!" Zhuang Kefan snorted coldly, thinking that Kong Xiaozhen was just trying to delay time. "So, what do you want?" Kong Xiaozhen asked mockingly. "It''s very simple. Pay ten billion in compensation, then cripple your own legs, and we can let bygones be bygones. I''ll plead with the Third Young Master to spare your life!" Zhuang Kefan said proudly, looking down on Kong Xiaozhen. Although his status was not as prominent as Kong Xiaozhen''s and he wasn''t one of the Hua City Young Masters, being the spokesperson for Ye Wenying was enough for him to look down upon Kong Xiaozhen. He wouldn''t care even if Kong Xiaozhen was one of the Hua City Young Masters, let alone the fact that Kong Xiaozhen was now nothing. "What if I say no?" Kong Xiaozhen sneered, obviously refusing to submit; otherwise, he would lose face for Hao Jian. "Then you''ll die here!" Zhuang Kefan said coldly, tired of seeing Kong Xiaozhen''s smug face. It was clear he was on death''s doorstep, yet he still acted as if he didn''t care about anything. No sooner had Zhuang Kefan finished speaking than several men wielding weapons walked up and surrounded Kong Xiaozhen. Kong Xiaozhen frowned, realizing these men were martial artists. He hadn''t brought any martial artists on this trip and knew he couldn''t stand a chance against them. Despite this, Kong Xiaozhen remained composed and said with a smile, "I''d advise you not to lay a hand on me. Otherwise, you''ll end up in a miserable state." "What? Scared? Weren''t you acting all high and mighty before? Acting like you didn''t care about anything?" Zhuang Kefan mocked non-stop. "Scared? You''re not nearly enough to scare me. I''m only thinking of your well-being," Kong Xiaozhen shrugged, trying to appear sincere, as though he had their best interests at heart, but they were ungrateful. "Kill him!" Zhuang Kefan roared. The only way to erase Kong Xiaozhen''s crimes was through his death. "Don''t kill him, torture him first. I want him to wish he were dead!" At that moment, Suxin spoke up, looking venomously at Kong Xiaozhen. She loathed Kong Xiaozhen to the bone because this beast had ruined her life. "Oh dear, ''Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,'' indeed." Kong Xiaozhen sneered, finding it ridiculous that this woman wasn''t planning to kill him but to humiliate him instead. It was like a tiger bullied by dogs when it''s down; even a lowly prostitute dared to disrespect him. "Do as Miss Suxin says!" Zhuang Kefan also coldly ordered, feeling that killing Kong Xiaozhen now would be letting him off too easily. He wanted Kong Xiaozhen to kneel and beg for mercy, like a dog begging for scraps! "What a fine pair of scoundrels!" Kong Xiaozhen cursed with a laugh, his face still full of derision. "Do it!" Zhuang Kefan and Suxin ordered at the same time. "Bang!" The hefty man leading the group slapped Kong Xiaozhen to the ground. Several of Kong Xiaozhen''s teeth were knocked out, his mouth bloody, making him look extremely wretched. But the man still laughed crazily, "As a martial artist, is that the best you can do? It''s like you''re tickling me!" "You still talk tough when you''re about to die! Beat him to death!" Zhuang Kefan hissed through clenched teeth, fed up with Kong Xiaozhen''s taunting look. "If you kill me, Hao Jian will wipe out all of you," Kong Xiaozhen gasped between beatings with a pitiful laugh. Zhuang Kefan responded sarcastically, "Hao Jian? Ha, this is the Third Young Master''s territory. If he dares to come..." "What if I dare to come?" Just then, a light, floating voice came from outside. Zhuang Kefan immediately turned his head in astonishment and saw two men standing at the door. Hearing this voice, Kong Xiaozhen quickly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and started to chuckle darkly. Hao Jian had finally arrived. He was a bit late, but it was better late than never. Zhuang Kefan''s expression changed slightly, "You... are you Hao Jian?" "That''s right, it''s me. You''re Ye Wenying''s dog, aren''t you?" Hao Jian and Li He walked in with a leisurely pace, a smirk on their faces. "My name is Zhuang Kefan!" Zhuang Kefan said, annoyed. Being called Ye Wenying''s dog was hardly a compliment. "Isn''t that Ye Wenying''s dog anyway?" Hao Jian curled his lip disdainfully. "Hao Jian, what exactly do you want by coming here?" Zhuang Kefan was furious. He hadn''t expected Hao Jian to actually dare to show up. Could it be that these two were planning to cause trouble together? Weren''t they afraid of angering Ye Wenying? Chapter 563 - 563: Isnt it a chicken? "My dog wandered off, and I''ve come to take him home!" Hao Jian said matter-of-factly, not seeming embarrassed in the slightest. However, when Kong Xiaozhen heard what Hao Jian said, he wasn''t angry either, because he indeed was Hao Jian''s dog now. Instantly, Hao Jian walked up to Kong Xiaozhen, took a look at him, and couldn''t help but click his tongue in wonder, "He really got fixed up badly, huh!" "What took you so long?" Kong Xiaozhen asked some displeasure, as nearly an hour had passed since he phoned Hao Jian. "I''ve been here, watching for a while now," said Hao Jian. "...." Kong Xiaozhen seethed with anger inside; this asshole had been here all along? So, he''d been hiding and enjoying the show the whole time? "Were you just watching the show?" Kong Xiaozhen said indignantly, as Hao Jian had left him to be beaten. "Don''t look at me like that. I had to know whether you were truly loyal, didn''t I?" Hao Jian quipped, smirking. Kong Xiaozhen fumed with rage, wasn''t this just setting him up? "And besides, I''m here now, aren''t I?" "Hao Jian, you think you can just come and take him away? Kong Xiaozhen disfigured our Oiran, you have to give us an explanation!" Zhuang Kefan blocked Hao Jian''s path, not letting him easily take Kong Xiaozhen away. Hao Jian looked up at Zhuang Kefan, "Then what do you suggest we do?" "Compensate!" Zhuang Kefan said. Initially, he wanted to kill Kong Xiaozhen, but seeing Hao Jian appear, he didn''t dare act rashly and could only settle for the next best thing¡ªasking Hao Jian for compensation. "Alright, alright, compensation it is," Hao Jian then bowed his head and rummaged through his wallet. Kong Xiaozhen and Zhuang Kefan, among others, were stunned. Hao Jian was actually agreeing to compensate so readily? This didn''t fit his personality at all. Then, they saw Hao Jian pull out a few thousand yuan from his wallet, his face wearing a reluctant expression. After hesitating for a while, he finally handed the money to Zhuang Kefan. Zhuang Kefan was dumbfounded. Just a thousand yuan? Did you really have to make such a painful expression for that? For people like them, a thousand yuan was something they could earn back with a sneeze. For Hao Jian, being the chairman of Shu Ya Group and excessively wealthy, was this necessary? And giving him only a thousand yuan, how was that supposed to cover his losses? What a joke! "No need for change," Hao Jian said generously. Hearing this, Zhuang Kefan''s nostrils flared with anger. No need for change? That didn''t even cover the small amount, and Hao Jian was saying no change was needed? Zhuang Kefan slapped away Hao Jian''s hand, through gritted teeth he said, "Are you treating me like a beggar?" Seeing this, Hao Jian looked somewhat displeased and retorted, "Don''t try to fool me, I''ve called for girls before, and a few thousand is enough for a full service." "Bullshit! Does our lady Suxin compare to ordinary girls?" Zhuang Kefan roared. If Suxin was just like any regular hooker, did Ye Wenying need to spend a fortune on grooming her? Hao Jian glanced indifferently at this so-called Lady Suxin and said dismissively, "She''s still a hooker, what''s the difference?" To put it nicely, she''s an "Oiran". To put it bluntly, she''s just a more expensive hooker. This was the price Hao Jian was willing to offer, not a penny more. Others might be captivated by Suxin''s extraordinary elegance, but Hao Jian was different; he couldn''t care less about her. In his eyes, she was only worth that much. And Suxin, hearing this, came to despise Hao Jian. "Lady Suxin is different!" Zhuang Kefan still insisted, explaining forcefully. He had to make it clear, otherwise, letting Hao Jian get away with just a thousand yuan, Ye Wenying would have his head! "Then tell me, how is she different?" Hao Jian asked with a smirk. "This..." Zhuang Kefan thought for a moment, then said, "Lady Suxin is skilled in singing and dancing, proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She is knowledgeable and genteel, with the aura of a noblewoman. How can she compare with ordinary hookers?" Hao Jian sneered, "Does she or does she not sleep with men?" "..." "Does she earn money by spreading her legs?" "..." "Without spreading her legs, just with that so-called zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting bullshit, would anyone care about her?" "..." "See, you''ve got nothing to say now, right? She''s just a hooker!" Hao Jian shrugged, "Since she''s a hooker, if we''re going by the market price, then she''s worth a thousand yuan." "Fuck your twisted, convoluted bullshit! Lady Suxin charges ten million per session!" Zhuang Kefan roared, ten thousand versus ten million? That''s more than a hundredfold difference. And when she heard the term "serving clients," Suxin was so furious she almost spat blood. To craft her image, they never used the term "serving clients," but called it "receiving guests." And in this moment, Zhuang Kefan, out of frustration, blurted it out. "That''s because those dumb fucks are stupid, 10 million? I could spend every day of the year without repeating the same woman, and those idiots are hung up on one option, I don''t know what they''re thinking. Plus, 10 million for a fuck, you guys are really ripping people off, huh? You can scam others, but I''m not buying into that!" Hao Jian waved his hand, clearly not falling for it. Zhuang Kefan was at a loss for words, unable to find anything to retort, then suddenly he thought of something and angrily said, "What about the account of Kong Xiaozhen ruining Miss Suxin''s face?" "Just redo the surgery for about 100,000. Let Kong Xiaozhen pay them 100,000, and we''ll call it even," Hao Jian told Kong Xiaozhen. "Alright!" Kong Xiaozhen agreed readily. Just now Zhuang Kefan had asked him for a billion in compensation for ruining Ye Wenying''s Oiran, and now he only had to pay 100,000; he felt fucking great. "Hao Jian, you... you''ve got no sincerity!" Zhuang Kefan said, his face red with anger. 100,000? That was like tipping a beggar. "Don''t be like that. You don''t spend much on a surgery, right? So, how about this, you take this chick to South Korea, and whatever more you spend, come find me and I''ll reimburse you," Hao Jian said generously. "Is this about money? This is about face!" Zhuang Kefan roared. Hao Jian clicked his tongue and said, "Those words should be said by Ye Wenying herself to me, you, don''t have the right!" "Hao Jian, you''re too arrogant!" Zhuang Kefan''s expression turned extremely ugly. "I''ve spoken nicely but you''re not listening, so I guess I should put it another way!" Hao Jian chuckled menacingly, then suddenly pointed at Kong Xiaozhen, "I''m taking this guy with me now. If you dare to chirp again, I''ll burn this shit hole down! Then, Ye Wenying''s loss will be much more than just a money-maker!" Zhuang Kefan was stunned. Could Hao Jian really dare to destroy this place? He was even more audacious than Kong Xiaozhen. And Kong Xiaozhen couldn''t help but shake his head, finally understanding why he wasn''t at Hao Jian''s level. He only dared to destroy an Oiran and provoke Ye Wenying, but he didn''t dare to burn the place down and completely suppress Ye Wenying''s arrogance like Hao Jian; the difference between them was too vast. "Kong Xiaozhen, let''s go!" Li He said directly to Kong Xiaozhen, feeling very bold with Hao Jian there. With a smile, Kong Xiaozhen stood up and patted Zhuang Kefan on the shoulder, teasing, "I''ll come and visit again if I get a chance!" Zhuang Kefan''s face turned livid, he wanted to explode but dared not, the rumors about Hao Jian were too terrifying. A man''s life for a tree''s shade, he had to be cautious. "Zhuang Kefan, stop them! Are you just going to let them walk away like this? This is incompetence, Third Young Master won''t let this slide!" Suxin yelled, her hatred for Kong Xiaozhen, who had ruined her beauty, seething to her bones; how could she let Kong Xiaozhen just walk away like that. Zhuang Kefan hesitated, knowing well that if he didn''t stop Kong Xiaozhen and the others, once Ye Wenying placed the blame, he wouldn''t have a good explanation. After much hesitation, Zhuang Kefan finally roared, "Stop them!" Though rumors said Hao Jian was fearsome, there were only three of them, and they were on his turf, what could they really do? Zhuang Kefan decided to let loose and take a risk. "Swift!" In a flash, several Martial Artists charged towards Hao Jian, blocking him. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian, turning back and looking at Zhuang Kefan, sneered, "You''ve made a foolish decision." "Leave Kong Xiaozhen behind, and this matter can be settled, otherwise, none of you will leave!" Zhuang Kefan said coldly. "None can leave, you sure do talk big, huh? Do you even know who you''re speaking to?" Li He coldly snorted. "Do you really want me to burn this dump down?" Hao Jian scoffed. "If you think you can, then go ahead and try!" Zhuang Kefan retorted with a sneer, he couldn''t believe that so many Martial Artists wouldn''t be able to handle Hao Jian alone. Hao Jian glanced around at the Martial Artists and said, "Looks like you still don''t understand me. Didn''t Ye Wenying tell you that these losers can''t stop me?" Hearing this, the faces of those Martial Artists changed instantly, their expressions turning icy, all feeling that Hao Jian was too arrogant. "Attack!" Zhuang Kefan yelled sternly. Just as Zhuang Kefan''s voice fell, the first one to move was not the Martial Artists, but Li He. Li He raised his leg and delivered a flying kick, sending a Martial Artist flying out. These days following Hao Jian, Li He had learned quite a bit. Now, he was no longer the small character who was bullied in the murky moonlight. "Can''t even handle me, and you want to touch my boss?" Li He said with a light sneer, feeling proud as Hao Jian''s special training was now showing its results. Zhuang Kefan''s expression turned sour; this guy even had bodyguards? "Don''t go overboard, just breaking some arms and legs is fine, don''t cause a death," Hao Jian advised Li He. Hearing this, Zhuang Kefan and others almost spat blood. Arms and legs broken, and still not too much? And those Martial Artists also felt deeply humiliated, Hao Jian not moving a muscle but a mere underling causing them such shame; was he deliberately insulting them? .................. Chapter 564 - 564: Jiang Qihu ``` Afterwards, those martial artists were soundly beaten by Li He, but even Li He didn''t have it easy; he too was covered in bruises, blue and purple. In the end, it was still Hao Jian who took care of all those guys. "Burn this place down!" Hao Jian ordered, pointing at the City of Water Charm, addressing Kong Xiaozhen. "No problem!" Kong Xiaozhen said with a smile, and then snapped his fingers. A group of people rushed in, some of them martial artists. Hao Jian frowned, "You shameless scoundrel, did you have people arranged here in advance? And you still needed me to rescue you?" Kong Xiaozhen just shrugged, not the least bit embarrassed, and responded, "Who knew whether you would come or not? If you didn''t show up, I would still have to consider the safety of my men, right?" "You''re disgraceful!" Hao Jian cursed furiously. Kong Xiaozhen just shrank his neck and didn''t reply. "Hao Jian, you can''t do this, you mustn''t!" Zhuang Kefan screamed out in agony. If the place was burned down, he would be finished. "Ignore him, burn it!" ordered Hao Jian, his eyes filled with malice as he looked at Zhuang Kefan, "I think I already warned you before: don''t get involved to avoid more trouble that you can''t handle." Kong Xiaozhen immediately instructed his men to start the fire, completely disregarding Zhuang Kefan''s protests. In an instant, the entire City of Water Charm was engulfed in a blazing inferno, with the fire consuming everything and turning it all to ashes. Kong Xiaozhen and his crew didn''t care about human lives at all, so they set the fire without any hesitation. By then, Zhuang Kefan, realizing he couldn''t stop Kong Xiaozhen and the others, could only run out of the City of Water Charm; he didn''t want to be burned to death. "Looking forward to our collaboration!" Hao Jian tossed a cigarette to Kong Xiaozhen, who was standing nearby. Under normal circumstances, Kong Xiaozhen would never smoke a cigarette, as he only ever smoked cigars, considering cigarettes harmful to the health and low-class. But at that moment, he craved the cigarette like never before, because it represented much more than just a cigarette ¨C it was a sign of Hao Jian''s esteem for him. The deeds of Hao Jian and Kong Xiaozhen instantly sent shockwaves throughout Hua City. Everyone was caught off guard by Kong Xiaozhen''s heinous actions, shocked that he would dare to strike against Ye Wenying and even burn down her territory. This wasn''t just a provocation to Ye Wenying, but a challenge to the entire Ye Family. ...... The next day, Hao Jian went to class as usual. When school was dismissed, he saw Zhao Yating running towards him. "Teacher, I have an audition in a bit, can you please come with me?" Zhao Yating asked. "Audition? What audition?" Hao Jian appeared completely perplexed. "Yesterday, Yating got scouted on the street. They said they want to make her a star and asked her to come for an audition today," a female student explained. Hao Jian frowned and said, "Is that true? It''s not some kind of scam, is it?" "It''s true, the scout is from Hongsheng Entertainment Company, very famous!" Zhao Yating replied directly, "And isn''t that why I''m asking you to come with me? If you''re there, even if they want to play tricks, it''s not likely to happen!" "But I don''t have time tonight," Hao Jian said, dazedly. He had agreed to go to dinner with Su Xinya. "Come on, please go with me. What if they are bad people? What will I do then?" Zhao Yating pleaded cutely. "Then you can just not go, can''t you?" Hao Jian said helplessly. "But I do want to be a star!" Zhao Yating pouted, voicing her desire to try being a celebrity. Of course, it was merely because she found it fun and had nothing to do with vanity. "Then why don''t you just go to Su Xinya? Why all this trouble?" Hao Jian was somewhat speechless. Weren''t Zhao Yating and Su Xinya friends? "I don''t want to get in through backdoor connections; I want to rely on my own talent," Zhao Yating stated. She knew that if she went to Su Xinya, she could quickly get what she wanted, but that would be meaningless. Truth be told, with Zhao Yating''s family wealth, if she wanted to become a star, it could happen in minutes. Her family could throw money at the situation, making her famous even if she wasn''t skilled, but Zhao Yating didn''t want to rely on her family, for that held no meaning to her. Hao Jian sighed, feeling helpless, "Then I''ll postpone tonight''s dinner and accompany you this time." "Yay!" Zhao Yating immediately cheered with excitement, shouting jubilantly. "I''m going too!" At that moment, Che Xiaoxiao also stepped forward, saying coldly. "Why are you going?" Zhao Yating eyed her with slight hostility. ``` Che Xiaoxiao curled her lips, saying, "So what? Who''s to say they won''t take a liking to me after I go?" "You?" Zhao Yating scornfully curled her lips and then scrutinized Che Xiaoxiao''s figure, "With your A-cup body, you think they would be interested in you? Impossible!" "Zhao Yating, you asshole!" Che Xiaoxiao, grinding her teeth in anger, couldn''t believe that Zhao Yating dared to point out her shortcomings. "Alright, stop arguing. Just go!" Hao Jian didn''t really care; after all, it was just to accompany someone for an audition. Half an hour later, Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao appeared at the entrance of Hongsheng Entertainment Company. At that moment, a middle-aged man with long hair, round-frame glasses, and a long coat, exuding an artist''s vibe, came to greet them. His name was Jiang Qihu, a talent scout for Hongsheng Company. It was he who had previously discovered Zhao Yating. "Miss Zhao, you''ve finally arrived. I''ve been waiting here for a long time!" Jiang Qihu said with a smile plastered on his face, looking somewhat obsequious. At this time, however, Hao Jian noticed that Jiang Qihu''s eyes weren''t quite right; while talking to Zhao Yating, his gaze kept drifting towards Zhao Yating''s chest. Intuition told Hao Jian that this Jiang Qihu was definitely no saint. "Thank you for waiting, Mr. Jiang. Can we start now?" Zhao Yating asked. "Of course, I''ll take you to change clothes first. After you''ve changed, we can begin the audition immediately!" Jiang Qihu said excitedly, leading Zhao Yating inside. "Hey, Hao Jian, why do I feel this Jiang Qihu is kind of lecherous?" Just then, Che Xiaoxiao walked over and elbowed Hao Jian, speaking up. Clearly, Che Xiaoxiao had also noticed something amiss, which was not surprising, given that women are quite sensitive to the gaze of men. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian looked at Che Xiaoxiao in surprise, "You noticed it too?" "Huh? So you also think something is off with Jiang Qihu?" Che Xiaoxiao was taken aback, realizing Hao Jian had detected something improper as well. "This guy has been staring at Zhao Yating''s chest since they started talking. Plus, he looks pale with unsteady steps, which clearly shows he''s debilitated from indulgence. How could I not notice?" Hao Jian said with a chuckle. "Then, is Zhao Yating in danger?" Che Xiaoxiao immediately grew tense. Could this truly be just a trap? "It''s hard to say for now, but to be on the safe side, I''ll make a phone call." Hao Jian took out his phone to call Yuan Shanshan, asking her to help investigate the background of Hongsheng Company and the identity of the real boss behind the scenes. "Miss Zhao, you can try on the outfit here!" Jiang Qihu took Zhao Yating to a separate dressing room, instructing her to change there. Zhao Yating was immediately puzzled, "Why do I have to change here? I clearly saw the dressing room over there earlier!" Zhao Yating had seen other actors and models changing clothes together in the same dressing room on her way in. Why did she have to be in a separate one? "This is to honor your prestigious identity and to show how much we value you," Jiang Qihu said with a smile, completely bluffing. "Well... okay then." Zhao Yating, not suspicious, walked into the dressing room. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And the moment Zhao Yating closed the door, Jiang Qihu swallowed nervously and then rushed to a room not far away. "How did it go, did you get it?" Jiang Qihu impatiently asked. Inside, a bespectacled Fatty was sitting in front of a computer, his hair greasy and his body reeking of sweat, wearing a yellowed white shirt. Upon hearing Jiang Qihu''s question, the Fatty squeezed out a lewd smile, "No problem, it''s crystal clear!" On the computer screen in front of him, Zhao Yating was clearly captured. It turned out Jiang Qihu had already installed a camera in that dressing room, specifically to film women. And at this moment, Zhao Yating was unsuspectingly taking off her clothes. The Fatty''s eyes gleamed with excitement as he whistled lightly, "Jiang Qihu, the chick you found this time ain''t bad at all, great body. She''s a freaking water buffalo!" "Of course! I wandered around the streets for half a day before I settled on her. Let''s film a video of her first, then think of ways to take her to bed!" Jiang Qihu hehe''d with a lewd laugh. "I have a feeling this woman won''t be easy!" Fatty said seriously, sensing that Zhao Yating wouldn''t be so easy to meddle with. "Pfft! These stupid women who dream of becoming stars and shooting to fame with one bang are the easiest to deceive. Just tell her you can make her a superstar, and she''ll throw herself at you!" Jiang Qihu spoke contemptuously, then winked at the Fatty, "Just wait, after her audition today, I have ways to trick her into bed." "Just don''t forget about me after you''re done!" The Fatty, ogling Zhao Yating, also couldn''t help but swallow, his eyes fervent. "Don''t worry, you''ll get your share!" Jiang Qihu laughed loudly, all the while attentively watching Zhao Yating undress, admiring her from time to time. "I can''t take it anymore! Let''s do it!" In a sudden outcry, the Fatty, breathing rapidly, pulled down his pants and then began to take matters into his own hands. Chapter 565 - 565: Shattered Star Dreams "Look at how little resolve you have, can''t even last a few days." Jiang Qihu looked at him with disdain, but right then, he too was craving satisfaction, wishing he could immediately burst into the dressing room and have his way with Zhao Yating. Meanwhile, Zhao Yating was undressing without a care in the world, but just as she was preparing to take off her bra, she noticed something was off. She saw a red dot flickering on a poster in front of her. It was only for an instant, but Zhao Yating caught it with her naked eye. Zhao Yating quickly grabbed her clothes to cover her chest, then reached out to pull down the poster. After removing a part of it, she was shocked to find a small hole, and inside that hole was a pinhole camera! In a flash, Zhao Yating''s face changed from shock to anger, and with fierce determination, she got dressed and charged out. "Damn it! She''s found the camera!" Fatty said nervously, looking back at Jiang Qihu. If Zhao Yating were to spread the word, they would no longer be able to voyeuristically watch women''s bodies in the company. Jiang Qihu''s brow furrowed as well, hesitating for a moment before sneering, "Self-righteous bitch, never mind, stay here, I''ll handle it!" With that, Jiang Qihu walked out the door, coincidentally exiting the room at the same time as Zhao Yating, and the two ran into each other. "What''s wrong, Miss Zhao?" Jiang Qihu feigned ignorance. "Why is there a camera in the dressing room? Was it you who put it there?" Zhao Yating confronted him furiously as she approached. Jiang Qihu pretended to be surprised, "A camera? Impossible, how can there be a camera in the camera?" "There is, I just saw it. Don''t believe me? Go look for yourself!" Zhao Yating, thinking Jiang Qihu was also clueless, urged him to see for himself. Jiang Qihu inwardly sneered, mocking Zhao Yating''s naivety. "Alright, then let''s go take a look." Jiang Qihu said with a sly smile and then walked into the dressing room. It didn''t take long before he came out again, still feigning confusion, "Miss Zhao, there isn''t the camera you mentioned in there." "What? Impossible!" Zhao Yating panicked; she had clearly seen it herself, how could it not be there? She went back to the dressing room and was startled to find that indeed, the camera had vanished. But Zhao Yating quickly realized what had happened and glared at Jiang Qihu, "You took down the camera, didn''t you?" Zhao Yating cursed her own stupidity, realizing that she should have taken the camera as evidence in the first place. She regretted giving Jiang Qihu the chance to inspect the dressing room; surely he had taken down the camera while she wasn''t paying attention. Now without evidence, reporting him was impossible. "Miss Zhao, you might eat whatever you wish, but you can''t just say anything you want! Eating whatever is your business; no one will care, but slander can harm others!" Jiang Qihu said, smirking coldly. "You... you are shameless! The only reason you brought me here and arranged this dressing room was to film me! You never intended to let me audition!" Zhao Yating understood it all; Jiang Qihu was just trying to take advantage of her. "So what if I did? Go ask around, which female star hasn''t had to accept the ''hidden rules'' to get famous? Those high-profile actresses sometimes sleep their way up too, let alone a pure newcomer like you. Pretending to be pure? What for? With that cow-like figure?" Jiang Qihu taunted, not bothering to hide the truth anymore. After all, Zhao Yating had no proof and couldn''t touch him. "Let me tell you, if you want to make it in this industry, you have to accept the hidden rules. Don''t say I never gave you a chance. Come home with me tonight, and I''ll get you a role in the company''s new show as the second lead lady tomorrow. How about that?" Jiang Qihu said, brimming with arrogance. He believed Zhao Yating had no reason to refuse, as for many newcomers, landing a role as the second lead was already a rare opportunity. "In your dreams!" Zhao Yating was so angry her eyes reddened, the urge to cry out of frustration overwhelming her. How could she stoop so low as to sleep her way up? "Then I''ll make sure you can never make it in this industry!" Jiang Qihu snorted coldly. "I would rather not be a star at all than to do such a thing!" Zhao Yating said sharply, grabbing her handbag and running out. Jiang Qihu was momentarily stunned. Was Zhao Yating really willing to give up her dream of becoming a star? Zhao Yating did want to be a star, but she also valued her self-respect. She couldn''t abandon her dignity just for the sake of a so-called dream. Because Hao Jian often taught her that a girl must know how to respect and love herself. "Go on then, leave! If you dare, I''ll upload the video we just recorded onto the internet right away! While it may not show much, I think it''ll be enough to make you famous at school!" Jiang Qihu said with a malicious grin, becoming slightly desperate. He absolutely would not allow a beauty like Zhao Yating to slip through his fingers. If Zhao Yating got away, he would never find such a perfect woman again. "You..." Zhao Yating turned back in humiliation and anger, her large eyes brimming with tears, her delicate body trembling. She could never have imagined Jiang Qihu being so contemptibly shameless as to even obstruct her departure! "I''m not a star anymore, what exactly do you want?" Zhao Yating said with a cold face, completely turned into a tearful mess. She had harbored fantasies about this matter, but she never expected it to become so disgusting, something she couldn''t accept. "Even if you''re not a star, you still have to sleep with me! Otherwise, I''ll spread this video around, and even post it on the forum of your school, making you a celebrity there! If you don''t want to be so embarrassed, you''d better just listen to me!" Jiang Qihu said with a sneer of a threat. "Why do you have to be so stubborn? It''s just sleeping with me for one night. Can''t you just think of it as a prick from a needle?" Jiang Qihu said coaxingly, his hand resting on Zhao Yating''s shoulder. "Dream on! Even if I die, I won''t sleep with you!" Zhao Yating slapped Jiang Qihu''s hand away and stared at him coldly. Seeing Zhao Yating''s defiance, Jiang Qihu lost his patience, slapped her across the face, and cursed with a sinister expression, "Fuck, still playing the virgin? Want to be a star but not sleep with anyone, do you think you''re made of gold? Zhao Yating didn''t expect Jiang Qihu to suddenly start hitting people. Caught off guard by the blow, she was somewhat dazed and staggered. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Ungrateful bitch, let me tell you, if you sleep with me tonight, everything will be fine, I''ll make you a star. If you don''t, huh, I''ll make sure you''re ruined!" Jiang Qihu said with an arrogant air. Zhao Yating covered her face with one hand and looked at Jiang Qihu coldly, word by word, "You will pay for this! You will definitely pay for it!" As the saying goes, even a cornered rabbit will bite. Jiang Qihu''s continuous insults made Zhao Yating lose her last bit of sanity. Next, she was determined to make Jiang Qihu pay for what he had done. "What? You''re thinking of calling the police? Do you have any evidence?" Jiang Qihu sneered, not taking Zhao Yating''s threat seriously at all. He thought she was going to call the police. In his view, a little girl like Zhao Yating could only turn to the police. "Call the police? How could I let you off so easily?" Zhao Yating let out a strange chuckle, then covered her face and coldly walked out the door. Seeing this, Jiang Qihu couldn''t help but feel a sinking feeling in his heart, a vague unease. However, he quickly cast aside these negative feelings. What big waves could a little girl make? Meanwhile, Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao were waiting outside for Zhao Yating, but they saw her come out disheveled like a madwoman, with a new slap mark on her face, and they were stunned. "What happened to you?" Hao Jian asked perplexedly, his gut telling him something was wrong. Hao Jian would have been better off not asking. At his question, Zhao Yating immediately collapsed and burst into tears in Hao Jian''s arms. Seeing this, Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao both looked at each other, at a loss. Immediately, Hao Jian''s face darkened, and he patted Zhao Yating on the shoulder, "Don''t cry, tell me what happened first?" It took a while for Zhao Yating to stop crying and repeat what had happened. "What? There''s someone so shameless? Not only did he secretly film someone, but he''s also so brazenly threatening someone to sleep with him?" Che Xiaoxiao and the other girls were very angry. At that moment, a cold light flashed in Hao Jian''s eyes. He had guessed right, Jiang Qihu was not a good person. Straight away, Hao Jian took out a handkerchief and wiped away the tears from the corners of Zhao Yating''s eyes, comforting her, "Okay, don''t cry. Shall I take care of it for you?" "Yes!" Zhao Yating nodded vigorously, overwhelmed with shame and rage, wishing for Hao Jian to deal with Jiang Qihu so he would pay for everything he had done to her! "Alright, lead the way!" Hao Jian told Zhao Yating to calm down and lead him to Jiang Qihu. At that time, Jiang Qihu, after humiliating Zhao Yating, had returned to that dark room to watch the footage he had taken, occasionally sharing a perverse laugh with Fatty. Though he hadn''t gotten his way with Zhao Yating, at least he had taught her a lesson, and that made him quite pleased. "Bang!" Just then, the door was suddenly kicked open. The sudden loud noise startled both men, and they turned around in confusion. Then, they saw a man standing at their doorway, his mouth twisted into a sinister smile. Chapter 566 - 566 Sun Hongsheng Jiang Qihu saw Zhao Yating dare to call someone over and instantly got annoyed. He scolded Hao Jian, "Who the fuck let you in? Get the hell out!" "Get out? Haha, you''re pretty arrogant, aren''t you?" Hao Jian sneered and then grabbed Jiang Qihu by the collar with one hand, "Seems like you haven''t realized your situation here." "What do you want to do?" Jiang Qihu was still blustering, not taking Hao Jian seriously at all. "What do you think? Filming my student, you''ve got quite the nerve," Hao Jian said with a feigned smile, Jiang Qihu was just as Zhao Yating had said, arrogant to the extreme. Having done something shady, yet he acted more arrogant than anyone else. "Me, secretly filming? Do you have any evidence? Bring out the evidence!" Jiang Qihu laughed scornfully, provocatively looking at Hao Jian, confident that without evidence, they couldn''t touch him. "Evidence? It''s all probably on that computer, right?" Hao Jian turned his head to look towards Fatty. And Jiang Qihu''s heart sank, his gaze shifting to Fatty in shock. "It''s useless, I''ve already uploaded everything to the cloud. There''s nothing in here!" Fatty said, somewhat smugly. That assured Jiang Qihu completely, and he looked at Hao Jian provocatively, "What can you do to me now?" "You think you''re so smart?" A frost flashed in Hao Jian''s eyes as he stared coldly at Jiang Qihu. "Fuck your mother, what''s it to you whether I''m smart or not? Fucking get lost or I''ll call the security up here!" Angered by Hao Jian gripping his collar, Jiang Qihu cursed loudly. "Bang!" Hao Jian punched Jiang Qihu in the stomach, and with a retch, Jiang Qihu nearly vomited bile. "Don''t curse in front of me, we''re all civilized people. Don''t just throw around ''fuck your mother'', I ''fuck your mother''!" Hao Jian cursed angrily. Everyone was speechless, telling Jiang Qihu not to swear, but you''re even worse, okay? "You... you dare to hit me? I won''t let you off!" Jiang Qihu said menacingly, his expression turning fierce. Hao Jian had dared to hit him publicly; he had to make Hao Jian suffer a fate worse than death. "Fatty, call someone up!" Jiang Qihu yelled at Fatty. Fatty quickly picked up the phone to call for backup. By this time, Jiang Qihu''s face was as pale as paper, but he still looked venomously at Hao Jian, "Just you wait, if I don''t break your legs, then I''m not Jiang Qihu!" "And you..." Jiang Qihu glared at Zhao Yating behind Hao Jian, "I''ll sell you into a night club. Don''t think I can''t do it, I know people with Black Boss!" Zhao Yating frowned, her face cold as she stared down Jiang Qihu. "Are you done talking?" Hao Jian asked, his face expressionless as he looked at Jiang Qihu. "You..." Jiang Qihu was about to speak, but Hao Jian''s slap came flying up. "Slap!" Jiang Qihu spat out several teeth instantly, and his face swelled up at once. "If you''re done talking, then just take your beating quietly!" Hao Jian snorted coldly and then kicked Jiang Qihu over to the ground before turning to Zhao Yating and the others, "Come on! If you have grievances, air them out; if you have grudges, settle them!" "Wow!" A group of girls swarmed and stomped viciously on Jiang Qihu. Zhao Yating also stepped forward to stomp on Jiang Qihu furiously, "This is for hitting me just now, this is for hitting me just now!" Immediately after, Hao Jian walked over to Fatty, "Are you his accomplice?" Fatty was paralyzed with fear but still mustered the courage to say, "Don''t mess around, our boss has **** connections. If you hit us, our boss won''t let you off!" "Oh, threatening me?" Hao Jian laughed mockingly, and seeing Hao Jian laugh like that made Fatty instantly nervous. "No, I wasn''t threatening, just reminding you," he said spinelessly, not wanting to end up beaten like Jiang Qihu. "A reminder? Do you think I need your reminder? Fuck off!" Hao Jian kicked his fat face, knocking him to the ground. "Stop it, all of you!" And just then, a man''s shout suddenly came from the doorway. A group of security guards stood at the door, looking coldly at Hao Jian and his group. The one leading them was in his early thirties, a burly man with thick, hairy hands, looking like a wild man in full bloom. "Wang Qiang, help me beat up this kid!" Jiang Qihu yelled at the burly man, while continuing to howl in pain. "Kid, you dare to make trouble in our company, are you fucking tired of living?" Wang Qiang glared with his big, round eyes, staring straight at Hao Jian. "This guy installed a camera in the changing room and ******** the girls changing. As security personnel, shouldn''t you take care of this?" Zhao Yating shouted at Wang Qiang. Wang Qiang frowned, feeling some displeasure in his heart. Had the matter actually been exposed? Wasn''t this guy always very careful? "Sneaking photos? Where''s the evidence? Without evidence, what crap are you talking about?" Jiang Qihu sneered coldly, then let out a sinister laugh, "And do you think asking for his help will do you any good? He''s on my side!" Zhao Yating and the other girls were immediately shocked. Were these security guards also involved? Wang Qiang let out a dissatisfied snort, seemingly very unhappy that Jiang Qihu had spilled the beans to Hao Jian and the others. "Damn it, stop grunting. I''m almost damn well beaten to a pulp here, and if you don''t help now, be careful I''ll spill everything!" Jiang Qihu glared at Wang Qiang, threatening him. How could this bastard just stand by and watch him get beaten? Wang Qiang also knew he had no choice; he and Jiang Qihu were in the same boat. "Stop it!" Wang Qiang barked at Hao Jian. "You say ''stop'' and we stop? Who the hell do you think you are?" Hao Jian walked right up to Jiang Qihu, then stepped directly on his back, eliciting a scream of agony from Jiang Qihu. "Are you looking for death?" Wang Qiang grabbed the baton from his waist and approached Hao Jian, swinging it straight at Hao Jian''s face. But just as the baton was about to hit Hao Jian''s face, Wang Qiang saw a flash of light before his eyes, and then his baton was gone. "Huh?" Wang Qiang was stunned. What kind of sorcery was this? How did the baton vanish into thin air from his hand? "Looking for this?" Hao Jian asked mockingly, weighing Jiang Qihu''s baton in his hand. "You... When did you?" Wang Qiang was dumbfounded. When had Hao Jian taken his baton? And how had he not felt it? "Bang!" But Hao Jian responded to his question with a heavy blow, cracking open Wang Qiang''s head, with blood gushing copiously. "Assisting a tyrant, complicit in evil deeds, your death is well deserved!" Hao Jian snorted coldly, then landed several more blows with the baton, causing Wang Qiang to howl in pain. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Help, help me!" Wang Qiang screamed miserably, like a pig being slaughtered. Everyone was stunned. This guy was just too ruthless; he really seemed determined to beat someone to death. "Brothers, get him, take care of this guy!" The other security guards were also enraged and charged at Hao Jian, surrounding him. Hao Jian surveyed his surroundings, his eyes fiercely cold. "So you all want to end up in the hospital, huh?" At these words, the fervor of the security guards lessened considerably. They stood frozen in place, not daring to move. "Go on! Why are you afraid with so many of you?" Wang Qiang roared in anger, his head covered in blood as he bellowed furiously. Hearing this, the security guards felt it made sense; they had been intimidated by Hao Jian for a moment and had forgotten they had the advantage in numbers. Immediately, the group of security guards looked at Hao Jian with excited expressions, as if they were injected with adrenaline. And a minute later, the security guards were wailing on the ground like a pile of mud. By this time, quite a crowd had gathered, including models, minor celebrities, and regular employees. They had rushed over upon hearing the sounds of fighting, only to see Hao Jian single-handedly take down all the security guards in their company. They all looked at Hao Jian with very strange eyes, because they didn''t know who he was or why he was causing trouble in their company. Just then, an overweight middle-aged man hurried over. He was dressed in a suit and tie, looking dignified, obviously a person of status. But as he saw the scene before him, his face immediately dropped. "It''s over... all is lost..." The middle-aged man was ashen-faced. He had rushed over as quickly as he could, only to find he was too late. This man was Sun Hongsheng, the boss of Divine Might Company. He had heard that Hao Jian had brought his students for an interview at his company, and Sun Hongsheng rushed over in a frenzy. Because Sun Hongsheng knew that the least provokeable person in Hua City was Hao Jian, who had the guts to defy even Ye Wenying''s authority and didn''t care about the Four Young Masters of Hua City, much less him. Such an important figure''s arrival, naturally, required Sun Hongsheng to personally greet him. But Sun Hongsheng hadn''t expected to arrive to such a scene; his men had dared to lay hands on Hao Jian, wasn''t this courting death? Hao Jian''s identity was such that even the four most powerful families in Hua City dared not provoke him, and yet his own subordinates had been so ignorant as to arouse his fury. And seeing Hao Jian taking down more than a dozen men by himself, Sun Hongsheng deeply realized that the rumors were true: Hao Jian was truly an anomaly. Sun Hongsheng hurriedly went up to him, now he absolutely had to defuse Hao Jian''s anger, or he would be finished. "The boss is here!" At that moment, someone shouted, and a path was cleared for Sun Hongsheng. "What? The boss is here? We''re saved!" Jiang Qihu was suddenly overjoyed. Seeing Hao Jian had also taken down Wang Qiang and the others, Jiang Qihu''s face turned ashen, but upon seeing Sun Hongsheng appear, he immediately clung to him like a lifeline and ran towards Sun Hongsheng. ........................... Chapter 567 - 567: Sun Hongsheng Loses His Temper Jiang Qihu rushed to Sun Hongsheng''s side, continuously speaking into Sun Hongsheng''s ear, "Boss, this kid deliberately came to our company to cause trouble! He even injured so many of our people, you must not let him get away with it!" Meanwhile, Hao Jian was smiling faintly as he turned to look at Sun Hongsheng, without saying a word. "Shut up!" Sun Hongsheng''s face darkened as he spoke. As soon as Jiang Qihu spoke up, Sun Hongsheng immediately knew who had clashed with Hao Jian. "Boss, I''m telling the truth, really, it''s not our fault! It''s this kid who was deliberately picking a fight!" Jiang Qihu continued babbling on. "Damn it!" Sun Hongsheng snapped, grabbed Jiang Qihu by the collar, threw him to the ground, and then started kicking him violently. Sun Hongsheng was incredibly angry. He was thinking about how to mend the relationship with Hao Jian, and here was Jiang Qihu, incessantly whining, purposely causing trouble, wasn''t it? "Boss, stop hitting¡­stop hitting!" Jiang Qihu cried out, utterly baffled as to why Sun Hongsheng was beating him. After he had finished beating Jiang Qihu, Sun Hongsheng straightened his clothes; his gloomy expression instantly dissipated, turning splendidly sunny. Sun Hongsheng grinned obsequiously as he hurried over to Hao Jian, "Mr. Hao Jian, I''m terribly sorry, I had no idea this was happening. Are you alright?" Seeing this, Jiang Qihu and everyone else were dumbfounded. Their boss was actually sucking up to this shabbily-dressed kid? They knew Sun Hongsheng''s standing in Hua City, a man of distinction influential in both legitimate and underground circles, yet here he was kowtowing like a sycophant, which felt utterly surreal. Jiang Qihu and the others realized they had kicked an iron board, especially Jiang Qihu who was the most aggressive towards Hao Jian previously. He finally understood why Sun Hongsheng had hit him. This guy was actually playing dumb! At that thought, Jiang Qihu shuddered. This young man had Sun Hongsheng acting like an eager lapdog; how could he have dared to offend him? He could almost predict his dreadful fate. "I''m fine, but something unfortunate happened to my student. She came here for an audition, yet she found a pinhole camera in the changing room. I confronted this man about it, and he was audacious, claiming I wouldn''t dare do anything to him. What do you think we should do about this?" Hao Jian said with a sardonic smile to Sun Hongsheng. On hearing this, everyone gasped. The female models were first shocked, then angrily glared at Jiang Qihu, gritting their teeth in hatred. Clearly, many of them had changed clothes there, unaware of the hidden pinhole camera. Hadn''t Jiang Qihu seen them all? Jiang Qihu felt his hair stand on end. He knew Hao Jian wouldn''t let him off easily, and sure enough, here was the trouble coming his way. "So, Mr. Hao Jian, what do you think should be done?" Sun Hongsheng asked with a fawning smile, well aware that Hao Jian asking for his opinion was just a formality, as Hao Jian could totally disregard him. "In my view¡­" Hao Jian, supporting his chin with one hand, said, "Just blind him, so he can''t ever look at women again. What do you think?" Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill, thinking it was excessively cruel. And Jiang Qihu''s face turned ashen. Hao Jian wanted to make him blind? "Brilliant idea, Mr. Hao Jian!" Sun Hongsheng laughed heartily, clearly agreeing with Hao Jian''s suggestion. Not only blinding Jiang Qihu but even killing him if needed, Sun Hongsheng would follow through without hesitation. "Does that mean I can leave this matter in your hands?" Hao Jian smirked. "Of course, I''ve got this. I''ll show Jiang Qihu the consequences of being ignorant!" Sun Hongsheng slapped his chest and assured Hao Jian. "Excellent, I really appreciate your spirit," Hao Jian smiled, and then fell silent, simply looking at Sun Hongsheng. Sun Hongsheng swiftly understood what Hao Jian implied and hurriedly picked up his phone to make a call. Soon after, a group of tattooed men walked up. Sun Hongsheng signaled them with his eyes, and they walked directly towards Jiang Qihu, dragging him outside. "You can''t do this, you have no proof! I didn''t secretly film her!" Jiang Qihu finally realized, crying out in tears. "Idiot, with Mr. Hao Jian''s status, he doesn''t need any proof. If he thinks you did it, then you must die!" Sun Hongsheng snorted coldly, cursing inwardly. It''s just like asking a lion for mercy, telling it not to kill; utterly stupid! "And these two, they''re accomplices! Although not the masterminds, their punishment can''t be light. As for how to punish them, I''ll leave it to you!" Hao Jian said to Sun Hongsheng. Hearing this, Fatty and Wang Qiang suddenly turned to stone, staring blankly at Hao Jian, too scared to utter a word. "Rest assured, I will take care of it!" Sun Hongsheng nodded, not daring to defy Hao Jian''s wishes. Then, Hao Jian turned to Zhao Yating who was already dumbfounded and said, "Do you still want to audition?" "No need to audition! This lady will immediately become a formal employee of our company, and we will spare no effort to support and promote her!" Sun Hongsheng hurriedly said. The mere fact that Zhao Yating knew Hao Jian meant he had to greenlight everything for her. Upon hearing this, the other models and actresses were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. Sun Hongsheng didn''t even wait for Hao Jian to speak before he eagerly began to suck up. They had spent the whole year sleeping with this boss and that boss just to get by, yet this woman had become the company''s top star outright, which made them extremely jealous. Meanwhile, quite a few women deliberately lowered their tops and sent seductive glances at Hao Jian, hoping to attract this impressive man and gain some advantages. "No need, I don''t want to stay here!" Zhao Yating coldly said, discouraged by Jiang Qihu''s behavior towards the company. "This..." Sun Hongsheng was also visibly embarrassed, then quickly tried to flatter her, "Miss, do you like singing? I can organize a concert for you? Or maybe film a movie or a TV show? I can make you the leading lady, you can develop however you want, I just ask you to give our company a chance to cooperate!" This was a perfect opportunity to curry favor with Hao Jian. He could see that Zhao Yating and Hao Jian had a special relationship. Getting close to Zhao Yating might connect him with Hao Jian, which would increase his influence in Hua City in the future. Therefore, when he heard that Zhao Yating was repulsed by their company, Sun Hongsheng immediately panicked as if a duck that was almost in his mouth had flown away. "No need, I''ll go find Su Xinya instead!" Zhao Yating said indifferently. "Su Xinya? The famous singer Su Xinya? You know her?" Sun Hongsheng was somewhat stunned, wondering if Zhao Yating was planning to sign with another company. This was bad news! "She and I are friends," Zhao Yating said softly. Sun Hongsheng immediately wore a mournful expression¡ªthis was a disaster. Apparently, this girl wasn''t just an ordinary university student. Of course, an ordinary university student couldn''t possibly know Su Xinya, which meant Zhao Yating was no ordinary person. It seemed unlikely that conventional methods would be effective to impress her. "Since she is unwilling, then let it be," Hao Jian said, understanding Sun Hongsheng''s intentions, but since Zhao Yating was unwilling, he did not want to force her. "Alright," Sun Hongsheng forced a smile uglier than a cry. "Since there''s no audition, shall we leave?" Hao Jian asked Zhao Yating. "Yes!" Zhao Yating nodded vigorously, eager to leave the dreadful place at once. "Damn it!" Once Hao Jian and the others had left, Sun Hongsheng immediately exploded with rage and then turned a fierce gaze toward Fatty and Wang Qiang, "Throw these two into the sea to feed the fish!" S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Fatty and Wang Qiang were terrified. What was happening? Why was their punishment more severe than Jiang Qihu''s? Jiang Qihu had only been blinded, yet they were to die? This was mainly because Sun Hongsheng was too angry; this was supposed to be a great opportunity to ingratiate himself with Hao Jian. If Zhao Yating had successfully auditioned and been promoted strongly, he could have gained Hao Jian''s favor. Now, however, due to Jiang Qihu''s blunder, his perfect plan had fallen through. How could he not be furious? Not only were these bastards going to die, but he also had no intention of sparing Jiang Qihu. "Since you don''t need to audition, shall I go find Su Xinya then?" Hao Jian asked Zhao Yating for her opinion. "I want to come too!" Zhao Yating pouted, now appearing like Hao Jian''s worried wife, feeling insecure whenever Hao Jian was near any remotely attractive woman. Although she knew Hao Jian already had a family, she just couldn''t control herself from liking him. Women generally like two types of men: strong men and mysterious men. And Hao Jian just happened to possess both qualities, which naturally made him very lethal to women. "Suit yourself," Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, not saying much. If it were someone else, he normally wouldn''t agree, but since Zhao Yating was a friend of Su Xinya, there probably wouldn''t be any issues if she came along. "I want to go too!" Che Xiaoxiao said, and naturally, since Zhao Yating was going, she had to follow. "We want to go too!" a group of girls said excitedly, not to disrupt Hao Jian, but to meet Su Xinya themselves. Hao Jian couldn''t help but smile wryly, then said, "Taking you along isn''t a problem, but you must promise me that you won''t cause trouble, and you can only watch from a distance. Don''t go disturbing Su Xinya, or I won''t spare you!" Chapter 568 - 568 Never Give Up "Chairman, good morning!" "Hello, Chairman!" "Chairman, there''s a meeting today that you need to attend!" After Hao Jian took Zhao Yating and the others to Shu Ya Group, the passing employees all enthusiastically greeted Hao Jian. Seeing this, Zhao Yating and the other girls were stunned. Could it be that Hao Jian was actually the chairman of Shu Ya Group? "Teacher, how come you are the chairman of Shu Ya Group?" Zhao Yating asked in astonishment, somewhat incredulous. Wasn''t the chairman of Shu Ya Group supposed to be Shu Ya, that formidable woman? "Just the Vice Chairman," Hao Jian humbly replied. Even so, the girls were still incredibly shocked; Hao Jian had indirectly admitted that he was the chairman of Shu Ya Group. Currently, Shu Ya Group in Hua City was incredibly prominent, almost a household name. It was rumored that it might become the first Huaxia brand to enter Champs-Elys¨¦es. "So, you and Shu Ya are colleagues then?" one of the girls asked, her admiration for Shu Ya boundless. She was indeed the idol of these young women. "Not exactly," Ye Nan said with a chuckle, shaking his head. "That can''t be. Shu Ya is the chairman of Shu Ya Group, and you are the Vice Chairman. You should be colleagues, right?" Zhao Yating reiterated, puzzled. How could the Vice Chairman and the Chairman not know each other? "We''re not colleagues; we are husband and wife. She''s my wife!" Hao Jian said with a smile. "Wow, no way!" the group of girls exclaimed in shock. Shu Ya was Hao Jian''s wife? This was too surprising; they had never heard Hao Jian mention it before. Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao, however, did not look pleased. They both harbored feelings for Hao Jian that were more than platonic, and now, learning that Hao Jian was actually Shu Ya''s husband, equated to him being a married man, which left them feeling quite downhearted. Although both Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao knew that Hao Jian had some sort of relationship with Shu Ya, they merely thought he was just playing around with her, considering how flirtatious he appeared. But they had never imagined that Hao Jian was actually married to Shu Ya? Faced with someone as noble and dignified as Shu Ya, they felt an immense pressure. They were just ordinary college students¡ªhow could they possibly win over Shu Ya? "Don''t believe it? I can show you our photo together," Hao Jian offered with a laugh, then showed the girls a selfie of himself and Shu Ya at home. At the moment in the photo, Shu Ya was pouting her lips, planting a kiss on Hao Jian''s cheek, devoid of her usual icy corporate demeanor, looking just like an ordinary young girl. After seeing it, the girls were stunned. They had never seen this unknown side of Shu Ya before, as she had always presented herself as composed and unapproachable before the public. That convinced them completely, and the group of girls pouted, "Teacher, that''s really not fair of you, to be married to Chairman Shu Ya and not tell us!" "You never asked," Hao Jian replied with a wry smile. "Hao Jian, you heartbreaker! I was so devoted to you, yet I never expected you to be married already!" At that moment, a naive girl started crying, accusing Hao Jian. Knowing that Hao Jian was married made her upset, feeling that she no longer had a chance. "Don''t talk nonsense, or people who don''t know might think I''ve done something to you," Hao Jian responded, amused and helpless. Were these girls really so difficult to deal with? "You should have said you were married earlier. It''s awful to let someone harbor fantasies. The greater the hope, the bigger the disappointment, you jerk!" "That''s right, I''m not going to like you anymore!" "I hate you, Hao Jian!" Hao Jian was dumbfounded. This is also his problem? Immediately, Hao Jian pursed his lips in dissatisfaction, "Is everything my fault then?" "Since I''m so detestable, then stop following me around, and don''t go meet Su Xinya either. I''ll send you back!" Hao Jian said. "No, Teacher, I realize my mistake," they pleaded. "Teacher, I really like you now, you''re my favorite," another chimed in. "Teacher, you are so handsome; I''ve never seen any man as dashing as you are!" Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao felt a headache coming on. These people really had no bottom line. Hao Jian sighed helplessly, "You kids, why do you always speak such blunt truths? Alright, since you are so honest, I''ll take you to meet Su Xinya." Arriving at the shoot location, Su Xinya was in the middle of an advertisement shoot. Currently, Su Xinya was in a white dress, her face without makeup, showcasing an ethereal quality and an otherworldly charm. The commercial depicted Su Xinya as the enchanting Nine Heavens Profound Girl, in search of the most beautiful Spirit Stone pendant in the world, which naturally was a product from Shu Ya Group. The girls watched from the side, transfixed and nearly shrieking in excitement but were shushed by Hao Jian each time; he didn''t want these girls to disturb Su Xinya. "She''s so beautiful, like a fairy!" a girl exclaimed in admiration. "I wish I could be this beautiful in the future!" All the girls were mesmerized by Su Xinya''s beauty at that moment, their faces showing utter fascination. Even Hao Jian couldn''t help but hold Su Xinya in higher esteem. Su Xinya was ethereal, and especially the dot of cinnabar between her brows added an Oriental charm to her that was incredibly enchanting. Hao Jian couldn''t help but praise inwardly, Shu Ya really didn''t make the wrong choice. After everything was over, Su Xinya noticed Hao Jian and the others and hurried over to greet them. "Yating, why have you guys come?" Su Xinya said with a big smile across her face. Seeing Su Xinya again, the girls were still overcome with excitement, for this time Su Xinya didn''t confront Hao Jian but greeted them with a smile. Realizing that their goddess was so approachable left them feeling somewhat unreal. "I heard you were shooting an ad here, so I came to take a look. But why are you working with Hao Jian?" Zhao Yating asked with a bitter smile. Ever since she heard the news of Hao Jian''s marriage, her complexion hadn''t been the best. "It wasn''t him who found me, it was the Chairman of Shu Ya. They felt my image and temperament fit their company''s advertising requirements, so they hired me to shoot the ad," Su Xinya laughed heartily, somewhat proudly. Zhao Yating only smiled, not saying anything more. "Yating, you look a bit pale. Are you feeling okay?" Su Xinya asked with concern, noticing Zhao Yating''s pallor. "I''m fine," Zhao Yating replied with a strained smile, realizing that she had displayed her feelings too obviously and quickly covering up her sense of loss. "If you''re not feeling well, I can have someone take you to the dressing room to rest," Hao Jian also said with concern, but he didn''t realize that Zhao Yating''s discomfort was entirely because of him. Only Che Xiaoxiao looked on with a peculiar shine in her eyes, staring at Zhao Yating, for her feelings were the same as Zhao Yating''s at that moment. "No need, I''m really okay," Zhao Yating shook her head stubbornly, and with that, Hao Jian and the others didn''t know how to persuade her any further. "Chairman, the ad shoot is done. I''ll have someone edit it a bit, and then it can be officially released," the director said as he came over to Hao Jian. "Great, thank you for the work. Later, call over all the crew members; we''ll go to a hotel for a meal. The treat''s on me today!" Hao Jian declared. "Wow!!!!" Instantly, a cheer erupted from the crew, everyone looking incredibly excited. At this time, Hao Jian walked towards Zhao Yating and the others, "You should come too!" "Of course! If someone is treating, we definitely won''t be shy," Che Xiaoxiao spoke before Zhao Yating could reply. "I knew you had the thickest skin!" Hao Jian retorted annoyed. "Alright then, let''s get going," Hao Jian said, leading everyone out directly. And at that moment, Che Xiaoxiao walked up to Zhao Yating, saying, "If you keep moping like this, then I''ll have to seize the opportunity before you do." Zhao Yating was taken aback for a moment, "Don''t you feel uncomfortable about it at all?" "Of course I do, after all, no one wants to be the other woman right? But what does it matter, I''ve hopelessly fallen for him. To ask me to give up now would be more painful than killing me," Che Xiaoxiao said with a smile: "Even if it''s scandalous, I''m willing to do it." S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "But that''s not right!" Zhao Yating cautioned. "I know, that''s why I can throw caution to the wind, and you can''t. In the end, Hao Jian will definitely choose me, not you!" Che Xiaoxiao dropped this statement and then followed the others out of the company. Zhao Yating still looked stunned. It took her quite a while to snap back to reality, her eyes flashing with determination, "I will not give up! Hao Jian will definitely be mine!" Hao Jian had chosen a five-star hotel called Kaiyue for the meal, booking almost half the venue for the treat. The staff were naturally very grateful. They had filmed countless ads, but it was the first time they were being treated to a meal, and at such an upscale hotel at that. Hao Jian and the others took their seats. After ordering, they prepared to dine. At that moment, Hao Jian heard a group of people nearby discussing loudly. Their voices were particularly clamorous and even a little disruptive in the serene environment. "This landscape painting of mine, it''s by Zheng Banqiao, invaluable. I got it from an antique collector, and many have appraised it as undoubtedly authentic, possibly worth fifty million, but I only paid ten million for it!" At this time, a middle-aged man spoke up, tall and thin but balding, with spectacles that didn''t make him look scholarly but rather sleazy. He was enthusiastically talking about a painting he owned, full of excitement. "No way, Old Ma, you are too lucky!" One of his friends, clearly another aficionado of antique collecting, exclaimed in surprise. This Old Ma, whose name was Ma Liben, was a businessman engaged in foreign trade who enjoyed collecting antiques as a hobby. Chapter 569 - 569: The Arrogant Ma Liben And those sitting at the same table with them were also similar enthusiasts, who all had some money in their hands. "What, envious and resentful? This is called having a discerning eye. I spotted this painting at a glance. I pestered that guy for ages before he decided to part with it in pain. If he knew how much this painting was worth, he''d probably vomit blood from anger!" Ma Liben laughed boisterously, his voice rough and particularly smug. Many customers furrowed their brows upon hearing Ma Liben''s coarse laughter, feeling somewhat displeased inside. After all, this was a public place; they came here to dine not necessarily for the ambiance, but at least it shouldn''t be this noisy, right? S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hey, waiter, what''s going on here? We''re trying to eat, and with all this noise, how can we even do that?" Zhao Yating said to the waiter. She was in an especially bad mood today after finding out that Hao Jian was already married, and now hearing Ma Liben shouting only felt like igniting a fuse. "I''m very sorry, miss. I''ll go and remind that table right away," the male waiter said politely, nodding his head and realizing that Ma Liben was affecting the other guests'' meals and quickly walked over to him. "Sir, could you please lower your voices? You are affecting other guests'' meals. I hope you can cooperate, thank you!" the male waiter approached Ma Liben, still with a polite demeanor, smiling. "What?" Ma Liben turned his head around, looking annoyed at the male waiter. "What did you just say?" "I asked if you could lower your voices so as not to disturb the other guests." Seeing Ma Liben becoming aggressive, the male waiter was a bit stunned, feeling this group was not easy to handle. But as a hotel waiter, it was his duty to serve the public well, so he still stood his ground, facing Ma Liben head-on. "What if I say no?" Ma Liben said arrogantly, looking down on the waiter from his height. "If you do not heed the advice, then I will have to call security!" the male waiter stood his ground firmly. "Call security?" Ma Liben laughed loudly, then backhanded the male waiter across the face and followed it with a kick to his stomach. The waiter didn''t see it coming at all, and Ma Liben then started punching and kicking him. Ma Liben''s eyes bulged with anger as he cursed while hitting, "Damn it, who do you think you are to lecture me? I think you''re looking for death!" The other guests were stunned, not expecting Ma Liben to suddenly start hitting someone. Those sitting at the same table with Ma Liben all wore cold smiles, seeming accustomed to such scenes. "You... how can you hit people?" The waiter was in shock, covering his face, looking at Ma Liben timidly. "Why can''t I hit you? Who the hell gave you the right to meddle in my business!" Ma Liben roared, his voice so loud that the entire hall could hear it, even frightening some children into tears. Many customers frowned, highly displeased and disdainful of Ma Liben''s actions. "Get the hell out of here, or I''ll cripple you!" Ma Liben threatened fiercely, turning to sit down. "Sir, you''ve already disturbed the other guests'' meals, I hope you''ll heed the warning!" But the male waiter was stubborn, still dignified and firm in his reminder. "Fuck your mother!" Ma Liben exploded, picked up a wine bottle from the table, and smashed it over the waiter''s head. "Crash!" Instantly, the bottle shattered, and at the same time, the waiter''s head was bloodied, looking very miserable. At that moment, the waiter felt dizzy, his eyes rolling back, almost passing out on the spot. "You ignorant fool, you had the nerve to get in my way? Spit!" Ma Liben spat on the waiter''s face, his demeanor arrogant as he looked around, "Who the hell said I was disturbing your meal? Stand up!" "These people are too much!" Su Xinya glared at Ma Liben, also feeling very angry. It was clearly Ma Liben and his company who were in the wrong, shouting and bellowing in a public place, and worse, they even beat up the waiter who tried to calm them down. There was no reason for this. "Some people are just like that, wearing the skin of the literati, but acting barbarically. Collecting art doesn''t enlighten them, as it cannot elevate their sentiments. In the end, they are nothing but pretentious fools!" By then, Hao Jian also couldn''t help but frown, discontented with Ma Liben''s shouting and overbearing behavior. The other guests, seeing Ma Liben''s viciousness, also shockingly lowered their heads, Ma Liben grabbed the waiter''s collar in one swift move and bellowed, "Speak! Who the hell asked you to meddle?" "..." The waiter dared not speak, knowing that if he did, Zhao Yating would be in danger. "It was me, what about it!" At that moment, Zhao Yating stood up, glaring at Ma Liben aggressively. The waiter had been called by her to restrain Ma Liben, and with such an incident occurring, Zhao Yating naturally could not ignore it. Ma Liben looked unpleasantly towards Zhao Yating, but upon seeing her pure and lovely appearance, he was momentarily stunned and then quickly changed his demeanor. Ma Liben''s lascivious gaze fixed on Zhao Yating''s voluptuous breasts, and he felt a stir of excitement, "This must be at least an E, right? Wouldn''t it be amazing if I could get her into bed?" "Hey, girl, you''ve interrupted my meal here, huh? What should we do about it?" Ma Liben pushed the waiter aside and then walked towards Zhao Yating, ignoring everyone else around him. "It was clearly you yelling and making a scene here, disturbing our meal. Now you want to blame me?" Zhao Yating scoffed, "Stop showing off your paintings as if nobody else owns any art!" Zhao Yating despised him because her father had collected over a dozen art pieces, all of them priceless treasures! With Zhao Yating''s retort, the smile faded from Ma Liben''s face. By then, he had reached her side, standing next to Hao Jian. Yet, he blatantly ignored Hao Jian and all the other men present, focusing solely on Zhao Yating and Su Xinya, the beautiful women there. "Girl, you''re quite arrogant, huh? Do you know who I am?" Ma Liben asked with a cold laugh. "Baldy, no need to ask, it''s obvious!" Zhao Yating mocked. At those words, Ma Liben''s eyes narrowed, his face shadowed by a cold frost. The thing he hated most was being mocked for his baldness. But Zhao Yating went straight for his sore spot? Ma Liben felt a murderous urge! "I''ll give you a chance. Come and have a few drinks with me, and we''ll consider this matter settled. If you refuse, I''ll make sure you can''t leave this hotel!" Ma Liben hissed, his face contorting angrily. In Hua City, after all these years, he''d never been talked back to like this. If he couldn''t handle a little girl like that, what was the point of staying in Hua City? "I''ll give you a chance too. Get out of this hotel with your worthless cronies, or you''ll regret it!" Zhao Yating replied coldly, undaunted with Hao Jian by her side. At this, all of Ma Liben''s friends grimaced. Zhao Yating dared to insult them all? She really had some nerve! As far as Zhao Yating was concerned, all of Ma Liben''s friends were no better than him. Seeing them enjoy the violence without intervening showed they were no good. "Ma Liben, deal with this bitch!" "Yeah, damn it, how dare this little bitch be so arrogant? She''s really asking for it!" Ma Liben''s friends all started shouting. "You''re asking for it!" Ma Liben roared and swung his hand towards Zhao Yating''s face. Zhao Yating paled, not expecting Ma Liben to actually strike. She instinctively took two steps back, trying to dodge his slap. But just as Ma Liben''s hand was about to hit Zhao Yating''s face, a strong hand suddenly grabbed Ma Liben''s wrist. Ma Liben was startled and looked down to see a young man sitting in front of him with a smile, saying softly, "Hitting women isn''t really nice, is it?" Seeing Hao Jian intervene, Zhao Yating and the others breathed a sigh of relief and sat back with smirks, waiting to see Ma Liben get taken down. "Who the hell are you to meddle in my business?" Ma Liben sneered in anger, trying desperately to free himself from Hao Jian''s grip, but found he couldn''t¡ªthe grip was like a vise, holding his arm securely. Ma Liben''s face darkened instantly, "Kid, trying to play the hero, are you? Do you know who I am?" "Baldy, right? She just said it, didn''t she? Or do you prefer being called ''Baldy''?" Hao Jian teased. "Pfft!" A group of women burst out laughing; Hao Jian''s retaliation was even sharper than Zhao Yating''s! Ma Liben''s expression was priceless, turning from green to white, like a pale dragon. "Fuck you!" Ma Liben suddenly bellowed, swinging a punch at Hao Jian''s face. "Watch out!" A group of women exclaimed, but Hao Jian remained unfazed, too lazy to even dodge. "Bang!" "Ow!" The punch hit Hao Jian''s face, followed by a piercing scream, which, of course, wasn''t from Hao Jian. Chapter 570 - 570 Stimulated Ma Liben was drenched in cold sweat, clutching his fist and hissing as he sucked in the cool air, pain contorting his face. The crowd was also stunned. What happened here, Ma Liben punched Hao Jian, but it was Ma Liben himself who ended up in unbearable pain? Ma Liben was also dumbfounded. How could that kid''s head be as hard as a diamond? He had just punched Hao Jian, but it felt like he had hit a diamond. Hao Jian sneered, "What a waste. I let you hit me and you couldn''t even injure me." Hearing this, Ma Liben''s expression turned extremely awkward. This was a major embarrassment; he tried to hit Hao Jian but ended up hurting himself. That was stupid. "You''ve had your turn, now it''s mine!" Hao Jian snorted coldly, slowly stood up, and then kicked out, sending Ma Liben flying. Ma Liben crashed into his table with a bang, then spat out a mouthful of blood with a wail. Hao Jian''s kick was merciless. Such scum deserved no better! "You dare to hit Ma Liben? You''re finished!" Ma Liben''s friends were also startled, then coldly glared at Hao Jian. "Bring me my phone; I''m calling people!" Ma Liben, furious, roared hideously. He had never been so humiliated before. Hao Jian had beaten him until he vomited blood. Ma Liben felt like his organs were churning inside him. "Calling people, is it? Go ahead!" Hao Jian sneered, curious to see whom Ma Liben could call. "Kid, just you wait. Once my people get here, I''ll make you kneel and beg me! And your ''girls'', let me tell you, once my brothers arrive, I''ll have them take turns with you!" Ma Liben cursed as he made a phone call: "Hey, Brother Hu, it''s me, Ma Liben! I''m in trouble at Kaiyue Hotel. Some kid has beaten me up, hurry and bring people over! Bring weapons, I want this kid dead!!!" Ma Liben''s demeanor was venomous; he had completely lost his reason, now only wanting to kill Hao Jian! "Let them clean his mouth!" Hao Jian said to Xiaoxiao and Yating. Hearing this, Hao Jian''s employees were shocked, sending Xiaoxiao and Yating, these two delicate women? Could they really take on Ma Liben? Wasn''t Hao Jian being a little callous? "Alright!" The two girls cheerfully agreed, dropping jaws all around; these two chicks weren''t scared at all? Then, Yating and others walked towards Ma Liben. "Chairman, is it okay to send those two girls? Shouldn''t I send some boys instead?" The director couldn''t stand it anymore, worried about Yating getting hurt by Ma Liben. "No need, they can handle it!" Hao Jian smiled. Leaving aside Yating, Xiaoxiao alone was enough to deal with Ma Liben. But Hao Jian had misjudged this time. It wasn''t Xiaoxiao who made the first move, but Yating, who directly grabbed a wine bottle from the table and smashed it on Ma Liben''s head. "Bang!" Ma Liben immediately felt the world spinning, quickly bleeding from his head, ending up just like the waiter before. Xiaoxiao was dazed. Was this still the always gentle and lovely Yating? Hao Jian was also about to spit out his tea, staring at Yating as if he had seen a ghost. "What got into her today?" Xinya asked puzzledly, elbowing Hao Jian, also looking like he had seen a ghost. Xinya had known Yating for five years but had never seen her so enraged before. "I told her today that I got married." Hao Jian grimaced, understanding some things now¡ªit seemed Yating was sulking because she knew he got married. "..." Xinya was speechless, then stared scornfully at Hao Jian: "You degenerate!" "Blame my being handsome!" Hao Jian rolled his eyes helplessly. Xinya kept rolling her eyes too. Could this guy go a day without being narcissistic? Meanwhile, Yating and Xiaoxiao were already thrashing Ma Liben, who was screaming and constantly calling for help. "Maybe I''ll also stomp on him a few times!" Xinya suddenly said, excited by how enjoyable the beating looked, wanting to give Ma Liben a taste. But Hao Jian was startled and quickly held her back: "Are you crazy? You''re a public figure; if someone captures you physically attacking someone, won''t that ruin your image?" "What''s there to fear, I''m not even afraid, why should you fuss about it!" Xinya was still enthusiastic. "Cut it out! You are currently shooting an advertisement for my company; if your image gets tarnished, won''t it affect my company''s products?" Hao Jian glared, not wanting to see his company affected owing to this incident, as he and Xinya were tied together in this matter. "Alright." Xinya sighed in disappointment but understood what was more important. Meanwhile, the other directors and staff seating at Xinya''s table were completely shocked. Was this still the gentle and enchanting Goddess? She was nothing less than a gangster!. "Stop it!" Mr. Ma''s friends were no longer pleased when they saw this. Had these two girls gone too far? All of Mr. Ma''s friends stood up, ready to teach Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao a lesson. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Bang!" Just then, a loud noise suddenly came from Hao Jian''s direction, and everyone turned to look. They immediately saw Hao Jian strike a stone pillar next to him, and the pillar instantly cracked and caved in significantly. "Hiss..." In an instant, everyone gasped in shock, feeling extremely frightened. Did this guy just punch a stone pillar to pieces? At this moment, a cold smile appeared on Hao Jian''s lips, as he stared intently at Mr. Ma''s friends, "If you dare to mess around, don''t blame me for being ruthless!" Mr. Ma''s friends swallowed hard, daring not to make any rash moves, as they could tell Hao Jian was not someone to provoke. A single punch had shattered a stone pillar. What would happen if it landed on them? The thought was unimaginable. "What happened?" Just then, a hotel manager ran out, and upon seeing Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao beating up Mr. Ma, he was also stunned. "Sun, save me!" Mr. Ma saw the hotel manager and immediately cried out for help, as his own people hadn''t arrived yet, and now he could only rely on the hotel manager to save him. "You stop right now, or I will call the police!" Sun, a man in his early thirties, was an acquaintance of Mr. Ma. Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao finally stopped and stepped back to one side. "What on earth is going on?" Sun was also annoyed, puzzled why guests were fighting each other. What was going on? "Manager, it''s like this." A male waiter hurried over, explaining the circumstances to Sun. After hearing everything, Sun''s face also looked displeased. Mr. Ma had caused trouble in their hotel not just once or twice. Because Mr. Ma had connections, Sun had been forced to endure again and again. But now, Mr. Ma had made a mess again. What made Sun even angrier was this person who had messed with Mr. Ma. He had already told his staff that Mr. Ma was not someone to trifle with, yet this guy still dared to offend him. "Sun, your employee has offended me; you decide what to do!" Mr. Ma commanded, displaying a commanding attitude, ordering Sun to give him an answer. Because Mr. Ma knew Sun wouldn''t dare refuse him, after all, Sun was a smart man. "You don''t need to come to work tomorrow!" Sun directly told him. The waiter was stunned and said nervously, "Why, manager? It wasn''t my fault." "Offending Mr. Ma is a mistake even if it''s not!" Sun said coldly. He didn''t want to do this, but there was no choice, as Mr. Ma was not someone he could provoke. The waiter was instantly petrified, filled with frustration and regret with nowhere to vent. "Hahaha... you little wretch, I told you not to offend me. This is what happens when you offend me, now pack up and get lost! And I''m telling you, this isn''t over. I''ll have people come looking for you!" Mr. Ma laughed loudly, his face full of arrogance and conceit. "Bang!" Suddenly, a teacup flew over and smashed directly onto Sun''s head, causing him to stagger and blood appeared on his head. "Who? Who threw that? Stand out!" Sun yelled angrily, shocked that someone dared to throw something at him. "I threw it, what about it?" Hao Jian stood up and looked coldly at Sun. When Sun saw Hao Jian, his expression suddenly petrified. Clearly, he recognized Hao Jian. The reason was simple: the hotel was one of Kong Xiaozhen''s properties, and Kong Xiaozhen had once brought Hao Jian here for a meal. It was then, as an employee, that Sun saw his usually unapproachable boss bowing and scraping to this young man, and his intuition told him that the man in front of him was no small fry! "You''re going to fire him?" Hao Jian looked coldly at Sun. "No... I wouldn''t dare," Sun quickly bowed his head, then gave Hao Jian a full 365-degree bow, very humbly. Seeing this, Mr. Ma and some other customers were dumbfounded, not understanding why Sun would show such a posture upon seeing Hao Jian. "Sun, have you gone mad? Bowing to a nobody?" Mr. Ma found this very amusing. But Sun didn''t dare to speak; he only felt a chill throughout his body. Had Mr. Ma offended this person? Damn, the man might think he was in league with Mr. Ma. Seeing Sun ignoring him, Mr. Ma grew increasingly hateful and roared, "Sun, kick these people out right now!" Chapter 571 - 571 Chongtian Tiger "I can''t do it," Sun said expressionlessly. Now that he knew Hao Jian was the one Ma Liben had offended, he naturally couldn''t stand by Ma Liben''s side anymore. Otherwise, he would truly be seeking death. In his eyes, if Ma Liben dared to offend someone like Hao Jian, then not even a hundred and twenty lives would be enough to spare him from death. "Why?" Ma Liben glared murderously at Sun, who dared to defy his will. This was as good as not giving him face. "No reason, I just can''t do it," Sun replied with the same icy demeanor. "Fine, fine, fine... You dare to disobey me? Just you wait, when my brothers arrive, the first one I''ll slaughter is you!" Ma Liben hissed through clenched teeth. "Manager Sun, kick these idiots out!" Meanwhile, Hao Jian spoke up, ordering Sun to take action and expel the people. "Yes, sir!" Sun bowed to Hao Jian and then picked up the walkie-talkie: "Security, come to the lobby!" Ma Liben was completely dumbfounded. Sun wouldn''t listen to him but obeyed Hao Jian instead? What was this supposed to mean? Who exactly was that guy? Before long, more than a dozen security guards arrived in the lobby and surrounded Ma Liben and his group. "If you dare to lay a hand on us, I''ll make sure you regret it!" Ma Liben said fiercely. If they were really thrown out, it would be a massive loss of face. "Shut the fuck up? All of you get up!" But the security guards paid no heed to Ma Liben''s threats, lifted him straight up, and one of them even kicked him in the butt. "Fuck your mothers!" Ma Liben roared hysterically, feeling like a tiger fallen on flat ground, bullied by dogs. "Smack!" One of the security guards backhanded Ma Liben across the face and cursed, "Shut the hell up! Or you''ll regret it!" Afterward, Ma Liben and the others were taken out. At that moment, everyone was still in shock, staring at Hao Jian as they pondered his identity. Even the hotel manager showed him deference. "Mr. Hao Jian, I..." Sun approached Hao Jian with an awkward expression, seemingly afraid that Hao Jian would take his anger out on him. "Go on, I won''t hold you responsible," Hao Jian said, waving him away. "Thank you... thank you, Mr. Hao Jian." Sun was immediately delighted and breathed a sigh of relief as he walked away. Angering Hao Jian could''ve cost him his job, or worse, but fortunately, Hao Jian wasn''t angry. "What''s gotten into you today?" As soon as Zhao Yating sat down, Su Xinya leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "I need to vent!" But Zhao Yating merely said blandly, then picked up a glass of red wine from the table and downed it in one go. Su Xinya immediately glared at Hao Jian with murderous eyes, and all Hao Jian could do was give a wry smile. It wasn''t long before a rowdy commotion came from the entrance, clearly Ma Liben''s voice. He had returned, probably with reinforcements, so he was full of bluster and thoroughly brazen. The security guards who had expelled him earlier were all beaten up and then dragged in. At Ma Liben''s side stood a crew-cut middle-aged man with a malevolent expression and a dread-inspiring gaze, exuding an aura of death. His eyes were sharp as they swept over the crowd. "Ma Liben, what are you trying to do?" Seeing Ma Liben had actually brought people to cause trouble, he immediately became angry and lashed out at Ma Liben. "Sun Yun, you fucking mongrel, dare to kick me out of the hotel? I''m going to take your life! Thought you were tough with your numbers, eh? Try me! See how tough you are now!" Ma Liben laughed maniacally, taunting Sun Yun. Behind Ma Liben stood dozens of burly men armed with weapons, looking ferocious and terrifying. The hotel guests were terrified, clearly seeing that these men were thugs, far from anyone benevolent. "If you continue this nonsense, I''ll call the police!" Sun Yun warned with an ugly expression, out of options except to invoke the police. However, Ma Liben and his group clearly didn''t care. Ma Liben sneered, "If you get the chance to call the police, then you win!" Then, Ma Liben looked around and shouted, "Listen up, all of you! If anyone dares to call the cops, don''t blame me for being ruthless!" Everyone kept their heads down, eating their meals, too frightened to speak a word. "Ma Liben, hurry up and sort out your mess. I''ve got things to do later," Chongtian Tiger''s face seemed a bit off. He had just returned from a business trip, to learn that one of his underlings had committed an incredibly foolish act, antagonizing the one person in Hua City who should not be provoked. The person in question had summoned him by name, so Chongtian Tiger rushed back, originally intending to find Hao Jian himself. But along the way, he encountered Ma Liben seeking help, and given their decent relationship, Chongtian Tiger brought his men to help him seek revenge. "Brother Hu, it''s that kid. He''s the one who hit me. Help me chop him to pieces!" Ma Liben pointed at Hao Jian not far away. Chongtian Tiger looked over to where Hao Jian was and when he saw Hao Jian, he was instantly stunned. The person Ma Liben wanted him to deal with was Hao Jian??? "The person you want me to deal with is him?" Chongtian Tiger pointed at Hao Jian and confirmed with Ma Liben, his entire face turning dark. "Yeah, what''s wrong?" Ma Liben looked puzzled. It''s over... Chongtian Tiger felt like crying at this moment. What the hell was going on? He was already dragging his feet with the apology, and now he had just come back and ended up confronting Hao Jian. Why was his luck so rotten? Hao Jian continued to nonchalantly pick at his food, as if he hadn''t noticed Chongtian Tiger''s arrival, his expression calm, out of sync with the current tense atmosphere. Because Zhao Yating and Su Xinya, among others, had also stopped eating, watching tensely as several dozen men stood around. But Hao Jian was there munching away, completely ignoring Chongtian Tiger and his men. While Chongtian Tiger was lost in his thoughts, Ma Liben had already approached Hao Jian, sneering slyly, "Kid, weren''t you being pretty arrogant? Why are you silent now? Pretending you don''t see anyone? Are you scared?" Ma Liben buzzed annoyingly around Hao Jian, his face full of a despicable sneer, obviously up to no good. Hao Jian frowned, disliking being disturbed during his meal, particularly by someone with bad breath. "Let''s settle it this way, don''t say I didn''t give you a chance. Just give me all these beauties by your side, then kneel down and lick my leather shoes, and I''ll spare your life, how about that? Hahaha..." Ma Liben burst into a fit of laughter. "Bang!" Hao Jian reached out and pressed Ma Liben''s haid against the table with a loud thud. Ma Liben instantly felt dizzy, and blood gushed from his nose. "You..." Ma Liben was stunned, seemingly unable to believe that at this point, Hao Jian dared to lay hands on him. Didn''t he see how many people were on his side? "You''re too noisy!" Hao Jian said coldly, looking at Ma Liben, then continued to turn his head back to his meal. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Brother Hu, did you see that? Hurry up and chop him to pieces for me!" Ma Liben immediately became frantic, shouting at Chongtian Tiger. Chongtian Tiger was itching with frustration. In fact, the first person he should be chopping down was Ma Liben. If not for Ma Liben, he wouldn''t have to be at odds with Hao Jian, let alone be this embarrassed. But Chongtian Tiger also knew he couldn''t escape, and he sighed helplessly, then instructed his subordinates, "Stay here and don''t even twitch without my orders!" After that, Chongtian Tiger approached Hao Jian. "Hehe, you guys are done for, our Brother Hu is famously ruthless, he''s going to slice and dice you in a bit!" Seeing Chongtian Tiger coming over, Ma Liben burst into laughter, as if he had found his backbone. At that moment, Chongtian Tiger had arrived at Hao Jian''s table, then proceeded to undo his suit buttons, roll up his trousers, and slowly knelt down!!! "What?" Instantly, the whole place exploded. Chongtian Tiger, the boss, actually knelt before this young man? Why? Everyone was unable to understand. Chongtian Tiger had brought so many people, had completely dominated the scene, all those present should be at his mercy, right? Why kneel? And Chongtian Tiger''s men were also dumbstruck. In their eyes, Chongtian Tiger had always been the tough guy, always unbending. Yet now he was kneeling before this young man¡ªwho in the world was he? Zhao Yating and Su Xinya, along with everyone who knew Hao Jian, were dumbfounded. They grew even more curious about Hao Jian''s identity. And the expressions of those directors and actors became strange too, recalling some rumors about Hao Jian, with the most famous being... his influence over both black and white! "I''m sorry, Mr. Hao Jian!" Chongtian Tiger called out loudly, full of vigor, and then prostrated himself before Hao Jian. Ma Liben was petrified on the spot, feeling every pore in his body trembling. Even Chongtian Tiger was afraid of this kid? Just who was this kid? Suddenly, Ma Liben realized how incredibly stupid he had been. It would probably be child''s play for this guy to kill him, wouldn''t it? Yet Hao Jian acted as if he hadn''t heard Chongtian Tiger speak, continuing to eat, while looking at the now dumbfounded crowd, he asked in puzzlement, "Aren''t you going to eat?" The others could only awkwardly smile. They''d like to eat, sure, but in the face of such a jaw-dropping event, how could they have an appetite? Chapter 572 - 572 Going Crazy Drunk Although no one else was eating, Hao Jian had a voracious appetite and single-handedly devoured half of the dishes on the table. Chongtian Tiger was still kneeling there, his whole face pressed against the ground, not daring to move an inch. Hao Jian didn''t tell him to get up, and he wouldn''t dare rise without permission. Seeing this, Ma Liben himself couldn''t help but tremble with fear. If Chongtian Tiger was like a dog in front of Hao Jian, what was he? Throughout this, Zhao Yating also felt unbearable pity, reminding Hao Jian more than once that Chongtian Tiger was still kneeling, but Hao Jian ignored her utterly. It wasn''t until after he was sated with food and drink that Hao Jian finally turned his head to look at Chongtian Tiger and said coldly, "Why have you only come to see me now?" He remembered ordering Chongtian Tiger to come to him before. Not only had the man delayed until now, but he''d even dared to find fault with him immediately upon arrival? "I..." Chongtian Tiger began to raise his head and was about to speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Hao Jian splashed a cup of water on his face and scolded him coldly, "Did I tell you to raise your head?" Everyone was shocked. Was Hao Jian so cruel? To humiliate Chongtian Tiger like this, wasn''t he afraid of him lashing out in desperation? After all, he was a boss with dozens of followers! Hao Jian wasn''t worried about Chongtian Tiger lashing out, for he saw such an act as self-destructive! The underlings of Chongtian Tiger, seeing this, were all on edge, wanting to rush forward and chop Hao Jian into mincemeat. "Stand down, all of you!" Chongtian Tiger roared in anger, stopping his men, then slowly kneeled down to Hao Jian again, prostrating himself. At this moment, he didn''t dare contradict Hao Jian, so while on the ground, he said, "I was out of town before and rushed back as soon as I received the news. I just arrived in Hua City today. I had intended to see you immediately, but..." "From the moment you arrived, you sided against me, Chongtian Tiger. Tell me, are we destined to be enemies?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "Absolutely not, this is just an accident! Mr. Hao Jian, please give me a chance. I swear there won''t be a next time!" Chongtian Tiger pleaded desperately. Becoming an enemy of Hao Jian? He wouldn''t dare, even if he had a hundred times the courage. Everyone, seeing a boss like Chongtian Tiger groveling before Hao Jian, were dumbfounded. After all, he was a boss¡ªwhere was his dignity? But Chongtian Tiger knew well that talking about dignity in the presence of Hao Jian was like discussing mercy with a starving tiger. He wasn''t that foolish. Ma Liben, witnessing Chongtian Tiger''s behavior, was all of a sudden pale as death. If even Chongtian Tiger was behaving like this, what did he have left to rely on? Sun, standing not far away, started to sneer. Ma Liben thought that by seeking help from the Mafia, he could do as he pleased. But in front of a power like Hao Jian, he was nothing at all. "Do you hope I''ll spare you?" Hao Jian asked with a cold laugh. "Yes, sir!" Chongtian Tiger nodded frantically. He didn''t want to die, not in the least! "Kill him, and I''ll spare you," Hao Jian said, nodding at Ma Liben beside him. At those words, Ma Liben''s expression froze, and he began to tremble uncontrollably. Was Hao Jian planning to kill him? "No problem!" Yet, Chongtian Tiger agreed to Hao Jian''s condition without a second thought. Hao Jian sparing his life was already his good fortune; where was the room for refusal? Killing Ma Liben was scarcely an effort for him, especially since the whole mess was stirred up by Ma Liben himself. He had no reason to die for Ma Liben''s sake. "Then get lost!" Hao Jian waved his hand impatiently, not wanting Ma Liben to spoil his moment any further. "Yes, yes, yes..." Chongtian Tiger nodded repeatedly, then prepared to take Ma Liben and leave the place. "Mr. Hao Jian, I know I was wrong, please don''t kill me. I''ll never shout in public places or bully the servers again!" Ma Liben screamed, his face as pale as death. He was utterly terrified. Hao Jian could kill him like a dog. "Take him away!" Chongtian Tiger bellowed. He wouldn''t let Ma Liben continue to bother Hao Jian. Afterwards, Ma Liben was taken away, screaming, and his fate was naturally unthinkable. "You will be the new lobby manager!" And at that moment, Hao Jian pointed at the male server who had been beaten and said so. The male server was stunned. Had he just become a manager? Wasn''t this too lucky? He felt as if a pie had fallen from the sky. "Aren''t you going to thank Mr. Hao Jian?" Sun nudged him. The server immediately expressed his boundless gratitude, "Thank you, Mr. Hao Jian!" He was very grateful for making a correct decision. After the meal, Hao Jian sent Zhao Yating and Su Xinya home. However, Che Xiaoxiao, seemingly high from drinking at the table, suggested continuing to drink at a bar. But Su Xinya said she brought some red wine from abroad and invited Hao Jian and the others to drink at her place. Su Xinya''s home was actually Zhao Yating''s house; the two of them shared a place together. By the time they got to Zhao Yating''s home, Su Xinya went straight for the bottle of red wine, while Hao Jian kept his gaze fixated on the coffee table inside Zhao Yating''s room, a mischievous smile on his lips, seemingly reminded of something. "Teacher, what are you thinking about that''s got you looking so sleazy?" Zhao Yating asked, puzzled. "Nothing, just suddenly remembered the vibrator I saw the first time I came to your place," Hao Jian said with a smirk. The fact that it was Su Xinya who had taught her how to use it made the embarrassing moment from back then all the more amusing to him. "Ah, why bring that up all of a sudden?" Zhao Yating blushed as she spoke, feeling embarrassed about the incident. She was terrified that Hao Jian would see her as that kind of girl. "I just didn''t expect you to be so bold," Che Xiaoxiao then chimed in, unable to help herself, giving Zhao Yating a rather peculiar look. She had been shocked when she first heard about it, and she was still taken aback hearing it again now. "Isn''t it normal for a girl to use a vibrator?" Zhao Yating muttered bashfully, lowering her head. Su Xinya had clearly told her it was a perfectly normal thing for a girl to do. "Normal? I use my hands, I don''t need that stuff!" Che Xiaoxiao retorted with a scoff. "You too..." Zhao Yating was taken aback, staring at Che Xiaoxiao in astonishment. "What? It''s just self-comfort, what''s the big deal? Women have physical needs, too!" Che Xiaoxiao said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Then she looked over at Hao Jian with a raised eyebrow and stuck out her tongue, "Look at this guy, he jerks off too!" Freakin'' hell, what kind of nonsense is she spouting? Hao Jian coughed awkwardly, "You''re drunk!" "Hehehe, what''s there to deny? We''re all adults here. Come on, tell your sister, how often do you do it?" Che Xiaoxiao leaned against Hao Jian''s chest and exhaled a breath reeking of alcohol. "Show some respect, I''m your teacher!" Hao Jian snorted coldly, deliberately stroking his face to seem stern. Che Xiaoxiao immediately took a couple of steps back, looking at Hao Jian as if she''d seen a ghost. But inside, Hao Jian was quite pleased with himself. It appeared he still had some dignity left, enough to intimidate the girl. However, Che Xiaoxiao then said, "Don''t be like that, Hao Jian. You can''t pull off being serious¡ªit doesn''t suit you. You look like a fool trying!" Hao Jian''s shoulders slumped in resignation as he looked at Che Xiaoxiao with a touch of melancholy¡ªthis darn kid was trying to kill his spirit. "You''re really not interested? There won''t be another chance like this." Che Xiaoxiao smirked wickedly as she proceeded to take off her T-shirt. "Che Xiaoxiao, you''re really drunk, aren''t you?" Hao Jian gaped, taken aback. While he knew Che Xiaoxiao was always quite bold, this level of brazenness was new to him. "Drunk? I''m not drunk, just a bit dizzy," Che Xiaoxiao chuckled foolishly, still slurring her words. Then, with one hand, she grabbed Hao Jian''s brother and looked at him with a suggestive gaze, "Hao Jian, didn''t you tell me once about a breast-enhancement massage technique? How about you give me a massage right now? I want to be a big-breasted cow!" Zhao Yating just sighed. She had thought that Che Xiaoxiao was deliberately feigning drunkenness to act crazy, but now she wasn''t so sure. "This, isn''t it inappropriate? There are so many people here." Hao Jian''s face was a picture of embarrassment. Giving Che Xiaoxiao a massage therapy session right here didn''t seem feasible, especially with Zhao Yating and Su Xinya also present. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Why bother about them? Just act as if they''re not here," Che Xiaoxiao said nonchalantly, then turned to Zhao Yating, "Yating, can you find us a room?" "This isn''t a hotel!" Zhao Yating quivered with anger. What did Che Xiaoxiao think of her place? A hotel? That she could just get it on in? "The wine''s here!" Just then, Su Xinya came back with the wine. "The wine''s here?" Che Xiaoxiao''s eyes lit up as she pounced towards Su Xinya. "Don''t give her any!" Zhao Yating and Hao Jian yelled in unison. Just a little drinking had already turned the girl like this; if she continued, who knew how chaotic it could get? But Su Xinya was a step too late as one of the bottles of red wine was snatched away by Che Xiaoxiao. Che Xiaoxiao tilted her head back and started guzzling from the bottle, with Hao Jian and the others able to hear the gulping sounds¡ªflabbergasted. It was wine, for crying out loud, and Che Xiaoxiao was drinking it like water? "Don''t drink so fast, that wine is very expensive," Su Xinya said with a bit of heartache. A client had specially ordered that wine for her, and it had cost a pretty penny. "I can''t help it!" Zhao Yating snatched the other bottle from Su Xinya''s hand and started chugging just like Che Xiaoxiao. Hao Jian and Su Xinya were both stunned. What on earth were these two girls up to? "Hey, hey, hey... Chugging straight from the bottle is so unsanitary. How are we supposed to drink?" Su Xinya complained. She certainly didn''t want to drink Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao''s backwash. "Bajie, tell me, am I beautiful?" Che Xiaoxiao, propping a hand on Hao Jian''s shoulder, asked drunkenly. "Fuck me!" Hao Jian couldn''t help but curse. What the hell was even happening? Chapter 573 - 573: The Pursuer "Chen Shimei, you heartless man! Despite Qin Xianglian''s deep love for you, you''ve actually abandoned your wife and child?" At this moment, Zhao Yating also suddenly pointed at Hao Jian, her pretty eyes filled with anger, glistening with tears. Hao Jian, with a face full of despair, howled, "Can we please not play role-playing?" S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Zhao Gao, you dead eunuch!" Su Xinya also pointed at Hao Jian and cursed angrily. "Enough already, you didn''t even drink!" Hao Jian roared back, considering Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao''s drunken antics tolerable, but Su Xinya hadn''t touched a drop¡ªwas she pretending to be drunk to scold him? "Oh." Su Xinya pouted slightly, realizing she had missed an important step; she then snatched the red wine from Zhao Yating''s hand, gulped down several mouthfuls, and then looked at Hao Jian somewhat sheepishly, "Now, can I scold you?" "No, you cannot!" Hao Jian screamed hysterically¡ªwhat sins had he committed in his past life to end up knowing these three bizarre women? "Tsk, stingy!" Su Xinya muttered discontentedly, feeling that Hao Jian was being unfair, letting Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao scold him, but not her. "Is this really about being stingy?" Hao Jian was so angry he felt like spitting blood. Did this crazy woman invite him over just to scold him? One calls him a pig, another calls him a heartless man, another calls him a dead eunuch¡ªwasn''t this all too meaningful? "Hello everyone, my name is Zhao Yating. I was wronged by a heartless man who forced himself on me and even ruined his child. Now he wants to abandon me!" Zhao Yating stood on the table shouting loudly. "And me, he has been with me too. He even said I have small breasts, waaaa¡­" Che Xiaoxiao also cried out, but she cried as she spoke, deeply aggrieved. Seeing this, Su Xinya looked at Hao Jian with a weird expression. Hao Jian immediately shook his head, seriously saying, "I did not do it!" "I never said you did, why so nervous? Guilty conscience much?" Zhao Yating chuckled slyly. "I¡­" Hao Jian was on the verge of spitting blood. Zhao Yating was truly not lightly drunk, as she started pulling at her own clothes. "Promise me, never let them drink again," Hao Jian said to Su Xinya, standing beside him. "Agreed!" Su Xinya said with a wooden expression, never realizing that a woman''s destructive and crazy capacity could reach such extents. Hao Jian and Su Xinya were tormented the whole night by Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao, what began as a night of drinking and chatting turned into a frenzy with them crying and laughing intermittently, and even harassing the neighbors by knocking on their doors. "I''m Superman!" Che Xiaoxiao stood on the balcony railing ready to jump off. Hao Jian hastily grabbed her thighs, but it almost gave him a heart attack, because Che Xiaoxiao was already half over the railing. If he hadn''t acted so quickly, she might have really fallen down. "I''m going to kill that heartless man!" Zhao Yating, with a kitchen knife in hand, charged out furiously but was forcefully dragged back by Su Xinya. After much turmoil, Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao finally fell into a deep sleep in the early morning, and Hao Jian and Su Xinya finally had a chance to breathe and also fell asleep on the couch soon after. In the early morning, Hao Jian was awakened by the first rays of dawn. As he opened his eyes, his first instinct was to check on Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao, to see if they were still having bouts of drunken madness. Luckily, the two were completely passed out, snoring heavily. He suddenly remembered a saying he once heard, "If you''re not ready to put a wedding dress on her, don''t take her clothes off." Hao Jian didn''t want anything beyond a teacher-student relationship with Zhao Yating. That''s not what he wanted to see. "If you really want to touch, just touch a little then." Just at that moment, an abrupt voice came out of nowhere¡ªa half-smiling Su Xinya was leaning on the couch, holding her chin with one hand, watching him. When did this woman wake up? She hadn''t seen him staring intently at Zhao Yating, had she? Hao Jian coughed twice, scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about? I didn''t want to touch." "No? Then what were you staring at Zhao Yating for? Did you spend a whole minute thinking about whether to take advantage of her sleep and cop a feel?" Su Xinya disdainfully said, mocking Hao Jian for having the desire but not the courage. Hao Jian turned into stone on the spot; this woman indeed saw it. "Don''t worry, I won''t tell her," Su Xinya said with a wicked smile, looking as if she was on his side. Hao Jian seriously rejected the suggestion, "No! As a role model, I cannot do such immoral, culture-degrading things!" Hearing this, Su Xinya snorted, "Cut it out. Che Xiaoxiao was right; you really are unsuited to act all serious." "..." Hao Jian looked at Su Xinya unhappily, "I swear I''m going to keep my distance from you guys starting today!" Being around these women, he felt like he was going to be tormented to death. "I''m afraid you won''t be able to do as you wish because I need you to accompany me to a press conference soon," Su Xinya said with a light smile, glancing at her watch. "Why though?" Hao Jian was reluctant. After being tormented all night, all he wanted was to go home and sleep. "No reason. Didn''t Chairman Shu Ya tell you? I''m shooting a commercial for your company, and in return, you are to meet all my demands, including ensuring my personal safety, right?" Su Xinya didn''t wait for Hao Jian''s agreement before standing up and heading to the bathroom. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Hey, who could be knocking at this time?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled, calling out to Su Xinya in the bathroom, but Su Xinya, who was behind the closed door, didn''t hear him. Hao Jian gave a helpless smile and walked towards the door, only to see a man in a crisp suit standing there as soon as he opened it. Hao Jian immediately frowned. Who was this guy? Could he be one of Zhao Yating''s suitors? The man also looked shocked upon seeing Hao Jian, apparently not expecting a man to be in Zhao Yating''s house. A smirk immediately appeared on Hao Jian''s face. Damn, hasn''t he seen a man before? Was he that shocked? Seeing Hao Jian''s expression, the man''s face darkened. Was this guy mocking him? The man then spoke coldly, "Who are you? Why are you here?" "Who are you? Why are you here?" Hao Jian shot back, displeased with the suit man''s arrogant attitude. Who was he to demand answers from him? "I asked you first!" The man grew angry, thinking Hao Jian was deliberately picking a fight. "So what? I don''t feel like answering," Hao Jian scoffed arrogantly. "Kid, I give you ten seconds to think about it. If you don''t tell me immediately why you are here, I will make you pay the price!" the man threatened coldly. "Oh, you dare threaten me?" Hao Jian was amused and angered by this man. A mere suitor dared to be so arrogant? He wasn''t taking him seriously at all! "Where is Zhao Yating?" The man, not wanting to waste words with Hao Jian, asked directly. "It''s really Zhao Yating''s suitor!" Hao Jian mused internally while replying, "She''s still asleep." Asleep? The man was instantly shocked; the word could lead one''s thoughts astray too easily. It was an early morning, a man and a woman alone in the same room, and he was being told Zhao Yating was still asleep? "What have you two done?" The man glared at Hao Jian with a murderous look. "What have we done? We''ve done everything," Hao Jian said with a mischievous smile, knowing what the man meant. If the man''s attitude had been better, Hao Jian might not have minded him. But his commanding presence from the beginning irritated Hao Jian, so he decided to pretend to be Zhao Yating''s lover and mess with the guy. "Everything? That''s impossible!" The man was stunned; he knew Zhao Yating well. With her gentle and quiet nature, how could she casually have relations with a man, especially this kind of man? He scrutinized Hao Jian from head to toe. Every strand of hair on Hao Jian seemed to scream that he was a ruffian. Zhao Yating, interested in him? Chapter 574 - 574: Big Brother Zhao Kuangyi truly felt that Zhao Yating would absolutely not fall for such a scoundrel, and since Zhao Yating couldn''t possibly be interested in a guy like that, Hao Jian''s presence here seemed very suspicious. Suddenly, Zhao Kuangyi yelled, "Where''s Zhao Yating? Get her out here!" "Who do you think you are? You say get her out here, and she just comes out?" Hao Jian sneered, thinking too highly of himself, he was merely a suitor, not Zhao Yating''s husband after all. A suitor yet so arrogant, unbearable! "Too lazy to waste words with you!" Zhao Kuangyi snorted and barged inside. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But Hao Jian blocked Zhao Kuangyi''s way and didn''t let him go through. "Move!" Zhao Kuangyi shouted, and then threw a punch at Hao Jian''s face. Smack! Hao Jian caught Zhao Kuangyi''s fist with one hand, smirking, "Brother, being so hot-headed while chasing a girl isn''t good, right?" Then letting go and shaking his hand, he immediately pushed Zhao Kuangyi back several steps, who then fell bottom-first onto the ground. "You!" Zhao Kuangyi fumed silently, this guy actually fought back? "You better leave quickly, someone like you, Zhao Yating wouldn''t spare a glance," Hao Jian scoffed, believing in Zhao Yating''s taste. "Fancy me?" Zhao Kuangyi was taken aback, then understood what was happening, and exclaimed, "Bastard, I''m not Zhao Yating''s suitor!" "Not? Then who are you?" Hao Jian asked, furrowing his brows. "Zhao Kuangyi? What''s happening with you?" Just then, Sun Xinya, who had finished washing up and heard the noise, came out, seeing Zhao Kuangyi sitting on the ground and facing off against Hao Jian, also shocked. "You know him?" Hao Jian asked Sun Xinya in surprise, also realizing he might have messed up. "He''s Zhao Yating''s brother," Sun Xinya replied. "Huh??" Hao Jian was stunned, this guy was Zhao Yating''s brother? Had he actually hit Zhao Yating''s brother? No wonder Zhao Kuangyi was so bold, he was Zhao Yating''s brother after all. "Sun Xinya, who is he?" Zhao Kuangyi demanded, truly furious by now, eager to know who Hao Jian was, why he was at Zhao Yating''s place, and how he knew Sun Xinya. "He''s Zhao Yating''s teacher," Sun Xinya said, feeling overwhelmed and not anticipating Zhao Kuangyi''s sudden visit. If Zhao Kuangyi saw Zhao Yating''s current state, he''d likely go crazy. "Teacher?" Zhao Kuangyi was shocked, this guy who looks like a ruffian was a teacher? "Where''s Zhao Yating?" Zhao Kuangyi asked angrily. "She''s inside," Sun Xinya said, but then she realized something, her mouth opening slightly because she remembered Zhao Yating wasn''t wearing any clothes at the moment. But it was too late to say anything, Zhao Kuangyi was already charging inside. Realizing this, Hao Jian hastily stepped in front of Zhao Kuangyi, chuckling awkwardly, "I''d advise you it''s better not to go in right now!" If Zhao Kuangyi saw Zhao Yating''s current state, he''d likely go crazy. "Get out of the way!" Zhao Kuangyi roared again. Hao Jian had blocked him once already, and now he was doing it again? Hao Jian''s face wore a bitter smile, and then he stepped aside. Zhao Kuangyi stormed inside, and then was shocked to see his sister Zhao Yating lying half-naked on the sofa. Zhao Kuangyi was stunned, Zhao Yating had never been so daring before. "Why does Zhao Yating look like this?" Zhao Kuangyi shouted, hysterically interrogating Sun Xinya and Hao Jian. Hao Jian wore an embarrassed expression, and Sun Xinya quickly explained, "She got drunk last night." "Drunk? Then why didn''t you cover her up?" Zhao Kuangyi demanded to know, embarrassed by Zhao Yating''s exposure. "I did cover her up, but she took it off herself," Hao Jian explained. "You covered her? Does that mean you''ve seen her body?" Zhao Kuangyi looked coldly at Hao Jian, his eyes scrutinizing him like a criminal. Even though Sun Xinya said Hao Jian was a teacher, he still doubted Hao Jian, thinking his motives were impure. "I¡­" Hao Jian couldn''t help but feel both amused and annoyed, realizing what really concerned Zhao Kuangyi. "I warn you, stay away from my sister! She is not someone for you to covet!" Zhao Kuangyi snorted, finding Hao Jian increasingly disagreeable. "I think you misunderstood, I am her teacher," Hao Jian said with a bitter smile, sensing that Zhao Kuangyi had pegged him as the villain. "Who knows? Even teachers can occasionally be scoundrels!" Zhao Kuangyi said with a smirk. Hao Jian immediately fell silent, giving a bitter smile repeatedly. "What are you arguing about?" Just then, Zhao Yating slowly woke up, opened her bleary eyes, and looked puzzled at Zhao Kuangyi and the others. When she saw that Zhao Kuangyi was also there, she was shocked, "Brother, why are you here?" Zhao Kuangyi''s face immediately darkened, "Could you at least put on your clothes first?" "Ah!" Zhao Yating then realized how scantily she was dressed and let out a scream, covering her chest, her face turning as red as a monkey''s butt. Afterwards, Zhao Yating looked at Sun Xinya somewhat annoyed, "Why didn''t you cover me with some clothes?" "Hao Jian covered you, but you took them off again," Sun Xinya explained. "Hao Jian?" Zhao Yating blinked, and then her face showed a shy expression, blushing from her cheeks to her ears. Clearly, exposing her body in front of Hao Jian, Zhao Yating felt quite embarrassed, with a touch of pleasant surprise mixed in. "How could you drink so much? You had no sense of vigilance at all, what if some Casanova did something to you? Then you''d be done for," Zhao Kuangyi said angrily. "Teacher Hao is not a Casanova," Zhao Yating quickly explained. "How do you know he isn''t? Remember, appearances can be deceiving!" Zhao Kuangyi said sternly. Just one look at Hao Jian and you could tell he wasn''t a good man, thinking he could conceal his ulterior motives was impossible. Plus, Zhao Yating was so beautiful, how could Hao Jian possibly not be attracted to her? "Teacher Hao really wouldn''t do that," Zhao Yating weakly added, defending Hao Jian. She didn''t like Zhao Kuangyi portraying Hao Jian in such a manner. She actually wished Hao Jian was that kind of Casanova; that way, she might have had a chance, but sadly, Hao Jian wasn''t. "You..." Zhao Kuangyi became a bit angry, the more Zhao Yating defended Hao Jian, the more suspicious he felt. Could it be that Zhao Yating had fallen for this rogue? Seeing Zhao Kuangyi''s expression, Zhao Yating didn''t dare to speak further. "Now that you are here, then you can look after them. We have some things to do and need to leave," Sun Xinya said, checking the time. They had to go to the press conference now or else they would be late. "Sun Xinya, you''re going out with this guy?" Zhao Kuangyi looked at Sun Xinya, somewhat puzzled. "What? Is there a problem?" Sun Xinya flicked her long hair, asking with confusion. "Of course there''s a problem, don''t you see this guy is a rogue?" Zhao Kuangyi said angrily. These girls had no sense of caution, always interacting with such riff-raff. "Hey hey, enough already, tolerating you once or twice is okay, but why this endless mud-slinging at me?" Hao Jian said irritably, enduring constant targeting from Zhao Kuangyi since he arrived. "Am I wrong? Just look at you, you don''t look like a good person at all!" Zhao Kuangyi snorted coldly, seeming very stubborn. He was still holding a grudge because Hao Jian had hit him earlier. "Have you seen me take liberties with your sister? Or have you seen me molesting other women?" Hao Jian scoffed. "Although I haven''t seen it, my intuition tells me you are no good," Zhao Kuangyi claimed haughtily, glancing at Hao Jian with disdain. "Take Che Xiaoxiao with you too, my intuition also tells me this guy is no good, he might take the chance to molest the drunk Xiaoxiao," Hao Jian then turned and told Sun Xinya. "Nonsense! How can I be like you? Besides, with my sister here, how could I possibly do such a thing?" Zhao Kuangyi roared with anger, offended at being compared to Hao Jian. Hao Jian curled his lip and said nonchalantly, "Well, who knows? Intuition tells me you''re just that kind of person, maybe you even have an exhibitionist streak, enjoying performing such acts in front of others?" "You!" Zhao Kuangyi was fuming, incensed that Hao Jian was using his tone to insult him. "No need to argue anymore, you guys go ahead, I''ll take care of Xiaoxiao," Zhao Yating said helplessly, knowing that allowing Hao Jian and Zhao Kuangyi to continue together would definitely lead to a fight. Hao Jian then scoffed and left with Sun Xinya. "Zhao Yating, how can your teacher be such trash? How can such a person even be a teacher?" Zhao Kuangyi suddenly fumed, not only had Hao Jian hit him, but he also insulted him; this guy was too hateful. "Don''t talk about it anymore," Zhao Yating said, her complexion turning somewhat ugly. "Tomorrow I must go to your school and complain about him, he even gets students drunk, what kind of teacher is that? He''s absolutely a scoundrel! I''m sure he has ulterior motives!" Zhao Kuangyi asserted resolutely that Hao Jian was no good. "I said stop talking!" Zhao Yating finally burst out angrily at Zhao Kuangyi. Zhao Kuangyi was taken aback, "Why are you defending him so much, you couldn''t have fallen for him, could you?" "So what if I have?" Zhao Yating responded coldly, she did hope for Hao Jian, what of it, who said she couldn''t like Hao Jian? "You... how could you fall for him? But he''s a rogue!" Zhao Kuangyi said in shock, not expecting this to actually be true, that Zhao Yating had truly fallen for that rogue? Chapter 575 - 575: Press Conference "How do you know he''s a scoundrel? Have you ever interacted with him? Do you understand him? If you don''t know anything, then don''t talk nonsense!" Zhao Yating scolded harshly, annoyed by Zhao Kuangyi''s prejudgment. "Just a scoundrel, what''s there to like," Zhao Kuangyi muttered under his breath. "Yes, he is a scoundrel, but even if he is one, he wouldn''t fancy me!" Zhao Yating cried out of grievance, feeling bitter at the thought. If Zhao Kuangyi called Hao Jian a scoundrel, and Hao Jian didn''t like her, did that mean she was even worse than a scoundrel? "Hey, why are you crying? It''s just a scoundrel; is he really worth your tears?" Seeing Zhao Yating cry, Zhao Kuangyi suddenly panicked. He had always doted on his sister, from childhood until now, so he was naturally afraid seeing her like this. "What do you understand? He''s really nice, anyway people just like whatever they like!" Zhao Yating stubbornly said. "Dad won''t allow you to mess around like this, he''s arranged a blind date for you tonight. He specifically asked me to come and tell you, so get yourself ready and come home with me later!" Zhao Kuangyi commanded Zhao Yating. "I won''t!" Zhao Yating hated blind dates the most because they were too purpose-driven, and why should others meddle in her marriage? Zhao Yating grabbed Zhao Kuangyi''s hand and coaxed, "Brother, please go back and tell Dad I''m not feeling well and can''t come back today." Zhao Kuangyi shook his head, "There''s no way around it. He already knew you would react like this, so before coming here, he gave me a strict order. If you don''t go back, he will disown you!" "Let him disown me, who''s afraid of whom?" Zhao Yating said nonchalantly, but tears started swirling in her eyes. "Don''t be impulsive; I''m on your side. I''m giving you a chance. Bring that boyfriend of yours home tonight. If he can win over the old man, you''ll still have a chance. If not, you''ll just have to fend for yourself. This time, the old man is really keen on that guy, whose status and position are way above ours," Zhao Kuangyi cautioned. "So I''m just supposed to be a sacrificial lamb for a marriage alliance?" Zhao Yating said discontentedly. Zhao Kuangyi sighed, "What can we do? You''re part of the Zhao Family. Although I don''t believe that scoundrel can hold a candle to that guy, it''s still better to try than to give up without a fight." "But he''s not my boyfriend," Zhao Yating said hesitantly. How could she possibly approach Hao Jian? "Then let him pretend. If he''s not even willing to help you with this small favor, or if he''s scared, then such a man isn''t worth your affection," Zhao Kuangyi said indifferently. "Teacher Hao Jian wouldn''t be scared, he''s fearless!" Zhao Yating exclaimed loudly. She was confident in Hao Jian and sure that he would help if she asked. "I hope so," Zhao Kuangyi sneered, harboring a personal vendetta. Although it seemed like he was looking out for Zhao Yating, he also wanted to see Hao Jian humiliated, to repay the grievance from earlier today! "You''ll regret bringing him along!" Just then, a light voice chimed in; Che Xiaoxiao had woken up. "Why would you say that?" Zhao Kuangyi looked at Che Xiaoxiao with dissatisfaction. "Because you underestimate him. Since you underestimate him, you''ll surely try to humiliate him, and the moment you do, you''ll bring humiliation upon yourselves!" Che Xiaoxiao said with a slight smile, then slowly stood up and straightened her clothes. "Alright, I''m leaving. You should evaluate yourselves." Right after, Che Xiaoxiao pushed the door open and walked out. "Look at you, who are you associating with?" Zhao Kuangyi was exasperated. ....... Hao Jian and Sun Xinya arrived at the press conference venue, where a middle-aged woman wearing glasses and slightly overweight immediately greeted them anxiously, "Oh dear, why have you only arrived now? The press conference is about to start. Hurry up and get your makeup done." Ever since the last incident, Sun Xinya had changed her manager, and this woman was the new one. Sun Xinya quickly nodded, then said to Hao Jian, "Let''s go in." "Who is he? Sun Xinya, my dear, this is a press conference. You can''t bring unrelated people inside. What if the reporters take photos? Who knows what they''ll write about then?" The woman said helplessly. "Sister Qin, he''s not any unrelated person. He''s my... um, bodyguard!" Sun Xinya replied. Hao Jian was stunned. This woman really made him out to be a bodyguard? "Bodyguard?" Sister Qin was surprised upon hearing this and then scrutinized Hao Jian for a moment, saying with some dissatisfaction, "Sun Xinya, I don''t mean to criticize, but how could you let your bodyguard dress like a ragpicker? It''s embarrassing. Aren''t you paid well enough to buy him some decent clothes? You know you''re a public figure; not only do you need to look glamorous, but your bodyguard should too, otherwise, people will think we''re so low-class." Hearing this, Hao Jian glanced down at his clothing and felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. From this moment on, he began to dislike this Sister Qin. Sun Xinya couldn''t help but laugh, glaring at Hao Jian and teasing, "What''s the matter, can''t spare a few bucks to buy some decent clothes?" Hao Jian: "..." He felt an overwhelming urge to execute Sun Xinya right then and there. "Alright, alright, we''ll talk about this later. Hurry to the backstage; it''s getting late," Sister Qin urged. Then, Hao Jian went with Sun Xinya to the backstage, getting ready for the upcoming press conference. Sun Xinya was mainly there to promote her new song. She performed a tune at the conference and then started signing autographs for her fans. Hao Jian was bored out of his mind, yawning continuously. Sister Qin frowned disapprovingly at Hao Jian''s lazy demeanor, as he sat back in his chair, legs crossed. This was no bodyguard''s posture; this was the demeanor of a master! In her heart, Sister Qin decided she would have Sun Xinya fire Hao Jian afterwards. The autograph session with Sun Xinya and her fans was going smoothly at first, until a man wearing a duckbill cap and carrying a bag appeared. The man was dressed plainly, wearing sunglasses and a duckbill cap as if he was afraid of being noticed. At this moment, Hao Jian also frowned, his nose twitching, puzzled by the smell. Why was there an odor of feces? By then, the man had made his way into the crowd and slowly approached Sun Xinya. After the person in front of him finished getting an autograph, it would be his turn next. The man in the duckbill cap seemed to be adjusting the bag in his hand, as though he was preparing for something. Someone is really causing trouble? Hao Jian''s mind tensed up, knowing he could not just sit by any longer, so he stood up and walked toward the stage. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The man opened his bag, but just as he was about to act, a flying kick came out of nowhere, sending him flying. "Wow!" Everyone was shocked, and both Sun Xinya and Sister Qin were startled. Why was Hao Jian attacking someone for no reason? This was the venue of a new song release, with countless fans and reporters present! The reporters seized the moment, frantically snapping photos with their cameras. Seeing this, Sister Qin''s face turned sour, and then she walked up to Hao Jian and angrily demanded, "Have you lost your mind? Why are you assaulting a fan for no reason?" If this got reported, it could negatively impact Sun Xinya''s reputation, and as her company-appointed agent, it would surely affect her as well. "He''s not a fan." From the guy''s actions and attire, Hao Jian was certain he wasn''t a fan. His presence here was definitely to embarrass Sun Xinya. "Who says I''m not a fan? I am a loyal fan of Sun Xinya!" the man immediately shouted back, accusingly asking Sun Xinya, "Can''t I even get an autographed photo of my idol? Sun Xinya, I''ve liked you so much, and this is how you treat your fan?" Upon hearing this, Sun Xinya''s fans also wore odd expressions, feeling angry at the thought of being assaulted for asking for an autograph. "Sun Xinya, what''s the meaning of this? Why is your bodyguard hitting people randomly?" Sister Qin was furious and demanded an answer from Sun Xinya. "This..." Sun Xinya couldn''t explain and could only look at Hao Jian with confusion. "A fan, you say?" Just then, Hao Jian sneered as he walked toward the man. "What are you doing? You want to hit people again? Is there no law anymore? Fine, I''ll give up on Sun Xinya''s autograph¡ªI won''t support her anymore!" the man said angrily. Seeing Hao Jian''s actions, other fans couldn''t help but boil with rage, furious. Wasn''t one beating enough, and now he''s ready for a second? "You''re still pretending at this point?" Hao Jian grabbed the bag that had fallen to the ground. "What are you doing? That''s my stuff, give it back to me!" The man panicked instantly upon seeing this and reached out to snatch the bag from Hao Jian''s hands. "Fine, I''ll give it back to you!" Hao Jian kicked the ground and threw the bag back, then everyone saw it arc through the air, and a dark, mushy substance spilled out. The substance landed directly on the man''s head, and a disgusting stench immediately permeated the air. "So foul!" A group of people instantly covered their noses, nearly passing out from the overpowering stink. Sun Xinya and Sister Qin were stunned. Why did this man bring a bag of feces to a launch event? Their faces quickly turned grim, obviously realizing the reason. "You say you''re a fan of Sun Xinya, so tell me, why did you bring a bag of feces to Sun Xinya''s new song release?" Hao Jian asked with a cold laugh. Chapter 576 - 576: Making Trouble The man was drenched in manure from head to toe, utterly disgusting, extraordinarily vile. At this moment, the crowd finally snapped out of their daze and understood why Hao Jian had resorted to violence. Su Xinya''s complexion was ashen. If it hadn''t been for Hao Jian just now, she might have ended up in the man''s predicament. As a public figure, being splashed with manure would likely make headlines the next day, tarnishing her acting career! Sister Qin, too, was seething with anger but felt grateful towards Hao Jian. Had he not noticed the man''s actions early on, Xinya''s reputation would have been ruined. At this moment, the fans glared at the man with venomous eyes. "Call the police and get him arrested!" a fan said angrily. "Call the police? That''s letting him off too easy! Beat him to death!" an impulsive fan exclaimed. The man glared at Hao Jian with fury. If it hadn''t been for Hao Jian, his plan would have succeeded. Then, as if he had rehearsed it beforehand, the man pointed at Su Xinya and cursed loudly, "Su Xinya, you homewrecker, you''ve caused a family to fall apart¡ªyou won''t have a good end!" "What? Su Xinya is actually a mistress??" Everyone was stunned. "Quick, get a picture, this is big news!" the reporters frantically snapped photos. Su Xinya''s expression froze. She wasn''t foolish; she immediately realized someone was targeting her. If not with manure, then with slander. Hao Jian couldn''t help but frown. This guy must have been instigated by someone; Xinya must have offended someone recently. "What nonsense are you spouting? Our Xinya is pure and chaste. Since her debut, she has never even had a boyfriend¡ªhow could she possibly be someone''s mistress? Continue your slander, and I''ll sue you for defamation!" Sister Qin spoke furiously, incensed that someone wanted to smear mud on both Xinya and their company. "If she hasn''t done it, why would I be here? I came today just to get revenge on Su Xinya! You whore, you vixen, you''ve caused a family''s destruction¡ªyou''ll get your just deserts!" The man remained unruffled, directly confronting Sister Qin. His goal was simple: to tarnish Su Xinya''s reputation as much as possible. Even if he ended up in jail, it didn''t matter as long as he was paid. "Who exactly are you?" Su Xinya demanded coldly, her voice trembling with rage. "I''m a friend of the victim''s family member!" the man shouted back. "Don''t dare to reveal their identity? Or is there really no such person?" Su Xinya frowned, knowing she had not done such a thing. This guy was framing her, so he couldn''t name such a person. "Of course, I don''t dare say it. You have power and influence. What if you harm them? I''m just sickened by your actions and wanted to teach you a lesson!" the man claimed, clearly having prepared thoroughly before coming here and unafraid of Xinya''s interrogation. Hearing him say this, the reporters feverishly took notes, planning their stories. Hearing his claims, Su Xinya''s face turned beet red with shame and irritation. These people were ruthlessly intent on destroying her! This made the man''s reluctance to reveal who Su Xinya had supposedly wronged somewhat understandable. Xinya grew increasingly uneasy, aware that the public was more interested in gossip than actual news. If word spread that she had been a mistress and ruined someone''s family, whether true or not, it would impact her reputation. "So spouting nonsense isn''t against the law, and that makes you think you can act recklessly?" Hao Jian scoffed coldly, now angry. Setting aside the fact that he and Su Xinya were friends, his company was currently collaborating with Xinya. If she were slandered, his company would be affected, and he couldn''t stay out of the matter. "Every word I''ve spoken is the truth. If there''s even half a lie, may I not die a good death!" The man swore bitterly, his demeanor defiant. After all, these were just words; there wouldn''t really be any consequences. But Hao Jian just gave a strange smile, leaned in and whispered something in the man''s ear, "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure you get your wish and truly not die a good death." "What?" The man''s expression stiffened instantly. Was Hao Jian threatening him? He was about to protest and tell everyone about the threat when Hao Jian outspoke him. "What? You actually said you''d bring a group to gang-rape Su Xinya, then throw her into a brothel to ****? You''re despicable!" Hao Jian cried indignantly, his face a picture of righteous fury. "Huh?" The man was baffled¡ªhe clearly hadn''t said anything. "What, you dare insult my Goddess like that? I''ll beat you to death!" A burly man with a foot-scratching habit bellowed, pushing through the crowd toward them. Su Xinya was startled but quickly understood what was happening. She glared at Hao Jian, her eyes fierce. Although she knew Hao Jian was trying to help her, the words he chose were indeed disgusting. Talking about gang-raping her¡ªwas he trying to drag her through the mud? Seeing the burly man approaching, the man panicked and hurriedly tried to defend himself, "I didn''t..." S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But before he could speak, Hao Jian kicked him and cursed, "What, you actually want to make Su Xinya your ****? To **** her day and night, turn her into a sow? People like you are utterly deranged, daring to speak about such a pure and pristine Goddess like that, I can''t stand it!" From a distance, Su Xinya, filled with seething rage, but not towards that man¡ªtowards Hao Jian. Was this guy taking revenge on her in a roundabout way for the arrow last night? Hearing the words "sow" and "****," Su Xinya felt her face flush with embarrassment. And when Su Xinya''s fans heard Hao Jian say that, they glared at that man with murderous intent. Su Xinya was a Goddess in their hearts, a sacred being not to be defiled, yet this guy dared to insult Su Xinya? All fans harbored dreams, especially the male fans, always fantasizing about one day being with their idol. And now, to have another man insult Su Xinya like this, it enraged them greatly. "Wuwuwu..." The man tried to speak, but Hao Jian just stepped on his face, giving him no chance to explain. At that moment, even Hao Jian was struggling to keep his disgust in, for the guy was covered in feces, and by stepping on him, Hao Jian''s foot was now stained as well. "Su Xinya, oh Su Xinya, you better remember the favor I did for you today," Hao Jian muttered to himself. If only he knew that Su Xinya was already thinking of killing him, what would his feelings be? "Don''t mess around, if someone dies, you''ll go to prison!" some of the more rational fans advised. The man, hearing this, almost cried out of gratitude. Yes, yes, don''t mess around ¡ª assaulting people is a crime! "What''s there to fear, the law does not punish the masses, with so many people beating him, how would he know who did it?" But Hao Jian''s words sent that man''s spirits plummeting. Some fans were still hesitant, but after hearing Hao Jian''s words, they thought it made sense, and with no further consideration, they rushed towards the man. At that moment, the man wished he could flay Hao Jian alive, that damn bastard was setting him up. And as those angry fans got closer, the corners of Hao Jian''s mouth curled into a sinister smile. He whispered into the man''s ear, "See? You''re not the only one who can spout nonsense!" Immediately after, he withdrew to the side, paying no mind to the astonished man. Those fans, like a pack of rabid wolves onto a flock of sheep, paid no heed to the repulsive feces on him, pummeling and kicking him mercilessly. In a short while, the venue echoed with a pitiful, blood-curdling scream. The journalists weren''t about to miss this opportunity and quickly picked up their cameras to snap fervently. "I didn''t expect that, you look like a ruffian, but you''ve got some tricks," Sister Qin walked over and said to Su Xinya. "Not too bad," Su Xinya forced a laugh. If only Hao Jian hadn''t said all that messed up stuff, it would have been better. Hao Jian slowly walked up to Su Xinya and asked, "How about it, I''ve solved another problem for you." Feeling a tingling irritation, Su Xinya snapped, "What was that nonsense you spewed just now?" "Oh, that stuff? I had to, given no choice. If I hadn''t said that, how would I have drawn their ire? Without drawing their ire, how would these fans have beaten him up?" Hao Jian curled his lip, "Now I''ve shifted public opinion elsewhere. Everyone will think that this guy is being unreasonable, a hooligan, and no one will sympathize with him, let alone stand by him. All we need now is to clarify the matter." "You dare say there was no intention to get back at me in there? I don''t believe it!" Su Xinya scoffed coldly. "Alright, I admit there was a bit of that mixed in," Hao Jian sheepishly scratched his head, then corrected, "But overall, I was trying to help you. Look at my foot; I even stepped in poop for you!" Hao Jian extended his foot for Su Xinya to see. "Get lost! Disgusting!" Su Xinya hurriedly covered her mouth and nose, retreating as she glared disdainfully at Hao Jian¡ªnot wanting to see a pile of poop. "You really break my heart. I help you so much and you just despise me like that?" Hao Jian said unhappily, annoyed that Su Xinya was too pragmatic, and he stepped forward again. "Back off! Or I''ll scream!" Su Xinya yelled, threatening him. "..." Soon after, the police arrived, led by Ma Zifeng. Seeing Hao Jian at the scene, Ma Zifeng immediately came over, greeting him respectfully, "Mr. Hao Jian, you''re here as well?" Chapter 577 - 577: What Are You Laughing At? Seeing this, Sister Qin was immediately dumbfounded. Hadn''t Xinya said that Hao Jian was her bodyguard? Then why did even a police station captain have to be so polite to him? "This person disrupted the new song release party and tried to throw feces at Miss Su. You must handle this seriously!" Hao Jian said earnestly. "Rest assured, Mr. Hao Jian, I will handle it seriously!" Ma Zifeng nodded. "Also, remember to investigate who directed him. I want to thoroughly clarify this matter!" Hao Jian spoke coldly, not allowing anyone to cause trouble at this time. Now, everyone knew that Xinya was his spokesperson. When someone targeted Xinya, it was the same as crossing him. Ma Zifeng nodded solemnly again, aware that Hao Jian wanted to handle this matter seriously. The man was then taken away, but Xinya still wanted to continue signing autographs for the fans. "Don''t continue signing now. This is a perfect opportunity to gain the fans'' sympathy. You should show a frightened expression," Hao Jian advised. Xinya was stunned, unable to see that this guy was so calculating. Then, Hao Jian looked towards Sister Qin and said, "You should know what to do now without me saying, right?" Sister Qin also quickly nodded, knowing what Hao Jian meant. But she had not expected Hao Jian to be so clever, even knowing to use the public''s sympathy. Immediately after, Hao Jian escorted Xinya backstage without continuing the autograph session. Xinya''s fans, seeing her leave, all showed their discontent. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Why did Xinya leave? She hasn''t signed for me yet." "Exactly, Xinya, please come back!" "Did she go to the bathroom?" At this moment, Sister Qin took the stage, holding a microphone and formally announced, "I''m very sorry, everyone. I think we can''t continue with the new song release party. After the incident just now, Xinya is already frightened, and we can''t guarantee that no more crazies will appear, so we can''t continue with the signings. I''m going to take Xinya to rest now, and I hope the true fans of Xinya can understand." Upon hearing this, a wail of disappointment rose from the crowd. Everyone was disappointed, but they could understand. After all, Xinya, a young girl, would definitely be terrified by such an incident. The person they now hated was not Xinya but the man who ruined everything. If it weren''t for that man, Xinya wouldn''t have had to cancel this music release halfway through. This way, Hao Jian successfully diverted all the fan''s hatred toward that man. Then, Hao Jian went with Xinya and others to meet with Ma Zifeng at the police station; naturally, Director Lin was also there. Director Lin warmly grabbed Hao Jian''s hand, "Mr. Hao Jian, didn''t expect to meet again so soon!" Seeing how even Director Lin was so eager to please, Sister Qin was completely baffled. She pulled Xinya aside: "Tell me the truth, is he really your bodyguard? Even Director Lin is so polite to him, and he has never been that courteous with our boss!" "He''s actually my friend," Xinya said with a slight smile, knowing it was no longer possible to hide the truth, so she decided to tell Sister Qin the reality. "Your friend?" Sister Qin was instantly surprised and then joyfully exclaimed, "When did you make such a powerful friend, and why didn''t you tell me?" "What''s there to say about such a thing?" Xinya couldn''t help but laugh. She didn''t plan to use Hao Jian for anything; they were just ordinary friends. "You don''t understand, relationships should be utilized. If you ask him to help with this matter, it will definitely get resolved smoothly. You wouldn''t want a stain in your acting career, would you?" Sister Qin said earnestly, believing that Hao Jian could settle the matter. "Don''t worry, he will surely settle this matter because he is now in the same boat as us," Xinya said with a smile. "What do you mean?" Sister Qin was immediately puzzled. Why was Xinya so sure? "Because he is the Vice Chairman of Shu Ya Group. If I get any negative publicity, wouldn''t his group also be tainted?" Xinya chuckled slyly. Hearing this, Sister Qin was immediately shocked: "What, he''s the Vice Chairman of Shu Ya Group?" Having heard a bit about the Vice Chairman, Sister Qin knew he was a formidable person, practically ruling over Hua City. She just hadn''t expected that Xinya would know such a figure. Immediately, Sister Qin let out a strange laugh, "Xinya, I didn''t expect this. You''ve quietly snagged yourself a golden bachelor!" "What nonsense are you spouting? He and I are just friends!" Su Xinya said discontentedly, disliking the way Sister Qin spoke, as if her being with Hao Jian meant she must like him, and it made her seem as if she were pandering to him. "Friends can develop into something more, too. He''s even more influential than our boss. If you could connect with him, you might become a top domestic actress," Sister Qin said, suggesting that just getting Hao Jian to invest in a few films where Su Xinya starred as the lead would significantly boost her fame. "Right now I just want to sing peacefully, I don''t want to think about anything else!" Su Xinya said coldly, signaling Sister Qin to stop talking. "Alright, we''ll talk about this later." Sister Qin also realized Su Xinya wasn''t interested and dared not continue. At that moment, Hao Jian smiled and said to Lin Nantian, "Director Lin, what are you doing? You''re a senior official, and here I am, just an ordinary citizen. How can you receive me with such formality?" "You must be joking. In Hua City, no one dares to call you a mere citizen," Lin Nantian replied with a smile. Hao Jian didn''t want to linger on this topic and asked, "By the way, have you clarified the identity of the man who was just arrested?" Lin Nantian nodded, saying, "The criminal''s name is Zuo Xinglong, thirty-two, a Taoist Friend. He does nothing worthwhile in Hua City, always sneaking around. We investigated him once before." "What''s a Taoist Friend?" Su Xinya asked, puzzled. "A Taoist Friend is a drug addict," Hao Jian replied, and then asked Lin Nantian, "Has that Zuo Xinglong not confessed who instructed him?" Lin Nantian shook his head and said, "No, that guy''s really tough, doesn''t matter whether we threaten or entice him, he''s not willing to speak." Hearing this, Hao Jian suddenly sneered, "It seems his instigator gave him quite a substantial sum, must be a few million at least!" If there weren''t such a huge monetary temptation, Zuo Xinglong would never stay silent like this. Hao Jian couldn''t help but admire how clever the person behind Zuo Xinglong was, finding someone like Zuo Xinglong who was greedy, and then having him do these tasks. Because he knew Zuo Xinglong would do anything for money and would obediently keep quiet. "Take me inside," Hao Jian said to Lin Nantian, wanting to meet Zuo Xinglong personally. Hao Jian walked in and saw Zuo Xinglong, all drenched. There was no choice because, when Zuo Xinglong arrived, he was covered in excrement, which stunk up the police officers badly. They had no choice but to throw him into the water bath for a rinse before they could bring him out for questioning. At this moment, Hao Jian finally saw Zuo Xinglong''s true appearance, his face gaunt, his jawbone distinctly visible, his eye sockets deeply sunken, skin pale and dull, his eyes bloodshot. His appearance made it clear he was a drug user. Seeing Hao Jian enter, a fierce glint flashed in Zuo Xinglong''s eyes, filled with silent loathing. Because if not for Hao Jian, his operation this time would have been successfully completed, allowing him to earn a higher payoff. But Hao Jian''s appearance ruined it all. Now, he was out at least a million in rewards and covered in filth. How could he not be angry? It could be said that Zuo Xinglong now harbored murderous intentions towards Hao Jian. "Hello there, didn''t expect to see you again so soon," Hao Jian said, grinning as he walked in, nonchalantly and sat down in front of Zuo Xinglong. "I won''t say anything!" Zuo Xinglong stated firmly, aware of what Hao Jian intended to interrogate. "Are you really not afraid of going to jail? This is malicious defamation and attempted assault, a minimum of three years. Once you''re out, you''ll be marked as an ex-con," Su Xinya interjected. "It''s useless. Under the pretext of money, any moral restraint can be forsaken. Besides, someone like him has no concept of morality!" Hao Jian said coldly, sneering. If Zuo Xinglong really cared, he wouldn''t have committed these deeds. Hearing this, Zuo Xinglong sneered, revealing nicotine-stained teeth. "You''re right. I really don''t care about going to jail. It''s just as well, I have a drug habit, and it''ll be like going in to detox. Once I''m out, luxury and riches await, hahaha..." Hearing this, Su Xinya suddenly felt disillusioned. She was too naive and hadn''t realized the evil in the world. She never expected that someone like Zuo Xinglong could exist¡ªutterly despicable. Upon hearing Zuo Xinglong say this, Lin Nantian and some of the policemen couldn''t help but burst out laughing, some even to the point of tears, continuously banging the table. They didn''t know whether to call Zuo Xinglong naive or foolish. Was this guy too amusing? Seeing this, Zuo Xinglong was startled and asked, "What are you laughing at?" And Su Xinya and Sister Qin both looked puzzled. Was there something funny in what Zuo Xinglong said? They didn''t see the humor in it. Chapter 578 - 578 Law and Authority "You''ve offended Mr. Hao Jian and still dream of walking out of prison alive?" Lin Nantian began to sneer. "Whether you can even walk into prison alive is still a question, and here you are dreaming of walking out. You must have a really nice dream, thinking you can just squat for a few years and then leave. I''m afraid you''ll have money but no life to spend it!" Another officer sneered along. "You really must be stupid to cause trouble for Mr. Hao Jian." Upon hearing this, Zuo Xinglong was instantly stunned, staring at Hao Jian with a wooden look. Was Hao Jian really that terrifying? Su Xinya and Sister Qin were also lost in shock. "Are you sure you''ll still have a life to walk in and then out again?" At this point, Hao Jian gazed at Zuo Xinglong and said this very seriously. "Are you threatening me? If you dare do anything to me, I''ll have my lawyer sue you!" Zuo Xinglong roared, his heart trembling with fear, but he did not want to yield just like that because if he did, he would lose everything. "Then let your lawyer sue me!" Hearing this, Hao Jian instantly laughed and then turned to address Lin Nantian. Lin Nantian, being extremely clever, instantly understood what Hao Jian wanted to do and told his subordinates, "Turn off the camera!" Instantly, an officer took out a toolbox and said to Hao Jian, "Mr. Hao Jian, all the tools are prepared for you." Hao Jian rummaged through the toolbox, finding a wrench, a hammer, and other items. Seeing this, Zuo Xinglong and Su Xinya were scared witless; they finally realized what Hao Jian intended to do. At that moment, Hao Jian had selected a hammer, weighed it in his hand, and then walked towards Zuo Xinglong with a laugh. "What are you doing? You want to torture me? I''ll sue you, this is illegal! Police, stop him!" Zuo Xinglong screamed in terror; Huffman was actually going to use torture on him? "I can''t see anything!" Lin Nantian simply turned away. "We can''t see anything either!" All the officers turned their backs. Su Xinya and Sister Qin were dumfounded. Although they both knew Hao Jian had tremendous influence, they had not expected it to be this vast. Now, it had almost reached the point of doing whatever he pleased. And Zuo Xinglong''s face turned ashen in an instant; he could clearly see these guys were not going to help him. Holding the hammer in his hand, Hao Jian walked up to Zuo Xinglong and chuckled before asking, "Are you sure you won''t speak?" "Don''t think I''ll be scared just like that. I''m telling you, I, Zuo Xinglong, am not a pushover!" Zuo Xinglong stubbornly said. For the sake of money, he had to gamble¡ªeven being beaten meant nothing. "You''re only this tough because you think I just want to beat you up," Hao Jian scoffed. Zuo Xinglong''s expression froze. Wasn''t that the case? "If that''s what you think, then you''re gravely mistaken. I''m going to kill you!" Hao Jian said with a menacing glare at Zuo Xinglong. Zuo Xinglong was suddenly terrified, anxiously saying, "You can''t do this; this is a police station. You should go through the proper judicial process, not violent law enforcement!" "For scum like you, there''s no need for so-called judicial process!" Hao Jian said indifferently before the hammer came crashing down. "Bang!" "Ah!" The sound of the impact and Zuo Xinglong''s screams came almost at the same time. Su Xinya and Sister Qin were startled by the ferocity of Hao Jian and quickly turned their heads away, daring not to look again. Upon looking down, Zuo Xinglong let out an even more piercing scream, this time not from pain, but from fright. He could see that one of his hands had become completely pulverized, utterly deflated and severely deformed. "One hand is wasted, next comes the second, followed by your two legs, and finally here!" Hao Jian pointed with the hammer at Zuo Xinglong''s hands and feet, finally resting it on the spot above Zuo Xinglong''s head. He was telling Zuo Xinglong that he was going to torture him first and then kill him. "You can''t do this, this is murder, you''re breaking the law! The law will punish you!" Zuo Xinglong cried out loud. He was truly scared now; this man was terrifying. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But Hao Jian ignored him and continued to walk over, asking, "Do you know the difference between law and power?" Zuo Xinglong stared blankly, confused as he looked at Hao Jian, not understanding what he meant. "Let me give you an example. A criminal is sentenced to death by the judge, that''s the law; but a criminal is pardoned by the king and declared innocent, that... is power!" Hao Jian said with a smile that wasn''t quite a smile. He stared at Zuo Xinglong, an ominous smile forming at the corner of his mouth. And Zuo Xinglong was completely dumbstruck; although he was an uncultured brute, he could understand these simple words. Hao Jian''s words not only shocked Zuo Xinglong but also stunned Su Xinya and the others. Hao Jian''s words were extremely arrogant, yet they conveyed an unquestionable sense of authority, exuding an oppressive dominance. Was Hao Jian implying that he was that king, because with power, he could rule over life and death? And seeing the puzzlement in Zuo Xinglong''s eyes, Hao Jian also sneered, "You guessed right, I am the King! Now, as far as I''m concerned, if I want you to live, you must live, and if I want you to die, you must die!" "If you kill me, you''ll never know who sent me!" Zuo Xinglong said, trembling, reminding Hao Jian not to act impulsively. "Who says? Finding that person is just a matter of time. Who says I absolutely need your help?" But Hao Jian scoffed and raised the hammer to strike again. "Stop! I''ll talk! I''ll tell you everything!" Zuo Xinglong was utterly frightened and nodded quickly. "Speak!" Hao Jian commanded coldly. "I don''t know who he is, he didn''t tell me his name. He''s a fatty. He found me in an alley and then gave me this task, telling me to do this," Zuo Xinglong confessed truthfully. "Then you are of no use to me!" Hao Jian sneered and then brought down the hammer directly. "No, no, no, I remember his license plate number! His license plate number is..." Zuo Xinglong hurriedly said. Without waiting for Hao Jian to speak, Lin Nantian quickly stepped out and then had someone investigate the owner of the license plate number. Before long, Lin Nantian returned and came to Hao Jian''s side, "Mr. Hao Jian, this license plate number belongs to a man called Xu Rongde." "Xu Rongde?" Su Xinya was startled, exclaiming involuntarily. "You know this Xu Rongde?" Hao Jian was surprised by Su Xinya''s reaction which clearly indicated she knew Xu Rongde. "He is the chairman of HK Entertainment Company, our company''s archenemy!" Sister Qin said with a ghastly expression. Hao Jian showed a look of understanding; everything then made sense. It was Su Xinya''s rival company wanting to target them, stirring up all these troubles. "I''ve told you all I know, can you let me go now?" Zuo Xinglong pleaded. "Let you go? You wish. I would be letting you off too easy if I don''t kill you!" Hao Jian snorted coldly. Following that, Zuo Xinglong didn''t dare make a sound, now feeling an instinctive fear towards Hao Jian. He knew his confession had only just saved his life by a hair''s breadth, wishing for a reward was out of the question. "I will definitely tell the boss about this affair!" Sister Qin said fiercely; they couldn''t let Xu Rongde get away with targeting them like this. "No need, I will handle this matter," Hao Jian declared. "Alright, alright, we''ll leave it in your hands then!" Sister Qin quickly agreed, overjoyed to see someone with more influence than their boss take charge; if Hao Jian was willing to lend a hand, he could deal with Xu Rongde in minutes. "Sister Qin!" Su Xinya pushed Sister Qin angrily. What was she saying? Why should they let Hao Jian deal with this? Sister Qin didn''t dare to speak again. Ignoring whether Su Xinya agreed or not, Hao Jian then turned to Zuo Xinglong, "How much money did Xu Rongde give you to do this job?" "Three million," Zuo Xinglong replied, not daring to hide anything. "I''ll also give you three million. Betray him and act as a tainted witness, how about that?" Hao Jian offered. "Yes, yes, yes." Zuo Xinglong nodded eagerly. He had thought he was heading straight for prison but now saw a chance to earn money; it was too good to be true, almost like a dream. "Hao Jian, we can handle this ourselves," Su Xinya spoke up. But Hao Jian waved his hand dismissively, "No more words; I will take care of this. Our group is on the eve of releasing a new product, and I won''t allow any mishaps. With your boss''s resources, even if you could resolve it, it would take forever, and I don''t want to waste time." Then, Hao Jian turned to Lin Nantian, "Keep a close eye on this guy, and have him testify in court later." "Understood!" Lin Nantian immediately nodded. "I''ll take you home," Hao Jian said to Su Xinya just then. "Okay!" Su Xinya had no choice but to accept. Hao Jian then drove Su Xinya and Sister Qin back to their place. But as soon as they got out of the car, a man approached them. The man was dressed in a suit and looked neat and concerned as he approached Su Xinya, "Xinya, are you alright?" "Sun Yibo? What are you doing here?" Su Xinya was clearly surprised by the unexpected visit and felt merely surprised, not particularly pleased. Behind Su Xinya, Hao Jian was also taken aback; he had been contemplating when to meet Sun Yibo, not expecting to run into him so soon. Because Sun Yibo had previously taken Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating fishing, which resulted in them being attacked by a monster, nearly leading to their deaths, Hao Jian had always held a grudge against this man. Chapter 579 - 579: Xu Rongde If it hadn''t been for the tight schedule, he would have directly gone to confront that guy. Hao Jian had noticed Sun Yibo, but Sun Yibo had not noticed him, or rather, he had noticed Hao Jian but had failed to recognize him. "Me? I heard about what happened at your new song release event today, so I was very worried and came here to see you. Don''t worry, this matter won''t end like this. I will definitely have my father catch the instigator behind this!" Sun Yibo assured with a vow. Clearly, Sun Yibo was a suitor of Su Xinya, He knew about today''s event and realized that this was when Su Xinya needed comfort, so he hurried to her side, aiming to take advantage of the situation. "No need, someone is handling this matter already," said Su Xinya indifferently, well aware of Sun Yibo''s interest in her, though she had no interest in him. "Who?" Sun Yibo immediately frowned. Who had ruined his plan? "It''s him, Mr. Hao Jian," Sister Qin quickly pointed to Hao Jian standing behind Su Xinya. As Sun Yibo turned to look at Hao Jian and saw his ragged and simple clothes, his face immediately showed disdain: "Him? A migrant worker? What can he possibly do?" "Sun Yibo, watch your mouth. Hao Jian is not a migrant worker!" Su Xinya rebuked coldly, displeased with Sun Yibo''s insult towards Hao Jian. Being rebuked by Su Xinya, Sun Yibo''s expression turned somewhat gloomy. Su Xinya was actually insulting him for such a man? Had she gone mad? Sun Yibo then said with a hint of contempt, "Not a migrant worker, then what? Does this guy have anything worthy of respect? He doesn''t even own a single piece of designer clothing." "In your eyes, is designer clothing a symbol of status?" Su Xinya scoffed. This was why she disliked Sun Yibo; he was too superficial, always judging by appearances. "Of course, designer clothing is a symbol of status, a reflection of social standing. Only those with a certain status can afford designer labels. He has nothing, just rags¡ªtelling me he''s capable is something I won''t believe!" Sun Yibo snorted. "Whether you believe it or not is your business, not mine. Move aside!" Su Xinya rebuked coldly, no longer in the mood to talk to Sun Yibo. Sun Yibo''s expression froze. Su Xinya was actually getting angry at him because of Hao Jian? She couldn''t possibly be attracted to Hao Jian, that bumpkin, could she? Sun Yibo couldn''t accept it. Su Xinya didn''t like him, a tall, wealthy, and handsome man, yet she liked Hao Jian, a penniless nobody? "Su Xinya, think carefully. How could such a guy truly help you? Only I am the one who can truly help you!" Sun Yibo stood in front of Su Xinya, refusing to leave, his demeanor becoming somewhat forceful. Su Xinya chuckled dryly and asked, "Really? And what price would I have to pay?" Su Xinya certainly didn''t believe there was such a thing as a free lunch in this world¡ªSun Yibo must have had an ulterior motive! "All you have to do is agree to marry me, and then your problems will become mine," Sun Yibo said with conviction, without a trace of embarrassment. "Sun Yibo, are you even more shameless than I thought?" Su Xinya shook her head and laughed coldly, now seeing Sun Yibo clearly. Sun Yibo was truly taking advantage of her vulnerable situation, making things worse. "Su Xinya, I''m doing this for your sake. With my family''s social standing, once you marry me, you would be a wealthy lady, no longer needing to perform as a singer!" Sun Yibo advised. "Perform as a singer? You actually say I perform? Well, fine, I like singing! So what? I''d rather sing for a lifetime than be your woman!" Su Xinya snorted coldly, realizing that in Sun Yibo''s eyes, she was just a singer. She chose to sing because she loved it, not because she wanted to secure a marriage into a wealthy family through it. She had never lacked suitors. If she had wished to marry into a wealthy family, she would have done so long ago! She didn''t want to marry because, in her eyes, she herself was from a wealthy background! At Su Xinya''s words, Sun Yibo''s expression turned ugly: "Su Xinya, you''re being too impulsive. This isn''t good." "Are you done? If so, can you leave now?" Su Xinya also became less polite, no longer wishing to see Sun Yibo''s face. "Su Xinya, you''re pushing me. I''ve been wholeheartedly good to you, yet you ungratefully reject me. If that''s the case, don''t blame me for being ruthless!" Sun Yibo''s expression became sinister. "What are you planning to do?" Sister Qin suddenly became nervous, staring intently at Sun Yibo. "I know some people are deliberately targeting you. What do you think would happen if the Sun Family also got involved?" Sun Yibo said with a sinister smile. "Sun Yibo, you''re really scum! Just because I rejected you, you would threaten me like this to make me comply?" Su Xinya shouted coldly, her nose slightly wrinkled, her expression also filled with anger. "This is the only way to make you understand my feelings for you. Su Xinya, I really like you. Just agree to me!" Sun Yibo pretended to plead earnestly. "In your dreams!" Su Xinya shouted angrily. Even if this incident would ruin her reputation, she would never yield to Sun Yibo. With a cold glint in his eyes, Sun Yibo smirked sinisterly: "Then don''t blame me for ruining you!" "I originally thought you were just a coward, but now it seems you are not only a coward but also detestable!" Just then, a light voice entered Sun Yibo''s eardrum. Sun Yibo glared, his gaze wandering over Hao Jian''s body, and then he said discontentedly, "Who the hell are you to talk about me? Are you looking to die? Let me tell you, for someone like you, a migrant worker, I could throw out a few hundred thousand to have you chopped up into a cripple!" Hao Jian looked at Sun Yibo with a light smile, "Have you really forgotten me?" Upon hearing this, both Su Xinya and Sun Yibo were startled. Did Hao Jian actually know Sun Yibo? "Do we know each other?" Sun Yibo also looked confused, then quickly shook his head, "Impossible, I absolutely couldn''t possibly know a bum like you. Are you trying to suck up to me? Let me tell you, no way!" "Sucking up to you? You wish," Hao Jian snorted disdainfully. Sun Yibo really knew how to overrate himself. "Hao Jian, do you know him?" Su Xinya couldn''t help but ask Hao Jian. "He almost killed Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao before," Hao Jian told Su Xinya. "What?" Su Xinya suddenly looked shocked. Sun Yibo had almost killed Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao? What had he done? "You were that man that day?" Sun Yibo was also stunned, hearing Hao Jian say this, he finally remembered. Hao Jian was the man who killed that monster with his bare hands that day. No wonder he had felt that Hao Jian looked familiar as soon as he saw him; it turned out it was for this reason. He had seen him before. Immediately, Sun Yibo became somewhat uneasy, because, in his view, Hao Jian was even more terrifying than that monster. He had indeed framed Hao Jian before, having once had the police deal with him, who knew if Hao Jian harbored any grudges against him. After that incident occurred, he was still a bit worried that Hao Jian would come for revenge. Fortunately, Hao Jian had never come looking for him, so he gradually let his guard down, only to unexpectedly encounter Hao Jian here again. "I never came looking for you, are you disappointed?" Hao Jian stepped forward and walked toward Sun Yibo. "What do you want to do?" Sun Yibo looked at Hao Jian nervously, somewhat fearful. Could this guy be thinking of killing someone here? "Last time you managed to escape, but this time, you won''t be able to run away!" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh, grabbing Sun Yibo with one hand. In front of Hao Jian, Sun Yibo was as weak as a chicken, and was violently thrown to the ground, directly dazed and confused. "I am a member of the Sun Family; don''t mess around, otherwise, I will definitely have the Sun Family retaliate against you!" Sun Yibo warned. "The Sun Family, huh? Don''t worry, I won''t let them go!" Hao Jian stepped on Sun Yibo''s knee, directly breaking one of his legs. "Ah!" Sun Yibo screamed grievously, his voice piercingly loud, carrying over a hundred meters. "You ran quite fast before, but from now on, you''ll have to learn to move around in a wheelchair!" Hao Jian showed no mercy, immediately disabling Sun Yibo''s other leg as well. But Hao Jian did not kill him, after all, this was at Su Xinya''s residence, and now Su Xinya was embroiled in a scandal. If a murder happened, it would only make things worse for Su Xinya. By this time, Sun Yibo had completely passed out. "You guys go inside, I''ll take care of this trash," Hao Jian told Su Xinya and the others. Su Xinya didn''t refuse, responding, "Just remember not to take a life." "Don''t worry, I know what I''m doing," Hao Jian said, then he carried Sun Yibo outside, found an isolated garbage dump to shamelessly throw Sun Yibo into, and then ran off with tremendous flair. Just as he was preparing to head home, Zhao Yating called him, asking him to come to her house to play the role of her boyfriend, and Hao Jian naturally agreed promptly, then rushed to Zhao Yating''s location. Upon arrival, Hao Jian found both Zhao Yating and Zhao Kuangyi were there, and Zhao Kuangyi hummed discontentedly upon seeing him, clearly not very keen on interacting with him. But Hao Jian didn''t mind. After all, he wasn''t there to help Zhao Kuangyi. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Mr. Hao Jian, Su Xinya is fine. I just checked the news; someone caused a disturbance at her new song release event," Zhao Yating said anxiously. "Don''t worry, the situation has been taken care of, she''s fine," Hao Jian replied, indicating that Su Xinya was alright. "That''s good, I never expected there would be such people. Mr., you must catch the hidden scheme behind this," Zhao Yating said with concern. Chapter 580 - 580: Strongly Keeping the Appointment Hao Jian chuckled and nodded, "I already know who did it, and soon I''ll be able to send him to the dungeon." "Enough with the chitchat, okay? We still have a lot of work to deal with," Zhao Kuangyi interrupted Hao Jian. Zhao Yating glared at her brother dissatisfiedly before turning her head towards Hao Jian, "Teacher, shall we go?" sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Kid, let me tell you, the match my dad found for Zhao Yating isn''t just anyone¡ªhe''s Liang Jiankun from the Four Young Masters of Hua City. But with your status, I guess you wouldn''t know who Liang Jiankun is, right?" Zhao Kuangyi said mockingly. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian was also somewhat surprised. He hadn''t expected that Liang Jiankun would actually be Zhao Yating''s arranged date. Was this some kind of cursed fate? It seemed that his own entanglement with Liang Jiankun really was inextricable. If Liang Jiankun knew that he was about to spoil his opportunity again, Hao Jian wondered what his feelings would be. However, Hao Jian was more than willing to do so! "I''ve heard a thing or two," Hao Jian humbly replied. "So you know who Liang Jiankun is, yet you still dare to go?" Zhao Kuangyi asked teasingly. "Liang Jiankun and I are old friends. I believe that if I just talk to him, he will change his mind," Hao Jian said confidently. "Keep dreaming. With your status, you could actually know someone like Liang Jiankun? I don''t buy it!" Zhao Kuangyi looked at Hao Jian with contempt, convinced the guy was bluffing. "If you don''t believe me, you''ll see once we get there. Liang Jiankun will definitely give me face and give up on marrying Zhao Yating," Hao Jian replied, not the least bit angry, confident in his ability to make Liang Jiankun change his mind¡ªat the cost of Liang Jiankun hating him even more. "What if you can''t do it?" "Then I''ll kneel down and lick your shoes. But if I do, then you''ll strip naked, run three laps around the place where you live, and yell ''I am a pervert'' three times. Do you dare?" Hao Jian asked provocatively. "No problem. If you can get Liang Jiankun to give up thoughts of marrying my sister, I''ll play the pervert once!" Zhao Kuangyi snorted coldly. He just didn''t believe that Hao Jian could actually know Liang Jiankun. Zhao Yating panicked when she heard this, urging, "Brother, no!" Zhao Kuangyi might not understand Hao Jian, but she knew him all too well. To her, Zhao Kuangyi''s actions were tantamount to courting death! "What are you afraid of? Do you actually think this guy really knows Liang Jiankun? Anyway, I don''t believe it!" Zhao Kuangyi said with disdain. He knew that Liang Jiankun didn''t have friends; he had made inquiries about it. With that, Zhao Yating had no more to say and let it be. "What are we waiting for then? Hurry up," Hao Jian said, eager to watch the show unfold. Meanwhile, outside of the Zhao Family''s gates. "Young Master, why do you want to be in-laws with the Zhao Family? The Zhaos have had development issues in recent years, and they''ve reportedly been losing money. If we join them in marriage, won''t we be dragged down too?" a confidant asked Liang Jiankun, puzzled. Liang Jiankun immediately let out a chuckle, "Who told you that marrying into their family means we have to help them? Right now it''s old Zhao Hanlin who''s buttering me up, so he should be the one to show enough sincerity first to persuade me to marry into his family. Only then might I consider helping them solve their company''s financial crisis." Suddenly, Liang Jiankun''s eyes flashed with an ambitious glint as he continued, "I''ve always been interested in the engineering team controlled by the Zhao Family. It''s said to include some of the world''s most famous engineers. If I can merge with it, it will be a great boon for the Liang Family." The Zhao Family was renowned in construction, with many excellent engineers working for them, and it was these engineers that Liang Jiankun coveted. If he could marry into the Zhao Family, he would have the chance to acquire these engineers and the building technology controlled by the Zhao Family. Once he had completely stolen all of the Zhao Family''s technology, he could kick the Zhao Family to the curb, and there would be nothing they could do about it. "Brilliant! Just brilliant! By doing this, Young Master, you''ll have both wealth and a beautiful woman! I heard that even though Zhao Hanlin looks like a pig, his treasured daughter Zhao Yating is quite a beauty. I also heard she has never had a boyfriend¡ªmaybe even a virgin!" the confidant said with a lewd smirk. "Oh? That''s quite the treat," Liang Jiankun was taken aback. In this day and age, virgins were as rare as pandas. "If that girl is willing to behave, I might allow her to become my mistress," Liang Jiankun said indifferently. However, he did not want Zhao Yating to be his primary wife because, in his view, she did not have the qualifications. His woman had to be from a family as influential as his own, someone who could benefit his clan. "Now, be quiet!" Liang Jiankun ordered his subordinate, as they had arrived at Zhao Hanlin''s doorstep. Liang Jiankun pressed the doorbell, and soon the door was opened. The man who opened the door was a portly balding middle-aged man who, like all successful middle-aged men, boasted a beer belly and had the look of a boss¡ªthis was Zhao Hanlin. His hair had some gray and his face showed a few wrinkles, making him look not so young anymore. Perhaps it was the recent business operations wearing him down, but he appeared fatigued, his eyes filled with blood vessels and slightly sunken. "Jiankun, you finally made it. If you hadn''t come soon, I would have had to personally come looking for you," Zhao Hanlin laughed heartily. True to a businessman, he was adept at socializing and quickly made himself familiar. Liang Jiankun, however, sneered inwardly upon seeing this. It seemed that the Zhao Family''s situation was even more severe than the exaggerated rumors outside. Otherwise, Zhao Hanlin wouldn''t have personally come out to meet him. From this, Liang Jiankun could guess that Zhao Hanlin must have been pacing anxiously at home, eagerly awaiting his arrival. Liang Jiankun was indeed a clever man, detecting the hidden message in Zhao Hanlin''s subtle gesture. But on the surface, Liang Jiankun still wore a smile and responded calmly, "Uncle Zhao, I don''t think I''ve arrived late, have I? Or have you already had dinner?" "Of course not, we wouldn''t dare start eating without our honored guest!" Zhao Hanlin joked, then gestured to Liang Jiankun, "Come in, come in, please! My daughter is also on her way now. She should arrive shortly." Liang Jiankun said nothing and led his people inside. Not long after Liang Jiankun entered the house, Zhao Hanlin saw Zhao Kuangyi''s car return. Zhao Hanlin''s expression remained joyful because he believed that if he could successfully arrange a marriage with Liang Jiankun, their company''s crisis would be resolved. He also was convinced that given Zhao Yating''s beauty, it was absolutely impossible for Liang Jiankun to refuse her. Naturally, Liang Jiankun would not refuse, but Zhao Hanlin was unaware that Liang Jiankun had ulterior motives. Soon, Zhao Hanlin''s smile stiffened when he saw a man standing beside Zhao Yating. The man was chewing bubblegum, dressed in plain clothes, with a somewhat mischievous look in his eyes, glancing here and there, clearly not looking like someone decent. Moreover, he walked with a swagger, exuding a carefree air. Before Zhao Yating and her group approached, Zhao Hanlin said unhappily, "What is this? Didn''t I tell you we have an important guest today? Why did you bring a beggar inside?" "Dad, how can you speak like that? He is my friend, not some beggar!" Zhao Yating immediately grew angry at Zhao Hanlin''s words. No matter what, Hao Jian had been invited by her, and for Zhao Hanlin to treat Hao Jian with such disrespect embarrassed Zhao Yating as well. Hao Jian also sneered inwardly at Zhao Hanlin''s attitude, which revealed to him the kind of person Zhao Hanlin was. "Friend? Since when did you become so poor in judging character? Don''t you know many people harbor ill intentions and plot against our Zhao Family''s estate?" Zhao Hanlin said sternly. Although he did not name names, the insinuation pointed directly at Hao Jian. "Dad, if you keep talking nonsense, I will leave!" Zhao Yating''s pretty face was livid with anger, her delicate body trembling slightly. She had never known her father to be such a mercenary person. As a businessman, Zhao Hanlin naturally was more cunning, and with that came more suspicion. When interacting with others, he would often ponder if they harbored any ulterior motives. Clearly, Hao Jian''s low profile and understatement were construed by Zhao Hanlin as poverty. Since he perceived poverty, Zhao Hanlin looked down upon it. "Fine, fine, if you must bring him, then do so. But you better keep your friend in check. Don''t let him say anything reckless that might offend Liang Jiankun, or else I will never forgive him!" Zhao Hanlin huffed coldly. Zhao Kuangyi also stood on the sidelines, watching the drama unfold. Most people insulted by Zhao Hanlin like that would likely be provoked into standing up for themselves and storm out in anger. But to Zhao Kuangyi''s disappointment, Hao Jian just crossed his arms over his chest, looking serene and unfazed. Then Zhao Kuangyi concluded that this bastard had incredibly thick skin! By then, Zhao Hanlin couldn''t be bothered to pay Hao Jian any more attention and turned to walk back into the house. "Teacher Hao Jian, I''m sorry. I didn''t expect my dad to act like this. If I had known he would be this way, I wouldn''t have called you here!" Zhao Yating said, feeling guilty. It was because of her invitation that Hao Jian was insulted. "It''s fine, shortly I will make him bow his proud head and beg me!" Hao Jian replied with a detached smile. Then, Hao Jian confidently strode into the house, leaving Zhao Yating and Zhao Kuangyi standing there, dumbfounded. They didn''t understand where his confidence came from. Upon entering the house, Zhao Hanlin promptly went to attend to Liang Jiankun, but when Liang Jiankun saw that Hao Jian had also come in, he was taken aback. He hadn''t expected to meet Hao Jian here. Was this some kind of bad joke? Why was this guy everywhere, like a lingering spirit? "Yo, Liang Jiankun, I didn''t expect us to have such fate, meeting again so soon." Hao Jian laughed boisterously and waved cheerfully at Zhao Hanlin, acting as if he belonged there. Chapter 581 - 581: It Makes Me So Sad And Liang Jiankun''s face suddenly turned cold, feeling furious at Hao Jian''s shameless behavior. "Oh, you know each other?" Zhao Hanlin was immediately surprised. If Hao Jian was a friend of Liang Jiankun, that would be a different story. "We do not!" Liang Jiankun retorted, his expression growing uglier. This confused Zhao Hanlin since Hao Jian had clearly just called Liang Jiankun by name. He knew Liang Jiankun, so how could Liang Jiankun possibly not know him. "Hey, Brother Liang, that is too much. When we were at Jinxiu Villa, I still fondly remember our meeting. To say you don''t know me now¡ªit truly breaks my heart," Hao Jian said, pretending to be hurt. "Throw him out!" Liang Jiankun bellowed furiously, not wanting to see Hao Jian for even another second. "But isn''t he your friend?" Zhao Hanlin asked, puzzled. "Friend? How could I possibly be friends with such trash?" Liang Jiankun immediately denied it, his expression sternly continuing, "Zhao Hanlin, at this dinner table, it''s either him or me¡ªbut not both!" He would absolutely not share a table with Hao Jian. Hao Jian was his sworn enemy. He hated Hao Jian to the bone. Seeing him made him think of murder; how could he possibly sit calmly and share a meal with him. "This..." Zhao Hanlin was stunned and hadn''t expected Liang Jiankun to lose his composure like this, calling him by name, which made him quite embarrassed. Then, Zhao Hanlin glared angrily at Zhao Yating, "Hurry up and kick out this disgraceful friend of yours!" Zhao Hanlin dared not lash out at Liang Jiankun and could only vent his anger on Hao Jian and Zhao Yating. In his view, it was all their fault if Liang Jiankun lost his temper. "If you want to kick out Teacher Hao Jian, then I''m leaving too!" Zhao Yating said defiantly. "You unfilial daughter!" Zhao Hanlin shouted furiously, raising his hand to teach Zhao Yating a lesson. Zhao Yating had never talked back to him before, and yet today she dared speak up for this boy, enraging Zhao Hanlin immensely. Just then, Hao Jian grabbed Zhao Hanlin''s hand, "To hit your own daughter just to curry favor with others, isn''t that a bit too much?" "Who the hell are you to interfere with how I discipline my own woman?" Zhao Hanlin glared at Hao Jian. "I am Zhao Yating''s teacher, and as her teacher I have the responsibility to protect my student. This is domestic violence, and I can totally report you to the judicial authorities!" Hao Jian retorted, showing no goodwill towards Zhao Hanlin. If it weren''t for Zhao Hanlin being Zhao Yating''s father, Hao Jian might have already started hitting him. "Boy, do you even know who we are? Do you know what happens to people who offend us?" Zhao Hanlin sneered coldly, feeling exceptionally furious as Hao Jian was spoiling their plans. If Liang Jiankun really got angry and left over this, their deal would fall through. "Do you even know who I am, what happens to those who cross me?" Hao Jian shouted back, then suddenly pointed at Liang Jiankun, "Even he has to consider my feelings, and you dare yell at me?" Liang Jiankun: "..." At this moment, Liang Jiankun truly wanted to kill Hao Jian. Was he really dragging him into this again? Hao Jian was obviously doing this on purpose, not missing any chance to humiliate Liang Jiankun. "Just with you? You must be dreaming!" Zhao Hanlin laughed angrily, not believing a word. What was Liang Jiankun''s status? One of the Four Youngsters of Hua City, while Hao Jian was just a penniless nobody. How could he compare to Liang Jiankun? Meanwhile, Zhao Kuangyi was behaving more rationally, noticing that Liang Jiankun didn''t refute when Hao Jian said those words. Why didn''t Liang Jiankun refute? If what Hao Jian said were false, he should have scoffed at it. Zhao Kuangyi started to sense something was off, looking at Hao Jian with a strange expression, speculating about his real identity. At that moment, however, Liang Jiankun stood up, his face gloomy as he walked towards the door. "Jiankun, what are you..." Zhao Hanlin was immediately shocked; was Liang Jiankun really leaving? "Since your daughter knows him, there''s no need for an alliance with me!" Liang Jiankun said coldly. He knew that if Zhao Yating knew Hao Jian, then an alliance with the Zhao Family was absolutely impossible for him as it meant aligning with his enemy. Upon hearing this, Zhao Hanlin immediately panicked, hastily grabbing Liang Jiankun''s hand, "Jiankun, don''t be angry, let''s talk this over again." "It''s too late, there''s nothing more to discuss," Liang Jiankun said coldly, pushing Zhao Hanlin''s hand away and heading towards the door. "Kuangyi, quickly throw this scoundrel out!" Zhao Hanlin urgently shouted at Zhao Kuangyi, hoping he could eject Hao Jian. But Zhao Kuangyi hesitated. Although he didn''t like Hao Jian, at that moment, he didn''t want to see his father groveling so pathetically just to please Liang Jiankun! "Zhao Kuangyi! Why don''t you make a move?" Zhao Hanlin roared furiously, angered by Zhao Kuangyi''s inaction, especially since it extended to Zhao Yating as well. "Dad, don''t you think we are being too humble?" Zhao Kuangyi said coldly. He understood Zhao Hanlin''s desire to restore the family''s honor, but they shouldn''t completely abandon their dignity. "Am I not doing this for our family, for you sisters to have a better life?" Zhao Hanlin gritted his teeth, yet he hadn''t anticipated Zhao Kuangyi would dare defy him. "For us? Or for yourself? Does your way really make us happy? At least, right now, I feel that Yating is very unhappy!" Zhao Kuangyi finally couldn''t hold back anymore. Before meeting Liang Jiankun, he had harbored some illusions that Liang Jiankun might not be so bad, and that although Yating didn''t like him, maybe she would in the future. But after meeting Liang Jiankun, he was disappointed. Liang Jiankun was unruly and overbearing, and showed no respect for his father. Such a person, even if they allied through marriage, would not regard the Zhao Family highly in the future. "You!" Zhao Hanlin raised his hand again to strike Zhao Kuangyi. At that moment, Liang Jiankun just snorted coldly and headed towards the exit. "Jiankun, don''t go, don''t go. They are young and ignorant, don''t mind what they say." Seeing this, Zhao Hanlin no longer cared about hitting Zhao Kuangyi and Zhao Yating as he hurried to retain Liang Jiankun. But Liang Jiankun was determined to leave, completely ignoring him. "Who said you could leave?" Just as Liang Jiankun passed by Hao Jian, Hao Jian spoke, eyeing Liang Jiankun with a playful expression. Everyone was shocked. Hao Jian was stopping Liang Jiankun? Was he seeking death? Did he think Liang Jiankun was just anybody? In their view, Hao Jian''s act was tantamount to suicide. Given Liang Jiankun''s personality, there was no way he would let Hao Jian off for speaking to him like that. They had thought that Liang Jiankun would fly into a rage and have his bodyguards kill Hao Jian on the spot. But unexpectedly, Liang Jiankun just glanced at Hao Jian, looking very annoyed, and asked, "What do you want?" This made Zhao Hanlin and the others feel it was very abnormal. Was Liang Jiankun showing weakness in a roundabout way? "I didn''t let you leave. You dare to go?" Hao Jian was furious, rudely saying, "Get back and sit down!" S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Hanlin and everyone else were completely dumbfounded, shocked that Hao Jian was ordering Liang Jiankun. My God, was this guy crazy? Wasn''t Liang Jiankun going to explode now? "Don''t go too far!" Liang Jiankun said, his face looking ugly. If he could kill Hao Jian, he naturally would have made his move, but the main issue was that he couldn''t. This guy hadn''t even dealt with the Martial Artist, let alone now when he only brought along a general confidant. Going head-to-head with Hao Jian would definitely result in another brutal beating, and Liang Jiankun didn''t want that. Of course, the main reason was that he didn''t dare. Liang Jiankun didn''t want to be humiliated again. In fact, as soon as he saw Hao Jian arriving, he had wanted to leave. This guy wasn''t someone to mess with, and he could very likely humiliate him again. And what was even more infuriating was that Liang Jiankun couldn''t stop any of it. Seeing Liang Jiankun so frustrated but helpless, everyone was stunned. It was unbelievable that Liang Jiankun didn''t dare to react. "Get back and sit down. I didn''t let you leave, yet you dare to go?" Hao Jian snorted coldly, not taking Liang Jiankun seriously at all. He Changhuan died by his hand, Kong Xiaozhen went crazy because of him, and now his enemy was Ye Wenying. A minor character like Liang Jiankun no longer caught his interest. "Hao Jian, are you so arrogant as to disregard the Liang Family?" At this moment, one of Liang Jiankun''s confidants, seeing his master humiliated, also immediately glared angrily. But Hao Jian slapped him across the face, sending him flying several meters, and scoffed coldly, "Yes, I do disregard the Liang Family. Your master doesn''t even dare show his fangs at me, and you, a servant, dare to bark at me? Do you really think I won''t act?" "Hao Jian?" Zhao Hanlin inhaled a cold breath. Being in the upper echelons of Hua City, he naturally knew Hao Jian''s identity. Hearing the name Hao Jian, he was immediately stunned. Was this guy the Hao Jian who had been causing a storm in Hua City recently? Had it not been with his own ears, Zhao Hanlin could hardly believe it was true. Hao Jian actually knew Zhao Yating and was even her teacher? With Hao Jian around, why would he need to continue appeasing Liang Jiankun? After all, even Liang Jiankun dared not provoke Hao Jian. Hao Jian didn''t care about Ye Wenying, let alone Liang Jiankun. Liang Jiankun gritted his teeth and glowered at Hao Jian, then sulkily walked back and sat down in his original place. Seeing Liang Jiankun''s submission made Zhao Hanlin even more certain he was not wrong¡ªthis Hao Jian was indeed the person he had in mind. "Can we eat now?" Hao Jian looked indifferently at Zhao Hanlin. At this point, Zhao Hanlin couldn''t be arrogant anymore and hurriedly nodded, "Yes, yes, I''ll have the maid prepare right now." Chapter 582 - 582 Identity Exposed Hao Jian then joined Zhao Yating for dinner at the table, and while Hao Jian wasn''t paying attention, Zhao Hanlin quietly approached Zhao Kuangyi and asked, "When did your sister get to know such a formidable figure?" "This, I''m also not too clear, Yating only mentioned that this guy is her teacher, besides that, she didn''t say anything." Zhao Kuangyi also looked astonished, originally he looked down on Hao Jian, but who would have thought that even Liang Jiankun wouldn''t dare to talk back after being insulted by him. "Dad, who is this Hao Jian exactly?" Zhao Kuangyi asked, puzzled. "The current ruler of Hua City," Zhao Hanlin said with a surprised and happy expression. Now one could say that the entire Hua City was under Hao Jian''s control. If they could curry favor with Hao Jian, his company would definitely be able to get through the crisis. "The ruler of Hua City?" Zhao Kuangyi immediately gasped in shock and then became even more perplexed, "But isn''t Hua City ruled by the four big families?" "That was in the past, this guy is the new king of Hua City now! Even the four big families have been thoroughly defeated by him. Didn''t you see Liang Jiankun''s behavior just now?" Zhao Hanlin said with a smile. Zhao Kuangyi was suddenly at a loss for words, how could this guy be so prominent and yet so low-key? "Tell your sister, no matter what, she must try to win him over. He could be our benefactor. As long as he''s willing to help, our Zhao Family can definitely escape our current predicament!" Zhao Hanlin reminded. "Dad, I don''t think Yating will agree. Her relationship with Hao Jian is very special; she doesn''t want to ruin that," Zhao Kuangyi said with a bitter smile. "What do you mean?" "She likes Hao Jian." "Since she likes him, she should be more proactive. Once Hao Jian becomes our son-in-law, what reason would he have to not help us?" Zhao Hanlin thought this way. Since Zhao Yating also liked Hao Jian, wouldn''t that make things much more convenient? "But she hasn''t confessed to Hao Jian yet." "Then she should hurry up! With such a good man, if she lets him slip away, she will never find another like him," Zhao Hanlin said anxiously, annoyed at Zhao Yating for being indecisive. "You tell your sister, times have changed, girls need to be more proactive." Zhao Kuangyi was exasperated, "But didn''t you say before that this guy was no good?" "That was because I didn''t understand his true identity. Now that I do, of course, it''s different," Zhao Hanlin said, thick-skinned. Later, Hao Jian continued to dine with Zhao Yating, while Liang Jiankun sat on the couch in the hall like a fool, watching them eat. Liang Jiankun trembled with rage; Hao Jian had humiliated him yet again, and yet he didn''t dare to leave because if he did, Hao Jian might do something even more outrageous. "Jiankun, why not join us for the meal?" Zhao Hanlin came over and politely invited Liang Jiankun, as the group ate leaving Jiankun sitting there alone might cause him to bear a grudge. Although Zhao Hanlin had already given up on trying to win over Liang Jiankun, it was still better not to offend him. "He''s not hungry!" Before Liang Jiankun could speak, Hao Jian interjected. "It''s fine, let him sit there," Hao Jian said with a mocking smile. Hearing this, Liang Jiankun felt like his lungs were about to explode with anger, but still, he said gloomily, "I''m not hungry!" At this, Zhao Hanlin also showed an embarrassed expression and fell silent. Hao Jian had actually got Liang Jiankun under his thumb? Zhao Hanlin had no choice but to return to the table, but he kept enthusiastically toasting to Hao Jian, and with a smile, he complimented, "The rumors are indeed true, you are truly exceptional at such a young age, dominating Hua City and becoming its sole ruler. Compared with you, an old fox like me is truly inferior." Upon hearing this, Zhao Yating was also astonished as she looked at Hao Jian because she didn''t know about this layer of Hao Jian''s connections. And now, Zhao Hanlin also noticed Zhao Yating''s confusion, and said with a smile, "Yating, do you not know about your teacher''s capabilities?" Zhao Yating shook her head in confusion, although she knew Hao Jian was anything but ordinary, she had not imagined that Hao Jian was actually the sole ruler of the entire Hua City, this seemed rather exaggerated. "You really should learn well from your teacher in the future. Mr. Hao Jian is a man of great capability," Zhao Hanlin hinted indirectly to Zhao Yating that one should flatter Hao Jian! And Zhao Yating also heard the underlying meaning but didn''t respond, as she didn''t want any impurities to mix into her relationship with Hao Jian. At this moment, Zhao Yating''s admiration for Hao Jian knew no bounds. Hao Jian seemed almost omniscient. He had said that Zhao Hanlin would surely try to win him over, and indeed her father was now doing just that. Naturally, Hao Jian also detected the meaning behind Zhao Hanlin''s words and scoffed, "How could that be? A rascal like me, I''m simply no good at all, not as great as you make me out to be." "This..." Zhao Hanlin immediately looked embarrassed, knowing that Hao Jian was still holding a grudge for being insulted and put in a difficult position earlier. He hastily glanced at Zhao Yating, hoping for help. But Zhao Yating didn''t even look at him, instead turning her head away to continue eating. "Alright, let''s drop the pretense, I have no fondness for you, and if it wasn''t for Zhao Yating, I wouldn''t help you. People like you who look down on others are bound to fail in business because you lack the vision a leader should have, my wife is even more capable than you in this regard." Hao Jian snorted derisively, not sparing Zhao Hanlin any face, "It''s precisely because you are like this, and even your son has picked up the same bad habits, that if you don''t learn to improve, the downfall of the Zhao Family is inevitable!" At this, Zhao Hanlin''s face was the picture of embarrassment, while Zhao Kuangyi glared at Hao Jian with dissatisfaction, thinking, how did this become about him? "Don''t give me that look, according to our earlier agreement, now you have to strip naked and run a lap around your house!" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. Hearing this, Zhao Kuangyi''s expression turned to shock, only then remembering the promise he had made to Hao Jian, that he was to run naked. In an instant, Zhao Kuangyi''s face turned green, his lifelong reputation, was it going to be ruined today? "So, you''re saying you''re willing to help us?" Zhao Hanlin caught the implied message in Hao Jian''s words and asked with immense joy. "I just happen to have a large piece of land, I''m going to build a residential complex there, preliminarily estimated to be around ten thousand square meters. I can hire your construction team, and I''m also willing to pay the full amount!" Hao Jian stated. "Really?" Zhao Hanlin was stunned, this happiness came so suddenly, paying the full amount all at once, this would mean their construction team could get back to work. "But you''re paying the full amount, aren''t you afraid we''ll breach the contract?" Zhao Hanlin asked, puzzled; usually, construction payments are thirty percent, at most forty percent, it was the first time he''d seen someone like Hao Jian pay in full. "Breach the contract? Would you dare?" Hao Jian stared at Zhao Hanlin with a half-smile, half-grimace. Zhao Hanlin was at a loss for words, chuckling nervously as he shook his head; if he dared do such a thing, the Zhao Family would be doomed. "When do we sign the contract?" Zhao Hanlin couldn''t wait to ask. "Hold on, I will help, but there are conditions!" Hao Jian said. "What conditions? Just say it!" Zhao Hanlin was very straightforward; no matter what Hao Jian would request, he would agree. "That is to have him run naked outside!" Hao Jian suddenly pointed at Zhao Kuangyi, then said with a mischievous smile. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Kuangyi''s expression froze, he gave Hao Jian a bewildered look, and then his face went red as he bellowed, "Aren''t you being a bit too petty?" "Yes, I''ve always been very petty!" Hao Jian said with a cold chuckle. "Zhao Kuangyi, go now!" Zhao Hanlin directly ordered Zhao Kuangyi; by now, he''d probably even agree if Zhao Kuangyi had to emasculate himself for the family''s sake. "Dad!" Zhao Kuangyi wailed, looking at Zhao Hanlin with a despairing gaze. Just moments ago, Zhao Hanlin thought of sacrificing Yating, and now he wanted to sacrifice him, wasn''t that inhumane? Was he even his real son? "For the family, what''s there to fear from making a small sacrifice, it''s not like it''ll cost you your life!" Zhao Hanlin huffed. "Exactly, and besides, it was you who made that bet in the first place, you wouldn''t want to go back on your word, would you." Yating also chimed in from the side, a smile curling at her lips. "You..." Zhao Kuangyi was utterly dumbfounded, were these really his father and sister? "Hurry up, you can still make it back in time for dinner, or else the food will go cold," Xiaoxiao urged. "I''ll remember this!" Zhao Kuangyi glared at Hao Jian menacingly. Hao Jian returned the glare with a grinning gaze, "I''m just afraid you won''t remember!" Then, Zhao Kuangyi stripped himself of his clothes and pants on the spot, leaving only his underwear. "Hey, hey, hey, the underwear..." Hao Jian reminded. "Big brother, have some mercy, give me a way out, will you?" Zhao Kuangyi pleaded with a woeful face, this should be enough, right? If he stripped any further, he would never be able to face his parents and sister again. "Alright, alright, since you are Yating''s brother, we''ll leave it at that." Hao Jian wasn''t too harsh on Zhao Kuangyi, letting the matter rest there. "Thank you, big brother, thank you so much." Zhao Kuangyi thanked him profusely, looking utterly abject. "What a disgrace! How shameful!" Yating glanced at Zhao Kuangyi. "Shut it, it''s none of your business!" Zhao Kuangyi retorted, feeling wronged. If it wasn''t because of you, would I have a beef with this guy? And then, with a heart full of humiliation, Zhao Kuangyi stripped off his clothes and dashed out. Chapter 583 - 583: Chain Scheme After a satisfying meal, Hao Jian took a seat in front of Liang Jiankun with a cigarette in his mouth. "Either let me go or kill me. Stop playing these mysterious games!" Liang Jiankun said coldly. Rather than being constantly toyed with by Hao Jian, he would rather Hao Jian just kill him. "Even now, are you still unwilling to let go of your proud dignity?" Ye Nan shook his head and laughed. "What are you trying to say?" Liang Jiankun asked, puzzled as he looked at Hao Jian, now somewhat unable to see through him. Hao Jian smiled and shook his head, not answering immediately. Instead, he finished his cigarette slowly before he finally said, "Stop it, don''t cause me trouble anymore. You no longer qualify as my opponent. My current opponent is Ye Wenying." Immediately, Hao Jian stood up, his face expressionless, and said, "If you still plan to make things difficult for me, I don''t mind erasing the Liang Family completely, nor do I mind making you the second He Changhuan!" Immediately, Hao Jian turned and left, leaving Liang Jiankun standing there with a dark expression. By then, Liang Jiankun''s face had turned somewhat pale, feeling extreme humiliation. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yet, he had no choice but to accept the reality that the current Hao Jian was no longer someone he could contend with. Misfortune had struck Liang Jiankun, a man of power, repeatedly humiliated by the monstrous Hao Jian. .... The next morning, Hao Jian was awoken by a series of urgent ring tones from his cell phone. "You better have a good explanation!" Hao Jian spoke with murderous intent. "There''s been an incident!" came Yuan Shanshan''s grave voice from the other end. Hmm? Hao Jian immediately became alert, sensing something was off from Yuan Shanshan''s tone. "What happened?" "Turn on the TV and watch the latest news," Yuan Shanshan said. Hao Jian quickly turned on the television and switched to the news channel. When he saw the news being reported, his face instantly turned as dark as an iron pot. "Current pop diva Su Xinya actually a mistress? With lover, critically injures old flame?" This glaring headline instantly captured all of Hao Jian''s attention. Then, Hao Jian saw Sun Yibo sitting in a wheelchair during an interview with reporters, distorting the truth, "Yes, I am Su Xinya''s old flame. I have always loved her, but she wanted to break up with me. I went to see her last night, and she had her lover cripple me. Now, I can''t use my legs anymore!" "Damn it!" Hao Jian clenched his teeth in fury, not expecting Sun Yibo and Xu Rongde to collaborate against him and Su Xinya. Sun Yibo''s move had indeed caught him off guard, such a despicable tactic surely would bring adverse public impact. Without looking, Hao Jian knew that the internet was probably filled with curses by now. "Do you know who Su Xinya''s lover is?" A female reporter asked Sun Yibo with some sympathy. "Of course, I do. He is the Vice Chairman of Shu Ya Group and the husband of Shu Ya Group''s Chairman. His name is Hao Jian! Su Xinya chose him over me because he is wealthier than I am," Sun Yibo said with a pallid face, filled with immense satisfaction inside as he spoke. Because Sun Yibo knew, this time he could really ruin Hao Jian and Su Xinya! Hao Jian might not be afraid of anything, but Su Xinya, being a public figure, would not end up well. At that moment, Hao Jian also felt very annoyed. His identity had always been a secret, and he didn''t want it to be exposed. But due to Sun Yibo''s actions, he was forced into the spotlight, and soon enough, many would start investigating his background. And then, his enemies might also notice this and come to Huaxia to find him. Hao Jian''s eyes filled with a killing intent, somewhat regretting not having killed Sun Yibo that night, which would have spared him this trouble now. Now that he was pushed to the forefront, Su Xinya''s reputation was tarnished, and Shu Ya Group was also affected. "Because of this news, our company''s stock plummeted ten percent overnight, costing us several billion. I''m worried it might affect the evaluations of the Chairperson and others in France," Yuan Shanshan said. "I''ll handle this matter, don''t worry," Hao Jian responded. Not long after, Lin Nantian also called, "Mr. Hao Jian, I''m sorry, last night Zuo Xinglong was stabbed to death in his cell." Hao Jian frowned immediately. Zuo Xinglong was dead? That meant there was truly no proof of the contrary anymore! Such a deadly intent from the opposition, they wanted to bury him forever. Just then, Hao Jian saw another piece of news. A female reporter was standing at the entrance of the police station, reporting, "According to the latest information, the person who attempted to attack Su Xinya by throwing feces was murdered in the police station yesterday. He was stabbed nine times and died after being taken to hospital. The perpetrator is an ordinary employee of the Shu Ya Group, and it''s suspected that someone intended to silence him!" Hao Jian''s expression turned increasingly ugly. The opponent could be described as calculating every move meticulously, killing several birds with one stone. Now that Zuo Xinglong was dead, everyone would think it was their doing, which was exactly what the hidden mastermind wanted to see. The opponent was really good at scheming, co-opting Sun Yibo to throw smoke bombs and to tarnish both Su Xinya and him; then they paid someone from their company to kill Zuo Xinglong. The naive public would naturally think that the employee was instructed by him, deepening the public''s aversion towards them. Once Zuo Xinglong was dead, they would be unable to clear their names even if they jumped into the Yellow River. The opponent wanted to commit murder to silence, but to the outside world, it seemed like he and Su Xinya were the ones wanting to silence others. For the first time in his life, Hao Jian felt like he had been outplayed. "Don''t blame yourself; I made a mistake," Hao Jian said calmly and then ended the call. Afterwards, a chill flickered in Hao Jian''s eyes: "It seems that I''ve really met my match this time!" He was now completely sleepless and changed his clothes to go out. On the way, he received two calls, one from Shu Ya and the other from Su Xinya. Shu Ya, aware of the situation back home, called to ask Hao Jian about the circumstances. Hao Jian answered very simply, asking Shu Ya to leave everything to him to handle, promising her a satisfying outcome. Naturally, Shu Ya was willing to trust Hao Jian and did not continue to ask anything, just telling him to go ahead. Su Xinya called because she wanted to meet Hao Jian in person. The two agreed to meet in a caf¨¦, as it was inconvenient for them to appear at each other''s offices or residences due to the situation. At that time, Su Xinya wore sunglasses and a scarf over her head, covering seventy percent of her face, fearing recognition. Seeing Su Xinya like this, Hao Jian couldn''t help feeling somewhat guilty; it was his fault that Su Xinya had been dragged into this undeserved disaster. "Sorry, it''s all my fault that your company got involved. I think I can no longer be the spokesperson for your company," Su Xinya sighed resignedly as soon as she spoke. Hao Jian did not expect Su Xinya to say this. He smiled wryly and shook his head, "This isn''t your fault, if anything, I should be the one apologizing. Those guys were targeting me." Hao Jian felt he was the one who should apologize; if not for him, Su Xinya''s issue would have probably been resolved long ago. At this point, Su Xinya became puzzled, "Xu Rongde is the one after me; how could it be your fault?" "Xu Rongde? No, no, the real mastermind behind this doesn''t have the guts to oppose me," Hao Jian shook his head, feeling sure that someone else was orchestrating these events, not Xu Rongde. Xu Rongde was just a chairman of an entertainment company. In front of the Shu Ya Group, he was insignificant, like an ant¡ªhow dare he challenge him! Unless he had a death wish! In his view, Xu Rongde and Sun Yibo were just being used as pawns by someone else. It was precisely because of that mastermind''s support that these two clowns dared to jump so joyfully. Now, Hao Jian wanted to completely expose that hidden mastermind. "So, what do we do now? Both of us have been falsely accused, and our reputations are ruined. I worry it might affect your group," Su Xinya said worriedly. "Don''t worry, I''ll handle this issue. Although I''ve made a mistake, it''s not irremediable!" Hao Jian spoke confidently. Before coming here, he had already instructed Spice Ginger and Li He to take action; he believed it wouldn''t be long before he had what he wanted. "But for now, I need your help," Hao Jian said intently as he looked at Su Xinya. "Hmm, tell me!" Su Xinya felt that she and Hao Jian were now in the same boat and rejecting him was hardly an option. "It''s to ask your company to not rush to clarify this matter. You just maintain your silence for now, and wait for me to handle it," Hao Jian said. "This¡­" Su Xinya hesitated, not clarifying would mean letting others continue to slander her. "Alright, I''ll discuss it with my management company," Su Xinya hesitated but eventually agreed to Hao Jian''s request, believing that Hao Jian would be able to resolve the issue. "Alright, I have to make a trip to Xintong Daily," Hao Jian said, standing up. "Xintong Daily?" Su Xinya frowned upon hearing this, not very fond of Xintong Daily since it was the most critical of them among all newspapers. In Xintong Daily''s front page, they had portrayed Su Xinya and Hao Jian as adulterers and had extensively slandered Su Xinya for pretending to be pure and hypocritical, claiming she advanced career by sleeping with men. The fabricated accusations, although baseless, had damaged Su Xinya''s personal reputation. Chapter 584 - 584: Unlimited News Agency Their company was preparing to legally accuse Xintong Daily of defamation, but unexpectedly, Hao Jian actually wanted to visit the place. "They were the first newspaper to interview Sun Yibo. Don''t you find that odd? How could a newspaper just randomly decide to interview a ne''er-do-well?" Hao Jian said with a laugh. "Are you saying they were also instructed?" Su Xinya said in astonishment. "Exactly, and I think they must have accepted quite a few benefits!" Hao Jian scoffed. "I''ll go with you!" Su Xinya grabbed her shoulder bag with a cold expression. She also wanted to ask the chief editor of Xintong Daily why they wanted to tarnish her reputation. Hao Jian just shrugged his shoulders and did not refuse. Soon, the two arrived at Xintong Daily, and when they walked into the newspaper office, everyone cast shocked glances at them. Clearly, everyone recognized Hao Jian and Su Xinya. But what they didn''t expect was that they would dare to show up at their newspaper office, and even together. Didn''t they know it was a sensitive period? Both of them should be striving to dissociate themselves from one another, so why were they still together? Were they trying to ruin everything? Some reporters didn''t want to miss this exciting moment and quickly took out their cameras to snap photos of Hao Jian and Su Xinya. Hao Jian didn''t mind them and directly asked, "Where is your chief editor?" "Oh, isn''t this the most infamous adulterer¡ª" a young man wearing glasses appeared, looking in his twenties, with a high nose bridge and large glasses, and an overall scholarly appearance. Hao Jian and Su Xinya naturally caught the sarcasm in his words and both furrowed their brows. "I really didn''t expect you, already in such a precarious situation, would dare to show up here. Aren''t you afraid of dying?" the man in glasses mocked. "Where we appear or what we do is our business, and what does that have to do with you? Just a minion, don''t get over yourself." Hao Jian said indifferently, not even giving the man in glasses a glance, finding his effort to gain a sense of presence in front of him simply laughable. The man in glasses'' expression soured at being insulted by Hao Jian, who retorted angrily, "Why are you so arrogant? You and your lover crippled Sun Yibo. Do you think you can escape? Hao Jian, no matter how rich you are, you should just wait to go to jail!" "Are you done? Can you get lost now?" Hao Jian asked emotionlessly. "The ones who should get lost are you, you despicable man and woman! Our Xintong Daily doesn''t welcome the likes of you!" the man in glasses fiercely retorted, feeling utterly humiliated. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Brother, don''t get yourself into trouble," Hao Jian glanced at him sideways, also feeling a bit of rage. This bespectacled man kept trying to find a sense of superiority over him, which made Hao Jian increasingly impatient. He had intended to ignore just a noisy fly, but if this fly kept buzzing endlessly, then he had no choice but to slap it dead. "I didn''t say anything wrong about you. Aren''t you just an adulterer?" the man in glasses said with a sneer. And hearing these words, Su Xinya''s face turned extremely grim. "Sigh... I really didn''t want to cause trouble," Hao Jian sighed and walked up to the man in glasses. "What do you want to do? You want to hit someone? I''m telling you, if you dare touch a single hair on me, I''ll write you to death!" the man in glasses threaten arrogantly. "Slap!" Hao Jian slapped him directly across the face, causing his glasses to skew, and simultaneously, the man in glasses spat out a mouthful of blood from his mouth. "You dare to hit me? You actually dare to hit me?" the man in glasses said resentfully, never having imagined that Hao Jian would really dare to strike him. "You just wait, if I don''t kill you, I''ll write my name backwards!" the man in glasses fiercely said. "We have surveillance here, and we will definitely release the footage of you hitting me!" Before the words had even finished, Hao Jian had already reached out and kicked the man in glasses several meters away, knocking him into an office desk, rendering him unconscious. "Trivial clown," Hao Jian said indifferently with a smile, then looked at the reporters, "Any of you want to meddle in other people''s business?" The reporters were terrified and kept their heads down, not daring to speak. "Click!" Just then, the door to the chief editor''s office opened, and a bald middle-aged man came out with an unfriendly look, addressing Su Xinya and Hao Jian, "Come in!" Afterward, Hao Jian entered the editor-in-chief''s office with Su Xinya. Hao Jian glanced at a business card on the desk and smiled, "Wen Hanwen, is it?" "You guys are quite bold, huh? Even now, you still dare to team up and come here," Wen Hanwen teased. "You should know that what your reports say isn''t the truth!" Su Xinya angrily said, Their current predicament was all because of the irresponsible reporting by Wen Hanwen''s newspaper, wasn''t it? They accused them of colluding disgracefully to harm Sun Yibo and even claimed they murdered Zuo Xinglong to silence him. All these were reported by the Xintong Daily. "So what? The masses have never cared about the truth, just gossip!" Wen Hanwen said proudly, "Speaking of which, I should actually thank you. If it weren''t for you, our newspaper wouldn''t have sold so well!" "You are fabricating news, misleading the public, maliciously slandering others, and that''s illegal!" Su Xinya said through gritted teeth. But Wen Hanwen remained unmoved, coldly chuckling, "And then? What can you do to me? How would the public know what is real news and what is fake news?" "Then just wait until you end up in prison! I''ve recorded everything you just said!" Su Xinya shook the recording pen in her hand. The moment she entered the newspaper office, she had turned on the recording pen, hoping to capture some of Wen Hanwen''s criminal evidence. "Wow, I am so scared," Wen Hanwen said with exaggerated expression, then dismissively said, "Why don''t you play it and let me hear what you''ve recorded?" Seeing Wen Hanwen still so arrogant, Su Xinya was stunned for a moment and quickly played the recording pen, only to find that it recorded nothing but static noise. "How could this be?" Su Xinya couldn''t believe it, as this recording pen, which had cost her thousands, was usually very reliable. "That''s useless, he must have installed some kind of jamming device in the office," Hao Jian just then spoke up, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "Smart!" Wen Hanwen gave Hao Jian a thumbs up, then laughed heartily, "Indeed, I have installed a jamming device in this office, any recording pens and cameras automatically become useless. Did you really think I would be so foolish to tell you everything just like that?" Su Xinya was completely dumbfounded. She hadn''t expected Wen Hanwen to be so cunning as to have a jamming device installed in his own office. "Don''t be so surprised. In our line of work, how could we not be cautious? Let''s cut to the chase, tell me, what do you want from me?" Wen Hanwen asked. "I hope you can clarify what happened this time, tell the public what the facts really are, and not deliberately distort the truth," Hao Jian said earnestly. "What''s the benefit for me? I don''t do things that bring me no benefit!" Wen Hanwen arrogantly said, boldly demanding a favor directly from Hao Jian, the audacity reaching its peak. Hao Jian understood what he meant and pulled a check from his jacket then said, "Here is a ten-million check, a small token, I hope you won''t refuse." "Ten million? Are you trying to mock me as a beggar?" Wen Hanwen sneered, not even bothering to take the check. "Don''t go too far, you were the one who slandered us first, why should we pay you?" Su Xinya was furious. They had done nothing wrong, so why should they be blackmailed by Wen Hanwen? Is there no justice in this world? Wen Hanwen sneered coldly, "You can choose not to pay, but then, you won''t be able to recover your reputation. Vice Chairman Hao, if I''m not mistaken, your group is at a critical period of growth. If something goes wrong now, you''d be penny wise and pound foolish, hahaha..." "How much money do you want?" Hao Jian asked angrily, seemingly enraged by Wen Hanwen. "One billion! Just give me one billion, and I''ll go out and clarify everything immediately!" Wen Hanwen raised one finger to Hao Jian. "One billion? Why don''t you go rob someone?" Su Xinya fumed internally. But Hao Jian stopped her from speaking further and took out a checkbook, then wrote down a series of numbers, "When can you restore my corporation''s reputation?" Wen Hanwen, ecstatically accepting the money, laughed loudly, "Tomorrow! I will hold a press conference tomorrow and clarify that all this was a misunderstanding!" Smack! Hao Jian threw another check on the table, his gaze burning into Wen Hanwen, "Here''s another billion, just tell me who directed you, and this check is yours!" "It''s Liang Jiankun, Liang Jiankun directed me!" Wen Hanwen, seeing the money, immediately betrayed Liang Jiankun, then hurriedly grabbed the check, his face flushing with excitement. Making two billion so suddenly, he thought his modest newspaper could never earn that much money in a lifetime. "So it was Liang Jiankun," Hao Jian shook his head and sneered, rhythmically tapping on the desk. It seemed Liang Jiankun had already made some kind of decision. Kong Xiaozhen chose to surrender, while Liang Jiankun chose to battle him to the end. "Also, Xu Rongde is Liang Jiankun''s man. That kid who tried to hurl manure on Su Xinya was found by Xu Rongde, then conjured a lie to frame Su Xinya. Actually, Liang Jiankun has been targeting you from the beginning, using Su Xinya as a cover. His plan was to sabotage Su Xinya to affect your corporation''s development, killing two birds with one stone!" At this point, Wen Hanwen, seeing Hao Jian''s generous hand, naturally spilled everything. Chapter 585 - 585 Acting "Stop telling me what I already know, tell me something I don''t." Hao Jian said irritably. "Something you don''t know?" Wen Hanwen frowned in thought before his eyes suddenly lit up, and he said with a sly chuckle, "Do you know who shut up that little shit-flinger?" "Doesn''t the outside world say it was us?" Hao Jian mocked, "Even you said it was us." Wen Hanwen immediately looked embarrassed and said, "Vice Chairman Hao, you know that was Liang Jiankun''s order, I had no choice. If I didn''t smear you, would Liang Jiankun let me off the hook?" "Alright then, tell me, who exactly killed Zuo Xinglong." Hao Jian asked. "It was definitely Liang Jiankun, is there even a need to ask? Liang Jiankun knew that little Zuo Xinglong was bought by you, worried he might spill something he shouldn''t in front of the media, so he had someone take care of him!" Wen Hanwen said in a low voice, his expression grave. Clearly, he was still very afraid of Liang Jiankun. "I''m curious, why are you telling me all this? Aren''t you afraid of Liang Jiankun''s retaliation?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "That penny-pinching Liang Jiankun, getting me to help but not willing to pay a cent. He just orders me to do things without any manners; I''ve long since had enough of him. Vice Chairman Hao, if you can take him down and send him to jail, that would be more than great." Wen Hanwen said to Hao Jian with a wink and a nudge. Hao Jian was dumbfounded, Wen Hanwen even began instructing him on how to act. "Thanks for your candor, now you can go in peace!" Hao Jian suddenly said with a strange smile. "Go in?" Wen Hanwen looked utterly baffled, not grasping the meaning of Hao Jian''s words. "Bang!" Just then, the door was kicked open. "Police, freeze!" Ma Zifeng led the team rushing in, with their guns aimed at Wen Hanwen. In an instant, Wen Hanwen''s face turned pale with anger, glowering at Hao Jian: "You called the police?" "Did you really think I would give you two hundred million so na?vely? My monthly allowance is only a thousand bucks, and with one sentence you''re asking for what it''d take me hundreds of years to save; do you think I wouldn''t be mad?" Hao Jian cursed, not looking like a generous man at all. "You!" Wen Hanwen was gritting his teeth in rage, wishing he could swallow Hao Jian whole. Su Xinya was also shocked beyond belief, having not expected Hao Jian to call the police. But soon, Wen Hanwen recovered from his anger and said with a cold laugh, "So what if you called the police? Do you have evidence to prove that I deliberately framed you at someone''s behest? Don''t forget, I have a jammer here, all electronic devices inside will be disrupted, you won''t get anything!" "Hao Jian, I admit you have some brains, but you''re not smart enough. Now you''ve angered me, and I will see to it that both you and Su Xinya never recover!" Wen Hanwen said, his eyes filled with rage. "Xu Rongde is also one of Liang Jiankun''s men, that kid who wanted to throw shit on Su Xinya was found by Xu Rongde, and then he concocted a lie to frame Su Xinya..." "In fact, Liang Jiankun has been targeting you from the start; going after Su Xinya was just a diversion. He wanted to impact the development of your group by bringing down Su Xinya, killing two birds with one stone..." And just at that moment, Wen Hanwen suddenly heard a familiar voice. Hao Jian was holding his phone, the man speaking on the screen was none other than Wen Hanwen. Wen Hanwen was instantly dumbfounded: "When did you record this? Why is this happening? How could your phone not be affected by the jammer?" Wen Hanwen couldn''t believe it was real; had the jammer malfunctioned? "Electronics from outside may indeed be affected, but your internal devices should be fine, right? After all, you still need to use computers, phones, and other electronic devices for work. If all were jammed, how would you manage?" Hao Jian said with a teasing smile. "You hacked my computer?" Wen Hanwen immediately grasped the implication in Hao Jian''s words. He had indeed set up a jammer, so the jammer would only affect electronics other than those he used. But Wen Hanwen had not anticipated that Hao Jian would hack into his computer and turn on his webcam to record their conversation. Suddenly, Wen Hanwen''s face turned ashen; he had thought that with the jammer, Hao Jian would be unable to obtain any evidence of his crimes, but in the end, he had trapped himself. However, the one who had hacked Wen Hanwen''s computer wasn''t Hao Jian. He was a computer idiot who could barely turn a computer on and off or play spider solitaire, let alone hack into someone''s computer network. It was Prophet who actually hacked Wen Hanwen''s computer. Hao Jian had asked her for help before coming here. Wen Hanwen slumped powerless on the couch, his face utterly drained of color, knowing he was finished. Once this video was released, the rumors about Su Xinya and Hao Jian would be utterly discredited, the public would learn it was all his doing, and he had even implicated Xu Rongde and Liang Jiankun in the video; those two guys would surely not let him off the hook either. Given Liang Jiankun''s ferocious nature, if he found out that he had betrayed him, he certainly wouldn''t have let him leave prison alive. Hao Jian stood up, patted Wen Hanwen on the shoulder with a smile, and said, "You just said Liang Jiankun is terrifying, but the truth is, I am far more terrifying than him!" Right after, Hao Jian straightened his clothes and left with Su Xinya from outside. "Don''t go, I''ll tell you everything, please save me!" Wen Hanwen suddenly pleaded, as now only Hao Jian had the power to save him. But Hao Jian didn''t look back, "I''m sorry, I''ve already got what I wanted, and you are no longer of any use to me." With that, he no longer lingered and headed straight out. ....... Meanwhile, at the scene of a certain press conference. "Mr. Sun, you claim to have been a former lover of Su Xinya, is that true?" a reporter asked Sun Yibo, who was sitting in a wheelchair. "Of course it''s true, we established our relationship half a year ago, but I chose to keep it secret for the sake of her career. Had it not been for this incident, I probably would have never come forward," Sun Yibo said with a bitter smile, putting on a pitiful victim''s stance. But in his heart, he was thinking: Su Xinya, Hao Jian, I don''t believe you won''t die this time. Dare to make me disabled, I will make you never able to rise again! "Su Xinya and the vice chairman of the Shu Ya Group conspired together and even crippled you, do you hate them?" "Hate? I only hate Hao Jian because he took away my most beloved woman. As for Su Xinya, how could I possibly feel hatred towards her? I love her so much!" Sun Yibo''s expression convincingly showed a glimmer of tenderness, convincing enough to make many female reporters tear up upon hearing these words. And the more moved they were, the more hatred they felt towards Su Xinya and Hao Jian. This was exactly Sun Yibo''s plot; the more pitiful and madly in love he appeared, the more the public would come to despise Hao Jian and Su Xinya, making it harder for them to redeem themselves! "Applause..." Right at that moment, a round of applause suddenly sounded in the room, and as everyone turned their gaze, they instantly saw a young man standing at the entrance of the conference room, his face bearing a wild and devilishly charming smile, as he continued to clap his hands. "Who is this guy?" a female reporter asked a colleague beside her, sensing that the arrival bore ill intent. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "He''s the vice chairman of the Shu Ya Group, the one who crippled Sun Yibo." "Really? He''s the vice chairman? He looks so young!" the female reporter exclaimed in surprise, finding it hard to believe that Hao Jian, appearing in his mid-late twenties, could be the vice chairman of a corporation. In her mind, weren''t all chairmen pot-bellied, bald middle-aged men? "Don''t be fooled by his youth; he''s very capable. I''ve learned through some back channels that this guy has a lot of clout in Hua City, having connections in both the legal and the underworld!" "No wonder he''s so arrogant, snatching someone''s girlfriend and even going so far as to break the man''s legs," the female reporter commented disdainfully, looking down on Hao Jian. "Not bad, after so many days, your talent for talking nonsense has improved. Sun Yibo, I must admit that I truly underestimated you!" Hao Jian cheerfully called out to Sun Yibo, with a smile spreading across his face. Seeing Hao Jian''s appearance, Sun Yibo was also petrified on the spot, seemingly not expecting Hao Jian to dare show up in public. Soon after, everyone saw Su Xinya stand out beside Hao Jian, her brows exuding fierceness, looking furious. "Su Xinya has appeared too? Is the rumor true; is she really having an affair with Hao Jian?" Everyone was stunned, though the rumors were circulating about Hao Jian and Su Xinya being involved, their brazen appearance together was shocking. Were they not afraid of making their relationship known to everyone? In the blink of an eye, a crowd of reporters rushed towards Hao Jian and Su Xinya, surrounding them completely. "Mr. Hao Jian, why do you dare to show up here after injuring Sun Yibo, are you trying to intimidate Sun Yibo?" "Miss Su Xinya, nowadays, everyone is saying that you and Hao Jian are adulterers, Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing. What is your response to this?" "Miss Su Xinya, don''t you feel guilty about letting Vice Chairman Hao Jian injure Sun Yibo, especially since you were once a couple, how could you be so ruthless? As a public figure, you''ve brought an extremely negative impact to society, what''s your explanation for this?" Those reporters bombarded Su Xinya and Hao Jian with sharp questions as they arrived. Most of them had been swayed by Sun Yibo''s performance, now somewhat targeting Su Xinya and Hao Jian. And at this moment, Sun Yibo, watching all this unfold, smiled coldly with satisfaction. Hao Jian and Su Xinya daring to show up at this press conference was simply suicide! After his own dramatic performance, he didn''t even need to speak; the clueless reporters would blast Su Xinya and her companion to oblivion. Chapter 586 - 586: Expose But Hao Jian pressed down his hand and loudly said, "I''m here today to clarify and resolve this matter, so don''t rush, we will answer your questions one by one, but let me get on stage first." Thus, the journalists finally made way for him. When Sun Yibo saw how calm Hao Jian appeared, he couldn''t help but feel a bump in his heart, wondering if this guy still had some cards up his sleeve. "Impossible, Liang Jiankun''s plan should have been foolproof, this guy definitely shouldn''t have any countermeasures." Soon, Sun Yibo comforted himself with this thought. Then, Hao Jian stood on the stage to face the journalists'' interview. "Mr. Hao Jian, Sun Yibo claims you are his rival in love, not only stealing his girlfriend but also beating him up like this, is it true?" a female reporter asked absurdly. "Absurd, I hit him because he tried to rape Su Xinya, so I couldn''t restrain myself," Hao Jian said sternly. When everyone heard this, they were all shocked¡ªSun Yibo tried to rape someone? This was different from the version Sun Yibo had told. And with Sun Yibo being such a romantic, how could he possibly do something as low-level as rape? "You''re spewing lies! Su Xinya and I were in mutual love; if it weren''t for you stepping in and stealing my love, how could she treat me this way?" Sun Yibo yelled at Hao Jian on the stage, his eyes reddening, his face a picture of bitter grievance. Sitting in a wheelchair, his expression was tender and aggrieved, making many female audience members feel very sorry for him. Meanwhile, Hao Jian on stage was sneering non-stop, as he had just seen Sun Yibo deliberately pinch his own thigh¡ªhow else could the tears flow on cue? He really went all out to manipulate the public. "Who said there was mutual love between us? Sun Yibo, do you have no shame? I''m not even close with you!" Su Xinya scolded, her pretty face turning frosty. "Su Xinya, why do you treat me this way, don''t you remember our promise to grow old together? What''s so good about him, is it just because he has a bit more money than me?" Sun Yibo''s voice choked up, very much like a tragic male protagonist from a TV drama, his acting was over the top. "Holy smokes, this guy''s acting skills are so good, it''s a pity he''s not an actor!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, laughing so hard he couldn''t straighten his back. "How can you be so heartless? When someone is showing their true feelings, you say he''s just acting? Do you have any compassion?" an indignant female reporter retorted, already thoroughly moved by Sun Yibo. "It was him who beat Sun Yibo up like this, and you still expect him to have compassion? These rich people are the most ruthless!" "I don''t want to hear your explanations, get off the stage!" "Get off the stage! Get off the stage!" A crowd was shouting aloud. "And Su Xinya, green tea bitch, get out of the entertainment industry!" "Yes, Su Xinya get out of the entertainment industry! Su Xinya get out of the entertainment industry!" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You..." Su Xinya on the stage had turned to stone, not anticipating the public''s reaction to be like this, she clearly hadn''t done anything. Soon, a feeling of injustice welled up in her, and Su Xinya''s eyes gradually became moist. "Enough!" Suddenly, a roaring shout instantly quieted everyone present. Hao Jian on stage was brimming with killing intent, his eyes flickering with a cold, electric light, commanding and intimidating, and under his gaze, everyone bowed their heads, not daring to meet his eyes. The previously noisy venue now fell silent. Everyone felt shocked and ashamed¡ªthey, so many people, had just been silenced by one man? "Ignorance should have its limits, just because he said he had a past with Su Xinya, you all believe him? Do today''s journalists not have brains?" Hao Jian sharply criticized, his words were quite impolite, offending all the journalists present in one fell swoop. "Then can you prove what he''s saying is false? If not, stop fooling us and quickly get off the stage!" a male journalist boldly said. "Don''t be like this, Xinya...she might just be confused for a moment, I believe she will come back to me," Sun Yibo then spoke, making a deeply affectionate appearance that made him seem very devoted. "She brings your love rival to humiliate you, yet you still speak for her, can''t you see the reality?" an angry female reporter said. "Ah..." Sun Yibo then pretentiously sighed. On the stage, Su Xinya was so annoyed she could scratch someone; how could she not know what Sun Yibo was doing? The more he acted devoted, the more coldhearted others would think she was. "Enough, cut the acting already!" Hao Jian sneered repeatedly, and then his gaze locked on Sun Yibo: "You said you were once Su Xinya''s boyfriend?" "Yes! Su Xinya is the woman I''ve loved most deeply in my life! Even though she has caused me to end up like this, I still love her!" Sun Yibo stated solemnly. "Then since you were in a relationship, did you ever sleep together?" Hao Jian smirked. Everyone was baffled. What kind of question was Hao Jian asking? Directly inquiring whether Sun Yibo had ever slept with Su Xinya seemed highly inappropriate, didn''t it? They really couldn''t understand why Hao Jian would choose this moment to ask such a question. "Of course, we''re boyfriend and girlfriend, how could we have not been intimate!" Sun Yibo said coldly, also puzzled by Hao Jian''s foolish question. "Are you sure?" "Of course I am sure!" "Very well!" Hao Jian put his hands on the table, his smile somewhat sarcastic, and then he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, "This is a test Su Xinya and I had done at a government agency, which shows that Su Xinya is still a virgin! Sun Yibo said he''s been intimate with Su Xinya, so why is she still a virgin?" Everyone was suddenly shocked. Hao Jian had actually carried out such a test with Su Xinya? If Su Xinya was still a virgin, didn''t that mean Sun Yibo was lying? Upon hearing this, Sun Yibo was also stunned. Su Xinya was still a virgin? How could that be when she was already in her mid-twenties and mixed up in the entertainment industry, how could she still be a virgin? Not just he, but all the reporters and fans were dumbstruck as well because they all knew how dirty the entertainment industry could be. Keeping oneself pure there was harder than reaching the heavens, yet Su Xinya was still a virgin, pure and immaculate? At this moment, Su Xinya''s fans went wild. "I knew my Goddess was pure and flawless!" "Emerging from the mud unsoiled, washing away impurities without losing one''s spirit, this is what a true pure Goddess looks like!" Su Xinya''s fans cheered, their obsession with her escalating notches higher. "That test report is fake, it must be forged! I''ve been with her; she definitely can''t be a virgin!" Sun Yibo shouted desperately, trying to swing public opinion back to his side, or else once the truth came out, he was doomed. Sun Yibo had never imagined that Hao Jian and Su Xinya would use this tactic against him, and that Su Xinya was still a virgin. Upon hearing this, the crowd also wavered, feeling that Sun Yibo might have a point. "This report is from City Central Hospital, issued by a government agency that everyone knows cannot forge results. Does your statement have any meaning?" Hao Jian scoffed. "City Central Hospital?" The expressions of the crowd changed, if this report came from City Central Hospital, then there was no question about it. "Moreover, do you think a man deeply in love could do such a thing?" Hao Jian suddenly pointed to the big screen behind him. The big screen immediately played a video of a man and a woman in a compromising position. The identity of the woman was unknown, but the male lead was definitely Sun Yibo. "Please, no, I have a boyfriend, please let me go!" the woman cried pitifully, her mental state unclear and evidently not consenting to what was happening with Sun Yibo. "Stop making noise! I''ll let you go once I''m done!" Sun Yibo said harshly. Everyone gaped in astonishment at this revelation, how could the love-struck Sun Yibo commit such an act? At this moment, the Sun Yibo standing there and the man in the video seemed like two different people, and the female audience members who had just been enchanted by him couldn''t accept it, they were petrified on the spot. Sun Yibo was petrified as well; he had no idea how Hao Jian obtained that video since he was sure he had encrypted and hidden all of them! Apparently, Sun Yibo enjoyed making such secret recordings, but he always encrypted them heavily, making sure nobody would find them. But his encryption was practically nonexistent to the Prophet, who cracked it in less than ten seconds, obtaining all the video data. Several more clips were played showing women who could not resist due to the effects of alcohol at the mercy of his manipulations. Even a few women directly accused Sun Yibo of drugging them, as they wouldn''t have been drunk otherwise. The reporters wouldn''t miss this opportunity and eagerly snapped up the footage with their cameras. "This video is fake, it''s forged! That''s not me in there!" Sun Yibo''s face went ashen as he cried out desperately. This video exposure would soon turn him into a target of public fury, collapsing his image as a loving man almost instantaneously, and he''d face legal consequences. "Is that so? Well, let''s hand these videos over to the police and let them determine the truth, shall we?" Hao Jian sneered. Sun Yibo was momentarily stunned, speechless. And the reporters, realizing the gravity of the situation, turned their cameras towards Sun Yibo, capturing his expression, which looked as if he had swallowed a fly. = Chapter 587 - 587: Green Tea Bitch "Mr. Sun, is that you in the video? Before this, hadn''t you always acted like a lovesick fool, so how do you explain this incident?" "Mr. Sun, is what Vice Chairman Hao said true? Did you try to rape Xinya, fail, and then, harboring resentment, fabricate these lies?" "I don''t know what you''re talking about, get lost!" Sun Yibo roared, wanting nothing more than to quickly leave this hellish place. He had made his decision to leave the venue immediately, head home, and then escape from Hua City at the fastest speed to sneak abroad. He absolutely could not go to prison! "Sun Yibo, you dare to slander my goddess? I''ll kill you!" Just then, all of Xinya''s fans stood up abruptly and stared coldly at Sun Yibo. Xinya had been bombarded throughout the day by various news websites, newspapers, and internet vigilantes, who wantonly defamed her. Although they were not Xinya, they felt almost as miserable as she did. They all firmly believed in Xinya''s innocence, supported her unswervingly as always, and with the truth now revealed, they breathed a sigh of relief while also feeling exceptionally angry. Not only had Sun Yibo attempted to rape their goddess, but failing to achieve that, he had instead framed and slandered her, which completely obliterated their last shred of patience. Now, they all wanted to teach Sun Yibo some unforgettable lessons. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Suddenly, dozens of fans charged forwards, with a burly leader kicking Sun Yibo to the ground, followed by a group who began punching and kicking him. In no time, the area echoed with Sun Yibo''s screams, piercing like a pig being slaughtered. The journalists all stepped back, yet not a single one intervened. Everyone did the same thing, which was to take out their cameras and take pictures. Fans were eventually pulled away by security and some onlookers. People saw Sun Yibo lying in a pool of blood, his body barely recognizable, several teeth knocked out, a good amount of hair torn off, and his face swollen and bruised like a pig''s head, looking pitiful. At that moment, Hao Jian, with a cigarette in his mouth, slowly walked over, looking down at Sun Yibo. Sun Yibo opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn''t articulate anything, his eyes conveying fear and pleading. "Don''t beg me, because this time, I won''t let you live." Hao Jian said with a playful smile and then stepped aside to let the medical staff take Sun Yibo away. Hao Jian returned to the stand, addressing the crowd, "The truth is now clear. I guess some troublemakers can shut your mouths, and those internet warriors should stop seeking attention. Because no matter what you do now, you''ll only look ridiculous." "Miss Su, could you say a few words?" At this moment, a journalist asked. Then, Xinya, looking very uneasy, moved forward, her eyes tearful as she spoke, "I don''t know what I did wrong to deserve this. Is it just because I rejected Sun Yibo? Just because his legs were broken, so he must be the vulnerable one? Just because I didn''t speak out about his offense, so I don''t deserve any sympathy?" At her words, everyone was moved, especially the journalists, who had speculated wildly and slandered Xinya without knowing the truth. Now it seemed too unjust. They hadn''t realized that Xinya was the real victim. "I don''t take movie roles, I don''t go on variety shows, because I wanted to keep things pure! I just wanted to sing quietly, I thought that would keep the trouble away, but it seems I thought wrong," Xinya said with a disheartened shake of her head. Suddenly, Xinya looked up resolutely, her eyes bright: "So, I''ve decided, starting today, to say goodbye to the entertainment industry, to stop singing!" "What?" In an instant, everyone below was dumbstruck, including Xinya''s fans and the journalists. Was Xinya really planning to leave the entertainment industry? This was definitely sensational news! "Goddess, please don''t leave the industry! What are we going to do if you leave?" the fans suddenly became anxious. "Thank you to some fans who have cherished me, but my mind is made up, and I hope you won''t obstruct me," Xinya said, then walked off the stage, looking solemn. Hao Jian was also taken aback, sighing internally; it seemed this ordeal had truly hurt Xinya. He walked up to the front, facing the crowd: "Honestly, I was also surprised this incident unfolded as it did. I never expected Xinya would give up the career she was most passionate about. I will try my best to persuade her to stay in the entertainment industry so that everyone can continue to enjoy her beautiful songs." "Vice Chairman Hao, please, do try to persuade Miss Su!" a group of fans pleaded from below. Hao Jian nodded and responded, "I will do my best, but I can''t guarantee success. If I cannot persuade her, I hope everyone can respect her decision. After all, what happened this time genuinely hurt her, and if I hadn''t found those videos, Xinya might have borne these stains for life." Upon hearing this, the crowd showed varied expressions, some sighing, some angry. Then, Hao Jian walked down from the stage and headed toward the backstage. When he got to the backstage room, Hao Jian saw Xinya standing by the window, with faint tear stains on her face. Hao Jian sighed and walked over, saying, "Are you alright?" "I want fried chicken and beer," Su Xinya suddenly turned around, her smile blooming beautifully. "Huh?" Hao Jian was confused. Just now, Su Xinya looked like she was at death''s door, and now she was smiling so happily? Immediately after, Hao Jian realized and asked uncertainly, "Were you acting before?" "What? Is acting only Sun Yibo''s prerogative? I don''t like acting, but that doesn''t mean I can''t!" Su Xinya pouted her red lips slightly and smirked mischievously. "So you didn''t really want to quit the entertainment industry?" Hao Jian was shocked. "Quit the entertainment industry? Unless I''m crazy! Otherwise, I''d never make such a foolish decision," Su Xinya shrugged. "Then why did you say that earlier?" "Idiot, I was trying to gain public sympathy and make those who criticized me feel guilty. That way, they would become even more infatuated with me," Su Xinya smiled charmingly, her allure rampant, looking every bit the femme fatale. "Damn, you manipulative witch!" Hao Jian couldn''t help but retort. "This is all for you, isn''t it? The public feeling guilty about me will think of ways to compensate, and they''ll end up buying your group''s jewelry! Come to think of it, I indirectly made an ad for you guys, and I didn''t even charge an ad fee!" Su Xinya complained. "Right!" Hao Jian slapped his forehead, realizing such publicity could indeed enhance the group''s fame in an instant. Since Su Xinya was a public figure, news like this made everyone who noticed her also take notice of the Shu Ya Group. Now that her reputation had been cleansed, the public''s ill feelings would turn to fondness, and her act had caused a massive reaction. Meanwhile, in an ambulance, Sun Yibo lay on a stretcher and asked a medical worker beside him, "Why isn''t the vehicle moving towards the hospital?" "To the hospital? No, you don''t need to go there," the medical worker sneered twice, then removed his mask to reveal a handsome face¡ªit was Li He. "Because the Underworld is where you belong!" Immediately, Li He''s expression turned icy, and he directly punched Sun Yibo in the chest. "Cough!" Sun Yibo coughed up blood instantly, his face turning red and then rapidly paling, before he lay motionless. ........ Later, the video Hao Jian had captured was released online, featuring Wen Hanwen''s personal confession, and the public learned what had happened. They even noticed Xu Rongde and Liang Jiankun mentioned in the video. "Damn it!" At that moment, seeing the video, Liang Jiankun flew into a rage, his face turning ashen, for he knew he was finished. Wen Hanwen had betrayed him, and if the police started investigating, they would undoubtedly uncover some clues. Just then, there was a knock at the door, "Young Master, people from the criminal investigation department are here for you." Liang Jiankun''s pupils shrank, his face turning extremely ugly, he said, "Let them in!" Then, a group of police officers walked in, and Hao Jian was naturally among them. "Hey, we meet again!" Hao Jian said teasingly, waving his hand at Liang Jiankun. "What are you here for?" Liang Jiankun demanded sharply, feigning ignorance. "We''re here for you, of course." Hao Jian signaled to a detective beside him. "Liang Jiankun, you are suspected of inciting others to slander, murder, and create fake news among other crimes, and now I need to take you in to assist with the investigation!" "Where''s the evidence? Show me the evidence!" Liang Jiankun shouted, unwilling to go with them based just on their word. "Xu Rongde and Wen Hanwen have already confessed, saying you directed them, and the killer who murdered Zuo Xinglong also admitted you paid him. With three witnesses testifying against you, we don''t need further evidence," Hao Jian said. "What?" Liang Jiankun couldn''t believe it. It was one thing for Wen Hanwen to betray him, but Xu Rongde too? And that employee from Shu Ya Group, who was already in the late stages of cancer and close to death, why would he betray him? Seeing the confusion in Liang Jiankun''s eyes, Hao Jian mocked, "Xu Rongde came to me pleading for mercy after Wen Hanwen was arrested. He agreed to betray you just to spare his own life. As for that employee from Shu Ya Group, did you think that just because you paid him off to send his family to America I couldn''t touch him? I found his wife and three sons'' address that very evening, took some photos to show him, and then he decided to testify against you as a tainted witness." Chapter 588 - 588: To Die Without Closure Upon hearing this, Liang Jiankun became completely petrified. Why had this happened? His plan should have been flawless. One killing move after another¡ªhow had Hao Jian deciphered them? Even if Wen Hanwen had betrayed him, he was not afraid; even if Xu Rongde and Wen Hanwen had betrayed him together, he had countermeasures ready. But if even that worker had sold him out, then he truly would be in a perilous position. Liang Jiankun felt as if all his strength had been drained from his body in an instant, turning his face ashen. He couldn''t utter a single word. "Your pride is so laughable in my eyes. I remember warning you just yesterday, yet it seems you took my words for mere wind passing by," Hao Jian said mockingly, staring at Liang Jiankun with an icy gaze. "Heh heh... Hahahaha..." Liang Jiankun started with a light chuckle, then burst into wild laughter, tears mingling with his mirth. "Hao Jian, I''ve lost. I''ve lost disgracefully. Indeed, I am not your equal!" Then, Liang Jiankun''s smile vanished, his face turning iron blue as he said solemnly, "Can you grant me one request before I die?" Liang Jiankun knew that this time his death was certain, but before dying, there was something he couldn''t let go of. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "No. I''ve said that if you continue to oppose me, I will eradicate the Liang Family!" Hao Jian knew what Liang Jiankun wanted to say and outright refused him. Liang Jiankun''s pupils contracted sharply. His family¡ªthat was what he couldn''t let go of. He didn''t want to bring destruction upon his entire family because of himself. But what Liang Jiankun hadn''t expected was for Hao Jian to reject him so bluntly. "If I''ve said something, I will follow through. What I value most is keeping a promise!" "But once I''m dead, the Liang Family couldn''t possibly pose a threat to you!" Liang Jiankun was desperate, his relatives included his parents and siblings. It''s okay if he died, but he didn''t want to drag them down with him. "I know, but I just want you to die with your eyes wide open," Hao Jian said casually. Liang Jiankun had caused him so much trouble, how could he possibly let Liang Jiankun die easily? Liang Jiankun felt his hair stand on end. The look in his eyes seemed to concentrate all the hatred in the universe, transforming it into countless blades that fiercely stabbed into Hao Jian. "So you''re not just satisfied with killing me, you want me to die a restless death?" Liang Jiankun''s breath became rapid, his blood rushing to his head, his entire face turning purple and veiny, looking particularly fierce and eerie. Hao Jian was so ruthlessly evil; even in death, he wanted to make him pass away with regret and pain. Propping his chin with one hand, Hao Jian pretended to ponder, "I just want to show you my real tactics. By doing so, maybe you will learn to lower your proud head." "Thud." Without any nonsense, Liang Jiankun fell to his knees, his eyes nearly bursting with terrifying bloodshot streaks. "Please, spare my family!" Liang Jiankun spoke with difficulty, each word felt like suffocation. "I won''t," Hao Jian said with a ruffian look. "You..." Liang Jiankun suddenly realized he had been played. "But you just said, if I were willing to bow, you would spare my family." "I only said I wanted you to lower your proud head, never indicated I''d spare your family, oh," Hao Jian smirked. "Hao Jian, I¡ª!@#£¤ your mother!" Liang Jiankun couldn''t help but burst out cursing, but halfway through, he spat out blood due to a surge of anger. He had actually been enraged to the point of vomiting blood by Hao Jian. "Alright, drag this dead dog away, I''m bored of him," Hao Jian said indifferently to the detectives. The detectives were all dumbfounded. Who was this monster? So fierce¡ªsimply with verbal sparring he managed to make Liang Jiankun vomit blood. Overnight, Hua City was engulfed in tumult once again. Liang Jiankun was arrested by the police, the Liang family''s stock market took a hit, they went bankrupt overnight, all their assets were sold off. And the one who acquired their assets was Hao Jian! The Four Tycoons of Hua City, one dead, one in prison, one surrendered; apart from one invalid, the other three were all toyed with by Hao Jian at his whim. From that day forward, Hua City truly fell into Hao Jian''s hands. Following the events with Liang Jiankun, the stocks of Hao Jian Group skyrocketed by 30% overnight, 20% more than what they had lost. Because of this incident, the global recognition of Shu Ya Group rose manifold. In France, the Champs-Elys¨¦es Street Committee approved the review, agreeing to let the Shu Ya brand enter the Champs-Elys¨¦es. The day after passing the review, Shu Ya started their renovation preparation for opening. It took just over a week to commence business, and on the very first day, the jewelry sold out. Not only in France, but Shu Ya Group''s jewelry was selling like hotcakes everywhere, gaining massive attention due to Su Xinya''s involvement. Some consumers bought out of curiosity, while others did so out of admiration or guilt towards Su Xinya. In just a few days, sales almost reached the annual turnover of Shu Ya Group. Hao Jian had to have the factories rush production overnight, and even then it was not enough to meet the demand. He was forced to outsource orders for other manufacturers to produce. During this period, Hao Jian could be said to have made a fortune. The shareholders of several companies also benefitted greatly, admiring Hao Jian to the extent of veneration. ..... "This damned guy, who knew he actually had some brains," Shu Ya stood on the balcony in France, the corners of her mouth turning up in a charming smile. She had been worried about Hao Jian''s ability to handle the situation after the incident with Su Xinya, but fortunately, he had quickly stabilized the situation and even brought qualitative leaps for the group. "Little Ke, prepare my ticket back to Hua City for tomorrow!" "Chairman, are we going back tomorrow? But we haven''t finished our business here!" "Let the subordinates handle it, I''m kind of missing that guy." "..." Little Ke was somewhat speechless. When had the Chairman become so dependant on others? Hadn''t she always advocated not to rely on men? Today, with nothing better to do, Hao Jian roamed around the group''s headquarters, as usual, flirting with female employees and shooting the breeze with male colleagues. They used to act natural around Hao Jian before knowing his true identity, but now that they knew, their interactions became much more courteous, which he found quite boring. "Sure enough, once a person''s status changes, the attitude of those around them changes too," Hao Jian said helplessly, shaking his head as he left the building and hit the streets. Suddenly, he discovered a martial arts gym called "Gourd Brothers." "Is this even possible?" Hao Jian was flabbergasted, unable to believe that someone would actually name a gym like that. What did they teach inside? Fire-Breathing, Spouting Water, Invisibility, Clairvoyance, and Sharp-Hearing Ear? But then, he saw a familiar face. "Big Baby?!" "Eh, Master?" Big Baby swiftly turned around and was overjoyed to see Hao Jian, hurrying over to greet him. "How did you guys start running a gym?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. "Didn''t you tell us to protect the group''s safety? So, we thought we''d run a side business during our downtime," Big Baby explained. Hao Jian felt somewhat embarrassed, realizing he had neglected them after leaving them at the group, indeed burying their talents. It seemed he truly wasn''t fulfilling his duties as a master very well. "Fine, then let me see what your gym is like," Hao Jian said, proceeding into the gym with Big Baby. To his surprise, not only were the Gourd Brothers there, but Xiao Qiang was there too. "The gym was able to start up, thanks largely to the help of Miss Xiao Qiang. It was Miss Xiao Qiang who helped us make the necessary connections and get the business license," Big Baby explained. "Why didn''t you come to me for such matters?" Hao Jian asked. "Miss Xiao Qiang said you are a person with big responsibilities, and such small matters shouldn''t trouble you," Big Baby said with a smile. Hearing this, Hao Jian was also touched. Xiao Qiang was truly understanding. "Yo, isn''t this Vice Chairman Hao? What brings you to our little place?" Xiao Qiang noticed Hao Jian and came over with a smiling face. "Master... Master is here!" "Brothers, Master is here!" The other six brothers also noticed Hao Jian and rushed over in excitement. Some of the students looked confused, as they did not recognize Hao Jian. "I was just wandering around the neighborhood, and I didn''t expect to run into you guys here," Hao Jian explained. "By the way, how''s your clothing business going?" "Thanks to your help, the business is doing well," Xiao Qiang said. With Hao Jian''s influence, everyone in Hua City knew of her connection with him, so no-one dared to give her trouble anymore. "My disciples have been well taken care of by you," Hao Jian thanked her. "Being formal with me? And haven''t you helped me out, too?" Xiao Qiang was slightly upset, feeling the more polite they were with each other, the more distant their relationship became. "Alright, then I won''t say thanks," Hao Jian scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed. "Everyone, come over," Big Baby called to his students, and then said, "This is your Ancestral Master, hurry up and call him Ancestral Master!" "Ancestral Master? Really? He looks even younger than me," one of the students muttered. "This young man is our Ancestral Master?" The crowd was perplexed, and none were keen on acknowledging him. Hao Jian appeared too young to seem like someone of great skill. Many amongst them were older than Hao Jian and felt it was unfair to call him master. ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Chapter 589 - 589: White Eyebrow Tiger "What''s wrong with being young? This is called being promising in one''s youth, you dunces understand nothing! Even the seven of us were taught by him, what do you call him if not Ancestral Master?" Big Baby angrily said, "Hurry up and pay your respects, or get lost!" "Ancestral Master!" A group of students reluctantly called out the title, none daring to offend Big Baby, as they had all witnessed his methods. Big Baby had punched through a slab of iron with his fist, and they all wanted to learn skills from him. Hao Jian waved his hand, indicating that they didn''t need to make such a big fuss, as he wasn''t too comfortable with the scene. "The Gourd Brothers, what a stupid name! The founder of this martial arts school must have bubbles in his brain!" At this moment, a jeering voice came from outside. Hao Jian and the others simultaneously frowned, their expressions showing impatience. The person had appeared in their Martial Arts School and dared to insult their school name and master, clearly looking for trouble. Then, they saw a man in a kung fu robe, with a rugged face, leading a group of people storming in. His face square, his eyes like a leopard''s and his whiskers like a tiger''s, his white eyebrows met in a straight line, exuding a ferocious aura, like a hungry tiger. At this moment, a sneer played at his lips, clearly he was the one who had spoken just before. "Who''s the imbecile, what¡ªdid you eat shit this morning? Your mouth is so filthy!" A student, seeing the burly man so arrogant, immediately became outraged and rebuked him, standing in the burly man''s way. "White Eyebrow Tiger?" When Big Baby saw the newcomer, he couldn''t help but frown, his expression growing serious. "You know him?" Hao Jian asked curiously. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Big Baby nodded, saying, "This guy also runs a martial arts school, and he once fought my master to a draw. His strength is not to be underestimated." In truth, this hulking man known as White Eyebrow Tiger was even Big Baby''s senior. "Are you talking to me?" White Eyebrow Tiger sneered sinisterly, his towering figure imposing. "Yes, what gives you the right to insult our Martial Arts School and master?" the disciple retorted angrily, questioning White Eyebrow Tiger. "Because he is indeed an idiot, not just an idiot but also trash!" White Eyebrow Tiger laughed mockingly, his attitude extremely disdainful. "You motherf..." The disciple, enraged, was about to curse out loud. "Bang!" But White Eyebrow Tiger kicked out, sending the disciple flying into a nearby doorframe, leaving him spitting blood and unconscious. Seeing this, Big Baby and the others'' faces changed shades, and a bunch of disciples immediately went to check the injured student''s condition, then stared at White Eyebrow Tiger angrily: "What are you doing? Why are you attacking someone for no reason?" "What am I doing? Can''t you see? I''m here to challenge your school!" White Eyebrow Tiger snickered, while his followers also had a provocative look on their faces. "Challenge the school?" Big Baby''s brow deeply furrowed, stepping up to White Eyebrow Tiger, "Challenge the school is fine, but why did you hurt my disciple?" "Because I felt like it!" White Eyebrow Tiger boomed defiantly, snorting, "What? Can''t handle it? Then hit me if you dare!" "Challenging a school is meant for the exchange of martial arts skills, but you maliciously injured someone, which goes against the true essence of Martial Arts. Isn''t that going too far?" Second Baby also stepped forward, his face equally livid. White Eyebrow Tiger immediately scoffed: "Exchange of martial arts skills? Who told you I came here to exchange skills with you? I''m here to shut you down for good!" White Eyebrow Tiger snorted, "Daring to open a martial arts school in the White Eyebrow Tiger''s territory and compete with me for business? You must be tired of living!" "This land belongs to the state, and as citizens of the state, we have the right to open a martial arts school here!" Big Baby said firmly. "The land belongs to the state, but the territory is mine. If you want to open a martial arts school here, you have to get through me. Don''t say I don''t give you a way out, just pay me a fixed protection fee every month, and I might let you operate!" White Eyebrow Tiger said arrogantly, his attitude disdainful, plainly not taking Big Baby and the others seriously. "You want me to pay a protection fee?" Big Baby''s eyes immediately flared, White Eyebrow Tiger''s words a clear insult. They ran a martial arts school, teaching genuine skills¡ªif they paid White Eyebrow Tiger a protection fee, what would their students think? Would they assume they were afraid of White Eyebrow Tiger, and then who would come to learn from them? White Eyebrow Tiger demanding a protection fee under the guise of offering them a way to survive was, in fact, a veiled attempt to cut off their livelihood. "That''s right, if you want to run a martial arts school on my turf, you have to pay a protection fee, or else I''ll have someone block your entrance every day, and I''ll beat up anyone who tries to enroll!" White Eyebrow Tiger bellowed, his fierce gaze sweeping over everyone present. "Do you guys even have any sense of reason? Don''t think I don''t know that your White Tiger Martial Arts School is in the bustling city center, miles away from here. How could we possibly steal your business? You''re clearly just looking for trouble!" Xiao Qiang, her face frosty, was also furious for she had considered before helping Big Baby open the school that they shouldn''t compete with other martial arts schools for business, as it would harm both and benefit none. So Xiao Qiang had purposely chosen a location far from the White Tiger Martial Arts School; there was no way their business was competing. From the White Tiger Martial Arts School to theirs, it was at least a half-hour''s drive, how could they possibly be stealing customers? Therefore, Xiao Qiang knew White Eyebrow Tiger''s talk of business competition was false; his real intent was to make trouble. "Oh la la, we have a beauty here, all right, I''ve changed my mind. Honey, if you dine with me tonight, I won''t trouble this bunch of trash. How about that?" White Eyebrow Tiger lecherously eyed Xiao Qiang. His gaze upon her ample curves made his heart itch with desire. "In your dreams!" Before Xiao Qiang could speak, Big Baby bellowed, infuriated by White Eyebrow Tiger''s repeated insults: "The Gourd Brothers aren''t cowards. Bring on the fight! Cut the crap, if I flinch at all, I''m your grandson!" "The Gourd Brothers, hahaha... What kind of shitty name is that? Been watching too many cartoons, huh?" The disciples of White Eyebrow Tiger began to sneer. No sooner had their words fallen than Hao Jian''s brow furrowed and his eyes blazed with killing intent, for it was he who had named them. How dare they mock the name he had chosen? It frustrated Hao Jian deeply. Such a cool name, and these dimwits just couldn''t appreciate it. "If you don''t agree, let''s see the real deal with our fists and feet!" White Eyebrow Tiger gestured with his fist, speaking viciously. "Afraid of you?" Big Baby snorted coldly, and suddenly pointed to the ring, shouting: "Get on the stage!" But as soon as the words left his mouth, Hao Jian grabbed him, whispering: "You''re not his match." He could feel that this White Eyebrow Tiger was no ordinary adversary, and not someone Big Baby could handle. At this, Big Baby''s disciples all looked displeased. What kind of talk was that? Wasn''t that just boosting the opponent''s morale and undermining their own? "I know, but I can''t show weakness!" Big Baby said determinedly. They could lose, but they absolutely couldn''t cower! Hearing this, Hao Jian couldn''t help but smile in approval, then he stepped back several paces, no longer trying to stop Big Baby. Big Baby then stepped onto the ring, and that''s when White Eyebrow Tiger burst out laughing, turning to his disciples and saying, "You guys watch, and see how your master deals with this trash!" "White Tiger, mighty and powerful!" The disciples of the White Tiger Martial Arts School roared in unison. White Eyebrow Tiger stepped onto the stage, his cold eyes sweeping over Big Baby as he mocked: "You really shouldn''t have fought me. At least this way, you wouldn''t have to embarrass yourself in front of your disciples. If they see you defeated by me, do you think they will still follow you?" "So sure I''ll lose to you?" Big Baby burst into a rage-fueled laugh. "Even your master could only draw even with me, what makes you think you could fight me?" White Eyebrow Tiger scoffed and then charged forward: "Let this senior teach you what humility means!" White Eyebrow Tiger stepped forward briskly, letting out an ear-splitting roar, like a tiger bellowing through the forest. "Lion''s Roar Skill?" Hao Jian frowned. This White Eyebrow Tiger also knew the Lion''s Roar Skill¡ªthough not as thunderous as his own, capable of turning people into fools with sound waves, it was enough to induce momentary dizziness in someone. Big Baby hadn''t expected White Eyebrow Tiger to strike so suddenly, and in an instant, he was completely stunned. And then, White Eyebrow Tiger delivered a punch, hitting Big Baby squarely in the chest. Big Baby immediately spat out blood and was thrown out of the ring, crashing heavily to the ground. Everyone was shocked¡ªBig Baby had been sent flying by White Eyebrow Tiger with a single punch. "Hahaha, what about the Gourd Brothers? Such trash, can''t even block my master''s punch, what good are you!" White Eyebrow Tiger''s disciples started to jeer. "So many years gone by, and still so unskilled. If your master knew he trained a bunch of losers like you, he''d probably die of rage!" White Eyebrow Tiger mocked with a contemptuous look. The brows of Big Baby and his six brothers furrowed deeply, and their faces turned extremely ugly. At the same time, the disciples of the Seven Brothers Martial Arts School felt awkward, clearly embarrassed by their master''s defeat. Right then, they were wavering, seeming to hesitate about whether to stay in the school. "I haven''t lost yet!" Big Baby roared, leaping back onto the ring and glaring at White Eyebrow Tiger. White Eyebrow Tiger was somewhat surprised¡ªhe hadn''t expected Big Baby to still have the strength to fight after taking a punch from him. Then, his expression darkened and he sneered: "Ignorant fool!" In an instant, White Eyebrow Tiger rushed forward again, another Lion''s Roar coming from his mouth, but this time Big Baby was prepared. Though still startled, he would not lose focus. White Eyebrow Tiger threw another punch, intending to repeat his previous success. If this punch connected, White Eyebrow Tiger was sure Big Baby wouldn''t get up again. But just then, a sharp look crossed Big Baby''s eyes, and he suddenly moved, ducking to avoid White Eyebrow Tiger''s punch while his thumb, index, and middle finger formed a dragon claw shape, aiming straight for White Eyebrow Tiger''s collar. "Bang!" White Eyebrow Tiger was actually brought down by Big Baby, hitting the ground hard with a thud. Chapter 590 - 590 The True Lions Roar Skill "Clinging Clothes Striking Technique?" White Eyebrow Tiger was stunned. Big Baby actually knew such an unorthodox Kung Fu? That old man couldn''t possibly have taught them that. Big Baby was immediately overjoyed and looked out towards the audience at Hao Jian, only to see Hao Jian smile and nod at him. Because it was Hao Jian who had taught him this unorthodox Kung Fu. Big Baby knew that, with his own abilities, it was almost impossible to beat White Eyebrow Tiger. If it weren''t for this Clinging Clothes Striking Technique, he couldn''t even touch Hao Jian''s finger. "Master is invincible!" A group of disciples below shouted, finally changing their dispirited expressions to ones of excitement. "Damn it!" White Eyebrow Tiger also felt that he had made a fool of himself, having been thrown to the ground by such a worthless person. Although it didn''t cause him any harm, it was still embarrassing. "Because of your arrogance, I''m going to cripple you!" White Eyebrow Tiger slowly stood up, his face no longer smiling, but now filled with a ferocious expression. Five minutes later, Big Baby lay on the ground gasping for breath, in a critical condition. His body was covered with serious bruises, which looked particularly horrifying. "White Eyebrow Tiger, it was just a sparring match. Was all that really necessary?" Second Baby shouted angrily, his eyes nearly bursting with rage. If it hadn''t been for the fact that this was a contest between Big Baby and White Eyebrow Tiger, he would have intervened. "Martial arts are blind, it''s his own fault he''s not proficient. Who else can he blame?" White Eyebrow Tiger crossed his hands over his chest, speaking smugly, then stepped on Big Baby''s face, saying insultingly, "You call yourself trash like this ¨C worthy of running a martial arts school and teaching disciples?" "You!" Second Baby and the others were all livid with rage, their eyes fiercely fixed on White Eyebrow Tiger. And the disciples of the martial arts school sighed one after another, already planning on leaving the school, for Big Baby was no match for White Eyebrow Tiger, and they could learn nothing from him and the others. They all wanted to find a more skilled master to learn martial arts from, and with Big Baby defeated, his authority was swept away. Some were even considering switching to the White Tiger Martial Arts School. Then, White Eyebrow Tiger turned to the disciples of Big Baby''s martial arts school, "Let me tell you, from today on, if you dare to learn martial arts in this trash school, I will beat you every time I see you!" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then he smirked, "Don''t say I didn''t give you a chance. If you''re willing to join our White Tiger Martial Arts School, I''ll allow you to practice under my supervision." "You''re too arrogant!" Second Baby and the other six all jumped onto the stage, glaring at White Eyebrow Tiger with cross brows. "Arrogant? What can you do to me? Think you''ll win just because you have more people? You seven dwarfs!" White Eyebrow Tiger laughed loudly, displaying an arrogant demeanor. "Let go of my big brother!" Third Baby yelled, as White Eyebrow Tiger kept stepping on Big Baby while talking to them, utterly humiliating them. After all, they were old acquaintances, and White Eyebrow Tiger had once learned under their master. But now he showed no mercy in his actions against them, which made them feel very angry. "Oh, this trash? Here, take him!" White Eyebrow Tiger laughed heartily, a sinister gleam in his eye, then actually kicked Big Baby, sending him flying. "Cough..." Big Baby spat out blood and completely passed out. "White Eyebrow Tiger!!!" The remaining six brothers had lost all reason, utterly infuriated by White Eyebrow Tiger''s actions. Meanwhile, below the stage, Hao Jian also frowned deeply, his eyes flashing coldly. White Eyebrow Tiger''s actions had also displeased him. It was to be expected for Big Baby to be beaten if he wasn''t skilled, but White Eyebrow Tiger''s continuous trampling on his dignity by exploiting his strength was a bit too much. "What? You six pieces of trash want to make a move? Then come at me! I will **** all six of you!" White Eyebrow Tiger scoffed, his fists cracking with the sound. "Beat him up!" Second Baby roared, and he and the other five brothers prepared to move forward. But just at that moment, a shadow flashed, and Hao Jian appeared in front of them, shaking his head, "You six are no match for him." "But Master, if we don''t step in, wouldn''t Big Brother''s beating be in vain?" "That''s right, Master. A man can be killed but not humiliated. White Eyebrow Tiger''s behavior is a complete violation of martial arts principles. How can we let such a disgrace go unpunished?" "Master?" White Eyebrow Tiger was also shocked, and then, looking at Hao Jian with surprise, he hadn''t expected the seven brothers to have taken on a new master. However, when White Eyebrow Tiger saw how young Ye Haojian was, he immediately burst into mocking laughter, "I was right when I said you Gourd Brothers were all fools, finding a wet-behind-the-ears Yellow Hair kid as a master? Did your brains get squashed in a door?" At this, the disciples of the Gourd Brothers'' martial arts school couldn''t hold back anymore; they took off their Kung Fu robes, feeling embarrassed at the moment. Because they also didn''t think that Hao Jian had much ability, and the seven brothers had even taken him as their master. Moreover, they had been thoroughly defeated by White Eyebrow Tiger at this moment, which made them completely lose faith in Hao Jian. "It seems that you seven brothers are getting worse and worse. No wonder you''re still so useless after so many years. Following such a brat, what skills could you possibly learn?" White Eyrow Tiger mocked. At that time, Hao Jian seemed as though he hadn''t heard White Eyebrow Tiger''s words at all and instead told Big Baby and the others, "You go down first, I will avenge your big brother." "Master, are you going to make a move?" Big Baby and the others were overjoyed. If Hao Jian was willing to take action, he would surely be able to beat White Eyebrow Tiger, as they had all witnessed Hao Jian''s methods before. "What? As a master, do I have to hide behind when my disciples are beaten?" Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders. Big Baby and the others immediately rushed outside with great joy, and then burst into laughter, looking at White Eyebrow Tiger, "Fool, just wait to die!" Immediately, they all stepped down from the stage and stood aside, watching the disaster with schadenfreude. White Eyebrow Tiger couldn''t help but frown at this. These guys actually dared to provoke him? Where did this confidence come from? Immediately, White Eyebrow Tiger looked at Hao Jian with some doubt, wondering what was so special about this guy that he could make the brothers so confident in him? But soon White Eyebrow Tiger let it go. Hao Jian was so young, what abilities could he have? Besides, if he really had much ability, how could he have taught such trash disciples like the seven brothers? "You''re White Eyebrow Tiger, aren''t you?" Just then, Hao Jian turned his head, looking at White Eyebrow Tiger with a smile. "Who the hell are you?" White Eyebrow Tiger looked at Hao Jian arrogantly, his expression somewhat harsh. "You should have heard, I am their master." Hao Jian said with a smile, "And you''ve beaten my disciples, which makes me very unhappy." "So what? With you being such trash, what can you do to me?" White Eyebrow Tiger snorted in disdain and began rubbing his hands together, "Later, if I cripple you, the master, will your Gourd Brothers Martial Arts School officially close down?" "There are always so many idiots in this world." Hao Jian shook his head and sighed helplessly, with a cryptic smile on his face. "What did you say?" White Eyebrow Tiger''s face suddenly turned cold. Hao Jian actually dared to insult him? "I''ll give you one hand. If you can hit me, I''ll immediately have the seven brothers close down. Plus, all the disciples in the martial arts school will belong to you, and all the tuition fees as well!" Hao Jian stretched out one hand, provocatively speaking to White Eyebrow Tiger. Upon hearing these words, everyone couldn''t help but be shocked. Wasn''t Hao Jian being too arrogant? Didn''t he see how White Eyebrow Tiger just handled Big Baby? Laughing at Hao Jian''s words, White Eyebrow Tiger said, "Do you even know what you''re talking about?" "Can''t you be quicker? I don''t have time to waste on trash like you, I''ve got more important things to do." Hao Jian yawned, showing impatience. Hearing this, White Eyebrow Tiger''s face chilled as he exclaimed, "If you''re seeking death, then don''t blame me!" White Eyebrow Tiger made the first move with a thunderous roar, once again exerting his Lion''s Roar Skill. In no time, the deafening sound echoed through the entire martial arts school, scaring everyone into covering their ears, filled with horror; it was as if it could tear apart their eardrums. White Eyebrow Tiger intended to scare Hao Jian, to make him embarrass himself in public, but Hao Jian just casually cleaned his ears, nonchalantly. "What''s this? A cat meowing?" Hao Jian asked with curiosity, a mocking look on his face. Seeing this, everyone was stunned. Such a thunderous noise and Hao Jian claimed it was just like a cat meowing? White Eyebrow Tiger was also dumbfounded. He felt something was odd¡ªHao Jian was not afraid of his Lion''s Roar Skill? "Let me show you what the real Lion''s Roar Skill is!" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh, then took a deep breath. White Eyebrow Tiger was horrified. Did Hao Jian also know the Lion''s Roar Skill? "Roar!" In an instant, a louder, longer roar like thunder or a volcanic eruption engulfed the entire venue. Instantly, everyone felt their legs trembling. This wasn''t a lion''s roar; this was practically a dragon''s bellow! They all felt dizzy and some even collapsed on the ground, utterly stunned and frightened into silliness. At that moment, White Eyebrow Tiger, who was closest to Hao Jian, fared the worst as he was most affected. He leaned against the ropes, legs trembling, drenched in cold sweat. Everyone realized how terrifying Hao Jian was and were at a loss for words for a while. This feeling was too eerie. They had looked down on Hao Jian before, but quickly, Hao Jian proved how terrifying he was with facts. Even White Eyebrow Tiger''s face was filled with shock. He had not taken Hao Jian seriously before, but upon witnessing Hao Jian unleash his Lion''s Roar Skill, he was astonished. This guy''s mastery of the Lion''s Roar Skill far surpassed him. His understanding of the skill could be called perfect, but Hao Jian had reached the peak. This was no longer a mere Lion''s Roar; it was a damn Dragon''s Cry! ......................................... Chapter 591 - 591: Leave You Handicapped and Helpless "What''s the matter? Too scared to come up here?" Hao Jian taunted as he saw that White Eyebrow Tiger didn''t move. "Trifling skill, you can''t scare me!" White Eyebrow Tiger roared and lunged at Hao Jian, with fists and feet flying. At this moment, Hao Jian was indeed standing with one hand behind his back, motioning for White Eyebrow Tiger to come at him. Seeing this, White Eyebrow Tiger''s eyebrows furrowed deeply. Did Hao Jian dare to look down on him? "I will kill you!" White Eyebrow Tiger roared furiously as he swung his arm out, aiming straight for Hao Jian''s face. "Bang!" At that moment, White Eyebrow Tiger was immediately sent flying by a slap from Hao Jian. The crowd was shocked. White Eyebrow Tiger was taken down by Hao Jian with just one move? How could this be? Even White Eyebrow Tiger himself was dumbfounded. Was he actually unable to beat this kid? The entire right side of White Eyebrow Tiger''s face was completely swollen, looking exceptionally ragged. "Who exactly are you?" White Eyebrow Tiger asked gravely. In his view, if Hao Jian could send him flying with a single hit, he must definitely be no ordinary man. "Me? Aren''t I just the ''trash'' you were talking about?" Hao Jian mocked. At those words, White Eyebrow Tiger''s face looked awful. He had insulted Hao Jian earlier by calling him trash, and now, he ended up being schooled by the ''trash.'' So what did that make him? The trash of the trash? "This time, I''ll let you use both hands!" Hao Jian said as he put his hands behind his back and watched White Eyebrow Tiger playfully, "Now, you can freely assault this ''trash'' of yours!" But this time, White Eyebrow Tiger hesitated. After that last hit, he was still somewhat stunned, and now he was indeed a bit scared to go forward. Everyone was amazed. Was White Eyebrow Tiger scared? Big Baby and his disciples finally saw a glimmer of hope because Hao Jian''s move just now had obviously overwhelmed White Eyebrow Tiger, and now White Eyebrow Tiger seemed to be afraid to advance because of fear. Those who initially looked down on Hao Jian now all shut their mouths, appearing stunned and lost in thought. Meanwhile, White Eyebrow Tiger''s disciples also looked skeptically at him, pondering whether he was really scared. "What''s the matter? Are you scared?" Hao Jian, seeing White Eyebrow Tiger hesitate, immediately provoked him with a smile. "Scared? What a joke! Am I supposed to be scared of you?" White Eyebrow Tiger retorted angrily, glaring. Even if he was really intimidated, he absolutely couldn''t show it on the surface. "Not scared, then? Why not come at me quickly?" Hao Jian motioned to White Eyebrow Tiger with his finger. "I will crush every bone in your body!" White Eyebrow Tiger bellowed and charged at him once more, but this time he was extremely alert, not daring to slack off in the slightest. "Thud!" However, he was still kicked flying by Hao Jian. Regardless of his vigilance, he ultimately couldn''t match the speed of Hao Jian''s kick. He didn''t even see how Hao Jian had kicked. He just found himself flying through the air. At this moment, everyone was utterly dumbfounded. If the first time White Eyebrow Tiger was sent flying could be considered a fluke, this time it surely proved everything. White Eyebrow Tiger genuinely was no match for Hao Jian. White Eyebrow Tiger himself was completely stunned. Hao Jian had been fighting without even using his hands, and yet he still couldn''t beat him? How did he kick so quickly? "How about that? Even your two hands aren''t enough? Well, let''s do this then¡ªI''ll let you use all four limbs; surely, you can manage this time?" Hao Jian said helplessly. White Eyebrow Tiger furrowed his brow deeply. Who couldn''t see that Hao Jian was deliberately insulting him? But at this moment, he truly didn''t dare to go forward, because he also sensed that Hao Jian was very tricky; even if he didn''t use his limbs, he still felt he couldn''t harm him. White Eyebrow Tiger pondered; so young yet so powerful, this guy definitely wasn''t a nobody. "What''s the matter, White Eyebrow Tiger? Didn''t you look down on my master? Well, now he''s letting you use both hands and feet, and you still don''t dare to come up?" Below the stage, Big Baby, and the others all laughed loudly, looking contemptuously at White Eyebrow Tiger. "I just had a fight today and I''m a bit tired. That''s why I lost to him. Let''s call it quits for today and another day I will surely come to challenge again!" White Eyebrow Tiger shamelessly argued, trying to salvage some dignity. And when the crowd heard White Eyebrow Tiger''s words, they all scoffed. White Eyebrow Tiger was clearly making a weak excuse. He had just effortlessly defeated Big Baby a moment ago and now claimed to be tired from a fight? "That''s it!" White Eyebrow Tiger swung his arm and then turned around to leave, planning to depart from there. But just then, Hao Jian suddenly appeared in front of White Eyebrow Tiger, who immediately showed a shocked expression, almost scared out of his wits. How did this guy get here? Hao Jian smirked coldly, "Did I say you could go?" In an instant, he charged at White Eyebrow Tiger with a shoulder to his chest, causing White Eyebrow Tiger to spit blood and fly through the air, crashing through the ropes and slamming into a wall. Now, White Eyebrow Tiger looked just like Big Baby had earlier, being unilaterally slaughtered by Hao Jian. And indeed, as he had said, Hao Jian had let White Eyebrow Tiger use his hands and feet, yet White Eyebrow Tiger still couldn''t beat him. "Trash!" Hao Jian scorned, then slowly walked towards White Eyebrow Tiger. "Don''t come any closer!" White Eyebrow Tiger quickly raised his hand to stop Hao Jian, saying fearfully, "This is just a contest, there''s no need to take someone''s life, right?" He felt that Hao Jian might kill him because that bastard had shown no mercy just now. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. White Eyebrow Tiger now felt he couldn''t even stand up; Hao Jian''s punches had nearly crippled him. "You know it''s just a contest, then why did you beat my disciple like that?" Hao Jian sneered coldly and then stepped on White Eyebrow Tiger''s thigh, followed by the sound of a bone cracking. White Eyebrow Tiger''s expression twisted, and he screamed miserably. "I know I was wrong, don''t mess around!" White Eyebrow Tiger said in terror, truly frightened, as Hao Jian daring to break his leg like that indicated he wouldn''t mind killing him. Seeing White Eyebrow Tiger begging for mercy changed the expressions of his disciples as well¡ªhow cowardly were they? "It''s too late, you shouldn''t have been so arrogant!" Hao Jian grabbed one of White Eyebrow Tiger''s hands and said, "Someone like you has no right to be called a Martial Artist!" "You... what do you want to do?" White Eyebrow Tiger stared, seemingly anticipating what was to come. "I''m going to cripple you!" Hao Jian smiled cruelly and then snapped White Eyebrow Tiger''s hand. Everyone then heard White Eyebrow Tiger''s piercing scream again, and everyone felt horrified; Hao Jian''s move was truly ruthless. "Save me, save me!" White Eyebrow Tiger screamed out, calling to his disciples for help as he finally realized what kind of monster he had provoked. Although this guy was young, his heart was even crueler than his. But White Eyebrow Tiger''s disciples did not dare to move, as they were also intimidated by Hao Jian''s ferocity. Furthermore, if even White Eyebrow Tiger was no match for Hao Jian, how could they possibly defeat him? "Let me teach you a lesson, don''t yell and insult people in their own house, got it?" Hao Jian then grabbed White Eyebrow Tiger''s hand. "No... don''t..." White Eyebrow Tiger begged, looking at Hao Jian, not wanting to become disabled. "Crack!" "Ow!" "Damn it, boy, I''ll make your life worse than death!" White Eyebrow Tiger screamed loudly, his face twisting into a ferocious mask, realizing Hao Jian would not let him go, so he was ready to risk everything. Soon, White Eyebrow Tiger lay on the ground like a dead dog, ending up in an even more miserable state than Big Baby, as Hao Jian had crippled his limbs, turning him completely into a disabled person. At that moment, everyone''s view of Hao Jian completely turned into one of fear; this guy was truly a demon. The people who had underestimated Hao Jian now wished they could slap themselves. "Just defeating me is useless; to open a martial arts school in Hua City, you must continuously challenge seven Grandmasters and stand undefeated to even have a possibility. This is an unwritten rule among the Martial Arts Halls in Hua City. Even if I didn''t trouble you, they would still come after you!" White Eyebrow Tiger raised his head, his eyes filled with spite, "They will avenge me!" "Then let them come!" Hao Jian scoffed coldly, and then he kicked White Eyebrow Tiger in the head, immediately knocking him unconscious. Then, he sneered, facing White Eyebrow Tiger''s disciples, "Take your master and leave!" Those disciples hastily carried White Eyebrow Tiger on their back and then ran out of the Martial Arts Hall as if escaping. "Whoa!!!!" At that point, all the disciples of the Seven Brothers Martial Arts School screamed in high spirits, feeling lifted. Although Big Baby and some other masters had been humiliated, the Ancestral Master was still impressive. Those who had initially planned to leave decided to stay. Second Baby and others were also overjoyed, cursing at the people from White Tiger Martial Arts School. At that moment, Hao Jian glared at them, "Being happy because your skills are inferior? Is this what my disciple''s capabilities are all about?" Second Baby and others instantly fell silent, shame written all over their faces. "Starting tomorrow, I will give you special training!" Hao Jian left those words expressionlessly and then strode out of the Martial Arts Hall. Second Baby and the others stared dumbfound, then suddenly overflowed with joy, realizing Hao Jian was actually planning to give them special training? Weren''t they about to get stronger? Meanwhile, Xiao Qiang also quickly followed Hao Jian''s steps. "Aren''t you being too harsh on them?" Xiao Qiang walked side by side with Hao Jian and asked. "A strict teacher produces outstanding students, haven''t you heard of it?" "True, but what I''m asking is, you taught them just a little and then ignored them, now blaming them for being weak, isn''t that too harsh?" Xiao Qiang said, half-smiling. "Cough cough¡­" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian''s expression became somewhat awkward because it indeed seemed true. "So, I''m going to look at a plot of land later, do you want to come?" Hao Jian asked. "You have a plot of land? How big is it?" Xiao Qiang asked. "Not too big, probably about the size of ten soccer fields," Hao Jian thought for a moment and then replied. Chapter 592 - 592: The True Value "Ten football fields? My God, are you that rich?" Xiao Qiang was flabbergasted, for he knew Shu Ya didn''t deal in real estate, which must mean that the land belonged personally to Hao Jian. "Someone gave it to me." Hao Jian revealed a smug smile. "Someone gave it to you? Who would be so generous? Why would he give it to you?" Xiao Qiang was utterly at a loss. It seemed too good to be true in this world. "I guess they thought I was handsome!" Hao Jian laughed heartily. Hearing this, Xiao Qiang frowned, "Have you clung to a rich lady again?" "Pah, don''t make me sound like a gigolo!" Hao Jian glared at Xiao Qiang angrily, "Is it my fault I''m handsome? Is it also my fault that I''m sexy, charming, and irresistible to women?" sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Fine, let''s pretend I never asked, alright? I don''t want to ask any further." Xiao Qiang waved her hand with a helpless expression, fearful that if she continued, Hao Jian would start boasting intolerably. Late, Hao Jian and Xiao Qiang headed to the land, joined by Liu Rizhao and Zhao Hanlin. Since Liu Rizhao was also a real estate developer, he knew quite a lot about the business, so Hao Jian planned to get his opinion as well. When Zhao Hanlin saw the land, he too was amazed, then he became overjoyed. A plot of land this big¡ªif their construction team took the job, they would definitely make a fortune. "How long do you think it will take to complete this land?" Hao Jian asked Zhao Hanlin. "With the speed of our construction team, it should be possible within two years, possibly even a year and a half!" Zhao Hanlin said, quite confident as their team was truly exceptional. Hao Jian nodded, then turned to Liu Rizhao, "What do you think of this land?" "Don''t just focus on real estate, consider building a commercial center here. Look, Mr. Hao Jian, it''s backed by the sea and suitable for living, but this area has developed transportation, next to the subway, and everything from banks, department stores, educational institutions, and residential areas, is readily available. Once a commercial center is built, business would definitely boom, and it could even become an iconic building," Liu Rizhao suggested. In his view, using the entire plot for residential purposes would be somewhat wasteful. Listening to this, Hao Jian also felt Liu Rizhao made some sense¡ªbuilding a commercial center could attract many renowned brands, and the annual franchise fees alone would be a considerable sum, definitely earning more than real estate. Suddenly, as they were discussing the planning, a group of people approached, and it was indeed Murong Yeyun. "Hey, Hao Jian, long time no see," Murong Yeyun waved at Hao Jian, a cigar in his mouth, intentionally spitting a load of thick phlegm on the ground, looking extremely uncouth. Seeing Murong Yeyun appear, Hao Jian was also puzzled and asked, "What are you doing here?" "I heard this land is yours, so I thought about making a deal with you," Murong Yeyun said with a smile, clearly he had also noticed this plot of land. Hearing this, Hao Jian also smiled playfully, "What kind of deal? You''re not thinking about wanting my land, are you?" "Exactly, I''d like you to sell this land to me. Regarding the price, I''ll definitely make you satisfied," Murong Yeyun indeed had his eyes on the land. Actually, he had come to Hua City just so he could make a mark here, impressing his family with some achievements. Because only then would they begin to take him seriously, thereby giving the family business into his hands! Now, Murong Qiushui was the decision-maker of the Murong Family. If Murong Yeyun wanted to change this situation, he had to put on a strong performance. And this land, Murong Yeyun had already planned out¡ªconstructing a commercial center here, and maybe even a Disneyland, promising a future filled with vast profits. Obviously, Murong Yeyun also knew this was a prime piece of real estate. He originally planned to bid for it, only to find out the land had already changed hands. And the owner was none other than Hao Jian, and although reluctant, Murong Yeyun had no choice but to come negotiate with Hao Jian. "I refuse!" Hao Jian shook his head directly. Hearing this, Murong Yeyun also looked displeased, "Why? If you want to develop it, you''ll need to invest a huge sum of money initially, and who knows when it will actually start to profit. Plus, I just heard that you plan to build a residential area, right? That''s simply wasteful! If you transform it into an amusement park, its annual profit could match the revenue from developing a residential area!" "But if I were to buy it from you? You''d get an amount of money you couldn''t spend in a lifetime and wouldn''t have to invest so much. Why wouldn''t you want that?" Murong Yeyun''s eyes locked onto Hao Jian, his desire for the land clear. Because Murong Yeyun could already see the potential value of the land. "How much are you willing to offer?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. Although he didn''t want to sell, he was curious to know how much Murong Yeyun craved the land. "Forty billion!" Murong Yeyun blurted out, the price was twice the market value of the land. Just then, Liu Rizhao whispered a few words to Hao Jian''s ear. Consequently, Hao Jian couldn''t help but laugh, "Unfortunately, the experts around me tell me that the commercial value of this land exceeds four billion!" Indeed, if developed into a commercial center and residential area, the yield of this land would definitely exceed four billion. "Five billion!" Murong Yeyun continued. "Not selling!" "Six billion!" "Not selling!" "Seven billion!" "Not selling!" "One hundred billion!" Murong Yeyun finally lost his temper, directly planning to spend one hundred billion to buy this plot of land. "Young Master, this is beyond our budget," a man behind Murong Yeyun hurriedly interjected at this point. The price offered by Murong Yeyun deviated from his initial budget; originally, they had planned to buy this plot for no more than sixty billion. Even reaching seventy billion was already a lot for Yeyun, but offering one hundred billion was completely profitless. In his opinion, although the land was large, it wasn''t enough to earn one hundred billion. Even if it could make that much, it would take twenty or thirty years, making the returns too minimal to justify the investment. "You don''t understand, he isn''t only interested in this piece of land but also in this coastal area. Later, he can build a port here, exclusively for import and export trade, and the huge profits could cover the one hundred billion investment in just a few years," Hao Jian sneered. Upon hearing this, Liu Rizhao and Murong Yeyun were both shocked, and then Liu Rizhao also quickly looked towards the sea, suddenly realizing that this sea route could indeed lead directly internationally. By then, Murong Yeyun could hire several merchant ships and engage in global trade, and with the Murong Family''s powerful background, Murong Yeyun could monopolize, implementing a monopoly. By then, not only could Murong Yeyun engage in maritime trade, but other groups would also have to go through them, naturally bringing in a continuous flow of wealth. At this very moment, Liu Rizhao was utterly admiring towards Hao Jian, having failed to notice this detail that Hao Jian had noticed. Murong Yeyun also couldn''t help but frown deeply, not expecting Hao Jian to have seen through his intentions. And now, Hao Jian laughed again, saying to Murong Yeyun, "Although you consistently said that you planned to transform this place into a commercial center and a playground, building a port was your true intention, the playground and commercial center were just incidental." "How did you find out?" Murong Yeyun''s expression darkened somewhat. "The price you offered was too high, so high that it even made me somewhat incredulous. Because just now my consultant here told me that the forty billion you offered was already high. Yet, it was just a minor lie from me that made you show your hand. The higher the price you offered, the more it told me the greater value of this land, so it made me think, what about this land caught your attention? Then I thought of its bordering the sea!" Hao Jian cheerfully said. Upon hearing this, Murong Yeyun was immediately startled, realizing that Hao Jian was tricking him? It was unimaginable for Murong Yeyun that Liu Rizhao had just told Hao Jian that the price was already very good; Murong Yeyun had thought Hao Jian was truly finding the amount too little, hence the deliberate price hike. At this moment, Murong Yeyun was incredibly angry, "Damn it, who told me this guy was brave but not clever? Stand out! See if I don''t beat you to death!" And Liu Rizhao was also stupefied, originally thinking that Hao Jian was only intimidating in terms of physical strength, but now it seemed his intellect was also terrifying. At the side, Xiao Qiang was also somewhat flabbergasted, originally thinking she understood Hao Jian well, but now it seemed she did not. Murong Yeyun''s expression grew extremely ugly, was it he who had disclosed the value of this land to Hao Jian? "Now that I understand the value of this land, do you think I would still sell it?" Hao Jian sneered, especially since Shu Ya Group was currently expanding internationally, later when they start selling jewelry all over the world, if they could establish a water route, they could completely save a substantial amount in transportation costs. Moreover, maritime transport had another advantage, that later even if Hao Jian wanted to smuggle some contraband, he could easily transport it into the country. In an instant, Murong Yeyun''s expression turned even uglier, "So you were testing me all this time?" "Rather than saying I was testing you, I would say I was testing the value of this land! But thank you, now I know how valuable this land is," Hao Jian proudly laughed, and then turning his head to Zhao Hanlin said, "Take note, after the residential area, build a port for me!" ........................... Chapter 593 - 593: Does it Look Like a Dog? "I''m asking you one more time, are you sure you won''t sell?" Murong Yeyun''s voice gradually became icy, evidently, he was also extremely humiliated by being played by Hao Jian. "Murong Yeyun, I know what you''re thinking and what you want to do, but I don''t want to get involved in your dispute with Murong Qiushui," Hao Jian also said coldly. If he helped Murong Yeyun, Murong Qiushui would certainly bear a grudge against him. "What are you talking about? My relationship with Qiushui is very good!" Murong Yeyun hurriedly retorted. "Very good? Is that self-comfort?" Hao Jian scoffed coldly: "You might be able to deceive others with that, but you can''t fool me!" Murong Yeyun''s brows instantly furrowed: "What do you mean by that?" Could it be that Hao Jian actually understood the inside story? Had Murong Qiushui told him? "Although on the surface it looks like there''s no problem between you and your sister, if there really were no problems, then why do you insist on staying in Hua City? Are you trying to tell me that you have fallen in love with this heated soil?" Hao Jian said mockingly. "What if I really have come to like this place?" Murong Yeyun asked sarcastically. "Impossible. Hua City may be prosperous, but it can''t compare to Capital City. Would you abandon Capital City for Hua City? I don''t believe it! Unless you have other ulterior motives!" Hao Jian spoke indifferently, and it was abnormal for Murong Yeyun to have stayed in Hua City for such a long time. "What do you think my scheme is?" Murong Yeyun squinted his eyes; he felt more and more that Hao Jian was unfathomable. Hao Jian had discovered his intention, knowing that his stay in Hua City was purposeful, and this was something that even Murong Qiushui, who shared the same thoughts as Murong Chengkong, did not know. "You''re worried Murong Qiushui will partner with me, and you want to disrupt the cooperation between her and me. At the same time, Murong Qiushui is now focusing her career on Hua City, and you want to compete with her in Hua City to prove who is the most qualified to inherit the Murong Family," Hao Jian replied. "Murong Yeyun, you''re not as rough as you appear, nor are you as indifferent to power as you seem to be. On the contrary, you hate your sister to the extreme because she took everything that was rightfully yours. You and Murong Chengkong are both resentful, so you want to take it back, am I right?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "Indeed, you''re right. Hao Jian, now I finally understand why you have control over Hua City; you indeed are an intelligent man, probably the cleverest person I have met apart from the four famous families," Murong Yeyun said, clapping his hands continuously, before his expression turned sinister: "Now that you know my intentions, you should realize that I am determined to get this piece of land." "You think you can snatch something from my hands?" Hao Jian laughed coldly in response. "I don''t know, but I would like to try!" Murong Yeyun said, smiling yet not smiling, his eyes narrowed. If Hao Jian did not intend to give him the land, then perhaps it was time for him to take some necessary measures. "Kid, our Young Master fancying you is your good fortune; don''t be ungrateful!" Just then, a young man spoke up, about thirty-something, adorned in a suit, with a handsome appearance and a hint of arrogance in his brow, glaring unhappily at Hao Jian. "Who are you?" Hao Jian frowned, he had never seen this man before, yet there was a feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, as if he had seen him somewhere before. "Baili Family, Baili Yuntian!" Baili Yuntian said proudly, his gaze towards Hao Jian was cold. "Baili Family? What''s your relationship with Baili Zhan?" Hao Jian suddenly came to his senses; no wonder he found Baili Yuntian familiar, he was from the Baili Family. "That trash is my cousin, but I have no relationship with him whatsoever," Baili Yuntian snorted coldly, eager to distance himself from Baili Zhan, because he didn''t want to be lumped together with that disgrace who only brought shame to the Baili Family. "He may be trash, but you''re not necessarily any better. Even if he''s trash, at least he stands upright, while you are groveling!" Hao Jian mocked, implying that Baili Yuntian was nothing but a dog for Murong Yeyun. "You!" Baili Yuntian''s eyes were filled with fury. "Don''t get so angry, I didn''t say anything wrong, did I? Aren''t you just acting as someone''s dog?" Hao Jian said playfully and then ignored Baili Yuntian, turning instead to Murong Yeyun: "As the master, shouldn''t you control your own dog? When the adults are talking, why should a beast interject?" "Hao Jian, f*ck your mom!" Baili Yuntian was extremely embarrassed and cursed at Hao Jian. "Bang!" As soon as Baili Yuntian''s words fell, Hao Jian rushed forward, kicking him in the chest and sending him flying into a nearby concrete pool. Hao Jian looked at Baili Yuntian in the concrete pool with a smile: "You probably don''t understand me; I have never been a nice person. If someone wants to curse me, I''m definitely going to f*ck their grandma!" Immediately after, Hao Jian teasingly said to Murong Yeyun: "I took care of a disobedient dog for you; I suppose you should be grateful to me." "Do you think this is funny? Or do you think I''m just another useless fool like Liang Jiankun?" Murong Yeyun''s face darkened as he spoke. Hao Jian was simply provoking him. Baili Yuntian was his dog, and there''s a saying that you should look at the master before beating the dog. By hitting his dog in front of him, Hao Jian had no intention of giving him face. "Liang Jiankun and the others should be a cautionary example for you. Actually, I think you should take heed," Hao Jian still wore a relaxed expression, not worried in the slightest about offending Murong Yeyun. "I will ask you one last time, are you really not willing to accept my request?" Murong Yeyun had lost his patience, he asked with a cold face. "It seems defeating a few losers has inflated your ego!" Murong Yeyun huffed. "Are you talking about yourself?" "Have you ever beaten me?" "I just hit your man, and you don''t dare to strike back at me, doesn''t that mean you know you can''t beat me? Doesn''t that count as me winning?" Hao Jian laughed. Everyone was shocked; Hao Jian was blatantly slapping Murong Yeyun in the face. "Are you sure I can''t beat you?" Murong Yeyun sneered, that last time was only because you played dirty tricks. "Then let''s go again, this time I''ll beat you like a dog!" Hao Jian beckoned Murong Yeyun with his fingers. "Help, help!" Just then, Baili Yuntian screamed repeatedly, unable to swim, he had swallowed several mouthfuls of cement in the cement pool. "After such difficulty being rescued," Baili Yuntian glared at Hao Jian with a venomous look. "If you dare glare at me again, I''ll skin you alive!" Hao Jian said with a somewhat bizarre laugh. Baili Yuntian immediately lowered his head, not daring to look at Hao Jian again, his face showing endless shame and humiliation. "In that case, let''s show the truth with our actions!" Murong Yeyun was also furious, rushing towards Hao Jian. Five minutes later. Murong Yeyun, with a swollen nose and bruised face, lay on the ground and said to Hao Jian, who was rubbing his hands in preparation, "I''ve treated you to a meal before, do you remember that?" Hao Jian rolled his eyes and said, "How can your skin be so thick?" Everyone else was also dumbfounded. Wasn''t this too embarrassing? "A true man can bend and stretch!" Murong Yeyun didn''t feel embarrassed in the least and said aloud. "Shameless is just shameless, why talk about bending and stretching?" Hao Jian mocked, Murong Yeyun''s skin was indeed too thick. From this, Hao Jian could tell that Murong Yeyun was an oddball. He didn''t care about any kingly demeanor and acted like a rogue¡ªjust like the historical Liu Bang, despicable yet he seized the empire. Those who win empires are heroes; heroes merely serve at the behest of such conquerors. "Look, a plane!" Murong Yeyun suddenly pointed behind Hao Jian. A group of people turned around to look but saw nothing behind them. Hao Jian also realized something was amiss and quickly turned back, only to see Murong Yeyun running away as if flying. His speed surpassed Liu Xiang in the 100-meter hurdles, his figure was exceptionally dashing. "This shameless scoundrel!" Hao Jian clenched his teeth in frustration. Although he had anticipated it, he still hadn''t expected Murong Yeyun to do something so outrageous. "Young Master?" Baili Yuntian was also shocked and shouted after the retreating figure of Murong Yeyun. Just now, Murong Yeyun had been so domineering, with an air of invincibility, but now he ran away like a dog who had lost his home, and his escape was even more embarrassing, as if chased by a dog. "Keep in touch when you''re free!" Murong Yeyun shouted without looking back, running faster than a dog. "Ha, look at him, doesn''t he look just like a Hao Jian?" Hao Jian taunted. The subordinates of Murong Yeyun were all dumbfounded, staring at the departing Murong Yeyun, all feeling like they had been terribly let down. Murong Yeyun had to run; he wasn''t a fool. Just now he had clearly sensed the killing intent emanating from Hao Jian; this guy truly had murderous thoughts towards him. Although Hao Jian was laughing and joking around, Murong Yeyun knew this guy actually had a knife hidden behind his smile. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Now that the boss has run away, what will you minions do?" Hao Jian looked at Baili Yuntian and the others with a smile that was not quite a smile. Baili Yuntian and the others were immediately alarmed, thinking Hao Jian wouldn''t beat them up as well? "Hao Jian, actually, I really admire you, hehe, hehehehe¡­" Baili Yuntian forced a smile more unsightly than crying. "Hey, don''t be so hard on yourself," Hao Jian said with a hand on Baili Yuntian''s shoulder, his words full of meaning, aware that Baili Yuntian''s words were not sincere. "I can''t help it; if I''m not, you''ll beat me!" Baili Yuntian said with difficulty, his smile even uglier than tears. "Oh? You''re quite smart, aren''t you!" Hao Jian feigned surprise and then eyed Baili Yuntian with ill intent, "But even so, I still have to beat you because I really find you very unpleasant to look at!" With that, Hao Jian rolled up his sleeves and walked over, and soon Baili Yuntian found himself in the cement pool once again. Not long after, Baili Yuntian returned to the Baili Family looking bedraggled. But just as he reached the doorstep, he saw a slovenly drunkard laying across the threshold, guzzling wine in a drunken stupor. Chapter 594 - 594: A Fairy or a Queen ``` Seeing Baili Yuntian return all covered in mud, Baili Zhan froze for a moment before bursting into laughter with a spray of drink, laughing uncontrollably on the spot. "Shut up!" Baili Yuntian, with a hideous look, roared, his entire face twitching non-stop, feeling like killing Baili Zhan right there and then. "Baili Yuntian, what on earth happened to you? Did you fall into a mud pit on your way back?" Baili Zhan continued to laugh uproariously, showing no respect for his cousin Baili Yuntian. "Yuntian, what happened to you?" At this time, a middle-aged man stepped forward. Seeing Baili Yuntian in such a state, he too was shocked. Then, he saw Baili Zhan on the side, laughing so hard that he was bent over, looking completely like a fool. The middle-aged man''s expression also turned unsightly, for he was Baili Yuntian''s father, the eldest son of the Baili Family, Baili Yang, and he, just like Baili Yuntian, disliked Baili Zhan. "I ran into Hao Jian today!" Baili Yuntian said with an awful look on his face. "Did Hao Jian do this to you?" asked Baili Yang, surprised, but then feeling something was amiss, he inquired, "But weren''t you with Murong Yeyun today? How could he dare?" "Murong Yeyun got beaten and ran away too!" Baili Yuntian said coldly. Murong Yeyun had mentioned something that greatly upset Baili Yuntian. He served Murong Yeyun, yet Murong Yeyun left him to flee alone. "What? Murong Yeyun got beaten and ran away?" Baili Yang looked dumbstruck, utterly astonished. What kind of person was Murong Yeyun, and how could he do something as disgraceful as running away? "Would I lie to you?" Baili Yuntian said, wanting to cry but having no tears. If he hadn''t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn''t have believed it either. "Forget it, if Hao Jian treated Murong Yeyun like that, Murong Yeyun won''t let it go. Just let Murong Yeyun deal with him," said Baili Yang, somewhat helplessly waving his hand, obviously not wanting to get involved. "But I want to make a move too!" Baili Yuntian objected, as Hao Jian''s insult wasn''t only towards Murong Yeyun. He wanted to join forces with Murong Yeyun to deal with Hao Jian. Even though he knew Hao Jian was strong, he believed there would always be a way to deal with him. "You can''t!" Baili Yang firmly rejected, with sternness in his manner: "Leave this matter to Murong Yeyun. Don''t you meddle in it any further, Hao Jian is not someone we can afford to provoke." "Dad, it''s Murong Yeyun and the Murong Family he''s offended, and the Murong Family is not like the scum of the Liang and He Families, he''s doomed for sure!" Baili Yuntian retorted, displeased, feeling like Baili Yang was boosting others'' morale and diminishing his own prestige. Upon hearing this, Baili Yang snorted coldly: "When he first arrived in Hua City, everyone thought he was doomed. But what happened? It was the people from the Liang and He Families who ended up dead!" Baili Yuntian fell silent with a gloomy face. "This matter is not to be mentioned again, and you are not to provoke Hao Jian, or you''ll be responsible for the consequences!" Baili Yang sternly said. After that, Baili Yuntian scoffed resentfully and strode away sullenly. Baili Yang then cast his gaze toward Baili Zhan, who was not far away, still drunkenly indulging in his fantasies. Seeing Baili Zhan like this, Baili Yang finally felt relieved. After Baili Yuntian and his father left, Baili Zhan finally revealed a smile: "Hao Jian, huh? How interesting!" ......... "You went to find Hao Jian?" In a luxurious villa in Hua City, a man with an otherworldly demeanor sat on a stone bench in the garden, looking astonished at the battered Murong Yeyun, knowing that only Hao Jian could have inflicted such severe wounds on him. "I just tried to test the waters, but that guy gave me a severe beating. He even wanted to kill me; lucky I ran fast!" Murong Yeyun heaved a sigh of relief, yet appeared very nonchalant, not at all embarrassed. Because he knew that compared to life itself, so-called face was utterly worthless. As long as you can survive, anything goes, but if you''re dead, there''s nothing left. "Kill you? His courage is so great?" Murong Chengkong was also shocked. Murong Yeyun was the young master of the Murong Family, and killing him would mean an unending feud with the Murong Family. Would Hao Jian really do such a thing? Murong Yeyun snorted and rebuked: "You and I both underestimated that kid. He not only saw through my plan to build a wharf on that land but also knew I wanted to remove Murong Qiushui! I think he wanted to kill me because of Murong Qiushui!" "Impossible! If that guy had wanted to help Murong Qiushui, he would have teamed up with her long ago, not repeatedly refused her," said Murong Chengkong, his face marked with a trace of solemnity. "Or maybe they are secretly cooperating? Don''t you know as well?" Murong Yeyun sat directly in front of Murong Chengkong, grabbed the teapot, and started gulping down the tea straight to his mouth. Although Murong Chengkong didn''t like the rudeness of Murong Yeyun, he forcibly held back from scolding and diverted the subject: "I think you shouldn''t continue to provoke that guy. He''s no easy target, bringing him into the fold will only complicate matters for us!" "What, scared?" Murong Yeyun scoffed, his gaze playfully fixed on Murong Chengkong. "Whoosh!" ``` Murong Chengkong opened his folding fan and slowly began to fan himself, while his expression remained indifferent as he looked back at Murong Yeyun, "I simply don''t want to complicate matters further!" "I don''t know what you''re thinking, but I must have this kid dead! Not to mention whether he has colluded with Murong Qiushui, just the insult he gave me today is reason enough for me to kill him!" Murong Yeyun was not truly devoid of feelings; this was the first time he had been publicly insulted to such a degree, and it was a humiliation for him! "The tea is finished, you may leave now," Murong Chengkong said coldly, not wanting to continue the conversation with Murong Yeyun anymore, as their viewpoints were different, destined never to conspire together. Murong Yeyun chuckled ''heh'', giving Murong Chengkong a somewhat sinister glance before slowly standing up. "What a pity... how regrettable..." After Murong Yeyun left, Murong Chengkong sighed deeply, lamenting as if there were deeper meanings to his thoughts. After leaving the construction site, Hao Jian thought about finding a place to take Xiao Qiang out to eat and to inquire about her recent situation. "Why, not going home on such a late evening? Aren''t you afraid that your ''Mother Tiger'' at home will get angry?" Xiao Qiang teased, but there was an invisible sadness in her eyes, hidden deep and not easily noticeable. "She''s gone abroad, and besides, our interaction is normal, not like sneaking around¡ªwhat''s there to worry about?" Hao Jian said nonchalantly. "Normal interaction? I''m afraid she wouldn''t think so, especially since she knows I have designs on you!" Xiao Qiang said with a mischievous smile, her eyes seductive and hazy like misty rain, which was astonishing. Hearing this, Hao Jian''s expression also became somewhat awkward, and he coughed twice, "That... I''m married now, so you can let go of me and find a man who truly loves you to marry!" "But what if I tell you that I just like married men?" Xiao Qiang''s lips curved into a charming smile. Hao Jian was taken aback, cursing inwardly: what a seductress! "You... you stop it right now! This is a public place; it''s totally improper!" Hao Jian chided with feigned seriousness, but inside he felt like crying because he was physically reacting to Xiao Qiang''s teasing and felt he could barely control himself. But Xiao Qiang didn''t stop; instead, she ramped up her efforts, circling her tiptoe around and giggling, "Holy Monk, don''t you think I look beautiful?" "Seductress, you stop it right now! My heart is with the Buddha, impervious to evil spirits. I only wish to seek the true scriptures from the Western Heaven¡ªplease don''t make it difficult for me!" Hao Jian said, his face twitching. "You''re so annoying, I''m not a seductress, I am the Queen of Women''s Kingdom!" Xiao Qiang complained a bit angrily; Hao Jian actually compared her to a seductress. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Pah! A true Queen would never do such indecent things! Using stinky feet to tease someone else''s bird!" Hao Jian reproached rudely. "Then I am a Queen with a fluttering heart! And... my feet are not stinky!!!" Xiao Qiang felt like her very soul was under attack; this jerk was completely ruining the mood. Her feet had just been called stinky by Hao Jian. "Big sister, please let me go? I really can''t take it anymore." Hao Jian was nearly crying, imploring Xiao Qiang as he was now fully aroused and felt terribly uncomfortable. "Don''t want to? Your mouth says no, but your body is very honest. Look how hard this has gotten; I think it must be longing for something from certain women," Xiao Qiang blew a fragrant breath into Hao Jian''s ear, further tempting him. Hao Jian immediately felt his mind going blank, sensing that he couldn''t continue like this for much longer without dragging Xiao Qiang off to a hotel room. I must not betray Shu Ya! I absolutely cannot betray Shu Ya! Hao Jian closed his eyes, choosing to "see no evil, hear no evil," to reduce the physical stimulation. "Waitress, there''s a cockroach under our table, can you flip the table for me!" Just then, Xiao Qiang suddenly shouted. "Nani???" Hao Jian instantly opened his eyes, completely bewildered by the situation. Then, he saw Xiao Qiang standing not far away from him with a mischievous smile on her face, watching him with interest. "Right away, I''m on it," said the waitress, who had hurried over after hearing about a cockroach because this was a high-end restaurant, and the presence of cockroaches meant trouble. If reported to the health department, the restaurant would be finished and the waitstaff would likely lose their jobs. It was a girl in her early twenties with a delicate appearance who moved the small square table away from in front of Hao Jian. "Don''t..." Hao Jian tried to stop her, but it was already too late. Chapter 595 - 595 Brother Zhilin "Ah!" The next moment, a panicked shriek came from the restaurant, and the waitress''s face turned as red as the tide, and she ran off as if she were flying. Clearly, she too had seen something she shouldn''t have. She had initially intended to check under the table, but as she bent down slightly, she saw the bulge in Hao Jian''s trousers and knew at once what it was. Her face turned beet red and she ran away in fright. The others didn''t understand what had happened and looked at Hao Jian with puzzled eyes. Hao Jian was on the verge of tears. It wasn''t intentional, it was all Xiao Qiang''s fault! "Shameless, how dare you harbour improper thoughts towards that young lady!" Xiao Qiang huffed coldly, looking at Hao Jian with disdain. "I didn''t!" Hao Jian felt like crying but had no tears; Xiao Qiang was going too far, this was a deliberate set-up! He didn''t know how long this woman intended to play this game, but he knew if she kept it up, his reputation could be destroyed forever. "Didn''t?" Xiao Qiang pointed at that area on Hao Jian and rebuked. Hearing this, everyone looked at Hao Jian with disdain, clearly disapproving of his behavior. At that moment, Hao Jian sighed helplessly, feeling he had met a bad match. Had he known this would happen, why would he have bothered inviting this crazy woman to dinner? "Okay, okay, I''ll stop teasing you." Xiao Qiang covered her mouth and giggled, then sat down and stopped harassing Hao Jian. "Sister, are you trying to torture me to death?" Hao Jian lamented, tears welling up as Xiao Qiang was being way too harsh. "How could that be, you''ve always had thick skin; this little setback is nothing to you," Xiao Qiang said nonchalantly, then called out to the waitress, "Waitress, order up!" "It''s nothing? I''m the one being despised, not you, of course, you''d think it''s nothing," Hao Jian said irritably, Xiao Qiang was just armchair theorizing. Later, the waitress who had left earlier returned to serve Hao Jian and the others, but when she approached Hao Jian, she glared at him fiercely. Hao Jian kept his head down, not daring to meet her knife-like gaze, feeling extremely aggrieved. He wondered whom he had managed to offend. After serving their table, the waitress left to attend to other customers. "Look at the mess you''ve made!" Hao Jian glared at Xiao Qiang fiercely. "Who''s calling me a witch? There''s your price; let''s see if you dare again!" Xiao Qiang snorted, teaching Hao Jian a lesson. "Yes, yes, your majesty, Queen, I won''t dare anymore. Do I need to grovel?" Hao Jian said with a mischievous grin, winking at Xiao Qiang. "Get lost, you lowlife!" Xiao Qiang said in exasperation. At this moment, Hao Jian and Xiao Qiang suddenly heard a commotion not far away. A bald middle-aged man with a gold chain around his neck was holding the hand of the waitress from earlier, with an evil grin on his face. "Little sister, you''re quite pretty, what''s your name?" the bald middle-aged man chuckled lewdly, his face quivering with flesh, looking extremely sleazy. Beside him sat a group of ruffians exuding an air of delinquency, either with dyed hair or nose rings, clearly up to no good. Seeing the bald man harassing the waitress, they all couldn''t help but burst into laughter. "Sir, please let go!" the waitress pleaded with the middle-aged man, her expression a mixture of embarrassment and indignation. She had been working here for two or three months, and had never encountered such an outrageous customer who would publicly flirt with her. The waitress was on the verge of tears; she had just encountered a pervert like Hao Jian and now was dealing with a rogue like the bald middle-aged man. "Little sister, have a drink with me, how about five thousand yuan? That''s much more than your monthly salary," the bald middle-aged man said with a lewd smile. "Yeah, our Brother Zhilin is very generous. Just drink with him and you get five thousand, and if you do other things with him, you get even more," one of the men with green hair said with a malicious grin, seemingly interested in the waitress as well. The waitress was indeed very attractive with a well-proportioned figure and a pretty face; although she was not as stunning as a super beauty like Xiao Qiang, she was much more beautiful than the average woman. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Green Hair knew that once the waitress was done with this girl, they might also get a chance to play. "Sorry, we''re just waitresses and we don''t accompany drinks," the waitress said apologetically. She could tell that the group in front of her was trouble; thus, she didn''t dare to offend them, even as Brother Zhilin grabbed her hand, she had no choice but to force a smile. "Little sister, do you know what happens to those who don''t give me face?" Brother Zhilin cackled ominously, his expression suddenly turning malevolent. Hearing his words, the waitress''s face stiffened with fear and panic. She knew of Brother Zhilin, as he lived nearby and was a powerful and influential boss. The men sitting with him were gangsters he kept. Brother Zhilin often came to their restaurant to dine, which was never a good thing, as he had already taken away two waitresses from their restaurant, both of whom ended up in a sorry state. Each was played with by Brother Zhilin and then passed along to his underlings¡ª one ended up committing suicide out of shame, while the other was so traumatized that she was sent to a mental hospital. This waitress didn''t want to become the third, so she had no desire to go with Brother Zhilin. Upon hearing Brother Zhilin''s threatening words, her face turned ashen and her body trembled uncontrollably. "Little sister, you''re just a waitress. If you make our Brother Zhilin unhappy, we''ll make sure you''re very unhappy too," Green Hair sneered as he coldly fixed his gaze on the waitress. Seeing this, many of the customers in the restaurant furrowed their brows, their expressions growing cold. Clearly, they also found the behavior of Brother Zhilin and his men repulsive. Were they actually attempting to kidnap a girl in broad daylight? "Thud!" Just then, the waitress fell to her knees, shivering all over and weeping as she pleaded with Brother Zhilin, "Brother Zhilin, please let me go! I have parents to support at home, and my younger brother is still attending university. The entire family is relying on me¡ªplease have mercy!" She beseeched Brother Zhilin to spare her, knowing full well the fate that awaited her if she were taken by him. "Isn''t that perfect? As long as you keep me company, I will give you money. You could have a lot of it and live comfortably, right?" Brother Zhilin laughed with malice, with no intention of letting the waitress off the hook. The women he set his sights on never managed to get away! "No...please no!" The waitress shook her head in terror, feeling extremely fearful. If it were just about spending a single night to appease Brother Zhilin''s status, she might have reluctantly accepted, but Brother Zhilin was a pervert, with a particular fondness for sadomasochism¡ªevery woman he played with bore severe physical and emotional scars. And after he had his turn, he would throw these women to his underlings for a relentless round of abuse. The two women who were treated most harshly by Brother Zhilin went insane or died, thus her fear was not without reason. "Don''t want to?" Brother Zhilin snorted coldly and then grabbed the waitress''s throat, his face darkening to the extreme. "You little slut, I''m not asking for your permission. Either you keep me company for the night, or I''ll trouble your entire family. You should know that with my status, it wouldn''t be hard to do so at all." "Brother Zhilin, I beg you, please let me go!" The waitress kowtowed repeatedly to Brother Zhilin, crying helplessly and fearfully, even knocking her forehead bloody. Brother Zhilin showed no mercy at her words and was upset by her resistance to sleep with him, which ignited his anger. "Fuck!" Brother Zhilin kicked the waitress in the abdomen, sending her tumbling to the ground. Writhing in pain, the waitress clasped at her abdomen but continued to plead with Brother Zhilin. "Giving you face, and you don''t want it, huh? Take this bitch away. I''ll let her know what a gang bang is," Brother Zhilin sneered. Initially, he had planned to play with the waitress himself before letting a few trusted men have their turn, but now, annoyed by her recalcitrance, he changed his mind. He was now determined to let his twenty or thirty underlings have their way with this woman! "You''re going too far!" At that moment, a young girl stood up and rebuked Brother Zhilin and the others. "Kidnapping an innocent woman in broad daylight, do you think there''s no law in this world? Get lost right now, or we''ll call the police!" A grown man also stood up, glaring at Brother Zhilin and his cohort. The crowd was furious, as Brother Zhilin''s actions were outrageous. This wasn''t the old society where he could bully men and women as he pleased, and they couldn''t stand by and watch. "Fuck, who the hell dares to meddle in my business; come out!" Brother Zhilin was enraged, roaring at the civilians. Then Green Hair and the others stood up, guns raised and aimed at the people. In an instant, the crowd was thrown into a panic, having never seen real guns before, and they were stupefied with fear. "Calling the cops? I''d like to see who the fuck dares to call them!" Brother Zhilin''s eyes gleamed viciously as he spat out the threat. At that moment, the room fell silent, with no one daring to make a sound, as no one wanted to be turned into a sieve. These villains carried guns, marking them as bad news, and who knew if they would actually pull the trigger. Chapter 596 - 596: She Belongs to Me Now "A bunch of fools, still pretending to be heroes? Daring to spoil Brother Zhilin''s plans, I think you''re asking for death!" Green Hair sneered, grabbing the uncle who had just spoken and smashing his head with a wine bottle, while sneering, "Old fool, at your age still daring to meddle in other''s affairs, are you eager to be buried soon?" The uncle suffered such a heavy blow and immediately his head began to bleed, dizzily collapsing to the ground. "Old man... Old man, how are you? Old man, talk to me, don''t scare me!" At this time, the Granny next to the uncle hurriedly rushed over, tearfully checking her husband''s injuries, her face draining of all color from fright. Then, he glared at Green Hair, "You, you''ve gone too far. Bullying women and the elderly, have you no conscience?" "Oh, Granny, how could you know? We''re indeed heartless because we are scumbags, trash! Hahaha..." Green Hair leaned over in front of the granny, laughing loudly, then slapped her across the face, "Damn, another old bag looking for death!" Everyone witnessing this was furious yet dared not to speak, tolerating even when Brother Zhilin bullied the female waitress, but now he even struck two elderly people, which was utterly shameless. And Brother Zhilin, looking pleased, told the crowd, "Let me tell you, you dead poor wretches, in this East City District, I, Brother Zhilin, call the shots. You didn''t bother to find out who Brother Zhilin is, dared to spoil my plans, do you believe I could wipe out your whole family?" Everyone''s expression was full of disgrace but remained silent. Clearly, they also believed what Brother Zhilin had said; he might really be capable of killing their entire families. "Hao Jian!" At this moment, Xiao Qiang couldn''t watch anymore and looked towards Hao Jian in front of her. Hao Jian was holding a glass of lemonade, took a sip, and coldly looked in Brother Zhilin''s direction. Suddenly, Hao Jian patted the table, saying, "Wait here, I''ll be right back!" "Stop hurting them, I... I''ll go with you!" At this moment, the female waitress spoke up, her eyes, although teary, appeared hollow and drained, as if she had lost something. At this instance, she had already despaired, knowing she couldn''t escape this fate. Rather than letting more people get hurt, she''d rather bear it alone. "Little wench, have you finally realized? You can''t escape my grasp!" Brother Zhilin sneered, then violently grabbed the waitress''s hair, his tone malicious, "But it''s already too late, you''ve angered me, and next, I will make your life a living hell!" "Bang!" As the words fell, a wine bottle smashed onto Brother Zhilin''s head. "Ouch!" Brother Zhilin let out a pained yell, stumbled, nearly collapsing to the ground, his head severely bleeding. "Bastard! You dare to hit my boss?" Green Hair was dumbfounded seeing Hao Jian actually dare to hit Brother Zhilin. They hadn''t expected that even at this point, someone would dare to strike Brother Zhilin, not fearing to be shot. Those present were all stunned; they hadn''t expected that the first to jump in and save them would be Hao Jian. Because Hao Jian had just been harassing the waitress, in their eyes, he was just as perverted as Brother Zhilin. But now, Hao Jian was directly hitting Brother Zhilin, did he not see Brother Zhilin and his men had guns? In their eyes, Hao Jian was truly courting death. "Hit him? What about it? Does he not deserve it?" Hao Jian scoffed, entirely unconcerned; truth be told, he wanted to do more than just hit Brother Zhilin. "Do you want to die? Do you freaking know who I am?" Brother Zhilin glared fiercely at Hao Jian, his demeanor murderous. As a person of power, he was unexpectedly headshot by a nobody? "Let her go!" Hao Jian pointed at the waitress and told Brother Zhilin. The waitress was also dazed, Hao Jian was saving her? She couldn''t believe it, wasn''t he a pervert? S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Are you joking with me?" Brother Zhilin''s face was stern, Hao Jian had hit him, and now he was asking him to let her go? "Bang!" Hao Jian kicked over, sending the waitress flying onto a sofa with a loud thud. Hao Jian sneered, "Do you think I''m joking with you? Sorry, I never joke with anyone except my friends." Hao Jian pulled the waitress back, then embraced her and sneered, "Sorry, she belongs to me now!" Upon hearing this, the waitress''s face turned as red as a monkey''s butt, had she just escaped a wolf''s den to enter a tiger''s lair? However, if she really had to choose between Hao Jian and Brother Zhilin, she would definitely pick Hao Jian, because Hao Jian was younger than Brother Zhilin and not as disgusting as Brother Zhilin. More importantly, Hao Jian didn''t intimidate her. "Kill this kid for me!" Brother Zhilin screamed hysterically, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. Hao Jian''s attack was merciless, almost making him vomit blood. No one had ever dared to treat him like this, which made Brother Zhilin very angry. In an instant, Green Hair and others aimed their guns at Hao Jian and angrily pulled the triggers. After all, they had Brother Zhilin to cover for them, so they had no worries. Just then, Hao Jian grabbed some knives and forks from the table and threw them at Green Hair and his gang, piercing their hands with the utensils. One knife landed right in front of Brother Zhilin''s crotch, and had he not dodged just in time, it would have stabbed him there. "Ah?" Brother Zhilin''s face turned green, he almost became a eunuch. Everyone was stunned by Hao Jian''s move, and the waitress was too, unable to believe it was real. Afterward, the waitress looked at Hao Jian with eyes full of fascination. Women liked mysterious and powerful men, and Hao Jian certainly fit the bill. "How about coming home with me tonight? Being with me is much better than being with him." Hao Jian, while holding the waitress''s chin with one hand, smirked. The onlookers, seeing Hao Jian do this, were also dumbfounded. Indeed, this guy had no good intentions, just wanting to save the waitress and then keep her to himself. "We... we should probably develop a relationship first," the waitress said blushingly and shyly. At this moment, she didn''t dislike Hao Jian, but to give herself to him all at once was a bit difficult. At least they should have dinner, watch a movie, and cultivate some feelings first, so it wouldn''t be too abrupt. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian was dumbfounded on the spot. He had only said it offhandedly, not expecting the waitress to take it seriously. Meanwhile, not far away, Xiao Qiang rolled her eyes, clearly displeased. "Hao Jian, have you lost your mind? I ask you to save someone, and you''re trying to pick up girls? Do you think I''m dead?" Xiao Qiang said fiercely. Seeing Xiao Qiang, Brother Zhilin almost started crying. Damn it, you already have such a beautiful girl, why the hell do you still need to compete with me? How is anyone supposed to live? Hao Jian walked over to Brother Zhilin and chuckled, "So you say the whole East City District is under your control?" "That''s right, if you mess around, I''ll make sure you have no place to bury your body!" Brother Zhilin roared, "Be smart and just scram. I''ll pretend this never happened." Brother Zhilin could see that Hao Jian was no easy target. The best way now was to drive him away first, then figure out how to deal with him later. But Hao Jian seemed not to have heard Brother Zhilin''s threat at all; he shrugged his shoulders and feigned surprise, "That''s really surprising, because I too know someone. He controls the **** all over Hua City, including East City District. I wonder what he''d think hearing your words." Immediately, Hao Jian picked up his phone, "Hey, Spice Ginger, come to XXX. There''s a guy here claiming he''s the boss of East City District, I want you to see this. When did you ever hand over East City District?" "Spice Ginger? Brother Spice Ginger?" Brother Zhilin instantly looked like he''d lost his parents, his face going pale. "Impossible, you can''t possibly know Brother Spice Ginger!" Brother Zhilin stared at Hao Jian in disbelief. How could this unimpressive-looking guy possibly know the big boss of ****? Brother Zhilin was no match for Brother Spice Ginger. Although he had many bosses under him, those bosses only had dozens or at most a hundred people each. Yet, Brother Spice Ginger was the overlord of Hua City, commanding thousands of men. And more importantly, now he had also become a businessman flourishing in Hua City, earning more money than him, and no longer needed any big bosses'' support. What was most critical was that he had a very fearsome man standing behind him, a man who single-handedly took down Liang Jiankun and He Changhuan, causing these two big families in Hua City to collapse overnight. Brother Zhilin had always wanted to make connections with Brother Spice Ginger, but he never had the chance, since Brother Spice Ginger looked down on a small fry like him. However, Hao Jian managed to call Brother Spice Ginger with just one phone call, making him hard to believe. Why could he rub shoulders with someone Brother Zhilin couldn''t? "Possible or not, you''ll know when the person arrives," Hao Jian chuckled coldly and then sat down with the waitress, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her tears while softly comforting her. At this moment, Brother Zhilin''s face became extremely ugly, and he started to worry. Could this guy really have called Brother Spice Ginger over? Chapter 597 - 597: Castrate Him "Hao Jian, you bastard, how could you dump a beauty like me and go after a waitress?" Xiao Qiang was furious, watching Hao Jian cozying up to the waitress, feeling ten thousand kinds of upset. What did she lack compared to this waitress? In terms of appearance, intellect, or figure, where was she inferior? How could this guy be so despicable? Seeing Hao Jian hugging and cuddling with the waitress, Xiao Qiang felt like killing him. "Is she your girlfriend?" the waitress asked nervously, worried that Hao Jian might already have a girlfriend and was still flirting with her. Would that not make him a scumbag? "No, she''s just one of my admirers, who''s a bit angry because she can''t have me," Hao Jian said cheekily. Upon hearing this, Xiao Qiang almost spat out blood, wanting to grab her shoehorn and smack it across Hao Jian''s face. "So she''s just an admirer, that''s fine," the waitress sighed in relief, fearful that Xiao Qiang was Hao Jian''s girlfriend, which would make her the other woman. "What admirer? I''m his wife!" Xiao Qiang fumed, sitting angrily on Hao Jian''s other thigh, glaring at him defiantly. The waitress turned to look at Hao Jian, only to see him sigh helplessly and say, "When you''re handsome, there''s just no helping it." Brother Zhilin almost cried upon hearing this; the beauty was actually throwing herself at him, which was totally excessive! Seeing Hao Jian being embraced by women on both sides, he was filled with hatred, wishing he could confront Hao Jian right then and there. "Handsome my ass!" Xiao Qiang cursed loudly, visibly angry. "Look at her, getting mad because she can''t have me. Make sure you never turn out like her," Hao Jian said to the waitress. "Okay!" the waitress nodded obediently. Xiao Qiang: "..." Soon, Brother Spice Ginger arrived, and as Brother Zhilin and others saw him, their faces turned dark. Did Hao Jian really know Brother Spice Ginger? "Boss!" Then, Brother Spice Ginger bowed to Hao Jian. At this, Brother Zhilin and the others gasped in shock. Had they heard that right? Spice Ginger was calling Hao Jian boss? If he wasn''t mistaken, Spice Ginger had only one boss, right? Could this guy be that man? "Brother Zhilin, could he be Hao Jian?" Green Hair asked in terror, also sensing something off, looking quite uneasy. Brother Zhilin was speechless because he also felt that the man in front of him was Hao Jian, the very man who had turned Hua City upside down single-handedly! The onlookers, seeing this scene, were also in a state of shock. They were puzzled about the identity of this young man, who could make a seemingly respectable middle-aged man bow to him. The waitress was also lost in thought, realizing that Brother Spice Ginger was no ordinary person, and now he was bowing to Hao Jian? "There, that guy who claims to rule the East City District is right there," Hao Jian snarled, nodding in the direction of Brother Zhilin. "Hmm?" Brother Spice Ginger frowned and walked towards Brother Zhilin and his group. Seeing Brother Spice Ginger appear, Brother Zhilin and his group were dumbfounded. Although all were respected figures, there was clearly a difference in stature. "Do you know me?" Brother Spice Ginger pointed at himself and asked Brother Zhilin. "Know...know!" Brother Zhilin said with an awful expression. In today''s Hua City, who wouldn''t recognize Brother Spice Ginger? "Who am I?" Brother Spice Ginger asked again. "Brother Spice Ginger!" Brother Zhilin said weakly, Then Brother Spice Ginger slapped him and shouted angrily, "Since you know me, how dare you trouble my boss?" Brother Zhilin, holding his face, felt humiliated but dared not talk back, instead saying, "I didn''t know he was your boss!" "Didn''t know? Hah, there''s a lot you don''t know. You didn''t even know that I''m the one calling the shots in Hua City now!" Brother Spice Ginger said ferociously, clearly mocking Brother Zhilin for daring to call himself the boss of Hua City. "Brother Spice Ginger, please show some mercy. Whatever we say, we are all from the same world. I''ll never dare again, just give me a chance," Brother Zhilin pleaded. "Show you mercy? Did you show any to my boss just now?" Brother Spice Ginger sneered. Brother Zhilin fell silent, looking very upset. "Boss, how should he be dealt with?" Brother Spice Ginger asked Hao Jian. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian pinched the chin of the waitress, "What should we do with him?" The waitress was stunned; she never imagined that there would come a day when she could decide Brother Zhilin''s fate, almost as if it were a dream. But then she felt troubled, because, after all, unlike Brother Zhilin, she was not a scumbag, and for her, harming others was wrong. "Then just ban him from our store forever," the waitress suggested. Hearing this, Brother Zhilin breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was some grave punishment. Not being able to come to this store was no big loss; he could always go to another. Hao Jian chuckled, "You really are too kind." The waitress''s face turned as red as a tide, unsure whether Hao Jian''s remark was a compliment or a criticism. "But I do not want to let him off that easily," Hao Jian shook his head. It was obvious this wasn''t the first time Brother Zhilin had done something like this. If he were let go without consequence, today''s incident might happen again. Moreover, if he hadn''t been there today, the waitress''s fate would have been dire. If they just let Brother Zhilin off like this, it would be letting him off too easily. Hearing this, Brother Zhilin was shocked, his face pale as clay. Hao Jian wasn''t planning to let him go this easily? What did he want to do? Then, a cruel smile crept over Hao Jian''s lips: "Castrate him!" "What?" Both Brother Zhilin and the others were shocked. Was Hao Jian actually going to turn Brother Zhilin into a eunuch? Wasn''t that too extreme? "Hao Jian, you can''t do this; I belong to the Baili Family, and Baili Yuntian is my master," Brother Zhilin cried out in horror. He didn''t want to be castrated. If he couldn''t be a man anymore, what enjoyment would be left in life? At this moment, Brother Zhilin brought up Baili Yuntian, hoping to cause Hao Jian some concern, as he believed anyone smart would weigh the pros and cons. Hao Jian was unlikely to actually risk offending the powerful Baili Family just for a waitress. "You''re a dog belonging to Baili Yuntian?" Hao Jian was astonished; it seemed he really was fated to keep bumping into Baili Yuntian''s dogs. Although Hao Jian''s words were harsh, Brother Zhilin didn''t refute but generously admitted, "That''s right. If you let me go, I will surely speak to Baili Yuntian, urging the Baili Family to get closer to you. I know you want to take over Hua City, and isn''t that where you''ll need our help?" "You''re making a lot of sense," Hao Jian pinched his chin, pondering carefully as if considering Brother Zhilin''s suggestion. "So what do you think I should do?" "You should give me this woman. After all, she''s just a waitress; there''s no need to offend the Baili Family over her, right?" Brother Zhilin said with a sleazy smile. Upon hearing this, the waitress instantly became anxious, her heart racing. Surely, Hao Jian wouldn''t really heed this guy''s words and sell her out? At that moment, Hao Jian also sneered. Brother Zhilin''s lechery was alarming; even now, he was still fixated on the waitress. "You''re quite right, but there''s something you probably don''t know," Hao Jian sighed heavily, his words laden with meaning. "What is it?" Brother Zhilin was utterly perplexed. "That''s because I just beat up Baili Yuntian yesterday. Did you not know?" Hao Jian asked mockingly, as Brother Zhilin dared to use Baili Yuntian to threaten him, which was tantamount to a death wish. "What?" Brother Zhilin''s expression became petrified. Hao Jian had beaten up Baili Yuntian yesterday? Why? "It seems you''re not that important in Baili Yuntian''s eyes, or else he wouldn''t have kept even this from you." Brother Zhilin almost cried; losing face like this is exactly why Baili Yuntian wouldn''t have told him. But right now, Brother Zhilin was more concerned about his own predicament. If Hao Jian had beaten up Baili Yuntian, then he surely didn''t need to worry about Baili Yuntian anymore. "Originally, I was just going to castrate you, but since you''re a dog of Baili Yuntian, I definitely can''t let you go," Hao Jian sneered, and then told Brother Spice Ginger, "Cripple his limbs too!" "Alright!" Brother Spice Ginger replied cheerily, then winked at his subordinates, who approached. Seeing this, the waitress also breathed a sigh of relief. She had really been worried that Hao Jian might hand her over to Brother Zhilin. Everyone listening to Hao Jian felt chills, as Brother Zhilin was to be castrated and have his limbs broken, likely leaving him in a state worse than death. Yet they felt little pity, as in their view, Brother Zhilin had brought this upon himself and wasn''t deserving of sympathy. "What goes around, comes around," is exactly this principle. "Save me, save me, you bastards!" Brother Zhilin yelled at Green Hair and the others as Brother Spice Ginger''s men approached, but they dared not intervene. They knew well that neither Hao Jian nor Brother Spice Ginger were to be trifled with, and stepping in would result in their own dreadful end. By then, Brother Spice Ginger''s men had grabbed Brother Zhilin by the arms and legs, and one of them quickly stepped forward, aiming a kick right at Brother Zhilin''s groin. Chapter 598 - 598 Zhuang Bingkun "Ah!" Brother Zhilin''s eyes rolled back, his chubby face twitched uncontrollably, and blood even gushed from his mouth; the blow had indeed hurt him severely. After that, Brother Zhilin passed out. But Brother Spice Ginger didn''t let anyone stop, continuing to command them to cripple Brother Zhilin''s hands and feet as well. At this point, Brother Spice Ginger walked back and said to Hao Jian, "Boss, there is something I need to report to you." Hao Jian, naturally knowing what Brother Spice Ginger was referring to, patted Xiao Qiang and the waitress on the shoulder and said, "Alright, you two beauties, please get up. I have something urgent to attend to." Xiao Qiang and the waitress got up and walked to the side. Only then did Brother Spice Ginger speak, "The matter you asked me to investigate has made some progress. Although we haven''t found the woman, we''ve found the man." "Oh? The woman isn''t with that man?" Hao Jian furrowed his brows. After what they had initially done, they hadn''t made it to the end together? "Yes, that man is living a miserable life now, surviving by begging under an overpass. I don''t know about the woman," Brother Spice Ginger reported truthfully. Hearing this, Hao Jian was surprised and then chuckled, stroking his chin. "I guess that the man must have been abandoned too." "Alright, lead the way. I want to meet that man," Hao Jian said. After that, Hao Jian told Xiao Qiang that he had some matters to attend to and asked Brother Spice Ginger''s men to take her home. Xiao Qiang naturally had no objections. Although disappointed, she knew Hao Jian truly had matters to attend to. Seeing Hao Jian leave without even greeting her, the waitress felt very despondent and quickly followed him, stopping him. Hao Jian was taken aback and asked, "Do you need something else?" "That... aren''t you going to ask for my phone number?" asked the waitress shyly, displaying an initiative that even she hadn''t anticipated. Hao Jian chuckled wryly, patted her shoulder without an explanation, and left the restaurant. Watching Hao Jian''s retreating figure, the waitress finally realized something, a bitter smile crossing her lips. She could see that Hao Jian apparently had no other intentions toward her. Yes, he had already saved her; why was she expecting so much more? Meanwhile, Brother Spice Ginger gave the waitress a profound look, his expression a mix of smile and seriousness, as he walked away. "Boss, the rumors really don''t lie; your charm with women is indeed a bit exaggerated," Brother Spice Ginger said teasingly. Hao Jian shrugged nonchalantly, "Can''t help it, being handsome just works this way!" Brother Spice Ginger: "..." At that moment, at the entrance of a residential area, stood a man and a woman, the woman''s expression indifferent, the man also tense. "Are you really sure about this?" the man asked, his voice filled with concern. "I''ve waited too long for this day," the woman replied, her face bearing a strange grimace, unsure whether it was of happiness or sadness. The man sighed and said, "I am just afraid you''ll get hurt, after all these years have passed, and you have been suffering all this time; I''m afraid you''ll revisit those painful memories." The woman shook her head and scoffed coldly, "From the day I started using the name Jessica, I''ve been recalling those agonies every day, and today, the nightmare is finally over. They must pay for what they did!" Naturally, this young couple was Jessica and Wang Daxiong. And the man Brother Spice Ginger had found was the adulterer from the couple that had once led to his disfigurement. "No matter what, I''ll support you!" Wang Daxiong said, since Jessica had decided on revenge, he naturally stood unconditionally by her side. Soon, a black sedan arrived in front of them. Hao Jian rolled down the window and simply said two words: "Get in!" Jessica got into the car expressionlessly, without thanking him, as she wasn''t in the mood for it. Hao Jian also understood her mood at the moment, so he didn''t waste words. After the two got into the car, he said to Brother Spice Ginger, "Get in!" Soon, the car drove into a sparsely populated area under an overpass in Xicheng District. As they just stepped under the overpass, they smelled a foul stench. It was the odor of feces mixed with urine that had settled into a truly nauseating smell. Upon smelling this odor, Brother Spice Ginger and Hao Jian both frowned, but Jessica remained composed, as if she hadn''t smelled anything at all. "Where is he?" Hao Jian asked Brother Spice Ginger. Then Brother Spice Ginger gave his subordinates a signal with his eyes, and several men in black rushed under the overpass and soon dragged out a disheveled, dark-faced homeless man. The homeless man seemed to have been sleeping, still somewhat groggy from being dragged out, his eyes cloudy as he looked at Hao Jian and the others, asking, "Who are you people? Have you mistaken me for someone else?" He didn''t know why Hao Jian was looking for him, because he didn''t recognize Hao Jian and his group. He was just a homeless man who had never offended them. "Are you called Zhuang Bingkun?" Brother Spice Ginger demanded of the homeless man. "Yes... it''s me." Zhuang Bingkun was stunned, wondering how Brother Spice Ginger knew his name? Brother Spice Ginger sneered immediately, saying, "Then there''s no mistake, we''re looking for you!" When Jessica saw Zhuang Bingkun, her eyes suddenly burst with a cold light, although Zhuang Bingkun''s current appearance might be unrecognizable to most, Jessica would know him anywhere from the deep-seated hatred she harbored. Over the years, Jessica constantly recalled in her mind the vicious faces of that adulterous couple; no exaggeration to say, she would recognize Zhuang Bingkun even if he turned to ashes. "Is it him?" Hao Jian looked toward Jessica. At this, Zhuang Bingkun, also puzzled, looked towards Jessica, realizing that she wanted to find him. However, Zhuang Bingkun was unable to comprehend why, for he did not recognize Jessica. After all, Jessica had undergone gender reassignment surgery, having transitioned from male to female, so it was natural that Zhuang Bingkun did not recognize her. "It''s him!" Jessica nodded. "Beat him!" Hearing Jessica''s words, Brother Spice Ginger knew what to do and directly ordered his men. In an instant, a group of gangsters stepped forward and began to brutally beat Zhuang Bingkun, who clasped his hands over his head, crying out, "You got the wrong person, you got the wrong person!" Zhuang Bingkun was completely dumbfounded; he didn''t understand why these people were after him and why they were beating him, he had never wronged them. After half an hour, Zhuang Bingkun''s nose and mouth were bleeding, his body covered with bruises and fractures, lying on the ground barely alive. "Drag him over here!" Hao Jian ordered, and then Zhuang Bingkun was dragged over and thrown at Hao Jian''s feet. "Why... why are you beating me?" Zhuang Bingkun lifted his head, his entire head bleeding, looking very pitiful. "Jessica, let him remember," Hao Jian said to Jessica. Then, Jessica slowly lowered her head, her eyes full of coldness, "Zhuang Bingkun, do you still remember many years ago, when you harmed a man named Xu Ziqi?" "Xu Ziqi?" Hearing this, Zhuang Bingkun was also shocked; he was familiar with the man because it was he and that woman who had conspired to steal Xu Ziqi''s property and disfigured him. It was that woman who initiated it, but he was the one who acted. "Who are you?" Zhuang Bingkun asked in terror, now realizing there was something of Xu Ziqi in Jessica''s gaze, and when he first saw Jessica, he also felt a sense of familiarity; could this woman be Xu Ziqi''s sister, come to seek revenge? "I am Xu Ziqi!" Jessica said coldly, a hint of a smirk finally crossing her face, yet it was somber. "You are Xu Ziqi?" Zhuang Bingkun was dumbfounded. How was this possible, wasn''t Xu Ziqi a man? "After the two of you disfigured me, I changed my gender and became a woman, so it''s only natural that you do not recognize me," Jessica explained with a smile, enjoying the expression on Zhuang Bingkun''s face, because it looked ridiculous. Zhuang Bingkun was speechless, Xu Ziqi had become a woman and was now seeking revenge? In an instant, Zhuang Bingkun shivered all over, knowing what he had done to Xu Ziqi and thus what Jessica might do to him now. "Don''t kill me, it wasn''t my fault. It was all Liu Yulan''s idea, she made me disfigure you. She said she has always despised your ugly face, wished she could disfigure you herself, so she drugged you and made me do it; it really isn''t my fault!" Zhuang Bingkun shrieked in despair and terror. Hearing this, Jessica''s expression turned cold, she had always thought it was Zhuang Bingkun who wanted to take Liu Yulan, so he induced her to harm him. But what she hadn''t expected was that it was Liu Yulan who had misled Zhuang Bingkun. Jessica felt a sudden pain in her heart, she loved Liu Yulan deeply, never allowing her to suffer the slightest inconvenience, always doing the household chores and cooking, and even though they were not rich, Liu Yulan lived like a young mistress. But what she hadn''t expected was that her dedication would be repaid with Liu Yulan''s extreme aversion. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just because he was ugly, did Liu Yulan want to disfigure her? Seeing Jessica not speaking but staring murderously at him, Zhuang Bingkun shook even more violently, because he couldn''t grasp what exactly Jessica was feeling. At that moment, Jessica spoke, her voice harsh, "Where is she?" .................. Chapter 599 - 599 Planning "After Liu Yulan spent all my money, she dumped me and ran off with a wealthy man," Liu Yulan confessed without hiding anything, telling the truth. "When did this happen?" Jessica frowned as she asked, seeing that woman really was ruthless, treating all men like monkeys to be played with. "It was soon after she took your money. That woman''s desires are like a bottomless pit that can never be filled. She wanted designer clothes, designer bags, and she took off with all my money. In less than a month, she had squandered every penny, and when I ran out of money, she simply kicked me to the curb." Zhuang Bingkun''s teeth itched with hatred, and his heart harbored exceptional resentment towards Liu Yulan. Jessica wanted to laugh, feeling somewhat schadenfreude at this time. She had thought that Zhuang Bingkun and Liu Yulan, this despicable couple, would be together forever, but who would have thought that after they had harmed her, they didn''t last long before breaking up. And Zhuang Bingkun had even been ruined by Liu Yulan to this extent, which seemed like just desserts. This also made Jessica understand even more clearly what kind of woman Liu Yulan was. "I asked where Liu Yulan is now, not who she''s with!" Jessica said coldly. "She''s become the mistress of a man named Baili Yuntian. I advise you not to trouble him, this Baili Yuntian is very powerful, and you won''t end well if you provoke him," Zhuang Bingkun earnestly advised. Hearing this, Hao Jian and Spice Ginger were both taken aback, Liu Yulan had actually become Baili Yuntian''s mistress? "Boss, it seems like you really have a destiny with Baili Yuntian," Spice Ginger joked. "Isn''t that the truth?" Hao Jian shook his head, also feeling helpless. This matter had once again involved Baili Yuntian, and he didn''t know what to say. "Ever since that bastard Zhuang Bingkun got with Baili Yuntian, to keep me from pestering her, she even had someone break my legs, leaving me in this state. I''m already miserable enough, don''t harm me anymore," Zhuang Bingkun pleaded with snot and tears, seemingly extremely aggrieved. If it weren''t for Liu Yulan, he wouldn''t have ended up like this. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He used to be a young master with a decent monthly income, not much, but two to three ten thousand. But now, he had become a cripple, with no company willing to hire him. Now Zhuang Bingkun could only be a vagrant, picking up things to eat every day, living under a bridge, as miserable as could be. Upon hearing this, Jessica also hesitated, seeing Zhuang Bingkun in this state, she suddenly felt a kind of empathy, because she ended up this way because of Liu Yulan as well. "This is your retribution. How would you have ended up like this if you hadn''t caused this to him? You brought this on yourself!" Hao Jian sneered coldly, his face carrying a mocking expression. He didn''t feel the slightest pity for Zhuang Bingkun. If Zhuang Bingkun had not harmed Jessica, he wouldn''t have come to this end. Upon hearing this, Jessica''s face also turned cold, although Zhuang Bingkun was pitiable now, wasn''t it precisely because of what he did to her that he met with such a fate? No matter if Zhuang Bingkun was pitiable now, the harm he had inflicted on her still existed! "Being overly kind is a weakness, and if you become soft-hearted again, I won''t help you!" Hao Jian stared at Jessica with intense eyes. Jessica naturally understood Hao Jian''s meaning and nodded. Seeing this, Zhuang Bingkun was immediately horrified. What did Jessica and Hao Jian plan to do to him? Just then, Jessica turned to look at Zhuang Bingkun, "What do you use to eat?" "I use... my hands," Zhuang Bingkun weakly said, not understanding what Jessica meant. Everyone uses their hands to eat, don''t they? "You''d better learn to eat with your feet from now on!" said Jessica with a cold laugh. Then, turning to Hao Jian, she said, "I want both of his hands!" "Spice Ginger!" Hao Jian commanded in a cold voice. "Move!" Spice Ginger also issued a cold order, and then a group of people rushed up, grabbed Zhuang Bingkun''s hands, and one of them came up wielding a baseball bat. "No... no, I realize my mistake, please forgive me, ah!" Zhuang Bingkun shook his head vigorously, his face pale with fear, but how could those people care about his pleas? They swung the bat down without hesitation. With a crack, Zhuang Bingkun''s bones splintered, and he screamed, rolling on the ground in agony. "Now that we know where Liu Yulan is, let''s go find her!" Jessica said, eager to deal with that wretched woman. Love and hate are always connected, and the deeper the love, the deeper the hatred! So much so that Jessica now only wanted to kill Liu Yulan! "Don''t be in such a hurry, if we just kill her like that, wouldn''t it be too boring?" Hao Jian broke out into an evil grin at this point. "Do you have another idea?" Jessica asked in surprise as she looked at Hao Jian. She knew he was full of cunning plans and was curious about what he intended to do. "You''ll find out soon enough!" Hao Jian said meaningfully. As he had been humiliated by Hao Jian, Baili Yuntian had stayed reclusive these days, often holed up in his mistress''s place. Naturally, his mistress was none other than Liu Yulan. For someone like Baili Yuntian, it would be out of the question to marry a woman of easy virtue like Liu Yulan, and even keeping her as a mistress was a luxury. But Liu Yulan was quite shrewd herself, able to please Baili Yuntian and secure a position as his mistress. Apart from being beautiful, it took some brains too. "Darling, I''ve recently taken a fancy to a new Herm¨¨s bag. It''s not expensive, just over two hundred thousand. Will you buy it for me?" At that moment, Liu Yulan was lying on Baili Yuntian, toying with his now limp little worm, and spoke with a seductive charm. Baili Yuntian suddenly frowned and said, "Didn''t I just buy you one last week?" "The one you bought last week is outdated, this one is much prettier. Please, buy it for me. I won''t ask for anything else for a long time," Liu Yulan pleaded in a soft and tender voice, her spritely appearance looking pitiful and overwhelmingly effective at tugging at a man''s heartstrings. Whining and coaxing was Liu Yulan''s usual tactic, and it never failed to work, whether it was the former Jessica, Zhuang Bingkun, or now Baili Yuntian, all were easily manipulated by her. What''s more, she was quite adventurous in bed, mastering an impressive variety of techniques, and she knew just how to please a man. Even Baili Yuntian, who quickly grew bored with his conquests, was under Liu Yulan''s spell, to the point where he had made her his mistress. Baili Yuntian instantly agreed to Liu Yulan''s request: "Alright, alright, I''ll buy you anything you want. I''ll write you a check in a bit!" "Thank you, darling!" Liu Yulan planted a kiss on Baili Yuntian''s cheek. Half an hour later, Baili Yuntian was fully dressed and ready to leave. Since Liu Yulan was just a lover, he would only come to her when he thought of her, not out of true love, and he certainly wouldn''t spend the night. "I won''t be coming over for a while. Take care of yourself. I''ll transfer your allowance to your card," said Baili Yuntian as he finished dressing, then he headed out. Liu Yulan just shrugged her shoulders, not really concerned. A few minutes later, Liu Yulan picked up her phone and called: "Ke, he''s gone. You can come over now!" At this time, just as Baili Yuntian was driving out in his car, a red Ferrari drove towards him and accidentally collided with the front of Baili Yuntian''s car. "Damnation!" Baili Yuntian cursed as he got out of the car, seething with anger. Things hadn''t been going well for him lately; not only had he been humiliated by Hao Jian, but his family''s elders had also forbidden him from seeking revenge. This made him furious, and having his car hit now only added fuel to the fire. "I''m so sorry, it wasn''t on purpose. My driving is terrible, and I couldn''t stop in time," said a woman as she stepped out of the car, wearing a pink dress, full-bodied and bewitching, with a face full of fear, akin to a startled little rabbit facing Baili Yuntian. This woman was Jessica, and her presence here was orchestrated by Hao Jian. Because Hao Jian thought it would be too easy to just let Liu Yulan and Baili Yuntian off the hook, he wanted to play with the two of them. Baili Yuntian was about to blow up, but upon seeing how incredibly attractive this chick was, the words stuck in his throat and simply wouldn''t come out. "No worries, it''s also because I was driving too fast. Besides, the cost of repairs is nothing to me," Baili Yuntian quickly reigned in his arrogance, adopting a gentler tone instead. "No matter what, I still damaged your car. I should compensate you," Jessica said, hastily pretending to dig for money from her purse. "No, no, no, how could I take money from such a beautiful girl? To be hit by you is my good fortune!" Baili Yuntian laughed, but insisted on refusing Jessica''s money. Meanwhile, from the black sedan not far away, Hao Jian saw Baili Yuntian smiling as brightly as a blooming poinsettia and couldn''t help but sneer: "The big fish has taken the bait!" At the same time, Wang Daxiong looked on with deep resentment. Hao Jian had actually used Jessica, his own woman, to bait Baili Yuntian. Seeing this, Hao Jian hit Wang Daxiong on the head in annoyance and said, "She''s just acting, not really keeping Baili Yuntian company. What are you so anxious about!" Upon hearing this, Wang Daxiong''s expression finally improved a bit. Chapter 600 - 600: The Tycoons Daughter ``` "If you really feel embarrassed, then invite me to dinner!" Finally unable to hold back, he blurted out, wanting to hook up with Jessica. Yet Jessica acted as if she hadn''t a single defensive bone in her body, saying, "Sure, you pick the place." "So I''ll lead the way?" Baili Yuntian couldn''t believe Jessica had agreed so readily, and was overjoyed. Could it be his lucky day for a romantic encounter? "Okay! But we have two cars here, whose should we take?" Jessica asked. "Let''s take mine, you can leave your car here, and we''ll get it after we''ve eaten," Baili Yuntian suggested. Jessica nodded, adopting a compliant demeanor, "Alright, I''ll listen to you!" Jessica tried her best to appear very fond of Baili Yuntian, which made his heart bloom with joy. Being able to afford a Ferrari, this girl must come from a rich family; maybe he''d get to spend time with a wealthy heiress. Afterwards, Jessica got into Baili Yuntian''s car, and the two left the residential area together. Hao Jian instructed Wang Daxiong and a few bodyguards, "Follow them. I''ll keep watch on that Liu Yulan here." Then Hao Jian continued his surveillance because he had previously investigated Liu Yulan and knew that she wasn''t exclusive to Baili Yuntian. While deriding Baili Yuntian''s money, she also had a young gigolo on the side. Hao Jian''s goal was simple: to dig up the scandal between Liu Yulan and Baili Yuntian, to make them fall out and destroy each other. Sure enough, before long, a flamboyantly dressed, somewhat effeminate-looking pretty boy entered the residential area. Hao Jian noticed him right away, his instinct telling him this was the gigolo Liu Yulan was keeping. "Follow him and make sure to capture some incriminating evidence," Hao Jian instructed one of his underlings. The underling hurriedly followed with a camera, and surely enough, the gigolo went straight into Liu Yulan''s apartment, where the two of them started passionately making out at the door. Afterward, the underling returned to the parking lot to show the pictures to Hao Jian. Hao Jian took the photos with a smile, and then said to Spice Ginger, "Let''s go, it''s time to act!" Bang! Hao Jian kicked in the door and upon entering the room, he saw a man and a woman in the midst of passionate lovemaking. He recognized the woman as Liu Yulan at a glance. Liu Yulan and her companion never expected someone to burst in. At first, she thought Baili Yuntian had come back, turning her pale with fright. But once she saw the intruders were strangers, she immediately became enraged. Without even bothering to dress, she pointed at Hao Jian and his men and cursed, "Who are you? Why are you kicking in my door? Do you know who I am?" "Liu Yulan, Baili Yuntian''s mistress!" Hao Jian sneered. Hearing this, Liu Yulan was shocked still; the opponents actually knew her? Then she had a bad premonition, "What do you want?" Liu Yulan was aware of Baili Yuntian''s status. With his status, he surely had enemies. Could these people be Baili Yuntian''s enemies? She was right to guess¡ªHao Jian indeed had issues with Baili Yuntian. But his reasons for going after her weren''t just about Baili Yuntian. "I''m an enemy of Baili Yuntian!" Hao Jian plainly stated his identity, and at that moment, Spice Ginger cooperatively pulled out a gun. Seeing the gun, Liu Yulan and her pretty boy were instantly terrified. "Baili Yuntian isn''t here, he just left. He drove off in a white Porsche, the license plate is XXX, you can still catch up to him if you hurry!" Liu Yulan immediately sold out Baili Yuntian without hesitation. Seeing this, Hao Jian could only coldly laugh to himself. Indeed, ***** have no loyalty. If only Baili Yuntian knew that the mistress he spent so much money on had so readily betrayed him, what would his feelings be? "I''m not here for him, I''m here for you!" Hao Jian sneered, then ordered his underling to vigorously photograph Liu Yulan and her gigolo, capturing evidence of their consensual affair. "What do you want with me? I''m just his mistress, he doesn''t care much about me. Even if you capture me, they won''t bother with you," Liu Yulan said in a panic, afraid that Hao Jian and his people would kidnap them to blackmail Baili Yuntian. She knew very well that Baili Yuntian didn''t really care about her, and even if he learned she had been captured, he probably wouldn''t come to her rescue. "You''re overthinking it, I have no plans to kidnap you, nor to use you to blackmail Baili Yuntian," Hao Jian stated. "Then what do you want?" Liu Yulan was astonished. ``` "I need you to dig some secrets out of Baili Yuntian, preferably business secrets that are not known to the public," Hao Jian said. "Impossible, I''m just Yuntian''s mistress, not his wife, he never shares the affairs of the Baili Family with me," Liu Yulan shook her head, she was just one of Yuntian''s mistresses, how could she possibly have access to secrets? "I don''t care about that, if I can''t get what I want, then I''ll show these photos to Yuntian. What do you think he would do to you if he knew you''re using his money to keep a gigolo? What will he do to your gigolo?" Hao Jian chuckled maliciously. Upon hearing this, the gigolo was immediately terrified and clutched Liu Yulan''s hand, "Lan''er, agree to his demands, otherwise, we''ll both die!" "Shut up!" Liu Yulan retorted angrily, then turned to Hao Jian: "Even if I told you, he wouldn''t let me off if he found out it was me who betrayed him." He also knew that Baili Yuntian was not someone to be trifled with. If Yuntian knew he had been involved with his woman, he would make life a living hell for him. "As long as I don''t tell him, how would he know it was you who betrayed him? Also, once the job is done, I''ll give you ten million as a reward, if you feel unsafe, you can take the money and flee or immigrate to another country, so that Yuntian can never find you again," Hao Jian tempted, trying to get Liu Yulan to lower her guard. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Let me think it over," Liu Yulan was still hesitant. She always felt that things shouldn''t be so simple. Although Hao Jian made it sound easy, who knew what could happen along the way? Moreover, she did not know Hao Jian well, who knew whether he would actually give her the money? Hearing this, Hao Jian suddenly scoffed and pulled out a chair to sit down: "I think you don''t understand something, I''m not asking for your opinion. If you don''t do it, Yuntian will immediately get these photos, and you and your gigolo will be dead. But if you do it, there might still be a chance for you to survive." Upon hearing this, Liu Yulan''s face immediately turned very ugly. Hao Jian was telling her that she had no room for choice, she could only obediently follow his orders. "I... I''ll do it!" Liu Yulan gritted her teeth and said, at this point, she had no choice but to risk everything. Hao Jian snapped his fingers, stood up, and said with a smile, "Good, I''ll wait for your good news!" At the other end, Jessica was having dinner with Baili Yuntian. Baili Yuntian had not yet realized that a conspiracy against him had just begun. "By the way, I still don''t know your name," Baili Yuntian suddenly asked. "My name is Jessica!" Jessica answered with a smile, every action oozing charm. After all, she had been in the world of romantic affairs for many years and knew exactly how to tempt men and which moves were irresistible to them. Sure enough, seeing Jessica behaving so seductively, Yuntian immediately lost his resistance and exclaimed, "Jessica, what a beautiful name. You sort of look like a foreigner, are you mixed race?" "Yes, my father is an American, and my mother is a Huaxia person," Jessica replied, following the script they had previously arranged. "What does your father do?" Yuntian asked tentatively, wanting to know exactly who Jessica was. "My father is a financial tycoon in Wall Street, specializing in the oil business. He''s planning to exploit an oil field in the Middle East soon to expand his business," Jessica said with a light smile, answering whatever Yuntian asked but without elaboration, to avoid arousing suspicion. Yuntian was immediately surprised, he had sensed that Jessica''s family was wealthy, but had not expected them to be so rich. Beautiful and from such a background, was fortune favoring him? Indeed, Yuntian was moved. If he could have a woman like that under him, couldn''t he use her family''s power to develop the Baili Family? As long as he could bring enormous benefits to the Baili Family, then it wasn''t impossible for him to become the Family Head in the future. Yuntian feigned surprise, "I didn''t realize your family was so wealthy. Are you in Huaxia for a vacation this time?" "Visiting relatives, and also looking for potential business partners for my father," Jessica said. "Business partners? Your father is so rich, does he need business partners?" Yuntian asked in surprise. Seeing this, Jessica sighed as if regretful, "You don''t understand, that oil field is too big, and the initial investment required is too great. All my father''s money is tied up in the stock market, he can''t pull out enough cash to cover the costs for the time being, which is why he sent me to Huaxia to look for business partners who could co-develop the oil field." "However, although the initial investment is substantial, the profit in the later period is more than triple the investment. To be honest, if my father hadn''t learned about the project too late and put his money in the stock market, he wouldn''t have needed any partners; he could have enjoyed this huge chunk of fat meat all to himself." At this, Yuntian''s eyes gleamed slyly, looking for business partners? Wasn''t this the perfect opportunity? Though Yuntian did not know much about oil fields, he was aware that oil was the most profitable commodity. If he could get a share, his future wealth was assured. Chapter 601 - 601: Falling into a Trap So, Baili Yuntian began, "Well, Jessica, since you are looking for a partner anyway, do you think I qualify?" "You?" Jessica looked at Baili Yuntian with confusion and then covered her mouth as she giggled, her gaze carrying a hint of disdain, "My father is looking for a capable partner, and the deals he discusses are all worth hundreds of millions. I don''t mean to underestimate you, but this really isn''t something you can meddle in." "Tell me, how much money are we talking about?" Baili Yuntian asked sternly, clearly annoyed by Jessica''s belittling. "At least one point five billion," Jessica said. "One point five billion..." Baili Yuntian''s expression slightly changed, his hesitation showing. One point five billion was not a small amount for the Baili family, and pulling out so much money all at once was difficult for him. Baili Yuntian didn''t expect the investment required to be so much. If it went down the drain, he could bring a huge loss upon his family, and he might even be permanently sidelined. "Yuntian, don''t overthink it. It''s quite nice just being friends; there''s no need to become business partners. You are remarkable, but our worlds really are different," Jessica said, noticing Baili Yuntian''s hesitation and purposefully taunting him with a laugh. Though her words sounded considerate, the underlying meaning was an indirect insult to Baili Yuntian. Baili Yuntian realized this too, frowned, and thought to himself, "Let''s do this. I can''t let this fake foreigner look down on me! To be rich, you have to take risks. Whether I''m a dragon or a worm, this will prove it!" "Is it just one point five billion? I''ll invest!" Baili Yuntian declared firmly, his eyes intense as he said to Jessica. "You have one point five billion?" Jessica pretended to be surprised, covering her mouth as she stared at Baili Yuntian in shock. And Baili Yuntian actually enjoyed Jessica''s astonished gaze; at this moment, his vanity was more satisfied than ever. "Of course, you shouldn''t underestimate us; we are of the same kind!" Baili Yuntian laughed smugly, acting quite pretentious. Jessica cooperatively showed an admiring look: "Yuntian, I must say, I really underestimated you. You''re much better than I imagined!" S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Of course, I still have many merits yet to show," Baili Yuntian laughed like Pig Head Three, completely unaware that he had fallen into Jessica''s trap. At that moment, he was overly proud, finally getting Jessica''s approval, making it even easier for something to happen between them. "However, I still have to refuse you!" Jessica said, smiling. "Why? I''ve already agreed to invest the money!" Baili Yuntian exclaimed in shock, having made such a vast financial commitment only for Jessica to still refuse him? "Like I said before, the minimum is one point five billion. And my father instructed me to find a strong partner, and you just barely qualify, so I am really sorry," Jessica said with a look of regret, repeating what Hao Jian had taught her. She must not agree too quickly to let Baili Yuntian invest. Otherwise, he might become suspicious. She needed to seem reluctant to accept, which would encourage him to sell himself out even more. Baili Yuntian''s expression froze; he hadn''t expected that after painfully scraping together the funds to invest, Jessica would still look down on him. This only made Baili Yuntian trust Jessica more. If Jessica were a swindler, she would have agreed to his proposal immediately, not reject him outright like this. "Jessica, give me a chance, please. I genuinely want to cooperate with you. Even a smaller share is fine, just let me be part of it!" In his urgency, Baili Yuntian grabbed Jessica''s hand and pleaded with a desperate look, "Jessica, didn''t you say we are friends? As a friend, I am making this request to you. Shouldn''t you agree?" "Yuntian, you''re making this very difficult for me," Jessica sighed, her demeanor one of reluctance and indecision. Seeing Jessica finally wavering, Baili Yuntian immediately doubled down with his persistence, continuing, "Jessica, believe me, I''m truly sincere. Although this money might not be a lot for you, it represents all I have. Moreover, my family is one of the leading families in Hua City. If you and your father want to expand business here, I can grease the wheels for you; just give me a chance." "I really want to let you invest, but one point five billion is just too little. Even if I agreed, my father wouldn''t," Jessica sighed sadly, appearing very conflicted. Wang Daxiong, who wasn''t far away, was nearly bulging his eyes out. He had never known Jessica to be such a good actress, worthy of an Oscar indeed. This utterly serious nonsense had him momentarily dazed, almost believing she was indeed a financial tycoon''s daughter. "I can take out a personal loan from the bank for another five hundred million. That would make a total of two billion. Would that work?" Baili Yuntian grimaced and glared as he steeled himself. To snag such a big deal, Baili Yuntian was now fully committed. "Yuntian, you really don''t need to go this far," Jessica said earnestly, appearing quite unwilling to let Baili Yuntian invest. But at that moment, Jessica was internally ecstatic because Hao Jian had promised her that if she could lure Baili Yuntian to invest, they would split the money equally. Splitting two billion would mean one billion each. They would become billionaires overnight. "It is necessary, I hope to cooperate with you. I''m not worried; why should you worry? It''s not like you would steal my money, right?" Baili Yuntian joked. "Of course I wouldn''t, I don''t need to do that." Jessica shook her head, feeling somewhat uneasy inside. "Right, you are so rich, you definitely wouldn''t do that," Baili Yuntian said, laughing complacently. "Well, considering your sincerity, I agree to let you invest." Jessica, in a "you''ve convinced me" manner, accepted Baili Yuntian''s request. "Really? That''s great!" Baili Yuntian laughed foolishly, then he tentatively asked, "Um, if I invest two billion, how much could I possibly make back?" This was what Baili Yuntian truly cared about, how much money he could actually turn over. "A conservative estimate would be three times the profit; you know, oil is the most profitable, it only appreciates and never depreciates," Jessica said. "Three times the profit? So, sixty billion?" Baili Yuntian was overjoyed, feeling as if he was about to strike it rich. "That''s just a conservative estimate, it could actually be much more," Jessica explained. "When can we sign the contract?" Baili Yuntian asked eagerly, fearing Jessica might change her mind halfway through. "Anytime is fine, it''s up to you. But it''s better to be quick since I''m worried my father might have already found a suitable partner, and then you would miss your chance," Jessica urged, pressing Baili Yuntian to hasten with the payment. "Alright, alright, I''ll prepare the funds tomorrow," Baili Yuntian said excitedly, also hoping to sign the contract quickly. "Then I''ll have my dad send over the contract tonight," Jessica said, smiling. "Here''s to a pleasant cooperation!" Baili Yuntian raised his glass, bursting with happiness inside. Afterward, Baili Yuntian proposed going out for a drink with Jessica, but she tactfully declined and told him that she didn''t enjoy those kinds of places. Far from being disappointed, this revelation excited him even more. He could understand, for a lady of Jessica''s status, it''s normal to dislike such places. It also meant Jessica was a good girl! This only increased his interest in her even more. Later, Baili Yuntian drove Jessica back to the parking lot, and at that moment, Jessica cleverly kissed him on the cheek, alluringly saying, "I had a lovely evening, thank you!" Baili Yuntian''s thoughts immediately raced¡ªwas Jessica interested in him? Perhaps he could really become the son-in-law of a financial magnate? Baili Yuntian felt like he could wake up laughing from his sleep tonight. Jessica also knew it was time to give Baili Yuntian some incentive to completely let down his guard and immerse himself in the dual seduction of money and beauty. But beyond that, Jessica had another purpose. "Baili Yuntian, who is this bitch?" Just then, a shrewish voice came from not too far away, Liu Yulan approached fiercely. Seeing Liu Yulan appear, Baili Yuntian''s expression suddenly turned somber. If Jessica knew he was keeping a mistress, she would probably feel disgust towards him, and she might even end their cooperation. Thinking of this, Baili Yuntian felt annoyed. Why did this bitch have to show up here? Naturally, Liu Yulan was here because of Hao Jian''s schemes. Seeing Liu Yulan again, Jessica felt as if she was seeing someone from a past life and was momentarily stunned on the spot. Liu Yulan was still as charming as ever, even more enchanting and radiant due to life''s luxuries. Jessica was bewildered, this was the woman she both deeply loved and despised! But Liu Yulan didn''t notice anything amiss and pointed at Jessica, yelling, "Why aren''t you saying anything? Feeling guilty?" Only then did Jessica snap out of her daze and realize that the game was not over yet, immediately showing an unhappy expression, she pointed at Liu Yulan and asked Baili Yuntian, "Yuntian, who is she? Why is she insulting me?" "She..." Just as Baili Yuntian was about to explain, he was interrupted by Liu Yulan. "Yuntian? You sure seem intimate calling him that! You little bitch, you dare to compete with me for a man? I think you''ve grown tired of living!" Liu Yulan raged, having had a tough day, and now there was another woman vying for her man? Chapter 602 - 602 Ye Wenyings Invitation Liu Yulan was the type of woman who could seduce any man she wanted, but her men were absolutely forbidden to betray her. "Competing with you for a man? Baili Yuntian, didn''t you say you were single?" Jessica looked coldly at Baili Yuntian, calling him by his name to feign annoyance. Seeing this, Baili Yuntian also broke out in a cold sweat, knowing that if this continued, he would surely give himself away. "Jessica, don''t listen to her nonsense. This cheap woman is my neighbor; she has been trying to hook up with me because she sees that I''m wealthy, but I''ve never paid her any attention," Baili Yuntian hurriedly explained. He then dragged Liu Yulan aside and hissed, "If you don''t want to die, you''d better shut your mouth. Otherwise, don''t blame me for not being nice to you!" Liu Yulan''s expression immediately stiffened, and a look of humiliated anger flashed across her face. Baili Yuntian was actually scolding her for some little bitch he had just met? But Baili Yuntian''s threat was effective. Liu Yulan dared not make another peep because she knew too well that Baili Yuntian was not joking. With his vicious nature, he really could do something to her. Then, with a smile plastered on his face, Baili Yuntian turned back to Jessica: "Jessica, you have to believe me, I really have nothing to do with this cheap woman. She''s always out there seducing men, a slut who sleeps with anyone, how could I fall for her? She''s the one trying to cling to me. You know, as outstanding a man as I am, it''s common to encounter such things." Upon hearing Baili Yuntian''s words, Liu Yulan was so full of hate that she clenched her teeth. How dare Baili Yuntian insult her like this? However, Baili Yuntian wasn''t wrong¡ªLiu Yulan indeed was the type of woman who slept around. "Really?" Jessica looked at Baili Yuntian skeptically. "Of course, it''s true. My taste couldn''t possibly be that poor," Baili Yuntian hastily explained, and seeing that Jessica finally believed him, he couldn''t help but let out a sigh of relief. Jessica gave a doubtful glance at Baili Yuntian before nodding, "Alright then, I''ll give you the benefit of the doubt this time, but if you dare to deceive me, I''ll cut off our collaboration!" "No, no, don''t worry," Baili Yuntian nodded repeatedly, looking spineless. After that, Jessica left. Once Jessica was gone, Baili Yuntian slapped Liu Yulan across the face, gritting his teeth, "You cheap whore, dare to ruin my good things? Have you forgotten your place? You are nothing more than a kept pet to me. You think you can tell me what to do? I think you don''t want to live anymore!" Liu Yulan, having been slapped, felt full of hate inside but pretended to be obedient to not anger Baili Yuntian further, "I know I was wrong, I won''t dare to do it again, can you forgive me just this once?" "Get lost!" Baili Yuntian kicked Liu Yulan to the ground, snarling, "Now that your bag is gone, you can spend a good month reflecting on this!" After that, Baili Yuntian also drove away. At this moment, Liu Yulan felt the utmost humiliation and said viciously to herself, "Baili Yuntian, since you are ruthless, don''t blame me for being unjust!" ....... Hao Jian got home and saw a beautiful woman standing under his building from afar. She was dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans, looking very casual. But even in such attire, she could not conceal her elegant and graceful demeanor. "Murong Qiushui?" Hao Jian frowned, wondering what Murong Qiushui wanted with him since he had already made it clear that he would definitely not help her. Nonetheless, Hao Jian approached her and asked, "What do you want?" Murong Qiushui was playing with Tongtong but smiled lightly at Hao Jian''s return, "I''d like to invite you to a banquet." "Not going, no time!" Hao Jian immediately refused without a second thought. He knew how dangerous a woman Murong Qiushui could be; it was better not to get too involved with her, as carelessness could lead to being schemed against by her. "But this time you must go!" Murong Qiushui said with a playful look, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Why?" Hao Jian said displeased, "Why should I go just because Murong Qiushui says so? If I don''t go, surely she won''t dare to force me, will she?" "Because the one hosting the banquet is Ye Wenying!" Murong Qiushui said with a faint smile. Hearing this, Hao Jian squinted and fell silent. After a while, Hao Jian inquired, "Ye Wenying is in Hua City?" "Exactly, he came especially to see you!" Murong Qiushui said with a grin. Hao Jian had burnt down Ye Wenying''s headquarters in Hua City; if Ye Wenying could tolerate that, then he wouldn''t be Ye Wenying. So, he came to Hua City looking for trouble with Hao Jian, wanting to see who was bold enough to challenge him. "I didn''t expect to be so highly regarded that he would host a banquet just for me," said Hao Jian, pretending to be surprised. Murong Qiushui rolled her eyes and said, "If you had burnt my headquarters, I, too, would''ve hosted a banquet for you." At the same time, Murong Qiushui added, "If you don''t attend, Ye Wenying will send someone for you, but by then, it won''t look good for either of us!" "Okay, what time tonight? I''ll be there on time!" Hao Jian asked. "I''ll take you there directly, no need to go through all the trouble," Murong Qiushui said, since she was also attending the banquet that evening. "This..." But Hao Jian looked deep into Murong Qiushui''s eyes with an air of wariness. Seeing Hao Jian like that, Murong Qiushui instantly became furious. In the past, men would line up from the east side of Hua City to the west just for a chance to ride in her car, but now that she had graciously offered a ride, Hao Jian was being picky? "What? Are you afraid I''m going to eat you?" Murong Qiushui said with a cold laugh, her expression indignant. "It''s not that serious, I''m just afraid you might take a liking to me. I feel like every time you look at me, there''s a lecherous gleam in your eyes," Hao Jian said in all seriousness, the wariness in his eyes growing even denser. Murong Qiushui felt like she was about to spit blood, Me, looking at you with lecherous eyes? As if I need to! Enraged to the extreme, Murong Qiushui shouted, "Bai Zihui!" "At your service!" Bai Zihui immediately sprang into action. "Beat him up for me!" Murong Qiushui pointed at Hao Jian and commanded fiercely. Ultimately, Hao Jian still got into Murong Qiushui''s car and arrived at the venue of the banquet, only to head straight for the buffet table as if he were a bandit storming into a village, devouring the food voraciously. The other guests were dumbfounded. Where did this starving ghost come from? Had he wandered into the wrong place? Every person here had status and standing, no one behaved as crudely as Hao Jian. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hey, can''t you be a little more civilized?" Murong Qiushui said, dissatisfied. She too felt the strange looks from others and was extremely embarrassed. "Being civilized means going hungry. How could I waste such a rare chance at a free dinner?" Hao Jian''s mouth was stuffed with food, yet he still eagerly grabbed at the food and drinks, really resembling a starving ghost. Murong Qiushui was at a loss for words. How could this guy, who had already become a local tyrant, act like a mere commoner? "No way, did Murong Qiushui really bring this starving ghost? How could she be friends with someone like him?" someone questioned, finding it unbelievable. What was Murong Qiushui''s status? She was considered a favored daughter of heaven, and yet she had brought such a person into the event? Afterward, Murong Qiushui chose to distance herself from Hao Jian, pretending not to know him to avoid further embarrassment. Just then, Ye Wenying appeared on the second floor, dressed in a white tailcoat and with his hair slicked back, his demeanor noble, like a prince. At that moment, he also noticed Hao Jian. It would have been difficult not to notice him, given the commotion Hao Jian was causing. Seeing someone wolfing down food like a pig at his banquet, Ye Wenying immediately frowned and turned to his attendant, asking, "Who is that?" "Young master, that''s Hao Jian," the attendant replied. "Oh?" Then the look Ye Wenying gave Hao Jian turned strange, so this guy was the one who dared to challenge him, kill his dog, and smash his shop? Seeing Hao Jian''s crudeness, Ye Wenying''s disdain deepened, and he slowly made his way downstairs. Typically, the host''s entrance would capture everyone''s attention, but because of the disturbance Hao Jian had caused, no one even noticed Ye Wenying''s arrival. Ye Wenying realized this and felt a jolt in his heart. Was this guy doing it on purpose? Deliberately defacing himself to distract the crowd, to draw attention away from him. With this thought, Ye Wenying couldn''t help but grit his teeth in hatred. The banquet he had set up was meant to showcase his elegance, to leave a good impression on the distinguished ladies and gentlemen, but now Hao Jian had ruined it. How was he supposed to show off now? Not far off, Murong Qiushui could only laugh silently to herself, even she had to admit that Hao Jian played it smart. People like her and Ye Wenying would absolutely never do something so shameful, but Hao Jian was different. Without the burden of status, he could do as he pleased without any psychological pressure. And seeing Ye Wenying''s displeased expression from a distance, Murong Qiushui felt like laughing. Hao Jian had already wrecked half of the banquet. The purpose of hosting a banquet was to highlight oneself¡ªif that wasn''t achieved, then what was the point of the banquet? "Eh, aren''t you the director of XXX? I shop on your platform all the time; you''ve done a great job with your e-commerce business! I''ve long admired your name; it is as familiar as a household word. To see you today is indeed a great honor!" "Hey, Director Feng Dagang? I really enjoy the movies you make! I''ve long admired your name; it is as familiar as a household word. To see you today is indeed a great honor!" "Crap, aren''t you the boss of the internationally renowned fashion magazine XXX? I''ve long admired your name; it is as familiar as a household word. To see you today is indeed a great honor!" Chapter 603 - 603: I Want to Step on Your Face Hao Jian finished his meal and then started to create a ruckus. He discovered that there were actually many famous individuals present, which left him utterly astonished, and he went about greeting each one of them and lavishing them with flattery, acting as if he were an old acquaintance. And those individuals, they all had a look of utter exasperation, knowing full well that Hao Jian was sucking up to them, but his flattery was so lacking in style, wasn''t it? Everyone got the same line, "I''ve long admired your great name; it''s as thunderous as a piercing boom. Today, meeting you is a fortune of three lifetimes!" Couldn''t he come up with something new? The entire banquet was in chaos because of Hao Jian hopping around like a damned monkey, turning a gathering among the elite into a complete shambles, making it feel downright low-class. And seeing this, Ye Wenying was about to explode with rage. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn''t have invited Hao Jian at all to save himself from this embarrassment. With Hao Jian making the banquet like this, many guests were somewhat displeased inside, and some even harbored resentment towards him, feeling that he had invited such a nuisance on purpose to annoy them. Mainly, Ye Wenying hadn''t expected Hao Jian to be so shameless. In his view, as someone of superior status, Hao Jian should at least care about saving his own face; such actions were considered unimaginable. But the result was Ye Wenying had miscalculated; Hao Jian was even more shameless than he had imagined. "Damn it!" Ye Wenying strode towards Hao Jian, intending to stop him from causing further chaos, or else the banquet would really be ruined by him. Just as Hao Jian was tirelessly pestering Feng Dagang, professing his admiration, Ye Wenying''s hand landed on his shoulder. "Stop it!" Hao Jian gave his shoulder a shake and flung off Ye Wenying''s hand. Then, as if he didn''t see Feng Dagang''s increasingly dark expression, he continued blabbering his meaningless drivel. Ye Wenying, standing behind him, had his face turn dark as well¡ªdid this guy just ignore him? Ye Wenying reached out his hand again, and this time, the grip on Hao Jian''s shoulder was significantly firmer. "Who''s that? Slapping someone''s shoulder like that, have you no manners?" Hao Jian felt it too and turned around impatiently, glaring at Ye Wenying. But immediately after, Hao Jian was taken aback. Seeing Hao Jian''s bewildered look, Ye Wenying also let out a cold snicker. This guy must have recognized him by now, right? Seeing that Hao Jian was stunned into silence, no longer daring to act foolishly, Ye Wenying couldn''t help but feel somewhat smug. But then, Hao Jian''s expression suddenly changed, with a smile plastered on his face, he grasped Ye Wenying''s hand, oozing enthusiasm, "Aren''t you that so-and-so? Ah, I''ve long admired your great name; it''s as thunderous as a piercing boom. Today, meeting you is a fortune of three lifetimes!" "Pfft!" Not far away, Murong Qiushui, who had been drinking and ready to enjoy the show, couldn''t help but spray out his drink upon hearing Hao Jian''s words and burst into uncontrollable laughter. At this moment, Ye Wenying''s face was as black as a cauldron. I''ve long admired your great name; it''s as thunderous as a piercing boom. Today, meeting you is a fortune of three lifetimes? Damn, it turned out Hao Jian hadn''t recognized him, otherwise, he wouldn''t have spouted such inane nonsense! You have no idea who I am, and yet you dare to say you''ve long admired my great name? Ye Wenying was infuriated. This imbecile was utterly disrespectful. After all, he was currently his enemy. Couldn''t he take the time to learn a little about his enemy, or would that kill him? Hao Jian didn''t even know what he looked like; how much could he possibly disregard him! And those guests who had been subjected to Hao Jian''s "I''ve long admired your great name; it''s as thunderous as a piercing boom. Today, meeting you is a fortune of three lifetimes!" were now fixating on Hao Jian with resentment. Initially, they felt somewhat flattered by his flattery, but now it seemed Hao Jian probably didn''t even know who they were, plainly talking nonsense. "Who on earth is this guy? Why is he so bizarre?" "He looks a bit familiar to me, kind of like Hao Jian." "Hao Jian? The freak who single-handedly took down the four major families of Hua City?" "That''s right, it''s him! I recognize him now, but aren''t he and Ye Wenying sworn enemies? Didn''t he burn down Ye Wenying''s stronghold in Hua City? Why would he show up here? Surely, the two sides haven''t reconciled, have they?" Everyone was puzzled; they all knew there was some bad blood between Hao Jian and Ye Wenying. Under such circumstances, why would Hao Jian appear here, was it to provoke Ye Wenying deliberately? At that moment, Murong Qiushui walked up to him and whispered in Hao Jian''s ear, "That''s Ye Wenying!" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian''s face once again showed shock. Ye Wenying, growing impatient, thought: Can you let go of my hand now? He really didn''t like physical contact with others, especially men, and even more so with men he despised. But Hao Jian was still holding onto his hand, and this was causing Ye Wenying great annoyance. After a moment of being stunned, the expression on Hao Jian''s face became even more enthusiastic, and he started vigorously shaking Ye Wenying''s hand, "So you''re the Third Young Master Ye? I''ve long admired you, truly, it''s such a pleasure. What an honor that you''ve invited me to your banquet, such a great honor!" Everyone was speechless; how could this guy''s skin be so thick? Clearly having an irreconcilable feud with Ye Wenying, yet he claimed to have long admired her? But what puzzled them even more was why Ye Wenying would invite Hao Jian. When had the two of them made peace? And some began to wonder if Ye Wenying had invited Hao Jian because she was afraid of him and wanted to reconcile. Otherwise, why would she invite him? The reason Ye Wenying had invited Hao Jian was originally to humiliate him, but who knew that Hao Jian would upstage the host and leave her with no moves to make. At this moment, both Ye Wenying and Murong Qiushui realized that Hao Jian was definitely not as simple as he appeared on the surface; his meticulous mind and deep schemes were no less than their own. Indeed, once Hao Jian learned that Ye Wenying had invited him, he knew what Ye Wenying was up to and quickly planned his response on the way over. "You really are just as the rumors say, a rascal. It hasn''t been long since your arrival, yet you''ve turned my banquet into a complete mess. You should be secretly delighted in your dreams to attend such a high-class event, at least show enough humility!" Ye Wenying decided to take a stand against Hao Jian, no longer allowing him to dominate the scene, otherwise, she would lose all her dignity. The crowd discerned the targeting and disdain in Ye Wenying''s words and immediately understood that there was no reconciliation between Ye Wenying and Hao Jian, and she had likely invited him today to humiliate him. "I''m like a rascal?" Hao Jian pointed at himself, his face full of confusion. Seeing this, everyone was somewhat surprised. Was Hao Jian about to lose his temper? It was no wonder; anyone who cared about their pride would not be pleased being insulted by Ye Wenying, especially since Hao Jian and Ye Wenying had a bad relationship to begin with. "Is it not so?" Ye Wenying scoffed, eager to see Hao Jian get angry, because if Hao Jian showed anger, she would control the whole situation. "Of course not, how can you say I''m like a rascal? I''m blatantly a rascal, haha..." Hao Jian shamelessly burst out laughing. Upon hearing this, Ye Wenying and the others were dumbfounded. They realized Hao Jian wasn''t shameless, he was utterly shameless! Ye Wenying was instantly speechless, and for a moment, did not know what to say. "And haven''t you noticed how humble I have been? I went up to greet everyone actively, they like me so much!" Hao Jian said shamelessly. Like him? A group of people felt like spitting in Hao Jian''s face. Were they not harassed by Hao Jian''s relentless approach? "Since you''ve come to my banquet, you should abide by my rules, stay quietly to the side, and keep your mouth shut!" Ye Wenying snorted coldly, having already lost her patience. She had intended to infuriate Hao Jian, but unexpectedly, Hao Jian had angered her instead. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian immediately clicked his tongue in displeasure and said, "Third Master Ye, isn''t it a bit dull to speak like this? Everyone knows Hua City is my territory, and I didn''t force you to follow my rules when you were there. I''m just here to attend a banquet and you''re telling me to shut up, aren''t you being too stingy?" With Hao Jian saying this, Ye Wenying didn''t know how to retort, because Hua City indeed had fallen into Hao Jian''s hands. Anger flashed in Ye Wenying''s eyes as she rebuked, "With my status, I can go wherever I want. Who dares to make me follow their rules?" Upon hearing this, everyone couldn''t help but nod; Ye Wenying''s status and background indeed put her beyond most people''s constraints. "I know you have a powerful background, but you should have heard the saying, ''Even a mighty dragon cannot crush a local snake,''" Hao Jian said with a malicious grin. The crowd was shocked. Was Hao Jian threatening Ye Wenying? Hearing this, Ye Wenying''s expression turned frosty as she barked, "Are you threatening me?" "Oh, Third Young Master Ye, what are you saying? With your status, how could I dare to threaten you?" Hao Jian immediately put on a scared face. Seeing this, everyone couldn''t help but show contempt; was this guy scared of Ye Wenying? Wasn''t he quite ruthless before, daring to burn down Ye Wenying''s base, and now shrinking like an ant in front of the true master? "I figured as much!" Ye Wenying snorted with pride, a look of scorn emerging on her face. "Yes, how could I dare threaten you? What I''m doing is ''warning'' you!" Hao Jian suddenly changed his tone, a cold smile appearing on his face. "Huh?" Ye Wenying''s eyebrows shot up, not expecting Hao Jian to change his tune so suddenly. Ye Wenying''s eyes were like two blades, fiercely stabbing at Hao Jian''s face. But Hao Jian remained unfazed, a slight smile on his face as he met Ye Wenying''s gaze with interest. At this point, everyone was lost for words. Hao Jian truly was seeking death, boldly provoking Ye Wenying. Ye Wenying''s face grew extremely ugly as she angrily said, "Do you know what you''re saying?" "Of course, what I''m saying is: I burned your store, I killed your dog, and now... I am going to step on your disgusting face!" Hao Jian took a step forward, and a fierce killing intent spread, causing the atmosphere around him to turn icy cold. Chapter 604 - 604: Expelling the Nobility Ye Wenying was also taken aback instantaneously, his expression a bit stiff under the pressure of that killing intent. Was this guy actually planning to violently lash out in public? Everyone else was just as shocked, hardly able to believe that Hao Jian, who had just been playing the fool with a nonchalant smile, could change so abruptly into such a dominant force, brimming with killing intent. Could it be that he would truly act on impulse and finish off Ye Wenying? If that were the case, then the feud between Hao Jian and the Ye Family would undoubtedly become a matter of life and death. But just as Hao Jian advanced with pressure, a figure suddenly appeared in mid-air, with both feet kicking straight towards Hao Jian''s face. Hao Jian hurriedly blocked with both hands but was still kicked back several steps. "Hmm?" Hao Jian revealed a look of surprise, staring intently at the figure falling from the sky, swift and fierce like a leopard. "It''s you again?" Hao Jian laughed. Vivian was on full alert, having realized how terrifying the man was since their last confrontation. Facing Hao Jian now, she did not hold much confidence. "Are you insane?" Vivian looked at Hao Jian incredulously. She thought she was crazy enough, but seeing Hao Jian''s actions, she felt he was even more insane than her. Vivian was well aware of Ye Wenying''s status. In Huaxia, almost no one would dare to kill him. Yet, Hao Jian was actually planning to eliminate Ye Wenying right here in broad daylight, which Vivian viewed as a death wish. As incredible as Hao Jian might be, it was impossible for him to contend with the entire Ye Family, and the likely result would very well be a death without a complete corpse. Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders and said teasingly, "Why so nervous? I wasn''t really going to kill him; I just wanted to tease him a bit." However, Ye Wenying narrowed his eyes with an ashen face; he knew Hao Jian was definitely not joking just now¡ªhe had truly intended to kill him. "You can get lost!" Ye Wenying said coldly, standing behind Vivian. "Don''t be so petty. It was just a joke, and you react like this. You''re clearly not cut out for big things!" Hao Jian mocked. "I''m telling you to get lost!" Ye Wenying raised his voice considerably, his words becoming increasingly icy. "I won''t!" Hao Jian curled his lips, picked up a piece of cake, and stuffed it into his mouth. "You tell me to come, and I come, you tell me to go, and I go¡ªwouldn''t I lose face then?" Hao Jian was acting unabashedly shameless, refusing to give him any attention and thick-skinned about staying put. But Ye Wenying felt humiliated to the extreme, having underestimated Hao Jian. The reason he invited Hao Jian and wished to humiliate him was because he thought Hao Jian would have some concern for the Ye Family. But now it seemed he had thought too much. Hao Jian simply didn''t take him seriously, let alone the Ye Family, or else that scene just now wouldn''t have happened. As such, inviting Hao Jian here was a fundamentally wrong decision. Now that Hao Jian was obstinately refusing to leave, he had no way to deal with him, since neither threats nor inducements worked, and although Vivian was powerful, she was no match for him. Just then, Ye Wenying had an idea and said with a sinister smile, "You might be feeling proud, but being overbearing might not be such a good thing. It could end up hurting you or someone close to you..." The attendees, being elites of society, were all astute enough to immediately grasp the hidden meaning in Ye Wenying''s words. Ye Wenying had to regain his standing, especially since so many distinguished ladies and gentlemen were watching. If he were to be humiliated by Hao Jian in front of so many onlookers, the disgrace would follow him for life. Hearing this, Hao Jian frowned and let out a bizarre laugh before saying, "If anyone close to me suffers even the slightest mishap, even just a minor cold, I''ll make sure you can''t walk out of Hua City!" Meanwhile, Hao Jian took out his phone and called Spice Ginger, "Spice Ginger, from today onwards, keep a close eye on Ye Wenying for me. Don''t just watch when he''s eating or sleeping, but even when he''s pleasuring himself behind others'' backs¡ªkeep him under tight surveillance!" Ye Wenying nearly spat blood at these words. Who the hell was pleasuring himself? This guy was too crude! "If Ye Wenying dares to act rashly, take him out for me directly. Furthermore, without my permission, he is not allowed to leave Hua City!" As Hao Jian''s voice fell, everyone involuntarily gasped. Was Ye Wenying really confined just like that? At this moment, even Ye Wenying was dumbfounded. Had he come to Hua City to show Hao Jian a lesson, only to end up trapped himself? Hao Jian looked at Ye Wenying with a derisive smile and said, "You made two very wrong decisions. First, you shouldn''t have threatened people close to me, and second, you shouldn''t have sought trouble with me in Hua City. Didn''t you know that Hua City is my turf now? Dare to provoke me here, and you''re asking for trouble¡ªdid your brain get squeezed by a door?" Hao Jian completely put away his shameless fa?ade, at this moment, standing proud and imperious like a sovereign, shocking everyone present. Only then did they realize that they had underestimated Hao Jian. He was far more terrifying than they ever imagined. Ye Wenying couldn''t utter another word, having become a prisoner at the mercy of Hao Jian, and anything he would say would only invite further humiliation. Rather than continue to be insulted by Hao Jian, he chose silence. But that didn''t mean he accepted the situation. Right then, Ye Wenying''s resentment could only be described as "tempestuous." If he could have killed Hao Jian right then, Ye Wenying would have been willing to trade twenty years of his lifespan for such an opportunity. "Hao Jian, shut your mouth!" Vivian scolded, unable to stand by idly as her master was humiliated. "The one who should shut up is you, little girl. I spared your life last time, isn''t that enough for you? If you dare to meddle again, I''ll strip you naked right here and now and let every man in this room have his turn with you!" Hao Jian''s eyes flashed dangerously. "You!" Vivian''s face turned red with anger at the despicable and shameless bastard. "What''s with that ''you''? You think I wouldn''t dare to do it, huh?" Hao Jian glared coldly at Vivian, his demeanour radiating killing intent. Then Vivian didn''t dare to speak any further, uncertain if Hao Jian was joking. However, whether Hao Jian was joking or not, he was capable of following through with his threat. "It''s just a banquet, no need for all of this," said Murong Qiushui, intervening in an attempt to smooth things over. She didn''t care about Ye Wenying''s fate, but she had her own reasons for attending the banquet, and if Hao Jian ruined it, her plans would be thwarted. After all, Hao Jian had already insulted Ye Wenying, and in Murong Qiushui''s opinion, that should have been enough. "Just because you say it''s unnecessary, it''s unnecessary?" Hao Jian glared dissatisfied at Murong Qiushui. This was his turf; who was she to try and take control without his permission? Everyone was stunned. Weren''t Murong Qiushui and Hao Jian allies? Why would Hao Jian rebuke Murong Qiushui? "I am part of your group, though!" Murong Qiushui retorted angrily at Hao Jian, wondering what the hell was wrong with this jerk. "Who''s part of your group? If you were really with me, why didn''t you help me when he was bullying me just now?" Hao Jian pointed at Ye Wenying while speaking to Murong Qiushui and looked at her with contempt. Ye Wenying felt like he was going to cough up blood. Who was bullying whom? Murong Qiushui was flabbergasted. This guy must be picking a fight on purpose, right? How could she possibly join him against Ye Wenying? She wasn''t just representing herself, but the Murong Family as well. If she sided with Hao Jian against Ye Wenying, it would be like dragging the Murong Family into the conflict, making them a thorn in the Ye Family''s side. Hao Jian was too smart not to understand this. "Didn''t you say you wanted to recruit me? Well then, have your people take him down for me, and I will serve you!" Hao Jian pointed at Ye Wenying and spoke to Murong Qiushui. "Hao Jian, don''t be too excessive!" Bai Zihui rebuked coldly, seeing that Hao Jian was going too far. There was no way that Murong Qiushui would directly eliminate Ye Wenying there and then, as that would lead the Murong Family into a full-blown death struggle with the Ye Family¡ªHao Jian''s demand was utterly unreasonable. "Excessive? You come to my territory and boss me around, and that''s not excessive? Let me tell you, I''m sick of your arrogant, idiotic antics!" Hao Jian scoffed, deliberately glaring at Ye Wenying as he spoke. Ye Wenying felt like vomiting blood. Was Hao Jian indirectly calling him an idiot? S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I order you all to leave Hua City within a short period, or else don''t think of leaving at all. I''ll tie all of you up and ransom you to the Ye Family and Murong Family!" Hao Jian was genuinely annoyed, as Murong Qiushui''s repeated interference and consequently, Murong Yeyun''s hostility towards him had soured his mood. Now, with Ye Wenying bossing him around, did they really think Hao Jian was a pushover? His next step was to drive these nobles out of Hua City. If they didn''t leave, they would never get the chance. Upon hearing this, everyone was utterly flabbergasted. Was Hao Jian seriously considering kidnapping Murong Qiushui and others to blackmail the Ye Family and Murong Family? Was his audacity not a bit too outrageous? Offending Ye Wenying wasn''t enough; he seemed intent on antagonizing Murong Qiushui as well. At that moment, Murong Qiushui opted for silence, yet her expression was icy cold, clearly in a foul mood. She could see that Hao Jian wasn''t joking; he truly detested them. "You''re seeking death!" Bai Zihui couldn''t hold back any longer and, with a swift movement, her long and straight leg swept towards Hao Jian''s face. But Hao Jian frowned, his eyes emitting a cold glint, and he lashed out with a palm strike, sending Bai Zihui flying several meters away to crash into a table laden with snacks, overturning it. Then Bai Zihui found herself covered in grease and wine, looking extremely disheveled. With an impassive face, Hao Jian said, "This time is different from the last, and I am not Murong Yeyun, that idiot, so I won''t show any mercy!" With a dark expression, Bai Zihui stared at Hao Jian, remaining silent. Chapter 605 - 605: The Crown Will Fall Everyone was dumbfounded; was Hao Jian really planning to battle the Murong and Ye families to the death? Wasn''t that overly arrogant? However, this very act made everyone start taking Hao Jian seriously. He was indeed as crazy as they come, daring to threaten two major families by himself. Everyone knew that Hao Jian had the confidence to do so because, in Hua City, he controlled everything. As long as he was in Hua City, neither the Murong family nor the Ye family could touch him. "Hao Jian, can we talk in private?" Murong Qiushui took a deep breath and said calmly. Talk in private? Everyone was puzzled, not knowing what Murong Qiushui planned to discuss with Hao Jian. "Sure!" Hao Jian said with a smile on his face, curious to see what Murong Qiushui wanted to discuss. Then, he pointed at Ye Wenying not far away: "Without my permission, you are not allowed to leave this place, or else don''t blame me for being rude!" Upon hearing this, Ye Wenying''s face darkened like an iron pot, his lungs nearly bursting with anger. When had he ever been humiliated like this? Hao Jian''s remark had made him lose all his dignity. Ye Wenying, who had never been controlled by anyone, now had no choice but to follow Hao Jian''s orders. Originally the host of this banquet, he now seemed like merely a guest, while Hao Jian appeared to be the real host. Then, Hao Jian and Murong Qiushui walked to a secluded backyard, where no one else was present except for the two of them. Murong Qiushui arrived there first and stood with her back to Hao Jian. As Hao Jian approached, he then said, "Speak quickly about whatever matter you have and leave Hua City afterward!" At that moment, Murong Qiushui turned around, her face frosty. She took two steps in three strides towards Hao Jian and then a slap flew towards Hao Jian''s face. "Slap!" The crisp sound of the slap echoed, but Hao Jian did not dodge Murong Qiushui''s slap, even though he could have easily done so. Hao Jian looked at Murong Qiushui with a smile: "What are you doing?" "This is for your earlier rudeness, the Murong family will not be scorned!" Murong Qiushui said coldly. "Ten million!" Hao Jian touched his cheek and said calmly. "What?" Murong Qiushui frowned, not understanding what Hao Jian meant. "That''s for my medical expenses since you just injured me!" Hao Jian laughed, his face shamelessly smug. Murong Qiushui froze for a moment, then was almost driven mad, wishing she could slaughter Hao Jian. She was talking sternly, and he was joking in front of her? Moreover, how could one slap injure Hao Jian? Hao Jian dared to extort her? What kind of person does that? "You bastard!" Murong Qiushui was so enraged she couldn''t contain herself and slapped him again. "Slap!" "Twenty million!" Hao Jian declared. "Slap!" As Murong Qiushui became angrier and angrier, she hit him harder and more frequently, the audacity of this man to blackmail her growing more evident. "Forty million!" Hao Jian announced. "Huh? It was just twenty million, how is it now forty million?" Murong Qiushui couldn''t help but ask, thinking this man must be insane. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Don''t you know about doubling? Did you think anyone can hit me?" Hao Jian rolled his eyes and said, "From now on, every time you hit me, the price doubles. This time it''s forty million, next time eighty million, got it?" "You shameless bastard!" Murong Qiushui was finally driven insane by her own rage, furious that Hao Jian wasn''t giving her any respect and was still blatantly trying to extort her. "Slap slap slap!" The slaps fell like raindrops crazily landing on Hao Jian''s face. "One hundred and sixty million, three hundred and twenty million, six hundred and forty million!" Hao Jian, the shameless guy, kept track of how much money he was making while taking the hits. "Slap slap slap!" "Are you still hitting?" Hao Jian glared and said as Murong Qiushui, who seemed to have gone mad, kept slapping him. Although it didn''t hurt him, it was rather embarrassing. "I have plenty of money!" Murong Qiushui cried out in annoyance, completely losing her composure. If anyone saw Murong Qiushui now, acting like a shrew, they would surely be shocked. Always calm and dignified, she was now shouting like a madwoman, which was entirely beneath her. "Alright, alright, if you have the money to act freely, then why don''t you first settle the medical expenses from just now? It''s a total of twelve billion eight hundred million." Hao Jian spread his hands towards Murong Qiushui. "No money, not giving!" Murong Qiushui glared back, as if she would ever give Hao Jian money. Hao Jian infuriated her so much she almost had a meltdown, and now he wanted her money? "So you still hit me?" Hao Jian was instantly enraged. Had all his previous forbearance been in vain? "I like it, what about it?" Murong Qiushui raised her proud head, looking arrogantly at Hao Jian. "You!" Hao Jian trembled with anger. Just moments ago, he was quite happy, thinking a few slaps could earn him so much money. But he had not expected Murong Qiushui to renounce her promise, and he furiously said, "As a spokesperson for the Murong Family, how can you go back on your word? How can you face those who admire you? How can you live up to the reputation that the Murong Family has built up over so many years?" "Cut the crap, I won''t give it to you! Can you kill me if you''re capable?" Murong Qiushui said viciously, immune to the nonsense Hao Jian spoke. "Don''t think just because you''re beautiful you can be so arrogant! You''ve hit me so many times, you must give me an explanation!" Hao Jian furiously retorted. "Hao Jian, do you really think I came to Hua City to entangle with you?" Murong Qiushui skipped the topic and asked with a cold expression. "No, but your presence has indeed affected me," Hao Jian said deeply. It wasn''t that he wanted to target Murong Qiushui, but because she had already involved him. If it hadn''t been for Murong Qiushui, Murong Yeyun wouldn''t have conflicted with him either. He didn''t want to be caught in the dispute between Murong Qiushui and Murong Yeyun, and since Murong Qiushui was at the same school, if things continued this way, it would be hard for Murong Yeyun not to think too much. "Is it because of Murong Yeyun?" Murong Qiushui suddenly asked. "Did you already know?" Hao Jian was shocked. Had Murong Qiushui known all along that Murong Yeyun was plotting something? Murong Qiushui laughed coldly, her expression complex as she said, "Born in the Imperial Family, where is there true affection? Brothers turning against each other isn''t that the norm?" Murong Qiushui was laughing, but Hao Jian distinctly saw sadness on her face. So, this woman had seen through everything all along. Indeed, being born in the Imperial Family was truly miserable. From birth, they were nurtured with the twisted notion of striving for the top, by any means necessary. Thus, their traditional and familial values were relatively weak. With historical examples like Empress Wu Zetian, who killed her own daughter to frame Queen Wang, and Li Shimin, who killed his brothers, it is evident how bleak being born into the Imperial Family could be. To stand at the pinnacle of power, the price paid is humanity itself! Murong Qiushui had long seen this clearly, which is why she trusted no one, including her own parents, and even herself. This is the loneliness of those in power, never to trust anyone because anyone might betray you. This was also why Murong Qiushui qualified to be the spokesperson for the Murong Family, because she had obliterated her humanity. "Yes, it is indeed Murong Yeyun. He has come to me, hoping I would not join forces with you. I don''t want to get caught in your disputes, so I can only ask you to leave," Hao Jian said politely, not in the mood for jokes anymore. Hao Jian was still somewhat anxious. While he didn''t fear the four major families, he couldn''t guard against the people close to him. Because not everyone was as strong as him. Although it was a bit regrettable, he had no other choice but to ask Murong Qiushui to leave Hua City. But Murong Qiushui shook her head and said, "You are wrong. You don''t understand Murong Yeyun. Once he starts to suspect you, whatever you do won''t dispel his vigilance. Even if I leave Hua City, he won''t let you off!" Hao Jian frowned deeply, unsure whether Murong Qiushui''s words were true or false. If they were true, driving Murong Qiushui out of Hua City would be meaningless. "Moreover, since you offended Ye Wenying, you have officially stepped onto the stage of history. Whether you like it or not, you must face the consequences," Murong Qiushui said indifferently, smiling slightly. "Do you really think Ye Wenying would let you off so easily?" Hao Jian''s face turned somewhat ugly. "If I leave Hua City, then Murong Yekong and Ye Wenying will try everything to take over Hua City. Then you''ll be completely isolated. I''m not saying you definitely can''t fight them, but it would be very tough, wouldn''t it?" Murong Qiushui teased. Hao Jian narrowed his eyes at Murong Qiushui. "After all that, you still want me to cooperate with you, don''t you?" "Not cooperate. Since you rejected me last time, I no longer harbor any such thoughts," Murong Qiushui shook her head and said. "Rather, let''s use each other. I''ll use you to protect Hua City, and you''ll get rid of Murong Yeyun for me. How about that?" "He is your brother, you know," Hao Jian said with a mischievous grin. "Yes, he is my brother," Murong Qiushui sighed deeply, saying it in a meaningful way. Hao Jian was momentarily stunned, then he understood the implication in Murong Qiushui''s words. Yes, he is my brother, but he still wants me dead. "I don''t want to die, Hao Jian, do you understand?" Murong Qiushui looked deeply at Hao Jian, her eyes glistening with tears. Hao Jian was utterly dumbfounded, seeing Murong Qiushui''s vulnerable side for the first time. "Has it all become too much, so you broke down?" Hao Jian shook his head, then stepped forward, gently touching Murong Qiushui''s cheek. "Don''t cry, the crown will fall." "I''m not crying!" Murong Qiushui slapped away Hao Jian''s hand and wiped her tears. "It''s just sand in my eyes." Chapter 606 - 606 Critical Situation "She''s such a strong-willed woman." Hao Jian shook his head helplessly. "Fine, I''ll go along with your suggestion and help you deal with your brothers. But once the trouble is over, you must leave Hua City!" "Do you really not recognize me anymore?" Murong Qiushui glared at Hao Jian angrily upon hearing his words. "Should I recognize you?" Hao Jian asked, frowning ¡ª this was already the second time Murong Qiushui had brought up this question. Had she met him before? "Forget it, since you''ve forgotten, there''s no need to bring it up again." Murong Qiushui sighed with a look of disappointment and then left for the outside of the courtyard: "Let''s go back, being away for too long might arouse suspicion." Hao Jian walked back to the venue with Murong Qiushui only to discover that the atmosphere inside was somewhat off. Apart from Ye Wenying, Murong Chengkong and Murong Yeyun had unexpectedly also shown up. "Aiyo, my dear sister, where have you been whispering with an unfamiliar man? Have you forgotten who you are? You are the precious daughter of the Murong Family! Being alone with a man in secret; if word gets out, where will our Murong Family put its face?" Murong Yeyun said sarcastically, his expression somewhat venomous, and Hao Jian had previously claimed he had nothing to do with Murong Qiushui? Then what were the two of them doing appearing alone together at a banquet and whispering in secrecy? Hao Jian was immediately taken aback, feeling like he had been set up. Murong Qiushui must have known that Murong Yeyun would be here, right? That''s why she intentionally invited him to come along, and even chose to whisper quietly with him when Murong Yeyun was about to arrive. No wonder Murong Qiushui said there was something to do tonight, someone to find; it turns out, she was looking for him. Now that Murong Yeyun saw him alone with Murong Qiushui, he must have thought they were planning something. "Tell me, were your tears real?" Hao Jian stood beside Murong Qiushui, his tone half-mocking, half-amused. He really wanted to know if Murong Qiushui was sincere at that moment just now. "They were real." Murong Qiushui answered expressionlessly. She knew she had deceived Hao Jian, but she had no choice. If she didn''t do this, Hao Jian wouldn''t agree to cooperate with her, and her actions were beneficial to both her and Hao Jian without any harm. "Don''t try to manipulate me again in the future, I don''t like this feeling," Hao Jian warned, having agreed to Murong Qiushui''s request out of sympathy for her, but he didn''t want this to give Murong Qiushui the freedom to play him. "Understood." Murong Qiushui nodded, aware that Hao Jian had discovered her scheme. "Hao Jian, you think very highly of yourself, showing up at the Third Young Master Ye''s banquet and lashing out at the host ¡ª do you think you''re beyond punishment?" Murong Yeyun snorted coldly, seemingly ready to make a move on Hao Jian. Hao Jian glanced sideways at Murong Yeyun: "Didn''t beat you hard enough last time, so you''re here to get beaten again?" "Last time?" The crowd was immediately spellbound ¡ª Hao Jian had beaten Murong Yeyun? Was he really intending to challenge both the Ye Family and the Murong Family to the end? Was the guy crazy? At these words, Murong Yeyun''s face turned livid with anger, "You can only be arrogant for now." "What, looking for death again?" Hao Jian sneered, not taking Murong Yeyun''s threat seriously at all. "Who''s looking for death, you''ll know after the fact!" Murong Yeyun huffed, then snapped his fingers. Suddenly a group of soldiers rushed in, surrounding Hao Jian in full armor, holding machine guns as if facing a formidable enemy, all pointing their guns at Hao Jian. The other guests screamed in fright when they saw this ¡ª Murong Yeyun had actually called in the military? Seeing so many soldiers appear, Hao Jian was also slightly surprised. Was Murong Yeyun planning to cause a commotion? S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Murong Yeyun, what in the world are you doing?" Murong Qiushui also shouted in alarm and anger at the sight. "What''s going to be done to him is not up to me, but to the state. The state has already labeled him a dangerous person and, according to the evidence, this guy is related to several murder cases, and he''s to be taken back for investigation," Murong Yeyun said with a sardonic smile. "Of course, this operation isn''t just my personal desire; even Grandfather has already agreed," Murong Yeyun added as a reminder. "What?" Murong Qiushui was shocked, not expecting her own grandfather to also agree to this request to make a move against Hao Jian. But Murong Qiushui didn''t need to think to know that Murong Yeyun was the one up to no good. "My sister, I''ve already warned you before ¡ª with such a noble identity, concerning the family''s honor, how could our family let you be in love with a lowly commoner?" Murong Yeyun teased. "In love? When have I ever been in love with him?" Murong Qiushui flatly denied, Murong Yeyun was simply framing her. "Indeed you are not now, but you have shown such tendencies, especially since you two had something going on in the past," Murong Yeyun taunted with a more scornful and sinister smile. "This... This is impossible!" Murong Qiushui cried out in alarm. How did Murong Yeyun find out about her secret? "Murong Qiushui, do you really think a secret can be kept for a lifetime?" Murong Yeyun mocked before stepping closer to Murong Qiushui and whispering in her ear, "There are no secrets that cannot be discovered in this world. I have found out about your secret and also know that the person you have been looking for all these years is him. That''s why I told grandfather, and to prevent you from marrying a commoner, he agreed to my request to eliminate Hao Jian!" However, Murong Yeyun''s whispered words were overheard by Hao Jian, whose hearing and vision were far beyond that of an ordinary person. Thus, Murong Yeyun''s murmurs couldn''t escape his notice. It was just that he didn''t understand what Murong Yeyun meant. What kind of relationship had he and Murong Qiushui had? And why had Murong Qiushui been looking for him all these years? Hao Jian felt that everything had become perplexing. What was Murong Qiushui''s purpose in coming to Hua City? Initially, Hao Jian had thought Murong Qiushui was seeking him out simply for a business collaboration, but now it seemed that was not the case. Murong Qiushui did not speak, but her face was cold as frost. She was forcefully restraining her emotions, trying to calm herself down. Years of experience had taught Murong Qiushui that anger would not solve any problems. Murong Yeyun began to laugh eerily, "Dear sister, you''re the one who killed him. You shouldn''t have brought him into this. He saved your life, but you''ve led him to his death!" "I saved Murong Qiushui''s life?" Hao Jian was startled. When had that happened? Then, as if he remembered something, he wondered, could it have been during the Bagu Thunder? But how could he have no memory of it? "I won''t let you get your way!" Murong Qiushui spat venomously. She would never let Murong Yeyun succeed, and she certainly wouldn''t let Hao Jian die. "Then you''d better hurry up, because in two days, he will be executed! I won''t let him die too quickly but will have him slowly tortured to death!" Murong Yeyun slowly lifted his head, his face full of viciousness, then waved his hand, "Take him away!" Then, an officer pushed through the crowd and approached Hao Jian, saying maliciously, "Hao Jian, we meet again!" "You again? Found yourself a new master? Really got a taste for it, haven''t you? For the Second Young Master Yu, you''re really bringing honor to the Yu Family," Hao Jian mocked. The man before him was none other than Yu Zhixun! Hearing this, Yu Zhixun''s face immediately turned icy, "Haven''t seen you in a while, but you''re still as sharp-tongued? However, you might as well enjoy it while you can because you''re not going to live much longer!" With the Ye and Murong families joining forces against Hao Jian, if he could survive this, then Yu Zhixun could really just go to hell. Remembering the humiliation Hao Jian once caused him, Yu Zhixun felt uncomfortable all over, enwrapped in a strange emotion; every time he thought of Hao Jian, he felt deeply ashamed. Now he finally had the chance to kill Hao Jian. Once Hao Jian was dead, all that shame would be washed away. "Last time you said the same thing, and you ended up licking my boots," Hao Jian commented with a taunting smile. In an instant, Yu Zhixun''s face grew dark. Being reminded publicly of such a humiliating event naturally made him feel furious. "This time, you won''t be lucky enough to escape. Because you don''t know who you''ve offended this time!" Yu Zhixun huffed, and then signaled to his soldiers, "Cuff him!" "I don''t want to wear handcuffs," Hao Jian said. Everyone present gawked at Hao Jian''s words. Was this guy an idiot? They came to arrest him, not invite him for tea. Did he think he had a choice? "Don''t like it? That''s even better. Whatever you dislike, I enjoy!" Yu Zhixun sneered, "Additionally, I''ve called a bunch of reporters to wait outside. The news will break tomorrow: the Vice Chairman of the Shu Ya Group is suspected of multiple murder and fraud crimes, and Shu Ya Group might be involved in illicit business. Tell me, what do you think will become of the Shu Ya Group then?" "Right now, I''m thinking about something," Hao Jian said, stroking his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. "What''s that?" "That last time I made you lick my boots, so what should I do this time?" Hao Jian asked with a peculiar smile. "Heh, still being sarcastic when death is upon you? Cuff him!" Yu Zhixun barked furiously. ................................. Chapter 607 - 607: Arrested "Bang!" The moment Yu Zhixun''s words fell, Hao Jian directly kicked out, sending him flying with a kick. Yu Zhixun had not expected Hao Jian to suddenly make a move, no, to kick, and was immediately sent flying several meters, coughing up blood on the spot. "You... you dare to hit me?" Yu Zhixun glared at Hao Jian with narrowed eyes, furious and bitterly staring. He really did not expect that, at this juncture, Hao Jian would still dare to be aggressive. The soldiers were also on alert, angrily staring at Hao Jian, ready for action as if they might open fire at any moment. "What I''m trying to tell you is that a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Even in my current state, I''m not someone small-fry like you can easily insult," Hao Jian said casually. He then glanced at the surrounding soldiers: "If you insist on making me wear handcuffs, then I''ll have no choice but to kill all of you present." "Hao Jian, don''t be rash!" Murong Qiushui also feared that Hao Jian might actually do that. If he did, it would be tantamount to making an enemy of a nation. Huaxia was a vast and mighty nation, playing an extremely important role on the world stage. If Hao Jian were to make it his enemy, the one to suffer in the end would surely be him. Because no matter how powerful an individual is, they cannot contend with a nation. Murong Qiushui was truly worried that Hao Jian, in a moment of impulsiveness, would take actions he shouldn''t, which could lead to very severe consequences. Hao Jian would either end up dead or in endless flight. Of course, Hao Jian would not actually do such a thing; he wasn''t that foolish. His friends and wife were all in Hua City. If he really became an enemy of the nation, he would have to leave them and flee. He himself didn''t care, but what about Shu Ya? sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian wasn''t likely to be that impulsive. The reason he spoke like that was merely to threaten Murong Yeyun and others because he knew that Murong Yeyun would definitely not risk his life over a mere pair of handcuffs. "Cuff him!" Yet at that moment, Yu Zhixun continued to scream hysterically. After being beaten like that by Hao Jian, he was beyond angry, and Hao Jian still dared to be arrogant. Didn''t want to wear handcuffs? Yu Zhixun was adamant Hao Jian should be handcuffed! Hearing this, Murong Yeyun and Ye Wenying both frowned slightly, annoyed by Yu Zhixun''s stupidity. Provoking Hao Jian this way might actually lead him to do something crazy. Hao Jian had always been known for being unconventional. Who knew if what he was saying now was the truth or a bluff? Murong Yeyun and Ye Wenying were both aware of just how terrifying Hao Jian could be. These soldiers might not be able to stop him, and if they couldn''t, then they might all indeed end up dead. As powerful figures, no one was more afraid of dying than they were. Although they also wanted to humiliate Hao Jian, they did not want to risk their lives in doing so. "If he doesn''t want handcuffs, then let''s forget the handcuffs. Take him away!" Murong Yeyun said indifferently, not forcing Hao Jian. Mainly, he didn''t want to gamble with his own life. "Young Master, you..." Yu Zhixun was stunned, not expecting Murong Yeyun to back down. Why were they, so many people, afraid of just one person, Hao Jian? Now was the perfect opportunity to crush his arrogance! "Shut your mouth!" Murong Yeyun glared coldly at Yu Zhixun. If it were not for Yu Zhixun''s cooperation in this operation, he might have already slapped him twice. Yu Zhixun meekly lowered his head, not daring to speak anymore. Thus, Murong Yeyun ordered his men to take Hao Jian and the others away. And when Hao Jian passed by Murong Qiushui, she took his hand and said solemnly, "I won''t let anything happen to you, so if you can endure, then endure while you''re in there!" Murong Qiushui signaled Hao Jian not to act rashly and especially not to attempt a jailbreak, or else even she wouldn''t be able to save him. "Endure if possible," Hao Jian also smiled lightly, but if it wasn''t possible, then there was no need to endure. Murong Qiushui understood the meaning behind Hao Jian''s words and couldn''t help but frown deeply, biting her red lip. Afterward, Hao Jian was taken away by Yu Zhixun''s troops. "Sister, this time, you''ve lost," Murong Yeyun walked over, patting Murong Qiushui''s shoulder. Murong Qiushui''s face was as cold as frost, and she said indifferently, "As long as he isn''t dead, you haven''t won!" Murong Yeyun chuckled, his tone playful, "You are always so cold, always so confident and unworried. Do you really think you still have a way to save him now?" "Whether I can or can''t will be known only after trying," Murong Qiushui said expressionlessly. Then she turned her head to glance at Murong Yeyun, "However, you might have misunderstood something. I did not collaborate with Hao Jian before, but after this incident, I think he would be very willing to work with me!" Murong Yeyun''s face turned cold at once, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Murong Qiushui, "What does that change? In the end, he''s already as good as dead." "Don''t be too sure of yourself," Murong Qiushui said coldly, leaving behind those words before she and Bai Zihui walked away. "Zihui..." At that moment, Murong Yeyun grabbed Bai Zihui''s arm. Although he despised Murong Qiushui, he had genuine feelings for Bai Zihui. "Young Master, please show some respect," said Bai Zihui with an equally cold expression. As a follower of Murong Qiushui, she naturally sided with Murong Qiushui. Murong Yeyun could only let out a wry smile before releasing Bai Zihui''s hand. Murong Qiushui and Bai Zihui left the banquet hall together, with Murong Qiushui saying coolly, "Arrange a helicopter for me. I need to return to Capital City overnight!" Right now, Murong Qiushui wanted to find her grandfather and get to the bottom of what exactly was going on. "Understood!" Bai Zihui nodded and immediately set about making the arrangements. "Also, make use of all the connections you have. Under no circumstance can those people in prison lay a finger on Hao Jian!" Murong Qiushui said coldly, knowing full well that those people wouldn''t let Hao Jian off easily after capturing him. And with Hao Jian''s proud nature, he wouldn''t stand being treated like a piece on a cutting board. Hao Jian was the God of Death, and he naturally had the dignity of the God of Death. How could he possibly let others bully him without reacting? If Murong Yeyun and the others wanted to bully and trample on him, then he would retaliate even more fiercely. Meanwhile, as Murong Qiushui rushed back to Capital City, Moon Goddess Jiang also received the news. In front of her lay a secret document, possibly the only bargaining chip to save Hao Jian, but even this document alone wasn''t sufficient. Now that the Murong and Ye families were jointly pressuring Hao Jian, his chances of survival were slim, and the situation was extremely dire. No one knew the terrifying power hidden within these two enormous entities, but everyone knew that this time, Hao Jian was beyond saving. Eventually, Moon Goddess Jiang dialed a phone number, "Prophet, Hao Jian is in trouble!" To save Hao Jian, she needed more than what she had. After a five-minute call ended, Moon Goddess Jiang issued a command, "Immediately gather all the Dragon Tooth members in Hua City and head to the suburbs of North City District to besiege Black September!" At a time when Hao Jian''s life hung by a thread, Moon Goddess Jiang decided to lead Dragon Tooth to annihilate Black September, which was strangely surprising. But only Moon Goddess Jiang knew that to save Hao Jian, they had to eliminate Black September, because only by destroying Black September could they lure out the force behind it. At the same time, inside the Xu Family residence. Xu Donghe was also at his wits'' end, having made several phone calls to old friends, hoping they could save Hao Jian, only to be met with tactful rejections. "Elder Xu, it''s not that I don''t want to help you, but this time Murong Yeyun and Ye Wenying are involved. When these two families join forces, even I have to keep a respectful distance," came the voice of a middle-aged man from the other end. This man was the same person who had saved Hao Jian from Liang Jiankun and Kong Xiaozhen in the past, but now he was also at a loss as he dared not offend the Ye and Murong families. After hanging up the phone, Xu Donghe sighed endlessly, clearly understanding the dire situation Hao Jian was facing. If Hao Jian wasn''t saved, his death was certain. "Grandpa, whom were you just calling to save?" Cheng Weiwei suddenly asked. She had been eavesdropping while Xu Donghe was on the phone, feeling that it had something to do with Hao Jian. "Hao Jian is in trouble. If I don''t save him, he is as good as dead," Xu Donghe said dejectedly. "What?" Hearing this, Cheng Weiwei''s expression dramatically changed. She hadn''t heard from Hao Jian for a long while. Ever since their last parting, she had kept him in her thoughts, and now the first news she heard of him was that he was in a perilous situation. "Grandpa, you have to save him. He''s our lifesaver!" Cheng Weiwei''s face turned pale as she tightly clutched Xu Donghe''s hand. "If I could save him, I definitely would, but..." Xu Donghe let out a deep sigh and did not continue, his entire being seeming to age decades in an instant. To him, Hao Jian was both a mentor and a friend. Indeed, although Hao Jian was older, his insights in certain areas were more experienced than his own. Thus, Xu Donghe never considered Hao Jian to be a junior but rather a peer and confidant. In his entire life, Xu Donghe had never truly had a confidant. Hao Jian was one, but now Hao Jian was about to die, and from then on, he would no longer have a close confidant in this world. Xu Donghe had everything, so what he cherished now were kinship and friendship. Cheng Weiwei was stunned. Even her grandpa couldn''t solve the problem? What kind of disaster had Hao Jian caused this time? Then suddenly, tears streaming down her face, Cheng Weiwei rushed to the second floor, locked herself in her room, and didn''t come down for dinner. ..................... Chapter 608 - 608: Grandparent-Grandchild Fallout "He is actually going to die?" Gao Jiping stood on the second floor of her villa, her brows deeply furrowed, her stunningly beautiful face carrying a hint of desolation, lost in a profound sense of dismay. Now that the news of Hao Jian''s arrest had shocked the entirety of Hua City, Gao Jiping naturally knew as well, and this time, it was Murong Yeyun and Ye Wenying who had made their move together; Hao Jian''s chances of survival were incredibly slim. Even Gao Jiping believed there was no way Hao Jian could survive. Meanwhile, Murong Qiushui had also returned to the Murong Family, storming straight into her grandfather''s study with such a tumultuous demeanor she didn''t even bother to knock before pushing the door open. Upon seeing Murong Qiushui enter, the elder who was writing with a brush couldn''t help but lift his head. That elder wore gold-rimmed glasses, had white and hoary hair, a somewhat lean figure, and an aged appearance, but his eyes shone brightly, revealing a spirited and vigorous light. This person was none other than Murong Xiao, the Family Head of the Murong Family. Seeing Murong Qiushui burst in so furiously, Murong Xiao stared at her for a moment before lowering his head again, his voice indifferent, "Has that boy really affected your emotions to such an extent that you''ve forgotten the most basic etiquette?" It was well known to everyone that Murong Xiao, the Family Head of the Murong Family, highly valued propriety and utterly despised rudeness. Clearly, in his eyes, Murong Qiushui''s current behavior was rudeness. But Murong Qiushui carried on as if she hadn''t heard him, her voice cold, "Why did you have to do this?" "Because he has affected you. Your current behavior is a very good illustration of that!" Murong Xiao said expressionlessly as he continued writing his calligraphy, the characters bold and vigorous, the strokes flowing like dragons and snakes, exuding a sense of grandeur and power. Murong Xiao indeed held Murong Qiushui in high regard. Although she was a girl, her intellect and perspective far surpassed those of boys like Murong Yeyun. Which is why Murong Xiao made an exception for Murong Qiushui to become the spokesperson for the Murong Family, despite her being a girl. However, now that Murong Qiushui was being influenced by Hao Jian, her state of mind wavering, this was something Murong Xiao could not accept. He had spent nearly ten years cultivating Murong Qiushui into a woman with the talent and vision of a Monarch; he did not wish for Murong Qiushui to end up as an ordinary housewife who cared for her husband and taught her children. Therefore, Hao Jian had to die! "But he saved me and has been a benefactor to me and the entire Murong Family!" Murong Qiushui roared hysterically, her emotions truly fluctuated, shouting like a madwoman. The one who was usually as unflappable "as Mount Tai collapsing before her without changing her countenance" was now agitated on the inside because of Hao Jian. Hearing this, Murong Xiao frowned as well. He disliked Murong Qiushui''s current state ¨C shouting and yelling like a shrew. "He saved you, and our Murong Family is grateful to him. That''s why we did not kill him immediately, but instead sent Murong Chengkong to talk to him, to keep him away from you. It was his own obstinacy that got the better of him; that''s none of my concern." Murong Xiao snorted coldly, "I cannot marry you off to him simply because he saved you." "It''s me who has been entangled with him, and I never said I wanted to marry him!" Murong Qiushui defended herself. "If that''s true, then why have you been inquiring about the boy''s whereabouts all these years? Isn''t it because you want to find him?" Murong Xiao saw through Murong Qiushui''s true feelings in an instant and scoffed, "Murong Qiushui, I''ve told you long ago that being born into the family of an Emperor, you don''t get to decide on matters of your own marriage. It would be fine if you fell in love with someone of power and influence, but if you intend to marry a common man, the Murong Family will never approve!" "What you''re doing is not loving him, you''re harming him! Look at yourself now, how utterly ridiculous!" Murong Qiushui stumbled backward several steps. Was it she who had harmed Hao Jian? Was it really wrong to just want to find the man who had saved her life? "That boy must die, there is no room for negotiation," Murong Xiao waved his hand impatiently, not wanting to linger on this topic. "If that''s the case, I will sever ties with the Murong Family. From this day forward, there shall be no more connection between me and the Murong Family!" Murong Qiushui declared coldly. Upon hearing this, Bai Zihui, who was beside them, couldn''t help but stare in shock. Murong Qiushui was actually willing to break with the entire Murong Family for a man like Hao Jian. "Hmm?" Murong Xiao''s writing brush suddenly trembled, ruining the character he was working on, but he had no time to attend to it. Instead, he glared coldly at Murong Qiushui: "Do you dare threaten me?" Murong Xiao had not expected Murong Qiushui to threaten him for the sake of Hao Jian. "If Hao Jian dies, then I will surely leave the Murong Family!" Murong Qiushui stated resolutely, unafraid of her grandfather''s gaze and meeting it head-on. "Do you realize what you are saying?" Murong Xiao''s face grew colder as he rebuked, his fury rising. Murong Qiushui, on the verge of abandoning her entire family for a man, was like sacrificing the empire for love, which irritated Murong Xiao greatly. It felt to him as if all the years he spent teaching Murong Qiushui had been in vain. "I am declaring my stance!" Murong Qiushui''s voice was strong and firm, and equally resolved. She knew that only by standing her ground, would there be a chance to save Hao Jian. "You can no longer be involved in this matter." Murong Xiao burst out in anger, gesturing decisively, "Take the lady away. Without my order, she is not allowed to step foot outside!" Murong Qiushui was immediately startled. Was Murong Xiao planning to confine her closely? "Do you really not fear my leaving the family?" Murong Qiushui spoke again, her tone cold. Murong Xiao immediately scoffed, "You won''t leave the family. I know if I killed that boy, you would definitely hate me. Since you hate me, you will oppose me, and then you will need the family''s power even more, so you definitely won''t leave the family." In order for Murong Qiushui to become an Emperor, Murong Xiao didn''t mind at all that Murong Qiushui hated him. In fact, he even wished for it. Because the more Murong Qiushui hated him, the more callous she would become, and incidents like the current one would become less and less likely to happen again. Though this was perverse and cruel, this was the harsh reality behind the prosperity of an Emperor''s family! Sudden terror appeared in Murong Qiushui''s eyes. She had thought herself very clever, but now, compared with Murong Xiao, she immediately realized she was still too naive. Murong Xiao was so cunning that he even factored human nature into his calculations. "Bai Zihui, what are you waiting for?" Murong Xiao chided sharply. Bai Zihui then hesitated, looking at Murong Qiushui with difficulty, "Miss..." Murong Qiushui took a deep breath, steadying her thoughts, and looked calmly at Murong Xiao, "You can''t kill him, and what you''re doing is wrong. You''re bringing a formidable enemy upon the Murong Family, and when that time comes, I will not stand with the Murong Family!" "You mean that boy will pose a threat to our Murong Family? Just him? He''s nothing but a jumping clown, hardly worth fearing!" Murong Xiao sneered dismissively. "Grandfather, you have lived over seventy years, yet your vision is still so limited!" Murong Qiushui sighed and said no more, leaving the room. After Murong Qiushui left, Murong Xiao also hummed in annoyance, "It''s true what they say about women, they can''t be kept around once they''re grown!" ....... Meanwhile, after Hao Jian was captured, he was kept in strict surveillance within the military. But this guy showed no awareness of being imprisoned, standing by the iron bars and looking around, whistling in a relaxed manner as if he were on vacation. This truly infuriated Murong Yeyun and Yu Zhixun. They had been pleased with the thought of killing Hao Jian, but seeing his demeanor made it inexplicably difficult for them to feel happy. "Yu Zhixun, what are you doing? Hao Jian is a benefactor of our Yu Family, how dare you lay a hand on him?" Meanwhile, Yu Xiatang and Yu Ou arrived in a rage. They had heard about Yu Zhixun arresting Hao Jian and had hurried over. At this moment they were very angry. Hao Jian had saved the old master and helped the Yu Family take control of the Hua City military, making Yu Xiatang the undisputed leader. And now Yu Zhixun had secretly moved against Hao Jian without their knowledge? Seeing the father and son appear, Yu Zhixun immediately wore a mocking smile: "It''s not me who wants to deal with that boy. Don''t misunderstand." "Then who is it?" Yu Xiatang asked dissatisfied. "It''s me. Do you have a problem with that?" Just then, Murong Yeyun approached, looking at Yu Xiatang and his son with a smirk that was not quite a smile. Yu Xiatang was immediately startled and then had no choice but to suppress the arrogance on his face, bowing humbly to Murong Yeyun and respectfully addressing him, "Young Master!" Obviously, Yu Xiatang also knew who Murong Yeyun was. At this moment, his face turned extremely unsightly. If it had been someone else targeting Hao Jian, he might have managed some kind of maneuver. But if it was Murong Yeyun, then he was helpless. Seeing Yu Xiatang acting so submissively, Yu Zhixun wore a mocking smile, feeling somewhat smug. "Enough, get out!" Murong Yeyun said impatiently. Yu Xiatang might be a big shot in Hua City, but in the eyes of Murong Yeyun, he didn''t matter at all. "What right do you have to be arrogant!" Yu Ou couldn''t help but reprimand Murong Yeyun for his arrogance. "Yu Xiatang, can''t you teach your son? He dares to speak rudely in front of the Young Master. Do you want to bring about the destruction of our Yu Family?" Yu Zhixun scolded irritably, bolstered by having Murong Yeyun''s support, he even dared to challenge Yu Xiatang, his elder brother. Although Yu Xiatang was filled with unwillingness and anger, he repressed it and ordered Yu Ou with the intent of compromising, "Shut up! Don''t speak nonsense in front of the Young Master! Apologize to the Young Master right now!" He dared not offend Murong Yeyun; the difference in their status was too great. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "No need to apologize, just kneel!" Murong Yeyun stared at Yu Ou, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. At those words, both Yu Xiatang and Yu Ou were shocked. Chapter 609 - 609: Angry "You want me to kneel? Are you joking with me?" Yu Ou said sternly. Murong Yeyun actually wanted him to kneel; how could he possibly do such a thing? "If your father still wants to continue in the Hua City military, you must kneel!" Murong Yeyun said with a mocking smile, and then slowly pulled up a chair and sat down, looking nonchalant. "You!" Yu Ou glared furiously. Was Murong Yeyun actually blackmailing him with his father''s position? The countenance of Yu Xiatang was also ugly. He knew that if Murong Yeyun really wanted to deal with him, indeed, just a phone call would suffice to oust him. "It seems you are unwilling," Murong Yeyun said as he took out his phone, pretending to make a call. "I''ll kneel!" Yu Ou said grimly. His father had just been promoted and was at a time to flourish. Stepping down now would undoubtedly be a huge loss for the Yu family. Yu Ou did not want his family to suffer because of him. He was not afraid of death, nor of Murong Yeyun, but he could not disregard the safety of his family. As he spoke, Yu Ou was about to kneel, but just then, a large hand grabbed him. "Dad." Yu Ou looked at Yu Xiatang in astonishment. Yu Xiatang smiled softly. "I''ve always told you that a man''s knees are coated in gold; have you forgotten?" Seeing this, Murong Yeyun''s face turned cold. He hadn''t expected Yu Xiatang to intervene. Immediately, a sinister smile appeared on his face. These guys really infuriated him. "But the family..." Yu Ou hesitated to say. "I don''t know about other families, but our Yu Family has always valued honor over survival. If you kneel now, our family''s honor will be lost forever." "Clap clap clap." At that moment, applause rang through the room. Murong Yeyun smiled sarcastically, "Homage over survival, does that mean you refuse to kneel?" "Young Master, you jest. Our Yu Family has only ghosts who died in battle, never people who submit by kneeling; after all, not everyone is content to be a dog, are they?" Yu Xiatang said with a gleeful smile, keeping his tone neither servile nor overbearing. As he spoke, he purposefully glanced at Yu Zhixun beside Murong Yeyun, his look loaded with meaning. "You!" Yu Zhixun was fuming, clearly understanding that Yu Xiatang was insulting him. "No kneelers? I beg to differ!" Murong Yeyun said meaningfully, and then chuckled, "In my presence, Murong Yeyun, be it human or ghost, if I demand they kneel, they must kneel!" "Make those two kneel for me!" Murong Yeyun then suddenly pointed at Yu Xiatang and his son, instructing a burly man beside him. The man was eight feet tall, his body covered in bizarre tattoos resembling some kind of cursed runes. His torso bare, a bronze mask covered his face, making his appearance somewhat sinister. Clearly, this fellow was also a martial artist; being a bodyguard of Murong Yeyun, his strength naturally wasn''t inferior. He directly moved towards Yu Xiatang and his son, attempting to forcibly make them kneel. Understanding the man''s intent, both Yu Xiatang and Yu Ou reacted before the masked man could get close¡ªYu Xiatang with a sweeping kick aimed at his face, a kick potent enough to easily penetrate iron plates. Yu Ou wasn''t idle either; a right hook punched towards the masked man''s face. But when Yu Xiatang and his son struck, the masked man didn''t move an inch, allowing their fists and kicks to land on his face, looking completely relaxed. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What?" Seeing their combined effort fail to harm the masked man shocked both Yu Xiatang and Yu Ou. At that moment, the masked man suddenly counterattacked, throwing a punch each to the left and right, hammering Yu Xiatang and his son to the ground instantaneously. Meanwhile, Ye Nan, locked in a nearby prison, saw this scene and his face instantly turned frosty, his eyes glittering with a murderous intent. Seeing the masked man easily topple Yu Xiatang and Yu Ou, Yu Zhixun couldn''t help but sneer venomously. Yu Xiatang called him Murong Yeyun''s dog, and he was right. But what of it? When siding with the right master, he needn''t suffer as Yu Xiatang was now under Murong Yeyun''s beatings. Without strength, there is no dignity¡ªin Yu Zhixun''s view, it was as simple as that. Thus, he would rather live like a dog than die stubborn like Yu Xiatang. It wasn''t that Yu Zhixun''s way of surviving was wrong; after all, a hundred people have a hundred ways of living, but ultimately, it still lacked backbone. Yu Xiatang and his son were pinned to the ground by the masked man, their shoulders held down. No matter how they struggled, they couldn''t break free from the masked man''s grip. The opponent was stronger than them by more than one level. Seeing this, Murong Yeyun laughed heartily in satisfaction, "Yu Xiatang, look, aren''t you kneeling after all?" "Yes, I have knelt down, but that does not mean I will submit! Our Yu Family will never surrender!" Yu Xiatang shouted loudly, remaining neither servile nor overbearing. Although Murong Yeyun forced them to kneel, this did not mean they were afraid of him. Hearing this, Murong Yeyun also smiled weirdly, "Do you really think I wouldn''t dare to kill you?" Yu Zhixun was shocked at these words, but then he started to feel a faint sense of anticipation, because if Yu Xiatang were to die, then he would take charge of the Yu Family and become the future Family Head. Yu Xiatang chuckled and said, "Murong Yeyun, although you hold a high status and can dictate our fates, don''t forget, I am a government official. Do you think you can just kill a government official as you please? If you aren''t afraid of being held accountable, you might as well try!" Although Yu Xiatang was a rough man, he was not stupid. He knew that it would not be easy for Murong Yeyun to kill them. If he really did that, although there would be no consequences, it would surely lead to dissatisfaction among the higher-ups, which would be counterproductive. "You''re right, I indeed don''t dare to kill you!" Murong Yeyun smiled weirdly, and then abruptly slapped Yu Xiatang across the face, making Yu Xiatang spit blood. "But I still dare to hit you." "Dad!" Yu Ou was enraged at seeing Yu Xiatang hit, and his eyes glared threateningly at Murong Yeyun. "Don''t look at me like that, you can''t do anything to me anyway. Your gaze is really annoying to me, and if you continue staring at me like that, I can''t guarantee that I won''t leave you crippled," said Murong Yeyun as he smiled and walked towards Yu Ou, gripping his arm as if he was about to do something. But Yu Ou still did not submit, continuing to glare coldly at Murong Yeyun, and didn''t take his threat to heart. "You''re forcing my hand!" Murong Yeyun sneered, ready to make his move. "Clang..." But just as Murong Yeyun was about to act against Yu Ou, a sharp and strange metallic sound came from behind him. Everyone looked astounded toward the sound, only to see Hao Jian with a somber expression standing by the iron bars, his hands grasping the steel fence, directly tearing it open. Hao Jian''s eyes were dark as ink, but now they shot forth angry flames, glaring coldly at Murong Yeyun with a clear warning in his gaze. Clearly, Murong Yeyun''s repeated humiliation of Yu Xiatang and his son had also angered him. If Murong Yeyun continued, Hao Jian couldn''t guarantee that he wouldn''t kill him. "Oh dear, someone seems to be angry!" Seeing Hao Jian destroy the iron bars, Murong Yeyun immediately showed a surprised expression and reluctantly shook his head, "Well, it seems I have to stop here." He didn''t dare to continue provoking Hao Jian, lest he really become desperate. At this moment, the masked man began to truly acknowledge Hao Jian, his eyes showing surprise and deep interest. And just then, an attendant came from outside, whispering a few words into Murong Yeyun''s ear. Following that, Murong Yeyun became visibly excited, smiling at Hao Jian, "Hao Jian, I have some bad news for you. My adorable sister has been grounded by our grandfather, and now no one can save you." "I never thought about asking her for help, and she isn''t my only friend," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Oh? Is that so? Then why don''t I see your friends coming to rescue you at this critical moment?" Murong Yeyun asked sarcastically. "Who said there aren''t any?" As soon as the words fell, a chilly female voice came from outside. Everyone turned sideways to look, only to see a gorgeous voluptuous woman walking in, wearing a shirt and a short skirt, her hair pinned up, surpassing all in beauty. The newcomer was none other than Guo Shuxian. "Oh, isn''t this Miss Guo? You should be comfortably in your city hall office, so what are you doing here?" Murong Yeyun eyed Guo Shuxian displeasedly. Although Murong Yeyun knew about some contact between Guo Shuxian and Hao Jian, he hadn''t expected that she would risk offending the Murong Family to rescue Hao Jian. Hao Jian was also surprised and deeply touched, as not many dared to oppose the Murong Family, and he hadn''t expected to hold such a high place in Guo Shuxian''s heart. "Young Master Murong, that''s something I should be asking you. Why aren''t you staying in the comfort of the Capital City, coming to our remote and poor place instead?" Guo Shuxian responded neither servile nor overbearing. "Me? I''m here naturally to address your negligence at work," Murong Yeyun shamelessly said. "My negligence at work? May I ask where I have been negligent?" Guo Shuxian scoffed repeatedly, as what Murong Yeyun said was completely nonsensical. ....................................... Chapter 610 - 610 Arrival of the Moon Goddess Murong Yeyun suddenly pointed at Hao Jian and said to Guo Shuxian, "This guy does whatever he wants in Hua City, has a few lives on his hands, and even formed **** forces that endanger public safety. Yet you turn a blind eye and still say it''s not dereliction of duty? Could it be that it''s not negligence but intentional indulgence? If that''s the case, then I think I no longer need to involve Miss Guo." "Are you threatening me?" Guo Shuxian asked coldly. "You can take it that way, but what I want to tell you is, sometimes it''s better for you to not meddle in affairs, lest you get yourself in trouble," Murong Yeyun said indifferently, his tone not without a warning. Guo Shuxian snorted, "Then there''s no need for Young Master Murong to worry. Since you say Hao Jian has violated so many laws, naturally I will investigate thoroughly. But until my investigation is clear, you cannot move against him at will, otherwise, I would have serious doubts about you framing him!" "Guo Shuxian, are you deliberately picking a fight with me?" Murong Yeyun''s face also turned sour. Guo Shuxian had local influence; if she got involved, it wouldn''t be easy for him to deal with Hao Jian! "I''m just doing my job, you''re reading too much into it," Guo Shuxian said expressionlessly. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Guo Shuxian, you''re overestimating yourself. Just with you, you can''t trouble me at all. Doing this will only drag yourself down!" Murong Yeyun sneered repeatedly, staring at Guo Shuxian. "If she can''t, how about me!" Right at this moment, another stern voice followed. Before the person arrived, a whiff of cigar leather scent reached everyone. Then, a woman dressed in a black leather jacket and pants appeared before him. "Moon Goddess Jiang?" Murong Yeyun took a sharp breath and was entirely dumbfounded. Why would Moon Goddess Jiang appear here? Could this woman also be associated with Hao Jian? No way, right? Murong Yeyun was shocked to the core. In his life, there were a few people he knew better not to provoke, and unfortunately, Moon Goddess Jiang was one of them. As the leader of Dragon Tooth and a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Defense, Moon Goddess Jiang held a pivotal position in Huaxia and her influence was by no means inferior to Murong Yeyun''s. Besides, her strength was also extraordinary; in terms of combat power alone, Murong Yeyun was no match for her, not even three or five of him. It just baffled Murong Yeyun why Moon Goddess Jiang would appear here -- could it also be because of Hao Jian? Murong Yeyun was overwhelmed with fear; how could such an entity possibly have ties with Hao Jian? People from Yu Xiatang and Yu Zhixun were utterly dumbfounded upon seeing Moon Goddess Jiang. Such a figure, whom they had only ever looked up to, was now right in front of them. "You really look pitiful!" Moon Goddess Jiang stared at Hao Jian and mocked. Seeing this, everyone from Yu Xiatang was stunned. Moon Goddess Jiang was indeed here for Hao Jian, and the way she spoke to him seemed like they had known each other for many years, right? At this point, they couldn''t help being astonished. What identity did Hao Jian have, that he could know someone like the protector goddess of Huaxia, Moon Goddess Jiang? Murong Yeyun''s expression also turned ugly. He thought he understood Hao Jian well enough, but now it seemed that Hao Jian had far too many secrets hidden. "To attain a peaceful life, one always has to pay a price," Hao Jian said with a bitter smile, aware of what Moon Goddess Jiang meant. Moon Goddess Jiang was mocking him for leaving Dragon Tooth; had he not left Dragon Tooth, perhaps none of this would have happened, and his status would have been even more prominent than hers. "Wanting a peaceful life isn''t difficult, it''s just very hard for someone like you," Moon Goddess Jiang said with a touch of sarcasm. "Are you saying I''m a troublemaker?" Hao Jian glared at Moon Goddess Jiang dissatisfied. This woman, how does she speak? I''m the one being bullied, okay? "Isn''t it the case?" Moon Goddess Jiang asked rhetorically. "Of course not. Murong Yeyun, tell her, isn''t it you who is out of your mind to come looking for trouble with me?" Hao Jian looked towards Murong Yeyun. Murong Yeyun, feeling extremely vexed, wouldn''t possibly answer Hao Jian''s question. If he answered, wouldn''t that mean he really had a problem with his brain? Murong Yeyun was seething inside. It was enough that Moon Goddess Jiang meddled in his affairs, but as soon as she arrived, she and this scoundrel Hao Jian started chatting as if no one else was there, practically treating him like he was invisible? "See, he admitted it by his silence," Hao Jian said shamelessly. "Enough!" Murong Yeyun rebuked loudly, and then walked up to Moon Goddess Jiang with a serious expression, "Moon Goddess Jiang, what are you doing here?" In the face of Moon Goddess Jiang, he did not dare show any disrespect, let alone mockery, because this woman was crazy. If he offended her, she would not give him any face just because he was the eldest son of the Murong Family. "Can''t you see? I want to save him!" Moon Goddess Jiang stated calmly. "Save him? Are you joking with me? You want to save a murderer?" Murong Yeyun snorted, feeling a twinge of anger. How come every impressive person seems to be connected to Hao Jian? Is a mere scoundrel like him supposed to have such good connections? "A murderer? Haha, we are all murderers, because we have all killed, but the difference lies in whether the people you killed were good for the country. If so, then you are not a murderer but a hero!" Moon Goddess Jiang said profoundly. "Are you trying to tell me this guy is a hero?" Murong Yeyun laughed sarcastically, finding Moon Goddess Jiang''s words ridiculous. "If he''s not a hero, then why encrypt his file? And with the highest encryption, no less!" Moon Goddess Jiang said with a playful glance at Murong Yeyun. Murong Yeyun''s eyebrows immediately furrowed deeply, his eyes revealing shock. "You don''t understand your enemy at all!" Moon Goddess Jiang shook her head, feeling a bit sorry for Murong Yeyun, boldly acting without even knowing what kind of entity he was facing. "I will rescue you," Moon Goddess Jiang turned and said to Hao Jian. "Good, I''ll be waiting for you!" Hao Jian replied relaxedly, having no worries now that Moon Goddess Jiang was involved. Hearing Moon Goddess Jiang''s words, Murong Yeyun clenched his fists tight. She actually planned to rescue this kid, which caught Murong Yeyun off guard and filled him with indignant embarrassment. Had it been anyone else, Murong Yeyun wouldn''t have been afraid, but when the person interfering was Moon Goddess Jiang, it was another story altogether. Because Moon Goddess Jiang had established illustrious military merits for the nation, some of the old-timers would give her some respect, more or less. Afterwards, Moon Goddess Jiang walked towards Yu Xiatang and said indifferently, "You''re Yu Xiatang, right?" "I am!" Yu Xiatang quickly nodded, yet puzzled why Moon Goddess Jiang would recognize him. Then, Moon Goddess Jiang took out a document for Yu Xiatang to see, "Mobilize the troops and follow me immediately!" Yu Xiatang glanced at the document, and then was utterly astounded, because it was indeed authentic. He then stood up, saluted Moon Goddess Jiang, and hurriedly ran out. All those present wore puzzled expressions, unsure what Moon Goddess Jiang intended for Yu Xiatang to do. "By the time I return, if he''s missing even a single hair, I will hold you accountable," Moon Goddess Jiang said as she approached Murong Yeyun, patting his shoulder with a playful smile. "Little Yeyun, you know I''m not joking with you, right? I really will beat you like a dog!" After that, Moon Goddess Jiang left with a hearty laugh, completely disregarding the displeased expression on Murong Yeyun''s face. Murong Yeyun''s facial muscles twitched, watching Moon Goddess Jiang''s laughter as she departed, feeling an unbearable itch all over his body, uncomfortably indescribable. "Aiyowei, Murong Yeyun, what were you saying about doing something to me?" And then, Hao Jian began to sneer, provocatively taunting Murong Yeyun. At this moment, Yu Zhixun was also lost in a daze, feeling a bit uneasy in his heart. Could it be that this guy would once again slip through the net? If even Murong Yeyun couldn''t handle him, who could in the future? Murong Yeyun trembled all over, clearly infuriated by Moon Goddess Jiang and Hao Jian. Yu Ou began to chuckle coldly, "Murong Yeyun, it looks like things are gradually slipping out of your control." "Shut up!" Murong Yeyun roared with a mix of embarrassment and anger, realizing he was gradually losing control of the situation. The appearance of Moon Goddess Jiang had disrupted all his plans, and what annoyed him even more was that he still didn''t know what Moon Goddess Jiang intended to do. "Hahaha, you''re getting angry from embarrassment," Yu Ou did not keep quiet, instead laughing even louder. "Do you really think I wouldn''t dare to kill you?" Murong Yeyun coldly stared at Yu Ou. No sooner had he spoken than the man in the mask grabbed Yu Ou''s head with both hands, ready to snap his neck at Murong Yeyun''s command. Seeing this, Murong Yeyun also smirked, but his smile was short-lived as he soon felt two icy hands gripping his throat. Behind him, a head slowly emerged, saying in a sinister tone, "Do you also think I wouldn''t dare to kill you?" Murong Yeyun''s pupils shrank instantly; he, of course, knew Hao Jian was capable of killing him. "Come on, kill me then. My life for yours, I''d make a fortune!" Yu Ou laughed heartily, his words tinged with mockery. Of course, Murong Yeyun wouldn''t be so foolish as to exchange his life with Yu Ou. His life was too valuable for such a trade. "Hao Jian, what are you doing? This is jail time, you..." Yu Zhixun, upon seeing Hao Jian, was also panicked, his voice rising in alarm. "Shut up!" Hao Jian shot him a cold glare. Yu Zhixun immediately fell silent, no longer daring to make a sound. "Let him go," Murong Yeyun finally said, his face darkening. Chapter 611 - 611 Identity Exposed Lijin Grand Capital, Kong Xiaozhen''s residence. At this moment, he was playing chess with his grandfather. Ever since Kong Xiaozhen defected to Hao Jian, he had been completely estranged from Old Master Kong, but now that he learned Hao Jian wouldn''t live much longer, he decided to thaw their icy relationship with Kong Xiaozhen. Kong Xiaozhen had originally left his family because of Hao Jian, and now that Hao Jian was about to die, naturally, Kong Xiaozhen had no reason to continue wandering outside. "You''ve made a terrible move!" exclaimed the old master, obviously in a good mood because he won over Kong Xiaozhen in vision, having long predicted that Hao Jian wouldn''t live long. But Kong Xiaozhen smiled and shook his head, "It''s too early to conclude that it''s a terrible move!" "What, you still think that kid could survive?" Old Master Kong laughed. Wasn''t Kong Xiaozhen overly confident in Hao Jian? "He Changhuan once thought he could certainly kill Hao Jian, yet he died; Liang Jiankun also thought he had a sure victory, but he died as well; and me, I thought killing Hao Jian would be like squashing an ant, yet I ended up being his dog." Kong Xiaozhen listed these examples one by one. Although he didn''t make it explicit, he seemed to believe that Hao Jian wouldn''t topple so easily. Upon hearing this, Old Master Kong''s face turned unpleasant as he said coldly, "This time, with the Murong Family and the Ye Family joining forces against him, how could he possibly survive?" "Grandfather, you don''t know; Hao Jian always has unexpected moves up his sleeve. Every time you think you can corner him, he pulls out a trump card and turns danger into safety. That''s something Kong Xiaozhen has come to understand while dealing with Hao Jian. The guy is too mysterious; you''ll never know what kind of trump card he''ll play next." "Well, we''ll just wait and see!" said Old Master Kong with a stern face. "Checkmate!" At that moment, Kong Xiaozhen moved his piece, effectively sealing Old Master Kong''s game. Old Master Kong was dumbfounded. Had he been checkmated? "Grandfather, sometimes a bad move can turn into a brilliant one," Kong Xiaozhen said with a half smile, suggesting something more. Old Master Kong then fell silent, not saying anything more. "Let''s see who has the last laugh!" Old Master Kong stopped talking, lost interest in continuing the game, and stood up to leave. ... "Damn it, why would Moon Goddess Jiang get involved with that kid!" In the office of the Military Department, Murong Yeyun was furiously lashing out, nearly smashing everything breakable to pieces. Yu Zhixun, standing beside him, dared not utter a word, trembling as if struck by the cold. His instincts told him that it was best to keep quiet at this moment to avoid making matters worse. "You, go investigate what Moon Goddess Jiang and Yu Xiatang are up to. I absolutely won''t let that guy ruin my plans, understand?" Murong Yeyun ordered sharply. "Understood, I''ll look into it immediately," Yu Zhixun nodded repeatedly, wishing to keep as far away from Moon Goddess Jiang as possible. Just then, one of Murong Yeyun''s attendants walked in, handing a document to Moon Goddess Jiang, then whispered a few words to Murong Yeyun. Following that, Murong Yeyun''s eyes gleamed as he burst into loud laughter, saying as he laughed, "Heaven is truly helping me, truly helping me!" "Young Master, what brings you such joy?" asked Yu Zhixun in astonishment upon seeing this. "The death warrant for Hao Jian has been issued; his execution will be in three days. This time even gods can''t save him," said Murong Yeyun, clearly relieved that his application for Hao Jian''s execution was approved so quickly. "Does that mean that even if Moon Goddess Jiang wants to interfere, it''s useless now?" Yu Zhixun also couldn''t contain his elation. Was Hao Jian finally going to die? "Moon Goddess Jiang, huh, although she is the National Guardian, she has no right to intervene in the nation''s laws. The national order has been issued, would she dare to disobey?" Murong Yeyun scoffed, at this moment he was not afraid of Moon Goddess Jiang anymore. Hearing this, Yu Zhixun was as excited as if invigorated by adrenaline, his face flushed with fervor. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He feared that Hao Jian would break free again. If that happened, he would have to face Hao Jian''s wrath. "Just wait for three more days; in three days, I will personally take Hao Jian to the execution ground!" Moon Goddess Jiang''s lips curved into a sinister smile. Meanwhile, in a desolate forest in Hua City, Moon Goddess Jiang stood amidst the evening breeze, her black hair flowing like a waterfall, dancing in the wind. She had a cigar in her mouth and her gaze was deep, staring intently at the forest ahead where gunfire flickered continuously. At that moment, Yu Xiatang''s skin crawled as he exclaimed in shock, "What on earth are these things?" In front of him, bizarre-looking monsters scattered and charged, engaging in battle with his troops. If it weren''t for seeing it with his own eyes, Yu Xiatang simply couldn''t believe that such things could exist in the world. He even suspected that he had stepped into an alien world, where everything in front of him was extraterrestrial. "A group of mad scientists who want to betray God created these evil creations!" Moon Goddess Jiang said indifferently, a meaningful smile on her cheeks. Having followed Hao Jian for so many years, Moon Goddess Jiang had seen countless storms, so she was no longer surprised by such bizarre events. In the beliefs of Westerners, humans are the creations of the creator, and any attempt to create life on their own is sacrilege. "What do they want to do?" Yu Xiatang once asked, feeling a chill down his spine, it was too terrifying. What purpose was there in creating such vicious, soulless, single-celled cold-blooded creatures? Such things seemed only suited for war and had no other purpose. "Who knows? Perhaps they simply want to prove that humanity has surpassed the power of God, or maybe they plan to leverage them for warfare to reap profits, or even possibly to use them to rule the world. Anything is possible." "However¡­" Moon Goddess Jiang paused and then scoffed coldly, "Whatever their purpose is, it''s not anything good for humanity. Because the very existence of these things is meant for the destruction of mankind!" Moon Goddess Jiang had reason to believe that once this experiment was fully developed, it would pose a significant danger to humankind. Because there would be nothing left on this earth that could be their rival, except for humans! These monsters combined the best traits of all living beings without any of their flaws, strong, swift, and fearless; they were born assassins! "Didn''t those guys consider the consequences when developing such things?" Yu Xiatang asked somewhat angrily, for he was currently grappling with these bioengineered creatures and knew how difficult they were to deal with. One of them could challenge ten of their well-trained soldiers. He had brought three thousand men this time and in the first clash, more than half had fallen. If it weren''t for the presence of Moon Goddess Jiang with her Dragon Tooth, the consequences would have been unthinkable. "Consequences? You''re too naive. In this world, some people want to kill not because they have a grudge against someone, but simply because they have a desire to kill. Some people just want to watch the world turn into Hell, and we''re lucky to have encountered such people," Moon Goddess Jiang laughed, yet her face showed not a hint of nervousness. This made Yu Xiatang feel very uneasy. He asked Moon Goddess Jiang, "How are you not the least bit afraid? Have you encountered such people before?" "I have! When I was on missions with Hao Jian, we came across a psychopathic bomber who enjoyed strapping bombs to women and detonating them for pleasure. The women''s desperate screams were, to him, the most beautifully haunting sound, and watching them blown to pieces was an ascension of his soul. In his words, that madness was comparable to sex!" Upon hearing this, Yu Xiatang was speechless for a long time. Could such a person even be called human? They were more like demons in human skin, right? Yu Xiatang thought himself well-informed, but compared to Moon Goddess Jiang, he immediately felt insignificant. The calm and carefree posture of Moon Goddess Jiang unnerved him. Then, as if struck by a thought, Yu Xiatang exclaimed in astonishment, "Did you say you''ve been on missions with Hao Jian? Was that guy really a member of Dragon Tooth?" "No!" Moon Goddess Jiang shook her head. "Oh." Yu Xiatang replied, thinking it made sense. Although Hao Jian was impressive, it seemed unlikely he could join an elite force like Dragon Tooth, given their extremely strict entry requirements. "He is the founder of Dragon Tooth!" Moon Goddess Jiang added, revealing that Hao Jian was not just a member but the founder of Dragon Tooth. "What?" Yu Xiatang immediately looked as if he had seen a ghost. Hao Jian was the founder of Dragon Tooth? Was this some kind of joke? "What? He never told you?" Moon Goddess Jiang frowned. It seemed that Hao Jian was remarkably tight-lipped, not telling anyone at all. Yu Xiatang smiled wryly and shook his head, saying, "He only mentioned he was in the army, nothing else." "He is the founder of Dragon Tooth, and also my mentor. The rumors outside are true; I was indeed brought up by Hao Jian himself," Moon Goddess Jiang confessed. Upon hearing this, Yu Xiatang was utterly astounded. He could never have imagined that even Moon Goddess Jiang was cultivated by Hao Jian. He had thought reality and truth would always have their differences, yet he had not expected them to be exactly the same. Thinking this, Yu Xiatang could not help but sigh. His own perspective couldn''t compare to that of Old Master Kong. Old Master Kong could tell at a glance that Hao Jian wasn''t ordinary and made every effort to forge a good relationship with him. Looking at the situation now, it seemed truly necessary. Yu Xiatang was relieved he had chosen to stand with Hao Jian at a critical moment, or else he would have missed a great opportunity to lead his family to prosperity. "Since he is the founder of Dragon Tooth, why would Murong Yeyun dare to kill him?" Yu Xiatang asked. Given this information, Hao Jian ought to be a highly decorated figure; one would think such a distinguished person should be treated well. ........................... Chapter 612 - 612 King of Mercenary "His identity is classified. Except for the one standing at the very top of power, only a few people are aware of his existence; even the four major families are not privy to this information. If it weren''t for the fact that I am Hao Jian''s friend and his student, I too would doubt whether such a person existed." "Under these circumstances, it''s no surprise that many act out of ignorance in dealing with Hao Jian because they do not know his identity. However, if this matter becomes too heated, the authorities will eventually take notice. Even if I don''t step forward, someone else will intervene to stop Murong Yeyun. The reason I''m doing this is merely to announce to the world that the leader of Dragon Tooth has returned!" Moon Goddess Jiang said, a playful smile on her lips. She wanted everyone to see her actions and speculate about Hao Jian''s true identity, thereby creating momentum for Hao Jian. On hearing this, Yu Xiatang was at a loss for words for a long time. He even felt some sympathy for Murong Yeyun. If Murong Yeyun knew whom he had provoked, Yu Xiatang wondered what his feelings would be. Hao Jian was not only personally powerful but had also cultivated talents like Moon Goddess Jiang, making him an invaluable asset to the nation. Whether it be from the perspective of his numerous military achievements for the country or his own intrinsic value, the country would undoubtedly stand by him. Whoosh! At that moment, a shadow swept in, kneeling before Moon Goddess Jiang, saying, "Boss, we''ve discovered an important set of biological codes. It appears to be the scientific achievement of Black September." "Jiayi???" Seeing the girl in front of him, Yu Xiatang was almost popping out his eyes. When had Yu Jiayi become a member of Dragon Tooth? He had heard nothing of it. But Yu Jiayi merely nodded at him slightly, without saying anything. She was on a mission now; it was not the time for reminiscing. "Let me see it." Moon Goddess Jiang took the intercepted genetic code and then handed it to a scientist in white behind her. "Old Man Yang, see what this is worth." The white-coated scientist quickly put on his reading glasses and examined the item carefully. Suddenly, Old Man Yang gasped, "This genetic code is priceless. If it could be used in medicine, it might suppress terminal diseases like cancer, or at the very least, aid in regenerating lost limbs. Captain Jiang, this could be a significant achievement for you if you report it!" Moon Goddess Jiang smiled indifferently, seeming unconcerned, but asked, "So, what value does this have for Black September?" "It must be their core research achievement. Without this genetic code, they can''t continue their subsequent research," Old Man Yang replied. "So you''re saying, they''ll definitely try to take it back, right?" Moon Goddess Jiang said meaningfully, her smile imbued with a deep significance. She then instructed Old Man Yang, "Copy this genetic code and hand me the original!" "Right!" Although Old Man Yang didn''t know what Moon Goddess Jiang was planning, he naturally wouldn''t refuse her request, since acquiring this genetic code for the nation was sufficient. Afterward, Moon Goddess Jiang, holding the document with the genetic code, said to Yu Xiatang, "If you want to save Hao Jian, this is the key!" ....... S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In the Western Continent, there is an island named "Abyss of Wailing," connected to fifteen smaller islands forming a robust island defense chain, establishing its own small nation. Within this chain of islands, entrance by any nation is prohibited because it has already been dominated by one individual, known as the King of Mercenary! The King of Mercenary, as the name implies, means the king of war; he starts wars for others, and he ends them, with this chain of islands being his territory. If anyone in the world could contend with the God of Death, the King of Mercenary was undoubtedly one of them. The existence behind Black September was none other than the King of Mercenary and his "Mercenary Alliance!" At this moment, Kazan, the King of Mercenary, had also heard the news of Black September''s annihilation by Moon Goddess Jiang and the loss of a crucial set of genetic codes. This genetic code was the sole reason Kazan had valued Black September, but now it was in the hands of others; one could imagine how infuriated Kazan was. Inside a dark palace, a bonfire was contained in an iron pot, hanging in mid-air, casting the vast hall in flickering shades. Below the throne, stood seven individuals robed in black, their faces concealed, mysterious and sinister. Above them sat a man enveloped in darkness, dressed in military garb, resting his chin in one hand, firmly seated on the throne, exuding an overwhelming aura. At that moment, he spoke, his voice deep and enchanting, as though whispering from an abyss, bearing a deliberate allure. "Huaxia has taken something they shouldn''t have. You retrieve it for me and wreak havoc in Huaxia Kingdom, letting them know what happens to those who dare challenge the Mercenary Alliance and Original Sin Legion!" These words were arrogant and presumptuous, for one individual to challenge an entire kingdom, but Kazan indeed possessed the power to do so. As long as he didn''t leave this chain of islands, it was nearly impossible for anyone to touch him. Many people knew that Kazan controlled an entire Mercenary Alliance, yet few knew that the real name of his mercenary group was the Original Sin Legion, and these were his seven actual subordinates. They took orders directly from Kazan, which spoke volumes about their strength. The seven of them didn''t say a word but bowed deeply to Kazan before retreating one by one. Once everyone had left, the great hall immediately became empty. At that moment, Kazan let out a strange laugh, "God of Death, if you knew that I had invaded your kingdom, what would you feel?" Three days passed in a blink of an eye, and soon it was Hao Jian''s execution day. Murong Yeyun and Yu Zhixun couldn''t contain their impatience and arrived to fetch him before dawn. Seeing them coming early in the morning, Hao Jian rubbed his sleepy eyes and immediately burst out swearing, "How much must you hate me, huh? Can''t you even let me have a peaceful sleep? Even if I''m to hang I should get a chance to breathe!" How much? Of course, it was necessary! Both Murong Yeyun and Yu Zhixun were grinding their teeth in hatred. Had this bastard forgotten what he had done to them? And yet he had the audacity to ask if it was necessary? It was absolutely necessary! "Cut the crap, get up! Hao Jian, your time is up," Yu Zhixun cursed. "Can I make one last request before I die?" Hao Jian asked as he yawned, unabashedly. "No!" Murong Yeyun rejected it without a second thought as he wouldn''t give Hao Jian any chance to play tricks. "Don''t be so stingy, man. Other prisoners get to eat a last meal before their execution, why don''t I? Murong Yeyun, tell me honestly, did you eat my welfare benefits behind my back?" Hao Jian demanded seriously. Upon hearing this, both Murong Yeyun and Yu Zhixun were left dumbfounded. This asshole, facing death and still thinking about eating? "What the fuck are you talking about! Do you think I would covet such trivial benefits?" Murong Yeyun immediately cursed back. "So where''s my last meal? I want to eat the ''Ignore Steamed Buns'' from Old Zhao''s place downstairs. If I don''t get them, I won''t go!" Hao Jian flat-out played the scoundrel. "You''re delaying the execution!" Murong Yeyun said fiercely, glaring at him. He was not fool enough to not understand that Hao Jian was deliberately stalling. "Ah, you caught me! But, what can you do about it?" Hao Jian looked at Murong Yeyun and let out a malicious chuckle, looking rather smug. He knew Murong Yeyun couldn''t do anything to him, so he didn''t take Murong Yeyun seriously at all. "You!" Yu Zhixun was also infuriated at the sight. This guy was about to die, and yet he was still so arrogant? "Get him the food!" Murong Yeyun shouted angrily, his face turning purple with rage. "Young Master!" Yu Zhixun was shocked, was Murong Yeyun seriously considering listening to this guy? No way? "Did you not hear what I said?" Murong Yeyun glared fiercely at Yu Zhixun, knowing that if he didn''t comply with Hao Jian''s request, the man wouldn''t give up easily. Hao Jian''s personal strength was superior to everyone present; if he really played the scoundrel and refused to proceed to the execution, they couldn''t force him otherwise. Though aware that Hao Jian was stalling, Murong Yeyun had no other options. Yu Zhixun dared not further provoke Murong Yeyun''s ire and quickly rushed out, while his heart was also full of raging fury. Hao Jian was nearly a dead man, yet he even demanded unease before his death! "I know you are deliberately delaying, but you can''t stall for long, no one can save you!" Murong Yeyun glared fiercely at Hao Jian and said, his heart also filled with immense displeasure. "Murong Yeyun, have you ever heard what is called ''inviting humiliation''?" Hao Jian stood by the iron bars, suddenly asking this with a gentle smile on his face, appearing quite relaxed. "Are you saying you can make me invite humiliation?" Murong Yeyun laughed in anger, then spread out a white sheet of paper to show Hao Jian, "See this? This is your execution order, they are no longer tolerating you. Although you have a significant background and your identity is quite mysterious, you ultimately violated the law!" "The law? The law only works against you sort; it doesn''t apply to me because I am a hero!" Hao Jian arrogantly said. "A hero? You''ll soon be a bear!" Murong Yeyun laughed heartily, his eyes flashing fiercely, "Hao Jian, rest assured, I won''t let you off so easily. After you die, I''m going to have my way with every woman related to you, one by one, so you''ll know the consequences of offending me, Murong Yeyun!" Chapter 613 - 613 Secretary Yang Murong Yeyun laughed manically and sickly, each of Hao Jian''s humiliations filling him with insatiable rage. Even killing Hao Jian couldn''t extinguish the hatred in his heart. Therefore, even in death, he wanted to make sure Hao Jian died with his eyes open. After dealing with Hao Jian, he planned to send all his close friends and relatives to accompany him in death, followed by abusing all his women. He figured that would probably quell the hatred in his heart. "You really shouldn''t have said that in front of me," Hao Jian sighed, then his eyes glinted coldly as he smirked, "because I''m going to beat you!" "Bang!" Hao Jian broke out of prison and immediately grabbed Murong Yeyun by the throat, slamming him to the ground. Seeing this, both Murong Yeyun and the masked man were shocked; Hao Jian moved so fast, they hadn''t even reacted when he had already captured Murong Yeyun. From the moment Hao Jian broke out to the moment he subdued Murong Yeyun, no more than two seconds had passed. Both Murong Yeyun and the Handsome Masked Man were martial artists, yet even they admitted they couldn''t achieve such a feat. Seeing Murong Yeyun under attack, the Handsome Masked Man thought about going up to save him, as, being Murong Yeyun''s bodyguard, paid for his services, he couldn''t stand idly by while his master was attacked. "Hmm, if you dare to move, I might just twist his head off," Hao Jian turned and looked at the Handsome Masked Man, his words carrying a taunting smile, his eyes clearly warning. The Handsome Masked Man furrowed his brow and stopped in his tracks, not daring to move forward. "Hao Jian, if you dare kill me, everyone close to you will suffer the wrath of the Murong family''s thunderous fury; they will all die under our relentless revenge!" Murong Yeyun warned, having long known that Hao Jian wouldn''t submit easily. So Murong Yeyun had already planned to use Hao Jian''s friends and family as leverage, understanding that Hao Jian wouldn''t sacrifice others for his own sake. "It sounds as if they''ll be safe as long as I don''t kill you, but don''t forget how you just threatened me!" Hao Jian snorted coldly. Murong Yeyun had just threatened to harm his people, rendering his current warning meaningless. Murong Yeyun was also suddenly startled, regretting that he had revealed his thoughts too soon. Now, once Hao Jian got angry, he might not be able to stop him. "Oh, look how green your face has turned from fear, was that necessary?" Seeing Murong Yeyun''s expression, Hao Jian burst out laughing and then let Murong Yeyun go. Murong Yeyun then slowly sat up, but his face retained an unabating somberness. Once again, Hao Jian had humiliated him. "Don''t be so scared, I won''t kill you," Hao Jian teased, then laughed heartily as he walked outside as if he had discovered something extremely amusing. At that moment, Murong Yeyun''s face was as dark as an iron pot, originally intending to humiliate Hao Jian, but in the end, he ended up humiliating himself just as Hao Jian had said. "Young Master, I think something''s not right here," the Handsome Masked Man spoke up then, his voice grave. In his view, Hao Jian definitely wouldn''t be captured so easily, knowing that Murong Yeyun wouldn''t spare his family and friends; the best solution was to kill Murong Yeyun. Even if doing so could invite the Murong family''s thunderous wrath, since Murong Yeyun also harbored thoughts of revenge against his family and friends, killing or not killing Murong Yeyun would ultimately yield the same outcome. If it were him, he would likely kill Murong Yeyun and then flee the army; with Hao Jian''s capability, this wouldn''t be difficult. But instead of doing that, Hao Jian walked calmly to his execution, as if he was willingly embracing his death. The Handsome Masked Man didn''t believe it! Hao Jian heading to his death would be equivalent to betraying his friends and family, something inconceivable for any individual. Yet despite this, Hao Jian still chose to head to the execution, making the Handsome Masked Man feel very uneasy. Could it be that he still had some reliance? "Mobilize all the forces you can, have them wait at the execution ground, I don''t want any errors!" Murong Yeyun coldly instructed Yu Zhixun. Murong Yeyun also sensed something amiss, but it couldn''t stop his desire to kill Hao Jian. In his eyes, Hao Jian had to die! "Yes!" Yu Zhixun nodded hastily, then hurried off to prepare. Currently, on the execution ground, Hao Jian stood with his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his face. Behind him, stood a thousand armed soldiers, all appearing highly alert, closely watching Hao Jian. A death sentence involving a thousand soldiers to carry it out, was undeniably excessive. But there was no helping it, Murong Yeyun really wasn''t at ease. He couldn''t let anything go amiss; Hao Jian had to die! However, Hao Jian, at that moment, wasn''t taking the situation seriously at all, standing in the execution area with his hands behind his back, whistling a tune. He was unlike other death row inmates, dressed in a prison uniform, hands tied behind their backs, or blindfolded, trembling all over, filled with remorse and fear. He behaved frivolously, not taking the execution ground seriously at all. He was probably the most untypical death row inmate in history. And Guo Shuxian and Yu Ou were extremely nervous. They were also afraid of what they would do if something really happened to Hao Jian. "Fire!" Murong Yeyun shouted directly, commanding that Hao Jian be shot. He didn''t want any more complications and intended to deal with Hao Jian right now. "Swoosh!" In an instant, thousands of gun muzzles simultaneously aimed at Hao Jian, creating a surreal scene. "Damn it!" Seeing this, Yu Ou couldn''t help but curse, with endless rage erupting from his eyes, as he rapidly dashed towards the center of the grounds, planning to forcefully rescue Hao Jian. At this moment, he also knew there was no other way. If he didn''t rescue him, Hao Jian would be in danger. In Yu Ou''s hands, he each clenched a smoke grenade, ready to act at any time. "Bang!" However, just at this moment, the Handsome Masked Man landed right in front of Yu Ou, blocking his path. "Get out of my way!" Yu Ou shouted with immense rage. How dare this damned guy block his path? Yu Ou was extremely anxious now. If he didn''t act soon, Hao Jian would truly be in danger. "Kill him!" At this moment, Murong Yeyun also noticed Yu Ou and an expression of severe coldness crossed his eyes. The Handsome Masked Man, without uttering a word, walked towards Yu Ou. "Stop!" Suddenly, a voice rang out in the arena, as Moon Goddess Jiang and Yu Xiatang hurried from a distance, followed by a dignified middle-aged man in a black suit. The middle-aged man was tall and thin, with an inherent majesty between his brows that exuded authority with every stride, powerful and imposing. "Secretary Yang?" Seeing this person, Murong Yeyun was immediately shocked. This man was no ordinary figure; he was the secretary of a major figure responsible for national defense security! Moon Goddess Jiang had actually brought Secretary Yang along. Was she intending to save Hao Jian? With this realization, Murong Yeyun''s brow furrowed deeply. In his view, this must be an order from the top echelons of the Ministry of Defense, and even Murong Yeyun couldn''t defy it. No wonder Moon Goddess Jiang had been so confident before; she had gone to fetch reinforcements. But why would a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Defense obey Moon Goddess Jiang? That made no sense. Murong Yeyun could not understand why. Given the Murong Family''s standing in Huaxia, even that Ministry of Defense bigwig ought to give them some face. Yet now he was appearing to protect Hao Jian. Why? What exactly had Moon Goddess Jiang promised him? Murong Yeyun did not realize the value of the Genetic Code that Moon Goddess Jiang had stolen. This meant that Huaxia could develop its own Biochemical Soldiers. Not to turn the soldiers into monsters but to enhance their physical skills with some animal-like abilities, which could make them horrifically powerful. Facing a hundred foes alone would be no issue. Moreover, it is well known that Huaxia has the largest population in the world except for the Jews. If Huaxia''s army were implanted with this set of Genetic Codes, what would be the consequences? It could definitely pave the way for world domination. Thus, the item provided by Moon Goddess Jiang suddenly elevated her status significantly in the eyes of Huaxia''s high-ranking officials. Moon Goddess Jiang had discovered Black September''s conspiracy in their country and also had obtained such a critical document, the leaders were already contemplating how to reward her. At this time, Moon Goddess Jiang told them that the information about Black September''s activities in Huaxia was not intercepted by her but had been told to her by Hao Jian, the founder of Dragon Tooth. This meant that this achievement was quite attributable to Hao Jian, so those officials naturally couldn''t treat Hao Jian harshly. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Compared to the significant contributions made by Hao Jian, the things he had done before were almost insignificant. Besides, those he had killed were not good people; they were scum that posed threats to the nation and society. Killing them was no loss. Compared to letting go of a national asset like Hao Jian for such scum, those officials were not fools. Huaxia people are the smartest in the world, second only to the Jews. They are often referred to as the "Jews of Asia." Since the Jewish population is small, their influence in the world is not as great as that of the Huaxia people, making the Huaxia people especially those politicians the smartest of all. Moreover, Hao Jian had previously made contributions to the nation. Whether out of respect for his past services or for his recent achievements, those high-ranking officials could not simply lay a finger on him. If a national hero were to suffer inhumane treatment, what would those many talented people think, who had also dedicated countless efforts to the nation? Hao Jian was still the founder of Dragon Tooth, one of the nation''s sharp weapons. And with Moon Goddess Jiang as Hao Jian''s proud prot¨¦g¨¦, wouldn''t she have a grievance against those high-ranking officials if something happened to Hao Jian? Chapter 614 - 614: The Battle Begins Officially Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, the senior management decided to give up. Next to Secretary Yang, an old man with graying hair stood beside him, his expression looking very unwell as he continuously wiped the sweat from his forehead. This man, named Cao Yuanhong, was the old man who had issued the death sentence. He was the leader of the entire Southern Military Region and had certain connections with Murong Yeyun and the Murong Family. Clearly, they had called him here to release the prisoner. Right now, Cao Yuanhong felt as though ten thousand "Caonima" were galloping through his heart until Moon Goddess Jiang and Secretary Yang appeared in his office, and he realized what a foolish thing he had done. In Secretary Yang''s words, "You''ve been in the army for thirty years, but the merits you''ve established aren''t as many as his in three years." Such a character, placed in the Three Kingdoms period, would be like Cao Cao''s Dian Wei and Xu Chu or Liu Bei''s Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Could he really contend with such figures? At this point, he desperately wanted to curse Murong Yeyun''s ancestors for making him execute such a figure, thankfully it was still manageable, otherwise his career prospects would have ended here. But Cao Yuanhong was wronging Murong Yeyun, as Murong Yeyun did not even know that Hao Jian had so many identities. "Fire now!" Murong Yeyun, upon seeing Secretary Yang and Cao Yuanhong together, immediately realized something and bellowed loudly. He absolutely wouldn''t allow any mishaps; Hao Jian had to die! He knew that Secretary Yang and Cao Yuanhong must have brought the documents to release Hao Jian, but as long as he hadn''t seen the papers, it wasn''t considered defying military orders! "Fire!" Yu Zhixun also shouted, after all, with Murong Yeyun, a tall figure, bearing the brunt of it, he was merely following orders. Besides, if Hao Jian survived, then he would be doomed. Yu Zhixun certainly didn''t want to be targeted later. Upon seeing Moon Goddess Jiang and others arrive, Yu Ou and Guo Shuxian couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief, but upon hearing Murong Yeyun''s subsequent command, both of their faces showed anger. At this moment, Moon Goddess Jiang along with Secretary Yang''s expressions also darkened after Murong Yeyun finished speaking, not expecting him to take such a risky action at this time. Cao Yuanhong inwardly cursed, greeting all of Murong Yeyun''s ancestors, as if Hao Jian had been killed by Murong Yeyun, he would be dragged down as well! "Bang bang bang bang..." Instantly, the gunfire was incessant like firecrackers going off relentlessly. "If anything happens to him, you will be responsible for the whole incident!" At that time, Secretary Yang pointed at Cao Yuanhong and said coldly. Cao Yuanhong squeezed out a smile uglier than a cry. What the hell was going on? At that moment, Moon Goddess Jiang, however, had a cold expression, casually looking into the distance, appearing indifferent. "Keep firing! Hit them hard!" Murong Yeyun knew Hao Jian was not so easy to kill, so he didn''t let the soldiers stop immediately but ordered to empty all the bullets in the machine gun. By now, the execution ground was already riddled with holes, engulfed in dust and sand, most likely not even a fly would survive. The gunfire lasted a bit over a minute, but even in that short duration, one could distinctly feel the brutality. If Hao Jian hadn''t left, he would probably have been utterly disfigured, turned into a hornets'' nest by now. Seeing this, Murong Yeyun finally showed a sick and crazed smile. The thorn in his heart, Hao Jian, was finally dead. Even if he were to be punished later, it would have been worth it. However, as the dust settled, what revealed was an empty execution ground. Guo Shuxian''s body turned cold. Could Hao Jian still be alive under these circumstances? "Murong Yeyun, why did you take action? Did you not hear my command?" Cao Yuanhong strode forward, coldly staring at Murong Yeyun, blaming him for being dragged into this conflict, naturally putting this grudge on Murong Yeyun''s account. But Murong Yeyun merely glanced at him, shamelessly laughing, "Did I? I didn''t hear anything!" "You!" Cao Yuanhong was filled with rage, clearly seeing through Murong Yeyun''s deliberate act. "Is it just the death of a convict that has you so anxious?" Murong Yeyun scoffed derisively, actually probing the identity of Hao Jian. Sure enough, Cao Yuanhong bellowed, "A convict? He''s the founder of Dragon Tooth! A pillar of the nation!" "The founder of Dragon Tooth?" Murong Yeyun frowned, shocked indeed, not expecting Hao Jian to have such an identity, but he was even more glad that he had eliminated Hao Jian. Otherwise, Hao Jian would have been a major trouble for him. "To kill a pillar of the nation and cause the country to lose an important talent, you must pay a price for this!" Cao Yuanhong viciously declared, regretting why he had helped Murong Yeyun, as he now also had to pay a certain price for this incident. Murong Yeyun merely shrugged, his laughter growing more triumphant. As long as Hao Jian was killed, he didn''t care about the consequences. Even if the higher authorities were dissatisfied with him, they probably wouldn''t kill him, right? S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian was already dead, no matter how powerful he had been, but he was ultimately dead. Those higher-ups were smart people, they wouldn''t offend the Murong Family just for a dead man. At this moment, Moon Goddess Jiang slowly walked over, yet her face was expressionless, showing neither joy nor anger. "What, do you also want to reproach me, or do you want to kill me to avenge Hao Jian?" Murong Yeyun looked at Moon Goddess Jiang with a cold smile at the corner of his mouth, but he felt very proud inside. Moon Goddess Jiang had previously wanted to protect Hao Jian at all costs, but what of it, didn''t Hao Jian still end up dying by his hand? Thus, Murong Yeyun felt very pleased. "Avenge?" Moon Goddess Jiang shook her head, her smile scornful as she said, "Someone of your caliber couldn''t kill him!" Upon hearing this, Murong Yeyun''s expression froze, but then he also laughed, "At this point, you still want to be enigmatic? Could it be you think he could still survive under such circumstances?" At that moment, Moon Goddess Jiang made a silencing gesture to Murong Yeyun, "Shh! The wind is picking up!" Immediately thereafter, Moon Goddess Jiang looked sharply towards the direction of the execution ground with a sinister smile, where the breeze was stirring and the smoke was slowly dissipating. Everyone couldn''t help but be taken aback, then they all looked towards the execution ground. Indeed, just as everyone expected, the execution ground was riddled with holes, but bizarrely, there was no sign of Hao Jian''s body! "Bang!" Suddenly, a hand emerged from that hole-ridden ground and slapped the ground forcefully, making a dull sound. Hisss... Seeing this, everyone couldn''t help but inhale sharply, their hair standing on end, feeling utterly terrified. At this point, Murong Yeyun''s expression became extremely vivid, obviously guessing who the owner of the hand was without needing to think. "Bang!" Once again, a loud bang resonated, and a figure burst through the ground¡ªit was Hao Jian! "Ah, that was really close!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, but his expression was relaxed. Murong Yeyun and the Handsome Masked Man couldn''t help but show fear, Hao Jian had actually burrowed into the ground the instant before the gunfire? And to completely block that dense gunfire, he would have had to dive at least a meter into the ground, how had Hao Jian managed to do that in the blink of an eye? How did he do it? Murong Yeyun and Handsome Masked Man were martial artists, but at that moment they felt the disparity between martial artists was so immense. Moon Goddess Jiang and Secretary Yang were also dumbfounded, both finally understanding why Hao Jian had been able to establish Dragon Tooth, such a terrifying organization, and cultivate talent like the Moon Goddess, because Hao Jian himself was a monster! "I told you, someone as useless as you couldn''t kill him." Moon Goddess Jiang turned her head around, her laugh tinged with derision. Murong Yeyun trembled with rage, nearly shattering his silver teeth. Was that guy a cockroach? Why wouldn''t he die? Murong Yeyun felt intense hatred, he had failed again, and he had also defied military orders, truly losing everything in trying to steal a chicken! Not only had Murong Yeyun''s actions irritated the higher-ups, but he had also alienated Cao Yuanhong, his loyal ally, and after all this, he still had not killed Hao Jian. This could indeed make the family question his competence, they might sideline him, he had failed once again! "I will report this matter truthfully to the leadership, hope your Murong Family is prepared to face the punishment!" Secretary Yang''s eyes were ice cold as he swept over Murong Yeyun, then ceased to speak. Murong Yeyun''s pupils dilated, naturally knowing who that leader was. Meanwhile, Hao Jian approached Murong Yeyun, patted his shoulder, and said, "Go back and tell the Murong Family, you have successfully enraged me, from today onwards I, Hao Jian, officially declare war on your Murong Family, and it is... to! the! death!" Without the support of the Murong Family, Murong Yeyun couldn''t have done so much, so at the end of the day, the Murong Family would face a heavy price. Moreover, according to Murong Qiushui, she owed him her life, which made him a benefactor of the Murong Family, yet the Murong Family was trying to put him to death, this was a case of repaying kindness with enmity, something Hao Jian could not tolerate! Thus, without any nonsense, Hao Jian decided to wage war on the Murong Family, although he didn''t die today, his identity had been exposed and caught the attention of some high officials, which contradicted Hao Jian''s desire to live a peaceful life. And all of this was the Murong Family''s fault, they must pay the price! ................................. Chapter 615 - 615: Losing a Good General Murong Yeyun''s expression was as ugly as it could get. He already harbored deep-seated hatred for Hao Jian, wanting nothing more than to eliminate him swiftly. Knowing Hao Jian''s true identity only reinforced his determination to get rid of Hao Jian. But wanting to eliminate him was one thing; being unable to do so was another, and it only turned Hao Jian into a major concern for him. Now that Hao Jian had decided to deal with the Murong Family, it was definitely bad news for them. Murong Yeyun hadn''t expected Hao Jian to be the founder of Dragon Tooth with an inseparable relationship with Moon Goddess Jiang. Offending Dragon Tooth was not a good thing¡ªthis time, he reckoned his grandfather would be furious. To have unintentionally set such a powerful enemy against his family, Murong Yeyun felt as if ten thousand Caonima were galloping across his mind. However, what was done was done, and no amount of regret could change the situation; Hao Jian had ultimately become his arch-enemy. For Murong Yeyun, the threat from Hao Jian had now far surpassed that from Murong Qiushui. He knew from this day forward, his life would be filled with turmoil. "It''s with regret that I tell you, you''ve awakened a sleeping Eastern Divine Dragon." Moon Goddess Jiang also smiled with amusement. If Hao Jian was to confront the Murong Family, he would inevitably return to Dragon Tooth, heralding the arrival of a new ruler! Moon Goddess Jiang, with a charming smile, sized up Murong Yeyun and said, "Go back and ask that old fool Murong Xiao if he truly has the capability to withstand an attack from a huge dragon!" Murong Yeyun kept a dark face and remained silent, his mood utterly sour at this point. Because no matter whether the Murong Family could withstand this or not, they would inevitably pay a painful price. The consequence of stirring up such a major trouble was that he had to foot the bill! "Let''s go!" Murong Yeyun said with a grim face, waving his hand. Wanting to kill Hao Jian was now impossible, and rather than continue to suffer humiliation here, it would be better to leave as soon as possible. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Leaving? Did you ask me?" Hao Jian sneered, thinking that Murong Yeyun could just leave easily? How was that possible? Now his troubles had ended, but Murong Yeyun''s troubles were just beginning. "What do you want?" Murong Yeyun asked Hao Jian with an ugly look, yet he knew that Hao Jian was at the height of his influence, and all the high-ranking members were on his side. As long as Hao Jian did not kill him, he could do whatever he wanted with him. "What do I want? You''ve been bullying me all this time, repeatedly trying to find someone to deal with me, and you still ask what I want?" Hao Jian said, sounding quite aggrieved, almost like a bullied daughter-in-law. Upon hearing this, Murong Yeyun nearly spurted blood. I''m bullying you? Do you have no shame? Who is bullying whom here? "Hao Jian, be reasonable!" Murong Yeyun protested, feeling very wronged. This jerk, reaping the benefits and still playing cute, it was obviously him bullying, yet at the end, he posed as the victim. "I am being reasonable with you now. I am such an upright and kind-hearted person, why do you always have a problem with me? Tell me, are you just jealous because I am more handsome than you?" Hao Jian complained, presumptuously carrying an "It''s not my fault I''m handsome" attitude. Everyone had an expression of disbelief; many narcissists had been seen before, but one this narcissistic was a first. Murong Yeyun shook his head with a weird expression: "You''re not handsome at all!" "Magobi, repeat that again if you dare, how can you tell such a lie?" Hao Jian glared angrily. "Kill or maim, I''m listening with respect, but I''m not going to say such insincere things," Murong Yeyun stubbornly said, holding to his opinion. "Alright, alright, if I don''t hang you up today, then I''ll take your surname!" Hao Jian blurted out in anger before walking towards Murong Yeyun. But at this moment, no one dared to stop Hao Jian. He was invincible and unstoppable now. Murong Yeyun, having provoked him, could only accept his bad luck. Seeing Hao Jian approaching, Murong Yeyun quickly covered his face: "Don''t hit the face!" "Fuck, I thought I was narcissistic enough, you''re even more narcissistic than I am!" Hao Jian was dumbfounded. Murong Yeyun, looking like a black gorilla, actually cared so much about his looks. "You say you look like a gorilla, ruining your look would actually be doing you a favor, right?" Hao Jian said sarcastically. "Go fuck yourself, this is the wild beauty of a man, you know nothing!" Murong Yeyun retorted irritably. Everyone was speechless, these two guys were really enough. "Alright, since you don''t want me to hit your face, then I just want to hit your face, hehe..." Hao Jian chuckled darkly, and then slapped him across the face, sending Murong Yeyun spinning 365 degrees before he smacked onto the ground with a slap. "Tsk tsk tsk, look at your dumb face!" Hao Jian sneered gleefully, taking pride in his actions. "Hao Jian!!!" Murong Yeyun was seething with rage, staring fixedly at Hao Jian as if he wanted to devour him. Everyone present was a bit shocked. When had Murong Yeyun ever suffered such a loss? But Hao Jian responded to Murong Yeyun''s roar with a kick, sending him flying ten meters away, crashing against a stone platform and coughing up blood on the spot. "Don''t be in a hurry to get angry, this is just the beginning. In the future, there will be many more things to make you angry," Hao Jian said with a smile, walking towards Murong Yeyun. Murong Yeyun had threatened him, which was akin to baring fangs at him, and Hao Jian had already decided to eradicate this menace that was Murong Yeyun. Seeing Hao Jian ready to make a move on Murong Yeyun, the man in the mask hurried to block in front of Hao Jian. "Qingzhi, step aside! He won''t dare to kill me!" Murong Yeyun urgently shouted. He knew that Hao Jian would at most beat him severely but would definitely not dare to kill him. However, it was different for Qingzhi. Qingzhi was just a dog, and even if Hao Jian killed him, the Murong family wouldn''t care about him. But for him, Qingzhi was a capable assistant. He didn''t want Qingzhi to die just like that. "Too late!" Hao Jian snorted. He had been waiting for this guy to intervene. Since he had taken the initiative to step out, that saved him the trouble of looking for him. Hao Jian''s figure burst forward, and in an instant, he was in front of Qingzhi. Under the mask, Qingzhi''s eyes revealed terror because Hao Jian was simply too fast, so fast that he couldn''t react before Hao Jian was already before him. With no tricks whatsoever, Hao Jian directly launched a punch. The seemingly ordinary fist actually contained infinite force and even produced a sonic boom. Qingzhi gritted his teeth and then crossed his arms in front of his chest, attempting to block Hao Jian''s aggressive strike. "Crack!" Following was the sound of bone fracturing, as Qingzhi''s whole body was sent flying, landing next to Murong Yeyun with both arms completely twisted. Both Qingzhi and Murong Yeyun felt terrified. Although both were martial artists, they felt as fragile as clay figures before Hao Jian, unable to withstand a single blow. "Trying to kill someone?" Murong Yeyun''s eyes shone viciously as he gritted his teeth, clearly seeing that Hao Jian indeed intended to leave Qingzhi dead. "Oh? You think I wouldn''t dare?" Hao Jian coldly laughed. "If you dare kill him, I''ll fight you to the death!" Murong Yeyun shouted furiously. It''s hard to find a good general, and Qingzhi was his good general, his Thousand-Li Horse. If Hao Jian killed Qingzhi, then he would undeniably have lost a valuable general. "Alright, since it''s like this, I guess I''ll just kill him," Hao Jian still decided to kill. Initially, if Murong Yeyun hadn''t spoken, he didn''t wish to act, but since Murong Yeyun had spoken, then this person must be killed. "You!" Murong Yeyun''s gaze turned blank. "Isn''t it what you said? Anything related to me, you''d slaughter them all? My reason is the same as yours, anything you cherish, I will destroy. We are already in irreconcilable positions!" Hao Jian dropped his playful act, his smile sinister. Murong Yeyun wanted to kill Hao Jian just as much as Hao Jian now wanted to kill Murong Yeyun. Since he couldn''t kill him, he had decided to torment him instead. "Whoosh!" As soon as Hao Jian landed, he rushed forward, stomping violently on Qingzhi''s head. "Pfft!" Qingzhi''s head crashed into the stone wall behind, then burst into a cloud of blood, flesh flying everywhere, and the stone wall dented, killing him instantly. The splattered blood and flesh also splashed on Murong Yeyun''s face, which made his expression darken terrifyingly! A good general had just died like that, and Murong Yeyun felt extremely pained. Seeing Hao Jian acting viciously, Guo Shuxian involuntarily closed her eyes out of fear. She had never witnessed such a thing before and to not have fainted on the spot was already quite impressive. "Now you can roll out of here!" Hao Jian rudely spoke to Murong Yeyun. Currently, he indeed still didn''t dare to kill Murong Yeyun, because beyond him stood the Murong family. If he killed Murong Yeyun, the Murong family would likely go mad. Hao Jian himself wasn''t afraid of the Murong family, but he was worried about the people around him. "This matter is not over!" Murong Yeyun''s gaze was like knives, intently staring at Hao Jian. Today, not only was he insulted, but he had also lost a valuable general; this enmity was truly irreconcilable. Then, Murong Yeyun dusted himself off, stood up, but didn''t even glance at the corpse beside him. To him, once Qingzhi was dead, he meant nothing to him, displaying extreme callousness. "I''ve told you already, Huaxia is a traditional country, and Huaxia people generally speak more subtly. Being this direct really makes me feel awkward," sighed Hao Jian. Then, with another kick, he sent Murong Yeyun, who had just stood up, flying again. Everyone felt speechless. Is Murong Yeyun going to be driven mad by this? Hao Jian was not only beating Murong Yeyun but also slapping the Murong family''s face. Murong Yeyun lay on the ground, his face so dark it seemed almost to seep water, his eyes bloodshot and turning a fierce, blood-red. However, Murong Yeyun knew he had to endure at this moment. He was no match for Hao Jian, and vying with him to the death would do him no good. Chapter 616 - 616: The Shameless Eastern Divine Dragon So, Murong Yeyun stood up and swept a cold glance at Hao Jian before heading out. "Remember this!" Hao Jian yelled at Murong Yeyun''s back. "Damn, that''s my line!" Murong Yeyun turned around and roared furiously at Hao Jian, whose turn was it to remember, anyway? After Murong Yeyun had left, Yu Zhixun wanted to follow, but Moon Goddess Jiang stopped him with a smile, saying, "Some things are not yet over, you can''t leave!" Instantly, Yu Zhixun''s face turned green. "You think this is over? I still have a score to settle with you!" Hao Jian sneered as he approached, having dealt with Murong Yeyun, now it was Yu Zhixun''s turn. "This was Murong Yeyun''s idea, it has nothing to do with me!" Yu Zhixun trembled in fear, screaming repeatedly, well aware of what Hao Jian wanted to do. "It might have been Murong Yeyun''s idea, but you were an accomplice. Plus, you''ve provoked me before," Hao Jian coldly said, standing in front of Yu Zhixun, looking down on him. "That was a misunderstanding, remember I once treated you to a meal?" Yu Zhixun shamelessly pleaded with a bitter smile. But Hao Jian ignored him, snatching a machine gun from a soldier and then aimed the gun butt at Yu Zhixun''s knee. Realizing what Hao Jian intended to do, Yu Zhixun immediately understood and screamed in terror, "You can''t do this, the Yu Family has been kind to you!" "True, the kindness was from the Yu Family, not you. And I saved the old man last time, which amounted to repaying your favor. Now, I owe you nothing," Hao Jian shook his head, his smile sinister, "I didn''t want to do this, but a fly buzzing constantly in your ear all day long, although harmless, is annoying enough to silence!" Hao Jian had previously spared him because Yu Zhixun was from the Yu Family, the old man''s own son. But Yu Zhixun''s repeated troubles, though not impacting him much, felt as irritating as a clown jumping around in front of you all the time. "Crack!" Hao Jian directly broke Yu Zhixun''s kneecap. Yu Zhixun let out a scream of agony, then convulsed all over, clutching his knees and rolling around as if in a spasm. "Leave Hua City, this place isn''t for you!" Hao Jian spoke indifferently, then dropped the machine gun on the ground. His statement was a clear message that he would not allow Yu Zhixun to stay in Hua City any longer. Yu Ou and Yu Xiatang, witnessing the scene, showed not a hint of sympathy. They had long known of Yu Zhixun''s wild ambitions, always plotting to seize the position of Family Head. Now, it was merely a case of reaping what he sowed. In their eyes, that Hao Jian hadn''t killed Yu Zhixun was already a great face-saving gesture to the Yu Family. Hao Jian then walked toward Secretary Yang, "You work for Old Man Yun?" Upon hearing this, Cao Yuanhong was greatly shocked¡ªHao Jian dared to address that person so boldly? Wasn''t that too arrogant? "Yes." But Secretary Yang nodded, showing no displeasure, because he knew that Hao Jian indeed had the status to call him that. Although Hao Jian was very young, he had once been a colleague to that person, holding the same status. "Go back and tell Old Man Yun, I''m back, and from now on, I''ll be the one protecting Huaxia!" Hao Jian declared proudly. "Okay!" Secretary Yang smiled lightly, but he knew that Hao Jian must have further plans, watching him with a grin. "But you must tell Old Man Yun, since I serve the nation, then the nation should also provide some conveniences to us, the loyal and righteous. You can''t let us down!" Hao Jian exclaimed excitedly. Secretary Yang looked exasperated¡ªthis guy was clearly blackmailing them. His previous talk of guarding Huaxia sounded so noble, and he was quite happy about it, but the next moment, Hao Jian was asking for benefits. It was supposed to be uplifting news for the higher-ups that the founder of Dragon Tooth, the Divine Dragon, had returned, but Hao Jian''s shameless behavior left him speechless. Barely had Hao Jian spoken when he started asking for benefits, which Secretary Yang saw as utterly shameless. Couldn''t he first achieve something before seeking rewards? Yu Ou and his son were dumbfounded¡ªwas this lad really trying to blackmail that person? But Secretary Yang still kept his calm and nodded, "I''ll talk to the minister about it." Yu Ou and his son gasped in surprise¡ªSecretary Yang had actually agreed to his request? "Also, today''s matter concerned my life, and Old Man Yun didn''t come to save me himself but sent just a mere secretary¡ªdoes he look down on me?" Hao Jian complained bluntly. But it wasn''t just him who was annoyed; so was Secretary Yang. After all, he represented the minister, and given the minister''s extraordinary status, his own status was substantially elevated. Even Cao Yuanhong, the head of the Southern Military Region, had to treat him with great courtesy, and here was Hao Jian disrespecting him? Everyone was astounded¡ªthis guy really wasn''t afraid of offending people. Secretary Yang forced an ugly smile, "The minister is tied up with official duties and can''t get away. I hope you understand!" "Forget it, forget it. I won''t hold it against him. I''ll have him make it up to me later!" Hao Jian waved his hand and then walked away. After that, Hao Jian walked up to Moon Goddess Jiang and complained, "You''re late, and it made me eat dirt!" "I did it on purpose, okay?" Moon Goddess Jiang curled her lips and scoffed, "You should be grateful that I came to rescue you at all, and here you are with all this nonsense!" "I''m back with Dragon Tooth now, are you happy?" Hao Jian laughed. Moon Goddess Jiang glanced at him indifferently and said, "With or without you, does Dragon Tooth really see any difference?" Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Don''t say that, I am still the founder of Dragon Tooth, after all. So, being the founder, can I start giving orders to Dragon Tooth? How about we raid the Murong Family tonight?" Hao Jian said with a mischievous smile, this being the first thing he wanted to do after his return. Upon hearing this, Moon Goddess Jiang''s heart tightened, and she glared at Hao Jian, "You bastard, what are you planning to do with Dragon Tooth?" Moon Goddess Jiang had actually been quite happy about Hao Jian''s return, but this jerk wanted to use Dragon Tooth as his personal weapon? "Dragon Tooth is mine, and as its founder, if I am bullied, shouldn''t I strike back? Where would the face of Dragon Tooth be if I didn''t?" "Dragon Tooth represents the nation, not personal will. It can never become your private property, and that''s what you taught me!" Moon Goddess Jiang said, recalling what Hao Jian had once advised her. What was Hao Jian doing now? "Lied to you and you believed it." Hao Jian muttered. "What?" His words had been a lie? She had been moved by them for so long! "I mean, sometimes people need to adapt, being too rigid is not good, don''t you think?" Hao Jian said, winking at Moon Goddess Jiang, quickly changing his statement. He had said so before to appear cooler, not expecting Moon Goddess Jiang to remember it so vividly up till now. "The official leadership of Dragon Tooth is me, meaning the whole of Dragon Tooth is under my command. I absolutely won''t let you mess around!" Moon Goddess Jiang was infuriated. Even if Hao Jian hadn''t mentioned it, she might have caused trouble for the Murong Family, but now... forget about reasoning with you! How dare you deceive my pure feelings? "So petty!" Hao Jian muttered, rolling his eyes at the same time. But Moon Goddess Jiang simply ignored him, secretly vowing never to let Dragon Tooth fall into this jerk''s hands. Hao Jian then left the military region, waving at Guo Shuxian and Yu Ou to follow him. "Dad, I''m leaving!" Yu Ou said to Yu Xiatang. Yu Xiatang nodded, and then patted Yu Ou on the shoulder solemnly, "Take this to heart, the prosperity of the Yu Family''s future is in your hands now!" He already knew Hao Jian''s true identity. If Yu Ou continued to follow Hao Jian, he could rise with the tide as well. The founder of Dragon Tooth, the Eastern Divine Dragon, these two identities alone placed him significantly within the power structures of Huaxia. It''s not an exaggeration to say that for the Yu Family, this was like a pie falling from the sky. If the elder knew about Hao Jian''s identity, he probably wouldn''t be able to sleep all night. "Don''t worry, I know what to do!" Yu Ou nodded his head. He and Hao Jian were close as brothers. If not assist Hao Jian, then who? And by the time Hao Jian and his group exited the military region, there were already a dozen sedans waiting outside. Kong Xiaozhen, in a crisp suit and smiling face, grew even more cheerful at the sight of Hao Jian emerging. It seemed he had long been assured of Hao Jian''s safety, hence his early appearance here, waiting for Hao Jian to come out. Seeing Kong Xiaozhen, Hao Jian was also surprised, and soon, he too started laughing. Although he had not liked Kong Xiaozhen before, Kong Xiaozhen''s current act had indeed won Hao Jian''s favor. Because he had not betrayed him when he was in danger but had instead been waiting here early, whether this act was to display his loyalty or he was genuinely loyal, it felt very comforting. Hao Jian walked towards Kong Xiaozhen and smiled, "Were you that certain I would survive?" "No brown-nosing, just stating the facts¡ªsomeone like you isn''t easy to kill, or I wouldn''t have been utterly defeated back then!" Kong Xiaozhen laughed, reminiscing about the military region which reminded him of the times when he had been under Hao Jian''s command. Then, Kong Xiaozhen snapped his fingers, and his followers started serving cup after cup of expensive champagne. Hao Jian was inwardly surprised, even champagne was prepared? Hao Jian chuckled in disbelief, "It seems you have a lot of confidence in me." "You are my master, whether or not I have confidence in you, I believe in you!" Kong Xiaozhen nodded slightly and said. .............................. Chapter 617 - 617: The Execution of Murong Yeyun "Get ready, our next enemies will likely be the Four Great Families!" Hao Jian patted Kong Xiaozhen on the shoulder and said. Upon hearing this, Kong Xiaozhen''s face immediately showed shock and then a wild fervor flashed through his eyes, born from excitement. Once upon a time, Kong Xiaozhen never dared to dream that one day he could contend with the Four Great Families, until today, when he realized he was truly transforming! "Yes!" Kong Xiaozhen nodded vigorously, aware that he was no longer the same person he used to be. From today on, he would officially embark on the journey of power! ........ The Murong Family was now a tangled mess, with messengers constantly entering and exiting the mansion, reporting one piece of news after another. Atop the high platform, Murong Qiushui watched expressionlessly, her face betraying neither joy nor anger, but she already knew what had happened. She was no longer locked in her room; Murong Xiao had lifted the confinement order, allowing Qiushui to come and go freely, but she chose not to leave, as if completely unaware of the development. Because leaving her residence would inevitably lead her past Murong Xiao''s dwelling, and Qiushui did not want to bump into Murong Xiao. She knew very well what Murong Xiao would say to her if she went out, but right now Qiushui did not want to listen, or rather, did not want to actively seek it out. Because Murong Qiushui was waiting for Murong Xiao to come begging to her! Thus, these past few days, Qiushui had been idling about in her own residence, reading books, sipping red wine, watching television, or even working from home when there was nothing else¡ªtime flew by without a hint of dullness or boredom. "Miss, the Old Master summons you," Bai Zihui walked in and said to Murong Qiushui. But Murong Qiushui seemed to have anticipated this and her red lips curved into a scornful arc. She did not turn her head, simply uttering two words: "Not going!" Bai Zihui sighed and said, "Murong Yeyun is also there." "Oh?" Murong Qiushui then turned her head, laughing mockingly twice, her demeanor growing colder and more alluring. She naturally knew why Murong Xiao summoned her and Yeyun together; Murong Xiao was planning on flattering her while suppressing Yeyun, utilizing this opportunity to curry her favor. This only further confirmed Qiushui''s suspicions that Hao Jian must have survived, and what''s more, he must have done something to make Murong Xiao feel threatened, compelling Xiao to try winning her favor to garner good will from Jian. "Miss, shall we go then?" Zihui asked. "Why not? Didn''t Yeyun feel so proud before? Now it''s his turn to be embarrassed, how could I miss such a great opportunity?" Murong Qiushui laughed coldly, then strode outside. Zihui shook her head helplessly and said, "The Old Master said that if you refused to come, just mentioning that Yeyun is there would surely make you agree." To this, Murong Qiushui simply scoffed, "He thinks he knows me well, but he''s overthinking it!" Without delay, Murong Qiushui and Bai Zihui headed towards Murong Xiao''s courtyard, and from afar they saw Xiao scolding Yeyun: "Do you think it''s appropriate to make an enemy out of someone whose identity you''re not even clear about? Now, the whole Dragon Tooth sees our Murong Family as a thorn in their side. Are you satisfied?" Murong Xiao''s reprimand of Yeyun was meant to appease Qiushui, but also because he was truly furious. He had originally thought Hao Jian was merely a skilled martial man, but it turned out Jian was the founder of Dragon Tooth. Having just returned, Jian had already established a great deed for Huaxia, becoming the center of attention with no rivals to challenge him. And at this moment, the Murong Family, holding grudges against Jian and wishing him dead, found themselves in an incredibly awkward position. Those in high positions, now hesitating between standing with the Murong Family or with Jian, started to falter in their decisions. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Moreover, most critically, with their unpleasant relations with Jian, the entire Dragon Tooth would become their enemy, an unhappiness to say the least, given Dragon Tooth''s not insignificant status in the eyes of those higher up. Murong Xiao was seething with irritation, for if he had known Jian held such a status earlier, he would have been only too willing to offer Qiushui up, hoping she might even form an alliance with Jian through marriage. With Qiushui for diplomacy and Jian for martial might, who would dare to provoke the Murong Family in the future? But due to Yeyun''s folly, this possibility was ruined. Now that Jian had openly declared war on the Murong Family, and with Qiushui stating she would definitely not take their side, they were caught in an embarrassingly difficult situation. Thus, Murong Xiao had no choice but to vent his anger on Yeyun. Murong Yeyun was lowing his head, allowing Murong Xiao to spittle on his face without daring to say a word in defiance. Seeing Murong Qiushui appear, Murong Xiao hurriedly put on a smile and said, "Oh, Old Nine is here? Please, have a seat!" Because Murong Qiushui ranked ninth among all siblings in the family, she was called Old Nine, and the outside world also referred to her as Ninth Miss. Yet, upon seeing Murong Qiushui''s arrival, Murong Yeyun''s expression turned ugly, clouded with gloom. He naturally knew what Murong Qiushui was there for. Murong Qiushui sat down expressionlessly next to Murong Xiao, who eagerly went to pour tea for Murong Qiushui, his fawning demeanor a stark contrast to just a few days prior. "How have you been resting these past days? Don''t blame your grandfather, I''ve been thinking of your best interests," Murong Xiao said, noticing Murong Qiushui''s impatience and quickly trying to explain. "Thinking of my best interests? I really should be grateful to you then," Murong Qiushui replied in an indifferent and ironic tone. "This..." Murong Xiao, with an awkward look on his face, forced a laugh and said, "I didn''t expect that kid to be so influential, actually being the founder of Dragon Tooth. If I had known, I definitely wouldn''t have stopped you from contacting him." Hao Jian was the founder of Dragon Tooth? Murong Qiushui was taken aback for a moment, equally shocked by the news. She knew Hao Jian must be someone of significant stature but had not anticipated this particular identity. The founder of Dragon Tooth, doesn''t that mean Hao Jian had already reached the pinnacle of power? This bastard, scaring people without making a sound! A smile appeared on the corner of Murong Qiushui''s mouth; it seemed she had underestimated him. Seeing that Murong Qiushui remained silent, Murong Xiao, thinking she was still angry, pointed angrily at Murong Yeyun and said, "This is all this fool''s fault. He told me that kid was just a common Martial Man, not worthy of you, so I, in my overprotective anxiety, wanted to eliminate him quickly!" At this moment, Murong Xiao could only shift all the blame onto Murong Yeyun. "So, what exactly did you call me here to say?" Murong Qiushui got straight to the point. "I want to ask you to negotiate with Hao Jian. Our Murong Family has no intention of becoming his enemy; there''s been a misunderstanding, we were unaware of his identity," Murong Xiao said, seeing that Murong Qiushui did not want to waste words, he simply stated the truth. Now, Murong Xiao wanted to negotiate with Hao Jian, because if no negotiations took place, the Murong Family would face a lot of trouble. The four great families weren''t just the Murong Family, and the families had always been at odds. If given the chance, they would ruthlessly stab each other in the back. Now that the Murong Family had provoked such a formidable enemy, it was equivalent to giving the other three families an opportunity to kick them while they were down. Should one of them go to Hao Jian intending to join forces against the Murong Family, their fate would be easy to imagine. Since Murong Qiushui and Hao Jian were old acquaintances, perhaps on account of Murong Qiushui, there was a chance to persuade Hao Jian to accept negotiation. "I won''t go!" Murong Qiushui stood up, ready to leave. But at that moment, Murong Xiao grabbed a hold of Murong Qiushui''s hand, looking upset as he said, "Do you really not care about the safety and well-being of the family?" "I once gave everything for the family, yet in return, I was heartlessly betrayed by my own family!" Murong Qiushui said with a cold laugh, and at this point, Murong Xiao still had the gall to question her concern for the family''s safety. "I know you harbor grievances, but if you don''t negotiate with Hao Jian, then the Murong Family might suffer a catastrophic disaster!" Murong Xiao looked at her with intense eyes, his expression serious. "Really? That sounds like your problem, doesn''t it? I did warn you before, but you didn''t listen. You want me to persuade Hao Jian? Don''t forget, you wanted to kill him. The Murong Family and he are already at the point of no return. Even if I have some connection with him, do you think he would accept this proposal?" Murong Qiushui snorted coldly and then looked toward Murong Yeyun, "Originally, Hao Jian just wanted to live a normal life, so he did not return to Dragon Tooth after coming back to the country. It was certain individuals'' presumptuousness that forced him to pick up his sharp teeth again and start fighting!" "I''m just curious, have you prepared yourself for his return, ready to be thoroughly devoured?" Murong Qiushui''s face was mocking, full of contempt and disdain. Murong Yeyun frowned deeply, unable to utter a single word. Murong Qiushui''s every sentence was heart-piercing, each one making Murong Xiao hate him even more. Indeed, after hearing Murong Qiushui''s words, Murong Xiao''s eyes turned sharp, giving Murong Yeyun a cold glance. If Murong Yeyun had not stirred up trouble out of nothing and provoked Hao Jian, the Murong Family wouldn''t be in such an awkward situation. "The family''s disaster shouldn''t be my responsibility to settle, and I have no obligation to do anything for the family. My previous advice was already my last act of pity for the family! Now I owe nothing to the family!" Murong Qiushui said indifferently; she had tried to save the family, but they had refused the chance to be saved. "What will it take for you to be willing to save the family?" Murong Xiao asked in a heavy voice, his complexion ashen. "It''s not about what I want to do to save the family, but what the family is willing to do to obtain Hao Jian''s forgiveness," Murong Qiushui shook her head and then said sharply, "Aside from killing Murong Yeyun, there is no other way!" Chapter 618 - 618: Grandparent-Grandchild Estrangement "Are you freaking dreaming?" Murong Yeyun was struck with surprise and then proceeded to curse loudly. Murong Qiushui wanting to kill him, Murong Yeyun, wasn''t surprising at all, but what took him by surprise was that Murong Qiushui actually wanted to use Murong Xiao''s hand to kill him? "Murong Qiushui, I admit that I might have gone a bit too far this time, but I did it for your own good, fearing that you would be deceived by some unclear man. You want to kill me just like that? It''s a bit too heartless, isn''t it? After all, I am your cousin, and yet you want to involve family in infighting. It seems you''re deeply in love with Hao Jian," Murong Yeyun said with a sinister laugh, his demeanor nothing short of hypocritical. The last sentence was undoubtedly an insinuation that Murong Qiushui would rather choose an outsider over her own family. "Shut your mouth!" Murong Xiao snapped at Murong Yeyun, who then fell silent. With a smiling face, Murong Xiao said to Murong Qiushui, "Old Nine, aren''t you asking too much of me? Even if Murong Yeyun is wrong, he''s still your cousin. How can you kill him for a Hao Jian?" Clearly, Murong Yeyun''s words had some effect on Murong Xiao. "You think I want to kill him? Grandfather, have you gone senile? You believe whatever he says?" Murong Qiushui replied unkindly. Upon hearing this, Murong Xiao suddenly looked taken aback. Murong Qiushui daring to call him senile was utterly unreasonable. "It''s Hao Jian who wants to kill him, not me! From what I know of Hao Jian, if Murong Yeyun doesn''t die, this matter will definitely not be settled! This is something caused by Murong Yeyun; he should resolve it himself!" Murong Qiushui said expressionlessly; her stance was clear¡ªshe wouldn''t persuade Hao Jian unless Murong Yeyun died. Murong Xiao also dropped his smile, looking somewhat annoyed, "Then if we do execute Murong Yeyun, how would the outside view us? They would think we are afraid of Hao Jian. Where would that leave the dignity of our Murong family?" Murong Qiushui shook her head and sighed; her grandfather was still so old-fashioned: "Do you really think that so-called face is more important than the rise and fall of our family?" "Are you so sure he can completely eradicate our Murong family?" Murong Qiushui always siding with Hao Jian had angered Murong Xiao. "Grandfather, have you not realized the terrifying aspect of Hao Jian?" Murong Qiushui felt disappointed, having thought Murong Xiao was a smart man. "Isn''t he just the founder of Dragon Tooth? I admit it''s tricky to be his enemy, but it''s not completely unmanageable. To kill our descendants of the Murong family just to avoid offending him? I think not!" Murong Xiao snorted coldly. He naturally wanted to negotiate with Hao Jian, but if Hao Jian was unwilling, he wouldn''t bow down! In the worst case, it would be a final stand-off. Murong Xiao really didn''t believe Hao Jian could take them down. "Grandfather, years of authority have blinded you, Ouyang Xiu once said: ''Hardship can prosper a nation, comfort can ruin a man!'' Grandfather, you are too comfortable with the status quo," Murong Qiushui said. "How dare you!" Murong Xiao slammed the table and scolded, "You dare to lecture me? Don''t forget who nurtured you!" Murong Xiao was immensely angry, Murong Qiushui, being a junior, dared to lecture him like this? "The blue is made out of indigo but is more vivid than it. Grandfather, you really have aged!" Murong Qiushui said disappointedly, shaking her head, "The words I just said are my last piece of advice to you and the Murong family. If Murong Yeyun doesn''t die, the Murong family will perish!" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You!" Murong Xiao pointed at Murong Qiushui and raised his hand, slapping it down on Murong Qiushui''s beautiful face, leaving a clear handprint. At that moment, Murong Yeyun, who was not far away, also wore a strange smirk, seeming somewhat triumphant. Murong Xiao angrily hummed, "The younger generation is getting out of hand, standing up to an elder for an outsider, perhaps he has even stolen your soul? It really makes all my past teachings a waste!" In Murong Xiao''s view, Murong Qiushui must have fallen in love with Hao Jian, hence her siding with him. Murong Qiushui touched her slightly reddened cheek and smiled lightly, "Grandfather, you once said, even though I am a girl, you would treat me equally. But now, it seems you were lying. You still don''t respect women at heart, which is why you think I''m siding with Hao Jian. You believe women are more emotional and would prioritize love over family interes ts!" "Isn''t it so?" Murong Xiao coldly replied, that was exactly how he saw it. "Yes! You''re entirely right, so now I am going to pursue my own love." Murong Qiushui sneered, then said, "Zihui, book me a ticket to Hua City, I''m leaving now!" "What?" Hearing this, Murong Xiao immediately became furious. Was Murong Qiushui actually going to Hua City to find Hao Jian? Was she planning to abandon the family? "From now on, I have nothing to do with the Murong family!" Murong Qiushui stated calmly; she had appeared here just to see what attitude Murong Xiao would take, but the outcome had disappointed her. If Murong Xiao continued to plead with her, Murong Qiushui wouldn''t possibly be so heartless, but since Murong Xiao cared more about the so-called family honor, then she was no longer involved. "You would betray the family?" Murong Xiao glared at Murong Qiushui. Betrayal? I have done enough for the family, and I have lived for the family for the first half of my life. Now, I want to live for myself. "Do you know the consequences of what you are doing? The family will no longer provide you with any resources or assistance, and you will lose your current identity!" Murong Xiao said harshly. He had not expected Murong Qiushui to make such a reckless decision. What charm does Hao Jian have to make Murong Qiushui treat him this way? "I don''t care. Hasn''t Hao Jian also climbed from nothing to his current position? If he can do it, so can I!" Murong Qiushui believed that even without the family''s protection, she could still live well. In a flash, Murong Xiao''s eyes flickered with murderous intent. If Murong Qiushui turned to Hao Jian, it would not be a good thing for the entire Murong Family. At that moment, Murong Qiushui''s heart also chilled. She clearly perceived the change in Murong Xiao''s thoughts, but she still said nothing. Her face remained cold and indifferent, and she did not care even if Murong Xiao wanted to kill her. The triumphant look in Murong Yeyun''s eyes grew denser. He had not expected things to evolve to this extent, but once Murong Qiushui was expelled from the family, he would undoubtedly be the biggest beneficiary. Of course, if Murong Xiao could harden his heart to get rid of Murong Qiushui, that would be even better. However, after giving Murong Qiushui a deep look, Murong Xiao said fiercely, "You may go now!" Ultimately, Murong Xiao did not bring himself to kill her, but Murong Qiushui knew it was not because Murong Xiao had any old affection for her, but because he was concerned about his own parents. If Murong Xiao really harmed her, that would create a rift with his own parents, which is why he chose inaction. Murong Qiushui turned her head and left, without a trace of nostalgia in her eyes. Murong Xiao''s coldness utterly disheartened her. Only after Murong Qiushui had left did Murong Xiao finally snort coldly, "Nonsense!" "Grandfather, I will strive in the future, surpass Murong Qiushui, and will not disappoint you!" Murong Yeyun quickly said, knowing it was the best opportunity to win Murong Xiao''s favor. "With you? You might not catch up to her even in ten years!" Murong Xiao glanced at Murong Yeyun and said disdainfully. The situation had turned out this way largely because of Murong Yeyun. Although Murong Qiushui had left, it did not mean he fully trusted Murong Yeyun, who was inferior to Murong Qiushui in both vision and intellect. Hearing this, Murong Yeyun hastily bowed his head humbly, but his eyes showed a trace of jealousy. Even now, this old man still refused to trust him? Was he really so inferior to Murong Qiushui? "But now we can only treat a dead horse as though it were alive. If you meet my expectations within the anticipated time, then I will agree to pass the position of Family Head to you; otherwise, you will have to leave the Murong Family just like Murong Qiushui!" Murong Xiao said coldly. "Yes!" Hearing this, Murong Yeyun felt no joy but was rather annoyed. Why was it that when Murong Qiushui decided to leave the family, Murong Xiao hindered her at every turn, yet he himself was to be expelled? ....... "How is the situation with Baili Yuntian being handled?" After returning, Hao Jian resumed his plans against Baili Yuntian. "That guy hasn''t suspected a thing, and he has already transferred all the money." Jessica said with a triumphant smile. During the days when Hao Jian was detained, Jessica had already successfully obtained Baili Yuntian''s huge fortune. "Good, now that the money is in hand, there''s no need to continue playing house." Hao Jian sneered and then said to Jessica, "Arrange a meeting with Jessica. It''s time to have a showdown with him!" "Yuntian, where are you going this early in the morning?" At that moment, as Baili Yuntian was in a rush to leave the house, he was stopped halfway by Baili Yang. "I have a very important client who wants to discuss business with me!" Baili Yuntian answered. "By the way, you moved so much money from the company recently, what was it for?" Suddenly, Baili Yang remembered the money Baili Yuntian had shifted out of the company. "I used it for an investment." Baili Yuntian said spiritedly. He hadn''t told Baili Yang about it, hoping to surprise him later, but since Baili Yang asked, he naturally couldn''t keep it hidden. "I met a daughter of a Wall Street business magnate. She said her dad was dealing in oil business, so I bought a share." Baili Yuntian explained. "A fifteen billion investment? Why didn''t you tell me?" Baili Yang said somewhat reproachfully. Fifteen billion was no small sum; Baili Yuntian had taken it for investment without a word. If it had turned out to be a pitfall, they would have suffered a heavy loss. Chapter 619 - 619: The Hat Turned Green "To be exact, it was two billion. I also borrowed money from the bank and some friends. Dad, you don''t know, this is a big project. If we miss it, it''s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Yuntian said with an air of innocence. "What project is it? You haven''t been scammed, have you?" Yang was skeptical. How could such good fortune fall from the sky? "How could I be? Initially, when I wanted to invest, they even snubbed the amount I offered and didn''t let me invest, I had to beg persistently before they finally agreed to let me buy into it, giving me a small share. Dad, we''re talking about a 300% return on investment. Twenty billion in would mean earning back sixty billion. If we make that much for the family, I don''t believe grandpa will ignore us," Yuntian explained, firmly believing that Jessica hadn''t deceived him. But Yang still felt it was too good to be true, asking, "What''s the girl''s name? What''s her father''s name? How did you meet her?" "Her name is Jessica. She accidentally hit my car a while ago. I thought she was pretty and was initially just planning to have a little fun, but it ended up with her inviting me to a meal as an apology. Who knew that at the dinner table she would reveal her identity and her plans to look for partners in Huaxia, and I quickly bought in when I sensed an opportunity. Dad, don''t worry, there''s no way she could deceive me; her family is even wealthier than ours," Yuntian reassured, waving his hands confidently. "Are you sure?" Yang looked at Yuntian doubtfully. It''s no wonder Yang didn''t believe Yuntian; since Yuntian had started working under him, he hadn''t done a single thing to earn Yang''s respect, rather it was always Yang cleaning up his messes. "Don''t worry dad, I know what I''m doing!" Yuntian signalled to Yang not to worry, as he now placed almost blind trust in Jessica. "By the way, dad, would you mind changing daughters-in-law?" Yuntian said with a sly smile, already planning to divorce his current wife and marry Jessica instead, because Jessica could help him much more than his current wife could. Yang was shocked, asking, "You mean..." sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Compared to that hag, Jessica''s family background is much deeper and can help us a lot more. If I marry her, it''s like marrying a goddess of wealth, what do you think, dad?" Yuntian asked, even beginning to brainwash Yang at this point. Listening to Yuntian''s words, Yang too was somewhat tempted, saying, "If she really can bring benefits to our family, then do as you said! You''ve grown up now, you can make some decisions on your own!" Both father and son were of the same ilk, ready to forsake family for profit. "Then I will go see her now," Yuntian said, sporting a sinister smile. "Go ahead, send her my regards!" Upon hearing about Jessica''s extraordinary identity, Yang too began to harbor ulterior motives, agreeing with Yuntian''s decision to abandon his wife and child. When Yuntian arrived at the restaurant excitedly for the appointment, he found that Jessica hadn''t arrived yet, so he casually took a seat. At that moment, Jessica arrived late, apologizing with, "Have you been waiting long? Sorry, I''m late." "It''s no problem; waiting for a beauty is a pleasure," Yuntian quipped, trying his best to display his witty and humorous side. Jessica too played along, covering her mouth with her hand, her smile blooming beautifully, and threw Yuntian a flirtatious glance: "Such sweet talker." Yuntian immediately got carried away, thinking to himself, "This girl definitely has a thing for me!" "Shall we order? What would you like to eat?" Yuntian handed the menu to Jessica with gentlemanly manners. "Hang on, I''m waiting for a friend," Jessica said, her smile turning playful. "A friend? Another partner perhaps?" Yuntian asked, excited at the prospect of meeting other partners so soon. "You''ll know in a bit," Jessica teased, just as a figure appeared at the entrance. "Here! Over here!" Jessica stood up and waved towards the door. Yuntian turned around joyfully, but his face fell the moment he saw who it was. It was none other than Hao Jian! At that moment, the last person Yuntian wanted to see was Hao Jian! Murong Yeyun had set a deadly trap that failed to kill Hao Jian, but instead, Hao Jian insulted him yet again, and Hao Jian''s extraordinary status had since come to light, making him the undisputed top figure in Hua City to be wary of. "Your friend, is it him?" Yuntian pointed at Hao Jian, his expression one of utter shock as he addressed Jessica. "Yes, he''s a good friend of mine!" Jessica responded, seemingly oblivious to Yuntian''s ghost-like expression, still smiling, but intentionally stressing the words "good friend." Seeing this, Yuntian suddenly realized something and a sense of foreboding surged within him. "Yuntian, long time no see," Hao Jian laughed heartily, slapped Yuntian on the shoulder, and then unashamedly took the seat between Yuntian and Jessica. "What do you want? I have no quarrels with you!" Baili Yuntian was so frightened that he hurriedly tried to defend himself, indirectly showing weakness to Hao Jian. "Don''t be nervous, I didn''t plan on doing anything to you, after all, you''re my cash cow," Hao Jian laughed heartily. "Cash cow?" Baili Yuntian was suddenly taken aback, seemingly realizing something, and looked at Hao Jian in astonishment, "What do you mean by that?" "Didn''t you just give me two billion? Aren''t you my cash cow?" Hao Jian chuckled mischievously. "What two billion?" Baili Yuntian quickly caught on, looking at Jessica in shock, "You guys..." Baili Yuntian realized he had been played, Jessica and Hao Jian were in cahoots, and the two billion was exactly the same amount he had given to Jessica. Jessica and Hao Jian said nothing but exchanged a meaningful smile. "You actually dared to deceive me for my money?" Baili Yuntian''s face flushed red with rage, Hao Jian had actually tricked him? Was Jessica''s appearance also a trap set by Hao Jian? "Don''t use the word ''deceive,'' it sounds so harsh. You''ve been troubling me before, and this little punishment is nothing. You should feel lucky I didn''t kill you!" Hao Jian said with a wicked grin. "Didn''t you already beat me up? Why do you still insist on tormenting me?" Baili Yuntian said frustratedly, after having been beaten by Hao Jian, he still wouldn''t let him go? This incident caused his family to lose two billion, how was he going to explain this to his father and grandfather? "Originally, I just thought of beating you up and that would be it, but unfortunately, you unintentionally got involved in another mess, forcing my hand," Hao Jian sighed and then took out a document and placed it in front of Baili Yuntian, "By the way, not only did you have to give me two billion, but you also transferred the securities company you and your father co-own to me." "Are you dreaming? Why would I possibly transfer the securities company to you?" Baili Yuntian sneered, not remembering having done such a thing. "Not? Have you forgotten the investment contract you signed earlier?" Hao Jian said with a wicked grin. "Did you tamper with the contract?" Baili Yuntian was shocked, Hao Jian had tampered with the contract he signed? "Maybe you didn''t notice, but there was a hidden compartment in that contract, and inside this compartment, there was a transfer agreement. That is to say, you''ve already signed the contract," Hao Jian said, tapping on the desk, a relaxed expression on his face. Baili Yuntian was stunned, had he been tricked so much without realizing it? But soon, Baili Yuntian thought of something and scoffed coldly, "You think just having my signature is enough? It''s useless. To transfer the securities company, apart from my signature, you also need my fingerprint and the company seal. Without these two things appearing in the contract, my signature alone has no legal effect." Hao Jian was still too naive, thinking his possessions were so easily taken. It was bad enough that he was cheated out of two billion, but now they also wanted to take away their family''s securities company. Their Baili Securities Company was well-known in Hua City, handling many large securities transactions right there. Just the fees and commissions were enough to fill their coffers to the brim. The securities company was genuinely a juicy piece of meat since his father was the eldest son of the house, his grandfather had entrusted this important business to his father. The value of this company was worth far more than two billion. "The company seal? You mean this?" Hao Jian placed a red seal on the table. "How could it be in your hands? That''s not possible!" Seeing his own seal in Hao Jian''s hands, Baili Yuntian was utterly shocked, wondering how Hao Jian had gotten his seal? He had always kept it in his briefcase. At that moment, Baili Yuntian suddenly remembered how he couldn''t resist Bai Yulan''s seduction the night before and had spent the night at her place. He had brought the seal with him then; could it be that Bai Yulan had stolen his seal? "Exactly, this seal was indeed given to me by your mistress, Bai Yulan!" Seeing Baili Yuntian''s confusion, Hao Jian simply stopped hiding it. Baili Yuntian was at a loss for words. Bai Yulan had betrayed him? When did she get involved with Hao Jian? "Don''t be so surprised, after all, love is ruthless, aren''t you aware of that?" Hao Jian then scattered a bunch of photos on Baili Yuntian''s desk and snickered coldly, "Moreover, you probably don''t know yet, your mistress has been using your money to support a young lover!" Baili Yuntian picked up the photos and instantly felt as if his eyes were about to pop out of his skull, nearly going mad. The woman in the photos was unmistakably Bai Yulan, kissing a young, pretty-faced man. At this moment, Baili Yuntian felt as though his hair had turned green. It was bad enough that Bai Yulan had betrayed him, but to also cuckold him like this? Chapter 620 - 620: Long Time No See "This bitch!" Baili Yuntian roared furiously, and with a sudden smack of the table, his entire face was covered in murderous intent¡ªhad he really been toyed with by a whore? Baili Yuntian dared not direct his anger toward Hao Jian, so he had no choice but to transfer it to Bai Yulan. At this moment, Baili Yuntian stood up, only wanting to immediately go find that bitch Bai Yulan and make her pay for what she had done. "Wait, did I say you could leave?" Hao Jian slowly lifted his head, his gaze lingering on Baili Yuntian. "What else do you want?" Baili Yuntian glared at Hao Jian. Now that Hao Jian had taken his company and money, was he really planning on ruthlessly wiping him out? When the question was raised, Hao Jian immediately became somewhat coy, saying, "The thing is, I''ve only gotten your seal and signature, I haven''t gotten your fingerprint yet, could you give me your fingerprint?" "Hmm?" Baili Yuntian was dumbfounded in no time¡ªwas this guy kidding him? To screw him over and still expect him to cough up the cash, who does that, how shameless could one get? Baili Yuntian didn''t even know how to describe someone like Hao Jian anymore, this was truly without a hint of embarrassment. "Don''t look at me like that, it makes me shy," Hao Jian said as he rubbed his hands together, pretending to be very bashful. "You... Fine!" Baili Yuntian glared viciously at Hao Jian, and then stamped his red fingerprint onto the contract. It wasn''t because he wanted to, but because he knew that if he didn''t, Hao Jian would not let him leave this place. Although Hao Jian''s demeanor was one of embarrassment now, Baili Yuntian knew that this guy wasn''t actually embarrassed in the slightest. "Thank you, you may go now," Hao Jian said, picking up the contract with a satisfied smile. And Baili Yuntian, gritting his teeth, left in a fit of rage, unable to contend with Hao Jian, he could only vent all of his fury onto Bai Yulan. "Let''s go, it''s time to watch the show!" Hao Jian said to Jessica with a smile. Jessica''s expression was somewhat odd, finally, at the moment of harvest, she felt strangely nervous instead. "Bang!" Bai Yulan''s door was kicked open, and a fierce-looking Baili Yuntian charged in. Bai Yulan, upon seeing the seething Baili Yuntian, froze in place, followed by trembling all over, as if stricken by a severe chill. Clearly, Bai Yulan also realized that perhaps her treachery had been exposed, or else Baili Yuntian would not be so enraged. "Yuntian, what''s wrong with you?" Bai Yulan feigned ignorance as she asked, but her heart was very uneasy. "You whore!" Baili Yuntian advanced with a ferocious look on his face and immediately slapped her across the face. "You... Why did you hit me?" Bai Yulan covered her face, her complexion instantly turning deathly pale. Baili Yuntian''s murderous stance terrified her. "You sold me out to Hao Jian, and you still ask why I hit you?" Baili Yuntian laughed ferociously in anger, grabbed Bai Yulan''s hair: "You bitch, I treated you well, and you fucking betray me? Even cuckolded me? I''m not going to let you live, am I?" "How... How did you find out?" Bai Yulan was suddenly horrified, staring blankly at Baili Yuntian. How did Baili Yuntian know? Didn''t Hao Jian promise to keep it a secret? "Hao Jian told me everything, you idiot. Did you really think he would keep your secret? He''s just using you!" Baili Yuntian said viciously, and Bai Yulan''s response was as good as an admission. Bai Yulan was stunned. Hao Jian told Baili Yuntian? Had Hao Jian played her? Bai Yulan couldn''t understand why Hao Jian would do this. Where had she made him unhappy, to make him betray her? "Yuntian, I know I was wrong, I was forced to do it, I had no choice!" Bai Yulan suddenly screamed, kneeling on the ground, sobbing pitifully. She was truly scared because she knew Baili Yuntian''s character. Having betrayed him in such a manner, he certainly wouldn''t let her off. With Baili Yuntian''s resources and background, killing her would be a matter of minutes. "You had no choice? So was cuckolding me also because you had no choice?" Baili Yuntian kicked Bai Yulan away, saying venomously. Even if the betrayal was put aside, just the fact that Bai Yulan had cuckolded him was enough for him to kill her a thousand times over. "...." Bai Yulan was at a loss for words, naturally, it wasn''t because she was forced, but rather her own promiscuity. "What, lost for words now? If you''re speechless, then just die!" Baili Yuntian said ferociously, then picked up a vase from nearby and smashed it against Bai Yulan''s head. Bai Yulan shrieked, collapsing to the ground, blood streaming from her head, her eyes rolling back as she nearly fainted on the spot. "Rest assured, I won''t let you die so easily. You like men, right? I''ll have you gang-raped to death!" Baili Yuntian seethed with venom, at this moment, full of resentment toward Bai Yulan. If not for her, why would he have to be in such a sorry state? Bai Yulan trembled violently, no longer even possessing the courage to beg for mercy, for fear it would provoke an even more violent beating. "Clap clap clap..." Just then, a round of applause came from outside the door, as Hao Jian and Jessica walked in slowly, with Hao Jian smiling and continually clapping his hands, "It seems we haven''t missed a good show!" "Is it you? Did you betray me?" Bai Yulan, upon seeing Hao Jian and Jessica, immediately glared at them furiously, her face revealing deep-seated resentment. If it weren''t for Hao Jian''s betrayal, Baili Yuntian would never have uncovered this secret, and she wouldn''t be in such a miserable state. Hao Jian had promised her that he wouldn''t betray her and that he would give her a sum of money to leave Hua City, but now it seemed like empty words! Hao Jian had deceived her! S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What are you doing here?" Baili Yuntian also glared angrily at Hao Jian, puzzled as to why Hao Jian was still chasing after them. "Watching the show, didn''t I just say that?" Hao Jian pulled open the fridge and took out a bottle of beer for himself, acting as if he was at his own home. "You dare deceive me, you will suffer retribution, you will not die a good death!" Seeing how at ease Hao Jian was, Bai Yulan was immediately filled with dark hatred, cursing nonstop, her fury reaching its peak. "How I die is none of your concern, but I know your death will be a miserable one!" Hao Jian sneered in response. Bai Yulan was taken aback, then began to cry softly, "Why exactly are you doing this to me, what have I ever done to provoke you?" Bai Yulan felt extremely wronged. This was a grudge between Hao Jian and Baili Yuntian; why was she being dragged into it? And even after betraying Baili Yuntian, why did he have to betray her too? "The one you provoked wasn''t me, it was my friend," Hao Jian said indifferently. As he spoke, the flicker in Jessica''s eyes was particularly cold and stern. "Your friend?" Bai Yulan was shocked. When had she ever offended Hao Jian''s friend? "Do you still remember once having a husband?" Hao Jian said, seemingly noticing Bai Yulan''s confusion and stepping in to clarify for her. At his words, Bai Yulan was shaken to the core and instantly recalled the wretch she had once married, exclaiming, "You''re that trash''s friend?" At the mention of the word "trash," both Hao Jian and Jessica couldn''t help revealing a fierce glint in their eyes, and under their glare, Bai Yulan immediately realized she had misspoken and lowered her head in fear. "It seems that even killing you would be letting you off too easy." Hao Jian shook his head, speaking helplessly, as if a person like Bai Yulan deserved a more severe torment. Back when Jessica was still a man, she had loved Bai Yulan so dearly, yet now, to Bai Yulan, she didn''t even deserve a good word and was branded as trash. Bai Yulan clearly harbored no remorse for her past actions, even believing that it was Jessica''s fault. "The ''trash'' you mentioned is right here beside me," Hao Jian said with a sneer. "Beside you?" Bai Yulan was somewhat stunned, but apart from Jessica, a woman, there was no one else beside Hao Jian. Baili Yuntian was also slightly frowning, not quite understanding the meaning of Hao Jian''s words. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, that ''trash'' you mentioned, after being tormented and broken by you, lost faith in women and underwent a transformation into a woman," Hao Jian explained, his expression full of amusement as he savored Bai Yulan''s bewildered look. "What?" Upon hearing this, Bai Yulan immediately realized what was being implied and stared dumbly at Jessica, who was beside Hao Jian. At that moment, Jessica stepped forward and smiled, "That''s right, it''s me." Bai Yulan turned to stone on the spot. Did this mean that the "trash" from back then had come to seek revenge on her? "It''s been a long time, Bai Yulan," said Jessica with a cordial smile, as if reuniting with an old friend after many years. And Baili Yuntian suddenly felt a wave of revulsion; had he actually been sexually interested in a transsexual? Moreover, Jessica had even kissed him? Baili Yuntian felt as though he had been gang-raped by dozens of men, an extremely odd sensation. "It''s you?!" Bai Yulan was utterly shocked, never expecting after all these years to be confronted with revenge. "Do you know? All these years, I''ve thought of you every single moment," Jessica laughed softly, clearly enjoying the astounded expression on Bai Yulan''s face. Seeing Bai Yulan dumb as a wooden chicken, Jessica felt a twisted sense of pleasure. "You want revenge? What right do you have to take revenge on me? Did you really think someone like you could keep me for a lifetime? I''m so beautiful, I deserves mansions and luxury cars. Why should I have to endure a life of hardship with you? You are a loser because you deserve it!" Bai Yulan said viciously, knowing she could not escape her fate today, she chose not to show weakness. ................................. Chapter 621 - 621: Baili Zhan Steps In "You think I''m not good enough for you, so why didn''t you just divorce me? What did you do? You conspired with your lover to disfigure my face, turning me into a monster that''s neither fully human nor inhuman, and then you stripped me of all my assets. In the end, it''s all because of your greed!" Jessica said with a cold laugh. Bai Yulan tried to shift the blame onto her, but in reality, it was all due to Bai Yulan''s excessive greed. The reason Bai Yulan harmed Jessica was that out of greed, she wanted to take all of Jessica''s money, which is why she didn''t go through with the divorce. "So what if that''s true, are you seeking revenge now? Come on, I''m not afraid of you! Look at the ghost you''ve turned into; it''s laughable!" Bai Yulan said with venomous sarcasm in her tone. "Laughable? It seems you''re even more laughable than her now, aren''t you? Although she looks like this now, she''s still prettier than you, isn''t she? And now she''s also found a man who loves her dearly. Although he''s not very wealthy, he loves her, just as she once loved you. The difference is she knows how to cherish that love better than you do," Hao Jian snorted coldly and added, "As for you, I guess you can only dream of being the Young Master Shuishui on the Netherworld Road now." "You two lowlifes, I won''t let you go even if I become a ghost!" Bai Yulan cursed, unloading foul and venomous words from her mouth. The more vicious Bai Yulan''s curses were, the happier Jessica became. She was so excited that she began to cry, laughing somewhat dementedly, "This feeling, it''s just so exhilarating; all these years of waiting weren''t in vain. Oh Bai Yulan, do you know how happy I am to see you like this now?" Following Jessica''s words, there was an even more vile and malicious curse from Bai Yulan. But Jessica was not angry at all, quite the contrary, she was ecstatic, even laughing like a madwoman until she could no longer stand straight. "Bai Yulan, you really should see the look on your face now; to call it a dead end would be more than apt." Bai Yulan no longer spoke but glared at Hao Jian and Jessica with resentment, her voice hoarse from shouting too loudly. Her throat felt as if it had been slashed open, and it burned painfully. "I''m sick of this," Hao Jian said, having had enough of watching the clown''s performance. "Me too," Jessica nodded in agreement, her satisfaction complete, and now all that was left was to watch Bai Yulan sink into despair. Jessica walked over to Bai Yulan and then hugged Bai Yulan''s head. Bai Yulan tried to struggle, but Jessica firmly yanked her hair and slapped her several times until she quieted down. Jessica, ignoring Bai Yulan''s resistance, directly pressed her lips against Bai Yulan, kissing her passionately, while Bai Yulan was resistant. The two women kissing might seem sensual to onlookers, but in the eyes of Baili Yuntian and Hao Jian, there was an added sense of strangeness and bleakness. Baili Yuntian felt the hair on his skin stand on end, experiencing the terror of human nature for the first time. Was this what they called "to love you to your death"? To love each other and to annihilate each other, humans are indeed fascinating creatures. After a long while, Jessica finally released Bai Yulan''s lips and gently stroked Bai Yulan''s face with her delicate fingers, "Farewell, my once cherished love!" Bai Yulan looked at Jessica with a complex expression, breathing heavily because, during that moment, she had actually been moved. Whether it was overly stimulating or because Jessica had become a woman, making it particularly strange, she was indeed moved, feeling a certain itch down below. Jessica turned around and went to Hao Jian''s side. Hao Jian then stood up and cast a glance at Baili Yuntian, "That''s it, then. I won''t disturb the two of you any longer. Goodbye!" Soon, only Baili Yuntian and Bai Yulan were left in the room. Swish! Baili Yuntian turned his head fiercely, staring at Bai Yulan with a vicious look in his eyes. Bai Yulan stiffened instantly: "Yuntian, please don''t! Give me another chance, I''ll help you deal with them!" "It''s all because of you. If it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t have ended up like this, and Hao Jian wouldn''t have come after me time and again!" Baili Yuntian said through clenched teeth, raging like thunder. He now understood that it was because Bai Yulan had offended a friend of Hao Jian''s, so Hao Jian was disposing of Bai Yulan, and simply took the opportunity to toy with him as well. Baili Yuntian was full of regret, wishing he had never provoked Bai Yulan, that vile woman, as it had led to his catastrophic losses. He approached Bai Yulan slowly, then his large hands suddenly seized Bai Yulan by the hair. .... Meanwhile, Hao Jian and Jessica also left Bai Yulan''s residence. Jessica stood in the sunlight, her eyes tightly closed, taking a long breath of relief with a faint smile on her face. Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, she seemed unusually saintly. Only at this moment did she feel truly clean, for she was no longer filled with resentment and darkness. "Feeling empty?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but ask. Jessica shook her head, smiling, "People always say that after revenge comes emptiness, but I don''t quite agree. Before, hatred was like chains, a burden that kept me living in the past, living under the shadow of Bai Yulan, so heavy that I couldn''t breathe. But now, I can finally live for myself, and I''m confident in moving towards a new life!" Hao Jian smiled too, then looked off into the distance because Wang Daxiong was coming over with a concerned look on his face, saying, "Leave Huaxia, find a place where no one knows you, and start a new life!" Jessica turned around, her gaze deeply affectionate as she looked at Hao Jian. "What''s wrong?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. "Nothing, just thinking that the person I love most is still you," Jessica said with a beaming smile. "...." Hao Jian was at a loss for words, completely unable to feel happy about it. "How about I give you one last kiss goodbye? After all, we might never see each other again." Jessica said, moving to embrace Hao Jian. "Fuck off!" Hao Jian shouted in surprise, kicking out fiercely. ........ "You idiot, I asked you before, and you said it was foolproof. And now? Not only did we lose two billion, but we even lost our capital. Aren''t you ashamed?" In the Baili Family, Baili Yang was furiously scolding Baili Yuntian, now having learned the whole story of how Baili Yuntian had been tricked by Hao Jian. Baili Yuntian, too, knew that he couldn''t possibly keep it from Baili Yang, so he had to come forward and clarify. At that moment in the grand hall, uncles of the Baili Family were glaring angrily at Baili Yuntian. The fact that a majority of the securities company''s shares had fallen into Hao Jian''s hands had a significant impact on them, as their own shares were involved as well. The securities company was an important money-making tool for the Baili Family, and now that Hao Jian had taken control, the Baili Family had suffered a great loss of money for no reason, including their interests. How could they not be furious? "Enough with the acting, just tell us now, what should we do?" One of the uncles said discontentedly, believing that Baili Yang''s scolding of Baili Yuntian was all for show. These old foxes couldn''t possibly be fooled by a few words from Baili Yang and his son. Even if Baili Yang wasn''t putting on an act, with such a mess made, Baili Yang and his son were obligated to give an explanation. Those family descendants weren''t concerned about kinship; what mattered to them was their interests. Baili Yang and his son had caused them to suffer such losses for no reason, so it was only right that they offer compensation. "The shares were swindled away by Hao Jian, there''s nothing we can do about it," said Baili Yuntian, his face wrought with embarrassment. He could ask Hao Jian for them back, but would Hao Jian return them? "That''s your problem. Don''t think I don''t know, it''s all because you offended Hao Jian, which is why he''s sincerely against our Baili Family," Baili Yuntian''s younger uncle spoke up. "Exactly, you made the mess, so you have to clean it up. Now that the securities company is in someone else''s hands, we''ll have to bow to others. I want to withdraw my shares; give me this year''s dividends in advance!" declared another paternal uncle. "You... you all are just kicking someone when they''re down!" Baili Yuntian was furious. They had suffered huge losses, and since his shares were the most significant, he bore the brunt of it. His family had lost a big company and twenty billion. And now, when these uncles and brothers were also demanding money from them, it was like they were being driven to the grave. "This trouble was sparked by your household, yet you expect the whole family to share in your misfortune, is that fair?" The uncles, however, were unconvinced. No matter how pitiful Baili Yang and his son acted, they were still obliged to pay up. "Enough, stop arguing!" Just then, a voice steeped in authority and age echoed, silencing everyone present. Suddenly, everyone fell deathly quiet. An elder was sitting at the center of the grand hall, his face aged, his hair gray, holding a dragon-headed cane in his hand, his eyes commanding and intense, making it difficult for one to look him in the eye. This man was the Family Head of the Baili Family, the man who had built the Baili dynasty. His eyes swept over Baili Yuntian and father-son Baili Yang, then settled on a drunken fool not far away: "At this tough time for our family, aren''t you going to step in?" That drunken fool was naturally Baili Zhan. To everyone''s puzzlement, the elder was pinning his hopes on Baili Zhan at such a critical moment. Baili Zhan was nothing but a useless drunkard, what good could he do? But only the old man himself knew what kind of talent Baili Zhan truly was. Seeing this, the second son of the Ye Family was beyond excited. Had his father never given up on his son? But when he saw Baili Zhan still acting carefree, he was also infuriated. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 622 - 622 I Want You Hao Jian''s mother too deeply sighed and said nothing. Upon hearing this, Baili Zhan, who had been tilting his head back to drink, also stopped and squinted his eyes at the old man, "Grandfather, are you joking? I''m just a drunkard, what can I do?" "Yes, Grandfather, he''s just a drunkard. Aside from indulging in eating, drinking, and merrymaking every day, what else can he do? Asking him to get the company back from Hao Jian is completely impossible. If the Baili family relies on a drunkard for support, people will laugh and say that the Baili family has no one else." Baili Yuntian hurriedly spoke, how could he possibly allow Baili Zhan to rise from the ashes. When Baili Zhan had been in his prime, the entire clan had respected him; he was almost predestined to be the future heir of the family. Now, having finally changed the situation in his favor, if he allowed Baili Zhan to regain his old influence, how could he continue to compete with him? It must be said that Baili Yuntian was also a very conceited person. He believed himself to have suppressed Baili Zhan, but in reality, it was because Baili Zhan had become decadent and the family had been left with no other options but to rely on him. So now, with a serious crisis facing the family, the Old Master still believed in Baili Zhan, the drunkard, rather than Baili Yuntian, the useless one. Though a drunkard is of little use, at least he will not be defeated by the useless. "Shut your mouth! Can you even measure his depth?" Old Master Baili huffed coldly and then no longer looked at Baili Yuntian. Baili Yuntian, filled with indignation and shame, dared not lash out. He hung his head, clenched his teeth, and his face was full of resentment. "Baili Zhan, you''ve left the family affairs alone for so many years. I know you''ve felt constrained and I haven''t forced you. But the securities company of the Baili family absolutely cannot be lost. You cannot stand by idly this time!" the Old Master said very seriously. At this moment, Baili Zhan stared straight at his grandfather, those eyes concealed under his fringe gleaming with a cold light. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Nobody in the Baili family dared to look the Old Master in the eye, everyone afraid of his authority, but Baili Zhan was the exception, because he and Old Master Baili were cut from the same cloth! The second son of the Ye family and his wife were extremely anxious, fearing that Baili Zhan would refuse and miss this golden opportunity. "Fine, I got it." Baili Zhan spoke indifferently and then continued drinking. Got it? Everyone was greatly puzzled, what did he mean? Was he going to do it or not? At that moment, Old Master Baili laughed and said to the second son of the Ye family, "Old Second, arrange a family banquet today, and bring me an extra two kilograms of Nu Er Hong." The second son of the Ye family was first taken aback, but then joy spread across his face. He knew that arranging a family banquet must mean something big was happening in the family. His father was always moderate in drinking, never one or two more than the usual daily amount. Now, the fact that he was asking for an extra two kilograms clearly showed that he was in a very good mood. The others exchanged glances¡ªdid Baili Zhan agree? Although they had their doubts, they still chose to believe in Baili Zhan, and no one else spoke out, for the Baili Zhan of the past had indeed been brilliant. At the table, only Baili Yuntian and Baili Yang, father and son, had as ugly looks on their faces as could be. ...... "Daddy, there are lots of uncles and aunties at school who want to get to know you," Tongtong said, seated on Hao Jian''s lap, in her childlike voice. Before he knew it, Tongtong was already seven years old and had reached the age to start primary school. "Get to know me? Why?" Hao Jian asked with a mix of laughter and helplessness. "I don''t know, they just want to get to know you. Here are their business cards; they also bought me lots of yummy food," Tongtong handed over a handful of business cards to Hao Jian, her small hand unable to grip them all. Hao Jian took the cards and realized there were people from all walks of life; some business managers, some chairmen, and private enterprise owners. Hao Jian gave a bitter smile¡ªthis must be ''when the tree is big, the wind blows harder''. His identity was no longer a secret, and these people were coming one after another to fawn over him, even resorting to seeking out Tongtong. But Hao Jian didn''t regard it as a good thing. "Did Tongtong eat any?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "No, Tongtong is a good girl. Mom said we shouldn''t just eat anything given by strangers, so I didn''t take them," Tongtong said quickly, shaking her head, a look of ''please praise me, I''ve been good'' on her face. "Yes indeed, my precious daughter is the best!" Hao Jian was delighted, hugging Tongtong and rubbing his face against her cheek. Hao Jian loved to tease Tongtong like this because the little girl''s cheeks were as smooth as a peeled egg, and it felt very comfortable to rub against them. "Tongtong doesn''t want it, Daddy is bad, always pricking Tongtong with his stubble," complained Tongtong with a look of grievance. Hao Jian, however, was amused by her appearance and laughed heartily. Ruo Lan, cooking in the kitchen, couldn''t help but reveal a gentle smile at the scene. After playing around with Tongtong for a while, Hao Jian moved to the kitchen, where he said to Wen Lan, "I''m thinking of hiring a few bodyguards for Tongtong." "Ah? Why?" Ruo Lan stared at Hao Jian in a daze. Hao Jian gave a wry smile: "Because the tree that stands tall attracts the wind. Many people now know that Tongtong is my goddaughter, and I worry my enemies might harm her." Upon hearing this, Ruo Lan hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Then you decide." She also knew that Hao Jian was no ordinary person, with many enemies outside, so his actions were also for the safety of Tongtong. "Daddy, there''s a weird uncle at home!" At this moment, Tongtong''s slightly tearful voice came suddenly from the living room. Hao Jian and Ruo Lan hurried out, only to see a disheveled-looking man standing in their living room, reeking of strong alcohol. "Uncle, I''ll give you money, please don''t take me away, okay?" Tongtong pleaded with tear-filled eyes, handing a few coins to the drunk man. Baili Zhan was embarrassingly humiliated, was he actually being despised by a child? Seeing Baili Zhan''s arrival, Hao Jian couldn''t help but laugh, apparently not surprised. He picked up Tongtong and said, "Tongtong be good, he''s not a weird uncle, he''s Daddy''s friend, go inside with Mommy." Afterward, Hao Jian then turned his head and reproached Baili Zhan, "If you intended to visit, couldn''t you dress more appropriately?" Hao Jian was speechless with Baili Zhan, the guy clearly wasn''t short on money, so why did he have to dress like a homeless person? "Can''t help it, that''s just me." Baili Zhan shrugged, unfazed by the comment. "Take a seat!" Hao Jian gestured for Baili Zhan to sit down, before asking, "You came for that securities company, didn''t you?" "Yes! What will it take for you to return the securities company to us?" Baili Zhan didn''t hide his intentions, being straightforward. "That depends on how much you''re willing to pay!" Hao Jian said. "How much do you think is appropriate?" Baili Zhan knew Hao Jian wouldn''t just easily hand over the securities company, he was prepared to be fleeced. "Not much, just this much!" Hao Jian held up a single finger. "One hundred billion?" Baili Zhan frowned, it was a sizeable amount, but he had anticipated it; knowing Hao Jian''s character, he was bound to ask for the lion''s share. "What one hundred billion, it''s one trillion!" Hao Jian rolled his eyes. As it turned out, Baili Zhan still didn''t understand Hao Jian well enough. "Damn it, why don''t you just rob us?" Baili Zhan couldn''t help but curse, one trillion? Even selling off the entire Baili Family might not raise that much money. An already exaggerated one hundred billion turned into one trillion thanks to Hao Jian, this isn''t just the lion''s share, this is whale-sized, all right? "I''ve already robbed once, haven''t I? How else would I have gotten that securities company?" Hao Jian smirked, indifferent. "Can we agree on some other terms? That''s too much money, we can''t afford it." Baili Zhan said with a stern face, finding Hao Jian more shameless than expected, making such a justified statement after robbing someone''s property was truly speechless. "Fine, then how about you!" Hao Jian pointed at Baili Zhan. "Me?" Baili Zhan asked in confusion, thinking he had heard wrong. What did Hao Jian want from him? "Yes, you!" Hao Jian nodded affirmatively. Then, Baili Zhan''s expression turned weird, shaking his head, he said, "Uncle, let''s not do this!" "Huh?" Hao Jian was also taken aback, then realized what he meant and angrily retorted, "Damn it, I''m not into that sort of thing!" "Then what do you want me for?" Baili Zhan was puzzled. If Hao Jian didn''t swing that way, why did he need him? Hao Jian rolled his eyes and said, "I want your service, understand?" Immediately, Baili Zhan frowned deeply, unable to speak for a long while. Was Hao Jian trying to exchange the securities company for his loyalty? Had Hao Jian been planning this all along, thus deliberately setting up Baili Yuntian? Because Hao Jian proposed this demand without hesitation, it was clearly premeditated. "Are you joking? I am just a drunkard, don''t you know what people say about me? How could I possibly help you?" Baili Zhan retorted with interest. Why did Hao Jian want a drunkard''s loyalty? I know, but I don''t believe it," Hao Jian shook his head and said, "Someone who dares to mess with the Bai Family''s young miss, I don''t think he''s ordinary." Huh?" Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. Baili Zhan''s cold eyes glared furiously, a streak of fierceness crossed his brow, a killing intent looming as he stared at Hao Jian. "Have you been investigating me?" This was a heartbreaking memory he didn''t want to revisit. He had fallen for a woman whose status was far above his own and was deeply hurt as a result, never recovering from the blow. The Bai Family, one of the four prominent families, was naturally much more powerful than the Baili Family, not just by a little. Although the Baili Family was a local force in Hua City, to the Bai Family, they were just locals from a small place, hardly catching their eye. Under such circumstances, how could the Bai Family allow their treasured daughter to marry a local commoner? So, quite naturally, the star-crossed lovers were forcibly separated, and afterward, Baili Zhan was in low spirits, drowning his sorrows in alcohol every day. Chapter 623 - 623: Sweeping Through Hua City You could tell just how deeply Baili Zhan had been affected by this. But aside from a few members of the Baili Family, outsiders were completely unaware of this affair. After all, it wasn''t something to boast about. The Baili Family, being one of the prominent families in Hua City, had been looked down upon, and even the future Family Head had been warned; it was an incredibly humiliating matter. What Baili Zhan hadn''t expected was that Hao Jian had secretly investigated him and unearthed the most shameful incident of his life. So now Baili Zhan felt humiliated and was very angry! "Please, you''re part of the Baili Family, and you could become my enemy in the future, so shouldn''t I have done my homework first?" Hao Jian said unconcernedly. "I won''t work for you!" Baili Zhan retorted coldly, and then he stood up, ready to leave. "It seems you really are useless!" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "What did you say?" Baili Zhan turned around, his gaze icy as he stared at Hao Jian. "It seems the Bai Family had a reason for looking down on you," Hao Jian mocked, completely unafraid of Baili Zhan''s frosty look. "A man whose woman has been taken away doesn''t dare to utter a sound, spending his days drowning his sorrows in alcohol and playing the pity card¡ªno woman would be interested in such a man." "What the hell do you know, and who do you think you are?" Baili Zhan was livid, as if he wanted to tear Hao Jian limb from limb. Hao Jian, who knew nothing, was criticizing the whole situation, and this infuriated him. "I don''t know much, but I know what a man should be like!" Hao Jian said with a sneer. "And the way you are now, you''re not fit to be called a man!" "Do you think by saying that, I''ll agree to work for you?" Baili Zhan snorted. What was Hao Jian trying to do? Play the saint and give him a wake-up call? "You''re wrong. I''m doing this only because I respect you, and whether or not you serve me, I don''t care at all. But since you seem content to go on like this for life, it doesn''t matter. There''s the door; you can leave!" Hao Jian said emotionlessly. As things stood, if Baili Zhan understood, then he would surely get it, and if he didn''t, he never would. But having said that, Baili Zhan became somewhat hesitant. No one likes to be stepped on, and Baili Zhan was no exception. "If I follow you, can you help me reclaim my dignity?" Baili Zhan fixed his gaze on Hao Jian intently. "I won''t make such a promise to you. Nothing in this world is absolute, but we can try," Hao Jian admitted frankly. He would not guarantee Baili Zhan success because the more mature know better than to make promises lightly, as no one knows what the future may hold. Baili Zhan''s gaze flickered, seemingly hesitant. After a while, Baili Zhan finally seemed to make up his mind and spread out his palm towards Hao Jian: "Give me back the company." Seeing this, Hao Jian knew that Baili Zhan had agreed to submit. Hao Jian handed over the contract to Baili Zhan and said with a smile, "Welcome to the Hao Jian Alliance!" "That name is really ugly!" Baili Zhan rolled his eyes. The Hao Jian Alliance¡ªwhat would others think of him? After Baili Zhan had left, Ruo Lan slowly appeared, saying, "Is it worth exchanging a company worth a hundred billion for one person?" Clearly, she had also overheard the conversation between Baili Zhan and Hao Jian. In her view, Hao Jian was really going all out. Hao Jian shook his head: "In the twenty-first century, what''s the most valuable? Talent is the most valuable. Buying such a talent for a hundred billion isn''t too much, because the profit he can bring me in the future will surely exceed a hundred billion." "Moreover, we should look further ahead. If even the future heir of the Baili Family has become my man, doesn''t that mean the Baili Family is as good as mine?" Upon hearing this, Ruo Lan remained silent for a long time, staring at Hao Jian before finally speaking, "You''re becoming more and more like a cunning businessman." Hao Jian touched his nose and then said with feigned annoyance, "You''re so annoying!" S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "..." ....... Late at night, at the top floor of Shu Ya Group, Hao Jian, Li He, Yu Ou, Kong Xiaozhen, and Baili Zhan were all present. There were a few tables set up, with drinks and desserts laid out. Today, this place was reserved exclusively for their use, and the five of them clinked glasses, with the alcohol flowing freely after a few rounds. "Who would have thought that even a legendary failure like you could be persuaded to come out of hiding," Kong Xiaozhen said, looking at Baili Zhan with a puzzled expression on his face. "A good bird chooses a good tree to nest in," Baili Zhan replied lightly after sipping his drink. Today''s Baili Zhan seemed a little different, abandoning his usual dispirited appearance. He wore a simple suit, and his hair was much shorter than before, no longer messy as it had once been. "Today, I''ve gathered you all here for two reasons. One is to let you all get to know each other, and the other," said Hao Jian, "is to inform you that starting from today, we are officially taking over Hua City." "But isn''t Hua City already in your hands?" Kong Xiaozhen asked, puzzled. Hao Jian gave a strange smile and said, "Not really, not unless we sweep out all the influence of the four great families from Hua City. Only then will it truly count!" Hearing this, Baili Zhan and the people with Kong Xiaozhen all looked at each other, their faces showing mutual astonishment. Was Hao Jian planning to make a move on the four great families? "My territory," Hao Jian said with a slight smile, "absolutely cannot allow the claws of the four great families to extend into it. Only then can I ensure that Hua City is completely under my control." He intended to make Hua City a blind spot for the four great families, a place their sight couldn''t reach. Kong Xiaozhen immediately understood and hurriedly clasped his hands, saying, "Ready to serve you, boss!" Immediately after, Hao Jian turned his gaze to Baili Zhan, who responded, "I will cooperate." "Then, let''s start with He Corporation!" Hao Jian scoffed. He Changhuan used to be Ye Wenying''s lapdog, attempting to harm those close to Hao Jian. This incident had stuck in Hao Jian''s mind, and naturally, he would make He Corporation his primary target. In the following days, Hao Jian, together with Baili Zhan and others, joined forces to suppress He Corporation in the business arena. Additionally, some of He Corporation''s underground businesses that shouldn''t have come to light were dug out. As a capitalist family, they certainly had their fair share of skeletons in the closet. Once brought to light, the damage was immense. For a time, the stocks of He Corporation started to fall, and in just a few days, they suffered a loss exceeding two billion. During this period, the high-ranking executives of He Corporation were in a precarious position, anxious and alarmed, knowing that Hao Jian sought to eliminate them and put an end to possible future problems. As a result, they sought help from the Ye Family, but given Hao Jian''s current influence and the fact that he was at the peak of his power, the Ye Family didn''t dare to oppose him at this time. They had no choice but to abandon He Corporation as their pawn. The He Family found themselves isolated and without support, quickly approaching a state of disintegration. Some even took the initiative to defect to Hao Jian, hoping only to be spared by him. Once the situation had been settled, Hao Jian handed over all matters to Baili Zhan and Kong Xiaozhen, believing that with their abilities, eliminating the He Family would not be difficult. Today, with nothing particular to do, Hao Jian decided to visit the Chinese Medicine Hospital. The main reason was that Du Yuelin had been pushing him too hard, as he hadn''t taught at the school for a long time. Carrying his teaching materials, Hao Jian stepped out of his car and was about to enter the campus when he noticed a familiar figure not far from the school gate. Black hair cascading down like a waterfall, dressed in white garments purer than snow, with smooth, delicate skin and a graceful appearance¡ªit was Qin Bing. Qin Bing had once again become her former self, her face as cold as frost, exuding a chilly demeanor. Her eyes devoid of any sparkle, veiled by a hazy mist, she appeared utterly indifferent. True to her name, she was like an iceberg. At that moment, Hao Jian saw a young man in a luxurious suit stepping out of a Mercedes-Benz not far away, holding a large bouquet of roses and walking slowly towards Qin Bing. The passersby who witnessed this scene all cast strange glances his way, obviously surprised and at the same time, envious. Successful individuals, no matter where they go, always attract envious and admiring gazes, which is why such people become increasingly confident, as they stand at the top of the food chain. "Qin Bing, do you have classes this afternoon? If not, I would like to invite you for afternoon tea, is that okay?" The young talent spoke up, his face adorned with a gentle smile, exuding grace and poise. Clearly, this was yet another one of Qin Bing''s suitors. "Gao Shanrong, I think I''ve made myself quite clear. I''m not interested in you," Qin Bing said, her face expressionless. She was fed up with Gao Shanrong''s repeated harassments. Moreover, Qin Bing had told Gao Shanrong long ago that she would never take a liking to him. Gao Shanrong, the brother of a student, had seen Qin Bing by chance and had been smitten with her from that point on, launching an aggressive pursuit, repeatedly asking her out to dinner. Qin Bing was no fool, and she knew perfectly well what Gao Shanrong was after. Therefore, after two or three invitations, she refused to accept any more from him. But to her surprise, Gao Shanrong still had the audacity to come looking for her at the school. Hearing her words, Gao Shanrong''s face showed embarrassment, but he still brazenly explained, "I just genuinely want to invite you for a simple meal, nothing more." "Gao Shanrong, no boy invites a girl out for dinner without an ulterior motive," Qin Bing stated unequivocally, not naive enough to believe such words. "And for a simple meal, is there a need to bring roses? Don''t you know what it means to give a girl roses?" "Qin Bing, don''t be so cold, I really do like you..." Gao Shanrong put on a look of earnest affection. The women he had wooed in the past had all fallen easily into his lap, but this woman, Qin Bing, remained indifferent no matter what he did, never sparing him a glance. This infuriated Gao Shanrong. He refused to believe there was a woman he, Gao Shanrong, couldn''t charm. "No need to say more. From now on, don''t come looking for me at the school!" Qin Bing''s tone was still as detached and unfeeling as ever. She then bypassed Gao Shanrong and walked away into the distance. Chapter 624 - 624 Capricious Woman And the onlookers couldn''t help but let out a gasp of surprise, seemingly not expecting Qin Bing to actually reject Gao Shanrong''s invitation. Such a tall, wealthy, and handsome man is what many girls dream of, yet Qin Bing found him lacking? Yet Gao Shanrong was also trembling with rage, his face covered in darkness as he glared at the back of Qin Bing, his eyes filled with resentment. Just at that moment, Qin Bing caught sight of Hao Jian and couldn''t help but freeze on the spot. She hadn''t anticipated that Hao Jian would return to teaching that day and simply stood there, stunned. Hao Jian also wore a bitter smile; the two of them were finally face to face. It was no longer possible for him to pretend not to know her at this moment, so he could only give a dry laugh and wave at Qin Bing. But at this time, Qin Bing''s face was cold as she turned her head away and walked towards Gao Shanrong, "You just said you wanted to treat me to a meal, right?" "Yes, have you agreed?" Gao Shanrong was overjoyed, not expecting Qin Bing to suddenly have a change of heart. "Yes, I''ve agreed. Lead the way," Qin Bing said expressionlessly, like an iceberg. Gao Shanrong quickly opened the car door for Qin Bing, who then got straight in. But as the car door was about to close, a hand blocked it. "Who are you?" Gao Shanrong glared at Hao Jian, annoyed, not understanding where this guy had come from or what he was trying to do. But Hao Jian ignored him, staring straight at Qin Bing, "I know you''re still mad at me, but if you''re agreeing to the invitation of someone with ulterior motives just for that reason, you''ll be the one to regret it." Hao Jian naturally understood why Qin Bing, who had previously rejected Gao Shanrong, suddenly changed her mind. "Who are you calling ulterior? Who the hell are you to say that about me?" Gao Shanrong immediately flew into a rage, wondering where this guy had popped up from. He knew that Hao Jian was referring to him as the one with ulterior motives, and he felt uncomfortable being called out like that by Hao Jian. Although he did harbor ill intentions, he didn''t want others to know it. Gao Shanrong sized up Hao Jian and, seeing how ordinarily Hao Jian was dressed, his face immediately showed a sneer. Such a pauper dares to meddle in his affairs; he must be tired of living. "Qin Bing, who is this person?" Gao Shanrong couldn''t help but ask Qin Bing, seeing that the relationship between Hao Jian and Qin Bing was unusual, possibly that of boyfriend and girlfriend? "An insignificant person," Qin Bing replied coldly, without even glancing at Hao Jian. Hearing this, Gao Shanrong was almost certain that Hao Jian must be Qin Bing''s boyfriend; they were just having a lovers'' quarrel, and Qin Bing didn''t want to deal with him. He finally understood why Qin Bing had suddenly come around: she wanted to anger Hao Jian. Thinking this, Gao Shanrong''s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. However, while he was annoyed, he also felt fortunate because this gave him the perfect opportunity. Now that Qin Bing and Hao Jian were at odds, the best thing for him would be to move in while the gap was wide, comforting Qin Bing a bit and belittling Hao Jian a bit, and maybe she would willingly fall into his arms. "Do you really want to do this?" Hao Jian said, managing a wry smile. "Who are you? What right do you have to meddle in my affairs?" Qin Bing was also beginning to lose patience, glaring at Hao Jian. What right did Hao Jian have to lecture her? When she had treated him as a friend, he indeed had that right, but now that their relationship had ended, she naturally wouldn''t care about Hao Jian''s words. From Qin Bing''s tone, one could clearly detect a hint of resentment. "This is just a piece of advice from a friend," Hao Jian sighed. Qin Bing''s excessively proud nature would eventually lead to her harm. "You are not my friend!" Qin Bing retorted with a cold laugh. She had once considered Hao Jian a friend, but after he had deceived her, she no longer trusted him. "Can we go now?" Qin Bing turned to Gao Shanrong, no longer wanting to converse with Hao Jian. "Move aside. If you dare to harass her again, don''t blame me for being rude to you!" Gao Shanrong said coldly, looking very haughty now that Qin Bing had chosen him over Hao Jian. "You shouldn''t do this," Hao Jian said with a deep look at Qin Bing. If she went out with Gao Shanrong that evening, something regrettable was bound to happen. Just now, Qin Bing''s back was turned to Gao Shanrong, so she didn''t see the malice on his face, but Hao Jian had seen it. This guy was up to no good! "It''s none of your business!" Qin Bing snapped back petulantly, completely disregarding Hao Jian''s warning. "Kid, are you deaf? Didn''t you hear me when I said to get lost?" Gao Shanrong was thoroughly enraged, as Hao Jian dared to treat him as if he didn''t exist. He reached out to grab Hao Jian by the collar, but Hao Jian was quicker. He delivered a slap directly to Gao Shanrong''s face, knocking him to the ground. "You... you dare hit me?" Gao Shanrong covered his face, shocked and furious, glowering at Hao Jian as if he wanted to tear him apart. "I wasn''t talking to you, so please kindly shut your trap," Hao Jian said with an icy tone. "I''ll never let you off the hook for hitting me; I swear I''ll make your life a misery!" roared Gao Shanrong, having decided to gather his gang afterward and make Hao Jian pay dearly! He had always been the one bulling others; when had anyone dared to bully him? He was determined to make Hao Jian suffer! "Enough!" At that moment, Qin Bing sharply interrupted, then angrily glared at Hao Jian, "Hao Jian, I don''t need you meddling in my affairs. You hurt my friend, and you must apologize to him!" "You''d rather be friends with such scum than listen to a word of my advice?" Hao Jian sneered, finding Qin Bing''s outrage utterly unreasonable. "He''s scum? And what are you? You con artist, you freak!" Qin Bing shot back mercilessly, threatening Hao Jian, "Now get lost, or I''ll call the cops! I don''t need you dealing with my problems!" Hao Jian''s expression stiffened, and then he let out a bizarre laugh, shaking his head as he backed away. Clearly wounded by Qin Bing''s capriciousness, he felt a chill in his heart at that moment. Upon seeing Hao Jian retreat in humiliation and a childish sense of satisfaction appearing on Qin Bing''s face she turned to Gao Shanrong, "Gao Shanrong, let''s go!" "Hmph, loser!" Gao Shanrong looked down on Hao Jian with contempt, adopting the posture of a victor as he walked toward the car. "If you dare to hurt her, I promise you''ll regret ever living on this earth!" Hao Jian warned with a grimace on his face. But Gao Shanrong responded with a scornful laugh; the idea that Hao Jian had the gall to threaten him was ridiculous. He planned to investigate Hao Jian''s background as soon as he turned around and ensure his demise. Then Gao Shanrong drove off with Qin Bing in a luxury car, leaving Hao Jian standing there with a fluctuating expression. "That ice beauty isn''t very smart, huh." Just then, a lazy voice came from not far away. Che Xiaoxiao slowly walked over, a bag of snacks in hand, standing beside Hao Jian and watching the direction of the departing car. "You saw all that?" Hao Jian asked with a bitter smile. "Yeah, saw the whole thing. That guy obviously has his sights set on the ice beauty," shrugged Che Xiaoxiao, as she shoved a chip into her mouth, "But it''s their business, isn''t it? You can''t really do anything about it, can you?" "Right, but she''s my friend, and I don''t want to see her get hurt," sighed Hao Jian. "You want to help her, but she doesn''t want your help. People only realize who truly cares about them after they''ve been hurt. Stop sticking your nose where it doesn''t belong. Maybe the ice beauty isn''t that averse to that guy. Maybe she likes him too. You''re not her; how would you know? I''d advise you not to be too full of yourself," Che Xiaoxiao cautioned him. Hao Jian nodded, saying, "Maybe there''s some truth to that." "Don''t you have classes today?" Hao Jian wondered aloud. It was class time, so why was Che Xiaoxiao out and about? "I do, but I was hungry, so I skipped class to get something to eat," replied Che Xiaoxiao with a shrug. "Eating that much? What are you, a pig?" Hao Jian said, amazed, looking at the bag of snacks almost as big as Che Xiaoxiao herself. "I''m growing," Che Xiaoxiao said, unabashed. "Growing? You think I''m an idiot? You''re in your twenties and still growing?" Hao Jian burst into laughter, then grabbed a handful of flesh on Che Xiaoxiao''s stomach, exclaiming, "Look at you, what a porker!" "Let go, let go! Hao Jian, you bastard!" Che Xiaoxiao was fuming. She was well aware that she had put on a significant amount of weight recently, and her natural baby face made her slight overweightness all the more pronounced. Being overweight didn''t mean that she appreciated being told so, especially not with Hao Jian grabbing at her like that. Che Xiaoxiao could have killed Hao Jian right then; his teasing was too much. As Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao entered the school, they saw two groups in a face-off on the sports field. One group was led by Luo Tong, while the other consisted of Western faces with a blond man at the head. Seeing the blond man, Hao Jian couldn''t help but be surprised, "Benjamin, what''s he doing back in Huaxia?" Hao Jian was taken aback because after losing a game of chess to him, Benjamin had left Huaxia for good. They hadn''t crossed paths since, and Hao Jian hadn''t expected to see him again. Hao Jian felt unexpectedly surprised by Benjamin''s sudden visit. "Little Yellow Hair is here to stir trouble again, wasn''t the lesson we gave him last time enough?" Che Xiaoxiao complained, crunching on her chips and muttering indistinctly. Bennjamin had come directly into conflict with her classmates, clearly looking for a fight. "Let''s go and have a look," Hao Jian said, his face breaking into a cold smile. With all the anger he had nowhere to vent, Benjamin''s appearance was very timely indeed. ............... sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 625 - 625: Rugby Challenge "What''s wrong?" Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao walked over and asked Luo Tong. "This blonde wasn''t satisfied with losing last time, so he wants to challenge us to another rugby match. Damn it, we don''t even know how to play rugby; he''s clearly just bullying us!" Luo Tong said, annoyed. "Why not just refuse to play? What''s there to be angry about?" Hao Jian said unconcernedly. Just because Benjamin wants to play something, do we have to go along with it? "We don''t want to bother with him either, but that bastard Qiu Chenggong has already spread the word, claiming we could surely beat Benjamin and his team. Now, even if we wanted to refuse, we can''t," said Luo Tong, resigned. Hearing this, Hao Jian frowned as well. Was Qiu Chenggong also causing trouble? And worse yet, teaming up with Benjamin and the other foreigners to bully their own people? "I think Qiu Chenggong is targeting you out of spite, so he''s intentionally causing you trouble," Che Xiaoxiao said. "Since Luo Tong and the others are your students, if they lose to Benjamin''s team, for whatever reason, Minister Cao will start to doubt your abilities. Even if he doesn''t doubt you, he''ll certainly think less of you than he previously did. By then, he might just hand the Business School back to him." Hearing this, Hao Jian snorted coldly. "The Huaxia of today is no longer the same place where people only bully their own. But treacherous scum like Qiu Chenggong, who only looks out for their interests, are still endless pests to be eradicated!" "Teacher, what do we do now? We don''t know the first thing about rugby. If we compete against Benjamin''s team, we''re sure to lose," Luo Tong and the others said nervously. They didn''t want to be humiliated, but Qiu Chenggong had already agreed to the match. The outside world believed they could play rugby, and now, backing out would look like cowardice, which would be even more embarrassing than losing the match. "It''s only a game of rugby, what''s the big deal!" Hao Jian scoffed, then strode towards Benjamin and his group. Luo Tong and the others, puzzled by Hao Jian''s confidence, followed him. "What, did you not lose badly enough last time that you dare to show up again?" Hao Jian stood before Benjamin, mocking him with his question. Benjamin snorted coldly, "This time, I''m going to ensure that your Chinese Medicine Hospital loses all face!" "Just you?" Hao Jian''s tone was mocking and disdainful as he glanced at the big guys behind Benjamin. "You think just because you''ve gathered a bunch of losers, you can run rampant in Huaxia? How naive." "So, you''re agreeing to a match with us?" Benjamin caught the hint in Hao Jian''s words. This guy agreed to compete against them? "One week, one week is all I need to train them to not just beat, but crush your elite rugby team!" Hao Jian raised a finger, full of confidence. Hearing this, Luo Tong and the rest were dumbstruck. One week? How could they possibly win against these guys in such a short time? "One week? Aren''t you being a bit overconfident?" Benjamin laughed, then pointed at the rugby players behind him. "These are our school''s most elite players. Each one of them has been playing rugby for over five years and has won our American University football championship. Your guys, who have never even touched a rugby ball¡ªnot in a week, not even in a year¡ªcould not possibly win against them!" Upon hearing Benjamin insult them as useless, Luo Tong and the others couldn''t help but get angry. "I love seeing you full of confidence, only to end up beaten like dogs. Have you forgotten what happened before? You couldn''t win a basketball game even by bribing the referee. What tricks are you planning to use this time?" Hao Jian jeered. At these words, Benjamin''s face turned bright red, clearly embarrassed by the memory. Using dirty tricks and still losing was a major humiliation. "Since you''re so confident, I''ll give you one week. After that, I''ll see to it that you''re utterly defeated!" Benjamin snorted. Hao Jian laughed heartily, "Last time you lost and ended up kneeling publicly. I just wonder what the price will be if you lose again." "Then I''ll publicly declare that your Chinese Medicine Hospital is even better than Harvard University!" Benjamin said mockingly, believing there was no way Hao Jian could win. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Our Chinese Medicine Hospital is already better than Harvard University, as proven last time. So your recognition means nothing to me," Hao Jian said with a dismissive smirk. "Here''s what we''ll do: if you lose again, your team has to strip naked and run around the nearest subway station," Hao Jian joked. "You want to humiliate Harvard University?" Benjamin instantly understood Hao Jian''s intent. They were brilliant Harvard students, yet running naked would make a mockery of their esteemed institution if word got out. "Heh, aren''t you also trying to humiliate our Chinese Medicine Hospital?" Hao Jian scoffed. He was simply doing to Benjamin what Benjamin intended to do to them. "Fine, I agree!" Benjamin said sternly, sure that Hao Jian and his team couldn''t possibly win. Agreeing to such terms seemed inconsequential. One week, to turn a group of novices into rugby experts, was a fool''s dream. Immediately, Benjamin laughed heartily and left with his group. "Teacher, we really don''t know the first thing about rugby, and you agreed to their request so quickly. We''re bound to lose," Luo Tong lamented. "Yeah, teacher, we only have one week to prepare. There''s no way we can win," Zhang Jia said with a bitter face. Weren''t they just being set up for a fall? "What''s the hurry? Don''t you still have me? Didn''t I help you win the last game?" Hao Jian said. Even though he spoke confidently, Luo Tong and the others looked anxious. They had won before because they understood basketball. They could respond to what Hao Jian advised, but rugby was completely foreign to them. Now, with only one week to learn, how could they possibly master it? ...... Afterward, Hao Jian headed to Du Yuelin''s office with Che Xiaoxiao. Just as they reached the door, they heard Du Yuelin quarreling with Qiu Chenggong inside. "Who gave you permission to agree to this match? Don''t you know that my students don''t have a clue about rugby? You did this on purpose to make my Chinese Medicine Hospital look bad!" Du Yuelin said furiously. "The Chinese Medicine Hospital and the Business School have merged. As the vice-chancellor of both, I certainly have the right to agree to this match. And how was I to know you didn''t understand rugby? Seeing how well you played basketball last time, I thought you might also be good at rugby," Qiu Chenggong taunted, his face shamelessly smug. "Didn''t know? Do you think this is America? How many schools have a rugby field? And if you didn''t know, couldn''t you have asked me?" Du Yuelin was beside himself with frustration. He knew full well that Qiu Chenggong was doing this deliberately. They had already agreed to play against Harvard University, and they were bound to lose miserably. "At your age, you''d bring shame upon our nation just to regain control of the Business School¡ªare you living like a dog?" "Du Yuelin, you need to have evidence for your claims. Do you have proof that I''m intentionally sabotaging your Chinese Medicine Hospital? I don''t think so," Qiu Chenggong stated smugly, appearing utterly unconcerned. He knew Du Yuelin had no evidence. As long as Du Yuelin couldn''t produce any proof, he couldn''t touch him. "You traitor!" Du Yuelin wished he could give Qiu Chenggong a good beating. "Watch your words or else I could sue you for defamation!" Qiu Chenggong chuckled, his face relaxed and pleased. The angrier Du Yuelin got, the happier he became. "You!" Overwhelmed with anger and helplessness, Du Yuelin stared at Qiu Chenggong''s thick skin. Just then, Hao Jian pushed the door open and came in, chuckling, "Looks pretty lively in here." Seeing Hao Jian, Qiu Chenggong''s expression stiffened. He could ignore Du Yuelin, but he couldn''t afford to treat Hao Jian lightly. In Qiu Chenggong''s mind, Hao Jian was far more frightening than Du Yuelin. Turning to face Qiu Chenggong, Hao Jian said with a chuckle, "Being so arrogant as a traitor to the country¡ªI guess you''re the first of your kind, aren''t you?" "What proof do you have to accuse me of treason? Bring your evidence!" Qiu Chenggong snorted, rebuking sternly, "Don''t think just because you put on a show in front of Minister Cao that you can act high and mighty. Let me tell you, I''m not buying it! Once this game is over, I want to see how your Chinese Medicine Hospital explains to the minister!" "You probably think I wouldn''t dare hit you, huh?" Hao Jian stared at Qiu Chenggong with a smile, "In the Chinese Medicine Hospital, many people know I have a quite a temper. Is it really a good idea to provoke me like this?" "You wouldn''t dare hit me? I''m a vice-chancellor!" Qiu Chenggong glared, but he felt a bit shaky on the inside, unsure if this young man might actually strike him. This guy was always reckless. Slap! A resounding slap landed on Qiu Chenggong''s face, sending him spinning until he collapsed onto the office desk. Qiu Chenggong was utterly dumbfounded. Hao Jian had actually dared to hit him? Che Xiaoxiao and Du Yuelin were not particularly surprised, for they both knew Hao Jian would certainly hit him; anything else just wouldn''t be like Hao Jian. "You dared to hit me?" Qiu Chenggong looked at Hao Jian in astonishment. "Me? I''m the kind of person who resolves things with action rather than blabbering on," Hao Jian said with a cold sneer. "Just you wait, I won''t let this go. I''ll make sure to report you to Minister Cao!" Qiu Chenggong seethed with rage. Chapter 626 - 626: Stimulating Potential "Smack!" Hao Jian slapped him again, and Qiu Chenggong fell onto the table once more. "You!" Qiu Chenggong''s face shifted from anger to fear, turning from blue to white. As a vice principal, being treated like this was driving him insane. "If you think I would be afraid, do you think I would still dare to hit you?" Hao Jian sneered, finding Qiu Chenggong stupider than he had imagined. "You have no respect for your elders, and you will pay for this sooner or later!" Qiu Chenggong said, annoyed. "Elders? You are nothing but a traitor. I never go easy when beating a dog." Hao Jian grabbed Qiu Chenggong by the collar, his eyes flashing coldly. "Let me tell you this, if we win this contest, you will resign and get out of the Business School yourself, but if we unfortunately lose, you better be ready to atone with your life!" "What... what do you want to do?" Qiu Chenggong shivered, confused about what Hao Jian meant, fearing he might even kill him. "Nothing much, just want to remind you that people always pay the price for their actions!" Hao Jian chuckled. Suddenly, Qiu Chenggong felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, trembling all over. "Hao Jian, enough, it''s not worth stooping to the level of such scum." Du Yuelin pulled Hao Jian back two steps but didn''t forget to kick Qiu Chenggong. "You!" Although Hao Jian hitting him was bearable, Du Yuelin joining in too? Without this kid, would you dare defy me? Qiu Chenggong glared at Hao Jian and Du Yuelin before finally leaving. "Hao Jian, now that things have come to this, is there any way to resolve it?" Du Yuelin asked anxiously, now seeing Hao Jian as his only lifeline. "Don''t worry, leave it to me. In one week, I will train an elite rugby team for the school!" Hao Jian declared. "One week? Really?" Du Yuelin was overwhelmed with surprise. He couldn''t believe Hao Jian had a real solution ¡ª was this guy really that capable? "Alright then, I''ll leave it to you!" Du Yuelin laughed heartily, his face full of joy, as Hao Jian had never let him down. "Are you sure you can fix that mess in one week?" Che Xiaoxiao asked doubtfully as they left Du Yuelin''s office. A week was too short; it seemed impossible. "One week is enough. Actually, if I really put my heart into it, I could make them proficient in three days," Hao Jian said meaningfully. "Three days? Are you out of your mind?" Che Xiaoxiao asked incredulously, as Hao Jian''s boasting seemed to be getting more extravagant. "Human potential is limitless. To unlock it, you only need a key, and I am that key." With that, Hao Jian walked away. "What the hell?" Che Xiaoxiao was still confused, not understanding what Hao Jian meant. The next day, Hao Jian gathered Luo Tong and others together on a football field. "Tell me, do you have the confidence to beat that blond kid?" Hao Jian stood with his hands behind his back, shouting at Luo Tong and the others. "We do..." Luo Tong and the others replied weakly. Hao Jian''s forehead bulged with veins as he shouted, "A bunch of good-for-nothings!" Luo Tong and the others remained silent, looking aggrieved. "Starting now, one week of intensive training! Carrying a teammate, crawl thirty meters, go!" Hao Jian shouted, then guided Luo Tong and the others to find their partners. Soon, about a dozen people had found their partners. Luo Tong carried Zhang Jia on his back, lying flat on the ground like a tortoise. "No knees on the ground!" Hao Jian reprimanded. Luo Tong and the others then tried to lift their knees, but after just a while, they found the position exceedingly challenging. "Now, start crawling thirty meters!" Hao Jian commanded, then blew a whistle as if he were a coach. Luo Tong and the others began their strenuous crawl. Because of the weight on their backs combined with their posture, they were drenched in sweat and out of breath after just ten meters. Some were thinking of giving up midway, but Hao Jian noticed and scoffed, "Anyone who dares give up mid-way won''t eat today, and will additionally run twenty laps!" Hearing this, those tempted to quit immediately gathered their spirits and stubbornly continued crawling forward. Meanwhile, some students watched from the side, finding the training method strange. Che Xiaoxiao, holding snacks, also watched curiously. Qin Bing walked down from her office and saw Hao Jian training Luo Tong and others. She paused, puzzled, and watched from the second-floor balcony. Last night, she had agreed to have dinner with Gao Shanrong, who hadn''t done anything inappropriate, just took Qin Bing home after dinner. After the thirty-meter crawl, Luo Tong and the others lay sprawled on the ground, unable to get up, overwhelmed by the pain. Even Luo Tong, who was physically strong enough to run ten laps of a 400-meter track without breaking a sweat, collapsed after just thirty meters of crawling. Almost everyone was dripping with sweat, unable to pull themselves up. "Tired?" Hao Jian asked the group, half-smiling. "I''m so tired, I''m gonna die, teacher, this way of training is too cruel." A group of students wailed, referring to it as devil''s training. "If you want to win, this training must be carried out to the end," Hao Jian said with a smile, then shouted, "Luo Tong, Zhang Jia, step forward!" Zhang Jia and Luo Tong stepped out. "Now, let''s play a game," Hao Jian said meaningfully, and then pointed at Zhang Jia: "Now it''s your turn to carry Luo Tong." Zhang Jia nodded and lay down on the ground, and Luo Tong also lay down on Zhang Jia''s back, clasping his hands. Luo Tong weighed nearly 200 kilograms, strong like a bull, while Zhang Jia was very weak, appearing malnourished. The moment he carried Luo Tong, his face turned red instantly and his hands trembled. At this moment, Hao Jian took a black cloth from his pocket, walked towards Zhang Jia, and blindfolded him. "Teacher, what''s this..." Zhang Jia was baffled. "Next, we''re going to play an interesting game. You''ll carry Luo Tong blindfolded for thirty meters, just follow my voice," Hao Jian said with a smile, then looked at everyone else: "All of you, watch closely." "Begin now!" Hao Jian roared, commanding Luo Tong. Resisting the burning sensation throughout his body, Zhang Jia moved forward carrying Luo Tong. But after just ten minutes, he stopped, gasping for air continuously. "Don''t stop, keep going!" Hao Jian shouted. "Teacher, I can''t hold on anymore," Zhang Jia said, his face red with exertion and his body on the verge of collapse, unable to support Luo Tong''s hefty build. "Do your best!" Hao Jian continued to scold. "Teacher, don''t be too hard on him. It''s amazing that Zhang Jia could carry Luo Tong ten meters given how weak he is." "Yeah, teacher, you''re killing him," a group of students shouted from behind, their words mocking. "Do you hear their mockery? Do you want to be the loser they talk about? Is ten meters really your limit?" Hao Jian teased. Zhang Jia, with a grim face, mustered his vigor once more and moved forward. He absolutely did not want to be underestimated. Seeing this, Hao Jian finally showed a satisfied smile. He wanted this unyielding spirit from Zhang Jia. "Have I reached twenty meters yet?" Zhang Jia could not help but ask after a while, feeling as if his organs were burning and wanting to vomit. "Don''t worry about twenty meters, keep going! Until you are completely exhausted, prove those who underestimate you wrong!" Hao Jian encouraged, clapping his hands. "Don''t let your knees touch the ground!" "Fifteen meters now, keep going!" "Keep pushing, give it your all! Yes, just like that!" Hao Jian guided Zhang Jia from the front, continuously offering words of encouragement. At this time, the other students looked as if they had seen a ghost, standing up one after another, as if they had discovered something incredible. "It hurts so much, and I''m so tired!" Zhang Jia growled, sweat pouring down. "I know, but you''re almost at the finish line, you need to prove that you can make it!" Hao Jian yelled, igniting Zhang Jia''s potential again. "I have no strength left!" Zhang Jia''s voice became hoarse, feeling a bit dizzy now. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Then find a way to muster some strength. You can''t just give up, otherwise they will mock you, you don''t want to be mocked, right? You want to beat Xiaoxiao, right? Then keep crawling!" Hao Jian shouted. With no choice left, Zhang Jia gritted his teeth and moved forward, walking a few more meters until he finally said, almost collapsing, "My hands are going to break!" "Then let them break, just ten more meters and you''ll be done with the training, don''t give up!" "Ahhhh!!!" Zhang Jia roared, as if letting everything go, and slowly crawled forward. At this moment, his head spun, his organs felt like they were burning, but he had to endure; he didn''t want to lose to anyone. His teammates, however, had expressions of astonishment, slowly following behind Zhang Jia. "Just five meters left, keep it up! Zhang Jia, you''re almost there!" "Just three meters, keep it up! You''re no worse than any of them, even though you''re weak!" "Two meters! You''re almost at the finish line, you''ve won!" "Ahh!" With all his strength, Zhang Jia lunged forward and then lay on the ground, unable to get up again. The observing students, all with varied expressions, the boys boiled with excitement while the girls were moved to tears, because this scene was truly shocking. Zhang Jia would never have imagined, just moments ago, he had accomplished something truly remarkable. Chapter 627 - 627 The True Face Revealed Zhang Jia was completely exhausted, lying on the ground like an old ox after long labor, gasping for breath nonstop. Hao Jian yanked off the black cloth, allowing Zhang Jia''s eyes to see the light once more. And when Zhang Jia saw the landscape before him, he couldn''t help but gasp in shock. "You thought your limit was thirty meters, but you carried a burly man who weighs ninety pounds more than you for a hundred meters, Zhang Jia, don''t tell me you can''t do even better! This is definitely not your limit!" Hao Jian bent down seriously and said. Zhang Jia was so stunned he couldn''t speak, overcome by disbelief; he hadn''t imagined he could crawl a hundred meters, thinking he had only reached thirty meters. Those boys who initially thought they couldn''t win now seemed to see a new hope. If even Zhang Jia with his frail body could endure a hundred-meter distance, why couldn''t they? Certainly, their limits had not yet been unearthed. Now, they also felt that Gao Shanrong''s rugby team might not be as invincible as they had imagined. "Teacher, actually I weigh one hundred ten pounds more than Zhang Jia," Luo Tong corrected. Drenched in sweat, Zhang Jia clenched his fists as he looked at Hao Jian: "Teacher, thank you!" Today, Hao Jian taught a very important lesson that helped him understand in future what it means to persevere. "You don''t need to thank me, you should thank yourself for not giving up, for being steadfast enough. If a person doesn''t push themselves, they will never know how excellent they can be." Hao Jian said with a smile, then stood up, facing the students, "Now, tell me, do you still think you can''t beat those foreigners?" "No!!!" The voice surged like thunder. Because it was not only Luo Tong and the others shouting, the whole school was cheering. Hao Jian wasn''t just teaching his students, he was teaching the entire school, making them understand what it means to persist, to never give up, what it means to unleash... potential! "Now, start the training, ''Devil''s Load,'' two hundred meters, can you do it?" Hao Jian roared. "We can!" Luo Tong and the others shouted back, believing firmly that this was not their limit and that two hundred meters was well within their reach. Meanwhile, Qin Bing, witnessing this scene, couldn''t hide her amazement, her eyes sparkling with astonishment at Hao Jian''s training method. Suddenly, her phone rang, naturally, it was a call from Gao Shanrong. "Qin Bing, have you finished work? Let''s go have dinner together!" Gao Shanrong said with a laugh on the other end; he was now launching a vigorous pursuit. Qin Bing was about to refuse but noticed Xiaoxiao nearby, so she immediately changed her tone, speaking softly, "Sure, what time tonight?" "How about right now? I''m coming to the school to pick you up." Gao Shanrong was overjoyed to hear Qin Bing''s acceptance. "Okay, I''ll wait for you!" Qin Bing said with a smile, then hung up the phone and walked toward the school gate. Just as she passed by Xiaoxiao, Xiaoxiao spoke up, "Teacher Qin, is this really interesting to you?" Qin Bing immediately turned around, frowning at Xiaoxiao, "What are you talking about?" "To dine with someone you don''t like just to spite him, does that really feel good?" Xiaoxiao teased, clearly aware of what Qin Bing was doing. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Who said I want to spite him?" Qin Bing snapped angrily, "What does he have to do with me? You think I would care about him?" "I didn''t even mention who he is¡­" Xiaoxiao laughed, revealing that Qin Bing had assumed the discussion was about spiting Hao Jian without any explicit mention. Qin Bing, now red-faced, fell silent, visibly annoyed and embarrassed. "Don''t worry, I''ll tell Hao Jian. But you think you''re hurting Hao Jian, actually you''re just hurting yourself," Xiaoxiao said coldly. Qin Bing gave Xiaoxiao a deep look but continued walking ahead. "Follow her and report back to me if anything happens!" Xiaoxiao suddenly told a male student nearby. "What? Aren''t you mistaking me for someone else? I don''t even know you!" The male student was completely confused; he didn''t know Xiaoxiao, yet she was asking him to follow Qin Bing. "Am I pretty?" Xiaoxiao asked. "Pretty, but what does that have to do with what I just said?" The boy looked utterly perplexed. "If you follow her for me, then I''ll agree to date you!" Xiaoxiao said with a playful expression. "Really?" The male student was suddenly thrilled; Xiaoxiao was so beautiful that he would even consider cutting ten years off his life for a date with her. But then he hesitated, asking, "But why do we need to follow Teacher Qin?" "Why all the fuss? Just follow her if I told you to. Don''t you want to date me anymore?" Che Xiaoxiao asked irritably. "I do!" The boy nodded without even thinking. Although he didn''t know why, as long as it could earn him a date with Che Xiaoxiao, he felt it didn''t matter. "Then that''s settled. You follow her for a week, and after that, you can date me," Che Xiaoxiao said. "Ah? A week?" The boy was stunned. Following someone for a week was too long, wasn''t it? Did that mean he couldn''t do anything else for an entire week but follow her? "What, did you think you could date me just like that? This is a test for you, I''m not a girl who dates just anyone," Che Xiaoxiao said seriously. The boy scratched his head, feeling that something was off, but he couldn''t quite pinpoint what it was at the moment. "Here''s my phone number, call me if there''s anything specific you need to discuss," Che Xiaoxiao gave her mobile number to the boy. Afterward, the boy scurried out of the school gates, following Qin Bing. "Qin Bing left with that guy," Che Xiaoxiao walked over to Hao Jian and told him. "Oh," Hao Jian responded faintly, still focusing his gaze on the students who were training on the field. "You don''t care?" Che Xiaoxiao couldn''t help but be startled. Had Hao Jian truly given up on Qin Bing? "Care? How should I care?" Hao Jian shook his head and chuckled bitterly, "Alright, I got it, I need to start training now." Che Xiaoxiao didn''t know what to say anymore. That night, Gao Shanrong booked a fancy French restaurant and reserved the entire place for a unique candlelit dinner for Qin Bing. For any other girl, this would have been fatally charming, but it was futile with Qin Bing. So Qin Bing remained indifferent, utterly unmoved. Gao Shanrong noticed this and felt annoyed. It had been several days now, he had been inviting Qin Bing to meals daily, acting like a perfect gentleman, and creating various romantic settings. If it had been any other girl, she would have been captivated by now. But Qin Bing was not only not captivated, but she also maintained her cold demeanor, which frustrated him. Gao Shanrong was not a patient man. He hadn''t drugged Qin Bing and taken advantage of her because he wanted to enjoy the thrill of conquering her. But now, Qin Bing''s repeated indifference was making Gao Shanrong lose his patience. "Qin Bing, are you satisfied with the candlelit dinner I prepared for you today?" Gao Shanrong asked pretentiously. "It''s not bad," Qin Bing propped her chin with one hand, her gaze drifting, seeming very nonchalant. Suppressing the rage in his heart, Gao Shanrong pulled out a box from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Qin Bing. "What''s this?" Qin Bing asked, puzzled. "Open it and see!" Gao Shanrong said with a smug smile. Qin Bing opened the box, and her brow furrowed involuntarily, for inside the box was a diamond ring. The diamond ring was as big as a person''s pinky finger and was worth at least a million. "What does this mean?" Qin Bing''s expression turned ugly. "Qin Bing, through our interactions these past few days, I''ve realized how well we fit together, and just how much I like you. I want to marry you; give me a chance!" Gao Shanrong said earnestly. A diamond ring, a gift no woman could refuse, not only for its cost and beauty but also for the meaning it held. Gao Shanrong naturally had no intention of actually marrying Qin Bing; this was just a ploy to win her affection and then take advantage of her. Even though spending a million made Gao Shanrong feel the pinch, to conquer such a supreme beauty, he was willing to go all out. As Gao Shanrong presented the diamond ring and spoke sweet nothings, he was confident that Qin Bing could not refuse. Upon hearing this, Qin Bing first remained silent for a while, then scoffed, pushing the diamond ring back, "Gao Shanrong, your little schemes won''t work on me, get it?" "What do you mean?" Gao Shanrong''s brow furrowed instantly, and his face turned ashen. Qin Bing had been reserved before, but now she was mocking him directly; Gao Shanrong could no longer tolerate it. "You''ve decided I''m the love of your life after just a few days? Gao Shanrong, do you think I''m as gullible as those other women?" Qin Bing scoffed. "You don''t believe what I''m saying?" Gao Shanrong frowned deeply, Qin Bing had noticed? "Right, I don''t believe you. I don''t believe such a debauchee can decide so quickly, nor do I believe you would sincerely fall in love with a woman. To people like you, women are just playthings, and beautiful women are merely a means to flaunt your status. I even know you never intended to marry me; you just want to sleep with me!" Qin Bing scoffed coldly. Chapter 628 - 628 Are You Stupid Gao Shanrong had indeed never considered marrying her. With his status, he naturally wanted someone of equal standing. How could he possibly choose Qin Bing, a mere teacher? "Then why did you agree to go on a date with me?" Gao Shanrong''s face darkened completely, his anger thoroughly ignited. "That''s my business, none of yours!" Qin Bing turned her head away, unwilling to answer his question because she simply couldn''t. "Is it because of that boy?" Gao Shanrong sneered, suddenly understanding the whole story. This woman''s heart was set on the beast who dared to strike him. "So what if it is?" Qin Bing was exasperated and embarrassed upon being exposed. "I come from a good family background, I have money, and I''m more handsome than he is, yet you choose him over me. How can you be so cheap?" Gao Shanrong rebuked coldly. In what way was he inferior to Hao Jian? Could Qin Bing really fancy such a bumpkin? "He''s not scum!" Qin Bing said with a faint smile. "..." Gao Shanrong was at a loss for words, and after a moment of stunned silence, he furiously overturned the food on the table and pointed at Qin Bing with a ferocious expression: "You slut, how dare you insult me?" "I''m merely stating a fact." Qin Bing wiped the soup that had splashed on her face, responding indifferently and feeling even more disgusted as she witnessed Gao Shanrong''s rage. "Do you think you''re clever?" Gao Shanrong glared furiously. "Not bad!" Qin Bing replied expressionlessly. "You''re clever but not clever enough. If you were, you wouldn''t have agreed to have dinner with me, let alone provoke me at this time." Gao Shanrong scoffed, then picked up a napkin to wipe his hands, his gaze lecherously fixed on Qin Bing: "Today, you''re not going anywhere!" Qin Bing''s expression froze as she asked, "What are you planning to do?" "What do I want? What do you think? Am I, Gao Shanrong, someone to be trifled with? You dare to play me; I''ll show you what happens when you do!" Gao Shanrong threatened viciously before pushing Qin Bing to the ground. Qin Bing''s head hit the floor, leaving her dazed and disoriented. "If you had just agreed to my request, none of this would be happening. But since you''d rather face the consequences than heed my offer, don''t blame me. Qin Bing, today I''ll have you!" Gao Shanrong chuckled depravedly. "You dare to act wildly in public? Aren''t you afraid that I''ll call the police?" Qin Bing said, her heart racing with fear as she warned Gao Shanrong. The reason she had dared to agree to a meal with Gao Shanrong was that she knew he wouldn''t dare to do anything untoward in a public setting, but she hadn''t anticipated him being so depraved. "In public? Heh, who do you see around? I''m also not afraid to tell you, the owner of this restaurant is my friend. The waiters left the dining area after serving the dishes, now it''s just you and me. Qin Bing, do you really think I''m trying to create some kind of romance here? I set this up because I was worried you would reject me by acting all high and mighty. Do you think you''re clever?" Gao Shanrong laughed haughtily, looking very pleased with himself. "You... you''re despicable!" Qin Bing gritted her teeth, realizing she had been played by Gao Shanrong. It turned out that Gao Shanrong''s invitation to dinner was merely a pretext; in reality, he intended to take advantage of her. "You should''ve listened to that boy''s advice and stayed away from me. But now... it''s too late!" Gao Shanrong walked up to Qin Bing, looking down on her from above. "If you dare to touch me, Hao Jian won''t let you get away with it!" Qin Bing warned, at that moment feeling extremely regretful. She suddenly remembered Che Xiaoxiao''s earlier words to her¡ªshe truly had brought this on herself, trying to provoke Hao Jian and now she''d put herself in danger. "Hao Jian? So that''s the boy''s name, huh? Let me tell you, I wasn''t planning on letting him off the hook either. But after touching Gao Shanrong, I''ll make sure that boy ends up without a whole corpse!" Gao Shanrong snorted coldly, not having forgotten the incident. "Kill him? With what?" Qin Bing scoffed, "You''ll be the one ending up without a single bone left!" "Shut up!" Gao Shanrong slapped Qin Bing, cursing: "Damn bitch, you still talk tough at this time? I''ll make sure you don''t survive this!" Meanwhile, a figure was hiding outside the restaurant by the window, hastily calling Che Xiaoxiao: "Hello, beauty, something terrible has happened..." "You''d better let me go immediately, or once Hao Jian finds out, he''ll make you wish you were dead!" Qin Bing stared at Gao Shanrong with a confident air. In reality, she wasn''t sure whether Gao Shanrong truly feared the repercussions, but she was certain that if he dared to harm her, Hao Jian would not let him off lightly. Qin Bing truly regretted picking a fight with Hao Jian. If she hadn''t been so antagonistic towards him, she might not have landed herself in such peril. "Do you think I''d be afraid of that twerp? After tonight, tomorrow I''ll have someone take care of him!" Gao Shanrong said viciously. The reason he hadn''t taken action against Hao Jian was that he didn''t want Qin Bing to see him as too brutal. But now that his true nature had been revealed, there was nothing left to restrain him. Gao Shanrong pounced like a hungry tiger, tearing at Qin Bing''s clothes. "Let go of me, let me go!" Qin Bing screamed hysterically, her eyes moistening with tears. She felt both disgusted and afraid of the lecherous predator before her, and her delicate body struggled ceaselessly. ....... Meanwhile, Hao Jian was directing his rugby team, preparing to start the game. The soccer field had been rearranged, lights set up all around, with students from both domestic and foreign countries sitting in the stands, waiting for the match to begin. "A week has passed, and I want to know if these losers can last three rounds under us," Benjamin said to Hao Jian, smirking confrontationally. This was a matter of concern for everyone. Although they had trained hard for a week, given the short span of time, they were all curious to see if Hao Jian could actually defeat Benjamin''s elite team. Hearing this, Luo Tong and the others showed angry expressions, feeling a surge of blood boiling within them. "Whether we can or can''t, you''ll know after you''ve seen it. Oh, I hope you''re wearing underwear today. I''ve heard that you foreigners don''t like to wear it, and we definitely don''t want to see anything inappropriate if you start streaking," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "Heh, boasting with words is all you can do now. I''m very curious to see if you can still talk big like this after you''re utterly defeated," Benjamin scoffed, his gaze playful and clearly not believing Hao Jian could win. "Thud!" Hao Jian suddenly lashed out with a kick, causing Benjamin to lose his balance and fall to the ground, his face burning with pain: "You..." "Don''t think I''m just all talk. I also know a bit of Kung Fu, so watch your mouth," Hao Jian said with a chuckle. Luo Tong and the rest felt an immense sense of satisfaction, smirking with disdain. "Do you want to destroy the friendship between the two schools?" Benjamin shouted angrily. He didn''t expect Hao Jian to be so brazen as to physically attack him. Being forced to kneel in front of so many people made Benjamin feel incredibly ashamed and annoyed. "How come Benjamin is kneeling to this Huaxia person? He can''t be admitting defeat, right?" "Yeah, why did Benjamin kneel? He''s not scared, is he?" Suddenly, various voices of doubt emerged, and Benjamin, overhearing some, turned as black in the face as a cast-iron pot. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Because they were far away, and Hao Jian had kicked out so swiftly, they did not actually see that it was Hao Jian who had kicked them over. "If I really wanted to do so, your situation would be more than just kneeling," Hao Jian said with a laugh, seeming to imply that the punishment he had given Benjamin last time was not enough, for his injuries had healed so quickly that he had forgotten the pain. "Hao Jian, what are you doing? How dare you harm a foreign friend?" At that moment, Qiu Chenggong came over with a group of teachers, scolding Hao Jian. Since Qiu Chenggong had suffered a great loss in a previous encounter alone with Hao Jian, he now felt uncomfortable dealing with Hao Jian one-on-one and thought bringing a group of teachers might intimidate him. Seeing the appearance of Qiu Chenggong, the traitor, Luo Tong and the others looked displeased. They all knew it was because of Qiu Chenggong that they had to compete against Benjamin''s team. "Which eye of yours saw me hit him? Besides, a foreign friend refers to those who genuinely intend to understand Huaxia culture and come in friendship, not those idiots with ulterior motives who only want to insult Huaxia. Don''t you even know that, or is your brain damaged?" Hao Jian retorted rudely. "You!" Qiu Chenggong was seething with rage. As the principal of a school, being insulted as brain-damaged was infuriating beyond belief. "Your actions are injuring the friendship between our countrymen and foreign friends. I have the right to sue at the Embassy. Hao Jian, don''t think you''re untouchable," Qiu Chenggong said icily, eager to escalate the incident, preferably into a diplomatic issue, so that Hao Jian would surely be punished. Hao Jian rolled his eyes and asked, "Do you want to get hit too?" Hearing this, Qiu Chenggong immediately felt his morale falter. Did this guy actually dare to get violent in front of so many people? "You think I wouldn''t dare hit you just because there are more people? You really don''t know me at all," Hao Jian sighed, his smile full of irony. Qiu Chenggong was fuming, his eyes seeing stars. Was there no one who could control this reckless fool? "Benjamin, there''s no need for us to stoop to the level of such a classless guy. After the game, let''s go together to the Embassy in China and report him. This brat is finished!" Qiu Chenggong, not daring to provoke Hao Jian further, turned to talk to Benjamin instead. Chapter 629 - 629: Turnaround ``` "This won''t end here. I''ll make sure you lose the game and your life!" Benjamin gritted his teeth, glaring at Jian with venom. Nobody had ever dared to insult him like that before; Jian was the first." "Actually, he had wanted to kill Jian last time already, but Giggs had been persuading him against it. But this time, no one could stop him!" "Little Ghost, this is Huaxia, not America. This is our home ground. Be careful, you might not make it out of the country if you keep taunting us," Zhao Yating said with a smiling tone. Even someone as composed as her found Benjamin displeasing." "Before you threaten me, you should perhaps do some research on my background to avoid doing something you''ll regret," Jian also kindly reminded him." He was, of course, aware that Benjamin''s father was a member of the Nicholas conglomerate, and so he didn''t want any complications. But if Benjamin was really so obstinate, Jian wouldn''t mind annihilating him completely." "Let''s go!" But Benjamin just snorted coldly, turned around, and left with his entourage, whether he took Jian''s words to heart or not." Qiu Chenggong quickly followed Benjamin''s steps. Now Benjamin was his sole support. Qiu knew Benjamin''s background was exceptional, and only he could help him bring down Jian, so he needed to ingratiate himself properly." "Show no mercy later. It would be best if you could cripple that brat''s students, understand?" Benjamin told his football teammates." Jian made him lose face, so he would take his revenge on Jian''s students!" "Understood!" All the football players nodded. Westerners usually have larger builds than Easterners, and having won championships, their strength was not to be underestimated. So, they didn''t take Luo Tong and the others seriously at all." "Crippling them, isn''t that a bit much?" Qiu said hesitantly. After all, as the vice principal of both schools, it was his responsibility if anything happened to the students." "What are you afraid of? Don''t you want to get back what rightfully belongs to you? Should you cover for us in this matter, I assure you the position of the dean for the Business School will be yours again. Furthermore, I''ll even make the Chinese Medicine Hospital yours!" said Benjamin coldly to Qiu." "This ... okay, then." Qiu hesitated for a moment but ultimately hardened his heart. To become the sole principal of the two schools, he had to go all in." "That''s more like it. The wise adapt!" Benjamin laughed loudly, but his eyes showed contempt, thinking to himself that these Huaxia people were truly as foolish as rumored, always bullying their own kind." Then, Benjamin and Jian each led their teams onto the playing field." "I''ve got nothing to say to you. Raise the prestige of our Huaxia and crush them!" Jian said indifferently." "Roar!" Luo Tong and the others all let out furious roars, filled with fiery passion." But no sooner had they gotten onto the field than they were overturned by the opposing team in a flash. The opposition was physically superior and comprised of experienced veterans. The gap between them was clearly evident." An experience like this can''t be balanced in just a week." "Touchdown, Harvard University scores six points!" The referee decided that Harvard University had scored six points, quickly changing the dynamics of the game." In contrast, everyone from the Chinese Medicine Hospital looked disheartened. They had hoped that a week of special training would have some effect. But they were overwhelmed in one fell swoop, and the opponent instantly scored six points, making the rest of the game seem very tough to play." "Is this your trump card? Nothing but trash, daring to challenge me?" Benjamin laughed heartily, mockingly looking at Jian." "Don''t get too excited too soon, or else you might end up sorrowful after your joy, just like last time," Jian said with a cold smile." "With just you? Let me tell you, you''re bound to lose!" Benjamin snorted coldly. There was no way Jian''s team had any chance of winning. They were destined to lose!" "What''s with all this talk of a week of special training ¨C I thought you were something special. Turns out you''re nothing more than this. Wait for your loss, Jian!" Benjamin was in high spirits. Since he had always lost to Jian before, he had felt extremely imbalanced. But today, the tide was going to turn!" Seeing the one-sided situation, Qiu let out a sigh of relief. It seemed Jian truly couldn''t turn the tide; this should keep the minister from blindly trusting him anymore, right?" Qiu was elated because this was an opportunity for him!" In the first half, the Chinese Medicine Hospital scored not a single point; all were scored by Harvard University. All the students of the Chinese Medicine Hospital were disappointed, feeling there was no chance of winning." They could see Luo Tong and the others had tried their best, fighting hard, but it still wasn''t enough, as the hatred was too strong." Seeing the Chinese Medicine Hospital''s defeat, Benjamin and Qiu became even more elated, their smiles growing thicker. They would occasionally taunt Jian, angering the girls by his side, who glared and seethed with rage. Some girls even started to argue back at Benjamin." "Why bother with him? It''s just the first half; the real show is just beginning," Jian, on the other hand, remained calm." But Qiu started to feel uneasy seeing Jian''s composure. Could this guy possibly have another ace up his sleeve?" "Still trying to be mysterious now? Ridiculous!" Benjamin scoffed. With the score at forty-five to zero, their victory would only be possible if Harvard University didn''t score any more points while the Chinese Medicine Hospital kept scoring. But was that even possible? With these useless players?" The second half swiftly began, and Luo Tong and the others were still spirited, like a pack of hungry wolves with fierce eyes, ready to devour their enemies completely." Harvard University''s players were taken aback to see Luo Tong and the others in such high spirits after running around for nearly half an hour during the first half. How could they still be so energetic, like a formidable army? Didn''t these guys ever get tired?" ``` They all had a bad feeling in their hearts, feeling that they had underestimated the Huaxia people. Although they were shorter in stature, how could their stamina be so much stronger? Seeing the fierce look in Luo Tong''s eyes, they felt somewhat nervous, as if at any moment Luo Tong and his team would rush up and beat them up. "Whistle!" The game officially began with a whistle! But the outcome underwent a dramatic change; Luo Tong and his teammates were no longer passively getting hit, but instead took the offensive. "Bang!" The black team captain of the rugby team was directly knocked away by Luo Tong, who snatched the rugby ball in an instant. The black team captain was stunned. How could Luo Tong be so fierce? After playing for so long, shouldn''t he be feeling tired? Even he felt his legs weakening, because the first half of the game had been so intense. Luo Tong and his team had been fighting like mad dogs throughout. Originally, they thought Luo Tong and his teammates would be in the same condition as them, mocking them for fighting so hard, certain they would soon be exhausted. Unexpectedly, not only did Luo Tong and his team not show signs of exhaustion, but they became even fiercer. Luo Tong led the charge, passing the ball to Zhang Jia, who dashed straight for the end zone, instantly scoring a touchdown. "Touchdown, six points, Chinese Medicine Hospital!" the referee announced. "Oh, we finally scored!" The students from the Chinese Medicine Hospital shouted excitedly; they had finally scored. Benjamin and Qiu Chenggong both couldn''t help but change their expressions, seemingly shocked as to why Luo Tong and his team could score. Could the situation really be turning around? "Benjamin, they... they couldn''t really win, could they?" Qiu Chenggong asked tentatively, worried that if Hao Jian and his team won, then all his previous efforts would be wasted, and furthermore, Hao Jian and Du Yuelin might even report him to the minister, turning him into a complete loser. "It''s just carelessness on our part that let them steal a ball, what''s the big deal." Benjamin remained unmoved, though somewhat suspicious, he did not think Hao Jian and his team could win. He still had confidence in his own team. "Field goal, three points, Chinese Medicine Hospital!" "We scored again?" "Could we actually be making a comeback?" "Go Chinese Medicine Hospital!" Seeing victory within reach, the students from the Chinese Medicine Hospital started shouting excitedly. "Is it finally time to make a move?" Hao Jian said with a faint smile, knowing that the tide of battle was about to turn. "Safety, two points, Chinese Medicine Hospital!" "Touchdown, six points, Chinese Medicine Hospital!" "Chinese Medicine Hospital scores another touchdown!" Following that, Chinese Medicine Hospital kept scoring. Luo Tong and his team, like a ferocious army, ran back and forth across the field without showing any signs of fatigue, shocking everyone. "Take them down quickly, what are you doing? Are you sleepwalking?" Benjamin yelled hysterically, as he too realized something was seriously amiss¡ªthe situation was developing in a way he couldn''t control. If things continued like this, they might actually lose. The team members were also at a loss for words; they had already given it their all, but the opponents were too fierce. It seemed as if their energy would never run out, running so relentlessly across the field without a problem, whereas they could only passively follow Luo Tong and his team''s pace. Catching up to their pace was already difficult enough, let alone stopping them. In the first half, the Chinese Medicine Hospital hadn''t scored a single point; in the second half, Harvard University had not scored at all. "It''s over, we''re doomed," said Qiu Chenggong, his face ashen. If the Chinese Medicine Hospital won this time, the minister would be overjoyed. If Hao Jian decided to speak up about anything, he might truly be dismissed and driven out. And Benjamin''s expression was gloomy as if water was about to seep out of it; he didn''t know what medicine Hao Jian had given these guys to make them so fierce and vehement. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yo, Little Yellow Hair, didn''t you say you were sure to win? What''s the meaning of this?" Zhao Yating taunted. Chapter 630 - 630: Running Naked "Yeah, Little Yellow Hair, weren''t you acting all tough just now? Try being tough again, I dare you!" "Little Yellow Hair can''t act tough anymore, your trash team is going to lose." The girls all mocked Benjamin with both cold and heated ridicule. When they had mocked him earlier, they lacked confidence, but now they had it. Benjamin''s face turned an ashen color as he remained silent. The plot always seemed strikingly similar, and it annoyed him. Why, why was this guy always so capable? Why couldn''t he win even once against him? "Coach, how did you manage to make them compete with a semi-professional team within just one week? You didn''t give them performance-enhancing drugs, did you?" one of the girls joked. "Performance-enhancing drugs?" Benjamin''s brows knitted tightly as if he thought of something, then a vicious smile appeared on his face. "How could that be? Even if it were performance-enhancing drugs, they couldn''t last for two hours, right?" Hao Jian laughed, "I merely tapped into their potential, that''s all." "Potential?" Everyone fell into a state of confusion. "With their level of competition experience, even if they trained for another year and a half, it''d still be impossible to win. They can win now not because of their experience but because of their perseverance; they are more persistent than those guys!" Hao Jian said with a light smile. "Persistence? You''re telling me that they defeated such an excellent football team with just so-called persistence?" A storm of shock surged through Benjamin''s heart. He couldn''t accept this reality, but he had no choice but to. "Beep!" The game ended with the Chinese Medicine Hospital scoring sixty-seven to Harvard University''s fifty-three. By the end of the match, Luo Tong and the others were completely exhausted, not being able to move even a finger. "Principal, principal, what''s wrong?" a group of Business School teachers panicked. Qiu Chenggong fainted on the spot because he knew what he was about to face. He regretted provoking Hao Jian; if he hadn''t, he wouldn''t be facing these consequences now. Being honest, he could''ve remained at least a vice-principal, but now he could only retire early and go home to hold his grandchildren. But what mattered most was that he had tarnished his reputation, to be labeled a traitor. In the future, when people mentioned him, they would talk about how despicable and shameless he was. At Qiu Chenggong''s age, reputation was everything. Now that things had turned out this way, he was so distressed he felt like dying. But Hao Jian just watched coldly, without a hint of pity in his eyes. Qiu Chenggong had brought this upon himself, no one else to blame. "Chinese Medicine Hospital, come on, save him! The old principal has fainted!" the Business School teachers called out for help to Hao Jian''s side, but the teachers ignored them as if they hadn''t seen anything, watching indifferently. They knew what Qiu Chenggong had done and naturally wouldn''t care about his life or death. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing they had no other option, the teachers had to carry Qiu Chenggong to the school gates to get a taxi to the hospital, looking utterly miserable. But not a single person felt sympathy for them; they knew what Qiu Chenggong had done. In their view, this was his retribution! "Are you ready to strip?" Hao Jian looked towards Benjamin, who was pale and not far away. He hadn''t wanted to bother with Benjamin before, but now he couldn''t avoid it. "Strip what?" Benjamin scowled and asked coldly. "What do you think? You promised that if you lost, you would strip. Are you playing dumb now?" Zhao Yating immediately berated. Benjamin was just too shameless. "You used performance-enhancing drugs to win the game. This is cheating. How can you still expect me to fulfill my promise?" Benjamin snorted coldly, deciding to play dirty. "Nonsense, we haven''t taken any performance-enhancing drugs at all!" Zhao Yating rebuked angrily, Benjamin was blatantly being deceitful. "No? Then tell me, how come even our semi-professional players from Harvard University are exhausted to the point of collapsing, yet you guys who''ve only trained for a week have so much energy?" Benjamin sneered, thinking as long as he persisted in claiming Hao Jian used drugs, he wouldn''t have to fulfill his promise. This matter could be left for his school to negotiate with the Chinese Medicine Hospital, and he could stay out of it. By the time everything was clarified, he would have already left Huaxia and returned to America. Then, even if Hao Jian wanted him to streak, it would hardly be possible. "Really, shameless beyond compare, huh? Last time you played dirty tricks, and this time you''re outright cheating," Hao Jian laughed coldly, inwardly sighing at Benjamin''s shamelessness. "Say whatever you like, but I demand a drug test first! After all, you Huaxia people are the most cunning. Who knows if you did something sneaky behind the scenes." Benjamin shamelessly said. "Nonsense, you''re just stalling for time because you don''t want to admit defeat!" Zhao Yating and the others condemned, knowing all too well that Benjamin was deliberately making unreasonable arguments. "If you don''t take a drug test, I will not acknowledge the result," Benjamin said with a cold face, looking quite smug. "You think by acting like this, I can''t do anything about it?" Hao Jian sighed and slowly walked toward Benjamin. ``` "What are you going to do? If you hit me, I''ll report you to the Embassy, do you want to cause a diplomatic incident?" Seeing Hao Jian advancing step by step, Benjamin panicked. Could this guy really be so brazen, unafraid of causing a diplomatic incident? "You really should have investigated my identity before provoking me," Hao Jian retorted with sarcasm. Now that he had Hua City in his grasp, would he be afraid of the so-called Embassy? "It was clearly you who were in the wrong, what has this to do with us? And it was you who agreed to the bet first, even if we report it to the Embassy we aren''t afraid!" Zhao Yating scolded angrily. "Is that so? Who knows if I agreed to your bet? They''ll only know you bullied us, the college students who wanted to come to Huaxia for academic exchanges," Benjamin sneered ominously. "You''re shameless!" Zhao Yating said frustratingly. Benjamin really was planning to be dishonest, but the problem was they had no way to deal with Benjamin because they had no evidence that he agreed to the bet. "Do you think that just because you don''t acknowledge it, I can do nothing about you?" Hao Jian sighed, then held up his mobile phone, playing a recording. The content of the recording was exactly what Benjamin had said when he was picking a fight with Hao Jian, as well as the comments he had made moments ago insulting Hao Jian and the Chinese Medicine Hospital. "What do you think the Embassy would think if they got their hands on this recording?" Hao Jian said with a smile. Benjamin was petrified on the spot. Hao Jian had secretly recorded him without his notice? "There''s a video too," some students said with smirks, shaking their phones, which naturally captured Benjamin''s spiteful face. "Oh Benjamin, oh Benjamin, you really are so foolish. It''s bad enough to be a villain, but why do you have to show it off? Are you afraid that others won''t know you''re the bad guy?" Hao Jian said with a helpless smile, "You should be more careful these days, what with technology being so advanced, shouldn''t you?" "Benjamin, just so you know, our Huaxia netizens can be quite fearsome. If this video goes online, you''ll become world-famous in no time, and after you go back, everyone will recognize you," Zhao Yating joked, feeling incredibly gratified to see Benjamin''s face turn the color of liver. "Oops, I accidentally uploaded the video to the internet, what should I do?" a girl exclaimed, but she looked at Benjamin with a smile that was not quite a smile. "Oh dear, why are you so clumsy? You''re just making Benjamin a target now, aren''t you? What will people say about him? They''re definitely going to call him petty, shameless, low-life ****ing disgusting sissy, no dick," Hao Jian taunted the girl with a mocking tone. Immediately, the whole room burst into laughter. Benjamin clenched his fists, his teeth grinding as if he were about to shatter them, his eyes brimming with venomous light. "Alright, enough with the jokes, take off your clothes!" Hao Jian ordered Benjamin sharply, his face turning serious. Benjamin came to Huaxia with ill intentions, seeking to humiliate their Chinese Medicine Hospital; it was only right for him to pay the price. "Hao Jian, think carefully, I am from Nicholas''s big consortium!" Benjamin cried out in terror, taking a few steps back. "You already said that before. If I were to be scared, I wouldn''t have hit you in the first place," Hao Jian chuckled, his hand grabbing Benjamin''s shoulder. "You¡ª" "Rip!" Benjamin''s shirt was torn apart by Hao Jian with a single hand, leaving him bare-chested. Benjamin was dumbfounded on the spot. This bastard really dared to make him streak? "Either streak or get beaten up, your choice?" Hao Jian said as he rubbed his hands together, a threatening look on his face. And those students from the Chinese Medicine Hospital had already surrounded Benjamin''s fellow football players, clearly expecting them to fulfill their promise too. The players'' faces turned green; although they didn''t want to take their clothes off and run naked, they felt intimidated facing so many people. "Strip! Strip! Strip!" A group of students from the Chinese Medicine Hospital chanted loudly, all of them looking indignant. If Benjamin and his group didn''t strip, it seemed they really would get beaten up. Eventually, someone couldn''t withstand the pressure any longer and prepared to take off their own clothes. "Or, if you don''t want to strip, then take off his clothes!" Hao Jian suddenly said with a cold laugh, pointing at Benjamin from afar. For a moment, all the football players turned their gazes towards Benjamin. ``` Chapter 631 - 631: Something Went Wrong ``` Benjamin was bewildered on the spot; was Hao Jian really only making him strip? If there had been a group of people, Benjamin wouldn''t have minded too much, since at least he would have company in his humiliation. But the idea of being the only one embarrassed didn''t seem so appealing to him. However, the football players hesitated as they looked at Benjamin, seeming to consider whether or not to follow Hao Jian''s orders. "Think it over," Hao Jian stated calmly, "As long as you strip him, you won''t lose face. But if you don''t, your Harvard University football team will become the shame of your school. Does anyone want to be laughed at by their classmates when they return to campus?" At these words, the players'' faces darkened and they cast strange looks at Benjamin. "What... what are you doing? Don''t you know who I am?" Benjamin suddenly shouted, berating the players. But those players, not caring about that anymore, didn''t want to streak naked in front of so many people. "Benjamin, you''re going to streak anyway, so instead of making us all join you, why don''t you just strip yourself? We''ll remember your kindness," the players said with a strange gleam in their eyes as they watched Benjamin. "You..." Benjamin was about to run, but at that moment, the football players pounced forward in succession, pinning him down and stripping off his clothes with hands both upper and lower. Soon, Benjamin was stark naked, his face alternating between red and white. "Now you can run," Hao Jian laughed, his eyes filled with amusement as he looked at Benjamin. "Hao Jian, I will make you pay with your life! I will make you pay with your life!" Benjamin cursed venomously, his demeanor radiating killing intent. "Slap him!" Hao Jian scoffed, and Luo Tong immediately went forward and slapped Benjamin across the face twice. "Just you wait!" Benjamin threatened viciously. He was determined to make Hao Jian pay a terrible price, to make him long for death but unable to die! "Keep cursing and the slapping continues!" Hao Jian said cheerfully, his face relaxed. Luo Tong then gave a few more slaps, leaving Benjamin with bleeding gums and his head spinning. "Shall we run?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "Go run your mom!" Benjamin roared through gritted teeth. "Not running? C''mon, let''s take a few pictures of our dear Benjamin, and post them on Weibo, Twitter, and Facebook with the title ''Son of a major conglomerate exposed as a nudist and a disgrace to a prestigious university!'' Quick, snap to it!" Hao Jian said, chuckling. "Hao Jian!!!" Benjamin nearly ground his teeth to powder. If this incident really spread like wildfire, his family would become a laughing stock. "Well, aren''t you going to run?" Hao Jian threatened. If Benjamin did not streak around the school, he threatened to upload his current shameful state to the internet. Benjamin stiffened all over and after a moment of hesitation, he submitted to Hao Jian''s cruel demands. He took heavy steps toward the nearby sports field and began to run. No sooner had Benjamin started running than Che Xiaoxiao strode over with a grave expression and said to Hao Jian, "There''s trouble!" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian''s eyebrows furrowed deeply. Although Che Xiaoxiao did not specify the problem, Hao Jian immediately understood. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I''ll leave the rest to you; I''ve got some issues to deal with," Hao Jian said to Luo Tong and the others, then quickly left with Che Xiaoxiao. Seeing Hao Jian depart, Benjamin also left the field under the escort of his bodyguards. At the backstage area, Benjamin''s lips turned blue with rage, and behind him stood a blond giant over nine feet tall and burly, with long hair over his shoulders, resembling a Golden Haired Lion King. "Go and kill him, go and kill him!" Benjamin screamed hysterically, completely enraged. "Young master, my duty is to ensure your safety," the Golden Haired Lion King said with a deep voice, which carried the masculine magnetism of a lion''s growl. His rough features were shadowed by stubble, and his eyes were numb, indifferent to everything. Clearly, this was a Martial Artist, and a strong one at that, as could be seen from his bearing. But this was to be expected. As the son of Nicholas, a member of a major financial conglomerate, Benjamin''s status was even more exalted than people like Kong Xiaozhen, so it was natural that his entourage was not ordinary. "Dongba, I want Hao Jian dead. Only you can kill him; that''s an order. Do it now! Or I''ll report you to my father, and whether your sister''s life can continue after that, well, that''s uncertain!" Benjamin insidiously threatened, using Dongba''s family as leverage. Dongba''s face turned cold, and his expression stiffened as he fought back his inner rage and uttered difficultly, "As you wish." He then buttoned up his black suit and strode out with purpose, ready to pursue and kill Hao Jian. ``` "You all go too, I want that guy to die without a burial place!" Benjamin ordered his bodyguards. Though the bodyguards were somewhat reluctant, it was an order from Benjamin, and they had to comply. In fact, they all knew how fearsome Dongba''s strength was; in their eyes, with Dongba taking action, Hao Jian''s death was certain, and their help seemed superfluous. Meanwhile, Qin Bing was pinned down by Gao Shanrong, unable to move, her eyes moist and misted with tears, presenting a pitifully charming and delicate appearance. Seeing this, Gao Shanrong felt an irresistible itch in his heart and tried even harder to tear Qin Bing''s clothes off, his eyes alight with insatiable lust. "Not here," finally, as if she had finally capitulated, Qin Bing looked at Gao Shanrong with a pleading gaze. Gao Shanrong was momentarily stunned. Had she accepted her fate? Then Gao Shanrong laughed mockingly, "Well, well, who would have thought? You act so aloof usually, but deep down, you''re such a shy person, huh?" "Fine, since you''ve decided to be obedient, I''ll show some gentlemanly demeanor," Gao Shanrong said laughingly, then pointed upstairs, "My friend''s office is on the second floor, and there is a bed there just perfect for this!" Gao Shanrong knew what Qin Bing was concerned about; the street was busy with passersby who might notice them through the glass windows, and he wasn''t interested in giving others a live erotica show. Qin Bing then stood up, her complexion pale and her delicate body trembling, clearly terrified. Gao Shanrong followed closely behind her, watching her every move, ensuring she had no chance to escape. Once in the second-floor room, Qin Bing began to strip off her clothes as soon as she entered the door. Gao Shanrong, seeing Qin Bing so proactive, was a bit taken aback, "Have you had a change of heart?" "No, but I don''t want to get hurt. I know I can''t escape today. Rather than resist powerlessly and get injured, I''d rather end it all quickly!" Qin Bing said coldly, her manner still as icy as ever. Gao Shanrong chuckled with a sneer, "That''s really in keeping with your personality!" But this was fitting; it matched Qin Bing''s personality. If Qin Bing had a sudden change of heart, that would be illogical. Immediately after, Gao Shanrong began to undress himself. Qin Bing looked at him indifferently, "May I take a shower?" At this, Gao Shanrong hesitated, because he was now quite impatient and didn''t want to wait any longer. "Sorry, I have a thing about cleanliness. If I don''t take a shower first, I think I won''t be able to..." Qin Bing continued, still with her frosty demeanor. "Alright, go ahead and take a shower," Gao Shanrong said reluctantly, after all, Qin Bing was already like a duck ready for his plucking, no need to rush. Immediately, Qin Bing, clad only in her underwear, went towards the bathroom, and upon entering, she swiftly shut the door behind her, then leaned on the washbasin, her face white as a sheet. Clearly, her display of submission was just to confuse Gao Shanrong, to buy herself more time. At that moment, Qin Bing was still on high alert, knowing she was not yet safe, and this ruse wouldn''t fool Gao Shanrong for long. Qin Bing turned on the shower in the bathroom, allowing Gao Shanrong to hear the sound inside. Meanwhile, she desperately looked for a way to escape but was disappointed to find not a single window inside the bathroom, just a ventilation duct the size of a human head, which Qin Bing''s frame couldn''t possibly fit through. Qin Bing instinctively reached for her waist but found her mobile phone on the pants outside. A bitter expression crossed her face momentarily. This would only temporarily stave off Gao Shanrong; it wasn''t a long-term solution. Just then, there came a knocking at the door from Gao Shanrong, "Qin Bing, open the door. I want to wash up too!" Qin Bing immediately grew anxious, "No, I''m not used to bathing with others." Gao Shanrong paused, then with a sinister laugh, "We''re going to be sleeping together later, why mind something like this? Open the door quickly." "Wait for me, I''ll be done soon!" Qin Bing said, her voice carrying a slight tremble, showing the extent of her fear. "Open the door now!" Gao Shanrong said, growing displeased, as he seemed to realize something. Qin Bing didn''t reply anymore, instead she turned to the ventilation duct and yelled, "Help! Is anyone there?" "Damn it, bitch!" Gao Shanrong roared furious, instantly realizing he''d been played by Qin Bing, and started to bang on the door, trying to stop her cries for help. Meanwhile, Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao had already reached their destination, meeting up with that student. "Teacher Hao Jian?" The male student hadn''t expected Hao Jian to appear there and was immediately stunned. "Where is Teacher Qin now?" Hao Jian directly cut to the chase. Chapter 632 - 632: Too Late "She was dragged up to the second floor by that man, but there are two of his bodyguards guarding the door, so I can''t get in," the young man said. He might have rushed in to save Qin Bing if it were only Gao Shanrong inside, but with two bodyguards at the door, he hesitated. "Let''s go!" Hao Jian made a swift decision and headed straight for the door. "Mr. Hao Jian, we should call the police. I saw that they had guns in their belts," the young man suggested hesitantly. Wouldn''t barging in be suicidal? "You should go back, we''ll handle this," Che Xiaoxiao said to the young man, knowing Hao Jian was capable of dealing with the situation, and she also knew it wasn''t her place to involve the young man any further, considering he had already done a lot. "Maybe I should call the police?" the young man said, relieved. Although he wanted to ask Xiaoxiao out, he didn''t want to lose his life over it. The two masked thugs at the door looked menacing, as if they could kill someone at any moment. "Whatever you want!" Xiaoxiao said casually, then followed Hao Jian towards the front door. "What do you want?" Sure enough, as soon as Hao Jian and Xiaoxiao reached the entrance, they were stopped by the two menacing thugs. But Hao Jian wasn''t in the mood for talking. He launched a kick that struck one of them in the head, sending the man flying into the restaurant like a kite with its string cut. "You!" The other one reacted, but before he could do anything, Hao Jian reached out and grabbed his throat. "Tell me, where is Gao Shanrong?" Hao Jian demanded coldly, his eyes fierce. "He... he''s on the second floor!" Apparently sensing the killing intent in Hao Jian''s eyes, the bodyguard was terrified and didn''t dare to hide anything, spilling the truth immediately. Hao Jian then threw him against the wall, causing so much pain that the bodyguard''s eyes seemed about to pop out. He was more than twice as bulky as Hao Jian, but he couldn''t withstand the wrath of Hao Jian ¡ª he could only watch helplessly as Xiaoxiao and Hao Jian entered the restaurant. As soon as Hao Jian entered the restaurant, the bodyguard quickly grabbed his phone and dialed: "Boss, we''re in trouble. The Young Master might be in danger. Send someone quickly. We''re at..." "Bang!" Gao Shanrong barged into the room, immediately spotting Qin Bing frantically shouting for help at the ventilation duct. Rage surged through him, and he brutally grabbed her by the hair, dragging her out of the restroom. "You bitch, how dare you deceive me?" Gao Shanrong roared and then tossed Qin Bing onto the bed, pouncing on her. "Let go of me, let go!" Qin Bing screamed hysterically, her body trembling violently as she struggled. "Slap!" Gao Shanrong slapped her hard, warning, "Bitch, if you dare to move again, don''t blame me for not being nice!" "Hao Jian will kill you!" Qin Bing cursed angrily, her eyes brimming with tears as she stared straight at Gao Shanrong. "Before he kills me, I''ll have enjoyed you!" Gao Shanrong bared his shiny teeth, sinisterly smiling. "I''ll make you scream and climax repeatedly, ****!" "You are despicable!" Hearing such explicit words from Gao Shanrong, Qin Bing was furious, glaring at him with disgust and anger. "Yes, I am despicable, and I''m about to get even more despicable!" Gao Shanrong chuckled lewdly, then opened a drawer of a nearby table, which was shockingly filled with an array of adult toys, including whips and fake genitals. Gao Shanrong took out a whip, his expression menacing as he said, "You little bitch, if you don''t behave, I''ll have to whip you!" He had prepared these items in advance, knowing his penchant for SM. He had planned on dealing with Qin Bing today, and had therefore placed the toys there beforehand. "You pervert!" Seeing those disgusting items, Qin Bing felt a surge of revulsion. Gao Shanrong then forcefully cuffed Qin Bing''s hands, rendering her unable to move or struggle effectively. Qin Bing turned her head away, tears of humiliation and regret streaming down her face. But she still didn''t give up struggling; she continued to kick wildly, trying to dislodge Gao Shanrong from on top of her. "You''re courting death!" Gao Shanrong revealed a brutally fierce look, and with a powerful slap, he left a clear handprint on Qin Bing''s fair face, knocking her unconscious. "Fuck, I told you to keep quiet, you just wouldn''t listen, now I have to ****." Gao Shanrong grunted annoyedly as he reached out to unhook Qin Bing''s fiery red bra. "Bang!" Just then, the door was kicked open: Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao stepped in, finding a naked Gao Shanrong and Qin Bing, who had fainted from being tied to the bed. Hao Jian''s eyes immediately darkened with layers of murderous intent, turning a blood-like red. "You?!" Seeing Hao Jian appear, Gao Shanrong was visibly shaken as he yelled, "How did you get in here? Where are my bodyguards?" "They''ve all been crippled!" Hao Jian barked back, approaching as he spoke, "I remember warning you before not to lay your fingers on Qin Bing, but it seems my words went in one ear and out the other, huh?" "I''m the Young Master of the Tianlong Association, you dare touch me? I swear I''ll kill your whole family, believe it or not?" Gao Shanrong got off the bed, yelling at Hao Jian unabashedly, his arrogance knowing no bounds. "Tianlong Association? Never heard of it; you''re not from Hua City." Hao Jian chuckled. He knew everyone who operated in Hua City, but this was the first time he had heard the name Tianlong Association, meaning this gang wasn''t a local force from Hua City. "That''s right, my Tianlong Association''s base is in Bailan City, but annoy me, and I can still send seven or eight vans to chop you up!" Gao Shanrong boasted arrogantly, as he naturally had the arrogance and brazenness of a gang Young Master. However, the pride he took so much in seemed insignificant in front of Hao Jian. "Oh? Is that so? How do you think I should respond, then?" Hao Jian asked with a smirk, his eyes gleaming more fiercely. "Now, leave that girl by your side for me, and you kneel and knock your head a few times, then scram immediately, I might consider sparing your pathetic life!" Gao Shanrong said extremely arrogantly, casting a lustful glance at Che Xiaoxiao, clearly coveting her as well. Che Xiaoxiao and Qin Bing, two distinctly beautiful women, one as cold as ice and the other as fiery as flame. If he could have them both, Gao Shanrong felt sacrificing ten years of his life would still be worth it. Gao Shanrong''s face was full of mockery, thinking that Hao Jian was just delivering girls to him, and now this lad had really lost both his wife and his troops. He wondered what kind of mood this lad would be in after he had his way with his girlfriend and the girl beside him. At that thought, Gao Shanrong suddenly felt wickedly amused, laughing sinisterly, "Wait, don''t go just yet. I want you to stand there and watch me play with your women! See how I **** them hard!" Gao Shanrong sinisterly stared at Hao Jian, "Kid, there are some people in this world you just can''t provoke without facing the consequences!" "I know, but you are not one of them!" Hao Jian snorted coldly and suddenly made his move, grabbing Gao Shanrong by the neck and lifting him into the air. Gao Shanrong''s feet flailed in the air as he screamed in horror, "What are you doing? Are you crazy? If you dare hurt me, my Tianlong Association will annihilate your entire family!" Gao Shanrong had not expected Hao Jian to be so fierce, unafraid of him. Usually, when guys heard he was a gang Young Master, they would cower and behave. But, not only was Hao Jian unafraid, he even attacked him. Gao Shanrong thought he might have encountered a madman. A madman who wasn''t afraid to die! Hao Jian truly wasn''t afraid to die, because Gao Shanrong simply didn''t have the capability to kill him. "Then let them come!" Hao Jian sneered sinisterly, grabbing Gao Shanrong''s arm and forcefully ripping it off, splattering blood everywhere, creating a horrifying scene. "Ah!" Gao Shanrong screamed in terror, Hao Jian had just torn off his arm bare-handed; was he even human? "Shh~ Qin Bing is asleep; don''t be too loud and wake him up," Hao Jian made a silencing gesture to Gao Shanrong. Gao Shanrong was dumbfounded. At this point, who the hell cared about waking up Qin Bing? "What the hell do you want?" Gao Shanrong was completely terrified; this man was a madman, having torn off his arm with one hand, instilling great fear in Gao Shanrong. "I told you before: if you dared to mess with Qin Bing, I would make you wish you were dead!" Hao Jian said lightly, then grabbed Gao Shanrong''s other arm, tearing it off as well. In that moment, in front of Hao Jian, Gao Shanrong seemed not a person but a doll, playfully dismantled and manipulated at will. Che Xiaoxiao also couldn''t help but frown, finding the scene too bloody as the blood poured from Gao Shanrong''s severed arms, shockingly grotesque. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Don''t kill me, I won''t dare again!" Gao Shanrong cried bitterly, his lips turning pale, his eyes beginning to scatter, from excessive blood loss. If he didn''t receive medical attention soon, even if Hao Jian didn''t kill him, he might still die from blood loss. "You''ve realized your mistake too late," Hao Jian shook his head, not intending to show any mercy, because what Gao Shanrong did to Qin Bing was unforgivable! Chapter 633 - 633: Death at the Hands of a Junior Just at this moment, a sudden burst of heavy footsteps came from the doorway as a group of burly men charged in. Seeing the terrible state Gao Shanrong was in, they couldn''t help but inhale sharply. Hao Jian was much more brutal than they had imagined, actually ripping off both of Gao Shanrong''s arms directly. "Let go of our Young Master!" All the mafia members raised their handguns, aiming at Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao, and sternly shouted. Gao Shanrong was their Gang Leader''s son, and if anything happened to him, they wouldn''t end up in a good place either! "Kill them, kill them now!" Gao Shanrong roared in a mixture of shock and anger. Seeing his men arrive gave him a sudden boost of confidence. He swore that after he had killed Hao Jian, he would slaughter Hao Jian''s entire family to quench the hatred in his heart. Having both arms torn off like this, he was in so much pain he almost passed out and might very well end up a cripple, one could only imagine the intensity of his hatred. Without any exaggeration, Gao Shanrong now wanted nothing more than to eat Hao Jian''s flesh and drink his blood! "Put down the Young Master!" The mafia members grew even angrier, pulling the safety off their guns, ready to fire. But they did not dare to shoot immediately, because Gao Shanrong was still in Hao Jian''s grip, and they feared shooting might accidentally hit Gao Shanrong. "Before you kill me, he will die right in front of me!" Hao Jian held up Gao Shanrong like picking up a chicken, smiling maliciously. At this, Gao Shanrong''s expression froze, and he screamed, "Don''t shoot, take care of me!" S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Kid, do you know who we are? We are people from the Tianlong Association. If you dare kill our Young Master, our Gang Leader will exterminate everyone related to you!" one of the men threatened. "So, you''re saying, if I let him go now, you will spare me?" Hao Jian sneered. He had crippled Gao Shanrong, and he feared that the first thing Gao Shanrong would do once back would be to send people to kill him. Moreover, Hao Jian never intended to spare Gao Shanrong from the beginning. If Gao Shanrong hadn''t revealed his identity, Hao Jian might not have considered killing him. But now that Gao Shanrong had confessed his lineage, telling Hao Jian that he was the son of a mafia boss, Hao Jian naturally became wary of Gao Shanrong''s threats. He wasn''t afraid of Gao Shanrong himself, but he was afraid that Gao Shanrong might cause trouble for Qin Bing in the future, so Gao Shanrong had to die. Under these circumstances, he naturally wouldn''t heed the threats of these thugs. "Don''t make a mistake!" someone darkly warned Hao Jian. "A mistake? Just with you guys?" These words seemed to infuriate Hao Jian, who promptly picked up a pen from the table and threw it at the man who had spoken. The pen shot out like a sharp arrow, nailing itself into the center of his forehead, instantly killing him! "What?" Everyone, including Gao Shanrong, was stunned. Could a casually thrown object really kill a person? "Kill him!" one of the big men shouted, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his expression stunned as if he had been frightened into insanity. At this point, he could no longer care about Gao Shanrong, only about killing Hao Jian; otherwise, they all might die at the hands of this terrifying man. "You idiots, I''m still here! Don''t shoot!" Gao Shanrong screamed in terror, knowing that if they shot at Hao Jian, he would definitely use him as a human shield. "Don''t mess around, the Young Master is still in his hands," a big man reminded. "Young Master? We''ve come to this juncture, who cares about him anymore? Can''t you see how frightening that kid is? Or would you rather be the next one?" the former bellowed, now only wanting to deal with Gao Shanrong, no longer caring whether he lived or died. Because if the delay continued, they would be the ones to die. Between themselves and Gao Shanrong, they chose their own survival. Gao Shanrong never treated his subordinates kindly, beating them at the slightest disagreement, and naturally, these underlings wouldn''t risk their lives for him. Hearing these words, the subordinates hesitated. "But if we overlook him, the boss won''t let us off," someone said quietly. "We''ll just leave him and escape to another city. That old man won''t find out anytime soon," another schemed. "Then we don''t need to clash with this kid anymore." The subordinates were tempted and started to consider abandoning Gao Shanrong. Because with Hao Jian holding Gao Shanrong hostage, they couldn''t save him, and Hao Jian could easily kill them using Gao Shanrong. They didn''t want to be at Hao Jian''s mercy, so abandoning Gao Shanrong seemed to be their only option. "You bastards, you will pay for this! My father will slaughter all of you!" Gao Shanrong was seething with such hatred that he bit his teeth hard. At this moment, he hated these traitorous underlings even more than he hated Hao Jian because they dared to betray him and let him die. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" And just then, a burst of gunfire rang out, not aimed at Hao Jian but at Gao Shanrong! Gao Shanrong looked at his chest in disbelief. There, several clear bullet holes were visible, with blood flowing out uncontrollably. And the one who pulled the trigger was one of Gao Shanrong''s minions. The minion''s face was overcast as he cracked a malevolent smile, "Since you''re gonna die anyway, you might as well die by my hands. At least that way, I can vent my anger. That''s the only use you are now, you piece of trash." "You!" Gao Shanrong''s eyes gradually became distant, and he suddenly felt very desolate. In the end, he didn''t die at the hands of Hao Jian, but at the hands of his own underling. Suddenly, Gao Shanrong thought of a phrase his father had once told him: "Lust is like a knife hanging over your head!" Now it seemed true, and that knife had already come slashing down, killing him directly. He regretted deeply. Why had he been greedy for Qin Bing''s beauty? And why had he provoked Hao Jian, this grim reaper? If he hadn''t, maybe he wouldn''t have had so many troubles. Then, Gao Shanrong died, taking with him endless regret and desolation. "What do we do with this guy?" The minions turned to look at Hao Jian, amusement in their eyes, for with the death of Gao Shanrong, they had no leverage over Hao Jian. "Just do him in too. I quite like that chick by his side!" one of them chuckled sinisterly, staring at Che Xiaoxiao with ill intentions. Meanwhile, Che Xiaoxiao frowned in disgust. "And the chick that Gao Shanrong had his eye on¡ªsince he didn''t have the luck to play with her, let us brothers take his place. Anyway, we''re about to flee. Let''s enjoy ourselves before we escape!" The mafia members all smirked with bad intentions, like a pack of evil wolves, eying Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao. "Kid, don''t say I didn''t give you a chance. Just kneel down and knock your head a few times to us, and take the blame for killing Gao Shanrong, and we''ll let you live. But as payment, you gotta let us brothers have a go with these two chicks!" one of the skinny guys with glasses sneered. "Spare my life? With your permission?" Hao Jian laughed coldly, a look of contempt on his face. A bunch of ants were talking about sparing his life? It was he that was considering whether or not to spare these ants. Seeing Hao Jian act so arrogant, the mafia members all became furious, and the bespectacled man scolded, "Kid, don''t be ungrateful. Now that Gao Shanrong is dead, do you really think you can still threaten us? If you dare disobey, we''ll make sure you die without a complete corpse!" Bang! Suddenly, there was a loud noise, and everyone felt a burst of wind surge towards them, not immediately realizing what had happened. And by the time they realized it, they all inhaled sharply in shock. Hao Jian had somehow appeared behind them, his hand clutching the neck of the glasses-wearing man, lifting him up: "You think just because Gao Shanrong is gone that I can''t kill you?" The man with glasses was petrified, staring in terror at Hao Jian, shaking his head vigorously, pleading for his life. "You fancied my woman? And you want me to kneel for you?" Hao Jian chuckled coldly, his face etched with displeasure and a killing intent. "I was wrong, please spare me!" the man with glasses struggled to speak, his face turning red as if he was about to suffocate. "No!" Hao Jian said flatly and broke the man''s throat decisively. Afterward, like a lump of mud, the man with glasses collapsed slowly, his eyes wide open, dying with grievances. "Ah??" Seeing this, the other mafia members felt their legs go weak. What kind of speed was this? When had he gotten so close to them, and how had they failed to notice? Didn''t this mean that if Hao Jian wanted to kill them, a moment was all he needed? And they wouldn''t even be able to resist? This was terrifying; they even began to doubt whether Hao Jian was human at all. "Brother, we don''t want your woman anymore. Let''s just call it quits, okay?" A big man with a horse-like face asked, his voice trembling, knowing they stood no chance against Hao Jian¡ªhe was too unpredictable. With Hao Jian''s ability to kill a man in an instant, if he wanted to lay hands on any of them, none could stand a chance. "Too late!" Hao Jian shook his head with a slight smile. The big man was startled, and then he shouted angrily, "Are you really going to force us into a death pact?" "A death pact? No, no, no, you''re not qualified. This is going to be a slaughterhouse! A one-sided slaughter!" Having said that, Hao Jian pounced like a starving tiger, his hands becoming the reaper''s scythe, harvesting the lives of the mafia members. The incessant gunfire, the unending screams of agony, made the scene utterly chaotic. Soon enough, all the members of the Tianlong Association lay in pools of blood, meeting untimely deaths. Hao Jian was ruthless, butchering all of them without mercy. Chapter 634 - 634: You Owe Me a Life At this moment, Hao Jian was soaked in fresh blood, resembling a blood-bathed demon god, appearing quite intimidating. "Are you okay?" Seeing so much blood on Hao Jian, Che Xiaoxiao immediately asked nervously. "I''m fine, the blood is theirs," Hao Jian shook his head, indicating he was not seriously harmed, and then said to Che Xiaoxiao, "Why not check on Qin Bing?" Following that, Che Xiaoxiao nodded and walked toward Qin Bing. "Bang, bang, bang..." But just then, unexpectedly, the silent scene was shattered by deafening gunfire. And Hao Jian''s expression turned cold as he swiftly darted forward. Che Xiaoxiao was stunned by the gunfire. Hadn''t Hao Jian killed all those guys? Who was shooting? But before she could regain her composure, a figure leaped at her, pushing her to the ground. Che Xiaoxiao instinctively covered her head and closed her eyes. About ten seconds later, the gunfire ceased, and Che Xiaoxiao slowly opened her eyes only to see Hao Jian propping himself up by the bed with a gloomy face, his eyebrows hinting at some pain. Che Xiaoxiao suddenly yelled in alarm, "Hao Jian! Are you okay?" "I''m fine, don''t worry!" Hao Jian replied with a smile. "Fine? Let me see!" Che Xiaoxiao didn''t believe him and turned him around only to burst into tears. She saw that his back was completely soaked in fresh blood, riddled with bullet holes, as many as eight. Hao Jian had taken all the gunfire alone to save her and Qin Bing, which resulted in his current condition. "Why are you so foolish?" Che Xiaoxiao scolded, furious. Hao Jian could have completely ignored them, but now he was severely injured, nearly to the point of death, to protect them. With Hao Jian''s skills, he could have easily dodged the bullets. "Stop talking about that; take Qin Bing and leave. This place has experts!" Hao Jian urgently said. The fact that someone could harm him meant they were not simple opponents. Moreover, the enemy was despicable. He knew that Qin Bing and Che Xiaoxiao were important to him, so he targeted them, knowing well that he would protect Che Xiaoxiao and the others. It was a despicable move but also the most direct and effective. The enemy found his weakness at a glance, which was quite remarkable. Honestly, Hao Jian hadn''t been injured this badly in a long time. Frankly, he was also somewhat curious about who was attacking him. Che Xiaoxiao knew the situation didn''t allow any hesitation, quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, and then picked up Qin Bing from the bed. "Hide in the bathroom!" Hao Jian decisively commanded. Che Xiaoxiao then carried Qin Bing to the washroom. Shortly after, Hao Jian heard a series of heavy footsteps coming from the stairway, one following the other, relaxed and casual yet each step vibrated the floor slightly. Soon, Hao Jian saw the Golden Haired Lion King appear before him, his hand holding a basketball-sized iron ball covered in diamond spikes, tethered with a chain. The visitor was naturally Dongba! "Were you the one who shot at me just now?" A flicker of delight crossed Hao Jian''s face, feeling excited at the time because, after so long, a seemingly formidable opponent had finally shown up. But seeing Hao Jian like this, Che Xiaoxiao just kept rolling her eyes. This damned fool, already in this condition, still acted as if nothing was wrong. "Yes, but you are much stronger than I imagined, so I decided to take you down myself," Dongba said, holding the spiked iron ball, recognizing that Hao Jian was a warrior, a man who should die with dignity. Thus, Dongba didn''t want to kill him with a gun, and he also knew he couldn''t kill Hao Jian with a gun; this guy was not ordinary. "You''re the strongest guy I''ve encountered so far, so I''m eager to fight you!" Dongba declared. "Could you tell me who sent you?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "Benjamin!" Dongba replied without disguise. Anyway, he wasn''t going to let Hao Jian go today, so telling him wouldn''t matter. "I thought it might be him. It looks like I really have to take down that little bastard," Hao Jian chuckled. Originally, he had intended to just embarrass Benjamin, but now he had changed his mind. He thought that letting Benjamin die! "Talk about surviving my hands first," Dongba snorted angrily, grabbed the chain, and swung the heavy, 500-pound iron ball with a whoosh, smashing it towards Hao Jian. Hao Jian furrowed his brows but dared not confront it head-on or he might be smashed into a pulp! Hao Jian rolled on the spot, and the iron ball whistled past his ear, then landed heavily on a nearby desk, smashing the desk to bits. Hao Jian couldn''t help but be shocked. To be able to wield a hammer weighing over five hundred pounds with such vigor, this guy definitely had some tricks up his sleeve! Che Xiaoxiao also noticed Dongba''s sharpness, but she naively said, "Hao Jian, don''t go head-to-head with him, just wear him out. He definitely won''t have that much energy!" Hao Jian rolled his eyes and said, "Big sister, you''re too naive. With consistent practice, one can quickly master the technique of swinging a heavy ball, thereby finding ways to conserve energy." "Huh!" As soon as his words fell, Dongba''s iron ball spun towards them again, whistling past and stirring up a burst of wind. "Thud!" This time, the iron ball directly smashed through a wall, instantly sending dirt and rocks flying and creating a large hole. Hao Jian furrowed his brows; since long-range attacks weren''t working, it was time for a close combat strike! Then, taking advantage of the moment when Dongba couldn''t instantly retrieve his iron ball, he dashed towards Dongba and performed a dragon tail sweep, kicking furiously at Dongba''s face. But it seemed Dongba had anticipated this, catching Hao Jian''s leg with one hand, while lifting his knee to strike Hao Jian''s waist. Hao Jian was shocked. He hadn''t expected Dongba''s reflexes to be so sharp, but he wasn''t about to let Dongba handle him. He kicked Dongba''s face, freeing himself from his grasp. Hao Jian knelt on one knee, shocked in his heart. Dongba was much stronger than he had imagined, both defensive and offensive. Just then, Hao Jian suddenly saw a sinister smile emerge on Dongba''s face. Hao Jian couldn''t help but be taken aback, and soon after, he felt a pain in his back, his body rolling forward. Dongba had regained control of the iron ball, his smile icy, "Did you think my iron ball could only hurt people when it''s thrown? You''re too naive!" "Not bad, I have to say, I really underestimated you," Hao Jian rubbed his dislocated arm, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips as he slowly stood up. Dongba couldn''t help but be astounded, how could this guy still move? Those he had hit before either died on the spot or passed out completely. Seeing someone like Hao Jian, who could act as though nothing had happened after being hit, was a first for him. Dongba realized that this time, he might have truly met his match. "So next, I''m going to take this seriously. You''d better be careful!" Hao Jian shouted. Ten minutes later, Dongba was on one knee, covered in blood, and his iron ball was shattered. He looked at Hao Jian, who leaned casually against the wall, with deep furrows in his brow, "Who exactly are you?" Hao Jian was more terrifying than he had expected. Initially, he thought he had the upper hand, but it turned out that he had been continuously pressed by Hao Jian. Hao Jian didn''t respond to Dongba''s question but instead said, "To last ten minutes in a fight with me and only then be defeated, you should be proud!" "But I''m curious, why would someone like you serve a guy like Benjamin?" Hao Jian found it inconceivable. Someone like Dongba usually had too much pride to simply serve another. For money? That seemed unlikely too. People like them didn''t care much for money as long as they had enough. Dongba chose to remain silent, seeming not to want to answer Hao Jian''s question. Seeing that Dongba didn''t respond, Hao Jian shrugged and said, "It''s up to you, I guess. I don''t care much for the words of a man about to die." When he heard Hao Jian mention killing him, Dongba''s heart trembled. He said solemnly, "Don''t kill me! I don''t want to die!" "But you just wanted to kill me!" Hao Jian shrugged, feeling somewhat disdainful. Dongba actually begging for mercy did not match the tough guy image he had displayed. "I had no choice. If I don''t kill you, they refuse to continue treating my sister!" Dongba said despondently. He wasn''t afraid to die, but he couldn''t die because if he did, no one would be there to care for his sister''s disease! Dongba didn''t believe Benjamin would be so kind as to keep treating his sister after he was dead. "Are you saying you''ve been Benjamin''s lackey just to get treatment for your sister?" Hao Jian squinted at Dongba, trying to gauge the truthfulness of his words. Dongba nodded and said, "My sister has a rare disease that requires a lot of financial resources. I don''t have any money, so I''ve had no choice but to pledge loyalty to Benjamin. So I can''t die now, please spare me. For the sake of my poor sister. Once she recovers, I''ll come to you and let you kill me!" "And until then, I can''t die!" "Interesting, really interesting!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, amused by Dongba''s words. "You don''t believe me?" Seeing Hao Jian like this, Dongba couldn''t help but frown. "No, I believe you!" Hao Jian chuckled and then pointed at Dongba, "I won''t kill you, neither now nor in the future, but remember, you owe me a life!" .................................... S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 635 - 635: The So-Called Offset "I remember!" Dongba nodded. Hao Jian''s mercy in sparing his life was something he would engrave in his heart. "Now, I''m going back to kill Benjamin, and as for those mobs outside, I''ll leave them to you!" Hao Jian said resolutely, since Benjamin had already sent assassins after him, he naturally wouldn''t let Benjamin go. "You can''t kill him. If you kill him, his father won''t treat my sister anymore," Dongba said anxiously. If Benjamin died, his sister would die as well. "If he doesn''t treat her, you bring your sister to Huaxia, and I''ll treat her!" Hao Jian said calmly. "You know medicine?" Dongba stared at Hao Jian in astonishment. Hao Jian let out a cold laugh and then spat out two words: "Divine Doctor!" Dongba didn''t know what to say. How was it that this guy, with such strong combat skills, was also a Divine Doctor? "That''s it then, I''ll leave those guys outside to you." Hao Jian left the room with Che Xiaoxiao and Qin Bing. After hesitating, Dongba still picked up a handgun and went out, ready to shoot the bodyguards sent by Benjamin, because today''s events absolutely couldn''t be known. If Benjamin''s father knew that he had let Hao Jian go, he would definitely harm his sister. Hao Jian dropped Che Xiaoxiao and Qin Bing off at the school, but on the way, Che Xiaoxiao kept urging Hao Jian to see a doctor, saying it could turn into a serious problem. Because Hao Jian''s back was still bleeding, he could go into shock from excessive blood loss at any moment. But Hao Jian shook his head: "Benjamin is not dead yet, I''m not at ease!" Only by dealing with Benjamin would he be completely reassured. Although Benjamin''s target was him, who could guarantee he wouldn''t use the people around him to threaten him? S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "For this woman, are you going to disregard your own life?" Che Xiaoxiao said annoyed, feeling it was not worth it. It was obviously because of Qin Bing''s arrogance and willfulness that this situation had arisen, so why should Hao Jian have to bear it? With Hao Jian''s abilities, dealing with Dongba would have been more than enough, yet he was shot eight times in order to protect her and Qin Bing. If Hao Jian hadn''t gone to that restaurant, perhaps none of this would have happened. Hao Jian didn''t speak anymore and just continued to drive. Che Xiaoxiao was so upset that her eyes reddened, and tears began to swirl, while she also looked at Qin Bing lying on her with an increasingly resentful expression. Because it was Qin Bing''s stupidity that had caused Hao Jian to end up like this. Soon, the three of them arrived at the school gate. Hao Jian asked Che Xiaoxiao to help Qin Bing inside, while he went to find Benjamin at a hotel not far from the school. "Don''t tell her it was me who saved her," Hao Jian suddenly said, his voice hoarse. "Why?" Che Xiaoxiao was stunned. He should let Qin Bing know it was him who saved her, otherwise that woman might continue to think Hao Jian was always in her debt. "Because she doesn''t like it, she also doesn''t want to be saved by me," Hao Jian said expressionlessly, knowing Qin Bing held hostility towards him. Che Xiaoxiao was at a loss for words and just stared deeply at Hao Jian, her expression strange. "Let it be," Hao Jian said, not wanting to say more, and then turned and walked away. "Be careful!" Che Xiaoxiao said worriedly to Hao Jian. Hao Jian nodded and then walked away towards the distance. Watching Hao Jian''s slightly weary but still resolute figure, Che Xiaoxiao suddenly felt her nose sting, and her tears flowed down once again. Che Xiaoxiao then saw a different side of this man! Meanwhile, Benjamin, wearing a comfortable bathrobe, was in his room savoring red wine, leisurely waiting for good news. He believed that with Dongba''s ability, killing Hao Jian would be a piece of cake, so he was very reassured! "Knock, knock..." Suddenly, there was a knocking sound at the door, and Benjamin signaled one of his bodyguards with a glance. The bodyguard walked to the door and asked, "Who is it?" "Hotel service!" a low male voice came from outside. "It''s so late, what hotel service could it be?" the bodyguard frowned immediately. Then, there was no more sound outside. The bodyguard looked puzzled and then, as if realizing something, he quickly pulled out his handgun and aimed it at the door, but it was already too late. "Bang!" The door was kicked open, sending the bodyguard flying. At the same time, an extremely fast figure burst in from the outside, pouncing on the remaining two bodyguards. They didn''t even have time to react before they felt a chill on their necks and then fell to the ground one after another. "You..." Benjamin was horrified, staring incredulously at the person in front of him, he exclaimed, "You didn''t die?" Why did this happen? Could it be that even Dongba was defeated by this guy? How is that possible? Hao Jian elegantly picked up a napkin from the table and carefully wiped the bloodstains from the dinner knife in his hand, placing it on the table before turning back to look at Benjamin, "I told you, this is Huaxia, my home court. You should not mess around here because you will die a terrible death!" "What have you done to Dongba?" Benjamin asked in shock. "I defeated him!" Hao Jian said with a light smile, then walked toward Benjamin, "But I also took eight bullets from him. I was seriously injured, and I must put this blame on your head!" Immediately, Hao Jian grabbed Benjamin by the neck with one hand and lifted him up. "Don''t kill me..." Benjamin struggled to say, finding it even hard to breathe at this point. "It''s too late for that. In your next life, remember to be a good person!" Hao Jian shook his head; he had no intention of sparing Benjamin because even if he did, Benjamin would continue to send assassins to kill him. Hao Jian did not want the same thing to happen again, so he decided to cut off the source of trouble once and for all. "My father is a commissioner of the great Nicholas financial consortium. If you kill me, you are making an enemy of the entire Nicholas consortium. Don''t be impulsive!" Benjamin warned, his voice quivering as he spoke. "Then let''s be enemies!" Hao Jian said with a shallow smile. "Hm?" "Crack!" With one hand, Hao Jian directly snapped Benjamin''s throat and then threw him out of the window, ensuring that Benjamin was utterly dead. .... Meanwhile, Qin Bing gradually woke up, only to see Xiaoxiao standing at the window with her back to her. Qin Bing immediately asked in confusion, "Xiaoxiao, why are you here? Where am I right now?" "You are in the school dormitory," Xiaoxiao answered coldly. Qin Bing was taken aback, "How did I end up here? Did you save me?" She should still be tangled up with Gao Shanrong, so how did she suddenly appear here? "Me? Do you think it''s possible?" Xiaoxiao sneered, turning to look at Qin Bing, "Hao Jian saved you!" Although Hao Jian had told her not to tell Qin Bing, Xiaoxiao couldn''t swallow her pride. "It was him?" Qin Bing showed a shocked expression. Why did Hao Jian know where she was? Qin Bing''s face looked strange as she asked, "Where is he now?" "He went to the hospital," Xiaoxiao replied. "He went to the hospital? He''s injured?" Qin Bing''s expression turned worried. "What? You''re worried? I thought your heart was made of stone," Xiaoxiao scoffed coldly with a sneer. "Where exactly is he?" Qin Bing did not want to engage in a war of words with Xiaoxiao. She just wanted to know how Hao Jian was really doing. "I''m not going to tell you because you don''t deserve to know!" Xiaoxiao shook her head, her face assuming a mocking expression, "Someone like you, pestering him, would just cause him harm!" Upon hearing this, Qin Bing''s eyebrows knitted together tightly, "Do you think I shouldn''t be angry? I''m not the one who was deceived!" "Yes, he did deceive you, but was his deception for his own benefit? He did it for you! The way to distinguish between lies is to see whether the lie benefits the liar or the deceived. Do you really think he pretended to be gay just to get close to you? He did it to protect your pitiful self-esteem!" Xiaoxiao snorted. "Even if he lied, hasn''t he saved you many times? Isn''t that enough to make up for it?" "How can that be enough? I regarded him as my closest friend, yet in the end, he deceived me. Don''t you think I am hurt?" Qin Bing was also getting angry. She acknowledged that Hao Jian did a lot for her, but he also ultimately hurt her. Because Qin Huaiming deceived her repeatedly, she hated being lied to by others. "This time, it compensates," Xiaoxiao said coldly, her eyelids showing a hint of pity as if she felt sorry for Qin Bing. "What do you mean by that?" Qin Bing, sensing something in Xiaoxiao''s words, asked unhappily. "What I mean is, please stay away from Hao Jian from now on. You were doing that before, weren''t you?" Xiaoxiao scoffed derisively, her tone scornful. "Why should I?" Qin Bing''s face turned dark. If she had been planning to keep her distance from Hao Jian before, she had now dismissed that thought. "Why? Why?" Xiaoxiao''s voice suddenly rose several decibels, then she quickly stepped forward, grabbed Qin Bing by the collar, and hysterically yelled, "Because he just took eight bullets to save you! Eight bullets, do you understand what that means? You idiot woman!" Hearing this, Qin Bing turned to stone on the spot ¨C Hao Jian took eight bullets for her? How was that possible? Wasn''t he very capable? Couldn''t he dodge bullets? "Impossible, you must be lying. He''s so capable, how could he be shot? You must be deceiving me!" Qin Bing''s face turned deathly pale, she comforted herself in denial, but her lips trembled, betraying her self-deception. "Yes, he is very capable, if it weren''t for you being a burden! His enemies knew he would save you, so they shot at you, and Hao Jian was hit by the bullets meant for you. And now, you''re still obsessing over how he deceived you, which is quite funny. Qin Bing, have you no conscience at all?" Xiaoxiao berated, extremely infuriated. She had been holding back her anger, but had finally burst. Chapter 636 - 636: Something Went Wrong Why should Hao Jian have to suffer humiliation and also be misunderstood? Hao Jian was mature enough not to care about these things, but Che Xiaoxiao was different¡ªshe insisted on speaking out, her sole purpose being to make Qin Bing unhappy. Why should Hao Jian have to suffer while Qin Bing can act as if nothing is wrong? Qin Bing''s face was filled with shock, and she was unable to speak, soon followed by her sobbing woefully. She had not anticipated things would turn out the way they had today. "I''m sorry... truly sorry..." Qin Bing, crying as if with pear blossoms in the rain, kept apologizing. Her delicate body trembled violently, and she felt extremely guilty. She truly hadn''t expected it to turn out this way, hadn''t foreseen causing such serious injury to Hao Jian. "If Hao Jian survives the night, save your words for him," but Che Xiaoxiao still didn''t offer a kind face, scolding coldly, "Qin Bing, you''re too selfish. Someone like you doesn''t deserve to have friends!" Whether Hao Jian would survive the night was still unknown¡ª"I''m sorry" meant nothing to her now. The scene was rather bizarre; Che Xiaoxiao, a student, was scolding Qin Bing, a teacher, harshly without a shred of respect. "Please tell me where Hao Jian is, I want to see him!" Qin Bing pleaded. Even if Hao Jian were dead, she wanted to be by his side. "I don''t know where he is, and even if I did, I wouldn''t tell you." Che Xiaoxiao spoke coldly, she absolutely wouldn''t allow Qin Bing to interfere with Hao Jian again. "Don''t go, don''t leave!" Qin Bing''s face showed urgency as she hurriedly rolled out of bed, but she felt dizzy and weak in the legs, collapsing directly onto the floor. Having just recovered from unconsciousness, she was still somewhat weak, feeling a general soreness in her body as soon as she hit the floor. Meanwhile, Che Xiaoxiao had already slammed the door and left. Looking at the tightly closed door, Qin Bing felt a wave of desolation sweep over her, unable to hold back she burst into loud cries. Hao Jian was her only friend. Knowing well how much Hao Jian cared for her, she took advantage of his kindness toward her, made things difficult for him, and now had caused him to be on the brink of death. Qin Bing was close to breaking down. Now, regret was of no use. She might never see Hao Jian again, whether he was dead or alive. After speaking with Hao Jian on the phone, Che Xiaoxiao went to visit him. At that time, Hao Jian was residing in a high-class sanatorium, found by Yu Ou, where there were competent doctors, and the clientele mostly comprised government officials and cadres. So, even though Hao Jian was suffering from a gunshot wound, he didn''t have to bother with police investigations. "Boss, what on earth happened to you, how did you get such severe injuries?" Yu Ou asked worriedly. "I encountered a master," Hao Jian said with a smile, without elaborating much. Those present, like Yu Ou, could sense the grimness of the situation. The "master" Hao Jian mentioned must have been extremely formidable, for he wouldn''t have been injured so gravely otherwise. "I thought you were made of iron?" Yu Jiayi said mockingly, but she too had rushed over as soon as she learned of Hao Jian''s injuries. Her words belied her true feelings. Hao Jian sheepishly scratched his head, then asked, "By the way, how are things going in Dragon Tooth?" "Thanks to you, those guys think I''m your woman, they all treat me with great respect," Yu Jiayi rolled her eyes and said. "What?" Hao Jian was also stunned, surprised to hear such a thing. "However, recently the Divine Tiger guys have been causing trouble for us in Dragon Tooth, probably knowing you''re back, always trying to challenge you," Yu Jiayi said, her tone slightly aggrieved. "Hmm?" Hao Jian furrowed his brow because ever since the beginning, Dragon Tooth and Divine Tiger had not been on good terms. The reason was simple, both groups wanted to be the strongest secret unit in Huaxia. Being an established power, Divine Tiger was forced to stand on equal footing with the emerging power of Dragon Tooth, which they were understandably not happy about. Since they were unhappy, they continuously found reasons to target Dragon Tooth, to prove that Divine Tiger was superior. When Hao Jian first established Dragon Tooth, Divine Tiger began targeting them. However, Hao Jian, prioritizing the bigger picture and thinking that everyone was serving the nation, even if Divine Tiger provoked them repeatedly, he endured quietly, not wanting to cause internal conflicts. Hao Jian thought that by leaving Dragon Tooth, the situation would improve, but to his surprise, nothing changed; Divine Tiger was still as reckless as ever. "Let them be," Hao Jian waved his hand, still adhering to his original belief, unwilling to engage in internal strife. "Just like that? You''re not planning to avenge us?" Yu Jiayi was stunned. She had told Hao Jian hoping he would stand up for them, but she did not foresee this response from him. "Avenge? How to avenge, aren''t we all on the same side? Should we be fighting amongst ourselves?" Hao Jian rolled his eyes. "They don''t consider us as one of their own, at least they don''t think of us that way," Yu Jiayi snorted, clearly displeased. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "If you have so many complaints, why don''t you go find Moon Goddess Jiang? I can''t really call the shots in Dragon Tooth right now," Hao Jian said, as he currently lacked the authority to take action. "Moon Goddess is out now, and Dragon Tooth is unmanaged," Yu Jiayi said indignantly, "Otherwise do you think those fools would dare to cause trouble?" "Then I''ll make some time to go and see," Hao Jian said with a smile, ready to deal with the troublemakers if they were indeed overstepping too much. And at that moment, Hao Jian''s phone rang, and he asked Yu Jiayi to pass it to him. The moment he connected, Xiao Qiang''s anxious voice came through, "Hao Jian, something terrible has happened!" "What happened?" Hao Jian asked, furrowing his brow, sensing Xiao Qiang''s urgency. "Your disciples were beaten up by White Eyebrow Tiger and his men, and Big Baby was even kidnapped. They smashed our martial arts hall and demanded a ransom within two days, or else they will kill Big Baby." Xiao Qiang''s voice was tinged with a sob, clearly terrified. "Damn it!" Hao Jian couldn''t help but curse. He had promised to accept the challenge from those grandmasters, but he had forgotten about such an important matter, and now his seven brothers had been beaten up because of it. "Stay in the dojo and don''t move; I''m on my way!" Hao Jian said in a deep voice, his eyes flashing murderously. "Yu Ou, bring me my clothes!" Hao Jian spoke to Yu Ou. Yu Ou jumped, saying, "Boss, you''re not joking, right? You''re still injured, shot eight times, how can you leave the hospital now?" Although Yu Ou didn''t know what Hao Jian was going to do, his intuition told him it was definitely not going to be anything good. "Exactly, are you out of your mind? You just had your medication applied, and the doctor said you need to rest," Jiayi couldn''t help but scold; this guy was just too impulsive. "It''s a matter of life and death, I have to go!" Hao Jian shook his head. Although he knew he shouldn''t take the risk in his current state, if he didn''t, Big Baby would be in danger. "Boss, let me handle whatever it is; you stay here and recover," Yu Ou said, not wanting Hao Jian to take the risk. But Hao Jian shook his head and said, "You can''t handle this matter; only I can handle it personally." White Eyebrow Tiger had already declared that he wanted to challenge all the famous martial artists in Hua City to a fight, and those guys were no easy targets. With so many of them, the trouble was no less than dealing with Dongba, not something Yu Ou could handle. "But in your condition..." both Yu Ou and Jiayi were very worried. "It''s okay," Hao Jian insisted. Big Baby was in danger, and he couldn''t just ignore it. Jiayi sighed angrily, "Why do you have to be so worrisome?" "No choice now, we have to go with him, otherwise, if this guy dies out there, it would be our fault," Jiayi said to Yu Ou. "No need," Hao Jian was about to say. "You must!" Jiayi snapped, not giving Hao Jian a chance to refuse. Hao Jian and Yu Ou suddenly looked at Jiayi in shock. Was she really that agitated? Jiayi also realized something and said with a shy expression, "I''m not concerned about you, I just don''t want you to die out there and damage the reputation of Dragon Tooth, that''s all." "Alright!" Hao Jian chuckled helplessly, and then got up to dress and prepare to leave. But just as he was leaving, he ran into Xiaoxiao, who was holding numerous packages. Seeing Hao Jian dressed and ready to leave, she couldn''t help but frown and asked, "What are you doing?" "I have something to handle," Hao Jian said with a dry laugh. "Something to handle? Do you have a death wish?" Xiaoxiao immediately got angry, stepping in front of Hao Jian and blocking his way, "You are not going!" "I really have an emergency," Hao Jian said helplessly. "Do you not care about your life? Do you really think you are made of iron?" Xiaoxiao was so frustrated she wanted to strangle Hao Jian; this guy really didn''t value his own life at all. "Who is this little girl? Hao Jian, aren''t you being too indiscriminate in your choice? Are you even flirting with little girls now?" Jiayi said disdainfully. "What nonsense are you speaking; she''s my student," Hao Jian said angrily. "Student? Really?" Jiayi looked at Hao Jian sceptically. Hao Jian couldn''t be bothered to respond to her and squeezed past Xiaoxiao, chuckling, "I''ll explain later." Immediately, Hao Jian quickly rushed out. "Hao Jian, you bastard!" Xiaoxiao stomped her foot in anger. This bastard, she cared so much about him, yet he was unappreciative. And with Qin Bing, he kept approaching her despite her indifference, so cheap, so very cheap! "He''s always been a bastard," Jiayi said with a laugh. "You laugh? You tomboy!" Xiaoxiao scolded. "I..." .............................. Chapter 637 - 637: Visiting Xiaoxiao had no way to stop Hao Jian, so she could only go with him. By the time they arrived at the scene, it was already a complete mess. The entire martial arts school had been smashed up; some male students were lying down, groaning in pain, while some female students knelt on the ground, covering their faces and crying, clearly terrified. Seeing this situation, Hao Jian was also seething with killing intent because the opponent had gone too far. They had not only injured his disciples but also did not spare his grand-disciples. "Ancestral Master!" When the female students saw Hao Jian appear, they rushed toward him as if they had found their pillar of strength and surrounded him. "Ancestral Master, White Eyebrow Tiger came with a group of martial artists, injured the master, the uncles, and some brothers, and even kidnapped the master!" "Ancestral Master, you must avenge our brothers!" "Ancestral Master, I''m scared..." The female students were all pouting, looking like a group of frightened little rabbits, still shivering. Now they could only rely on Hao Jian to seek justice for them. "I know everything. Don''t worry, I will bring your master back, and I will also avenge your brothers," Hao Jian said sternly. The opponent had come to challenge them; thus, this matter couldn''t just be settled peacefully. Since the opponent had gone to such lengths, it was clear they intended not to give him face. Therefore, Hao Jian no longer needed to hold back. Suddenly, Hao Jian walked over to Big Baby and others; all six were lying on the ground, bloodied and bruised, clearly having been through a harsh battle. Xiao Qiang stood guard over them, but also ended up crying out of urgency and guilt, saying, "Hao Jian, I''m sorry, really sorry, I couldn''t save them." Hao Jian shook his head, saying, "It''s not your fault, you are, after all, an ordinary woman." "Master, we are sorry, we have disgraced you. We are not worthy to be your disciples!" Big Baby and the others said guiltily with their heads bowed. After saying this, their eyes moistened with feelings of unwillingness and resentment. They cried not because they lost to White Eyebrow Tiger and his men, but because they felt they had disgraced Hao Jian. Hao Jian was so strong, yet as his disciples, they were weak, causing their master dishonor, even causing their eldest brother to be captured. "The opponent is too strong; this is not your fault," Hao Jian sighed. "It''s actually my responsibility. I promised to give you special training, but it was delayed due to various reasons. Otherwise, even if you weren''t able to defeat them, you wouldn''t have ended up like this." Hao Jian felt he was truly the one who should be remorseful; he hadn''t taken this matter seriously enough. "Take me to Big Baby," Hao Jian had no time to waste, knowing Big Baby was now in the hands of White Eyebrow Tiger and others, likely suffering torture. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hao Jian, why do you look so bad, are you hurt?" At that moment, Xiao Qiang noticed something was off with Hao Jian and quickly asked him. "I''ve been injured a bit, but it''s nothing," Hao Jian shook his head, indicating he was not seriously harmed. "It''s nothing? You''ve been shot eight times, you are almost dead, and it''s still nothing?" Xiaoxiao was furious, staring in disbelief. This guy was shot yesterday, and today he plans to fight again; Xiaoxiao really didn''t know what to say about him. Hearing this, Xiao Qiang and the others were shocked. Hao Jian had been shot? And eight times? Their expressions turned odd. Normally, if someone was shot eight times, wouldn''t they be dead? Yet, Hao Jian was only slightly pale and could still stand and walk? They all found it unbelievable. "Master, you''ve been so severely injured, it really isn''t appropriate to confront them now," Big Baby and the others also urgently advised. With Hao Jian so badly injured, facing those Grandmasters now would be like throwing him into the fire. "Yes, Master, maybe we should wait a few days," though they also wanted to save Big Baby, it seemed like a suicide mission in Hao Jian''s current state. "Since they''ve given us a deadline, we must meet it. Otherwise, they really might harm Big Baby," Hao Jian shook his head saying. "Then let''s go and tell them to delay the duel by a few days," Big Baby suggested, still somewhat worried about Hao Jian. "That would make them think we''re afraid of fighting, so we deliberately delay. Not to mention whether they would agree, even if they do, during this time, they might still torture Big Baby," Hao Jian mainly worried about this. He had beaten White Eyebrow Tiger badly before and humiliated him in front of White Eyebrow Tiger''s disciples; who knows how White Eyebrow Tiger might retaliate against Big Baby. People still wanted to persuade Hao Jian, but Hao Jian''s attitude was resolute, and he said, "Enough, I''ve made up my mind, let''s get moving!" Xiao Qiang and the others had no choice but to comply with Hao Jian''s request and led him to the agreed-upon battleground. Meanwhile, at White Tiger Martial Arts School, a gathering of martial arts grandmasters was taking place, well over twenty of them, some completely white haired, others burly and muscular, all obviously masters or martial men just by one look. In front of them hung a man from the lintel, covered in blood, his clothes tattered, with whip marks all over his body¡ªclearly subjected to inhuman treatment. This man was naturally Big Baby. "Speak! Where exactly is that little bastard?" White Eyebrow Tiger held a leather whip, his eyes emitting a fierce light as he barked. Just before asking, he had already beaten Big Baby into this condition. Previously humiliated, White Eyebrow Tiger was still seething with rage, and he naturally took it out on Big Baby first. "Pah!" Big Baby gave White Eyebrow Tiger a straight look, then spit directly into his face, his expression full of contempt, "To think that a loser under my master''s hand dares to bark in front of me?" "Are you seeking death?" Furious, White Eyebrow Tiger wiped the spit off his face and then furiously pounded Big Baby''s chest with more than a dozen punches. "Hey, hey, don''t hit him so hard; if you kill him, the kid might not come," said an old man with white hair, his eyes, however, twinkling with amusement. He was not really trying to stop White Eyebrow Tiger. "Even if we don''t kill him, I think that kid wouldn''t dare to come. We might as well just kill him!" a giant man with a bullish physique retorted coldly. He was burly like a grizzly bear, his torso bare and covered with strange tattoos, while a whip hung from the back of his head. His attitude was scornful. They already knew Hao Jian was avoiding a fight; how could he possibly deliver himself to death''s door? "Don''t say that. What if the kid really comes seeking death? If we kill his disciple, we would miss the chance to slaughter him too," the old man with white hair said smilingly, yet his smile was sly as if hiding a blade, giving him an air of a smiling tiger. "Humph, thinking he can open a martial arts school in Hua City, it''s not that simple. Looking down on us elders, I''ll show him the power of Qi-Mu Deye Iron Fist!" This white-haired old man and Qi-Mu Deye were representatives of all the grandmasters in Hua City, and they were the two most formidable among them. Hao Jian''s audacity in dismissing them completely had enraged them. "I heard that kid has some tricks up his sleeve; even White Eyebrow Tiger had suffered a great defeat at his hands. If he does come, it''d be wise to be careful," said a skinny man dressed in a kung fu robe, his demeanor sinister as if he were a bald eagle. "A kid in his twenties, no matter how skilled, how powerful could he be? It''s just that White Eyebrow Tiger, that failure, was defeated by him," Qi-Mu Deye said coldly, showing no respect for White Eyebrow Tiger. Since White Eyebrow Tiger was one of them and his humiliation also disgraced the grandmasters, Qi-Mu Deye, although speaking in defense of White Eyebrow Tiger, did not view him favorably. White Eyebrow Tiger, upon hearing Qi-Mu Deye say this, felt an outburst of rage but dared not show his discontent. "Exactly, can one man stand against us all? Do you think he is Mr. Situ?" the white-haired man said disdainfully, but then looked at a young man beside him, "Right, Mr. Situ?" The man named Mr. Situ, whose full name was Situ Haonan, was the youngest among this group. Normally, he would have attracted the least attention. But, because of another identity he held, that alone was enough to make everyone present respect and even fear him. He was one of the members of Divine Tiger! In Huaxia, Dragon Tooth and Divine Tiger represented the authority of martial arts. All martial arts practitioners revered these two entities like deities, striving to join Divine Tiger or Dragon Tooth as a lifelong goal. So even though Situ Haonan was just a junior member of Divine Tiger, he was able to command respect and curry favor from so many martial artists. Hearing the white-haired elder''s words, Situ Haonan just smiled lightly and shook his head, taking a high stance, "Please don''t say that, elder. I''m only in my twenties, my experience is shallow, how could I possibly stand up to elders like you?" His words were humble, but his demeanor looked down upon the white-haired elder, making his statement sound odd, with a hint of boasting intertwined. "Ah, Mr. Situ is being modest. To be a member of Divine Tiger at your age, that itself puts us far behind. I''m afraid even if all of us joined hands, we might not stand a chance against you. With you, Divine Tiger is truly stronger, becoming a genuine soaring Divine Tiger. Mr. Situ, your future is limitless; perhaps one day you might even take up a leadership position," the white-haired elder continued to flatter. Hearing the white-haired elder unreservedly bootlicking, Qi-Mu Deye gritted his teeth in irritation. This old man, how fast could he act? Qi-Mu Deye also wanted to ingratiate himself with Situ Haonan, so seeing the white-haired elder take the lead, he was quite unwilling. Regretting that he should have been a bit shameless, as that would have been his chance to catch Situ Haonan''s attention first. Chapter 638 - 638: Eagle Catches the Chick Situ Haonan naturally couldn''t really defeat so many people by himself, including the elderly man with the white hair, but he had to say this. Otherwise, how could Situ Haonan be happy? Upon hearing the words of the white-haired elderly, Situ Haonan''s face suddenly turned cold, "Such words, never say them again. The captain holds a revered place in my heart, and I don''t want anyone comparing him to me!" "This... Understood." The old man with the white hair was suddenly shocked. Could it be that he had flattered incorrectly? But at this moment, Situ Haonan suddenly gave a chilling smile, "However, what you said isn''t wrong either; I indeed deserve that position more than anyone else in the team." "Yes, yes, yes, Mr. Situ''s talent is exceptional, and his path in martial arts is extraordinary, naturally, you soar to the skies!" The old man with the white hair immediately flattered thoroughly again, but in his heart, he mocked, "A mere brat, you really think too highly of yourself, comparing yourself with the Divine Tiger Captain? How dare you?" But while his heart harbored mockery, the old man with the white hair showed even more respect on the surface, reaching the peak of deceitfulness. Qi-Mu Deye was also seething inside, cursing the old man with white hair as an old fox in his heart, using crafty measures to please Situ Haonan. But soon, Qi-Mu Deye also wore a sycophantic smile, "That''s right, if that kid dares to come, even if we''re not his match, Mr. Situ can easily take care of him!" Situ Haonan''s face showed a pleased smile, clearly enjoying the compliments from these people. "Bang!" Suddenly, the door was kicked open, and immediately Hao Jian entered with Che Xiaoxiao and others. "That kid has come!" White Eyebrow Tiger immediately recognized Hao Jian and said to the old man with white hair and Qi-Mu Deye and others. The Grandmasters turned their gazes towards the doorway in surprise, but upon seeing how young Hao Jian was, they all showed contempt. Hao Jian''s youth meant that he had trained in martial arts for a shorter time and absolutely couldn''t match their experience. Among them, the least experienced had at least twenty years of training, and in their view, Hao Jian had at best only ten years. But what they didn''t know was that there are people known as geniuses! As Hao Jian and others entered, seeing Big Baby hanging there being whipped, their faces immediately showed anger. "Master..." Big Baby saw Hao Jian coming in but could only call out weakly. "Kid, you really dare to come and seek your own death?" White Eyebrow Tiger laughed loudly, his attitude arrogant. In his view, Hao Jian showing up here was like asking for death. With so many of them here, they could wear down Hao Jian with a war of attrition. Hao Jian stared deeply at White Eyebrow Tiger and then said word by word, "Last time, I shouldn''t have injured you." "Oh? Now you regret it? But it''s too late. To dare to insult me is to insult the entire martial arts community of Hua City." White Eyebrow Tiger said arrogantly, then his face showed a sinister smile, "However, if you''re willing to crawl through our legs and kowtow a few times, we might consider sparing you!" "No, I think you misunderstood me. What I meant was, I shouldn''t have injured you; I should have straight away killed you!" Hao Jian''s smile was wicked, his words chilling. At this moment, White Eyebrow Tiger, holding the whip next to Big Baby, was extremely conspicuous in his eyes. "Kill me? With you? You''re just throwing yourself into the net, you fool!" White Eyebrow Tiger snorted coldly, his anger uncontainable. Even at this point, Hao Jian still dared to disrespect him. "Trash, step aside, let your leader come forward and talk!" But Hao Jian didn''t bother looking at White Eyebrow Tiger again and instead stared directly at the Grandmasters sitting pretentiously. "You!" White Eyebrow Tiger was infuriated, feeling like he couldn''t save face after being scolded by Hao Jian like this. "Young friend is indeed impetuous," the white-haired elderly man stood up, his expression a mix of smile and seriousness. "Impetuous? You haven''t seen my truly fierce side yet!" Hao Jian scoffed coldly. "Oh? Then I really want to see if young friend''s capabilities match your temper!" The white-haired elderly man also felt some anger. Hao Jian was so insolent and disrespectful even when facing him, an elder. "Old fool, don''t act all high and mighty in front of me, trying to play wise and experienced. My depth is not something an old fool like you can fathom. I''ll only ask you one thing, who injured my disciple, and who injured my grand-disciple!" Hao Jian scoffed coldly, his attitude firm. Behind him, his disciples and grand-disciples all showed anger, staring straight at some people, identifying the assailants. "What an arrogant brat. Initially, I just wanted to teach you a lesson, but now, I will cripple you so you can never practice martial arts again!" The white-haired elderly man''s face turned livid, his shame turning to extreme annoyance. "If you''re capable of that." Hao Jian scoffed coldly, not taking the white-haired elderly man seriously at all and shouted, "Those who beat up my disciples and grand-disciples, come out!" "I did, what about it?" Qi-Mu Deye stood up, staring coldly at Hao Jian, a hint of scorn on his lips. "Nothing much, just a tenfold return is all!" Hao Jian said languidly, memorizing Qi-Mu Deye''s face. "Quite the bold statement!" Qi-Mu Deye huffed discontentedly and then coldly said, "Soon, I will let you know what a mistake is, and let all these disciples and grand-disciples of yours know how useless their master is. However, this time I''ve decided to be lenient, I will only strike you, not your disciples!" "Heh, what an idiot. If I hadn''t been away from the martial arts school earlier, would it have been your turn to act wildly?" Hao Jian sneered, "As a martial artist, you actually bully the younger generation. Do you have no shame?" "What martial artists honor is the supremacy of the strong. They are weak and deserve to be bullied!" Qi-Mu Deye snorted, not feeling embarrassed in the slightest. "Good, hearing you say that, I''m relieved," Hao Jian said with a strange expression and then stood with his hands behind his back, loudly declaring, "Who wants to die first?" As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room was shocked. The grandmasters and their disciples were all astonished; was this young man so arrogant as to challenge all of them alone? At that moment, Situ Haonan couldn''t help but frown, thinking the guy before him was too arrogant, and what''s more, he had stolen his thunder. Moreover, by Hao Jian''s side, there were three extremely beautiful women, which annoyed him. Why should such a nobody have so many beautiful girls following him? A sense of inexplicable jealousy suddenly flared up. "Arrogant! I''ll meet your challenge!" A furious shout and a quick step forward came from the previously speaking Skinny. He wore a kung fu robe, and as soon as he arrived, he assumed a stance with one leg grounded and his hands behind his back, leaning forward slightly, like a falcon eyeing its prey. "Chicken Claw Technique," Hao Jian disdainfully said. "Nonsense! It''s Eagle Claw Technique!" Skinny immediately got furious, clearly it was Eagle Claw, yet Hao Jian had called it Chicken Claw. "Come on, little chicken!" Hao Jian beckoned Skinny with his finger, his attitude contemptuous. "You''re looking for death!" Skinny''s eyes blazed with fire as he suddenly lunged forward, his hands shaped like claws, reaching straight for Hao Jian''s head. "My master''s Eagle Claw Technique has reached the level of perfection. He can crush gold and stone with his bare hands, nothing can withstand him, this guy is dead for sure!" At that moment, Skinny''s disciples started to boast proudly. Seeing this, the white-haired elder and Qi-Mu Deye couldn''t help but reveal cold smiles. Skinny''s strength was also among the upper echelons among them, and his Eagle Claw Technique was extremely domineering; even they dared not cross him directly, thinking capturing Hao Jian would be just reaching out and taking him. "Master, be careful!" "Ancestral Master, be careful!" From behind, Hao Jian''s disciples and grand-disciples all shouted anxiously, knowing that Hao Jian was currently weak from a gunshot wound. Hao Jian smiled faintly, and slowly retreated a few steps, using one hand to perform "Cloud Brushing the Moon" to deflect all of Skinny''s attacks. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then, Hao Jian suddenly furrowed his brows, a stern look crossing his face: "Little chicken, let me show you what a real eagle looks like!" "Swoosh!" In a flash, Hao Jian turned his hand into a claw, aiming for Skinny''s claw, and the two sets of eagle claws collided. "Ah!" But the following moment, Skinny let out a scream of pain, and his palm was torn open, his fingers mangled. Immediately after, Hao Jian grabbed Skinny by the throat with one hand, and said insultingly, "Do you know what this is? This is an eagle catching a little chicken!" Everyone suddenly gasped in amazement, finding it unbelievable that in a contest of Eagle Claw Technique against Eagle Claw Technique, Skinny was no match for this guy. Hao Jian threw Skinny aside and coldly mocked as he looked towards the white-haired elder: "Who''s next?" But as he spoke, Hao Jian couldn''t suppress a cough twice, clearly the fight had aggravated some of his injuries. At this moment, the white-haired elder and Qi-Mu Deye were no longer underestimating him. Just that move Hao Jian had shown was enough to earn their respect. The white-haired elder and Qi-Mu Deye knew that this young man''s strength was probably not beneath theirs. "This kid, why is his face so pale? He''s injured!" The white-haired elder suddenly noticed Hao Jian''s unusual appearance. Hearing this, the grandmasters were even more shocked. He was so dominant even with injuries? Was this young man some kind of humanoid monster? The grandmasters were all intimidated by Hao Jian''s demeanour, none daring to step forward for a while. "What are you afraid of? He''s fighting with a body suffering from injuries; how long can he last? If we fight him by taking turns, we''ll wear him down sooner or later!" Qi-Mu Deye casually said. "Qi-Mu Deye makes sense. This guy is just running on adrenaline; his energy will fade soon enough, and he won''t last long," the white-haired elder agreed, implying that these grandmasters should be the cannon fodder. But the grandmasters were not fools. They knew what the white-haired elder and Qi-Mu Deye were planning and were unwilling to be the ones to stand out, as they didn''t want to end up in the same plight as Skinny. Chapter 639 - 639: Battle of the Group Masters "Gentlemen, at this point, do you still need to hold back? If we let this kid rise, our future in Hua City will be difficult," the old man with white hair dramatically warned. But what he said was also true, if so many of them couldn''t dare to suppress Hao Jian alone, how would their disciples view them, and how would outsiders view them? At that time, everyone would probably flock to Hao Jian''s martial arts school, and they would no longer be able to take disciples, effectively cutting off their financial path. "Gentlemen, you needn''t worry, if you collapse, Qi-Mu Deye and I will take action too, so don''t be afraid," the old man with white hair suddenly said loudly, making sure the disciples of those grandmasters could hear clearly. Immediately, a commotion arose, and the disciples all looked puzzled¡ªcould it be that their masters were afraid of Hao Jian? With that, the grandmasters all looked frustrated, realizing they had been manipulated by the white-haired old man. At this point, even if they didn''t want to take action, they had to, otherwise their own disciples would look down on them. "I''ll go!" a bald burly man bellowed, clutching a wooden stick as he stepped forward, glaring at Hao Jian: "Youngster, I''ll take you on!" "Wulang Bagua Stick? Interesting! Bring it on!" Hao Jian gestured to the burly man. The burly man frowned, saying, "Choose a suitable weapon, don''t claim I bullied you!" "Alright!" Hao Jian nodded, then took off the flip-flops from his feet, holding them in his hand: "Come!" "You''re seeking death!" The burly man clenched his teeth in anger, Hao Jian actually took out a flip-flop, clearly humiliating him. He swung the wooden stick and rushed forward, the stick creating a fierce wind as it aimed for Hao Jian''s head. Hao Jian slightly sidestepped, then with a flip of his body, he slapped the flip-flop right across. "Smack!" The flip-flop struck the face, making a loud sound. Seeing this, all grandmasters and disciples couldn''t help but show a look of shock as their expressions grew even more solemn. "Master is mighty!" "Ancestral Master is mighty!" The disciples and grandchildren of Hao Jian roared together, all visibly exhilarated, as if injected with adrenaline. With just a flip-flop, Hao Jian was able to injure the burly man¡ªif he were using a sword instead, would the man not already be dead? At this moment, Big Baby, who was hanging, also forgot his pain and burst into loud laughter: "White Eyebrow Tiger, didn''t you say my master has no guts and wouldn''t show up? Here he is now, overpowering all of you. What do you have to say now!" White Eyebrow Tiger''s face turned extremely ugly. He menacingly said, "This is just the beginning, you''re rejoicing too soon. Didn''t you notice, your master is injured, looking a bit pale? He might be strong now, but what about after ten, twenty people? In a war of attrition, we can definitely wear him down!" Big Baby snorted coldly, saying, "Foolish villain, the depth of my master''s skills is beyond your comprehension. Sooner or later, he''ll beat you all down like dogs!" The slap from the flip-flop made the burly man''s face feel burning hot, not from pain, but from shame. Being slapped in the face in front of a crowd, especially while holding a weapon, and still being dominated by this fellow? "I''ll slaughter you!" the burly man roared, bringing out the essence of the Wulang Bagua Stick to its limit, expertly maneuvering ring, stab, spear, slash, whip, lift, deflect, snap, pull, mark, sweep, press, knock, strike¡ªfourteen moves as his mantra. His attacks varied enormously, relentlessly targeting Hao Jian. But Hao Jian was slippery like an eel, no matter how much the burly man changed his attacks, he couldn''t even touch Hao Jian''s robe. "Smack!" Suddenly, Hao Jian grabbed the wooden stick with one hand, looking a bit disappointed he shook his head: "You call this Wulang Bagua Stick? It should be called ''Monkey playing with a stick!''" Instantly, Hao Jian easily snatched the Wulang Bagua Stick with one hand and threw it five meters away. "Fool, let me show you what a real Wulang Bagua Stick is!" Hao Jian bellowed, then charged toward those grandmasters: "It''s too much trouble to take you on one by one, let me finish all of you at once!" "Scoundrel!" "Arrogant!" The grandmasters were incensed, Hao Jian actually wanting to take them all on by himself? The grandmasters, provoked by Hao Jian, all charged out, clashing with Hao Jian. But soon, a shocking scene occurred¡ªthe wooden stick in Hao Jian''s hand seemed divinely infused, its moves endless and grand like a dragon''s tail turn, like a hungry tiger capturing a sheep, with a total of one hundred and eight variations, profound and unfathomable, leaving those grandmasters crying for their parents and fleeing with their heads in their hands. The bald burly man was stunned on the spot; the Wulang Bagua Stick had never displayed such power in his hands. This guy managed to use this martial art to completely overpower so many grandmasters without any resistance? Immediately, Baldy felt a surge of blood boiling, never having known the Wulang Bagua Stick could be so powerful. In vain he had been called a Master of a Generation, when he had just scratched the surface; it was indeed humiliating! "This guy, he knows the Eagle Claw Technique, he knows the Wulang Bagua Stick, what else is there that he doesn''t know?" the elderly man with white hair exclaimed in shock. "Could he have mastered the strengths of various families, understanding all martial arts?" Qi-Mu Deye also said in panic, his back sweating coldly and feeling somewhat faint. "How could that be possible, mastering any single martial art to perfection takes years, given his young age, how could he possibly know everything?" the white-haired elderly man found it unlikely, but despite his words, his heart couldn''t help but feel shocked and doubtful. Next to them, Situ Haonan furrowed his eyebrows but did not make a move, clearly realizing Hao Jian was tough to handle, wanting to let these grandmasters wear Hao Jian down before stepping in himself. Situ Haonan was very cautious, not wanting to capsize in a ditch. Soon, those twenty or so grandmasters were laid flat on the ground by Hao Jian. At the elderly man''s side, everyone sharply inhaled, their body hair standing on end, feeling very frightened. This guy is still ailing; why is he so fierce? Could it be that he intentionally pretends to be ill to deceive them? But regardless whether Hao Jian was pretending or was genuinely sick, the strength he displayed at that moment was shocking enough for them. One man had over twenty grandmasters crying for their parents, surely not something a normal person could accomplish. The grandmasters lay on the ground wailing, all unable to rise, as Hao Jian held that wooden stick straightly pointing at the white-haired elderly man and Qi-Mu Deye, sneered and said, "You two, are you going to wait for me to come find you, or are you going to roll over here yourselves?" The white-haired elderly man and Qi-Mu Deye had grim faces, furious inside, but also murmuring to themselves that this guy was so fearsome, even if the two of them joined hands, they probably weren''t his match. "What, scared? Didn''t you just say you planned to tire me out with a war of attrition? Now that I''m supposed to be worn out, if not now, then when?" Hao Jian mocked. Everyone was staring at the white-haired elderly man and Qi-Mu Deye; at this moment, these two were like being roasted on a pyre, if they didn''t make a move, they would be despised by their own disciples. "Youngster, you are too arrogant!" the white-haired elderly man bellowed, stomping the ground hard, moving three meters away, coming right in front of Hao Jian. "Don''t think just because you beat them you''re something special, beat us and then talk!" Qi-Mu Deye also roared angrily, walking over. Hao Jian stood in place, tossing aside the wooden stick, pointing at the ground under his feet and said, "If I move even an inch, consider it my loss!" "What? This kid is so full of himself?" a disciple of the white-haired elderly man said. "Whether he''s full of himself or actually has that ability remains to be seen." another disciple sighed, previously they also thought Hao Jian challenging so many grandmasters surely would be heavily taught a lesson, but instead, it turned out he gave a severe lesson to those grandmasters, this young man should not be underestimated. Unable to bear it any longer, the two people of the white-haired elderly man charged wildly towards Hao Jian, Hao Jian''s arrogance making them even more irate. But as the white-haired elderly man charged furiously, he was instantly floored by a kick from Hao Jian, coughing up blood. And Qi-Mu Deye''s fate wasn''t much better, pinned to the ground by Hao Jian with one hand, his heart shocked, similarly coughing blood. "Did you say, to make me a cripple?" Hao Jian looked at the white-haired elderly man with a sneer, then turned to Qi-Mu Deye, "And you, said you''d teach me a severe lesson?" "You, you disrespect your elders, unworthy as a martial artist!" Qi-Mu Deye''s voice trembled as he spoke, still pretending to scold Hao Jian. "Disrespect for elders? Didn''t you just say the strong prevails? Now that you''re beaten down like a dog, you blame me for not respecting elders? You''re not very capable, but indeed you have a thick skin!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, finding Qi-Mu Deye''s words too ludicrous. Qi-Mu Deye''s disciples all clenched their teeth, not hating Hao Jian, yet feeling embarrassed and disgraced by Qi-Mu Deye. At that moment, Qi-Mu Deye''s dignity was completely lost! "Now, every person who has fought my disciples and grand-disciples step forward, cripple one of your own legs, and we''ll consider the matter settled. Otherwise, wait for them to identify you, and you''ll lose all four limbs!" Hao Jian said fiercely, showing no mercy at this moment. Now the situation had changed, the faces showing mockery and triumph were no longer those of the white-haired elderly man''s group, but Hao Jian''s disciples and grand-disciples. "Starting with you two!" Hao Jian pointed at the white-haired elderly man and Qi-Mu Deye. The white-haired elderly man and Qi-Mu Deye suddenly shivered, feeling powerless in front of the formidable Hao Jian. "Mr. Situ." the white-haired elderly man quickly cast a pleading gaze at Situ Haonan, now the only hope they had. Clearly, they all did not want to become crippled, so they would rather lose face and beg Situ Haonan for help. "Stop!" Situ Haonan also rose, putting on a dignified posture, directly ordering Hao Jian..........¡­ Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 640 - 640: Grand Introduction "Just because you say stop, I should stop? Who do you think you are?" Hao Jian tossed Situ Haonan an eye roll, clearly not intending to heed him at all. "How dare you talk to me like that?" Situ Haonan glared at Hao Jian with anger. Being a member of Divine Tiger, everyone should treat him with respect. How could this Minor Warrior dare to defy him? "What, are you the head of state? If not, why can''t I talk to you like this?" Hao Jian rolled his eyes and gave Situ Haonan the middle finger. "Boy, you dare to provoke Mr. Situ? Do you know who he is, a man from Divine Tiger? Do you really want to be an enemy of Divine Tiger?" Qi-Mu Deye directly threw a huge accusation at Hao Jian. "Divine Tiger?" Hao Jian frowned, then burst into laughter. Fate truly had a way of throwing enemies together. "What, you got scared? If you''re scared, then quickly apologize to Mr. Situ and kowtow a few times, then you can scram," said Qi-Mu Deye mockingly, thinking Hao Jian had been frightened since he wasn''t responding. "Crack!" Hao Jian directly stomped on Qi-Mu Deye''s knee, breaking it. Qi-Mu Deye screamed terribly, almost fainting from the intense pain. "Since when is it your turn to speak? Did you really think I wouldn''t dare touch you?" Hao Jian said ominously, his irritation boiling over, as Qi-Mu Deye dared to buzz around him like an annoying fly. The elder with white hair was dumbstruck. He couldn''t believe Hao Jian was so audacious, to harm someone right in front of Situ Haonan. Situ Haonan was also clenching his teeth with rage. He had already called for a stop, but Hao Jian still crippled Qi-Mu Deye, blatantly disrespecting him. "Cripple your own hands and get out of here!" Situ Haonan commanded Hao Jian, his eyes chilling to the bone. "You want me to cripple my own hands? What makes you think you''re qualified? Even your captain wouldn''t dare talk to me this way!" Hao Jian retorted coldly. Though he was around the same age as Situ Haonan, his experience was something Situ Haonan couldn''t compare to. How could Hao Jian tolerate Situ Haonan speaking to him as if he were superior? Hao Jian was someone who could sit on an equal footing with the Divine Tiger Captain. "You dare insult our captain, for that alone, you deserve death!" Situ Haonan roared furiously, then rushed forward, preparing to make his move on Hao Jian. Seeing Situ Haonan spring into action, the elder with white hair and Qi-Mu Deye were overjoyed, casting venomous glances at Hao Jian. "Scram!" Hao Jian was still irreverent, whipping around with a back spinning kick, lashing out with blistering speed. Situ Haonan couldn''t react in time, only feeling a sharp pain on his face, then he was flying back to where he came from, crashing into a pile of chairs with a bang. "Hiss..." The elder and others all took a sharp intake of breath. Hao Jian had actually laid hands on Situ Haonan? Didn''t he realize that Situ Haonan represented the entirety of Divine Tiger? By hitting him like this, wasn''t he clearly showing disrespect to Divine Tiger? Didn''t he know what consequences would come from offending Divine Tiger? And Yu Jiayi, who witnessed all this, was absolutely delighted. They had been bullied by people from Divine Tiger before, and seeing Situ Haonan get beaten by Hao Jian made them feel tremendously satisfied. "You dare hit me?" Situ Haonan covered his nose, blood flowing freely. Hao Jian''s kick had shattered his nasal bone, and the blood was gushing out like it was free. "A mere member of Divine Tiger dares to show off in front of me?" Hao Jian snorted coldly, pointing at Situ Haonan: "Get lost quickly, or your fate will be the same as theirs!" "Kid, you dare offend Divine Tiger, you are doomed!" the elder with white hair bellowed. "That''s right, Divine Tiger will hunt you to the death!" Qi-Mu Deye said viciously, filled with particular hatred for Hao Jian after having one of his legs disabled. "Slap their mouths!" Hao Jian commanded Big Baby and the others. They immediately went forward, rolled up their sleeves, and started mercilessly slapping Qi-Mu Deye and the elder. Qi-Mu Deye was fuming with rage, but didn''t dare retaliate knowing very well that striking back would only lead to an even more miserable end. "Just you wait, I''m calling for backup right now!" Situ Haonan said viciously, realizing that he had hit a brick wall and couldn''t take on Hao Jian alone. He could only seek the might of Divine Tiger. "No need for that, even if you made a call and summoned people, nothing would change in the end." At this point, Yu Jiayi stepped forward, speaking with a mocking expression. "Yu Jiayi? What are you doing here?" Situ Haonan exclaimed in shock, recognizing Yu Jiayi since he had been there when they caused trouble at Dragon Tooth. He had even flirted with Yu Jiayi, provoking her to nearly draw her sword. "Why can''t I be here?" Yu Jiayi laughed, clearly enjoying the sight of Situ Haonan''s beatable face. "Did you plan this?" Situ Haonan furrowed his brow, contemplating the possibility. "How could I? I don''t have such clout to invite the founder of Dragon Tooth to act," Yu Jiayi shrugged, saying nonchalantly. "What? What did you just say?" Situ Haonan''s face changed drastically, suspecting he had heard wrong. "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce with all due respect, this man right here is our Dragon Tooth Founder, Hao Jian!" Yu Jiayi said, pointing to Hao Jian beside her. "Oh my god!" "No way? He''s the Dragon Tooth Founder?" "This has got to be fake, right? We''re fighting with the Dragon Tooth Founder?" Everyone was petrified for a moment, as if struck by lightning, their shock deepened by the realization that this seemingly ordinary young man could actually be the Dragon Tooth Founder? Big Baby and the others were also dumbstruck; they naturally knew what it meant to be the founder of Dragon Tooth¡ªfor martial artists, Divine Tiger and Dragon Tooth were the ultimate dream and everyone wanted to be a part of them. And to think that their own master was the founder of Dragon Tooth? "The founder of Dragon Tooth? For real?" At that moment, the most expressive ones were probably the white-haired elder and Qi-Mu Deye, as they were the main forces opposing Hao Jian. "He is the Dragon Tooth Founder? That''s impossible!" Situ Haonan was equally astonished. He had heard that the Dragon Tooth Founder had returned, but he hadn''t expected him to be right there before him. "Do you think I would joke about this kind of thing?" Yu Jiayi laughed derisively, silently mocking Situ Haonan''s foolishness. For a moment, everyone felt suffocated, especially the Grandmasters like the white-haired elder. They had thought that siding with Situ Haonan meant they could act arrogantly, but Hao Jian''s status turned out to be even more prestigious than Situ Haonan''s. Offending such an entity, they were worthy of dying ten thousand times over. In an instant, the white-haired elder and others were ashen-faced, as if plunged into a freezing abyss, shaking uncontrollably. Situ Haonan was lost for words, standing still in shock, indecisive. The hand that held his cellphone didn''t know whether to put it away or not, caught in an awkward predicament. "Call Zhou Yefu and ask him to come collect his people; otherwise, you''ll die right here!" Hao Jian said haughtily, his gaze piercing, staring coldly at Situ Haonan. With just one sentence, Situ Haonan shuddered. Zhou Yefu was the name of the Divine Tiger Captain and the fact that he dared to directly ask him to call Zhou Yefu to come and collect someone indicated he was utterly confident. Situ Haonan realized he really had hit a snag. But Situ Haonan still obediently made the call, because he truly didn''t want to die there. "Mr. Situ, is something the matter?" came a deep and authoritative voice from the phone''s speaker. "Captain, I''ve run into some trouble here. There''s someone who wishes to meet you," Situ Haonan said with a dreadful expression, his voice tinged with panic. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Oh? Who is it?" Zhou Yefu was intrigued. He wondered who was so bold as to ask for a personal meeting with him. "He says his name is Hao Jian," Situ Haonan asked tentatively. If Hao Jian knew of Zhou Yefu, then Zhou Yefu should also know of Hao Jian. On the other end, Zhou Yefu was silent for a moment before he spoke in a deep voice, "Where are you right now?" Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked. Was Zhou Yefu really going to come over? Was this guy telling the truth? It was like a bucket of ice water had been poured over Situ Haonan and the others, making them shiver at once. "We''re at..." With no other choice, Situ Haonan provided Zhou Yefu with the exact address. "I''m on my way. Tell Hao Jian to give me some face and not make a scene!" Zhou Yefu said. "I''ll give you face, but only for one hour. After one hour, I can''t make any promises," Hao Jian, having heard Zhou Yefu''s words, replied loudly. After hearing Hao Jian talk back to Zhou Yefu like that, everyone was almost certain that what Yu Jiayi had said was true; the man in front of them really was the Dragon Tooth Founder. "Hahaha, very well! I''ll be waiting!" On the other end, Zhou Yefu''s hearty laughter rang out before he hung up the phone. "Divine Tiger, think you''re so great?" Just then, Yu Jiayi began to mock Situ Haonan openly, trying to knock him down a peg. Hearing this, Situ Haonan''s face turned sour, but he dared not retort, fearing to further provoke Hao Jian. If even Zhou Yefu was so wary of Hao Jian, Situ Haonan should be even more so. "White Eyebrow Tiger, now tell me, who exactly is going to die?" Big Baby burst into laughter, his sharp voice echoing throughout the entire martial arts hall. White Eyebrow Tiger trembled all over, his face filled with disbelief. How could this be? How could this guy possibly be the Dragon Tooth Founder? He was so young? Realizing he had swallowed a bitter pill and that he had assaulted Hao Jian''s disciples in such a state, White Eyebrow Tiger knew there was no way this would end well. Moreover, Hao Jian had already declared he would slaughter him, meaning his life was as good as over? Simultaneously, the gazes of Xiaowu and his peers fixed upon White Eyebrow Tiger, their eyes flashing with electric sparks... Chapter 641 - 641: Leave a Leg "Seize him!" Yu Jiayi pointed directly at White Eyebrow Tiger with a look that seemed to thrive on chaos. Anyway, they were already at an advantage, so there was no need to show any courtesy to White Eyebrow Tiger and his men. "Stop them, stop them quickly!" White Eyebrow Tiger immediately panicked, shouting in fear at his disciples, but no one paid attention to him. His disciples might not know what it meant to cross Dragon Tooth, but they knew better than to provoke him, so they dared not act rashly, lest they bring disaster upon themselves. "You..." White Eyebrow Tiger was shocked, his own disciples were not obeying him? After all, his disciples were just that, disciples, and they couldn''t truly risk their lives for White Eyebrow Tiger. Then, White Eyebrow Tiger became fierce and pulled a dagger from his boot, placing it against Big Baby''s throat and roared, "Step back, or I''ll kill him!" "Shameless!" Yu Jiayi rebuked angrily. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Let my big brother go!" The second child and the others were also furious and alarmed but stopped in their tracks, not daring to advance further for fear that White Eyebrow Tiger might really cornered lash out. "As a Martial Artist, can''t you have some pride?" A sigh came from not far away as Hao Jian slowly walked over. "I just want to survive, let me go!" White Eyebrow Tiger''s eyes reddened as he shouted, clearly driven to desperation. He knew that without doing this, he wouldn''t survive, Hao Jian wouldn''t let him off. "You know that''s not possible!" Hao Jian chuckled coldly, "You brought people to beat my disciples and grandson like this, and you also did this to my senior disciple, do you think I would let you go?" "Then I''ll kill your disciple, and we''ll all go down together!" White Eyebrow Tiger gritted his teeth and said, "If you won''t let me live, I won''t let your disciple live either!" At that moment, White Eyebrow Tiger was insane; since he couldn''t survive, he might as well take Big Baby down with him! "As a Martial Artist, if you still have any dignity that a Martial Artist should have, you should commit suicide at this moment, at least that way, people could still respect you." Hao Jian said with a light smile. "Quit the nonsense, let me go, or I''ll kill your disciple!" White Eyebrow Tiger shouted loudly, his hand holding the blade also beginning to tremble. "I said, you cannot leave!" Hao Jian''s face turned stern, and he spoke ominously. White Eyebrow Tiger''s expression stiffened immediately, hysterically retorting, "Are you insane? You really don''t care about your disciple anymore?" Yu Jiayi and the others also couldn''t help but frown, Hao Jian wouldn''t really abandon Big Baby, right? "You can''t kill him, and you''ll die without any dignity!" Hao Jian suddenly flipped his hand, and like magic, a throwing knife appeared in his grasp, which he had stolen from a Grandmaster. White Eyebrow Tiger saw the throwing knife in Hao Jian''s hand and immediately realized what was about to happen, his eyes glinting viciously as he was about to slit Big Baby''s throat. "Swoosh!" But just then, Hao Jian made his move, the throwing knife shooting out and nailing White Eyebrow Tiger right between the eyebrows. Accurate, rapid, ruthless, decisive, White Eyebrow Tiger had no time to react and dropped down dead on the spot, falling backward. "What a pity, you could have died with some dignity." Hao Jian sighed. Everyone immediately erupted, Hao Jian was terrifying, actually killing a man in public? The elder with white hair and Qi-Mu Deye were so frightened they nearly peed their pants, worried that Hao Jian might kill them too. And their disciples were also terrified, all of them turning pale, frightened by Hao Jian''s fierce demeanor. "From now on, everyone who laid a hand on my disciples and grandson, come out! If you dare hide, you know what will happen!" Hao Jian shouted angrily, then sat down on a chair that Che Xiaoxiao had pushed over for him. This girl was still very concerned about him, knowing that Hao Jian had just fought a hard battle and his body must be near its limits. Suddenly, a disciple walked out, his face ashen; he knew he couldn''t escape anymore, and it was better to step forward voluntarily than to be dragged out by Hao Jian and maimed. Better to break a leg than to break all his limbs, right? Hao Jian, who dared to kill, what was crippling them in comparison? "Next, it''s your turn to execute them!" Hao Jian said to Yu Jiayi. "Understood," Yu Jiayi said. Then, a chorus of screams and howls followed as those Martial Artists and disciples who had offended stepped forward to take their punishment, having their legs broken by Yu Jiayi. Half an hour later, a man appeared at the door, tall and muscular, with a clean buzz cut, exuding a military vibe, casually dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. Behind him, a helicopter gradually took off, heading toward the distance. This man was Zhou Yefu, who had to use a military helicopter to quickly get to the scene from another city. He strode into the martial arts hall, and after seeing the miserable scene inside, he was stunned. "Captain!" Seeing Zhou Yefu appear, Situ Haonan was overjoyed and hurried forward to greet him. "Are you alright?" Zhou Yefu, with a smile on his face, looked Situ Haonan over in the manner of an elder. Seeing this, Situ Haonan was ecstatic, acting all flattered. He quickly shook his head: "I''m fine!" However, as he shook his head, two drops of blood from his nose landed on Zhou Yefu''s pristine white T-shirt. Situ Haonan was startled: "I''m sorry, Captain, I didn''t mean to, I..." "It''s good you''re fine." But Zhou Yefu appeared unconcerned, patted his shoulder, and then walked towards Hao Jian. "Long time no see, Hao Jian." As Zhou Yefu approached Hao Jian, he couldn''t help being surprised: "You''re injured?" "Yes, you could take this opportunity to kill me. I''m very weak now. That way, Divine Tiger would successfully devour Dragon Tooth," said Hao Jian as if he were joking. "Weak? For someone like you, even knowing you''re weak, I still need to be fully alert. And even without you, doesn''t Dragon Tooth still have Moon Goddess Jiang? Your disciple is not inferior to you," Zhou Yefu laughed heartily, the two men behaving as if they were old friends reunited after a long separation. The crowd, upon hearing Zhou Yefu''s assessment of Hao Jian, couldn''t help but be secretly shocked - was Hao Jian that strong? "Then are you afraid? If you really are, then why not join us at Dragon Tooth? Our doors are always open to you," teased Hao Jian. "What nonsense are you spouting? How could our captain possibly join your Dragon Tooth?" Situ Haonan chided in annoyance. "Children should not interrupt when adults are talking," Hao Jian glanced at Situ Haonan indifferently, clearly not taking him seriously. "You!" Hearing this, Situ Haonan became angry. Hao Jian was clearly about his age, yet he had called him a child? Indeed, Hao Jian was about the same age as Situ Haonan, but if one considered experience, Situ Haonan couldn''t hope to compare to Hao Jian, even if he had another ten years to try. So Hao Jian was not wrong in calling Situ Haonan a child. "Haonan, you step back," Zhou Yefu intervened at this point. Situ Haonan then sulked back to stand behind Zhou Yefu. Zhou Yefu then looked at Hao Jian and smiled: "As for your suggestion, forget about it. Divine Tiger still needs me. If there''s a chance in the future, I might consider joining Dragon Tooth. As for whether I''m scared, I think you should be more worried. After all, Moon Goddess Jiang is a woman; she will eventually want to get married and have children, won''t she? How could Dragon Tooth keep her tied down forever?" Hao Jian furrowed his brow - Zhou Yefu seemed to be implying something. "The man daring enough to marry her doesn''t exist yet!" Hao Jian stated. "Maybe, maybe not. Do you think I qualify?" chuckled Zhou Yefu, speaking in a joking tone. But Hao Jian didn''t find it funny. Could that child be Zhou Yefu''s? Had Moon Goddess Jiang and Zhou Yefu been involved? Hao Jian was instantly displeased, feeling like his long-nurtured cabbage had been gnawed by a pig. "You''re far from it," Hao Jian said bluntly. "Really? But currently, I''m the man most suited to her. Besides, in the outside world, many people compare me with her, saying we''re a perfect match," Zhou Yefu replied provokingly. "Heh, so what? People used to say the same about her and me too," Hao Jian rolled his eyes, thinking Zhou Yefu was celebrating too soon. "Yes, but you''ve become a thing of the past. Now, people talk most about her and me, and our ages are also the most compatible," Zhou Yefu continued to provoke. "Moon Goddess Jiang has a thing for younger men; she loves men younger than her," Hao Jian said irritatedly, feeling really upset realizing that Moon Goddess Jiang might really be involved with Zhou Yefu. He was heartbroken to discover that his prodigy was acting as a double agent. Damn it, Moon Goddess Jiang had a child with Zhou Yefu. That was detestable. She had fallen. "What a pity. Moon Goddess Jiang is such a beautiful woman; why did you ever choose to leave her?" Zhou Yefu pretended not to hear Hao Jian''s remarks, speaking with a sarcastic smile. "Did you come here today to talk about Moon Goddess Jiang''s private life?" Hao Jian barked, finding Zhou Yefu more and more displeasing. "Of course not, I came to take him away," Zhou Yefu said, pointing at Situ Haonan. "Of course, you can take him. He''s really one of yours from Divine Tiger, how could I possibly keep him?" Hao Jian said with a smile. "Good to know you understand!" Situ Haonan sneered, as Hao Jian was ultimately still wary of Zhou Yefu. But Zhou Yefu didn''t see it that way; in his experience, Hao Jian was not such an easy man to negotiate with. Indeed, Hao Jian''s next words were: "Just leave one leg behind, and then you can take him." "What joke is this?" Situ Haonan was filled with simmering anger. Hao Jian gestured at him, yet he was Divine Tiger''s man, not Dragon Tooth''s. Chapter 642 - 642: Really Cheap And now that Zhou Yefu was also present, how dare Hao Jian make such an outrageous demand? Sure enough, upon hearing this, Zhou Yefu couldn''t help but sigh, "Hao Jian, aren''t you going a bit too far?" "Too far? I don''t think so. As a member of Divine Tiger but disrespecting me as the Dragon Tooth Founder, don''t you think he deserves some punishment?" Hao Jian was clearly annoyed with Zhou Yefu, but since he couldn''t take it out on Zhou Yefu, he purposely picked on Situ Haonan to show off in front of me! "But it''s Moon Goddess Jiang who has been managing Dragon Tooth afterwards, what right do you still have to meddle in Dragon Tooth''s affairs?" Zhou Yefu stated. "That''s true, but what if I go back to Dragon Tooth and mention that this kid has offended me, what do you think they''ll do to him?" Hao Jian said maliciously. Situ Haonan''s expression immediately stiffened, if that were the case, he guessed he''d be challenged every day of the year by someone from Dragon Tooth. "Hao Jian, Dragon Tooth and Divine Tiger are ultimately one family, all serving the nation. Please consider the bigger picture," Zhou Yefu said sternly. "Oh, using the nation to pressure me? Since we are all one family, then why is it always you Divine Tiger guys causing trouble?" Hao Jian sneered, completely unimpressed by Zhou Yefu''s pretense. Hearing this, Yu Jiayi also snorted coldly. Zhou Yefu''s words sounded grand, but when his subordinates caused trouble at Dragon Tooth, why didn''t he stop them? "Sometimes I am unable to control the actions of my subordinates," Zhou Yefu offered his explanation, but it seemed like a cop-out. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Is that so? That''s really coincidental, sometimes I can''t control myself either." Hao Jian said surprisingly, then picked up his flip-flops and smashed them on Situ Haonan''s face with a smack, hitting the target squarely. "See, I can''t control myself again," Hao Jian sighed helplessly. "I''m going to kill you!" Situ Haonan''s rage soared. As a member of Divine Tiger, when had he ever been subjected to such humiliation? But Zhou Yefu also subtly frowned, Hao Jian hitting his man in his presence was a direct slight against him. Hao Jian hit not just Situ Haonan''s face but his as well. "Really going to break legs?" Zhou Yefu looked deeply at Hao Jian. "Of course not, breaking hands could also work, these are all negotiable, right? After all these years of friendship, wouldn''t I give you face?" Hao Jian sneered deviously. "Situ Haonan, come here!" Zhou Yefu called out with an iron face. "Captain, you..." Situ Haonan was stunned; was Zhou Yefu really planning to cripple his own man? "You must pay for what you''ve done!" Zhou Yefu said indifferently, then chopped at Situ Haonan''s knee. Crack! Situ Haonan collapsed to the ground, his face turning instantly pale. Zhou Yefu''s face also turned ashen. He knew that Hao Jian, that bastard, was deliberately trying to drive a wedge between him and Situ Haonan. But Zhou Yefu had no choice but to do it, since Hao Jian had a valid point and was being deliberately rude on that pretext. Zhou Yefu had known Hao Jian for a long time and was all too familiar with his nature; he was the type who wouldn''t let go if he had a point, and would nag even without a good reason. Situ Haonan had defied him and even threatened to take his life, thereby giving Hao Jian a point of argument. He could argue that Divine Tiger was intentionally causing trouble, trying to overpower Dragon Tooth, and even dared to attack the Dragon Tooth Founder. Although the higher-ups would not believe it, such accusations still sounded unpleasant. Seeing Zhou Yefu cripple Situ Haonan, everyone was dumbfounded. Zhou Yefu was actually compelled to take action; wasn''t he actually afraid of Hao Jian? It was hard for everyone to believe, but the scene before them forced them to believe. "Oh, what are you doing? I was just kidding with you. With our kind of relationship, how could I really force you to hurt your own man? Look at you taking it so seriously, you''ve injured him like this," Hao Jian sighed. Everyone was speechless, this guy really was Hao Jian, he definitely did it on purpose! Getting an advantage and still playing innocent, how could there be such a shameless person? "Can we go now?" Zhou Yefu asked with an iron face, seemingly too tired to engage with Hao Jian any longer. "Ah, better take your man to see a doctor quickly. Don''t be so impulsive next time. No matter how much you dislike your own man, you can''t just beat him like he''s a thief, right?" Hao Jian kept on talking, with a seemingly unyielding attitude to infuriate further. "Zhou Yefu must be boiling inside," Yu Jiayi commented gleefully after Zhou Yefu had left. "I''m the one who is absolutely furious!" Hao Jian said fiercely. Zhou Yefu was actually involved with Moon Goddess Jiang? Hao Jian angrily picked up his phone and called Moon Goddess Jiang; as soon as she answered, he shouted, "You beauty, show-off, shameless creature!" After finishing his insults, Hao Jian immediately hung up the phone, then looked up at Yu Jiayi and said, "See that? That''s how a man should act! Who says I''m afraid of her?" "You''re not afraid of her, so why were you in such a hurry to hang up?" Jiayi scoffed. "Um..." "Little cabbage in the field, yellowing, just two or three years old, no parents..." As Hao Jian''s phone began to ring, looking at the number, he felt his heart pound in fear. Could it be, this woman was seriously taking it to heart? "Answer it, why don''t you dare to answer now?" Jiayi mocked. "I don''t dare to answer? What a joke," Hao Jian put on a tough front, then answered the call, arrogantly saying, "Hello, who''s this?" "Are you looking for death?" From the other end came Moon Goddess Jiang''s chilling voice. "What''s wrong, can''t I speak if I''ve done something wrong?" Hao Jian rolled his eyes and felt more certain inside. It was Moon Goddess Jiang who had betrayed him, not him. Why should he feel guilty? "Done something wrong? What have I done wrong?" Moon Goddess Jiang snapped angrily. "Still playing dumb? You went behind my back with Zhou Yefu? Even had a child with him!" Hao Jian shouted angrily. "Who got together with Zhou Yefu? And who told you my daughter was fathered by him?" Moon Goddess Jiang''s voice was filled with deadly undertones. "Keep pretending, keep pretending. Zhou Yefu told me everything," Hao Jian said unhappily. "Hao Jian, are you an idiot? Can''t you see through such an obvious attempt at division?" Moon Goddess Jiang berated. Hao Jian stared blankly and responded, "So you mean, you and Zhou Yefu didn''t have an affair?" "Where are you now?" Moon Goddess Jiang asked somberly. "Why?" Hao Jian said warily. "I''m coming to kill you," Moon Goddess Jiang retorted coldly. "Look at you, why take it so seriously, I was just joking with you. You''re my disciple, how could I possibly suspect you, haha... haha..." Hao Jian laughed awkwardly. "Anyway, my mom''s calling me for dinner. We''ll talk later." Hao Jian quickly hung up the phone, then took a long breath of relief, secretly squeezing out a cold sweat. He then gloated to Jiayi, "See, I knew your captain was absolutely loyal to me. How could she let herself be swayed by that pig Zhou Yefu?" "Idiot!" Jiayi rolled her eyes and disdainfully said, a clear-eyed person could see that Moon Goddess Jiang would absolutely never get together with Zhou Yefu. Even if they wanted to, the higher-ups wouldn''t allow it. If these two departments were to combine, even the old folks at the top wouldn''t be able to ignore them. How could those old foxes allow such a situation to arise. ..... After staying a few more days in the sanatorium, Hao Jian finally went home. But as soon as he reached the doorstep, he heard a fierce argument coming from inside. "Ruo Lan, think it over again, you aren''t getting any younger either, you can''t keep going on alone, right?" a middle-aged woman''s voice came from inside. "Exactly, Ruo Lan, even if not for yourself, you should consider Tongtong. Look at how young she is; she can''t go on forever without a father, right? Let me tell you, Liu Laocai is really not bad. Although he''s old and a bit overweight, he''s wealthy, you know. He''s built a few houses back in his hometown, and even bought several cars, all Mercedes and BMWs," another middle-aged man said. "I won''t!" Ruo Lan''s voice came through decisively. "Ruo Lan, at your age, you shouldn''t be so picky anymore. Liu Laocai may be a bit ugly, but he''s really rich. These days, having money is everything. Why care about his looks? As long as he gives you money to spend, it''s good enough," the middle-aged woman stated. Hao Jian, listening from outside, thought that these two sounded like matchmakers. "Third Aunt, that Liu Laocai already has a wife, do you want me to become his mistress?" the anger in Ruo Lan''s voice was clear. "What''s wrong with being a mistress? Aren''t those young female college students also becoming mistresses so young? What''s the big deal?" the middle-aged woman said nonchalantly. "I will never be anyone''s mistress!" Ruo Lan asserted stubbornly. "Hey, why are you so stubborn? Do you think you''re still young? You only have your looks now, but wait a few more years when you''re old and no longer appealing, nobody will want you," Ruo Lan''s third aunt Li Cuihua immediately grew irritated, her tone becoming harsh. "That''s my business, not yours!" Ruo Lan responded coldly, still holding Tongtong in her arms. And though Tongtong was playing with a toy in her hands, her demeanor seemed somewhat indifferent, her little face full of disdain, clearly not liking Li Cuihua and her companion. "Ruo Lan, don''t be stubborn, we''re doing this for your own good. You and your daughter are living such a hard life without a man in the house. Be sensible, finding a father for Tongtong is better than anything, even though being called a mistress might sound bad, but having a mansion to live in and a luxury car to drive makes life much better. Why bother about what others say?" the middle-aged man lowered his tone, trying to persuade her earnestly. "I have a dad, I don''t need a new dad!" Tongtong finally couldn''t bear it and spoke out angrily. "That deadbeat dad of yours has been dead for who knows how many years, and you''re still clinging to him?" Li Cuihua spoke harshly. Chapter 643 - 643: A Pair of Despicable Couple "Auntie San, what kind of language is that?" Ruo Lan immediately grew angry as she glared at Li Cuihua. How could she call the child''s father a ghost in front of her? The middle-aged man also quickly pulled on Li Cuihua''s arm, signaling her to stop talking. "The daddy I''m talking about isn''t a deceased daddy, it''s Hao Jian daddy! He''s very good to me and mom, he will protect us, I don''t want any other daddy!" Tongtong said loudly. "Good girl, daddy hasn''t spoiled you for nothing!" At the doorstep, Hao Jian heard these words and felt as sweet as if he had eaten honey, his smile as bright as springtime, looking like Bajie. Some passing tenants saw Hao Jian''s sleazy Pig Head Three look and couldn''t help but be stunned. "What are you looking at? Scram!" Hao Jian growled at them, which scared the tenants away. "Who is Hao Jian? Just hearing the name makes me think he''s not a decent man. Ruo Lan, you better not get involved with some shady characters. Like before, even though you''re so pretty, you ended up with a poor ghost plus a short-lived one. He didn''t last long and left you both mother and child alone. If you were with Liu Laocai, despite the bad reputation, you wouldn''t have to worry about food or clothes, and you could live like the Young Mistress, with luxury cars, a mansion, and servants at your beck and call. Wouldn''t that be better?" Li Cuihua''s words grew increasingly offensive, almost like she was scolding Ruo Lan. "Don''t say any more!" Ruo Lan was also infuriated and reprimanded Li Cuihua. Her words were extremely grating, especially in front of Tongtong, which annoyed her greatly. Seeing Ruo Lan get angry, Li Cuihua also became heated: "Don''t go acting all high and mighty here. Liu Laocai is so rich, and he honored you, a divorced woman, by taking notice of you. Don''t be ungrateful. If you miss out on this chance, you won''t even have the opportunity to regret it!" "Get out, all of you get out!" Ruo Lan''s eyes became moist, ashamed because of Li Cuihua''s words. Was it wrong for her to simply want to maintain her dignity? Why couldn''t a divorced woman rely on herself? "Ruo Lan, try not to get worked up. Your auntie is just trying to look out for you." The middle-aged man spoke up quickly, then dragged Li Cuihua to the side and whispered harshly, "Are you insane? Liu Laocai sent us to persuade her, but if you upset her, it''ll all fall through, and the two hundred thousand he promised us will go down the drain too!" "I just can''t stand her pretending to be so pure, having been f***ed over a hundred times, the old B still acting all innocent," Li Cuihua said crudely. She married off before finishing primary school and didn''t even recognize a single character. Her speech naturally lacked any culture. "Even if she''s disagreeable, you have to bear with it. Don''t you want the money?" The man said annoyedly as Li Cuihua almost messed up big time. It turned out these two had taken advantages from Liu Laocai, who had promised them each two hundred thousand as a reward if they successfully convinced Ruo Lan to become his mistress. Liu Laocai had seen Ruo Lan by chance last year and had fallen for her at first sight, attracted to the mature and gentle aura about her. Since then, he had been fantasizing about her and was determined to have her by any means necessary. Afterward, Liu Laocai spent some time connecting with Ruo Lan''s auntie, Li Cuihua, to persuade Ruo Lan. "Just be quiet for a bit, I''ll do the talking," the man said. "Brother Tiezhu, do you have a way?" Li Cuihua looked at Zhao Tiezhu with skepticism. "She just can''t let go of her pride. We''ll try to persuade her kindly again, maybe she''ll agree. Widows tend to be prideful, so we need to outwit them," Zhao Tiezhu, who was from the same village and also a neighbor as Li Cuihua, said. They were both idle villagers, unoccupied, and at forty years old, he remained unmarried. The village had rumors that Zhao Tiezhu was promiscuous, often harassing the married women in the village, and naturally, Li Cuihua was one of them. Li Cuihua came to persuade Ruo Lan, but instead of bringing Ruo Lan''s uncle, she brought outsider Zhao Tiezhu, which seemed a little abnormal. "Ruo Lan, think about it again. That Liu Laocai back in our hometown is really rich and powerful, with more than a dozen bodyguards and over twenty servants. If you''re with him, won''t you be living the high life compared to being with what''s-his-name Hao Jian? At your age, you can''t be naive anymore. If you find another broke guy, not only will you suffer, but Tongtong will suffer with you. Think about it, think about it..." Zhao Tiezhu said with a smile plastered on his face, taking a very humble stance, pretending to be a good guy. Hao Jian outside was fuming. Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu''s words were full of slander and disdain for him. What have I done to deserve this? "I don''t want any new daddy, I just want Daddy Hao Jian!" At that moment, Tongtong lifted her head to look at Ruo Lan. "Mom, can we ignore them, please?" At these words, Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu both couldn''t help but frown. They felt they were close to convincing Ruo Lan, and now this little girl had started to act up again. "Ruo Lan, the old lady won''t allow you to marry a pauper," Zhao Tiezhu reminded, intentionally or unintentionally using Ruo Lan''s mother as leverage. "This is my business, you don''t need to interfere. Was it Liu Laocai who sent you? Go back and tell him to give up the idea, even if I die I won''t become his mistress!" Ruo Lan was adamant. Hearing this, Zhao Tiezhu and Li Cuihua''s faces turned downright ugly. If Ruo Lan wouldn''t compromise, they wouldn''t get a dime. "That so-called Hao Jian, let him come out. I want to see for myself what''s so great about him, to evaluate him for you," Li Cuihua declared, though this time Zhao Tiezhu didn''t stop her because he also felt Ruo Lan was truly disrespectful. "Daddy isn''t home," Tongtong glared at Li Cuihua, disliking the woman very much. "Not at home? I bet he''s just too scared to show up," Li Cuihua said with a sneer. "Squeak~" As soon as Li Cuihua''s voice trailed off, the door was pushed open, and Hao Jian entered with a sleazy smile, "You looking for me?" Li Cuihua and the others were momentarily stunned, then glared at Hao Jian, "Who are you?" "Me? I''m Hao Jian, aren''t I?" Hao Jian said with a laugh. "Daddy!" At this moment, Tongtong also ran quickly towards Hao Jian and was then scooped up into his arms. "Good girl, you sure make your dad proud!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, giving Tongtong a thumbs up. "So it''s you." Li Cuihua looked coldly at Hao Jian, and upon seeing his plain clothes, she immediately showed disdain and looked at him with contempt. Li Cuihua thought to herself: Sure enough, he''s a pauper. Ruo Lan is really not just any kind of cheap, specifically picking out poor blokes. However, Li Cuihua forgot that her own husband, Ruo Lan''s third uncle, wasn''t that rich either. And her current paramour, Zhao Tiezhu, was even more of a penniless rogue. "Do we have guests?" Hao Jian asked Ruo Lan with a smile, appearing as the head of the family. Ruo Lan wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, then introduced to Hao Jian, "This is my third uncle''s wife, and this is an uncle from the village." "So you''re the third aunt, nice to meet you." Hao Jian immediately greeted her with a smile and extended his hand to Li Cuihua. But Li Cuihua looked at him with contempt, not bothering to shake his hand, and coldly scolded, "So you''re Ruo Lan''s boyfriend?" "No," Hao Jian shook his head. Upon hearing this, Ruo Lan and Tongtong both looked at Hao Jian in surprise, annoyed at how foolish he was. Li Cuihua''s smile grew even more sarcastic, thinking a man who couldn''t even admit his real identity was not only useless but also a coward. "I''m her husband," however, was what Hao Jian followed up with. "What?" Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu were shocked. How could this be possible? When did Ruo Lan marry this guy, and why hadn''t they heard anything about it? Ruo Lan glared fiercely at Hao Jian, accusing him of playing games and nearly scaring them to death. "Ruo Lan, when did you marry this fellow?" Li Cuihua demanded of Ruo Lan. "Last month," Ruo Lan answered expressionlessly, determined to put an end to Li Cuihua''s hopes. "You... you''re foolish!" Li Cuihua was livid. If Hao Jian and Ruo Lan were married, wouldn''t that mean Liu Laocai was out of the picture? And if Liu Laocai was out, wouldn''t that mean she and Zhao Tiezhu would be without money as well? "You actually went behind the family''s back and married this... thing. If the old lady finds out, she will be furious!" Li Cuihua said, furious once more, invoking the matriarch''s authority. Hao Jian raised an eyebrow and smiled subtly, this... thing? He''d like to know exactly what that meant. "I''ll explain the situation to the old lady myself; you don''t need to worry about it!" Ruo Lan''s tone remained icy. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "So stubborn!" Li Cuihua was enraged to the point of grinding her teeth, realizing that Ruo Lan was beyond persuasion, and turned to confront Hao Jian, "Without our family''s permission, you just went ahead and married her. Who gave you, a deadbeat poor ghost, the right?" "The current society advocates for freedom in love and marriage, as long as both parties agree, and they are of legal age, they can get married. Even a three-year-old knows this, don''t you? If you really must know who gave me the right, it was the party and the state that endowed me with this right!" Hao Jian spoke righteously. "Nonsense! With your measly self, how could you be worthy of Ruo Lan?" Zhao Tiezhu also bellowed, initially they might have been able to persuade Ruo Lan, but now this poor fool had stuck his foot in, undoubtedly making their task even harder. "You should be considering not whether I''m worthy of her, but whether she''s worthy of me. A man as witty, upright, kind, and dashingly handsome as myself is a rarity in this society," Hao Jian claimed shamelessly. "Based on you? The guy next door who hauls manure is better looking than you!" Li Cuihua scoffed. Chapter 644 - 644: Plotting Because Hes Handsome "You don''t believe what I''m saying? Then ask Ruo Lan, did she not pursue me first?" Hao Jian suddenly shouted. Hearing this, Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu were both dumbfounded. Could it be true what this guy was saying? At this moment, Ruo Lan also had a stern face, truly wishing to kill Hao Jian. Was this jerk doing this on purpose? "Ruo Lan, he''s not telling the truth, is he? Was it really you who pursued him first?" Li Cuihua asked incredulously. Ruo Lan was so beautiful, even she felt envious of her beauty. How many people would love to fall under the skirts of such a beauty? Yet she married such a pauper, and even lowered herself to pursue him? "Yes." Ruo Lan said stiffly, squeezing out the word between her teeth. Upon hearing Ruo Lan''s response, Li Cuihua couldn''t believe her ears: "Are you crazy? What''s so good about this kid? No money, no status, what are you after in him exactly?" "I... I''m after his good looks!" Ruo Lan said shamefully. Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu were petrified on the spot. "Did you hear that, did you hear that? She covets my beauty, that''s why she''s with me. She loves younger men." Hao Jian muttered. "Shut! Up!" Ruo Lan said sternly, word by word, desperately wanting to shove a rag into Hao Jian''s mouth, he was becoming more and more absurd. "You can''t be together!" Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu exclaimed in unison. "Why?" Hao Jian pretended to be puzzled. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You''re not worthy of her. A woman like her should become the wife of a rich and powerful man, not suffer with you." Li Cuihua glared at Hao Jian, as if the answer were obvious. "You shouldn''t say that. Although I''m currently unsuccessful, I will definitely strive to improve and make sure she leads a good life in the future." Hao Jian said this earnestly, looking hurt. But Ruo Lan just sighed helplessly, knowing Hao Jian was just teasing Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu. "With just you? Even in twenty years you couldn''t compare to Liu Laocai!" Zhao Tiezhu mocked coldly. "Liu Laocai? Who is he?" Hao Jian continued to feign ignorance. "I might as well tell you, Liu Laocai is a suitor of Ruo Lan, a rich peasant, much richer than you. One of his cars is worth more than you could earn in a lifetime!" Li Cuihua scorned, "Compared to Liu Laocai, you stand no chance, I advise you to give up early." "No matter how rich he is, that''s his business, it changes nothing. After all, Ruo Lan is now my wife." "Now she is, but who knows about the future? People always chase after money. Maybe one day Ruo Lan will tire of struggling with you and want to become a wealthy lady? So I advise you to back off now to save yourself from embarrassment later." Zhao Tiezhu and Li Cuihua took turns persuading Hao Jian. They knew Ruo Lan was stubborn, so they turned their persuasion towards Hao Jian. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian was shocked and then looked at Ruo Lan, appalled: "I didn''t expect you to be such a woman; I really misjudged you!" "Are you asking for death? Or do you plan on eating yourself for dinner tonight?" Ruo Lan said fiercely. Hao Jian immediately turned to Li Cuihua, speaking seriously: "I believe she would never do such a thing!" "Enough with your nonsense, you must divorce Ruo Lan!" Li Cuihua commanded. "Why?" Hao Jian scoffed. "Because Liu Laocai likes her, because you don''t have as much money as Liu Laocai!" Li Cuihua stated as a matter of fact, adding with a cutting tone: "A pauper like you, hoping to win a beauty? Even if you could marry her, you couldn''t afford to keep her, understand?" "Just because some Liu Laocai likes my woman, should I just hand her over? What if I say I like your mother, should she sleep with me tonight?" Hao Jian sneered. "Dude, that''s a heavy taste," Zhao Tiezhu was stunned. Li Cuihua''s mom must be in her sixties or seventies, right? Could Hao Jian really bring himself to say that? Yet with that statement, Li Cuihua glared fiercely at Zhao Tiezhu, unable to discern if the other was deliberately mocking. "You really don''t know how dangerous your situation is, can you afford to offend Liu Laocai? Don''t say I didn''t warn you, if I tell Liu Laocai that you married Ruo Lan, he will definitely not let you off. Just a few million, and there''ll be plenty of people ready to take your life." Li Cuihua said ominously. "Kid, the world is full of beauties, why be infatuated with a single flower?" Zhao Tiezhu also began to advise. "You make a great point," Hao Jian sighed and then nodded. Seeing this, Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu were immediately pleased. Could it be that this kid was swayed by their words? They exchanged a glance, both corners of their mouths curling up in a cold smirk, obviously thinking Hao Jian was scared of Liu Laocai, so he had no choice but to compromise. Then, Hao Jian moved towards Ruo Lan, saying, "I can''t continue being with you." Hearing this, Li Cuihua and Zhao were delighted, the kid finally saw the difficulty and backed down. Yet Ruo Lan glared at Hao Jian, "What the hell are you up to now?" Ruo Lan knew that Hao Jian, that jerk, was about to start showing off again. Hao Jian pointed at Li Cuihua and said to Ruo Lan, "It''s because your family is such a mess. Did you know that your aunt has had an affair?" "What?" Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu''s expressions changed immediately. What the hell was this jerk talking about? "What nonsense are you spouting?" Li Cuihua retorted, but her confidence seemed slightly shaken. "How can it be nonsense? Look at you two, always echoing each other like a married couple. Someone who doesn''t know better would think you are husband and wife. And aunt, could you please explain why you came to persuade Ruo Lan today without your husband but brought this thing instead?" Hao Jian mocked in the tone of Li Cuihua. "That... that''s because he was also on the way, so I let him bring me here!" Li Cuihua argued evasively, naturally unable to admit her affair with Zhao Tiezhu. "Exactly, I just happened to be passing by here too, so I gave your aunt a ride," Zhao Tiezhu hurriedly explained. "I would really like to believe you guys, but I''m not sure about the people in the village," Hao Jian sighed deeply, with a terribly annoying appearance. "What do you mean?" Li Cuihua looked at Hao Jian with some horror, wondering what he was up to. "Nothing much, just planning to take Ruo Lan back to her parental home after a while. You''re completely right, as Ruo Lan''s husband, how can I not meet her parents? But you see, I have this bad habit, I''m a blabbermouth. If I go back to the village, I might end up saying something I shouldn''t," Hao Jian said with a smirk. "You!" Both Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu turned pale. If this gets to the villagers'' ears, the gossip will never end. "Don''t talk nonsense! Zhao Tiezhu and I are innocent!" Li Cuihua shouted. "Oh, ''Zhao Tiezhu, Zhao Tiezhu,'' you sure sound intimate," Hao Jian taunted and then turned to Ruo Lan, "I wonder what your uncle would do if he knew his wife was so warm with another man." Ruo Lan glanced at Li Cuihua and replied nonchalantly, "He would kill them." Zhao Tiezhu was absolutely terrified and hurriedly tugged at Li Cuihua''s sleeve, urging her to stop Hao Jian. He surely didn''t want to get killed. "Click!" Just then, Hao Jian took out his phone and snapped a photo of Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu. "What are you doing?" Zhao Tiezhu was stunned, having a bad feeling about this. "Saving evidence of a crime. Ever heard of ''catch a thief with the loot, and an adulterer with a partner''?" Hao Jian said innocently looking at the two. Seeing Hao Jian''s smug expression, Li Cuihua felt like biting a chunk out of him. "What exactly do you want?" Li Cuihua said with an ugly expression. "Get out of my house, stop poking your nose into other people''s business, and don''t try to spread rumors about Ruo Lan in the village, otherwise, I can''t guarantee what I might do." Hao Jian threatened. Since Li Cuihua was sent by Liu Laocai, it meant Liu Laocai must have promised her some benefits; she surely wouldn''t give up without achieving them. To keep Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu quiet, Hao Jian had to resort to this plan. "If I find out that you''ve been wagging your tongue in front of the old lady or slandering me and Ruo Lan in public, then this photo will appear at the village entrance. Village life is so dull, I think the villagers will definitely be curious about this kind of gossip news." "You''ve got guts!" Li Cuihua gave Hao Jian a thumbs up scornfully. Then she snorted, "Let''s go!" "You can''t be polite with these kinds of people," Hao Jian said to Ruo Lan after Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu left. "I know, I just hadn''t realized it before," Ruo Lan nodded and then asked curiously, "How did you find out they were having an affair?" "Smell," Hao Jian sniffed. "Smell? What smell?" Ruo Lan was baffled. "Your aunt, she has the smell of Zhao Tiezhu on her. If I''m not mistaken, they stepped out last night and warmed up in a motel before coming here," Hao Jian said with a mischievous grin. Ruo Lan was shocked, "Really? Is your nose that sensitive? Are you a dog or something?" The idea that Hao Jian could detect Zhao Tiezhu''s scent on Li Cuihua was simply unbelievable. "Don''t believe it? Then I just have to show off. Let me demonstrate what a wolf''s sense of smell is like," Hao Jian said, and then leaned in to sniff Ruo Lan intensely. Ruo Lan pushed Hao Jian''s face away, feeling a bit shaky, "Stay away from me." "Hmm? Why do you smell like blood? Are you on your period?" Hao Jian suddenly exclaimed in alarm. "Whoosh!" Ruo Lan''s cheeks turned red instantly. She grabbed a water bottle from the table and hurled it at Hao Jian, "You jerk!" Chapter 645 - 645: Going Home ``` Crash! The water bottle smashed against the wall, shattering instantly into pieces. Hao Jian barely dodged in time, or he would have likely been struck in the head. Hao Jian quickly waved his hands, saying, "No, no, didn''t you just not believe me? I did that so you would believe me. Otherwise, why would I go sniffing your menstruation? I''m not a pervert!" "You''re still talking?" Ruo Lan stamped her feet in anger, her face as red as a ripe apple, filled with shyness. This bastard, it wasn''t enough to say it once, he had to say it a second time. "Daddy''s so naughty, teasing Mommy," Tongtong said in her milky voice, covering her mouth to giggle. "No more talking, no more. How about you make some brown sugar water to drink? It''s good for women to drink that during this time," Hao Jian hurriedly said, diligently helping Ruo Lan to sit down before going to make the brown sugar water for her. Only then did Ruo Lan''s expression softened a bit as she directed Hao Jian, "The ginger and brown sugar are on top of the fridge." "Women need to be cared for at this time. You must pay attention and avoid eating spicy and cold food, and also keep warm, or else your body will have all sorts of problems when you get older," Hao Jian reminded her while making the brown sugar water. A warmth surged in Ruo Lan''s heart, recalling how her late husband used to make her brown sugar water. She had not expected another man would make it for her now. "Women should change their underwear often, preferably once a month. Otherwise, bacteria can remain and lead to gynecological diseases like abnormal vaginal discharge and uterine cysts," Hao Jian continued, as he made the brown sugar water. Hm? Ruo Lan was taken aback. Everything was fine before, so why did it turn weird all of a sudden? S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "And you need to change your sanitary pads daily, ideally twice a day. By the way, have you changed today?" Hao Jian turned around to earnestly look at Ruo Lan. "Swoosh!" Following that, Hao Jian saw an Ultraman toy flying towards him, punching him right in the right eye. "Mommy, my Ultraman," Tongtong said with a grievance. "Mommy will buy you a new one!" Ruo Lan declared indignantly. "Sister Lan, I''ll accompany you back to your hometown tomorrow," Hao Jian suggested after dinner. Ruo Lan frowned, then put down her utensils and looked seriously at Hao Jian, asking sternly, "Why?" "Don''t be so serious; you''re scaring me," Hao Jian said, feigning fear. "I thought that since you don''t like Liu Laocai, to prevent him from bothering you any further, I rightfully should accompany you back and cut off his hopes. Besides, it would also put Granny at ease so she won''t keep worrying about you." "How do you know I don''t like Liu Laocai? Maybe you ruined my good fortune? I could have become a wealthy socialite!" Ruo Lan said with a half-smile. "Impossible; you''re not that kind of person," Hao Jian said with ease. "Then what kind of person do you think I am? Do you know me that well?" Ruo Lan pressed, staring intently at Hao Jian. "This...," Hao Jian fell silent, bowing his head in thought, as if seriously considering the question. After a long moment, he finally looked up at Ruo Lan and said, "You''re the kind of woman whose cheeks blush at the mention of her menstruation!" "Damn you!" Ruo Lan cursed outright. Was this guy doing this on purpose? Was he so fixated on menstruation today? Early the next morning, Hao Jian drove Ruo Lan back to her hometown. Ruo Lan''s hometown was not far from Hua City, just a two-hour drive away. Meanwhile, Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu, having been dealt a blow at Hao Jian''s, had nowhere to vent their frustration, so they went to complain to Liu Laocai. Liu Laocai was a bald, fat man with a belly, his face full of horizontal flesh, his eyes squinted to slits, covered in gold and silver, unbearably vulgar, resembling a rat that had become too clever for its own good. "That kid really said that?" Liu Laocai glared, but because his eyes were so small, no matter how he glared, he just looked squint-eyed. "Yes, that kid''s really arrogant and doesn''t take you seriously at all. I told him he''s not worthy of Ruo Lan, but he''s determined to be with her. He even said you should stay away from Ruo Lan and not to bother him, or else he''ll make you regret it!" Li Cuihua said, deliberately inciting him. "Such a conceited little brat," Liu Laocai huffed coldly, saying, "If he really dares to come, I''ll make sure he never returns!" Liu Laocai was also infuriated. Since the first time he saw Ruo Lan, he regarded her as his possession. Hao Jian, a penniless nobody, dared to vie with him for a woman, which was simply courting death. "Right, right, you must punish that kid properly. Best to have him die in Huaiyun City. Then Ruo Lan will be heartbroken. When you make your move then, that girl will surely fall into your hands," Li Cuihua chuckled coldly with malice, advising Liu Laocai. Upon hearing this, Liu Laocai was tempted, boasting, "Even if that kid doesn''t come, I can send people to Hua City to take him out. I''m not short on anything but money. If a poor wretch dares to defy me, I''ll make sure he won''t even know how he died!" "The two of you better hurry up, too. Persuade Ruo Lan to be my mistress as soon as possible. You won''t be left wanting for your reward." "I''m afraid that might be difficult. That girl is too stubborn. She definitely won''t agree to be a mistress. Perhaps we should find another way?" Li Cuihua suggested with ill-intent, her eyes gleaming craftily. ``` Liu Laocai also perked up with interest, "What, do you have an idea?" Li Cuihua gave a sinister smile, "Since she refuses to submit, then we should find an opportunity to drug her. Once the deed is done, could she possibly escape from the palm of your hand?" "Well said!" Liu Laocai agreed with Li Cuihua''s plan. He didn''t want to waste time moving step by step, preferring to enjoy first and talk later. Even if Ruo Lan wouldn''t agree to him later, at least he would have had a taste. "Then find an opportunity for me to meet with her alone," Liu Laocai said with a lecherous smile, giving Li Cuihua a suggestive wink. "Don''t worry, leave it to me," Li Cuihua laughed like the Wolf Granny, crafty and vile. By the time they arrived at Ruo Lan''s home, it was already noon, and because Hao Jian had driven in with a Ferrari, many of the villagers came out to look. Even in big cities, such luxury cars were not common, let alone in a small village. The villagers were all very curious, pointing at the car and discussing among themselves. Although Hao Jian was usually a very low-key person, there are three great joys in life: the day one''s name appears on the successful candidates'' list, the night of the wedding chamber, and the moment when one returns to one''s hometown in glory. He did this to make Ruo Lan proud, as well as to shut up those who had been saying she was a widow or that she had married a poor wretch. In life, one shouldn''t care too much about the gazes of others, but one cannot completely ignore them either. After all, people need face. "Ruo Lan, you''re back? And who is this?" an old woman came over to ask. "Ah, this is my husband, I''ve remarried," Ruo Lan said with a light smile. "My goodness, that''s wonderful news. How come I hadn''t heard about it?" The old woman''s face broke into a smile upon hearing that this wealthy young man was Ruo Lan''s husband. "Because my husband is quite low-key, so we didn''t make a big fuss over the wedding," Ruo Lan answered. "Good, good, it''s better to be low-key. Nowadays, there aren''t many rich young people who know how to be humble," the old woman said, then turned to scold her own son, "Look at him, so much younger than you, and he has everything. And look at you, in your thirties and still haven''t accomplished a thing." Her son could only offer an apologetic smile, casting a resentful glance at Ruo Lan and Hao Jian. Hao Jian couldn''t help but force a smile, then hurriedly pulled Ruo Lan towards the house. The crowd around them was growing bigger, and if they didn''t leave, they were likely to be surrounded by onlookers. Just then, a child touched the Ferrari''s body, provoking a beating from his mother. She ranted, "What are you touching? Do you know how expensive this car is? Even if we sold you, you couldn''t pay for the damages!" At this, Hao Jian could only smile wryly, yet he felt touched by the simplicity of the village where Ruo Lan lived. Although the villagers were not wealthy, they were less cunning and generally more naive. People like Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu were the exceptions. "Mom, I''m back," Ruo Lan called into a small concrete bungalow. Soon, an old lady with a cane walked out, accompanied by a middle-aged woman around fifty years of age. "Why have you come back at this time? You should have told me in advance, so I could have saved you some food," the old lady said with mild reproach, her face still beaming with joy. "Granny!" Tongtong ran up to her, delighted. "Oh, my treasure, Granny has missed you so much," the old lady promptly embraced Tongtong, pinching her chubby cheeks affectionately, before complaining, "You''ve lost weight, hasn''t your mother been feeding you?" "Not at all, I''m a little princess, I need to maintain my figure," Tongtong replied with mature composure, eliciting laughter from everyone present. At that moment, the old lady noticed Hao Jian and asked with a puzzled expression, "And who might this be...?" "Granny, he''s Daddy," Tongtong playfully blinked. "Daddy?" The old lady was astonished. "Mom, he''s my husband," Ruo Lan said, a bit shyly. At this, the old lady was visibly shocked, "When did you get married again?" "It happened just last month, we''ve only just registered," Ruo Lan chose to lie, knowing well that her marital status had always been a concern for her mother, who would nag her endlessly if she didn''t marry soon. "Oh dear, such a big event, why didn''t you tell me?" the old lady said, annoyed, then she began to size up Hao Jian, nodding in approval, "Not bad, not bad at all, tall and strong, good looking, and spirited. He''ll do, he''ll do." Chapter 646 - 646: Fierce Old Lady Hao Jian could hardly keep from laughing or crying as the old lady stared at him, making his scalp tingle as if he were livestock on display. "When do you plan on having kids?" The old lady suddenly blurted out. "Mom! What are you talking about?" Ruo Lan was completely embarrassed and hadn''t expected the old lady to be so bold as to bring that up directly. Hao Jian was even more speechless. Who knew when they would have kids? He indeed wanted to, but the problem was that Ruo Lan was unwilling. "What, did I say something wrong? Aren''t you married to have children? It must be so lonely for just Tongtong. Or are you saying you can''t have them?" The old lady immediately gave Hao Jian a strange look and shamelessly glanced at his groin. Hao Jian quickly covered his groin, looking at Ruo Lan as if pleading for help. "Mom, it''s his first time here, and it''s rude to talk about such things." Ruo Lan was speechless too. The old lady was really too much. Even if Hao Jian were her husband, it wasn''t appropriate to ask about such things the moment he arrived. Hao Jian also felt helpless. With Ruo Lan''s gentle and quiet demeanor, how could the old lady be so brash? Was she really her biological mother? "Old lady, I''ve been through life. What''s there to be embarrassed about?" The old lady looked indifferent. She then looked at Hao Jian, "I haven''t even asked for your name, have I?" "Mom, my name is Hao Jian." Hao Jian replied with a forced smile. "Hao Jian? Why did your parents give you such a name? It sounds so cheap, really reveals the personality, doesn''t it?" The old lady slightly criticized, feeling that everything about Hao Jian was good except his name. "Mom, if you keep this up, I''m leaving." Ruo Lan threatened, feeling extremely embarrassed. "Alright, alright, I won''t talk about it. Such a temper, hasn''t changed in decades." The old lady complained but then pinched Tongtong''s cheek, "Still, my Tongtong is so well-behaved!" Ruo Lan covered her face and sighed, not knowing what else to say. "Hao Jian, this is my second uncle''s wife." Ruo Lan introduced Hao Jian to a woman beside her with a kind face and a slightly dark complexion. The woman was broad and stout, clearly a farm woman used to hard labor, her face beaming with a friendly smile. "Second uncle''s wife, it''s a pleasure to meet you for the first time. Here''s a little gift, as a token of respect." Hao Jian smiled broadly, then handed over the large and small packages he was carrying to the second uncle''s wife. "Blood-Swiftlet Edible Bird''s Nest, Deep-Sea Fish Oil, Hundred-Year-Old Ginseng, Supreme Ejiao?" The second uncle''s wife was stunned when she saw the expensive supplements Hao Jian brought. "All these things together must cost tens of thousands, right? Why spend so much?" The old lady too was taken aback when she heard this, supplements worth tens of thousands? Are they really that expensive? "It''s just a little money, nothing much." Hao Jian laughed, then teasingly said, "Didn''t expect the second uncle''s wife to know her stuff." So, never underestimate country folks. Just because someone is from the countryside doesn''t mean they don''t know as much or more than you do! Hearing this, the second uncle''s wife was somewhat embarrassed, "I like to keep up with these things usually, but I can''t afford them, so I just enjoy looking." She never thought she would one day get to consume such expensive supplements. It wasn''t that she couldn''t afford them, she just couldn''t bear to spend the money. "Ruo Lan really struck gold, finding such a capable husband. From now on, you won''t have to worry about food or drink. Big sister, you just wait to enjoy the good life." The second uncle''s wife complimented, but spoke the truth. And upon hearing this, the old lady smiled from ear to ear but still remained modest, "Enjoy what blessings? As long as they live well themselves, that''s enough for me as this old lady." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Whose Ferrari is that parked at the entrance?" Meanwhile, the neighbors started to talk, amazed that there was a Ferrari in their village. Hearing the neighbors, Zhao Tiezhu and the second uncle''s wife also became curious. The old lady inquired, "Little Jian, that Ferrari... what''s it called, is it yours?" "It''s mine," Hao Jian chuckled dryly. "My, you''re so young and you drive such a nice car?" The second uncle''s wife was astonished. She knew Hao Jian was wealthy, but didn''t realize he was wealthy enough to afford a Ferrari. The second uncle''s wife often watched TV and knew a bit about these famous luxury cars. "That what''s-it-called Ferrari, is it good?" The old lady couldn''t help but ask. "Big sister, that car is called Ferrari, and it''s a sports car. Even the cheapest one costs several million." The second uncle''s wife explained. "It''s so expensive?" the old lady couldn''t help but be shocked. For ordinary farmers like them, she guessed they could never save up that much money in their lifetimes. She hadn''t expected Hao Jian to be so wealthy. She initially thought that as long as Ruo Lan found an honest man to marry, that would be sufficient. This also showed that the old lady wasn''t materialistic at all¡ªretaining the simplicity inherent in rural folk. As long as Hao Jian treated her daughter well, whether he had money or not, she was willing to marry her daughter off to him. "Ah, if only my son had half your capabilities," sighed the aunt, feeling that nothing was more frustrating than comparing people. "Let''s not talk here; come inside," Ruo Lan suggested, and then a group of them entered the house to chat about family matters. Ruo Lan then brought up Li Cuihua''s previous visit to Hua City looking for her. Upon hearing this, the old lady immediately burst into anger, and grumbled, "That *****, now hanging around with that Zhao Tiezhu all day, leaving your uncle with no food when he comes back from farming. Whenever her name is mentioned, she runs away and doesn''t return for days. When she does, she quarrels with your uncle, cursing everyone, even your deceased grandparents and father, turning the house into a place filled with strife!" "Exactly, and she''s already in her forties but still refuses to settle down. Always talking about living in the big city, saying she''s different from us rural folks. At her age, still messing around with men indiscriminately¡ªit''s infuriating," the aunt added, evidently also finding Li Cuihua disagreeable. Because what Li Cuihua did really undermined her character. Whenever she quarreled with Ruo Lan''s uncle, she blamed everyone. Both Zhao Tiezhu and she have been maligned by Li Cuihua. "The most pitiful is Old Three, childless and married to such a woman, he''s truly suffering," Zhao Tiezhu sighed. Then he added, turning to Ruo Lan, "Ruo Lan, you must visit your uncle''s house more now that you''re back. When your father died, there was no money for even a decent coffin, and it was your uncles who took care of everything. Remember their kindness!" "Don''t worry, Mom, I know what to do," Ruo Lan nodded. Back then, her uncle had argued with Li Cuihua over giving them the money, and eventually, he had sneakily taken it out for them. Ruo Lan still remembered this incident. Afterward, Ruo Lan, along with Hao Jian, headed to her uncle''s house with several parcels of gifts. From a distance, they could see a short, thin man sitting at the door frame, his pant legs rolled up to his knees and his clothes still covered with mud, obviously just back from the fields. He was holding a hookah in his arms, but his expression seemed off, somewhat gloomy. "Uncle!" Ruo Lan called out from afar. Upon hearing Ruo Lan''s voice, Ruo Yuanbin couldn''t help but look over, quickly adjusting his sullen face to a smile, "Is Ruo Lan back?" "Hello, Uncle," Tongtong politely greeted. "Tongtong is getting lovelier as she grows, takes after her mom!" Ruo Yuanbin laughed heartily, then looked at Hao Jian, "And this is...?" "My husband," Ruo Lan replied, somewhat exasperatedly. Ruo Yuanbin''s face showed surprise, then he too smiled and nodded, "It''s indeed time to start a new life." "Uncle, why are you sitting outside smoking? Where is auntie?" asked Ruo Lan, puzzled. Upon hearing this, Ruo Yuanbin quickly darkened his face and yelled inside, "Li Cuihua, hurry and make some tea, Ruo Lan is back." "So she''s back, what''s the big deal? Haven''t I seen her before?" a harsh voice from inside responded, and then they saw Li Cuihua come out with a grimace. Noticing Hao Jian, she immediately sneered, "Little bastard, you really dared to show up?" "How can you talk like that? He''s Ruo Lan''s husband, why are you insulting him?" Ruo Yuanbin angrily rebuked, visibly upset. He didn''t understand why Li Cuihua would suddenly insult someone, especially in his presence. No matter what, Hao Jian and the others were guests, and insulting them was a reflection on him. "Yeah, he''s Ruo Lan''s husband, not mine. Why can''t I talk to him like that? Besides, Ruo Yuanbin, he may be your relative, but what''s it to me? If you want to entertain him, do it yourself, I''m not serving!" With that, Li Cuihua pushed past Hao Jian and the others and walked out. "Where are you going?" Ruo Yuanbin shouted in a low voice, his face darkening to the extreme. Li Cuihua, as his wife, was making him lose face terribly. "None of your business! Die poor, and keep dreaming if you think you can tie me down!" Li Cuihua''s biting voice could be heard from afar. Ruo Yuanbin really wanted to rush up and pull Li Cuihua''s hair and beat her, to assert his manliness, but with Hao Jian and Ruo Lan there, he couldn''t embarrass his guests. Immediately, Ruo Yuanbin gave a bitter smile: "Sorry for making you see this." "It''s okay, uncle, I''ve known auntie''s temperament for many years." Ruo Lan shook her head, wanting to comfort Ruo Yuanbin but not knowing how to start. Then, Ruo Lan sat down at Ruo Yuanbin''s house and listened to him pour out his woes. And Ruo Yuanbin, this nearly fifty-year-old simple man, actually couldn''t help but start crying in front of Hao Jian and Ruo Lan. Chapter 647 - 647: The Poisonous Woman Seeing this point, Hao Jian couldn''t help but feel a little bitter. He feared that Ruo Yuanbin had long known about Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu''s affair. The reason he hadn''t reacted violently was probably that he was concerned about his own reputation and had no choice but to bear it. Hao Jian could understand that Ruo Yuanbin had been very depressed lately and had suffered a lot of grievances, but didn''t know to whom to turn. Because they lived in the city, not in the village, it was only to them that Ruo Yuanbin dared to voice his troubles, as there was no chance of village gossip. Seeing such an honest woman driven to such a state by a shrew, Hao Jian also felt sympathy for him. Rural people are actually very simple. They just want to live their lives peacefully, but sadly Li Cuihua didn''t think the same way. When two people with different ideas live together, the result is a tragedy. By the time Hao Jian and his companions left, it was getting late, and at that time Li Cuihua still hadn''t returned, clearly not planning to cook dinner for Ruo Yuanbin either. As Hao Jian and Ruo Lan left Ruo Yuanbin''s place, preparing to go home, at that moment, a village woman with a sallow complexion and deep-set eyes blocked their path. She said mysteriously, "Ruo Lan, you really need to advise your Third Uncle well. His wife is such a good person and he still doesn''t appreciate her. It''s like he''s blind." On hearing this, Ruo Lan immediately took offense, ready to argue back, but at this moment Hao Jian cut in and asked her, "Who is this person?" "Qian Xiaohong, close with Li Cuihua. Those two are the biggest gossips in the village. She also cheated on her husband, which drove him to suicide out of despair," Ruo Lan said bluntly without mincing words. "Hey, you little brat, how can you talk like that?" Qian Xiaohong became furious when she heard Ruo Lan speak of her like that, but though it was true, having it pointed out to her face was humiliating. "Qian Xiaohong, is it? How do you know Li Cuihua is so good? Is it because you''re close to her, so you think she''s good?" Hao Jian sneered. "Nonsense, of course it''s because I''ve spent time with her and understand her that I speak this way. Who the hell are you to tell me what to say?" Qian Xiaohong asked angrily and arrogantly. "I am Ruo Lan''s husband, which makes me part of their family. Naturally, I have the right to inquire about this matter," Hao Jian replied coldly, then asked, "You said you understand her, do you also know she doesn''t cook for her husband and cheats on him?" Good? They had never experienced how good Li Cuihua was. Didn''t they know whether she was good or not? Qian Xiaohong made her judgement simply because she got along well with Li Cuihua. In the past, Hao Jian wouldn''t have wanted to argue with Qian Xiaohong, but today, after hearing Ruo Yuanbin''s grievances and seeing such a man in tears before him, Hao Jian felt he couldn''t restrain himself any longer. "Impossible! Li Cuihua would never do such a thing!" Qian Xiaohong declared resolutely, but her eyes darted around evasively as she said this. Hao Jian noticed this and mocked, "It seems you and Li Cuihua really are best friends. Is it because you''ve both cheated before, driving your husbands to despair, that you feel this mutual sympathy?" Ruo Lan was also stunned, as Hao Jian''s words were too aggressive, even more so than her previous remarks. "How can you speak like that? I was kindly advising you, hoping your family would live in harmony, and this is how you speak to me? No wonder Li Cuihua said your entire family is no good!" Qian Xiaohong huffed, her murky eyes glaring menacingly at Hao Jian and his group. "Whether our family is good or not is none of your business to comment on. If you dare say another unnecessary word, I''ll twist your head off!" Hao Jian also lost his patience and scolded coldly. Qian Xiaohong, an outsider, was pointing fingers at their family affairs. What right did she have? Who gave her the authority? Such a busybody was extremely irritating. Feeling threatened by Hao Jian, Qian Xiaohong grew fearful. She glared fiercely at Hao Jian for a moment before walking away. But as she left, she muttered venomously, "You little bastard, I''ll have the gods curse you to death!" Although Qian Xiaohong spoke softly, Hao Jian''s ears didn''t miss a word. His expression turned icy, and he followed her. "What''s the matter?" Ruo Lan hurried after him and asked. "This woman is planning to have us cursed to death!" Hao Jian said. "What?" The news made Ruo Lan''s expression change. Although she didn''t believe in such things, Qian Xiaohong''s actions were too excessive. It would anger anyone. It was simply too malicious. Hao Jian found Qian Xiaohong''s house, and sure enough, as soon as he entered, he saw Qian Xiaohong on her knees with a straw doll in her hands, muttering incessantly, "Curse that dog couple to death, with AIDS and SARS, and if they have a son, let him be born without an anus! Curse that family of seven or eight, to die in a car accident, without descendants, with tall graves!" Qian Xiaohong wasn''t just cursing Hao Jian and Ruo Lan, but also their family members. Ruo Lan''s face showed anger, while Hao Jian had a sneer. He stepped forward and kicked Qian Xiaohong in the back, sending her flying forward. The deities she had set up were knocked over, and the incense burner and other items were scattered on the ground, with the deity figurines shattered. "You..." Qian Xiaohong was shocked, not having expected Hao Jian and Ruo Lan to show up there. How did they know she was cursing them? "Just for a spat, you curse our entire family to death. How could you be so vicious!" Ruo Lan exclaimed, her face flushed with anger. "I do want to curse you to death, so what? Just you wait. You dare to topple the altar. The celestial spirits won''t let you off. Just wait for death!" Qian Xiaohong, her secret exposed, no longer held back and yelled at Hao Jian and Ruo Lan. "Is that so? Since you put it that way, why don''t you ask your celestial spirits if they can save you? Because I am about to knock your teeth out!" Hao Jian approached, cracking his knuckles. "What are you going to do? Let me tell you, my son is involved with the underworld. If you dare to mess with me, he''ll come with people to chop you up!" Qian Xiaohong said fearfully. But Hao Jian acted as if he hadn''t heard her. "Azai, come out quickly, someone''s going to beat up your mom!" Qian Xiaohong suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs. "Who dares to hit my mom?" Just then, a skinny man rushed out from the inner room, bellowing as he went, a chopping knife clenched in his hand. The man was shirtless, his body covered in tattoos, looking to be in his early twenties, fierce and menacing. Upon seeing Hao Jian and Ruo Lan, his eyes bulged with rage as he pointed the knife at Hao Jian, "It''s you, asshole, you want to hit my mom, huh? Try touching a hair on her head!" S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With her son showing up, Qian Xiaohong also revealed a smug look, sinisterly saying, "Kid, you better kneel down now and kowtow to apologize, and also compensate me with a few thousand yuan for medical expenses, or else I''ll let my Azai chop you into the hospital." "Slap!" Hao Jian slapped Qian Xiaohong across the face and then looked at her son, "I did hit her." Qian Xiaohong and the tattooed man were both stunned. Hao Jian actually dared to hit her? "Caonima, you dare hit my mom?" The tattooed man''s blood boiled with anger, and he swung his chopping knife toward Hao Jian''s head with full force. Hao Jian frowned immediately. Was this guy trying to kill him? "Bang!" After that, the tattooed man flew out the door and crashed heavily into the courtyard, coughing up blood. "Like mother, like son, huh? You both are equally arrogant," Hao Jian sneered coldly. "Azai? You dare hit my Azai, I curse you, you dog bastard!" Qian Xiaohong howled hysterically, her eyes spewing malice. Hao Jian slapped Qian Xiaohong again, coldly saying, "Shut up!" Hearing this, Qian Xiaohong no longer dared to make a noise. Hao Jian''s ferocity and power silenced her from further foolishness. "You just wait, I''m calling people over!" Realizing he''d met his match, the tattooed man hurriedly took out his phone to make a call, "Brother Long, it''s me, Afei. I got beat up at home. Come quick with some people. I want to chop up that bastard!" After finishing the call, Afei stared at Hao Jian with a grim face, "Kid, just you wait for your death! You dare hit my mom, I''ll make sure you don''t leave this village alive!" "You''re so pissed I hit your mom, but did you ever bother asking why I hit her?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "I don''t care what she did, in this village, I, Afei, walk sideways. Anyone who dares mess with me gets chopped into pieces!" Afei bragged arrogantly, showing no regard for reason or justice. In his opinion, they could do whatever they wanted. "Then there''s nothing more to say," Hao Jian said with a sneer and took out his phone to call Spice Ginger. He wanted to ask if Spice Ginger had set up anyone nearby. Little did he know, Spice Ginger was actually nearby handling some business and said he''d come right over with backup. "Help! Somebody help! There''s a thief who has broken into the village! They''re about to kill someone!" At that moment, Qian Xiaohong suddenly came up with an idea and started shouting maliciously. "You... " Ruo Lan became instantly infuriated. Was Qian Xiaohong trying to set someone up? "Where''s the thief? And he dares to hit people? I''ll kill him!" "Who''s yelling for help?" Hearing the cries for help, the neighboring villagers rushed over with hoes, shovels, and other farm tools, nearly two dozen people blocking the entrance. "Qian Xiaohong, what the hell are you screaming about? Where''s the thief?" one of them scolded Qian Xiaohong. "Right there! He''s the thief!" Qian Xiaohong suddenly pointed at Hao Jian. The villagers then scrutinized Hao Jian, noticing he was an unfamiliar face. "That''s nonsense, he''s not a thief, he''s my husband!" Ruo Lan shouted, immediately defending Hao Jian to prevent the villagers from misunderstanding him. Chapter 648 - 649: More People? Moreover, he had noticed that Ruo Lan standing next to Hao Jian was very mature and sexy, with her plump and round buttocks and breasts, so he had harbored improper thoughts. Hao Jian sneered, "How about you kneel down, lick my shoes clean, then break your own legs, and then I''ll consider letting you go." "Hahaha¡­ Did you hear what this kid said? He actually wants me to kneel and lick?" Brother Long laughed furiously in response. Everyone burst into laughter as well. "Kid, are you blind? Didn''t you see how many of us there are here? Each of us could give you a knife and chop you into mincemeat!" The villagers also shook their heads and sighed, feeling that Hao Jian was too impulsive. If Hao Jian could humble himself and admit his mistake, perhaps these people would just teach him a lesson and leave it at that. But now, he kept provoking Brother Long over and over, and it was feared that this matter wouldn''t end well. "I see, but you haven''t seen my people," Hao Jian said with a smirk. "Your people? Where are they?" Brother Long looked around mockingly, then stared at Ruo Lan, sneering lewdly, "Is she your helper? Well then, let her take me on in bed for three hundred rounds to see who is better!" Brother Long''s underlings also burst into uproarious laughter, causing Ruo Lan to become extremely embarrassed. A cold light flickered in Hao Jian''s eyes. "Every time you act like a fool, you''re pushing yourself closer to an abyss from which there''s no returning!" "Hmph, quite the attitude you''ve got there. Now tell me, where are your people?" Brother Long sneered, "Carrying a dead rat in your waist to pretend you''re hunting, let''s see who you can call!" "If you have eyes, look over there!" Hao Jian pointed toward the distant road. Then, everyone looked that way, only to see a long convoy kicking up a trail of dust as it approached, driving all the way from the village entrance. The cars, all uniformly black, numbered at least a dozen and formed a straight line with an imposing presence, definitely not something Brother Long''s shabby van could match. Hearing the commotion, the villagers came out to see. "Why are so many cars arriving all of a sudden? Could it be some official visiting?" one person speculated, noting the imposing look of these vehicles, all being Mercedes, and arriving together in a dozen or more, clearly in a group. It was indeed a spectacle reserved for welcoming local officials. "Come on, let''s go see what important person it is." The curious villagers came out of their houses and followed the convoy. Seeing the convoy, Brother Long and Qian Xiaohong''s faces turned pale. Who on earth could summon a dozen cars at once? "What kind of background does this kid have?" Brother Long urgently asked Afei, feeling a little uneasy. The cars brought by the adversary were worth several million, obviously belonging to some highly influential figure, clearly not someone Brother Long, a simple gangster leader, could compare with. "I¡­ I don''t know either," Afei replied with a bitter face. He had no idea what identity Hao Jian had; he seemed quite ordinary. "Fool!" Brother Long kicked him away in anger. Then, concentrating on the convoy, he noticed that Hao Jian was waving at the vehicles, which then stopped not far from him. Seeing this, Brother Long nearly collapsed in fear, realizing that these guys had indeed been summoned by Hao Jian? "Who dares to touch my boss!" Spice Ginger stepped out from one of the cars, dressed in a suit and looking extraordinary, a true leader''s aura unlike Brother Long''s gangster demeanor. The villagers looked at Spice Ginger, feeling he had the vibe of a Hong Kong movie boss. And such a person was calling Hao Jian his boss? That was just inconceivable. Click, click, click... Soon, the doors of the dozen cars opened, and a large group of men in black stepped out, easily dozens of them, all uniformly dressed and orderly. "Dad, they have guns!" At that moment, a child spoke up, noting that these men had pistols on their waists. Hearing this, Dragon Tooth shuddered tremendously. These gangsters were already notorious for wielding knives, and here the opponents had guns, controlled weapons. The villagers also changed colors, and although they knew these people weren''t here for them, they couldn''t help feeling frightened. "Boss!" Spice Ginger approached Hao Jian and then bowed deeply to him. For a moment, everyone was stunned. Hao Jian was actually the boss of these people? He looked so young, how could he be so powerful? Originally, they thought Hao Jian was just wealthy, but it turned out he also had power! "Ruo Lan, what exactly is your husband''s identity? How is he so powerful?" At that moment, the villagers couldn''t help but ask Ruo Lan. "This¡­" Ruo Lan felt both amused and at a loss for words; how was she supposed to explain when she herself wasn''t too sure about Hao Jian''s identity? Brother Long''s legs really turned to jelly, and that dark face of his went completely pale now, resembling an eggplant frosted with a white layer, which looked quite bizarre. "Do you want to compare numbers with me?" Hao Jian immediately retorted with a cold sneer, looking at Brother Long while mocking, "Also, you seem quite interested in my woman, aren''t you?" "Misunderstanding, it''s all a misunderstanding," Brother Long trembled all over, looking at Hao Jian with terror in his eyes. "Is that so? So if I chop you into mincemeat and throw you into the pigpen to feed the pigs, would that be a misunderstanding too?" Before Hao Jian could speak, Spice Ginger coldly snorted first. The moment he spoke, his followers suddenly pulled out bright, shiny knives from their waists, moving in a coordinated and well-trained manner. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing the glint of those knives, the villagers present couldn''t help but feel a chill in their hearts. "Thump." Brother Long was so scared that he immediately knelt on the ground, his face deathly pale, repeatedly slapping himself and pleading, "Brother, no, sir, I really realize my mistake now. I was too blind to see your greatness. Please show your mercy and spare me this time." He was just a lowly gangster. How could he possibly stand up to the real Mafia? And he could see that Hao Jian was indeed from the real Mafia. Moreover, Hao Jian and his crew had guns. They could easily take out all of them without much effort. At this point, apart from begging for mercy, there was nothing else he could do. The other gangsters were also too scared to move. Although they were hot-blooded, they were afraid of shedding blood, especially since they were in a battle that could not be won. "Break his legs!" Hao Jian said coldly, completely ignoring Brother Long''s pleas. Because what Brother Long had said earlier had really annoyed Hao Jian. Brother Long turned to stone in an instant, his lips quivering, but he dared not utter a single word of refusal. For he knew this was already the best outcome¡ªhe had at least not been killed by Hao Jian. Then, he looked towards Afei, not far away, with a gaze sharp as a knife. If looks could kill, Afei would have died a thousand times over. Afei was also terrified, hastily lowering his head, not daring to meet Brother Long''s gaze, his body trembling violently. Because he knew what was coming next for him. Even if Hao Jian spared him, Brother Long would not, especially since he had caused Brother Long to end up like this. "Ah!" Suddenly, a shrill scream from Brother Long echoed; he clutched his kneecaps, convulsing uncontrollably, his face twisted in pain. Everyone was shocked, thinking how harsh that was. Following that, Hao Jian dragged Afei out and then slapped him in the face, "Kid, tell me now, do you still feel tough?" "No more toughness, I dare not act tough anymore, please let me go!" Afei kept kowtowing, now truly recognizing the fear. He thought being a hoodlum and daring to slash people with a knife made him formidable. Yet, to people like Hao Jian, he was just a fool. They could play him to death outright without a second thought. Afei realized this too, and thus he was frightfully scared. "Let you go? Weren''t you the one who said you''d kill me? You also boasted about doing whatever you wanted in this village, right?" Hao Jian scoffed coldly. Afei was petrified, nearly in tears. If he had known Hao Jian was such a big shot, how could he have possibly troubled him? "Just spare his life," Hao Jian said to Spice Ginger. "Understood!" Spice Ginger grinned sinisterly, then signaled to his men, who immediately went forward to deal with Afei. "Don''t hit my son, I beg you, don''t hit my Azai!" Qian Xiaohong threw herself at Hao Jian''s feet, relentlessly kowtowing to him. "Now you realize you regret, but when you incited your son to hack me and had these ruffians disable me and sleep with my woman, how come you didn''t regret it then?" Hao Jian found it laughable and did not feel the slightest pity for Qian Xiaohong. If it weren''t for Qian Xiaohong meddling, none of this would have happened. "It''s all my fault, don''t hit Azai anymore, if you want to hit someone, just hit me," Qian Xiaohong grabbed Hao Jian''s clothes, refusing to let go. "I naturally will not let you go, nor will I spare your Azai. Driving your own husband to death, corrupting your son, you, a woman with a venomous heart, it''s precisely because of people like you that your son has turned out this way," Hao Jian coldly huffed, then ordered, "Slap her! I want this woman to never be able to gossip again!" At this moment, no one stepped forward to plead for Qian Xiaohong and her son, as they all felt that this mother and son had brought this upon themselves. Bullying and causing trouble in the village all the time, today they finally met their match. Those villagers who had been bullied by them couldn''t help but reveal a cold sneer at this scene. By now, hundreds of villagers had gathered, all here to watch the drama unfold. Then, Spice Ginger ordered someone to slap Qian Xiaohong; the smacks were loud and resounding. Before long, Qian Xiaohong''s mouth was full of blood, and she fainted. "Trouble! Ruo Lan, your Uncle Third has hanged himself!" Suddenly, someone yelled out loud. "What?" Ruo Lan''s expression abruptly changed. But Hao Jian was one step ahead of her, immediately pushing through the crowd and rushing into Ruo Yuanbin''s house. Chapter 649 - 650: The Death of Yuan Bin Afterward, he saw Ruo Yuanbin lying on the cold floor, his lips and tongue pale, his face contorted. Next to Ruo Yuanbin, stood a group of villagers at a loss. They had thought to inform Ruo Yuanbin about the conflict with Hao Jian and Qian Xiaohong, but had not expected to see Ruo Yuanbin hanging from the door frame upon entering the room. Hao Jian''s expression had darkened to an extreme. After Ruo Yuanbin had cried, he thought Ruo Yuanbin had gone to sleep. Little did he know that as soon as they left, Ruo Yuanbin had been so distraught that he had hanged himself. Hao Jian stepped forward, bending down to place his fingers on Ruo Yuanbin''s neck to check his pulse. "Hao Jian, how is my Third Uncle?" Ruo Lan rushed over and asked anxiously. Hao Jian did not speak, but his expression coldly shook his head, clearly indicating the worst. During a hanging, a person could suffocate in forty seconds; if not discovered within three minutes, death was certain. Ruo Yuanbin was found too late; he had already passed away, beyond saving even by divine powers. Hearing this, Ruo Lan''s face showed horror; her legs gave way, and her body slowly collapsed to the ground, leaning against the doorway. "Don''t look, Tongtong, don''t look!" Ruo Lan quickly covered Tongtong''s eyes, her voice laden with sobs. "Wah!" Tongtong too started crying, frightened by Ruo Lan''s reaction. Hao Jian''s face was so dark, it seemed almost to seep with water. Through his conversations with Ruo Yuanbin, whom he liked for his honest appearance and somewhat shy and timid manner of speaking, especially after hearing about his dealings with Li Cuihua, Hao Jian could deeply empathize with his helplessness and grievance, thus feeling great sympathy for Ruo Yuanbin. And Hao Jian had not expected that their appearance today would be the last straw that broke the camel''s back. Perhaps after crying to them, Ruo Yuanbin, feeling overwhelmed by shame, and compounded by the indignities and humiliation he had already suffered, had completely despaired and chosen to end his life. "Where is Li Cuihua? Where is that wretched woman?" Some angry villagers roared, obviously aware of her illicit relationship with Zhao Tiezhu. They knew she had been quarreling frequently with Ruo Yuanbin lately, not doing laundry or cooking, and even brazenly staying out all night. "I saw Zhao Tiezhu pick her up on his motorcycle at the village entrance, and they went to the town together!" someone replied. "They''re still going to town at this time? No need to guess, they''re up to no good!" the village chief said angrily. Unlike big cities, transportation to the town usually stopped around five or six o''clock, and many shops in town closed, so it was impossible for Li Cuihua to go shopping at that time. "That wicked woman, driving Bin to death, and now she''s still fooling around with Zhao Tiezhu!" the villagers were furious. Because Ruo Yuanbin was usually honest and helpful, they were all quite familiar with him, and seeing such an honest man driven to death by Li Cuihua, they all had fire burning in their minds. "Does anyone know where Li Cuihua went?" Hao Jian asked, but everyone could hear the suppressed rage in his voice. No one answered, as they all didn''t know, assuming Li Cuihua had gone off to have an affair with Zhao Tiezhu, naturally not letting anyone know at this time. "Who has her phone number? Call her!" the village chief said sternly. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Immediately, a woman pulled out her cell phone to call Li Cuihua: "Li Cuihua, you better come back quickly, your man has hanged himself. What, you..." The woman was also baffled, looking at the disconnected phone. "What did Li Cuihua say?" the village chief asked. "She said she''s busy now and will talk about it tomorrow." the woman slowly said. "What? Her husband is dead, and she says she''s too busy to come pick up the body?" Everyone was indignant. This woman was really monstrous; after so many years together, she wouldn''t even come to see her own husband''s dead body. Is she even human? "Furthermore, I just heard her panting; it sounded like she was... in the middle of that sort of thing," the woman added. Upon hearing this, everyone''s eyes almost breathed fire. Ruo Yuanbin was already dead, yet Li Cuihua was only concerned with being intimate with her lover. Whoever marries her is truly cursed. "Since she doesn''t want to come back, then let''s go find her!" Hao Jian snorted, then said to Spice Ginger, "Search! Dig three feet into the ground if you must, but find her for me!" Hao Jian was now boiling with rage, unable to forgive Li Cuihua''s wrongs or her cold indifference. "I''m friends with the local chief of police; I''ll ask him for help. Just need to check which hotel they''re in, we''ll find them quickly!" Spice Ginger nodded and hurried off to take care of it. Hao Jian walked up to Ruo Lan, embraced her, and comforted her softly, "Don''t worry, your Third Uncle won''t just die in vain!" Soon after, the old ladies and the second uncle''s wife also rushed over, startled to see so many people in black clothes gathered at the entrance. Upon learning that these were Hao Jian''s underlings, they were even more astonished. They had always sensed that Hao Jian was no ordinary man, but they didn''t expect him to be so extraordinary. What did he see in Ruo Lan? Could it be a pie from the sky? Then, they saw Ruo Yuanbin''s corpse and simultaneously began to cry. The old lady approached Hao Jian, leaning on her cane, "Little Jian, I have no other requests, just finish off that pair of scoundrels, and I''ll entrust Ruo Lan to you!" Old Lady was also full of hatred. In the past, she had endured Li Cuihua''s outrageous behavior, but now that Ruo Yuanbin had been driven to death, she couldn''t accept it. As the saying goes, the elder brother acts as the father, and his wife as the mother; Ruo Yuanbin''s brother had passed away, and naturally, Old Lady was taking care of him. Ruo Yuanbin being driven to death by Li Cuihua would make it difficult for her to face her own husband on Netherworld Road. "Don''t worry, even if you didn''t say this, I would have done it!" Hao Jian nodded emphatically, as he had already decided not to let Li Cuihua and her accomplice go. "Boss, we''ve found them!" At that moment, Spice Ginger came over. Hao Jian furrowed his brows, a murderous look in his eyes, "Let''s go!" "I''m coming too!" Ruo Lan suddenly came forward. She had left Tongtong with her mother and insisted on going with Hao Jian. Hao Jian just smiled and did not refuse. Afterwards, Hao Jian and Ruo Lan, along with others, set out to capture Li Cuihua and her accomplice, and some villagers, outraged, went to get their motorcycles and then followed Hao Jian''s convoy. ..... Meanwhile, Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu came out of the hotel, cuddling each other intimately. "Did Ruo Yuanbin really die?" Zhao Tiezhu asked with a mischievous grin, his features filled with frivolity and joy. "Could there be any doubt? That guy was such a quail, to hang himself over this," Li Cuihua said disdainfully, without a trace of guilt in her heart, utterly heartless. "So now we can officially be together, right? Since we can''t go back to the village anyway, why don''t we fly far away?" Zhao Tiezhu proposed, since he couldn''t marry anyway. Having Li Cuihua follow him wouldn''t be bad, at least she was free for the taking. "Not yet, before that, we need to deal with that little vixen Ruo Lan and get payment from Liu Laocai. Only then can we fly away with the money," Li Cuihua greedily said, unwilling to leave just yet, planning to get some money first. "But how can we go back to the village now? They definitely know we drove Ruo Yuanbin to his death." Zhao Tiezhu said nervously, fearing they might get killed if they returned. "Who said we''re going back to the village? Can''t we just arrange to meet her? That girl was close to that dead man, knowing that I drove him to his death, she must be furious and will come out obediently after a call," Li Cuihua said with a smug laugh, then called Ruo Lan. When Ruo Lan received Li Cuihua''s call, she was also surprised, but after listening to Li Cuihua, her eyes filled with murderous intent. "What did Li Cuihua say?" Hao Jian asked. "She said she''s at Liu Laocai''s place now and even sent me the address!" "Huh, she''s trying to lure you into a trap," Hao Jian scoffed. "But soon, they will know what it means to spin a cocoon around oneself. This is good; it saves me the trouble of finding Liu Laocai myself." "Boss Liu, we''ve already tricked Ruo Lan to come here. She''s on her way now, but that Hao Jian is probably with her." After the call with Ruo Lan, Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu scrambled to Liu Laocai''s place. "Oh? So soon?" Liu Laocai rubbed his hands together eagerly. After seeing the greedy look on Li Cuihua and her accomplice, he immediately understood and smirked, "Don''t worry, as soon as Ruo Lan arrives, I''ll give you the money. I, Liu Laocai, keep my word! As for that guy, if he dares to come, I''ll make him watch as I take his wife, ha ha ha ha..." Upon hearing Liu Laocai''s plan to pay, Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu were overjoyed and fawned over him even more. "What are you doing?" When Hao Jian showed up in Liu Laocai''s courtyard, a group of bodyguards blocked their path. But before they could approach, Spice Ginger''s underlings had already gone up and quickly laid them flat on the ground. Behind Hao Jian, the angry villagers followed; they all wanted justice for Ruo Yuanbin. Hao Jian picked up a rock from the ground, weighed it in his hand, and suddenly sneered. "Bang!" The rock was hurled out, shooting like a bolt of lightning, directly breaking through the window and flying into the room. "Ouch, who threw a rock at me?" a furious voice came from inside, belonging to Liu Laocai. Soon, the crowd saw a bloodied Liu Laocai holding his head as he came out, followed by Li Cuihua and some bodyguards. The moment he saw Ruo Lan, Liu Laocai''s eyes blazed with heat, his lust unmistakable. "I threw it," Hao Jian said with a smile. Chapter 650 - 651: Torturing to Death "You? Who the hell are you?" Liu Laocai glared at Hao Jian. "Boss Liu, this is Hao Jian." Li Cuihua whispered a few words to Liu Laocai, looking somewhat indignant. Liu Laocai''s face immediately turned cold, and he huffed, "So you''re Hao Jian, eh? I haven''t even come looking for you, yet you dare to come knocking at my door?" But Hao Jian didn''t waste words and instead pointed directly at the two of them, saying, "Hand them over." "You tell me to hand them over, and I just do it? Who the hell do you think you are?" Liu Laocai was infuriated to laughter by Hao Jian. Was it not enough that Hao Jian had injured him, now he dared to directly order him around? Was this looking down on him? "So you''re saying you don''t plan on handing them over?" Hao Jian asked with a sharp look in his eyes. "Hand over your mom! Finish this punk off for me!" Liu Laocai cursed angrily. Did he think because he had beaten him up, he could still be so cocky in front of him? Did he take Liu Laocai for someone easy to bully? "Click, click, click¡­" As soon as he finished speaking, over twenty gun barrels were pointed at Liu Laocai and his group. Liu Laocai''s bodyguards were also dumbstruck on the spot, not daring to move an inch. "You¡­" Liu Laocai was also shocked, then turned back and roared at the bewildered Li Cuihua, "Didn''t you say this kid was a penniless nobody? What''s going on here?" "This¡­ we didn''t know either." Li Cuihua was on the verge of tears ¡ª how could they have known what was happening? Hao Jian had suddenly become so powerful, showing up with so many armed men in black. Liu Laocai''s teeth ground together in rage. These two fools, Li Cuihua, were good for nothing but ruining things, setting up such a powerful enemy for him. But soon, Liu Laocai regained his composure and said in a deep voice, "Brother, which faction are you with? Speak up, we might know each other. Let''s not wash away the dragon temple in a flood and cause a misunderstanding." "Know each other? What a joke. I''m a legitimate businessman. How could I possibly know a villain like you?" Hao Jian scoffed. Upon hearing this, Liu Laocai was at a loss for words. A legitimate businessman? Would a legitimate businessman be accompanied by over twenty armed thugs? Hao Jian didn''t even blush saying that. "Brother, leave room for maneuver so we can meet again in the future. Ask around about who I, Liu Laocai, am. If you kill me, you won''t be able to leave Huaiyun City," Liu Laocai warned. He was not like Brother Long, just a gangster; he was a local power broker, very influential in the area, so he spoke with confidence. "Finish him off!" Hao Jian gestured faintly at Liu Laocai. "Hold on!" Liu Laocai panicked. Was this guy really so reckless? "I''m well-acquainted with the director; if you kill me, you really won''t make it out of Huaiyun City." Liu Laocai reminded him thrice, "Take those two idiots if you want them!" Liu Laocai knew he couldn''t protect Li Cuihua and the others; Ruo Lan was even less of a thought. Now his own life was in Hao Jian''s hands; how dare he have other desires! "I''m definitely taking them with me, but I won''t let you off either! You dared to covet my woman¡ªif I don''t teach you a lesson, it wouldn''t be in my nature." "You need to think this through. I''m calling the police station director right now. Are you sure you still want to kill me?" Liu Laocai played his last card, hoping that by involving Director Liang, a government official, Hao Jian might show some deference. Just then, Spice Ginger chuckled and turned to say, "Old Liang, someone wants to see you!" Upon hearing this, Liu Laocai''s heart tightened. Director Liang was here too? Shortly after, a plump middle-aged man in a police uniform emerged with a smile plastered on his face, obsequiously approaching Hao Jian, "Mr. Hao Jian, I have long admired your name! To see you today is a truly fortunate occasion." Normally, as the head of the police station, Director Liang wouldn''t associate with Spice Ginger, a mafia boss. However, since Spice Ginger started following Hao Jian, he''d gone completely legit, no longer touching any illegal activities, and had become a full-fledged businessman. Liu Laocai was petrified on the spot. Even when seeing Director Liang, he had to be polite. Yet, Director Liang was now bowing and scraping before this young man. And when Liu Laocai was about to be killed, Director Liang just stood by and watched. Who was this young man to deserve such treatment from Director Liang? Liu Laocai found it all incredible and realized he''d probably hit a snag. Right now, he wished he could tear Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu apart. These two fools had said this guy was a nobody without any power or influence, and yet even the station director tried to curry favor with him. How could that be powerless or influence-less? Who were they kidding? In truth, the most miserable ones had to be Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu. Liu Laocai might have been fine since he hadn''t done anything too bad to Hao Jian, but they had forced Ruo Yuanbin to his death. If Ruo Yuanbin was Ruo Lan''s uncle, then he was also her uncle. Could they be spared? So now this treacherous couple was also terrified, trembling non-stop, fearing that Hao Jian might act against them next. After greeting Hao Jian, Director Liang turned back to look at Liu Laocai, his face set firm, "Give up resisting. If Mr. Hao Jian wants you dead, not even a Daluo Immortal can save you." "Director Liang, please plead for me," Liu Laocai begged. Hearing Director Liang speak like that, he was frightened. "No one can save you now; the only one who can is yourself," said Director Liang with an expressionless face. Then, Liu Laocai collapsed to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling, "Mr. Hao Jian, please give me a chance. I promise to turn over a new leaf!" ``` "Cut it off yourself, and we''ll call it even. Since you''ve taken an interest in my woman, you might as well snip off your manhood!" Hao Jian was very straightforward and direct. On the spot, Liu Laocai''s eyes bulged, his mouth agape¡ªwas Hao Jian seriously going to castrate him? "Mr. Hao Jian, you can''t do this. Your wife is so beautiful, there must be many men who harbor inappropriate thoughts about her. Do you plan to castrate all of them just because of their thoughts?" Liu Laocai wailed, clearly not wanting to become a eunuch and miss out on so much of life''s pleasure. "Whether they have thoughts or not is their business; as long as they keep it to themselves, I can pretend I don''t know. But you''re different, you not only revealed your thoughts, but you also acted on them, and I can even smell the ''date-rape drug'' in your pocket," said Hao Jian as he covered his nose. Liu Laocai stood there, stupefied. Was this guy a dog? How could he smell that? "It''s okay not to cut it off. Then you can just go die!" Hao Jian frowned. A henchman of Spice Ginger immediately took the safety off a pistol, ready to shoot Liu Laocai. "No, I''ll cut it! I''ll do it!" Liu Laocai blurted out between sobs, instantly regretting his actions. In his heart, he vowed to have Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu dismembered; if not for these two idiots, how could he have ended up like this? "Take him away, I don''t want anyone to get an eye sore watching this," Hao Jian told Spice Ginger. After that, Liu Laocai was shamefully led away to undergo the castration ritual. With the nuisance taken care of, Hao Jian then addressed Li Cuihua and the other with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Originally, I didn''t want to bother with you two fools, but the mistake you made was doing something you shouldn''t have done and pushed my uncle to his death." Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu both knelt down, but before they could speak, Hao Jian sneered, "Don''t bother kneeling; it''s useless. I''m not going to spare you." The death of Ruo Yuanbin demanded an explanation from Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu. If they wouldn''t provide one, then Hao Jian was going to take it himself! "Don''t kill us!" Li Cuihua''s face turned pale. She wanted to beg for mercy but was too ashamed to come up with any excuses. "Why would I kill you?" Hao Jian laughed, but the sound was eerily sinister. "Thank you... thank you..." Li Cuihua sighed in relief upon hearing that Hao Jian did not plan to kill them, nodding her head excitedly. Then Hao Jian turned to Spice Ginger and instructed, "Lock them up and torture them to death!" Naturally, Hao Jian wouldn''t dispose of Li Cuihua and the other so easily¡ªif he did, wouldn''t that be letting them off too lightly? Consequently, Li Cuihua''s smile stiffened. "No, it''s not my fault, it was her who seduced me! And she was the one who drove Ruo Yuanbin to his death. It''s not my fault!" Zhao Tiezhu, hearing that Hao Jian planned to torture them to death, became so scared that his face turned green, and he shrieked cowardly, shifting all the blame onto Liu Laocai. He didn''t want to die, much less be tortured until death. "You''re talking nonsense, it was clearly you who hit on me first at the market!" Li Cuihua fumed, her venomous demeanor as if she wanted to tear a piece of flesh from Zhao Tiezhu''s body. "Take them away!" Hao Jian had no interest in listening to their sob stories. Spice Ginger''s men went up to grab Li Cuihua and the other, preparing to take them away. Seeing this, the enraged villagers could not hold back any longer. They picked up stones from the ground and hurled them at Li Cuihua and Zhao Tiezhu. "Stone those adulterers to death!" sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yes, stone them!" The stones rained down on the duo like a storm, instantly leaving them bloodied and screaming in agony, wailing pitifully and looking utterly pathetic. ...... In the days that followed, a funeral was held at Ruo Lan''s family home, with Hao Jian footing the bill for what turned out to be quite an extravagant send-off. At that time, Hao Jian''s cellphone began to ring. Upon seeing the caller ID, he felt a chill down his spine, his entire face turning pale with fear. "Who''s calling?" Ruo Lan noticed Hao Jian''s odd reaction and couldn''t help but ask. "Shu Ya!" Hao Jian replied with a wry smile. Hearing the name, Ruo Lan also froze before a bitter smile spread across her face. It was only then that she fully realized that she and Hao Jian were merely friends, not actual husband and wife. During the time they''d spent together these past few days, there had been moments when Ruo Lan truly thought of Hao Jian as her man. ``` Chapter 651 - 652: The Wife Came Back Moreover, Hao Jian had done a lot for their family; without him, it was likely that Ruo Yuanbin would have simply died in vain. Ruo Lan was deeply moved but also knew she couldn''t keep Hao Jian tied down like this. "Answer it, see what she has to say," Ruo Lan said, knowing that she had no right to stop Hao Jian, after all, Shu Ya was his wife. Hao Jian then answered the phone, and immediately heard Shu Ya''s voice, almost roaring from the other end, "Hao Jian, I demand you return to Hua City within a day, or else I''m divorcing you!" "You... you''re back?" Hao Jian said, dumbfounded. "What? You didn''t want me to come back? Or do you think I''ve disrupted your little affair?" Shu Ya''s voice was full of jealousy. "It''s not like that, listen to me explain," Hao Jian barely began before he could say more. "Snap!" Shu Ya on the other end simply hung up the phone, not at all listening to his explanation, leaving Hao Jian with a mix of laughter and tears. "What''s wrong? Does she know you came home with me?" Ruo Lan asked. "It seems so," said Hao Jian with a wry smile, then added apologetically, "Sorry, I think I need to go back to Hua City first." "No problem, go ahead. Anyway, the matters here have been settled. Once I''m done here, I''ll take a ride back to Hua City by myself," Ruo Lan said, forcing a smile, although she wanted to keep Hao Jian with her, she knew she had no excuse to do so. "Alright then." Hao Jian nodded and instructed Spice Ginger to make sure the funeral was carried out with dignity. "He''s gone back to his wife?" Shortly after Hao Jian left, the old lady came to Ruo Lan''s side. "Hmm?" Ruo Lan was taken aback and stared at the old lady in astonishment. The old lady chuckled coldly and said, "Although I''m old, I''m not confused. The wedding ring on that boy''s finger is clearly different from the one you''re wearing. Don''t forget, I picked out your wedding ring." Ruo Lan gave a bitter smile. The old lady must have noticed long ago. She still wore her late husband''s ring, so how could she marry Hao Jian? That must be what the old lady had picked up on. "He and I are just ordinary friends," Ruo Lan had no choice but to confess. "Impossible, you like him." The old lady said with a smile. "Mom, you!" Ruo Lan was instantly stunned, how had the old lady figured that out? "You are my daughter, how could I not know you? Sneaking glances at him furtively, that''s not how an old married couple acts; you''re just like a young girl newly married," the old lady teased. "Mom~" Ruo Lan whined, as the old lady''s comments grew more outrageous. "Alright, alright, I''ll stop teasing you," the old lady put on a serious face, looking sternly at Ruo Lan, "If you really like him, then take the initiative to pursue him. Don''t miss out, I can see Hao Jian is a good man." "Mom, as you said, he already has a wife. How can I be a homewrecker?" Ruo Lan said with a bitter smile, her head shaking slightly in disappointment. "Don''t talk like that. These days, what capable man isn''t surrounded by a host of lovers? What''s so strange about that? The question is whether you can accept it. If you can, then there is no problem at all," the old lady said. Ruo Lan was flabbergasted and asked, "Mom, are you telling me to be a mistress?" "That''s better than living alone for the rest of your life, isn''t it?" "..." ........ Hao Jian hurried back to Hua City, arriving by evening. He figured Shu Ya would be at the company by now, so he went there to find her. "Creak..." The office door was slowly pushed open by Hao Jian as he said with a beaming smile, "Wife, are you there?" "Get in here!" came a voice laden with killing intent from inside. Hao Jian immediately broke into a sweat, pushed the door open, and walked in, only to see Shu Ya sitting in the office chair with a cold expression, while Yuan Shanshan stood behind her, expressionless. This scene gave Hao Jian the impression that he had stepped into the Ghost Gate, facing King Yanluo and her Judge. Hao Jian felt weak in the knees and said, "Wife, what are you trying to do here? You''ve scared me with all this seriousness." "Did you have fun in Huaiyun City?" Shu Ya asked with a sinister smile. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "How did you find out?" Hao Jian''s heart skipped a beat, realizing Shu Ya truly knew everything. "Did you think that without me by your side you could do whatever you wanted? I had Shanshan watch you closely!" Shu Ya said fiercely. Hearing this, Hao Jian was shocked and then glared at the expressionless Yuan Shanshan, hissing through his teeth, "You traitor!" Yuan Shanshan remained calm and undisturbed, completely ignoring Hao Jian. Because Hao Jian went back to his hometown with Ruo Lan, this also made her quite upset. So, in order to prevent herself from being upset any longer, she shamelessly made a phone call to Shu Ya. And now, it was Hao Jian''s turn to be upset. "Shanshan has always been my woman, so there''s no such thing as a traitor. Plus, you still think you''re so righteous, don''t you?" Shu Ya said with glaring eyes. "No, no, I was just helping Ruo Lan. Her family was pressuring her to marry, so I went back to pretend to be her husband," Hao Jian hurriedly explained. But that explanation was the last thing Shu Ya wanted to hear, and it immediately set her off. "You pretended to be her husband?" Shu Ya said with a seething rage, incredibly angry that her own man was pretending to be someone else''s husband. "Fake! It was all pretend, just to put her family at ease." "Even pretending is not okay! Are you that idle? Going around pretending to be people''s husband, there are so many widows in the world, do you plan to take care of them all? How charitable of you, huh?" Shu Ya came at him like a machine gun, firing away furiously at Hao Jian. Hao Jian was at a loss for words and said, "Wife, after your trip to France, you''ve become quite slick with words. Did you pick up comedy over there?" "Go to hell!" Shu Ya was so angered, she was scolding this guy, and he was still taking it as a joke, were her words spoken in vain? "Tsk, tsk, tsk, even your cursing is charming, what should I do about that?" Hao Jian shook his head. "Haha, Hao Jian, do you really think you can smooth things over with just a few slick words?" Shu Ya said with a cold laugh. She had figured out Hao Jian''s tricks: when women whine, make a fuss, or threaten to jump off a ledge, Hao Jian just plays the scoundrel. "How could I? It''s been so long since I''ve seen you, and I have so much longing with nowhere to pour it out. I was planning to have a heart-to-heart with you tonight," Hao Jian said, his face unchanging, as if he hadn''t understood a word Shu Ya said. "It''s probably all bad water in your stomach," Yuan Shanshan said sarcastically. "Nonsense! I don''t have any condoms in my pocket!" Hao Jian suddenly blurted out something like this. "What, you''ve actually brought condoms? What are you trying to do?" Yuan Shanshan lost her composure, but as soon as she spoke, she immediately felt something was off. Hao Jian bringing condoms, what could he do with them? Naturally, he''d want to do ''that'' with Shu Ya, as they''re a married couple, aren''t they? And having not seen each other for so long, it was inevitable, wasn''t it? Immediately, Yuan Shanshan''s face turned as red as a monkey''s butt, and she glared fiercely at Hao Jian. At the same time, Shu Ya also looked embarrassed, feeling humiliated. "What do you think, I just said, I''m full of longing, nowhere to pour it out, so tonight, we''ll have an all-night-long conversation!" Hao Jian said with a strange expression. "Don''t just randomly break up my sentences!" Shu Ya scolded him. Hao Jian''s way of phrasing made a perfectly normal sentence sound completely inappropriate. Immediately after, Shu Ya said to Yuan Shanshan, "Shanshan, you go out first." Shu Ya really worried Hao Jian would talk nonsense again, so she quickly sent Yuan Shanshan away. Yuan Shanshan gave Hao Jian a scornful glance and snorted unhappily as she walked out. "Not wearing underwear, huh." As Yuan Shanshan passed by Hao Jian, he lowered his voice and made such a remark. Upon hearing this, Yuan Shanshan turned to stare at Hao Jian in shock, wondering how he had noticed. Seeing Yuan Shanshan look at Hao Jian in amazement, Shu Ya also became puzzled, "Shanshan, is there something else?" "Yeah, is there something else? Shanshan?" Hao Jian smiled mischievously. "No... There''s nothing," Yuan Shanshan said with flushed cheeks and then went out restlessly. "Wife, you must have had a hard time in France, let me give you a massage." Hao Jian hurriedly approached, enthusiastically starting to massage Shu Ya''s shoulders. But Shu Ya knew exactly what he was up to and slapped his hand away, "Get off, stop touching me!" "Wife, don''t you miss me after all this time?" Hao Jian said with a look of grievance. "I don''t miss you!" Shu Ya snorted and turned her head away. "Don''t you miss ''it'' either?" Hao Jian said, even more aggrieved. "Who?" Shu Ya turned around with confusion, only to see Hao Jian pointing at his crotch. In an instant, Shu Ya''s expression became incredibly varied, and one could almost see her gritting her teeth. "Get out! You shameless, vile person!" Shu Ya yelled hysterically. And then, Hao Jian was sent out to guard the door, looking very miserable. "Is this the place the young master mentioned?" Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Shu Ya Group, a lively figure stood tall, measuring around one meter sixty, with tattoos on both arms, and large, watery eyes radiating determination, overlooking the buildings below................................................................................................ Chapter 652 - 653: The Girl Who Jumped off the Building Originally a blooming age like a beautiful flower, she lacked the vibrant spirit of a young girl, instead appearing lifeless, giving off an eerie vibe. If Hao Jian had been there, he would have recognized her as the one he had previously clashed with and defeated. It was none other than Zhou Li''s Vivian. Vivian, with a fierce glint in her eyes, stared intently at the building beneath her feet and said, "Hao Jian, Oh Hao Jian, you once dared to humiliate me like that, so don''t blame me for being ruthless and blowing your corporation to smithereens!" Vivian had harbored a grudge against Hao Jian for the humiliation she had suffered, and now was a perfect opportunity for revenge, which she naturally wouldn''t let slip by. Suddenly, she patted the package on her back. Inside was a specially made ********, the size of a water bottle, seemingly inconspicuous yet its power was comparable to ten C4 explosives, enough to level the entire building to the ground. "Huh, why is there a girl up there? Is she thinking about jumping off the building?" "Why would anyone jump off a building just like that in our company? Our company treats us pretty well." "I think she''s heartbroken." "No, she must have lost a fortune in stocks." "I think she was probably scolded by a manager." A large group of employees gathered downstairs, incessantly chatting and speculating. "Hey, Vice Chairman, why are you guarding the door here?" Some of the staff, familiar with Hao Jian, teased him without fear. "Just idling, wandering around here," Hao Jian said with a forced smile. "I bet it''s because you pissed off the chairman and got punished to stand guard here," some female staff smirked. "Aha, Little Li, you''ve been developing well lately, let uncle check your body." Hao Jian immediately became enraged by the cheeky comment and walked toward the joking female employee. "Ah!" Little Li was startled, screamed, then ran away, and from a distance, cheekily stuck out her tongue and made faces at Hao Jian. "Don''t run away if you dare, I must let you taste the power of my Descending Dragon ******!" Hao Jian grunted. "Vice Chairman, you''re so sleazy, I''m going to complain to the chairman about you!" "Exactly, Vice Chairman, you''re bullying us!" a girl named Ayu pouted and glared at Hao Jian. "Nonsense, as the Vice Chairman of Shu Ya Group, a respected man under Mr. Chairman, how could I possibly do something as despicable as bullying my staff?" Hao Jian said righteously. "What are you doing now then?" Ayu pointed at Hao Jian''s hand pressing on her chest, angrily asking. "Oh, misunderstanding, misunderstanding, I just have this bad habit, always like to lean on something," Hao Jian pretended to slap his hand away, chuckling slyly. "Vice Chairman, stop grabbing my butt. If you keep holding onto it like this, I''ll be late," another girl said, also feeling aggrieved because Hao Jian was not letting go of her ****. People immediately cast disdainful looks at him. If the previous incident was a misunderstanding, what would they say now? "Misunderstanding, all misunderstandings, oh, why can''t I control my own hands?" Hao Jian hit his palm again and laughed sheepishly. "Although he''s my brother, I actually feel an urge to hit him; he''s so despicable!" Tie Shan said resentfully. "He''s always been a scoundrel, are you only noticing now?" Heigui sneered. "Security department, someone''s trying to jump off the roof, come out and take a look!" At that moment, a commotion came from outside. "Jumping off? Which little brat is so desperate? They dare to run wild on my turf, go up and break his legs!" Hao Jian said furiously. Everyone was speechless. Was this guy really the Vice Chairman? Why did he act like a thug? And since when had the corporation become his turf? "Vice Chairman, it''s a girl," someone whispered softly. "Cough cough, it turns out to be a girl. This world is so full of life, how can she undervalue her life like this? That''s so wrong! Hurry and take me to her, I need to properly seduce her, oh no, I mean, guide her," Hao Jian immediately changed his expression. Everyone didn''t know what to say, this guy was just too sleazy. "Hey, the Vice Chairman came out, is he really going to save the girl himself?" The onlooking employees saw Hao Jian coming out with a megaphone and started to speculate. "Cough cough... Hello? Hello hello! Hello hello hello! Two tigers, two tigers run so fast, OK, the megaphone is working." Hao Jian tested the megaphone by himself. Everyone was speechless, was he really here to save someone? Why would he spoil such a grave atmosphere? Then, Hao Jian picked up the megaphone and shouted upwards, "Girl up there, don''t despair! Life is full of hardships, accounting for most of it. Living means encountering various difficulties and setbacks. Stocks hurt people, stay away from the stock market. There''s no predicament in life that can''t be overcome; those past hardships will only make your future brighter." "Jumping off?" Vivian, upstairs, frowned and cursed, "You should be the one jumping off! It''s not because of stocks that I''m up here! And what''s with this speaking tone, why does it sound so familiar?" Vivian felt like she had heard this voice somewhere before and hurriedly looked down. "Boss, I don''t think it''s working," Tie Shan said quietly to Hao Jian. "Could she not be hearing it?" Heigui questioned. "Girl up there, don''t despair! Life is full of hardships, accounting for most of it. Living means encountering various difficulties and setbacks. Stocks hurt people, stay away from the stock market. There''s no predicament in life that can''t be overcome; those past hardships will only make your future brighter." Hao Jian repeated once again. "Bang!" A brick came flying down from above and smashed right where Hao Jian had just been standing. If Hao Jian hadn''t dodged in time, he would probably have had his head exploded. "Looks like she heard that," Heigui nodded earnestly. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian rolled his eyes. Was that even necessary to say? Did I not know that? "Seems like we need to teach her a lesson, huh?" Hao Jian huffed and then walked forward. "Boss, what are you planning to do? I have a bad feeling about this!" Tie Shan said. Hao Jian stood under the building, took a horse stance, and pointed at Vivian upstairs, "People upstairs, stop right there. You''re surrounded. Drop your weapons and surrender, or we''ll storm in!" "My goodness, is this guy trying to persuade someone not to jump off the building? Why do I feel like he''s pushing her to jump?" Some people who witnessed this scene were speechless. This is not how you persuade someone. "Bang!" Another brick fell down, shocking everyone speechless. This girl was really fierce, planning to take someone with her in death. But no one sympathized with Hao Jian, because this guy was too mouthy. "Hey, this chick is too tough to handle!" Hao Jian cursed under his breath. "Boss, you really shouldn''t do this. If you keep it up, that girl might actually jump down." Tie Shan said with a smile yet not smiling, as Hao Jian was obviously provoking the young girl. "No worries, I''ve got a new idea. Since reasoning and intimidation didn''t work, it''s time to use my secret weapon!" Hao Jian huffed with a smug look on his face. "Secret weapon? What secret weapon?" Heigui and Tie Shan both half laughed, half cried, feeling it wasn''t anything good. "****!" Hao Jian said with a proud smile. "****?" Heigui and the others were stunned, asking in shock, "Who''s going to ****?" "Of course, I''ll handle it personally," Hao Jian said, his eyes twinkling with confidence. "You?" Heigui and Tie Shan looked at Hao Jian skeptically. "Boss, I really think you shouldn''t provoke her anymore. If something fatal happens, it''ll impact our group. You wouldn''t want to see your own group''s reputation get ruined, right?" Tie Shan sighed and said earnestly, looking like he was only thinking of Hao Jian. "What''s with those looks? Are you doubting me? You''re blind!" Hao Jian cursed and pointed at his own face, "Look at my face, do I look like Takeshi Kaneshiro?" "..." Tie Shan and Heigui didn''t know how to respond. "I''m asking you, do I look like Daniel Wu?" "Didn''t you just say Takeshi Kaneshiro?" "Can''t I look like both Takeshi Kaneshiro and Daniel Wu?" Heigui and Tie Shan both felt helpless. What did that even mean? That was way too shameless. "I''m talking to you, are you mute?" Hao Jian said impatiently. "Like..." Heigui and Tie Shan said reluctantly, going against their conscience to utter such words. "Like crap, I''m way handsomer than them!" Hao Jian chuckled heinously, looking as obnoxious as could be. Heigui sighed and said, "Boss, Lu Xun once said a famous quote: A person cannot be shameless to this extent!" However, he then kicked Hao Jian away, making him fall flat on his face. "Hey, beauty, there''s a handsome guy here. Come on down! He''s even more handsome than Takeshi Kaneshiro and Daniel Wu. He said he wants to date you. You''ll miss out if you don''t come now!" Hao Jian shouted loudly. "Yeah, yeah, that handsome guy is super hot. If it weren''t for the fact that I''m a man, I would have fallen for him too," a deep voice said. "Ema, so handsome. I really like you. Date me!" a shrill voice said. However, all these three voices were actually from the same person, Hao Jian himself! Watching Hao Jian acting out by himself, playing three different roles, everyone was facepalming! "Is this guy suffering from schizophrenia?" "I think it''s more like a severe case of narcissism!" Everyone was discussing animatedly, thinking Hao Jian was shameless. While supposedly persuading someone not to jump off the building, he was shamelessly complimenting himself. "Hao Jian?!" Meanwhile, Vivian upstairs also realized that the person shouting below was Hao Jian. Such annoying emphasis, such a detestable sleazy style, who else could it be but that jerk? Chapter 653 - 654 Im Going to Bomb You to Death However, because they were too far apart, Vivian noticed Hao Jian, but Hao Jian did not notice her. Then the bricks fell like rain, hitting the ground and shattering chaotically, scaring Hao Jian out of his wits. "Boss, she''s insulting you," Heigui said. "Boss, I told you not to speak against your conscience. Look how angry you''ve made this girl," Tie Shan chimed in. With one hand propping up his chin, Hao Jian nodded approvingly, "She''s not tempted by my charms; this girl really is no ordinary person!" "What''s so extraordinary about her? She simply doesn''t think you''re handsome, okay? Please listen to what people are saying!" Tie Shan couldn''t hold back anymore, and yelled hysterically at Hao Jian. "It seems I''ll have to think of something else!" said Hao Jian, pinching his chin and pondering carefully. "Again? Can you please listen to reason? Do you really want to drive her to her death?" Tie Shan said with a mournful expression. "Go, go, go..." Hao Jian waved his hand impatiently, telling Tie Shan to buzz off. Everyone felt speechless. Was this guy really here to rescue someone? It felt more like he was just messing around. "Beauty, I have a check for ten million here. If you come down, it''s yours!" shouted Hao Jian from below. "Ten million? For real? Does this guy have that much money?" A girl was stunned. "Nonsense, of course it''s fake. Just look at his tattered clothes, and you''ll know he''s broke. He''s just putting on airs in front of others," another passerby said. "You know nothing, that man is the Chairman of the Shu Ya Group. Ten million is just a drop in the bucket for him. Don''t talk nonsense if you don''t know anything, what a joke," an employee who heard the others speaking offensively immediately scolded them. The man instantly wore a look of embarrassment and dared not say another word. Afterward, the crowd stared at Hao Jian in the middle of the scene, some in disbelief. This clown, is actually a Vice Chairman of a company? It''s almost unimaginable! "Is it that all rich people are clowns like this?" "Haven''t you heard a saying, ''with money comes caprice''?" "Wow, that''s ten million! It''s such easy money. If it were me, I definitely wouldn''t be able to let go of life." "Damn it, I''m going to jump off the roof of the Shu Ya Group building tomorrow!" The onlookers were all talking at once, their eyes filled with envy as they watched Hao Jian. Vivian was grinding her teeth in rage. This bastard actually thought she was going to jump? How could she possibly jump? She couldn''t die before she had the chance to kill Hao Jian! "Miss, don''t be impulsive. Tell us what''s wrong, and we''ll solve it. You''re so young, it would be such a pity to die like this," said Heigui and the others, who had run up to convince Vivian. They were mainly worried that Hao Jian would continue spouting nonsense and provoke Vivian into jumping without a second thought. To prevent such an event, they chose to come up and stop her. "Let that bastard Hao Jian come up here!" Vivian fumed, wanting Hao Jian to witness how his company would be destroyed. "Hao Jian? Does she know the boss?" Heigui was shocked. "Could it be because the boss slept with her, then dumped her, so now she''s seeking a short life here?" Old Zhang speculated. "Swoosh!" A flying knife whizzed by, shaving off a small piece of hair near Old Zhang''s ear as it passed by his head. With a sinister voice, Vivian said, "If you dare to spout nonsense again, I''ll slaughter you all!" "Mama Mia!" Old Zhang and the others went limp with fright. This lady was not to be trifled with, drawing a knife already¡ªhow were they supposed to deal with this? "All of boss''s women are indeed extraordinary," remarked Tie Shan. Then he picked up the walkie-talkie and shouted, "Boss, boss, that girl wants to see you, OVER!" "Damn, so realistic, favoring money over a handsome guy?" Hao Jian was a bit resentfully disappointed, feeling let down by the girl who was prepared to commit suicide. Soon after, Hao Jian walked up to the roof and saw Vivian, which instantly changed his expression. "So it''s you, you little scoundrel?" Hao Jian said angrily, realizing after all this time he had been coaxing Vivian. If he had known it was Vivian, he would have told her to go die long ago. "Surprised to see me?" Vivian said with a cold sneer. "Traveling from afar to jump off the roof of my company building, you really are funny. What, planning to extort money from me? I''m not going to pay you!" Hao Jian looked askance at Vivian with disdain. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I''m extorting you?" Vivian was dumbfounded. Was this guy dumb? She was a terrorist, not a swindler, okay? "Isn''t it so? We are enemies, after all. And if you weren''t trying to extort me, what are you doing on the rooftop of my company building, planning to jump? If that''s not extortion, what is it?" Hao Jian indignantly said. "Me, jump? Are you out of your damn mind?" Vivian blurted out in Shanghainese. "I''m here to blow up the building!" Vivian said fiercely, completely infuriated. She had come here to blow up the building, yet Hao Jian somehow twisted it into a suicide attempt. Why on earth would she want to jump? Extort you? She wanted to kill you, okay? "Bomb the building?" Hao Jian furrowed his brow. "You really are trying to extort me, but I won''t pay any ransom!" Vivian''s forehead throbbed with veins as she yelled, "I freaking don''t want your money!" "Not wanting money?" Hao Jian immediately clutched his chest in panic and said, "Sleeping with me is out of the question too, I''m a very chaste man!" "The conversation has already reached ''sleeping'' with her? Could this girl actually not be the boss''s woman?" Old Zhang and the others, hearing bits and pieces from a distance, all began to fantasize. "The boss is so lewd, fancying such a young one, how shameful!" Heigui said coyly, covering his face. "The boss likes them, what are you being shameful for, you pervert! You''re a lolicon too, aren''t you!" Tie Shan said disdainfully. "I''m not a lolicon, I just happen to like Hatsune Miku a bit more." Heigui remained coy. "Isn''t that the same as being a lolicon?" Tie Shan said with contempt. "Quiet down, I can hardly hear what they''re saying," Old Zhang chastised them. "You can''t bomb this building!" Hao Jian gave Vivian a deep look and said earnestly. "Oh? Why not?" Vivian sneered, thinking this guy must be scared, right? "Because this building is mine," Hao Jian said seriously. Vivian nearly choked on that statement, darn it, who didn''t know it was his building¡ªif it weren''t his, she wouldn''t even bother bombing it! Vivian was infuriated by such a reason from Hao Jian, wasn''t it obvious? "If you bomb the building, lots of people will die," Hao Jian added. Only then did Vivian''s expression ease a bit, realizing this guy had a bit of a conscience, caring for his subordinates. "And me, I would lose a lot of money!" Hao Jian said somberly. "The last sentence is your real point, you asshole!" Vivian felt like vomiting blood, she had still underestimated this guy''s shamelessness. "I''m going to bomb you to death!" Vivian said fiercely, Hao Jian''s shamelessness cementing her resolve to blow up both Hao Jian and the building. "No way!" Hao Jian''s expression turned frigid as he rebuked. "Why?" Vivian laughed mockingly. "Because I would die!" Hao Jian said. Vivian felt as if she''d been punched hard in the chest, leaving her breathless and unable to speak. It was clearly a pointless statement, but it left her speechless. "Boss, hurry up and deal with your girl, the Chairman has already found out about this, he might come up any moment now, we can''t cover for you for long," Tie Shan shouted at Hao Jian. If Shu Ya came up and discovered the relationship between Hao Jian and this young girl, then Hao Jian would be finished! "She''s not my girl, she''s a terrorist!" Hao Jian turned and yelled back. "A terrorist?" Tie Shan and Heigui were both stunned, how could such a cute girl be a terrorist? "She''s here to bomb the building, you need to evacuate the crowd!" Hao Jian shouted to Heigui and the others; he had been arguing with Vivian all this time just to buy time for the others, but these good-for-nothings were disappointing, failing to notice anything unusual even now. "Don''t you dare leave, anyone who tries!" Vivian threatened with a sneer, finally seeing Hao Jian getting nervous, which brought her a surge of satisfaction. "Hey, this little miss thinks she can rebel?" Heigui burst out in anger, puffed out his chest, and approached, "Boss, don''t be scared, leave this little miss to me." "You just want to take advantage, you jerk!" Tie Shan roared, seeing right through Heigui''s intentions. The moment Heigui heard Hao Jian say the girl wasn''t his, he immediately had crooked thoughts. Obviously, he also didn''t believe Vivian was a terrorist¡ªit was probably just Hao Jian exaggerating. "Don''t go, she''ll throw a knife!" Old Zhang quickly warned. "Not afraid, I''ve got my Golden Bell Shield and Iron-Cloth Shirt!" Heigui, wanting to get close to this pretty little one, decided to go for broke. Heigui walked up to Vivian, glared, and said, "Little miss, put down everything in your hands, I''m going to search you!" Vivian looked up at Heigui, then set down the backpack in her hands. Seeing this, Heigui''s heart leaped with joy, was this little miss actually so obedient? Could it be his lucky day? "Bang!" However, immediately after, Vivian punched towards Heigui''s abdomen, and with a retch, he vomited bile and promptly fell to his knees. "She really is a terrorist, huh?" Tie Shan was taken aback. "Hao Jian, the joke ends here," Vivian scolded angrily, finally realizing that she had been led by the nose by Hao Jian the whole time. Chapter 654 - 655: Perish Together Vivian had already received orders to take control of the situation and make Hao Jian fear her. "Fine, fine, fine, I''ll give you money, just take the money, how much do you want?" Hao Jian said helplessly. "Damned money!" Vivian, filled with rage, picked up the package on the ground, opened it, and inside was an exquisite case of reinforced steel. "If you detonate the bomb, you won''t be able to escape either!" Hao Jian reminded her. "I came here to die with you!" Vivian sneered coldly. Hao Jian was dumbstruck and exclaimed, "You''re freaking insane!" "What right do you have to say that?" Vivian roared back, all those Hao Jian had provoked were from prestigious families, compared to her, she genuinely thought Hao Jian was the actual madman. "This is something I developed two years ago. It''s not very powerful, just enough to level this building!" Vivian said with a cold laugh, seemingly quite pleased with herself. The crowd gasped in horror. Leveling a building was considered not powerful? "As soon as I enter the password and open the box to detonate the bomb, you all will turn to ash." Vivian''s smile grew more sinister, but then her expression froze: "The password is my measurements, is...thirty-eight, twenty-four, thirty-six?" "Beep, beep!" The display showed the password was wrong. "Thirty-eight, twenty-six, thirty-eight?" "Beep, beep!" "Thirty-six, twenty-six, thirty-six?" "Beep, beep!" Everyone was exasperated. This young lady was far too overconfident. With her bean-sprout-like figure, how could she possibly have thirty-eight? "Damn it! What piece of crap!" Vivian raged, throwing the steel case out after having entered ten different sets of measurements, all incorrect. Embarrassing! Hao Jian hurriedly went over to pick up the steel case, looking at Vivian puzzled, "Are you sure about your measurements?" "Absolutely, I just can''t remember what they actually are," Vivian retorted arrogantly, though a bit sheepishly because just a moment ago, she had remembered what the password was, she just didn''t want to say it. "Then let me give it a try." Hao Jian scratched his head and said with a goofy smile, feeling quite amused. "Boss...boss, that''s a bomb, let''s just hand it over to the police, stop messing around," Tie Shan said with a grim face. Hao Jian was actually offering to help Vivian open it. Did you not hear the girl say there was a high-explosive bomb inside that could blow up the entire building? "Boss, if there''s anything I''ve done to offend you in the past, please don''t hold it against me. I''ll definitely change my ways. I have family to take care of, please don''t do anything rash," Old Zhang also added. "Go on, it''s just a bomb. Look how scared you all are." Hao Jian said disdainfully, and then started carefully studying how to open the bomb. "Thirty-four, twenty-six, thirty-six," Hao Jian tried one combination. "Jerk, how could my chest possibly be a thirty-four? Are you belittling me? The smallest is thirty-six!" Vivian shouted in anger. "Thirty-two, twenty-six, thirty-six," Hao Jian tried another password. Vivian trembled with anger, walked up to Hao Jian, and menacingly said, "I already told you, they could not be less than thirty-six, how could they possibly be thirty-two?" "Click." The steel case made a noise and then opened. "It''s open," Hao Jian revealed a surprised smile, gesturing for Vivian to look. But instead of any sign of joy, Vivian''s rage only intensified. She was grinding her teeth, and her entire face turned green. "What''s the matter? I opened the box for you, aren''t you happy?" seeing Vivian like this, Hao Jian asked in confusion. "Thirty-two means an A cup, right?" Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "An A cup means flat-chested, right?" Heigui and the others started discussing. Hearing their discussion, Vivian''s face grew even more sullen. "Happy, I''m so happy, insanely happy!" Suddenly, Vivian let out two sinister laughs and then slashed at Hao Jian''s throat. Hao Jian jumped in shock and instantly flared up, slapping Vivian''s hand away and jumping back two steps, outraged, "What''s wrong with you? I kindly opened the box for you, and you try to kill me?" "Be careful with what''s in your hands!" Tie Shan and Heigui screamed in unison, their faces turning white with fear. Hao Jian hopped around so carelessly; a single mishap could turn them all to ashes. Then, Hao Jian realized something, "Are you worried about your A-cup? Actually, that''s not a problem at all. I have a breast enhancement massage technique. Just follow my instructions, and in a month, you''ll go from a flat-chest to a youthful *****!" "I''m going to kill you, I must kill you!" Vivian went crazy, finding the words "flat-chest" extremely harsh to her ears. Hao Jian shook his head and said, "We''ve fought each other, and you lost to me. To fight now would be to humiliate yourself." Meanwhile, Hao Jian weighed the box in his hands, "And besides, your bomb is in my possession. What are you going to fight me with?" "Sorry to say, but this bomb activates the moment the box is opened. Have you seen a timer on the bomb?" Vivian said with a cold laugh. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian was startled and quickly picked up the bomb to check, indeed finding a red timer counting down from fifty seconds. Immediately after, Hao Jian''s face turned green; this time he had definitely gone overboard with showing off. "The bomb is going to explode, what should we do? I don''t want to die yet; I''m still a virgin! I only recently got a girlfriend and didn''t even get the chance to lose my virginity yet!" Heigui screamed continuously, darting around desperately like an ant on a hot pan. "Why panic? Trust the boss, hasn''t he always turned danger into safety? He will surely do it this time as well!" Tie Shan grabbed Heigui by the collar, urging him to calm down. "This bomb is a sophisticated device that can only be deactivated through my retinal scan, but I definitely will not deactivate it," Vivian continued mockingly. "Speaking of which, I should thank you for opening it and wasting so much time afterwards. It saves me the trouble of delaying." Hearing this, the security team looked at Hao Jian with resentful eyes, thinking, "You wouldn''t die if you didn''t court death!" Feeling the gazes, even someone with thick skin like Hao Jian couldn''t help but scratch his head awkwardly and said, "Well, that was a mistake!" Then, he looked at Vivian seriously and asked, "What will make you defuse the bomb?" Seeing Hao Jian''s serious expression, Vivian burst out laughing, mocking him like a victorious rooster, "What? Scared now? Go on, keep showing off!" "Ah, you misunderstand me. Don''t you know my personality? If I don''t stir up trouble every three days, it feels off for me," Hao Jian said with a helpless look. "Enough nonsense, there''s only one way to get me to defuse the bomb. Kneel and bow your head!" Vivian laughed heartily. A man''s knees are golden¡ªwhat she demanded was somewhat cruel, but who let Hao Jian once humiliate her like that? "Thud." Without a second word, Hao Jian knelt down, looking up at Vivian with a flattering smile, "Queen, should I kiss your foot?" "You actually knelt? Are you even a man?" Vivian yelled, feeling like she had punched cotton. This guy was utterly shameless. "Queen, I''m okay with wax dripping, whipping, spanking¡ªwhatever you want!" Hao Jian looked at Vivian, infatuated. "Get lost, you freak!" Vivian felt nauseated and completely lost the mood to toy with Hao Jian. "To tell you the truth, I never intended to defuse the bomb. I won''t allow anyone who dares to insult Vivian to live. Moreover, it''s Young Master Ye''s command, so just accept your fate!" Vivian said proudly. Then she suddenly pulled hard on her backpack''s zipper, and the backpack bulged immediately, forming a parachute in an instant. Vivian kicked her legs and jumped out of the building. Although she said that, Vivian never really wanted to die along with Hao Jian. What a joke, she was still young, with a whole life of youth ahead. How could she exchange her life for Hao Jian''s? "Thinking of running away?" Hao Jian also smiled, punching the floor beneath him, then flicked a few pebbles that shot through the parachute, causing Vivian to fall back down. "You!" Vivian was both embarrassed and annoyed. How dare this guy stop her? "Now you only have two choices: either defuse the bomb and I let you leave, or trigger the explosion and we die together!" Hao Jian looked at Vivian somewhat smugly. "Heh... You think threats will work on me? Let''s die together then!" Vivian scoffed, then sat down abruptly, refusing to budge. If she compromised so easily, she wouldn''t be worthy of being called the crazy loli. At this, Hao Jian was a bit stunned and tightly clenched his fist, annoyed¡ªthis damned girl really was tough. "Believe your mom! The boss is a real pain in the ass, we''re really going to die!" Heigui choked Tie Shan''s throat, shaking him vigorously, a mix of snot and tears. "No choice then, it looks like we''ll have to use force!" Hao Jian grunted coldly, and then quickly pounced towards Vivian, grabbing her from behind. "Let''s die together, Hao Jian!" Vivian laughed maniacally, closing her eyes, unyielding, leaving no opportunity for Hao Jian. "Quick, pry her eyes open!" Hao Jian yelled to Heigui and the others. Heigui and the others knew there was no room for hesitation, and they quickly rushed up. ................................................ Chapter 655 - 656: Imprisonment "Boss, it''s not working. She refuses to open her eyes!" Heigui and the others came up to grab Vivian, but Vivian kept her eyes tightly shut, not giving them any chance to take advantage. "Damn it!" Hao Jian was also sweating profusely, the timer on his hand had jumped from fifty seconds to ten seconds, and if Vivian kept being stubborn like this, they really would all die here. If it were Hao Jian, he had a hundred ways to successfully escape from here. But he could escape, what about Heigui and the others? And Shu Ya was also in the group. Hao Jian was also anxious, Vivian was more troublesome than he had imagined, a crazy Lolita, indeed very crazy. But just then, Hao Jian accidentally looked down and suddenly saw something, furrowing his brows and making a plan. He suddenly slapped Vivian''s petite bottom and laughed loudly, "My god, you''re actually wearing cartoon underwear? And it''s Crayon Shin-chan, Vivian, are you a child? To think you have such an innocent side, and you call yourself a terrorist?" Upon hearing this, Vivian''s eyes suddenly opened wide, but by the time she opened her eyes, Hao Jian''s hand was already in front of her face. "Beep beep..." The timer went off, and the bomb was deactivated. Vivian was dumbfounded, realizing she had been tricked, and was rooted to the spot, speechless. Seeing the danger had been averted, Heigui and the others couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief, releasing Vivian. Hao Jian walked over, patted Vivian on the shoulder, and chuckled, "Little girl, you''re still too naive." Although Vivian was crazy, she wasn''t as cunning as the old fox Hao Jian. "You bastard!" Vivian ground her teeth in rage, she had intended to perish together with Hao Jian, even if she died, at least that way she could make a name for herself in history, but now it seemed she had thought too much. Hao Jian put the bomb back into the metal box, then said with a smug smile, "Girl, you''ve got talent, come learn cooking from me!" "Cook your mom''s head!" Vivian yelled furiously, unable to beat or outsmart Hao Jian, and now she couldn''t even win with dirty tricks, it was so infuriating, was this guy her nemesis? "Young age, big temper." Hao Jian smirked and then signaled to Heigui and the others, "Catch her for me!" "Boss, we dare not..." Heigui and Tieshan all hesitated, Vivian was too dangerous, although she was a girl, she was a terrorist. Heigui was so big yet she knocked him down with one punch, how could they dare to touch her? "Don''t worry, if she dares to act up, I''ll strip her clothes and spank her bottom," Hao Jian threatened fiercely. Upon hearing this, Vivian''s heart skipped a beat, her face darkened, because she knew Hao Jian the jerk was not joking, with that scumbag''s personality, he really might do something like that. Relieved by his words, Heigui and the others quickly tied Vivian up with a rope, and Vivian didn''t dare to resist. "Now that you''ve become my prisoner, tell me, where is Ye Wenying, and I''ll spare you!" Hao Jian said with a grin. "Ptooey!" Vivian spat disdainfully. "Good, you have spirit, I like people like you!" Hao Jian chuckled and then said to Heigui, "I remember the warehouse on the twenty-third floor is vacant, right? Lock her up there!" Afterwards, Vivian was taken to that warehouse, but later Hao Jian actually had people install full surveillance cameras inside the warehouse. Vivian was locked up, and seeing this, she also felt somewhat puzzled, unsure of what Hao Jian was planning. "Hao Jian, what exactly happened? Who was trying to jump off the building?" Seeing Hao Jian coming down from upstairs, Yuan Shanshan eagerly asked him. "It''s nothing, a small issue, just an ignorant little girl who has seen the error of her ways and reformed after my persuasion," Hao Jian boasted. "Oh," Yuan Shanshan nodded, half convinced. "Eh, you went to put on underwear?" Hao Jian asked in surprise. "You bastard!" Yuan Shanshan, irritated, threw a punch at Hao Jian, since he had just revealed that she wasn''t wearing underwear, making Yuan Shanshan rush to put some on in a panic; she hadn''t expected that he would still notice after she put them on, his eyes were so sharp. "Is it such a big deal not to wear underwear? Why so nervous?" Hao Jian said nonchalantly. "Shut up!!!" Yuan Shanshan gritted her teeth, her face completely flushed. "Shall we have lunch together?" Hao Jian changed the topic and asked Yuan Shanshan. "You''re treating me to lunch? Aren''t you afraid the CEO will think too much?" Yuan Shanshan asked with a mischievous smile. "How could she? You''re just my former subordinate, and now you''ve betrayed me to join her, why would she think too much?" Hao Jian said cryptically. "What do you mean betrayed, your words sound so unpleasant," Yuan Shanshan huffed. "So are you going?" "If I don''t have to pay, why wouldn''t I go?" Immediately after, Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan left the corporation, but Hao Jian led Yuan Shanshan to a wedding venue. There was a grand feast being held, and numerous guests were coming and going. "Is your friend getting married?" Yuan Shanshan asked in surprise, feeling a bit odd. Was Hao Jian really bringing her to a friend''s wedding? Was that appropriate? Hao Jian glanced at Yuan Shanshan indifferently. "Who told you that? I don''t know a single person here." "You don''t know anyone and you still came?" Yuan Shanshan was utterly baffled. What was Hao Jian doing bringing her here? "And you said you were taking me out to eat?" "Yeah, we''re going to eat right here," Hao Jian said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Doubt was written all over Yuan Shanshan''s face. What did Hao Jian mean by his words? Why were they eating here if Hao Jian clearly didn''t know anyone here? Seeing Yuan Shanshan''s confusion, Hao Jian leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Are you silly? Eating elsewhere costs money, here it doesn''t. We just need to pretend we''re friends of the bride and groom, and we can sneak in easily." "What?" Yuan Shanshan was flabbergasted. After all that, Hao Jian had brought her here to mooch a meal? "You... how could you do this?" Yuan Shanshan said, torn between laughter and tears. She had been looking forward to Hao Jian treating her to a meal, but now... "Why not? They won''t be able to finish all that food, and besides, we don''t have to spend a penny. Why not do it?" Hao Jian chuckled. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yuan Shanshan said helplessly, "Where on earth did you learn all these tricks? I don''t know whether to call you smart or stingy." "Don''t worry about that. Just tell me if you want to go in," Hao Jian said, his eyes gleaming green as he stared at the buffet at the wedding venue. "But your plan isn''t smart at all. Entering a wedding venue requires giving a red envelope. Do you have one?" "Red envelope?" Hao Jian chuckled mischievously, then pulled out a thick red envelope from his coat. "Here it is!" "Wow, it''s so thick. Do you have money to burn?" Yuan Shanshan exclaimed, surprised. Hao Jian might as well have used that money to buy a meal instead of just giving it away. She really didn''t understand the world of the wealthy. "You''re thinking too much, it''s just stuffed with newspaper," Hao Jian snickered. Yet again, Yuan Shanshan found herself petrified. She had never known someone''s skin could be this thick. "Come on, let''s go. I''m starving to death." After that, Hao Jian stopped paying attention to Yuan Shanshan and headed straight inside. Yuan Shanshan could only follow him helplessly. "Congratulations congratulations, a hundred years of good harmony, may you have a son soon, haha." As soon as Hao Jian arrived, he began congratulating the bride and groom, who were both puzzled and did not know who Hao Jian was. They were about to ask, but seeing the large red envelope Hao Jian produced, they both shut their mouths and let him in. "See, I told you, it''s easy," Hao Jian chuckled. "You just haven''t been caught yet. If you do get caught, you''ll have a lot to answer for!" Yuan Shanshan huffed. She thought that if they were discovered, people would probably beat Hao Jian into a pulp. "By the time they find out, I will have already eaten and left," Hao Jian laughed carelessly. Then he blended into the crowd to find food, chatting up the bride and groom''s relatives and friends like an old acquaintance. Yuan Shanshan, however, felt endlessly awkward. Eating didn''t feel right, nor did not eating. When guests talked to her, she didn''t know what to say. She really regretted agreeing to go eat with Hao Jian in the first place. "I''m going to use the restroom," Yuan Shanshan told Hao Jian. "Mmm..." Hao Jian, his mouth full of food, responded unclearly. With a helpless smile, Yuan Shanshan headed to the restroom. However, after using the restroom, she bumped into a tall, burly man who had just come out and was washing his hands at the sink. Upon seeing the breathtakingly beautiful Yuan Shanshan, he was immediately stunned, and even swallowed his saliva unconsciously. Such a gorgeous woman; he hadn''t seen many like her in his entire life, definitely a stunner compared to all the women he had flirted with before. Yuan Shanshan noticed the man''s somewhat eerie gaze beside her and couldn''t help feeling uncomfortable, but she forced herself to ignore it and quickly finished washing her hands, eager to leave. "Beautiful lady, please wait!" Just then, the man finally realized he couldn''t miss this chance and hurriedly spoke up to hold her back. Yuan Shanshan turned around and asked with some confusion, "What is it?" "My name is Yan Zhihong. I am the groom''s distant cousin. May I get to know you?" Yan Zhihong said, smiling earnestly as he looked at Yuan Shanshan. While he spoke, he purposefully rolled up his sleeve a bit to reveal a gold Rolex underneath, his smile broadening. Chapter 656 - 657: Too Happy Too Soon He believed that as long as Yuan Shanshan had even a slight discernment, she should know what to do. Yuan Shanshan, of course, knew what Yan Zhihong was doing. She immediately sneered and said, "Sorry, I don''t care who you are." Then Yuan Shanshan turned to leave, but Yan Zhihong wasn''t willing to give up. He quickly moved forward a few steps, blocking her path. "What the hell do you want?" Yuan Shanshan asked with a cold face, now also somewhat angry. "Beauty, since we''re both here to attend the bride and groom''s wedding, that should make us relatives or friends, right? I mean no harm, I just simply want to make friends with you," Yan Zhihong said earnestly, feeling surprised in his heart. It seemed Yuan Shanshan was more difficult to handle than he had imagined. "Sorry, I''m not interested," Yuan Shanshan said coldly, her patience wearing thin as she stepped away to leave. A flash of anger crossed Yan Zhihong''s eyes, and he suddenly smiled lecherously. Just as Yuan Shanshan was about to walk past him, he suddenly reached out his hand, intending to grope Yuan Shanshan''s chest. Yuan Shanshan''s face paled in shock, not expecting Yan Zhihong to be so rude. But she quickly reacted, stepping back quickly to evade Yan Zhihong''s vile claw, while shouting, "What do you think you''re doing?" "Since you don''t want to be friends with me, a little touch should be okay, right?" Yan Zhihong laughed shamelessly, feeling somewhat annoyed inside. Damn it, this little woman was so alert, she actually dodged him. "Do you realize what you''re doing? This is harassment, I have every right to call the police and have you arrested!" Yuan Shanshan was truly vexed, having never encountered someone so shameless before. All because she refused to give him her contact information, and now this guy was harassing her. What kind of reasoning was that? "Beauty, calling the police requires evidence, do you have any? It''s just you and me here. Who saw me harass you?" Yan Zhihong said smugly, with no direct witnesses or evidence, what could Yuan Shanshan accuse him of? "You''re despicable!" Yuan Shanshan retorted in frustration, her lovely face flushed with anger as she was enraged by Yan Zhihong. "Hey, beauty, how do you know I''m despicable? You seem to know me so well, yet you claim to have no interest in me?" Yan Zhihong said with a bad laugh, shamelessly taking it as a compliment. "Scumbag!" Yuan Shanshan finally saw that this guy didn''t even know the meaning of shame. He was nothing but a rogue! Although Hao Jian was despicable, at least he knew about morals and decency. But this guy in front of her had no sense of morality at all, despite his shiny exterior, his inside was filthy! "Beauty, you keep berating me so persistently, you wouldn''t actually be interested in me, would you? If that''s the case, how about we find a place to chat properly? I know there''s a themed hotel nearby, with all kinds of props. Are you interested in trying them out with me?" Yan Zhihong said with a heinous laugh, his evil gaze sweeping over Yuan Shanshan. "Get lost, trash!" Yuan Shanshan spat out disdainfully, pushing past Yan Zhihong and walking away. Yan Zhihong wasn''t angry but followed at a leisurely pace behind Yuan Shanshan as she left. "What''s wrong? You seem really angry." Hao Jian was gobbling down his food like a pig when he saw Yuan Shanshan, looking upset as she walked back. He was immediately puzzled. "I ran into a pervert in the bathroom, nearly got taken advantage of!" Yuan Shanshan fumed, although Yan Zhihong didn''t succeed, his actions had already hurt her. "Hm?" Hao Jian''s eyebrows furrowed immediately, then he asked, "Where is he?" "Right over there!" Yuan Shanshan pointed in Yan Zhihong''s direction, and then Hao Jian saw Yan Zhihong looking at them with a lecherous smile. Seeing Hao Jian looking over, Yan Zhihong felt no fear. Instead, he gave a provocative look, challenging him. Yan Zhihong could tell at a glance that Hao Jian was a pauper, for he didn''t even have one decent piece of clothing on him. For a materialist like Yan Zhihong, who saw money as the only value, he was quick to judge a person''s worth based on their wealth. So he didn''t take Hao Jian seriously. In his eyes, even if Hao Jian was irritated, he probably couldn''t do anything about it. "Hehe, indeed a very arrogant guy. What did he do to you?" Hao Jian asked. "He just asked me for my contact information, and when I didn''t give it to him, he tried to touch my breast," Yuan Shanshan indignantly said. Hao Jian was shocked and asked, "Did he succeed?" "Of course not, but even if he didn''t succeed, such an experience is infuriating, isn''t it?" Yuan Shanshan pouted. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Zhihong, come and play baccarat, old rules, you be the dealer!" Just then, some of Yan Zhihong''s relatives and friends called him over. With a sneer, Yan Zhihong gave Yuan Shanshan and Hao Jian one last look, then turned away, heading towards his relatives. "Watch, I''ll get revenge for you!" Hao Jian chuckled, walking towards Yan Zhihong. When Yan Zhihong saw Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan approaching, he was somewhat surprised. But with so many people around, he didn''t dare to make a scene, acting as if nothing had happened. He figured Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan wouldn''t dare to cause trouble. "Can I join in too?" Hao Jian asked. Yan Zhihong laughed, with a hint of sarcasm, "Our minimum bet is a thousand, do you have that kind of money? Can you afford to play?" "I don''t have that much cash on me, how much do you have? Could you lend me some?" Hao Jian said to Yuan Shanshan. Without hesitation, Yuan Shanshan took out a stack of cash from her purse and gave it to Hao Jian, exactly ten thousand yuan. Seeing this, Yan Zhihong and the others couldn''t help but show disdain. Is this guy a gigolo? Actually asking a woman for money? Just then, Yan Zhihong sneered, "Kid, if you don''t have the money, don''t act like Big Head here. This kind of gambling game isn''t for a broke guy like you. Don''t end up losing and making your girlfriend suffer too. I suppose it wouldn''t be easy for her to provide for you, right?" "As long as I win and pay her back, it''s fine." Hao Jian rubbed his hands together and said sheepishly. Seeing Hao Jian''s submissive demeanor, the contempt on everyone''s faces intensified, and they couldn''t understand how such a beautiful woman like Yuan Shanshan could fall for trash like Hao Jian. Surely any slightly normal woman wouldn''t like him, right? Yan Zhihong couldn''t help but sneer too, his heart filled with derision for Yuan Shanshan, thinking she was cheap for not choosing a tall, rich, and handsome man like him and instead providing for a gigolo. "Are you so sure you can win?" Yan Zhihong laughed disdainfully, "We are different from you. We are people with status and wealth, rolling in money. Losing a hundred or a hundred and fifty thousand is child''s play for us. But for a broke guy like you, if you lose even ten thousand yuan, you probably won''t be able to sleep for several nights, right?" "Why do you talk so much nonsense? Or are you scared to take my chips, afraid you''ll lose everything?" Hao Jian scoffed. At his words, Yan Zhihong burst into laughter, "Am I afraid to take your chips? I''m just worried you''ll have to kneel and wash clothes when you lose those ten thousand yuan tonight! Your measly ten thousand doesn''t even catch my eye, you know?" Yan Zhihong looked down on Hao Jian; ten thousand yuan was nothing to him, he could make it back in a day. "Then let''s stop talking and start, shall we?" Hao Jian said eagerly. "If you''re courting death, then I will fulfill your wish!" Yan Zhihong snorted, and then stood at the baccarat table, as the hotel had conveniently prepared all sorts of gambling tools. "Place your bets!" Yan Zhihong commanded. "All in!" Hao Jian said with great momentum, but everyone else just gave him a scornful look. It was just ten thousand yuan, was there any need to shout so loudly? The other players were betting fifty or sixty thousand, some even a hundred thousand, making Hao Jian''s bet the smallest. "All in? Are you trying to die quickly?" Yan Zhihong sneered maliciously, thinking that had Hao Jian bet a thousand at a time, he might have stood a chance, but by going all in at once, if he busted, he would lose everything! "Are you done talking? Can we reveal the cards now?" Hao Jian looked at Yan Zhihong with a mocking smile. "Hmph! Foolish!" Yan Zhihong glared at Hao Jian, then began to deal the cards as the banker. After distributing the cards, he quickly glanced at his own, and a smirk involuntarily appeared on his face. "Looks like you''ve got a good hand there!" Hao Jian noticed Yan Zhihong''s expression and teased him. "Haha, seems even the heavens aren''t on your side!" Yan Zhihong laughed heartily, then flipped over his two cards¡ªan eight and a King: "Sorry, eight points!" Seeing this, the other players sighed, clearly their scores were lower than Yan Zhihong''s. "Kid, I told you not to pretend to be a big shot without the luck. Now you''ve lost everything, right? But if you''re willing to kneel down and knock your head against the floor a few times, I might just give you back this ten thousand. After all, it''s not a big deal for me!" Yan Zhihong said mockingly, his face radiating triumph. For Hao Jian to beat him, he would need a nine, but the odds of that happening were slim to none; it was impossible to be that coincidental. Yuan Shanshan couldn''t help but show a look of shock, then she sighed deeply, obviously knowing how difficult it would be for Hao Jian to win. "Idiot." Hao Jian curled his lip in disdain, thinking Yan Zhihong''s words were idiotic. "Ungrateful!" Yan Zhihong snorted again, "Well, since that''s the case, your money is mine now!" With that, Yan Zhihong reached out to grab the money in front of Hao Jian, but just then, Hao Jian''s hand quickly pressed down on Yan Zhihong''s. Yan Zhihong immediately frowned, "What? Can''t take a loss? Want to back out? Heh, a poor bastard really is a poor bastard, can''t even afford to lose this bit of money, why did you even play?" Hearing this, everyone cast contemptuous glances at Hao Jian. It was bad enough he couldn''t afford to lose ten thousand yuan, but to cheat? Truly shameless. "Aren''t you celebrating a bit too early? Have you revealed my cards yet?" Hao Jian looked at Yan Zhihong as if he were looking at an idiot. Chapter 657 - 658: The Stakes of Momentum ``` "What''s the matter? You''re trying to tell me that you hit nine points?" Yan Zhihong scoffed, but he didn''t believe for a second that Hao Jian could beat him. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I did indeed hit nine points!" Hao Jian laughed, and then with his other hand he flipped over two cards¡ªa ten and a nine, surely a nine-point hand. The crowd couldn''t help but show a hint of surprise. Did this guy actually get nine points? Everyone had been eaten up by Yan Zhihong, only for Hao Jian to turn the tables and beat him, getting nine points in the first round. Was this guy''s luck for real? Yan Zhihong''s face turned green, but he quickly regained his composure. Snatching back his hand, he snapped, "It''s just dumb luck. Don''t get too excited too soon!" Hao Jian shrugged nonchalantly, "Less talk, hand over my winnings!" Yan Zhihong then took out a bundle of money from the bag behind him and reluctantly threw it to Hao Jian. "This time, I''m still going all in!" Hao Jian said with a smile, placing Yan Zhihong''s bundle in front of him on the table. "Do you think your luck will be so good every time?" Seeing Hao Jian betting it all again, Yan Zhihong was seriously irked. Did this guy really think he could win every time, that he had a sure bet on beating him? "Luck is just one part of it; momentum is also very important. Right now, my momentum has overtaken yours, so I should chase the victory. Enough talk, hurry up and deal!" Hao Jian urged impatiently. Yan Zhihong was pissed off internally but had no choice but to continue dealing cards to Hao Jian. "Banker five points, Player six points, Player wins!" "Banker seven points, Player nine points, Player wins!" "Banker four points, Player six points, Player wins!" In the following bets, Hao Jian emerged victorious each time. Every time he bet all in, and each time he won it all. Before long, a thick stack of cash piled up in front of Hao Jian, amounting to five or six hundred thousand. Yan Zhihong''s face was as black as a pot, utterly baffled. What on earth was going on with this guy? How could he win every time? Was this kid cheating? As the number of guests gathered around increased, their curiosity grew, wondering whether Hao Jian could keep winning. And after three or four rounds, some of the guests started betting along with Hao Jian, as his momentum was so strong that following him seemed certain to bring in some money. This is the trick to playing Baccarat: follow the Banker when it''s winning, follow the Player when it''s winning, follow the ties, stop after three losses, chasing losses with larger bets only to a certain point. 1. Don''t bet on the first hand; if it starts with the Banker winning, then follow the Banker until it loses. If it starts with the Player winning, then follow the Player until it loses. Don''t bet on ties, nor count them. 2. If you were following the Banker and the streak ends, then switch to following the Player until it loses. Similarly, if you were following the Player, switch to the Banker after the Player''s streak ends. Keep repeating this pattern, and the chance of losing drops. Seeing Hao Jian''s good fortune and consecutive wins, the guests decided to follow his bets. The outcomes went without saying¡ªeveryone won more or less, and, having tasted the sweetness of victory, they raised their stakes. Within an hour, Yan Zhihong had lost over three million. Yan Zhihong was filled with loathing for Hao Jian. A loss of a million or so was nothing to him, but three million¡ªthat was a different story. And the cause of his major loss was Hao Jian! Normally, in gambling, the house never loses, but now that everyone was following Hao Jian''s bets, Yan Zhihong was the only one losing money. How come this kid kept winning? Was it really just luck, or was he cheating? At this moment, Yuan Shanshan was also quite perplexed and asked Hao Jian, "Didn''t you say you don''t know how to gamble? How come you''ve suddenly become so skilled?" "I didn''t know how to before, but then I thought it wouldn''t be bad to learn a new skill while on this earth, so I studied for a few months. Now, it looks like it''s come in handy," Hao Jian said with a smile. Yuan Shanshan was shocked, "You''re not really cheating, are you?" As soon as Hao Jian mentioned learning card skills, Yuan Shanshan immediately thought of those small ads plastered on street corners, with slogans like "Learn tricks from a master, win every bet." "Cheating is the lowest form of gambling technique, it''s not the way to go!" Hao Jian shook his head, denying that accusation. He was not relying on cheating to gamble. "Then what are you relying on?" Yuan Shanshan asked, astonished. "Momentum!" Hao Jian replied. "Momentum?" Yuan Shanshan was utterly confused. What did that mean? "If a person''s momentum is strong enough, it can change their fortune. Gambling is a mysterious thing. You often see the Banker on a hot streak, wiping out all the Players in one evening, or a Player who''s hot, winning against the Banker all night. That''s because their momentum is strong, so their luck flourishes!" Hao Jian explained, then with a mocking look at Yan Zhihong, he continued, "My momentum has completely overwhelmed him. He''s already feeling anxious, so he''s going to keep losing!" "So, you see, momentum is the real gambling technique!" ``` After hearing Hao Jian''s words, everyone looked utterly dumbfounded. Could that really be true? Although they did not truly believe it, Hao Jian had indeed won quite a bit of money that night. "I''ll bet two hundred thousand this time!" Hao Jian said. "If your momentum is so strong, why not go all in?" Yuan Shanshan asked curiously, because before Hao Jian had always gone all in in one go, but this time he was holding back. "Because momentum is also a matter of ''a tide that comes forth like a tiger, diminishes on the second push, and is exhausted by the third.'' A person might be on a hot streak at the gambling table for an entire night, but it''s impossible to keep winning indefinitely. The strength of momentum also has its highs and lows. When you''re winning money, remember to quit while you''re ahead. Many people don''t understand this, which is why they end up giving all their winnings back." Hao Jian explained. Now, he had started to quit while he was ahead. He had already won a considerable amount of money from Yan Zhihong and could be said to have reached a peak. But what goes up must come down. Hao Jian knew that if he kept betting it all, he might really lose everything in one careless moment. Hearing Hao Jian''s explanation, Yan Zhihong was also skeptical. Could there really be such a thing as momentum? Indeed, in the following few hands, Hao Jian and Yan Zhihong had their wins and losses, but Hao Jian still won more overall. But Yan Zhihong was happy, heaving a sigh of relief inwardly. Although he won less, at least he won, which was somewhat better than continuously losing. At the same time, Yan Zhihong sneered to himself thinking this guy must be out of steam now¡ª now it was his turn to turn the tables! Yan Zhihong''s happiness did not last long, however, for he found himself continuing to lose money, and the amounts were growing, from three million lost to now nearing ten million. Yan Zhihong, sweating profusely, realized this wasn''t going to work. "Player, one point!" Finally, during one hand, Hao Jian got a one. Seeing this, the guests couldn''t help but be shocked. Could what Hao Jian said be true? Was his momentum nearly spent? And those who had bet along with Hao Jian were now full of regret. Having lost a significant amount, they wished they had not followed his bet. They hadn''t expected that Hao Jian, who had not had a hand below four points all night, would now get a one. Yan Zhihong would win easily as long as his hand wasn''t terrible. Seeing this, Yan Zhihong also couldn''t help but burst into laughter. "Kid, it looks like the God of Wealth has stopped blessing you now, your luck has run out!" Hao Jian merely shrugged, appearing unfazed, knowing that even if he did lose this hand, he still had a reserve. "Kid, any point I reveal will beat you, just wait for your loss!" Yan Zhihong laughed arrogantly and then flipped over his card with a flourish. "Hiss..." When everyone saw the number on Yan Zhihong''s card, they couldn''t help but gasp in shock. Could this get any more bizarre? Yan Zhihong''s two cards turned out both to be 10s, which made it zero points. Seeing this, Yan Zhihong was dumbfounded. Hao Jian had one point and he had zero points? Just how unlucky could he get? Originally, seeing Hao Jian''s one point, he thought he had a sure win over Hao Jian, but he had not anticipated such an outcome. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hahaha... idiot... idiot..." Hao Jian pointed at Yan Zhihong, doubled over with laughter, not expecting such a result himself. Even Hao Jian had thought he was going to lose, but to his utter surprise, in the end, he had still come out on top over Yan Zhihong. "See that? That''s what I call momentum. Momentum drives luck, and with one point I can still eat the banker!" Hao Jian laughed loudly. Everyone felt it was incredible. They had their doubts before, but now, witnessing this turn of events, they were all utterly amazed. Yan Zhihong''s face was as black as could be at this point¡ª he had hit a streak of extreme bad luck. "This time, I bet all on a tie!" Hao Jian said with an evil grin, putting all the three hundred odd million he had won on the line for a tie. However, this time Yan Zhihong didn''t dare to taunt again. In fact, every time Hao Jian placed a bet, it scared the living daylights out of him. He always felt like he was about to be taken for a ride by Hao Jian. "Betting on a tie, huh? The odds of that happening are low. What makes this guy so confident¡ªhe doesn''t have X-Ray Vision." Those who were ready to place their bets hesitated. The tie bet paid four to one, but the odds were rare; not a single tie between the Player and the Banker had occurred that entire night. What made Hao Jian so confident that a tie would happen this round? They didn''t dare take the risk, afraid of losing money. But still, some followed Hao Jian''s bet. In their view, Hao Jian himself was staking three hundred odd million. If anyone had to pay out, it would be Hao Jian who would lose the most. If Hao Jian wasn''t afraid of losing so much, what did they have to fear? Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Yan Zhihong calmed himself down, thinking to himself: Yeah, unless this bastard is a deity, how could he possibly know the outcome in advance? As soon as Yan Zhihong thought this, he started to feel a bit smug. As long as he could win against Hao Jian this time, Hao Jian would be completely ruined. Is a tie that easy to bet on? It hasn''t happened even once all night. How does this guy know it will happen this round? Afterwards, Yan Zhihong began to deal, his eyes playing with a glint as he looked towards Hao Jian. Chapter 658 - 659: Hand of God But Hao Jian acted as if he hadn''t seen anything, and after Yan Zhihong had dealt the cards, Hao Jian picked up his own cards, glanced at them, and then grinned at Yan Zhihong, "Reveal your cards, Banker?" "Banker has nine points! And I still lose? How can you be so lucky and hit nine points?" Yan Zhihong said incredulously, his eyes playfully fixed on Hao Jian. "Time to pay up!" Hao Jian gave Yan Zhihong a deep look and then casually threw his cards onto the table¡ªit was also nine points. "My God, it really is nine points. Is this kid possessed by the God of Gamblers?" "It''s truly a tie. Damn, if I had known, I would have bet with him." Everyone was regretting not doing so¡ªthat was a payout at four times the stakes! And those who had bet with Hao Jian were likewise thrilled. It was as if they had won four rounds in one go, and they all looked at Hao Jian with admiring eyes. "Three million times four equals twelve million, and I''ll give you the change!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, very generously, with one hand resting on Yuan Shanshan''s shoulder. Yuan Shanshan symbolically struggled a little but then stopped moving. Everyone''s gaze towards Hao Jian was filled with disbelief. At first, when Hao Jian had pulled out ten thousand yuan, they had all despised him, thinking he was a poor wretch making a fool of himself. But now, that ten thousand had instantly multiplied by twelve thousand times, shocking them thoroughly. Yan Zhihong was petrified, his cards slipping from his hands and scattering on the floor. Now, Yan Zhihong was frightened by the scene before him. He couldn''t comprehend why this was happening, why this kid was so miraculous, why he was always outdoing him? Suddenly, a fierce glare formed in Yan Zhihong''s eyes as he stared at Hao Jian, "You''re cheating! You must have cheated!" Yes, this guy must have cheated, otherwise how could he have won every time? Upon hearing this, Hao Jian gave a wry smile and slowly said, "You can eat whatever you want, but words must not be spoken recklessly. Eating whatever concerns only you and no one can manage that, but making reckless remarks can slander others." "Am I wrong, then? How come every time you always outdo me by one or two points? If you''re not cheating, how could you possibly win every single round against me?" Yan Zhihong retorted. "Hey, idiot, stop joking, alright? Have you forgotten how many times Hao Jian has voluntarily revealed his cards first? If he''s revealing first, how would he know what cards you''ll have? How could he possibly cheat? Does he have X-Ray Vision?" Yuan Shanshan disdainfully said, disgusted by Yan Zhihong''s inability to accept his losses. If Hao Jian were cheating, then he would wait every time for Yan Zhihong to reveal his card points before revealing his own, right? "Yan Zhihong, you''re the one who can''t accept the loss, aren''t you?" "If you can''t afford to lose, then don''t be the Banker. What, thinking of reneging now because you lost?" "Exactly, don''t act rich when you don''t have the money. His hands were on the table the whole time, how could he possibly cheat?" The guests also started criticizing Yan Zhihong because they had won quite a bit of money with Hao Jian, so naturally, they were now on Hao Jian''s side. Initially, they had no respect for Hao Jian, but after he showed his incredible skill, they could no longer underestimate him. Although this guy looked ordinary, he was indeed a God of Gamblers, and with such skills, how much money could he not make? "Can''t you guys see that he''s cheating?" Yan Zhihong screamed hysterically. "No, we only see someone trying to renege," said the others. Naturally, they wouldn''t accuse Hao Jian of reneging¡ªafter all, they were counting on him to make money. Who cares if Hao Jian was cheating as long as they were making money? "You guys... very well!" Yan Zhihong clenched his teeth in fury, his gaze sweeping threateningly across the crowd, but the people were unfazed, most of them being influential, their status was no less than Yan Zhihong''s, hence they didn''t really care about him. "Stop talking nonsense and pay up! Twelve million, no credits!" Hao Jian yawned as he spoke. "You cheat and still expect me to pay? Dream on!" Yan Zhihong howled, just Hao Jian''s winnings alone had caused him a loss of twelve million, and with the others'' bets, he lost nearly forty million, which even for Yan Zhihong was painful. That was his income for several years combined, and though he had planned to make a score today as the Banker, he ended up losing so much. Yan Zhihong seriously suspected Hao Jian was cheating, otherwise, how could he keep winning? "Cheating? Do you have any evidence? If not, can I assume you are just making excuses?" Hao Jian sneered, aware that Yan Zhihong was desperate and deliberately avoiding payment. "Yes, if you claim we''re cheating, then bring out the evidence quickly; otherwise, it only proves you''re making excuses and intentionally not paying!" Yuan Shanshan also snorted coldly. Yan Zhihong almost clenched his teeth to the breaking point but stood frozen, as he also lacked any evidence. However, Yan Zhihong suddenly thought of something and begrudgingly glanced at Hao Jian, "If you''re so capable, wait here for me, and I''ll show you what a real ''God of Gamblers'' is!" "You aren''t planning to run away, are you?" Hao Jian teased. Hearing this, the guests immediately blocked Yan Zhihong''s path, since many among them were still owed payouts by Yan Zhihong, and naturally, they wouldn''t let him leave just like that. Extremely agitated, Yan Zhihong had no choice but to stand his ground and make a phone call, "Adlerian, it''s Yan Zhihong. I''m at XX Hotel. A nobody won a lot of money from me; come over quickly and help me!" On the other end, Adlerian was somewhat doubtful, "That''s unlikely. With the gambling techniques I taught you, ordinary people shouldn''t be able to beat you. "The guy is no ordinary person, he..." Saying this, Yan Zhihong glanced at Hao Jian unconsciously but noticed Hao Jian looking back with a smirking smile, which further infuriated him, "Anyway, he''s a bit tricky; come over quickly!" Adlerian fell silent for a moment, then said, "Give me half an hour!" After hanging up, Yan Zhihong sneered at Hao Jian, "Kid, you''re dead! The moment my friend arrives, you''ll lose everything you have!" "You were saying the same thing just now, and yet you''re now trying to default on your debt," Hao Jian mocked. "Nonsense! It''s clearly you who cheated first." Yan Zhihong snorted coldly, "Let me tell you, my friend is not like me; he''s a special croupier from Las Vegas, known as the ''God of Gamblers'' in Europe and America. Your little tricks are nothing in his eyes!" "Adlerian? Is that the legendary croupier who made a billion for a Las Vegas casino in one night?" someone exclaimed, obviously recognizing Adlerian, having been to Las Vegas before. "Not only that, I''ve also heard that he has challenged croupiers from various Vegas casinos and is even planning to challenge famous croupiers worldwide. Now, the major casinos around the world all want to recruit him!" "I can''t believe Yan Zhihong actually knows Adlerian; this kid is in trouble," a portly middle-aged man remarked somewhat sympathetically looking at Hao Jian. "Certainly, Adlerian is known as ''The Hand of God;'' cards seem to come alive in his hands, allowing him to deal any card he wishes. That''s why he could become the famed ''God of Gamblers'' in Europe and America. Now that he has come to Huaxia, could it be that he intends to challenge our croupiers?" someone began to worry, recalling that Adlerian had previously visited the East Ocean, where he had defeated and insulted prominent East Ocean croupiers as garbage. Thus, they were concerned that Adlerian might do the same to Huaxia''s croupiers after defeating them. Even though Hao Jian had performed well just now, they didn''t think he could win against Adlerian, who was known as ''The Hand of God''. "Hear that, kid? My friend is known as the god of the casino; he is omnipotent. If you beg for mercy now, there''s still a chance!" Yan Zhihong chuckled coldly. "This place is neither Las Vegas nor the East Ocean," Hao Jian simply said. The crowd was shocked; Hao Jian''s words implied he was planning to challenge Adlerian? "Admirable courage, but I wonder whether you will still be this confident in a little while!" Yan Zhihong scoffed, feeling like he had punched cotton, and it vexed him. "Don''t worry about me; if you have the energy to care, better think about how to pay me back. I''ll have you know, no one dares default on debts to me," Hao Jian grinned, revealing a sinister smile. "Just defeat my friend, and you''ll get your money immediately!" Yan Zhihong declared boldly, fully confident in Adlerian, who had mingled in casinos for over a decade, and whose skills were nearly unmatched. He had gambled against Adlerian once and ended up losing ten consecutive rounds. "But just gambling this amount of money seems a bit too boring." Hao Jian suddenly said, implying something deeper. "What are you thinking?" Yan Zhihong frowned, catching the hint in Hao Jian''s words; was this guy thinking of raising the stakes? As expected, Hao Jian suggested raising the stakes, "A mere ten million is child''s play; how about we add something extra to the stakes, like real estate or companies?" sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Are you joking with me? You, a deadbeat, have real estate and companies?" Yan Zhihong burst into laughter, angered by Hao Jian''s audacity, thinking he was planning to swindle something for nothing. If he lost, he would hand over companies and the like, but if Hao Jian lost, he wouldn''t have to pay a single hair? Hao Jian smiled, then took out a black card from his pocket and placed it on the table, "I think you must recognize this, right?" "A black card? This guy has a black card?" The crowd was suddenly shocked; although wealthy, none of them qualified to possess a black card. Chapter 659 - 660: God VS God of Death ``` Getting a Black Card isn''t just about having money, you have to be extremely, extremely wealthy! Yan Zhihong was also surprised, but he quickly recovered and asked suspiciously, "Is that a prop?" "Take it and have the hotel manager withdraw fifty million for me!" Hao Jian handed the card to Yuan Shanshan, who got up and walked out. Shortly after, two security guards respectfully followed Yuan Shanshan back with two large leather suitcases. Everyone was petrified. At first, they thought Hao Jian was just a pretty boy who had to borrow money from Yuan Shanshan to gamble, even claiming he didn''t have any change. And now what, he really doesn''t have change? Yan Zhihong''s face turned green with envy; he had finally understood why Yuan Shanshan had rejected him. It was because he wasn''t as rich as Hao Jian. "Here''s fifty million. I want to raise the bet, and it''s no-limit. Do you dare?" Hao Jian asked Yan Zhihong with a smirk. "Why wouldn''t I want money that''s being offered to me?" Yan Zhihong sneered, then he made a call to his assistant to bring over fifty million. All eyes were on them, amazed. A wedding banquet had turned into a gambling den in an instant, and Hao Jian and Yan Zhihong seemed to have become the gambling kings, now about to compete for supremacy. About half an hour later, Adlerian appeared. He was tall, standing at 1.9 meters, with long, curly brown hair, and a beard around his jaw. His eyes were beautiful, possessing an indescribable electricity. He was dressed in a pristine white suit and wore white gloves, resembling a clergyman. He had a slight smile on his face that somehow exuded purity, and was quite charming. Upon Adlerian''s arrival, many of the women present felt a surge in their hormones, feeling a warmth throughout their body. "Adlerian, you''ve finally arrived. Today, you''ll have to give me a hand in teaching that arrogant kid a lesson," Yan Zhihong eagerly came up to him, pointing at the two thick piles of money on the table, "I''ve prepared the chips for you. Go ahead and do your thing!" Adlerian nodded, then walked over to Hao Jian, looking at him with a smile, "You want to gamble with me?" Hao Jian shrugged and said, "It seems that way." "Why? This isn''t a wise choice," Adlerian said with a light smile, seemingly trying to persuade Hao Jian not to be impulsive, which showed that Adlerian was very confident. "Because I want more money. As for whether it''s wise or not, we''ll have to gamble to find out," Hao Jian replied calmly. Adlerian gave Hao Jian a deep look, no longer trying to dissuade him, but asked directly, "Would you like to be the Banker or should I?" "You do it, I hate dealing," Hao Jian laughed. "This guy is really a fool for letting Adlerian deal the cards. Does he really think the ''Hand of God'' is just a fancy title?" "Exactly, he might have had a chance to win if he dealt, but if Adlerian draws the cards, then this guy is doomed!" The crowd buzzed with discussion; they all thought Hao Jian was too presumptuous, thinking that after winning a few rounds against Yan Zhihong, he could look down on everyone, not even taking Adlerian seriously. Having Adlerian draw the cards was an absolute nightmare, a man who could draw whichever card he pleased. On the gambling table, he was invincible, extremely terrifying! Adlerian couldn''t help but shake his head with a smile, and although he said nothing, his eyes held a hint of contempt. Clearly, he thought lightly of Hao Jian''s rashness, considering such an action to be incredibly foolish. Before picking up the cards, Adlerian lifted the golden cross necklace in front of his neck and kissed it. Hao Jian noticed Adlerian''s gesture and said teasingly, "I''ve heard them call you ''God''. So if I am your enemy, what should I be called?" "Those who are enemies of God are naturally the Devil," Adlerian replied, shuffling the cards while smiling lightly. "No, I''m not the Devil; I am something else, something far more special, the only thing that can kill God," Hao Jian said, sitting up straight, his gaze burning into Adlerian. "Oh? And what is that?" Adlerian asked, intrigued, jokingly. "God of Death!" Hao Jian answered. As Hao Jian spoke, the people around him could feel the temperature dropping. "You fancy yourself as the God of Death?" Adlerian laughed incredulously. Isn''t that too arrogant? Although others referred to him as God, he never dared to claim that title himself, always maintaining humility before the divine. Hao Jian, on the other hand, was so full of himself. "Today, I will completely erase the legend of God, kill God; so tell me, am I not the God of Death?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "We''ll see how capable you are." Adlerian stopped smiling and looked at Hao Jian expressionlessly. At that moment, all present seemed to see sparks and lightning flashing in the eyes of Hao Jian and Adlerian. A battle between God and the God of Death had officially begun. Then, Adlerian shuffled and dealt the cards, Hao Jian placed his bets. This time, Hao Jian didn''t go all in, because he knew that Adlerian was not like Yan Zhihong; he couldn''t bet rashly but instead started with ten million. ``` "Banker nine, player eight, banker wins!" The first round ended with Adlerian''s victory. Everyone couldn''t help but sigh, Hao Jian''s luck was already considered good, able to get eight points, but unfortunately, he was facing Adlerian, and even eight points were useless. Seeing Adlerian win ten million from Hao Jian right off the bat, Yan Zhihong was overjoyed, "Kid, aren''t you very arrogant? Bragging about defeating Adlerian, with your skills?" S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yuan Shanshan saw that the situation was not good, and was a bit panicked; she wanted to advise Hao Jian to leave, but she worried it might injure his pride, so she held her tongue. "Bet another ten million!" "Banker seven, player three, banker wins!" "Bet another ten million!" "Banker eight, player six, banker wins!" "Continue!" "Banker two, player one, banker wins!" However, in the following few rounds, it was Adlerian who held the advantage, eating Hao Jian alive. The original fifty million was now only ten million! "Can''t even win with a banker''s two points, looks like he''s really out of luck now," Yan Zhihong, who earlier lost greatly in front of Hao Jian, was now witnessing Hao Jian suffer a heavy defeat in front of Adlerian, completely reversing the situation. They all knew, Hao Jian''s momentum couldn''t overcome Adlerian''s; being under pressure instead, this could truly end with Hao Jian losing everything. Adlerian wore a smile on his face, toying with the playing cards in his hands, and stared at Hao Jian with a taste of both sympathy and disdain. "Haha, kid, tasting defeat huh? What did you say earlier? ''God of Death ends God''s legend''? It''s just that your scythe isn''t sharp enough to cut through God''s throat!" Yan Zhihong burst into laughter, his expression full of self-satisfaction. Winning forty million from Hao Jian in one go was a sweet revenge, and he was even making a fortune out of it, which made him ecstatic. "Hao Jian, let''s just leave," Yuan Shanshan finally couldn''t hold back and advised, because she also could see that Hao Jian would definitely not win against Adlerian. Continuing this way, Hao Jian would even lose his last ten million. "Yeah, if you''re gonna scram, better do it fast, or in a moment you''ll lose everything and won''t even have the fare to catch a cab," Yan Zhihong mocked. "It''s okay, trust me," Hao Jian said gently with a smile and patted Yuan Shanshan''s hand. Yuan Shanshan sighed and didn''t say anything more. "Still playing tough on the brink of death? Your skin is truly thick to an unprecedented degree!" Yan Zhihong said sarcastically, eyeing Hao Jian. "I want to raise the bet!" Hao Jian said gravely. "Raise? Are you really not afraid of dying?" Yan Zhihong laughed smugly, thinking that Hao Jian must have lost his senses due to consecutive losses. At this moment, the crowd looking at Hao Jian again showed contempt. Now Hao Jian no longer looked impressive; he seemed just like a gambler unwilling to leave the table, who had earlier told them to quit while they were ahead, yet now after losing, he stubbornly refused to leave. "You''ll lose the last ten million like this," Adlerian also advised, his voice full of magnetic charm, his tone gentle like a true gentleman, making countless women swoon. "You just need to tell me if you agree or not!" Hao Jian still fixed his gaze intensely on Adlerian. "Agree, why not? A fool brings money for me to spend, would I not want it?" Yan Zhihong scoffed and readily agreed. Yan Zhihong was feeling utterly thrilled; what was supposed to be a multimillion loss not only didn''t need to be compensated, but he also made an extra ten million¡ªthis feeling was too damn satisfying. "My raise is between you and me," Hao Jian pointed at Adlerian and said, "The loser must agree to one condition set by the winner, any condition!" Upon hearing this, Adlerian frowned, somewhat unable to decipher what Hao Jian was up to. He thought Hao Jian wanted to raise the money, but Hao Jian, unexpectedly, wanted to add a condition. Seeing Adlerian''s concern: "Rest assured, I''m not after your life, and the demand I make will not harm your life or property. Or do you not have the confidence to win against me?" "There''s no need for reverse psychology; I accept your condition!" Adlerian said indifferently. He had no reason to fear Hao Jian, who he had dominated in four consecutive rounds. The chance of Hao Jian turning the tables was almost impossible. "This time, I bet on a pair!" Hao Jian revealed a wide grin. Betting on a pair meant that the banker and player get the same pair, and the odds are the highest: 1 pays 11. Adlerian inadvertently frowned; Hao Jian had no chips left, only the last ten million. Under such circumstances, betting on a pair seemed somewhat rash. The probability of getting a pair is extremely low, even lower than a tie, which is why its odds are so high. Hao Jian was betting on a pair in the last hand, which to Adlerian seemed very unwise. Chapter 660 - 661: Gods Forbidden Zone ``` "Double twos? This will be the death of you?" Yan Zhihong laughed mockingly. In his eyes, Hao Jian was practically seeking death. Others also felt that Hao Jian was being overly confident. Placing such a bet on the last hand was indeed unwise. "Pair of threes." Hao Jian spread out his pair for all to see, then looked towards Adlerian with interest, waiting for Adlerian to reveal his hand. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Actually, a pair of threes? Could he really be staging a comeback?" When someone saw Hao Jian actually had a pair of twos, they couldn''t help being stunned. It was too much of a coincidence. "What use is him getting a pair? Adlerian would need to get a pair too, and it has to be exactly the same pair!" Yan Zhihong scoffed derisively, his attitude one of disbelief. But at that moment, Yan Zhihong noticed that Adlerian wasn''t making a sound, and his complexion had turned rather ugly. Seeing this, Yan Zhihong suddenly froze, sensing something, and with a forced and ugly smile he said, "Adlerian, don''t tell me your hand is a pair of threes?" Yan Zhihong, seeing Adlerian''s silence, had a bad premonition. Adlerian, his expression as somber as still water, remained silent. The peaceful smile he had maintained throughout was now nowhere to be seen. The crowd was also looking at Adlerian with surprise, reaching the peak of their astonishment. It couldn''t really be a pair of threes, could it? Adlerian wasn''t actually going to lose to this guy, was he? Then Adlerian laid out his cards, revealing a pair of threes. "Hiss..." In that instant, everyone gasped. The man known as "Hand of God" Adlerian had actually lost to Hao Jian? Not just them, even Adlerian himself was dumbfounded, his expression dark as he looked at Hao Jian: "Why?" He wanted to know why he had lost to Hao Jian. In terms of card skills, Hao Jian was inferior to him, and in terms of luck, Hao Jian was no match either. The only reason Hao Jian could have won was probably his arrogance. "Because you gamble with card skills, and I gamble with momentum! If I were to compete in card skills, I could never match you, so why would I use my weakness against your strength?" Hao Jian said with a smile. "Momentum?" Adlerian couldn''t help but frown¡ªit was the first time he had heard that one could win by momentum alone. "Even if you are Adlerian, even if you are called ''Hand of God,'' I don''t take you seriously, and I believe I can certainly defeat you. That is momentum!" "Although I lost four times and lost forty million, I believe that on the fifth, I would make it all back. That is momentum!" Hao Jian explained to Adlerian, seeing his confusion. Adlerian fell into silence, his face filled with incredulity. Was there really such a thing in this world? Having frequented casinos for many years, Adlerian had often heard talk of a strong momentum, but he had never taken it seriously because he simply didn''t believe in such nebulous things. It was not until Hao Jian mentioned it that he began to realize that perhaps there was such a thing, because Hao Jian had indeed won with momentum, and although he found the situation unbelievable, he had no choice but to accept it. "Gambling with card skills is merely inferior. Only when you can gamble with momentum can you be truly called ''God of Gamblers.'' Right now, you are not worthy!" Hao Jian stood up and declared this statement. However, by this time, no one dared to underestimate him any longer, and no one dared to laugh at him, because he had proven everything with his actions¡ªhe had defeated Adlerian! He had bested the God! Adlerian had no response. He seemed to realize that relying only on card skills for gambling was ultimately inferior. He may have beaten Hao Jian four times, but Hao Jian made it all back in one go, and even earned more than sixty million on top of that. With the odds of 1:11, Yan Zhihong had to give Hao Jian one hundred and ten million. Then, Hao Jian picked up two playing cards from the table and tossed them onto Adlerian''s face: "Remember your promise. You lost, so you must agree to one condition from me!" "State it," said Adlerian with disgrace, his entire face ashen. He was proud at heart and accepted the consequences of his bet. "From today onward, you must stay away from any place I appear, because where the God of Death roams, is God''s forbidden zone!" Hao Jian said with a cold sneer. At his words, the crowd was shocked. This was an ultimate humiliation for Adlerian, as he was not allowed to go where Hao Jian went, a disgrace that would follow him for life! Adlerian said nothing, for whether he spoke or not, the humiliation was the same. "Leave Huaxia. This is not a place you can dishonor, otherwise, you will meet more people like me," Hao Jian said indifferently, and then picked up the cigarette and lighter he had placed on the table and tucked them into his pocket. However, Adlerian had already decided to leave Huaxia even without Hao Jian''s words. He had only been here for less than a week and hadn''t formally started challenging yet but had already been defeated by someone. Was there any need for further challenges? With a population of over 1.3 billion, every fifth person in the world is Huaxia. Therefore, there are too many extraordinary people in Huaxia. Adlerian had not believed it before, but now he had no choice but to believe. ``` Adlerian really didn''t have the courage to stay in Huaxia any longer because he couldn''t bear to experience such humiliation again. The feeling was too unbearable, making someone as proud as Adlerian struggle to handle it. He, known as the "Hand of God," was trampled underfoot, and if humiliated again, Adlerian dared not say whether he would die of shame. Without saying a word, Adlerian bowed deeply to Hao Jian, then resolutely turned and left. "Don''t you think what you said was a bit too much?" Yuan Shanshan asked somewhat intolerably, feeling that Hao Jian''s words were too harsh. "If he hadn''t been so high and mighty from the start, maybe I would have been more polite. It''s because he''s too proud, his arrogance blinding him, trust me, after today''s event, he will grow. I''m helping him!" Hao Jian said indifferently. At that moment, everyone looked at Hao Jian with awe because Hao Jian had defeated God; he was the true deity in front of them now! "This gamble, plus what you already owe, totals up to 120 million. When will you pay?" Hao Jian pressed Yan Zhihong. Adlerian was only there to gamble for Yan Zhihong. Whether Yan Zhihong won or lost had nothing to do with Adlerian. To tell the truth, Adlerian agreeing to help Yan Zhihong was already a huge favor, so naturally, there was no way he would pay for Adlerian''s debts. And Yan Zhihong also knew he had to swallow the 120 million himself, which naturally wasn''t easy for him since his entire fortune totaled just over 100 million. Everyone then looked at Yan Zhihong, waiting for his response. "What''s the matter, Yan Zhihong, you''re not planning to welsh on the deal, are you? You said it yourself if Hao Jian could win against Adlerian, you would pay immediately. Everyone heard it loud and clear, there''s no way for you to deny it now." Yuan Shanshan mocked, happy to see Yan Zhihong in a tight spot. "Pay your ass!" Yan Zhihong burst into furious rage, pointing at Hao Jian and cursing, "Kid, remember this, it''s not over, I won''t let you off so easily!" After saying that, Yan Zhihong tried to leave, but seeing this, Hao Jian narrowed his eyes and scoffed, "You think I''d just let you walk away?" Upon hearing this, Yan Zhihong immediately turned back, glaring at Hao Jian with a vicious look, "You freaking want to stop me? Just you try!" "Bang!" As soon as Yan Zhihong''s words fell, a wine bottle flew straight at him, then struck him in the forehead. Yan Zhihong fell to the ground, his head bleeding. Everyone was shocked. Did Hao Jian actually resort to violence? "You dare hit me? I''ll have you dead!" Yan Zhihong roared with a ferocious expression, then picked up his phone and shouted into it, "All of you, get in here!" Before long, five or six black-suited bodyguards entered, each one tall and sturdy, coming up behind Yan Zhihong with an aggressive presence. "Beat that kid to a cripple," Yan Zhihong said between clenched teeth. Hao Jian had dared to crack his head; he wanted Hao Jian to be disabled for life! "Hold on!" Hao Jian said, suddenly interrupting. "What, only now you''re begging for mercy? Too late!" Yan Zhihong sneered. "No, I just think that this is someone else''s wedding venue. Causing trouble here is ultimately not good. Let''s take it outside," Hao Jian said, motioning with his thumb towards the main entrance. Upon hearing this, Yan Zhihong and the others were startled. How could this kid be so confident? Did he not see how many people were there? "Wherever you want, the result of dying will be the same!" Yan Zhihong snorted coldly. He also didn''t want to make a scene here; after all, he was somewhat related to the groom, although not very close, but still related. Immediately then, Hao Jian walked towards the outside under the "escort" of Yan Zhihong and his men, with everyone hurriedly following. "Yan Zhihong, what are you doing?" Just at that moment, a commanding voice came from the crowd. An elder with graying hair and an imposing appearance walked over. He had seen the scale of Yan Zhihong''s group and approached to prevent any trouble. "Uncle, I''m teaching a brat who doesn''t know his place a lesson!" Yan Zhihong glared at Hao Jian as he spoke. "Today is the big day for your distant cousin. Don''t make trouble!" the middle-aged man admonished. "Uncle, this kid has got to learn a lesson. Look what he did to my head," Yan Zhihong pointed to his blood-soaked head. The man glanced at Yan Zhihong''s head and couldn''t help but frown, saying with some displeasure, "Where is that kid?" Obviously, he was also somewhat angry. Yan Zhihong was his nephew and had been beaten to such a state, which was naturally very annoying to him. Chapter 661 - 662 Seven Sins "Here it is!" Yan Zhihong pointed his lips towards Hao Jian''s direction, his expression full of anger. The man turned his head to look and saw Hao Jian watching him with a sinister gaze. "It''s been a long time, hasn''t it, Yan Yuhong?" Indeed, this man was none other than Yan Yuhong, who Hao Jian had once nearly played to death. Hao Jian had not expected to encounter him here, and what''s more, to discover that he was actually Yan Zhihong''s uncle. "Hao Jian? No, Mr. Hao?" Yan Yuhong was dumbstruck, petrified on the spot. How could Hao Jian appear here? Wait, the guy Yan Zhihong mentioned he wanted to handle was him? "Uncle, you know this bastard?" Yan Zhihong asked confusedly, as Yan Yuhong''s expression had said it all. "Bastard?" Hearing Yan Zhihong refer to Hao Jian in such a way made Yan Yuhong terrified, and he instinctively gave Yan Zhihong a slap so hard that it knocked out two of Yan Zhihong''s front teeth. "Uncle, you..." Yan Zhihong, covering his face, looked at Yan Yuhong incomprehensively, not understanding why Yan Yuhong suddenly hit him. "You clueless fool, you''re the real bastard!" Yan Yuhong thundered, his face twitching uncontrollably, as if he wished he could swallow Yan Zhihong whole. He had just managed to draw a clear line with Hao Jian, and now Yan Zhihong had gone and provoked Hao Jian again. If Hao Jian took out his anger on the Yan Family, wouldn''t he also be doomed? "Uncle, what''s gotten into you?" Yan Zhihong was speechless. If he was the bastard, then what was Yan Yuhong? They were clear blood relatives. "What''s gotten into me? I should be asking what''s gotten into you! Are you brainless, daring to offend Mr. Hao? Are you tired of living?" Yan Yuhong roared, drawing the attention of many bystanders. Those who had come to watch the commotion, upon hearing Yan Yuhong, were utterly perplexed. Could it be that Hao Jian had some other identity? sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Mr. Hao? What Mr. Hao?" Yan Zhihong was flabbergasted. Just what was Hao Jian''s identity that could scare his uncle, who practically strutted around Hua City, to such a degree? "Mr. Hao, the one who played with the lives of Hua City''s Four Young Masters, Mr. Hao, who unified Hua City, Mr. Hao, who doesn''t even regard the four great families," Yan Yuhong rebuked with annoyance. Yan Zhihong dared to challenge him without even knowing who he was dealing with? He didn''t know whether to call Yan Zhihong brave or stupid. "What?" Upon hearing this, Yan Zhihong was stunned. The unimpressive man before him was the current Underground Emperor of Hua City? The others couldn''t help but gasp in astonishment; Hao Jian had given them too many surprises. They had thought Hao Jian was just a God of Gamblers, but aside from that, he had turned out to be a ruler too? "You better apologize to Mr. Hao Jian right away if you want to live!" Yan Yuhong''s eyes were sharp as knives as he forcefully shoved Yan Zhihong. Yan Zhihong was in a daze, and Yan Yuhong''s shove made him stumble and fall to his knees. But Yan Zhihong could not bother to stand up, his face ashen. He kept kowtowing to Hao Jian, his voice quivering, "Mr. Hao, I was blind not to recognize Mount Tai and offended you. I... it was unintentional. Please, don''t lower yourself to my rubbish level. Just consider me a fart and let it pass, will you?" By the end, Yan Zhihong had started to cry because he was terrified. After all, there were wild rumors that Hao Jian was a killing fiend, brutally cruel to anyone who crossed him - either dead or crippled. People''s lives are as fragile as shadows'' sway. Yan Zhihong was scared out of his wits that he would end up like Liang Jiankun and He Changhuan, practically ready to wet himself. "One hundred twenty million, not a penny less, or you better be prepared to fish for his corpse in the river," Hao Jian said to Yan Yuhong. Hearing this, Yan Zhihong felt like crying. The one hundred twenty million had to be paid, whether he liked it or not. Ruin might beckon, but it was still better than losing his life, right? Yan Zhihong was filled with regret. Why did he have to provoke Yuan Shanshan? With one hundred twenty million, what woman couldn''t he find? "Yes," Yan Yuhong replied solemnly. Immediately after, Hao Jian left the wedding scene with Yuan Shanshan. But as they reached the entrance, they saw the bridegroom''s relatives looking furious. "Which shameless bastard stuffed the envelope with a newspaper?" Clearly, they had discovered that red envelope from Hao Jian. "If I found out who it was, I swear I''ll beat him to the point his own mother won''t recognize him!" shouted the bridegroom''s brother angrily. At that, Hao Jian''s face broke into a mischievous grin and said, "Hey, I overheard a guy named Yan Zhihong bragging about stuffing the red envelope with a newspaper while I was in the toilet. He sneaked in to freeload and said that not a single person in the bride and groom''s family had a brain, and they haven''t even noticed it yet." "What? Are you serious?" The relatives'' eyes turned red with anger. "Yeah, he''s still inside, go in and you''ll find him," Hao Jian said. "Let''s go beat that punk!" one of them bellowed, and then a group of them charged into the banquet hall. "You''re incredibly mean," Yuan Shanshan couldn''t help but grinning after they left. "This is the consequence of crossing me!" Hao Jian sneered, and soon after, he heard Yan Zhihong''s horrific screams coming from inside. ...... Sunflower Nursery, located in Hua City, is one of the better and more famous child care centers around. The children who are able to attend classes here all come from families that are either wealthy or noble. And Xiaolu was studying here! Very few in the world knew that the Moon Goddess Jiang had a daughter, and even fewer knew that Xiaolu was attending school here¡ªonly two people. One was the Moon Goddess Jiang herself, and the other was one of her trusted men, a figure known as "Thunder Serpent". However, at this moment, Thunder Serpent was cornered by a man and a woman dressed in black robes. The woman was stunningly beautiful, yet her complexion was somewhat pale, like blank paper; the man was burly and rugged-looking, standing over two meters tall, resembling an iron tower, and both possessed Eastern features. Thunder Serpent''s lips were stained with blood. He leaned against the alley wall with his chest pierced by two blades and over twenty knife wounds on his body, his blood swiftly flowing away. In this state, it was doubtful he could last another five minutes. Xiaolu was kneeling beside him, crying incessantly, calling out "Uncle Thunder Serpent, don''t die," her small body trembling with fear. A wry smile crossed Thunder Serpent''s lips as he said, "I never thought the King of Mercenary, Kazan, would actually dispatch his most elite Original Sin Legion. I suppose all seven of you came?" From their attire, Thunder Serpent deduced their true identity. Neither of the two spoke a word, looking at Thunder Serpent with eyes filled with icy coldness, as if they were looking at a dead man, which Thunder Serpent indeed was about to become. "Which of the Seven Sins are you two?" Thunder Serpent asked. "Envy and Pride," the man replied. The Original Sin Legion, as the name suggests, is named after the Seven Sins: "Pride, Envy, Pride, Sloth, Greed, ****, and Gluttony". This man and woman were Envy and Pride, respectively. They were ordered to come to Huaxia to retrieve something belonging to the Mercenary Alliance that had been taken away by Moon Goddess Jiang, and naturally, they started with her. The fact that Moon Goddess Jiang had a daughter wasn''t known to more than five people, yet in such a short time, they managed to find out and even located the nursery where she went to school. From this, it''s clear how terrifying the information network of the Mercenary Alliance was, encompassing the entire world. The reason why they came for Xiaolu was simple: to use her to force Moon Goddess Jiang to hand over a set of genetic codes. The Original Sin Legion also knew that the Huaxia''s Dragon Tooth and Divine Tiger were formidable, so they chose not to engage them directly. After all, this was Huaxia''s territory and they were outnumbered. A head-on clash would surely put them at a disadvantage, If they couldn''t win by force, then they would resort to stratagem! Thunder Serpent let out a deep sigh, looking at Xiaolu with a rueful smile, "Xiaolu, I''m sorry, uncle is useless, I can''t protect you." Thunder Serpent felt a deep sense of guilt, feeling that he had let down Moon Goddess Jiang by failing to ensure Xiaolu''s safety. "Uncle, please don''t die, Xiaolu is scared," Xiaolu cried, the little girl terrified, her body shaking uncontrollably. But Thunder Serpent could no longer hear her cry; his eyes lost their luster. "So much for the vaunted Dragon Tooth," Pride said with a cold sneer, full of disdain. "Don''t be careless, Dragon Tooth was created by the God of Death, and its heritage is profound, it''s not so easily dealt with. What we''ve seen is just the tip of the iceberg; we must not take them lightly!" Envy warned, speaking in the Huaxia language, as being core figures of the Mercenary Alliance, they were proficient in many languages. "God of Death? That guy is probably long dead by now, hasn''t he been missing for many years? Besides, he was driven back by our King last time; how could he dare show up again?" Pride scoffed. "It took a coalition of the four great kings to drive back the God of Death, and even then, they couldn''t manage a decisive kill. The power of God of Death is immeasurable. When dealing with such a formidable being, both you and I should maintain a sense of reverence!" Envy cautioned. "You are boosting others'' morale, diminishing your own prestige! Don''t forget who your master is!" Pride glanced at Envy with an indifferent expression, still unmoved. "Your nickname is well-deserved, you fool!" Envy angrily said. "Are you looking for death?" Pride glared at Envy, and from this exchange, it was clear there was no harmony among the Seven Sins. "If it weren''t for the mission, I would surely kill you!" Envy replied coldly, then moved toward Xiaolu. "Sister, I''ll give you my favorite teddy bear if you promise not to take Xiaolu, okay? Mom will be worried if she can''t find Xiaolu," Xiaolu implored through tears, offering her teddy bear doll to Envy. Envy clicked her tongue in amazement, "How peculiar, at only two years of age she speaks so clearly¡ªwhat a genius girl!" "Is that really so peculiar? After all, she is the daughter of Moon Goddess Jiang, isn''t she?" Pride sneered, unconcerned, as after all, Xiaolu was just a pawn; whether she was a genius didn''t matter to them. Without another word, Envy stretched out a delicate hand towards Xiaolu''s neck, and with a gentle squeeze, Xiaolu fell unconscious. Chapter 662 - 663: Crazy Faction Attacks In the early morning, after a crazy night with Shu Ya, Hao Jian got up a bit late. As the couple had not seen each other for a long time, the sparks flew immediately last night, burning bright and hot. Hao Jian opened his bleary eyes and glanced at Shu Ya, who was still sound asleep behind him, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint smile. In this life, he had no other desires; he only wished to sleep together like this every day, and wake up together. At that moment, Hao Jian heard the doorbell ring, and a sense of surprise filled him. Who could it be at the door at this hour? "Who is it?" Hao Jian asked, somewhat annoyed. He had wanted to doze off a bit longer, but the doorbell completely dispelled his sleepiness. "Click!" When Hao Jian opened the door and saw the towering figure standing at the entrance, he was so scared that his legs nearly gave way, and he almost knelt on the ground. "Bang!" Hao Jian turned around and slammed the door shut, then leaned against it with a face full of terror. Damn it, how did she come to Huaxia? And how did she find out he was here? "Hao Jian, who is it?" Shu Ya rubbed her eyes, wearing a silk nightgown that was somewhat transparent, revealing her well-proportioned, slender figure, and the two small grapes on her chest. "No, nobody, they got the wrong place," Hao Jian said, shaking his head hurriedly, his face pale as if he had seen a ghost. Shu Ya became suspicious; this was the first time she had ever seen such an expression on Hao Jian. This guy had always been fearless, but now he looked as if he had seen a ghost. "Really?" Shu Ya looked at Hao Jian skeptically, her intuition telling her that he was hiding something from her. "Of course, it''s... Ahhh!!!" His last cry was a scream. Before he could finish speaking, the door was kicked open, sending Hao Jian flying out of the door and straight down from the balcony. "Hao Jian!" Shu Ya was startled and ran to the balcony, only to see Hao Jian hanging mid-air, holding on to a cable with one hand. She breathed a sigh of relief. Then, Shu Ya turned to look at the visitor and was dumbfounded! The person was about 1.8 meters tall, with a strong and imposing stature, a calm and dominant demeanor, like a majestic lion, full of masculine vigor! Yet such a man was wearing a pink floral miniskirt, with two ponytails tied up, and cheeks rouged. It was a bit too flamboyant. A burly man''s body clothed in an enchanting woman''s attire presented too strong of a visual impact. Shu Ya was stunned for a moment. After a while, Shu Ya finally came back to her senses and tentatively asked, "Are you... a pervert?" "You''re the pervert!" The person retorted, but the voice was tender and delicate like a gentle drizzle. "Hiss..." Shu Ya gasped, wondering if there really existed such a peculiar person in the world? She had to admit that she was thunderstruck by the person''s voice, and she also had to concede that the voice was somewhat pleasant to hear. The visitor was none other than Crazy Faction! "Who exactly are you? Why did you hit my husband?" Shu Ya said, regaining her composure and scolding Crazy Faction. "Husband?" Crazy Faction was suddenly shocked, then Killing Intent flashed across her face, "Hao Jian got married?" "Yes, I''m his wife!" Shu Ya brandished her wedding ring. "Wife..." Crazy Faction''s eyes burned with rage as she glared at Hao Jian, who was climbing up from below the balcony, and angrily accused, "Hao Jian, you actually got married? Weren''t you supposed to stay as each other''s little angels forever? Have you betrayed me?" "Little angels?" Shu Ya was dazed, unable to associate Crazy Faction''s physique with that term. "How did you know I was here?" Hao Jian demanded. His return to the country had been so secretive, none of his former subordinates knew about it. How had Crazy Faction found him? "Prophet told me," Crazy Faction replied. "That bi***!" Hao Jian ground his teeth, knowing it must have been that woman, Prophet, who had betrayed him. Only she could have tracked down his residence. She had dropped such a bomb on him ¨C was she trying to drive him to his death? "You don''t want to see me?" Crazy Faction immediately glared at Hao Jian, her face showing a fierce expression. Hearing this, Hao Jian was startled and hastily chuckled, "How could that be? You have no idea how much I''ve missed you. Just last night I dreamt of you." He dared not offend Crazy Faction because he knew that with her temperament, she could reduce the building to rubble in minutes. "You guys are doing it?" Shu Ya was shocked, wondering if Hao Jian had any inappropriate relations with this muscular man. "What doing it? I am a woman!" Crazy Faction yelled, clearly upset. "Woman?" Shu Ya was dumbstruck. Was there such a woman? It wasn''t Shu Ya''s fault. Anyone who saw Crazy Faction would not consider her a woman, but a cross-dressing pervert! "How so, I don''t look like one?" Crazy Faction glared at Shu Ya. "Ah..." Shu Ya was at a loss for words. Looking at Crazy Faction from head to toe, aside from her voice, there really wasn''t much that seemed feminine about her. "So what do you want, exactly?" Shu Ya couldn''t help asking. It was quite vexing to have someone burst through your door early in the morning, and she was certainly feeling vexed. "Of course I''m here for my man!" Crazy Faction hugged Hao Jian tight, making Hao Jian look like a teenage child next to her towering figure. "Your man? He''s clearly my husband, okay!?" The moment Shu Ya heard this, she got angry and immediately went to pull Hao Jian away, but how could her strength ever win against Crazy Faction? No matter how she tugged, Hao Jian didn''t budge an inch in Crazy Faction''s arms. "That''s because you snatched him away when I wasn''t looking. He promised to marry me, I should be his bride!" Crazy Faction scoffed with a cold laugh. "Huh?" Shu Ya looked at Hao Jian in astonishment. This guy was actually planning to marry this... thing? "Believe me..." Hao Jian said with a sorrowful look, his face the picture of despair. "Um, I think I will believe you." Shu Ya nodded seriously. If it were another woman, Shu Ya might have her doubts, but if the rival was such a thing, why wouldn''t she believe Hao Jian? "What ''thing,'' what ''thing''? You looking down on me or what?" Crazy Faction suddenly glared with wide eyes. "Crazy Faction." Hao Jian turned back to look at her. "Hmm?" Hao Jian nearly burst into tears, his voice filled with frustration, "Little Sweetie..." "Hey, what''s up?" Crazy Faction asked softly, her Big Bing face blushing with shyness. "What on earth are you doing here in Huaxia?" Hao Jian asked. "Isn''t it obvious? Didn''t I just say I''m here for you? I''m gonna stay by your side and never leave!" Crazy Faction exclaimed with a face full of bliss, rubbing her Big Bing face vigorously against Hao Jian''s cheek. Hearing this, Hao Jian was instantly petrified, feeling as though his soul was about to float away. This person wanted to stick with him? The thought of becoming Crazy Faction''s woman, no, Crazy Faction becoming his woman, filled him with dread. It would be a nightmare! "Stay by his side and never leave? Are you joking? This is my house. Did I allow you to stay?" Shu Ya scolded furiously. Crazy Faction just glanced at Shu Ya and suggested, "This woman seems troublesome. How about we just get rid of her?" Upon hearing this, Shu Ya''s heart trembled, feeling like a little rabbit caught in the gaze of a big bad wolf. Was this person actually contemplating killing her? S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Shu Ya could sense that the other party was definitely not joking, but truly intending to get rid of her. "No way, absolutely not!" Hao Jian immediately objected, sensing the malice in Crazy Faction''s thoughts. "It was just a joke, why so serious?" Crazy Faction said, her face relaxed. But both Hao Jian and Shu Ya wore bitter smiles, not believing for a second that Crazy Faction was joking. "Hao Jian, you better explain to me, how did you attract this thunderstorm?" Shu Ya pulled Hao Jian aside to question him. "Do you think I wanted this? I didn''t expect her to find me either," Hao Jian replied helplessly, Crazy Faction being the last person he wanted to deal with. "I don''t care, you better get this ticking time bomb out of here before I end up killed by her one day," Shu Ya complained in annoyance. "Don''t worry, although Crazy Faction might seem a bit rough on the surface, she''s still a girl and won''t really resort to killing. Plus, she listens to me. She knows you''re my wife, so she won''t do anything rash," Hao Jian assured her. "What are you doing, talking behind my back?" Crazy Faction approached them, arms full of food, and gave a sidelong look to the couple. "I don''t care, you must deal with her, or you''ll regret it!" Shu Ya huffed angrily, very upset. "Your wife... has quite the temper, doesn''t she? She''s not as gentle as me," Crazy Faction came over and said teasingly. "Go on, get out of here, stop pestering us," Hao Jian scolded. "I rarely come back, aren''t you going to take me out for a meal or something?" Crazy Faction complained unhappily. "Isn''t what you''ve eaten enough?" Shu Ya retorted, as Crazy Faction had already cleaned out the entire fridge. "That? It''s just a third of what I can eat," Crazy Faction shrugged her shoulders, seemingly unimpressed. Upon hearing this, Shu Ya turned to stone right then and there. A third? All that food was only a third to Crazy Faction? Was this person a pig? "Fine then, what do you want to eat?" Hao Jian asked resignedly. No sooner had he spoken than Shu Ya glared at him fiercely, signaling him to drive the intruder away, yet he was offering to take her out for dinner? "Anything''s fine, you know I''m not picky!" Crazy Faction declared carelessly. "Alright then, let''s go out and grab a bite. Wife, are you coming?" Hao Jian turned back to look at Shu Ya. Shu Ya seethed with annoyance; had this jerk not heard a word she''d said? "Just don''t come, don''t interrupt our time as a couple!" Crazy Faction said. "I won''t, I''m coming for sure! What are you going to do about it!" Upon hearing this, Shu Ya promptly lost her temper. The three of them then set off mightily, casually picking a restaurant to sit down and eat. True to form, Crazy Faction didn''t hold back, devouring an entire table''s worth of dishes all by herself. Chapter 663 - 664: Slap and Overturn All the surrounding guests and waiters were stunned. Originally, the Crazy Faction''s attire was eye-catching, but now their huge appetite had left everyone dumbfounded. Shu Ya was also shocked. She had thought Hao Jian''s appetite was already exaggerated, but only after seeing the Crazy Faction did she realize what a true glutton looked like! "Waiter, order more!" At that moment, the Crazy Faction called out again, asking the waiter to bring more dishes as they were clearly not yet satisfied. "What a pig!" At that time, a group of young men and women at a nearby table began to laugh, casting disdainful glances toward the Crazy Faction from time to time. "Yes, and a pink pig at that, how cute," a girl mockingly said, laughing because the Crazy Faction was wearing a pink dress. Being biologically male, but dressed in women''s clothing, especially in such a sweet attire, made them feel disgusted. "It''s truly disgusting, isn''t it? A grown man dressing like that, he really has no shame! He''s outright a freak, isn''t he?" A young man with silver hair sneered, looking sharp and speaking loudly, not afraid at all that Hao Jian and his friends would overhear. Upon hearing this, the Crazy Faction''s hand that was holding the chopsticks suddenly stiffened, but they quickly continued to eat as if they hadn''t heard the comment. Shu Ya couldn''t help but frown. Although she didn''t like the Crazy Faction, such remarks were clearly intended to insult others, which made her very angry. Hao Jian also cast a cold look toward that table. "Keep it down, they''re looking over here," a girl whispered. "So what if they look over here? We have so many people, are we supposed to be afraid of them? Being friends with that freak, I guess they''re not normal either!" The silver-haired man continued arrogantly, seeming certain that Hao Jian and his friends wouldn''t dare retaliate. "These people are too much!" Shu Ya slammed the table and stood up, directly walking towards that table. The Crazy Faction suddenly looked up in astonishment, staring at Shu Ya with wide eyes, somewhat incredulous. Shu Ya was actually standing up for them? But she had just wanted them to leave! "She''s just that kind of person, clear about public and private matters," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Hey, what nonsense are you spouting? Why would you slander my friend?" Shu Ya stormed over, arms crossed, glaring angrily at the people in front of her. It must be said, Shu Ya, as a CEO, truly had a commanding presence, and it immediately intimidated everyone at the table, rendering the men and women unable to recover. "Oh wow, who would have thought? Not only is there a freak at that table, but there''s also such a beautiful woman!" At that moment, a man with a beard was the first to recover, looking at Shu Ya with a sly grin. He also noticed the regal aura about Shu Ya and was instantly attracted, his lascivious gaze sweeping over her body. "What rubbish are you talking about? I''m asking you a question!" Shu Ya scolded, disliking the lecherous look in his eyes. "Oh, she''s angry now, and even prettier when angry!" the bearded man laughed loudly. "What''s the matter, beauty, wanna stand up for your friend? The two big men don''t dare to come over, so they send you, a woman, instead? You''re really a couple of cowards!" "You must apologize to my friend!" Shu Ya commanded. "Apologize? Did we say anything wrong? Isn''t he just a freak?" the silver-haired man scoffed, utterly refusing to apologize. Apologize to a freak? He couldn''t bring himself to do that. "Whether he''s a freak or not, you can''t insult someone like that in public! That''s discrimination! In America, that''s a serious crime punishable by imprisonment!" Shu Ya said sternly. "But I just want to insult him, and after I''ve insulted him, I don''t want to apologize. What are you going to do about it?" the silver-haired man challenged, not taking Shu Ya seriously at all. Why should he apologize just because Shu Ya said so? "Have you no decency?" Shu Ya''s expression grew cold; she couldn''t believe this guy was so shameless to insult someone openly and still be so defiant when caught. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. By then, the other men and women had also regained their composure, sneering at Shu Ya, no longer taking her seriously. No matter how strong Shu Ya''s presence was, she was still just one person. They had a dozen people there, why should they be afraid of her? As for Hao Jian and the Crazy Faction, these two cowards, preferring to let a woman stand up for them rather than confronting the issue themselves, what could they possibly do? They just seemed like a couple of cowardly trash, and the group paid them even less mind! "It all depends on who it is. For a beautiful woman like you, I guess decorum just won''t hold up. You see, my flag is already raised high, hard and ready!" the bearded man lewdly said, looking at Shu Ya, while pointing at his bulging crotch. "You''re shameless!" Shu Ya fumed with rage, her face flushing red, angrily glaring at the bearded man. As Shu Ya grew angrier, the men and women laughed even more unrestrainedly. "Beauty, why don''t you join us for a drink? If you''re willing to have a drink with us, we might consider apologizing to that dead freak," the silver-haired man also sneered. "Unreasonable!" Shu Ya shook her head and then turned and left, no longer bothering to argue with them. "Hey beautiful, don''t go, let''s chat," the bearded man then caught hold of Shu Ya''s hand, unwilling to let her leave so easily. Because in his eyes, Hao Jian and the Crazy Faction were both cowards, he thought even if they took a bit of advantage of Shu Ya, these two losers wouldn''t dare do anything significant. There were over ten of them, and eight were burly men because they were all members of the boxing club upstairs, so they were not afraid of Hao Jian and his companion at all. "Let go!" Shu Ya glared and said, shocked that Huzi would be so brazen. "Drink this glass, and I''ll let go!" Huzi said with a sleazy smile, his face shameless. "I don''t drink, and I won''t," Shu Ya said coldly, the man''s rudeness had angered her, "Let go now, I''m warning you, my boyfriend and his friends are not in a good mood!" If it were before, Shu Ya would have immediately called the police and handled the situation herself. But now it was different, she would bring up Hao Jian, her man, to protect her! Shu Ya was no longer as assertive as before because she now had someone to protect her! "Those two losers? They don''t even dare to pick a fight, let alone you, a woman standing up for them, what can they do?" the silver-haired man scoffed sarcastically, his eyes scornfully looking towards Hao Jian, only to see Hao Jian smirking back at him. The silver-haired man became annoyed immediately and yelled, "What the fuck are you looking at? Keep looking and see if I don''t beat you up?" With the silver-haired man''s outburst, all the guests present turned their attention to Hao Jian and him. Hao Jian just smiled and then lowered his head. "Psh, loser!" Seeing Hao Jian lower his head, the silver-haired man thought Hao Jian was scared and his smugness intensified. "Beautiful, you see? Your man is such a loser, he doesn''t even dare to help you when you''re being bullied. Why stick with such a loser; come with me instead?" Huzi still held Shu Ya''s hand, winking and making faces, the frivolity clear in his expression. But Shu Ya didn''t show any expression and coldly said, "He''s not scared, he''s angry. Trust me, soon you guys are going to have a very miserable time!" "Girl, you think I''m just bluffing? If he''s so tough, let him come here and see if I don''t beat him to a pulp!" Huzi yelled, glaring at Hao Jian as he spoke. His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear; he was clearly provoking Hao Jian. Consequently, everyone looked at Hao Jian with disdain, his girlfriend being harassed and as her boyfriend, he didn''t even dare to make a peep, utterly pathetic. "Can''t even have a peaceful meal, huh," Hao Jian sighed, then slowly stood up and walked towards Huzi and the others. "Oh, he actually dares to come over? That kid must think he''s got too long to live!" the silver-haired man sneered, surprised but still disdainful. Huzi also looked down on Hao Jian, curious to see what Hao Jian could do. A group of people watched him maliciously. "Are you alright?" Hao Jian approached Shu Ya and asked softly. "He''s fine, but you''ll be in trouble soon," before Shu Ya could reply, Huzi scoffed. "Help me beat him!" Shu Ya was straightforward, pointing at Huzi as she spoke to Hao Jian. She was also very angry now; Huzi''s hand on her made her feel disgusted, just like a lump of phlegm stuck to her hand. Hao Jian simply smiled and then stared at Huzi, "Let her go." "You think you can just say ''let go''? Who the fuck are you?" the silver-haired man abruptly stood up, his face right in front of Hao Jian, menacing and arrogant, glaring straight at him. "Can you keep a distance? Do you have bad breath?" Hao Jian asked with a smile, looking at the silver-haired man. "Fuck your mother, I think you''re asking to die!" the silver-haired man''s face turned red, then he rolled up his sleeves, ready to punch Hao Jian, but before he could move, Hao Jian struck first. Bang! The silver-haired man was slapped by Hao Jian onto the table, immediately seeing stars, dizzy. Huzi and the others were dumbfounded, the silver-haired man, standing nearly six and a half feet tall and weighing about 300 pounds, was burly like a bull, and the slim Hao Jian had knocked him down with just a slap? They saw clearly, the silver-haired man was directly slanted and fell on the table, as if Hao Jian had flipped him over with just a slap. Knocking over a 300-pound man with a slap? But Hao Jian didn''t plan to let him off just yet; he picked up a beer bottle from the table and smashed it over his head. "Bang!" "Ah!" The silver-haired man screamed as his head burst open in an instant. Chapter 664 - 665: The Monster Duo In an instant, everyone couldn''t help but inhale sharply. Hao Jian was too ruthless, he actually blew the silver-haired man''s head off. The silver-haired man lay twitching incessantly on the table then rolled underneath it and couldn''t get up after a long while. Hao Jian sneered with a cold laugh, "Now tell me, are you satisfied?" Huzi and the others were completely dumbfounded. They had thought Hao Jian was a coward, but he quickly proved them wrong with a striking fact. "You dare hit my man?" Huzi rose to his feet, furious. As he stood up, the brothers beside him also stood up, glaring with anger. At that moment, the Crazy Faction continued to eat leisurely as if they hadn''t noticed the commotion in Hao Jian''s direction. "Don''t rush, you''re next!" Hao Jian said cheerfully. "Kill this brat!" Huzi was seething with anger. He had never been so disrespected before. A group of people surged forward, punching and kicking at Hao Jian. Hao Jian narrowed his eyes, letting their fists and feet land on his body without attempting to dodge. "Bang, bang, bang..." The punches and kicks from the eight men all hit Hao Jian, but he didn''t budge an inch. Besides some shoe prints on his clothes, they couldn''t even leave a red mark. Seeing this, everyone, including Huzi, was shocked. Was this kid made of iron? Despite taking so many hits, he acted as if nothing happened. "Damn it, my clothes are expensive, you know?" Hao Jian swore irritably, glaring fiercely at Huzi. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Huzi felt a shiver down his spine. They were professional boxers, their skill in punches and kicks was not ordinary. A normal person would go down after one of their punches, but Hao Jian remained unaffected even after being hit by all eight of them. "Keep hitting, keep hitting!" Huzi''s voice trembled with fear, as he felt that there was something eerie about Hao Jian. "This is a personal feud between him and me. I don''t want others to interfere, so those who know better should step aside; otherwise, don''t blame me for being merciless," Hao Jian warned the boxers around him. Meeting Hao Jian''s gaze, the boxers hesitated, sensing that he wasn''t joking. "Do it! It''s just one man, what''s there to be afraid of?" Huzi bellowed. "Roar!" The boxers rushed at Hao Jian, intending to attack him again. But this time, Hao Jian wouldn''t show mercy again. He had given these people a chance, but since they failed to appreciate it, he was not to blame for what followed. Thump, thump! Hao Jian punched instantaneously, his fists moving with extreme speed. The leading two men didn''t even know what happened before they were sent flying and landed heavily on the floor, unable to get back up. Whoosh! Hao Jian unleashed a Tornado Kick, the remaining four men also flew in different directions, landing harshly. Huzi inhaled sharply, staring at Hao Jian in a mix of fear and shock. He couldn''t fathom how someone so thin could be so formidable. But Huzi soon regained his composure and said with a cold face, "You think you''re great just because you know a few tricks? Let me tell you, I have over twenty students upstairs. What do you think would happen if I call them all down?" "Why don''t you try it?" Hao Jian said, mocking. "What?" Huzi was stunned. What did Hao Jian mean by that? "I said why don''t you try calling them all down, and see what happens?" Hao Jian said nonchalantly. Huzi was completely flabbergasted. Was this guy not afraid to die? Facing ten people, Huzi had seen it before, but one against dozens was simply unheard of. "Call for backup!" Huzi ordered coldly. The silver-haired man hurriedly took out his phone to make a call, but his head was still spinning from the hits Hao Jian had given him, likely causing a concussion. "Get everyone down to the restaurant immediately, we have trouble!" The silver-haired man yelled hysterically, driven to the brink of rage. Being the one usually doing the bullying, he couldn''t believe he was now the one being bullied. After making the call, the silver-haired man glared viciously at Hao Jian, "You bastard, wait and see, this isn''t over! You dare to hit me, I''ll take one of your legs!" "Crack!" Hao Jian stepped directly on his head, bringing him into close contact with the floor again, "Did I allow you to talk or are you yapping in my presence thinking you can?" The silver-haired man gnashed his teeth, eyes filled with sharp hatred. He longed to tear a piece of flesh from Hao Jian''s body, unable to bear the humiliation. "Come on, make another sound, and see if I dare to crush your head!" Hao Jian threatened ominously. The silver-haired man wisely chose to stay silent, knowing that any noise would invite more beatings. "Doesn''t the saying ''the gun shoots the bird that pokes its head out'' apply here? How old are you to be acting tough in front of others? Haven''t met a real tough guy, have you?" Hao Jian chuckled, looking at the silver-haired man who was just over twenty, twenty-two at most. Just because he was a bit muscular, he felt invincible, which Hao Jian found amusing. Because the silver-haired man was mixed-race, his physique was much more imposing than most of his peers in Huaxia. That''s also why he joined the boxing gym to train, aiming to make himself stronger and more masculine! The silver-haired man had always thought that being big meant being strong, and muscles guaranteed power. But today, his belief was shattered. Hao Jian''s build was nothing compared to his, practically skin and bones. Yet it was such a guy who slapped him so hard he couldn''t stand up, and his head was still swimming. "Who dares to mess with our gym''s people!" Just then, about twenty burly men appeared at the restaurant door, blocking the entire entrance so that no one inside could get out, and no one outside could get in. The customers and waitstaff inside were terrified. If a fight broke out, they could get hurt by mistake. "Kid, if you apologize now, it''s not too late!" Huzi cackled from above, looking down at Hao Jian. "Apologize? How would you like me to apologize?" Hao Jian asked mockingly. "Get down on your knees and lick my leather shoes!" Huzi laughed arrogantly. "Alright, I''ve changed my mind," Hao Jian sighed helplessly. Changed his mind? Was the kid backing down? Huzi''s face lit up with joy. The guy was obviously scared, and with even more pride he added, "I forgot to mention, in addition to kneeling and licking, you have to hand over that chick by your side for me to enjoy for the night, then I''ll let you go! Otherwise, I''ll have my guys beat you so bad even your mom won''t recognize you!" "You''ve got it all wrong. When I said I changed my mind, I meant that before I only planned to take one of your hands, but now, I plan on taking both!" said Hao Jian. "F*ck your mother!" Huzi felt as though Hao Jian had punched him in the chest, rage boiling inside him. Such an arrogant kid, he''d never encountered one before; coming to his end and still daring to threaten him, did he really think he was a vegetarian? "Everyone get in, rip this kid apart!" Huzi roared. "Roar!" The boxing gym students outside all roared simultaneously, charging in. At that moment, Awaking finally raised his head. But when he did, his eyes shone brightly, dazzling like a dragon awakening. "Bang!" Awaking suddenly slapped the marble table, which immediately flew up, only to be caught single-handedly by Awaking. He actually held the 500-pound marble table with one hand. Then, Awaking walked unhurriedly towards the twenty or so men and furiously smashed the table at them, sending the first few flying. Those men flew into those behind them, and a group of them instantly fell to the ground. As a key member of Crazy Faction, Awaking''s terrifying strength was unquestionable. How else would he have caught the eye of Hao Jian? Awaking alone held off more than twenty opponents, and then with a smile said, "Sorry, this pathway is closed!" Everyone was petrified. They had thought Hao Jian was frightening enough, but Awaking was even scarier than Hao Jian. What on earth were these two, a monster duo? At this point, the most expressive faces belonged to Huzi and the silver-haired man. They had thought that by gathering their forces they could regain some face, but their men were taken down by Awaking in a single encounter. And the ones at the front were all bloody, with deformed noses, heads, and arms. "Now tell me, do you plan to do it yourself or should I?" Hao Jian said with a smile to Huzi. "Thump." Huzi knelt down shamelessly, for he knew it was not the time to be stubborn. Hao Jian and his crew were not human, but monsters! Demons! Definitely not human! Making enemies with such monsters was simply seeking death! Huzi was close to tears. Was he brain-dead? To have insulted such a monster, to have dared say they were cowards? Who was the coward now? The other customers were also dumbfounded, unable to imagine such a turn in the story. The side that had been full of pomp and swagger was crushed in the end. "What are you doing? This way, aren''t you just becoming a coward like me?" Hao Jian said sarcastically. "Big brother, I know I was wrong. I shouldn''t have insulted your friends or harassed your woman. Please give me a chance. I will definitely turn over a new leaf and be a good person!" Huzi said earnestly, his tone filled with sincere conviction, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor. However, Hao Jian didn''t buy his act at all, chuckling, "You people never shed tears until you''ve seen the coffin, but when the coffin comes before you, it''s already too late." Chapter 665 - 666: Daughter of the Corpse Dismembering Demon Hao Jian grabbed the big bearded man''s collar and smiled, "Ever heard of karma? I suppose you guys often bully others like this, right? It''s because no one dares to resist you, which has led to your arrogant behavior. You just haven''t met someone truly ruthless, like me!" Immediately, Hao Jian pinned him to the ground, no longer wasting words, "Tell me, do you want to do it yourself, or should I?" "Boss... Please, I have elderly parents and young children." The big bearded man looked pitifully at Hao Jian. "Cut it out, give your son to your ex-wife. A person like you isn''t fit to be a father or a husband, so you don''t corrupt the child," Hao Jian said with a smile. The big bearded man felt like crying, as Hao Jian obviously had no intention of letting him go. "Forget it, I''ll do it myself. After all, I''m a professional. If I do it, you won''t feel too much pain," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Professional?" The big bearded man was terrified. What kind of person was this? "Crack!" Hao Jian stepped on the big bearded man''s arm and squeezed hard, slowly deforming his arm until it was eerily flattened. "Ow! It hurts! It hurts so much! Let go!!!" The big bearded man howled in pain, his other hand beating the ground continuously. Hao Jian didn''t immediately disable his hand but slowly crushed it bit by bit. "Didn''t you say it wouldn''t hurt me? You lied!" The big bearded man howled hysterically, looking as if he wanted to devour Hao Jian alive. "I''m your enemy. Why would you believe what I say?" Hao Jian said cheerfully, "Alright, time for the other hand. Stretch it out!" The big bearded man shook his head like a rattle-drum. "Good boy, listen. It will be over soon!" Hao Jian soothed him gently, sounding just like a doctor telling a child, "Good boy, the shot won''t hurt at all." But the big bearded man kept shaking his head while bravely crying out, "I really know I was wrong, I really do." "Hm, I believe you," Hao Jian nodded and then added, "But you realized your mistake too late!" Crack! This time, Hao Jian didn''t torment the big bearded man, but directly broke his other hand. "See, I haven''t tortured you this time. You don''t have to thank me. Since you know you were wrong, I will forgive you," Hao Jian nodded at the big bearded man, with a you-need-not-thank-me look. Grateful? I''d damn well like to flay you alive! The big bearded man lay on the floor, not daring to move, his forehead''s veins bulging. The pain in both his hands was so intense he was close to passing out, any slight movement felt like they were about to snap. Hao Jian patted the big bearded man''s face, "Remember, don''t carelessly touch what others treasure with your dirty hands; it makes people angry!" "And you," Hao Jian turned to the man with silver hair. "Stop being so full of yourself. What''s with the act when you''re so young?" Seeing Hao Jian''s gaze turn toward him, the man with silver hair immediately lay flat on the ground and a yellow liquid flowed from his pants. Seeing this, Hao Jian clicked his tongue in wonder, "Okay then, I thought you were just a kid, but it turns out you''re a baby, unable to control your own pee and poop." Upon hearing this, the man with silver hair was so mortified he wanted to commit suicide, but he didn''t dare make a sound. This man before them was nothing short of a devil! "Alright, waiter, the check!" Hao Jian called out. "No... It''s on the house, I''ll comp your meal!" The manager said in terror. How dare he charge Hao Jian now? If Hao Jian got upset, he might get beaten up or continue causing a scene here. "On the house? What are you comping? Do I look like someone who eats without paying?" Hao Jian glared, then slapped a hundred bill on the table, "Keep the change!" After that, Hao Jian left with the two members of the Crazy Faction. Staring at the hundred bill on the table, the restaurant manager felt like crying. The Crazy Faction had eaten several thousand yuan worth of food, and Hao Jian just left a hundred yuan? S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. How could someone be so shameless? When he heard that Hao Jian was going to pay, he was overjoyed. But only a hundred yuan? That was as good as nothing. Didn''t want to pay but still wanted to save face? The manager was tempted to vomit blood! Upon leaving the restaurant, the Crazy Faction quickly returned to normal, cheerfully planning to buy new clothes as if nothing had happened. "Hey, how did you meet her?" Shu Ya couldn''t hold back and asked Hao Jian as the Crazy Faction girl excitedly jumped around, picking out clothes like a little girl. Someone like Crazy Faction was someone Shu Ya could never have encountered if not for Hao Jian in her lifetime. Moreover, being a girl but looking like a burly man, Shu Ya figured she must have often faced mockery like today''s. Shu Ya knew it had to be hard on her as a girl. "Her background is quite tragic," Hao Jian said, arms crossed over his chest, a grim look on his face. "Her father is the infamous murderer in Europe and America known as Moriarty!" "The Corpse Dismembering Demon, Moriarty?" Shu Ya gasped in shock. "Wow, you know about him?" Hao Jian was stunned. "How could I not? Moriarty was a notorious crime expert in the eighties who dismembered and burned over a hundred people, cooked their remains, and dumped them in the wilderness. The FBI in America hunted him for twenty years without success. It was all over the news; the whole world was shocked. This person is actually Moriarty''s daughter?" "It would be more accurate to say son than daughter. Moriarty dismembered and ate her parents, but he spared her and raised her as his own," Hao Jian explained. "Why?" Shu Ya couldn''t understand. If Moriarty could eat the Crazy Faction''s parents, why didn''t he eat her too? "Who knows what goes on in the mind of a madman? Maybe he found pleasure in keeping his enemy''s daughter close by." Hao Jian shrugged and continued, "The reason she turned out like this is that Moriarty injected her with male hormones since she was young; that''s why she has become what she is now!" "Moriarty really is a pervert!" Shu Ya said vehemently, furious that someone could turn a girl into this. "The more twisted part comes next." Hao Jian sneered, "When she was three, Moriarty gave her a pet dog, then killed the dog a month later. Afterwards, at the age of seven, he forced her to kill a pig, and by eleven, she had killed a person." Shu Ya was lost for words, to make a child bond with a pet dog and then kill it was too cruel. Moriarty had driven the Crazy Faction to become a Murderer. "Such a bastard really deserves to die!" Shu Ya said through clenched teeth. "He''s already dead, killed by the Crazy Faction," Hao Jian said with a laugh. "Is that so? That''s really gratifying!" Shu Ya huffed. People like that deserve death. "Gratifying for whom? Moriarty died laughing, and he died laughing loudly," Hao Jian said. "Didn''t you say yourself Moriarty was a pervert? There''s nothing strange about him dying with a laugh." "The reason he laughed is that he had cultivated a new Moriarty. He didn''t care about his own death at all; what he cared about was that his disciple would continue to wreak havoc in the world." Hao Jian sighed, "Some people just want to watch the world turn into a living Hell. They may be human by appearance, but lack humanity, more resembling demons clad in human skin!" Upon hearing this, Shu Ya remained silent for a long time, never having encountered such people or knowing that such terrifying people existed in the world. "When I met her, she was eighteen and had already killed more than two hundred people. Surviving on robbery and murder, without moral sense or knowledge of right and wrong, killing anyone just to fill her stomach," Hao Jian said. "Then how did you change her?" asked Shu Ya, astonished. "With my love and charm!" said Hao Jian. "Shameless!" Shu Ya rolled her eyes, not believing the nonsense Hao Jian spouted. At that moment, however, the Crazy Faction had already finished shopping and come out. "Hey, sir, you haven''t paid yet!" The cashier chased after them. "Who are you calling sir? I''m a miss!" the Crazy Faction retorted with a glare, her eyes fierce as those of a leopard, which reduced the young woman to tears. "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, here''s the money, take it," Hao Jian quickly stepped forward, somewhat exasperated at the situation. The three of them were walking down from the elevator when a little girl playing near the elevators fell by accident. A fall shouldn''t have been a big deal, but the mistake was that she fell into the elevator shaft. As the elevator descended, it was about to trap her hand. "Swoosh!" In an instant, the Crazy Faction dropped the clothes from her hands and dashed forward, scooping up the little girl in her arms. The little girl, seeing such a fierce ''uncle'' grab her, was initially stunned, then burst into loud tears. "What''s going on here? Are you bullying my daughter?" A well-dressed woman hurried over, snatching the little girl from the Crazy Faction''s arms. "What are you doing? Trying to kidnap a child?" the affluent woman glared at the Crazy Faction. As she spoke out, a crowd quickly gathered around, cornering the Crazy Faction. After all, there were too many kidnappers these days, and the public hated them deeply. Those kidnappers didn''t just ruin one person but devastated entire families. The Crazy Faction remained expressionless as the affluent woman pointed at her nose and cursed profusely. "What''s all the yelling for? My friend saved your daughter, and even if you''re ungrateful, is there any need for slander?" Shu Ya angrily protested............. Chapter 666 - 667: Does Sister Have Chest Hair? "Save my daughter? What a joke, didn''t you see how he made my girl cry? A big man wearing women''s clothing, that''s really perverse, just looking at him you can tell he''s not a good person. If he''s not a kidnapper, then what is he?" the lady said coldly. Hearing the lady''s words, everyone also cast contemptuous looks at the Crazy Faction. Yes, a big man wearing women''s clothing must be mentally disturbed. "You!" Shu Ya was immediately infuriated. This woman was truly a shrew, blindly accusing people without understanding the situation. It was broad daylight and in a mall, who would dare to traffic children here? Does she not use her brain? "What''s going on here?" A group of security guards approached. "Quick, arrest these people, they are kidnappers, they tried to kidnap my daughter!" the lady shouted, pointing at Hao Jian and the others. "Hmm?" The security guards immediately surrounded Shu Ya and her group, but seeing how beautiful Shu Ya looked, and how well-dressed she was, it seemed unlikely that she was a kidnapper. "We are not kidnappers, we saved her daughter. If you don''t believe it, go check the surveillance footage." By then, Hao Jian spoke up, his face grim. Seeing Hao Jian''s stern face, the security guards didn''t dare to act rashly and sent one of them to check the surveillance footage. Soon enough, the guard returned, whispering a few words into their captain''s ear. Then, the captain stared wide-eyed at the lady and scolded, "What nonsense are you spouting? If it weren''t for them, your daughter would have lost her hand!" "What? He clearly wanted to kidnap my daughter!" the lady stubbornly said. "Kidnap? What we saw in the monitor shows that you neglected your daughter, let her run wild in the mall, leading her to fall down in the elevator, almost having her hand crushed. If this guy hadn''t acted quickly, your daughter''s hand would have been gone!" the captain of the security scolded. Thanks to Hao Jian reminding them to check the surveillance, an innocent person was spared false blame. "How can this be?" The lady was stunned. Hearing this, there was a chorus of hisses from the crowd; it turned out that this woman had made a mistake and falsely accused a good person. "You can''t even watch your child properly, and yet you''re ungrateful to someone who saved your daughter. Don''t you know to first understand the situation before reacting? You''re in your thirties, have you lived your years in vain?" Hao Jian couldn''t hold back any longer and burst out, "Just because she dresses a bit strangely, does that make her a bad person? You dress so brightly and beautifully, does that make you a good person? Damn, what nonsense!" "You!" This time, it was the lady who was lost for words. "Get lost! Shrew!" a person from the crowd cursed loudly. "I am a man, I even grow a ponytail, what the hell does it matter to you?" another person also started cursing. "Looking down on people!" When the crowd heard Hao Jian''s words, they were greatly shocked, all of them then turned to bombard the lady with criticism. "But he still made my daughter cry?" the lady stubbornly said, refusing to apologize. "Is her crying more important than her losing her hand? So you mean, she should just watch your daughter''s hand get crushed, just so she wouldn''t cry, right?" Hao Jian sneered repeatedly. Afterwards, the lady was at a loss for words, not knowing how to respond. And the crowd looked at the lady with a hint of mockery in their eyes. "And that frightens your daughter? This is what you call frightening!" Hao Jian suddenly turned his face away, and when he turned back, his face was twisted in a ghastly manner, muscles stiff, a smile sinister, and his eyes gleaming an eerie green. Though it remained a human face, it looked like a mask made of human skin. At that moment, Hao Jian looked like a corpse, like a Malevolent Ghost that had just crawled out from underground. "Wow!" Not only did the little girl cry, but her mother cried as well. "Apologize!" Shu Ya also stood out. "I''m sorry." The lady dropped these words and then hurriedly ran off, obviously scared witless by Hao Jian. "Brother, that was tough on you." "Brother, well done." The people all gave the Crazy Faction a thumbs up. "Let''s go!" But the Crazy Faction left emotionlessly, heading out. Seeing this, Shu Ya couldn''t help but be startled; that was too cool. "She''s just like that." Hao Jian explained, and then he pulled Shu Ya to leave. Late at night, Shu Ya saw the Crazy Faction standing alone on the balcony deep in thought, perhaps still pondering over today''s event. "What? Still thinking about today?" Shu Ya approached. The Crazy Faction glanced at her, then continued to gaze into the distance, "I''ve long forgotten." "Are you that strong inside?" Shu Ya asked in astonishment. The Crazy Faction chuckled coldly, "It''s not that I''m strong inside; it''s because I simply don''t care about the opinions of people I don''t care about. I saved her because I wanted to save her, regardless of the consequences." "Did Hao Jian make you this way?" "Yes, Moriarty pushed me into Hell, and he pulled me out of Hell. Although others call him the God of Death, only I know he is God. He is the only one who can defeat Moriarty, that Demon," the Crazy Faction laughed as she talked about Hao Jian, with genuine joy from the heart. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What truly made Moriarty terrifying wasn''t that he killed people, but his utter lack of humanity and his madness. But Hao Jian was able to rescue the Crazy Faction from Moriarty''s world of madness, so in her eyes, Hao Jian was God! "Can your condition be cured?" Shu Ya asked. "Hao Jian said it could be cured, he could turn me into a real woman, I believe he can do it," the Crazy Faction smiled. Though her appearance was rugged, this smile had the innocence of a girl, making Shu Ya inadvertently stare in awe. "Do you trust him a lot?" Shu Ya asked in surprise. "For him, I''m willing to be against the whole world!" the Crazy Faction said, expressing her feelings. At that moment, Shu Ya actually felt a bit jealous of the Crazy Faction, though she looked like this; she had at least experienced various things with Hao Jian. Yet her understanding of Hao Jian still remained superficial. Suddenly, footsteps sounded from outside the door. Tongtong and Ruo Lan, carrying suitcases, appeared at Hao Jian''s doorstep, having just returned from their hometown. "Godmother!" Tongtong hurried up and threw herself into Shu Ya''s arms. "Oh, my sweet daughter, you''re finally back. Godmother missed you so much." Shu Ya said while holding Tongtong. At this moment, Tongtong also noticed the Crazy Faction nearby and a look of total confusion crossed her face. "Uncle? Aunt?" Tongtong was somewhat unable to discern the Crazy Faction''s gender, as they dressed like a woman but had the appearance of a man. "It''s sister!" the Crazy Faction said with a smile. "Sister, do you have chest hair?" Tongtong asked in a babyish voice. "..." .... "Boss, Gao Luyuan is here," a lackey reported within the headquarters of the Red Makeup Society. "Gao Luyuan? Did he say what he wants?" Gao Jiping was somewhat puzzled. She and this cousin did not have much relationship, although both were involved in gang activities. Ever since Gao Luyuan proposed and Gao Jiping refused to merge her gang under his, they had ceased all contact. Even if Gao Luyuan held no grudge against her, he definitely wouldn''t like her. So Gao Jiping was curious about the true intention behind Gao Luyuan''s visit. "He didn''t say." "How many people did he bring?" "Only seven or eight." "Let him in!" said Gao Jiping. After all, visitors are guests, and since Gao Luyuan brought only a few people with him, she saw no reason to stop him. Soon after, Gao Luyuan entered Gao Jiping''s office, surrounded by a group of people. Gao Luyuan was a man in his fifties, with a fierce appearance, gray hair, and an upright posture, giving off a very authoritative aura. Gao Jiping smiled and said, "Cousin, long time no see, you still look imposing." But Gao Luyuan was not in the mood to catch up and said coldly, "Your cousin is dead!" "Gao Shanrong?" Gao Jiping was puzzled. How had he died, and what did that have to do with her? Still, Gao Jiping politely said, "Cousin, please accept my condolences!" "I''m not here for your sympathy," Gao Luyuan said with a cold face. "Then, what is it you mean, cousin?" Gao Jiping asked, becoming curious about his intention. "The man who killed him is named Hao Jian!" Gao Luyuan gritted his teeth as he spoke the name, as if he wanted to shatter it. "What?" Gao Jiping immediately became anxious and then quickly waved her hands, "Sorry, I can''t help with this!" It was a joke, what was Hao Jian''s status now? Opposing him was akin to seeking death. Gao Jiping didn''t even need to think about it; Gao Luyuan undoubtedly wanted to collaborate with her to seek revenge on Hao Jian, and Gao Jiping did not want to be foolish alongside him. "You haven''t even heard my plan yet!" Gao Luyuan said darkly. Gao Jiping''s refusal irritated him. "No matter what the plan is, there''s no way I will agree to it. We cannot deal with Hao Jian," Gao Jiping said, shaking her head. "So my son''s death is in vain?" Gao Luyuan shouted angrily. "Cousin, you should just go home. You can''t avenge Gao Shanrong. Since you know it''s Hao Jian, you must be aware of what he''s done in the past. He manipulated the four young masters of Hua City with ease, how can we, from the lower echelons of society, compare to him?" Gao Jiping advised kindly. "I know what he has done in the past, but so what? He dared to kill my son, Gao Luyuan, and he must pay the price!" Gao Luyuan was almost hysterical, or perhaps he had already gone crazy; the grief of losing his son had driven him mad. "Then you should have kept better control over your own son! Hao Jian never kills anyone unprovoked, at most he cripples them. If he killed Gao Shanrong, then it means Gao Shanrong really did something unforgivable!" Gao Jiping said coldly. Hao Jian killed your son, not me, why are you yelling at me? Who do you think you are? Gao Jiping also lost her temper. If Gao Luyuan wanted to die, she wouldn''t stop him, but there was no reason to drag her along! "Even if he committed grave sins, it doesn''t justify taking his life!" Gao Luyuan insisted stubbornly. "He dared to kill my son, Gao Luyuan, and I want his life! They look down on us Mafia, but I''m going to show them just how formidable we can be!" "You will die! Your people will die!" Gao Jiping said coldly. "Gao Jiping, are you scared?" Gao Luyuan sneered. "Yes, I am scared because I know what I''m up against. That guy is not human; I can''t fight a monster," Gao Jiping said gravely. "You''re degenerating more and more, you don''t have the spirit a Mafia should have!" Gao Luyuan taunted. "So what if you kill him? Do you think Hao Jian''s men will let you off? You are still going to die!" Gao Jiping reminded. "Don''t think I don''t know, Hao Jian has offended many, including the four great families of Huaxia who want him dead too. If I kill him, it''s like solving a big problem for those elites, and they''ll probably protect me rather than kill me," Gao Luyuan boasted proudly. "Besides, even if that happens, I don''t care, because I''m here to die with Hao Jian!" "Gao Jiping, this is your turf; you know it well. If you could help, we could get twice the result with half the effort. Once Hao Jian is gone, both of us could make our names known, no one would dare look down on us anymore. Don''t you feel tempted?" Gao Luyuan urged eagerly. "Compared to those illusory dreams, I''m more satisfied with the status quo," Gao Jiping shook her head and said. "Considering our kinship, I won''t tell Hao Jian about this, so just take care! Somebody, see the guest out!" Gao Jiping didn''t want to continue tangling with Gao Luyuan, as he had already gone mad; completely irrational and biting everyone in sight! Chapter 667 - 668: The Discarded Piece "Good, very good!" Gao Luyuan glared viciously at Gao Jiping before dejectedly leading his men away, but as he left, his last glance was pregnant with a deep, self-satisfied meaning. "Has the old bastard gone mad? He actually plans to make a move on Mr. Hao Jian?" At this time, Gao Jiping''s underling stepped forward and spoke with disdain. "He has indeed lost his mind, the pain of losing his son has caused him to lose all reason," Gao Jiping gravely said, and then continued, "Give me the phone, call Spice Ginger, tell him about this." "Tip off? If Gao Luyuan finds out about this, won''t he hold a grudge against us?" the confidant reminded. "If Hao Jian finds out that we knew and didn''t report it, he will be the one to hold a grudge against us," Gao Jiping responded with a wry smile, fearing offending Hao Jian far more than Gao Luyuan. Elsewhere, Vivian had been held captive in Shu Ya Group''s warehouse for five or six days. During this time, she was imprisoned there, her limbs bound in chains, with all her bodily functions relegated to a small corner. Since the warehouse lacked a restroom, whenever she needed to relieve herself, she had no choice but to do it in her pants. Of course, she could remove her pants, but that would expose parts of her body that were not meant to be seen by Hao Jian and others. To avoid humiliation, she chose the disgraceful option of soiling her pants. At this point, Vivian no longer bore the pride she had when she first arrived, her face etched with shame and fury, as she sat in one spot all day without moving. "Boss, isn''t this a bit too cruel? Not allowing her food or drink is one thing, but not even letting her use the restroom? Aren''t you driving her to a dead end?" Heigui commented while they were all in the monitoring room. "That''s exactly the point, to drive her to a dead end and cause a mental breakdown. Terrorists like her do not fear death, they have no desires or moral compass, and hence, all threats and temptations are ineffective against them," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh, "But people like her have one common flaw." "What flaw is that?" Heigui couldn''t help but ask. "That is their extraordinary sense of pride. If I crush the dignity and glory they cherish, they will eventually curl up like ants." Tie Shan and the rest were taken aback, asking, "Boss, how do you know so much about these things?" "Through frequent contact with such people, you naturally come to understand," Hao Jian explained, since he had dealt with similar people in the past. Hearing this, Tie Shan and the others felt a chill, realizing that Hao Jian had been dealing with terrorists all this time. What exactly was his identity? At the same time, they started to pay attention to the members of the Crazy Faction nearby, because the Faction''s attire was indeed bizarre. Fully-grown men dressed in women''s clothing would certainly turn heads on the street. But despite this, they dared not mock the Crazy Faction, sensing that they were no ordinary individuals. "It''s about time, open the door," Hao Jian said with a malicious smile, then entered alongside the Crazy Faction. The moment the door opened, Vivian''s head shot up, her eyes ablaze with venomous hatred. "Long time no see, your gaze has become even colder," Hao Jian sneered, and then removed the cloth from Vivian''s mouth. It was to prevent Vivian from committing suicide by biting her own tongue. "Hao Jian, I''m going to kill you. As long as I''m alive, I''ll wipe out everyone close to you. You just wait!" As soon as the cloth was removed, Vivian began cursing furiously. Vivian was truly going mad. A foul stench emanated from her, the result of days without a bath and relieving herself on her person. Vivian had never experienced such humiliation from childhood to adulthood. Murder was a crime with a clear boundary, but Hao Jian had humiliated her like this, driving her to madness. Perhaps for a man, this might not be much, but Vivian was a woman. Even if she were an assassin, she valued cleanliness. What Hao Jian did was akin to stripping her naked and forcing her to run through the streets, or even worse. "Oh, still got the energy to shout, huh? Alright then, let''s keep you here a few more days," Hao Jian said coldly, and then turned to leave. "Hao Jian, what exactly do you want?" Vivian screamed, frantic to the point of wanting to curse her mother. "Tell me what I want to know, and I''ll let you go," Hao Jian said with a menacing grin. "You want me to betray Young Master Ye? I''ll tell you, it''s impossible!" Vivian declared defiantly, for even a terrorist has dignity. "Seems like you''re quite loyal, but I wonder if Ye Wenying cares about you just as much?" Hao Jian taunted before taking out his phone to make a call. Vivian''s heart clenched; Hao Jian was actually calling Ye Wenying. "Who is it?" As soon as the call connected, an unfriendly voice came from the other end¡ªYe Wenying''s. "Me, Hao Jian," Hao Jian said with a smile. Upon hearing this, Ye Wenying fell silent on the other end of the line, seemingly realizing the situation. Vivian had left days ago to assassinate Hao Jian with no word since. Now that Hao Jian was calling out of the blue, it implied that Vivian was in his hands. "What''s up, Young Master Ye? Not talking?" Hao Jian teased. "What do you want?" Ye Wenying asked confrontationally, assuming Hao Jian had an ulterior motive for the call. "I should be asking you that, you said we hit it off and were kindred spirits, and now you suddenly send someone to kill me, what''s that all about?" Hao Jian said with a cheeky grin. Hearing this, Vivian rolled her eyes. This guy really had no shame. Hit it off? Kindred spirits? In his dreams, perhaps? "Speak plainly!" Ye Wenying snapped, unable to tolerate the man''s thick skin any further. "You send someone to kill me, and now your person has been caught by me, shouldn''t you give some sort of response?" Hao Jian teased. "Firstly, I did not send anyone to kill you, and I don''t know what you''re talking about, and besides... what kind of response do you want?" Ye Wenying sneered, seeing right through Hao Jian''s attempt to trap him with his words. Hao Jian cursed under his breath at Ye Wenying''s cunning; the man was so on guard. "That depends on how much you care about her. By my estimates, shouldn''t it be at least five or six hundred million?" Hao Jian brazenly demanded. "Are you fucking joking with me?" Ye Wenying cursed out loud, that was no small sum. With that much money, he could hire a hitman ten times more capable than Vivian. And hearing Ye Wenying''s roar, Vivian''s face fell, for she knew Ye Wenying would never ransom her. "Do I look like I''m joking? What, too expensive for you?" Hao Jian asked with a mocking smile. "Failure means death. I think she''s well aware of that, no need for me to explain further." After saying that, Ye Wenying hung up the phone, clearly having no desire to bother with Vivian anymore. It also hadn''t crossed his mind that Hao Jian could be so greedy as to demand a ransom. He was not going to pay to have Vivian ransomed back. If he did, wouldn''t that mean Vivian was sent by him? If Hao Jian made a big deal out of this, it could become very troublesome for him. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, your boss is really hardcore, ready to sell you out just like that," Hao Jian shook his head saying, "Even so, are you still willing to keep his secrets?" "Don''t bother blowing smoke, I know what you''re up to. Even if Young Master Ye doesn''t care about me anymore, I will absolutely not betray him. I may be a terrorist, but I too have dignity," Vivian said coldly, not falling for Hao Jian''s tricks at all. Hao Jian looked at Vivian intently, then turned to the Crazy Faction, "Kill her!" "Murder? You can''t be serious?" Tie Shan was dumbfounded, could Hao Jian really be contemplating murder? "You don''t know shit, boss is just trying to scare her," Heigui whispered, naively thinking Hao Jian was just pretending. At that moment, a member of the Crazy Faction took out a steel knife from behind and walked expressionlessly towards Vivian, placing the knife against her neck, seemingly ready to cut her throat. Vivian watched him approach, yet her face was calm, appearing ready to accept her fate. The large knife of the Crazy Faction was already at her throat, even nicking a small cut. At this point, Heigui and Tie Shan both sucked in a breath of cold air; was Hao Jian serious about killing someone? They felt that the Hao Jian standing before them now was a stranger, and who was this burly man under his command, killing without batting an eye? But at that moment, Hao Jian suddenly noticed a black flame skull tattoo on Vivian''s abdomen. His expression changed dramatically. "Stop!" Hao Jian suddenly shouted. The Crazy Faction stopped, looking at Hao Jian with confusion, while Vivian couldn''t help showing surprise, looking at Hao Jian with annoyance: "What are you up to now?" Hao Jian walked over, then lifted Vivian''s T-shirt, continuing to stare at her tattoo. "What are you trying to do? Assault me? Let me tell you, I am not afraid!" Vivian spat out fiercely. Hearing this, Hao Jian looked at her with contempt, "With the way you look now, who would dare to touch you?" S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You!" Vivian was so angry she could almost spit blood. Wasn''t it Hao Jian who had reduced her to this state? "Tell me, how did you learn about this tattoo? And who did it for you?" Hao Jian demanded coldly, an issue that mattered greatly to him because it involved an old friend. "None of your damn business," Vivian scoffed, too angry to even consider sharing the origins of her tattoo with Hao Jian. "You''ve got a lot of nerve, refusing to submit even after shitting and pissing in your pants for several days. I''ve got to say, I''m kind of impressed," Hao Jian said with a smile. Upon hearing this, Vivian lowered her head to think, not remotely convinced that Hao Jian was complimenting her. "Tell me the source of this tattoo, otherwise, you''ll choke to death on your own excrement," Hao Jian said ominously. Chapter 668 - 669: Old Friends Daughter "You..." Vivian was so angry she felt like vomiting blood, knowing all too well that Hao Jian, that bastard, would definitely do it. "Tell me, and I''ll make it quick for you, otherwise you''ll die without any dignity," Hao Jian reminded her once again. Vivian glared fiercely at Hao Jian, wishing she could tear a piece of flesh from his body. "This is my dad''s tattoo," Vivian said resentfully, still feeling oppressed as she chose to compromise. "Your dad''s tattoo?" Hao Jian''s eyes showed shock, then he looked towards Crazy Faction beside him. Crazy Faction''s face was also full of confusion, also taken aback by this revelation. "Did you know he had a daughter?" Hao Jian asked. "I''ve never heard of it." Crazy Faction shook his head, then asked, "Could this woman be lying?" Hao Jian glanced at Vivian, then shook his head, "That''s highly unlikely. She doesn''t know the relationship between him and me, and with that person''s personality, he wouldn''t tell his family our affairs." Vivian and the others were baffled, not understanding what Crazy Faction and Hao Jian were talking about. "What''s your dad''s name? And what about your mom?" Hao Jian asked Vivian. "Why should I tell you?" Vivian huffed, but as soon as she spoke, she saw the icy look Hao Jian shot her. "My dad is Zhao Zhichu, I don''t know about my mom, just that she is a Western woman." Vivian said defiantly, feeling extremely stifled as if Hao Jian had completely overpowered her. Hao Jian and Crazy Faction''s expressions changed slightly, and Hao Jian sighed, "It seems there''s no mistake then." "I never expected Xueci to have a daughter," Crazy Faction was equally surprised. "There''s nothing strange about it, that guy is like that, separating his personal and private life strictly, probably not telling us to protect her," Hao Jian looked at Vivian with a complex expression, no wonder he felt a familiar sensation when he first met Vivian. "You know my dad?" Vivian was instantly stunned, as she too knew her father''s nickname was Xueci, once the most powerful assassin in an Assassin Organization in the Underworld. All her life, Vivian had been tracing her father''s footsteps, yet she didn''t even know what her father looked like. She only knew that her father loved her dearly, always finding ways to protect her, striving to let her lead a normal life, and leaving her a huge fortune after his death. Vivian had always idolized her father, hence she tattooed his tattoo on her own body. By that time, Xueci was already disfigured, with not an inch of intact skin on his body, only that tattoo clear enough for Vivian to copy, in memory of her father. Hao Jian did not directly answer her question, but instead asked, "Who led you onto this path?" As he spoke, a trace of Killing Intent seeped out of Hao Jian, Xueci had fought so hard to protect Vivian, naturally wanting her to live like an ordinary person. But who exactly led Vivian down this misguided path? There were several times Hao Jian almost accidentally killed her. If it weren''t for his sharp eyes spotting Vivian''s tattoo today, he would have killed her outright. How could he face Xueci on the Netherworld Road if he had really done so? So now, Hao Jian was very annoyed, and he intensely despised the person who led Vivian astray. "Assassins Alliance!" Vivian did not hide it, openly spilling everything, as she could tell that Hao Jian and Crazy Faction must have known her father, and probably were his friends. At her words, Hao Jian immediately squinted his eyes, feeling surprised yet somehow expecting such an answer from Vivian. This world hosted several powerful organizations like the Mercenary Alliance, Assassins Alliance, known collectively as the Four Great Forbidden Zones, ruled by the four monarchs. And these monarchs were Hao Jian''s enemies, the reason why was simple, because Hao Jian was ''divine'', and they were kings! They wanted to pull Hao Jian from his divine throne to crown themselves as gods! For such powerful beings, there were almost no things left in this world that could capture their attention. They already had power, authority, and not to mention beauty and wealth - what they desired was prestige, the glory of being in the spotlight! And Hao Jian, recognized as the most powerful entity in the Underworld, defeating him would earn them even greater honors. "Training my brother''s daughter to use against me, the Assassins Alliance is indeed merciless," Hao Jian scoffed coldly. At his words, Vivian suddenly felt startled, wondering if that was the real purpose behind the Assassins Alliance training her. "Are you my dad''s brother?" Vivian looked at Hao Jian skeptically. "Indeed, your father was my best brother; we had been through life and death together," Hao Jian responded. "Impossible, my father was a member of the Assassins Alliance, and those from the Assassins Alliance can''t possibly have friends," Vivian could not believe it, wondering how an assassin could possibly have friends. Every different identity comes with its own way of survival. Mercenaries often group together, whereas assassins tend to work alone; assassins cannot possess emotions or have friends, because you can never predict if the next person to die by your hand will be a friend or family. "He used to be a member of the Assassins Alliance, but later he served me, and we became brothers." Thinking of this, Hao Jian still had some regrets¡ªhad he not pulled Xueci out from the Assassins Alliance back then, perhaps he wouldn''t have died? "What proof do you have?" Vivian glared at Hao Jian, still unwilling to accept that such a detestable scum could actually be her father''s brother. Did that mean she would have to get along with him peacefully in the future? "Proof? I don''t need any proof," Hao Jian shook his head and then said to the Crazy Faction, "Let her go." So, the Crazy Faction released her; since she was the daughter of an old friend, Hao Jian naturally could not bring himself to kill her. "Can you tell me what your purpose is for coming to Huaxia?" Hao Jian was curious about what the Assassins Alliance had sent Vivian to Huaxia to do. "To kill a person and, incidentally, bring my father''s ashes back to my country to be placed beside my grandmother," Vivian honestly answered, though she had not yet managed to find her grandmother. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Then can you tell me who the person you intend to kill is?" Hao Jian seriously suspected that the Assassins Alliance wanted Vivian to kill was himself. "That''s confidential, I can''t say," Vivian muttered, looking somewhat displeased. "Okay, I won''t force you. You''re free to leave now," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Leave? You...you''re setting a trap for me, aren''t you?" Vivian did not move, feeling like Hao Jian might be trying to deceive her by investigating her identity and pretending to be her father''s friend to get close to her. "Think whatever you want; you are free to go. From now on, let''s not meet again," Hao Jian said, waving his hand with a smile. "You''re really letting me go?" "Really letting you go!" "No traps?" "No traps." Vivian was confused, almost as if she were a monk unable to feel the statue''s head, wondering how she could be alive and free to leave. Could this man truly be her father''s brother? "What, you don''t want to leave?" Hao Jian teased. "Can I change into some clean clothes?" Vivian asked somewhat sheepishly, as she was in such a disheveled state¡ªif she went out looking like this, wouldn''t others treat her like a beggar? "Go downstairs and buy her some women''s clothes," Hao Jian instructed Tie Shan, and after handing them a stack of money, they hurried off. "While they''re away, let me speak privately with you. Do not return to Wenying''s side. Since I''ve let you go, he will never trust you again, and it might even get you killed. Furthermore, it''s best if you don''t go back to the Assassins Alliance either, believe me, those guys are definitely not your friends," Hao Jian explained. When he had taken Xueci away from the Assassins Alliance, he had already become their number one enemy. Now that the Assassins Alliance was using Vivian against him, their malicious intentions were indeed infuriating. "What I do is none of your business. Don''t think just because you''ve let me go, you have any right to boss me around!" Vivian coldly said, her eyes glaring angrily at Hao Jian. She still hadn''t fully trusted Hao Jian, who was now bossing her around, which made her very unhappy. Hao Jian just shrugged his shoulders, saying no more. Before long, Tie Shan returned with the newly purchased clothes, and Hao Jian led Vivian to Shu Ya''s office, which had a bathroom she could use to bathe and change into the new clothes. After taking a bath and changing into the new clothes, Vivian expressionlessly said, "Don''t think just because you''ve let me go that I''ll be grateful. I cannot forget the humiliation you caused me before, and I will still kill you if I get the chance. So, if you want to kill me, you better do it soon." Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders and gestured for Vivian to leave. Vivian looked suspiciously at Hao Jian for a while, and once she was sure he wouldn''t attack her, she finally turned and walked away. "Why let this child leave when she has become a puppet of the Assassins Alliance? We should have rescued her," the Crazy Faction couldn''t understand Hao Jian''s thought process. He was actually letting Vivian return to the Assassins Alliance? But Hao Jian just shook his head, smiling ruefully, "Do you think she''d believe the words of an enemy like me, or the words of the Assassins Alliance that has raised and trained her for over a decade? Forcing her to stay would do more harm than good; she must discover the truth on her own." "Besides..." Hao Jian''s expression became serious, shaking his head with a smile, "The kings of the four forbidden zones must already know I''m not dead, or else they wouldn''t send Vivian to Huaxia. I thought I could lead a peaceful life, but it seems I can''t escape this curse after all." The Crazy Faction stood by his side, unsure how to offer comfort. Chapter 669 - 670: Divine Tiger VS Dragon Tooth ``` Early in the morning, before dawn, Hao Jian was awakened by a phone call. "Give me an explanation!" Hao Jian roared furiously. "Xiaolu has been kidnapped," came Moon Goddess Jiang''s voice, tinged with a sob, from the other end of the line. "What?" Hao Jian''s expression shifted, then he quickly got out of bed, "When did this happen?" "Yesterday afternoon," Moon Goddess Jiang''s voice was somewhat choked. This woman had always been resolute, but when it came to her daughter, she couldn''t maintain that toughness. "Why are you only telling me now?" Hao Jian said angrily. Moon Goddess Jiang should have told him at the first instance the incident occurred. "I was worried it would trouble you," Moon Goddess Jiang replied guiltily. She had reservations too, as Hao Jian wanted to lead a normal life, and she didn''t want to drag him into this conflict. If she weren''t truly desperate, she really wouldn''t want to ask Hao Jian for help. Hao Jian could understand what Moon Goddess Jiang was feeling, he sighed and said, "Where are you now, I''ll come to find you." "I''m at Dragon Tooth Headquarters." "Wait for me, I''ll be there in half an hour." Hao Jian ended the call, but as soon as he turned around, he saw Shu Ya staring straight at him. Hao Jian then gave a wry smile, "Awake?" "With you shouting like that, how could I not be?" Shu Ya straightened her hair and asked, "Something''s wrong?" "There''s some trouble that I need to deal with right now," Hao Jian didn''t hide it because he had promised Shu Ya he would never lie to her. Shu Ya was an understanding woman; she simply nodded, "Then go, but be careful." Hao Jian smiled and nodded, then walked out the door, but as soon as he opened it, he saw members of the Crazy Faction already dressed and waiting at the door. To this, Hao Jian wasn''t surprised at all; those like them had acute hearing. The Crazy Faction probably heard the conversation he just had. Without a word, they both, understanding each other as usual, headed to Dragon Tooth headquarters. At the Dragon Tooth headquarters, all the Dragon Tooth members had gathered - men, women, old, and young were all present. Yet, their expressions were angry as they surrounded five or six people. And those five or six were Zhou Yefu and other Divine Tiger members. Seeing this, Hao Jian didn''t understand what the Divine Tiger was doing at Dragon Tooth during such a sensitive period. Moon Goddess Jiang sat amid the crowd, her expression blank as if she had lost her soul, indifferent to the events unfolding around her. Seeing Hao Jian appear, the Dragon Tooth members seemed to find their backbone, immediately making way for him. "What''s going on?" Hao Jian asked, frowning. Since Moon Goddess Jiang was currently not in command, he was forced to step in. "We wanted to help the boss find Xiaolu, but these bastards wouldn''t let us go," a male Dragon Tooth member said. "Exactly, one of our Dragon Tooth members has died, what right do you have to stop us!" The Dragon Tooth members were very angry. They already felt humiliated that one of their own was killed and wanted to save face. But at this time, Zhou Yefu came with his men and told them they weren''t allowed to go. "Hmm?" Hao Jian looked at Zhou Yefu, puzzled. What reason did Zhou Yefu have to prevent Moon Goddess Jiang and her team from acting? Zhou Yefu then gave a wry smile, "As I''ve already explained very clearly, it''s not that I won''t let you go, but the higher-ups have issued an order forbidding Dragon Tooth from going out recently, and specifically from being used for personal matters." "Higher-ups? Why would they do that, don''t they know that Moon Goddess Jiang''s daughter has been kidnapped?" Hao Jian said gravely. This was unreasonable; such actions by the higher-ups were bound to dishearten Moon Goddess Jiang, right? Especially since Dragon Tooth had no missions lately - if they weren''t being used, why not use them? Imposing restrictions on Moon Goddess Jiang at this time was clearly an attempt to prevent her from retrieving her daughter. Hearing this, Zhou Yefu looked at Hao Jian with a strange expression, "You should ask yourself, since the order was issued by someone with the surname Ye!" Hao Jian''s gaze instantly turned cold, and he understood what was happening; it was the Ye Family undermining him, deliberately making things difficult for him. They knew of his relationship with Moon Goddess Jiang, and now that her daughter was kidnapped, they were interfering to prevent Moon Goddess Jiang from using Dragon Tooth''s power, clearly aiming to stop her from finding her daughter. At that moment, Hao Jian was livid. The other party couldn''t retaliate against him directly, so they went after his friend. They must have been well aware of Xiaolu''s importance to Moon Goddess Jiang, the importance of a child to her mother¡ªthey wanted to ruin Moon Goddess Jiang! "Do you know who''s behind this?" Hao Jian asked Moon Goddess Jiang. "Your old adversary, the Mercenary Alliance," Zhou Yefu said with a cold smirk. At this news, Hao Jian''s expression turned to one of shock. The Mercenary Alliance knew he was in Hua City? S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hao Jian, you really are a disaster magnet, aren''t you? Wherever you appear, calamity ensues¡ª it was that way before, and it''s the same now," Zhou Yefu mocked. "Don''t you try to play the saint in front of me. If you were a good guy, you wouldn''t be here rambling all this nonsense; you''d be out there helping to find people," Hao Jian retorted without mincing words. ``` "I must obey the orders of the organization; I have my own duties and cannot abandon my post!" Zhou Yefu said with utmost seriousness. "Being too rigid and sticking to rules is pedantic. Divine Tiger really isn''t what it used to be. When your master was still alive, he managed Divine Tiger with great skill. How come it''s not working out with you?" Hao Jian shook his head and smiled with a hint of scorn. "You''re courting death!" Zhou Yefu''s subordinates were instantly filled with uncontrollable rage. They couldn''t tolerate Hao Jian insulting Zhou Yefu like that. "Eh, don''t bother with him. This guy is all talk and no action," Zhou Yefu stopped his men, preventing them from acting rashly. "If you can''t even outtalk me, what can you possibly be capable of?" Hao Jian mocked, and without waiting for Zhou Yefu to respond, he said, "I won''t waste any more words with you. I won''t disturb the overall strength of Dragon Tooth, I''ll just take a few people to help out. What do you think?" Zhou Yefu smiled and then firmly shook his head in refusal, "That would not be in accordance with the rules." "If you don''t tell and I don''t tell, as long as they see the main force still at Dragon Tooth Headquarter, who''s to know a few are missing?" Hao Jian grew somewhat angry, Zhou Yefu truly didn''t want to help find Moon Goddess Jiang at all. "It knows." Zhou Yefu pointed at his chest and smiled, "I can''t get past my own conscience." Listening to this, Dragon Tooth''s people couldn''t help but show anger on their faces. What time was it, and Zhou Yefu still had the gall to act noble? Hao Jian also sneered, "Zhou Yefu, Zhou Yefu, I originally thought I was quite the pretender on ordinary days, but compared to you, I''m simply nothing." Zhou Yefu picked up on the ridicule in Hao Jian''s words but remained unfazed and said, "Every word I say is true, whether you believe it or not is up to you." "If you were really that noble, you wouldn''t have let your men come stir up trouble at Dragon Tooth and do nothing about it," Hao Jian scoffed, and with his words, the members of Dragon Tooth also showed displeasure in their expressions. "I can''t control that, unfortunately," Zhou Yefu said, still with an indifferent face, appearing totally unconcerned. "Then what makes you think you can control us?" Hao Jian''s countenance changed, his eyes shooting cold lightning as he stared down Zhou Yefu. Zhou Yefu couldn''t help but frown and asked in an unfriendly tone, "What do you mean?" "My meaning is very clear. I won''t touch the main force; I''ll only take a portion of the people out." "No!" Zhou Yefu said very adamantly, "That is defying military discipline, and it is punishable! What''s more, you are no longer a member of Dragon Tooth; you have no right to command them." "I think you''ve got it wrong. I''m just informing you, I''m not seeking your opinion. As for defying military discipline, I couldn''t care less. I''ll take the blame for this issue. If there''s any problem, come straight to me," Hao Jian declared boldly, then turned to the Dragon Tooth members, "Anyone who wants to follow me, step forward!" Whoosh! Everyone took a step forward, their aura formidable and resolve unshakable. Immediately after, Hao Jian looked at Zhou Yefu with amusement, "Sorry, though I have no right to command them, they are willing to follow my orders." "I won''t let you wreak havoc!" Zhou Yefu said, his face contorted with anger. Hao Jian''s actions clearly showed that he didn''t take him seriously, filling Zhou Yefu with a mix of rage and embarrassment. Hao Jian scoffed, the corners of his mouth slightly turning up: "Got the guts, try to stop me?" "You, come with me!" And with that, Hao Jian didn''t bother with Zhou Yefu any further. He randomly picked a few people and told them to follow him. The Dragon Tooth members who were chosen were all excited and quickly followed. Hao Jian then ignored Zhou Yefu and headed straight for the door. "Stop right there!" Zhou Yefu roared, pouncing like a cheetah going for the kill, utterly irritated by Hao Jian. A Black Tiger Heart Digging move targeted Hao Jian''s back. "Be careful!" At that moment, the Dragon Tooth members couldn''t help but cry out in alarm. "Bang!" The next instant, Zhou Yefu''s hand landed on Hao Jian''s leg. In the nick of time, Hao Jian blocked Zhou Yefu''s attack with a Tornado Kick. "I''ve said it, I won''t let you act recklessly!" Zhou Yefu said, his eyes narrowed as he watched Hao Jian, his voice laden with menace. "And I''ve said, have the guts, just try!" Hao Jian smiled nonchalantly and then with an aerial kick, sent Zhou Yefu flying back a distance. Hao Jian looked toward the members of Divine Tiger and Dragon Tooth and sneered, "Don''t you always like to compare who''s more powerful, the leader of Dragon Tooth or the leader of Divine Tiger? Today, I can tell you responsibly, it''s definitely Dragon Tooth!" Hearing this, Zhou Yefu and the others were furious, this guy was shameless. On the Dragon Tooth side, however, it was a different story. Everyone there was excited. Was Hao Jian going to take action against Zhou Yefu? Hao Jian threw off his coat with a whoosh, then gave a wry smile at Zhou Yefu, "In a while, I''ll have someone carry you back!" "Arrogant!" Zhou Yefu''s eyes were bursting with vein-popping rage, like a beast driven into a corner, completely furious as he suddenly broke the floor with his feet, lunging furiously at Hao Jian. Chapter 670 - 671: Fooling Hao Jian advanced slowly, a smile on his face as he met Zhou Yefu head-on, and they fought fiercely. Zhou Yefu, the leader of Divine Tiger, was indeed formidable. He engaged in a fierce battle with Hao Jian for three hundred rounds, and it was too close to call. Even Hao Jian couldn''t defeat him in a short time. However, after five minutes, Hao Jian suddenly seized a flaw in Zhou Yefu''s defense and landed a heavy punch on his abdomen, causing Zhou Yefu to grunt and almost kneel on the ground. The onlookers were shocked. Had Zhou Yefu actually been overpowered? Hao Jian sneered, "Zhou Yefu, it seems that staying in Huaxia wasn''t a smart choice for you." Having been abroad and experienced countless battles, as well as numerous life-and-death situations, his combat experience was particularly rich. While Zhou Yefu was strong, his combat experience paled in comparison to Hao Jian''s. The people of Divine Tiger were visibly disheartened, beginning to doubt whether Zhou Yefu was indeed inferior to Hao Jian. "It''s just a small advantage you''ve taken. Do you think you''ve won?" Zhou Yefu said viciously, his anger reaching its limits. "What, are you angry from embarrassment? If you can''t accept it, just come on up, I''ll beat you until you do!" Hao Jian beckoned Zhou Yefu with his fingers. "Hao Jian!!" Zhou Yefu''s eyes were about to split with rage as he roared, and his figure shot out like a bolt of lightning. "Do you think I''m afraid of you?" Hao Jian snorted coldly, stomping on the floor and appearing right in front of Zhou Yefu. The two men went straight for each other with no feints, just simple and brutal punches aimed at one another. "Smack! Smack!" But just as their fists were about to collide, a figure stepped in front of them. Moon Goddess Jiang blocked the punches from both Zhou Yefu and Hao Jian with her hands, standing between them. "Did you come here to help me, or to cause trouble?" Moon Goddess Jiang asked in an icy tone, looking up at Hao Jian and Zhou Yefu. Hao Jian shrugged and stepped back, but still couldn''t resist taunting, "You''re lucky, if it weren''t for Moon Goddess Jiang, I would have beaten you into a dog today." "You..." Zhou Yefu, flustered and wanting to fight back, was restrained by Moon Goddess Jiang. "Captain Zhou, your orders have been conveyed, and we will adhere to them strictly. So please return," Moon Goddess Jiang said, her attitude indifferent. "Moon Goddess, don''t blame me, this is a command from above, I had no choice," Zhou Yefu hastily explained, afraid that Moon Goddess Jiang would bear a grudge against her. Moon Goddess Jiang simply waved her hand, unmoved, "Go back. We at Dragon Tooth will handle the rest." Zhou Yefu opened his mouth as if to explain further, but ultimately said nothing, sighing helplessly before leaving with his men. However, as he passed by Hao Jian, he said with a stern face, "You just wait, this isn''t over!" Hao Jian wasn''t afraid, he chuckled, "Whenever your skin itches, just come to brother, I''ve been in the dog-beating business for twenty years¡ªI guarantee you''ll be satisfied!" Zhou Yefu didn''t continue to argue with Hao Jian and left with his men because he knew he was no match for Hao Jian''s taunts. Just then, Moon Goddess Jiang''s phone suddenly rang with a completely unfamiliar number. Moon Goddess Jiang frowned slightly and, after a moment''s hesitation, she chose to answer. "I am Moon Goddess Jiang." "Captain Jiang, what a pleasure," came Envy''s seductive and affectionate voice from the other end. "Who are you?" Moon Goddess Jiang had already guessed that the caller was the kidnapper. "I''m from the Mercenary Alliance, Envy, one of the Seven Sins under the War King," Envy introduced herself with a chuckle. But Moon Goddess Jiang was not in the mood for such levity and snapped, "I''m not interested in who you are. I just want to know what you''re up to." "Captain Jiang, do you really not know what we want? You should be aware that you have taken something from our Alliance, which has left our king quite unhappy. And since you took our property, it''s only natural we take something of yours," Envy said with a giggling laugh. "My daughter is not a thing!" Moon Goddess Jiang roared, "What do you want exactly?" "Return that genetic code to us, and we''ll give your daughter back to you," Envy said, as if negotiating. "That genetic code has already been reported to my superiors; I don''t have it at all," Moon Goddess Jiang said anxiously. She wasn''t trying to fend off Envy but was genuinely out of options, having already reported it up the chain. Such items would surely not be allowed to remain in her possession by her superiors. "Captain Jiang, aren''t you lacking sincerity? You''ve taken our stuff, returning it is only proper. As long as you return the items to us, we''ll let bygones be bygones¡ªthis is already quite magnanimous of us. If you can''t even accept this condition, then we''ll have no choice but to take your adorable daughter back to meet the War King. Whether she lives or dies will then be up to him," Envy directly threatened. "I understand, I will return that set of Genetic Codes to you," Moon Goddess Jiang said with a cold expression. "That''s more like it, I knew Captain Jiang was a reasonable person," Envy first smiled, then her voice suddenly turned chilly, "In three hours, bring that set of Genetic Codes to the Dongjing Entertainment Center, I''ll be waiting for you there. If I don''t see you, or you don''t have what I want in hand, then get ready to pick up your daughter''s corpse!" "Click!" After finishing her sentence, she directly hung up the call, leaving Moon Goddess Jiang in a daze. "Did you track the location?" Yu Jiayi rapidly asked one of the men. "No need to look, it can''t be traced," Hao Jian spoke up, knowing that the person was a capable lieutenant sent by the War King himself, it was impossible for them to be so foolish as to let them track their movements. "Captain, we don''t even have that set of Genetic Codes, how can we go save Xiaolu?" someone asked anxiously. It was clear the other party was after that set of Genetic Codes, but they didn''t have it in their possession, so how could they carry out a trade? Moon Goddess Jiang''s expression also darkened to the extreme, silent as if contemplating a strategy. "Didn''t you find that item? Can''t you even replicate a copy?" Hao Jian frowned and couldn''t help but ask. They weren''t supposed to take the original; the higher-ups were clearly supposed to let her replicate a copy for Xiaolu''s ransom. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "That was also the Ye Family''s way of saying it¡ªthey fobbed me off under the pretext of protecting secrets," Moon Goddess Jiang replied indifferently. She had long known the other party was after the Genetic Code and had requested to replicate that set of Genetic Codes, only to be rejected. "Oh wow, there''s a Ye Family for you!" Hao Jian laughed somewhat crazily. He made a note of this grudge! In the past, he had always been the one looking for trouble with the Ye Family, but now the tables had turned, with the Ye Family continuously trying to trip him up. It was at this moment that Hao Jian''s brows furrowed and a plan formed in his heart, "It doesn''t matter, even if we don''t have that set of Genetic Codes, we can still trade with them. After all, they don''t know whether we possess the Genetic Codes or not." "But what if he discovers we don''t have what they want, or wants to check the goods in advance? Wouldn''t that put Xiaolu in danger?" Yu Jiayi''s voice asked with worry. "Don''t worry, as long as we insist on a cash-on-delivery deal, they can''t do much. I can tell they care a lot about this Genetic Code too, otherwise, they wouldn''t have come all the way to Huaxia," Hao Jian said. "Who are you calling goods? Who are you calling goods?" Moon Goddess Jiang was immediately displeased and glared at Hao Jian as she asked. Hao Jian suddenly gave a dry laugh, realizing his slip of the tongue: "That was just a metaphor, don''t be angry." "A metaphor? Why don''t you use your mother for your metaphor? Why not metaphorize yourself? You''re the goods; a downright cheap goody!" Moon Goddess Jiang said fiercely. The expressions of everyone else were quite awkward, all looking down, at this moment unsure of what to say. "Ahem..." Hao Jian coughed twice, then continued, "Actually, we have another advantage." "What advantage?" Yu Jiayi couldn''t help but ask. "That would be me," Hao Jian, thumbing back towards himself, said, "They still don''t know we have such a fierce piece on our side, so we can definitely catch them by surprise and strike unexpectedly. When Moon Goddess Jiang goes to pay the ransom, I''ll take others to survey the surroundings and ensure everything is foolproof." "So when do we set off?" "Now, to get ready in advance. Their choice to push the time back by three hours means they''re quite confident, they''re not taking us seriously at all. We can take full advantage of their arrogance," Hao Jian declared. No more words were needed; Moon Goddess Jiang and the team immediately set off for Dongjing Shopping Center, while that place was already swarming with a sea of people. At that moment, Moon Goddess Jiang''s phone rang again¡ªit was still Envy on the line, and she coldly commanded, "Strip, now!" Moon Goddess Jiang''s expression changed slightly. She was in the midst of a crowd, with people passing by constantly. Stripping here? "Hurry up, or I''ll kill your daughter!" Envy threatened. Moon Goddess Jiang''s expression shifted momentarily, yet she chose to take responsibility, reaching to undo her clothes. Hao Jian, who had an intercom installed by Moon Goddess Jiang, naturally heard what Envy had said as well, and his brows furrowed in a deep frown, his eyes barely concealing the murderous intent. The other party was trying to toy with Moon Goddess Jiang, to regain the dignity they had once lost through her. In no time at all, Moon Goddess Jiang was down to just her underwear. Holding her phone, her gaze was icy and numb as she stared blankly ahead with an expressionless face. "Wow, what''s this for? A live show?" "This chick is pretty hot, eh? Check out that ass, those big tits, tsk tsk tsk, if I could get a go at her, I''d be willing to shave ten years off my life." ................................................... Chapter 671 - 672: Plot within a Plot "Don''t talk about ten years, if I could spend a beautiful night with such a beauty, I''d be happy to lose twenty years of my life." "This woman is actually undressing in public, could she be a nymphomaniac? We might have a chance." "Why don''t we go up and ask? Maybe we''ll get a free shot." Just then, some men beside Hao Jian were speaking vulgarly, their faces twisted with lewd smiles. "Shut up!" Hao Jian reprimanded them fiercely. "What did you say?" The men glared at Hao Jian unwelcomingly. How dare this bumpkin scold them? "I told you to shut up!" Hao Jian repeated, his brow furrowed with fury. "Hey, what are you, to yell at us like that?" The men were instantly enraged and all surged forward, surrounding Hao Jian. "That''s my friend, and I don''t want to hear anyone insulting her," Hao Jian said, staring straight at the men in front of him. "Friend? Just a friend and it''s none of your business? We''ll say whatever we want!" S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Besides, we didn''t say anything wrong. She''s undressing in public, isn''t she trying to seduce men? You''re just meddling unnecessarily, maybe even upsetting her." "Exactly, she''s desperate for a man''s touch." "Looks like, you guys don''t want to shut up," Hao Jian''s expression darkened, and he grabbed the tallest and biggest guy there and gave him two solid punches. The big man, who had been leering, was immediately subdued by the punches, collapsed to the ground foaming at the mouth, and passed out on the spot. "What?" The other men, who had been smirking, instantly had their expressions petrified. That big guy, taken down by two punches from Hao Jian? If it really came to a fight, one punch could have killed him, but this was still Hao Jian showing restraint. "Are you ready to listen quietly now?" Hao Jian sneered at the men. Everyone fell silent, too scared to make a sound. They didn''t know each other, and with Hao Jian''s ferocious demeanor, they lost any intention of banding together against him. "Get lost!" Hao Jian''s glare was fierce as he shouted. A dozen men scurried away hurriedly. ..... "Captain Jiang, take off your underwear, too." At this moment, the voice on the other end of the phone again came with an eerie tone of envy. Upon hearing this, Moon Goddess Jiang''s expression turned rigid. Envy wanted to humiliate her utterly and push her to rock bottom; if she took off all her clothes now, she''d be in the news by tomorrow. It concerned the honor and reputation of Dragon Tooth, and higher-ups might expel her from Dragon Tooth. Moon Goddess Jiang realized that her opponent was far more cunning and sinister than she had thought. "Captain Jiang, are you sure you won''t take it off? If you don''t, your daughter may be in grave danger," Envy said coldly. Moon Goddess Jiang struggled internally for a moment, then sighed deeply in her mind, and reached behind her back to unclasp her bra. "Don''t listen to her!" At that moment, Hao Jian''s voice came through Moon Goddess Jiang''s walkie-talkie. Moon Goddess Jiang frowned slightly. If she didn''t listen to Envy, Xiaolu might be in danger. However, Moon Goddess Jiang couldn''t speak now, as anything she said could also be heard by Envy. "We can''t let her lead us by the nose, or she''ll make even more unreasonable demands. Trust me, they''re more desperate than you are right now, so you don''t need to follow their orders. This is a fair trade!" Hao Jian said gravely, trusting his judgment. The other party was actually more anxious than they were, otherwise, they wouldn''t have come all the way from the other side of the Earth to Huaxia. They only dared to trouble her because they knew how protective Moon Goddess Jiang was of her child. Moon Goddess Jiang hesitated slightly but chose to stop because she also trusted Hao Jian''s judgment, as he had never been wrong before. "I will not undress anymore," Moon Goddess Jiang said coldly, choosing to trust Hao Jian. Envy on the other end paused, seemingly surprised by Moon Goddess Jiang''s response, and then sternly said, "Moon Goddess Jiang, do you want me to kill your daughter?" "If anything happens to my daughter, I will immediately destroy this genetic code. The rest I will hand over to the Huaxia Government, and once they get it, you won''t ever be able to retrieve it." Moon Goddess Jiang''s stance hardened. Envy was speechless, bewildered by how the woman had suddenly become so tough. What was giving her this confidence? Previously, Moon Goddess Jiang was just a desperate mother, but now she seemed to have reverted to the battle-hardened war goddess she once was. "You dare to bargain with me?" Envy said darkly. "I certainly have the right to bargain with you. If you think I''m just a mother and easy to bully, then you are greatly mistaken!" Moon Goddess Jiang responded firmly. "Take your things and leave Huaxia, from now on we stay out of each other''s way, or else kill my daughter, and I will destroy what you want, then relentlessly pursue you henceforth." On the other end, Envy fell silent, and if not for the similarity in the voice on the call, she might have doubted whether she was speaking to the same person. But after a moment of silence, Envy spoke up, "Place the item in the Mickey Mouse trash bin under the Ferris wheel, and then you can go to the entrance of the shopping center to pick up your daughter." Immediately following this, she hung up the phone. Moon Goddess Jiang was instantly overjoyed upon hearing these words and hastily threw the package in her hand into the trash bin before preparing to leave. "Things are not that simple." Just then, Hao Jian''s gloomy voice suddenly intervened. Moon Goddess Jiang''s expression froze, "What do you mean?" "It''s alright, just do as she said, I''ll handle things from here," Hao Jian spoke with a serious tone. "Hao Jian..." Moon Goddess Jiang suddenly called out. "Yes?" "You must save her, you have to! She''s not just important to me, but to you as well," Moon Goddess Jiang said with a hint of sobbing. Although Hao Jian felt perplexed by her words, he didn''t ask further, "Don''t worry, I''ll bring her back safely." Moon Goddess Jiang no longer hesitated, got dressed, and walked towards the entrance of the shopping center. "All units, pay close attention to the trash bin. Once someone goes to take something from it, immediately proceed to arrest," Yu Jiayi commanded on the scene. At that moment, all the Dragon Tooth members started focusing on the trash bin. Meanwhile, Moon Goddess Jiang followed Envy''s instructions and went to the entrance to wait for Xiaolu. About half an hour later, a young man in a cheap shirt and jeans appeared beside the trash bin. He surreptitiously scanned the surroundings before reaching into the trash bin. In no time, he pulled out the document bag that Moon Goddess Jiang had directly thrown in there earlier. The man, having grabbed the document bag, didn''t linger but immediately headed southeast. "The target has appeared, follow him!" Yu Jiayi issued the command. Subsequently, several Dragon Tooth members, filled with rage, followed the man. They were frustrated yet excited, not believing how easily they had nabbed their target. It seemed that the Seven Sins were no big deal after all. However, Hao Jian was deeply furrowing his brows. It was going too smoothly; even if the other party really intended to exchange with them, it couldn''t possibly go this smoothly. This didn''t make sense. If this guy really was one of the Seven Sins, why wouldn''t he disguise his true identity? Did he truly believe that Dragon Tooth wouldn''t be able to arrest him upon seeing his real face? This moved beyond confidence to stupidity. Furthermore, if he was not worried about revealing his identity, why didn''t he just come out and deal directly with Moon Goddess Jiang? Why bother her with throwing the stuff into the trash bin and then him retrieving it? It was unduly cumbersome. What exactly was the other party planning? After a moment''s hesitation, Hao Jian, too, thought to follow and see what was really going on, but suddenly, his expression changed, and his eyes burst with a brilliant light. So that was it! For a moment, Hao Jian seemed to understand everything and again stopped in his tracks, his gaze sharp as he stared at that trash bin. "Why are you arresting me?" At that moment, the man was intercepted by Yu Jiayi. But after they caught him, they were dumbfounded. The man spoke in a thick local accent, looking utterly clueless. He didn''t even resist the arrest. How could this possibly be one of the Seven Sins? They realized they had been played. This guy must have been used by someone. "We are the police, speak! Who told you to take this?" Yu Jiayi scolded. Hearing that they were police, the man was terrified and hurriedly spoke, "It was two men in black robes who told me to take it. They gave me ten thousand yuan to fetch this thing here. It''s really none of my business, Officer." Hearing this, Yu Jiayi and the others'' expressions darkened knowingly, realizing they had been played. "Captain, have you picked up Xiaolu?" Yu Jiayi asked into her collar mic. "Not yet." Moon Goddess Jiang was also extremely anxious. The others had asked her to meet Xiaolu at the entrance, but half an hour had passed, and not a ghost had been seen. "Open the package, check if our stuff is still there," Yu Jiayi grimly ordered. Xiaolu hadn''t been released, yet they had prematurely exposed themselves, and they didn''t know if this would enrage the other party. One of the Dragon Tooth members snatched the package and opened it, but his face turned green when he saw the contents. Inside was a pill bottle-sized miniature bomb, which was currently emitting a piercing, beeping noise. At that moment, everyone''s expression drastically changed. "Boom!" The next instant, a thunderous explosion resounded through the shopping center, turning a twenty-meter radius into scorched earth. More than twenty civilians, including that man, were killed instantly by the blast, and over forty were injured. Chapter 672 - 673: Outsmart by a Notch Although the bomb was small, its power was comparable to that of a C4. The entire shopping center descended into chaos in an instant, with people scattering and fleeing in all directions amidst extreme confusion. If the Seven Sins had wanted to do something at that moment, they would have been utterly helpless to stop it. "The operation failed. We''re all injured," Yu Jiayi panted into the radio, blood cascading from a severe wound on her right shoulder. The injuries of the other Dragon Tooth members were almost as bad as hers, and it was only then that Yu Jiayi realized they had underestimated their opponents'' intellect. The enemy was far more cunning than they had imagined. The enemy must have noticed Moon Goddess Jiang carrying a package when she entered the shopping center, so they had prepared an identical package in advance and placed it in the trash bin. Then, they found a scapegoat to retrieve the package, which looked the same on the outside but was marked, from the bin, and after the bomb was set off, they could retrieve the real deal. All of them were injured now, and even if the enemy were to brazenly take the items now, they would be unable to stop them. Upon hearing Yu Jiayi''s report, Moon Goddess Jiang and the others were all stunned. Had they failed to rescue the person and even risked their own lives in the process? If the enemy found out the item in the trash bin was fake, they would likely kill to silence anyone involved immediately. "Captain, it''s our fault. We fell for their trap!" Seeing Moon Goddess Jiang speechless, Yu Jiayi and the others were filled with self-reproach. As Huaxia''s most elite unit, they had been played by outsiders, a fact they found deeply shameful. "What about the document bag in the trash bin? Is it still there?" Moon Goddess Jiang''s voice changed with urgency, no longer in the mood to blame them. "The item was taken by someone when we weren''t looking!" reported a Dragon Tooth member who had gone to investigate. Moon Goddess Jiang immediately staggered, almost collapsing to the ground, and cried inconsolably, as if her soul had left her. At this moment, the queen could no longer maintain her pride. She was now a desperate mother, a woman loathing her own helplessness. She felt numbness all over, even on her scalp, and squatted down crying, undoubtedly tasting the sorrow of loss, from initial sobbing to the outright wails of despair. Right then, Moon Goddess Jiang even forgot to remove her radio, allowing all Dragon Tooth members to hear her heart-wrenching cries, similar to a mother beast mourning the death of her offspring. Instantly, everyone''s heart twisted in empathy. They had never seen Moon Goddess Jiang in such a state before, and because of that, they understood the immensity of her pain. The pain she was experiencing was far worse than death itself. All Dragon Tooth members were at a loss for words, feeling heavy-hearted, pitying Moon Goddess Jiang and filled with hatred towards the Seven Sins. "Giving up so soon?" Suddenly, a mocking voice entered everyone''s radios. "Hao Jian?!" Yu Jiayi was dumbfounded. Was this guy actually making jokes at a time like this? Or had he discovered some valuable intelligence? And even Moon Goddess Jiang was momentarily taken aback, sensing something in Hao Jian''s relaxed tone. "Hao Jian, where are you now?" Moon Goddess Jiang asked urgently. "Me? I''m just following my quarry," Hao Jian said with a playful laugh, his eyes flashing coldly. He was currently sprinting across the rooftops of a group of buildings, with a cloaked figure also dashing swiftly ahead of him. At these words, everyone was immediately elated, rushing outside. Had Hao Jian actually located a real member of the Seven Sins? At the start of the explosion, Hao Jian had seen a cloaked figure take something from the trash bin amidst the chaos. Although the figure moved quickly, taking the item without pausing as they passed the bin, they couldn''t deceive Hao Jian. "He truly lives up to the founder of Dragon Tooth, far smarter than us," an overjoyed Yu Jiayi exclaimed. With Hao Jian on the trail of one of the Seven Sins, there was still a chance to turn the situation around. "Is Xiaolu in his hands?" Moon Goddess Jiang asked anxiously. "No, he is alone. If I''m not mistaken, they were never planning to let Xiaolu go easily, or perhaps they had no intention of releasing her at all," replied Hao Jian. But that was to be expected. Knowing the Mercenary Alliance, they were not the type to be easily negotiated with. Moon Goddess Jiang had stolen their property, destroyed their lab, and arrested so many of their scientists; it was understandable for them to seek revenge on her. "What?" Moon Goddess Jiang''s expression turned icy. So, from the beginning, they had been playing her for a fool? "Don''t worry. They will pay for their arrogance," Hao Jian''s icy voice resonated, permeating everyone''s minds. "I''ll find them... I''ll kill them all!" "Bang!" As soon as Hao Jian''s voice fell, his feet suddenly kicked out, instantly breaking through the roof, while his body pounced forward like a hunting falcon, pressing a hand onto the opponent''s head. Pride, having obtained the fake genetic code, hadn''t noticed anyone trailing him until he was pressed to the ground when he finally realized the situation. "Who are you?" Pride asked with shock. He had been mocking the Dragon Tooth in his heart as brainless fools, but the next moment, he found himself subdued. Moreover, the opponent''s action was so swift that he had no chance to react. Over here, Moon Goddess Jiang and the others heard the sounds of fighting and Pride''s roars through their headsets, leaving them stunned. Was Pride, one of the Seven Sins, subdued by Hao Jian that easily? "Where is she?" Hao Jian asked coldly, his voice chilling. "I hadn''t expected that among Dragon Tooth there would be an expert like you, perhaps even surpassing Moon Goddess Jiang herself," Pride said, not answering Hao Jian''s question directly, but instead taunted with a smile. He admitted he had underestimated Dragon Tooth. He thought his plan was foolproof, that he could deceive everyone at Dragon Tooth, but he didn''t expect someone to detect their ploy. Any other person might have fallen for their trick, but while everyone else was fooled, Hao Jian alone remained sober and uncovered their conspiracy. Most importantly, Hao Jian had subdued him as soon as he acted, displaying both courage and strategy. Pride absolutely refused to believe such a person could be an unknown underling. "Crack." sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian broke Pride''s leg, but throughout the process, Pride didn''t even grunt once, his calmness bordering on frightening. Narrowing his eyes and with an angry tone, Pride asked Hao Jian, "What are you doing?" Although the Dragon Tooth members couldn''t see what was happening, they could hear it. Even though Pride was their enemy, they couldn''t help but feel a sense of awe at his fearlessness. "Tell me, where is she?" Hao Jian spoke again, his voice growing even more grim. Pride was calm, but Hao Jian was even calmer, no, one might even say more ruthless. "Kill me. I won''t tell you," Pride scoffed. If he were afraid of death, he wouldn''t have made it this far. "I know you''re not afraid of death, but someone like you should know, to make a person speak the truth, there are methods other than threats of death," Hao Jian said with a sinister smile, then pulled out a syringe from his chest: "This, I specially prepared for you on my way here, hope you like it!" Then, Hao Jian directly injected the syringe into Pride''s neck, pushing all the purple-red liquid inside. Following that, Hao Jian used chains made from fine steel to lock him up. About a minute later, Pride began to rub his chest and shoulders frantically with his chin; his entire face turning red. "What... what have you done to me?" Pride roared, feeling something wrong with his body. Every inch of his skin itched unbearably, not just on the surface, but inside as well, as if thousands of insects were gnawing at him, the pain was excruciating. "This substance was created by someone called Demon Master, and it has a very cute name, Caterpillar. Why is it called Caterpillar? Because anyone injected with this venom will feel as if every part of their body, including all their internal organs, has been stung by caterpillars, an insufferable itching sensation, only a thousand times more intense." "In two more minutes, your body will become stiff; you won''t even be able to move your tongue, making it impossible for you to commit suicide by biting your tongue; after five minutes, that itching will reach a peak, so unbearable you would wish for death; and after ten minutes, you will beg for mercy due to this insufferable sensation, unable to live or die, on my floor." Hao Jian''s lips curled into a cold smile: "If I don''t kill you, you absolutely won''t be able to kill yourself, and although the drug will stiffen your body, it will also increase your sensitivity. Moreover, this drug is mixed with a potent stimulant, you can''t faint to escape these feelings. Normally, it would take a week for you to be tortured to death. However, as far as I''m aware, nobody has been able to last even a day." Listening to this, not only Pride, but even Moon Goddess Jiang and the others felt their scalp tingle at the thought of such an evil thing, a torture method that seemed gentle yet was cruel. Pride stopped talking and stared at Hao Jian viciously, wishing he could tear a piece of flesh from him. After ten minutes, Pride finally experienced the truth in Hao Jian''s words; his eyes bloodshot, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his facial muscles constantly twitching. "I''ll tell you where they are, but I advise you it''s best not to look for them, because they will show you what true fear is!" Pride capitulated. "Fear? For a god who has scattered death among mortals, I am quite clear about what fear is," Hao Jian said with a scoff. ................................. Chapter 673 - 674 The God of Death is a Cheapskate Pride felt that Hao Jian''s words were somewhat strange, so he couldn''t help but lower his head and ponder for a moment, then suddenly realized something and abruptly looked up at Hao Jian with a sense of panic in his eyes. "Is it you?!" On the other end of the walkie-talkie, everyone heard the fear in Pride''s voice, all utterly puzzled. What had Pride discovered to be so shocked? It was because he put together Hao Jian''s appearance and build, and suddenly realized how extremely similar he was to that man. If it was that man, then everything would make sense. Why Hao Jian was able to see through his tricks, why he was able to follow him so quietly, and then take him down with a single blow¡ªit was all because he was that man. When he arrived in Huaxia, he thought Hao Jian was already dead, but now it seemed that not only was he not dead, but he was also alive and well. "You actually didn''t die?" Pride was astounded. Hao Jian was not dead and had been hiding in Dragon Tooth all along? "Dead? Does the God of Death die?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "Captain, what is the God of Death, and what exactly is Hao Jian talking about?" By that time, Yu Jiayi and the others had already met up with Moon Goddess Jiang, and they were all confused by what Hao Jian had said. Moon Goddess Jiang''s expression was grave as she said, "The God of Death is the Emperor of the entire Underworld, with power spread across five continents¡ªa legendary figure." "Are you saying that Hao Jian is the God of Death?" Yu Jiayi and the others were left dumbfounded. Did Hao Jian have such an identity? "I don''t know," Moon Goddess Jiang sighed. She wasn''t sure, after all, because Hao Jian had been gone for so many years, and what had happened to him during this time was entirely unknown. Moon Goddess Jiang realized that Hao Jian had unknowingly come a long way. At that moment, Hao Jian seemed to have also realized that his words were heard by the people on the other end, so he quickly unclipped the walkie-talkie from his collar and then stepped on Pride''s chest: "Now that you know my identity, you had better tell me where she is, or you should know that I have at least a thousand ways to make you wish you were dead." In this world, some people are not afraid of death, but very few are not afraid of a fate worse than death. Pride let out a strange laugh and said, "The Monarch will be very happy to know you''re still alive!" Hao Jian''s face darkened, and he stepped on Pride''s chest again: "Are you sure you want to waste time talking with me? If I don''t get the answer I want within ten seconds, I''ll make good on my promise and make you wish you were dead!" "They are at XXX..." Pride said grimly, no longer daring to provoke Hao Jian, because he knew Hao Jian meant what he said. With Hao Jian''s identity, driving him to madness was not at all difficult. "Thank you..." Hao Jian said with a playful smile, then tied Pride up against a water tower and took all the communication devices from him, before leaving him there with confidence. This was to prevent Pride from sending any signals or leaking information; Hao Jian didn''t want anyone to know he was in Hua City. "What are you doing? Didn''t you promise to let me go?" Pride realized something, his face turning green as he roared at Hao Jian, who was preparing to leave. According to their previous agreement, Hao Jian should have killed him quickly, not to continue torturing him. Now Hao Jian had left him bound here and taken all his communication devices, clearly planning to leave him trapped and tormented to death by the "Caterpillar." Pride was in unbearable itching and praying for a quick death. He was furious at Hao Jian for breaking his promise. "We are enemies, why would you believe the words of an enemy?" Hao Jian said with a smirk. Pride''s expression stiffened, and then he gritted his teeth with resentment: "As a Monarch, you actually break your promise? You''re not fit to be a king!" "Didn''t Kazan tell you that the God of Death is actually a scumbag?" Hao Jian said, raising an eyebrow at Pride and then laughed heartily as he jumped off the building and swiftly left, light as a feather. "Scumbag!" Pride also cursed viciously. This guy was truly a scumbag. He didn''t care about royal dignity or the glory of the strong at all, completely shameless to the extreme. .... "I already know Xiaolu''s whereabouts. I''m going to find her now," Hao Jian said to the other end of the walkie-talkie. "Where? We''ll come to support you now!" Moon Goddess Jiang immediately said anxiously. "No need, I can handle it alone," Hao Jian said lightly. "Wait for me at Dragon Tooth. I will bring Xiaolu back safely." After hanging up the phone, a shadowy haze covered Hao Jian''s eyes, his killing intent contained. At that moment, an abandoned junkyard. "Why hasn''t Pride come back yet? He couldn''t have been taken down, could he?" Gluttony, with a large belly, asked. "Impossible. With Dragon Tooth''s bunch of incompetents, they didn''t even notice our simple tricks, with such meager skills, how could they hold on to him?" Envy said disdainfully. "But I heard that Dragon Tooth''s mysterious founder is quite powerful, and even Moon Goddess Jiang is his disciple." "That person has never shown up. We don''t even know if he exists. Maybe Dragon Tooth made him up just to boost their own prestige," Envy said with the same contempt, then turned to look at Jealousy: "Jealousy, didn''t you go to the deal with Pride? How come you''re back, but he isn''t?" "I don''t know, perhaps because he got entangled with Dragon Tooth''s people," Jealousy was also uncertain of the actual situation. And just at this moment, a sudden knock came from outside. All six of them were startled, exchanging wary glances. "Who is it?" came an angry and solemn query. "A depressed and sad handsome young man!" a very serious voice replied from outside the door. Hearing this, the angry ones all had perplexed expressions, their wariness intensified. Could it be Dragon Tooth coming for them? Pride would never speak like that. "Your name!" Anger asked, feeling annoyed as the other seemed to be playing with them. "Hao Yingjun!" the voice outside answered again. "Should be someone from Dragon Tooth, right?" Envy said, unsure. But even if it were someone from Dragon Tooth, they wouldn''t knock so blatantly, right? Isn''t this a bit too silly? "Let''s open the door and see first!" someone suggested. And when they opened the door, they saw a young man standing at the entrance with a smug grin. "Who are you looking for?" Anger glared at Hao Jian. "I''m looking for my daughter," Hao Jian said with a squint and a smile. Daughter? At the mention, all six tensed up. Was this guy here for that little girl? "What daughter, what are you talking about?" Anger pretended to be confused but also felt it unlikely. Even if they were to rescue, they would do it covertly. What did he mean by knocking and asking? "The one about two or three years old, in a floral dress, with big eyes and a little mouth, very cute. She resembles me, so she''s very pretty and easy to recognize," Hao Jian replied with a grin. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hearing Hao Jian''s description, the faces of Envy and the others darkened. This was definitely Xiaolu they were talking about; the man had come for her. At this moment, Envy casually circled to Hao Jian''s back while reaching for the sword at his waist, planning to ambush Hao Jian. They had realized that this man was just here to mock them. But Hao Jian acted as if he hadn''t noticed, continuing, "The child is lost, and she must be frantic. You tell me, which bunch of bastards raised by bitches would be so shameless to lay hands on my daughter?" The faces of Envy and the others went even darker. Was this guy beating around the bush? And now Envy had drawn the blade, slowly approaching Hao Jian, ready to slash at his throat. "Have any of you brothers seen those bastards raised by bitches? Seven in total, all in black robes, neither human nor ghost-like, the men sleazy, and the women ugly beyond compare. Hey! I feel like they look a bit like you guys!" Hao Jian exclaimed in surprise. And Envy''s blade was now less than a centimeter from Hao Jian''s neck. All of their eyes flashed with rage, itching to slaughter Hao Jian then and there for such hateful mockery, blatantly feigning ignorance while deriding them. Envy''s knife had appeared in front of Hao Jian''s throat, and with just a gentle swipe, blood would spurt from Hao Jian''s neck. At that moment, however, Hao Jian still seemed oblivious, smirking, "If you see them, could you relay a message for us? They better release my daughter quickly. Do they have a death wish, daring to meddle with the God of Death''s daughter?" Bang! As soon as Hao Jian finished speaking, a thunderous sound burst through the room, and all six Sins retreated, positioning themselves at various points, vigilantly watching Hao Jian. Envy, who was about to strike, chose to abandon the idea upon hearing Hao Jian''s words. If the God of Death were so easy to kill, the rulers of the four forbidden areas wouldn''t have let him escape unitedly. Such a man, she could not kill; she was well aware of her limitations. Envy felt her actions had probably been anticipated by this man from the start. His final rebuke was likely meant to scare her off. At this point, all six understood why Hao Jian dared to come for them so brazenly. It was because he had absolute confidence in his own strength. These six individuals, among the strongest in the world, were filled with fear when facing Hao Jian, as if facing a formidable enemy. Each of them looked grave and extremely frightened. Hao Jian nonchalantly cleaned his ears, "Now, can you tell me where my daughter is?" "You''re not dead?" Envy exclaimed in shock. This man had actually been in Huaxia the whole time? "Cut the crap," Hao Jian retorted, curling his lip. If I were dead, how could I appear here? "Come on, tell me where my daughter is, and then I''ll give you a quick death," Hao Jian said with a smile, as if he were talking about squashing an ant. Chapter 674 - 675: In Hell "We won''t tell you where she is. You know we are not afraid of death!" Envy sneered. It was evident that Hao Jian cared deeply for Xiaolu, but the more he cared, the less they were willing to divulge her whereabouts to Hao Jian. Being able to anger or sadden the mighty God of Death was an honor for them. "The guy before you said the same thing, and then he betrayed your location to me," Hao Jian said sarcastically. "You killed Pride?" The group, including Envy, was all horrified. No wonder Pride had not yet returned. He had been killed by Hao Jian. "No, no, no, I haven''t killed him, but now I think he would wish someone had," Hao Jian replied with a shrug. Hearing this, Envy and the others changed expressions. They naturally understood what Hao Jian meant¡ªhe was surely torturing Pride. And should they fall into Hao Jian''s hands, they guessed they would meet the same fate as Pride. When the kings of the four forbidden realms had joined together to ambush Hao Jian, they had been there, witnessing firsthand how the God of Death, Hao Jian, had fought the kings to a draw in partnership with the Moon. Hao Jian''s methods matched his strength. "Is the Moon Goddess still alive?" Gluttony suddenly sneered, realizing that today they might not leave alive and took this moment to mock Hao Jian. Initially, when the Moon Goddess and the God of Death were ambushed, they had fought nearly ten thousand men with the strength of just a dozen or so, eventually faltering from exhaustion. The Moon Goddess had disappeared while covering Hao Jian''s retreat, her life and death unknown. And at that time, they had been there, pursuing the Moon Goddess. "Dead," Hao Jian answered expressionlessly. "What about your subordinates?" "Dead." "What about you?" "Also dead." "Then... what about us?" asked Gluttony, his smile growing more amused. "You, you are doing very well," Hao Jian slowly turned around, staring at Gluttony. His attractive, narrow phoenix eyes exuded a sinister fierceness, then he roared, "In Hell!" As soon as he spoke, Hao Jian''s figure explosively moved forward. "Kill him!" Gluttony and his companions, without hesitating, roared out and encircled Hao Jian from six directions. "Mandala Dance." Just then, Envy shouted, holding two knives, twirling her body. The flashing blades created a confusing, mesmerizing pattern, like a seductive mandala blooming. Although Hao Jian tried hard to dodge, his face still got streaked with blood, scratched by the opponent''s blades. "God of Death, you have been out of the battlefield for too long. Your body has become dull!" Envy laughed loudly, feeling honored to have wounded the God of Death, a triumph for any martial artist. Hao Jian chuckled softly, then reached out with one hand toward Envy. Envy sneered, thinking Hao Jian attempting to break her Knife Array with his bare hands was suicidal. In an instant, she could sever Hao Jian''s hand! However, Hao Jian''s hand had already reached through the dense blade light, firmly gripping Envy''s throat. "What?" Everyone, not just Envy, stared in shock. With Envy''s blades spinning at high speed, nearly as fast as an airplane''s turbine¡ªcapable of slicing through even hard rock¡ªhow had Hao Jian managed to penetrate the Knife Array? "After so many years, still no progress," Hao Jian shook his head, his face wearing a peculiar smile. This comment left Envy feeling deeply humiliated, but being gripped by the throat, she was powerless. "Shit!" Just then, Gluttony charged forward too, bellowing as he banked his massive, 6 foot 9, corpulent body toward Hao Jian. Hao Jian punched powerfully, but his fist sank into Gluttony''s abundant fat. Gluttony laughed heartily, "It''s useless. I have trained every bit of my fat to the utmost perfection. It might look like fat, but it''s all muscle, flexible as can be. It hardens as I will it, softens as I desire. Does it feel like you''re hitting a mass of cotton now?" Hao Jian stared intently at Gluttony''s corpulent body, then spat out disdainfully, "Disgusting!" "You!" Gluttony was instantly furious, his fierce gaze fixed on Hao Jian. Was that how he viewed his fighting technique? Hao Jian withdrew his hand stuck in the fat and changed to a palm strike, shouting loudly, "Break!" The palm strike, carrying a burst of inner strength, directly impacted Gluttony''s body, causing the center to cave in. His entire body trembled with fat, he staggered backward several steps, then vomited a mouthful of blood. "Let''s attack together, or else you don''t even qualify to entertain me for a bit," Hao Jian provocatively beckoned to everyone, his arrogance reaching its peak. "Everyone, let''s kill him together!" Half an hour later, Hao Jian was holding the head of Gluttony, spinning it on his finger like a basketball. Six of the Deadly Sins, five met their untimely deaths, their bodies lying in this abandoned car yard. Yet, Hao Jian wasn''t taking it easy either; his body had many wounds, after all, these were world-class fighters and dealing with them was no easy task. "Why didn''t you kill me? What do you want?" Envy clutched her right arm, its wound bleeding profusely, and yelled hysterically. Hao Jian had torn off her entire right arm, now blood gushed like a fountain. "I said earlier, I want to know where my daughter is," Hao Jian replied coldly. "I didn''t expect the God of Death to have a daughter," Envy sneered, then cackled wickedly, "If you want to know where she is, then beg me." "The daughter of a friend is like my own daughter, besides... do you think I need to beg you to get what I want?" Hao Jian said with a dark laugh, then walked towards Envy. "Pfft." But just then, a blossom of blood erupted, Envy had stabbed herself in the heart with a knife, yet she continued to laugh crazily, "Thinking of torturing me? I won''t give you that chance!" Hao Jian squinted his eyes, his expression turned extremely grim, this was why he hated dealing with these bastards. These bastards, at the slightest disagreement commits suicide, just too damn careless about life. "Snap!" At the same time, Envy smashed a remote control, sneering, "That little girl is locked in one of the junk cars, but I''ve just activated all the car crushers, in five minutes all the junk cars will be crushed into pieces, including that little girl." "You bastard, can''t you let someone die in peace?" Hao Jian squeezed these words out between his clenched teeth, feeling very angry yet unable to vent it anywhere. "God of Death, I... we''ll be waiting for you in Hell!" Envy sneered miserably, her face ashen as paper, then her eyes glazed over, and she died. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian glanced at her, then hurried out. With the remote control destroyed, the crushers couldn''t be stopped, and he had to find Xiaolu in the shortest time. He rushed to the back of the scrapyard, indeed finding five crushers voraciously devouring car after car, like five iron beasts that devoured humans. Hao Jian furrowed his brows deeply, the situation was much more severe than he had anticipated. If he couldn''t locate the car Xiaolu was in, it was all for nothing! Just then, Hao Jian suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, a sense of palpitation swept over him. Why, did he feel this way? Hao Jian turned his head swiftly, looking back at a red sedan about to be fed into the crusher. Why, did he know she was there? And why was the feeling so intense! Hao Jian found it unbelievable, the sensation as if he and Xiaolu were connected by blood, as if their hearts beat as one. "Daughter???" Hao Jian suddenly contracted his pupils, then realizing something, his figure darted out swiftly, landing on the red sedan. When he confirmed Xiaolu was indeed inside, the strange feeling inside Hao Jian grew even stronger. He lifted Xiaolu out of the car, patting her small face, "Xiaolu, wake up..." After a while, Xiaolu''s eyelashes trembled slightly, then she slowly opened her eyes, "Are you... Daddy?" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian''s pupils contracted, his body jolted as if struck by lightning, his face instantly darkened. About half an hour later, members of Dragon Tooth arrived at the scene, beginning to survey and deal with the bodies and other tasks. "Mommy." Xiaolu cried and threw herself into Moon Goddess Jiang''s arms. "It''s okay, Xiaolu, Mommy''s here, Mommy will never leave you alone again." Moon Goddess Jiang too was crying, hugging Xiaolu tightly, as if afraid she might run away if not held closely. "Hao Jian, how did you find Xiaolu among all these cars?" Yu Jiayi couldn''t help but ask, puzzled. But Hao Jian didn''t respond, his face grim as he walked towards Moon Goddess Jiang, "I need to speak with you for a moment." Then, ignoring everyone''s astonished looks, he walked away. Seeing this, Moon Goddess Jiang also felt somewhat guilty, placing Xiaolu in front of Yu Jiayi, "Can you look after Xiaolu for a bit? I''ll be back soon." "Hao Jian, what is it that can''t be said in front of everyone, why be so secretive?" Moon Goddess Jiang tried to laugh it off calmly. "Who exactly is Xiaolu''s father?" Hao Jian turned around, his gaze piercing as he stared at Moon Goddess Jiang. Moon Goddess Jiang''s expression stiffened, she chuckled awkwardly, "Why would you suddenly ask that?" "Who exactly is Xiaolu''s father?!" Hao Jian cut her off abruptly, his gaze still piercing. Moon Goddess Jiang suddenly looked down, unable to meet Hao Jian''s piercing gaze directly. "You said you were married, but you never tell me who your husband is, nor would you let me meet him, why is that?" Moon Goddess Jiang tried to placate Hao Jian with silence, but he wouldn''t let her get away with it, pressing on. "That''s because he''s an ordinary person, I didn''t want to involve him in our world," Moon Goddess Jiang argued weakly, making the situation even more confusing. Chapter 675 - 676: Father "Oh? Is that so? Then why could the Seven Sins find Xiaolu but not him? Could it be that your security measures for him are even more rigorous than for Xiaolu, that you must really love him that much." Hao Jian said sarcastically, clearly sensing a loophole. "I..." Moon Goddess Jiang still wanted to make excuses. But Hao Jian seemed to have anticipated this and pressed on, "Is Xiaolu my daughter?" Moon Goddess Jiang was visibly shaken, her face filled with shock. "Why would you think that?" "Intuition!" Hao Jian said gravely. "From the first time I saw Xiaolu, I felt a deep bond with her. At first, I thought it was because she was your daughter, but today I realized that was not the case at all." "Do you know how I managed to find Xiaolu among so many vehicles?" Hao Jian''s gaze was piercing as he looked at Moon Goddess Jiang, but he didn''t wait for her to answer and continued, "I don''t know how I did it, but I just knew she had to be there. It''s also an instinct, or rather a blood-bond instinct!" "Moon Goddess Jiang, you say we''re neither kin nor kind, so why do I feel this inexplicable and peculiar connection with her?" Hao Jian asked with a cold smirk. "I... I don''t know." Moon Goddess Jiang hurriedly lowered her head, her face written with unease. "Do you really need me to take a paternity test with her before you''ll admit it?" Hao Jian said icily. Moon Goddess Jiang sighed, knowing she could no longer hide it. She had calculated everything, but how could she have foreseen the blood bond between father and daughter? For someone exceptional like Hao Jian, his perceptual abilities were also sharper. "Are you admitting it now?" Hao Jian sneered, feeling furious at this point. Moon Goddess Jiang had actually kept such an important matter from him. "Yes, Xiaolu is your daughter. Her full name is Hao Lu." Moon Goddess Jiang replied with an ugly expression, knowing she could no longer deceive Hao Jian, so she laid out everything. "Why hide it from me? Do you think I''m not qualified to be her father?" Hao Jian asked with an unfriendly expression. "Neither you nor I am qualified," Moon Goddess Jiang said with a bitter smile, her and Hao Jian''s hands were stained with too much blood and sin, unfit to be parents. "I named her Hao Lu because I hoped the homophone would symbolize her stepping onto a good path and not going astray like us." "If that''s the case, then why did you choose to have her in the first place?" Hao Jian said angrily, puzzled at the same time. He clearly never had that kind of relationship with Moon Goddess Jiang; how could she have a child with him? At the mention of this, Moon Goddess Jiang blushed and stammered, "Well... how would I know you were so capable, that you would get it right in one shot." Hao Jian was struck dumb. Was this woman being shy? Then, Hao Jian''s expression became rather strange as he said, "Hang on, when exactly did you sleep with me? I have no memory of it at all?" "Can''t you phrase it more nicely?" Moon Goddess Jiang said, infuriated. What did she mean by sleeping with Hao Jian? Immediately afterward, Moon Goddess Jiang said shyly, "It was the night before you left the country. We were both dead drunk that night, and while you were asleep, I just..." Hao Jian was taken aback and said, "I thought of you as a brother, and yet you were trying to get on me?" Moon Goddess Jiang bit her lip tightly, her face full of embarrassment. Did this damn guy even know how to speak, making it sound so pathetic? "Tell me, when did you start harboring ill-intentions towards me?" Hao Jian pressed. Moon Goddess Jiang, with a darkened face and clearly displeased, said, "It started a long time ago; you''re just too dumb to notice." She had always liked Hao Jian but never expressed it until he was about to travel abroad. That''s when Moon Goddess Jiang decided to do something and slept with him the night before he left. "So now it''s my fault?" Hao Jian was immediately indignant. He was obviously the one who was taken advantage of, right? "How was I to know whether you''d come back after you left? I thought that even if you didn''t, I''d have some beautiful memories. But who knew I''d get it right the first time? Once I was pregnant, I couldn''t just have an abortion, right? So I had no choice but to have the baby," Moon Goddess Jiang said with a sense of victimhood. Who would think she''d get pregnant? After all, once pregnant, you have to give birth, right? Hao Jian covered his face and sighed, "Didn''t you know you had to wear a condom?" "I didn''t know at the time. I had never done it before; it was also my first time, you know." Moon Goddess Jiang felt even more aggrieved. At that time, she was so flustered she didn''t think about using protection. After she had slept with him, she herself was so panicked that before she could even deal with the severe pain downstairs, she just fled in disgrace. "So what are your plans for me and Xiaolu now? Are you really going to let her grow up fatherless?" Hao Jian asked, frowning. "You just continue with your life without any psychological burden. The reason I didn''t want to tell you is because I didn''t want to ruin your current life," Moon Goddess Jiang said with a wry smile, having already been accustomed to raising a child on her own for many years. "Bullshit! That''s my child; you think I''ll just ignore it?" Hao Jian said angrily. If he hadn''t known, that would have been one thing, but now that he did know, he had to take it seriously. Even without Moon Goddess Jiang telling him, Hao Jian knew how difficult these past years had been for her. Transforming from an assassin to a mother was not easy. Moon Goddess Jiang struggled alone raising the child, leading Dragon Tooth on one hand, and fearing on the other that Xiaolu''s existence would be discovered. She had always been giving, but he had been avoiding his responsibilities for many years. Even if it wasn''t voluntary, Hao Jian still felt guilty. "Tell Xiaolu that I am her biological father!" Hao Jian said to Moon Goddess Jiang. "Do you plan to acknowledge her?" Moon Goddess Jiang was utterly shocked. "Is that even a question? My daughter, can''t I acknowledge her?" Hao Jian rolled his eyes. As a man, he should take the responsibility that was inherently his. Tongtong was pitiable because she had no father. Hao Jian didn''t want Xiaolu to end up like her. "But you have a new life now, you... you even have a wife. If you recognize Xiaolu, how will you explain it to your wife?" Moon Goddess Jiang expressed her concern. She was happy, but she didn''t want to cause trouble for Hao Jian. "Do I need to explain it to her? Is she the head of the family or am I? I''m not boasting, but at home, my word is law. If I say go east, she wouldn''t dare go west; if I say turn left, she wouldn''t dare turn right. No need to worry," Hao Jian confidently slapped his chest and boasted. Moon Goddess Jiang gave Hao Jian a deep look, then said, "Never mind, I''m actually quite fine bringing up Xiaolu by myself." "Are you looking down on me?" Hao Jian immediately glared, feeling particularly annoyed. Moon Goddess Jiang didn''t respond, but her expression made it clear she was questioning him. "Anyway, I''m going to recognize Xiaolu, and no one can stop me," Hao Jian coughed guiltily. "Alright, we can talk about this later. Let''s go out now. We''ve been chatting here long enough. If we don''t go out, they''ll start to suspect," Moon Goddess Jiang said to Hao Jian. "Wait..." Hao Jian suddenly called Moon Goddess Jiang to a halt and looked at her somewhat shyly. "What is it?" Moon Goddess Jiang asked, puzzled. "Well... the time before, when you ''slept with'' me, I was unconscious, so I didn''t feel anything. Could we do it again when I''m awake?" Hao Jian rubbed his palms together, speaking timidly. "Bang!" At that moment, everyone saw Hao Jian flying out of an alley and then crashing heavily onto the ground. Right after that, they saw Moon Goddess Jiang emerge from the alley with a somber expression. "Boss, why did you hit the founder?" The Dragon Tooth members were stunned. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Do you even need to ask? Some jerk must have pissed her off again," Yu Jiayi said with a cold laugh. "What are you all doing? Who gave you permission to act? Moon Goddess Jiang, do you dare to defy a military order?" Just then, a grating voice rang out amidst the gathering. A middle-aged man in military attire walked over with a group of soldiers, pointing at Moon Goddess Jiang and her group as he yelled. "Who is he?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but ask Moon Goddess Jiang. "Ye Fenglin," Moon Goddess Jiang replied with a grimace. "A Ye family member?" Hao Jian''s eyes narrowed as he quickly understood, "Is he the one thwarting our rescue?" If the entire Dragon Tooth unit had moved out, Xiaolu might have been rescued sooner, but it was this Ye Fenglin who interfered, preventing Moon Goddess Jiang from deploying Dragon Tooth members and nearly causing Xiaolu''s death. So now, Hao Jian was furious. Ye Fenglin had almost killed his daughter. "That guy holds a director position at the Ministry of Defense and has a high status in the Ye family," Moon Goddess Jiang warned. "So what? Since we are already enemies, there''s no need to care about who he is anymore," Hao Jian scoffed and then walked towards Ye Fenglin. Moon Goddess Jiang just sighed and hurriedly followed Hao Jian''s footsteps. "Moon Goddess Jiang, are you seeking death? The nation entrusted you with Dragon Tooth, a top-secret military unit, not for you to act recklessly!" Ye Fenglin lashed out at Moon Goddess Jiang viciously. "I think you''ve misunderstood. I did not use a single Dragon Tooth soldier to rescue my daughter, and it wasn''t our people who acted. I''m just here to collect the corpses of those outsiders," Moon Goddess Jiang said emotionlessly. "Do you think I would believe you?" Ye Fenglin sneered. He didn''t care if what Moon Goddess Jiang said was true or not; his goal was to smear her, make the higher-ups doubt her, and gradually marginalize her. Currently, the Ye family and Hao Jian were enemies, and since Moon Goddess Jiang was friends with Hao Jian, she naturally ended up on the Ye family''s target list as well. "Whether you believe it or not is your problem, I don''t care." But Moon Goddess Jiang remained indifferent. Her daughter had already been successfully rescued, and she didn''t care what Ye Fenglin thought. "Moon Goddess Jiang, you''re so arrogant. Are you not afraid that I will report your abuse of power for personal gain to our superiors?" Chapter 676 - 677: Shameless Ye Fenglin "I didn''t do anything, so why should I be afraid?" Moon Goddess Jiang said coldly, her face stern. "You might not have done it, but who knows? Right now, I see you leading a group of Dragon Tooth here. You claim you''re here to collect bodies, but I suspect you''ve organized a secret operation without clearance from above." "Additionally, are the casualties at the amusement park unrelated to you? I''m authorized to suspect that you''re plotting something sinister, planning to lead Dragon Tooth in a mutiny, collaborating with ******** from within and without, endangering national security. When I came out, I''d already reported to our superiors, and I believe you''ll be receiving notice shortly, Moon Goddess Jiang. I suggest you start thinking of an excuse," Ye Fenglin laughed heartily. With this, Moon Goddess Jiang had fallen into a situation where even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn''t clean her slate. Aside from leading troops without authorization, just the amusement park incident was enough for Moon Goddess Jiang to be in hot water. Upon hearing this, Moon Goddess Jiang''s face turned frosty. Ye Fenglin''s smear truly could bring her a lot of trouble. Regardless, the operation to rescue Xiaolu had indeed caused a lot of casualties, an incident that would surely make headlines the next day, and all of it was her responsibility. Moon Goddess Jiang could very likely be dismissed from her position, or even end up in prison for it. "What''s wrong, scared? If you''re willing to kneel now and beg for my forgiveness, I might consider pleading on your behalf," Ye Fenglin smirked maliciously, taking pleasure in the situation. He despised nothing more than Moon Goddess Jiang''s icy demeanor¡ªconstantly prideful, not even regarding her superiors with any respect, which was infuriating to witness. "Impossible," Moon Goddess Jiang shook her head calmly and dismissively. She could never do such a thing, especially not in front of Hao Jian, because it wasn''t about losing her face, but Hao Jian''s! "Impossible? Moon Goddess Jiang, do you think you can still act haughty? Or do you really believe I can''t handle you?" Ye Fenglin''s eyes were filled with rage, and he grinned sinisterly. Even now, Moon Goddess Jiang dared to put on an act in front of him? "Heh heh heh, not done yet? Bullying my woman in front of me, do you think I''m scared?" At this moment, Hao Jian taunted, staring at Ye Fenglin with ill-intent. Now his dislike for Ye Fenglin had reached new heights. On hearing this, even Yu Jiayi couldn''t help but gasp. Moon Goddess Jiang was Hao Jian''s woman? Since when? Why didn''t they know about it? They had never known about a relationship between Hao Jian and Moon Goddess Jiang, and she had never mentioned it to them either. Hearing Hao Jian publicly acknowledge it, Moon Goddess Jiang''s cheeks flushed red, and she seemed at a loss. This direct acknowledgment of their relationship took Moon Goddess Jiang by surprise; she wasn''t ready for this. "Captain, he''s not telling the truth, is he?" The others gazed at Moon Goddess Jiang in shock. Moon Goddess Jiang, however, kept her head down, silent, biting her red lips, blushing to the extreme. The crowd took a sharp intake of breath. Moon Goddess Jiang''s reaction had said it all. And then, their faces turned red, as if a weight had been lifted from their hearts. Because in private, they had speculated about whether Moon Goddess Jiang would give up Dragon Tooth if she fell for an ordinary person or got together with Zhou Yefu. But now that Moon Goddess Jiang had become Hao Jian''s woman, with the Dragon Tooth Twosome united, Dragon Tooth was sure to reach new heights. Moon Goddess Jiang was already exceptionally capable on her own, and coupled with Hao Jian, wouldn''t Dragon Tooth be like a dragon in water? How could Divine Tiger ever compete with them? Hearing Hao Jian speak in such terms, Zhou Yefu, standing by Ye Fenglin''s side, also frowned deeply, filled with worry. What he feared most was Hao Jian''s return. He wasn''t afraid of Moon Goddess Jiang, but he did fear Hao Jian, because his master, the former Divine Tiger leader, had warned him long ago to be wary of Hao Jian¡ªa cunning and clever individual comparable to Cao Cao from the Three Kingdoms period, a great villain with the wisdom of a demon! If Cao Cao hadn''t died from sickness, he might have unified the Three Kingdoms long ago. "Your woman? Who are you?" Ye Fenglin now looked at Hao Jian, puzzled. "You don''t even recognize the thorn in the Ye family''s side? You''re not too sharp at this business," Hao Jian teased. "Are you Hao Jian?" Ye Fenglin immediately realized and stared at Hao Jian furiously. "Correct, it''s your daddy!" Hao Jian said with a grin. Ye Fenglin snorted coldly, his gaze turning vicious. "Let me tell you, you won''t be hopping around for much longer. Offend the Ye family, and we''ll make you wish you were dead!" "My own issue can wait. Right now, I want to ask you, can you revoke the accusations against my woman?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "What? Scared? Then beg me. If you beg me, who knows, I might just agree," Ye Fenglin said smugly. "How do you want me to beg?" Hao Jian continued to smile and asked. Hearing this, Yu Jiayi and the others were shocked. Was Hao Jian really going to comply with Ye Fenglin''s demands? This guy wasn''t an easy one to deal with. "Kneel down, kiss his feet, then say you, Hao Jian, are a pile of stinking ****, a pile of stinking **** under my, Ye Fenglin''s, foot. Say that, and I''ll let you go," Ye Fenglin laughed heartily, arrogant and proud. "Well, I guess that''s the only choice I have," Hao Jian sighed and then walked towards Ye Fenglin. Seeing this, Yu Jiayi and the others were utterly dumbfounded. Was Hao Jian actually going to kneel? "Boss, he..." Everyone looked at Moon Goddess Jiang in astonishment, hoping she could provide an explanation. But Moon Goddess Jiang didn''t speak, merely waving her hand to indicate that they should keep quiet. Hao Jian walked towards Ye Fenglin and stopped in front of him, but instead of kneeling, a sly smile crept onto his face. "Kneel, what are you staring for?" Ye Fenglin said impatiently, since when did asking for humiliation require contemplation? "Thud!" Without any warning, Hao Jian delivered a knee strike to Ye Fenglin, who immediately fell to the ground and began vomiting violently, expelling everything he had eaten that day. Everyone was shocked; nobody had expected Hao Jian to suddenly strike. The only one with a smile was Moon Goddess Jiang; she seemed accustomed to Hao Jian''s behavior. This guy was no pushover¡ªasking him to kneel was like asking for his life. "Is this how you want me to beg you?" Hao Jian asked with a smile while looking down at Ye Fenglin. "You... blegh..." Ye Fenglin pointed at Hao Jian, tried to speak, but vomited again. "Not like that? Maybe it''s like this, then!" Hao Jian stepped on the back of Ye Fenglin''s head, pressing it into the puddle of his own vomit. "Ew~" S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The crowd revealed expressions of disgust and made strange noises, simply because the scene before them was too revolting. "Hao Jian!" Ye Fenglin was red-faced and furious, his eyes nearly bursting with the desire to kill. "Not that either? Then perhaps it''s this!" Hao Jian kicked Ye Fenglin in the flank, sending him flying several meters away. Ye Fenglin clutched at his side, grimacing in pain, utterly miserable. Then the soldiers finally reacted, all stepping in front of Hao Jian and aiming their machine guns at him. But the next instant, Yu Jiayi and others took action, knocking all of them to the ground. Ye Fenglin pointed shakily at Hao Jian but couldn''t utter a single word. "How exactly do you want me to beg you? Speak up." Hao Jian said helplessly, while also complaining, "City folks are so picky, so hard to satisfy." Everyone was speechless; this wasn''t begging, this was outright bullying. Ye Fenglin took a deep breath, finally recovering, and said viciously, "Hao Jian, I know you''re strong, and my people are no match for you; I can''t do anything about it. But I will take this account out on Moon Goddess Jiang. I will make her go to jail, her reputation in ruins!" Ye Fenglin was furious, and he needed to vent this bitter anger. He was determined to make Hao Jian pay! Hao Jian said Moon Goddess Jiang was his woman? Then he would ruin his woman, destroy her! Hearing this, Hao Jian remained silent, but the smile at the corner of his mouth took on a lingering taste. Ye Fenglin had successfully provoked his killing intent. "You''re bullying Mommy, you bad man!" At that moment, Xiaolu, appearing angry, toddled in front of Ye Fenglin and tossed a small stone at his head. "Scram!" Ye Fenglin was furious. It was bad enough that Hao Jian bullied him, but now even a child didn''t take him seriously? He immediately kicked out. "Xiaolu!" Moon Goddess Jiang was instantly alarmed, her voice changing with fright. Before she could move, Hao Jian was already one step ahead. "Swoosh!" In an instant, Hao Jian appeared in front of Ye Fenglin, one arm cradling Xiaolu, the other gripping Ye Fenglin''s throat. Ye Fenglin trembled all over, his face reddening from asphyxiation, looking at Hao Jian with immense fear. He felt the intense killing intent emanating from Hao Jian; this guy seriously intended to kill him! Zhou Yefu also felt a throbbing headache; that idiot Ye Fenglin had finally managed to enrage this monster. At that moment, with one hand choking Ye Fenglin''s throat, Hao Jian spoke in a chilling voice that felt as if it could slice through skin, "You came before my step with pride and arrogance, you insulted my Queen, and you even attempted to harm my princess. Now, tell me, how do you wish to die?" Chapter 677 - 678: Whose Balls Are We Talking About? Ye Fenglin''s body hair stood on end, but he couldn''t utter a word because his throat was seized. "Hao Jian, let''s stop here," Zhou Yefu said, walking over with a hand resting on Hao Jian''s shoulder. Hao Jian glanced at him and then looked towards Yu Jiayi not far away, "Take Xiaolu away!" Yu Jiayi stepped forward to carry Xiaolu away, and at that moment, Hao Jian no longer had any concerns, staring coldly at Zhou Yefu, "Get lost!" Hearing this, Zhou Yefu and the members of the Divine Tiger team all frowned¡ªHao Jian was being too disrespectful. "Hao Jian, you''ve gone too far!" Zhou Yefu also said with an ugly expression, Hao Jian was embarrassing him, clearly showing no regard for him at all. "I said, get lost. Don''t make me say it a second time!" Hao Jian commanded fiercely, his daughter had almost been hit, under such circumstances, he wouldn''t show face to anyone. "Calm down, his status is unusual, if you hurt him, it''s fine for you, but what about the Moon Goddess Jiang? She would be resisting violently against the law, what will the superiors think?" Zhou Yefu reminded him. The ferocious expression on Hao Jian''s face momentarily stilled, and he became apprehensive. Although he himself feared nothing, Moon Goddess Jiang was not the same, and what''s more, Moon Goddess Jiang had a child with her, she couldn''t, like him, disregard everything at will. If he really did something to Ye Fenglin, the Ye Family would surely use all their connections to deal with Moon Goddess Jiang. Hao Jian looked at Moon Goddess Jiang complexly from a distance and found himself caught in indecision. "Do what you need to do, don''t worry about me," but Moon Goddess Jiang said emotionlessly, she didn''t want to affect Hao Jian because of herself. Hearing this, Ye Fenglin immediately turned pale. Was this woman insane? Was she really planning a scorched-earth strategy with him? Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Afterward, Hao Jian violently threw Ye Fenglin to the ground; he ultimately couldn''t bear to hurt Moon Goddess Jiang because of his own reasons. Ye Fenglin coughed incessantly, his eyes filled with terror; he had truly been worried for a moment that Hao Jian would kill him. Hao Jian''s gaze was deep as he stared at Ye Fenglin, "This matter isn''t over. Clean your neck and wait for me; I will definitely come for your life!" Ye Fenglin lowered his head in fear, full of remorse yet not daring to speak, fearful of provoking Hao Jian again. Immediately, Hao Jian glared at Zhou Yefu, "Go back and tell Old Man Yun that I, Hao Jian, am back. From now on, Dragon Tooth will be under my command. Anyone who wants to trouble Moon Goddess Jiang can just try!" Ye Fenglin was taken aback. This guy knew Old Man Yun? And from the sound of it, his relationship with Old Man Yun seemed to be quite unusual. Returning to Dragon Tooth? What could this guy do after returning to Dragon Tooth? Ye Fenglin vaguely felt uneasy. This guy was returning to Dragon Tooth? Would the superiors agree to that? Zhou Yefu too harbored deep wariness upon hearing Hao Jian''s words. If this guy returned to Dragon Tooth, it would undoubtedly add wings to a tiger. One Moon Goddess Jiang was already troubling enough; with Hao Jian joining, the situation for Divine Tiger was grim. "Now, you all can get lost!" Hao Jian said coldly, without giving Zhou Yefu and the others any face. "We need to bring Moon Goddess Jiang back for an investigation. She has defied orders, and if she doesn''t present herself, the superiors will not let her off," Zhou Yefu said. "Since when did the affairs of Dragon Tooth concern you?" Hao Jian looked at Zhou Yefu with a chilling gaze, his attitude defiant. All the people of Dragon Tooth were visibly excited. What is dominance? This is dominance! "You''re completely unreasonable!" Zhou Yefu got angry too. He had thought Hao Jian was about to let go, but it was the same situation. But Hao Jian couldn''t be bothered with him, indifferently saying, "My woman, I''ll take her back. You don''t need to meddle in other people''s business. If you have a complaint, go report me to Old Man Yun!" Bringing up Old Man Yun instantly deflated Zhou Yefu, since he knew that Old Man Yun and Hao Jian were old acquaintances, and they had cooperated for much longer than his tenure. Compared to him, Old Man Yun would definitely trust Hao Jian more. Bringing this matter up to Old Man Yun, most likely, would end in nothing. But Zhou Yefu had no choice; he looked at Hao Jian complexly and then helped Ye Fenglin stand up, "Let''s go." "But we haven''t caught Moon Goddess Jiang yet..." Ye Fenglin said in astonishment. Zhou Yefu gave Hao Jian a glance and said, "With him here, you won''t be able to catch Moon Goddess Jiang." Ye Fenglin bit his teeth resentfully, then turned to get into the car, but until he boarded, his sharp gaze still lingered on Hao Jian. "Follow me!" At this time, Hao Jian also gestured with his fingers to Moon Goddess Jiang, signaling her to leave with him. Moon Goddess Jiang hesitated for a moment, but still followed Hao Jian into the car. In the car, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive, and no one dared to make a sound, because neither Hao Jian nor Moon Goddess Jiang spoke. To this moment, they still hadn''t recovered from their shock¡ªHao Jian actually had an affair with Moon Goddess Jiang, and they even had a daughter together? Only Xiaolu seemed fearless, with her round and curious eyes scanning Hao Jian. "Come here, let Daddy give you a hug!" Hao Jian said to Xiaolu with a beaming smile, winking and beckoning her to come over. Xiaolu hesitated for a moment and then looked towards Moon Goddess Jiang as if seeking her opinion. Moon Goddess Jiang didn''t speak, but she let go of Xiaolu. Hao Jian immediately picked up Xiaolu, scrutinized her, and then nodded approvingly. "Not bad, not bad, she really takes after her dad in looks." Moon Goddess Jiang and the others couldn''t help but roll their eyes; they thought his skin really was thick. Anyone with eyes could see that Xiaolu looked strikingly similar to Moon Goddess Jiang, inheriting her mother''s fine traits. What did she have to do with Hao Jian? "But Mom said the ugliest person in the world is Daddy," Xiaolu said with a finger in her mouth, her childish voice tinged with innocence. Hao Jian glared at Moon Goddess Jiang, his resentment filling the air. "I didn''t say anything wrong," Moon Goddess Jiang snorted and turned her head away, refusing to make eye contact with Hao Jian. "Don''t listen to your mom. Aside from spouting nonsense, she can''t do anything else," Hao Jian seriously advised Xiaolu. He couldn''t let his daughter believe that he was the ugliest person in the world; that was a grievous slander. "Spouting nonsense? Whose nonsense is Mom spouting?" Xiaolu asked curiously. "Of course, she''s spouting Daddy''s, oh hey!" Hao Jian began with a sly smile, but Moon Goddess Jiang kicked him, giving him a menacing look that frightened him into silence. "Daddy, you have a scar here." Xiaolu suddenly pointed to a bullet scar on Hao Jian''s neck. Hearing her say that, everyone couldn''t help but gasp. A bullet to the neck could be fatal; how on earth did Hao Jian survive? They all felt it was too horrifying, such an injury was undoubtedly deadly, the deadliest kind of deadly. And Moon Goddess Jiang couldn''t help but turn pale; although she had not had an easy life for many years, it seemed Hao Jian''s life was even tougher. "Oh, that? Your mom bit me," Hao Jian said with a smirk. "Mom bites?" Xiaolu looked confused, obviously startled by Hao Jian''s claim. "Oh yes, and she didn''t just bite me here, but in other places too," Hao Jian continued, winking suggestively. Dragon Tooth and the others all lowered their heads, pretending not to hear Hao Jian''s words; it was too roguish. Moon Goddess Jiang then stood up, moved Xiaolu aside, and promptly started beating up Hao Jian. ....... Vivian had been released by Hao Jian several days ago. She hadn''t returned to Ye Wenying''s side nor to the organization, but instead shut herself in a hotel room, not leaving for several days. For a time, she was extremely uncertain about her future and didn''t know where to go. In front of her was an urn which naturally contained her father''s ashes. "Have you fallen?" A voice came from behind the screen in Vivian''s room just then. Vivian swiftly flipped off the bed, with a dagger in hand, she coldly demanded, "Who is it?" "Looks like you''ve really gotten rusty, not even recognizing my voice," a graceful figure emerged from behind the screen, blonde and blue-eyed, sexy and curvaceous. "Catherine?" Vivian frowned, then put away her blade, "What are you doing here?" "Ye Wenying said you were killed, so I wanted to come to Hua City to see who dared to kill my apprentice." Catherine spoke with a smile that was very beautiful, her eyes seemingly capable of speech. She was beautiful, but dangerously so, like a rose with thorns, deterring anyone daring to pick her. Hearing Catherine say that, Vivian couldn''t help but feel a warmth in her heart. This was the only person in the world she was still willing to trust. Catherine was her mentor, yet more like her guardian, having watched Vivian grow up, sharing a bond that was hard to articulate. "He could have killed me, but he chose to let me go," Vivian said. "Let you go? Why?" Catherine''s arched brows furrowed, according to Ye Wenying, their opponent was their mortal enemy, so why would he let Vivian go? This was the real reason Ye Wenying had sent Vivian to assassinate Hao Jian. If Vivian succeeded, then so be it. Even if she failed and died at Hao Jian''s hands, the Assassins Alliance would avenge her, and no blame would come to him since he was just an employer. "He said he was a friend of my dad''s, and that''s why he wouldn''t kill me. It''s funny when you think about it, my enemy cared more about my life and death than my employer," Vivian said with a hint of mockery. At this, Catherine was shocked, a trace of alarm flickering in her eyes, "A friend of Xueci? But Xueci didn''t have any friends." "Huh? Was that guy lying to me?" Vivian''s eyes also revealed a fierce glint. If Hao Jian dared to deceive her, she would make sure he regretted it. "Do you have a photo of that guy?" Catherine asked, feigning casual interest, but a shadow of darkness appeared in her eyes. Chapter 678 - 679: Vivians Value "Here, this is his picture." Vivian handed her phone to Catherine, displaying a photo of Hao Jian. Upon seeing the photo of Hao Jian, Catherine gasped sharply, her face filled with shock. It''s him? Catherine found it hard to believe. She had never expected to encounter Hao Jian in Huaxia. They had been searching for him all this time, and now they had stumbled upon him here. Catherine had to admit it was quite a coincidence. "Do you know him?" Seeing Catherine''s reaction, Vivian immediately grew suspicious. Could it be that what Hao Jian said was true? Was he really a friend of her father? Because Catherine had mentioned before that she and her father were colleagues, and clearly, Catherine knew Hao Jian as well. Hearing this, Catherine instantly regained her composure, her expression solemn as she said, "You''ve been deceived. He''s not your dad''s friend; he''s your dad''s enemy, the one who killed your father!" "What?" On hearing this, Vivian''s expression dramatically changed. Hao Jian was her father''s murderer? "Impossible. Then why did he spare me? He knew I am Xueci''s daughter; he should have just killed me." Vivian thought Catherine''s words were nonsensical. If Hao Jian were her enemy, why would he leave alive someone who could be a threat to him? "Perhaps he did so to provoke us, the Assassins Alliance," Catherine said with a cold laugh. "What do you mean?" Vivian was even more confused. This was now involving the Alliance too? "Do you know who Hao Jian is?" Catherine asked with a smile. "A scumbag." Vivian nodded naturally. "That''s what you think of him? Well, if you say he''s a scumbag, then so be it." Catherine couldn''t help but laugh and cry at the same time before saying, "But it''s precisely this scumbag who has rendered the kings of the four forbidden zones helpless against him." "Is he the God of Death?" Vivian immediately understood. The only person in the world who could render the kings of the four major forbidden zones helpless was the sole ruler of the Underworld, the God of Death. "Do you think any tom, dick, or harry could kill your father? Your father was the strongest in the entire Assassins Alliance, second only to the king, Shadow Demon," Catherine explained. "Everyone knows that the God of Death is an enemy of our four alliances. Your father was present when Shadow Demon led us to attack him, but unfortunately, he met his end at the hands of the God of Death. He knew you were taken in by us, and by letting you go, he probably wanted to provoke us," Catherine continued. "Is that so?" But Vivian expressed her doubt, feeling that things were not so simple. Catherine feigned anger. "As your teacher, would I deceive you? Or do you prefer to trust a man you''ve barely met rather than an alliance that has raised you?" Vivian pondered for a moment, then angrily threw the dagger in her hand, piercing the television set in front of her. "I will make that guy pay for fooling me!" Clearly, Vivian had been misled by Catherine, fully believing what Catherine had said. "Hold on, don''t be rash. You shouldn''t fall out with him just yet. Instead, you should stay close to him and wait for the right moment to strike!" Catherine quickly advised Vivian. "Are you asking me to be friends with the man who killed my father?" Vivian immediately understood Catherine''s intention, feeling a mix of shame and anger. Hao Jian had killed her father and duped her so cruelly; she loathed Hao Jian down to her bones. How could she possibly become friends with him? "Vivian, don''t be impulsive. Even the great Shadow Demon was no match for the God of Death. Do you think we can kill him just by ourselves? A head-on confrontation won''t do us any good. We have to use our wits. Listen to me..." Then, Catherine leaned towards Vivian, whispering a few words into her ear. Vivian''s expression changed repeatedly before she finally smirked sinisterly. "Okay, we''ll do as you say!" "Good, we''ll be in touch!" Catherine nodded and then left the room. As soon as Catherine had left Vivian''s room, she immediately took out her phone and made a call. "Shadow Demon, I''ve found the God of Death, right here in Huaxia." "Oh? He finally shows up," a gentle voice came from the other end. "Sir, is it time to use the pawn we''ve prepared for so many years?" Catherine continued. "You mean Vivian?" Shadow Demon asked. "Right, isn''t that why we''ve kept her and trained her? So that one day we could use her to kill the God of Death," Catherine said ominously. "Only I can kill the God of Death. All you need to do is injure him, understand?" "Yes, I understand!" Catherine responded solemnly. "Go on then, act according to the plan!" ....... Meanwhile, several large trucks had stopped in front of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital''s entrance, among them an out-of-place black BMW car. "Are you sure this is the place?" Gao Luyuan asked. "That''s right, this is the place. This guy used to teach here, and as far as I know, he had a particularly good relationship with a female teacher and two female students. All three of them are in the school right now. I''ve investigated everything clearly." One of Gao Luyuan''s confidants replied. He was obviously referring to Qin Bing, Zhao Yating, and Che Xiaoxiao ¡ª they were the three who got along best in the Chinese Medicine Hospital. "Good, kidnap them, then use them to threaten Hao Jian," Gao Luyuan said with a fierce glint in his eyes. Then he waved his hand grandly, "Go, catch them all for me!" Swish! The containers of the several trucks were suddenly opened, and a group of knife-wielding thugs jumped down and rushed into the school. Gao Luyuan also followed leisurely into the school, his face filled with gloom and cunning. Since it was summer vacation, there were only a few students and teachers left in the school, so Gao Luyuan''s choice of this time was almost foolproof. There were so few people in the school that they could be easily controlled by his group of over a hundred. By then, even if they wanted to call the police, they couldn''t. "Hey, what are you doing?" The gatekeeper at the entrance was baffled to see so many people rushing in and was just about to dial for the police. At that moment, Gao Luyuan''s eyes flashed dangerously, and he signaled to his subordinates. Then one of his men, carrying a large knife, went towards the gatekeeper. Shortly after, the gatekeeper''s screams could be heard coming from within. All of them strode boldly into the school, and Gao Luyuan roared, "Search for me!" Hundreds of people swarmed out, searching through the school for the whereabouts of Che Xiaoxiao and the other two. "Teacher Qin, are you really going to resign?" Inside the principal''s office, Du Yuelin asked somewhat reluctantly. After all, Qin Bing had worked at the school for several years and had always performed well, but she was now suddenly resigning. Qin Bing gave a wry smile and said, "If I don''t leave, Hao Jian won''t come back. He is the truly outstanding teacher, the students need him more than they need me." "I believe Hao Jian won''t be so petty. He won''t avoid the school just because you''re here," Du Yuelin explained. "It''s not because of him, it''s because of me. My foolishness hurt him, and I don''t want to harm him further because of me," Qin Bing said with a smile, but although she was smiling, Du Yuelin felt like she was crying. Du Yuelin sighed and said, "Both of you are excellent teachers at our Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. I really don''t want any of you to leave." "Principal, my mind is made up. Please respect my decision," Qin Bing stated indifferently, clearly determined to leave. Hao Jian hadn''t returned to the school for a long time, and Qin Bing believed it was because of her. Perhaps it was only after she left that Hao Jian could return. Du Yuelin sighed again and reluctantly signed the resignation letter. "Thank you." Qin Bing nodded and then turned to leave. "After leaving the school, do you have any plans?" Du Yuelin asked. "I don''t know. I plan to leave Hua City and then figure things out," Qin Bing said without looking back, and then she walked out of Du Yuelin''s office. Du Yuelin sat in his office chair, tapping his fingers on the desk. After hesitating for a few seconds, he decided to call Hao Jian. He thought that only Hao Jian had the means to persuade Qin Bing to stay. After leaving Du Yuelin''s office, Qin Bing appeared to have lost her soul, with a bitter smile on her lips. "Hao Jian, I hope you can stop hating me!" Qin Bing believed that Hao Jian''s unwillingness to come back to the school was because he was still angry with her, and she understood why he would feel that way. If it had been her, she probably couldn''t forgive either. But just as Qin Bing reached the staircase, she saw several thugs armed with large knives coming up. Qin Bing froze immediately, and the thugs also paused in surprise at the sight of her. Qin Bing instantly became nervous. Given her past experiences, her intuition told her these people were here for her. Qin Bing quickly stepped back, thinking of retreating. In the middle of the night, a group of thugs with knives appearing in the school obviously meant trouble. "That''s her, grab her!" The thugs quickly recognized Qin Bing as their target and shouted, chasing after her. Qin Bing broke into a sprint and rushed back to Du Yuelin''s office, pounding on the door, "Principal, open the door! Hurry!" "She''s there, get her!" Meanwhile, the thugs had caught up as well. Seeing that Du Yuelin didn''t open the door, Qin Bing had no choice but to run down another corridor. At that time, Du Yuelin slowly opened the door, only to see several thugs rushing towards him, and he was also stunned. .............................. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 679 - 680: Like Father, Like Son "Who are you? What do you want?" Seeing that the burly men had bad intentions, Du Yuelin''s face immediately darkened as he shouted at them. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "None of your business. If you meddle, I''ll make you swallow a knife!" A middle-aged man with a long braid retorted viciously. Du Yuelin was startled and surprised. Where the heck did these guys come from? "You, keep an eye on this old fart, and don''t let him call the cops. I''ll chase down that bitch!" the braided man said ruthlessly before leading his men in pursuit. However, these burly men didn''t notice that during their threat to Du Yuelin, his phone had been on, and he was still on a call with Hao Jian. Panicked, Qin Bing hid in a gym equipment room, cowering behind a pile of basketball hoops like a frightened bird, shivering all over. But at that moment, Qin Bing instinctively felt there were others in the room, and as she turned around, she immediately saw two girls also huddled behind her. In the afterglow of the moonlight, she could clearly see the terror on their faces. "You..." Qin Bing was taken aback. The two girls in front of her were naturally Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating. "Shh..." Che Xiaoxiao hurriedly made a silence gesture to Qin Bing, asking her not to speak so as not to alert the people outside. "Where are they?" "No idea." "Check over there!" At this time, the voices of the criminals could be heard outside. The three in the equipment room held their breath, terrified to the extreme. "Hurry up and call the police," urged Qin Bing to Che Xiaoxiao. "I already did," Che Xiaoxiao replied irritably, then asked Qin Bing, "Who the hell are these people? Why are they after us?" "How would I know? But it''s probably one of Hao Jian''s enemies," Qin Bing answered after some calm deliberation. "Then let''s call Hao Jian right away," Zhao Yating said anxiously, now guessing that only Hao Jian could save them. "I already did, the call is ongoing," Che Xiaoxiao said in frustration because she was calling Hao Jian when he was talking to Du Yuelin. "Keep calling," Zhao Yating urged, trusting Hao Jian more than the police, and Hao Jian had also never let her down. Che Xiaoxiao nodded quickly and then picked up her cell phone to call again. "Bang!" Just then, however, the door was abruptly kicked open, and a group of thugs stormed in, turned on the light in the equipment room, and immediately spotted the three women. "They''re here!" One of them yelled, and the others approached, dragging the screaming Qin Bing and the others out. More and more people gathered, and Gao Luyuan walked over slowly, scanning the three women with a cold gaze. Noticing that each of them was prettier than the last, he couldn''t help but show a leering expression, "Hao Jian sure has good taste. The chicks he finds are all top-notch." "Boss, I think you''re mistaken. In truth, we''re not that close to Hao Jian," Che Xiaoxiao said quickly with a forced smile, trying to distance themselves from Hao Jian to save their lives. "Little girl, don''t try to fool me. I''ve already investigated. All three of you are Hao Jian''s women!" Gao Luyuan snorted dismissively, clearly not believing what Che Xiaoxiao said. "Boss, you really have it wrong, he''s just our teacher, we haven''t got anything to do with him. You''re talking about this woman, this woman is his mistress; if you have any business, talk to her," Che Xiaoxiao said unloyally, pointing at Qin Bing. "Che Xiaoxiao you..." Qin Bing was furious. Was this little wench really using her as a scapegoat? "Enough of your nonsense, thinking you can deceive me? Not a chance. Hurry up and call Hao Jian, tell him to come here!" Gao Luyuan scolded Che Xiaoxiao and the others. "How about letting Hao Jian''s woman call him, and we bystanders will just leave?" Che Xiaoxiao asked tentatively. "You little vixen, if you talk nonsense again, I''ll have my men take turns with you right now!" Gao Luyuan said viciously, growing impatient with Che Xiaoxiao''s excessive chatter. Che Xiaoxiao quickly shrank back, not daring to say another word. "Call Hao Jian now!" Gao Luyuan said impatiently. Che Xiaoxiao had no choice but to obediently call Hao Jian, starting the conversation with a shout, "Hao Jian, come save us, we''re kidnapped at the Chinese Medicine Hospital!" But as soon as she finished speaking, Gao Luyuan snatched away the phone, and with a sinister laugh said, "Hao Jian, do you know who I am?" "Who are you?" Hao Jian said sternly, yet during the time he spoke, he was already speeding towards the Chinese Medicine Hospital in his sports car. However, Gao Luyuan hadn''t realized that half an hour earlier, Hao Jian had already sensed something was wrong and had started rushing over. "My name is Gao Luyuan, father of Gao Shanrong," Gao Luyuan said fiercely, and then started laughing maniacally. "Hao Jian, you dared to kill my son. I''m going to make you pay the price!" "Oh, so it''s you. Are you here to seek death?" Hao Jian taunted. "Death? The one who is going to die is you!" Gao Luyuan gritted his teeth in hatred. How could Hao Jian still be so arrogant at this moment? "Your son said the same thing before, and you know how miserably he died? His own men shot him into a sieve. Do you know how he knelt down and begged me? I really should have recorded that moment to show you," Hao Jian further provoked Gao Luyuan, with the aim of stalling for time, to give himself more time to get to the scene. "You... I''ll make sure you die without a complete corpse!" Gao Luyuan roared thunderously, his eyes red and neck bulging, like an enraged lion. "Hao Jian, I''m at the Chinese Medicine Hospital right now. If you don''t come, I''ll kill these three women of yours immediately!" Gao Luyuan threatened, intent on forcing Hao Jian to show up and then killing him. Even if Hao Jian was formidable, he couldn''t possibly fight against their hundred or so men, could he? "Don''t worry, I''m on my way now. You better wash your neck and wait for death," Hao Jian also replied with a cold laugh. "You sure talk big. But I''m warning you, you can only come alone. If you dare bring anyone with you, I''ll kill them right away," Gao Luyuan warned, knowing well he couldn''t outmaneuver Hao Jian with numbers, so he could only force Hao Jian to come by himself. "Don''t be so scared. I won''t bring anyone. To deal with you, I alone am enough!" Hao Jian sneered. Gao Luyuan was again choked by Hao Jian''s words. He was planning to warn Hao Jian, but this guy clearly didn''t intend to bring anyone. Wasn''t this underestimating him too much? "Very well, then you''d better get here fast because starting from the next minute, I''ll have my brothers start on your women, and they won''t stop until you arrive. If you don''t want them to be dead by the time you get here, you''d better hurry!" Gao Luyuan laughed eerily, taunting Hao Jian. Hao Jian couldn''t help but frown deeply, "Gao Luyuan, you really are asking for death." "That''s right, I''ve gone mad. As long as I can drag you down with me, I couldn''t care less," Gao Luyuan laughed twistedly and said, "Oh, and I forgot to tell you, while you were on your way here, I sent another group to find your wife. Choose whether to save these three women or your wife." "Three against one, is there even a need to choose?" Hao Jian shamelessly laughed, continuing his idle chatter with Gao Luyuan. In reality, he had already stationed the Crazy Faction around Shu Ya, so Gao Luyuan''s men going there were heading to their doom. "Hao Jian, oh Hao Jian, you''re even more shameless than I thought, neglecting your own wife for your lover," Gao Luyuan mocked, thinking Hao Jian really planned to abandon his wife. "In a moment, this piece of trash will twist your head off and use it as a ball to kick around!" Hao Jian sneered darkly, his car now parked by the school gate before he strode confidently into the school. Gao Luyuan also heard the sound of Hao Jian''s car door closing, which gave him an uneasy feeling, "Where are you?" "Gao Luyuan, you''re really too stupid. Why do you think I''ve been wasting so much time talking to you? I was deliberately stalling for time so that I could arrive at the scene before you could make a mess," Hao Jian taunted, not through the phone this time, but in a voice that rang out in the room. Gao Luyuan turns around in shock to see Hao Jian walking over with a smug grin. Seeing Hao Jian appear, Qin Bing''s expression changes subtly, and she lowers her head in shyness. Gao Luyuan and his men were taken aback, instantly pointing their guns directly at Hao Jian, their faces filled with horror. How had Hao Jian arrived so quickly? They had only been on the phone for three minutes. How could he be here already? "Even if you''ve made it here, so what? You''re still going to die," Gao Luyuan laughed resentfully. With so many men on his side, Hao Jian still dared to come alone, armed only with courage. "I''ll give you a chance, kneel down and beg for mercy now, and I will spare your life," Hao Jian said expressionlessly. Upon hearing this, Gao Luyuan and his men were stunned and then burst into laughter, "Kid, are you kidding me? Beg for mercy? Don''t you see we have hundreds of men here?" "Boss, I think this kid''s scared senseless. He''s started talking nonsense," Gao Luyuan''s subordinates also laughed loudly, finding Hao Jian''s words ludicrous. Alone, facing all of them, he still dared to make such grand statements. "Chop this kid to pieces! I want to see if he can really take on a hundred men alone!" Gao Luyuan snorted coldly and with a violent wave of his hand, a group of men surrounded Hao Jian. "Kid, you just go to your death peacefully. Your women will be well taken care of by my brothers," Gao Luyuan said with a lecherous smile, while his men also wore lewd expressions. Hao Jian laughed, "Like father, like son indeed. Your son was just as despicable before he died, just like you. But the next minute, he was begging me like a dying dog. I wonder if you''ll do the same!" Chapter 680 - 681: Who Dares to Touch My Boss "Get him!" Gao Luyuan could no longer contain himself, this guy was too damn insolent, always mentioning his deceased son in front of him, jabbing at his sore spot. "Who dares touch my boss?" Just as Gao Luyuan''s words fell, a voice bellowed from not too far away. A dignified middle-aged man with a slicked-back haircut approached¡ªit was Brother Spice Ginger. "Brother Spice Ginger?" Gao Luyuan was first taken aback, but then seeing that Brother Spice Ginger was alone, he also let out a cold laugh, "Just you, come here to die?" "Alone? Are you blind?" Brother Spice Ginger snorted coldly and then blew a sharp whistle. Right after, Gao Luyuan and his men heard a strange clinking sound, like the collision of some metal objects. Then, they saw a huge, dense crowd of men in black emerging from both ends of the playground. Each of them clutched two machetes in their hands, rhythmically clashing them together, producing a persistent metallic clang. These men were all uniformly dressed in black, with a large "Hao" character embroidered on their chests. There were at least three to four hundred of them, swarming in and completely surrounding Gao Luyuan and his men. Compared to the motley crew Gao Luyuan had brought with him, Brother Spice Ginger''s men seemed much more disciplined. Each one had a sharp look in their eyes, and they were big and brawny, the kind that could take on several men at once. Surrounded by them, Gao Luyuan and his men suddenly felt a sense of oppression; not only were there many more opponents, but each one of them also looked so fierce. If it came to a fight, they were sure to lose! Gao Luyuan''s face turned green. He had thought Hao Jian had come alone, but had not anticipated that Hao Jian had laid such an ambush. In fact, Hao Jian had come alone, not knowing that Brother Spice Ginger would bring reinforcements. "Why such a big scene for a mere piece of trash?" Hao Jian asked Brother Spice Ginger, bemused. He had planned to handle Gao Luyuan and his men by himself but hadn''t expected Brother Spice Ginger to arrive with such a large group. What a commotion this was going to cause. "I came to support you, and incidentally, to intimidate those with sinister intentions, letting those scheming bastards know we''re not to be trifled with." Brother Spice Ginger replied. They had now rallied all of Hua City''s forces under one banner; it was time to show their strength. And Gao Luyuan would have the misfortune of being their sacrifice. "Hao Jian, I''m so scared!" Che Xiaoxiao immediately pounced over and hugged Hao Jian''s waist tightly. "Teacher, I''m scared too!" Zhao Yating was not to be outdone and embraced Hao Jian from the front as well. Brother Spice Ginger secretly clicked his tongue; that''s the boss for you, even as a teacher, so beloved by his female students. "Where are you putting your hands? Behave yourselves!" Hao Jian scolded irritably as Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating dared to touch his thigh and butt, respectively, trying to take advantage of him. "Hao Jian, I''ve developed a condition where I must touch someone''s thigh when I''m afraid," Che Xiaoxiao said to Hao Jian with a pitiful look, her expression earnest. "Teacher, I''ve also gotten a condition where I need to touch someone''s butt when I''m scared. Let me touch it for a while; it will pass," Zhao Yating said, equally serious. Hao Jian was exasperated, "Do you think I''m an idiot?" "Stupid cow, couldn''t you come up with your own excuse instead of copying me? Now you see, you''ve been found out," Che Xiaoxiao said annoyed. "Bullshit, Hao Jian isn''t that smart. You''re the one who just blew our cover," Zhao Yating retorted, feeling it was Che Xiaoxiao''s fault. "Do you think I''m invisible?" Hao Jian was irate, these two brats, talking about him as if he weren''t there? "Do you really think I wouldn''t dare do anything to you?" "What could you possibly do to us?" Che Xiaoxiao challenged, looking at Hao Jian provocatively. "Teacher, you can do whatever you want to us, I won''t complain," Zhao Yating also said with a smile, appearing ready for the picking. Hao Jian covered his face and sighed. These two brats, he really was at his wit''s end with them. They seemed to be hoping for him to do something to them. "That''s enough, let''s deal with this idiot first," Hao Jian gestured towards Gao Luyuan and told Brother Spice Ginger. He would decide how to handle Che Xiaoxiao and the others later, but for now, it was time to settle things with Gao Luyuan''s group. Hao Jian looked towards Gao Luyuan''s direction but ignored Gao Luyuan himself, speaking directly to Gao Luyuan''s subordinates, "As you can see, whether in numbers or quality, we are much stronger than you. So I''m giving you a chance now, abandon the darkness for the light, leave this fool, and I''ll pretend nothing ever happened." "Otherwise..." Hao Jian paused, his eyes gleaming fiercely, "then next year on this day will be your memorial day. If you want your family and friends to cry and offer incense at your grave next year, then suit yourselves!" "Despicable!" Gao Luyuan couldn''t help grinding his teeth in fury as Hao Jian brought up the families of his henchmen, clearly aiming to break their psychological defenses. As expected, upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, doubt began to creep into the hearts of Gao Luyuan''s henchmen. They were not afraid of death, but the thought of their families suffering and being heartbroken filled them with fear¡ªafter all, even the hardest of hearts were made of flesh. "Are you sure a boss like this is worth following? He knows he will die at my hands, yet he''s intent on taking me down with him. Go ahead and throw your lives away. Think about it, his son was killed by me and he''s gone mad, but why should you be buried with him?" Hao Jian further instigated. "Think of your wives and children, what will they do without you? Your wife will end up with another man, your children will be bullied for having no father, and your parents will die without anyone to care for them. Is this really what you want to see happen?" "Shut up, our brothers won''t be swayed by your words!" Gao Luyuan''s loyalists hastily stood up and shouted: "Brothers, don''t let him bewitch us, he''s trying to divide us!" "I''ll give you one minute to think it over. If you don''t heed my advice, then you can all go meet King Yan," Hao Jian didn''t bother with further talk, directly ordering Brother Spice Ginger: "Start killing after one minute, leave no one alive!" "Isn''t that a bad idea?" Brother Spice Ginger looked hesitant, saying, "Wouldn''t that just waste a minute of time? Why not just kill them now?" Brother Spice Ginger was also deliberately being malicious to create psychological pressure. "Don''t, don''t kill me, I surrender!" Indeed, under the combined pressure of Hao Jian and Brother Spice Ginger, someone finally stepped forward. And once there was a first, naturally there came a second, and slowly several others followed suit. Clearly, they didn''t want to die or, rather, die in vain as they realized this was an unwinnable war. "You traitors, how dare you betray the boss? Have you forgotten how he has treated you?" Gao Luyuan''s loyalists roared in rage, feeling unbearably stifled as nearly half of their hundred-strong group had defected in just a moment''s time. It was at that moment that a crafty smile crossed Hao Jian''s lips; with a flick of his foot, he kicked up a small stone, then grabbed it in his hand. He immediately flick-shot the stone, striking one of the henchmen thinking of leaving right on the face, knocking him out cold. Immediately, everyone''s complexion changed, even the loyalist was dazed on the spot. "Tsk tsk tsk, they want to leave and you injure them. They are your brothers, aren''t they? Do you really hope they die with you?" Hao Jian sighed, shaking his head continuously. "Exactly, everyone has the right to live. If you want to die, why drag them into it?" Brother Spice Ginger chimed in. Hearing Hao Jian''s words, the eyes of Gao Luyuan''s henchmen flashed with coldness, resembling ferocious wolves as they turned against their former master. "You''re talking nonsense, I didn''t hit him!" the loyalist said in exasperation, knowing deep down that he had been outmaneuvered by Hao Jian, "You didn''t hit him? Then why did he fall? Is he pretending? Look at his face, it''s already bruising. Is that an act?" Hao Jian scoffed. "You!" The loyalist was burning with rage, pushed into a corner by Hao Jian and ready to draw a knife and fight it out. But Gao Luyuan held him back, his lips curling into a bitter smile: "Forget it, we''ve already lost, no more struggle. Let them go." Gao Luyuan knew there was no stopping his henchmen from leaving. If he continued to bar their way, it might provoke an extreme reaction, and who knew if his own men would turn around and slaughter him, their boss. With a complex expression, Gao Luyuan looked at Hao Jian: "If I concede now and hand over everything I have, can you spare me?" Gao Luyuan knew he was defeated. His power was nothing compared to Hao Jian''s, their intellects were not on the same level; Hao Jian had never taken him seriously. "Do you believe in metaphysics?" Hao Jian suddenly asked. Gao Luyuan frowned, confused about the relevance of Hao Jian''s question, but answered truthfully: "I do." "Then, do you know that besides geomancy and such, there''s also the art of face-reading in metaphysics?" Hao Jian continued to ask with a smile. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I don''t know, what are you getting at?" Gao Luyuan felt increasingly uneasy as Hao Jian''s conversation drifted further off-topic. "In the art of face-reading, there''s a term called ''eagle-eyed and wolf-gazing.'' It refers to people like you. Those with such features are cunning and full of tricks, inherently rebellious, and absolutely untrustworthy," Hao Jian spoke calmly, yet his words carried weight. Chapter 681 - 682: Hatred to the Bone The implication was that he didn''t believe a word Gao Luyuan said. A feud as grave as killing his son was not easily forgiven, and he didn''t think Gao Luyuan could just forgive and forget that easily¡ªif it were so, Gao Luyuan wouldn''t have come to trouble him in the first place. If Hao Jian had really been foolish enough to take him in, it would have been like a thorn in his back, constantly at risk of getting bitten back. Gao Luyuan also figured out Hao Jian''s intentions, knowing that begging for mercy was futile. In a panic, he yelled, "Fight them!" "Roar!" A group of people behind Gao Luyuan roared and charged forward, but in reality, there were only about a dozen of them left¡ªmost had decided to betray Gao Luyuan. They too had realized that Gao Luyuan had gone mad. Now, they faced two choices: betray Gao Luyuan or die with him. And clearly, there weren''t many who weren''t afraid to die. "Boss, I''ll hold them here, you run! While there''s life, there''s hope!" a confidant yelled at Gao Luyuan. Gao Luyuan gave a bitter smile, looking around at the dense crowd encircling him, and said, "Run? Where can I run to?" "Kill them!" And at that moment, Brother Spice Ginger also shouted vehemently, as around three to four hundred people roared and surrounded Gao Luyuan and his men. In less than two minutes, Gao Luyuan and about a dozen others lay dead in a pool of blood, and some even died on the spot. Gao Luyuan too was covered in knife wounds, but had not been killed. He was shaking all over, looking maliciously at Hao Jian. Hao Jian took a deep breath and said with a smile, "I just love people like you. You hate me to the core, yet you can''t kill me." "You bastard!" Gao Luyuan hissed through his teeth. Right now, he indeed wished he could tear a piece of flesh from Hao Jian''s body. "What a coincidence, that''s exactly what my friend says about me," Hao Jian replied with a grin, and then jovially waved his hand, "Kill this idiot!" "Hao Jian, let''s negotiate!" Gao Luyuan screamed out of fear. "Go negotiate with your son on Netherworld Road," Hao Jian said coldly, not bothering to listen to him. "No!" Gao Luyuan yelled desperately, but one of Hao Jian''s men had already slashed down with his knife. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Pfft." The machete landed on Gao Luyuan''s neck, blood spurting over a meter high, raining down like a downpour. Gao Luyuan''s eyes were filled with panic and despair, and then his eyes lost their sparkle, and he died instantly. "Teacher, I''m scared!" Zhao Yating came up sticking close again, but before they could approach, Hao Jian had already blocked them. "Teacher, you haven''t been at school for so long, we''ve missed you," Zhao Yating boldly said. "Zhao Yating, how can you say such shameless words? Do you have no shame?" Che Xiaoxiao immediately cried out angrily¡ªthose were supposed to be her lines! However, Zhao Yating merely looked at Che Xiaoxiao with contempt and scoffed, "I''m shameless? You, Little Gangster Girl!" Everyone''s face went blank, secretly thinking: Are female college students these days so open-minded? Brother Spice Ginger couldn''t help but sigh wistfully, "If only the female students back in my school days were so approachable, I wouldn''t have gotten involved in shady dealings." Hao Jian felt like he was getting a headache, about to scold the two girls, but then he noticed Qin Bing quietly standing up and leaving, as if she was afraid to be noticed by him. "You''ve been injured, don''t you want to bandage it up first?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but ask, noticing that Qin Bing''s knees were scraped. Qin Bing shivered at his words, hesitated for about three seconds, then slowly turned around with a bitter smile, "Such a minor injury, I can handle it myself." "What, you still won''t forgive me?" Hao Jian teased. "No, I''m afraid you won''t forgive me," Qin Bing said nervously. "But I have never been angry with you," Hao Jian said, unable to stop himself from laughing. After all that, it turned out Qin Bing had misunderstood him. Hearing this, Qin Bing was stunned, and asked, "Then why haven''t you come back to school lately?" "I''ve just been really busy recently, entangled in various troubles, so I couldn''t get away," Hao Jian explained with a helpless smile. Qin Bing was taken aback, not knowing what to say next. Du Yuelin was right¡ªthe guy wasn''t angry at her at all. "Can I ask you out for a drink?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. Qin Bing''s expression instantly stiffened, and after hesitating for about two to three seconds, her tears began to fall freely, realizing they really could go back to the time when they first met. "This won''t do, it''s so late, Teacher Qin Bing must be very tired, so, Teacher, you should hurry home and sleep," Che Xiaoxiao hurriedly urged Qin Bing. This quirky girl panicked immediately when she heard Hao Jian wanted to invite Qin Bing for a drink. "I want to have a drink with you." But Qin Bing acted as if she hadn''t heard Che Xiaoxiao''s words, staring straight at Hao Jian. Hearing this, Che Xiaoxiao became infuriated and scolded, "Qin Bing, how can you have no restraint at all, you, a teacher, I despise you!" "Let''s go, my car is outside." Hao Jian also smiled and pointed outside the school. "Let''s go!" Qin Bing''s face filled with a smile, the gloom instantly cleared away, becoming much brighter. Hao Jian then turned his head and instructed Brother Spice Ginger, "Clean up these dead bodies, and rescue an old man from the rooftop, then you all can go back." "Understood." Brother Spice Ginger nodded. "Hey, did any of you hear what I said?" Watching Hao Jian and Qin Bing walk away side by side, Che Xiaoxiao suddenly felt an eruption of anger. "Che Xiaoxiao, what do we do now? Are we out of the picture?" Zhao Yating said anxiously. "How could that be possible, I absolutely won''t let that guy escape from the palm of my hand!" Che Xiaoxiao huffed angrily, then quickly followed. Seeing this, Zhao Yating, not wanting to be left behind, followed Che Xiaoxiao''s steps to chase after Hao Jian. In the car, Qin Bing sat in the passenger seat, and asked Hao Jian with some embarrassment, "Have your wounds healed a bit?" "Huh?" Hao Jian was surprised, then cursed, "It must be that damn girl Che Xiaoxiao spreading rumors, right?" Hearing this, Qin Bing''s expression became dejected, and she bitterly smiled, "You shouldn''t have saved me, the trouble was my own doing, and I should be the one to bear it." Thinking about how foolish she had been, Qin Bing felt very guilty. It was her own fault, yet Hao Jian had to shoulder it for her. "So you realize you were foolish?" Hao Jian teased. "What?" Qin Bing was momentarily stunned, not expecting Hao Jian to say that. Yet Hao Jian burst into laughter, "Since you''re so aware of your own stupidity, now that you deeply recognize your mistake, how could I not forgive you? Besides, how could I take things so seriously with a fool like you?" "You''re horrible!" Qin Bing glared at Hao Jian, feeling a bit angry since this scoundrel was really adept at snapping back. "Where shall we eat?" Hao Jian asked with a laugh, as easygoing as ever. "You decide." Qin Bing was indifferent, for her, eating was secondary, being with Hao Jian was what really mattered. "Let me apply some medicine to your wounds first, lest you get tetanus." Hao Jian took out disinfectant alcohol and golden sore medicine from the car''s storage box. Qin Bing had many abrasions, with her knee being the most severe, a large patch of skin was torn off, bloody. Hao Jian lowered Qin Bing''s seat, then leaned over her, applying medicine to spots like her neck and arms. Qin Bing dared not make a sound, letting his warm hands busy about on her body, and she also smelt the strong male pheromones coming from Hao Jian, feeling extremely nervous. At that moment, Hao Jian also clearly felt Qin Bing''s rapid breathing, and couldn''t help but laugh, "What, still that shy in front of me?" "I''m not," Qin Bing said shyly, turning her head away. "If not, then why are you so tense?" Hao Jian smirked. "I''m not!" Qin Bing''s pretty face turned even redder, her cherry-like moist and red lips pressed tightly together, becoming more nervous. "Relax, I''m not going to eat you," Hao Jian said as he leaned closer, "Stretch out your knee, let me wipe the wound on it." "What? No!" As soon as she heard Hao Jian wanted to wipe her knee, Qin Bing instantly panicked because she had a secret that couldn''t be discovered, and Hao Jian could see it just by looking down. "You jerk!" Qin Bing bit her red lip, incredibly embarrassed, and threw a punch right at Hao Jian''s face. When Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating got into the car, they found the atmosphere a bit odd, Hao Jian was pitifully touching his black eye, while Qin Bing had a murderous look. "You guys... fighting and loving again?" Che Xiaoxiao asked with a peculiar expression. "Drive!" Qin Bing said gloomily, clearly still angry, who would have expected things to turn out like this? Qin Bing was itching with rage, eager to kill Hao Jian. Helplessly, Hao Jian could only drive to the nearest shopping center for food, coincidentally choosing the same self-service restaurant they went to for their first meal. Chapter 682 - 683: The Idiot Who Shows Off Wealth to Impress Girls This guy thought about how he could just pay a little money and eat as much as he wanted, so he chose that particular restaurant. When the restaurant owner saw Hao Jian, he immediately screamed in fright, "Close the door, close the door quickly!" His face turned green with anxiety. This was a calamity he never wanted to encounter again. Spending two hundred to eat over a thousand worth of food was one thing, but if conflicts arose again with other customers, he would have to clean up the mess. Hao Jian quickly stepped forward and stopped the owner, "Boss, what are you doing? Since when does doing business mean turning away customers?" "I''m closing; we''re not open for business anymore," the owner stammered. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian peeked inside and then said, "But aren''t there a lot of customers in here right now?" "Big brother, I''ll give you two hundred yuan if you go eat somewhere else, I really can''t serve a big shot like you," the owner said with a mournful face. "But look, there are four of us. How is two hundred yuan enough?" Hao Jian glared at the owner, shamelessly. Upon hearing this, the owner almost burst into tears. Where does such shamelessness come from? He painfully took out eight hundred yuan and gave it to Hao Jian, then said, "Brother, promise me you''ll never come back to my restaurant, please consider it a favor." Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating were dumbfounded. Wasn''t that too extreme? Hao Jian hadn''t even done anything, and he just made eight hundred yuan? "Okay, okay, I won''t come again," Hao Jian, holding the eight hundred yuan cherishingly, walked away contentedly. At that moment, Che Xiaoxiao couldn''t help but ask, "Hao Jian, what exactly did you do to this owner, you''ve really traumatized him." "He spent two hundred last time and ate over a thousand worth of food, and he even beat up some of the customers," Qin Bing explained. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Upon hearing this, Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating gasped, shaking their heads, "Hao Jian, you really are a troublemaker." "Well, since we can''t eat here, let''s go somewhere else," suggested Hao Jian, and he and Che Xiaoxiao found a nice Western restaurant, which Che Xiaoxiao thought was quite atmospheric. But Hao Jian was not pleased and pointed at the tough steak in front of him, "Just this piece, cost me over a thousand bucks, and I''m still not full, what kind of crappy place is this?" "You don''t know anything, it''s all about the taste here, the elegance, you bumpkin!" Che Xiaoxiao said angrily. The atmosphere here was so romantic, with someone playing the violin, and the entire restaurant was filled with delightful music and British classical decor. But Hao Jian was still nitpicking everything. "Eating this will still turn to shit, how elegant can it be?" Hao Jian rolled his eyes, totally ruining the atmosphere, and some customers nearby cast unfriendly looks at him. They were dining elegantly, and there Hao Jian was, crudely ranting about shit; wasn''t he deliberately being disgusting? "Let''s ignore him and order our own," Qin Bing also gave Hao Jian a big eye roll, knowing that was just Hao Jian''s way. "How about we order another bottle of wine?" Che Xiaoxiao suggested. "Are you planning to get Hao Jian drunk?" Zhao Yating asked, surprised. "Pfft, that guy''s a booze tank; how could you possibly get him drunk?" Che Xiaoxiao shook her head and then said with a playful expression, "I plan to get ourselves drunk, then let him take us home. Let him do whatever he wants with us." "Hey, hey, hey, I heard that," Hao Jian said angrily. "That''s exactly why I said it," Che Xiaoxiao winked at Hao Jian. Hao Jian helplessly shook his head. Lately, Che Xiaoxiao was getting out of hand. He had to find a chance to discipline her properly. "But I don''t know anything about wine," Zhao Yating said. "I don''t either; Qin Bing, do you know?" Che Xiaoxiao said, expressing difficulty, as she didn''t drink much and hence didn''t know. "Just pick any," Qin Bing said casually. "Pick this one," Hao Jian pointed at one of the bottles. "You know wine? Is this one good?" Che Xiaoxiao asked Hao Jian skeptically. "Not really, but this one''s the cheapest," Hao Jian chuckled. Che Xiaoxiao immediately rolled her eyes, "What a cheapskate, fine, let''s go with that one." After ordering the wine, Che Xiaoxiao and her companions waited, ready to pair their red wine with steak and thoroughly enjoy their meal. However, at that moment, a loud voice came from a nearby table. A man in a sharp suit yelled at a waiter, "What the hell is this? Is this the wine I ordered? With my status and identity, would I drink this Liang Family''s wine? Only low-level people would drink this kind of wine!" "I''m sorry, sir, it was my mistake, I''m really sorry." The waiter quickly apologized and then hurriedly walked towards Hao Jian with the bottle of wine. Then, with an embarrassed face, he said, "Sir, your wine has arrived." "This guy has such an ugly mouth," Che Xiaoxiao said angrily. That guy had just said only low-level people would drink this kind of wine, clearly insulting the four of them as such, right? Hao Jian also smiled with narrowed eyes but decided not to pay attention to it. "Let''s just enjoy our meal and ignore him." The other party flaunted their wealth and made noise, but he just wanted to peacefully enjoy his meal without causing any trouble. At this point, the men and women at that table also cast peculiar glances at Hao Jian. The young man who had spoken earlier looked at Hao Jian disdainfully and said, "I was wondering, who would drink such trashy wine. It turns out it''s just a poor guy." But the next moment, he saw Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating, both stunning beauties, and his expression shifted slightly, his mind starting to wander. Such beautiful girls¡ªhe had never been with someone like them before, and now there were three of them, which excited him even more. Very soon, the man harbored ill intentions, a sinister smile forming at the corner of his mouth. If these three beauties could take interest in such a poor guy who likes drinking cheap wines, why wouldn''t they fancy someone like him who drinks Lafite? "Yo, a two-thousand-yuan bottle of wine has deceived three beautiful ladies, this guy has some tricks," the man immediately remarked mockingly. "Hey, Jiangshan, what you''re saying isn''t fair. People of their low status have their level of consumption; he is so poor, asking him to drink a bottle worth over ten thousand like us, isn''t that making it deliberately difficult for him?" Another male companion also joined in the mockery. Clearly, he also had an interest in Che Xiaoxiao and her group, hoping to boost his image by belittling Hao Jian and thus attract the attention of Che Xiaoxiao and her companions. "I just feel a bit annoyed that these three beauties are bewitched by him. With their status, they should be enjoying super-premium wines like ''82 Lafite. These cheap wines are an insult to them. I wouldn''t even use this kind of cheap wine to wash my feet, not to mention questioning this guy''s taste," Chu Jiangshan said coldly, yet very calculatingly flattering Che Xiaoxiao and the others. His words made many patrons in the restaurant feel embarrassed, as some of them couldn''t even afford wines worth a few thousand yuan. His statement insulted everyone present. "That''s infuriating!" Che Xiaoxiao suddenly slammed the table, unable to contain her fiery temper. What wine they chose to drink was their right¡ªwhat business was it of these jerks? "Man, just a moron trying to impress girls with his wealth; why bother dealing with him?" Hao Jian held back Che Xiaoxiao, stopping her from picking a fight. "Ladies, why don''t you join my table? I have real fine wines and dishes waiting, and these low-level things are unworthy of you," However, seeing Hao Jian stay silent, Chu Jiangshan thought he was intimidated, so he boldly invited Che Xiaoxiao and her friends to join him for dinner. Just when Che Xiaoxiao was about to explode, Hao Jian gave her a sly glance; she was initially puzzled, but then she immediately understood what Hao Jian meant. Immediately, the angry look on Che Xiaoxiao''s face faded, replaced by a seductive smile, "Oh? Do you have an extra stool over there?" Seeing Che Xiaoxiao''s reaction, Zhao Yating and Qin Bing were momentarily dumbfounded, wondering what Che Xiaoxiao was planning. Upon hearing this, Chu Jiangshan became very excited and hurriedly said, "Stools are easy to get; just a word with the waiter. I''m a top VIP in this restaurant, even the owner has to regard my face." "Oh, then how many do you plan to treat us to? One bottle might not be enough for the three of us," Che Xiaoxiao said cheerfully. "Drink as many bottles as you want," Chu Jiangshan replied generously. "Then let''s go with ten bottles," Che Xiaoxiao said brazenly. "Ten bottles? Can you really drink that much?" Chu Jiangshan asked in astonishment; those ten bottles would cost him over a hundred thousand, pretending it wasn''t painful would be a lie. "Aren''t you guys here as well? Plus, we three can drink quite a bit. What, are you reluctant?" Che Xiaoxiao mocked him, "If you''re reluctant, then never mind." "Of course I''m not, for three beautiful ladies, not just ten bottles, twenty bottles would be worth it," Chu Jiangshan said with a beaming face, persuaded that just having the chance to charm these three beauties over was worth spending a hundred thousand. "Alright then, since you said so, make it twenty bottles," Che Xiaoxiao said coldly, inwardly thinking: Let''s see you show off now! "This..." Chu Jiangshan''s face turned green instantly, regretting his words immensely. "Just twenty bottles, and we''ll come over right away. We need to see if you really have what it takes, so we can be fully satisfied if we hang out with you," Che Xiaoxiao said slickly. Hearing this, Chu Jiangshan''s face flushed; Che Xiaoxiao was straightforwardly asking to join him? If spending a couple hundred thousand brought three beauties to him, that would be a bargain indeed! Chapter 683 - 684: You Must Sleep with Me "Fine, twenty bottles it is!" Chu Jiangshan clenched his teeth and glared, figuring as long as these girls took the bait, the money would be worth it. "Sorry, although we''d really like to follow you, someone else is richer than you, so don''t blame me." Che Xiaoxiao put on a complicated expression intentionally, giving Hao Jian a meaningful glance. "You whores!" Hao Jian also played along, glaring fiercely at Che Xiaoxiao. "Hey, kid, show some class. They have the right to choose someone better," Chu Jiangshan feigned a gentlemanly demeanor, yet his eyes were filled with scorn and triumph as he looked at Hao Jian. "What are you so proud of? If they can betray me, they will surely betray you!" Hao Jian hissed through clenched teeth. His acting was a match for Che Xiaoxiao. "You needn''t worry about that," Chu Jiangshan scoffed, thinking that by the time Che Xiaoxiao and the others tired of him, he would have already grown bored of them. After all, wastrels like Chu Jiangshan treated women as nothing more than clothing, not to be tied down to one for a lifetime. Although Che Xiaoxiao and her companions were very pretty, given Chu Jiangshan''s nature, he would probably maintain a relationship with them for no more than a year. Zhao Yating and Qin Bing immediately understood what Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao were up to and, playing along, stood up and walked over to Chu Jiangshan''s table. "Kid, don''t blame me; if you''re going to blame anyone, blame yourself for being too weak," Chu Jiangshan sneered at Hao Jian, then ignored him, heading back in the direction he came from. "Too weak, huh," Hao Jian muttered meaningfully to himself before picking up the bottle of cheap wine and starting to drink. At this moment, the others in the restaurant couldn''t help but cast sympathetic glances at Hao Jian, finding him pitiable. But Hao Jian seemed unperturbed, cheerfully drinking his wine and humming a tune, the picture of contentment. Because he was eager to see the look on Chu Jiangshan''s face when he found out the truth, suspecting that Chu Jiangshan might even harbor murderous intent by then. "This guy, he couldn''t have gone mad from anger, could he?" a girl said sympathetically. "Indeed, others get dumped by one woman, but he got dumped by three at once, and all because he wasn''t rich enough. Which man could stand that?" By then, Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating had already taken their seats at Chu Jiangshan''s table. "Ladies, this way, please," a few of Chu Jiangshan''s profligate friends enthusiastically waved for Che Xiaoxiao and the others to sit down. However, Chu Jiangshan shot them a warning look, signaling that these three beauties were his. But Chu Jiangshan''s wastrel friends downright ignored him. Being selfish and self-serving, they were only friends in name but completely out of sync in spirit. Why would they heed his threat? Now it was every man for himself, and whoever could charm the ladies would be the one to take them home. Chu Jiangshan seethed, itching with frustration yet completely powerless. As for Chu Jiangshan''s original female companions, they were grinding their teeth with hatred, feeling very bitter. Since Che Xiaoxiao and company had sat down, Chu Jiangshan had focused all his attention on them, treating his companions like thin air. Che Xiaoxiao was far from polite, immediately ordering dishes once seated: "I want an Australian lobster, also a Hokkaido deep-sea double-headed abalone, and..." Che Xiaoxiao ordered more than a dozen dishes in one breath, causing Chu Jiangshan to wince at the cost, yet he dared not make a sound for fear of seeming stingy and provoking the disdain of Che Xiaoxiao and the others. But after Che Xiaoxiao finished ordering, Zhao Yating and Qin Bing also ordered a dozen dishes. The total for all the exquisite food and wine would come to several hundred thousand. Chu Jiangshan''s mouth twitched; these women were truly ruthless. "Yo, Chu Jiangshan, you look so pale. Surely you''re not heartbroken? If it''s too much for you, I can pay instead," said one of Chu Jiangshan''s profligate friends, grinning wickedly, using the opportunity to put Chu Jiangshan down and elevate himself ¨C something they were no strangers to, always competing and backbiting in their usual dealings. "Bullshit, this money is mere pocket change to me. Why would I care?" Chu Jiangshan retorted immediately. At this point, even if he had to bluff his way through, he was determined to keep up the act or risk losing everything. "Ugh, this is disgusting, I''m leaving," but after tasting a few bites of food and sipping some wine, Che Xiaoxiao and the other two women didn''t even glance at Chu Jiangshan and his group, standing up and walking away. "Disgusting?" Chu Jiangshan was taken aback, then quickly picked up a fork and tried a piece from Che Xiaoxiao''s plate, only to say in astonishment, "But this food isn''t bad." "The food isn''t bad, but it depends on who you''re eating with. If you''re with someone you dislike, even the tastiest food feels like chewing wax," Che Xiaoxiao retorted coldly. "What?" Chu Jiangshan was suddenly confused, unable to grasp the meaning behind Che Xiaoxiao''s words at once. "She''s saying you''re revolting," a female companion at Chu Jiangshan''s side said with a cold laugh. "They ordered a bunch of stuff, obviously treating you like a monkey, and you still haven''t realized it?" Chu Jiangshan''s female companions couldn''t help but sneer, taking pleasure in his misfortune. Chu Jiangshan had neglected them to please Che Xiaoxiao, and in the end, Che Xiaoxiao and her friends were just toying with Chu Jiangshan. At this time, Chu Jiangshan''s face had turned extremely ugly, but the other profligates seemed indifferent. After all, they were not the ones paying for this meal. Even though they couldn''t get the girl, they didn''t lose anything. But Chu Jiangshan was different; he had just lost hundreds of thousands for no reason. "Return all the wine!" Chu Jiangshan, annoyed, told the waiter, clearly very angry. "I''m sorry, but once the wine is uncorked, it cannot be returned," the waiter replied politely, yet internally he sneered: Pretending to be rich when you''re not? "What?" Chu Jiangshan was immediately stunned. Only then did he realize that the bottles of Lafite had been opened at some point, all uncorked, regardless of whether they had been drunk or not, making it impossible to return them. "Look, those three girls have gone back to that pauper," one of Chu Jiangshan''s friends hinted with a gesture. Chu Jiangshan glanced over and sure enough, he saw Che Xiaoxiao and her friends sitting back with Hao Jian, the four of them chatting and laughing while casting mocking glances at him, showing none of the annoyance they had previously exhibited. The other guests also had realized what was going on, and they couldn''t help but look at Chu Jiangshan with disdain, enjoying his misfortune. Chu Jiangshan, having insulted them just a while ago, was now a source of amusement to them as they watched him suffer. "Bitch!" Venom flashed in Chu Jiangshan''s eyes as he hissed under his breath, "Dare to treat me, Chu Jiangshan, like a monkey? I''ll make them cry without tears!" The female companions didn''t dare to make a sound, afraid of angering Chu Jiangshan, knowing that he was truly furious. Chu Jiangshan''s family was powerful and influential, and if he really set his mind on targetting someone, it would be very easy. "Chu Jiangshan, what are you planning to do?" Chu Jiangshan''s friend asked with a smile. "Make them kneel and apologize to me!" Chu Jiangshan snorted coldly and then stood up, heading straight toward Hao Jian''s table. "You came back so soon? Why didn''t you scam more money?" Hao Jian said with lingering resentment. "Disgusting," Zhao Yating simply said. Sitting with Chu Jiangshan and the others was truly disgusting to her, as they had leered at her from start to finish. "That guy isn''t really that rich; just this bit of money already made him so distressed. If we had scammed more, it would have blown his cover," Che Xiaoxiao explained. "That guy is coming over," Qin Bing noticed Chu Jiangshan approaching and gave Hao Jian and others a heads up. But Hao Jian and the others didn''t care and continued to chat and laugh. "Slap!" Chu Jiangshan''s hand slammed heavily on the table, glaring fiercely at Hao Jian and his company. "Is there a problem?" Hao Jian, looking up, asked Chu Jiangshan with a smile. Hearing this, Chu Jiangshan almost choked with rage. He had been swindled, and now they were pretending to be ignorant? "You dare to play me?" Chu Jiangshan said with a ferocious expression. "Play you? When did we ever? How could we not know about it?" Hao Jian and his friends feigned ignorance deliberately. "Still playing dumb? Ordered so much wine, wasted so much of my money, and then you just left?" Chu Jiangshan said through clenched teeth. "Weren''t you the one who said you wanted to treat us to drinks? You agreed by yourself, nobody forced you," Che Xiaoxiao said nonchalantly and then let out a spiteful laugh, "Or did you think a few bottles of wine could get the three of us in bed with you? What a joke, do you think we''re so pretty that we can be won over with just a few bottles of wine?" Hearing Che Xiaoxiao''s words, Chu Jiangshan was infuriated, shouting angrily, "Why do you think I offered you drinks? You knew my intentions yet still agreed, just to play me, isn''t that deceiving?" "Who asked you to be so foul-mouthed? Aren''t you rich? I thought this little bit of money wouldn''t matter to you," Che Xiaoxiao said sarcastically. "Enough with the bullshit, you three have to sleep with me tonight! Whether you agree or not, you''re going to agree!" Chu Jiangshan''s eyes gleamed with lechery as he spoke harshly. Originally, he wanted to coax Che Xiaoxiao and the others into submission, but since they were so unappreciative, he hadn''t any other option. "Why should we?" Che Xiaoxiao laughed, looking at Chu Jiangshan coldly. .............................. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 684 - 685 Kneel Down "On what grounds? Just because I can make a call and have you thrown into a brothel to whore yourselves out!" Chu Jiangshan said with a cold gaze, "Three women serving one man, isn''t that prostitution? What''s this, still pretending to be pure in front of me? I''ve seen enough of you green tea bitches, acting all high and mighty when you''re nothing but fuckable goods, pretending to be aloof!" At these words, Che Xiaoxiao and the others all frowned, their expressions turning ugly, as Chu Jiangshan''s words were too harsh. "Get the hell out!" Zhao Yating couldn''t help but scold, her disgust for Chu Jiangshan reaching its peak at this moment. "Still want to pretend? Don''t blame me for not warning you, it''s your luck that I''ve taken a fancy to you. I drive a Ferrari and drink Lafite, you''d live a life of luxury with me, guaranteed a few million every month for spending cash. But if you don''t know your place, I''ll let you be ridden by thousands and passed around by tens of thousands!" Chu Jiangshan threatened with a sinister tone. "In your dreams!" Zhao Yating''s face turned red with anger, Chu Jiangshan''s words were too offensive and vulgar. "Brother, isn''t this kind of talk a bit beneath you?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but speak up, finding Chu Jiangshan''s words too unbearable even for a man to hear. Chu Jiangshan immediately glared at Hao Jian, saying viciously, "What''s it to you? You piece of shit, if you dare to yap again, I''ll take care of you too!" "Brother, I don''t want any trouble," Hao Jian said with a smile, looking at Chu Jiangshan. "You''re already in trouble, you motherfucker. I''m going to fuck your woman right now!" Chu Jiangshan sneered dismissively, not taking Hao Jian seriously at all. "Of course, if you kneel down and kowtow to me, maybe I''ll consider having a gangbang with you!" Chu Jiangshan laughed sarcastically, looking like a man driven by lust. "You''ve already lost enough face, don''t make things worse for yourself, just get lost!" Hao Jian still wore a smile, but his words carried a chill, as Chu Jiangshan was ruining his dining mood. Whoosh! Chu Jiangshan straight up threw a glass of wine in Hao Jian''s face, saying, "Get lost, your mother. You looking to die, you piece of crap?" "Sigh." Hao Jian shook his head reluctantly, smiling enigmatically while he picked up a napkin from the table to wipe his face, "To be honest, I really didn''t want it to come to this." As soon as the words left his mouth, Hao Jian grabbed Chu Jiangshan by the collar with one hand and slammed him down on the table with a "bang," then picked up a wine bottle. "What are you going to do?" Chu Jiangshan shouted in a mix of shock and rage, unable to believe that Hao Jian dared to lay hands on him. "But you left me no choice!" Hao Jian replied with a cold laugh, and the wine bottle in his hand crashed down on Chu Jiangshan''s head. "Crack!" In an instant, the wine bottle shattered, Chu Jiangshan''s head split open, blood flowing freely as he felt dizzy and slumped under the table. "Fuck! Dare to make a move?" Chu Jiangshan''s friends, seeing him get hit, also grabbed wine bottles and rushed forward, thinking little of Hao Jian because they were in greater numbers. "So, you all want to end up in the hospital, huh?" Hao Jian, wiping his hands with a handkerchief, turned around with a fierce, wild smile. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing how unfazed Hao Jian was, even calm, Chu Jiangshan''s friends began to hesitate, suspecting that if they dared to come forward, Hao Jian would surely leave them scrambling to find their teeth. Sometimes, the aura of a person alone is enough to decide everything. And the women with Chu Jiangshan, witnessing Hao Jian''s domineering behavior, couldn''t help but feel their hearts flutter with spring in their eyes. Women like strong men, after all. Hao Jian stood alone against so many without fear, and they couldn''t help but admire him. "You dare hit me? Just you wait! I''ll make sure you die!" Chu Jiangshan gritted his teeth, his shame and anger hitting a boiling point. It had always been him bullying others, today was the first time he had gotten bullied himself. Chu Jiangshan quickly took out his phone to make a call, all the while glaring fiercely at Hao Jian, "Along, bring the boys over right now, some blind asshole hit me, come and cripple him for me!" After making the call, Chu Jiangshan then said smugly, "Piece of shit, don''t say I didn''t give you a chance, kneel down and kowtow to me now and you might fix this. Otherwise, when my guys get here, you won''t even know how you died. Just so you know, my brothers aren''t easy pickings, some of them have even killed people." "Kneel down," Hao Jian said indifferently, uttering those two words. "What?" Chu Jiangshan was stunned. This guy wasn''t the least bit afraid, and was telling him to kneel? "Kneel down, or I''ll make it so you won''t even know how you die," Hao Jian said indifferently. "Aren''t you afraid of me?" Chu Jiangshan couldn''t believe it. Had this guy eaten the guts of a leopard? He seemed to fear nothing. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian let out a cold chuckle, "You think having power and influence means you can bully others, but your code of conduct doesn''t intimidate people like me at all," he said. Hao Jian lowered his head, toying with the dinner knife in his hands, and looked at Chu Jiangshan with a smile, "Now, either kneel or let me bleed you a little. Of course, you can also choose not to believe me." Chu Jiangshan''s body stiffened, caught between moving and staying still, terror overwhelming his heart. "Kneel!" Hao Jian suddenly bellowed, his voice like thunder, scaring Chu Jiangshan into collapsing to his knees, trembling non-stop as if stricken by a cold. Chu Jiangshan''s face turned ashen, feeling the utmost humiliation, but he dared not provoke Hao Jian at this moment; he had realized that this man was a lunatic. "All others, leave at once!" At this moment, Hao Jian also spoke to the other guests present. Not daring to hesitate, some guests had already started to leave when they saw Hao Jian resort to violence. Hearing Hao Jian now, even more were quick to exit without delay. The waitstaff were all looking at each other, dumbfounded. Had Hao Jian actually chased away their guests? But they didn''t dare rebuke Hao Jian and had to go find their restaurant manager to handle the situation. "What''s happening here?" It wasn''t long before a plump middle-aged man rushed out, and upon seeing the empty restaurant and Chu Jiangshan being forced to kneel by Hao Jian, his expression turned green. "Young Master Chu, this... please, get up!" The manager was startled and quickly stepped forward to help Chu Jiangshan, trying to get him to rise. "Get lost!" Chu Jiangshan snarled fiercely, his heart also aflame with anger; couldn''t he see that he was being coerced? He did want to stand up, but would Hao Jian allow it? "This¡­" The restaurant manager hesitated, then seemed to understand something as he pointed at Hao Jian, "Who are you? How dare you cause trouble in our restaurant? Do you know who our boss is?" He had to step in at this point; with the restaurant in such a state, even their most important VIP guest had been assaulted. If he couldn''t handle this appropriately, his boss would surely not let it slide. "This has nothing to do with you, go play on the side!" Hao Jian retorted, giving no quarter. It didn''t matter to him who the other''s boss was; he didn''t care, because right now, he was the Underground Emperor of Hua City. Who could possibly be more formidable than him? "You..." The manager was upset. How could Hao Jian be so dismissive? He pointed at Hao Jian and warned, "Kid, let me tell you, my boss is a well-connected figure in Hua City. Be smart and immediately apologize to Young Master Chu, or you''ll face consequences you can''t handle." Hao Jian glanced at the manager''s name tag and then smiled, "Mao Yousheng, right? First of all, you need to understand something. It isn''t that I sought trouble with him; he came looking for trouble with me." "Exactly, it was him who insulted us first, then he humiliated us, and even physically assaulted us by throwing wine. That''s why we reacted. As a manager, you should distinguish right from wrong," Zhao Yating also said to Mao Yousheng. "If you don''t believe it, just check the security cameras," Che Xiaoxiao added. "I don''t care who''s right or who''s wrong, causing trouble in my restaurant is unacceptable. Cut the crap and apologize now!" Mao Yousheng said impatiently. "How can you be like this?" Zhao Yating was also stunned. Mao Yousheng was obviously favoring Chu Jiangshan. "Stop shouting, he and that guy are birds of a feather. No matter what we say, he won''t listen. After all, in this world, some people are people, and some are dogs," Hao Jian said with a mocking smile, appraising Mao Yousheng amusingly. "How dare you call me a dog?" Mao Yousheng was instantly enraged. It was bad enough someone had caused a scene in his establishment, but to be insulted too? He had never seen anyone so brazen. Did he really think Mao Yousheng was so easy to bully? Although Mao Yousheng wasn''t very capable, his boss was a significant figure, smooth in handling affairs and well-connected, thus he had become acquaintances with many important people. So, Mao Yousheng felt all the more confident, a typical case of the dog taking advantage of its master''s power. "Why are you so angry? I didn''t say anything wrong," Hao Jian said with an indifferent shrug. "Good, good, good, keep being arrogant. I''ll call my boss right now, and when he gets here, just you wait to cry!" Mao Yousheng threatened venomously before he dialed his boss. Hao Jian didn''t attempt to stop him; he was actually curious to see how capable Mao Yousheng''s boss was. After finishing the call, Mao Yousheng couldn''t help but smirk with schadenfreude, "Kid, you''re finished. My boss is on his way, and he''s bringing an impressive person with him. Crushing you will be as easy as crushing an ant." "Are you done talking? If so, get on your knees," Hao Jian said expressionlessly. "What?" Mao Yousheng was dumbfounded. "I said kneel. I find you very unpleasant to look at," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "Dream on, I will not kneel!" Mao Yousheng barked back furiously. Chapter 685 - 686 My Boss "Oh, you''re pretty tough, aren''t you?" Hao Jian said with a mocking smile. "Of course!" Mao Yousheng let out a somewhat proud snort. With his boss backing him up, what was there to fear? "So, what you''re saying is he has no backbone then?" At this moment, Hao Jian pointed at Chu Jiangshan, who was still kneeling beside him. Mao Yousheng''s face turned dark instantly. By saying he had backbone because he wouldn''t kneel, wasn''t he implying that Chu Jiangshan lacked it? It was then that Mao Yousheng realized he had fallen into Hao Jian''s trap and said something he shouldn''t have. Mao Yousheng knew that the likes of Chu Jiangshan took great pride in their reputation. His words would unquestionably cause Chu Jiangshan to lose face. Sure enough, Chu Jiangshan''s complexion became exceptionally foul at this moment; his facial muscles visibly twitching as he glared fiercely at Mao Yousheng and barked, "Kneel down!" If Mao Yousheng made him lose face, he would ensure Mao Yousheng lost even more! "Young Master Chu, I..." Mao Yousheng was dumbfounded on the spot, no longer able to muster a smile. "I told you to kneel down!" Chu Jiangshan roared again. If he had knelt, why should Mao Yousheng not do the same? Mao Yousheng, fighting back tears, reluctantly began to kneel slowly, his face full of resentment. "Is this what is called ''extreme joy begets sorrow''?" Che Xiaoxiao said mockingly. She had found Mao Yousheng''s sharp and venomous face quite displeasing, and now seeing him kneel, her heart felt incredibly joyful. "Enjoy it while you can. When my boss and that big shot arrive, you''ll be the ones crying!" Mao Yousheng spat angrily. "All of you, kneel down!" However, Hao Jian couldn''t be bothered with him and simply directed those rich kids to kneel too. If he didn''t teach these little bastards a lesson, they wouldn''t know how many eyes Lord Ma had. This posed a dilemma for the haughty youths. They were all well-known figures, and public kneeling would be a total humiliation. "Kid, I''m the young owner of Sun Corporation. You''ll regret crossing me," one person warned, hoping to give Hao Jian pause. "Sun Corporation? Never heard of it. How does it compare to He Corporation?" Hao Jian inquired. The young owner from Sun Corporation fell silent. His business might be substantial, but it couldn''t compare to the behemoth that was the He Corporation. "Not speaking, means you can''t compare, right? Then kneel down obediently. I''m not afraid of even the He Corporation, do you think I''d fear a small fry like you?" Hao Jian sneered. "I am from the Baili Family." Just then, another proud youth spoke up, "My Baili Family is not much different than He Corporation." Hao Jian seemed to not care about anyone except for the top four families, so surely his Baili Family would make Hao Jian wary. "I heard you, now kneel." Yet, Hao Jian''s demeanor remained indifferent. "What? Did you hear me clearly? I am from the Baili Family!" The arrogant youth was dumbfounded. Was this kid crazy? Hao Jian delivered a kick, sending him sprawling to the ground, and coldly scoffed, "I heard you all right, but I don''t care." "From now on, anyone who doesn''t kneel, I''ll help him down. It''s up to you all to decide!" Hao Jian sneered. With faces full of unwillingness but powerless to resist, all the haughty youths knelt before Hao Jian, as none of them wished to endure his harsh beating. After all, they were going to have to kneel in the end, so there was no sense in getting beaten up as well. "Young Master Kong, I''m really sorry, something has come up at the restaurant, and I truly must go back for a bit," said a young man to an attractive male by his side as a group made their way towards the restaurant meanwhile. That attractive man was actually Kong Xiaozhen, and he was the formidable figure Mao Yousheng had referred to. "It''s no big deal, chatting anywhere is the same," Kong Xiaozhen replied with a smiling face. Hearing this, the young man was immediately thrilled. The rumors were true; Kong Xiaozhen had indeed changed. In the past, Kong Xiaozhen had a way of looking down on people through the cracks, figuratively belittling them. But now, he wore a cheerful demeanor, the sharpness gone, replaced with a calm and composure. Because of this, the young man admired Hao Jian even more. This guy had not only subdued Kong Xiaozhen but also trained him to be so modest¡ªa truly capable man. And at that moment, they entered the restaurant, and the moment Kong Xiaozhen laid eyes on Hao Jian, he frowned, immediately understanding the trouble the young man had mentioned. "Boss, you''ve finally come. It''s this brat who''s causing trouble!" As soon as Mao Yousheng saw his boss, he was so excited he was nearly in tears, pointing at Hao Jian and cursing. The young man clearly did not recognize Hao Jian and, full of bluster, walked up to him: "Buddy, what turf are you from?" Hao Jian had stirred up trouble so brazenly, he must have had some strong backing. "The pedestrian''s road," Hao Jian said with a sneer. "If you really had any guts, you''d have slapped me right away instead of asking who I am. If I tell you who I am, I''m afraid your legs would go weak." "Legs turned to jelly from fear?" the youth sneered with a cold chuckle, "Aren''t you afraid of the wind snapping your tongue?" He used to be afraid of a lot of people, but now he was in the midst of negotiating a cooperation with Kong Xiaozhen. That was tantamount to negotiating with Hao Jian, which meant he could virtually do as he pleased in Hua City. "Even Kong Xiaozhen is here, and this kid isn''t dead yet?" Chu Jiangshan and the others laughed ominously, their faces showing schadenfreude. "Offending Kong Xiaozhen is as good as offending Hao Jian. I was planning on crippling him, but now it seems like it might be a problem for him to even stay alive." Chu Jiangshan sneered coldly, his eyes filled with venom. In his view, Hao Jian was already a dead man. "Then why don''t you dare to come up and hit me?" Hao Jian mocked. "Motherfucker!" The youth was instantly enraged and charged at him with a slap, but before his hand could reach Hao Jian''s face, he was the one who took a nosedive to the ground. At this moment, everyone was dumbfounded, looking puzzled at the handsome man standing behind the youth. They couldn''t understand why Kong Xiaozhen would suddenly kick the young man. "Young Master Kong, what are you¡­?" The youth was also taken aback, puzzled, and unable to understand why Kong Xiaozhen had kicked him. Kong Xiaozhen''s gaze was icy cold as he said with a dark face, "My boss!" "What?" The youth was petrified, thinking he had misheard. Was the man in front of him Kong Xiaozhen''s boss? But wasn''t Hao Jian supposed to be Kong Xiaozhen''s boss? "My boss," Kong Xiaozhen repeated sternly, his demeanor no longer friendly, his voice as cold as ice. Then, Kong Xiaozhen no longer paid any attention to the youth, walking straight up to stand beside Hao Jian. Seeing this, Che Xiaoxiao and the other women couldn''t help but stare in trance. Was this the big shot Mao Yousheng had talked about? He seemed a bit underwhelming. But very quickly, they realized something wasn''t right. It wasn''t that Kong Xiaozhen was too weak; it was that Hao Jian was too strong. Mao Yousheng and others were stunned on the spot. Was this guy really Hao Jian? In an instant, Chu Jiangshan and his companions'' faces turned green as if they had swallowed a fly. Had they really clashed with such a person? Weren''t they courting death? The most terrified among them was Chu Jiangshan, for he was the one who had directly confronted Hao Jian. Just a moment ago, he was coveting Hao Jian''s woman. Would Hao Jian let him go? He probably already harbored the intent to kill him, right? Suddenly, Chu Jiangshan''s face turned as pale as paper, his body trembling uncontrollably. No wonder these women were following Hao Jian. He had thought Hao Jian was a penniless nobody. It turned out he was the blind one. Chu Jiangshan and Mao Yousheng were terrified, their legs shaking uncontrollably, as if Hao Jian standing before them was a natural disaster. "I told you, once you know who I am, you''d be scared stiff," Hao Jian said to the youth with a smiling gaze. "Gulp¡­" The youth swallowed hard, staring blankly at Hao Jian, unable to utter a word, evidently frightened out of his wits. "Why are you here?" Hao Jian asked Kong Xiaozhen curiously. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I happened to have some business to discuss with him, but now it seems that there''s no need for that anymore," Kong Xiaozhen replied expressionlessly. That youth had dared to trouble Hao Jian, which meant he was making an enemy of Kong Xiaozhen. "Mr. Hao Jian, I didn''t know it was you, please forgive me this once. I won''t dare to do it again," the youth quickly crawled to Hao Jian''s feet, his voice carrying a hint of a sob. He was well aware of the consequences of offending Hao Jian, so pleading for forgiveness was all he could do now. Seeing their boss groveling like a dog in front of Hao Jian, Mao Yousheng''s lips turned white with fear. Hadn''t he too challenged Hao Jian just before? If Hao Jian held a grudge, wouldn''t he be finished? "Step aside, this has nothing to do with you," Hao Jian said coldly. Indeed, this matter had nothing to do with the youth, and he had no desire to vent his anger on him. "Thank you, Mr. Hao Jian, thank you¡­" The youth was overwhelmed with gratitude and stumbled out of the restaurant, not looking back as he ran. He dared not stay here any longer and could only go back to Kong Xiaozhen. Seeing their boss make a run for it, Mao Yousheng broke down crying, kneeling in front of Hao Jian: "Mr. Hao Jian, please let me go, I didn''t know it was you at first. I''m just a small fry. Don''t hold it against me, I have older ones to care for and little ones to raise, please don''t kill me!" "Really?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "Really!" Mao Yousheng nodded frantically, "I have three kids who depend on me for support. I really can''t die." The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, until he started crying outright. "Okay, then I''ll just break your leg, and you can get lost. Any objections?" Hao Jian inquired. "No, no objections," Mao Yousheng was tearfully grateful. Hao Jian sparing his life was already more than he could ask for; he dared not have any objections. Chapter 686 - 687: Che Xiaoxiaos False Accusation ``` Breaking a leg is still better than losing your life, right? "Bang!" Hao Jian kicked out, sending Mao Yousheng flying before he hit the ground hard, blood on the corner of his mouth, his leg now useless. But he dared not express any grievance, instead thanking Hao Jian profusely, "Thank you so much, Mr. Hao Jian." Immediately after, Mao Yousheng also ran away. Seeing this, Chu Jiangshan wanted to speak, but Hao Jian waved his hand, "If you''re going to plead for mercy, then shut your mouth, because I''m never going to let you off no matter what." Upon hearing this, Chu Jiangshan''s face instantly showed a complex mix of emotions¡ªan odd combination of regret and panic, with a tint of despair mixed in. "Take care of him for me, don''t let the bastard live," Hao Jian told Kong Xiaozhen. Kong Xiaozhen nodded, "I know what to do." "Let''s go," Hao Jian said, turning back to Che Xiaoxiao and the others, now completely ignoring Chu Jiangshan as if he were invisible. Zhao Yating and the others were soft-hearted after all and wanted to say something, but they saw Hao Jian looking at them with a sly grin. They realized he was truly not going to spare Chu Jiangshan and had no choice but to follow Hao Jian out of the restaurant. "Mr. Hao Jian, Mr. Hao Jian!" Chu Jiangshan kept shouting after Hao Jian''s retreating figure, his voice broken with sobs, clearly scared out of his wits. On the way back, besides Che Xiaoxiao, Zhao Yating and Qin Bing were both somewhat silent, obviously still not recovered from the shock of what had just happened. The fact that Hao Jian would demand a life at the drop of a hat was too frightening for them. And Hao Jian had no intention of explaining anything to them. That was just the way he did things; if Chu Jiangshan hadn''t been so extreme before, he would not have killed him. It''s one thing to be impolite, but it''s a different story to commit acts too vile. Chu Jiangshan wanted to cripple him and then rape Che Xiaoxiao and the others¡ªit was this that enraged Hao Jian. Had it been someone else, perhaps Chu Jiangshan would have succeeded. "Che Xiaoxiao, your home is nearby, I''ll take you back first," Hao Jian offered. "But I don''t want to go home so quickly. Hao Jian, why don''t we go to the bar and hang out a bit more?" Che Xiaoxiao said, tugging at Hao Jian''s sleeve, reluctant to part. Lately, Hao Jian had rarely come to school, and she hadn''t had many chances to see him. Finally, there was an opportunity today, but it was ruined by Chu Jiangshan and his thugs, so Che Xiaoxiao was still not ready to call it a night. "Stop messing around! What time is it!" Hao Jian scolded without any good humor. "What''s there to fear, we''re not in school right now, it''s vacation," Che Xiaoxiao pouted, dissatisfied. "It''s not okay even if there''s no school. You''re a girl after all; going home late at night, aren''t you afraid your mom will worry?" Hao Jian scolded without much curiosity. "But I want you to see the tattoo on my butt, I actually got your name tattooed there," Che Xiaoxiao said playfully with a smile. "Che Xiaoxiao, do you have any decency at all? You don''t act like a girl in the slightest," Hao Jian couldn''t contain his frustration. This flirty little miss was getting more and more unrestrained lately, daring to openly flirt with him. "I''ve always been like this, you know that. Don''t you look forward to it at all? I got your name tattooed after all," Che Xiaoxiao said, feigning sadness. "Go home immediately, there''s no room for negotiation," Hao Jian''s stance was firm. If he truly kept hanging out with this girl, he might end up not being able to control himself. But when he arrived at Che Xiaoxiao''s house, Hao Jian saw a familiar face there as well. Guo Shuxian sat in front of Murong Qiushui, both women holding porcelain teacups in their hands, the atmosphere relaxed and casual, and indeed, watching these two stunning beauties enjoy tea was a treat. Yet, Hao Jian was puzzled¡ªwhy was Murong Qiushui here? Hadn''t she returned to the capital already? "Ohayou..." Murong Qiushui greeted Hao Jian with a smile, her laughter hinting at mischief. "Why are you here too?" Hao Jian asked, plopping down on the couch with confusion in his voice. "If I said I came for you, would you believe me?" Murong Qiushui squinted her eyes, her smile blooming like a flower, exuding a strange charm as she gazed intently at Hao Jian. "I don''t believe it!" Hao Jian shook his head outright. "That''s truly heartbreaking because I did come for you," Murong Qiushui feigned sorrow. "What did you come for?" Hao Jian frowned, wondering if this woman was now sticking to him. "To discuss a partnership," Murong Qiushui stated her intention straightforwardly. She had come to find Guo Shuxian with the same goal in mind; she was planning to develop her business in Hua City and needed Guo Shuxian''s help. Hao Jian laughed, "What kind of partnership could I have with you? We are enemies, after all." ``` "But I''ve already left the clan," Murong Qiushui added. "Hmm?" Hao Jian was shocked, narrowing his eyes at Murong Qiushui, "Is it because of me?" "You could say that, or maybe not," Murong Qiushui replied. Hao Jian really didn''t know what to say at this point. What was Murong Qiushui thinking? Why would she betray her family for his sake? What benefit did that bring to her? Hao Jian truly felt that Murong Qiushui was a woman with very deep thoughts; he couldn''t see through her intentions at all. Was it because she liked him? Hao Jian wasn''t so vain, even if Murong Qiushui did like him, she wouldn''t betray her family just for that, would she? "Don''t worry, I''m not here to cling to you. I just want to prove that I can exist without my family, but they cannot be without me, it''s just to assert myself," Murong Qiushui explained, likely sensing Hao Jian''s concerns. "Compared to her personal affairs, there''s something that you should be more worried about," Guo Shuxian interjected at this moment, her expression serious. At this time, Guo Shuxian was wearing only a silk nightgown, with her soft chest partially exposed and oozing charm from every angle. "What is it?" Hao Jian asked. "You own a piece of land, right?" Guo Shuxian inquired. "Yes, what about it?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but ask, was this matter related to his land? "Murong Qiushui said there''s likely oil on that land of yours, and that''s the reason why Murong Yeyun is so keen on getting it. Not only did Murong Yeyun find out, but the Ye Family has noticed as well. They are already preparing to forcibly take the land that rightfully belongs to you," Guo Shuxian said. Hearing this, Hao Jian immediately grew alarmed and turned to look at Murong Qiushui, no wonder Murong Yeyun had been so curious about his land before. He had thought that Murong Yeyun genuinely wanted to develop that land into a commercial center, but it turned out that it was all a ruse, and what he actually wanted was to extract the oil beneath it. "I have the title to that land, can they still take it away under these circumstances?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled. Guo Shuxian shook her head and said, "You''re too naive. Do you think just because you have the title to the land, it''s yours for good? All the land belongs to the state, and if the state wants to take it back, there''s nothing you can do to stop it!" Hearing this, Hao Jian''s eyebrows knotted in frustration, and he felt somewhat irritated; no one likes to have their property taken, and Hao Jian was no exception. "I''m aware of this situation," Hao Jian said calmly. "What do you plan to do about it?" Guo Shuxian was somewhat dissatisfied with Hao Jian''s attitude. She had already communicated the seriousness of the situation to him, yet he seemed untroubled as if it was none of his concern. "If they come with soldiers, we''ll block with generals; if they come with water, we''ll use earth to cover. What else can I do?" Hao Jian said with a smile. Panicking now was futile; he didn''t even know what moves his opponents were planning. "I have an idea. If you''re willing to listen, you might be able to protect your belongings," Murong Qiushui suddenly spoke up. Hao Jian immediately furrowed his brows, "What''s your idea?" Murong Qiushui leaned in close to Hao Jian''s ear and whispered a few sentences. Hao Jian stared at her in astonishment, "Are you sure your surname is Murong, and not Hao?" Murong Qiushui rolled her eyes and responded, "You can choose not to listen, up to you." "Let''s do it your way," Hao Jian finally decided, believing Murong Qiushui''s method to be viable. "Also, protect the women around you well; your enemies know what your Achilles'' heel is," Murong Qiushui said with a cold chuckle, her meaning pointed and clear. Just tonight, Hao Jian had brought three women with him, truly a man blessed with lady luck. Hao Jian was about to say they weren''t his women, but Che Xiaoxiao cut in before him, "Hao Jian, I think what this sister said makes a lot of sense. From now on, you better keep a closer eye on me." "What?" Upon hearing these words, Guo Shuxian immediately flared up and glared at Hao Jian, "Mr. Hao, did you sleep with my daughter?" "What are you raving about? Why would I fancy her, a child like that?" Hao Jian retorted, irritated. Guo Shuxian always treated him as if he were some kind of heinous villain, which greatly annoyed him. "Hao Jian, that''s not what you said when you took me to get a tattoo!" Che Xiaoxiao rebuked him angrily. "Tattoo? What tattoo?" Guo Shuxian erupted in rage. Hao Jian actually took her daughter to get a tattoo? "He took me to get a tattoo, and forced me to tattoo his name, saying it was a testament of love, but then he turned around and denied it all," Che Xiaoxiao claimed, deliberately squeezing out a couple of tears to make her story seem more convincing. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What the¡ª!?" Hao Jian''s face instantly darkened, this was definitely setting him up for a fall. "Hao Jian, you better explain yourself, what exactly did you do to my daughter?" Guo Shuxian, like an enraged lioness, seemed ready to devour Hao Jian at any moment. If Hao Jian had actually taken Che Xiaoxiao to get a tattoo, what need was there to explain their relationship further? At that moment, Guo Shuxian truly wished she could kill Hao Jian. Tattoos, a testament of love? Had the relationship between Hao Jian and Che Xiaoxiao progressed to that extent? They couldn''t have actually slept together, could they?... Chapter 687 - 688: Pantsing "I''m wronged, I swear I never took her to get a tattoo, you have to believe me." Hao Jian was on the verge of tears. What kind of mess was this? How did he ever get to know Che Xiaoxiao, such a disaster? Meanwhile, Zhao Yating and Qin Bing were snickering on the side, finding the scene in front of them quite amusing. "I never thought you were that kind of person." Murong Qiushui looked at Hao Jian with contempt, deliberately scooting back to distance herself from him. "This has nothing to do with you!" Hao Jian snapped irritably. This woman was actually adding to the chaos at a time like this. "Nothing? Then tell me what the hell is going on. Why would Che Xiaoxiao say you took her to get tattooed?" Guo Shuxian questioned, her eyes filled with deep suspicion as she stared at Hao Jian. "Daring to do but not to own up, are you even a man?" Che Xiaoxiao sobbed into her mother''s embrace, "Mom, he told me to tattoo his name on my butt, saying it would prove my love for him. I initially refused, but I couldn''t resist his sweet talk and had to give in. But I didn''t expect him to be such an irresponsible man, daring to do but not to own up, I really misjudged him." Hao Jian''s face turned green in an instant, shouting, "Che Xiaoxiao, stop spouting nonsense. You were the one who wanted the tattoo; it has nothing to do with me!" "Mom, look, he''s shirking responsibility so quickly. You know I''ve always been a good girl, why would I get a tattoo for no reason? It''s all because he lied to me," Che Xiaoxiao cried out to Guo Shuxian. "What are you yelling for? What right do you have to yell? If you were a man, you''d admit it openly. If you''re waffling, what kind of man are you?" Guo Shuxian''s face was full of fury as she looked at Hao Jian, wishing she could flay his skin and pull out his tendons. Immediately, Guo Shuxian comforted Che Xiaoxiao in her arms, "Good child, mom believes what you said. This scum, I won''t let him off." "I haven''t done anything, what do you want me to admit?" Hao Jian really felt like banging his head against a wall, thinking of his once good reputation. Immediately after, Hao Jian looked dejectedly toward Zhao Yating and Qin Bing, "You guys quickly explain for me. You all know the truth, right? Tell her that Che Xiaoxiao went to get tattooed on her own. It''s not my fault!" Zhao Yating and Qin Bing exchanged glances, then nodded heavily, as if they had made a certain decision. After that, Zhao Yating gave Hao Jian a deep look, earnestly saying, "Teacher Hao Jian, although I respect you, I absolutely cannot be an accomplice to evil, so I won''t say anything!" "You!" Hao Jian felt like he was going to cough up blood. These women, were they all against him? "Hao Jian, as a colleague, there are a few things I want to say to you, teacher-student relationships are really not good..." Qin Bing also said solemnly. "Get lost!" Hao Jian roared in anguish. "Hao Jian, now that we have both testimonies and evidence, what else do you have to say?" Guo Shuxian had just taken Che Xiaoxiao to check her buttocks and indeed found Hao Jian''s name tattooed there. And hearing Zhao Yating''s words, she was even more convinced that Hao Jian must have done something to Che Xiaoxiao. "Just kill me!" Hao Jian beat his chest and stamped his feet, feeling an urge to murder. At that moment, Che Xiaoxiao suddenly developed a mischievous gleam in her eyes, a sly smile flickering across her face: "He got a tattoo with me that day, and just like me, he tattooed my name on his butt. He tattooed my name, and I tattooed his, to prove our love for each other." "Hao Jian, take off your pants!" Guo Shuxian said in a sinister tone. "What?" Hao Jian was petrified. Take off his pants? In front of all these women? Wasn''t this asking him to die? Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "If you want to prove your innocence, you must take off your pants!" Guo Shuxian said sternly, "If you don''t take them off, I''m calling the police right now. The choice is yours!" "I won''t take them off! I''d rather die than take them off!" Hao Jian shook his head stubbornly. What a joke, to take off his pants in front of so many women, how could he face anyone after that? "Okay, then I''m calling the police!" Guo Shuxian declared fiercely. "Mom, no need to call the police, have you forgotten who he is?" Che Xiaoxiao said. "Indeed, calling the police is useless, and even if I did ''get with her,'' she''s of age. It was consensual, so even if the police come, they can''t do anything," Hao Jian cackled, his laugh sounding like a duck''s quack. "Alright, you''ve got it, you just wait!" Guo Shuxian was so infuriated by Hao Jian''s shamelessness that she started looking around as if searching for something. Seeing her like this, Hao Jian also became nervous, "Hey, what are you trying to do? What are you looking for?" By this time, Guo Shuxian had already charged into the kitchen and then came out again wielding a kitchen knife. Seeing this scene, Hao Jian''s eyes were about to pop out of his head as he shouted, "Have you gone mad, woman?" "Cut the crap, either take off your pants or I''ll chop you into mincemeat, you bastard, I can still deal with you!" Guo Shuxian said viciously, like a tigress fiercely defending her cubs. Che Xiaoxiao couldn''t help but cover her mouth, somewhat in disbelief, as she had never seen her mother like this before. "A bunch of shameless people, only know how to bully me," Hao Jian said while sobbing pitifully, undoing his belt. "Stop the nonsense and hurry up!" Guo Shuxian urged. Hao Jian was really about to cry, wailing in his heart: Shu Ya, I''ve been loyal to you, but unfortunately, even a good tiger can''t fight against a pack of wolves, today I''m doomed, I might even lose my chastity, if I get raped, you must forgive me! Immediately, Hao Jian took off his pants, leaving himself in just a pair of red underwear. "Oh, wearing red underwear, Teacher, you''re really subtly saucy," Zhao Yating giggled. "None of your business, scram!" Hao Jian said irritably, thinking to himself that Zhao Yating, such an obedient and gentle girl, how did she become like Che Xiaoxiao? Truly, a person is known by the company they keep. "Hao Jian, how come your underwear has so many holes? Don''t you have money for new underwear?" Qin Bing also started laughing, covering her mouth. "It''s called being frugal, better than you not wearing any!" Hao Jian huffed. Immediately, everyone turned their astonished gazes to Qin Bing, could it be she wasn''t wearing underwear? But how would Hao Jian know? Qin Bing then kept silent, but her teeth itched with hate, she felt like slapping him. "Take off the underwear too!" Guo Shuxian ordered. "Can''t we just stop here?" Hao Jian pleaded, if he removed anything more, he would truly be exposed. "Sure, if you don''t take them off, then I''ll make you ''clean,'' and have you become a eunuch!" Guo Shuxian snorted coldly, while brandishing the kitchen knife in her hand. "A bunch of female perverts!" Hao Jian muttered under his breath and began reluctantly removing his underwear. "Turn around!" Guo Shuxian commanded. Hao Jian then covered his privates with both hands, continuously turning around. And these women were staring at his body with intense focus, Murong Qiushui even remarked, "You''ve got quite the body there." Hao Jian''s face turned red with shame, reaching the peak of embarrassment, but the more embarrassed he became, the stranger he felt, and shamefully, he began to react down there. Being stared at like this, he actually felt a bit excited. Guo Shuxian immediately furrowed her brows, looked left and right, but couldn''t find the tattoo Che Xiaoxiao had mentioned, and she couldn''t help but doubtfully ask Che Xiaoxiao, "There''s no tattoo on his backside." However, by this time, Che Xiaoxiao was already laughing her S off, clutching her stomach and shaking all over with laughter, "Hao Jian, I can''t believe you actually took off your pants, hahaha, oh my, you''re killing me with laughter." Hearing this, Guo Shuxian also was taken aback, then quickly understood what was going on, and cursed, "You damn girl, did you deliberately fool me? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" "Mom, think about it, the kid is so timid, even with a hundred and twenty times the courage of a leopard, he wouldn''t dare to touch me," Che Xiaoxiao laughed heartily, feeling very amused. "You nearly made me harm an innocent man!" Guo Shuxian said angrily, also feeling quite guilty, as she had been compelled by Che Xiaoxiao''s prank to force Hao Jian to undress, and now that she had calmed down, seeing Hao Jian''s naked body made her somewhat embarrassed, and she whispered, "Hao Jian, put your pants on..." "Put on my pants? Just because you say so? I refuse to wear them!" Hao Jian exploded in rage. Chapter 688 - 689 Who Wants to RI Me! "What are you joking about, put on your clothes!" Guo Shuxian''s face turned even redder. Just then, however, Guo Shuxian heard rustling sounds behind her, turned her head in confusion, and was immediately dumbfounded before bellowing like thunder, "Che Xiaoxiao, what are you doing?" Che Xiaoxiao cackled, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, if I sleep with him he''ll be my man, and you all stop dawdling, hurry up. Miss this chance and there won''t be another." "I''ll kill you, you disgraceful descendant." Guo Shuxian was fuming with anger, how could a respectable girl say such things? Guo Shuxian even doubted whether Che Xiaoxiao was really her own daughter; how could she have given birth to such a creature? When Zhao Yating heard Che Xiaoxiao''s words, she too was suddenly tempted, indeed, it was a great opportunity. "Zhao Yating, have you gone mad too?" Qin Bing was dumbfounded, in disbelief. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She couldn''t possibly also be about to lose her virginity here, Qin Bing was worried. Murong Qiushui was also shocked, how could things have developed like this? It was only supposed to be a prank. "Mom, don''t stop me, that little hussy Zhao Yating is going to beat me to it!" Che Xiaoxiao shouted. "Hey, make it quick, I''m rushing to get home," Hao Jian said, nonchalantly digging his ear. Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating were cackling wildly, while Guo Shuxian and Murong Qiushui kept scolding them, trying to instill the correct moral values. "Since you won''t do it, then I will!" Hao Jian stood up, only to find that the only one still sitting on the couch was Qin Bing. Seeing Hao Jian stand up, Qin Bing felt uneasy as well and kept her head down, not daring to look at Hao Jian. Seeing this, Hao Jian immediately felt a perverse pleasure and charged towards Qin Bing like a lunatic. Chapter 689 - 690: Love Me Fiercely "Girls must respect and love themselves. Only when you respect yourselves will others respect you. Do you understand?" Guo Shuxian lectured Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating as she walked out. "Understood." Che Xiaoxiao nodded solemnly, appearing to have an epiphany. "Where is he?" Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating came out of their room, only to find that Hao Jian had vanished without a trace. "Teacher Qin is gone too. We fought so hard for so long, only to have her beat us to the punch," Zhao Yating said gloomily. "That scoundrel Qin Bing is always so quiet, yet it turns out she''s the craftiest!" Che Xiaoxiao exclaimed in frustration, slapping her hand: "Dammit, the duck that was at our lips has flown away again." Guo Shuxian covered her face and sighed, feeling like her words had been in vain. .... Click! As he had been there many times before, Hao Jian opened the door to Qin Bing''s house and carried her straight to her bedroom. ... It wasn''t until the next afternoon that Hao Jian left Qin Bing''s house to return home, looking utterly self-satisfied, as if the word "scoundrel" were written all over his face. Then, he casually picked up his phone, which had been in the car all night, and saw twenty missed calls, all from Shu Ya. Afterwards, Hao Jian took a sharp intake of breath: "I''m dead!!! Last night he had gotten carried away and completely forgotten about his wife at home. When he arrived home, Hao Jian''s mood was very anxious; he prayed fervently that Shu Ya had gone to work. However, the moment he opened the door, his expression fell. Not only had Shu Ya not gone to work, but Ruo Lan was also there, chatting and watching TV with her. On seeing Hao Jian enter, both stopped talking and turned their gaze toward him. Shu Ya''s gaze was as cold as ice, capable of freezing someone with a single glance, making Hao Jian shiver involuntarily. Ruo Lan, on the other hand, looked at him with amused eyes, clearly enjoying the drama unfolding before her. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The atmosphere suddenly became tense; Hao Jian felt extremely uneasy, neither able to sit nor stand. "Ah, watching TV? And Sister Lan is here too?" Hao Jian broke the silence first, unable to stand the eerie atmosphere any longer and decided to initiate conversation. But both Ruo Lan and Shu Ya continued to stare at him silently as if he were some sort of rare animal. Hao Jian knew he couldn''t dodge the issue and began to explain, "Actually last night..." "Kneel!" Before he could finish, Shu Ya coldly interrupted with just that one word. "Huh?" Hao Jian was dumbfounded on the spot. Shu Ya actually demanded that he kneel? Wasn''t that too excessive? "Look, I really can explain..." Hao Jian said stiffly. "Kneel!" Shu Ya commanded again, still as frosty as ever. She would listen to Hao Jian''s explanation, but first, he had to kneel. "There are other people here..." Hao Jian protested feebly, noting with dismay that Ruo Lan was present. Kneeling in front of her would be too humiliating, wouldn''t it? "Oh, so now I''m an outsider?" Ruo Lan said unhappily, glaring at Hao Jian and then advising Shu Ya: "This kind of man needs a firm hand. If he''s not beaten three days out of three, you''ve got to make him kneel!" At this, Hao Jian felt like crying; now was really not the time for trouble. "If you don''t kneel, you''ll sleep on the floor tonight!" Shu Ya said coldly. "Shu Ya, don''t be too unreasonable. There are outsiders here; can''t you show some respect for me?" Hao Jian immediately grew angry. It was outrageous for this woman to humiliate him in front of others! Immediately, Hao Jian knelt down resentfully, glaring at Shu Ya: "I''m telling you, I''m not doing this because I''m scared of you, I''m doing this to show you respect!" But Shu Ya ignored him and pressed: "Where did you go gallivanting last night?" "Last night, I was talking business with Murong Qiushui," Hao Jian hurriedly explained with a smile, knowing he definitively couldn''t mess up the explanation, or he wouldn''t know how he might end up dead. "Murong Qiushui? She''s in Huaxia?" Shu Ya naturally knew of this influencer from Capital City and was aware of her connection with Hao Jian. "She brought me some significant news¡ªthat the Ye Family wants to take that piece of land from me, so we talked all night," Hao Jian explained with a smile. Chapter 690 - 691 Extortion and Blackmail "Really?" Shu Ya looked at Hao Jian with deep suspicion. "Of course it''s true. You know the value of that piece of land is high, so to prevent it from being taken away, I had no choice but to talk with her all night long to come up with a strategy," Hao Jian said with a resolute expression, secretly admiring his own damn cleverness. "Then why didn''t you answer your phone?" Shu Ya pressed. "I left my phone in the car at the time. As you know, when you''re discussing matters with someone like Murong Qiushui, it''s impolite to keep your phone with you," Hao Jian explained. "Alright, it seems I was wrong to blame you." Shu Ya nodded, now understanding the situation, which provided an explanation for why Hao Jian hadn''t answered his phone. "I think you should check him for anything unusual first," however, at that moment, Ruo Lan said to Shu Ya with a sneer. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian''s face immediately stiffened. This damn woman, was she deliberately making things difficult for him? Hearing this, Shu Ya also felt it was a reasonable suggestion and walked over to Hao Jian, then began to sniff around him. Sure enough, she discovered something amiss and frowned, "You smell like a woman''s perfume!" "I was with Murong Qiushui yesterday. Naturally, there would be her perfume smell on me," Hao Jian said, his face tense. "Then why is the scent of perfume so strong? Don''t tell me you were glued together while doing business?" Shu Ya said doubtfully, as the perfume scent on Hao Jian was especially strong, mixed with a woman''s body fragrance. The scent of perfume on Hao Jian was normal, but what about this body fragrance? S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Never underestimate a woman''s deduction and sense of smell. When it comes to catching a cheating man, their intelligence could rival Sherlock Holmes! "No, you must be mistaken. The strong scent is because we were close; it''s unavoidable," Hao Jian said as cold sweat broke out. "Is that so? Then what about this hickey on your neck?" Shu Ya suddenly pointed at a mark on Hao Jian''s neck and said fiercely. "A hickey?" Hao Jian''s heart skipped a beat. Had he actually forgotten to deal with such an important thing? "Now do you want to tell me that while you were discussing matters with Murong Qiushui last night, she bit you?" Shu Ya uttered through clenched teeth, realizing that this bastard was simply fooling her. If it weren''t for Ruo Lan''s reminder, she may have actually fallen for Hao Jian''s tricks. "Well, I guess I should kneel then," Hao Jian was nearly in tears and knelt down again, not daring to make a noise. His intuition told him that silence was golden at this moment. "You bastard, I''m going to skin you!" Shu Ya gritted her teeth and then charged straight into the kitchen. "Shu Ya, Shu Ya, don''t be rash, everything can be discussed. There''s no need to bring out a knife," Ruo Lan hurriedly tried to stop her. Hao Jian''s mouth twitched, speechless. Did these women always have to bring out a knife at the slightest provocation? Why were women nowadays so frightening, too unsettled. But just then, Hao Jian''s phone rang. He hurriedly answered, "Who is this?" "Is this Mr. Hao Jian?" A man''s voice came through, sounding arrogant and somewhat smug. "Yes, it''s me. Who might you be?" Hao Jian furrowed his brow because the caller ID showed a strange number and he didn''t recognize the owner of the number, so he was puzzled. "You don''t need to know who I am. All you need to know is that I have something you want to buy," the other party said with a cold laugh. "Something I want to buy?" Hao Jian grew even more puzzled. "What on earth are you talking about? Is this some kind of prank?" The other party had called to say some ridiculous things, leaving Hao Jian speechless. "Check your phone. I sent you a text message; once you see it, you''ll understand," the man chuckled coldly and then hung up. Hao Jian stared at his phone but was as confused as a monk who had lost his scripture. "Ding!" Just then, a text message arrived. Hao Jian opened it and his eyes immediately sparkled with a cold light. Because the message contained a video, and the video was of Qin Bing giving him oral sex in the car the previous night. Soon, Hao Jian knew who had given this video to the man. Last night, only that female toll collector saw me, she probably recognized who I was, and then she copied that video. Thinking about it, Hao Jian found it amusing. Was he actually being blackmailed and extorted? Seeing that Hao Jian''s expression was off, Shu Ya and Ruo Lan stopped their frolic and stared at him intently; they were very curious about what had happened. Before long, that call came again, and the man''s voice grew more smug, "How about it, Mr. Hao Jian? What do you think would happen if this little video fell into the hands of Chairman Shu Ya, your wife?" "Are you extorting me?" Hao Jian asked with a smile, finding the situation increasingly amusing. People still dared to blackmail him in this day and age? They must be greenhorns unafraid of tigers. "What if I am? If you don''t pay up, I guarantee this video will go straight to your wife, and I suppose with her temperament, she''s not likely to let you off the hook so easily, right?" the other party scoffed, his voice brimming with unconcealed greed. "Alright, how much do you want?" Hao Jian asked with a chuckle. "Ten million!" the other replied, asking for a fortune straight away because he had already looked into Hao Jian''s background and knew Hao Jian was rich enough to afford it. "Ten million? You sure have a big appetite," Hao Jian couldn''t help but sneer, finding the other party much greedier than he had imagined. "What, does Mr. Hao Jian think your reputation isn''t worth that much? If you don''t care, then it''s all the same to me, but I wonder what your wife would think," the man''s voice grew increasingly haughty as if he was certain Hao Jian would pay. "Alright, when do you want it? And where should I go to give it to you?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but ask. The other party seemed surprised that Hao Jian agreed so readily, without even trying to bargain; he felt somewhat regretful, thinking he should have asked for more since Hao Jian obviously didn''t care about the ten million. "This afternoon at two o''clock, at an abandoned car factory in the Southern Suburb on Shenming Road. Bring the money there. You''re to come alone. If I find out you''ve brought someone else, don''t blame me for sending the video to your wife!" the other party threatened coldly. "Don''t worry, I know the rules," Hao Jian responded with a faint smile. After that, the call ended abruptly. "What happened?" Ruo Lan couldn''t help but ask. "Someone''s blackmailing me; now I have to go and pay the ransom," Hao Jian said playfully, finding the whole situation amusing. The nerve of someone trying to extort him; they must be out of their minds. "Someone dares to blackmail you in Hua City?" Shu Ya also couldn''t help but be astonished; wasn''t this like looking for death in a toilet with an open lantern? "Exactly, so I''ve got to see who this amazing person is, daring to make a move on Poria Cocos," Hao Jian sneered, then turned to Shu Ya with a flattering expression, "Wife, I need to go meet someone now, so if you want to deal with me, wait till I get back." "Get lost!" Shu Ya replied irritably, though she knew Hao Jian had serious matters to attend to. Hao Jian then left home, driving alone to the abandoned car factory the guy had mentioned. But before leaving, he had already called Li He to investigate the personal information of the female toll collector and her relationships. The female toll collector''s name was Ouyang Mei, and her boyfriend was named Zhao Duocai, an unemployed drifter involved in gambling, fighting, theft, and robbery; a man not averse to any misdeed. Hao Jian quickly zeroed in on Zhao Duocai as the target, convincing himself that the man who had called him was definitely this Zhao Duocai. Only such a lowlife would think of blackmailing and extorting others. Of course, that didn''t mean Ouyang Mei was innocent, because if she hadn''t deliberately kept that video, Zhao Duocai wouldn''t have had access to it. And it goes without saying why Zhao Duocai kept the video. Upon arriving at the abandoned factory, Hao Jian saw Ouyang Mei and Zhao Duocai, along with a group of men and women, about a dozen in total, the men with tattoos and the women with dyed hair, clearly not the best sort. Obviously, Ouyang Mei and company were worried he might bring backup, so they had prepared in advance. Seeing Hao Jian appear, Ouyang Mei and Zhao Duocai were both excited, their faces filled with greed. They knew that Hao Jian was here to give them money, and it was ten million we''re talking about. Soon, they would be rolling in cash, enough for them to live a life of excess for a long time. "Mr. Hao Jian, you''re quite punctual. You must be really afraid of your wife, huh? Having such a wealthy wife, you must be living the good life," Zhao Duocai mocked, his words laced with dissatisfaction; in his eyes, Hao Jian was nothing more than a kept man who could enjoy an easy life because of Shu Ya and even have money to squander on other women. This irked Zhao Duocai. He felt he was much better than Hao Jian; why could Hao Jian be such a successful trophy husband while he remained a nobody? But Hao Jian ignored him, instead looking at Ouyang Mei with a playful smile, "It really was you!" Hao Jian hadn''t guessed wrong; it was indeed Ouyang Mei who had betrayed him and wanted to extort him. Ouyang Mei showed no sign of guilt or unease, instead scoffing, "Next time you decide to do something so dirty, try not to be so blatant about it." "Dirty? Compared to what you''re doing now, I think I could still be forgiven, don''t you think?" Hao Jian was smiling too. Chapter 691 - 692: Ulterior Motive Visit "You..." Ouyang Mei suddenly became displeased, as Hao Jian still dared to mock her. "Cut the crap and give the money quickly, I reckon you don''t want to see this in the paper tomorrow, do you?" Zhao Duocai said impatiently, finding it even more intolerable that Hao Jian dared to ignore him. Hao Jian squinted at Zhao Duocai, pausing for about ten seconds, seemingly considering something. "Are you freaking deaf?" Zhao Duocai shouted, feeling bold with so many brothers behind him; he didn''t take Hao Jian seriously at all. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After all, Zhao Duocai and his people only had a superficial understanding of Hao Jian¡ªthey just knew he was a pretty boy who had landed a very wealthy wife and was thus riding high. After hesitating for a while, Hao Jian still chose to take out the briefcase from behind him. He had been debating whether or not to kill Zhao Duocai, but he felt that killing people all the time wasn''t a good look, so he chose to pay instead. The briefcase, over a meter tall, was placed in front of Ouyang Mei and the others with a thud, obviously very heavy. Ouyang Mei and Zhao Duocai both were thrilled upon seeing this; after all, it was all money. "Twenty million is here, bring me what I want," Hao Jian said to Zhao Duocai, spreading his hands. But Zhao Duocai didn''t immediately hand over the videotape; instead, he first checked the stack of vivid RMB banknotes in the briefcase. His companions also couldn''t help but be shocked at the sight, so much money it was. "Mr. Hao Jian really is a sincere man, huh." Zhao Duocai grinned maliciously, "But why is there ten million missing?" "Ten million missing?" Hao Jian narrowed his eyes, also sensing the other''s intent, his eyes flashing with a cold gleam. "I just said twenty million, did you remember wrong?" Zhao Duocai laughed derisively, the more he thought about it, the more he felt shortchanged. Hao Jian had so readily agreed to give them ten million, clearly not caring about such an amount. So he felt he had taken too little and decided to hike the price on the spot. Hao Jian chuckled coldly, "Is it me who remembered wrong, or are you intentionally hiking the price now? "So what if I am hiking the price? If you don''t pay, I will send this video to your wife. Mr. Hao Jian, I imagine someone as wealthy as you wouldn''t want to upset your wife over such a small sum, right?" Zhao Duocai looked at Hao Jian with ill intentions, sure he had Hao Jian under his control. Ouyang Mei also couldn''t help but pause, and then she too was overjoyed, it was as if they''d gained an extra ten million out of nowhere. Hao Jian shook his head and laughed, "You are really greedy!" "So, do you accept or not?" Zhao Duocai asked with a sinister smile. Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, pulled out a check from his clothes, and then signed a string of digits, "As for me, I don''t want trouble, so consider it a payment to ward off disaster." After that, he handed over the check, his gaze ice-cold as he said, "However, I really dislike being played. I hope this is the first and the last time, understand?" Zhao Duocai coldly took the check, somewhat displeased; at this point, Hao Jian was still putting on an act. "You''re amazing!" Ouyang Mei couldn''t help but hug Zhao Duocai''s face and kissed him, overwhelmed with excitement. This meant another ten million, a doubled profit. "Of course, I am far better than certain pretty boys who rely on women," Zhao Duocai said with a meaningful glance at Hao Jian, and then he mocked with a laugh. "Here, your stuff is here, happy cooperation!" Zhao Duocai tossed a box with tapes to Hao Jian. Hao Jian caught the tapes, weighed them in his hand, and then smiled at Zhao Duocai, "I assume you haven''t made a backup, right? You''ve deleted it from your phone, haven''t you?" "What''s with all the nonsense? Take it or give it back!" Zhao Duocai said impatiently. "I hope you indeed have no backup, and I also hope this is our last meeting," Hao Jian said meaningfully, his eyes balefully glaring. He really didn''t want to be blackmailed again. While he could tolerate Zhao Duocai hiking the price, he didn''t want him clinging like a fly, never letting go. With that, Hao Jian left with the tapes. "Humph, just showboating!" Zhao Duocai hummed disdainfully, finding Hao Jian increasingly irritating to look at. "Zhao Duocai, you just easily handed over the tapes to that guy, a mere twenty million is nothing to him, why not ask for more?" Zhao Duocai''s friends came over and asked him. "What''s there to fear? I have a backup. Those twenty million are just a small sweetener; when I run out of money, I''ll ask him for more!" Zhao Duocai snorted coldly, smugly laughing. It turned out this guy really had a backup, planning to blackmail Hao Jian once and continue when he was short of money later. "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. This way, you''ve got that kid completely under your thumb. Zhao Duocai, you won''t have to worry about eating and drinking in the future, with extortion you can build a fortune, big shot!" Zhao Duocai''s friends gave him a thumbs up. "Zhao Duocai, you''ve really struck it rich now, don''t forget us brothers," Zhao Duocai''s brothers all chimed in. "How could I possibly forget? I won''t let my brothers suffer," Zhao Duocai said grandly, thumping his chest and then adding, "Come, each of my brothers will get one million!" At that moment, he felt immensely wealthy because the money had come so easily, and he planned to simply ask Hao Jian for more if it ran out, so he had no worries at all, treating the money as nothing of concern. Right then, Zhao Duocai treated Hao Jian as his personal ATM and na?vely thought he had Hao Jian completely under his thumb. ........ Hao Jian had just left Zhao Duocai when he received a call from Murong Qiushui, who commanded him, "Hurry up and speed things up; the Ye Family has already dispatched Ye Fenglin to move against you; I reckon he will come to you in a few days!" "Understood!" Hao Jian replied, then shook his head, feeling overwhelmed by yet another problem. Immediately, he picked up his phone and called, "Li He, arrange a plane to Capital City for me, yes, right now!" Hao Jian drove to his private airstrip, only to find Murong Qiushui was also there. "You''re going too?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but be suspicious. Wouldn''t it expose everything if Murong Qiushui went with him? "Of course. I need to go back and gather more information and also figure out a way to satisfy Yeyun''s spies," Murong Qiushui responded indifferently. "Are you sure about this? If you take action this way, you might completely disassociate from the Murong Family in the future," Hao Jian couldn''t help but remind her. But Murong Qiushui was unmoved, replying coldly, "I know what I am doing, so you don''t need to teach me!" Hearing this, Hao Jian looked deeply at Murong Qiushui and eventually did not try to stop her but said, "Get on the plane." The plane flew for three hours and arrived in Capital City; Hao Jian was the first to disembark, heading alone to meet Murong Yeyun. An hour after Hao Jian left, Murong Qiushui came down from the plane and then left in a different direction by car, knowing her next moves had to be completely covert to thoroughly deceive Yeyun''s spies and ensure the plan proceeded smoothly. Meanwhile, Murong Yeyun had become highly valued within the family during this period, handling business that used to be managed by Murong Qiushui. And to prove himself to Murong Xiao, Murong Yeyun had also been working exceptionally hard during this time. Yet, despite this, the family business was still making minimal progress, with no significant mishaps but no major advancements either. Amidst his frustration, Murong Yeyun couldn''t help but wonder why he was unable to surpass Murong Qiushui? How could he possibly lose to a woman? Just then, his subordinate came to report. "Young Master, someone is asking to see you," the subordinate spoke. "No, no, can''t you see I''m busy?" Murong Yeyun dismissed impatiently, his mind frazzled as he desperately wanted to make a mark and had no time for anything else. "But the person who is asking to see you is Hao Jian," the subordinate added. "Eh?" Hearing this, Murong Yeyun was taken aback and turned to look at his aide, slightly surprised. What does Hao Jian want with him suddenly? "Let him in!" Murong Yeyun said, curious to see why Hao Jian had come to see him. In no time, Hao Jian entered, instantly taking on a familiar tone as he grabbed and shook Murong Yeyun''s hand vigorously. "Brother Yeyun, long time no see, hope you''re doing well," Hao Jian said, grinning widely, his demeanor obsequious. Hearing this, Murong Yeyun''s face darkened immediately¡ª this guy hadn''t changed at all and was still shameless as ever. Murong Yeyun quickly pulled his hand away and asked without any warmth, "What are you here for?" In his view, Hao Jian''s visit was like a weasel paying a New Year''s visit to a chicken¡ªnot to be trusted! But Hao Jian, unfazed, continued smiling, "I''ve come to seek peace with you." "Seek peace?" Murong Yeyun paused, finding it unbelievable. Hao Jian, of all people, wanting to seek peace? But intuition told Murong Yeyun there had to be deceit involved; he sneered soon after, "You''re asking for peace? You''re not joking with me, are you?" "Of course not. I think this constant battling to the death is too tiring. I''m not very ambitious. I just want to hold on to my own territory. Fighting back and forth with you makes no sense; in the end, both sides suffer, and no one wins," Hao Jian sycophantically explained. "Do you think I believe a word you''re saying?" Murong Yeyun scoffed, finding it laughable. Hao Jian was basically treating him like a fool. Others might not know Hao Jian''s true nature, but did he not know it? If it was about seeking peace, why hadn''t he done so earlier? Why wait until now? Chapter 692 - 693: Sell-off Upon hearing those words, Hao Jian was caught off guard and his gaze flickered, uncertain of how to proceed. Seeing Hao Jian like this, Murong Yeyun''s smile turned even colder. He knew Hao Jian was up to something. "Sigh, alright!" Hao Jian feigned a sigh of helplessness. "The truth is, the main reason I''m seeking peace is because of Murong Qiushui." "Murong Qiushui? What does she have to do with this?" Murong Yeyun was puzzled. "Of course, it concerns her. That foolish woman, while she was with the Murong Family, I could use her to keep the family in check. After all, she was my woman and naturally wouldn''t strike at me. Who would have thought she''d be so brainless as to leave the Murong Family? Now I have no one to help me restrain them. Isn''t that looking for trouble?" Hao Jian said, with a ''hating that iron cannot become steel'' expression. "Murong Qiushui did have some value when she was with the Murong Family, but now that she''s left, she''s nothing. How can I rely on her to help me? Now I can only rely on myself. But alone, I can''t contend with both the Murong Family and the Ye Family''s forces at the same time. Rather than be played to death by you joining forces, I might as well come here to seek peace," Hao Jian laughed, without a hint of embarrassment on his face. Upon hearing this, Murong Yeyun felt a surge in his heart, "Are you saying that Murong Qiushui is your woman?" "What? You don''t believe me? Believe it or not, with one phone call, she''d come running to Capital City to find me?" Hao Jian boasted with pride, "Being handsome comes with its problems." Upon hearing that, Murong Yeyun almost vomited the meal he had eaten the night before. However, he somewhat believed Hao Jian''s words because he didn''t understand why Murong Qiushui had been so protective of Hao Jian that she would leave her family for him. Aside from being charmed by Hao Jian, he couldn''t think of any other reason. But this guy didn''t seem to have any redeeming qualities. What exactly did Murong Qiushui see in him? After much thought, Murong Yeyun felt it was very likely due to Hao Jian''s glibness; this bastard knew how to say the right things to the right people. Though they were clearly enemies, Hao Jian managed to behave as if they were long-lost friends reuniting. Women liked men with sweet talk. Although Murong Qiushui was intelligent, wasn''t she also a woman? At this thought, Murong Yeyun couldn''t help but sneer inwardly, Murong Qiushui, oh Murong Qiushui, you may be clever all your life, but in the end, you can''t escape the folly of love. "How do you propose we make peace?" Murong Yeyun asked with a cold sneer, curious about what Hao Jian was really thinking. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I know you want that plot of land I own, and I agree to sell it to you at a discount as part of my peace offering. How about that?" Hao Jian proposed, with a beaming smile. "Hm?" Murong Yeyun''s expression changed instantly. Was Hao Jian finally willing to sell his piece of land? Of course, Murong Yeyun also wanted that land¡ªmore precisely, what was underneath it. If he could acquire it, it would be tantamount to having a cornucopia, a money tree. His grandfather would surely hold him in even higher esteem. Murong Yeyun had been wanting to achieve something significant, and in his eyes, this was a golden opportunity. "How much do you want?" Murong Yeyun asked, evidently tempted. He believed that Hao Jian still didn''t know exactly what was hidden underneath that plot of land, which is why he was so naively willing to sell. In reality, Murong Yeyun was unaware that the Ye Family was preparing to use government authority to take over the land, which was why Hao Jian wanted to offload it quickly. Let Murong Yeyun and Ye Fenglin fight like dogs over it. "We''ll go with what you said before, ten billion!" Hao Jian declared. "Ten billion? Your offer doesn''t seem very sincere," Murong Yeyun said oddly, attempting to use this opportunity to drive down the price. "A price of ten billion is quite sincere. Don''t forget, I have many buildings there that are already completed. That''s like saving you a large expense, which I''m giving you for free. And you were willing to pay ten billion for that land in the first place because you saw its commercial value, right? The money it could make in the future is worth far more than just ten billion," Hao Jian chuckled, not agreeing to lower the price. He knew that Murong Yeyun was testing him. If he agreed to a price cut, Murong Yeyun would surely grow suspicious. "Five billion. If you agree to sell for five billion, then I''ll agree to make peace with you," Murong Yeyun stated bluntly, cutting the price in half right off the bat. Hao Jian chuckled, then stood up, "Since Young Master Murong isn''t sincerely willing to negotiate peace, let''s forget it. I think the Ye Family would be interested in this deal. And I also believe they would be willing to negotiate with me." With that, Hao Jian turned and began to walk away. "Wait!" Just then, Murong Yeyun called out to stop Hao Jian. He had indeed been testing him; if Hao Jian had agreed to his terms, he would have immediately refused to make peace with him. But now, seeing how firm Hao Jian''s stance was, he felt quite reassured. "What? Have you come to a decision, Young Master Murong?" Hao Jian turned back, looking at Murong Yeyun with an almost mocking smile. "Alright, I agree to the ten billion and to making peace with you. When shall we handle the transfer procedures?" Murong Yeyun inquired. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian sneered inwardly: It seems that Murong Yeyun is really impatient. This also proved that Murong Yeyun was indeed eager for quick success and recognition; he wanted to earn Murong Xiao''s approval as soon as possible. If Murong Yeyun hadn''t been so desperate to prove himself, maybe he wouldn''t have fallen into his trap so easily. Hao Jian directly placed the contract he had prepared early in the morning on the table; he had everything ready before he came here. After glancing at the contract, Murong Yeyun made a call to have his personal secretary come in to check the contract, knowing Hao Jian was full of cunning and deception, he had to be cautious. Soon, the lawyer came in, checked the contract carefully, and then nodded to Murong Yeyun, "The contract is fine, it has legal effect!" "I''ve already signed at the top; just sign your name, and this will be yours," Hao Jian said with a smile, knowing that Murong Yeyun had no more doubts and all he had to do now was to wait for the money transfer. Murong Yeyun stared at the contract for a moment but eventually picked up the pen and signed his name on it. But after signing, Murong Yeyun looked at Hao Jian with a strange expression and laughed, "You just signed the contract so easily? Aren''t you afraid I''ll take the contract and not pay you?" "The contract is still here, and you can''t run away. If you try to play tricks, I''ll beat you up and snatch away the contract; you''ll get nothing either way," Hao Jian said with a bad smile, not worried at all. Hearing this, Murong Yeyun huffed in annoyance and then made a call to the Swiss Bank to transfer ten billion to Hao Jian''s designated account directly. After doing all this, Murong Yeyun impatiently issued the order to leave: "You can get lost now!" "Pleasure doing business, I hope Young Master will not trouble me in the future," Hao Jian said, staring at Murong Yeyun as if he really cared about this matter. Murong Yeyun immediately sneered, "As long as you keep your tail between your legs in the future and don''t provoke our Murong Family, naturally I won''t go looking for trouble with you." In his eyes, Hao Jian had already caved in so there was no need to consider him an opponent any longer. To Murong Yeyun, the current Hao Jian was like a dog groveling for pity, and Murong Yeyun no longer took him seriously. "Enjoy yourself!" Hao Jian laughed oddly and then walked out of Murong Yeyun''s office. However, Murong Yeyun frowned as he watched Hao Jian go, feeling somewhat uneasy in his heart as if he had overlooked something. But very quickly, his attention was captured again by the contract in front of him, and the worry in his heart was filled with unexpected joy that had fallen from the sky. Coming out from Murong Yeyun''s residence, Hao Jian saw a black Lincoln Stretch Limousine parked at the door and almost without thinking made his way towards it. Then Hao Jian directly walked over, and before he even had the chance to knock on the window, the car door was already opened. Murong Chengkong rolled down the window, frowning at Hao Jian: "What do you want?" "Can''t a good friend catch up? Are you looking down on me?" Hao Jian said unhappily, while also threatenly gazing at Murong Chengkong. "Can you stay away from me?" Murong Chengkong said angrily. Is it important whether I look down on you or not? Even if I do, so what? "If you look down on me, I''ll get very angry, and when I''m angry, I feel like hitting someone," Hao Jian said with a cold face. "You!" Murong Chengkong was infuriated but could find no way to deal with this shameless man. "What exactly do you want?" Murong Chengkong asked with a cold expression. "Nothing much, just wanted to ask if you have any red wine in this car?" Hao Jian shamelessly asked. "No!" Murong Chengkong flatly said with a scowl. Was Hao Jian actually thinking about drinking wine in his car, deluding himself that they were friends? "No? Lying is not good, oh. How could such a luxurious car not have a few bottles of red wine? Don''t be so stingy; let me in, okay?" Hao Jian said, and then without waiting for an invitation, he opened Murong Chengkong''s car door and sat down. Next, he began rifling through the car looking for red wine. Murong Chengkong''s nose was nearly bent with anger, yet he could do nothing about this man, simultaneously asking, "What are you doing with Murong Yeyun?" "I had a deal to discuss with him," Hao Jian said and then laughed meaningfully, "I also brought him a big gift." "A gift? What gift?" Murong Chengkong asked blankly. "Why don''t you ask him when you see him?" Hao Jian played coy, though he could let Murong Yeyun know right now, he thought it would be more interesting for Murong Yeyun to find out for himself. Chapter 693 - 694 Sun Rongshang Then, Hao Jian popped open a bottle of red wine right in front of him. "You''ve swindled him again?" Murong Chengkong frowned and asked, his intuition telling him that Hao Jian had once again tricked Murong Yeyun. "Why are you so worked up? Don''t you hate him?" Hao Jian said with a mischievous smile, taking a sip of the red wine before slouching comfortably on the sofa. "You are indeed despicable!" Murong Chengkong huffed, not knowing what Hao Jian had done but certain it wasn''t anything good. Given this guy''s base and shameless nature, he had surely resorted to dirty tricks again. "Murong Chengkong, how about this, I''ll topple Murong Yeyun for you, you''ll rise to the top, and we team up, how about that? Compared to Murong Yeyun, I find you more agreeable!" Hao Jian suddenly said with a grin. Murong Chengkong narrowed his eyes, a frosty glint flashing within, "You want to make me your puppet!" "Don''t make it sound so ugly. You can choose not to listen to me, just don''t cause me any trouble," Hao Jian said. "Impossible, I would rather die than be insulted, I will never cooperate with you." Murong Chengkong scoffed coldly, cooperating with Hao Jian would be betraying the family. "You see, your resolve is not as strong as Murong Yeyun''s." Hao Jian sighed. "Murong Yeyun has already agreed to cooperate with you?" Murong Chengkong was stunned. "Of course, he even gave me ten billion." Hao Jian said with a wicked smile. "Impossible!" Murong Chengkong exclaimed, his eyes wide. How could that be possible? Was Murong Yeyun brain-damaged? Why on earth would he give Hao Jian money for no reason? "Whether it''s possible or not, you can just ask Murong Yeyun when you go back," Hao Jian scoffed, and then suddenly remembered something, "Ah, right, tell Murong Xiao for me, ''Someday I''ll press his face against a keyboard, and then have a dozen big guys take turns blowing his chrysanthemum!''" "How could I say such shameless words, you''re dreaming!" Murong Chengkong''s face turned green with anger, knowing that if he relayed that message to Murong Xiao, he might end up with broken legs. Hao Jian rolled his eyes and said, "You really have no sense of humor!" "Is this even about humor or not?" Murong Chengkong roared. "The world is so beautiful, why are you so irritable, that''s not good at all," Hao Jian shook his head and sighed, then added, "Anyway, could you give me a lift to a place?" "Do you take me for your driver?" Murong Chengkong immediately flared up. Hao Jian had forcefully gotten into his car and drank his wine, and now he even wanted him to be the driver? He had come here looking for Murong Yeyun, and was about to leave without having stepped out of the car? "It''s hard to get a taxi from here, so I can only bother you," Hao Jian said with a wink. "What does that have to do with me, get lost!" Murong Chengkong said irritably. "Are you looking down on me?" Hao Jian then stared at Murong Chengkong threateningly. "I..." Murong Chengkong''s face immediately turned green, this bastard had no shame at all. Helplessly, Murong Chengkong had no choice but to drive Hao Jian to see Murong Qiushui. He couldn''t beat Hao Jian, so he had to submit. "Thanks," Hao Jian waved at Murong Chengkong. But Murong Chengkong just snorted coldly, too lazy to even glance at him. "By the way, I''ll be active around Capital City for a while, and I''d prefer not to have anyone following me. If I find out someone''s tailing me, I''ll be very unhappy, and when I''m unhappy, I tend to feel like hitting people. You get what I''m saying, right?" Hao Jian said with a cheery look to Murong Chengkong. Murong Chengkong''s heart sank; he had indeed planned to have someone tail Hao Jian to see exactly what he was up to in Capital City, but now that seemed out of the question. He didn''t want to get beaten up, even though it was only superficial suffering, but it was too humiliating. "Drive!" Murong Chengkong gritted his teeth and said, his forced departure making him feel humiliated. Hao Jian watched the car disappear into the distance, his face wearing a gentle smile, before he turned to enter the shopping mall behind him. Inside, Murong Qiushui had been waiting for quite a while. In front of her, a thick stack of napkins bore the phone numbers of the men. In just the short time she had been sitting there, more than fifty men had approached her. And Murong Qiushui, from beginning to end, hadn''t even seemed interested in looking at them, reading her book and drinking coffee as if she knew nothing of what was happening around her. "Miss, my name is Sun Rongshang, a talent scout and agent with Huayu Entertainment Co., Ltd. I think your temperament perfectly fits the standards for a star. Are you interested in becoming a celebrity?" And at that moment, even a talent scout came to chat her up. Sun Rongshang, wearing black-framed glasses, looked somewhat handsome with a hint of a bad boy charm, the type of man who had a lethal appeal to women. This was also why he was confident enough to hit on Murong Qiushui. Sun Rongshang had a terrible reputation in the industry because he not only scouted artists but also liked to enforce the "hidden rule" on them; nearly all the artists he discovered had been subjected to it. Seeing Murong Qiushui''s exceptional aura and appearance which gave off a fairy-like enchanting vibe, he immediately harbored wicked thoughts, wanting to take advantage of scouting new talents to get involved in something romantic with her. He could tell that Murong Qiushui was going to be tough to win over, which was no surprise. A woman as beautiful as her was bound to be more arrogant; ordinary men simply couldn''t handle her. But Sun Rongshang was very confident because nearly everyone in the world wanted to be a star, to be adored and idolized by countless people, enjoying endless vanity and applause. In his view, Murong Qiushui must be the same. She might not be interested in those men, but it was absolutely impossible for her to be indifferent to vanity. However, he was wrong. Murong Qiushui raised her head, glanced coolly at Sun Rongshang, and said, "I''m not interested!" Then she continued to lower her head to read, no longer paying attention to Sun Rongshang. Sun Rongshang''s face turned awkward, but he still insisted, "Miss, think it over, please. I truly believe that your image and temperament perfectly match the star image our company wants to create. I guarantee that once you join our company, I''ll promote you without reservation." "Of course, if you suspect I''m a fraud, here''s my business card. You can call our company anytime to investigate me," Sun Rongshang took out his business card, hoping to eliminate Murong Qiushui''s wariness toward him. He thought Murong Qiushui''s refusal was because she mistook him for a swindler. "Do you think I''m very beautiful?" Murong Qiushui finally raised her head, giving Sun Rongshang a detached glance. "Yes, yes, your image and temperament are the best I have seen among women," Sun Rongshang nodded hastily. It wasn''t flattery but the truth; he hadn''t seen a woman more beautiful than Murong Qiushui. "I''m quite aware of that, and I don''t need you to tell me," Murong Qiushui nodded, then lowered her head again, "But I''m truly not interested in becoming a star. You may leave!" Being from a wealthy and influential family, Murong Qiushui would never deign to perform such public and vulgar work. Being a star was a dream life in the eyes of many, more an enjoyment than a job. But to someone of Murong Qiushui''s status, a star was nothing more than a lowly entertainer; no matter what, she would never stoop to becoming one herself. Sun Rongshang was petrified. Wasn''t this woman being a bit too arrogant? "Miss, are you sure you won''t reconsider? With your qualities, you will definitely become the hottest female star in the country, even more famous than the likes of Fan Bingbing!" Sun Rongshang continued to pester, even boldly sitting down in front of Murong Qiushui. Murong Qiushui couldn''t help but frown, a trace of disgust appearing between her brows, "You''re being very disrespectful!" S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sun Rongshang had seated himself without her permission, showing disrespect towards her. "I can''t help it, I''m enamored with beauty, so I got carried away." Despite his rudeness, Sun Rongshang wasn''t the least bit embarrassed, still smiling broadly, "Miss, please reconsider. Someone as beautiful as you are bound to shine brightly. Are you really willing to let such a great opportunity pass you by? You have no idea how extraordinary your future could be!" Murong Qiushui ignored Sun Rongshang and got up to leave, her mood already ruined by him, hence she did not wish to stay there any longer. Seeing Murong Qiushui still being so cold, Sun Rongshang felt a surge of anger, thinking to himself: Little bitch, what an act! Then, Sun Rongshang directly grabbed Murong Qiushui''s wrist, saying, "Beauty, don''t go!" Murong Qiushui looked indifferently at Sun Rongshang, her eyes now filled with annoyance and disgust, and she retorted sharply, "Let go!" "Just give me your contact information and I will let go!" Sun Rongshang shamelessly smiled, thinking since playing the gentleman was futile, it was better to simply be a rascal. After all, once he got Murong Qiushui''s contact information, he had ways to persuade her to join; Sun Rongshang was still very confident in his own abilities. "You!" Murong Qiushui was also getting agitated. She could easily handle people like Murong Yeyun, but had no idea how to deal with a rogue like Sun Rongshang. "Having trouble, are we?" Just then, Hao Jian came over, standing behind Murong Qiushui. And Sun Rongshang, seeing a man emerge behind Murong Qiushui, couldn''t help but feel startled. Did this woman already have a boyfriend? Upon seeing Hao Jian''s arrival, Murong Qiushui breathed a sigh of relief, then pointed at Sun Rongshang and said, "Beat him up for me!" Murong Qiushui then paid no attention to Sun Rongshang''s stunned gaze and walked back to her place, sitting down again. Coming back to his senses, Sun Rongshang''s face turned extremely ugly, "Bitch, you actually want to hit me? I''m kindly offering you a chance to become a star, and you throw it back in my face?" Chapter 694 - 695: The Pride of the Empress "Yeah, being a star is so great, why don''t you become one?" Hao Jian chimed in mischievously. But upon hearing what Hao Jian said, Sun Rongshang contemptuously glared at him. Where the hell did this fool pop up from? What''s it to him? "Hao Jian, have you lost your mind? Do you believe that with a turn of my head, I''ll come up with something to take care of you too?" Murong Qiushui said through gritted teeth, her face contorted with ugliness. "Sigh, it seems like there''s no other way," Hao Jian sighed, then walked toward Sun Rongshang. "You heard her; she wants me to beat you, and I have no choice. This woman is not to be trifled with; even I have to show her some respect." "Hit me? Just fucking try it!" Sun Rongshang also started to bluster. "I''ve been roughing it in Capital City for fifteen years, I know all kinds of people in this place. If you dare to touch me, I''ll make sure you can''t leave Capital City alive!" "Bang!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Hao Jian slapped him to the ground, expressing his disgust, "I didn''t want to be so harsh, but you just had to act like a prick, didn''t you?" "You... you dare to hit me, I won''t let you off the hook, just you wait!" Sun Rongshang roared furiously, already feeling dizzy. "Thud!" Hao Jian kicked Sun Rongshang in the stomach, sending him rolling to a nearby stone pillar, crashing into it and splitting his head open. "I hate people with filthy mouths the most. Now, I really want to see how you''ll stop me from leaving Capital City!" Hao Jian said, picking Sun Rongshang up by the collar, snorting coldly as he did. "You, let me call for help if you dare!" Sun Rongshang''s nose was nearly bent out of shape in anger. This kid is too detestable. "Call for help? You haven''t learned your lesson! Deserved to be hit!" Hao Jian snorted with anger, and his hand slapped Sun Rongshang''s face repeatedly, the sound crackling as he battered his face from side to side. "You don''t have the guts, you''re afraid to let me call for help!" Sun Rongshang ground his teeth in hatred. Shouldn''t ordinary people allow him to call anyone just for the sake of face? Why did this kid not follow the usual path? "Yeah, I am gutless, I won''t let you call for help, so what?" Hao Jian sneered, he really didn''t have time to waste with Sun Rongshang, teaching him a lesson was enough. "How do you want to handle him?" Hao Jian turned and asked Murong Qiushui. "I don''t like it when people touch my hand, but he did!" Murong Qiushui stated, very displeased. "Bitch, you want to cripple my hand?" Sun Rongshang instantly understood what Murong Qiushui wanted to do, and his whole face darkened. Was this woman really that ruthless? "Slap!" Hao Jian backhanded him and said unhappily, "Calling someone a ''bitch'' over and over, that''s impolite. Is bitch a word for you to use? Even if you know it''s true, should you say it out loud?" "Hao Jian!" Murong Qiushui really felt like devouring Hao Jian''s heart at that moment; he actually dared to call her a bitch. Murong Qiushui always thought of herself as having a good temper, but for some reason, whenever she met Hao Jian, she just couldn''t hold it in anymore. "Look what you did, you made her angry!" Hao Jian glared. Sun Rongshang was dumbfounded; wasn''t it Hao Jian who made her upset? Then Hao Jian proceeded to punch Sun Rongshang relentlessly, causing him to cry out and beg for mercy on his knees, "I won''t dare again, never again." "Satisfied now?" Hao Jian turned to look at Murong Qiushui. "His hand hasn''t been crippled yet; this isn''t over," Murong Qiushui replied coldly. Hearing this, Sun Rongshang immediately turned ashen; was this woman hell-bent on his demise? Hao Jian also sighed, looking at Sun Rongshang with pity, "Who told you to mess with a woman? Of all the women, why did you have to provoke this one?" This is beyond divine intervention. "It''s better if you do it yourself, don''t make me get involved," Hao Jian said with a sigh. "Fuck your mom! None of you will end well; I won''t let you guys off!" Sun Rongshang realized what Hao Jian intended to do and flew into a towering rage, like he had gone mad. "Look at you, why do you have to be like this? You''re making me anxious!" Hao Jian grabbed Sun Rongshang''s hand, and with a snap, he broke it. "Ah!" Sun Rongshang let out a wail and convulsed wildly on the ground as if he had been hacked into pieces. His face was as pale as a ghost, and he shouted until he was hoarse, presenting an utterly bizarre sight. Slap! Meanwhile, Murong Qiushui closed her book and walked towards the caf¨¦ exit. At that moment, everyone cast a fearful glance at Murong Qiushui; the woman was just too cruel. "In the future, never offend a beautiful woman, especially one who''s both beautiful and smart!" Hao Jian patted Sun Rongshang''s cheek and then turned to address everyone else, "Please call an ambulance for him, thank you!" The people in the caf¨¦ all had ashen faces and dared not to make a sound, looking completely terrified. After that, Hao Jian no longer paid attention to Sun Rongshang and headed towards the exit. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Have you taken care of your business?" After Hao Jian came out, he saw Murong Qiushui at the restaurant entrance looking at him and inquiring. "Yeah, Murong Yeyun didn''t suspect a thing and honestly paid up. What about you? Did you take care of your matters?" Hao Jian asked in return. "I''ve dealt with it too." "Shall we head back to Hua City then?" Hao Jian asked. "Why the rush to leave? I haven''t had the chance to show you the local culture of the Capital City," Murong Qiushui teased. "You have a place to go?" Hao Jian asked in confusion, "I thought you were just a workaholic robot, completely oblivious to pleasure." Murong Qiushui sighed helplessly and said, "Hao Jian, really, don''t force me to kill you, okay?" "..." ....... Subsequently, Hao Jian and Murong Qiushui went to a bar together, to which Hao Jian was quite surprised; he had thought that Murong Qiushui wouldn''t frequent such places. But upon arrival, Hao Jian discovered that this bar was different from the average one. The decor was much more upscale, and the clientele were either rich or noble. What was even more outrageous was that the cheapest drink in there started from a thousand yuan. What they were drinking wasn''t just alcohol; it was practically money. Hao Jian realized that this was a very high-class bar, and one needed a VIP card to enter. Murong Qiushui didn''t seem to be there for the first time, so she smoothly pulled out a membership card and entered the bar. However, just after entering the bar, Murong Qiushui''s expression changed slightly as her gaze settled on a seat not far away. It was the highest and best spot in the entire bar, from which one could overlook the whole establishment. "What''s wrong?" Seeing Murong Qiushui''s expression change, Hao Jian couldn''t help asking. "That spot was supposed to be mine," Murong Qiushui said with a grim look, her gaze fixed intently on it, but someone else was now sitting there. "I like to come here for a drink when I''m free, let the blaring music numb my senses, and from that spot, observe everyone and sample the myriad facets of life," Murong Qiushui explained. "But now, someone has taken it!" This was Murong Qiushui''s only pleasure, and now it had been snatched away. "It''s probably because you have left the Ye Family," Hao Jian''s expression darkened as well, as Murong Qiushui had always kept that spot reserved, which theoretically meant no one should dare occupy it. But that was when Murong Qiushui was still considered a part of the Ye Family. Now that Murong Qiushui had left the Ye Family, naturally no one took her seriously anymore. People are very pragmatic animals. When you are on the rise, everyone flatters you; but when you fall into the depths, they won''t even spare you a second glance. Murong Qiushui''s expression turned somewhat downcast. She originally wanted to show Hao Jian a glimpse of her life, for this was probably the only thing she could show off. But now, it had been taken away from her. "Forget it, let''s go!" Murong Qiushui said with a defeated air, understanding that there was no point in staying any longer. "What do you mean go? Don''t you know that what is taken from you should be taken back?" Hao Jian grabbed Murong Qiushui''s arm. Murong Qiushui was startled and turned around to look at Hao Jian in confusion, only to see him smiling reassuringly at her, "Come on, I''ll help you reclaim what''s rightfully yours!" "You!" Murong Qiushui started to say something, but Hao Jian didn''t give her the chance and, taking her by the arm, plunged straight into the crowd. The appearance of Murong Qiushui immediately attracted the attention of many nobles present, as she was the acknowledged successor of the Ye Family, and they naturally all recognized her. At this moment, everyone couldn''t help but show their surprise. They hadn''t expected Murong Qiushui to appear here since, according to their information, she should have already forsaken the Murong Family and gone her own way. Consequently, the gazes of those nobles became somewhat strange, tinged with a mix of mockery and schadenfreude. This was particularly true among some of the women, as when Murong Qiushui was around, they had received no attention. With her noble status and superior looks, Murong Qiushui overshadowed them completely, naturally drawing the men''s interest away from them. But now, things were different. Murong Qiushui, having left the Murong Family, was nothing, and even if those men were attracted to her, it would only be to play with her, not to marry her. Because every eminent family values their face, they would never marry a woman who was just average. Murong Qiushui had shed that glittering veneer. Now, she was just an ordinary woman! Feeling self-conscious under the scrutiny of so many, Murong Qiushui initially felt embarrassed, but she quickly regained her composure, reverted to her usual indifferent and haughty demeanor, as cold as ice. This was Murong Qiushui, with or without her noble identity¡ªshe remained as proud as an empress! Some men flashed looks of admiration. Even though Murong Qiushui had fallen from grace, her intrinsic elegance remained unchanged, continuing to captivate them. Chapter 695 - 696 You Can Call Me Father "Who is that man with Murong Qiushui?" someone couldn''t help but ask suspiciously, feeling very curious. It was the first time Murong Qiushui had brought someone here. "I don''t know, but given his ragged clothes, he doesn''t look like a wealthy person. It seems Murong Qiushui has really fallen, actually befriending such trash. Indeed, without the status of the Murong Family''s heiress, she''s nothing," a woman said spitefully, completely dismissing Hao Jian and Murong Qiushui. "Oh, isn''t this Miss Murong? How dare you come here? Do you even qualify?" Just then, an untimely voice rang out. Hao Jian and Murong Qiushui both turned their heads and immediately saw a man with long curly hair at the bar casting a malicious gaze at them. He was dressed in an expensive suit, his expression playful, holding a glass in one hand and twirling his curls with the other, slowly walking towards Murong Qiushui. Murong Qiushui couldn''t help but frown deeply, recognizing the man. His name was Li Ze''en, the son of a famous wealthy businessman in the Capital City, somewhat famous there. But because Li Ze''en had once pursued Murong Qiushui and had been mocked by her, he likely harbored resentment, hence he deliberately came to provoke Murong Qiushui now. Indeed, that was the case. Li Ze''en hadn''t expected to encounter Murong Qiushui here again and even saw her with a scruffy-looking man. Li Ze''en was immediately consumed with jealousy. Murong Qiushui would rather be with a bumpkin than accept his love, which infuriated him. "Murong Qiushui, do you think you still qualify to appear here?" Li Ze''en asked mockingly, and with that, he voiced the thoughts of many there, who cast mocking glances at Murong Qiushui. "Whether I qualify is not for you to decide!" Murong Qiushui said calmly, not showing any anger, as if she regarded everything and everyone as beneath her, Li Ze''en included. Seeing Murong Qiushui like this, Li Ze''en felt as if he had been stabbed in the chest, a kind of invisible anger building up within him. "Quite good at pretending, aren''t you? You still think you''re the heiress of the Murong family?" Li Ze''en sneered. "Even if I''m no longer the heiress of the Murong family, I still don''t regard someone like you as worthy of attention. If I wanted, I could find a hundred ways to finish you right now, believe it or not?" Murong Qiushui said, looking at Li Ze''en calmly, making Hao Jian almost burst into laughter. It was like someone with a deadpan expression saying, "I''m going to kill you!" It was not at all intimidating, yet it was somehow utterly convincing. Li Ze''en''s face became incredibly expressive, but he didn''t know how to rebut Murong Qiushui. Just then, he saw Hao Jian laughing, and immediately scolded, "What the hell are you laughing at?" Hao Jian quickly suppressed his laughter and shrugged, staying silent. Li Ze''en then turned his gaze, scoffed, and said, "Murong Qiushui, it seems you really have fallen, hanging out with a bumpkin. Where''s the pride of being the Empress? Where''s your dignity? Why don''t you introduce us to your ''outstanding'' friend here? With that get-up, he must be into art, right?" Li Ze''en was deliberately mocking Hao Jian, because everyone else was dressed in glamorous designer clothes, but although Hao Jian''s clothes weren''t bad, they weren''t outstanding. His clothes were branded, but not designer. Hao Jian was this kind of person; as long as the clothes were comfortable, that was enough for him. In his view, those wearing ordinary clothes weren''t necessarily poor, and those in designer brands weren''t necessarily wealthy. As long as one is strong on the inside, these details don''t matter. "My dignity has always been there, but fools like you just can''t see it. As for who he is, I think it''s better if you ask him yourself!" Murong Qiushui had also calmed down, backed by Hao Jian, she wasn''t worried or afraid. "Boy, who the hell are you?" Li Ze''en directly called out to Hao Jian. "My last name is Parent, my first name is Fore, you can call me Father!" Hao Jian said playfully. "Father? Are you looking for death? Do you know who I am?" Li Ze''en glared and shouted, bewildered that Hao Jian would talk to him like this. "I know, yeah." However, Li Ze''en hadn''t expected that Hao Jian would actually nod, indicating he knew him. "Hmm? Well, let''s hear it then." Li Ze''en was somewhat proudly assuming his fame was so great that even this bumpkin knew who he was. "Your last name is Child, your first name is Son; guess I should call you Son!" Hao Jian said with a laugh. "Pfft." Murong Qiushui couldn''t hold back her laughter anymore. This rascal was too ridiculous; she had been hopeful that Hao Jian would just state his name and scare Li Ze''en into running off, but instead, Hao Jian had pulled such a stunt. But that was just like Hao Jian''s "mischievously bad" nature. The bystanders couldn''t help but laugh when they heard Hao Jian mock Li Ze''en like that. "Fuck you!" Li Ze''en immediately lost his temper and threw a punch straight at Hao Jian''s face, enraged that Hao Jian dared to humiliate him like this, he had to teach Hao Jian a lesson! sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But Hao Jian, with a look of disdain, easily countered with a capture and secured Li Ze''en, twisting his arms behind his back, nearly breaking them. "Ouch, ouch, let go!" Li Ze''en cried out in pain, his face turning ashen, both from the pain and the humiliation. "A son hitting his father, it''s against all reason!" Hao Jian snorted coldly and snapped Li Ze''en''s arm with a crack. "Hiss..." Li Ze''en sharply inhaled, his body tensing up before he collapsed on the ground with a thud, only managing to emit strained groans, the pain so intense he couldn''t even scream. "Hiss..." Everyone else also sharply inhaled, had Hao Jian just disabled Li Ze''en? "Be polite to ladies. To speak rudely upon meeting is not the act of a gentleman. We are all respectable people from high society, why bother with this?" Hao Jian sighed. And everyone had a deadpan look¡ªhow could he claim to be a person from high society? Was he shameless? "You''ll wait, this isn''t over yet!" Li Ze''en, holding an arm, glared fiercely at Hao Jian, wishing he could swallow him whole. He swore in his heart that as soon as he got back, he would immediately arrange for men, determined not to let Hao Jian leave the Capital City alive. "Hey, still daring to threaten your dad, you''ve got some nerve, kid." Hao Jian cursed and was about to chase Li Ze''en again, and seeing this, Li Ze''en turned pale with fear and cried out desperately, "Help, murder!" "Stop!" Just then, a commanding voice came from not far away, and Hao Jian turned to look, only to see a burly middle-aged man standing there in a crisp suit, his gaze sharp, followed by several black-clad bodyguards, all looking sternly at him. "Who are you?" Hao Jian frowned but scoffed, his demeanor that of a typical thuggish street ruffian. The middle-aged man, seeing this, couldn''t help showing a look of confusion¡ªhow did such a gangster get mixed in here? Immediately, he looked at Hao Jian with disapproval, "I''m Yang Wushan, the owner of this bar. And you are?" "My surname''s Dad, first name Parent. Now I''m disciplining my son, do you need to meddle in this?" Hao Jian asked, his tone rogue-like. Upon hearing this, Yang Wushan''s face darkened immediately. He knew perfectly well who Li Ze''en was and who his father was, so he knew even more that what Hao Jian said was just nonsense; he was deliberately mocking him. "Brother, you''re causing trouble in my place, that''s not quite right, right?" Yang Wushan narrowed his eyes as he looked at Hao Jian, his tone growing increasingly stern. If Hao Jian wasn''t some important figure, he was ready to forcefully throw him out. "Causing trouble isn''t the word, it was this bastard who came looking for trouble first. I just gave him a lesson," Hao Jian said grinningly, casually kicking Li Ze''en, and with that grin, he knocked out several of Li Ze''en''s teeth. Li Ze''en, dizzy and disoriented, covered his face with his hand, his gaze still venomously fixed on Hao Jian, each hit from Hao Jian only deepening his hatred. "No matter what he did, causing a disturbance in my place is showing me, Yang Wushan, disrespect. Brother, you owe me an explanation!" Yang Wushan said coldly, naturally not siding with Hao Jian as he didn''t know Hao Jian''s background, but he knew everything about Li Ze''en, who was indeed a genuine elite. "Yang Wushan, acting so high and mighty!" Just then, Murong Qiushui stepped out and walked up beside Hao Jian, coldly addressing Yang Wushan. Seeing Murong Qiushui appear, Yang Wushan was also taken aback, not expecting Murong Qiushui to show up here, especially since Murong Qiushui had betrayed the Murong Family and effectively left their circle; by all rights, she had neither the status nor the face to come here anymore. But quickly, Yang Wushan regained his composure, his mouth curving into a smile as he said, "So, it''s Miss Murong." His words were polite, but they lacked the warmth they should have had, instead imbued with a touch of coldness and perfunctory. In the past, Yang Wushan would have greeted her like a dog, almost groveling at Murong Qiushui''s feet. But times had changed, and Yang Wushan was no longer that respectful. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have given Murong Qiushui''s exclusive seat to someone else, clearly showing he no longer regarded Murong Qiushui highly...................................................... Chapter 696 - 697 Shock "Yang Wushan, you''ve got some nerve, haven''t you? Even daring to give away my seat?" Murong Qiushui chided coldly. In truth, the person she should blame the most was Yang Wushan¡ªif it weren''t for Yang Wushan making the call to give her seat to someone else without permission, there wouldn''t have been so much trouble. "Miss Murong, please don''t make things difficult for a small fry like me. The one who took your seat was Bai Yanrou. I really had no choice," Yang Wushan said with a bitter smile, but inwardly he scoffed: Murong Qiushui, even at this point, you still put on airs, truly thinking you''re still the queen of the Murong Family? "Bai Yanrou?" Upon hearing this, Murong Qiushui couldn''t help but furrow her brows. Bai Yanrou was the precious daughter of the Bai Family, which was one of the four esteemed families. Originally, Bai Yanrou had always been overshadowed by Murong Qiushui, whether it was in terms of appearance or talent, she was not even one percent as good as Murong Qiushui. Therefore, whenever others mentioned Murong Qiushui, they would also ridicule Bai Yanrou, which over time led to Bai Yanrou harboring resentment towards Murong Qiushui and holding a grudge against her. So, after Murong Qiushui broke away from her family, Bai Yanrou quickly took over everything that should have belonged to Murong Qiushui. "Do you think that now, even Bai Yanrou can bully me?" Murong Qiushui asked coldly. Bai Yanrou''s status in the Bai Family wasn''t very high, yet Yang Wushan was willing to offend her for Bai Yanrou''s sake, which meant in Yang Wushan''s eyes, she was now less than Bai Yanrou. "Miss Murong, please don''t make it hard for me. You know I''m just a servant; I can''t decide anything. Miss Bai wanted that seat, and I didn''t have the heart to refuse. If you were still the young miss of the Murong Family, I would definitely have saved this seat for you!" Yang Wushan said with a smile plastered over his face, but despite the smile, his words were meaningful. He pointedly highlighted Murong Qiushui''s current status, which was nothing more than a veiled reminder to Murong Qiushui: You''re no longer the young miss of the Murong Family, so stop putting on airs in front of me. Murong Qiushui could easily detect the mockery in Yang Wushan''s words and sneered, "So you think that without the Murong Family''s cover, I''m no match for Bai Yanrou?" Yang Wushan didn''t speak, but the smirk on his face clearly conveyed his thoughts. "Really low, like a dog looking at people," scoffed Hao Jian, unable to hold back his contempt. This Yang Wushan''s face was truly hypocritical to a disgusting extent¡ªobviously no longer taking Murong Qiushui seriously, yet still feigning respect. In reality, every word was barbed. "Who the hell are you? Is it your place to speak?" Yang Wushan glared at Hao Jian. Scolding her friend in front of Murong Qiushui was a clear sign of disrespect to her. "I''m a friend of Murong Qiushui. You''ve made my friend lose face, and I''m not pleased," Hao Jian said, eyeing Yang Wushan with a smile. "Not pleased? What can you do about it? Instead of busying yourself with other people''s business, you''d better worry about yourself!" Yang Wushan huffed, then pointed at Li Ze''en on the ground, "In my territory, you hurt my guest. You must give me an explanation for this! Otherwise, I won''t allow you to leave here alive!" Yang Wushan''s face bore a murderous intent, his eyes gleaming fiercely; he clearly disliked Hao Jian for quite some time. Did Hao Jian, a commoner, dare to run wild in this gathering place of the powerful, thinking he was someone because an expired aristocrat backed him? "An explanation? What kind of explanation do you want?" Hao Jian too became intrigued, smiling as he asked Yang Wushan, keen to see how Yang Wushan wished to court death. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Kneel down and apologize to my guest and me with your head to the floor!" Yang Wushan said with a grim face. If he didn''t do this, he wouldn''t be able to explain himself to Li Ze''en. Hearing Yang Wushan say so, the other elites also shot vicious looks at Hao Jian, all of them seemingly hoping to see him humiliated into kneeling by Yang Wushan. "Yang Wushan, you dare to give my friend a hard time?" Murong Qiushui''s pretty face turned cold as she fixated on Yang Wushan, his actions not only embarrassing Hao Jian but also her. "Miss Murong, when people do something wrong, they have to pay the price, right? Your friend here broke the rules on my turf, so it''s only right for me to handle it this way," Yang Wushan replied emotionlessly, arrogance evident as he didn''t even deign to give Murong Qiushui a direct look. They didn''t dare do anything to Murong Qiushui; after all, she came from the Murong Family, and hurting her would not end well for them. But while they couldn''t attack Murong Qiushui, they could ignore her, insult her, and trample her at will. As a result, not a single person truly took Murong Qiushui seriously anymore, except Hao Jian. Murong Qiushui did not speak again and resumed her previous cold composure. However, the corners of her mouth couldn''t help but trace a hint of playful and mocking curvature. Seeing this, everyone couldn''t help but silently lament that this woman was indeed ruthless. Her friend was about to be humiliated, yet she displayed such a mocking demeanor. However, they didn''t realize that Murong Qiushui wasn''t mocking Hao Jian but rather Yang Wushan. She knew that Yang Wushan''s recklessness would surely lead to a miserable end! Indeed, after hearing what Yang Wushan had said, Hao Jian also let out a scoff, then walked over to the bar, casually picked up a bottle of red wine, poured himself a glass, took a sip, then leisurely said, "That kind of explanation you asked for, I''m afraid I can''t give you, but I can offer you a different kind!" "What kind of explanation?" Yang Wushan asked, frowning. "Smack!" Hao Jian grabbed the wine bottle and smashed it over Yang Wushan''s head. Yang Wushan immediately let out a cry of pain, falling to the ground, his head bloodied and motionless. Hao Jian''s move was so swift that even his underlings did not react in time, and Yang Wushan had already fallen. Hao Jian chuckled coldly and asked Yang Wushan, "Are you satisfied with this explanation?" "Kill him for me, kill him!" Yang Wushan roared hysterically. Being able to run such a bar in the Capital City, serving the city''s elites, his identity was naturally extraordinary. However, Hao Jian dared to humiliate him this way, which made Yang Wushan''s hair stand on end immediately. Yang Wushan''s bodyguards suddenly stepped forward fiercely, each of them clenching their fists and rubbing their hands, ready to teach Hao Jian a lesson. But Hao Jian didn''t care at all, tilting his head with a look of disdain as he waited for them to come at him. However, before they could make a move, Hao Jian struck first. With one hand, he grabbed one of them by the throat, lifted him up, swung him in a circle, and then smashed him into the other bodyguards, who were instantly sent sprawling. Yang Wushan and the others were horrified at the sight. These bodyguards were presidential-level, each one a Special Forces veteran, specifically tasked with protecting national leaders. Yang Wushan had hired them for a considerable sum, and each was capable of taking on a hundred foes. Yet, were they really dispatched single-handedly by Hao Jian? It seemed unbelievable to Yang Wushan and everyone else. Was this man in front of them really human? "Get up, all of you get up!" Yang Wushan shouted angrily, now starting to doubt whether he had been duped, having been knocked down by Hao Jian in just one encounter. What presidential-level bodyguards? That was just a fart! But those bodyguards were all dizzy and disoriented, struggling to get up for quite some time, all groaning on the ground. "Who... who exactly are you?" Yang Wushan looked at Hao Jian in fear, now fully aware of how terrifying the man was. A single person had floored so many bodyguards; this guy was definitely not ordinary. He had thought that with so many people on his side, they would surely have the upper hand over Hao Jian, yet these professional bodyguards were no match for him alone. Now, Yang Wushan just wanted to understand the origins of Hao Jian, so he could seek revenge in the future. "Hao Jian," Hao Jian said expressionlessly. "Wow!" However, upon hearing this name, the crowd was startled. They were not unfamiliar with it; in fact, the entire elite society of Huaxia knew it well. After all, in Huaxia, there were not many who dared to offend both the Murong Family and Ye Family simultaneously, and still live a good life. That made them all the more curious about him. Now, everyone in the Huaxia elite was talking about Hao Jian. Some even said that the reason Murong Qiushui left the Murong Family was because she fell in love with Hao Jian. Therefore, everybody was intensely curious about Hao Jian, wanting to know who exactly was this person who left two major families at a loss. At this moment, everyone was curiously sizing up Hao Jian, trying to get a clearer look at him. Yet, they all felt that Hao Jian was simply too low-key; he did not have the demeanor of the upper class at all. Hearing Hao Jian admitting his identity, both Li Ze''en and Yang Wushan shivered involuntarily. After all, a person''s reputation precedes them. Hao Jian''s background was always a topic of fascination. Murong Yekong and Ye Wenying had tried several times to do him in, yet every time they failed. If they did not believe there was some hidden power behind Hao Jian, they would be kidding themselves. And if even Ye Wenying and Murong Yeyun were unable to deal with him, how could they possibly be his match? Did Murong Qiushui bring this fiend here to support her presence? At this point, no one dared to underestimate Murong Qiushui. Before, they had deemed her presumptuous for daring to step into their elite circle. But now, it seemed Qiushui had come to show her power deliberately because she had the backing of Hao Jian. While Hao Jian was not part of their circle, he was able to instill fear in them. It would have been thought previously that Murong Qiushui benefitted from being seen with Hao Jian, but now the situation seemed reversed. For a moment, the atmosphere sank into silence. No more disrespectful words were uttered, nor did anyone dare to show scorn. Because in their eyes, the Hao Jian standing before them was more frightening than Ye Wenying and Murong Yeyun combined. This man was a true madman who would strike at the slightest provocation. Rumor had it that the number of people who had died at his hands had surpassed the count of ten fingers, and they did not wish to be the next. Chapter 697 - 698 Bai Yanrou "Hao Jian, I admit that your influence in Hua City is tremendous, that you could easily cover the sky with one hand, but this is Capital City, not your Hua City!" Just at that moment, Yang Wushan rebuked Hao Jian coldly. Working for Bai Yanrou now, there was no way he would let Hao Jian pass through with ease. Even feeling extreme fear toward Hao Jian, he still had to stand up. Upon hearing this, Li Ze''en and the others also felt that Yang Wushan''s words made some sense. Although Hao Jian had great influence in Hua City, this was Capital City, their home ground, where they made the rules. For Hao Jian to step into their territory, he had to play by their rules. However, Hao Jian was completely unmoved and spoke nonchalantly, "In the eyes of a dragon, there are no territorial distinctions in this world." A dragon roams the entire world, without regard for borders, just like Hao Jian now. As long as he was strong enough, it didn''t matter whether he was in Hua City or Capital City - it was all the same to him. Even for someone like Yang Wushan, a local thug, he could easily suppress him without the need to show any courtesy. "Is there anyone else who wants an explanation from me? If so, feel free to step forward. I''ll definitely give you a satisfactory explanation!" Hao Jian looked at those elites with an air of utter arrogance. The elites all felt annoyed, for they had never been humiliated like this before. Hao Jian was clearly not taking them seriously. But they had no clue what to do about it, as no one dared to confront Hao Jian loudly, because they didn''t want to end up like Yang Wushan. Seeing that no one replied, the mocking on Hao Jian''s face grew even thicker: "Weren''t you all looking down on people just a moment ago, full of arrogance? Why so silent now?" Still, no one dared to speak. "Now, does anyone else feel that Murong Qiushui has no right to be here? Step forward!" Hao Jian continued to bully, utterly dominating the scene and no one dared to defy him. "You, come here to me." Just then, Hao Jian unceremoniously pointed at Yang Wushan, who dared not delay and scurried over promptly. "Slap!" Hao Jian landed a slap, then angrily scolded, "Do you still want an explanation now?" "No more, I dare not ask!" Yang Wushan quickly shook his head, nearly crying, not daring to retaliate after being slapped ¨C because he didn''t want to die. Given the crazed nature of this madman, it really was possible he would take him out then and there. "So, are you going to give up that seat or not?" Hao Jian pressed on. Today, no matter what, he was determined to have Murong Qiushui return to the place that originally belonged to her, even if she was no longer the prestigious daughter of the Murong Family. "That... That''s beyond me. Miss Bai has the final say here," Yang Wushan said with a wry smile. He dared not offend Hao Jian, but he could not afford to offend Bai Yanrou either. "I''m the one making the decisions now!" Hao Jian said coldly, then grabbed Yang Wushan by the collar. "Either get that Bai Yanrou to give up the seat, or die right here. Make your choice!" "Mr. Hao Jian, please don''t make this difficult for me. I really can''t do anything about it," Yang Wushan pleaded, close to tears, as Hao Jian was pushing him towards death. "Can''t do anything? Seems like you''re asking to die!" Hao Jian snorted coldly, then with a snap broke a wine bottle, revealing a sharp edge that he pointed towards Yang Wushan''s neck. Everyone shivered with fear. Had this man truly gone mad? Was he really about to commit murder in public? That was audaciously bold! "Don''t... don''t..." Terrified, Yang Wushan''s face drastically changed as he began to plead, "I''ll go to Miss Bai now. Please wait, just a moment!" He didn''t dare to be stubborn with Hao Jian anymore. This madman might actually proceed to kill someone for real. "Hurry up!" Hao Jian urged impatiently. Yang Wushan then stumbled and scurried up to the second floor, while also instructing the sound engineer to cut the music. This was no time for entertainment. Someone had to step in and handle Hao Jian. Before long, Hao Jian saw a young woman coming downstairs, looking pretty and fashionably dressed, surrounded by a group of young men and women. She had a naturally seductive face, eyes shimmering with allure, and carried herself with a sultry demeanor. Dressed from head to toe in designer brands, she even had an LV bag slung over her wrist, the epitome of luxury. At the sight of Bai Yanrou, it was easy to get the first impression of her as a "gold digger" or a "trophy girlfriend." Murong Qiushui would never dress like that; she was the type of woman who chose what was right, not what was expensive. In comparison, Murong Qiushui was much more understated and classy, while Bai Yanrou seemed flashy and ostentatious. Compared that way, it''s like the difference between a brilliant moon and specks of dust¡ªno wonder when people compare Bai Yanrou and Murong Qiushui, Bai Yanrou always seems lesser. Even to Hao Jian, Bai Yanrou was nothing more than a rich second generation who squandered money, actually good for nothing. "Oh, if it isn''t Murong Qiushui, it has been a long time indeed." Bai Yanrou descended with a smirk, but in her eyes was a clear hostility towards Murong Qiushui. Obviously, she attributed all the mockery and contempt she had received to Murong Qiushui; accordingly, her hatred for Murong Qiushui had penetrated to the bone. "Bai Yanrou, it seems you really like me, don''t you? The moment I left, you just couldn''t wait to usurp my exclusive throne?" Murong Qiushui also looked at Bai Yanrou with a sneer. Ordinarily, Murong Qiushui would not deign to quarrel with Bai Yanrou, but Bai Yanrou had not stopped at one provocation¡ªagain and again she challenged, which had tested Murong Qiushui''s patience. "Exclusive throne?" Bai Yanrou let out a snort of disdain and said soulfully, "In this world, there has never been such a thing as an exclusive throne. Everything boils down to the victors and the defeated." "You no longer have the right to sit in this position, so naturally, it is my turn." Bai Yanrou declared arrogantly, her gaze filled with condescension towards Murong Qiushui, as though she deliberately wanted to mock her for no longer being able to stand on equal footing for conversation. But Murong Qiushui was not angered and said steadily, "Mmm, you have said a lot, but only when I voluntarily give up my position do you become qualified to take it. Otherwise, you can only stand aside and watch. When you think about it, you should be grateful to me!" "You!" Bai Yanrou was immediately infuriated because what Murong Qiushui said was true¡ªonly if Murong Qiushui gave up her position could Bai Yanrou have a chance to triumph over her. Otherwise, Bai Yanrou would always be seen as a woman of no worth by everyone. Bai Yanrou''s greatest sorrow was being born in the same era as Murong Qiushui. Since they were from the same era and both were daughters favored by heaven, comparisons were inevitably drawn by others. Soon after, Bai Yanrou snorted coldly, "Say whatever you want. In the end, the person sitting in this seat right now is me, not you!" Bai Yanrou did not want to argue with Murong Qiushui. After all, the person who would remain in the public eye in the future would only be her, Bai Yanrou, and Murong Qiushui would gradually be forgotten. "Today, you''ll have to return this seat to her." Just then, Hao Jian spoke up with a smile, his arms crossed over his chest, watching Bai Yanrou calmly, his face full of scorn. He had taken a dislike to Bai Yanrou at first glance, and hearing the way she spoke, he liked her even less. Because in Hao Jian''s eyes, Bai Yanrou was nothing but a madwoman consumed by jealousy. "Hao Jian, right? I''ve heard of you!" Bai Yanrou turned her head too, speaking with a cold face, "You have already offended the Murong Family and the Ye Family. Do you really want to have a problem with my Bai Family too?" Yang Wushan might be afraid of Hao Jian, but she was not, for their statuses were different. If Hao Jian dared do anything to her, the Bai Family would certainly not let it slide. "Since you know me, then you should know that I don''t respond to force, and when I''m angry, I''m not receptive to anything at all. So do you think threatening me with the Bai Family is going to work?" Hao Jian sneered with ridicule. Upon hearing this, everyone''s expressions immediately became extremely odd, because they all felt Hao Jian made a good point¡ªhe wouldn''t have provoked Murong Yeyun and the others if he were someone who could be intimidated. Bai Yanrou''s pretty face turned slightly angry; Hao Jian was more difficult to deal with than she had imagined, not even taking the Bai Family into consideration. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "So, you''re saying you want to take Murong Qiushui''s side?" Bai Yanrou asked with a cold face. She had heard of Hao Jian, and while she wasn''t worried about Murong Qiushui, she was wary of Hao Jian. "My friend is quite upset right now, and naturally I need to relieve her worries and solve her troubles. So could you please return the position that rightfully belongs to her?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "Wishful thinking!" Bai Yanrou was adamant. If she were to just hand over something she had obtained with great difficulty, it simply wouldn''t fit with her personality. "Won''t you reconsider?" Hao Jian continued to smile, staring at Bai Yanrou. "Hao Jian, do you think because you have some success in Hua City, you can come to the Capital City and run wild? Let me tell you, the Capital City belongs to the powerful; it''s our rules that count here, and it''s nothing like your godforsaken place. If you want to challenge me here, you have no chance. If you dare to touch me, a military force will be here in no time!" Bai Yanrou threatened coldly. Her words were not an exaggeration because the Bai Family''s position in the Military World was illustrious. Old Master Bai had once been a hero of the nation, hence he had many proteges, and thus the Bai Family enjoyed a status in the country that was no ordinary matter. And Bai Yanrou, being the most cherished granddaughter of Old Master Bai, was the pearl in the palm of the Bai Family. She was spoiled to the extent that the Bai Family would not let her suffer any grievances, which is why she had developed such a capricious and arrogant temperament. Right now, she dared to defy Hao Jian, relying on the support she had from the Bai Family behind her. However, Hao Jian just laughed and said, "Do you know the biggest difference between you and Murong Qiushui?" "Hmm?" Bai Yanrou frowned at Hao Jian, uncertain about what he was about to say. "The difference is, Murong Qiushui, even without the support of the Murong Family, still believes in her worth, while you only dare to raise your voice at me when you have the Bai Family backing you," Hao Jian continued, humiliating her. "Go to hell!" Bai Yanrou couldn''t help but roar in fury, utterly enraged by Hao Jian, and threw a slap directly at Hao Jian''s face. Chapter 698 - 699: Dont Ruin the Mood But he was immediately seized by Hao Jian, and upon seeing her own hand captured, Bai Yanrou felt no trace of fear, but became even more arrogant, "What, you want to hit me? Go ahead and try. If you dare touch me, I''ll make sure you won''t leave the Capital City alive!" "Smack!" The next moment, Hao Jian''s slap landed squarely on Bai Yanrou''s face. This slap was neither light nor heavy, just enough to make Bai Yanrou stagger and fall with a thud beside the bar. "Hiss..." Everyone gasped in shock. The Princess of the Bai Family had actually been struck? They immediately looked up at Hao Jian, their eyes filled with horror, "Has this guy gone mad? He actually dared to strike Bai Yanrou?" With this act, Hao Jian had not only offended the Murong Family and the Ye Family but also the influential Bai Family in the Military World! Everyone felt a sense of impending doom, as if a storm was about to break. Murong Qiushui also couldn''t help but "O" her mouth, apparently also surprised that Hao Jian would hit Bai Yanrou. A smile soon played on Murong Qiushui''s lips. She knew that whatever Hao Jian did was for her. "You all saw it, this really isn''t my fault. She asked me to do it. I actually don''t want to hit women, but I never refuse a beauty''s request," Hao Jian shrugged, feigning innocence. Bai Yanrou felt her ears buzzing, stunned on the spot by Hao Jian''s slap¡ªit was genuinely ruthless. "You... you dare to hit me?" Bai Yanrou glared fiercely at Hao Jian, also frozen in disbelief. Had Hao Jian gone mad? He actually dared to strike her? "Wasn''t it you who asked me to hit you?" Hao Jian said innocently. "You just wait, I''m calling someone to take care of you right now!" Bai Yanrou said viciously, picking up her phone. "Brother, I''m being bullied at Mingxuan, hurry and bring a military unit to back me up!" "Who''s bullying me? It''s Hao Jian, yes, the one opposing Murong Yeyun and Ye Wenying. And Murong Qiushui too!" Bai Yanrou said viciously. Upon hearing this, everyone''s faces drained of color in shock¡ªBai Yanrou was surely calling Bai Yang! Currently, Bai Yang was the successor of the Bai Family, his stature almost equal to that of Murong Qiushui amidst the elites of the Capital City, and most importantly, he was also a rare talent in the Military World, inheriting Old Master Bai''s legacy. If Bai Yang intervened against Hao Jian, that would be interesting. "What, you want me to go home? Why should I go home? I won''t go back!" But just then, Bai Yanrou suddenly roared, her expression turning somewhat ferocious. And on hearing this, everyone else was also stunned¡ªBai Yang had actually chosen to back down? That was incredible. Was he afraid of Hao Jian? "Bai Yang, are you scared of that bastard? I''m telling you, you may be scared of him, but I''m not!" Bai Yanrou angrily rebuked, with a tone of indignant rage. How could her own brother ask her to hold herself back? She was the Bai Family''s precious daughter! "Hello... hello! Bai Yang, you bastard, how dare you hang up on me!" Bai Yanrou was almost spitting blood, Bai Yang had actually ignored her and hung up the phone. "That''s right, the Bai Family is currently contending with the Qin Family for an important position in the northern military region. The Bai Family doesn''t want to create extra problems at this time, and Hao Jian is notoriously sticky, always a source of endless troubles. Bai Yang probably doesn''t want to complicate matters at this critical juncture and that''s why he ignored Bai Yanrou," someone knowledgeable explained. Afterward, everyone looking at Bai Yanrou filled their gazes with sympathy; it seemed she would really have to swallow her broken teeth. "See, looks like your supposed rescuers aren''t planning to help you," Hao Jian taunted. "What are you bragging about? Even without him, I can still take your life!" Bai Yanrou shrieked hysterically, looking completely unlike a lady, but more like a shrew. "Take him down!" Bai Yanrou ordered the young men and bodyguards beside her. "Miss Bai, he is Hao Jian," said Bai Yanrou''s bodyguard as he hesitated while others who were wealthy hesitated too¡ªthey weren''t as foolish as Bai Yanrou''s bodyguards; they knew who they could provoke and who they could not. Moreover, having survived till today, each of them was crafty, valuing their lives, none wanting to step forward to a certain death. "Useless fools, do whatever you want!" Bai Yanrou coldly snorted, knowing these sycophantic friends wouldn''t truly lay down their lives for her. "Yang Wushan, get your men up there!" Bai Yanrou commanded Yang Wushan. But Yang Wushan could only smile bitterly, pointing to his men already downed on the ground and then told Bai Yanrou, "Miss Bai, it''s not that I don''t want to help you, but I too am willing but unable." "Idiots!" Bai Yanrou scolded ungraciously, but inside she felt a tinge of fear; her bodyguards were all taken down by Hao Jian alone. "Yes, yes, yes..." Yang Wushan kept on smiling apologetically, feeling almost tearful inside. What bad karma had he accumulated to first encounter Hao Jian, that calamitous star, and now to be troubled by Bai Yanrou, the Overbearing Princess. But in the few moments of their exchange, all of Bai Yanrou''s bodyguards had been taken down by Hao Jian. Everyone cast a respectful gaze towards Hao Jian, the rumors were indeed true¡ªthis guy...was very strong! Hao Jian clapped his hands and then looked at Bai Yanrou with a smile, "There has never been something I wanted that I couldn''t obtain. Now, I''m giving you two options. Either obediently give up what shouldn''t belong to you, or I will directly throw you out of this bar!" Hao Jian''s dark laughter rang out, "But if it''s the latter, your appearance won''t look too pleasant." "How dare you!?" Bai Yanrou glared, her words carrying a threat. But this clearly did nothing to deter Hao Jian; he approached her directly, reaching out to grab Bai Yanrou. "Stop! I''ll leave, I''ll just leave!" Finally frightened, Bai Yanrou calmed down. This madman, who had already hit her just now, obviously wouldn''t mind throwing her out of the bar. But this didn''t mean Bai Yanrou had succumbed. She glared fiercely at Hao Jian, her eyes revealing deep resentment: "Hao Jian, let me tell you, this isn''t over. You''ve started something major!" From that moment on, Bai Yanrou held a grudge against Hao Jian, and one day, he would have a formidable enemy! Afterward, Bai Yanrou left the bar with the click-clack of her high heels, giving up her "throne"! Seeing Bai Yanrou being forced to retreat, these elites felt mixed emotions. Bai Yanrou was the elite among the elites, and if even she couldn''t handle Hao Jian, then they had no options left either. This indeed confirmed the rumors; Hao Jian was truly a baffling figure. "Yang Wushan, get over here!" At this moment, after dealing with Bai Yanrou, Hao Jian turned his attention to Yang Wushan. Yang Wushan instantly shivered and hurried over. But Hao Jian scolded him, "Who asked you to walk over? Didn''t you hear me telling you to roll over?" "This..." Yang Wushan immediately showed distress. Roll over in front of so many people? How humiliating! "Hmm?" Hao Jian looked at him threateningly. Yang Wushan felt like crying. He knew that if he didn''t comply, Hao Jian definitely wouldn''t let him off easily. Helpless, Yang Wushan slowly bent over and began to roll on the ground, gradually making his way to Hao Jian. Yet even so, Yang Wushan didn''t dare show any displeasure, his face smiling obsequiously as he asked, "Mr. Hao, is there anything I can help you with?" "Look at you, how pathetic," Hao Jian, unimpressed, watched Yang Wushan with contempt. Not daring to speak, he hung his head in peak embarrassment. At that moment, Hao Jian finally scoffed, saying, "Prepare the finest wine and dishes, serve them at Murong Qiushui''s usual spot, and yes, you''re footing the bill!" Everyone was speechless. First, humiliating him and then making him pay for the meal was just too much, wasn''t it? "Yes, yes, I''m on it right away." Yang Wushan dared not utter a word against it, quickly nodding before hurriedly retreating to prepare Hao Jian''s order. Watching Yang Wushan grovel, Hao Jian snorted, "Truly pitiful. Some people just aren''t meant to be people; they''d rather be dogs!" Then, ignoring Yang Wushan any further, Hao Jian turned and extended his hand to Murong Qiushui with a genteel bow, asking, "May I?" Murong Qiushui covered her mouth and laughed lightly. Her laugh was so enchanting that it mesmerized many of the men present. Afterward, Murong Qiushui slowly extended her hand and joined hands with Hao Jian, making many men envious. They had all dreamed of touching Murong Qiushui''s hand, yet none had ever been lucky enough to ask her for a dance, or even heard of anyone who had. But now, they watched as Hao Jian easily got Murong Qiushui to extend her hand, naturally feeling envious. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian grasped Murong Qiushui''s hand, his other arm wrapping around her waist to pull her closer, then commanded the sound engineer to play a more melodious piece of music. The two began to dance elegantly like twin butterflies. "Should I be thanking you?" Murong Qiushui asked with a smile. "Talking about thanks is so clich¨¦, give me money instead," Hao Jian replied with a crooked grin. Murong Qiushui shook her head helplessly, instantly at a loss for words. "Up to this point, I still don''t understand why you helped me. With your intelligence, if you wanted to confront me, even I would have a hard time," Hao Jian said, smiling, and inquired, "And you mentioned ''Bagu Thunder'' in front of me once. Have we met there before? What happened afterward?" Hao Jian was eager to get these matters clarified. But Murong Qiushui just laughed and pressed her finger against Hao Jian''s lips, saying, "Don''t ruin the mood now!" At that moment, Hao Jian didn''t know whether to laugh or cry and was at a loss for words. Chapter 699 - 700 Fairy Is Also Vulgar After a dance, Murong Qiushui was satisfied and then said to Hao Jian, "Shall we leave this place?" "Leave this place? Are we going upstairs?" Hao Jian asked with a smile, somewhat puzzled. He had taken a lot of trouble to snatch that spot back from Bai Yanrou''s hands, only for Murong Qiushui to leave without even sitting down? "It''s dirty after others have touched it, so I don''t want it anymore," Murong Qiushui replied expressionlessly, and then walked towards the exit. Hao Jian was stunned for a moment, then let out a wry smile. This was just like Murong Qiushui. She had her own pride. Once something was tainted by others, she would definitely not want it anymore. And Bai Yanrou could only sadly pick up what she didn''t want. "How can you be so sure that Murong Yeyun would fall for it? And why did you know about the Ye Family''s plan to buy my piece of land when Murong Yeyun didn''t?" Once they left the bar, Hao Jian asked Murong Qiushui with great confusion, a question that had been baffling him. Murong Qiushui gently tossed her hair and smiled confidently. "Do you think I''ve been sitting in that position for so many years just to eat for free? In addition to the Murong Family, I''ve already established my own network of contacts, so I know things that Murong Yeyun doesn''t." Then, Murong Qiushui turned her head and looked at Hao Jian with a grin. "In other words, I have my people on the inside!" Hao Jian was inwardly shocked. Indeed, going against this woman was an unwise move. Were the brains of those in the Murong Family addled? How could they give up on such a prodigy? "Let''s go, accompany me for a walk!" Saying this, Murong Qiushui didn''t wait for Hao Jian''s response and walked ahead on her own. She walked the streets alone like this, dismissing all her bodyguards as well. Hao Jian quickly followed and frowned, "This is very risky!" Murong Qiushui''s identity was very special. Even though she was no longer with the Murong Family, many people still kept an eye on her. Among these people, some wished her well, while others wanted her dead. Of course, the latter were in the majority. So Murong Qiushui''s action of dismissing her bodyguards left Hao Jian somewhat speechless. "Risk? Isn''t life all about one adventure after another?" Murong Qiushui didn''t seem to care and laughed truly happily, "The former me never dared to go shopping with friends, had to be mindful of too many things, but now I don''t have to worry about anything!" "But it''s dangerous for you to do this," Hao Jian reminded her. "But I have you, don''t I? You will keep me safe, won''t you?" Murong Qiushui looked at Hao Jian with a smile and said. "That''s true, but..." Hao Jian felt somewhat helpless, yet Murong Qiushui didn''t give him the chance to continue. "Today is only for fun, let''s not talk about other things." Murong Qiushui said, and then grabbed Hao Jian''s hand, laughing, "Come on, let''s head to the bustling streets and eat that junk food. I''ve never had any of that before!" From a young age, Murong Qiushui had been forbidden to do many things, one of which was eating junk food. But this didn''t mean she wasn''t tempted by those foods. Junk food may be bad for one''s health, but there''s no denying that it''s truly delicious. If one must live life so restrained, then what''s the point? Murong Qiushui had now realized this, so she wanted to enjoy herself while she could. Hao Jian gave a wry smile of resignation and then had no choice but to follow Murong Qiushui''s lead. He checked the map on his phone, then found a bustling street and dived in. "This is Heavenly Silkworm Potato..." "This is candied haw on a stick..." "This is..." Once they were in the bustling area, Hao Jian began introducing the street snacks to Murong Qiushui, who looked around curiously like a little girl, gazing left and right. In no time, both Hao Jian and Murong Qiushui''s arms were filled with food, and at this moment, Hao Jian saw the contented smile on Murong Qiushui''s face. Hao Jian felt that this was when Murong Qiushui was genuinely happy, showing a side that truly belonged to a woman. The current Murong Qiushui wasn''t the mastermind who commanded from behind the scenes, winning battles from miles away, but just an ordinary foodie. Hao Jian was happy for Murong Qiushui but also felt sad for her. Murong Qiushui had lived for over twenty years, yet she didn''t know what candied haw on a stick looked like? Even on TV, there must be some mention, yet Murong Qiushui didn''t know. That means, from childhood to adulthood, Murong Qiushui probably never even watched TV, right? sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Indeed, that was the case. Murong Qiushui was brought up from a young age by Murong Xiao as the future successor because of her intelligence, and she wasn''t allowed to come into contact with any form of entertainment or pastimes. One could say, Murong Qiushui never really had a childhood. Murong Xiao was much stricter on her than on Murong Yeyun and the others. And it was because of this that Murong Qiushui had her status today, possessing an extremely high IQ, akin to the processing speed of a computer, but she had also lost a side of her humanity. After coming out from the bustling street, both Murong Qiushui and Hao Jian were so full they could burst, each of them clutching their bellies. "Phew, I''m so full!" Hao Jian patted his belly. This trip had nearly covered all the snacks available. "Now I want to do something I never dared to do before." Suddenly, a sly smile appeared on Murong Qiushui''s lips, and then she opened her mouth: "Burp~" Hao Jian was immediately dumbfounded, this woman actually belched? And it was a long and loud one at that! Hao Jian couldn''t deny that it was very crude! Just imagine Chang''e burping in front of you, that''s how Hao Jian felt right now. After burping, Murong Qiushui herself seemed to find it amusing, bursting into raucous laughter, rocking back and forth as she did. "What''s so funny? That is too crude!" Hao Jian said, not hiding his annoyance. "It''s precisely because it''s so crude that I find it hilarious," Murong Qiushui laughed heartily. "Alright, we''ve had our fun and eaten, let''s head back," Hao Jian said with a smile, finding occasional craziness quite enjoyable. Besides, it was key that he was acting crazy with a high-intelligence robot like Murong Qiushui, which added an extra layer of strangeness to the feeling. "Mm!" Murong Qiushui also nodded happily, and then the two of them turned to head back to look for their bodyguards and driver. However, when they got back to the original location, they found that the car had disappeared without a trace. "Did you tell the driver to go back first?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but ask. "No, I told them to wait here for me, and that I''d be back in a moment," Murong Qiushui shook her head. Normally, without her orders, her driver wouldn''t dare to leave on his own. Hao Jian''s brows furrowed deeply. What exactly was going on? Hao Jian circled the area and noticed something amiss, then he found their car tucked away in a small alley. "It''s here," Hao Jian called out to Murong Qiushui. Murong Qiushui briskly walked over, and upon seeing the car parked in the alley, she, too, became annoyed: "Why is the car parked here, causing us to search for so long?" As she spoke, Murong Qiushui intended to move forward, but at that moment, Hao Jian placed a hand in front of her. Murong Qiushui looked at Hao Jian with confusion. "Something''s not right," Hao Jian shook his head. Those bodyguards would never disobey Murong Qiushui''s orders, and why on earth would they move the car to this alley? There was only one explanation¡ªthey were forced to bring it here. At these words, Murong Qiushui''s brow furrowed even deeper, and she refrained from moving forward rashly. Hao Jian stepped forward and circled the car only to be stunned to discover that all the people inside the car were dead. All the bodyguards had been shot in the forehead, slumped in their seats, dead beyond doubt. Because the car was hidden in the alley, one wouldn''t have noticed it without looking closely. The perpetrator must have killed them and dragged them here to avoid startling anyone, then set a trap to lure them in. Quickly, Hao Jian realized something and briskly walked over to Murong Qiushui, then grabbed her hand and started to run out of the alley. In the end, Hao Jian outright picked up Murong Qiushui and sprinted out. Murong Qiushui was utterly baffled: "What on earth happened? Where are my bodyguards and driver?" "Boom!!" Just as Murong Qiushui''s words began, an earth-shattering explosion erupted behind her. A blaze then lit up half the sky as the sedan blew up, the force of the explosion sending it flying into the air before it disintegrated into pieces mid-air. Murong Qiushui was stupefied. If it hadn''t been for Hao Jian whisking her away from the alley just moments before, she would probably have been blown to pieces. Hao Jian set Murong Qiushui down and then spoke with a smile, "See? All your bodyguards and driver are dead." "How did you know there was a bomb inside?" Murong Qiushui inquired, curious how Hao Jian had foreseen it. "I didn''t know, but relying on my intuition after all these years, I am very clear about what I would consider if I were in the enemy''s position," Hao Jian explained. The enemy hid the car in this alley for an obvious purpose. If they wanted to destroy the evidence, why not move the car farther away? They stopped it nearby to lure them into a trap and then use a pre-planned bomb to kill them. Hao Jian, having crawled and fought his way through battlefields for so many years, knew these tricks all too well. "Bang!" It was at this moment that a flash of light followed by the sound of a gunshot pierced the night, reaching Murong Qiushui''s ears. Almost simultaneously with the gunshot, Hao Jian also moved, his right hand swift as lightning, reaching toward Murong Qiushui''s ear, and between his two fingers, he firmly clutched a brass bullet. Seeing this, Murong Qiushui was stunned beyond belief. Had Hao Jian just caught a bullet for her with one hand? At the same time, Murong Qiushui felt a chill run down her spine¡ªif it weren''t for Hao Jian''s timely intervention, would she have been dead by now? The enemy''s trap was exquisitely planned; they took advantage of the slightest opportunity she gave them. And since her trip to the capital was supposed to be a secret, not disclosed to anyone, who exactly had leaked her whereabouts? Chapter 700 - 701 Family Like Enemies ``` However, from this aspect, one could see that they really wanted her dead. Now that she had left the Murong Family, theoretically, she should no longer be the focus of attention, but the fact that they were still so persistent in trying to kill her showed how much they hated her. "Your enemies seem quite numerous, eh?" Hao Jian said with a teasing smile. "They might not necessarily be enemies, they could be family, right?" Murong Qiushui also chuckled, showing an air of nonchalance. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian was shocked and didn''t know what to say about this woman. At a time like this, she still had such an indifferent demeanor? Didn''t she realize that she had almost died just moments ago? But very quickly, Hao Jian felt a pang of sorrow for Murong Qiushui. Hao Jian didn''t have any family, so he longed for one, while Murong Qiushui had a family that acted more like enemies. Murong Yeyun, Murong Chengkong, both probably wished for her death. Thinking of this, Hao Jian couldn''t help but admire Murong Qiushui. For a woman to remain so calm in the face of such events was truly terrifying. Then, Hao Jian heard a series of orderly footsteps. He quickly pushed Murong Qiushui into a narrow alley. "I''ll handle the trouble, wait for me inside here," Hao Jian winked at Murong Qiushui and then headed towards the commotion. Watching Hao Jian''s receding figure, Murong Qiushui''s thoughts were yanked back to that deep night five years ago, remembering the figure in military attire, a large cigar in his mouth, smiling shallowly at her, that shameless man. "This guy!" Murong Qiushui cursed under her breath, her expression somewhat petulant. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall behind her, beginning to wait. At this moment, Hao Jian saw a group of masked men in black approaching rapidly, and the one leading them pointed a large knife at Hao Jian''s nose, "Kid, this doesn''t concern you, scram immediately! Otherwise, I''ll spill your blood right here!" Hao Jian didn''t speak but just looked at them with a smiling gaze. "Fuck!" The thug immediately realized he had been played and violently swung his knife towards Hao Jian''s face, slashing fiercely. But the knife flew out of his hand just before it could hit Hao Jian''s head, and immediately after, he saw Hao Jian casually playing with his knife. "You!" The thug was dumbfounded, how had his knife ended up in Hao Jian''s hand? But Hao Jian just smiled slightly and then twirled the blade in the air, suddenly stabbing towards the man''s chest. "Swoosh!" "Pff!" The man''s chest burst open with a resplendent crimson flower, and he fell into a pool of blood on the spot. "Huh?" S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The others were incredibly shocked. Was Hao Jian really so ruthless? In a flash, everyone scattered, forming a semi-circle around Hao Jian. Hao Jian couldn''t help but yawn, then said with some surprise, "Looks like you are all Martial Artists, no wonder those bodyguards died at your hands!" He had realized it now, these guys were all highly skilled in Martial Arts, definitely not ordinary people. "You know about Martial Artists?" They too were surprised, not expecting Hao Jian to be aware of their kind. "I know a bit," Hao Jian said with a smile, then added, "How about this, you tell me who is pulling your strings, and maybe I''ll consider letting you off the hook!" At his words, they were momentarily stunned, then burst into laugher. One of them said mockingly, "Kid, are you dreaming? Don''t you see how many of us there are?" "Exactly, you think killing one piece of trash makes you somebody? Get past us first!" Another snorted coldly. "Tell me how you want to die!" All of them glared at Hao Jian malevolently, as if eager to tear him apart. Hao Jian just shrugged and said, "Maybe you won''t talk now, but I believe that after I slaughter enough of you, you''ll want to talk." "Kill him!" The Martial Artists were enraged and charged at him all at once. Hao Jian sneered, flicked his large knife to shed the clinging blood beads, and then lunged towards the Martial Artists. He moved like a tiger among sheep; in just an encounter, the Martial Artists were completely routed, their ranks broken and fleeing in total collapse. But Hao Jian would not let them escape. He continued to chase and slash, leaving only one alive, cornering him against the wall and asking ominously, "Now, will you tell me who sent you?" "You... you''re a Demon, you''re not human!" the Martial Artist screamed, his voice trembling with terror, clearly wetting himself. Hao Jian was too ruthless, slaying all of his companions in the blink of an eye, and yet he didn''t so much as blink himself. His indifference was extreme, and he was powerful and terrifying to boot! ``` ``` "Pfft!" With a slash, Hao Jian''s blade struck the martial artist''s right shoulder, instantly spurting blood. The martial artist screamed miserably, the sound piercing the night sky. Smiling, Hao Jian said, "I didn''t ask who I am; I asked who instructed you to kill Murong Qiushui?" "Just kill me. I won''t tell you. If I did, I''d live a fate worse than death, and my family''s lives would also be threatened!" the man said resolutely, aware that betraying his master would mean not only his own death but also that of his family. Clicking his tongue in wonder, Hao Jian remarked, "Quite spirited, aren''t we? Well, as you wish!" Without further ado, Hao Jian swiftly beheaded the martial artist, whose head rolled off onto the ground like a tumbling melon. Hao Jian also knew it was pointless to expect any valuable information now. Instead of wasting time, it was better to simply finish him off. Waiting in the alley for Hao Jian, Murong Qiushui heard the commotion outside; soon after, she saw Hao Jian returning. Though Hao Jian appeared as usual, his clothes now bore the heavy scent of blood. Murong Qiushui couldn''t help but freeze and asked Hao Jian, "You killed them all?" Hao Jian nodded, saying, "The enemy is far more cunning than we anticipated. These people weren''t willing to disclose their true identities or who was behind the scenes." "It seems they were Dead Soldiers," Murong Qiushui nodded, unsurprised. After all, trusted people are naturally chosen for murder. "What shall we do now?" Hao Jian inquired of Murong Qiushui. "Do nothing; we wait for them to come and collect the bodies. Creating such disruption, they can''t sit idly by. So many deaths will surely provoke a strong public outcry; they won''t want to draw attention. When they come to claim the bodies, they''ll reveal themselves, and we can track them from there," Murong Qiushui answered, deciding to respond to change with constancy. "Let''s head back to Hua City first," suggested Hao Jian. Capital City had become unsafe, and while he was not worried for himself, he was concerned for Murong Qiushui''s safety. Murong Qiushui agreed, her face serious, and decided to make for Hua City immediately. ..... Returning from Capital City, Hao Jian parted ways with Murong Qiushui at the airport. Murong Qiushui decided to investigate the killer, while Hao Jian felt it was about time to get Moon Goddess Jiang out of prison. At that moment, his phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, Hao Jian''s eyes glinted with a cold light. "Hello? Mr. Hao Jian, how have you been? Brother''s been a bit short on cash recently; think you could lend me some to spend?" came Zhao Duocai''s brazen voice over the phone. Hao Jian sneered inwardly. It hadn''t even been a week since he gave Zhao Duocai money, and now the twenty million was all gone? Zhao Duocai really knew how to squander. Indeed, one never values money until it''s their own. Feigning generosity, Zhao Duocai had shared quite a bit of the money with his "brothers," gambling away the rest. And gambling, that most ruinous vice, could empty any fortune, no matter how vast, once one starts down that path. Now broke, Zhao Duocai naturally resorted to blackmailing Hao Jian. "I thought I made myself clear before. I gave you the money, you gave me the video. From now on, we''re even. You''re breaking the rules here," Hao Jian said coolly. "Rules? Do you think rules matter to a scoundrel like me?" scoffed Zhao Duocai, then threatening, "Cut the crap, just send the money. If you don''t, I''m sending that video to your wife and posting it online!" At the same time, Zhao Duocai snickered slyly, "Forgot to tell you, I made backup copies of the video. So, you''ve got no choice but to pay up." Hao Jian narrowed his eyes but wasn''t too angry, for Zhao Duocai had taught him a lesson. To such a shameless scoundrel, rules indeed seemed too harsh. Hao Jian also felt it was perhaps too demanding of him to expect Zhao Duocai to abide by rules. "Alright, when do you want the money? Where should I bring it?" This time, Hao Jian''s tone was much gentler, and he seemed to even carry a hint of laughter. Hearing this, Zhao Duocai was flabbergasted. He couldn''t gauge what Hao Jian was really planning; was he simply acquiescing to the demand? "Hao Jian, I''m warning you, no tricks, or I''ll really send that video viral!" Zhao Duocai immediately threatened. He sensed that Hao Jian was plotting something, as his easy acquiescence to handing over the money seemed highly suspicious. "Why would I pull a fast one? I genuinely want to give you the money," replied Hao Jian cheerfully. "That''s impossible; aren''t you angry?" retorted Zhao Duocai, utterly incredulous at Hao Jian''s abnormal attitude. "Angry? Of course, but I know getting angry won''t solve anything. How about this: I''ll pay you a million a month to keep this secret for me, deal?" Hao Jian proposed with a laugh, making it sound like a discussion, although a glint of coldness flickered in his eyes. Realizing what was happening, Zhao Duocai instantly understood. Hao Jian hadn''t lost his mind; he had simply capitulated, probably because he knew Zhao Duocai would never return the video and thus chose to seek a truce. ``` Chapter 701 - 702: Extortion Again "Pay first, we can talk about this matter later!" Zhao Duocai snorted coldly, his attitude arrogant, because as far as he was concerned, it was Hao Jian who was pleading with him, so he had no need to be considerate. "Go to the same place as last time to find me, and bring the cash. This time, I want twenty million!" Zhao Duocai continued to demand with a lion''s share. "Fine, I''ll bring the money over right away!" Hao Jian replied, his laugh odd, emphasizing the words "bring the money" particularly heavily. "Hurry up, no waiting if you''re late; I''ve got a gambling den to rush to!" Zhao Duocai said impatiently. Afterwards, Zhao Duocai directly cut off Hao Jian''s mobile number. With that, Hao Jian put down his hand, his face revealing murderous intent as he sneered, "What a ''newborn calf unafraid of tigers''." Then he made a call to another person, "Brother Spice Ginger, gather the crew, meet me at XX; it''s time to deal with some ignorant idiots!" "How did it go with Zhao Duocai? Did that pretty boy agree?" At this point, one of Zhao Duocai''s accomplices asked. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Dare he not agree? As soon as I mentioned posting his video online, he nearly pissed himself!" Zhao Duocai snorted, turning back to his fair-weather friends: "Brothers, we''re about to have twenty million to squander!" "Oh!!!" A cheer erupted in the room, as everyone was beyond excited; was this money not ridiculously easy to come by? "My dear, you''re so capable!" Ouyang Mei planted a fierce kiss on Zhao Duocai''s face, extremely delighted. "Is that even in question?" Zhao Duocai boasted proudly, but little did he know, a pair of invisible, destructive hands were already closing in around him. Meanwhile, Hao Jian had already assembled his men and driven to the location where Zhao Duocai was based, but he didn''t allow the convoy to enter with him. Instead, he entered first, accompanied by Brother Spice Ginger. At this moment, Brother Spice Ginger''s face was the epitome of gloom. A bunch of blind bastards dared to extort his boss; it was simply courting death, and Spice Ginger felt extremely irritable! "Yo, Young Master Lei has arrived?" At this time, a man and a woman entered the warehouse factory where Zhao Duocai was, the man dressed in a sharp suit, the woman beautiful and elegant with a cold air about her. Naturally, Young Master Lei was friends with Zhao Duocai, having met at a bar. Young Master Lei had some money, and Zhao Duocai knew a lot of fair-weather friends, so they became friends. The reason he appeared here was because of the girl by his side. This girl liked bad boys with skills, so to show his strength, Young Master Lei brought her here for exposure. Seeing Young Master Lei arrive, Zhao Duocai and the others respectfully greeted him. By their standards, Young Master Lei was different; he came from a wealthy family, was very generous, and they thought him righteous, hence they respected him greatly. Pleased by their reaction, Young Master Lei couldn''t help but smile and said to the woman beside him, "Xinran, all these guys are my brothers." Su Xinran, however, appeared indifferent, merely nodding slightly, her demeanor aloof. "Young Master Lei''s girlfriend is really beautiful, huh." Zhao Duocai and the others flattered, and Zhao Duocai himself was staring so hard that Ouyang Mei had to pinch him to bring him back to reality. Seeing this, Young Master Lei felt even more glory on his face and turned to Zhao Duocai to ask, "Zhao Duocai, what have you been up to lately?" "Extorting a fool!" Zhao Duocai said proudly, recounting all of his recent exploits. Youth Master Lei was taken aback and laughed, "You''re kidding, is that guy really that stupid?" Obviously, he did not know who Hao Jian was, as his status was too ordinary to squeeze into high society and thus not qualified to know who Hao Jian really was. "That''s right, he''s on his way to eagerly bring us the money." Ouyang Mei also said with a grin, her heart pleased, because this was all thanks to her. "Xinran, do you think that guy is stupid or what?" Young Master Lei couldn''t help but ask Su Xinran. "He does seem quite foolish," Su Xinran nodded and couldn''t help but cover her face and giggle. Hearing Su Xinran say this, Young Master Lei was thrilled, thinking this woman truly loved the thrill; she enjoyed bad men doing bad things. At that moment, Zhao Duocai and the others heard a series of vehicles stopping at the entrance. "That guy must have arrived!" said Zhao Duocai before turning to Young Master Lei, "Young Master Lei, want to stay and watch the show?" "Of course, I want to see for myself just how dumb that guy is." Young Master Lei chuckled. Then, Hao Jian and Brother Spice Ginger walked in together. "Yo, arrived?" Seeing Hao Jian and Brother Spice Ginger show up, Zhao Duocai and his friends immediately greeted them and teasingly eyed Hao Jian and the others. "What, you brought someone else too?" Zhao Duocai sneered, his gaze malevolently fixed on Brother Spice Ginger, yet not taking him seriously. At that moment, Ouyang Mei noticed something and whispered in Zhao Duocai''s ear, "He didn''t bring the money!" "Kid, where''s the money? I''ll tell you, I don''t want a check!" Zhao Duocai wasn''t that naive to accept a check, which could easily lead to an arrest by the police. "Idiot, hahahaha..." Brother Spice Ginger burst into laughter, finding it somewhat amusing. Zhao Duocai was so naive; he still hadn''t realized what they were planning to do. "You dare to curse at me?" Zhao Duocai instantly became furious, ready to fight on the spot. Was Hao Jian tired of living, daring to curse him? "Curse you? I dare to kill your old man!" Brother Spice Ginger mocked, his expression severe. Hao Jian then told Brother Spice Ginger to calm down and then turned back to Zhao Duocai, "I''ll give you one last chance. The thing I want, will you give it to me or not?" Zhao Duocai and Ouyang Mei, and the others seemed to realize they had been played by Hao Jian, their faces showing annoyance: "Hand over the money, and naturally, you''ll get the thing!" "Hao Jian?!" Just then, Su Xinran exclaimed in surprise, recognizing Hao Jian at a glance. When Hao Jian turned at the sound and saw Su Xinran, he was also surprised, "Su Xinran? What are you doing here?" "Su Xinran, you know this guy?" Young Master Lei frowned and asked Su Xinran, thinking if she knew Hao Jian, then they would have to let Hao Jian go. "He was a high school classmate of mine, in the same grade but not the same class," Su Xinran replied. Hao Jian was the school''s celebrity at the time, liked by nearly all the girls, so Su Xinran naturally knew a bit about him. However, Su Xinran wasn''t interested in Hao Jian because she was a psychological freak who was only interested in bad boys. "Do you need me to let him go?" Young Master Lei asked, knowing if Su Xinran was acquainted with Hao Jian, he would have to plead with Zhao Duocai on his behalf. But even if Young Master Lei pleaded, Zhao Duocai might not agree because Hao Jian was now his cash cow. Letting go of Hao Jian was like letting go of a cash cow, and Zhao Duocai was not that foolish. "No need, I''m not that familiar with him," Su Xinran replied with a cold smile at the corner of her mouth. She knew Hao Jian, but they were not friends and had never exchanged a word. Moreover, Su Xinran found Hao Jian rather displeasing because the Hao Jian back then was a sunny boy, a popular idol amongst all the girls, but he didn''t meet Su Xinran''s aesthetic, so she had some aversion to him. "That''s good," Young Master Lei said and immediately smiled upon hearing that. Hearing Su Xinran say this, Hao Jian couldn''t help but smile, his eyes frosty. He had known beforehand that Su Xinran was a freak; now it seemed he was right. In high school, Su Xinran used to carry a knife and stab honest people, and she hung out with delinquents all the time, a typical Little Gangster Girl. Although Hao Jian didn''t have much contact with her, he had heard quite a few things about her. "Hao Jian, where''s the money?" Zhao Duocai impatiently called out to Hao Jian. "The money is gone, but if you give me what I want now, I might consider sparing your lives," Hao Jian said with a smirk that didn''t reach his eyes. "Spare my life? Guys, did you hear that clearly? This fellow actually said he''d spare my life!" Zhao Duocai laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke of his life, and the people behind him, including Ouyang Mei, also burst into roaring laughter. They were a group of more than twenty, but Hao Jian was just with another person. In such a situation, Hao Jian still dared to threaten him? Su Xinran couldn''t help but curl her lips in disgust and said, "What an idiot!" Clearly, she thought Hao Jian''s words were foolish. "Kid, how about I give you a suggestion? Hand over the money honestly now, and I''ll consider not letting you leave here lying down. How about it?" Zhao Duocai put his hand on Hao Jian''s shoulder, his eyes showing a threatening gleam. Hao Jian glanced at Zhao Duocai''s hand on his shoulder and then chuckled coldly. "Crack!" "Agh!" Immediately after, Zhao Duocai was clutching his arm, lying on the ground, howling non-stop, his arm had been broken by Hao Jian on the spot. Hao Jian patted his own shoulder and said with a smile, "Sorry, I don''t particularly like people touching me with their hands, especially when your hands are so dirty." Everyone was shocked. Hao Jian was too vicious; he had just crippled Zhao Duocai on the spot? They used to think Hao Jian was a useless pretty boy who could only be bullied by them in every way. Only at this point did they realize they were wrong; Hao Jian was definitely not as weak as they had imagined. However, Su Xinran''s eyes sparkled with unusual interest; Hao Jian''s current actions had aroused her favor. "You dare to hit my boyfriend? I''ll expose all your videos!" Ouyang Mei, seeing Zhao Duocai being hit by Hao Jian, instantly became furious and shouted at Hao Jian. "You bastard!" Zhao Duocai clenched his teeth in anger, looking crazed as he yelled at Hao Jian, "Cripple them for me!" Whoosh! Right at that moment, Zhao Duocai''s brothers all charged at once, knowing that taking down Hao Jian meant money. They were unwilling to let go of this cash cow. Brother Spice Ginger chuckled coldly and then put his hand to his mouth, blowing a shrill whistle. Following that, a group of gunmen in black burst in, at least a dozen strong, all pointing their guns at Zhao Duocai and his men. Chapter 702 - 703: Women Who Like Bad Boys At this scene, Zhao Duocai and his gang were all dumbfounded, each of them frozen in place, not daring to move. They were just some small-time gangsters, accustomed to minor scuffles, but killing someone was beyond their courage. Moreover, these guys were armed; they didn''t dare to make a move. Zhao Duocai himself was stunned. Was Hao Jian really going to play tough? It was only then that Zhao Duocai realized his mistake¡ªthis guy was no useless pretty boy, but just like him, a player in the underworld. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Whoever dares to move gets slaughtered," Brother Spice Ginger said coldly, his face stern. "Yes!" Those men in black shouted in unison, glaring at Zhao Duocai with an ominous look. And Su Xinran was also incredibly surprised. Hao Jian was so badass? She had thought Hao Jian was just a good kid who listened to his teachers. Hao Jian grabbed Zhao Duocai''s hair with one hand, hoisting him up, and sneered, "I gave you a chance, but it''s a pity you didn''t know how to seize it!" "If you dare to kill me, I guarantee that video will be online tomorrow!" Zhao Duocai threatened viciously, the video now his only leverage. Zhao Duocai was really scared now. Hao Jian had the ability to kill him, and if Hao Jian wanted him dead, there was absolutely nothing he could do to resist. "Do you think I''d really be afraid of you posting that video online? You''re too naive," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. At those words, Zhao Duocai was shocked. Hao Jian wasn''t afraid? How could he not be? He must be bluffing, right? "The only reason I gave you money before was that I didn''t want to kill, but you''ve gotten me very agitated, so now, I have no choice but to deal with you," Hao Jian sighed and then suddenly slammed Zhao Duocai''s head onto a desk nearby. Zhao Duocai''s forehead immediately split open, emitting a loud bang. Upon hearing the bang, everyone else trembled, their faces ashen. The contrast was too great; they previously thought Hao Jian was a coward whom they could bully at will, but now Hao Jian had turned into a Murder God that terrified them! But in Su Xinran''s eyes, a layer of frenzy covered her gaze¡ªevidently, she quite liked Hao Jian''s current demeanor because she was just as twisted! Hao Jian took a handkerchief from Brother Spice Ginger, wiping the blood from his hand, and chuckled, "People, you see, can''t be too greedy. Have you ever heard the saying ''greed swallows more than one can digest''? Now you guys have burst your bellies, and do you know what happens when you burst your bellies? You die." "Don''t kill my boyfriend, we know we were wrong, we really do," Ouyang Mei pleaded, falling to her knees and shivering all over. It wasn''t until then that she realized she had made a grave mistake¡ªthey had provoked someone they shouldn''t have, and they might even pay for it with their lives. If they had extorted Hao Jian just once and left it at that, perhaps things wouldn''t have escalated to this point. "Know you''re wrong? You realized that too late!" Hao Jian snorted coldly, sweeping a glance at Ouyang Mei: "Don''t be in a rush, after I''m done with him, you''re next!" Clearly, Hao Jian had no intention of letting Ouyang Mei go. It was impossible to say she had nothing to do with this matter. If it wasn''t for Ouyang Mei giving that video to Zhao Duocai and scheming with him to blackmail him, none of this would have happened. Zhao Duocai certainly was greedy, but wasn''t Ouyang Mei the same? At these words, Ouyang Mei''s face instantaneously turned as pale as death, collapsing in fright on the spot. "Don''t kill me, I realize my mistake. I will give you the video, I''ll never dare again. I''ll just leave Hua City right away, staying far away from you so you''ll never see me again, please let me go," Zhao Duocai pleaded to Hao Jian, crying pathetically without any dignity, terrified by Hao Jian. But Hao Jian just sneered and shook his head, saying, "I told you, I don''t care at all about that video; I''m angry because you played me. When you blackmail someone, the very first thing you should do is thoroughly investigate the identity and background of the person you''re extorting. If you had done that earlier, you''d have found out that I''m a psychopath who has killed countless times. Then, you wouldn''t dare set your sights on me." Killed countless people? Su Xinran''s expression suddenly became ecstatic; this man was the villain she had been searching for for years. Seeing Su Xinran like that, Young Master Lei broke out in a cold sweat too. Everyone else was terrified, but Su Xinran looked thrilled, as if she wished she could charge forward and devour Hao Jian right there and then. Young Master Lei felt a chill run down his spine¡ªhe had thought Su Xinran just liked bad boys, but he hadn''t realized she had become so twisted as to actually seek out a murderer. "How would you let me off..." Zhao Duocai asked Hao Jian with a shaking body and a pitiful gaze. "Hand over my money, down to the last cent," Hao Jian said with a grin to Zhao Duocai. Zhao Duocai''s pupils suddenly constricted, panic written all over his face, "But...but I spent it all!" Out of that twenty million, nearly eight million went to his brothers, and the rest was mostly gambled away. Now, he only had a little over two million left on hand. "Then you can''t blame me," Hao Jian shook his head and then said to Brother Spice Ginger, "Cut off ten fingers first." Brother Spice Ginger, smoking a cigarette, gestured to his minions upon hearing this, and one of them approached Zhao Duocai with a knife. At this sight, Zhao Duocai''s face turned green with terror as he screamed, "No, don''t kill me, I''ll find a way to pay you back! Just give me a chance!" "Oh? And what way might that be?" Hao Jian asked mockingly, not believing a word Zhao Duocai said. "My money went to my brothers; I''ll ask them to give it back," Zhao Duocai said, his eyes filled with panic. "All right then, do that," Hao Jian said, then agreed to Zhao Duocai''s request. However, he did not believe Zhao Duocai could get the money back; he just wanted to see Zhao Duocai make a fool of himself. Zhao Duocai then climbed up from the table and stumbled toward his "brothers" to start asking for the money. "Brother Niu, as you can see, I''m really in a bind here. Can you return the two million to me first?" "Bro, why didn''t you say so earlier? That money... I''ve already spent it all!" "Old Liang..." "I''ve spent the money too; I''m really sorry, brother!" "Doggie!" "I''ve invested all the money in stocks, but now it''s stuck; I can''t do anything about it!" However, none of Zhao Duocai''s "brothers" wanted to return the money. They were just fair-weather friends with Zhao Duocai; to put it nicely, they were "brothers," but bluntly put, they were nothing but fair-weather friends. They hardly got their hands on two million, a sum they estimated they could never earn in a lifetime; how could they possibly give it up willingly? "You... you guys!" Zhao Duocai was dumbfounded. Only now did he see his "brothers" for who they truly were. Although they now felt sorry for Zhao Duocai, in the face of personal gain they could only turn a blind eye to their conscience. "Your money is all with them!" Zhao Duocai pointed at them and yelled at Hao Jian, hoping to use Hao Jian''s influence to deal with them. Because he knew that once Hao Jian made his move, these bastards would have to cough up the money. Upon hearing this, Zhao Duocai''s "brothers" also became indecisive. If Hao Jian was asking for the money, they''d have no way out. Because if they didn''t give it, they would have to face death, with all of Hao Jian''s people and guns still waiting. "I don''t care; you caused this mess, so naturally, you have to deal with it yourself!" Hao Jian said indifferently. He wasn''t about to force each of these guys to hand over the money; it would be too troublesome. Hao Jian didn''t care about the money at all. What he wanted was to make Zhao Duocai pay for his actions. On hearing this, Zhao Duocai was petrified. Hao Jian was clearly setting him up for trouble. "There''s still two million here, all in this card. The password is..." Ouyang Mei hurriedly handed over her bank card to Hao Jian, also hoping to get him to let them off the hook by returning the money. However, Ouyang Mei really thought too much. They had taken twenty million from Hao Jian, and now returning only two million, they hoped to earn Hao Jian''s forgiveness¡ªthis was simply too na?ve. Moreover, during the blackmail, Zhao Duocai and Ouyang Mei did not put on such a humble front; they were as arrogant as they could be. Now seeing how formidable Hao Jian was, they immediately lost their nerve, which was, to say the least, laughable. Hao Jian took the card from Ouyang Mei, didn''t even glance at it, and threw it straight to Brother Spice Ginger: "Take this and divide it among the brothers!" Hearing this, Hao Jian''s underlings became instantly excited; over twenty of them would share more than two million, each getting around two hundred thousand or so. "Yes!" Brother Spice Ginger nodded, then shouted to his underlings: "Aren''t you going to thank the boss?" "Thank you, boss!" the underlings all shouted together. Watching this, Su Xinran was also uncontrollably excited. This guy was actually a boss too? He was the baddest of the bad, wasn''t he? This matched all of Su Xinran''s mate selection criteria! "And the other eighteen million?" Hao Jian asked, looking sharp, at Ouyang Mei and Zhao Duocai. Upon hearing this, both Zhao Duocai and Ouyang Mei fell silent, their faces filled with unease. "He gambled all the money away; it''s got nothing to do with me!" And just then, Ouyang Mei suddenly pointed at Zhao Duocai and said to Hao Jian, betraying Zhao Duocai naturally. She didn''t want to die, so she could only let Zhao Duocai die in her place. "Ouyang Mei, you bitch, how dare you betray me?" Zhao Duocai roared with rage, then pointed at Ouyang Mei and shouted: "This bitch got the money and bought a ton of luxury goods and cosmetics, like LV bags and such, and bought herself a BMW. She spent no less than I did!" Clearly, Zhao Duocai wanted to drag Ouyang Mei down with him! Seeing Zhao Duocai and Ouyang Mei turn on each other like dogs, Hao Jian couldn''t help but sneer, thinking that indeed, companions in prosperity may not be so in adversity. Chapter 703 - 704: Endless Torture "It seems you all can''t come up with the money," Hao Jian said with a sinister smile, then told Brother Spice Ginger, "Take those two, let the woman entertain clients non-stop, twenty-four hours a day. Whenever she pays off the damn twenty million, we''ll let her go, understood?" Upon hearing this, Ouyang Mei''s eyes rolled back, and she fainted from fright. She was utterly in despair because she knew what was coming next¡ªendless, unrestricted hosting of clients, which meant no breaks for eating, sleeping, or even using the bathroom, a fate worse than that of the comfort women in East Ocean. Those comfort women could at least rest for five hours a day, but she wouldn''t even have one hour to herself. That was a whole twenty million! How long would she have to work to pay back Hao Jian? After hearing such torment, it was no wonder Ouyang Mei fainted. Any woman would have fainted in her place. Brother Spice Ginger nodded and pointed at Zhao Duocai, saying, "Boss, what about him?" Pointed out by Brother Spice Ginger, Zhao Duocai stiffened all over. Ouyang Mei was a woman and could host clients, but what could he do? Hao Jian sneered and said, "Have him host clients too. I think some homosexual male customers would like him." Zhao Duocai was petrified on the spot. Although he didn''t faint, his despair was even greater than Ouyang Mei''s. After all, he was a man, and more importantly, he was not homosexual. Being forced to offer his body despite that was a torture of the soul and flesh. "Keep an eye on them, don''t let them commit suicide. Before he pays off my money, they absolutely must not die!" Hao Jian snapped coldly. Hearing Hao Jian''s remarks, Su Xinran was utterly infatuated; he was indeed a super villain! Shortly after, Hao Jian stopped paying attention to everyone else and turned to leave, leaving Brother Spice Ginger to handle the aftermath. Seeing Hao Jian about to leave, Su Xinran hurried to follow him. "Su Xinran, you..." Seeing Su Xinran leaving, Young Master Lei urgently started to speak, seemingly trying to keep her. "Sorry, you''re not suitable for me," Su Xinran said emotionlessly as she dropped the words. Just then, Hao Jian got into the car, ready to drive away. But the moment the car was about to start, the passenger side door was pushed open, and Su Xinran directly got in. Hao Jian immediately frowned and asked with disapproval, "What do you want?" Hao Jian had no affection for Su Xinran. "How about I become your woman?" Su Xinran boldly faced Hao Jian and seriously proposed, without a trace of shyness on her face. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian was shocked, and then said with a weird expression, "Are you sick?" S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It''s no wonder Hao Jian thought Su Xinran was sick. Anyone slightly normal would think she was a lunatic when they heard her speak. "I like villains, and in my eyes, you are one, so I want to be your woman!" Su Xinran explained. "Is that so? Villains don''t like overly shallow women like you!" Hao Jian sneered coldly, showing no kindness to Su Xinran. "You think I''m shallow?" Su Xinran immediately frowned, her voice turning colder. "Isn''t that the case? You like villains?" Hao Jian mocked. "Yes!" Su Xinran made no attempt to hide it. "What if I let you become my woman, then I ask you to host clients for me? Would that be okay?" Hao Jian sneered. "Of course not!" Su Xinran coldly replied, her love for villains didn''t make her lose herself. "It seems you''re not insane after all," Hao Jian commented teasingly. "I just have convictions, not stupidity," Su Xinran said gravely, somewhat annoyed as she looked at Hao Jian. "Get out of the car!" Hao Jian suddenly shouted, forcing Su Xinran to leave. He was already tired of talking with Su Xinran. For someone who didn''t appreciate the preciousness of life, there was nothing more to say. Hao Jian had tried every possible way to lead an ordinary life but never had the chance, whereas Su Xinran, who had such an opportunity, didn''t value it. "Won''t you reconsider? I don''t need you to do anything for me," Su Xinran said with furrowed brows, somewhat baffled. She was fairly attractive, so why didn''t Hao Jian care at all? Most men couldn''t help but give her a second glance, yet Hao Jian utterly ignored her? "I said, get out!" Hao Jian spoke again, his expression even more severe. Su Xinran looked upset; she had thought that even if Hao Jian disagreed, he wouldn''t be so harsh. But she hadn''t expected his attitude to be so cold. She was so beautiful, so why wasn''t Hao Jian attracted to her at all? Left with no choice, Su Xinran could only get out of the car, then gave Hao Jian a deep look, and asked, "You... you couldn''t be homosexual, could you?" Su Xinran felt that this was the only possibility for why Hao Jian wouldn''t like her, given her beauty; no man could ignore her unless Hao Jian was homosexual. "I am not!" Hao Jian sharply retorted. Could there really be such a masculine homosexual? Su Xinran breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then I won''t give up!" "Whatever you want," Hao Jian rolled his eyes, then too lazy to bother with her any further, he drove away. As she watched Hao Jian''s car disappear into the distance, a playful smile appeared on Su Xinran''s lips. The next morning, Hao Jian drove to where Moon Goddess Jiang was imprisoned, prepared to fish her out of the dungeon. Upon arriving at the cell, he saw Moon Goddess Jiang in camouflage trousers and a black tank top, doing one-handed push-ups inside the cell. At that moment, Moon Goddess Jiang, with her hair tied up and perspiring profusely, stretched the tank top with her full, round breasts, looking irresistibly enticing. Hao Jian whistled flirtatiously, catching Moon Goddess Jiang''s attention, then grabbed the iron bars with both hands and foolishly shouted, "Let me out, let me out!" "Idiot!" Moon Goddess Jiang rolled her eyes and spat out those two words. "I am here to rescue you, and this is how you treat your lifesaver?" Hao Jian said discontentedly. "Even if you don''t save me, they wouldn''t dare do anything to me!" Moon Goddess Jiang said carelessly, continuing her push-ups. Hao Jian pouted, feeling somewhat unloved by Moon Goddess Jiang''s indifference, having initially intended to tease her a bit, but she simply wouldn''t take the bait. "So, you want me to let you out, right?" Hao Jian asked with a mischievous grin. "Let me out or don''t!" Moon Goddess Jiang replied irritably. "What do you mean, let me out or don''t? What about Xiaolu? She misses her mom," Hao Jian said. Upon hearing Hao Jian mention Xiaolu, Moon Goddess Jiang was moved, and she turned to look at him, "Then why are you still playing around?" "If you want to come out, kiss me!" Hao Jian said shyly, lowering his head. "Fuck off!" Moon Goddess Jiang rolled her eyes again, then dropped that phrase. Hao Jian was stunned. "Little fucker, what the hell are you babbling about all day? You know you''re disturbing my sleep? You brain-dead fool, do you want to die?" At this moment, in the cell next to Moon Goddess Jiang, a burly foreigner who resembled a black bear pointed at Hao Jian''s nose and cursed loudly. Although his Chinese was not very standard, Hao Jian could mostly understand what he said. "What country is this guy from, and what did he do?" Hao Jian asked a soldier nearby, pointing at the Black Bear. Hearing this, the soldier appeared apprehensive and answered, "This guy is an American, nicknamed Big Brown Bear, a fighter from an underground boxing ring. He started a fight in a bar with a Huaxia couple and killed them outside. He also injured several bouncers from the bar. It took us more than twenty men to bring him in!" Hearing the soldier introduce him, the Big Brown Bear looked defiantly at Hao Jian, "What''s up, kid, don''t like the look of me? If you dare to come in, I''ll twist off your head in an instant! All you Huaxia people are weaklings!" "Shut up!" The soldier immediately rebuked angrily. They had suffered injuries capturing this bastard, and now he was still talking trash, which was infuriating. However, Big Brown Bear became even more arrogant from the rebuke, "Yellow-skinned pig, if you dare come in, I''ll twist off your head and use it as my toilet!" "You!" The soldier was immediately enraged but dared not enter the cell. This man was a fighter from an underground boxing ring and had never been defeated until now. It took over twenty well-trained soldiers to apprehend him. "Open the door," Hao Jian said to the soldier. "But, Mr. Hao Jian, if we open the door, he''ll act up," the soldier said in alarm, worried about what would happen if they let this guy out. "Don''t worry, he won''t act up," Hao Jian said with a grin, then with a cold glint in his eyes, he stared at the Black Bear, "He won''t be able to act up ever again!" Hearing Hao Jian say this, the soldier seemed to understand what he meant, his face breaking into a pleased smile as he quickly opened the cage. While opening the cage, he even made a taunting gesture at Big Brown Bear, saying gleefully, "Wait for death, idiot!" Although this soldier did not know what Hao Jian''s identity was, from the fact that he dared to flirt with Moon Goddess Jiang, the leader of Dragon Tooth, it was evident Hao Jian was no ordinary person. Moreover, his current confident demeanor in telling him to open the door undoubtedly meant he was sure of his victory. But Big Brown Bear still looked disdainful, saw Hao Jian entering, measured him with his hand from top to bottom, then to his own chest, and burst out laughing, "A short and skinny idiot, are you hoping I''ll twist off your head? If so, I''ll grant your wish!" Hao Jian''s physique was not as tall and imposing as his, and to him, Hao Jian looked like a child, so he did not take Hao Jian seriously. Chapter 704 - 705 Pharmacist Hao Jian cocked his head at the Big Brown Bear and said with a grin, "How would you prefer to lie down?" "You''re looking for death!" The Big Brown Bear instantly flew into a rage, his fist as large as a bowl, striking directly at Hao Jian''s face. However, Hao Jian remained unflinching, just staring directly as the fist drew closer and closer. "Smack!" Just at that moment, Hao Jian suddenly reached out and grabbed the Big Brown Bear''s fist, that seemingly ferocious punch was now caught single-handedly by Hao Jian. Seeing how easily Hao Jian had blocked the Big Brown Bear''s punch, not only was the Big Brown Bear taken aback, but so was the soldier who had followed him in. "Is that all you''ve got?" Hao Jian contemptuously said to the Big Brown Bear and then punched him in the abdomen. With a grunt, the Big Brown Bear expelled what he had eaten earlier in a mess. "You!" The Big Brown Bear was enraged again and swung another punch. But this time Hao Jian ducked, and the Big Brown Bear''s fist swept over his head. Taking advantage, Hao Jian grabbed his throat and slammed him against the iron cage behind them with a dull thud. The Big Brown Bear saw stars, and momentarily, he couldn''t tell east from west. "Don''t underestimate the Huaxia people, big guy. Huaxia is a vast country with over a billion people, many of whom are stronger than you," Hao Jian sneered and then unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks on the Big Brown Bear without any mercy. "Stop hitting me, please, stop hitting me," the Big Brown Bear soon pleaded, his face swollen, waving his hands at Hao Jian in complete fear, losing all his spirit as he begged for mercy. Hao Jian, however, sneered incessantly, "Weren''t you acting all tough just now? How come you''re cowering all of a sudden?" "Big brother, Huaxia people are the best, please stop hitting me," the Big Brown Bear howled, looking utterly deflated. "Swoosh!" Just then, a cold gleam suddenly shot forth, slicing at the Big Brown Bear''s neck, then blood spurted as his body slumped to the ground. Seeing this, Hao Jian was also taken aback, then glanced towards a young man in a nearby cage. The young man was draped in an odd poncho and hat, his face pallid as paper, fingers dry as tree bark, giving him a frightening appearance. It was he who had just slain the Big Brown Bear. At that moment, he glanced down at the Big Brown Bear''s corpse and said indifferently, "You were too noisy!" Hao Jian looked down, astounded to find the man had used a piece of his robe to kill him. This guy must be a master! "Who is this guy?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but ask the soldier standing beside him. "I¡­ I don''t know. Master Long captured him," the soldier answered truthfully, clearly referring to Moon Goddess Jiang. Hao Jian walked over to Moon Goddess Jiang and before he could ask, she began to explain the man''s background: "His name is Pharmacist, a pervert. When we found him, he was using a person as a test subject, torturing him until his body was battered and bruised." "How did he torture him?" Hao Jian asked, curious. "Have you ever seen a man covered in pus-filled blisters?" Moon Goddess Jiang asked Hao Jian. Hao Jian was shocked and said, "That intense, huh?" Moon Goddess Jiang gave Hao Jian a huge eye roll, prompting him to quickly correct himself, "That man is truly pitiable." "Why are you keeping him here? He should be executed," Hao Jian wondered, aware of the danger of keeping such an individual. "What do you know? He might be a pervert, but he''s a genius at concocting medicine. His research is beneficial to society. I plan to persuade him to join Dragon Tooth and serve the society," Moon Goddess Jiang said. "But it seems like the progress isn''t going smoothly," Hao Jian chuckled. Moon Goddess Jiang huffed in displeasure, "This guy is stubborn, refusing to accept my proposal. If that''s the case, I''ll just keep him locked up forever in this cell and see who''s more patient!" Moon Goddess Jiang was determined to keep Pharmacist locked up for life until he agreed to join Dragon Tooth. Hearing this, Pharmacist twitched his lips, his facial expression incredibly ugly, evidently detesting this woman immensely. "What else can I do? I can''t just let him harm others, can I?" Moon Goddess Jiang defended indignantly. If she left Pharmacist unattended, who knew who he might use as a test subject next? If Pharmacist refused to join Dragon Tooth, he would remain a threat, but killing him seemed too wasteful to Moon Goddess Jiang. After all, talents were hard to find, so she felt she had no choice but to keep him imprisoned. Unless Pharmacist agreed to join Dragon Tooth, he would not be allowed out. This dungeon, known as Black Iron Mountain, was specifically used to imprison particularly troublesome criminals, much like Moon Goddess Jiang herself. "Damn, are you really planning to keep him locked up for life? Isn''t that a bit too much?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but say. "Otherwise, should we let him out to wreak havoc?" Moon Goddess Jiang said with a roll of her eyes. It wasn''t that she didn''t want to release the Pharmacist, but that he was simply too dangerous. "How about this, if I can subdue him, will you let him go?" Hao Jian asked, actually considering taking the Pharmacist under his wing. "You subdue him? Why would you want to subdue him?" Moon Goddess Jiang couldn''t help frowning, unsure what Hao Jian was really planning. "Because I lack an Inquisitor, and a Poison Master skilled in potions would also be quite useful to me," Hao Jian said with a smile. Poison, no matter the time or place, was always something to be revered. Hao Jian thought to himself that if he had such a Poison Master, then in the future, he would essentially have a secret weapon, making it much more convenient to kill people, wouldn''t it? "But can you ensure he won''t harm society?" Moon Goddess Jiang asked. If Hao Jian couldn''t guarantee that, then they couldn''t let the Pharmacist go and endanger society. "A woman cheats because she''s hungry; if you feed her well, won''t she stop cheating?" Hao Jian said with a sly smile, clearly believing that the Pharmacist''s killing was merely due to his desire to use human bodies for experiments. But what if he could provide the Pharmacist with test subjects? After all, he had so many enemies he couldn''t finish killing them all. What the Pharmacist needed was exactly what he could provide. "That analogy is quite vivid indeed," Moon Goddess Jiang sneered coldly. "So, do you agree?" Hao Jian smiled and asked, noticing that Moon Goddess Jiang was relenting. "If you can assure me he won''t endanger society, I have no objections," Moon Goddess Jiang said generously, knowing that keeping the Pharmacist locked up here wasn''t a solution forever. It might be better to just let him go. So, Hao Jian walked out enthusiastically towards the Pharmacist''s cell and said to the soldier guarding the door, "Open the door, please." The soldier didn''t dare delay and hurriedly unlocked the cell door. As soon as Hao Jian walked into the cell, a whirlwind stirred at his feet and the Pharmacist, who had been sitting cross-legged in front of him, suddenly leaped up, extending his withered branch-like hand straight towards Hao Jian''s throat. That hand was more like a claw than a hand, with fingertips sharp as blades, gleaming with a chilling light. The withered branch-like hand, veined with numerous bulky veins, appeared exceptionally powerful. This grab was powerful enough to crush iron and stone, let alone flesh. This guy wasn''t some waste like Big Brown Bear who could resist such an attack. "Bang!" Just then, Hao Jian kicked upward, blocking the Pharmacist''s claw. "Oh? It seems I''ve underestimated you," the Pharmacist expressed surprise, realizing he had underestimated Hao Jian. His sudden attack had been calmly countered by Hao Jian. "Be careful; when we captured him, we didn''t do it without suffering losses," Moon Goddess Jiang reminded Hao Jian. On the day she personally went to capture the Pharmacist, several people were injured, demonstrating just how formidable this guy was. "You''ve gotten too cocky, kid," Hao Jian coldly sneered, then delivered a spinning kick. The Pharmacist''s pupils shrank instantly, sensing the danger. He quickly brought his hands up to protect his chest but was still kicked flying by Hao Jian. "Crack!" Both arms broke in an instant, as Hao Jian''s kick, delivered with full force, naturally bore fearsome power. In the past, when teaching others a lesson, he usually held back, but he didn''t show any mercy to the Pharmacist because he wanted to test what this guy was made of. "Is that all? It seems I overestimated you," Hao Jian said with a smirk, having thought the Pharmacist would be more formidable than he had imagined. "Crack, crack, crack..." However, no sooner had Hao Jian finished speaking than he saw the Pharmacist''s arms suddenly twist bizarrely and emit a strange noise. In just a few seconds, his hands had completely recovered. Hao Jian couldn''t help but feel a shock of fear, exclaiming, "It seems you can no longer be called human." Humans simply do not possess such recovery speed. "For all these years, you''re the first person to harm me from the outset," the Pharmacist said with a steely gaze, his voice raspy and eerie, like a broken gong. "Should I feel happy about that?" Hao Jian asked with interest. "You should feel despair!" the Pharmacist roared, then charged directly at Hao Jian. However, ten minutes later, the Pharmacist lay twisted on the floor, his limbs folded backward over his head, curled up like a ball. "I''m going to kill you, I swear I''ll kill you, hahaha..." But instead of feeling pain, the Pharmacist began laughing eerily, his expression mad, as if possessed. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "We''ve fought and made a scene; I think we can now sit down calmly and discuss matters," yet Hao Jian said, smiling as if the previous events were of no great concern, as if he hadn''t just been involved in a fight. "Pah! You think you can subdue me like this?" But the Pharmacist, a maniac himself, was exasperated by Hao Jian''s shamelessness. After being beaten up like that, and now Hao Jian wanted to sit down and discuss matters? That''s absurd! Chapter 705 - 706: Meeting the Parents "If I let you out and guarantee that I can provide live subjects for your experiments, would you be able to forgive me?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "What?" The Pharmacist was taken aback by his words; was Hao Jian actually agreeing to provide him with live subjects for experimentation? "Or do you find killing me more important than conducting experiments?" Hao Jian asked cheerfully, confident that the Pharmacist would eventually agree to his terms. Because every scientist is mad, and for the sake of research, they would eventually give up everything. "Can you really provide me with live subjects as test subjects?" Sure enough, the Pharmacist was tempted. He was just as Hao Jian had imagined¡ªwilling to give up everything for the sake of an experiment. For scientists like him, nothing is more important than scientific research. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yes, and I can also guarantee that no one will disturb you while you conduct your experiments, and you won''t get arrested!" Hao Jian promised faithfully. With his current status and position, it wasn''t hard for him to do this. "Why should I believe you?" However, the Pharmacist was somewhat skeptical. What was Hao Jian''s identity, that he dared to make such grand promises? "Do you have any other choice besides believing me?" Hao Jian mocked. "What do you want me to do?" The Pharmacist asked with a frown, knowing that there''s no such thing as a free lunch. If Hao Jian was willing to help him like this, there must be a reason. "It''s simple, work for me, provide me with the drugs I want, can you do that?" Hao Jian said with a smile. The Pharmacist saw through it; Hao Jian was interested in his expertise in pharmaceutics. That''s why he planned to take him under his wing. But the Pharmacist didn''t mind. As long as Hao Jian could provide him with live subjects for research, why not give him some drugs? After all, their relationship was nothing more than mutual use. "Fine, I agree to your terms." In the end, the Pharmacist agreed to Hao Jian''s conditions. His fervor for research had made him cast aside all his other concerns. "Wait here." Hao Jian said to the Pharmacist and then walked out, knowing that he had to rescue Moon Goddess Jiang first if he wanted to release him. Now that Ye Fenglin was in full charge of Black Iron Mountain, it would be impossible to get the Pharmacist out if Moon Goddess Jiang couldn''t regain her post. "What''s going on, what''s going on? Who allowed you to open the door?" Just then, the crowing voice of Ye Fenglin came from outside, as he came downstairs with a group of people. Upon seeing Hao Jian, Ye Fenglin''s expression turned cold and he angrily said, "Hao Jian, you again?" "Hey, we meet again." Hao Jian waved at Ye Fenglin, behaving as though they were old acquaintances. Hearing this, Ye Fenglin was infuriated. Had this guy the audacity to greet him so casually? Had he forgotten that Hao Jian had beaten him up? "Hao Jian, what are you doing here? Are you trying to break the jail?" Ye Fenglin rebuked him without a hint of warmth in his voice, glaring at the soldier beside Hao Jian. "Who allowed you to let him in? Don''t you have a brain?" "But... but he has a pass," the soldier said innocently. "A pass?" Ye Fenglin was puzzled. How could this guy have a pass? He''s clearly not a member of Dragon Tooth. At that moment, Hao Jian took out a written document and said with a smile, "This is an **** order personally issued by Old Man Yun. If you have any objections, feel free to take it up with him." At the mention of this, Ye Fenglin''s face changed suddenly, as he knew very well that if Old Man Yun had spoken, he had no right to stop Hao Jian. "Step aside!" Hao Jian pushed Ye Fenglin to one side and then opened the cell door of Moon Goddess Jiang, "Let''s go, we''re going home!" "Hao Jian..." At that moment, Ye Fenglin called out to Hao Jian, turning his head with a grim expression to look at him. Hao Jian turned his head too, smiling amiably at Ye Fenglin, "What''s up, is there a problem?" "Don''t think you''ve won just yet. I''ll soon take something very important from you, and when that time comes, you won''t even be able to cry." Ye Fenglin spoke arrogantly, his smile boding ill, clearly ready to cause trouble for Hao Jian. Naturally, Hao Jian knew that Ye Fenglin was referring to the land issue, but he had already sold that piece of land to Murong Yeyun. When the time came, it would be Murong Yeyun and Ye Fenglin who would be at loggerheads, and it would have nothing to do with him. "Are you talking about that piece of land? No worries, it''s yours for the taking." Hao Jian waved his hand with a smile, entirely unconcerned. After all, the money was already in his pocket, and the oil from that piece of land would ultimately end up with the state. Such an important resource wouldn''t be handed over to Ye Fenglin by the state, so Hao Jian was not at all worried that Ye Fenglin would pocket it for himself. He didn''t have the guts for that. Ye Fenglin was dumbfounded on the spot. Did Hao Jian know he was after that piece of land? Less than five people knew about this¡ªhow had Hao Jian found out? Seeing Hao Jian act so nonchalant, Ye Fenglin found it somewhat incredible. This guy doesn''t care? Why on Earth not? Ye Fenglin felt that something was not quite right, Hao Jian''s reaction was illogical, and logically, he shouldn''t have known about this matter. But before Ye Fenglin could come to his senses, Hao Jian had already left the cell with Moon Goddess Jiang and the Pharmacist. "Something''s off, really off," Ye Fenglin furrowed his eyebrows, a gloomy expression on his face, he said to the person next to him, "Go investigate who this guy has recently been in contact with for me, I want to figure out what exactly is going on." ...... Afterward, Hao Jian immediately arranged a lab for the Pharmacist, allowing him to conduct research undisturbed. As for live subjects, Hao Jian promised to send them over as soon as he had any, and the Pharmacist chose to trust him. Meanwhile, Hao Jian was on his way home with Moon Goddess Jiang and Xiaolu, returning, of course, to Hao Jian''s home. "Do you really think this is a good idea?" Moon Goddess Jiang couldn''t help but ask Hao Jian, she simply thought Hao Jian was crazy on hearing that he wanted to take her home and tell Shu Ya about having a daughter. For any woman, the sudden revelation of her husband having another daughter would be a huge shock. "Whether it''s good or bad, it has to be said. If I don''t dare to acknowledge my own daughter, what kind of father am I?" Hao Jian said firmly as he drove, without looking away. Sooner or later, Shu Ya would have to find out about this. Embracing Xiaolu, Moon Goddess Jiang couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of contentment, "Actually, I''m already very satisfied that you can say that. I never thought to force you to recognize Xiaolu from the start." "Satisfied my ass, you''re the one who stirred up this mess! I treated you like a brother, but you screwed me over instead. I haven''t even settled the score with you yet!" Hao Jian said resentfully, thinking that not only had he been screwed over, but now there was even a daughter involved. Could he possibly shirk responsibility? Moon Goddess Jiang: "..." Back at home, Shu Ya was having dinner with Ruo Lan and the others. Seeing Hao Jian return with Moon Goddess Jiang and Xiaolu, they all frowned. To them, every woman around Hao Jian was a threat, and with Moon Goddess Jiang holding a little girl, it felt even more unsettling. "It looks like a storm is coming," Crazy Faction, sensing something, said oddly, quoting an ancient poem. Afterward, she couldn''t help but feel smug, "My Chinese has improved lately, don''t you think?" But no one paid any attention to her; everyone''s eyes were intently fixed on Hao Jian, Moon Goddess Jiang, and the other two. With so many eyes on her, Moon Goddess Jiang felt a bit guilty and lowered her head. After all, Shu Ya was still Hao Jian''s lawful wife, and her sudden appearance seemed to suggest she was vying for the position of the main wife. "Who is she?" Shu Ya pointed at Moon Goddess Jiang and asked Hao Jian. "Well, my relationship with her is a bit complicated, I''ll explain it to you later," Hao Jian said with a wry smile and then picked up Xiaolu, "Let me introduce her first, this is my daughter, Xiaolu." "Daughter?" As soon as he said this, Shu Ya and the others were taken aback. When did Hao Jian have another daughter? "Hao Jian, are you randomly acknowledging daughters again?" Shu Ya asked, thinking Hao Jian had taken on another goddaughter. "She''s not someone I acknowledged, she''s my biological child," Hao Jian said with a wry smile, deciding to lay bare the whole truth. "What?" Hearing this, Shu Ya, and the others were all startled. Biological? But looking at the little girl''s age, she appeared to be two or three years old. Did that mean Hao Jian had had a child with someone three or four years ago? And their gaze toward Moon Goddess Jiang became odd because they could tell that she was Xiaolu''s mother. "Hao Jian, you can''t be a married man who deceived me, right?" Shu Ya stared at Hao Jian with murderous eyes. If things were as she imagined, she wouldn''t be able to stop herself from slaughtering Hao Jian. If Hao Jian already had a wife and child but still hit on others, wouldn''t that be outright deception? "Let me explain," Hao Jian hastily began to clarify, then narrated the entire background of the situation to Shu Ya. "Wow, what a bold woman," Crazy Faction murmured with an odd expression while stuffing food into her mouth and foolishly giggling. Moon Goddess Jiang, too, was blushing with embarrassment, worried that Shu Ya and Wen Lan would see her as a loose woman. However, they didn''t think so; they even admired Moon Goddess Jiang a bit. They all understood how hard it was for a woman to raise a child all by herself, and Moon Goddess Jiang was thinking of doing it alone, without even telling Hao Jian. She had the courage to love and to be responsible, never thinking of asking Hao Jian for anything, and staying single for so many years. How could such a woman be a harlot? "So why did you bring them here today? What are you trying to say?" Shu Ya sat on the sofa, arms crossed, looking at Hao Jian with a cold gaze. Chapter 706 - 707: Tie Shan Asks for Help She is very displeased right now because Hao Jian is forcibly pushing her to accept Moon Goddess Jiang and Xiaolu. Although Shu Ya feels sympathetic towards them, accepting another woman is quite difficult for her. Shu Ya is relatively open-minded, which probably has to do with her status. Being a CEO, she can always remain calm in the face of anything. If it had been another woman, they might have flown into a rage and driven out Moon Goddess Jiang and her daughter by now. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Tongtong, take your sister to the room to play," Hao Jian said to Tongtong because he wasn''t quite sure if Xiaolu should hear the following conversation. Tongtong then walked towards Xiaolu, looking her over curiously, and asked, "Are you also Daddy''s daughter?" Xiaolu put a finger to her lips, looking up at Moon Goddess Jiang with confusion, "Mommy, am I?" "You are," Moon Goddess Jiang affirmed with a nod, but she couldn''t help laughing at her daughter''s cute manner. "Then I am," Xiaolu also affirmed with a nod to Tongtong. Everyone couldn''t help but give a wry smile, setting aside the adults'' rights and wrongs; the children are innocent first and foremost. "You''re really silly, not even knowing if you are Daddy''s daughter," Tongtong pouted, taking on the air of an older sister. "Look at me, I know that I am Daddy''s most cherished daughter." "Xiaolu isn''t silly; Xiaolu is very clever," Xiaolu said with a milky voice. Although she was young, she understood that "silly" wasn''t a compliment, so she quickly retorted. Seeing Xiaolu''s adorable behavior, Shu Ya''s cold expression inevitably softened a bit. After Tongtong took Xiaolu away, Shu Ya finally began to speak, "Tell me, how do you want to handle this?" "I want you to accept them," Hao Jian said directly. Although it was unfair to Shu Ya, he had no other choice. He must fulfill his responsibility as a man. "You can refuse to accept me, but please accept Xiaolu. A child needs a father," Moon Goddess Jiang said earnestly. She did not dare to hope that Shu Ya would accept her, but she hoped that she would accept Xiaolu. "What about you?" Shu Ya turned to Moon Goddess Jiang, her words causing some surprise. What woman doesn''t want a proper status? Yet Moon Goddess Jiang was willing to give it up for Xiaolu. That''s what a true mother is. "It doesn''t matter to me. It was my impulsiveness in the beginning; I made a great mistake, and now I should be the one to pay," Moon Goddess Jiang shook her head with a bitter smile. "I hope you won''t blame Hao Jian because he knew nothing at the time and was a victim too." "I can allow you into the family, but from now on, I am the principal wife and you the concubine. Can you agree to that?" Shu Ya gazed at Moon Goddess Jiang, actually saying so. Hearing Shu Ya say this, both Hao Jian and Moon Goddess Jiang were stunned; Shu Ya was planning to accept Moon Goddess Jiang. The most shocked of all was Moon Goddess Jiang. As a woman herself, she knew how selfish a woman can be about love. Yet Shu Ya was willing to accept her, something Moon Goddess Jiang had not expected at all. "Are you joking?" Moon Goddess Jiang asked uncertainly. "Do I look like I''m joking?" Shu Ya replied expressionlessly. Although she was also very upset, she was a woman who understood the bigger picture. She knew how much Moon Goddess Jiang loved Hao Jian, and technically, Moon Goddess Jiang had been with Hao Jian even before her. If not for Moon Goddess Jiang concealing some facts, she might have already been Hao Jian''s wife. She already felt guilty for taking what should have belonged to Moon Goddess Jiang. Moreover, Moon Goddess Jiang came with a child now, and Shu Ya couldn''t bear to leave them out in the cold. Moon Goddess Jiang was momentarily dumbfounded, unable to fully grasp the woman before her. "You still haven''t told me whether you''re willing," Shu Ya pressed Moon Goddess Jiang. "I have no objections," Moon Goddess Jiang said solemnly. Shu Ya was willing to accept her and that made her very happy. How could she have any objections? "What about me?" Ruo Lan couldn''t help but interject. Moon Goddess Jiang had gained status, so how could she be left out? "And me!" Crazy Faction chimed in, stuffing food into her mouth. "I should have been the first one. Even if I can''t be the second, I should at least be the third, right?" But Shu Ya glared at her sharply, retorting, "What does this have to do with you?" "How does it not concern me? My daughter is also Hao Jian''s daughter!" Ruo Lan declared as if it were obvious. "Since my daughter is her daughter, shouldn''t I, as the mother, have a status too?" Hao Jian was speechless, when had Ruo Lan become so shameless? From whom had she learned to be so thick-skinned? Shu Ya was itchingly irritated, "Your daughter is his biological daughter; did you take advantage of him while he was drunk and did you **** him?" "Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean by ****? Why do you make it sound so ugly? That was also my first time, you know?" Moon Goddess Jiang said angrily, outraged at the suggestion that she had ****. Shu Ya glanced at her dismissively and retorted, "Taking advantage of someone being unconscious to have your way with them, isn''t that ****?" "If you think that tactic is necessary, I can go buy wine right now!" Ruo Lan said earnestly, her eyes then turning towards Hao Jian, "Hao Jian, I''m not sterilized yet; I can still have children, whenever you want." Upon hearing this, Hao Jian felt an overwhelming urge to vomit blood. "Big sister, at this time, could you please not add to the chaos?" he pleaded. "Shu Ya, we''ve known each other for so long and live under the same roof. You can''t play favorites; remember, the water of the family field shouldn''t flow to outsiders," Ruo Lan chided Shu Ya earnestly. "Get lost!" Shu Ya responded, not bothering to hide her disdain. Just then, Hao Jian''s phone rang and he hurried to answer: "Hello, Tie Shan, what''s the matter?" "Boss, I need your help with something," came Tie Shan''s embarrassed voice over the line. He really had no other choice, otherwise, he wouldn''t be making this call. Hao Jian frowned, because he knew Tie Shan well¡ªTie Shan would never ask for help unless he was truly in trouble. "Where are you? I''ll come to you right now," Hao Jian said. After Tie Shan gave Hao Jian an address, he hung up the phone. "Hey, keep it down. I need to step out for a bit; I''ll be back later," Hao Jian said to Moon Goddess Jiang and the others. But the three women were already embroiled in a heated argument and paid him no notice. Hao Jian covered his face and sighed. Indeed, getting them to accept each other was truly difficult. He didn''t have time to delay anymore and headed straight for the door. Since Moon Goddess Jiang was there, there were no worries about Shu Ya and the others'' safety, and Crazy Faction naturally followed Hao Jian out. "What happened?" Crazy Faction couldn''t help but ask. "A friend''s run into some trouble," Hao Jian replied. Then he opened the car door but paused as if he remembered something. "By the way, I found a medical genius yesterday, I''ll take you to see him when I have time. He might just be able to cure you." Hao Jian wanted to bring Pharmacist into his fold not just because the Pharmacist could make Poison for him, but also because he hoped the Pharmacist could cure Crazy Faction''s poison. Hao Jian had expected Crazy Faction to be thrilled, but to his surprise, Crazy Faction simply nodded indifferently and said, "I understand." "That''s it?" Hao Jian gaped, expecting Crazy Faction to be more excited. "Or what else?" Crazy Faction asked in bewilderment. "But shouldn''t you seem a bit happier?" Hao Jian was speechless. This guy was just too indifferent. "What''s there to be happy about? I knew this day would come; I was happy about it before," Crazy Faction asserted confidently. She had always believed that Hao Jian would keep his word, so she knew this day would arrive¡ªit was only a matter of time. She had already been overjoyed when Hao Jian made the promise, which was why she felt nothing now. "You...," Hao Jian shook his head helplessly, but in the end, he said nothing. Half an hour later, Hao Jian arrived at the location he had agreed upon with Tie Shan, but from a distance, he could see Tie Shan pacing back and forth with a troubled face. Next to him stood a woman, holding a one-year-old child, constantly soothing the baby, her expression anxious. From this, Hao Jian could guess that the woman was Tie Shan''s wife. Tie Shan had mentioned he had become a father, and looking at the timing, the child was indeed around one year old. Hao Jian''s brows knitted in concern. In the cold winter night, why was Tie Shan outside with his whole family, enduring the bitter wind? Wasn''t he afraid that the child would be harmed by the cold? With this thought, Hao Jian felt even more that something was seriously wrong, so he quickened his pace toward Tie Shan. "Boss!" Seeing Hao Jian arrive, Tie Shan''s face brightened with relief, and he hurriedly approached him. When Tie Shan''s wife saw her husband''s reaction, she quickly followed suit. She had heard from Tie Shan that his boss was a very influential figure; if only she asked for help, any problem would be solved. "Aqing, call him ''Boss''!" Tie Shan said to his wife. "Boss!" Aqing called out, but her expression showed confusion. Hao Jian appeared so young, even younger than Tie Shan, yet Tie Shan was calling him the boss? Initially, Aqing had thought Hao Jian would be a portly middle-aged man, or at least the same age as Tie Shan. She hadn''t expected him to be so young. Hao Jian nodded slightly and then asked, "What happened? Why are you out here with your family in the cold this late? And what happened to your face?" Upon closer inspection, Hao Jian noticed Tie Shan''s face had several bruises, as if he had been beaten badly, and these injuries concerned him. Breaching the subject made Tie Shan sigh dejectedly, "It''s not that we want to be here; we have no choice." It turned out that Tie Shan''s house had been subjected to a forced demolition by a property developer. But since it was his ancestral home and the developer''s offer was too low, he was unwilling to sell. Chapter 707 - 708: Henchman But he didn''t want to sell, and that didn''t mean the real estate developers would let him off easy. So, they took the opportunity when he was away from home to have a bulldozer demolish his house. "My wife and children were still sleeping inside the house. If it weren''t for their quick reaction, they might have been killed. When I went to confront their chairman, Jiang Biehe, they beat me up like this!" Tie Shan said more and more angrily, ending in tears of grievance. He was mainly angry at himself for being so helpless, even lacking the ability to stand up for his wife and children. "Big man, why are you crying?" Hao Jian sternly scolded, but there was also a flicker of rage in his eyes. The other party was indeed too cruel and heartless, risking lives for profit, nearly killing a mother and her child. Seeing Tie Shan like this, Hao Jian also felt terrible. How much injustice must one bear to break such a tough man into sobbing? Seeing Tie Shan like this, Aqing also started tearing up, the child in the swaddle seemed to feel the parents'' sorrow and began to cry loudly. The family of three were all crying, a truly heart-wrenching scene, moving others to tears. For a man, what is most important? It''s not money, beauty, or power, but dignity! You might lack worldly possessions, but you must never lose your dignity! And Jiang Biehe stripped Tie Shan of his dignity, making him unable to raise his head in front of his own wife and son. "I''ve got this handled for you!" Hao Jian said expressionlessly, then patted Tie Shan on the shoulder, "Alright, stop crying, big man, don''t act like a woman." "Thank you, boss." Tie Shan still cried uncontrollably and was also extremely excited, finally able to regain his dignity. "We''re brothers, no need for thanks. Lead the way, I want to see what kind of demons and monsters they really are!" Hao Jian snorted coldly, the actions of the other party were too extreme, even he couldn''t stand it anymore. "Ah? It''s so late, wouldn''t it disturb your rest? How about tomorrow?" Tie Shan said somewhat embarrassed, also regretting that he should have called Hao Jian tomorrow instead. "Stop the chatter, it''s easier for everyone if we resolve this matter sooner." Hao Jian insisted on dealing with it immediately, to avoid complications. Moreover, their actions had nearly caused loss of life, it was no small matter. Then, Tie Shan led the way to the construction site, and there, Hao Jian saw Tie Shan''s house turned into ruins. Looking at his wrecked house, Tie Shan clenched his fists, his face filled with hatred. Hao Jian patted his shoulder, comforting, "Don''t worry, they will pay a price ten times more painful than this!" Tie Shan nodded heavily, leading Hao Jian toward a large building. At the entrance of the building, they saw a group of men playing cards. About seven or eight of them, each one looked tough, either tattooed or scarred, and using foul language freely. Some women with a gangster-like appearance sat by their side, occasionally groped by the men in bursts of arousal, the scene was very lewd. Seeing Hao Jian and company arrive, they all turned their heads, staring at them with unfriendly expressions. "Yo, fool, you dare to come back? Wasn''t yesterday''s beating enough for you?" At that moment, a bald man with a goatee, wearing a flashy shirt and exuding a sleazy air, stood up. Seeing them, Hao Jian immediately realized that these guys must have been the ones who beat Tie Shan yesterday. Tie Shan was tough, but even the best tiger can''t fight off a pack of wolves, especially when these men were experienced fighters, making them tough to handle. "Where''s Jiang Biehe? I want to see him!" Tie Shan said with an ugly look, feeling somewhat nervous about facing these men again after prior confrontations. "Want to see our chairman? Our chairman isn''t someone you can just meet because you want to! You cur, you dared to cause trouble yesterday, got us scolded by the chairman, and you still dare to come today?" A burly man, built like a bull, came forward, coldly staring at Tie Shan, ready to start a fight at any disagreement. "Gentlemen, please calm down, we''re not here to cause trouble, but to talk to Chairman Jiang Biehe about an issue." But at that moment, Hao Jian approached with a smile, showing an ingratiating expression, "Here, have some cigarettes, brothers!" Seeing this, both Tie Shan and Aqing were instantly stunned. What was Hao Jian doing? Was this an indirect way of backing down? Aqing quickly tugged at Tie Shan, saying, "Didn''t you say your boss was very capable? Why is he acting like a lackey now?" sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "This... I don''t know either, but the boss must have some other plan." Tie Shan explained, his heart also full of questions, not understanding what Hao Jian was really up to. "Oh, this young brother of yours is quite sensible," said the crew-cut Skinny, clearly the leader of this group. Seeing how humble Hao Jian was acting, he immediately became proud and approvingly fixed his gaze on him. "Oh, and it''s soft Zhonghua cigarettes, huh? Little brother, you don''t skimp on cigarettes," observed Skinny, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spotted Hao Jian''s cigarettes, his smile turning somewhat peculiar. Hao Jian, of course, understood what he meant and offered the cigarettes with both hands: "If big brother likes them, take them. I''ve only smoked two." "Hey, how could I take your cigarettes? Wouldn''t that be bullying?" Skinny said pretentiously, yet he made no move to refuse Hao Jian''s offer, reaching hypocrisy to the extreme. "Where does big brother get such ideas? These are just a humble gift from your little brother," Hao Jian said with a smile, placing the cigarettes at Skinny''s shirt collar and patting it in place. "Alright, since you want to see the chairman, go ahead. However, to see the chairman, you must first go through the general manager, whose office is on the second floor, just around the corner," said Skinny, seeing how tactful Hao Jian was, thus he no longer troubled them and even proactively instructed them on what to do. Following behind Hao Jian, Tie Shan and his wife still hadn''t recovered from their confusion. How had Hao Jian become so servile? Could it be that he was afraid of Jiang Biehe? Hao Jian, seeing their puzzled looks, asked with a smile, "Are you wondering about my behavior just now?" Aqing quickly said no, not daring to offend Hao Jian, as now only Hao Jian could help them. After hesitating for a moment, Tie Shan then spoke, "Why did you try to please them? With your capabilities, you could have thoroughly thrashed them and just barged in!" "You''re right, I could have done that. But if I did, do you think that would alert Jiang Biehe? Would he run away?" Hao Jian asked, smiling. This question instantly stumped Tie Shan. If they truly started fighting with Skinny and the others below, it would almost certainly alert Jiang Biehe upstairs, who would definitely escape. "Though I could still find him even if he ran away, wouldn''t that just waste time?" Hao Jian posed another question. He had many matters to attend to now and didn''t have time to fixate on Jiang Biehe. Tie Shan and Aqing immediately understood Hao Jian''s intentions; Tie Shan, feeling somewhat ashamed, lowered his head: "Boss, I was foolish!" "It''s not your fault. I fear anyone else in your position would have felt the same. However, first, you must understand that your true opponent is Jiang Biehe. These minor underlings can be dealt with later," Hao Jian explained. "We''ll follow your lead!" Tie Shan nodded vigorously, now looking to Hao Jian for guidance. Hao Jian smiled slightly and then proceeded to the office door of the general manager, where he knocked. "Come in!" A steady male voice came from inside. At that moment, Hao Jian and the others pushed the door open, only to see a sophisticated middle-aged man seated behind the desk, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses. Upon seeing Hao Jian and the others enter, the man adjusted his glasses. When he noticed Tie Shan, his face darkened as he put on a malevolent smile: "You again? You dare to come back? Looks like this morning''s beating wasn''t enough for you." Tie Shan''s face turned to steel, and he remained silent. Although his most hated person was Jiang Biehe, this general manager was a close second. This was because the general manager had led people to harass his family, once taking liberties with his wife while he wasn''t home. After catching and chastising him, Tie Shan harbored deep resentment, especially since the manager had significantly underpaid them during the demolition compensation. While other residents received ten thousand yuan per square meter, Tie Shan was pitifully compensated only five thousand yuan. Given his ancestral home''s size of over four hundred square meters, this compensation was a blatant ripoff. It could be said that the general manager played a despicable role here, appearing refined on the outside but filled with nefarious intentions inside, utterly despicable. If it weren''t for the grossly inadequate compensation he withheld, Tie Shan would not have been so steadfast in his refusal to concede. "Big brother, we''d like to meet the chairman. Could you kindly take us to him?" Hao Jian still wore a full-faced smile, knowing from what Tie Shan had told him on the way here that this man was far from honorable. "Meet the chairman? Who do you think you are to just meet the chairman like that? What do you think you are?" Hua Yunfei scoffed arrogantly, sneering at Hao Jian and the others as he reached for the phone to have them thrown out. "Actually, we''ve thought it over and decided to accept the demolition compensation and sign the deed to sell that plot of land," Hao Jian suddenly said. "Oh?" Hua Yunfei, hearing this, momentarily paused his actions, a look of delight appearing between his brows: "Is that so?" "Of course, it''s true. We''ve thought it through. Rather than being bullied by you, it''s better to take the money. It''s better than getting nothing at all," Hao Jian nodded earnestly, playing his part well. Now, to get Hua Yunfei to take them to Jiang Biehe, once they met Jiang Biehe, everything else would be easier to handle. Chapter 708 - 709: Who Do You Want to Deal With? "Wouldn''t things have been simpler if you''d done this earlier? Come on, sign this, and once you do, I''ll take you to meet the chairman!" Hua Yunfei said with a playful smile. He then placed a document on the table, indicating for Tie Shan and the others to sign. "Just sign it," Hao Jian told Tie Shan. However, Aqing pulled Tie Shan aside, feeling somewhat dissatisfied. If they signed this contract, there would be no turning back. Tie Shan hesitated for a moment, but he still stepped forward and signed the contract, believing that Hao Jian wouldn''t trick him. Hua Yunfei took the contract and sneered disdainfully, looking at Tie Shan with contempt. "If you''d damn well signed it earlier, wouldn''t all this trouble have been avoided? Seems you need a beating to get some sense into you, truly fucking pathetic!" "You!" Tie Shan was furious. Hua Yunfei had put them through all this and still had the nerve to make snide remarks? But Hao Jian grabbed him and turned to Hua Yunfei with a forced smile, "Can we meet the chairman now?" "Meet my ass, just get the hell out!" Hua Yunfei rebuked rudely, his arrogance unabated as he sneered at Hao Jian. Now that Tie Shan had signed the contract, he could totally disregard them. Hearing this, Hao Jian''s smile froze as he said, "But you clearly promised that as long as we signed the contract, you''d take us to meet the chairman." "I''ve changed my mind, is that a problem?" Hua Yunfei scoffed, his contempt for Hao Jian and the others evident. "You country bumpkins want to meet the chairman? The chairman is too noble and busy for the likes of you." "If you know what''s good for you, get lost, or I swear I''ll call security and have them beat you and throw you out again!" Hua Yunfei snarled. At this point, Hao Jian let out a helpless sigh, but in the next instant, he suddenly grabbed Hua Yunfei''s tie and yanked him down, causing Hua Yunfei to slam into the mahogany desk with a "bang." Hua Yunfei cried out in pain, blood gushing from his nose and his head spinning. Hao Jian moved too quickly for Hua Yunfei to react, and the unexpected blow left Hua Yunfei completely stunned. It probably never crossed Hua Yunfei''s mind that this groveling man could suddenly turn so fierce, daring to strike him. Aqing was dumbfounded on the spot. Could it be that all these big shots were so capricious? Only Tie Shan and the Crazy Faction weren''t surprised; this was right in line with their understanding of Hao Jian. "You... you dare to hit me?" Hua Yunfei glared at Hao Jian, full of hatred, seemingly unable to believe that this bastard would dare to lay hands on him. "I tried talking to you nicely, why can''t you appreciate it?" Hao Jian said, sounding exasperated. He had intended to have a calm discussion with Hua Yunfei, but since Hua Yunfei dared to deceive him, he was left with no choice. "You hit me, I swear I''ll get people up here right now; just you all wait!" Hua Yunfei was angry and humiliated, and he was about to call his thugs from downstairs to come up and deal with Hao Jian. "Before you finish making that call, I think you''ll have been beaten to a pulp," Hao Jian said, his voice tinged with a smile. At those words, Hua Yunfei dared not move. Hao Jian was essentially threatening that if he tried anything, he would be beaten again. "Do you realize what you''re doing? Let me tell you, our chairman, Jiang Biehe, is no ordinary man. He has a lot of clout in Hua City, with influence over both the underworld and legitimate circles; crossing him won''t end well for you!" Hua Yunfei threatened viciously. But Hao Jian didn''t care in the slightest. "Stop the bullshit and take us to Jiang Biehe, unless you want to keep getting hit!" Hua Yunfei felt humiliated, but he was powerless against Hao Jian and had no choice but to lead the way obediently, preparing to take Hao Jian and his group to meet Jiang Biehe. "Had you led the way earlier, wouldn''t you have avoided a beating? You have to get hit to straighten out, truly fucking cheap!" And now, Hao Jian mimicked Jiang Biehe''s tone as he mocked back. Hua Yunfei''s face turned red, but he dared not respond, at this point wishing he could kill Hao Jian. Tie Shan and Aqing, on the other hand, couldn''t stop laughing, feeling much more at ease. It was only then that Aqing realized Hao Jian truly intended to help them, and wasn''t just messing around. "You''ve already signed the contract, meeting the chairman won''t change anything, he will never give up the development of your land," Hua Yunfei rambled on while they were on the way to see Jiang Biehe. "Contract? Are you talking about this?" Hao Jian held up the contract he had taken with him and asked Hua Yunfei with a smile. "When did you...?" Hua Yunfei was shocked, Hao Jian had actually taken the contract while he wasn''t paying attention. "Ssssh¡­" And at that moment, the contract was torn in half, ripped apart by Hua Yunfei. "You!" Hua Yunfei was infuriated. No wonder Hao Jian had signed the contract so readily, planning to tear it up after signing. And upon seeing the contract being torn up, Tie Shan and his wife breathed a sigh of relief. Without this contract, Jiang Biehe could no longer trouble them. Hua Yunfei then realized that he had been played, and quite miserably so. Soon, they reached the office on the fourth floor, after which Hua Yunfei was promptly kicked through the door by Hao Jian. As soon as Hua Yunfei entered, he yelled, "Chairman, quick, call someone, Tie Shan the bastard is smashing up the place again!" "Hm?" Jiang Biehe abruptly looked up, stood from his office desk, and upon seeing Tie Shan, his expression turned grim, "You actually dare to court death? You really think I''m afraid to deal with you?" Jiang Biehe, who looked to be in his fifties with a full head of white hair, might appear old, but he was full of vitality, much like a majestic and imposing old lion king. Facing Jiang Biehe, Tie Shan still felt somewhat intimidated and instinctively turned to look behind him for help. "Who did you say you were going to deal with?" Just then, a languid voice came from outside the door. Jiang Biehe was immediately puzzled, focusing his gaze on the entrance, wondering who would dare to challenge him. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At that moment, Hao Jian walked in leisurely, and as he stepped into the room, Jiang Biehe sharply inhaled a breath of cold air, his face instantly filled with horror as though he had seen a ghost, fixating his gaze onto Hao Jian. Seeing Jiang Biehe reacting this way, Hua Yunfei was also instantly puzzled. It was just a pauper, right? What was so surprising? "Hao... Mr. Hao Jian?!" Jiang Biehe was astounded, not expecting to encounter Hao Jian here. Though he had some capability in Hua City, he didn''t dare to compare himself to Hao Jian, known as the Underground Emperor. Hao Jian had wealth, power, and people. The military, academia, **** both black and white, various powers had to act according to his wishes, not to mention someone like him. However, Jiang Biehe could not fathom why Hao Jian would appear here. Could it be because of Tie Shan? Impossible. How could someone of Hao Jian''s status know an ordinary person like Tie Shan? But witnessing Jiang Biehe''s reaction, Tie Shan and Aqing felt as though they had just taken a Calming Pill, and their hearts immediately settled down. "Yo, you still recognize me, huh?" Hao Jian mocked with a smile yet also felt some surprise that Jiang Biehe knew him. Since Jiang Biehe recognized him, the following matters would be easier to handle. Immediately, Jiang Biehe forced a bitter smile, replying anxiously, "What are you saying, Mr. Hao Jian? Who in Hua City doesn''t know you?" As these words came out, whether it was Hua Yunfei or Tie Shan and his wife, they were all dumbfounded. Even Jiang Biehe had to be so polite to Hao Jian, conceding that "In the whole Hua City, there was no one who didn''t know Hao Jian"¡ªwhat did this imply? Even though Tie Shan knew that Hao Jian was formidable, he hadn''t realized that he had reached such an extent. Hua Yunfei''s face had gone dark, too. Was this man who acted like a sycophant just a moment ago actually the Over River Dragon? Since he was the Over River Dragon, then why didn''t he reveal his identity at the start, intending to play with him? But Hua Yunfei failed to consider that even if Hao Jian had revealed his identity, he might not have believed it. It was for this reason that Hao Jian had chosen silence. "Is that so, since you know me, then why did you say you were going to take care of my brother?" "Brother?" Jiang Biehe was immediately gobsmacked. Hao Jian and Tie Shan were brothers? How could that be possible? How could someone of Hao Jian''s status become brothers with a pauper like Tie Shan? That just didn''t make sense! "What? Is that not allowed? Or do I need your approval to decide who my brothers are?" Hao Jian responded with undisguised disdain. "Of course not." Jiang Biehe quickly shook his head; how could he dare meddle in what Hao Jian wanted? Thinking back to how he treated Tie Shan earlier, Jiang Biehe could not help but shudder. He had come to realize that Tie Shan had sought revenge by enlisting Hao Jian''s help. If he were to be targeted, he had no means of resisting. With Hao Jian''s power in Hua City, disposing of him would be as easy as crushing an ant. "Mr. Hao Jian, please, take a seat, I''ll make tea for you," Jiang Biehe immediately showed a fawning attitude and proactively invited Hao Jian and his company to sit. At that time, when he looked at Hua Yunfei, his gaze carried disgust, and he kicked Hua Yunfei in the stomach, admonishing without good temper, "Haven''t you fetched the tea leaves yet?" Hua Yunfei moaned in pain but knew that Jiang Biehe was furious and dared not provoke him further, so he obediently went to fetch the tea leaves. Hao Jian signaled Aqing and Tie Shan to sit, both of whom still hadn''t quite gotten over their shock. The last time they came here, they were chased out before standing long, yet this time they were warmly entertained by Jiang Biehe¡ªtruly as if they were dreaming. And they both knew this was thanks to Hao Jian; without him, Jiang Biehe would never have given them a second glance. Chapter 709 - 710 The Lions Big Demand "Mr. Hao Jian, please enjoy the tea." At this moment, Hua Yunfei had already brewed a pot of hot tea for Hao Jian and even took the initiative to pour a cup, respectfully placing it in front of Hao Jian. "Brothers, have some tea." Then, with a fawning manner, he served Tie Shan and his wife as well. It couldn''t be helped, now that Tie Shan had made connection with such an influential figure, he became untouchable even to him; he could only try to curry favor this way. Tie Shan and his wife were stunned as they accepted the teacups, wondering in shock. Was Jiang Biehe being overly courteous now? Taking the tea, Hao Jian brought it to his lips for a sip, but then, his eyes suddenly flashed coldly, and the cup in his hand shook, splashing the tea without warning onto Jiang Biehe''s face. The somewhat scalding water splashed on Jiang Biehe''s face, causing his cheeks to sting slightly, but he didn''t dare to dodge or wipe it away. At this point, everyone was shocked, seemingly not expecting Hao Jian to suddenly make a move. "Do you think you can settle this matter with just a pot of tea?" Hao Jian sneered, well aware that Jiang Biehe was intending to make peace, yet he refused to give him the opportunity. If he could be appeased so easily, would he still be Hao Jian? "Of course not." Jiang Biehe showed a bitter expression, sincerely believing that maybe this gesture could cool Hao Jian''s anger and minimize the problem, but he had overestimated his own intelligence and underestimated Hao Jian''s temper. Hua Yunfei couldn''t help but gape in shock; in his eyes, Jiang Biehe was a very tough and domineering man. Wherever he went, he was flattered by a crowd of people. When had he ever been so spineless as he was now? But intuition told Hua Yunfei that it was better for him to keep silent. If even Jiang Biehe couldn''t provoke this man, it went without saying for him. Hua Yunfei cursed in his heart, how could Tie Shan know such an incredible character? It was unbelievable. Hao Jian let out a cold laugh, "Now you are being polite, but how did you bully my brother when he came here before? Huh?" "I didn''t know he was your brother. If I had known, even with a hundred guts, I wouldn''t dare to bully him," Jiang Biehe hastily apologized, showing a submissive demeanor, no longer displaying his previous arrogance and insolence. "Tell me, how should we settle this? You destroyed my brother''s house and nearly killed my sister-in-law and nephew. What should I do with you?" Hao Jian asked with a cold face. "This... I won''t demolish his house anymore. Your brother can live there as long as he likes, and I won''t send anyone to disturb you again," Jiang Biehe pleaded, distressed. Although letting Tie Shan''s house remain there affected the neighborhood''s scenery, it couldn''t be helped; after all, who made Tie Shan acquainted with Hao Jian? Upon hearing this, Tie Shan and Aqing felt a surge of joy. Was the matter solved just like this? Just as Tie Shan was about to speak, Hao Jian cut him off. "Is that it?" Hao Jian asked, frowning, clearly dissatisfied. Jiang Biehe knew the issue wouldn''t be resolved so easily and said, "Additionally, I will offer your brother a sum of money as an apology." "What else?" Hao Jian still wasn''t ready to let it go. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Jiang Biehe gritted his teeth, "Also, I''ll still compensate you for the demolition at thirty thousand yuan per square meter!" Upon these words, Tie Shan and his wife were so excited they almost jumped up. Thirty thousand a square meter was more expensive than city houses, a sixfold increase over the original price ¨C it was like a dream. "What else?" But Hao Jian continued to speak, clearly intending to extort more from Jiang Biehe. Jiang Biehe truly felt like crying. Wasn''t this guy being too greedy? He had already promised two huge sums of money, and he was still not satisfied? Jiang Biehe regretted why he had troubled Tie Shan in the first place. Wouldn''t it have been simpler to just give him the money? There would have been no trouble then. Thinking this, Jiang Biehe began to resent Hua Yunfei, because it was Hua Yunfei who didn''t get along with Tie Shan, hence deliberately withholding his demolition compensation. Originally, Jiang Biehe thought, after all, it was saving him money, so just withholding it was fine, convincing himself that Tie Shan, that poor wretch, wouldn''t dare to make a fuss. But in the end, not only did he not save money, he also suffered a great loss due to it. And now, Hao Jian still wasn''t satisfied. Who knew when his bottomless pit would be filled? With this thought, Jiang Biehe wished he could flay Hua Yunfei alive. If it weren''t for Hua Yunfei stirring up trouble, would he have needed to cross swords with Hao Jian? "Once my real estate project is completed, I will give your brother the largest house for free!" Jiang Biehe said resolutely. Hearing this, Tie Shan wished he could immediately leap up and jump for joy. Not only was he getting money for nothing but also a free house. Wasn''t this like a pie falling from the sky? "Not just one apartment, but an entire building!" However, at this moment, Hao Jian made a bold demand. "Hss..." Upon hearing this, Tie Shan and his wife sharply inhaled a breath of cold air. They thought one apartment was already quite a boon, but now Hao Jian was so greedy that he directly wanted a whole building? That was an entire building, wasn''t it? What did that imply? It meant billions were at stake there! Had the couple suddenly become billionaires just like that? Both felt dizzy and disoriented. "Mr. Hao Jian, isn''t this going too far?" Jiang Biehe was on the verge of tears; losing several billion just like that, how could he not feel the pain? He hadn''t even earned the money back yet and was already several billion in the hole? Jiang Biehe felt utterly devastated. "Too far? Was it not ''too far'' when you had a bulldozer knock down my brother''s house? Fine then, since it''s been leveled by you and is uninhabitable, might as well give it to you. Once your construction is completed, give my brother a building, and we''ll call this matter settled," Hao Jian said emotionlessly, and then gave Jiang Biehe a sinister look: "Or are you saying that my nephew and sister-in-law''s lives aren''t worth that much?" "No, of course not." Jiang Biehe''s face was etched with misery. Who had he provoked to deserve this? Why had he offended such a fearsome god of death? "So, will you compensate or not?" Hao Jian asked coldly, his words laden with a strong warning. "I will compensate, certainly I will!" Jiang Biehe felt like he was at death''s door, forced into a corner by Hao Jian with no choice but to agree to the compensation. Although he verbally agreed, he was bleeding inside. This was agony; to lose billions over a measly few million, this deal was a colossal loss indeed. At that point, Jiang Biehe genuinely harbored thoughts of murdering Hua Yunfei. It was all because Hua Yunfei had been whispering in his ear, leading him to disregard Tie Shan. But now, here they were¡ªwith a major god brought to his doorstep. If he managed to anger this deity, it would mean, at minimum, financial ruin, or at worst, the destruction of his household and loss of life. "Empty words prove nothing, draw up a contract and sign it," Hao Jian commanded Jiang Biehe. Jiang Biehe did not dare to delay. He turned around and snarled at Hua Yunfei: "What the hell are you still standing around for? Hurry up and print out the contract!" "Yes, yes, yes..." Scared out of his wits, Hua Yunfei quickly adopted a submissive demeanor, not daring to irritate Jiang Biehe any further. "Moreover, those gatekeepers of yours seemed quite arrogant as well. When I arrived, they even dared to block my path," Hao Jian mentioned casually with a cold smirk, referring to Skinny and others. Tie Shan and his wife felt a jolt in their hearts. They had thought that Hao Jian would let Skinny and the others off, but the real masterstroke was here! That was truly masterful. They wouldn''t need to lift a finger; Jiang Biehe himself would take care of those thugs for them. They realized that there might be an interesting scene to witness in a bit. Jiang Biehe immediately understood Hao Jian''s intention. He approached his desk and called Skinny: "You have one minute to get out here!" Then, he hung up the phone with a ''click''. "Boss, why is the chairman so angry?" Downstairs, Skinny''s buddies heard Jiang Biehe''s roaring voice over the phone and couldn''t help feeling anxious. "Do you need to ask? It''s definitely those bastards who upset the chairman. Damn it, I knew that guy had no good intentions. Brothers, grab your weapons; it''s time to go teach them a lesson!" Skinny said fiercely, fuming inside. He had thought that Hao Jian seemed to know how to handle things and would be compliant, but who knew that Hao Jian would end up upsetting Jiang Biehe. And when Skinny and his gang had all picked up their weapons and arrived upstairs, they were stunned to see Jiang Biehe and Hao Jian sitting together, drinking tea. They were completely baffled. Wasn''t this supposed to be a confrontation? "Oh, what''s this? Looking to fight someone?" Hao Jian asked mockingly, exuding an air of superiority. Seeing Hao Jian like that, Skinny immediately got upset and bellowed, "You mangy mongrel, what did you say? Say it again, and I''ll kill you in a minute!" "Who do you think you''re going to kill? Shut your mouth!" Jiang Biehe turned his anger on Skinny, furiously scolding him. He had just barely come to an understanding with Hao Jian, and here was Skinny shouting at Hao Jian right away. What if that made Hao Jian angry again, and he decided to extort Jiang Biehe for another sum? "Boss, this..." Skinny was dumbfounded. Jiang Biehe was actually scolding them for this kid? Who was this guy, that Jiang Biehe would go so far for him? "What ''this''? Throw down your weapons and come greet Mr. Hao Jian properly!" Jiang Biehe commanded Skinny, his expression dark and annoyed. These idiots really had no clue. Couldn''t they see that he had to treat this guy with courtesy? Skinny and the others could see that, but they just couldn''t understand why. What gave this sycophantic fellow the right to be so valued by Jiang Biehe? "Mr. Hao Jian?" Skinny and the others were all stunned, unable to grasp the situation for a moment. "No need for greetings, just kneel," Hao Jian said with a yawn, speaking dismissively. Chapter 710 - 711: Deal with Them One by One "Kid, you got a death wish or something?" When Hao Jian spoke like this, Skinny and his crew immediately got fired up. Although they were under Jiang Biehe''s orders, it was only for the money. They were not Jiang Biehe''s underlings, so while they had no problem beating or slashing someone when asked, kneeling down was out of the question for them. "Don''t say I didn''t warn you, Mr. Hao Jian is a big shot, even the current underworld boss, Brother Spice Ginger, works for him; are you sure you want to offend him?" Jiang Biehe sneered, well aware that Skinny and the others were not entirely under his control and only followed his orders for the money. But once he stated this fact, it seemed to Skinny and the others that there was no option but to listen. Being part of the same underworld, Skinny naturally knew who Brother Spice Ginger was. Knowing that even Brother Spice Ginger worked for Hao Jian meant that this man before him was definitely not someone he could afford to provoke. If it were anyone else making this claim, Skinny would definitely not have believed it, but coming from Jiang Biehe, that was a different story. For starters, Jiang Biehe was well-connected and knew a lot of people. Secondly, seeing him kowtowing to Hao Jian like that indicated that Hao Jian''s background was anything but ordinary. "Do as you please, anyway, I''m not the one who''s going to die." Jiang Biehe, seeing that Skinny still hadn''t moved, didn''t seem to care and just curled his lips, continuing to make tea for Hao Jian. "Thud." Very quickly, Skinny chose to kneel, and as soon as he did, his underlings quickly followed suit. "Mr. Hao Jian, I''m sorry, we offended you," Skinny said with an awkward expression, feeling extremely uneasy. Knowing that just a word from this man could wipe out his entire family since even Brother Spice Ginger worked for him. Skinny was fierce enough, but he certainly wasn''t fearless. "Slap yourself in the face!" Hao Jian was also straightforward. Skinny had been talking dirty, and without teaching him a lesson, it just wouldn''t fit Hao Jian''s style. Skinny''s face held an awkward expression. Slapping himself in the face in front of his own underlings, what authority would he, as their boss, have left afterward? Seeing Skinny make no move, Hao Jian didn''t say a word, simply taking out his phone, ready to call some people over. "Slap!" At that moment, the sound of a slap rang out. Skinny was seen slapping his own face, one hit after another, with such force that it resounded with each slap. Hao Jian immediately sneered, stopping the action with his phone, then walked up to Skinny, "Does my cigarette taste good?" "I realize my mistake, Mr. Hao Jian. These are your cigarettes!" Skinny said hastily, smiling widely as he offered the cigarettes back to Hao Jian. There was none of his earlier aggressive demeanor, now as meek as a dog. But Hao Jian just laughed sarcastically, "Do you think I would want something you''ve touched?" "Yes, yes, my mistake," Skinny quickly took the pack of cigarettes back, his posture one of utter subservience, ready to take a beating without complaint. Hao Jian, seeing Skinny like this, gave a cold snort. After yesterday''s incident with Tie Shan, he naturally wasn''t going to let Skinny off easily. "Take out all the cigarettes," Hao Jian ordered Skinny, his face expressionless, his voice cold as ice. Although Skinny didn''t know what Hao Jian had planned, he obediently did as he was told, taking the cigarettes out of the pack. "Light them all up, smoke them all at once!" Hao Jian spoke again, his smile somewhat cold. You like smoking good cigarettes, right? Then smoke them all at once! Hearing this, Skinny''s face turned pale, but he dare not refuse. He took all dozen or so cigarettes from the pack, lit them simultaneously, and started sucking them down. In a flash, a pungent, throat-searing wave of nicotine rushed into his throat, bringing tears and snot streaming down Skinny''s face, his complexion turning ashen, and he looked downright awful. He may have enjoyed smoking, but this was a deadly way to do it; all that nicotine rushing into his lungs made him feel like his insides were churning, causing a nauseating sense of revulsion. Hao Jian, however, didn''t even glance at him, picking up a baseball bat from the ground and handing it to Tie Shan. "Go ahead, time for revenge," he said coldly. "Right!" Tie Shan took the baseball bat from Hao Jian''s hand. These guys had beaten him up like that before and humiliated him after too. Tie Shan was filled with unquenchable rage, so of course, he wouldn''t pass up this chance for payback. "Listen up, now it''s my brother''s turn to vent on you guys. If any of you dare resist, don''t blame me for being unkind!" Hao Jian preemptively issued a warning to Skinny and his crew. No one spoke, for they all knew what was in store for them. But taking a beating was still better than losing one''s life, right? So, Tie Shan, holding the baseball bat, walked up to Skinny and his crew, then unmercifully gave each of them several harsh blows. At this moment, Tie Shan''s face flushed red, his excitement palpable, feeling as if a suffocating blockage in his chest had finally been vented. Earlier, these fellows had made him lose face, and now it was his turn to strike back! It must be said, the feeling of arbitrarily grasping and bullying others was indeed very pleasant. For the first time, Tie Shan felt how terrifying the power of authority could be. Take his boss Hao Jian for example, as long as one held enough power, it wasn''t even necessary to act personally; there would always be people rushing to slap themselves in the face for him, like Jiang Biehe and the buzz-cut Skinny. "All of you, squat on the side and slap yourselves. Don''t stop until I say you can!" After Tie Shan had vented, Hao Jian rebuked buzz-cut Skinny and the others. The buzz-cut Skinny and others felt as if a weight was lifted off them, and then went to squat in a corner. At this moment, Hua Yunfei also came over with the contract, and Jiang Biehe very straightforwardly signed his name on it, and then handed it to Hao Jian with a pained expression, "Mr. Hao Jian, this is yours." But Hao Jian didn''t even glance at it and directly threw it to Tie Shan. In his eyes, Jiang Biehe would absolutely not dare to deceive him, unless Jiang wanted to die. Seeing Hao Jian''s disregard, Jiang Biehe couldn''t help but give a bitter smile. He knew Hao Jian didn''t care about these things at all; he probably did this only to teach him a lesson. "Throw what he gave me into the sea to feed the fish!" Just then, Hao Jian suddenly pointed at Hua Yunfei. Upon hearing these words, Hua Yunfei''s expression turned to one of utter horror. Hao Jian had never troubled him before, and Hua Yunfei thought he was considered too insignificant to notice, not imagining that Hao Jian had saved an "Ultimate Skill" for him. In an instant, Hua Yunfei''s legs went weak, and his face turned ashen. Hao Jian actually wanted to kill him? Hua Yunfei quickly knelt down to Hao Jian, pleading, "Mr. Hao Jian, this isn''t my fault, I''m just someone who takes money to ward off disasters for others!" "Do you really think I''m an idiot? Tie Shan has already told me the whole story. It was because of your meddling that his family of three became enemies with Jiang Biehe, and Tie Shan''s son and wife almost got killed by you. Do you think I would let you go?" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "This..." Hua Yunfei''s pupils dilated with fear. Hao Jian knew everything? "I trust you will handle this properly, won''t you?" Hao Jian asked Jiang Biehe with a smile, his eyes curving into crescents. But seeing Hao Jian like this made Jiang Biehe shudder involuntarily, and he hurriedly nodded, "Rest assured, Mr. Hao Jian, I will definitely satisfy you." "Chairman, you..." And upon hearing Jiang Biehe''s straightforward agreement, Hua Yunfei was stunned. This was casting him aside as a disposable pawn. "Since this matter started because of you, it should naturally be settled by you. You caused me to lose several hundred million for no reason, do you still have the face to live?" Jiang Biehe also snorted coldly; even if Hao Jian didn''t say anything, he was considering whether or not to get rid of Hua Yunfei. Hua Yunfei had caused him to lose so much money, and Jiang Biehe had nowhere to vent his anger. He was still contemplating it, but now it seemed there was no need to think further. And hearing that Hao Jian wanted to kill someone, both Tie Shan and Aqing seemed somewhat horrified. No wonder, they were just ordinary people, and the matter of killing was too frightening for them. Leaving Jiang Biehe''s place, Tie Shan and Aqing were still in a state of shock. But Hao Jian was indifferent to what they were thinking, and told them, "First, take the money Jiang Biehe gave you, find a hotel to stay in. After his project is completed, you will have a building. What to do with it afterward is entirely up to you!" It was then that Tie Shan and his wife realized how terrifying the energy that Hao Jian possessed was. With a simple word, he made them billionaires; such people were rare around the world. But Tie Shan shook his head and said, "I will divide this building among the brothers from the security department. We are all brothers; we should share the blessings and face difficulties together. I can''t be the only one to enjoy the favor of the boss; otherwise, they''d be absolutely furious." "Alright, as you wish," Hao Jian approved with a smile, saying, "I''m heading back first, you arrange things here." Hao Jian turned and left. Since Jiang Biehe had already given them a sum of money, they were not in any immediate need, and Hao Jian wasn''t too worried about them. "Boss, thank you!" Just then, Tie Shan bowed deeply to Hao Jian''s retreating figure, his face streaming with tears; this time, they were tears of gratitude. And Aqing, seeing her husband act like this, also followed in bowing to Hao Jian. Hao Jian, however, didn''t turn back as he waved his hand dismissively and walked away nonchalantly. ........ By the time Hao Jian returned home, he found that the battle had already subsided, and the lights in Ruo Lan''s room had been turned off long ago, suggesting she had gone to sleep early. Although the lights in front of his own home were on, it was very quiet; Hao Jian thought perhaps Moon Goddess Jiang had gone back. Chapter 711 - 712: Vivians Sudden Visit Hao Jian had just opened the door when his eyes widened in shock, for he found Moon Goddess Jiang and two other women all waiting in his room. "My lord, you''re back? I''ve prepared the bathwater for you, please go ahead and bathe and change!" Ruo Lan approached with a frail and gentle demeanor, holding slippers in her hands and placing them at Hao Jian''s feet. "Husband, you must be hungry, right? I''ve made a lot of delicious food; please, have a taste!" Moon Goddess Jiang also came forward holding a plate of freshly cut fruit salad and even hand-fed a piece to Hao Jian. Hao Jian was dumbfounded, Was this a contest for favor in the harem? But where was Shu Ya? Moon Goddess Jiang and Ruo Lan were both eagerly trying to please Hao Jian, one preparing his slippers and the other arranging food, but Shu Ya did not; she stood by the sofa, arms crossed, her gaze piercing as she watched Hao Jian. "Hao Jian, come here now!" a rebuke echoed through the room "Yeah, coming!" Hao Jian, without a shred of temper, skittered over. "So cheap!" Moon Goddess Jiang hissed, her teeth itching with hatred. "Exactly!" Ruo Lan chimed in annoyedly. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Meanwhile, Ye Fenglin was taking advantage of the night to encroach on Hao Jian''s land, preparing to forcefully expropriate it. "What are you doing? Do you know whose land this is? You dare to expropriate it, have you grown tired of living?" a young man in a sharp suit stormed over, pointing at Ye Fenglin and others, scolding as his powerful backer emboldened him to disregard Ye Fenglin. Ye Fenglin just sneered and signaled his subordinates, several soldiers stepped forward and started beating the man with punches and kicks. Ye Fenglin scoffed, "I know who''s behind you, and I''m targeting him exactly!" "You''re screwed, just a phone call to my boss and all of you are doomed!" the young man snarled through gritted teeth, still defiant despite the beating, for he believed his boss would surely avenge him. These fools dared to expropriate their land, meaning they were offending his boss; how could his boss let them off easily? "Keep beating, I can''t wait to see what he can possibly do even if he shows up!" Ye Fenglin said scornfully, eagerly anticipating Hao Jian''s reaction. But then, the young man in the suit hastily made a call, yet not to Hao Jian but to Yeyun Murong in the distant Capital City. Yeyun Murong had spent over a hundred billion to acquire that piece of land and had even recently assembled a mining crew, preparing to start excavation. Thinking he would soon bring significant profits to his family, Yeyun Murong couldn''t help but feel excited. Just then, his phone rang, and as soon as he answered it, he heard the tension-filled voice of his subordinate. "Boss, there''s trouble at the construction site; some people are causing a disturbance and saying they want to expropriate our land!" "What?" Yeyun Murong''s brows furrowed deeply; someone dares to expropriate his land? Who''s bold enough? "Put their person in charge on the phone!" Yeyun Murong demanded icily, sensing that something was amiss; problems arose so quickly. Could Hao Jian have set him up? But Ye Fenglin completely disregarded him, rudely saying, "Listen to what? Let him come and talk to me himself!" Yeyun Murong, hearing this voice, found it somewhat familiar, yet couldn''t immediately recall whom it belonged to. "Have them wait there for me; I''m flying over right now!" Yeyun Murong said annoyed, surely not allowing his property to be snatched away just like that. When Yeyun Murong arrived at the scene and saw Ye Fenglin, he was stunned. "Ye Fenglin, it''s you?" Yeyun Murong asked, dumbfounded, having assumed that it would be Hao Jian''s men causing the trouble. Since the Ye family and Hao Jian were at odds, they should be allies. "Yeyun Murong? What are you doing here?" Not just Yeyun Murong, even Ye Fenglin looked completely astonished, having not expected to encounter Yeyun Murong here. "This land belongs to me, why wouldn''t I be here?" Yeyun Murong said coldly. "What? This land is yours? But isn''t this Hao Jian''s land?" Ye Fenglin was taken aback, then questioned in shock, "Could it be that you''ve teamed up with Hao Jian?" "Nonsense, he sold this land to me a few days ago, and now it belongs to me," Murong Yeyun retorted. "Sold it to you a few days ago?" Ye Fenglin was taken aback and said, "But we were already preparing to requisition this land a few days ago. You must have been tricked by that guy, right?" Upon hearing Ye Fenglin say this, Murong Yeyun seemed to realize something and asked, "What do you mean by ''requisition''?" "I reported to the higher-ups earlier that this plot of land had oil to deal with that guy, so the higher-ups authorized me to forcefully requisition this land. And that guy sold it to you? Did you know you were scammed?" Ye Fenglin was also irritated. He initially wanted to trick Hao Jian, but in the end, did Hao Jian diversion to him? On hearing this, Murong Yeyun suddenly staggered back several steps, his face filled with shock. No wonder Hao Jian approached him, talking about seeking peace. It was just a facade. Yes, with that guy''s despicable temperament, how could he possibly seek peace with him willingly? That guy must have planned from the start to sell the land, which was about to be requisitioned, to him. The so-called peace-seeking was nothing but a ploy to gain his trust. Murong Yeyun felt some resentment. How had he fallen for that guy''s trick, not knowing how vile and shameless he was? "If the land is requisitioned, can I get compensation?" Murong Yeyun asked with an ugly expression. Since it was the state that wanted this land, he definitely had no chance to contend for it. What he could only hope for now was to obtain some compensation. "Compensation? Do you think that''s possible? With my personality, would I give Hao Jian any compensation? This was a forceful requisition with no compensation!" Ye Fenglin flatly shook his head and then looked at Murong Yeyun with some mockery, "You should blame yourself for being so foolish and falling into that guy''s trap." "Hao Jian, you devious scoundrel!" Murong Yeyun gritted his teeth and shouted angrily, reaching the peak of his rage. Now his family had innocently incurred a loss of tens of billions, how would his grandfather view him? He had intended to achieve great things, but in the end, he turned out to be a bane to his own family. ....... The next day, Hao Jian was woken up by a doorbell. Upon opening the door, he saw Vivian standing at his doorstep, making him jump in surprise, "What are you doing here? How did you find my house?" "For an assassin, is it difficult to find a person?" Vivian rolled her eyes and then just pushed past Hao Jian into the house. "This damn brat!" Hao Jian cursed under his breath, Vivian was treating this place like her own home. "Is that an urn you''re holding?" Hao Jian was taken aback when he saw what Vivian was holding in her hand. Bringing an urn to someone else''s house was extremely impolite, right? "Yes, it''s my dad''s ashes," Vivian didn''t hide anything, and then she placed the urn on the table. On hearing this, Hao Jian was shocked, and his expression changed, showing a trace of inexplicable sorrow, "Why don''t you bury it?" "He couldn''t be with me when he was alive, can''t he be with me when he''s dead?" Vivian snorted coldly, even in death, she wished for her father to always be by her side. Thus, Vivian took her father''s urn with her wherever she went, keeping him constantly by her side. "But we Huaxia people believe burial brings peace. I assume not only the Easterners, but Westerners probably think the same, right?" Hao Jian said with a bitter smile. "Then let him rest in unrest, it''s his fault for abandoning me when he was alive, he deserves it!" Vivian stubbornly said, and then squinted her eyes to size up Hao Jian, "Why are you so nervous, feeling guilty? Do you feel very guilty towards my dad?" Hao Jian indeed gave a bitter smile and nodded, "Indeed, your father''s death is an inescapable responsibility of mine. He wouldn''t have died if it hadn''t been to save me." But hearing this, Vivian scoffed internally. Even now, Hao Jian was still trying to fool her. Did he really think she was an idiot? "I have found out that I still have a grandma. I want to take this urn back to her; she is in Shenhui City. Will you accompany me?" Vivian said. "Huh? Why do you want me to go with you?" Hao Jian asked, somewhat puzzled. "You''re familiar with Huaxia, and I''m not. Now, I can only rely on you. As the daughter of your good buddy, do you really want to see me wandering alone in Huaxia like a headless fly?" Vivian blinked her eyes pitifully at Hao Jian. Hao Jian smiled inexplicably and said, "Alright, I''ll go with you!" On hearing this, a sly expression flashed across Vivian''s face. She knew how difficult it would be to kill Hao Jian in Hua City, but if she could get him out of Hua City, then everything would be much easier................................................................................................... Chapter 712 - 713 She had already arranged with Catherine to leave Hua City under the pretext of visiting relatives, luring Hao Jian away. "Also, don''t bring your bodyguards, I don''t like people following me all day long," Vivian reminded at the same time, which was also for the next part of the plan. After thinking it over, Hao Jian finally nodded and said, "Okay, I promise you!" "Dear, you''re up so early?" At this moment, the sleepy Moon Goddess Jiang walked out of the room. Following her were Shu Ya and Ruo Lan, the three women had insisted on staying in the room the previous night. Hao Jian was forced to sleep with three women in the same room, and of course, he didn''t do anything, it wouldn''t have been easy even if he wanted to in that situation. Given Shu Ya''s personality, if he dared to mess around in front of her, he would probably be castrated within minutes. Seeing that there were actually three stunning beauties coming out of Hao Jian''s room, Vivian was dumbfounded, her mind filled with incomprehension, why were these women attracted to a scoundrel like Hao Jian? Then, Vivian disdainfully looked at Hao Jian, "It''s really like three fresh flowers stuck in a pile of cow dung." "You little brat, you really make yourself unpopular," Hao Jian said fiercely. Soon after, he and Vivian started their journey to Shenhui City, currently both sitting on the plane. And as Hao Jian himself had said, he was traveling alone this time, without anyone accompanying him. He wasn''t foolish, he naturally knew Vivian''s request for him not to bring bodyguards carried a certain significance, but he didn''t wish to spell it out, nor did he want to quibble with Vivian. However, as soon as Hao Jian got on the plane, he saw a woman sitting next to him, dressed in fashionable brands, emitting a pleasant scent of perfume. At the moment, she was wearing an eye mask and resting with closed eyes. Because the eye mask covered most of her face, Hao Jian couldn''t see her clearly, but from her facial features, it was not hard to discern that she was a beauty. But Hao Jian wasn''t staring at her because she was beautiful; rather, he felt that this woman seemed very familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before. For a moment, Hao Jian even thought about lifting her eye mask directly. However, after thinking it over, he still resisted the urge in the end. Yet, at that moment, Vivian stormed over aggressively, standing right next to Hao Jian, looking at him coldly. Hao Jian, puzzled, looked up at Vivian and asked, "What''s the matter?" "What''s the matter? You tell me, what''s the matter? Why do you get to sit in first class while I have to sit in economy?" Vivian was very angry, Hao Jian was treating them differently, enjoying the luxury himself and brushing her off with something less. "Do you have money?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. Vivian fell silent, because all of her daily needs were arranged by Catherine, including food, clothes, accommodation, and travel, so she didn''t need money at all. "With no money, you still demand so much? You should be grateful I didn''t make you take a bus, let alone sneering at you!" Hao Jian said annoyedly, then waved his hand at Vivian, "Go away, away, away..." "You!" Vivian''s face turned red with anger, this guy was definitely doing it on purpose! "What''s all this noise, can''t you let people sleep?" Just then, an impatient voice came from beside Hao Jian. Clearly, the woman wearing the eye mask had woken up and was now looking displeasedly at Hao Jian and Vivian. "Oh, Miss Bai? You''re here too, what a coincidence!" Hao Jian suddenly exclaimed in surprise, realizing the woman next to him was Bai Yanrou, with whom he had had contact in Capital City. No wonder he found Bai Yanrou familiar. "Is that you?" Bai Yanrou''s mood wasn''t very good upon seeing Hao Jian, because he had once brought shame upon her, and she still held a grudge. "What bad luck, to encounter a jinx the moment I step out." Bai Yanrou huffed discontentedly, her words full of mockery. "Look at you, babbling on and on, even they find you intolerable," Hao Jian disdainfully said to Vivian. "Me?" Vivian pointed at her own face, completely confused, this guy''s skin was unbelievably thick, wasn''t it? Clearly, she was referring to you, okay? "I''m speaking of you!" Bai Yanrou also said exasperatedly, the guy was obviously shifting the blame. "See, she said it was you!" Hao Jian repeated, still looking at Vivian. Vivian''s face turned bright red with anger, feeling an urge to commit murder. "Miss Bai, you really have an eye for quality, how did you know she was a jinx? Indeed, her dad has died, and now she''s homeless, even her own mother doesn''t want her," Hao Jian said to Bai Yanrou with a cheeky grin, very unashamed of himself. "Go to hell!" Vivian swung her hand at Hao Jian, unable to contain herself any longer, did Hao Jian really think she had no temper? "Vivian, what''s wrong with you? They didn''t mean to talk about you like that. Why would you curse at them like this? It''s so rude!" Hao Jian looked at Vivian with displeasure, then turned around and said ingratiatingly to Bai Yanrou, "Miss Bai, don''t be angry, this girl just says whatever''s on her mind." Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Bai Yanrou narrowed her eyes at Hao Jian and sneered, "Hao Jian, you really are a cheap one." "Miss Bai, you''re really very ''white'' too." Hao Jian wasn''t angry at all, still smiling as he spoke. "Flight Attendant!" At this moment, Bai Yanrou couldn''t hold it in any longer and called out to the flight attendant. Hearing Bai Yanrou''s rude summons, the flight attendant was momentarily stunned, then quickly approached. "Miss, what can I help you with?" The flight attendant asked politely. Bai Yanrou pointed at Hao Jian with no courtesy at all and said, "Get this guy away from me!" Bai Yanrou didn''t want to see Hao Jian for even a moment longer, to avoid getting angry! "This..." The flight attendant immediately showed an embarrassed expression and said, "Miss, I don''t think I can do that, because this gentleman has purchased a first-class ticket, just like you. In principle, we have no right to drive him away." Once they pay, they are guests. As service staff, how could they drive away their own guests? "But his presence by my side makes me very uncomfortable," Bai Yanrou said, furrowing her brows and looking somewhat disgruntled. "Can I offer you a different seat?" the flight attendant politely asked. "Yeah, why don''t you just change seats." Hao Jian also laughed and then said to Vivian, "If she leaves, I''ll upgrade your seat!" Upon hearing this, Bai Yanrou immediately flared up and said, "Why should I be the one to leave? It''s him who''s bothering me! Are you a flight attendant with no work experience? Don''t you know that as a flight attendant, you should fulfill the passengers'' demands?" The flight attendant could only offer a bitter smile and said, "It''s true that you say that, but we can''t agree to rude requests from passengers." And in her view, Bai Yanrou''s demand was indeed a rude one. "What?" Bai Yanrou''s anger flared in an instant, and she went up and slapped the flight attendant, causing her to stagger and nearly fall to the ground. "How dare you speak to me like that? Do you know who I am? I am the precious daughter of the Bai Family, one of the four great families of Capital City. With just one word from me, you''ll be out of this airline company in an instant!" Bai Yanrou said viciously. It was bad enough that Hao Jian angered her, but even an inconsequential flight attendant dared to upset her? With Bai Yanrou''s outcry, other passengers couldn''t help but cast curious glances her way. The flight attendant, having been slapped in front of everyone, felt utterly humiliated and tears welled up in her eyes. She knew she could not afford to offend Bai Yanrou. Having dealt with so many customers, she was naturally aware of the Bai Family''s influence. She knew that with just one word from Bai Yanrou, it wouldn''t just be losing her job; she could even lose her life. Hao Jian couldn''t help but frown slightly, feeling somewhat displeased because his actions had led to the flight attendant being bullied. This was not what he wanted to see. "You ungrateful wretch, how dare you not listen to me and have the audacity to cry?" But Bai Yanrou had not the slightest sympathy, instead appearing somewhat pleased. This flight attendant wouldn''t listen to her, and this was the consequence of defying her! "Idiot, summon your captain to see me!" Bai Yanrou rebuked, confident that today she would be able to deal with Hao Jian. And there was no need for the flight attendant to fetch anyone; the other flight attendants had already started to approach the captain as soon as Bai Yanrou had struck one of them. Before long, a middle-aged man dressed in a white pilot''s uniform came over, glanced at the flight attendant, then at the commanding Bai Yanrou and asked in a monk-like tone, "Miss, I am Captain Sun Bingquan, may I know what the problem is?" "Problem? I have a huge problem right now. Your flight attendant is very unsatisfactory in her attitude. She even said that the request I made was a rude one," Bai Yanrou said in a hostile tone. Then, Sun Bingquan couldn''t help but look at the flight attendant and asked discontentedly, "What happened?" "This young lady said this gentleman was bothering her and wanted him to leave, but the gentleman refused, and I was not able to insist," the flight attendant explained. Hearing the full story, Sun Bingquan frowned. If what the flight attendant said was true, then Bai Yanrou was indeed going too far, deliberately picking a fight. "Could you please tell me, miss, how did this gentleman disturb you?" Sun Bingquan asked tentatively. "He was yelling in my ear, and I don''t like it. It''s as simple as that!" Bai Yanrou said arrogantly. Sun Bingquan''s face also turned awkward as he said, "Miss, if that''s the case, we really can''t force this passenger to leave." Hao Jian wasn''t harassing Bai Yanrou, so he had no grounds to ask Hao Jian to leave. "And what if I tell you that I am the precious daughter of the Bai Family?" Bai Yanrou said with a cold laugh. Hearing this, Sun Bingquan''s expression grew very animated. Chapter 713 - 714: Flight Attendant Humiliated Following that, Sun Bingquan cast a severe glance at the flight attendant, demanding, "You need to apologize to Miss Bai immediately!" Sun Bingquan knew that Bai Yanrou was not someone he could afford to mess with, not to mention himself, even his boss could hardly handle her. So, Sun Bingquan had no choice but to coerce the flight attendant to apologize to Bai Yanrou, otherwise, he might have lost his position as the captain. "But I acted according to the rules and regulations," the flight attendant hesitated, feeling aggrieved. She originally thought Sun Bingquan would stand by her, but to her dismay, he demanded she apologize to Bai Yanrou, which added to her feelings of injustice. "In front of Miss Bai, all rules and regulations are worthless! Hurry up and apologize, do you still want to do this job?" Sun Bingquan scolded irritably, also somewhat annoyed by the flight attendant''s lack of awareness. Sun Bingquan certainly did not want to be implicated because of this flight attendant. The flight attendant shuddered deeply, meaning to say, in front of the powerful, all rules and regulations are worthless? "Hurry up!" Sun Bingquan urged impatiently, his face covered in rage, irritated by the flight attendant''s dithering. The flight attendant had no choice but to swallow her tears and humiliation, walked up to Bai Yanrou, and bowed deeply, "I''m sorry, Miss Bai, my rudeness and stupidity have offended you!" "Sorry? Is an apology enough? Kneel down!" Bai Yanrou said dismissively, clearly not planning to let the flight attendant off easily. She was particularly angry at being provoked by Hao Jian, her anger nowhere to be directed, and the flight attendant unfortunately became her target for venting. "What?" The flight attendant was instantly stunned. Being slapped by Bai Yanrou was already a huge humiliation, especially since Bai Yanrou was being unreasonable, as she hadn''t done anything wrong. Now Bai Yanrou still demanded that she kneel; she too was born of parents, she was also a human, why should she be humiliated this way? Although flight attendants go through professional training and have high psychological resilience, how would that help when faced with such humiliation? "Hurry up!" Sun Bingquan also demanded impatiently, as the supervisor of this flight attendant, he had the authority to demand that she adhere to his request, such as apologizing! "But I haven''t done anything wrong!" the flight attendant insisted. A person lives with their face, a tree lives with its bark, even if she lost her job, she absolutely would not bow down to Bai Yanrou again. She acted according to the company''s regulations; if there was a problem with the regulations, it was the fault of the regulations, not hers. "If you don''t apologize now, then you''re not just losing your job, but your life as well!" Sun Bingquan said fiercely, a contemptuous sneer crossed his face, this idiot still didn''t realize the magnitude of the being she had offended, Bai Yanrou was not any ordinary person. Just one word from her, and you would disappear from this world completely! The flight attendant instantly turned to stone; just because of her one sentence, Bai Yanrou could kill her? In no time, her tears fell like streaming water. Though unwilling and humiliated, she had no choice; if she didn''t kneel, she would die! And she could not die; she was just a naive girl, who still had her parents to support, a husband and a son, so she could not die. Because she could not die, she could only choose to be humiliated. Then, she bent her knees slightly, preparing to kneel to Bai Yanrou and beg for mercy. But Bai Yanrou looked highly pleased, her face still marked with anger, her heart sneering: How dare a mere flight attendant disrespect me, simply seeking death. Just when the flight attendant was about to kneel, a pair of strong hands suddenly supported her, preventing her from continuing to kneel. The flight attendant looked up in astonishment, gazing at Hao Jian who said with a smile, "Don''t kneel!" The flight attendant bitterly smiled at that moment, she never wanted to kneel in the first place, but what could she do if she didn''t kneel? "Sir, please don''t make it difficult for me, I still have a family," the flight attendant said bitterly. Not kneeling meant death, but she didn''t want to die. "I can save you and your family," Hao Jian said smilingly. The flight attendant had offended Bai Yanrou because of him, now she was in such a state, and naturally, he could not just watch her being humiliated by Bai Yanrou. Hearing this, the flight attendant was also dumbfounded, where did Hao Jian get the confidence to say such words, the opponent was Bai Family''s young miss after all. And hearing Hao Jian say this, Bai Yanrou also felt very frustrated, simply because Hao Jian indeed had the authority to say those words. If Hao Jian wanted to protect this flight attendant, she was really powerless against him. "Who are you? How dare you say that?" And before the flight attendant could speak, Sun Bingquan burst out first; if it wasn''t for Hao Jian, they would''t have offended Bai Yanrou, so Sun Bingquan also had grievances against Hao Jian. And now, how does this guy still dare to make such cold remarks? How can Hao Jian protect her family? Hearing this, Hao Jian glanced indifferently at Sun Bingquan and said, "Who do you think you are? Did I speak to you? Can''t you keep your mouth shut until I do?" "You!" Sun Bingquan was immediately enraged. Offending Bai Yanrou and still being arrogant, he truly had no sense of danger. At this moment, Sun Bingquan was confident he was on Bai Yanrou''s side, and that Bai Yanrou would support him, which made him even more unrestrained, roaring, "I''m the captain of this plane. I have the final say in this crisis. If you keep acting so presumptuous, then I''ll have you thrown off the plane." "Thrown off the plane? Why don''t you open the cabin door then!" Hao Jian sneered. They were currently 8,000 meters above sea level. Not considering whether Sun Bingquan had the ability to open it¡ªif he did, the whole plane would suffer, which Sun Bingquan, being the captain, should certainly know. Hearing this, Sun Bingquan''s face turned alternately pale and red, his expression full of killing intent. He knew what Hao Jian said was true¡ªhe really couldn''t throw Hao Jian off the plane at that moment. His threat had been just that, a mere attempt to intimidate Hao Jian. Seeing this kid so arrogant, he truly didn''t consider Sun Bingquan as any significant opposition. "You think I can''t do anything to you then? I can just call the male flight attendant and the air marshal to deal with you!" Sun Bingquan coldly snorted. Although he couldn''t do anything to Hao Jian right now, he was the captain and had both a male flight attendant and an air marshal at his side. He believed they would arrest Hao Jian immediately upon his command. "Then try and call them." Hao Jian reclined on the couch and then turned to the flight attendant, "Bring me a drink!" S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "This..." The flight attendant hesitated. Serving Hao Jian a drink at this time could provoke Bai Yanrou, and it might make it impossible even to plead with Bai Yanrou later on. Seeing the flight attendant hesitate, Hao Jian understood, and smiling, he said, "It''s okay, you don''t have to pour it. But if you''re willing to be treated less than others and to be bullied, don''t expect me to help you. At his words, the flight attendant shuddered slightly and seemed to be hesitating, for she noticed that Hao Jian seemed completely unafraid of Bai Yanrou. Despite knowing Bai Yanrou was a major heiress of the Bai family, he remained unfazed, acting as if no problem existed. "Aren''t you afraid of her?" the flight attendant tentatively asked, wondering if Hao Jian was genuinely unafraid of Bai Yanrou. Hao Jian just looked at Bai Yanrou coldly and scoffed, "A mere tantrum-throwing shrew, what''s there to be afraid of?" At his words, the flight attendant was startled but felt as if she had swallowed a calming pill. Bai Yanrou, insulted by Hao Jian, was seething with anger, her eyes blazing with vehemence. If she had a gun in her hand at the moment, she probably wouldn''t hesitate to fire a few rounds at him. The flight attendant''s expression changed, and finally, she nodded, "I''ll go get your drink!" She had realized that Hao Jian probably held a status similar to Bai Yanrou; thus, he didn''t regard Bai Yanrou as a threat. Since Hao Jian had spoken, she had no more reservations. "What? Do you no longer want your job?" Sun Bingquan became furious upon hearing what the flight attendant said. How could this woman dare disregard his words? And Bai Yanrou smirked, saying, "Sun Bingquan, as a captain you''re quite useless, aren''t you? Even a flight attendant dares to treat you as mere air." Sun Bingquan trembled with rage and scolded the flight attendant, "Don''t pour it. If you defy my command, I''ll have you fired as soon as we return!" "Then fire me. Such a useless job isn''t worth keeping. Please, and I''ll pay you triple your current salary!" Hao Jian said brazenly, evidently ready to oppose Sun Bingquan and the others to the end. The flight attendant, hearing Hao Jian say this, was immediately overjoyed. Had she encountered a benefactor? Initially thinking that encountering a calamity like Bai Yanrou would end her day miserably, she had never imagined meeting such a benefactor who not only spared her from humiliation but also offered her such a significant advantage, and the flight attendant felt somewhat overly flattered. Thereupon, the flight attendant looked towards Sun Bingquan and coldly said, "I quit!" Rather than endure humiliation here, it was better to follow Hao Jian, a man of high status, and enjoy the better things in life. "What?" Sun Bingquan was about to explode with rage, as she dared to actually defy him? Then the flight attendant no longer paid attention to the raging Sun Bingquan and directly went to pour the drink for Hao Jian. "Don''t go!" he bellowed, reaching out to grab the flight attendant to prevent her from serving Hao Jian. Just then, a cold smirk crossed Hao Jian''s lips, and then he stretched his right foot forward, placing it directly in Sun Bingquan''s path. Sun Bingquan immediately tripped and fell face-first to the ground, his nose breaking and bleeding profusely, the pain causing tears to stream down his face..... Chapter 714 - 715: Regretting It So Much That My Guts Are Green "You!" Sun Bingquan glared at Hao Jian with intense hatred, feeling an urge to kill, but the moment he opened his mouth, the wound on his nose throbbed, causing him even greater pain. Hao Jian sneered, "Why don''t you watch where you''re going? Didn''t you know the floor is slippery?" Upon hearing this, Sun Bingquan was so infuriated that his nose was almost crooked. Ah, no, his nose was already crooked. It wasn''t long before the flight attendant returned with a specially made frozen drink, obviously crafted to please Hao Jian, the VIP. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You just wait!" Sun Bingquan left those fierce words behind before leaving, clearly in search of the air marshal. The flight attendant became nervous when she saw Sun Bingquan leave and said, "Sir, he''s going to get the air marshal and male flight attendants to deal with you. What are we going to do?" Although Hao Jian was an important figure, the problem was that he hadn''t yet left the plane, right? He was just one person, how could he contend with so many air marshals and male flight attendants? "Let him call them. He''s just asking for trouble," Hao Jian snorted coldly, unfazed by the threat. Bai Yanrou''s face also looked terrible. The situation was heading in an uncontrollable direction and one she least wanted to see. She knew Hao Jian''s skills; even if people were called over, it would be useless. Before long, Sun Bingquan returned with five or six people, among them two air marshals, the rest male flight attendants, all looking menacing. Yet, seeing them approach, Hao Jian remained unmoved, lounging comfortably with his legs crossed and slowly sipping his drink. "Kid, you''re really arrogant, aren''t you? Seeing us coming and you still have the mood to drink?" Sun Bingquan couldn''t contain his anger. He couldn''t understand what this bastard was relying on to be so bold. "Spit it out if you have something to say!" Hao Jian said impatiently. At his words, Sun Bingquan and the others were stunned. This guy was ridiculously arrogant, still daring to be so even when they had so many people. "Very well, I want to see if you can keep up this arrogance in a bit!" Sun Bingquan snarled menacingly, "Beat him! Beat him hard!" "Hold this for me!" Hao Jian cheerfully handed his drink to the flight attendant, saying, "Here, hold my drink for me, I''ll be right back!" I''ll be right back? The air marshals and male flight attendants felt a mix of anger and embarrassment. Was this guy insane? Did he really naively think he could go back? Then, the air marshals and male flight attendants lunged forward, but before they could strike, Hao Jian made the first move, kicking one of the air marshals and knocking him to the ground. Immediately afterward, he backhandedly slapped another air marshal, flipping him onto the ground. These air marshals were all well-trained, but they still couldn''t match Hao Jian, a freak of nature; the difference in strength was too vast. In less than a minute, all of them could only lie on the ground, wailing in pain. The passengers burst into frightened exclamations, unable to believe what they were seeing. Had Hao Jian really taken down so many people by himself in a one-against-six fight? "Chinese kung fu, impressive!" At this moment, some foreigners exclaimed excitedly in their broken Chinese, having finally witnessed real Chinese kung fu. Sun Bingquan''s face turned green in an instant. Could this guy fight that well? Sun Bingquan began to sense that something was amiss. No wonder this guy was so fearless; it was because of this. But what good does being able to fight do? Can anyone outfight bullets and cannons? Sun Bingquan looked at Hao Jian with a cold stare. "Kid, you dare to assault an officer? Do you know that assaulting an officer is a serious crime?" Hao Jian had hit an air marshal. As soon as the plane landed, Hao Jian would be immediately arrested. How could he continue to fight against the police then? A single shot from the police would take care of this overly confident jerk. "I know," Hao Jian smiled and said. "You know and you still dare to do it?" Sun Bingquan was dumbfounded. Was this guy crazy? "I know, but I''m not afraid," Hao Jian smiled and then shook his head, looking at Sun Bingquan with a playful expression, "Aren''t you curious why I''m not afraid of Bai Yanrou?" Sun Bingquan''s heart lurched, and he quickly asked, "Why?" He had his suspicions earlier, but hadn''t thought much of it, considering Hao Jian was just a regular passenger who had accidentally offended Bai Yanrou. He didn''t realize who Bai Yanrou really was, which is why he hadn''t taken Hao Jian seriously. But now, it seemed that things weren''t as simple and straightforward as he had thought. "You don''t know? Because I''m awesome!" Hao Jian shamelessly proclaimed. But to Sun Bingquan, Hao Jian''s jest didn''t seem so funny, because Bai Yanrou didn''t retort, which meant that she really couldn''t do anything about this kid in front of her, right? But that didn''t make sense. The Bai family was wealthy and influential, so why would they be afraid of some kid? Seeing Sun Bingquan''s skepticism, Hao Jian laughed and said, "It''s because I''m a nuisance even the Bai family dreads, they don''t dare to mess with me, so what makes you think you can handle me with such confidence?" Sun Bingquan and the flight attendant were petrified on the spot. Was this guy really that powerful? No wonder Bai Yanrou hadn''t said a word since Hao Jian started talking. At this moment, the person with the most expressive face had to be Sun Bingquan. He had tried so hard to avoid offending Bai Yanrou, but he hadn''t expected to offend someone even more overbearing than her in the process. "I understand, you don''t want to offend Bai Yanrou, but does that mean you can offend me? Do I look easier to bully than she does? Do I not even compare to a vase?" Hao Jian feigned anger as he pointed at Bai Yanrou and berated Sun Bingquan, but there was a subtext to his words. "Who the hell are you calling a vase?" Bai Yanrou erupted in anger, the desire to kill Hao Jian welling up inside her. What she minded the most was being seen as just a decorative vase, and Hao Jian had the nerve to say that about her? "Aren''t you a vase?" Hao Jian sneered. It was common knowledge that Bai Yanrou was nothing but a vase, not just in his opinion. But Hao Jian was the first to have the guts to say it directly to her face. "I''ll kill you, I swear I will!" Bai Yanrou hissed through clenched teeth, seething like a fishwife. "Who knows when that day will come, when pigs fly, maybe? Besides, have you even gotten your brother''s approval to take me on? Have you forgotten how he scolded you before?" Hao Jian was unimpressed. Then he said viciously, "Stay out of this if you know what''s good for you, or I might just deal with you too, and I won''t be merciful!" "Bastard!" Bai Yanrou stomped her feet in fury but didn''t dare to make another peep because she genuinely feared that Hao Jian would resort to hitting her. She knew this jerk was one to follow through with his threats. Hao Jian turned away from Bai Yanrou and looked at Sun Bingquan, saying, "Now, it''s time to deal with the matter between you and me." "I..." Sun Bingquan''s face stiffened, looking at Hao Jian with a fearful expression. He could no longer treat Hao Jian like a regular passenger. And Sun Bingquan knew that if he offended this guy and he took it personally, his fate would be terribly grim. "In the future, I don''t want to see you working for this airline again, got it?" Hao Jian asked indifferently. Though Sun Bingquan had offended him to avoid angering Bai Yanrou, the attitude he showed, especially when bullying the flight attendant, did not sit well with Hao Jian. It''s one thing to curry favor with those in power but doing so at the expense of others was unacceptable. Sun Bingquan''s complexion turned a ghastly pale, and he was so upset he couldn''t even cry. He had done his utmost to ingratiate himself with Bai Yanrou by targeting Hao Jian and the flight attendant, in hopes of preserving his job, but he hadn''t expected this to cost him his position in the end. But Sun Bingquan didn''t dare to defy Hao Jian. If he refused Hao Jian''s demand, his fate would be far worse than merely getting fired. "I haven''t heard your response yet," Hao Jian said to Sun Bingquan with a smug smile. "I understand, I''ll submit my resignation to the company today," Sun Bingquan replied. "That''s more like it. I appreciate someone who knows their place," Hao Jian said as he patted Sun Bingquan''s face and sneered. Then, Hao Jian took a pen from his pocket, wrote down a string of numbers on a napkin, and handed it to the flight attendant, saying, "After you get off the plane, call this person and tell them you''re a friend of Hao Jian. Have them bring all your friends and family to Hua City. Don''t bring anything with you; I''ll prepare a house and some money for you. From now on, you''ll live in Hua City." "This..." The flight attendant was stunned. A house for her? Wasn''t this being too nice? "When you live in Hua City, you won''t have to worry about anyone retaliating against you, because that''s my turf," Hao Jian added. Only then did the flight attendant snap back to reality, nodding hurriedly, "Thank you, thank you so much!" Giving her triple the pay, money, a house, and ensuring the safety of her and her family, it was like a pie falling from the sky. Faced with such generous terms, only a fool would refuse. And after all, it was just a matter of moving to a different place, which wouldn''t be a big deal for anyone. Listening to the terms Hao Jian offered, Sun Bingquan was filled with intense regret. If he had sided with Hao Jian before, he might have been the one receiving these benefits. Offending Bai Yanrou might have seemed a risk, but with such a powerful figure offering him protection, what would he have to fear? Sun Bingquan wanted to slap himself for being such an idiot! Overcome with envy, Sun Bingquan felt like crying; the flight attendant was the one who was supposed to be fired, but now the situation had flipped, and he was the one losing his job, while the flight attendant not only faced no consequences but also got a promotion and a raise. How could he not be filled with jealousy? Chapter 715 - 716 The Driver with Malicious Intent "Why haven''t you scrammed yet?" Hao Jian asked coldly. Sun Bingquan looked embarrassed, then let out a sigh and walked away with his head down and a dejected air. "Miss Bai, do you have any other questions?" Hao Jian asked with a smile, the implication of which was crystal clear. "You''ve got nerve!" Bai Yanrou said viciously, before picking up her bag and storming out of first class. She couldn''t stand the sight of Hao Jian, as it made her blood boil. Since she couldn''t force Hao Jian to leave, she had no choice but to leave herself. "Of course, I''ve got nerve, how else would I have kids?" Hao Jian said shamelessly. "As for you, try not to get angry so easily. Anger ages a woman and makes her ugly!" At his words, Bai Yanrou almost stumbled, barely stopping herself from falling flat on her face. Glaring back at Hao Jian, her eyes were as sharp as knives. But Hao Jian remained unmoved. After Bai Yanrou had left, Hao Jian turned to Vivian with a playful grin, "Look, first class! Come on, have a seat. See how nice I am to you?" Vivian rolled her eyes naturally, thinking to herself that it was only because the other person didn''t want the seat that it fell to her¡ªwhat did he have to do with it? "What does that look mean? If I hadn''t made her so mad, do you think you''d be sitting here? It was strategy, and you need to learn from me. Got you an upgrade without spending a dime¡ªI had it all planned out!" Hao Jian boasted proudly. But Vivian dismissed him, knowing he was full of lies, completely untrustworthy. Nevertheless, she took the seat beside Hao Jian¡ªit was free, after all, and there was no reason to decline. About an hour later, the plane landed. Hao Jian and Vivian left the airport together, heading to Vivian''s grandmother''s house. At that moment, a woman wearing a black trench coat and toad sunglasses sat not far from the airport. Seeing her, a look of surprise flashed in Vivian''s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. And as soon as Vivian and Hao Jian exited the airport, Catherine finally began her action, speaking into her walkie-talkie, "The target has arrived. Start the operation!" "Driver, head to XXX..." Hao Jian instructed as they got into the car. The driver was a slightly overweight middle-aged man, his eyes squinting into slits, his mouth pointed like a groundhog''s. His eyes revealed disdain as he assessed Hao Jian and Vivian''s ordinary attire. They didn''t look like wealthy people. He had hoped to make a decent sum off this fare, but now it seemed unlikely. However, just then, he caught sight of the large, steel case Hao Jian was carrying. It was silver, resembling those cases shown in TV shows carrying important items. The pudgy driver''s eyes suddenly gleamed, a hint of greed flashing through as he imagined that Hao Jian''s case must contain something valuable¡ªpossibly jewelry, maybe even cash. And these two chaps dressed so plainly, probably to escape notice. "Okay, hold tight!" the chubby driver happily responded, and then he floored the accelerator, and the car shot off. During this process, Hao Jian also noticed that the chubby driver''s gaze was somewhat odd, and he couldn''t help but reveal a hint of a smile in his eyes, without exposing anything. The car had been driving for over half an hour but was getting further and further away from the city, heading towards the suburbs. And the number of cars on the road was getting fewer, replaced by endless trees and wastelands. "Why is this place getting more and more remote? Where on earth do you intend to take us?" Vivian also realized something was amiss and asked with a cold expression. "This way is quicker; I''m saving you money," the chubby driver explained. "You!" Vivian was about to erupt in anger. The chubby driver was obviously spouting nonsense. She had looked at the map before coming; if they had followed the original map, they should have already reached their destination, not circling around in the boonies. But Hao Jian pulled Vivian back and said irritably, "Are you the driver or is he your driver? If the master driver is taking this route, there must be a reason. What''s it to you?" Hearing what Hao Jian said, Vivian was momentarily stunned, as if she also understood something and stopped talking. "Yes, miss, I won''t trick you," the chubby driver continued with a chuckle, polite on the surface but snickering inside. These simple-minded fools, they can''t even match the wit of his own sister¡ªdeserve to be conned! S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Clearly, he mistook Vivian and Hao Jian as siblings. About twenty minutes later, the chubby driver suddenly picked up the walkie-talkie and said to the person on the other end, "Tell Old Liang to prepare two chickens for me, the fattest ones. I''ll pick them up shortly, make sure everything''s ready!" Mingling in the Underworld, Hao Jian could tell that the chubby driver''s words were coded language, signaling his accomplices. The two chickens he mentioned were probably Vivian and himself, the fattest ones meaning they seemed wealthy, and saying he''ll pick them up soon was hinting he was almost there, telling his people to be ready to move, and not to let them escape. Still, Hao Jian acted as if he knew nothing, allowing the chubby driver to drive the car to the top of a deserted hill. At that moment, Hao Jian and Vivian saw a group of youths wielding sticks waiting there¡ªseven or eight people, each wearing a menacing expression. For they all knew two fat chickens were coming and were just waiting to slaughter them. "Get out!" Once at the top of the hill, the chubby driver barked at Vivian and Hao Jian harshly. "What, what are you doing? This isn''t where we wanted to go!" Hao Jian immediately feigned panic, instinctively clutching his suitcase tighter. Seeing Hao Jian''s action, greed flared even more in the chubby driver''s eyes; he believed there must be something valuable inside the suitcase! Soon after, the chubby driver sneered and said, "This is exactly where you''re supposed to come. Hand over all the money and mobile phones you have on you!" "You, you tricked us?" Hao Jian feigned a mix of shock and anger. Meanwhile, Vivian was rolling her eyes incessantly¡ªwhat an exaggeration the guy was performing! "Tricked you? Blame your own stupidity. Even your sister noticed something was wrong, yet you were fooled like an utter fool," the chubby driver laughed heartily, appreciating Hao Jian''s current expression. Chapter 716 - 717 Tragic Criminal Gang "We don''t have any money on us!" Hao Jian shouted loudly. "No money? Do you think I''d believe that? What about that leather case you''re holding? Cut the crap and hand it over right now, or I''ll make you bleed!" the fat driver said fiercely, then pulled out a sharp screwdriver from the storage compartment and gestured with it in front of Hao Jian. "You... you''re breaking the law!" Hao Jian said, terrified. "Breaking the law?" The fat driver scoffed and said, "So what if I am? Let me tell you, we''ve already bribed people at the police station. No matter what we do, they won''t interfere, so calling the cops will do you no good. You can only swallow your teeth you''ve knocked out." "Swallow my knocked-out teeth? That''s a good reminder for me!" Hao Jian was startled at first, then started to laugh with a playful look. The fat driver''s brows furrowed deeply in displeasure, "What do you mean? What reminded you?" He always felt there was more to Hao Jian''s words. "It reminded me of how I should deal with you!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, then suddenly kicked out, hitting the fat driver squarely in the face. "Ouch!" The fat driver cried out in pain, his whole body slamming against the steering wheel, his mouth bleeding, several teeth knocked out. The fat driver sensed something was wrong and was about to spit out the teeth. But at that moment, Hao Jian covered his mouth and forcefully hit him on the crown of his head, and the fat driver ended up swallowing his broken teeth. Vivian snorted with laughter and found it quite amusing, it truly was like the old Huaxia saying went: to swallow one''s broken teeth. "You..." The fat driver felt nauseous, coughing violently and desperately clawing at his throat, trying to pry the teeth out, but it was impossible¡ªthe teeth had already entered his stomach. "Didn''t you say you wanted to swallow your broken teeth? This was me lending you a hand!" Hao Jian chuckled, no longer showing any sign of his earlier timidity. The fat driver immediately became furious, "You fucking dare to play me!? Damn Caonima!" The fat driver pushed open the car door and stepped out, while ferociously saying, "You just wait, if I don''t cripple you today, I won''t hang around these parts anymore!" "Brothers, come over here!" The fat driver called out to those thugs; they were all idle youths from society gathered by a gang leader to rob travelers of their money. Since they had backup, calling the police was useless; even if the travelers did call for help, the police would just fob them off with promises to find the suspect. But although they said that, they never made any arrests, and over time, the issue would just fade away. "What''s up, Old Fatty? Is it that they don''t want to cooperate?" asked Scarface. "It''s more than that, they fucking dared to hit me. Look at what I''ve become?" the fat driver pointed to his teeth and said. "Hahaha, you look really busted up!" laughed the idle youths from society, because the fat driver did indeed look comical, like an old man without any teeth. "You''re fucking laughing? Who do you think caused me to end up like this? You sons of bitches!" the fat driver yelled in rage, at that moment filled with the intent to kill. "Alright, stop laughing and let''s deal with this quickly!" Scarface said, then strode over to the taxi where Hao Jian was sitting, kicked the car door fiercely, and bellowed, "You bastard, get the hell out!" "Get out, or we''ll bleed you dry!" other gang members shouted as they hit the taxi. "Fuck your mothers, this is my damn car, are you going to pay for it if you break it? Drag him out before you beat him up!" the chubby driver said, still depending on that taxi for his livelihood. But, without waiting for them to drag out Hao Jian and Vivian, the two of them had already stepped out of the car. "Kid, you''re pretty cocky, huh? Seeing so many of us and still daring to touch our brother, I think you''re asking for death!" Scarface stared at Hao Jian with a menacing killing intent. "Well, I can''t be blamed for that, he was the one who said he wanted to spit his broken teeth into his stomach, I was just accommodating him!" Hao Jian shrugged. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Bullshit, I was talking about you!" the chubby driver roared in annoyance, but his speech was leaking air, making him sound funny. "Quit the damn babbling, hand over all your money, we''re only after your wealth, not your life, but if you don''t cooperate, don''t blame us for not being polite!" Scarface said unkindly, usually people would be scared witless seeing them, but Hao Jian still seemed unimpressed, which was really fucking asking for a beating. "Alright then, I''d like to see just how you''re going to be ''impolite''." Hao Jian said with a cold sneer. "Fuck! Kill the bastard!" Scarface completely lost it; this kid actually dared to look down on them? "Grab the suitcase from the car, there''s good stuff in there!" Old Fatty shouted at that moment, still fixated on Hao Jian''s suitcase. At this, all the gang members moved in, their eyes filled with greed. "Hold up!" Hao Jian yelled. "What, scared now? If you''re scared, kneel down and beg for mercy!" Old Fatty said with a cold sneer, but in his heart, he was determined to beat Hao Jian to a pulp even if he begged for mercy, to release the hatred in his heart! "Of course not, what I wanted to say is, if you dare come at me, I won''t be responsible for the consequences!" Hao Jian said seriously. "Big talk for a tough guy, ****ing hell!" Scarface finally couldn''t hold back and charged forward first, eager to teach Hao Jian a lesson. "Vivian, go!" But Hao Jian took two steps back immediately and egged Vivian on. Everyone was shocked; was this guy shameless? To actually let a little girl take the lead, wasn''t that too cowardly? Vivian''s face also turned ugly. This guy, he was really shameless. But she stepped forward anyway, because she also found these people displeasing¡ªhow dare they try to rob her? Who was she? She was Vivian, a top-notch assassin! "Little sister, it''d be better for you not to come forward, we uncles really don''t want to hurt you. And if we do, we wouldn''t want to use this knife, but rather the lower one to hurt you!" Scarface said with a lecherous laugh, provoking laughter from some others. And Vivian''s expression instantly turned frosty as she lunged forward. Chapter 717 - 718: The Backer Appears "Hey, little sister, do you really want Uncle to stab you with the knife down here?" Seeing that Vivian actually dared to come forward, Scarface immediately started chuckling with lustful laughter, eyeing Vivian''s exquisite figure up and down. Although Vivian hadn''t fully matured yet, it was exactly this sort of young chick that whetted a man''s appetite. Plus, the girl might still be a virgin, and combined with her pretty looks, if he could have his way with her, then he''d die without any regrets. With that thought in mind, Scarface couldn''t help but smile lecherously and chuckled, "Everybody pay attention, don''t hurt this little chick. I''m still planning to have some fun with her!" "Have some fun? Boss, every woman you''ve ''had fun'' with has ended up in a terribly tragic state. When you say you want to have fun, I''m afraid this little girl might be ruined, right?" Scarface''s lackeys all burst into raucous laughter, not taking Vivian seriously as they saw her charge over, because they perceived Vivian as just a little girl, incapable of much. Hao Jian actually sent a little girl to fight them? Wasn''t this like sending a lamb to the slaughter? Meanwhile, the fat driver took the opportunity to climb onto the back seat of the car. He was still obsessed with that suitcase and wanted to take advantage of the situation. At the same time, Vivian had already reached in front of Scarface. "Come here, little sister, let Uncle check your body!!" Scarface snickered and then reached out his hand to grab Vivian''s chest. But just as he was about to touch Vivian''s body, her figure suddenly twisted, she dashed past beside him, and then threw a punch at his face. Bang! Scarface instantly flew out more than ten meters, his nose completely caved in, blood gushing, half-broken but not yet useless. Everyone''s mocking faces froze instantly, shocked by Vivian''s ferocity. A loli that violent? And to fling a burly man ten meters away with one punch, the force was terrifying. Was this girl really a loli? The loli was indeed a loli, but a loli who was very violent, hence she was known as the Crazy Loli. Scarface, covering his nose, howled in pain, then roared furiously, "Attack her!" As soon as he finished speaking, the gang members simultaneously rushed towards Vivian, looking fierce and menacing; obviously, they no longer cared that Vivian was a girl and were ready to strike her with full force. But Vivian remained unmoved, not taking such trash seriously at all. The men who charged at her one after another were taken down by Vivian, who moved like an agile monkey, weaving through the crowd. Wherever she passed, someone would scream and fall. Scarface''s scalp tingled, and he cursed the fat driver''s ancestors in his heart. What the hell did this asshole bring back to them? A street fighter? This damned little girl brought all of them down, turning the tables on who was robbing whom. At this moment, Scarface realized he had encountered a tough nut to crack; these two people weren''t something they could handle. Meanwhile, the fat driver hadn''t yet realized his buddies were all down. He was excitedly stealing Hao Jian''s suitcase from the rear car seat, eager to see what precious items were inside. But once he opened it, the fat driver''s face turned green. Hammers, knives, bombs, submachine guns, rocket launchers? The fat driver gasped, at first he thought Hao Jian was just an ordinary passenger, but what kind of ordinary passenger would carry such things? Moreover, the fat driver couldn''t understand how there could be so many heavy weapons inside, how on earth had this guy smuggled them through customs? He didn''t know that Hao Jian''s case was specially customized, showing different images when scanned by X-ray. The airport staff could only see some clothes and personal items and naturally wouldn''t be suspicious. The fat driver was shaking uncontrollably. Had he encountered a terrorist? And all terrorists were ruthless, what was he supposed to do? "How do you like them? I could give them to you!" Just then, a light voice suddenly came from behind the fat driver. The fat driver was so frightened he nearly collapsed on the spot. Turning around abruptly, he saw Hao Jian standing behind him with a grin on his face. The fat driver was petrified, hastily pulling out a handgun from the case and pointed it at Hao Jian, stammering, "Y-you¡­ don''t come any closer! Otherwise, I''ll shoot!" he threatened Hao Jian, his voice trembling. "Before you shoot, you should release the safety catch!" Hao Jian said smilingly. The fat driver was almost in tears, he had never handled a gun, how would he know how to use such things? "Come, let me show you how to use it." Hao Jian said with a smile, reaching out his hand to the fat driver. "Oh," the fat driver foolishly handed over the pistol to Hao Jian, completely confused by now. Hao Jian released the safety catch and then handed the gun back to the fat driver, saying, "There you go, now you can shoot someone dead." The chubby driver was about to cry, this guy actually helped him disengage the safety, and even told him to kill him, clearly showing that he didn''t take him seriously at all. "Bro, I know I was wrong. I won''t dare to do it again. Please spare me this time," the chubby driver pleaded with a mournful face, looking at Hao Jian. How could he dare to kill anyone? At most, he would just extort others, but killing would completely change the nature of the crime, and even their backers wouldn''t tolerate it. These criminal members only ever engaged in minor hooliganism. When it came to murder, they were absolutely too scared to go through with it. Moreover, the chubby driver could sense that Hao Jian and Vivian were no ordinary people. They dared to ask him directly to fire the gun, making it clear that they didn''t regard them as a threat; even if he did shoot, it''s likely he wouldn''t be able to kill Hao Jian. "I told you to shoot, didn''t you hear me?" Hao Jian roared, his face instantly darkened. The chubby driver shuddered at Hao Jian''s roar and accidentally pulled the trigger. "Click!" However, no bullet came out of the pistol¡ªit was empty. The chubby driver was stunned. Had he been played? No wonder Hao Jian told him to shoot¡ªthe gun had no bullets in it to begin with. Then, the chubby driver looked up at Hao Jian only to see Hao Jian furiously staring at him: "You actually dared to shoot?" Hao Jian kicked the chubby driver in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground with a single kick. "Didn''t you tell me to shoot?" The chubby driver was on the verge of tears. I said I wouldn''t shoot, and you insisted that I shoot. And when I did, you beat me up. Who abuses someone like that? "I tell you to shoot, and you shoot? If I told you to ****, why didn''t you go ****?" Hao Jian said coldly, and then started punching and kicking the chubby driver ruthlessly. "Stop hitting me, please, I won''t dare do it again," cried the chubby driver, filled with utter despair, wondering why he was so unlucky to have encountered such a monster. "You won''t dare again? You think I would believe you?" Hao Jian didn''t care and kept hitting and kicking him. The chubby driver was wishing for death, lamenting what sins he must have committed to provoke such a calamity. It wasn''t long before the chubby driver was beaten unconscious. Meanwhile, Scarface and the others had been taken down by Vivian as well. Vivian walked over and grabbed Scarface by the collar, furiously scolding, "You said you wanted to ''examine'' my body just now, right? Well, fine, let''s see about that now, ''uncle''!" The last two words were almost spat out through gritted teeth by Vivian. "Misunderstanding, it''s all a misunderstanding. I was just concerned about your physical development, nothing else," Scarface said with a dismal face, his mood akin to the chubby driver''s, feeling like a herd of angry Caonimas was stampeding through his mind. This was too frustrating; what kind of freaks were these people? Upon hearing this, Vivian suddenly let out a cold laugh, and she stepped on Scarface''s groin. Scarface immediately screamed in agony and then curled up on the ground, holding his privates, his face turning ashen from the pain. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I didn''t mean anything by it either, just checking if it was still functioning. But now it seems, it won''t be of any use anymore," Vivian jeered, her kick effectively ensuring Scarface would never procreate. "You... I won''t let you get away with this. You''ll see¡ªour people know the Armed Police Captain. You''re both dead!" Scarface said through gritted teeth, vowing revenge. For a man to be turned into a eunuch, who could stand it? Scarface had gone mad, and he swore to make Vivian and Hao Jian pay a steep price. No sooner had he spoken than several military trucks drove in slowly. Scarface had sensed something was amiss when Vivian injured his brothers, so he had made the call for backup in advance. He was just buying time now, waiting for his backup to arrive before he would seek his revenge against Hao Jian and Vivian. But he hadn''t expected Vivian, so young, to be so ruthlessly decisive, disabling him on the spot. "You''re done for; our people have already arrived! Just wait to get beaten!" Scarface laughed triumphantly, his expression filled with malevolence. Vivian looked back and saw a group of Armed Police getting out of the vehicles. The muscular hulk leading them, dressed in camouflage, was taken aback at the scene. He seemed surprised that just the two of them, Hao Jian and Vivian, had managed to beat Scarface and so many others to such a state. But then, the hulk shouted, "Arrest them all!" Vivian was instantly furious. These people were indeed in cahoots with Scarface, ordering their capture without discerning right from wrong. Vivian turned to retaliate, but was stopped by Hao Jian. She looked at him in confusion, only to see Hao Jian smiling and saying, "In Huaxia, you need to follow the rules. Don''t act rashly!" Chapter 718 - 719 Tian Baolei Vivian rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Play by the rules? You''re the last one to talk about rules, aren''t you? You don''t know how many people wish they could flay your skin and pull out your tendons!" However, Vivian did not continue to make a move. She wanted to see how exactly Hao Jian would handle the situation. "Kid, you dare to cause trouble on my turf? I think you''re tired of living," Tian Baolei glared at Hao Jian, his demeanor radiating killing intent. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. By beating Scarface and his men to such a state, it meant that Scarface and his men wouldn''t be able to work for a long time. If they didn''t work, no one would pay him protection money. The thought of missing out on several months'' worth of protection fees set Tian Baolei on fire with rage. "They were trying to extort us, and we were forced to fight back. Any sensible person should be able to see that, right?" Hao Jian said with a smile. "Save your breath, I can see that you''ve injured them!" Tian Baolei huffed angrily. "You''re being completely unreasonable," Hao Jian sighed. "Unreasonable? What if I am? How about that, you little punk!" Tian Baolei laughed coldly and then impatiently barked, "Take them away!" The Armed Police moved forward simultaneously, intending to arrest Hao Jian and the others. But when one of the Armed Police stepped forward to restrain him, Hao Jian kicked out fiercely, sending the officer tumbling to the ground, where he passed out on the spot. "You dare arrest me?" Tian Baolei''s eyes flashed ferociously. It was bad enough that his business was ruined, but now they dared to attack his people? "This is a criminal case; it should logically be handled by the police. Your Armed Police stepping in seems rather meddlesome, don''t you think?" Hao Jian''s smile gradually faded, revealing a hint of frost. "What if we step in? Around here, I call the shots. You dare resist arrest? Believe it or not, I''ll blow your brains out right now!" Tian Baolei drew his pistol and pointed it menacingly at Hao Jian. If Hao Jian were taken away by the police, how would they be able to deal with him then? The police department was already dissatisfied with their behavior. If not for his uncle''s influence, he would have been invited for tea by the police a long time ago. "All right, I''ll go with you. But I don''t want to wear handcuffs," Hao Jian said lightly, not willing to be treated as a criminal. "Damn, you think you''re on vacation or something?" Tian Baolei almost laughed in anger at Hao Jian''s words. So now he''s refusing to wear handcuffs? Who does he think he is? "If you insist on handcuffing me, I fear our conflict will become inevitable. If you think you can subdue us with that gun, go ahead and try!" Hao Jian''s eyes gleamed wickedly as he stared at Tian Baolei. The reason he agreed to leave with Tian Baolei was merely to see who was emboldening people like Tian Baolei to run amok. If Tian Baolei continued to be oblivious to his better judgment, Hao Jian wouldn''t mind giving him a lesson he''d never forget. At that moment, Vivian stood beside Hao Jian, observing Tian Baolei and his men with a cold gaze. Vivian was already struggling to hold back, and she was ready to tackle these ignorant fools at Hao Jian''s command. Seeing Hao Jian and Vivian so confident, Tian Baolei felt a sense of unease, feeling that something was quite off. Ordinarily, most people would be terrified by the sight of so many of his men, but Hao Jian and Vivian looked as if it was just another day, indifferent even to his draw of the gun, ready for a head-on collision! Then, Tian Baolei glanced at Scarface and the others before narrowing his eyes. The fact that Hao Jian could easily dispatch Scarface and his crew had already shown that he was no ordinary man. "Captain, we found this." At that moment, one of the Armed Police came over, holding Hao Jian''s suitcase. Looking at the contents of the suitcase, Tian Baolei couldn''t help but gasp. There were all kinds of long and short firearms inside, only disassembled. A closer look made it clear that these were all firearms. This guy, he actually brought firearms with him? Tian Baolei had a foreboding hunch¡ªcould this guy be a terrorist? If he arrested a terrorist, he''d be making a great contribution! Thinking of this, Tian Baolei started to feel secretly thrilled. Perhaps he could use Hao Jian and Vivian to climb up the ranks and make a fortune. However, now he had a challenging problem: how to take Hao Jian back safely, because it was clear the other party was no pushover. Any accidents on the way back were not something Tian Baolei wanted to see. After considering, Tian Baolei agreed to Hao Jian''s request, saying, "Fine, you don''t have to wear handcuffs. Get in the car!" Since Hao Jian agreed to go with them without handcuffs, Tian Baolei was happy to temporarily steady Hao Jian. Once back at the headquarters, he would figure out how to deal with this ignorant punk for good. Without saying much more, Hao Jian walked straight toward the military vehicle and got in with Vivian. On the way back, Tian Baolei and his men were on high alert, keeping their guns trained on Hao Jian, ready to act at the slightest move from him. But Hao Jian and Vivian remained as if nothing was wrong, with Vivian playing on her phone with her head down, while Hao Jian was even more outrageous, actually lying directly on an Armed Police officer and using his shoulder as a human pillow to sleep! The Armed Police officer felt extremely uncomfortable and tried to push Hao Jian away, but Hao Jian threatened him coldly, "If you dare to move, I will get very angry, and once I get angry, I go crazy, and when I go crazy, it''s terrifying! Do you understand?" The Armed Police officer was about to cry, with Hao Jian spelling it out so clearly, how could he possibly not understand? The Armed Police officers were so angry that their noses were almost crooked, when had they ever suffered such humiliation? And what about this guy, being arrested and still so arrogant, does he think this is an arrest, or does he think he''s going on vacation? The Armed Police officer then looked at Tian Baolei for help, who made a gesture with his eyes to tell him to bear with it for now. Because he knew that now was not the right time to start a conflict with Hao Jian, he should first ensure that they returned to base with Hao Jian smoothly. And once back, they would have plenty of ways to deal with Hao Jian! Seeing Hao Jian''s shameless behavior, Tian Baolei also felt extremely annoyed, especially since Hao Jian dared to threaten him, he had already decided that he would make Hao Jian kneel down and beg for mercy after they got back! At this moment, the fat driver and Scarface also cast resentful glances at Hao Jian and his group, having been beaten by Hao Jian and Vivian, they naturally harbored resentment. Luckily, they had Tian Baolei backing them up now, and they couldn''t wait to see Tian Baolei take care of Hao Jian and Vivian and then watch as they knelt down and begged for mercy. About half an hour later, Hao Jian and Vivian were taken into the military compound. Once there, the Armed Police officers felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and they no longer felt as afraid of Hao Jian. "Get down!" Tian Baolei became arrogant as well, scolding Hao Jian and Vivian. "Don''t be so fierce, can''t you see there''s a young lady here? What if you scare her?" said Hao Jian in a rather annoyed tone. Scarface was ready to vomit blood upon hearing that, a young lady? Scared? Is this freak of a girl going to get scared? If she were so easily scared, he wouldn''t have been beaten up by her like this! "Enough talk, hurry up!" Tian Baolei roared with anger. He had had enough of Hao Jian''s antics and even one more glance at Hao Jian irritated him. Hao Jian sighed helplessly and was escorted by Tian Baolei and the others to a Solitary Confinement room. Hao Jian and Vivian were locked inside, and at this point, Vivian began to complain discontentedly, "So this is your strategy? To become an animal in a cage? Are you planning to kill your way out in a little while? That must be especially challenging for you, the God of Death of Death Island, right?" Hearing this, Hao Jian looked at Vivian with a smile, this woman actually knew he was the master of Death Island? He couldn''t recall having ever mentioned it to her. As Vivian noticed Hao Jian''s reaction, she also realized she had misspoken and quickly lowered her head guiltily. But after looking at Vivian for a while, Hao Jian stopped talking and started whistling to himself, appearing indifferent. This guy, he must not have noticed, right? Vivian reassured herself nervously. The atmosphere suddenly became very awkward, and Vivian didn''t know what to say anymore. Soon after, Tian Baolei walked in. Seeing Tian Baolei enter, Vivian was thrilled, at last, the awkwardness could be broken. "Wow, you''ve injured seven or eight people and brought a bunch of contraband. Do you know how many years just these things could get you sentenced to?" Tian Baolei started with an official tone, threatening Hao Jian right off the bat. But Hao Jian just yawned and said, "Come on, cut the crap, let your boss come see me instead!" "Fuck your mother!" Tian Baolei completely lost it. He had had enough before, and now, even within the military base, this guy dared to be so arrogant. Did he really think Tian wouldn''t dare touch him? "Do you really think I can''t handle you? I''m telling you, I have the authority to suspect you''re a terrorist. With just one report to my superiors, it won''t be long before I can have you executed by firing squad, understand?" Tian Baolei snorted coldly, wishing he could execute this arrogant fool right then and there. "I think you should investigate my identity before you talk like that," said Hao Jian, appearing completely unconcerned. "Oh? Are you trying to tell me you''re some big shot?" Tian Baolei sneered. If Hao Jian was really a big shot, why wouldn''t he have any bodyguards with him? "Eh, looks like you''ve noticed. Seems I do have the makings of someone privileged," Hao Jian said smugly. "Bang!" Tian Baolei slammed his fist on the table and then leaned in close to Hao Jian, glaring at him furiously, "Hao Jian, do you think you''re so funny? Do you believe that with just one word, I can make sure you never laugh again?" Chapter 719 - 720: Easy to Enter, Hard to Exit Hao Jian covered his nose and took a step back, responding to an unrelated question, "Can you stay away from me? Your breath stinks." "Fine, fine, fine... you just wait!" Tian Baolei''s last shred of rationality snapped. He had initially intended to be polite before resorting to force, but now that this guy was being so uncooperative, there was no need for him to hide anything anymore. After that, Tian Baolei got up and left the room. Soon, he came back with a group of Armed Police in tow. Each of these Armed Police officers was holding a stun baton or something similar, glaring menacingly at Hao Jian, a good dozen of them so many that they filled the entire room. In such a cramped space, even a ''Daluo Golden Immortal'' would have had no room to escape, let alone Hao Jian with his magical powers unable to unfold. And most importantly, Hao Jian was unarmed, while they all had weapons. There was no way he could be a match for them. "Still laughing now?" Tian Baolei watched Hao Jian with a sinister stare, looking somewhat triumphant. "Eggplant!" Hao Jian squeezed out a brilliant smile in response to Tian Baolei. "You son of a..." Tian Baolei felt like his lungs were about to explode with rage. How could this guy be so nerve-wrackingly calm in this situation? "I''m giving you one last chance. Give us a sum of money as a bargaining chip for negotiations, and we''ll call the whole matter off. Otherwise, you can wait to be shot!" Tian Baolei laid down his harsh threat, showing his true colors. "So that was your goal from the beginning," Hao Jian couldn''t help but sneer, looking at Tian Baolei with a smile: "But I think even if I gave you the money, you wouldn''t let us go. After all, we''re now considered terrorists. Capturing a terrorist is a great achievement that can help you get promoted and make a fortune. Would you give up such a good opportunity?" Hao Jian was no fool; he knew exactly what Tian Baolei was scheming, so he had no intention of agreeing to his demands. Tian Baolei''s brow furrowed, and he soon let out a cold laugh: "Seems like you''re quite smart, kid. Yes, I never intended to let you go. Even if you gave us money, you would still end up dead. But before you die, I want to teach you, who knows neither heaven nor earth, a lesson!" "Then bring it on, what are you waiting for? COME ON BABY, FU*K, ME!" Hao Jian burst out laughing. "****er!" Tian Baolei roared as if struck by thunder, completely losing his mind and grabbing a weapon to rush forward. "Go, Pikachu!" Hao Jian shouted and forcefully pushed Weiwei, while he himself jumped backward. Tian Baolei and his men were dumbfounded. Was Hao Jian shamelessly using a little girl as a human shield? Weiwei was fuming with anger to the point she felt like vomiting blood, hating Hao Jian enough to kill him. Pikachu? She was Pikachu? But having been pushed forward, Weiwei had no choice but to take action; after all, she had been holding back for a long time, decisively launching herself at Tian Baolei and his men. "Captain, what do we do?" some of the men asked Tian Baolei, as they were hesitant to strike a little girl. "Don''t let your guard down. They''re terrorists, hit them!" Tian Baolei replied decisively. No matter who Weiwei was, he would mark her as a terrorist. Capturing one could earn him a promotion, and capturing two would earn an even bigger one. So even if Weiwei really was just a little girl, he wouldn''t let her go. Blame Fortuna for following someone as unreliable as Hao Jian. Soon, Tian Baolei and his men paid for their arrogance, realizing that Weiwei was not simply a little girl. In just a few minutes, these Armed Police officers had all been knocked down by Tian Baolei, each one unable to move. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, you can''t even beat my underlings, and you want to fight me?" Hao Jian said, squatting in front of the prostrate Tian Baolei. "This is assaulting an officer; you''re going to pay for this!" Tian Baolei looked up and roared at Hao Jian, his eyes seething with resentment. "Pay? You''re already after my life, I''m about to die, why would I care about any consequences?" Hao Jian laughed, then patted Tian Baolei on the shoulder, "Even if I''m going to die, it doesn''t seem like such a bad deal if you guys are buried with me." sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At these words, Tian Baolei and his men were terrified, overwhelmed with fear of this mysterious man. Hao Jian stood up, kicked one of the Armed Police, and said, "You, go get your top officer to come here, tell him Hao Jian is looking for him." "I... can I leave?" The Armed Police officer was overjoyed as he hurried out. Was this guy actually letting him go? "What, you don''t want to go now? No, no, no, I''m going right away, I''m leaving right now!" The officer jumped in fright and darted away. Who would choose death over living? This guy was a lunatic; he might actually dare to kill. The other Armed Police were green with envy; they all wanted to leave, but without a word from Hao Jian, they dared not move. Then, after a few minutes, a middle-aged man burst into the room with a group of gun-wielding Armed Police. There were reports of trouble within the military compound, and as the director, he naturally couldn''t ignore it. And as soon as the director walked in, Tian Baolei was elated, exclaiming, "Uncle, save me!" This man was none other than Tian Baolei''s uncle, who had consistently protected him, which was why he could act recklessly outside. "Look at the mess you''ve made!" Tian Fuyuan scolded angrily. He didn''t actually like Tian Baolei that much, because Tian Baolei kept causing trouble and he had lost count of how many times he had to clean up after him. But since Tian Baolei was his nephew, he had no choice but to cover for him time and again. And now with such a huge incident, a single person had taken down more than a dozen soldiers. If word got out, how could their Armed Police save face? Tian Baolei hung his head in guilt but then seemed to think of something and said, "Uncle, they''re terrorists. If we report this, we''ll have made a great contribution!" The credit should have been his, but now Tian Baolei could only offer it up to Tian Fuyuan. Being alive was better than anything. "Really?" Tian Fuyuan was shocked at heart. If these were indeed terrorists, then it indeed would be a great achievement. "Really, this guy has a case full of various hot weapons on him. What is he if not a terrorist?" Tian Baolei said hastily. Upon hearing this, Tian Fuyuan almost believed it and a broad smile appeared on his face. Immediately after, Tian Fuyuan stared at Hao Jian, "Kid, just surrender. We don''t want to kill you!" "You don''t want to kill us, or you don''t want to kill us now?" Hao Jian sneered. How could Tian Fuyuan kill them now and still claim the credit? Tian Fuyuan couldn''t help but show surprise. This kid was smarter than he had expected. "If you''re willing to surrender, I can plead for mercy from my superiors. Maybe you won''t have to die. But if you refuse, you will definitely die!" Tian Fuyuan stated coldly. "I said I''ll only talk to your leader. You, a mere director, aren''t qualified to speak with me." Hao Jian said disdainfully. Tian Fuyuan might hold a high position in others'' eyes, but in his, he was insignificant. "You''re courting death!" Tian Fuyuan huffed, and then the Armed Police behind him all raised their guns, aiming at Hao Jian. "Although I can''t kill you now, I can still cripple you! I''d advise you not to ask for trouble," Tian Fuyuan threatened coldly. Hao Jian was unarmed, how could he fight them? "Is that so?" Hao Jian smiled, then pulled a hand grenade from his chest and yanked the pin. Seeing this, the faces of Tian Baolei, Tian Fuyuan, and the others turned green; this guy actually had a hand grenade? In such a confined space, the grenade''s power was enough to kill all of them. "Come on, let''s hurt each other!" Hao Jian taunted. At this moment, Tian Fuyuan couldn''t help casting a murderous look at Tian Baolei, almost going mad with rage. This jerk had neglected to frisk this guy before bringing him back. What he didn''t know was that it wasn''t Tian Baolei''s reluctance to search him but his fear. Moreover, Tian Baolei hadn''t expected Hao Jian would casually carry a hand grenade around. Wasn''t he afraid of accidentally setting it off? This bastard was insane! Under Tian Fuyuan''s piercing gaze, Tian Baolei also bowed his head, not daring to meet Tian Fuyuan''s eyes. "Retreat!" Tian Fuyuan couldn''t help but roar. If they didn''t get out now, it meant death, and he didn''t want to be buried with Tian Baolei. But upon hearing this, Tian Baolei and his underlings despaired. Even Tian Fuyuan didn''t care about them anymore. Who else could save them? "Retreat? Easy to come in, but hard to leave. If you dare go out, I''ll immediately detonate the grenade." Hao Jian now held the spoon of the grenade; just one release of his grip, and it would explode instantly. "What exactly do you want?" Tian Fuyuan asked with an ugly expression. The feeling of being at someone''s mercy was unbearable, but there was nothing he could do, was there? The man had grasped their lifeline after all. "I said, call your leader here, I want to see him," Hao Jian stated. "Alright!" Tian Fuyuan, having no other option, agreed to call his own leader. He then turned to someone and said, "Make the call immediately!" "Remember, be quick. My hand''s getting sore from gripping this grenade, and if it gets too sore, I will still throw it away!" Tian Fuyuan was so furious he could spit blood, wishing he could pounce on Hao Jian and bite him several times. "I got it," Tian Fuyuan said, his face looking terrible. Another minute passed, and a portly middle-aged man around fifty walked in, but as soon as he entered, he went straight for Hao Jian. "Elder Yan, be careful. He is a terrorist, and he has a hand grenade!" Tian Fuyuan warned anxiously, but it was as if Elder Yan hadn''t heard him and went directly to Hao Jian. Chapter 720 - 721: The Mother of Brothers But Elder Yan seemed as if he hadn''t heard Tian Fuyuan''s words at all, and walked up to Hao Jian, then bowed directly to him, "Mr. Hao Jian!" Seeing this, Tian Fuyuan and others were petrified on the spot. The top leader of their unit was actually bowing to this terrorist? Could it be that he wasn''t a terrorist? Elder Yan had hurried over immediately after hearing the report. Now, Hao Jian was the talk of Huaxia and was said to be returning to Dragon Tooth. How could he not know about such a major figure? Now that Hao Jian''s true identity had been revealed, all parties had begun paying attention to him. How could Elder Yan''s local unit possibly contend with Dragon Tooth? So knowing that his people had clashed with Hao Jian, he was startled and hurried over so quickly that he ran through several red lights without a care. Tian Baolei and Tian Fuyuan suddenly turned to stone, both harboring an ominous premonition that this time they might have caused trouble. "Are you the leader of this unit?" Hao Jian reinserted the pin back into the Hand Grenade, looking at Elder Yan indifferently. "I am." Elder Yan bowed his head, looking quite uneasy. Seeing Elder Yan like this, Tian Baolei and Tian Fuyuan shivered uncontrollably as if they had caught a cold. What status did Elder Yan have to be so submissive to a young man? "Do you know the consequences of improper military management?" Hao Jian asked with a cold smile. "Why would you say that, Mr. Hao Jian?" Elder Yan was stunned, not understanding how he had mismanaged. Hao Jian suddenly pointed at Tian Baolei, "Your subordinate has been involved with loafers from the society, facilitating criminal gangs, helping them to extort money from travelers for profit." When Hao Jian pointed at him, Tian Baolei''s face immediately turned pale, and his heart sank, knowing he was doomed. "And him, providing shelter for his nephew, enabling him to avoid legal sanction. These two, like malignant tumors, are utterly wrong. And you, as the head of this unit, claim ignorance? Do you still think there is no problem?" Hao Jian pointed again towards Tian Fuyuan with a cold huff. Tian Fuyuan, too, bore a face of fear and unease similar to Tian Baolei. In his heart, he had already cursed Tian Baolei a thousand times. Just what sort of existence had Tian Baolei provoked this time? Now they were done for, and even if Tian Baolei died, he was unlucky enough to be dragged into it. Upon hearing this, Elder Yan''s gaze turned as sharp as a Viper''s, staring venomously at Tian Baolei and Tian Fuyuan, his eyes almost bulging out. The hatred he felt! Tian Baolei and Tian Fuyuan had dared to behave so recklessly in his jurisdiction? If Hao Jian reported this, his official career would be over. Instantly, Elder Yan''s face darkened, and he huffed coldly, "Mr. Hao Jian, don''t worry, I will give you a satisfactory response!" "Oh? I wonder how you will give me a satisfactory response!" Yet Hao Jian also laughed, insisting that Elder Yan explain himself immediately. Elder Yan understood Hao Jian''s implication and said coldly, "Take these two away, and send them to the military court tomorrow!" Hearing this, Tian Baolei and Tian Fuyuan were on the verge of crying. They begged Hao Jian urgently, "Mr. Hao Jian, we know we were wrong, we failed to recognize a superior person, please give us another chance. We will mend our ways and never dare again!" But Hao Jian did not heed them, making it clear he had no intention of letting them off. These two before him were simply cancers, a disgrace to Huaxia, and could not be tolerated! To send them to a military court was already to let them off easy; given Hao Jian''s character, killing them would have taken but a moment. "Take them away!" ordered Elder Yan with an icy face. Then, Tian Baolei and Tian Fuyuan were taken away, crying and shouting, to the military court. They would be imprisoned for at least ten years, and with Elder Yan pushing for it, twenty years would be a mere trifle. And now that Elder Yan despised them so much, he certainly would not let them off lightly. "Mr. Hao Jian, such an incident indeed reflects my dereliction of duty. I will engage in profound self-reflection and hope that you can forgive me!" Elder Yan once again bowed deeply to Hao Jian. "That will be all then, show me out!" said Hao Jian indifferently, not wishing to continue reproaching Elder Yan. It was because Elder Yan was also unaware of his subordinates'' misdeeds; had he known and still condoned it, Hao Jian would have never let him off. But since he was unaware, it wasn''t unforgivable, And he also believed that after this incident, Elder Yan would certainly change his ways. Afterward, Elder Yan escorted Hao Jian and Vivian out. At that moment, the portly driver and Scarface were waiting at the entrance of the base, ready for Tian Baolei to signal them with good news, telling them Hao Jian''s fate. But what they saw was Hao Jian walking out under the escort of a group of Armed Police, and those protectors bowed and scraped to him with the utmost respect; they were immediately dumbfounded. "Just tell them the incident occurred, so Scarface didn''t care about his ''aching balls'' and took off running." Hao Jian, however, had already noticed them, and he yelled, "Catch them!" Elder Yan immediately gave a meaningful glance to his men, and more than a dozen Armed Police charged at once, apprehending Scarface and the fat driver and bringing them back. "These two men are members of the criminal gang protected by Tian Baolei, I leave them to you!" Hao Jian told Elder Yan. "Don''t worry, I know what to do," Elder Yan respectfully nodded his head. Upon hearing this, both the fat driver and Scarface despaired. They knew Hao Jian was of no ordinary status, but they hadn''t expected him to be this terrifying. They had been taken back to the unit by Tian Baolei, but then Tian Baolei disappeared, and now this kid walked out with leaders in tow, as bold as brass; what had happened was clear without saying. And they both knew exactly how Hao Jian would deal with them. ...... After such twists and turns, Hao Jian and Vivian finally reached Vivian''s grandmother''s residence, escorted in Elder Yan''s official car. "Mr. Hao Jian, this is Elder Yan''s phone number. Elder Yan instructed me to tell you, if you ever run into any trouble, you must inform him immediately, and he will surely help you resolve it." At this moment, Elder Yan''s secretary respectfully handed Hao Jian a business card. "I understand, please thank Elder Yan for me." Hao Jian said indifferently, then took Elder Yan''s business card, naturally not refusing his favor. The residence was a dilapidated old mansion, so ruined it was almost unrecognizable. Due to years of neglect, cracks riddled the walls, now overtaken by moss. Hao Jian and Vivian were about to enter the courtyard when they heard cursing from inside. "You old thing, I''m asking you one more time, are you freaking moving or not?" bellowed a harsh male voice. "I can''t move, I can''t move. If I move, my son won''t be able to find me when he comes back," an old woman pleaded from inside. "Please, just give me a few more days, as soon as my son returns, I will move immediately." From this voice, both Hao Jian and Vivian could easily guess that the old woman was Vivian''s grandmother. Hearing this conversation, a chill spread across the faces of Hao Jian and Vivian. Clearly, in Xueci''s absence, the old lady had suffered greatly. Now, she was even facing eviction. Then, Vivian and Hao Jian quickly stepped into the courtyard, only to see a shabbily-dressed old lady grappling with a smartly dressed man in glasses, while several burly men beside him, wielding clubs and hammers, recklessly smashed and hammered inside the old lady''s house. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "A few more days'' grace? Your son hasn''t been back for who knows how long, he''s probably long dead out there. Wait for him to return? Can you even wait that long?" the man in glasses said spitefully, giving the old woman a kick and pushing her away. "You''re talking nonsense, my son is still alive, he''s abroad making big money, he''s doing really well. He''s just been too busy recently, and as soon as he''s earned enough, he''ll definitely come back for me," the old lady retorted angrily, clearly upset by what the man in glasses said about her son. "To hell with you! Old thing, if you spout nonsense again, I''ll freaking kill you!" The man in glasses threatened viciously, his demeanor clashing horribly with his scholarly appearance¡ªa perfect example of a wolf in sheep''s clothing. Seeing the man in glasses behave this way, a cold murderous intent emerged in Vivian''s sapphire-like eyes. "Smash it!" the man in glasses ordered his thugs while sneering, "I''ll have everything of yours smashed to bits, and then I''ll see how you''ll survive!" "Don''t smash, don''t smash, those things belong to Zhijun, don''t touch them!" the old lady hurried forward to intervene. "Get lost!" But the thugs didn''t take her seriously at all and simply pushed her aside. Crack! Just then, a photo frame was thrown to the ground, shattering instantly, and a man stepped on the photo inside. "Zhijun, my Zhijun, get away! Don''t touch my Zhijun!" The old lady lunged forward, wrapping her hands around the man''s foot, trying to get him to lift it from her son''s photo. At that moment, the old lady was crying desolately, filled with a sense of helplessness. The photo was now her only solace, the only thing she couldn''t give up. Seeing this, Hao Jian suddenly felt a pang of heartache. Had he known it would come to this, he should have come to see the old lady sooner, so she wouldn''t have had to suffer so much. Having lost her son, the old lady''s life was already terribly sad, having nothing but a photo to remember her son by, which pained Hao Jian deeply. All along, due to guilt, Hao Jian had not had the face to meet the family of Xueci, and he had dared not meet the old lady because he felt that Xueci''s death was his fault. If it weren''t for him pulling Xueci away from the Assassins Alliance, perhaps Xueci wouldn''t have died at all. But looking at it now, his cowardice back then was truly foolish to the extreme, causing the old lady to suffer such treatment for no reason. Chapter 721 - 722: Rage "Old thing, I think you''re asking for death!" The man with glasses went straight up to her and kicked her, once again toppling the old lady to the ground. "Die!" Vivian shouted, ready to pounce, but was held back by Hao Jian. "Let me go!" Vivian''s eyes were split with rage, blood-red with fury. She had gone mad¡ªthis was her grandmother, the only family she had. Yet, she had to watch her being humiliated like this. How could Vivian not be filled with resentment? "You want to kill them, don''t you?" Hao Jian asked coldly. "So what if I do? Don''t they deserve to die?" Vivian''s brows furrowed, her face etched with killing intent. Then, as if she had thought of something, she sneered, "Of course, it''s not your grandmother, so you don''t care." "They deserve to die, but you shouldn''t be the one to kill them. Do you want your grandma to see her granddaughter with blood on her hands?" Hao Jian spoke sternly. He knew Vivian was very angry, so even though she spoke to him like that, he didn''t take it to heart. Did Hao Jian not care? How could he not? Xueci was his best brother, who died trying to save him. And now, his best friend''s mother was being bullied like this. It was all because of his previous indecision that led to this situation. Hao Jian not care? Damn it, he cared so much that the person he wanted to kill most right now was not the man with glasses and his gang, but himself!!! And he, filled with such intense anger, had to still calm Vivian down, to prevent her from killing in front of her grandmother, to prevent her grandmother from thinking she was a murderous felon. Hearing this, Vivian was momentarily stunned, falling into silence. "Leave it to me! I will make them pay a price worse than death!" Hao Jian promised Vivian with a sharp look in his eyes. Vivian gave Hao Jian a profound look, her tensed body finally relaxing quite a bit, evidently following Hao Jian''s command, no longer impulsive. "Thank you..." Hao Jian sighed and then ran towards those people. His speed was incredibly fast, and in an instant he was upon the man with glasses and his gang. Without any superfluous words, his foot flew into the air with a kick. "Bang!" Hao Jian''s kick landed on the back of one of the thugs, sending him flying forward like an arrow released from a bow, spitting blood mid-air. Hao Jian''s kick showed no mercy, instantly fatal! The thug''s body flew out, hitting the man with glasses and the others on the way. The group of them were instantly knocked over, all dizzy and bruised to various degrees. And the man with glasses and his gang were all dumbstruck, seemingly never expecting someone to suddenly appear and disrupt their plan. "Kid, who the hell are you?" the man with glasses roared furiously, clearly mad. Who was this, daring to lay hands on them? "The one who''s going to take your lives!" Hao Jian said ominously, his eyes filled with an intent to kill. In his view, these people all deserved to die! "Fuck, screw you!" the man with glasses was thoroughly provoked and barked orders at his thugs. "Achang, Achang seems like he''s dead..." At this moment, one of the thugs discovered that the one Hao Jian had kicked was lying on the ground, eyes open but lifeless. The thugs were terrified. Hao Jian had actually kicked a man to death with just one blow. "You..." The face of the man with glasses was filled with shock. The once arrogant man wilted upon seeing the dead body. This guy came and killed someone just like that? When Hao Jian called himself "the one who''s going to take your lives," the man with glasses thought it was just a threat, but he never expected Hao Jian to actually kill. "Why bully an old lady?" Hao Jian asked coldly, ignoring their shock. The man with glasses and others didn''t dare to make a sound, now terrified by Hao Jian, this "Murder God." "Speak!" Hao Jian bellowed like thunder, his voice carrying an endless murderous aura that sent chills down the spine. "Big brother, this isn''t our fault, really! This was all our boss''s idea. Our boss wanted to tear down this place to build a commercial center, but all the residents agreed except for this old lady. So our boss ordered us to drive her out. Brother, we had no choice, we didn''t want to bully the old lady, our boss forced us to do this," the man with glasses said, having been frightened by Hao Jian''s ferocity, hastily shirking responsibility. "Where is your boss?" Hao Jian said in a deep voice, determined to dig out the mastermind behind the scenes as well. "Zhenhua International, it''s well-known. Just ask around and you''ll find out. His office is on the third floor, his name is Fu Chuntai," the man with glasses quickly answered, not daring to hide anything. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian noted the name and then glared at the man with glasses and his gang, "Do you want to live?" The man with glasses and the others nodded like pecking chickens, looking at Hao Jian with pleading eyes. "Break one of your own legs, then get lost!" Hao Jian said with a deadly look on his face. "This..." The man with glasses and his gang suddenly looked downcast. Breaking a leg would mean becoming disabled, and they couldn''t bring themselves to do it. "If you don''t do it, then die here," Hao Jian said indifferently, offering no chance for them to plead. How dare they bully his brother''s mother? That was a sign of disrespect towards him, and there was no excuse for it. These guys had to pay the price! Upon hearing this, the men with the glasses couldn''t help but shiver, feeling extremely uneasy. After a moment of hesitation, the man with the glasses gritted his teeth and said, "Let''s do it. A broken leg is better than being dead." The thugs all sighed, and then one of them went to find a stick, for they were all too afraid to do it themselves, so they had to ask each other to take turns. Soon, the courtyard was filled with the sound of screaming. "Auntie, are you okay?" After chasing away the man with glasses, Hao Jian hurried over to help the old lady. "Zhijun, Zhijun, you finally came back. Mom missed you so much." Unexpectedly, the old lady came forward, grabbed Hao Jian''s hand, and refused to let go. Hao Jian and Vivian were stunned on the spot. The old lady had mistaken Hao Jian for Sun Zhijun? "Old Wang from next door kept saying you wouldn''t come back, said you didn''t want me anymore. I knew you couldn''t possibly not want your mom. Now you''re back, aren''t you? Later, I have to give Old Wang a good telling-off, let him underestimate my son." The old lady held onto Hao Jian''s hand, going on and on about it. "Auntie, actually I''m not..." Hao Jian tried to explain, but at that moment Vivian gave him a warning look, signaling for Hao Jian to keep quiet. "Ah!" Hao Jian exclaimed in pain and then glared at Vivian: "What are you doing?" "My grandma seems to have dementia now, mistaking you for my dad. Do you really want to tell her about my dad''s death? Do you think she could handle it now?" Vivian whispered to Hao Jian. "So what do we do now?" Hao Jian was at a loss. "What else can we do? Just pretend to be my dad for now. Didn''t you say you were my dad''s good friend? Can''t you help out with this little favor?" Vivian said, annoyed. "But how long can I keep this up?" Hao Jian was at a loss for words. He couldn''t keep pretending to be someone''s son forever, right? "We''ll take grandma to see a doctor tomorrow. Once she''s better and her mind is clearer, we''ll tell her the truth." Vivian said. Hao Jian thought for a moment and then nodded, "Alright then." At this point, the old lady hastily pulled Hao Jian over and whispered, "Zhijun, who is this foreign girl?" Vivian couldn''t help but give a wry smile; the old lady had mistaken Hao Jian for her son but didn''t recognize her own granddaughter. But it made sense, since Vivian had never met the old lady. "Auntie... no, I mean, Mom?" Hao Jian was about to call her "auntie" but received a murderous glance from Vivian, which made him quickly correct himself. "Mom, her name is Vivian, she''s your granddaughter." Hao Jian explained to the old lady. "Granddaughter? But she''s a foreign girl!" The old lady said in astonishment. "Well, I had a child with a foreign girl, and Vivian isn''t a foreign girl, she''s mixed-race." Hao Jian explained. "Where is the child''s mother?" the old lady asked. "Divorced!" Hao Jian blurted out. "What? Divorced? Why did you divorce?" The old lady was shocked and said, "Zhijun, did you do something to wrong your wife?" Vivian stepped hard on Hao Jian''s foot again, causing Hao Jian to contort his face in pain before he explained, "No, I wanted to come back to Huaxia, and she didn''t want to, so we had no choice but to divorce." The old lady nodded, seeming to believe Hao Jian''s explanation, "Then I can''t blame you. I''ve told you before, their way of thinking is different from ours, Huaxia people. You shouldn''t have married a foreign girl!" "I won''t, I won''t marry one in the future!" Hao Jian nodded repeatedly in agreement. "Come here, let grandma take a good look at my precious granddaughter!" The old lady said affectionately as she took Vivian''s hand, looking very kind and friendly. Vivian felt a bit restrained as she had never been this close to anyone before, being an assassin. "What''s your name, dear?" The old lady asked with a smile, "This girl, so beautiful, just like our Sun family." Vivian, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, repeated once again, "Grandma, my name is Vivian!" "Vivian? What an awful name. Did your dad or mom pick it for you?" The old lady immediately looked displeased, as if she found the name distasteful. "I guess my mom did." Vivian wasn''t sure herself; she only knew her name was Vivian and didn''t know who had given it to her. "We are Huaxia people; we should have Huaxia names. How about this: what if I give you a new name?" The old lady suggested. "Sure!" Vivian was pleased at heart; she had always wanted a Huaxia name but never knew what to choose. Now that grandmother was offering to name her, she felt very warm inside. Chapter 722 - 723: Just Call Her Sweetie "Then let''s call her Sweetie Sun," the old lady said with a smile. Vivian''s smile instantly collapsed, and she somewhat regretted agreeing to the old lady''s request, forcing a smile as she said, "Grandma, I actually think the name Vivian is quite nice." "Nice? I still think Sweetie Sun sounds better," Hao Jian chimed in with a smirk, looking thoroughly unscrupulous. "You shut up!" Vivian snapped furiously. This jerk, was he intentionally making trouble for her? "Sweetie, how can you talk to your dad like that? You have no manners!" the old lady immediately scolded Vivian. Vivian felt like crying on the spot, lamenting in her heart: Grandma, I''m your real granddaughter, and please don''t call me Sweetie without my consent. "Yeah, Sweetie, didn''t I teach you to respect your elders when we were abroad?" Hao Jian added with a tone implying a profound lesson. Vivian felt so annoyed she was itching for a fight, but she was unable to lash out. "Elder Yan, let''s leave, we won''t stay here. I''ve made a lot of money and bought a big house; let''s go live in the big house," Hao Jian told the old lady, as the place was now in shambles and no longer fit for living. "Really? I always knew my son was capable," the old lady said happily, but then she noticed the person Hao Jian had killed: "Why is this person lying here? Isn''t he going to catch cold?" "He''s tired, so he wanted to take a nap, and just fell asleep here," Hao Jian bluffed. "But this is our home, how can he sleep at our place?" the old lady complained. "It''s fine, he''ll leave once he wakes up, don''t worry about him." With that, Hao Jian began to hustle Elder Yan out the door. Watching Hao Jian and Elder Yan leave, a vengeful glint flickered in Vivian''s eyes. Although Hao Jian had resolved the problem with the bespectacled men for her, teaching them a lesson, if it weren''t for Hao Jian killing her father, would her grandmother have had to suffer such humiliation and disrespect? It was all Hao Jian''s fault~! ..... Before leaving, Hao Jian made a call to Elder Yan to take care of the body. Even Hao Jian hadn''t expected to need Elder Yan''s help so quickly. That night, Hao Jian rented a five-star hotel room and booked a presidential suite; then he went out to buy clothes for the old lady. Because the old lady was wearing clothes that were far too shabby, with patches all over them, she looked just like a beggar. They arrived at a mall, and Hao Jian took Elder Yan straight into a boutique within the mall. "Aya, we have customers," the cashier called to a sales associate standing next to her upon seeing Hao Jian and company come in. Aya quickly turned around, thinking a sale was coming her way, but upon seeing Hao Jian''s group in rags, and the old lady even in patched clothing, her eyes couldn''t help but show a hint of contempt. Clearly, she didn''t think these folks were really there to shop¡ªif they were there to buy clothes, how could they be dressed so tattered? They looked just like beggars. "So unlucky, a bunch of paupers came in," Aya complained discontentedly. "No matter what, they''re still customers; go on and attend to them," the cashier urged. "What customers, look at the rags these paupers are wearing. How could they afford the clothes in our store? They must be beggars from who knows where, probably walked into the wrong store," Aya didn''t want to approach, for in her eyes, it would be a waste of time¡ªthese people certainly couldn''t afford anything, and they would probably be scared off once they saw the price tags in their store. Vivian, with her keen hearing, and Hao Jian naturally overheard the conversation. Vivian''s explosive temper made it impossible for her to hold back; she wanted to teach Aya a lesson. She had always been somewhat cynical, perhaps related to her background. But Hao Jian stopped her while still rolling his eyes, "Why are you always so impulsive? You''re going to live with your grandma in the future. How many worries are you going to cause the old lady if you tear into people at the slightest disagreement?" "What should I do then?" Vivian froze. "Hold back, what else?" said Hao Jian. "But I don''t want to hold back!" Vivian stubbornly replied. "If you want to take care of your grandma, you have to endure!" Hao Jian said sternly. "I know you''re not afraid of death, so you''ve got nothing to worry about, but being fearless in the face of death is no big deal. The real skill is to dare to live well!" Life was never easy, and if everyone retaliated every time they were aggrieved, the world would have descended into chaos long ago. Even someone like Hao Jian, in all his current glory, occasionally had to endure things, like right now, there was absolutely no need to get into a conflict with this salesperson. Because even if a conflict did arise, in the end, it would be meaningless. If you could tolerate the sarcastic remarks thrown at you, you should do so as much as possible. Why stoop to the level of an idiot just because someone else is one? At this moment, Hao Jian was like Vivian''s father, beginning to impart life lessons to her. Vivian, being young and never having been exposed to such ideas, had developed such an extreme attitude. Hao Jian didn''t want her to continue down the wrong path. One could imagine how complex Vivian''s feelings were at that time because what she had learned from childhood was straightforward: if something doesn''t fit, just get rid of it with your hands. In her mind, there was no right or wrong; she acted purely on her own likes and dislikes, sparing those she liked and eliminating those she didn''t. Vivian''s expression changed for a moment, but she ultimately didn''t continue her outburst. "Zhijun, let''s just leave, these clothes are so expensive, a single piece costs thousands, these don''t seem like clothes at all, could they be lined with gold? Even if we are rich, we can''t spend money like this, let''s hurry and go!" The elderly lady glanced at the price and was instantly frightened, a piece of clothing actually cost fifteen hundred yuan, was this not too extravagant? "See, I told you, they took one look and they want to leave, all a bunch of penniless people." Hearing what the elderly lady said, the sarcastic smile on Aya''s face grew even more pronounced. But Hao Jian and the others ignored her, and Hao Jian said to the elderly lady, "It''s fine, I made big money overseas, this is nothing to me." "You can really talk big! Made big money overseas yet can''t even afford decent clothes? Your mom still looks like a beggar. This act you''re putting on is quite something, I bet if you bought that one piece of clothing, you''d be heartbroken for several days," Aya continued to mock, obviously having heard Hao Jian''s words. Though she didn''t speak loudly, how could she have kept it from Vivian and Hao Jian? Vivian''s face turned cold, but she was also infuriated. Next to her, Hao Jian''s brow furrowed deeply, and a look of displeasure appeared on his face. He didn''t want to stoop to the salesperson''s level, but what did this endless provocation mean? "Keep your voice down," her companion couldn''t help but say to Aya. But Aya still didn''t think much of it, disgust evident in her demeanor, "Why haven''t they left yet? If other customers saw this, they might think our store is low-level." "But isn''t this way too expensive?" Meanwhile, the elderly lady was still hesitant. "No worries, go ahead and pick," Hao Jian said to the elderly lady. The elderly lady couldn''t argue with Hao Jian and reluctantly began to choose clothing, still gravitating towards the cheaper options. Accustomed to frugality, a thousand yuan could cover two to three months of her food expenses; spending so much on a single piece of clothing was hard for her to accept. "Don''t touch it if you''re not buying, don''t dirty the clothes, they are very expensive in our store," Aya finally couldn''t resist scolding Hao Jian and the others. Seeing the elderly lady''s dirty hands groping the clothes, she felt disgusted. Being reprimanded in such a way, the elderly lady also showed a timid expression and said to Hao Jian, "Zhijun, I think we better leave." Upon hearing this, Hao Jian''s face instantly turned angry, and he walked over to the saleslady, snapping, "What did you just say?" "I said for you to go buy clothes at another store. The clothes in our store are expensive; you can''t afford them, and don''t dirty them, otherwise we''ll have to deal with it ourselves," Aya said with a look of disdain. "Can''t afford? It''s just a piece of clothing, you think I can''t afford it?" Hao Jian was amused and angry at the woman''s comment. "If you were really that rich, would you dress so poorly? I''ve seen plenty of guys like you, no money but pretending to be big shots, puffing up your face to look like a Fatty, just scram!" Aya said unkindly, actually shooing the customers away. "Zhijun, let''s go. Mom doesn''t need new clothes anymore, what I''m wearing is still fine, there''s no need to buy," the elderly lady hurriedly came up to pull Hao Jian, not wanting him to get into a conflict with the saleslady. "Watch the elderly lady," Hao Jian said to Vivian. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Vivian held onto the elderly lady, telling her not to speak, leaving the matter to Hao Jian to handle. "Call your manager over!" Hao Jian said coldly, he really didn''t want to bully such small fry, but since the other party was so unappreciative, he couldn''t be blamed for what came next. "Our manager is very busy, no time to deal with you," Aya snorted. "Are you not going to call? If not, then I''ll give you a beating right now!" Hao Jian gestured with his fists, threatening Aya. "You!" Seeing Hao Jian like this, Aya was frightened, then glared at him fiercely, "You just wait!" Immediately after, Aya went to find her manager, and soon brought out a middle-aged woman, pointing at Hao Jian and saying, "Manager, this is the guy causing trouble!" The manager looked Hao Jian up and down with a disdainful expression, as she too could tell that there were no brand names on him. But just as she was about to look away, she suddenly noticed Hao Jian''s wrist and inhaled sharply. She realized that Hao Jian was wearing a watch on his wrist. If she wasn''t mistaken, that had to be the latest Vacheron Constantin watch, worth millions! Chapter 723 - 724: Face Trampling Suddenly, the store manager''s expression became extremely respectful, and she approached him, "Sir, may I ask what I can help you with?" Seeing the store manager being so respectful, Aya couldn''t help but disdainfully curl her lip. Just a poor wretch, was all that necessary? "One of your sales associates insulted me by saying I couldn''t afford a single piece of clothing; I would like to know by what standards you judge whether a customer can afford clothes or not. If you can''t give me a satisfying answer today, perhaps I should invite some reporters to interview your store." Hao Jian answered expressionlessly. At those words, the store manager was instantly alarmed. A person who could wear a watch worth tens of millions, how could they not afford clothes from their store? Their clothing was indeed pricey and a foreign brand, but it wasn''t considered top-tier luxury. Logically, Hao Jian should look down on their brand. It would be their fortune to catch his eye, but it could end up offending such an influential figure due to one sales associate''s foolishness. If he really made a fuss and spent some money to have journalists write nonsense about it, the store''s reputation would be utterly ruined. When the higher-ups investigated, she would not be able to escape blame either. Thinking this, she felt some anger rising and glared at Aya, "Aya, apologize to this gentleman immediately!" "What? Manager, are you kidding?" Aya couldn''t believe it. The manager was actually asking her to apologize to these paupers? If it had been before, the manager indeed wouldn''t have said much to her, but unfortunately, Aya lacked the vision to see that Hao Jian was an extremely wealthy tycoon and thus offended her. In that case, the manager could no longer protect her. "Hurry up! Where is your professional ethic when you insult a customer?" the manager rebuked angrily. "But I didn''t say anything wrong! Aren''t they just dead poor?" Aya insisted stubbornly, annoyed inside, not understanding why the manager was making such a big fuss. "Dead poor?" The store manager let out a cold laugh. "The watch on this gentleman''s wrist alone is worth your lifetime''s effort¡ªa Vacheron Constantin latest model, ten million each. Such a person is poor to you?" "What?" Aya''s face changed dramatically. Hao Jian''s watch was worth ten million, but he looked so shabby. "Impossible. If he really were that rich, why would he be dressed so shabbily?" Aya couldn''t believe it and tried to argue further. "That''s low-key. The richer the person is, the more low-key they tend to be, you know nothing!" The manager chastised rudely. "How do you know that''s a Vacheron Constantin? Maybe you''re mistaken?" Aya still stubbornly argued, knowing that admitting Hao Jian was a rich man would not only humiliate her but also possibly get her fired. "Mistaken? You think I am like you?" The manager sneered in extreme anger. She was chosen as the store manager precisely because of her sharp insight into fashion. It was for this reason that she often read fashion magazines, to enhance her taste, and now Aya dared to question her observational skills? "That... that watch of his could also be fake, manager. Don''t be fooled by him!" Aya said anxiously, thinking of this possibility. Maybe Hao Jian''s watch was counterfeit to deceive them? Hearing this, Hao Jian couldn''t help but laugh coldly, pulling out a Black Card from his pocket: "Even if watches can be counterfeited, I don''t think Black Cards can be easily faked. You can try swiping it to see if this Black Card is real or not!" Seeing the Black Card Hao Jian produced, Aya was petrified on the spot. Of course, she knew what a Black Card was¡ªonly super-rich people had such things, which ordinary people couldn''t afford. "No need, I believe in your identity, sir," the store manager said, no need to verify anything. Hao Jian''s self-assured attitude had already said it all. "Since it''s proven that I can afford these clothes, then your store must give me an explanation. Why did you mock me? Is it a case of the store bullying the customer?" Hao Jian said expressionlessly. "If you don''t give me a reasonable explanation, then there''s no need for your store to stay open any longer. If you don''t believe it, just try and see!" "Aya, you don''t need to come to work tomorrow!" The store manager, naturally understanding what Hao Jian meant, directly scolded Aya with a cold face. "Manager, I..." Aya was immediately panicked. She had begged many people to land this good job, which paid quite a lot. She couldn''t bear to let it go. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "No need for words. If you have any explanations, give them to this gentleman," the manager turned her head away, not wanting to be implicated because of Aya. "Sir, I''m sorry, I was blind. Please be magnanimous and forgive me this once," Aya begged, her face about to cry, as she approached Hao Jian. "Kneel down and apologize to my mother!" Hao Jian ordered coldly. Such a snobbish woman deserved a lesson. Hesitating for a moment, Aya then knelt down humiliatingly and kowtowed to the old lady, her eyes reddening and her voice choked with sobs, "Old lady, I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have spoken to you that way. I won''t ever do it again, please let your son not fire me." The old lady was also shocked, but ultimately tender-hearted, and quickly helped Aya up: "It''s nothing, it''s nothing. As long as you know you''re wrong. The old lady doesn''t blame you!" Immediately, the old lady turned and looked at Hao Jian, "Zhijun, let it go, this young girl has also had a hard time, don''t make it difficult for her. She knows she was wrong now." The old lady was also very pleased in her heart, her son had indeed made something of himself, even being treated like a VIP when buying clothes and having the authority to fire anyone. Plus, didn''t that sales associate just mention that her son''s watch was ten million? How much money was that? "You should be grateful that the old lady pleaded for you today!" Hao Jian snorted coldly, then did not make things difficult for Aya anymore. Some people, they just need to have their faces thoroughly stepped on before they''re satisfied. "Are you not going to scram to the back?" The shop manager scolded without any kindness, telling Aya to beat it. At this moment, where would Aya dare to say half a no, hurriedly got up and left, heading towards the back. Then the shop manager personally chose clothes for the old lady, calling her "auntie" affectionately one moment after another. But when it came time to pay, it turned out that all the clothes and pants together actually cost tens of thousands of yuan. "Hello, sir, the total is seventy thousand yuan!" said the shop manager. "What? Seventy thousand yuan? That''s too expensive, I don''t want it." The old lady was immediately startled, shaking her head hurriedly, not wanting it anymore, that was too expensive, the thought of spending it was too distressing. Hao Jian immediately gave the shop manager a look, and the shop manager immediately understood, saying, "Ah, I read it wrong, it''s seven thousand yuan." "That''s what I thought, how could a few clothes possibly be so expensive, but seven thousand is still expensive," said the old lady. "Grandma, you don''t need to worry, my dad is rich, he doesn''t care about this little amount of money." Vivian said with a bitter smile. "Dad?" The shop manager was also stunned. Hao Jian looked to be in his early twenties, but Vivian was already sixteen or seventeen years old, and she was calling Hao Jian dad? Wasn''t that a bit exaggerated? Could it be that Hao Jian was doing that sort of thing when he was eight or nine years old? But though puzzled, she didn''t dare to ask more about it. "Well, okay then," the old lady finally agreed with some reluctance. After swiping the card, Hao Jian left the boutique with the old lady and the others. Before they left, the shop manager enthusiastically offered him a membership card. "Zhijun, your watch is worth ten million?" At that moment, the old lady was still staring at Hao Jian''s watch. Hao Jian, with a wry smile, knew the old lady was worried about the money, but with no choice, had to admit, "Indeed, it''s ten million." "You prodigal child, wouldn''t a watch of a few hundred yuan do? Why buy such an expensive one, burning money like you!" the old lady said angrily. Their family had always been in straitened circumstances, so they had always been frugal. So seeing Hao Jian spend so much money just on a watch was very painful for her. "Grandma, my dad is rich!" Vivian also consoled. "No matter how rich, you can''t spend money like that." "It''s for when he goes out to meet people, and when talking business with clients. If the watch you wear is too cheap, people will look down on you, then who would want to cooperate with you?" "Oh, I see. But you must not buy such an expensive watch again in the future," the old lady said, deciding not to say any more on the matter. "No more buying, never again," Hao Jian said, on the verge of tears. If he were to buy it again next time, wouldn''t he be scolded to death? Back at the hotel after making sure the old lady was asleep, Hao Jian then returned to his own room to prepare for bed. Passing by Vivian''s room, he glanced inside before continuing past and returning to his room. Meanwhile, Vivian, leaning against the door of her own room, was also straining her ears, listening. Only after hearing the sound of Hao Jian closing his door, did she finally leap up in body and spirit and jump out the window, agilely making her way down to the first floor. Little did she know, as she did all this, Hao Jian was watching her from his own room''s window, his eyes sparkling with sharpness, but he did not follow her, instead just watched her disappear into the Night Color............................................................................................ Chapter 724 - 725: The God-Killing Poison At this time, in a secluded park forest, a delicate woman sat on a bench, reading a book by the streetlight. It was deep into the night, and a woman reading here seemed very eerie. "Guys, look at that chick, she''s really hot, and she''s a foreigner too. What do you say? Should we make a move?" Just then, some loafers with no good intentions stared at the woman, their eyes filled with lewdness. They had been drinking and hadn''t expected to come across a foreign woman alone at this late hour, and they couldn''t help but entertain perverse thoughts. "What if she calls the police?" one of them worriedly said. "She probably won''t. Didn''t you see she''s a foreigner? Maybe she doesn''t even speak Chinese well, how would she call the police? Besides, it''s so dark, even if she did call the police, so what? Do they recognize us?" someone immediately retorted. Hearing this, a few others were tempted as well, swaying indecisively, seemingly hesitating whether or not to approach the foreign woman. "Let''s do it, quick, while there''s nobody around." Then, those young men approached her, one of them with a lecherous smile said, "Sweetheart, how about having some fun with us?" Catherine lifted her head and closed the book, a mysterious smile appearing at the corners of her mouth, and replied in Chinese, "Sure." Those young men were stunned, apparently not expecting the foreign woman to agree to their proposition so easily. Then, they all started to laugh wickedly¡ªin their minds, this foreign woman being alone here in the middle of the night must be looking to hook up with men. "What do you want to do?" Catherine asked with a smile. "It''s up to you, how do you want to play? One by one, or all of us together? ''Guanyin sitting on a lotus,'' ''Old man pushing a cart''¡ªwe know all the tricks, guaranteed to make you wish for heaven, wish for death," one man laughed out loud, his face full of depravity. "But I prefer playing the beheading game," Catherine''s lips curled into a gorgeous smile, her charming eyes captivating the men. "Beheading game? What''s that, a new trick?" the man asked in confusion, he had never heard of such a move before. "Come here, and I''ll tell you," Catherine beckoned to the man with a finger, the smile in her eyes growing thicker. "Alright." The man approached her smiling, ready to steal a kiss. Whoosh! At that moment, a cold glint suddenly appeared in the night, and the man''s head flew up in the air before falling down, rolling to the feet of his companions. Even in death, his face still bore that lecherous smile. "Ah?" The other men sobered up considerably at once, their companion had been killed in an instant; they could not help but be alert. They involuntarily stepped back in horror, warily watching Catherine, scared out of their wits. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Don''t leave, the game has just begun," Catherine also stood up, chuckling. "Ghost, a ghost!" Everyone started to scream, thinking they had encountered a murderous Gorgeous Ghost. When Vivian arrived at the park, she found several headless corpses lying on the ground, while Catherine was calmly sitting under the streetlight, as if nothing had happened, continuing to read her book. At that moment, Vivian frowned, feeling that Catherine was quite cruel. If it had been the day before, Vivian wouldn''t have given those corpses a second glance, but after Hao Jian had imparted some moral concepts to her yesterday, she had started to become more and more like a "person." Thus, seeing Catherine kill so many people made Vivian feel somewhat uncomfortable. However, Vivian ultimately refrained from asking any questions, but instead asked with fierce Killing Intent, "When do we start?" Although Hao Jian had done a lot for her and the old lady, this did not diminish Vivian''s hatred towards Hao Jian. On the contrary, it grew even stronger. The reason was simple: if it weren''t for Hao Jian, the old lady wouldn''t have ended up like this today¡ªthis was all Hao Jian''s fault. The more wretched and tortured the old lady was, the more Vivian hated Hao Jian. "We are already preparing; just wait a bit longer," Catherine said with a smile. "Wait? But I can''t wait any longer!" Vivian retorted irritably. Every time she saw Hao Jian, her hatred deepened by yet another degree. The thought of her father''s killer gallivanting in front of her, trying to act all saintly, filled her with uncontrollable hatred. The urgency of Vivian wanting to kill Hao Jian also stemmed from another reason: she felt that her thoughts were gradually being influenced by him. If this continued, she feared she would no longer be able to hate Hao Jian, so she must kill him immediately. Seeing Vivian''s deep hatred of Hao Jian brought a hint of pleasure to Catherine, who then reassured, "Don''t worry, I know you hate him. I''m hurrying the plans along to arrange everything as soon as possible, to send him to the Netherworld!" "During this time, please just delay a little longer, so he doesn''t get suspicious," Catherine said. Vivian snorted coldly, extremely dissatisfied in her heart, but even though she was unhappy, she knew that haste wouldn''t bring success, especially since the other party was the God of Death. "Here, take this and find an opportunity to make him drink it." Just then, Catherine handed Vivian a small bottle. "What is this?" Vivian asked in astonishment. "The K1-type god-killer poison, it''s specially prepared for the God of Death, hence the name ''god-killer.'' Find a chance to give it to him to drink. As long as he drinks it, our plan will be a success," Catherine said with a cold smile, her eyes flickering with malice. "You''re asking me to poison him?" Vivian was greatly shocked. "Without poison, we can''t kill him. Vivian, you don''t understand how powerful that man is. Even our king is no match for him. So we have to resort to poison!" Catherine explained. This had been her plan from the beginning because she knew that with strength alone, unless the four kings gathered, there was no way to kill Hao Jian. Although Vivian felt this was somewhat despicable, hearing Catherine put it that way, she could only nod and say, "I know what to do." "Good, furthermore, before the action starts, we should not meet again. To avoid exposure and drawing his attention. I will notify you in advance when the action begins. During this period, you must be careful," Catherine said with concern, and at the same time, she smoothed Vivian''s hair, "If anything goes wrong, leave immediately. Killing Hao Jian is important, but I care about you more." Upon hearing this, Vivian was also taken aback, seemingly not expecting Catherine to say such things, and was somewhat at a loss for a moment. "Alright, go back now, don''t let him get suspicious," Catherine said to Vivian. Vivian nodded and then turned to leave. And just at that moment, Catherine''s eyes flickered with a cold light, and then she too disappeared from the spot. ....... The next day, Hao Jian took the old lady to see a doctor, but the result was not what he had hoped for. "The old lady is suffering from natural decline due to aging, which is why she''s developed dementia," the doctor said. "Is there a way to cure it?" Hao Jian asked urgently. But the doctor shook his head and said, "It''s the natural order, unchangeable." In other words, the old lady was incurable. Dementia might not be deadly, but it was a terminal condition nonetheless. "What are you saying, you quack!" Vivian suddenly became furious, her eyes showing Killing Intent towards the doctor. This quack was actually saying her grandma had no hope? "What... what did you just say?" The doctor also got angry. What he said was the truth; the outcome would be the same at any other hospital. "Vivian, get out!" Hao Jian scolded her. "Hao Jian, what do you mean?" Vivian was immediately infuriated by Hao Jian''s scolding, as he was seemingly defending this quack doctor. Hao Jian looked up, his gaze deep and icy, and said deliberately, "I said, get out!" Vivian''s body shook, and she felt a chill, casting a deep look at Hao Jian before scoffing and walking out. "Doctor, don''t be angry. The young girl has a straightforward temper, so she offended you," Hao Jian began to smooth things over, and then started to chitchat with the doctor. After a while, Hao Jian walked out of the office, his face now extremely gloomy. Vivian, seeing Hao Jian coming out, snorted coldly and turned her head away, refusing to look at Hao Jian. "Come here, I have something to tell you," Hao Jian called out to Vivian. "What is it? There''s nothing to talk about!" Vivian said coldly, having no intention of paying attention to Hao Jian. "Don''t you want to know about your grandma''s condition?" Hao Jian asked. "This... Well, aren''t you going to tell me?" Vivian said irritably. Was this guy deliberately keeping her in suspense? "The doctor said that if your grandma had come here a year or two earlier, she might have been cured. But now she''s missed the best treatment stage, so there''s no way to cure her," Hao Jian explained, then added, "Knowing your dad''s character, it''s impossible that he wouldn''t give money for your grandma. And yet she''s living in such distress that she can''t even afford decent clothes. Don''t you find that strange?" Upon hearing this, Vivian was taken aback. That''s right, how could her dad not give money to her grandma? But if her grandma had money, why couldn''t she even afford decent clothes, or even get medical treatment? Hao Jian walked over to the old lady and asked tenderly, "Mom, didn''t I send you money every month? Where is it?" "Money... money..." The old lady scratched her head, as if trying to remember what had happened to the money, and said, "Ah, that''s right, I lent it to your cousin. He took my passbook and said he''d return it after a while. Don''t worry, he will definitely give it back." Upon hearing this, Vivian was shocked, then she realized something, her gaze sharpening. Chapter 725 - 726: The Person After Your Life "Do you remember when he took it away?" Hao Jian asked. "This... I don''t remember," the old lady shook her head. It was already remarkable that she could recall this incident, let alone the specific date. Immediately, Hao Jian turned to Vivian and said, "Your dad''s money was taken by your great-uncle. He took advantage of your grandmother''s dementia to deceive her and enjoy a life of luxury, while leaving the elderly woman with dementia alone. This man is very malicious and shameless!" "I want to kill him!" Vivian said fiercely, her eyes flashing dangerously, biting her teeth with hatred. The old lady was already in such a state, and yet they were still bullying her. You could say you took the money, but at the very least, take care of the old lady. Instead, you took her money and left her alone there; it''s despicable. If the old lady had money, perhaps she wouldn''t have had to live so meagerly. They were taking advantage of the old lady''s dementia, perhaps already forgetting the matter of borrowing her passbook, which is why they were so unscrupulous. This time, Hao Jian didn''t stop Vivian because the other party indeed deserved to die! "Old lady, do you remember what my cousin''s name is?" Hao Jian asked the old lady with a smile. "You child, how could you forget your cousin''s name? Your eldest cousin is Zhao Chuansong, two years older than you," the old lady said. "Do you remember where he lives?" Hao Jian asked again. "I really can''t remember that," the old lady shook her head and said, "What are you asking this for?" "I was thinking, now that I''m back, I want to visit him. Wouldn''t want people saying I lack manners, right?" Hao Jian forced a smile, but it was somewhat cold. "Oh, I see," the old lady didn''t suspect anything. "So, you need to tell me everything about my cousin, otherwise how would I know where to meet him, right?" Then, Hao Jian began to inquire from the old lady, but due to her dementia, the information he gathered was limited. He found out Zhao Chuansong was a local, two years older than himself, now forty-five, with no children, and owned a small store locally; beyond that, he knew nothing else. Immediately, Hao Jian called Spice Ginger, "Spice Ginger, look into someone for me, named Zhao Chuansong, forty-five years old now..." After the call, Hao Jian then turned to Vivian and said, "I''ve already asked someone to investigate. I believe we''ll have results soon. In the meantime, let''s take care of something else!" "What is it?" Vivian asked, puzzled. "It''s about Fu Chuntai''s matter. He illegally dismissed and drove away the old lady. We can''t let this go!" Hao Jian snorted coldly. Hearing this, Vivian''s expression subtly changed, as she struggled to understand why Hao Jian was doing so much for them. Even if it was an act, was it not overdone? Whenever it came to matters related to her grandmother, Hao Jian immediately became especially attentive, which confused her. "I''ll come with you!" Vivian said. "No, you stay here with the old lady. She has dementia now, and needs someone to watch over her," Hao Jian said. "I said, I''m coming with you!" Vivian''s gaze was intense, her tone extremely firm. This was her family matter, and she needed to handle it personally! Hao Jian looked deeply at Vivian, then sighed helplessly: "Alright." Then, Hao Jian called Elder Yan, asking him to arrange for someone to look after the old lady. Elder Yan did not dare delay and swiftly arranged for a female soldier to come over. "Mom, I need to go out and handle something with Vivian for a bit. You stay with my friend for now. I''ll be back soon, don''t wander off," Hao Jian instructed the old lady. "Alright, you come back soon," the old lady obediently nodded. Soon, Hao Jian and Vivian arrived at the office building of Fu Chuntai''s company, walking straight inside. "Hey hey hey, what are you doing?" Seeing that Hao Jian and Vivian were barging directly into the office, several guards stopped them. "Is Fu Chuntai inside?" Hao Jian asked emotionlessly. "You have business with our boss? You need an appointment to see our boss, didn''t you know? No one gets in without an appointment!" the guards said indifferently. "Move aside!" Hao Jian spoke blandly, neither annoyed nor angry, but his voice was icy cold. "Whoa, seems like you''re here to cause trouble, huh? I''m telling you, you''ve come to the wrong place!" Seeing Hao Jian''s arrogance, the guards were also angered, all rolling up their sleeves to show tattoos on their arms. These men were nominally security, but they were actually small-time gangsters from Jianghu. Fu Chuntai was actually a gang leader a long time ago; later, as his business grew, he switched to being a businessman. But old habits die hard, and he was still a gangster at heart, and the present guards were his former followers from his gangster days. "Beat up that punk and throw him out, then bring that girl next to him for some fun," one of them proposed, gazing at Vivian beside Hao Jian with a lewd look in his eyes. Immediately, the security guards all came forward, ready to strike Hao Jian. Hao Jian didn''t bother with small talk, and struck right away, grabbing a security guard by the throat and flinging him out. Following this, Vivian also took action. Driven by anger, her attacks were particularly vicious, crippling several security guards. The guards were stunned, not understanding how Vivian, this little Lolita, could be even more brutal than Hao Jian. Afterwards, Hao Jian and Vivian strode into the company building. When they reached Fu Chuntai''s office, they also discovered Glasses Man there, his hands on crutches, looking extremely disheveled. Seeing Hao Jian and Vivian enter, Glasses Man was instantly terrified, having witnessed Hao Jian''s terror before, and naturally terrified to see him now. "Who are you? Who let you in?" Seeing Hao Jian and Vivian emerge, Fu Chuntai immediately became furious. No order from him and yet they were allowed in¡ªwhat kind of idiots did he have downstairs. "Boss, they are the ones I told you about," Glasses Man said fearfully. He could tell Hao Jian was no ordinary man. Although Fu Chuntai was domineering, he did not dare to kill arbitrarily, but Hao Jian was different¡ªhe directly dealt lethal blows. From this, one could see that Hao Jian was fiercer than Fu Chuntai. Hearing this, Fu Chuntai''s expression turned stern. So, this punk was the one who ruined his plans. "Are you Fu Chuntai?" Hao Jian asked, his expression still cold. "Yes, I am Fu Chuntai. You''ve got some nerve, kid. You offend me, Fu Chuntai, and you don''t even try to run but dare to trouble me instead?" Fu Chuntai said darkly, with a glint of murderous intent in his eyes. "Don''t flatter yourself. A trash like you isn''t enough to scare me," Hao Jian sneered, indeed not taking Fu Chuntai seriously. "Damn it, you''re asking for death!" Fu Chuntai suddenly slapped the desk, it had been a long time since anyone dared speak to him like this. Hao Jian was the first! "How did you guys get up here?" Glasses Man sensed something amiss. There were supposed to be guards downstairs; how had these two people gotten up? "What do you think?" Hao Jian retorted with a sneer, criticizing the standard of Glasses Man''s question. Upon hearing this, Glasses Man shivered, obviously realizing how Hao Jian had gotten up. "Fine, punk, you mess up my plans, harm my brother, and dare to wreak havoc on my turf, you aren''t leaving here alive today!" Fu Chuntai growled furiously, his intent to kill evidently manifest. If he didn''t handle Hao Jian today, who else would fear him in the future? "If you hadn''t bullied an old, lonely widow, I wouldn''t have come looking for you. You brought this on yourself!" "So, you came to avenge that old hag, huh? If it weren''t for her sticking around, my shopping center would have been built long ago. Let me tell you, not having her killed already is mercy enough from me. But since you dared to trouble me, I''ll kill you first, then send that old hag to hell," Fu Chuntai sneered viciously. "Then there''s nothing more to say!" Hao Jian lunged forward, seized Fu Chuntai''s collar, and then slammed him into a wall with a bang. Fu Chuntai was stunned and dazed immediately, his eyes filled with horror as he stared at Hao Jian. "You..." "Someone like you doesn''t deserve to live in this world!" Hao Jian''s eyes twinkled with a maniacal murderous intent. "Bang!" Just then, the door was pushed open, and a group of gunmen in black charged in, all aiming their guns at Hao Jian and Vivian: "Let go of my boss!" Seeing his men arrive, Fu Chuntai also breathed a sigh of relief and smirked triumphantly: "Kid, if you know what''s good for you, let me go, maybe I''ll consider leaving your body intact!" "Vivian!" Hao Jian shouted, ignoring the question. Vivian immediately started to attack, a cold murderous intent appeared on her face, and she lunged at the gunmen. "Ah..." Soon, the office filled with horrifying screams; the gunmen didn''t even have time to shoot before all were slain by Vivian, their throats sliced open, dead on the spot. Seeing this, Fu Chuntai was finally struck with terror, unable to utter a word. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Glasses Man was shaking continuously, totally terrified; these people were simply not human. "What... what kind of person are you?" Fu Chuntai questioned Hao Jian, but his voice trembled, a mix of bold words and a faint heart. "Someone who''s here to take your life!" Hao Jian coldly laughed, appreciating the expression on Fu Chuntai''s face¡ªdriving pretentious people to despair brought him the greatest satisfaction. Chapter 726 - 727: Shameless Cousin "Don''t mess around. If you kill me, you won''t be able to escape either. My brothers will never let you go. But if you spare me, I swear I will stop bothering you and even give you a sum of money as compensation!" Fu Chuntai said weakly, for he was truly frightened, as he could tell that Hao Jian was really capable of killing someone. After all, his brothers had already died at Hao Jian''s hands. "Brother, it''s all his fault, it has nothing to do with me," the man with glasses also quickly begged for mercy, not wanting to die there. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Get lost!" Hao Jian said unkindly. "Yes, yes, I''m leaving right now!" The man with glasses, as if granted a great pardon, was so scared that his cane dropped, and he scrambled away. Hao Jian let go of Fu Chuntai and then stepped back. Fu Chuntai couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief, thinking Hao Jian was going to let him go and feeling secretly joyful inside. Indeed, money could make the devil turn the millstone. Fu Chuntai was plotting in his heart to gather his men after this incident and get rid of Hao Jian once and for all to avenge his humiliation! "She''s yours now!" However, Hao Jian turned around and said to Vivian. Hearing this, Fu Chuntai''s heart lurched to his throat and he was instantly terrified. Was Hao Jian going to kill him? He had just seen Vivian''s methods and knew perfectly well how twisted this little loli was. Handing him over to Vivian was practically a death sentence, wasn''t it? Vivian''s eyes flickered with a cold glint as she walked toward Fu Chuntai with a bloody knife in her hand, looking utterly fierce. "Don''t kill me, please don''t kill me. I''ll give you a million, no, ten million! I''ll give you as much money as you want, just please don''t kill me!" Fu Chuntai was utterly terrified and kneeled down on the spot, banging his head repeatedly towards Hao Jian and Vivian. Standing in front of him, Vivian said coldly, "You shouldn''t have bullied my grandma!" "I..." "Swish!" Before Fu Chuntai could speak, Vivian gave him no chance to speak; with a swift motion, her knife slashed, and a jet of blood spurted from Fu Chuntai''s neck. Fu Chuntai clutched his throat tightly and convulsed on the floor, soon he breathed his last. Seeing that Fu Chuntai had stopped breathing, Vivian finally smiled, her expression was twisted and crazy, filled with ruthlessness. "Let''s go, next one!" Hao Jian didn''t spare another glance at Fu Chuntai. Ridding the world of one more piece of trash wasn''t worth celebrating. ... By evening, Brother Spice Ginger finally sent several capable and clever underlings to Hao Jian''s side, personally taking Hao Jian to find Zhao Chuansong. Brother Spice Ginger knew Hao Jian was out of his element abroad, so he sent some people to help him out, to share Hao Jian''s troubles. As subordinates, they should understand their boss''s needs and anticipate his thoughts; Brother Spice Ginger did this very well. Any leader would hope his followers were clever, handling everything without needing to be told. Once they arrived at Zhao Chuansong''s place, Hao Jian and Vivian discovered that Zhao Chuansong actually lived in a western-style building that, according to market prices, would be worth at least twenty to thirty million. It was apparent that Zhao Chuansong was living quite well, especially since the old lady''s bankbook contained enough money to let anyone live a carefree life. Xueci had been mixing around outside for many years, so each time someone hired him, the rewards started from seven figures, and after following Hao Jian, he earned even more. As Xueci was one who spent little, he sent all his money back for his grandma''s retirement. However, his grandma was too reluctant to spend any of it, thinking about saving it for her son''s future marriage, so she didn''t touch it. But, ironically, it ended up benefiting Zhao Chuansong. Seeing the western-style building where Zhao Chuansong lived, both Hao Jian''s and Vivian''s eyes flashed with anger, for Zhao Chuansong had spent the money that belonged to their brother, their father! And most importantly, he had swindled it from a senile old lady! "Block off the surroundings, don''t let even a fly get out," Hao Jian ordered his subordinates. "Yes." The subordinates all nodded and then consciously spread out, surrounding the building from all angles. Upon entering the yard, the anger on Hao Jian and Vivian''s faces intensified because they discovered that there were six supercars in the yard, each of great value, including the latest model of a Lamborghini worth over ten million. "I must kill them! I must!" Vivian gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with a fierce meaning. "Kill them? Haha, wouldn''t that be letting them off too easily?" Hao Jian sneered, remembering that the Pharmacist was in need of human bodies for experiments, and they could hand Zhao Chuansong over to him. Once Zhao Chuansong fell into the hands of the Pharmacist, he would suffer more than death, regretting his existence in this world. "Who are you? What are you doing in my house?" At that moment, a middle-aged woman came out, dressed garishly in designer brands, reeking of money. Seeing two ragged paupers at her doorstep, she immediately displayed contempt and scolded them. "Are you Zhao Chuansong''s wife?" Hao Jian inquired, assuming the woman must be Zhao Chuansong''s wife. "So what if I am? Who are you? What do you want with him?" Seeing Hao Jian mention Zhao Chuansong''s name, Ma Yanli''s expression eased somewhat. "Do you know someone named Sun Zhijun?" Hao Jian smiled; since she was Zhao Chuansong''s wife, she should know Xueci. "Sun Zhijun?" Upon hearing this name, Ma Yanli instantly became uneasy because she knew their luxurious life came from Xueci. If not for deceiving Xueci and taking the money meant for the old lady, such a comfortable life wouldn''t have been possible. Thus, hearing Hao Jian say this made her instinctively feel something was wrong. "I don''t know any Sun Zhijun; you''ve got the wrong person, now leave!" Ma Yanli immediately tried to send Hao Jian away in a hostile manner. She guessed that Hao Jian was here to reclaim the passbook with all that money in it, something she was not willing to give up, so she immediately grew angrily ashamed. Yet Hao Jian and Vivian could clearly see Ma Yanli''s guilty behavior. Hao Jian suddenly scoffed, "Don''t know him? Impossible, as far as I know, you should be Sun Zhijun''s cousin-in-law, right?" Seeing her identity exposed by Hao Jian, Ma Yanli no longer hid it and snapped viciously, "So what if I am? Who exactly are you? What do you want to do?" "I''m a friend of Sun Zhijun, and this is his daughter. We''re here to retrieve the things taken by you." Hao Jian didn''t bother to mince words with Ma Yanli, feeling no need to be polite to such a materialistic woman. At this, Ma Yanli''s heart tightened, and then she said, rather impolitely, "Sun Zhijun hasn''t left anything with me; he has been abroad for so many years, he might even be dead by now." At this point, Ma Yanli''s gaze at Hao Jian and the others became even more hateful because, in her eyes, Hao Jian and his group were here to rob her money. Now, Ma Yanli already considered the money from Xueci as their own. "But how did I hear the old lady say she lent the passbook to you? You guys used Sun Zhijun''s money to buy villas and sports cars, yet neglected him. How can you justify yourselves to Sun Zhijun?" Hao Jian said with a killing intent, infuriated that even now, Ma Yanli felt no guilt and only cared about preserving her own money, which was utterly despicable. "Old senile fool, old dementia patient, she does seem to remember this clearly." Ma Yanli muttered under her breath, her face also showing a trace of displeasure. Although she spoke softly, she couldn''t fool the keen ears of Hao Jian and Vivian, causing both of them to frown deeply, with the killing intent in their hearts intensifying. "I don''t know what you''re talking about, get out now! Otherwise, I''m calling security!" Ma Yanli gritted her teeth, utterly humiliated. "Give me back my dad''s money!" Vivian said coldly, wanting to kill someone, but before that, she needed to retrieve her father''s possessions. "I didn''t take your dad''s money! Get lost, you freak!" Ma Yanli denied fiercely, knowing that as long as she didn''t admit it, Hao Jian and his group couldn''t do anything to her. "If you didn''t take it, then why would my grandmother say you did?" "You believe the words of an old dementia patient? Maybe that old fool is dreaming." Ma Yanli laughed coldly, not worried about Hao Jian taking legal action against her, as the words of a dementia patient didn''t hold up in court! "Slap!" Without any further ado, Hao Jian slapped her, sending Ma Yanli to the ground, his eyes filled with murderous rage, "The fact that you swindled the old lady''s money is bad enough, but to have no guilt and openly call her an ''old fool,'' people like you deserve to go to Hell!" "You... you dare hit me? Boy, you''re dead meat. I''m somewhat rich, and I will definitely pay someone to kill you!" Since becoming wealthy, Ma Yanli had grown disdainful of others and increasingly haughty. Now someone dared to strike her, she was instantly furious and vowed to make Hao Jian pay. "Hit you? I want to kill you now!" Hao Jian snorted coldly, his glare icy. Seeing this fearsome and devilish demeanor of Hao Jian, Ma Yanli was startled and then quickly shouted, "Zhao Chuansong, Zhao Chuansong you bastard, come out now! If you don''t come out, I''m going to be beaten to death!" "What are you yelling about, huh? What happened to you?" Then, a bald middle-aged man appeared at the door, surprised to see Ma Yanli slumped on the ground. "Sun Zhijun''s bastard and his friend showed up, demanding the passbook and even hit me. Call Captain Liu quickly, and have this youngster killed for me!" Ma Yanli pointed at Hao Jian, raging furiously. Chapter 727 - 728 Missed Opportunity "What?" Hearing what Ma Yanli had to say, Zhao Chuansong also showed an ugly expression, as Sun Zhijun''s daughter and her friend had come to demand money. Then, Zhao Chuansong looked at Hao Jian and Vivian with a frown, annoyed, "Even if you want the money back, it should be Sun Zhijun himself asking for it. What gives you the right to come here?" "Sun Zhijun is dead, so I am here to reclaim his belongings for him!" Hao Jian said expressionlessly. "Sun Zhijun is dead?" Upon hearing this, a trace of joy appeared on Ma Yanli and Zhao Chuansong''s faces. If Sun Zhijun was dead, that meant there was no evidence against them, right? Who could prove that the bankbook belonged to Sun Zhijun? Seeing the smiles on Ma Yanli and Zhao Chuansong''s faces, Hao Jian''s own expression turned cold; the ugliness of human nature was truly detestable. "I didn''t take his stuff, now get lost!" Zhao Chuansong bellowed arrogantly, not taking Hao Jian seriously at all. Once something reached his pocket, how could it possibly be taken out again. "So you mean to say you''re not planning to return it, is that it?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. "Return my ass! Daring to hit my wife, I will fucking kill you! Get lost!" Zhao Chuansong growled fiercely, growing impatient. "Let me tell you, calling the police is useless. My husband is tight with the head of the police station, and he''s taken our money too. Even if you report us to him, we''re not afraid," Ma Yanli laughed loudly. The couple had been cunning, fearing that one day someone would come to reclaim the bankbook, so they had bribed the corrupt police captain beforehand. "Bang!" Hao Jian threw a punch directly at Zhao Chuansong''s abdomen without any hesitation or mercy. "Puh!" Zhao Chuansong immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, his body wilting on the spot. "Husband!" Ma Yanli screamed, then yelled at Hao Jian, "You dare to hit my husband? We will never let you off the hook!" "Not let me off the hook? Right now, it''s really hard to say who won''t let whom off," Hao Jian said with a ferocious look. "Quick, call Captain Liu!" Zhao Chuansong urged Ma Yanli, venom written all over his face at this point. "Kid, if you''ve got guts then don''t run!" Ma Yanli took her phone out to make a call. And Hao Jian didn''t stop her, because he too wanted to see what kind of person this Captain Liu was to dare break the rules! "Captain Liu, it''s me. Zhao Chuansong has a problem. Some punk has come looking for trouble. Bring men and come quickly!" Ma Yanli yelled into the phone, and after the call, she looked at Hao Jian with a vicious stare: "Kid, just you wait, Captain Liu will be here soon, and then I''ll see how you die!" "Go slap her!" Hao Jian told Vivian at his side. "With pleasure!" Vivian had been itching to do it, and she immediately grabbed Ma Yanli by the collar and slapped her across the face. "You little bastard!" Ma Yanli became furious, cursing like a fishwife, ready to fight back. In her mind, she might not be able to beat Hao Jian, but why would she be afraid of a little girl like Vivian? But she was wrong; Vivian was no ordinary girl, so before Ma Yanli could make a move, Vivian slapped her again, leaving her completely stunned. "Don''t kill her. Control your strength. If she dies, it would be letting them off too easily!" Hao Jian cautioned Vivian. "I know." Vivian responded in a low voice, then continued to rain slaps down on Ma Yanli''s face with controlled strength, crippling but not killing her. Soon, Ma Yanli''s face swelled up like a pig''s head, and seeing his wife being beaten like that, Zhao Chuansong felt an unbearable tightness in his chest. "Kid, you''ve got nerve. If I don''t kill you, I''m not Zhao Chuansong!" Zhao Chuansong threatened Hao Jian, the malevolence in his eyes like that of a ruthless wolf. "Crack!" Hao Jian stepped forward and broke Zhao Chuansong''s leg, causing him to scream in agony. "Don''t continue buzzing in my face like a fly, or I will keep hitting you." Hao Jian said without any expression. Zhao Chuansong''s face twisted in pain, but he dared not make a sound. Then soon after, the sound of police sirens came from outside. Hearing this, Ma Yanli and Zhao Chuansong burst into maniacal laughter as if they had grabbed a lifeline: "Hahaha, kid, Captain Liu is here, your death awaits!" "Idiots!" Hao Jian scoffed mockingly, completely disregarding their words. This Captain Liu was nothing but trash in his eyes. Captain Liu was a middle-aged man in his mid-forties. This time he had brought several policemen with him. Seeing Ma Yanli and Zhao Chuansong beaten to a pulp by Hao Jian, he frowned and commanded, "Stop!" But Vivian didn''t stop, continuing to slap Ma Yanli at an even pace. Ma Yanli and Zhao Chuansong were so angry they felt like spitting blood. Had these two lunatics not seen the police arrive, and still they didn''t stop? "Damn it! You''re looking for death!" Captain Liu was infuriated, drawing his gun and aiming it at Hao Jian and Vivian: "I didn''t tell you to act!" "Put away the gun, and maybe you won''t have to die," Hao Jian turned around indifferently and looked at Captain Liu coldly. ``` "You still dare to threaten me, you think you don''t want to live anymore?" Captain Liu''s nose became crooked with rage upon hearing Hao Jian''s words. How dare Hao Jian threaten him? "You''ve already missed your chance to live!" Hao Jian said indifferently. He had given Captain Liu a chance, but Captain Liu failed to seize it, so it was time to send him to his grave. "Chance my ass! Go, cripple this bastard for me!" Captain Liu was burning with fury, having never before encountered such an arrogant kid. "Who dares to move against Mr. Hao Jian!" But just then, a loud shout came from not too far away, and Captain Liu and his men turned to see dozens of Armed Police Soldiers charging in with guns, then lining up neatly, pointing their muzzles at Captain Liu and his men. Following closely behind, Elder Yan''s secretary walked out, adjusted his glasses, and looked coldly at Captain Liu and others. "Secretary Zhao? What is this..." Seeing the secretary to the head of the Armed Police in front of him, Captain Liu was stunned. But Secretary Zhao ignored him and jogged up to Hao Jian, then bowed to him: "Mr. Hao Jian, you''ve been frightened!" Seeing Secretary Zhao being so courteous to Hao Jian, Captain Liu, Zhao Chuansong, and others were stunned like petrified chickens. What? This kid has such a big backing? "How did you know I was here?" Hao Jian asked curiously. "Ever since yesterday''s incident, Elder Yan suspected that you would have a lot to handle here, so he instructed us to follow you and intervene immediately if you encountered any trouble," Secretary Zhao explained. Hao Jian was amused; Elder Yan was looking for an opportunity to ingratiate himself. This was Elder Yan''s doing? Captain Liu''s face paled, realizing he had caused a huge problem for himself. With Elder Yan''s status, it would take only minutes to kill him. Considering even Elder Yan was so polite to this young man, then himself... Realizing this, Captain Liu gave Zhao Chuansong and his wife a venomous glare, wishing he could tear them limb from limb. If it weren''t for them, he wouldn''t have clashed with Hao Jian, and now he was doomed. If Hao Jian held him accountable, he might not live to see another day. Recalling Hao Jian''s earlier words, Captain Liu realized he had missed his chance to live. So, Hao Jian was planning to kill him? Meanwhile, Zhao Chuansong and Ma Yanli were too preoccupied with staring at Hao Jian, their faces written with regret and fear. This ordinarily dressed kid had such a significant background? They were as good as dead! "Convey my thanks to Elder Yan," Hao Jian said. "Of course, I will deliver the message!" Secretary Zhao nodded, then turned his head and bellowed at Captain Liu, "Captain Liu, do you realize your crime!" Thud... Scared stiff, Captain Liu collapsed to the ground, staring blankly at Secretary Zhao: "I didn''t know, I really didn''t know." "Mr. Hao Jian, how would you like to deal with him?" Secretary Zhao sought Hao Jian''s opinion. Hao Jian''s face remained expressionless: "Such a cancer can''t stay. Better to remove it sooner. Take him to Hua City. I will deal with him personally." Those words turned Captain Liu''s face ashen. He could clearly sense that Hao Jian intended to kill him! "Yes!" Secretary Zhao nodded, then ordered, "Take action, seize this guy!" "Mr. Hao Jian, please don''t kill me, I know I was wrong, I really do," Captain Liu cried and flung himself at Hao Jian''s feet, but was blocked by a group of Armed Police. "Realized your mistake? It''s too late for that," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. It was Captain Liu''s bad luck to cross him at this moment; had it been another time, Hao Jian might have just left him crippled. But now, enraged by Zhao Chuansong and Ma Yanli, and with Captain Liu looking for trouble on top of that, there was no way Hao Jian would let him off while he was still fuming. "Take him away!" Secretary Zhao also shouted with a stern face. Captain Liu was dragged away, weeping and wailing, by the Armed Police Soldiers. Meanwhile, Hao Jian walked toward Ma Yanli and Zhao Chuansong, his tone cold: "Hand over the bankbook!" "If I hand over the bankbook, will you let me go?" Zhao Chuansong pleaded with Hao Jian, realizing that it was very easy for Hao Jian to kill, and he truly didn''t want to die. "Do you think you''re in a position to bargain with me?" "I..." "Don''t waste my time, I''m a very impatient man!" Hao Jian snapped at Zhao Chuansong. "Yes, yes, I''ll go get it right away." Zhao Chuansong dared not utter a word of refusal, hurrying with his crippled body to get the bankbook. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But a few minutes later, under coercion from Hao Jian''s underlings, Zhao Chuansong returned. "Boss, this sly fox tried to escape by climbing over the back wall just now, but we caught him," a minion reported. ``` Chapter 728 - 729: Atonement "Zhao Chuansong, you bastard, how dare you run off and leave me behind!" Ma Yanli was instantly furious upon hearing this. Had Zhao Chuansong really abandoned her? "Quite bold of you, you even dared to trick!" Hao Jian couldn''t help but laugh. If he hadn''t deployed his people in time, perhaps Zhao Chuansong really would have escaped. This easily revealed how benevolent Zhao Chuansong''s heart was, to outright abandon his own wife and flee. He probably thought about taking off with the passbook and then living the good life elsewhere. "I know I was wrong. Give me another chance; I won''t dare to do it again." Zhao Chuansong began begging for mercy again. "Don''t be so nervous; I didn''t say I''d kill you now!" Hao Jian coldly laughed, taking the passbook from Zhao Chuansong''s hand, and then instructed Secretary Zhao, "Take these two as well, send them back to Hua City. I will handle them together!" "Okay!" Secretary Zhao ordered the Armed Police to take both Ma Yanli and Zhao Chuansong. "Let me go, please spare me!" Zhao Chuansong yelled at the top of his lungs, then grabbed Vivian''s hand, "Girl, I know we''ve wronged you, but I''m your cousin once removed, your father''s cousin! You can''t treat me like this." ? "Cousin? When you swindled my grandmother''s money and left her alone in that abandoned yard, you certainly didn''t act like my cousin!" Vivian coldly laughed; Zhao Chuansong only realized his mistakes now, which meant nothing to Vivian. ? Vivian just wanted to see how they would die now; she had no other thoughts. ? "Give me one more chance; I will make it up to you. I will repent. Trust me!" Zhao Chuansong said, desperately pleading. ? "I believe you will indeed repent well, in Hell!" Vivian coldly said. ? Upon hearing Vivian''s words, Zhao Chuansong turned to stone instantly. ? Right then, an Armed Police officer came up and delivered a punch, knocking Zhao Chuansong out cold. ? Meanwhile, Ma Yanli was a mess of tears, apologizing to Vivian, hoping to elicit even a shred of compassion. But unfortunately for her, Vivian seemed not to hear, deeming the mistakes made by Ma Yanli and Zhao Chuansong unforgivable. ? "This is your father''s passbook; take it!" Hao Jian handed the passbook directly to Vivian. ? "Aren''t you curious how much money there is?" Vivian asked with a cold laugh, her resentment towards Hao Jian deepening. ? She despised Ma Yanli and Zhao Chuansong, but she hated Hao Jian even more, for it was he who had caused her family such immense suffering. ? If her father hadn''t died, how could Zhao Chuansong have taken advantage? ? "No matter how much money it holds, it is yours, and has nothing to do with me!" Hao Jian replied expressionlessly, pretending he hadn''t noticed the murderous intent in Vivian''s eyes. ? "Take your grandmother back to Hua City with you. From now on, we''ll take care of her." Hao Jian said to Vivian, as the old lady was now suffering from dementia and couldn''t possibly stay there alone. ? Hao Jian''s business and family were in Hua City; he had no choice but to take the old lady there too. ? "Sure!" Vivian also laughed, thinking to herself, If you can even make it back to Hua City alive! ? Late at night, Hao Jian was packing his belongings, preparing to return to Hua City with the old lady the next day. ? Just then, Vivian walked in, holding a glass of milk, and said softly, "Drink some milk; it''ll help you sleep better." ? "Oh, is the sun rising from the west?" Hao Jian exclaimed, his face filled with a playful smile, fully aware of Vivian''s intentions. ? Vivian, avoiding eye contact and with a stiff expression, said, "I have to thank you this time. If it hadn''t been for your help in finding Zhao Chuansong and the others, I might not have avenged myself so soon. You''ve done so much for me and my grandmother during this period, for which I am grateful." ? Vivian changed the subject, indicating that she was doing this out of gratitude for Hao Jian. ? "Xueci was my brother; his business is mine too¡ªno need to be polite with me," Hao Jian directly took the milk from Vivian. ? Seeing this, a sinister, fierce smile flickered in Vivian''s eyes, "You better drink up and rest; we have a plane to catch tomorrow!" ? Hao Jian was about to drink when suddenly a thought struck him. Smiling, he looked at Vivian and said, "This milk wouldn''t have poison in it, would it?" ? At this, Vivian immediately grew tense and stammered, "How... how could that be? You are my father''s brother; how could I possibly poison you?" ? "That''s true!" Hao Jian said, as if he had let down all his guard, and downed the milk. Then he walked over to the window, gazing far into the distance with a profound look, "I have always really regretted it!" ? "What do you regret?" Vivian asked. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ? "I regret taking your father out of the Assassins Alliance. Although I didn''t kill your father, he nevertheless died because of it, which is almost no different from having killed him myself. And seeing the old lady in this situation now, my regret only deepens. If I hadn''t been so impulsive back then, maybe everything would have been different!" ? "Really?" Vivian sneered in response. Even now, did Hao Jian still want to playact? ? "So, even if you hate me, I can understand! That''s why, even though I know you''ve poisoned this milk, I still choose to drink it!" Hao Jian said with a faint smile. ? "What?" Vivian was immediately taken aback. Hao Jian actually knew she''d poisoned the milk? She was petrified on the spot. Knowing that, why did he still drink it? ? Hao Jian turned around, smiling as he looked at Vivian. "If you want me to die, I will die! It''s my fault, and I will atone! A man should not evade his responsibilities, and your father''s death is my responsibility!" ? "You..." Vivian was at a loss for words. This wasn''t how things were supposed to go! ? Vivian had hoped to see Hao Jian furious, to see him curse and resent her, and then to watch him gradually die amidst endless anger. ? But now, everything had changed. Hao Jian had actually voluntarily drunk the poison? Why? Did he really kill her father? If he did, what reason would he have for doing that? Why would he feel guilty? ? Vivian began to doubt, her mind in turmoil. It wasn''t supposed to be like this. ? Catherine said that Hao Jian and her father were mortal enemies. If they were mortal enemies, why would Hao Jian feel guilty? Why would he let himself be poisoned by her? ? Previously, every time Hao Jian expressed guilt towards her father, Vivian had found it laughable, seeing it as nothing but deception. ? Until now, Vivian couldn''t doubt any longer. A man using his death to prove his innocence, how could you still doubt? ? Hao Jian knew there was poison in the milk. If he were really a mortal enemy to her father, he could have just killed her and left, but Hao Jian didn''t do that. He chose suicide, to cleanse his resentment. ? Vivian''s heart was in chaos, truly chaotic, and her mind a blank! ? "Hahaha, the plan finally succeeded, God of Death, we meet again!" Just then, a sultry voice came from outside, and a chain stretched in, binding Hao Jian tightly, before dragging him out. ? "Catherine, you..." Vivian immediately realized something and hurriedly leaped out of the window, chasing after them. ? It was the same park, the same spot, now cordoned off with police tape. Different this time was that the victim was Hao Jian. ? When Vivian arrived, she saw Catherine stepping on Hao Jian''s chest, while Hao Jian coughed up blood continuously, the poison obviously taking effect. ? "God of Death, we finally meet. Do you know how long I''ve waited for this moment? Look at your state now, how wretched, as we say in Huaxia, just like a dead dog, hahaha..." Catherine laughed maniacally, her eyes gleaming with the pleasure of revenge. ? "So it was you, yes, I should have guessed it was you. It seems you''ve beguiled Vivian," Hao Jian said with a bitter smile. ? Beguiled? Vivian''s heart shuddered, her eyes filled with shock. Had she been tricked by Catherine? ? "Beguiled? How can you call it beguilement? Her father was indeed killed by you. If you hadn''t taken him away from the Assassins Alliance originally, he would have been the one to be crowned, but you ruined everything, you killed him!" Catherine said fiercely, her eyes wild with madness. ? "I know you have always wanted to be Queen. So you had great hopes for Xueci, but you didn''t expect him to forgo this opportunity to follow me. As a result, you resented me, and even started resenting him. But I am curious, when you personally chopped off the head of Xueci, your own husband, what did it feel like?" Hao Jian asked with a sly smile. ? Hearing this, Vivian''s footsteps suddenly staggered. Catherine was her mother? And her own mother had personally killed her father? ? Vivian turned pale as her mind nearly collapsed. Her own mother had killed her father, and then raised her to be an assassin to kill her father''s brother? ? Over the years, Catherine had never acknowledged her, always treating her as a tool for murder, and this woman was her mother. ? "He promised me he would make me a Queen, but he broke his promise. Since he betrayed me, then he deserved to die!" Catherine said obsessively. ? "I''ve been holding onto this chess piece for so long, God of Death, I know you''re not without weakness. Your weakness is your guilt towards Xueci. So I trained Vivian to be an assassin, to one day use her to awaken your guilt and then kill you!" Catherine finally revealed the truth. Chapter 729 - 730: The Only One Who Can Kill Me Is Myself ? Vivian, upon hearing these words, felt her heart once again surge with a thousand tumultuous waves. Catherine had taken advantage of Hao Jian''s guilt to harm him, and it was all her fault. ? "If killing me would make you feel better, then go ahead, but don''t hurt Weiwei. She''s still a child, and she''s your and Xueci''s daughter," Hao Jian sighed. ? "Pah! What child, I have never considered her as my child. From the moment Xueci betrayed me, that bastard has been my enemy. After I slaughter you, she''s next. Only by killing all three of you can I fully release the hatred in my heart!" Catherine burst into a mad laughter like a lunatic. ? "You''re insane!" Hao Jian bit his teeth hard, but in doing so, he spat out a mouthful of blood. ? "Rest assured, God of Death, I''m not going to kill you now. I will take you to the feet of the king so he can personally execute you! This honor should belong to him!" Catherine laughed as she extended her hand to grab the iron chains, intending to take Hao Jian away. ? But as she turned around, she saw Weiwei standing not far from her, her eyes blazing as she stared at Catherine. ? Catherine was initially startled, and then her eyebrows raised, "Oh, you''re here?" ? "Were the words he just said true?" Weiwei asked, a trace of coldness in her voice. ? "What words?" Catherine asked, puzzled. ? "Don''t play dumb! You know what I mean!" Weiwei roared thunderously. ? "I''m not playing dumb, I''m just asking what you are referring to¡ªwhether it''s about me killing your father or me being your mother? If it''s those two things, then I can tell you he was telling the truth!" Catherine''s face was expressionless, with a scornful smile on her face, her gaze not that of a mother''s. ? "So, were all the kindness you showed me before just an act?" Weiwei asked. The only person she trusted in this world was Catherine. She always felt a closeness to Catherine and trusted her without reservation. But in the end, even though Catherine was her mother, she was just using her as a pawn. ? "To seek revenge, I could only force myself to do so. Otherwise, do you think I would''ve kept you alive till now?" Catherine chuckled. ? "I understand now!" Weiwei nodded. She finally understood why sometimes Catherine looked at her warmly, and sometimes her eyes were filled with coldness. She initially thought it was just Catherine''s character, but now she saw it wasn''t. Catherine hated her from the bottom of her heart and always thought of getting rid of her quickly; that look in her eyes said it all. ? "What, do you plan to fight me?" Catherine seemed to sense the change in Weiwei and laughed as well. ? "You deceived me, you made a fool of me, and now, you should pay the price!" Weiwei held her blade in front of her and spoke coldly. ? Because of her, Hao Jian ended up like this. Weiwei felt very guilty, and now she had to pay for her actions! ? All this time, Weiwei had harbored fantasies about her mother, thinking she must be a kind and gentle woman. But now, those illusions were shattered. ? Her mother was a woman who hated her, a woman venomous as a viper! ? It was this venomous woman, for the so-called status and glory, who killed her own father! ? Weiwei was filled with hatred, hating Catherine''s heartlessness, hating Catherine''s despicableness! ? "Just you?" Catherine laughed disdainfully and said, "Don''t forget who taught you all your skills. You think you can kill me? Do you think you can do it?" ? "I have to try!" Weiwei roared, charging forward. She knew she might not be a match for Catherine, but now she didn''t care, as she had already fallen apart. What was left in this world for her to cling to? ? Her mother was actually her father''s killer, and this was too much of a blow! ? "So arrogant!" Catherine snorted coldly and sprang forward as well, and at the same time, a dagger flew out from the sleeve of her garment. ? "Clang!" ? A metallic symphony sounded, and sparks flew dazzlingly in mid-air. ? Catherine and Weiwei each landed in their own place. Weiwei crouched slightly, sweat beads covering her forehead. On her thigh, there was a terrifying gash. ? Catherine had not held back with that slash. ? Turning around, Catherine flicked the Blood Bead off her blade, then indifferently said, "Such a waste. I''ve taught you so many times, when facing an enemy you must protect your body and pay attention to their movements. Compared to Xueci, your aptitude is a world apart. You''re just a disgrace to him; you might as well die sooner." ? "Shut up, you have no right to speak his name!" Weiwei burst with rage, limping forward and once again rushed to attack with her blade. ? But this attack was easily dodged by Catherine, who then kicked Weiwei, sending her flying once again. ? Catherine clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction, expressing her contempt, "I''m ashamed to say you''re my student. You''re so incompetent, it''s embarrassing to admit it out loud!" ? "You!" Vivian glared at Catherine with intense anger and humiliation in her eyes, yet she felt the urge to laugh. ? Mother? This is my own mother, the one I dreamed of meeting! How absurd! ? "I was thinking of just playing along with you, but I don''t want any complications, so, sorry!" Catherine declared, then leaped suddenly, landing in front of Vivian. The dagger in her hand thrust straight toward Vivian''s face. ? Vivian sighed, closed her eyes, and a look of relief spread across her face as she thought, finally, finally it was all over! S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ? "Crack!" ? However, a strange noise arose at this moment. Vivian, who had closed her eyes, waited a while and, not feeling any stabbing pain, opened her eyes in confusion. ? She then saw Hao Jian, holding Catherine''s dagger tightly in his hand. His palm was cut, but he refused to let go. ? And at the same time, Hao Jian was still spitting blood, but even so, he held on to Catherine''s dagger with all his might. ? "Don''t touch my brother''s daughter!" Hao Jian roared, flipping over and sending a sweeping kick towards Catherine, sending her flying back. ? Catherine shook her hands violently but couldn''t help laughing coldly in pain, "You really are the God of Death, to be so gravely injured and still be able to fight back, I truly underestimated you!" ? "Cough cough..." Hao Jian coughed twice, and blood came out with each cough. ? Seeing this, Vivian was utterly dumbfounded. She had poisoned the man to this state, yet he was risking his life to protect her? ? With that thought, Vivian suddenly felt a deep sorrow, and the tears she had been holding back finally burst forth, "Hao Jian, I''m sorry, I''m so sorry!" "Go..." Hao Jian told Vivian. ? "What?" ? "I said get out of here! I can''t hold her off for long!" Hao Jian yelled, his eyes burning into Vivian, "You must survive, you must! Otherwise, I won''t rest in peace even in death!" ? Xueci, I owe you a life, and now, by saving your daughter''s, we''re even! ? "No, I won''t go!" But Vivian shook her head adamantly. If she left now, wouldn''t Hao Jian die? ? Hao Jian is the only person in this world who has ever truly cared for me, how could I abandon him? ? "You have to go! You idiot!" Hao Jian roared furiously, infuriated by Vivian''s stubbornness. ? "You knew the milk was filled with deadly poison and you still drank it, aren''t you the idiot?" Vivian mocked Hao Jian in return. ? "You..." Hao Jian didn''t know what to say to Vivian and then let out a wry laugh, "You''re just as stubborn as your father!" ? "Of course, she gave birth to me, who else would I take after if not her!" Vivian retorted as a matter of course. ? "Are you done with the nonsense? If so, would you both kindly go to your deaths?" Catherine''s gaze was cold and sharp. ? Hao Jian struggled to his feet, glared at Catherine, and then told Vivian, "If you don''t leave, we''ll both die here. Don''t let my sacrifice be in vain!" ? "If I leave now, you''ll truly die here. It''s my fault you''re in this state; I should take responsibility," Vivian replied as she stood up, steadfast and unwilling to leave. ? "No, I should be responsible for you. I''m the one who made you an orphan, I''m the one who forced you to become an assassin, and because of me, your grandmother suffered so much. So this is my retribution, don''t feel guilty, I won''t hate you!" Hao Jian said. ? "Does the fact that you don''t hate me mean I shouldn''t feel guilty?" Vivian scoffed, "The one who can''t get past this is you. You have nothing to feel guilty about towards my father, it was his decision to follow you. He was an adult, he knew what it meant to truly live, so he chose you over the throne. Even if he died in battle, I believe he never had a single regret!" ? Upon hearing this, Hao Jian was stunned. Then the resentment in his heart dissipated, and he laughed out loud, feeling much more relieved all of a sudden. ? "So that''s how it is... That''s how it is..." Hao Jian nodded continuously, a smile on his lips. The guy was happy, and as long as he was happy, Hao Jian could rest easy! ? "Two idiots, just die!" Watching Hao Jian and Vivian chatting away, completely ignoring her, Catherine''s rage was uncontrollable. She charged at them with her knife raised. ? She dared not kill Hao Jian, but Vivian was a different story! ? "Kill me? I''m the God of Death, in this world, the only one who can kill me is myself!" Hao Jian bellowed, and then he too lunged forward, clenching his right fist and hammering it into Catherine''s abdomen. Chapter 730 - 731: Acting Up Once Recovered ? Catherine thrust her knife toward Hao Jian''s abdomen, but Hao Jian did not dodge at all. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ? "Bang!" ? Catherine was sent flying dozens of meters away and slammed into a Big Tree with a loud crash, coughing up blood profusely. ? Meanwhile, Hao Jian also received a stab wound to his abdomen, his blood drenching him as he knelt on the ground. ? Catherine''s face was filled with shock. Was this guy actually trading wound for wound? That''s insane! ? And Vivian was also dumbfounded. Hao Jian had already been poisoned, yet he still had such combat strength? Was this guy even human? He was more like a humanoid monster! ? The enraged Catherine gritted her teeth, wanting to go and kill Hao Jian, but with her current injuries, even if she could kill Hao Jian, she would likely be killed by Vivian in the end. ? After giving Hao Jian a deep look, Catherine hesitated for a moment before ultimately choosing to flee, planning to find another opportunity to finish off Hao Jian. ? "Hao Jian!" Vivian hurriedly sprinted toward Hao Jian. ? But upon seeing Catherine leave, Hao Jian relaxed and collapsed weakly onto the ground. ? "Don''t you die, don''t you die!" Vivian cried out, shaking Hao Jian''s body continuously. ? "If you keep shaking me like that, I might really die," Hao Jian said with a wry smile. ? Vivian was immediately overjoyed. "You''re okay?" ? "What could be wrong with me? Didn''t I tell you? I''m God of Death. How could God of Death have any trouble?" Hao Jian rolled his eyes and joked. ? Immediately, he took out his cellphone and handed it to Vivian, "Call someone in the contact list named Moon Goddess Jiang and ask her to send a plane to pick me up, and also tell her to find the Pharmacist, she will know what to do." ? "Okay!" Vivian quickly took Hao Jian''s phone to make the call. ? "Also, don''t tell the old lady about this yet; don''t make her worry," Hao Jian reminded again. ? Upon hearing this, Vivian''s nose stung, and she felt even more self-reproach. Even at such a time, Hao Jian was still thinking about their family. ? And she had caused Hao Jian to wind up like this; Vivian truly wished she could slap herself. ? After Vivian called Moon Goddess Jiang, Moon Goddess Jiang immediately sent a helicopter for Hao Jian, personally leading the team. ? Moon Goddess Jiang first scanned Hao Jian, then glanced at Vivian, her eyes revealing a chilling light as she said sternly, "Who did this to you?" ? At this, Vivian guiltily lowered her head because it was she who had put Hao Jian in this condition. ? "It was someone from the Assassins Alliance!" Hao Jian answered. ? Hearing this, Moon Goddess Jiang''s eyes narrowed, and her face grew even more furious. ? Then, Hao Jian was carried onto the helicopter, and although Vivian wanted to follow, she was stopped by Hao Jian, "You stay here and take the old lady to Hua City; I can''t rest assured leaving her here alone!" ? Vivian thought for a moment and nodded but said worriedly, "You mustn''t die!" ? If Hao Jian died, Vivian felt she would be guilty for the rest of her life. ? "Don''t worry, I won''t die," Hao Jian said with a grin. ? .... ? Upon arrival in Hua City, the Pharmacist was already waiting at the airport as Moon Goddess Jiang had contacted him beforehand to prepare for detoxifying Hao Jian. ? The Pharmacist looked at Hao Jian''s body and then frowned, "This poison is a mix of over a hundred toxic elements, extremely complex." ? "I called you here not to show off your knowledge but just to find out if he can be saved or not," Moon Goddess Jiang said coldly. ? "Although complex, it is not beyond cure!" the Pharmacist said, then rolled up his sleeves, took a syringe, administered an injection to Hao Jian, and began an IV infusion. ? Both drugs were developed by him, and he believed they could cure the ailment afflicting Hao Jian. ?Before long, Hao Jian had fallen into a deep sleep, and by the time he woke up, a week had already passed. ? Hao Jian opened his groggy eyes, and the first person he saw was Moon Goddess Jiang, sitting not far beside him, one hand propping up her chin, sound asleep. ? Without needing to think, Hao Jian knew that Moon Goddess Jiang had been by his side all these days, and warmth flooded his heart. ? Then, he slowly got up, his movements extremely gentle, and slowly walked toward Moon Goddess Jiang before lowering his head. ? Moon Goddess Jiang''s delicate face was less than a centimeter away, her eyelashes long, her features exquisite, her face like a painting, her lips... her lips... Hao Jian couldn''t help himself and bit down. ? Shockingly awakened by such a sudden attack, Moon Goddess Jiang was startled, immediately opened her eyes, and was about to fight back, but seeing it was Hao Jian, her tense body softened and relaxed again. ? "Mmm..." Moon Goddess Jiang continuously punched Hao Jian with her small fists, telling him to stop, but she dared not use too much force, fearing she might hurt him further. ? Moon Goddess Jiang blushed from deep embarrassment. "Why is this guy always so shameless? He just recovered from a serious illness and is already thinking about mischief." ? After quite a while, Hao Jian finally let go of Moon Goddess Jiang. She gasped for air and said irritably, "You jerk!" ? "A bad boy is what girls love, haven''t you heard?" Hao Jian said with a mischievous grin. ? "You can still joke around, it seems you really are okay now." Moon Goddess Jiang shot Hao Jian a look, ? "I''m okay? Who said I''m okay? I''ve got a big problem now." Hao Jian said. ? "A problem, what problem?" Moon Goddess Jiang suddenly grew tense. ? Hao Jian suddenly pointed at his groin and said, "Look, it''s all swollen here, definitely because the poison hasn''t been completely flushed out. You need to suck the poison out quickly, or I might die!" ? Moon Goddess Jiang''s expression froze, and then she flushed with annoyance, hitting Hao Jian''s groin lightly, "You just recovered and you''re already causing trouble, you can''t be serious!" ? Hao Jian winced in pain and said reproachfully, "Be gentle, what will we do if it''s broken?" ? "It''d be better if it''s broken, then a certain someone won''t go out flirting anymore!" she huffed angrily. ? However, Hao Jian scooped her up in his arms and said with a wicked smile, "If it''s broken, wouldn''t you miss out on happiness in the future?" ? "You, let go of me!" Moon Goddess Jiang chastised with a blush. ? "Beg me, and I''ll let you go!" Hao Jian said with a teasing smile. ? "You!" Moon Goddess Jiang instantly felt enraged, her face flushing red. ? But Hao Jian ignored her, and pressed her down on the hospital bed. ? "What, what are you trying to do?" Moon Goddess Jiang was bewildered. This was a hospital; was this guy really thinking about messing around here? ? "I''ve always said, one day I''ll get you in bed!" Hao Jian chuckled darkly, and actually began tugging at Moon Goddess Jiang''s leather pants. ? "Don''t, this is a hospital!" Moon Goddess Jiang trembled all over, extremely embarrassed. ? Previously, she had slept with Hao Jian when he was drunk, so she hadn''t felt pressured, but now Hao Jian was sober and wanted to be intimate with her, which made her incredibly shy. ? "It''s okay, the thrill is because we''re in the hospital," Hao Jian teased suggestively. ? "But your health!" Moon Goddess Jiang said worriedly. Hao Jian had just recovered from a severe illness; excessive activity could be harmful. ? "My body is fine now, no worries!" Hao Jian, evidently very eager, completely ignored what Moon Goddess Jiang was saying. He was determined to have his way with her today, no matter what! ? Moon Goddess Jiang looked at Hao Jian for a while, then closed her eyes, letting go of the pants she had gripped tightly, evidently resigning herself to letting Hao Jian do as he pleased. ? Hao Jian, itching with anticipation, quickly pulled down Moon Goddess Jiang''s leather pants, only to discover that she was wearing very sexy thong underwear. The prominent curves were exceptionally tempting. ? "Black, I like!" Hao Jian exclaimed approvingly upon seeing the black color of Moon Goddess Jiang''s thong. ? "Stop looking!" Moon Goddess Jiang said coquettishly, utterly embarrassed. ? "Such a beautiful sight, if I didn''t look, I''d regret it for life!" Hao Jian said with a grin, and then attempted to remove Moon Goddess Jiang''s thong, taking away the last piece of modesty. ? And Moon Goddess Jiang seemed to have been moved as well, her delicate body trembling even more intensely. ? "Sister Moon Goddess, has Hao Jian awoken yet?" Just then, an untimely voice came through, as Vivian walked right into the room. ? "Bang!" ? At that moment, a loud noise suddenly filled the hospital room. ? Vivian was startled, rushed up, and saw Hao Jian lying on the floor with his legs in the air, while Moon Goddess Jiang''s face was flushed, and she was covering her lower body with a blanket. ? "What happened here?" Vivian asked, full of confusion, unaware of what had just transpired. ? "Nothing... nothing!" Moon Goddess Jiang quickly shook her head, not daring to reveal what had happened. ? Hao Jian was almost in tears. This was practically like trying to murder her own husband! He had just recovered from a serious illness. ? And Vivian, couldn''t you have come half an hour later? If you had delayed your visit by just that much, I reckon everything would have been settled by then. ? Afterward, Hao Jian went with Vivian to the Pharmacist''s basement, immediately noticing the Pharmacist busy at work. Seeing Hao Jian approach, the Pharmacist looked up at him briefly, then returned to his task and said indifferently, "Awake now?" ? "This time, I owe you my life; thank you!" Hao Jian said. ? But the Pharmacist just waved his hand and said, "Don''t mention thanks; this is merely a transaction. You''re my boss, providing me with test subjects. Naturally, I wouldn''t let you die." ? Hao Jian couldn''t help but smile at this, thinking how peculiar this fellow was! ? "No matter how you put it, you saved me. As thanks, I brought you a gift!" Hao Jian said, then clapped his hands, and Ma Yanli, Zhao Chuansong, and Captain Liu were brought in. Chapter 731 - 732 Arrangement ? Upon their arrival, the Pharmacist''s eyes suddenly burst into brilliance, like a lecher who had seen a ravishing beauty, appearing insatiably thirsty. ? And being stared at by the Pharmacist in such a manner, Ma Yanli and the other two felt their hairs stand on end and goosebumps cover their skin, finding it bone-chillingly creepy. ? "Now, they are yours!" Hao Jian said with a faint smile. ? "What do you need me to do?" the Pharmacist asked, brimming with excitement, ready to do anything Hao Jian asked of him. ? "You don''t need to do anything, I''ve already said, they are a gift!" Hao Jian laughed, "But I do have one requirement!" ? "Say it!" ? "That is, don''t let them die too easily!" Hao Jian said with a somewhat ferocious grin. ? Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Ma Yanli was scared into unconsciousness on the spot, while Zhao Chuansong and Captain Liu were also terrified, collapsing to the ground. ? To them, the Pharmacist was like a jackal, and they were like sheep; coupled with Hao Jian''s words now, they were frightened to the extreme. ? "No problem!" the Pharmacist agreed readily. After all, they were his test subjects, and he wouldn''t discard them without extracting their last bit of value. ? "Let''s leave it at that then," Hao Jian said, and then he began to walk outside with Vivian. ? "Who is this guy?" Vivian couldn''t help but ask Hao Jian, as she too felt a terrifying aura emanating from the Pharmacist. ? "This guy is a pervert and a genius," Hao Jian replied. ? "What''s your purpose in handing over Ma Yanli and the others to him?" Vivian asked again. ? "Because he likes to experiment on human bodies, and every time it''s a fate worse than death, so I gave Ma Yanli and the others to him, to make sure that even in death, they find no peace!" Hao Jian snorted coldly. ? No sooner had Hao Jian''s words fallen than a spine-chilling scream came from behind them. ? Vivian shuddered suddenly, looking at Hao Jian with a mix of horror. ? "See, the show has started," Hao Jian said with a smile, and then continued to walk outside. ? "By the way, do you have any plans for the future?" Hao Jian couldn''t help but ask Vivian. ? "I don''t know. Take good care of grandma, and then take revenge on Catherine," Vivian said with a face full of sadness. ? Hao Jian sighed. He knew this matter had been too much for Vivian. Any normal child who finds out their mother killed their father would undoubtedly be sad. ? "Can you kill her?" Hao Jian asked with a smile. ? This time, Vivian fell silent, as not everyone had a heart of iron and stone like Catherine! ? "Don''t push yourself." Hao Jian patted Vivian''s shoulder, having expected this kind of silence from her all along. ? "I can''t do it, but you can!" But Vivian suddenly said such a thing. ? S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian was immediately shocked, looking at Vivian. Did this girl really want to kill her mom? ? Vivian''s eyes blazed as she said, "My dad didn''t deserve to die for nothing, and she also said I''m her enemy. Since she has already abandoned me, there''s no need for me to keep obsessing over her. She killed my father, and that debt must be settled. I can''t bring myself to kill her, so you must be the one to take action!" ? "Are you serious?" Hao Jian asked, astonished. ? "Believe me, I have never been more lucid than I am now!" Vivian said calmly, having completely grown up after the previous events. ? "If this is what you want to see, then I''ll fulfill it for you!" Hao Jian nodded and said. ? Afterward, Hao Jian led the old lady and Vivian back home. Since they had notified Shu Ya and the others in advance, they were all very enthusiastic in their welcome. ? "Wow, these girls are all so pretty, who are they?" the old lady asked Hao Jian. ? "Mom! I''m your daughter-in-law!" Shu Ya said to the old lady with a laugh. ? "Mom, I''m also your daughter-in-law!" Ruo Lan said, not wanting to be outdone. ? "And I''m your daughter-in-law as well!" Moon Goddess Jiang said expressionlessly. ? "This... Zhijun, what''s going on?" The old lady became completely confused on the spot, looking at Hao Jian with puzzled eyes. ? "Mom, they are all my wives, and your daughters-in-law!" Hao Jian said with a grin. ? "What, you married so many wives? That''s bigamy, you could go to jail for that!" the old lady said anxiously. ? Hao Jian was torn between laughter and tears; although the old lady had dementia, she surprisingly knew about the crime of bigamy. ? "As long as we don''t say anything, then no one will know, right? Mom, don''t worry. Although Hao Jian has married many wives, he treats us all equally well," Shu Ya said to the old lady with a smiling face, but the look she gave Hao Jian was as sharp as a knife, as if she was about to chop him into mincemeat. ? And Hao Jian also gave a bitter smile, indicating that he was innocent too. ? "Then I really feel sorry for you girls." The old lady also took Shu Ya''s hand and smiled, feeling flattered and secretly impressed with her son''s ability to marry so many wives and still maintain harmony among them. Late at night, Hao Jian stood alone on the balcony drinking liquor, looking into the distance, as if pondering something. "What are you thinking about?" At that moment, Vivian came over. She was now in cartoon pajamas, looking playful and cute, without a hint of an assassin''s demeanor. "I''m thinking about how to settle you," Hao Jian said. "Settle me?" Vivian was taken aback, then said with a downcast expression, "Can I not leave your side? I know I did wrong before, but I understand my mistake now." Hao Jian couldn''t help but give a wry smile, "Did I say I wanted to send you away?" "So you mean..." Vivian immediately looked at Hao Jian with a surprise. "I mean, you can''t just stay at home all day long, can you? You''ve got to find something to do, right?" Hao Jian said with a smile, then a mischievous grin appeared on his face, "How about this, just go to school!" Chapter 732 - 733 Kikov "Go to school? Are you kidding me?" Vivian was somewhat flabbergasted. Hao Jian wanted her to go to school? Wasn''t this making things difficult for her? Vivian had always lived a life on the run, a crazy little Lolita. And now, being asked to attend school like an ordinary student was a bit too much for her. "Don''t tell me you want to kill people all your life? Don''t forget, you still have to take care of your grandma!" Hao Jian said. Vivian couldn''t keep going on like this, and he couldn''t allow her to, either. If Vivian continued to live life on the lam, it wasn''t just Xueci, even Hao Jian himself wouldn''t be able to forgive himself. It was one thing in the past when Hao Jian was not aware of her existence, but now that he knew there was a Vivian, and she was his brother''s daughter, then he couldn''t just pretend nothing was happening. Hearing this, Vivian fell silent too. Could she really live a normal person''s life? "You can do it!" It seemed as though he saw the doubt in Vivian''s eyes, and Hao Jian said so. "Alright then, I''ll give it a try." Vivian nodded, reluctantly agreeing. She knew she couldn''t keep going on this way; she didn''t want to be an assassin for life. "Good, I''ll introduce you to the Chinese Medicine Hospital tomorrow," Hao Jian said with a smile. ... The next morning, Hao Jian and Shu Ya took Vivian to the Chinese Medicine Hospital. Thanks to Hao Jian, Du Yuelin easily agreed to his request and smoothly handled the onboarding procedures for Vivian. As Hao Jian walked Vivian into the classroom, a burst of excited exclamations filled the air. "Teacher, you''ve finally come. We thought you had disappeared," a girl said with a mischievous smile. "Teacher, you haven''t been here for a long time. Where on earth have you been?" another girl asked with a touch of grievance. Vivian couldn''t help but be taken aback. Was this guy really this popular? "I''ve been a bit busy recently, but I will make time to come here to see you in the future," Hao Jian said with a smile. "Then you''d better keep your word and not back out," the female students said. "When have I ever lied to you?" "All the time," the Goddesses said, grinning playfully. Hao Jian immediately glared and said indignantly, "You guys are really annoying!" "Ha ha..." The girls burst into laughter together. "Alright, let me introduce you all. This is my friend''s daughter, her name is Vivian, and she has just returned from abroad. She will be attending our class from now on, so you guys better take good care of her," Hao Jian told the students. "Don''t worry, we will take good care of her." Luo Tong and the other boys all stepped forward, each wearing a sly smile as they kept their eyes on Vivian, thinking she was very pretty and thus had crooked thoughts. Being stared at by the boys, Vivian also felt her face getting hot, but she didn''t dislike it because she knew these classmates simply found her attractive and liked her. Naturally, Hao Jian could see what was happening. He said with a snicker, "Don''t think I don''t know what you''re all thinking. Let me tell you, this girl is fierce, and she has learned free fighting too. If you dare to mess with her, and she beats you into a pig''s head, don''t blame me." "No way, Vivian is so adorable," Luo Tong exclaimed in surprise. She was obviously a cute Lolita. Hearing him say this, Vivian''s face turned even redder; this was the first time someone had called her cute. "Cute? Did you not see the tattoos all over her body, looking like they''ve been drawn on willy nilly? She''s a Little Gangster Girl!" Hao Jian was displeased to hear this. Vivian, cute? Where on earth does she seem cute? She''s hateable, isn''t she? "Bang!" Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then, Hao Jian was sent flying across the room, crashing into the wall before thudding onto the floor. Seeing this, Luo Tong and the rest of the boys were all creeped out before looking at Vivian in astonishment because the one who had just struck was Vivian herself! With everyone staring at her, Vivian felt quite embarrassed and said weakly, "Actually, I''m usually quite gentle." Everyone finally understood what Hao Jian meant. This girl might look delicate and dainty, but she was actually fierce. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have sent Hao Jian flying with a single punch. Hao Jian got up, pretending as if nothing had happened, and said, "Well then, I''ll leave her in your hands. Make sure you get along well with her, and remember not to neglect your studies. I''ll come to check on you after a while." "Teacher, are you leaving already?" Seeing that Hao Jian had barely arrived before he was about to leave, the students couldn''t help feeling a little disappointed. "I still have some things to deal with, but I''ll come over when I''m free," Hao Jian waved his hand and then said to Vivian, "You just take classes with them. If anything comes up, call me. I''ve put your phone and bank card in your bag; the PIN is your birthday." "Aren''t you going to stay with me?" Vivian asked nervously. She was about to face student life on her own, which made her a little uneasy. "You''re not even afraid of killing people, yet you''re scared of interacting with others?" Hao Jian said with a laugh, finding it somewhat amusing. He hadn''t expected that Vivian, who was fearless even in the face of death, would actually be afraid of social interactions. "It''s not the same!" Vivian''s expression was quite embarrassed. Because this was something she had never done before, she was inevitably feeling a bit nervous. "That''s because the old you was too isolated, always living within your own circle, which is why you find it so difficult to interact with others. But you must overcome this, or else you''ll always be closed off in your own little world!" Hao Jian reminded her. An assassin doesn''t have friends, but Vivian was no longer an assassin, so she had to try to change. "Mhm." Vivian nodded, understanding the meaning behind Hao Jian''s words. ....... Afterwards, Hao Jian left Vivian at the school and went with Shu Ya to the company. "Are you sure leaving her at the school is the right decision?" Shu Ya couldn''t help asking. "Children need to grow up, especially kids like her. She has to learn to socialize to lead a normal life," Hao Jian said leisurely, hands clasped behind his head. "How do you plan to deal with the Mercenary Alliance and the Assassins Alliance?" Shu Ya suddenly asked, as Hao Jian had already told her about his arch-enemies. Shu Ya knew very well how great the danger Hao Jian was facing. Upon hearing this, Hao Jian''s face was no longer relaxed, and he said solemnly, "We can only play it by ear. If they come, then we''ll kill them all!" When they arrived at the company''s entrance, Hao Jian and Shu Ya had just gotten out of the car when they were met by a group of people. The most striking among them was a blond, blue-eyed Western hunk, tall and burly, with a chiseled jawline, wearing a suit, and holding a bouquet of roses¡ªthis image had a formidable impact on any woman. Yet this man was heading straight for Hao Jian. Hao Jian couldn''t help but frown, puzzled as to who this guy could be. "Shu Ya, you''re finally here. I''ve been waiting for you for a long time," the blond hunk said softly in English. "Kikov, why are you here?" Shu Ya frowned, her expression displeased because she hadn''t expected Kikov to follow her all the way to Huaxia. "I came, of course, for you, Shu Ya. You should know how much I like you!" the blond hunk said sincerely, hope shining in his eyes. That look was incredibly seductive to any woman. One reason was that Kikov was naturally handsome, and another was that he was wealthy. Lastly, his deep affection was something no woman could resist. "Kikov, I think I''ve already made it clear. I''m married, and this gentleman here is my husband," Shu Ya said impatiently. She had already told Kikov that she was married, yet he persisted in pursuing her. Kikov was someone she had met at a gathering in France, rumored to be a descendant of some British nobility. He fell for Shu Ya at first sight at the gathering and made vigorous advances, which Shu Ya had clearly rejected. But she hadn''t expected Kikov to be so relentless, running all the way to Huaxia and waiting for her at the bottom of her company''s building. "Husband?" Kikov only then noticed Hao Jian standing by Shu Ya''s side, and sneered, "Shu Ya, he''s not worthy of you!" Kikov, seeing Hao Jian dressed so shabbily, immediately felt contempt. In his eyes, a great beauty like Shu Ya should become his woman¡ªthat would be a match of equal stature. However, Hao Jian looked like a ruffian. Could such a man possibly be Shu Ya''s husband? Kikov thought this was an insult to Shu Ya. "Kikov, you''re being very rude!" Shu Ya''s pretty face was frigid. Kikov had insulted Hao Jian right in front of her. "Shu Ya, I''m not wrong. He truly isn''t worthy of you. Someone like me, a noble, is the one who should match you," Kikov said, gazing at Shu Ya with heartfelt passion, his demeanor full of longing. "Whether or not he''s worthy is not for you to decide. I treated you as a friend, but you insult my husband? I want you to leave now!" Shu Ya said, annoyed. Chastened by Shu Ya''s rebuke, Kikov felt ashamed but didn''t dare to vent on Hao Jian, so he directed his anger towards him instead. He turned to Hao Jian, glaring, "You, I don''t care who you are, but you''re not worthy of Shu Ya, so please leave her." Hao Jian simply curled his lip and said, "Are you an idiot, or has being pampered from birth given you that excessively high opinion of yourself?" "How dare you insult me? Do you know who I am?" Kikov said, angered. "I know you''re a brainless idiot. Now beat it! Don''t be an eyesore in my presence!" Hao Jian said irritably, having no reason to show Kikov any courtesy since he had shown none. Chapter 733 - 734 "What did you say?" Kikov immediately glared with his eyebrows knitted together, this bastard, he dared to insult him? Immediately, the bodyguards behind Kikov aggressively approached, all of them burly men, staring intently at Hao Jian. If Hao Jian dared to speak recklessly, they would immediately rush forward to teach him a lesson. "Kikov, you''ve gone too far!" Shu Ya trembled with anger. It was bad enough that he harassed her, but now he was threatening her husband? How shameless could this man be? Hao Jian looked at Kikov''s bodyguards and sneered, "Harassing my wife, insulting me, and now you want to lay hands on me, is shamelessness also a traditional virtue of your people?" "Cut the crap, leave Shu Ya, and I will give you immeasurable benefits. Otherwise, not only will you gain nothing, but you could also lose your life!" Kikov threatened coldly. He found this man from Huaxia exceedingly annoying, to still dare to provoke despite seeing so many of his people. "Then I''ll give you a benefit too," Hao Jian sneered and then added provocatively. "You give me a benefit? What benefit could you possibly give me?" Kikov spoke disparagingly. What could Hao Jian give him? Merely a pretty boy who depended on a woman for his sustenance. Before coming to Huaxia, Kikov had investigated Hao Jian, but the most common conclusion was that Hao Jian was a pretty boy, known as the man behind Shu Ya. Of course, his investigation was biased, merely based on some people''s arbitrary speculations. Only those who had truly interacted with Hao Jian knew how much he had done for Shu Ya, and they were aware of Hao Jian''s capabilities. "The benefit is, if you and your dogs leave my sight now, I''ll be magnanimous and not hurt the feelings of a foreign friend," Hao Jian said with a smile, looking at Kikov. Upon hearing this, both Kikov and his bodyguards glared, furrowing their brows, and since Hao Jian spoke in English, they all understood clearly. Especially the bodyguards, who at this moment glared fiercely at Hao Jian. Hao Jian dared to call them dogs? They were all carefully selected elites from the best teams, truly the cream of the crop among bodyguards. "Beat him!" Kikov shouted angrily, unable to hold back upon hearing Hao Jian''s arrogant words. From the moment he first saw Shu Ya, Kikov had regarded her as something he had exclusive rights over. Merely because Hao Jian was Shu Ya''s husband, Kikov felt justified in wanting to kill him. He was being nice in advising Hao Jian now, only to maintain his noble demeanor. However, Hao Jian''s ignorance infuriated him. It could be said that Kikov was truly arrogant, possibly because he had been raised with a silver spoon since childhood. As a noble, Kikov had always known his status was extraordinary. Commoners had to bow down and pay respects upon seeing him, even if he gave them nothing. Just a smile from him would make them overly joyful. Thus, in his view, since he was now telling Hao Jian to leave, Hao Jian should do exactly that. Those bodyguards immediately surrounded Hao Jian, clenching their fists eagerly. "Daring to disrespect the prince, you''re simply courting death!" one of them said menacingly. "Prince?" Hao Jian frowned slightly. "Exactly, I am a son of the royal family of England!" Kikov declared proudly, "If you''re wise, leave quickly. The woman I desire is not for someone like you to touch!" "In England, you''re a prince, in Huaxia, you''re just a commoner. Even as a prince from England, you expect to throw your weight around in a foreign country? Turns out you aren''t an idiot, but brain-damaged," Hao Jian mocked rudely, not caring in the least about Kikov''s identity as a prince, let alone if he were a king. "Cripple this brat for me! And cut out his tongue, I want him mute for life!" Kikov commanded viciously, having never been disrespected like this before; Hao Jian was the first! And now, he would make him the last! Those bodyguards then rushed forward, their faces filled with smugness, clearly believing that Hao Jian, who appeared thin and frail compared to them, was no match. Indeed, Hao Jian was not really skinny, but compared to these burly men, he seemed rather frail. Having handed Hao Jian over to his bodyguards, Kikov smilingly approached Shu Ya, "Shu Ya, you see, by sticking with such a man, you''ll only ever be ashamed. He can''t even protect you. How can he? I am different. As a prince of England, I am noble, with my own Royal Guards. Commoners must kneel before me." "Who''s shaming whom is not certain yet!" Shu Ya said coldly, her eyes filled with disdain as she looked at Kikov. "Shu Ya, you''re really cute. Do you actually think this guy can defeat my bodyguards?" Kikov shook his head, finding Shu Ya too optimistic, actually thinking that she could win. Then, Kikov somehow thought of something and smirked, "Shu Ya, I can tell you still have feelings for this guy. Just agree to be my girlfriend, and I''ll let him go. How about that?" "You''re truly shameless!" Shu Ya looked at Kikov indifferently, her eyes full of disgust. Was Kikov actually relying on threats to force her to comply? What nobility? What royalty? They''re nothing but a facade, rotten on the inside! "Shu Ya, I''m doing all this simply because I love you. This kid definitely won''t stand a chance against my bodyguards. Now, only you can save him," Kikov shamelessly said. "Really? Maybe you should take a look at what your bodyguard has become now!" Kikov said coldly. "What state? I''m afraid they''ve already started to disable that kid by now," Then Kikov sneered and turned his head away. "Hiss..." And just as he turned his head, Kikov sharply inhaled a breath of cold air, his face written with shock. Because he saw his bodyguards, sprawled all over the ground, each unable to move, their lives hanging by a thread. At that moment, one of them was even being choked by Hao Jian, completely immobilized, struggling incessantly. Kikov''s legs went weak. His bodyguards were the elite of the elite, each capable of fighting a hundred men, but in front of Hao Jian, they were as vulnerable as chickens and dogs? This was simply inconceivable. Moreover, from beginning to end, they didn''t even let out a scream; they just passed out directly. What on earth was going on? He couldn''t imagine! "I told you, it''s not yet clear who''s shaming whom. If he was just an ordinary man or, as you say, a pretty boy, do you think I would fancy him? Kikov, do you think I''m as foolish as you?" Shu Ya''s expression was icy as she spoke word by word. And each word was like a knife, harshly stabbing into Kikov''s heart. The saddest thing in the world is to be humiliated by the woman you love! Kikov clenched his teeth in rage but also felt utterly humiliated. He had intended to shame Hao Jian to make Shu Ya realize and thereby win her affection. Instead, it turned out that he was the one being humiliated in the end. At that moment, Hao Jian also dropped the now unconscious bodyguard and walked towards Kikov with a menacing look in his eyes. Seeing Kikov coming over menacingly, Kikov also panicked and asked, "You... what do you want to do?" "Since you''ve already rejected the favor I offered you, that means you''ve made a choice. Now, it''s time for me to make a decision," Hao Jian sneered, standing in front of Kikov. "Don''t mess around, I''m telling you I am of the English royalty. If you hit me, I will report you to the embassy, and then you won''t be able to escape," Kikov threatened, his voice tremulous, his body shivering. Because he could see how terrifying the man before him was. He had underestimated him, and even his bodyguard was no match for this guy. How could he possibly be his opponent? "You were the first to act, the first to provoke. The surveillance in this underground parking has clearly captured your ugly face and words. Even if you complain to the embassy, it won''t do you any good. If you aren''t afraid of dragging your royalty through the mud, then I don''t mind either," Hao Jian said, wearing a sinister smile, completely unbothered by Kikov''s threats. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Because in this matter, they had the moral high ground. If this were exposed, Kikov would definitely be the one in trouble, everyone would say that Kikov supported evil and was contemptuous of others. And some patriots would undoubtedly start launching criticisms, and Kikov, along with the entire royal family, would be humiliated. Hearing this, Kikov fell silent, his face filled with horror, realizing that what Hao Jian said was true. He was annoyed that he had forgotten about the surveillance, primarily because Kikov thought he would leave satisfied this time. Little did he expect that Hao Jian would beat his bodyguards so badly. "This means, no matter what I do to you, you have no place to seek justice!" Hao Jian''s expression turned evil as he laughed, then immediately kicked Kikov''s knee. A cracking sound was heard as Kikov fell to the ground, his kneecap shattered. "Aaagh!" Kikov let out a cry of pain, his facial muscles twitching wildly as he rolled on the ground clutching his leg. "I always thought that when a foreigner gets beaten, there should be a different reaction. Now it seems it''s all the same," Hao Jian chuckled. "You deal with him, I still have work to do. Just remember not to kill him," Shu Ya reminded, then turned and headed upstairs, never glancing at Kikov again. Upon hearing this, Kikov was close to despair. He had hoped Shu Ya would plead for him since he was her pursuer after all. But what he hadn''t anticipated was that Shu Ya would be so ruthless. Chapter 734 - 735 Conflict "Heartless, isn''t she? But that''s just women for you. Passionate yet ruthless. They''ll only be devoted to the one they love. As for those they don''t, they''re always as cold as ice," Hao Jian said to Kikov with a smile. "Are you bragging to me?" Kikov said with a displeased face, quite annoyed. He knew Hao Jian was never going to let him off, so he simply skipped the pointless begging for mercy. Was Hao Jian insulting him, suggesting he wasn''t even worthy of catching Shu Ya''s eye? A woman is only so indifferent when she has absolutely no interest in a man at all. And Kikov found it incredible that he could be inferior to this bumpkin in front of him. Even if this guy could fight a bit, wasn''t he a noble? Could it be that Shu Ya didn''t like elegant men and preferred the wild ones? "Bragging? To you? Sorry, but I don''t have the habit of showing off to idiots!" Hao Jian chuckled disdainfully. "You!" Kikov''s nose was almost crooked with anger upon hearing this, finding the young man in front of him unbearable. Tonight, the so-called Prince''s dignity was trampled underfoot. Crack! Mid-sentence, Hao Jian''s foot came down again, stepping on Kikov''s other leg. "Ow!" Kikov cried out in pain once more, his body shivering uninterruptedly as if stricken with a chill. "Stop grinning like an idiot as if we''re close," Hao Jian said with disgust. Grinning like an idiot? When did he ever grin like an idiot? He had been grinding his teeth from beginning to end! "Hao Jian, you bastard, I won''t let this go!" Kikov said through gritted teeth. "Why so angry? Considering you''re an international friend, I didn''t give you a comminuted fracture. Find yourself a decent orthopedist, and you should recover fine. You should know I usually leave others permanently disabled," Hao Jian said smilingly. But then he thought about it and felt that wasn''t quite right, adding, "However, I''m worried others will say I''m pandering to foreigners. Forget it, better to leave you permanently disabled." "Don''t... please, I know I was wrong, let me go," Kikov finally pleaded with a miserable face, realizing the man before him was a madman who really intended to cripple him. "Oh, giving in so soon? Where''s your princely authority now? Your noble honor?" Hao Jian sneered. Kikov remained silent with a sullen face. What was the use of talking about noble honor now, and did his princely authority have any effect on Hao Jian? "Don''t show your face around me again, because next time, you really will be disabled for life," Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. Without giving Kikov another thought, Hao Jian turned and entered the elevator. "Damn it!" Kikov gritted his teeth, slamming his hand on the ground. His handsome face was suddenly covered with a cold intent to kill, clearly hating Hao Jian to the bone. ....... Meanwhile, outside a university in Hua City. Yuan Zhibang and his classmates had just finished playing basketball and were walking back into the school. As his family situation had stabilized, Yuan Zhibang felt less burdened and thus became much more cheerful. "Fatty, that pass you made was terrible, I didn''t even know where it went," Yuan Zhibang complained to a very fat classmate beside him at that time. "Damn, that was a divine pass. You couldn''t catch it because you suck," Fatty retorted unconvincingly, yet full of defiance. "Divine pass my ass, Dazhuang, was Fatty''s pass just now sloppy or what?" Yuan Zhibang then asked another classmate, a very tall and strong guy, as they all shared a dorm and were close enough to have nicknames for each other ¨C with each nickname naturally based on personal features. Fatty was called Fatty because he was fat, and Dazhuang was called Dazhuang because he was muscular. Dazhuang thought for a moment and then nodded emphatically before saying one word: "Sloppy!" "Bullshit! What right do you have to talk, you travesty who takes four steps on a layup?" Fatty said angrily. The three of them bickered endlessly, quarreling all the way to the school. But just then, they saw a thin student surrounded by a group of thugs and hooligans. "Gao Xiaolong, what did I tell you before? You dare not pay the protection fee? You think my words are just wind in your ears, huh?" a hooligan in punk attire with red hair and a pierced nose said viciously. "I... I don''t have any money," the student said timidly, hugging his head, looking very frightened. "No money? Then you deserve a beating! Hit him!" the red-haired man snorted coldly, and then with a swift wave of his hand, his followers surged forward and started beating Gao Xiaolong with fists and feet. "Isn''t that our classmate, Gao Xiaolong?" Fatty asked doubtfully. "Let''s go over and see!" Yuan Zhibang frowned, seeing the red-haired man bully their classmate, he also felt somewhat annoyed. "Stop hitting me... Stop hitting me..." Gao Xiaolong curled up into a ball, hugging his head and kept crying out. "I''m asking you one more time, do you have money?" the red-haired man said menacingly. "My family only gives me a thousand yuan for living expenses every month. I really don''t have any extra money!" Gao Xiaolong pleaded bitterly. "A thousand yuan? That''ll do. Hand it over!" Greed flashed in the red-haired man''s eyes¡ª for these idle gangsters, a thousand yuan was already quite good. Gao Xiaolong''s expression immediately stiffened, "But if I give the money to you, what will I do?" If he gave all his thousand yuan to the red-haired man, how would he eat? "Who the **** cares about you, hand over the money quickly, or I will beat you every time I see you!" The red-haired man completely ignored Gao Xiaolong''s pleas, his demeanor became more aggressive. "How about I give you five hundred? I''ll give you five hundred every month, is that okay?" Gao Xiaolong suggested to the red-haired man in a negotiating tone. "Wow, you actually dare to bargain with me? I think you''re tired of living," the red-haired man burst into laughter and said, "I''ll tell you, a thousand every month, and I won''t let you off if you''re a penny short!" "But I still need to eat, right?" Gao Xiaolong trembled as he spoke. "Eat? I think you''re asking to eat fists. Beat him up!" the red-haired man roared furiously, believing that if he didn''t give Gao Xiaolong a lesson, he would never learn to behave. Gao Xiaolong quickly covered his head again, shaking all over in fright. "Stop!" Just then, Yuan Zhibang shouted loudly and walked up quickly with Fatty and others. The red-haired man and everyone else turned to look, but when the red-haired man saw Yuan Zhibang and his group approaching, his brows furrowed, and he snorted angrily, "Who the **** are you? Daring to meddle in my business? Tired of living, are you?" "He is our classmate, and we naturally cannot stand by and watch him get beaten. Beat it! Stop causing trouble at our school!" Yuan Zhibang said brusquely. He used to be bullied by a school tyrant just like Gao Xiaolong, so he knew the feeling was awful. Had it not been for Hao Jian''s help, he might still be worthless now. So seeing Gao Xiaolong being bullied by the red-haired man, he felt a sense of camaraderie. Gao Xiaolong, too, was momentarily stunned to see Yuan Zhibang stand up to protect him and then his eyes flashed with ecstasy. "Oh, you want to play the hero? I think you''re ****ing looking for death!" the red-haired man also exploded with rage and shouted. These idiots dare to mess up his plans? "Now, I''ll give you two choices, either kneel down and apologize to me right now, then get lost! Or I''ll beat you so badly, even your mothers won''t recognize you!" the red-haired man threatened Yuan Zhibang and his group, these college students actually daring to challenge him¡ªhad they grown tired of living? S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "****!" Fatty, with his explosive temper, couldn''t stand it any longer. He let out a shout and charged forward, landing a punch on the red-haired man. The red-haired man''s nose bled profusely, and he felt dizzy. His lackeys were also stunned, never expecting Fatty to be so vicious and act so quickly. But neither Yuan Zhibang nor Dazhuang were surprised, as they both knew that Fatty had been involved in gang activities before. It was said that he used to brandish knives in high school and had gradually mended his ways after entering college. But that did not mean his temper had changed, so hearing the red-haired man''s arrogant words, he simply could not endure it. "Caonima, you dare to hit me?" the red-haired man stared at Fatty viciously with a malevolent look in his eye. "So what if I hit you? When I was in the gang, I was never as low as you!" Fatty said unconcernedly. "Beat them cripple!" the red-haired man ground his teeth angrily and then waved his hand abruptly, his lackeys immediately rushed forward. "****!" Dazhuang and Yuan Zhibang also rushed up to join the fight. The three of them faced the six adversaries without an ounce of fear. With Dazhuang''s sturdy build, taking down four or five was not an issue, and Fatty, who had gang experience, was also ferocious. Within a few minutes, the red-haired man''s group was beaten so badly they were searching for their teeth on the ground. "You dare to hurt us? Do you know who my boss is? My boss is Brother Tian, you dare hit us, you''re dead!" threatened the red-haired man grimly to Yuan Zhibang. He had decided to find Brother Tian afterwards and have him avenge his brothers! "Only you have a boss? I have one too! Just call for people, right? I''ll be waiting!" Fatty said arrogantly, completely disregarding the red-haired man''s threat. "Fine, you just wait. Don''t leave after school!" The red-haired man pointed at Yuan Zhibang and the others before turning and leaving with his people. Yuan Zhibang and the rest paid no attention and walked over to Gao Xiaolong. Yuan Zhibang reached out his hand and asked, "Are you alright?" "I''m fine, thank you. If it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t know what to do," Gao Xiaolong said gratefully to Yuan Zhibang. "Be more careful in the future. We saved you this time, but that red-haired man will surely hold a grudge. He might take revenge on you later," Yuan Zhibang cautioned. Chapter 735 - 736 No Good Deed Goes Unpunished "Alright, I''ll be careful," Gao Xiaolong nodded, his mind harboring different thoughts. Now that Yuan Zhibang and the red-haired guy were at odds, even if there were trouble, the red-haired guy would only seek out Yuan Zhibang, not him. At this thought, Gao Xiaolong actually felt somewhat relieved. "If there''s nothing else, I''ll be going first," Gao Xiaolong hurriedly said, standing up to leave. He didn''t want to have too much contact with Yuan Zhibang; He feared that if the red-haired guy saw him as a friend of Yuan Zhibang''s, he might just get dragged into the mess as well. Yuan Zhibang could never have imagined that his good deed of saving Gao Xiaolong would be rewarded with such ingratitude. Therefore, sometimes, it''s really not worth pitying the weak. And those who are pitiable may truly have detestable aspects. Many people often say that the rich are heartless and look down on others, forgetting those they knew when they come into money. But what''s not known is that some rich people become cold-hearted precisely because they''ve had enough of the demands of the weak. They kindly lend money to friends, who then don''t repay, thinking that since you''re so wealthy, a little money doesn''t mean much to you, but it does to me. Since we''re friends, why can''t you just give it to me? Weakness is reasoned, and this is also a major flaw of human nature. Just like now, Yuan Zhibang saved Gao Xiaolong out of good will, but instead of gratitude, he was repaid with betrayal. "This kid, he''s no good!" At this point, Fatty walked over with a cold expression. Having been in the Mafia for many years, he had seen all manner of characters and could tell right away that Gao Xiaolong was no good. "Agreed!" Dazhuang followed, also feeling Gao Xiaolong was untrustworthy as his demeanor was too indifferent. "Forget it, it''s just this once. There won''t be a second time," Yuan Zhibang said with a bitter smile. "Now we need to think about how to deal with that red-haired guy. I can tell he''s not going to let it go," Yuan Zhibang said. "I''ll call my boss right now," Fatty said, picking up his phone to make the call. "Little Fat, how come you''ve got time to call me?" A husky male voice came from the other end. "Boss, I''ve run into some trouble at school, and someone wants to beat me up," Fatty explained. "Oh? Who did you mess with?" "Some guy called Brother Tian," Fatty answered. "What?" The man on the other end grew tense immediately: "How did you get into it with Brother Tian?" Fatty, noticing the unusual reaction from his boss, recounted the entire incident. "Foolish! You''re so foolish! Why on earth did you stir up this trouble? Even I wouldn''t dare to mess with Brother Tian, and you went ahead and hit his lackey?" Fatty''s boss berated him angrily. Fatty''s brow furrowed, and he muttered, "So what now?" He understood the gravity of the situation; if even his boss didn''t dare to offend someone, then they were certainly in no position to do so. If his boss were to wash his hands of the matter, they would be in serious trouble, for the red-haired man would not let them off easily. "I will plead with Brother Tian for you, but I can''t help your two friends," Fatty''s boss said coldly; he wasn''t willing to waste his efforts on two strangers. "But they''re my brothers," Fatty quickly said, still valuing loyalty and unwilling to abandon his friends. "Brothers? Talking about brothers in times like these? You can''t even save yourself, let alone them. Listen to me, let them fend for themselves!" Fatty''s boss scoffed. "But Boss, that''s not what you taught me before. You said to be brothers is to show loyalty," Fatty was stunned. Were these really his boss''s words? His boss had always told him that if a brother is in trouble, one should be willing to take a knife for him, and now he was being told to abandon them? "That was in the past; times have changed now." Fatty was dumbfounded and then anger crossed his face, "Times have changed? I think it''s you who''ve changed! Back when we started out, you spoke so highly of brotherhood, saying it was like life and limb. Now I''ve helped you carve out a territory, and you''re riding high and dry, not caring whether your brothers live or die? If you can do such a thing, I bloody well can''t!" "How dare you speak to me like that? Do you still see me as your boss?" Fatty''s boss was livid, shouting back. "Boss? You''ve discarded all sense of honor, and you still expect me to acknowledge you as my boss?" Fatty sneered. "Fine, fine, you''ve got guts, so go deal with Brother Tian yourself. I want to see just how brave you are!" The man on the other end said venomously and then hung up the call abruptly. "Damn bastard!" Fatty roared in fury upon hearing this. Yuan Zhibang and Dazhuang exchanged glances at Fatty''s reaction, understanding the situation. They couldn''t help but smile bitterly. "What do we do now?" Yuan Zhibang asked somewhat helplessly. Since Fatty''s boss was unwilling to help, they could only rely on themselves now. "Didn''t you say your brother-in-law is really powerful, that both the underworld and the legitimate world have to look at his face? Why not seek help from your brother-in-law?" Dazhuang asked Yuan Zhibang. Yuan Zhibang became hesitant, saying, "That''s true, but I don''t want to trouble him. After all, he''s just having some ambiguous relationship with my sister, and I don''t even know if he''s going to be my brother-in-law or not. I''m worried that if I rashly go to him for help, he might look down on my sister." If I keep asking Hao Jian for help with everything, I''m afraid he''d also start feeling put out. He also understood that an important figure like Hao Jian must be managing a multitude of things every day, and getting him involved in these petty matters would seem somewhat inappropriate. If Hao Jian knew what Yuan Zhibang was thinking right now, he would probably laugh until he cried. Managing a multitude of things? He was actually quite idle at the moment! Hearing this, both Fatty and Dazhuang fell silent. They knew what Yuan Zhibang was concerned about and could understand his feelings. "If it doesn''t work, we just hide from them. As long as they can''t find us, they can''t do anything to us, right?" Fatty said, implying that if they couldn''t confront their adversaries, they should just hide. "Zhibang!" Just then, a female voice came from not far away. Wearing frog-eye glasses and dressed in a trendy fashion, Yuan Shanshan approached. "Don''t talk nonsense later on!" Yuan Zhibang reminded Fatty and the other guy. "Got it," both of them nodded in agreement. "Why do you all look so grim? What happened?" Yuan Shanshan had just arrived to find Yuan Zhibang and the others looking rather gloomy and anxious. "It''s nothing, Sister. What are you doing here? Don''t you have work today?" Yuan Zhibang deflected. "I took the day off today, so I thought I''d take you out for lunch. Are you done with class?" Yuan Shanshan asked. "I still have two classes in the afternoon. How about you go back first?" Yuan Zhibang replied with a wry smile. He didn''t want Yuan Shanshan to wait there, to avoid any unnecessary trouble. He knew that if his sister found out he was about to get beaten up, she would definitely call Hao Jian. "No need, I''ll just wait for you at the school gate. I''m free this afternoon anyway," Yuan Shanshan shook her head. "Ah, this..." Yuan Zhibang hesitated. "What''s the matter? Are you hiding something from me?" Yuan Shanshan was also clever. From Yuan Zhibang''s subtle expressions, she sensed something was amiss. "No, how could I hide anything from you? You''re overthinking it," Yuan Zhibang quickly gave a forced laugh, with guilt written all over his face. "Alright then, I''ll wait for you guys here at the school gate, and both of you should come too," Yuan Shanshan said, turning to speak to Fatty and Dazhuang. Dazhuang and Fatty could only give a bitter smile, unsure of how to respond to Yuan Shanshan. Yuan Zhibang sighed helplessly and said, "Alright then, you wait here, we''ll come out after class." He knew he couldn''t persuade Yuan Shanshan, so he had to let her wait outside. Immediately after, Yuan Zhibang and the others walked towards the school gate in dejection. "All secretive, what are you all up to?" Yuan Shanshan couldn''t help but frown, feeling that Yuan Zhibang''s attitude was odd. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then she walked over to some bystanders who were still looking on. After asking them, she immediately knew the whole story. These bystanders had witnessed the entire incident just now and had heard the threats made by the man with red hair to Yuan Zhibang and the others. And after hearing from the bystanders, shock filled Yuan Shanshan''s face¡ªher brother had gotten involved with the Mafia? This wasn''t a trivial matter; those Mafia members were known to kill without batting an eye. Thinking this, Yuan Shanshan became flustered and anxious and, after a moment''s hesitation, still picked up her phone to call. Because she knew that now, only that person could save her brother. At that moment, Hao Jian was massaging Shu Ya when his phone started ringing. Both Hao Jian and Shu Ya noticed the caller ID. "Busy with business, I see," Shu Ya said in a sarcastic tone, obviously displeased with Yuan Shanshan''s call to Hao Jian. "Don''t misunderstand, she and I are just friends," Hao Jian quickly explained, fearful of any misunderstanding by Shu Ya. "I didn''t say anything, so how do you know I misunderstood?" Shu Ya retorted with a cold laugh, thinking that Hao Jian was guilty as charged. "Then I won''t answer it." "Take the call, what if she really does have an emergency?" Shu Ya said calmly, resuming her work and paying him no more attention. Hao Jian gave a wry smile and then picked up the phone again............... Chapter 736 - 737: Drawing Fire to Oneself Hao Jian let out a resigned, bitter smile, but he still picked up the phone, and as he listened to Yuan Shanshan''s account, his face darkened significantly. "I understand, I''ll be right there," Hao Jian said with a grim expression. Immediately afterwards, he turned to look at Shu Ya with a helpless expression, as if seeking her approval. "Don''t worry, I''m not so petty. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have let Moon Goddess Jiang into our home," Shu Ya said indifferently, not even bothering to lift her head. "I knew my wife was the best," Hao Jian beamed, his smile blooming like a dog''s tail flower. "But if you dare to bring Yuan Shanshan into our house, watch out for your third leg!" Shu Ya suddenly raised her head, glaring fiercely at Hao Jian. Hao Jian shivered on the spot and quickly responded, "What are you talking about? How could I dare to do that?" "Better not dare! Go on, get out and don''t disturb me while I''m working!" Shu Ya waved him away. With that, Hao Jian left, driving towards the school where Yuan Zhibang was. ....... Meanwhile, school had just let out for Yuan Zhibang, and Gao Xiaolong practically flew out of the classroom, looking hurried. Gao Xiaolong didn''t want to walk too slowly and get cornered by the redhead''s crew, so he hurried to escape. After all, the redhead was after Yuan Zhibang and his group, not him. Seeing this, Yuan Zhibang and Fatty couldn''t help but sneer, fully aware of what Gao Xiaolong was up to. "Coward!" Fatty blurted out disgruntledly, then said to Yuan Zhibang, "You wasted your effort saving that piece of trash!" They had confronted the redhead to save Gao Xiaolong, but Gao Xiaolong didn''t hesitate to abandon them. It wasn''t that Gao Xiaolong was expected to help them, but at least he could have been less obvious about it, which was irritating to witness. "Forget it, what''s done is done. What''s the use of talking about this now?" Yuan Zhibang said with a wry smile. If he had known what kind of person Gao Xiaolong was, he certainly wouldn''t have saved him, but the problem was he hadn''t known beforehand. "Sigh, alright, now we need to figure out how to deal with that redhead," Fatty said helplessly. This incident had put them in a real fix. "Let''s go to the gate and check. If they''re there, we''ll climb over the wall. If they''re not, we run," Yuan Zhibang suggested, the only feasible plan at the moment. Fatty and Dazhuang nodded in agreement, seeing no other option. At that moment, Gao Xiaolong was sprinting out of the school gate. After looking around and not seeing the redhead and his gang, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and ran towards the other end of the street. But he hadn''t gotten far when he saw a group of people turn the corner¡ªit was the redhead and his crew! But this time, the redhead didn''t bring just a few guys; he brought dozens, all stationed in a small alleyway. Upon seeing Gao Xiaolong, the redhead tossed away his cigarette butt and barked, "Grab him for me!" Then his gang swarmed and dragged the trembling Gao Xiaolong back. "Boss, this has nothing to do with me, I don''t even know those guys," Gao Xiaolong said, his legs weak, shivering as he looked at the redhead. With so many of the redhead''s men, just one punch each could beat him to death. "Isn''t that kid saying you''re his classmate? Where is he now?" the redhead scolded, annoyed. His cheeks were still somewhat swollen, but his countenance was full of malice. "They... they''re still inside the school, they haven''t come out yet. You wait here, they''re bound to come out. But really, this has nothing to do with me, I didn''t expect them to stick their noses in," Gao Xiaolong hurriedly shifted the blame onto Yuan Zhibang and the others. Seeing Gao Xiaolong''s reaction, contempt registered even more strongly on the faces of the redhead and his gang, who stared coldly at him, clearly disdainful. "Take them to the back alley. I want to handle them myself. Get it done, and I won''t trouble you anymore. If you can''t manage it, wait to be crippled by me," the redhead said icily, knowing Gao Xiaolong would ultimately acquiesce to his demands. "This..." Gao Xiaolong hesitated, but the hesitation didn''t last long. Eventually, he nodded vigorously: "I''ll take them there!" "Brothers, do you see this? This is the trash I always tell you about. Those guys saved him, and he didn''t hesitate to sell them out. Such scumbags," the redhead pointed at Gao Xiaolong and said to his gang, and everyone burst into laughter. And with the redhead''s words, the disdain in everyone''s eyes intensified. Gao Xiaolong, ashamed, lowered his head and didn''t dare to make a sound, but at that moment, he didn''t feel even a hint of anger, but rather some relief. Can a man who lacks even the basic mettle still be called a man? ........ At the same time, Yuan Zhibang and his group had reached the school gate, only to see from a distance that the redhead and his gang were already there, obviously waiting for them. Seeing this, Yuan Zhibang and the other two frowned, knowing that this matter was not likely to end well. "What do we do now?" Dazhuang asked. They could fight a few people, but they weren''t capable of fighting dozens. "What else can we do? Just climb over the fence and run," Yuan Zhibang said with a bitter smile. It seemed like that was the only option now; they would figure out the rest after getting through today. "Alright!" Fatty and the others all agreed. It seemed like that was the only option now. Just then, they saw Gao Xiaolong come running toward them, looking quite anxious. "The redhead and a bunch of people are waiting for you at the school gate," he said. "So what, you came looking for backup?" Fatty sneered. Upon hearing this, a flicker of guilt flashed through Gao Xiaolong''s eyes. He wasn''t here to find backup; he was here to get Yuan Zhibang and the others in trouble. "We''ve already planned to leave the school by another route. Do you need something from us?" Yuan Zhibang asked, puzzled. But upon hearing Yuan Zhibang''s words, Gao Xiaolong became visibly nervous. Yuan Zhibang and the others couldn''t leave the school; otherwise, the redhead would become his problem. "I know a place where you can leave the school, follow me," Gao Xiaolong told Yuan Zhibang and the others, clearly intending to lead them to the back alley and turn them over to the redhead. "You came back just to tell us this?" Yuan Zhibang was somewhat puzzled, and Fatty and Dazhuang were also stunned. Could they have misunderstood Gao Xiaolong? "Yes," Gao Xiaolong nodded but kept his head down, not daring to meet Yuan Zhibang''s eyes. Yuan Zhibang looked at Gao Xiaolong intently and then said, "Lead the way." Clearly, he believed what Gao Xiaolong had said, thinking that Gao Xiaolong truly had a way to get them out. Elated, Yuan Zhibang made a "please" gesture to the others, indicating they should follow him. And so they followed Gao Xiaolong, unaware that they were slowly walking right into his trap. Before long, they arrived at an abandoned backyard near the school''s backdoor. The place was overgrown with weeds and littered with old and broken student desks. A cracked and crumbling wall stood there, bearing the marks of many years and looking as if it might collapse at any moment due to a lack of maintenance. Yuan Zhibang and the others looked around, but they didn''t see any way out. There was no exit to be found, and the high wall was covered with shards of glass, making it impossible to climb. "How are we supposed to get out of here?" Yuan Zhibang and the others looked at Gao Xiaolong, puzzled. "The exit is here." Gao Xiaolong said, heading in a certain direction. Then he pushed aside the dense grass to reveal a doghole. Without any hesitation, Gao Xiaolong crawled straight into the doghole. Seeing this, Yuan Zhibang and the others were dumbfounded. Gao Xiaolong had so easily entered the doghole; was it really that simple? If it were them, doing something like this would not be easy. However, Gao Xiaolong didn''t hesitate at all. Even though he was helping them, they still couldn''t help but feel a bit odd about it. "What now, are we going through?" Fatty asked Yuan Zhibang and Dazhuang. "Let''s go through. He already did, and if we don''t, it would seem a bit ungrateful, right? Plus, we can''t just stay in the school forever, can we? My sister is still waiting for us outside." "Alright then!" They had no choice but to crawl out. Yuan Zhibang and Dazhuang were the first to emerge, but when it was Fatty''s turn, he found himself stuck in the doghole. "Damn it, can''t you lose some weight?" Dazhuang said angrily, pulling at Fatty. "Stop the bullshit and pull me out!" Fatty snapped back, hating when people mentioned his weight. At this moment, Yuan Zhibang realized something was wrong. Where was Gao Xiaolong? He should have been waiting for them outside, right? Why did he leave without a word? Just then, Yuan Zhibang saw the redhead leading a gang of thugs approaching, with Gao Xiaolong right by his side. Suddenly, everything made sense to Yuan Zhibang. It was a trap! "Damn his grandmother, I knew this kid was no good!" Fatty cursed loudly, eyes filled with rage. They had saved Gao Xiaolong, and it was bad enough that he didn''t help them in return, but to actually harm them? Did he have no conscience at all? Now they were in a difficult situation. Fatty was stuck in the doghole, and it seemed impossible for them to go back. And if they left, what about Fatty still trapped there? "Don''t worry about me, just go!" Fatty told Yuan Zhibang and the others, ready to sacrifice himself. "Go? If we go, what''s the difference between us and that bastard?" Yuan Zhibang said bitterly, his speech sharpening with anger. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 737 - 738: Harmful Trap Yuan Zhibang had not expected his kindness to result in such an outcome, making him feel unable to accept it, and Gao Xiaolong was indeed too despicable. If he had known it would be like this, Yuan Zhibang would not have saved Gao Xiaolong even if he saw him being beaten to death. "It''s okay, my boss knows Brother Tian, they wouldn''t dare do anything to me," Fatty said. "Wouldn''t dare do anything to you? Before coming here, your boss specifically instructed us to cripple you so that you would learn how to respect the boss," the redhead sneered coldly. "That bastard!" Hearing this, Fatty also seethed with silent hatred. Hadn''t he done enough for that boss, only to end up with this result? "Gao Xiaolong, let me ask you, did you feed your conscience to a dog?" Yuan Zhibang looked up at Gao Xiaolong, suddenly reminded of a recent news story where a man''s friend, drunk, assaulted his girlfriend while he pretended not to know, because he was beaten. His friend was certainly detestable, but in this incident, wasn''t he the most despicable? If those cops weren''t acting according to the law, perhaps they wouldn''t even glance at him, right? In his view, Gao Xiaolong was just that kind of person, even more despicable, because he hurt others. "Sorry, I don''t want to get beaten!" Gao Xiaolong said with his head down, his words exactly like those of the man in the news. I don''t want to get beaten. The second half should add: I''m not a man, I''m a worthless thing that just looks like a man. "Keep your guilty face to yourself, because it makes me sick," Yuan Zhibang said indifferently, his eyes cold. Sorry? If Gao Xiaolong really felt sorry, then he wouldn''t have done it in the first place. Gao Xiaolong just lowered his head, biting his lips, afraid to speak again. "Are you angry because the person you saved ended up harming you? I guess that would infuriate anyone, brother, I really understand you!" the redhead laughed loudly with endless mockery and insult in his voice. The redhead now enjoyed the expression on Yuan Zhibang''s face, like he had eaten a cockroach, showing his face turning green. "Indeed, I am very angry, but this only proves that I misjudged the person, not that I did something wrong," Yuan Zhibang responded expressionlessly. "So, you still think it was right of you to meddle?" the redhead stared venomously at Yuan Zhibang. At this point, this kid still dared to be so arrogant? "I wasn''t meddling. If my brother-in-law were here, he would say: ''I was being righteous and courageous,'' so I also think I was being righteous and courageous!" Yuan Zhibang said calmly. After all, the redhead wasn''t going to spare them anyway, so he decided not to back down anymore. At this moment, the redhead was beside himself with rage, grinding his teeth, "Are you joking with me? Righteous and courageous, I think you''re asking for death!" "Alright, the nonsense is over, it''s time to settle our business. You''ve beaten me to this state, you must pay the price! One leg each, fair enough, right?" the redhead laughed and then waved his hand, "Boys, move in and cripple these three guys." Thereupon, the redhead''s men surged forward, fifty or sixty people, all wielding metal bars, their expressions ominously dark. "Stop!" Just at that moment, Yuan Shanshan scolded as she quickly ran over, then she reached Yuan Zhibang''s side. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing Yuan Shanshan''s arrival, the redhead''s eyes instantly revealed a hint of lascivious intent. He had never seen such a beautiful woman before. What was her relationship with Yuan Zhibang? Girlfriend? "Sister, why are you here?" Yuan Zhibang asked anxiously, his greatest fear being that Yuan Shanshan would get involved in this situation. But to his dismay, Yuan Shanshan ended up involved. "Why am I here? If I hadn''t come, you would probably be crippled by now," Yuan Shanshan said annoyed, "I knew you were hiding something from me." Yuan Zhibang was her brother. Yuan Shanshan had grown up with him and could guess what he was thinking just from his expressions and actions. Yuan Zhibang still trying to deceive her? Yuan Shanshan felt her authority was being challenged. "You need to leave, this isn''t a place for you," Yuan Zhibang urged, as the redhead was now ready to take action, and Yuan Shanshan shouldn''t stay here. "Leave? Can''t leave!" At that moment, the redhead had already led people to encircle them. Seeing the redhead bringing people over, Yuan Zhibang quickly shielded Yuan Shanshan behind him and watched the redhead warily, "This is my sister, she has nothing to do with this matter, let her leave!" "It had nothing to do with her before, but now it does." The redhead licked his dry tongue and smirked maliciously. Then, the redhead brazenly cast a sinister glance at Yuan Shanshan, "Kid, let your sister keep me company for one night, and I''ll let you go. How about that?" "Dream on!" Yuan Zhibang clenched his teeth furiously, his gaunt face filled with ruthless malice. He could already sense what the redhead wanted to do to his sister, which was the one thing he could never accept. He would never allow anyone to hurt his sister. "Kid, I''m not negotiating with you." The redhead sneered contemptuously and then instructed his minions, "Beat these lads up, then grab that chick. I''m going to indulge tonight!" "Damn it!" Yuan Zhibang instantly lost it, picked up a plank, and charged towards the redhead and his gang. "Zhibang, don''t go!" Yuan Shanshan screamed in horror; she didn''t want any harm to come to Yuan Zhibang. But Yuan Zhibang wouldn''t listen, already thoroughly infuriated by the redhead''s shamelessness. He roared and rushed at the redhead, swinging the plank directly at the foremost person. But just after Yuan Zhibang had knocked down two people, his head was struck by a club, and then he fell to the ground, blood gushing from his head. "Zhibang!" Yuan Shanshan screamed in agony, almost wailing as she rushed to Yuan Zhibang, her face filled with panic and anxiety. Meanwhile, Dazhuang, who had joined the fight, also got knocked down, with several people pinning him to the ground, rendering him immobile. "Motherfucker, if you have the guts, let me out, I''ll kill you damn bastards," Fatty, stuck against a wall, threatened viciously. "Shut the hell up! Die, fatty!" The redhead kicked Fatty''s head, sending blood streaming from his nose. "You''re the dead fatty, your whole family is dead fatties!" Even as his blood flowed, Fatty still cursed at the redhead, looking very angry. "Still tough-talking at death''s door, teach this fatty a good lesson!" The redhead ordered his minions, pointing at Fatty. At this moment, the redhead walked towards Yuan Shanshan, his face twisted with lust and ugliness, smirking, "Sweetheart, shall we have some fun?" "If you dare touch my sister, I''ll make sure you have no place to be buried!" Yuan Zhibang, pinned to the ground, screamed hysterically. Upon hearing this, the redhead remained unmoved, instead sneering contemptuously, and then pointed at Yuan Zhibang, "Beat this kid up harshly, too!" "Don''t hit my brother..." Yuan Shanshan, terrified, hurriedly ran up to stop the men from continuing to beat Yuan Zhibang. But at that moment, the redhead directly grabbed her around the waist, "Beauty, what''s the rush? Have some fun with me first. If you agree, I promise to let your brother go. How about that?" Being so close to Yuan Shanshan and smelling her rich fragrance, the redhead was wildly lustful and couldn''t wait to take her right there. "Sister, don''t agree to him, he dares not kill me." Yuan Zhibang yelled at Yuan Shanshan. "I may not dare to kill you, but breaking your legs is definitely something I can do!" the redhead threatened fiercely. Seeing the scene turn into chaos, Gao Xiaolong took a deep breath and felt relaxed inside. Fortunately, Yuan Zhibang had drawn the redhead''s animosity, otherwise, it would have been his bad luck. "You better let my brother go. My boyfriend is already on his way here. If he sees how you''re treating me and my brother, he won''t let you off. Let me tell you, my boyfriend is no easy-going person. Everyone says he''s the Underground Emperor of Hua City, both the underworld and the mainstream have to tread carefully around him!" Yuan Shanshan threatened the redhead. But hearing this, the redhead burst out laughing, "If he''s the Emperor, then I must be the Jade Emperor! Beauty, aren''t you blowing your horn a bit too loud?" In the redhead''s view, this was probably just a desperate excuse by Yuan Shanshan to get them to release Yuan Zhibang. He didn''t believe Yuan Shanshan''s boyfriend was that formidable. Maybe Yuan Shanshan didn''t have a boyfriend at all? Maybe she just made it up to fool him, which was not impossible. "Let me tell you, if your boyfriend doesn''t show up, that''s it. But if he dares to come, I''ll cripple him, too!" the redhead laughed heartily. "You!" Yuan Shanshan, infuriated by the redhead''s shameless demeanor, shivered all over, but she couldn''t struggle and could only stare angrily at him. She knew the redhead couldn''t do it; as soon as Hao Jian arrived, they would be rescued. But the problem was Hao Jian hadn''t arrived yet. In this time, Yuan Zhibang could potentially end up crippled. Meanwhile, the redhead''s minions had already pinned Yuan Zhibang to the ground, one of them picking up a metal pipe, aiming it at Yuan Zhibang''s knees. Chapter 738 - 739 No Tears Left to Cry Yuan Zhibang remained silent, but among his angry expressions, there was a trace of fear; obviously, he was also very uneasy at this time. Because he knew that he would soon become disabled. Yuan Zhibang was now full of regret. Why hadn''t he told Hao Jian about this earlier and let Hao Jian handle it? He was clearly no match for this guy. But what he regretted even more was that he had actually saved Gao Xiaolong! Yuan Zhibang truly hated himself for being so foolish, and even more so, he hated Gao Xiaolong''s heartlessness! "Kid, you think you''re so fierce, huh? Daring to hit me? I''m going to make you a one-"horned" unicorn, hahahaha..." Red Hair said, thinking he was being humorous. "Do it!" "If you dare touch him, I''ll make sure you cry without tears!" At that moment, a chilling voice, as if coming from the Nine Nether Mansion, suddenly rang out, making many of those present shiver with cold. Then, everyone simultaneously looked in one direction. From there, a man walked over, keys in hand, expressionless, with eyes as cold as a bone-chilling pool, terrifyingly cold. "Hao Jian!" Upon seeing Hao Jian, Yuan Shanshan immediately became overjoyed and couldn''t help but exclaim loudly. At this moment, Yuan Zhibang also couldn''t help but raise his head and nervously watched Hao Jian, but he felt somewhat ashamed. Hao Jian was his idol, and here he was, being beaten up in front of his own idol¡ªit was inevitably uncomfortable for him. Fatty and Dazhuang were also unavoidably curious. Was this the impressive brother-in-law Yuan Zhibang had often mentioned to them? "What the hell are you?" Red Hair glanced at Hao Jian, his attitude still dismissive. This guy was alone, and they had so many people; were they supposed to be afraid of one kid? "He''s my boyfriend! Let me go if you know what''s good for you, or he''ll make you regret it!" Seeing Hao Jian''s arrival, Yuan Shanshan no longer feared Red Hair and scolded loudly. "Oh, I''m so scared," Red Hair said sarcastically, patting his chest, and then sneered: "If he meddles, I''ll beat him up along with you!" As he said this, he intentionally gave Hao Jian a provocative glance. "Let her go," Hao Jian said to Red Hair as he walked up to him and Yuan Shanshan, pointing at her indifferently. "Let her go? You say let go, and we just let go? Who the hell do you think you are?" Red Hair was amused by Hao Jian''s demand, finding the kid to be incredibly arrogant for ordering him around as soon as he arrived. "I won''t say the same thing twice, so hurry up!" Hao Jian''s face remained expressionless, but there was a hint of impatience in his voice. He despised Red Hair, or rather, any man who dyed their hair such an exaggerated color. Yet, such people kept appearing around him: Gold Hair, Yellow Hair, Green Hair, Red Hair. It took ancestors thousands of years to evolve from monkeys to humans, and now these guys were regressing back into monkeys. Even dyeing their hair brown or coffee color wouldn''t have been so bad, but these garish hair colors made Hao Jian feel like he was seeing a bunch of demons and devils! "Fuck, you''re looking for..." Red Hair immediately became enraged and began to curse loudly. But before the word "death" could leave his mouth, Hao Jian''s foot had already swung up, kicking Red Hair like a ball. Red Hair tumbled over ten meters away, his head bleeding from the impact. "Are you alright?" Hao Jian walked up to Yuan Shanshan and asked seriously. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yuan Shanshan then shook her head and said, "I''m fine, but Zhibang, he..." "Don''t worry, leave it to me to deal with!" Hao Jian said calmly, completely unruffled. Dealing with a bunch of lackeys wasn''t worth getting emotionally disturbed over. Fatty and Dazhuang were stunned; kicking a person over ten meters with such force was truly terrifying. And Hao Jian was even more hardcore than they were, going straight to physical action without much talking, his domineering attitude off the charts. "Beat him up for me, beat him up good!" Red Hair screamed hysterically, eyes practically bursting with rage, driven mad by anger. But his shouting aggravated his injuries, causing him to vomit blood profusely, unable to get up. His lackeys rushed forward, howling, ready to teach Hao Jian a lesson. They were infuriated; how dare Hao Jian act so arrogantly against their entire Gang? At this moment, a cold sneer crossed Hao Jian''s lips. He picked up a steel pipe from the ground and slowly walked towards them. "Yuan Zhibang, has your brother-in-law gone mad? They have so many people, and he wants to take on all of them by himself?" Dazhuang stumbled over to Yuan Zhibang, utterly shocked. Logically, Hao Jian should have called for backup. At this time, Fatty also squeezed out from a dog hole, equally anxious: "Yeah, why didn''t your brother-in-law bring anyone? You''re not just bluffing us, are you?" "You don''t know shit. My brother-in-law always likes to take matters into his own hands and doesn''t like causing trouble, so he doesn''t have the habit of calling for backup, because he alone is worth thousands!" Yuan Zhibang said proudly. He understood Hao Jian''s character. Hao Jian never called for backup. If a person is powerful enough, they need no external help, and Hao Jian was just that kind of person. Chapter 739 - 739 No Tears Left to Cry_2 "You mean to say Hao Jian alone can take down these dozens of guys?" Fatty and others were all somewhat astonished. Isn''t that a fantasy? How could such a thing be possible? "Just watch." Yuan Zhibang laughed nonchalantly, yet intentionally kept them in suspense. Fatty and Dazhuang were at a loss for words. It seemed not only had Hao Jian gone mad, but Yuan Zhibang as well. Could Yuan Zhibang really believe that Hao Jian alone could handle so many people? "Forget it, let''s just go help out, at least a little." Fatty said, knowing Hao Jian was Yuan Zhibang''s brother-in-law, and naturally on their side; they didn''t want to see Hao Jian end up crippled. "I already told you to just watch quietly, don''t meddle!" Yuan Zhibang said impatiently to those guys. Fatty and Dazhuang were utterly dumbfounded. And soon after, their mouths gaped open, forming an "O" shape, as if they could fit a whole egg inside. Because they saw Hao Jian charging through the crowd, with punches and kicks dropping some to the ground. Hao Jian was like a tiger among sheep, expressionless from beginning to end, as indifferent as ever. In front of him, the gangsters fell like chickens and dogs, often collapsing to the ground with a single blow, unable to get back up again. "Yuan Zhibang, has your brother-in-law studied Kung Fu?" Dazhuang asked in astonishment. "What Kung Fu? These are just ordinary punches and kicks, what Kung Fu are you talking about?" Fatty retorted. Hao Jian''s moves couldn''t be simpler, just a punch and a kick, enough to take people down. Hao Jian had integrated Kung Fu, Combat Skills, and various fighting techniques into one, transforming them into the most effective and simplest enemy-neutralizing method, a technique known as Killing Technique! After more than a dozen men were quickly crippled, the rest no longer dared to come forward. Because they could all see that the man before them was a monster; so many of them attacking together, yet not even able to touch his foot, what did that tell them? It told them they simply weren''t on the same level. They couldn''t imagine how there could be such a freak in the world; a normal person defeating ten alone would already be impressive, but this guy was taking on dozens without falling behind? "I told you, those small fries are nothing to my brother-in-law," Yuan Zhibang boasted proudly, as if he were the one who had just repelled dozens by himself. At this moment, the redhead''s face had completely turned green. Could this guy be any more of a freak? Was he even human? Having called so many people and still unable to beat Hao Jian alone, what if Hao Jian decided to do something to him? Then he would truly be done for. "Clang..." Hao Jian casually threw the iron pipe onto the ground, creating a jarring noise that made the redhead and others shiver uncontrollably. "Scram!" Hao Jian rebuked the twenty-some gangsters in front of him, his attitude as defiant as ever, seemingly not taking them seriously at all, his arrogance reaching the extreme. The gangsters all showed anger, but beneath that anger, there was a clear unease and gravity. Obviously, they didn''t dare go against Hao Jian''s will, for Hao Jian truly had the right to tell them to scram! Previously, they all thought that Hao Jian was doomed, but now it seemed they had thought too much. "Ah!" But just at that moment, one of them finally couldn''t hold back, let out a loud yell, and charged towards Hao Jian. "Bang!" Hao Jian swiftly lifted his foot and kicked brutally on that man''s head. The man immediately shot away, then crashed into the wall, and with a sickening crack, his head burst open, killing him instantly! Seeing this, the gangsters were all scared witless. One kick and the man was dead - wasn''t that just too horrifying? They all quickly made way for him. They might be brave, but that was only when they were dealing with human beings, and this guy was clearly not human! At this moment, Hao Jian walked toward the redhead. "Fight, damn it, fight! Stop him for me!" The redhead immediately turned pale with fear, screaming at the top of his voice, his tone desperate. Because he knew Hao Jian was definitely going to do something to him. Seeing Hao Jian intimidate so many thugs on his own, Fatty and Dazhuang couldn''t help but show admiration, thinking the man before them was too strong. In the past, whenever Yuan Zhibang mentioned him, they always felt annoyed, thinking Yuan Zhibang was exaggerating. How could there be such an otherworldly person? It wasn''t until today that they saw with their own eyes, that everything Yuan Zhibang had said was true. Dominance, arrogance, disdain for everything - these were their most direct impressions of Hao Jian. And as the redhead shouted and screamed, his lackeys acted as though they hadn''t heard a thing, all lowering their heads, none of them wanting to die. Hao Jian had killed a man with a single kick; if they stepped forward, they were bound to die too. "Bastards! I won''t let you off!" The redhead also realized that his own lackeys had ruthlessly abandoned him and couldn''t help screaming loudly, his expression terribly ferocious, like a starving, vicious wolf. By now, Hao Jian was already standing in front of the redhead, looking down at him from above. "What... what do you want? I''m telling you, my boss is Brother Tian, and if you dare to do anything to me, he won''t let you off," the redhead said to Hao Jian, trying to sound threatening, but fear pervaded his voice. "Then call this Brother Tian you speak of," Hao Jian said expressionlessly. "What?" The redhead was stunned on the spot. This kid was actually telling him to call for help? Had he gone mad? "I said, call your boss!" Hao Jian stepped on the redhead''s knee, causing so much pain that the redhead grimaced in agony. "I''ll call, I''ll call right now!" The redhead screamed miserably, his face etched with terror, as he hurriedly took out his phone to call his boss. "Boss, come save us, we''re getting beaten up," the redhead started to sob and wail as soon as the call connected, looking utterly pitiable. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Don''t you have like dozens of brothers? How''s it you still can''t handle it? Did the other side call for backup?" Brother Tian frowned on the other end. Logically, the redhead shouldn''t be getting beaten, unless the other side had called in more people, and that would be a different story. "Yes, the other side called for people," the redhead said with a bitter face. "How many people did they call?" Brother Tian couldn''t help asking. "Just... just one!" The redhead said awkwardly, knowing that Brother Tian would surely scold him to death for such an answer, but he had to say it. "Just one? Damn, just one guy beat up dozens of you? Are your brains eaten by pigs?" Sure enough, Brother Tian''s hysterical voice came through the phone. "Boss, you... you don''t know how fierce that guy is. Dozens of brothers can''t handle him; he''s crippled them all," the redhead hurriedly explained. Upon hearing this, Brother Tian fell silent, calming down quite a bit, as he knew the redhead wouldn''t lie about such a thing. To injure dozens of his men, the opponent couldn''t possibly be an ordinary person. "Ask him his name. I want to know who he is," Brother Tian said with a somber face, not wanting to offend some important figure. "You... what''s your name?" the redhead asked Hao Jian fearfully. "I''m Hao Jian," Hao Jian replied bluntly, with a cold sneer at the corner of his mouth, filled with sarcasm. "Boss, he says his name is Hao Jian..." the redhead told Brother Tian over the phone. "Sss..." Suddenly, the sound of Brother Tian sharply inhaling air could be heard through the phone. Chapter 740 - 740: Should We Kill Him? "Boss, what''s wrong?" When Brother Tian gasped sharply, the redhead was also scared out of his wits, his intuition telling him something bad was about to happen. "What''s wrong? I''m ****ed, you bastard, only causing trouble for me! You dare to mess with Mr. Hao Jian, are you tired of living?" Brother Tian roared like thunder, his anger palpable. The redhead was shocked to his core and nervously asked, "Is Mr. Hao Jian that powerful?" "Mr. Hao Jian is the Underground Emperor of Hua City, even Brother Spice Ginger works for him, what do you think?" Brother Tian said with killing intent, his fury uncontainable, truly wanting to kill the redhead at that moment. The Underground Emperor? The redhead was dumbfounded, was what Yuan Shanshan said true? The redhead''s face was full of horror; he originally thought Yuan Shanshan was bluffing him with a lie, but it turned out to be true. Realizing this, the redhead shivered all over, still harboring thoughts about Hao Jian''s girlfriend, wasn''t it a death wish? "Let Mr. Hao Jian listen to the phone!" Brother Tian demanded coldly, the only option left was to apologize to Hao Jian personally, and if necessary, he was even ready to abandon the redhead; by doing so, at least he could survive. The redhead, trembling, reached out his hand and handed the phone to Hao Jian, fearfully saying, "Mr. Hao Jian, the phone call is for you!" Hearing how respectfully the redhead was speaking to Hao Jian, Yuan Zhibang and the others were stunned, although Yuan Zhibang quickly realized that the redhead must have recognized Hao Jian''s status. But Fatty and Dazhuang couldn''t figure out why the redhead''s attitude had taken a complete 360-degree turn. "Brother Tian, you''ve got some nerve, thinking a phone call would solve everything after such an incident? Put me on the phone, you really got the guts!" Hao Jian did not speak but sternly addressed them through the redhead''s phone. At that moment, Fatty and others finally understood what Hao Jian was saying - he was actually reproaching Brother Tian directly? They were all taken aback; Brother Tian was even feared by big shots like Fatty, yet Hao Jian dared to scold him unkindly? Hearing Hao Jian''s words, the redhead was also extremely uneasy; his boss, Brother Tian, was already quite influential in Hua City, but Hao Jian dared to scold him like this? On the other end, Brother Tian hung up the phone immediately, equally tense; he obviously understood the implications in Hao Jian''s words, and quickly yelled, "Quick! Get the car ready!" Meanwhile, Hao Jian helped Yuan Zhibang up, saying, "Next time something like this happens, you should tell your sister. You guys don''t have the social backing yet, you can''t handle these situations on your own." "I didn''t want to trouble you." Yuan Zhibang said, somewhat nervously. "What you should be worried about is making your sister worried, getting hurt to save face is the stupidest thing," Hao Jian said indifferently, but with an elder''s tone, lecturing him. "I understand," Yuan Zhibang said, lowering his head in shame, knowing that if Hao Jian hadn''t arrived on time today, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Not only could he have been crippled by the redhead, but his sister could also have been hurt. It was all because of his own show of strength. Suddenly, Yuan Zhibang thought of something, turning to Hao Jian, "Brother-in-law, these two are my brothers, this Fatty offended his boss to help me, and now his boss wants to kill him." "Helping you got his boss after him? You have grievances with his boss?" Hao Jian sounded a bit confused. "No, it''s because his boss doesn''t dare antagonize Brother Tian, told him not to meddle in affairs, so he cursed his boss. Unexpectedly, his boss is so ruthless, straight away letting Brother Tian take him out," Yuan Zhibang explained. "I see," Hao Jian said, suddenly enlightened, then told Fatty, "Call your boss and tell him Mr. Hao Jian needs to see him. If he doesn''t know who Mr. Hao Jian is, then he might as well not continue living in this world." Hao Jian''s words were extremely domineering, treating Fatty''s boss''s life as if it was in his hands, which even stunned Fatty. Then, Fatty''s face flushed with confidence as he called his boss. "What, Fatty, scared now? Wanting to apologize?" On the other end, his boss immediately scoffed, thinking Fatty was calling to apologize. But Fatty sneered in reply, bluntly saying, "Short, clumsy, and poor, Mr. Hao Jian told me to tell you he''s waiting for you at my school gate, if you don''t come, then just wait for death!" Short, clumsy, and poor was an old nickname for Fatty''s boss when he hadn''t made a name for himself; back then, everyone called him that, but no one dares to now. Fatty calling him that now clearly showed he was not giving him any face. Upon hearing these words, the short and poor man could not help but furrow his brows ¡ª Mr. Hao Jian? Did this kid just say Mr. Hao Jian? Subsequently, the short and poor man sneered, "You think I''m an idiot? Mr. Hao Jian is such a big shot; I don''t even qualify to know him, and you expect me to believe you do?" "Believe it or not, I''ve delivered the message anyway. It''s up to you to verify its truth. If you don''t come, then Mr. Hao Jian will naturally deal with you," said Fatty coldly. "Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you, the brother I was supposed to help earlier is Mr. Hao Jian''s little brother-in-law." After that, Fatty ended the call with a smug hang-up. On the other end, the short and poor man looked as devastated as if his parents had died. His face was filled with astonishment. Mr. Hao Jian''s little brother-in-law? Could it be true? But by then, he had no choice but to believe, for Fatty had sounded so confident in his suggestion to visit, it had to be true; otherwise, Fatty wouldn''t have been so bold. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soon after, the short and poor man hurriedly called Brother Tian to verify this matter. But at that moment, Brother Tian was in no mood to take his calls and directly diverted them to voicemail. Seeing this, the short and poor man''s face turned green, realizing that there was an eighty to ninety percent chance that this was true. "So, is he coming?" Yuan Zhibang asked Fatty with a grin. "Don''t know, but given his timid and cautious nature, he should be coming," Fatty replied contemptuously. Actually, the person who should be feeling the most awkward now was the red-haired man, as he was the one who started this mess. By now, Hao Jian and the others definitely wouldn''t let him off. Moreover, he had beaten Yuan Zhibang up like that and had molested Yuan Shanshan; adding up these charges, it might be questionable if Hao Jian would even let him live. But the red-haired man dared not run away, because he was too close to Hao Jian at the moment. If he tried to flee, Hao Jian would probably knock him down instantly. Moreover, the blow from Hao Jian had injured him too severely; even if he wanted to run, he couldn''t fast enough. The red-haired man felt like a fish on a chopping board, overwhelmed by the urge to cry. Meanwhile, Gao Xiaolong was dumbstruck, feeling astonished as well. He could never have imagined that things would develop to this extent. The red-haired man was actually no match for Yuan Zhibang and his group. Now, what would be the consequences for him, a traitor? Thinking this, Gao Xiaolong shivered uncontrollably and seized the chance to retreat while others weren''t noticing. "Thinking of running? Grab him!" Yuan Zhibang suddenly roared and immediately noticed Gao Xiaolong. How could he overlook him? If it weren''t for Gao Xiaolong, how could he have ended up so miserable? Fatty and Dazhuang rushed up at once, capturing Gao Xiaolong and bringing him back. They didn''t forget to punch and kick him along the way, clearly despising the traitor! "What''s wrong, who is he?" Hao Jian inevitably asked Yuan Zhibang. "It''s because of saving him that we had to conflict with these gangsters. But this bastard betrayed us, leading us here to be attacked by these gangsters," Yuan Zhibang said grimly, staring fixedly at Gao Xiaolong, his eyes blazing with fury. Under Yuan Zhibang''s intense gaze, Gao Xiaolong felt guilty and lowered his head, trembling violently, evidently terrified. "Oh?" Hao Jian narrowed his eyes and began to scrutinize Gao Xiaolong, causing the latter to feel even more uneasy as if a ferocious beast was watching him, trembling even more severely. "Should I kill him? Even if I do, I can handle it," Hao Jian asked Yuan Zhibang casually, his demeanor as indifferent and nonchalant as ever, as if killing a person was as easy as squashing an ant. Upon hearing this, everyone, including Yuan Zhibang, shuddered. Kill him? They hadn''t thought of that. Although they all hated Gao Xiaolong, they still found the act of killing him something they couldn''t do. After all, they were not like Hao Jian, who had killed countless people and had become completely desensitized. Killing was still a terrifying deed to them. "Don''t kill me, please don''t kill me, I won''t dare again," Gao Xiaolong said, terrified by Hao Jian''s words, collapsing to his knees and kowtowing frantically. "Forget it, don''t make it hard for Yuan Zhibang and the others. They are just college students, how can they keep fighting and killing all day long," Yuan Shanshan walked up and said discontentedly to Hao Jian. "Yeah, brother-in-law, let it be. Killing such a guy won''t cheer me up, instead, it will make me feel like I''ve dirtied my hands," Yuan Zhibang said, his gaze burning into Gao Xiaolong: "Letting him live will make him suffer more than killing him. He will soon realize that the world is much crueler than he imagined, and people like him have no right to live in it." Chapter 741 - 741: Overwhelming Aura "Suit yourselves," Hao Jian said nonchalantly. It was just a suggestion, and he would still respect Yuan Zhibang''s wishes on how to handle things. Moreover, Yuan Zhibang was right, keeping Gao Xiaolong alive would make him suffer more than killing him. Before long, Brother Tian arrived at the scene, sweating profusely and looking anxious as he quickly approached. "Boss..." the redhead hastily called out to Brother Tian. But Brother Tian glared at him with murderous intent, his face contorted with intense resentment and gritted teeth. The redhead immediately lowered his head, knowing his boss must be furious, probably wishing he could slaughter him. Ignoring the redhead, Brother Tian walked straight up to Hao Jian and bowed deeply, "Mr. Hao Jian." Seeing this, the redhead was utterly despondent. If Brother Tian had to act so humbly in front of Hao Jian, there was even less hope for him. "Slap!" Without any nonsense, Hao Jian stepped forward and slapped Brother Tian, knocking him to the ground. Everyone was stunned; wasn''t this too domineering? To strike without a word? Brother Tian fell to the ground, feeling dizzy and unable to get up. Even though Brother Tian was a large man who often worked out and had a robust physique, Hao Jian''s slap was extraordinarily powerful; no amount of muscle was useful against it. "Get up," Hao Jian said emotionlessly. Brother Tian dared not show any dissatisfaction and staggered to his feet, standing wobbly before Hao Jian, still very respectful, "Mr. Hao Jian..." "Slap!" Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, another slap landed on Brother Tian''s face, knocking him down again. The anger of Brother Tian''s subordinates flared, and they grabbed their knives, ready to rush forward and fight Hao Jian to the death! "Back off!" Brother Tian roared, stopping his subordinates in their tracks. He dared not offend Hao Jian, as that would be tantamount to seeking death. Once again, Brother Tian got up, even more unsteady than before, feeling as if his head was swelling and as if he were drunk. "Your subordinate injured my little brother-in-law. Did you know that?" Only then did Hao Jian stop hitting him, staring coldly at Brother Tian. Upon hearing this, Yuan Shanshan''s face turned red. Yuan Zhibang was her brother-in-law, what did that make her? Yuan Shanshan felt utterly confused. Was Hao Jian hinting at something to her? "I didn''t know, but I''ll figure out a way to handle it," Brother Tian muttered, shocked by the severity of the matter. Had the redhead really hit Hao Jian''s little brother-in-law? "How will you handle it?" Hao Jian pressed. "However Mr. Hao Jian wishes me to handle it, that''s how I''ll do it," Brother Tian said, lowering his head humbly, knowing better than to show any pride lest Hao Jian become even more arrogant. "Throw him into the sea to feed the fish!" Hao Jian said indifferently. Upon hearing this, the redhead froze. Was Hao Jian going to kill him? "No problem!" But Brother Tian agreed without hesitation. "No, please, Mr. Hao Jian, I know I was wrong. Please spare me. I will do anything as repayment, just don''t kill me," the redhead suddenly shouted, rushing towards Hao Jian, driven by fear from Hao Jian''s earlier remark about "not even having tears to cry." He felt only overwhelming dread. He had faced Hao Jian so defiantly before, but now he had trapped himself, like a wretched dog! But before the redhead could reach him, Brother Tian''s men had already intercepted him. "Take him away!" Brother Tian shouted furiously, deeply annoyed by the redhead. If it weren''t for him, he wouldn''t have been so humiliated, being slapped twice by Hao Jian. "Boss, please don''t kill me, I beg you, I was wrong," the redhead continued to plead, but then a burly man slammed a knife down on his head! "Splat..." Blood splattered, and the world fell utterly silent. Unable to bear watching, Yuan Shanshan turned her head away. Yuan Zhibang and the others were also shocked and terrified. This was too cruel, to strike at a word''s notice. "Is Mr. Hao Jian satisfied with this?" Brother Tian asked with a smile. "Barely acceptable," Hao Jian answered with his arms crossed, his voice detached. Meanwhile, the awkward, clumsy, and poor man had arrived, and from a distance, he saw Hao Jian and Brother Tian chatting. Fatty and others were also there, so he walked over, sweating profusely and continuously wiping his brow. Clearly, he had realized something and felt very fearful and uneasy. True to his nickname, he was short, ugly, fat, and bald, with a few subordinates following him. "Mr. Hao Jian," he said, arriving in front of Hao Jian with the same humble attitude as Brother Tian. "Slap!" Without another word, Hao Jian also retaliated with a slap, striking the pitiful figure across the face and sending him tumbling to the ground. Seeing this, Brother Tian finally felt somewhat satisfied, knowing that he wasn''t the only one being hit. "Caonima, you dare touch my boss?" At that moment, one man with a buzz cut suddenly roared, drawing a knife ready to fight Hao Jian to the death. "Heizi, get back here!" the pitiful figure hurriedly shouted at the buzz cut. "Boss, let me off this mongrel for you!" Heizi arrogantly said, his expression extremely fierce. It was this fierceness that had caught the pitiful figure''s eye, making him his top enforcer. Heizi often prided himself on this point because his fierceness meant he feared nothing. So even though he knew Hao Jian was not someone to mess with, he still wanted to provoke him, to show Hao Jian he wasn''t afraid, and to let everyone know that Heizi was bold! "You damn come back! He''s not someone you can mess with, one word from him can wipe out your entire family!" the pitiful figure yelled, but inwardly he was cursing: Damn it, if you want to die, please don''t drag me down with you! "Let my whole family die? I''ll kill him first!" Heizi sneered sinisterly, like a rabid dog, wanting to make Hao Jian afraid of him, to show that he was a fearless mad dog, which in turn would satisfy his unruly vanity. "You..." the pitiful figure felt extremely annoyed. When could you not show off? Why do you have to do it now? Are you trying to get me killed on purpose? "Mr. Hao Jian, this matter has nothing to do with me, and this person has nothing to do with me either; you can deal with him as you see fit!" The pitiful figure quickly dissociated himself from Heizi, not wanting to provoke Hao Jian''s wrath. "Boss, you..." Heizi was also stunned, not expecting the pitiful figure to betray him so easily, especially since he was standing up for him. "Your teeth, very sharp?" Hao Jian asked Heizi with a smile. Heizi shuddered, then turned to Hao Jian with a look of astonishment on his face, which also bore a hint of solemnity. He could see that Hao Jian was about to make his move, but he didn''t understand what Hao Jian meant by his words. What does he mean by his teeth being very sharp? "You''re very fierce? So you''re very arrogant?" Hao Jian asked again. "Right, I''m not afraid to die, don''t fucking whine in front of me, or I''ll kill you right now!" Heizi''s temper flared, and he brandished a dagger in front of Hao Jian. Because in his view, these rich and powerful guys were all afraid of death. But this time, he thought wrong. As soon as his words finished, Hao Jian swiftly moved, slapping his chest with a palm strike. Heizi spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and was about to be sent flying back, but at that moment, Hao Jian yanked him back and forcefully twisted his wrist. Crack! Heizi''s arm was broken. "Ahh!" A sharp scream instantly echoed through the area. Heizi had not anticipated Hao Jian to be so fierce, nor had he expected him to be so decisive, breaking his arm right away. He attacked without warning, leaving Heizi no chance to react. At that moment, Heizi seemed to realize something, this guy, he was not someone he could provoke. "Even if your teeth are sharp, you are still a dog, a mad dog trying to act fierce in front of a dragon. Do you know what the result will be?" Hao Jian asked Heizi with a smile. Heizi dared not make a sound; by now, he was completely subdued by Hao Jian, with terror written all over his face. At this point, his fierceness, his arrogance, none of it mattered. What he was about to face was a brutal slaughter. Meanwhile, Brother Tian sneered, mocking Heizi''s ignorance of what it means to truly be doomed. Fierceness was useless; only real power was truly authoritative! Hao Jian ruled over all of Hua City, and it wasn''t just because of his influence, but also because of his immense personal strength. Heizi, a mere ant daring to challenge him? It was simply a death wish. Swish! A knife pierced Heizi''s abdomen, and naturally, it was Hao Jian who delivered the blow. "Now, are you still fierce?" Hao Jian asked. Heizi coughed up blood profusely, ruing deeply that this guy was a real madman, and a strong one at that! In front of Hao Jian, he couldn''t even muster the strength to resist. "Don''t... don''t kill me..." Heizi looked at Hao Jian in terror, a mix of snot and tears on his face, extremely unsettled. "Oh? Not so fierce anymore?" Hao Jian mocked coldly. Heizi felt ice-cold all over; he couldn''t be arrogant anymore. First and foremost, arrogance requires capital, and he initially thought fierceness was his capital, only to realize in the face of absolute power that arrogance was useless! "It''s just too bad, everything is too late now, because I really started to dislike you!" Hao Jian mocked coldly, then threw Heizi aside and told the pitiful figure: "Get rid of him, I don''t want to see him anymore!" "Understood!" said the pitiful figure, his face ghastly, yet not daring to show any displeasure. "And, you wanted to kill my Little Brother-in-law''s friend?" Hao Jian half-smiled as he stared down the pitiful figure, snorting coldly, "Why, does him saving my Little Brother-in-law upset you? Or do you think my Little Brother-in-law shouldn''t have been saved and should''ve been chopped down?" "No, no, I wouldn''t dare." The pitiful figure squeezed out a smile uglier than a cry, begging Hao Jian as he looked at him: "I didn''t know at first that the person he was saving was your Little Brother-in-law, if I had known, I would have come to help myself without him even asking!" Chapter 742 - 742: Wanting Him to Be the Boss The shortie wasn''t lying, and if he knew Yuan Zhibang was Hao Jian''s little brother-in-law, he would probably rush over without stopping. "Such talent, and you actually wanted to kill him? Are you blind?" Hao Jian said with a sneer. "I''ll promote him to Hall Master right away," the shortie hurriedly said, his face ingratiating as he looked at Hao Jian. "Hall Master? Is that a fitting title for him? I want him to be the Gang Leader!" Hao Jian said directly, pointing at Fatty. Upon hearing this, Fatty was stunned, the shortie was stunned, Yuan Zhibang was stunned, everyone was stunned. Hao Jian actually wanted Fatty to be the Gang Leader? What about the shortie? Was Hao Jian forcing the shortie to become Fatty''s underling? The shortie also wore a look of disbelief; Hao Jian wanted him to be Fatty''s underling? "What, not happy about it?" Hao Jian said mockingly as he looked at the shortie. "Mr. Hao Jian, this... this isn''t quite proper, is it? First of all, he''s never been the boss before, and what if he messes up the gang? How would the brothers under him get by?" the shortie said with a forced smile, obviously unwilling. Who would be willing to go from boss to underling? "So you are unhappy then? Fine..." Hao Jian said with a strange smile and then told Brother Tian, "Tonight, take your brothers and clean out his place, and while you''re at it, finish him off too!" "Yes, Mr. Hao Jian!" Brother Tian said respectfully, not daring to go against Hao Jian''s will. This turned the shortie''s face completely green; he wasn''t a fool, how could he not see that Hao Jian was doing this deliberately? "I agree, I agree to let him be the boss!" the shortie said with a pained expression, knowing that he had no choice now; if he didn''t let his own Fatty become the boss, he wouldn''t even be able to save his own life. Hao Jian was clearly using his power to force him to submit. And Fatty was completely dumbfounded; the shortie actually agreed? He was going to become the boss just like that? "I knew you would agree. From the first time I saw you, I knew you were a cultured and reasonable person," Hao Jian said with a curious expression. "Yes... yes... I''m very cultured and reasonable," the shortie was on the verge of tears, looking like he had lost his parents. "Alright, cultured and reasonable you two, get out of here!" Hao Jian said rudely as he waved off the shortie and Brother Tian, clearly telling them to get lost. "Mr. Hao Jian, I''ve recently got a batch of fine imported liquor, so I wanted to invite you to taste it," Brother Tian said busily, trying to ingratiate himself with Hao Jian. "Mr. Hao Jian, I''ve just opened a new restaurant, and hired a chef from a five-star hotel to cook. Are you interested?" the shortie also chimed in, he was naturally trying to invite Hao Jian for a meal, then suck up to him and continue being the boss. But Hao Jian merely glanced at them indifferently and said coldly: "Am I that familiar with you?" "This... not really..." The smiles on Brother Tian and the shortie''s faces had already frozen. "Since we''re not, what makes you think you have the right to invite me to dinner? Who do you think you are? Get lost!" Hao Jian scolded them bluntly. Both the shortie and Brother Tian couldn''t help but give a bitter smile, but they also dared not stay any longer and had to walk away together. The underlings followed their bosses and left the area, leaving only Hao Jian and his people, and Gao Xiaolong, whose face had turned pale with fright! "Get out of this school, and don''t let me see you again!" Hao Jian said to Gao Xiaolong with a cold face. Gao Xiaolong lowered his head, with tears swirling in his eyes, feeling aggrieved to the extreme. But as Gao Xiaolong burst into tears, everyone just sneered, not feeling pity for him but rather thinking he got what he deserved. In this world, the tears of the weak are never worth pitying. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Get out!" Hao Jian barked sharply. Gao Xiaolong stood up, like a woman, wiping his tears as he ran off into the distance. "Brother-in-law, thank you." Yuan Zhibang came over and thanked Hao Jian. But Hao Jian simply nodded lightly and said, "Remember from now on, don''t resist when you can''t handle things yourself, go find your parents." "Got it." Yuan Zhibang nodded earnestly. "Alright then, have fun, I''m off," Hao Jian said and was about to leave. "Hao Jian, do you have something to do?" At that moment, Yuan Shanshan couldn''t help but speak up to keep Hao Jian from leaving. "Nothing, what''s up, do you have something?" Hao Jian frowned and asked Yuan Shanshan. "If you''re free, I''d like to invite you to dinner," Yuan Shanshan said her true thoughts, somewhat shyly. Because this was equivalent to her making a move on Hao Jian. "Dinner?" Hao Jian thought for a moment and said, "Sure, I''m kind of hungry myself." "You agreed?" Yuan Shanshan asked Hao Jian in surprise. "Who wouldn''t go when invited to a free meal? I''d be a fool not to," Hao Jian chuckled. Then, he truly played the fool. As they were sitting at a spicy hotpot stand, staring at each other in disbelief. Aside from Yuan Shanshan, who was enjoying her meal, Yuan Zhibang and the others were all struck dumb, in disbelief. Yuan Shanshan''s idea of inviting him for a meal turned out to be freaking spicy hotpot. Hao Jian felt the urge to flip the table, glaring at Yuan Shanshan and said, "Is this what you call inviting someone to dinner?" "Of course, don''t be polite. Order whatever you want, eat whatever you like," Yuan Shanshan replied with a very generous attitude, urging Hao Jian and the others to eat. Chapter 743 - 742: Wanting Him to Be the Boss_2 No need to be polite? Just order whatever? Hao Jian and the others had a collective facepalm moment, but Hao Jian himself just let out a cold chuckle, "Yuan Facai, oh Yuan Facai, I finally understand why your parents named you that. How did I never realize you were such a miser?" Having experienced poverty, Yuan Shanshan understood the importance of money even more. That''s why she always lived so frugally, only spending when absolutely necessary. Even now that she had money, she still kept her thrifty nature. Her mother had told her to always remember her poorer days, especially when times were good. "Don''t call me by that name, I''m Yuan Shanshan now!" Yuan Shanshan said angrily. She really disliked that name¡ªit was like a thorn in her side. "You''ve got to be kidding me, inviting me to eat hot and spicy skewers? Would a restaurant kill you?" roared Hao Jian. "Yeah, sis, you''re really being too stingy, it''s so embarrassing in front of my friends," mumbled Yuan Zhibang, feeling utterly ashamed to be eating hot and spicy skewers with a group. "You don''t know anything, the stuff in those restaurants is expensive and doesn''t taste as good. How can they compare to hot and spicy skewers, which are both delicious and affordable? Right, Boss Lady?" said Yuan Shanshan with a smile to the chubby boss lady in front of her. "Yep, our hot and spicy skewers here are very clean and affordable. We grow the vegetables ourselves, and they taste great. You''ll know once you try them," the boss lady replied in heavily accented Mandarin. "See, still stingy!" Yuan Zhibang shook his head, resigned. "To hell with it, if you''re so eager to eat at a restaurant, have him treat you! He''s got money!" Yuan Shanshan pointed at Hao Jian. "I''m broke, I''m poverty-stricken!" Hao Jian quickly said and then started tucking into the hot and spicy skewers on the table. Yuan Zhibang and the other two couldn''t help but both cry and laugh. So, it seemed Hao Jian was another miser? "Pah! You still have the nerve to call me out!" Yuan Shanshan scrunched up her nose, fuming. "Old Hu, it''s time to pay your stall rent," a bunch of thugs announced as they came over and sat themselves down on the stall''s seating. The customers who were still eating hurriedly ran off at the sight of the gang, leaving only Hao Jian and his group. The middle-aged man called Old Hu, who was also the stall''s owner and quite plump, said with a bitter expression, "Brother Zhao, didn''t I just pay at the start of the month? Why do I have to pay again?" "That payment at the start of the month wasn''t rent; it was the birthday money you gave to Boss Yang. Now, this is the rent," Brother Zhao said with a smirk, as he took a skewer of tofu and started eating it. He was obviously trying to extort Old Hu. Old Hu wasn''t even close to Boss Yang, so how could he possibly be giving him birthday money? And if it was really for a birthday tribute, why didn''t they say so when they came to collect the money before? Initially, they agreed to give him a stall, but they only provided an inconspicuous spot outside the actual stalls, which Old Hu had reluctantly accepted. Then they kept raising the rent, which was becoming more and more expensive. Old Hu endured it all for the sake of livelihood. But now, seeing that they thought he was an easy target, they had begun outright extortion. At this moment, Hao Jian seemed as if he hadn''t heard their conversation, continuing to eat his food nonchalantly. After choosing a skewer of fish balls and tasting it, he couldn''t help but be impressed. He found the hot and spicy skewers to be really good. Most importantly, the broth was clean, without any random additives mixed in¡ªBoss Lady hadn''t lied. Those spicy hot pots are becoming dirtier and dirtier, and some unscrupulous businesspeople even add opium poppy husks to the broth to make it taste better. "Then I won''t rent it!" Old Hu said annoyed. Instead of being humiliated and swindled over and over again, he''d rather find another place to set up his stall. Upon hearing this, Yuan Shanshan felt somewhat disappointed. If Old Hu didn''t continue, she would no longer be able to enjoy such delicious spicy hot pots. "Rent or not, you still have to pay this month''s rent," Brother Zhao said arrogantly. Even if Old Hu wanted to leave, he still had to pay them. "I already paid at the beginning of the month, and now I won''t pay anymore!" Old Hu said with a cold face, not about to fall for the other party''s extortion. "Not paying?" Brother Zhao''s face darkened in an instant, and with a kick, he flipped over one of the spicy hot pot tables onto the ground. The hot pot spilled all over the floor, a loss of at least two to three hundred yuan. "You..." Old Hu was immediately furious, not expecting the other party to go so far as to make trouble when they couldn''t get the money. "Zhao Cong, you son of a bitch, we''ve given you money without fail, and this is how you treat us. You won''t die a good death!" The landlady cursed furiously. They had not only paid the rent but also occasionally provided Zhao Cong with benefits to speak well of them to Boss Yang and get a rent reduction. But Zhao Cong would take the money and accept the favors without ever speaking on their behalf. Now, to actually resort to violence against people, it was too hateful. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The "Boss Yang" they referred to was the person in charge of this commercial plaza, responsible for leasing shop spaces to merchants and collecting rent punctually every month. The reason he was called "boss" was that he was in charge of the plaza all by himself because the building was located in a rather remote area. The higher-ups simply didn''t care about this piece of land at all, nor were they concerned whether the shop spaces were leased or not. Because of this, Boss Yang found a loophole, collecting a fixed rent from some merchants every month but never reporting it to the group. In recent years, having fallen into gambling and incurring a lot of debt, his greed grew. Therefore, he kept raising the rent while also extorting small traders like Old Hu. Originally, Old Hu shouldn''t have had to pay any rent at all, for he didn''t actually occupy a shop space, just setting up a stall outside. But Boss Yang pressured him to pay rent, and if he didn''t, Zhao Cong would be sent to drive them away and prevent them from doing business there. Old Hu and the others endured for the sake of their livelihood, but now they could no longer bear it. Because of Boss Yang''s recklessness, they had hardly made any money over the past few months; sometimes they even incurred losses. "Cut the crap, pay up quickly. Otherwise, I''ll smash your stall and then beat you up. The cost of buying new equipment and materials, plus medical expenses, will teach you a lesson!" Zhao Cong said with a cold face, his expression full of murderous intent and greed. They would also get a share of the money collected. These hoodlums were hired by Boss Yang specifically to collect rent, as they used to be exortionists and were adept at this kind of work. "Not giving money, just one life! If you dare do anything to me, I''ll call the police. I''m ready for a fight to the death!" Old Hu also took a strong stance. "Call the police? Don''t forget you signed a contract before. The contract states that you voluntarily rent our space and pay us money every month as compensation. As for the amount, it''s subject to adjustment by our company according to market prices from time to time. If you dare breach the contract, we have the right to take any measures against you!" Chapter 744 - 743: Give It Back to You The so-called mandatory measures naturally included malicious debt collection, which meant they were now going to force Old Hu to pay up using violence. "What? You told me before that it was just a guaranty agreement?" Old Hu was stunned; Boss Yang had previously assured him it was simply a guaranty that they wouldn''t seize the building''s land privately. Old Hu hadn''t thought much about it at the time, being a sincere person, and hadn''t expected Boss Yang and the others to deceive him. "It is a guaranty agreement, sure, but it''s not just any simple guaranty agreement. It clearly states that you must pay rent every month and, depending on market demand, we have the right to collect rent multiple times. Blame yourself for being illiterate and not understanding the words!" Zhao Cong burst into laughter, taking advantage of the fact that Old Hu and his wife were uneducated and illiterate. "You all...I''m going to fight you!" Old Hu immediately became furious, bellowed, and rushed toward Zhao Cong and the others. "Go to hell!" But Zhao Cong kicked Old Hu away; how could an old man like him be a match for a strong middle-aged Zhao Cong? Old Hu fell to the ground, unable to move, and could only look at Zhao Cong resentfully. "Old fool, fuck your mother, you still dare to glare at me?" Zhao Cong laughed angrily and then kicked him again. Old Hu immediately cried out in pain, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. "Old Hu, Old Hu, how are you? Are you alright?" The Madam rushed over immediately, anxiously checking Old Hu''s injuries, her voice filled with panic. Then, she stared coldly at Zhao Cong, "Zhao Cong, are you even human? We''ve given you so many benefits, and yet you hit him so hard?" "Madam, you saw it, I didn''t want to hit him, but he was the one who rushed at me senselessly. If that''s the case, you can''t blame me." Zhao Cong sneered and then eyed the Madam sinisterly, "Madam, no offense, but what good does it do to stick with this loser? It''s better to follow me, you could live the easy life, and you wouldn''t have to take this bullshit anymore." Obviously, he had lewd thoughts for the Madam because she was much younger than Old Hu. Old Hu was in his fifties, whereas the Madam was nearly forty. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Because of her still attractive looks, Zhao Cong had always harbored lewd thoughts for the Madam. He had often taken his chances because he was especially interested in ****. And every time Old Hu and his wife had to make ends meet, they endured his advances, but now the facade was torn, Zhao Cong had no more reasons to hide. "Fuck off!" The Madam snapped fiercely. "Oh, quite fiery, but I like that, haha..." Zhao Cong laughed as he grabbed the Madam and even bent down to try to kiss her. "Let me go, you shameless beast, let me go!" The Madam screamed, her face turning pale with fright. "Zhao Cong, I''m going to fight you, let go of my wife!" Old Hu was also seething with anger, trembling all over with rage. "Madam, if you don''t kiss me, I''ll have my boys here take care of this old fool," Zhao Cong sneered sinisterly. Upon hearing this, the Madam really dared not resist, as she also worried that Old Hu might get badly hurt. Because Boss Yang Tiancheng had powerful support behind him; even if they called the police, it would be useless. They couldn''t defeat these rich people. "That''s more like it. Here, feed me a skewer of fish balls," Zhao Cong saw that the Madam didn''t dare to resist and immediately burst out laughing, his face brimming with triumph. The Madam, humiliated and angry, had no choice but to comply; she couldn''t afford to offend Zhao Cong at that moment. The Madam, feeling deeply ashamed, reluctantly fed Zhao Cong a skewer of fish balls, and seeing this, Old Hu was filled with rage, swearing continuously. Any man who saw his woman being molested would inevitably go mad, and Old Hu was no exception. Especially since Zhao Cong had knocked over his stall and then harassed his wife. Seeing Zhao Cong''s arrogant demeanor, Yuan Shanshan and others also frowned in disapproval. At this moment, Zhao Cong threw the bamboo skewer onto Hao Jian''s table, puckered his lips mischievously, and said, "Bring me a skewer of tofu. This time, I want you to feed me with your mouth!" At Zhao Cong''s words, his cronies burst into laughter. "Hey, don''t put your bamboo skewer here; it''s going to cost me money," Hao Jian said coolly to Zhao Cong at that moment. "What did you say?" Zhao Cong thought he had misheard. This guy actually dared to speak to him in that tone? Didn''t he see all the people he had with him? "I''ve made myself quite clear, don''t put your skewer here, it''s going to cost me money," Hao Jian repeated expressionlessly. "Fuck, I think you''ve grown tired of living, daring to talk to me like that?" Zhao Cong released the Madam and then, with his people, surrounded Hao Jian and others. "Now, I give you one more chance, just kneel down and lick my leather shoes, and I''ll let you go. Otherwise, I''ll break your fucking legs," Zhao Cong cackled maliciously. "Zhao Cong, don''t mess around; this has nothing to do with them!" The boss''s wife exclaimed in an amazed tone, evidently fearful that Zhao Cong and his group might target Hao Jian and the others. "It has nothing to do with them? In my view, it''s not necessarily so. If he dares to speak to me like that, he should pay the price!" Zhao Cong menacingly said, then pointed towards a pot of spicy hotpot and told Hao Jian, "After licking the shoes clean, eat everything here, then I''ll let you go!" "Caonima!" Fatty burst out in anger, immediately standing up and staring down Zhao Cong, clearly furious to the extreme. Zhao Cong actually dared to challenge Hao Jian; these nobodies dared to be so arrogant? Because Hao Jian had saved him and inadvertently made him the boss, he now considered himself Hao Jian''s little brother. Seeing his boss being insulted, of course, he had to stand up. But Hao Jian held him back, smiling at Zhao Cong, and said, "Let me give you some advice. Get out of my sight within a minute, or else, I''ll dunk your head into the hotpot soup." "Wow, guys, did you hear that? He actually said he''ll dunk my head into the hotpot soup. What do you think, is this guy gutsy or what?" Upon hearing this, Zhao Cong was not angry but instead burst into laughter and leaned his head forward. "Come on, try dunking my head into the hotpot soup, let''s see what you can do," Zhao Cong said arrogantly. Hao Jian chuckled, then suddenly made a move, grabbing Zhao Cong''s head and actually dunking it into the hotpot. "Aaaaah..." A piercing scream instantly filled the air; Zhao Cong struggled fiercely, but Hao Jian''s grip was like a vise, firmly clutching his throat, rendering him completely immobile. Seeing this, the boss''s wife and others were downright petrified. Hao Jian was too ferocious, wasn''t he? He was literally trying to kill Zhao Cong. The boss''s wife and Old Hu couldn''t believe that the man who was just chatting and laughing with them had turned into a fierce thug in the blink of an eye. It felt so strange. After what felt like an eternity, Hao Jian finally let go of Zhao Cong, but by then, Zhao Cong''s face was drastically disfigured. His whole face was beet red, with many disgusting sores appearing, the injuries were severe. Hao Jian, however, indifferently wiped his hands with a paper towel, expressing disdain, "Really, listen to others once in a while, why be so headstrong?" At this point, even Yuan Shanshan and others couldn''t help but be stunned by the horrifying scene they just witnessed. Although they knew Hao Jian to some extent, watching him act, they couldn''t help but feel terrified. "Kill him, kill him for me!" Zhao Cong hysterically screamed, completely enraged. All he could think about was killing Hao Jian, nothing else. Zhao Cong''s gang immediately rushed forward, drawing blades from their waists. As gangsters, how could they possibly be without knives? Zhao Cong also drew a knife, directly stabbing towards Hao Jian''s chest. He had lost all reason. All he wanted was to kill Hao Jian. "Watch out!" The boss''s wife screamed in fright, trembling all over. "Here, this is yours, take it back!" At this moment, Hao Jian grabbed the bamboo skewer that Zhao Cong had thrown, and hurled it back at him. "Snap!" Instantly, the skewer pierced Zhao Cong''s hand. Zhao Cong cried out in pain, tumbling forward, then knelt at Hao Jian''s feet. And the moment he hit the ground, his gang members were also floored by Hao Jian. "You!" Zhao Cong was instantly dumbfounded. What just happened? How had his men fallen so quickly? Meanwhile, the boss''s wife and Old Hu were also stunned. Zhao Cong didn''t see it, but they did; Hao Jian had just used his fists and feet to incapacitate the knife-wielding thugs. The pounding sounds of fists had made them feel the pain. "Tell me, how should I deal with you now?" Hao Jian stood before Zhao Cong, looking down on him from above. Zhao Cong''s expression changed in fear, replying, "Don''t mess around. Let me tell you, my backup is the Shu Ya Group. If you touch me, my backers will make your life a living hell! I suppose you know how influential the Shu Ya Group is in Hua City? Their hidden boss is Hao Jian, Hao Jian, do you understand? He''s a major figure who has influence over both the underworld and the upperworld, and I''m working for him!" "Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian furrowed his brows. This guy working for him? Why didn''t he know about it? Moreover, saying his backer is the Shu Ya Group? Hao Jian couldn''t help but look back at the building. Was that building his? Chapter 745 - 744 Yang Tiancheng "What''s the matter, scared now?" If you''re scared, then kneel down and beg me quickly, or else just wait for Shu Ya Group to retaliate against you!" Zhao Cong saw that Hao Jian did not speak and assumed Hao Jian was afraid; thus, his arrogance intensified. "Little brother, you guys should leave quickly. The ones from the Shu Ya Group are untouchable for us ordinary folks." The boss lady couldn''t help but say to Hao Jian, feeling quite afraid at the moment. Hao Jian had offended Zhao Cong and his group because he was helping them, and they certainly did not want Hao Jian to come to any harm. "If I leave, what will you do?" Hao Jian said with a wry smile. He could simply walk away, but what about the boss lady and Old Hu? "We... we will just stop setting up our stall here," the boss lady sighed helplessly, saying that now they could only seek other avenues. "Look at you, getting people into such a mess, and you''re not hurrying to figure out how to compensate?" At this moment, Yuan Shanshan walked over, seemingly laughing but not quite, as she spoke to Hao Jian. Hearing this, the boss lady and Old Hu were immediately dumbfounded. They were being harmed by the Shu Ya Group, so what did it have to do with Hao Jian? Hao Jian also knew it was his fault for not managing his men properly, leading to them bullying others everywhere, which resulted in this situation. "You don''t need to leave; also, I will give you another stall for free as compensation," Hao Jian said with a grim expression, naturally knowing it was his mistake, so he should be the one responsible. "Haha, you''re giving them a stall for free? Who do you think you are?" Zhao Cong laughed angrily. Did Hao Jian think he was the owner of Shu Ya Group? To say he would give away a stall just like that? "Young man, I know you want to help us, but you can''t just spout nonsense like that." Old Hu also spoke earnestly. With Hao Jian''s status, how could he possibly give away a stall to them just like that? Hao Jian could only smile bitterly. Wasn''t the truth believable anymore? Immediately, Hao Jian kicked Zhao Cong and said, "You, call that Boss Yang of yours and tell him to roll over here and see me!" Zhao Cong was immediately stunned. This guy actually wanted to see Boss Yang? Wasn''t he afraid of dying? "Telling him to roll over here to see you, you''ve got quite the attitude, huh? I''m just worried that by the time you see him, you''ll be so scared your legs will go weak!" Zhao Cong sneered. Hao Jian then kicked Zhao Cong''s knee again, smashing it, while sneering, "I told you to get someone, not to start spouting nonsense." Zhao Cong dared not speak anymore, gritting his teeth in pain, his eyes filled with endless resentment. Afterward, Zhao Cong called Yang Tiancheng, and his tone was vicious, "Boss Yang, this is Zhao Cong. I''ve run into trouble downstairs. That Old Hu actually brought bodyguards, and they''ve crippled our brothers. Hurry up and bring people over. Remember to bring more; that guy is tough!" And after making the call, Zhao Cong looked at Hao Jian with an air of triumph, "Kid, just wait, ha, just you wait!" "Deal with him, I don''t want to see his disgusting face anymore." Hao Jian said, wanting Zhao Cong to completely shut up. "No problem, leave it to me!" Fatty and Yuan Zhibang laughed, and then walked towards Zhao Cong. "What are you trying to do? I''m warning you, if you dare touch me, I won''t let you off!" Zhao Cong said viciously. Hao Jian hitting him was one thing, but now even his underlings dared to disregard him? Wasn''t that going a bit too far? "I told you to shut up!" Fatty slapped him across the face. "You..." "What about you, you! You''re getting exactly what you deserve!" Yuan Zhibang kicked him, and then they both started beating Zhao Cong relentlessly. "Young man, you better leave now. You really can''t afford to provoke that Yang Tiancheng," Old Hu said in a hurry, advising Hao Jian earnestly. "Yeah, Yang Tiancheng has Shu Ya Group backing him up. We can''t afford to provoke him. Better to mind your own business and leave quickly. Once he comes over with his people, you won''t be able to run even if you want to." The boss lady also advised Hao Jian. "Just relax. It doesn''t matter if Yang Tiancheng himself shows up, even if their boss Hao Jian shows up, he can do nothing to this fellow. He''s quite capable," Yuan Shanshan mocked and deliberately jostled Hao Jian''s arm next to her, "What do you say, huh? Isn''t that right?" "Yes... I suppose?" Hao Jian wore an embarrassed expression. What could he say in such a situation? "Well, alright then," the boss lady sighed, still not very convinced, but seeing Hao Jian had decided not to leave, they felt helpless to say anything more. Sure enough, before long, Yang Tiancheng arrived with his people. He was an overweight middle-aged man with a few sparse hairs on his head and wearing an oversized suit. His eyes squinted into slits, making him look like a cunning old rat. With such an appearance, anyone would likely think of him as a fat rat. Yang Tiancheng walked over with a dozen security guards, and the sight left the boss couple utterly shocked, trembling all over. First, Yang Tiancheng glanced at Zhao Cong and the others who had been beaten up, then he huffed coldly and said, "What a bunch of useless trash!" The reason he hired Zhao Cong for these tasks was that some things were inconvenient for him to handle directly. Yet now, Zhao Cong had forced him to make an appearance. Zhao Cong and the others all hung their heads in shame. Then, Yang Tiancheng turned to look at the husband and wife duo who ran the shop, and sneered, "Well, well, Old Hu, you even dare to lay a hand on my people? You''ve got some nerve, huh?" "It was your guy who wanted to start a fight, it''s none of my business," Old Hu said somewhat timidly. "I don''t care who started the fight, you can''t just beat up my guys like this, pay for the medical fees, twenty thousand for each person. With so many people here, that''s a total of one hundred and fifty thousand. Cough up the money!" Yang Tiancheng said domineeringly, not giving Old Hu any chance to explain. "I don''t have that much money!" Old Hu''s face turned dark immediately. It was a sum he couldn''t earn in a year; Yang Tiancheng was clearly trying to extort him. "Not enough money? Then I''ll just cripple you, so you can''t ever work again. You believe me?" Yang Tiancheng sneered. "You can''t do this, I still have a daughter in primary school, you''re driving us into a corner!" The shop owner''s wife panicked. If Old Hu were to be crippled, who would support the family? "So what? It''s your own bad luck you dared to hit my people!" Yang Tiancheng cackled wickedly and then barked, "Do it, cripple this old fool for me!" Scared, the shop owner couple turned to run but were blocked by Yang Tiancheng''s men. "Trying to run? Do you think you can escape?" Yang Tiancheng sneered. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Heh heh heh, have you forgotten about me? Such a big living person standing right here, are you blind?" Just then, Hao Jian walked up, a sinister smile on his lips as he stared straight at Yang Tiancheng and his men. Yang Tiancheng immediately frowned, displeased, "Who the hell are you, kid?" As someone from the lower ranks, Yang Tiancheng had no opportunity to meet Hao Jian and naturally didn''t know Hao Jian''s identity. Seeing this ordinary-looking young man daring to step in and mess up his plans, he was instantly furious. "Even you don''t recognize your boss; you truly deserve to die," Yuan Shanshan couldn''t help but say sarcastically. "Boss? What the hell are you talking about?" Yang Tiancheng was getting impatient; he completely couldn''t understand what Yuan Shanshan was saying. "Boss Yang, it was him who hit us first. This guy came to cause trouble, take him down!" Zhao Cong screamed hysterically, hating Hao Jian to the core. "Oh?" Hearing this, Yang Tiancheng cast a hostile glance at Hao Jian and his people. So, it was these bastards who were screwing things up. "Guys, move in. Cripple them too!" Yang Tiancheng then threw a sinister look at Hao Jian and the others. "Hold it!" Just then, Hao Jian shouted angrily, silencing everyone present. "What, you want to beg for mercy? Let me tell you, no way, unless you pay up, too; otherwise, today you''re getting crippled," Yang Tiancheng said, his eyes full of greed. If Hao Jian was willing to pay, he wouldn''t mind sparing Hao Jian''s life. "Sorry, I don''t make a habit of giving dogs money, but I can give you a benefit," Hao Jian said with a smile. "What benefit?" Yang Tiancheng naturally ignored Hao Jian''s insult, focused only on what benefit Hao Jian was offering. "It''s simple. If you eat all this spicy hot pot on the ground, I might consider not crippling you!" Hao Jian said with a grin. "F***!" Yang Tiancheng instantly exploded. It turned out this guy was just toying with him. "You actually dare to lay a hand on your own boss. Aren''t you afraid of being fired?" At that moment, Yuan Shanshan stepped forward, glaring coldly at Yang Tiancheng and his men. "Boss? He''s my boss? My boss is Shu Ya; is she a man?" Yang Tiancheng said with scorn. "Do you only have Shu Ya as your boss? What about Hao Jian?" Yuan Shanshan asked with a sneer. "Hao Jian? He''s Hao Jian? If he''s Hao Jian, then I must be Hao Jian''s father!" Yang Tiancheng laughed heartily, his expression full of disdain, clearly not believing a word Yuan Shanshan said. A big shot like Hao Jian would surely have several bodyguards with him, right? And here he was, followed by a bunch of losers, it was laughable. Could this guy be his boss? Hearing this, Hao Jian''s brows snapped together, and he stared intently at Yang Tiancheng, "With that remark, I have no reason not to cripple you." Then, Hao Jian turned to Yuan Shanshan, "Make a call. I want to know who''s in charge of managing this area under the company, and have them roll over to see me!" Upon hearing this, Yuan Shanshan nodded, gave Yang Tiancheng a fierce look, and proceeded to take out her phone and make the call. ............... Chapter 746 - 745: Expensive Spicy Hot Pot After finishing the phone call, Yuan Shanshan nodded at Hao Jian, "Okay, they''re on their way." "Hahahaha..." The people behind Yang Tiancheng laughed uncontrollably. Did they really think Boss Yang could be frightened with just a phone call? A smile also spread across Yang Tiancheng''s face as he mockingly said to Hao Jian, "Haha... these days, everyone thinks they can pretend to be something they''re not. Just because you have a dead mouse in your pocket, you think you can act like a hunter. You don''t even consider your own weight, yet you dare use the name of Shu Ya Group to press me! If you know what''s good for you, you''d better scram before you come crying to me for medical expenses." After Yang Tiancheng finished, the group behind him burst into roaring laughter again. "Motherfucker!" Fatty slammed the table and stood up furiously, enraged by Hao Jian''s audacity! Hao Jian raised his hand to signal Fatty to stay put, his face showing no anger, letting Yang Tiancheng provoke him. Fatty had no choice but to grit his teeth and sit back down. Seeing Hao Jian''s reaction, Yang Tiancheng thought he was scared and became even more smug. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking down at Hao Jian with disdain. Old Hu and his wife felt bitter when they saw Hao Jian seemingly stunned. Old Hu shook his head and sighed, "Young man, we appreciate your intentions, but you''re really no match for them. You might as well leave now." At that moment, the area manager arrived. Yang Tiancheng immediately went up to greet him with a flattery-filled face. The manager frowned, ignoring him completely, and walked straight up to Hao Jian. He bent over and bowed deeply, "Boss, it''s my negligence!" Hao Jian slapped the manager across the face, and the manager fell to the ground. "Shuya sent you here, and this is how you manage things?! How could you let such a cancer grow in the group!" Hao Jian''s eyes were cold, his tone filled with anger. To think that such bullying behavioor could occur within his own group''s territory! "I''m sorry, boss, it''s my fault, I''m sorry..." The manager got up from the ground and stood respectfully in front of Hao Jian, his face full of self-reproach, with no complaints. Fatty''s mouth gaped open wide enough to fit a whole egg. He counted in his mind, how many had shown such respect to the big boss today, only to be knocked down by a slap. Three! He truly hadn''t expected the boss''s capabilities to be so vast! Wherever he went, he had power! This was freaking awesome! Old Hu and his wife were also startled. This young man was actually a big shot! They felt joy in their hearts; he was truly their savior! Hope rose in their desperate hearts once again. Yang Tiancheng and his people were taken aback in an instant. Was this... really the boss of the group? Really Hao Jian? Yang Tiancheng''s heart sank. It was all over; he felt a chill down his spine. The smile that had been full of sycophancy suddenly froze, his face turning ashen. He immediately bent over and begged Hao Jian for mercy: "Boss Hao... President Hao, I was blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai. President Hao, President Hao, please spare me this once." Seeing this, Yang Tiancheng''s security guards also started begging for mercy immediately. A short security guard broke into a cold sweat, "President Hao, it''s not our fault, President Hao... We were forced by Yang Tiancheng!" The other security guards quickly echoed him, realizing that if they didn''t disassociate from Yang Tiancheng now, they''d be fools! Terrified, Yang Tiancheng started trembling, "Thud" he knelt down, "President Hao, forgive me this time, I won''t dare again. I will do whatever you say!" He knew well Hao Jian''s temper; if he said he''d cripple him, then he would definitely cripple him. Hao Jian recalled how Yang Tiancheng had bullied Old Hu and his wife earlier, acting as he pleased, and he felt a surge of disgust. Such people were a scourge if left in Shu Ya Group. He sneered coldly and said to the manager, "What do you think should be done?!" S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Fire Yang Tiancheng immediately, never to be employed again!" the manager exclaimed sternly. Yang Tiancheng felt fortunate. Being fired was a relief. With the money he had hoarded over the years, he could still live well for the rest of his life. He breathed a sigh of relief. Hao Jian approached Yang Tiancheng, looking down at him with a smile, "You see how good I am to you. I said I''d give you a benefit, and I gave you one. Now, are you willing to eat the hot and spicy soup on the floor?" Yang Tiancheng looked at the hot and spicy soup on the ground, soaked in oil and covered in dust, making one feel nauseous just looking at it. But now, his life was hanging by a thread, and these things didn''t matter. Yang Tiancheng hurriedly crawled over, picking up the soup from the ground and started eating. When he almost finished, a string of tofu fell onto a dirty black ****. Yang Tiancheng''s face turned green at once. Seeing that Hao Jian was still watching him, he had no choice but to pick it up. Unexpectantly, a bunch of **** stuck to it! Cursing internally, "Motherfucker, who would be so vile not to take care of their own dog!" Yuan Shanshan glanced at Hao Jian and saw him watching Yang Tiancheng and the bean curd string with great interest. She couldn''t help but curse him as a pervert inside, then covered her mouth and turned away. Yang Tiancheng closed his eyes, shook the tofu string, and slowly put it in his mouth, swallowing it without even chewing. He felt his stomach churn, almost vomiting it all out. Zhao Cong also felt nauseous watching, and seeing that Hao Jian''s anger seemed to have subsided somewhat, he was about to sneak away when Hao Jian stopped him. "Thinking of leaving without paying after eating?" Zhao Cong quickly fumbled for a bunch of money from his pocket, placing it on the table. Yang Tiancheng also stood up, emptying all the money from his pockets. "Not enough! This is the spicy hotpot Boss Yang treated you to, must be at least a thousand yuan per stick, right?" Hao Jian laughed and slowly approached the two men. The two were startled, almost knocked over by his words. Damn, what kind of spicy hotpot is this, costing a thousand yuan per stick! The look on Yang Tiancheng''s face immediately turned sour, after eating so much, how much would that cost! They stood there, their faces twitching continuously, their bodies shivering as if someone was trying to devour them. "What, not enough? Are you blaming me for not including the cost of the condiments?!" Hao Jian touched his nose and pointed at the pile of ****, wearing a smirk that hardly concealed his derision. "No, no, not too little at all," the two frightened men hurriedly took out their smartphones, pulling out all the valuable things they had on them with Yang Tiancheng''s stomach churning again. Yuan Shanshan almost burst out laughing, as if there could be such a thing as someone complaining that compensation was too little. Under the intense gaze of Hao Jian, Yang Tiancheng pulled out a bank card, "Just... this is all I have, there''s about three hundred thousand in it." Zhao Cong also hurriedly took out his card, "There... there''s about a hundred thousand." "Hiss." Everyone present gasped, the money amassed on the table was over five hundred thousand! To think one could spend over half a million on spicy hotpot, these two must really be unprecedented! The hearts of Yang Tiancheng and Zhao Cong bled and convulsed. Over the years at the Shu Ya Group, they had scraped together savings, and today they had splurged it all. Old Hu and his wife were even more astonished. This... this was outright extortion! Looking at the money on the table, Old Hu quickly waved his hands and shook his head, "Little... Boss Hao, I can''t take this money, this... my little stall isn''t worth much at all!" "Exactly, exactly, we can''t accept so much money for just some spicy hotpot!" The proprietress hastily added. Although Hao Jian had avenged them, they couldn''t just take such an amount of money, or what difference would there be between them and someone like Yang Tiancheng? Before Hao Jian could speak, Yuan Shanshan walked over, "Old Hu, this is not just for the spicy hotpot. This also includes the compensation for your emotional distress from Boss Hao. To Boss Hao, this amount of money is really nothing. So, please don''t refuse it. Right, Boss Hao?" While saying this, Yuan Shanshan smiled and looked at Hao Jian. Hao Jian almost choked on his own spit, since when does an employee talk to their boss like this? It was like her loyalty was completely outwards! Even if I had money, it shouldn''t be spent like this! Hao Jian glanced at Yuan Shanshan but didn''t respond to her. He picked up the money and bank cards from the table and handed them over to Old Hu, "Today''s mishandling is my responsibility, this compensation is what you deserve." "This..." Old Hu was visibly moved as he looked at Hao Jian, speechless. Such a substantial sum, it was like a pie in the sky! The proprietress looked at Hao Jian with moist eyes, incessantly thanking him. This was not only enough for their daughter''s university fees, but also more than enough even for her future wedding! "Get the Hus a new stall for them to do business in, and make sure they are never charged a stall fee ever!" Hao Jian''s smile faded as he turned to his subordinate, his face stern, "And if anything like this happens again, you know what to do, right?" The manager, as if pardoned from a dire fate, quickly nodded in agreement, ensuring that such incidents would never occur in his area again. Upon hearing Hao Jian''s offer of a free stall, Old Hu and his wife dropped to their knees, "Boss Hao, you''re truly a good boss! We... we don''t know how to thank you enough, we bow to you!" With that, they started knocking their heads on the ground. I''m dying here, this isn''t good for my longevity! I can''t take this, Hao Jian hurriedly helped them up, "Old Hu, you don''t have to do this, a grown man like you kneeling, and bringing your wife along with you..." Old Hu and his wife, their eyes brimming with tears, stood up. They felt they must have accumulated good karma in a past life to meet such a benefactor, such a savior. Fatty Yuan Zhibang and the others were also moved. They had not expected Hao Jian, known for his ruthlessness, to show such compassion. Seeing Yang Tiancheng and Zhao Cong still standing there in a daze, Hao Jian chuckled, "What? Want more spicy hotpot? Scram!" Upon hearing Hao Jian''s command to scram, Yang Tiancheng and Zhao Cong bolted away. Considering this lesson, they likely wouldn''t dare to misbehave again. As the proprietress saw Yuan Shanshan looking at Hao Jian and smiling, she approached and whispered, "Girl, your boyfriend really isn''t bad at all. Handsome, rich, and with such a good heart, you should quickly pick a date for him to marry you. Otherwise, be careful, someone else might snatch him away!" Yuan Shanshan blushed at hearing this, thinking of clarifying, but calling Hao Jian her boyfriend¡ªwhy did that make her heart feel so content! Seeing Hao Jian sporting a teasing grin, she rolled her eyes at Hao Jian, but didn''t refute. As the proprietress saw the mess of spicy hotpot all over the table, she hurried to clean up, "Boss Hao, should I make a fresh batch for you? As much as you want!" "No, no..." Hao Jian quickly waved his hand, and Yuan Shanshan and the others also shook their heads quickly; after witnessing the scene Yang Tiancheng had caused, they no longer had the appetite. Chapter 747 - 746: Never Ever Again Hao Jian and Vivian had bought two bags of fruit from the fruit shop and were walking along the street. Seeing that Vivian''s spirits had significantly lifted and the usual sadness on her face and wariness in her eyes had mostly faded, Hao Jian thought to himself that sending her to school had indeed been a wise decision. "Let''s go, my good daughter, Daddy will take you to see Grandma!" Hao Jian cheerfully said to Vivian, curling his right hand and gesturing for her to hook her arm through his. Upon hearing this, Vivian thought to herself that Hao Jian truly was despicable, always taking advantage of the situation! She forced a smile and spread out her arms, "Dad, I want a hug!" Hao Jian saw the anger in her eyes and only a fool would fall for it, so he quickly grabbed the fruits and ran toward the nursing home. The old lady''s dementia was getting worse and worse, and in the last two days she had wandered off several times! Frustrated, Hao Jian had no choice but to send the old lady to the nursing home. "Grandma! We''ve come to see you!" Vivian knocked on the door of the old lady''s room. After a long while, the door finally opened with a "bam". "Sweetie! Zhijun!" The old lady touched Vivian''s head with a pleased expression, growing fonder of her granddaughter with each passing day. Sweetie, sweetie, if her classmates knew she had such a tacky name, how would she ever get by! Vivian complained inwardly, but there was nothing she could do about it since her grandmother really liked it! "Come on in, quickly." The old lady said while moving inside. From behind, Hao Jian noticed that the old lady seemed to have been injured. "Mom, are you doing alright staying here?" Hao Jian asked with concern. "I''m... okay, okay." The old lady''s eyes flashed with fear, and her tone was also afraid. While peeling an apple, Vivian caught on to something wrong. She set the apple down, "Grandma, is someone bullying you here?" Her face darkened with fury. Her grandmother had already suffered a lot. If anyone made her suffer further, she would definitely seek revenge! The old lady trembled, "No... no, ah, Zhijun, hand me that apple." The old lady pointed at the apple Vivian had just peeled, attempting to distract from the conversation. "Mom! Don''t be afraid, just tell me what''s wrong, and your son will stand up for you." Hao Jian smiled, sitting next to the old lady, trying to reassure her. "Grandma, don''t be scared, just speak up about any grievances and we''ll avenge you!" The old lady''s tears suddenly spilled over, she bared her arms, showing bruises all over her hands! Then she began to speak, still with a frightened expression on her face. The sight made both of them shudder! It turned out to be the nurse who took care of her. The old lady was hungry and ate an extra bun one day, and the nurse severely scolded her for it. The old lady was surprised at how a young woman could speak to her that way and retorted a few words. Unexpectedly, the nurse charged at her and started to beat and pinch her all over. Vivian had Hao Jian carry her over and lifted the old lady''s clothes, revealing swollen bruises all over her body! "She also told me not to tell my family, or she would not feed me and starve me to death!" The old lady said, her body extremely frail. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Vivian was instantly enraged, her eyes filled with a murderous intent, returning to the Vivian of the past. "They deserve to die!" Hao Jian was also furious, "How dare she mistreat an elderly person, just because she ate an extra bun, she truly deserves death!" "Mom, rest for a bit, we''ll take you home right away!" Hao Jian suppressed his anger, speaking to the old lady. ... "This is bad, head nurse, that old lady''s family has arrived." A young nurse nervously rushed into the head nurse''s room, looking at Hao Jian, she was very scared. "This is a government-approved facility, what can he do by coming here!" The fat nurse sitting on the chair was full of disdain, thinking, "What''s all the fuss about a trivial family member?" "I''ll get you sent to prison!" A man''s voice, filled with anger, rang from outside the room. Hao Jian and Vivian stepped into the room of the fat nurse. The statement was made with conviction, making the fat nurse stand up in shock. "Toxic fat woman, you actually had the nerve to lay hands on a helpless old woman!" Hao Jian stepped forward, closing in on her. Upon hearing Hao Jian calling her a fat woman, she exploded in rage, "You''ve barely grown a hair..." "Slap." Hao Jian slapped the fat nurse across the face, knocking her to the ground, her already plump face swelling even more instantly. "Ah! Help, murder!" The fat nurse was terrified, screaming even more shrilly. "I warn you, don''t come any closer!" Seeing her flabby body, Hao Jian truly didn''t want to approach any further, "Call your director over!" Hmph! The fat nurse scoffed, feeling smug inside, thinking, "The director is my relative, who is unfortunate then, me?" She grabbed her phone and made a call, emotionally saying into the phone: "Director Wang, there''s a family member causing trouble in the head nurse''s office, and they even threatened to send me to prison!" Within two minutes, a middle-aged man walked in, flushed with a glossy hairdo. His face beaming with a smile, he looked at Hao Jian, "Hey! Young man, you''ve come to see your mother?" Smiling was his belief; otherwise, how could the family members confidently leave their elders in the nursing home? "Oh? Director Wang, one of your caregivers abused an old person, what are you going to do about it?" Hao Jian completely ignored his politeness, cutting straight to the point. Director Wang''s smile twitched, thinking, "How could this fat woman have done such a foolish thing!" "Young man, such things never happen in our institution, could there be some misunderstanding?" Director Wang maintained his smile. "Then how do you explain the injuries on my mother?" Hao Jian''s gaze sharpened. "That... That was her accidentally falling!" the plump nurse clamored from the side. "Oh? Then you take a fall! Let''s see if you can turn black and blue all over!" Hao Jian''s eyes were fierce. "I... I didn''t..." the plump nurse stammered, searching for an excuse. "Don''t tell me you''re too fat that even if you fell, it wouldn''t show, right?" "Young man, I think there has to be a misunderstanding. How about this, I''ll immediately replace your mother''s nurse with the most attentive and best one in the facility and waive one month''s fee. How about that?" Director Wang smiled continuously, but sneered inwardly. This pauper just wants to make a fuss to reduce some costs. "Director Wang, how about this? I give you a sum of money, and you let me beat you up, how about that? As for this fat poison, I''d rather not dirty my hands beating her; let her jump from here instead!" Hao Jian pointed at the window of the room. "You... you motherfucker really think you are something? I''m in a good mood today, and you fucking have to provoke me." Director Wang''s face darkened as he cursed, "Let me tell you, your old lady is foolish and slovenly. What''s wrong with beating her? It wakes her up. What''s wrong with that? What can you do to me?" These words made Director Wang feel invigorated, and the plump nurse was overjoyed. Director Wang truly understood her; he spoke exactly what she wanted to say. "Bang!" Director Wang suddenly flew out and crashed heavily against the wall. Vivian couldn''t hold back any longer! Hao Jian was also enraged to the extreme, but beating him was just letting him off easy. Thinking about the old lady who had lost her son, been scammed out of money, faced forced eviction, and even been beaten severely. Now in the nursing home, she was still subjected to inhumane abuse. He originally planned just to teach the plump nurse a lesson, but didn''t expect this shameless, corpulent facility director to shirk responsibility, completely disregarding people''s dignity, ready to beat anyone... he was just a cancer of society. He pulled out his phone, "Hello, is this Director Lin? Qingyang Nursing Home is abusing the elderly; please come and investigate." Upon hearing this, Lin Nantian immediately sprang from his chair, grabbed his police cap, and loudly ordered, "Gather immediately, move out rapidly to Qingyang Nursing Home." Director Wang lay on the ground, gnashing his teeth, completely unable to believe that a "little girl" had kicked him flying! Humiliation! Being hit by a little girl, it was a total humiliation! "Security, security!" Footsteps resonated neatly in the corridor. Both the plump nurse and Director Wang were pleased; these security guards were fast! "Bang!" The door was kicked open. Two teams of police officers in black uniforms rushed into the room and lined up in two rows. "At Ease!" "Yes!" "Click." The rows of police officers raised their guns, looking stern and imposing, waiting for orders! "Wang Ming, Qingyang Nursing Home is suspected of elder abuse, you are now formally under arrest!" Director Lin, eager to please Hao Jian, immediately drove over at the fastest speed he had ever driven in his life! Two police officers rushed forward and handcuffed the plump nurse and Director Wang. By the time the two regained their composure from their shocked state, they had already been restrained by the police! Director Wang turned pale and trembled all over, looking incredulously at Hao Jian. "You''re a police officer, you can''t mess around. I want a lawyer, I need a lawyer!" Director Wang became hysterical. When he saw Director Lin respectfully standing in front of him. "How should we proceed, Mr. Hao?" "Seal it!" Hao Jian said expressionlessly, enunciating each word. "Seal Qingyang Nursing Home!" "Yes!" The two teams of police officers rushed out. He despaired, his legs went weak. "Little bro... Big brother, master, don''t do this, tell me, I''ll agree to anything. Money, 100w, no, 300w." Seeing Hao Jian''s expression darken, he dared not talk about money any further. "Master, beat me up, I beg you. Or let me throw this fat woman out of here!" Director Wang became agitated. He despised the fat woman greatly; in just a few minutes, she had ruined his life, even his fate! "Wang Ming, you... I can''t take it anymore... The police are killing people! The police are killing people!" the plump nurse, deprived of any support, began to scream like a slaughtered pig. "Drag her out!" Lin Nantian ordered. The plump nurse and Director Wang were dragged out. "Thank you for this," Hao Jian clapped Lin Nantian on the shoulder. Lin Nantian felt honored and excited to be able to help Hao Jian¡ª he was already very thrilled and satisfied! He hadn''t expected a thank you too! "Mr. Hao, it''s my duty, I was negligent," Lin Nantian said. The police uncovered many illegal and unethical practices at the nursing home. Lin Nantian quickly left. Hao Jian brought the old lady back home. Shu Ya, Moon Goddess Jiang, and Sister Lan helped apply medicine to the old lady, who bore the pain while tears welled up in her eyes, "Zhijun, I''ll be good and won''t be naggy from now on, just please don''t send me to a nursing home anymore." Seeing the old lady''s injuries and hearing her plea, tears rolled down the cheeks of Shu Ya and the others. The room was filled with a sorrowful atmosphere, causing Hao Jian''s eyes to slowly moisten as well. "Never again!" he swore in his heart. Chapter 748 - 747: Murong Qiushui in Danger The parcel of land was ultimately confiscated by Ye Wenying, with the Murong Family not gaining a single benefit, but instead losing a staggering ten billion! Fury simmered in Murong Yeyun at the thought, "Hao Jian! You forced my hand! If I can''t have it, nobody will!" "Oh? Murong Yeyun, did Grandpa also call you?" Murong Chengkong walked over from the yard, dressed in luxurious clothes, a soft smile playing across his handsome face. "We can go together then. I''ve actually missed you a bit after not seeing you for several days." Murong Yeyun glanced at Murong Chengkong and frowned, feeling displeased, yet he forcefully suppressed the urge to explode. Murong Xiao sat in a chair, his expression very calm. Murong Yeyun could sense the anger hidden in his eyes. "Yeyun, tell me, what benefits has the Murong Family reaped under your leadership these days?" Murong Xiao tapped the table and questioned. "Grandpa, I was too eager for quick success with the land issue. It was my oversight!" Murong Yeyun declared with a serious face, filled with self-reproach. "Huh, Murong Yeyun, you really are careless. The Murong Family has lost ten billion for nothing, and you think you can just brush it off as an oversight?" Murong Chengkong covered his mouth and chuckled, taunting him. "Murong Chengkong, when it comes to the affairs of the Murong Family, I''m afraid it''s not your place to comment yet!" Murong Yeyun retorted coldly. Murong Chengkong huffed and was about to retaliate when Murong Xiao slammed his hand on the table, prompting him to immediately shut his mouth. "Idiotic! What are you even thinking, fighting among yourselves at a time like this!" The Old Master cursed angrily, then turned to Murong Yeyun: "I never imagined you could be so incompetent, so foolish! Who is Hao Jian? A man who devours without spitting out bones! And you actually cooperated with him? Accepted his peace offering? Ha ha..." Murong Xiao glared furiously, his pale face turning red with rage, then suddenly he burst into laughter scornfully, "A hundred billion! The Murong Family cannot sustain such a gaping maw, Yeyun. You wanted to prove your capability, and now, you''ve proven it to everyone. You''re not cut out for this game. You''d better stick to being an assistant!" In the end, he glanced at Murong Chengkong. Murong Chengkong''s face showed surprise. Is Grandpa really going to hand the Murong Family over to me? He felt a surge of secret pleasure. Even an eternal second-in-command has his day in the sun! An assistant?! Is Grandpa really considering using Murong Chengkong?! Murong Yeyun''s heart skipped a beat, and he felt a pang of pain. At the same time, a fierce anger welled up inside him. Hao Jian, I refuse to believe I can''t beat you! His lips curled into a cold smirk as he said in a deep voice, "Grandpa, please give me one more chance! The hundred billion won''t be lost in vain. This time, I want to duel him! Even if it costs me my life, I will tear a piece from Hao Jian''s flesh!" The reason Murong Xiao felt such heartache and indignation was partly because of Hao Jian, who had repeatedly dealt the Murong Family setbacks. On the other hand, he was also furious that the Murong Family lacked capable people! Murong Qiushui had already betrayed them, and Yeyun was far from Qiushui''s equal. As for Chengkong... his reason for calling him over was to make Yeyun feel the crisis and ignite his fighting spirit. If he really handed over the position to Chengkong, he feared he lacked the... manliness required. Is this to force me out of retirement? Seeing Yeyun''s determination, Murong Xiao decided to give him one more chance. If he could truly bring down Hao Jian, even at the cost of significant damage, then the hundred billion wouldn''t be wasted. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Murong Xiao took a deep breath, "Hao Jian is unpredictable, wearing a smile but harboring malicious intentions. If you''re going to deal with him, you have to be even more careful, exceed his level of cunning!" Murong Chengkong''s brows furrowed, clearly still distrusted. "Grandpa''s teachings are correct," Murong Yeyun replied, immediately nodding in agreement when he heard there was still a chance. "Everyone out! Remember! The enemy of the Murong Family is Hao Jian!" "Yes!" The two bowed to Murong Xiao and then withdrew. Murong Yeyun gave his brother a cold look and walked out first. No one else shall control my destiny; I will control it myself! he roared inwardly. He took out his mobile phone and called Ye Wenying, "Wenying, how about the Murong Family and the Ye Family join forces once more?" ... "Wife, yours have gotten bigger, huh!" Hao Jian groped all over Shu Ya''s chest. Shu Ya kicked at him in embarrassment and indignation. He caught her fragrant foot in one hand and pulled her toward him. He planted a kiss on Shu Ya''s face. Ruo Lan and Moon Goddess Jiang stood to the side, their faces flushed red as they silently cursed his shamelessness. No, shameless wasn''t enough to describe him¡ªflirting with Shu Ya right in front of them... "Sister Lan, yours have gotten bigger too!" "Heh, yours are even more elastic," Hao Jian went on to assault Ruo Lan and Moon Goddess Jiang''s **. He had incited public outrage! Just as the three ladies were about to join forces to teach Hao Jian a lesson, his phone rang. "What? Murong Qiushui has been kidnapped?!" Hearing the news on the other end of the line, Hao Jian too was shocked. It was only a matter of time before something happened to Murong Qiushui with the Murong Family, but he hadn''t expected it so soon! As Hao Jian continued the phone conversation and walked out of the house, the three women asked in unison, "Where are you going?" "To the Murong Family!" Hao Jian yelled. If Hao Jian were to rashly move against Murong Yeyun, it could be disadvantageous for him if the Murong Family intervened, dividing their efforts between searching for Murong Qiushui and dealing with the Family. Hao Jian arrived at the gate of the Murong residence, only to find the black Lincoln Stretch Limousine again. He smirked and hurried over, as Murong Yekong was just about to step on the gas to escape. "Hey, Brother Chengkong, we sure are fated to meet!" Hao Jian said with a smile as he knocked on the car window. "Hao Jian! Why is it always you! What are you up to now?" Murong Chengkong rolled down the window and looked at Hao Jian with a wary expression. Why do I always have such bad luck, constantly bumping into this jinx! Murong Chengkong cursed inwardly. "Asking me to do something for you?" "Ask? Heh... Hao Jian, if you have something to say, spill it fast!" "Take me to see your old man." Hao Jian dragged him out of the car. "Be civilized! See my grandfather? No way!" He still held a grudge over that incident. Hao Jian raised his fist, shook it, and blew on it with his mouth. That was clearly a threat! "Hao Jian, this is Murong territory, you..." "Ow!" Murong Chengkong was crying inside. So what if you know how to fight? This is a society ruled by law¡ªdo you understand that? With Murong Chengkong leading the way, the path was clear. "Grandpa, Hao Jian wants to see you." Murong Chengkong knocked on the door of Murong Xiao''s room. "Oh? Have him wait for me in the living room!" Murong Xiao said in a strong voice. "My, Old Master Murong, you seem to be getting more and more spirited!" Hao Jian met Murong Xiao in the living room, acting all familiar. "No one comes to the Temple of the Three Treasures without a reason, just get to the point!" Murong Xiao commanded without offering a seat or tea, with an imposing voice. "Your dear grandson has kidnapped Murong Qiushui. I want you to lend me Capital City for two hours so I can find her!" Hao Jian sat down on his own and said lightly. Murong Xiao was taken aback at the bold request. As if you can just borrow Capital City whenever you like! "Heh... on what grounds do you think you can have Capital City for two hours?!" "If you don''t want the Murong Family to end with you!" "You... ignorant boy, so brazen! Do you think the Murong Family has no one left?!" Murong Xiao hit the tea table, stood up furiously with angry eyes, and shouted loudly. "Aren''t you a person of the Murong Family?" "You... quite the sharp tongue!" Murong Xiao''s face turned white from anger but then he thought of how this boy liked to win verbal arguments and forcefully suppressed his rage. "See, the Murong Family does have people, so how can you say I''m bullying you?" Hao Jian continued to provoke his anger. Dealing with an old fox who had been through all sorts of struggles in society, if you don''t stir their emotions, they might just end up playing Tai Chi with you all smiles. "Qiushui and Yeyun are family. How can there be talk of kidnapping? I''m afraid it''s none of an outsider''s business to meddle with the affairs of the Murong Family!" Murong Xiao held his breath while secretly looking for an opportunity to take control. "Haha... Your Murong Family doesn''t treat Murong Qiushui as a person, what now? Are you claiming relations with her?" Hao Jian suddenly laughed, "Murong Qiushui has long been estranged from the Murong Family, no relation whatsoever." Hao Jian stood up, staring at Murong Xiao, "She''s now my woman! Do you think I should be involved or not?!" "What?! Your woman! Hao Jian, you really have no shame!" Murong Xiao was also shocked. He had thought of the possibility that Murong Qiushui might cooperate with Hao Jian, but he never imagined that such a proud person would become the woman of this arrogant young brat! "What''s wrong? Am I not good enough? Am I not handsome enough? Don''t I have enough money? Or is my ''thing'' not big enough? Calling me ''Little Brother-in-law'' would be to your advantage." Hao Jian said with a cheeky smile. Murong Chengkong felt like he was bleeding inside. Can''t we have a normal conversation for once? What do I care about the size of your ''thing''! Seeing a look from his grandfather, Murong Chengkong sat down resentfully. "If anything happens to Murong Qiushui, I assure you, I will definitely take the lives of the Murong Family Clan!" Hao Jian suddenly returned to the topic of the kidnapping. "Old Master Murong, trading is all about honesty. Rest assured, as long as you and the Murong Family do not interfere in this matter, I won''t bother about your beloved grandson. My word is my bond, the Murong Family will have descendants! I believe you wouldn''t want this vast estate of yours to be inherited by no one in the end, to be devoured by the other families, right?!" Honesty? Keeping your word? Peace of mind?! Threatening people with the life of the Murong heir and asking for peace of mind? Crazy, must be crazy! Inside, Murong Chengkong felt a thousand alpacas riding on caonimas stampeding through his mind. "Humph! Hao Jian, you''re really underestimating the Murong Family!" Murong Xiao slammed the table again. Although he founded Dragon Tooth and had some influence in Hua City, the Murong Family had been deeply rooted in Capital City for decades. If all their resources were rallied against him, Murong Xiao was quite certain that the Murong Family wouldn''t necessarily lose. "You''re absolutely right, I do indeed look down upon you!" Hao Jian enunciated each word clearly, forcefully, with an overbearing tone. In an instant, Murong Xiao''s face turned pale, his mouth trembling; in all his years, no one had ever dared to speak to him like that. Never! Murong Chengkong, seeing his grandfather being looked down upon and infuriated by Hao Jian to such a degree, was angry, but even more so, he felt refreshed! Because this was the treatment he always received within the family. "Pleasure doing business with you!" Hao Jian didn''t wait for a response; he stood up and strode out confidently. "Slam!" Murong Xiao rose again, pounding the table. Chapter 749 - 748: Its okay, let him... "Murong Yeyun, it seems you really have gone mad!" After coming out of the Murong Family house, Hao Jian''s previously aggressive momentum dissolved in an instant, replaced by a gloomy and angry expression, with a faint glimmer of scarlet in his eyes. He then burst into laughter, "It''s good that you''ve gone mad, very good. If you''re mad, then I can slaughter you with a clear conscience!" If I don''t see some blood shed this time, perhaps you all will really start to think that I, Hao Jian, am someone easy to bully. The past vow of ''never-ceasing enmity'' was not merely a joke. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the latest iPhone and casually dialed a number, connecting the call in less than three seconds. "Boss Hao! What''s got you in the mood to call me out of the blue today?" A respectful voice came through on the other end of the phone. "Doggie, I''ve heard you have a brother in the Capital City who''s the leader of a gang, is that right?" Doggie, a member of Dragon Tooth, and the direct two-hour deadline he got from Murong Xiao, it would be impossible for him alone to thoroughly investigate the whole Capital City in such a short time. However, with the help of some local snakes, it would be much simpler. "There is such a matter." S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Have him send some people to watch over Sishui Accounting House, Jin''an Club... these places. As for the specifics, you don''t need to ask, just keep an eye on them and don''t let anyone escape." "Haha, looks like some ignorant kid has offended Boss Hao again. You can rest assured about this matter; I''ll take care of it!" Discerning the subtle killing intent in Hao Jian''s words, Doggie laughed heartily and then hung up the phone, calling his brother in the Capital City right away. Upon hearing that it was Hao Jian asking for a favor, his brother scrambled to take his men and start guarding the locations Hao Jian had mentioned. His subordinates might not be aware of Hao Jian''s identity, but he was. The thought of assisting such a powerful figure excited him. Perhaps if he performed well this time, he might even catch the eye of Hao Jian, and his status could soar far beyond his current standing, couldn''t it? "Murong Xiao, do you really think your Murong Family is that clean? Or perhaps, you are unaware of what sort of person your grandson is?" After ending the call, Hao Jian''s gaze shifted towards the grand Murong estate not far behind him, and he let out a soft, cold chuckle before getting into the car that was already parked by the roadside, speeding towards the Sishui Accounting House. "Boss Hao." As Hao Jian arrived at the Sishui Accounting House in his car, a man with a distinctly bald head appeared beside Hao Jian''s vehicle. He tapped on the window and, once Hao Jian rolled it down and saw that the driver was indeed Hao Jian, he spoke respectfully. He didn''t know what was up with his boss today, but when he saw that revered demeanor and took note of a photo being specifically pointed out, he knew the person in the picture must be someone extraordinary. "Who are you?" Hao Jian looked curiously at the man before him, as he didn''t recall anyone like him. But after the next sentence, he understood the man''s identity. "We''re under Brother Hu, you can just call me Baldy. We''re ordered to surveil and guard the vicinity of the Sishui Accounting House." "I appreciate your efforts. I''ll take it from here. Just keep watch outside," Hao Jian nodded, then opened the car door, straightened his clothes, and headed for the main entrance of the Sishui Accounting House. "Boss Hao, there are armed guards inside the Sishui Accounting House. It could be dangerous if you go in by yourself; if anything happens, it would be difficult for us to explain to our boss," Baldy said with a worried look as Hao Jian began to step away. "No worries, just keep watch; if anyone tries to escape, stop them. If they are guests inside, then let them go," Hao Jian said, not concerned in the least about Baldy''s worries, and waved his hand dismissively. If he could be taken down by the security forces inside, then he, Hao Jian, would not really be living up to his reputation, would he? "Take care then." Baldy was not really trying to stop Hao Jian; he simply wanted to leave an impression, considering that someone treated so seriously by his own boss could not be anything less than significant. Having achieved his purpose was enough for him. The Sishui Accounting House, as the name implies, serves as a private financial institution dealing with money and accounts. It is the clandestine property of the Murong Family, and in some ways, it resembles the private accounting houses of ancient Huaxia, much like a private treasury for the Murong Family. Having been granted a mere two hours in the Capital City, Hao Jian felt that he would be remiss not to stir up some trouble. According to the information he obtained, Murong Yeyun frequented the Sishui Accounting House. To those in the know, this seemed unremarkable, but in Hao Jian''s eyes, it was suspicious. A young master of the Murong Family venturing into a business that ostensibly was not owned by the Murongs¡ªa business dealing with financial matters, no less. This time, Hao Jian''s goal was not only to rescue Murong Qiushui but also to eliminate Murong Yeyun, ensuring he could never rise again. The only way to do that was not to kill him outright, but to find sufficient evidence to ensure Murong Yeyun could not escape justice. Similarly, the places that Hao Jian asked Brother Hu to monitor were not chosen out of sheer impulsivity, but with ample justification, and this reason was naturally Murong Yeyun. ............... "Grandfather! Something terrible has happened!" In the courtyard of Murong Xiao''s residence within the Murong Family home, the anxious voice of Murong Chengkong suddenly rang out. Murong Xiao, who had been brooding over matters related to Hao Jian, slowly opened his eyes, and upon seeing the flustered appearance of Murong Chengkong, his face immediately darkened, followed by a cold snort. "Such panic, how does that resemble a descendant of our Murong Family?! Indeed, when compared to your older brother, you are still lacking a great deal!" The originally disordered steps of Murong Chengkong halted upon hearing these words from Murong Xiao, his face clouded over, then he quickly recovered, sneering in his heart. Wait until you''ve heard what I have to say, perhaps then you won''t feel the same. I''m curious to see how your favored grandson has managed to provoke this time. Let''s see if you can still utter such words then. Dear brother, don''t blame your younger sibling for being heartless. If you''re going to blame anyone, blame yourselves for looking down on me! "Speak!" Seeing that Murong Chengkong had approached him but then suddenly fell silent, Murong Xiao felt anger rising in his heart. He let out a low growl and said. "That brat Hao Jian has gone mad for some reason; he''s actually sent people to block several of our Murong Family industries and even injured quite a few people inside." "There are also people outside the industries blocking the clients, forcing the managers to suspend business temporarily at these sites..." Murong Chengkong did not directly specify which industries they were, mainly because he wanted to see if Murong Xiao could still maintain his composure and remain unaffected after hearing the news. What was more important was whether he could continue to sit there after hearing the names of these industries. "Which industries?" Murong Xiao failed to catch the intent behind Murong Chengkong''s words. Instead, he took a deep breath, waved his hand to signal him to continue. As far as he was concerned, as long as Hao Jian hadn''t discovered those secretive industries, everything was fine. Let him make a fuss about the other industries; it wasn''t as if he was short on money. "Humph! This old man truly won''t shed a tear until he sees the coffin." Murong Chengkong sneered inwardly. Can you remain so calmly sipping your tea after hearing the names of those industries? "Sishui Accounting House, Jin''an Club, among five such industries." "Those places? No worries, let him¡ª" "Crack!" Murong Xiao, who had just picked up his teacup intending to take a sip, waved his hand dismissively upon hearing Murong Chengkong''s words. However, in the next moment, his expression changed drastically, and without realizing it, he squeezed too hard and shattered the precious teacup in his grip. "You... say that again?! That damned brat actually went to those places?!" Murong Xiao''s expression turned from gloomy to fierce in an instant. His low roar was filled with rage; he could no longer sit still. He abruptly stood up, his eyes blazing with fire, staring intently at Murong Chengkong. "Yes... yes..." Swallowing hard, Murong Chengkong''s face turned pale. Although he had lived under the same roof as Murong Xiao for a long time and had seen him angry many times, he had never seen him so furious, and this fury made him abandon any thoughts of belittling Murong Yeyun in that moment. "That bastard!" Upon receiving confirmation, Murong Xiao''s face contorted with rage, his hands clenched into fists. He was particularly shocked in his heart: Sishui Accounting House, Jin''an Club, and those other places¡ªthey were known as industries of the Murong Family by only a very few people! The Murong Family had made a good deal of unclean money through these industries. If this kid were to find out, how could the Murong Family continue to operate in Capital City?! What shocked Murong Xiao was not the locations themselves but Hao Jian''s capabilities. For all these years, no one had discovered that these industries belonged to the Murong Family, yet Hao Jian had managed to uncover them on his arrival. Just how powerful was this man''s investigative skills? "Could it be Qiushui?" After expressing his anger, Murong Xiao slowly sat down again, his expression alternating between shades of light and dark, yet as soon as this thought surfaced, it was dismissed. Chapter 750 - 749: To Save Some Time "Qiushui had no idea about these things." With an expression shifting between gloom and light, Murong Xiao''s tightly clenched fists relaxed and gripped again, betraying the unease churning within him. After a moment, his inner turmoil gave way to a resigned sigh. He did not yet wish to make an enemy of Hao Jian. The Murong Family, with all its vast business and wealth, could contend with Hao Jian without necessarily losing much, but he feared that if both sides were to suffer from such a conflict, it might benefit a third party fishing in troubled waters. Since Hao Jian required two hours to be in the Capital City, aside from agreeing, what else could he do? Besides fearing Hao Jian to some extent, he was also concerned about Qiushui''s safety. Among families like theirs, cases of brothers turning against each other were not rare. However, if Murong Yeyun were to kill Qiushui, Hao Jian, that mad dog, would certainly not spare Murong Yeyun. If Murong Yeyun and Qiushui were to die, who else in the Murong Family could take on the mantle¡ªMurong Chengkong? Murong Xiao was not at ease. Therefore, what he truly cared about was not Murong Qiushui or Murong Yeyun, but the very foundation of the Murong Family. In ancient times, the Imperial Family; and in this era, the Murong Family. "You may leave¡­" Having sorted through his thoughts, Murong Xiao''s eyes closed and then snapped open, returning to their original murkiness. Catching a glimpse of Murong Chengkong, who was still standing there, he waved his hand dismissively and spoke indifferently. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Understood¡­" Although Murong Chengkong was emotionally stirred by Murong Xiao''s capacity for restraint and saddened by his inaction, his objective had been achieved. Staying any longer would be unwise, hence he bowed respectfully to Murong Xiao and turned to leave. ............ Jin''an Club. "With these documents, maybe I can take down Murong Yeyun, huh?" Upon leaving the Jin''an Club, Hao Jian clutched a thick stack of files, glancing down at the documents in his hands with the corners of his mouth slowly curling into a cold smirk. Casually tossing the files onto the passenger seat of his car, Hao Jian started the vehicle. The car''s engine roared to life; with a whoosh, he sped away from the location. His destination was none other than the direction of the Murong Family residence¡­ What was left behind was the Jin''an Club, now in disarray because of Hao Jian''s actions. When he had entered, the security personnel had even dared to open fire on him directly, which was why, in the end, every security staff member had been knocked unconscious by a punch or a chop of Hao Jian''s hand. As for the other patrons, they had long been frightened off by the scene, and Huzi''s men, acting on Hao Jian''s instructions, had not bothered to stop them. Thus, Hao Jian had easily obtained the things he wanted. "Evidence of the collusion between Murong Yeyun and Ye Wenying¡­" Driving down the road, Hao Jian glanced at the documents beside him, shook his head slightly, and murmured to himself, "These pieces of evidence are only enough to take down Murong Yeyun, not sufficient to take down Ye Family''s Ye Wenying, but it''s enough!" Soon, Hao Jian arrived at the gates of the Murong Family mansion. He looked up at the foreboding Murong Family residence and scoffed disdainfully before driving his car up to the mansion''s entrance. No matter how the house stewards of the Murong Family reacted, Hao Jian brazenly blocked the gate with his car, then opened the door, got out, and with a leap, cleared the entrance, striding toward Murong Xiao''s courtyard. The bodyguards and servants he encountered on the way did not dare to hinder Hao Jian; after all, this was someone who had free rein to come and go in the Murong Family home. How could they dare to obstruct him? Meanwhile, as Hao Jian made his way to Murong Xiao''s location, Murong Chengkong also received word and his expression shifted abruptly. He immediately hurried out of his room and, with a point of his toe on the ground, sprinted fast toward Murong Xiao''s courtyard. Once at the courtyard gate, Murong Chengkong called out anxiously, "Grandfather, this is bad! Hao Jian has come back!" "What did you say!? That bastard kid dares to return?!" Hearing this news, Murong Xiao''s face turned furious within his room, seething with rage. Two hours had not yet passed, and according to reason, Hao Jian should be racing around the Capital City right now; he shouldn''t have the time to come back to the Murong Family, right?! Could it be that he had already found Murong Yeyun?! Unable to figure out the reason, Murong Xiao quickly rose from the sofa, intending to check the situation outside, but the next moment, he stiffened in place as soon as he stood up. "Haha, how are you, Old Master Murong?" A hearty laugh echoed from the courtyard into the room, and Murong Xiao turned his head with a grim expression to focus on the room''s doorway. There, a silhouette emerged slowly, and right behind this figure, another figure shuffled forward with trembling steps. "My Murong Family does not welcome unwelcome guests!" Murong Xiao did not offer Hao Jian any face, speaking coldly. "Haha, whether it''s an unwelcome guest or not, we''ll know in a moment." Hao Jian ignored Murong Xiao''s attitude completely. Anyways, Murong Family definitely couldn''t keep him there. He directly sat down on the soft sofa, not in the least bit acting like a guest. From the look of it, it seemed as if he was the master of the house here. "Speak up if you have something to say. Spit it out if you have to!" "No rush, no rush. Take a look at this first, then we can talk terms." With that, Hao Jian took out the documents he had acquired from the Sishui Accounting House and other Murong Family businesses, casually tossed them, and they landed on the table in front of Murong Xiao. "Hmph!" At Hao Jian''s words, Murong Xiao merely snorted coldly, then immediately grabbed the documents from the table and started to read. Murong Chengkong, who stood by watching the confrontation, was completely ignored by the two men. This oversight filled him with rage, yet he was powerless to intervene. "What?! This?!" After scanning the documents, Murong Xiao''s face changed dramatically. He slammed his hand onto the table so hard that one corner of the table cracked, a clear sign of the turmoil within him. "Old Master, take your time to read it. Even if you get angry after reading, that wouldn''t be too late." Hao Jian remained comfortably seated, legs crossed, casually picking up a cup of still-warm pre-Ming West Lake Longjing Tea. He didn''t even taste it, just swallowed it in one gulp. If it were any other time, this act would have certainly caused tea-loving Murong Xiao''s face to twitch, but now, he didn''t have the spare energy to pay attention to Hao Jian. "These documents, I thought I had them destroyed!" After reading the documents, Murong Xiao''s hands shook as he put the papers down with a ghastly expression, then he threw them back to Hao Jian. These were critical documents for Murong Family, and he didn''t dare harm them because they were all copies¡ªthe originals were still with Hao Jian! This meant even if he destroyed these, Hao Jian could easily produce countless more if he wanted. It had to be said, this time Hao Jian had indeed caught him in a vulnerable position... "Hehe, now that you''ve read them, let''s have a good talk about terms," said Hao Jian, slowly putting down his teacup, his smile directed at Murong Xiao. The documents contained evidence not only of Murong Yeyun''s collusion with Ye Wenying but also other, unknown facts about the Murong Family, involving the entire upper echelon. However, Hao Jian didn''t bring all the evidence, just enough to threaten Murong Xiao. "Speak..." Murong Xiao''s face was dark. Such crucial documents had been destroyed, so how could Hao Jian possibly have them? Moreover, to his knowledge, these had just been secured from the Sishui Accounting House and other operations... "If I''m not mistaken, Old Master Murong Xiao, you should have a secret military force unknown to others, right? A force that even your grandson has no clue about," Hao Jian said, keeping his gaze fixed on Murong Xiao, speaking slowly. "You... How did you..." Upon hearing the implications in Hao Jian''s words, Murong Xiao''s expression changed instantly as he let out a gasp and then seemed to realize something. He glanced at Murong Chengkong, who had been standing silently, unable to interject, and waved him off. "What force?" Not daring to defy Murong Xiao, Murong Chengkong quickly left, a single question forming in his mind. Could it be that the Murong Family had some hidden trump card? In the living room, Hao Jian watched Murong Xiao with a teasing smile and said, "It looks like you don''t even trust your own grandson." "How do you know about that force?!" Murong Xiao ignored Hao Jian''s mockery. His eyes flashed dangerously as he clenched his fists, torn between the urge to eliminate Hao Jian right then and there. However, the next moment he let out a defeated sigh. With his own strength, he simply couldn''t beat Hao Jian. "Mole, right? A force with exceptional reconnaissance and combat capabilities, the sole secret force of the Murong Family Head, known only to the current Family Head and the last one. Anyone else who knew about it is dead, right?" "You..." Murong Xiao''s trembling hand hovered in midair, his face growing increasingly ugly. How could anyone else possibly know this secret? "Hehe, don''t be surprised. There''s nothing in this world that I, Hao Jian, cannot find out about. It''s just that to save some time, I had to ask for a little favor from you." Playing with his fingers, Hao Jian seemed unconcerned, glancing at Murong Xiao with a snicker. "What favor?" Murong Xiao felt helpless against Hao Jian. Now that he had been compromised and fearing another, he might have disregarded Hao Jian''s threat, but he cared, he feared! "Simple. I''d like you to deploy your ''Mole'' to help me locate your dear grandson, Murong Yeyun. That''d be enough." Chapter 751 - 750: A Matter of Life! "No!" Upon hearing Hao Jian state his purpose, Murong Xiao''s face instantly darkened, and he directly refused. Murong Yeyun was his grandson, how could he help outsiders instead of his own family? "Oh? It seems, Old Master Murong, you still don''t understand the current situation. I am not discussing terms with you, I am making a demand!" Hao Jian stretched leisurely, twisted his neck, a faint smile in his voice carrying a hint of threat, said, "This is a demand! Do you understand?!" "Hao Jian! You keep pressing me, pressing the Murong Family, do you really think we Murong Family have no one left?!" Murong Xiao, infuriated by Hao Jian''s words, turned pale and shouted angrily. "Heh, whether there is someone or not, I, Hao Jian, have already answered you, and you wouldn''t like to hear the answer from my mouth again, would you?" Hao Jian chuckled lightly. "Here, I, Hao Jian, will say this: whether you help or not will determine the future of your Murong Family. Don''t doubt the words I have said." Hao Jian slowly stood up, time was running out, he must find Murong Yeyun soon, otherwise, it would be hard to guarantee Qiushui''s safety, hence there wasn''t time to waste here. Looking down at Murong Xiao sitting on the couch, he slowly said, "Just remember one thing, Murong Qiushui is my woman, and any act that dares hurt my woman will drive me mad!" "Remember, if anything happens to Murong Qiushui, I, Hao Jian, will come after the Murong Family. I think you wouldn''t want me to remember you, would you?" After saying this, Hao Jian didn''t dawdle, he turned and left directly. As for whether Murong Xiao would deploy the Mole Troop, he had a good idea already. People like Murong Xiao, if not given a sense of pressure, would absolutely not yield, and the pressure given now was already enough, now it just remained to be seen if the old man''s mind could turn around... "Doggie, continue to let Huzi search the entire city, I refuse to believe that, in such a short time, Murong Yeyun would dare to run out of Capital City?!" Exiting the Murong Family, Hao Jian got into his car, and once inside, he immediately took out his phone, called Doggie, and after receiving a reply, he hung up. ................. Afterwards, Hao Jian led a frantic search of the places Murong Yeyun frequently visited, only to discover that Murong Yeyun hadn''t been to any of them today, and his expression grew increasingly grim. Shu Ya and the other women were also worried because of this, unable to continue with their work, all waiting at home for news from Hao Jian, even occasionally calling him to ask if he had found Qiushui. "Not yet, but I think it should be soon." Hao Jian responded reluctantly, after kicking away a man at his feet who had been beaten to a pulp, Hao Jian comforted through the phone, "Just obediently wait at home for my good news, and think about what reward you will give me once I rescue Qiushui..." "What reward do you want?" Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Heh heh, naturally that..." Hao Jian sneered jocosely, but before he could go on teasing, someone suddenly rushed in through the doorway and murmured a few words in his ear, causing Hao Jian''s expression to drastically change, a joyous look spreading across his face. "What''s up?" Noticing that Hao Jian had suddenly gone silent on the other end, Shu Ya immediately asked curiously. "Nothing, gotta go." After hanging up the phone, Hao Jian turned his head toward the person who brought him the news and asked, "What you said, is it true?" "Hmm, that old thing Murong Xiao finally compromised and sent out the Mole, they are now heading to the southern outskirts of Capital City, I think they must have discovered something," the person nodded and replied. "Haha! Great!" Hao Jian laughed loudly, and then, in a swift move, he donned his coat, tapped the ground with his toes, and, leaping out the window, jumped down directly from the fifth floor. "Boss Hao... truly a formidable man!" The person who had brought the message to Hao Jian, upon witnessing Hao Jian''s consecutive and swift actions, immediately stiffened. From over twenty meters high, could Boss Hao really just jump down like that? And land without a single issue?! Since the Murong Family''s building had already been cleared by him, leaving only Doggie''s brother, Huzi''s men, Hao Jian no longer needed to concern himself with other people''s stares. He leaped straight down from the building, touched the ground gently with his feet a few times to dissipate the force, and then quickly walked towards his car. While on the road, he casually called Huzi, instructing him to recall his men. They had already located where Yeyun was hiding, so there was no need to keep searching so conspicuously. As for whether the information was true, Hao Jian had never doubted it. As long as Murong Xiao''s brain wasn''t messed up, he would definitely not risk deceiving him with false information. Murong Xiao was aware of Hao Jian''s capabilities too. The Dragon Tooth Founder was no simple character, nor was he easy to deal with. The Murong Family would absolutely not start a war with Hao Jian unless they were facing ultimate distress. Once a war started, it wasn''t certain that the Murong Family would lose, but they would definitely pay a severe price. Other families were eyeing the Murong Family''s assets, while on Hao Jian''s side, Dragon Tooth was directly affiliated with the state, and would not face any trouble unless something major happened. Thus, for Hao Jian''s excessive demand, Murong Xiao had no choice but to agree. Perhaps he was still worried about his granddaughter deep down. Of course, no matter what Murong Xiao felt at the moment, it had nothing to do with Hao Jian. He just needed to know Yeyun''s location and whether Qiushui was safe. "I hope you''re still safe!" On the road, Hao Jian''s eyes were fixed ahead, his hand gripping the steering wheel tightening. Despite his relaxed appearance when facing Murong Xiao, he was actually extremely worried inside. However, the more critical the moment, the more he needed to stay calm. As the former God of Death, maintaining composure was a must for Hao Jian. The view shifted to the outskirts south of the Capital City. In the abandoned car factory, Yeyun had no idea that Hao Jian already knew his location and was rushing to his rescue. It was not easy to collaborate with Ye Wenying to kidnap Qiushui. To avoid the city''s surveillance, they had gone through a lot of trouble to bring Qiushui out of the city. This old car factory took a long time to find and was a perfect place for disposing of evidence. "Hao Jian, I don''t believe you can find this place this time! After I deal with this woman Qiushui, I''ll properly settle my accounts with you!" Standing on the second-floor balcony of the abandoned car factory, Yeyun looked towards the horizon. His hands gradually clenched as his eyes gleamed fiercely, murmuring to himself. The strong resentment in his words was completely unmasked. "Young Master, that woman has kept her mouth shut, despite all the brothers'' methods. She still won''t speak!" Just then, a lackey hurried up the stairs and ran to Yeyun, respectfully reporting. "Hmph! Does that woman still plan to be stubborn at this point?!" Hearing this, Yeyun felt furious, though he already knew the answer. They were all from the Murong Family, but he hadn''t expected things to end like this because of a man. "I want to see how long you can remain stubborn!" Yeyun huffed and immediately turned around, heading downstairs. In a corner on the first floor, Qiushui was bound by thick ropes, hanging in mid-air. Her elegant clothes had become torn due to the torture, with streaks of blood flowing from the wounds, eventually gathering at her feet and dripping to the ground. Her disheveled appearance, her beautiful face covered with dust, and her white teeth tightly biting her lips, her eyes brimming with tears, looked pitiable, yet it all appeared especially wretched. "Stupid woman, you still refuse to speak about that bastard Hao Jian even now?!" Approaching Qiushui, Yeyun stared at her, now nearly at death''s door, with an ugly expression, his voice low and suppressed. "Spare me one life!" Seeing Yeyun appear, Qiushui''s lips curled into a mocking smile, and she chuckled lightly. The scene resembled a fallen angel, staring disdainfully at the villain, with no intention of compromising. "Bitch!" Seeing Qiushui still adopting a defiant attitude, rage surged in Yeyun''s heart. After all, they were all from the Murong family, but even in the face of death, Qiushui''s heart still lay elsewhere. How could he not be angry? Yet he didn''t consider other reasons. If the Murong Family had not done something to betray Qiushui, would she have this attitude? Plus, Qiushui was no longer part of the Murong Family. Now having a Murong surname was just that¡ªa surname, indicating nothing. "Do it, kill me! And prepare a grave for me!" Qiushui laughed loudly, not at all nervous. She knew Hao Jian would avenge her. Even if Yeyun killed her, he would ultimately gain nothing. "Damn it!" Yeyun roared, his body trembling with anger. He had initially planned to coax some information from Qiushui, but her pride and confidence gradually made his scheme fall apart. Chapter 752 - 751: Stupidity at its Finest! "You despicable woman!" Murong Yeyun could no longer contain the rage in his heart and shouted at Murong Qiushui. This time, he had caused the family a loss of ten billion. If he could not reclaim that ten billion from Hao Jian, the ultimate outcome would be his loss of the position as Family Head of the Murong Family! The thought of the family eventually being handed over to his second younger brother further fueled his anger. The position of Family Head of the Murong Family could only belong to him, and he alone was fit to become the Family Head. No one else, not even his own second brother, was suitable! He had long grown tired of a life where he was above ten thousand people but still under one. He yearned to truly become a figure of paramount authority within the Murong Family, where no one else could continue to order him around or show him disdain. "Fuck! Damn it! You want to die, don''t you? I''ll grant your wish right now!" Murong Yeyun''s face twisted savagely, and with a wave of his hand, a Vigorous Qi cleaved through the air and sliced across the rope. "Bang!" The rope snapped, and Murong Qiushui fell from mid-air, the intense pain causing her eyebrows to slightly furrow. She then looked up at the fiercely grimacing Murong Yeyun, waiting calmly for what would come next. "Before you die, I want to give you a piece of advice," Murong Qiushui suddenly spoke with her teeth slightly parted, eyes intently fixed on Murong Yeyun. She spoke deliberately, "If I die, then you must also face Hao Jian''s wrath, and you will be headed down a path of death as well!" "Ha-ha! That idiot probably doesn''t even know where I''m hiding now. Once I return to the Murong Family, let''s see how he can lay a hand on me!" Murong Yeyun was utterly unconcerned about the situation implied in Murong Qiushui''s words. This matter had been handled very discreetly, and just relying on Hao Jian''s current power in the Capital City, it was absolutely impossible for him to find him. Even if he ordered his subordinates in Hua City to come, it would take time, and by then, everything would be too late. Even if he learned about Murong Qiushui''s death eventually, by that time he would have already returned to the Murong Family. Relying on the existing strength of the Murong Family, he didn''t believe that man could break through the heavy defenses to take his life! "Oh? Are you really that sure your hiding place is so secretive?" Just then, a faint voice also slowly transmitted from the entrance, but Murong Yeyun was still lost in his thoughts and didn''t consider who spoke those words. He immediately burst into laughter and said, "Ha-ha, relying on that fool, how could he possibly find me?!" "Then let this ''fool'' you speak of see how he takes your ''dog''s head''!" Of course, the owner of this voice was none other than Hao Jian, who had rushed over at full speed. After discovering that Murong Qiushui was not seriously injured, he breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, Murong Yeyun also sensed something odd about the atmosphere around him. His gaze, which had been constantly on Murong Qiushui, noticed something different about her. It seemed her cheeks bore a hint of surprise. Surprise?! Could it be... Suddenly remembering something, Murong Yeyun''s gaze swiftly left Murong Qiushui, turning towards the direction of the voice. And as he shifted his gaze, his face instantly stiffened, a look of terror slowly creeping across his cheeks; but in the next moment, Murong Yeyun violently shook his head. A mad, frantic look spread in Murong Yeyun''s eyes as he stared at the approaching Hao Jian, and a sharp laugh erupted from his mouth. "Ha-ha! Hao Jian! I''ve won this time!" "I have nearly a hundred subordinates here, all Martial Artists. I want to see how you alone can single-handedly take on my men!" Seeing that Hao Jian was alone, and then looking at his numerous subordinates, Murong Yeyun''s confidence suddenly surged, a confidence that he could take down Hao Jian right there! "Everyone, attack!" Murong Yeyun no longer rushed to kill Murong Qiushui. With a savage look, he yelled frantically at Hao Jian, "Anyone who can take this guy down, one hundred million US Dollars! Remember, US Dollars!" "Roar! Young Master, just watch us!" "One hundred million US Dollars! Young Master, don''t worry, we''ll take this guy down for you to see!" "Ha-ha! Boy, come and meet your fate!" "..." Money talks. Amidst the hefty bounty offered by Murong Yeyun, his subordinates suddenly burst into an uproar, followed by a sickly laughter that suddenly echoed throughout the abandoned automotive factory. Various voices, and various kinds of power fluctuations, erupted unrestrained from these Martial Artists. As the saying goes, even ants can bite an elephant to death; with so many of them, all Martial Artists, they did not believe they could lose! Even by using guerrilla tactics and encirclement, they could exhaust this guy to death! "Heh, it seems they''re all merely commoners lured by a heavy bounty!" Watching this suddenly crazed scene unfold, Hao Jian slowly curved the corners of his mouth and shook his head disdainfully. Was Murong Yeyun''s brain scorched? Or was it that his head had never been quite right? Well, even if it was just playing along with them, he couldn''t play for too long. Qiushui couldn''t hold on much longer. Thinking of this, Hao Jian''s eyes gradually darkened and he glanced at Murong Qiushui, who lay on the ground with a smile on her lips, a surge of uncontrollable anger rising within him. However, before starting the fight, he needed to rescue Qiushui. As soon as he thought it, Hao Jian''s expression became indifferent. He fiercely stomped on the ground, and his figure suddenly flashed forward, turning into an afterimage that no one could catch, and his rushing direction was exactly where Murong Yeyun was. "Young Master! Be careful!" Some martial artists with some skill could vaguely catch Hao Jian''s position, their faces instantly turning pale, they reached out and yelled towards Murong Yeyun. This was not a joke! If anything happened to Murong Yeyun, they would definitely not survive tomorrow! Living under the Murong Family, they naturally knew its situation and its terror. If this young master died due to their lack of protection, the ultimate outcome would definitely be death! "Whoosh!" S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With Hao Jian''s lightning-like speed, he instantly appeared next to Murong Yeyun, turned his head to look at the panicked Murong Yeyun, and gave a mocking laugh, then slowly bent down and picked up Murong Qiushui. "It''s okay now." A gentle voice entered Murong Qiushui''s ears, and she obediently nodded. The instant Hao Jian appeared, she knew the ordeal was over and she was safe. "Look at all these wounds on you, fortunately they aren''t deep and won''t leave any scars..." Holding Murong Qiushui, he started to inspect her wounds without caring about others, occasionally flipping some areas that revealed more than intended, eliciting an annoyed roll of eyes from Murong Qiushui. "You... Hao Jian... you..." Murong Yeyun, standing by and seeing Hao Jian''s dismissive attitude, instantly burst into rage, his voice howling with suppressed anger. "Huh? No rush, who sees you in such a hurry to die!" Hao Jian feigned a startled look, watching Murong Yeyun. "You... I want you dead..." "Like I said, there''s no need to rush to die, right?" Shaking his head, he didn''t want to talk to this nearly irrational person anymore. Looking at the martial artists who were almost surrounding them, he knew he needed to first get Qiushui to the entrance to have those guys take her to the hospital. On the way here, Hao Jian had also pulled in a few of Huzi''s men, anticipating this situation. Now, those few were still outside waiting for his signal, which was perfect. The less Murong Qiushui saw of the upcoming events, the better. While he was delaying, the martial artists had slowly formed a surrounding circle, which was rapidly closing, hoping to capture Hao Jian, who they viewed as having walked right into their net. "Whoosh!" "Where do you think you''re going!" With a tip of his toe on the ground, his figure instantly shot forward like lightning. Encountering those who tried to block him along the way, Hao Jian merely changed his angle slightly and flashed past. Under the blockade of nearly a hundred martial artists, he moved as if he were entering an uninhabited territory, moving freely within their circle. "Tap!" Before they knew it, Hao Jian had broken through their encirclement and arrived at the entrance of the abandoned car factory. Those guarding the place had already been dealt with by Hao Jian, and now, only Huzi''s few men were there. "Boss Hao!" Upon seeing Hao Jian, the few broke into respectful greetings. They had clearly seen how Hao Jian had dealt with the guards; a man of his caliber was not someone they could afford to mess with. "No time for nonsense, take her to the best hospital in Capital City quickly!" Hao Jian nodded, then immediately placed Murong Qiushui in the car, preparing to leave. However, as he turned around, Murong Qiushui suddenly reached out her slender hand and firmly grasped Hao Jian''s hand. Hao Jian paused for a moment, and then a gentle voice echoed in his ear. "Be careful¡­" A slight smile gradually formed on his lips as he nodded in response to her, noticing her hand had already let go. He then took steps toward the gateway, which continually emitted streams of people. Seeing Hao Jian leave, Huzi''s few men too carefully got into the car, even when starting the vehicle, they were especially cautious, afraid of hurting Murong Qiushui. "Murong Yeyun, since you decided to provoke me, I can only say, you really have been foolish to the extreme!" Chapter 753 - 752: The Price is Your Lives Hao Jian had rescued Qiushui and was no longer worried about her safety. Now that he had no more concerns, he could use all his strength in the upcoming battle. However, he was unsure if these martial artists could force him to use his full strength... "Murong Yeyun, it''s time to end this!" Hao Jian''s eyes, which had been fixed on Murong Yeyun, gradually darkened as Qiushui left. Rage surged within him, and a faint aura of authority emanated from his body until it finally exploded out, lingering in the area for a long time. "Gulp..." As Hao Jian''s aura spread, the sound of swallowing echoed repeatedly. This man... his strength is incredible! This was the consensus among all the martial artists. "All of you, attack! Idiots!" With Qiushui rescued, his leverage had vanished, and he now had to consider Hao Jian''s fury. Seeing his subordinates frozen in fear at a crucial moment, his face turned ugly. He then shouted angrily at them, "If you can take him down today, I''ll double your reward!" "Roar!" Sure enough, upon hearing about money, the martial artists immediately grew excited. Their eyes sparkled with desire, temporarily forgetting the gap in strength with Hao Jian. "Hehe, since you want to play, then let''s play nicely..." Nearly a hundred figures, radiating a terrifying aura, flew towards Hao Jian. Hao Jian seemed unbothered, though, as he hooked the corner of his mouth in a mocking curve and slowly opened his hands, his soft murmur infuriating the martial artists even more. "However, the cost will be your lives!" "Annoying brat!" The first martial artist charged forward. He was a speed-type fighter, the fastest among the nearly one hundred present. Upon hearing the reward would be doubled, he was the first to react and the first to reach Hao Jian¡ªthis being the best he had ever performed. He even felt that, now, he could contend against anyone¡ªwhether that included Hao Jian wasn''t clear. "The reward is mine!" This martial artist shouted loudly while suddenly raising his fist. Icy Vigorous Qi intertwined around his fist, accompanied by a soft whistling sound. His fist was already hurtling towards Hao Jian''s head. The fist got closer and closer to Hao Jian''s head while Hao Jian seemed as if he were asleep, not making any move to counterattack. Seeing this, the martial artist''s face lit up with joy, and his lips stretched into an excited smile. Ha ha! I didn''t expect this guy to be all show and no go¡ªso easy to handle! As the martial artist''s smile grew wider, he accidentally spat out a few drops of saliva. It was at that moment that Hao Jian finally reacted. Feeling the martial artist''s uncouth behavior, Hao Jian frowned slightly. He then gave a quick glance, curled his lips slightly, and thought: What''s wrong with this guy, has he gone mad? Fine, just get rid of this disgusting fellow. He casually raised his palm and swept it towards the martial artist, without any noticeable fluctuation of power. Before the martial artist could react, Hao Jian''s palm had already struck his head. "Boom!" The martial artist''s body was slapped and flung away by Hao Jian''s palm, flying even faster than when he had charged over himself. Previously conscious during his charge, he now lost consciousness due to the force of Hao Jian''s strike, continuing to fly at that speed. The result was as expected; with a loud thump, the martial artist landed in a nearby mound of dirt, knocked unconscious. "Such weak strength, and you dare show yourself?" Casually knocking the martial artist away, Hao Jian sneered and shook his head, then slowly curled up the corners of his mouth, looking at the martial artists who had arrived in front of him. "Kill!" Screams were nonstop; the martial artists were shrouded in various auras, armed with all sorts of weapons¡ªlong poles, machetes, chain balls, short swords, daggers, and more. Nearly half of the weapons carried by those present were different, and some even had unknown functions. Facing such a bizarre crowd, Hao Jian almost wanted to laugh. It was only when a longsword thrust at him from behind that his eyes suddenly narrowed; he casually lifted his palm, and with an unbelievable speed appeared behind the swordsman, swiftly extending his palm and striking twice. One palm hit the swordsman''s back and another hit the handle of the longsword. The longsword''s owner immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, along with pieces of his shattered heart. "Clang!" With a flick and a pull, the longsword was now in Hao Jian''s hand, and the swordsman was no longer a concern to Hao Jian. Since he dared to strike, that meant he had already placed his life second. "Indeed a fine weapon, just right for dealing with these people." Right hand gripping the longsword, left hand with two fingers slowly sliding over the blade, feeling the chill emanating from it, Hao Jian chuckled softly, his eyes then hardened, and he suddenly spun around, rushing into the midst of the army with his longsword! As Hao Jian charged into the ranks of the martial artists, a bloody massacre also began to unfold... "Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!" S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Like a ghostly figure, Hao Jian darted back and forth among the martial artists, miraculously avoiding any injury despite the multitude of attacks against him. The attacks of these martial artists failed to reach Hao Jian, but Hao Jian''s attacks, like those of the God of Death, were fatal¡ªone sweep of his sword and another person fell, turning into a pool of blood. "In ancient times, they spoke of killing one every ten steps, leaving no trace in a thousand miles. Today, does this count?" With a light flick of his longsword, he directly severed a martial artist''s neck, and Hao Jian grew somewhat narcissistic. However, this did not hinder Hao Jian''s killing spree. As time passed, more and more martial artists died under Hao Jian''s sword, becoming lost souls. A thick aura of death swept towards the pale-faced, sweating Murong Yeyun. "This... this..." Unknowingly, cold sweat had soaked through Murong Yeyun''s clothes. His heart trembled as he watched Hao Jian slowly decimate his subordinates, methodically carrying out his slaughter. Even on a few occasions, Hao Jian deliberately passed by him without raising his sword to kill him, leaving behind an intensely rich scent of blood. All of this was a provocation by that man! "Ah ah ah!" Screams constantly resounded, and for some, being able to scream, to leave behind their last sound in the world, was a form of happiness. That''s because among them, some didn''t even know how they died, their only sounds being muffled groans, with no other noises. Hao Jian''s ghostly figure, together with his longsword that resembled the scythe of the God of Death, filled the remaining martial artists with immense fear. Each time Hao Jian''s figure vanished, the next moment would surely bring a flash of silver light, followed by the passing of another life. After taking out two-thirds of the people, those remaining martial artists finally came to their senses, their faces pale and terror visible on their cheeks as they realized that this man was no ordinary human! They had so many people attack him, yet not one could leave a mark on him! They also realized that, although earning money was good, it was useless if you lost your life for it! "Run!" No one knew who yelled that first, but it immediately triggered a chain reaction, with martial artists one after another starting to flee... Only... "I said before, if you plan to strike at me, then the cost is your lives!" Watching these people flee, Hao Jian sneered, stamped the ground with his foot, and burst forth. In the next three minutes, one martial artist after another lay in pools of blood. When the last flash of the sword fell, the last fleeing martial artist died under Hao Jian''s sword. "Crack!" After killing this last martial artist, the longsword in his hand suddenly cracked, and soon one could see cracks spreading like a spider web along the blade, eventually bursting apart into halves with a loud bang. "It really was just enough..." Looking at the scattered pieces on the ground, then at the short sword in his hand, Hao Jian helplessly shook his head. Although the longsword was excellent, it also had a lifespan; after colliding with so many weapons, it was already beyond repair. If not for his own strength sustaining it, it would have broken in half mid-slaughter. "The killing is done, now it''s time to deal with the main issue!" Slowly lifting his head, Hao Jian''s gaze moved to the entrance of the derelict car factory, watching the terrified Murong Yeyun, and scoffed mockingly. Immediately, he stepped forward, walking towards Murong Yeyun. Originally, considering Qiushui''s face, I didn''t want to make too much trouble for you, after all, you were Qiushui''s family. Unfortunately, you really didn''t appreciate such an opportunity, so now, I simply have to finish you off... "Last words." Standing before Murong Yeyun, Hao Jian did not waste words with him; he knew that more words were futile. "Haha! Hao Jian, don''t think you''ve won!" Suddenly, Murong Yeyun''s expression turned hideously ferocious as he crazily laughed up at Hao Jian! "Pathetic..." Shaking his head, Hao Jian casually swung his sword, directly cutting Murong Yeyun''s throat while smirking, "Killing you with a broken sword seems quite fitting." "Uh... uh..." Blood uncontrollably spurted from Murong Yeyun''s throat, and at that moment, his eyes regained a bit of clarity, his trembling voice uttering as he looked at Hao Jian, "In this life, born in the Murong Family; in the next life, never in the Imperial Family!" Chapter 754 - 753: When Im Your Boyfriend It had been a week since the incident involving Murong Yeyun. During this week, the most joyful news was that Murong Qiushui''s injuries had completely healed, and with the attentive care from a few people, as well as the harsh medication prescribed by doctors, no scars were left on his body. Because of this, Hao Jian even received a kiss from Murong Qiushui, which made him so smug that several women wanted to hit him. As for Murong Xiao of the Murong Family, he received news of Murong Yeyun''s death immediately, and in a rage, shattered the table in front of him into pieces. He wanted to summon people to hunt down the murderer of Murong Yeyun. However, when he asked who had killed Murong Yeyun and learned it was Hao Jian, his face turned unsightly. The imposing aura he had displayed deflated significantly, and after an internal struggle, he let out a sigh of sorrow and dragged his weary body back to his sofa. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to avenge his grandson, but he truly couldn''t think of any way to deal with this enemy. Murong Yeyun had died at the hands of Hao Jian, and if he were to lead people out now, perhaps it wouldn''t just be Murong Yeyun who''d be lost. A battle between the Murong Family and Dragon Tooth might erupt. This was precisely the reason Murong Xiao was apprehensive. If Hao Jian didn''t have Dragon Tooth, wasn''t the founder of Dragon Tooth, then he wouldn''t be afraid of just Hao Jian alone. But the world didn''t have that many ifs. The final outcome was that Murong Xiao could only watch helplessly as Hao Jian boarded the high-speed train back to Hua City, unable to take any action. However, within the Murong Family, not everyone shared Murong Xiao''s sentiments, and some people didn''t even know about Murong Yeyun''s death. Among them, one person, upon hearing about Murong Yeyun''s death, felt not the slightest sorrow but instead was jubilant. If it weren''t for the circumstances, he''d even have planned a feast. This person was none other than Murong Chengkong, who had been the perennial second-in-command for a thousand years. Upon receiving the news of Murong Yeyun''s demise, his mood could not have been better, as it meant that he was now the sole heir to the Murong Family, the one and only successor. As for Murong Qiushui, there was no need to mention him, for he had already cut ties with the Murong Family. And now, with the only obstacle in his path, Murong Yeyun, gone, the two major hindrances before Murong Chengkong were no more. Given this, it was no wonder that Murong Chengkong was so excited, though he still had to maintain a sad expression in front of Murong Xiao and some of the family elders, making this perhaps the most exhausting act he had put on in years¡­ As one flower blooms, another withers. Having finished the rescue mission in Capital City, Hao Jian and the women returned to Hua City. After some teasing, just as he was gearing up for a big battle, his mobile phone suddenly rang, annoying Hao Jian. He was primed for action, but he had to stand down because of this interruption. "Hello? Who is this?!" His good moment disrupted, Hao Jian did not put on a pleasant face. "Teacher, who upset you so early in the morning?" Astonishment came through the phone, followed by a mischievous laugh. "Could it be that my phone call interrupted something important?" "Damn it! Do you have any shame? Calling so early, have you ever considered your teacher''s feelings?!" The familiar voice on the phone made Hao Jian instantly recognize it was Zhao Yating. Regarding this girl, Hao Jian also had a bit of a headache. Setting aside her affection for him, just the things she had done were enough of a burden. Now, for her to call so early, there must be something important! "Teacher¡­ you¡­ Teacher!" Zhao Yating suddenly switched to a coquettish tone, her voice tender and complaining, causing Hao Jian''s body to shudder. Was this girl running a fever today?! No, that''s wrong! She must need something from him! "Stop, don''t use that kind of voice; it doesn''t suit you¡­" Fearing that Zhao Yating would continue speaking in that voice, Hao Jian quickly interjected, saying: "Just say what you want. If I can help, I will!" "Hmm!" Having achieved her purpose, Zhao Yating stopped teasing Hao Jian and, with a triumphant air, told him, "Meet me at Junle Restaurant at noon today. Don''t stand me up!" "You must come!" Perhaps feeling that "don''t stand me up" wasn''t emphatic enough, Zhao Yating changed her wording, leaving Hao Jian speechless. And when he wanted to ask why, she promptly hung up the phone. Listening to the beep of the phone, Hao Jian rolled his eyes. What''s gotten into this girl today? "What''s up?" Shu Ya and the other women giggled behind their hands, watching Hao Jian''s phone call demeanor, and when he hung up, they couldn''t wait to ask, curious about who could make Hao Jian act like that. "What else? It''s that little girl Zhao Yating insisting I meet her at noon to have lunch, saying there''s something important," Hao Jian replied. The latter bit was Hao Jian''s interpretation of Zhao Yating''s behavior. From his understanding of her, she wouldn''t call so early without a significant reason. There must definitely be something prompting her to urgently contact him. "Oh? It looks like our Hao the Great Casanova is getting ready to pick up a Lolita now?" Hearing Hao Jian''s helpless tone, Ruo Lan''s teasing laughter echoed in Hao Jian''s ear, not the least bit concealed. As a result, the several women nearby all heard it loud and clear, suddenly bursting into giggles. "Psh, am I that desperate?" "Yes!" the women answered in unison. Hao Jian: "..." ............ Noon, twelve o''clock, Junle Restaurant. He had roughly muddled through until eleven-thirty before slowly driving toward Junle Restaurant. "Do you know that men are always the ones waiting for women, there is no situation where a woman waits for a man!" Regrettably, Hao Jian, who had calculated his timing well, forgot about the rush hour traffic. After being stuck in traffic for a bit, he arrived at the restaurant and found he was thirty minutes late. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, when he reached the agreed-upon spot, he saw Zhao Yating was already sitting there. The moment he approached Zhao Yating, she immediately started speaking about his tardiness. "What''s even more infuriating is! You were actually late! Teacher!" She hadn''t expected this guy to be late for their date! This was absolutely intolerable, Zhao Yating waved her little fists about, expressing the intense dissatisfaction in her heart. "Stop! There was a traffic jam on the road, I didn''t anticipate it," Hao Jian said nonchalantly with a wave of his hand, offering a quick explanation before pulling out a chair and sitting down. "I''ll have a filet mignon, medium rare! And a glass of wine with my meal!" Upon sitting down, he directly ordered his food, acting as though he was the main character. "Tea¡­ Teacher!" Zhao Yating was defeated by Hao Jian''s lack of any gentlemanly demeanor in his opening act, gnashing her teeth she muttered in a low growl. However, the response she got was merely Hao Jian''s faint smile¡­ "I''m saying, is that the kind of attitude someone who needs a favor should have?" "Aren''t you afraid a medium-rare steak will kill you!" Hearing Hao Jian''s voice, Zhao Yating humphed softly; her tone also became much softer, which suggested that she had temporarily put aside the issue of Hao Jian''s lateness. "I do have a nickname called the Iron-Stomached Little Prince. This kind of thing can''t ruin my stomach. Besides, have you ever heard of someone getting into trouble over a steak from a high-class restaurant?" Noticing the improvement in Zhao Yating''s tone, Hao Jian chuckled lightly, but he did not plan to tease her. What if the girl remembered his tardiness again? As Zhao Yating''s teacher, Hao Jian also knew that she typically disliked others being late. Of course, that did not mean she wouldn''t be late herself. It could be said that almost every date or other event she was involved in, she would be somewhat late. Now, it seemed that today''s Zhao Yating had not been late! That also illustrated a point¡ªthis girl had a big issue! "Hmph!" "Spit it out already, just what do you need my help with." While waiting for the food to arrive, Hao Jian couldn''t wait any longer and eagerly asked, his hand holding the water glass trembling slightly with excitement. "I have a friend... he''s throwing a birthday party tonight, so I need you to do me a favor, be my boyfriend!" What?! Your friend is having a birthday party, so you need me to act as your boyfriend? What kind of logic is that? Hao Jian, who had just taken a sip of water, nearly spit it back out upon hearing this bizarre request, wondering if this was some kind of melodramatic twist. "Hmph! Will you do it or not?!" Seeing Hao Jian''s shocked expression as if he had been struck by lightning after her words, Zhao Yating huffed in dissatisfaction. It was a request she had agonized over for a long time before deciding to speak out; she really had no other choice. The guy had been pestering her for a while, and if she didn''t find a shield to refuse him, he''d likely keep pestering her. She absolutely did not want someone following her around all day, so she had no choice but to seek Hao Jian''s help................................................................................... Chapter 755 - 754: Your Brother?! ``` "Okay, I agree, but you have to explain things clearly to me." Shrugging his shoulders, Hao Jian didn''t mind playing the role of a boyfriend; who knew, he might even be able to take some liberties, and Zhao Yating probably wouldn''t reject it, right? Hehe! Hao Jian had his own little schemes. Since they would be pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend, some intimate gestures should be allowed, right? "He''s my brother, Zhao Fan." Now that Hao Jian had agreed to the matter, she naturally needed to explain everything to him, but to her surprise, when she had spoken, Hao Jian''s face changed dramatically. Zhao Yating immediately blinked, could it be that this guy was planning to go back on his word? "Uh... your brother?! How did we get here? One moment you''re talking about your friend, the next about your brother, and when I looked at your student information, I didn''t see any mention of a brother. Could he be your second brother? Or a love child?" When Zhao Yating mentioned having a brother, Hao Jian''s gossip-hungry heart was suddenly ignited, like a million ''whys'', a barrage of questions poured out of his mouth. "Stop, stop, stop!" Zhao Yating hastily made a stopping gesture to interrupt Hao Jian''s barrage of questions, and pouted before speaking: "I know you''re curious, but this is the truth. That friend of mine is my distant cousin, barely qualifying as my brother. It''s just not what you think¡ªwe have no blood relation, at most, we grew up together as childhood sweethearts. However, he likes me, and I don''t like him." "Do you understand? He''s a distant relative, the blood ties are as thin as those with a stranger. If I hadn''t grown up playing with him since childhood, I wouldn''t even want to attend this relative''s birthday party." "Then just don''t go," said Hao Jian, curling his lips. If you don''t like it, why bother yourself? Looking at Hao Jian, Zhao Yating helplessly spread her hands, then pouted, saying, "Do you really think I want to go to his birthday party? It''s only because his parents have some business dealings with my parents, plus there''s that tiny bit of blood relation, which makes it impolite not to show up. But I''m worried that this guy will keep pestering me, so I can only turn to you..." "My dear teacher, you wouldn''t be unwilling to help your beautiful and enchanting student in need, would you?" Towards the end, Zhao Yating blinked her teary, pitiful eyes, intently staring at Hao Jian and even deliberately tugged at her neckline, revealing a glimpse of her ample charms. "Alright, alright, I''ll help," said Hao Jian. Since he had already agreed, and the girl had come to this point with her plea, what else could he do? But after speaking, Hao Jian''s eyes slightly narrowed, a hint of lasciviousness flickering as he gazed at the revealed spring scenery, commenting quite seriously. "Those two mounds on your chest must feel pretty good." He made a few grasping motions in the air and let out a peculiar laugh. "Would you like to give them a squeeze?" Instead of blushing at Hao Jian''s blatant gaze, Zhao Yating threw him a coquettish look, her voice laced with seduction making Hao Jian''s eyes shine with excitement. "No problem, consider it as payment!" thought Hao Jian, and immediately stretched out his hand towards Zhao Yating, moving it slowly towards her. Seeing Hao Jian making such a bold move in the restaurant, Zhao Yating''s cheeks turned red. However, she didn''t plan to resist and merely watched his hands drawing closer and closer to her chest. "There''s a fly here." With a smug smile, Hao Jian flicked Zhao Yating''s forehead with his right hand, chuckled, and then, feeling like he had successfully executed a cunning plan, withdrew his hands. "Humph humph humph!" Realizing she had been played by Hao Jian again, Zhao Yating was somewhat displeased. She rolled her eyes and snorted before she waved her tiny fist in front of him. When she tried to pull it back, Hao Jian suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm. "Hehe, as the saying goes, helping others comes with interest," said Hao Jian while his palm, carrying the warmth unique to men, caressed Zhao Yating''s arm. He quickly pulled back, then raised his eyebrows and smiled at her. "Hmph! I''ve never heard that saying before. Who''s the ancient sage that said it?" Despite having been taken advantage of by Hao Jian, Zhao Yating wasn''t angry. Instead, there was a bit of secret delight in her heart. She usually teased this guy a lot, but she had never been so proactive like today. Yet for her own pride, she was determined not to show any weakness. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Of course, it comes from the renowned, all-powerful, enterprising, tiger-fighting of West Mount, dragon-kicking of Roaming Dragon, beloved by all, the flower-charming handsome man, the great-looking guy, your very own teacher Hao Jian!" Imitating a certain celebrity, Hao Jian blew on the hair on his forehead, bringing out every complimenting word he could think of. Once he was done, he refocused his attention on Zhao Yating. "I haven''t seen a handsome guy, but I''ve met an egomaniac," she retorted. ``` "..." The two of them spent the noon chattering and laughing in the restaurant until it was past two in the afternoon. Zhao Yating, wanting to go back and find some clothes for the evening party, left first, while Hao Jian checked the time and decided to head home as well. ............ When it was past six in the evening, Zhao Yating arrived at Hao Jian''s doorstep, and after Hao Jian greeted Shu Ya, he stepped out of the gate. "Why are you dressed like that?" As soon as Hao Jian appeared, Zhao Yating''s gaze focused on him. She frowned at his outfit and soon, a slightly dissatisfied tone emerged from her. "It''s just a birthday party anyway, couldn''t be bothered to change." Shrugging nonchalantly, Hao Jian walked up to Zhao Yating, tapped her forehead, and chuckled softly. Actually, Hao Jian''s clothes weren''t too shabby either, the whole outfit might cost a couple of thousand, but considering Hao Jian''s social status, wearing this seemed somewhat devaluing. However, for Hao Jian, what he wore didn''t matter at all, and Zhao Yating wasn''t truly dissatisfied with his casual attire today, she was just worried that dressing like this, he might be mocked by others. After all, her brother Zhao Fan was not an ordinary person and knew some wealthy individuals. She feared that when she introduced Hao Jian as her boyfriend, Zhao Fan might deliberately make things difficult, and obviously, Hao Jian''s outfit would be an easy target. "It''s just... I''m worried they might give you a hard time later..." Zhao Yating glowered at Hao Jian after he tapped her forehead, then shook her head, voicing her concern. "Relax, have you ever seen me, Hao Jian, at a disadvantage? Besides, if that guy gets greedy, then I can handle him, right?" Without regard for Zhao Yating''s worries, he nonchalantly opened the car door and sat down in the driver''s seat. Then, turning his head and looking up at Zhao Yating, he smirked, "If it embarrasses you later because of this, well, you can''t blame me, huh? I, Hao Jian, am not one to endure in silence." "Hmph! I was actually hoping you''d mess up that party. That way, he will definitely turn his attention to you, and I can relax." Zhao Yating blinked coyly and covered her mouth with a soft chuckle. Hao Jian''s status was indeed no small matter. Even though she didn''t know the full extent of his status, his reputation in Hua City alone was not something Zhao Fan could match by flattery. However, not everyone recognized Hao Jian, and at least, Zhao Fan, who had returned from abroad, had not heard of him. In that case, as long as Hao Jian did something a little over the top later on, someone as petty as Zhao Fan was bound to make trouble for him. And the thought of Zhao Fan looking for trouble with Hao Jian left no doubt about the outcome. She figured that after Zhao Fan took a loss, he would likely leave her alone, which would make it easier to explain things to her parents. "Miss Zhao Yating, you know I''m not here to be your shield! You only said I needed to be your boyfriend, that''s it!" Zhao Yating''s thoughts were interrupted by Hao Jian''s somewhat helpless words. Upon hearing what he said, her bright eyes narrowed slightly, and with scheming laughter, she said. "You don''t have a say in that, do you?!" "Hop in quick, I want to see which talented individual dares to pursue my quirky student." "I''m driving?!" "What else?" "Not a bit of a gentleman." Pouting, Zhao Yating opened the driver''s side car door and sat down. Just as she was about to start the car, Hao Jian''s low muttering reached her ears, causing her to stiffen. "I was never a gentleman to begin with." "Jerk!!!" Faced with reality, Zhao Yating had no choice but to start the car, and then drove along the familiar streets toward the location of the evening''s party. As the car started, Hao Jian''s eyes slightly opened and flicked a quick glance at the back, then he closed his eyes again............................................................................. Chapter 756 - 755 This Brother In the evening, at Shuangyue Bar. The bar, always bustling at night, was even more lively tonight. The reason being a wealthy young master had booked the entire venue for the evening, inviting numerous "successful individuals" or children of the rich. Within the nearly four hundred square-meter bar, figures moved back and forth; each person shared a common characteristic¡ªtheir clothes and accessories were far from ordinary. In fact, some of the women even began to compete with one another. Some flaunted oversized diamond rings; others boasted about their family backgrounds. A variety of people came together to form this birthday party. Among them, a man dressed in a white Armani suit, sporting an expensive Swiss watch on his wrist, became the focus of everyone''s attention. He was indeed the protagonist of this birthday party, also referred to as Zhao Yating''s cousin, Zhao Fan! With his handsome face and extraordinary background, plenty of beauties were casting flirtatious glances at him. However, Zhao Fan didn''t pay any attention to these women. Instead, his gaze shifted to the entrance of the bar. There, a charming figure slowly emerged. The moment he saw this figure, Zhao Fan''s expression lit up with joy, and he immediately strode over toward that figure. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Da¡­" But just as he had taken a few steps forward, his movement halted abruptly the next moment, and a sinister glint flashed through his eyes. This was because another figure followed closely behind the first, wearing clothes he considered to be utterly shabby. "It''s quite lively here." Naturally, these two figures were none other than Hao Jian and Zhao Yating, who had come to attend the birthday party. Captivated by the crowd inside, they didn''t notice Zhao Fan, who had stopped not far away. "But still, I''m not quite comfortable with this kind of place." Given Hao Jian''s sharp hearing, he could clearly pick up every conversation happening in the four hundred square-meter space. Listening to the women''s comparisons, the men''s boasting and arrogance, it made Hao Jian chuckle. These guys really thought they were invincible just because they had a bit of success. "Alright, let''s just get this over with quickly and head back early. Besides, standing here, we''ve already achieved our purpose," said Zhao Yating with a coy smile next to Hao Jian, who was grumbling softly. She then tugged at his clothes and nudged her mouth in a certain direction. "Please, that''s your purpose, not mine." Clearly, it was this girl who had dragged him here; his own intentions were absent. Following Zhao Yating''s hinted direction, Hao Jian looked over to see a man in a white suit. However, that man didn''t look too pleased at the moment. "Is that your brother, Zhao Fan?" Hao Jian didn''t need to guess to know who this person was. Ignoring Zhao Yating''s hint, just by looking at the man''s covert expression and how it differed from those around him, he knew. After all, at that moment, he was there laughing and chatting with Zhao Yating. "Be careful. There''s another man by his side named Li Ming. Ever since he started following Zhao Fan, I''ve been all too aware of his character¡ªhe''s a real scoundrel!" Just as Hao Jian was about to walk down the stairs, Zhao Yating suddenly grabbed his arm and then leaned into his ear, subtly glancing at a skinny man behind Zhao Fan before whispering softly. "This despicable person!" Zhao Yating''s intimate action just so happened to make Zhao Fan, who was watching them from a short distance, clench his fist. However, with so many guests around, it wasn''t the right moment for him to start a fight over these two individuals. Therefore¡­ "Li Ming, go show that kid some color!" Glancing at the skinny man behind him, Zhao Fan''s lips curled up into a slow smirk as he commanded. "Hehe, don''t worry, Young Master Fan. Leave it to me, I''ll take care of it!" Receiving Zhao Fan''s order, the slender man immediately licked his lips as a frosty glimmer flashed in his eyes. He then stepped forward, heading straight for Hao Jian. "Who''s that guy? Dressed like a beggar!" "How did someone like that get in? Aren''t there any security guards or something? Those tattered clothes make it obvious he''s one of those poor people!" "..." "Hao Jian, let''s go." Although she had anticipated this sort of reaction, Zhao Yating never expected the first to openly belittle Hao Jian would be the guests. She then decided to take Hao Jian over to the bar to distance themselves from the other patrons. Yet things did not go as planned. Just as she was about to lead Hao Jian away, a mocking voice suddenly sounded. "This surely must be Young Master Fan''s sister''s friend, right? However, the clothes you''re wearing are so shabby, you hardly match up to our Young Master Fan''s sister, do you?!" Upon hearing this sardonic voice, Hao Jian shrugged nonchalantly, unbothered. He had already dismissed the harsh words of the previous guests and had no interest in this Li Ming, who Zhao Yating had mentioned. He had no intention of wasting words on such a person. "Li Ming! You have no right to speak here!" Hao Jian didn''t intend to fuss over it, but Zhao Yating could not let it slide! No matter what, Hao Jian was her teacher and the man she liked. Now, to be treated so dismissively in front of all these people, Zhao Yating found it unbearable, her face turning angry as she spoke out sharply. "Miss Yating, it''s not about whether I have a right to speak. At least I am standing here, representing Young Master Fan''s status. If a beggar were to sneak into Young Master Fan''s birthday party, it would be terrible news for both Young Master Fan and the Zhao Family if word got out." Li Ming did not take Zhao Yating''s threat seriously at all. He was Zhao Fan''s man, and Zhao Fan fancied Zhao Yating. As a subordinate, he was well aware of Zhao Fan''s schemes. Once Zhao Fan''s plan succeeded, this girl would be nothing but a trinket in Zhao Fan''s collection, so he didn''t respect her much. "Haha, my friends, this is Young Master Fan''s sister, Zhao Yating." Li Ming turned around, bowed with a beaming smile, and introduced her to the guests who flocked over. As soon as he spoke, the guests were abuzz. Everyone there knew the status of Zhao Fan, and they knew even more about Zhao Yating''s status. What they didn''t expect, however, was that Zhao Yating would be friends with such a pauper. The very clothes on his back wouldn''t even be wanted by them for use as a rag. "Yating! How can you be friends with a pauper? I''m telling you, these kinds of people have ulterior motives; you need to be careful!" As soon as Li Ming finished speaking, his eyes subtly narrowed towards a direction, and soon enough, a woman maliciously chimed in, fanning the flames. "That''s right, that''s right, you absolutely can''t trust such people!" Following the woman''s lead, a chorus of agreement sounded from another corner, and after her, other guests chimed in with degrading thoughts about Hao Jian. These bastards! Wasn''t ridiculing me once enough? Now they want to do it again, huh?! Listened to these people''s ugly faces, Zhao Yating''s pretty face turned unsightly. She slowly raised her head, her bright eyes particularly icy as she glared at Li Ming. It must be this guy''s doing, his handiwork for sure! "Yes, Miss Yating, they''re right! The way your friend looks and dresses is indeed too shabby; although he''s not a beggar, there''s little difference! With your status, don''t you think accompanying such a person is beneath you?" As the guests chattered and belittled Hao Jian, Li Ming followed their lead, his voice steeped in mockery as he looked down at Hao Jian disdainfully. How dare such a man compete with Young Master Fan for a woman? If it weren''t for Zhao Yating being here, I would have had someone take you to see Hong Qigong in minutes! In his eyes, Hao Jian was just a fool who didn''t understand the disparity in their status, and here, only Zhao Fan was worthy of Zhao Yating! Now I want to see just how long you can tolerate this. It would be best if you knew when to give up and left Zhao Yating''s side, otherwise...hmm... Li Ming''s eyes darkened as he looked at Hao Jian, cruelly plotting to deal with him once he was alone. A man of such lowly status, even if killed, wouldn''t cause any trouble for them, especially since Zhao Fan had some influence in Hua City. Getting rid of a man they viewed as nothing more than a beggar wouldn''t take much effort at all. "Li Ming! I have never loathed your actions as much as I do today!" Listening to Li Ming''s sarcastic words, Zhao Yating''s chest heaved in anger, her slender fingers trembling as she pointed at Li Ming, the rage in her eyes evident. "Tingting, Li Ming is saying this for your benefit. How can you mindlessly scold someone without considering the facts?" At that moment, Zhao Fan''s voice came over, filled with indulgence and helplessness, to the extreme in hypocrisy. And when the guests heard the voice behind them, they promptly made way, allowing Zhao Fan to enter. "Besides, what he said isn''t wrong. As the Zhao Family''s eldest daughter, how can you concern yourself with outsiders? After all, Li Ming is one of the Zhao Family''s own, we''ve grown up playing together since childhood. How can such a relationship be compared to that with an outsider?" Saying so, Zhao Fan walked through the path cleared by the crowd, coming to stand beside Li Ming. "Regardless, it''s not okay for him to insult my friend!" Zhao Yating said coldly. "Alright then," Zhao Fan said with a slight smile as he looked at Zhao Yating, "Since this brother here is your friend, then he is also my friend, Zhao Fan. Perhaps Li Ming and my remarks went too far just now. So I apologize to this brother here." Chapter 757 - 756: Toast! Looking at Zhao Fan''s pretentious display, Zhao Yating felt extremely disgusted inside. Who here doesn''t know Li Ming is your man? Everyone knows that without your instructions, Li Ming wouldn''t bother about all these at all. Li Ming had already spoken those belittling words earlier, and even you, Zhao Fan, said quite a few. But now you''ve suddenly changed your tune, insisting on apologizing to Hao Jian¡­ Anger flared in Zhao Yating''s eyes, she truly couldn''t fathom how someone could be so shameless, or should it be said, put on such a facade of integrity. She had always thought it was simply a matter of incompatibility; that was why she wanted Hao Jian to be her boyfriend, hoping it would make Zhao Fan give up, but she had never expected that her actions would expose Zhao Fan''s hypocrisy! "Alright, now that everyone is here, let''s officially start the birthday party!" At such a moment, it was best to stop while ahead. If things went too far, Zhao Yating might start to form a bad impression of him. Zhao Fan definitely needed to avoid that. So, when he saw that people were still looking at Hao Jian with contempt, Zhao Fan grandly waved his hand, signaling the commencement of the birthday party! "Clap, clap!" Gently clapping his hands, the originally dim lights in the bar paused for a moment, suddenly turned off, and then came back on. In that brief moment, a twenty-layer cake stood tall in the center of the bar. The entrance of this cake also signified the opening of the birthday party. People began to offer their congratulations, and some girls in their prime even threw coquettish glances at Zhao Fan. As the knife slowly cut through the cake, the birthday party reached its climax. Watching Zhao Fan release the knife, Li Ming gave a wave to two bodyguards dressed in black suits, who immediately came forward to push the twenty-layer cake away from the main venue. "Ladies and gentlemen! The party! Has started!" Seeing the cake leave, Zhao Fan took a step forward and laughed out loud to everyone. "Haha! Happy birthday, Young Master Fan!" "Come on! Young Master Fan, let the brothers toast you first!" "You step aside, if anyone''s toasting Young Master Fan, that should be us! When is it your turn?!" As Zhao Fan spoke, the bar erupted into a frenzy, with everyone eagerly trying to be the first to toast him. After all, doing so could leave a deeper impression on Zhao Fan. However... "Haha, Young Master Fan, happy birthday! Let me offer you a toast!" While everyone was vying to be the first to toast Zhao Fan, Li Ming''s laughter carried over, prompting everyone''s expression to change and then resigning themselves to the situation. It seemed that this toast would have to go to Li Ming. Who else but Zhao Fan''s own man? "You are thoughtful." Zhao Fan nodded and waved, and Li Ming took a swig of his cocktail. Zhao Fan, due to a mild allergy to alcohol, could not drink it. Or rather, it was rum, one of the bases in cocktails, that he was allergic to. Seeing that they had no chance, the others withdrew their gazes from Zhao Fan and turned to toast each other, regardless of whether they were familiar with one another, discussing potential work collaborations or engaging in small talk. In no time, the already lively bar became even more animated, with the throbbing electronic music playing uninhibited. Yet, while everyone else was merrily toasting and drinking, they were consciously or unconsciously ignoring one person¡ªHao Jian. Being at odds with Zhao Fan and due to his attire, they deemed Hao Jian to be nothing more than a lowly person. Such an individual did not merit their attention or conversation. Even when someone approached Hao Jian with a drink, they passed it directly to Zhao Yating beside him, intending to toast her while disregarding Hao Jian entirely. After casually rejecting that person, Zhao Yating noticed everyone''s alienation toward Hao Jian, as if he didn''t exist among the people there. "I''m sorry, I... I shouldn''t have let you come..." Seeing everyone''s veiled contempt for Hao Jian, Zhao Yating''s expression turned very sour. She knew these people were all opportunists, hypocrites who were easy to see through, and she understood why they looked down on Hao Jian. At the heart of it, the main reason was Zhao Fan. As the most notable person that night, Hao Jian was criticized for his attire, and coupled with Zhao Fan targeting him right from the start, everyone saw it. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At Zhao Fan''s birthday party, getting close to Hao Jian was something no one would do unless their brains had short-circuited. Thus, upon witnessing such a scene, Zhao Yating felt some regret, regretting that she had brought Hao Jian here. She believed this guy probably had never experienced anything like this, had he? "Since we''re here, let''s not talk that way. I''ve seen plenty of situations like this," Hao Jian reached out and ruffled Zhao Yating''s hair, speaking indifferently, "Since I agreed to your request, I naturally guessed what might happen. But after going through all this, I demand that my compensation be doubled!" "Double the compensation? Did I ever mention giving you compensation?" Although Zhao Yating knew in her heart that Hao Jian wouldn''t care about such matters¡ªafter all, one does not bother with the affairs of ants¡ªthe moment she heard Hao Jian bring up compensation, curiosity flickered across her face. She remembered she hadn''t promised any compensation to Hao Jian, had she? "This compensation is for a kiss from you, and now it''s doubled; that makes it two kisses!" Hao Jian said these words in all seriousness, even making hand gestures to emphasize. "Pervert!" Facing the unexpected response from Hao Jian, Zhao Yating''s pretty face flushed instantly. She quickly grabbed her purse and swung it at Hao Jian''s waist. "Haha, I don''t care. In any case, when we go back, I, Hao Jian, will certainly do it!" Dodging Zhao Yating''s attack, Hao Jian stepped forward, enveloping Zhao Yating in an embrace, leaned close to her ear with a voice wrapped in a faint breath, and said, "You say we''re boyfriend and girlfriend, now, if we do something that couples are supposed to do, that would be okay, wouldn''t it?" "Hmph! If you dare, just worry that when I get back, I''ll tell Sister Qiushui how you groped me again." Caught off guard by Hao Jian''s sudden move, Zhao Yating''s ears reddened, and she let out a light snort, her tone carrying a threat. F*ck! Who is really being handsy here?! You two women have been handsy with me all along, and I haven''t said a word; now, just because I touched you a bit, you claim I''ve groped you?! What kind of messed-up logic is that! "Oh? Still talking back?!" Seeing Hao Jian about to speak, Zhao Yating quickly seized the opportunity and preemptively spoke up, heaven knows what other blush-inducing words this guy might spout. With so many people around, there was no way she could let him have his way! "I..." Jolted by Zhao Yating''s rebuke, the words that reached his lips were swallowed back, and immediately Hao Jian opened his mouth, wanting to say something in retort, but found his mind suddenly blank, unsure of what to say to the girl. As the two flirted and squabbled, they didn''t notice that one pair of eyes had been watching them the entire time¡ªthose eyes belonged to Zhao Fan. Watching the two flirt without a care for the surroundings, Zhao Fan''s face grew darker. He had initially hoped that making these guests deliberately alienate Hao Jian would reveal a look of inferiority in front of Zhao Yating. This way, Zhao Yating would see that her boyfriend was really unreliable. But unexpectedly, this guy had reacted in such a way, flipping an awkward situation before Zhao Yating on its head. No, this can''t go on! He had to make Zhao Yating see that this guy was a scumbag! His hand clutching the glass trembled, and Zhao Fan''s face became increasingly somber¡ªonly managing a smile when some guests approached him, but frowning whenever he was alone. Then, as if struck by a thought, he gestured to Li Ming at a distance. Understanding the signal, Li Ming nodded in acknowledgment, then walked to the bar and picked up a cocktail. Kid, now I want to see how long you can hold out in front of Zhao Yating! Clinging onto a strong leg isn''t wrong, but you clung onto the wrong person! Seeing Li Ming''s action, Zhao Fan''s face eased a bit, and he watched Hao Jian with a cold smirk, a smug curve forming at his lips. If this worked out, it was his turn to make a good impression in front of Zhao Yating. With her help in the future, wouldn''t it be easy to secure the Zhao family''s vast wealth? As Zhao Fan fantasized, Li Ming had already approached Hao Jian with the drink in hand, saying with a grin, "I''ve heard this brother can hold his liquor incredibly well, not drunk after a thousand cups!" "In that case, let''s just say I was confused from drinking earlier, and pretend none of it happened. Here, I''ll apologize to the brother right here." Li Ming spoke casually, his words lacking any sign of remorse, his demeanor radiating with an arrogant sense of being second only to the best in the world, not even showing the sincerity expected in an apology. However, as soon as he mentioned Hao Jian''s tolerance of a thousand cups, a commotion erupted among the group of guests standing behind him! Chapter 758 - 757: Massive! "Haha! Li Ming, you saying this brother can hold his liquor for a thousand cups, that really might be giving him too much credit." "Exactly, exactly, bro, since Li Ming says you can drink like that, how about we have a drink?!" "Hey, skinny Bamboo Pole, with your body hollowed out by booze and women, you still hope to show your face in front of Young Master Fan?!" Li Ming''s words, like a spark to gunpowder, no sooner had he spoken than all the gentlemen present started to feel dissatisfied. After all, they were all rich second-generation successful people who drank plenty on social occasions. How could they not compare to such a poor B?! In no time, every man was clamoring to challenge Hao Jian to a drinking contest, not just to show off in front of the ladies but also for a chance to impress Zhao Fan. With such an excellent opportunity, how could they refuse? Besides, looking at such a kid, it was obvious he hadn''t had much experience with drinking, so his alcohol tolerance couldn''t be that great. With so many of them, even if they took turns, they couldn''t possibly lose to a kid like that! "Haha, gentlemen seem to be quite in the mood, in that case, let''s have a contest of alcohol tolerance!" The closer Li Ming got to his goal, the more triumphant he felt¡ªthese guys really cared too much about saving face. Well then, I''d really like to see how this kid is going to get through this one! I will make you realize, except for Young Master Fan, no one else deserves Zhao Yating in this world! A toad lusting after swan meat, a poor boy at the end of the day is nothing but a frog in the well. I thought you would be scared by this scene, but you pulled through. That''s good; it lets you lose face in front of Zhao Yating even more! Li Ming''s eyes glinted with a trace of coldness as he looked at Hao Jian, sneering inwardly. Such a person, Li Ming had seen too many of them, always trying to climb high through opportunities like these. But sometimes, the higher they climb, the harder they fall! "Haha, I like Li Ming''s suggestion; I hope this brother won''t decline." Just as Hao Jian was about to refuse, Zhao Fan¡ªsmiling amiably¡ªhad somehow made his way to Hao Jian and spoke out. But his words thoroughly cut off Hao Jian''s escape route. Under these circumstances, Hao Jian had no way out. Of course, there was one last resort, which was to knock everyone out. That way, he wouldn''t have to waste his time on such trivial matters. If he truly did that, though, not only Zhao Fan and others would be angry, even Zhao Yating would be upset. Besides, Zhao Fan''s jealousy stemmed from the relationship issues with Zhao Yating, so it wasn''t a grave mistake. However, if you really want to play, then be prepared to lose. I hope you won''t fall from Heaven and get killed on impact! The corners of Hao Jian''s mouth slowly curled up in a smirk, and in the anxious gaze of Zhao Yating, he chuckled and spoke, "Since Young Master Fan you want to play, then I''ll join you!" "I''m not the type who can''t get drunk on a thousand cups¡ªI get drunk on one cup!" "That joke isn''t funny at all¡­" Zhao Yating, standing beside Hao Jian and listening to his words, initially thought this guy was about to start posturing, but didn''t expect it to end with such a result! At that moment, Zhao Yating felt somewhat helpless. What''s wrong with her teacher''s head today? But then again, since he dared to take on the challenge, he must have his methods. She just hoped that Zhao Fan would leave some dignity for her teacher. Otherwise, our Zhao Family really can''t bear his fury... This guy''s status is not something our Zhao Family can afford to provoke! Zhao Yating sighed softly in her heart. What was meant to be a simple birthday banquet had unexpectedly turned out like this. Initially, she just wanted to bring Hao Jian along to tell Zhao Fan that Hao Jian was her boyfriend, thinking that maybe Zhao Fan would then give up on her. But the future is always unpredictable, and it turned out to be such a situation. From the moment Hao Jian agreed, Zhao Yating noticed the slight upward curve of Zhao Fan''s mouth and instantly became worried. Zhao Fan''s tactics, even in school, were somewhat notorious. Although her parents considered them rumors, she believed them without doubt. Zhao Yating grew up with Zhao Fan, playing together; how could she not understand the thoughts of her childhood sweetheart? "Then, tonight, we''ll find out just how much this brother can drink!" With a smile, Zhao Fan turned to all the eager men and declared the start of this impromptu competition. "Now, let the competition begin!" With that announcement, the men immediately rushed in front of Hao Jian, each holding two of those large beer mugs in their hands. However, the contents of these two cups were no longer beer, but cocktails with an alcohol content approaching 20%. Even some brave souls had filled theirs with liquor nearly at 60% strength! Upon seeing this, Zhao Fan''s lips slowly curved into a smirk, thinking that since no one had toasted you earlier and you had dodged a bullet, let''s see now, with so many people toasting you, whether you can avoid it! As someone allergic to alcohol, Zhao Fan didn''t have to participate in the contest, which was exactly the outcome he desired. He would simply be a spectator, watching how Hao Jian would turn from sober to a complete mess! "I really can''t drink alcohol! Why would there even be such a contest for me?" With the first glass of alcohol downed, Hao Jian''s face immediately flushed red. His voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction as he spoke, but it was quickly drowned out. Although his voice sounded unhappy, Zhao Yating, who was nearby, suddenly caught a glimpse of the playful intent deep in Hao Jian''s eyes. Damn... the teacher is actually playing along... After seeing the playfulness in Hao Jian''s depths, Zhao Yating suddenly had an ominous feeling, as if Hao Jian had set a trap for them... And now, this bunch of people, all too eager, had jumped right into it, with no looking back! "Brother, no need to be modest! I heard that your drinking capacity is oceanic!" Seeing Hao Jian''s flushed face, Li Ming felt increasingly smug, though his expression didn''t change, still wearing a smile as he spoke to Hao Jian. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Behind him, many other men, each holding a glass, were eagerly matching drinks with Hao Jian. This was a chance to show off! Plus, given the look on this guy''s face, he probably wouldn''t last much longer. If they could just get him drunk, Zhao Fan would surely see them in a new light! "Hic! I... I... hic! I really... hic! can''t... hic! drink!" Hao Jian''s face was beet red, letting out a hiccup with each word he spoke, and this single sentence triggered him to hiccup over a dozen times. Upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, a corner of Li Ming''s mouth curled up, and he then exchanged a glance with Zhao Fan, snickering inside. With such a man daring to compete with Young Master Fan for a woman? In the following moments, seeing Hao Jian appearing close to drunken collapse, the men toasted even more fervently. Even those who had toasted before filled their glasses again to toast to Hao Jian. But as time went on, the expressions on Li Ming and Zhao Fan''s faces turned increasingly ugly, simply because, from the beginning to now, Hao Jian had maintained the appearance of being on the brink of drunkenness without any sign of actually falling over. In front of him, seven or eight men had already fallen... "Amazing... really amazing..." Zhao Yating watched Hao Jian with her mouth agape in surprise, wondering what on earth his stomach was made of. By this time, he must have drunk at least more than a barrel of alcohol, yet he was still in such a state? Hmph! You want to play with me? Pretending to be like this is actually killing me! Hao Jian, who kept receiving toasts, sneered to himself. If Zhao Fan wanted to play, they would play, but Hao Jian had never expected such an absurd contest like drinking. Being a Martial Artist, as long as he exercised his power, the alcohol he drank would evaporate, making it impossible for him to get drunk. And these fools didn''t have Hao Jian''s tricks. In no time, many had fallen, and to keep the rest thinking just one more cup would do him in, Hao Jian made an effort to look like he was about to collapse, making the men desperate to toast him. When the last man fell, in front of Hao Jian rested a dozen fallen men, each with a face red as a tomato, still unconsciously hiccupping in their stupor. This disgraceful display caused the eyebrows of the women not far away to slightly furrow. So many people couldn''t get one man drunk! They''re all worthless! Among all present, the person most eager to see Hao Jian fall was naturally Zhao Fan, but he was also the one now most enraged. Zhao Fan''s complexion was awful, originally thinking that if they could just make that guy collapse, then he could step in and present himself as a refined gentleman before Zhao Yating, rounding off everything perfectly. But such a result was beyond his wildest dreams; after all, from start to finish, in his eyes, the guy had, tough as nails, downed more than two barrels of alcohol! That was equivalent to over two hundred bottles! How could such a person exist in this world?! No, this can''t be happening! I must think of something! Zhao Fan forced his facial expression to recover from shock, and after several attempts, he managed to put back on a smiling face as if he was not in the slightest upset about Hao Jian turning his birthday party chaotic. Chapter 759 - 758: Without a Company of My Own "This brother truly has a massive tolerance! With so many people taking turns toasting you, you could make them all pass out drunk. It looks like you''re a hero when it comes to drinking!" Approaching Hao Jian, Zhao Fan spoke with that eternal smile, his voice carrying a hint of admiration, although faint. "Burp! It''s just that when I was little, my old man used to force me to drink. In his words, as a man, if you can''t even drink, then what''s the difference between you and a woman?! If you lose a drinking contest, you''re nothing but trash!" Hao Jian continued burping, his face flushed, and even deliberately blurred his eyes a bit to pretend. His words seemed simple, but those who understood could immediately tell that Hao Jian was seizing the opportunity to mock Zhao Fan for his alcohol allergy and not daring to drink, subtly ridiculing those who had come to toast Hao Jian but ended up lying down. Everyone present was no fool, except for those who were completely drunk; the rest could detect the implication in Hao Jian''s words. Zhao Fan was no exception. When Li Ming heard Hao Jian''s statement, his face immediately changed slightly, and anger surged up, about to step forward to retort Hao Jian''s words. But just as this thought arose and before he could act, a gesture from Zhao Fan made him stop everything. "Brother, don''t be too modest. Certainly, among us here when it comes to drinking, perhaps no one can outdrink you, but what about other aspects? Do you still perform as admirably in other areas?" "For example, the one over there whom you''ve just made pass out, is the chairman of Luhai Group, worth hundreds of millions. And then there''s this one, the general manager of Weiwu Commercial Group, with an annual salary over ten million, and then there''s ..." With a smile, Zhao Fan pointed to the people lying drunk around, introducing them one by one. His speech sounded very ordinary, but upon closer inspection, one could realize he was also taking the opportunity to strike back at Hao Jian, mocking him for not having his own career. If one looked at it superficially, it really did align with what Zhao Fan said, judging merely from the clothes on Hao Jian, many people directly affirmed that Hao Jian had no company or career of his own. "Looking at you, brother, I don''t think you have your own company, do you?" Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Finally, Zhao Fan had spoken his mind, revealing his purpose amid a stream of insincere words. Upon hearing Zhao Fan''s blatantly goal-driven words, Zhao Yating''s face immediately darkened next to Hao Jian. She was about to retort sharply but was preemptively stopped by Hao Jian. Seeing this, Zhao Yating quickly turned her gaze to Hao Jian, her eyes burning with anger. Hao Jian being looked down upon like this was something she hadn''t expected. If Hao Jian were to reveal his identity, perhaps Zhao Fan wouldn''t dare to say anything anymore. However ... "I indeed do not have my own company." Hao Jian slightly squinted his blurry eyes, then without any concealment, he admitted. Hao Jian indeed didn''t have his own company; all those companies were under the management of his women. He had never been involved, which technically could mean they weren''t his companies, although he was also the major shareholder. But he wanted to see to what extent Zhao Fan would take this matter today; after all, the more Zhao Fan belittled him now, the more interesting Zhao Fan''s expression would be once he knew the outcome. With such a purpose, Hao Jian naturally would not reveal whether or not he had a company. "Hao Jian!" Zhao Yating did not understand why Hao Jian wouldn''t go along with Zhao Fan and reveal his true situation. Upon hearing Hao Jian''s admission, she suddenly saw the smugness in Zhao Fan''s smile and immediately lost her patience, her voice a bit firmer. "Hehe, no worries, no worries." Hao Jian of course knew what Zhao Yating was thinking. However, he was never one to compete over such matters; he simply didn''t care, especially against someone like Zhao Fan. He never sought a sense of superiority from those lesser than him, of course, unless they deliberately provoked him. So, upon hearing the slightly angry tone in Zhao Yating''s voice behind him, Hao Jian quickly turned around, soothing her with his voice. He was officially her boyfriend now and needed to handle these minor details. Zhao Fan, watching Hao Jian and Zhao Yating''s intimate manner, looked even more displeased for a moment but soon returned to his everlasting smile. A spark of inspiration flashed through his mind, and looking at Hao Jian, Zhao Fan slightly narrowed his eyes and slowly spoke with a hint of a smile, "In these times, if you don''t have some power, people will think you are a toad, and those high above swans will only come down to toy with the toad and otherwise won''t even glance at them, as toads can''t support them." "Brother, this is something someone I used to know said, and today I just want to ask you, do you think such a statement is correct?" With his eyes slightly narrowed, Zhao Fan kept a close watch on Hao Jian, who was still flirting with Zhao Yating. He had never bothered to ask for Hao Jian''s name, for to him, such trivial matters concerning a random stranger were meaningless. And his words were clearly directed at Hao Jian, referring to him and Zhao Yating as the toad and the swan, continuously ridiculing Hao Jian''s aspiration to reach beyond his grasp, and the final question posed an even deeper trap for him. As long as Hao Jian claimed it was true, he would immediately seize the chance to belittle Hao Jian based on his attire and lack of strength, rendering him utterly humiliated, in which case, if Hao Jian had any self-awareness, he would leave Zhao Yating. Conversely, if Hao Jian said it was false, he would immediately respond in a different manner of questioning, further rendering Hao Jian completely useless. Just... "Hmph! Are you telling the truth or not?!" The two completely ignored Zhao Fan beside them, flirting as if no one else was present. Just now, Hao Jian had half-jokingly mentioned that after the event, Zhao Yating should take him out to eat, only to be unexpectedly countered by her. "What do you think? Whether it''s true or not is up to you to decide!" Seeing Zhao Yating''s surprised expression, Hao Jian touched his nose, wondering if he had previously given her the impression that he was difficult to ask out. "Hehe, remember, you said it!" As Zhao Yating responded, her eyes narrowed like crescent moons, and the curve of her smile was mesmerizing. Even Hao Jian, who had faced many challenges, was captivated by her innocent smile. By the time he snapped out of it, he helplessly reached out and playfully tugged at Zhao Yating''s hair. This girl, if she were a few years older, would definitely be the type of beauty that brings disaster. Not to say, she''s already beginning to bloom. Isn''t Zhao Fan here the first victim? "Watch it, I might just complain to Sister Qiushui that you are mistreating me! And getting fresh with me!" Zhao Yating, with her nose skewed by Hao Jian''s hair-tussling, immediately stood with hands on hips, looking at Hao Jian with a pout, and snorted a threat. "Qiushui isn''t in Hua City right now; you finding her would be quite the feat," Hao Jian retorted. Unfortunately, Qiushui had left early due to some issues at the company and even mentioned she wouldn''t return tonight, or else he would have continued to act recklessly at home. So, to Hao Jian, Zhao Yating''s minor threat went completely disregarded, as if he had ignored Zhao Fan entirely¡­ Damn! These two despicable people! Being ignored like this, Zhao Fan hadn''t felt such invisibility for many years, not since the time his father had ignored him decades ago. Yet, today, he was repeatedly overlooked by the man before him! And he was even being intimate with the woman Zhao Fan had set his sights on! The fury in his heart was unquenchable, and their blatant disregard for him was the ultimate humiliation! No, he had to regain some dignity, otherwise, after the birthday party, his reputation might diminish further. To think the young master of the Zhao Family would lose to a man clinging to rich coattails in the battle for a woman was unthinkable, and this was the last thing he wanted to hear about. He cared more about his reputation than his affection for Zhao Yating. He couldn''t depend on Li Ming, since Li Ming could only come up with limited ideas, and borrowing someone else''s hand to strike Hao Jian no longer seemed effective. In that case, it was up to him to step into the fray! Zhao Fan''s mind raced, and he finally concluded that he had to confront Hao Jian personally, but he struggled with how to engage him. If he were to propose a challenge, it would have to involve something Hao Jian was proficient in, otherwise, he would be branded as unscrupulous and opportunistic in victory. This would be particularly damaging to his reputation, and the faster his mind worked, the less he could come up with, realizing that challenging Hao Jian was the only outcome. But what to challenge him in, he had no clear idea! His gaze wandered around the bar, trying to figure out what to use, but despite looking for a long time, he found no suitable excuse. Chapter 760 - 759: Why Not Mix a Cocktail "I''ve got it!" As Zhao Fan''s gaze swept across the bar counter lined with a large selection of bottles, he realized that he had once learned bartending. Considering Hao Jian''s drinking prowess, it seemed like an unquestionably convincing proposal. "I''d like to see if, aside from drinking, you can also mix drinks!" Zhao Fan''s lips curled slightly, and he watched with an inward sneer as Hao Jian and Zhao Yating continued to flirt beside him, his fists clenched slightly. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Ladies and Gentlemen!" sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With the eternal smile back on his face, Zhao Fan walked behind the bar counter and then clapped his hands loudly, shouting a few times to attract the attention of everyone present. "I''m so glad you all could come to my birthday party tonight. When I''m happy, I like to perform. Would you like to see?" Confidence imbued Zhao Fan''s words, spreading out with his voice. "We would!" As expected, everyone except Hao Jian and Zhao Yating shouted in response, their eyes fixed on Zhao Fan, especially the women. After all, Zhao Fan had the highest status among them. Seeing him perform with his own hands was considered a great privilege¡ªthey''d have to be "idiots" to refuse. And clearly, there were no "idiots" present. "Good! Then I''ll show you a bit of my bartending skills, just for fun!" Pleased with the response from the audience, Zhao Fan nodded, smiling as he spoke like a gentleman. Then he turned to Hao Jian with a slight smile and said, "But a performance by just one person is a bit boring." "Therefore, I would like to invite this brother to have a bartending contest with me. Of course, it''s no problem if you can''t mix drinks; this is just a game." "However, considering how well this brother drinks, you must be clear about the characteristics of liquor, right? If that''s the case, then bartending shouldn''t be difficult for you, should it?" Finally, Zhao Fan revealed his true intentions, smiling and asking Hao Jian. The audience also discerned the hostility in Zhao Fan''s words, but they were more than happy to witness such a scene. Anyone at Zhao Fan''s birthday party had some connection to him; they would stand by Zhao Fan''s side without caring about the feelings of Hao Jian, the stranger. Thus, when they saw Zhao Fan''s purposeful gaze and words fall squarely on Hao Jian, they immediately began to loudly encourage a bartending show-off between Hao Jian and Zhao Fan. Though it was called a performance, Zhao Fan''s remarks subtly turned it into a competition. As long as he won, he would regain every bit of his face, and he had never once doubted that he could lose. "Brother, since Young Master Fan has put it this way, I believe your bartending skills are no less than his. Come on, let''s see!" With one person taking the lead, the others followed with more encouraging words one after another. It was a match without suspense. Their behavior was merely to, in the end, watch Hao Jian embarrass himself, which would also serve as a spice to the whole birthday party. "Exactly, is it that you''re afraid of Young Master Fan or just lack confidence in yourself? If that''s the case, I''d advise you to leave Miss Yating''s side quickly and stop deceiving yourself." "Tsk, with your pathetic look, you dare compete with Young Master Fan for a woman? It''s shameless and suicidal..." "Such a man is what''s commonly called a kept man, but the kept man Miss Yating picked is of too low a level, isn''t he?" Various derogatory comments reached Hao Jian''s ears. Regarding those who spoke ill of him, he simply shrugged indifferently, not bothering with the bartending finale - he preferred to tease Zhao Yating instead. But when he heard that the criticisms were spreading to include Zhao Yating, Hao Jian''s face darkened instantly. He didn''t mind being insulted by strangers; after all, once he left today, he would forget everything. But nobody was allowed to harm those under his protection! Zhao Fan, standing behind the bar, listened to the people''s comments with his eyes narrowed and a smile that seemed even more intense on his lips. When he heard someone dragging Zhao Yating into it, anger also surged in his heart. Since when had his woman become their business to comment on? However, just as he was about to redirect the spearhead of his words back towards Hao Jian, he suddenly caught sight of Hao Jian''s face growing increasingly gloomy, his heart leaping with joy, success! The urgent matter at hand was to regain the face he lost today through Hao Jian; as for those who cursed Zhao Yating, he had Li Ming take note of them. He kept the smile on his face, waiting for Hao Jian to say the words he had long anticipated. "Heh, Zhao Fan, right? To be honest, this provocation of yours is somewhat low-level." Hao Jian swept his hand across his face, and the reddish tint from earlier drinking diminished rapidly, like spring snow melting away, while his eyes regained their clarity. Don''t forget, after all, Hao Jian is someone who came from God of Death Island. Without a bit of real ability, how could he be classified as a prisoner of the eighteenth level? In Hao Jian''s eyes, Zhao Fan''s bartending skills are nothing but trash. By looking at how he handles the bottles, it''s clear that this guy is just a layman who''s learned one or two cocktail recipes and now tries to show off. Hoping with this degree to stir up the crowd and force me into a bartending competition, I just hope you don''t lose and end up gasping for air. A subtle cold smile hooked at the corners of Hao Jian''s mouth, and a chilling light appeared in his eyes. He then stepped forward, heading towards the bar. "However, I''ll accept your bartending challenge! After all, I''ve drunk quite a bit of alcohol, and bartending is more or less the same, simply mixing a drink, it''s easy!" Hao Jian snorted, his gaze lifted haughtily as he looked at Zhao Fan with a voice filled with an air of pretentiousness. "I''m in a terrible mood today and not in the mood to play. Since it was your suggestion, you go ahead and perform first! Just hope you don''t fail halfway through your bartending!" "Hmph! Thanks for your kind words!" With his small capacity for patience, Zhao Fan''s face grew dark upon hearing the string of veiled criticisms of his bartending skills from Hao Jian, and he quickly retorted with a sneer. This guy really isn''t afraid of death. Bartending isn''t the same as drinking. Don''t think just because you can drink and hold your liquor that you can necessarily mix a good drink. Just wait, I will make sure you lose all face today and crawl out of here! When Hao Jian said he should perform first, Zhao Fan took it as a sign that Hao Jian was scared and looking for a way to buy himself time. Seeing Hao Jian sliding through his phone, Zhao Fan was convinced Hao Jian was desperately searching for cocktail recipes! Even if you find a recipe, what of it? Bartending is a profound knowledge, so let''s see, you outsider, how much face you will lose! Feeling that there was no suspense in this suddenly escalated contest, Zhao Fan''s mood became slightly sullen, a touch of loneliness that comes with being a master, but this feeling lasted only a moment, immediately replaced by the anticipation of witnessing Hao Jian''s embarrassment. Afterward, Zhao Fan picked up the bartending tools, a 1oz slender shot glass with a capacity of about 30 milliliters. Then he held a bar spoon in his left hand and a bottle in his right, looking all ready to go. The crowd, seeing this, held their breath in anticipation; witnessing Zhao Fan''s performance was a rare opportunity. In their circle, Zhao Fan''s status was the highest, so naturally, many were eager to see another side of Zhao Fan. As the bartending began, Zhao Fan''s eyes gradually regained their calm, and even his heartbeat adjusted to a normal rhythm in an instant. Once in bartending mode, Zhao Fan seemed to transform into a different person. However, Hao Jian glanced over only once and no longer paid attention, continuing to search for a recipe, clearly unconcerned. He now wanted to focus on finding a recipe since the ones he previously used were not suitable for the current setting. It would be a waste of time if it caused another sensation. "For the Red Pomegranate Syrup, I''ll use Remy, for the cocoa liqueur, I''ll use this one... and for the Bols green mint, this one... and..." Zhao Fan''s mind was fully immersed, lost in his world of bartending. This was a bar where he could easily find the ingredients he needed, and he quickly placed six bottles of varying sizes beside him for easy access. Having prepared all the ingredients, Zhao Fan then began his bartending. "Each needs four milliliters, easy!" Zhao Fan''s face was calm as he extended his hand, picked up the Red Pomegranate Syrup, and with a slight shake of the bottle over the slender glass, poured about 4 milliliters of the red liquid into the glass. And as he watched the cocktail gradually take shape in the glass, Zhao Fan''s smile grew more intense, while he thought to himself: Hao Jian, oh Hao Jian, since you''re so bent on humiliating yourself, you can''t blame me!........................ Chapter 761 - 760: Its Colorful! "Shush, shush, shush!" Six bottles, six kinds of colorful base liquor syrups, successfully completed in Zhao Fan''s smooth and flowing manner; looking at the dazzling rainbow-like cocktail in his one-ounce glass, his lips slightly curled into a smile. It must be said, today''s cocktail making was the only time since he started bartending that things had gone so smoothly and the result was such a perfect cocktail. "So beautiful!" "Is this even bartending?! It''s like magic!" "Young Master Fan, your skill is shining brilliantly today!" "..." The people present were shocked to see Zhao Fan perfectly mix this stunningly beautiful drink; they had witnessed bartending before, but they had certainly never seen anyone mix drinks like Zhao Fan. Other bartenders needed to use a jigger to measure each ingredient meticulously, but Zhao Fan? He simply poured and knew how much liquid was needed, all within less than two minutes to complete this beautifully colorful drink. "Thank you all for your praise. The cocktail I mixed is called ''Seven-Color Rainbow'', named for its bright, rainbow-like colors. It''s not very difficult to make; most people can mix it well." Hearing everyone''s compliments, Zhao Fan proudly introduced the name and origin of the drink, then he turned his head towards Hao Jian, looked at him, a hint of subtle coldness flashed in his eyes, and with a faint smile, said, "Now my performance is over, and it''s this brother''s turn. I wonder if you are ready?" Although the coldness was subtle, it caught Hao Jian just as he looked up, making him scoff internally, ''Really, does he think I can''t mix drinks?'' "Wait here for a moment; I''ll be right back." Hao Jian, ignoring Zhao Fan''s petty form of pride, turned to Zhao Yating beside him and spoke with a smile before heading behind the bar to start selecting his ingredients. While picking his ingredients, Hao Jian purposefully glanced at Zhao Fan, who was like the moon surrounded by stars, a slight scornful curve appearing on his lips. The mixing method that guy used was just infusion, something even beginners know¡ªit seems his showoff act was limited to just this. I hope you can withstand the blow that''s coming up. "Brandy, Rum, Lemon Juice, Orange Juice, Grape Juice..." Hao Jian meticulously selected his ingredients; once he had everything he needed, the workspace was covered with various containers of all sizes, and Hao Jian then moved to the sink to wash his hands slowly and carefully, a process that attracted scorn from many people present. In Zhao Fan''s view, Hao Jian''s actions were purely for show and to stall for time; he obviously didn''t know how to mix drinks, yet acted as if he did. A stemmed glass, one shaker¡ªthese were the only bartending tools Hao Jian chose; as for a strainer, it wasn''t needed for this mix. He was ready to begin. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then, Hao Jian placed all the cocktail ingredients and crushed ice into the shaker and covered it. Holding the cap with his right thumb, his index and little finger clutching the shaker while the middle and ring fingers supported it, he uttered a low shout. His eyes suddenly intensified, and then he lifted his right hand up to shoulder height, and in midair, his hand started shaking vigorously. His wrist moved back and forth, quickly shaking ten times before tossing the shaker, causing an uproar among everyone present with his method of mixing. They had seen bartenders shake drinks before, but never had they seen such a crisp and decisive cocktail shaking as Hao Jian''s. After throwing the shaker, it traced a beautiful arc in the air before steadily landing back in Hao Jian''s left hand, ready to repeat the previous steps. Yet at the moment for the next toss, Hao Jian''s body abruptly stopped. This abrupt switch from extreme motion to complete stillness was peculiar and eerie. After a brief pause, once the liquids in the shaker had fully stabilized, Hao Jian continued to shake his left hand and tossed the shaker again, but this time in midair, he suddenly pulled out a bundle of liquid and threw it towards the shaker. In the blink of an eye, the shaker was stained with these liquids, but since it was spinning in midair, the centrifugal force would soon disperse them. In a fleeting moment, Hao Jian''s eyes flickered slightly before he immediately picked up a lighter and lit it. The moment the flame contacted the liquid-covered shaker, it erupted with a force that immediately engulfed the shaker in intense flames. "Ignited by the high alcohol content of the whiskey, the evaporated alcohol will coat the liquid in the drink, while the heat produced by the fire rapidly warms the liquid, causing the crushed ice inside to completely melt and soften the harsh taste of the drink," Hao Jian explained his dazzling bartending moves and showy interpretation that left many in the audience with drastically changed expressions. This guy actually knew how to mix drinks? Or rather, was this man really the "commoner" they thought him to be? But his exquisite and unmatched technique hardly seemed like something a "commoner" would know how to do! "Young Master Fan is about to lose..." The level of bartending between the two sides could be discerned just by this one technique alone. Zhao Fan''s drink was merely mixed using the infusion method, while Hao Jian''s? He used the shaking method directly, adding some innovations that made the technique even more challenging. One could even say that the drink Hao Jian made was an exceptionally dazzling performance! "Sizzle..." Casually catching the shaker, which was extremely hot from the intense fire, Hao Jian''s expression remained unchanged, not even a furrow in his brow, as if the shaker at this ultra-high temperature was merely at room temperature. Seeing this, the faces of the audience changed at once. Were this guy''s palms made of iron? How could ordinary people dare to handle something hotter than 70¡ãC without getting scalded immediately? The item in this guy''s hand had just come out of the fire! How could he hold it with temperatures possibly reaching 90¡ãC? They all felt that this time, Young Master Fan''s face was probably going to swell up! Some more quick-witted individuals immediately shifted their gaze to Zhao Fan and indeed saw his handsome face growing increasingly gloomy. Now, the highest status in this place belonged to none other than Zhao Fan; if he got angry, no one here would dare to leave. "It''s done." Clasping the shaker, Hao Jian''s eyelids slightly revealed a tinge of joy. This whiskey fire-blazing shaker technique was something he had thought of on the fly, crucial for the final stage. Otherwise, the whiskey''s aroma would have completely evaporated. How else could it imbue the liquid? He immediately opened the lid of the shaker and poured the already mixed drink into a pre-prepared tall glass. The crystalline drink sparkled with a galactic brightness as it smoothly flowed along the glass''s edge from the shaker''s spout, and with the last drop entering, Hao Jian swiftly picked up the ice tongs, placing the pre-prepared ice cubes inside, followed by lemon slices, orange slices, and cherries for garnish. The shining brightness was particularly dazzling; the crystal-clear drink flowed gently in the glass like a brilliant galaxy, evoking an irresistible feeling. It was a drink that made one want to gulp it down at first sight! "Multicolored ¨C is this the legendary 3S grade drink? It is said that less than a hundred people in the world can mix such a drink," someone marveled. Hao Jian was already being modest; this was just a random recipe he had picked. If he chose an even poorer recipe, it would have been an insult to his skills. "Multicolored, a magical cocktail, first stacking various colored ingredients into the shaker, then using a special shaking technique, and finally adding the deep color of the whiskey at the end, igniting such a drink, turning it into the last hint of color in the glass," Holding the glass, Hao Jian raised it high in front of everyone and slowly said, "If any attentive member of the audience noticed the ingredients I used, you might realize that I only placed nine colors of ingredients into the shaker..." "So that''s what you meant when you said the whiskey is the last color?" A guest followed Hao Jian''s words and voiced their curiosity. "Yes, exactly! The whiskey is the final color. Because of its high concentration, it would affect the taste of the other nine colors, so it could only be reduced a bit in its spiciness by the method of burning, thus complementing the other nine flavors," "But you just said your drink was called ''multicolored,'' now you''ve only explained the colors, but what about the ''multicolored'' part? How do you explain the sparkling phenomenon of this drink?" After receiving the answer about the colors, some guests were still curious and immediately posed their questions to Hao Jian, who responded with a slight smile. "Do you remember what I added last into this drink to create this effect? At the very end..." "Lemon slices?" "Incorrect." "Cherries?" "Also incorrect..." "Then what was it?!" Hao Jian chuckled lightly and explained, "What you mentioned are just garnishes for the glass and don''t have much effect. The real effect was from the ice cubes I put in before; that''s the key to the ''multicolored'' part." "With the help of the ice cubes'' translucence and reflectivity, the intense colors and concentration of the drink, reflected by the ice cubes, spread the necessary light..." "And that, is the true ''multicolored spectacle''!" Chapter 762 - 761: Said I Wont Save You, So I Wont Save You! As Hao Jian prepared the unimaginably complex "Spectrum of Lights" cocktail, the bar immediately surged with a new high of excitement. Returning to Zhao Yating''s side, Hao Jian''s heart trembled as he looked into her glowing eyes, feeling like a lamb being watched by a hungry wolf¡­ He asked with a forced laugh, "How was it? My bartending skills are pretty good, right?" "Hmm, they''re passable." At her words, Zhao Yating''s eyes darted around before she cleared her throat and adopted an expert''s pose, seriously offering her critique. "Just passable? Are you trying to renege?" Hao Jian said with a sly smile. "I¡­I didn''t say I would reward you for anything," Zhao Yating replied, lowering her head guiltily. "But I helped you out with the trouble Zhao Fan was causing, don''t you think you should give me something in return?" Hao Jian said, his hand propping up Zhao Yating''s chin. Although he wouldn''t really take advantage of Zhao Yating, teasing her was still fair game. "Even if I did, would you dare to accept it?" Zhao Yating challenged, looking at Hao Jian defiantly. "Wow, you dare to look down on me!" Hao Jian instantly felt embarrassed and annoyed, and his hand reached towards Zhao Yating''s waist. "This jerk!" Meanwhile, after the performance, Zhao Fan had intended to calm his mind alone, but unexpectedly, he saw Hao Jian and her being affectionate not far away! His heart instantly filled with rage, but the next moment, he deflated, realizing that all his pride had been completely undermined by Hao Jian. He couldn''t think of any way to deal with Hao Jian to get him away from Zhao Yating, but he was very reluctant! Despite the lack of a declared winner in the bartending competition, everyone saw the gap between him and Hao Jian. "Do I really have to give up on Yating?" Looking at Zhao Yating, who was shy but unresisting not far away, Zhao Fan''s face was enveloped in complexity, his mood heavy. Zhao Yating had never shown such a smile when they used to hang out, but now she was frequently smiling at a scruffy, unfamiliar man... Who was this man? With such skills, why did he still look scruffy? During the cocktail mixing, Hao Jian''s dedication to bartending was evident; he even instinctively rolled up his sleeves to prevent dust from contaminating the drink and affecting its taste. He had to admit, the things Hao Jian did were beyond his abilities, after all, he had only learned a few basic bartending techniques at a bar. His reason for showing off this time was merely to humiliate Hao Jian, but to his surprise, Hao Jian also knew how to mix drinks, and the drinks he made were not something ordinary people could concoct. "Spectrum of Lights," though Zhao Fan had never heard of it, he had heard from his mentor that real bartenders are those filled with genuine passion for mixology, not just viewing it as a profession, a tool for making money. They would spend a lot of time and effort trying new recipes and methods, and some would even take risks, just like Hao Jian, who had set the whiskey aflame on the shaker''s outer wall. His mentor greatly admired such crazy actions. Finally, Zhao Fan realized what drink Hao Jian had made as he looked at the "Spectrum of Lights" quietly lying on the bar, with no one touching it. His eyes were complex as he looked down at his own "Seven-Color Rainbow" cup, feeling suddenly upset. Instinctively, he picked up the glass, and the ounce of drink directly went down his throat... "Terrible!" The moment the drink hit his stomach, Zhao Fan''s face drastically changed, and he internally screamed in alarm, but it was too late, he had already drunk it... "Bang!" Instantly, his body reacted, and Zhao Fan fell directly to the floor with his eyes wide open and his body convulsing, as if he were having a seizure. "What''s happening?!" The noise at the bar had caught people''s attention, and they immediately shifted their gaze. Normally, a bar is quite noisy, and any loud disturbances are easily drowned out by electronic music or various rock songs. However, there is always a small, quiet spot in every bar. This place is the bar area, which, although not completely silent, is much quieter than places like the dance floor. Now that there was a commotion by the bar, people instinctively turned their attention there, only to find the area in complete disarray, with all tables and chairs toppled over. When they saw that Zhao Fan was the culprit, their faces instantly changed. "Young Master Fan!" Seeing Zhao Fan suddenly fall ill in a bar, Li Ming''s face also suddenly changed, and he ran over to Zhao Fan, his complexion turning ugly at the sight of him. "Didn''t I tell you? You can''t drink alcohol at bars! Which of those drinks was mixed with rum!" Li Ming was quite infuriated inside, but also somewhat regretful; regretting that he had mingled with other people at such a time instead of protecting Zhao Fan. Zhao Fan had a history of being allergic to rum; yet, he had come to the bar for a birthday party. Li Ming had earnestly advised Zhao Fan not to touch any alcohol. However, Li Ming had only left for a moment, and Zhao Fan had drunk alcohol, and it was even mixed by Zhao Fan himself! It was rum in there! How could he not know?! "This..." The disturbance at the bar had also reached Hao Jian''s side, and Zhao Yating, seeing her older brother had fallen down, immediately became uneasy. She looked up at Hao Jian and asked, "Hao Jian, is there any way to save him¡­ I''m afraid by the time the ambulance arrives, it''ll be too late¡­" "What, you still want to save him?" However, when Hao Jian heard this, he got playful, reached out a hand, brushed Zhao Yating''s nose, and chuckled. "He¡­ he''s my brother, and he is also quite esteemed within the family. He''s not usually like this; it''s just because of my issues..." "Enough already!" Seeing Zhao Yating''s almost tearful expression, Hao Jian couldn''t help but smile bitterly with resignation, "There are indeed plenty of ways to save him..." Zhao Yating''s face immediately brightened upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, but before she could ask Hao Jian for help, an angry shout came through. "Then why the hell aren''t you over here yet?!" Li Ming roared. Hao Jian''s brows furrowed immediately, and he soon let out a cold laugh, "Why should I save him?" Displeased by Li Ming''s attitude, Hao Jian scoffed audibly, while Zhao Yating, seeing this, did not speak further. If it had been her who spoke, Hao Jian might have gone to save Zhao Fan, but now that Li Ming had intervened, what followed would depend on Hao Jian''s mood. But in the present situation, given Hao Jian''s character, it seemed unlikely he would help. "If it weren''t for you, how could Young Master Fan have been driven to confusion and drunk the alcohol?!" Li Ming was anxious, but on the surface, he couldn''t lose face. He glared at Hao Jian, shouted in a low voice, "All of this is because of you, you bastard! Otherwise, Young Master Fan would never have ended up like this! And now you, as the instigator, dare to stand by and watch him die?!" Li Ming''s words were particularly offensive to hear, but nobody present said anything. After all, it was a rush to save a master. Moreover, it was best not to get involved in such matters. Zhao Fan''s status prevented them from meddling carelessly, while Zhao Yating was by Hao Jian''s side. One was a respected member of the Zhao family, and the other, the Zhao family''s young miss¡ªboth key figures in an apparent family feud. They dared not involve themselves any further, for if they were targeted, even nine lives wouldn''t be enough! "I said I won''t save him, and I won''t. Remember this, your master will die because of you." Seeing Li Ming like a mad dog, Hao Jian sneered, no longer responding to him. The words that guy had previously said to him were still fresh in his mind, and he hadn''t even apologized yet! That was the main reason! Hao Jian was not the type to be bullied and do nothing about it. Others might fear the Zhao family, but Hao Jian had never been afraid. The Murong family of the Capital City had been subdued by him, not daring to utter a word; could the Zhao family compare to the Murong family?! If it weren''t for the face of Ms. Yating, Hao Jian would probably have thrown him and Zhao Fan into the river to feed the fish long ago, not bothering to waste time chattering here. Hao Jian was utterly disdainful in his heart; he had seen plenty like this, but someone who, when their master was in danger, still threatened those who could save their master, was a first for him. "You¡­ you bastard! I, Li Ming, am telling you! If you don''t save him, believe it or not, I can make it so you never walk out of here again, and that''s forever!" sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing Hao Jian''s indifferent attitude, Li Ming''s fury intensified, the anger in his eyes blazing as he glared at Hao Jian, his restrained roar spilling from his mouth. "Oh? Asking for help didn''t work, so now you resort to threats?" Hao Jian turned around, looked coldly at Li Ming, and then scoffed coldly, "Let me tell you this, even if it were a contest of death, it would still be your master who dies first. My life is tougher than a cockroach''s! Just scared that by the time your master dies, I''ll still be jumping around alive!" "With underlings who speak without thinking like you, I think Zhao Fan has misjudged people. He''s on his deathbed, yet his dog is still frantically biting people outside. He''s been killed by his own dog!" The corners of Hao Jian''s mouth curled up in a mocking smile, his sneering words flying through the air and landing in the ears of those inside. Chapter 763 - 762: Put Away Your Knees! "You..." Li Ming was immediately choked by Hao Jian''s remark, struggling to produce a reasonable explanation... Seeing Li Ming''s expression, the people around also showed some helpless looks, realizing that Young Master Fan''s confidant was of no use at crucial times! "Uh... uh..." Li Ming, arguing with Hao Jian, had completely forgotten about Zhao Fan, who was still suffering from an allergy. His body convulsed ceaselessly, and foam spilled from his mouth as if he were poisoned. The severity of the situation was evident, even life-threatening... "Young Master Fan!" Seeing this, Li Ming grew increasingly anxious, but he was helpless aside from calling an ambulance... "Hao Jian..." Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Yating, standing beside Hao Jian, looked at Zhao Fan''s miserable state and felt pity. She turned to Hao Jian, hoping he could save him. After all, he was her clan brother, and if the situation of him not being saved were to reach the family, it might not affect her much, but her parents would face some pressure, something she had to consider. However, all this depended on whether Hao Jian agreed. She had exhausted all her options by asking Hao Jian to help her, but under the current circumstances, she was embarrassed to ask, yet helpless. "What, you want me to save him too?" Hao Jian, upon hearing Zhao Yating''s soft call, looked at her with a smile, his true thoughts inscrutable. "No, I... this..." Zhao Yating''s face turned flustered as she wanted to deny it, but after struggling for a while, her expression became even more complex. Finally, she sighed helplessly, nodded, and said, "He is my clan brother, a distant relative, after all, there''s some blood relation, and moreover, I don''t want my parents to face undue pressure in the family because of him..." "If you wanted me to save him, you should have said so earlier." After listening, Hao Jian nodded, chuckled lightly, and said, "If you had mentioned it sooner, there wouldn''t have been any issue... but now..." "I want him to apologize to me!" At the end of his statement, Hao Jian''s expression suddenly turned cold. He pointed directly at Li Ming, his tone icy and resolute. "Kid! Don''t be too much!" Hearing Hao Jian''s, to him, unreasonable demand, Li Ming''s face turned sour. He snorted coldly, fury rising in his eyes. "See... This guy won''t shed tears until he sees the coffin. I reckon he''ll only regret not apologizing to me when he''s on his deathbed." Whether Li Ming apologized or not wasn''t Hao Jian''s concern; thus, saving Zhao Fan also became none of his concern. He was unwilling to exert effort to save Zhao Fan since it seemed he was no longer wanted. Why would he continue to insist? "Li Ming! Do you still want to save Zhao Fan or not?!" Witnessing this, Zhao Yating couldn''t hide her anger. She immediately spoke up sharply, "You see Zhao Fan''s condition. Even if we called, the ambulance would take at least twenty minutes to arrive. Do you think he can last that long?" "If you think your apology is worth less than Zhao Fan''s life, then I have nothing more to say. But let me tell you one fact¡ªif Zhao Fan dies, the Zhao Family won''t dare touch Hao Jian. They''ll only come after you, the handyman!" Zhao Yating''s face was furious, and her chest heaved with her anger and the speed of her speech, causing it to tremble. At these words, everyone was greatly shocked. They dare not trouble Hao Jian? Just who exactly is this guy? "I..." Li Ming initially thought Hao Jian and Zhao Yating were teaming up to make him concede without considering the crucial points. Now, after being yelled at by Zhao Yating, he began to sober up, his face changing slightly. The most urgent matter now was to save Zhao Fan; everything else could wait. Moreover, if just his apology could make this annoying yet capable man save Zhao Fan, the weight of an apology was trivial compared to Zhao Fan''s life and death! "I... I''m sorry!" Immediately, Li Ming stammered out an apology and was about to kneel, but just as his knees almost touched the ground, a hand firmly grasped his shoulder, halting him mid-air. He instinctively tried to twist away, shocked to find the hand unmovable, as if clamped by iron tongs. "Keep your knees to yourself. I don''t need them." As he was about to resist further, Hao Jian''s calm voice reached his ears. Immediately, his face reddened slightly, and he no longer resisted. Under the control of that hand, he slowly stood up. "Since you apologized, I too shall fulfill my promise," Hao Jian said indifferently as he glanced at Li Ming, grateful that at least this guy understood what was at stake. Their conflict wasn''t deep, merely over Zhao Yating, and wasn''t rooted in deep hatred or ancient grudges. On Hao Jian''s side, if he had decided against helping Zhao Fan, leading to serious issues, perhaps the Zhao Family might have troubled him. Though he wasn''t afraid of the Zhao Family, there was still Zhao Yating to consider, and he didn''t want to upset her. Yet, just saving Zhao Fan like that would hurt his own pride, wouldn''t it? Therefore, he had made a request in collaboration with Zhao Yating, believing it was not too difficult to fulfill as long as Li Ming could swallow his pride for Zhao Fan''s sake. But this guy had insulted me the harshest; some lessons were still necessary. A mere apology wasn''t enough... Looking at Li Ming and then at the twitching Zhao Fan on the ground, Hao Jian''s lips slowly curled into a smile before he instructed Li Ming, "Come, help this guy up from the front; I''ll take care of the rest." "Oh..." Without any suspicion, Li Ming helped the convulsing Zhao Fan up, relieved as he looked at the increasingly pale face, grateful that he had apologized in the end. Perhaps Young Master Fan''s body was as weak as Zhao Yating had mentioned, not strong enough to make it to the hospital for treatment. "This guy is allergic to rum. If we can make him vomit what he ingested, then help him recover, he might wake up." Casually placing his hand on Zhao Fan''s back, his power slowly seeped into Zhao Fan''s body as he examined the cause of the illness, and finally, after a brief thought, he had settled on a course of action. Having decided, it was time to act. Palm Power concentrated, transforming from palm to fingers, he quickly pressed several points on Zhao Fan''s back. Then, changing fingers back to palm, he struck Zhao Fan''s back vigorously! "Wow!" Instantly, Zhao Fan opened his mouth wide, and before Li Ming could react, vomit splashed all over him, emanating a foul smell that caused the onlookers nearby to crinkle their noses. All the women immediately pinched their noses, a look of disgust flashing in their eyes. "Young Master Fan! Young Master Fan! How are you?!" Seeing the vomit expelled, Li Ming quickly shook Zhao Fan''s body, asking softly. "Uh... Li Ming! I... I feel much better..." Zhao Fan mumbled as he came to. When he opened his eyes and saw the familiar face in front of him, he murmured and then seemed to notice something, his brows slightly furrowed, "Why are you so dirty?" Li Ming, both crying and laughing, was relieved to see him awake and with no major issues, and went on to explain everything that had happened. "Hao Jian saved me? What is going on?" Suddenly, Zhao Fan''s eyes widened, his initially astonished expression quickly returning to alertness. If he remembered correctly, he had drunk a cocktail he mixed himself out of anger, which led to an allergic reaction due to the rum in it. He had experienced similar instances before, so he knew the potential outcomes. And now, Hao Jian had saved him?! "Young Master Fan, listen to me." At this moment, Li Ming didn''t care about the stench on him but hurriedly began to explain the whole situation to Zhao Fan. Thus, Li Ming started from what happened after Zhao Fan had fainted, eventually explaining that it was Hao Jian who had alleviated Zhao Fan''s allergic symptoms. Li Ming, worried that Zhao Fan might not accept it, had spelled out the severity of the situation and mentioned that mostly, it was Zhao Yating who had pleaded for help. Hearing it all, Zhao Fan''s gaze towards Zhao Yating grew more complicated. If not for them, perhaps everything would have been as Li Ming said¡ªvery serious... "Brother, I was wrong before... Thank you for saving me!" Zhao Fan struggled to his feet, looked at Hao Jian, not knowing what else to say, and finally could only apologize. "You should thank her, not me," Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders and gestured towards Zhao Yating. "Tingting..." Following the direction of Hao Jian''s finger, Zhao Fan saw Zhao Yating, his expression grew complex, and then he sighed helplessly, muttering, "From now on, it''s still you..." Chapter 764 - 763: So... Sorry! "Thank you for putting aside past grievances and saving my life," Zhou Fan mustered his courage and expressed his gratitude to the indifferent Hao Jian. Yet, as the words left his mouth, he began to worry that Hao Jian might not accept his thanks... Hao Jian felt nothing upon hearing Zhou Fan''s gratitude, merely nodding faintly to acknowledge it before he resumed chatting with Zhao Yating, paying no further attention. Young Master Fan actually said thanks?! Although Hao Jian didn''t care, that didn''t mean others felt the same. Li Ming, who had grown up with Zhou Fan, certainly cared; he knew Zhou Fan''s character well. From childhood, aside from his parents and elders, Zhou Fan had never had the habit of thanking his peers. At best, this habit could be described as arrogance; at worst, it was disdain. "Hao Jian." Suddenly, Zhao Yating poked Hao Jian to get his attention toward Zhou Fan. Only then did Hao Jian shift his gaze back to Zhou Fan, and looking from him to Zhao Yating, he immediately understood why she had poked him. Wasn''t it just to make him clear to Zhou Fan that there was no possibility between them? Thus, Hao Jian felt quite frustrated. Why was it always him who had to play the bad guy? However, seeing Zhao Yating''s tearful eyes, he could only relent. After all, the reason Zhao Yating wanted his help to pretend to be her boyfriend was to make Zhou Fan give up. Yet he hadn''t expected that after all this effort, it still fell on him to spell things out. Therefore, Hao Jian directed his gaze toward Zhou Fan, who still looked somewhat pale, then stepped forward toward him. "Shall we talk for a moment?" Hao Jian said as he approached, gazing indifferently at Zhou Fan. His expression was impassive, betraying none of his thoughts. "No need, I know what you mean." Zhou Fan shook his head, a bitter smile playing on his lips, then turned to Li Ming, who had been splattered with his vomit, and said, "Why don''t you go change your clothes first? There''s a bathroom on the second floor. I''ll call someone to bring you some clothes." "Okay." At those words, Li Ming paused, then glancing at Hao Jian, he nodded in realization and headed straight for the bar''s second-floor staircase. However, this staircase had a door secured with a keypad. Li Ming took out a card, swiped it, and with a beep, the door opened, and he went upstairs. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhou Fan had deliberately sent him away, knowing full well what he was doing. Although their surface relationship was that of master and servant, they were actually close friends privately. They understood each other''s glances and gestures well. Li Ming wasn''t worried about Zhou Fan getting into any trouble; at least the current Zhou Fan wouldn''t get irrationally angry. "I never asked your name," Zhou Fan said with a smile, extending his hand to Hao Jian as he watched Li Ming leave. "Forget it. Just don''t think about that girl anymore, a forced melon isn''t sweet," Hao Jian shook his head then also extended his hand, shaking Zhou Fan''s, saying, "Hao Jian." "Yo? Having fun, nephew Zhou Fan?" Just as Zhou Fan was about to continue the conversation, a sudden voice interrupted from behind him, and Hao Jian saw a burly middle-aged man smiling at Zhou Fan. "Oh¡­ Boss, nothing serious, just chatting with a guest," Zhou Fan replied with a slight change in his expression, respectfully addressing the newcomer. Zhou Fan wasn''t very familiar with the bar''s owner, only gradually coming to know him through business dealings with his father. This bar owner''s identity had come up one evening in a conversation with his father, who concluded that even the Family Head of the Zhao Family had to show him respect. Such a person was not someone Zhou Fan could afford to provoke. Of course, while Zhou Fan knew of the owner''s distinguished identity, he wasn''t clear about the specifics of his business. The bar, one of the owner''s assets, was hosting the birthday party primarily to curry favor with him, hoping to make a good impression. The cost of booking the bar just for the evening was over three hundred thousand yuan, not counting the night''s food and drink expenses. The cost was painful even for Zhou Fan, but it was a necessary sacrifice, encouraged by his father. Yet unexpectedly, the owner appeared at this moment. Seeing the owner, Zhou Fan''s face broke into a polite smile, his eyes showing respect as he moved forward to speak. But suddenly, the owner''s demeanor changed, and he started walking briskly towards Hao Jian... When Zhou Fan heard what the owner said next, his expression turned wonderfully complex. "Mr. Hao Jian, how come you are here? Ah, to meet such a distinguished person like you truly is a fortune of three lifetimes! Hello, hello, I am the owner of this bar..." As soon as the owner approached Mr. Hao, he immediately showed a flattering expression, nodding and bowing to Mr. Hao, "I never expected you to visit my humble bar, your presence really glorifies my modest establishment!" "You are the owner of this bar?" Seeing the manner of the bar owner, Mr. Hao also knew that the guy had recognized his background, and he did not bother to correct it since he had never thought of hiding his identity; he had originally thought no one at the birthday party would recognize him, but it seemed he had been mistaken. When observing how the crowd''s expression changed as the owner came forward, it was evident that the owner''s background was extraordinary, at least in their eyes. Yet now that he recognized Mr. Hao''s identity and with his current attitude, it seemed as though his status could very well be comparable to that of the Zhao Family Head! Such a conjecture could be seen from Zhao Fan''s attitude. "That''s one way to put it, this is merely one of my ventures." The bar owner, nodding and bowing, quickly answered upon hearing Mr. Hao''s question. "Who is this guy? Why does the owner show him such respect?!" All of the guests knew the owner''s reputation which was enough to command respect, solely from owning this bar; however, the specifics of the owner''s identity were unknown to them ¨C most were like Zhao Fan, warned by their elders not to provoke the owner. Now, seeing the owner''s deferential attitude toward Mr. Hao, the guests'' expressions changed slightly. A person of such status, stooping to bow and scrape to what they deemed a beggar!? Just how high was this man''s status?! At that moment, panic surged among the guests. You say you are someone of status and position, so why can''t you dress decently to let us recognize you''re no ordinary person! Insisting on wearing beggar''s clothes, damn it! Even if you want to "impress," don''t do it now! "We''re done for! Will he hold a grudge? We''ve said quite a few disparaging things about him! Is this the end for us?" "Damn! I hadn''t even thought of that!" "F*ck! He''s playing us off-guard, my fragile heart is wounded..." "We need to find a way to make him forget about this!" As everyone saw the owner nodding and inadvertently looking as if he wanted to lick Mr. Hao''s boots, they realized they were in trouble, murmuring among themselves, trying to think of a way to resolve the conflict with Mr. Hao. However, they hadn''t realized that Mr. Hao hadn''t paid it any mind... "Hmm, your bar is not bad..." Mr. Hao, uninterested in dealing with the guests, glanced over at the bar owner and toyed with a glass on the bar, chuckling. "Sir, if you''d like, feel free to take it, but I do hope you can help me out in the future." As soon as the bar owner heard Mr. Hao compliment his bar, his smirk widened, and he pat his chest and waved his hand grandly, although he added a small request afterward. "Forget about the bar." Shaking his head, Mr. Hao immediately refused without a second thought. Sometimes, favors could be quite troublesome, and Mr. Hao certainly was not fond of owing them. "Haha, true, given your status, sir, my little bar wouldn''t interest you." The bar owner was not surprised by Mr. Hao''s response, and he laughed heartily. Just as he was about to try and maintain a closer relationship with Mr. Hao, Zhao Fan''s voice filled with puzzlement came from behind him... "Boss, is Mr. Hao''s status not ordinary?" Although the owner was impatient with Zhao Fan interrupting his conversation with Mr. Hao, seeing Mr. Hao nearby, he did not voice his annoyance but his expression was a bit sour. If it weren''t for knowing Zhao Fan''s father and not wanting to lose face in front of Mr. Hao, he would have sent Zhao Fan away already. "I don''t know how Old Zhao could have such a clueless son; I also don''t understand how you managed to invite a man of Mr. Hao''s stature to your birthday party." The owner shook his head helplessly. This kid didn''t know Mr. Hao''s status yet managed to have Mr. Hao attend his birthday party, although it was all due to a melodramatic love affair, he hadn''t expected Zhao Fan to be such a blockhead! "Let me put it this way, trust me when I say these few words, you''ll understand why I have such an attitude..." The owner spoke indifferently, then uttered a statement. "Mr. Hao Jian is the legendary behind-the-scenes owner of Shu Ya Group!" Chapter 765 - 764: His Identity "Shu Ya... the owner of the Shu Ya Group!?" A single statement from the bar owner set off a storm, instantly turning the entire bar into a frenzy. Everyone looked at Hao Jian with shocked faces, including Zhao Fan. They had already guessed that Hao Jian was no ordinary person, but they had never imagined his identity to be this extraordinary! The Shu Ya Group! This miraculous corporation, one they dreamt of entering or collaborating with; normally, they all would wonder if they might one day meet the great boss of the Shu Ya Group, yet they never expected that instead of meeting the boss, they would come face-to-face with this elusive mastermind behind the scenes! This was the real owner of the Shu Ya Group! A terrifying presence that could shake the entire Hua City with a single word, yet today he stood right before them, alive and well. At that moment, they completely forgot their previous dissatisfaction with Hao Jian, only suddenly feeling worried that Hao Jian might seek revenge on them for their prior disrespect. This mentality had existed since they sensed Hao Jian was extraordinary, but now with the correct revelation, their uneasiness only deepened. "Tsk, I told you not to overdo it..." Zhao Yating said with a light snort as she looked at Zhao Fan, who was nearly stupefied. But her words left Zhao Fan crying without tears. Had she really said that before?! "I wonder if I have the honor of inviting you for a drink, sir?" The bar owner respectfully asked Hao Jian; to him, Hao Jian''s status was just too significant. If he could forge some connection with Hao Jian, he dared not say anything else, but soaring to greater heights was just a matter of time. "Next time, it''s getting late, and this young lady has school tomorrow, so we''ll not disturb you any further." Hao Jian gently shook his head, and quickly finding an excuse, he then took Zhao Yating and left the bar. No matter what, this incident had come to a concluding stage. From Zhao Fan''s final demeanor, it was clear that he had given up on Zhao Yating. As for the bar owner''s words, Hao Jian felt nothing much. If fate allowed, maybe they could converse a bit more next time. But since this was only their first encounter, and they weren''t acquainted enough to have a drink together, leaving directly posed no psychological burden on Hao Jian. Walking by his side and letting him hold her hand, Zhao Yating too discerned Hao Jian''s cautious thoughts and compliantly let him lead her away. After all, their goal was achieved, and staying in the bar was pointless. However, the warmth from Hao Jian''s hand caused Zhao Yating''s pretty face to blush slightly. ...... "Xiao Fan!" The bar owner watched Hao Jian leave with Zhao Yating, his eyes narrowing slightly before turning to Zhao Fan with a shake of his head, saying, "You should rid yourself of any thoughts towards that girl. It''s for your own good and your father''s as well." He knew Zhao Fan and naturally recognized Zhao Yating. Even though Zhao Yating did not know him, it did not hinder him from advising Zhao Fan, worried that Zhao Fan''s resentment might drive him to do something against Hao Jian, which could bring the Zhao Family to ruin under Hao Jian''s wrath! "Boss, I know, it''s just that guy''s identity was too shocking..." Zhao Fan shook his head. He had sobered up a bit from losing to Hao Jian at bartending, and he had also promised to cease pondering about Zhao Yating... "Well, that''s good." The bar owner nodded, then shook his head and said, "That person''s identity isn''t as simple as it appears; even I can''t fully understand him..." "..." Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Fan did not reply but felt relieved in retrospect. Had his behavior been more excessive earlier, would that guy have wiped out the Zhao Family? As for these concerns, he had no answers. This birthday party, influenced by Zhao Fan and Hao Jian''s altercation, lacked enthusiasm. Many guests bid farewell to Zhao Fan and left, causing the birthday party to conclude hastily. If anyone were heartbroken over this, it was Zhao Fan. He had thrown this birthday party and gained nothing but expenses. While Zhao Fan''s side of things concluded, it''s believed he wouldn''t pursue Zhao Yating anymore; Hao Jian was directly returned home by Zhao Yating. And since Zhao Yating had finally freed herself from Zhao Fan''s pursuit, she appeared more merry and lively. Once home, Hao Jian glanced at the clock; it was just past nine in the evening, and Yuan Shanshan and her companions hadn''t returned yet. Looking around the empty room, he touched his stomach and decided to head to the kitchen to find something. At the bar, because of Zhao Fan, Li Ming, and a few others, Hao Jian hadn''t eaten much. Coupled with treating Zhao Fan''s injuries, which took quite a toll on his strength, his stomach began to rumble. He casually found something to fill his stomach, took a shower, then went to bed and immediately fell asleep... ......... "Dudu dudu..." "Fuck! I finally got some sleep, who the hell is disturbing me now?!" The ringing of the phone jolted Hao Jian awake from his sleep, immediately infuriating him, especially since he was hoping to be lazy today since there was nothing else going on. But then he was abruptly awoken. "Hello! If it''s important, spit it out, don''t disrupt my sleep!" "Oh oh oh, Mr. Hao Jian, why the temper?" As soon as Hao Jian had spoken, a weird laughter came through the phone, followed by, "It''s almost noon, and you''re still sleeping. I''m really amazed at you, you big lazy pig!" "Uh... Xiaoxiao?" Hearing the familiar voice on the phone, Hao Jian was stunned for a moment and then said irritatedly, "You and Yating are in on this together, aren''t you? Both taking pleasure in disturbing my peaceful sleep?" "Hao Jian, I missed you!" Xiaoxiao said, her voice dripping with affection. "Talk human, dammit! And besides, call me teacher!" Hao Jian rebuked her without mincing words; he knew the girl was playing cute again. And he was sure that this girl wasn''t calling him without a good reason; there had to be something she wanted. "I want to go bungee jumping at the seaside cliff. There''s a resort that just opened up there. Would you go with me? I''ve never been bungee jumping before!" There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while before Xiaoxiao''s pleading voice gradually came through. "Fuck! All this just to wake me up from a beautiful sleep for such a trivial reason?! Are you itching for a beating again, forcing me to teach you a lesson?" Hearing that Xiaoxiao wanted to go bungee jumping, Hao Jian''s face fell instantly and he said grumpily, "No! I want to sleep!" "Go with me? You went with Yating, so it wouldn''t be fair not to!" Xiaoxiao had thought Hao Jian would agree to her request, but unexpectedly, he outright refused. "No!" Hao Jian said coldly. "Really not going?" Xiaoxiao asked again with a smirk. "No!" Hao Jian said firmly. At that, Xiaoxiao suddenly got angry and yelled, "Fine, if you don''t go, then I will tell my mom that you slept with me again!" "If my mom finds out her cute and beautiful daughter has been slept with by you, what do you think she would do?" After yelling, Xiaoxiao''s voice instantly softened, but her words made Hao Jian shiver all over. What would she do? Fuck! Would that woman chop me into pieces? Do I really have to be threatened by this girl and go with her? No! Absolutely not, I absolutely must not submit to this girl, otherwise, wouldn''t I be opening up a whole can of worms? Would any of my dignity remain in front of this girl? "Impossible, after what happened last time, she wouldn''t believe you!" "You never know, you see, in every parent''s eyes, their child is the best. Just by me saying so, she would believe, and even if she doesn''t, she would suspect, and as long as she suspects, hehehe¡­ you''re doomed!" Hearing this, Hao Jian''s scalp went numb, damn it, why did he have to provoke such a troublemaker? "I''m giving you one more chance, are you going or not?" From the other end, Xiaoxiao''s smug laughter came through. "Fine, I''ll go, okay?" Hao Jian was nearly in tears, his perfect lazy weekend shattered just like that. Ah, screw it! It''s just bungee jumping, right?! Unsure of what exactly Xiaoxiao was thinking, Hao Jian just gritted his teeth and, before Xiaoxiao could hang up, quickly assured her that he would go. "Alright then, come pick me up at my house at two in the afternoon..." As soon as Xiaoxiao heard Hao Jian agree, her eyes narrowed joyfully and she spoke sweetly. However, after laughing, she seemed to remember something, and her tone became much heavier, and somewhat threatening words came from her mouth. "If you dare to be late, or say you can''t make it, I''m going to be very angry... And when I get angry, I tend to chat with my mom, and when I chat with my mom, I can''t control what I say, and if I can''t control what I say, then¡­" "Stop, stop, stop, just relax, relax! I absolutely won''t be late!" Hao Jian roared frantically. "Mhm, I trust you. Hurry up, love you, muah!" Xiaoxiao chuckled, then hung up the phone. Chapter 766 - 765: Prove That You Love Me More Having promised Che Xiaoxiao, Hao Jian didn''t dawdle at all, quickly getting up to wash and eat lunch before preparing to head out. But halfway there, he suddenly remembered he didn''t have any cash on him. Somewhat helpless, he had to turn the car around and head to the nearest bank. "Damn! Are there enough people here or what?!" Upon reaching the entrance of the bank and seeing the throngs of people inside, Hao Jian''s mouth hung open, and he shook his head in resignation. There was only this one bank nearby, but fortunately, he had brought his Black Card today, so he didn''t have to queue up and wait with everyone else. "Hello, I''d like to withdraw some money." He approached the VIP counter at the bank with a smile and greeted the young lady behind the desk. Upon hearing the voice, the young lady behind the counter slowly lifted her head. However, when she saw Hao Jian''s plain clothes, her eyebrows slightly furrowed and a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes. She pointed at the sign in front of the counter and said, "This is for VIP services. If you''d like to conduct a transaction, please use one of the other counters." Though the young lady''s words were subtle, Hao Jian still caught the slight in her tone, and it irked him. He looked at her and said calmly, "The line over there is too long, I''ll use this counter; it''s all the same anyway..." "Didn''t you understand what I said, or are you deaf?" Seeing Hao Jian''s response, the young lady''s face turned cold, her eyes full of scorn as she sneered, "People like you don''t qualify to withdraw money here." "Brother, just queue up, it''s no big deal. That''s the way it is these days, people looking down on others." As Hao Jian was about to retort coldly to the young lady, a voice suddenly spoke up from behind, causing him to pause mid-thought. He then turned around. Seeing that the person advising him was a middle-aged man, about forty, Hao Jian smiled at him and said, "Thanks, uncle. But since she wants me to show my qualifications, I might as well oblige." "Hmm?" Before the middle-aged man could fully grasp what Hao Jian meant, Hao Jian pulled out a Black Card from his pocket and tossed it in front of the young lady, saying calmly, "I believe you recognize a card like this, don''t you?" "Black¡­ Black Card!" When the young lady saw something being tossed her way, she thought Hao Jian was causing trouble and was about to call for security. But after hearing Hao Jian''s comment, she paused, looking down subconsciously at the black bank card lying silently on the desk. Her face went through a range of expressions as she saw the VIP abbreviation clearly marked on the card. When she picked it up and looked closer, she realized it was a card type that required a minimum deposit of a billion to apply for. Since she had been working at the VIP counter, she had never seen such a card, and now she found herself lost for thought, seemingly recalling how she had just mocked the owner of the card... "This young man''s identity is no simple matter!" "Exactly, exactly. I''ve seen that kind of card online; not many possess it!" "Damn, isn''t this some rich kid showing off? To dress in such a way and then carry that kind of card, it''s purely showing off!" Many of the bank''s customers noticed the commotion at Hao Jian''s end. When they caught a glimpse of the black bank card in the young lady''s hand, they began murmuring among themselves. Even several women threw flirtatious glances at Hao Jian, hoping he would give them a look, but their hopes were destined to be dashed. "Alright, now you know, so hurry up and withdraw the money for me. My time is very precious; I don''t have time to waste here with you." Not often getting the chance to flex, Hao Jian played the part, lifting his chin and commanding, "Get me a new bank card, deposit five million into it, and also prepare sixty thousand in cash for me." Originally, Hao Jian had planned to withdraw the full five million in cash to make a statement, but thinking of the hassle of carrying such a large amount of cash, he decided a card would be simpler to just swipe when needed. If he hadn''t disliked using his Black Card everywhere, Hao Jian wouldn''t have bothered coming to the bank at all, but he had no choice given his preference. "Yes, yes, yes..." The young lady, finally snapping back to reality, nodded hastily at Hao Jian''s instructions. Her gaze, now devoid of previous disdain, was filled with anxiety and unease. Watching the young lady scurry off to handle his request, Hao Jian found a chair to sit, crossed his legs leisurely, and patiently waited. The other customers, seeing the situation had been resolved, no longer paid attention. Though his status remained unclear to them, they were somewhat self-aware. And the middle-aged man who had advised Hao Jian earlier, upon realizing his true status, no longer offered advice and hurried to the counter when his number was called to conduct his business. Soon, the teller had completed the transaction, and sixty thousand yuan in cash along with an anonymous bank card were respectfully handed over to Hao Jian. "Sir, here is the amount you requested; we have prepared everything for you." The teller said respectfully, her eyes gazing at Hao Jian with a depth of emotion like the still waters of autumn. "Mhm." Hao Jian nodded, absentmindedly pocketing the card in his pants and, clutching the money, murmured to himself, "I wonder how many days I can spend this five million. Hopefully, it''ll last me at least two days." After his musing, Hao Jian left the bank, under the teller''s watchful autumnal gaze. As he reached his car and was about to put the money into his briefcase, a small note suddenly caught his eye. "Huh?" Picking up the note and reading its contents, Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, tore it up with a few rips, and casually threw the note away. He glanced at the bank out of the corner of his eye, snorted softly, and started the car. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Indeed, the note was from the teller who had just sneered at him, presumably thinking her looks would win his favor. But for such people, Hao Jian had nothing but disdain. The car sped through the streets of Hua City, finally arriving at Che Xiaoxiao''s front door. However, when Hao Jian got out of the car, he saw Che Xiaoxiao standing at the doorway with another girl. Taking a closer look, his expression froze and he muttered to himself. "Zhao Yating is right there with her, why does she still need to drag me into this? Do I look that easy to push around?!" Naturally, the girl beside Che Xiaoxiao was Zhao Yating, who seemed to be deep in an argument with her and oblivious to Hao Jian''s approach. Hao Jian, observing the two girls deeply engrossed in their argument, decided not to disturb them. It''s not often one gets to watch such a scene live, especially with two girls like these ¡ª the opportunity was even more rare. As he listened, Hao Jian understood the reason for their argument and sighed internally. It was all about who would get to bungee jump with him first¡­ Listening to the two girls compete over who had done certain things for him, with Che Xiaoxiao even bragging about having given herself to Hao Jian, he didn''t know whether to explain or to describe his feelings. Glancing at the time, he realized it wasn''t early and cleared his throat to bring the arguing girls back to reality. Staying silent wasn''t an option. Seeing the intensity of their argument, if he let them continue, it would be dark soon. To be able to return earlier, Hao Jian eventually decided he had to interrupt them. "Huh?! Hao Jian!" The sound of his cough startled the two girls, who quickly turned around. When they saw it was Hao Jian, Che Xiaoxiao leaped up, surprised and delighted, jumping right onto him¡­ "Ha ha, I knew you wouldn''t be late!" Apparently, Che Xiaoxiao didn''t mind but turned instead to glare at Zhao Yating with a provocative look. "I''ve heard that during your date with Tingting yesterday, you were late." "Doesn''t that prove you love me a bit more?!" "Boo hoo hoo!" She shrugged helplessly and then gave Che Xiaoxiao an angry look. Hao Jian''s mouth dropped open in astonishment, at a loss for words at the crazy antics of this girl. Then Hao Jian turned to look at Zhao Yating, smiled wryly, and said, "It seems you''re a bit better behaved¡­" To his amazement, Zhao Yating made an astonishing remark that petrified Hao Jian. Oh my heavens! Dear heavens! These two must be the legendary femme fatales! How did I end up teaching such students?! Watching the two girls, Hao Jian suddenly felt as if he had stepped into a den of wolves, his face a portrait of the desire to weep without tears, utterly at a loss for words with these two. Chapter 767 - 766: Go Bungee Jumping! "Wow! There are so many people!" When Hao Jian and his friends arrived at the seaside amusement park and saw the packed scene, the two girls were immediately delighted, while Hao Jian''s eyes were restlessly scanning the area. "Let''s go, let''s go! Bungee! Bungee!" After reaching the amusement park, Che Xiaoxiao, like a horse without its reins, grabbed both Hao Jian and Zhao Yating and ran straight towards the highest point in the park. That spot was originally a cliff, but in order to leave a landmark for Hua City, the amusement park officials went to great lengths to set up the bungee jump spot, ensuring its safety. The bungee jump platform was precisely the place to test whether a person was afraid of heights and whether they had courage. However, looking at Che Xiaoxiao''s cheerful demeanor, Hao Jian felt a bit helpless; was this really a girl? She seemed more like a tomboy, fearless of both heaven and earth, and rather dirty-minded to boot. Thus, the trio hurried to the amusement park''s bungee platform without pause. Since bungee jumping required a separate ticket, after a delay of over ten minutes, they entered the bungee jumping site amidst Che Xiaoxiao''s dissatisfaction. Seeing that others were still queuing up ahead, Hao Jian and the others found a spot to sit down, watching some girls with panicked faces screaming at the jump platform. Comparing them with the two eager tomboys by his side, Hao Jian let out a sigh¡ªit really was a case of different strokes for different folks! "Alright, it''s our turn." Observing the different expressions of the tourists after their bungee jumps, Hao Jian chuckled inwardly. Soon it was their turn, and he reached out to tease the noses of the two girls, provoking a round of eye-rolling from them. His playful behavior evoked envy from many male tourists around them; these were two otherworldly beauties, and this shabbily dressed guy had actually managed to charm them. As Hao Jian and his friends approached the Bungee Jump Platform, they were unaware of a gaze lingering on them from within the crowd, with its main focus on Hao Jian. The person watching was extremely discreet, so much so that not even Hao Jian noticed someone was spying on them from behind. The owner of the gaze revealed a triumphant smile upon seeing Hao Jian''s group move on, his eyes emitting a faint glint of Killing Intent. He then slowly left the crowd, and what he was up to next was anyone''s guess... "Ah?! Only two people can jump together?" When it was time for the three of them to bungee jump, they were informed that at most only two people could jump together. Adding one more person would compromise the safety of the participants, so upon hearing this, Che Xiaoxiao''s spirits visibly dropped. As for Hao Jian, he was indifferent; jumping with anyone was fine, since he''d get his thrills regardless! "Hehe, Xiaoxiao, why don''t you jump by yourself first? Yating and I will go ahead!" Hearing the staff''s words, and unlike the suddenly dejected Che Xiaoxiao, Zhao Yating let out a playful laugh, immediately looping her arm through Hao Jian''s. Fuck, this little Bitch! "No way! Same old rules!" At Zhao Yating''s words, Che Xiaoxiao sprang up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, glaring at Zhao Yating with her beautiful eyes fiercely as if Zhao Yating was now her enemy, which was indeed the case in the current situation. "Hmph! Old rules are old rules; I am not afraid of you!" Though Zhao Yating had anticipated this reaction, she still huffed angrily, immediately letting go of Hao Jian and confronting Che Xiaoxiao with equally fiery momentum. What old rules? These two girls had such a habit? Shaking his arms, Hao Jian curiously watched the girls, unaware of the "old rules" they mentioned. In this context, he couldn''t help but think about the girls fighting over jumping with him, which only made him smile wider as the thought developed. "Xiaoxiao, this time I will definitely beat you!" The spring breeze fanned the drums of war, as a sense of Killing Intent abruptly enveloped the two girls. Zhao Yating asserted herself first, looking fierce yet adorable. "Hmph! Dream on!" Zhao Yating''s words did not shake Che Xiaoxiao''s resolve. Instead, she lifted her gaze slightly, crossed her arms proudly in front of her chest, and stared down Zhao Yating with an air of arrogance. "We''ll see about that!" Zhao Yating snorted softly, spreading her feet a little and taking a ready stance, her face set in earnest as she faced Che Xiaoxiao. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Fuck! Is this really the pace of a fight about to happen?! Looking at the state of both sides, Hao Jian opened his mouth wide, his face full of disbelief. When did these two little girls become so violent? But, I really like it! Hao Jian was excitedly anticipating the next juicy fight, his face lit with glee, and he couldn''t wait to see which of the two little girls was stronger or weaker. While things were getting heated on Hao Jian''s side, some tourists, not far off, came for bungee jumping, while others had just finished and stopped out of curiosity upon seeing the two beauties with such menacing aura, each of them casting their gaze upon the two girls. If one had to say who was most helpless, it would be the staff member nearby. He wasn''t old, about twenty-eight or nine, and he had seen all kinds of tourists every day, but he had never seen two girls fight over the chance to bungee jump with this untidy man. This made him start to doubt his life. Is this the gap between people? How did this guy gain the favor of these two beauties?! While all eyes were fixed on the scene, no one noticed the figure crouching in a dead angle on the bungee jump platform. His gaze was solely fixed on the changes occurring in the arena, while his hands, placed in front of his chest, were constantly twitching as if preparing for something. If one looked closely, they would find a nearly transparent fishing line being slowly pulled by the hands of this figure, and the end of the fishing line was connected to the bungee cord that no one expected. As the bungee cord got closer to him, a wave of emotion suddenly appeared in the person''s eyes, and he glanced slyly at Hao Jian, who was engrossed in the unfolding events. The corner of his mouth slowly curled into a cruel smirk, and he quickly grabbed the bungee cord in front of him. With a fumble behind his back, he took out a small utility knife. He first removed the fish hook that was originally attached to the bungee cord, then he took the utility knife and gently cut a slit in the bungee cord, extremely discreet, which dramatically decreased the safety factor of the entire bungee cord! After he had finished all this, the figure quickly cleaned up the area, and upon finding no traces left behind, he swiftly left the spot, blending into the crowd. And in the moment he prepared to leave, he glanced at Hao Jian''s direction with a subtle sneer. Hao Jian, oh Hao Jian, prepare to watch your own great show! I want to see if you''ll actually die! There''s at least a hundred meters to the ground from here, and once the bungee cord snaps, with gravity''s pull from this height, hitting the sea''s surface would be like being struck by a train! I don''t believe your body could be tougher than a train! "Hurry up and start!" This covert action was unknown to Hao Jian and the others, and the other tourists who were focused on Zhao Yating and the other girl hadn''t noticed it either. However, Hao Jian, after watching the two girls stare each other down for quite a while, couldn''t wait any longer and blurted out, urging them to hurry up and begin. "What''s the rush? We''re gathering our energy!" Upon hearing Hao Jian''s urging, Che Xiaoxiao muttered her discontent and then directed her already serious gaze at Zhao Yating. "Begin!" With a low shout, Zhao Yating and Che Xiaoxiao both dashed towards each other, instantly closing the distance between them. "Roar, roar, roar!!!" Seeing the two finally start, Hao Jian instantly roared excitedly, his face full of thrill. Even some of the surrounding tourists joined in Hao Jian''s roar. In a moment, loud, excited roars filled the bungee jump platform. Female tourists, out of concern for their image, blushed slightly without making a sound, but their eyes were just as fixed on the two girls who had begun their face-off. "Che Xiaoxiao!" "Zhao Yating!" Finally, when the distance between them was less than a meter, they stared intently into each other''s eyes and then, simultaneously, raised their hands high above their heads. With a fierce shout, their hands shot out like a flash of lightning. "Rock, paper, scissors!" Their crisp, angry shouts echoed through the arena, not with the expected cheers, but with an atmosphere so silent it was piercing... Fuck! Hao Jian was also stunned by this abrupt change, and by the time he came back to his senses, he had already cursed without thinking... Chapter 768 - 767 Holy shit! Exhausted in both mind and body, Hao Jian dragged his heavy self slowly to the edge of the Bungee Jump Platform, and right in front of him was the victor of this challenge, Che Xiaoxiao. "Sigh!" He heaved a miserable sigh, having envisioned many possible outcomes, but he had not expected that the girls would choose such a primitive way to compete! But he had no room to argue; it was indeed an unpredictable affair. "Ready!" Once the staff had finished setting up the safety measures, they signaled to Hao Jian that he could jump. Hao Jian nodded and then looked down at Che Xiaoxiao in front of him, speaking softly. "Heh, what would we do if the cord snapped during the jump?" Che Xiaoxiao lifted her head, smiling radiantly at Hao Jian, but her words left him somewhat helpless. He reached out and playfully tweaked her nose, grumbling, "Shut your crow''s mouth, if it really snaps, I won''t be able to save you..." This was a hundred meters above the sea. If they were to fall, even Hao Jian''s strong body might not withstand the impact. However, Hao Jian only took Xiaoxiao''s words about the rope snapping as a mere joke, and she didn''t dwell on it either. After all, bungee jumping requires strict safety measures, especially at such heights. The requirements are even more stringent; it''s akin to skydiving, where inadequate safety protocols can lead to a loss of life. "Let''s go!" Escorting Che Xiaoxiao to the edge of the platform, Hao Jian looked at the vast sea below, a surge of unbridled passion welling up within him. He laughed heartily and stamped his foot on the ground, plunging downwards with Che Xiaoxiao in tow! "Swoosh swoosh swoosh!" As the two descended, Zhao Yating quietly waited for their return, leaving the bungee cord flapping wildly behind them¡­ "Crack!" At a certain moment, a sound completely out of place with the surrounding noise abruptly pierced the air, and as Zhao Yating turned her head in confusion, her face turned pale with shock. The bungee cord at the platform had developed an unimaginable tear which was rapidly getting smaller. "No!" In the midst of Zhao Yating''s frantic footsteps, the cord snapped, and she watched in horror as it broke, bellowing with a hoarse and desperate scream. "Guests! Please, remain calm!" The sudden turn of events alarmed the staff as well. They saw Zhao Yating running towards the edge of the platform without any safety gear and immediately looked alarmed; they quickly stepped in to stop her, pleading. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After saying this, the staff member gradually calmed down, took out his phone with composure, swiftly called the police, and then directly informed his superiors about the accident on the Bungee Jump Platform. Once he had done all this, he quickly attempted to console Zhao Yating, saying, "Miss, please cooperate with us. We too are deeply saddened by this incident. Rest assured, we will find them!" Despite the certainty in his words, everyone knew that they were just an excuse; falling from such a height, survival was impossible. Fate brought two flowers into bloom, each on its own branch. No sooner had they leaped off the platform than the salty sea breeze hit them full in the face; soaring with the wind, they felt like birds in flight... Of course, this was merely what Hao Jian imagined. In front of him, Che Xiaoxiao, who had initially wanted to enjoy a moment of romance, was hit by the ferocious wind as they plummeted, her hair flying up, and a sudden fear instinctively prompted her to scream aloud... "F*ck! Miss, keep it down, will you? My ears can''t take this!" Hao Jian, who was initially relishing the breeze, was startled by the sudden piercing scream and couldn''t help but cry out loudly. But his words had no effect; Che Xiaoxiao''s screams grew even louder as if in response to Hao Jian''s plea for quiet. "Damn! Didn''t you find bungee jumping fun?!" Hao Jian sighed, looked down at Che Xiaoxiao with a wry smile, and said, "Well, now you know what bungee jumping feels like, right?! My ears are pitiful; you''re torturing them into deformation." "Aaaah!" The shrill screaming continued to whirl around Hao Jian''s ears, and he had no idea how to make Che Xiaoxiao stop. Eventually, unable to take her yelling anymore, he simply leaned down and sealed her mouth with his. "Mmm mmm mmm!" Kissed forcefully by Hao Jian, Che Xiaoxiao''s eyes regained a bit of clarity, but realizing that Hao Jian had initiated the kiss, she excitedly closed her eyes and fainted... "Fuck! Why did it backfire?!" The moment Che Xiaoxiao went unconscious, Hao Jian noticed it right away. He had originally thought that this would stop Xiaoxiao from screaming, but he hadn''t expected her to faint. If Zhao Yating or Xiaoxiao''s mom found out about this, he''d definitely be unable to escape the blame! "Little girl, you''ve got to wake up! My future is in your hands!" Hao Jian said with a bitter smile, shaking Xiaoxiao''s body, but there was no response. Meanwhile, the bungee cord continued to descend. Once the bungee cord reached its endpoint, it would create some shock, causing them to bounce back. But if someone was unconscious, their body might get hurt without the protection of consciousness. At this moment, Xiaoxiao''s body was facedown. Once they hit the endpoint, the force of the bounce would hit her the hardest, which might cause her some minor injuries. Hao Jian, now beside her, couldn''t let Xiaoxiao get hurt on his watch¡ªthat would be like saying he was useless! Besides, he couldn''t bear it internally, not when it was someone he was supposed to protect. "Hmm?" As he was trying to figure out how to wake Xiaoxiao, Hao Jian''s ears suddenly twitched. His keen perception alerted him to a vague sense of danger coming from above... What was going on? The bungee jump''s safety measures were very solid; how could there be this feeling? Could there be a problem above? No, impossible. Anyone who wasn''t a fool wouldn''t mess around here. There''s a police station near the amusement park. If anyone caused trouble, they wouldn''t get away with it. But what was this feeling of danger? This unease, this palpitation¡ªalthough faint, it definitely existed... Hao Jian''s brows knit together slightly, no longer focused on trying to wake Xiaoxiao. The sensation of danger, in just an instant, escalated to a peak! "Damn! It''s the rope!" At a certain moment, Hao Jian''s expression drastically changed. The unusual frequency of the rope''s vibration was definitely not normal! And the only explanation for this was that something had gone wrong with the rope! Hao Jian also realized that there were no places to take cover around them, just cliff and sea. He swapped positions with Xiaoxiao, putting his back downward. If they fell into the sea, relying on his strong physique, he might be able to survive. But Xiaoxiao wouldn''t stand a chance; the impact with the water could kill her in minutes. With Hao Jian as a buffer, even if they got hurt, at least it wouldn''t be fatal, "Plunk!" In the blink of an eye, both of them hit the water and sank without surfacing... ............... "Hiss!" Not knowing how much time had passed, Hao Jian gradually opened his eyes. When he moved his arms instinctively, an excruciating pain shot through his entire body, causing him to grimace with the intensity. "At least I survived..." After a quick assessment of his bodily condition, Hao Jian let out a helpless, bitter laugh, then as if remembering something, he swiftly turned his head, looking around until he finally spotted Xiaoxiao''s body floating on the surface of the sea. Dragging his aching body, Hao Jian slowly closed the distance between them. "Thank goodness, no harm done..." Reaching Xiaoxiao, he checked her condition and breathed a sigh of relief. He then picked her up and surveyed their surroundings, causing his expression to darken. Sea! Endless, all was sea! How long had they been drifting to get here? Looking at the sky, it was nearing dusk. They must have been lying in the sea for several hours. To still be alive after that could be considered a minor miracle. No use worrying about it, just have to take it one step at a time! With no other options, Hao Jian accepted his fate. Choosing a direction at random, he dragged his bloodied body, holding Xiaoxiao, and started swimming in the direction he had picked out. As for this choice of direction, it wasn''t random. He had used his methods to feel the sea''s current and speed, and he could roughly tell that there was a coastline not far in that direction. Where exactly it was, Hao Jian had no idea. After all, he had come from God of Death Island and had faced even more extreme situations than this, surviving them all. Somehow, he had devised his own survival tactics. Once, to complete a mission, he had held his breath in the sea for nearly half a day. Lucky for him, his Turtle Breathing Technique was almost perfect, or the mission would have been a failure long ago. It was these extreme experiences that had made Hao Jian who he was. ...... Chapter 769 - 768 Youre too heavy... "Ugh..." Not knowing how long had passed, Che Xiaoxiao also slowly woke up. By this time, it was almost completely dark, and Hao Jian had drifted some distance from the place where he initially came to. "You''re awake?" A familiar and warm voice came to her ears, a blissful expression appearing on Che Xiaoxiao''s face. However, what was up with the sound of water by her ears? "Ah!" As she opened her eyes in confusion, she was immediately startled by the sight before her. Sea! Nothing but sea! How did I end up in the sea?! She quickly began to recall what had happened; she vaguely remembered falling into the sea with Hao Jian and then losing consciousness. Next, Che Xiaoxiao hurriedly shifted her gaze to Hao Jian, who was holding her. Upon seeing his face, she let out a sigh of relief. It was all right, as long as this guy was by her side. "Ah! What happened to you?!" But just then, as her gaze slowly moved down to Hao Jian''s body, she saw his body covered in blood. At that sight, Che Xiaoxiao''s pretty face turned white as she exclaimed in shock. "My dear granny, you''re finally awake!" Feeling the person in his arms stir, Hao Jian managed a wry smile and said, "If you didn''t wake up soon, my arms would have broken." "You''re too heavy..." "Humph!" Che Xiaoxiao muttered discontentedly, "Even if I''m heavy, I''m not as heavy as you!" "My dear granny, I''m bearing this pain to hold you! Otherwise, you would have sunk to the bottom of the sea by now. Didn''t you see all these injuries on me?!" Seeing that Che Xiaoxiao had no intention of swimming on her own, Hao Jian didn''t push further. Instead, he smiled bitterly and, continuing to hold her, swam toward the direction he had identified. For in that direction, there appeared to be an island resembling land, slowly coming into their view. "Swish, swash!" Suddenly, a strange sound of flowing water abruptly rose. Che Xiaoxiao''s ears moved slightly, and she became puzzled when she turned her head and her face instantly changed dramatically. In her line of sight, something that resembled the dorsal fin of a shark was swiftly approaching. "Shit! A shark?" Seeing the dorsal fin, Che Xiaoxiao''s first thought was exactly that, and she let out a scream. Hao Jian couldn''t help but frown. It really was a case of misfortunes never coming singly ¡ª they seemed to encounter all the bad luck in the world. "Ahh! There''s a shark! What do we do, Hao Jian!" "Scared of what! Watch me kill it!" Looking at the faint traces of blood on the sea surface, Hao Jian had a rough guess why the shark appeared ¡ª it must have been attracted by the blood he was losing. But if it was just a shark, he wasn''t afraid! "Roar!" When the shark was just two or three meters away, it finally revealed its ferocious face. It leaped from the water, opening its bloodstained mouth filled with a foul stench, and aimed a bite at Hao Jian. The scent of blood told it that the prey before it was an exceedingly delicious meal! "Ah!" Seeing this horrifying scene, like something out of a movie, Che Xiaoxiao''s pretty face lost all its color. She hugged her head and screamed in fright, her shrill cries piercing Hao Jian''s ears. "Shit! Stop screaming, or you''ll burst my eardrums!" The sudden sharp scream startled Hao Jian, who had been gathering his strength. His previously well-built momentum crumbled away in an instant. "Swish, swash!" And at this time, the shark was getting ever closer to the two of them ¡ª Hao Jian could even smell the fishy scent from the shark''s mouth. Let''s deal with it quickly and move on. Thankfully, some of my strength has recovered... Hao Jian shook his head, and seeing Che Xiaoxiao''s bloodless cheeks, he felt particularly distressed. He resolved that once they got back, he would thoroughly investigate this accident! "Boom!" In a flash, Hao Jian suddenly thrust out one palm, his eyes flashing with a hint of cold light. He stamped fiercely in the water with his foot, utilizing the force of the water flow for an upward thrust. Palm Force enveloped his hand as he brought it down in a direct chop at the shark''s body! Ultimately, the shark left this world with a puzzled expression, wondering why its food dared to fight back¡­ Hao Jian tore the shark''s body into two pieces, and the blood-red blood splattered over the surface of the sea, dyeing his vision crimson. The blood from the shark all spilled onto Hao Jian, but Che Xiaoxiao, protected by him, did not have a single drop on her. "A mere shark dares to trouble me?" Wiping the blood off his palm casually, Hao Jian paid no more attention to it, glanced at the shark carcass behind him with a shake of his head, then bent down to look at the person in his arms, grinning and saying, "It''s okay now." "Mm¡­" Che Xiaoxiao nodded obediently, no longer as agitated as before, a change that slightly surprised Hao Jian, who then smiled. Previously, suggesting that Che Xiaoxiao swim by herself was actually a joke from Hao Jian; after all, she was a girl, what if she got a leg cramp while swimming in the sea? Besides, he could now feel his hands again, and under the thin layers of clothing was that smooth skin he did not want to let go of. Since holding a beauty came with so many benefits, naturally, Hao Jian was not going to let her go, and to reach the shore even faster, he let Che Xiaoxiao hold onto his neck, freeing him to swim with full force. Beyond wanting to reach the shore quickly, the main concern was that the blood in the water might attract more ferocious sea creatures; sharks were one thing, but it would be terrifying if a whole group appeared¡­ Therefore, they must reach the shallows quickly; otherwise, more sharks would truly come. "Splash splash!" His legs kicked continuously against the water, rapidly moving towards the ever-closer shore. ............ "Where is this place?!" When they reached the shore, Hao Jian was completely dumbfounded by the scene before him; all around, not a soul could be seen, only the silent chirping of insects and birdsong. Beyond that, there was only the sound of waves lapping against the beach. "Alright, you can put me down now, look at the state you''re in¡­" Seeing that they had reached land and Hao Jian was still holding her, Che Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at him. If it weren''t for Hao Jian being in a bad state, she would have liked to be held by him indefinitely. He always gave her a sense of security, and the way he tore that shark apart earlier left a deeply impressive heroic image in her heart. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Okay." Hearing this, Hao Jian nodded, then bent down and carefully put Che Xiaoxiao on the ground so that she landed firmly. He then ran to the water''s edge, stripped off his clothes, and began washing them right in front of Che Xiaoxiao, thankfully not removing his underwear. Having wrestled with the shark and been covered in a fishy scent of blood, Hao Jian had been eager to wash for some time. Given the situation was safe now that they were ashore, he couldn''t wait to get his clothes clean. "Hmph! This bastard!" After stepping out of Hao Jian''s embrace, Che Xiaoxiao saw his impatient demeanor and stuck her tongue out at him, made a face, and humphed. She then walked toward him with a gentle gait. What''s going on?! However, as Che Xiaoxiao approached Hao Jian, her lovely expression changed dramatically. Her gaze fixed intently on his back, where several crimson wounds were clearly visible, the irregular cracking marks looked as though he''d been heavily struck by some object. During the time she had been awake, nothing had hit Hao Jian''s back; the only explanation for these wounds must have been from the time before she regained consciousness! And the only opportunity for Hao Jian to have been hurt while she was unconscious would have been when they fell from the Bungee Jump Platform! No wonder she was unharmed, and this bastard was riddled with injuries; evidently, he had protected her... Realizing this, Che Xiaoxiao regretted acting petulantly against Hao Jian, unaware of how severe his injuries were. This bastard, seriously wounded yet still grinning foolishly¡ªwas he truly oblivious to the pain? This bastard! Perhaps due to the severity of his injuries, compounded with the vast amount of energy expended in the sea, Hao Jian was oblivious to Che Xiaoxiao''s approach, focused on washing his clothes. And sometimes, due to the force used while washing, stretching his arms tugged at the wounds on his body, causing a pain that made Hao Jian grimace and gasp, yet he persisted in getting his clothes spotlessly clean. "Done!" He wrung his clothes dry and planned to wear them again. Sniffing them with his nose, he could only smell a faint sea brine scent, which was bearable to him, at least better than the bloody aroma from before. After washing his clothes, Hao Jian prepared to find Che Xiaoxiao, but as he turned his head, he saw her tear-filled eyes, which immediately changed his expression. He ran to Che Xiaoxiao and comforted her, "Look, Xiaoxiao! Don''t cry, okay? We''ll be able to go back soon..." "I''m not crying... not crying!" Seeing Hao Jian approach, Che Xiaoxiao immediately embraced him and burst into loud sobs............................ Chapter 770 - 769: Take Off The Clothes After comforting her with kind words and reassuring her that he really wasn''t injured, Che Xiaoxiao finally stopped crying. Relieved by this, Hao Jian let out a sigh but soon found himself worrying again. Not about anything else, but because it was getting late and he couldn''t figure out their direction, nor did he know where there might be signs of human habitation. Moreover, it was not appropriate to go out and search at night, as it was easy to have an accident. He didn''t mind for himself, but it wasn''t the same for the young girl Che Xiaoxiao. Therefore, Hao Jian could only look around nearby to see if there was a place to rest. His luck seemed quite good¡ªafter only a short search, he found a cave. Although it was a bit small, it was enough for two people to rest. "Alright, let''s rest here for the night, and we''ll go out tomorrow to see if we can find a way back," he said. Walking into the cave, Hao Jian briefly assessed the air and humidity inside, finding it cooler and drier than outside, with no signs of it being inhabited by wild animals. It was a completely natural cave. "Hmm." Che Xiaoxiao obediently nodded and then walked in. Just as she did, she heard Hao Jian''s voice. "Rest here for a bit while I go out and get some dry grass and food." This level of wilderness survival was a daily affair for the former Hao Jian. With his rich experience, he clearly knew what the suitable approach was here. Speaking of this approach, it was the experience accumulated from the missions Hao Jian used to undertake. Each place''s wilderness survival situation was different, and what worked in one place might not be suitable in another. Having experienced this, he summarized his experience after completing his missions. With this set of experiences, he had devised various patterns for different environments and situations. All that was needed was to apply these patterns and make minor adjustments according to the specific circumstances. This time, what Hao Jian chose was a long-established survival pattern from a deserted island. Here, apart from his hands, he had nothing at all to use¡ªthe two cards in his pocket were just ordinary cards in this godforsaken place. "Still, this guy is reliable..." Watching Hao Jian leave, Che Xiaoxiao found a spot in the cave, sat down with her chin propped on her hands, and waited quietly for Hao Jian''s return. At this moment, she felt like a housewife waiting for her beloved to come home. Thinking of this heartwarming scene, a slight curve formed unconsciously at the corners of Che Xiaoxiao''s mouth, her eyes narrowing into crescents. "I''ve found some wild fruit to fill the belly, and dry grass too. Now I just need to gather some dry firewood and head back..." With the little strength he had recovered, Hao Jian climbed the hill, hoping to find something useful. His luck was indeed good¡ªhe found some edible wild fruits and some dried weeds. After picking and uprooting them and tying them up, he prepared to head down. But as he took a step, he suddenly recalled he needed to prepare a source of fire. It was uncertain whether to call it good luck, but as soon as he climbed the hill, he found some small pieces of flint. For the current Hao Jian, such things were lifesavers. Hao Jian didn''t smoke and didn''t carry a lighter with him, and even if he did have a lighter, it would have been ruined by the seawater. Flint, one of the most common minerals in the world, could be found almost everywhere. Flint is also one of the raw materials for lighters, and ancient people often used such stones when traveling. By striking two pieces of flint of similar hardness against each other, sparks could be generated to achieve the purpose of making fire. Since they were easy to carry, people in ancient times almost always carried flint on their travels. Picking up some dry branches along the way, Hao Jian was ready to return. Upon reaching the cave, he casually threw the firewood he had been carrying onto the sandy beach and then walked in with the dry grass and wild fruits. "Are you back?" Che Xiaoxiao, who had been waiting in the cave for nearly twenty minutes, said obediently when she saw Hao Jian appear. "Yes, we''re lucky. We can spend the night safely," Hao Jian replied with a smile. Then he reached behind him and a bunch of wild fruits appeared in his hand. He placed them in front of Che Xiaoxiao and said with a smile, "You can eat these wild fruits. They''re not quite ripe and might be a bit tart, but they''ll fill your stomach." "We don''t have any fresh water here to wash the fruits, so we''ll just have to make do with eating them as they are. Anyway, they won''t kill you," Hao Jian laughed. He was a bit worried that this young lady might not adapt to the situation since she hadn''t suffered many hardships growing up. "Don''t underestimate me. I''ve eaten these kinds of wild fruits before. When I was little, I would often run into the mountains to pick them. Just every time... when my mother found out..." Grabbing a fruit and stuffing it into her mouth, Che Xiaoxiao spoke with her words muffled, which made Hao Jian smile. He then put down the dry grass carefully and spread it out. "All right, the bed is ready!" After dusting off his hands from putting together the makeshift bed, Hao Jian turned to Che Xiaoxiao and shook his head, "Take off your clothes, I''ll dry them by the fire. Wearing wet clothes makes it easy to catch a cold." Since coming out of the sea, both of them had been in their drenched clothes. Hao Jian''s body could care less about such things, but Che Xiaoxiao couldn''t afford to be so indifferent¡ªher constitution was relatively weak, and in a godforsaken place like this, catching a cold was really quite a hassle. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Okay... alright..." ... "Let''s try this out and see if it works." Walking over to the entrance of the cave, he pulled out the flint he had picked earlier and looked at the pile of weeds before him. Taking the flint, Hao Jian struck it a few times against the weeds. "Crack, crack!" The flint sparked, scattering tiny flames onto the pile of flammable weeds on the ground, leaving a slight scorch mark but failing to ignite the weeds. "Huh, it works!" Seeing this, Hao Jian was not discouraged but rather eager to keep trying. After several attempts, he finally managed to light the weeds. Carefully, he added more, and the fire grew stronger. Upon seeing this, Hao Jian hurriedly threw the dry branches he had prepared onto the fire. He then made a simple clothes rack and hung the wet clothes on it, moving them close to the flames so that the fire could dry the soaked garments. "Hao Jian, you''re so amazing!" Jingjing, who had been watching the entire process of starting and maintaining the fire, looked at Hao Jian with starry, admiring eyes. "Of course, who do you think you''re following? I am none other than Lord Hao Jian, the young master himself!" Consequently, Hao Jian couldn''t help showing off a little. "Alright, come over and warm up by the fire." Hao Jian waved Che Xiaoxiao over, cutting off her retort. Che Xiaoxiao pouted in dissatisfaction and moved closer to the flames. A wave of warmth instantly dispelled the chill within her body, and Che Xiaoxiao comfortably squinted her eyes... "Achoo!!!" Just as they were warming themselves by the fire, Che Xiaoxiao suddenly sneezed and began to tremble slightly. "Hm? Xiaoxiao, what''s the matter?!" Noticing something was off with Che Xiaoxiao, Hao Jian quickly reached out and touched her shoulder, releasing his Palm Power to check on her. After finding out she was suffering from a mild cold, he breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, it wasn''t anything serious. The cave at night was rather cool, but Che Xiaoxiao had also been soaking in the water for half the day, and now those wet clothes in the coolness of the night didn''t help matters. Fortunately, this mild cold could be dealt with simply by keeping warm appropriately. "Take everything off..." If she caught a cold, touching anything cold was the last thing she needed, especially since Che Xiaoxiao still had two wet garments on. If she wore these through the night, she might wake up feverish come morning. However, asking a girl to take off everything was a bit awkward, and Hao Jian touched his nose before finally speaking up. After all, Che Xiaoxiao was a girl. "You... jerk!" Chapter 771 - 770: My Innocence! "Hao Jian... I''m cold..." "Do you feel a bit better now?" For some unknown reason, Hao Jian suddenly asked Che Xiaoxiao in an unusually gentle way, then reached out his hand halfway into the air to feel the warmth of the fire. "Mm, much better..." Che Xiaoxiao nodded slightly. The trembling of her body had reduced slightly compared to before, seemingly due to the sudden rise in temperature, which allowed her some adjustment. As time passed, the cave became colder and colder, and the brief rise in temperature eventually faded away with time. Under these circumstances, Che Xiaoxiao couldn''t break free from Hao Jian''s embrace to face the pervasive cold alone. She could only hold on to Hao Jian even tighter for warmth. Alas, this situation is really uncomfortable! Maybe separating a bit could provide some relief? No matter how you looked at it, holding a naked beauty in his arms without any thought was impossible, but given Che Xiaoxiao''s current condition, it was not looking good. Therefore, Hao Jian slowly widened the tiny distance between their close-pressed bodies. Yet, it was precisely this tiny distance that allowed the omnipresent cold to blow through the gaps, with a chilling sensation rapidly spreading over Che Xiaoxiao''s entire body. For a moment, her body temperature, which had previously risen, once again fell significantly. Seeing this, Hao Jian''s brows furrowed slightly. He hadn''t anticipated that the cool breeze that felt refreshing to him would provoke such a strong reaction from Che Xiaoxiao''s body. Consequently, after apologizing to Che Xiaoxiao, he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Then realizing that this was not completely insulating Che Xiaoxiao''s body, he proceeded to lift her entire body into his arms with a quick embrace. Che Xiaoxiao had an impeccable figure. Although she was still a student, her body had fully matured. And as the first one to "eat the crab," Hao Jian unquestionably had the right to evaluate Che Xiaoxiao''s body. ................ The two of them endured the inner heat and restlessness, and eventually, they even forgot how they fell asleep. Although the fire was maintained by Hao Jian adding wood, once he fell asleep, the flames dwindled after a few hours and eventually extinguished. And with the dying of the fire, a wave of frosty chill once again enveloped the cave. Strangely, after they fell asleep, it was not absolutely freezing. It seemed that the heat generated by their close embrace maintained their body temperature, or to be precise, Che Xiaoxiao''s body temperature. As the first rays of morning sunlight entered the cave, a pair of bright eyes suddenly opened, blinking as she took a moment to feel her body''s condition. To her surprise, she found herself feeling much better compared to last night. Though she still felt slightly dizzy, there seemed to be no serious problem anymore. When she lifted her head to look at the man sleeping peacefully beside her, her eyes suddenly narrowed like crescent moons. A rush of warmth spread over her, causing her cheeks to flush. After cursing him softly as a pest, she gently freed one hand and reached down beneath her. Hmm?! "You''re starting with this, first thing in the morning?!" "My innocence!" Seeing this, Hao Jian was immediately startled, then he burst out shouting. "I just saw that you were struggling, so I thought I might help. After all, from now on, you, Hao Jian, belong to me!" Che Xiaoxiao ignored Hao Jian''s howls, swinging her hand with a mischievous laugh. "It''s not that I belong to you, but that you belong to me!" sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hearing Che Xiaoxiao''s words, Hao Jian immediately grew angry, "Do you have any idea what happens when you provoke a man in his prime? You''re about to find out." In that fresh morning air, an atmosphere of romance began to unfold. Chapter 772 - 771: You Go Back First "Holy shit! I''m finally back!" As Hao Jian and his companion stepped onto the long-missed yet familiar road, Hao Jian burst out with excitement, only to be met by the rolling eyes of Che Xiaoxiao beside him. Remembering how this bastard had bothered her for so long this morning, Che Xiaoxiao couldn''t help but get angry. This guy really wasn''t human, not even considering her body that had just recovered. However, Hao Jian didn''t notice the resentful look in Che Xiaoxiao''s eyes. Instead, he excitedly hailed a taxi and, after shouting an address to the driver, pulled Che Xiaoxiao inside the cab. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But after getting in, he noticed the driver showed no signs of starting the car, which made him look at the driver, puzzled, and ask, "Driver, why aren''t you driving?" "Dear customer! The place you''re going to is over a hundred kilometers from here! This trip will cost at least five or six hundred yuan. Are you sure you want to take a taxi?" The driver meant well, knowing that the journey of over a hundred kilometers would cost several hundred yuan, while a trip to the station might not even cost fifty. Though there was a hefty commission in it for him, seeing Hao Jian''s and Che Xiaoxiao''s shabby, almost beggar-like clothes tugged at his heartstrings. "Haha, driver, you''re worried about that? No worries, just drive¡ªI don''t have cash on me right now, I''ll use a card when we arrive." Hao Jian thought it was some serious issue and chuckled lightly, then pulled out his black card and showed it to the driver, proving his financial capability. Hao Jian had to admit that it was a great surprise to have brought two cards with him and, despite all the turmoil, not to have lost them. As these cards were made differently, they were also waterproof, so even after soaking in water for so long, the card still hadn''t been damaged. "Alright then! Just sit tight!" Clearly, the driver was a worldly man. As soon as he saw Hao Jian''s black card, his eyes widened in disbelief. He looked at Hao Jian incredulously¡ªhow could someone so young possess a bank card only billionaires were known to have? This person was definitely no ordinary person! Despite the worn-out clothes on Hao Jian, there was an air of cultured elegance about him that could not be faked. Without hesitation, the driver slammed on the accelerator, made a U-turn, and shot off toward the destination Hao Jian had given. The driver had seen his fair share of people and things and knew that Hao Jian was in a hurry. So every time he saw a stretch without surveillance cameras, he floored the gas pedal, speeding along the highway at a velocity that skirted the legal limit, leaving Hao Jian staring in amazement. Hao Jian couldn''t help but silently give the driver a thumbs-up, thinking to himself: just like the old saying goes, there are masters among the common folks! Thanks to the driver''s lightning-fast speed, it took only about an hour and a half for Hao Jian to arrive at his doorstep. After getting his card swiped by the admiring driver, Hao Jian, accompanied by Che Xiaoxiao, stepped into his home. Hao Jian casually picked out a set of women''s clothes from the house for Che Xiaoxiao to shower in, and then went to his room to grab a set for himself before heading to another bathroom to shower. After they had showered, Hao Jian saw Che Xiaoxiao already in the living room drying her hair. He walked over with a smile and teased, "How''s it feel? After smelling the sea all day, isn''t a shower great?" "Hmph! It''s because of your bloody stench that I felt so uncomfortable. Now, finally, I''ve had a comfy shower¡ªlife is wonderful!" After putting down the hairdryer, Che Xiaoxiao stretched languidly and looked at Hao Jian with disdain. "You should head home soon before your mom gets worried... I think Yating''s probably at your place by now. You should go comfort them." Hao Jian shook his head, then slowly continued. If anyone was most affected by the incident, it was Zhao Yating, who had gone bungee jumping with them. Watching them fall and being uncertain of their fate, she was barely holding on to the brink of her psychological endurance. That was the vibe Hao Jian had picked up from Zhao Yating since he had met her, but he was certain about one thing - Zhao Yating hadn''t mentioned the incident to any of his other women. Obviously, she didn''t want to worry them, but with Che Xiaoxiao''s mother, things were a bit more uncertain. Shu Ya and the other women were very clear about Hao Jian''s capabilities, so Zhao Yating could easily deflect with some excuse. However, Guo Shuxian would not be so easily convinced, since it was rare for Che Xiaoxiao not to return home at night, and each time she didn''t, she would call to explain the situation. So, what concerned Hao Jian the most now wasn''t his own situation. After all, his women were still going to work normally, which clearly meant they weren''t too worried about him. This also meant that they believed what Zhao Yating had said. The only certain thing now was that Zhao Yating''s condition was very bad, and one of them must visit her to put her mind at ease. "Why should I be the one to go?!" When Che Xiaoxiao heard that she had to do this, she immediately became unhappy. She put her hands on her hips and glared at Hao Jian fiercely, like a Mother Tiger. "I still need to investigate who is behind this. I can''t believe it was an accident. Why didn''t anything happen when others were doing it? Yet when it comes to us, an accident occurs?" Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, then picked up a laptop and opened it right away, beginning his investigation into the matter. As an assassin, mastering computer skills was essential so breaking into Hua City''s road surveillance system was just a routine task for him to perform checks. "Hmph!" Seeing that Hao Jian, the bastard, had thrown himself into work without offering her any consolation or persuasion after his words, Che Xiaoxiao''s face turned sour with anger. She wondered if smashing his laptop would get him to speak nicely. But as soon as she considered the consequences of such an action, she chickened out, dropping the matter, and reluctantly left Hao Jian''s residence to head home. As she left, she couldn''t help but make a fist at Hao Jian, followed by a snort, as she closed the door behind her. To tell the truth, she was also worried about Zhao Yating''s situation. If one had to talk about best friends, Zhao Yating was her closest. The bond between best friends was unavoidable, and involuntarily, Xiaoxiao quickened her pace... .................. "If it was yesterday, maybe the amusement park would have some surveillance footage. It''s just a bit of a pain to hack," Hao Jian''s fingers kept hitting the keyboard, his movements fast and fluid. If those with poor keyboard skills saw this, they would surely curse before lavishing praise. Soon, Hao Jian had hacked into the amusement park''s surveillance system, directly accessing the footage. In an instant, rows of neatly arranged surveillance squares filled his laptop screen, numerous and densely packed - a hundred or so upon counting. Looking at so many cameras, Hao Jian couldn''t help but sigh. Indeed, the amusement park had taken security seriously. However, among these, he also spotted several blind spots, and it was highly likely that the culprit made use of them to execute their plan! "Whirr, whirr, whirr!" Frame after frame flew past Hao Jian''s eyes. He set all the surveillance to the time before they had arrived at the park the day before. With more than a hundred cameras, Hao Jian initiated a sixteen-times speed-up, intending to multitask. His gaze swiftly moved across the videos. With the speed-up, people in the footage quickly flickered by, rendering it impossible to make out anyone''s features. But Hao Jian seemed unconcerned about that, his eyes fixed on the rapidly passing images. "Found it!" At a certain moment, Hao Jian''s finger slammed the Enter key, halting all the moving footage in an instant. He looked ecstatically at one of the videos that showed a man dressed in black, with a cold gaze, frozen in the corner of the frame. And that corner was not unfamiliar to Hao Jian, for it was the control area of the Bungee Jump Platform, and in the man''s hands, he was holding the bungee cord, slicing through it... Seeing this man, the corners of Hao Jian''s mouth slowly curled into a cold smile. From his experience, this guy was definitely a hired assassin, not a mastermind. Therefore, merely finding this person was not enough. But now that he had a lead, Hao Jian was able to track down the mastermind by following the vine. With his hacking skills, it was incredibly simple. Next, Hao Jian followed the path taken by the man in black, infiltrating Hua City''s entire city surveillance system, and pulled up every camera footage from the routes the man had taken. The movements of the man in black were crystal clear to Hao Jian. ......... Chapter 773 - 772: Its Definitely Him! ``` "Who is this person..." The black-clad figure on the screen kept moving until he ran into a man dressed in an expensive suit under a certain surveillance camera. Through the blurry image on the monitor, Hao Jian felt this person looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn''t place who it was. "Who exactly is it?!" He scratched his head vigorously, straining to remember everything about this person, and finally, at a certain moment, he remembered everything about this man! "Kikov! Yes, it''s definitely him!" In an instant, Hao Jian''s eyes were shrouded by a cold light, and he snorted, "Last time I mercifully spared your life, and now you dare to come after mine?!" "Things are really getting more interesting. I want to see how you''re going to die this time!" Slowly closing his laptop, Hao Jian''s eyes were deep and icy. He then changed into a set of clothes, picked up his car keys, and headed straight for the parking lot. "Vroom vroom vroom!" A moment later, the sound of a revving sports car engine could be heard from the parking lot. Zooming in, one could see Hao Jian had started the car, and in the next second, he floored the accelerator. The sports car kicked up a gust of hot wind and sped towards Kikov''s new residence. ............ "So this is the new place this guy''s moved to. Quite impressive!" Hao Jian casually parked his car in the lot of a large shopping mall a few streets away from Kikov''s residence. Normally this parking lot would require a fee, but the security guard''s eyes lit up at the sight of Hao Jian''s Lamborghini and he didn''t dare ask Hao Jian for the parking fee. After turning a few corners, Hao Jian saw Kikov''s luxurious villa. Had he not had people watching Kikov, he wouldn''t have known that the man had moved his residence here so stealthily, clearly wary of Hao Jian. After all, Hao Jian was Shu Ya''s boyfriend, and Kikov was well aware of Shu Ya''s capabilities. Moreover, with the Shu Ya Group thriving, he felt wary of the possibility that Hao Jian might prompt Shu Ya to use the group''s resources to investigate him. Hence, Kikov had subtly moved to this somewhat secluded location. Easily bypassing the villa''s surveillance network, Hao Jian arrived at a small window outside Kikov''s residence. With a wave of his hand, a dark yet non-reflective dagger appeared in his grip. Holding it slightly, the dagger rotated in his hand, its sharp blade flickering with a chilling cold light. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. His finger slowly pulled back a corner of the curtain, just enough to peek through the gap, observing the inside. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he saw Kikov''s figure reflected in his pupils. Seeing his target, Hao Jian''s expression instantly returned to indifference. As an assassin, he knew what expressions and demeanor to show at any time. In this situation, he had to retract any revealing aura, otherwise, it could lead to the failure of the assassination. As Hao Jian gathered his strength ready to act against Kikov, the casual tone of Kikov''s voice caused Hao Jian to pause. His prepared force dissipated, and he quickly took out his phone, activated the video recording function, and pointed the camera inside the room. "How did it go with the task I assigned you?" Kikov''s voice spread slowly through the sizable room. In front of him stood a man in black. When Hao Jian shifted his gaze in that direction, he tensed. This man was the same black-clad figure he had seen on the surveillance video. Despite a blurry image on the video, the familiarity he felt was unmistakable. "Boss, I''ve taken care of everything you asked me to..." The man in black spoke with a sycophantic and chilly voice, "I''ve gone and erased all traces. No one will ever find out that we were behind what happened to Hao Jian!" Hmph, erase traces?! This guy really thinks he''s gotten rid of all the evidence?! Upon hearing the man in black, Hao Jian sneered inwardly, wondering if the man was an idiot or a genius for not even properly deleting the basic surveillance footage. "Good job," Kikov didn''t question whether the man had succeeded, he nodded and then asked, "How is the situation with Shu Ya Group progressing?" "Report to the boss, I''ve already sent people to work with Shu Ya Group. As soon as the sales contract is signed, we can move on to the next step immediately!" "Keep a close eye on this matter. Make sure you get those jewels from Shu Ya Group¡­" Get the jewels from Shu Ya Group for what? Hearing this, Hao Jian showed a puzzled expression, but soon refocused back into the room. Regardless of what Kikov actually wanted to do, this jewelry purchase must be part of a scheme! "Once we buy these jewels and they leave the country, reaching international waters, we can contact the pirate we''re collaborating with. He and his men will hijack those jewels for us!" ``` Kikov, entirely unaware of being secretly recorded, let out a chilling laugh as he articulated a statement that turned Hao Jian''s expression utterly dark. "Boss, your actions are truly wise and powerful!" The man in black spoke obsequiously and flatteringly. "Humph! Just wait until that pirate successfully loots those jewels, then immediately get in touch with those reporters for me," Kikov sneered. "Announce that I''m setting up a press conference. Once we put a bit of pressure on Shu Ya Group, won''t those guys obediently compensate me for my losses?" Thinking of this, Kikov burst into a ferocious laugh, and the man in black, seeing Kikov''s laughter, also laughed out loud, echoing him. This guy, daring to concoct such a scheme, so be it. Just wait for him to settle this matter, and then it won''t be too late to collect his wretched life. After saving the video on his phone, Hao Jian watched Kikov laughing heartily, silently scoffed, and then with a leap, he quietly left Kikov''s villa. As for the consequences of Kikov''s plan once complete, Hao Jian knew all too well. If he hadn''t come, hadn''t discovered this, hadn''t recorded the video, even Shu Ya Group''s defense might have been utterly useless. If Kikov''s plan succeeded, then the reputation of Shu Ya Group would surely suffer a grave blow. They would not only have to compensate Kikov with a hefty sum for breach of contract, but their reputation would also nosedive. After that, those companies planning to collaborate with Shu Ya Group might hesitate because Shu Ya Group''s merchandise had been looted by pirates, indicating that their shipping routes were not secure. After leaving Kikov''s villa, Hao Jian drove back home. On the way, he also swung by Che Xiaoxiao''s place, and sure enough, as soon as he stepped into Xiaoxiao''s home, Xiaoxiao''s mother immediately unleashed a torrent of furious scolding. She scolded him for taking her daughter to such dangerous places and for letting her suffer so much, and even though her daughter returned home safe, Xiaoxiao''s mother could not suppress her anger. As for Hao Jian, after seeing Xiaoxiao''s mother in a fit of rage, and upon learning from Xiaoxiao that Zhao Yating was out of danger, he sighed with relief, quickly found an excuse, and escaped from Xiaoxiao''s mother''s berating. ............... Three days later, Hao Jian was at home drinking a beverage, watching TV, and fiddling with some stuff when a phone call drew his attention away. "Shu Ya''s?" Picking up his phone, he saw that it was Shu Ya''s number, and his face immediately darkened. It seemed that Kikov''s plan had been a success. If his guess was right, this morning was the time for that batch of goods to reach the High Seas, and it was close to noon now, meaning Shu Ya calling at this time could only be about that matter, definitely nothing else. "Hao Jian! The Group is in trouble!" As expected, right after Hao Jian answered the call, Shu Ya''s anxious voice came through. Hearing the urgency in Shu Ya''s voice, Hao Jian could imagine just how unsettled Shu Ya must be. "Was a batch of the company''s goods being transported overseas, robbed by a gang of pirates?" Hao Jian asked with a light chuckle, speaking slowly. "How did you know?!" Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Shu Ya on the other end of the phone was shocked, asking subconsciously. "And now you''ve been told that Kikov''s group is holding a press conference, claiming there''s an issue with their deal, that their goods were looted by pirates..." Hao Jian didn''t answer the question but simply continued speaking on his own. "Yes! That''s exactly what happened!" Shu Ya spoke anxiously, "Since you know the situation, then hurry up and come to the company! I can''t handle this on my own!" "Don''t worry, leave this matter to me. Just go ahead to the press conference," Hao Jian reassured her with a light chuckle, not at all as anxious as Shu Ya about the problem with the goods. He had originally thought that Kikov would act faster, but it turned out to be just as slow, having waited three days just for such a piece of news. Now that the news had finally arrived, the next stage promised a good show! ............ Chapter 774 - 773 Inquiry? At the press conference... "Shu Ya Group, having failed to deliver the goods on time, has violated Article 33 of Chapter 8 of the contract. They were supposed to compensate ten times the penalty for breach of contract, which means Shu Ya Group must pay us a billion in compensation!" "But what do we have now? All we see is the ugly face of Shu Ya Group, refusing to compensate, and coming up with all sorts of excuses!" "As far as we know, the cargo has already been looted by pirates overseas, and all the information Shu Ya Group has provided us is that it''s still on the way! Tell me, isn''t that a lie?!" At the press conference, the representative of the Kikov side, the man in black, righteously poured out his grievances to the reporters, who hastily noted down his words. "I believe that such a company should not exist and must be legally banned! We will follow the necessary legal procedures next, and even if it becomes a tough legal battle, we will make every effort to ensure that this company can no longer harm others!" Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As the man in black spoke righteously, Shu Ya and other managers had dark expressions on their faces, unable to find any grounds to refute the insults and belittlement from Kikov''s people. On top of that, the scrutinizing eyes of the reporters who were not missing the opportunity for firsthand information, as Kikov''s representative was speaking, made the managers feel even more embarrassed. Hao Jian, where are you?! Shu Ya, also in desperation, became even more anxious after seeing that Hao Jian didn''t show up after hanging up the phone. Under the current circumstances, if the loss was confirmed, it would be the end for Shu Ya Group. "Miss Shu Ya, what do you think about the Shu Ya Group''s cargo being looted by pirates? Is it true, as Secretary Liu said, that you are trying to deliberately conceal this incident?" Finally, as the speech from Kikov''s side ended, a group of reporters immediately rushed over to Shu Ya''s platform, microphones in hand, bombarding her with various questions. Seeing this, the expressions of the managers beside Shu Ya betrayed panic, but with their extensive experience, they quickly regained their composure. "This matter is not..." "Then what is the reason?!" A manager tried to explain, but before he could finish speaking, a reporter cut him off and eagerly asked his question. "This..." "Miss Shu Ya, what exactly is your view on this matter? Why are you not speaking?" Before the manager could respond, another reporter interrupted, causing his face to grow even more sullen. But in such a situation, he couldn''t lash out and had to remain silent. Even if he stopped speaking, the reporters still found others to question, making everyone present wear an uncomfortable expression. Because the questions the reporters were asking were so targeted, even Shu Ya dared not answer them lightly and thus kept silent along with the others... "How is the situation with Shu Ya Group going on your end?" In the midst of this, a large screen that had been dark at the press conference venue suddenly lit up, and a cold voice drifted out. That voice captured the attention of everyone present: the reporters, Shu Ya and her people, and Kikov''s group were all drawn to the sudden voice. "Report Boss, I''ve already sent someone to cooperate with Shu Ya Group. Once the sales contract is signed, we can immediately move on to the next step!" When everyone turned their gaze towards the screen, they were shocked to see two slightly blurred figures talking. To everyone present, these two figures were familiar; weren''t they Kikov and Secretary Liu?! How could these two be in the video? Not only were the reporters puzzled, but Shu Ya Group''s people shared the same question. And when Shu Ya saw the video, for some reason, the heavy burden in her heart suddenly lifted. She had a hunch that this was likely Hao Jian''s doing; no wonder he seemed so informed on the phone, no wonder he said everything was fine. It turned out he had known about Kikov''s plan all along! "Hmm, you keep an eye on this matter. We must sell the jewelry to Shu Ya Group..." "As soon as we buy the batch of jewelry and it leaves the country, reaching the High Seas, we can contact our pirate partners and have them hijack the jewels!" The video continued to play on the screen while the main characters, Kikov and Secretary Liu, looked on with unsightly faces. Kikov''s eyes filled with rage; he couldn''t understand how such a video could exist. His villa''s security was top-notch; how could someone have infiltrated and filmed such a video?! He instinctively wanted to explain, but as soon as he stood up, he was noticed by the reporters who quickly switched their focus from Shu Ya''s group to Kikov''s group. The barrage of questions caught Kikov and his people off guard. "Mr. Kikov, why do you appear in this video?! Why would you make such a plan?! Do you have any explanations now?!" The reporter''s questions were sharp, leaving Kikov speechless. All the reporters were shocked by this revelation; they were astonished that Kikov would plot such a scheme just to compete. They were also stunned by the scale of the plan and the fact that the video implicated Kikov collaborating with pirates overseas! This was a violation of the law! Now that it had been exposed, Kikov would face serious legal repercussions, if not execution, then at least life imprisonment. They simply couldn''t understand what kind of business competition would drive Kikov to devise such a plan! Chapter 775 - 774 What a mess! "It''s not... it''s not what you all saw! This video is fake!" Facing the questions from the reporters, Prince Kikov''s face was panicked, and so were those around him, each with a panicked expression, unsure of how to respond¡­ "Oh? Then do tell us, where exactly is this video fake?!" Just then, a faint voice rose above the noisy scene. The voice was soft, yet clear enough for everyone present to hear distinctly, causing all to subconsciously quiet their own voices. For a moment, the entire venue fell silent. "Hao Jian! It must be your doing! Isn''t it?" Prince Kikov immediately identified the owner of the voice, and as he saw his face, he seemed to go crazy, standing up abruptly and shouting at the figure, his eyes bloodshot. "Yo, it''s the first time I''ve seen someone unhappy about being the main character..." Hao Jian snorted dismissively, his mocking laughter spreading through the reception venue. He then walked steadily toward Prince Kikov. It''s alright now... Seeing Hao Jian''s arrival, Shu Ya breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes, brimming with emotions, turned towards Hao Jian. "You bastard! This... This is your fabrication!" Prince Kikov''s anger was unstoppable. He swept the microphone and water glasses off the table with one hand, shouting furiously at Hao Jian, in a state that completely disregarded his image, leaving the surrounding reporters scrambling to capture his disgraceful behavior on their cameras. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, quite flustered, aren''t we?" Approaching Prince Kikov, Hao Jian sneered, his lips curling up with disdain as he sarcastically spoke, before casually taking out something resembling a remote control and pressing a button. The video on the large screen started playing again... "You... damn it... turn it off!" Seeing this, Prince Kikov''s last shred of sanity was devoured. He stepped fiercely on the chair, then vaulted over the table, landing below in an ugly stance, standing not far from Hao Jian, his face monstrously contorted. "Yo, yo, yo? What''s with the attitude? You claimed this thing was a fake of mine, so why does this fake upset our Prince Kikov so much?" Disregarding Prince Kikov''s furious glare, Hao Jian clicked his tongue twice and contemptuously said, "Are you trying to tell everyone this is real, or are you perhaps wanting to explain?" "You¡­" Overflowing with rage, Prince Kikov found himself struck by Hao Jian''s pointed remarks, his voice faltering as the reporters quickly shifted their focus to him, pens scribbling in their notepads, no doubt nothing flattering. "I don''t want to waste words with someone like you here." Hao Jian rudely interrupted Prince Kikov, laughing coldly and continuing, "Since we have journalist friends present today, let''s properly resolve this matter. As for the authenticity of this video, someone will verify it after the incident has passed." "But the main issue right now is for you to explain how you intend to settle this matter." Hao Jian played with his hand and, giving Prince Kikov a casual glance, went on to say, "In light of your illegal framing of Shu Ya Group, as a negotiation representative of Shu Ya Group, I hereby formally present you with a compensation contract clause!" With the affair blown up so big, apart from denying Prince Kikov any chance of recovery, they had to make him face a substantial sum of compensation, for once such malicious framing is discovered, the following process would almost certainly involve legal proceedings. And if it goes to court, the resulting punishment could be significantly severe. Even though Prince Kikov was a prince, having broken the law in Huaxia meant that Huaxia had the right to penalize him. Of course, if Prince Kikov still wanted to resist, then Hao Jian didn''t mind making things worse for him, making him lose even more face here. "Bastard! You despicable bastard! I will never agree to any compensation!" Hearing the word compensation, Prince Kikov burst out, stepping forward and charging toward Hao Jian, bellowing, "What right do you have to demand compensation from me?! It should be your Shu Ya Group compensating me for my losses! You''ve messed up the jewelry I ordered!" S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Prince Kikov glared hatefully at Hao Jian, his pace quickening, and his voice filled with ceaseless insults, "How can a lowly fellow like you compare to me?!" "Noisy fool!" Hao Jian cast a cold glance, watching as Kikov, whose fist was already extended to throw a punch, let out a slight snort as he quickly pivoted on the ball of his foot, spinning his body to instantly appear behind Kikov. He turned to look at Kikov, then his palm shot out abruptly, grabbing hold of Kikov''s clothes. Next, with an exertion of strength and a casual toss, he sent Kikov flying. "Thump!" As luck would have it, the direction Kikov fell was exactly where one of the large trash cans in the hall stood, a towering garbage can situated right there. In the end, Kikov found himself plummeting straight into the trash can, already brimming with garbage. "Oh? Seems like you and the trash really are fated, huh?" Seeing Kikov falling straight into the trash can, Hao Jian mocked, before turning around to address all the journalists, "Ladies and gentlemen, you''ve all seen what happened today. I believe the materials you''ve secured are sufficient. As for justice, I need not say more here, right?" "On behalf of Shu Ya Group, I declare in the name of Shu Ya Group that the video is one hundred percent real! It is certainly not fake as someone has claimed. The behavior of certain individuals after the video, everyone has seen it. What''s true and what''s false, I trust, has its own weight in your hearts." "Next, I regretfully mention a word, let''s leave it at that for today''s event. I see everyone is eager to get back, so Shu Ya Group won''t hold you any longer..." Having said that, Hao Jian gave Shu Ya a thumbs up from a short distance behind him, signaling that the matter had been taken care of. "Phew..." Shu Ya saw Hao Jian''s signal and let out a sigh of relief, then turned to the management personnel beside her and said with a smile, "Alright, this matter is now over. If there''s nothing else, you may leave early!" After that came the moment for Shu Ya to contact the judicial authorities, to pursue legal action against Kikov for his actions. "Alright!" The shareholders nodded, their hanging hearts finally relaxed. They began to pack up the materials they had brought, which, no matter how painstakingly gathered, found no use. With a helpless smile, they stuffed the materials haphazardly into their briefcases or shoulder bags. "This bastard!" Pushing aside the trash, Kikov clumsily climbed out of the garbage can, his eyes filled with venomous resentment as he looked at Hao Jian. However, he dared not make any more moves, harboring only furious roars in his heart. Hao Jian, you wait for me! See how I''ll take you down next time! After that, he intended to leave directly, but just as he took his first step, a shoelace caught mid-air, and he tugged at it unconsciously. Losing his balance, he toppled from the air straight onto the ground... "Bang!" The sound from the trash can caught Hao Jian''s attention, prompting him to shift his gaze, just in time to see Kikov''s face-planting fall. He laughed derisively at the sight and mocked Kikov, "Yo, yo, yo, isn''t that our Prince Kikov? How did you end up in a trash can? That fall is really ugly! Just like, what was it?" "Oh! I remember now, a dog eating shit! Hahaha!" Hao Jian''s words instantly drew the attention of a few remaining reporters back to the scene. When they looked over, they discovered Kikov''s embarrassing state, and their expressions turned strange. Without hesitation, they picked up their video cameras and cameras, snapping away at Kikov. "Boss..." Secretary Liu and a few others, seeing their boss being humiliated, dared not go forward to help, fearing it would bring trouble upon themselves. Now, witnessing Kikov''s disgrace, they could only worry silently. In the end, Kikov left the venue of his own press conference with a disheveled figure. However, as he departed, he still shot a venomous glare at Hao Jian. Observing the transition from a noisy crowd to silence, Hao Jian shook his head lightly, his gaze slowly sweeping across the room. It was just him and Shu Ya left, as for everyone else, they had long since left the area. Although he was not the owner of the place, he had managed to thwart Kikov''s scheme as soon as he appeared on the scene. Moreover, his overwhelming presence made it impossible not to see him as the master of the moment. Kikov''s subordinates also quietly left the venue after Kikov''s departure. With their boss gone, if they didn''t leave, they would just be waiting to get scolded, right?! ................................................................ Chapter 776 - 775: Parking Steward! "Damn it! Everything that was carefully prepared was ruined by that guy!" Back at his home, Kikov angrily smashed everything in sight, everything he could move, into pieces. All sorts of precious antique vases, all kinds of valuable paintings and calligraphy, all were completely shattered and torn by him! In just this short period of time, he had already lost nearly ten million, but to him, it was perhaps just a trifle. Yet the rage in his heart couldn''t be quenched by these things! He really hadn''t expected that the guy, who had clearly fallen hundreds of meters off a cliff, could still stand before him alive and well, as if nothing had happened! This question had lingered in his mind ever since Hao Jian appeared. At the earlier press conference, upon seeing Hao Jian, he instinctively wanted to ask why Hao Jian was there, but at the crucial moment, he quickly swallowed the question back down, preventing Hao Jian from seizing the chance to further denounce him. Even though he didn''t voice it out, the end result was not much different. He was just as humiliated by Hao Jian, left utterly disgraced and forced to flee! "Boom!" Just thinking about these things, Kikov''s anger couldn''t be contained, uncontrolled, releasing his fury, and everything around had already been ravaged over and over! "Hao Jian! I, Kikov, swear in the name of God, if I can''t kill you, I will never rest!" Kikov roared in anger, unaware that in a dark corner of his room, a pair of eyes had always been watching him. And after he finished that sentence, the owner of those eyes snorted disdainfully, although the sound was so low that even Kikov didn''t hear it. Want to kill me? It looks like you have no chance anymore... Obviously, the owner of those eyes was Hao Jian. Leaving such an enemy alive was not something Hao Jian liked. With a flip of his palm, a dagger appeared in his hand. Instantly, his figure flashed, silently appearing behind Kikov, his eyes coldly watching Kikov, then with a sweep of his hand, the sharp dagger sliced across Kikov''s neck. "Ugh ugh ugh..." His neck slashed, windpipe severed, blood flow hindered, a sudden feeling of suffocation surged, causing Kikov''s eyes to widen sharply, then his body slowly fell downwards. In the midst of falling, his body turned, and he caught a glimpse of Hao Jian, desperately wanting to reach out and grab him, but feebly unable to. "Boom!" Watching Kikov''s body hit the ground, Hao Jian''s eyes also swirled with a faint ripple, then he shook his head. Originally, he had only wanted to see what this guy would do, and if he had chosen to back down, he could have spared Kikov, although sparing him would still mean neutralizing his threat. Unexpectedly, this guy was still harboring ill intentions, still planning to continue trying to kill him. It might be better to just kill him straightaway. This way, no one would come troubling Hao Jian anymore, and it would give Hao Jian some peace. Given the numerous benefits of killing Kikov, Hao Jian had no reason not to cleanly dispose of him. After dealing with Kikov, Hao Jian calmly scanned the room, then took a cloth and placed a dagger, similar to the one in his hand, into Kikov''s hand, even dabbing a bit of Kikov''s blood on this dagger, making it appear as if the guy had committed suicide! After quickly styling Kikov''s room to look like a suicide scene, Hao Jian carefully checked for any oversights then carefully left Kikov''s room without leaving a trace, disappearing without a shadow. Perhaps until his death, Kikov couldn''t understand how Hao Jian managed to evade all his surveillance, all his guards, and then silently appeared by his side. ........................ A few days after dealing with Kikov, Hao Jian sat at home eating breakfast, watching the television talk about how Kikov, fearing the huge compensation payment to Shu Ya Group, had killed himself at home, causing many to sigh in disbelief. However, Hao Jian, knowing the truth, merely curved the corners of his mouth upward, showing a smug arch, and then lowered his head to continue eating his breakfast. Since Kikov was dealt with by Hao Jian, Shu Ya Group also lost a bothersome competitor and even took over some of Kikov Group''s properties with Hao Jian''s guidance. Those who had worked under Kikov, upon learning of his feared suicide, quickly fled Kikov''s businesses. As the saying goes, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter¡ªnothing could be truer! For Hao Jian, though dealing with Kikov resulted in losing a large sum of compensation, compared to getting rid of Kikov, Hao Jian much preferred the latter. After all, Hao Jian wasn''t short of money now, his cars were all luxury models, and his residence was impeccable. With such a life, even if Kikov''s compensation were more substantial, it would be useless to him. Wouldn''t it be better to simply take out Kikov instead? After breakfast, Hao Jian cleaned up the dishes and then grabbed his car keys, driving his sports car straight towards the Shu Ya Group. Noon was the time he and Shu Ya had planned to have lunch together, and since he had nothing else to do that morning, it provided him with a perfectly justifiable reason to enter Shu Ya''s territory and share sweet nothings in her office. However, while the imagination is beautiful, reality often falls short. Just as Hao Jian had parked his car and was walking towards the Shu Ya Group headquarters, a man in an expensive suit, driving a Porsche, suddenly stopped him. "Here, park this car for me!" The man arrogantly tossed several big pink banknotes on Hao Jian, commanding haughtily, "Hurry up, parking boy, I''m in a rush!" Seeing Hao Jian''s clothing, which was worth only a few hundred dollars, the man assumed Hao Jian was the Parking Steward specifically assigned to the Shu Ya Group''s parking lot. Since his own parking skills were poor, having struggled to park for quite a while without success, the appearance of Hao Jian seemed too good an opportunity to pass up. "I am not the Parking Steward." Hao Jian glanced indifferently at the man and blatantly ignored the money in his hand, then scoffed and took a step forward, intending to pass by the man and head to the Shu Ya Group building. Just as Hao Jian was about to move forward, the man in the luxurious suit, upon hearing that Hao Jian was not the Parking Steward, didn''t change his expression. Instead, he took out more red banknotes and threw them at Hao Jian before saying, "It doesn''t matter if you''re not the Parking Steward, as long as you park my car, there''s a thousand bucks in it for you!" "So you think you''re rich, huh?" Looking at his landlord-like attitude, Hao Jian just sneered and said, "I''ll show you right now what it means to be rich!" With that, Hao Jian moved swiftly, lifted his foot, and kicked straight at the Porsche''s front. "Bang!" A loud crash was heard as the Porsche''s front end, originally sleek in design, instantly crumpled under Hao Jian''s kick, turning into a heap of scrap metal. "Bastard! What are you doing?!" The man in the suit, witnessing Hao Jian''s unorthodox approach, was momentarily stunned. By the time he regained his senses, he saw Hao Jian walking towards the Shu Ya Group building while his own car was wrecked. "Stop right there!" With rage etched on his face at his luxury car being destroyed by the "bastard", he hurriedly followed and intercepted Hao Jian, bellowing, "You pauper, you wreck my car and think you can just walk away?!" "Move aside." Hao Jian, halted by the man, said indifferently. "Fuck your mother!" The suit man, unable to contain his anger, raised his fist and landed a punch directly on Hao Jian''s face, his furious roar echoing across the area. "If you don''t pay me today, you''re not leaving! You lowlife, lowbred scum! Dog bastard!" "What did you say?" Standing still, as the suit man''s sentence fell, Hao Jian''s expression darkened suddenly; a low voice carrying a faint killing intent emerged from him. "Bang!" Casually seizing the swinging fist of the suit man, Hao Jian exerted a slight pressure, and twisted the man''s hand around, causing his arm to twist unnaturally. "Ah! Let go! Dog bastard! Let go! Someone of my status is not someone you can lay your hands on!" Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The suit man''s face turned livid, the intense pain shooting through his arm piercing his soul. Perhaps too accustomed to arrogance, even in this disadvantageous position, he refused to bow his so-called proud head, continuing to hurl insults at Hao Jian, voicing one offensive remark after another. Hearing these words only made Hao Jian''s expression grow colder. At a certain moment, he abruptly lifted a foot and kicked the suit man''s back, sending him flying with the force of the kick... Chapter 777 - 776: Stop Messing Around! "Can''t be bothered to argue with a mad dog like you." After kicking the suited man flying away, Hao Jian let out a cold chuckle, then stepped over his body and walked toward the Shu Ya Group building, no longer paying any attention to this person. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Upon reaching the upstairs, outside Shu Ya''s office, Hao Jian saw her dealing with work inside through the glass. He chuckled lightly at the sight of her, then pushed open the door and walked in. "Ah? Hao Jian, what brings you here?" The sound of the door being opened attracted Shu Ya''s attention, and as she looked up and saw the familiar face, she called out in surprise. "Can''t I come over to see you if there''s no problem?" With a light laugh, Hao Jian then closed the door behind him, walked over to a sofa, sat down, and crossed his legs, signaling Shu Ya to continue with her work. "Then wait for me to finish up first." Shaking her head, Shu Ya immediately buried herself back in her work. "Creak..." But as Shu Ya continued working, her office door was pushed open again. Yet before she could look up to see who it was, a voice filled with both shock and anger rang out. "You?! Why is it you?!" "Yo ho? Birds of a feather flock together, huh!" Hao Jian was also drawn by this voice. He looked up and upon seeing the slightly disheveled appearance of the newcomer, Hao Jian let out a cold chuckle and said. "Caonima! I''m going to take you down right now!" The one who had entered was none other than the suited man who had his car hood kicked in by Hao Jian downstairs and who had argued with Hao Jian. Seeing this guy after entering the door, the suited man was surprised and angry, but also a bit fearful. However, thinking of whose office this was, he felt somewhat emboldened. "Jiajun! Don''t make a scene!" Seeing this guy seemed to have some conflict with Hao Jian, Shu Ya immediately scolded him. However, her scolding had the opposite effect. "Don''t think I won''t make a scene just because this is the CEO''s office!" The suited man called Jiajun, upon hearing Shu Ya''s scolding, did not stop. Instead, he stepped forward and threw a punch toward Hao Jian... "A leopard can''t change its spots..." Seeing that the guy hadn''t learned his lesson and still wanted to fight, Hao Jian shook his head helplessly and then looked toward Shu Ya, shrugging his shoulders to indicate this was not his intent. While he wasn''t clear about the man''s relation to Shu Ya, the fact that this guy was unaware of his own status suggested that his importance in Shu Ya''s eyes wasn''t great. Shaking his head inwardly, he watched as the man''s fist came at him. With a cold laugh, the teacup in Hao Jian''s hand disappeared at a certain moment, followed by a faint whizzing sound, and then the noise of an object making contact... "Bang!" In a flash, the suited man''s face paled, then turned the color of soy sauce. He could only clutch his right hand, where a vivid purple hue stood out prominently. Clearly, the teacup Hao Jian had thrown had struck the suited man''s outstretched fist, and it seemed Hao Jian hadn''t held back at all. The suited man toughed it out, enduring the pain without screaming. "Sis, you saw what he did to me!" However, in the next moment, the suited man''s words left Hao Jian wide-eyed and flabbergasted. Sis?! Fuck! How did I never know Shu Ya had a brother like this?! How could someone like this be Shu Ya''s brother?! "As for this kind of employee, if it were me, sis, I would have him fired immediately!" With the suited man''s subsequent words, Hao Jian realized what the guy''s true intentions were. But was this guy really an idiot? Hao Jian, treating him like an idiot, didn''t hide his disdainful gaze as it fell on the suited man. He sneered inwardly but said nothing. Even if you''re Shu Ya''s brother, with that attitude, I''d still hit you, don''t think I wouldn''t dare. Clearly, Luo Jiajun only saw Hao Jian as a regular employee working under Shu Ya. In his view, getting Shu Ya to fire an insignificant Hao Jian was a piece of cake. However, what followed from Shu Ya was unexpected to him. "Jiajun, that''s enough!" Seeing her own cousin unable to judge the situation appropriately, Shu Ya''s face also slightly contorted, not only because Hao Jian was her man but also since he was the real power behind Shu Ya Group. Just based on that, she had no authority to fire him. And now, her cousin actually expected her to fire her own man and the man behind the company, which, in Shu Ya''s eyes, was just like a clown. "Shu Ya, it seems necessary to explain a bit." Hao Jian shook his head, resignedly starting to speak. "He''s my cousin, Luo Jiajun..." Upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, Shu Ya realized that perhaps Hao Jian didn''t know the identity of the man in the suit, immediately feeling somewhat helpless as she clarified. And with Shu Ya''s introduction, Hao Jian could only bitterly smile for a moment, originally thinking this guy was Shu Ya''s blood brother¡ªso he was just a cousin, huh? No wonder their temperaments were so different. "Jiajun! You still haven''t apologized to your brother-in-law!" Right after introducing Luo Jiajun to Hao Jian, Shu Ya turned her head towards Luo Jiajun and scolded him, "If you don''t apologize, I think it''s necessary for me to have a talk with your dad!" Shu Ya was extremely angry about this matter. If she had known these two were coming to her place, she would have given them a proper introduction in private. Now she could only hope that Luo Jiajun would be obedient, considering Hao Jian''s status wasn''t something he could afford to provoke. But thinking about this, Shu Ya began to worry. She had heard her cousin was exceedingly arrogant and tyrannical back home, paying no regard to anyone except for his father, who could rein him in. No one else had that capability. "He... he''s my cousin-in-law?!" Shocked by Shu Ya''s introduction, Luo Jiajun stared at Hao Jian in amazement. Seeing Luo Jiajun''s expression, Shu Ya emphasized again, "Yes, your cousin-in-law!" "This poor-looking guy is my brother-in-law?!" Contrary to Shu Ya''s expectations, Luo Jiajun didn''t show any respect for Hao Jian; looking at Hao Jian''s clothes that were worth a few hundred yuan, he sneered, "The tricks this guy has, can only deceive my cousin. How could someone like him match my cousin''s status?!" "Jiajun! Do you know how to speak to people?!" To Shu Ya''s utter disbelief, Luo Jiajun continued to speak such words. She immediately yelled at him with an angry face, scolding, "He''s your brother-in-law! Disrespecting him is disrespecting me!" "Heh, sis, this guy just kicked my Porsche and burst the car''s head downstairs. Just the repair cost alone is nearly seven to eight hundred thousand yuan. You tell me, is the man you fancy capable of paying for that?!" Luo Jiajun sneered, his eyes full of arrogance and disdain sweeping across Hao Jian unabashedly. As for his words and actions, Hao Jian just faintly smiled, clearly unconcerned. However, Shu Ya, who knew Hao Jian''s personality well, knew he was only keeping his cool because of her; otherwise, Luo Jiajun might not have been able to walk out the door today. Hao Jian was someone who feared nothing and no one! Moreover, even Luo Jiajun''s family''s power couldn''t stand against Hao Jian! "Isn''t it just a Porsche? Buy a new one!" Hao Jian said with a light smile. "Hmph! Buy a new one?! Can you even afford it?!" Luo Jiajun sneered, still looking down on Hao Jian. With Hao Jian''s rustic appearance, his financial power was at best a few hundred thousand yuan. To buy a new Porsche worth five to six million yuan was nothing but a pipe dream, let alone repurchasing one with his own money. "Jiajun! Get out!" As Luo Jiajun continued to challenge Shu Ya''s limits, she, infuriated by her cousin, could only tell him to get out of her office to cool down. "Hmph! I don''t have the patience to stay here with this guy. It just makes me disappointed to hear you talk to me like this over such a pretty boy, sis." "You..." Shu Ya''s face darkened as she grew more impatient with Luo Jiajun''s successive provocations. Resentfully staring at Hao Jian, Luo Jiajun had always believed that Hao Jian was nothing but a pretty boy living off Shu Ya. Without any restraint or face-saving for Hao Jian, he spoke again with a cold sneer and disdain, "A pretty boy relying on my sis, truly disgusting!" "Sis, I would advise you to cut ties with this guy as soon as possible. It''s for your own good, or else, you might end up losing everything!" "Get out!" With Luo Jiajun''s words, Shu Ya''s tolerance finally shattered, and she bellowed, her voice trembling. "Sis!" "Get out!" Shu Ya roared! "Fine! Fine! Fine! I''m leaving!" Not expecting Shu Ya to stand up for a pretty boy in his eyes, Luo Jiajun immediately said ''fine'' three times with cold laughter. Then, after letting out a cold snort and with a look of resentment and anger lingering on Hao Jian for a while, he strode to the office door and left the place................................. Chapter 778 - 777: Take a Look at the Past? Time flew, and soon it was noon. Regarding Luo Jiajun''s matter, Hao Jian wasn''t very concerned, and seeing Hao Jian like this, Shu Ya also sighed in relief, truly afraid that Hao Jian would become furious because of Luo Jiajun''s situation. Linking arms with Hao Jian, Shu Ya and he entered a Western restaurant, a rather famous one in Hua City and even the surrounding cities. It was said that this restaurant had many chain locations. Shu Ya had never had the chance to dine there before, and now that she had the opportunity, she naturally wanted to go and have a meal. After they sat down, Hao Jian and Shu Ya ordered a medium-rare and a medium steak respectively and asked for two glasses of wine before dismissing the waiter. For Hao Jian, eating out wasn''t something he focused on. As long as the food could fill his stomach and tasted good, it was enough for him. He certainly wasn''t the type to chase exotic delicacies just for the taste. Since preparing the steaks took quite a while, the two of them started to chat. "Fuck!" While they were talking and laughing, some noise suddenly came from a table not far from them. Curious, they shifted their gaze over and immediately saw a middle-aged fatty and a pretty woman arguing. Eventually, the middle-aged man angrily slammed the table and then, with a thunderous expression, pointed at the woman accusingly, muttered a few insulting words under his breath, and left without dragging it out. Once the middle-aged man had left, Hao Jian shifted his gaze away, looking at the woman left at the table, who was quietly sobbing. His face immediately showed a puzzled expression; he felt like he recognized this woman. Hao Jian voiced his doubts then and there, and hearing Hao Jian''s uncertainty, Shu Ya shifted her gaze as well, blinked in surprise, and hesitantly said, "Doesn''t this woman look a bit like Xiao Qiang?" "Xiao Qiang? Should we go have a look?" Hao Jian suddenly frowned and suggested. "Yeah, you go..." After hesitating for a moment, Shu Ya nodded. Xiao Qiang was her rival in love, after all. Going over now would inevitably be awkward, so she let Hao Jian go by himself. Hao Jian nodded, clearly understanding what Shu Ya was thinking; she didn''t want to make Xiao Qiang feel uncomfortable. "Xiao Qiang..." As Hao Jian approached Xiao Qiang, Shu Ya gave a small smile and greeted her. "Hao Jian, it''s you..." When Hao Jian approached, Xiao Qiang had already stopped sobbing and, hearing someone calling her, looked up to see Hao Jian''s figure, and greeted him with a slightly reserved tone. Looking at Xiao Qiang, who now appeared much more haggard than before, Shu Ya felt somewhat sentimental from a distance. Being a woman starting a business on her own was truly not easy, especially since not everyone started off with a solid foundation like she did. Meanwhile, Hao Jian, standing beside Shu Ya, also smiled and asked, "I saw you arguing with that fatty just now. Did something happen?" "This..." Hearing this, Xiao Qiang hesitated, her eyes flicking uncertainly towards Shu Ya in the distance. Seeing her reaction, Shu Ya immediately understood and stood up, walking to the side while passing by Hao Jian, adding, "I''m going to the restroom." As Shu Ya spoke, she turned and walked towards the restroom of the restaurant. Seeing her leave, Hao Jian gave a helpless, wry smile. "Tell me, what''s the reason? If possible, I might be able to help you." Hao Jian shook his head and asked softly. "This... Alright..." After Shu Ya left, Xiao Qiang felt a lot more relieved and then began, "Since leaving Shu Ya Group, I''ve been thinking of creating my own big business, something to rival Shu Ya Group..." As Xiao Qiang recounted her story, Hao Jian finally understood why she had argued with the middle-aged fatty. Since leaving Shu Ya Group, Xiao Qiang had been running her own company with all her savings, and the business was doing quite well, something Hao Jian was aware of. Gradually, her business had grown larger, and naturally, it attracted some unwanted attention. Recently, her company faced a significant issue in their business operations, leading to a substantial financial loss. Somehow, evidence of her tax evasion had ended up in the middle-aged man''s hands, and she had no idea how. Since the middle-aged man had gotten hold of her tax evasion evidence, he had been pressuring Xiao Qiang, demanding that she sleep with him. She had been making excuses to stave him off, but recently, the middle-aged man had become more impatient, even arguing with her several times, and just now, he threatened her, warning that if she didn''t comply this time, he would expose her tax evasion evidence to the media, potentially landing her in prison. "So that''s how it is..." After listening to Xiao Qiang''s words, Hao Jian gradually got the gist of it and shook his head, saying, "I''ll take care of this for you. After all, no matter what you say, I don''t quite agree with Fatty''s methods. You just go back and wait for the news." Originally, he thought it was some serious issue, but it turned out to be such a melodramatic coercion. Hao Jian had seen plenty of these incidents; how could Xiao Qiang not be targeted? She was a stunning beauty and so capable in business; it would actually be strange if she weren''t noticed. Since he had encountered the situation, he might as well handle it. After all, Xiao Qiang had taken care of him when he was at the group, and they had also shared some ambiguous relations. His body had just recovered recently, and he hadn''t exercised his muscles and bones for a long time. This was also an opportunity to test whether his undercover skills had regressed. "This..." At these words, Xiao Qiang was momentarily stunned by Hao Jian''s speech and was just about to refuse when Hao Jian cut her off with a sentence. "You don''t need to worry about this matter, leave it to me! Consider it as a favor for your previous contributions to the Shu Ya Group..." With that, Xiao Qiang left the restaurant with a heart full of anticipation. Soon after Xiao Qiang had left, Shu Ya walked up from behind Hao Jian, looked at the now empty seat with a slight smile, and said, "How did it go?" "It''s handled!" Hao Jian smiled and then recounted Xiao Qiang''s situation to Shu Ya in great detail. After listening, Shu Ya couldn''t help but remark, "I hadn''t expected her to uncover so much." S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You would think, not everyone was born with a silver spoon like you," Hao Jian laughed. "Alright, let''s go back to have dinner." After that, Hao Jian walked back to his seat, and the server had already served all the dishes. This guy... Shu Ya secretly stuck out her tongue at Hao Jian for interrupting her musings. However, seeing the food on the table made her start eating. After lunch, Hao Jian drove Shu Ya back to the company, and he returned to his own home, preparing the things needed for his undercover operation that night. Since he had promised Xiao Qiang, he wanted to handle this matter neatly. From Xiao Qiang''s words, Hao Jian concluded that Fatty''s patience had been worn thin by Xiao Qiang. Tonight, after Xiao Qiang''s refusal, Fatty was definitely going to lose patience. If he couldn''t hold back, he would likely reveal all of Xiao Qiang''s evidence, and Hao Jian''s task was to destroy all this evidence. He just hoped that Xiao Qiang wouldn''t leave such handles for others to grab hold of in the future. Hao Jian sighed helplessly and, driving his car, returned home. Late at night... "Whoosh!" Dressed in night gear and with only his eyes visible, Hao Jian smoothly found the residence of Fatty, according to the address Xiao Qiang had given him. Xiao Qiang had thoroughly investigated Fatty, who owned a villa in the suburbs, a place for keeping his mistress aside from his own home. According to Xiao Qiang, Fatty often brought his mistress to this villa, and there was a high chance that Fatty would come here to see his mistress tonight after being rejected by Xiao Qiang at noon. Seeing the brightly lit villa and the unabashed movement of two figures by the window, Hao Jian''s mouth slowly curved into a smile. Xiao Qiang''s prediction was indeed accurate; Fatty had come to the villa. Merging his form with the shadows, Hao Jian stealthily infiltrated the villa. The villa was large, covering an area of about six hundred square meters, filled with all sorts of expensive plants, which helped Hao Jian sneak inside smoothly. Initially, Hao Jian was surprised to find no security inside the villa, but then he realized that this was Fatty''s place for keeping his mistress. How could he possibly allow others here? Touching his toes to the ground and sweeping past some branches, Hao Jian smoothly reached the second floor of the villa. Before landing, he quickly put on shoe covers to hide any traces and then quietly made his way to the villa''s study. If the information was likely to be in the study, while searching, Hao Jian listened to the continuous moans coming from the room next door. With his familiarity with such matters, he knew that the woman''s moans were largely feigned. Clearly, the woman was just trying to please Fatty... ... Chapter 779 - 778 Have You Thought It Over? "Rip, rip..." A stack of A4 paper was torn into shreds by Hao Jian, then thrown into a prepared iron barrel to be burnt to a crisp. After watching all the documents be destroyed, Hao Jian reached for a camcorder, looking at it with corners of his mouth slowly curling into a smile, he then turned and walked back into the house. In that camcorder, was the video of the Fatty middle-aged man and his mistress in the throes of passion, which was also the most crucial means at hand. Now that the key evidence regarding Xiao Qiang''s future had been destroyed by Hao Jian, along with Fatty middle-aged man''s computer having been hacked by Hao Jian, all that remained was to deal with the Fatty middle-aged man, and Xiao Qiang would be truly free. ................................... Early the next morning, Xiao Qiang was preparing to head out to deal with some company affairs. Just as she had finished dressing and was about to leave, her phone rang. "Who could be calling so early in the morning?" But as soon as she picked up the phone and saw the number displayed, her eyebrows knitted tightly together, her fingers trembling on the screen, internally debating whether to answer the call or not¡­ Sigh, never mind, hopefully, as Hao Jian said, he can handle this matter! Having made up her mind, Xiao Qiang pressed the answer button, and as expected, the familiar yet disgusting voice came through. "Miss Xiao, have you made up your mind?" The voice tried to sound gentlemanly, but no matter how much a wild boar disguises itself, it can never become an elephant. "No, I haven''t." Xiao Qiang refused the Fatty middle-aged man''s suggestion without hesitation, straightforward without any dragging. "Aren''t you afraid that those things will be exposed, Miss Xiao? If so, you may have to spend the rest of your life in prison." Clearly, after Xiao Qiang''s rejection, the Fatty middle-aged man''s words became heavier and the tone of threat was unmistakable. Can''t he hold back anymore so soon? Xiao Qiang snickered. The old fox''s tail was really not hidden well anymore and he was becoming more impatient. But just if Hao Jian hadn''t resolved this matter, perhaps a firm refusal this time might really lead to an exposure, and her inevitable prison disaster. Hoping that Hao Jian truly had taken care of it... The worries in Xiao Qiang''s heart grew stronger. Though Fatty middle-aged man''s coercion played a part, the psychological pressure was not any less significant. As for Hao Jian, he didn''t have the habit of telling others about unfinished business. He liked to wrap things up neatly and then casually mention that he had taken care of the matter. So after destroying all the evidence, Hao Jian didn''t tell Xiao Qiang. He hoped to expose the contents of the video first, leaving the Fatty middle-aged man with no way out, then share the good news with Xiao Qiang. "Sorry, but I really have my doubts about your evidence." S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Xiao Qiang said coldly with a laugh, and then she hung up the phone without giving the Fatty middle-aged man any chance at all, as she didn''t want to hear his disgusting voice anymore. On the other end of the phone, the Fatty middle-aged man stared blankly at his phone that had just been hung up, the screen still glowing, completely taken aback. Ever since he got his hands on evidence of Xiao Qiang''s tax evasion, except for hanging up the first time thinking it was a prank call, he had never dared to hang up his phone again. Yet today, that girl had outright hung up on him?! Xiao Qiang, right?! Don''t think just because you have a good figure and pretty face I''ll indulge you. I want to see if you will come crying to me, begging me to sleep with you after I release those things! The Fatty middle-aged man, extremely annoyed at Xiao Qiang for hanging up on him, his eyes emitted a fierce light. Looking at his mistress still sleeping in bed, he soon got dressed and drove away from the villa. If you don''t agree to my terms, then I''ll just have to do things my way. I hope you don''t blame me for not showing mercy! What a pity for such a beautiful girl... Fatty, a middle-aged man, was driving his car when a smirk began to curl up at the corner of his mouth. Inside his phone were the pieces of evidence on Xiao Qiang''s tax evasion. "Hello, Old Liu? Yes, yes, you got it, there''s major news. Send someone over." "Zhang, Fatty Brother has a good opportunity here, come over with your gear quickly, the address is at Lin Bo Garment Design Co., Ltd." "..." Fatty made one call after another, and all the people he reached out to shared one common trait¡ªthey were all reporters, big and small. Clearly, Fatty planned to disclose Xiao Qiang''s evidence of tax evasion in front of these reporters. Xiao Qiang had completely exhausted his patience that morning. Cheng Bo was the middle-aged man''s name, and although the company shared the character for ''Bo,'' it wasn''t his company; he was merely a figurehead CEO. As for who owned the shares, that was Cheng Bo''s wife, the real shareholder of the company. Cheng Bo had also risen to his current social status by riding on his wife''s coattails, essentially being a kept man. Upon arriving at the company entrance, a large group of reporters, hurried over at Cheng Bo''s call. Most of them were aware of Cheng Bo''s scandals, but with no choice ¨C after all, who wouldn''t want a good wife? So even if some found Cheng Bo distasteful, they mostly dared only to complain about him privately. "Husband, what''s the meaning of calling so many people to our company first thing in the morning?" While Cheng Bo was busy greeting the reporters, a voice caused him to shudder, then he forced a smile and turned to look at the woman who was almost as large as he was, smiling and saying, "Isn''t it to eliminate a competitor for our company?" "I tell you, I''ve got the dirt on that clothing company run by Xiao Qiang. Now, as long as I release this dirt, her company will face closure. After that, we just need to spend a little money to acquire it, isn''t that perfect?" Cheng Bo whispered to his wife, moving closer to her. "Is that so?!" Upon hearing this, Cheng Bo''s wife was overjoyed, and then she smacked him hard on the head, sending shivers down his spine, yet he dared not express his discomfort knowing the dire consequences if he did. At the very least, he''d encounter problems with his livelihood, and then any mistress would be out of the question for him. "Just you wait and see!" As more and more reporters arrived, Cheng Bo said hello and left. He then quickly found the staff managing the big screen on top of the building and handed them his phone, instructing them to play the folder containing the evidence of Xiao Qiang''s tax evasion. After giving his instructions, Cheng Bo hurriedly went back to the company gate because while he was orchestrating things, he received a message from an employee saying that police from the police station were also coming. The arrival of these police was like a godsend to him, as it meant that with sufficient evidence, they could arrest Xiao Qiang. Then, he could rightfully witness Xiao Qiang''s regret for not surrendering herself to him and for ending up in jail. "Ah, Comrade Police, you''ve finally arrived..." As he approached the gate, Cheng Bo saw several figures in police uniforms and his face brightened up. His obsequious tone echoed out of his mouth. If it had been before, Cheng Bo would have shown no interest in these police officers, but today he needed their help for a major issue, so the attitude had to be there. Otherwise, who knows whether these folks might slack off on the arrest of Xiao Qiang because of him? He might not fully understand Xiao Qiang''s network of connections, but he knew that there were many in the police force who had good relations with Xiao Qiang. If they were too late and those people got wind of the situation, Xiao Qiang''s prison sentence might end up being much lighter than desired. And that was not what he wanted to see. He wanted to see Xiao Qiang''s regret for rejecting him and thereby suffering the consequences of imprisonment. "Sure, it''s our duty!" One of the police officers, who seemed to be the leader, nodded at Cheng Bo and then, with an impassive face, led two subordinates into the company. However, when he looked up and his face was revealed by the rim of his police hat, this police officer dressed in a uniform turned out to be Hao Jian! As they entered, Cheng Bo, with a face full of smiles, saw the disguised Hao Jian and the police officers inside. Once done, his face turned stern, and he couldn''t help but curse inwardly. He had never shown a good face to those who disrespected him, especially now with so many reporters nearby. He couldn''t lose his composure, after all, he was the representative figure of the company''s public image. After entering Cheng Bo''s company, Hao Jian, dressed in a police uniform, exchanged glances with two real police officers, then smiled and the three of them found a place to sit. Hao Jian came to get a good look at Cheng Bo''s disgraceful behavior, to capture it on camera to later show Xiao Qiang... Chapter 780 - 779: Hes Just Scum! As for the two police officers by his side, they were there to help as requested; however, they were mostly there as witnesses, also as a precaution in case Cheng Bo decided to flee upon realizing that the situation was unfavorable. Of course, if Cheng Bo had no intention of fleeing, Hao Jian wouldn''t mind doing him a favor. This favor, however, would ultimately make his future more embarrassing and even unbearable¡ªand this was the very punishment Hao Jian intended to give Cheng Bo. With Hao Jian''s connections at the upper echelons of Hua City, getting two police officers assigned to his side temporarily was fairly easy, especially since they were on a mission, albeit one that followed Hao Jian''s orders. This time, Hao Jian had meticulously planned everything first by tampering with Cheng Bo''s phone, destroying all data related to Xiao Qiang, and then remotely installing the video and photos he took the night before. Once those managing the big screen connected the phone with a data cable, the virus program Hao Jian installed in the phone would hack into their company''s entire system and display those videos and photos for all to see. By then, many people would probably condemn Cheng Bo. Just waiting for the moment when he and the two police officers could escort Cheng Bo out and then leave him somewhere, Hao Jian believed that with the remaining tactics he had, Cheng Bo would survive; as long as he survived, he could proceed with the next phase of Hao Jian''s plan. "Ahem!" Everything was ready, and almost everyone had arrived, including the police. Cheng Bo no longer felt the need to procrastinate, so he walked directly to the open area beneath the big screen, coughed softly into the microphone a few times, and gradually, the noisy environment quieted down. Seeing this, Cheng Bo secretly nodded in satisfaction, took the microphone, and said, "I believe many of you are wondering why I suddenly called you here today. Some may already know what I am about to say, but I have not revealed the most important piece of evidence yet." "Yeah! What did you call us here for?!" "Fat Bo, I''m telling you, if this isn''t some major news, you can forget about me answering your calls next time." "Fat Bo..." The words of Cheng Bo triggered a chain reaction; those unaware of the details began clamoring, some even demanding answers or pressuring Cheng Bo, while those roughly aware of the details looked at Cheng Bo with a flickering gaze, their palms shaking with cameras and microphones. Because this was to be the biggest news they had received recently¡ªif all went well, the bonus alone would be worth a month''s salary for them, not to mention the potential fame in Hua City and surrounding cities. Of course, all of this was predicated on everything going smoothly... "I understand your eagerness, and I share it. I too am eager to expose the ugly face of this company!" Cheng Bo briefly introduced some groundless matters about Xiao Qiang''s company and outlined the general methods of tax evasion used by Xiao Qiang, then tried to say more to sustain his presence. However, even the eager journalists were losing patience. At that moment, he could only utter the one sentence that invigorated all the journalists present. "Please look at the big screen! Soon, it will display all the evidence I''ve mentioned!" After this sentence, the big screen suddenly lit up. As it powered on, everyone''s gaze was fixed on the screen, and all the journalists had their cameras angled just right, waiting to catch the breaking news. Meanwhile, Hao Jian, who had blended into the crowd, was lounging comfortably under the shade of a tree, chatting with two police officers. He casually glanced at the progress of the screen powering up and then looked away, knowing what was about to unfold. "Gentlemen, after this show, there might be a place where I need your help, or perhaps not," Hao Jian said to the two police officers with a slight smile. "Sir, the chief has instructed us to follow your lead as part of our duty," replied one of the policemen, briefly startled by Hao Jian''s statement before waving it off as if it didn''t matter much. "Wow!" As they were chatting, a sudden uproar made the three men glance sideways. Hao Jian, still smiling, turned his head and saw a group of reporters, shocked into silence, and Cheng Bo standing on the open ground, his face pale and drained of color. "Bastard!" Just then, amidst the confused flurry of the photographers, a furious roar erupted from the crowd. Almost instantly, a woman of the same physique as Cheng Bo stepped forward with heavy steps. She walked up to Cheng Bo and swung her large, sack-like fists straight at Cheng Bo''s greasy face. "I gave you so much money, just for you to keep a mistress?!" This person was, of course, Cheng Bo''s wife, Fengxiu. She looked extremely angry at the moment, her fists pounding Cheng Bo one after another. Despite Cheng Bo''s size, he couldn''t withstand her punches. "Crack! Crack!" As the scene heated up, the reporters Cheng Bo had invited suddenly became as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline. Each one, carrying their filming equipment, captured every detail of the fight and everything projected on the big screen. Some were even frantically calling their newspapers or TV stations. "Chief Editor! Huge news! Huge news!" "The boss of Lin Bo Garment Design Co., Ltd. and his wife are fighting in front of everyone!" "Yes, yes, this Cheng Bo has been taking his wife''s money to keep a mistress! And now he''s even released a video of him and his mistress getting intimate!" "Boss, I can predict that this news release will cause a huge sensation!" Different reporters, regardless of whom they were calling at headquarters, looked excited, almost eager to rush back and hand over the material they got to their editorial teams. "Get out! I''m divorcing you right now! Leave immediately!" Fengxiu''s plump face was red with anger, trembling as she grabbed the dazed Cheng Bo she had been beating, and with all her might, she threw him out of the building. He ended up falling onto the main road outside the company''s entrance, nearly being run over by passing vehicles. "Well then, the show is over." Seeing Cheng Bo being thrown out by Fengxiu, Hao Jian shook his head, then turned to the two police officers beside him and said, "It looks like we are no longer needed here, Cheng Bo can make his own escape, we can withdraw now!" "We thank you two for your help today. Next time, I''ll make sure the chief brings you two over for a meal at my place!" "Haha, we''ll take up Mr. Hao Jian on that!" The invitation from Hao Jian was not declined by the two officers. Although they were just ordinary members of the police force, they were confidants of the chief and were well aware of Hao Jian''s reputation. The chance to dine with such a figure was not something to be refused by anyone with sense. "Then, gentlemen, we will take our leave." Seeing there was nothing more for them here, the two police officers decided to leave, but Hao Jian, recalling something, quickly stopped them, then swiftly took off the police uniform he was wearing, and throwing it to one of them, he laughed and said, "Alright, we can return this uniform we borrowed from the chief." After they nodded, the two police officers got into the patrol car and left the scene. Although the journalists found the arrival of these two police officers a bit strange, they were now distracted by bigger news and naturally did not bother about it any longer. After adjusting his clothes a bit, Hao Jian shook his head; indeed, he was more comfortable in his usual attire. After sorting himself out, Hao Jian was ready to leave. He glanced at Fengxiu, who was crying amidst the crowd, shook his head slightly, then looked at Cheng Bo, who had disappeared after being thrown out, his lips slowly curling up in a sly smile. Although it was unexpected that Fengxiu would help Cheng Bo escape the journalists'' claws, Hao Jian had intended to do the same, albeit for different reasons. Fengxiu did it as a final gesture of goodwill, while Hao Jian did it to make Cheng Bo''s future even more miserable. "What a scumbag... How could someone use his own wife''s money to support a mistress? This man is truly useless!" sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian walked slowly towards the door, while several reporters couldn''t wait to return to their headquarters to process their material. As they passed by, many were criticizing Cheng Bo. Hearing this, Hao Jian''s smile grew even wider. This was exactly the effect he wanted! Chapter 781 - 780 Opportunity is Here! "Xiao Qiang, damn it, this must be your doing!" Having fled the company, Cheng Bo, clutching his face, glowered as he limped toward his private villa. The private villa was specifically the one Cheng Bo kept for his mistress. Originally, he had wanted to take a taxi, but it turned out that his cards had been frozen, including his bank cards, thus he had no choice but to walk back. Luckily, the company was only about ten kilometers away from the private villa, a distance he believed he could endure. "You fat cow, I''ll remember this beating you gave me!" Recalling the beating he had just taken from Fengxiu, Cheng Bo''s face turned even darker with rage, but he didn''t realize that the only reason he hadn''t been stopped by reporters for questioning was because of his wife''s intervention, a pity since he was already blinded by anger. "And you, Xiao Qiang, I''ll remember you too! I must find a way to catch you and send you abroad to work as a prostitute! Let''s see how your pride holds up then!" The more Cheng Bo thought, the more vicious his expression became, as if these things were certain to happen. "I will make those who look down on me suffer a fate worse than death!" Returning to the villa, the mistress saw Cheng Bo''s injured, pathetic state in a fit of rage and immediately clammed up, not wanting to provoke bad luck. In such a state, Cheng Bo had no time to spare for the little seductress who usually left him weak in the knees. Instead, he went straight to his study and, after rummaging around for a while, retrieved an ordinary bank card from a dark corner. Looking at the bank card, Cheng Bo sneered to himself, "Really thought that without the company, I''d be helpless? Really thought I was some clueless pretty boy?!" "The two million on this card is enough to make my comeback!" "Dudu dudu..." Just as Cheng Bo was planning to deal with his injuries first, his phone rang. "Hello?" Answering the call out of habit, Cheng Bo spoke with a puzzled tone. "Is this President Cheng from Lin Bo Garment Design Co., Ltd.?" "Yes, that''s me, what''s the matter?" People who could identify him over the phone weren''t likely to be prank callers, and so Cheng Bo nodded, even though he wasn''t technically part of the company anymore. But he was proud and needed a relevant title when someone sought him out, right? "Well, I have a rather large business deal and would like to discuss it with President Cheng. Do you have some time available?" "What kind of business is it?" Cheng Bo had encountered these situations often, and even if he was available, he would consider the value of the deal¡ªsmall figures weren''t worth his attention. "I''m looking to place a custom order for a batch of garments with your company, worth about four million. Would you be available, President Cheng?" On the other end of the phone, there was no surprise at Cheng Bo''s response; after all, he was a businessman, and businessmen value profit above all. Profit came in all sizes, and one also had to consider the businessman''s assets¡ªit was impractical for a billionaire to entertain a deal worth only a few hundred thousand. "Available! Of course, I''m available!" A business deal worth four million was not something even he, as a former company president, could ignore, let alone now that he was thrown out and without a stable job! Little did he expect his luck to be this good; he had barely fallen from power before an opportunity for a comeback presented itself! Cheng Bo''s face beamed with joy. After asking where to meet, he laughed and hung up the phone, not believing that just a few hours had passed and his opportunity had arrived. Even though he had just over two million, it wasn''t enough to handle such a deal. If the deal really came through, he''d have to seek out some acquaintances to borrow money; otherwise, his funds wouldn''t suffice to set up another company. He hurriedly tended to his wounds, took a shower, and then quickly donned a smart suit, preparing to leave. While the suit was expensive, it looked rather odd on Cheng Bo, especially the bulging beer belly that strained the buttons of the shirt, suggesting they might pop off at any moment. Just like that, even his mistress was unaware of Cheng Bo''s current situation. Therefore, before Cheng Bo left the house, she deliberately kissed him on the forehead. But who knows if the mistress would remain as submissive to Cheng Bo as she was now once she found out about all his affairs? Perhaps she would do exactly as the TV dramas depict, taking away all the valuables from the villa and then moving on to find her next target, becoming another man''s mistress. Cheng Bo was well aware of this, but he still wanted to wait for a chance to rise again. For now, at least, the mistress was still around for him to vent. "Heh, so gullible..." Hao Jian slowly put away his phone, his lips curling into a cold smile, then he picked up a stack of contracts and casually got dressed before heading towards the destination he had mentioned. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. That call to Cheng Bo had naturally been made by Hao Jian. He knew that bringing Cheng Bo down like this was not enough to defeat him. He understood that Cheng Bo would definitely seek an opportunity to retaliate against Xiao Qiang, so he had to help Xiao Qiang eliminate this threat. In just this incident of Xiao Qiang''s stolen evidence, together with some strategically planned events, it was clear that this guy wasn''t just a simpleton; however, he had misapplied his shrewdness, using it on women... The contracts Hao Jian had prepared were freshly done by his lawyer today, and this plan had been initially drafted while he was preparing to help Xiao Qiang. Now Hao Jian had completed a good half of the plan. The rest, naturally, would follow the signing of these contracts. According to Hao Jian''s expectations, once the plan was completed, Cheng Bo would have no more opportunities to harass Xiao Qiang. Hao Jian believed that within a few hours, the scandal involving Lin Bo Garment Design Co., Ltd. would completely erupt in Hua City, and even spread nationwide, followed by the police getting involved. However, the police matter had been temporarily suppressed by Hao Jian. It was his personal affair; if the police intervened, they would simply arrest Cheng Bo and detain him for a while, and with his connections, he might even be released early. Considering his wife''s affection for him, it wasn''t impossible for Cheng Bo to talk his way out with a few sweet words, and that was precisely what Hao Jian didn''t want to see. Since he had promised Xiao Qiang, he had to make sure everything was done perfectly. ............................... The car soon arrived at a KTV, one that offered ''special'' services. Hao Jian naturally had his deep reasons for choosing this place. If Cheng Bo was lecherous, then Hao Jian would put some effort into exploiting this weakness. Once Cheng Bo had signed the contract in his befuddled state, the traps set up later would lead him to one pitfall after another! Utilizing his connections in Hua City, Hao Jian easily booked the most luxurious private room in the KTV, accompanied by several top-class hostesses. To Hao Jian, these women meant nothing; after all, he had weathered many storms. Wasn''t Shu Ya beautiful? Wasn''t Yuan Shanshan beautiful? Weren''t the other women beautiful? These undeniable facts didn''t appeal to Hao Jian, but that didn''t mean Cheng Bo wouldn''t be tempted. And this was precisely one of the plans that Hao Jian had set up: the use of seduction. "Beep beep beep..." Just as Hao Jian had entered the room with the hostesses, his phone rang. Ignoring the flirtatious glances from the women, he pressed the answer button without hesitation. "Hello? I''ve arrived. Where are you now?" Cheng Bo''s voice came through the phone, and Hao Jian''s lips curled into a smirk. After giving him a room number, he hung up. Then he turned around to face the scantily clad and somewhat attractive hostesses with a seductive look. "In a moment, a man will come. As long as you can charm him thoroughly, you''ll be well rewarded for it," he said, pulling out a stack of red banknotes from his pocket. At a glance, it seemed to consist of a couple hundred bills. Hao Jian casually tossed the money to the women as he spoke indifferently. Although he hadn''t experienced such schemes firsthand, he was, after all, quite seasoned. And dealing with someone like Cheng Bo, it was surely enough. "Oh, don''t worry about that! We sisters have been well taught..." The woman in the middle caught the banknotes Hao Jian had tossed, winked at him, and immediately let out a coquettish laugh. Hearing this, Hao Jian nodded. It seemed the origins of this KTV were decent; at least they knew to educate their staff in these matters. Of course, the owner of the KTV, knowing Hao Jian''s status, wouldn''t dare offer anything subpar. Otherwise, a disappearance at sea would sheerly be inexplicable. It wasn''t long before Cheng Bo''s corpulent figure appeared at the door of the room number Hao Jian had mentioned........................... Chapter 782 - 781: Dont You Forget "Oh, President Cheng has arrived?!" Upon seeing the real deal show up, Hao Jian sneered inwardly but immediately put on an expression like that of an old friend he hadn''t seen in years and went straight up to greet him. "Haha, President Hao." Cheng Bo had just entered the room when he heard Hao Jian''s voice. He shifted his attention and when he saw the beauties sitting on the sofa, his eyes the size of mung beans instantly narrowed. Fortunately, he still knew the purpose of his visit, reluctantly shifted his gaze away from the beauties, looked at Hao Jian with a smile, and said, "So President Hao is also well-versed in this field!" "You jest, President Cheng. These beauties are, in fact, prepared for you." Hao Jian quickly waved his hand and then stepped aside, allowing Cheng Bo to pass. Cheng Bo''s identity was confined to that of a company president, and moreover, a company without even a chance of going public. Such a person couldn''t possibly know Hao Jian''s identity. And since he was unaware of Hao Jian''s identity, naturally, he didn''t show the respectful and awed expression that those who did know would have. For now, Hao Jian was merely a business partner to him. "Let''s talk business, what is it?" After toying around for a while, Cheng Bo didn''t forget the matter at hand; at least, he remembered that the deal in Hao Jian''s hands was incredibly important for him at the moment. His attitude was somewhat haughty, intended to maintain a stronger presence. "Heh, it seems President Cheng has quite the forgetful memory for someone so distinguished." Hao Jian laughed lightly and shook his head. Then, he crossed his legs and looked at Cheng Bo, speaking indifferently: "I hope you don''t forget to keep the primary and secondary matters in mind." "What do you mean by that, President Hao?" Cheng Bo felt somewhat guilty being counter-questioned by Hao Jian''s remark but still forced himself to ask. "Don''t think I''m unaware of the mess at your company''s door this morning. If you''ve forgotten, I wouldn''t mind going over it again with you." "You''re pretty much at your wit''s end now, penniless and destitute. I''m giving you this opportunity as a courtesy to you, Cheng Bo. I hope you won''t forget it." Hao Jian''s sneer bore no resemblance to the brimming smile he had when Cheng Bo arrived, which caught Cheng Bo off guard and he replied defensively: "President Hao, let''s get started then." Hao Jian had successfully intimidated Cheng Bo and didn''t press further, instead throwing the contract that he had prepared long ago in front of Cheng Bo, and speaking lightly: "This is about our cooperative engagement. I want to preorder that unique line of clothing, around four million in total." "Don''t try to play dumb with me about the cost of the clothing; I know it like the back of my hand. If not for the fact that you''re in the clothing business, I wouldn''t even consider coming to you." "Making this deal will net you at least a couple of million. That amount, for you right now, is quite substantial." Cheng Bo casually picked up Hao Jian''s contract, scrutinizing it closely, until he reached the last clause. His eyes suddenly narrowed, and without regarding Hao Jian''s earlier words, he directly said: "President Hao, I''m aware of what you said. Although a couple of million is a lot for me at the moment, I can still refuse this business proposition..." "Truly an old fox." Hearing Cheng Bo''s words, which showed he was unfazed by his own threats, Hao Jian''s mood didn''t waver in the slightest, as if he had anticipated it. He then cast glances at the beauties next to Cheng Bo and looked at him, waiting for his next words. Initially, Hao Jian had thought this guy would be the sort that had only inappropriate things on his mind and expected that a little intimidation would suffice for him to accept the deal. However, upon further consideration, Hao Jian discovered a fact. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Lin Bo Garment Design Co., Ltd. was founded by his wife. Before Cheng Bo took over, it was merely a small clothing factory. But after Cheng Bo took charge, the company''s growth skyrocketed, reaching its current status. Cheng Bo played a significant role in this, and realizing this fact immediately caused Hao Jian to revise his plan, just like now. Among the information Hao Jian had gathered on Cheng Bo, there was one very exploitable aspect: the guy was exceedingly lecherous! This fact could be deduced from his coercion of Xiao Qiang, his patronage of Second Water, and his frequent visits to places unfit for children. To thoroughly free Xiao Qiang from this man''s harassment, Hao Jian had exerted substantial effort. Now, putting so much effort into negotiating this deal with Cheng Bo, or rather, luring him into a trap, was also a significant undertaking. "There''s one clause in this contract I strongly disagree with!" Cheng Bo squinted his eyes, the size of mung beans, at Hao Jian and said, "Only 2.5% of the total value of the goods for the advance deposit?!" "Are you telling me that for my goods worth four million, you''re only giving me a hundred thousand as a deposit?! What if the goods are ready and you don''t want them? What can I even do with that hundred thousand?!" Seeing Cheng Bo''s mood was off, the several beauties quickly made some moves, revealing Cheng Bo''s lecherous demeanor instantly. His hands were not staying still either, to the point that one might think he had forgotten what he was saying. It was clear how lecherous this guy was. "President Cheng, I think there''s no need for more words. Since you''ve looked over the contract, perhaps another clause within it might alleviate your concerns. A penalty of one hundred times the deposit for breach of contract, that should be enough, right?" After glancing at the surrounding lights and giving a faint look into the eyes of Fatty, Hao Jian''s lips slowly curled into a smile, thinking to himself: It seems the trickery in the contract should be in place. He then spoke softly. "What, a hundred times?!" Cheng Bo, who had been lost in the world of beauties, was startled by Hao Jian''s words. A penalty of a hundred times the deposit?! That means if Hao Jian breaches the contract, he would have to pay a penalty of a hundred times the deposit, amounting to ten million! And his goods, at most, were worth four million, or maybe four and a half million at best. Just the penalty alone was a hundred times the deposit. In this way, even if Hao Jian breaches the contract, Cheng Bo didn''t need to worry about losing out financially. As long as the contract was in hand, he could take it to the Bureau of Industry and Commerce and have them manage the matter. "Alright, alright, I''ll sign right away!" Not daring to delay a moment, he checked the terms of the contract and found that he had indeed overlooked a clause¡ªit was really a hundred times. Seeing this, Cheng Bo immediately signed the contract, in duplicate, one copy for Hao Jian and one for himself, thus the signing was successfully completed. It happened so fast that even Hao Jian didn''t react. Yet when he had the contract in hand, he could only smile wryly. If he had known that the guy would react so strongly to this, he wouldn''t have bothered with all these unnecessary tactics. Not only was it a waste of time, but it gave Fatty a chance to enjoy himself. However, it was necessary. Hao Jian had no regrets. Who knows, what if the atmosphere wasn''t right and Fatty suddenly got a whim not to sign? Then he''d have to find a way to push Fatty into a pit. He had thought about killing Fatty directly, but Hao Jian still planned to do it in a way that would leave him in despair, a situation that would also allow Xiao Qiang to relax. Now with the contract in hand, Hao Jian saw no need to stay any longer. He nodded to Cheng Bo and immediately left the private room. Upon leaving the KTV, a smirk slowly spread across Hao Jian''s face. He intended to kill that Fatty with despair, not by giving him money. He had indeed tampered with the contract, which looked normal for now. But after today, the true nature of the contract would reveal itself. As for the penalty for breach of contract mentioned on it, it was non-existent¡ªan elaborate trap of words. Coupled with the flattering lights of the KTV, it led Cheng Bo, who was blinded by beauty, to a moment of distraction and see the hundredfold clause. Shaking the contract in hand, Hao Jian''s lips slowly curled into a smirk. Since the compensation clause was gone, next up, Cheng Bo would find himself tricked into penury and facing a huge compensation! As for the excuse to refuse, Hao Jian had already thought it through. This time, the peculiar and exotic outfits he had ordered from Cheng Bo were indeed the kind no one would buy, perfect to use as an excuse later on. With the matter settled, Hao Jian felt much more relaxed. At least the promise to Xiao Qiang was largely fulfilled. Now all he had to do was wait for the delivery day to arrive. Hao Jian stepped out, drove his casual BMW from the lot, and headed straight to his villa. "Dudu dudu..." But just as he parked the car in his parking lot, his phone began to ring. "Shu Ya? What''s up?" Checking the name on the phone screen, realizing it was a call from Shu Ya, Hao Jian promptly answered the call, asking cheerfully. "My cousin has invited me to dinner tonight, why don''t you join us..." Shu Ya''s voice was graceful, yet the content of her words left Hao Jian momentarily baffled. Chapter 783 - 782: This King Manages Ten Thousand Chickens Daily "No way! Your cousin?!" Just yesterday morning, Hao Jian had gone to the Shu Ya Group and encountered that dashing gentleman, Shu Ya''s cousin, and even ended up kicking the front of his sports car, leaving it wrecked. That type of sports car, Hao Jian could have as many as he wanted, but the cousin''s attitude had really irked him. But what could his annoyance do? After all, the guy was still Shu Ya''s cousin, basically family, and Hao Jian just chalked it up to teenage rebellion. "If I go with you, I''ll just get the cold shoulder from your cousin again. I really can''t be bothered with that." "I''m asking you one last time, are we going or not?" "Alright, alright, we''ll go! How could I dare not to? Of course, we must go!" Noticing the impatience in Shu Ya''s words, Hao Jian immediately changed his tone; he had to! What if Shu Ya wouldn''t let him into bed? What then? If Shu Ya kept him out of bed, the other two beauties would surely team up against him as well, which would just lower his already low status at home even further. "Be at the company at six to pick me up..." With that, Shu Ya hung up the phone abruptly, not giving Hao Jian a chance to say anything more, leaving him dumbfounded. Great, now he didn''t even have a chance to negotiate any benefits. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a wry smile, Hao Jian checked the time and realized it was already 4:30 PM. He immediately switched to a recently acquired Ferrari Enzo, a vehicle he had spent fifty million on. Although this sum wasn''t significant to the current Hao Jian, it still stung a bit. Driving from home to the Shu Ya Group slowly would take an hour, but with this kind of sports car, he could make it in about forty minutes, which was just about the right time to take Shu Ya out. Without hesitation, Hao Jian sprinted to his room, grabbed the car keys, and drove out the Enzo. Soon, its roaring could be heard booming across the skies as it swiftly disappeared into the horizon. Because he was driving at a slower pace, the Enzo''s bright red color caught the eye of many pedestrians. Some car enthusiasts recognized its pedigree immediately and began excitedly snapping photos with their phones as if they had been injected with adrenaline. This forced Hao Jian to speed up, especially as he saw the flirty glances from some women. He felt a shiver up his spine, not because these women weren''t attractive, but simply because they paled in comparison to Shu Ya. For this, Hao Jian wasn''t interested at all. He stepped on the gas and sped towards the Shu Ya Group. Just like that, in only half an hour, Hao Jian arrived at the front gate of the Shu Ya Group. The security guards, seeing the sports car, immediately scurried to open the gates for Hao Jian, and their faces turned to shock when they saw who the driver was. When did the big boss get this car? The guards shook their heads in disbelief and went back to their spots, squatting in the security booth to drink tea and watch the monitors. "Yo, yo, yo, our Beauty Shu, still at work, huh?" As soon as he entered Shu Ya''s office, Hao Jian raised his voice in a jeering tone, his demeanor as obnoxious as it gets. "Humph, humph, humph! Unlike you, always idling away..." As soon as Shu Ya saw Hao Jian and heard his annoying words, her face was streaked with frustration as she retorted immediately. "I''m busy ruling over thousands every day; how is that idling?" Clearing his throat, Hao Jian said with a smug grin, making anyone who saw him think he was indeed quite despicable. "Humph! Then go mess around with your thousands, I don''t care," Shu Ya shot back. Shu Ya had plenty of strategies for dealing with Hao Jian; after all, she had lived with him long enough to know his tricks inside out. "No, no, no! Even if I have those thousands, they couldn''t compare to our Beauty Shu!" Hearing this, Hao Jian''s arrogance deflated instantly, even his tone became more sycophantic. "Alright, cut the crap." Sorting through the documents in her hand and categorizing them neatly, Shu Ya shook her head, seemingly remembering something, and then asked, "By the way, have you taken care of Xiao Qiang''s issue?" "Almost there. I''ve set a trap for Fatty; he''s fully stepped into it now. We just need to wait for the right time to close the net," Hao Jian shrugged off Shu Ya''s earlier remark and replied thoughtfully. "Xiao Qiang has been with our group for a long time too, so this needs to be done cleanly and neatly, wouldn''t you agree, my dear?" "Starting with your nonsense again, are you?" Hao Jian''s teasing immediately made Shu Ya blush as she couldn''t help but say, "Don''t think I''ve forgotten all your past misdeeds. During your interview at my company, you flirted with Xiao Qiang, and I''ve always turned a blind eye to whatever was going on between you and her at the office¡­" The conversation ended right there, and Shu Ya looked at Hao Jian with a beaming smile, watching his embarrassed expression, not knowing why, but a joyful emotion surged in her heart. "Humph, okay, it seems you''ve forgotten how tough I am after a few days without a lesson, haven''t you?!" Hao Jian didn''t want to delve into this issue either, and with a lecherous smile on his face, he walked up to Shu Ya, tiptoed, appeared next to her swiftly, picked her up, and placed his hands on Shu Ya''s soft spots, grasping them firmly a few times before quickly getting away. Turning his body, Hao Jian''s hands moved from the soft areas to Shu Ya''s perky rear, squeezed it, and then quickly turned around to dodge the eraser Shu Ya had somehow produced and thrown at him, under her indignant gaze. "Wow, wow, wow! Murdering your own husband!" "Can''t you calm down for a moment?! This is an office, not our home! Keep it together..." Shu Ya didn''t know how to handle Hao Jian''s antics anymore and could only stamp her feet and said sternly. This guy didn''t even consider where they were; it wasn''t time to leave work yet, and there were still employees working outside. What if they found out? How would she manage the company then? "Hehe, those employees already know about these things." Hehe, with a laugh, Hao Jian didn''t care about Shu Ya''s words at all, then his eyes twinkled, and he said with a smiling face, "So, does that mean we can do what we love once it''s evening?" "Get lost! Idiot!" Hearing Hao Jian''s implicitly suggestive words, Shu Ya''s face turned red, then she pretended to be shy, straightened her attire, picked up her purse, opened the office door, and walked out, ignoring Hao Jian completely. "Hehe..." With a strange laugh, Hao Jian also walked out of the office; on the way, he met some employees, greeted them as usual, then followed Shu Ya to the elevator and went down to the parking lot. "Okay, your cousin invited you to dinner, but it must be more than just dinner, right?" Once in the car, seeing that Shu Ya was still fuming, Hao Jian helplessly shook his head and asked softly. "Humph!" Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Shu Ya just snorted and turned away. "My beauty, you should say something; otherwise, it''s too boring." One hand on the steering wheel, the other grasping Shu Ya''s hand, Hao Jian looked at her with a pitiful expression. "Did you just call me old?!" "Not old! Not old! You''re more beautiful than a fairy!" Hao Jian wished he could slap himself; how could he utter such careless words?! "Pfft!" Suddenly Shu Ya burst into laughter, and that instant of laughter made Hao Jian just grin, bringing a warm atmosphere back inside the car. "Alright, tell me, what''s it really about?" "I heard from my cousin that he''s got a girlfriend who is still eighteen and a virgin..." "Haha! A virgin?! How did he even tell you that?!" "Who knows what that guy was thinking?! That guy, except when talking to my uncle, he dares to joke about anything with other elders, let alone with me, his cousin?" Shu Ya shook her head and sighed helplessly, thinking about her cousin, who was quite the odd character. One could say he was an arrogant rich second generation, which was certainly true, but you could also say he was a kid who never grew up, which also fit; but this guy spared no details with close family and friends, daring to crack any joke with them. Of course, except his father, Luo Jiajun had joked about his father once before, but that ended very badly and since then, whenever he saw his father, he was always nervous. "Teenage rebellion." After hearing Shu Ya''s explanation, Hao Jian immediately affirmed his impression of Luo Jiajun. "Since he''s told you about it, then I must go and see if his girlfriend really is a virgin!" "Just be careful; if you show up like this, he might snub you." Like watching the excitement and not fearing the chaos, Shu Ya also wanted to see Hao Jian being looked down upon, but of course, that was just a joke... Chapter 784 - 783: Dont Kill Me Secluded Orchid Restaurant... "They are over there..." Having just parked the car at the agreed location, Hao Jian heard Shu Ya''s voice and immediately looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a man and a woman standing at the entrance of the restaurant, looking at the passing vehicles, seemingly waiting for something. "Sister." As Hao Jian and another person approached, the man who saw Shu Ya''s figure instantly brightened up, hurriedly called out, and began walking toward Shu Ya with the woman by his side. However, when he saw Hao Jian next to Shu Ya, his expression suddenly turned sour, and he felt quite displeased, subconsciously wanting to criticize Hao Jian. But, seeing the stern expression on Shu Ya''s face, he could only helplessly dismiss the thought. After all, Hao Jian was Shu Ya''s boyfriend. After everyone was seated, Shu Ya ordered the meals, and they waited for the waiter to serve the food. Before the food arrived, naturally, they needed to find some topics to chat about to pass the time. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Sister Ya, the boyfriend you''ve picked really lacks standards, doesn''t he? His clothes are so tattered, he looks like a beggar. How could you even be proud to bring him out?" During the meal, Luo Jiajun''s girlfriend, Su Ling, once she got comfortable with Shu Ya, revealed her true colors and disdainfully looked at Hao Jian, mocking him, "I think you should just dump him. Why don''t I introduce you to someone else instead?" "I guarantee that the ones I introduce will be ten thousand times better than your current one!" "Su Ling! Isn''t your manner of speaking a bit too uncultured?" Shu Ya immediately let out a cold laugh of displeasure. At first, Shu Ya thought this girl was not a snobbish person, but how many minutes had passed? This girl had started to belittle Hao Jian! Shu Ya was so angry at Su Ling''s words that her face turned grim and her chest heaved dramatically. She directly rebuked Su Ling, wanting her to know her boundaries. "She''s been spoiled since childhood." Su Ling spread her hands and retorted with a sneer. Good intentions foolishly mistaken for malicious ones, and this girl thought just because she''s Luo Jiajun''s cousin, she can scream at me? Lady, I haven''t been scared of anyone since I was born! As Hao Jian coolly watched the scene unfold next to Shu Ya, seeing how angry she was, he actually found it amusing inside. To him, Su Ling was merely an insignificant ant; with his status and position, he genuinely didn''t care how such an ant viewed him. "Sister, don''t be angry, don''t be angry..." Spotting the growing tension between the two, Luo Jiajun''s forehead was slick with cold sweat. With one woman being his cousin and the other his girlfriend, if they really started fighting, he wouldn''t even know whose side to take. He quickly tried to make peace, all the while cursing Hao Jian internally. Shu Ya had even argued with her own girlfriend to this extent, and yet the cause was all because of Hao Jian. And now this guy was acting as if nothing was wrong, not saying a word. "Su Ling is a nice girl, isn''t she just concerned about you?" Luo Jiajun rubbed his hands, looked at Shu Ya, and said with a smile, "Besides, Su Ling is young and doesn''t know any better about handling these things. Please forgive her, she really is a good girl." "Haha!" As soon as Luo Jiajun finished speaking, Hao Jian suddenly let out a snort of laughter, then mockingly looked at Luo Jiajun, with undisguised sarcasm in his eyes. "What are you laughing at!?" Hearing Hao Jian''s laughter, Luo Jiajun immediately grew furious and shouted, and not just him, Su Ling also stared at Hao Jian with a furious face. "Nothing, it''s just that something funny crossed my mind, that''s all." Hao Jian said, laughing and waving his hand, not planning to explain at all. "Hmph, an ugly person sure plays a lot of tricks!" Su Ling snorted coldly and scoffed. She had been displeased with this guy from the start; how could Shu Ya fall for such a beggar? And Shu Ya even scolded her for his sake! It infuriated Su Ling, who had never really suffered in her life. However, she couldn''t direct all her anger towards Shu Ya; otherwise, Luo Jiajun would probably be the first to object. Where would she criticize her boyfriend''s cousin right in front of him? "Yo, I think that sentence suits you better." Frequent provocations had exhausted Hao Jian''s patience, which was already not great to begin with. Plus, Su Ling had been aggressively offensive from the start. Right away, Hao Jian retorted coldly, "A woman who''s not a virgin pretending to brag about still being unmarried? Pretending to be a marriageable young lady staying at home?!" Obviously, Hao Jian had a different view regarding Luo Jiajun claiming Su Ling was a virgin. "F*ck! Kid, watch your mouth! Just because my cousin backs you up doesn''t mean you can talk nonsense! It''s not your place to speak at this table!" Hearing Hao Jian belittle his girlfriend like that, Luo Jiajun''s face filled with rage at that moment, almost ready to flip the table and start a fight. "Just a pretty boy relying on my cousin, do you really think I''d give a damn about you?!" "Tsk!" Hao Jian sneered, unconcerned by Luo Jiajun''s curses, and instead asked with a smile, "Have you slept with your so-called girlfriend recently?" "Fuck!" When such a private question was asked by Hao Jian, Shu Ya''s pretty face turned red, and she gave Hao Jian a dismissive glance, though she did not remind him to stop there. Luo Jiajun immediately became furious, raised his fist, and threw a punch at Hao Jian''s face, the fist cutting through the air toward him. "Smack!" Hao Jian casually raised his hand and easily blocked Luo Jiajun''s angry punch, then sneered mockingly, "Such a soft punch, just like a woman''s, did you throw that?" "If it weren''t for the fact that you are Shu Ya''s cousin, I wouldn''t bother meddling in these trashy matters." "Oh? So, everything you said is true?" Upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, Shu Ya''s bright eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Hao Jian and curiously said, "Explain this to me." "Heh, simple." Hao Jian said with a laugh, "I''ll just give you a brief rundown." "Your cousin is not like she''s described by Jiajun, not a virgin, has had four years of sexual life, and till recently had another time." "So that means she lost her virginity at fourteen, has even had an abortion, she''s definitely not some untouched girl, she''s no good." Hao Jian''s voice was soft, but the reactions in the ears of the three people were drastically different. "You filthy bum! What evidence do you have to prove what you''re saying is true?!" Su Ling''s face turned ugly, she glared at Hao Jian and cursed, "You''re just a filthy bum, probably don''t even have a college degree, spouting lies like this, do you believe I''ll fight you to the end?!" After speaking, Su Ling turned to Luo Jiajun with a threatening tone and said, "Jiajun, he''s talking about me like that! And you just stand there doing nothing?! I want to break up with you!" At those words, Luo Jiajun''s expression changed, and he quickly stood up, comforting Su Ling, "No, Lingling, don''t get angry, it''s not worth getting upset over such a person." After he spoke, seeing that Su Ling was still angry, Luo Jiajun''s face filled with anger, and he demanded, "Like Lingling said, what evidence do you have to show that what you''re saying is correct!?" "Tsk, just go to the hospital for a checkup, and it''ll prove whether what I''m saying is true or not, right?" Hao Jian shook his head disdainfully, thinking Luo Jiajun really was stupid, being spun around by such a girl. "This..." Reminded by Hao Jian, Luo Jiajun then remembered the existence of hospitals and instinctively turned his head to look at Su Ling, wanting to ask if she agreed. Hearing Hao Jian''s suggestion, Su Ling also felt guilty at that moment, and upon noticing Luo Jiajun''s gaze, her heartbeat hastened significantly, her mind in turmoil, trying to come up with something to diffuse the situation. She couldn''t understand how Hao Jian knew all this; they were supposed to have met for the first time today, but now it seemed like he knew her private life well. "Jiajun... you doubt me?!" Unable to devise any plan, Su Ling continued to pressure Luo Jiajun to take her side, and with that, she put on a look of enraged embarrassment as she looked intently at Luo Jiajun, who was also hesitant under her gaze. Given that Hao Jian had said so much, Shu Ya was inclined to believe him. Fundamentally, she detested deceit, and such a girl with an unchecked and messy private life was the kind she despised the most. If it had been a stranger, it would be one thing, but the fact that such a girl was her cousin''s girlfriend now compelled Shu Ya to be angry. "Don''t even think about getting Jiajun to help you!" Seeing the girl attempting to use her cousin as a shield again, Shu Ya''s pretty face was very angry as she pointed directly at Su Ling, threatening, "I advise you to fully confess your affairs, otherwise you''ll regret it!" "Sister..." Luo Jiajun, seeing Shu Ya angry, was a bit scared, but Su Ling was still his girlfriend, so he tried to urge his cousin not to be so angry. "Shut your mouth!" Shu Ya coldly glanced at Luo Jiajun and rebuked him, and the angry tone made Luo Jiajun immediately shut his mouth, and then gave Su Ling a helpless look. "Don''t kill me... I''ll tell..." With her last backer gone, Su Ling''s defiance collapsed, her eyes reddened, tears falling, her voice trembling. ...... Chapter 785 - 784: Being Cuckolded Under Shu Ya''s threat, Su Ling finally spilled everything, including what Hao Jian had mentioned, about losing her virginity at fourteen, followed by an abortion, and even a period of sexual activity after getting to know Luo Jiajun, none of which Luo Jiajun knew about. By the time Su Ling had finished telling everything, Luo Jiajun''s expression was stunned, and Su Ling, unable to bear the pressure here, cried and ran away¡ªshe probably wouldn''t dare to approach Luo Jiajun ever again after this incident. "How about that? My eyes are like a blazing fire!" Hao Jian didn''t care about the situation between Su Ling and Luo Jiajun; instead, he turned around, looking triumphantly at Shu Ya. "I suppose this meal is no longer appealing, right?" Looking at the stupefied Luo Jiajun, Hao Jian chuckled, shrugged at Shu Ya, and said. "It''s all because of you." Shu Ya glanced irritably at Hao Jian, then shook her head helplessly. If Su Ling had had a better temperament, perhaps she wouldn''t have been humiliated by Hao Jian. Unfortunately, the girl''s character really wasn''t that great, and she had even managed to anger Shu Ya. "Let him sit here and reflect on his own." Luo Jiajun was Shu Ya''s cousin after all; she couldn''t say much about him, but recently, he had been going too far in his actions, even making her somewhat angry. This could serve as a lesson for him so that in the future, he wouldn''t get deceived by such girls again; not the deception itself, but the tarnishing of his reputation was the issue. The Shu family had money, so Luo Jiajun being conned was no big deal, but now the issue was that of being cuckolded. Having this label stuck on Luo Jiajun was something even money probably couldn''t cover up. "Do you need me to send someone to take care of it?" As they stepped out of the restaurant, Hao Jian, touching his unfed stomach, turned to Shu Ya and asked with a smile. Luo Jiajun was Shu Ya''s cousin after all; as his brother-in-law, Hao Jian felt he had to do something, right? Although Luo Jiajun wasn''t much younger than him, standing together, Hao Jian always felt that the kid had the intelligence of a child. He was also somewhat worried that Shu Ya might be upset, which is why he suggested this. "Forget it, consider it a lesson for that increasingly arrogant kid." After thinking it over, Shu Ya shook her head. Although for Hao Jian, this matter wasn''t a big deal, and the girl was just a minor character, it wasn''t worth it for Hao Jian to get involved. She also thought it was time to teach Luo Jiajun a lesson, so he wouldn''t look down on Hao Jian next time. After all, Hao Jian''s worth was far from that of a beggar. If Hao Jian was considered a beggar, what did that make them? "Speaking of, have you considered buying a villa?" Walking with Hao Jian toward the parking lot, staring at his latest Enzo, Shu Ya suddenly asked him. Lately, Hao Jian had gotten quite a few cars, and even though she didn''t know where he got them all from, the space below his apartment couldn''t fit them. Not to mention the pedestrians on the road; any scratches on the cars, and the repair costs would be unfairly on him. "No, I haven''t thought about it. Sister Lan''s place is nice to live in, and I guess none would be foolish enough to touch my car," he said. Knowing what Shu Ya was worried about, Hao Jian shrugged helplessly. The car wasn''t that precious to him anyway; if it broke down, he would just buy a new one. No need to make a fuss. Hearing Hao Jian say this, all Shu Ya could do was nod obediently. Before leaving, she glanced once more into the restaurant and saw that Luo Jiajun was still dazed. She sighed and, at the next moment, the car drove off into the distance. ............... "Doo Doo Doo..." A few days later, in the morning, the sleeping Hao Jian was woken up by the phone call, immediately feeling displeased as he opened his eyes. The big battle last night had drained his energy, he had only managed to fall asleep in the morning, and after just a few hours, he was disturbed. If he wasn''t annoyed, that would be a lie! "Hello?! Who is it?! It''s so early; can''t you let people sleep?!" Therefore, as soon as he picked up the phone, Hao Jian unleashed his anger without any reservations. Before the other party could react, his tirade was over... "Uh¡­ President Hao, it''s me... President Cheng..." Cheng Bo, feeling trepidation from Hao Jian''s words, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Since the incident at the KTV, he realized his status wasn''t that high. Back then, he was just a small businessman carrying some millions, incomparable to a major client like Hao Jian. Remembering his attitude toward Hao Jian that day, Cheng Bo couldn''t help but worry that Hao Jian''s dissatisfaction over the incident might lead to him driving down the price during their dealings. And these rules were never mentioned in the contract; he just feared the "what if". "Oh? President Cheng, ah! How''s it going, are the goods ready?" Upon hearing the content of the conversation, Hao Jian suddenly remembered that there seemed to be a problem he hadn''t resolved yet¡ªthe issue with Cheng Bo. Had it not been for this guy''s call, Hao Jian would have nearly forgotten about it. The corners of his mouth slowly curled up; it seemed this guy had gotten the goods ready, and now it was just a matter of how to ruin him completely! "Ready... ready, the location for the delivery will be as you said." Noticing the change in tone from Hao Jian before and after, Cheng Bo also heaved a sigh of relief and then hastily exclaimed. The production cost for this batch of goods was 3.5 million. Subtracting the 2 million he had saved, plus the 1.5 million borrowed from loan sharks, he barely managed to cover the expenses. If it wasn''t a last resort, he really didn''t want to borrow from loan sharks; it''s just that there really was no other way. First, there were the banks¡ªonce the banks saw some black history related to Cheng Bo, they immediately cut off contact. When the banks became a dead end, the only option left was to rely on personal relationships. First, he tried to ask his mistress for help, but he accidentally let slip that he was out of money. Once the mistress heard that Cheng Bo was broke, she didn''t hesitate to push his 240-pound body out of the villa. And then she plundered all the expensive stuff inside Cheng Bo''s villa, even taking away the deed to the villa. This villa was originally bought under the mistress''s name to please her, and it was her signature on the deed, not Cheng Bo''s¡ªso there was no financial connection to him. Naturally, her taking it was well within her rights. Suddenly, he was all alone in the world. These few days truly made him experience what it was like to be in so much pain he wanted to die. Even though he had 2 million on him, he didn''t dare to spend a cent of it, putting it all into producing the goods because, if he breached the contract and failed to deliver, he would face the steep penalty for defaulting. The factory producing the goods was owned by a partner he knew from before. After briefly explaining the situation, the partner accepted Cheng Bo''s order, which naturally cost over a hundred thousand. He painfully handed over more than a hundred thousand to this partner, and the rest was spent on materials and going to the loan sharks for a loan to start this business. In conclusion, Hao Jian now appeared as the big boss in his eyes. Cheng Bo was truly left with nothing, burdened with a massive debt from loan sharks, and the pressure of getting the goods off his hands. "Mm, you first take the goods there, I''ll send someone to pick them up later." sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian nodded slightly; after finishing this sentence, he hung up the phone and lay down again. Send someone to pick it up? Wishful thinking¡ªhe was determined not to let Hao Jian get the best of him this time; otherwise, it''d be a real disservice to Xiao Qiang! Cheng Bo, on the other end of the phone, took Hao Jian''s careless words as a sign that he was still angry for being disturbed in his sleep. "Haha! Success!" These past few days, he had been on tenterhooks, fearing that he would mess up this business deal. Laughing with the receipt of certain news, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although he didn''t earn much this time, after subtracting the production costs and the repayment to the loan sharks, he only made about three hundred thousand. The thought of the twenty thousand in interest due in a week on the one hundred fifty thousand he borrowed made Cheng Bo''s heart bleed again. But there was no alternative; the money borrowed from the loan sharks had to be repaid, or he might end up missing an arm or a leg without knowing when, and the loan sharks in Hua City were infamous for their ferocity. Yet Cheng Bo didn''t question the provenance of the loan sharks; after all, he was penniless now, but they still lent him money. What did this indicate? Cheng Bo simply thought the loan sharks believed he could repay the money, which was why they lent it to him, little did he know that this was also a trap set by Hao Jian. The underground forces of Hua City were all aware of a figure like Hao Jian, and they had to do a good job on whatever task he assigned. "Why hasn''t it arrived yet?" At the delivery location, Cheng Bo had been waiting with the goods for half the day, but no one showed up. He became anxious, and subconsciously reached for his phone. But as he picked it up, he paused in mid-air, hesitating. It was already past three in the afternoon; he should be awake by now, right? Biting his lip, Cheng Bo dialed Hao Jian''s number. "Hello, who is this?" Hao Jian, enjoying a steak and watching the beautiful women on the street at three in the afternoon, was annoyed to have his mood disrupted by a call. "I... it''s President Cheng." "Oh? President Cheng, what''s up?"............................ Chapter 786 - 785: Most Afraid of Women Crying "You really are forgetful, aren''t you? The goods you asked for, I''ve already shipped them to the address you provided." When the matter of money was brought up, Cheng Bo also revealed a servant''s mentality, uttering flattering words. This was an inevitable affair, and by now they had reached the last step¡ªjust a matter of exchanging the goods for money. However, it was exactly this step that made people feel the most uneasy and anxious. Different senses inevitably lead to some biases in status. For instance, this penalty for breach of contract: if Hao Jian fails to pick up the goods, then he would be required to pay the hefty penalty. However, what Cheng Bo didn''t know was that the penalty clause in the contract was a textual trap that had already vanished. At least Cheng Bo still believed that the penalty clause existed. His worry was that once the penalty clause took effect, Hao Jian would delay. Time was exactly what he lacked the most. If Hao Jian delayed for even ten or fifteen days, wouldn''t he be butchered by those loan sharks?! "Oh? Sorry, I don''t want those goods anymore. They''re just weird outfits that nobody wants to wear. I''m not making any money, so I don''t bother wanting them." "What?! President Hao, are you sure you''re not mistaken?! You don''t want them?!" Upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, Cheng Bo''s face immediately darkened. Had this guy forgotten about the clauses in the contract? Immediately, Cheng Bo clenched his teeth and said sternly, "The terms in the contract are crystal clear, the penalty is a hundred times the deposit!" "Penalty? Is there such a thing in the contract I gave you?" Hao Jian scoffed and then retorted before abruptly hanging up the phone, turning off his mobile, and calmly continuing to eat his steak. "This bastard!" His palm slammed onto the steering wheel, and then Cheng Bo picked up the contract to read it carefully. However, the more he read, the paler his face grew, devoid of any color. After flipping through it repeatedly, he still could not find that clause he hoped was hidden there¡­ "How is this possible?!" The ghastly pale Cheng Bo, holding the contract, searched through it over and over again for more than ten times and still found no mention of any breach clause... This bastard must have printed the contract with disappearing ink. As time passed, the text automatically faded away! It''s all over... everything is over... ............... The next day... "Tsk, this Fatty''s endurance is really poor! A little setback and he jumped off the building?" Hao Jian, who was fiddling with his computer, had his attention caught by a pop-up news alert, which he clicked on and saw an extremely gory photo. In the photo, a bloody figure lay on the ground, and underneath this kind of image, there were a few paragraphs of text, which essentially conveyed the following message: The former President of Lin Bo Garment Design Co., Ltd., Cheng Bo, facing bankruptcy and burdened with a huge debt, had committed suicide by jumping off a building yesterday. "Well, as long as the matter is resolved, how this Fatty died is none of my business." Shaking his head, Hao Jian closed the window, checked the time, and feeling it was about right, turned off his computer, then picked up the file folder from the desk, casually dressed, and left the room. "It''s time to eat, where are you going?" Just as Hao Jian had opened the room door, Ruo Lan''s voice came from the kitchen. Hao Jian casually replied with a smile, "I''m going to handle some business, might not make it back for dinner. You eat first." "Okay, alright." With approval granted, Hao Jian directly shut the door and went downstairs to his car. Enzo roared to life with its thunderous engine, drawing the attention of many onlookers. And just like that, the car turned left and right through the streets, finally arriving under a large building, regarding the somewhat dirty and messy place, Hao Jian couldn''t help shaking his head. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This was where Xiao Qiang had recently moved to. Due to major issues at the company that led to financial difficulties and significant losses, Xiao Qiang had to move into such a residence to save money. Following the address Xiao Qiang had provided, Hao Jian quickly found the apartment on the designated floor and gently knocked on the door. Immediately, some noises came from inside. Hearing the noises, Hao Jian didn''t knock again, instead he waited quietly with a smile. "Creak..." "Hao Jian, is that you?!" As the door opened, Xiao Qiang''s familiar figure appeared in front of Hao Jian, and upon seeing him, her pretty face instantly blushed, then she quickly opened the security door for him. "Come in!" "I thought Beauty Xiao might have forgotten about me after not seeing her for a few days..." As soon as he entered the room, Hao Jian playfully teased Xiao Qiang and then handed her the document bag in his hands with a smile, "No more talking, this is for you." "What is this?" Upon receiving the item from Hao Jian, Xiao Qiang curiously asked. "Just open it and you''ll see." Hao Jian pretended to be mysterious, smiled, and gestured for Xiao Qiang to open the document bag, then immediately sat down on the nearby sofa. "A permanent tax exemption certificate?!" Once Xiao Qiang took the item out, she was shocked to see the clear big letters on the paper; she then incredulously looked at Hao Jian, her fingers trembling as she pointed at the document, puzzled, "How did you manage to get this? Businesses nationwide don''t have such a thing!" "I just casually asked someone for it. As for its authenticity, don''t worry, it''s definitely real," Hao Jian laughed nonchalantly. For many businesses, having a permanent tax exemption document was like owning a treasure trove, solely because of the word "exempt". No matter the size of the business, once Xiao Qiang''s company reached a certain scale, growing into a large enterprise, the taxes required annually were enormous. Now, with such a document, they no longer needed to pay taxes, which meant saving a substantial amount of money. In Xiao Qiang''s mind, such documents didn''t exist for businesses. The matter was actually simple. Hao Jian had thought of something while eating steak the day before, which led him to make a phone call to Dragon Tooth to ask them to handle it. With the help of Dragon Tooth, the document was prepared in just a few hours. The Minister of Commerce signed and stamped it, along with a few other national ministerial heads who also gave Hao Jian some face by signing it as well. Thus, under Hao Jian''s influence, a document that was nearly impossible under current policies was created, and the beneficiary was just a small business. Technically, Xiao Qiang''s business could have availed of some tax exemptions under favorable policies, but Hao Jian wasn''t just thinking about the present. He believed that one day, Xiao Qiang''s business would reach a substantial scale, and by then, this document would become extremely important. Any business that saw Xiao Qiang with this document would desperately seek her cooperation, which meant that it would be impossible for Xiao Qiang not to expand her company. Of course, the main reason why such an important document was signed over to Hao Jian was that several other companies had already secretly obtained such documents within the country. It was because of this precedent that it was so easy to grant Hao Jian face; otherwise, Hao Jian would have had to handle it himself, and it wouldn''t have been so easily resolved by just a few people from Dragon Tooth. "Oh, by the way, there''s one more thing." After saying that, Hao Jian suddenly remembered something else, looked up at Xiao Qiang, and said with a light chuckle, "That guy Cheng Bo, I''ve taken care of him too, and all your evidence, I''ve disposed of it." "Now you and your company are completely safe." "Thank you, Hao Jian..." Upon hearing this news, Xiao Qiang, whose eyes were already red, couldn''t hold back her tears any longer. The tears started streaming down her cheeks, causing Hao Jian to scratch his head in confusion. "Alright, don''t cry, I really can''t stand seeing women cry. Look, your makeup is all smeared, like a crying cat." Helplessly, Hao Jian had no choice but to help Xiao Qiang sit down on the sofa, spreading his hands helplessly, "Now that your issues are resolved and the company can continue." "If the company''s recovery needs money, just let me know. I will arrange for Shu Ya to transfer some to you, and I want to tell you something." "No matter what difficulties you face in the future, whether it''s something like this incident or anything else, whenever you can''t handle it, you can always come to me, and I promise, I''ll take care of it perfectly." "If I ever see anything like that incident in the restaurant again, I''m going to get angry, and you know I don''t care about anything when I''m angry." As Hao Jian''s serious words kept coming, tears filled Xiao Qiang''s eyes more and more, until she finally embraced Hao Jian and began to sob loudly. "Fuck! I''m being so heartfelt here, why are you crying even more?!" Hao Jian was completely baffled by Xiao Qiang''s reaction, slightly smiling as he said, "My lady, your personality really is beyond my understanding." "Hao Jian... thank you... thank you for what you''ve done..." Xiao Qiang''s voice was a bit choked up, but the emotions in her words were too dense to ignore. Unfortunately, Hao Jian wasn''t paying attention to the change in Xiao Qiang''s tone at that moment. "Alright, stop crying..." Chapter 787 - 786 I like you! After much persuasion, Xiao Qiang finally stopped crying, which was a relief to Hao Jian, who couldn''t help but wonder why she was so prone to tears. With her head buried in Hao Jian''s chest, and listening to his strong heartbeat, Xiao Qiang''s cheeks blushed with shyness as she nervously rubbed her hands around his. How long does this girl plan to hold on? Hao Jian, being a man, couldn''t help but react to having such a beauty in his arms; the softness of Xiao Qiang''s chest pressed tightly against his own, and he could feel those two points protrude, igniting the flame in his lower abdomen more fiercely. "Hao Jian... I like you..." Suddenly, Xiao Qiang pushed Hao Jian away slightly, her bright eyes gazing directly at him as she confessed the feelings she had suppressed for so long with her cheeks tinged with red. Uh... Upon hearing Xiao Qiang''s confession, Hao Jian was momentarily stunned, then subconsciously turned away, his expression filled with hesitation. With so many unresolved relationships at home, how could he explain another woman, especially to Shu Ya? With that thought, he felt a sense of fear and wanted to flee. "Don''t go!" S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As Hao Jian took a step to leave, Xiao Qiang sensed his intention, and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She hugged him from behind, not allowing him to leave her sight, pleading with a sob, "I really do like you!" "Whoosh!" Before Hao Jian could react, Xiao Qiang, with a blush on her face, untied her robe, revealing her snow-white, flawless body unreservedly before him. "Xiao Qiang, stop it, what are you thinking?!" Gazing at the stunning sight before him, the alluring body before any man would be very attractive¡ªand Hao Jian was no exception. He immediately calmed himself and tried to suppress Little Hao''s wilful rise. Unfortunately, no matter how strong Hao Jian''s will was, Little Hao had no intention of being subdued, causing his pants to bulge like a small tent. "I told you, I like you!" Xiao Qiang was relentless despite her red cheeks, and having caught sight of the anomaly at Hao Jian''s crotch, she reached out boldly, pulled open his zipper, and slipped her hand inside. Hao Jian shivered through his body, and before he could react, Xiao Qiang''s pristine body pushed him onto the adjacent sofa. Her entire body pressed against his in that moment as Hao Jian''s thin clothing could not obstruct the heat of her softness, and then Xiao Qiang used her impressive suppleness to rub against Hao Jian''s chest through the fabric. "Xiao Qiang, if you keep this up, you''ll regret it!" Under Xiao Qiang''s flirtation, Hao Jian''s willpower had already reached its limit. It was impossible for him not to have feelings for Xiao Qiang, but his current situation was not the same as before. He wasn''t alone anymore; he had many relationships to consider. He hadn''t sorted out those relationships yet, and adding another one to the mix would only set his harem ablaze. Xiao Qiang''s outpouring of affection was undeniable and beyond his control. All he thought to do was to persuade Xiao Qiang to wait a little longer, to give him time to sort out his affairs. Perhaps then there would be a chance, but sadly it was already too late. "Hmph!" At Hao Jian''s threat, Xiao Qiang''s brows only furrowed slightly, then by her actions, she made it clear that she was determined not to give up. She let go of Little Hao, her chest slightly heaving, then she sat down directly on the place she shouldn''t, and with just a slight move from Hao Jian, he could penetrate deeply. The heat and the swelling made Xiao Qiang''s eyes mist over, and her lower half instinctively twisted slightly, her heart in turmoil. But at that moment, Xiao Qiang suddenly grew afraid again, and she slowly moved away, seemingly ready to pull back at the critical point. "Fuck! Is this something you can just start and stop as you please?!" The flames in Hao Jian''s lower abdomen had risen high, and his willpower had collapsed under Xiao Qiang''s continuous advances. But now, finding her retreating, how could he let her just walk away, his desires so aroused? Therefore, instead of backing down this time, Hao Jian wrapped his arms around Xiao Qiang''s smooth, white body, stamped his foot on the floor, and lifted her up, heading for the pink, virgin-scented bed in her room. The hands holding Xiao Qiang trembled slightly before he tossed her onto the large bed, and in that instant, Hao Jian stripped off all his clothes, leaving the two of them naked before each other. Xiao Qiang''s body trembled slightly from the rough treatment by Hao Jian. It was the first time she had taken the initiative to confess her feelings, the first time she had gone this far, and she kept cursing herself in her mind for ending up like this. Yet when she opened her eyes and saw Hao Jian''s pair of eyes that had turned red, her heart softened. She immediately stretched out her delicate hands and took the initiative to embrace Hao Jian, her lips close to his ear, her soft voice tinged with a hint of sensuality, breaking Hao Jian''s last bit of willpower. "I want..." Hao Jian, with his rationality completely buried, was left with only his primal desires. His hands, hot with heat, roamed over Xiao Qiang''s body like a dragon, especially indulging in the softness in front of her. At the same time, Hao Jian seemed to have found the right spot and thrust forward slightly. "Ah!" At that moment, Xiao Qiang felt her body being filled, a sharp tearing pain surging within her, making her want to retreat instinctively. But how could Hao Jian, whose rationality had collapsed, allow Xiao Qiang to flee the battlefield once again?! Hao Jian''s hands embraced her tightly and took control of Xiao Qiang''s body, and then Xiao Qiang clung tightly to Hao Jian. Hao Jian, having lost his senses, perhaps knowing the pain Xiao Qiang was experiencing at the time, paused slightly. After allowing her to adjust, he then began to thrust. Like this, a man and a woman nestled in a small room of less than seventy square meters, ushering in a breeze of spring. Not knowing how long it lasted, Hao Jian slowly opened his eyes, looking out at the dense night outside and then at the woman in his arms with brows slightly furrowed and a face colored with happiness. He stretched out his hand towards the dark night outside the window, clenched it gently, and murmured softly, "From now on, you''re my woman too." That night, Hao Jian didn''t know when he fell asleep, only aware that he kept charging towards something, and when he regained consciousness, it was already deep at night¡ªit was clear he had stayed at Xiao Qiang''s for a whole day. If there was ever a time when it would have been easy to deal with Hao Jian, it would have been during that time today, to be precise, during the time he was asleep. But as soon as he opened his eyes, he was no longer the unconscious one, but the man who had returned from God of Death Island. "I... I''m so happy!" Xiao Qiang said with a tearful voice, both satisfied and exhausted. Xiao Qiang, who had already woken up, pressed her body against Hao Jian''s once again upon hearing his words. Her sacrifices had finally paid off¡ªhow could she not be delighted? "Good to hear..." Feeling the voice of the beauty in his arms, Hao Jian''s lips curled slightly. At that moment, his heart had no defenses, and he saw clearly within himself. In his heart, the image of Xiao Qiang stood tall and unmistakable. "My wish... has been fulfilled..." Xiao Qiang, looking at the man beside her, clenched her small hand around his a little tighter, her face radiant with happiness, then propped herself up on one arm and planted her lips directly onto Hao Jian''s. Afterward, she let go of Hao Jian''s hand, her small hands once again mischievously exploring his body, reigniting the flames in Hao Jian. Shaking his head helplessly, Little Hao had already awakened once more, eager for another campaign with Hao Jian. Without delay, Hao Jian enveloped Xiao Qiang in his arms, flipped her over, and once more pressed her beneath him. Then, the sounds of a male and female duet, flush with shame and ultimate temptation, rose once again in the room. But this time, the duration was quite brief. Naturally, Xiao Qiang''s pain from her first physical experience played a role, and Hao Jian, out of concern for her body, hurried through this encounter, then carried Xiao Qiang to the bathroom for a bath together. Of course, the bath was hardly smooth sailing. The actions of the two in the bathroom were nothing unusual for Hao Jian¡ªhe and Shu Ya had done the same. But for Xiao Qiang, it was different, as it was her first time. Despite this, the happiness on her face spoke volumes. She had been waiting for this day for a long time. In the past, because Hao Jian was Shu Ya''s boyfriend, she did not dare to act and could only silently bless the couple. But the events of today allowed her to cast aside all reservations. Her heart was full of thoughts of confession, and unexpectedly, her wish was fulfilled. It was the most surprising and happiest event since she had moved here. Only the persistent throbbing pain in her lower body made her frown now and then. Chapter 788 - 787: Ill Buy You a Building! It had already been four days since Hao Jian and Xiao Qiang''s relationship was confirmed. In these four days, Hao Jian would sometimes bring some health supplements to Xiao Qiang, cook them for her, and then personally feed her. After all, Xiao Qiang''s physical condition had something to do with him, and she had seen Hao Jian''s tender side. Her reaction was reflected in the increasingly radiant smile on her lovely face, a feeling of happiness that convinced her she had chosen the right person. "Xiao Qiang, once you finish these, I''ll take you to the sales office to see if there''s a suitable house..." With a smile, Hao Jian watched Xiao Qiang sip the herbal soup he had prepared, finding her frowning with every gulp endearing. The herbal soup, known for its bitterness, made Hao Jian consider adding some sugar, but he was worried it would affect the medicine''s potency, so he had her drink it as is. "No want." Xiao Qiang, sipping the soup, immediately furrowed her brows and rejected Hao Jian''s suggestion without hesitation. "It''s you I like, not your money. I, Xiao Qiang, am not that kind of woman." They had just confirmed their relationship a few days ago, and going house hunting with Hao Jian would make people think she was after his wealth, not him. This sort of talk might not matter to Hao Jian, as outsiders had no idea about them and were in no position to judge. Yet for Xiao Qiang, she didn''t want it to affect Hao Jian''s impression of her or be seen in such a light by others. How could she confidently tell Shu Ya and the rest that she liked Hao Jian? "Where did your mind go? I never thought you were that kind of woman." Hao Jian, initially puzzled by Xiao Qiang''s refusal, now chuckled wryly, shook his head, and said, "All right, enough said, just come with me and let''s find a love nest for us." "No, even if you don''t think so, others will, and I''m afraid it''ll affect your life..." No matter what Hao Jian said, Xiao Qiang was reluctant to agree. She was worried that if Shu Ya and others found out, it would harm Hao Jian. "Xiao Qiang, you are my woman, and buying a house for you is the right thing to do. Besides, the opinions of others are of no importance to me. Besides, who dares to object if I buy a house for my woman, Hao Jian? Or do you care more about what others think than about me?" "It''s not... not like that..." Frightened by Hao Jian''s words, Xiao Qiang hurriedly waved her hands as if she feared he would take them seriously. "As long as it''s not the case, then come with me!" Hao Jian shook his head helplessly, then promptly grabbed Xiao Qiang''s hand and took her to her room to change clothes. Xiao Qiang felt a bit helpless about Hao Jian''s forceful approach but had no choice but to comply. "This silly woman." Hearing the rustling of changing clothes from the room, Hao Jian waiting outside shook his head, a slow smile spreading across his lips. Soon, Xiao Qiang had changed clothes and come out. Seeing her anxious face, Hao Jian immediately explained, "Don''t put on such a reluctant face. Now that our relationship is established, shouldn''t we find a little nest of love?" "I''m mainly worried about what Shu Ya might think?" Xiao Qiang voiced her concerns, feeling uneasy in her heart as if she were the third party, even though she was now with Hao Jian. "You didn''t worry about sleeping in my bed before, but now you''ve become worried after? You really are heartless after the fact!" Hao Jian said with a teasing laugh. "You''re disgusting!" Xiao Qiang stretched out her hand to hit Hao Jian, but he caught it in his grasp. Gazing at her affectionately, Hao Jian said, "Don''t worry, I''ll take care of it. I''ll negotiate this matter with Shu Ya." "Alright, I''ll listen to you then!" Finally, Xiao Qiang nodded her head, letting go of her concerns. Since Hao Jian had promised to handle the situation with Shu Ya and the others, she should trust him. Moreover, she had been dreaming of being with Hao Jian, and now that her wish had finally come true, how could she start to back away in fear? What would that mean for all her prior efforts and hopes? Seeing this, a look of triumph passed through Hao Jian''s eyes, suggesting he found the situation rather entertaining. However, this explanation helped Xiao Qiang get over the hurdle in her heart; she had stepped over that obstacle. "Hehe, that''s more like it..." Seeing the worry in Xiao Qiang''s eyes slowly fading, Hao Jian also grinned, wrapping an arm around Xiao Qiang''s shoulder as they left the room. After closing the door, they headed downstairs. Then, Hao Jian drove Enzo, accompanied by the beauty, to a real estate sales office, where they affectionately entered the sales hall. Upon arriving at the sales hall and after a long wait, a sales associate finally approached Hao Jian with a professional smile and said, "Hello, sir, my name is Xiaoxue. May I help you with anything?" The reason it took so long for someone to come over was because of Hao Jian''s attire; his clothes, which didn''t even amount to five hundred yuan, hardly suggested he could afford a building. Although Xiao Qiang''s outfit was not bad either, due to her company''s issues, she had also simplified her diet and clothing, which is why she was now living in a small rental. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Therefore, when the sales ladies saw such customers, they immediately averted their gaze, with no intention of stepping forward to assist. The sales lady now in front of Hao Jian had just finished a task and seeing him standing there, hurried over. And she was well aware of her colleagues'' attitudes, so she couldn''t say much, knowing professional duties required her not to neglect any customer. With this professional mindset, this sales lady did not carry any prejudiced views. "I need to use the restroom, you take a look first." After following the sales lady to the property display for a while, Hao Jian suddenly felt the urge to urinate and, after helplessly shrugging at Xiao Qiang, greeted her and headed for the restroom. "This guy..." Seeing Hao Jian''s manner, Xiao Qiang chuckled and shook her head, then turned her attention to Xiaoxue''s introduction of the property. As Hao Jian rushed to the restroom, a portly middle-aged man, arm in arm with a woman around thirty, walked into the sales hall affectionately. The two were intimate, acting as though nobody else was around, their behavior suggested they were perhaps a cheating couple. In fact, that was the case. The woman in her thirties was the man''s kept mistress, and it was after her incessant requests that he agreed to come to the sales hall to buy a villa for her. "Beautiful lady!" However, this time he felt it was his lucky day because, as soon as he stepped into the sales hall, his lecherous eyes immediately spotted Xiao Qiang inquiring about the property details with the sales lady Xiaoxue, and his eyes gleamed with desire. "Hmph! Disgusting man!" His mistress noticed the middle-aged man''s lecherous gaze and coldly huffed in dissatisfaction, but she dared not say a word; after all, she depended on this man for her livelihood. So, no matter how lecherous or lustful he was, even if he desired other women, she had to play cheerleader by his side. At least until she could deceive him out of that villa. "Dadada..." Noticing that Xiao Qiang was only accompanied by her and the sales lady, the middle-aged man''s lascivious eyes involuntarily narrowed, and with a low, sleazy chuckle, he walked towards Xiao Qiang, leaving his mistress behind. "Excuse me, beautiful miss, are you looking at properties?" Approaching the two women, the middle-aged man tried to present himself as a gentleman, but sadly, his lecherous eyes and portly figure completely betrayed him, making him appear like a clown. "Are you blind?" Previously engaged in a pleasant conversation with the sales lady Xiaoxue, Xiao Qiang''s expression immediately turned sour upon hearing such a sleazy voice. But her ladylike reserve stopped her from retaliating instantly, especially since Hao Jian was just in the restroom and would be back shortly to handle the situation. Having been eyed by those so-called men for her beauty had happened to Xiao Qiang more than once or twice, like that last time with Cheng Bo¡ªif she hadn''t been caught in his trap, how could she have bowed down to someone like him? Besides, although she was blackmailed, she hadn''t let Cheng Bo have his way. She had resolved to keep her integrity even at the cost of her life, but in the critical moment, Hao Jian appeared and swiftly dealt with Cheng Bo. And as for his company, Hao Jian didn''t take it down and she said nothing about it. After all, the real owner of the company was Fengxiu, not Cheng Bo. "I apologize, beautiful miss, my name is Zhu Da, and I''m delighted to make your acquaintance." Chapter 789 - 788: Beautiful Lady, Heres a House for You However, Zhu Da showed no signs of wanting to leave at Xiao Qiang''s clearly dismissive words. With women like her, he had encountered countless before¡ªwho hadn''t ultimately moaned beneath him, conquered by his onslaught of money? Thus, he believed Xiao Qiang was no different from those women, all initially trying to elevate their own value, only to obediently surrender once he offered a high enough price. Thinking about the thrill of having such a heavenly beauty beneath him excited Zhu Da. He had never been with a woman of such caliber before, and he was determined to have her this time! "Disgusting man¡­" Zhu Da''s fantasies also influenced his actions, and his chubby face suddenly wore a lecherous expression, which both women saw in full. Xiao Qiang immediately sneered in disgust, though her voice was so low that only she and Xiaoxue could hear it. "Oh, isn''t this President Zhu? What brings you here again?!" Just as Zhu Da was preparing his next move, a coquettish voice suddenly interrupted. Xiao Qiang looked up and saw a saleswoman around thirty, swaying her slim waist as she approached. However, the thick makeup on her face made Xiao Qiang a bit scared, as if it might fall off at any moment. "Zhang Lu?" Zhu Da turned, thinking someone else was calling him, only to see this overly flirtatious woman. He smiled knowingly, his sleazy eyes squinting as he unconsciously licked his lips. This woman''s skills in bed were no joke. The last time he had come here to buy a house for another mistress, she had constantly seduced him. He impulsively bought a five-million house, and they spent the night together, leaving him nearly unable to get up the next day. "What kind of house would you like to buy today?" Zhang Lu arrogantly glanced at Xiaoxue standing beside Xiao Qiang, then coquettishly approached Zhu Bo, her eyes blinking continuously, sending waves of electricity through him. He rubbed his hands together, inwardly cursing her as a seductress, his face breaking into a smile as he reached out his hand. Zhang Lu was pulled over by Zhu Da, his hand grabbing her shapely buttocks before he lasciviously withdrew it amidst her rolling eyes. "How about it, beauty? Seen any house you like?!" Zhu Da ignored Zhang Lu''s words, instead turning to look at Xiao Qiang with a smile, his voice full of arrogance as he asked. "If you haven''t found one you like, no worries, I can offer you a villa worth thirty million!" Seeing Xiao Qiang remain silent, Zhu Da assumed she hadn''t found one she liked. He stretched out his hand, pointing to a two-story villa within the property model, and brazenly said, "Just follow me, and this thirty million villa is yours!" "How about it? Are you tempted now?!" "Get lost!" Watching this sleazy and arrogant Zhu Da say such things, Xiao Qiang could no longer contain her anger. Without sparing her disgusted expression, she sharply rebuked him. "Little girl, don''t refuse the toast only to be forced to drink the forfeit!" Unable to believe that his infallible method had failed on this woman, and having never been cursed by a woman before, Zhu Da was ready to burst into anger. However, just as his rage surged, a thought suppressed it. This is a beautiful woman, and of course, a beauty has her dignity. Perhaps his offer still wasn''t enough¡­ "Ahem!" He adjusted his clothes, struggling to suppress his anger. Zhu Da coughed a few times and attempted to sound gentlemanly yet confident, "How about this one? What''s the price of this¡­" Zhu Da casually pointed to a three-story villa larger than the previous one, trying to conjure a price, but suddenly realized he hadn''t checked this villa himself and no one had told him its price, mumbling quietly to himself. "President Zhu, this villa is worth forty-five million, fifteen million more than the previous thirty million!" Zhang Lu also saw Zhu Da''s embarrassment at this moment and immediately jumped in to help him, even deliberately emphasizing the price difference between the two villas, putting weight on the last fifteen million. Zhang Lu was very aware of Zhu Da''s character; from start to finish, he came here to buy houses that he then gifted to different women. The woman by his side now, whom she hadn''t seen before, was obviously another mistress he was keeping. And now he had his eyes set on the woman in front of him, as long as he could succeed in making him buy this villa, maybe even two, her commission for the month would greatly increase¡­ The thought of her salary possibly breaking a million this month filled Zhang Lu''s heart with secret joy, she even considered inviting Zhu Da out again and flattering him a bit, perhaps with his happiness, this nouveau riche would buy her a decent villa? "Forty-five million, seems reasonable, beautiful lady, what do you think?" Zhu Da was very pleased with Zhang Lu''s performance, but he still feigned a barely satisfied expression, and then his sleazy gaze swept over Xiao Qiang''s moisturized softness and her angry, pretty face. His lips slightly parted, and a sleazy voice emanated from his mouth. "Enough!" Having Zhu Da repeatedly speak this way, the surrounding people had already started pointing at her, yet, due to Zhu Da''s nouveau riche aura, they didn''t speak out loud, but their quiet murmuring made Xiao Qiang''s pretty face cloud with anger. Did this sleazy pig-headed nouveau riche not know what he was saying? No, if this continued, people would really think she was the kind of woman haggling prices with this pig-headed nouveau riche! And does this guy really think he has a lot of money? "A worthless man who only knows about money! Do you really think I''d fancy your bit of money? It''s only people like you who could say such disgusting words." Xiao Qiang, looking furious, directly mocked him, "Just look at what you look like, your hair is almost a bald patch, your face is covered in grease, and you have this huge body. I really wonder how those women you keep can stand to spend nights with you, covered in sweat and smelling, plus your naturally sleazy appearance, really makes me want to vomit!" "Bitch! You''re asking for it!" Xiao Qiang''s mocking words were unmasked, her loud voice echoing in the sales hall, everyone paying attention to this side also heard what Xiao Qiang said, and immediately some people secretly laughed out loud, truly a pig head indeed! These words angered Zhu Da to the point where veins bulged on his forehead, and he roared out loud, even the mistress standing behind him who had been silent also heard Xiao Qiang''s words, changing her face instantly, yet feeling somewhat pleased internally, as long as this woman was not interested in Zhu Da, she could again receive Zhu Da''s favors! "Just a ****, pretending to be pure in front of me? These days, women who look like you are even cleaner in the brothels!" Zhu Da''s face twisted with fury, his chubby cheeks distorting with anger in a way that seemed ferocious yet still sleazy and disgusting. Every word he spoke was an audible insult, landing in Xiao Qiang''s ears, causing her cheeks to red with anger. Xiaoxue standing by her side was also somewhat scared; she was just a newcomer to this real estate company, not even a month old, and had never witnessed such a scene before. Yet, she really agreed with one thing Xiao Qiang said, that this Fatty was indeed very sleazy! "You..." "Exactly, exactly! Just a ****, acting all high and mighty here? Hmph! Don''t think that just because you have some looks, you can randomly seduce men, don''t make yourself like a vixen!" The mistress by Zhu Da''s side also chimed in disdainfully, although it carried a touch of advice, she was actually saying that Xiao Qiang was a vixen, a man-seducing vixen. "You!" Xiao Qiang was so enraged by these two that she was gasping for breath; her outstretched hand trembled, wanting to say something in retort, but finding she really didn''t know how to insult people, didn''t know what words to use¡­ sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Miss Xiao..." Xiaoxue, seeing Xiao Qiang bullied, couldn''t bear it and was about to speak up, although she hadn''t talked much with Xiao Qiang, from her demeanor, she seemed a well-cultured woman, and that was the kind of person she aspired to be. Seeing Xiao Qiang insulted, she suddenly felt her ideals being negated! "Xiaoxue, this is a conflict between customers, all we need to do is listen to their opinions," Just as Xiaoxue was about to speak up, Zhang Lu, who had been silent, noticed Xiaoxue and spoke in a nonchalant voice. To her, this newcomer was not memorable, but as the manager of this sales hall, this newcomer was also under her supervision. Zhu Da was her client, and if he got upset because of Xiaoxue, then she would have to shoulder the blame, for no other reason than Zhu Da''s wealth! She certainly didn''t hope her career would suffer because of a newcomer like this, she had no choice but to speak up. Chapter 790 - 789: Leave it to me to solve "Wow, it''s quite lively here." Just as Xiao Qiang was getting anxious from these people''s pestering, a voice like the sound of heavenly music suddenly rang in her ears, and she immediately looked toward the direction of the voice with a surprised and joyful expression on her face. Meanwhile, Hao Jian had noticed Xiao Qiang''s trouble early on. By the time she turned her head toward him, Hao Jian had already walked up to her side. Looking at her with a smile, he said, "Tell me, what''s going on?" Although he was smiling, the cold gleam in the depths of Hao Jian''s eyes was slowly revealing itself, and his anger was slowly brewing, just waiting for a fuse to set it off completely! "Hmm..." With Hao Jian by her side, Xiao Qiang''s previously anxious heart had already calmed down. As long as this man was with her, she felt completely secure. "Oh, and here I was thinking who it could be, turns out it''s just a poor bumpkin?!" Originally thinking that the person who made Xiao Qiang''s face light up with such fineness was some successful person, Zhu Da realized, upon seeing Hao Jian, it was only a poor beggar, a bumpkin. Zhu Da sneered inwardly and didn''t wait for Xiao Qiang to explain the situation to Hao Jian before he started mocking them. "Spill it, what''s the matter?" Hao Jian completely ignored Zhu Da''s words. Seeing Xiao Qiang''s annoyed and pretty face, he chuckled and said, "Just a nouveau riche, not worth the attention. Tell me first so I can decide how many times I''ll need to hit him later." "Pfft..." Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Xiao Qiang couldn''t help but cover her mouth and laugh. Hao Jian''s words weren''t hidden at all, even people not far away could hear them loud and clear, and Zhu Da, who was no more than three meters away from Hao Jian, was completely enraged by Hao Jian''s words... "Bastard! Are you deaf?!" Being ignored like that was a new experience for Zhu Da. In the past, as soon as he laid down some money, everyone acted like spineless grandchildren. But those techniques didn''t work on Hao Jian! Did I forget to read the almanac before leaving the house today? How come first this beauty shattered my record, and now this bumpkin has also broken my never-before-ignored record?! Zhu Da''s face turned ugly, and he yelled at Hao Jian, "No wonder this bitch looks down on me, she has a wretched lowlife like you to play with!" "Such a woman is just cheap! I''m a billionaire standing right here and she puts on airs, freaking going all out with a bumpkin like you, a stinking loser. Turns out this bitch is into that sort of thing!" "Shut your mouth!" Expecting the sleazy man to back off because of Hao Jian''s intervention, it was unexpected that the man would instead curse Hao Jian as well. She immediately scolded him. "Alright, leave it to me to handle..." Looking at Xiao Qiang''s face red with anger, Hao Jian helplessly shook his head. He thought a few punches would teach the man the consequences, but he hadn''t expected the sleazy man to be so vile, even daring to insult his woman?! He lightly patted Xiao Qiang''s head, signaling her to stand a little away with the saleslady Xiaoxue, then Hao Jian turned his head with a chuckle. But when he straightened his face, his expression suddenly turned dark, a cold gleam flashed in his eyes, and he stared intently at Zhu Da, sneering. "I had thought of leaving you some dignity, considering your life has already been a failure, but I didn''t expect you to provoke me this much." "Did your parents not consider throwing you away when you were born? Your appearance is truly nauseating, enough to make one lose their appetite. A complete sleazebag, I really don''t know how you''ve managed to live all these years..." Hao Jian''s words were cold but also filled with mockery. His eyes, like a hunter''s set on their prey, were fixed on Zhu Da, who, being stared at by Hao Jian, was already unsettled and trembling inside. "Now, let me see what you''re relying on!" With a tip of his foot on the ground, Hao Jian''s figure flashed and he appeared in front of Zhu Da. Immediately closing the distance, his fists enveloped in Vigorous Qi, he struck at Zhu Da''s chest with a speed beyond the reach of thunder, hitting it mercilessly. "Boom!" The thick layer of fat on Zhu Da''s body trembled like waves, and his face twisted in pain as Hao Jian sent him flying, eventually crashing on the ground and actually cracking the hard marble tiles. "Scumbag!" Hao Jian''s blow was perfectly measured, not to the extent of taking Fatty''s life with one strike, but the pain in his body was a constant sting to Zhu Da''s mind, and with an angry face, he struggled to get up. "Thud!" Just as he was about to get up, a foot suddenly appeared from somewhere and stepped directly on his head. The force from that foot made it impossible for him to struggle at all, and a wave of humiliation burst forth from his heart, filling his fat and sleazy cheeks with rage. "Yo, how does it feel now? Being stepped on by this ''fucking loser'' must not be very pleasant, right?" The owner of the foot was naturally Hao Jian. For someone like this upstart, physical injury alone was not enough; what was most important was the mental humiliation, the direct insult, so that the guy would not dare to appear before him again. Hao Jian looked down at Zhu Da with a light smile on his face, his foot gently pressing on Zhu Da''s head, and if he remembered correctly, Hao Jian had just come out of the restroom... "Get your stinking foot off me! Do you believe I can kill you?!" A stench of urine lingered on Hao Jian''s shoe, and a gust of wind brought the smell straight to Zhu Da''s nose, darkening his complexion further and his sleazy cheeks turned into a deep shade of purple. But just as he issued this threat, Hao Jian''s foot suddenly lifted... Feeling the foot lift, Zhu Da sneered inwardly, thinking that this guy must also be quite afraid of dying, and then he slowly and leisurely stood up, looking triumphantly at Hao Jian. But as he looked up, his sleazy face suddenly froze. "Sir, please don''t make a scene here, it would be very difficult for me..." A small hand tugged at Hao Jian''s clothes, and this statement made Hao Jian helplessly lift the foot that was pressing on Zhu Da. Normally, he would have ignored it, but the owner of this voice was Xiaoxue, the sales lady who had been on Xiao Qiang''s side from the start to finish, and this time Xiao Qiang gave Hao Jian a look, allowing Xiaoxue to persuade him to lift the foot. As a result, Hao Jian had no choice but to lift it. "Fuck! You fucking whore! Do I need you to beg for mercy?!" But Zhu Da didn''t appreciate Xiaoxue''s gesture at all. Instead, he stepped forward and slapped her across the face, cursing out loud. "Slap!" A bright red handprint instantly appeared on Xiaoxue''s flawless cheek, and this action caused Hao Jian''s face to darken once again. "Ungrateful!" "Sir, this matter was indeed mishandled by Xiaoxue!" Just as Hao Jian was about to strike Zhu Da once again, a coquettish voice rang out next to his ear, causing his skin to crawl. Hao Jian considered himself to have heard many women''s voices, even those of transvestites, but never had he heard such a grating voice. Instantly, he shifted his gaze to see who the owner of the voice was, but as he did so, his expression darkened, and a wave of nausea swept over his entire body without warning. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Fuck! Is this even a woman? The makeup is so thick it''s practically falling off. Does this real estate company have no sense? Sending such a woman to manage the sales hall? Aren''t they afraid of scaring all the clients away? "Xiaoxue, given your mishandling of this matter, your internship position will be revoked. Go pack up your things; you''re fired," said Zhang Lu with a twist of her waist, her coy voice carrying a sense of superiority as she disdainfully glanced at Xiaoxue, who was covering her face, and delivered the verdict. She was the manager here, with the power to fire any intern, and of course, not just interns like Xiaoxue, but even those who were better workers than her had been directly fired by her. Now that Xiaoxue had been hit by Zhu Da, if she didn''t make a statement, it might not be Xiaoxue getting fired next, but herself. As for Hao Jian and Xiao Qiang''s feelings, she didn''t care about them at all. In her view, Hao Jian was as Zhu Da said, just a ''fucking loser,'' with no rights at all, someone who posed no threat to her. So why not try to ingratiate herself with Zhu Da instead? That might just allow her to make a big profit. "Manager..." Upon hearing Zhang Lu''s decision, Xiaoxue''s pretty face changed slightly, and she opened her mouth to speak, but Zhang Lu simply turned her head away to ignore her. Seeing this, Xiaoxue could only sigh with resignation. She was well aware of Zhang Lu''s character, even many of the sales ladies here were her people. Thus, she could only reluctantly accept this reality... "And sir, I''ve already called the security room. They will send someone over shortly. Since you''ve hit President Zhu, you''ll probably have to make a trip to the police station now," said Zhang Lu, looking aloof and heedless of Xiaoxue''s feelings, turning her head to look at Hao Jian and stated the outcome lightly. At the security room, she had already made the call as soon as Hao Jian hit Zhu Da, and now the security guards should be approaching the entrance... Chapter 791 - 790 Something Came Up On My Side "Security?" Hearing the word "security," Hao Jian scoffed coldly and said, "I don''t know if this is a legitimate real estate company or a place that bullies people with power?" "You''re a manager at the very least, and you disregard the company''s face just for someone''s sake?" Although what Hao Jian said was a fact, in Zhu Da and the others'' ears, they took it as Hao Jian backing down. Others might not know Zhu Da''s identity, but Zhang Lu was very clear that this sleazy Fatty was buddy-buddy with the boss of the company. At one organizational gathering, she distinctly remembered the sleazy Fatty laughing and chatting with her boss. "I''m telling you, I know the owner of this real estate company, and those security guards are on my side! Right now, with one phone call, I can make you get lost!" With his newfound confidence, Zhu Da''s attitude became even more arrogant. He seemed to have forgotten he had just been trampled underfoot by Hao Jian, and his mistress was also looking at Hao Jian with a furious face. "I''m making the call right now, and let''s see who will be crawling out later!!" "Hello, President Liu?" After Zhu Da''s rant, he directly pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, locked onto a mobile number, and dialed it right away. The call was quickly answered, and Zhu Da''s attitude did a one-eighty. He was nodding and bowing to the person on the phone, with a hint of flattery and ingratiating intent. "I''m having some trouble at your XXX sales office. Some blind fool has provoked me..." "Alright, alright, I''ll wait for you!" After ingratiatingly ending the call, he slowly lifted his head. As his head rose, Zhu Da''s expression grew more ferocious, and looking at Hao Jian, he said with a sneer, "Kid, President Liu said to wait here nicely, there''s a good show waiting for you! Hope you won''t regret it!" After finishing that sentence, Zhu Da turned his head to look at Xiao Qiang next to Hao Jian and clicked his tongue a few times, then shook his head and sighed, "What a pity for this little beauty by your side. I had wanted to have a good time with her in bed." "Hani, even if you can''t have this beauty, you still have me, right?" Following Zhu Da''s remark, the mistress spoke with a voice that melted Zhu Da, coaxing in his ear, then sneered at Xiao Qiang, huffed dismissively, and said, "Women like her are so cheap. They pass up good opportunities and pretend to be noble, but they''re nothing but little sluts in the end." "With your status, Hani, you can have as many little sluts as you want. Why waste words on this one? If you want her, take her, if she resists, just get rid of her! Hani, am I right?" "Absolutely!" Already dazed with arousal, Zhu Da laughed lecherously while grabbing a handful of his mistress''s butt, echoing with glee, "Just an ungrateful wench who thinks she is noble. She should feel blessed that I''m interested in her. How dare she refuse me, she truly does not know whether she''s alive or dead." The two ridiculed Xiao Qiang coldly and hotly as if no one else was there, also taking the opportunity to taunt Hao Jian. The provocative nature of these words was quite strong, and any man would surely be unable to endure such venomous taunts towards a woman by his side. The onlookers around them could only shake their heads helplessly. This is the advantage of power and money. Although the sleazy Fatty was taught a lesson by Hao Jian, it was evident that Hao Jian was someone without any connections or background. Normally, there would be no issues as long as the two parties didn''t interact. But today, because of a woman, the two had an intersection, and once the identities of these two intersected, the sleazy Fatty would definitely leverage power and money to win. Regardless of how much Hao Jian had the upper hand initially, in the end, he would still be crushed by these two forces¡ªat least that was the unanimous prediction of all the spectators present. After all, no matter how you looked at it, Hao Jian didn''t seem to be someone with the power or financial strength. Just by the clothes he wore, one could tell. "You two!" Listened to their mocking banter, Xiao Qiang''s pretty face was filled with anger, and her trembling finger pointed at the two, but before she could speak, Hao Jian''s hand stopped her. "They''re just grasshoppers, no need to get so angry. Let me deal with what comes next." Hao Jian chuckled and patted Xiao Qiang on the shoulder, signaling her not to get too worked up, and said softly, "Let them jump around for a bit, and soon they will have their time to cry..." "Trust me..." "Hmm!" After listening, Xiao Qiang obediently nodded, then turned her head to look at the dejected Xiaoxue, gave her a smile, and pulled her over, saying, "Don''t worry, if we can''t stay here, you can come with me. My company has a place for you." "But..." Upon hearing Xiao Qiang''s words, Xiaoxue wanted to say something but stopped, about to speak when a glace from Xiao Qiang silenced her, leaving her with no choice but to reluctantly accept the suggestion. However, if there was a chance to return to her position, that would be the best outcome. After all, no matter how you put it, this was her first internship, and to be dismissed after just a month¡ªhow would those organizations she applied to in the future view her? And as for Xiao Qiang''s help, she wasn''t that type of person; often she was quite a proud girl. Soon, the man referred to by Zhu Da as President Liu appeared, and as he did, Zhu Da, with a face full of flattery, ran over and curried favor, calling out, "President Liu, you''re here?" Upon seeing this man, not only did Zhu Da''s demeanor change, but his mistress, Zhang Lu, also looked at the man with a pleasing smile on her face. This man was the famous owner of a real estate company, whose net worth simply wasn''t something Zhu Da could compete with. Moreover, he was Zhang Lu''s immediate superior. If she had to choose whom to offend between these two men, Zhang Lu would definitely offend Zhu Da to curry favor with the boss. As for the mistress, because of Zhu Da''s attitude, she didn''t say much, but Zhu Da had explained to her about the boss''s background, and her eyes lit up instantly. After the boss appeared, she also kept sending him flirtatious glances from time to time. "Hmm, tell me, what''s the matter? I have a meeting in a while, so hurry up and explain the situation so I can handle it. Otherwise, if you delay my meeting, I''ll have to take it out on you!" As soon as President Liu appeared, he saw Zhu Da''s disgusting face, frowned slightly, and then waved his hand impatiently. No matter how Zhu Da was, he had bought several houses from him, and even though he might feel annoyed inside, he still had to give enough face. As for Zhu Da flaunting their association at dinner parties as a badge of honor, that didn''t sit well with him¡ªthey were merely drinking buddies at the dinner table after all. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Tch, to come across this?" The moment this man appeared, Hao Jian frowned and his expression turned strange as he muttered to himself. He had clearly avoided this guy''s sales office, so how did he run into him again¡ªcould it be that this guy owned the sales office too? Hao Jian felt quite helpless inside. This man, called President Liu by Zhu Da and whose full name was Liu Rizhao, was a former chairman of a real estate company who had looked up to Hao Jian after offending him and being taught a lesson. This time, bringing Xiao Qiang to buy a house, he had tried to avoid this person''s sales office as much as possible because once the guy found out he was buying a house from him, he would definitely turn the sales office upside down and then give him a building as a gift. This was a favor Hao Jian didn''t particularly enjoy taking advantage of, but he wouldn''t refuse it either. However, this time he was buying the house for Xiao Qiang, representing his sentiment¡ªit was better to pay for it himself. "What, you know him?" Hao Jian''s muttering was quiet, but Xiao Qiang, who was nearby, heard some of it and, guessing the gist, curiously looked at President Liu and asked Hao Jian. "Hm, I suppose you could say I know him." Hao Jian''s expression was odd; he then shook his head. Well, since that sleazy Fatty dared to do that to Xiao Qiang, he might as well teach him a good lesson. Otherwise, the guy might not understand that there are always higher powers and never realize his place in the scheme of things. If Liu Rizhao was your so-called backer, I''d make sure your backer would never dare to protect you again... "Is that so? A trivial matter, I''ll resolve it for you." Having listened to Zhu Da''s melodramatic account, Liu Rizhao was dismissive, just a school gate guard without any money; he thought it was some serious problem. "Thank you so much, President Liu!" Upon receiving Liu Rizhao''s agreement, Zhu Da''s sleazy face immediately showed delight, and he flattered Liu Rizhao as he led him towards Hao Jian... "No trouble at all; after all, you''re a regular client here. If I don''t help out a little, it wouldn''t be right. Besides, it''s just a small matter," Liu Rizhao said, nodding slightly and then glancing at his watch, which showed he had twenty minutes before his meeting. He wanted to wrap this up quickly; otherwise, he would be late. Under Zhu Da''s guidance, he finally came face to face with the true culprit of this incident, and when Liu Rizhao clearly saw the face of the culprit, his mouth fell open, his face filled with disbelief... "Dada dada..." His steps quickened involuntarily, leaving Zhu Da behind. Chapter 792 - 791: Who Fired Them?! "Boss..." Upon seeing Liu Rizhao approach, Zhang Lu also respectfully called out, originally thinking that her boss would be proud of what she had done; however, Liu Rizhao merely nodded at her and then hurriedly walked past her, heading straight for Hao Jian. Zhu Da had been left far behind by Liu Rizhao, and although he was somewhat puzzled by this development, the thought of Liu Rizhao taking action and then Hao Jian crying and begging for mercy on the ground filled him with an indescribable sense of satisfaction, even more pleasurable than being with those women. However, just as Zhu Da was imagining how Hao Jian would soon be dealt with, in the next second, he saw Liu Rizhao bowing deeply to Hao Jian with a face full of reverence, and then gave a profound bow... Fuck! What''s going on?! "Mr. Hao..." As he arrived in front of Hao Jian, Liu Rizhao looked up at him with a fawning expression and said, "What brings you to this small place of mine today?" "Not much; I''m just here to buy a house. I didn''t expect this place to be yours..." Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders and waved his hand helplessly, indicating that it wasn''t his intention, and that it was simply fate playing tricks. "Our company has sales offices of all sizes throughout Hua City. If Young Master Hao doesn''t like this one, I''ll immediately go down and have it removed!" Hearing Hao Jian''s nonchalant yet somewhat helpless words, Liu Rizhao chuckled dryly, extended his hand, and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling a sense of fear in his heart. After all, how could Liu Rizhao, a man who had been taught a lesson by Hao Jian, not be clear about Hao Jian''s identity? Who in the upper echelons of business and both the black and white roads throughout Hua City doesn''t know about the existence of Hao Jian now? This deity is not someone just anyone can afford to provoke. Even now, many significant figures are sternly warning their subordinates never to mess with Hao Jian because if they anger him, the consequences will be very severe. While the white roads emphasize their stance due to their status, as for what happens next, it depends on whether those people are wise enough to recognize the signs. "What is this person''s identity? How could one sentence make the boss make such a major decision?!" Xiaoxue hadn''t been too far from Hao Jian and Xiao Qiang. Since Liu Rizhao had not tried to conceal his voice at all, everyone around could hear him clearly, so she had even less reason not to hear properly. What kind of person was Liu Rizhao? Even she, a newcomer to the company, had heard of him¡ªa powerful and wealthy boss, with influence and properties across the country, not to be underestimated. In the entire company, and even among those partner firms outside, there was nobody who would show such disrespect to him like Hao Jian did. And certainly, no one had the power to make a man like Liu Rizhao casually decide to close down a sales office. For real estate developers, the number of sales offices equates to the number of sources of business, and now he was about to make such a major decision just because of a few words from Hao Jian! "What... what on earth is going on?!" Regaining his composure, Zhu Da looked at this unbelievable scene, his vision suddenly going dark. Just what was the identity of this kid? How could even President Liu, a person of such status, be afraid of neglecting someone like him, a mere tattered and worn-out punk?! "It''s all over..." Zhang Lu had also witnessed her own boss bowing and scraping to this man and instantly felt the world turn upside down. How could this punk make the boss so eager to please and so obsequious?! She had previously sided clearly with Zhu Da and had ridiculed this punk with cold mockery. Yet her boss made a completely different choice, not even bothering with Zhu Da, a nouveau riche worth hundreds of millions, and instead bowed and scraped to a punk like this?! Suddenly, she felt a sense of uncertainty about her future; if this matter blew up in the end, there was a high chance she would be fired by her boss. It was not only these few people who had such thoughts; the clients who had come to view houses shared the same sentiments. Everyone present, regardless of whether they knew Liu Rizhao or not, was incredulous and shocked by his actions. This was the boss of a large real estate company, whose net worth far surpassed that of someone like Zhu Da, and yet now he was showing such a servile attitude to a punk like Hao Jian. For a moment, they all felt more puzzled about Hao Jian''s identity. What kind of background did this man have?! "Forget it, there''s no need to make such a fuss; this is your own company, and it''s not my place to tell you what to do..." Upon hearing Liu Rizhao''s categorical statement, Hao Jian couldn''t help but roll his eyes. Do I look like some ferocious beast to you? Are you that scared? He then casually spread his hands. Not my place? Good heavens, if I don''t make my stance clear here, is my company even supposed to continue operating? If my rivals learn that I''ve offended you, they''ll definitely come tearing down my company the next day with great fury! Feeling almost tearful at Hao Jian''s words, Liu Rizhao sensed the immense gravity of Hao Jian''s identity¡ªan identity so influential that his every move could dictate the direction of their businesses. He was certain that if today Hao Jian displayed an attitude suggesting he wanted to deal with Liu Rizhao, his rivals would surely tie Liu Rizhao up and deliver him to Hao Jian without Hao Jian even having to lift a finger. "Yes, yes, yes!" Though Liu Rizhao internally disagreed with what Hao Jian had said, he still showed a respectful face and then curiously asked, "May I know which house caught your eye today?" "Oh, I almost forgot about the serious business." Reminded by Liu Rizhao, Hao Jian slapped his forehead and then pulled Xiao Qiang over, looked at her with a light laugh, and asked, "You''ve been looking around here for quite a while, have you taken a liking to any of the houses?" "That one over there¡­" Hearing this, Xiao Qiang pointed to a small villa within the model of the residential complex, ideally located in the suburbs, not too far from the city center, with good surroundings and convenient transportation. "How much is this one?" Seeing the villa Xiao Qiang was pointing at, Liu Rizhao''s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and before Hao Jian could ask about the price, he muttered softly to himself. "Oh, boss¡­" Seeing her boss showing this kind of expression, Zhang Lu''s face immediately lit up with joy, seeing an opportunity to make a good impression. She stepped forward, sashaying over to Liu Rizhao''s side, and while walking, she quickly began to speak, wanting to mention the price of the building. "Let Xiaoxue answer that." Seeing Liu Rizhao''s reaction, Hao Jian rolled his eyes. As the boss, he didn''t even know how much his own products were worth. He turned his head to look at Xiaoxue and said with a light chuckle. "Boss, Xiaoxue has been fired¡­" Feeling that the atmosphere was off and having heard Xiaoxue''s name, Zhang Lu immediately became envious, and in a flirtatious tone, managed to cause Hao Jian''s brow to furrow. "Who fired her?" When Hao Jian''s named employee was revealed to have been fired, Liu Rizhao instantly felt as if he was being slapped in the face, it was a harsh face-slapping! His gaze towards Zhang Lu then became peculiar. "I fired her..., this employee was dismissed for violating company regulations," Zhang Lu said, oblivious to Liu Rizhao''s gaze. "Is that so?" Liu Rizhao nodded, having gotten the answer he wanted, and stopped paying attention to Zhang Lu. Instead, he turned his head to Xiaoxue and said, "Xiaoxue, is it? Then you tell us the price." "Boss, she''s already¡­" Upon hearing this, Zhang Lu''s expression changed and she quickly began to speak, extending her hand. But her words were abruptly cut off by Liu Rizhao''s sharp gaze, which silenced her as he said sternly, "Shut your mouth!" Zhang Lu was taken aback. Xiaoxue, seeing Zhang Lu''s downfall, felt a surge of relief and immediately took out a booklet, found the relevant page, and said softly, "This villa is a two-story building and it is located in the suburbs. The price is currently set at twenty million." "Twenty million?" Hearing the price, Liu Rizhao''s face darkened. Today, if he really sold this house to Hao Jian, then he would no longer have the face to stand in front of Hao Jian ever again. It was also an opportunity to apologize to Hao Jian. If he missed it, he might deeply regret it. Thus, he immediately turned his head to Hao Jian and said, "Young Master Hao, let''s forget about this twenty million villa. Honestly, the price does not match your status¡­" "How about this, I have a villa in the downtown area that''s priced at three billion. If Young Master Hao doesn''t mind, let''s process the paperwork right away, and consider it a gift from me to you!" "Three¡­ three billion?!" Hearing Liu Rizhao''s offer, President Zhu''s face suddenly changed. Who exactly was this man addressed as Young Master Hao by President Liu, and how could President Liu casually give away a house worth three billion?! sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At this moment, Zhu Da had no right to speak. As long as Liu Rizhao did not turn his attention to him, even if he shouted as loud as he could, no one would pay attention to him. This was the sorrow of Zhu Da at this moment. Despite being a billionaire in his own right, he could not outshine someone who, in his eyes, was just a lousy commoner. He couldn''t afford to live in a three billion house, let alone give one away as a gift, and that was the difference between him and Liu Rizhao. The difference in the way Liu Rizhao treated him and Hao Jian underscored Zhu Da''s status¡ªhe couldn''t even compare with Hao Jian! Chapter 793 - 792: Done for You! "Forget it, better to pay out of my own pocket." However, Hao Jian did nothing but shake his head, not showing any interest, because while a monetary debt is easy to repay, a favor is not. Owe anything but a favor. "Then, let''s go according to Young Master Hao''s wishes, any house you fancy, I''ll give you an 80% discount!" Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Liu Rizhao had anticipated Hao Jian''s response and immediately showed a look of disappointment, stepping back with a smile. Since Hao Jian didn''t want the house he offered, Liu Rizhao figured a discount was something Hao Jian had to accept, right? "Alright!" Feeling rather helpless, Hao Jian cursed the man inwardly for being sly, then nodded. While a 20% discount might seem small, the savings could be significant when applied to real estate where the cost of a single house could run into the millions. Even though this sum of money wasn''t much to Hao Jian, having been given face, and seeing the other man stoop so low, Hao Jian would seem unsociable if he refused again, and he was not an ungrateful person. "I will have my people make arrangements right now!" Having achieved his goal, Liu Rizhao smiled and nodded his head, then turned to look at Zhu Da and the others, before asking Hao Jian, "May I know how you intend to handle these individuals, Young Master Hao?" Having sided with him once, he was now one of Hao Jian''s own, and his first problem was helping solve the current predicament. If he handled it well, perhaps Hao Jian would take more notice of him, which would boost his influence in Hua City. Although one of the men was a regular client and a friend with whom he enjoyed food and drinks, when it came down to it, Liu Rizhao did not hesitate to choose Hao Jian, because there was simply no comparison between him and Zhu Da. One was the ultimate power behind the scenes in Hua City, the other merely a nouveau riche in Hua City; a straightforward comparison made the gap between them abundantly clear. "Whatever you say, I will follow your instructions to the letter." In the eyes of the onlookers, Liu Rizhao''s groveling, almost servile behavior was unbelievable. This person, a figure with status in Hua City, normally looked up to by everyone, today had shown them that there are always higher skies and greater people above. "It''s all over now¡­" Hearing Liu Rizhao''s words, Zhu Da''s face instantly turned the color of liver, his expression one of tearless weeping, accompanied by his sleazy cheeks, looked somewhat comical. At this moment, his heart was filled with intense regret. Why had he been such an idiot to harass that woman? Now he had brought trouble upon himself¡­ "Break a leg each, and then throw them out of Hua City. I don''t want to see these people here again." Hao Jian shook his head and said lightly, dictating a fate for Zhu Da that made his face turn deathly pale with an undertone of bloodthirstiness. "Young Master Hao! Please, no!" Upon hearing this, Zhu Da''s face changed dramatically, no longer caring about saving face, his hefty frame quickly took several steps towards Hao Jian and with a thud, fell to his knees. With a look full of begging, he said, "It''s my fault! I deserve to die! A mere minion like me failed to recognize a great figure; I implore you to be magnanimous and spare me, please!" From the moment Liu Rizhao started kowtowing to Hao Jian, Zhu Da knew he had kicked an iron plate, though initially, he thought it wasn''t that tough, but now he realized just how hard it truly was. At first, he thought about slipping some money to the police or other forces to deal a blow to Hao Jian in the dark, but after seeing Liu Rizhao act almost willing to be ridden like a horse by Hao Jian, he knew he was definitely out of his league. But now, having dared to harass his woman, he wished he could chop off his hands, hating himself for being so foolish to have harbored such lustful and audacious thoughts. Had he not come to buy a house today, he might have never encountered Hao Jian, and this embarrassing situation would not have arisen. And it all started with a house! Why did he even come to look at houses today? Wasn''t it because of this damned bitch?! Thinking of the catalyst, the spark that he believed was key, Zhu Da glared at his mistress with a hideous expression. If not for her begging him to come look at houses, he perhaps would not have run into Hao Jian today, nor would he be facing the risk of bankruptcy and broken limbs! Therefore¡­ "Damn it! You fucking whore! If not for you, I wouldn''t be in this mess!" Zhu Da did not hesitate to point the barrel at his mistress, staring at her ash-faced expression, his anger growing by the second. This woman, damn her! "Me? What did I do?!" Startled by Zhu Da''s shout, the mistress''s face turned pale almost instantly, then she shifted her attention and saw Zhu Da''s ferocious face filled with fury and murderous intent. "All this because you asked me to buy a house?!" Zhu Da yelled, his face full of rage, his chubby finger trembling as he pointed at his mistress, his voice erupting from his mouth with a roar. "Heh, poor thing." Startled by Zhu Da''s sudden outburst, Hao Jian was caught off guard; however, after hearing his words, Hao Jian sneered inside, shrugged his shoulders lightly, and scorned disdainfully. His voice was not at all hidden, and many people present heard Hao Jian''s mocking words. Their expressions turned odd, thinking, if it weren''t for you, maybe Fatty wouldn''t have ended up in such a miserable state... "Drag them out quickly, so they stop being an eyesore here." Hao Jian didn''t have the time to waste on these people. Without paying further attention to Zhu Da, he gestured impatiently to Liu Rizhao beside him, signaling him to have someone deal with the situation. "Security! Security! Break these two people''s legs and throw them out." The guards, who had been standing at the door unsure of what to do, rushed over upon hearing Liu Rizhao''s words. They first kowtowed to Liu Rizhao with flattering faces, then one who appeared to be the head of security instructed the other guards. Each grabbing an arm, they hoisted Zhu Da and his mistress out of the building. Since the boss had ordered to break the legs of these two, they needed to find a stick. Plus, to avoid causing any disruption to the sales office and potentially leading to a loss of business, it was best to carry out the act outside. "Oh right, and this woman, she''s been fired. Let her pack up her belongings and get lost quickly, before she becomes another eyesore standing here." After the guards dragged Zhu Da and his mistress out, Liu Rizhao immediately turned his head, his face brimming with a sycophantic smile towards Hao Jian, as if to ask what else needed to be done. However, as he turned, he caught Hao Jian''s gaze lingering for a moment on Zhang Lu. Liu Rizhao knew all too well what Hao Jian''s action meant, having been in similar situations himself. He naturally knew what to do, and without hesitation pointed at Zhang Lu, telling her to pack up and leave. No matter how much this woman had contributed to the company, no matter how important her position had been, it all paled in comparison to Hao Jian''s mood. With just a slight hint of his relationship with Hao Jian, the entire Hua City would show Liu Rizhao respect. Money was not an issue; as for this woman''s position, someone else could easily replace her. Hearing Liu Rizhao''s decision, Zhang Lu''s face turned ashen, but she dared not say more, afraid she would end up like Zhu Da, with broken legs, barred from returning to Hua City. She quickly dragged herself away, not even daring to pack up her belongings. "Oh yes, and Xiaoxue." As Zhang Lu left, Liu Rizhao suddenly remembered something. Seeing Xiaoxue, who had been standing by Xiao Qiang''s side, his eyes lit up, and he promptly turned his head and cleared his throat. "Bo... Boss..." Xiaoxue''s pretty face tensed at Liu Rizhao''s call, her heart full of trepidation, afraid she had done something wrong. "Don''t worry, it''s nothing." But as she felt anxious, Xiao Qiang patted her hand and said with a light laugh. "You don''t have to stay in this lobby anymore..." Liu Rizhao looked at Xiaoxue, pondered for a moment, and then spoke, "Pack up your things and get ready to come to my office. From now on, you will be the Chairman''s assistant. You can just find someone to replace the manager''s position here. Just do it quickly, make sure it doesn''t affect the work." Considering the situation, Xiaoxue seemed to have a good relationship with Xiao Qiang, at least enough to save face for Hao Jian. He just happened to need an assistant, and now having Xiaoxue seemed quite nice. At least with Xiaoxue''s good relationship with Xiao Qiang, if something went awry on his side, maybe Hao Jian would lend him a hand in consideration of Xiao Qiang''s face. He was merely making an investment right now. As a businessman and a real estate developer, he certainly understood the meaning of a long-term investment. He was making such an investment now. "Ah?!" Liu Rizhao''s decision surprised Xiaoxue, rendering her face aghast. It was a position one step below the top, just handed to her like that? Xiaoxue was shocked. Was this a pie from the sky? Simply for saying a few words on behalf of Ye Nan and the others, she had gotten a high-paying job with an annual salary of a million, instantly becoming a gold collar? She could hardly believe it; it was like she had met a noble benefactor by stepping out the door! Chapter 794 - 793 Hao Jians Helplessness After resolving the issues with Zhu Da and others, Hao Jian finally had the time to accompany Xiao Qiang to take a good look at the property, with Liu Rizhao accompanying them throughout the process, and of course, there was Xiaoxue too. When it came to the prices of the properties, he, as the chairman, wasn''t too familiar with them, since the pricing was done by the company''s internal professionals based on the market. He was more of a helmsman than anything else. The most suitable person on the scene was Xiaoxue. Liu Rizhao was somewhat worried about the others, fearing they might embarrass themselves in front of Hao Jian, and then he would have to take the blame. After browsing for a while, the two of them picked an independent villa in the suburbs, with its own private swimming pool and a huge backyard, valued at 210 million, which was considered a rather nice villa. With a 20% discount, that is to say, Hao Jian paid a total of 168 million. Because of this, Xiaoxue received a huge commission, nearly 10 million. As for that, Liu Rizhao generously added 10 million to Xiaoxue''s salary for the month. No matter what, Xiaoxue had handled everything very well this time. As long as she was not too useless in her assistant position, that''s all that mattered. After buying the villa for Xiao Qiang, Hao Jian bid farewell to Liu Rizhao and then left the sales office with Xiao Qiang. ..................... A few days after purchasing the villa, Liu Rizhao sent someone to notify Hao Jian that the house was ready. All that was needed was to go and take over the property. So, Hao Jian simply took Xiao Qiang to sign the paperwork, and then they moved into the grand villa with great pomp and circumstance. Naturally, they could not avoid some amorous pleasures that evening. A few days later, Hao Jian received a call from Yuan Shanshan, telling him to prepare for a trip to Paris, France with her. There was a jewelry design competition there, which was important to both their growing relationship. Hearing that Yuan Shanshan had bought tickets for that very evening, Hao Jian could only reply with a wry smile and a "Okay," before hanging up the phone. He quickly packed his essentials and met up with Yuan Shanshan for dinner. After that, they could head to the airport. Soon, the two boarded a flight to Paris, France¡­ ..................... Paris, France¡­ "Phew!" Finally on solid ground, Hao Jian let out a breath of relief, and then followed the signs out of the airport with Yuan Shanshan. "Alright, someone will come to pick us up soon. Have you booked the hotel room?" Seeing Hao Jian''s demeanor, Yuan Shanshan laughed lightly and then asked, "If you haven''t booked the hotel room, just see if I don''t kill you¡­" "Heh heh, for such a small matter, do you really need to say it?" Hao Jian chuckled, then took out his mobile phone and swiped open a hotel booking app, which showed the logo of the Four Seasons Hotel. Seeing that Hao Jian had indeed booked the hotel, Yuan Shanshan nodded her head. The Four Seasons Hotel was quite famous in Paris, France, with the lowest nightly rate at over 800 US dollars, which was more than 4000 RMB. Moreover, the most important thing was that Hao Jian had booked the most luxurious presidential suite, costing several tens of thousands of RMB per night. Clearly, Hao Jian had done this to provide her with a peaceful environment, so she could be at her best for the upcoming jewelry design competition. They waited a while at the side of the airport, and then a Bentley car stopped in front of them. Seeing the Bentley, Yuan Shanshan smiled. After the car stopped, two men got out, one in a police uniform and undoubtedly a police officer, while the other was dressed in an expensive suit, exuding a noble aura that clearly marked him as a person of status. "Hello, Miss Yuan Shanshan, welcome back to Paris," Ming Li''an, clad in a police uniform, extended his hand to shake with Yuan Shanshan and Hao Jian, and then let go and turned to introduce the man behind him, "This is a famous French businessman, Rivettes!" "Hello, Mr. Rivettes," Yuan Shanshan said, smiling as she shook hands with Rivettes. "Welcome back to Paris. I have long admired your work," Rivettes said with a slight smile. "Alright, let''s not talk too much. Miss Yuan Shanshan just got off the plane and must be tired. Let''s send you to the hotel first," Ming Li''an said. After exchanging greetings, Ming Li''an opened the rear car door, allowing Yuan Shanshan and Hao Jian to get in, while he walked to the front with Rivettes, assuming the role of a driver. "This Ming Li''an is the chief of the Paris police department in France. I had received his help last time, and this man is a wealthy businessman in France, possessing a net worth of tens of billions of US dollars; he''s a successful entrepreneur." Once they were in the car, Yuan Shanshan explained with a smile to Hao Jian, only to be met with a roll of his eyes. "Enough, I know both of them. That Rivettes and I have competed in business before, but he was eventually taken care of by me." Hao Jian spread his hands helplessly. If he remembered correctly, his group still had some dealings with Rivettes''s group, but deep down, he just couldn''t understand. These two, since they came to pick them up, now acted as if they didn''t recognize him. Was he really that frightening-looking? On Hao Jian''s last trip to France, all he did was teach these people a lesson and let them know his identity, but now they were silent, saying nothing; what did that mean? "Ah? You know them?!" "No kidding!" Hao Jian was quite speechless. The last time he came to France with Yuan Shanshan and Shu Ya, in a blink of an eye, Yuan Shanshan got kidnapped, and everything that happened after that she was ignorant of, even thinking these two were some sort of good Samaritans. But Hao Jian understood that when these two played dirty, one was worse than the other. They were now likely trying to ingratiate themselves with him, but then again, given their current attitude, he couldn''t fathom what they were up to. However, not being able to figure it out, Hao Jian didn''t dwell on it anymore. After all, he was now in France, where surely no one dared to provoke him, especially since his last incident had probably caught the attention of the higher-ups. Hao Jian even recalled the last jewelry design competition when some fatso had taken a liking to Yuan Shanshan, but he ended up dealing with that too. "Hehe, France, I really have many memories here..." sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Turning to look out the window, Hao Jian chuckled softly, but this chuckle made the two in the front seats shudder, and cold sweat flowed down their foreheads. Ming Li''an and Rivettes felt some fear in their hearts. The last time, they targeted Hao Jian ruthlessly, but in the end, they lost. Not only did they lose, but now they had become drivers... Upon arriving at the Four Seasons Hotel, after Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan got out of the car, Ming Li''an quickly stepped on the gas and sped away, feeling some fear within. Compared to the last time, Hao Jian seemed even more terrifying now. Originally thinking they could have a good talk with Hao Jian this time, the two of them lost their nerve upon seeing him, even forgetting to greet him due to nervousness. Luckily, Hao Jian didn''t take too much notice, otherwise the two would have been beaten to the ground by Hao Jian by now. "This..." No sooner had they gotten out and closed the door behind them than those two guys took off without saying goodbye. So, what was the deal with this airport pickup?! Annoyed, Yuan Shanshan stomped her foot, feeling helpless, and then rolled her eyes at Hao Jian, saying, "It''s all because of you that those two were so scared..." "Because of me?! Fuck! Who knows what''s the matter with those two! They pick us up without saying a word and then leave without a whisper. The most frustrated one is me, okay?!" In response to Yuan Shanshan''s eye roll, Hao Jian felt like crying but had no tears, even wondering whether he should visit the police station or Rivettes''s house again to give the two a lesson. "Sigh, never mind, it''s a pleasant competition trip, let''s not let these few guys spoil the mood." Hao Jian shook his head, immediately took Yuan Shanshan''s hand, and walked towards the Four Seasons Hotel''s front desk, meanwhile pulling out his ID, ready to check into the room. "Hello, sir, did you reserve a room, or would you like to book one?" "Hello, I''ve booked a room online, here is my ID." Hearing the sweet voice of the receptionist, Hao Jian smiled and handed over his ID. The receptionist quickly sorted out the room details, prepared the room key, and the WIFI password, and then handed it to Hao Jian along with his ID. "Sir, you booked the presidential suite. It''s on the top floor of this building, the 45th floor. You can take the elevator directly to get there." "Okay, thank you." Nodding, Hao Jian led Yuan Shanshan with their luggage to the elevator on the right. The helplessness he felt due to Ming Li''an and Rivettes dissipated a bit, considering there was still some time left to enjoy in France, and it wasn''t worth getting upset over these two characters. However, Yuan Shanshan just found it amusing to see that someone could be so afraid of Hao Jian yet still dutifully come to pick them up... "Huh? Is that Yuan Shanshan?" ... Chapter 795 - 794 Enough! "Is that Yuan Shanshan?!" Amid a group of well-dressed people adorned with exquisite jewelry, a woman who clearly stood out from the crowd spotted Yuan Shanshan walking with Hao Jian toward the elevator. Her face was instantly filled with confusion, and as she was about to lead the group out, she caught a glimpse of Yuan Shanshan''s face... "It''s her! It must be her!" Seeing the familiar face, the woman''s expression changed dramatically, anger igniting in her heart. She casually picked up a glass of water from a nearby table and subtly altered her path, which had been straight toward the door, heading towards Yuan Shanshan instead. Those following her did not notice her actions, although they wondered why she suddenly had a glass of water, assuming she was merely thirsty. As the distance between them closed, the malice in the woman''s eyes deepened. At the moment of collision with Yuan Shanshan, she deliberately smashed the water glass against Yuan Shanshan, causing the water to splash over her. All the water from the glass drenched Yuan Shanshan''s body, wetting a part of her rather expensive light blue dress in an instant. "How do you walk?! Are you blind?!" Having achieved her plan, the woman moved onto the next phase, speaking first with a face full of discontent and anger. Her voice, filled with confidence, immediately echoed through the hotel lobby. The people beside her also looked furious. Could this woman not see where she was walking? The person they were with was Livia, champion of the "Goldsmith Fine Craftsmanship and Design Competition"¡ªher status was highly prestigious, yet she was bumped into by some unknown wild woman. "You..." Yuan Shanshan was also furious, clearly the other woman had bumped into her deliberately, what does she have to do with it? "Oh? Isn''t this Miss Yuan Shanshan, the champion of the last ''Goldsmith Fine Craftsmanship and Design Competition''? What? You think being a champion means you can be arrogant and walk without using your eyes?" As the words were spoken, Livia didn''t allow Yuan Shanshan a chance to argue, immediately using her carefully prepared argument to block any response from her. Livia, as the champion of the previous "Goldsmith Fine Craftsmanship and Design Competition," had a very high reputation and everyone expected her to retain the title last time. However, the result turned out to be unexpected by everyone, as Yuan Shanshan won the last championship, much like a child having their favorite toy snatched away. Since then, Livia had harbored a deep resentment towards Yuan Shanshan. "Let''s go!" Angered by Livia''s words, Yuan Shanshan, trying not to contend with her, grabbed Hao Jian, ready to head to the elevator. However, her retreat seemed to Livia as a submission. "Oh? Feeling guilty, are we?" Seeing Yuan Shanshan leaving, Livia stepped forward to block her path, and with a sneer said, "She''s just a champion who relied on others'' help, quite different from someone like me who relies on their own strength. It''s normal for you to feel guilty in my presence." "Livia, Miss Yuan Shanshan was also the champion of the last competition, you shouldn''t denigrate her like this, it''s improper." Those following Livia were mostly competitors invited to this event and had also participated in the last competition. Seeing Yuan Shanshan, they came over to greet her. But before they could greet Yuan Shanshan, Livia started mocking her openly, causing them some surprise, and from her words, it seemed she insinuated that Yuan Shanshan''s last victory was achieved through plagiarism. However, a few individuals looked somewhat skeptical and openly spoke in support of Yuan Shanshan, but just as they finished, they met Livia''s sharp gaze, leaving them looking somewhat embarrassed. "Wade, do you think I''m wrong?!" "No, I just think..." Wade looked uncomfortable, yet he dared not contradict Livia too much, as her ego was quite severe. If he confronted this woman here, he might not qualify for the upcoming competition. "This Miss Yuan Shanshan, the last champion, only won with others'' help, which from a certain perspective, makes her a plagiarist. Her winning entry wasn''t even her own work! For such a person to still win the championship, I really have nothing more to say." Livia''s remarks grew more offensive, and Yuan Shanshan''s expression became increasingly ugly, while Hao Jian beside her looked at Livia with a smile. But in his inscrutable eyes, a hint of cold light swirled. Livia''s confidence in stirring trouble stemmed from some rumors she had heard about how Yuan Shanshan''s last victorious entry had received someone''s help. As to who it was, she did not know, as it was just gossip after all. It didn''t matter to her who actually helped Yuan Shanshan. Even if Yuan Shanshan had done 99.9 percent of the work herself, as long as there was that tiny bit that wasn''t her own, it could be used to belittle and malign Yuan Shanshan. And the reason Yuan Shanshan had won last time was actually because she had received help from Hao Jian. However, Hao Jian had only provided inspiration, and the rest of the work was entirely the fruit of Yuan Shanshan''s own labor. "Enough, Livia!" The sarcastic and derisive words from Livia caused anger to rise in Yuan Shanshan''s heart, yet she felt powerless to retort, finding herself somewhat lacking even the confidence to be angry. After all, strictly speaking, what Livia said wasn''t exactly wrong, but this woman had definitely gone too far! It provoked Yuan Shanshan, who was usually unflappable, to display a face full of anger. However, in response to Yuan Shanshan''s words, Livia just scoffed, turned her head to look at the jewelry designers she was on good terms with, glanced at Yuan Shanshan, and said, "I think everyone here, being from this field, knows how prestigious our competition is, right?" "Here we are, pouring our hearts and souls into work we develop alone, yet we can''t compare to a champion who had help!" Regarding the term "champion," Livia repeatedly emphasized it, knowing the people behind her well. Except for a few like Wade, these were all highly proud individuals, most working as jewelry master designers in major renowned companies, earning at least a million a year. And they had all participated in the recent editions of the "Goldsmith Fine Craftsmanship and Design Competition," quite aware of its difficulty. For the championship they saw as unattainable, they harbored endless fantasies. When Livia now told them that the champion before them had obtained her title with the help of others, and could even be said to be undeserving of the name, this was something they found utterly intolerable! "So this is how Miss Yuan Shanshan obtained her championship? What an eye-opener indeed!" "Heh, Miss Yuan Shanshan, I wonder if you are comfortable in your position as champion? This title that doesn''t truly belong to you must make you feel very uneasy every day?!" "Miss Yuan Shanshan, I used to respect you as a person embodying the true spirit of a master jewelry designer, but I never expected you to have plagiarized someone else''s work in your designs! You are a disgrace to us designers!" "Miss Yuan Shanshan¡­" The disdainful words of the crowd and their contemptuous and scornful looks instantly turned Yuan Shanshan''s pretty face pale, collapsing the aura she had built up in an instant. "It''s not¡­ it''s not like that! I didn''t plagiarize!" Yuan Shanshan''s heart was full of unspeakable bitterness, and her anxious demeanor made her appear somewhat guilty in the eyes of others, which only encouraged them to curse her more heartily! In such a situation, Yuan Shanshan was completely at a loss, not knowing how to explain. Looking at the current circumstances, even if she tried to explain, it was likely they wouldn''t listen to her anyway. Bitch, today you will see the consequences of competing with me for the championship! S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing Yuan Shanshan, who seemed to have provoked the wrath of everyone, Livia could not have been happier. Even the anger from her championship being stolen had diminished considerably. Yet, this could not completely extinguish her intense bitterness! Because, as far as she was concerned, the title of champion could absolutely not end up on Yuan Shanshan''s head. As long as it remained with her, she would continue to resent Yuan Shanshan! "You¡­ you¡­ stop this!" Yuan Shanshan was nearly driven to tears by these people''s insults, but being of little influence, she had no way to counter them. Even Wade and the others were just showing a helpless expression, merely standing by as spectators, neither speaking nor participating. "Haha, it seems you guys really enjoy hurling insults, huh?!" Just when Yuan Shanshan felt helpless, Hao Jian stepped forward with a smile, positioning himself to shield Yuan Shanshan. With indifferent eyes, he casually scanned the designers and chuckled lightly. The laughter came out, but there was not a trace of amusement in it, only a heavy Killing Intent... Chapter 796 - 795 Youve Lost Everything! The aura of Killing Intent was overwhelming, yet only Livia could feel it, a sentiment purposely targeted by Hao Jian. Seeing Livia''s suddenly pale face, Hao Jian felt a surge of satisfaction. Such a woman needed to be taught a lesson; if not, she would always consider herself the best in the world. And now, Hao Jian was determined to properly teach this unreasonable woman a lesson, not only because she had bullied Yuan Shanshan but also because of her disagreeable character. "I just want to ask, besides this so-called ''Goldsmiths'' Fine Craftsmanship and Design Competition'' championship, have you heard of any other awards she has won?" Hao Jian looked coldly at the group of people, who were like weathercocks, and said coldly, "Shanshan has loved jewelry from a young age, especially jewelry design." "One could say she has always loved designing, which provided her with abundant inspiration and a strong foundation. And now, I''ve heard someone speaking ill of Shanshan, even calling her a plagiarist?" "I want to ask, the awards Shanshan has won in international competitions are not limited to this one. For example, a long time ago, she won the championship at a global jewelry design competition held in the USA, where there was even a sixty-year-old master of jewelry design competing." "If you care about jewelry design, you would know who this elderly person is, right? Yes, he is the top jewelry designer of Io Jewelry, the largest jewelry manufacturer in the USA, Reed Blaine! Even he has nothing but praise for Shanshan''s jewelry, let alone the other contestants." "That time, her design won the admiration of all the contestants. Besides that, she has won seven other awards. Are you saying that every single one of these awards was plagiarized? So many people allowed her to copy from them?" Hao Jian scoffed, finding these people before him incredibly foolish to be deceived. "Master Reed?!" Hearing Hao Jian''s words, everyone present, including Livia, changed their expressions dramatically. This elderly man was a globally recognized master designer, whose every creation was worth millions, not to mention those exquisitely crafted fine pieces. Those were invaluable, and now, listening to this man''s words, it seemed that a long time ago, Yuan Shanshan had already beaten this man and had even won his admiration in that global competition. If Yuan Shanshan was highly praised by Reed, how could she possibly be a plagiarist? Such a claim was utterly absurd! How could such a top-tier jewelry designer go against his conscience and steal someone else''s inspiration?! "Moreover, the jewelry Shanshan recently designed in our country has also been very popular among consumers, with sales having just exceeded one billion. I want to ask you, could these achievements of Shanshan''s have been obtained through plagiarizing others'' creative inspirations?!" Hao Jian calmly delivered this statement that once again shocked everyone present. If what Hao Jian said was true, then it meant there was absolutely no chance Yuan Shanshan had plagiarized, as that likelihood was incredibly low! If plagiarism could win a world championship and bring high sales volumes to one''s jewelry, then there would be no such thing as originality left in this world. The things Hao Jian spoke of were indeed true, and he disdained lying. Initially, these words should have been spoken by Yuan Shanshan herself, but given her low-key nature and how she had almost been moved to tears, Hao Jian had no choice but to step forward. As for these matters, Hao Jian was not worried about people not believing them, as they were all readily verifiable with a simple online search. "Impossible, absolutely impossible!" An agreeing voice erupted, immediately causing everyone to focus their gaze on Wade, who from the beginning had held his opinion. At this moment, his face was flushed with excitement as he gazed at Yuan Shanshan''s face, full of admiration. Master Reed was his idol! Yet here was Ms. Yuan Shanshan, who had previously competed against Master Reed and, reportedly, even won. This was absolutely huge news! "Now, Shanshan is a rising star with limitless potential, and you, Livia, do you think it''s possible to surpass Shanshan, or perhaps Master Reed?" At that moment, Hao Jian raised his voice slightly, his eyes coolly focusing on the angry-faced Livia, scoffing as he said, "I think you''ve never considered this, have you? You only know how to fight for a championship that was never yours, without ever realizing that you have become a washed-up jewelry designer!" "Conceited women are often quite selfish, unable to tolerate anyone better or more capable than themselves, and you, Livia, are surely one of those conceited women. You envy Shanshan, her talent, and especially her championship! But what can you do about it? You''ve lost, one word, lost!" "You''ve lost to yourself, you''ve lost to jewelry, you''ve lost everything, and you still don''t realize, where have you hidden your precious jewelry designing heart?!" Hao Jian''s words, ringing and resolute, instantly ignited the passion in the hearts of the jewelry designers present. They looked at Livia with eyes full of contempt and disdain, just as they had looked at Yuan Shanshan before. A real jewelry designer must never lose their original passion, yet many among them had discarded this passion for fame and power. But today, with Hao Jian''s words, they found their passion renewed, realizing that there are always greater talents out there. Yet among these people, there was one exception, the incredibly conceited Livia! And when Livia heard this insult, her face turned an ashen hue, especially when Hao Jian called her a "washed-up designer." She was so infuriated, she nearly lost her mind. This jab had hit her sore spot, and she knew Hao Jian was not wrong¡ªshe indeed was a washed-up designer, which was why she was so angry. Hao Jian had touched her sore spot! "Fine! Fine! Fine! Remember this!" Caught off guard by the swiftly changing situation, Livia looked at the scornful eyes around her, filled with resentment, resenting Hao Jian! After repeating the word "fine" three times, Livia completely lost her temper and shouted directly at Hao Jian, "Bastard! Yuan Shanshan, that bitch, only won the championship by plagiarizing someone else''s work, no matter what, this is an undeniable fact. You think you can clear her name, who do you think you are?!" With a cold smirk in his heart, Hao Jian''s expression remained placid, not at all perturbed by Livia''s words. He knew, of course, he knew the reason why Yuan Shanshan had won the championship last time, and his mention of plagiarism was even more laughable.... Yuan Shanshan''s award-winning design was created with him. Plagiarism? Besides himself, whom else could she possibly plagiarize? Thus, Hao Jian was disdainful. This woman was totally ignorant of the facts, bringing up things she heard through the grapevine to attack Yuan Shanshan. Hao Jian really wanted to call this woman brainless, but then he thought about it and decided there was no need for him to say it, as she was already brainless. "What, can''t say anything now? You ignorant fool, you''ve been fooled by that bitch! You''ve all been fooled by her!" "Don''t get me wrong, I don''t bother talking to a kind of prostitute like you." Hao Jian gave the woman a cold look, then shrugged indifferently, took Yuan Shanshan''s hand, gathered their luggage, and planned to leave. Rather than wasting time and words here with this woman, it would be better to head back to their room to rest. Since they had landed, they hadn''t rested at all; initially, because of Ming Li''an and another man, which had made Hao Jian utterly uninterested; he had been expecting beautiful women to greet them. But unexpectedly, it had been two big men, making even eating seem unappealing, and now they were headed to rest, only to encounter this unreasonable woman¡­ "Bastard! Hold it right there! Who did you call a prostitute?!" Hearing the word "prostitute," Livia jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her face flushed with rage as she pointed at Hao Jian and shouted angrily. This was no longer just a matter of losing face but a matter concerning her reputation! "Heh, do you really want me to spell it out?" Hao Jian turned around, shook his head disdainfully, then fixed his gaze firmly on Livia and calmly said, "If you aren''t afraid of being exposed, then I don''t mind spelling it out." "Spell out what?! A clean hand desires no washing! That''s a common saying in Huaxia!" Livia, unnerved by Hao Jian''s gaze, quickly shifted everyone''s attention, then dodged his clear eyes that seemed able to see right through everything. Yet her heart was churning like stormy seas. What kind of man was this?! S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Well said about having nothing to fear if one is in the right!" Hao Jian chuckled lightly and shook his head; this woman truly wouldn''t cry until she saw the coffin! If you''re not afraid, then what should I fear? In the end, speaking out could only tarnish your reputation, not mine. Meanwhile, Yuan Shanshan, standing beside Hao Jian, watched him curiously. How did this man know everything? And she knew him well enough that, in some matters, Hao Jian never lied, and this time, since he said so, it must be true. ...... Chapter 797 - 796 Youre so bad! "We Huaxia have our own medical practice called Traditional Chinese Medicine, and now, I am going to use the principles of this Traditional Chinese Medicine to explain to you how I knew that Miss Livia is a prostitute." Hao Jian chuckled softly as his gaze swept over everyone present, and everyone was likewise hung by Hao Jian''s words, curious about whether Livia was indeed a prostitute. Not only the jewelry designers familiar with Livia, but some tourists staying at the Four Seasons Hotel were also looking over with curious faces, among them Huaxia people. Every face was filled with curiosity, waiting for Hao Jian''s explanation. "When Miss Livia looks at people, her eyes brim with suggestive warmth, the shape of her mouth droops when she speaks, her skin is dull and rough, her laughter uncertain..." "When she walks, she slouches and drags, her facial features are askew¡ªsuch a person must be frivolous!" "Moreover, I''ve noticed that Miss Livia''s lips are dark today, surely due to overindulgence last night, leading to physical depletion!" By the end of his speech, Hao Jian''s eyes became sharp, and even his voice rose several degrees, as he pointed fiercely at Livia and said, "Even now, if I''m not mistaken, her posture is very off. Everyone quiet down, and you''ll be able to hear the buzzing sound coming from her!" Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone present turned odd, and then they all fell silent in unison. They just wanted to know if what Hao Jian was saying was true¡ªit was too mysterious. "Buzz buzz buzz..." After the crowd hushed, the grand lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop, let alone an object with a slightly higher frequency of vibration. Sure enough, not long after the crowd fell silent, a series of buzzing sounds like the beating of mosquito wings started to echo, and upon hearing this, everyone''s faces immediately took on a peculiar look, their gazes uniformly shifting to Livia''s body. Seeing her slightly flushed face, they instantly understood. So that''s why Livia said she was feeling unwell today, hence the redness in her face¡ªit was for this reason! The jewelry designers accompanying Livia also unraveled their confusion. At the same time, their gazes towards Livia complicated, filled with myriad looks¡ªmockery, disdain, contempt¡ªfalling upon her, making her face turn to panic. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Heh, it seems I was right." Hao Jian''s disdainful voice slowly rose, and the crowd actually nodded in agreement, infuriating Livia so much that her pointing finger trembled. She wanted to say something in her defense, but she really couldn''t find the words to refute Hao Jian. That''s because what Hao Jian said was true, even though she was not the prostitute Hao Jian described, the truth was, it was almost the same. She was living in such an open country after all, where she had a high tolerance for such matters. People didn''t say anything, but the problem was doing so in a public place¡ªthat was the reason for their disdain. Even if you want to do that kind of thing, can''t you go home and play? This way, who would even know you''ve done these things? To be so cheap as to bring such items out in public¡ªleaving the house with such gadgets, how desperate must you be? "Bitch! Yuan Shanshan, wait for it! And you, the man by your side, wait as well! See how I''ll teach you a lesson!" Livia cursed and threatened Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan a few times, then could no longer bear the gaze of the crowd, turned tail and ran, forsaking the company gathering. Today''s embarrassment was severe, possibly even staining her life with a blot, as from now on, whenever people met her, they might whisper behind her back, wondering if she brought "that thing" with her today. "Heh, the main act has run away, so there''s nothing left for us here. Let''s all disperse, folks!" Seeing Livia reduced to losing all face and fleeing in a disheveled mess, Hao Jian also chuckled, turned his head towards the onlookers, and with a smile, gestured a bow. Then he took Yuan Shanshan''s hand and picked up their luggage, walking towards the elevator. This time, finally, no one blocked their way! "You''re so bad!" Looking at Hao Jian''s smug expression, Yuan Shanshan couldn''t help but roll her eyes, not expecting that this guy would be so reliable when it counted, certainly much more so than herself. At least if she encountered such a situation, she would definitely have had to bear it alone. "Heh heh, are you falling for your bro?" Hao Jian touched his nose and chuckled. "Ghost would fall for you..." Rolling her eyes, she turned away, ignoring Hao Jian, but as she did so, she muttered under her breath in a voice as soft as a whisper, too low for ordinary people to hear. "This girl..." But Hao Jian was not among the ordinary, and with only the two of them in the elevator plus the quietness, his already good hearing allowed him to catch Yuan Shanshan''s low muttering, which left him somewhat helplessly shaking his head right away. "Ding!" The top floor was reached, and the elevator doors slowly opened. Hao Jian led Yuan Shanshan toward the presidential suite he had reserved. Upon reaching the door, he took out the key card, opened the door, and they both walked in. However, as they entered, both were stunned... A private indoor swimming pool, a luxurious office suite¡ªall kinds of things were available, even the fruits were freshly imported. What dumbfounded them, though, was not the luxurious decor, but the fact that the presidential suite had only one room! That''s right, just one room! Seeing this one room, Hao Jian lost his composure for a moment. He had clearly booked a presidential suite, but since when did presidential suites have only one room?! Fuck! If he had known, he would have made it clear with the customer service to arrange a presidential suite with two rooms! In his heart, Hao Jian was already cursing the customer service. He felt a bit helpless as it was his own fault for not asking how many rooms there were. At the time, he hadn''t thought too much about it, since back in Huaxia, presidential suites usually had two or three separate rooms. He had assumed it would be similar abroad, but it turned out, it was not the same at all! "Alright, I must go down and talk to them about this, get them to change our room!" With no other choice, Hao Jian had to leave the luggage there for the time being. He turned around intending to walk away, but before he could take a step, his arm was grabbed by a pair of small hands. "It''s okay, maybe this is just a special feature of this hotel. Let''s not bother them, we''ll just stay here. Anyway, there''s only one room, the bed should be big enough..." Yuan Shanshan held Hao Jian''s hand, smiled slightly, and shook her head, saying. However, after she finished her sentence, she realized the implications of her words. Her face changed slightly, and she hurriedly let go of Hao Jian''s hand, waving it at him with a somewhat scrambled voice, "No! You sleep on the sofa, I''ll take the bed!" "Uh..." Hao Jian didn''t know what to say about Yuan Shanshan''s demeanor, but let it go. Since Yuan Shanshan had said not to switch, they wouldn''t switch. After all, it was just for a few days, and Hao Jian couldn''t be bothered to trouble those people anymore. However, upon hearing that he would be sharing a bed with Yuan Shanshan, Hao Jian couldn''t help but start fantasizing about the contact they might have after falling asleep and such. But unexpectedly, Yuan Shanshan changed her mind and told him to sleep on the sofa, which left Hao Jian quite exasperated. "Alright, get your stuff put away. This will be our home for the next week..." Extending a finger, he lightly tapped Yuan Shanshan''s forehead, then Hao Jian took his luggage and walked further inside. Looking at the mini villa-like suite, he nodded to himself; the environment was still good, though not as much as Xiao Qiang''s villa. But then again, this was a hotel, not a villa sprawling over more than two thousand square meters like Xiao Qiang''s. Speaking of Xiao Qiang''s villa, on his way to Paris, Hao Jian also made a call to a local cleaning company, asking them to send a housekeeper along with staff to maintain the cleanliness of the villa and be responsible for various chores, or servants, though Hao Jian didn''t dare to have men sent over. Who knows if those men might covet Xiao Qiang''s beauty and harbor evil thoughts, especially since he was abroad and unable to return. Therefore, Hao Jian had the company send women to take care of the villa''s cleanliness, entry, and exit. As for security concerns, he wasn''t worried; in Hua City, no one dared to cross him. Of course, that excluded the inobservant gangsters. "I''m going to take a shower and sleep! I''m dead tired from today!" After putting away his luggage, Hao Jian walked into the only room, grabbed a spare blanket to throw on the sofa, and took some clean clothes from his suitcase before heading into the bathroom for a shower. Once inside the bathroom, Hao Jian felt a bit helpless. It was surrounded by transparent glass, and it was also connected to the toilet, meaning as long as one person was showering, the other couldn''t use the toilet. At least that was the case given the current state of their relationship. Chapter 798 - 797: Have You Seen Enough?! After his bath, Hao Jian fell into a deep sleep, so profound that time slipped into the late night. A warm current began swirling in his abdomen, eventually becoming an urgent need to urinate that surged to the forefront of his thoughts. At first, he didn''t feel much and merely turned over to continue sleeping, but as time passed, the urge grew stronger and stronger, and finally, the need to pee overwhelmed his sleepiness. Hao Jian''s eyes snapped open, he flung off his covers, hurriedly slipped on his slippers, and dashed to the bathroom¡­ "Ah! What are you doing!" Hao Jian was in the middle of unzipping himself, already preparing for a long-overdue relief, but he was forced to slam on the brakes by Yuan Shanshan''s sudden scream, causing his face to redden with the strain of holding back. "Seen enough yet?!" "No, no¡­" Distracted by the scene before him, Hao Jian subconsciously responded to Shanshan''s cool voice with a reflexive reply. As soon as the words left his mouth, he snapped back to awareness, cursed himself silently, and quickly waved his hands, saying, "No, no, no. I mean, yes, yes, I''ve seen enough!" "No, that''s not what I mean! I mean¡­" Though he had seen plenty of Shu Ya''s and Moon Goddess Jiang''s bodies, Yuan Shanshan''s allure was no less compelling, and in some ways, even more so for Hao Jian. There''s an old saying, "Idiots pass up freebies," and that was Hao Jian''s motto. At that moment, Hao Jian''s thoughts were a mess from Yuan Shanshan''s question. He knew that the words he just said were going to bring him trouble, and now he couldn''t articulate himself clearly. "Okay, okay, okay! I''m going out!" In the end, Hao Jian could only shrug helplessly, zip himself up swiftly, and then exit the bathroom in a fluster, casting a wistful glance at the misted-over glass as he left. "Damn jerk! He did it on purpose¡­" Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing Hao Jian leave, Yuan Shanshan''s pretty face was still flushed with embarrassment. Generally, if a woman is seen naked by a man, and especially when there is no established relationship between them¡ªas was the case with her and Hao Jian¡ªshe would explode in anger. When Hao Jian entered, she had indeed noticed him, and her scream was more of an instinctive reaction. It might have sounded angry, but only she knew that deep down, there was a hint of anticipation. What a mess, how am I going to survive the next seven days?! Stepping out of the bathroom, Hao Jian''s face was a portrait of embarrassment. He had merely needed to use the bathroom, who could have anticipated bumping into Yuan Shanshan taking a bath? Alas, it seemed that old saying had come true. Whatever shall I do if Yuan Shanshan starts to think poorly of me! Hao Jian threw himself onto the sofa, wailing inwardly. If it were Shu Ya or the others, having seen them was just that, seen¡ªbefore their relationship was even confirmed, they had seen quite a bit of each other. But with Yuan Shanshan, Hao Jian was at his wits'' end, truly unsure of how to explain himself. If I can''t clarify this, what am I going to do?! And the service at this hotel really left him speechless, why on earth did they assign him this room? A single glass panel for both the bathroom and the toilet¡ªweren''t they cutting corners?! Wasn''t this just setting him up?! A five-star hotel, a presidential suite no less, you boast lovely views and fine decor, but the bathroom, that''s a glaring blemish! Hao Jian had been silently cursing the hotel all this time, yet he had not considered that the hotel''s receptionist had put them in the room with the best of intentions. She had seen Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan arrive together, booking a presidential suite for seven days¡ªa clear indication of affluence. "Hmph!" Soon after Hao Jian left, Yuan Shanshan also emerged, wrapped in a thin bathrobe that could hardly contain her graceful curves. Seeing Hao Jian sprawling on the couch as if awaiting judgment, she let out a displeased huff. "Gu Shuishui, I was wrong! I won''t ever dare to do it again!" Seeing Yuan Shanshan''s demeanor, Hao Jian walked over to her with eager attentiveness, chuckling nervously as he begged for forgiveness. For the sake of future happiness, he thought it best to be humble. "You think there''ll be a next time?!" Yuan Shanshan wrinkled her nose at Hao Jian''s words, turned her head away with an air of queenly disdain. "Not at all, not at all!" With a bitter smile inside, Hao Jian felt helpless. Who could blame him, as this time they were at a disadvantage? But he didn''t lose out too much this time. That girl''s body has just been getting more and more attractive. When he first met her, she was nothing compared to now¡ªit was like night and day! "Hmph! I think you did it on purpose!" Yuan Shanshan glared fiercely at Hao Jian and snorted coldly before accusingly demanding, "Right, you did it on purpose, didn''t you?!" "You couldn''t hear the sound of me showering? Plus, you''ve used the bathroom today, so you should know there''s only a single pane of glass. And now you just walked right in. Tell me, did you do it on purpose?" The repeated accusation of being ''deliberate'' pushed Yuan Shanshan''s presence to a peak, while Hao Jian could only smile wryly. He had simply been too desperate to pee to care about his surroundings, to the point that he hadn''t heard the shower at all. But now, he couldn''t just frankly admit he hadn''t heard anything. Besides, he still hadn''t relieved himself. If he held it in too long and hurt Little Hao, what would he do then?! Seeing Yuan Shanshan''s expression, though, he knew she wouldn''t let him go to relieve himself and come back. "I really didn''t do it on purpose! I... I was just really desperate to pee, that''s why I rushed into the bathroom!" "I don''t believe you! I bet you had ulterior motives! How could a small woman like me possibly stand up to you?" But Yuan Shanshan simply didn''t believe Hao Jian''s explanation. "Gu Shuishui, if I had ulterior motives, I would have taken advantage of you ages ago!" At those words, Hao Jian was speechless and instantly retorted. If he truly had ill intentions toward Yuan Shanshan, she wouldn''t stand a chance of resisting, right?! And now she was querying him about harboring bad intentions?! "Hmph! You definitely had ulterior motives anyway!" Yuan Shanshan hmphed softly, glaring fiercely at Hao Jian, convinced that he had been up to no good! Shit! If I don''t teach this girl a lesson, she''s going to take the roof off my house! Hao Jian was quite impatient. Here he was apologizing sincerely, and yet Yuan Shanshan insisted on her version of events. This attitude was really testing his patience, prompting the idea to get into an argument with her. "Yes, yes, yes, it was all my doing. I walked in on purpose to see you, and now I also want to fulfill the ''duty'' you mentioned!" Hmph! So the bastard admits it?! Yuan Shanshan felt a surge of triumph upon hearing Hao Jian''s admission, mixed with some delight. But then, what did Hao Jian mean by fulfilling his duty, as she had said? "What do you mean?" Unable to figure it out, Yuan Shanshan asked, unsure what Hao Jian was planning, when suddenly, a gust of hot air hit her... "It means to force. Myself. On you!" Hao Jian shouted loudly, stepping forward until he was just inches from Yuan Shanshan, his intense masculine scent enveloping her. "Ah!" Startled by Hao Jian''s sudden move, Yuan Shanshan panicked. Was this jerk really going to force himself on her?! Trembling with shock and her mind in disarray, her feet slipped from under her, and she fell head first to the ground... Chapter 799 - 798: Can You Put On Your Clothes? Oh my, it was just a joke! Are you that scared?! Seeing this situation, Hao Jian was shocked and quickly reached out his hand to catch Yuan Shanshan who had not yet hit the ground. But this time, Hao Jian acted hastily and didn''t properly brace his feet; both of them ended up falling to the ground together. However, in the moment of falling, Hao Jian quickly extended his hands to protect all of Yuan Shanshan''s joints, fearing she would get hurt. "Bang!" The two hit the ground one after the other, Hao Jian landed directly on the floor, while Yuan Shanshan fell on top of him. To minimize her injuries, when Yuan Shanshan landed on him, Hao Jian quickly hugged her and rolled over, thus reducing the impact on her. "Are you okay?" After landing safely, Hao Jian quickly raised his head and asked. "Take your hands off me!" Looking at Hao Jian''s dumbfounded expression, Yuan Shanshan felt amused, yet Hao Jian''s hands were indeed restless. With cheeks flushed with embarrassment, she yelled at Hao Jian, snapping him out of his daze. Realizing his hands were pressing on something soft, Hao Jian chuckled dryly and hurriedly let go of his hands. Soon, the tingling sensation and embarrassment overcame her and took over her thoughts. She yelled at Hao Jian, saying, "Hao Jian! I knew I should not have let you come along!" "Hehe, Shanshan, don''t be mad, don''t be mad, this was purely accidental, purely accidental. Look, I had no choice, right? Who asked you to fall suddenly? I did this just to save you..." Hao Jian immediately shrank his neck, turned his head, and explained with a dry laugh. But this explanation instantly fueled Yuan Shanshan''s anger even more. She glared fiercely at Hao Jian and snapped, "So you think you have a point now, huh?! Are you trying to pin all the blame on me?!" After speaking, she stood with her hands on her hips, in full Mother Tiger mode, and continued yelling at Hao Jian, "I think you''re just asking for a beating! Don''t think I won''t tell Sister Shu Ya about what you did to me and see if she won''t deal with you properly!" "Look... you can deal with me however you want, but could you please put on your clothes first?" "Ah!" A sharp scream suddenly reverberated throughout the room. Thankfully, it was a presidential suite with strong soundproofing, otherwise, Yuan Shanshan''s piercing scream would have been heard outside. Yuan Shanshan then realized she was not dressed, so she hurriedly picked up a bathrobe from the floor and threw it on. Hao Jian covered his ears, thinking that in the future when going out with this woman, it would be better to choose a hotel with better sound insulation. Otherwise, if something like today happened again, how could he live with all these disturbances. Watching the sight of Yuan Shanshan that he was reluctant to part with disappearing behind the only room door, Hao Jian helplessly shook his head. He then slowly extended his hand, lightly grabbed at the air, then brought it to his nose and sniffed slightly, before nodding satisfied. Hao Jian chuckled, looked at the room that had gone quiet, laughed dryly, straightened his clothes, and hurriedly ran to the bathroom to use the toilet... And so, an uneventful night passed... Since the competition starts the day after tomorrow, there wasn''t much to do today except for shopping with Yuan Shanshan, so Hao Jian got up early in the morning, washed up, and asked the service staff to bring up two breakfasts. As for Yuan Shanshan, Hao Jian felt a bit awkward and wasn''t sure whether to knock on her door to wake her up for breakfast, especially since he had given her quite a shock last night, and recalling those incidents would still make her blush. Fortunately, Yuan Shanshan had also gotten up ten minutes before the waiter brought breakfast, and Hao Jian sneakily checked her face, finding her complexion normal without anything unusual, which made him sigh in relief, glad that the girl didn''t take it to heart. "Hurry up and have breakfast. After eating, we''ll go for a walk on the pedestrian street, then visit the food street, and the sights we didn''t finish last time." Seeing that Yuan Shanshan''s face showed no abnormalities, Hao Jian greeted her. "Go to hell!" However, Yuan Shanshan responded to Hao Jian''s words with a vulgar curse, and then, like a haughty hen, she went to wash up in the bathroom. This girl... Seeing her like this, Hao Jian chuckled and shook his head, now he could finally be sure that she was not angry with him over last night''s incident. It was just a childish sulk, but her cursing somehow seemed cute to him. Hao Jian picked up the breakfast and started eating without paying any more attention to Yuan Shanshan. "Hm?" Just as he picked up the bread, Hao Jian''s eyes suddenly narrowed, he stealthily glanced at the balcony outside, and after a while, withdrew his gaze and calmly continued with his breakfast. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After finishing the bread, a slow smile curled on Hao Jian''s lips, and he inwardly sneered. It seemed that they were being watched again, but it was unclear whether the target was himself or Yuan Shanshan. Regarding these matters, Hao Jian just shook his head. As long as Yuan Shanshan''s safety wasn''t endangered, the shoddy surveillance technique gave him a rough idea. Those capable of facing Hao Jian were extremely formidable. If they were after him, they wouldn''t send amateurs. Therefore, he deduced that this time it wasn''t aimed at him; the only other possibility was Yuan Shanshan. But Yuan Shanshan in Paris or back in China really had no enemies. If forced to name an enemy, it could only be Livia in Paris¡ªthis woman definitely had a motive to target Yuan Shanshan. It was all because of the competition, yet Hao Jian didn''t sense any killing intent from the observer, only a tense heartbeat and a sense of urgency, as if waiting for the right moment. However, Hao Jian didn''t care much about this. Since someone was looking for trouble, he naturally wouldn''t sit idly by. But he decided not to act against this person just yet; he needed to follow the trail to uncover the real culprit behind this, otherwise, it would be too lenient on Livia. Hao Jian definitely did not want to experience the previous incident again, where Yuan Shanshan was kidnapped right under his watch¡ªthis was a dereliction of his duties, and although he had saved her, she had suffered a lot. This time in Paris, Hao Jian was determined to ensure that no one would harm Yuan Shanshan even a bit; he was quite displeased with that Livia. If it indeed turned out that she was the mastermind behind this, Hao Jian wouldn''t mind dealing with her according to the proper French laws and sending her directly to prison. After Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan finished breakfast, they picked up their belongings and left the room. On this trip to Paris, Hao Jian had specifically brought his globally accepted Black Card to avoid wasting time exchanging currency. "Clang!" Hao Jian slowly closed the door, his lips curling into a sneer. Then he proceeded toward the elevator with Yuan Shanshan, making jokes along the way to tease her. And after Hao Jian closed the door, the figure that had been hiding in the corner of the balcony also slowly emerged, gently opened the balcony''s French doors, and stepped inside... Chapter 800 - 799 Theft "Miss Livia, I have followed your orders and found Yuan Shanshan''s design. This design is truly fantastic!" The figure rummaged through Hao Jian''s presidential suite for a while, finally finding Yuan Shanshan''s jewelry design in her room. "With this, you will definitely become the champion!" "This is my design; naturally, it''s the best." Over the phone, Livia''s lazy voice came through, but within that voice, there was a trace of chill that caused the figure to shiver and promptly nod and bow, saying, "Yes, yes, yes, this has always been Miss Livia''s item. I merely took it back from the thief for Miss Livia." "Hmm..." Livia hummed and then said, "Once you''re done with the task, hurry back. Otherwise, if it''s discovered, even I won''t be able to save you." "Yes!" The figure nodded and immediately hung up the phone, then carefully checked the room for any abnormalities before climbing down the water pipe from the balcony... "Yuan Shanshan, let''s see how you compete with me for the championship this time!" Livia viciously stared out the window, her eyes fiery with anticipation, as she turned on a device with a press of a button, tossing her phone onto the sofa. "As long as I present your work at the competition, and your entry just happens to coincide with mine, once I take the stage first, you won''t have any chance to rectify the situation!" Livia softly moaned and sneered inwardly, saying, "After all, everyone will believe that the first performance is the original, and for the second, no matter how you argue, I don''t think anyone will believe you." ..................... Soon, the world-renowned designers'' competition, "Goldsmith Fine Arts and Design Competition," began, and most of the audience this time were from all over the world, representing wealthy businesses or companies interested in gems and famous enterprises, looking for designs they admire. If they spot a design they like, they will bid on it after obtaining the designer''s consent. The highest bidder wins and commissions the designer to create a template that then becomes a product for their company. As for the designer, naturally, they collect royalties. "Hey, this venue is pretty good." Hao Jian also followed Yuan Shanshan into the competition venue, and upon entering, Hao Jian was amazed. He had thought such competitions would be noisy, but upon entering, found everyone quietly chatting and sipping wine. To Hao Jian, it felt more like a gathering than a jewelry design competition. This time, the organizers specifically chose a very famous hotel in Paris for the venue because this hotel is the most luxurious and unique in Paris. "Hehe, naturally, don''t you see what kind of competition this is? Here, there are representatives from famous companies and wealthy businessmen from all over the world. If the venue was poorly organized, it could lead the audience to believe that this competition is not that important..." Upon hearing Hao Jian''s comment, Yuan Shanshan turned her head with a slight smile, then pointed at four individuals with slightly gray hair piled together nearby and whispered to Hao Jian, "See those four people over there?" "They are the judges for this competition, famous jewelry designers themselves. Although they may not rank high globally in jewelry design, their discerning eyes can pick out the most potential-filled pieces from a myriad of works." "I can even say here, once they fancy a contestant''s work, that contestant''s abilities are recognized by the public, and that''s an honor!" "Did you receive their approval?" Watching Yuan Shanshan''s adoring expression, Hao Jian helplessly rubbed her head and asked with a laugh. This girl, does she not realize that the handsome guy before her also possesses superb jewelry design skills? "You might as well tell me about the rules of this competition, I am an audience member after all, I should at least understand your rules, right? Since your kind of competition changes rules every time, I just can''t be bothered to remember these one-time rules." Hao Jian helplessly shrugged his shoulders and said: "In my opinion, you guys really make it too complicated, can''t you set a fixed set of rules? Always having this kind of method." "That won''t do, the jewelry industry is ever-changing, it''s possible that a piece you design today could be a bestseller, or it might just be a trash design that nobody wants. But each piece, regardless, is produced because of its inherent qualities. What sells well isn''t necessarily good, and what is deemed trash isn''t necessarily bad." Hearing Hao Jian say this slight complaint, Yuan Shanshan also laughed, but since the people around here were quite quiet, she had to maintain her composure. After all, as a competitor, it''s not just the work that can score points, this personal style can also earn some hidden points. Although at her level, with Hao Jian''s help, she doesn''t care much about the rankings, it is only people of Livia''s influence who would compete for what she considers a very trivial championship. However, her main purpose this time was to come to Paris to be with Hao Jian. "You talk the talk, but what about your rules?" While curious about what this girl was actually thinking, Hao Jian found it helpless that she wouldn''t share the main point and went on about these grand principles instead. Of course, he understood all these things, otherwise, Dragon Tooth wouldn''t have so many members with different characters and abilities. It''s just because each of their talents has its use; it''s only a matter of whether the leader will discover it or not. "This time, the rule is a ten-point system, which is the simplest rule for this competition so far. Each participant''s energy is limited, so the competition relies solely on a single work to assign rankings, with a total score of forty points. However, if you want to score high from those four judges..." "If you have no foundation, you won''t score at all." Yuan Shanshan briefly introduced the rules to Hao Jian, who then nodded lightly, and immediately said to Yuan Shanshan: "It seems our Miss Yuan is quite confident when she speaks these words, huh?!" After an eerie laugh from Hao Jian, a cold glint suddenly flashed deep within his eyes. When they returned from shopping the day before yesterday, Hao Jian had checked the room and noticed signs that someone had searched it. The most chaotic was Yuan Shanshan''s room. Many things were tampered with, but because the thief was skillful, they had arranged the searched room back to exactly as it was when they left, leaving Yuan Shanshan with no suspicions. While inspecting, even the initially suspected design drawings were not stolen. However, Hao Jian didn''t simply think the thief was just this nonchalant. Just to inspect their room and not take anything when leaving, now it''s a modern society with endless high-tech products. If they wanted Yuan Shanshan''s design drawings, they could easily take a photo with a mobile phone, no need to physically take the designs. Now, he just needed to wait for the start of this competition to find out who was trying to steal Yuan Shanshan''s designs, though Hao Jian already had a suspect in mind. Regarding this matter, he hadn''t planned to tell Yuan Shanshan yet, because, by then, whoever had stolen Yuan Shanshan''s design drawings would face a terrifying fate¡­ "Exactly, look at how perfect my designs are!" S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hearing Hao Jian''s eerie laugh, Yuan Shanshan twitched her nose and proudly looked at Hao Jian saying. "Very well, let me see, how Miss Yuan will impress everyone on stage..." Hao Jian chuckled and ruffled Yuan Shanshan''s hair, then looking at her with conviction, thought: No matter what happens, I won''t let anyone take your championship away. After all, your strength is undeniable, and those scoundrels, leave them all to me to handle! Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan moved to a table and sat down, quietly waiting for the start. Shortly after their arrival, people continuously entered, even Hao Jian spotted Livia and, seeing her somewhat proud face, sneered internally. Keep being happy, if I don''t completely destroy you, then I am not Hao Jian! An hour later, as Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan were laughing and talking, the entire hall suddenly went dark at one point, causing quite a stir, but soon, a beam of light shone down from the ceiling, finally settling on a spot on the stage. A figure, with a smile, holding a microphone and scripts, slowly walked out, and then gently raised the topic, starting to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, dear competitors, hello, I am the presenter of this ''Goldsmith Fine Craftsmanship and Design Competition'', and in the following time, I will host for you this well-known competition in the jewelry industry!" Chapter 801 - 800: Really High-Level! This competition is also the final round, with ten contestants selected out of thousands of applicants. Hence, many judges held expectant gazes; after all, selecting one out of hundreds suggested these contestants must be quite skilled. Under the host''s introduction, one contestant after another went on stage to present their works. However, none were satisfying, causing several judges to listlessly rate them. Even the highest score, given to a contestant from the USA, was only twenty-seven¡ªa top score so far. "Next, let''s welcome our eighth contestant, she is none other than Miss Livia, the former champion of the ''Golden Craftsman Artistry and Design Competition''!" "Now, let us invite her to present her work!" After the eighth contestant stepped down, the host took to the stage and excitedly announced the next name. "If it''s Livia''s work, it should be quite good." Hearing that it was Livia''s turn to present, the judges suddenly started chatting. "Not necessarily, I heard that Livia had a conflict with Yuan Shanshan, the last champion, recently. And I heard she was the one who started it; a person with such a personality may produce works that are not entirely pure." "Let''s just watch. We are judges; we should focus on the works without mixing personal feelings." "Dada dada¡­" Walking in high heels, Livia strutted onto the stage like a proud hen, holding her head high and swaying side to side. She politely greeted the judges and audience before confidently presenting the design she had stolen and modified from Yuan Shanshan... "This is¡­" As soon as Livia produced the design, the judges, previously lazy, suddenly opened their eyes wide with sharp gleams and closely inspected it before inevitably exclaiming in admiration. "This piece is truly exquisite!" one judge exclaimed, then pointed to Livia''s work, saying, "Miss Livia, you can start describing this piece now..." "Yes, sir..." Livia curled her lips in a smug smile, simply because she saw Yuan Shanshan''s expression change dramatically after her work was displayed. Looking at Shanshan''s incredulous face, Livia felt immensely self-satisfied. Reprehensible woman, I will show you that your work, once processed by me, will definitely help me win the championship! And you, ha, it seems you don''t have time to redesign a piece to compete! Livia was not afraid of Yuan Shanshan accusing her of plagiarism, simply because there was no evidence, and given she presented before Yuan Shanshan, the order of presentation spoke for everything ¨C the judges would believe the one who presented first, not the second! That is where Livia''s confidence comes from ¨C her accomplice originally has a thieving background, with numerous thefts over the years. If it weren''t for her suppression, he would have been arrested and sentenced by the police long ago. She didn''t believe that Yuan Shanshan could get any evidence against her! "This piece was inspired by a day looking at the blue ocean. I boldly used sapphire as the main gem, combined with some gold edging and a golden necklace, turning it into a shining blue waterdrop under the sunlight ¨C this is my work, ''Sunlit Ocean!''" The original design used silver for the edges and necklace; however, Livia, finding the color too understated, switched to gold to properly showcase the nobility of the piece. Of course, we could also see it as rather nouveau riche. As for the source of inspiration for this piece, it''s all made up by Livia, who isn''t the true creator of this piece anyway? No matter whose it is, as long as it helps her win the championship. With that title, more companies would seek her for collaboration. Her money would then roll in. "Truly a magnificent piece! Miss Livia, your inspiration is simply wonderful!" A judge still could not help but exclaim in admiration. The golden gleam fascinated him, a judge from Saudi Arabia with a genuine love for gold. And Livia''s piece just hit the spot for him, making him fall for the work. "If only the gold edging could be replaced with silver, that would make the two colors more compatible and also more understated." The local French judge, a female, knew Livia well enough to be certain her ability couldn''t have produced such a design. But with no evidence at present, it could indeed be her work; yet in her view, this piece was somewhat overembellished. "Miss Livia, your use of gold seems a bit too embellished, affecting the aesthetic slightly, but this is just a minor point and cannot overshadow the beauty of your work." Ultimately, amidst Livia''s rather unsightly expression, all the judges gave their scores, and Livia achieved the highest score so far, with thirty-three points. Seeing this score, Livia''s expression also improved slightly, after all, only she knew full well that this piece was originally supposed to use silver for the setting, not the current gold. Below the stage... "That... that''s my work?!" After Livia presented the piece, Yuan Shanshan''s pretty face suddenly changed drastically, staring at the somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar design, her expression turned quite ugly. Subconsciously, she picked up her own design and compared it with Livia''s piece on stage, and immediately felt overwhelming grief; the piece was indeed hers, except for the different materials used, its shape was exactly the same as hers! That is to say, her design was stolen, and the thief was Livia! This woman! Clenching her fists tightly, she was about to slam the table and confront Livia, but just as her hand was about to strike, a hand slowly extended from the side and caught Yuan Shanshan''s descending fist. When she turned her head, she saw Hao Jian with a smile on his face, then heard him say: "There''s no need to get angry over this, just leave it to me. If it weren''t for the plan to catch Livia and her accomplice all at once, I wouldn''t have let her steal your design." "You knew?!" Hearing that Hao Jian was aware of the truth, Yuan Shanshan''s eyes slightly narrowed, then she slowly opened them and exhaled, saying, "Then give that woman a good lesson for me!" "Er... Aren''t you going to go up and argue with her?" Hao Jian thought Yuan Shanshan would go and confront Livia despite his persuasion, but when she realized that he knew about the matter, she acted as if it was nothing... Hao Jian was instantly speechless but also helpless; after all, he would be the one to resolve the matter in the end... "Yo, our champion scores at last, I hope you can bring out a worthy piece for the competition!" Having scored highly, Livia passed by Yuan Shanshan''s table with a smug face, then bent down her head and sneered, saying, "It''s not that I want to belittle someone, sorry, but this year''s champion is mine!" "Haha!" After saying that, Livia left laughing, who knows whether this woman would get angry and start an argument because her design was stolen; and that could expose her, so it''s better not to have too much interaction with Yuan Shanshan. "Bastard! That despicable woman!" Hearing Livia''s mockery, Yuan Shanshan''s face turned furiously red, but thinking about the man beside her solving everything for her, she calmed down again. Before Livia walked too far, a light statement from her made Livia''s figure jolt suddenly. "Just wait and see, I, Yuan Shanshan, was never one to fight for the championship, but now since you intend to compete with me for it, let''s see who will be the ultimate winner!" "Hmph! I''ll be waiting!" Livia paused her steps, then huffed coldly and quickened her pace towards her table, expecting to collaborate with many businessmen after the competition ends... "Do you have a pen and sketch pencil?" Watching Livia''s figure, Hao Jian shook his head disdainfully, then turned his head, looked at Yuan Shanshan, and said with a light laugh, "This time let me help you, you''ll have to design the subsequent works yourself. This situation is rather special, just let me handle it..." "Okay, alright..." sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yuan Shanshan, hearing Hao Jian''s suggestion, pondered for a moment and then nodded her head. Although she wanted to handle her own affairs and the design was the same, this time Livia had already stolen her design, and she wouldn''t be able to redesign a satisfying piece in a short time. But she didn''t want to see that disgusting woman, Livia, getting the championship and being smug, so she could only agree to Hao Jian''s proposal. Only Hao Jian could design a breathtaking work in such a short time, and only he could quench Livia''s arrogant aura in this competition. "Here are the pen and paper..." Yuan Shanshan took the sketch paper and pencil out of her bag and handed them to Hao Jian, as a qualified gem designer, these two items were always kept close at hand. Chapter 802 - 801: Can You Bring It Closer? "Thank you, Miss Livia, for that exquisitely beautiful piece that allowed us to appreciate the beauty of the ocean. Now, our next contestant is also a heavy hitter!" S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "She is the champion of the last ''Goldsmiths Precision Craftsmanship and Design Competition'', and she earned her title with a perfect work." "Let us welcome Miss Yuan Shanshan! A beautiful girl from the magical land of Huaxia!" The host spoke with some excitement about this idol of a champion worthy in his eyes, and then stepped down from the stage. "Wait for the embarrassment!" Seeing Yuan Shanshan take the stage, Livia''s face tightened, followed by a cold laugh, and beside her was a man about forty years old. Hearing Livia''s words, he too sneered and said, "Livia, is this little girl going to compete with you for the championship?" "Exactly." Livia nodded and then clenched her fists, laughing coldly, "But this time she won''t stand a chance. My score of 33 points is simply unbeatable!" "Of course!" The man''s sinister laugh accompanied her sentiments. On stage... "Judges and audience, hello, I''m Yuan Shanshan from Huaxia. It''s a great honor to stand here today..." Yuan Shanshan''s pleasant voice rose gently, accompanied by a faint smile, and a painting of a Fairy slowly unfurled; every frown and smile was captivating. "This is my work..." After introducing herself, Yuan Shanshan also set up her design drawing for the judges to appreciate, her eyes brimming with confidence. She looked at Livia, whose face was gradually darkening, feeling greatly relieved. If one must compare the two works she presented, the one before her, "Luoshen," was undoubtedly more exquisite and peerless. After all, this piece was personally designed for her by Hao Jian, not like her own work, which was a result of wracking her brain. Hao Jian''s unconventional thinking brought an astonishing feel to many creations, making people admire his works. Had Livia not set the precedent this time, she would not have agreed to Hao Jian''s proposal, since it was deeply unfair to the competition. But there was no choice; Livia was just too detestable! She even had the audacity to steal her work; if it weren''t for Livia stealing her design, that woman would have been driven off the stage by the judges long ago! "Named ''Luoshen'', made from black Agate with a silver border, adorned with some small diamonds from South Africa, and with small silver-drawn tails, this piece looks even more enchanting. Its phoenix-like shape exudes nobility." "The phoenix is a divine beast in Huaxia, representing supreme divinity in ancient times, and the name ''Luoshen'' is also my sincere blessing for this necklace." While introducing her piece, Yuan Shanshan became somewhat excited, recounting with flawless precision what Hao Jian had explained to her about the origins of the work. At the end of her speech, she was brimming with confidence. "Please excuse my impoliteness, but this piece is my most perfect work, and it is also one-of-a-kind. I intend for it to remain unique!" Watching Yuan Shanshan on stage, eloquently presenting ''Luoshen'', Hao Jian couldn''t help but smile knowingly. In fact, he had already visualized this piece in his mind, and it was meant to be a gift for Yuan Shanshan. He had always been looking for an opportunity to present it to her. Little did he expect that Livia would inadvertently do him a favor, allowing him to pass the piece to Yuan Shanshan smoothly. And her claim of it being one-of-a-kind was absolutely correct; it was a gift meant for Yuan Shanshan, naturally not just a commercial product. "Miss Yuan Shanshan, could you please show us your work?" However, the judges did not rush to score the piece; instead, filled with anticipation, one female judge spoke up. "Certainly." Yuan Shanshan smiled slightly, took the work off the drawing board, and gracefully approached the judges'' seats, handing her work to them. The confidence exuding from her eyes was dazzling in that moment. Livia, watching from a distance, had an ugly expression on her face. She had thought that after stealing Yuan Shanshan''s work for her own use, the championship would surely be hers. But she never expected that Yuan Shanshan seemed to anticipate the theft of her work, presenting an even more commendable piece, weighing even more heavily on Livia''s resentful heart. That bitch! "Miss Yuan Shanshan, your work is simply a groundbreaking masterpiece!" The judge from Saudi Arabia looked at the design on the table with a face full of amazement. Holding a magnifying glass, he scrutinized it carefully, and continuous words of admiration escaped his lips. "Although you used silver, and I really hate silver, this piece makes everything look so harmonious. I can''t even feel my aversion to this silver-edged piece. It''s absolutely fantastic!" "These ten points! I''m giving them to you! I think it''s well-deserved, and this piece is just too beautiful. If you hadn''t said this was a unique creation, I''d be tempted to buy one for my wife!" "Back off, Saudi, don''t think I don''t know what you''re up to. You just want to buy this necklace. With your wealth, the three of us combined can''t match you." The judge from France teased as she looked at Yuan Shanshan''s work with a face full of shock; she was truly astonished by Yuan Shanshan''s strength. This contestant had already amazed her with her last competition''s work, but she hadn''t expected to encounter an even more astonishing piece by the same contestant at this competition. Doesn''t she have any bottlenecks? Such groundbreaking creations, in their eyes, are not simply churned out at will. And Yuan Shanshan? In such a short time, she''s designed another. "Humph, don''t tell me you don''t want it either?" Saudi retorted. "Haha, alright, let''s not keep our guests waiting too long. The audience is waiting for our scores!" A male judge from the USA saw the two and smiled helplessly, then waved his hand and spoke. In the audience... "Did you just see that?" A man dressed in a tailored Armani suit asked his companion. "That piece, I see infinite business opportunities..." However, the response he received from his companion left him speechless, and he said helplessly, "Come on, John, with your capabilities, do you really think you can get your hands on a work like that? If we can secure Livia''s piece, that would already be quite an achievement." "Didn''t you see Jack, the sixtieth richest person in the world, looking at those designs with a gleam of gold in his eyes? With his hundreds of billions in assets, getting the rights to this work isn''t impossible." "Look, Hank, don''t underestimate yourself either. Who are we? We''re also ranked in the top one hundred on the world''s rich list, right? As long as our resources combine, I don''t believe we can''t outbid Jack!" The man Hank called John scoffed and then shook his head, confident in his words. "Even so, the designer has said that she does not sell her works to the public!" Seeing Hank like this, John seemed somewhat resigned, as if in his eyes, there''s nothing that money couldn''t solve. "John, you''re too conservative and too modest. What this woman said is just a tactic to drive up the price for her work. As long as we offer a bid that meets her psychological expectations, I don''t believe we can''t secure it!" "John, you saw that piece too. That kind of perfection, I haven''t seen it for a long time. I can even imagine the world''s rich buying this necklace for their mistresses!" "This..." At a loss for words, Hank picked up his glass and silently waited for the scoring of this piece of work. Although by now, whether this work gets scored or not isn''t that important anymore, because everyone knows which work is the best in this competition! Scenes similar to that between Hank and John were being played out at many other tables. All those businessmen had the same goal ¨C to secure the rights to Yuan Shanshan''s ''Luoshen''! Eventually, the score came out... Forty points! A perfect score! This was the final score for the work. Although somewhat unexpected, it was within reason, as such a perfect creation is truly rare. And upon hearing the final score, Yuan Shanshan couldn''t help but smile. At that moment, she glanced over at Livia at a table in the corner, seeing her face gradually darken with displeasure, Yuan Shanshan felt quite satisfied inside. She just hoped that this woman wouldn''t do anything foolish next. It''s not that Yuan Shanshan suddenly had a change of heart; she just preferred to see Hao Jian send this woman to jail for a while, rather than have her commit a crime and end up with a death sentence¡ªgiving her a quick end would not be satisfying enough to really torment her. Sometimes, when women harbor resentment, it can be more formidable than that of men. Livia is one example, and Yuan Shanshan counts as well, although she was forced into it. Chapter 803 - 802: Too Naive! "Miss Yuan Shanshan, what is the price for this perfect piece of yours?" After a brief discussion among the businessmen below, someone finally saw Yuan Shanshan putting away her design drawings and preparing to leave. They hurriedly opened their mouth to ask. "I''m sorry, sir, but this piece of mine is unique in the world, so I will not assign a monetary value to it." Yuan Shanshan''s statement was clear: she would only create one of this particular piece, and there would absolutely not be a second one. Even if she did make it, she definitely wouldn''t put a price tag on it and sell it. After all, wasn''t it a gift given to her by Hao Jian? Miss Yuan Shanshan, there''s no need to rush to a conclusion. For your work, I can offer one hundred million in royalties!" S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The businessman slowly extended his finger, gesturing a "one," and then slowly spoke up. However, after saying this, he couldn''t help but worry in his heart. After all, there were many people present with more significant backgrounds than his. If they made an offer, he would stand no chance at all. As long as he could get Yuan Shanshan''s design, he could already imagine the booming sales of the product. Any wealthy businessmen would buy this necklace for their woman without sparing any expense. Considering the materials required for Yuan Shanshan''s design, the cost of making this necklace wouldn''t exceed seven to eight hundred thousand. Adding Yuan Shanshan''s royalties, the cost proportion would decrease as the sales volume increased. However, all of this was predicated on Yuan Shanshan''s willingness to sell it to him, and that the business tycoons would not step in and snatch away what he had set his eyes upon. But this businessman seemed a bit naive. After he spoke, a wealthy businessman laughed coldly. On closer inspection, it turned out to be Hank. "Kid, do you really think that one hundred million would be enough to buy Miss Yuan Shanshan''s design? That''s too naive," said Hank with a sneer, before turning his head towards Yuan Shanshan who was still on stage. His voice was now respectful as he spoke, "Miss Yuan Shanshan, this gentleman has offered one hundred million, then I will offer ten times that. I bid one billion!" Anyone who wasn''t a fool could recognize the value of the design that Yuan Shanshan held¡ª not just because it came from the hands of a champion like her, but also because this piece was top-tier compared to all others they had seen. In Hank''s view, pieces of such caliber were invariably worth a fortune. He wasn''t like that superficial businessman; true treasures lose their worth when they become common. It''s like limited-edition cars worldwide, where their branding and limited number dictate a steep price, with some changing hands multiple times without depreciating but instead becoming more costly. Like Hao Jian''s Enzo, ordinarily, it would cost twenty to thirty million, but the seller originally wanted to list it for one hundred million. However, upon seeing that Hao Jian wanted to buy it, he painfully halved the price to fifty million. After all, Hao Jian''s identity was far from ordinary. Similarly, as soon as Yuan Shanshan''s piece is released, it wouldn''t take much effort¡ªjust a debate over the limited quantity and a slight reliance on the company''s reputation to reach those rich businessmen, like the wealthy from Saudi Arabia. They wouldn''t care about the money. What they coveted was the exceedingly precious necklace, akin to a piece of fine art. Hank and others among the world''s richest businessmen were no simple characters; they clearly saw the future potential of this artwork. The piece that Livia stole belonged to a mass-produced category, neither too expensive nor too cheap, and its potential for growth was limited. In contrast, Yuan Shanshan''s work, priced at an astronomical figure, could keep climbing in value every year for the next decade if managed properly. "I''m sorry, sir, but as I''ve said before, I have no desire to sell this piece." Yuan Shanshan helplessly shook her head. Although she had anticipated this situation, she did not expect these businessmen to go to such lengths. If it were the piece stolen by Livia that they were bidding on, Yuan Shanshan would have sold it long ago. But this piece was a gift from Hao Jian; its value was beyond monetary measurement. Besides, with Hao Jian''s current wealth and Yuan Shanshan''s own worth, they really did not care about such money. Others worry about earning money, while people like Hao Jian worry about how to spend what they''ve earned. "Miss Yuan Shanshan, perhaps we can still negotiate. Everything in this world has its value. Maybe your current refusal is just because our offer hasn''t reached your psychological price yet." A businessman dressed in a suit, speaking in broken English, slowly stood up and confidently addressed Yuan Shanshan, exuding an air of a nouveau riche around him. "The South Korean tycoon ranked 49th on the World''s Billionaire List, Kim Yong-xin?!" Upon seeing the man stand up, many businessmen present showed a look of surprise. This guy hadn''t uttered a single word from beginning to end, but this one statement was so piercing, everyone wondered how Yuan Shanshan would respond. Among those present, there were some businessmen who had previously collaborated with Kim Yong-xin and were well aware of the kind of person he was. If he set his eyes on something, he had to have it. Now he had taken an interest in Yuan Shanshan''s work, which meant that if she refused, she would face relentless pursuit from this wealthy individual. "Mr. Kim Yong-xin, let''s stop here. I don''t intend to sell this piece. However, I might consider selling the next one." Yuan Shanshan also felt a headache dealing with this seemingly nouveau riche tycoon, well known within the circle for being troublesome. Although he didn''t directly confront you with guns or knives, he was the kind who would set you up behind the scenes. Just as she was pondering over how to resolve this issue, she caught a glimpse of Hao Jian slowly standing up with a smile towards her and walking over. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately turned to Kim Yong-xin and said. "Oh? It would be rare to obtain a piece from Miss Yuan Shanshan." Kim Yong-xin was also surprised. According to his understanding of top jewelry designers, creating a good piece often took several months. How could Yuan Shanshan suddenly claim to have another work ready? How could this woman possibly have another piece? Livia, who was bitterly staring at Yuan Shanshan from below, attracting the attention of everyone, and the businessmen were all kindly speaking to her, felt even more anger in her heart. With her status, these businessmen had never treated her this way! Yet, when Yuan Shanshan uttered those words, for some reason, Livia suddenly felt worried, and anxiety started to spread within her. "There will be an opportunity." Yuan Shanshan smiled faintly, then returned to the center of the stage. She extended her finger towards a direction and exclaimed loudly, "Now please welcome my mentor, Mr. Hao Jian!" The confidence and pride in her words, without any concealment, along with a touch of admiration, immediately astonished everyone in the audience. As Hao Jian, who was walking steadily, heard Yuan Shanshan''s words, his steps faltered and he nearly fell. He then looked up helplessly at Yuan Shanshan, who was radiating an enchanting brilliance on stage, and sighed inwardly. This girl is intentionally pushing me into the fire pit! All I did was come up here to deal with Livia''s matter, but now you''ve gone and revealed it? What about the peaceful life I hoped for in the future? The moment I step out the door, everyone will be asking me for design drawings... "This is my mentor, Mr. Hao Jian. The inspiration for today''s design also comes from him," said Yuan Shanshan with a light laugh, her eyes on Hao Jian''s bitter face. Of course, she wouldn''t be foolish enough to reveal that the piece was designed by Hao Jian. "I know you want to know why, but please hold all your questions for now. There''s something very important to me, as well as to my apprentice, that I need to deal with first." Looking at the restless businessmen, Hao Jian curled his lips slightly. Then his eyes became sharp, and his words carried a hint of coldness, causing the complexion of the businessmen to change slightly. The bodyguards also watched Hao Jian with a guarded look, sensing a strong threat emanating from this man. "Miss Livia, I think it would be better for you to stay seated in your place," Hao Jian said indifferently, glancing at Livia, who was preparing to sneak away, sneering inwardly. The reason for him coming up on stage was precisely to address this vile person; if she managed to escape, what was the point of his appearance? "I won''t say much more; let''s watch a video first." Seeing Livia''s body stiffen, Hao Jian drew the attention of the businessmen back from her and pointed to the large screen behind him, saying. "This video was obtained from the hotel I''m staying at, and from it, we can see a figure lurking in a corner of the balcony." After pressing the play button, the video started, and Hao Jian''s voice slowly spread as the video played. As the businessmen saw this figure, they finally understood what Hao Jian was up to this time. Chapter 804 - 803 Mr. Rest Assured! "Hehe, everyone has seen the content of the video, this figure was rummaging through my room. The reason why this figure did not take anything alive out is because his purpose was already achieved." "And coincidentally, this person who messed around in my room appeared at our competition today!" Hao Jian sneered and shook his head, then under the gazes of many, he pointed towards the man standing next to the already pale-faced Livia. He did not specify what that person was meddling with in his room, but the people present were no fools; given that Yuan Shanshan had previously hinted it might be possible, and now with Hao Jian clarifying this matter, it likely had something to do with Livia. The audience did not make noise but waited quietly for Hao Jian to slowly reveal the matter. However, their scrutinizing eyes betrayed their thoughts. "Don''t be in a hurry to leave; I have something to ask you..." As his voice fell, everyone felt a flash before their eyes, and suddenly another person appeared on the stage. Looking at this person, the audience felt a sense of familiarity¡ªwasn''t this the man from the corner? How did he suddenly appear on stage, and so shortly after?! "Ed, a thief, a repeat offender, has committed over two hundred crimes with stolen amount no less than two hundred million. However, he suddenly vanished when the police were pursuing him, and after a year, he was never seen again." Hao Jian held Ed''s collar, his expression bland, as his eyes flickered slightly coldly while slowly speaking to the increasingly astonished rich merchants. "The police investigated for a long time and couldn''t find him. Eventually, they shoved the case into the corner and forgotten, but according to my investigations, this man managed to avoid the police''s watch this year thanks to Livia''s protection. So, from a certain perspective, Miss Livia has indeed harbored a criminal." With a mocking expression, looking at the increasingly frantic Livia, Hao Jian''s mouth slowly curved up, and then he continued, "This time, he sneaked into my room because he received an order from Livia, which was to steal Yuan Shanshan''s design drawings." "Wow!" As the words fell, Hao Jian reached behind him and pulled out Yuan Shanshan''s original design drawings. He then untied the string, and the contents of the design were displayed in front of everyone... "This... this isn''t Miss Livia''s contest entry?!" As the object was revealed, everyone''s faces were filled with stunned and surprised expressions. Everyone had a strong impression of Livia''s work from the previous competition, although not as profound as Yuan Shanshan''s, but it was known. And now, Hao Jian had pulled out a design drawing very similar to Livia''s, claiming it was Yuan Shanshan''s original intended for the contest! Could it be that Livia really stole Yuan Shanshan''s work?! Was this woman committing plagiarism?! Everyone''s gaze towards Livia suddenly changed, and even a few judges looked at her with scrutiny and disdain. In their field, plagiarism is always a lifelong stain. Authentic works never involve plagiarism! Now Livia, once a champion, could actually do such a thing. The judge from the USA, looking at Yuan Shanshan, also appeared troubled. Although he knew Livia had a difficult personality, even petty, he believed her heart wasn''t bad. But he never expected her to resort to such vile methods. It was a pity that he had helped her a lot when she was not yet famous, even knowing and benefiting from her quirks, as someone passionately pursuing a career in jewelry. He disdained such actions, and slowly, he started to despise Livia in his heart. No matter what she was like before, as long as she committed plagiarism and broke the rules in the industry, her heart was no longer that which loved jewelry, but one that coveted fame and profit! "Livia! From this day forward, never associate with me again!" The USA judge glared at Livia with a gloomy expression, roared out, and then turned looking up at Hao Jian on the stage, speaking with a respectful tone, "You are Miss Yuan Shanshan''s master, also a sage. I hope you could make a justified judgment on this!" Although Hao Jian was actually twenty years younger than him, age was never a barrier in such a mentorship-related career. Yuan Shanshan was, and so was Hao Jian, and moreover, in the mouth of this genius designer Yuan Shanshan, her master Hao Jian was even more formidable. This was also his reason for respecting Hao Jian, similarly, who in the audience was not sharp enough to see through such matters? "No wonder that when I previously saw Livia''s work, I felt it was somewhat superfluous. It turns out it was her who added those elements. This woman''s skills are not even half as strong as Miss Yuan Shanshan''s." Saudi Arabia gently shook his head, looked at the French judge next to him, gave a slight smile, and said. His eyes, looking at Livia, were also filled with contempt, since the evidence was almost sufficient, with video evidence and witnesses available. Isn''t this man often seen with Livia? If someone insists that Livia didn''t know about Ed, nobody here would believe it. "No problem, sir, I will hand over the following matters to the police, and I believe everyone will trust the answer given by the police..." Hao Jian gave a slight smile, then clapped his hands. A group of policemen entered one by one from the door, although these people weren''t too arrogant as everyone present was not someone easily provoked. If they accidently offended anyone, they wouldn''t need to wait until the next day for their chief to fire them. "Ming Li''an, I leave this matter to you, I hope you can give me a satisfactory reply!" As Ming Li''an approached, the corners of Hao Jian''s mouth slowly lifted. He hadn''t forgotten how this guy had ignored him at the airport along with Rivettes. Although curious why Rivettes didn''t come to see the jewelry design competition today, it was unavoidable, and since the guy was lucky, he wouldn''t bother him. Should he mention it to Shu Ya to have a good talk with Rivettes, or else he would stop cooperating with him? Hao Jian stroked his chin and then secretly nodded to himself. This idea could still be implemented. Hehe, Rivettes, you only have yourself to blame, don''t blame me! "Alright, sir, rest assured, I''ve got this covered!" As the chief of the police, Ming Li''an was indeed a powerful officer. Many amongst these wealthy individuals had dealt with him before and knew that he was cunning like a weasel. However, they didn''t expect that today, some showed signs of fear towards such a person. Yes, fear. They clearly saw fear in Ming Li''an''s eyes, and in those of some other policemen looking at Hao Jian as well! This man is Yuan Shanshan''s master, why would Ming Li''an and his people be scared of him? The wealthy individuals were also puzzled, but decided to quietly observe how things would unfold, as it had been a long while since they had witnessed such a showdown. Even if the outcome might be one-sided, it could not dampen their anticipation. "Oh, by the way, I''m leaving this with you too, I''m too lazy to deal with it anymore." Seeing Ming Li''an about to leave, Hao Jian casually threw Ed over to him, waved his hand, then pointed at Livia, whose face had turned pale from the turmoil, and said: "And take that woman too, to spare me the annoyance here." "This woman has stolen my disciple''s hard work, don''t let her off easily!" Hao Jian patted Ming Li''an on the shoulder, and then said with a smile, although his smile appeared somewhat sinister in Ming Li''an''s eyes... "Sir, rest assured, as long as the evidence holds true, once convicted, she won''t escape imprisonment." Ming Li''an grinned and added, "After all, harboring a major criminal is considered a severe offense under French law, not to mention this woman has stolen the work of Miss Yuan Shanshan." "This is utterly reprehensible!" Ming Li''an''s words were filled with anger, evidently felt by Hao Jian, who just smiled and didn''t take it too seriously. He knew what kind of person Ming Li''an was; some words you cannot fully believe. Once you believe them, you''re almost finished. But Hao Jian did trust Ming Li''an''s abilities, not in his capacity to handle affairs, but in his ability to recognize the situation he was currently in. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This guy was still as troublesome as ever! Looking at Hao Jian, who was all smiles like a breath of spring, Ming Li''an secretly wiped his sweat, thanking his lucky stars that Rivettes didn''t show up today, or else he would surely be dragged down! The police came quickly and left quickly, and when they departed, they took both Livia and Ed with them, causing the wealthy individuals present to smile helplessly. How Livia''s skills were indeed there, but unfortunately, she had just provoked the wrong person and stirred up trouble for herself. It was just a pity for such a promising talent! Chapter 805 - 804: Dont Want to Live Anymore?! The trip to France was also nearing its end, Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan stayed in Paris for a week before boarding the plane back to their country. It''s worth mentioning Livia''s affair; ever since Hao Jian exposed her shady dealings on stage, she was taken to the police station and was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment for her crimes. As for the thief Ed, due to his involvement in over two hundred thefts in recent years and the massive amount of money involved in the cases, he had to go through court trials. However, a life sentence seemed inevitable for him, unless there came the possibility of a firing squad. Afterward, the news of Livia''s deeds echoed throughout the jewelery industry; all the merchants and designers unanimously scorned her, and she completely ruined her reputation within the industry. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It seems that by the time she is released from prison, no one will remember such a person anymore. As for Ming Li''an and Rivettes, who Hao Jian was quite concerned about in Paris, after much thought, they finally went to Hao Jian''s residence to apologize. They rounded off the matter by treating him to a meal and accompanying him around Paris for a day. Worthy of note is that one of Yuan Shanshan''s original pieces was purchased by a merchant from Jamaica for the high price of a billion, and those merchants and judges also expressed their hope that Yuan Shanshan could produce more creative works. After all, Yuan Shanshan''s fame had ignited within the circle, having won the "Golden Craftsman Precision Art and Design Competition" for two consecutive times. Moreover, this edition''s remarkable work solidified Yuan Shanshan''s status in the circle. More and more merchants were seeking to collaborate with Yuan Shanshan, even traveling from afar to Paris, only to beat their chests in disappointment upon hearing that Yuan Shanshan had already left. As for Hao Jian, following declarations made by Ming Li''an, Rivettes, and himself, he made it clear to the merchants not to bother him. If they did, they shouldn''t expect him to create any pieces for them. Hao Jian initially thought his words would not have much of an impact on the merchants, but surprisingly, once they heard that Hao Jian might not release new works, they all kept quiet. No one wants to fight with money, and besides, Hao Jian is Yuan Shanshan''s teacher, and from a certain perspective, a teacher is always more outstanding than their student. They believed this; they believed Hao Jian''s words. However, no one knew that Yuan Shanshan merely concocted this lie to provide Hao Jian a legitimate reason to be on stage, as neither of them acknowledged such a relationship. In Hao Jian''s view, it was at most mutual help among friends. ................................... Upon returning to Huaxia, Hao Jian parted ways with Yuan Shanshan. Since she had just sold her work to the merchant from Jamaica, she needed to follow up on the deal. However, having gone through quite a lot, she was adept at handling such matters and would be back soon. Enjoying a few days of leisure at home, Hao Jian received a call from Qin Bing. Although he was somewhat confused, he answered the phone. "Hao Jian, can you help me with something?" Qin Bing''s voice was anxious, and sensing her tone, Hao Jian''s heart tightened, prompting him to ask quickly. "What''s the matter?" "There''s a VIP I know who''s seriously ill. The hospital''s chief and I have no solution, and despite his important status, we''ve sought many well-known doctors, but none have been able to help," said Qin Bing with urgency, a stark contrast from her usual demeanor. Normally, Hao Jian would''ve teased her, but the current situation was too grave for that. "Where are you now? I''ll come over." With no choice, Hao Jian agreed to head over. His concern wasn''t for the VIP, but for Qin Bing and Du Yuelin. Mainly for Qin Bing¡ªafter all, they were both top doctors at Hua City Chinese Medicine Hospital, and curing this illness would indirectly boost their reputations. "I have to go back to teaching soon; you can find me in the classroom," she said. With Hao Jian''s promise, Qin Bing was overjoyed and quickly gave him an address before hanging up the call. Hao Jian''s capabilities were well recognized. To this day, Qin Bing had never seen him get stumped by any ailment. If he intervened, the VIP might just manage to hang onto life. She hoped everything would proceed smoothly. "Great, another thing to do..." Packing away his phone, Hao Jian scratched his head, sighed softly, and quickly changed into his clothes. Then he ran downstairs to take out his Enzo. Arriving at the Chinese Medicine Hospital, Hao Jian glanced around, then headed towards the classroom where Qin Bing was teaching. On the way, he encountered many acquaintances and greeted them with a smile. "What a beautiful teacher!" However, as he just approached the classroom where Qin Bing was teaching, a voice emanated from within, turning his expression grim. "I wonder if Teacher Qin has a boyfriend?!" Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a male student in the midst of a class, brazenly checking out Qin Bing who had just entered the classroom, with a look of arrogance on his face and predatory eyes that kept targeting her private areas. "Lin Jiahao! That''s enough!" Being harassed by her own student like this, Qin Bing couldn''t help but scold lightly. How did such a person get into the Chinese Medicine Hospital? And which leader arranged for him to join?! This student had only recently transferred to her class. In the beginning, he was somewhat disciplined, but as the classes went on, he became increasingly unrestrained. And today, he even dared to harass her in front of so many students?! Ordinarily, Qin Bing was indeed a true ice beauty, and her face would go completely cold at such harassment, with the anger in her heart bursting forth completely. That person''s illness was still very serious, and in the past few days, she and the dean had thought of many treatments, but none were effective. The flame of irritation in her heart had long been burning, and today, Lin Jiahao had ignited her fuse. "Not enough? How could it ever be? Someone like you, Teacher, couldn''t possibly be satisfied so quickly, could you?" Lin Jiahao didn''t care about Qin Bing''s angry gaze at all. He glanced around the classroom and found that the gazes of his classmates looking at him were a bit strange, but though he was puzzled, he didn''t think much of it. Given his status, there were few in Hua City who could provoke him, not to mention a minor school in his eyes. "Do you want to go to Rivettes with me?!" The blatant words echoed forth from his mouth, and in Lin Jiahao''s aggressive and fiery eyes, all the students were shocked as they looked at him. Isn''t this guy afraid of being dealt with by Teacher Hao?! Such harassment isn''t just flirting anymore, it''s public lewdness! If Teacher Hao came to know of this, he would surely overturn this guy''s ancestors'' graves, right?! Lin Jiahao had no idea what his classmates were thinking; he just knew that with a little more effort, he could take this ice beauty home! "Lin Jiahao, do you not want to study here anymore?!" Qin Bing was so angered by this guy that her chest heaved and her face was filled with rage, but in front of so many students, she still had to maintain some decorum as an instructor. Therefore, even with her mounting fury, she had to hold back from lashing out, resorting to the powerless threat of expulsion. "Yo, yo, yo? Daring to mess with my person?" Just as Lin Jiahao was about to take things a step further, a strange laugh made his face fall instantly. Which bastard dared to say that?! "Hao Jian?!" Hearing the familiar voice, Qin Bing immediately turned with a look of joy. At the classroom door stood Hao Jian with a weird smile, leaning on the doorframe and saying, "Teacher Qin, why aren''t you at Rivettes?!" "Shut up if you''re not helping!" Qin Bing''s heart was quite agitated by Hao Jian''s remark. Did this guy not realize where he was?! This is a classroom. Lin Jiahao''s harassment was already bad enough, but knowing about it and not helping, this guy even made a mess of things. "Alright alright, I''ll help." Hao Jian had wanted to crack a few more jokes with Qin Bing, but seeing the expression on her face and knowing she wasn''t in the mood, he just shrugged his shoulders. He smiled slightly at the other students in the classroom, then stepped inside, walked up to Lin Jiahao, and directly shielded Qin Bing behind him. "Fellow student, I must say, you''re quite bold." Playing with his fingers, Hao Jian said with a grin on his face, although the disdain in his words could be heard by anyone. "Planning to play the hero? What the hell do you think you are?" Lin Jiahao, with a sneer, decided to show Hao Jian a lesson, to let him know his might! Lin Jiahao, after all, had learned Taekwondo for a year or two under the coercion of his father. Taking on Hao Jian, a mere bumpkin, seemed more than enough... "Boom!" But at that moment, a fist the size of a sandbag suddenly enlarged in his pupils, and before he could react, it had landed fiercely on his face... Chapter 806 - 805: Youre Doomed! "Ouch." Lin Jiahao immediately fell to the ground, screaming in agony. "Damn it! That''s for harassing my Bingbing!" Hao Jian kept punching Lin Jiahao''s face one after another, his face full of anger as he roared at a bewildered Lin Jiahao. However, that term he used immediately caused Qin Bing''s face to turn crimson. She wanted to kick Hao Jian, but then remembered it was the classroom, with so many classmates watching, which would ruin her reputation at school. "That''s enough, Hao Jian. Stop hitting him." Watching Lin Jiahao being grabbed by the collar and almost turned into a ''pig''s head'' by Hao Jian, Qin Bing also felt a bit worried. She quickly grabbed Hao Jian''s raised fist and hurriedly said. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. No matter what, this person was still a student. Even if he had a bad character, he was still a student. How could a teacher hit a student? There is a strict rule in school that violence cannot be used on campus. Although this rule might be irrelevant for Hao Jian, since Qin Bing asked him to stop, he couldn''t keep going. "Bastard!" But just as Hao Jian had released Lin Jiahao''s collar, Lin Jiahao quickly scrambled away, creating distance between them, his face full of anger as he shouted at Hao Jian, "You dare to hit me? Do you know who my dad is?" While cursing with his mouth, Lin Jiahao kept moving backwards, his heart pounding. How did Hao Jian strike? How did he find himself suddenly on the ground? My blue belt in Taekwondo and yet I couldn''t even notice his move?! "Oh? Why shouldn''t I dare?" Hearing this, Hao Jian immediately chuckled, his laughter tinged with mockery. Since this guy dared to harass Qin Bing publicly and wasn''t afraid of being reported to the school authorities, it indicated that his background was somewhat significant. At least, significant for this school, but presumably unrelated to Du Yuelin, as that old guy wouldn''t let Qin Bing handle such students. "My father is the Deputy Mayor! You dare to hit me, you''re dead!" Knowing he was no match for Hao Jian, Lin Jiahao quickly brought out his background, looking arrogantly at Hao Jian as he bellowed: "Kid, you''re done for, I''m calling my guys right now, and you just wait to see how you''ll die, prepare to go to prison!" "Deputy Mayor''s son? Should I be scared?" Hao Jian, hearing this arrogant tone, immediately folded his arms and feigned confusion. Behind him, Qin Bing saw this and couldn''t help but secretly chuckle, thinking this guy really intended to go after Lin Jiahao hard! "Humph! Kid, of course you should be scared, but now even if you kneel down and beg for mercy, it''s too late! Just wait for your death!" Seeing Hao Jian like this, Lin Jiahao thought Hao Jian was about to surrender, which made him even more complacent as he looked disdainfully at Hao Jian and said with a cold laugh. "Did no one ever tell him how handsome, dominant, and impressive your teacher Hao Jian is?" Hao Jian asked the other students. "No..." Everyone unanimously frowned. "Well, no wonder he''s so foolish." Shrugging his shoulders, Hao Jian gave Lin Jiahao a cold stare, his face full of sarcasm as he shook his head, the corners of his mouth curling in disdain. "You..." Hearing this, Lin Jiahao''s face darkened, he pointed his finger at Hao Jian, wanting to curse at Hao Jian again, but fearing provoking him and getting beaten again, he simply kept his mouth shut. "Just let you gloat for a while, wait till my people arrive, then see how you''ll continue to be smug!" This guy is nuts, right?! Seeing Lin Jiahao squaring off with Hao Jian and planning to call people to beat Hao Jian, the classmates watching turned even stranger expressions, thinking this guy was truly seeking his own death... The classmates all sneered at Lin Jiahao; no one intended to remind Lin Jiahao that Hao Jian was not someone this Deputy Mayor''s son could afford to provoke. Besides, they wanted to see Lin Jiahao get beaten by Hao Jian again, as it was truly satisfying! Ever since Lin Jiahao was assigned to their class, he had not stopped using the name of a Deputy Mayor''s son to oppress others. Many girls had been harassed by him, but due to his status, they could only endure it silently. Last time, he even planned to molest a girl in front of the whole class. It was only after Qin Bing finally arrived that it didn''t turn into a major disaster, but because of this, Lin Jiahao''s desire for Qin Bing only grew stronger. So strong that today, as soon as Qin Bing entered the classroom, he immediately started to harass her. Less than five minutes after Lin Jiahao hung up his phone, Lin Nantian appeared with a group of police at the classroom door. "Uncle Lin, it was this guy who beat me! Help me arrest him!" Seeing Lin Nantian''s arrival, Lin Jiahao turned to look at Hao Jian with a cruel smile. Soon after, clutching his face, he ran to Lin Nantian, putting on a pitiful facade. "Who beat you like this?!" When Lin Nantian saw Lin Jiahao''s face, which was almost turning into a pig''s head, his expression instantly changed, and he immediately looked angrily in the direction Lin Jiahao was pointing. But just this one look had caused Lin Nantian''s face, filled with rage, to immediately wither as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva, mentally cursing Lin Jiahao''s ancestors to the eighteenth generation. This damn kid, why didn''t he say over the phone that he had messed with Hao Jian?! Damn it! There''s no way I can mess with this guy! "Uncle Lin, you must teach this kid a harsh lesson for me!" Seeing Lin Nantian''s angry expression, Lin Jiahao''s heart felt a lot more relieved. In his view, Hao Jian was already as good as dead. "Is this the person?!" Swallowing his saliva, Lin Nantian pointed at Hao Jian with an ugly expression and spoke to his son. Seeing the Deputy Mayor''s embarrassed appearance, the students sneered in their hearts one by one, thinking like father like son; if the son behaves like this, his dad can''t be much better. "Yes, it''s this bastard!" Lin Jiahao, with a smug look on his face, stared at Hao Jian, his eyes shining with provocative intent, nodded his head as he heard Lin Nantian''s question, and spoke ferociously. However, what he didn''t notice was that after he nodded, Lin Nantian''s face instantly turned pale. This damn little brat, who is there that he doesn''t dare to mess with?! "Someone! Beat this little shit up!" Lin Nantian commanded with a grim look, but he wasn''t pointing at Hao Jian, instead, he was pointing at Lin Jiahao. "Yes!" Although they were puzzled as to why Lin Nantian wanted them to beat Lin Jiahao, it was Lin Nantian''s order, and they didn''t dare to defy it. They immediately clenched their fists and went straight for Lin Jiahao''s face. "Uncle Lin, why are you hitting me?" Lin Jiahao was totally dumbfounded. Lin Nantian actually wanted to hit him, had he gone mad? But at that moment, he was directly punched in the stomach by a policeman, immediately kneeling down, clutching his stomach, and writhing on the ground. "Sorry, Young Master Lin, this is the chief''s order, we can''t defy it." The policeman who struck, upon hearing Lin Jiahao''s words that treated them like slaves, felt quite displeased and stared at Lin Jiahao, slowly speaking up. This was Lin Nantian''s order; no matter how fiercely Lin Jiahao made a fuss, it was useless. "Lin Nantian! What the hell do you mean by this?" Upon hearing this, Lin Jiahao finally realized that since Lin Nantian saw that guy, his face and tone had been off. Now, he was even having his own men beat him, something that would normally be impossible. But this impossible thing actually happened today, and the fuse was that bastard? Who on earth is this guy, to make my usually proud father bow his head and even have his bodyguards beat me?! "Hit him!" Lin Nantian''s heart couldn''t bear it, but seeing Hao Jian''s seemingly smiling face, his heart suddenly hardened. If he didn''t give Hao Jian a satisfying response today, maybe his position as chief would be over! Suddenly, Lin Nantian roared out loud, commanding again. The policemen, also startled by the shout, didn''t dare to delay and rushed forward, pushing the raging Lin Jiahao to the ground and raining punches on him. In no time, Lin Jiahao''s breathing began to weaken, but still, from his mouth, toward Lin Nantian, the sound intermittently passed out. "What... exactly... is going on?!" "Young Master Lin, you messed with the wrong person..." Lin Nantian said expressionless. "Boom!" Hearing Lin Nantian''s words, Lin Jiahao''s face immediately turned pale. His gaze shifted to Hao Jian, he wanted to speak, but in the next second, a fist landed directly on his head, knocking him out with its powerful force. "Mr. Hao Jian, are you satisfied now?" Seeing Lin Jiahao completely knocked out, Lin Nantian approached Hao Jian with a full smile on his face. "Heh, it''s not about being satisfied or not, but from now on, I do not want to see this kid again." Hao Jian chuckled and shook his head, pointing at the fainted Lin Jiahao on the ground, and said, "Since this kid''s dad is the Deputy Mayor, I presume you know him? Tell his dad to have his son immediately transfer schools, otherwise, I can''t guarantee whether he will remain unharmed next time." "Understood! Leave it to me!" Lin Nantian said obsequiously. Chapter 807 - 806: Lin Jiahaos Little Brother "Let''s go, I''ll take you to the dean." After watching Lin Nantian leave with the unconscious Lin Jiahao, Qin Bing decided to continue the class. However, seeing the students'' adoring looks towards Hao Jian, she felt a headache coming on, realizing this class would not proceed smoothly. After informing the students that they should self-study for the rest of the class, Qin Bing, alongside Hao Jian, headed to Du Yuelin''s office. The important figure they were dealing with was acquainted with Du Yuelin, not her, Qin Bing. She felt it inappropriate to bring Hao Jian there without Du Yuelin''s presence. What if they didn''t trust Hao Jian''s medical skills? As such, someone with the authority to control the situation needed to accompany them, and besides, Du Yuelin had to be there. "Knock knock knock!"... "Dean." S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After knocking on the door, Qin Bing entered with Hao Jian. Du Yuelin, having received the message, was already sitting in his chair, brewing tea, waiting for their arrival. "Ah, you''ve arrived?" Seeing them enter, Du Yuelin smiled, then pointed to the chairs beside him, gesturing for them to take a seat. "Dean, please explain." After sitting down, Hao Jian directly asked, curious about the person who warranted such attention from Du Yuelin. In Hua City, it seemed that no one dared to provoke him anymore, except for those unaware of Hao Jian''s identity. And now, the mysterious illness of this person had piqued Hao Jian''s curiosity. "Hehe, don''t worry. As long as you can cure him, you won''t be shortchanged," Du Yuelin reassured Hao Jian with a light chuckle. "I''m not asking about that. If it wasn''t for you and Qin Bing seeking me out, I probably wouldn''t bother. I''m more concerned about this person''s identity," said Hao Jian, shrugging his shoulders. He was not short of money or connections. What really interested him was the identity of the important figure Du Yuelin and Qin Bing were referring to, someone he had never heard of despite his time in Hua City. "He is a People''s Congress representative, known to all as ''Elder Wang.'' His character is praised by many; at least he''s not what you''d think of as a corrupt official." "Although Elder Wang is now retired, his past actions are well-acknowledged, and many citizens hold him in high regard." "Due to this, Elder Wang has considerable influence, both officially and personally, along with his integrity, which is why I approached you for help," elaborated Du Yuelin. He was well aware of Hao Jian''s character; without substantial benefits, Hao Jian would not lift a finger for corrupt officials. However, he would help honest officials if he could. "That makes things much easier. No one''s going to interfere, right?" Hao Jian was somewhat surprised to learn that the person was a provincial-level People''s Congress delegate but he had seen higher-ranking officials, so he wasn''t overly concerned. Learning of the individual''s decent character also put him at ease, as it meant he would not need to act against his conscience. "No, don''t worry," Du Yuelin said with a wry smile upon hearing Hao Jian''s question, then jokingly added, "You''re as stubborn as your master!" "But that Lin Nantian, he''s one of your people, right? Lin Jiahao''s background is not simple," Du Yuelin said, his expression mingling amusement and seriousness as he looked at Hao Jian. "That''s your own business to handle." Hao Jian rolled his eyes. If this old man hadn''t allowed Lin Jiahao into the Chinese Medicine Hospital, there would have been no troubles. Hao Jian didn''t believe that the Deputy Mayor would deny Du Yuelin face. Lin Jiahao''s entry was probably due to this old man''s lack of proper oversight. Hearing Du Yuelin''s failure to manage the situation that resulted in Lin Jiahao harassing Qin Bing, Hao Jian felt helpless, as Qin Bing was just a defenseless girl, after all! "I don''t quite approve of Lin Jiahao''s father, nor do I want to deal with such people. As for Qin Bing''s issue, I was genuinely unaware. Recently, I''ve been staying at Elder Wang''s house, treating him. The affairs at the Chinese Medicine Hospital have been left to others to manage," Du Yuelin confessed, his old face blushing as he coughed awkwardly and spread his hands, indicating he was out of the loop. "Alright, Hao Jian, I have indeed been absent from the school these days. Lin Jiahao might have been let in because some leader accepted a bribe. Anyway, I don''t have any issues now, so let''s drop this topic. Let''s get back to discussing Elder Wang," Qin Bing interjected, trying to steer the conversation back on track. Qin Bing couldn''t help but remind the two, who were preoccupied with their bickering and had forgotten about Elder Wang''s situation. Of course, there were other reasons, mainly that in her presence, they were discussing her without any restraint... "Oh, right, right, right, Elder Wang''s situation is more important." Upon hearing this, Du Yuelin also slapped his forehead, then looked at Hao Jian and said, "I''ve examined Elder Wang''s illness. It''s quite strange; his pulse is stable and, given his age, his bodily functions are normal. Yet, for some reason, Elder Wang just doesn''t have any energy." "His condition even seems to be trending towards a vegetative state. In recent days, half of his body has become immobile, but our examinations show that his body is very normal. And the half that cannot move, I''ve checked the pulse there as well, and found nothing unusual." "Yet, he just cannot move! I''ve never encountered such a medical history before. You are Liang Wangsun''s disciple and even your medical skills surpass ours by quite a bit, which is why we have called you here." Having briefly described Elder Wang''s medical condition, Du Yuelin felt somewhat helpless. After all, he was a renowned practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, specializing in solving complicated and difficult cases. However, he was truly at a loss with this disease and could only use some medicine to regulate the body in order to slow down the spread of Elder Wang''s condition. But in the past few days, the progression of his condition has accelerated, with the rigidity spreading more quickly. Hence, they had less and less time left to solve it. "Take me to see him!" After listening to Du Yuelin''s explanation, Hao Jian''s expression immediately turned grave. If he remembered correctly, he had seen such cases when he was studying medicine with his master. These were extremely rare, with only one case in ten million people worldwide. Back then, he had just started learning and didn''t understand much, but he clearly remembered that his master had put in a lot of effort to treat that condition, even compiling a booklet, insisting that Hao Jian memorize it. It seemed that his master intended for Hao Jian to learn how to handle this condition. Hao Jian initially thought he would never encounter such a thing, but after listening to Du Yuelin, his capricious heart sank. If Du Yuelin''s description was correct, then the condition might indeed be that very rare one. "No problem!" Every second counted now. Du Yuelin was not as relaxed as he seemed on the surface, especially since Elder Wang''s life was fast diminishing at an abnormally quick rate. If Hao Jian wanted to go see him, then they must go immediately. The three of them hurriedly descended the stairs, got into their respective cars, and headed towards the Wang Family''s home. Upon reaching the Wang Family''s entrance, Du Yuelin quickly led Hao Jian inside. The security guards and bodyguards at the door greeted Du Yuelin with a smile upon seeing him, and then let them pass. "Is this a war or a medical visit?" Looking at the security guards holding pistols and loosely surrounding the entire Wang Family villa, Hao Jian turned to Du Yuelin and smiled lightly, with an inevitable trace of sarcasm in his words. "After all, Elder Wang is a person with status in our country. He has lived in Hua City for many years, keeping such a low profile that many important figures don''t even know he''s in Hua City." With a helpless shake of his head, Du Yuelin explained to Hao Jian, "With Elder Wang''s status, many people would want his life. Now that Elder Wang is in critical condition, we can''t be sure that no criminals will infiltrate. These security measures are necessary." "Besides, I''ve heard that these bodyguards were hired by the Wang Family at a high price, each with their own firearm permits!" "Quite a show of force." After listening to Du Yuelin, Hao Jian smiled inwardly. He could handle all these bodyguards quickly if he had to. Moreover, in this situation, when the patient in bed might never get up again, those wanting Elder Wang''s life would not be foolish enough to just rush in. They would also wait for Elder Wang''s passing before making a move. If Elder Wang did pass away, then their efforts wouldn''t be in vain. "Bastard! Why is it you?!" However, when Hao Jian arrived at the entrance of the Wang Family''s home with Du Yuelin, the gate was not closed, so a few people inside noticed something unusual at the entrance and instinctively turned their heads. Among them, a young man who looked to be in his twenties glared at Hao Jian with a face full of anger and resentment, and he shouted out. "Yo, isn''t this our dear little brother Lin Jiahao? What, haven''t you been taught enough of a lesson? With that pig''s face of yours, you even have the audacity to go out? I must say, your skin is indeed thick!" Hearing the voice, Hao Jian shifted his gaze and immediately saw Lin Jiahao, who had been beaten by him in class and also by two of Lin Nantian''s men. Chapter 808 - 807: Very Courageous! "Bastard! How dare you bring that up?!" His sore spot poked, Lin Jiahao''s eyes immediately turned bloodshot, rolling up his sleeves he was about to punch Hao Jian, but before he could take a step, he suddenly realized he was nothing in Hao Jian''s hands, and if he went forward like this, his end would be no better than what happened in the classroom just now. "Dad! This guy, this guy hit me in the classroom today!" However, today he was not alone; even his father, the Deputy Mayor, had come along, immediately turning his head and looking at his father whose gaze had shifted to Hao Jian upon hearing Lin Jiahao''s words. Originally thinking about how to get Hao Jian out of school and have him beaten up, he didn''t expect the opportunity to come so quickly. This is the Wang Family''s territory, which is a longtime ally of the Lin Family, meaning this place falls under their control, not a neutral setting like the Chinese Medicine Hospital. At least here no one would take Hao Jian''s side since no one would offend one person for the sake of someone unrelated, especially since they are longtime allies and have to stick together. It wasn''t convenient for him to make a move at the Chinese Medicine Hospital as his father often emphasized that the hospital had significant influence; many doctors there were highly esteemed. Even he, the Deputy Mayor of Hua City, had some untouchable figures, and if Lin Jiahao couldn''t control his temper there, problems could inevitably arise. Thus, Lin Jiahao also remembered his father''s teachings, except that some problems arose with Qin Bing, leading to him being in the state Hao Jian and Lin Nantian put him in. "Kid, you''ve got some nerve!" Lin Jiahao''s father, the Deputy Mayor of Hua City dressed in a suit and wearing gold-framed glasses, looked at Hao Jian with a scrutinizing and angry gaze and spoke indifferently. The words were calm, but the killing intent was palpable. After all, Lin Jiahao was his son, and his enemy stood right before him, appearing particularly egregious in his eyes. As a father, he was no exception, particularly since this enemy seemed arrogant on their turf. He originally thought about whether to let the Wang Family teach Hao Jian a lesson, but when he saw Du Yuelin next to Hao Jian, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he could only step back and wait until he understood the purpose of this person''s visit before making a move against Hao Jian. Being the Director of the Chinese Medicine Hospital and possessing extraordinary medical skills, Du Yuelin was someone best not provoked. Otherwise, given this old man''s influence in the medical sector of Hua City, it was very likely that he would set a trap if he ever needed medical attention. This was why he was wary of Du Yuelin. Although he was the Deputy Mayor of Hua City, without evidence, even the most ruthless actions were futile, and he couldn''t guarantee that he wouldn''t fall ill in his later years. "Heh, it seems this father and son really hate you." Watching Lin Jiahao and his father leave, Du Yuelin smiled at Hao Jian and then casually led him towards three people nearby. "The 40-year-old middle-aged man in the Versace suit is Wang Xiong, the third son of the Wang Family. The brightly dressed woman is his wife, and the plainly dressed woman in her thirties is Wang Ying, the fourth child of the Wang Family," Along the way, Du Yuelin also quietly reminded Hao Jian. These individuals are currently the ones in charge of the Wang Family''s affairs in Hua City. As for the eldest and the second siblings, they were sent abroad by Elder Wang during their youth to develop overseas. They have yet to return, and the Wang Family doesn''t want to distract them with news of Elder Wang''s illness. "So that means Elder Wang has four children?" Listening to Du Yuelin''s introduction, Hao Jian stroked his chin, finding something harmonious yet unreliable in his description. After all, it''s a rich family; shouldn''t these siblings be fighting fiercely over the inheritance? "Yes, exactly four, and among them, the youngest daughter is the most favored. She is Elder Wang''s only daughter and their only sister, and her position in the family is undoubtedly the highest." "Moreover, Elder Wang has been excellent at raising his children from a young age. The siblings, each with different personalities, were all well-disciplined by him, such as the third son who excels in management. After Elder Wang retired, he directly handed over the family''s businesses accumulated over the years to him to manage. The eldest and second siblings, wanting to go abroad, were sent overseas by Elder Wang." "As for the youngest daughter, since she''s the only daughter, she wasn''t asked to do much. However, her educational achievements are astonishing - a postdoc in the field of biology. To put it in young people''s terms, she is a top student..." "Holy shit!" Hearing Du Yuelin''s introduction, Hao Jian couldn''t help but curse inwardly, marveling at how powerful Elder Wang was to have raised his children this way! That''s years of educational effort! "Director Du, you''re here?" Soon, the three of them approached Wang Xiong and others. Wang Xiong, who was speaking English with a foreigner, noticed them and smiled upon seeing Du Yuelin, then waved to the foreigner and walked towards Du Yuelin. "Hmm, this must be Jason, right?" With a smile, Du Yuelin shook hands with Wang Xiong, then turned to the foreigner with a smile and directly asked Wang Xiong. "Yes, the foreign Divine Doctor, Jason. I invited him over after much effort, but..." Wang Xiong nodded, glanced at Jason, then shook his head somewhat disappointedly, sighed, and said, "But father''s condition is still not ideal. Jason just examined him, and we just found out he doesn''t have any solutions. His diagnosis is similar to what Director Du has mentioned." "Sigh, it seems that Western medicine is also out of options." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hearing this, Du Yuelin also sighed; Elder Wang, after all, had had interactions with him, and now this unfortunate matter had occurred, which was somewhat saddening. "Who is this gentleman?" Wang Xiong waved his hand and then noticed Hao Jian standing beside Du Yuelin, immediately asking out of curiosity. He knew about Qin Bing, who these past few days had come to the Wang Family to treat his father, brought along by Du Yuelin, and over time he had come to recognize her, but today Du Yuelin had brought another young man with him. Could this young man also be a medical student? "Hao Jian, a doctor like us, he came today to treat Elder Wang." Du Yuelin waved his hand, not offering further introduction. "He is a doctor?! Is he reliable?" Upon hearing this, Wang Xiong''s expression towards Hao Jian turned somewhat strange; surely, Director Du''s mind hadn''t gone bad? Qin Bing never treated his father, only assisting Director Du, but now, this young man was said by the Director to be here to treat his father?! Although he was a layman, he still knew that in medicine, the longer the experience, the better. And looking at Hao Jian, a man in his mid-twenties, even if he had just graduated, he couldn''t have many years of experience. How could his medical skills possibly compare to someone like Du Yuelin who had honed his skills for half a lifetime?! Thus, the moment Du Yuelin spoke those words, Wang Xiong grew somewhat incredulous, but nonetheless, he asked tactfully to save Du Yuelin''s face. "Brother Xiong, you believe in this kind of person?" "Yeah, Uncle Wang, this guy just beat me unprovoked today. Look, my face is still swollen, how could a person who hits others so harshly possibly be a doctor?!" "Even if he is a doctor, he''s the worst kind of doctor!" As Du Yuelin was about to explain, two untimely voices carried over, promptly causing Du Yuelin''s smiling face to slowly harden while Hao Jian remained nonchalant. For Hao Jian, Elder Wang wasn''t someone he knew well; if he could treat him, he would help, but if the family didn''t trust him, he wouldn''t bother to prove his capabilities. Cure if willing, otherwise forget it, after all, I have no relation with you folks, and even if someone inside died, it has nothing to do with me. As Lin Jiahao and his father approached Wang Xiong with smiles, they looked at Wang Xiong''s puzzled expression and spoke, "Brother Xiong, you also understand the hierarchy in medical skills, and you know medical skills aren''t something just anyone can learn. The younger the person, the lower his medical skills traditionally tend to be." "What do you mean?" "This kid today hit my son at school, and he did so viciously. I''m afraid this kid is a quack doctor." "What a joke, what does him being a quack doctor have to do with hitting your son?" Before Wang Xiong could speak, Du Yuelin scoffed at Lin Jiahao and his father; Wang Xiong was unaware of the real situation, but as the director, he understood clearly what had transpired. "It was clearly your son who, as a student, dared to harass a teacher in the classroom. If it hadn''t been for Hao Jian arriving in time to stop your son, perhaps the teacher''s chastity would have already been jeopardized!" "You old fool, which of your eyes saw me harassing her?!" Lin Jiahao''s face turned ugly upon Du Yuelin''s words, and he pointed at Du Yuelin, snorting coldly. As Wang Xiong heard Lin Jiahao''s reaction, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, but then remembering they were old family friends, he relaxed again. Chapter 809 - 808 Not a single good one! "Enough! Stop fighting, this is the Wang Family''s home, not some street market. Everyone, quiet down! My father is resting, he needs peace. If you don''t remain quiet, do you believe I won''t hesitate to throw you out?!" Mr. Wang Xiong found the pointless and noisy quarreling quite irritating, especially since his own father was resting upstairs. What if their noise disturbed his rest? "Brother Xiong, anyhow, this young man''s medical skills are just not up to scratch, please don''t let him treat Elder Wang!" "Director Du, what do you think?" Mr. Wang Xiong wasn''t clear about Hao Jian''s capabilities. Moreover, he worried that at such a critical moment, enemies could infiltrate and harm his father, hence he had thoroughly investigated the doctors. Now, Hao Jian''s sudden emergence was suspicious, even though Du Yuelin brought him over. Adhering to the principle of ''better safe than sorry'', he absolutely couldn''t let this young man treat his father without a clear understanding of Hao Jian''s background. "Mr. Wang Xiong, I think I''ll pass on this young fellow, none of the doctors nowadays are reliable, much less one like him?" Divine Doctor Jason, who understood some Chinese, walked over to Mr. Wang Xiong, looking disdainfully at Hao Jian and said indifferently. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. His words were filled with contempt and mockery towards Hao Jian, deeming him an inferior doctor. Meanwhile, Lin Jiahao and his son, upon hearing Jason''s remarks, looked at Hao Jian with increased smugness. As the Deputy Mayor, his power was considerable, but compared to these internationally renowned doctors, notably a Western Divine Doctor like Jason, he was nothing. Now that he too was testifying against Hao Jian, it further indicated that Hao Jian''s medical skills were indeed not validated by him. Even though Hao Jian had not taken any action yet, his young age alone was enough reason for Jason to want Hao Jian gone. He is a Divine Doctor, proud by nature. If someday, such a young doctor were to treat his patients, what kind of joke would he become? Moreover, Hao Jian''s constant smile throughout was incredibly annoying to him, creating a motive for action. Once the motive was established, it simply had to be executed. "Husband, I think we should listen to Divine Doctor Jason. This young kid, so naive and inexperienced, you know the seriousness of father''s illness. Such a youngster can''t possibly cure him." Mrs. Wang looked disparagingly at Hao Jian. Ever since Elder Wang fell ill, several desperate doctors had shamelessly visited their home. And they claimed they could cure Elder Wang, but all they did was worsen his condition, receiving no benefit. Afterward, these quacks had their legs broken by an enraged Mr. Wang Xiong to ensure they could no longer harm anyone. Now, she felt that Hao Jian''s appearance might have been because he bribed Du Yuelin to get into the Wang Family home. Such quacks were certainly not welcomed by their family. "If it ends up like it did at the beginning, that would be a disaster. Our father''s health is deteriorating, and if he''s treated by a quack again, who knows what could happen immediately¡­" As she spoke, Mrs. Wang''s voice gradually lowered, yet her implication was clear - in her eyes, Hao Jian was nothing but a quack. "Exactly, exactly, third brother, third sister-in-law is right, we should just kick this guy out and save our breath here." Wang Ying also chimed in. Hao Jian had barely spoken throughout, leading Wang Ying to believe he was guilty. Normally, innocent people would defend themselves verbally, only those with something to hide wouldn''t explain themselves. As a postdoctoral fellow in physiology and having studied some psychology, understanding that these two fields overlap somewhat, she recognized from Hao Jian''s body language that he was feeling guilty. "Mr. Wang Xiong, Wang Ying, madam, I''m not lying about Hao Jian''s skills; he really is here to treat Elder Wang." Du Yuelin looked visibly upset by these public denigrations of Hao Jian''s medical skills. Weren''t they indirectly criticizing his own judgment?! Seeing the situation get out of control and the Wang family''s disdain towards Hao Jian, Lin Jiahao and his son were secretly laughing; Lin Jiahao didn''t skimp on his resentful glares¡ªit was this youngster who made him embarrass himself in front of his classmates at the Chinese Medicine Hospital. There was still Lin Nantian to deal with, as soon as Hao Jian was dealt with, he would go after him. How dare he support Hao Jian! "Doctor Du, are you sure of what you''re saying? Do you take responsibility if something happens from letting some country bumpkin doctor treat us?" Divine Doctor Jason also sneered with disdain, thinking Hao Jian, at his age, couldn''t possibly be a highly skilled doctor. He had examined Elder Wang''s condition himself and was helpless; what could this young man possibly do? "Doctor Jason, you!" Upon hearing Jason''s intensified mocking, Du Yuelin''s anger surged. Despite his years of temperance, this man had infuriated him. How could such an arrogant person become a Divine Doctor? Does this man not know the saying there''s always someone better in the world? Du Yuelin had seen Hao Jian''s skills himself; even if he hadn''t, just the reputation of his master was enough that no one dared to underestimate him. Liang Wangsun is notoriously stringent. He is critical about everything, especially when choosing disciples. If his disciple is not excellent, he wouldn''t even care to bother. He intended to clarify Hao Jian''s identity, but these people didn''t even give him a chance, dismissing Hao Jian thoroughly with their incessant talk. "Director Du, let it go." While Du Yuelin still wanted to explain on Hao Jian''s behalf, Hao Jian just waved his hand calmly at Du Yuelin. Those cold eyes contemptuously glanced at those demeaning him, his lips curling into a sneer. His patience was worn thin by their ceaseless talk, leaving nothing but disdain and contempt. If it weren''t for Du Yuelin and Qin Bing being there, Hao Jian would have already left. Anyone would be angry in this situation. Although Hao Jian was not angry, he definitely had no sympathy for these people, responding only with indifference to their shortsighted views. "Sorry, my medical skills are not that cheap. I only agreed to check because of your faces. If some people don''t trust my skills, then I won''t play the fool." Hao Jian spoke calmly and then ignored Du Yuelin, turning and walking towards the exit. Just as he was about to step past the threshold of the Wang Family''s door, a voice full of mockery and disdain slowly rang out. "Haha, realized his medical skills are inadequate and ran away, didn''t he?! Get lost! Never let me see you again, boy. We have an unsettled score, and you won''t be so lucky next time!" Without guessing, it was obvious that Lin Jiahao had shouted those words. Now, he was very pleased, having witnessed his nemesis being driven away with contemptuous and disdainful eyes¡ªwhat a satisfying feeling. But such a punishment still wasn''t enough. Hao Jian had made a fool out of him and had even interrupted him at a critical moment when he was flirting with Qin Bing; otherwise, he would have already taken Qin Bing to a hotel by now. "Haha, the eyesore is gone, Director Du, let us continue with the treatment!" Seeing Hao Jian leave, Wang Xiong''s wife also smiled, then looked towards Du Yuelin with a somewhat level voice. "Director..." Qin Bing was also confused by this absurd confrontation. What the hell was going on?! Was this woman alright? She had just upset Director Du and Hao Jian, whom she had invited, and now she''s asking him to treat Elder Wang?! At that moment, Qin Bing even doubted this woman''s intelligence. Or was it that she had become self-important from living in luxury? "I know." Du Yuelin shook his head, also quite angry internally. Hao Jian was his guest, yet the Wang Family had shown him no respect. But there was no remedy; it was just the characters of these people, especially the women¡ªbossy and unruly like shrews. Du Yuelin had seen it many times, but this time he really wanted to remind them that Hao Jian''s status was not something the Wang Family could match! "Mrs. Wang, this might be difficult; I have no solutions left for Elder Wang''s condition, and I believe Mr. Jason knows it too." Du Yuelin''s expression was emotionless, his eyes calm. He had never thought he could dislike the Wang Family people as much as he did today, having been slapped in the face and then expected to offer it up again for more. He had never seen such shamelessness; the Lin father and son, Divine Doctor Jason, Wang Ying, Wang Xiong''s wife, all five are on his blacklist, and Wang Xiong himself is somewhat irresolute. Chapter 810 - 809: I Misjudged You! "What?! Director Du, didn''t you say that you had a way earlier?! How come now you say you are incapable of saving my father?!" When Wang Xiong heard that Du Yuelin had no solution to his father''s condition, his face suddenly turned pale, and he quickly started explaining, saying, "Director Du, it''s not that our Wang Family doesn''t respect you, it''s just that the young man really does not have the medical skills and yet pretends to be a master!" Wang Xiong thought that Du Yuelin said so because their Wang Family didn''t give Du Yuelin face, but considering Hao Jian''s character and skills and the fact that he didn''t defend himself, Wang Xiong had already believed the words of Jason, Lin Jiahao and his son. However, he had forgotten a critical factor, that the person was brought by Du Yuelin. Even if he had no skill or means, it was still Du Yuelin who brought him! Now, his father''s illness is entirely dependent on Du Yuelin. Haven''t you seen that even Jason, who boasts to be the Divine Doctor from the West, has no means to cure this disease?! Throughout the whole of Huaxia, Du Yuelin''s medical skills are among the top. In addition, he doesn''t quite understand the intricacies of the medical community and doesn''t know anyone. Now, Director Du is the only opportunity left. But now, this only opportunity has openly stated that even he is helpless; what should we do?! If those two brothers abroad were to find out, wouldn''t they hack him into pieces?! "Hehe, Wang Xiong, do you think I would lie about something concerning Elder Wang?!" Du Yuelin sneered inwardly; this guy still believed the words of the few people around him until now, which made him quite angry. After all, he knew Elder Wang well and had a good relationship with him. It had not been easy to request Hao Jian to make a move, but in the end, he was directly chased away by these people! At this point, Du Yuelin really wanted to scold Wang Xiong. Do you really think that a disciple of Liang Wangsun is so easily invited?! You actually doubt the strength of a disciple of Liang Wangsun?! As for the Wang Family, Hao Jian didn''t care at all; as long as they didn''t cause trouble in Hua City, it was fine. Regarding today''s events, he was very angry, but after a moment''s thought, he felt it was nothing ¡ª they were just a bunch of frogs in a well. Moreover, with Hao Jian''s current status and strength, even exterminating the Wang Family would be easy, so after he left, should he shamelessly go to the Wang Family and ask them to let him treat Elder Wang? "Miss Qin, I know your medical skills are also very high, can''t you and Director Du find a way together?!" Wang Xiong was desperate, how could he have been so foolish, not to consider this layer of relationships?! "Mr. Wang, my medical skills are far inferior to the Director''s; how could I possibly have the means?" Qin Bing shook her head, indicating she too had no solution. If she and the Director really had a way, they would''ve already saved Elder Wang, why would they need to ask Hao Jian to take action? Moreover, she couldn''t believe the conduct of the Wang Family; what were these people thinking? Had they been high and mighty for too long, looking down on those at the bottom or what?! They can only make conclusions based on their subjective feelings and the observations of others, never believing in a person''s strength. "But... but, ah! Both of you, Doctor Jason already has no solution, now the only ones who have a chance to cure my father are the two of you. Please stop making it difficult for me, Wang Xiong!" Wang Xiong also felt some anger towards these two''s attitude. Are you really going to be stubborn with me, Wang Xiong, over a youngster?! Isn''t this mindset a bit too narrow-minded?! It''s just that he didn''t realize that what he previously did was exactly what he thought Director Du and Qin Bing were doing now! "Wang Xiong, let me be frank with you. The ''incompetent bumpkin'' who I invited to treat Elder Wang is actually Liang Wangsun''s disciple. Even I admit defeat to his medical skills. It was not easy to get him to make a move this time, but I didn''t expect it to turn out like this; you... you''ve truly disappointed me!" Director Du sighed, waved his hand with a sense of powerlessness, and felt he could only reveal some of Hao Jian''s identity, making Wang Xiong reflect on who really misjudged whom. "A disciple of Liang Wangsun? That youngster?!" Upon hearing this, Wang Xiong''s face drastically changed. The kid who didn''t seem particularly outstanding was actually a disciple of Liang Wangsun?! How... how is that possible?! As the current Family Head of the Wang Family, Wang Xiong was well aware of the legendary Divine Doctor Liang Wangsun. Even his father revered Liang Wangsun greatly, and he had gone out of his way to inquire about Liang Wangsun''s background, ending up admiring him as well. He thought that such a powerful figure would never intersect with their Wang Family, but he had not expected that he had bluntly severed and thrown away this connection before! "Ying, my wife, we must apologize to that gentleman together!" Wang Xiong didn''t think too much; since Director Du dared to say that, it meant that person was indeed a disciple of Liang Wangsun. A disciple of Liang Wangsun would have a status even higher than his, the Wang Family Head! Now, all he could hope for was that their apology could persuade Hao Jian to return, given that his father''s situation was far from optimistic! "What? Apologize, to that youngster?!" Seeing Wang Xiong''s attitude change drastically because of just one sentence from Du Yuelin, the faces of Lin Jiahao and his son also turned ugly in an instant, and Lin Jiahao''s father immediately spoke up. "Shut your mouth!" But as soon as he spoke, Wang Xiong''s face turned sullen, and his piercing gaze shot him a look. He snorted coldly, making him tremble and hastily shut his mouth. "Don''t tell me again that you don''t believe in that gentleman. You don''t understand Liang Wangsun''s background, and I don''t blame you for that, but this time, no matter what you say, you must come with me and apologize to that gentleman! He is now our only chance to save father!" Wang Xiong''s tone was somewhat agitated and left no room for doubt. At this moment, he truly showed the decisiveness and resolution of a Family Head, different from the indecisiveness seen before, which surprised Du Yuelin somewhat but was quickly fleeting. Now, whether they could truly persuade Hao Jian was a question. He was curious to see how this guy would convince Hao Jian later. Knowing Hao Jian''s character, that kid was always scheming without a trace, and even if he agreed, the Wang Family would likely be thoroughly duped by Hao Jian! Meanwhile, Hao Jian, who had left the Wang Family without anyone knowing where he went, had just driven his car out from the Wang Family and was leisurely waiting while eating cake and drinking milk tea in a milk tea shop about four or five kilometers from the Wang Family. "Beep Beep Beep!" "Hello, Director Du? What''s the matter?" Hao Jian casually stuffed a piece of cake into his mouth, the muffled words transmitting through the phone. "Alright, you are one clever kid. Wang Xiong already knows your background. Hurry back to the Wang Family now, and as for what you''re thinking, let''s leave that between you and Wang Xiong. As long as you don''t trick them too miserably, just allow me to maintain some face in front of Elder Wang." Director Du felt somewhat helpless towards Hao Jian''s actions. After seeing Lin Jiahao and his father, he knew this Wang Xiong would look down on him, so he simply played along with the plot and left directly. And when he left, he whispered to him, telling him to call Hao Jian and ask him to come back if Wang Xiong finally came to his senses. If it hadn''t been for Hao Jian''s words, Du Yuelin would probably have blown up at Wang Xiong already, but now, upon hearing what he said, Wang Xiong didn''t even think before lowering his head. "You have quite a knack for messing with people, kid. Now those young ones from the Wang Family, you''ve got them a bit dazed. Elder Wang is their father, and now they have driven away the doctor who could save him, that absurdity is hard for them to accept..." Director Du laughed helplessly, hung up the phone, and walked out from a quiet corner of the Wang Family. His part was said, the rest was up to what Hao Jian thought. However, what was most crucial was the actions of the Wang Family members next. If they managed to irritate Hao Jian again, they would truly have no more chances to have Hao Jian make a move. "Heh heh!" After hanging up the call, Hao Jian chuckled, paid the bill, and left the milk tea shop. He drove his Enzo, picking a random road to venture out onto. "Kid, do you really think I would go over there that easily?" S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The corners of Hao Jian''s mouth slowly curved into a smirk of satisfaction, as he drove onto the highway, choosing to go street racing. He was not planning to let the Wang Family off easily; he decided to keep them hanging. He wanted those people to know that offending Hao Jian wouldn''t end well, even if they were closely related to his own people, they were not a bargaining chip for his use. Elder Wang was their father, not his, their life or death mattered not a whit to him. And like that, Hao Jian drove his Enzo around the city''s ring highway for nearly three hours. When the sky darkened, he slowly left the highway and chose a longer route, driving towards the Wang Family at an excessively slow speed... Finally, after more than an hour, the headlights of Hao Jian''s Enzo slowly appeared in the Wang Family''s field of vision. Seeing the car, the Wang Family members, who had been anxiously awaiting, were so excited they were nearly in tears. They thought that Hao Jian had left in anger and had asked Director Du to call him, but Du refused. But as long as the person came, then everything would be okay! Seeing Hao Jian get out of the car, Wang Xiong hurriedly ran up to him. Words of apology flowed from his mouth, "Mr. Hao Jian, I am truly sorry! We misunderstood you!" Chapter 811 - 810: Really No Time! "No, I''m not that familiar with you," said Hao Jian with a cold laugh. "I''m just here to pick up Qin Bing and take her back." As he spoke, Hao Jian strode towards Qin Bing, reached out to grab her hand, and led her towards his car. Qin Bing was somewhat bemused by Hao Jian''s actions but soon seemed to guess at his intentions. She smiled, nodded, and let Hao Jian lead her along. This guy was simply seeking revenge, retaliating against the way the Wang Family had treated him. "Mr. Hao Jian... Mr. Hao Jian!" Seeing Hao Jian about to leave, Wang Xiong''s face changed slightly, and he quickly reached out to stop Hao Jian. With his father still lying in bed at this critical moment, how could he cope if Hao Jian left now? Ever since Du Yuelin revealed Hao Jian''s identity, Wang Xiong had deeply believed in Hao Jian''s capabilities. Although his wife and sister were unaware of these circumstances, that didn''t matter. What mattered was that he knew, and the urgent priority was to keep Hao Jian here. Because now, only Hao Jian could save his father. After stopping Hao Jian, Wang Xiong turned his head to look at Du Yuelin with obvious urgency, and the plea in his eyes was clear to see, prompting a helpless smile from Du Yuelin. Du Yuelin thought that Wang Xiong might not have a bad heart, only that after years of dealing with people in the business world, he had become less trusting. If it weren''t for such a significant bargaining chip, this young man might still not believe in Hao Jian''s abilities. Ancient people said that merchants prioritize profit over parting, meaning that they care little for kinship or friendship. But that was in ancient times. In today''s world, if you really act that way, retribution could soon come knocking at your door. Wang Xiong strongly believed in this, of course, thanks in part to his father''s teachings. Now his father lay on the hospital bed, and he would go bankrupt if necessary to save him. He believed that his two brothers, who were far away overseas and unaware of the situation, would think the same from his perspective. Now, as long as he could keep Hao Jian here, it didn''t matter if he lost his face, his money, everything¡ªas long as his father was saved. "Hao Jian, look at the extent Wang Xiong is going to; it''s not easy for him. Why don''t you let go of your anger? This is a matter of life and death; you wouldn''t want to stand by and watch someone die!" After looking at Hao Jian, Du Yuelin began to negotiate in a meaningful tone. "Director, it''s not that I don''t want to help, but I really have too much on my plate today. I had some time earlier, but now I have no way to do it after this delay," replied Hao Jian, letting go of Qin Bing''s hand and turning back to Du Yuelin with a helpless shrug, spreading his hands to show that it wasn''t his will. However, in secret, Hao Jian threw a glance Du Yuelin caught, and he nodded in response. "But the current condition of Elder Wang really can''t be delayed! As a doctor, you can''t just watch someone die! Although Wang Xiong and the others were too harsh in their treatment of you before, they realize their mistake now. Look, isn''t Wang Xiong apologizing to you right now?" "Director, I really don''t have the time, but..." Hao Jian said, stroking his chin and drawing out the end of his sentence, making Wang Xiong''s eyes light up as he hurriedly intervened. "Mr. Hao Jian, but what!? Rest assured, whatever demands you make, as long as they''re not too excessive, I will agree to them!" Wang Xiong replied. These words of Wang Xiong were like a bombshell, shocking Lin Jiahao and his son who were watching not far away, almost unbelieving. With the Wang Family''s power, such a promise was invaluable! It was something others couldn''t obtain, such as their Lin Family. Although the Lin Family had been friends with the Wang Family for generations, their relationship wasn''t that intimate. Thus, it was impossible for Wang Xiong to treat them the same way. But what about Hao Jian? That damn guy could make such demands; what exactly was his identity, and who was Liang Wangsun? How come as soon as Wang Xiong heard that name, he was like a chicken injected with adrenaline, no longer questioning Hao Jian''s abilities and just believing it outright! Lin Jiahao and his son had thought about intervening, but seeing Wang Xiong''s attitude, they became less assertive, not daring to speak, and could only watch silently alongside Wang Xiong''s wife and Wang Ying. As for Divine Doctor Jason, he had already received a phone call and left shortly after Hao Jian did. "Haha, forget about that demand. Your promise doesn''t mean anything to me," Hao Jian unexpectedly replied, shaking his head lightly to Wang Xiong''s words and then falling silent. Seeing this, Du Yuelin knew that the situation was ripe and followed up, saying: "Come on, Hao Jian! Look at the length to which Wang Xiong has gone; just agree to it, will you?" "But..." "Stop with the buts! If you persist, the next time I see your master, I will tell him all about your misdeeds over the years!" Du Yuelin made a sweeping gesture with his hand, effectively silencing Hao Jian. Yet whether this promise could be fulfilled hinged entirely on whether Hao Jian chose to give face or not. After all, even with his current status, it was exceedingly difficult to secure an audience with Liang Wangsun. The two acted so in sync that it didn''t take long to leave everyone present completely bewildered, incapable of grasping the specifics of their conversation. The general idea, however, was clear: Du Yuelin was attempting to persuade Hao Jian to treat Elder Wang. Only Wang Xiong was aware of just how crucial the content of their discussion was to his father''s chance of survival. Because it was this final statement that was the trump card, an imperative that Hao Jian must adhere to... "Well... alright then!" Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, seemingly resigned, but then he hesitated before adding, "Just that..." "Just what?!" "Naturally, medical treatment isn''t free; I must charge a fee!" Spreading his hands towards Wang Xiong, Hao Jian made it clear that he had to charge for his services. "Of course, of course! How much do you ask, sir?" Wang Xiong also quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead and inquired. He didn''t expect to discuss money without even making a request, and didn''t know what to say. "This amount!" While speaking, Hao Jian held up a finger to Wang Xiong and wiggled it slightly in midair. "One hundred thousand? Great, great, that''s negotiable!" This was merely the consultation fee, which, although astronomical for a mere diagnosis, did not make Wang Xiong hesitate to agree immediately. To him, one hundred thousand was as inconsequential as a fifty-dollar consultation fee. "I''m sorry, you misunderstood. It''s not one hundred thousand, but ten million," Hao Jian shook his head and then stated in a detached tone, uttering words that caused Wang Xiong''s face to stiffen, "My medical skills are not as cheap as you imagine. This ten million, I''m actually charging you less. If it weren''t for the hospital director pleading for you, I wouldn''t even consider charging you this little." Spoken indifferently, without a flutter of emotion, Hao Jian''s words came off as patronizing to Wang Xiong, who really wanted to get angry but had to consider the circumstances. "Agreed! I accept your terms!" Clenching his teeth, Wang Xiong consented to Hao Jian''s medical fees. As long as he could save his father, even if it cost much more, it was obligatory. Besides, ten million, albeit a considerable sum, was not exorbitant for the Wang family. If it was only the consultation and treatment fee, they could still handle it, though Wang Xiong felt helpless. Even Divine Doctor Jason or Du Yuelin didn''t charge such a hefty fee when they came to diagnose his father¡ªJason''s charge was at most fifty thousand. "Ten million?! Are you planning to rob us?!" Just as both parties thought the matter was settled, a discordant voice suddenly rang out, causing Wang Xiong''s expression to instantly darken. Who the hell dared to sabotage him now?! "Brother Wang Xiong, you absolutely cannot agree to this kid''s demands! This kid doesn''t have the medical skills he claims; he''s... he''s just conning you out of your money!" The face of Lin Jiahao''s father looked unsightly as he stared at Hao Jian with eyes filled with intense cold, and he said with a cold laugh, "How could such a kid be worthy of a ten million consultation fee?!" Ten million! Even working himself to death for a year wouldn''t earn him that much, yet Hao Jian, this fellow, dared to charge so much just for a diagnosis¡ªit was infuriating to compare oneself with him. Thinking of how this guy could so effortlessly take so much money from the Wang family, he could not help feeling discontent. Despite being lifelong friends with the Wang family, they had never been treated thus. "Shut your mouth!" S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wang Xiong turned his head and roared at him, saying, "When did the level of expertise of Mr. Hao Jian become something for you and your son to question here? If it weren''t for you just now, how could I have offended Mr. Hao Jian? And now you continue to spout nonsense; do you really want to see my father dead before you''ll be happy?" Reprimanded by Wang Xiong, Lin Jiahao and his father could only keep their mouths shut obediently; after all, it was the Wang''s place, and with so many armed guards outside, irritating Wang Xiong would mean he might not show any leniency at all due to their lifelong friendship¡ªa gunshot would be getting off easy! Chapter 812 - 811: Just Kidding Seeing these noisy people fall silent, Hao Jian simply nodded and then waved his hand, speaking indifferently, "Lead the way, I have other matters." "Okay!" Wang Xiong nodded, then turned and led Hao Jian into the Wang Family''s residence, heading to the room where his father was resting. Following behind them were Du Yuelin, Qin Bing, Wang Xiong''s wife, Wang Ying, and even father and son Lin Jiahao. Although the thoughts of each person were different, they all shared the same goal¡ªto see how Hao Jian was going to diagnose and treat Elder Wang''s illness. "The one on the bed is my father!" Upon reaching Elder Wang''s room, Wang Xiong explained to Hao Jian, "My father lost consciousness not long ago and has been lying in bed since. We''ve been seeking renowned doctors across the country, but no one has any solution. Only Director Du has been able to suppress my father''s condition somewhat." "You all wait here, just don''t disturb me," Hao Jian said, interrupting Wang Xiong as he was about to continue. He then rolled up his sleeves, ready to get to work. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Okay!" Seeing Hao Jian like this, Wang Xiong nodded, then positioned himself at the doorway, as if worried that something unexpected might occur. Outside, he had already instructed the security guards to prevent strangers from entering the house and disturbing Hao Jian''s treatment. "Just as I thought..." At that moment, Hao Jian approached Elder Wang''s bedside and immediately noticed something as he looked at his waxen face, prompting a somewhat helpless shake of his head. This kind of illness wouldn''t be much of a challenge for his master, who could cure it simply with an acupuncture needle. Although Hao Jian had learned the technique as well, he fell short compared to his master and often didn''t handle it as adeptly. Back then, his master faced a critically ill patient and cured him with just a single needle. That patient''s condition was even more severe than Elder Wang''s current state. However, Hao Jian now had some confidence in reviving Elder Wang, after all, he wasn''t the same person as before, and this Elder Wang wasn''t the patient his master had treated. "Perhaps if my old master knew that I could also cure patients with such conditions, I wonder how he would scold me?" After smiling quietly, Hao Jian cleared his mind of all distractions, his expression instantly serene, a slight curve forming at the corners of his lips. He flipped his palm, and the Golden Needle he always carried was taken out. He picked a thin Golden Needle from the box, and his eyes suddenly sharpened. His fingers, holding the needle, aimed at a precise acupoint on Elder Wang''s head and swiftly inserted it! "Baihui!" "Danzhong!" "Yongquan!" "¡­" Golden Needles were inserted into Elder Wang''s body one after another by Hao Jian''s hand. Though his medical skill was not on par with his master''s, and thus he struggled with executing the lost needle technique, he was just barely able to muster the strength required for it with his current level of ability. However, this required support from other acupoints; otherwise, he would be able to solve it with a single needle, just like his master. "This¡­ This is the long-lost Resurrection Needle?!" Not everyone present was unable to recognize Hao Jian''s needling techniques. At least Du Yuelin could, having immersed in medical practices for many years and researched various lost needle techniques and medical treatments. And now, the needle technique Hao Jian was applying was indeed the Resurrection Needle Technique, a technique in the medical community long considered lost. Legend has it that when utilized to the extreme, it can even momentarily revive a dead person, commonly referred to as returning yang, but it only lasts for about ten or so seconds. It''s generally used to allow critically ill patients to convey their last wishes. But now, Du Yuelin never expected that Elder Wang''s condition would require the use of this long-lost needle technique, which means Elder Wang''s condition should not be a cause for concern anymore. Patting Wang Xiong''s tremulously tense shoulder, Du Yuelin smiled. Since Hao Jian began the acupuncture treatment, Wang Xiong''s heart had been in his throat, after all, he had heard that this needling technique requires decades of Kung Fu to master. Although Hao Jian was a disciple of Liang Wangsun, he was still flesh and blood, and Wang Xiong had his doubts. Nevertheless, things had progressed to this stage, and he had no choice but to keep watching. Perhaps Hao Jian truly possessed extraordinarily advanced medical skills? And just as Wang Xiong''s mind was unsettled, he suddenly felt a light pat on his shoulder. He quickly turned his head to find Du Yuelin smiling and shaking his head gently at him. Seeing this, Wang Xiong''s face slowly revealed a look of joy. Given Du Yuelin''s status, it was unlikely that he would lie about such a matter. Did this mean his father was saved if even Du Yuelin said there was nothing to worry about?! "Director Du, really?!" Until the end, Wang Xiong struggled to control his own mouth, a trembling voice slowly emanating from him, but as soon as he spoke up, he saw Du Yuelin''s face turn cold across from him, and he also realized something, hastily closing his mouth. Hao Jian was still administering the acupuncture, at a critical juncture, and absolutely could not be disturbed, so Wang Xiong also showed an apologetic smile to Du Yuelin, then turned his head, eyes fixed intently on Hao Jian. Discovering that his abrupt words hadn''t disturbed Hao Jian, he also let out a slight sigh of relief, almost having made a grave mistake. "Fuck! I almost lost half my life!" Feeling the strength continuously draining from his body, Hao Jian couldn''t help but wryly smile to himself. He had thought that he''d be able to perform this acupuncture technique, but he hadn''t anticipated that it would take so much of his energy. It seemed that even if he could heal Elder Wang this time, he''d have to lie down for half the day to recover... How come that old man used to perform this technique so effortlessly?! Hao Jian felt helpless in his heart, but there was no other way. At this critical moment, even if it took all his energy, he had to complete the acupuncture procedure. "Drip, drip!" Time passed bit by bit, sweat on Hao Jian''s forehead grew more and more, until even the clothes he was wearing became soaked with sweat. Half an hour later... "Resurrection! Return!" With a low roar from Hao Jian, all the densely packed Golden Needles inserted into Elder Wang''s body were simultaneously withdrawn, falling into Hao Jian''s hands. "Bang!" With the final step complete, Hao Jian was exhausted to the point of collapse, propping one hand ungracefully against the edge of the bed, panting heavily, but the curve of his mouth spoke to the success of this treatment. "Damn, finally done. No choice, tonight I have to eat a good meal, replenish my strength!" Feeling the weakness of his body, Hao Jian laughed bitterly within. He had been too careless this time, not expecting the technique to require so much of his energy. But on the bright side, though tired, he had gained some experience. Next time he performed this technique, it would be a lot easier... "Come over, it''s all taken care of." After resting for a while, Hao Jian waved to the several anxious people at the door, signaling for them to come in. "How is it?!" Standing in the front, Wang Xiong was the first to rush over to Hao Jian, first glancing at his father still lying on the bed without any sign of recovery, his face instantly tensed, then turning around to look at the sweaty Hao Jian, he hurriedly spoke out and asked. "It''s fine, he''ll wake up in five minutes. His body functions are still recovering, but you''d best have your servants prepare some easily digestible food, as your father is going to be hungry soon!" Hao Jian waved his hand, and the content of his words dispelled Wang Xiong''s last worries. And Elder Wang was going to feel hungry precisely because he had been lying in bed for so many days, sustained by IV drips, and his body was already weak. "I''ll have someone deal with it right away!" Wang Xiong quickly waved to a servant outside, instructing her to give a message to the kitchen, and then sent her away. After he had given these instructions, he turned around and saw his father''s eyelids twitch slightly, and a burst of joy appeared on his face. "Is he waking up?!" "Hungry!" A loud yell erupted from Elder Wang''s mouth, then his eyes suddenly sprang open, and the entire person sat up abruptly from the bed! "He''s awake! He''s awake!" Seeing this, the joy on the faces of Wang Xiong and the others was unmistakable, erupting immediately. Du Yuelin and Qin Bing were also smiling to the side, looking at Hao Jian''s somewhat thin back, Qin Bing''s eyes curving joyfully into lines. "Mr. Hao Jian, I... I really don''t know how to thank you!" Wang Xiong''s voice was somewhat choked up, looking at Hao Jian, at a loss for what to say. "Simple, first transfer the payment to me, and also, can you all be quiet? The patient has just started to get better and needs rest right now. With all this noise, aren''t you afraid of a relapse?" "A relapse?!" "Just kidding!"...................................... Chapter 813 - 812: You Are So Beautiful After resolving the Wang Family''s issues, Hao Jian left the Wang Family residence with Du Yuelin and Qin Bing. Although Wang Xiong kept persuading him to stay for a meal, Hao Jian simply waved his hand and declined his kind offer. How could he forget how this guy had previously looked down on him¡ªthat score hadn''t been settled yet! However, one thing Wang Xiong did this time did cheer Hao Jian up quite a bit, and that was kicking Lin Jiahao and his son out of the Wang Family residence. Who asked those two to misread the situation? After Elder Wang regained consciousness, they even intentionally or otherwise made remarks to mock Hao Jian, saying he was like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead rat¡ªjust pure luck. In response to this, Hao Jian hadn''t even said anything before the Wang Family members lost their temper. It was a time for celebration; those two making such comments were like killing their joyous vibe, weren''t they?! Moreover, Hao Jian was now their benefactor to the Wang Family; they were all thinking of how to repay him. Although there was that ten million fee, it was merely the consultation fee; the treatment costs hadn''t been counted yet! But in the next moment, when they realized their benefactor had been insulted by some, they wouldn''t stand for it. Mocking their benefactor was equivalent to mocking the Wang Family, wasn''t it? So Wang Xiong immediately instructed a few security guards to drag Lin Jiahao and his son away, gave them a beating, and then drove them out. And as they were leaving, they even shouted out a declaration of cutting ties, leaving Hao Jian feeling immensely satisfied. He just had a peculiar expression as this declaration was the first thing he understood. Cutting ties with a noble family, abbreviated as ''cut ties''?! Fuck! No wonder I always thought there was something odd about that phrase¡ªit was this! While driving, Hao Jian''s lips would occasionally curl into a slight smile, thinking that from now on in Hua City, he probably wouldn''t see Lin Jiahao and his son again. He just needed to give a hint to the higher-ups and let them take care of Lin Jiahao and his son. After having a meal at Qin Bing''s place, Du Yuelin gave Hao Jian a "you know what I mean" look and then excused himself to leave first. Hao Jian could only laugh and cry, feeling like Du Yuelin must have misunderstood something. "Why don''t you stay over tonight?" Just then, Qin Bing''s voice came from the kitchen. Hao Jian was stunned for a moment, damn, could it be that it wasn''t Du Yuelin who misunderstood something, but he himself who missed something? Was Qin Bing actually taking the initiative to invite him to spend the night at her place? "Ah? What''s up?" Hao Jian turned to Qin Bing and asked, somewhat nervously. "Nothing much, just that we haven''t spent the night snacking and watching movies together for so long, I kind of miss it. You haven''t come over for so long, I thought you had forgotten about me." Qin Bing''s teasing voice came from the kitchen, causing Hao Jian to smile helplessly. "Wow, you actually got a new TV, and it''s a 3D LCD HD one at that. Looks like we''re in for a great movie night!" Upon entering, Hao Jian immediately noticed Qin Bing''s sixty-plus-inch LCD TV, his eyes lit up, and then he turned his head to speak with a light laugh to Qin Bing. "Snacking, watching movies, and then going to sleep!" Seeing Hao Jian turn his gaze towards her, Qin Bing also smiled slightly and then gestured to the snacks she had taken out from the fridge, laughing as she spoke. "Perfect!" Hao Jian threw the items onto the table, flipped over onto the couch with a single movement, grabbed the TV remote casually, and turned on the TV. "Ding!" Not long after Hao Jian sat down, Qin Bing also came over with several plates and then began to place the items she had brought onto the table in front of them. "Peanuts and beer?" After Qin Bing got everything out, Hao Jian understood what Qin Bing had prepared. He casually grabbed a bottle of beer from in front of Qin Bing and started drinking, ignoring Qin Bing as she poured out peanuts, which earned him a roll of the eyes from her. This guy couldn''t even come over to help out a bit, just knew how to eat, had he not eaten enough just now? "Come on, cheers!" It wasn''t long before Qin Bing had everything ready, and she also sat on the couch, picked up a glass of beer, and was met with Hao Jian''s laughter. She smiled slightly, clinked her glass against Hao Jian''s beer bottle, and they both downed their drinks in one gulp. After three rounds of drinks, Hao Jian was still fine, but Qin Bing was getting fuzzy. Her cheeks flushed, her gaze wandering, her eyebrows and eyes carried a charm and tenderness hard to resist, which made the watching Hao Jian become somewhat restless. "Don''t stay up too late today; better get some rest early!" Glancing at the time, Hao Jian realized it was just past ten, but he felt they shouldn''t drink any further to avoid getting out of hand later on. Qin Bing also lifted her head, looked towards Hao Jian with a smile, and said, "Why so early? Today you''ve demonstrated such exquisite medical skills and saved Elder Wang. It''s a cause for celebration, isn''t it? Or are you already tired?" "With my recovery abilities, this bit of exertion is nothing." Hearing this, Hao Jian nonchalantly waved his hand and said, "I''m just worried about you getting drunk." With his current strength, as long as he didn''t exert those excessively powerful medical techniques, there would be no issues at all. Of course, now there probably weren''t that many patients in need of those extremely potent medical methods, which he only saw his master perform occasionally back when he was with his master. Those techniques were simply not something he could perform now; they required the accumulation of experience, and Hao Jian precisely lacked this experience. Once his capabilities and experience improved, he could easily perform those powerful medical arts. "Me, getting drunk? Wouldn''t it be better if I did? That''d make things more convenient for you," teased Qin Bing, looking at Hao Jian provocatively. Hao Jian was dumbfounded; this woman actually dared to flirt with him? Doesn''t she know it''s dangerous to tease a man like this when they''re alone together? "I don''t care; you can''t rest yet, continue drinking with me!" sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing Hao Jian not responding, Qin Bing seemed to sense something, hastily changed the subject, tugged on Hao Jian''s arm, and said, "By the way, do you think the Deputy Mayor will cause trouble for you? I don''t think he''s a good person at all." "He wouldn''t dare. Didn''t you see the Wang Family severing ties with him today? Even if I don''t go looking for trouble with him, his opponents will, and no matter how you slice it, the Wang Family is a prestigious clan. Without their protection, that guy''s downfall is a foregone conclusion," said Hao Jian with amusement at the question, reminiscing the amusing expressions of that father-son duo, and couldn''t help but chuckle. Then he even stroked Qin Bing''s hair, smiling and saying, "In Hua City, there''s no one who dares to provoke me, Hao Jian. You don''t have to worry about my safety unless those people are looking to die. No one will conflict with me otherwise." "Of course, that excludes some idiots..." The ''idiots'' Hao Jian referred to are naturally those pretentious individuals without any substantial connections in Hua City, or those who possess strong connections. Even if such individuals are ambitious, they would never be able to grasp any information about Hao Jian, because of the influence he holds over Hua City. Only a handful know about him, and naturally, they aren''t the ones whom those ignorant types can possibly meet, and even if they did, without any sort of relationship, those in the know wouldn''t divulge anything. "Forget it, let''s not talk about these unhappy matters on such a joyful day! Otherwise, I''m going to be unhappy!" With a mischievous twirl of his eyes, Hao Jian grinned at Qin Bing, put down his beer, and then promptly slid his hands into the sides of Qin Bing''s stomach and began tickling her! "Hahaha..." Caught off guard by Hao Jian''s sudden tickle attack and unable to suppress her reaction, Qin Bing burst into laughter, tears of mirth welling in her eyes, and quickly pleaded with Hao Jian, saying, "Hao Jian, Hao Jian... stop... stop now!" "I... I... I can''t stand being tickled!" "Humph! Will you go to bed now, or not?" Hao Jian, smug, pulled his hands away and with a roguish smile said to Qin Bing, "I, Hao Jian, am known for keeping my word. If you don''t listen to me, I''ll continue! And if someone''s ... desires happen to get stirred up unwillingly, I won''t take responsibility." "Then go ahead, I just won''t sleep anyway!" Barely catching her breath, Qin Bing, upon hearing Hao Jian''s nonsensical yet exciting words, felt an anticipatory flutter in her heart. To cover up her own embarrassment, she threatened Hao Jian verbally, yet the burgeoning sensation only grew stronger. Could it be that I''m acting foolish? How come I care so much about Hao Jian''s joke and even look forward to his move? Is there something wrong with my brain? Qin Bing shook her head, casting aside the tangled mess of thoughts in her mind, picked up the beer and continued to drink. As time passed, she and Hao Jian had gone through almost two dozen cans of coke and beer, with repeated bathroom runs, and Qin Bing''s eyes started to blur. "You''re so beautiful!" Then at a certain moment, Hao Jian finally lost his composure and blurted out those words. "I... I need to use the restroom... I''m feeling a bit dizzy..." Upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, Qin Bing, whose cheeks were already flushed with alcohol, turned an even deeper shade of red, and sensing the awkwardness of the situation, she tried to stand up quickly to head towards the restroom. He said I''m beautiful, he actually told me I''m beautiful at this moment, what is he planning to do? "Smack!" Just as she was getting up before taking a step, she realized her hand was being grasped........... Chapter 814 - 813: Old... Mouse! "Hao Jian, you... let go of my hand..." Feeling the burning heat from the palm, Qin Bing''s previously drunk thoughts suddenly cooled down a little, clarity returning to her eyes. She quickly removed Hao Jian''s hand, shattering the somewhat flirtatious atmosphere in an instant. "Just kidding." However, as soon as she removed Hao Jian''s hand, a laugh came from his mouth, which immediately made Qin Bing''s pretty face flush red. She glared at Hao Jian reproachfully, then ran straight into the bathroom. "Hehe, this girl is really quite interesting..." Seeing Qin Bing leave and looking at her retreating figure, Hao Jian also chuckled lightly. He then diverted his gaze back, continuing to munch on his peanuts and drink his beer. With Hao Jian''s current tolerance for alcohol, unless it''s spirits with a particularly high alcohol content, like brandy or baijiu, nothing could bring him down. After all, with his current strength, the alcohol in these beers could evaporate instantly from his body, and simply couldn''t linger long enough to affect Hao Jian''s drunkenness. Feeling somewhat inebriated, Qin Bing also hurried to the bathroom and quickly shut the door. After finishing all these actions, she finally let out a sigh of relief. "I wonder if this girl is okay, why is she taking so long in the bathroom?" Hao Jian had been waiting in the living room for over ten minutes. Seeing that the bathroom door remained closed, he began to worry. After all, Qin Bing had drunk quite a bit, and her physical condition wasn''t what it used to be. If she passed out or fell asleep inside because of the alcohol, that would really be bad... But he was a man, and at this moment, he couldn''t be sure if Qin Bing had fainted inside. What if he saw something he shouldn''t have seen? How could he explain this all? Could he say he broke in out of concern for her safety, just happened to see this unexpected scene, and then tell her it was an accident? Hao Jian believed that if he did all that and still dared to say this sentence, the consequences would be very unsightly. That''s the insight he got from those experiences with women. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When dealing with women, you should never think that you could win them over with your own excuses. They can get angry without any real reason, and when they''re mad, you can only try to appease them. If you try to use your wisdom to prove you''re right, you simply cannot bear the outcome. "Ah!" Just as Hao Jian was lost in wild thoughts, a loud scream suddenly came from the bathroom. Hearing this, Hao Jian''s face instantaneously turned pale, and without any second thoughts, he vaulted over the couch. His feet hit the floor, and like a cannonball, he shot towards the bathroom. "Bang!" In just a second, Hao Jian went from the sofa in the living room to the front of the bathroom where Qin Bing was. Without thinking about the details, he kicked the bathroom door open with one foot. "What happened?!" Entering the bathroom, Hao Jian asked anxiously, with concern on his face. "A... a mouse!" "Ahhhhhhhh!!!" A shrieking scream, even sharper than the one before, rang out again. This time, it shook Hao Jian back to his senses. Shaken by the scream, Hao Jian, seeing the fury in the eyes of the naked beauty in front of him, felt a shudder in his heart, internally cursing his bad luck. He quickly ran out of the bathroom with an awkward laugh and, on his way out, even took the door with him, which he had kicked open... Damn it, damn it! Why am I so stupid?! How could I look at her body like this? This is really asking for death! After running out, Hao Jian''s face was panic-stricken. He understood Qin Bing''s temperament well, having stared at her body for a good while, and having seen everything. One could imagine her rage. Now, all Hao Jian could hope for was that Qin Bing would go easy on him... But no matter how much she thought about it, it all seemed so unrealistic... What to do?! What to do?! That damn bastard actually ran into the bathroom and saw her body, how utterly embarrassing! As soon as Qin Bing thought of how Hao Jian had just seen her body and the expression that appeared on his face afterward, her pretty face turned beet red, and she shook her head shyly, but her heart was somewhat tense. Should she properly teach that bastard, that stinky guy, a lesson? No no no, she must calm down! With that thought, Qin Bing hurriedly adjusted the shower to a slightly cold temperature, then let it fall directly onto her slightly heated body. Immediately, a cooling and sobering sensation spread from the bottom of her heart to her head, making her feel much better. However, after a while, when she remembered the accident that had just occurred, her pretty face turned crimson again, and even the cold water couldn''t extinguish that heat. What on earth should she do? "That... that... Qin Bing! It''s getting late, and I don''t want to disturb your rest, so I''ll head back first! It''s not good for an unmarried man and woman to stay together alone; people might talk, so I should leave..." As Qin Bing was entangled in her mind about how to face Hao Jian, Hao Jian''s somewhat embarrassed voice came from outside, immediately causing Qin Bing''s pretty face to shift slightly. Hao Jian''s words were something she hadn''t considered, especially since Hao Jian had been staying at her place for quite a while, and she hadn''t heard anyone speaking ill of them behind their backs. "No way, she absolutely couldn''t let him leave!" Having made up her mind, Qin Bing mustered the courage to step out of the bathroom barefoot. A beautiful picture unrolled once again before Hao Jian... Fuck! What''s with this woman?! Hao Jian, who was preparing to leave, witnessed this scene and felt his blood run in the wrong direction, his nostrils feeling a bit moist¡ªit looked like he was about to get a nosebleed... "Do you like it?" Watching Hao Jian turn his head away hastily, Qin Bing felt rather proud. She hadn''t expected this guy to have such a shy side... But then, she herself blurted out a phrase she had never said to a man before... Pfft! The lethality of that sentence for Hao Jian was immense, he felt as if his heart had coughed up a mouthful of blood... Internal... internal injury?! Fuck! Was this woman some kind of siren?! "Like... I like it!" Hao Jian turned his head back, his eyes shining with a glint, slowly sweeping over Qin Bing''s entire body, and nodded... Chapter 815 - 814: Why are you like this?! When the two were deeply asleep, the vibration and ringtone of the smartphone suddenly went off, waking both of them who were immersed in their dreams. "Hmm?" Qin Bing groggily opened her eyes and reached for her phone. However, when she saw the familiar number on the screen, her cheeks gradually darkened, and she sighed before pressing the answer button. "Hello?" "Cousin..." The voice on the other end was clearly male, but it sounded somewhat feeble, and hearing Qin Bing''s slightly angry tone made the man even more nervous. "What do you want?!" Qin Bing showed no consideration for her cousin and spoke impatiently and angrily, making the other party even more nervous. Meanwhile, Hao Jian, who had just woken up, looked at Qin Bing with confusion. What kind of call could make Qin Bing this angry? "Cousin, it''s like this, could you... lend me a hundred thousand yuan?" "You want to borrow money again?! How many times have you borrowed from me this month?! You''re still a student, how could you possibly need so much money?!" Her cousin had called to ask for money again, and Qin Bing''s expression grew even more unsightly. It wasn''t that she didn''t want to lend her cousin money, but there were some reasons. This month alone, she had already lent her cousin a considerable amount, each sum enough to support his university life for a year! And yet he had borrowed money so many times in just one month! Now he even wanted to borrow a hundred thousand, as if she were a bank with unlimited funds?! Therefore, without a second thought, Qin Bing flatly refused her cousin and shouted into the phone, "Don''t think about borrowing money from me, and don''t disturb my sleep!" After speaking, Qin Bing hung up the phone and angrily tossed it aside. "What''s wrong, who made our Beauty Qin so angry?" Seeing her hang up the phone, Hao Jian also hugged Qin Bing with a smile. Nowadays, there aren''t many situations that Hao Jian can''t handle, especially if it''s something happening in Hua City; he can fix almost any matter, as long as it''s not too severe. "It''s that damn cousin of mine!" Qin Bing gave Hao Jian an annoyed glance and then reluctantly continued, "This cousin of mine is still in university. He''s doing well academically and is a decent person, which makes me quite satisfied. At least if he continues like this, he can find a good job in the future and take care of his parents¡­" "But, just in this past month, this kid has already borrowed seventy to eighty thousand from me. He borrows ten or twenty thousand each time, multiple times already, and this third time is even more outrageous, he actually wants to borrow a hundred thousand!" As she spoke, Qin Bing''s anger surged again, her chest heaving. She continued, "You know, as a college student, there''s really no place where he''d be spending so much money. The most expensive things might be some electronics, but his family is famously frugal; they wouldn''t possibly buy any luxury goods. His monthly living expenses would be at most a couple thousand!" "And the money I''ve lent him so far is enough to see him through his entire university life; how could he possibly spend it all in a month?!" The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Her escalating anger was so palpable that even Hao Jian, who was holding her, could strongly feel her inner turmoil. Hearing Qin Bing''s explanation, Hao Jian''s face gradually showed confusion. After all, he is a teacher, though not a very qualified one, but he has talked with students and knows some of their situations. Just like what Qin Bing said, college students, although learning to be independent, don''t spend much money each month. Even if dating, it''s unlikely to need seventy or eighty thousand in just one month. Qin Bing''s anger is not unreasonable; she probably suspects her cousin is using the money for something inappropriate. Now, this cousin of Qin Bing, who grew up in a frugal family and should have good character, suddenly needing so much money is unlikely. This situation has caused Hao Jian to worry a bit. It could be that he''s encountered something problematic outside, or it might involve someone close to him. But no matter which it is, as Qin Bing''s older sister, she should be seeking to understand the matter, instead of just being angry alone. Having thought it through, Hao Jian also smiled and patted Qin Bing on the shoulder, saying, "Quickly get ready, we''re heading out. Today is Saturday, your cousin probably doesn''t have classes. We can ask him out and then we''ll know..." But as soon as he spoke these words, Qin Bing''s pretty face slightly changed, and she seemed about to refuse. However, just as the thought arose, she saw Hao Jian''s half-smiling face and immediately nodded lightly. "Leave this matter to me. Besides, now you''re my woman, Hao Jian, so your cousin''s issues are naturally mine too!" Hao Jian couldn''t help but feel smug about himself, which earned a roll of the eyes from Beauty Qin. Then he asked Qin Bing to make a phone call, arranging for her cousin to pick a place where they could meet. ... After getting ready, Hao Jian and Qin Bing took a ride in Enzo, heading towards the address given by Qin Bing''s cousin. On the car ride, Hao Jian looked at the worried expression on Qin Bing''s face after they left home, and he couldn''t help but smile softly to himself. No matter what, there''s a blood relation involved. Although it might sound harsh, deep inside, isn''t there pain too? The harsher the words, the more it shows how much she cares as a cousin. After driving for a while, the car slowly pulled up in front of a fairly decent restaurant. When he parked and got out with Qin Bing, the scene before them made him bitterly smile. It was because, as he got out, he saw that nearby, or rather all around, many people''s gazes were subtly falling on him. The envy in those pairs of eyes was clearly visible, and even the flamboyantly dressed beauties were throwing covert suggestive glances at Hao Jian. However, regarding these, Hao Jian, mindful of propriety, dare not act recklessly. Didn''t he see the somewhat dangerous smile on the face of the beauty beside him?! Giving a dry laugh, he took Qin Bing into the restaurant, and after entering, Hao Jian could clearly feel that the number of gazes on him had greatly reduced¡­ Following the address, Hao Jian and Qin Bing arrived outside a private room on the second floor. Smiling, Hao Jian pointed at the doorknob to Qin Bing, hinting slightly, then stood by her side. Clearly, he intended to let Qin Bing open the door herself. After all, Hao Jian had already brought her here; the rest was up to her. "Sigh¡­" Although still a bit hesitant, the cousin was family after all. Sighing deeply, she then pulled open the door and entered the private room with Hao Jian¡­ "Cousin, you''re here?" As they entered the private room, a voice that made Qin Bing slightly angry sounded. Looking over, they saw a tall, somewhat skinny man with a drifting gait approaching them¡­ sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You¡­ what happened to you?!" As Qin Bing''s eyes moved to this man, her pretty face instantly changed, shock slowly appearing on her face. This man had a pale face, walked without any strength in his steps, completely unable to find his balance, the kind of state that Qin Bing had only seen in very serious patients. Seeing this scene, regret also emerged in Qin Bing''s heart. How could she not have detected from the phone call that this young man was in poor health?! And borrowing so much money, perhaps it was to pay for his own medical treatment! "Let''s sit down and talk¡­" Hearing his cousin''s words, he also gave a bitter smile and shook his head, then pointed at the chairs, speaking. ............ Chapter 816 - 815: Save Me! "Speak..." After sitting down, Qin Bing also eagerly asked out loud, how could she not be anxious? This person was her cousin, and now, after not seeing him for such a short time, he had become this way. How could she not be tense?! "Who is this?" Qin Bing''s cousin did not answer but instead turned to look at Hao Jian next to Qin Bing, asking with curiosity. Hearing this, Qin Bing realized she hadn''t introduced Hao Jian to her cousin yet. Just as she was about to introduce him, she looked at Hao Jian''s face and became somewhat at a loss, not knowing how to respond... "Hello, Qin Bing''s boyfriend, Hao Jian!" Hao Jian stood up smilingly, extended his palm towards Qin Bing''s cousin, and introduced himself with a smile. "Hello, I am Qin Bing''s cousin, my name is Peng Hai!" Peng Hai quickly reached out his hand to grasp Hao Jian''s palm, eagerly introducing himself. After finishing their introductions, both returned to their seats. At the moment Hao Jian shook hands with Peng Hai, his face showed a slight change, a glint in the depths of his eyes as he looked at Peng Hai and nodded subtly. It seemed that the reason for his cousin''s frailty was much like what he had imagined. "Alright, hurry up and tell me the reason." Even though Hao Jian''s response made Qin Bing''s pretty face blush slightly, she didn''t object, and the most important thing at the moment was her cousin''s health condition. The guy was so weak; anyone could see there was something seriously wrong with his health. "It''s... like this..." Under Qin Bing''s constant urging, Peng Hai hesitantly began, "It began about a month ago..." "A month ago, I suddenly received news that my girlfriend was sick with a serious illness, the kind that could be fatal. After spending all my savings, which was ten thousand yuan, there was no improvement in my girlfriend''s health. Moreover, the doctor said that to completely cure my girlfriend''s illness, she needed a surgery..." "And that surgery was very expensive, costing over two hundred thousand yuan... And my girlfriend is an orphan who has always lived with her aunt. When her aunt heard that the surgery would cost over two hundred thousand, she abandoned her. Now she lies alone, uncared for in the hospital bed. Could I abandon her?" "But I simply couldn''t afford that surgery cost of over two hundred thousand. Just at that time, I heard that someone nearby could lend me money. Although it was a high-interest loan, it was a matter of life and death, so I didn''t think too much and signed the note to borrow two hundred and fifty thousand yuan from the loan shark..." Peng Hai''s voice carried a hint of regret, lamenting his own foolishness for borrowing money from the loan shark... "Why didn''t you tell me about this?! If you couldn''t afford it, I could have!" Qin Bing was defeated by her cousin''s actions. Two hundred fifty thousand wasn''t beyond her means, having worked for a few years; was there really a need to borrow from the loan shark?! Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I thought... it was just that at the time it was so urgent, and upon hearing about the loan shark, I forgot to consider you, my cousin. Otherwise, how could I possibly borrow money from those loan sharks..." Peng Hai was somewhat helpless and continued, "Cousin, you know I don''t have much money, and once my girlfriend''s surgery was successful, those loan sharks started calling me for repayment. The principal of two hundred fifty thousand turned into interest as high as five or six hundred thousand..." "But where could I possibly find so much money to repay them? And so, I was threatened by them, saying if I couldn''t pay on time, they would kill me. At that time, I thought, since my girlfriend''s illness was cured, it wouldn''t matter if I lost my life..." "But who knew that these guys somehow found out where my girlfriend was in the hospital, and they kept threatening to force my girlfriend into prostitution if I didn''t pay back the money..." At this point, Peng Hai''s eyes grew red, but he forced himself to blink back the tears, not wanting to appear too weak. Peng Hai''s voice choked up as he said, "Cousin, you know how important my girlfriend is to me, so I had no choice but to borrow money from everywhere. Not only did I borrow tens of thousands from you, but I also borrowed more or less from friends I knew. Yet the exorbitant interest made me breathless just thinking about it..." "Not long ago, those loan sharks, armed, stopped me on the street. After threatening me for a while and seeing there was no other way, they directly pulled me into a car. They said if I could sell a kidney, I would have money to pay them back. I agreed to their suggestion out of sheer panic." "Led by these loan sharks, I arrived at a shady underground group specialized in the organ trade. In my dazed state, I didn''t know what was happening, and when I woke up, I found out I had lost a kidney..." "Afterward, they informed me that my kidney could be traded for a hundred thousand yuan..." "And after that, I became what you see before you..." The ghastly pale color of Peng Hai''s face intensified with his every word, his tone weak and seemingly even speaking took a tremendous effort. "You... How could you be so foolish?! You are a university student, how could your thoughts be this chaotic?! How did you read your books these years, haven''t you heard that usury is just a bunch of bastards?! And you even borrowed money from them!" Qin Bing''s chest heaved with anger at her own cousin, the raging fury in her heart unquenchable. Did this rotten kid not know what he was doing?! For a mere sum of over two hundred thousand, he lost his kidney! That''s a vital organ! And it was just cut out! And only worth a hundred thousand?! Hearing this figure, Qin Bing almost collapsed, being a doctor, she knew the true value of these organs. The price of a kidney in the country had always been stable at seven or eight hundred thousand, and they were hard to come by. Abroad, the price of a kidney was several times that of the domestic price, but what now? Her cousin had been so confused that he sold his kidney, and for only a hundred thousand?! Just thinking about it made it clear there was something terribly wrong, but now her cousin had lost his kidney, what would happen to his future life? Unless they could find the Kidney Group and have them return her cousin''s kidney, if the surgery was done properly, it was still possible to reattach the kidney! "Bingbing, let it go!" Hao Jian patted Qin Bing''s shoulder, his soft voice slowly reaching her ears, but the look he gave Peng Hai was with a trace of amusement. "If I''m not mistaken, the usury you mentioned and that Kidney Group are probably in cahoots. They targeted you early on and then took action; otherwise, do you think you would just happen to hear about usury when you needed money?!" "Do you really think it''s so easy to get a high-interest loan? Without some connections, why would they lend such a large sum of money to a college student with no financial resources?" "Therefore, there''s only one possibility: they targeted you, mainly because you''re a university student and easier to deceive. They then deliberately designed a trap for you, and you fell straight into it." "That interest of five to six hundred thousand, I don''t think that was the agreed-upon interest, was it? That interest rate was unilaterally raised by the usury side after the deal, right?" Hao Jian said with a light chuckle. "You... How did you know?!" Listening to Hao Jian''s analysis, disbelief gradually surfaced on Peng Hai''s face. How could this man know so much? These were all things only he himself knew! "It''s simple, just a wild guess reveals it. Tactics like these can only deceive a college student like you. Those who are out in society, they would never use such inferior methods..." Hao Jian laughed and waved his hand, then suddenly fixed his eyes on Peng Hai, saying, "They maliciously increased your repayment interest, making it impossible for you to pay back the money, finally forcing you to sell your kidney. That was their main goal!" "They... They really forced me... but selling a kidney for a hundred thousand, if it can cover some of the interest, that''s still good, right?!" "Heh, haven''t you understood yet?! They had their eyes on your kidney from the start! As for their so-called interest, they can raise it as high as they want. After all, they have already made back their principal, and even made a big profit! Don''t you know how expensive kidneys are in this world?!" Hao Jian was truly defeated by Qin Bing''s cousin. With such a head, how did he get into university?! "Could it be... Could it be..." Peng Hai''s face changed drastically. In his heart, he slowly recalled everything that had happened from the time he first got in touch with the high-interest loan up to today. With Hao Jian''s words, he started to notice points he hadn''t paid attention to before, and as he connected these points, he found that there was no difference from what Hao Jian had said! "Sister! You must save me!" After realizing the truth, Peng Hai''s eyes turned red, he looked at Qin Bing intensely and then his head thudded onto the table, his trembling voice emanated... "I... I... I can''t accept this! I must take revenge on those goddamned bastards!" "This..." Qin Bing turned her head to look at Hao Jian, pleadingly, her eyes gradually revealing a longing, and seeing this scene, Hao Jian sighed helplessly in his heart... Chapter 817 - 816 Brother Cannon "You still know where those loan sharks who lent you the high-interest loans are, right?" "Yes, I know!" Hearing Hao Jian''s question, Peng Hai felt a bit puzzled but still replied, "It seems like those loan sharks have some connections behind them. Even though the police have investigated several times, they are still there..." "They''re based out of the Luomei Small Loans on Zhongmei Road, that''s their stronghold..." Peng Hai was a bit confused as he had asked his cousin for help; what was this guy questioning about? Having obtained the address, Hao Jian nodded his head and then took out his phone, dialed a number from his contact list and soon the call was connected. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hello, Brother Spice Ginger, have your guys wait for me on Zhongmei Road, I''ll be there soon!" Hao Jian spoke calmly and slowly, his tone commanding and intimidating, "Some little punks have messed with me. Now I''m going to take over their turf. Make sure you bring enough people, I don''t want to deal with those underlings..." "Mhm, if you do well, I, Hao Jian, will naturally not ill-treat my brothers!" After nodding his head, Hao Jian hung up the phone and turned to Qin Bing with a smile, "Alright, let''s get ready to go. I''ve already asked people to wait over there. Your cousin''s problem will be solved very soon, don''t worry!" "Then let''s go over now!" Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Qin Bing smiled slightly, feeling a bit proud inside. This was the man she had chosen, a man with such capability, her man! After nodding, Hao Jian walked straight out of the private room and headed downstairs, with Qin Bing and Peng Hai following closely behind, also descending the stairs. "Sis, this... What is your boyfriend''s identity? He seems very powerful, doesn''t he?" Along the way, Peng Hai quietly tugged at Qin Bing''s clothes, glanced at Hao Jian ahead, and then whispered the question to Qin Bing. The commanding demeanor Hao Jian displayed while on the phone had left an impression on Peng Hai, making him believe Hao Jian was formidable. Peng Hai thought that no one could possibly deal with the loan sharks and the Kidney Group, but now it seemed that Hao Jian was not at all afraid of them, even expressing disdain and ease. Such a man was his cousin''s boyfriend, essentially his brother-in-law, therefore he had to figure out this man''s identity. If there were troubles one day, he might ask him for help again. However, Qin Bing just gave Peng Hai a slight smile in response to his question and did not reveal Hao Jian''s identity. Besides, she had not yet settled accounts with him over his foolish actions; how could he be so silly as to borrow money from those loan sharks, practically digging his own grave?! Since Enzo could only accommodate two seats, Peng Hai had no choice but to squeeze in with Qin Bing; after all, Hao Jian was to drive the car. Fortunately, Peng Hai was somewhat skinny, so it wasn''t much of an issue. When Peng Hai saw Hao Jian''s Enzo, his eyes gleamed, which made Qin Bing feel embarrassed by his side. If it weren''t for the fact that this kid had lost a kidney and was weak, she would have kicked him right away, making the fool fall flat on his face. Looking at Hao Jian, Peng Hai felt the more he observed, the blurrier the image became. What was this man''s real identity? It seemed that he had considerable influence in Hua City. Brother Spice Ginger sounded familiar, as if he was a well-known figure in Hua City. "Boss!" When Hao Jian just drove the Enzo to Zhongmei Road, Brother Spice Ginger and his crew were already waiting there for him. The moment he received a call from Hao Jian, Brother Spice Ginger immediately gathered the elite of the elites, all capable fighters, some of whom were armed. Now that Hao Jian needed them, as a follower, he naturally had to carry out the orders. Although Zhongmei Road wasn''t his territory, on usual days, nobody in Hua City would dare say he was in the wrong place, especially now that he had Hao Jian, a formidable figure, backing him. Many leaders of the underground society were aware of Hao Jian''s identity, and most showed him due respect. As for the underground leader entrenched here, Brother Spice Ginger really couldn''t recall who it was. If he remembered correctly, this area was not managed by any boss, so many people from the streets had established their own forces here, with daily skirmishes. There were quite a few people who ended up being taken away by the police. Still, with so many characters from the streets remaining there every day, it was a place where dragons and snakes mixed. Various kinds of characters could be found here, but if there''s one with the most influential power, it would have to be Brother Cannon, who thrived best and had the strongest force. With a high-interest loan business and cooperation with the Kidney Group, his financial and military power was unmatched by any ordinary force. Moreover, their force was equipped with more than a dozen guns. In such a small place, how could anyone dare provoke them? That''s why these people became increasingly unbridled, not taking anyone seriously, not even the police. The police were aware of how complicated Brother Cannon''s background was, and coupled with the presence of handguns and other weapons, the cost of arresting them would be immense. Therefore, both sides could only maintain an uneasy stand-off. However, this place might change today, all because one man had arrived, and that man was Hao Jian! "You guys just wait here for me, wait for my signal." Upon arriving at Brother Cannon''s turf, Hao Jian instructed Spice Ginger out loud... "Got it! Big Boss!" Spice Ginger immediately nodded, then turned around, gesturing to the hundreds of brothers behind him to find their own spots. He then turned back, looking at Hao Jian with respect and said, "Big Boss, please be cautious after you go in. I''ve heard that this Cannon is quite tricky..." "If I can blow it up with one punch, it''s not a problem! A person who can be killed with one punch isn''t really a person!" Hao Jian nodded indifferently. With his strength, he didn''t fear these insignificant underworld forces. Although they seemed like a formidable power to ordinary people, they were nothing in his eyes. He had seen forces much stronger than Brother Cannon, some of which could even compare to a nation, but in the end, they still fell into his hands. These local forces, at best having a few guns, seemed to him unlikely to achieve much. With a stride, Hao Jian led the constantly astonished Peng Hai and the ever-relaxed Qin Bing into the building where Brother Cannon resided. "Big Boss? Brother Spice Ginger actually calls him Big Boss?" Peng Hai couldn''t believe his ears. No wonder the name Spice Ginger sounded so familiar, wasn''t that the biggest crime lord in Hua City? But he is actually calling his brother-in-law ''Big Boss''? Just who exactly is his brother-in-law? As soon as Hao Jian and the others entered the building, they saw a crowd packed densely at the entrance of the hall on the first floor, less than ten meters away from where Hao Jian stood, all with a murderous air about them, giving unfriendly looks, which made Peng Hai''s complexion grow even paler. "Looks like this must be Brother Cannon, huh?!" Looking at the tall man with visible scars from a blade on his face at the forefront, Hao Jian also smiled lightly, greeting him with a smile. However, the next words froze the atmosphere between the two sides in an instant. "Just to let you know, very soon, you''re going to die!" "Kid! Do you really think those people outside can protect your life?!" Hearing Hao Jian''s mockery, Cannon''s face twisted hideously, his scar on the contorted face making it look even more vicious. "If it weren''t for not wanting to dirty my hands, I might not even need them..." Hao Jian glanced at Cannon with disdain, chuckled, and shook his head. Although Spice Ginger and the others were waiting outside, they were all positioned to reach him in an instant if something happened. It was laughable that Cannon couldn''t see this; no wonder he could only bully those weaker than himself in such a small territory with his level of strength. Hao Jian didn''t usually spare these kinds of people a glance. If it weren''t for Peng Hai, he wouldn''t even bother coming to such a place. "Ha ha! Everyone can talk big, I''m afraid you''ll regret it when the time comes!" Cannon''s vicious face cracked into a smile, then he shifted his gaze towards Qin Bing, who stood by Hao Jian''s side, his eyes suddenly blazing with lust, licking his lips, he said lewdly. "Kid, it''s not too late to regret, just hand over the little beauty beside you for our brothers to enjoy, such a beauty is definitely not for a little guy like you! That chest must feel amazing to grab, ha ha! Smarten up and get lost quickly, so you won''t waste your expressions here. I have my eyes on your little beauty!" "Boom!" As soon as he finished speaking, Cannon only felt a blur before his eyes, followed by a swirling sensation, and then a sharp pain burst from every corner of his body... "Ah!" A scream suddenly erupted from Cannon''s mouth, and then he heavily fell to the ground, sliding out a two-meter long trail before coming to a halt... "People with dirty mouths always do things that infuriate others. Some words, you should consider before you speak whether the person you''re talking about is someone you can afford to provoke!" Flicking his palm, Hao Jian looked down at Cannon who was wailing on the ground with undisguised disdain in his voice. This guy really had some nerve, even daring to flirt with Qin Bing. If I don''t take you down this time, wouldn''t that make me a laughingstock in the underworld? So... so powerful... Peng Hai, standing to the side and witnessing Hao Jian''s stance of one man against a thousand, was utterly shocked. He didn''t even see how Hao Jian had approached; the two were clearly more than ten meters apart, yet Hao Jian was instantly in front of Brother Cannon. ...... Chapter 818 - 817: Really Not Talking?! "Give it to me...attack!" Cannon''s face turned unsightly as he struggled up from the ground, coughing blood and growling with difficulty. The other party''s move had indeed caused him to lose a lot of face in front of his brothers! Following his roar, more than ten of his thirty-plus underlings immediately drew pistols, their dark muzzles pointing at Hao Jian, while he also pulled out a gun, limped to the front of the crowd, and sneered at Hao Jian. "You think you''re good at fighting, huh?! Well, today Brother Cannon wants to see whether it''s your fists or my gun that''s faster!" "Sis, what¡­ what do we do?" Peng Hai was just a college student and had never seen a gunfight of this scale, so he was immediately trembling all over, not daring to move, and instinctively turned his head to look at his cousin sister for a sense of security...now it was only her that could give him enough safety... "Calm down, you''re a man after all. Doesn''t it look bad to lose face in front of your brother-in-law?!" Qin Bing was also speechless due to her cousin brother''s behavior. It''s just a few guns, isn''t it?! Although she was scared, seeing Hao Jian still looking indifferent, she was not that frightened. As long as this man was here, there would be no danger to encounter, even if the other party were armed thugs; at most, they would just point their guns at them for a while, there was really nothing to worry about. In fact, seeing her cousin brother like this, Qin Bing even had the urge to hit him. Was this lad reading too much, becoming like those ancient scholars with no strength to truss a chicken?! "Hehe? Pulling a gun? Then don''t blame me for being impolite!" Hao Jian sneered and shook his head, then snapped his fingers and suddenly, from the doors and windows all around, footsteps were heard, and eventually, Spice Ginger emerged with his brothers from every corner of the building. Some came in through the windows, some came down from upstairs, and most of the rest followed Spice Ginger through the main door. Those who ran at the front were all armed with guns and weapons, carrying things like AK-47s, much more powerful than the pistols Brother Cannon''s men had. After all, Spice Ginger was now the only Black Boss in Hua City. With his connections and status, getting some weapons was easy. Besides, even if Spice Ginger couldn''t, Hao Jian had many other ways to get guns and was sure the cops would never come looking for trouble with him. "How dare you offend my boss, you****er!" Spice Ginger wasn''t even there yet, and curses had already started. "Bang bang bang!" Instantly, a barrage of gunfire erupted, and then it was seen that the group of gunmen on Cannon''s side was all taken out in an instant. Cannon was completely stunned on the spot. He knew there were people on the other side, but he didn''t expect there to be so many, and their firepower was much more fierce. Just as he thought to return fire, a sniper from outside directly shot his pistol out of his hand. Spice Ginger still knew what Hao Jian intended to do; it was nothing more than wanting to leave the other side''s boss alive and add some deterrence. Otherwise, why send them? Hao Jian alone could have taken care of it. "Brother Spice Ginger! How is it you?!" Just regaining his senses, Cannon raised his eyes and saw Spice Ginger standing respectfully by Hao Jian''s side, his face turned pale, and he cried out in a low voice. No one in Hua City''s underworld didn''t know who Spice Ginger was. The reputation of Brother Spice Ginger was not just for show, nor were his decisive and deadly methods. In the entire underworld of Hua City, with a powerful godfather behind him, there was really no one who dared to provoke him. Now, he was seeing the infamous Brother Spice Ginger showing such respectful attitude to a younger man... Oh my God! Who have I provoked?! At this moment, Cannon no longer cared about his men who had been killed; even his hand that trembled nonstop from the lost pistol was of no concern to him. Because now, a formidable person had appeared in this place! Could it be that this was the godfather backing Brother Spice Ginger? "Why can''t it be me? Cannon, I really didn''t expect you to be this bold, daring to provoke my boss; I don''t know whether to call you brave or ignorant?!" Spice Ginger looked at Cannon with a disdainful sneer, full of contempt in his heart. Cannon once had hoped to become one of his underlings, but Spice Ginger hadn''t used him because he saw that Cannon was untrustworthy. After that, he had disappeared from Spice Ginger''s sight and had not been seen again. Just he hadn''t expected to meet this guy here today, on the opposing side, and moreover, he had angered Hao Jian! "Your boss? He''s your boss?" When Cannon heard Spice Ginger''s dismissive tone, he was startled and looked at Hao Jian with confusion. He truly did not recognize him. Could it really be that his strength was so formidable?! "You don''t even recognize my boss! No wonder you remain so unsuccessful!" Spice Ginger was at a loss for words about Cannon, and after letting out a cold laugh, he turned his head respectfully towards Hao Jian and spoke deferently, "Boss, how do you want to deal with this guy?" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian stroked his chin and then glanced at Qin Bing and the ashen-faced Peng Hai. He turned his head towards Cannon and said indifferently, "I think you must recognize him, don''t you?!" As he spoke, Hao Jian pointed his finger towards Peng Hai standing next to Qin Bing. "Him?" Cannon looked at Peng Hai with a puzzled expression, his face showing deep thought. Then, in the next instant, his eyes suddenly widened in shock as he stared at Peng Hai and shouted, "It''s you? You''re the kid who got his kidney stolen..." Cannon immediately understood that Peng Hai had come for revenge, but wasn''t he just an ordinary college student? How could he be acquainted with someone like Hao Jian? "Cannon! Even if I''m down one kidney, I can still find someone to kill you!" Upon hearing this, Peng Hai, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, glared at Cannon with a face full of rage and bellowed, "If it weren''t for you, would I be in this state?!" "You... you¡­" Being insulted by such a kid, Cannon''s face grew increasingly unsightly. If not for Spice Ginger''s men being here, he would have grabbed his gun back by now and given Peng Hai a few shots! Only after Hao Jian made things clear did he finally understand how he had provoked Spice Ginger; it turned out to be because of this college student who had borrowed a usurious loan from him and couldn''t pay it back! "Since you remember, then it will be easier to deal with. Now, tell me the address of the Kidney Group you know. If your information satisfies me, I might consider leaving you alive; otherwise, you may end up being riddled with holes!" Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders and his lips slowly curved into a smirk as he spoke, his tone laden with threat that even a fool could perceive, let alone Cannon. Cannon''s face was ugly, yet he chose to remain silent. Even though he knew Hao Jian''s purpose this time, it wasn''t so simple to spit out his accomplices, especially since even if he did and was spared by Hao Jian, if Hao Jian didn''t clean things up neatly on the other end, he would be the one to lose his life! Others might not know the depth of the Kidney Group, but he did. Speaking of the boss, there was no one in Hua City who dared to mess with him, all because he had the backing of a very influential figure in Hua City. "So, you plan to keep being stubborn?" At that, Hao Jian looked at Cannon with a sly and mocking expression, as the hint of playfulness in his eyes slowly spread, and a faint Killing Intent began to swirl quietly around Hao Jian... Fuck! The boss is mad! Spice Ginger, who was closest to Hao Jian, felt the Killing Intent emanating from Hao Jian and turned pale with a trace of fear in his heart. He glanced at Cannon''s expression, which suddenly seemed a bit odd. In Hua City, no one has ever been able to withstand Hao Jian''s fury, including himself, Spice Ginger. And Cannon? He was curious who had given Cannon the courage to utter the word "no" to Hao Jian. "Well, I want to see whether it''s your mouth that''s tough, or your bones!" With a sinister laugh, Hao Jian suddenly stomped on the ground and in that instant, his figure explosively shot forward, while Cannon could only notice a blur before experiencing the intense pain! "Ah!" A horrific scream burst out from Cannon''s mouth; in front of him, Hao Jian held Cannon''s arm with an expressionless face, and when he let go, the arm just dangled lifelessly. Hao Jian had rendered Cannon''s arm useless... Witnessing this scene, Spice Ginger''s eyebrows twitched slightly; it seemed that Cannon was doomed to be crippled today, as Hao Jian''s moves never allowed anyone to get off easily! S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Crack! Crack! Crack!" Three consecutive sounds of breaking bones were heard; Cannon''s face had already twisted beyond recognition, his mouth wide open, foaming, but no sound could be heard, because the second time Hao Jian broke Cannon''s arm, he also took care of Cannon''s throat in a way that made him completely silent. And that meant, naturally, a tiny Golden Needle was lodged in his throat... Chapter 819 - 818: The Dust Settles! Under Hao Jian''s torment, Cannon finally crumbled and revealed everything he knew, including the location of the Kidney Group. Originally, Cannon intended to uphold loyalty and not betray his accomplice. However, when Spice Ginger revealed that Hao Jian was the underworld boss of Hua City, he completely cowered, not only revealing where his accomplice was hiding but also all the exits he could possibly escape through. This was also to caution Hao Jian''s team not to let them escape. Although he trusted Hao Jian would eradicate them completely, there are always unexpected events, and caution was necessary. After dealing with Cannon, Hao Jian then led Qin Bing, Peng Hai who was visibly shocked, along with Spice Ginger and his crew, rushing majestically towards the location of the Kidney Group... In a similar fashion, Hao Jian went in first to reason with the group, but they were extremely disrespectful to Hao Jian, even daring to flirt with his woman, and then Hao Jian saw a woman lying in a bathtub with a doctor resembling an organ cutter, about to make a cut. Seeing this scene, how could Hao Jian allow him to actually make the cut?! He immediately picked up a small pebble from the ground, flicked his finger, and shot it out, piercing through the doctor''s head. People capable of such acts didn''t deserve to be reasoned with; a thousand cuts weren''t enough for such people, and now that they were dead, even if the police caught them, the evidence was sufficient for several death sentences. After dealing with the underlings, Hao Jian directly asked the boss of the Kidney Group where Peng Hai''s kidney had gone. For these types of groups, it''s impossible to transport a person''s organs like kidneys abroad within a month; it might be somewhat possible in the domestic black market, but those transactions are shady, and once they flood the black market, their prices are suppressed. And prices in the domestic black market are generally several times lower than abroad, inexplicably losing much profit, those living on edge definitely won''t settle for it. Therefore, Hao Jian boldly guessed that Peng Hai''s kidney was still here. If he could retrieve the kidney, then they could find a hospital to perform the surgery to implant it back into Peng Hai. Such suturing tasks were better left to the doctors, as involving Hao Jian himself would certainly turn the scene very bloody. Sure enough, under Hao Jian''s coercion and torture, he completely disabled the boss of the Kidney Group and learned the whereabouts of those kidneys. A total of thirteen kidneys and other organs, one could tell how many people this group had harmed. A rage uncontrollably surged within Hao Jian and the others, even Spice Ginger was particularly incensed, though his actions were not overt, he had never been so depraved. And now, what this group had done was not merely harmful, it was utterly inhumane. Thinking it better to leave these matters to the police, Hao Jian directly called the police chief, asked him to take over here, and then left with Peng Hai''s kidney. Of course, the kidneys were left there, as no one could retrieve them anymore. As for the woman, Hao Jian checked her condition and found she was just drugged with aphrodisiac, and would naturally wake up once the drug wore off. "Here!" Hao Jian directly threw the specialized transport box containing Peng Hai''s kidney to Spice Ginger and then said, "Spice Ginger, I''ll leave this to you. You take Peng Hai to find a hospital and get the doctors to implant this kidney back into him. As for the paperwork, just have them contact me." "Okay! I will definitely live up to boss''s expectations!" Receiving the box, Spice Ginger nodded vigorously several times. "I should go with them too¡­" Qin Bing also spoke up, as after all, this was her cousin, and such a big incident had happened. Fortunately, Hao Jian had sorted it out, and now that they were at the final step, it was only right to go and see. "Hmm, then you go too." Upon hearing this, Hao Jian also nodded, then turned to look at Spice Ginger, saying: "Spice Ginger, take good care of your sister-in-law. If any accidents occur, you know the consequences!" Considering Qin Bing''s looks, wherever she went, it was hard to ensure that she wouldn''t encounter those lecherous types, and their methods were even more sinister. Hao Jian was also a bit worried that Spice Ginger might not be able to handle such situations; putting some pressure on him should make him more cautious. "Hehe, boss, the task you assigned, I, Spice Ginger will handle it perfectly, don''t worry. Besides, in the whole Hua City, there''s hardly anyone who dares to provoke you except some reckless petty thieves!" Spice Ginger also smiled, and then led his crew into the vehicles, making sure to leave his best car for Qin Bing and Peng Hai to ride. These two, one being Hao Jian''s woman and the other his Little Brother-in-Law, their relations were clear, how could Spice Ginger not be careful? Nowadays, his backing was Hao Jian, should there come a day when his actions were to displease Hao Jian, his position would be jeopardized. When Qin Bing was leaving, she also gave Hao Jian a fierce glare, because this guy kept talking about his woman non-stop. Although her blushing face made her look somewhat charming while glaring, the affection in her eyes was clear to Hao Jian, showing no signs of blame at all. Touching his nose, Hao Jian chuckled to himself and then watched as the fleet of vehicles disappeared before him. He shook his head lightly, it seemed that this matter had been resolved. Once in the car, Hao Jian left the area because he had just heard the sound of sirens. Today, he didn''t want to deal with the cops, not to mention it would definitely take up a lot of time, and what he found most annoying was such hassle. Thus, Enzo sped off with its unique engine sound, swiftly leaving this place which had lost two criminal gangs in one day. .................. A few days later, one morning, Hao Jian hurriedly packed his luggage and caught the early flight to Capital City. His dark circles under the eyes were extremely noticeable. In order to free up the day, he had called all his women in Hua City to inform them he would be away for a few days. Upon hearing that Hao Jian was going out, they all clamored for him to take them along. Usually, Hao Jian wouldn''t mind taking them all; after all, escorting a group of heavenly beautiful women and receiving envious glances from other men was enough to keep him pleased for a whole day. Not to mention, he had reached the level of loneliness due to his high standards. How could he miss out on such a chance to show off? However, this time, it really wasn''t possible, even under such tempting circumstances. This was because he had long promised Moon Goddess Jiang and his daughter Hao Lu to take them out for fun. And after much consideration, today was the best day for going out. Last night, Hao Jian hurriedly booked a plane ticket and set out early this morning. Initially, Hao Jian had planned to drive his Enzo directly to Capital City, but it couldn''t be helped. The car needed its regular maintenance and he had taken it to the car service center for inspection and maintenance yesterday, which would take a few days, so he could only travel by plane now. Before the plane took off, Hao Jian sent a message to Moon Goddess Jiang stating that he was on the plane and then switched his phone to flight mode. After getting off the plane, at the airport entrance, Hao Jian met Moon Goddess Jiang, who was dressed in a light purple long dress, and his quirky daughter Hao Lu. Seeing the two, he smiled and quickly walked over, immediately picking up his daughter and said with a laugh, "My dear daughter, did you behave and listen to mom while daddy was away?" "Yes!" Hao Lu''s little face adorably nodded, then she reached up with one arm and playfully grabbed Hao Jian''s ear, giggling. "You little rascal!" As a child, she didn''t have much strength, so his ear could only endure Hao Lu''s teasing, and he could only helplessly stretch out his finger to tickle Hao Lu''s little nose. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "How are things over there?" Watching the harmonious scene between the two, Moon Goddess Jiang smiled and quietly watched them. Then, Hao Jian also spoke up, asking with a light-hearted laugh. "Are you concerned about me?" Moon Goddess Jiang counter-questioned. "You are my woman, what do you think?" Hao Jian helplessly shook his head and said. "Nothing major occurred, at least it''s calm for now..." Moon Goddess Jiang pondered for a moment before speaking. "Mhm." Hearing this, Hao Jian nodded, and then looking at Hao Lu in his arms, he smiled at Moon Goddess Jiang and said, "Alright, today I am taking you guys out, let''s not continue discussing these matters. Just follow me and enjoy the day!" Soon, the three of them left the airport but realized that Moon Goddess Jiang''s car was also broken and had been taken to the repair shop, so they had to take a taxi back..................................... Chapter 820 - 819: Waste! "Master, to Hongyuan Plaza!" Having boarded the taxi with Moon Goddess Jiang, Hao Jian informed the driver of the destination and then turned with an indulging smile to tease Hao Lu in his arms. "Alright! Buckle up, we''re setting off!" Upon hearing that they were going to Hongyuan Plaza, a glint flashed in the taxi driver''s eyes. He let out a sinister laugh under his breath and then started the car, speeding towards Hongyuan Plaza. The main reason for heading to Hongyuan Plaza was a high-end Gambling Stone Site. Today, Hao Jian planned to take the mother and daughter there to have fun. Beyond the Gambling Stone Site, Hongyuan Plaza also boasted upscale clothing stores and some local specialty snacks. Anyhow, the place was sufficient for the three of them to enjoy an entire day. The car went on its way, but after half an hour had passed, Hao Jian''s brow slightly furrowed. Hongyuan Plaza wasn''t far from the airport, just a dozen or so kilometers away, which was why he chose the location. However, the driver had been driving for almost half an hour now and the destination was still nowhere in sight, and with the car''s speed at sixty to seventy kilometers per hour, it should have been impossible to have not arrived! When Hao Jian''s gaze fell upon the taxi meter, his expression turned grim instantly ¡ª over a thousand yuan in fare! This was the current fare displayed on the meter, an utterly impossible figure! Fuck, to encounter a black car driver here?! Hao Jian felt a surge of anger. It was clear that the driver, spotting them as outsiders, was brazenly scamming them for money. Without hesitation, he directly addressed the driver, "Master! Why haven''t we arrived yet?" "We''re almost there." The driver''s tone carried impatience as he responded and then ignored Hao Jian completely. This behavior was entirely different from when they first got into the car! S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "So, how much is the fare now?!" Hao Jian struggled to contain his anger, while Moon Goddess Jiang also sensed something was amiss and quickly jumped on the matter. With a resigned expression, she thought the driver was looking for trouble. To dare to swindle someone like Hao Jian, he clearly didn''t know how to spell ''death''! "Oh, not much, just over thirteen hundred..." The driver uttered flatly, no longer caring about Hao Jian''s mood, and continued driving his car. After all, he was in control of the vehicle, and it was impossible for them to just get out unless they were looking for trouble. Besides, no one would risk their lives over a thousand yuan. This trick was something he had mastered long ago, as all his past passengers could only comply and pay up obediently. And this time would be no exception. Although Hao Jian''s clothes didn''t look expensive, he should still be able to afford that much. After all, this meter had long since been tampered with by the driver, capable of displaying any amount he desired. Even if they complained to the company, it would do no good, as he had evidence in his hands. He fabricated the distance so meticulously, he wouldn''t allow any slip-ups to jeopardize his career. "Stop the car!" Hearing the fare, Hao Jian roared furiously, startling the driver. Although Hao Jian had money to burn, this wasn''t the way to spend it, particularly since he was being scammed this time! Ever since the past, anyone who took advantage of Hao Jian, aside from women, ended up being manipulated by him to cough up even more. This included some quite influential figures, whom Hao Jian played like a fiddle. What''s more, now a black car driver? "Kid! Sit tight!" The driver''s face turned ugly as he spun around and bellowed at Hao Jian, "This fare displayed on the meter is what you gotta pay, I haven''t stolen or robbed anyone! You dare doubt me?!" "I didn''t say I doubted you!" Hearing this, Hao Jian sneered internally, but outwardly, he spread his hands in feigned resignation. Moon Goddess Jiang looked on helplessly; whenever Hao Jian had this expression, it meant he was starting to set a trap for the driver! "Kid, we''ll arrive at your destination very soon now. It''s your own fault for getting in the taxi directly from the airport. That place is at least a hundred kilometers from the airport, and I''ve been speeding on the highway!" The driver spat as he talked, visibly angry and agitated, with a boastful attitude that suggested a fight might break out if they disagreed, which made Hao Jian and the others involuntarily frown. "Heh, you claim you drove over a hundred kilometers and even sped? Tell me then, that speedometer in your car¡ª it shows 64 kilometers per hour! Are you trying to tell me that such a speed on the highway is considered speeding?!" "Damn it! If you slow down just a bit more, you''d be violating the highway''s minimum speed limit!" Hao Jian sneered at the driver and continued: "Besides, you''ve only been driving for over half an hour. No matter how you drive, it''s impossible to cover more than a hundred kilometers in that time!" "If I remember correctly, this road is the thirteenth segment of the Hua City Ring Expressway. In terms of distance, it takes an hour to reach the destination I mentioned!" "This road is the longer route! Meaning, not only did you, the driver, fail to choose the best route for the passenger following your company''s policy, but you purposely picked a longer one, making the passenger pay more! Oh, I forgot, this situation is called ripping off the passenger!" "In such a case, I believe just a report to your company would spell the end for your driving career, and not only that, if this incident goes public, no company would take you in!" With a cold gaze fixed on the driver whose face showed a hint of panic, Hao Jian sneered and went on: "And then there''s the matter of the fare, which I''d rather not even talk about!" "If you know what''s good for you and don''t want to lose your job, just drive properly. If you don''t, believe it or not, it''ll take minutes for you to lose this gig?!" "Bastard! You dare to say that again! I''m openly swindling your money, so what?! Moreover, I forgot to tell you, there''s no way the company will fire me! Just because I have connections inside!" Although the secret had been revealed and the driver was somewhat panicky, it was more a case of anger due to embarrassment, with an expression of smugness that kept spilling out. "Drive the damn car properly!" Hao Jian roared in defiance, completely disregarding the guy''s threatening language. What did connections matter? In Capital City, he, Hao Jian, had never been afraid of anyone! Over in Hua City, that territory was already his domain, and in Capital City, he had established his own connections¡ªafter all, several members from Dragon Tooth were in this city! "Hmph!" The driver snorted coldly and then continued to drive his own car, but the fare had skyrocketed to more than two thousand yuan! Seeing this, Hao Jian''s expression turned even darker. However, he chose not to speak further. Arguing with someone like this in a car was pointless. It was better to get to the destination first and then deal with the situation. Therefore, Hao Jian exchanged a smile with Moon Goddess Jiang, no longer speaking, and let the driver continue driving without further interference. Damn it, I''ve never been ripped off so badly! Knowing he was in the wrong, the driver did not continue to argue with Hao Jian, instead keeping to his driving¡ªafter all, they were on the highway. If he dared to stop arbitrarily, penalties, and fines would be unavoidable. Moreover, there was no need to pick a fight with someone like Hao Jian who, in his eyes, was just a poor bloke. Stirring up trouble would only draw the traffic police''s attention, which was not worth it at all. The car quietened down, the driver carrying on with his driving while Hao Jian was left dealing with his daughter, Hao Lu, who had been scared by the recent confrontation. All he could do was pull a variety of funny faces to cheer her up. Moon Goddess Jiang, observing Hao Jian and his daughter, also wore a smile, with a motherly glow in her eyes when she looked at Hao Lu. She had been concerned that Hao Lu would be averse to seeing her father after such a long time, but now it seemed her worries were completely unfounded. "Hmph, a pauper taking his family to such an expensive place, I wonder if they''ll be crushed by the expense and unable to hold their heads up!" The harmonious scene and laughter from the back seat only fueled the driver''s resentment. He hadn''t forgotten that earlier Hao Jian had unapologetically seen right through all his schemes and that he still had to drive these three people. No matter how he thought about it, it made him unhappy, knowing that later on Hao Jian would still have to pay that exorbitant fare, yet deep down, he was still vexed! At that moment, the driver spared no mercy, intentionally or otherwise, opening his mouth to curse at Hao Jian, with Hao Jian''s cheap attire serving as an avenue for attack. On hearing this, Hao Jian''s previously smiling face slightly darkened, a flicker of coldness in his eyes, before returning to entertaining Hao Lu. Now was not the time to confront the driver; today was about taking the mother and daughter out for fun, and it was best to tolerate what could be tolerated. He didn''t want to be tainted by bad luck, otherwise not only would it spoil the fun for the mother and daughter, but it would also make him even more unhappy, all because of losing face! For the time being, the driver was just bad-mouthing him, which Hao Jian didn''t care about; as long as it didn''t affect the mother and daughter, there were no problems. I couldn''t care less about your tampered meter; I''m not short on cash! Having come to terms with the situation, Hao Jian felt much better. After exchanging glances with Moon Goddess Jiang, he gently shook his head. Moon Goddess Jiang also had considerable influence in Capital City, but there was no need to use it on someone like this. In Hao Jian''s words, it would be a waste! ... Chapter 821 - 820: Give Money! Seeing Hao Jian ignoring him, the taxi driver felt even more displeased. He immediately raised his voice and started cursing, ranting about everything he found annoying about Hao Jian. A barrage of foul language flew out of the driver''s mouth, which only made Hao Jian''s expression grow colder and colder. Moon Goddess Jiang''s expression also turned uglier. She had never expected that there could be such a despicable driver. She had already decided in her heart that if Hao Jian did not deal with him this time, she would take matters into her own hands! She refused to believe that a mere taxi driver could escape from her, Moon Goddess Jiang! In a sense, Capital City could be considered her territory. To get rid of someone on her own turf was not a difficult task at all. But would Hao Jian really do as Moon Goddess Jiang expected and not bother with the taxi driver? The answer was definitely no. Given Hao Jian''s character, when had he ever allowed himself to be taken advantage of? Having been messed with by the driver this time, if he did not get back at him, then he would no longer be Hao Jian. "Daddy, I''m scared..." Seeing the driver''s malicious appearance, Hao Lu, who was hiding in Hao Jian''s arms, also showed a face full of fear. She gripped Hao Jian''s clothes tightly with her little hands, which made Hao Jian''s face look even more unpleasant. At that moment, he could only reveal a gentle smile to Hao Lu and said, "Lulu, be good. Daddy''s here, no one can bully you. Anyone who dares to bully you, Daddy will make them pay!" After saying this, Hao Jian deliberately glanced at the driver. Damn it, daring to scare my daughter like this, just wait until we reach the destination. I''ll see to it that you get beaten like a dog! It took more than ten minutes to comfort Hao Lu before she gradually recovered. Hao Jian also breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the driver with increasingly intense displeasure. "Kid, we''ve arrived, pay up!" Soon after, the driver could not be bothered to take a longer route and directly set the meter to 3,000 yuan¡ªan even number that anyone could tell had been tampered with. However, the driver was not afraid at all. After all, the guy before him had to pay this amount. If not, then he would simply report to the company. He believed that his backer could handle this situation, and at the very worst, he could give him a cut of the money later on. This was far from the first time he had done something like this. "You all go in first!" Having arrived at the destination and with the Gambling Stone Site just a short distance ahead, Hao Jian smiled at Moon Goddess Jiang and nodded, then handed Hao Lu over to her. "Okay, fine!" Moon Goddess Jiang nodded at his words, then took the fascinated Hao Lu out of the taxi and into the Gambling Stone Site. She knew what Hao Jian was going to do next, so naturally, she couldn''t let Hao Lu stay. Otherwise, she''d have to exert a great effort to placate her later on. "Alright, let''s settle our account now!" As the mother and daughter left, Hao Jian''s previously smiling face suddenly turned dark, and he looked at the driver with rage, his lips curling into a cold laugh as he said, "You sure had a lot to say in the car, didn''t you? You had some opinions about how I dress, right? Now, I''m giving you the chance to speak your mind!" "Fuck! Kid, you still dare to talk back to me? I advise you to hand over the car fare of 3,000 yuan obediently. Otherwise, I''ll make sure you regret it!" Faced with Hao Jian''s sneer and threatening words, the driver was unafraid, his face also filled with anger. Before, many passengers had adopted the same attitude. The majority would rather not make a fuss and would pay him the money obediently. Of course, there were also many who cursed him, but in the end, they all had to pay up. Now, to him, Hao Jian was just another customer he could fleece. In the end, he was confident he would win! "Stubborn fool!" Hao Jian sneered, shaking his head as he got out of the car and walked toward the driver''s door, saying, "If it weren''t for my daughter on the car just now, you would have lost your life already..." "Now that my daughter is no longer here, even if I were to kill you, I wouldn''t have to worry about scaring her. But today, I''m not interested in bad luck, so what you can be grateful for is that I''ve decided not to take a life..." "Kid, don''t blame the wind for..." Hearing Hao Jian''s words, the driver sneered inside. He thought this guy was all talk, not to be taken seriously. But just as he was in the middle of mocking and had not even finished his sentence, Hao Jian''s hand suddenly smashed through the car window and lunged in... "Click!" "Bang!" In that instant, his hand grabbed the driver by the collar, pulling him along with his seatbelt right out of the car. Additionally, as Hao Jian shattered the car window, he didn''t clear the surrounding glass, so the driver''s face was instantly cut open by several slashes. The cuts weren''t deep, but the wounds bled incessantly. "I just wanted to teach you a small lesson at first, but now it seems the lesson has to be as profound as possible!" Hao Jian sneered, then clenched his palm into a fist and, with ferocious force, struck down upon the driver''s head, dazing him and causing stars to burst in his vision. "Damn it! Daring to stir trouble over the God of Death''s head, you must be tired of living!" As Hao Jian lifted his fist to greet the driver''s body with blows, he pulled the driver out, bit by bit, all the while continuing to curse, expressing his furious emotions. This time, without Hao Lu by his side, Hao Jian didn''t have to worry about frightening Lulu, and since this guy didn''t curse at Hao Lu but scared her nonetheless, if Hao Jian didn''t seek revenge, he wouldn''t be living up to his role as a father. "Boom, boom, boom!" One punch after another landed on the driver, with blood gradually seeping out of his body. Hao Jian had not used his full strength, merely thirty percent of his power to teach the driver a lesson. Yet even so, the force was definitely more than an ordinary person like the driver could bear! As Hao Jian started beating, the onlooking crowd that was strolling by gradually gathered around out of curiosity, but upon seeing the driver beaten to a nearly dead state by Hao Jian, they hurried away, fearing they might be affected by the altercation. Some people did recognize the driver, for he was quite infamous in this area, albeit for swindling people. Now, seeing the driver beaten to such a state, those in the know all had a look of gratified relief on their faces. "Boom!" In the end, Hao Jian dragged the driver, who was crying and screaming for his parents and trying to run away, out of the car. But by that time, the driver was already half-dead, his arms limp as if several bones were broken¡ªwhich indeed was the case. In order to prevent this guy from continuing to drive and swindle people, Hao Jian first crippled the driver''s hands, ensuring he could never drive again, and even if the driver was treated at a hospital, he certainly wouldn''t be able to lift anything heavy, and his hands would react sluggishly. Because while beating the driver, Hao Jian happened to sever several meridians in his arms, interfering with the driver''s ability to use his limbs. "Damn it! Xiao...Xiaoxiao... You... you dare... dare to beat me like this!" Having been brutally beaten by Hao Jian, the driver was already sprawled on the ground like a dead pig, but his consciousness hadn''t dissipated. Enduring the pain and humiliation, the driver looked up at Hao Jian with a ferocious expression, who was wiping the blood off his hands with a cloth, and wished he could devour him alive. This bastard is still smiling? "So what if I beat you? Why don''t you hit me back?" Hao Jian glanced at the driver indifferently, arrogantly commenting, then threw the bloodstained cloth onto him and said, "Keep your mouth clean when you drive next time, otherwise, I''ll beat you to the point where even your mother won''t recognize you." Now that the person had been beaten, Hao Jian''s inner anger had subsided somewhat, and looking at the driver who temporarily couldn''t move on the ground, Hao Jian chuckled and said, "I don''t care who you are now, I''m very busy and won''t stay here wasting time with you..." With that said, Hao Jian then walked straight towards the Gambling Stone Site not far away. There he saw Moon Goddess Jiang with her daughter Hao Lu having a meal, quietly waiting for something; only Moon Goddess Jiang had her back to Hao Jian, fearing Lulu would see what was happening over there. "Motherfucker! Just you wait, if I don''t have someone deal with you, you''re really gonna think you rule this area?!" S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The driver watched Hao Jian''s departing back, raging inside. It was the first time he''d been made such a mess of by a "poor ghost" like this. Even the Wing Chun he''d painstakingly practiced for years had no chance to be displayed before he was quickly taken down by Hao Jian. At the same time, he could hardly believe that Hao Jian was able to smash his car window with just his bare hands?! Such terrifying strength, if it landed on someone''s body, it was bound to cause an explosion! At least he had experienced first-hand Hao Jian''s devastation. "Just wait for me, if I don''t get revenge on you, how can I continue to do business in the future?!" ........... Chapter 822 - 821 Young Master... And the driver, once he had regained his senses, propped himself up to make a phone call. After a round of harsh words, he finally hung up. Hao Jian could hear those words loud and clear, most of which were about telling them to hurry over and help him, and to bring weapons. "Really too naive." Hearing the end of it, Hao Jian laughed coldly, shook his head dismissively, and thought that with his current strength, even if there were a thousand more drivers, he could easily take care of them. Letting the driver make his arrangements, Hao Jian already came up to Moon Goddess Jiang with a smile, pointed to the inside of the Gambling Stone Site, and cheerfully said: "Let''s go in, today I''ll give you a good tour of the gambling stone culture!" For gambling stones, many jewelers are there to try their luck, spending money to carve some stones, and if they carve out decent stones, they would immediately process them. Of course, since it''s called gambling stones, there''s winning and losing: some people spend tens of thousands to get stones worth tens or even hundreds of millions, while others spend millions and end up with nothing, hence the saying "one cut poor, one cut rich". As long as someone carves out a high-quality jadeite, those jewelers lingering nearby will inform in no time the people who plan to sell their stones of the purchasing price. "These things are called jadeite rough, commonly known as stones. These stones might contain various types of water-type jadeites, and as long as the water-type jadeite carved out is decent, even a small piece can sell for tens of thousands. A few years ago, a well-known gambler back in the country managed to carve out a top-quality jadeite worth over a billion from a piece that others thought would not produce green, and it was large in size too, causing a lot of jade merchants to bid for it." Having said this, Hao Jian paused briefly, then continued: "In the end, he had no choice but to auction it at a world-class auction house, and it was finally acquired by a well-known jade group for 1.6 billion..." "Is this stuff really that profitable?" Hearing Hao Jian''s explanation, Moon Goddess Jiang had a face full of disbelief. Could these weird stones really produce something worth over ten billion? "Haha, you could say that, but also not, in the Gambling Stone World, there''s a saying ''one cut heaven, one cut hell'', you may spend a lot of money on a stone only to carve out a worthless water-type, or you might not get anything at all." Upon hearing Moon Goddess Jiang''s words, Hao Jian just chuckled lightly, then pointed to an area not too far away where thousands of stones were piled together and said with a smile: "That''s the low-priced stone area, where a stone won''t cost more than ten thousand, but the chances of carving out water-type from these are extremely low..." "For a few thousand stones to carve out something that breaks even or makes a big profit is already considered good luck, so now you should understand the heaven and hell of gambling stones, right?" This time, Hao Jian came to gamble on stones on a whim, mainly for the novelty, and also because he had previously learned to identify stones to become a professional Assassin, now as long as the stones aren''t too awful, he can basically carve out some type of water-type. "I''ll pay five million for your water-type!" Just as Hao Jian and Moon Goddess Jiang were discussing various aspects of gambling stones, a very loud voice suddenly came from not too far away, and the two of them turned their heads in surprise, peering through the crowd, Hao Jian saw someone holding a just-cut piece of water-type. This piece of water-type was crystal clear, with a touch of light green, making it invisible as to where its value lay; to the uninitiated, it was merely jadeite, its actual worth indeterminable. But here, no one''s a fool; those who come to gamble on stones mostly have a concept of the price of water-type jadeite. For professionals, the appearance of a top-quality water-type means they will buy it even if it costs all they have. "Is this stuff that expensive?" Moon Goddess Jiang also saw that piece of water-type, her face suddenly covered in amazement. For someone like her, an outsider, she only thought the jadeite looked nice, but she couldn''t give a precise value for it. To her surprise, the water-type jadeite, merely the size of a palm, carried such high value. "Of course, this piece counts as half-green water-type, considered a decently priced water-type. Normally people can only carve out something the size of an egg, worth a few hundred thousand; this time, it''s the size of a palm, so the accessories that can be made are more upscale, and naturally, the price is higher too..." Hao Jian laughed lightly, nodded, then playfully nudged Hao Lu in Moon Goddess Jiang''s arms, affectionately asking: "Does Lulu want to play with it?" "Lulu is still small, don''t lead her astray." Hearing this, Moon Goddess Jiang helplessly shook her head and responded. "Hehe, then forget it." Hao Jian let out a light chuckle, then took Moon Goddess Jiang''s hand and headed towards a particular area. Within this area, several sections were demarcated, not only by the price ranges of the stones but also by their characteristics. Commonly, those who engage in gambling stones would directly look for uncut stones, but some, lacking confidence in their skills, feared making a loss with uncut stones. Therefore, a new type of stone was born: those that had been sliced open to reveal some green. These were cut by the stone factories themselves. Although this resulted in significant losses, the pricing of these stones was no joke. The price was determined by the size of the exposed jadeite and the type of water-type jadeite. Starting from the lowest, none were below six figures, meaning that if you wanted to buy such jadeite, the minimum would be around a few hundred thousand. Otherwise, you couldn''t afford it. Moreover, since the store specialized in gambling stones, gambling inherently involves risk. Don''t be fooled by stones that have already revealed jadeite; there''s a chance that what''s exposed is just a thin layer of jadeite. Buying such expensive items could ultimately lead to a loss. These sliced-open stones were more expensive, but the intact stones had prices that were not of the same order at all. The cheapest stones were only a few hundred yuan, while the highest in this area could be several hundred thousand. The most abundant, naturally, were those priced at several tens of thousands of yuan. Such reasonably priced stones, which are also more likely to reveal green, naturally become the preferred choice for many gambling stone enthusiasts. The Gambling Stone Site also specifically purchased these types of stones from the manufacturers. After all, with such hot-selling items, who wouldn''t want to stock up more to sell? Additionally, this store is considered one of the finer ones within the boundaries of Capital City. Hongda Plaza is renowned for its affluent district, where customers are wealthy patrons not short on cash. As Hao Jian explained the ins and outs of gambling stones to Moon Goddess Jiang, she gradually began to understand the basic principles of the Gambling Stone World, but she still couldn''t discern any differences between these stones. Both she and Hao Jian were the type of people who were not short on cash¡ªtoo busy ordinarily to spend time understanding such matters, aside from Hao Jian who, with nothing better to do, would often come to such places to play. With the current state of Hao Jian''s assets, participating in the Gambling Stone Site was merely for purchasing some enjoyment; he didn''t expect these items to bring any significant profit. Even the country''s highest-priced jadeite wouldn''t make a dent in his wealth; it was only a drop in the bucket to him. "Young Master Ye, the stones here are the latest, just airlifted from the Old Pit, guaranteed fresh!" Shortly after Hao Jian and his company entered, at the entrance, a high-ranking official of the Gambling Stone Site bowed and scraped before a young man, displaying a respectful attitude. Those gambling on stones around them were instantly filled with disbelief upon seeing this. This man was the manager of the Gambling Stone Site, wasn''t he? On regular days when they came to gamble on stones, those with lower status never received such favorable treatment from him. Now, to see such a person groveling before a young man made others speculate about the youth''s identity. What kind of person could make the Gambling Stone Site''s officials bow their heads and exhibit such a subservient attitude? It was absolutely unimaginable. Although they gambled on stones here daily, and despite a good number of water-type jadeites being found, even those commanding a high price happened sometimes once a month. But, naturally, these were the few; the greatest beneficiary was always the Gambling Stone Site itself, its daily earnings enough to purchase a high-priced jadeite worth tens of millions. As one can imagine, over time, this enterprise''s frightening amounts of capital. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hmm, this young master is in a good mood today, so I''ve come here for some fun. Now, the itch in my hands is getting unbearable, hurry up and take me to the latest section of stones. Today, I am going to use this Gambling Stone Site to test my luck for the past few days!" If Hao Jian were still here, he would recognize at a glance who this young man constantly referring to himself as ''this young master'' was¡ªIt was none other than Young Master Ye of the Capital City''s Ye Family, Ye Wenying! As a prominent young master from Capital City, coupled with a fondness for gambling stones, he naturally found his way to the best Gambling Stone Sites of Capital City. This time, he had traveled dozens of kilometers specifically from the downtown area to this place, prompted by news that this Gambling Stone Site had brought in a new shipment today. Eager to gamble, he called upon one of his skilled subordinates in gambling stones and rushed over here, ready to make a big splash... "Yes, yes, Young Master Ye, right this way!" The manager nodded obsequiously and then, bending over, started to lead the way for Ye Wenying. Seeing the manager taking the lead, Ye Wenying walked with his head held high in arrogance, following behind, heading towards his destination for the day¡­ ............ Chapter 823 - 822: You Scared My Daughter... "Is that Hao Jian?!" Under the guidance of the manager, Ye Wenying was about to head to another stone area, where the stones were carefully selected, unlike the disorderly ones outside. However, as he passed by a stone area, his gaze inadvertently swept over it, and he suddenly stopped, leaving the guide in front bewildered. Normally, Young Master Ye never stopped in these messy areas when he visited before. Now that he has stopped, what exactly is he planning to do? Could it be that he''s tired of the expensive raw stones inside and is planning to try his luck with these cheaper ones outside? Although the raw stones in this area are cheap, they are not that cheap. With Young Master Ye''s usual spending here, he could buy up most of the stones in this area. "Damn! It''s indeed that bastard!" After carefully observing for a while, Ye Wenying finally confirmed that the man he saw was undoubtedly Hao Jian! As the saying goes, enemies are particularly enraged at each other''s sight! Now this enemy stands right in front of him, within arm''s reach, and this is Capital City, where he has substantial influence. Hao Jian, without any help here, is definitely enough for him to have someone teach Hao Jian a lesson! Hao Jian, oh Hao Jian, I''ve been looking for countless opportunities to get rid of you, and yet you''ve dodged every time. This time I want to see if you can still slip away on my turf like before! After recognizing Hao Jian, Ye Wenying''s face immediately took on a cruel expression, he turned around and walked towards Hao Jian. Seeing the direction of Ye Wenying, the gambling stone site manager quickly followed as well. No matter what Young Master Ye wanted to play, it was sure to make the gambling site a good profit, and Ye Wenying''s luck was not so good, so these days the manager had indeed made a good commission from him. Since serving Ye Wenying for the first time, the boss had assigned him as Ye Wenying''s guide. Whenever Ye Wenying appeared at the gambling stone site, no matter what job he was doing, he had to drop it to serve Ye Wenying. After all, Ye Wenying is a person of considerable status, and his standing means that even this gambling stone site must be very cautious around him, making sure to have someone capable of handling Ye Wenying. Why not take advantage of that? "Who do I think it is, if it isn''t Young Master Hao, eh? How come a bumpkin like you is also gambling on stones, quite the surprise?" From a distance, Ye Wenying''s voice could be heard, that sneering tone made Hao Jian know instantly who it was, but what he didn''t expect was that this guy would show up now¡­ "Yeah, I only know a little. Minor gambling is entertaining; heavy gambling harms the body; I''m just playing casually, naturally I can''t compare to you, Young Master Ye Wenying, who gets slaughtered without even realizing¡­" Hao Jian glanced at Ye Wenying from the corner of his eye and after speaking mildly, chose not to say more, nor pay any more attention to him, instead, he continued selecting among these raw stones. Just now, he indeed discovered that in these raw stones, there were a few pieces of Water-Type Jadeite that were quite good, two or three million could cut out stones that could sell for a couple of millions, but Hao Jian''s intent wasn''t here; originally, he wanted to find a piece of even higher quality Water-Type Jadeite. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But before he could continue his detailed examination, Ye Wenying came up and interrupted his thoughts, and started insulting him right away. Moon Goddess Jiang, seeing Hao Jian and Ye Wenying locked in their sharp exchange, felt somewhat speechless. Coming to Capital City was indeed not a good idea. Hao Jian had too many enemies here; even if he did not provoke others, his past enemies wouldn''t let him off easily. "I got cheated¡ªI have money, but what about you?" Ye Wenying jeered. Hearing this, Moon Goddess Jiang felt even more speechless. Although Hao Jian''s status couldn''t yet compare with the Ye family or match the assets of a wealthy young master like Ye Wenying, and even Moon Goddess Jiang knew Hao Jian was merely uninterested in making money, otherwise, within a few years, he could surpass the assets that these families had accumulated over many years. And today, she actually heard this Young Master of the Ye family suspect Hao Jian was poor? Hadn''t this fellow clashed with Hao Jian before? How could he not even be clear about Hao Jian''s background? Could it be that this guy has never known Hao Jian''s true strength from the beginning?! Thinking about this, Moon Goddess Jiang felt somewhat helpless. You''d think you''d at least learn a little about Hao Jian? At least not to be played so horribly. Now, you want to overcome Hao Jian, there''s hardly any chance at all¡­ However, it''s not that Ye Wenying doesn''t know enough about Hao Jian, but that Hao Jian has hidden too deep. Wenying Ye did not detect the sarcasm in Hao Jian''s words; instead, she believed that Hao Jian was admitting his own incompetence. She laughed proudly and continued to humiliate Hao Jian, saying, "Just obediently go back to that impoverished, remote Hua City and don''t let me see you in Capital City again. In Hua City, I indeed can''t play better than you, but now I have taken over half of my family''s resources. To eliminate you here in Capital City would require no effort at all!" With a fierce look on her face, Wenying Ye glared at Hao Jian and sneered triumphantly, "A place like Capital City is no place for a countrified bumpkin like you. If you know what''s good for you, just take your female companion and scram out of this Gambling Stone Site. Otherwise, pray that you can leave Capital City alive!" Is this the legendary conflict between the "losers" and the wealthy handsome elite!? The person in charge standing behind Wenying Ye originally thought she was here to gamble on stones. Unexpectedly, she started berating a customer within moments, which took him by surprise. The man''s attire was that of cheap branded clothes and coupled with a somewhat rogue demeanor, it was evident that he was similar to those "losers," certainly looking like one compared to a person like Wenying Ye... Although there are rules in the store against arguing and fighting, it also depends on who the instigator is. Who would dare to make Young Master Ye from the Ye Family shut up? As the person in charge, he did not have the courage, and even if his boss came, he similarly wouldn''t dare. Unless they do not want to continue operating in Capital City, they can only turn a blind eye. After all, looking at Hao Jian, he appeared to be someone without power or influence; even if Wenying Ye dealt with him, there wouldn''t be any issues. Indeed, among those present capable of gambling on stones at the Gambling Stone Site, none were simple characters. Everyone knew exactly who the person currently shouting was. Even those who didn''t understand were quickly enlightened by their companions or people around them, promptly keeping their mouths shut and refraining from thinking about helping Hao Jian. "Haha! See that?! Hao Jian, this is my real influence in Capital City! Here, even if you are a dragon, in my eyes you''re just a worm!" Noticing the gazes of those people and how they looked at Hao Jian, Wenying Ye laughed proudly again and then burst into a loud mocking laugh, disdainfully saying: "With your kind who only knows how to fight but not use your brain, anywhere you go you''re just a lowly item. I thought you might have become somewhat capable after defeating me before, but it turns out you''re still the same, though your flirtatious nature hasn''t changed one bit¡­" "To think such a beauty ended up with you, and you even managed to have a child with her?! Haha! I really didn''t expect it. The renowned Hao Jian from both Capital City and Hua City actually has a daughter!" Of course, Wenying Ye recognized Moon Goddess Jiang, but she was not expecting Hao Jian to be accompanied by a daughter. This guy has a daughter? Wenying Ye felt like laughing! Hao Jian?! This person is Hao Jian?! Hearing Wenying Ye''s words, many in the crowd showed disbelief. This was the overlord of Hua City, a figure who had once dominated various young masters of Capital City! How could such a person be the waste Wenying Ye described?! This is just impossible! Many of those jewelers present have their own stores in Hua City and know very well the power Hao Jian held in that city. It could really be described as commanding wind and rain, but being of lower status, they had never had the chance to reach the level of connection Hao Jian had, so they had only heard of him but never seen him in person. Now that they saw him in person, they were staggered by his mundane attire ¨C this ordinary-looking man was that influential figure from Hua City?! No wonder, no wonder! After pondering for a while, those merchants finally realized why they had never seen Hao Jian in person in Hua City before. It turned out his daily attire was so simple; if Wenying Ye hadn''t pointed it out, they would have still thought him an ordinary person. "Daddy...this person is scary..." Hiding in Moon Goddess Jiang''s arms, Hao Lu, who had been happily following Hao Jian looking here and there, touching everything, didn''t expect such a terrifying, evil-looking "uncle" to appear suddenly, scaring her into a pale face as she tightly grabbed Moon Goddess Jiang''s clothes and buried her head in her. "You''ve scared my daughter..." Hao Jian''s eyes faintly lifted, and a chill began to form in his gaze, a faint, slowly swirling killing intent began to gather around him¡­...................................... ...... Chapter 824 - 823 What is Called Stone Gambling! "Hmph! Hao Jian, if I hadn''t run into you today, then it would''ve been nothing. But since fate has thrown you in my path, if I were to retreat in front of you, how would my Ye Family, and the people of Capital City look upon me, Ye Wenying?!" "Today, this young master is determined to see whether I, Ye Wenying, can turn the tables!" Ye Wenying''s face was icy, he paid no mind to the killing intent radiating from Hao Jian, because this time he had no intention of using physical force to settle the contest with Hao Jian¡ªsuch a confrontation would undoubtedly end in his loss, no matter how many people he had on his side. Hao Jian was notoriously tough in a fight, not just anyone could take him down. Since martial prowess was not an option, other avenues must be explored. Looking at Hao Jian, the corners of Ye Wenying''s mouth slowly curled into a smirk, his heart sneering. So you think you''re tough? Well, this young master will just not fight you today. Since you''re here at the Gambling Stone Site, let''s gamble with stones and make sure you lose disastrously. By then, my status within the family will surely rise! With this plan in mind, Ye Wenying didn''t hesitate at all. He sneered at Hao Jian and said, "Hao Jian, I won''t quibble with you today. You want to gamble on stones, don''t you? Then let''s see who''s better at this gambling stone thing!" Actually, he only had a smattering of knowledge about jade betting; otherwise, he wouldn''t have lost so much money at the Gambling Stone Site. Today, he proposed stone gambling with Hao Jian mainly because of the man around forty years old behind him¡ªhe was his real trump card! The king of stone gambling! Almost all the raw stone materials he handled were the kind that would at least break even, making a profit. In his hands, it was just a matter of whether the jade would emerge or not, and once it did, it was of high value! This was where the man''s strength lay. Ye Wenying had stumbled upon him accidentally and, through an introduction by a clan member, temporarily took him into his service. Today was the first time he took this man out for stone gambling, intending to fully flaunt his expertise, but who would have thought he''d run into Hao Jian here. "Stone gambling?" On hearing this, Hao Jian was slightly taken aback and then looked at Ye Wenying with a strange expression, along with the man next to him radiating with arrogance. Did this guy not know that this stone gambling expert had lost a lot of his wealth gambling in Yunnan? Hao Jian had come across this information while browsing the internet on a small local forum, but he didn''t pay it much attention. After all, he didn''t know if he would ever meet the man, so why should he care? However, he had not expected him to appear before him today. If Ye Wenying knew that this guy had once lost a large sum of money due to stone gambling, would he still hire him? Today was supposed to be a day out with the mother and daughter, and Hao Jian didn''t want any bloodshed, even considering the earlier incident with the driver, which was just an annoyance for Hao Jian. Now that this guy actually wanted to gamble on stones, Hao Jian naturally wouldn''t oppose it. Instead, he nodded his head, indicating his agreement to the suggestion. "We can gamble on stones, but if you lose, you''ll have to apologize to me and my family¡ªon your knees!" Hao Jian gestured to Moon Goddess Jiang behind him and spoke indifferently. He could tolerate insults against himself, shake them off like nothing, but no one was allowed to insult his family or those close to him. That was Hao Jian''s protective nature. Although Ye Wenying had not intended to involve the two of them, he was not averse to using the situation to belittle Hao Jian¡ªas he saw it, just a slight use... At least, that''s what he thought! "Why should I?!" On hearing that Hao Jian wanted him, the Young Master of the Ye Family, to apologize to Hao Jian''s woman, his face turned ugly. "There''s no ''why.'' Whether you agree or not is up to you." Hao Jian clenched his fists, and the killing intent on his body suddenly erupted, causing the hearts of the people within three meters to tremble and their faces turn pale, prompting them to quickly move away. "After all, I, Hao Jian, have always believed in letting fists do the talking..." His words slowly entered Ye Wenying''s ears, sending cold sweat streaming down his forehead. Was this guy intending to force a confrontation? And Ye Wenying knew he had no room to refuse because if he did, this bastard might just beat him up in front of everyone. "You! I agree!" Ye Wenying wanted to say a few more words to save face since he had just mocked and ridiculed Hao Jian moments ago. But now he was on the backfoot, a reversal that was particularly hard for someone like him to bear. Yet, he had no other choice; after all, this was Hao Jian. "Gambling on stones is not something a kid like you can afford to play with!" The gambling stone expert standing behind Ye Wenying, named Shi Qiu, looked at Hao Jian with that expression and immediately lifted his head in pride, shook his head disdainfully, and mocked, "I have immersed myself in the art of gambling on stones for thirty years; my experience is something a kid like you can''t match." "If you know what''s good for you, you should apologize to Young Master Ye, admitting your mistake. Otherwise, when you lose later, don''t come kneeling to beg Young Master Ye to spare you!" Shi Qiu''s pride obviously came from his capital to be proud. Even Ye Wenying treated him with a negotiating tone. After all, as long as he played his cards right, he could be her cash cow; Ye Wenying needed to be somewhat careful around him. However, the presence of a great family''s young master still dominated the scene, and Shi Qiu couldn''t go too far. After all, his livelihood depended on this Young Master Ye. "Spare me? Haha, you sure have the nerve to say that!" Shaking his head, Hao Jian turned around, chuckled as he looked at Moon Goddess Jiang, and with some apologetic words, said, "Sorry, I didn''t expect today''s events to unfold like this. After I get everything settled, I''ll take you out for a good time!" This time the plan had been to take the mother and daughter out for a pleasant time, but one thing after another cropped up, making Hao Jian quite unhappy. Still, there was no helping it; if these issues weren''t dealt with, the delay would be even longer... "Go ahead and have fun. Lulu and I will just watch from the side. At least we haven''t come away empty-handed. At least in the future, when Lulu goes out, she can brag to her little friends about how amazing her dad is..." In response to Hao Jian''s roundabout apology, Moon Goddess Jiang also smiled and shook her head, stretched out her hand to stroke Hao Lu''s hair, and a soft, gentle voice gradually emerged from her slightly parted lips. "Haha! Fine! This time, I will open your eyes! Let you understand what real gambling on stone is!" Hearing Moon Goddess Jiang''s words, Hao Jian burst out laughing with boundless bravado, and directly addressed Shi Qiu with a shout, "Let''s start!" "Hmph! You''ll see your loss soon enough!" Shi Qiu snorted coldly and then nodded to Ye Wenying, wearing a face full of arrogance, as he headed to a section where a single piece of stone material was worth hundreds of thousands to pick out a stone. His vast experience told him there was a piece of Water-Type Jadeite of decent quality among those stones, which he believed would be sufficient to defeat Hao Jian, the outsider in his view. The rules of stone gambling are actually quite simple: both parties choose the stones they want, and then take them to the Stone-Cutting Master to cut open. The final win or loss is determined based on the water content and price grade revealed within the raw stones. The crowd, upon seeing Young Master Ye of Capital City and the Overlord of Hua City, Hao Jian, start a round of stone gambling, instantly became excited as if injected with chicken blood, each one wishing it were them in the arena. It''s no wonder they''re so thrilled; such a pinnacle duel is rarely seen, and now they have the chance, they surely want to stick around to watch the end, right? Some even pulled out their phones, intending to record this battle, only to be stopped by the staff at the Gambling Stone Site as soon as they took their phones out. Time passed swiftly, and in just over ten minutes, Shi Qiu came over, cradling a stone the size of a human head, seemingly quite heavy. Even with his sturdy frame, he found it difficult to carry. "Boom!" The raw stone landed heavily on the stone-cutting table, making the table tremble. Then Shi Qiu nodded to Ye Wenying, and his confident demeanor made Ye Wenying''s smile even richer. Since Shi Qiu said there was no problem, it seemed this time Hao Jian was doomed to lose! At least Ye Wenying had not seen Hao Jian go to pick the raw stone to gamble against Shi Qiu, which led him to wonder if Hao Jian was giving up? "Kid, where''s your stone!?" After finally carrying the stone over, Shi Qiu saw Hao Jian still standing there with a calm face, with no action taken, and his face showed annoyance, "Even if you want to surrender, at least grab any stone to prove you''re gambling against me. Otherwise, winning over you like this, I won''t feel any superiority!" "Heh heh." Shaking his head with a laugh, Hao Jian then casually picked up a fist-sized stone from a low-end stone stall behind him under everyone''s watchful eyes and slowly placed it on the stone-cutting table. Then, with a smile, he walked over to Moon Goddess Jiang''s side, playing with Hao Lu. To others, Hao Jian seemed indeed to be giving up, considering that no one who truly knows stone gambling would be so casual. Doesn''t everyone use professional tools, assessing and speculating slowly? Not only the onlookers but even Ye Wenying began to suspect that Hao Jian was conceding defeat, yet something inside her felt uneasy. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Shaking her head slightly, Ye Wenying cast out these worries, refusing to think about it anymore. Maybe Hao Jian really was giving up? ...... Chapter 825 - 824: How Could It Be So Fast!? "Haha, kid, you better go back to your turf! People like you are most suited to those mines where stone materials are abundant, haha!" Although Shi Qiu tried his best to maintain his dignity, every time he glanced at the small piece of rough stone Hao Jian brought out, he couldn''t help but want to laugh out loud, and this time he finally couldn''t hold it back. Hearing this, Ye Wenying next to him also smiled, but that smile was somewhat artificial, saying, "Shi Qiu, why bother talking to this country bumpkin? When we win against him later, let''s see if he still has the face to stay here." "Hehe, Young Master Ye is right," Shi Qiu quickly agreed, "Since some people can''t appreciate Young Master Ye''s kindness and choose punishment over a toast, I naturally won''t show any mercy!" Watching these two belittle Hao Jian together in a chorus, many of the onlookers shook their heads in dismay. It seemed that this time, Hao Jian was really about to be devoured by these two. Although they knew that Hao Jian was very capable, this was a Gambling Stone Site, a place where bets are placed on rough stones that can only be judged by experience for their potential to reveal green jade. Considering Hao Jian''s age, it was hard for them to imagine what kind of capital he had to win against them. After all, even the most talented person can''t be good at everything; there''s a saying that omnipotence is a form of impotence, isn''t there?! In their eyes, Hao Jian might just be an outsider to gambling on stones. Looking at the fist-sized rough stone now on the table in front of Hao Jian, some people sighed. How could such a stone possibly reveal green? You still hope to find green in those piles of stone materials worth thousands or tens of thousands? That''s simply impossible! However, due to the stature of Ye Wenying and Hao Jian, the onlookers didn''t dare to openly discuss anything, but the glances they exchanged made it clear¡ªthey were not optimistic about Hao Jian, and some were even looking forward to seeing what would happen if Hao Jian lost. Would he, like before, aggressively attack Ye Wenying, or would he slink away in defeat? "Master, start the stone cutting!" Hao Jian didn''t want to pay attention to those people; instead, he turned his head to the Stone-Cutting Master, who was sitting next to the Stone-Cutting Machine with it in his hands, and said with a smile. Every Gambling Stone Site is equipped with several Stone-Cutting Masters, who, as the name suggests, are responsible for stone cutting. People usually ask the Stone-Cutting Masters for help when they come here to gamble on stones. Because those who are not adept might easily ruin a stone that could reveal green, turning what could have been a priceless jadeite into second or third-rate jadeite. Leaving it to a professional could largely prevent this, although in some places, you need to pay a service fee depending on the skill of the master cutting the stone. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Master, cut mine first, so we don''t have to see someone''s face looking like they''ve lost their parents when their stone doesn''t turn out green," Shi Qiu also hurriedly said, his words carrying both mockery and scorn, which caused the expressions of quite a few onlookers to change¡ªit was clear this guy was set on picking a fight with Hao Jian! Only, it remained to be seen if he failed, whether Ye Wenying would abandon him, and whether Hao Jian would retaliate for his previous rudeness. However, as soon as this thought emerged, many people shook their heads; with Shi Qiu''s thirty years of experience in betting on stones, betting against an outsider like Hao Jian eliminated many uncertainties, leading them to believe that Shi Qiu would undoubtedly win. Unperturbed by Shi Qiu and Ye Wenying''s sarcasm, Hao Jian simply narrowed his eyes, then turned to look at Moon Goddess Jiang, exchanging glances with a light chuckle, and shook his head, signaling her not to get angry. In this world, no one has ever provoked him without paying a price¡­ "Alright! Then I shall begin!" The Stone-Cutting Master leisurely walked over to the head-sized piece of rough stone in front of Shi Qiu, measured it with various professional tools, then picked up his Stone-Cutting Machine, and began his cautious cutting work. Having done this job many times, he was naturally very familiar with it. However, with two big figures betting on stones this time, he had to be fully alert. If he accidentally ruined a stone that was supposed to reveal green, neither party would let him off easily. "Crack, crack, crack..." The Stone-Cutting Machine operated, slicing off the skin of the rough stone bit by bit. As the blade delved deeper, everyone''s anticipation grew. When the blade reached halfway into the stone, the machine suddenly stopped, then was carefully withdrawn and moved slowly in another direction... "Green!" "It''s green!" "I see it, I see it! It''s truly green! How could it turn out green so quickly!" When the Stone-Cutting Master changed direction to cut, a hint of green suddenly emerged from the next cut, catching the eyes of the keen onlookers, who couldn''t help but exclaim in surprise. The blade had only gone halfway through! And green had already appeared? If all goes well, this piece of jadeite could be quite substantial! As long as it gradually reveals its full form, then the type of Water-Type Jadeite it is can be determined, as well as its price! Seeing the green, the Stone-Cutting Master''s expression grew more solemn. With each cut, he removed the skin of the rough stone, and as time passed, the stone originally the size of a human head was now only the size of a fist and the green on it became increasingly apparent... "Crack!" As the final cut was made, the rough stone burst into a faint green light under the illumination, prompting a chorus of gasps from the crowd. "Damn! Am I seeing this right?! Is this fist-sized ice-type jadeite?!" "How is that possible?! It''s the size of a fist! Even if it''s a low-grade ice-type, it''s still worth five or six million!" "If we remember this stone correctly, it''s that piece that''s been sitting around for a while priced at 300,000, right? And now it''s actually revealed ice-type jadeite worth five or six million!" "Such a blunder! If only I had been determined enough to buy this piece at that time!" Seeing the final appearance of this piece of jadeite, everyone''s faces were stricken with shock, and some even showed regret. Many people had seen this stone before and, after various experienced inspections, they all gave up early on, convinced that it could not turn out green. But unexpectedly, upon Shi Qiu''s arrival, he immediately identified this piece of stone, originally thought incapable of turning green, and directly revealed jadeite worth five or six million! Even if it''s a low-grade water-type jadeite, its size cannot be belittled! Such an item can fully become a large display piece, and its price is beyond imagination! "Haha! Excellent, excellent, excellent!" Witnessing this exhilarating scene, Ye Wenying''s lips curved into a smile, and he burst out laughing, clapping Shi Qiu on the shoulder and repeatedly uttering words of praise! Shi Qiu''s gamble this time had indeed brought great honor to him. Although he did not care much for these things, the most important aspect was that it provided him an opportunity to mock and trample upon others thoroughly! His piece of jadeite was the size of a fist, while Hao Jian''s rough stone was barely fist-sized. In this way, no matter how much he jumps around, it''s futile. After all, it''s impossible for Hao Jian to just happen to get a piece of water-type jadeite rough of both considerable size and quality, right?! That means, in this gambling round, he has likely won, as long as no surprises arise... Seeing Shi Qiu''s complacently smug look, Hao Jian shook his head silently, then turned his head to look at the stone-cutting master, saying, "Master, please help me cut the stone..." Upon hearing this, the stone-cutting master nodded in acknowledgment, walked towards Hao Jian''s rough stone, and continued with the essential work. The people who could become stone-cutting masters certainly possess basic professional integrity. After all, in a way, they also represent the gambling stone site''s image. Keep up a good image, and there will be no worry for customers. "Haha! You still want to bet on stones? If I were you, I''d just roll back wherever I came from! Save yourself the embarrassment here!" Hearing Hao Jian''s insistence on stone-cutting, Ye Wenying seized the opportunity to start mocking. "Shut up! Otherwise, I won''t mind reducing the Ye Family by one heir!" This time, Hao Jian did not remain silent. Instead, his face turned icy cold as he growled, his piercing gaze sharp as knives, a dangerous aura emanating from his body directly affecting Ye Wenying, causing his voice to trail off in the next instant... Just like a duck suddenly getting its neck pinched. "Hmph! Annoying!" A few seconds later, as Ye Wenying''s face turned purple, Hao Jian snorted coldly and withdrew his imposing manner, allowing Ye Wenying to take a step back in a panic and then breathlessly gasp for air like a fish out of water. When he lifted his head and looked into Hao Jian''s eyes, what he saw was endless fear, and he no longer dared to mock Hao Jian. The surrounding crowd, including Shi Qiu, watched this sudden turn of events with puzzled faces. There''s no need to be so proud of yourself, right? Did he just get so carried away that he choked himself? Or is it that he was frightened by Hao Jian''s threat? Shaking their heads, the crowd turned their attention back to the stone-cutting master, who had already begun cutting the stone... Apparently, the stone-cutting master wasn''t hopeful about the piece of rough stone chosen by Hao Jian. After casually making a cut with the stone-cutting machine... Holy shit! The stone-cutting machine had barely shaved off a small corner of the rough stone when a flash of green light startled the stone-cutting master, causing him to turn off the machine immediately and then slowly pick it up, revealing the small, less than one-centimeter incision he had made... "It''s... it''s green?! How could it happen so fast?!" ......... Chapter 826 - 825: This is Ours! "How... How is it possible!? How can this rough stone turn out green!? And it turned green with just one cut?! Are you saying that this entire rough stone is just wrapped in a thin layer of stone skin?!" "This..." The Stone-Cutting Master''s face was solemn. This was only the first cut, and it had already revealed green. Such a situation was quite rare in the Gambling Stone World, but not unheard of. Although it could not be ruled out that this entire rough stone might only have a small corner where green was exposed, his rich experience in stone cutting told him that he must be cautious in the following cuts! Not far away, when Ye Wenying saw that Hao Jian''s rough stone had turned green with one cut, his face instantly darkened, and a fierce light gradually shone from his eyes... How could this guy be so lucky?! How could a layman in gemstone gambling possibly choose a rough stone that turns green on the first try? Exchanging a glance with Shi Qiu and seeing the smile on Shi Qiu''s face, his worry slightly eased. As long as this guy didn''t show any worried expression, it meant that Hao Jian''s rough stone truly couldn''t turn out green. Hmph! Kid, you think you can disgrace Young Master Ye? Looks like you''re not up to par! Based on Shi Qiu''s experience, it was highly unlikely that Hao Jian''s stone material would increase in value by gambling! "Crack, crack, crack!" With the Stone-Cutting Master''s second cut, Hao Jian''s rough stone once again revealed a captivating color. The master''s handling of the second cut was measured as he made the cut on the other side of the rough stone, which also turned out green. This meant that to a large extent, this rough stone was only a skin! "It... it looks like it''s Glass Type Water-Type Jadeite!" Many sharp-eyed onlookers saw the unusual green and immediately exclaimed unconsciously... "Glass Type?" Hearing this, Hao Jian was stunned for a moment. To the current businessmen, Glass Type Water-Type Jadeite is of varying grades, if his rough stone really had a fist-sized portion of Glass Type, then regardless of the grade, it would firmly beat Shi Qiu''s stone! After all, Shi Qiu''s jadeite was merely large in size. Its Water-Type Jadeite was only of a lower grade within Ice-Type, and its value was increased simply because of its size. It was believed that another cut would cause this jadeite''s value to plummet. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Master is cutting the stone, keep it down!" Not expecting his second cut to provoke discussions among the onlookers, the Stone-Cutting Master suddenly felt bombarded by buzzing flies in his ears and his face turned dark as he lightly scolded the crowd. Once the onlookers shut their mouths, he took the nearby hose, turned on the tap, and started to clean the two cuts, revealing the jadeite inside. After a careful look, the master confirmed that it was indeed the Glass Type they mentioned. However, what grade of Glass Type it was remained unclear and would only be determined after most of the cover stone had been removed. However, from a certain point of view, one might say that Hao Jian had already won the gamble. With his years of stone-cutting experience, this stone could very likely be all jadeite! In other words, this fist-sized piece of Glass Type had already firmly surpassed Shi Qiu''s Ice-Type. "Sir, do you wish to continue cutting?" The master still professionally asked Hao Jian, since this piece of jadeite could still fetch a handsome price even if the grade of Glass Type was not clear. If further cuts were made, it might indeed lead to some unavoidable situations. "Master, continue cutting." Hao Jian chuckled and nodded, asking the Stone-Cutting Master to continue with the stone cutting. Anyway, he was not short of money, and this was a betting match, not a stone-cutting phase that could be stopped midway. Nodding, the Stone-Cutting Master restarted the Stone-Cutting Machine... "Crack, crack, crack..." The Stone-Cutting Master''s third cut slowly made its way across the stone. Considering that this rough stone could potentially increase greatly in value, the master was especially careful... This cut took him more than ten minutes to slowly make a one-centimeter cut. And after cutting a bit further, a streak of green suddenly flashed across his eyes. He quickly turned off the Stone-Cutting Machine, rinsed the cut with water, and continued cutting in another direction with the machine. The Stone-Cutting Master was pretty certain that the rough stone was just covered in a thin skin, so he began the final task of cutting, which was peeling. That meant removing the outer layer of stone skin to reveal the true face of the whole jadeite! "This... this... this..." As the stone cutting progressed, the Stone-Cutting Master''s face grew increasingly solemn, until finally, his face was filled with disbelief, and a trembling voice slowly emerged from his mouth... "This is the legendary top-quality jadeite!" "What?! Top-quality jadeite?!" The words of the stone-cutting master instantly set off waves of shock. Everyone looked at him in disbelief as they saw the true nature of the stone material revealed under the flow of water, and exclaimed aloud. "Could this... Could this really be that top-quality glass type jadeite, violet with floating green inclusions?!" Some people with sufficient knowledge of jade immediately recognized the ultimate quality of the water-type jadeite, and they got as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood... "How could this be?!" Shi Qiu, upon seeing the final grade of Hao Jian''s jadeite, suddenly turned much paler, his lips trembling as he turned his head, looking ugly while glancing at Ye Wenying... "What''s going on?!" Ye Wenying had never bothered to learn about the grades of jadeite in gambling stones. He didn''t understand what these people were saying now; all he was hoping for was that someone could tell him how much money Hao Jian''s jadeite could sell for, whether he won or Hao Jian did. "Young Master Ye, this is a piece of top-quality glass type jadeite, and it''s of the highest grade..." Shi Qiu looked at Ye Wenying with a somber expression, his trembling voice slowly coming out, "This grade of glass type jadeite, I have only seen in books. If we calculate by the current market prices in the jadeite world, this fist-sized violet-green piece is worth three hundred million!" Three hundred million! That''s three hundred million! Compared with the ice-type jadeite he offered, which was worth five to six million, that''s nothing. This also proved who the real winner was. Without question, it was Hao Jian! "How... How could this be?!" Ye Wenying''s face was dull with shock. How could Hao Jian, such a simple-minded person, have such high-level gambling stone skills?! This was simply impossible! Ye Wenying looked upset and whispered something to the person in charge of the gambling stone site next to him. Then, he gradually regained some semblance of a smile... Hao Jian, today this young master wants to see if you can really leave safely with your jadeite! "Since we can''t embarrass you openly, then this young master will see if you can dodge this move in the dark!" The corners of Ye Wenying''s mouth slowly curled up as he sneered inwardly. As for Shi Qiu, he had a look of dejection all over his face. He had come out of retirement at great lengths to show off his skills in front of Ye Wenying, hoping to gain more of his esteem. But now, he hadn''t expected someone like Hao Jian to cut open such a top-quality piece of jadeite that even he hadn''t dared to dream of! This is a top-quality jadeite, after all. The three hundred million price tag was an understatement from him; he believed that if Hao Jian took this jadeite to a professional auction, those collectors might even push the price to four hundred million! So much money, he could never achieve in his lifetime of frequent jadeite gambling, and now Hao Jian just cut open one piece and immediately made that much! "Cough, cough!" While everyone had different thoughts, a light cough drew everyone''s attention. They saw a man about fifty years old, dressed in a suit, slowly walking through the crowd. This man was recognized by many on-site as the nominal highest person in charge of the site, essentially the boss... But what was this man doing running over here? Seeing this man appear, Ye Wenying''s face gradually regained some color, his cold gaze resting on Hao Jian, his thoughts clear, "Hao Jian, have you forgotten? This is my turf. With just a little maneuvering, I can make sure your piece of rock spits back out what it ate!" "This violet-green piece is exactly like the violet-green piece that disappeared from our site!" The person in charge of the gambling stone site, after closely examining Hao Jian''s piece of jadeite, stated emotionlessly such a hard-to-believe claim... Damn! This old guy is too shameless, right?! Damn, how did such a person become the head of a gambling stone site?! Hearing this guy''s words, the onlooking crowd immediately cast scornful glances, yet due to his status, no one dared to speak out. However, some shrewd people glanced at Ye Wenying not far away and nodded in understanding. Rumors had it that the person in charge of this gambling stone site was a dog of the Ye Family. Now it seems indeed to be the case, but what they didn''t expect was that to deal with Hao Jian, they would come up with such a flawed lie! But there was no other way, who asked for the Ye Family to be one of the major clans of Capital City? With such a background, even with many inconsistencies in the lie, no one dared to highlight them. Unless they no longer wanted to get by in Capital City... "Are you saying that I stole your jadeite and forcibly stuffed it into this stone?" Chapter 827 - 826: Making an Enemy of Me "That''s right!" The boss nodded without hesitation, knowing that if he could detain the person, not only would Young Master Ye be pleased, but he would also gain possession of the valuable jadeite. Moreover, with Hao Jian being alone and this being his gambling stone site, everything here was under his control. Even if he openly robbed Hao Jian of the jadeite, no one would be able to do anything about it. Although he was clueless about Hao Jian''s background, as far as he was concerned, no matter how extraordinary Hao Jian''s identity might be, it couldn''t possibly be more so than Ye Wenying''s. "Can I go fuck your mother?" Hao Jian responded with a faint smile, uttering a curse word. "Fuck, you dare to curse at me? Believe it or not, I''ll have you beaten to a cripple and thrown out!" the boss immediately flew into a rage and roared. Hao Jian gave a mocking chuckle, his expression suddenly turning icy. With a tip of his toes against the ground, he shot forward like a bullet, fist raised, landing a strike directly onto the cheek of the boss... "Bang!" "Ah!" The powerful punch landed on the boss''s face, causing the cheek to instantly cave in. Almost half of his teeth shattered, and under the force of Hao Jian''s punch, his body was sent flying before eventually crashing against a nearby wall. Only after leaving a mark on the wall did he fall to the ground... "What are you waiting for? Do something!" After hitting the ground, the boss''s tears flowed from the pain. Enduring the intense agony, he yelled at his men, though with half of his teeth missing, his shouts came out with a whistle and sounded rather comical. Fortunately, the boss''s voice was still loud enough. Hearing the roaring from inside, the security guards rushed in panic. But the first thing they saw upon arrival was their boss looking like a pig''s head, which shocked them into hastily running over. "Boss... Boss, are you alright?!" One who seemed like the head of security rushed forward, squatting down to help the boss up. However, seeing the condition of the boss left him dumbfounded. Who had the gall to lay hands on the boss of this gambling stone site? And to beat him to this extent, weren''t they afraid they wouldn''t get out of this gambling stone site alive?! "Bastard! Turn this guy into a cripple for me!" After being helped up by the security, the boss''s face was livid, furiously slapping one of them before pointing at Hao Jian, "That guy, whoever can take him down for me, I''ll give them a hundred grand!" Fuck! A hundred grand? Upon hearing that handling this somewhat frail-looking man could earn them a hundred grand, the security head forgot the anger of being slapped by the boss, instead turning fiercely towards Hao Jian, "Kid, you''ve got a big gut, daring to hit our boss. It seems you''re asking for death!" In his eyes, Hao Re had messed with the wrong person. Whether it''s hitting the boss of the gambling stone site or causing trouble here, it was all behavior courting death. "Brothers, let''s go together!" Having said that, the head of security led the charge. At this moment, Hao Jian appeared to him to be a fat sheep ripe for the taking! "You two, go help as well, this guy''s not easy to handle!" Ye Wenying watched Hao Jian with a cold laugh. Hao Jian hitting the boss was the best outcome he could have hoped for. After all, it meant all the security from nearby could join in on tackling Hao Jian. However, he was also aware of Hao Jian''s capabilities and casually instructed the two bodyguards always by his side. He knew that these people were no match for Hao Jian, but now that the boss of the gambling stone site had started the fight, there was no reason for him not to join in. Moreover, both of his bodyguards were no ordinary characters. Each possessed the strength to take down more than a dozen martial artists at once and had survived various extreme conditions, in essence, they were both ruthless beings! "Yes!" The two bodyguards responded, striding forward and dashing towards Hao Jian, a cruel smile slowly forming on their lips. As former desperadoes, they were far more ferocious and reckless than the average martial artist. "Really think highly of me, don''t you?!" Watching so many people coming at him, Hao Jian played with the top-quality jadeite he carved out, chuckled and shook his head. It seemed there had to be some bloodshed today. He''d have to create a better environment for mother and daughter next time. Was it really okay to be forced into fighting and killing during a day out? Almost immediately, Hao Jian''s eyes turned frosty, and with a swift move, his whole body turned into a nimble cheetah, darting out like lightning. Amidst his flickering silhouette, rapid punches flew, and one after another, the security guards screamed as they were flung away, leaving the countless onlookers dumbstruck. Even for Hao Jian, there had to be a limit to his strength, right? So many people ganging up on him, yet they''re still no match, not even able to touch the hem of his clothes? "Brat! Your life is forfeit!" At a certain moment, Ye Wenying''s two bodyguards suddenly spotted a flaw inadvertently revealed by Hao Jian. Their eyes instantly gleamed with a fierce light, and with a roar, they swung their hands. A small dagger that had been on their waists appeared in their grasp, and they thrust straight towards the back of Hao Jian''s heart¡­ However, in such an uninspiring battle, could Hao Jian truly expose a real flaw? The answer is, naturally, no! "Heh, I''ve been waiting for you two sneaky fellows. Judging by the killing intent emanating from you, I guess you''ve committed quite a few murderous sins, huh?" Turning around leisurely, the last remaining security guard encircling him also flew backward as he turned, leaving only Hao Jian and the two bodyguards, who thought they had caught Hao Jian, in the arena. "Well, even though blood was shed today, I still don''t feel like killing. Perhaps you are fortunate." He chuckled lightly and shook his head. Without any visible movement from him, the two bodyguards who had leapt up suddenly seemed to be struck by a fierce force. Just as their daggers were mere centimeters from Hao Jian, they violently flew backward, coughing up blood, and the daggers they tightly clutched in their hands also fell away. "A master!" After landing, the two bodyguards instinctively tried to adjust their stance, but just as they managed to stand again, their legs gave out, and they fell once more, their faces filled with horror as they looked at Hao Jian. Just how formidable was this man''s strength! Before they could react and before their eyes could capture his movements, he struck, sending them flying! They thought they were already terrifying monsters, but Hao Jian was an even more dreadful beast! No wonder he could deal with their numbers with such ease. It turns out his strength was so great that not even they could handle him! Just how powerful could Young Master Ye''s enemy be¡­ sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The two bodyguards exchanged a wry smile. Against such a powerful enemy, not to mention them, men who lived on the edge of the knife, even if hundreds or thousands of Special Forces were against Hao Jian, they might not get any advantage¡­ "What?!" Ye Wenying too was taken aback by Hao Jian''s strength. His two bodyguards were not just some roadside gangsters! Their strength was revered even within the Ye Family, yet they didn''t last a single move against Hao Jian?! "Originally, I was intent on just letting today pass peacefully, but someone just wouldn''t let me be." With measured steps, Hao Jian moved and instantly drew all attention in the arena. Not far away, Moon Goddess Jiang, who was covering Hao Lu''s eyes, also smiled slightly upon seeing Hao Jian''s composure. Sometimes, anger does not have to be reflected in one''s expression. For Hao Jian, real fury was the anger in his heart, a towering inferno. Moreover, to Hao Jian, a promise to a woman weighed above everything else. Now that someone had forcibly broken his promise, if he didn''t get some air, then he wouldn''t be Hao Jian. "Ye Family, Ye Wenying, Young Master Ye, did you ever consider why you were able to leave with your life after confronting me?" As he spoke and walked, Hao Jian also arrived in front of Ye Wenying. His eyes were indifferent, yet a raging fire spread within their depths. Slowly raising his hand, just as Ye Wenying was pondering Hao Jian''s words, he abruptly slapped Ye Wenying''s cheek¡­ "Slap!" "Pfff!" With just a hint of strength, Hao Jian''s slap made Ye Wenying spit out blood, several teeth painfully visible amidst the crimson. "It wasn''t because of your background¡­" "Slap!" "Not because of your strength¡­" "Slap!" "But because, in my eyes, a person like you truly isn''t worth my effort. If you hadn''t attacked me this time, I might have even forgotten someone like you ever existed! But why, why would you seek death?" Three slaps, four sentences, directly made Ye Wenying''s face contort with ugliness. Now with his mouth bleeding and a ferocious expression, Ye Wenying roared at Hao Jian, saying, "Hao Jian! Don''t think that just because you bested me in personal combat you can humiliate me like this! The depth of the Ye Family is not something you can fathom. If I want to kill you, I don''t need to lift a finger!" For a figure as influential as him in the Ye Family to be slapped in the face in public at the Gambling Stone Site, this humiliation, this fury, was something the Ye Family could not simply tolerate! "Oh?" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian tilted his head and then burst out laughing, a mocking laughter emanating from him, saying: "Do you truly think your Ye Family is all that great?" "That''s fine, go back and ask your so-called elders whether they would oppose me over this issue!" Hao Jian sneered, saying, "And now, you can scram!" "There will be a time for reckoning; we shall see!" Ye Wenying snarled venomously, and then with a gloomy face, he quickly strode out of the Gambling Stone Site. To stay here was simply to endure further humiliation. Chapter 828 - 827: You Indeed Did Not Provoke Us After resolving the incident at the Gambling Stone Site, Hao Jian pulled Moon Goddess Jiang and walked out of the site. As for Ye Wenying, he was thoroughly humiliated by Hao Jian, causing the Young Master Ye of the Ye Family to completely lose face in Capital City. Ye Wenying was merely slapped by Hao Jian, at most spitting out a few mouthfuls of blood, but his two bodyguards were in a far more pitiful state. Although it was a non-killing day for Hao Jian, he still taught them a lesson. Even as martial artists, they would need at least a year and a half of rest before they could recover. Since the Gambling Stone Site was already in chaos, there was no reason for Hao Jian to stay any longer, and the owner of the site had been beaten to unconsciousness by him. "It''s that guy!" However, as Hao Jian was carrying Hao Lu and teasing her while walking out of the Gambling Stone Site, a voice came over, making Hao Jian shake his head helplessly. It was truly a case of trouble after trouble. "I told you not to scare that taxi driver enough..." Seeing this scene, Moon Goddess Jiang covered her mouth and chuckled. Sometimes, Hao Jian wasn''t afraid of those stronger than him but was annoyed by those who knew they couldn''t win and still sought out others to make fools of themselves. Looking up, he saw the once empty Plaza now crowded with all sorts of taxis, roughly counting to as many as fifty vehicles. Each taxi driver was armed with a variety of weapons, mostly watermelon knives. It seemed these people regularly used such an identity to intimidate others... More than fifty people, huh... Shaking his head slightly, at this moment, Hao Jian wasn''t scared of these people but was pondering what method to use to frighten them after dealing with these thugs... "Haha! Kid, didn''t you expect this?! Didn''t expect my reach to be this far, did you?!" Just as Hao Jian was about to step down, a smug laugh once again reached his ears. Looking in the direction of the sound, the driver who was earlier planning to fleece him was holding a watermelon knife, standing proudly at the front of the crowd, laughing as he looked at Hao Jian. This time the driver didn''t believe it. So many of them could not be unable to beat a single youth. As the saying goes, no matter how skilled in martial arts, one fears the kitchen knife. Even if Hao Jian had great martial arts skills, how could he counter so many watermelon knives?! "Haha, Hao Jian, unexpected you''re really a trouble magnet, no matter where you go, it''s your enemies, haha!" Hearing the noise outside, the owner of the Gambling Stone Site was also supported by some security guards to the entrance of the site. As soon as he came out, he saw the menacing crowd outside and grinned, saying, "Even if you can defeat these security guards, I don''t believe you can overcome so many knife-wielding folks!" S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Due to losing quite a few teeth from being hit by Hao Jian, his speech was whistling and hard to understand without listening carefully. "Haha! Even if you can fight, so what? Old Yun is the boss of the unlicensed taxi drivers around here. If you mess with them, let''s see how you''ll leave this place by car!" "Captain, don''t bother with this kid. Once Old Yun gives the order, no vehicle would dare to pick him up within ten miles. Let''s see how he''ll walk out on his own!" "..." Listening to the mocking voices behind him, Hao Jian knew without looking who it was. None other than the Gambling Stone Site owner and the security he had beaten up, who were now excited to see him targeted, wanting to see how Hao Jian would meet his end. "Heh, a bunch of idiots." Giving a cold look back at those who could only mock, Hao Jian shook his head in disdain, then turned around and looked teasingly at the smug driver standing at the forefront. "I''m giving you a minute to take your people and get out of my sight, or else you won''t have a chance." "You''ve ruined a reunion of three for me, and as compensation, I''m not quite sure how I''ll deal with you!" Hao Jian was really angry. He just wanted to spend a peaceful and wonderful day with Moon Goddess Jiang, but didn''t expect these idiots to come bother him one after another. Pulling out his phone, Hao Jian immediately dialed Spice Ginger''s number. Within just three seconds, the call was answered, and soon the respectful voice of Spice Ginger came through the line. "Boss, is there a problem?" "I told you guys to come here earlier; where are you now?" Hao Jian spoke indifferently. There were many matters Hao Jian didn''t want to handle himself, which was why he had instructed Spice Ginger to bring his underlings to the Capital the day before his arrival to wait for him. No one in the Capital''s underworld dared to disrespect Hao Jian, so even though Spice Ginger, the openly known underworld boss of Hua City, entered the Capital with many followers, not a single person dared to trouble him. Before entering the Gambling Stone Site, Hao Jian also called Spice Ginger and informed him of his location, asking him to bring his men over. After all, it''s easier to handle things with more people, and it can also intimidate those petty criminals, like how the driver wouldn''t have been a problem if Spice Ginger had come to pick him up from the airport. It''s just that at that time, Spice Ginger was tied up with something, and Hao Jian didn''t care, telling him to finish up before coming over to him. But what he didn''t expect was that the car he caught at the airport turned out to be an illegal taxi, and an extremely shady one at that. If it weren''t for the fact that today was meant for fun, Moon Goddess Jiang would have driven over herself, but considering the inconvenience of driving during leisure time, Hao Jian also said not to bother with the car. "Almost there! Almost there! We can see the intersection of Hongda Plaza now!" "We''ve arrived!" Hearing Spice Ginger''s words, Hao Jian didn''t make a peep and instead lifted his head, looking toward the intersection of Hongda Plaza. There, a mighty convoy of cars rolled in, nearly eighty vehicles, and even though they were all personal cars worth just tens of thousands each, altogether they amounted to quite a sum. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Close to two hundred and twenty people got out of the cars, and the sound of the doors closing lasted quite a while, making the eyelids of those drivers who came to hassle Hao Jian twitch incessantly. Who exactly were these people? Why had so many suddenly appeared? Could it be that some big shot had come to this plaza? "I want to see who the hell dares mess with my boss!" As soon as he got out of the car, Spice Ginger saw that group of taxi fleets and immediately shouted at the two hundred plus brothers behind him, saying, "Brothers, grab your weapons!" "Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!" Following Spice Ginger''s command, those men in black pulled out blades from their waists, the gleam of the knives so bright it was difficult to keep one''s eyes open. It also terrified the owner of the Gambling Stone Site. This guy didn''t come to Capital City alone, he had brought a whole bunch of underlings! The sheer sight of those blades had already intimidated everyone there. If it wasn''t for the fact that this was the capital, and Hao Jian didn''t want to be too ostentatious and run into trouble, with Spice Ginger''s temperament, he might have just ordered the men to pull out guns to resolve the issue most efficiently. "Big... Big bro... We didn''t provoke you at all!" The driver known as Old Yun by the security, upon seeing such a group of people appear, was merely astonished for a moment; as long as it wasn''t trouble for him, it was fine. But what happened next turned his face a lot paler ¨C so many people, some even wielding guns, and they seemed to be heading in the direction of their group?! Instantly, Old Yun hurriedly asked out loud, wanting to know if these people had mistaken them for someone else. Both parties didn''t know each other; how could there be any grudges, and why would guns be involved?! Where was this place? This was Capital City! These people dared to be so brazen holding handguns; they were either fools or people with powerful backing. But regardless of which one it was, it wasn''t something Old Yun could afford to mess with! "You guys indeed did not provoke us..." Spice Ginger, standing at the forefront, looked at Old Yun with a bizarre expression and finally spoke slowly. "Then... we have no grudges, what is this all about?!" Spice Ginger snorted coldly, finding Old Yun''s cowardly look amusing, and then said something that nearly made Old Yun wet his pants, "You indeed didn''t provoke us, but you provoked my boss!" "Your boss? Who''s that?" Old Yun was dumbfounded, but then realized something, turning in terror to look at Hao Jian, only to see Hao Jian smiling at him. Old Yun''s heart skipped a beat, and he nearly burst into tears, realizing what was going on even if he was too dumb to see it before. Spice Ginger''s eyes hardened as he pointed at Hao Jian, who stood at the entrance of the Gambling Stone Site, looking over in their direction with a fierce killing intent as he bellowed at Old Yun, "You really have some nerve! The big shots in Capital City all give my boss some face, yet you dare offend him?" "Brothers, let''s go!" Spice Ginger didn''t care for the details; these bastards dared to make a move on Hao Jian, which was like striking at them. If they hadn''t just arrived, perhaps Hao Jian himself would have dealt with them by now. And if that were the case, Hao Jian might begin to think they were useless, incapable of taking care of these small fry for him, and the outcome would be very bad indeed. "Roar! Roar! Roar!" At Spice Ginger''s final command, these intrinsically unruly men instantly roared out loud, picking up their weapons and charging towards the drivers!..................................... Chapter 829 - 828: I Will Take Back What We Lost! Facing the ferocious Spice Ginger and others, those who were found by Old Yun to give Hao Jian trouble were directly scared off, and Spice Ginger and his cohort didn''t return to the square from their pursuit until much later, leisurely walking back. This is Capital City. Even if these people really intended to teach these rascals a lesson, they wouldn''t actually kill them. However, if they went to Hua City, it would be up to them, as after all, that''s Hao Jian''s territory. Capital City is under the emperor''s feet, and even Hao Jian wouldn''t dare to cause too much trouble here, besides dealing with those foolish enough to bother him, Hao Jian wouldn''t stir up anything else. After seeing Spice Ginger and more than two hundred others make an appearance, Old Yun''s group beat a retreat. In fact, they were prepared to flee as soon as knives were drawn, and now that Spice Ginger and his group caught up, if they didn''t run, they would really be asking for it. After all, they were just ordinary people made up into a group, usually just scamming passengers without any background. Faced with such a situation, if they didn''t run, then they really would be out of their minds. After dealing with this cab driver group, Hao Jian suddenly remembered something, a slow curve forming at the corner of his mouth. He turned his head, looking back at the gambling stone site owner associated with Ye Wenying, sneered, and said, "My trouble is taken care of. Now, it''s your turn to have trouble. You all were quite cheerful just now..." These guys were just mocking him. If it had been from strangers with no connection to him, it would have been okay, but unfortunately, these guys had some relationship with Ye Wenying, and that Hao Jian would not allow. What does Ye Wenying count for?! His dogs have the right to look down on him?! "We... we didn''t!" The people who were still shocked from Hao Jian having dealt with the illegal taxi drivers heard Hao Jian''s words and their faces changed drastically. Especially the gambling stone site owner - Ye Wenying was not here now, no one could protect him, but even if Ye Wenying was here, it might not be possible to keep him safe. Originally, he thought Hao Jian was surely doomed, but who would have thought that he actually brought his underlings all the way to Capital City, and now he was finished. With so many people, if they wanted to do something to him, it would be in a matter of minutes. What kind of people were these! They all wore the same uniform, standing straight and disciplined to the left and right of Hao Jian, creating an imposing sight. Moreover, so far, not a single policeman had come to maintain order. One must know this is Ye Wenying''s territory! That''s because everything was under the watchful eyes of the Murong Family; Murong Qiushui knew that Hao Jian and Ye Wenying would clash, so he indeed had sent word ahead. Otherwise, it would not have been possible for such a commotion to occur without anyone coming to check. "When I, Hao Jian, handle matters, I prefer to win people over with virtue..." At this time, Spice Ginger and others also arrived by Hao Jian''s side, each flashing a respectful smile at him before standing quietly behind Hao Jian, their presence long-lasting, and their aura strong, causing one''s breath to catch. Strolling leisurely, Hao Jian''s expression was neutral, revealing no emotions, nor emitting any aura, but those in front of him were all nervously tight-faced. At a time like this, no matter what you say, you can''t afford to anger Hao Jian, or even just the two hundred-plus people here would be too much for them to handle. Upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, the ranks of Spice Ginger couldn''t help rolling their eyes. Win people over with virtue? It''s more like suppressing violence with violence. "But I have my bottom line. Just bring out the few who were cheering the loudest just now, and I''ll let the rest go," Hao Jian said impatiently, waving his hand. Originally, Hao Jian planned to beat up the whole group, but upon further thought, it was just a few instigators; the rest didn''t say anything, at most it was just a factional issue. Moreover, with so many people here, he couldn''t possibly deal with them all. In any case, there was no true hatred; it was sufficient to catch a few leaders to punish as a warning to others, so as not to waste his time. "..." However, as soon as Hao Jian said this, the entire venue remained silent, with not a sound to be heard, and the breathing of those people had all stopped at that moment... "Not talking, huh?" This response caught Hao Jian off guard, immediately followed by a cold laugh. "Don''t know if you guys are brave or just clueless!?" "You, you, and you! Come out!" Hao Jian''s face was icy, not minding the silence of these people, but instead pointing out some of them from his memory. Even if he pointed at the wrong ones, Hao Jian couldn''t be bothered to care anymore. "Hao Jian! Don''t go too far!" sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The gambling stone site owner, who had been silent, couldn''t hold back his anger any longer upon seeing Hao Jian being so excessive in front of his subordinates and immediately roared out loud. Although his voice was somewhat muffled due to a dental issue, the general idea was still clear to Hao Jian. "Oh? So you mean to say I''m being too excessive?" Hao Jian looked at Ye Wenying with a seemingly amused gaze, the cold light in his eyes gradually solidifying, and a faint murderous intent emanating from within him, saying, "It''s not that I, Hao Jian, am being excessive, but that I have already shown mercy..." "Had it been the old me, you all would no longer exist in this world..." A faint voice carrying a murderous intent lingered around these people... "Don''t think just because you can deal with the Murong Family, you can also take care of the Ye Family. I''m one of Young Master Ye''s men, if you dare do anything to me, Young Master Ye won''t let you off!" The Gambling Stone Site owner''s face turned ugly. Under the influence of Hao Jian''s faint murderous aura, his face also showed a tinge of pallor. He had heard about Hao Jian and knew that a not small number of people had died at Hao Jian''s hands. He wouldn''t be so afraid if he had Ye Wenying backing him up, but the problem was Ye Wenying had left. "Young Master Ye? But it seems your Young Master Ye has already run away like a dog who''s lost its home." Shaking his head, Hao Jian slowly stepped forward, went straight to those he had identified, pulled them out one by one, and then threw them in front of Spice Ginger, including the owner of the Gambling Stone Site, naturally. Hao Jian spoke indifferently: "Just make sure these guys can''t get out of bed for a few months." "Received!" Spice Ginger, along with a few brothers, grinned viciously as they approached the people thrown out by Hao Jian, then launched their fists directly at these guys'' faces. These guys actually dared to mock their boss; they really had a death wish. So what if you''re close with Ye Wenying? Didn''t you see that guy got so scared by Young Master Hao that he didn''t dare to speak a word?! Then, Spice Ginger gave a signal with his eyes to his own men to take care of these guys. "Ahhh!" A wave of screams continuously emanated from these unfortunate souls, causing those from Ye Wenying''s faction to turn pale with fright, while at the entrance, guests kept walking out, watching the scene unfold and couldn''t help but silently cheer internally. Because these people had often used Ye Wenying''s name to bully those in Capital City who didn''t have much backing. "Leave this matter to you to handle, make sure it''s done cleanly and don''t make too much of a scene." After watching for a while, Hao Jian also found it boring, so he decided to leave the entire matter to Spice Ginger to handle. He was out to enjoy himself today and now that he was running out of time, he could not afford to waste it on these guys. He still had to continue taking Moon Goddess Jiang and her mother for fun; he couldn''t delay their time. "Alright, leave it to me!" Spice Ginger nodded, then said to his underlings: "Forget it, don''t waste time, just break their legs." "Hmph! They got off easy!" Those brothers all felt they hadn''t had enough, but didn''t dare to go against Spice Ginger''s orders, each of them grabbed a water pipe and promptly broke these people''s legs. Although Spice Ginger and the others wanted to stay beside Hao Jian, Hao Jian considered that bringing this group along was too conspicuous and not suitable for Hao Lu, fearing it would scare her, so he let them go back. "Alright, let''s go, wasted so much time already." With a helpless shake of his head, Hao Jian also pulled Moon Goddess Jiang to the car left by Spice Ginger and then dashed towards his next planned destination, the Great Wall. Meanwhile, Ye Wenying sat in the car, his face still portraying shock and anger. Today was a huge loss of face. "Young Master Ye, do we need to find an opportunity to take care of that kid..." Shi Qiu also stood up straight, hurriedly walked up to Ye Wenying, whispered in his ear, and then made a slashing gesture across his neck with his palm. "Get lost!" But his suggestion was met with Ye Wenying''s rage. Ye Wenying slapped Shi Qiu directly across the face, the sheer force twisting Shi Qiu''s face and ultimately sending him to the ground, spitting out two teeth. "Hmph!" Ye Wenying shook the hand that hurt a bit after hitting Shi Qiu, glanced at him, and couldn''t help but wish to kill this idiot. "Young Master Ye... Young Master Ye..." Seeing Ye Wenying leaving, Shi Qiu quickly got up from the ground, disregarding the blood at the corner of his mouth, hurried his pace, and followed off the car after Hao Jian. He was Ye Wenying''s only support, the one who gave him his current status. If Ye Wenying abandoned him, he would lose everything; perhaps all those he had bullied before would come to seek trouble with him. "Send someone immediately to keep an eye on Hao Jian. This matter is definitely not going to end like this. Today''s humiliation, I must repay it tenfold!" Ye Wenying, with a gloomy face, ordered one of his underlings. He had already made a plan in his heart and was preparing to take action. No matter what, before troubling Hao Jian, he still had to get his teeth knocked out by Hao Jian back, or how would he speak or face people later? The proud young heir of the Ye Family, having his teeth knocked out by someone?! Chapter 830 - 829: If It Were in Ancient Times... During several days of sightseeing in Capital City, Hao Jian took Moon Goddess Jiang to nearly all of the city''s famous spots, and even on the last night, arranged a fireworks display specially for her, which lasted for over three hours, costing a fortune, easily amounting to hundreds of thousands. After all, these fireworks were custom-ordered by Hao Jian, and they were not just any common street stall goods. What puzzled Hao Jian was the unusually quiet demeanor of Ye Wenying these past few days, showing almost no activity. With his character in the past, having suffered such a setback, he logically shouldn''t have let this go so easily. But now, three or four days had passed, and the guy still hadn''t approached him; however, Hao Jian didn''t believe that the other party would let him off so easily. In his view, the longer Ye Wenying held back, the more likely he was brewing some major conspiracy. As for this, Hao Jian couldn''t bother to care, he simply followed the creed of facing the soldiers with generals and countering the waters with soil, continuing to enjoy his time as he pleased. But on the night before Hao Jian planned to leave... "Young Master Ye, you called for me?" In the villa of the Ye Family, Shi Qiu respectfully looked at Ye Wenying. "Intelligence from the Ye Family''s department indicates that Hao Jian will return to Hua City in one more day, but I want him disgraced before he leaves. Invite him over, tell him I seek reconciliation!" Since using force proved useless against Hao Jian, another method must be found; as long as it makes Hao Jian lose face, it would count as a victory for him. "Young Master Ye, but that guy might not agree..." Shi Qiu was fearful upon hearing that Ye Wenying intended for him to invite Hao Jian; that guy was terrifying, wouldn''t seeking him out be just asking for death? "When I tell you to go, you go. Stop the useless chatter. If you can''t get him to come, then you might as well be dead¡­" Ye Wenying coldly said, Shi Qiu had caused him too much loss of face, naturally, it had to be him doing this. If he couldn''t redeem himself with this act, there was no need to keep him around. Reluctantly sighing, Shi Qiu said, "Alright, I''ll invite him. I saw the files you gave me before; it seems Hao Jian has quite a few women, each more beautiful than the last. It means this man is quite the philanderer." "So I think that inviting him for a meal wouldn''t be that appealing. Since he is a philanderer, that''s our point of entry. By working a little on this angle, perhaps we can be successful¡­" "Are you suggesting I should lure him with a few women? That''s indeed not a bad idea!" Ye Wenying contemplated momentarily, as the saying goes, wild flowers smell sweeter than domestic ones, and what cat doesn''t steal a taste? Even if Hao Jian, the Judge, has countless beauties, he might still crave some freshness, right? Hearing this, Ye Wenying also felt it made a lot of sense. Upon hearing Ye Wenying agree with his view, Shi Qiu was elated and hurriedly said, "Just pretend to make peace with that guy, then bring him to our Capital City''s most renowned pleasure spot, Wei River Night Club. We will select the most famous top girl there for Hao Jian, with her beauty, even Hao Jian might not be able to resist." "Then we''ll set a trap to catch him in the act, directly record Hao Jian''s deeds and post it online. Everyone knows Hao Jian is Shu Ya''s husband, and if this video gets out, Hao Jian''s reputation will be ruined! Perhaps Hao Jian''s numerous beauties won''t let him off lightly either. Wouldn''t this achieve multiple goals with one shot?" As long as we can make Hao Jian carry the stigma of soliciting prostitutes, he will definitely be in deep trouble. Although it can''t hurt him directly, at least it will give him a headache. Although most people wouldn''t publicize such affairs, acknowledging it tacitly, if such a relationship were exposed, not to say whether Hao Jian could handle it, just the mere reputation would plummet in many people''s eyes. After all, it''s okay to do such things! But if you''re caught, even if we all have done it, we must still despise you, just because you were exposed... "Then let''s do as you said, set a grand trap, it is indeed time to make the kill!" Hao Jian said. "Young Master Ye is brilliant!" Shi Qiu suitably flattered him, grinning from ear to ear as he stood beside Ye Wenying. He knew, following this, Ye Wenying would commence his maneuver... S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The next day... "Asking me to go to the night club?" Looking at the envelope on the table bearing the Ye Family''s seal, Hao Jian gently tapped on the armrest of the chair, musing deeply. He didn''t believe for a second that Ye Wenying would concede just like that, but now he writes to ask for reconciliation, what conspiracy could be behind this? "Heh, so that''s how it is..." The finger tapping the armrest also stopped at a certain moment, a chuckling sound slowly emanated from Hao Jian''s mouth, he muttered to himself, saying: "It seems this guy wants to set me up at the nightclub..." But as for what kind of trap, Hao Jian hadn''t figured it out yet, it seemed that Ye Wenying was about to unleash her ultimate skill. "Well, since I have to return to Hua City tomorrow anyway, I might as well go have some fun today, consider it a farewell game before leaving..." Such a simple plot, Hao Jian just casually guessed, and he almost got the whole situation figured out, the next step is to see how exactly Ye Wenying will act. "Spice Ginger, you can take the brothers back first, I''ll catch tomorrow''s flight to Hua City. The waters are deep here in the Capital City, and you guys are the force of Hua City, it''s not suitable to stay here for too long." Casually tearing up a letter, Hao Jian also called Spice Ginger''s mobile, instructing him to head back first; after all, Hua City was his main base, plus all his lovers were in Hua City, and with Spice Ginger and the others returning, they could also offer some protection. Now that so many hands had been suddenly pulled away, Hao Jian was somewhat worried. He has so many enemies now, it''s hard to guarantee that one or two won''t do something crazy, and when Spice Ginger asked about Ye Wenying''s matter, Hao Jian also lightly laughed and said it was nothing, then he hung up the phone. Compared to Ye Wenying, he was more worried about Hua City. Ye Wenying was just a minor character he played with in the Capital City, this time consider it accompanying him in a game. That night, Hao Jian arrived as promised and came to the famous Wei River Night Club in the Capital City. However, just as he stepped out of the taxi, right as he reached the entrance of the nightclub, he heard someone calling him from behind... "Hao Jian!" A sharp female voice suddenly burst from behind Hao Jian, he turned back in confusion, wanting to see who the owner of this high-decibel voice was, but when he turned his head, seeing the familiar figure, he couldn''t help but smile wryly. Really, wherever he went, he could meet someone he had enmities with! Bai Yanrou, a spoiled young lady who was irreconcilable with Hao Jian, he didn''t expect to encounter her here, and that sharp shout came from her mouth. Looking at Bai Yanrou''s heavily made-up face, it gave Hao Jian a feeling of wanting to vomit, he immediately waved his hand as if shooing a little dog, saying: "Whose female ghost is this, quickly take her away!" "Hao Jian, what did you say?!" Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Bai Yanrou''s cheeks immediately showed an ugly expression, she yelled at Hao Jian. After yelling, she then put on a pitiful look, looking at the man beside her, she said with a sobbing tone: "Brother, this is Hao Jian, this guy is bullying me!" "Hao Jian?" Bai Yang frowned looking at Hao Jian, he didn''t hassle Hao Jian earlier due to family issues, but now that the situation had settled, he naturally had time to spare. "Apologize to my sister, and let this matter rest, otherwise you won''t be able to leave the Capital City!" Bai Yang said coldly to Hao Jian. "Hah, and here I thought who it was, turns out it''s the Bai family''s young master Bai Yang, unexpected that you would show up, I''m somewhat surprised. Just not sure if anyone ever told you, do you have the qualifications to be a pretty boy?" Hao Jian looked at Bai Yang''s face, which was prettier than a woman''s, and scoffed coldly. "Hao Jian, I know you have some capabilities, but my Bai family isn''t vegetarian, if you want to test the strength of my Bai family, then feel free to make a move!" Bai Yang huffed coldly, as the young master of the Bai family, he had long established an air of being a superior; every move he made was filled with dominance. Moreover, he hated when people said he looked like a pretty boy, someone who had once said that ended up having his limbs chopped off by him. "You, a country bumpkin, fantasizing about making any accomplishments in the Capital City! Only a rubbish family like the Murong family would be careless enough to be defeated by you! I advise you to obediently go back to your Hua City, don''t step into the Capital City again, otherwise one day you''ll end up dead on the street without knowing it!" Bai Yanrou venomously said. "Oh? It seems you guys are quite confident that you can deal with me?" Hao Jian looked at the siblings with a smirk, the corner of his mouth carrying an unmoved cold smile. Are all these family scions so arrogant? But have such proud people ever tried being trampled on objectMapper.addButtonListener()? Chapter 831 - 830: Get it Done! "Do you only know how to run your mouths? You look utterly foolish!" Glancing at the time, Hao Jian rolled his eyes, disregarding the Bai siblings as he walked into the nightclub on his own. Bai Yang, upon seeing Hao Jian dismiss him like that, wore an even uglier expression on his face. Standing beside Bai Yang, Bai Yanrou originally thought that her brother would easily suppress Hao Jian, but she did not expect such an outcome. "Brother..." "Let''s go!" Bai Yang snorted coldly and entered the nightclub with Bai Yanrou. They had come out to relax with their subordinates today and couldn''t let Hao Jian spoil their mood. "When the opportunity arises, we''ll properly settle the score with him for challenging us siblings today!" ........................... "Haha! Young Master Hao finally arrived, I''ve been waiting for a good while!" As soon as Hao Jian stepped into the nightclub, he was met by the sight of Ye Wenying, with Shi Qiu and his two bodyguards inseparably by his side. A strange figure also appeared today. Seeing him bowing obsequiously and observing his attire, along with the badge hanging on his left chest, Hao Jian figured that he must be someone at a managerial level or higher in the nightclub. Otherwise, given Ye Wenying''s status in Capital City, he wouldn''t bother looking at someone of low stature to frequent such a venue. "Young Master Ye really knows how to pick up and let go, I, Hao Jian, truly admire you!" Ye Wenying''s underlying schemes were crystal clear to Hao Jian, who sneered inwardly but still displayed a face of surprise, saluting and smiling couldly. "Manager Chen, lead the way." Ye Wenying waved his hand and glanced at the nightclub''s high-ranking official beside him, nodding his head towards him. "Young Master Ye, Young Master Hao, this way please..." Hearing this, Manager Chen nodded hurriedly and then went to the front respectfully, guiding Hao Jian and Ye Wenying. In Capital City, there weren''t many who could call Ye Wenying a brother, which indicated to him that Hao Jian''s status was truly exceptional, evident from their relationship. Unfortunately, this manager didn''t realize that both men in front of him genuinely had their own calculations. Compared to Hao Jian, today''s gathering might be a trap set by Ye Wenying, or maybe a feast with hidden malicious intentions; in any case, it wasn''t well-intentioned. As both sides harbored their respective thoughts, they engaged in boisterous conversation and hearty laughter, drawing the curious gazes of many passing patrons. However, once inside the room, Hao Jian boldly stepped past Ye Wenying, vigorously taking a seat right in the middle of the sofa. Subtly acting as though he was the leader, this caused Ye Wenying''s face to slightly darken. If it weren''t for Shi Qiu giving him signals from the side, he would''ve been furious due to his personality. This time, young master is here to set a trap for you, let you make a fuss, once I have your vulnerabilities in hand, see if I won''t cast you into the eighteenth level of Hell! Thinking this way, Ye Wenying''s anger at Hao Jian''s preemptive actions subsided substantially, and he swiftly restored his composure, settling quietly beside Hao Jian on the sofa. Indeed, it seems like a feast with hidden malicious intentions! Seeing his own bold move going unremarked by Ye Wenying, Hao Jian''s heart wavered and he shook his head silently. When soldiers come, hold up the shield, when the flood waters rise, pile up the earth. Thus, Ye Wenying had the manager fetch everything up soon; before long, the table was laden with food and drink, including a 1982 Lafite worth tens of thousands per bottle, and all dishes were delicacies of great value. Clearly, Ye Wenying had spared no expense this time in order to capture Hao Jian''s vulnerabilities. At least, he hadn''t expected to bring this out today, with the sole purpose of ruining Hao Jian''s reputation. "Come, come, come! Let''s drink!" Seeing the Lafite Ye Wenying brought out, Hao Jian''s eyes instantly lit up. He didn''t mind Ye Wenying, directly grabbed the wine bottle, poured Ye Wenying a courtesy glass, and then started guzzling from the bottle himself. Understanding the rarity of this wine, Hao Jian knew this was the time to drink. He hurried to finish the bottle, thinking giving it to Ye Wenying was simply too wasteful. The crimson liquid dripped from the corner of Hao Jian''s mouth, staining his dark clothes. Fortunately, he wore dark clothes today; otherwise, the wine stains would have ruined a shirt. This bastard... Watching Hao Jian wastefully drink his cherished red wine, Ye Wenying''s mood was understandably sour. Initially expecting Hao Jian to restrain himself and not overdo it, he hadn''t anticipated that this guy would completely defy conventions and waste this fine wine just like that! "Haha! Once well-fed and drunk, thoughts turn to lust," Ye Wenying said maliciously as Hao Jian showed no vigilance. After finishing the drink, Hao Jian casually tossed the bottle aside and turned his gaze to Ye Wenying, bursting into laughter: "Indeed, I''ve heard that the top performer at this nightclub is very popular! In that case, Young Master Ye, please summon this so-called top performer. I, Hao Jian, want to see how beautiful this popular top performer really is!" The laughter of Hao Jian was ambiguous, carrying both jest and sarcasm. However, Ye Wenying did not ponder over this, but instead, Hao Jian''s words provoked a sneer in his heart. Ye Wenying thought disdainfully, not expecting such words to be spoken so openly. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, you probably won''t have the chance to speak such words soon! Ye Wenying slightly glanced at Shi Qiu standing nearby, and Shi Qiu subtly nodded. A slow smile crept across his face, "Hao Jian, Hao Jian, this time I''ll drag you down to Hell!" "Clap, clap, clap!" Immediately, Ye Wenying clapped his hands, signaling a bodyguard behind him to fetch the manager, then turned his head and smiled at Hao Jian, saying, "Rest assured, Young Master Hao, the person you asked for will be brought to you very soon!" "Then I''ll trouble Young Master Ye!" Hao Jian casually picked up a dice used for games from the table, tossing it lightly with a faint smile, his eyes gradually intensifying. "Young Master Ye, you were looking for me?" As soon as he finished speaking, noises came from the doorway, and shortly after, Manager Chen, led by Ye Wenying''s bodyguard, walked in, standing respectfully in front of Ye Wenying. "I heard there''s a top performer in your nightclub with great popularity, just have her come and accompany Young Master Hao for a bit!" Ye Wenying spoke indifferently upon seeing the new arrival. In his view, it was almost a trivial matter; if it weren''t for wanting to catch Hao Jian making a fool of himself firsthand, he wouldn''t have bothered to stir up such a scenario. Humph! You asked for this top performer yourself, when your reputation is ruined later, don''t regret it! Ye Wenying sneered internally as he glanced at Hao Jian playing with the dice. "Young Master Ye..." Unexpectedly, upon hearing that Ye Wenying was requesting their nightclub''s top performer, Manager Chen''s face showed difficulty, his words stuttering. "What?!" Seeing Manager Chen''s expression, Ye Wenying''s face grew colder, wondering if he was being defied. "Young... Young Master Ye, there''s really no way! Little Lian has already been reserved by a customer, and at this moment, it''s difficult for me to go demand her from them. That customer''s status is also not ordinary..." Under Ye Wenying''s pressing, Manager Chen had no choice but to hesitantly speak. "A person of status?! Reserved?!" Hearing these words, Ye Wenying''s face turned uglier. In Capital City, very few people could claim they had status, and as far as he knew, those few people never step foot in this nightclub! What angered him most was not this, but that the top performer had been reserved! Damn it, I wanted this top performer to seduce Hao Jian and catch him in the act, and now you''re telling me she''s been reserved by someone else at your nightclub?! "Are you challenging me?" The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. In this situation, he had no choice but to force his way! Ye Wenying turned his head, looking at the two bodyguards behind him, suppressing his anger, his tone a bit low as he commanded, "You two, go now. I don''t care how you do it, you must bring her here!" "Yes!" Upon hearing this, the two bodyguards shouted in acknowledgment and strode forward, needing Manager Chen to lead the way as they did not know what the top performer looked like nor the room she was in. "Young... Young Master Ye!" Seeing Ye Wenying''s determination to get what he wanted, Manager Chen''s face sweated more and more. Ye Wenying might not know who that person was, but he did¡ªit was Bai Yang, the Young Master of the Bai Family! Hence, he attempted to speak to Ye Wenying about the identity of the other party, but before he could say anything, a dice thrown from somewhere hit him directly in the mouth. The severe pain caused Manager Chen to groan. "Since Young Master Ye has spoken, just go ahead and do it!" Hao Jian glanced casually at Manager Chen, his words carrying a thick threat, and unaware of when, the dice that was originally in Hao Jian''s hand had disappeared¡­... Chapter 832 - 831: How is it you?! "Fuck! Who dares to disrespect me, Ye Wenying, in Capital City?!" Seeing the manager leave with his two bodyguards, Ye Wenying''s expression was still unpleasant. His relationship with Hao Jian wasn''t exactly good, and now, because of this incident, he had lost face in front of Hao Jian, which made him feel as bad as one could possibly feel. Fortunately, Hao Jian didn''t say anything to further infuriate Ye Wenying at this moment; otherwise, God knows if this guy would send people to tear down this nightclub. Hao Jian looked at Ye Wenying with a smirk that wasn''t quite a smile, but he had already determined in his heart that this guy definitely wanted the club''s girls to accompany him, and then take the opportunity to catch him in the act. By the next day, the headlines in the newspapers and news of Capital City and Hua City would revolve around him, Hao Jian. Do you really think I don''t know how many surveillance devices you''ve placed inside this room? With a slight glance, he noticed an inconspicuous corner behind the sofa. Through the darkness, he could vaguely see a small, outlined object. Hao Jian sneered inwardly, handed a glass of wine to Ye Wenying with a smiling face, patted his shoulder, and said, "Now that things between me and Young Master Ye are finally thawed, let''s not worry about such trifles to avoid spoiling our mood!" "Right, right, let''s not fuss over it!" Hearing this, Ye Wenying sneered inwardly, but his face showed a smile. He took the glass of wine from Hao Jian and drained it in one gulp! Each harboring their own thoughts... ........................... Meanwhile, in Bai Yang''s private room... "Damn it!" The private room, once luxurious, was now in shambles. Furniture was smashed, monitors disassembled, and everything within sight was broken and dismal, like a scene plundered by bandits. In the midst of this chaos, Bai Yang, his sister, and a few young men with clean faces and cold eyes stood with indelible rage in the devastated place. All the men had one thing in common: they were bruised all over, even on their faces. Bai Yanrou, however, was unharmed. Clearly, the assailants had seen that Bai Yanrou was a girl and had not laid a hand on her; instead, the men bore the brunt of it, receiving quite the beating on their faces. The ones who had ransacked this place were, naturally, Ye Wenying''s two bodyguards. They might only be knocked out in an instant when fighting with Hao Jian, but against ordinary people, they were like tigers descending the mountain¡ªa single slap could kill a commoner. What use was it to have more people in their private room? They were still effortlessly taken down by just these two men. Of course, while enjoying the thrashing, they didn''t forget the task Ye Wenying had entrusted to them. After dealing with Bai Yang and the others, they took the club''s top girl selected by Manager Chen, without a word, and just carried her off. Bai Yang''s face was grim. Who the hell were these people?! To actually dare to cause trouble on his Bai Yang''s turf in Capital City?! If it weren''t for the fact that he didn''t plan to bring bodyguards when he went out today, how could a couple of nobodies with their pathetic Kung Fu skills have resulted in this situation?! Most importantly, the top girl he had picked was brazenly snatched away. As one of Capital City''s prominent Young Masters, how could Bai Yang possibly tolerate such a slap in the face?! "Brother..." With a pale face, Bai Yanrou, as the treasured daughter of the Bai Family, had never seen such a situation. Apart from being slapped by Hao Jian, no one had ever dared to treat her like this! And today, these two men, burly as tigers, didn''t give any reasons and started beating people up as soon as they entered the door, not giving them a chance to explain. Moreover, when they left, they even took the leading girl her brother had personally selected! "Don''t worry, little sis. I''ll make sure to capture those people!" Bai Yang''s face was ugly as he glanced at the several young men trembling with fear. Feeling increasingly terrible inside, he cursed them as useless, then took out his phone and asked his bodyguards to rush over as soon as possible. Since the attackers took the nightclub''s top girl, it indicated that they likely wouldn''t leave in a short period. Just to be safe, it was still better to have his own men arrive quickly. After all, those bodyguards were only a few minutes away by car and could arrive very quickly. After creating a scene, Ye Wenying''s two bodyguards returned to the private room where Ye Wenying and Hao Jian were, with the top girl, Little Lian, in tow, and in the presence of Manager Chen''s ashen-faced expression. "So this is the club''s top girl? She is pretty attractive-looking..." Seeing the bodyguards return, Ye Wenying was overjoyed. The last condition was also fulfilled, and now he just had to wait for Hao Jian to get fresh with the leading girl! Catching a glimpse of the fleeting joy on Ye Wenying''s face, Hao Jian curled his lips slightly. So you thought your plan was foolproof, huh? Thus, Hao Jian, following along with Ye Wenying''s plan, made a lewd comment and said the following words. After speaking, Hao Jian turned to look at Ye Wenying, with a grin implying "a man like you surely understands," laughed out loud, and said: "Young Master Ye, could you please do me the favor of taking this leading girl back to the hotel for me? Tonight, I''m planning on really enjoying myself. Enjoyment, that is. Vienna Hotel, I just happened to check out of my room; you take care of it for me!" "Haha! No problem!" Luck is really on my side! Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Ye Wenying''s heart filled with even greater joy, and his face involuntarily cracked into a smile. He patted Hao Jian''s shoulder and said, "Young Master Hao, rest assured, I''ll personally deliver the man to you. You don''t have to worry about the hotel, I happen to have a room at the Vienna Hotel, you can stay there for now." "Then, I''m much obliged, Young Master Ye!" Hao Jian feigned great happiness, his eyes quickly swiveling as he said, "Young Master Ye, then please first help me deliver the person over. I''ve still got some matters to take care of, I should be able to handle them in an hour." As for what those matters were, naturally they were a fabric of Hao Jian''s imagination¡ªa mere excuse to leave. After all, he had booked a flight for tonight, and with just three hours left before departure, considering that the airport required passengers to arrive two hours early... Therefore, Hao Jian had to find an excuse to leave. As for what might happen later, that was beyond Hao Jian''s ability to predict. In any case, Hao Jian had indeed helped pull Ye Wenying into a feud with Bai Yang. Now it was up to those two to see how clever they were. "Go on, go ahead!" Without the slightest suspicion, Ye Wenying waved Hao Jian off, then led his two bodyguards and Shi Qiu, along with the top star with a fearful expression, out of the private room. Hehe, what a fool, a complete idiot... Watching Ye Wenying leave, a cold smile gradually spread across Hao Jian''s face. He shook his head disdainfully, then with a flash, he leaped out of the private room''s window. The height was only that of the third floor; with Hao Jian''s skill, it was a piece of cake. After jumping down from the building, Hao Jian quickly found the car he had rented from the rental company, got in, and zoomed away, no longer concerned about the ensuing events... "Shi Qiu, your plan this time was excellent. The young master won''t let you down!" Unaware of Hao Jian''s departure, Ye Wenying patted Shi Qiu''s shoulder, expressing such appreciation. "Serving Young Master Ye is an honor, truly!" Feeling the pat on his shoulder from Ye Wenying, Shi Qiu felt as if he had become two pounds lighter, and he hurriedly responded obsequiously. "It''s them! Get ''em!" S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just as Ye Wenying was feeling smug, a loud shout suddenly erupted from behind. He was puzzled and wanted to turn around to see who was bold enough to cause trouble in such a place. "Bang! Ah!" But before he could even turn his head, a huge force struck him, followed by a loud crash. His whole body was blown away, accompanied by a scream, and he slid across the ground, leaving a mark. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Immediately after, his two bodyguards, along with Shi Qiu, were almost simultaneously hit by a tremendous force and sent flying. Then, they experienced what it felt like when Bai Yang was slapped earlier... "You just troubled me, Bai Yang, in Capital City? Do you think you ate the heart of a bear and the gallbladder of a leopard?!" The owner of the shout, naturally, was Bai Yang who had come out of the private room with his bodyguards. His bodyguards, hearing Bai Yang was in trouble, rushed over in haste. Seeing his bodyguards arrive, Bai Yang quickly led them out of the room, wanting to find trouble with those previous people. Imagine his surprise when he had just left the private room and saw the very people he was looking for in the lobby on the first floor. Overjoyed, he led his bodyguards and charged toward them, leading to the next scene. "Bastards! Which bastard dared to hit your Young Master Ye?!" The first one to be hit, Ye Wenying, struggled to his feet off the ground with an angry roar, looking towards the culprit of this mess, none other than Bai Yang! "Bai Yang?! Why is it you?!" However, when his gaze landed on Bai Yang and he recognized the man, his face suddenly froze. Then, snapping back to reality, he bellowed, "How dare you hit me, you little twerp?!" "Damn it! So it was you who sent people to snatch my top star! And you let your bodyguards hit me?! Looking for death?!" Hearing someone calling him, Bai Yang also shifted his gaze, immediately spotting Ye Wenying, with half his face swollen¡ªbarely recognizable¡ªand boiling with rage. "I wanted that top star to trick Hao Jian, but I didn''t expect you to take her away. Moreover, I didn''t know the person who took her was you..." Caught off guard by Bai Yang''s words, Ye Wenying stood there stunned. Only after Bai Yang finished speaking did he suddenly have a flash of insight in his eyes... Chapter 833 - 832: Supreme... "That guy realized it all along?!" It was only now that Ye Wenying finally realized that Hao Jian had seen through his plan, even the unwarranted strife with Bai Yang had been incited by him! "Dammit!" Upon reaching Ye Wenying''s conclusion, Bai Yang''s complexion turned ugly, his fist fiercely striking the wall beside him, his growling voice filled with fury. It was unclear whether that curse was directed at Ye Wenying or at Hao Jian. From this incident, Bai Yang could roughly guess what had happened. Wasn''t it all because of that top card? It was simply due to the conflict with Ye Wenying''s plan. If he hadn''t gone for that top card, perhaps this brawl would never have occurred. These were all hypotheticals, and the urgent matter at hand was to first stabilize both sides'' emotions. Then they could think of a way to capture Hao Jian, after all, they were all Young Masters of prominent families in Capital City, distinguished figures in society. And today, they had all been played by Hao Jian alone, a major loss of face. Believing in the speed of modern information dissemination, by tomorrow at the latest, many would know the news that Ye Family''s Ye Wenying and Bai Family''s Bai Yang were played by Hao Jian. By then, Hao Jian''s influence would surge while they would be looked down upon, and mocked. "Damn bastard!" Cursing under his breath, Ye Wenying took his subordinates and slinked away from the nightclub. As for the top card, Ye Wenying left her right there¡ªsince Hao Jian had seen through the plan, the woman was of no use anymore. If she was of no use, why keep her around and be bothered? "Hao Jian, don''t let me catch you slipping, or even a Daluo Immortal won''t be able to save you!" Watching Ye Wenying''s departing figure, Bai Yang''s expression was also extremely somber. He had already insulted him at the entrance, and now he dared to incite discord between him and Ye Wenying, almost leading to an irreparable vendetta. If he did not declare war on Hao Jian this time, how could he, Bai Yang, continue being the Young Master of the Bai Family?! "Brother..." Bai Yanrou looked at Bai Yang''s gloomy face with some concern; she had never seen her brother display such a terrifying expression. "It''s fine." Bai Yang shook his head and rubbed his still sore forehead before leading his people away from the nightclub. The priority now was to address his injuries; the urgent matter at hand was his health and his reputation... It couldn''t possibly be fitting for the Young Master of the Bai Family to stroll around with a face resembling a swollen pig''s, right? That would greatly damage the Bai Family''s image. Otherwise, Ye Wenying wouldn''t be in such a rush to get to the hospital, just thinking about it. ............ As for what Bai Yang and Ye Wenying were thinking, Hao Jian was unaware and frankly, had no interest in finding out, as he was already driving the rented car back to the hotel. With the pre-flight check happening in half an hour, he didn''t have much time to pack his things and had to move quickly. As such, Hao Jian walked even faster, occasionally breaking into a run, but when he reached a certain place, a voice filled with anger suddenly sounded in his ear... "Get out of the way, you damn beggar!" Beggar? Is she talking to me? Hearing this, Hao Jian was momentarily stunned by the shout, then he stopped and looked around, but saw no one. "Fuck! You deaf beggar, can''t you hear me?! I told you to scram, are you fucking deaf?! Move it now for god''s sake! A stinking beggar, blocking my way?!" Turning towards the voice, Hao Jian saw a Mercedes sports car parked behind him, and he happened to be standing right in front of the car, blocking the driver''s way out. "Nonsense!" Having been cursed at for no reason, Hao Jian''s face also turned sour. If it weren''t for his relatively good mood today, he would have dealt with this woman already. "Nonsense your ass! What''s a filthy beggar like you even talking for, just move! Do you hear me?!" The person behind the voice heard Hao Jian''s low muttering and immediately cursed out loud in anger and irritation, making Hao Jian''s already darkened expression grow even grimmer. Through the car window, Hao Jian could see the person driving the sports car who was cursing at him¡ªan old lady in her fifties or sixties with wrinkles and crow''s feet on her face. Calling such a person a Granny was already being polite, considering Hao Jian''s current age. Of course, this thought remained unspoken. Attempting to voice it would incite a tirade from the woman, given her temperament. And it just so happened that Hao Jian had had his fill of excitement today, after the clash with Ye Wenying and Bai Yang, he was weary both physically and mentally, and had no intention of further engaging with this woman. "Bad luck!" With an unpleased expression, Hao Jian ignored the elderly woman, or Granny, and continued walking towards the hotel entrance. "Beggar! What the hell did you just say!? Stop right there! Who did you say was bringing bad luck? I haven''t even complained about your stench yet, you stinking beggar!" Hao Jian didn''t want to bother arguing with this granny, but she completely disregarded what he thought. As soon as she saw Hao Jian trying to leave, her face soured instantly, and she roared angrily, even starting her car, intending to ram into Hao Jian. This young man actually dared to insult her, and immediately, rage filled her heart. Damn it! Feeling the engine roar of the Mercedes sports car behind him, Hao Jian cursed under his breath, wondering how he could run into a lunatic just by stepping outside. He felt extremely annoyed. On top of that this granny had a filthy mouth. He hadn''t even provoked her, just simply passed by, and she thought he was in her way?! Fuck! There are plenty of roads in this world, besides, is this road yours?! You''ve got the nerve to say that to me? With anger rising in his heart, Hao Jian''s face also turned indignant, and he turned around and walked towards the Mercedes sports car. "Haha! Stinking beggar, you actually dare to come back! But that''s even better, just stand there and see if I don''t run you over!" The granny''s face turned savage, and when she saw Hao Jian returning, joy spread across her face, and she laughed loudly, ready to step on the accelerator. As for the consequences of killing someone, she had never considered it, after all, he was just a stinking beggar - if he died, he died. Moreover, her son would take care of everything. This granny, without any worries, pressed her foot crazily on the accelerator! "Boom!" However, before she could even feel the car move, an earth-shattering sensation suddenly hit her. Looking up, she saw Hao Jian''s foot firmly planted on the hood of her Mercedes sports car, and the hood was now completely deformed, crumpled inward beyond recognition. A thin trail of smoke began to rise from the exploded crack¡­ "Good for nothing!" Seeing this scene, the granny was immediately furious. She furiously stomped on the accelerator, but no matter how many times she pressed, the car showed no response, not even the car''s display light up. Except for the pointers on the dashboard twitching abnormally¡­ "You... just you wait!" The car was getting hotter inside, and the granny, fearing that the car might explode, hurriedly got out. She looked heartachingly at her car, which Hao Jian had kicked, thinking about the two million plus she spent on it! All of this was caused by this stinking beggar! The granny''s face contorted in anger as she looked at Hao Jian and bellowed, "Stinking beggar, pay up for this!" "Idiot!" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian gave the granny a cold glance, then slowly lifted his foot off the hood of the kicked Mercedes sports car, turned around, and was about to leave¡­ "Stinking beggar!? What did you just say? You dare to insult me! Let me tell you, my son is the boss of the Mafia! The way you''re treating me, you¡­ your days are numbered!" Seeing Hao Jian''s dismissive demeanor, the granny''s face grew even uglier. In Capital City, someone dared to disrespect her!? Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Her son worked under the Young Master of the Bai Family! Who is the Young Master? The Bai Family''s heir! With such a status, he could virtually do as he pleased in Capital City, and her son worked under this person! "I''m telling you! This is Capital City. If a beggar like you gets discovered, you wouldn''t last a day before being expelled from Capital City!" The granny''s face was fierce as she screamed out, "If you dare to walk away now, I''ll immediately call someone. My son will definitely tear you to pieces!" "Tap¡­" Hearing those words, Hao Jian also stopped in his tracks, his expression neutral, as he turned around impassively to look at this shrewish woman who he didn''t know where she came from¡­ "Haha! Stinking beggar! You got scared, didn''t you?!" Seeing Hao Jian stop, the granny immediately showed a smile on her face, certain that by mentioning her son''s influence, he wouldn''t dare to run! "Kneel down obediently, knock your head on the ground three times! Apologize to me, or else, I''ll take your life!" Seeing her, Hao Jian shook his head, thinking that people like her must have done no small amount of oppressing others. It''s just too bad, today this granny had picked the wrong person! "Idiot!" Hao Jian disparagingly muttered, with a sneer on his face, "Call your so-called Mafia son now. I want to see who he is!" "If he is too weak, I will crush him with one hand!" In Capital City, if he wasn''t one of those from the major family''s young masters or the person in charge, Hao Jian really couldn''t be bothered. This time, if it weren''t for the granny making an unreasonable scene, Hao Jian wouldn''t have given her the time of day. But he hadn''t expected the world to still have such extreme specimens¡­ Chapter 834 - 833: No Manners? "Okay... okay! You just wait!" "You filthy beggar!" Granny''s face soured. Ever since her son had become "successful," it had been a long time since anyone dared to talk to her like that! Immediately, she reached into her Dior bag and pulled out a diamond-studded phone, dialed a number, and started to listen to the call... No manners! Seeing this, Hao Jian shook his head silently. People like her had never experienced great wealth and luxury before. Once they did, those with a weak nature would behave like this. Over the years, Hao Jian had seen far too many such cases. Their nouveau-riche antics intended to show off their presence and grab attention; these people largely lacked a sense of security. They were desperate to find external means to assure their security¡ªclearly, for Granny, it was money and status. As for the son she mentioned, in Hao Jian''s view, he was at most just a minor Mafia boss. After all, a major Mafia boss would have an extraordinary temperament, especially in a political hub like the Capital under the scrutiny of the Prince. How could the existence of the Mafia be permitted? A minor gang wasn''t worth much attention from Hao Jian. But his mother was quite the character, stirring up a lot of trouble for her son without understanding the identity and status of the person she was dealing with. Shaking his head gently, Hao Jian felt quite helpless. This delay meant he was going to miss his flight... Sigh! It seems he could only return later. Moon Goddess Jiang had already returned to the military, and Hao Lu had followed her; it appeared he had to call her back. Hao Jian felt helpless. He was supposed to return to Hua City tonight, but he didn''t expect to be held up by such a trivial matter. Well, resolving these tedious issues would at least lighten his burden. "Mom! What''s wrong?!" Half an hour later, a somewhat thin, middle-aged man with an angry expression hurried over with more than twenty people to where Granny was. "Son! This man bullied your mother, and... and he also damaged the Mercedes sports car I just bought!" Seeing her son arriving, Granny suddenly gained confidence and started acting coquettish like a little girl towards her son... Ugh! Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing a woman nearly sixty years old acting coquettish toward a middle-aged man, Hao Jian suddenly felt a chill, a wave of nausea surged from his heart and up through his throat, almost making him vomit, but fortunately, Hao Jian swallowed it back, quickly turning his head. Too horrifying! It took Hao Jian a while to recover, but his face still bore some lingering fear. With the world so vast, why did he always run into such extreme characters... "Kid! I''m Black Snake, the boss of the Black Snake Gang!" After hearing his mother''s exaggerated story, Black Snake furiously positioned his followers behind him to protect his mother while he stepped forward, glaring at Hao Jian. "My mom said you dared to bully her!? Speak! How do you want to die?" This was his mother! Whether she was right or wrong, he had to protect her, not for any other reason but because she was his mother! And now this young man before him had dared to bully his mother, a grievance he could not just swallow! All his life, it had been his mother who raised him, only recently joining a big shot''s crew, slowly ushering in this luxurious lifestyle. And now, just as his mother was starting to enjoy, this incident happened, making Black Snake very angry... "Now that the main character is here, let''s start..." Hao Jian waved his hand impatiently, slowly turning around, his stance ready, his eyes turning icy in an instant, his tone indifferent, he said: "I don''t care about your reasons..." "Kid! You''re courting death!" Hearing Hao Jian''s dismissive words, Black Snake''s face turned ugly, and with a wave of his hand, his followers immediately pulled out their hidden watermelon knives and other weapons. The scene was somewhat formidable, imagining one side with twenty or thirty people wielding sharp weapons and the other side just one man; anyone could guess that the lone person was bound to lose. But it also depends on who it is. Hao Jian''s eyes remained indifferent, and with a sneer, he said: "It seems you can only show off in front of ordinary people." "Watch me settle you all in an instant!" Hao Jian let out a cold laugh. "Attack!" Black Snake didn''t hear Hao Jian''s words; if he had, perhaps his rage would have been even greater. "Swoosh!" Hao Jian''s eyes slowly closed, and then, in a certain moment, he suddenly opened them, his heel stomped the ground hard. His whole body turned into a bolt of lightning, and under that flash, his speed comparable to lightning instantly passed by everyone... "Bang bang bang!" Following that, Black Snake''s face turned deathly pale, just because he saw his group of subordinates collapsing to the ground in an instant. From their foaming mouths, it was clear they were incapable of fighting any longer. "You¡­ you brat¡­ don''t¡­ don''t be smug!" As Black Snake watched Hao Jian, who had just dealt with his subordinates, slowly walking towards him, his face immediately showed a panic-stricken and flustered expression, and he bellowed with inner fear, "I¡­I am under Young Master Bai''s command, you¡­ after you have beaten me, you... must... know the consequences!" "Bai Yang?" The words of Black Snake indeed surprised Hao Jian a bit, causing his advancing steps to halt momentarily. "Exactly, Bai Yang, Young Master from the Bai Family in Capital City!" Seeing that Hao Jian had stopped, Black Snake felt a surge of relief in his heart, thinking that this man was afraid of the people backing him, and immediately hurried to say, "If he finds out that his subordinate was defeated by you, you won''t be able to leave Capital City!" "Hehe, I was actually planning to find time to deal with Bai Yang, I didn''t expect it to come so soon..." Hao Jian chuckled softly, his toe lightly touched the ground, and his figure explosively leaped forward, and then, behind the horrified face of Black Snake, he directly slapped him across the face. "Slap slap slap!" One slap after another was thrown onto Black Snake''s face by Hao Jian, gradually causing Black Snake''s cheeks to swell up, and all his teeth in his mouth were knocked out. With such a mother, this son cannot be much better. Since a lesson is to be taught, might as well not care about the severity, it''s for the best to deter this guy from bullying others ever again! "Slap! Boom!" Hao Jian''s thoughts rapidly turned, and immediately his palm exerted fierce strength, directly flinging Black Snake out, who finally landed on his mother''s Mercedes sports car, creating a hole in its roof, demonstrating the power of Hao Jian''s slap. "You¡­ you brat¡­ I¡­ Young Master Bai will be here soon..." Black Snake, holding back his breath, pressed down Bai Yang''s mobile number, quickly informed him of his location and who was present, then fainted¡­ "Son!" Granny, seeing her son get knocked unconscious by Hao Jian, turned pale and hurriedly patted her son''s body, relieved to find he still had some breath. Noticing that her son was still breathing, Granny was not as worried anymore. With a furious expression, she glared at Hao Jian and screamed, "You scoundrel! How dare you beat my son like this, when Young Master Bai comes, I''ll see how you die!" "You should care more about your son, he''s almost dying!" Hao Jian shook his head, initially only wanting to teach these people a lesson, but unexpectedly finding they were Bai Yang''s subordinates, he then spontaneously decided to wait for Bai Yang to come. The scores between him and Bai Yang weren''t settled yet, now with such an opportunity, how could he possibly let it go? Plus, having just been tricked by him, he might be searching everywhere for himself right now, and just from the description of his own subordinates, one could guess it was him. As time passed, another half hour went by, Hao Jian''s flight had already taken off, and Bai Yang''s Rolls-Royce Ghost also arrived with a roaring engine, at the site of Hao Jian... "Didn''t expect that Young Master Bai would actually make a trip just for a subordinate." Seeing the person coming down from the car, Hao Jian scoffed and cupped his hands together. "Young man! This young master doesn''t want to waste words with you!" Bai Yang, with a face full of anger and an imposing mien, first glanced over the twenty or so people lying behind Hao Jian, then at Black Snake, who lay on the Mercedes clueless whether alive or dead, his face becoming more ugly. "Young Master Bai! You must seek justice for my son!" Seeing her son''s backer appear, Granny, with tears, ran up to Bai Yang, pointed at Hao Jian and in a demanding tone said, "This is the guy, Young Master Bai, quickly get rid of him! Avenge my son!" Hearing this, Hao Jian shook his head. Was this woman brainless? With Bai Yang''s proud personality, how could he be angry because of such a useless subordinate? At most, he would just feel humiliated that someone dared to attack under his protection! Now, as a woman of the household commanding in such a tone, could Bai Yang possibly listen? "Get lost!" Facing such domination, Bai Yang''s expression turned unpleasant, he bellowed at Granny, and then a bodyguard behind him directly grabbed Granny and threw her out... "Young Master Bai... Young Master Bai!" The thrown out Granny, with a face full of panic and boundless anger, how could this person be so rude?! How could he be so uneducated?! Chapter 835 - 834 Too Much Nonsense "Step aside!" Bai Yang''s face was hideous, could even a shrew like this command him now?! "Hao Jian, I admit you''re strong and resourceful, and I don''t care about the trouble you''ve caused in Capital City before, nor do I mind that you beat up my sister, but you''ve played me too! I''m very angry about this!" Grinding his teeth with rage, Bai Yang glared at Hao Jian with eyes full of fury. "You now have two choices! One is to kneel and apologize to me for what you did before! The other is giving up on ever leaving Capital City!" "Don''t doubt my words, Bai Yang. What I say, I always make happen!" "Oh? I, Hao Jian, have never feared anything. After all your blathering, I truly don''t know what this so-called backing or means you have actually is!" In response to Bai Yang''s threat, all Hao Jian did was shake his head, his eyes filled with disdain and a light laugh that carried a hint of mockery as he spoke, "With these good-for-nothing lackeys you brought, they''re barely enough to deal with ordinary people. I''m giving you a chance; go call for more, so no one can accuse me of bullying the weak..." Waving his hand, Hao Jian was completely indifferent to Bai Yang''s provocation, nonchalantly folding his arms across his chest, calm and composed, waiting for Bai Yang''s backup. "You!" Bai Yang pointed angrily at Hao Jian, wanting someone to teach this guy a lesson, but he realized that his own men were indeed incapable of handling Hao Jian just as Hao Jian had said. "Just you wait!" With a cold snort, Bai Yang picked up his phone, his face ugly with rage as he barked into the phone, "Come here immediately! Bolan Hotel on Lanhai Road! Bring as many people as you can! There''s a guy here who has angered me!" "I''m giving you five minutes to get here!" After his final shout into the phone, Bai Yang ended the call, took a moment to suppress his anger, then stared at Hao Jian and sneered, "Since you''re so eager to seek death, then I''m afraid there''s nothing more I can do!" "Too much nonsense; I''m tired of listening." Shaking his head, Hao Jian walked around carelessly, went over to that "Black Snake", grabbed him off the car roof, and threw him into the pile of the twenty or so men he had already taken down, as for Granny, she had already been frightened into unconsciousness by Bai Yang''s bodyguards. Just as Hao Jian had thrown Black Snake and was about to move on, a deep rumbling sound grew closer and closer, unexpectedly shifting his gaze. Armored vehicles?! Feeling the ground tremble and hearing the sound of engines, Hao Jian immediately recognized the incoming mode of transport. Only the military used armored vehicles like that. In the city, the military wouldn''t normally drive such vehicles around randomly unless they were involved in some special training; and given that it was around eleven at night, it was impossible for them to be training in the city. Therefore, there was only one possibility left: these people were called by Bai Yang. Realizing this, Hao Jian shook his head helplessly; the Bai Family was indeed the most powerful family in Capital City to have their own Special Forces. "Haha! Hao Jian, prepare to die!" Bai Yang also noticed the commotion, and upon seeing those armored vehicles and motorcycles now within his sight, he couldn''t help feeling overjoyed and looked at Hao Jian with an air of triumph, laughing out loud. No matter how powerful Hao Jian was, Bai Yang refused to believe he would be stronger than the Special Forces personally trained by his family!! The Bai Family was a family authorized to privately own their own Special Forces, although there was a limit; they could only have fifty men, as having a private army is not something that is easily permitted. As for these Special Forces called by Bai Yang, Hao Jian felt rather helpless, anticipating a hard fight ahead. The corners of his mouth slowly curled into a smirk, Hao Jian coldly gazed at Bai Yang. Since you''ve set your heart on killing, then I, Hao Jian, will show you the consequences of provoking me! "Bai Yang has summoned his family''s Special Forces; help me handle it..." Picking up his phone, Hao Jian dialed Moon Goddess Jiang''s number, his voice light and laughing, paying no attention to the approaching Special Forces or Bai Yang, who was by now grinning from ear to ear with smugness. Hao Jian knew that to deal with these fellows, one needed someone who really had a say in Capital City. Currently, no one was more fitting than Moon Goddess Jiang. As the Moon Goddess, her status was unquestionably powerful. Hao Jian originally thought Bai Yang would call some mafia-like figures. Dealing with such people might at most be a little troublesome, but for Hao Jian, they were hardly worth mentioning. However, now Bai Yang had summoned Special Forces, which changed the nature of the situation entirely. If fighting was not an option, then they''d compete in terms of connections. Fortunately, the identity of the Moon Goddess Jiang could perfectly solve all of this. With such a trump card at hand, why not use it? "Haha! You think a phone call from you can make these people I summoned back down?! Too naive! I''m a Young Master from the Capital City, my father is the Bai Family Head, and this Special Forces unit is specially authorized from above. Calling anyone will be useless!" Bai Yang looked at Hao Jian with pride, bursting into laughter. It was really too funny, didn''t this Hao Jian know that this is the Capital City? As the center of Huaxia, the Capital City gathers the most prestigious and influential people in the country. Those who can enter the Capital City are certainly the elite of the elite. Their Bai Family could summon a response with just a call, their influence was naturally not to be underestimated. Plus, the Bai Family itself had substantial influence within the Military Department, so they had their own private Special Forces unit. "Young Master Bai, are you alright?!" An armored vehicle followed by more than twenty motorcycles firmly stopped behind Bai Yang. A somewhat overweight middle-aged man, who walked a bit unsteadily, hurriedly ran down from the armored vehicle, looking nervously at Bai Yang. This man was named Lu Hu, a loyal follower of the Bai Family, though his name sounded impressive, he was actually timid and afraid of trouble, not at all as imposing as his name suggested. Initially patrolling nearby, he had received a call from Bai Yang and rushed over with his men at top speed. Thankfully, the cars on the road cleared a path upon seeing the speeding armored vehicle, even though a few sedans were accidentally hit along the way, he paid them no mind. The reason was simple, he had the backing of Bai Yang, and even if something went wrong, the Bai Family would take care of it. This was how he managed to arrive in such a short time; the whole trip took just three to four minutes, well ahead of the five minutes that Bai Yang had requested. "It''s nothing, immediately take your men and capture that guy opposite me!" Bai Yang impatiently waved his hand and then pointed at Hao Jian, his eyes sharp and face filled with anger. "Just this kid?" His gaze shifted to the direction Bai Yang was pointing and saw a young man. Lu Hu was taken aback, somewhat in disbelief. How could such a person give Bai Yang trouble? Just one person, the two bodyguards behind Bai Yang should be more than enough to deal with him! Why bother calling them over for this, he had thought it was something major. It turned out to be just a kid; such a person could be easily handled by sending one subordinate, no need for a whole Special Forces team like his. "Idiot! If it really were just one person, would I need to call you?! Look behind him!" Upon hearing this, Lu Hu also paid attention to what was behind Hao Jian, his complexion slightly changing as he counted. There were actually more than twenty men down behind him, which meant that this person had dealt with more than twenty armed individuals without any help?! This kind of strength was something not even the Special Forces in their team could achieve! "Stop talking nonsense and take care of him now, just seeing this guy''s face irritates me!" Seeing Lu Hu''s serious look but still not ordering his men to move, Bai Yang waved his hand impatiently. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I''m going to..." Before Lu Hu could finish his sentence, a ringtone from a mobile phone suddenly sounded... "Beep beep beep..." "Damn it?! Who''s calling now?!" At such a critical moment, who would be calling?! Bai Yang cursed inwardly, this ringtone was from his own phone. He took it out of his pocket, saw the caller ID, and his face instantly paled. It was his father... "Father..." Bai Yang''s voice didn''t hide anything, and Lu Hu, the closest to Bai Yang, also heard this. He immediately waved to the men behind him, signaling them to get ready for combat. "Xiaoyang, are you causing trouble for your old man again outside?!" Once the call connected, his father''s roaring voice came through, startling Bai Yang so much that he almost dropped his phone. He quickly said, "Father, no!" He truly didn''t consider the matter with Hao Jian trouble, so Bai Yang didn''t know what trouble he had actually stirred up. Fearless in heaven and earth, the thing that Bai Yang feared the most was his old man. Only his old man could scold him like that, and he didn''t dare to retaliate. "You dare say no?! People from above have freaking called me! Driving an armored vehicle through the city and speeding like a madman feels good, huh? Do you know how many cars you''ve wrecked? You''ve now caused serious social disturbance, people from above told me to inform you to take your men and roll back to the Yang Family immediately, otherwise, you''ll be charged with treason!" Bai Yang''s father was obviously furious, the yelling was transmitted through the phone directly into Hao Jian''s ears, causing a slow smirk to form on his lips. Chapter 836 - 835: Return to the Family Immediately! "I... I just called Lu Hu and the others to help me deal with one person! The people from the Ministry of Defense won''t allow it?!" Hearing his father''s words, Bai Yang''s face instantly turned deathly pale, as the crime of mobilizing the army privately was a severe one! If such an accusation was indeed confirmed, even if his life was tough and his connections were strong, there would absolutely be no way out! He had a powerful background and a high status, but all this rested on the premise that his Bai Family would not fall, and moreover, he had not violated any major criminal laws of the country. Yet, this crime of mobilizing the army in private was something he dared not touch. In the past, he had also called upon Lu Hu to help himself, but the Ministry of Defense had not said anything then. But why today, when he called them to deal with Hao Jian, did the Ministry of Defense call his father?! Clearly, all of this was related to that previous phone call from Hao Jian! Which means, all of this was Hao Jian''s doing! "Was it you who did this?!" Therefore, having thought it through, Bai Yang was filled with anger, glaring furiously at Hao Jian. "Heh, now that you know, what''s the point of so much nonsense? Why don''t you just obediently take your dogs and leave? Believe it or not, I could easily kill all of you right here?!" Hao Jian shook his head disdainfully, his face bearing a mocking expression, sarcastically chimed in, "I didn''t expect that the prestigious soldiers would be manipulated by such a profligate young person, and that this so-called Major would nod and bow to a family''s Young Master, just like a lapdog." "How sad!" "Brat, you''re seeking death!" Lu Hu''s face darkened with anger due to Hao Jian''s sarcastic words. He could tolerate others speaking ill of him, but he could not accept the term ''lapdog''! His subordinates were also embarrassed by Hao Jian''s words; indeed, they simply followed orders and were ignorant about whom they were dealing with. "Enough! Stop causing more trouble, Bai Yang, you have already lost, go back to your family immediately! Otherwise, you know the consequences!" The voice at the scene was loud and unmasked, clearly transmitted into Bai Yang''s phone that was yet to be hung up, causing Bai Yang''s father to shout at him. The voice was somewhat frenzied, as now was not the time for willful arrogance¡ªthis was a request from the Ministry of Defense! For such high-level institutions, even the Bai Family was insignificant! "This... Is!" Originally, Bai Yang wanted to deal with Hao Jian before leaving, but hearing the tone of his father, it was clear there wasn''t any chance given to him, so he could only tentatively agree to his father for now. "Hao Jian, you just wait, next time, you won''t be so lucky!" Before leaving, Bai Yang could not help but issue a harsh remark, but Hao Jian just disdainfully clicked his tongue, ignoring him and turned his head, looking at this member of the Black Snake Gang, waving his hand dismissively. "Alright, alright, if you''re going to leave then hurry up, why all this nonsense?" "You!" Hao Jian''s impatience made Bai Yang''s face contort in anger, ultimately snorting coldly, and, with Lu Hu and others, left dejectedly. Now that even the military was futile, plus his father''s order, Bai Yang could only temporarily suppress his rage towards Hao Jian. "Kid, if not for your dad being a bit smarter, you''d be in jail eating prison food right now!" Watching the armored vehicle disappear at the end of the road, Hao Jian hummed softly, shook his head, then slapped the Black Snake member who had passed out, sending him flying with the force. "How much longer do you want to pretend to be unconscious?" After slapping the Black Snake member away, it was Hao Jian''s coolly indifferent voice that followed, his eyes calmly gazing at the Black Snake thrown away, his tone was calm. "..." Yet in response to his words, there was no reaction from the Black Snake''s body, seemingly truly passed out, but Hao Jian, who also had some medical skills, could certainly distinguish whether someone was truly or feignly unconscious. "If you''re not planning to get up, then never get up again." The mild words came from Hao Jian''s mouth, his steps slowly moving forward, carrying a certain heaviness. If it were someone with the stature and status of Bai Yang, Hao Jian would still find it interesting to toy with him. Even for those slightly inferior, Hao Jian could manage some interest. However, when it came to a mafia boss like Black Snake who was also subservient under Bai Yang, Hao Jian was not so easily forgiving. Over the years, Hao Jian didn''t believe this guy hadn''t harmed others. From his mother''s actions, it was apparent, and what Hao Jian despised most were those who bullied others under the shelter of power. You being a mafia, I won''t say anything, existence is reasonable, but if you bully ordinary unarmed civilians, then I, Hao Jian, have to step in. "Don''t kill me! Don''t kill me!" Under Hao Jian''s threat, the body of Black Snake, which originally seemed "dead", suddenly began to tremble, and then Black Snake''s face turned panicked as he hurriedly began to beg for mercy. A bitter smile crossed his mind. Just who was this guy? He not only single-handedly killed more than twenty of his men, but also made Young Master Bai, his backer, leave without doing anything. However, just the fact he could so calmly face this situation showed his strength; at least, Black Snake couldn''t provoke him. Didn''t Young Master Bai have no solution to him and ended up being counter-checked? "Take your mother and immediately get out of Huaxia. If I see you again in Huaxia, don''t doubt it, you will die miserably!" Hao Jian''s tone was cold, carrying indifference towards life, which struck Black Snake like a bolt from the blue. Was he really being asked to leave Huaxia? "Hao... Young Master Hao!" With a gloomy face, Black Snake quickly ran up and knelt down not far from Hao Jian, wanting to beg for mercy. The Black Snake Gang was the result of his years of hard work! He had barely carved out a small territory under those top mafias, and had a couple of hundred followers, plus he recently connected with the powerful Bai Family. With such good conditions, how could he just give up?! "We are not that familiar. Either emigrate, or stay here and I''ll deal with you easily." Hao Jian didn''t care about Black Snake''s pleading at all, his tone was flat without any fluctuation, as indifferent as one treats a life. "Although I, Hao Jian, don''t like killing, if you deliberately seek death, then I have no choice, and when I Hao Jian take care of someone, they end up without a complete corpse..." "I''ll leave! I''ll leave!" S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Cold sweat streamed down Black Snake''s forehead, and his clothes were already soaked with cold sweat. The killing intent in Hao Jian''s tone seemed genuine, he was surely capable of going through with it! What''s the point of a mafia if his life was almost gone? Though he thought so, Black Snake still couldn''t get over it internally. Today''s incident wasn''t supposed to happen; it was a disaster out of the blue for him. If his mother hadn''t provoked Hao Jian, if she hadn''t insulted Hao Jian, this situation would never have arisen. He would still be leading the Black Snake Gang under Bai Yang''s command, his wealth growing, and the gang becoming stronger. But all this happened just because his mother provoked Hao Jian, causing all these events to burst like bubbles. "It''s all because of you!" Black Snake''s face showed a hint of madness, his eyes flashing with fierce coldness, his expression extremely ferocious. But this boundless rage was not directed at Hao Jian, but towards his mother, who lay on the ground not far away. "How sad..." Seeing Black Snake''s ferocious face and quickly walking towards Granny, Hao Jian gently shook his head, glanced at Black Snake lightly, and then left the place, heading into the hotel. Due to this disturbance, Hao Jian had already missed his flight, and he also needed to renew his hotel room, otherwise, it would be embarrassing to have his belongings removed by the hotel... "Bang!" The sound of flesh hitting flesh suddenly erupted, Black Snake, with a face showing madness, punched after punch onto Granny, without caring that this person was his mother. The Black Snake Gang was indeed the culmination of his years of efforts! It was all because this woman caused trouble outside, dragging him into the mess, otherwise, how could he have ended up in such a situation?! "Son...don''t...hit...anymore..." Black Snake did not show any mercy in his attack. Granny, almost sixty years old, couldn''t withstand much, and soon spat out blood continuously, trying to get her son to stop, but she didn''t even have the strength to speak... Her heart was full of regret, but now there was no way to reverse the situation as it had already occurred. The one who had been pretending to be unconscious, after a few punches from Black Snake, really passed out... "You tell me not to hit?! This is all because of you!" Black Snake''s face was ferocious as he roared out loud. ................................................. Even though the idea of killing his own mother had formed in his mind, ultimately Black Snake couldn''t do it. No matter what, this woman was his mother, regardless of how bad she was, she was still his mother. So after a few more hits, Black Snake calmed down. That same night, Black Snake returned to his residence. After turning all his possessions into cash, he dissolved the Black Snake Gang, packed up some simple clothes and other things, and took his severely injured mother. Three days later, in the morning, they boarded a plane to the USA where he started his new life... Of course, all these are a story for another time... Chapter 837 - 836: Guarding the Car The next morning, Hao Jian called Moon Goddess Jiang and told her about missing his flight, then suggested they go out for another walk. Of course, the main reason was that he wanted to spend more time with Moon Goddess Jiang. After all, Hao Jian''s base was in Hua City, where he often had many things to handle, and Moon Goddess Jiang could not leave Capital City easily due to her responsibilities. Moreover, she had to take care of Hao Lu, so Hao Jian always wanted to spend more time with Moon Goddess Jiang to make up for the time he owed her in the past. On days with few or no commitments, Moon Goddess Jiang usually had a lot of free time, so upon receiving Hao Jian''s call, she nodded in agreement, got ready, and left the house with Hao Lu. Today, Hao Jian planned to finish visiting several attractions including the Summer Palace, Old Summer Palace, and then eat some local snacks from Capital City before ending their day''s journey. "Lulu, did you miss daddy?" Seeing Moon Goddess Jiang, Hao Jian smiled, nodded, then picked up Hao Lu from Moon Goddess Jiang''s arms, extended his index finger, gently tickled Hao Lu''s little nose, and laughed softly. "How forgetful I am, didn''t we just meet yesterday?" The child''s innocence made Hao Jian touch his nose, thinking she would miss him, only to find she was as strong-willed as her mother. "Yes, yes! Daddy did forget, but daddy missed Lulu a lot after not seeing her for a whole night!" Hao Jian said as he carried Hao Lu into Moon Goddess Jiang''s Land Rover. After the experience of taking an unlicensed taxi last time, Moon Goddess Jiang didn''t want to use taxis anymore. After all, driving her car, the most trouble would be finding parking spaces. But since her vehicle had a military plate, she thought these issues should be easy to resolve. If there was no parking space, she could just find any spot to park. That day, Hao Jian took Moon Goddess Jiang to the Old Summer Palace to see the ruins, then they went to a nearby upscale western restaurant for a meal, continuing their journey afterward. This time, Hao Jian drove the Land Rover and slowly pulled it over to the curb before stepping toward their next destination, the International Shopping Center, Linhai International Trade Center building. But just as he was about to lift his right foot, he suddenly caught sight of a figure that looked rather sneaky to him. His eyes narrowed slightly, and then he shifted his gaze over. "Looking at his attire, he seems to be a cleaner... But why is he acting so sneaky, what is he doing?" Curiosity piqued, Hao Jian approached the cleaning man, watching him walk around a BMW car repeatedly, occasionally looking around, leaving Hao Jian quite puzzled. You might think he''s a thief from his behavior, but it doesn''t seem quite right. You say he''s not a thief, yet this looking around and glancing inside the car is precisely how thieves behave. Therefore, Hao Jian felt the need to follow and ask what exactly he was doing. A cleaner, acting this way in this international trade plaza. "Excuse me, what are you doing?" Hao Jian stepped forward to inquire, his face full of curiosity, gazing at this man who appeared to be in his fifties, and asked. "The window of this BMW car is open, and I was worried that someone might steal something important inside, so I can only stand here and wait for the car''s owner. But I''ve been waiting all day, and the owner still hasn''t shown up¡­" Evidently, Hao Jian had misunderstood the cleaner, who seemed quite anxious and wasn''t likely lying¡ªa detail Hao Jian could discern. "If the owner doesn''t show up soon, I will have to leave early, as I haven''t been able to go to work all day. I''m afraid that my boss might dock my wages¡­" The cleaner''s face showed helplessness, having been possibly asked these questions many times before. He spoke quite clearly. However, Hao Jian didn''t really have any solution for his current predicament. "Hao Jian, can you think of any way to help Cleaning Uncle out?" Moved by Cleaning Uncle''s actions, Moon Goddess Jiang also looked at Hao Jian with slightly parted lips. "Well, since we''re not in a rush anyway, let''s just wait here with Cleaning Uncle for the car owner. Since the owner hasn''t shown up for a day, they''re probably going to appear soon..." Cleaning Uncle''s actions also moved Hao Jian. In this world, there are very few people like him, and his words didn''t have any mistakes. This BMW car was a luxury model, worth at least a million, and it was also very new, obviously purchased just a few days ago. Given these circumstances, it was impossible for the owner to neglect their car. After all, there are very few people who can simply abandon their cars like this. "You two must be here to shop at Linhai International Trade Center, right? I''m fine, just go about your business, I''ll wait a bit longer and see." Cleaning Uncle was quite surprised by Hao Jian and Moon Goddess Jiang''s decision, but after thinking about it, he felt it wasn''t appropriate. He is a cleaner at Linhai International Trade Center, and if his boss found out that he let customers stay with him to wait for the owner, the boss might get angry. The boss of Linhai International Trade Center is not easy to deal with. Although this identity means nothing to Hao Jian, he is Cleaning Uncle''s direct boss, and his salary is decided by him. "Haha, don''t worry, Uncle. If your boss punishes you, just tell me, and I''ll talk to your boss. People like you are really scarce nowadays, I believe as long as your boss is not foolish, he definitely won''t blame you." Hearing the worry in Cleaning Uncle''s words, Hao Jian chuckled, waved his hand, and then went to sit on a stone bench by the roadside, obviously planning to stay and wait with the Uncle for the car owner to arrive. "Since we are not in a rush, we might as well keep Uncle company for a while!" While looking at Cleaning Uncle, who showed a moved expression by the BMW, Hao Jian also said this, easing his worries. "Well, okay, I didn''t expect young people like you to still exist these days..." Unable to resist Hao Jian''s insistence, Cleaning Uncle helplessly nodded his head. Since the customer volunteered, even if the boss inquires, he might have an excuse, right? Just like that, several people waited for the car owner to arrive. Hao Jian sat under the shade of a tree, playing with Hao Lu alongside Moon Goddess Jiang, while Cleaning Uncle continued to fulfill his duties. Kung Fu rewards the diligent. An hour after Hao Jian arrived, a lavishly dressed young man approached from a distance, probably because he was dressed in brand-name clothes, numerous women threw flirtatious glances his way. "Sir, your car window was not properly closed. Now that you''re here, I can leave..." Seeing the car owner arrive, Cleaning Uncle scratched his head and said this before preparing to leave to catch up on the work he had missed earlier in the day. Hao Jian, sitting under the tree, frowned slightly upon seeing the car owner''s appearance, a wave of unease washed over him, as if sensing that something was about to happen. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Pretending? I think you were trying to steal my things! You stole my things, and now that you''re caught red-handed, you''re looking for an excuse to run? Do you really think I would let you off that easily?!" The next scene proved Hao Jian''s worries true; the young man ignored Cleaning Uncle''s words and first inspected the inside of the car, his face suddenly turning dark, his eyes icy as he stared at Cleaning Uncle who was about to leave, his angry words slowly emanating from his mouth... "Th... This sir, I... I didn''t do it!" Upon hearing this, Cleaning Uncle, who was just about to leave, suddenly turned pale and immediately turned back, trying to explain... "Damn it! A lowly cleaner dares to steal from my car?! The most important document that I kept in the car, and my wallet, are both gone. Hand them over immediately!" The young man''s face was ugly. The document inside was crucial for his negotiations at the trade center, its worth over tens of millions, and now it had been stolen!? Even his wallet, carrying several thousand yuan, was taken! "Looks like you''re asking for a beating!" Seeing that Cleaning Uncle was denying it, the young man''s temper flared up, and stretching out his fist, he directly aimed a punch at Cleaning Uncle''s face... "Bang!" Poor Cleaning Uncle, already of a certain age and having stood and been in the sun all day, had little energy left. Now struck by the young man''s punch, he instantly fell to the ground... While he struggled to get up, his physical weakness kept him from succeeding despite several attempts, and then the young man''s foot harshly kicked him, sending him flying several meters away, scraping several wounds on his body. This sudden outbreak attracted the attention of many shoppers, their expressions changing subtly, some looking at the young man with anger-filled faces. They were aware of Cleaning Uncle''s actions, and understanding some of the reasons, seeing him being treated as a thief by the car owner immediately ignited their anger.............................................. Chapter 838 - 837 Im Very Angry! "Enough." Just as the young man was about to strike the Cleaning Uncle again, a hand nonchalantly grabbed the young man''s arm, and a faint voice followed... "Damn it, who the hell are you?! You say enough is enough?! My stuff got stolen, and I''m not allowed to hit people?!" The young man was clearly angry with Hao Jian''s intervention, twitching his arm, trying to break free from Hao Jian''s grip, but angrily found that Hao Jian''s palm was like a clamp, inescapable! "Didn''t expect another idiot!" Hao Jian helplessly shook his head, looked at the Cleaning Uncle lying on the ground, smiled slightly, and said, "Uncle, leave this matter to me, go on with your work!" "This¡­" Fear still lingered on the uncle''s face. Hearing Hao Jian''s words, he gritted his teeth, got up, walked to the front of the crowd not far away, and stood there, seemingly unwilling to leave until his innocence was restored today. "You scum! Who told you to leave?!" Seeing the Cleaning Uncle leaving, the young man''s face immediately turned ugly, he lifted his foot to walk towards the uncle, but forgot that his arm was still being held by Hao Jian... "Let go of me!" "You think I''ll let go just because you said so? Who do you think I am?!" Hao Jian looked at the young man with a half-smile, then in the next moment, his face became stern, his left hand clenched into a fist, and then greeted the young man''s cheek. "Bang!!!" "In my whole life, I, Hao Jianping, hate you so-called spoiled brats the most, blaming others without clarifying anything, really think you''re the best in the world?!" With one punch, a faint Killing Intent also started swirling around Hao Jian, an extremely fierce Qi Force directly enveloped the young man''s surroundings. A cold chill suddenly arose, starting from the soles of the feet, eventually spreading to every part of the body, making the young man look at Hao Jian''s face in horror. What kind of person is this guy, how could I have thought he was some sort of prehistoric beast?! But¡­ as the second young master of the Qin Family, one of the four major families, would I be afraid of such a punk?! As one of the four renowned families, the Qin Family holds an extraordinary status in Capital City, and Qin Yang, as the second young master of the Qin Family, has an extraordinary status, unreachable for ordinary people. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But today, someone dared to challenge his authority?! "Damn it, kid! Looking for death!" Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Qin Yang''s face turned grim. Although Hao Jian''s punch was heavy, it also allowed him to free himself from Hao Jian''s grip, which was like iron tongs. "Hurry up and leave, don''t think I don''t know who took your stuff!" After punching Qin Yang, Hao Jian also waved his hand impatiently, signaling him to hurry up and leave, not to obscure his view and also to help the Cleaning Uncle regain some dignity. But it could only go this far, after all, the Cleaning Uncle was just an ordinary person; today he might escape disaster with his help, but if this guy got enraged and vented his anger on the Cleaning Uncle, Hao Jian would not be able to save him in time! I''m very clear about these spoiled brats, typical bullies and cowards! "You!" Infuriated by Hao Jian''s impatient demeanor, Qin Yang could only hold it in, after all, he had no bodyguards around him at the moment, and could only temporarily retreat, waiting to find out this punk''s background and identity before settling the scores with him! Such grievance, he really couldn''t swallow it unwillingly! "Let''s go!" Seeing that the person did not approach but walked towards his car, Hao Jian also shook his head and walked towards Moon Goddess Jiang. "Rumble!" "Young man, be careful!" Just as Hao Jian was about to leave with Moon Goddess Jiang, a car''s roaring sound suddenly came from behind, along with the Cleaning Uncle''s loud shout. "Haha! Kid! You really thought I''d be scared of you?! Watch me run you over!" Qin Yang''s face wore a ferocious laugh, watching as Hao Jian''s pupils dilated with speed, his mouth widening in a grin, even imagining the scene of Hao Jian and his companions being crushed under his car! Although often blatantly running people over can be a bit troubling, it was just a bit troublesome after all, since no matter what, he was the second son of the Qin Family. Leveraging this identity, over the years he had rid of many people who opposed him, all of whom invariably held lower status than himself! Looking at Hao Jian''s situation, it seemed he only possessed brute strength and no other status or position, which could be inferred from his attire; thus, Qin Yang had no concerns whatsoever! "He really is incorrigibly covetous!" Noticing the movement behind him, Hao Jian''s expression immediately darkened, and with a wave of his hand, a gentle Qi Force emitted from his palm, eventually hitting Moon Goddess Jiang and sending her beyond the range of the car''s impact while he stared furiously at the approaching BMW. "It''s over..." The face of the Cleaning Uncle from a distance went blank, the BMW was only two to three meters away from Hao Jian, a distance ordinary people simply couldn''t dodge! Thinking about this polite, sociable young man, Cleaning Uncle deeply regretted why he had helped someone looking after the car? If he had known that the car owner was such an unreasonable person, he would have never interfered with this matter! Now, not only has he drawn fire upon himself, but he has also implicated such a young man... "Idiot!" Disdainful voices came from two directions: one from Hao Jian and the other from Moon Goddess Jiang. At their level, a car impact seeking to hit them? It was purely a fantasy. This level of car speed, let alone Hao Jian, even Moon Goddess Jiang could dodge. With a disdainful look on his face, Hao Jian watched Qin Yang, whose face was ferocious inside the car, and when the car was only fifty centimeters away, Hao Jian''s toes stretched to one side, his whole body sidestepped a bit, barely dodging the BMW''s crashing range... "How...how is this possible?!" Upon seeing Hao Jian, who had been right in front of his eyes suddenly disappear, Qin Yang''s originally ferocious face dramatically changed, then he showed a terrified expression... For as soon as Hao Jian moved aside, the row of stone benches and a Big Tree behind him also became visible, and with the high speed of Qin Yang''s car, it was already impossible to stop, only to watch helplessly as his car crashed towards that Big Tree... "Boom!" The loud explosion resounded abruptly, followed by the Big Tree, which required two people to embrace, being directly snapped in half. Perhaps it was fate or something that caused the Big Tree to fall right onto the roof of Qin Yang''s BMW. If this trend continued without any miracles, the person inside the car wouldn''t be able to escape... Under the present circumstances, could there be a miracle? No, evidently it was impossible. Qin Yang had no bodyguards around, although in the crowd there might be one or two strong individuals, but what this guy did to Cleaning Uncle earlier, everyone saw very clearly. Could such a person still be worthy of their rescue? Even if this person''s background might be powerful, what does that have to do with them? There are at least a hundred people present, even if his background is strong, would he dare to take down all these hundred people?! Such acts are daring not to be carried out in Capital City¡ªnot that it couldn''t be done, but because nobody dared. As the saying goes, even when hitting a dog, you must look at the owner, this is the Capital City, not just any place! "Are you okay?" The incident occurred in just a few short seconds, and by the time Moon Goddess Jiang walked to Hao Jian''s side, Qin Yang''s car was already crushed under the big tree, with no sound coming out... "It''s fine, but with this, we might have unintentionally provoked another force..." Hao Jian helplessly shook his head, was he really a trouble magnet? He merely wanted to take the mother and child out for a good time, yet wherever he went, trouble followed him, and it was always him who invited it! "Never mind, just let people disperse first, we''ll handle this matter." Shrugging his shoulders, Hao Jian stepped forward to the crowd, first smiled at the shocked face of Cleaning Uncle, and then said to the crowd: "Everyone, please leave here quickly, you mustn''t get involved in this..." After speaking, regardless of what the crowd thought, Hao Jian turned around and walked towards Moon Goddess Jiang, glanced lightly at the car pressed under the big tree, his eyes suddenly fluctuated, then the corner of his mouth slowly curved into a smirk¡­ "This guy certainly has a large fate, to be in such a state and yet his life has not been taken. It proves true that good people don''t live long and the wicked live for a thousand years..." "Sigh, you handle it, we won''t necessarily be afraid of the Qin Family..." Seeing this, Moon Goddess Jiang vaguely rubbed her forehead, although the Qin Family was troublesome, she was not afraid. After all, this trouble was caused by this second son of the Qin Family, and if push comes to shove, she believed that her side wouldn''t have much of a problem. "Your actions really anger me, I really don''t know how many people you have harmed over the years? Ten or a hundred?" Hao Jian had already walked near the car, casually tore off the extremely sturdy car door, then reached out and directly pulled out the dying Qin Yang from inside... His eyes cold, looking at Qin Yang, noticing the confusion in his eyes, Hao Jian sneered, and with a wave of his hand, a swirling Qi Force enveloped and then fiercely struck at Qin Yang''s chest, instantly shattering his heart... "Your actions, they anger me¡­" Chapter 839 - 838 After taking care of Qin Yang, Hao Jian and his companions didn''t linger and left the place directly. As for the onlookers, Hao Jian cared even less, not afraid even if the news got out. Although committing murder on the spot could have a huge impact in today''s society, even escalating to a major incident, Jiang Moon Goddess and his status were too influential to ignore. The Cleaning Uncle originally wanted to urge Hao Jian and the others to leave quickly, but Hao Jian wasn''t worried at all and did not heed the Cleaning Uncle''s advice¡ªseeing Hao Jian reluctant to go, the uncle sighed and eventually left after some persuasion from Hao Jian. The afternoon was almost entirely spent at the commerce center, be it shopping for clothes or eating, just browsing these shops nearly wore Hao Jian out. It was simply that the commerce center was too massive, so big that even an entire afternoon was not enough to cover it all, Fortunately, no accidents happened throughout the afternoon. Hao Jian had thought that dealing with Qin Yang publicly would attract a lot of trouble, but unexpectedly, there was no news even after quite some time. Hao Jian felt lucky and didn''t care about it anymore, fully immersing himself in enjoying shopping with Jiang Moon Goddess and Hao Lu. As the sky gradually darkened, by the time it was past six o''clock, Hao Jian left the commerce center with his hands full of shopping bags¡ªcounting them would yield around thirty or forty, mostly for children and women, clearly for Jiang Moon Goddess and Hao Lu, with Hao Jian acting as the porter. When it was time for dinner, Hao Jian drove a Land Rover, taking Jiang Moon Goddess and Hao Lu to one of the best restaurants in Capital City. After feasting, they noticed it was already eight o''clock. Seeing it was getting late, Hao Jian worried that Hao Lu''s small body couldn''t handle continuing to play, so after returning to his temporary hotel residence, he sent Jiang Moon Goddess home. Having played joyfully all day, Hao Jian was also incredibly happy; it would have been perfect if not for that little episode at noon, something he couldn''t forget even if he wanted to. "Ding, click..." As he opened the door and just stepped in, Hao Jian''s eyes narrowed instantly, and he gently sniffed with his nose; a few unfamiliar scents were present in the room... After inserting the key card into the slot, electricity flowed through the room, and the lights flickered on, instantly brightening the entire room. Yet, at a glance, there seemed to be nothing unusual, apparently no different from normal. "Since you''re here, come out. What''s the point of hiding?" He slowly moved forward, leaving the door slightly ajar, but not completely closed, leaving a small gap¡ªHao Jian did this in case an emergency occurred, which would allow him to leave immediately. If he were to close the door, the time it would take to open it could hinder his speed of escape. Normally, no one would care about such small details, but Hao Jian, the God of Death, knew very well what it meant. "Clap clap clap!" As his voice fell, a round of applause suddenly sounded. Hao Jian''s gaze swiftly shifted to see three figures emerging from the side study and into his view... "No wonder you dared to kill my good-for-nothing brother; turns out you have some strength. But you''re too arrogant. When you realized something was wrong, you should have immediately shut the door and left. Now, there''s no escape for you..." The person in the middle of the three figures spoke, causing Hao Jian''s eyes to narrow slightly. Looking at the man, there were some resemblances to Qin Yang, obviously his brother. However, it seemed he was unaware of Hao Jian''s identity and only knew of his strength? Now that he knew who his opponent was, Hao Jian relaxed, casually pushed the door and closed it. Enemies of this level weren''t strong enough to force him to flee. His two bodyguards might have some strength, but they weren''t overwhelmingly powerful; it was just the guns they carried that posed some inconvenience, but it was just that¡ªan inconvenience. "What you see as arrogance is confidence in my eyes. We are destined to be enemies." Hao Jian shrugged his shoulders, spreading his legs subtly to assume the fighting stance that suited him best. Any change in the situation and he could react immediately, saving the time that would otherwise be spent on preliminary moves. "You speak tough, but all you have is a bold tongue. In Capital City, provoking the Qin Family is like stepping one foot into Yama Hall. I don''t care what tricks you have; you''d better kneel down and beg for mercy now. Perhaps I''ll consider leaving your body intact!" The young man''s eyes gleamed fiercely, a faint Killing Intent spreading in his gaze. The two bodyguards by his side, sensing his Killing Intent, subtly reached for their pistols. "Oh? And on what do you base your confidence? Your arrogance? Your status? Or is it those two handguns your lackeys are holding, or perhaps the landmine you buried before me on the floor?" Hao Jian cocked his head and sneered. Would this person who once reigned supreme as the God of Death really consider using such "inferior" tactics, and has he thought about the consequences of being seen through? However, it seems that this person never anticipated that his so-called perfect plan would be seen through at a glance, promptly leaving his complexion looking rather awful... "I, Qin Hai, scorn to rely on status. I am not like my good-for-nothing brother who only knows how to cause trouble outside using the family''s name." Qin Hai''s face darkened slightly; his two bodyguards had military backgrounds and were certainly licensed to carry guns, but they hadn''t drawn them yet. How did Hao Jian know they were armed? And even more so, how did Hao Jian completely see through that carefully prepared landmine? What is his background? How could he know all this? After exchanging glances with the two bodyguards who stood behind him, and seeing their wary looks towards Hao Jian, Qin Hai''s heart sank. This was not someone easy to handle! "All I can say, young master, is that you won''t be leaving this room today. Even if you can see through my arrangements, are you sure you can dodge bullets fired from a handgun?" Qin Hai watched Hao Jian with a cold laugh. So what if his arrangements were seen through? He didn''t believe there was anyone in this world who could dodge bullets. "Think you can keep me here with just two lousy guns? You''re too naive. You may have more methods than your brother, but in the end, you are no different from that idiotic brother of yours in my eyes..." Hao Jian looked indifferently at Qin Hai and continued, "This so-called detention has no hold over me. Not even the Qin Family can scare me, Hao Jian. I will definitely leave this hotel, I will definitely leave Capital City, and as for you, Qin Family''s young master, get out of my sight before I decide to deal with you!" Whether facing Ye Wenying or Bai Yang, Hao Jian had never been afraid. Qin Hai trying to use his identity as a scion of a prestigious family to oppress him was naturally dismissed by Hao Jian. "Insolent brat!" Hearing Hao Jian''s extremely arrogant words, one of the bodyguards behind Qin Hai suddenly became enraged and drew his handgun, roaring... "Chambering round, two seconds; pressing the trigger, one second. Slow, way too slow!" Shaking his head with a sneer, Hao Jian pointed out the bodyguard''s slow gun-drawing speed. Three seconds might be an average level for someone with a handgun, but for people like Hao Jian, taking three seconds to draw meant you were too slow ¨C so slow that before you made your move, the opponent would already be able to twist off your head... "Young man, don''t act like you know it all. Apologize to my young master, or else I''ll shoot immediately!" Perhaps due to being with Qin Hai for a while, this bodyguard had developed an arrogant temperament. Previously, due to Hao Jian''s confidence and seeing through the setup, he was somewhat shaken, but with a handgun in hand, a strong sense of self-confidence quickly surged through him. "A dog dares to stand in my way? I''m talking to your master right now. Overstepping one''s place is not permissible for a dog..." Hao Jian''s eyes narrowed slightly as a faint killing intent lingered, and then as if he remembered something, he sneered and said, "But I''ve forgotten one thing..." "What thing?" The bodyguard, initially wanting to get angry at Hao Jian''s words, was caught by the following statement and asked without thinking... Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "To call you a dog is to raise you up high, and it''s disrespectful to dogs. People like you shouldn''t be associated with the word ''dog''..." "You brat, courting death!" "Haha!" Hao Jian burst out laughing, entirely unconcerned by the bodyguard''s repeated threats. "Xiao Yang, enough. Put away the gun. You are no match for him in a war of words!" Seeing his subordinate being verbally abused so thoroughly by the antagonist, Qin Hai, already fuming with rage from the belittlement by Hao Jian, completely lost his cool. He called out sharply to his subordinate to step down because the more the bodyguard talked, the uglier things Hao Jian, with his sharp tongue, might say. "Yan Lu, go on, just castrate this brat but don''t kill him. Otherwise, I wouldn''t know how to torture him later..." As Xiao Yang stepped back, Qin Hai gestured to another bodyguard and looked at Hao Jian, his eyes brimming with intense rage. Chapter 840 - 839: Fire at Will! "Xiao Yang, get the pistol ready. When I tell you to shoot, just shoot..." After Yan Lu moved in, utilizing Yan Lu to block Hao Jian''s line of sight, Qin Hai glanced at Xiao Yang and whispered into his ear. Upon hearing the order, Xiao Yang subtly nodded, his pistol still chambered so that when the moment came, he would only need to pull the trigger to fire. I really want to see if you dare to resist. My two bodyguards are military men, and they can return to their military positions at any time... The corners of Qin Hai''s mouth curled up slightly as he felt a sense of pride. He had already seen Hao Jian''s attempt to resist and his grin grew wider... "Bang!" Seeing Yan Lu stepping forward, Hao Jian''s expression immediately darkened. Since the other party was looking for death, he naturally did not hold back. With a toe pointed against the ground, Hao Jian pounced forward, his palm stamping onto Yan Lu''s chest amid his horrified expression, unleashing a powerful force that ruthlessly exploded out! "Pfft!" Having taken a blow from Hao Jian, Yan Lu''s eyes bulged, his complexion turned an eerie red, and then he forcefully spewed out a mouthful of blood, his whole body sent flying by Hao Jian''s palm strike... "Yan Lu!" Seeing that Yan Lu failed to fend off even a single move from Hao Jian, Xiao Yang cried out in alarm, instinctively drawing his pistol and aiming at Hao Jian, his face ugly with murderous glint converging in his eyes. Yan Lu had been his partner for many years, and never before had an incident like today occurred, where a man would be sent flying so effortlessly without any resistance. Just how immense was this man''s strength to send a man weighing around 150 pounds flying with a single slap... "Xiao Yang, don''t go; you''re no match for him!" Yan Lu struggled to his feet, and seeing the impatience in Xiao Yang, he immediately bellowed out. Only someone who had experienced Hao Jian''s attack like himself knew the extent of Hao Jian''s formidable strength. Xiao Yang''s strength was already a notch below his, and going up would only lead to a worse outcome than what he just suffered. Moreover, without Qin Hai''s consent, they were not authorized to shoot. Even if they held firearms licenses, they could absolutely not shoot, especially because this was Capital City, not any other city. To shoot a gun in Capital City, unless you have an absolute reason, otherwise, you would have to find your backer......... Previously, Spice Ginger and others could carry so many guns and cause a ruckus at Hongda Plaza only because of Moon Goddess Jiang''s influence. Otherwise, they would have been arrested within minutes. "Trash!" Seeing his carefully chosen bodyguards being dispatched by such a man with a palm strike, Qin Hai''s face grew uglier still. He cursed, then his gaze shifted back to Hao Jian, his eyes flickering with a faint killing intent, the voice filled with suppressed rage slowly emanated from him. "Kid, don''t think that just because you can beat Yan Lu means you have the standing to talk back to me. Let me tell you, I''ve planted mines around you, and the moment I press this button, just wait for your death!" In order to ensure a fail-safe, he had tampered with the mines nearby, like the small button in his hand. With a single press, pressure would be applied to the mine, instantly detonating it and leaving no chance for Hao Jian to survive. Although this method should not be used unless absolutely necessary, because once used, he too would be affected... How could Qin Hai, the young master of the Qin Family, ever risk his life in comparison with Hao Jian, whom he deemed worthless? However, the next second after he said that... "Are you talking about this rubbish?" Hao Jian was toying with a metal object resembling a dish in his hand, tilting his head and looking at Qin Hai with a smile not quite a smile, the scorn in his words clear as day. "You... how could you possibly?!" Rubbing his eyes, Xiao Yang looked stunned. He had personally buried the mine, which was incredibly troublesome to remove! How could it possibly be taken out in the blink of an eye? Just what kind of background did this guy have?! And more so... the thing was a mine, an explosive that would detonate under the slightest pressure. How could this guy just play around with it like a toy, and the mine still didn''t explode?! What exactly was going on?! Xiao Yang was truly at a loss, wondering what origins this man had, who was not only unafraid of the Young Master but could dig up the mine in an instant, and also disarm the pressure mechanism he attached to it... "Tch, it''s just a lousy mine, getting rid of it doesn''t take much effort at all." Hao Jian scoffed with disdain, casually tossing the mine to the ground, its clatter causing Qin Hai and his companions to wince. This much pressure and it still doesn''t explode, could it be a dud?! Hao Jian had seen his fair share of mines, even defused ones capable of demolishing tanks. So, for him, defusing a small mine like this that would only blow a little hole was nothing. All it took was a specific technique to remove the gunpowder inside the landmine, and it would be rendered completely ineffective. Such a simple task of disarming was effortless for Hao Jian. "Disarming... disarming landmines!?" The landmines that Hao Jian casually spoke of disarming were not so trivial in Qin Hai''s eyes; they had been acquired with great difficulty after pleading with his father. But even if you disassemble the landmine, what of it? Can you move faster than a bullet?! "Kid, these two subordinates of mine are from the military district. You''ve already inflicted serious injuries on Yan Lu, which constitutes the crime of assaulting military personnel!" The corners of Qin Hai''s mouth slowly curved into a smirk, his face full of smugness. Aligning with Qin Hai''s words, Yan Lu collapsed to the ground without getting up again. "I could fully treat your actions as resistance to the law, plus your unauthorized dismantling of our legally installed landmine amounts to a major crime!" At this point, Qin Hai turned his head toward Xiao Yang, who instantly became vigilant and stepped forward, presenting his military ID, and then declared, "According to the law, you''re involved in assaulting a serviceman, and the unauthorized breaching of military defense installations constitutes treason! Moreover, according to criminal law, I have the right to execute you on the spot!" His tone was haughty, his heart relieved¡ªlucky that he had brought all his credentials with him today. Although the date on this ID had already expired, as long as Qin Hai wished it, that date could be altered anytime, so he had no reservations about displaying it to intimidate Hao Jian. "Oh? Then go ahead and shoot, let''s see if I, Hao Jian, will die..." Hao Jian sneered at Xiao Yang, not expecting to encounter so many bad eggs within the military. Last time he let that major flee without a fight, but today he met these two soldiers beside Qin Hai, perhaps they were worth a fight... "Kid! Don''t get too cocky!" Seeing that Hao Jian still had no intention of begging for mercy, Qin Hai''s face grew even uglier. He couldn''t believe how stubborn this guy was; even at this point, he remained defiant. Did he truly think Young Master would not dare to shoot?! "Xiao Yang, shoot him. Whatever happens, Young Master will take care of it!" Qin Hai roared, pointing his finger, ordering Xiao Yang to shoot. The rage in his voice also affected Xiao Yang, who immediately sneered and looked at Hao Jian menacingly. "Kid, this is the consequence of your stubbornness. I never planned to let you leave today; die now!" Xiao Yang''s face twisted into a sinister grin, he laughed aloud, his finger inching towards the trigger... "Bang!" Suddenly, a door behind Hao Jian was violently kicked open, and immediately four fully armed Special Forces soldiers with submachine guns rushed in, leaving Xiao Yang''s face instantly frozen... People from the Special Forces camp?! S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. F*ck! How did these freaks end up here?! Recognizing the uniforms of the four individuals, Xiao Yang inwardly cursed. As a retired soldier, he still knew the ins and outs of the military, including the Special Forces camp that left a deep impression on him¡ªnot least because, during his service, he had often been on the receiving end of their beatings... "Who are you?!" Qin Hai too was startled by this abrupt disruption, roaring out loud. He was moments away from dealing with the man who killed his brother. How could he swallow this frustration as the Qin Family''s Young Master? However, seeing the fully armed appearance of these men, his bluster dissipated considerably... "Oh? It turns out to be the young man from the Qin Family. I wondered who it was..." A muffled chuckle came from the doorway, followed by a man in a suit and leather shoes, around 1.8 meters tall with a briefcase and gold-rimmed glasses, strolling in leisurely. Looking at this man who appeared to be in his forties, Hao Jian also gave a wry smile. The door-kicking manner of the four individuals had startled him, but upon seeing their attire, he knew immediately where they were from... "Zhang... Secretary Zhang?!" Seeing the newcomer, Qin Hai nearly collapsed with weak knees, looking at the man in alarm. As the Qin Family''s Young Master and often at his father''s side, he met many people, among whom was the Secretary Zhang he had just called out... This was the secretary of one of the big shots from the State Security Bureau! Even his father would have to nod and bow in the presence of this person. How come he suddenly turned up here?! ............... Chapter 841 - 840: Young Master! Young Master! "You''re quite timely." Watching Secretary Zhang who just appeared, Hao Jian sneered, it was hard to tell if he was being sarcastic or simply stating a fact. "The Minister mentioned you were here, seems he was right..." Secretary Zhang pushed up his glasses, seemingly oblivious to Hao Jian''s sarcasm, briefly glanced at Qin Hai, then turned his gaze back to Hao Jian and spoke. "That guy is spying on me?!" Knowing who the minister Secretary Zhang mentioned was, Hao Jian understood, but he had not expected this person, who usually did not seek him out, to suddenly send his close associate over. "Do you really think the people above are blind?" Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Secretary Zhang couldn''t help but roll his eyes. They were specifically a department managing security; the trouble Hao Jian raised in Capital City recently was easily traceable, especially since he used his own ID to check into a hotel without any precautions. If they couldn''t even find someone like that, they might as well go play with three-year-old kids in the sandbox. "True, only you guys would be so bored as to monitor me." Shaking his head, Hao Jian felt helpless. This trip to Capital City wasn''t meant for him to engage with them; he just wanted to have a good time with Jiang Moon Goddess and her daughter. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, he never expected that they would send someone to investigate his movements and lodging¡­ "Spit it out, I still need to deal with this Cockroach who trespassed into my room and planted a mine under the floor." Dealing with Qin Hai was the priority. Even if the Heavenly King himself showed up, he would have to wait until Hao Jian dealt with Qin Hai first. "This is the Minister''s order!" Secretary Zhang advised indifferently as he glanced at Qin Hai, then told Hao Jian with an unquestionable tone, clearly not planning to give Hao Jian this opportunity. "I said, wait until I finish dealing with this guy!" Fuck, you think you are the Heavenly King? Even if that guy shows up, he still has to patiently wait for me to finish my business! Hao Jian''s expression soured. Since there was a matter involving him, yet they carried such an attitude, did they think he was easy to bully? He was Hao Jian, who feared neither heaven nor earth; was he supposed to be afraid of you and that minister?! "Qin Hai, the eldest son of the Qin Family, has been bullying quite a few people in the Capital City over the years, even having a few murder cases under his belt. If it weren''t for your father''s issues, these alone would be enough for us to send criminal police to arrest him¡­" Pushing his glasses again, Secretary Zhang knew he couldn''t dissuade Hao Jian, thus he aimed his efforts towards Qin Hai. Currently, he needed Hao Jian for a task commanded by the minister. If he failed to execute it properly, the minister would surely be enraged. His heart felt somewhat helpless. If the matter of the minister needing someone''s help was made public, he believed many would eagerly attend to it, not like Hao Jian who thought it was a calamity and ignored it¡­ Therefore, he needed to resolve the issue with Qin Hai first; otherwise, Hao Jian might not agree to leave with him¡­ After saying this, Secretary Zhang turned his head, looking at Hao Jian with a negotiating tone, said, "You can''t confront him directly now, but after you complete the Minister''s task, even if you want the Minister to step in, he will surely help you with this request¡­" "This guy really has murder cases on his hands?" Hao Jian ignored what he just said and instead focused on the crimes Secretary Zhang attributed to Qin Hai, squinting his eyes as he asked. "Yes, these murder cases involve raping young girls, all between eleven and twelve years old. But the evidence can only vaguely point towards him, hence even the minister couldn''t order his arrest..." As Secretary Zhang delivered this statement, he appeared quite helpless as clearly they held many pieces of evidence against the opponent, but the weight of those was still too light to pin down Qin Hai. "So, I can deal with him after completing the task?" Hao Jian''s eyes flickered slightly, anger rising within him as he stared at Qin Hai with a dangerous air. "Yes." Secretary Zhang nodded. Such a request was feasible, and the minister had instructed him that if Hao Jian''s request was reasonable, it could be granted. Then, when Hao Jian returned, they would just need to dispose of Qin Hai using their own methods, since they were only needed to cover up for Hao Jian, seeing that Qin Hai had done such vile acts. Otherwise, how could they possibly fail to obtain accurate evidence against him, only managing to get murky proofs? "Alright, I agree!" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian nodded and agreed to Secretary Zhang. He originally thought Qin Hai was only capable of dealing with people who hindered his progress, and Hao Jian was not too upset about that. However, when Secretary Zhang revealed that Qin Hai had committed rape, involving a young girl no less, Hao Jian could no longer bear it. What good is such a scum living in this world?! The conversation between the two was not loud, so Qin Hai, who was across from them, did not hear the content of their chat. He only saw Secretary Zhang occasionally glancing at him and even once looked directly at him, lips moving as if discussing something. Unfortunately, he couldn''t read lips, otherwise, he would have known that Secretary Zhang was discussing the crimes he had been blackmailed with by the minister over the years. What he thought was foolproof had some tails discovered by them... "Young Master, what should we do?" Xiao Yang also looked somewhat uneasy. He looked at Hao Jian and Secretary Zhang in front, as well as the four fully armed Special Forces soldiers, and asked out loud. Any of these four could easily take out him and Yan Lu. To put it nicely, they are military personnel; to put it plainly, they are just ordinary soldiers, while these people are top-notch figures, whose power and means are not something ordinary soldiers like them could match. If a fight breaks out, their side would undoubtedly lose, so he felt the need to inquire Qin Hai. If he decided to retreat, they could breathe a sigh of relief. If Qin Hai refused to back down due to pride, they might have to fight desperately today. "Retreat!" Though begrudging, Qin Hai could only make such a choice. Since Secretary Zhang had shown up, he had to put aside his plans of dealing with Hao Jian for now, as he didn''t dare to provoke such a person just yet. As for Secretary Zhang, from beginning to end, his impatient demeanor greatly annoyed Qin Hai. As the eldest son of the Qin Family, when has he ever been treated this way?! Even if you are the minister''s man, my Qin Family isn''t necessarily afraid of a secretary like you, who is just more powerful and influential than us?! Qin Hai''s face was ugly, but he dared not speak these words out loud. If he did, he might not be able to safely walk out, being on the sixth floor with only one exit blocked... Just blocking the exit with one person is enough to trap them inside. Qin Hai wasn''t a fool; of course, he understood the capabilities of these Special Forces... "Since Secretary Zhang has arrived, I will let this guy go. Please allow me to leave first..." Formalities still needed to be spoken, giving Secretary Zhang face. Qin Hai bowed to Secretary Zhang, and then after Secretary Zhang nodded, he walked towards the door with his two bodyguards. Now that Hao Jian had agreed to his request, and a fight with Qin Hai wasn''t imminent, Secretary Zhang could only let Qin Hai go, as keeping him here any longer would just be a waste of time. After nodding, he glanced at Hao Jian and breathed a sigh of relief seeing his expressionless face. "Hmph!" Qin Hai''s face was gloomy. As he passed by Hao Jian, he snorted coldly and was about to step out of the room with his bodyguards... "Snort your ass, I''m letting you go, and you feel proud?!" Hao Jian sneered coldly, lowly shouting, and with a faint force in his fist, he directly punched towards Qin Hai''s face, causing Qin Hai''s previously gloomy expression to instantly turn into terror... "Bang!" "Young Master!" Immediately after, Qin Hai''s figure was seen flying beautifully in an arc across the air, landing directly on the sofa in the living room, his cheeks swollen badly. Yan Lu and Xiao Yang were also startled by this sudden scene, shouting instinctively, but with Special Forces soldiers around, they dared not move, anxiously watching Qin Hai lying unconscious on the sofa. "Is that enough?" Secretary Zhang was also helpless, looking at Qin Hai who had lost consciousness on the sofa, shook his head. The force of the punch was indeed too strong, but maybe this was a lesson for him, it was good to discipline him a bit, or else he might really think his Qin Family was invincible. "Haha! That was just reclaiming the interest!" Hao Jian laughed loudly, waved his hand, and directly walked out of the room, heading towards the elevator... "Sigh... let''s go, let''s go!" Helplessly, Secretary Zhang could only mourn for a second, and then waved his hand to the four Special Forces soldiers, stepping out of the room, with the soldiers quickly holstering their weapons and closely following Secretary Zhang. "Young Master! Young Master!" After everyone had left, Xiao Yang and Yan Lu hurriedly ran over, their anxious voices emerging from their mouths, but no matter what they did, Qin Hai still wouldn''t wake up, even after they pinched his philtrum, with no response, which made them even more anxious... Chapter 842 - 841: You Forced This! "Alright, speak, what is it." After leaving the hotel and getting into Secretary Zhang''s Mercedes business car, Hao Jian first glanced at the three Special Forces soldiers sitting in the back, then at Secretary Zhang sitting in the passenger seat, and spoke indifferently. It was first Qin Hai who came looking for him, and then this guy barged in and muddled the situation that was originally under control; had it not been for him, Hao Jian would have taken care of that Qin Hai long ago. Afterward, it was the tug-of-war with the Qin Family, he had considered all these consequences, but he never thought Secretary Zhang and the others would come looking for him. However, after thinking it through, Hao Jian also felt that it was okay to hear first what the minister needed help with. Qin Hai had to be dealt with; letting him go now would just give him a few more breaths of air. "You''d better have a look at this first..." Secretary Zhang didn''t say much but took out some documents from the briefcase and handed them to Hao Jian, indicating that he should read them first. "So mysterious." After murmuring these words softly, Hao Jian also took the documents, but as soon as he flipped open the first page and saw a few words, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and without a second thought, he threw the documents back at Secretary Zhang. His voice returned to calm as he said, "I can''t help with this matter..." Damn it, he thought it was something else, but he never expected it to be this kind of crap! Hao Jian was quite speechless and felt a bit complicated inside. The reason he returned to Huaxia and lived quietly as an ordinary person, aiming for what he considered an uneventful life, was to stay away from these people. However, he hadn''t expected that no matter what he did or how he avoided them, someone would still personally deliver these people''s information to him... "Mercenary Alliance, you really are insatiable!" His eyes narrowed, a faint menace showed in his gaze, but it quickly dissipated, revealing nothing more. "You should finish reading before deciding!" Seeing Hao Jian''s attitude, Secretary Zhang grew anxious. When leaving, the minister had repeatedly told him to persuade Hao Jian. He originally thought that Hao Jian would definitely agree to such a matter, but to his surprise, after just one glance, the man outright refused! Do I really have to use that method?! Secretary Zhang was somewhat helpless; that method was not to be used unless absolutely necessary, otherwise it might offend Hao Jian and even create a rift between him and the minister. All he could do was to try to persuade Hao Jian, "This time they''ve kidnapped a female doctor. We must use our maximum effort for the rescue, and after considering all options, you are the only one suitable for this job. This female doctor really mustn''t run into trouble. She''s a very important person!" Enlighten with reason, appeal with emotion, this was the method Secretary Zhang was using. He just didn''t believe that Hao Jian really was the sort of person impervious to persuasion. "What''s it to me?" Hao Jian waved his hand in impatience. If it was going against other people, that would be fine, but not the Mercenary Alliance. In the past, he had been alone, and it wouldn''t have mattered. But now, he wasn''t alone; he had loved ones and a career he had built himself. People in the Mercenary Alliance were all ruthless; he had distanced himself from that circle because he was tired of the strife and wanted to live a peaceful life, not to delve deeper into that world again. "You can''t refuse! You''re the most qualified in the country to carry out this mission! Once it is done, even taking down the Qin Family would be a piece of cake. This female doctor''s latest research findings have great strategic significance for us!" "For the sake of our nation, for the future of our people, you should take on this mission!" Secretary Zhang spoke more and more passionately, but the impatience on Hao Jian''s face became increasingly profound, his expression turning grim. He loathed hearing this kind of righteous rhetoric the most. "Stop annoying me. I just want to go back to sleep. You''ve caused me to have no place to sleep, and I haven''t even taken you to task for it." Waving his hand in annoyance, Hao Jian was about to order the driver to pull over, but as he started to move, the three Special Forces soldiers behind him promptly raised their guns to his head, which caused Hao Jian''s already dark expression to suddenly become filled with rage. "Do you really think you can hold me back with that trifling level of Kung Fu?" Hao Jian slowly turned his head, and a cold voice emanated from his mouth. The voice, woven with Killing Intent, entered the ears of the three men, causing cold sweat to form on their foreheads, yet their resolution was clear in their eyes, their hands holding the guns without the slightest tremor. At this moment, in their eyes, Hao Jian was like a proud Tiger King, lofty and imposing. An intense aura of killing intent washed over them; even these men who had undergone Hell''s training and seen several battles felt fear, but the issue wasn''t about laying down their arms anymore. They were soldiers, and a soldier''s duty is to obey orders. From the moment they left, they were led by Secretary Zhang. Now, this man in front of them, who was bad-mouthing Secretary Zhang, in their view, was unmistakably harboring malicious intentions towards him. "Heh, there is some defiance in your tone now, but sometimes, you need to realize that your current enemy is far from the ordinary ones you have encountered before!" Hao Jian sneered at the three men, and his chilly voice emanated, "In your eyes, these submachine guns might seem powerful, but in mine, at such close range, I could take you down the moment you pull the trigger... do not doubt my words..." As a former king, Hao Jian''s strength is unanimously recognized as formidable by all mercenaries. If such strength couldn''t take down these Special Forces, he might as well buy a block of tofu and smash himself to death with it. "Hao Jian, don''t act rashly!" Secretary Zhang, though a civilian, understood the significance of strength. Though these Special Forces bodyguards appeared capable, against someone as powerful as Hao Jian, they wouldn''t last a single move. Now, with the situation nearly escalating to violence, Secretary Zhang wiped the sweat from his forehead and intervened to stop Hao Jian. The reason for stopping Hao Jian was the fear that in a sudden outburst, he would kill these Special Forces. These men were the minister''s trusted aides¡ªshould anything happen to them here, how would Secretary Zhang explain it to the minister upon return? "And you three, put your guns down this instant. Do it quickly unless you want to die!" Having advised Hao Jian, Secretary Zhang urgently addressed the three Special Forces as well. "And you! Put down the pistol in your hand as well!" After berating the three of them, Secretary Zhang turned his gaze toward the Special Forces member who was driving, sharply ordering him. Hearing this command, the soldier scratched his head and put away the pistol that he had subconsciously drawn upon hearing Hao Jian''s words while driving. "What, are you all rebelling?! How did the minister instruct you when you left? He told you not to draw your guns at every turn, and now look at yourselves, all of you have drawn your guns!" Anger was evident on Secretary Zhang''s face, and after seeing the four men holster their weapons, he lashed out with his words. However, the scolding left the four Special Forces soldiers simply scratching their heads. Indeed, before they left, the minister had repeatedly emphasized listening to Secretary Zhang and avoiding trouble at all costs. It was just that they were too angered this time¡ªthis guy had actually insulted them! "I''m saying this for your own good. Even if you combined your entire squad, you wouldn''t be able to take on Hao Jian. What do you think the four of you can do now?!" "Commander, this guy is belittling us! Why are you belittling us too?!" One of them couldn''t contain their dissatisfaction upon hearing Secretary Zhang''s words, and they retorted indignantly. "Just sit tight for now. If Hao Jian wanted to harm me, I wouldn''t still be sitting here!" Really, Secretary Zhang was at his wits'' end with these youngsters. Did they actually believe Hao Jian was like those they had handled before?! "Commander..." "Hmm?!" Seeing someone wanted to argue back, Secretary Zhang''s expression turned darker. Seeing him like this, one of the Special Forces members hurriedly stopped the one about to speak and quickly confirmed, "Understood, Commander!" "Hao Jian, this is the minister''s order. You have to agree to it!" Seeing that these men finally fell silent, Secretary Zhang sighed in relief. He truly feared Hao Jian would go on a rampage because of these young men. "I won''t go, no matter what you say!" Hao Jian turned his head to look out the window, ignoring Secretary Zhang completely. "You... don''t make me use force!" Seeing Hao Jian''s indifferent attitude, Secretary Zhang grew anxious, his tone carrying a hint of threat, which caused a brief flicker in Hao Jian''s eyes, but then they calmed down again just as quickly. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He really didn''t think this guy had any means to force him. He wasn''t afraid of a fight, and he reckoned even the minister wouldn''t dare in other matters. What then, should he be afraid of?! "Fine, fine, fine!" Seeing this reaction, Secretary Zhang, incensed to the point of mocking laughter, took out some documents from his briefcase and flung them in front of Hao Jian, yelling, "These are the loose ends you left when you murdered people. If the minister hadn''t covered for you, you would be in jail by now!" "Do you believe I could hand these documents over to the criminal law department right now?!" Secretary Zhang wore a grim expression, bellowing, "You need to understand that without us, you''d already be in jail! Just by turning over these documents to the criminal law department, you''ll end up in prison just the same! Don''t think we won''t dare!" "You''re forcing this!" Chapter 843 - 842 Agreed... "You are also coercing me!" Hao Jian''s face looked terrible as he least liked threats or coercion, but he was indeed torn under the present circumstances. These people helped him get rid of those tails, and he should be grateful, though he didn''t care much about that, and he wouldn''t mind even if his tracks were exposed. But they had still done this for him. Undeniably, they did that with their own objectives in mind, but at least for now, they hadn''t caused him any harm. And yet, they were using this matter to blackmail him. He didn''t know how to choose... "Do you think I want to?! That female doctor is indispensable to us! If the research she holds is stolen by those illegal elements, the world will become even more chaotic! Even the countries already raging with war will witness even crueler outcomes." Secretary Zhang''s face was as dark as water; had the person refusing all along not been Hao Jian, he would have had Special Forces soldiers shoot him dead already. Why would there be time for all this emotional talk?! Yet, he felt helpless inside¡ªafter having said all the nice words he could, the man before him was still like a rock, impervious to oil and salt, making such conversation terribly exhausting! "After all, you haven''t told me what this research is! Do you expect me to risk my life for some unknown project?!" Hao Jian looked at Secretary Zhang with a sneer; his cold words caused Secretary Zhang''s expression to fluctuate unpredictably, his eyes reflecting contemplation and struggle in Hao Jian''s pupils. "No comment..." After much contemplation, Secretary Zhang let out an inward sigh and slowly delivered this response... "In that case, I see no possibility of cooperation between us. If you want to leak that information, go ahead. I, Hao Jian, have never feared anything in my actions, and I am not afraid now!" With that, Hao Jian went to open the car door, intending to get out, but just as he started to move, three guns simultaneously pointed at his head... "Do you really want me to take care of you?" A faint voice came from Hao Jian, his icy aura instantly chilling everyone, turning their faces pale, rendering them unable to resist! "Hao Jian!" Secretary Zhang roared, then shook his head, waved at Hao Jian to catch his attention, and when Hao Jian''s gaze turned over, Secretary Zhang made a few gestures and then stopped paying any attention to Hao Jian... This... Seeing the gestures made by Secretary Zhang, Hao Jian''s face immediately froze, then his eyes suddenly shone with unlimited light. How could such a thing be possible?! He was about to ask subconsciously only to hear Secretary Zhang''s voice slowly coming through, calming his suddenly excited heart. At times like these, agitation was not advisable! "Do you agree now?" Secretary Zhang''s eyes held a complex look. If it were not for the fact that only Hao Jian could accomplish this matter, he would not want to reveal such a secret. After all, the research in the woman doctor''s possession was very important to the country; even individuals with a certain level of clearance were not qualified to know it. Only those few standing at the pinnacle of the country had the privilege to be in the know. Yet now, someone had learned of this, causing the Mercenary Alliance to take away the female doctor at a high price. And now, the only person able to undertake such a task was none other than the founder of Dragon Tooth, Hao Jian. Even if Hao Jian was the founder of Dragon Tooth, he wouldn''t be privy to such information, but they had no choice now¡ªa piece of news in exchange for Hao Jian''s help. Perhaps even a minister would agree to it... Thus, Secretary Zhang could only comfort himself in such a way... "If I didn''t agree, maybe I''d already be facing that person..." Hearing this, Hao Jian also smiled wryly, spread his hands, and said, "Why didn''t you say that earlier? Would I have needed to stand off against you here?" This time, he felt like he couldn''t walk away. He didn''t believe it¡ªif these people knew he was aware of such a secret and he didn''t accept their request, they would not capture him... Against the entire national machinery on his own, Hao Jian was not arrogant enough to contend. Since he couldn''t, and he didn''t want to be imprisoned, his only option was to agree... sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If so, then let me, Hao Jian, see who from the Mercenary Alliance is carrying out this task... Don''t let me catch you, or I, Hao Jian, will not show any mercy... "It''s better for secrets of this magnitude to be known by as few people as possible. There are no secrets that can''t get out in this world. If it weren''t for the doctor''s dire circumstances, even a minister wouldn''t reveal such information to you." Secretary Zhang pushed his glasses up, speaking indifferently, and then took out another document and a pen from his briefcase, handing them to Hao Jian, saying slowly, "This is a confidentiality agreement. This mission is of a confidential nature; I hope you will comply." "Understood." After taking the document, Hao Jian nodded, quickly flipped through it, found no issues, and then casually found a spot to sign his name. This meant that Hao Jian had taken on such a task... "When do we start?" Returning the document to Secretary Zhang, Hao Jian also asked. "Now..." Filing away the document, Secretary Zhang pushed up his glasses and continued, "Just that you''ll need to work with several people, from Divine Tiger, you should know..." "Why them?" Hao Jian furrowed his brows slightly; to tell the truth, he always operated solo on missions, and he was unaccustomed to suddenly including so many others. You say you''re adding people, I don''t care, but the ones you are assigning me are from Divine Tiger, I''m just worried that the mission might not be accomplished, and instead, these guys will drag me down... "There''s no helping it, we thought the matter would be simple, so we planned to send the Divine Tiger team, but after receiving news that a powerful assassin from the Mercenary Alliance had surfaced..." "We realized those from Divine Tiger would be no match for him, and that''s when we thought of asking for your help. This time, going with them, you''ll have the highest operational command authority. Therefore, you can rest assured about the operation." "Even if you determine that these individuals might impede your mission, you have the authority to terminate them. I think that should be agreeable to you, right?" Secretary Zhang glanced indifferently at Hao Jian; both he and the minister knew that Hao Jian was the sort who wouldn''t bow to others, especially not to those from Divine Tiger. They were afraid that the guys from Divine Tiger would infuriate Hao Jian and jeopardize the mission, so they had no choice but to cast this "big role" onto Hao Jian''s shoulders. After all, the key to this mission lay with Hao Jian, while those from Divine Tiger were just there to help Hao Jian by dealing with the minor goons and saving him some time. Both he and the minister were aware of this, but they simply did not state it out loud... "You should know the characters of those from Divine Tiger. The minister has ordered that there be no mistakes on this mission. You know what to do, right?" As the military zone drew closer, Secretary Zhang left Hao Jian with those words, prompting Hao Jian''s eyes to slightly narrow before he let out a cold chuckle, saying, "As long as those guys don''t provoke me, it''s fine, otherwise I won''t be responsible for killing them all if I have to..." "Sigh, just try to keep it down, okay? After all, they are considered top talent, don''t let them all perish unless absolutely necessary..." Secretary Zhang let out a wry smile; the stakes of the sacrifice this time were indeed great. "This time, you will be traveling on our minister''s private plane. The mission location is in Los Angeles, America. There is a Mercenary Alliance stronghold there, the exact location will need to be found by relying on your own strength after you arrive there, as we do not have their precise address." The vehicle drove slowly, an airplane bearing the national flag came into Hao Jian''s view, while Secretary Zhang continued to instruct him on matters to take note of. He certainly did not want any accidental oversight of his to be the cause of the mission''s failure. "Los Angeles, huh?" His eyes shimmered slightly as Hao Jian murmured to himself. At this moment, the car came to a stop, he reached out to open the door and alighted. A few figures stood under the airplane, scattered a few meters ahead of him... "Those are the Divine Tiger members who will be going with you this time. The strongest among them is Lion, also known as Crippled Lion, I won''t bother introducing the rest, I figure you''re not interested in hearing about them." Secretary Zhang also got out of the car and upon seeing Hao Jian sizing up the few silhouettes ahead, he slightly smiled, took out several files from his briefcase, handed them to Hao Jian, and said with a smile. "Quite an arrogant person..." After looking through the documents, Hao Jian reached such a conclusion... "Where is it arrogance, it''s outright conceit, we wouldn''t want to use him if it weren''t necessary..." Upon hearing Hao Jian''s conclusion, Secretary Zhang let out another wry smile. "Haha! Just leave everything to me. In the end, they will surely follow me obediently, but as to whether they will end up missing arms or legs, I''m not sure..." Hearing this, Hao Jian also laughed heartily, then tossed the documents back to Secretary Zhang, and with that, he strode towards the airplane... Chapter 844 - 843: Ill Do It Myself And so, Hao Jian took on the task and, together with a few Divine Tiger members nicknamed Lion and others, arrived in America... However, during the trip, the two parties had some conflicts. At first, Lion and the others were displeased with Hao Jian, and later they sabotaged some matters, provoking Hao Jian. But now they were on a plane, neither side could take much action. Therefore, Hao Jian temporarily endured the matter. After getting off the plane, the local reception in Los Angeles also came over to pick up Hao Jian and the others... In the car... "Kid, since you''ve followed us, you should listen to our Brother Lion, otherwise you know the consequences!" A man as slender as a bamboo pole glanced coldly at Hao Jian, huffed coldly, and said. Despite his frail appearance, the killing intent in his eyes was something not to be underestimated, making him a tough character! But upon reflection, if the country was sending someone on a task, without some kind of skill, perhaps they wouldn''t even qualify. Some of these people may not be fighters, but in other aspects, they could even be grandmaster-level. And now, to rescue the female doctor, what''s needed is not just strength, but also the ability to survey the environment, to break through network systems, and so on. "Oh? What consequences?" Sitting in the car, Hao Jian looked at this slender Bamboo Pole with a mocking smile. Earlier on the plane, Hao Jian had listened to the conversations of these four people; this slender man was called Bamboo Pole, as his name suggested, so Hao Jian was quite curious about what kind of methods such a person possessed. "Hmph! If you''re disobedient, death is the only outcome!" Bamboo Pole sneered and turned his head to glance at Lion, who showed no reaction in the passenger seat, then snorted coldly towards Hao Jian. "What kind of death?" "Kid! Are you mocking me?!" Bamboo Pole had intended to answer Hao Jian''s question, but as soon as he opened his mouth, his expression suddenly changed, and he roared angrily. "It seems you''re not that stupid after all!" Hao Jian chuckled lightly, finding this guy rather interesting. These guys, indeed, were not simple... From beginning to end, only Bamboo Pole was confronting him. The other three were either looking out the window or resting with their eyes closed, not paying any attention to his conversation with Bamboo Pole, not even a flicker of emotion. Noticing this situation, Hao Jian felt a tinge of heaviness in his heart; judging by the current situation, relying solely on these few guys might leave them with no chance of winning. Experts tend to have their arrogance, and even more so, self-confidence. These guys each relied on their own strength and believed in it, which made them somewhat conceited. Apart from Bamboo Pole who lacked the arrogance typical of experts, the others each had their personalities, and Hao Jian didn''t know what to say about that. Looking at these people, Hao Jian missed his Dragon Tooth teammates. At the beginning, those guys had their own issues, but in the end, he managed to get them in line. And these few members of Divine Tiger, Hao Jian had never seen them before; presumably, they had only joined recently or had been out on missions before. Secretary Zhang hadn''t mentioned these details to Hao Jian. "I am your leader, and you''d better show some respect." The best way to deal with these people is to be more arrogant than they are. Therefore, Hao Jian took out the credential Secretary Zhang had given him, which clearly stated that Hao Jian was the supreme commander of this operation. "Hmm?!" Upon hearing this statement, not only was Bamboo Pole dissatisfied, but even Lion and the other two who were boredly looking at the scenery also focused their attention on him, their expressions changing. "If you don''t want to be sent back to the country, it''s best to listen to me. Otherwise, I think after you return, you''ll never be able to ascend to your dream seats again." Hao Jian held the credential and looked at these people indifferently, his words with a chilly edge, making their faces turn grim. "Kid, this kind of crappy credential doesn''t work around here." Seeing Hao Jian''s credential, a hint of disdain flashed in Lion''s eyes, followed by his heavy voice, causing slight changes in the expressions of the other three. Lion actually cared about this matter?! "You say it doesn''t work just because you say so? And you, looking like a cat, dare to call yourself Lion in front of me?" Hao Jian sneered coldly. He was not afraid of this Lion, and besides, he had revealed the credential precisely to provoke Lion; otherwise, he would have been too lazy to take it out. "Kid, if you don''t want to die, you better watch your words..." If it weren''t for the slight sense of danger Lion felt from Hao Jian, he would have already thrown a punch, instead of wasting time with words?! This... Since when did Lion become so easy to talk to?! Originally planning to enjoy the show, Bamboo Pole was stunned when he saw Lion actually backing down on this matter. What on earth is this guy''s background? Isn''t he just someone sent by Secretary Zhang? How could even Lion say something like that? From the looks of it, Lion seemed to have no intention of causing trouble with Hao Jian here. Faintly, one could sense Lion''s fear of Hao Jian... Lion is actually afraid of this guy?! You''ve got to be kidding?! When he was selected to join Divine Tiger, he massacred his way through anyone who opposed him. A few old-timers from Divine Tiger wanted to bully the newcomer, but they accidentally crossed paths with Lion and met with tragedy. Not only did they break several bones, but they couldn''t even save their teeth, which the dentist had to replace. Not only did Bamboo Pole think this, but the other two also had similar thoughts. When they first joined Divine Tiger, they had been bullied nearly to death by Lion, eventually leading their organization to order the four of them to team up for a five-year mission. In that mission, if it weren''t for their respective skills being somewhat effective against Lion, they might have been taken care of by Lion after their first battle failure due to a mistake. In those five years, they had never seen Lion show any sign of backing down to anyone, but unexpectedly, today Lion actually made an exception for this man! "If you want to fight, let''s fight. I, Hao Jian, have never been afraid of anyone. I''ll tell you, I''ve been annoyed by you for a long time! I wanted to beat you up on the plane already!" But Hao Jian had no intention of stopping. He clearly remembered the tricks those guys played on him on the plane, and now that they had landed, he had no more concerns! "We people rely not on who gives face to whom, but on our own fists. The one with the bigger fists is the one with the rationale!" Hao Jian said with a cold laugh. "Are you sure your fist is bigger than mine?!" Lion''s face gradually twisted fiercely, veins bulging on his forehead. It had been so long since he''d heard this kind of talk! "Indeed, bigger than yours!" "Kid! Apologize to Brother Lion right now!" As soon as Hao Jian said this, the faces of Bamboo Pole and the others drastically changed. Bamboo Pole shouted lowly, but as soon as he spoke, the car suddenly stopped. We''ve arrived at our destination... "We''ve arrived, this is our temporary base in Los Angeles. I don''t care about any conflicts you have, as long as they don''t affect the action later on." S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The driver, the receptionist, cast a casual glance at Hao Jian and the others, then got out of the car, not caring about what was going on here anymore. After all, for them, this was a task assigned by their superiors, and all they needed to do was to facilitate these people''s actions; nothing more. "Come on, let me see if your strength matches your big mouth!" After speaking, Lion was the first to get out of the car and walked to an empty space to the side, crossing his arms in front of his chest, half-closing his eyes, waiting for Hao Jian. "Heh, quite a character." Hao Jian sneered, then also got out of the car. The three people inside, Bamboo Pole included, exchanged looks and walked out with their own cold laughs. If this guy was looking for death on his own, then let it be a spectacle for them. After all, they had no connection with Hao Jian, they were even enemies. Why would they care about Hao Jian''s safety? "This... " However, after they got out of the car, their expressions changed abruptly, and they immediately exclaimed in a low voice, "How is this possible?! Brother Lion!" The three rushed forward in unison because before them, Lion was already pale-faced with blood at the corner of his mouth. "Trash, I really don''t know where you got your confidence from." Hao Jian shook his hands lightly, looking at Lion indifferently, and spoke coldly. "You... you..." Lion''s face was pale; he didn''t even know how Hao Jian had attacked, only that just as he had gotten into position, he suddenly felt an overwhelmingly powerful aura coming towards him, and then an intense pain ripping through his body. "You can''t even withstand a bit of killing intent, yet you dare claim to have been on the battlefield?" Hao Jian glanced at Lion, and his plain voice caused Lion''s eyes to suddenly widen. Killing intent?! Lion''s attack had been killing intent?! How could that be possible?! How could it be so powerful? As someone who had been on the battlefield, Lion knew where killing intent came from¡ªit usually arose from frequently killing people... But he had never heard of anyone being taken down by just killing intent. How many people had this guy killed to accumulate such formidable killing intent?! "Sigh, never mind. I think it''s best if I handle this mission by myself..." Chapter 845 - 844: Admit Defeat "Stop, stop, stop! Brother Hao, let''s talk this out, talk this out..." Upon hearing these words, Bamboo Pole immediately snapped to attention and hurriedly got up, running to Hao Jian with a subservient and flattering low voice. This man had instantly taken down Lion, a ruthless character! Now, if he were to be hated by him, would he even live?! Didn''t he see that Lion simply collapsed under his Killing Intent? If he offended such a terrifying person, his skin might split and flesh could burst open any minute, being skinned alive. Therefore, as the most cunning and least authoritative among the four, Bamboo Pole didn''t even think before rushing over to mediate. As for the other two, he couldn''t care less about them; their relationship was only limited to this one mission anyway. But Hao Jian was different! With such strength, once a mission like this was completed, his status would definitely soar. If he could bask even slightly in his glory, that would be super beneficial! "Go away." Hao Jian waved his hand dismissively, impatiently telling him to leave. He had seen people who change faces faster than flipping a book, but he had never seen anyone as complete and quick as Bamboo Pole. Furthermore, the matter at hand still involved dealing with these people, Lion was already disabled by him, and at least in the short term, he couldn''t regain his strength. And Bamboo Pole, from the attitude he displayed just now, even if he surrendered, that only left these two men... His gaze slowly moved, resting on these two people. They seemed to be brothers, always inseparable; even their walking rhythms were identical. This made Hao Jian wonder if they were twins. But about these, Hao Jian had no idea since these two had always worn masks, and those comedic ones at that. Hence, he didn''t know who these two actually were. He didn''t possess any X-Ray Vision abilities, and now he had dealt with Lion and Bamboo Pole, only these two remained. It''s time to see if these two would read the situation. If they still weren''t satisfied, then he would simply eliminate them. Being in Los Angeles now, even if he disposed of these people, when Hao Jian completes the mission and returns home, he could just tell those people they were killed during the mission. However, this approach is only to be used as a last resort. "Conform or resist, it doesn''t matter to me, you choose." Hao Jian looked casually at the two, then said, "If you choose to conform, I need you to take off your masks. I hate having such quirky subordinates around me. And if you choose to resist, this time it won''t be as simple as just fainting like this fool." After speaking, Hao Jian deliberately spread his hands, showing an indifferent expression despite their resistance, but one foot quietly moved back a bit. This way, should these two make any sudden moves, Hao Jian could immediately spring into action. Whether it was dodging or a sudden fierce attack, he could burst into action instantly, for he didn''t quite know how to describe these two''s vibe ¨C he only knew they were a bit odd, yet they posed no danger or hostility towards him. This indeed made Hao Jian quite puzzled. You say surrendering to Lion and showing hostility towards me is one thing, but now that Lion is down, you still show no fear; really can''t figure it out. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Our masks have not been removed for many years. If you want to take off our masks, you''ll have to defeat us first..." One of them slowly got up, their voice emanating from behind the mask, filled with discernible anger. This left Hao Jian somewhat baffled; weren''t these guys from Divine Tiger? The stories of them being oppressed by Lion, Hao Jian had overheard from Bamboo Pole, who even talked in his sleep next door, prompting Hao Jian to adopt a ''might as well listen if it''s free'' attitude, and thus knew how fearful Bamboo Pole was of Lion. Since even Bamboo Pole was afraid, it was reasonable to expect these two to be as well, but now, the situation seemed muddled. If you say they feared Lion, the angry tone told otherwise. Was it because of Lion''s mistress or some other issue? Or some peculiar fetish?! "I don''t care what your reasons are, you only have two choices in front of you now. One is to submit, to follow my commands, which is legitimate since I have the team leader credentials. If you can''t even agree to this..." "Then I''ll just have to take the second route I offer you, which is to defeat me or for me to kill you outright..." Hao Jian indifferently glanced at the two, ignoring the increasingly intense Killing Intent emanating from their bodies, and continued calmly, "In any case, even if you all die, it won''t affect my plans, my actions, although the excuse for returning home will be somewhat problematic, the rest is up to you." If it weren''t for the fact that these two people were still of some use to him, Hao Jian wouldn''t bother talking nonsense with them. "We choose the second path." As expected, after seeing his strength, these two dared to defy him. Did they really think he wouldn''t dare kill them? At this moment, however, they ignored Ye Nan, bent down to lift Lion up, and ran towards the medical department of this temporary base. Seeing this, Hao Jian simply shrugged. Lion''s fate was of no importance to him now, but the actions of those two did catch his attention. Indeed, brotherhood is brotherhood, much stronger than that Bamboo Pole. Before he could think further, Bamboo Pole appeared in front of Hao Jian with a flattering expression, causing Hao Jian''s brow to furrow slightly. Frowning, he said, "Didn''t I tell you to leave? Are you not afraid I''ll throw you into the sea right now?" Despite Hao Jian''s words, Bamboo Pole seemed as if he hadn''t heard at all, still wearing a flattering smile, continuously spewing out flattering remarks. "Hehe, boss, I''m now your underling. When has it ever been reasonable for the boss to fight while the underling just watches?" Bamboo Pole chuckled, then glanced at the two companions who had just entered the gate, turned his head towards Hao Jian and said, "Boss, don''t you want to know the identities of those two? I know!" "You know?" Hao Jian was somewhat curious what made those two people so peculiar. Initially, he considered forcing them to confess, but after thinking it over, if he accidentally killed those two, he would have no other source of entertainment in Los Angeles apart from the Mercenary Alliance mission. "Actually, they are twins, and they also have telepathy. However, both of their personalities are somewhat timid yet also somewhat loyal. The one with the butterfly tattoo on his palm is the older brother, Ling Hai, and the other is his younger brother, Ling He." Bamboo Pole chuckled once more, glanced at those two, and began speaking confidently. Now was his time to show off, so he had to introduce them properly. Hearing this, Hao Jian was somewhat surprised but nodded and remarked, "They do have quite a background, but they seem a bit clueless about the situation." If they have telepathy, it wouldn''t be hard to explain why their actions were almost identical. As if they were one, coupled with their loyalty, it''s not difficult to guess why they still confronted him even after Lion had fallen. "Hurry up and make a decision. If you want to surrender, then surrender; if not, I will have no choice but to dispose of you. You can then join your boss, I don''t have all day to waste here!" Now that his curiosity was settled and seeing there was nothing intriguing about these two anymore, Hao Jian impatiently waved his hand, dispersing a bit of the Killing Intent from his body, and slowly asserted pressure... "Buzz buzz buz" With these words from Hao Jian, Ling Hai immediately felt an impending storm, a faint sense of danger looming. Their posture gradually set, power swirling around their fists, Ling He also sensed the change in his older brother and subconsciously made the same motions. "Oh? Haha, quite bold, daring to strike under these circumstances?!" Hao Jian was angered but laughed instead, finding these two utterly insolent. He had given them a choice, yet they seemed prepared to choose death. "Stop... stop." Just as Ling Hai and Ling He were about to confront Hao Jian desperately, a weak voice suddenly came from behind them, making them immediately dissipate their momentum and turn around to look at Lion... "Little Hai, Little He, that''s enough. This man is not someone you can handle..." Lion struggled with his injuries, looked at Hao Jian with a resigned smile, cupped his hands, and said, "I really didn''t expect your strength to be that formidable, no wonder the minister dispatched you¡­ This time, we''ve lost. Since we''ve lost, we''ll follow your lead..." He really hadn''t expected that there would be someone in the world who could suppress him with Killing Intent, rendering him completely immobile, something that never even occurred when he fought against top-ranked Mercenary Killers of the world. Those who had danced on the edge of the knife had never condensed such a Killing Intent, but Hao Jian had, and with such strength, he now understood why the leader was him. Chapter 846 - 845: Pre-Action Phase Hao Jian did not expect that Lion could stand up again, he too was somewhat taken aback, but he could tell that Lion was speaking entirely out of sheer willpower. It seems the Ling Hai brothers were extremely important to Lion, otherwise, such willpower would not have been possible. In light of this, Hao Jian did not press on the matter further. After saying just a few words, he left the area and walked into the building. Seeing Hao Jian move forward, Bamboo Pole hurriedly followed, but his eyes flickered slightly when he glanced towards Lion. This action was very subtle, unnoticed by either Lion or Hao Jian... The mission was assigned quickly: Hao Jian and others had just rested for a day when they received the plan for this operation. Looking at the plan, Hao Jian''s brow furrowed slightly. The plan was simple: one person was to undertake an infiltration operation, while the others were to provide support from the outside, and another person was needed to control some equipment. However, the current premise was to first locate where the female doctor was being held by the enemy. Unfortunately, with limited power at their Los Angeles stronghold, they were unable to precisely locate the Mercenary Alliance''s temporary base, they could only roughly determine its location. Therefore, they needed to set a specific plan, clarifying the division of tasks, otherwise, if they acted in a disorderly fashion when the time came, it would be truly dangerous, especially for the person preparing to infiltrate. Soon, Hao Jian called over the four men including Lion. As for the others at the base, Hao Jian could not be bothered to summon them, since the mission was their undertaking and they would devise their own plan; those at the base only needed to assist with the equipment. "You''ve all seen the plan; I won''t say much more. This mission is very dangerous. If any of you want to drop out now, it''s still possible. I''ll ask one last time, does anyone want out?" Hao Jian casually tossed the plan onto the table, then glanced at the four men and spoke indifferently. This question was merely perfunctory¡ªif someone really wanted to drop out, it was best they do so now to avoid complications later that could detrimentally affect the operation. As the leader, Hao Jian had to consider potential threats. Indeed, the best candidate for the infiltration could very likely be himself. Therefore, Hao Jian had to guard against any backstabbing; he did not want to be betrayed while attacking the Mercenary Alliance''s base, which would spell his doom. "No, since we are here, it signifies that we have accepted the mission. We are soldiers; obeying orders is our duty. You are our commander now, so just say the word and we will accomplish it without fail!" Lion glanced at Hao Jian and spoke in a deep voice, representing the collective decision of the four men. Lion was only suppressed by Hao Jian''s domineering presence causing some internal injury yesterday, and his complexion looked somewhat pale as he left the house today. However, after resting for a day, his internal injuries had mostly healed and he would fully recover with another day or two of rest. Of course, this was mainly because Hao Jian had not been overly harsh; otherwise, Lion wouldn''t be sitting here chatting so effortlessly, but lying in a hospital, unable to come over at all. "Does anyone else have any objections?" Hao Jian nodded and then asked again, his calm gaze slowly sweeping over the men. After waiting for a while and seeing none of the men speak up, Hao Jian tapped lightly on the table and his gaze fixed on the four, as he spoke with a hint of Killing Intent. "If no one objects, then allow me to discuss our plan and the allocation of personnel. Once the operation starts, if I find anyone doing anything that endangers our plan, I, Hao Jian, will not be lenient!" "Also, once the plan starts, even if you want to back out, I won''t allow it. Unless the mission is completed, anyone trying to quit will be dealt with by me, Hao Jian. Do not doubt my abilities, nor question whether I can follow through..." These words brimming with lethal intent entered the ears of the four, instantly sending a shiver down their spines. They immediately nodded their heads promptly, fearing that any delay might provoke Hao Jian into action. Having just witnessed Hao Jian''s strength the day before, the group was well aware of his capabilities and thus, none of them doubted the feasibility of his statements. "Good, since that''s settled, let me start talking about our plan." Seeing the men nod, Hao Jian also nodded, then began to speak: "My plan is this: For this operation, we''ll keep our team limited to just the five of us. We''re not familiar with the people inside this base, so we won''t include them." Upon hearing this, Lion also nodded. Being battle-hardened, he naturally understood this point. Although the organization had said that the people inside the stronghold were all on their side, with the sensitivity of soldiers, there still remained some distrust. And this plan was an infiltration plan after all, the fewer people who knew about it, the better. If the infiltration plan became common knowledge on the streets, then it wouldn''t be called an infiltration plan, it would be called a battle plan. "Bamboo Pole, your expertise is electronics. The task of monitoring and detonating the bombs will be entrusted to you. Once we have located their stronghold, we will need you to go in and hack their system. Even if you can''t hack it, you can still modify some of the critical surveillance points to make our infiltration easier. Got it?!" "Yes, sir!" Bamboo Pole also snapped to attention and saluted before sitting down. "Lion, you lead Ling Hai and Ling He to search for the exact location of the stronghold. All you need to do is find the location, the rest will be handled by me." "This is your mission, do you understand?!" "Yes, sir!" S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Lion and his two comrades did the same as Bamboo Pole, their eyes filled with determination. This was going to be a challenging mission; not for any other reason but because their enemies this time were from the powerful Mercenary Alliance, people who licked blood off the edge of their knives, and in terms of ferocity, they were perhaps even stronger than them. Moreover, do not think that Lion and his team''s task is simple. What they had to do was to conduct a field survey of the previously charted map of the Mercenary Alliance stronghold''s area to pinpoint its exact location. The area map seemed small on the table, but its diameter was a good twenty kilometers. To find a small stronghold within this twenty-plus kilometer area was no mean feat. Beyond having a wealth of experience, you''d also need a skillset adept in tracking. Fortunately, this was not something Lion and his team were unfamiliar with. After a cursory look at the area map, he nodded, tucked the map away, then patted Hao Jian on the chest, saying, "Leave it to the three of us! Three days, give us three days, and I will give you the exact location after!" "Good! I trust you!" Hao Jian also smiled and nodded. These people may lack other things, but their capabilities were certainly commendable. At least if it were him doing this, it might take ten days to half a month to find it, and by then the people could all be gone. After speaking, he turned his head, looked at Bamboo Pole, and said, "You prepare what you need to prepare first, and once Lion and his team have gathered the information, I want you to quickly take care of the surveillance issues." "Mhm, okay! But this infiltration issue..." Here, Bamboo Pole looked at Hao Jian, hoping he would provide an answer. After all, no matter how much preparation they''ve done, if a mistake occurred in the infiltration process, their efforts would all be in vain, and they would face the danger of being hunted down by the Mercenary Alliance. They did not believe they had the strength to stand against the Mercenary Alliance. It would be a different story if it involved a nation''s army, but the problem was that it was only the five of them. As for those inside the stronghold, when it came to strength, they had none, except for a few handguns for self-defense. Indeed, their arrival here was only to collect data on the Mercenary Alliance. Should Special Forces or some other entities get involved, it could easily spook the enemy. "Leave that to me. Just get me a timed bomb when the time comes. After we rescue the doctor, I need to blow up their base." Hao Jian waved his hand nonchalantly, as the candidate for this job had already been decided on him, and it was something he needed to do personally to feel at ease. "That''s simple. I''ll just get it from them when the time comes." Bamboo Pole chuckled and then spoke to Hao Jian, "Since that''s the case, I''ll go down and prepare. The people from the Mercenary Alliance are no pushovers, and their systems aren''t easy to hack..." The strength of the Mercenary Alliance was clear to anyone with the right clearance. It was only because they had taken on a national mission that they dared to confront the Mercenary Alliance; otherwise, they would not have dared to come. "Alright, you all can go now." Hao Jian waved his hand, signaling the four to go and prepare, while he descended the stairs, heading towards the area of the map that encompassed the Mercenary Alliance. Chapter 847 - 846: Mercenary Code Three days later... "Leader! We have preliminarily confirmed their base of operations, right here!" Excited, Lion and his two companions rushed over, gestured grandly, and Ling Hai and Ling He quickly spread out the map in front of Hao Jian, pointing at a particular 4S car dealership within the area highlighted on the map. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "This is a Mercedes-Benz 4S dealership; although it looks unremarkable from the outside, when I visited recently, I was told that entry was only permitted with a membership card. Curious, I investigated further and, after thorough scrutiny, I am now certain that this place is a Mercenary Alliance stronghold!" "Why would you say that?" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian pondered for a moment before raising the question aloud. He had visited the site himself a few days earlier and was allowed to enter smoothly; the patrons inside appeared to be ordinary people, nothing more. "On the Friday three days ago, I got in without issue, but on Saturday and Sunday, when I tried to enter again, I was told that a membership card was required. Hence, I sneaked in and discovered several individuals wanted internationally!" Lion answered immediately without hesitation, and beside him, Ling Hai and Ling He both nodded, evidently affirming the truth of Lion''s words. "Five, six, seven..." His fingers tapping lightly on the desk, Hao Jian''s eyes flickered continuously until, at a certain moment, his gaze became fixed as he murmured, "This is a code..." "Did they say the word ''sir'' to you?!" "Yes, they did!" "That''s it then!" "What do you mean?" Lion looked perplexed at Hao Jian; what was all this about codes and such? Hadn''t he already stated that the location was a Mercenary Alliance base? Why muddle with all these unnecessary details? It wasn''t only him; Ling Hai and Ling He shared the same sentiment. As for Bamboo Pole, he was adjusting some equipment and did not come over. "The term ''sir'', if you split it up, reveals ''two'' and ''three''. You think they''re addressing you as ''sir'', but in reality, they''re referencing ''two'' and ''three'', which is a code used by the Mercenary Alliance. Look at this 4S dealership''s architecture; doesn''t its rooftop closely resemble the number ''three''?" As he spoke, Hao Jian also produced a photograph, clearly pre-prepared, and pointed at the rooftop as he explained. "It does resemble..." "How many floors does this store have?" "Two floors." "How many walls do they have?" "It seems... it seems to be a pentagon..." As Lion responded to Hao Jian''s questions, his expression grew increasingly grave until, with a sudden exclamation, he realized and said, "Mercenary code! Two, three, six, seven!" "Correct, that''s right. If you''re not a mercenary, much less a top-tier mercenary, you wouldn''t be privy to this code..." A serious look crossed Hao Jian''s face. Typically, only those ranked within the top hundred mercenaries would employ this code, and having been of that rank himself, he naturally knew it. What he hadn''t expected was to encounter this long-forgotten code in his memory once again. But if he remembered correctly, these mercenary codes weren''t to be used lightly... It seems Secretary Liu is still concealing something from me... What exactly is that female doctor''s research... Hao Jian''s expression grew even more somber. Initially, he thought he was merely dealing with ordinary-level mercenaries, yet he hadn''t anticipated the involvement of this code. Those entitled to use this code are top hundred rank mercenaries! Although he wasn''t overly concerned¡ªas long as he wasn''t facing one of the top ten, there was virtually no threat to him¡ªwhen the mission shifted to infiltration, the risk factor soared exponentially. They were mercenaries after all, keenly aware of which areas to be especially mindful of, especially those ranked in the top hundred?! "This does complicate matters. Should we rework the plan?" Lion also looked troubled. He had once served as a mercenary for a time and became friends with one who was ranked in the international top hundred. He learned some secrets not widely known from him, but ever since that friend embarked on a mission and never returned, Lion wondered if he would ever encounter such information again. Only, he hadn''t expected to confront these issues today... "Proceed as planned, but be extra cautious this time around. After all, your abilities are still no match for those fellas..." Hao Jian shook his head. With him around, these problems weren''t insurmountable, but coordination among them needed to be tighter. Otherwise, the consequences could be catastrophic, potentially leading to even the destruction of those inside the stronghold by the crazed mercenaries. Though these individuals held no importance to him personally, they were still compatriots, members of Huaxia, and he was responsible for their safety. Otherwise, he would have long since taken up arms and demolished the Mercenary Alliance''s base. "When does the operation begin?" After nodding, Lion also felt there was no need to change the plan, as time didn''t allow for further delay. "It starts in the afternoon." Hao Jian stroked his chin, then said, "Send the order down; the technical department must stay vigilant at all times. I will send them my location later, and they must infiltrate their surveillance system within one minute!" "Got it!" .................................... "Is this the 4S store?" Hao Jian stood in front of a 4S store, observing the sparse crowd at the entrance, then touched his chin again. On a Monday like today, there should only be one of our people left... The people from the Mercenary Alliance generally assign contact persons at their reception points based on the day of the week. For instance, if today is Monday, they would only dispatch one person to blend in with the crowd, and only a mercenary could recognize their own member. "Hello..." After smoothly entering the 4S store, Hao Jian slightly scanned the place and noticed a salesman introducing a vehicle to a customer. With a light chuckle, he walked over and whispered in the salesman''s ear, "Two three six seven!" "Please wait a moment!" Upon hearing these four numbers, the salesman''s eyes lit up. After taking a quick look around, he nodded at Hao Jian and said. He wasn''t worried about the code being faked since only those with sufficient credentials would know it, and even if someone with insufficient credentials used it, they might end up losing their lives. This is the way of the mercenary world, where only the strongest are acknowledged. You might not have the code, but if you wish to use it, that''s acceptable¡ªso long as you can demonstrate your strength. A person like Hao Jian, who could be immediately recognized as a figure from the mercenary world and also knew the code, would indicate that he was a true mercenary, one of the top hundred! "Sir, is there something I can do for you?" After the salesman asked others to guide the customers away, freeing up his time, he approached Hao Jian, gesturing him to the side with a slight smile. "I didn''t come yesterday, but I heard someone mention you guys had something nice..." Hao Jian''s eyes flickered slightly as he spoke with a smile. "Ha ha, it seems that sir is quite well-informed indeed. Yes, we did acquire something nice," the salesman said, taken aback by Hao Jian''s remark before brightening up with a laugh. If it was about yesterday''s event, it must concern that research. Unexpectedly, this man was so well-informed; usually, only those who were involved in the event that day would be aware. The man before him also knew, which suggested he was no ordinary individual. Perhaps the boss wouldn''t have any doubts upon meeting such a person? Yesterday''s event had been attended only by a few top hundred mercenaries, and in principle, they wouldn''t leak such information, so it must have come from another channel... "It''s just..." Suddenly, the salesman''s face showed hesitation, as if he had some difficulty speaking. Hao Jian also noticed this situation, his eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned his surroundings, then saw a car and chuckled inwardly. With a smile on his face, he pointed at the vehicle and said, "Isn''t that the latest Mercedes-Benz model of the year? I''ll take that one." "Sure! No problem!" The salesman''s face lit up with joy; the car was worth over thirty million, and selling it would mean all the money belonged to him¡ªbecause he was the only undercover mercenary keeping watch today! "Now that I''ve made your day, shall we talk business?" Hao Jian looked at the salesman with a light chuckle, yet his tone carried a cold edge that made the salesman''s face slightly stiffen before he let out a forced laugh, "Sir, you are really in a hurry, I''ll tell you right now." "What we got this time is a research project from a doctor, belonging to a Huaxia research team. I don''t know what they''ve developed, but I do know that our boss puts great importance on it..." The salesman wasn''t afraid that Hao Jian would leak the information since even if the secret got out, what could happen? The relations in Los Angeles were well managed by them; even if the military intervened, they had ample time to escape. Therefore, he wasn''t worried about a leak. Moreover, in a few days, they would be leaving this place, so he had even less concern. "May I boldly ask¡ªwhat is the location?" "That..." However, at this question, the salesman''s face showed difficulty once more... "This card contains ten million, part of Swiss Bank, and you can withdraw money anywhere in the world," said Hao Jian, presenting the card indifferently. Chapter 848 - 847 You Only Have Ten Seconds! For Hao Jian, being a mercenary was not about fighting, but money and commissions. Except for some who kill solely for the sake of killing, most mercenaries were motivated by money. If not, hardly anyone would choose to be a mercenary. The one in front of him likely belonged to the lower ranks of the Mercenary Alliance, usually unable to access such a substantial amount of money, conversely, his loyalty wasn''t that strong either, thus making bribery relatively easier. "Hehe, if it weren''t for the money you offered, I wouldn''t dare to reveal this¡­" The waiter chuckled slyly, then leaned in and whispered a sentence to Hao Jian: "Two streets over, there''s a supermarket basement with a ventilation duct you can enter through to reach the place." "Haha! Great! Try out the car with me now, thanks for the information." With this information, a cold glint flashed through Hao Jian''s eyes, and he discreetly tapped on his wristwatch... .................. "Report! Message from Number One! It''s underground at Weiss Supermarket!" In the previously occupied hideout by Hao Jian, a room filled with various electronic devices, a worker suddenly exclaimed and his hands flew over the keyboard rapidly. Similar actions were taken by his few colleagues nearby. Bamboo Pole, not far from them, upon receiving the news, his eyes flickered slightly and then his hands hit the keyboard, typing furiously... ......... "Is it done?" At a street corner, deserted and empty, the figure of Hao Jian slowly appeared, sensing the vibration from his wristwatch, he gently nodded. "If they dare take advantage from Hao Jian, they better be prepared to face death." Hao Jian looked coldly at the lifeless body behind him, whose eyes were rolled back. Naturally, this body was that of the waiter he had taken out to ''test the car'', who had just been dealt with. Since the operation was about to commence, dealing with this guy now posed no issue. Moreover, as long as this guy was alive, he posed a potential risk to the operation since he could report back to his organization at any time. Hao Jian couldn''t allow any instability in the operation, hence, it was best to deal with him now. Soon after, Hao Jian drove the CLK GTR AMG Roadster to a street corner not far from Weiss Supermarket. This car, a top sports car, could reach speeds of up to 320 kilometers per hour. Although it wasn''t as good as Hao Jian''s Enzo, he couldn''t bring it back to the country and decided to use this one. Besides, this car didn''t cost anything... "The operation starts!" Getting out of the car, Hao Jian casually glanced at the street and the terrain to get his bearings, then he directly entered the basement of Weiss Supermarket, where Brother Lion and two others were already waiting. "Leader!" Seeing Hao Jian, the three men quickly greeted him and then stood quietly. The area was originally a parking lot. This time Brother Lion also drove a minivan, tall enough to shield all four of them, thus they weren''t worried about being seen as long as they kept their voices down. "You guys provide backup here. If anything happens, when I say run, you run immediately without any hesitation. Understood?!" After interacting for a few days, Hao Jian''s impression of these three had somewhat improved. Brother Lion''s personality was not as threatening as it seemed on the surface, that was just his facade. As for Ling Hai and Ling He, other than being a bit quiet, there was nothing inappropriate. At least, they had completed all the tasks Hao Jian had assigned well without any mistakes, which was commendable. After all, he had beaten up Brother Lion before. "Yes, Leader!" The three saluted militarily, and then watched as Hao Jian walked towards the vent, their eyes filled with complex emotions. After a few days of interaction, Brother Lion had let go of what Hao Jian had done to him in the past. He was a passionate soldier, handling matters with vigor. Ever since the incident with Hao Jian, he finally understood how important it is to be accommodating, at least to Hao Jian''s standards. With his strength, he could have ordered them to do anything, even assign them covert missions. If they were discovered, it wouldn''t be him facing the consequences. Yet in the operations, Hao Jian not only sought their opinions but also put himself in dangerous positions. Such temperament, he really didn''t know how to describe. He asked himself, if it were him, he definitely wouldn''t have done the same, especially because they''re facing the Mercenary Alliance, a coalition powerful enough to manipulate small countries, which he found incredibly frightening! Especially his former mercenary friend who would speak of the alliance with a fearful tone, and having encountered many mercenaries during his years in the field, he saw danger in them... "Brother Lion, do you think he can succeed?" Ling He looked at Hao Jian, who had already disappeared into the air vent, with a complex expression in his eyes, sighed lightly, and asked Brother Lion. Upon hearing this, Brother Lion was slightly stunned, then clenched his fist and said, "He will definitely succeed!" "I also believe that he will succeed!" Ling Hai responded, then smiled and said, "He gives me the feeling of a powerful strongman, how powerful I am not sure, but at least I can feel his heart, the kind of strongman who has his own principles." "Haha, Little Hai is right, he is a strongman, I realized this when I fought with him, at least I never thought such a person would be unearthed by the minister..." Hearing Ling Hai''s words, Brother Lion also patted his shoulder and laughed out loud. "Brother Lion, during our years of operation, I heard that inside Dragon Tooth, their founder is a true strongman, none of our Divine Tiger''s people can match him..." "Could it be..." Upon hearing this, Brother Lion''s eyes flickered slightly, and then clenching his teeth, he said, "As long as he can walk out alive, whether he is the Dragon Tooth Founder or not, he will be my leader, Brother Lion!" ...................... Hao Jian, who had entered the ventilation duct, was unaware of the thoughts of those few people outside, as he was cautiously proceeding, his shoes had been taken off at some unknown time and were now held in his hand... The ventilation duct was originally made up of steel materials. If he wore shoes, Hao Jian could not control his force, and would make noise on it. He was currently on a stealth mission, and any unexpected sound could attract the attention of the enemies inside. Only by taking off his shoes could Hao Jian truly manage his force, a stealth technique he had to learn when he became a mercenary! Winding and turning, Hao Jian walked a long time in the ventilation duct, overheard many patrolmen''s conversations, captured some key information, and acted little by little according to these key pieces of information. The ventilation duct was originally large enough to accommodate a person standing up, but as he went further, the diameter of the duct gradually decreased, and now Hao Jian could only crawl through it bit by bit. Hao Jian did not know how long he had walked before he arrived at his destination, the place where the female doctor was detained, but as soon as his palm was about to cross a duct intersection, his complexion drastically changed, and the hand that had been reaching forward stopped abruptly in mid-air... Infrared rays... Three millimeters in front of his palm, dense infrared rays emerged, and opposite the infrared, there was a cannon barrel, a cannon-like barrel, though this barrel only had a diameter of roughly twenty centimeters, making it a small missile weapon. The most important thing was not this. Below the barrel, there was a sensor. If it detected that the infrared was triggered, the sensor would instantly react, directly severing the line originally stopping the barrel''s trigger from being pulled... S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Such a level of weaponry, if it were on an open ground, Hao Jian would not fear it, but now he was inside the duct, and once this device was activated, even his strong physique would absolutely not withstand the power of this shell. Thinking that he had just walked at Ghost Gate not long ago, Hao Jian''s face turned somewhat unpleasant, he slowly retracted his hand, wiped the cold sweat on his forehead, and felt a lingering fear. "There''s a dense infrared sensing area in front of me, about ten meters away, how to deal with it?" Helplessly, Hao Jian could only seek help from headquarters, hoping they could figure out a way. "There is a countermeasure here, which is to hack their security system, but this would only last for ten seconds, and once this countermeasure is used, you''re no longer safe, they will realize that an intruder has entered the base..." Quickly, Bamboo Pole''s voice came through the wireless earphone into Hao Jian''s ears, causing his eyes to gradually light up, then biting his teeth, he gently tapped the earphone three times... Execute the plan! Ten seconds, enough time for him to cross this ten-meter infrared zone and go inside to bring the female doctor out... But getting out would be somewhat difficult... Because he didn''t have the map of this base, all his routes were obtained by walking and listening from the duct above... Damn it, if it comes to it, just throw a timed bomb to attract these guys'' attention! When coming out, Hao Jian had already brought the timed bomb with him. Chapter 849 - 848: Old Mother... "Ready!" Hao Jian kept his focus solely on the infrared lines before him as the updates from headquarters continuously reached his ears. Ten seconds to breach a ten-meter distance within a ventilation duct that was just wide enough for one person to crawl through seemed nearly impossible. However, for Hao Jian, as long as he concentrated, he could definitely make it across. Right now, he needed to think about how to extract the female doctor from her room after getting in. The reason being, once this strategy commenced, his infiltration into the base would be exposed, although luckily, his exact location would still remain hidden. "Go!" As the words fell, the dense infrared lines abruptly disappeared. Witnessing this, the already highly concentrated Hao Jian knew exactly what to do next?! With his hands and feet moving in unison, he dashed swiftly through the ten-meter stretch of the infrared zone¡­ "You have five seconds left!" Just as Hao Jian surged past the infrared area, he heard a voice indicating there were only five seconds left. With a light exhale, he glanced up at something resembling a cannon barrel, curious. He had never seen this weapon before. Could it be that similar devices were installed in some critical areas of the ventilation ducts? "Beep beep beep..." Just as Hao Jian was about to bypass the barrel, a strange beeping noise suddenly rang out. His expression shifted slightly, and then he promptly ripped open the clothes he was wearing to reveal a timed bomb, nestled against his chest, that unexpectedly began to countdown... And by now, there were only three seconds left on the timer... Fuck! It''s a trap! Upon seeing this, Hao Jian''s first thought was that there was a traitor among them! It turns out that the bomb was indeed timed, and its activation was only possible by the technical team from the headquarters. His mission had been to place the bomb at a strategic point within the outpost to divert the mercenaries'' attention. But unexpectedly, the bomb had now begun to countdown! "Beep beep beep..." Two seconds remained on the clock¡­ "Boom!" Hao Jian''s face turned grim as he quickly disassembled the timed bomb from his body, while simultaneously channeling part of his Vigorous Qi into the soles of his feet, stomping through the ventilation duct to create a hole big enough for a person to pass through. "Damn it!" After completing everything, with only one second left, Hao Jian muttered a curse, and with no hesitation, he tossed the timed bomb out while diving into the hole he had just made¡­ With his life on the line, Hao Jian no longer cared if his position was detected; worrying about that would surely result in his death here. "Who''s there?!" At that moment, the two mercenaries at the door, armed with AK-47s, rushed out swiftly, alerted by the previous explosion from the ventilation ducts. They approached the hole with caution, and then a figure suddenly leaped out. Their faces tightened instantly, guns at the ready, aiming at Hao Jian, shouting loudly as they prepared to fire. "Idiots!" As his feet touched the ground, Hao Jian cursed under his breath and then forcefully sprang towards a corner. He had only just come down, and if the bomb exploded, he''d be the first one hit. Thus, he had to find a safe spot to avoid this explosion. He didn''t expect to encounter mercenaries right after descending. However, now was not the time for a fight. If he remembered correctly, the direction in which he threw the bomb was towards where he had been proceeding in the ventilation duct, which was exactly above the heads of these two mercenaries¡­ "Boom!" As the words were spoken, the loud boom and the blinding flash of the explosion shot out from the ventilation duct almost instantly. The entire outpost was suddenly filled with the blaring of alarms and the flashing of red lights, and the two mercenaries caught in the explosion tragically lost their lives without a sound. The bomb Hao Jian had obtained from the organization was among the most powerful in terms of firepower. Its blast could not only annihilate a person, but even a fully armed tank would be torn to shreds. Being underground in such a confined space only amplified its devastating effects. That''s why, upon descending, Hao Jian had quickly found cover to protect himself. The explosion lasted a full ten seconds. As the flames finally began to subside, Hao Jian slowly emerged from the shelter of the corner he was hiding in. He glanced at the flashing red lights from a distance, not stopping for a moment as he charged into the smoke-filled area. He was somewhat worried about the safety of the female doctor, given the extreme intensity of the explosion; even he was not sure of surviving it. At this moment, Hao Jian could only hope that the door holding the female doctor was sturdy enough¡­ Through the smoke, Hao Jian also saw the gate, and his face turned sour seeing such an alloy door caved in from the impact. If the timed bomb had detonated directly in front of him, no matter what tricks he had up his sleeve, he would have been killed in that explosive moment. His body was not as durable as that alloy gate... But the fact that the alloy gate hadn''t been blown apart was actually good news to Hao Jian; it at least meant that the people inside were probably fine. Just as this thought crossed his mind, a sudden sinking feeling hit his heart¡ªthe ventilation duct was not protected by such a sturdy gate... What if the female doctor had been too close to the ventilation duct? She could have been affected by the blast... "Doctor... Doctor!" Pushing aside the damaged gate with a shove, Hao Jian hurried in, shaking off the heat from the gate that had reddened his hands, and called out into the interior. However, after several shouts, there was still no response, which caused Hao Jian''s face to darken even more¡ªa lack of response meant something had happened to the people inside... No! Even if something had happened, he must find the person; what if it wasn''t the female doctor inside?! So, Hao Jian hastily searched through the room filled with research equipment, momentarily confounded by the room itself irrespective of the current situation. She truly was a doctor-grade female scientist! He couldn''t recognize what these things were, yet she could use them with such proficiency... sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Ah!" As Hao Jian opened a door that seemed to lead to a bathroom, a piercing scream suddenly rang in his ears, altering his expression drastically. He waved his hand and grabbed, pulling the person out of the room... But as he pulled the person out, Hao Jian''s face immediately fell because the person was a woman, and his instinctual defensive action had thrown her to the ground with not a light amount of force... "Ahaha, so you''re the doctor, right?" He quickly helped her up, chuckling awkwardly while a glint of admiration shone in his eyes¡ªif this woman really was the doctor, she was a downright genius among geniuses! Merely judging by her appearance, she could only be around twenty-six years old. To have conducted research that turned the Mercenary Alliance green with envy and that nations vied to protect, it was nothing short of awe-inspiring talent. "Yes!" Clearly, the female scientist was rather forthright, immediately answering Hao Jian''s question without even pondering the rough treatment she had just experienced at his hands... "Since you are, then let''s get moving fast!" Getting a response, Hao Jian quickly wiped off the sweat from his forehead and hurried towards the exit. There was no time to waste any longer in this place! The entire base was now in an uproar because of the incident he had caused. If he didn''t make a quick escape, he would have to face a barrage of firearms. If he were alone, no matter how many came, he was confident he could leave with ease. After all, he had been in the midst of gunfire and bullets for more than just a day or two, and was all too familiar with the performance and range of various weapons. Just by instantly calculating all the bullet trajectories, dodging bullets with his agility was a piece of cake. But once he had to take someone with him, there would be additional unstable factors that could lead to both of them falling victim to the bullets. A direct confrontation wouldn''t work, so they''d have to sneak out just like they came in. And for some reason, ever since the alarm sounded, he had completely lost contact with headquarters, rendering it impossible to ask for their help now. Furthermore, he hadn''t even settled the score for the timed bomb explosion. Now, he didn''t dare to ask Boss Guan for help; what if he got screwed over again, what then?! "Go where!?" The female scientist, upon hearing what Hao Jian said, suddenly froze, then, as if remembering something, she pointed at Hao Jian, and her sharp voice resounded, "I remember now! The explosion outside¡ªit was your doing! Right?!" "Fuck! Do you know that I was using the toilet just now, and your bomb blasted me off the toilet seat? Do you know that?!" This... this... Hearing the female scientist''s words, Hao Jian''s expression became strangely complicated. He had thought she was a lady, but why did she feel more like a bad-ass gangster? The way she used the term ''old mother'' was something Hao Jian had seen before, but never quite like this, with such essence. However, this made Hao Jian realize why she was unharmed¡ªthe daredevil had actually dodged disaster! Chapter 850 - 849: If You Dont Save Them, Ill Shout! "I don''t care if you''re a female doctor or an old lady, and I don''t care what mood you are in, leave with me immediately! If you don''t want to stay here anymore, then come with me right now!" Hao Jian had no time to waste. He instantly dashed to the female doctor''s side, scooped her up in a princess carry, and rushed out towards the main gate. "You... you... what are you doing!? Where are you taking me?!" Suddenly being lifted by a strange man, Chi Ruo''s face flushed red, and she asked with a hint of anxiety, "If you don''t explain, I will resist!" "I was sent by the old man from the national organization to rescue you. If you don''t want to go back to the country, then I''ll just leave you here for the mercenaries to take care of, and I''ll tell the minister the mission failed when I get back." Dashing past a concealed corner, Hao Jian hurriedly explained the situation to Chi Ruo. His gaze then turned cold as he stared at Chi Ruo in his arms and said harshly, "I almost lost my life trying to save you, so you''d better not say anything that angers me." This mission wasn''t originally his concern, but after being approached by Secretary Zhang, he reluctantly took it. He had even been nearly killed by his own people. He had decided that once he safely returned to Huaxia, he would definitely settle scores with Secretary Zhang. If Zhang can''t compensate for the emotional distress, then he shouldn''t contact him for missions anymore. "Hmph, hmph, hmph! Fine, don''t talk then!" Seeing Hao Jian''s ferocious look, which was even more terrifying than those monitoring her, Chi Ruo''s pretty face turned pale as she turned her head and let out a light huff. Since she was being rescued by someone sent by the national organization, she could momentarily trust him. Although this guy was fierce, he was much better than the mercenaries at this base, who only demanded her to research and even delivered food through a small opening at the door. She was so done with this imprisoned life. ........................... "Boss! The base has been invaded by unknown personnel, and the room holding Dr. Chi has been breached. We just can''t locate where the intruder is!" In a room filled with various electronic devices, people continuously reported various pieces of information to the man standing in the center¡­ "Search! Immediately pull up all the surveillance. We''ve been invaded, how could you let this happen!?" Upon hearing the report, the man''s face turned grim as he threw the water cup in his hand to the floor. The sound of the breaking cup made everyone''s heart skip a beat, and they hastily increased their efforts into their work. Wales, a powerful mercenary from the Mercenary Alliance, is ranked between fifty-six and fifty-seven among world mercenaries, making him quite a formidable mercenary. The Mercenary Alliance was concerned about potential complications this time and deliberately sent Wales, who had just completed a mission, to ensure control over the situation. After all, they had offended the Huaxia government this time, and if they weren''t careful, Chi Ruo might be rescued soon. Wales confidently took on the task, knowing that the Huaxia mercenaries were all occupied with missions and couldn''t break free anytime soon, and those not from Huaxia wouldn''t likely get involved in this particular incident. After all, the Mercenary Alliance wasn''t just any mob. Those considering getting involved had to weigh their own capabilities. Yet, he never expected that their well-guarded base could be invaded in an instant, and the intruder managed to penetrate so deeply! After all, their base was equipped with the world''s most sophisticated surveillance and defense systems, and ordinary mercenaries couldn''t possibly infiltrate, unless they were among the top ten ranked globally. But was such a scenario possible? Wales didn''t believe those guys would bother to meddle in this affair, and even that renowned Huaxia expert was on a mission; there was no way they could get involved, or else the Mercenary Alliance wouldn''t have sent him here. "Boss! We''ve found it!" Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As Wales was growing worried internally, a voice snapped him back to reality. With a cold glance towards the subordinate reporting to him, he spoke in a deep voice, "Speak!" "Based on our initial investigation, this man invaded our base. However, the smoke was too thick at the time, and our hidden cameras only captured blurry footage..." "And his location was exactly where we detained Dr. Chi Ruo. I think that after all this time, he must have located Dr. Chi Ruo and might still be inside the base!" As he spoke, the mercenary flipped open the tablet in his hand, capturing the image of Hao Jian leaping through the smoke, though his face remained unidentified. "Regardless, issue an order to everyone in our base to start a carpet-style search centered on this point. There''s no way this person would treat our base like it''s unguarded!" Wales'' face also looked terrible. It had been two minutes since the intruders were spotted, and if more time passed, they might not even find the person. Therefore, a thorough search must be conducted, otherwise, if Dr. Chi were taken away, his return to the Alliance would surely lead to his death by those bosses! "Yes!" The mercenary nodded and hurriedly ran down to issue the command to the mercenaries who were still wandering around the base searching for Hao Jian. .............................. "Why do these guys suddenly seem so clever?" Having evaded a round of searches, Hao Jian, hiding in a corner, also grew increasingly anxious. Initially, the mercenaries had merely run past him without thorough searches, but now, they seemed desperate enough to even turn over mouse holes. "Hey! I need to go save someone!" Just as Hao Jian was about to move forward, Chi Ruo, who was in his arms, also shouted out loudly, startling Hao Jian, whose face instantly changed as he stomped his foot, covered Chi Ruo''s mouth with one hand, and instantly jumped to the ventilation duct above his head, holding his breath and suppressing his heartbeat. "Where are they?! There was a noise here just now!" Right after Hao Jian finished doing this, four or five mercenaries armed with weapons suddenly ran to the corner where Hao Jian had just hidden. They carefully inspected the area, and one of them seemed to sense something, his face suddenly changing as he said, "Someone was just here! This corner of the wall still retains some warmth; search quickly! They haven''t gone far!" With that, these four or five mercenaries directly ran toward the direction they believed the intruders had gone, reporting some information over their radios as they ran. "Fuck! Are you trying to get me killed?!" Seeing the mercenaries leave, Hao Jian breathed a sigh of relief, then glared at Chi Ruo with a fierce look that made Chi Ruo''s pretty face show a trace of horror. "I''m going to let go now, and you better behave, or I swear I''ll throw you into the sea to feed the fish!" The low voice was filled with endless anger, making Chi Ruo quickly nod her head like a pecking chick. Seeing her like this, Hao Jian slowly removed the hand blocking her mouth... "I need to go save my colleagues! They were also captured¡­" Learning from the last experience, she spoke very softly this time, so low that even Hao Jian nearly couldn''t hear her... "No! Our current situation is too dangerous. It''s already extremely difficult for me to get just you out. If we bring so many more people, we will become too big a target and will be discovered immediately!" Hearing Chi Ruo still wanted him to rescue her colleagues, Hao Jian rejected the idea without even thinking about it. Bringing the bothersome Dr. Chi had already caused him to be discovered several times. If it weren''t for his quick response earlier, they would have been noticed by the mercenaries already. Now to take along these additional burdens, it was simply impossible. Moreover, the mission he received this time was only to rescue Chi Ruo, and it didn''t mention rescuing others. Of course, if the situation was safe now, Hao Jian wouldn''t mind trying to save them, but they were already discovered. With this woman by his side who loved to shout out, how could he possibly go and rescue others? Hao Jian certainly hasn''t lived enough yet! "If you don''t go save them, then let''s just get caught together! Anyway, if they die, they definitely won''t let anything happen to me!" Hearing Hao Jian wouldn''t rescue them, Chi Ruo''s pretty face looked awful. She was about to scream out loud to get those people to discover her location¡­ "Slap!" But before she could scream, Hao Jian''s hand swiftly struck Chi Ruo''s back, knocking her unconscious. With the lesson learned from the last time, how could Hao Jian let this woman do it again? "Damn it, if it wasn''t because that old man specifically mentioned needing you, I would have long stopped caring about whether you lived or died, and yet you still want to drag me down with you? Forget about it!" Looking at Chi Ruo who had fainted in his arms, Hao Jian muttered a curse and quickly hoisted her onto his shoulder. After looking around, he immediately jumped down from the top of the ventilation duct. Initially, Hao Jian was thinking about escaping through the ventilation duct, but he quickly abandoned this idea. Since he had already been exposed, his method of sneaking in might be discovered by the enemy. In that case, they might set up ambushes at key points in the ventilation ducts, waiting for him to fall into their trap. Chapter 851 - 850 Very Dangerous... After meandering through the Mercenary Alliance''s base and evading countless waves of searching mercenaries, Hao Jian finally realized that he had temporarily escaped the surveillance of the Mercenary Alliance when he barely saw any mercenaries around. Glancing at Chi Ruo on his shoulder, Hao Jian shook his head helplessly. If it wasn''t absolutely necessary, he wouldn''t have wanted to knock this woman unconscious. He carefully surveyed his surroundings and, relying on his adaptability to the environment and the direction of air flow, Hao Jian dashed towards the exit. When he pushed open a manhole cover, he found himself in the middle of a grass field with no one around. Seeing this situation, Hao Jian breathed a sigh of relief. He finally made it out... Carrying Chi Ruo, Hao Jian briefly determined the direction and then sprinted towards Weiss Supermarket. Upon reaching the roadside, he hailed a taxi and asked the driver to proceed at the fastest speed possible. This was inevitable; his communication with the headquarters had been cut off, and he couldn''t contact Lion and the others, who were still waiting in the basement. Should the Mercenary Alliance find them, with their capabilities, they would certainly not escape the Mercenary Alliance''s pursuit. Hao Jian didn''t have the habit of abandoning his comrades to escape on his own. In the car, Hao Jian also carefully pondered over the illogical incident that had just happened¡ªwhy did the time bomb on him suddenly start counting down to explosion? This time bomb was controlled by the headquarters, and headquarters had not received any message from him about detonating it. Otherwise, he would have rescued the people earlier, would they have been discovered by the Mercenary Alliance? After thinking for a while, Hao Jian concluded that there must be a traitor among them. Lion and the others were in the supermarket''s basement, making Bamboo Pole the only suspect, although this did not rule out the agents working at the headquarters. However, Hao Jian was not concerned about that; if there really were traitors among those agents, the Mercenary Alliance would have received the news much earlier, and Huaxia would have sent people to rescue them from their stronghold. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. All of this was discovered by Hao Jian after he entered; considering everything, only Bamboo Pole could possibly be the traitor. Thinking of this, Hao Jian''s expression grew even more grim. If he was not currently in the car, he would have smashed everything in front of him. When have I, Hao Jian, ever been schemed against like this?! If I can''t settle this properly this time, I might as well not be called Hao Jian, but a fool! The taxi driver, seeing Hao Jian''s extremely gloomy face and his appearance carrying Chi Ruo when boarding the car, subconsciously thought he had encountered a criminal. Now, whatever Hao Jian asked him to do, he was visibly panicking, wishing he could deliver Hao Jian to his destination immediately! "Sir, we''ve arrived..." Finally, after more than ten minutes, the driver sped all the way, no longer caring about speeding or tickets, and arrived at Weiss Supermarket ahead of schedule by several minutes. When he saw Hao Jian get off with Chi Ruo but did not pull out a gun or anything to silence her, the driver, while breathing a sigh of relief, suddenly slammed on the accelerator, not even taking the fare, and drove off. "Uh... sir, you haven''t taken the fare yet..." Hao Jian had planned to find a place to put down Chi Ruo and then pay the fare, but just as he had closed the car door, the car suddenly started and vanished from his sight, leaving Hao Jian with a wry smile. Touching his cheek, Hao Jian was somewhat puzzled. Do I really look like a terrorist? If not, why would the driver leave without even daring to take the money?! Ah well, it doesn''t matter if he didn''t take it; after all, I didn''t bring any cash with me... I should go check how Lion and the others are doing first... With no time to dwell on this, Hao Jian, carrying Chi Ruo, quickly walked towards the basement of Weiss Supermarket. As he approached the ventilation shaft he had used to enter the Mercenary Alliance''s stronghold, he saw three people waiting anxiously there. "Leader... why are you here?" When Lion and the others heard a noise not too far behind them, they immediately turned their heads vigilantly, drew their handguns, and quickly cocked them before carefully walking to the side of the car, slowly peeking their heads out. When Lion looked out, he was stunned to see a man and a woman. "Is this the doctor?" After asking that question, Lion quickly shifted his gaze to the woman on Hao Jian''s shoulder, his face brightening a bit before uncertain words came out of his mouth. "Indeed, she''s our target, but she reacted too strongly when we rescued her, so I temporarily knocked her out..." Hao Jian nodded, quickly waved his hand, and said, "No more idle talk, hurry up and get in the car, I''ll explain the details once we''re on the road..." After speaking, Hao Jian quickly carried Chi Ruo out of the basement; outside, his car was still parked there, while the three in the basement, Lion, listened to Hao Jian''s words, exchanged glances, and then got into the Mercedes-Benz van, started the engine, and followed Hao Jian. Casually throwing Chi Ruo onto the passenger seat and fastening her seatbelt, Hao Jian started the sports car and quickly drove out of the parking spot to meet up with Lion and the others. Simultaneously, he took out his phone and dialed Lion''s number. "Lion, I''ve encrypted this call, do not hang up. What I''m about to say is very important..." Upon the phone connecting, Hao Jian''s somewhat heavy voice came from Lion''s phone, making Lion''s expression stiffen slightly. The equipment they used in the field, being special agents, was all state-provided; the features on their phones were all for surveillance and counter-surveillance, very different from typical smartphones, so encryption wasn''t strange. "First, we have a mole among us! Because of this mole, I almost couldn''t make it out alive. Damn it, a ticking bomb nearly took my life, Hao Jian''s life." Upon hearing this, Lion''s expression grimly darkened. He glanced at Ling Hai and Ling He behind him, and with some calculation in mind, hesitantly asked, "Are you saying the mole is Bamboo Pole?" "Yes, besides him, I can''t think of anyone else who could have had the chance to set me up!" Hao Jian did not hold back; he knew Lion was not that kind of person. While Lion might engage in plotting, when it comes to loyalty, perhaps even Hao Jian couldn''t compare. After all, according to the information provided by Secretary Zhang, Lion had risked his life multiple times for national matters. It was for this reason that, during their first confrontation, Hao Jian directly shattered his psychological defenses, as only by doing so could he make a proud person like Lion willingly follow him. That''s also why Hao Jian trusted that Lion wouldn''t commit such an act, as he had no opportunity to do so, and there was no need to mention Ling Hai and Ling He; they followed Lion everywhere like shadows. With someone like Lion watching, how could they have the opportunity? "Leader, let''s investigate this matter once we get back to headquarters. Let''s talk about the Mercenary Alliance matter first¡­" Lion didn''t know what to say; he saw the situation as extremely serious, but everything would wait until they returned to headquarters and checked on Bamboo Pole''s condition before making a final decision. For now, the pressing matter was the situation with the Mercenary Alliance¡­" They had stormed directly into the Mercenary Alliance''s base, creating chaos and rescuing their kidnapping target, Dr. Chi Ruo. The research Dr. Chi Ruo held was extremely important for the Mercenary Alliance, crucial enough that their forthcoming deals couldn''t proceed without her¡­ Hence, they might have to face a desperate counterattack from the Mercenary Alliance. If it were at home, Lion would not fear, but now, they were in Los Angeles, USA! The methods that worked back home wouldn''t work here! Since they dared to establish a base in Los Angeles and were equipped with so much firepower, if they didn''t have some connection with the local authorities in Los Angeles, Lion absolutely wouldn''t believe it. "Once we get back to the headquarters, order them to run! As far as they can!" Hao Jian''s grave voice slowly transmitted, "The Mercenary Alliance is not like other powers; their international influence is enough to affect the political landscape of some small countries. If it weren''t for this woman, perhaps the nation wouldn''t want to have any relations with the Mercenary Alliance." "Next, they might directly come gunning for us¡­" As Hao Jian said this, Lion''s expression turned grim, heavily asking, "Are you saying they really dare to openly come after us?!" Hearing this, Hao Jian''s eyes flickered contemplatively, his expression turning even more solemn as he answered, "Yes, based on my past experiences, they will definitely come after us here in Los Angeles!" "They might even deploy some heavy weaponry!" "The people from the Mercenary Alliance are a bunch of madmen who disregard their lives for money. Now that we''ve rescued this woman, we''ve cut off their money flow. Once their financial source is severed, what kind of actions do you think these madmen will take?!" "Very dangerous¡­" In the end, Lion could only conclude with this chilling answer¡­ Chapter 852 - 851: It Wasnt on Purpose! "Boss! We can''t find him! We suspect the intruder has already left our base!" An hour later, Wales received this upsetting news from his subordinate, and in a fit of rage, he tore the documents in his hand to shreds and bellowed angrily at his subordinate. "Gather all members in Los Angeles immediately. This time I want to see who dares to infiltrate the base of the Mercenary Alliance! I will show the world that no matter the size of our stronghold, it is not something common folk can provoke!" "Coming and going as they please, that''s simply not how things work at our Mercenary Alliance!" Wales almost roared these words out. After he finished roaring, he still felt unable to vent his anger properly and in impatience, he waved his hand to dismiss the trembling subordinate. "Beep beep beep..." Just as he sent his subordinate away, his cellphone suddenly rang. Wales frowned slightly, then took out his phone. Upon seeing the code displayed, his expression relaxed a bit, and he quickly answered, "Mercenary Alliance''s Los Angeles base..." "Wales, it''s me..." As the voice came through, Wales''s eyes narrowed instantly, and he then said, "Contact number 34?" S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Correct, but it''s better if you just call me Bamboo Pole." "What''s the matter?" Still fuming, Wales didn''t care about ''Bamboo Pole'' or ''34'', and bluntly asked with anger in his voice. "Heh, seems like the doctor you were overseeing got rescued, really useless!" Rather than a direct answer to his question, the response was a mockery, which inflamed Wales''s already furious heart further, the suppressed roar of anger emanating from his mouth. "If you''re only here to mock me, then you''ve got the wrong person. Don''t think just because you''re our contact in Huaxia you can talk to me like this. With just one report to higher-ups from me, you wouldn''t fare any better!" "We''re in the building at 184 Guangming Road. You better hurry, because I''m afraid we''ll be gone by the time you arrive..." Bamboo Pole responded in such a way that Wales''s eyes narrowed further, and he said in a calm tone, "Was it Huaxia''s group that infiltrated this time?" "I had no chance to contact you earlier; that explosion at your base just now must have been the time bomb I set. If I hadn''t done that, you might still be unaware of the intrusion!" "Nevermind that, was the intruder caught?" "No, we never saw him and he''s escaped..." Wales frowned, wanting to capture the intruder, but the opponent was too cunning to leave traces of their escape. "Trash!" Upon hearing they hadn''t caught Hao Jian on the spot, Bamboo Pole''s face turned black as ink. He had witnessed Hao Jian''s ferocity with his own eyes! Otherwise, he wouldn''t have defected to Hao Jian as his first move in an attempt to reduce Hao Jian''s suspicions about him... He originally thought a time bomb would be enough to deal with him, but now Wales is saying he escaped? Moreover, without any intel on Hao Jian''s status! "If there''s nothing else, I''m hanging up. This call isn''t encrypted and it might be monitored by your people. Don''t contact me again until we deal with the organization you''re in, especially because you are an important contact for the Mercenary Alliance in Huaxia... and also that family member..." "Anyway, I''ll try to cover for you in the ensuing matters. You all better come quickly, they''re already packing up, preparing to evacuate. Make it fast!" Bamboo Pole knew speaking further was dangerous, so without any more unnecessary words, after this sentence, he directly hung up the phone... Meanwhile, at the base, Wales, after ending the call, angrily slammed his cellphone on the hard ground, growling, "Fuck! Just a contact person?! And he dares to order me around! My status in the Alliance is streets ahead of you mere contacts!" "If it weren''t for your current usefulness in recapturing the doctor for us, I, Wales, wouldn''t even bother with you!" After bellowing these words, Wales felt much better, and immediately picked up the walkie-talkie and shouted loudly, "Everyone, assemble within five minutes, with your weapons! This mission only allows for success, not failure! Anyone who fails will have their bonus docked by 100,000! And for those with severe misdemeanors, death without mercy!" All the mercenaries, upon hearing Wales''s words, had a change in their facial expressions and dared not delay. Everyone sorted out their issues within three minutes, took up their most familiar weapons and ample ammunition, and assembled¡­ The deduction of their bonus was not their main concern; what they feared was the latter part, "death without mercy". The Mercenary Alliance always meant what they said about killing people. If you displease the boss, no matter how good your performance is, if he wants your life, you simply won''t survive! Thus, no mercenary dared to disobey Wales''s orders... While the mercenaries of the Mercenary Alliance at the Los Angeles base were ready and about to attack Hao Jian and his stronghold, Hao Jian and his crew were driving back to their base, arriving within half an hour. Unaware that their base location had been exposed, as soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw people packing up their belongings in an orderly manner and getting into the cars, causing them to be slightly startled. They had only just discussed on the road that they should pack their things and prepare to leave the place, but did they really need to tidy up to such an extent? It was as if they were turning their fixed headquarters into a mobile one... But the most important matter right now wasn''t this; it was the incident this time that almost cost Hao Jian his life... Therefore, as soon as Hao Jian entered the gate and swept his gaze around, he spotted where Bamboo Pole was. Immediately, he stormed toward Bamboo Pole with an imposing aura¡­ "Boss, you''re back?" Seeing Hao Jian appear, a glint flickered in Bamboo Pole''s eyes, his face momentarily stiffening before quickly recovering. With a sleazy expression that he put on for everyone else, he gave Hao Jian a grin... What greeted him, however, was not a smile from Hao Jian, but a massive fist... "Bang!" Approaching Bamboo Pole, Hao Jian didn''t bother with pleasantries, but swung a punch directly at Bamboo Pole''s stomach. The tremendous force instantly turned Bamboo Pole''s complexion to the color of liver, blood spewing from his mouth as he was dragged across the ground for over ten meters until he finally stopped against a wall. Seeing this sudden move by Hao Jian, the agents were dumbfounded for a moment, then quickly rushed over, intending to ask what had happened. However, just as they started to step forward, Lion and his two comrades suddenly stood in front of them, with a deep voice that made them dare not move. "The boss is handling things; it''s best you don''t interfere. Otherwise, if something happens later, I can''t guarantee your survival. Your immediate task is to pack up everything right now. After all, having rescued the doctor this time, the people from the Mercenary Alliance definitely won''t let us off easily..." "We must leave Los Angeles quickly, before those guys notice us. Otherwise, even with us and the boss, it''s absolutely impossible for all of you to survive..." "Lion is right. If you dare mess with my business now, I, Hao Jian, guarantee, you will lose your life immediately. Don''t think for a moment that I, Hao Jian, won''t do it..." Hao Jian coldly glanced at them. Aside from Bamboo Pole, there could be other traitors among these people, but that wasn''t something Hao Jian could concern himself with at the moment. Right now, he needed to deal with Bamboo Pole first... "Boss¡­ What did I do wrong?!" Hit by Hao Jian''s punch, Bamboo Pole instantly lost all strength, his mouth dripping with blood, his face pale, eyes filled with terror, he cried out. Just a moment ago, if it weren''t for his quick reaction, that punch might have meant he would never wake up again. But even so, taking a punch from Hao Jian head-on was more than Bamboo Pole could withstand. "Was it you who triggered the time bomb?!" Hao Jian coldly glanced at Bamboo Pole, sneered, and said, "I don''t recall giving you the order to trigger the time bomb, did I?! If I hadn''t reacted in time, perhaps I, Hao Jian, wouldn''t be in this world anymore!" "Since you want me dead, naturally, I can''t leave you alive..." Hao Jian at this moment, fueled by surging anger like never before, slowly walked over to Bamboo Pole, gradually lifting his foot, with Vigorous Qi swirling around it. If this foot were to come down, with Bamboo Pole''s frailty, he would lose his life instantly... "Boss! It really wasn''t intentional, I swear!" At this critical moment, Bamboo Pole''s mind raced, and he quickly found an excuse, saying, "It was a mishap! I really didn''t mean it, the device is just too old and malfunctioned, otherwise, this would never have happened!" "If you don''t believe me, there''s nothing I, Bamboo Pole, can do. You can kill or maim me, do as you please!" Chapter 853 - 852: Giving You a Piece of Advice "Was it really a technical mistake?!" Seeing Bamboo Pole''s righteous and confident demeanor, Hao Jian''s face shifted between light and shadow. He lacked enough evidence to prove his suspicions. If he had indeed wronged Bamboo Pole, it wouldn''t be good news for him either. At the very least, it would deal a blow to his reputation. "Yes! Yes! It really was a technical mistake!" Noticing the decrease in Hao Jian''s killing intent, Bamboo Pole felt a surge of joy in his heart. Without changing his expression, he quickly responded. Although he was unclear about how Hao Jian had managed to avoid the bomb''s explosion, the priority was to stabilize Hao Jian for the time being. As long as his cover wasn''t blown, he could guide the Mercenary Alliance members to come. Once they caught up, they would kill Hao Jian and capture the doctor. The orders Bamboo Pole received in his home country were to deal with Hao Jian, if possible... "Then I will tentatively believe you. But if I find you making similar mistakes again, I, Hao Jian, will definitely not show mercy!" After pondering, Hao Jian decided to let this guy off for now. After all, if he killed Bamboo Pole without any evidence, it would inevitably unsettle the Divine Tiger members. However, this didn''t mean Hao Jian trusted him; his instincts told him this guy was hiding something... But Hao Jian didn''t point it out, since he had already said he would tentatively trust him, so he would do just that. "Leader." Upon seeing Hao Jian turn around, Lion glanced at Bamboo Pole, who lay on the ground gasping for air, and then at Hao Jian, hesitating before speaking. "It''s nothing." Hao Jian shook his head, with no intention of explaining anything to Lion. He walked over to his car, patted Chi Ruo on the shoulder, and called out, "Hey, wake up!" Hao Jian didn''t put much force into it, merely enough to knock her unconscious. Considering they had left the Mercenary Alliance base and taken a long detour to avoid surveillance cameras that could track them back to the base, she should be about to wake up. "Huh? Is it morning?" Chi Ruo sleepily opened her eyes to find brightness before her. She stretched lazily and uttered the words that immediately made Hao Jian''s face fall. How on earth did this woman come up with something that caught the attention of both the nation and the Mercenary Alliance?! How could she be so oblivious?! Watching Chi Ruo''s demeanor, Hao Jian felt rather helpless. He had originally wanted to wake her up to argue about how she almost got him caught back at the base, but seeing her like this, Hao Jian no longer pursued the matter... Because he realized that even if he did pursue it, it would be of no use whatsoever! "Why am I here? You... you didn''t go to rescue them! And you knocked me out?" In the next moment, Chi Ruo''s eyes widened, fury gradually filling them, as she shouted at Hao Jian, "Why didn''t you save them?!" "You think I didn''t want to?! Did you even look at the situation at that time?! I almost got killed because of you. If it weren''t for that old man''s orders to bring you back safely to the nation, I couldn''t care less about you!" Faced with Chi Ruo''s unfair accusations, Hao Jian couldn''t hold back his ire, rolling his eyes and retorting irritably, "Do you think the Mercenary Alliance guys are easygoing?! If it weren''t for my quick thinking, I would be dead by now, and you would have been taken by them to endlessly continue with your damned research!" If it weren''t because Chi Ruo was a woman, Hao Jian might have cursed even more viciously. But Chi Ruo didn''t take in Hao Jian''s words and continued to yell at him, saying, "Even if I die, that''s my own business! It''s none of your concern, you cold-blooded animal!" "I don''t care about your reasons! All I know is you didn''t go to save them! Don''t talk to me about how tough those Mercenary Alliance people are! I won''t listen!" "You..." Hao Jian truly didn''t expect to encounter such an extremely bizarre woman, and in anger, he laughed mockingly, "I can''t be bothered to argue with you!" "Hmph!" With a cold snort, Hao Jian directly opened the car door and got in, no longer caring about Chi Ruo''s mood. Although he was somewhat angry with the unreasonable woman, the mission from that old guy at the Ministry of Defense dictated that he had to bring her back. "As a woman, can''t you be a bit more rational?!" Hao Jian couldn''t help but make this remark, but all it elicited was a furious scolding from Chi Ruo. "I''ve been completely rational! You actually didn''t save those people! They are all my research colleagues! They are my most important friends, and now I''m the only one alive! How am I supposed to face their families!" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian''s heart also stirred slightly, and he immediately sighed inwardly. If he could have saved them, he would have done so long ago; after all, they were his fellow countrymen. But at that time, he truly had no means... "You bastard, cold-blooded animal!" "You need to calm down!" Hao Jian gestured with his hand, and then promptly pressed on several spots on Chi Ruo''s shoulder, sealing her mute acupoint. If he didn''t do this, this woman would never stop. If it wasn''t for the lack of trust, Hao Jian probably would have left this woman to be watched by someone else by now. Because of Bamboo Pole, Hao Jian still did not trust Divine Tiger. This guy almost blew him up and had some other unusual behaviors. If that was the case, it''s not beyond reason to suspect he might have covetous intentions toward Chi Ruo; Hao Jian couldn''t afford to let Chi Ruo out of his sight. In case she was harmed by such a person, how would Hao Jian explain upon his return to the country?! "Mmm mmm mmm..." Chi Ruo, whose mute acupoint was sealed by Hao Jian, did not know what he did to make her unable to speak, so she was filled with fear. She opened her mouth trying to speak, but couldn''t make any sound. She could only widen her eyes and stare fiercely at Hao Jian, her beautiful eyes filled with anger. "You better just sit quietly in the car, otherwise you won''t even know how you die later. You''re preoccupied with others when you should be concerned about yourself." Hao Jian shook his head helplessly. If it wasn''t for this woman being so annoying, he wouldn''t want to do this. But that''s alright, now he must prepare to face the pursuit of the Mercenary Alliance. "Lion, come here." Hao Jian called over to Lion, who was not far away. Seeing Hao Jian beckoning him, Lion put down his work and ran over quickly. Arriving before Hao Jian, Lion gave a military salute. "Leader! Is there something you need?!" Hao Jian nodded and then pointed to Lion''s van, speaking in a grave tone, "Your van will only have you, Ling Hai, and Ling He in it later. Make absolutely sure not to let Bamboo Pole into your vehicle, otherwise, I can''t guarantee your safety..." Hearing this, Lion became visibly puzzled and hesitated before speaking, "Leader, didn''t Bamboo Pole say it was just a technical error? Why are you still suspicious?" "A technical error? You are all members of Divine Tiger, would you make such low-level mistakes?" Hao Jian scoffed coldly. For people like them who lick blood off knife-edges, mistakes are not tolerated, let alone serious ones like this. "But..." Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Don''t worry about it, just listen to me, and you won''t be wrong." Seeing Lion still wanting to speak, Hao Jian waved his hand and walked toward his car. He had said all he intended to; whether Lion trusted his words was not his concern. After all, the only person he had to protect was Chi Ruo; the lives of others didn''t weigh as much as hers. Even if Lion''s attitude towards him changed, that didn''t mean much. Hao Jian did not appreciate an underling who had doubts about him. If this time Lion did well and safely returned home, Hao Jian wouldn''t mind promoting this guy. After all, his capabilities were rare. Although this guy was part of Divine Tiger, not long after joining, he went out on a mission with Ling Hai and Ling He, so relatively speaking, his sentiment towards Divine Tiger wasn''t all that deep. ............................................. The group packed up quickly; within six minutes after Hao Jian gave Lion a warning, they were ready. Three SUVs were leading the way, with two vans carrying important tools in the middle, followed by Lion''s business van and Hao Jian''s Mercedes sports car at the rear. In the end, Lion heeded Hao Jian''s advice and did not let Bamboo Pole get into his van, instead having him go with the people in the van. As for Hao Jian, even if Bamboo Pole had a hundred times the courage, he wouldn''t dare approach, not wanting to reveal any flaws for Hao Jian to discover. Besides, Hao Jian''s sports car only had two seats, one of which was already taken by Chi Ruo. How could there be room for him? "Wuu wuu wuu..." Right after Hao Jian''s group had just left the base, over a hundred vehicles with sirens appeared at the formerly occupied gates of their base... These vehicles were of various makes and models, all of them, but they all had one thing in common - they were all SUVs... "It seems they haven''t left long ago..." Will descended from a vehicle, looked at the building in front of him with its independent yard, pondered for a moment, then waved his big hand, and a subordinate ran over quickly. "Take some people and search this place, see if 34 has left us any clues!" Will didn''t believe that the liaison officer would leave them without any signal. That female doctor was very important to the Mercenary Alliance, and if they couldn''t bring her back, even Will''s status in the Mercenary Alliance would be futile, and he would be discarded... Chapter 854 - 853: Advancing into the Grove "Boss! Found it!" Quickly, the mercenary ran back in front of Wales, pulling out a dagger engraved with the characters "East, South, West, North" and a small, crumpled piece of paper that looked like discarded trash. "A directional dagger?" Wales took the two items, pondered for a moment, and then slowly unfolded the paper. The directional dagger is a special marker of their mercenaries, usually only possessed by undercover liaisons and operatives during field missions. It seems that Bamboo Pole intended to use it to leave a signal for Wales and his team to follow. Gently pulling apart the paper, the message inside was revealed to Wales. After glancing at it and memorizing the content, Wales snickered coldly and shredded the paper into tiny pieces, scattering them to the sky. "Everyone, get in the car! Destination, the small woods on the outskirts!" With a wave of his hand, all the mercenaries boarded the SUVs, and soon, the convoy of over a hundred vehicles charged out spectacularly under the gaze of the entire city, ramming through any vehicle in its path without swerving or avoiding. Since we''re rushing, if you don''t care about your car, then feel free to stay in the way; but if you do, you better make way politely. It must be said, the Mercenary Alliance''s modified SUVs'' durability is unmatched by regular vehicles. Ordinary cars crumpled to the roadside upon impact, while their vehicles remained undamaged. Despite their rampage through the city, no police came to check on the situation, causing some citizens'' faces to turn sour. Such a big event was happening, why were the police dragging their feet? However, Wales didn''t care about these; they were mercenaries, unable to blend into the ordinary world. Besides, he had already established connections with the mayor of Los Angeles; otherwise, the police would''ve been on their tails with their cruisers long ago, instead of them being able to journey so leisurely. ..................... "Report! Our informants in the city have reported; the Mercenary Alliance has started to move!" In the vehicle, Hao Jian listened to the message from the radio, his eyes flickering slightly, then he spoke thoughtfully, "Do you know how many people they deployed?" "Report! A total of one hundred fifteen modified SUVs, an initial estimate suggests about four hundred people!" "Four hundred people?!" Hearing the large number, Hao Jian''s expression immediately turned grim. Not counting them, they had at most sixty people left, mostly tech personnel with no combat capabilities! No, these people can''t stay with me; it''s too dangerous! Immediately, Hao Jian spoke solemnly into the radio: "Order: all tech personnel must immediately leave the team and head to the nearest city''s airport, and take a flight back to their countries!" "Me, Divine Tiger Squad, and a few armed personnel will handle drawing away those pursuers!" Their convoy, except for him and Lion, practically had no combat capability. Even for Lion, facing so many mercenaries would definitely be disadvantageous. And he, despite his arrogance, couldn''t possibly handle four hundred armed mercenaries on his own. Under such circumstances, he couldn''t let the tech personnel stay. If they stayed, not only would they become a hindrance, but they could also cause the entire convoy to fall into a much more perilous situation. Although he wasn''t sure if there were any undercover agents among them, at this critical junction, Hao Jian couldn''t care less. After all, this time, the Mercenary Alliance''s target was Dr. Chi Ruo, not them. In fact, even if the Mercenary Alliance knew they were splitting into two groups, they would certainly not chase the tech personnel. They would definitely come after him because in his possession was Dr. Chi Ruo, their target. "Yes, Leader!" The person on the other end of the radio didn''t waste words, immediately accepted Hao Jian''s orders, and quickly stopped the van carrying Bamboo Pole. Several non-combat capable technicians swiftly got out, and then two armed combatants took their place to drive, turning down the next road and speeding towards the nearest city. As soldiers, their duty is to obey orders, and now Hao Jian is their nominal highest commander. Whatever order he gives, they must follow, even though they are only technical troops responsible for logistics, but they are still soldiers. Therefore, even though they feel upset upon hearing this order from Hao Jian, they have to accept it. "Alright, now is the time for you and I..." Seeing those people leave, Hao Jian also breathed a sigh of relief, then glanced faintly at the road behind him stretching into the distance. At the end of that road, he sensed a dangerous presence slowly approaching... Letting the technicians leave wasn''t a display of Hao Jian''s kindness, but rather that keeping them there would have been useless, ultimately detrimental to his retreat, and could even impact the success rate of this mission. In the past, Hao Jian always operated alone, facing all enemies by himself, which made him accustomed to solitary combat. However, this did not mean he couldn''t participate in group battles; it was just unnecessary in these situations. Having those technical troops leave wasn''t only about getting them out of there; more crucially, it was to minimize the size of their squad''s target. Hao Jian didn''t believe it¡ªthese three vehicles merely had to find a spot to squeeze into, and how could the Mercenary Alliance locate them then?! "Lion, keep an eye on our surroundings, and watch the route, make sure we do not take the wrong path." Hao Jian''s grave voice was transmitted to the vehicle where Lion was through the walkie-talkie, saying, "Even though our target has gotten smaller, it doesn''t mean we are safe¡ªon the contrary, our risk factor has skyrocketed¡­" "Haha! Leader, just watch! I, Lion, have never faced so many mercenaries alone like this!" Lion''s big laugh followed, but within that laughter, there was a hint of cruelty. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. .................. "Boss! I just got the message from number thirty-four, they are not far ahead, almost entering the little forest!" A mercenary sitting next to Will in the off-road vehicle read from a piece of paper and then spoke to Will. "Hmm, get there as fast as possible; it''ll be troublesome if we let them enter the small forest¡­" Will nodded his head, his deep eyes looking forward, and he reached out to grab at the air, muttering, "Dr. Chi Ruo, you cannot escape the grasp of the Mercenary Alliance!" The technology held by Chi Ruo is crucial to the interests of the Mercenary Alliance, and for these interests, even if it means losing many people, it''s considered worthwhile. Yet, Will didn''t know why, from the moment they infiltrated the base, his heart has felt uneasy, though he couldn''t pinpoint the reason... Soon, they arrived in front of the small forest, seeing the three vehicles parked outside, Will''s expression also turned grim. They had come at maximum speed, yet unexpectedly, they still allowed the target to escape into the forest, where the dense trees made it impossible for vehicles to enter. "Now we can only rely on number thirty-four!" Thinking that he had to depend on the information provided by Bamboo Pole, Will''s expression turned even grimmer; when had Will ever had to act based on intelligence provided by a liaison?! But now it was a special situation, and he was unaware of the combat strength he was dealing with, knowing only there was a powerful person inside, but Bamboo Pole hadn''t made it clear how powerful. "Everyone out of the vehicles, take your weapons, and carry out a grid search of this forest: the moment you find the intelligence left by number thirty-four, bring it to me immediately!" After speaking, Will was the first to step into the forest, followed by over four hundred mercenaries, each carrying their weapons, pouring into the ten-plus kilometers-wide forest where they would search for their target. "Are we ready?!" In some part deep within the small forest, Lion roared in a certain direction, his eyes showing some anxiety. This place was the direction they needed to go, as once they crossed this small forest, they could board a helicopter already stationed here by Huaxia. Then, even if the Mercenary Alliance were formidable, they wouldn''t have any means to reach them, unless they possessed some kind of anti-aircraft weapon. If this was in the base of the Mercenary Alliance, Lion would believe they had such weaponry, but now they were in Los Angeles, having even a hand grenade or sniper rifle would already be considered the limit. Originally, after entering the forest, they had headed continuously deeper inside, but suddenly, Bamboo Pole claimed he needed to pee and had to relieve himself, leaving Lion with no choice but to let him go, as at least Hao Jian had not disagreed. Yet unexpectedly, Bamboo Pole took five minutes to relieve himself, a duration which was very critical for their current situation! Chapter 855 - 854: Yes, Tools! "Over there! Chase them!" In the depths of the forest, a sudden explosion followed by numerous shouts shattered the tranquility. Ahead, Hao Jian, with a grim expression, was running while holding Dr. Chi Ruo. Beside him, Brother Lion and others occasionally fired shots backward, trying to hinder their pursuers'' progress. "Damn! How did they find out we were heading this way?!" While shooting, Brother Lion cursed under his breath, his face equally grim. They had already changed their route several times, hoping to confuse their pursuers, but every time they changed direction, the enemy managed to catch up quickly. Could it be that those guys knew exactly where we were headed?! "Leader?!" Ling Hai''s face was pale, his left hand clutching his right arm, which had been hit by a bullet in the recent exchange of fire, instantly staining his arm red. "Dammit!"....................... Seeing Ling Hai looking over, Hao Jian cursed softly. If only there were half as many people, with his skills he could eliminate the enemy despite being injured. But now, with over four hundred people, each encounter meant facing hundreds of bullets. With so many trajectories, even someone as strong as Hao Jian couldn''t dodge them all, and thus he had no choice but to flee. "Their target is the doctor. I''ll take her and draw those people away. You guys use this chance to head to our destination. I''ll meet you there after I''ve shaken them off!" After some thought, Hao Jian suddenly swung his arm, his vigorous Qi erupting as he broke off a thick tree limb beside him and hurled it toward the mercenaries. Using this brief moment, Hao Jian''s movements continued as Brother Lion, Ling Hai, Ling He, and Bamboo Pole were swiftly thrown by Hao Jian, landing down a nearby slope and rolling downhill. After completing these actions, the nearby mercenaries caught the tree limb thrown by Hao Jian. Checking the direction, Hao Jian quickly set off in the opposite direction to Brother Lion and the others, occasionally touching tree trunks with his feet, propelling himself forward and disappearing from the mercenaries'' view in just two seconds. "Boss! What do we do?!" Seeing the group split into two, the mercenaries beside Wales urgently asked for instructions. Wales''s eyes flickered with sharp glints. He glanced in the direction Brother Lion had taken, then at the direction Hao Jian had gone, before decisively gesturing, "Our target is the doctor, head this way!" Their only target was Dr. Chi Ruo. What happened to Brother Lion and the others didn''t concern them at all. The pressing matter was to chase Hao Jian, something that Wales could clearly prioritize. "Move!" With a low command, over four hundred mercenaries, armed, pursued in the direction Hao Jian had fled, with Wales leading at the front. Given Hao Jian''s demonstrated capabilities, his strength was on par with Wales, who was also concerned that Hao Jian might counterattack at the brink of death; thus, he needed to be at the forefront to block any potential assault, also serving to reinforce his leadership. Moreover, without the informant''s intelligence this time, he had to keep close to Hao Jian constantly. If Hao Jian suddenly disappeared, they would indeed have no way to find him again. ..................... "Brother Lion! What do we do?!" At the bottom of the slope, Brother Lion stood up from a pile of leaves with a somber expression, while Ling Hai and Ling He closely watched him, determination in their eyes. Only Bamboo Pole had a cold smirk in his eyes, along with some regret. His task was essentially completed now. If Hao Jian hadn''t made such a decision, he could still be providing information to Wales and his men. Unfortunately, he hadn''t expected Hao Jian to be this reckless, drawing away the pursuers alone... "Let''s go! Trust the leader! He is very strong!" After a long ponder, Brother Lion sighed helplessly. Even if they wanted to catch up now, it was too late. Their only option was to cross this forest and head to their intended destination. Having said this, he also glanced covertly at Bamboo Pole, who appeared indifferent, and snorted internally. Since the moment the mercenaries caught up with them, he had harbored doubts about how they managed to do so. However, pondering as he might, he couldn''t figure it out. If what Hao Jian said was true, that Bamboo Pole was the traitor, then it was highly likely that he was the one passing information. But this guy had always been with them, impossible to have communicated in any way... "Let''s go¡­" Ling He glanced at Ling Hai, who helplessly shook his head, then followed Brother Lion, clutching his arm. He never disputed Brother Lion''s decisions. Ha! Do they really think that guy can come back?! Bamboo Pole watched the three with a sneer in his heart. In his view, Hao Jian, alone and encumbered, against over four hundred mercenaries, stood no chance of escaping. Yet these fools still hoped he could make it back? ..................... "Ah, sometimes not knowing anything really is bliss..." Looking at Chi Ruo, who was asleep in his arms, Hao Jian helplessly shook his head. If it weren''t for fear that this girl would scream and shout again, there wouldn''t be a need to keep her passed out like this... Glancing at the mercenaries who were tightly following and occasionally shooting, Hao Jian sighed softly, wondering how he could deal with so many mercenaries... "I just don''t know how those mercenaries could find our location so quickly... I thought I had already erased all traces of our escape route and even created several misleading paths... How could they find us so quickly..." As his foot stepped over a tree trunk, he glanced back at the mercenaries and pondered for a moment. Logically, unless they used dogs for the search, these mercenaries shouldn''t be able to know their escape direction so quickly, unless it was that guy... "Heh, it seems after I get away, I really need to take care of you..." Hao Jian sneered, stomped his foot fiercely on the ground, and his figure swiftly darted forward. If they could catch up even after he had erased all traces, Hao Jian would never believe it was without an insider''s help. "Bang!!!" Just as Hao Jian''s other foot was about to land on the tree trunk, a bullet incredibly quickly landed at the spot where Hao Jian was about to land, causing his expression to change slightly. "Damn! There''s a sharpshooter?!" If he continued to step down at this speed, his foot would definitely be shot by the bullet, so Hao Jian freed one hand, forcibly slapped his thigh, and shifted its position... However, as a result, just as Hao Jian stepped on the tree trunk, he was rapidly surrounded by the mercenaries from all directions... "Heh, I didn''t expect that in this group of mercenaries, there would actually be an expert gunman?" Seeing no escape, Hao Jian no longer tried to flee. Instead, he held Chi Ruo and quietly stayed on the tree trunk. Since these people were temporarily not shooting, it meant one of the leaders wanted to come out and talk for a while... "Wales, Deputy Director of the Mercenary Alliance''s Firearms Department, ranked fifty-sixth among world mercenaries." Hao Jian stopped, and Wales, holding a Desert Eagle, slowly walked out of the mercenary crowd. Watching Hao Jian on the tree, he coldly smiled and said, "With so many people dispatched by our Mercenary Alliance, if we couldn''t catch a slippery fish like you, wouldn''t that be a joke to the world?" "I didn''t expect the Mercenary Alliance to take this matter so seriously that they even sent an officer!" Hearing the opponent''s introduction, Hao Jian also sneered. When he used to be a mercenary, these officers looked no different from trash in his eyes, not to mention now. He''s no longer the God of Death of the past. The current him could crush his past self in minutes. It''s just that there are too many mercenaries here; even though his strength has improved, he couldn''t possibly defeat so many people... Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Dr. Chi Ruo is an important tool for our Mercenary Alliance; we absolutely won''t allow anyone to take her from our hands!" Wales coldly glanced at Hao Jian, then said, "As long as you hand over Dr. Chi Ruo to us, I promise you, I''ll spare your life!" It''s not that he didn''t dare to shoot, but he was afraid shooting might accidentally injure Chi Ruo. If Dr. Chi Ruo were accidentally killed, he would also be expelled from the Mercenary Alliance. Thus, it was only possible to negotiate with Hao Jian, at least lowering the posture a bit. As long as he could make Hao Jian relent and let go of Dr. Chi Ruo, no matter how much face he lost, it would be worth it. "You say she is a tool?!" Hao Jian''s eyes suddenly turned stern; this guy actually called this woman a tool?! "Our Mercenary Alliance can have as many women of this appearance as we want. If it weren''t for her research, I wouldn''t have come out personally!" Wales indifferently glanced at Hao Jian, then sneered and said, "Saying she''s a tool ¡ª am I wrong? Her looks don''t move us; what we value is her research. She is just a tool for producing research for our transactions!" "I have to say, this time you''ve angered me..." Though Hao Jian disregarded life, he wouldn''t allow others to disregard the lives of people around him... A tremendous killing intent surged out from his body... "Who dares to run wild on my turf?!" Chapter 856 - 855: Sen... Sen... Senior "Who?!" This voice came from all directions, making Wales unable to determine the origin for a moment. All he could do was snort coldly, as a Killing Intent several hundred times weaker than Hao Jian''s emanated from his body. "Whoever you are, come out!" Such a strong presence... As this voice sounded, the Killing Intent originally exuding from Hao Jian had already been retracted. Holding Chi Ruo, his face shifting between light and dark, he looked around, sensing faintly, yet his heart filled with astonishment. Even he could not perceive from where this voice emanated. It was as if in an instant, the whole world was filled with this voice, indifferent to where you concentrated, it was the same tone. "Hmph! Making a mess on my turf, and you also dare to ask who I am?!" Cold laughter came from all directions, accompanied by a chilling Killing Intent, making Wales'' cheeks instantly pale as if struck by a huge blow, while the mercenaries beside him looked on, baffled, at their suddenly ashen-faced leader. In their minds, they wondered, what happened to our boss? How did he suddenly become like this¡ªcould it be a stomach ache?! But seeing that expression on him, it did not seem like it! "May I inquire which senior is gracing us with their presence? Could you please reveal yourself?" While speaking, Wales, facing the sudden voice with no apparent hostility towards him, respectfully bowed to the empty air. He was now in the big city of Los Angeles, California, where it''s not unlikely for some formidable recluse to be living near such a city, and he might have encountered such a power right now. After all, even he was palpitated by that voice; if it were not a powerhouse, then it must be a character with considerable skill... "See me? I think you will regret wanting to meet me." Following this voice, a figure slowly appeared beside Hao Jian, and at a glance, Hao Jian''s eyes flashed with amazement. A woman... Her proud figure was like the golden ratio, the soft curves towering, but as Hao Jian''s gaze landed on her face, his expression subtly changed... All because, on the woman''s face, there hung a mask, with a faint mist wriggling around it. Upon closer look, the mask was actually a curving moon, and shockingly, this moon changed over time, transforming from a crescent to a full moon in just a dozens of seconds... Such a peculiar master... Hao Jian was puzzled. How was this effect achieved? A mask that could display the phases of waxing and waning was something Hao Jian had never seen before. But why do I feel that this woman, with her speech full of intense Huaxia elements? This is the USA. Shouldn''t there be some Western elements? Could it be that a Huaxia master is here in seclusion? "What are you looking at? Believe it or not, I''ll gouge out your eyes..." The woman''s clear and melodious voice slowly spread, causing Hao Jian''s spirit to shake violently, and his face immediately darkened as he said, "You... you''re the Moon?!" Hao Jian could never have dreamed that he would encounter the Moon here, her ambiance, that familiar voice, which made Hao Jian recall countless deep nights. Was this woman really the Moon? Why did she give him such a profound sense of familiarity? "Leave this place. I''ll let it slide this time." However, the woman did not respond to Hao Jian''s question, instead coldly issuing an expulsion. As her voice spread, Wales'' face, formerly clouded with uncertainty, suddenly turned ice-cold, and a chilling voice emanated from his mouth, saying, "Senior, even if you are powerful, you are just one person. We have more than four hundred here, more than four hundred guns! We from the Mercenary Alliance do not wish for trouble, so we hope the senior won''t meddle in our business!" "Oh? It turns out you are from the Mercenary Alliance. I was going to let you go, but since that''s the case, you all can just die..."The woman wearing the moon mask also coldly snorted. Despite wearing a mask, one could still see from behind it her cheeks bearing a shade of peculiarity. "Now, you can all go to die!" After saying this, the woman waved her hand, and a faint Vigorous Qi burst from her palm, immediately beheading several mercenaries a dozen meters away. "Ah?" The mercenaries instantly felt their hairs stand on end¡ªthis was too eerie, a mere wave of a hand taking heads. Could this woman be too terrifying? The mercenaries stumbled backward, their eyes wide with horror. The woman shook her head imperceptibly and then crossed her hands behind her back. Her cool voice resonated, saying, "Aren''t you here to take care of me? Come and try, then..." "Damn it! Brothers, charge!" Although they were subdued by this woman''s display of strength, Chi Ruo absolutely could not escape from their grasp; otherwise, it would be the end for all of them. Thus, the faces of these mercenaries were dark enough to drip water, and Wales immediately waved his hand grandly. In that instant, all the mercenaries pulled the trigger... "Bang bang bang!" Countless gunshots rang out, dust and smoke billowed, covering the sky. Wales'' mouth was wide open with an unmistakable look of triumph on his face, sneering inwardly that no matter how powerful you are, you can''t withstand the barrage from so many weapons... After several minutes of gunfire, Wales slowly gestured to stop, thinking that after so many bullets, that expert must be dead, right? "I want to see just how strong you really are!" Wales walked forward with a sneer, but as he took his first step, an aura that chilled him to the bone assaulted his face, and his lifted foot hung in midair, not daring to step down... "Pre... Prec... Predecessor..." How is this possible?! So many bullets went down, even the boss couldn''t block them all! But how could this woman still emanate such a powerful aura?! "A metal lump is a metal lump, utterly useless. You''re all grown-ups, can''t you stop playing with toys." A clear and ethereal voice drifted through the smoke, followed by a breeze, and Moon slowly became visible. Her clothes were without a single hole, and on the ground where she stood, countless bullets had accumulated around her, all with their tips indented uniformly as if they had struck some impenetrable object. Toys? Wales and the others felt chill down their spines. Were bullets just toys to this woman? "Since you all like bullets so much, I''ll return them to you in kind..." Moon shook her head slightly and with a gentle wave of her slender hand, a faint aura radiated from within her. The bullets around her began to float up slowly and finally circled around her, forming a spherical barrier. "Predecessor! We''ll leave immediately!" Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing this scene, Wales swallowed hard, panic spreading across his face, feeling bitter inside. Wasn''t it just a pursuit for one person? How did they manage to provoke such a supremely powerful hermit? Even if the boss came, he might only be able to nod and bow, right? "Thinking of leaving now? It''s too late!" With that cold and detached voice, the screen of bullets hovering around Moon suddenly fluctuated and, with a sound of tearing through the air, it swept towards the surrounding mercenaries! "Thud thud thud!" The sound of bullets penetrating flesh kept coming. Wales, who was at the forefront, was hit by dozens of bullets, with his face alone receiving over ten shots, ultimately collapsing stiffly... Not just him, but all the mercenaries who came with him were struck by bullets almost simultaneously. Even when they managed to take cover behind trees, they were still hit by bullets that pierced through the trees, claiming their lives... For a moment, a thick scent of blood permeated the forest, gradually drifting towards Moon, causing her hand to tremble ever so slightly. Perhaps, if you could see through the mask, her brows might be furrowed. "Sigh, that''s a few hundred lives gone, and my karmic obstacles have grown much heavier..." The woman behind the Moon mask shook her head gently and with a wave of her hand, those corpses bizarrely began to disintegrate as if eroded by the wind... With the dispersion of the corpses, the stench of blood in the vicinity also faded considerably, although the bloodstains left on the ground, tree trunks, stones, and grass told the story of the numerous deaths that occurred here... Perhaps when the next rain comes, the last traces left by these people in this world will be washed away. After the killing, the woman only cast an indifferent glance towards the direction Hao Jian had departed, and with a pfft sound, she disappeared from the scene. When she reappeared, she was already a kilometer away, vanishing from sight after a few flickers. "Don''t you dare flee!" Hao Jian shouted, ready to give chase, but then remembered he was holding Chi Ruo in his arms, and immediately frowned in annoyance. But with that moment of hesitation, the other party was already gone. "Damn it!" Hao Jian knew it was futile to chase now; the most important thing was to get Chi Ruo out of there. He looked towards the direction the woman had left, hesitated for a moment, and then ran off in a different direction. "Is she really Moon, or Why won''t she admit it? Sigh, forget it, we''ll talk about it later. I wonder if Lion and the others have arrived yet..." On the way, Hao Jian glanced at the sleeping Chi Ruo in his arms, then towards the path ahead, his eyes filled with worry. They were currently with Bamboo Pole, and Hao Jian didn''t trust this person, fearful that he would do something to Lion and the others... Although Lion was much stronger than Bamboo Pole in terms of strength, one must not forget that Bamboo Pole specialized in treachery, and Hao Jian himself had been a victim of his schemes at least once. Hao Jian had originally thought that Bamboo Pole had merely made a technical mistake, but the look of smug satisfaction was nonetheless caught by Hao Jian. Chapter 857 - 856: Youre the Mole! "Is this... a dagger?!" Gently placing Chi Ruo aside on a stone, Hao Jian leaped down, his gaze falling on a dagger stuck in a tree trunk. A contemplative light shone in his eyes, which suddenly flashed sharply as he let out a cold, low snort. "No wonder those mercenaries were able to find our tracks, it turns out someone betrayed us!" Hao Jian''s face also looked rather ugly, he casually removed the dagger and tied it to his waist, then picked up Chi Ruo again, and dashed along the path they had come from. As the journey progressed, Hao Jian''s expression grew increasingly grim. The number of daggers stuck in his waist had now reached five, and all these daggers were placed at the turns where they changed their path... I want to see, with so much evidence in my hands, what else you can explain! An hour later, Hao Jian arrived at their destination for this time, a large estate with a private plane. This estate ostensibly looked like a regular estate owner''s domain but in actuality, it had been specially purchased by Huaxia to facilitate operations for their agents, with the primary purpose being for the private plane. The plane had already been cleared for flight, and since Huaxia had bought it, it naturally included international flight capabilities, so there was no need to worry about the air force of the USA. Meanwhile, in a grassy area of the estate, three individuals including Brother Lion and Bamboo Pole stood waiting for something. Aside from Brother Lion and two others looking worried, Bamboo Pole however, wore a lazy expression, filled with disdain for the others'' waiting. About 400 mercenaries armed with sniper rifles, and he was just one person, it seemed like an inevitable defeat, yet these three people didn''t believe this truth and stood there deceiving themselves. Bamboo Pole sneered inwardly, as long as that guy was thoroughly dead, his identity would temporarily remain safe. Next, all he needed was an opportunity to kill these three and he could return to Huaxia and continue being an undercover agent. If it weren''t for the Ye Family wanting to kill Hao Jian this time, he wouldn''t have been exposed. But as long Hao Jian and the three from Brother Lion''s group died, his cover wouldn''t be blown, as those agents had no clue about his real identity. Even if Secretary Zhang inquired when he returned, he would simply say they died due to mission reasons, and even the doctor hadn''t been rescued. However, upon return, he would need to sport some injuries¡­ Just as Bamboo Pole was paving the way for his subsequent lies, a silhouette suddenly appeared on the horizon. It then rapidly rushed towards them at a blazing speed, nothing less than eighty kilometers per hour. Fuck! How can this person be faster than the speed of a motorcycle?! Is this even human speed?! Seeing this, Bamboo Pole couldn''t help but curse inwardly, but now was not the time to stand idly by, as he saw Brother Lion and the others, with nervous expressions, grabbing their weapons and quickly running towards the figure. Could it be the enemy?! Seeing the grave manner of these three, Bamboo Pole was also taken aback. He was just a technical staff member after all, knowing nothing about martial arts beyond playing with pistols, illiterate in other firearms skills. The reason he ended up this way was that he had spent most of his time on electronic devices, barely learning serious self-defense or increasing his own combat abilities. Under such circumstances, it was already impressive that he could discern a distant shadow as human. "Leader!" Just as he was about to catch up, Brother Lion''s shout caused Bamboo Pole''s face to turn pale instantly. The only person Brother Lion would willingly call ''Leader'' was Hao Jian! Could that figure be Hao Jian?! Fuck! That''s over four hundred armed mercenaries! How did this guy break through their pursuit?! Could it be that Will had slacked off or something?! Will, ranked fifty-sixth in the world''s mercenaries, how could he possibly let such "prey" escape?! Bamboo Pole thought more and more that something was off, and he also saw Hao Jian''s hands holding the unconscious Chi Ruo, his heart growing heavier. This time not only more than 400 mercenaries from the Mercenary Alliance were mobilized, but also him, one of the few undercover agents in Huaxia. If this mission still failed... Then Bamboo Pole could already foresee just how furious the boss of the Mercenary Alliance would be, thinking of the boss''s angry demeanor made Bamboo Pole shiver involuntarily. Luckily, at this moment, the three from Brother Lion''s group were all focused on the approaching figure, and didn''t notice his current abnormal state. "Leader! Are you alright?!" Seeing Hao Jian coming over, Brother Lion and the others quickly surrounded him. Hao Jian waved indifferently, freeing himself from them, and said: "I was lucky this time, otherwise, I might really not have been able to come back..." At this point, Hao Jian couldn''t help but sigh that indeed bringing a burden had significantly weakened his strength. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been thoroughly intimidated by over four hundred mercenaries. It was only by luck that a mysterious woman came to rescue them during their plight. Otherwise, he really wouldn''t have made it here, let alone be able to bring this woman out. Glancing at Chi Ruo in his arms, Hao Jian shook his head secretly, this woman was key to this mission; he needed to keep a close eye on her. In case anything happened, he could deal with it immediately, and the problem of the mole had yet to be resolved... "I''m fine, as long as you guys are okay, first help me look after this woman, I need to take care of some things..." After speaking, Hao Jian handed Chi Ruo from his embrace to Brother Lion. The weight of Chi Ruo merely made Ground Lion''s arms sink slightly, surprising Hao Jian with his brute strength; Chi Ruo weighed easily over a hundred pounds, yet Brother Lion held her effortlessly... Smiling wryly, he shook his head, discarding these thoughts from his mind, Hao Jian then turned his attention to Bamboo Pole, his gaze cold and clear, unreservedly fixed on him, causing Bamboo Pole''s face to turn pale and his legs to tremble involuntarily. "Boss..." Seeing Hao Jian like this, Brother Lion also glanced at Bamboo Pole, then back at Hao Jian, pondering in his eyes, soon filled with a chilling gleam. Although previously Hao Jian had temporarily trusted this guy, now his suspicions had returned, indicating that Hao Jian had discovered something about this guy... That could well explain why, during their escape, those mercenaries knew so quickly their change of direction!!! "Brother Lion..." Sensing the slowly emerging killing intent from Hao Jian and Brother Lion, Ling Hai and Ling He also changed their expressions, with Ling Hai even calling out softly. His arm had been briefly treated upon arriving here, yet the bullet inside could only be surgically removed back home, given the current circumstances did not allow for surgery, and they lacked the necessary equipment. "It''s okay, I''ll follow the leader''s command." Brother Lion waved his hand, dissipating his killing intent, having acknowledged Hao Jian''s authority, he was prepared to play his part. Besides, he had never liked Bamboo Pole, having never ceased investigating him since they started missions together. Although many inquiries were made jokingly making others unsuspecting, as a soldier and a spy, Brother Lion never joked about such things and never took anything lightly! "Should I call you No. 34, or should I call you Bamboo Pole?" Hao Jian looked at Bamboo Pole indifferently, his plain words sent out, causing Bamboo Pole''s pupils to shrink suddenly before he quickly regained his composure as if nothing had happened. However, his subconscious actions were all seen by Hao Jian, whose lips curled into a smirk as he coldly chuckled, saying: "Don''t think that I don''t know what you''ve been up to, and don''t doubt whether I''ll wrongly accuse you, you know what you have done yourself." "Boss, what... what are you talking about? I don''t understand," Biting his teeth, Bamboo Pole decided to deny everything. He was shocked inside. How did this guy know his code name?! He hadn''t shown the slightest flaw! sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Are you wondering why I know your code name?!" Seeing his reaction, Hao Jian sneered internally, thinking you''re doomed anyway, so I might as well let you die understanding everything! "Since we entered the forest, I have found eleven daggers you left behind, we changed directions eleven times¡­" As Hao Jian''s words spread, the expressions of Brother Lion, Ling Hai, and Ling He worsened, angry at realizing that their entire course had been under control, and they had been foolishly trying to evade... "Also, I found a letter on those mercenaries that they hadn''t had time to open yet. It said that you are the mole!" "Bang!" At the sound of that, Bamboo Pole''s face finally changed completely, and with a flash of cold light, he reached behind to pull out a handgun, loaded it swiftly, and pulled the trigger, all movements fluid... But, could the bullets of a handgun really pose a threat to Hao Jian?! Chapter 858 - 857: Make a Request "Slap, slap..." After a while, Hao Jian patted the dust off himself and glanced indifferently at Bamboo Pole lying on the ground. At this moment, his eyes were wide open, as if refusing to close in death, his bright red blood staining the nearby mud road. However, for such scenes, Hao Jian and his companions had long been accustomed to them. The number of people who had died at his hands before wasn''t small, and sometimes people like Brother Lion and Ling Hai, Ling He would even participate in wars in small countries, where seeing dead bodies was common. "Do any of you know how to fly a plane?" After dealing with this annoying guy, a smile returned to Hao Jian''s face as he asked the group, looking at Brother Lion and the others, with a smile. "Of course, it''s a required skill for us." Brother Lion shook his head as he spoke, as a qualified soldier, a qualified special agent, their strength must not only be formidable, but their skills must also pass the test, such as flying planes and driving tanks are just a piece of cake for them, how good their skills are depends on the individual. Clearly, since Brother Lion dared to say such a thing, it showed his absolute confidence, and after saying this, he turned his head to look at Ling He beside him, nodded, and said: "Besides, with Little He as my assistant, flying a plane is really trivial." Ling Hai also wanted to volunteer, but remembering his arm hadn''t yet recovered, he could only nod his head. He didn''t want to cause any accidents to the plane due to his own issues while flying. "Then I''ll leave it to you two. Let''s rest here at the manor tonight, and we can pack up and go back tomorrow..." Hao Jian nodded, then carried Chi Ruo into the manor. However, when he pushed open a door, he found the entire manor empty, which made him pause in confusion and turn his head towards Brother Lion to inquire. "Why is there no one in this manor? Did they all leave?" "Leader, you might not know, but this manor was originally bought by a overseas Chinese on behalf of the country, mainly for the purpose of storing this particular plane. Normally, the overseas Chinese would come to clean the manor, and the rest of the time, the manor is left vacant." Brother Lion also explained to Hao Jian with a smile. The reason for doing so was mainly to avoid drawing the attention of the American military. By using the overseas Chinese to buy these things, even the military wouldn''t be able to find out. In a place like the USA, personal privacy is very important. Even if the military wants to check someone''s information, they need to present certain documents, unless you are a suspected criminal or some kind of insurgent. "Heh, it seems like adjusting a few things suffices." Hearing Brother Lion''s explanation, Hao Jian also smiled and shook his head, not expecting it to be this way. Maybe putting this thing here wouldn''t be discovered by anyone. Even if the overseas Chinese entered this forest once a month, people would think he came for adventure or camping, which would also reduce the risk of being discovered. At night, after tucking Chi Ruo in with a blanket, Hao Jian helplessly watched this quietly sleeping beauty, feeling somewhat helpless. "Sigh, if it weren''t for you, maybe there wouldn''t have been so much trouble..." Hao Jian gave a bitter smile. He should have been done accompanying Moon Goddess Jiang and gone back to his various wives, but instead, he ended up having to carry out a mission that almost killed him. What value did this woman have that made the upper echelons value her so much? "Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss." sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A faint voice came from the door, and Hao Jian''s figure suddenly appeared at the doorway, then he pushed open the door and walked out, leaving only his gradually fading voice in the room. The frown on Chi Ruo''s forehead, which had been tight, also relaxed under the sound of this voice, as the corners of her mouth slowly curled into a gentle smile, sleeping sweetly. "I wonder if that woman is really Moon Goddess, why doesn''t she respond when I talk to her?" In the courtyard, Hao Jian looked up at the sky, where the moon hung, casting soft moonlight that soothed the restless nature stirred by the fierce sun of the day. Looking at the bright moon, Hao Jian suddenly remembered the woman he met today, which really concerned him. The same kind of mask, the same familiar aura, why would a stranger give him this feeling? But if she was Moon Goddess, why didn''t she recognize him? "Let''s just keep this matter in my heart for now, as for those from the Mercenary Alliance, they should all have been dealt with by her, right?" Hao Jian shook his head; on his return, he also retraced the route he''d taken before, of course also passing through the area where the Mercenary Alliance had surrounded him. Originally, he thought that on his way back, he would see a bunch of limbs and remains, only to find, surprisingly, only faint bloodstains, the dense scent of blood, and some white powder on the ground, the origin of which he couldn''t fathom. For Hao Jian, this meant that those other pursuers must have been handled by that woman. As for where that woman went, Hao Jian didn''t think too deeply about it; he simply suppressed his curiosity and also decided not to tell anyone else about it. However, after returning, it might be necessary for the Prophet to investigate again. He had always thought that Moon was dead; thus, he hadn''t sought her out. But now, a woman who might be Moon has appeared, making it impossible for Hao Jian to stay calm any longer. To Hao Jian, Moon was not just simply a love interest. They were childhood sweethearts and grew up together in an assassin training camp. They were the strongest and most excellent assassins there, each other''s most evenly matched competitors, and also the best of friends. To Hao Jian, Moon was a lover, family, and a friend, embodying all these three emotions. "Tomorrow is the day to return, why do I feel a bit reluctant to leave¡­" Looking at the bright moon, Hao Jian smiled faintly and then stretched lazily, making his way towards his residence. Along the way, he couldn''t help but mutter, "Why does the moon seen in my homeland appear even more beautiful and brighter than the one in the USA?" Early the next day, Hao Jian carried Chi Ruo aboard the airplane, setting off on the journey back home. Meanwhile, Brother Lion eyed Hao Jian with envy as he lifted Chi Ruo, a strikingly beautiful woman, back and forth, not knowing how many times Hao Jian had shamelessly flirted with her. I wonder if the doctor will go insane once he wakes up and finds out about this? After spending some time in the air, the solid feeling of the ground beneath his feet made Hao Jian joke out loud, "Indeed, the land back home feels more solid." Brother Lion also laughed heartily and said, "Haha, leader, so you feel that way too!" Although it was just a short ten days in Los Angeles, they experienced things that most people wouldn''t encounter in a lifetime. First infiltrating the base, they always had to watch their surroundings fearfully to see if they were being discovered. Then they were chased by a large group of mercenaries, and a traitor in their team was signaling the enemies... "Haha! Thanks to our warriors for returning!" In the distance, Secretary Zhang was still in his usual attire, gold-rimmed glasses, and dressed in a suit. He watched with a light chuckle as he saw Hao Jian and the group of four, but his brow slightly furrowed when he saw only three people, Hao Jian, Brother Lion, and noticed the absence of Bamboo Pole. He then relaxed, seemingly having figured something out. "Secretary Zhang, if there''s anything like this again in the future, find someone else please. I don''t want to end up dying not by the enemy''s hand, but by the hand of my own people." Approaching Secretary Zhang, Hao Jian didn''t mince his words and spoke coldly before walking outside. This was a military airfield, and he did not want to linger. "I..." Secretary Zhang was somewhat helpless at Hao Jian''s words. He understood the meaning behind them, but he had only received the news a few days after they entered Los Angeles. At that time, he wanted to pass the message to Hao Jian, but Hao Jian was busy gathering information and didn''t keep his phone with him. "Hao Jian, I''m really sorry about this..." Secretary Zhang quickly followed him, looking apologetic and repeatedly said sorry. It was indeed their fault, and their work had not been sufficient, leading to the mishap; even the minister was extremely furious about it. "Brother Lion..." Seeing Hao Jian leaving, and Secretary Zhang''s changing expressions as he hurriedly followed, Ling He felt worried and looked towards Brother Lion, wanting to know what he was thinking. "Don''t worry, I, Brother Lion, am quite accurate in judging people. It''s going to be alright." Brother Lion shook his head, then walked towards the direction of the military hospital, saying, "Rather than this, you should go and take care of your brother. Although he managed to remove the bullet last night, the wound has started festering. If it''s not handled well, he might need to prepare for amputation." At this, Ling He''s face also slightly changed, and he hurriedly followed. "Secretary Zhang, let''s leave our conversation at this. I am very angry about this matter!" Hao Jian pushed Secretary Zhang away and stepped over, ignoring his apologies. As for this response, the four Special Forces behind Secretary Zhang also showed a helpless expression. They had seen how capable Hao Jian was and, since Secretary Zhang had nothing further to say, they simply followed loyally behind. "No, Hao Jian, I know what you''re thinking, you just want to make a request, right?!" Seeing that Hao Jian was ignoring his apologies, Secretary Zhang looked anxious, bit his lip, and said, "How about this, make a request, as long as it is within my power, I can resolve it for you!" "As long as it doesn''t involve treason or major crimes!" Chapter 859 - 858: Night God, Ye Familys Mysterious Forces "I don''t ask for anything from you, just tell me why the mole targeted me this time! Don''t tell me you don''t know!" Hearing Secretary Zhang''s words, Hao Jian waved his hand impatiently. Although Secretary Zhang was a subordinate of the minister, sometimes he would be hindered by some issues, and it would be better for Hao Jian to go directly to the minister for help. "Let''s discuss this issue privately." Faced with Hao Jian''s words, Secretary Zhang''s originally tense face became somewhat grim as he pointed to a nearby pavilion and suggested. "Let''s go." At these words, Hao Jian took a deep breath and nodded, leading the way towards the pavilion. "Sigh." Secretary Zhang shook his head with a bitter smile. After all, he was the minister''s subordinate, yet he had to show a cowardly front before this man. The two sat down in the pavilion, and Secretary Zhang immediately took out a document from his briefcase and handed it over to Hao Jian, saying, "This document is the result of our investigation. We always thought that Bamboo Pole was just a programming genius, and despite his carefree demeanor, his performance on certain matters has been quite commendable." "Initially, we didn''t pay much attention to him until recently when I found out that this Bamboo Pole is actually from the Ye Family!" "If it were just someone from the Ye Family it would have been fine, we''d naturally not bother with them as long as they minded their own business. However, this guy actually took orders from the Ye Family to sabotage this operation. To be precise, they wanted Bamboo Pole to find a way to have you killed abroad..." As he said this, Secretary Zhang took a deep breath, his eyes flashing sharply, and then continued, "If the tampering had been in other affairs, we could turn a blind eye out of respect for the Ye Family. But they should never have played tricks on such a critical matter." "Regarding this matter, the minister is also very angry. Although he did not openly strike against the Ye Family, the minister also said that if you asked about this matter, he would give you full responsibility to handle it. We''ll provide you with troops, though not too many, and we can also help you temporarily block off the surveillance around the Ye Family." Hearing this, Hao Jian was filled with shock. The minister''s promise was the greatest help for him, but why would the minister make such a decision? Could it be merely because the mole tried to kill him and disrupted his plan? "As for why the minister wants to help you, you must have guessed it, right?" Secretary Zhang didn''t say it directly but asked a question instead. Seeing Hao Jian nod his head, Secretary Zhang also nodded and continued, "Correct, it is indeed because the Ye Family almost sabotaged this rescue operation. The research in the hands of the doctor is extremely important. I''ve already revealed some to you before and hope you don''t tell anyone until we finish this research. Once it''s done, we won''t mind even if you tell the whole world..." "Do you think I care about your bullshit?" Hao Jian smirked dismissively, "Now that I know who the mastermind behind this is, it''s time for me to take action...".............................. As his voice fell, Hao Jian''s eyes suddenly revealed a terrifying murderous intent. The Ye Family, huh? I''ve never had the chance to deal with you before, but this time, even if I can''t eradicate you, I''ll still make you suffer. I want you to understand that these petty tricks are useless in the face of absolute power! "Don''t make too much of a fuss, after all, this is Capital City..." Secretary Zhang nodded and then put the document away, before taking out another document from his briefcase and handing it to Hao Jian, saying, "This document is in the hands of the minister, and he thought you might need it on this trip..." "What is this?" Seeing the document, Hao Jian was a bit puzzled. He took it, his eyes widening as his expression suddenly turned solemn. He looked at Secretary Zhang and said, "Isn''t this the Night God, the most powerful mysterious force of the Ye Family?!" "Correct, it''s the Night God." Secretary Zhang nodded. When he first received the file, he had already looked through it once, and it had given him quite the shock. The Night God was an elite force of the Ye Family, a power that protected the clan''s immortality and was always a secret, with no one knowing where these people were. But unexpectedly, the minister had information on them... "Heh, the minister wants to please me, doesn''t he?" With confirmation, Hao Jian chuckled and said playfully, "This information is indeed very important to me. The minister has done me a great favor. Please convey my thanks to him and tell him that I, Hao Jian, owe him this favor..." "Haha! No worries, the minister doesn''t mind these things. He''s always been sharp at judging people. He thinks you''re a pillar of talent and insists that I must assist you with all my might. This time is no exception; you''ve indeed completed the task as expected..." Seeing Hao Jian like this, Secretary Zhang was also clear that his goal had been achieved. Being grateful and returning favors is a precious quality in today''s era. Now that Hao Jian has reached such a level, their investment has paid off! "Thank you..." Watching Secretary Zhang''s figure disappearing into the distance, Hao Jian clenched his fists, a complex look flashed in his eyes, which instantly turned into determination. This time, even if he could not kill all of the Ye Family''s secret troops, he must inflict heavy damage on them! S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian knew that it was easy to get this information since for someone with the minister''s status, there are always numerous dangers lurking around; many people are eyeing his position, hoping for his instant downfall so they can take his place. Hence, the minister must have taken a great risk with this matter. Hao Jian did not act immediately, but found a room in the military district to rest. It was still daytime, and he had been exhausted from traveling on a plane all day; he needed to rest well and act later at night when his efficiency would be higher. It wasn''t that Hao Jian didn''t want to rest outside. With a readily available place, why not take advantage of it? Plus, secrecy is required, right? This time back, the only ones he would encounter were his own people. Back at his residence, Hao Jian made a call to Xiao Qiang, who was far away in Hua City, telling her he would return once his current matters were settled and asking her not to worry... After the call with Xiao Qiang, Hao Jian phoned Yuan Shanshan and the other women in turn, consoling each of them with soft words, before he finally breathed a sigh of relief, casually set his phone aside, and fell into a deep sleep without even taking a bath... That night................... Deep into the night, Hao Jian abruptly opened his eyes, glanced at the quiet darkness, picked up his phone and saw it was one o''clock... "It''s time to move out..." His mouth slowly curled into a smirk, Hao Jian casually changed into clean clothes, and applied a spray to mask his scent, making it smell like the vegetation. This was a botanical spray, a stealth spray specially made for Special Forces. To a real expert, even the slightest scent could catch their attention, hence the creation of such a spray, designed to confuse the experts'' sense of smell. Originally, Hao Jian had one as well, but now he was in Capital City, and he didn''t bring his equipment, which he all got from Lion... Although that guy is with Divine Tiger, ever since he witnessed Hao Jian''s methods, he hasn''t felt much allegiance to Divine Tiger... "Swoosh!"..................... In a flash, Hao Jian disappeared from the room, and when he reappeared, he was already on the rooftop. Hao Jian identified the direction and lightly stepped his foot, sprinting towards the Ye Family... Hao Jian casually found a passing truck in the military area, and while the driver was not paying attention, he flipped onto the roof, lying flat and grabbing on tight. Taking a "free ride", Hao Jian identified the direction all the way, and when the truck was about to turn, he quickly jumped onto a nearby tree in the green belt. After waiting for a minute, a container truck heading forward flew by, and with the elasticity of the tree trunk, Hao Jian leapt onto the roof of the truck. Repeating this several times, he was getting closer and closer to the Ye Family. After leaping off the last vehicle, the entire Ye Family compound slowly came into his view... Looking at the Ye Family villa with barely any lights, a smirk slowly formed on the corners of Hao Jian''s mouth, and then he chuckled softly, saying, "Ye Family, after tonight, I''ll see if you can still sleep so soundly!" With a step on the tree trunk, Hao Jian darted into the adjacent bushes, and then, almost as if carried by the wind, he swept across the underbrush, stirring up only a few blades of grass, without leaving any other traces behind. Night God, the most secretive unit of the Ye Family, records showed that its members could each face five or six Senior Special Forces soldiers alone, similar in strength to Special Forces like Ling Hai and Ling He. However, this did not impede Hao Jian''s assassination plan. With his strength, even if there were twenty or thirty Top Special Forces against him, he could easily escape, let alone a troop of only two hundred men... This secret unit would not be too far from the Ye Family. Their base was located in a Rocky Mountain within a super grassland to the right of the Ye Family villa... Chapter 860 - 859: Going to Grandmas House Hao Jian arrived at Rocky Mountain four hours later... "Damn it!" An angry roar suddenly burst out from within the Ye Family villa, startling many of the servants who were deep in sleep; they hurriedly got up, steadied their minds with confusion on their face, wondering why the Family Head was so furious? "My Ye Family''s Night God, a prominent group of two hundred, was actually defeated utterly by Hao Jian, who also managed to counter-kill more than thirty of our men?!" In the villa''s living room, where lights blazed brightly, a shattered smartphone quietly lay on the ground near the coffee table... At this moment in the living room, it was not only the Ye Family Head present, but also some managers living in the villa, such as the wife of the Ye Family Head, Ye Wenying, and others, who all appeared exhausted yet their eyes flickered with intense flames of fury. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They, the Ye Family, a distinguished clan, were silently infiltrated by one person at the location of their secret forces; under the attack of two hundred men, they were counter-killed by the invader who slaughtered more than thirty of them and, it was said, that person wasn''t even injured and escaped effortlessly! "Who is this person?!" Ye Wenying''s face was grim as she spoke with a deep voice, how could there be such a person in this world? Someone alone who decimated their powerful secret forces back and forth, such strength is exceedingly rare domestically, and they haven''t provoked such a mighty person! "Who else could it be? It''s him!" The Ye Family Head, face filled with rage, flung a photo; it was a captured image from a surveillance camera in the base. Although the person''s face was somewhat blurred, it was still roughly recognizable... Ye Wenying and others picked up the photo with curiosity. Upon seeing the photo, Ye Wenying''s pupils dilated suddenly, and she subconsciously gasped, "Hao Jian!" "What did you say!? This person is that Hao Jian?!" Hearing Ye Wenying''s gasp, the faces of the others turned sour, then they all crowded in and indeed, the person in the photo was Hao Jian. "We didn''t seek troubles with him, yet he dares to provoke us, does he really think the Ye Family is easy to bully?" The Ye Family Head angrily waved his hand and shouted, "Organize the members immediately, I want to go to Hua City!" He wasn''t aware of Ye Wenying''s private actions and thought it was Hao Jian provoking them, thus he was extremely furious. ............................................. After killing more than thirty of Ye Family''s secret forces and seriously injuring more than fifty, Hao Jian boarded a flight back to Hua City. As the plane took off, Hao Jian looked out the window with a slight curve on his mouth; if one could look into the sky at that moment, it would be obvious that Hao Jian was looking towards the Ye Family''s direction... Moments later at the Ye Family, as the Family Head shouted his intentions to lead people to Hua City, Secretary Zhang with his four Special Forces subordinates, arrived at the Ye Family villa''s entrance in a car, pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, took a deep breath, and walked in... "Hao Jian!" When Hao Jian appeared at the airport, Beauty Xiao, who had received Hao Jian''s call, had already arrived early at the airport to wait. As soon as she saw him at the departure gate, she immediately smiled and waved her hand towards him. Seeing Beauty Xiao, Hao Jian''s originally tense face relaxed; with a smile, he walked over to her, reached out to touch her hair, chuckled, and said, "I''ve been out for so long, did you miss me?" "Missed! Of course, I missed!" As soon as Hao Jian asked about this, Beauty Xiao instantly pouted discontentedly, complaining, "You clearly told me you were going away for ten days, but now it''s been over half a month, and during this half month, you didn''t call me for eight days..." Hearing this, Hao Jian couldn''t help but want to slap himself; why was he so foolish to ask such an inappropriate question, and now, he was reaping the consequences, right? To avoid making Beauty Xiao angry, Hao Jian quickly tried to console her, saying, "Those few days I had an emergency, I left my phone at the place I was staying and didn''t bring it with me, I can''t tell you exactly what happened, but I hope you can understand..." "Silly!" Seeing Hao Jian scratching his head, Beauty Xiao chuckled, gave him a sidelong glance, then playfully turned around and walked towards Hao Jian''s Enzo, saying, "You wouldn''t mind me driving your car over here, would you?" "Hehe, not at all, of course not!" Realizing that Beauty Xiao really wasn''t angry, Hao Jian breathed a sigh of relief. Those eight days were when he went to the USA, and he almost couldn''t make it back. Just thinking about this event, a figure with a mesmerizing curve and wearing a Moon mask came involuntarily to Hao Jian''s mind... He just felt that this senior seemed somewhat familiar. Due to the urgency of the situation earlier, he hadn''t thought much about it, but now that he had some free time, the feeling of familiarity suddenly struck him, yet Hao Jian was clear in his heart that he seemed to have never met this kind of person before... Shaking his head, Hao Jian also took the driver''s seat of Enzo''s car, which was initially driven by Xiao Qiang. Now that the car''s owner was here, naturally, Hao Jian had to drive, while Xiao Qiang gladly took the chance to be lazy. "Let''s head to your place first..." While steering the wheel, Hao Jian exited the airport and asked Xiao Qiang beside him. "Yeah, let''s go..." Xiao Qiang nodded, and cheekily hugged Hao Jian''s arm. The soft touch against his chest and the faint blush on her cheeks appeared instantly, startling Hao Jian so much that he almost steered the wheel in the wrong direction... Fortunately, the road was not busy at that moment; otherwise, Hao Jian would have had to get the car repaired... "Behave yourself, I don''t want to have to go buy another car..." Hao Jian freed one hand to gently tap on Xiao Qiang''s forehead, gave her a look, then continued to focus on driving. "Hmph, worst case, I''ll go buy it with you..." Xiao Qiang stuck out her tongue and sneakily pinched Hao Jian''s waist, causing him "pain" enough to grimace and yell, until she finally let go. As time slowly passed by, they finally arrived at Xiao Qiang''s residence. Upon arriving, Hao Jian quickly dashed into the bathroom for a shower, changed into pajamas, and without looking back, plopped down directly onto Xiao Qiang''s bed, soon snoring away. It wasn''t that Hao Jian loved to sleep, he was simply too exhausted. He had spent the whole night disturbing the Ye Family''s Night God, then had a shower at the military quarters to wash off the stench, followed by getting on a flight arranged by the military to Hua City, without any rest. "He really is a blockhead..." When Xiao Qiang returned to the room and saw Hao Jian sound asleep, she rolled her eyes but deep in her eyes, there was deep affection and concern. She wasn''t angry about Hao Jian keeping those eight days secret from her; if Hao Jian chose not to tell her, he must have his reasons. The next morning, Hao Jian stretched lazily and muddled through washing up. As he wiped his face and stepped out of the bathroom, the tip of his nose slightly twitched, and his face revealed a delighted expression as he thought, how fragrant! "Awake? Then let''s have breakfast!" Guided by the scent, Hao Jian walked into the kitchen. As he entered, Xiao Qiang''s gentle voice also rang in his ears, bringing a smile to his face, and with a light chuckle, he nodded. "Hehe, let me taste what Beauty Xiao has cooked!" "I just called my Shuishui and told her I''d bring you over in a bit to see her..." As Xiao Qiang handed Hao Jian chopsticks and a soup spoon, she also told him about this while smiling. "Yeah, no problem. I''ve been free lately anyway. It''s good to meet the elderly sooner and assure them you won''t stay unmarried..." Hearing this, Hao Jian paused, then nodded and touched his nose. Meeting the parents wasn''t new to him, and he had some experience now, so he wasn''t too worried. "Hehe, I told Shuishui you are a very outstanding person, make her happy when we go there, or else I won''t let you off easily!" While eating, Xiao Qiang waved her fists at Hao Jian and giggled. Shuishui was her dearest family member, and she had just called to check on the old lady''s health, then suddenly remembered she hadn''t told her about her relationship with Hao Jian. Now that she remembered, naturally, she had to say it, as it was a necessary step to take. "Absolutely!" Hearing her, Hao Jian quickly nodded, and after persistent urging from Xiao Qiang, they finished breakfast quickly, got into the Enzo, and, with laughter, headed towards the place where Shuishui lived... "Shuishui lives in the old town, they are working on construction there and a few roads are closed off. I''ll guide you there..." In the car, Xiao Qiang shared stories about her and Shuishui while guiding Hao Jian, creating a peaceful scene that made Hao Jian feel at ease, recalling how long it had been since he last experienced such an atmosphere... However, as they arrived at the dilapidated three-story building where Shuishui lived, they found an elderly person suddenly thrown out of the building''s entrance, falling to the ground... Chapter 861 - 860: Get Lost! "Grandma!" Upon seeing the old woman, Xiao Qiang''s face suddenly changed drastically, and Hao Jian also quickly stepped on the brakes. Xiao Qiang immediately unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the car door, and sprinted towards the elder. After Hao Jian parked the car, he too hurried over. Meanwhile, a faint flame of anger flickered in his eyes; how dare they treat his future grandmother in such a way?! Unforgivable! I have to see who those bastards are, daring to treat Grandma like this! A slow burn of anger started to ignite in his heart, yet Hao Jian''s face remained utterly expressionless, eerily calm. While in the car, Xiao Qiang had shared many stories of her childhood with her grandmother, attributing the formation of her character largely to her grandmother''s influence. "Cough cough..." Grandma was carefully helped up by Xiao Qiang and Hao Jian. Observing the bruises on the old woman''s legs and arms, both of their faces turned particularly ugly. Grandma coughed a few times, and a faint trace of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Seeing this, Hao Jian''s expression changed slightly; she was internally injured! If it were a young person like him who had internal injuries, rest and care would suffice. But now, Grandma was an elderly person of eighty years old. The fact that she had survived the fall was lucky enough, but now with internal injuries, her physical condition would only worsen. However, Hao Jian was capable of treating these issues. Internal injuries could be healed with his power, and for the bodily injuries, he could find the best doctors in Huaxia. What made Hao Jian''s expression change the most was the heartlessness of these people; how could they do such a thing to an old woman of such an age! It was nearing noon by now, and neighbors and nearby residents were just getting off work and returning home. Seeing the old woman in such a state, almost everyone let out a sigh, and some even started discussing in low voices... Hao Jian was all ears... "Alas, the Xiao Family is bullying the old lady again..." "Isn''t that the truth? To take over this house, the Xiao Family''s eldest and his wife have even driven the old lady out, so inhumane! After all, the old lady is their mother; how can they dare to do this!" "You should say less. The city district is currently under reconstruction. Once the construction is complete and the roads open, the land here will certainly become more valuable. The Xiao Family eldest must have seen the benefits here and been egged on by his wife..." "Hmph! Even so, the old lady is still his mother, how can he be like this!?" "Why don''t you go ask if the Xiao Family eldest considers the old lady his mother? His wife has not been sparing in her ill-treatment of the old lady regularly..." "Scoundrels!" Hearing the discussion, Hao Jian''s face became even calmer, the anger in his eyes turning into blazing flames. A subtle Killing Intent began to swirl around him. Xiao Qiang, standing beside him, was also filled with fury, so angry she was lost for words. "Let me handle this, you take care of Grandma..." Hao Jian gently pat Xiao Qiang on the shoulder, reached out to support her grandmother''s back, and a gentle force gradually infiltrated her body. Within minutes, it dissolved the internal injuries, temporarily saving her life. "I''ll come with you; I can support Grandma..." Xiao Qiang gently shook her head. She needed to be by Hao Jian''s side. She was eager to confront her uncle and aunt-in-law; what kind of hearts did they have to be so indifferent and cruel. "Girlie is back..." By this time, Xiao Qiang''s grandmother, who had her internal injuries healed, was also able to speak. She first glanced at the building''s entrance, revealing a look of terror in her eyes, then turned to look at Xiao Qiang. The terror in her eyes softened; she wanted to reach out and stroke the face of her granddaughter whom she had not seen for so long, only to realize that her arm seemed to have no feeling... "Grandma, you can''t move around just yet. Let Xiao Qiang support you for now. Once I''ve taken care of this, I will take you to see a doctor..." Hao Jian noticed Xiao Qiang''s grandmother''s attempt to move and smiled gently, gently speaking, yet the rage in his heart intensified. How could there be people so malicious as to beat and scold an elderly person and also forcibly seize her house! "Get out here!" With a smile, Hao Jian slowly walked up to the entrance of the old building. The door, however, was tightly shut, seemingly out of fear that the neighborhood residents might come to argue over the matter. For such a door, Hao Jian slapped it casually, a powerful force emanating from his arm and converging in his palm, forcibly dismantling the not-so-solid door. Following that, a roar filled with Hao Jian''s anger erupted from his mouth... "Boom!" As the sound faded, the door collapsed heavily onto the ground. At the edge where the door fell, stood a man and a woman, both about fifty years of age, their faces not shocked by the sudden fall of the door, but instead, their faces were extremely red with peak anger. "Well, I thought you would be hiding upstairs, but to my surprise, you even dare to stand here." Seeing the two, there was no need to guess who they were. Hao Jian smiled unexpectedly and then his face showed a tinge of pity, saying, "What a pity! If you had stood a bit further forward, I wouldn''t have to see your faces ever again..." "Who the hell are you?!" Xiao Qiang''s uncle, whose given name is Xiao Hao, was a man who did nothing all day and had been raised almost entirely by Xiao Qiang''s grandmother. Yet, he was a bona fide freeloader, to the extent that even now, the money the old lady made from selling vegetables at the market was taken by him. "Me? I''m just a person here to discuss the old lady''s compensation issue." Hao Jian sneered, pointing first at Xiao Qiang''s grandmother and then at himself, chuckling as he spoke. His tone seemed devoid of anger, containing only that gentle smile, as if he were harmless to humans and animals alike. Only those who saw what happened would know, this guy had just dismantled their front gate with one hand! No one would think this guy was a gentle soul... "Is that young man okay?" Xiao Qiang''s grandmother was somewhat worried. Remembering the previous abuse, her body couldn''t help but tremble slightly, her voice quivering as she said, "That woman... she''s terrifying..." Those bastards... Seeing his grandmother like this, a wave of anger also flashed through Xiao Qiang''s heart. No wonder when she had come to visit her grandmother before, the latter was always covered in injuries. It turned out to be for this reason; and yet, her grandmother concealed this situation. "Grandma, it''s okay, after Hao Jian sorts things out, you can come and live at my place..." Xiao Qiang shook her head, trying her best to soothe her grandmother, to calm her heart and not have to live in fear anymore. "Compensation?! Haha! Am I hearing this right?! That old hag, a person who''s half in the coffin, dares to ask me for compensation, haha!" Inside the old building, Xiao Hao burst into laughter upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, and the woman beside him looked at Hao Jian with scorn-filled eyes, as if mocking his overestimation of himself. "This is terrible, although Xiao Family''s eldest has done nothing these years, he''s acquainted with quite a few figures from the underworld. It''s good that this young man stands up for the old lady, but if Xiao Family''s eldest gets angry, it''s going to be bad!" The neighbors not far away, upon seeing the situation inside the old building, immediately looked anxious. In their eyes, Xiao Hao was the kind of person who mixed with the underworld, someone truly desperate! "Say that again..." Hao Jian''s eyebrows raised slightly, and he glanced at Xiao Hao with a calm gaze as he spoke. "I''ll say it, what am I scared of you for?! And I haven''t even taken the compensation for my damaged door from you yet!" Before Xiao Hao could speak, the woman beside him also yelled out at Hao Jian, bringing with her a shrewish quality, "If it wasn''t for this house this year, I would have kicked that old hag out long ago. I was just waiting for her to die so I could inherit it..." "But who would have thought this old immortal hag just keeps on living, hanging on that breath of hers. We''ve negotiated with that old hag over ten times to give us the house, but she never speaks up, always muttering about her precious granddaughter. Pah! Granddaughter, my foot, that kind of bitch shouldn''t even be appearing in the Xiao Family!" The woman''s speech got nastier and nastier, until she finally dragged Xiao Qiang into it. At that moment, Hao Jian could no longer hold back. It''s one thing to insult others, but did this person think she could slander my woman as she pleased?! "So you''re doing this for this building, huh?" His tone was indifferent, as if Hao Jian wasn''t angry, giving the woman the impression that she scared him, which immediately made her feel smug. Like a proud hen, she raised her head, her eyes filled with mockery, and disdainfully said, "Are you blind or something?" "I have eyes, but I just can''t seem to see if this building actually exists or not..." Having said that, Hao Jian turned around and stepped forward, walking out. But as soon as he took a step, Xiao Hao suddenly couldn''t take it anymore. He rushed up quickly and stood in front of Hao Jian, his face fierce and threatening as he said, "Kid, do you think you can come and go as you please on my turf?!" "If you don''t compensate for my door..." "Get lost!" Hao Jian furrowed his brows and with a backhand grip, he picked up Xiao Hao''s big 150-pound body, casually tossed him, and threw him onto a nearby flowerbed. Xiao Hao immediately crashed down, leaving his head bloodied and screaming in agony. "You..." At this point, the woman also came forward. Seeing her own husband being thrown by this young man, she was instantly filled with rage. Relying on her status as a woman, she pointed at Hao Jian and was about to start hurling abuse... "Shut up!" But before she could even open her mouth, Hao Jian slapped her across the face. The strong force of the slap sent her flying away... Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Well done!" Chapter 862 - 861: Time to Show Off Again. Xiao Qiang''s uncle and aunt were both literally thrown out by Hao Jian, to the applause of the onlooking crowd who felt a sense of relief and satisfaction. A villain will always meet a bigger villain! After tossing them out, Hao Jian also took out his phone, and from his pocket, he extracted a card with contact information of officials above the district level clearly marked on it. He was now calling the district chief of Raojin District, requesting him to send over some bulldozers... The district chief had been on a date with his mistress when he received Hao Jian''s call. Once he realized who Hao Jian was, he instantly became obsequious and agreed to his demands. Since Raojin District was undergoing renovation and there were more than a dozen bulldozers available, sparing a few wouldn''t be a problem. The district chief took Hao Jian''s request very seriously, without uttering another word, he immediately ordered nearby engineers to assemble ten bulldozers to the site. Did he dare to only send a few bulldozers when Hao Jian said a few? What a joke! This person was the real power behind the scenes in Hua City. Offending him would be the end of his career. Moreover, if he could make Hao Jian happy, wouldn''t his promotion be within easy reach?! Furthermore, even if he couldn''t get promoted, owing a favor to Hao Jian was like having a get-out-of-jail-free card to some extent. "Rumble rumble!" When ten bulldozers filled the street in front of the old building, everyone''s faces froze in surprise. Weren''t those bulldozers supposed to be at the construction site? How did they end up here?! "Excuse me, which one of you is Mr. Hao Jian?" At this moment, a man in his forties, with dark, sunburned skin as if he had been exposed to the sun for a long time, descended from one of the bulldozers. He looked around, searching for the person he was asking for. "I''m right here." Hao Jian walked out of the crowd with a smile, approached the man, extended his hand, and said with a smile, "I am Hao Jian. It''s me who asked the district chief to send you over." "Nice to meet you! I''m Old Black from Jintu Construction Company; this is my fleet. It''s an honor to serve Mr. Hao Jian!" Old Black quickly shook Hao Jian''s hand with great reverence. The district chief had already called him before coming, telling him to take good care of Hao Jian. He was even told that if Hao Jian wanted to, he should drive the bulldozers over to the Pentagon Building and tear it down if necessary... Although that statement was a joke, it also highlighted Hao Jian''s powerful identity, at least according to what the district chief had said. "Hao Jian, what are you planning to do?" At that time, Xiao Qiang, supporting her grandmother, came over, gazing ponderously at the ten bulldozers in front of her. Each of these bulldozers was three meters high, typically used only for large projects... "Since those two people want this old house so much, let''s give it to them, but we can''t let them have it intact..." Hao Jian chuckled, nodding his head, his laughter chilling to the bone, making bystanders sympathize with the head of the Xiao Family. This guy must be crazy, he was actually going to tear down the building. After he said that, Hao Jian thought that Xiao Qiang might misunderstand, so he quickly rolled his eyes, chuckled, and said, "Hehe, Beauty Xiao wouldn''t mind if I demolished this piece of your childhood memories, right?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Qiang gave Hao Jian a glance and said, "I only lived here for a few years. If it weren''t for grandmother still living here, I wouldn''t even want to come back to this place..." "Grandmother won''t mind, right?" With Xiao Qiang''s response, Hao Jian breathed a sigh of relief, then turned his head to look at the grandmother, smiled faintly, and said, "If grandmother agrees to my doing this, then I will immediately have it leveled, and then you can live with Xiao Qiang. After all, she is the only one living in that big house; it would be good for you to accompany her, so she stops wandering around so much..." S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Young man, since my granddaughter said to tear it down, then just listen to her..." Obviously, the grandmother had completely given up on her elder brother and his wife. But then again, if you think about it, what they did to their own mother was beyond outrageous. If the grandmother wasn''t angry or swallowed her anger, it would be clear indulgence. Now it seemed that the grandmother would no longer indulge her sons. "Hehe, with grandmother''s word on this, I''ll have to make sure things are done neatly and tidily!" Having received the final answer he wanted, Hao Jian chuckled, touched his nose, turned his head, and looked at Old Black, saying, "Old Black, let your team push down this building in front of us. Can you do it?" "Rest assured, sir, this is our bread and butter; we''ll flatten it in no time!" As Old Black listened to Hao Jian''s words and also the discussions among the surrounding crowd, he became aware of what the old lady had gone through and felt a surge of anger. How could there be people in this world worse than dogs?! He also considered himself a filial son. Although he sometimes talked back to his family, he still wanted his elderly parents to live well; otherwise, he wouldn''t work himself to exhaustion on the construction site. "Hey hey hey! What are you guys doing?!" Hao Jian''s move had been merciless, causing Xiao Hao to lay on the ground for more than half an hour, unable to move a muscle. Now barely able to get up, he naturally rushed over and bellowed at Hao Jian and the others. If this building were to be demolished, what would he need it for anymore?! Previously forcing the old lady to sign the property transfer agreement would be useless, he wouldn''t have the money to build another building anyway! Would he just own a piece of worthless land, unable to do anything with it, unable to live on it, at most just selling it for some land money, with no further benefit, not maximizing the profit, how could he just watch the bulldozers demolish the building?! "This has nothing to do with you, get back!" Hao Jian, impatiently grabbing Xiao Hao, his arm''s Qi Force surged, flinging him more than ten meters away. Ultimately, Xiao Hao collided with a nearby wall and came to a halt. Hao Jian had controlled his strength; the aim was just to cause him a fracture or something, at least now he wouldn''t pop out and bother him. "You... you Demon!" Just after he had thrown Xiao Hao, a trembling voice sounded again. Hao Jian turned his head in confusion, his eyes narrowing slightly, a faint aura of killing intent surrounding him, and his indifferent voice echoed, saying, "I seem to have forgotten about you, you wretch. Didn''t expect you to be able to stand up?" "Don''t... don''t come over!" Seeing Hao Jian approaching, the aunt''s face instantly turned deathly pale with fright. Subconsciously, she turned to run away, but as she took a step, she found herself unable to move... "I said, I really dislike you!" The faint voice, tinged with killing intent, rose to her ears, her face turned deathly pale, void of any color, followed by a sensation of soaring through the clouds, and then an intense pain shot down from the top of her head, causing her eyes to roll back as she fainted. "Problem solved, now there''s nobody to stop us from demolishing the building!" Dusting off his hands, Hao Jian also looked at Xiao Qiang with a smile, then glanced around at the neighbors with a smile on his lips, saying, "Dear neighbors, if you don''t want to be accidentally injured, it''s best you stay far away from here now, in case a flying stone hits you, then I, Hao Jian, can''t help you..." Although Hao Jian''s words were spoken lightly, for some reason, everyone present retreated to more than ten meters away upon hearing him speak, their eyes intently fixed on Hao Jian, as if asking whether this distance was enough; if not, they were ready to move even further back. "You really know how to stir up trouble, these are all neighbors after all¡­" Seeing the teasing look on Hao Jian''s face, Xiao Qiang couldn''t help but punch him lightly on the chest, her voice carrying a pout. "It''s their fault for hiding outside while grandma was being bullied." At those words, Hao Jian pursed his lips, then, seeing Xiao Qiang about to say something, he quickly waved his hands, saying, "My lady, let me finish my business first, otherwise we''ll keep at this forever, when will it end?" "Brother Old Black, I''ll have to trouble you with this!" "Easy peasy!" Old Black laughed loudly, climbed on the bulldozer, and directed his men to ram into the three-story building, first breaking several wall pillars, while also making sure the building did not tilt and collapse, but went straight down instead. "Boom!" Under the precise control of ten bulldozers, the building collapsed with a thunderous crash, countless fragments of stone blasting into the sky, and clouds of dust instantaneously enveloped the surrounding five or six meters of open space. "Snap!" Hao Jian casually swatted away a small flying stone and then turned his head, looking at Xiao Qiang helplessly, chuckling and saying, "Had I known the bulldozing would kick up so much dust and stones, I would have directly called the demolition team to take the building down with explosives..." "Anyway, it''s all been pushed down now, what''s the use of saying all this at this point?" Hearing this, Xiao Qiang gave Hao Jian an unfazed look; she knew that Hao Jian had the capability, but still restrained the urge to tease him. "That''s true!" Touching his nose, Hao Jian scanned the vicinity and noticed that most of the neighbors had already dispersed. He shook his head, and then his gaze shifted to Xiao Hao, who was slowly getting up not far away, feeling a bit surprised. This guy had quite a robust constitution, being thrown around like that twice and still not having passed out. "Looks like I''ll have to embarrass your uncle again!" Hao Jian suddenly chuckled and shook his head when he saw Xiao Hao''s hands trembling as he pulled out a cellphone from his pocket. In this situation, even a fool would know what this guy was doing with his cellphone out. Calling for reinforcements! Other than that, Hao Jian couldn''t think of any other possibility and considering the level of this person, the level of reinforcements he could call was also limited, therefore, Hao Jian spoke this way... Chapter 863 - 862: My Friends are Here "Damn it! I want to see who''s tougher, you or the police!" Pocketing his phone, Xiao Hao''s face was full of malice as he looked at Hao Jian with anger. His hand clenched and unclenched, torn between wanting to confront Hao Jian to vent his fury and the rational understanding that he would just be thrown out again. Forcing down his rage, he walked over to his wife and saw her lying unconscious under a tree. His anger deepened. "Wuuu..." Soon, the sound of police sirens approached from afar, making the faces of the neighbors change as they instinctively stepped back. They didn''t want to get involved and end up wrongly arrested by the police. "Hey, wife, get up. Stop pretending." Hearing the distant police sirens, a hint of pleasure crossed Xiao Hao''s face as he quickly patted his recovering aunt. "What are you doing! I want that kid dead! He actually demolished our house!" After Xiao Hao''s persistent calling, his aunt slowly got up, her face ugly from rubbing the lump on her head. She looked towards Hao Jian with fury, intent on continuing the confrontation, but before she could take a step, her husband held her back, which only added to her dissatisfaction as she muttered sharply. "I''ve already informed my friend who works at the police station, and he should be the one leading the team here now!" said Xiao Hao with a forced smile. If they had been capable of beating that youngster, they wouldn''t have needed backup. At these words, his aunt''s eyes lit up, and she quickly pulled Xiao Hao excitedly, asking, "Can he really catch that kid?!" Thinking it over, Xiao Hao nodded and said with fury in his eyes, "It looks like this youngster isn''t someone powerful or influential, and my friend holds a small official position in the police station. Isn''t capturing such a brat as easy as reaching out and grabbing him?" With Xiao Hao''s confirmation, the aunt''s furious face revealed a trace of excitement. She glared at Hao Jian, gritting her teeth, "We must make him pay for offending us!" "Heh, with my friend around, that''s a given!" Xiao Hao nodded vigorously, his mouth curling into a cruel smile, "When the time comes, we can''t let them brush off the matter of the house being demolished. As long as we pin it on him, we''ll get a new house without spending a dime!" "Right, we can''t let that kid off so easily!" The aunt agreed, nodding eagerly with joy on her face. Her anger from being hit by Hao Jian and the house demolition seemed to ebb away as she suddenly remembered something, "And we can''t let that old lady off either. After all, I''ve been so good to her, and she still betrayed us!" "Hmph! Forget about the old lady. If we accidentally break her down, we won''t be able to escape the responsibility!" Though he really wanted to teach his mother a lesson for not siding with him, considering her old age and how they''d just thrown her out, her health could easily deteriorate. If anything happened to her because of him, no amount of excuses would help. "They''re here!" As they were talking, three police cars arrived on the scene. Seeing a familiar figure step down from one of the cars, Xiao Hao''s eyes brightened. Wasn''t that his friend?! He was about to step forward to greet his friend, but before he could take a step, he saw his friend respectfully open the rear car door for a stern, burly man. "The chief of the Raojin District branch?!" Seeing the newcomer, Xiao Hao''s face changed, then lit up with great joy. He had originally thought that only his friend would come, but the person who arrived turned out to be the branch chief, a big shot for them! Haha! With the backing of the chief, let''s see how you can run now! Xiao Hao proudly looked towards Hao Jian, already firmly counting the chief as being on his side. After all, given the current situation, how could the chief be on anyone else''s side but his? Surely he wouldn''t side with some kid?! "Tap tap tap..." The very next moment, seeing the chief approaching, Xiao Hao promptly straightened his clothes, then, with his wife beside him wearing a happy face, walked toward his friend, extending a hand for a greeting. "Chief..." "Swoosh..." But the chief didn''t even glance at Xiao Hao, seeming baffled as he looked at them, wondering where these two beggars had come from. Passing the two of them, the chief hurriedly ran to Hao Jian, bowing respectfully and asked, "Young Master Hao, what brings you here?" "Heh, what''s the matter, can''t I be here?" Hao Jian chuckled and shook his head. This was Feng Zhuang, the chief of the Raojin District branch of the Hua City Police Station, a man with quite some methods but limited by his position. "Of course not, sir. The district head called me personally, said you were here, and I came right over without stopping!" Feng Zhuang wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was relieved he had arrived early. If Young Master Hao held a grudge against him, how would he survive? The reason he was able to arrive so quickly was that he had received a call from one of his subordinates saying he was heading this way, and he himself had been nearby dealing with other matters. As soon as he heard his subordinate was near Hao Jian''s location, he ordered him to come and pick him up immediately. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have arrived so swiftly. Looking at it now, it''s a relief, there''s still time... "Whoosh!" Many of the onlookers from the neighborhood recognized the director. After getting to know a bit more about him, they were aware of his identity. Now seeing him showing such respect to this young man, disbelief was written all over everyone''s face. What followed was a full dose of envy and schadenfreude. They envied how the Xiao Family''s girl had snagged a connection with Hao Jian, the big tree, and took delight in the calamity that befell Xiao Hao''s eldest brother and his wife for offending such a person. Now there seemed to be a great drama unfolding! "Little He!" Little He, whose real name was He Wei, a friend of Xiao Hao''s and around forty years old, had also received Xiao Hao''s phone call. After hearing Xiao Hao''s house had been demolished, he immediately rushed over from the police station, unexpectedly to encounter this situation... Looking at the flattened building not far away, He Wei also felt somewhat helpless. Now, being stopped by the director here, any help from him would be too late... He truly didn''t understand why the director was so respectful to such a young man who appeared to be in his twenties. Could it be a descendant of some high-ranking official? While he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard the director calling him. He shivered all over and promptly responded, saying, "Director, you called!" "Don''t you have something to take care of? Go and handle your business!" Remembering that his subordinate had things to deal with, Feng Zhuang decided to have him finish his tasks first. Meanwhile, he planned to go have a tea with Hao Jian and chat for a bit, hoping to leave a good impression on him, which would greatly benefit his career. "Yes!" Upon hearing this, He Wei nodded quickly and then glanced around. Behind them, Xiao Hao and his wife stood there, dumbfounded... "Hehe, I think that won''t be necessary. The issue he needs to address is probably related to me." Hao Jian had noticed the exchange of glances between He Wei and Xiao Hao and lightly chuckled while touching his nose, saying, "The matter you need to sort out is about this building, right?" Saying this, Hao Jian also pointed at the building that had been turned into ruins. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The bulldozer team led by Old Black had not stayed after completing the demolition due to needing the equipment for another construction project. They resumed work on their own site. Hao Jian didn''t stop them; after all, they had given him a huge favor. At worst, he would transfer some money to their company''s account later as a payment for their services. "Uh..." Upon hearing this, He Wei was taken aback, wondering how this person knew what he was supposed to do. "Little He, Young Master Hao is speaking to you!" Seeing He Wei lose focus in front of Hao Jian not once but twice, Feng Zhuang became somewhat angry and sternly said. This was Young Master Hao! Even the chief of Hua City Police Station would need to wait for his good mood for a meeting. The chance Feng Zhuang had to talk to him did not come easily! If his subordinate spoiled this, he would have nowhere to turn for comfort. "Ah?! What?!" He Wei''s expression changed dramatically, and then, seeing his superior''s slightly contorted face, his heart trembled. He hurriedly said, "Yes, that''s right! My friend''s building was demolished; he asked me to come and help..." "Is your friend named Xiao Hao?" Hao Jian looked at Xiao Hao in the distance, barely concealing a smile, then glanced at He Wei and spoke. Feeling the look from Hao Jian, Xiao Hao''s complexion slightly changed. The director was so respectful towards him, and he had been regretting it ever since. Now, seeing Hao Jian''s gaze upon him, cold sweat beaded his forehead and his legs trembled. "Yes!" He Wei nodded, then seemingly recalling something, his expression abruptly changed. He pointed at Hao Jian and exclaimed in astonishment, "Could it be that you''re the one who demolished Xiao Hao''s house?!" "He Wei! Mind your manners!" He Wei''s alarmist reaction had already worried Feng Zhuang, and now seeing him pointing at Hao Jian, Feng Zhuang''s face went white as he rebuked him sharply. This was in front of Young Master Hao! How could he act so improperly?! If Young Master Hao took offense, that would be terrible! Feng Zhuang stole a glance at Hao Jian''s expression and, finding that he hadn''t taken it to heart, he sighed with relief. Chapter 864 - 863: My Mom Invites You Over for Dinner "Alright, I''ll leave this matter to you. I have other matters to attend to, so I won''t keep you company anymore. Call me if anything comes up!" Hao Jian chuckled, shaking his head unconcernedly and waving his hand at Feng Zhuang, saying, "You probably know how to contact me, right?" "Yes, yes!" Feng Zhuang hurriedly nodded, then respectfully saw Hao Jian off to his car. Watching the departing car, Feng Zhuang let out a sigh of relief, but more than that, he was filled with excitement. Hao Jian had just said that he could call him! "Director, isn''t that man just someone of a higher status? Why are you so excited..." Behind Feng Zhuang, He Wei looked at him puzzledly and voiced his doubts. He was still somewhat resentful inside. After all, it was that man who had demolished his friend''s house, and now he had vanished without a trace, leaving He Wei feeling somewhat unable to let it go concerning Xiao Hao. "Idiot!" Provoked by He Wei''s words, Feng Zhuang instantly became furious, smacking He Wei on the head as he sharply exclaimed, "Young Master Hao is not a man of mere higher status! Have you ever heard of Hao Jian?! He''s the overlord of Hua City!" "Hao... Hao Jian?! That person who has clout over both the underworld and the legitimate world in Hua City, and even the mayor has to show him great deference?!" Now, He Wei finally understood why Feng Zhuang was so respectful towards that man. Damn! The man with the highest covert status in the entire Hua City! If you don''t show respect, you simply can''t stay in Hua City! "Who else could it be?!" Feng Zhuang nodded, then turned his head to glance at Xiao Hao in the distance, then looked at He Wei, his voice heavy as he said, "I''m leaving this matter in your hands. If handled well, maybe when Young Master Hao remembers it, we could receive unexpected benefits..." "And if handled poorly, you know the consequences... Your friend''s character must not be very good, otherwise Young Master Hao wouldn''t treat him this way..." Feng Zhuang shook his head slightly, this world really had more fools than wise folks... "Yes... Director!" Hearing this, He Wei also wryly smiled. How was he supposed to handle this situation! It was his friend after all, but on the other hand, there were the Director, Young Master Hao, and his own future... Sigh! Old friend, sorry, but who asked you to offend Young Master Hao? He Wei felt somewhat helpless. Originally, this matter was given to the Director by Young Master Hao, but it ended up getting thrown onto his lap instead. This situation was hard for him to handle, perhaps the Director just wanted to use this to see his stance... With a soft shake of his head, He Wei clenched his teeth. After resolving this, he definitely needs to investigate Xiao Hao thoroughly. Since the Director had mentioned such a thing, perhaps there really is a problem with Xiao Hao''s character. "Hmm." Feng Zhuang nodded, although this subordinate might not be the brightest or best at reading the situation, his capabilities were still quite respectable. He wouldn''t want to discard him unless absolutely necessary. "Alright, let''s leave it here. I need to head back too." "Yes!" ............................................ "Hao Jian, how is my grandma?" In the car, sitting in the back with her grandmother, Xiao Qiang looked worriedly at her grandmother and asked Hao Jian. "It''s fine, I have already treated grandma''s internal injuries. Now, just take her to stay at the city hospital, the doctors there are pretty competent." Hao Jian lightly chuckled, turning his head to speak. "It''s just that grandma has fainted again..." Hearing Hao Jian say this, Xiao Qiang was also relieved. Today, grandma had also endured a lot of shocks, and combined with physical exhaustion, she fainted as soon as she got into the car, which frightened Xiao Qiang and made her hurriedly hold her grandma. Only Hao Jian remained nonchalant about it, making Xiao Qiang quite helpless and even gave him a reproving look, this guy must be mocking her lack of medical knowledge. "This is a normal bodily response for protecting itself, she''ll wake up after some rest..." Following that, Hao Jian took his grandmother to the city hospital, met the dean, and asked him to take good care of his grandmother. The dean readily agreed to Hao Jian''s request, immediately using the best equipment and room in the hospital, and personally treated her external injuries himself. After the surgery was perfectly completed, the next step was the recuperation phase. Hao Jian also instructed the dean to use the most suitable medicine to aid his grandmother''s recovery, then he left the hospital, leaving only Xiao Qiang to care for her grandmother in the hospital. His Enzo was still parked in Raojin District, as he had switched to another car to bring his grandmother over this time. The dean took Hao Jian''s instructions very seriously, immediately holding a meeting to decide on the best medicine for the grandmother''s use. However, this made some doctors or heads dissatisfied, arguing that a patient with just external injuries was enjoying such high-level treatment without paying a cent... Regarding this, the dean didn''t care about their opinions; it was an order, after all, and if they didn''t listen, fine, their salaries would be halved. Under such circumstances, even if the doctors were discontented, they didn''t dare to speak out. Joke, if anyone really offended the dean, their days would not be easy, especially since the dean later offered two hundred thousand yuan, promising it to them if they took good care of the grandmother. Upon seeing so much money, the doctors'' expressions changed instantly, almost wishing the grandmother could stay a few more days in the hospital. On the phone, Hao Jian listened to Xiao Qiang''s account and couldn''t help but chuckle, finding the hospital director quite amusing. Half a month later, despite the doctors'' reluctance, the grandmother was still discharged. On the same day, Hao Jian drove and picked up both the grandmother and Xiao Qiang to Xiao Qiang''s grand villa. As for the director, under the watchful eyes of the doctors, he distributed three hundred thousand to the doctors who worked the hardest. He originally planned to give two hundred thousand as a bonus, but then Hao Jian remembered this and spontaneously decided to send the director five hundred thousand¡ªthree hundred thousand as the doctors'' bonus, and two hundred thousand for the director himself. That same evening, Xiao Qiang prepared a grand dinner to celebrate the grandmother''s discharge. The smile on the elderly lady''s face didn''t cease all night, seeing this, Hao Jian felt delighted, at least his and Xiao Qiang''s efforts weren''t in vain. ................................................... One night... "Dudu dudu..." Amidst his sleep, Hao Jian suddenly heard his mobile phone ring, his eyes snapped open, and he quickly reached out to pick up the mobile phone on the ground. With somewhat blurry eyes, he checked the caller ID on the screen and his gaze softened instantly; he gently pressed the answer button. "Shanshan, it''s so late, is there something wrong?" The caller was naturally Yuan Shanshan. On the other end, sensing Hao Jian''s somewhat lazy voice, she asked curiously, "It''s only eleven o''clock, and you are already asleep?" "Already?" S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hearing this, Hao Jian couldn''t help but wonder if it was really that late normally for him to sleep. "Ah well, let''s not talk about that. Since you''re awake now, I''ll just say it." "Go ahead..." Hao Jian was speechless; was the girl confused? She just woke me up and now if you don''t lay things straight, then no way. "Today, I talked with my mom, and she said you should come over for a meal tomorrow..." As Yuan Shanshan said this, her words were evidently nervous, fearing that Hao Jian might refuse. However, the next moment, Hao Jian''s reply relieved her. "A meal? Good, good, good! I''ll definitely be there!" Hearing that it was an invitation from his future mother-in-law to eat, Hao Jian was instantly spirited; this was his future mother-in-law speaking, a must-listen! "Strange¡­ Why such a straightforward answer?" Yuan Shanshan was a bit puzzled by Hao Jian''s brisk reply, considering that this guy used to be quite averse to dining gatherings. It was just a meal at her place, so why the excitement? "Hehe, keep thinking about it yourself, I''m not going to mention you, madam who doesn''t leave any soup uneaten when having noodles..." Hao Jian, not looking to discuss this any further, instead started joking about Yuan Shanshan. Now that he had been woken up by Yuan Shanshan, he felt it fair to crack a joke to compensate for his loss in sleep, as he was just about to score in his dream... "What do you mean not leaving any? That''s called being economical! That''s called saving resources! That''s called protecting the environment! That''s called valuing food..." Hearing Hao Jian''s teasing, Yuan Shanshan suddenly became defensive and retorted. "Er... alright, alright, let''s not talk about this..." It was just a joke, was such a big reaction necessary? Holding the phone, Hao Jian murmured to himself, then laughed and said, "It''s late, I''m going back to sleep, just ring me when it''s time to go eat tomorrow!" "Mm!" Yuan Shanshan responded with a hint of excitement, quickly hanging up the phone, she climbed off the bed and walked to her wardrobe, looking at the densely packed clothes inside, she was a bit undecided about what to wear. Most of the clothes in there were bought when Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan went shopping together, primarily consisting of Dior since Yuan Shanshan favored Dior. "For jewelry, I''ll use the Luoshen designed by that guy Hao Jian!" Opening a secret compartment in the wardrobe, there lay a jewelry box quietly. Cautiously picking up this jewelry box, Yuan Shanshan''s eyes squinted like crescent moons... While Yuan Shanshan was struggling with what to wear tomorrow, Hao Jian laid back down, continuing his sweet dream, not the least bit nervous about tomorrow''s gathering... Chapter 865 - 864 You Also Need to Show Respect "Dudu dudu..." Early the next morning, Hao Jian''s cellphone started ringing, waking him up. Rubbing his bleary eyes, he grabbed his phone, squinting at the gradually sharpening numbers on the screen. His face suddenly changed, and he quickly pressed the answer button, awkwardly making a sound and giggling. "I... I overslept!" "Would you have slept until the end of the world if I hadn''t called?!" On the other end of the line, Yuan Shanshan''s yelling came crashing through, jolting Hao Jian to quickly pull the phone away. Once her voice quieted down, he put the phone back to his ear and sheepishly replied with a laugh, "No, no, as a matter of fact, I was already awake!" "How dare I drag my feet when my wife has given orders?" "Who''s your wife?!" Yuan Shanshan''s face instantly flushed with annoyance. Nothing had happened, yet this guy was calling her his wife... "Hehe, soon, soon!" Hao Jian chuckled, feeling a sense of relief in his heart¡ªhe had successfully diverted the topic. Otherwise, this girl could have really lost her temper. "You better come over early for the lunch gathering... My mom is still waiting for you..." After saying that, Yuan Shanshan also hung up the phone. Beside her, Yuan Zhibang was full of curiosity. Seeing Yuan Shanshan put down her phone, he hurriedly asked, "Sis, when is brother-in-law coming over?" "You... go play over there!" Yuan Shanshan''s pretty face instantly blushed, as she pointed to the corner and exclaimed in a soft voice. "No way! I''m your little brother! Besides, wasn''t it brother-in-law who designed the necklace you''re wearing? Now you''re denying it?" Yuan Zhibang feigned surprise as he spoke. "Hmph! See if I let Hao Jian help you next time you get into a fight?" "Hehe, sis, you''ve admitted to brother-in-law''s role, huh? Next time I''m in a fight, I''ll just drop brother-in-law''s name and see who dares to mess with me, haha, just the thought of it feels great!" Yuan Zhibang laughed mischievously, then quickly ran off before Yuan Shanshan could get any angrier¡ªshe would be shy and furious if he continued. "That little rascal..." Watching Yuan Zhibang run off into the distance, Yuan Shanshan shook her head helplessly, then looked down at her necklace and her eyes narrowed into crescents¡ªsweet as honey in her heart. "I might as well head over early, so as not to give that girl another reason to say I don''t take her seriously." Hao Jian looked at the disconnected call, stroked his chin, then immediately rolled out of bed, got ready quickly, and dashed to a small bakery downstairs to grab some pastries. Then, he hopped into his Enzo and sped toward Yuan Shanshan''s house. "Why are you here so early?" Upon arriving at Yuan Shanshan''s villa, she opened the door with a look of surprise and the first words she said made Hao Jian quite dejected. Didn''t you tell me to come early? Hao Jian couldn''t help but wonder if this girl was playing him? "It''s eleven o''clock now, not that early, hehe. Are you ready? I''m planning to eat a lot." Hao Jian didn''t want to waste any more time on this topic, and he immediately reached out to grab Yuan Shanshan''s slender hand, heading into the house. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "..." As Hao Jian grabbed her hand, Yuan Shanshan''s face turned bright red, and soon she could only murmur in a voice as low as a mosquito''s buzz, "There are people at home..." "Hehe, is your mother-in-law around? And what about your brother? Anyway, they won''t mind seeing us, what''s there to be shy about?" Hao Jian didn''t care at all and laughed out loud. He seldom saw Yuan Shanshan act shy, and now, he thought she was not a complete ''strong woman'' after all. "Wow! Brother-in-law is here?!" Yuan Zhibang, who was watching TV in the living room, saw Hao Jian arrive and reluctantly put down the content on TV. He ran up to Hao Jian with a beaming face. "Come on, give me a red envelope!" He reached out his hand towards Hao Jian, his eyes full of mirth. "Scram! Don''t embarrass us here!" Unable to bear it, Yuan Shanshan kicked Yuan Zhibang, laughing and scolding. But Yuan Zhibang quickly dodged his sister''s kick, moved to a new spot, and continued grinning at Hao Jian. "Alright, I won''t say I don''t look after you. There''s over a hundred thousand in this card, just come find me for more when you''ve spent it." Hao Jian was in a good mood with Yuan Zhibang calling him brother-in-law. He chuckled as he pulled out an anonymous bank card from his pocket, prepared for times when he needed to give gifts. "Hehe, brother-in-law is the best. Sis, you should learn from brother-in-law''s generosity. Don''t be such a miser all the time..." Having gained benefits, Yuan Zhibang was all smiles. He then turned his head toward the rather helpless Yuan Shanshan, and chuckled cheekily, causing Shanshan to glare at him fiercely in that instant. "If you keep spouting nonsense, do you believe I won''t let your brother-in-law give you money anymore?!" "No, sis! Whether to give money or not is up to my brother-in-law, you can''t do this..." Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhibang immediately objected. It had not been easy to get a promise from his brother-in-law, and if his sister interfered, how would he get money from his brother-in-law in the future? "Alright, cut it out with the jokes about your sister. She''s thin-skinned. When she gets mad, even I have to listen to her..." Hao Jian stroked his chin, then said with a smile. "Fine, fine, fine! I''ll give my brother-in-law this much face." "Scram!" Yuan Shanshan lifted her leg and gave a kick, and this time Yuan Zhibang didn''t anticipate his sister''s "sudden attack" and was directly kicked onto the sofa. "Has Hao Jian arrived? Why haven''t you invited him to sit down yet!" At this point, Yuan Shanshan''s mother, who had been busy in the kitchen, heard the noise outside and came out to take a look. She then saw Hao Jian holding Yuan Shanshan''s hand and had a smile on her face. "Yes, Mom!" Yuan Zhibang quickly got up, patted the non-existent dust off the sofa, and hurriedly said: "Right, right, right, my mom is right. Brother-in-law, please take a seat. I''ll help Mom in the kitchen; you just chat with my sister in the living room..." "That way, you two can build your relationship!" "Scram!" "This damn kid..." Seeing Yuan Zhibang scampering off to the kitchen, Yuan Shanshan stamped her foot in frustration. "Auntie, Shanshan and I will just stay here. If you need help, just call us." Hao Jian also greeted Yuan Shanshan''s mother with a smile. The auntie smiled back and then suddenly smelled the aroma from the kitchen, immediately said with a laugh: "I''ll get busy first, one of the dishes is ready." "Mmm, Mom, go ahead with your work!" Yuan Shanshan smiled and nodded, but just as she was about to say something more, a knocking sound suddenly arose, causing her eyebrows to furrow. Who would come over at this time? "Knock knock knock!" Hearing the knocking, Yuan Shanshan told Hao Jian and ran to open the door, but upon opening it, her heart sank slightly, and she forced a smile, saying: "Aunt, Uncle, what brings you here?" At the door stood three people: two men and a woman. Yuan Shanshan''s aunt Yuan Haocai, uncle Xia Tianjia, and their eighteen-year-old son, Xia Yuanlai. "It''s Shanshan! You''ve grown so much! Your aunt hasn''t visited you in a long time, how is your mom?" Aunt Yuan Haocai, upon seeing Yuan Shanshan, greeted her with a smile. As for her husband Xia Tianjia and their son Xia Yuanlai beside her, they had looks of disdain, their eyes dripping with disgust at the sight of Yuan Shanshan''s four-story house. Xia Yuanlai even spoke mockingly: "Mom, this is where my aunt lives? How is it even smaller than our family''s swimming pool?" "Yuanlai, your aunt''s life has always been difficult. Don''t ridicule her. After all, we are people of high society. If it weren''t for your mom''s sake, your dad wouldn''t have bothered coming, and I even turned down a deal worth a million to come here!" Xia Tianjia laughed as he spoke, but his laughter felt extremely fake to Yuan Shanshan, especially with his condescending words, which made her expression turn even uglier. "Shanshan, what''s going on?" Hearing the noise at the door, Hao Jian also curiously came over and saw the three people standing there. Looking at Yuan Shanshan''s unpleasant face, he couldn''t help but ask, "Could it be that three beggars have come? You, why are you so stingy? Just give them a few bucks, is it worth upsetting yourself so much?" "Pfft!" Hearing Hao Jian''s seemingly puzzled but actually mocking comments, Yuan Shanshan couldn''t help but snicker, thinking this guy was really too harsh. "You pauper, what did you say?!" Upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, Xia Yuanlai''s face changed instantly, he angrily yelled, pointing at Hao Jian: "Do you believe I can make you leave this place right now?!" "Oh? How would you like me to leave? This is Shanshan''s home; do you even have that right?" Hao Jian tilted his head, smiling but with an air of mockery, lightly chuckled, and said, "If you can do it, let''s see it happen right now." Though his voice was lighthearted, the chill within it immediately settled on Xia Yuanlai, making his face turn pale, his body shivering. In his mind, he was perplexed. It was summer, how could there be a chill? "Haocai is here? Come on in quickly." Yuan Shanshan''s mother, who had been cooking in the kitchen, heard the commotion at the door, set aside her work, and came out of the kitchen. Upon seeing the three people at the door, she walked over quickly, looked at Yuan Haocai with a smile and said. "Isn''t having one pauper enough, now we have a poor old woman too?!" Xia Yuanlai exclaimed upon seeing the person inside, while Xia Tianjia beside him coldly said, "That''s your great aunt. Even though she''s a bit poor, you should still show respect..." Chapter 866 - 865: Shine My Shoes! "Sister, we''ve been standing outside for so long, won''t you let us come in and sit?" Yuan Haocai looked somewhat embarrassed. After all, this was her sister''s home, yet her husband and son both displayed contempt and disdain, which did not make her look good either. However, she was helpless. The financial power at home was entirely controlled by her husband, and her son had been learning business from him over the years. Gradually, her son''s personality had become like his father''s. Regarding this, Yuan Haocai had no means to intervene, as she had very little say in her household. Now, seeing them targeting her sister, she quickly tried to change the subject to ease out of this awkward situation. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yes, yes, yes, please come in quickly." Yuan Shanshan''s mother felt equally embarrassed by the remarks made by Xia Tianjia and his son. If she hadn''t been a well-mannered person, she might not have cared, but if it had been Hao Jian, he would have thrown a punch already. Upon hearing her sister''s words, she quickly nodded and reached out to pull Yuan Shanshan and Hao Jian aside, allowing the three of them to come in. Seeing their arrogant demeanor in her own home, Yuan Shanshan was infuriated and wanted to free herself from her mother''s grasp, but before she could act, Hao Jian''s hand gently landed on her shoulder, followed by his faint smile. "What are you doing?" Yuan Shanshan was extremely upset. Why was Hao Jian stopping her?! "I don''t mind if you get angry, but this time it''s your mom who invited me for dinner. If this gathering gets ruined because of you, I will be upset..." Hao Jian''s laughter reached Yuan Shanshan''s ears, and her aunt beside him nodded, saying to Yuan Shanshan, "Shanshan, don''t be angry. Perhaps Hao Jian is even more upset than you are. Just let it slide this time with your uncle..." "Is it just a matter of millions? My net worth is in the hundreds of billions..." Yuan Shanshan muttered quietly. Since winning the championship in Paris and with her Luoshen, Yuan Shanshan''s fame had already spread internationally. However, this was only known among high-level individuals, and her uncle did not belong to that group. They were unaware that their so-prideful net worth meant nothing in her eyes. If it weren''t for her mother and Hao Jian stopping her, she would have disclosed her net worth by now. "You still don''t understand your aunt''s hardships." Hao Jian, who had good hearing, heard Yuan Shanshan''s mutter and helplessly shook his head, saying, "Your aunt doesn''t want to stir trouble. Besides, you know how thick-skinned this father and son are. If they knew about your net worth, wouldn''t they shamelessly come over? Then what would you have your aunt do to refuse them?" "This is the helplessness among relatives. Moreover, don''t be too upset. I promise if they go too far, I''ll teach them a lesson, and I believe your aunt won''t refuse, right?" Having said that, Hao Jian turned his head to look at Yuan Shanshan''s mother, his smile carrying a hint of anger. Even a clay figurine has a sense of pride, let alone someone like Hao Jian? If it wasn''t for his reluctance to quarrel too much and considering this was at the invitation of Yuan Shanshan''s mother, it would not be good if the gathering was ruined because of him. "It''s fine, aunt has long been displeased with this father and son duo. If it weren''t for Haocai, I would not want to have any dealings with them. I didn''t expect them to suddenly show up this time, and it seems like they are planning to stay here. Please bear with them a bit more." Yuan Shanshan''s mother also shook her head, watching the three constantly smiling under Yuan Zhibang''s influence, her eyes filled with helplessness. "Aunt, you go ahead and get busy. Later I will pull some strings, find a better place, and set your family up there, deploying a few bodyguards to watch over. That way, if they come over again, you won''t have to worry about their words." After nodding slightly, Hao Jian made this suggestion, which caused Yuan Shanshan''s mother to nod her head. She was also thinking that since her children were grown up and doing well, naturally they should live better. "Alright, I''ll go get busy now." Having said this, Yuan Shanshan''s mother quickly went to the kitchen, where she was still cooking. "I told you, aunt will definitely care about these things." Seeing Yuan Shanshan''s mother enter the kitchen, Hao Jian turned his head, looked at Yuan Shanshan with a chuckle, and said, "You shouldn''t get too upset about this. If you get too angry, I, Hao Jian, might not be able to keep myself from dealing with these relatives of yours, because no one can look down on my woman." "Who... who is your woman?!" Hearing the initial part was okay, but the latter part was somewhat inappropriate, causing Yuan Shanshan to coyly speak out. Yet she didn''t know why, hearing that sentence, she felt very sweet. And the anger caused by the derogatory comments of her uncle and cousin also dissipated quite a bit in that moment, and her coquettish demeanor was enchanting in Hao Jian''s eyes. "Haha, my woman is the prettiest!" Hao Jian laughed out loud, then pulled Yuan Shanshan towards the sofa, whispering in her ear as they walked, "I want to see what kind of unpleasant words your uncle will say next." "Be gentle with your hands!" Hearing this, Yuan Shanshan worried Hao Jian might go too far, although her mother had agreed to let Hao Jian take action, it should not be too much; after all, they are relatives... "Hehe, don''t you know about my hands and feet? Shall we try them out on the bed someday?" Hao Jian chuckled weirdly, causing Yuan Shanshan to giggle coyly. "Yo? A poor guy still dares to stay for a free meal? Aren''t you afraid of losing face?" Initially having a pleasant conversation with Yuan Zhibang, Xia Yuanlai turned disdainful and contemptuous when he saw Hao Jian approaching. Looking at Hao Jian who was not dressed in international brands, he scoffed, "You have the nerve to wear that without a top-notch Armani suit?" "Oh? Does having money mean you must wear expensive clothes?" "Of course, that''s how we show off our status! Unlike you, dressed all shabby!" Xia Yuanlai looked at Hao Jian with disdain and, after saying that, became too lazy to continue the conversation. He turned his head away, pulled out his diamond-studded phone, and began fiddling with it. His father sat on the sofa, visibly impatient, constantly complaining about the shabbiness of Yuan Haocai''s sister''s family, which made a still smiling Yuan Zhibang increasingly furious, although his rationality told him not to turn against his uncle just yet... Thus, the atmosphere in the living room fell silent. Besides Hao Jian occasionally teasing Yuan Shanshan, causing her to cover her mouth and giggle, the three members of Xia Tianjia''s family were left to nitpick about Yuan Shanshan''s home. The occasional glances they shot at Hao Jian were filled with disdain, which infuriated Yuan Shanshan. Damn it, letting you in here is already giving you face. If you anger me, believe it or not, I could make your company go bankrupt in minutes?! Yuan Shanshan silently raged inside. Don''t underestimate her influence now; even without relying on Hao Jian''s power, just chatting with some international celebrities could be enough to ruin Xia Tianjia''s company, which is only worth thirty million. As for Yuan Zhibang, afraid that his anger might suddenly burst, once he saw the living room temporarily quiet down, he quickly made up an excuse and ran to the kitchen to help his mother. "Alright, let''s eat!" When the clock passed half past twelve, Yuan Shanshan''s mother also came out of the kitchen with the last dish in hand, placed it on the dining table, and clapped her hands towards the living room to invite everyone to eat. Upon hearing the call to eat, Xia Tianjia and his son snorted softly, full of disdain. What could these poor relatives possibly serve that''s high-class? It would be better to dine in a fancy restaurant. Xia Tianjia was tempted to suggest to his wife that they should eat at a fancy restaurant and he would happily pay for it. However, seeing his wife''s continuous silent dry laughter, he grew quite impatient. Why did she insist on coming to see her sister? Couldn''t these poor relatives just be forgotten? "It''s been years since I had a meal cooked by my sister, and I''ve been craving it for so long!" Yuan Haocai ignored the glares from her husband and son, took the lead and sat down at the dining table. Most of the dishes were familiar from more than a decade ago. Although the attitude of her husband and son made her feel quite guilty, she quickly invited everyone else to sit down. The dishes on the table weren''t very special, mostly what ordinary households would make, but the amount was quite large, a total of thirteen dishes, plus two soups. The dishes consisted of six vegetarian and seven meat dishes, and soups included pork stomach and chicken soup, which were really not bad. "What kind of food is this? It tastes so bad!" Xia Yuanlai casually picked up a piece of chicken, barely tasted it with his tongue, and immediately frowned, then threw it down on the table... "Snap!" Whether it was the angle or the force, the licked piece of chicken slid off the edge of the table and landed on his shoes worth twelve thousand, annoying him greatly. He glanced around the table, noticed Hao Jian sitting just one seat away from him, and sneered, "Poor kid, my shoes are dirty, give me a cloth to wipe them right now!" The moment he uttered these words, all movement at the table abruptly stopped, all went quiet... Chapter 867 - 866: Im Going to Kill You! "Oh? Are you asking me to help you clean your shoes?!" As Xia Yuanlai uttered these words, the entire table fell silent except for Xia Tianjia, while Hao Jian looked at the dandyish Xia Yuanlai with a smile that was not quite a smile and gently asked. "Are you deaf or blind?! Didn''t you hear the young master telling you to come over and clean his shoes?!" Xia Yuanlai disdainfully looked at Hao Jian, casually taking out some Red Banknotes and arrogantly said: "Just clean the young master''s shoes, and this thousand bucks is yours!" "Poor kid, did you hear that?!" Facing the audacity of Xia Yuanlai taking charge like a guest, Yuan Shanshan''s mother also looked displeased, but she endured it because of Yuan Haocai by her side. Yuan Shanshan and Yuan Zhibang were smiling as they watched Xia Yuanlai; this guy actually dared to say such things to Hao Jian... "Creak..." Hao Jian slowly stood up, with a gentle smile hanging on his lips, and slowly walked behind Xia Yuanlai, who also wore a cold sneer and disdain. Sure enough, such people were moved by money, a poor ghost is just a poor ghost. Xia Tianjia, facing Hao Jian, felt even more disdain in his heart. "You said you want me to help clean your shoes?! Then let me clean them well for you!" Coming in front of Xia Yuanlai, Hao Jian grabbed the bowl of extremely hot chicken soup, at a high temperature of eighty degrees, Hao Jian held it in his hand feeling nothing, and with the other hand, he directly pulled Xia Yuanlai''s body, pulling out his feet... "What... what are you doing?!" Seeing the movement, Xia Yuanlai''s face suddenly turned pale. What kind of person is this? How could he pick up such hot soup?! "Poor kid, are you seeking death?!" As Hao Jian held the chicken soup, Xia Tianjia''s face also fiercely changed, suddenly stood up, and roared at Hao Jian, then hurriedly pushed the chair and planned to stop Hao Jian. But his movement was still too slow, Hao Jian simply ignored these people''s obstruction, a cold smirk hanging on his face, the bowl slightly tilted, and that scalding chicken soup just poured out from the bowl, directly heading towards Xia Yuanlai''s accidentally chicken-splattered dress shoes¡­ "No... don''t, ah!" Xia Yuanlai''s face instantly filled with horror, he opened his mouth trying to make Hao Jian stop, but the chicken soup had already been poured onto his shoes, the scalding broth with temperature high enough to cook meat seeped into Xia Yuanlai''s shoes, and instantly, his feet turned red! Screams of agony from Xia Yuanlai and furious roars from Xia Tianjia followed, but to these, Hao Jian turned a deaf ear, not paying any attention. Still slowly pouring his chicken soup, Yuan Shanshan and her mother, along with Yuan Zhibang, watched this scene with cold smiles on their faces, not intending to stop at all, while Yuan Haocai had a panicked expression, about to come up to stop Hao Jian. However, for some reason, she suddenly felt a strong chill that made her blood freeze in that moment, rendering her unable to move. "Ah ah ah!" Screams continued non-stop, only to see Xia Yuanlai''s shoes had already turned pitch black, the soup spilling over them, sticky and messy. "Damn it! Courting death!" Only after the soup had finished pouring, Hao Jian released his arm, and Xia Yuanlai, realizing he could move, showed an angry face, bellowed out loud, and threw a punch towards Hao Jian. But just as he had just stood up, he found his legs numb, his body involuntarily falling to one side, and Hao Jian, who knows from when, suddenly stretched out a foot, placed right where Xia Yuanlai was falling. "Ah? You don''t have to thank me like this, using your mouth to clean my shoes?" Then came Hao Jian''s exclamation, only to see where Xia Yuanlai fell, his mouth was biting Hao Jian''s shoe, and when Xia Yuanlai tried to struggle free, the next moment he heard Hao Jian''s exclamation, almost causing him to faint. "Bastard! Let go of my son!" At this moment, Xia Tianjia also came over with anger, looking furiously at his son on the ground, his anger intensifying. Just now, not knowing what happened when he wanted to come over to stop it, he found his body could not move at all, extremely strange. Only just now, when he regained his mobility, he hurriedly ran over. "Oh? Why should I let him go?" Hao Jian coldly glanced at Xia Tianjia, his calm words almost made Xia Tianjia catch his breath, this damn is my son! You are holding him and still have the reason?! S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "No reason! Just because you are a bastard!" Xia Tianjia looked at Hao Jian with disdain, in his view, what Hao Jian did was nothing but aiming for his money, just offering some money would make him obedient like a dog. "Kid, here is ten thousand bucks, just let my son go, and this money is yours!" Xia Tianjia angrily pulled out a hundred vibrant Red Banknotes from his wallet, whooshing them onto a nearby table, his face full of fury, but his eyes revealed disdain and mockery. "It seems you really are full of bluster and money!" Glancing briefly at the money on the table, Hao Jian sneered at Xia Tianjia, emphasizing the phrase ''full of bluster and money'' as if mocking the man''s overestimation of himself. However, Hao Jian particularly disliked Xia Tianjia''s demeanor, and thinking of his son''s personality, he figured the father wasn''t much better¡ªjust another nouveau riche who talks only with money. Hao Jian''s own fortune was hundreds of times that of Xia Tianjia, yet he didn''t flaunt or oppress others here. But people like Xia Tianjia, once they have some money, start thinking they''re the best under heaven. "Let me tell you, I have plenty of money. You''d better release my son, or else be careful when you walk at night!" Seeing Hao Jian completely indifferent to his 10,000 yuan, Xia Tianjia''s expression grew even uglier. Those who had offended him before would drool over the money, eagerly taking it, but now this tactic wasn''t working, and Hao Jian was indifferent?! Could there really be someone who doesn''t care about money?! "Can I take this as a threat?" Hao Jian smirked at Xia Tianjia, a faint Qi Force swirling in his palm. He particularly disliked threats, and his response was always to snuff them out completely! "This is a threat, what can you possibly do about it?!" Against Hao Jian''s cold words, Xia Tianjia responded only with sneers and mockery. Did a person of his level really need to do anything special?! "Slap!" Removing his foot from Xia Yuanlai''s mouth, Hao Jian''s expression instantly became extremely dangerous, a faint chill swirling around him. He tapped the ground with his toe, and his figure swept out in a flash, appearing in front of Xia Tianjia in the blink of an eye. "Bang!" The following moment saw Hao Jian''s Qi Force-wrapped fist, not holding back at all, landing directly on Xia Tianjia''s face. The powerful force twisted his face instantly, and then, like a cannonball, he harshly smashed into a nearby wall, blood spraying out as his figure was unable to move. "Ah! Kid, how dare you treat my father like this! I''ll kill you!" At that moment, Xia Yuanlai, having escaped Hao Jian''s control, ran out from the kitchen, clutching a gleaming kitchen knife, waving it in his hand. His face was fierce, the knife in his hand giving him immense reassurance. Looking at Hao Jian, he sneered viciously, as if seeing Hao Jian kneeling and begging for mercy the next moment. He had decided, the moment Hao Jian knelt, he would humiliate him thoroughly before taking him to the Police Station. "Are you planning to use a weapon against me?" Hao Jian''s face was calm, nonchalantly dusting off his palms, then lifting his eyelids as a level voice came out. "Haha! Scared now, aren''t you?!" Xia Yuanlai sneered fiercely, his steps quickening as he sprinted towards Hao Jian, the knife in his hand swinging wildly, quickly reaching right in front of Hao Jian, the knife about to strike down... "Don''t!" Yuan Shanshan''s mother, seeing this, instantly turned pale, crying out in a low voice, unable to hide her anxiety. At that moment, like Xia Tianjia previously, she was unable to move, watching helplessly as the knife fell towards Hao Jian. Not just her, Yuan Haocai by her side was also full of panic, as if foreseeing a particularly bloody scene next, but all she could do was close her eyes, unwilling to witness the ensuing gore, because like everyone else, she didn''t understand why they couldn''t move. This unknown fear, coupled with the looming bloody clash, constantly agitated their hearts. Only Yuan Shanshan and Yuan Zhibang were indifferent; they knew well Hao Jian''s prowess and were the only two not controlled by Hao Jian''s Killing Intent, because Hao Jian didn''t deem it necessary¡ªthey wouldn''t interfere with his matters. Hao Jian''s prowess was something they had seen more than once. Moreover, with Hao Jian''s skills, would he really be afraid of this kid? Just because of a kitchen knife? "Snap!" Just as Xia Yuanlai''s knife was only a centimeter away from Hao Jian''s forehead, a surging Killing Intent suddenly erupted from within Hao Jian, powerfully landing on the unprepared Xia Yuanlai. Frightened, his face froze in that instant, his body starting to tremble uncontrollably, and the kitchen knife in his hand could no longer be held steady, sliding down beside Hao Jian... "Clang!" A clear metallic collision sound slowly arose... Chapter 868 - 867: Considered a Smart Person "You want to chop me?" The killing intent within slowly diffused outwards, the cold gleam swirling in Hao Jian''s eyes. That sensation, akin to being targeted by a wild beast, surged in Xia Yuanlai''s heart all of a sudden, causing his complexion to turn pale with fear, his hands trembling, his legs shaking, an indescribable terror roaming through his body, to the point where even his tongue seemed to have lost feeling. "No... no..." The terrified voice trembled as it passed from Xia Yuanlai''s lips. And as he spoke these words, the pervasive killing intent between heaven and earth melted away like spring snow, rapidly dissipating, leaving him collapsed on the ground without any dignity, panting heavily, his eyes brimming with panic. As the killing intent melted away, the chains around Yuan Shanshan''s mother and another person vanished in the blink of an eye. Yuan Haocai, her face full of urgency, ran over, frantically checking her son''s injuries. Upon finding only burns on his feet, she breathed a sigh of relief, then turned with fierce eyes to glare at Hao Jian, shouting, "Why do you treat my son this way?!" "It was nothing more than collecting some debts from him. If not for your relationship as Shanshan''s aunt, you wouldn''t be able to get away either," Hao Jian''s gaze was indifferent as he glanced at Yuan Haocai, his cold voice entering her ears, subtly altering her expression. She had no intention of causing trouble with her sister, owing too much already. But Hao Jian was a stranger to her, and now this irrelevant person was treating her son and husband with such disdain. How could she tolerate such fury? However, as helpless as she was against Hao Jian, just that strange sensation was enough to prevent her from rash actions, fearing the immobilizing feeling that came without warning. The terror of only being able to move one''s eyes, having experienced it once, she dared not go through it a second time. She just couldn''t swallow the humiliation, thinking, how could an outsider meddle in their family matters?! "If you cannot accept this, feel free to make a move. As for whether you get hurt afterwards, I won''t care," seeing the flickering light in Yuan Haocai''s eyes and her facial conflict, Hao Jian spoke indifferently, his voice as cold as ice, seemingly unconcerned whether this person was a woman or not. "Hao Jian, that''s enough, it ends here!" Seeing Hao Jian threaten even her aunt, Yuan Shanshan quickly ran up and grabbed Hao Jian, her eyes carrying a mix of reproach and relief as she looked at him. Reproachful of this man for not recognizing his own aunt, and relieved that Hao Jian had thoroughly suppressed her uncle and his son''s arrogance, ensuring they wouldn''t dare to act impudently again. "Right, right, right, brother-in-law, you should listen to my sister," As Yuan Shanshan stepped forward, Yuan Zhibang hurriedly came over and grabbed Hao Jian''s other arm, then whispered in Hao Jian''s ear: "Brother-in-law, even if you don''t consider my sister''s feelings, spare a thought for my mom''s feelings, will you? This is my dad''s sister. If you go too far, what if my mom opposes your relationship with my sister? What then?" "This... was indeed my oversight." Upon hearing this, Hao Jian touched his nose, having forgotten this relationship, and directed an apologetic look toward Yuan Haocai, although the words of apology themselves he found hard to utter. He then turned his head toward Yuan Shanshan''s mother and offered an awkward smile, saying, "Auntie, my apologies for ruining this carefully prepared meal of yours." "As long as nothing''s the matter, it''s fine." Yuan Shanshan''s mother also smiled softly, gratitude in her eyes as she looked at Hao Jian, then said with a smile, "Auntie can always make more food. Stay for dinner tonight as compensation for lunch." "Then, thank you very much, Auntie." S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian chuckled, then turned to whisper in Yuan Shanshan''s ear with a light-hearted laugh, "Do you think your mom won''t oppose us being together now, eh?" "Get lost!" Yuan Shanshan instinctively kicked Hao Jian''s butt, and he, quite cooperatively, let out a pained cry, as if "kicked flying" onto the sofa. It was only when Hao Jian landed on the sofa that Yuan Shanshan realized her reaction, and immediately ran over to him, asking with concern, "Sorry... Are you... alright?" "Haha!" Hao Jian reached out to embrace her, pulling Yuan Shanshan into his arms, and then burst into laughter as he led her towards the doorway. He waved to Yuan Shanshan''s mother, saying with a laugh, "Auntie, I''m taking this lass Shanshan out shopping. Let the youngster Zhibang help you out with the household matters!" "Hehe, brother-in-law, you can count on me, I guarantee everything will be taken care of perfectly!" Before Yuan Shanshan''s mother could respond, Yuan Zhibang quickly made a gesture, considering today he had received tens of thousands from Hao Jian, he surely had to serve his brother-in-law well. Besides, as the brother-in-law, even if Hao Jian overstepped, it wouldn''t matter, as they were all family. Therefore, Yuan Shanshan''s mother could only smile and shake her head, letting go of the matter of Hao Jian and his companion, only instructing Yuan Shanshan to buy some ingredients for dinner before starting to clear the table and the chicken soup spilled by Hao Jian with Zhibang. As for Xia Tianjia and Xia Yuanlai, the two were supported by Yuan Haocai to the sofa where they rested. After applying burn ointment to Xia Yuanlai''s feet, she sat on another sofa, her heart filled with guilt. After this incident, she couldn''t help but think that her sister would hate her even more, wouldn''t she? Back then, ignoring her sister''s objections and getting together with this man had already left an indelible mark in her sister''s mind, and their subsequent life together only highlighted her poor judgment. On several occasions, her husband and son had shown complete disregard for her sister. They treated her just like a poor relative, even harboring suspicions that her sister was after their family''s wealth. Yuan Haocai really didn''t know how to resolve this issue, caught between the two sides, she was in tremendous agony. Just like this time, as a wife and a mother, she had gone all out to protect them, yet in her heart, she wished for her husband and son to suffer a bit, instead of wanting to protect them right away. From this choice alone, it was clear that she was sick of her husband and son''s behavior, but still, she hoped they would mend their ways. Sigh... Watching her busy sister and nephew, Yuan Haocai sighed helplessly. Was visiting her sister this time a mistake or the right thing to do? "Damn it!" After a while, Xia Tianjia rubbed his painful head and got up with a roar, scanning the entire living room with a furious face, only to find that the only people by his side were his wife and asleep son. "Awake?" Yuan Haocai looked at her husband with an indifferent expression, her calm voice terrifying as she said, "Have you made enough trouble this time? If not, go home and continue your tantrum there!" "No, I absolutely cannot swallow this pride!" Xia Tianjia''s expression shifted slightly, but as soon as he remembered the humiliation he suffered at Hao Jian''s hands today, he gritted his teeth and growled fiercely, "As the chairman of Xiatian Group with a net worth of over thirty million, how can I let such a poor guy bully me and say nothing?!" "Not possible! Absolutely not!" While saying this, disregarding his wife''s increasingly frosty gaze, he walked straight out the door, got into his Bentley, picked a direction, and drove off. "Vroom vroom!" But as his car turned into a dim and deserted road, it suddenly stalled, and, infuriated, he pounded on the car, shouting, "Dammit, are you bullying me too?! After being beaten up by that poor kid, now you too, car?! Start up right now!" At this moment, Xia Tianjia was like a gambler who had lost everything and was going insane, his eyes flashing with angry red light, but no matter how hard he tried, the car still didn''t respond. "Swoosh!" At this moment, the view suddenly darkened, and a mysterious shadow appeared on the passenger seat without warning. This shadow was draped in a black cloak, completely concealing its figure, and when Xia Tianjia saw this figure enter, his face turned furious as he yelled, "Who are you?! Dressed like neither human nor ghost! Get out of here now..." "Gulp..." Before Xia Tianjia could finish his sentence, the mysterious shadow quickly flipped its palm, and a black pill was stuffed into Xia Tianjia''s mouth, which he swallowed instinctively... And after swallowing it, Xia Tianjia immediately felt that something was wrong. His face pale, he pointed at the Mysterious Man and yelled, "What... what did you make me eat?!" "If you don''t want to die, just sit quietly, and if you continue to make a fuss, your life won''t be spared," said the Mysterious Man''s somewhat hoarse voice. Xia Tianjia wanted to rage, but the Mysterious Man''s next words instantly turned his face deathly pale. "The Poison I''ve given you comes from my organization''s special recipe. Every midnight, you''ll feel an excruciating pain as if a white snake is gnawing at your bones. If you don''t want to suffer, just obediently follow my orders. Once you complete the task I entrust to you, I''ll give you the antidote." The Mysterious Man''s indifferent voice sent chills down Xia Tianjia''s spine, making him too scared to move an inch. He would rather err on the side of belief, for there were still so many things he had not done! Moreover, given that this Mysterious Man had appeared and disappeared without a trace, and Xia Tianjia hadn''t even noticed how he had entered his car, such mysteriousness had already frightened him into belief. "Heh, it seems you''re somewhat perceptive, a wise man," murmured the Mysterious Man, shaking his head. He then reached into his cloak and slowly handed a small bag filled with a white substance to Xia Tianjia... Chapter 869 - 868: Give Me a Bowl of Chicken Soup! "I want you to make Hao Jian consume this, I don''t care how you do it, but you must make sure he ingests it!" After handing over the poison to Xia Tianjia, the Mysterious Man spoke his demands, saying, "This thing is a strong poison; just a little bit is enough to take someone''s life." "You... you want me to poison Ye Nan?!" Listening to the Mysterious Man''s explanation, Xia Tianjia''s expression changed slightly and he quickly asked, his eyes flickering with a mix of fear and excitement. "How pathetic..." A weak sneer came from the Mysterious Man, who seemed not to expect Xia Tianjia to show such an expression and even consider poisoning his own kin. Then, he chose not to answer Xia Tianjia''s question and his figure slowly disappeared into the night, as if nothing had ever happened. "Hmph!" Watching the Mysterious Man disappear, fear flashed in Xia Tianjia''s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by the excitement from what he was about to do next. Poison! Poor lad, you enjoyed bullying my father and me, right?! This time I''m going to take your life! For a pauper like you, even if you die by my hand, I can cover it up! Xia Tianjia''s eyes gleamed with a chilling light, and he snorted coldly, stepping on the accelerator, following the original route towards Yuan Shanshan''s house. At this moment, his heart harbored only the malicious intent and hatred of making Hao Jian kneel in front of him begging for mercy. "Since I need to administer the poison, I should disguise it in something. It''s almost dinner time now; how about I find a restaurant to make a soup and pour this poison into it?" On the road, Xia Tianjia continuously pondered how to administer the poison without raising their suspicion, ultimately, his head could only fixate on this one method. He gritted his teeth, turned the steering wheel sharply, and sped towards the nearest restaurant. "Boss, boss, give me a bowl of poison chicken soup! No, I mean, chicken soup!" Quickly arriving at an ordinary restaurant, Xia Tianjia burst through the front doors and shouted loudly, not caring whether he would disturb other guests¡ªthose dining in such a modest restaurant were of no significant status to him. If not for the fact that this was the best restaurant nearby, he wouldn''t have wanted to come here. Influenced by his arrogant personality, his tone was also haughty; at least in his eyes, there was no one in this restaurant he couldn''t afford to offend. "Guest, please don''t disturb other customers while they are eating." Hearing the shouting, a male waiter hurried over. Although he was displeased by Xia Tianjia''s yelling, customers were like God, and he had to come over reluctantly to give a warning. "I don''t have time for too much nonsense, just bring me the best chicken soup your restaurant has, no matter how expensive it is, don''t worry about my ability to pay!" Xia Tianjia waved his hand impatiently, and after saying these words, he went to sit on a nearby chair, clearly intending to wait for the soup. However, as soon as he sat down, he suddenly thought of something and quickly waved at the resigned-looking waiter. "Kid, also fry me a few dishes, the most expensive ones, make it ten dishes." "Pack them all up for me!" "Alright, guest!" Upon hearing this, the male waiter dared not show any discontent; their restaurant was after all a three-star establishment, and even the cheapest dish among the highest-grade ones cost four to five hundred yuan. Ten dishes plus the most expensive chicken soup could easily cost upwards of eight or nine thousand yuan. This order was considered a big business for their restaurant, and thinking thus, the male waiter also forgot the previous rudeness of Xia Tianjia, while the other customers, seeing Xia Tianjia''s arrogance, dared not say anything but only quietly discussed among themselves; even some beautiful women in their thirties and forties threw coquettish glances at Xia Tianjia. Such a man was clearly wealthy, and just by getting in contact, one could easily make hundreds of thousands to spend... However, for these women, Xia Tianjia merely glanced slightly, and then immediately dismissed them internally; if they were a few years younger, perhaps he might have been interested to play around, but now these women were all over thirty years old, and their charm failed to attract him. As time passed, an hour went by, and the evening gradually fell. Xia Tianjia looked at his watch, showing it was now six in the evening. A hint of anxiety arose in his heart; he was worried that Hao Jian and the others might have already eaten. If they had, then his plan would be ineffective. Just as he was about to stand up and inquire when the food would be ready, the same male waiter approached with a hand-full of items and placed them gently on the table in front of Xia Tianjia, respectfully announcing, "Guest, the items you requested are ready; here is the bill." As he handed over a fee receipt to Xia Tianjia, who took it, the waiter continued, saying, "Thirteen dishes, one soup, totaling seven thousand eight hundred sixty-five yuan. Since your spending exceeded seven thousand yuan, I''ll waive the sixty-five yuan change for you." "Hmm." As long as the food is ready, everything else becomes easy. Xia Tianjia also suppressed the anger in his heart, casually threw out a gold-colored bank card, and with a snort, said, "Just swipe the card, and quickly!" At this moment, Xia Tianjia was eager to return home and have Hao Jian and the others eat these dishes! Imagining their faces turning purple from eating, and their pleading looks, a cruel curve formed on his lips. The male waiter quickly processed the transaction and respectfully handed the card back to Xia Tianjia. During the transaction, he saw that the balance on the card was still over ten million... This was the reason for his respectful attitude... After putting away the card, Xia Tianjia picked up the items and headed towards the door. Soon, he reached his car and placed the items on the hood, opening each package one by one. Then he took out a small pouch containing poison given to him by the Mysterious Man. He carefully sprinkled the poison into the fourteen dishes, then carefully covered them back up. He definitely didn''t want to get contaminated by the poison due to carelessness. This poison could be lethal even in small amounts! Casually tossing the now empty pouch into a nearby flower bed, the corners of Xia Tianjia''s mouth slowly curled up in a cruel arc, sneering inwardly. Now, as soon as they eat this, I''ll see if it doesn''t kill you! Smirking, Xia Tianjia packed up the items cautiously and placed the food in his car, started it, and sped towards Yuan Shanshan''s house. The time was already past six o''clock, and at Yuan Shanshan''s home, Yuan Shanshan''s mother was planning to use the ingredients Yuan Shanshan had brought back to prepare dinner. Just as she was about to carry them back to the kitchen, she caught sight of Xia Tianjia at the door, carrying a large bag and running quickly. What is this guy up to? Yuan Shanshan''s mother looked puzzled. This guy had been beaten up by Hao Jian and had run out, only returning now, and he was carrying a big bag of stuff? "Don''t bother with dinner tonight. I just passed by a friend''s restaurant and brought some food from there. These are his signature dishes!" Upon entering the door, Xia Tianjia shouted out loud while carrying the stuff, and after finishing his sentence, he directly ran to the kitchen. After a lot of clattering, he served the dishes one by one onto the table. What is Dad doing? Seeing Xia Tianjia do this, Xia Yuanlai was also full of puzzlement. He had intended to have his father take him back, but since waking up, he had not seen his father until now, encountering such an odd behavior, which made him instantly curious. "What is he trying to do? Did he get hit silly?" Yuan Shanshan and Yuan Zhibang looked at Hao Jian, and also had this question arise in their minds. Xia Tianjia had been beaten and ran out, and now he returns casually bringing some food? To this, Hao Jian just chuckled lightly and said, "Don''t worry, just pretend you don''t know anything. Leave the rest to me. Whatever tricks he wants to play, I''ll make him regret it!" "Hehe, with brother-in-law''s words, that''s enough!" Hearing this, Yuan Zhibang also laughed mischievously and without further thought ran to the kitchen to set out the bowls and chopsticks. After sorting this out, Yuan Shanshan, Hao Jian, and the others also sat down, and Yuan Zhibang eagerly sat down next to Hao Jian. "Don''t you dare touch your chopsticks until I say so!" As everyone sat down, Xia Tianjia also spoke in a low voice to his wife and son beside him. Hearing his words, Yuan Haocai''s face subtly changed, and she wanted to say something, but then suddenly noticed her husband''s warning gaze, causing her to tightly shut her mouth, not daring to say anything. As for Xia Yuanlai, his face was filled with excitement. It seemed his father hadn''t lost his senses but was carrying out a plan! "This is... Tears of God of Death..." However, as soon as Hao Jian sat down, his eyes suddenly sharpened, and a peculiar smell along with a feeling of danger made him carefully scrutinize the food on the table, confirming his suspicions. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. How did this guy manage to get this stuff? Thinking this, Hao Jian closely observed Xia Tianjia''s expression. On his forehead, a tiny mark resembling an ant made Hao Jian''s eyes narrow slightly. The mark of the Hundred Snake Poison... Chapter 870 - 869: Poison! "Haha, it seems Uncle has really put a lot of thought into this meal!" Having reached a conclusion, Hao Jian stood up with a sneer, looking at Xia Tianjia with a smile that wasn''t quite a smile. Now that this guy had threatened the safety of those close to him, there was absolutely no room to let him off the hook! Even if he was coerced by those people from that place, there was no mercy to be had! "You poor boy, my father has put aside previous grievances to buy you food, what do you mean by this?!" Xia Yuanlai was the first to feel displeased by Hao Jian''s words. He hadn''t forgotten what Hao Jian did to him at noon today. His feet were still faintly in pain ¡ª how could he forget such a grudge?! "Eh, Yuanlai, your dad here is a broad-minded person, won''t fuss too much about it, and you should learn more from me. In the future, remember to be more broad-minded too when you''re out." Xia Tianjia just shook his head, uttering words that even his own wife would not believe. "Hao Jian, what''s the matter?" Yuan Shanshan looked curiously at Hao Jian as he stood up. Normally, if nothing was wrong, Hao Jian would not take the initiative to trouble others. Now it seemed that there must be something going on. "In any case, don''t touch the food on this table, or else if something happens later, I won''t be able to save you!" Hao Jian did not directly answer Yuan Shanshan''s question but said it half-jokingly instead. Since he had recognized the Poison, naturally, he had a way to detoxify it. "A problem?!" Yuan Zhibang''s expression changed slightly, and he suddenly glared at Xia Tianjia with a cold gaze, barking out, "Bastard, what exactly have you put in the food?!" The angry roar completely shattered the original calm. Luckily they hadn''t touched the dishes yet, or else wouldn''t unknown consequences have occurred? What made Yuan Zhibang even angrier was his uncle''s complete disregard for familial ties and their safety. How could he treat them this way?! "Xia Tianjia, I think you''d better give me an explanation!" Yuan Shanshan''s mother could no longer hold back her anger. Although she wasn''t sure what was wrong with the dishes, she still chose to believe Hao Jian''s words. "Haha?! I have to explain?! Explain what?! I demand an explanation from you, this pauper actually doubts my kindness?!" Xia Tianjia''s face was especially ugly, not only because Hao Jian had seen through his ploy but also because of the mistrust from Yuan Shanshan and the others. Why should everyone believe this pauper?! "All these dishes were obtained from a friend''s restaurant. From the selection of ingredients to the final preparation, I have watched over everything! I was thinking of making amends, but now, look for yourselves. This kid hasn''t even tasted the food and directly accuses my dishes of being problematic!" The anger-filled roar kept bellowing from Xia Tianjia, making Yuan Shanshan''s mother''s face appear hesitant, as if she was slightly convinced by Xia Tianjia''s words. She looked at Hao Jian and hesitantly said, "Hao Jian, maybe your Uncle Xia really did want to prepare a good meal to apologize?" "Auntie, don''t be fooled by this guy''s appearances, just leave it to me. I''ll handle it," Hao Jian gently shook his head, and then asked Yuan Shanshan to help him out. He didn''t want Auntie to say anything to stop him when he was dealing with Xia Tianjia. "Kid! Shut your mouth! If you don''t want to eat, just get lost, nobody is forcing you to eat!" Xia Tianjia''s temper flared too, angrily waving his hand and then roaring, "You pauper, this meal cost me nearly ten thousand yuan. If you don''t eat, I''ll save money!" "Only ten thousand yuan?" Hao Jian let out a snort of derision. With his status, just a bottle of wine at dinner would cost at least a hundred thousand yuan. A meal under a hundred thousand hadn''t been seen in recent days ¡ª of course, that excluded those involving women. "You pauper, you''ve never had such a precious meal before, have you?!" Xia Yuanlai, hearing Hao Jian''s disdainful words, also looked rather displeased. How could such a pauper have the audacity to ridicule their costly meal?! "I can''t be bothered to say much to you. I''m giving you a choice: either dump all these dishes and I''ll ask Auntie to cook again, or just wait for your death..." If it wasn''t for the fact that this guy was a relative, Hao Jian wouldn''t bother wasting so many words. Now, the two choices he gave were to see if, in the end, this guy would have a moment of conscience. If so, he would not mind helping him detoxify. "You pauper, what do you mean by that?!" Looking at Hao Jian with a look that disgusted him, Xia Tianjia''s expression became increasingly ugly. "I hope you won''t regret this..." Hao Jian gently shook his head, then glanced at Yuan Shanshan and the others, and pointed at the dishes before he spoke lightly, "If I''m not mistaken, these dishes have been poisoned with a kind of intensely toxic poison. Based on my experience, just a little bit is enough to take a life!" S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Is... Is what you''re saying true?!" The color drained from Yuan Shanshan''s mother''s face, and she couldn''t believe it in her heart. How could her brother-in-law be so cruel?! He looked down on their family, which is one thing, but now he''s planning to use poison to kill them?! Just how deep was his hatred?! "Of course it''s true, and this guy has a kind of poison in his body, once triggered, it will lead to immediate death, and anyone who comes into contact with his body afterward will also be infected with this poison." Hao Jian nodded slightly, then lifted his finger, pointing at Xia Tianjia whose expression was changing. His voice was calm as he said, "This poison is called Hundred Snake Poison, an extremely terrifying toxin. Once poisoned, you won''t survive the night, and as it takes effect, the body will feel as if consumed by hundreds of snakes, leading to a miserable death." "That''s terrifying!?" After hearing Hao Jian''s explanation, Yuan Zhibang was elated and looked at Xia Tianjia with eyes full of excitement, saying, "Brother-in-law, you mean to say that if we throw him out now, he won''t be a threat to us anymore, and his life would also be over?" "Naturally..." "You pauper! Stop spouting nonsense here! If you don''t want to eat, then get the hell out and stop slandering me!" Xia Tianjia was also furiously embarrassed, especially shocked in his heart, who exactly was this guy to be able to discern so clearly the poison he had acquired?! But under these circumstances he still couldn''t expose himself, otherwise, it would mean his life was at stake! If he couldn''t kill Hao Jian, then he would be the one to die! Now what he wanted was to use this provocation to incite Hao Jian''s stubbornness, he had to make sure he would eat the food! As for this guy noticing something off about the dishes and his own condition, he didn''t care! If push came to shove, even if he had to force-feed it, he would stuff the dishes into Hao Jian''s stomach. At this moment, Xia Tianjia also had some regrets about why he had not kept some poison as a contingency plan... "Not admitting it, huh?! Then I''ll beat you until you do!" Hao Jian couldn''t be bothered with wasting words on this kind of person. With a tip-toe on the ground, his figure leaped into the air, springing towards Xia Tianjia. In the blink of an eye, his fist was already in front of Xia Tianjia... "Boom!" The body of Xia Tianjia was sent flying by Hao Jian''s punch, and as he flew, Hao Jian casually picked up a bowl of chicken soup that was already served. In a swift movement, he appeared in front of Xia Tianjia, looked at him smiling, and said, "If you say you haven''t poisoned the soup, then drink this bowl of chicken soup, that way I can believe you." "Don''t!" Seeing the chicken soup getting closer and closer, Xia Tianjia''s face was filled with immense fear. Only he knew best whether there was poison in the soup. The verbal spat with Hao Jian previously posed no risk to his life, but now? This guy was about to force him to drink the deadly poisoned chicken soup! If he touched just a little bit, would his life be spared?! The Mysterious Man had said that just a little bit was enough to kill a person! "Oh? Why would our wealthy friend be afraid of chicken soup? Could it be that he''s tired of it or something?" Holding the chicken soup, Hao Jian looked at Xia Tianjia with a smile that wasn''t quite a smile, a smile hung on his lips, but the cold light in his eyes was getting denser, a faint Killing Intent swirling around him. The cold Killing Intent hit him square in the face, and Xia Tianjia, already shaken by the bowl of chicken soup, became even more panicked. What to do? What to do?! "You little poor thing! Stop hitting my father!" At this moment, Xia Yuanlai also regained his senses, focusing his gaze. He saw his father being mistreated by Hao Jian, and his expression instantly became somber, his voice filled with gnashing rage, he took a step forward, but in the next moment, he was horrified to find that he couldn''t move his body! "It was already a great mercy to talk to you. If you dare to act recklessly again, your ''good father''s'' life won''t be guaranteed..." Hao Jian chuckled and shook his head, showing no pleasure from playing with these people, instead, his gaze shifted to Yuan Haocai who was beside Xia Yuanlai, his voice calm. "You best not speak words that would stop me, otherwise, I can''t guarantee what will happen to your husband..." "And I suppose you''ve long known that this guy has put poison in these dishes, right? Considering you''re my aunt''s sister, I won''t hold it against you too much..." Chapter 871 - 870: So Much Nonsense As Hao Jian''s words spread, his faint voice carried a touch of indifference and chilliness, piercing into the heart of Yuan Haocai. Her complexion turned somewhat pale as she looked at her older sister, her eyes flashing with a hint of guilt. Then, glancing at her husband and son collapsed on the ground, she bit her teeth, turned her head away, unable to bear the sight. "Hao Jian, isn''t this enough..." Yuan Shanshan also found it difficult to watch. After all, this man was her relative. Despite his flawed character, they shared a blood connection. Just as she was about to say something, she saw Hao Jian glance over with a slight blink of his eyes, and Yuan Shanshan said no more. "Drink it!" Slowly turning his head, Hao Jian looked down at Xia Tianjia on the ground, his tone flat, his eyes without a flicker of emotion. "No... No, don''t!" Xia Tianjia, realizing that no one could save him, was filled with terror. Only he knew how much poison he had added to the soup. To put it bluntly, just a touch ingested would lead to death in an extremely short period of time! His hands waved frantically, and his legs tried to get up, but he was petrified to discover that his legs were trembling uncontrollably, completely powerless! "Oh? Why not, it''s just a simple bowl of chicken soup, isn''t it? Or are you not giving me face?" Hao Jian looked mockingly at Xia Tianjia on the ground, full of terror, as the bowl in his hand with the chicken soup drew ever closer to Xia Tianjia''s mouth. "You poor kid, stay away from my father!" Seeing his father in increasing danger, Xia Yuanlai''s complexion became even more panicked and furious, but all he could do was gaze angrily, shouting, while his body did not respond as he wished. In his mind, he kept wondering, what was this extremely cold aura?! Hearing this, Hao Jian''s expression turned odd, and soon burst into light laughter, mocking Xia Tianjia, "What now, our wealthy magnate showing such an ugly state, having to rely on your son to plead, even your wife doesn''t dare to intervene, how sad is that!" "Just drink this, and we''ll consider nothing ever happened..." Finally, the bowl reached Xia Tianjia''s lips, just a little closer and he could force the soup down Xia Tianjia''s throat. "Don''t... don''t... I''ll talk... I''ll talk!" Hao Jian finally broke through Xia Tianjia''s bottom line, and he could no longer control his fear, his hands flailing in panic. But no matter how much he waved his hands, they did not affect the bowl in Hao Jian''s grasp, and sometimes his hands even seemed to pass right through the middle of the bowl, as if piercing straight through! However, nobody noticed this situation, not even Xia Tianjia, who was directly involved, while Hao Jian was fully aware. To accomplish something like this was simple: one just needed a fast hand speed. As Xia Tianjia''s hands neared the bowl, Hao Jian would quickly shift the bowl a small distance away and then quickly return it to its original position. In this brief exchange, all that was left was an afterimage... "Then why don''t you tell me?" Hao Jian chuckled lightly, shaking the bowl in his hand, the chill in his eyes growing heavier. "It was... It was a Mysterious Man who approached me! He poisoned me and ordered me to feed you the poison. Otherwise, he would take my life. I had no other choice; I didn''t want to die, so I had to agree to his demands," Xia Tianjia narrated the whole matter in extremely brief terms. "What did he look like?" Even though this guy''s words seemed somewhat logical, Hao Jian still detected some inconsistencies and couldn''t help but sneer internally. Even if it was the Mysterious Man who threatened him, the manner in which he brought the food over didn''t show panic or unease. Instead, it conveyed a sense of righteousness, as if poisoning them was something that had to be done. "I couldn''t see clearly... I don''t know how that person appeared, all I know is he was cloaked in black, not a sliver of space exposed..." After recalling, Xia Tianjia could only hesitantly give a vague description. "Since you can''t describe it, I can''t let you off the hook!" Hao Jian let out a cold chuckle, casually tossing the bowl into the air, then steadily landing it on the table, not a drop of the soup inside spilled. Such finesse was almost divine! For Xia Tianjia, Hao Jian had never intended to let him go¡ªno matter the circumstances. As long as he posed a threat to the people around him, or to himself, Hao Jian would not spare him! "Boom!" With a casual kick, Hao Jian struck Xia Tianjia''s body, and a sharp pain surged inside Xia Tianjia instantly, making him widen his eyes and open his mouth, wanting to say something to explain himself. But before his voice could come out, another kick from Hao Jian followed swiftly. "Boom! Boom! Boom!" Kick after kick landed on Xia Tianjia''s body, Hao Jian''s expression stern. If he had not discovered it early enough, if he had not known the properties of the poison, they might have actually fallen for this man''s scheme, and then they would have lost their lives. With such severe consequences, how could Hao Jian let him go?! It is obviously impossible! When his legs got tired from kicking, he switched to punching with his hands; when his hands ached, he switched back to kicking. Wave after wave of fists and feet ceaselessly landed on Xia Tianjia''s body. As a doctor, Hao Jian knew which acupressure points would cause this guy the most pain and also knew where to hit him so that he wouldn''t die immediately, allowing him to torment him for a while. "Hao Jian... stop it..." The injuries on Xia Tianjia''s body grew ever more numerous, and his eyes were losing their sparkle. The breath he drew in was less than what he exhaled. At this rate, Xia Tianjia would eventually die sooner or later; even if Hao Jian were to stop now, this guy wouldn''t last long before dying. Without Hao Jian''s treatment, Xia Tianjia was bound to die no matter what. "If I hadn''t been here this time, you all would have been dead by now!" Hao Jian shook his head, intending to tell Yuan Shanshan not to interfere in this matter, but seeing the tragic state of her uncle on the ground, although she felt relieved, she also had to consider her aunt''s feelings. Over the years, her mother hadn''t stopped talking about her sister lovingly. If Hao Jian were to beat her husband to death in front of everyone, what would they do next?! Do they really want this sisterly grudge to continue? Moreover, it would be a deeper grudge, one of a husband slain¡ªhow could it possibly be let go?! "Hao Jian!" Seeing Hao Jian''s foot poised to strike again, Yuan Shanshan could no longer care about anything else. She hurriedly ran over and hugged Hao Jian tightly, her soft chest pressing directly against his back as she urgently said, "Stop it! If my uncle dies, it will truly become impossible for us to be together!" Because previously, Hao Jian only focused his killing intent on Yuan Shanshan''s mother, Yuan Haocai, and Xia Yuanlai, he knew in his heart that Yuan Shanshan and Yuan Zhibang wouldn''t stop him, so he didn''t control them either. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, he was also interrupted by Yuan Shanshan, and the killing intent in him suddenly decreased sharply. Coupled with the soft sensation against his back, his mind was distracted, and he couldn''t concentrate. "Hao Jian, Auntie is also begging you, please calm down this time¡­" Yuan Shanshan''s mother found that she could move again and hurriedly ran to the side of her daughter. Looking at Xia Tianjia lying on the ground with barely a breath left, disgust flickered in her eyes. This kind of man thinks he''s the top of the world just because he has a bit of money, yet he doesn''t know that his niece beside him has a net worth dozens or even hundreds of times higher than his. Moreover, this man even threatened their entire family''s lives, making her even less able to tolerate him. Therefore, for the things Hao Jian did, she could only approve in her mind. However, she did not want her sister to hate her anymore. Therefore, no matter what, she couldn''t let her brother-in-law die at the hands of Hao Jian. "Husband... husband... Are you alright?!" Yuan Haocai''s face was anxious as she quickly approached Xia Tianjia, but as she came close to Hao Jian, she looked at him with some fear in her eyes. Looking at Xia Tianjia, who was at death''s door on the ground, she could only protect him with both hands, her eyes fixed on Hao Jian, and she sharply warned, "Don''t you dare touch my husband again! You''ve already beaten and scolded him; I didn''t say anything, but if you want my husband''s life, that''s not okay!" "Even if I die, I absolutely won''t let you touch a single hair on my husband again!" "Heh, someone like him, killing him would dirty my hands." Hao Jian sneered and shook his head, the killing intent in his eyes slowly dissipating, returning to a clear gaze. Looking at Yuan Shanshan who was still hugging him, he jokingly spoke with a strange laugh, "Wife, how long are you going to hug me for? Are you planning to spend the wedding night with me tonight?" "Gross! Not being serious at all!" Hearing that, Yuan Shanshan hurriedly let go, her face blushing red as she feigned anger. At the same time, she also heaved a sigh of relief in her heart. Since Hao Jian was already making jokes, it meant that he had agreed to their persuasion. "Hehe, brother-in-law, when you get married, remember to introduce a beauty for me to meet!" Yuan Zhibang also came over and chuckled. He was someone who hadn''t voiced any opinions from the beginning to the end, not because he didn''t want to, but because he couldn''t be bothered to speak. He had been disgusted with this uncle long ago, and this time, his uncle had almost cost him his life, so deep down he wished this uncle would die immediately... "You, ah!" Hao Jian shook his head and reached into his pocket, taking out an exquisitely small box and then opening it. Inside, there were several thin Golden Needles. Taking one of the Golden Needles from the box, he crouched down toward Xia Tianjia... "What are you doing?!" "Giving him an antidote! What''s with all the nonsense!" Chapter 872 - 871: Are You Talking About That Person? That evening, the dinner ended in yet another unsettled manner. Hao Jian also cured Xia Tianjia of poison. Even though he loathed such people, they were ultimately Yuan Shanshan''s relatives. It was up to them to decide their fates. The aunt had spoken too; she didn''t want her sister to hate her, so Hao Jian had no choice but to comply and detoxify this fellow. This kind of Hundred Snake Poison is difficult to detect with current devices and instruments since they are secret poisons developed by that faction. Fortunately, Hao Jian had learned to treat this poison during his medical apprenticeship with his master. Otherwise, they would''ve had to watch Xia Tianjia suffer and die from the poison. Ultimately, Hao Jian had saved Xia Tianjia''s life, but it seemed this man didn''t appreciate Hao Jian for saving him. This was evident from the resentful look Xia Tianjia gave Hao Jian as Yuan Haocai helped him upstairs. Hao Jian was already used to Xia Tianjia''s resentful gazes. He shrugged at Yuan Shanshan, and felt somewhat helpless on the inside. This person had originally intended to take his life, yet in the end, not only did he not get rid of him, but he actually saved him, which Hao Jian found deeply ironic. After helping Xia Tianjia upstairs, Yuan Haocai ran back down to assist her son upstairs too, and during this time, Yuan Zhibang also lent a hand. Xia Yuanlai, who had been freed from Killing Intent earlier, could no longer hold out and had passed out, which likely prevented the situation from becoming even more chaotic. In fact, Xia Tianjia had planned to live outside since his nemesis, Hao Jian, lived in this building. However, considering his body''s condition, he had to give up the idea and just honestly lie in bed, wiping his body with medicinal alcohol. For a time, the room was filled with the scent of medicinal alcohol... "Damn it, I don''t believe I can''t kill you!" Lying in bed, Xia Tianjia''s face twisted in displeasure. Every time he thought of Hao Jian''s smug face, he was filled with rage. He wanted to smash the television in front of him, but his current physical condition prevented him from doing so. Instead, he grabbed a water glass from the bedside table and furiously smashed it onto the floor. "Crack!" The crisp sound of glass echoed in the room. However, this was not enough to satisfy Xia Tianjia. He wanted to smash a fake flower vase too, but before he could reach for it, the door to the room suddenly opened. "Humph!" As his gaze shifted, Xia Tianjia saw it was his wife. He snorted coldly, deeply upset that she kept quiet at the beginning instead of supporting him, although he knew that even if Yuan Haocai had spoken up, his beating was still inevitable. However, he was upset that she didn''t stand by him from the start! "Look at what you''ve done! Do you really think that by killing them all, you can escape legal repercussions?!" Yuan Haocai''s face was stern as her guilt towards her sister deepened because of this man. This was a matter of taking human lives! In a society ruled by law, even if her husband was rich and powerful, publicly poisoning people and the severity of the circumstances would determine the punishment, and for him, the death penalty was inevitable! Yet her husband lacked such concern. Do you really think your money is so valuable?! With that money, you think you can cover up the facts of several human lives!? "Humph! I''m rich, I don''t care about those poor people''s deaths. Worse comes to worst, I can just bribe some policemen; after all, I know people there!" Xia Tianjia snorted coldly, completely dismissing Yuan Haocai''s words. In his view, as long as he had money, nothing was unsolvable! "Ha, do you really think your money is worth that much?!" Seeing her husband ignoring her advice, Yuan Haocai felt very displeased and said irritably, "She is my sister! Do you really think she would just let go of the fact that you tried to kill her?!" "Woman''s talk, I can''t be bothered to explain!" Xia Tianjia turned over and ignored his wife. No matter what he said, this woman wouldn''t listen, and given his current foul mood, he didn''t want to talk anymore and simply dismissed her. "You!" Seeing her husband act this way, Yuan Haocai''s eyes filled with pain, then she huffed angrily and said, "I''m going to take care of our son. Look at what you''ve turned him into!" After saying this, she didn''t wait for Xia Tianjia''s response. She opened the door and walked towards the room across hers, where her still-unconscious son was lying. ..................... Early the next morning, after finishing breakfast, Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan went out for a walk. As for the three from the Xia family, he didn''t see them, probably because they didn''t want to show their faces and confront each other after yesterday''s incident. From the third floor window, Xia Tianjia glanced at Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan riding their bicycles away and snorted softly. After a night''s rest, my body was still covered in bruises, but I felt much better. After all, the medicine Hao Jian provided naturally works wonders. As for these medicinal spirits, Hao Jian reluctantly went to the pharmacy to concoct them, only doing so because his aunt had told him to. However, Xia Tianjia didn''t care about this at all. He only thought that Hao Jian did this to ease the relationship between them, and even assumed it was an act of begging for mercy. Pulling out his phone, Xia Tianjia dialed a number, and if Hao Jian were here, he might recognize that this number belonged to one of the members listed by Brother Spice Ginger. "Hello? Is this Brother Ya?!" "Yes, yes, yes, it''s Tianjia! Listen, I need a favor from you¡­" Upon hearing the response from the other end of the phone, Xia Tianjia''s demeanor instantly turned submissive, he pressed the phone to his ear, kept bowing down as if he was actually bowing, his face displaying a respectful expression, even his tone of voice became reverent. Brother Ya, mentioned in his speech, is one of the overlords of Hua City, directly under Spice Ginger, who is the boss of the Mafia. Spice Ginger is someone he couldn''t afford to confront directly. Although Brother Ya isn''t high up in Spice Ginger''s mafia, he''s still a mafia leader with some influence. Moreover, Xia Tianjia''s corporation pays him tribute every year as protection money. Now it was time for him to ask for help. "Yeah, I''ll bring some guys over right now, just give me an address." Brother Ya''s lazy voice came through, with faint moans heard in the background¡­ "Thanks, Brother Ya, I''m in Hua City¡­" Proceeding, Xia Tianjia provided Yuan Shanshan''s home address to Brother Ya, who then dismissed the naked beauty next to him, dressed up, and left the room, leaving behind the beauty with her seductive gaze. "Brothers! Gather up! We''ve got work to do!" sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a big wave of his hand and a laugh, Brother Ya strode out while his subordinates, preoccupied with various activities, streamed out of the eight-story building. A large group noisily arrived at the address given by Xia Tianjia, where he, wrapped in some bandages, had been waiting for a while. Seeing Brother Ya appear with fifty or sixty people, he felt reassured and sneered inwardly, now let''s see what this penniless kid can do! Being able to beat me doesn''t mean you can survive fifty or sixty people! "So, who is it that we need to beat up?!" Upon arriving in front of Xia Tianjia, Brother Ya asked with a bit of a rogue tone, looking up. "Right there!" Xia Tianjia was about to say Hao Jian had gone for a walk and would be back soon, but before he could speak, he saw Hao Jian cycling towards them with Yuan Shanshan, both wearing smiles. Behind the bicycle, Yuan Shanshan let out a tinkling laugh. So, he quickly pointed towards Hao Jian and growled through gritted teeth. "Oh? Is this the man we need to deal with? Easy!" Since Hao Jian was still some distance away, Brother Ya couldn''t see the people clearly and made no further comment, planning to let his boys handle it once they got closer. After saying this, Brother Ya glanced at Xia Tianjia and sneered to himself, previously, for the sake of your regular payments, I endured your arrogance, but seeing you beaten up by a man feels really satisfying! Even though he mocked internally, he still had a job to do, following the rules set by Brother Spice Ginger, he wouldn''t dare break them. However, as Hao Jian got closer, his face gradually became clear in Brother Ya''s eyes. Seeing the face that he had been warned not to cross even in his dreams, Brother Ya''s face instantly turned pale, pointing at Hao Jian who had noticed the scene, his lips trembling, he said: "You¡­ you mean this guy?" "Yes, exactly! That penniless jerk, that bastard!" Xia Tianjia, unaware of Brother Ya''s pale face, just glared at Hao Jian, grinding his teeth. "You scumbag!" Chapter 873 - 872: The One Who Will Lose Status "Brother Ya, why did you hit me?!" Clutching his reddened cheek, Xia Tianjia''s face was filled with disbelief. "Damn it! If you want to die, don''t drag me down with you!" Brother Ya was furious inside! How could this guy be so short-sighted?! How dare he provoke someone of Young Master Hao''s status?! "What are you doing here? Is there a problem?" At this moment, Hao Jian also arrived in front of Brother Ya and the others. However, no one dared to move, simply because they suddenly felt a chill rising from their feet, slowly enveloping their entire bodies. "Young Master Hao... Young Master Hao, I''m really sorry!" Brother Ya gave a sheepish smile, then immediately pointed at Xia Tianjia and said, "It was this guy who called us over..." "Heh, do you think you can just say sorry and leave?" Hao Jian spoke indifferently, his tone sharp with coldness. Since they''ve come to him, they shouldn''t think about leaving! "Fuck! You poor brat, you dare talk to Brother Ya like this? Don''t think just because you can beat me, you can handle the fifty or sixty people here with Brother Ya!" Xia Tianjia seemed utterly oblivious to the change in atmosphere, even forgetting the slap from Brother Ya, because Hao Jian''s arrival made him forget everything else, leaving only the anger from being humiliated by Hao Jian simmering inside him. "Shut up! You goddamn bastard!" Hearing Xia Tianjia''s words, Brother Ya and several high-ranking members felt like they wanted to die right then and there. Did this guy leave his brain at home?! Is Young Master Hao someone you can afford to mess with? Even they work under Hao Jian, and yet Xia Tianjia expected them to go against Hao Jian? If they had known earlier that the person they had to deal with was Hao Jian, no matter how much money Brother Ya offered, they wouldn''t have dared to come! "Heh, I really didn''t expect that one day my own subordinates would point their weapons at me..." Hao Jian chuckled and shook his head, then turned and looked at Yuan Shanshan in the back seat of the car, and said with a smile, "Don''t you find this situation quite ironic?" His tone was light, as if chatting about family matters, without a trace of Killing Intent in his words, as if he was utterly unconcerned about the situation. Yet, both Yuan Shanshan and Brother Ya knew very well that a Hao Jian in such a state was on the verge of rage. Just one step further, and there would be a bloodbath here today... "Hurry up and solve your issues. If we get back late, we''ll miss our lunch," said Yuan Shanshan, rolling her eyes and pinching Hao Jian''s waist, hoping this action would calm the raging storm within him. "Young Master Hao! Young Master Hao!" Following Hao Jian''s remark, Brother Ya dropped to his knees with a thump, his face full of terror, continuously kowtowing and begging for mercy, his voice tinged with panic, "We really didn''t know it was you, sir! It''s all this guy''s fault... everything is this guy''s fault!" As Brother Ya knelt down, the fifty or sixty people behind him also knelt down in terror. From the moment they joined the Mafia, they were all taken to a class to memorize a photo, and that photo was of Hao Jian. Now in Hua City, anyone under Spice Ginger''s influence recognized Hao Jian, and other forces lurking in the shadows had also been warned by their leaders that they must not provoke Hao Jian in Hua City. Only someone as arrogant and self-absorbed as Xia Tianjia, who had no idea what real enemies were, would disdain to learn about such things, hence not knowing the kind of existence he was offending. At this moment, seeing the people he called for help showing regret and fear the instant Hao Jian appeared, Xia Tianjia''s face became even uglier. Isn''t this guy just an ordinary poor wretch?! Why are even the Mafia afraid of him?! Just what is this bastard''s identity?! Damn it! Xia Tianjia cursed inwardly, his expression extremely gloomy, and the light in his eyes flickered uncertainly before he gritted his teeth, pointed at Hao Jian, and roared out loud, "You poor nobody, don''t think you''ve won just because you''ve played some tricks! I, Xia Tianjia, don''t accept defeat! I will never lose to a nobody like you!" "I never argue with idiots, it''s beneath me," Upon hearing this, Hao Jian chuckled and shook his head, his eyes calmly inspecting the big tree that took four people to embrace. He said coldly, "How long do you plan to watch from there? Do you need me to come and drag you out if you don''t show yourself?" Hao Jian''s words made both Yuan Shanshan and Xia Tianjia stunned. Xia Tianjia had even subconsciously forgotten about what he had just said. As for Brother Ya and the others, they were already kneeling in terror on the ground; without a command from Hao Jian, they dared not stand up... Yet, as Hao Jian''s voice echoed, there was no movement from the big tree. Yuan Shanshan couldn''t help but poke Hao Jian''s back, but he didn''t pay any attention to it. Instead, he got off his bike and walked towards the back of the big tree. After that, a rustling noise followed... And then... "You scoundrel! Let go of me! Do you think you have the right to grab someone like me?!" "Son?!" Upon hearing this familiar voice, Xia Tianjia''s face instantly stiffened, and he soon let out a low exclamation. He then saw Hao Jian carrying Xia Yuanlai, who should have been resting at Yuan Shanshan''s house, but at that moment, Xia Yuanlai''s face was filled with a look of panic. Just now, he had clearly seen Brother Ya and the others all kneeling in front of Hao Jian! "This time, I''ll pretend it didn''t happen. If there''s a next time though, even if Spice Ginger wants to protect you guys, I, Hao Jian, definitely won''t let you off so easily!" S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Casually tossing Xia Yuanlai in front of Brother Ya and his group, Hao Jian glanced at them with a steely gaze, his cold voice resonating. As soon as Hao Jian uttered those words, the faces of Brother Ya and his group showed ecstatic gratitude. They hurriedly kowtowed and thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Young Master Hao, for sparing our lives! Thank you, Young Master Hao, for sparing our lives!" "All of you, stand up. I, Hao Jian, have no taste for bowing and kowtowing. Consider this a lesson," Hao Jian said impatiently, waving his hand. After all, they were on a main road and upon seeing the long queue of cars that had built up, he shook his head. The drivers originally thought something had happened and wanted to get out and yell a few words, but they suddenly realized that so many menacing people were kneeling, scaring them into not even daring to honk the horn, afraid to bring trouble upon themselves¡ªand nearby, many traffic cops recognized Hao Jian. Once they saw it was Hao Jian on the scene, they didn''t dare to come over and had to pretend they didn''t see anything, quickly finding a place to go smoke instead. "Bring these two over here, and don''t block the road any longer." Pointing to an open space beside the greenway, he gestured towards Xia Tianjia and his son and said to Brother Ya. He then turned around, dragging his bicycle, and walked towards the greenway, while Yuan Shanshan sat obediently on the rear seat of the bike, looking as if she did not wish to get down. "Yes, yes, yes!" Wiping the sweat from his face, Brother Ya quickly nodded his head, then waved his hand behind him. Immediately, four men ran out and escorted Xia Tianjia and Xia Yuanlai over. "Let me go! I''ve given you guys quite a bit of money! Now you take the cash and don''t do the job, what kind of attitude is this?!" In the hands of the two sturdy men, Xia Tianjia struggled and roared, but just as he was about to shout again, a palm suddenly swept across his face, leaving him dazed. "Shut your mouth! The bit of money you paid is nothing to me! And do you think we folks from the streets even follow those rules?!" Brother Ya looked coldly at Xia Tianjia. He had not a single shred of kindness for this man¡ªif it weren''t for him, maybe today he wouldn''t have offended Hao Jian... "Seeing how stupid you look, I can tell you have no idea who Young Master Hao is." "Young Master Hao is the supreme lord behind Hua City. If he wanted to kill someone like you or me, it wouldn''t take much effort at all. Just one word from him and you wouldn''t see tomorrow''s sun!" "You think your crappy money is enough to make me die for you? With Young Master Hao''s current status, even if you offered billions, I still wouldn''t do it!" As Brother Ya revealed Hao Jian''s identity, Xia Tianjia finally realized who he had provoked. He understood that this guy wasn''t the poor kid he saw before but someone he had to look up to... "Dad... what do we do... what do we do?!" Xia Yuanlai also heard these words, his face growing paler, his trembling voice emerging from his lips. "Young Master Hao! Young Master Hao! Please spare my life!" The only response to Xia Yuanlai was the increasingly desperate pleas for mercy from Xia Tianjia... "He is still my uncle after all; don''t be too harsh..." Yuan Shanshan glanced back at the situation and couldn''t help but softly urge Hao Jian, saying, "My mother certainly wouldn''t want anything to happen to my uncle, even though he is really annoying..." "Silly girl, don''t worry. Do you think I, Hao Jian, don''t know the proper limits to what I do? This time, it''s just to teach these two a lesson, to let them know there are many people in this world they can''t afford to provoke. Don''t think one can do whatever they want just because they have a little money." Hao Jian shrugged helplessly, reached out to ruffle Yuan Shanshan''s hair and glanced at the situation behind them with indifference. "Mm!" Yuan Shanshan also smiled. With Hao Jian''s reassurance, at least her two uncles wouldn''t be in danger of losing their lives. As for how badly they might get hurt next, that wasn''t something she could imagine. Anyway, as long as they didn''t die, that was enough. To be honest, Yuan Shanshan would rather have those two annoying people out of her sight... Chapter 874 - 873 Hehe, Brother-in-law Xia Tianjia and his son were beaten to disability by Brother Ya and his group. If Hao Jian hadn''t spoken up at the last moment, they might have been beaten to death by now. After dealing with the two, Hao Jian had Brother Ya take them to the hospital. After all, having been beaten up like that, if they weren''t treated, they would be as good as dead, even without Hao Jian lifting a finger. In the following days, Xia Tianjia and his son were on tenterhooks in the hospital, terrified that Hao Jian would go back on his word and send someone to finish them off. Once they were conscious, they hurriedly called Yuan Haocai to urgently come over. Yuan Haocai, after hearing the father and son were in trouble, also rushed to the hospital. Xia Tianjia asked Yuan Haocai to come not only for someone to take care of them, but to use her as a human shield, knowing that at least Hao Jian wouldn''t lay a finger on Yuan Haocai. However, half a month passed, their injuries were more or less healed, and Hao Jian never showed up. It seemed like he had forgotten about them. After getting rid of those pesky flies, Hao Jian took Yuan Shanshan on a leisurely bike ride towards her home, teasing her from time to time without mentioning Xia Tianjia and his son again. Yuan Shanshan was obediently silent about these topics, and instead was left blushing by Hao Jian''s risqu¨¦ jokes. Occasionally she would extend her finger and pinch Hao Jian''s waist, causing him to scream in pain. Pedestrians on the road, especially the bachelors, seeing such a harmonious scene, couldn''t help but smile bitterly to themselves. Is this the benefit of having a girlfriend? "Alright, here we are." Eventually, the journey comes to an end. Smiling lightly as he looked at the entrance, Hao Jian let Yuan Shanshan off the bike, then took the bike aside, locked it, and walked in holding Yuan Shanshan''s hand. "Haha! Auntie''s cooking is just delicious!" Resting contentedly on the sofa with a full belly, Hao Jian laughed loudly, and Yuan Shanshan''s mother, clearing the dishes in the kitchen, had an even broader smile on her face upon hearing his laughter. As for Yuan Haocai, after finishing lunch, she received a call from her husband and hurriedly left, which restored the previous cheerful atmosphere to the place. "Hehe, brother-in-law, if you like, come to our house more often. My mom will be happy to cook for you." At the side, Yuan Zhibang had a cheeky grin, nodding towards Yuan Shanshan as he chuckled, "Let me tell you, brother-in-law, my sister will absolutely be the happiest one whenever you come!" With the Xia Family gone, Yuan Zhibang also breathed a sigh of relief. Now he began to tease Yuan Shanshan. "Little bro, joke about your sister again, and I''ll make sure you learn what regret is¡­" Yuan Shanshan, with her face turning pink from her younger brother''s words, huffed and threatened, "For example, by not having your brother-in-law cover for you¡­" But she instantly regretted saying this because¡­ "Haha! Sister, you finally said ''brother-in-law,'' didn''t you?!" Yuan Zhibang quickly seized on the keyword in Yuan Shanshan''s speech, made funny faces at her, then turned to Hao Jian, laughing, "Brother-in-law, see, my sister admitted it. When will you hand over the red envelope to your little brother-in-law¡­" After speaking, he stretched out his hand, the gesture unmistakable. Seeing this, Yuan Shanshan immediately wanted to kick Yuan Zhibang flying. Is this guy short of money or what?! Why does he seem so greedy?! So embarrassing! "Haha, your sister didn''t ask for it, I can''t just give you money." Hao Jian glanced at Yuan Shanshan before patting a slightly disheartened Yuan Zhibang on the face, bursting out laughing. "By the way, Hao Jian, I''m thinking of buying a car¡­" Suddenly, Yuan Shanshan dropped the previous topic and voiced a thought that had just flashed through her mind, looking at Hao Jian as she spoke. "Buy a car? Sure, go for it!" Yet before Hao Jian could respond, Yuan Zhibang interjected, his words carried a tinge of complaint, "Sis, sometimes I really think you can''t be too stingy. Girls being too stingy isn''t good¡­" "With your current worth, what car can''t you afford, and you''re still driving the company''s car every day¡­" "Hmph! I''m planning to buy it for mom to use, not for you. But from now on, the task of driving falls to you! Whenever mom wants to go out and you''re at home, you must drive her around!" Yuan Shanshan snorted and glanced at her brother, declaring. The main reason was that her mother had been busy for them over the years. Although she held a driver''s license, her driving skills were rusty after so many years. Rather than her driving, it would be better for her brother to take their mom out. After all, in her opinion, this kid was up to no good all the time other than messing around. It''s better to give him the role of the driver. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hehe, the way you''re putting it, isn''t it the same as giving the car to me?" Yuan Zhibang chuckled gleefully, eyes barely able to stay open with delight. He had always been telling his sister about selling a car, but the perpetual response was a no, or that it would be a waste of money. Exactly these excuses blocked all his paths, of course. He also thought of asking Hao Jian, but he dared not, for if his sister found out, it would end badly for him. Now, the opportunity was right before him. How could he not be happy? "Since we''re buying a car, I''ll take you there later, and Zhibang, you can stay at home and keep mom company. Your sister is under my care¡­" Hao Jian didn''t have any objections. With his current wealth, he could get any precious car he wanted, so he wasn''t particularly concerned. "Roger that! Commander!" With a snap, Yuan Zhibang immediately stood up straight, posing in a proper military posture. "What are you waiting for?! Get going!" Yuan Shanshan was so annoyed with her brother that she didn''t know what else to say. She lifted her leg and kicked Yuan Zhibang right on his leg, sending him tumbling onto the couch as she spoke with annoyance. "Haha, great! I won''t disturb you lovebirds on your date any longer!" "Mom! I''m coming to help you!" After shouting this, Yuan Zhibang didn''t dare stay any longer. He immediately ran far away, not wishing to endure the fury of his sister, who had been embarrassed to the point of anger by his words. "This damn kid! When I get the chance, I''ll definitely show him what I''m made of!" Yuan Shanshan shook her fist and huffed. But then her fist was caught by Hao Jian, who, without caring about his image, lifted Yuan Shanshan onto his shoulder and walked away. "Come on, behave and go car shopping with big brother. We''ll miss Auntie''s cooking if we''re late, and if we miss her meal, I''ll only answer to you!" "Humph, humph, humph! Can''t I cook?!" Carried on Hao Jian''s shoulder, Yuan Shanshan still wanted to resist. However, upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, her pretty face frowned. Did he really think she couldn''t cook as well as her mother? "Uh¡­ forget it, I''m still young, I don''t want to die just yet..." Yuan Shanshan''s words evoked some unpleasant memories for Hao Jian: a table laden with food nearly burnt to charcoal... "Jerk!" Realizing the implication behind Hao Jian''s words, a flush of embarrassment colored Yuan Shanshan''s beautiful face, quickly followed by anger. Was this jerk actually looking down on her cooking skills?! "..." As the two bickered in this way, Hao Jian drove the Enzo, occasionally teasing Yuan Shanshan and eliciting eye rolls from the beauty. The nearest car 4S shop to Yuan Shanshan''s home was located in the city center, specializing in Mercedes-Benz sales. Compared to current car brands, Mercedes-Benz suits older drivers better, with a steady elegance that many other brands cannot match. After discussing for a while, they decided to visit this Mercedes-Benz 4S shop. Although Mercedes-Benz vehicles were not exactly cheap, one phrase summed up their financial status well: they weren''t short on money. "We''re here." The Enzo slowly pulled into the dealership''s parking lot. Hao Jian took Yuan Shanshan by the hand and walked towards the dealership. "So many cars..." Once inside, Yuan Shanshan''s eyes were immediately drawn to the cars on display, comparing them in her mind to her ideal vehicle shape. At that moment, a female sales associate came over with a professional smile and asked, "Sir, ma''am, may I help you with anything?" "We''ll just take a look ourselves, we''ll ask you if we need assistance." After glancing at Yuan Shanshan, Hao Jian waved his hand at the sales associate, emitting an aura of effortless charisma, which caught the associate''s attention, her eyes lighting up slightly. This is a rich customer! If she could close a deal with him, and he bought a car worth around a million, her commission could reach seventy to eighty thousand. But now that Hao Jian had asked her to leave, there was nothing she could do. She simply smiled, nodded, and gently turned to walk away. Watching the sales associate leave, Hao Jian shook his head slightly, then turned his gaze back to Yuan Shanshan, who was gazing around with roving eyes. He chuckled and asked, "Well? Found any model that seems right?" "There are so many cars here, how could I possibly decide so quickly?!" Yuan Shanshan''s response to Hao Jian''s question was only an eye roll... "Yo, isn''t that Yuan Shanshan? What are you doing here?!" Just when Hao Jian was about to start introducing a car model to Yuan Shanshan, a shrill and somewhat unpleasant voice suddenly came from behind... Chapter 875 - 874: Isnt it? "Hmm?" Yuan Shanshan, who was looking at cars, was drawn by this voice and curiously turned her head, then saw two people at the entrance of the car dealership. One was a man who looked nearly sixty years old, dressed in a suit, his elderly face covered in wrinkles, appearing very aged, but his lewd and unruly gaze betrayed his restless and wanton heart. The other was a flamboyantly seductive woman around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, dressed in slightly revealing clothes, her fairly pretty cheeks marred by an overwhelming sense of arrogance, making her somewhat nauseating to look at. At this moment, she was swaying her hips, walking on tiptoes in a catwalk style, occasionally rubbing her buttocks against the man''s legs beside her, holding the man''s hand, and came up to face Yuan Shanshan, lifted her head with a smug look, and said, "Yuan Shanshan, I didn''t expect to see you here, are you also here to buy a car?" "Yes..." Yuan Shanshan was also a bit surprised and subconsciously spoke, but before she could finish, the woman directly interrupted her, pointing at a Mercedes not far away that was unidentifiable by model but priced at 350,000, her eyes brimming with mockery, she said, "Are you eyeing that car?" "I..." Yuan Shanshan wanted to explain, but this woman didn''t give Yuan Shanshan the chance to speak, talking arrogantly, saying, "Haha, I forgot, how could someone poor like you afford such a car?" "Who is this freak?" At this time, Hao Jian curiously glanced at this woman, turned to Yuan Shanshan, and chuckled lightly, seemingly unconcerned about what the woman had said. "She was a colleague of mine in the past." Afterwards, Yuan Shanshan briefly introduced this woman using succinct words, but from her choice of words, Hao Jian could tell how much Yuan Shanshan detested this woman. Her real name is Zhou Meng, a former colleague whom Yuan Shanshan met while working part-time during her studies. Initially, she thought this colleague had a good personality, but over time, she came to understand this woman''s true nature¡ªa woman fond of vanity. It''s always been like this; constantly comparing herself with others, even becoming jealous of Yuan Shanshan just because she was prettier. Today, Yuan Shanshan had nearly forgotten her, but unexpectedly encountered her here. Zhou Meng didn''t know that Yuan Shanshan was now a first-rate international designer and still thought she was the poor girl from a family that barely made ends meet. "Who are you calling a freak?!" Because Yuan Shanshan had only given Hao Jian a brief introduction and hadn''t elaborated much, Zhou Meng thought that Yuan Shanshan was speaking ill of her, moreover, how dare this man call her a freak?! S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Oh dear, Mengmeng is not ugly, where can she be called ugly? Mengmeng is so beautiful!" Seeing Zhou Meng getting angry, the old man beside her quickly hugged Zhou Meng, his hand directly grabbing her plump buttocks, which made Zhou Meng turn her head and roll her seductive eyes, making the old man''s gaze even lewder. "Hmph, exactly, not worth arguing with such poor trash!" Zhou Meng scoffed a few times, her eyes full of disdain, mockingly said, "Only women like you, Shanshan, would hang out with poor tramps. I see you two coming to the car dealership today, you''re not here to buy a car, right? Just here to feast your eyes, huh?!" "Lowly poor trash!" After saying that, Zhou Meng, holding onto the old man beside her, ignored Hao Jian and the other, as she had already achieved her goal¡ªto show off to Yuan Shanshan that she was living better than her. Recalling how in the past this woman always had handsome men and even rich heirs around her, but she herself was never given a second glance until today when she once again saw Yuan Shanshan and humiliated her, her heart felt incredibly relieved. Yuan Shanshan actually ended up with a poor guy, while she? Not only had she climbed up to this multimillionaire entrepreneur, she was also preparing her wedding soon. Plus, considering this man didn''t have much longer to live, his vast estate would soon be hers. Seeing Zhou Meng leave with the sleazy old man, Yuan Shanshan also crinkled her nose in dissatisfaction, but before she could speak, Hao Jian pointed at her and chuckled, saying, "I don''t know how you came to know such a woman, really, ugliness invites trouble!" "You think I wanted to?! Back when I was studying, my family didn''t have money and I had to work part-time, that''s when I met her. If I could, I would not want to encounter her at all; she''s just too annoying, always comparing herself to me..." Mimicking Hao Jian, Yuan Shanshan shrugged her shoulders. With her current financial status, she could easily crush this woman completely, but she didn''t want to attract this woman''s attention. If merely beating her once could stop her from comparing herself to Yuan Shanshan, she would be keen to show off, but given this woman''s personality, it was obviously not possible. "Well, we are just seeing her today; maybe there won''t be another chance in the future." Hao Jian lightly shook his head, then casually glanced at Zhou Meng who was still looking at cars not far away, the corners of his mouth slowly curving into a smile. At the same time... On the third floor of the Mercedes-Benz 4S store, a man who is part of the management, dressed in a suit, walks extremely fast towards the general manager''s office. The anxious expression on his face clearly shows he has urgent news... "Manager!" Without caring about what was happening inside the manager''s office, the man directly pulled open the glass door and walked in, shouting loudly at the man sleeping on the sofa. "Eh? What''s happened?!" This manager, around forty years old, has an ordinary face, but his eyes shimmer with a cunning light, clearly indicating he''s no simple man. However, his prominent beer belly gives him a somewhat deceptive appearance. Hearing someone calling him, the manager quickly got up, not minding the dream he was having. "Manager, Young Master Hao has come to our store..." As he spoke these words, the man''s voice trembled slightly. As the confidant of the manager and also the main lobby manager of this 4S store, he didn''t need to sell cars like the salespeople, just sit at his post waiting for the end of the workday. Not long ago, the general manager suddenly asked him to memorize the face from a photograph, and he was curious about who the person in the photograph was... Since then, he had learned about Hao Jian''s identity in Hua City, and now seeing Hao Jian arrive, he didn''t even bother to greet him and hurriedly ran up to report the news to his superior at the first opportunity. "Young Master Hao? Who..." The general manager, just awakened, had blurry eyes and his thoughts were slow. Hearing his subordinate''s report, his mind went blank for a moment. But just a second or two later, his eyes suddenly widened, and with a whoosh, he jumped up from the sofa, crossed over the coffee table, and walked up to his subordinate, staring down at him intently. "Young Master Hao really came?!" Hearing this, the subordinate gave a bitter smile and hesitated, "If the photo you gave me is correct, then I think there wouldn''t be a second person..." "Shit! Hurry up! Hurry!" Getting a positive response, the general manager broke out in a cold sweat, grabbed his suit coat, and hurried outside, leaving his subordinate behind in the office. This visitor was a big shot! If he wasn''t taken care of properly, it could mean the end of his career. In Hua City, none of the true high-ranking officials would dare to underestimate Hao Jian''s influence... "What do you think about this S600?" On the first floor of the car dealership, Yuan Shanshan pointed at a Mercedes-Benz S600 and asked Hao Jian, who looked at the price tag on it¡ª2.85 million¡ªand nodded. This car was a luxury model and considered quite decent among the offerings of this dealership. "This car is good!" "Yo-he-he? An S600, do you think you poor wretches can afford it?" Getting Hao Jian''s affirmation, Yuan Shanshan was about to have someone sign the deal, but before she could move, a untimely voice rang out next to her ear again, causing her face to immediately fall, and a faint flame flickered in her eyes. The incident here was also witnessed by the salespeople, but none came over, as they were already used to customers quarreling over car models and usually let the customers settle it themselves. "2.85 million? Not expensive..." The old man accompanying Zhou Meng glanced at the price tag hanging on the car, composed himself, and pretended to nonchalantly nod his head. But inside, his heart was already bleeding. If he really bought this car, his assets would shrink by twenty-five percent. However, in front of these poor folks, he couldn''t lose face... "S600? 2.85 million? Isn''t this car labeled 600 yuan? How can it be millions?" Hao Jian looked at the old man with a puzzled expression, questioning him. "600 yuan?! Haha! Are you really not joking with me!? You actually plan to buy this car for 600 yuan?! It seems Mengmeng was right calling you poor." "No wonder you dare to come here to the car dealership, don''t you think an S300 is worth 300 yuan?!" "Isn''t it?" Chapter 876 - 875: Just Six Hundred Yuan "Haha! Now I finally know that you''re not only a pauper but also a clueless bumpkin!" Zhou Meng certainly wouldn''t miss an opportunity to mock Hao Jian harshly and insidiously sneer at Yuan Shanshan! How could she let this go?! "The Mercedes-Benz S600 is one of the top luxury cars in this dealership. You clueless paupers don''t even know the models and dare to come to the car dealership, haha, I''m dying of laughter!" "When I say this car sells for 600 bucks, it means 600 bucks!" At this moment, Hao Jian gave Zhou Meng and company the impression of a pauper stubbornly trying to save face, even deliberately turning his face quite red to appear more authentic, only Yuan Shanshan by his side can''t help but shake her head inwardly, her eyes looking at Zhou Meng and the other person with some sympathy. If Hao Jian gets in the mood, these two will definitely be in for a rough ride... "Young Master Hao! Young Master Hao!" Just then, the dealership''s general manager hurried over with quick steps, his face showing signs of panic. Initially, he only intended to establish a good relationship with Hao Jian, but he hadn''t expected to learn from a passing employee that someone had offended Hao Jian in the dealership... Having received this news, he rushed over non-stop, feeling furious inside! If Hao Jian becomes displeased and decides to tear his dealership apart, how would he explain to the company''s big shots?! "Who might you be?" Just as Hao Jian was planning to teach Zhou Meng and the other a lesson, he saw this man currently in the ranks of the "Fatties" and his face immediately expressed curiosity, as this man was someone he hadn''t seen before... Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hello, hello! I am the person in charge of this dealership, my name is Xu Pang. People familiar with me call me Fatty Xu. It''s fine if you don''t recognize me; I had the honor of meeting you once before in Hua City..." Xu Pang hurriedly wiped the sweat from his face, showing a look of utmost respect, yet his heart was racing with extreme fear. This man was a big shot in Hua City, and now that he was being belittled in his own store, if anything major happened, he would be the one to suffer the loss! "Hehe, it''s fine, I was just teasing them a little. Since it''s like this, I''ll call you Fatty Xu too, after all, I have some feelings towards the word ''Fatty''," Hao Jian said with a light smile, patting Xu Pang''s shoulder, instantly making Xu Pang feel as if his shoulder had lightened by a couple of ounces. "Haha, as long as you are alright, Young Master Hao!" Although he was puzzled by the word ''Fatty'' Hao Jian had used, Xu Pang didn''t mind. As a businessman, he was more concerned about interests, not these trivial matters. If he didn''t handle the situation with Hao Jian well, his own interests would be greatly damaged; therefore, he couldn''t afford to ponder anything else. The two chatted as if no one else was around, Hao Jian even seemingly forgetting about Zhou Meng and the other, infuriating them to the point their faces turned sour, while the old man pulled at Zhou Meng''s sleeve cautiously, not daring to make the slightest move. Zhou Meng didn''t know the Fatty in front of her, but the old man did! For people like them worth tens of millions, the name Fatty Xu was thunderous. Not to mention anything else, just the man''s business tactics alone were beyond any average businessman''s reach. Don''t think that because he''s the general manager of this dealership, it''s no big deal. In his hands, he holds control over a whole bunch of somewhat famous restaurants and real estates, and he''s someone with a net worth in the billions. This was a man he wouldn''t dare to provoke. "Okay, enough chatting." As they were talking, Hao Jian also waved his hand to stop Xu Pang from wanting to chat more, mainly because he suddenly remembered there were two people here he hadn''t dealt with yet. He immediately pointed at the nearby Mercedes-Benz S600 and said, "Fatty Xu, I said this Mercedes-Benz S600 costs 600 bucks, but these two don''t believe me. How do you think I should settle this?" "Or, why don''t you tell them? Since this is your dealership and you should know the prices of the cars here, just tell me how much you think this car is worth." Upon hearing this, Xu Pang was also momentarily stunned, his gaze inadvertently glancing at Zhou Meng, who was full of disdain, and the old man with a face that kept changing expressions. With a quick turn of thoughts, he understood the situation. Hao Jian''s remark was primarily to get him to take a stand and save face. If he agreed to the 600 bucks, he would give face; if he didn''t, he''d state the original price. Under the current circumstances, even a fool knew which choice to make. Xu Pang could even imagine that if he stated the original price, perhaps by the next day, he might as well kiss his dealership goodbye. "Indeed, this car is worth 600 bucks. If Young Master Hao desires it, I''d even sell you that Mercedes-Benz S300 over there, two cars for just 900 bucks." Following Xu Pang''s statement, only the employees observing the situation from a distance expressed surprise, but none dared to make any comment. Clearly, Xu Pang had decent tactics, at least enough to maintain a certain standard among his employees. "It... it''s really only 600 bucks?!" Zhou Meng was the first to lose her composure, her face suddenly showing ecstatic joy after hearing Xu Pang''s words, and she immediately pulled the old man next to her, saying, "Just 600 bucks a car, go ahead and buy me a hundred of them! It''s just 60,000 bucks..." Uh... Xu Pang wasn''t oblivious to the situation with Zhou Meng. He just happened to overhear this woman act like she had stumbled upon a great deal which threw him off guard. He thought to himself, what''s with the world these days? How can there be such foolish women? Truly bizarre. No wonder such a person offended Young Master Hao. He shook his head in private and beckoned to an employee not far away, who happened to be the female sales consultant who had served Hao Jian and his companion earlier. When the female sales consultant approached Xu Pang, he just waved his hand and said, "Handle the procedures for Young Master Hao. As for the license plate, forget it, our low-level plates are not to Young Master Hao''s liking." After finishing, Xu Pang waved his hand, signaling the female sales consultant to depart. Although she was somewhat curious, the female sales consultant did not say anything and went to handle the vehicle delivery procedures. She dismissed low-level plates? The most expensive plates in their dealership start at several million, and now the manager says this man does not fancy them? Then what kind of plate would this man actually take an interest in? Curiosity has its limits, and at least this female sales consultant wasn''t foolish enough to ask such questions in front of everyone. After all, as the boss says, do what is asked. The rest is up to others. "Hehe, it seems you have quite the talented staff, not like those places I''ve been before where they can''t wait to kick me out," Hao Jian said, shaking his head as he watched the female sales consultant leave. "Haha, Young Master Hao, you''re being too modest. With your current status, who in Hua City would dare to send you away?" Hearing Hao Jian''s praise, Xu Pang was quite pleased with himself, and without hesitation, he started to flatter. Hao Jian chuckled softly and said nothing more, because the female sales consultant who had just left had come back with some documents and handed them to Xu Pang. Clearly, she intended for Xu Pang to take charge of this deal. Nodding, Xu Pang took the documents and handed them to Hao Jian with a smile, "Young Master Hao, just sign here, and the two vehicles are yours!" "Done!" Holding a ballpoint pen, Hao Jian swiftly penned his signature on the documents with practiced flair, then symbolically pulled out nine hundred yuan bills from his wallet and handed them to Xu Pang. But from an angle invisible to others, a bank card quietly found its way into Xu Pang''s pocket. Even though Xu Pang had given him a lot of face this time, the dealership was not his to command, and giving him these two cars would mean a loss for him. Apart from taking advantage of women, Hao Jian did not like taking other types of advantages, so no matter what, he felt the need to compensate Xu Pang. The card contained a balance of five million yuan, an amount that was generous without exception. Hao Jian didn''t like being in debt to anyone because he had learned early on that the hardest debts to repay in this world are those of gratitude. Xu Pang noticed it and a bittersweet smile appeared on his lips. In truth, he intended to gift the cars to Hao Jian in exchange for a favor, but it turned out Hao Jian was firm in his refusal. Whether or not this man agreed was not something Xu Pang could decide. Once all the procedures were complete, Hao Jian drove away in the Enzo. As for the two cars, someone would naturally deliver them later; there was no need for Hao Jian to worry about it. As for the license plates, just as Xu Pang said, Hao Jian wasn''t interested in ordinary ones. He was after military district plates, which he had some left over¡ªgifts from members of Dragon Tooth. Since he was planning to buy cars anyway, he decided to collect them all for this purpose. Now they would come in handy. Back in the dealership, Zhou Meng and his companion had not noticed the Enzo that Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan departed in. Even if they had seen it, they wouldn''t think that Hao Jian and Yuan Shanshan were inside because Hao Jian never opened the sunroof when driving the Enzo. As an Assassin, with an innate sharpness, they would never allow their weak spots to be exposed, not a big deal in everyday situations, but absolutely unacceptable while driving. This is because if the fuel tank of a car is blown up, that can lead to big trouble... "President Xu, do you still have any of this S600 model in stock?" After Hao Jian and the others had left, Xu Pang saw no reason to stay, intending to leave, but the old man behind him quickly grabbed onto him. "Yes, how many do you want?" "One hundred units!" "Okay, that will be two hundred and eighty-five million in total. Since you are ordering in bulk, I''ll round down the change for you; you only need to pay two hundred and eighty million." Picking up a calculator, Xu Pang quickly crunched the numbers. Chapter 877 - 876: Do It with You Again "Uh... President Xu, did you get the calculations wrong?" Hearing the final result, the old man was also stunned for a moment and hesitantly opened his mouth, saying, "Didn''t that pauper just buy two cars for nine hundred yuan?" "Nine hundred yuan?! Haha..." Xu Pang immediately sneered and laughed out loud, saying, "If Young Master Hao wanted all the cars in my dealership, I would give them to him without considering the cost, just because he deserves it!" "And you? Haha, don''t blame me for saying something ugly, but do you really think you deserve that from me?!" "Idiots! Bs!" After finishing, he waved at a nearby security guard, who, seeing the general manager summoning him, ran over swiftly and said, "Boss, what''s the matter!?" "Take these two people down, beat up the man, slap the woman a few times, and also never let them appear in our car dealership again." Xu Pang pointed at the two people, waved his hand dismissively, coldly glanced at them from the corner of his eye, and then ignored them, striding towards his upstairs office. Even if a billionaire came to his store, he would have the same attitude. Even if they were wealthy, could they compare to Hao Jian? The behind-the-scenes boss of Hua City, the kind of person who, if angered, could shake the entire city. Moreover, Xu Pang had found some additional information about Hao Jian''s other identities. Although not very detailed, it was enough to show that Hao Jian''s identity wasn''t just limited to being the underground boss of Hua City. This mysterious figure was not someone he dared to provoke. "What are you doing?! What are you doing?!" The security guards didn''t care about the old man or Zhou Meng''s identities. Since the boss had instructed them what to do, they immediately did just that. The security team leader came over with a few other guards, taking the two people and heading outside, clearly planning to carry out their boss''s orders. Zhou Meng and the other person, held by the security guards, were furious, continuously struggling to free themselves from the guards'' grasp. But one being an old man and the other a woman, how could they possibly break free from these military-trained guards? "I am the President of Haiyun Group, with a net worth of tens of millions. How can you treat me like this?!" The old man struggled continuously, shouting about his identity, only to be met with the guards'' impatient expressions. "Ahhhh...." Soon, cries of pain from the old man and cursing from the woman, along with the sounds of punches, kicks, and crisp slaps to the face, could be heard from the dealership yard. These sounds mixed together, forming a chillingly bloodthirsty symphony. The noises came quickly and ended just as quickly, lasting only a few minutes. After all, other customers were expected at the dealership, and if the customers noticed the commotion, their business would suffer. The guards measured their actions, inflicting pain but not serious injury, as they were military-trained and knew how to torture. After lunch, Hao Jian also left Yuan Shanshan''s home and drove towards the city. On the way, recalling the conversation about buying a car for Yuan Shanshan''s mother, he felt happy, and of course, Yuan Zhibang was the happiest. This time his sister directly bought two cars, allowing him to take the other car out for fun and show off in front of his friends. For that, Hao Jian just shook his head and didn''t stop Yuan Shanshan from speaking. In his view, Yuan Zhibang needed to gain more experience rather than being constantly supervised. Many life lessons needed to be seen firsthand instead of just being told about them. "Beep beep beep..." Lost in thought, the ringtone of his phone snapped Hao Jian back to reality. With one hand on the steering wheel and the other picking up the phone, he saw the incoming call was from Xiaoxiao, which made Hao Jian give a wry smile and press the answer button. "What''s up, any issues?" "Hao Jian! Where are you now?!" As soon as the call connected, Xiaoxiao''s somewhat excited voice came through the phone, perhaps too loudly due to her emotion, startling Hao Jian almost to the point of losing grip on the steering wheel. "F*ck! Lower your voice, do you want your exceptionally handsome boyfriend to go deaf like this?!" After regaining control of the car, Hao Jian glanced around, thankful that there were no other cars on this road, otherwise, a chain of accidents would have been unavoidable. Therefore, Hao Jian''s slightly angry voice transmitted back, causing Xiaoxiao on the other end to stick out her tongue, mostly out of excitement. "Shall we go to KTV to sing this afternoon? It was not easy getting my mom to agree." "KTV? Why do you suddenly want to go there?" When he heard they were going to have fun, Hao Jian was also somewhat surprised. The last time Che Xiaoxiao went out with him for bungee jumping, she nearly didn''t make it back, which scared Guo Shuxian to the point of hardly letting Che Xiaoxiao out. Even the next few times, Hao Jian had to sweet-talk extensively just to take Che Xiaoxiao out nearby her home for a while and then come back, which made Hao Jian particularly embarrassed. You say you want to protect your daughter, but is this necessary? However, Hao Jian could also understand a mother''s fear of almost losing her precious daughter, similar to how he would fear losing his beauties, at least all of his beauties are well-protected by him. But Che Xiaoxiao''s mother, Guo Shuxian, does not have the same strength as Hao Jian. Although she apparently has a lot of authority, her influence in Hua City is still not as great as Hao Jian''s. "Hehe, only going to KTV ensures Mom won''t stop me from going out. If I said I wanted to go to an amusement park, she would definitely oppose it, so I had to settle for the next best thing." Che Xiaoxiao also giggled, her tone carrying a bit of pride, although what exactly she was proud of, Hao Jian couldn''t tell. "You''re back in Hua City as well, and since we haven''t gone out for such a long time, I just wanted to go out and have fun with you, maybe even dare to do it one more time?" Am I being underestimated here? With Che Xiaoxiao being so proactive, Hao Jian also wondered if this young lady was underestimating him, but just thinking about doing those things in the karaoke room, his heart was tempted, and he agreed. "Haha! As long as you dare to do those things in front of Yating, I''m all yours!" But it was only after Hao Jian agreed that Che Xiaoxiao revealed with a sneaky laugh the involvement of a third party, which made Hao Jian''s face show helplessness, truly this girl, once proactive, definitely meant trouble... "Alright, young lady, we''ll be in the city in about an hour, just wait for me at home now, I''ll be there soon." Hao Jian didn''t mind if he could or could not get Che Xiaoxiao, thinking instead that since these two young ladies wanted to have fun, and he was free anyway, he just decided to accompany them. After all, KTV is a place where if girls go alone without boys, there could very possibly be trouble, what with some KTVs being rather shady. But now Hao Jian wasn''t worried, now that among these beauties around him, those in Hua City had Spice Ginger''s people protecting them 24 hours a day, with protection far more thorough compared to those from special police forces, because those protecting them were individuals Hao Jian had gone to great lengths to obtain firearms permits for heavy weaponry. AK-47s and the like, can all be carried on person, unlike those mere handgun permits, thus ensuring greater safety. Enzo was quick and soon entered the city through the ring-road expressway; half an hour later, Hao Jian arrived at Che Xiaoxiao''s doorstep, where he saw the two women who had been waiting for a long time. Hao Jian smiled lightly and then parked the car in Che Xiaoxiao''s home parking lot. After all, Enzo only has two seats; three people simply cannot fit unless Hao Jian planned to have the traffic police chase them down the road, otherwise, they''d have to obediently switch cars. Luckily, there''s another car at Che Xiaoxiao''s home, a BMW, not expensive, just a couple hundred thousand, but enough for our purpose which is just for singing at KTV, not for showing off. The car slowly backed out and finally parked steadily in front of Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating, rolled down the window, waved to the two girls, and said with a smile, "Aren''t you going to hurry up and get in?" "Haha!" Che Xiaoxiao wrapped her arms around Hao Jian''s head directly, her lips firmly pressed against his forehead, making Zhao Yating blush beside them, she too wanted, but was preempted by Che Xiaoxiao. If she followed Che Xiaoxiao''s actions, she would definitely be mocked by Che Xiaoxiao in the future. Compared to kissing Hao Jian''s forehead, she preferred not to be teased by this ''rival in love''. "Sit tight, this time I won''t allow you girls to leave my sight!" being kissed unexpectedly by Che Xiaoxiao, Hao Jian touched his forehead, shook his head, watched the two girls board the car one after another, joked, and then stepped on the accelerator, speeding towards a KTV called Xinyuan KTV. "Hao Jianjian... where have you been this time? Just leaving us two beauties alone, staying away from us for so long?!" Just as the car started, Che Xiaoxiao began speaking in a flirtatious tone, which made Hao Jian shudder in his heart. Damn it, did this girl forget to take her medicine today?! Since when did she start using such a tone, it scared me! "Stop, stop, I''m getting goosebumps from you talking like that. Just talk normally, or else if I accidentally hit someone''s car later and have to get out to apologize." Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian quickly turned his head, rapidly waving his hands, his tone carrying a pleading note. Chapter 878 - 877: Dont Be In a Hurry Laughter and chatter filled the car, with Hao Jian constantly bickering with Che Xiaoxiao, and even Zhao Yating joined the ''condemnation'' of Hao Jian. Amidst the laughter, the car reached its destination for the night, Xinyuan KTV. The usual vibes, the brightly colored exterior, the vibrating walls that constantly emitted sound¡ªall greeted them as they walked into the KTV. They were met with a crowd sporting dyed hair, cigarettes dangling from their mouths, and a ruffian-like demeanor. From time to time, loud curses could be heard, adding to the already noisy atmosphere. If one looked closely, most of these individuals were teenagers, seventeen or eighteen, some even as young as fifteen or sixteen years old. The ''oldest'' among them was a man in his mid-twenties. With just a glance, Hao Jian led Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating to a counter not too far away, intending to check what types of rooms were available. The moment Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating, two beautiful women, entered the KTV''s lobby, it was like a cool breeze in the midst of a scorching summer, drawing awe-struck stares from many men. But seeing Hao Jian beside them, some immediately chickened out, particularly the underage boys. They might puff themselves up and get scrappy, even daring to confront another man, but they felt a chill run down their spines at the sight of Hao Jian, which left them fearful and hesitant to make a move. The apparent ringleader of the group, seeing his subordinates react this way, felt a surge of anger but couldn''t muster the courage to harass the two women. Hao Jian had no idea what these people were thinking. He had already booked a small room and ordered some snacks. Considering that red wine and such didn''t quite fit the scene, he decided not to order any. Then, the three of them, led by a service staff member, made their way to their room. After Hao Jian and his companions departed, a pair of eyes shining in a corner dimmed. Quiet footsteps followed, and out stepped a man in his thirties, portly, with a handlebar mustache hanging off the corners of his mouth. He wore the latest custom-made Armani suit, but the expression on his face undermined the elegance. His presence created an uncomfortable atmosphere, yet whether it was the other patrons or the service staff, all showed a slight change in expression at his appearance. The man who had been sitting on the sofa, upon noticing him, frowned slightly and quickly ushered his ''underlings'' away. As they left, he turned his head back, a cold glint in his eyes briefly visible before it was well concealed, unnoticed by anyone, not even his followers. This man, known as Wu Ming, had a significant relationship with the manager of Xinyuan KTV, Zhao Da¡ªso close that they might as well be wearing the same trousers. He had once, by chance, crossed paths with Wu Ming while hunting for beauties in this KTV. Initially considering him merely a wealthy man, he hadn''t realized Wu Ming had strong backing. Furthermore, since this KTV was controlled by the other party and his henchmen were present, he ended up getting beaten to internal injury and thrown out. The hatred he harbored for Fatty only intensified, but he had recently compromised to secure a foothold in Hua City, becoming a covert subordinate in Xinyuan KTV¡ªa fact unknown even to his own gang. In another light, he and Wu Ming were also colleagues. Unfortunately, unable to swallow his pride after the last brawl, he had no choice but to leave upon Wu Ming''s arrival. "Qian Yun, that little punk, actually got scared off by me?" Noticing the other man''s departure brought a cold glance from Wu Ming, who then disdainfully spat and turned his head with satisfaction. He knocked on the counter, tilting his head toward the direction in which Hao Jian and the others had left. He asked, "Which room did those beauties just book?" Upon hearing this, the receptionist put on a smile, her eyes betraying a flash of disgust, but she still answered with a smile, "Those three guests just booked a small room, located at 7B24." Wu Ming''s predilection was notorious among the staff, using his connection with the KTV''s manager to occasionally hunt for beauties. He started subtly, but with frequent visits, he became brazen, to the point of blatantly intending to engage in such acts in the KTV. And after every incident, it was these service staff who had to apologize to the guests¡ªunable to confront Wu Ming, they took out their frustration on the employees. Therefore, due to Wu Ming, they had suffered quite a bit and held an intense aversion toward him. "7B24, huh?" Wu Ming nodded and tapped on the desk, "Book me a room next to hers." "Understood." Soon, the receptionist processed the information and sent a staff member to guide him there. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As for the happenings at the counter, Hao Jian and the others were unaware, let alone the backstory of Xinyuan KTV¡ªthey were all first-timers to this establishment. "You guys have fun here; I''ll be back shortly." Not long after entering the room, the attendant also brought in the snacks and fruit platters. Hao Jian casually picked up a peanut, threw it into his mouth, and then suddenly remembered something. He waved to Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating, picked up his phone, and walked outside. "So secretive." Seeing Hao Jian leave, Che Xiaoxiao pouted unhappily, but before she could finish her complaint, Zhao Yating reached for the snacks beside her and laughed, "This guy has been doing this not just for a day or two. There are some things we can''t and shouldn''t listen to; he''s doing it for our own good." Compared to Che Xiaoxiao, Zhao Yating obviously saw things more clearly. There were many things Hao Jian was involved in that the two girls should not come into contact with, like Dragon Tooth, and the matters concerning the Ministry of Defense. These matters were basically state secrets, and perhaps they would have the opportunity to discuss them with them in the future, but definitely not now. "Eh? Isn''t that the guy who was with those two beauties just now?" After Hao Jian left the room, Wu Ming also arrived at the room next to Hao Jian''s, led by an attendant. Before he could open the door to enter, Hao Jian walked out from the adjacent door, causing Wu Ming''s already small eyes to narrow slightly. Watching Hao Jian walk away, a surge of thoughts filled Wu Ming''s mind. He had been pondering how to get rid of Hao Jian, and now that the man had left on his own, the opportunity had presented itself. If not now, then when?! Hehe! Wu Ming gestured for the attendant to leave, then walked to the door of Hao Jian''s KTV room, pulled it open, and stepped inside. "Hao Jian, how come you''re back so..." Hearing noise at the door, Che Xiaoxiao, who had been singing with Zhao Yating, stopped mid-song, turned her head with a surprised look toward the door, but before she could finish her sentence, her expression froze, and pointing at Wu Ming, she asked, "Who are you?" "Cough cough, lovely ladies, I am Wu Ming... from this place..." Seeing that only Che Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yating were in the KTV room, Wu Ming''s thoughts became active. He quickly assumed what he thought was a gentlemanly demeanor, even inclining his body slightly and then coughing a few times before speaking. "I don''t care who you are, get out of here now!" Che Xiaoxiao was not so easy to talk to. With just one glance at this man, she felt he was incredibly sleazy, not even letting Wu Ming finish speaking, she stood up angrily and shouted lightly at Wu Ming. "Oh? Daring to be so fierce in my territory? Not bad, I like the spirit!" Che Xiaoxiao''s tactic might work on ordinary people, but it''s a pity that for a creature dominated by his lower half like Wu Ming, why would he care about such things?! In these past years, relying on his methods and status, he has spoiled countless women, some of whom may have willingly accepted him because of his wealth or position, but most of them were forced by him. Only because there was no recourse for complaints or appeals, the matters quietened down. "Thump thump thump!" Taking swift strides, Wu Ming quickly walked forward. The room was already small, and with just a few steps, he was in front of Che Xiaoxiao, reaching out to grab her still raised hand. "Let go of me!" Che Xiaoxiao didn''t expect this man to be so bold. Startled, Zhao Yating also exclaimed, "You beast, let go of Xiaoxiao!" "Haha! Beautiful lady, don''t be anxious. Let me handle this beauty first, and then come discuss life with you!" After grabbing Che Xiaoxiao, Wu Ming finally revealed his true nature. He didn''t care about the resistance of the two women at all. Were they not just two women? Could he, a grown man, not deal with two feeble women?! The soft touch in his hands led Wu Ming into wild fantasies, and the corners of his mouth curled up to show a lecherous smile. His small eyes twinkled with a vile gleam. "My dear, I have a very significant relationship with the owner of this KTV. If you dare to resist, do you believe I can make it so you can''t leave this KTV?" This caliber of beauty, unlike those he had played with before, was not on the same level. Wu Ming was somewhat inclined to take Che Xiaoxiao then and there. "I''ll give you twenty thousand yuan a month for your upkeep, I''ll take you under my care. How about that? The monthly salary of an average person isn''t necessarily twenty thousand yuan, and all you have to do is spread your legs at home." Chapter 879 - 878: Ill Give You Evidence "You fucking ruffian!" Hearing Wu Ming''s filthy words, Che Xiaoxiao''s face turned ugly. She extended her free right hand and slapped Wu Ming''s face. However, her palm barely reached mid-air before Wu Ming grabbed it. "Motherfucker! You slut, what the hell are you doing?!" With Che Xiaoxiao''s sweeping hand caught in his grip, Wu Ming, furious, swung back at her with his own hand. The sharp sound of the slap reverberated, and a bright red handprint slowly emerged on Che Xiaoxiao''s pretty face. "I gave you face, and you don''t want it, so don''t blame me for not being polite!" After delivering a slap, Wu Ming was about to hand out another, but before he could, he suddenly found his hand completely immobilized! "You were about to hit my woman?" A calm yet suppressive angry voice drifted over as Hao Jian suddenly appeared behind Wu Ming, casually grabbing the arm Wu Ming had stretched out. "Fuck, who the hell do you think you are?!" Seeing someone daring to stop him, Wu Ming''s face grew even uglier, and he cursed loudly. He tried to lift his other hand to strike at Hao Jian, but before he could act, Hao Jian''s grip tightened slightly, bending Wu Ming''s captured arm into an incredibly exaggerated curve. "Ah!" An acute surge of pain shot through him, making Wu Ming scream in agony, his face turning deathly pale. Sweating profusely, his back was soon drenched, soaking through his shirt. "Crack..." With a cold laugh, Hao Jian tightened his grip once more, and the faint sound of bones breaking could be heard in the noisy KTV room, momentarily overpowering the loud singing¡­ "Ah!" Screaming again, Hao Jian let go of Wu Ming''s right hand, which immediately flopped down, clearly having been disabled by Hao Jian. Wu Ming, cradling his right hand with his left and trembling legs suggesting he might kneel, bit his lip refusing to do so. "Are you okay?" Hao Jian asked Che Xiaoxiao with concern. "I''m fine." Che Xiaoxiao shook her head. Hao Jian nodded, ready to approach Wu Ming with a fierce look, clearly not intending to let him off easily. "Forget it. Don''t let trash like him ruin your mood." But at this moment, Che Xiaoxiao held back Hao Jian, knowing that once he made a move, Wu Ming would end up either dead or severely injured, which would ruin their date. Hearing this, Hao Jian hesitated for a moment and ultimately did not strike, instead picking Wu Ming up and heading towards the exit. "You slapped my woman, I disabled your arm, we''re even now." Hao Jian gave the man a cold glance before tossing him out the door. "Get lost. If I see you again, breaking an arm will be the least of your problems." After dusting off his hands, Hao Jian still had a cold look when glancing at Wu Ming, his anger still simmering. If it hadn''t been for not wanting to spoil Che Xiaoxiao''s mood, he probably would have killed the guy on the spot. Hao Jian then wrapped his arms around Che Xiaoxiao''s shoulders and turned back into the KTV. "Bastard, dare to hit me, just you wait!" Thrown to the ground by Hao Jian, Wu Ming roared as he got up, about to confront Hao Jian, but his eyes caught sight of a man approaching. His face lit up with joy, and he hastily waved over to the man, calling, "Brother Da! Brother Da!" Zhao Da, who was taking a walk, suddenly heard the familiar voice. Ahead, Fatty was waving his left hand at him and shouting his name. "Motherfucker! Who the hell did this?!" Seeing Wu Ming''s limp right hand, Zhao Da''s face filled with a chill. Since when did someone dare to discipline his brother, especially on his own territory? Were they courting death?! "Brother Da!" As Zhao Da approached with hastened steps, Wu Ming hurriedly met him. With a respectful tone, he soon remembered the recent events, gnashing his teeth with venomous words slipping out, "Brother Da, you have to stand up for me! That bastard kid broke my hand just like that! I was just trying to get a look at his girl, I didn''t do anything, who knew... who knew..." "You! Good for nothing but messing things up!" The moment Wu Ming spoke, Zhao Da immediately understood what had gotten him into such a state. Shaking his head, he snorted annoyedly, "If you can''t control your actions, even I won''t be able to cover for you when you get in trouble!" Zhao Da knew all about Wu Ming''s antics - if this guy had any life goals, it would probably be to have a few pretty girls by his side. "I... I wish!" Feeling somewhat lacking in confidence after being talked to like that by Zhao Da, Wu Ming was mainly too indulged in that feeling. "Hmph! Follow me!" Zhao Da snorted lightly and immediately took the lead into the KTV room where Hao Jian was. Hao Jian was soothing Che Xiaoxiao''s feelings at the time, continuously apologizing. If it hadn''t been for a phone call he received, this would never have happened. But now it was too late for anything, and all Hao Jian could do was keep apologizing. But just then, Fatty came over with more people, causing a glint of cold to flash through Hao Jian''s eyes. His face turned frosty. After asking Zhao Yating to help calm Che Xiaoxiao, Hao Jian slowly stood up with a chilling look in his eyes, staring intently at Wu Ming, who was hiding behind Zhao Da. A cold voice emerged from his mouth. "It seems you have forgotten my previous warning. I remember saying if you dare to show up in front of me again, it won''t be as simple as just breaking an arm!" Upon hearing this, Wu Ming''s face showed a flash of panic. But glancing at Zhao Da, he felt greatly relieved and immediately shouted at Hao Jian with a bitter face, "Kid! Hand over the two beauties behind you obediently! I''ll let you off. Otherwise, you''ll learn what pain is very soon!" "Heh? Just the two of you?" Hao Jian laughed loudly, pointing first at Zhao Da, then at Wu Ming. The mocking tone in his voice made Zhao Da''s face grow even darker. "Wrong, it''s not just the two of us!" As his words fell, Zhao Da clapped his hands, and immediately a group of gangsters wielding sticks flooded in through the door. Hao Jian somewhat recognized a few of them, seeming to be gangsters who lingered outside the KTV. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Oh? It seems this KTV is not so simple after all, with all these low-level soldiers guarding it?" Seeing these people, Hao Jian immediately understood their relationship and smirked, stretching out his finger and shaking it slowly, "Just relying on these people is not enough... Besides, without a reason, do you have the right to lay hands on me?" "Haha! Kid, talking reason to these gangsters, aren''t you too naive?!" To Wu Ming, this statement by Hao Jian seemed like a plea for mercy, and he burst out laughing triumphantly, yelling, "I said, if you don''t call those two beauties out from behind you, don''t even think about leaving!" "Bastard! In this world, we value reason! Since this kid wants a reason from us, let''s give him one!" But just as Wu Ming''s words came out, they provoked Zhao Da''s scornful reprimand. He then raised his head, staring at Hao Jian and smirked coldly, "As guests, we are welcome..." "As unwelcome guests and as thieves, we are even less welcome! I suspect you stole the most expensive red wine from our establishment, worth tens of thousands!" "Hah? Is that your reason? Framing me?!" Hao Jian couldn''t help but laugh upon hearing the other party''s slander. Next, Zhao Da really did something unexpected. He directly ordered his men to take out that bottle of red wine worth thirty thousand yuan from his collection and then smashed it onto the ground not far from Hao Jian. Pointing at the pool of wine, although Zhao Da felt somewhat heartbroken, his expression remained, his face tinged with cold frost, and he slowly opened his mouth, saying, "Now, this is the evidence!" "Clap! Clap! Clap!" As the words ended, a series of not very loud applause sounded. Hao Jian was seen clapping with a smile on his face, seemingly unconcerned about Zhao Da''s slander. Has this guy gone mad? Aside from Hao Jian, this question arose in the minds of everyone present. If he hadn''t gone mad, how could he still smile and clap in the face of such blatant slander?! "Your reasoning really is low-level! So low-level that I can''t help but applaud to praise the thickness of your skin; I think it''s thick enough for hundreds of people..." The voice of Hao Jian made Zhao Yating behind him make a strange face. Whenever this guy started teasing, it definitely meant something bad for the guys on the other side... "Kid! Still daring to talk tough at death''s door?!" Wu Ming''s face turned ugly. Although he did not understand the meaning of Hao Jian''s words, he could no longer restrain the urge to beat up Hao Jian and then grab the two women behind him to pin down! "Who lives and who dies is not yet certain..." Hao Jian gave a cold smile, then clapped his hands lightly. His voice wasn''t loud but held a certain enchanting power, causing everyone present to shut their mouths... "Young Master Hao!" After just three seconds, a loud roar suddenly exploded behind Zhao Da and his people. Then they saw one by one, the gangsters started falling down. In less than thirty seconds, thirteen out of more than twenty gangsters had fallen, and the area was filled with wails. "Spice... Spice Ginger?!" Zhao Da came back to his senses, turned his head, and saw a menacing figure slowly approaching. Recognizing the familiar face, his body involuntarily trembled... How... How could this be? How could such a fierce figure appear in his KTV?! Chapter 880 - 879: The Magnanimous Adult Actually, when Hao Jian just stepped out, he had received a phone call from Spice Ginger, telling him that he was drinking nearby. But he did not expect to return and see Che Xiaoxiao being beaten up; Spice Ginger had only come over to offer a toast to Hao Jian and unexpectedly witnessed this scene upon arrival. "Zhao Da, you have the guts to mess with my boss, quite bold, eh?" With a sneer, Spice Ginger looked at Zhao Da. He was pretty clear about this guy''s character. And Wu Ming, who often defiled singing girls at KTVs, was also known to him. However, such things were common in the underworld, and since it was someone else''s turf, he hadn''t felt it was his place to interfere. But now that these people were picking on Hao Jian, he couldn''t ignore it any longer. "Spice Ginger, cut the crap. Have your brothers smash this place. Take whatever you see, and if anything happens, I''ll take the fall." Hao Jian glanced at Che Xiaoxiao behind him and waved his hand impatiently at Spice Ginger, signaling him to get moving and take care of business, rather than wasting time here. "But these two guys..." Upon hearing this, Spice Ginger nodded and was about to lead his brothers out, but then he glanced at Wu Ming and hesitated to speak. He wanted to ask if he needed to take care of them as well. "Leave these two guys to me to deal with. You go take care of your business." Hao Jian shook his head. Wu Ming was the main culprit for hitting Che Xiaoxiao, and now he had brought Zhao Da to cause him trouble. This was something Hao Jian could not overlook. As for Zhao Da, there was even less to say¡ªhe dared to smear his reputation... "Boss... Boss..." Zhao Da had not heard the conversation between the two men, as he was already terrified to the point of a blank mind by what Spice Ginger had just said. Had he really just gone after a big shot like Spice Ginger?! By the time he recovered, the entire KTV was left with only Hao Jian and his three associates, along with Zhao Da and Wu Ming. As for the others, they had all been pulled away by Spice Ginger and his men to keep from bothering Hao Jian any further. "Sir... Sir, I beg you to be magnanimous, please don''t take it out on us small fry!" Finally snapping out of it, Zhao Da knelt down before Hao Jian in terror, knocking his head on the floor repeatedly, his trembling form expressing his current fear. "Please don''t wreck our shop!" After Spice Ginger and the others had gone out, the relentless sounds of smashing and crashing filtered through the poorly soundproofed door, causing Zhao Da''s pale complexion to turn even whiter. After all, this shop wasn''t his! There was a real boss above him! "Right, right, we were wrong, so wrong!" Seeing Zhao Da kneel, Wu Ming quickly followed suit. If his own backbone was scared, what could he do? Although he had no idea who Spice Ginger or Hao Jian were, Zhao Da''s actions were undoubtedly the right move. "Oh? You tell me, on what grounds should I forgive you?" Hao Jian looked at the two men with a cold sneer, snorting coldly, "You harm my woman because you can, you give me the blame casually, and now that you realize I am stronger than you and that you can''t beat me, you start to beg for mercy?!" "Where did that aggressive momentum just now go?! Motherfucker! You''re cowering now?!" "If I didn''t have this power, maybe I''d be the one kneeling on the ground right now, and my woman would have been defiled by this pig!" Hao Jian''s cold words hit Zhao Da and Wu Ming''s already shaking hearts with each syllable, and Zhao Da''s face revealed a color of ashen despair, fearing that there might not be a way out of this... "Smack!" Just then, the door to Hao Jian''s KTV room was opened again, and a man drenched in sweat rushed in, his face ashen with fear. He strode over to where Zhao Da and the other were. "Go to hell!" He stepped forward and kicked the two men, who hadn''t had the time to react, and sent them flying out. Zhao Da, with a puzzled face, stared at the man who had kicked them. "Boss... Boss¡­ why are you hitting us?" The "boss" Zhao Da was referring to was naturally the real owner of the KTV, a man named Xu Zhu known for his resourcefulness. Before Hao Jian took control of both the legal and illegal domains of Hua City, Xu Zhu also wielded a not-insignificant influence in the underworld. However, under pressure from Hao Jian''s emergence, he had no choice but to disband his followers. It was only recently that he started to gather a few people again to watch his shop and keep up appearances, as Zhao Da alone didn''t have the capacity to manage these toughs. In fact, when trouble arose just now, it was one of his subordinates who phoned him. Hearing that his shop was being vandalized, he immediately leaped from his mistress and rushed here without stopping. As soon as he reached the entrance of the shop, his head felt like it had been ferociously hammered. The entire KTV was in shambles¡ªanything that could be seen or carried was destroyed. The floor-to-ceiling windows were shattered, and the goods in the internal supermarket were trampled and broken beyond recognition. Upon seeing this scene, he also rushed over to stop it, but a man casually threw him out. This man was none other than Spice Ginger. After motioning toward Hao Jian''s room to Xu Zhu, Spice Ginger led his hundreds of brothers to smash up the KTV. Xu Zhu recognized him and knew that what the current Hao Jian was waiting for was this business owner''s stance, so he didn''t let his men intervene either. Instead, they continued their task. Although Hao Jian had said they could take whatever they needed, they really didn''t know what to take. Money? They were not short of it. Things? They were not short of that either. Even KTVs like this, Spice Ginger could buy several in a snap of a finger. Given that, why bother exerting effort on something worthless? Just smash it up, that''s it. As for the servers of the shop, as soon as they saw the fearsome appearance of Spice Ginger and his men, they scurried out of the KTV and dared not enter again. "Heh, it seems you''re the owner of this place, aren''t you?!" Before Xu Zhu could answer Zhao Da''s question, Hao Jian''s voice rang out, scaring him into immediately kneeling on the ground. Hao Jian''s voice might have been light, but Xu Zhu, as a businessman, could clearly sense the anger within it. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yes, yes... I am the owner of this place, Young Master Hao, please spare me!" Sweating profusely from his forehead, Xu Zhu kept nodding his head, and then he pointed fiercely towards Zhao Da and his companion, saying, "It''s all these two bastard''s fault! Please, Young Master Hao, show mercy and spare this shop!" "I simply can''t believe you wouldn''t know about these two''s antics over the years." Upon hearing this, Hao Jian shook his head slightly, first glanced at Zhao Da and his companion and said, "These two, I will definitely not let go today..." "And you, I will not let off either. However, I am not the one who will deal with this matter today; there is someone else who will. Just wait here for a while." After speaking, Hao Jian fell silent and stopped speaking. He reached for the snacks on the table and started eating them bit by bit, while Che Xiaoxiao, comforted by Zhao Yating, stopped sobbing. But her eyes, originally full of spirit, were now tinged with red, stirring pity in those who saw them. Now that Hao Jian was silent, Xu Zhu didn''t dare to say anything more, for fear of disturbing him, but he was puzzled in his heart about who would come to handle them. But it was just as well, as long as it wasn''t Hao Jian dealing with this... Recalling the rumors that swirled in their circles about Hao Jian''s personality, Xu Zhu felt a tinge of fear. Because all the rumors converged on one essence: cold and unfeeling. Time trickled away, and the sounds of destruction outside never ceased. Xu Zhu''s heart bled as the KTV, though not his main business, was still a profitable asset. Now that it was being destroyed, it genuinely hurt; it was the fruit of his labor! "Creak..." After an unknown length of time, so long that the knees of the three kneeling people had gone numb, the sound of the K room door opening suddenly echoed. Hao Jian''s eyes lifted slightly and there, at the doorway, a female clad in a professional suit stepped in slowly. A woman? She probably won''t be that much of a threat... Seeing that it was a woman, Xu Zhu''s heart dropped with relief. As long as it''s a woman, then things should be easier to handle... But just as his heart settled, the moment he saw the woman''s face, his own face gradually froze, and a trembling voice emanated from him... "It''s you?!" The person who arrived was Che Xiaoxiao''s mother, Guo Shuxian. The moment she received word from Hao Jian that her daughter had been bullied, she immediately interrupted the meeting she was in halfway through, grabbed her purse, and sped towards the KTV with urgency. Her daughter had just been through an ordeal not long ago, and now there was another incident. Frightened, Guo Shuxian did not dare waste a minute. However, when she walked in and saw her unscathed daughter, Che Xiaoxiao, on the sofa, her expression also turned to blank astonishment. "What''s going on? Hao Jian!" She had seen hundreds of people smashing the KTV outside, initially thinking it might be a fight, and worried that she might get dragged into it if she entered, but her concern for her daughter led her to push through regardless. When she arrived, it seemed as though the gangsters simply couldn''t see her, completely ignoring her presence. Relieved by this, she followed the address given by Hao Jian and found Hao Jian in the K room, where she also saw Che Xiaoxiao sitting on the sofa... Looking at the unhealed handprint on Che Xiaoxiao''s cheek, her anger began to rise slowly... Chapter 881 - 880: Doing You a Favor... "Xiaoxiao, how did you end up like this!? Hao Jian, you owe me an explanation!" Guo Shuxian hurriedly rushed to Che Xiaoxiao''s side, ignoring Xu Zhu and the others, looking at the slap marks on her daughter''s face and those bloodshot eyes, the rage in her heart growing more intense. Having heard this, Hao Jian could only force a bitter smile, then pointed at Zhao Yating, saying with a wry smile, "Let Yating explain it to you..." A regular mother should not be provoked, let alone an angry one, and Hao Jian now dared not say anything more; if Guo Shuxian directed her spearhead at him, he wouldn''t have the time to explain. Upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, and seeing Guo Shuxian''s gaze shifting onto her, Zhao Yating quickly organized her thoughts and then laid out the entire incident from start to finish. "Drip-drip... Drip-drip!" As Zhao Yating narrated the full story with her voice neither too loud nor too soft, sweat increasingly beaded on Xu Zhu''s face, dripping down his cheeks. Behind him, Wu Ming and his companion, upon realizing Guo Shuxian''s identity and that the girl was her daughter, wore even more ashen expressions. At this moment, Zhao Da felt a desire to die, inwardly cursing Wu Ming to death. Why on earth did he have to mess with the mayor''s daughter? Was he asking for trouble?! As time passed and Zhao Yating''s narration neared its end, Guo Shuxian''s expression gradually settled into calmness, her thoughts unfathomable. And that''s when Guo Shuxian was often at her angriest ¨C just like Hao Jian, who became more composed the angrier he got, not out of emotion but out of instinct. A true strong person can remain unfazed even if Mount Tai crumbles before them, for only absolute calmness can lead to the most correct judgments instead of letting rage consume them and driving them to do unthinkable things. "I understand now..." Following the conclusion of Zhao Yating''s narration, Guo Shuxian nodded and then turned her head to glance at Hao Jian, letting out a cold snort, causing him to scratch his head awkwardly. Though she was angry at Hao Jian for his failure to protect, Guo Shuxian knew now was not the time to hold him accountable; instead, she needed to deal first with these few people, or more accurately, the mastermind and his accomplices. "Xu Zhu, is it? Speak up, how do you want to resolve this?" Guo Shuxian cast a bland glance at Xu Zhu, her cool voice emanating; as for Zhao Da and Wu Ming, she didn''t even spare them a glance. "Miss Guo! I''m really sorry! It''s all because of these two bastards, please, I beg Young Master Hao to stop trashing my club..." Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Xu Zhu trembled all over, hastily raising his head, his face streaming with tears and snot as he begged for mercy, pushing the blame onto Zhao Da and his accomplice. "It seems you still haven''t reflected on your own mistakes." Guo Shuxian shook her head, a flicker of icy disdain in her eyes as she pulled out her cell phone from her bag and dialed the police chief''s number, instructing him to come and seal up this KTV immediately. As for the reason, she didn''t state one. If Wu Ming could engage in such disgraceful acts in this KTV, it suggested that the establishment wasn''t clean either. A little investigation would probably reveal all sorts of clues. "Miss Guo! This is my life''s work!" Hearing Guo Shuxian''s phone call, which wasn''t hidden from the people present, Xu Zhu, who was closest to her, heard everything clearly and his face suddenly turned desperate as he pleaded. "Can''t be bothered with you!" Disgusted by Xu Zhu''s demeanor, Guo Shuxian showed a trace of loathing and waved her hand impatiently, then turned around to her daughter and let out a humph, saying, "Don''t you ever dare to come to a place like this again!" "This time, fortunately, Hao Jian arrived in time. If that scoundrel had been any later, you could have lost your innocence!" Guo Shuxian glared at Hao Jian fiercely before earnestly advising Che Xiaoxiao, saying, "My dear young lady, please just do as your mother says!" "Mom... I... I don''t want to just stay at home all the time..." "You..." At that, Guo Shuxian also became exasperated, thinking what on earth had this girl been eating; she used to be so obedient! Could it be this damned brat''s influence?!'' With that thought, Guo Shuxian sharply turned her head, her eyes firmly on Hao Jian, and let out a cold hum, saying, "Won''t you hurry up and solve these issues?!" As a public figure, and a woman at that, even if she wanted to punish these three men, she was powerless to do so. Even when the police would arrive later, she could only let them take these men away. As for physical punishment, she couldn''t exact it herself. Conducting severe interrogation was not befitting of their image as public servants, so the best approach to dealing with these individuals was to let Hao Jian, who operates outside legal constraints yet is somewhat governed by them, handle it. "Yes, yes, yes..." Hao Jian scratched his head, aware that he was at fault, and could only follow orders. Besides, she was also his mother-in-law, so when the mother-in-law commanded, he had to get it done properly. "Speak, how do you two wish to die?" With a sigh of resignation, Hao Jian walked up to the two men, grabbed the already-frightened-unconscious Wu Ming, lifted him up, and looked down at Zhao Da, with cold words emanating from his lips. "Hao... Young... Young Master Hao, we were wrong!" The appearance of several influential figures had already shattered Zhao Da''s last hope, his pleas for mercy weak and breathless... "Wrong? Heh..." "Bang!" With a casual toss, Wu Ming was thrown onto Zhao Da, creating a heavy thud as their bodies collided. Zhao Da''s head just happened to hit Wu Ming''s sturdy chest, and the immense force sent him flying. "Crack..." "Aah!" The crisp sound of a fractured sternum, and intense pain rapidly spread throughout Wu Ming''s body, causing the already unconscious man''s eyes to pop open, his mouth agape, and a pig-like scream suddenly filled the air, startling the three women. Caught unawares... "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Over the next five minutes, Hao Jian threw punch after punch, targeting the pain points on Wu Ming''s and Zhao Da''s bodies with his knowledge of human anatomy, amplifying their original agony by five or six times. The pain was so intense that both men foamed at the mouth, with Zhao Da convulsing uncontrollably; he was clearly done for. "As I''ve said before, if you came looking for me again, it wouldn''t be just breaking your hands..." By the time Hao Jian finished with Zhao Da, the previous fierce collision had already caused some concussion, leaving Zhao Da in a trance, screaming less despite the pain being five or six times more intense than normal. The daze was clearly a result of the violent head impact with Wu Ming''s chest bone, which had led to a concussion. Casually grabbing the now white-eyed Wu Ming, Hao Jian didn''t care if the man could hear him or not, he spoke, then grasped Wu Ming''s left hand and with a fierce jab at the joint, the crisp sound of breaking bones echoed. Hao Jian had directly severed the tendons and some blood vessels and even broke the hand bones. Such excruciating broken bone pain would have had anyone screaming in agony or fainting, yet Wu Ming showed no reaction, not because he could endure more than average people, but because he was already unconscious to the point that not even such excruciating pain could awaken him. "How lucky for you..." Seeing this, Hao Jian cursed under his breath, tossed him aside with Zhao Da, and waited for the police to deal with the aftermath. He then waved at Guo Shuxian, "I''ve done the beating; the rest is up to you. Take care of Xiaoxiao and Yating." After finishing his words, Hao Jian didn''t give Guo Shuxian a chance to respond. He walked past, but as he did so, his footsteps unexpectedly changed direction mid-air as if due to a tricky floor. A faint burst of Qi Force emanated from his foot, ultimately striking Xu Zhu in the back, sending him flying with tremendous force. "Now that it''s quiet, finally no more idiotic babbling..." With a slow curl of his lips and a hum, Hao Jian stepped out the door. Since Guo Shuxian had called the police, there was nothing left for him to do. Besides, he had beaten the men and done what was needed, so letting Guo Shuxian clean up the mess seemed fitting. It was a pity about the date; there was a chance for another encounter with Che Xiaoxiao, but it was ruined by the three bastards. "Damn it, I must choose a place I''m familiar with next time, definitely won''t come to these unmanaged places again!" A voice tinged with regret escaped from Hao Jian''s mouth, diffusing through the air. "This rascal! Just ran off like that?!" Watching Hao Jian leave, Guo Shuxian''s expression darkened, but seeing the three men''s miserable condition on the ground cooled her anger somewhat. At least that guy didn''t kill anyone... "Auntie, don''t be angry. This was my and Xiaoxiao''s fault¡ªit''s not related to Hao Jian..." Seeing Guo Shuxian''s continued displeasure, Zhao Yating hesitated before attempting to defend Hao Jian. "Yating, it seems you''re almost charmed by that boy. He has many secrets that you all don''t know about!" Guo Shuxian impatiently waved her hand, hugged Che Xiaoxiao, snorted towards the direction Hao Jian left, and then spoke to Zhao Yating. "Auntie..." Zhao Yating could only smile wryly... Chapter 882 - 881: Car Accident! As Hao Jian and the others left the KTV, the incident also came to a close. However, right after they departed, the police arrived with their sirens blaring, surrounding the entire KTV. Despite Xu Zhu''s plea for leniency, Guo Shuxian remained unmoved. When she said she would shut the place down, she meant it and had the police seal off the establishment immediately. As for the unconscious Zhao Da and Wu Ming, they were dragged out of the KTV to be handled by the police, and Guo Shuxian emphasized once again that they should be dealt with severely. These guys had laid their hands on her precious daughter. If she didn''t show some ruthlessness, her anger would not subside. Therefore, these men were destined for tragedy. However, before they were taken in for interrogation, their injuries had to be checked. The final diagnosis was that Zhao Da had a mild concussion, while Wu Ming''s condition was much more serious with both of his hands broken, the left one nearly useless. When Guo Shuxian received this report, a smile appeared on her face; she highly approved of what Hao Jian had done this time. "All settled!" Seeing the message from Che Xiaoxiao on his phone, Hao Jian also smiled faintly, then casually threw his phone aside on the sofa and went to take a shower. This time it was a narrow escape. If he hadn''t returned so quickly, little Xiaoxiao might have already been in trouble. Hao Jian could hardly imagine what he would have done if something had happened to Xiaoxiao¡­ Fortunately, this incident also taught Hao Jian a lesson: leaving his woman unprotected could potentially lead her into danger. As for the likes of Spice Ginger coming over this time, Hao Jian was clear about rewards and punishments and transferred a billion directly to Spice Ginger''s account for them to divide up, as a form of recompense. Originally, Spice Ginger did not intend to take Hao Jian''s money, as their current status was inseparable from Hao Jian''s help, and they had not been short of money in recent years. But with no other choice and knowing that refusing could trigger Hao Jian''s temper, Spice Ginger could only accept the money without further resistance. ............... "Hello, boss, I''ll come see you in a bit, you must wait for me, okay?" Early in the morning, Hao Jian was woken up by a phone call. It was from Li He; he had no choice but to answer, but when he finished listening to Li He''s words and was about to respond, he found that Li He had hung up the phone, making Hao Jian involuntarily curse under his breath. This damn kid, is he looking for trouble?! Wait till you get here, I''ll make sure to deal with you properly! Checking the time, it was already nine in the morning. Hao Jian slowly got up, stretched, and went to freshen up. After spending half an hour on his morning routine and breakfast, Hao Jian sat in the living room waiting for Li He''s arrival. As for Sister Lan, she had left early in the morning; at least, Hao Jian had not seen her since he got up. "Tick-tock... Tick-tock... Tick-tock..." As the clock hands kept moving, Hao Jian sitting on the sofa became more and more restless. Glancing at his watch, it was almost noon. "It''s noon already, why hasn''t that damn kid arrived?!" Hao Jian was at a loss for words; Li He had clearly said he would come right over, but after waiting for two or three hours, there was still no sign of him, and his irritation grew steadily stronger. "Dudu dudu¡­" Finally, after another half hour, Hao Jian''s phone rang, showing Li He''s number. He quickly answered, only to hear words from the other end that turned his face pale. "Are you a family member of Mr. Li He? Mr. Li He has just been in a car accident and is now lying in the hospital. We hope you can come as soon as possible to sign the consent form so we can proceed with the surgery; Mr. Li He''s condition can''t wait much longer..." "I''ll be there right away!" "Snap!" After that, Hao Jian swiftly grabbed his jacket, secured his phone, and ran outside, jumping down the stairs in two steps and reaching the bottom in just three or four seconds, thanks to his agile skills and the absence of people nearby. "Boom!" Flipping his body into the already opened window of the car, he didn''t even bother opening the car door. As soon as he jumped into the Enzo, he inserted the key quickly, started the car, and immediately floored the accelerator, roaring down the road ahead. The people around were stunned. Was that young man out of his mind? Driving so fast in the city, wasn''t he afraid of being caught by traffic police? "Damn it, you better be okay, you lousy kid!" His hands on the steering wheel were white from gripping so tightly, his face clearly showing anxiety. Hao Jian kept muttering these words, praying in his heart. He was driving fast; ten minutes later, Hao Jian arrived at the hospital entrance. The car made a tail spin and came to a stable stop in the parking lot. He quickly opened the door and dashed towards the hospital entrance without pause. "Nurse! Nurse! In which room is Li He?!" As soon as he entered the lobby, Hao Jian hurried to the hospital''s reception counter, anxiously asking the two nurses, his face full of urgency, palms already sweating profusely. "Are you referring to the gentleman who was just in a car accident?" As hospital staff, these two nurses were already accustomed to such scenes. In fact, they considered Hao Jian''s reaction relatively calm. Some relatives of patients, driven by their anxiety, would even resort to extreme behavior. "Yes, yes, yes! Someone from your hospital just called me, hurry, tell me where he is!" Hands trembling, constantly slapping the counter, Hao Jian was in sheer panic, praying in his heart that Li He was alright. If even someone with Li He''s skills had met with an accident, it indicated how severe the crash must have been. "He''s currently in the emergency surgery room on the fourth floor!" The nurse quickly leafed through some documents, then pointed to the elevator not far away, and said. This building is the emergency department; all emergency cases are treated here. Li He''s condition, having fainted due to the car accident, warranted immediate admission to the operating room, to manage his injuries and stem the bleeding, which otherwise would have been enough to be fatal. "Okay, thank you!" After a quick word of thanks, Hao Jian turned and rushed towards the stairs next to the elevator. With Hao Jian''s speed, he could even reach the fourth floor faster than the elevator. He was seen stomping fiercely on the floor taking a turn at the stairwell, his body shooting upward, jumping one floor at a time. Within a mere three seconds, Hao Jian had reached the entrance of the fourth floor. "Tap, tap, tap!" Without stopping, he dashed towards the operating room. As he approached, Hao Jian saw the doctor waiting at the door for Li He''s family to arrive. "Doctor, how is it going?!" "Are you a relative of Mr. Li He?" "I''m his brother." Hao Jian snatched the consent form from the doctor''s hand and quickly signed it without hesitation. Having been a doctor himself, he was well aware of the procedures and didn''t want to waste time in conversation with the doctor. "Done, doctor, please proceed with the surgery quickly!" "A non-family member''s signature is of no use." "Cut the crap, if there''s a problem I''ll take responsibility, hurry up and operate on him!" Hao Jian bellowed; how long would they have to wait for his family? "This..." The doctor hesitated, but seeing the furious fire in Hao Jian''s eyes, he didn''t dare to waste any more time and quickly wheeled Li He into the operating room. "Thump!" As the doctor entered, the light in the operating room turned on. Watching the firmly shut door, Hao Jian''s anxious heart steadied somewhat, though his face still looked stern. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He took out his phone and dialed Spice Ginger''s number. An icy tone emitted from his mouth, "Spice Ginger, you must have received the news about Li He by now, right?" In the entire Hua City, Spice Ginger was Hao Jian''s information network. Anything he wanted to know, Spice Ginger would find a way to get it for him. Hao Jian didn''t believe that Spice Ginger could have missed the news about his brother Li He''s accident. "Young Master Hao, I just received the news and was about to inform you, but I didn''t expect you to call first." In an office, Spice Ginger was organizing the information relayed by his subordinates about the accident involving Li He, planning to call Hao Jian to notify him. He did not expect Hao Jian to beat him to the punch. Sweat broke out on Spice Ginger''s forehead; other matters were inconsequential, but now that Hao Jian''s brother Li He had an accident, he hadn''t received the information immediately. If Hao Jian followed up on this, it could be troublesome for him. After all, Hao Jian had handed him the responsibility for Hua City''s information network, mainly to protect his friends and family. But now, Li He had had an accident, and it was the doctor who had made the call... "I don''t care about other things, and I won''t ask. What''s most important now is that you find out who hit Li He!" Hao Jian''s deep voice conveyed an intensity that made Spice Ginger tremble, and he quickly responded: "Rest assured, Young Master Hao, I''ve already got people handling this perfectly for you!" "I didn''t see the driver who caused the accident at the hospital; they must have fled the scene. Use all means necessary to find that driver for me! If you need money or anything else, just come to me!" After hanging up the phone, Hao Jian looked at the door of the operating room, his face dark and fearsome. If he found out who was responsible, he would make sure they paid! Chapter 883 - 882: How Do You Want to Die? "Young Master Hao! Found it!" An hour later, the red light in the operating room where Li He was being treated was still on, and Hao Jian''s phone rang. After connecting, Spice Ginger''s voice came through. "Where?!" With a whoosh, Hao Jian abruptly stood up and called out. "In a wealthy district in the suburbs, that car is parked in front of one of the villas. I''m sending the photo to you now..." Spice Ginger knew this wasn''t the time for small talk. She sent the photo of the Ferrari to Hao Jian, showing that its front was severely damaged, clearly from a heavy collision. Next to the car was an excessively luxurious mansion, but because of the surrounding walls, it was impossible to see inside. "Spice Ginger, send a few brothers over to the hospital. If anything happens to Li He, call me immediately," said Hao Jian, nodding after receiving the photo. "You can count on me, Young Master Hao!" ...... Spice Ginger immediately agreed. Originally, she wanted to ask if Hao Jian needed her to send some people, but then she thought that those she sent might just slow Hao Jian down, so she gave up the idea. After hanging up the phone, she ordered several brothers near the hospital to go there and keep watch, while she too got ready and drove toward the hospital. This was about Hao Jian''s brother. It was crucial to get any news to Hao Jian first. She had already failed once when the accident happened; this time, failure was not an option. Information had to reach Hao Jian immediately. "Rumbling!" With the address in hand, Hao Jian immediately climbed into Enzo, pressed down on the accelerator, and sped toward the location, his eyes flaming with anger as he looked down the road ahead. "This time, I want to see where you can run to!" The fury in his eyes could not be quelled, and the fire in his chest, like a blazing furnace, burned explosively. The voice of Hao Jian, repressing his rage, slowly filled the car, along with a tangible killing intent, which could only be subdued by a spray of fresh blood... Anyone who dared to touch his brother would definitely not have a good ending! According to Spice Ginger''s investigation, this car accident was clearly a deliberate act. After shifting through various surveillance footage, the Ferrari, which was originally parked by the road, accelerated instantly after seeing Li He''s sports car, ramming violently into it. Inside the car, Li He, due to the strong force of the impact and its suddenness, banged his head against the steering wheel and lost consciousness immediately. As for the perpetrator, he drove away from the scene in the severely damaged Ferrari, not noticing the surveillance cameras on the road in his panic¡ªhis escape route fully exposed to the cameras. After following the trail, they finally located the Ferrari in a mansion area. Upon seeing the Ferrari, Spice Ginger''s subordinate immediately sent the photo, which led to Spice Ginger calling Hao Jian. When the car arrived at the suburban mansion area, the speed gradually decreased. Hao Jian glanced around and noticed a small grove nearby. He parked the car there, cautiously got out of the vehicle. This was close to the perpetrator''s mansion. Hao Jian was worried that any commotion might cause the perpetrator to escape, which would be bad. He emerged from the grove, took out his phone, pretending to play with it while slowly walking towards the mansion. As for Enzo, it remained hidden due to the bushes and tree branches around; unless one got close, it would not be noticed. So there wasn''t much to worry about... Approaching the mansion, he scanned the surroundings, saw no one, turned into a corner, and with a tremble of his body, he leaped over the mansion''s walls and entered. Hiding in the bushes at a corner of the mansion, Hao Jian''s gaze suddenly became grave. He saw soldiers in uniform, holding guns, their expressions stern, surveying the surroundings... Isn''t this just the home of a driver? Why are there soldiers? A regular person''s residence wouldn''t have so many soldiers guarding it. Even those who hold high office rarely enjoy this kind of treatment, unless you have made a great contribution or your position is very important. Damn it! No matter who you are, if you''ve touched the people around me, I, Hao Jian, will not let you off! "Swoosh!" His figure dashed out, striking hard at the head of a passing soldier, who instantly fell unconscious. However, besides this one who went down, there were several other soldiers guarding and patrolling nearby. As soon as they saw Hao Jian appear and take down one of their men, their faces changed, and they immediately yelled out. "Intruder spotted! Intruder spotted! Everyone come quickly, protect Young Master inside the house!" "Bang! Bang! Bang!" The result of the sound falling was the gunfire ringing out. Hao Jian slightly bent his waist, dodged the bullets shot directly at him, then swiftly rolled forward, grabbed a submachine gun from the ground, and after firing several shots towards the corners that posed the greatest threat to him, three soldiers fell... "Boom! Boom! Boom!" As bodies fell, like a war horn, it enraged all the soldiers. Screaming loudly, they pulled their triggers, and the sounds of gunfire rose and fell incessantly. Hao Jian quickly found a corner of the wall to hide behind, and that spared him from the bullets, but his eyes grew increasingly solemn. The skills of these soldiers were stronger than those of ordinary soldiers, seemingly elite, but only the elites among the common ranks, not the level of the Special Forces. "Bang! Bang!" Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Two quick shots took care of the ones who had stealthily approached from behind him. But Hao Jian''s face grew uglier; if this continued, the culprit driver might escape. He must fight swiftly and decisively! He rolled on the ground, instantly drawing all the fire towards him. However, Hao Jian moved too fast, often dealing with several of those soldiers before they could even aim at him. As time went by, the number of soldiers dwindled, and more and more corpses lay on the ground, the blood leaving a large patch of land stained red, Before long, all the soldiers outside had fallen to Hao Jian''s gunfire. To this, Hao Jian merely glanced indifferently before heading towards the villa''s main gate. He had seen such scenes far too often. Compared to the terrifying scenarios he had witnessed, this was nothing. After all, the world was not as peaceful as it seemed on the surface. The disputes of small countries were also numerous, and in the battles between nations, Hao Jian had participated in many when he was on missions. He understood profoundly that war was to prevent the bloodshed of more people. "Da da da..." He walked step by step towards the inside of the villa, reached out to touch the villa''s door handle, and Hao Jian''s eyes swiftly turned fierce. His ears moved slightly, and his Desert Eagle swiftly fired two shots towards two spots at the gate. Immediately, two muffled sounds came from the other side, followed by the thud of heavy objects falling to the ground. "Creak..." The door slowly opened, and in front of him, two bodies lay in pools of blood. Hao Jian didn''t even glance at them as he stepped over the corpses and walked in. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Strolling leisurely, every shot fired from his pistol was accompanied by a scream. Those people didn''t even have the chance to shoot before they were killed by Hao Jian, causing the color to drain from the faces of those still alive. Who was this fierce man?! There were about a hundred people here, and now he had dealt with nine-tenths of them all by himself... What was going on with this person? But their questions would not be answered, and even if someone did answer, they would not hear it, simply because the remaining people all ended up dying under Hao Jian''s gunfire. And in the bedroom at the end of the hallway, a young man lay on the ground ungracefully, with terror filled in his eyes looking at Hao Jian, his trembling hands unable to even hold a gun steadily. Before him, several bodies lay in pools of blood, and a feeling of despair rose within the young man... "Speak, how do you want to die..." Hatred was sharp when enemies met. At this moment, as Hao Jian looked at the young man, his eyes gradually turned bloodshot, and his voice, suppressing rage and mixed with a hint of Killing Intent, emitted from his mouth. "I... I..." But concerning Hao Jian''s question, the young man truly didn''t know how to answer, not to mention he was already dominated by fear, struggling even to speak a complete sentence... "Bang! Bang!" Two casual shots hit the young man''s feet, and immediately, a shrill scream erupted. Hao Jian''s face darkened, maliciousness shone in his eyes, and he spoke coldly, "If you don''t choose, then let me choose for you!" As he spoke, Hao Jian pressed the gun against the young man''s chest, his expression stone-cold, then slowly pulled the trigger in the sight of the terrified young man... "Bang!" The gunshot rang out, and the young man''s complexion instantly turned pale, immediately spewing out a mouthful of fresh blood, his eyes widened, his fingers trembling as they pointed at Hao Jian... Chapter 884 - 883: Just a Tiny Flea "I have no grievances with you... why... why would you want to kill me?!" "You hit my brother with your car, and he''s still in a coma to this day... what do you say to that?!" "But... I... I can''t drive!" What?! Watching the young man slowly collapsing, Hao Jian''s face changed drastically, his gaze shifting as he took in the blood-soaked atmosphere around him, his expression dark and terrifying. The man said he couldn''t drive, and it''s commonly believed that one doesn''t lie at the brink of death. This means it couldn''t have been him who hit Li He because he simply didn''t have the ability! S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian realized that he had been played! Completely played! Damn it, who the hell is trying to frame me?! Unable to hold back, Hao Jian cursed silently, his eyes burning with unquenchable anger. If he couldn''t see that this was a plot now, he might as well just go smash his head against a tree and be done with it. "With so many soldiers protecting him, his identity must be no ordinary one..." Looking at the young man lying in a pool of blood, Hao Jian''s face grew even more somber, realizing the other party intended to get him into major trouble. But what''s done is done, and he wasn''t about to run away. The urgent task at hand was to find the person who had screwed him over. If it weren''t for this guy, he wouldn''t have run into such trouble, of which he knew was going to be substantial. "Spice Ginger, something''s come up on my end. I need your guys to come help clean up and keep the news from spreading, for now." Picking up his cellphone, Hao Jian placed a call to Spice Ginger, who was still at the hospital, and briefly explained the situation. After receiving an affirmative response, he hung up the phone. Hao Jian trusted that Spice Ginger would handle everything perfectly, given that this was his line of work. If he managed the clean-up, at most, he''d dispose of the bodies and clear any traces. However, a professional like Spice Ginger would use the scene to his advantage and stage it as necessary, depending on the situation. After making the call, Hao Jian no longer lingered and scaled over the corner wall, leaving the villa... Walking outside, Hao Jian was puzzled; the gunfight they had in the villa was intense, yet not a soul had come by up until now. Out of curiosity, Hao Jian entered another villa, only to find it completely deserted... Empty... empty... empty! After checking one villa after another, Hao Jian realized that aside from that young man''s villa, all the others were eerily uninhabited! What''s going on here?! Arriving at a small grove, Hao Jian drove his Enzo out, his face colored with confusion. There were twenty or thirty sizeable villas in this area, covering a vast expanse of land. How could such a place be home to only one family?! And to have it guarded. What kind of place was this? Living in Hua City for so long, he had never heard of such a place... "Forget it, I''ll first return and make clear what''s happening here, at least get the identities of those involved." In the car, Hao Jian shook his head, putting aside his muddled thoughts, and then drove toward the building in Spice Ginger''s territory at full speed. Inside, they had the most advanced equipment in the world and also stored all the information they had gathered, ready to be used someday. And the only person who could make use of this information was Hao Jian himself. This place was essentially an information hub created and heavily funded by Spice Ginger specifically to assist Hao Jian, although the main financial burden was on Hao Jian himself. After all, Spice Ginger needed funds to support so many people, keeping some money aside for emergencies. As for Hao Jian, money was no object in setting up such a place. Although it cost a lot, it was a necessary expense, and the returns would come soon enough. "Young Master Hao, what happened to you? Why do you look so upset? Did someone offend you?" As soon as he entered the building, a sharp-eyed underling''s eyes lit up, and he quickly jogged up to Hao Jian, bending over with a sycophantic smile on his face. "Got played by a little flea." Shaking his head slightly, Hao Jian didn''t want to dwell on it, instead he asked the underling: "Where''s Zhou?" "Brother Zhou is upstairs..." The underling hurriedly replied. The Zhou that Hao Jian inquired about was the manager of the building and was a recent recruit of Spice Ginger, quite a clever fellow. At least when Spice Ginger showed him to Hao Jian, he proved to be articulate and capable. This person''s name is Zhou Yong. Although his name contains the character for "bravery," in truth he''s anything but brave. His physique resembles a thin Bamboo Pole, and he may be an expert when it comes to electronic devices, but as for fighting, any teenager could easily knock him down. This shows just how ''fragile'' he really is. "Yo yo yo, Young Master Hao, what brings you here today?" When he arrived at the fourth floor of the building and just stepped out of the elevator, he found Zhou Yong waiting for him. As soon as Zhou Yong saw Hao Jian, he quickly came forward to greet him. Beneath that ordinary face was a brain packed with wisdom. "Haha, Zhou, I won''t beat around the bush. Just get me the information here, I need to know who exactly is trying to frame me, Hao Jian!" As he spoke, Hao Jian took out his phone and pulled up the photo, then he handed his phone to Zhou Yong. "Mission guaranteed!" Listening to Hao Jian''s somewhat angry words, Zhou Yong also knew that now was not the time to chat. He took the phone from Hao Jian and then opened the big door behind him. "Beep beep beep..." With the door open, the sounds of various electronic devices filled the air, noisy but yet somehow orderly. The people working here efficiently received, sent, and organized messages from various informants, and even some daily news was collected. As soon as they saw Hao Jian appear, everyone stopped their work and quickly stood up, bending over to greet him loudly: "Good day, Young Master Hao!" "Alright, carry on with your work," said Hao Jian, waving his hand to let them all sit back down. He followed behind Zhou Yong to an office nearby with only one computer inside. "Young Master Hao, please take a seat. I''ll look up the information for you right now, it won''t take long." Zhou Yong made a cup of coffee for Hao Jian, placed it on the coffee table, excused himself, and then turned to sit down in front of the computer to search for the information Hao Jian needed. This computer contained links to the various pieces of information they had received; finding the relevant information would allow for immediate matching in the system, thereby saving a lot of time. Zhou Yong was busy searching for information for Hao Jian, while Hao Jian drank his coffee and waited quietly. The anger in his heart slowly subsided, but the chill in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest. Dissipating his anger was just a way to stay calm for what was to come, to avoid making any rash decisions. "Young Master Hao, I found it!" After who knows how long, Zhou Yong''s somewhat excited voice finally came through. The data was just a photo, which made it hard to find, and since their information collection on the suburbs was somewhat weak, the data was not very comprehensive. Nonetheless, through several rounds of analysis, he managed to compile the relevant information. It turns out that the owner of this villa is someone with quite a background¡­ "What is it? Tell me!" Hearing Zhou Yong''s excited voice, Hao Jian quickly got up and walked over to him, looking at the data displayed on the screen. "I''ll enlarge it for you." Zhou Yong hurriedly pulled down the projection screen hanging by the window, turned off the light, and then switched on the projector, casting the information from the computer screen onto it. "Since the data we''ve collected is somewhat incomplete, I can''t find the specific details. However, I just hacked into the National Security Network, found some information there, although it''s a bit vague. All we know is that this person has a very significant background..." "According to the information I found, this villa area was bought over by a tycoon more than a decade ago. Since the purchase, there have been no further developments, with nobody moving in, just left untouched." "Every end of the year, close to New Year''s Day, someone is sent to clean and tidy up the place. This has continued up to now..." "Five years ago, before you, Young Master Hao, came here, that tycoon suddenly entered the area with a child, followed by a group of bodyguards. When they left, only the tycoon and two bodyguards were seen leaving. As for the others, they never appeared again." "Seeing this situation made me curious, so I directly hacked the National Security Network and searched for information. I found out that this tycoon is a high-ranking military officer, a national General by the name of Dong Aiguo. I heard that twenty years ago, he had a single child while he was still in business. After purchasing that villa area, it seems he went straight off to join the military. Climbing to the rank of General in just twenty years, all I can say is¡ªimpressive!" Fuck! This is going to be troublesome... After hearing Zhou Yong''s words, Hao Jian''s face immediately turned grim. He always knew that place was not simple, but he did not expect it to be this complicated¡­ Chapter 885 - 884: Must Be Done! "Young Master Hao, what are you going to do?" Zhou Yong also looked worried. After all, this military tycoon was not someone easy to provoke, holding significant sway in the Military World and with extensive connections! "We''ll take it one step at a time. As long as I stay in Hua City, I don''t believe this guy can do anything to me." Hao Jian wasn''t too worried, thinking that if push came to shove, he could always use the minister as a shield. "But... who exactly is the one trying to frame me?" Touching his chin, a grim look appeared on Hao Jian''s face. He was still clueless about the matter. If he knew who dared to frame him, he would not let them off easily! "Beep beep beep..." Just as Hao Jian was unsure of his next move, his phone rang. Gazing at the number on the screen, he slightly narrowed his eyes, then pressed the answer button immediately. "Young Master Hao, good news! Young Master Li has awoken!" The moment he answered, the excited voice of Spice Ginger came through. Hearing this news, Hao Jian''s heart relaxed significantly, a joyful expression spreading across his face, as he said, "I''m on my way now. Take good care of Li He and tell him I''ll be there soon!" "You''ve had a tough day; I''m off!" After hanging up, Hao Jian also began to walk away, waving his hand at Zhou Yong, leaving the place as Zhou Yong, following Hao Jian''s departure, hastened to respectfully speak out, "Then, I won''t keep Young Master Hao any longer!" "Since he was hit, I think Li He, that lad, would naturally not forget those important clues..." In the car, Hao Jian''s eyes also showed a trace of joy. Originally thinking that the lead had gone cold, now with Li He awakening, the lead had been picked up again. It was now to see how many clues Li He could provide to Hao Jian. Upon arriving at the hospital, Hao Jian headed straight for the room given by Spice Ginger. Soon, he arrived at Li He''s room, where Spice Ginger and others had been waiting for a long time. "Young Master Hao, you''ve arrived. Young Master Li is waiting for you." Seeing Hao Jian arrive, Spice Ginger hurried forward, speaking in a low voice: "Young Master Li''s health isn''t very good right now. The doctor just told me that it''s already a miracle he awoke..." "Understood." Upon hearing this, Hao Jian nodded. As long as he was awake, they could simply give him some medicines to speed up his recovery later, but Hao Jian hadn''t expected Li He''s life to be so tough, surviving a car accident with just a single surgery¡ªa fortune not every common man has. Gently shaking his head, he dismissed these useless thoughts from his mind, pushed the door open, and walked inside. "See if you dare to drive so fast next time..." Looking at Li He, who was lying in bed wrapped almost entirely in bandages, Hao Jian teased him. "Boss, stop teasing me. I''m lucky to have my life back; thanks to my tough luck, otherwise, I wouldn''t even know how I died..." Hearing Hao Jian''s teasing, Li He also felt helpless. He had been driving properly when suddenly a car hit him, losing consciousness instantly... "Got any clues?" After a light chuckle, Hao Jian didn''t engage in any more idle talk and asked directly. Upon hearing this, Li He also slightly focused his eyes, pondered for a moment, then looking at Hao Jian, said, "When I got hit, I only knew that the car was a red Ferrari, other than that, I don''t know anything else..." "This makes it difficult..." Li He mentioned the car Hao Jian had already found, but as you can guess, they killed the wrong person. Suddenly, Hao Jian turned his head towards Li He and asked, "What were you coming to see me about this morning?" "Oh? You''re talking about that? I almost forgot..." Reminded by Hao Jian, Li He was suddenly enlightened, then hurriedly said, "This morning, I received news that Ye Wenying has arrived in Hua City..." "Are you serious?!" Hearing that Ye Wenying had come, Hao Jian''s face instantly turned gloomy, his voice low and heavy, transmitted, saying, "I haven''t received that information on my end yet. If it is him coming over, then the car accident makes sense." "Are you saying, my car accident, was orchestrated by that guy?!" Hearing Hao Jian''s explanation, Li He''s facial expression turned ugly immediately. If it weren''t for the bandages wrapped around him, he would have thrown a punch already. "Yes, we can be sure that he was involved..." Hao Jian nodded slightly, and then recounted the recent events to Li He. As Hao Jian spoke, Li He''s face showed some emotion, but mostly worry. He was moved that Hao Jian, regardless of the opponent''s identity, had eliminated all the suspects. However, he was worried that Hao Jian had provoked a big shot from the military, someone with a high military rank, a person not even he dared to mess with. Yet Hao Jian went ahead and killed the man''s son... This was their only son! How is this different from cutting off one''s descendants?! If it had been the Ye Family, Li He would have only applauded, but this person Hao Jian offended was too significant... "Now it seems that Ye Wenying is the prime suspect..." After listening to Hao Jian''s narrative, Li He slowly said: "And if my car accident, as you described, was indeed man-made, then it must have been Ye Wenying''s doing; otherwise, how could my slow driving have led to an accident?!" "If you call your driving slow, then the speed I drive at must be a tortoise''s pace..." Hao Jian thought of the reckless speeds Li He used to drive at and felt speechless. Such a person dared to say his driving was slow?! "Haha, so what do you plan to do about this?" Caught in his act, Li He just shamelessly laughed a few times. Since there was no one else around, there was no worry about losing face. After laughing, he looked worried and said, "Ye Wenying hit me and framed you. If you don''t teach him a lesson, it would be letting him off too easily." S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Let''s hold off on Ye Wenying for now. I need to resolve the immediate problem first. I can only suppress the news for three days; after that, I will have to face that old guy''s revenge." Having said this, Hao Jian felt somewhat helpless. It was indeed his fault that caused someone''s family line to end. If the other party would sit down and talk, perhaps they could resolve it, but if they opt for violence, then Hao Jian is not someone to be trifled with. Others might fear your status, but I, Hao Jian, do not! "Haha, I''m not in a position to help you right now. And with your skills, you wouldn''t be afraid of that old man''s retaliation, right? Boss, your life is as resilient as Cockroach''s..." Hao Jian''s somewhat worried words also made Li He burst into laughter, mocking his pretentious act. "Stay in the hospital for these few days and don''t wander off. Your injuries aren''t healed yet, and you know what could happen if something goes wrong..." Hao Jian patted Li He on the shoulder, causing him to grimace in pain. Even a slight touch was excruciating on his injuries, especially since Hao Jian had slapped a more severely injured area. Concerning the consequences mentioned by Hao Jian, Li He knew them well. This time, Hao Jian had single-handedly dealt with over a hundred military personnel, provoking that big shot from the military. He was lucky to be alive this time, which was fortunate. If anything happened to him now, Hao Jian might just turn Hua City upside down. "Alright, alright, go back. I need to sleep; the pain is killing me!" Li He grinned and sent Hao Jian away. "Take care and rest well. I''ll find Ye Wenying and update you on the situation later." Seeing Li He''s impatient demeanor, Hao Jian smiled lightly, then turned around and left the room. Ye Wenying coming to Hua City without any prior intelligence received is troubling; Li He was the first to get wind of it. This means Spice Ginger must intensify surveillance in Hua City to avoid missing such ticking time bombs. Just like this time, not knowing about Ye Wenying''s arrival in Hua City resulted in Li He being seriously injured and falling into Ye Wenying''s trap. If he had received news of Ye Wenying''s arrival in Hua City at that time, these incidents could have been avoided. Thus, intensifying surveillance is essential! "Young Master Hao!" Spice Ginger, who was guarding the door, hurriedly greeted Hao Jian and asked with a puzzled tone seeing his solemn expression, "Young Master Hao, did something happen?" "Ye Wenying has come to Hua City..." Hao Jian spoke gravely, watching as Spice Ginger''s face turned pale, he said sternly, "After I deal with this matter, you must increase the surveillance across all parts of Hua City, especially on people like Ye Wenying who have a grudge against me. I cannot afford any more mishaps..." "Yes, yes, I will intensify our efforts!" Sweat formed on Spice Ginger''s forehead. His changing complexion and the fear in his heart were apparent, as he had accidentally let such a person slip into the city... "It has to be done!" It was understandable why Hao Jian insisted on this. Hua City was home to his friends and family. He did not want any harm to come to his loved ones in his territory, making this action necessary. At the same time, it was essential to put pressure on Spice Ginger to handle this task swiftly, lest this loophole was exploited by their enemies again. This time they used a car accident to target Li He; next time, they could use other methods to target someone else. Chapter 886 - 885: With You, Its Do or Die! In the following days, Hao Jian had people fully investigate Ye Wenying''s whereabouts, while also strengthening surveillance at some key locations in Hua City to prevent any infiltrations during this critical juncture. However, after three days of searching, Hao Jian still couldn''t find Ye Wenying and had to give up. The reason being, his message could no longer be contained and eventually leaked out, but surprisingly, after two days, nothing unusual had happened... On the day the message leaked, far away in the Capital City Military Region, Dong Aiguo finally received the news. When he received the message, he was leisurely gardening within the military area. "Commander! There''s a message!" That day, as Dong Aiguo was pruning his favorite plum tree with a pair of flower shears, he looked indifferently at the messenger who had entered. There wasn''t the slightest ripple in his heart. He continued pruning and said softly, "Speak, what''s the matter." The messenger, seeing the silvery-haired middle-aged man in front of him, whose presence was intimidating without anger, felt a shudder. Upon hearing his command, the messenger trembled, snapped back to reality, and quickly spoke: "According to the information we just received, the young master has been in an accident!" "It''s that new..." Originally indifferent, Dong Aiguo, upon hearing the messenger''s words, subconsciously spoke, but before he could finish, his expression drastically changed, his hands shuddered, the shears exerted too much force, and the half-person tall plum tree was pruned of its main trunk, leaving behind a short, lonely bamboo pole... "Tell me the details!" At this time, Dong Aiguo didn''t care about the plum tree anymore. His face darkened, and rage boiled within him. However, years of experience taught him that he must remain calm at all times. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Although he was infuriated, he knew the importance of priorities. The urgency of the matter was to hear out the messenger''s full report before making any decisions! "Yes!" The messenger hurriedly nodded, glancing momentarily at the fallen plum tree, swallowed his saliva, feeling somewhat fearful, worried that after delivering the messages, he might end up like that plum tree... "According to the message sent from the bodyguard in Hua City, the young master was killed by a young man who had entered directly through the front of the villa. Of the one hundred and three bodyguards assigned to the young master, the only survivor was the one who sent us this message..." This surviving bodyguard was the first to fall at the hands of Hao Jian. At that time, Hao Jian, in his fury, only intended to snatch the gun and had no intention of killing the man. Only later, upon realizing the overwhelming number of opponents, did he kill them all without hesitation. After dealing with the young man, due to the doubts in his mind, Hao Jian forgot about this person until he left. By then though, Spice Ginger''s people had already arrived at the villa, cleaning up the traces; he thought that with his strength, perhaps the person would remain unconscious long enough for Spice Ginger''s subordinates to finish the job. Surprisingly, the bodyguard woke before Spice Ginger''s subordinates arrived, checked the villa''s situation, and quickly left, thereby avoiding the third search by Hao Jian. After escaping, the bodyguard tried to send a distress signal to Dong Aiguo, only to find his phone had no signal. The reason for this was primarily that Hao Jian had activated a signal jammer, disrupting signals for three days before finally deactivating it. During these three days, the bodyguard tried every day to send messages, but no matter what method he used, the messages just couldn''t get out. He tried to leave Hua City, but as soon as he approached the highway exits, he found people monitoring and eventually gave up after several failed attempts. But being a loyal military man and bodyguard, he didn''t give up. While dodging the eyes of search crews, he continued to find various ways to restore his phone signal. Unable to send a single message in three days, primarily due to Hao Jian''s complete blockade of information, customer service phone lines of several major telecommunications operators were overwhelmed, yet they still couldn''t identify the problem until Hao Jian removed the jammers three days later. This naturally was Prophet''s doing. Originally, she planned to continue, but Hao Jian did not allow it, mainly because the disturbance was becoming too significant. As soon as Hao Jian removed the signal jammers, the bodyguard immediately sent all the information he knew, whether it could be received or not was no longer his concern. Upon seeing the successful message delivery, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, having resolved the issue... You said my son, was killed?!" An angry roar burst from Dong Aiguo, shaking the surrounding trees slightly, while the messenger beside him turned noticeably pale. "Yes... he was killed..." A trembling voice came from the messenger''s mouth, feeling the intense aura emanating from Dong Aiguo, his heart chilling as though plunged into an ice cellar. Upon confirmation, Dong Aiguo''s body shook slightly, his step faltered, and with one hand on his forehead, his face full of anger and accompanied by that astonishing murderous intent, his voice deep and slow, he said, "Speak! What exactly happened?" Since he''s now being informed of this news, his subordinates must have also gathered corresponding information. Therefore, Dong Aiguo won''t say to continue the investigation, because he knows these subordinates know what to do. "Yes!" The messenger quickly nodded and immediately pulled out a document from behind him, handed it to Dong Aiguo, and then took out his mobile phone, slowly explaining the ins and outs of the matter... "Are you saying Hao Jian killed my son?!" Even as a big shot in the Military World, Dong Aiguo had heard of Hao Jian''s name, and his assessment of him was that he was ruthless and fierce. With his own capabilities, he was able to take over the entire Hua City under national surveillance¡ªsomething even Dong Aiguo couldn''t achieve just because he was still under the jurisdiction of the law, while Hao Jian, to some extent, could operate outside the law, yet not be governed by it. Hmph! I don''t care what kind of monster you are, you killed Dong Aiguo''s son, and now it''s a fight to the death between us! Casting a cold glance at the messenger, Dong Aiguo''s icy voice carried through, saying, "I''ve heard that this Hao Jian has a company under him called Shu Ya Group, which deals in jewelry, right?" "Yes, that''s right. Although the company is not officially under his name, he is the real boss behind it. If you, sir, wish to make a move against them, Shu Ya Group has a shipment of goods that will be unloaded at the port soon. Perhaps we can start there..." The messenger is not just for conveying orders; at times, he can also offer strategies for his boss. Of course, average messengers wouldn''t dare to do this; only those who are confidants of their bosses would dare to speak out such suggestions. On hearing this, Dong Aiguo nodded and immediately pointed to the document in hand, asking, "When will this shipment arrive at the port?" "It will pass through Customs the morning two days from now," hurriedly said the messenger. "Tell Customs to capture that batch of jewelry by any means necessary. I want that boy to come to me personally and beg me to release the goods!" With a wave of his hand, Dong Aiguo''s deep voice emanated, and the messenger nodded firmly, then turned and ran out to prepare for this matter. "Boom!" After the messenger had gone out, Dong Aiguo''s hand heavily landed on the stone table beside him, instantly creating cracks that spread like spider webs, quickly covering the table... At the same time, Dong Aiguo''s suppressed roar echoed out. "Boy, I will let you know, no matter how capable you are, facing me will be a dead end! I want you to pay a blood debt for my son!" "My son! I am sorry for you!" .......................................... "Hao Jian!" At noon, Hao Jian was walking outside when suddenly his phone rang. As soon as he answered, Shu Ya''s anxious voice came through, startling Hao Jian, who hastily asked, "What happened? Don''t panic, tell me step by step!" "The goods shipped from the USA have been detained by Customs!" "What?! What happened?!" Hao Jian''s eyes narrowed slightly, and he felt uneasy, sensing a bad premonition¡­ "Just two days ago, our goods had just arrived at Customs, ready to go through, but unexpectedly, Customs claimed there was an issue with our shipment. They didn''t provide any reason and simply detained it, causing dissatisfaction among our clients who couldn''t receive their orders..." "If we don''t retrieve the goods soon, the reputation of Shu Ya Group will be severely affected. This batch of goods was ordered by some major companies!" Shu Ya''s voice revealed her anxiety; she had not slept well in two days, and initially thought she could handle it herself without bothering Hao Jian, but the situation had only gotten more complicated¡­ Chapter 887 - 886: Not So Concerned "Don''t worry, leave this matter to me to handle!" Hao Jian quickly soothed Shu Ya and calmed her emotions. After a slew of assurances, Shu Ya''s mood slowly stabilized, and she agreed to Hao Jian. "Phew... finally resolved..." Upon hanging up the phone, a look of relief appeared on Hao Jian''s face, but it was quickly replaced by gravity. Without any justified reason, his goods were detained¡ªany fool could see that this was a deliberate provocation. And now, the only person who could so blatantly make a move at Customs, and who also had a conflict with him, could only be that military bigwig from the army, Dong Aiguo... "Since you want to play, then I, Hao Jian, will properly accompany you in this game!" A cold voice slowly spread out, and a touch of icy coldness flashed through Hao Jian''s eyes. A faint killing intent swirled around him, exuding an intimidating aura. Fortunately, not many people usually pass by this area, otherwise, it would have been chaos here by now. If they come at me openly, I''m not necessarily afraid of that guy, but it is harder to guard against the moves made in secret. However, now it seems this guy might just be trying to lure me in¡ªa clear and overt plot. The current situation is such that I, Hao Jian, must go there, not only because of Shu Ya''s feelings and the reputation of Shu Ya Group, but also because it''s a showdown between me and that military bigwig. A real fight is exactly what I enjoy the most! "Secretary Zhang, there''s something I need your help with..." Pulling out his phone, Hao Jian dialed Secretary Zhang''s number. This time he was preparing to step onto their turf, and if he went in naively, he could get taken out without even knowing who did it. Only with a heavy-hitter by his side would those people not dare to act rashly. And thinking it over, Hao Jian felt that Secretary Zhang was the most suitable. Even though he doesn''t have any military rank or grade, he is the subordinate of the Minister of Defense, and a close confidant at that. As long as Secretary Zhang is present, even Dong Aiguo would have to consider his actions carefully, since after all, Secretary Zhang is the spokesperson for the Minister of Defense outside. This time, Hao Jian''s intention is very straightforward: to fight! Fight until they yield, fight until they are afraid! "Haha, sure thing, sure thing!" Upon receiving a call from Hao Jian, Secretary Zhang was organizing things but stopped his work. Hearing that Hao Jian needed his help, his eyes immediately sparkled, saying, "Is it about that matter with Dong Aiguo?" "Uh..." Now it was Hao Jian''s turn to be surprised. How did he know about this? Could it be that this guy had also planted spies in his own territory? "Don''t be so surprised. I originally didn''t know about this matter. It was mainly because the Minister, the elder, attended a gathering and accidentally heard the helplessness of the telecom giants. He asked me to investigate, and then I found out you were making trouble again..." Secretary Zhang was somewhat speechless about Hao Jian, feeling that Hao Jian was both a disaster star and a lucky star. Wherever this guy went, there would be trouble. The last time he was in the USA, now, shortly after returning, he had killed the son of a military world bigwig. If it weren''t for the minister, the elder, having no business and going out for a walk, he would not have known this guy had stirred up trouble again. Otherwise, Secretary Zhang would have had to run around once more. No matter what, Hao Jian is someone the minister cares about, and if something happens, he needs to be looked after. Besides, after the task Hao Jian completed last time, he also promised to help him properly. ............ Even though this guy had just wiped out half of the Ye Family''s elite, he still had the audacity to forcefully suppress the matter. "Ahaha! No choice, they asked for it by provoking me!" Hearing Secretary Zhang''s complaining tone, Hao Jian gave a dry laugh and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Secretary Zhang, come with me to the military base tomorrow. I want to see Dong Aiguo. That batch of goods of mine is still in his hands..." Since Capital City is quite a distance from Hua City, Hao Jian also needs to prepare some tools. Things like firearms are a must, and also some small hidden weapons, daggers and such. "Don''t worry, with me around, that old guy wouldn''t dare to mess around. But you shouldn''t take things too far either, after all, you''re the one at fault in the first place..." Secretary Zhang also had his concerns, saying: "No matter how you put it, he''s a person who has made contributions to the country. I really don''t want to see someone like that ruined by your hands. It would be difficult for me to explain this to my superiors..." "Secretary Zhang, rest assured, do you not know how I, Hao Jian, handle things? This time, I only want to explain things to that old man, his son''s death was truly an accident. It was all Ye Wenying''s fault for framing me!" Hao Jian also felt helpless, originally, a simple matter had been maliciously twisted by others, and it was such a low-level method of framing at that. If only he had been more calm at that moment and thought things through, perhaps none of this would have happened. But now it was already too late, the man was dead. "Right, about the matter of those hundred-plus bodyguards, you were really ruthless. Sigh, I won''t say more. Just provide some compensation to their families later on. Don''t expect the Minister himself to clean up your mess anymore." "Okay, okay, the compensation is easy to handle. I''ll have someone transfer 1.5 billion to your account, give each person 10 million, and you can handle any surplus as you see fit." The incident was provoked by him, and he needed to face the consequences. Hao Jian knew what to do. The money was merely to help the soldiers'' families live a little better. He also planned to have Spice Ginger and others assist the families of those soldiers in various ways. After all, the incident occurred due to his negligence, and to some extent, many people were hurt. He must make amends. If they were utterly vile, Hao Jian would kill them without a second glance. Yet now, those who had died were innocent bodyguards, and for Hao Jian to say he did not feel a trace of guilt would be impossible. "Hmm, with so much money, it should be enough." Secretary Zhang also nodded his head. Sometimes, when soldiers died accidentally during missions, the compensation provided by the state to their families was not even this much. Hao Jian doing this much was already commendable. It was precisely Hao Jian''s clear sense of gratitude and grudge that won the Minister''s approval and led him to help solve some of Hao Jian''s tricky problems unreservedly. Hao Jian''s way of conducting himself was like the traditional swordsman of ancient times. Unfortunately, in today''s society, under the rule of law, such people were almost extinct. That same night, Hao Jian boarded a plane to the Capital City, and by the time he arrived, it was already the middle of the night. He didn''t want to disturb Secretary Zhang, so he found a hotel and checked in. On his way there, Hao Jian had Spice Ginger continue to search for Ye Wenying''s location, unyielding in allowing that guy to continue making trouble in Hua City. For Hao Jian''s order, Spice Ginger assured with a pat on his chest, promising that after a previous mistake, he would be even more diligent in completing the tasks Hao Jian assigned this time. The next morning, Hao Jian went to the coffee shop at the address given by Secretary Zhang. Casually scanning the room, he quickly spotted Secretary Zhang sitting by the window drinking coffee. Hao Jian strode over. "You''re here?" Seeing Hao Jian sit down on the sofa across from him, Secretary Zhang smiled faintly and pointed to the menu beside him, saying, "Since you''re here, don''t be in a rush. Join me for coffee first. Of course, if you want to have breakfast, I don''t mind. After all, you need to eat well to have the energy to work." "How come you''ve changed your ways just in the few days I haven''t seen you?" Hearing Secretary Zhang''s teasing, Hao Jian was somewhat surprised. Then he grabbed the menu, ordered the most expensive dishes, and closed the menu. Seeing what Hao Jian ordered, Secretary Zhang raised his eyebrows slightly and sighed bitterly, "You''re really not shy, are you? Going straight for the most expensive dishes in the restaurant..." "When someone else is paying, of course I''ll order the most expensive, otherwise it''s not worth it!" "Alright, your fortune is hundreds of times larger than mine, and yet you have the face to let me pay the bill?" Left speechless by Hao Jian''s words, Secretary Zhang could only let out a helpless chuckle. "Just the nod of your head, and I don''t believe those guys won''t pay up..." Hearing this, Hao Jian spread his hands and continued, "Secretary Zhang, you are the old man''s confidant. With just a gesture from you, those businessmen who need your favor will all hurriedly come bearing various benefits to find you!" "Enough, I can''t break that rule, and the Minister doesn''t like it, after all, doing so... leaves one vulnerable to being incriminated¡­" Secretary Zhang raised his hand to stop Hao Jian from continuing the conversation and shook his head slightly. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hearing this, Hao Jian nodded. Right then, the dishes he had ordered were served. They looked so appetizing that it was sure to whet anyone''s appetite, let alone Hao Jian, who hadn''t eaten breakfast yet. Hao Jian understood what Secretary Zhang meant; to avoid giving others leverage, one must not expose any weaknesses and avoid touching taboos. For people at their level, every step was taken with caution, wary of the day when an outside force would frame them and jeopardize their position. After half an hour, Hao Jian finished his breakfast, snapped his fingers for a server, and asked for a cup of strong coffee, sipping it quietly. Another half hour later, Secretary Zhang picked up his briefcase with a helpless shake of his head, "Why do I feel like you''re not too concerned about this..." Chapter 888 - 887 You Are Not Qualified Yet! After finishing breakfast, Secretary Zhang then escorted Hao Jian to the military compound. The military compound to which Dong Aiguo belonged was not the same as the one Hao Jian returned to after his last mission; if one were to pinpoint a difference, it''d be in the direction and location. A major road split a military compound right down the middle, effectively dividing the compound into two halves, and the one where Dong Aiguo was located was on the opposite side! The soldiers waiting at the entrance of the compound for Hao Jian''s arrival changed their expression slightly upon seeing Secretary Zhang''s car and immediately took out a walkie-talkie to report back to their superiors. This was also the task assigned to them by Dong Aiguo: to report to him as soon as Hao Jian or Secretary Zhang appeared. Meanwhile, at Dong Aiguo''s residence, a messenger bearing news had arrived, standing before the impressive man and feeling the intimidating aura he exuded, couldn''t help but tremble. "Sir! Hao Jian and the others have reached the entrance of the compound! We await your instructions!" The messenger snapped to attention with a salute and then spoke out. Upon hearing this, Dong Aiguo turned his head, his eyes flashing coldly, and shortly after, he huffed and commanded, "Just tell them I am not here, and have Along bring a battalion of Special Forces to provoke that guy. If that guy dares to make a move, you immediately subdue him!" "What we need is a reason!" As the final word from Dong Aiguo fell, the messenger nodded emphatically, saluted once more, and then hurriedly left to find the Along mentioned by Dong Aiguo. As subordinates of Dong Aiguo, these men were loyal to him. Dong Aiguo''s anger was their anger, his enemies were their enemies. Therefore, without the need for too many words from Dong Aiguo, they knew what to do, and how to do it well! At this moment, Hao Jian and his companion had just stepped out of the car, unaware of Dong Aiguo''s actions. Even if they knew, Hao Jian would simply sneer and not pay it any heed. After all, he was determined this time to make Dong Aiguo come out so the two could sit down and talk. With Secretary Zhang present, he believed that guy wouldn''t dare to mess around, and even if he did, they could always just have a fight. "This is a military zone, stop where you are!" Just as Hao Jian and Secretary Zhang approached the entrance of the compound, two soldiers guarding the gate immediately held out their hands to stop Hao Jian and his companion. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I''m the Minister''s secretary, here is my business card." When stopped, Hao Jian turned his head indifferently to look at Secretary Zhang beside him, who, after noticing Hao Jian turning to him, nodded and quickly took out a card with his information clearly recorded on it. However... "I don''t care who you are or what secretary you might be, just that you cannot pass!" The two soldiers didn''t even bother to look at the card in Secretary Zhang''s hand but instead spouted out the refusal, causing Secretary Zhang''s expression to darken slightly. "Haha! Huzi, don''t scare Secretary Zhang. After all, he is an honored guest, and since he has traveled from afar, shouldn''t we at least offer him a cup of tea?" Just as Hao Jian was about to take action, a rough voice came from afar. Upon hearing this voice, both soldiers showed respect on their faces. Huzi scratched his head and said, "Brother Long, ain''t I just following the rules here?" "Alright, alright, let the two of them come over, I''ll keep them company for a chat!" Brother Long was also the Along that Dong Aiguo referred to, real name Wei Long, captain of a battalion of Special Forces, primarily responsible for training his thirty Special Forces soldiers. Because of his exceptional strength and strategic mind, Dong Aiguo valued him greatly. His current mission was merely to test the waters with Hao Jian. "Tell Dong Aiguo to come out. You aren''t qualified enough." Hearing Wei Long''s words, Hao Jian merely shook his head, then looked at Wei Long with a slightly colder gaze. Thinking of sending a mere pawn to dismiss him? No way! "You brat! Don''t push your luck! Our Brother Long is giving you face, which is a blessing you''ve cultivated over several lifetimes!" Hao Jian''s words immediately met with Huzi''s dissent. This man was his idol, a true strong man, not some gatekeeper like himself! "Heh, it looks like you''re quite the military rascal, spouting nothing but vulgarity. Perhaps it is because no one has taught you a lesson that you are so presumptuous. Everyone must take responsibility for their words!" "Whoosh!" As the last word fell, Hao Jian''s figure suddenly disappeared from the spot, and a swift whooshing sound erupted. Wei Long at the gate immediately realized Hao Jian''s move, his face changing dramatically as he called out in a low voice, "Huzi, dodge! You''re no match for him!" "Bang!" But as a muffled sound erupted, a figure was sent flying, revealed to be the just shouting Huzi, who now lay unconscious on the ground. Before where he was standing, Hao Jian''s figure slowly reappeared, glancing coldly at the people below as a chill voice came from his mouth. "I don''t care what you do to stop me; I''m only going to stress this once, summon that old man Dong Aiguo out. I don''t want to waste too much time here!" "Elder Dong is not in the compound; he''s been out on a trip for several days!" But facing Hao Jian''s daunting aura, Wei Long was undaunted, his expression cold, as he let out a low shout. He must resolutely carry out the mission entrusted to him by Dong Aiguo! Even if the man before him was faster than he was, as long as there was the slightest chance to deceive this fellow, he would take it. It wasn''t for anything else, but for the sake of Dong Aiguo! "What a joke! If Elder Dong were to go out traveling, he would definitely report it to the higher-ups, and yet I have received no such travel news from Elder Dong!" Secretary Zhang pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and slowly spoke. "When I say Elder Dong is not here, he''s not here!" Wei Long gave Secretary Zhang a cold look. Even Elder Dong held great wariness towards this man, let alone himself. Hence, he dared to confront Hao Jian, but he didn''t dare to offend Secretary Zhang too much. "In that case, I can only break through by force!" Hao Jian would never believe what these people said. Flicking his arm, a glint of cold light flashed through his eyes, and in a moment his toes touched the ground, and his figure explosively lunged down from the platform, throwing a punch straight at Wei Long! With this punch, Hao Jian used less than half of his strength. He just wanted to gauge how strong this guy really was. "You rascal!" Sensing the overwhelming aura from Hao Jian, Wei Long''s face slightly changed. His low shout was still unfinished when Hao Jian''s fist had already reached his face, and Wei Long hastily put his hands up in defense, aiming to block the strike... "Boom!" A dull sound resonated as Wei Long''s hands were blasted apart upon contact, and Hao Jian''s fist continued to surge forward unrelentingly, smashing into his cheek. "Drip-drop!" Blood immediately flowed from the corner of his mouth, and after retreating a certain distance, Wei Long''s face suddenly turned pale. He opened his mouth wide, and blood mixed with pieces of teeth sprayed out. "Brothers, get him! Take this guy down for me!" Wei Long, with his teeth shattered, wore an ugly expression. He had already been thoroughly defeated in the first exchange, not just because he had underestimated his opponent, but also because of the gap in their strengths. "Damn it! Daring to strike Brother Long, are you tired of living?!" "Charge!" "We must let this kid see the might of our company!" Receiving Wei Long''s command, the already restless Special Forces charged forward, shouting. They did not pull out firearms because Secretary Zhang was present; causing a fatal incident would mean they couldn''t just walk away unscathed. What followed next showed them what true combat was through Hao Jian''s actions. "Bang bang bang!" Fist hitting flesh, even surrounded by thirty Special Forces, each with their own specialties, Hao Jian''s quick reflexes allowed him to continuously parry their attacks and counter efficiently. Any person grazed by any part of his body would end up bruised, even if they dodged quickly. His hands intertwined with each other¡ªyin and yang¡ªas if the duality of Tai Chi was spinning between them, using Tai Chi''s principle of borrowing force to fight against multiple opponents. Such a method was also the most energy-saving. "Damn it! How can this guy be so strong?!" Watching Hao Jian in the crowd, not a single one of the powerful Special Forces could lay a finger on him, Wei Long''s face grew incredibly dark. Even he himself could only handle three Special Forces at most; any more than that would be unsustainable! But what about Hao Jian? He had personally witnessed Hao Jian block a combined elbow strike from six Special Forces with just one palm and counterattack, sending those six flying. However, this only made the battlefield more chaotic, with Special Forces continuously being sent flying by Hao Jian, then getting back up to rejoin the battle. As time ticked away, Hao Jian still appeared calm and collected, playing with Tai Chi, while several Special Forces lay on the ground. Those still standing were panting weakly, their punches and kicks losing the power they initially had. "Heh, what''s the matter? Weren''t you all barking fiercely just now? Now why do you all look like you''re about to collapse like dead dogs?!" Seeing this scene, Hao Jian''s lips curled into a sneer, mocking them. Then he shifted his tone and said, "If you guys can''t continue fighting, then let me finish you off!" At the sound of his voice, the Special Forces suddenly felt an immense pressure bearing down heavily upon them, then their eyes rolled back, and they fainted. Chapter 889 - 888: Good, Ill Take It! "Boom!" A deafening explosion echoed through Dong Aiguo''s military district. Zooming in, the view revealed the entrance where the square pavement was littered with the bodies of twenty or thirty men. Aside from a few individuals foaming at the mouth and passed out cold, the rest shared a similar condition¡ªeyes rolled back, unconscious. Amid the scattered bodies stood a man with his arms crossed, exuding an unsettling aura. A cold glint shimmered in his gaze, sending chills down anyone''s spine. "Bring Dong Aiguo out immediately! I won''t repeat myself. Consider this me showing mercy¡ªnext time, don''t blame me for being ruthless!" The man was none other than Hao Jian. His gaze locked onto Wei Long, and an even stronger energy surged from his body, concentrating into a singular beam that seemed to drill straight into Wei Long''s forehead. "Drip... drip!" Cold sweat beaded incessantly on Wei Long''s forehead, trickling down his face and finally dripping to the floor. That suffocating pressure, akin to despair, was something Wei Long had only felt around Dong Aiguo himself. Not even Ling Bing, Dong Aiguo''s trusted aide, had ever exuded such dominance. "I told you you''re a troublemaker, yet you wouldn''t believe me. The moment you show up, you''ve already beaten his men to this extent¡­" Secretary Zhang looked helplessly at the bodies strewn across the ground. While he had anticipated some chaos upon their arrival, he hadn''t expected Hao Jian to immediately start a fight right at the entrance. "What do you expect? If those blockheads won''t get out of the way, I don''t waste time; removing the obstacle directly saves me the trouble," Hao Jian shot an impatient glance at Secretary Zhang before proceeding forward. His sight turned to a nearby shadowed corner, and in a low voice, he spoke: "Been enjoying this little drama for long enough, haven''t you? Either you step out yourself, or I''ll drag you out¡ªand I promise, my methods won''t be pleasant." "Clap¡­ clap¡­ clap¡­" Following his words, slow applause came from the darkened corner Hao Jian was staring at. Upon hearing the sound, an imperceptible smile tugged at the corners of Hao Jian''s lips. Moments later, a man around fifty or sixty years old, radiating a commanding presence, strode confidently into the light. "As expected of a dominant figure in Hua City. I suppressed my presence as much as possible, yet you still sensed me." "I''m Dong Aiguo, the person you''re looking for. Now that I''m standing before you, what do you intend to do?" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Dong Aiguo''s gaze briefly swept over the unconscious men sprawled on the ground; he scoffed lightly before lifting his eyes toward Hao Jian. His voice was icy, but the silent, raging inferno in his eyes betrayed his seething anger, barely restrained by his indomitable willpower. This young man before him was the one who killed his son. Dong Aiguo knew he could simply mobilize the military district forces to capture him and exact vengeance¡ªit was well within reach. But he didn''t dare, not here, not now. There was another man present who posed a threat that even Dong Aiguo couldn''t ignore, whether or not the man wielded any physical strength. His status alone made him untouchable; that man was Secretary Zhang. Secretary Zhang, a confidant with the backing of leadership, occupied a position even someone at Dong Aiguo''s general-level wouldn''t dare cross recklessly. Hao Jian''s brazenness in causing this scene at the military compound was founded on this connection to Secretary Zhang¡ªor rather, to the leadership he represented. Without that, Hao Jian wouldn''t have the audacity to storm the district outright; he''d likely resort to stealth, slipping in unnoticed to recover his stolen jewels. "You took my goods hostage¡ªdon''t think I won''t settle this score," Hao Jian remarked, idly fidgeting with his fingers as his sharp eyes glanced at Dong Aiguo. "Indeed, I did detain your goods. But you killed my son¡ªdon''t think I won''t hold you accountable for that!" Dong Aiguo''s response came with a venomous roar, teeth clenched tightly. Beside him, Wei Long''s face burned with indignation as he glared at Hao Jian. To them, it was clear how deeply Dong Aiguo loved his son. The decision to relocate his son to Hua City''s outskirts was rooted in a promise made twenty years ago: Dong Aiguo vowed to devote himself wholly to national service and development. At that time, Dong Aiguo was engaged in business and had a young child. Yet when duty called, he chose without hesitation to enlist. Years of military service molded him into the man he was now¡ªbut those twenty years also robbed him of much, especially his role in his son''s upbringing. Dong Aiguo had intended to make up for lost time, but now¡­ his son was gone. "Elder Dong, in my name, I assure you¡ªHao Jian killing your son was merely a misunderstanding. He fell into someone''s trap, leading to¡­" Secretary Zhang''s face showed slight concern as he opened his mouth to offer explanations on Hao Jian''s behalf. But before he could finish, Dong Aiguo interrupted, shouting furiously. "I don''t care what the reason was¡ªI only care about one thing: he killed my son!" Dong Aiguo''s visage contorted with rage, veins pulsating visibly across his tightly clenched fists. "Do you think¡­ with me here, you''ll have the chance to deal with Hao Jian?" Secretary Zhang, unfazed by Dong Aiguo''s interruption, responded coolly. His gaze shifted to Hao Jian as he added, "Even without me, Hao Jian''s individual strength alone would be enough for him to walk in and out of your territory unimpeded." "Ridiculous! You think this brat could escape from here without my say-so?" Dong Aiguo scoffed coldly, his laugh dripping with disdain as his intense glare locked onto Secretary Zhang. "Secretary Zhang, while I hold some measure of respect for you, let''s get one thing straight¡ªI, Dong Aiguo, fear no one." "Enough of this nonsense. It''s clear you already have an answer in mind. Let''s skip the pretense¡ªstate your demands outright," Secretary Zhang said smoothly, giving his glasses an adjusting push. His eyes sparkled with calculated wisdom as he addressed Dong Aiguo. "Hmph!" Though revealed, Dong Aiguo''s displeasure was obvious. But his straightforward nature as a soldier left little room for subterfuge. Without hesitation, he pointed directly at Hao Jian, his tone cold and sharp: "Boy, I propose a wager for your life. If you win, I''ll return your goods to you. If you lose, your life belongs to me." "Do you dare take the bet?!" "Haha, how generous of Elder Dong to value me so highly. Hao Jian would be nothing short of a coward if I didn''t accept," Hao Jian jubilantly replied with laughter. His boldness knew no bounds¡ªinitially, he was planning to capture Dong Aiguo outright to threaten a return of his goods. He knew doing so would risk relentless hunts and assassination attempts once Dong Aiguo was free. Now, this wager presented itself as a simpler, albeit riskier, alternative. Regardless, Hao Jian was confident¡ªhe''d never lost a single bet, especially when skill was involved. Besides, with Secretary Zhang backing him, he had nothing to fear. "Consider yourself smart!" Dong Aiguo couldn''t help smirking as he witnessed Hao Jian''s reckless agreement. While outwardly remaining stern, a triumphant glint flickered in his eyes as he scoffed coldly. "Since this is a military compound, we''ll settle this as soldiers do¡ªwith military rules." "I will select a team of soldiers who will challenge you. Victory requires besting them all. Lose a single round, and I win!" Despicable! Utterly despicable! As Dong Aiguo laid out his terms, even Secretary Zhang''s expression darkened. Though he''d anticipated Dong Aiguo wouldn''t play fair, this outright shamelessness still caught him off guard. Dong Aiguo had no intention of giving Hao Jian even the slimmest chance to win. Glancing at Hao Jian, Secretary Zhang felt a pang of worry, ready to urge him to reconsider. However¡­ "Fine, I accept!" Hao Jian agreed without the slightest hesitation. Stakes like these¡ªthe clash of individual ability¡ªwere precisely his realm of confidence. "Hao Jian!" Secretary Zhang''s voice rang out, his concern palpable. Hao Jian''s impulsive agreement startled him. "Haha, Secretary Zhang, you needn''t worry. You know what kind of person I am. I don''t gamble with my life unless I''m certain of victory," Hao Jian replied with ease, aiming a reassuring glance at Secretary Zhang before turning back to Dong Aiguo. In a military setting, Dong Aiguo''s plan evidently revolved around exploiting the unique expertise of his soldiers. Hao Jian wouldn''t allow Dong Aiguo to manipulate the outcomes, ensuring no unfair tactics or impossible challenges tilted the scales against him. "But I have one condition," Hao Jian added. "Fine, name it," Dong Aiguo replied curtly. To him, Hao Jian''s condition seemed nothing more than desperate measures from a doomed man. He saw no reason not to humor it. "Our wager must solely relate to military matters." "Alright, I agree." Dong Aiguo''s self-assured grin widened internally. He''d prepared for exactly this type of competition. This new condition cost him nothing¡ªit only affirmed his original intent. Boy, your death is practically certain! Dong Aiguo gloated inwardly as he observed Hao Jian. Yet even amidst his triumph, bitterness seeped into his heart. His enemy stood before him, yet he had to resort to convoluted methods for vengeance¡­ Chapter 890 - 889: How Strong Are the Abilities! "The first step, we''ll compete in shooting!" Dong Aiguo clapped his hands, and several figures sprinted over from a distance. Finally, they came to a halt behind Dong Aiguo with precision. With a loud "bang," they saluted in unison and said, "Greetings, leader!" "Hmm." Looking at the dozen or so people behind him, Dong Aiguo nodded in satisfaction. Then, he turned to Hao Jian, raised his chin slightly, and said, "These officers and soldiers are elite experts under my command, each specializing in their respective fields. They are also captains of various military divisions, ranking among the best in their domains. Now, I''ll have them compete against you!" "Haha, then I''ll see if they''re as extraordinary as you claim!" Hao Jian chuckled lightly at Dong Aiguo''s words, casting a dismissive glance over the crowd. He shook his head discreetly; it was evident Dong Aiguo had planned this in advance to corner him. Nevertheless, since he''d accepted the challenge, he had to give it his all. Many disasters arise from underestimating one''s opponent¡ªHao Jian''s past experiences had taught him to approach everything with the attitude of a "lion fighting a rabbit, using all its strength." "Alright, how do you want to compete?" S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Slowly folding his arms across his chest, Hao Jian gazed indifferently at the people behind Dong Aiguo, his eyes filled with disdain. "Shooting! We won''t use sniper rifles; instead, we''ll use pistols to shoot moving targets. Whoever scores the highest wins!" Dong Aiguo declared. Without waiting for Hao Jian''s agreement, he gestured to the crowd and said, "Zhou Hao, step forward. You''ll take on the first match!" "Haha, alright, Commander, just watch! In the military district, no one dares claim the number one spot in marksmanship¡ªexcept me, Zhou Hao!" Behind Dong Aiguo stood Zhou Hao, whose pride had already been stung by Hao Jian''s earlier contempt. A lean but tall figure stepped forward, his face brimming with smugness. After Zhou Hao emerged, he laughed aloud with his comrades, exclaiming, "This kid is going down! You all won''t even get a chance to show off!" Being chosen first, Zhou Hao was elated. As he came forward, he even flipped his middle finger at Hao Jian. "Straightforward and brash¡ªfits my personality." Hao Jian smirked leisurely. He paid no mind to Zhou Hao''s provocation, his confidence unwavering. After all, he''d once achieved a perfect score hitting moving targets with a pistol. This competition didn''t faze him. Waving his hand impatiently at Dong Aiguo, he said, "Hurry up and take me to the range. I''ve got other business to attend to." "You''re asking for it, punk!" Seeing Hao Jian addressing his leader so casually, Zhou Hao''s face darkened, ready to teach Hao Jian a lesson. "Hmph! Let''s see if you''re still this arrogant later!" ......... Dong Aiguo, though displeased by Hao Jian''s attitude, chuckled coldly. Zhou Hao, frustrated but restrained, shot Hao Jian a venomous glare and mouthed, "You''re going to lose, punk. I''ll make sure you''ve got no dignity left!" "Idiot," Hao Jian sneered inwardly, silently cursing. The group proceeded to the shooting range in grand fashion. Passing by soldiers engaged in training, they barely drew attention¡ªat most, a few curious recruits craned their necks slightly before being scolded and slapped on the head by their drill instructors. Impressive! These troops are really disciplined! Witnessing this scene, even Hao Jian couldn''t help but secretly marvel, inwardly admiring Dong Aiguo. Having led troops himself, Hao Jian understood the immense challenge of molding soldiers with diverse personalities into a cohesive unit. If not for the animosity between them, perhaps they could have shared drinks and conversations now. But alas, fate had intervened. Two individuals who were once unrelated were now adversaries due to Ye Wenying''s manipulations. Still, Hao Jian considered Dong Aiguo the sort of opponent one could reason with. "The moving target shooting contest will consist of ten targets, and you only get one shot per target. We''ll provide you both with powerful Desert Eagles. To increase difficulty, I''ve replaced the targets with thinner versions." "These ten moving targets will align in a straight line at a certain unpredictable moment. That''s your only chance to hit them simultaneously." "Victory will be determined by your score¡ªlet''s see how sharp your calculation skills really are!" Arriving at the competition setup, Dong Aiguo explained the rules while having equipment distributed to both contestants. Even Zhou Hao, an experienced shooter, couldn''t help but gasp silently at the challenge''s difficulty. Still, it thrilled him¡ªit was the perfect way to flaunt his extraordinary marksmanship! With these thoughts racing, Zhou Hao smirked triumphantly at Hao Jian, eager to throw in a few more boastful remarks. Yet, Hao Jian didn''t even glance his way, instead continuing to chat casually with Secretary Zhang. Damned brat! You''ll find out soon enough how amazing I am. I''ll disgrace you completely¡ªcrawl out of this military district with your tail between your legs! Despite the burning rage inside him, Zhou Hao dared not speak his thoughts aloud with Dong Aiguo present. After all, words discrediting Dong Aiguo''s leadership would be utterly unacceptable¡ªnot just to Dong Aiguo but to the soldiers themselves! "Hurry up and start¡ªI don''t have time to waste." While conversing with Secretary Zhang, Hao Jian briefly glanced at the clock before turning his gaze to Dong Aiguo. His tone was indifferent: "Let''s begin." "Hmph!" Zhou Hao snorted coldly, about to say something, but Dong Aiguo waved him off calmly. Eyeing the contestants, Dong Aiguo''s demeanor turned stern as he exclaimed, "Prepare the moving targets!" "Bang bang bang!" After his command echoed, the shooting range suddenly erupted in rhythmic sounds. Moving targets started appearing all around the range but remained stationary for now. Turning back toward the contestants, Dong Aiguo asked, "Which of you wants to go first?" "Leader, me!" Before Dong Aiguo''s words had even fully landed, Zhou Hao eagerly stepped forward, thumping his chest in confidence. "Alright, go ahead!" Dong Aiguo nodded and quietly added, "Don''t disappoint me¡­" "Watch and learn, punk¡ªthis is what shooting is all about!" Zhou Hao grabbed the Desert Eagle from his holster, threw a provocative glance Hao Jian''s way, and strode leisurely toward the shooting platform while under countless watchful gazes. With each step Zhou Hao took, the arrogance on his face seemed to evaporate. By the time he reached the shooting platform, an aura of utter normalcy enveloped him¡ªhe appeared like an unremarkable, everyday individual. This guy has the makings of an assassin! Hao Jian observed Zhou Hao''s transformation intently, his eyes narrowing briefly before relaxing again. However, inwardly, his mind grew slightly more alert. Real assassins seamlessly blend into their surroundings, adept at everything. To Hao Jian, Zhou Hao''s focused state during aiming represented someone nearing the threshold of "becoming killing intent"¡ªan essential trait for a genuine assassin. Yet sadly, they were rivals now, collaboration an impossibility. "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" With Zhou Hao''s low growl, the previously stationary targets began to move. Initially slow, they gradually picked up speed. The targets moved unpredictably, without any discernible pattern. Zhou Hao stared intently, calmly awaiting the fleeting moment when all ten would align into a straight line. That opportunity might come sooner or later; after all, the targets'' random motion made timing absolutely uncertain. Time ticked by, half an hour passing in the blink of an eye. The targets continued their erratic motion, while Zhou Hao remained laser-focused, maintaining his peak state. He knew the critical moment was brief¡ªhe had to capitalize on it! "Bang!" In an instant, a gunshot rang out, sharp and resonant like a dragon''s cry. Zhou Hao had fired his shot. But as spectators traced the bullet''s trajectory and observed the targets, their expressions shifted dramatically¡ªall the targets were still disorganized and chaotic in their movement. Even Dong Aiguo''s face twitched slightly, annoyance flickering across his features. However, seeing Zhou Hao drenched in sweat after prolonged focus, Dong Aiguo sighed helplessly¡ªrules were rules; he hadn''t anticipated this outcome either. Could it truly be as the spectators suspected? Out of everyone present, only Hao Jian and Zhou Hao remained unfazed¡ªfor they understood what would happen next! As Zhou Hao''s lips curled into a faint grin, the bullet erupted from the dark muzzle, sparking and tearing forward with immense momentum. Suddenly, a hidden red bullseye appeared ahead. "Bang!" The bullet pierced through, continuing onward with relentless force. From there, the other targets seemed to trigger a domino effect, each colliding with the speeding bullet one after another... "Bang bang bang!" Continuous sounds of impact filled the air as the bullet flew through the final target, disappearing into the distant hillside. Chapter 891 - 890 I Have Never Been Afraid of Anyone! "Ten rings! Ten rings! Ten rings! Eight rings! Seven rings! Seven rings! Six rings! Five rings! Five rings! Five rings!" "A total of seventy-three rings!" The judge''s face was full of astonishment, then turned to one of awe as he looked at Zhou Hao. Calculating the trajectory deviations and bullet timings? Even the top marksmen in the military would struggle to achieve this. Yet Zhou Hao made it happen! "Good, good, good!" When the final result was announced, Dong Aiguo broke into a smile. He alone understood how difficult this rule he had set truly was. It wasn''t his original idea; about ten years ago, shortly after he joined the military, the most legendary sharpshooter back then had once undergone the same test. That marksman had managed to score only sixty rings. Zhou Hao''s result now had completely exceeded his expectations. No way, he didn''t believe Hao Jian could surpass Zhou Hao! "Haha, kiddo, now you see how powerful your granddaddy is?!" Jumping down from the shooting platform, Zhou Hao looked smugly at Hao Jian as he burst out laughing. "My turn, isn''t it?" Hao Jian ignored Zhou Hao and turned to Dong Aiguo, speaking calmly. "Yes, it is." Dong Aiguo nodded, though his eyes betrayed anticipation for Hao Jian''s failure. The thought of soon being able to exact revenge on his enemy made him a little giddy. Seeing Hao Jian dismiss him yet again, Zhou Hao''s anger flared uncontrollably. However, noticing the cruel gleam in Dong Aiguo''s eyes, he wisely kept his mouth shut and coldly sneered to himself, "Kid, let''s see how long you last under Elder Dong''s torment!" "Then, I''ll begin." Hao Jian turned to Secretary Zhang and smiled faintly before striding toward the shooting platform. Secretary Zhang wanted to say something but, noticing the glow of confident determination in Hao Jian''s gaze, swallowed his words and let a smile bloom on his face. Dong Aiguo''s rule was notorious¡ªa twisted challenge, some might say. It was clear he had set it up to torment Hao Jian and ensure his defeat. But would Hao Jian truly lose? Secretary Zhang didn''t believe someone like Hao Jian would fail this competition. Stepping onto the platform, Hao Jian retrieved his handgun unhurriedly. Once everything was prepared, he spoke lightly, "Let''s start." "Whizz whizz whizz!" With his signal, a new series of mobile targets started moving immediately. This time, however, the targets didn''t take long to integrate their movements... By the third minute of motion, brilliance flickered in Hao Jian''s eyes. His arm swung decisively, sending a bullet bursting out from the black muzzle with a bang, striking the foremost moving target! "Bang bang bang bang!" A chain of shots rang out, the pace visibly faster than Zhou Hao''s earlier performance. This technique was Hao Jian''s own invention. Combining the force of his arm swing with the burst of bullets, he created a technique akin to sniper-level firepower! The bullets fired from the Desert Eagle possessed destructive power that rivaled high-caliber sniper rifles. Add in Hao Jian''s arm strength, and the impact was unmatched! His bullets pierced through the bullseye of the first target, then the second, the third... "Go ahead, check them." After firing, Hao Jian casually tossed the handgun onto the platform and jumped down. With a faint smile, he looked toward the judge below. "How was it?!" As Hao Jian approached, Secretary Zhang appeared tense. If Hao Jian lost, Dong Aiguo wouldn''t hesitate to dispose of him. Although Secretary Zhang hadn''t been worried before, the stakes now made his palms sweaty. "Relax," Hao Jian gave a reassuring nod and turned away, quietly awaiting the judge''s results. "Ten rings! Ten rings! Ten rings! Ten rings! Ten rings! Ten rings..." The judge called out ten consecutive ten-ring scores, his face pale with shock as he staggered toward Dong Aiguo. Saluting him nervously, the quivering voice echoed, "Hao Jian''s score is one hundred rings! A perfect score!" "What?! Impossible!" As the result sank in, Zhou Hao exclaimed instinctively. His face froze in disbelief as his gaze landed on Hao Jian, showing a glint of hidden awe. Only those who''ve experienced this challenge could understand the difficulty of achieving what Hao Jian did. Zhou Hao, strong as he was, managed seventy-three rings, and yet, Hao Jian''s perfect score? Incredible! He didn''t doubt the credibility of the score, given this judge was from their own ranks. Surely their own wouldn''t favor an outsider, right? Seeing Hao Jian''s exceptional skills, Zhou Hao even felt an urge to befriend him. But remembering that Hao Jian had killed his leader''s son, that sliver of admiration was soon replaced by irrepressible fury. Only they¡ªDong Aiguo''s soldiers¡ªknew their leader''s true character. Outwardly, Dong Aiguo projected authority and fear, but spent time with him and you''d discover his approachable nature. He cared deeply for his men. To them, Dong Aiguo was someone deserving of respect! "Your skills are remarkable. At least this time, you''ve won..." Dong Aiguo was someone who could admit defeat gracefully. Hao Jian won fair and square, no excuses. However, this victory only fueled Dong Aiguo''s hatred further. Hao Jian''s win had pushed his revenge for his son farther out of reach. "But don''t think you''ll keep winning. The next challenge will be even harder!" Dong Aiguo snorted coldly before turning and walking out. As Dong Aiguo left, his men hurried after him¡ªclearly, they were headed to the next competition venue. "Haha, Hao Jian, keep going! Show that old man what true skill looks like!" Watching Dong Aiguo''s expression, Secretary Zhang couldn''t help but laugh. That old man had often embarrassed him before the minister, but now Hao Jian had finally set things straight! "The next competition is running! Ten kilometers. The fastest wins! This time, three others will race against you!" At a track and field area, Dong Aiguo turned to Hao Jian as he approached, snorting disdainfully before pointing toward the track in the distance, saying, "This track is two kilometers per lap. You''ll need to complete five laps in total!" "Another straightforward rule," Hearing Dong Aiguo explain, Hao Jian smiled lightly and said to Secretary Zhang, "If I win again, will the old man''s face be a sight to behold?" "Haha, that''s just how Elder Dong is! You just go for it. No pressure. When the minister gets involved, I''d like to see the old man try breaking his word!" Secretary Zhang patted Hao Jian''s shoulder, signaling no need to fret, the final sentence spoken in a soft voice only the two of them could hear. "You mean the old man intervened?" Surprised by Zhang''s words, Hao Jian queried in a lowered tone. "Why else would Dong Aiguo be so wary of me? Though I am the minister''s secretary, without his direct backing, Dong Aiguo would hardly fear me." Secretary Zhang shook his head and replied, "Just focus on winning. The minister won''t tolerate losing you as his assistant!" "Haha, I told you. I won''t lose!" Hao Jian laughed heartily before leaping off the viewing stage. His feet made precise taps mid-air to neutralize the force, landing smoothly and flawlessly. "Masterful!" Witnessing Hao Jian''s casual display of skill, the Special Forces soldiers'' pupils contracted in amazement as they muttered under their breath. "You three, step forward!" Dong Aiguo wasn''t startled, only twitching an eyelid. He already knew Hao Jian''s capabilities. Though most of it was derived from files, he nonetheless understood Hao Jian thoroughly. To Dong Aiguo, Hao Jian excelled in missions or combat, but in formal competitions, perhaps his talent wouldn''t measure up. And surely, among Dong Aiguo''s troops, someone could beat Hao Jian?! At his command, three towering soldiers, each roughly two meters tall, stepped forward, saluted him crisply, then leapt down in unison. "Boom boom boom!" Unlike Hao Jian''s graceful descent, they landed heavily, bending to cushion their momentum. "I''m Cheng Yi, and these are my brothers Cheng Er and Cheng San." The tallest soldier spoke gruffly after landing. Once introduced, they fell silent, each assuming starting stances¡ªan action mirrored perfectly by the other two brothers. "Triplets? That''s rare!" Seeing their identical appearance, Hao Jian chuckled softly. Since they weren''t speaking, he saw no reason to strike up a conversation¡ªit would only make things awkward. "You three better not lose, or I''ll deal with you myself!" Before the race began, Dong Aiguo stepped forward, barking threateningly at the brothers. "Haha! Don''t worry, Sir! We three brothers have yet to lose when it comes to running!" S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 892 - 891: Nothing But a Frog in a Well Victory! Victory! Victory! In the next several hours, no matter what type of contest Dong Aiguo proposed, Hao Jian accepted them all. Regardless of how many opponents, Hao Jian defeated every single one! First, in the running competition, he achieved an overwhelming victory by lapping the special forces triplets twice, finishing the ten-kilometer course in just sixteen minutes! Then, in the assassination contest, even though he faced a total of twenty special forces soldiers, Hao Jian dealt with all of them without revealing his presence, thus claiming victory in the third round. With each competition Hao Jian passed, Dong Aiguo''s expression grew darker. By the final team battle, Hao Jian faced ten opponents alone and used a single sniper rifle to defeat them all. Dong Aiguo''s face darkened to the point that it seemed water might drip from it. The fury in his gaze at Hao Jian was no longer concealed but an unrestrained glare of rage. In response, Hao Jian merely smiled faintly. What did Dong Aiguo''s mood have to do with him? The phrase "Paths differ, so we do not work together" perfectly described their situation. Even if Hao Jian emerged victorious in the end, and even if there was pressure from higher-ups, the two of them could never cooperate. The grudge of killing one''s son is not easily dissolved. Furthermore, with Dong Aiguo''s personality, forgiving Hao Jian was even more impossible. Even with superiors restraining him, once Dong Aiguo could no longer suppress his anger, he wouldn''t care about authority or orders anymore. Now, Hao Jian understood he had to display his power to the fullest extent, ensuring Dong Aiguo realized he was not someone to be trifled with. If Dong Aiguo sent people after him, the resulting consequences might even be too much for Dong Aiguo to bear. "If you have any more tricks, bring them out. And you, old man, should stop watching from here¡ªI''m afraid it''ll ruin your health!" Hao Jian said, walking out of the training ground. His eyes slightly lifted as he noticed the fuming Dong Aiguo in the stands and couldn''t suppress his laughter. As his laughter echoed, Dong Aiguo''s face grew even darker. "Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" Seeing Hao Jian secure yet another win, Dong Aiguo immediately turned and berated the special forces soldiers behind him. His bloodshot eyes caused the soldiers to visibly shudder, except for Cheng Yi, who scratched his head and courageously offered an explanation: "Sir, it''s not that we''re useless¡ªit''s that guy who''s too strong¡­" Upon hearing this, all the special forces soldiers instinctively nodded. But they quickly realized the trouble this might bring and hastily shook their heads. Some even clamped their mouths shut, feeling a strange sense of schadenfreude. Cheng Yi''s straightforwardness often got him into trouble. Whatever was on his mind, he would blurt out, regardless of timing or circumstances. As a result, he had offended many officers in the past. The only officer who tolerated him was Dong Aiguo; otherwise, Cheng Yi and his brothers might have already been expelled from the military district. "You were all beaten in your respective specialties by a single man, and you still lack any drive or ambition?! If this isn''t useless, then what is?!" Dong Aiguo''s low growl left every special forces soldier suppressing a sigh of frustration. It wasn''t that they didn''t want to win¡ªit was that the opponent was simply too strong. Hao Jian defeated them all with overwhelming force. No matter how they analyzed it, they couldn''t fathom how they could possibly grow strong enough to surpass him. "Ling Bing!" Faced with his men''s helpless expressions, Dong Aiguo could only grit his teeth and roar. "Whoosh!" As his voice fell, a ripping sound pierced the air. From a dark corner, a tall figure suddenly stepped out, silently standing before Dong Aiguo. This person was 1.8 meters tall, dressed in camouflage fatigues. His exposed skin radiated raw power, and his eyes gleamed with a frightening intensity. Though not as imposing as Dong Aiguo''s, his aura was still formidable. This was Ling Bing¡ªDong Aiguo''s personal bodyguard and his strongest subordinate. A legend in his own right, Ling Bing had once defeated the most elite fighters in the entire military district, earning him the title of the district''s number one warrior. However, some years ago, he mysteriously disappeared. No one knew where he went, except for military higher-ups, who guarded the secret of Ling Bing''s whereabouts. Since then, he had been by Dong Aiguo''s side as a shadow and protector. Wherever Dong Aiguo went, Ling Bing followed, even guarding him discreetly during private moments like bathing. Originally, Dong Aiguo hadn''t planned to reveal this trump card. But with no other options, he had to bring Ling Bing forward. Hao Jian had already defeated him in five or six matches. Any further losses would not only strain his pride but also draw pressure from Secretary Zhang and the Ministry of Defense. Most crucially, Dong Aiguo''s reputation was on the line. Nearly everyone capable of fighting in the military district had fallen to Hao Jian, leaving only Ling Bing. "It''s him¡ªLing Bing!" "Why did Elder Dong bring him out?! This is going to be intense! Years ago, Ling Bing challenged all the top fighters in our district and defeated them one by one. I didn''t even last half a move against him back then!" "Looks like Elder Dong is truly enraged. Ever since Ling Bing became his bodyguard, we rarely got to see him. Judging by how sharp he still looks now, it seems he hasn''t changed at all!" Ling Bing''s appearance sparked hushed discussions among the soldiers. These men were trusted confidants of Dong Aiguo, and thus aware of Ling Bing''s role and mysterious past. Rumors had circulated in the military district that Ling Bing had ventured out to challenge masters or even died on a mission. These were deliberate deceptions spread by Dong Aiguo''s men to mislead others into thinking he lacked protection. "Hao Jian! This will be the last match. If you can defeat this man by my side, I will return the goods you asked for in full!" Dong Aiguo''s voice roared across the stands as he pointed to Ling Bing, who stood motionless beside him. From the moment Ling Bing arrived, he had only cupped his hands in salute. He stood as still as a statue, exuding an overwhelming presence. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The man behind Dong Aiguo is Ling Bing," Secretary Zhang whispered to Hao Jian, his pupils contracting in shock. "Five years ago, he was the number one warrior in this district. After earning that title, he vanished, and rumors claimed he sought new challenges or was assassinated while on a mission." "But now it seems all of that was just a cover-up by Dong Aiguo. For years, Ling Bing has been by his side. No wonder Dong Aiguo always travels alone¡ªwho would dare provoke him with someone like Ling Bing as his bodyguard?" Upon seeing Ling Bing, Secretary Zhang grew wary. Afraid Hao Jian might underestimate his opponent, he quickly explained, "Be careful. This is Ling Bing¡ªthe former number one warrior! If I was confident about your previous matches, this time, I''m not sure at all¡­" "Haha, it''s been a while since I''ve heard the term ''number one warrior.''" Hao Jian''s eyes narrowed slightly. From Ling Bing, he sensed a chilling, dangerous aura. Still, Hao Jian didn''t think the so-called number one title was well-deserved. In his mind, true legends, like the God of Death, were in a league far beyond these competitors. "You''re strong!" Finally, Ling Bing spoke after a long silence, his cold voice devoid of emotion, carrying an icy edge like eternal frost. There was no warmth, only a bone-chilling coldness. "Oh? I think¡­ you seem too weak." Hao Jian stood casually, hands behind his head, strolling in place with an air of indifference as he sized up Ling Bing and chuckled. "Whether I''m weak or strong, you''ll know once we fight!" Nobody had ever dared call Ling Bing weak. Hao Jian''s words ignited his fury. Ling Bing''s half-closed eyes snapped open, unleashing a wave of killing intent as sharp as a sword, hurling toward Hao Jian. His voice carried an unmistakable edge of anger. "A frog in a well¡­" Though slightly surprised by Ling Bing''s tangible killing intent, Hao Jian quickly dismissed it. This level of focus could only come from someone with significant war experience and major achievements. Yet, to Hao Jian, such talent seemed wasted¡ªlike a frog trapped in a well. If Ling Bing had sought challenges instead of becoming Dong Aiguo''s loyal shadow, his potential could have reached far greater heights. Now, however, his strength merely made him a local legend in the military district. Were he to face true global powerhouses, he likely wouldn''t survive three moves. "This match will have no rules," Dong Aiguo declared, his voice filled with authority. "The only condition is no fatalities. Use whatever means¡ªassassination, sneak attacks, anything. There will only be one person left standing in the end!" As tension filled the air, killing intent spread across the field. Chapter 893 - 892 Finally Arrived "Please, go ahead!" As Dong Aiguo''s words fell, Hao Jian gestured toward an open space nearby, raising his chin toward Ling Bing. "Tap!" After saying this, Hao Jian took the lead and jumped down, landing in the center of the open space, and Ling Bing followed suit, leaping down as well. The onlookers, seeing Hao Jian so boldly pointing out Ling Bing''s inadequacies and even calling him a ''frog in a well,'' all looked at Hao Jian with mocking expressions. Some more outspoken individuals couldn''t help but speak out, ridiculing him, "Daring to call our Brother Ling Bing a frog in a well?! Kid, did you forget to bring your brain when you left the house this morning, or did you forget to take your medicine?!" "Haha! Even if you can defeat us, so what? We were once defeated by Brother Ling Bing ourselves! Your strength, though impressive, is nothing in Brother Ling Bing''s eyes. And now, you have the audacity to talk down to him? Haha, utterly arrogant!" "Fatty, what you''re saying is misplaced. Brother Hao Jian, no matter what, defeated us. Instead, we should let Brother Ling Bing settle things for us and make sure the kid gets a taste of military methods!" "Haha! That''s right, that''s right! Make him understand what happens when he dares to cross us!" In everyone''s eyes, Hao Jian''s defeat was certain. After all, they had all been tormented by Ling Bing in the past and naturally knew just how strong he was. This guy... should win, right? Secretary Zhang looked on with some concern at the two facing off in the arena. Though Hao Jian''s strength was undoubtedly impressive, a lot of the information he had were just reports¡ªit was unclear where Hao Jian''s limits truly lay. As for Ling Bing, Secretary Zhang had watched videos of him sparring firsthand. In the military district, anyone who faced him in a match ended up being instantly defeated, regardless of the type of challenge. Although Hao Jian had been impressive today, due to preconceived attitudes, people still instinctively believed¡ªor blindly assumed¡ªthat Ling Bing would crush Hao Jian with his overwhelming momentum. "Bang!" With the sharp crack of a gunshot, the two, who had been silently standing upright, suddenly widened their eyes. As footsteps rang faintly, Ling Bing wasted no time, moving forward without hesitation toward Hao Jian. Though his expression was blank, it gave off a chilling coldness. "Zoom!" Ling Bing''s movement was swift, accompanied by a faint whistling sound of air being cut. In just that short span of time, Ling Bing appeared directly in front of Hao Jian, his hand reaching out rapidly. As he extended his hand, his fist formed swiftly, then swung fiercely toward Hao Jian''s chest, targeting its weakest point. At the same time, his left hand subtly reached behind his back, palm tightening slightly before swiftly sliding toward the vicinity of his waist. One overt move, one covert¡ªhidden within was a killing strike! "Saying you''re a frog in a well, and you still don''t believe it? Then I''ll show you the meaning of true strength!" Watching Ling Bing''s movements, Hao Jian''s face immediately turned icy cold, his lips curling into a sneer. He suppressed his strength to fifty percent¡ªif he unleashed his full power, he might instantly defeat Ling Bing entirely, but doing so would eliminate the fun. Hao Jian wanted to see, under evenly matched conditions, who was truly stronger between the two! Observing Ling Bing''s technique, Hao Jian instantly realized it was a Close Combat technique. Once entangled with an opponent, its power could be overwhelming, making escape nearly impossible. Since that was the case, Hao Jian was absolutely not going to give Ling Bing any opportunity to utilize his move. His left foot tapped the ground lightly, and his figure shot backward rapidly. At the same moment, just as the tip of his left foot touched the ground, Hao Jian''s right foot stealthily stretched out, aiming directly for Ling Bing''s abdomen. Comparing reach¡ªhands versus feet¡ªfeet are undoubtedly longer. If Ling Bing kept up his current motion, his fist wouldn''t land on Hao Jian but would hit empty air, while Hao Jian''s foot would strike him in the abdomen. In such a scenario, Ling Bing naturally wouldn''t allow Hao Jian to succeed. To have claimed the title of number one expert in the military district was already an affirmation of Ling Bing''s own strength. Although he might not be stronger than Hao Jian in his prime, the current Hao Jian had already suppressed his power to match Ling Bing''s level. Given this even playing field, Ling Bing certainly wasn''t weaker than Hao Jian. He stomped both feet fiercely on the ground and surged forward explosively, sending a barrage of punches toward Hao Jian. This densely packed rainstorm-like barrage might be effective against others, but against Hao Jian, it felt slightly powerless. "Tap, tap, tap!" Relying on his remarkable speed, Hao Jian''s steps opened up into quick strides. As his figure darted and flickered, Ling Bing felt dizzy just trying to keep up. At certain moments, he nearly lost track of Hao Jian''s tempo. Once he lost rhythm, Hao Jian would find a chance to defeat him outright! Ling Bing attempted to land hits on Hao Jian; however, Hao Jian proved slipperier than a loach. Every time Ling Bing predicted his fists would connect, Hao Jian''s subtle bodily adjustments or tilts caused his strikes to graze harmlessly past Hao Jian''s hairline or clothing instead. "Thud¡­" Amid his frenzied assault, Ling Bing forgot to watch his footing, accidentally stepping on a rock and slipping slightly. Under normal circumstances, this might not have mattered much, but now, in the midst of battling Hao Jian, any minor mishap could tilt the entire fight into one-sided domination. "Boom, boom, boom!" Ling Bing''s slip didn''t escape Hao Jian''s observation. Immediately, he bent low, supporting himself with his hands planted on the ground as his legs relentlessly attacked Ling Bing''s feet. The ferocious onslaught left Ling Bing momentarily flustered. Exploiting an opponent''s vulnerability is the key to quickly resolving a fight. Once someone falters due to a slip-up that creates weak points, you must capitalize on it fully¡ªotherwise, the opportunity would be wasted. "Bang, bang, bang!" Ling Bing, being a seasoned fighter, quickly adapted following his initial panic. He rebuilt his defense swiftly, even managing to strike back intermittently during his defensive maneuvers. It was this recovery that disrupted Hao Jian''s rhythm, forcing him to step away lightly, retreating from the battle range. "You do have some skills." At this point, Hao Jian, operating at half strength, found it difficult to overwhelm Ling Bing completely. Unless he could exploit another weakness or fully unleash his power, resolving the fight would be challenging. But Hao Jian had no intention of doing so yet. He wanted to play around with Ling Bing for a while longer¡ªbefore ultimately crushing him with irresistible power to show him that in this world, there is always someone stronger! "Bang, bang, bang!" Ling Bing''s counterattacks gained pace quickly, but after some time, he was once again suppressed by Hao Jian. Each punch Hao Jian threw, each kick he swept, brushed dangerously close to Ling Bing. Every near-miss carried force that Ling Bing could tangibly feel¡ªfaint stings that hinted at incoming pain. If this continued, it was only a matter of time before Ling Bing was inevitably defeated! "If this keeps up, defeat is unavoidable¡ªI have to use my ultimate move!" Feeling increasingly endangered, Ling Bing''s expression shifted. One hand clenched into a fist, quietly gathering force. Moments later, he launched his attack aimed squarely at Hao Jian''s chest. Hao Jian raised his hand to block the strike, but for some reason¡ªwhether his arm weakened or something else¡ªthe block was broken, leaving his chest completely exposed to Ling Bing. "What a golden opportunity!" Spotting the glaring opening, Ling Bing''s eyes widened fiercely. Without hesitation, he extended both fists, pulled back strongly, and packed tremendous force as he drove his punches brutally toward Hao Jian''s chest! "Overlord Fist!" This was Ling Bing''s most formidable technique¡ªonce unleashed, the target was either dead or severely injured! Ling Bing''s attack series was executed with lightning speed, compressed into an instantaneous blitz combination. Watching Hao Jian fail to evade, with his arms still outstretched and unable to defend, Ling Bing''s attack seemed unstoppable... sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Ah!" Chapter 894 - 893 No Words Said "Crushing Mountain Strike!" On the sidelines, Secretary Zhang''s heart was already in his throat. Especially when Ling Bing''s fists were just a punch''s distance from Hao Jian''s chest, his hands clenched tightly. But when he saw Hao Jian''s fists, which had been held aloft above his head, suddenly curve at a strange angle and appear on either side of Ling Bing, the smile on Ling Bing''s face instantly vanished. His expression changed drastically as he swiftly altered his direction, redirecting his fists to meet Hao Jian''s offensive. This time, Hao Jian truly demonstrated to Ling Bing what it means to "encircle Wei to rescue Zhao." "Boom!" Their attacks collided in that instant, unleashing an utterly ferocious gust of wind from the point of impact, sweeping outward. Their legs staggered apart and trembled violently, kicking up the dust on the ground. "Rippp!" As the Qi Force dissipated from their backs, a crisp sound of fabric tearing reverberated. The clothes on their backs split open from the tension. "Thud!" Upon contact, the immense force in Hao Jian''s hands surged into Ling Bing''s body. Though Ling Bing managed to dispel much of it, a residual Qi Force lingered inside, forcing him to spit out a mouthful of fresh blood. His entire body was subsequently blasted backward by Hao Jian. "Tap, tap, tap¡­" When Ling Bing landed, he quickly neutralized the impacting force, leaving a series of uneven footprints on the ground. It wasn''t until seven or eight meters back that he depleted all the Qi Force, spraying out another mouthful of blood. Supporting himself with one hand on the ground, he gasped heavily, evidently having lost the strength to continue fighting. "Whoa!" Seeing Ling Bing defeated by Hao Jian, every face turned pale with disbelief. Gasps erupted all around in astonishment! "Brother Ling Bing was actually defeated?! This¡­ this is impossible!" "Impossible! This can''t be! How could this happen?!" "That brat definitely concealed much of his strength earlier during our sparring; otherwise, there''s no way this would''ve happened!" "Damn it! Even Brother Ling Bing couldn''t win!" All the Special Forces soldiers were whispering among themselves, their faces full of disbelief as they looked down at Ling Bing, who struggled to stand. Shock flickered in their eyes. "So strong¡­" Secretary Zhang took a deep look at Hao Jian, whose clothes were merely torn. The fog of mystery surrounding this man seemed to grow heavier. Even the top master of the military district had been defeated by him, and his strength appeared far superior to Ling Bing. Perhaps this guy hadn''t even exerted his full strength¡­ As this thought arose, it gave Secretary Zhang quite a scare. If this hypothesis were true, then Hao Jian''s power was terrifyingly extraordinary. No wonder the Minister valued him so highly¡ªsomeone of such strength could bring unimaginable benefits to their cause¡­ In ancient terms, he was like a mighty general capable of holding a pass against ten thousand enemies! "Whew¡­ So this guy had such strength all along, yet he made me worry for so long." With a light exhale, Secretary Zhang felt a bit speechless as he looked at Hao Jian. He knew Hao Jian was powerful, but how powerful exactly, this guy had never really disclosed. All Hao Jian had said was that he would win, but such a vague statement was hard to believe. Still, it was fine¡ªwinning this time was already a great outcome. At least this guy wouldn''t get dragged over to be chopped up by Dong Aiguo. Shaking his head, Secretary Zhang tossed these thoughts aside and allowed a smile to creep onto his face. This man belonged to their side! "Damn it!" Dong Aiguo glared furiously at Hao Jian, who had defeated Ling Bing, punching a nearby steel pillar so hard that it left a shallow dent! Dong Aiguo had promised Hao Jian that if he could defeat Ling Bing, he would no longer cause him trouble and would hand over the goods. But during that time, he never considered the possibility of Ling Bing losing. After all, to him, Ling Bing represented invincibility and absolute strength. But now, this seemingly unbeatable power in his eyes had fallen at the hands of this simple brat! This¡­ He couldn''t believe it, nor was he willing to! "No way! I absolutely can''t swallow this defeat!" Consumed by intense anger, Dong Aiguo''s expression turned grim. His eyes gleamed as his mind raced for ways to extend the duel¡­ His shifting gaze flickered between Hao Jian and Ling Bing. Just as a new idea was taking form in his mind, Dong Aiguo suddenly noticed a pair of eyes locked onto him. Subconsciously tilting his gaze, his sight landed on Secretary Zhang! "Elder Dong, I believe this duel has reached its conclusion. Remember to uphold your promise; don''t disappoint the Minister!" Secretary Zhang spoke out upon noticing Dong Aiguo''s wandering thoughts, knowing full well that this old fox was scheming to drag things out. But Hao Jian had fought hard for this victory, and Secretary Zhang wouldn''t let this sly old man sweep it under the rug with some random excuse. So, he invoked the Minister''s name. He was confident that mentioning the Minister would silence Dong Aiguo. Dong may not fear him, but when it came to the Minister, the old man had to show some respect. In terms of power and rank, Dong Aiguo couldn''t compare to the Minister. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hmph!" Warned by Secretary Zhang, Dong Aiguo let out an irritated snort. The intensity of light in his eyes dimmed as he begrudgingly grunted back, "Since when do I, Dong Aiguo, need guidance on how to act? I said if he defeated my subordinate, I wouldn''t cause him trouble anymore. He''s won, so I''ll honor my word." Damn it! Even as he said it, Dong Aiguo burned with fury inside. His chance for revenge for his son had slipped right through his fingers. He cast a piercing glance at Hao Jian, silently vowing to make his life miserable when the next opportunity came. "Haha! Secretary Zhang!" At this moment, Hao Jian returned and immediately hugged Secretary Zhang. Laughing heartily, he said, "Thank you so much this time!" Even though there was still a distance between him, Secretary Zhang, and Dong Aiguo, Hao Jian''s extraordinary hearing enabled him to catch every word of Secretary Zhang''s warning to Dong Aiguo with perfect clarity. Grateful, he cast Secretary Zhang an appreciative look. Without Secretary Zhang''s presence, even with victory secured, Dong Aiguo certainly wouldn''t have honored his agreement so smoothly. During the duel, Hao Jian suffered no major injuries¡ªjust tore his clothes while dispelling Qi Force from his back. As for Ling Bing, he had taken Hao Jian''s Crushing Fist head-on. Though only half of Hao Jian''s strength was used, it was still far more than someone of Ling Bing''s caliber could withstand. Initially intending to go all out against Ling Bing to showcase his power, Hao Jian reconsidered and chose to mask some of his ability. This was enemy territory¡ªthis victory was just the beginning. Dong Aiguo likely still had tricks up his sleeve. Hao Jian didn''t believe that someone as stubborn as Dong Aiguo would easily let go of the hatred for his son''s death. Thus, he needed to create a false impression to mislead Dong Aiguo into underestimating him. That way, during future confrontations, he might face opponents whom Dong Aiguo mistakenly deemed strong enough. "If you lacked sufficient strength, even invoking the Minister wouldn''t have helped much. This victory is ultimately your own achievement. I merely played a minor role in facilitating it," Secretary Zhang replied with a slight smile, composed and modest. This non-arrogant demeanor revealed his high regard for Hao Jian¡ªan exceptional quality to remain unfazed despite victory. "Haha, let''s not dwell on it. I need that old man to hand over my goods. My clients are in urgent need, and if I fail to deliver, my small business is doomed!" Acknowledging Secretary Zhang''s advice, Hao Jian nodded affirmatively. True strength dictated every situation''s tone. Without power, expecting esteemed individuals far above one''s rank to treat you as an equal was unrealistic. "Small business?" Hearing these words, Secretary Zhang shook his head in mild disbelief, remarking, "If what you call a small business counts as such, then there wouldn''t be any corporations left in this world. I seriously doubt your enterprises would crumble from one failure." "Heh." Scratching his head sheepishly, Hao Jian chuckled before turning towards Dong Aiguo not far away, raising his chin slightly and saying, "Well then, can we finalize your promise? Hurry up and bring out my goods!" "Hmph!" While inspecting Ling Bing''s injuries, Dong Aiguo glared at Hao Jian''s smug tone and snorted disdainfully, retorting, "What''s owed to you will naturally be given; why waste so much breath on it?!" "My words aren''t nonsense; I''m merely worried a man of your stature might forget this affair," Hao Jian casually folded his arms in front of his chest, his lips curling into a cold smile as his gaze glinted ominously. "Hmph! Sharp-tongued brat!" Unable to outtalk Hao Jian, Dong Aiguo turned away and muttered orders to the nearby Special Forces soldiers, whispering, "Bring this brat''s goods here¡­" "Sir, are you sure you want to comply with this kid?" Among those assigned, one soldier protested with a dissatisfied expression. "He only said we should give him his goods. He never specified whether they should be intact or damaged¡­" Dong Aiguo nodded slightly before curling his lips into a cold smirk, his voice subdued. Chapter 895 - 894: Must Go and See! "Go wait at the military district gate, I''ll have those men move the goods over for you!" The Special Forces soldiers, hearing Dong Aiguo''s words, immediately had their eyes light up. Without any delay, they hastily led a few others away. Meanwhile, Dong Aiguo gestured with his hand to have the military doctor escort the injured Ling Bing off. "Better not try any tricks." Hao Jian had no desire to linger in such a place. Staying on enemy territory left him feeling uneasy¡ªafter all, this was the military district, a place with an arsenal of formidable weaponry. Hao Jian couldn''t predict if Dong Aiguo might impulsively throw a bomb at him... So when Dong Aiguo said those words, Hao Jian merely nodded slightly before heading toward the military district gate, Secretary Zhang closely following behind him. "Hmph! Just hope you don''t let me catch an opportunity¡ªotherwise, you won''t even have a burial!" Watching Hao Jian''s departing figure, Dong Aiguo''s expression turned increasingly grim. For a moment, he was genuinely tempted to drop a bomb on Hao Jian and eliminate him in one fell swoop. But he didn''t dare. This was the heart of the military base. Even though Dong Aiguo held considerable authority here, the consequences of privately deploying high-powered weapons were something he couldn''t bear¡ªnot while he still valued his own life. He absolutely couldn''t act recklessly in the military district, especially in front of Secretary Zhang. "Do you think Dong Aiguo would mess with us?" Soon, they arrived at the military district''s gate, and Secretary Zhang suddenly voiced his concern. "If he tries any tricks, well, don''t blame me for not holding back." In response to the question, Hao Jian merely clenched his fists, his gaze briefly sweeping over the military district''s interior as he spoke in a voice as cold as ice. Secretary Zhang lightly nodded. As long as Dong Aiguo had any semblance of sensibility, he wouldn''t stir up trouble. After all, Hao Jian had already showcased his capabilities. Still, Secretary Zhang couldn''t help but feel uneasy. Considering Dong Aiguo''s arrogant personality¡ªand adding the fact that this involved vengeance for his son¡ªit was hard to believe he would let go of his hatred and obediently surrender the goods. Sigh! I hope that old bastard decides to behave. Otherwise, I''ll have to step in. With that thought, Secretary Zhang exhaled in frustration. His gaze fell on the two soldiers now replacing the guards at the gate. Adjusting his glasses and clutching his briefcase, he stood quietly while Hao Jian paced around nearby, visibly bored. Time¡­ trickled by, moment by moment... "It''s been over an hour, and there''s no sign of anyone. What''s going on?" Hao Jian glanced at his watch, his patience thinning. He turned to Secretary Zhang, his face lined with frustration and inquiry. "The goods consist of only a few large crates, and there are transport vehicles in the military district. Normally, it shouldn''t take more than half an hour. Now that so much time has passed, it doesn''t make any sense..." Secretary Zhang also appeared doubtful, adjusting his glasses once again and casting a subtle glance toward the two soldiers stationed at the gate. He spoke softly to Hao Jian: "I''ve been here many times before with the minister. The drive from the storage area to this gate usually takes just twenty minutes." "So what you''re saying is, they might be pulling something?" Hao Jian picked up on the underlying implication in Secretary Zhang''s words. His eyes narrowed slightly, a chilling glint flashing within them. He replied in a quiet, icy voice. "Apart from that explanation, I can''t think of anything else that would delay the transport." Secretary Zhang shook his head. This visit was all about the goods¡ªa batch of exquisite items worth ten billion. Such a substantial sum made even him swallow hard. "No way! I need to go and take a look!" Hao Jian turned and faced Secretary Zhang. "Secretary Zhang, you know where the old man stored the goods, right?" "Of course I know." At Hao Jian''s words, Secretary Zhang nodded affirmatively. "Good. Lead the way¡ªI''m heading over to take a look!" Getting the clear response he wanted, Hao Jian nodded again. He then lifted his foot and headed toward the military district gate... "Stop! Restricted military area. No unauthorized trespassing!" But just as Hao Jian approached the gate, the guards stationed there raised their guns and blocked his path. Their expressions were cold, their tone unemotional. "Step aside! Don''t force me to use violence!" Staring at the two AK rifles pointed at him, Hao Jian''s expression darkened severely. He had already been stopped at the gate earlier, and here he was, being stopped again¡ªit was apparent that Dong Aiguo intended to humiliate him! "Hao Jian, don''t overreact." Seeing this situation unfold, Secretary Zhang grew visibly irritated¡ªnot at Hao Jian but at Dong Aiguo. You''d think he''d already understood the consequences of blocking Hao Jian earlier, yet now he had his men doing it again. Was he really planning to enrage Hao Jian this time? Secretary Zhang initially wanted to dissuade Hao Jian, but the thought that Dong Aiguo might go back on his word led him to change his stance: don''t overdo it, Hao Jian. "Haha, don''t worry¡ªI won''t leave the old man in an awkward position!" With Secretary Zhang''s tacit permission, Hao Jian burst into laughter. Without warning, his hand shot out, so fast it was almost imperceptible, and struck the two guards in rapid succession. A surge of raw power blasted them off their feet, throwing them to the ground far away. Blood spurted from their mouths as they fainted on the spot. This time, Hao Jian wouldn''t be polite. Being stopped a second time meant Dong Aiguo had ulterior motives. After dispatching the guards, Hao Jian strode into the military district alongside Secretary Zhang. "Clang, clang, clang!" However, just as Hao Jian stepped forward, dozens of soldiers emerged from every direction, daggers gleaming in their hands. Their faces were fierce, twisted with malicious intent, and they grinned savagely at Hao Jian. Seeing this, Hao Jian chuckled lightly and remarked to Secretary Zhang, "Looks like the old man anticipated I''d break in again. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have stationed so many men here. Clearly, he set this trap, waiting for me to take the bait!" "Don''t go overboard." Secretary Zhang shook his head slightly, signaling Hao Jian as he took a step back¡ªto let him handle it. "Haha!" Roaring with laughter, Hao Jian stomped the ground forcefully and launched himself forward. His palm struck out, sending the nearest soldier flying. As the airborne soldier fell, Hao Jian''s other hand snatched the dagger right out of his grasp. Then, with another kick, the soldier was sent hurtling even farther. He crashed into a distant wall, slid down to the floor, and fainted. "Take him down, brothers! Don''t let this guy break in!" sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian''s actions ignited a battle cry. The leader of the soldiers hollered, and the thirty-plus soldiers rallied, rushing toward Hao Jian with daggers spinning in dangerous arcs. "Haha! Perfect timing!" Watching the soldiers charge in, Hao Jian threw his head back and laughed heartily, his face brimming with spirited confidence. It had been a long time since he''d felt this thrill¡ªbeing surrounded by soldiers! "Ratatatata!" With a sharp pivot, Hao Jian pushed off the ground with the tip of his foot, launched forward, and plunged into the group. The dagger in his hand lightly swept out, slicing across the neck of an advancing soldier. The soldier''s neck felt a sudden chill; his expression froze. He reached out to touch his neck and found blood staining his hand... Seeing the blood on his hand, the soldier relented and left the battlefield. He understood that this was Hao Jian''s warning¡ªnext time, it wouldn''t just be a shallow cut; it''d be his life. And it was a testament to Hao Jian''s extraordinary skill, capable of slicing so precisely during a moving battle, leaving only a superficial wound rather than inflicting fatal harm. One by one, soldiers began retreating. Each bore a shallow cut¡ªon their necks, near their hearts, or other vital points¡ªbut no fatal injuries. Hao Jian marked them at critical spots as a statement. Three minutes later, not a single soldier remained standing. The area was empty, save for Hao Jian, spotless as ever, and the defeated troops scattered in the distance. Seeing their sensible retreat, Hao Jian clasped his hands in acknowledgment and smiled before sprinting onward deeper into the military district with Secretary Zhang. Wave after wave of enemies emerged, some even wielding firearms. But to Hao Jian, they were no match¡ªin every encounter, he remained an untouchable shadow, leaving only lingering streams of chill and pain wherever he struck. Some soldiers tried to resist, refusing to yield. But those who challenged Hao Jian ended up being sent flying, gravely injured by his powerful blows. Witnessing this, the remaining soldiers were rattled with fear. From then on, none dared defy Hao Jian when he crossed their paths. A journey from the military gate to the storage area typically took twenty minutes by car and over forty minutes on foot. But Hao Jian, advancing steadily through waves of enemies, managed to maintain remarkable speed! Chapter 896 - 895: Who Am I for You to Care?! "Report, Commander! Hao Jian and another person have unauthorized entry into the military base, and our men cannot stop them!" In a place piled with goods, a group of people is busily hammering away, creating a clanging sound, almost immediately followed by the sight of jewelry turned into fragments, scattering on the ground. Not far away, in a rest area, Dong Aiguo and a few subordinates are drinking tea, watching the busy scene outside. Just then, a wounded soldier, stumbling, rushes in front of Dong Aiguo, hurriedly salutes, and urgently speaks. "Useless! How could you let that kid get in again!" Upon hearing, Dong Aiguo''s originally smiling face instantly turns cold. He suddenly turns his head, shouting angrily at the soldier, causing all the soldiers present to feel a chill; their actions halt, silencing in dread. Only Dong Aiguo''s close subordinates can speak to him without much fear. The ordinary soldiers respect him immensely, and now seeing his anger, they are even more afraid that Dong Aiguo might vent his fury on them, which would be a disaster without reason, hence, silence becomes the best response. "Bastards! You few, come with me to check it out!" Since Ling Bing is injured and recuperating, not by his side, Dong Aiguo can only have some of his stronger subordinates accompany him as bodyguards. Knowing that Hao Jian has intruded again, he waves his hand to have these people follow him. "You, lead us!" Standing up, Dong Aiguo points at the soldier and then orders him. "Yes!" The soldier quickly nods, turns around with a snap, and leads the way. But as he steps forward, a slight pain causes him to grimace; during his fight with Hao Jian, he didn''t retreat in time and was kicked away, his abdomen still faintly aching. Now, moving still strains his wound, but it luckily doesn''t hinder his steps, he slightly adjusts and continues to lead the way. Following behind him, Dong Aiguo remains grim-faced. His goods are not yet fully destroyed, still more than half remain, he must go and intercept Hao Jian. Blocking them for a while longer will cause Hao Jian to suffer more loss, easing his anger somewhat. As Dong Aiguo''s troops head toward Hao Jian''s previous location, Hao Jian and his companion are continuously defeating soldiers of various ranks, eventually seeing a storage place not far off. With extraordinary eyesight, they see soldiers busily coming in and out inside. "Let''s go! I have a bad feeling!" Seeing such unusual busyness, Hao Jian''s expression turns grim; a feeling of unease lingers in his mind, refusing to leave. "Mm!" Secretary Zhang also nods heavily, quickly advancing behind Hao Jian¡ªon their way, all soldiers charge at Hao Jian. Even standing beside him, it''s as if they don''t see Secretary Zhang, only rushing past him. Secretary Zhang''s identity is known throughout the military district, such an important figure isn''t someone they can provoke; even Dong Aiguo himself wouldn''t dare talk back to Secretary Zhang, much less these people. All soldiers surge forward, tasked with stopping Hao Jian. Even if they can''t entirely stop him, they must delay him, never allowing him to enter the military base smoothly. Orders are absolute, and since Dong Aiguo commanded it, in this situation, not advancing would invite a severe reprimand from Dong Aiguo. "Damn it!" When Hao Jian and his companion arrive at their destination, they''re startled by the busy scene, making his already grim countenance darken further, eyes flashing with a cold glare. He roars in anger, "Everyone get the hell out! Anyone who dares to make a move again will be executed without mercy!" The ground and tables, everywhere are littered with fragments of various jewelry¡ªjade, gold, and silver¡ªoriginally priceless pieces now reduced to scattered rubble. One could only discern their past splendor from the destroyed outlines. Hao Jian''s eyes turn bloodshot; these jewelry pieces, worth up to a billion, have been mostly destroyed by these people. Even what''s left might not be worth a hundred million, making this situation rather precarious. "Kid! Who are you?!" A burly man over two meters tall steps forward arrogantly, looking at Hao Jian. Unaware of what''s been happening outside, he doesn''t know Hao Jian''s true power, but he unconsciously wants to greet Secretary Zhang. Yet, remembering Dong Aiguo''s departing words¡ªto beat anyone who intrudes to death, regardless of who they are¡ªhe holds back. As Dong Aiguo''s subordinate, he follows his orders dutifully; Dong Aiguo values his loyalty and prowess, which is why he was left here, tasked with destroying all of Hao Jian''s goods and witnessing Hao Jian''s reaction. However, due to Hao Jian''s intrusion, Dong Aiguo was led away, worrying his subordinates that Hao Jian might act rashly and harm Dong Aiguo. If Hao Jian had followed a fixed route, he might have encountered Dong Aiguo earlier, but constant interception delayed him, giving Dong Aiguo time to avoid him. By the time Hao Jian arrived, all the goods were destroyed, and there''s no confronting Dong Aiguo for answers; Dong Aiguo could easily feign ignorance, blaming his clumsy underlings for the destruction. The "law doesn''t punish the masses" principle applies, particularly given the many involved, Hao Jian could only swallow his grievances. "Who am I? I''m the one who can take your life!" Seeing this man blocking his way, Hao Jian''s eyes flash with cold light as he softly declares. He fiercely stamps the ground, launching towards the man, sweeping a swift kick towards his chest mid-air, striking before the man can react... "Bang!" "Pfft!" Hearing Hao Jian''s arrogant words, the man is furious, about to retort, when he sees a blur and feels intense pain in his chest, the scene spinning. A sweet sensation rises in his throat as he spits a mouthful of blood. "Courting death!" That tall male soldier, the highest officer present, seeing his leader taken down by an unknown kid with a single kick, all the soldiers drop what they''re doing, grabbing nearby guns, pointing at Hao Jian, and shouting loudly. "Hahaha! Just what I needed!" Taking a closer look, there are over twenty people here. Seeing all these guys draw their guns, Hao Jian bursts into laughter, waving his hand and sending a wave of Qi Force, pushing Secretary Zhang to the doorway. A gunfight may ensue, so keeping Secretary Zhang at a distance prevents potential harm, Hao Jian ensures Secretary Zhang''s safety before engaging these foes! "Bang!" As Hao Jian pushes Secretary Zhang aside, a gunshot rings out. Hao Jian tilts slightly to the left, the bullet sparking past his pants to the ground, emitting a faint wisp of smoke. "Bang bang bang!" One gunshot triggers a cascade, bursts of gunfire like raindrops on the ground. Bullets streak with faint sparks and whistling, rapidly nearing Hao Jian. Each trajectory requires precision evasion. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" Hao Jian, face grim, moves with swift precision, utilizing incredible dodging techniques, astonishing the soldiers with eyes wide in disbelief. "Is this... possible?! How could anyone dodge bullets?!" With trembling lips, soldiers stare at Hao Jian in awe. In the military district, strength is revered, reducing mission casualties¡ªan admirable trait. Witnessing Hao Jian''s prowess, soldiers hurriedly discard their guns. Still, Hao Jian doesn''t relent, stamping the ground to leap ahead, delivering lightning-fast punches. "Boom boom boom!" Each punch lands on soldiers, and in a mere six seconds, Hao Jian dispatches over twenty opponents. All lie unconscious by walls or crates. Despite these soldiers being Dong Aiguo''s men, Hao Jian refrains from harsh blows¡ªthey''re guardians of national safety, after all! Chapter 897 - 896: Cant Swallow This Breath "Damn it! My jewels were ruined by that old man just like that!" Picking up a handful of shattered jewelry from the ground, Hao Jian''s expression was extremely dark. Even though he had defeated so many soldiers and vented his frustrations, the sight of those broken items reignited an uncontrollable rage deep within him, surging through his meridians and exploding in his mind. "Hao Jian, don''t act impulsively. I think Dong Aiguo did this on purpose. If you cause a commotion here now, and the higher-ups get wind of it, they''ll rush over immediately. You''ll be in big trouble." As the gunfire inside ceased, Secretary Zhang cautiously peeked in. But before he''d fully entered, Hao Jian''s furious roar echoed, causing him to hurriedly run inside. Seeing Hao Jian clutching the shattered pieces of jewelry, Secretary Zhang couldn''t help but try to persuade him. Through increasing collaboration with Hao Jian, Secretary Zhang had come to understand the man''s personality. As Hao Jian himself put it: "If others don''t provoke me, I won''t provoke them; but if they do, even if they''re far away, they''ll face retribution!" When they first crossed paths, it had been due to the Minister''s arrangements. But as their cooperation deepened, Secretary Zhang came to admire Hao Jian''s methods even more. In his opinion, only people like Hao Jian could remove the country''s deeply entrenched cancers. For this reason, Secretary Zhang didn''t want to see someone as talented as Hao Jian ruined by Dong Aiguo. Besides, Hao Jian now had a family and responsibilities. Under such circumstances, he couldn''t afford to act recklessly. Considering Hao Jian was favored by the Minister, Secretary Zhang felt it necessary to highlight the stakes when needed. Especially now, as Hao Jian''s emotions were visibly spiraling toward rage. If reason couldn''t suppress his anger, the consequences of his actions, given his power, would undoubtedly be devastating. The stronger a person is, the greater the harm they can inflict. For a civilian to cause havoc in a military base and injure soldiers¡ªit was a serious crime. "Then I''ll force him to show up!" Temporarily calmed by Secretary Zhang''s intervention, Hao Jian''s bloodshot eyes regained a semblance of clarity. He nodded firmly before turning to approach the man who had attacked him earlier. Hao Jian''s blows hadn''t been overly aggressive¡ªenough to render the man unconscious for a while but not cause lasting damage. By now, the man should be waking up... "Get up!" Hao Jian kicked the man several times, infusing a hint of Vigorous Qi through his foot, which coursed into the man''s body. Immediately, the man cried out from the intense pain. "Ah! It hurts!" The sharp agony jolted the man awake, his face scrunched in utter discomfort. The pain lingered for tens of seconds before dissipating, allowing his expression to finally ease as he let out a deep breath and relaxed his body. "Send a message to Dong Aiguo. Tell him Hao Jian is waiting here for him! Inform him that if he doesn''t show up, I''ll kill his entire family. I''ve already killed his son; I don''t mind killing the rest." A cold voice suddenly rang out behind him, sending shivers down the man''s spine. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead as bitter thoughts filled his mind. Why hadn''t this guy left yet... "Yes, yes!" Having witnessed Hao Jian''s power, the man dared not protest further. He immediately picked up his walkie-talkie and relayed the message about Hao Jian''s presence. After finishing, he turned his distressed gaze toward Hao Jian and cautiously asked, "Can I... leave now?" "Get lost!" Hao Jian''s primary concern was dealing with Dong Aiguo. He wasn''t particularly interested in these small fry. With a grim expression, he granted the man permission to leave. "Thank you! Thank you!" With Hao Jian''s approval, the man bolted from the scene, wiping sweat from his brow as he fled. His haste was driven by fear that he''d be punished later when confronting Dong Aiguo. To the ordinary officers and soldiers, Dong Aiguo carried immense authority and respect. His methods were extraordinary, instilling fear and reverence alike in many servicemen. "Sir! The guards at the warehouse reported that Hao Jian is already there, and the personnel we assigned have all been dealt with. Please advise!" A soldier rushed up to Dong Aiguo, saluted sharply, and quickly relayed the update. "That bastard! How could he act so fast? I deployed over a hundred men!" Upon hearing the news, Dong Aiguo''s expression shifted drastically. His eyes glowed intensely as he waved his hand and roared, "Everyone, gather and follow me back immediately! This time, there''s no way that punk leaves here unscathed. He injured so many of my men¡ªI want to see how he plans to explain himself!" "Hmmph!" With a cold snort, Dong Aiguo climbed into a vehicle and ordered it to drive back. The reporting soldier promptly hopped onto a nearby motorbike, trailing closely behind Dong Aiguo. A massive contingent surged toward the warehouse. The closer they got, the colder and more ruthless Dong Aiguo''s expression became. A faint Killing Intent surrounded him, earning the Special Forces'' awe-filled glances. This kind of Killing Intent could only be refined by someone like Dong Aiguo, who had experienced large-scale wars between nations. These Special Forces mostly dealt with small local gangs, deliberately avoiding fatalities whenever possible. As a result, such concentrated Killing Intent was beyond their ability to cultivate. "Vroom, vroom, vroom!" Inside, as Hao Jian waited for Dong Aiguo, he sat chatting with Secretary Zhang. Suddenly, his ear twitched slightly, and the corner of his mouth curled up into a faint smile. Moments later, the rumbling of engines sounded outside. Rising to his feet, Hao Jian smiled at a curious-looking Secretary Zhang and said, "They''re here. Let''s go take a look." As the words left his mouth, a faint red glint flickered in Hao Jian''s eyes. Subtle Killing Intent spread from his body, swirling around him without dispersing far. "Don''t go overboard¡­" Seeing Hao Jian in this state, Secretary Zhang couldn''t help but express concern. He voiced his reminder but ultimately followed Hao Jian outside. Once the two stepped out the door, an enraged roar exploded in their ears. Secretary Zhang quickly turned his gaze toward the sound, only to see Dong Aiguo being helped off a vehicle by two Special Forces soldiers, his face contorted in fury. "Hao Jian!" Dong Aiguo''s eyes radiated Killing Intent as he clenched his fists tightly, the veins bulging and quivering slightly¡ªa testament to his deep-seated wrath. This bastard dared to threaten him? "Heh, what''s up?" Seeing Dong Aiguo, Hao Jian let out a cold chuckle. Before Dong Aiguo could act, Hao Jian preemptively sneered and said, "I beat you fair and square in our contest, and you reneged?!" Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "My goods have been more than half destroyed by you. Do you have any idea how much I''ve lost?! Seven, eight hundred million!" His icy words spilled forth. After a brief pause, he continued, "While I don''t particularly care about money, your betrayal enraged me!" "Is this military district full of people like you¡ªthose who can''t honor even basic agreements? People who reneg on their word as a habit?!" "Hao Jian, you forced my hand!" Faced with Hao Jian''s accusatory confrontation, Dong Aiguo''s expression darkened significantly. He shouted furiously, "Destroying your goods was the least I could do! As for you killing my son, don''t think we''ll settle that score so easily!" "In that case, we''ve got nothing left to discuss. Let''s settle this with action!" Overcome by fury, Hao Jian extended his palm, faint Qi Force swirling in the center of it. A terrifying Killing Intent emanated from his body, but before he could attack, a hand heavily clapped him on the shoulder. "Secretary Zhang¡­" Interrupted, Hao Jian turned his head, puzzled, only to see Secretary Zhang''s pale face, his trembling hand resting on Hao Jian''s shoulder. Seeing this, Hao Jian quickly withdrew his Killing Intent to spare Secretary Zhang unnecessary suffering. As the oppressive aura faded, blood returned to Secretary Zhang''s face, though he remained visibly shaken. At this moment, Hao Jian was terrifyingly intimidating. "Hao Jian, heed my advice today. I understand your anger, but for the greater picture, avoid clashing with Dong Aiguo. Remember, he''s a general and represents the nation. If you hurt him today, do you think the country will let you off lightly for disrespecting its authority?" Secretary Zhang''s warning caused Hao Jian''s eyes to narrow slightly as he grew silent. He understood: no, they wouldn''t relent. A military district leader like Dong Aiguo symbolized the country''s honor. If Hao Jian attacked him, it would be akin to disrespecting the nation. Even the old man couldn''t protect him, and he''d no longer be able to stay in Huaxia... "Exactly, that''s the reality. I haven''t stopped you much because you''ve only been competing with Dong Aiguo''s subordinates. Even if fatalities occur, the Minister could help exonerate you. But once you touch Dong Aiguo, even the Minister himself would have to steer clear¡­" Seeing Hao Jian calm down, Secretary Zhang nodded in approval and added. "Even so, I can''t swallow this anger." Secretary Zhang''s words further centered Hao Jian''s thoughts. Reflecting on the potential consequences of injuring Dong Aiguo, Hao Jian felt a lingering fear. Though he was powerful, against a nation, he was but an infant¡ªutterly defenseless. Chapter 898 - 897: Found It! "For the sake of your relatives and friends, you must calm down!" Secretary Zhang spoke earnestly, trying to persuade Hao Jian. Watching Hao Jian reach this point, it should''ve been a success¡ªhe should''ve been able to retrieve his goods. But Dong Aiguo''s actions even angered Secretary Zhang, let alone Hao Jian. Still, Secretary Zhang was well aware that one man''s strength could not contend with a nation, even if that man was Hao Jian. Dong Aiguo had the entire Huaxia behind him for support. Even if Hao Jian dealt with Dong Aiguo, he would inevitably face the system''s punishment. What Secretary Zhang could do now was to dissuade Hao Jian from crossing that line of no return... "Fine! Next time, I won''t let him off the hook..." Hao Jian took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the resentment in his heart. The blood-red glow in his eyes gradually faded into clarity, and the aura of killing intent emanating around him slowly receded into his body. "What''s wrong? Not coming up? Scared?" Dong Aiguo noticed the changes in Hao Jian and immediately sneered coldly, convinced that Hao Jian wouldn''t dare to do anything to him. "Hmph! Old codger, this time I''ll overlook the matter of you destroying my goods on account of your son. But if there''s a next time, I definitely won''t let you off so easily!" Hao Jian''s face chilled slightly as he faced Dong Aiguo''s arrogance. With a cold smirk, he spoke icily. "Overlook it? Ha! I have to say, the joke you just told is so funny! Funny enough to make me want to kill you!" Being underestimated like this by Hao Jian ignited a raging fire within Dong Aiguo. As a commanding officer holding the highest rank in the military district, he couldn''t tolerate being so belittled by someone less than half his age. "I don''t want to say too much to you. I just want you to understand that I did not intentionally kill your son. The truth is that I was set up¡ªa conspiracy is at play!" Hao Jian looked coldly at the enraged Dong Aiguo, his voice devoid of emotion, calm yet deep. "According to my investigation, this conspiracy was orchestrated by Ye Wenying of the Ye Family. In other words, the true murderer of your son is Ye Wenying, not me, Hao Jian!" "Ha ha!" After hearing Hao Jian''s words, Dong Aiguo laughed out loud in fury, his gaze mocking as he scornfully sneered at Hao Jian. "I used to think you were somebody, but it turns out you''re not worthy of the name at all!" "At our level, it''s incredibly easy to dig up someone''s background. Who doesn''t know about the bad blood between you and the Ye Family? I just recently heard that you single-handedly wiped out half of the Ye Family''s two hundred members in their secret unit..." "Hao Jian, I couldn''t care less about the feud between you and Ye Wenying, nor am I interested in getting involved. But now you''re trying to shift the blame for your actions onto your enemies? That''s downright disgraceful! Do you think I''m foolish enough to believe such nonsense?" Dong Aiguo found Hao Jian''s explanation utterly laughable. To him, the only truth was that Hao Jian killed his adorable son, regardless of being framed. His son was killed by Hao Jian''s hands, and this man now dares to claim someone else is responsible? "In that case, I suppose there''s nothing left for us to talk about!" Hao Jian''s temper flared as he realized Dong Aiguo stubbornly refused to believe him. His voice chilled as he spoke: "I''ve said my piece. Whether you believe me or not is your problem. When I, Hao Jian, act, I have a clear conscience. You''ve destroyed my goods and tarnished my group''s reputation, but I won''t hold it against you for now. My words are my bond!" "Ha ha! Then I won''t ask Mr. Hao Jian to linger in my humble territory any longer!" Dong Aiguo gritted his teeth and spat the words out, particularly emphasizing the term "Mr." in mockery. Dong Aiguo dismissed everything Hao Jian said, refusing to dwell on the critical points because he neither cared nor wanted to be used as a pawn by Hao Jian. If he later confirmed that Ye Family had a hand in his son''s death, he wouldn''t need Hao Jian to tell him¡ªhe would deal with the Ye Family himself. However, before resolving the Ye Family issue, he wanted to deal with Hao Jian, the prime suspect. Even if he couldn''t kill him, he planned to make life unbearable for him. "Hmph!" Hao Jian snorted coldly and turned away, leaving with Secretary Zhang. Dong Aiguo''s obstinate attitude was infuriating! Hao Jian feared that staying any longer might lead him to lose control and commit murder. "Luckily, you held back in the end. If you hadn''t, you''d have fallen right into that old fox''s trap." Once they left the military district, Secretary Zhang finally exhaled in relief. He had been genuinely worried that Hao Jian would lose his rationality and cause chaos, which could lead to punishment from above¡ªeven the minister wouldn''t be able to shield him. "Ha ha! Do you think I, Hao Jian, would be provoked by such petty antics from that old dog?" Hao Jian laughed lightly, the prior anger dissipating quickly in the sound of his laughter, leaving Secretary Zhang bewildered. Hao Jian then snorted coldly, his gaze icy. "Today''s losses can be considered repayment for his revenge over his son. If he''s willing to let this matter rest, then I''ll bear no grudge going forward. But if he decides to come at me again, I will show no mercy!" Upon hearing this, Secretary Zhang could only shake his head with a bitter smile. Knowing the enmity between Hao Jian and Dong Aiguo, he felt it was unlikely to resolve. Based on his understanding of Dong Aiguo, he knew the old fox wouldn''t let this go. His eyes suddenly glimmered with a hint of light as Secretary Zhang spoke while walking alongside Hao Jian. "I doubt Dong Aiguo believes your explanation. He may take action next. Over the years, Dong Aiguo has cultivated extensive connections within that circle. If he decides to target you, the pressure on you won''t be minor." S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Let him come. Soldiers fight back, water is repelled by soil. Worrying won''t help; we can only face what comes. For now, my priority is uncovering the person who framed me. As for Ye Wenying, I haven''t yet found their hiding place. Only by locating Ye Wenying and their henchmen can I break this siege..." Speaking of this matter, Hao Jian fell silent for a moment before stroking his chin contemplatively. "What''s your next move? If you need any assistance, feel free to tell me¡ªI think the minister would approve." Secretary Zhang adjusted his glasses instinctively, his eyes glinting as he spoke. "First, head back to Hua City and get to the bottom of this." .......................................... That evening, Hao Jian boarded a plane back to Hua City. By the time he landed, it was already deep into the night. He flagged down a taxi by the roadside and headed home. Just as he stepped into the taxi, his phone rang. "Hello?" Upon glancing at the caller ID, Hao Jian saw it was Spice Ginger and immediately pressed the answer key. "Boss, we''ve identified the man who hit Young Master Li!" Spice Ginger''s weary voice conveyed the great effort he must''ve expended tracking down their adversary. Hearing the news, Hao Jian perked up, speaking in a deep voice, "Go ahead..." "The man is named Zhou Xia. He recently arrived in Hua City. When Dong Aiguo''s son sent his car for maintenance, Zhou Xia stole it. After using the car to hit Young Master Li, he fled and hid in a mountain cave on the outskirts of Hua City. We spared no effort tracking him down. If the mosquitoes in the mountains hadn''t irritated him into leaving to rent a place in town, we''d still be searching for him there..." Talking about capturing Zhou Xia, Spice Ginger couldn''t help expressing his amazement at how elusive the man had been. "Where are you now?" "I''m at..." Learning Spice Ginger''s location, Hao Jian wasted no time, instructing the taxi driver to head there immediately. The car sped forward. Although Hao Jian had boarded near the airport, the location of Spice Ginger and the detained Zhou Xia was dozens of kilometers away. Even with the driver''s fast speed, it took nearly half an hour via the city ring highway to arrive. "Keep the change!" After getting out of the taxi, Hao Jian didn''t bother looking at the fare meter. He simply pulled out three red banknotes from his wallet, handed them to the driver, and strode purposefully toward the building ahead. "Boss!" Standing at the entrance, Spice Ginger had been waiting for Hao Jian''s arrival. As soon as he saw Hao Jian, he hurried forward to greet him respectfully. Yet his exhaustion was evident¡ªhis dark circles betrayed just how busy he''d been in recent days. "You''ve worked hard." After noticing Spice Ginger''s worn-out state, Hao Jian patted his shoulder heavily, his voice full of sincerity. "Ha ha! It''s an honor to serve you, Boss. Moreover, you''ve helped me many times before. Besides, this situation stemmed from our brothers'' negligence. There''s no such thing as hardship in my eyes!" Spice Ginger laughed heartily, casually waving off the matter. "Either way, rewards must match merit. Once we deal with that guy, you''ll be richly rewarded." Hao Jian patted Spice Ginger''s shoulder again, smiling lightly before saying, "Alright, let''s cut the chatter. Take me to see that guy. I need to know what information I can extract from him..." Hearing this, Spice Ginger nodded. He took the lead, stepping into the building first. Chapter 899 - 898: Nine Lives Claiming Heaven Needle! "Boss, this guy has a stubborn temperament. We''ve tried a lot of methods, but he stubbornly refuses to say anything useful. All the information we currently have was gathered by ourselves." S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Walking through the corridor of the building, Spice Ginger pulled out a file from his pocket and handed it to Hao Jian, talking as he led the way. "Heh, no matter what kind of character he is, once he''s in my hands, Hao Jian''s hands, he''ll spill all the beans! Hitting my brother isn''t something that can be brushed off so easily!" After glancing at Zhou Xia''s file, Hao Jian sneered coldly. His palm trembled slightly, and the few pages of the file in his hand fragmented into countless scraps under the force of his Qi Force, scattering with the breeze out the window, disappearing into the distance. "We''re here." Before long, Spice Ginger brought Hao Jian to a small room in the basement. Through the small window on the door, it was clear to see that inside was a man, his hands bound to a chair, his head leaning against his shoulder as if he were sleeping. "Clank..." Spice Ginger slowly opened the door. Perhaps the sound of the door opening was too loud, as the man in the chair suddenly twitched all over. Then, his eyes snapped open, and the bewildered look in his eyes quickly turned sharp and alert. When he saw Spice Ginger at the door, his face instantly darkened. He hadn''t forgotten how many times this man had beaten him since capturing him. Even now, his body was riddled with bruises and latent, aching pains, making it impossible to sleep peacefully. "Boss, this brat is Zhou Xia." As soon as Spice Ginger entered, he respectfully welcomed Hao Jian inside. "Hmm." Hearing this, Hao Jian nodded. The twenty-square-meter room was starkly empty, holding only the chair Zhou Xia was sitting in. But neither Hao Jian nor Spice Ginger cared about the bare surroundings. After all, with what Zhou Xia did to Li He, it was already generous to even give him a place to sit. "You''re Zhou Xia?" Hao Jian stepped forward and stood before Zhou Xia, observing the man who appeared to be in his thirties, his face covered with stubble. Hao Jian flashed a faint smile, but a subtle glint of coldness flickered in his eyes. This was the man who had nearly sent his brother to the Western Heaven. "Yeah, that''s me. What do you want? If there''s nothing important, don''t disturb my nap." Zhou Xia showed not the slightest regard for Hao Jian, determined not to divulge any useful information no matter how he was tortured. After all, for this matter, his bank account had already gained a billion. Even if he died now, his family would live comfortably. "Quite the tough one." Spice Ginger had already informed Hao Jian that no matter what brutal tortures were applied, this guy refused to talk¡ªscreaming so hard he couldn''t make a sound anymore, yet still silent about the information they needed. For Spice Ginger and his team, dealing with someone like Zhou Xia was the most frustrating challenge. But for Hao Jian, dealing with this kind of tough nut was precisely his forte. Since the man wasn''t fazed by the pain of the flesh, Hao Jian would let him experience agony that stemmed from the depths of his soul¡ªagony so profound it would compel him to confess everything he knew. "Ha! Still acting tough? My boss''s methods are beyond your comprehension. Just make sure you won''t be crying and begging for mercy later." Seeing Zhou Xia maintain his arrogant attitude, Spice Ginger smirked coldly and mocked him. "Oh, I''d like to see your so-called methods!" Zhou Xia sneered in disdain and spat on the ground near Hao Jian''s shoes, brimming with provocation. He glared at Hao Jian with a sly grin and said, "Kid, show me everything you''ve got. If I beg for mercy, I won''t call myself a man!" From Hao Jian''s youthful appearance, Zhou Xia harbored contempt for him. To Zhou Xia, Hao Jian looked to be in his twenties¡ªlikely a university student or someone fresh to the workforce. What could he possibly know? Surely, his interrogation would involve nothing more than inflicting superficial pain¡ªand Zhou Xia had already endured plenty of that before. "Hahaha! Well then, let''s see what you''re made of!" Hao Jian laughed heartily, stepping closer to Zhou Xia. His gaze grew frosty as he looked at the man before him. "Bring it on!" Zhou Xia grinned wickedly. "Swish!" Hao Jian flipped his hand, revealing a small box in his palm. Slowly, he opened the box to reveal several gold needles lying silently within. The needles gleamed golden¡ªthe type often used in Acupuncture treatments. Yet this particular set wasn''t for healing but for targeting specific pain points, earning the title of Punishment Needle. These needles were specifically used to interrogate criminals. However, employing these needles required a high level of medical skill. If the wielder didn''t know the correct acupoints, the needles would be useless. But Hao Jian possessed such expertise. In fact, this set of Punishment Needles had been created for interrogating certain individuals. During field missions, unexpected situations often necessitated extracting information from captives¡ªand few could withstand the torment. Looking at Zhou Xia now reminded Hao Jian of the gold needles he hadn''t used in ages. He reached out and picked up one needle, a slight grin curling at the corner of his mouth. Zhou Xia, who had been observing Hao Jian''s every move, froze momentarily when he saw Hao Jian reveal the small box and the gold needles. Then, he burst into laughter. "Kid, you think these little toys can make me yield? You''re ridiculously na?ve..." "Then try it!" Hao Jian didn''t even let Zhou Xia finish speaking. The gold needle between his fingers struck like lightning, piercing through Zhou Xia''s clothing to land precisely on an acupoint on his chest. Instantly, an agonizing scream erupted... "Ahhhhhh!" The bloodcurdling cry reverberated through the room as waves of excruciating pain spread from Zhou Xia''s chest across his entire body. The agony surged like violent tides, and beads of sweat began pouring from Zhou Xia''s forehead like raindrops, streaking down his face. In just three seconds, a pool of sweat had formed on the ground beneath him. "This set of Punishment Needles is called the Nine Lives Snatching Spring Needle. As the name suggests, it consists of nine needles. The term ''Snatching Spring'' signifies the pain it inflicts¡ªa pain so intense that it can pull someone back from the Netherworld Road moments before they die. It''s both a needle technique for bringing the dying back to life and a method of absolute torture." "I often use it for special occasions¡ªto torment stubborn individuals like yourself. The needle that just entered your body is the first one, called the Heaven Snatching Needle¡ªalso known as the First Soul Needle!" Hao Jian''s eyes gleamed coldly as Zhou Xia''s harrowing screams filled the air. Unperturbed, Hao Jian explained the rarely-used technique with a tinge of nostalgia in his gaze. Then, lightly chuckling, he reached for the box and picked up the second needle, smiling. "This set of needles is named after the ancient belief in three souls and seven spirits. Initially, its inventor planned to make ten needles but ultimately chose to leave some mercy within, omitting the ''life needle'' to preserve a sliver of hope." "Next up is the second needle, known as the Earth Snatching Needle. When it pierces, your current pain will double. And the third, Rushing Snatching Needle, will intensify the pain even further. Each subsequent needle will amplify the agony on top of what''s already been inflicted." "Second needle¡ªEarth Snatching Needle!" Without giving Zhou Xia any chance to retort, Hao Jian drove the second needle into an acupoint near Zhou Xia''s heart. Immediately, another guttural scream tore through the room. "Hahaha! Well? How does this one feel?!" Listening to Zhou Xia''s shrieks, Hao Jian burst into laughter, his face shadowed with a sinister expression. The horrifying sight of Zhou Xia''s agony only added to the fear-inducing atmosphere. Beside them, Spice Ginger couldn''t help trembling as he watched. He had never seen Zhou Xia scream like this¡ªnot even during the harshest tortures he had inflicted himself. The sheer intensity of Zhou Xia''s cries left no doubt about the unspeakable pain he was enduring. "De¡­demon..." Through trembling lips, Zhou Xia spat out the word as terror gradually filled his eyes. Yet his unyielding spirit kept his jaws clenched as he braved the unceasing torment. "Hahaha, it''s been a while since I''ve been called that." Hao Jian chuckled before his face suddenly hardened. "I know you have family. If you don''t want them to suffer, then don''t blame me for using extreme methods!" "You¡­ don''t you dare!" Initially prepared for the third needle, Zhou Xia''s expression drastically changed upon hearing Hao Jian''s words. His eyes widened in rage as he forced himself to endure his pain and roared furiously. "Third needle¡ªRushing Snatching Needle!" Ignoring Zhou Xia''s fury, Hao Jian smiled darkly, his eyes flashing coldly. With a swift motion, he drove the third needle into a specific acupoint on Zhou Xia''s head. In an instant, veins bulged prominently across Zhou Xia''s forehead, and sweat poured down like a torrential flood. Cold sweats relentlessly streamed as though he couldn''t lose it fast enough! Chapter 900 - 899: Its Just Psychological Warfare "Ah!" A scream resonated in a small room less than twenty square meters in size. At this moment, Zhou Xia''s face was pale, devoid of any color, drenched in sweat with his hair soaked and hanging down. His shirt was also soaked, droplets of sweat trickling down the hem, falling to the ground. If he continued like this, severe dehydration was likely. "Heh, can''t take it after just three needles?!" Ignoring the sweat on Zhou Xia''s face, Hao Jian reached out and patted his cheek, a sly smile slowly curving on his lips as he said coldly, "Weren''t you quite tough just now?!" "You... you demon!" The pain surging through his body constantly assaulted Zhou Xia''s mind. He gasped for breath, his eyes fixed on Hao Jian, as a plea crept into his voice, "As long as you don''t touch my family, I... I will... I will talk!" "Haha! Do you have the right to bargain with me now?!" Hao Jian chuckled lightly at Zhou Xia''s words, though the depths of his eyes revealed a hint of mockery. He slowly reached into the box and took out the fourth Golden Needle, eyeing Zhou Xia with a slight smile, "I actually think that when I prick you with this needle, your expression will be even more entertaining, right?" "I''ll talk... I''ll talk..." As Hao Jian produced another Golden Needle, Zhou Xia''s face suddenly changed, his body trembled as he looked in horror at the needle pinched between Hao Jian''s fingers. His lips quivered as he spoke in a shaky voice. "Go ahead..." With a wave of his hand, the needle automatically jumped back into the box. Another wave quickly passed in front of Zhou Xia, making the three needles stuck in his body vanish simultaneously. His hand trembled slightly, letting the three needles slide back into the box, followed by a snap as the box was closed and placed aside. "You must... promise me! After I tell you, you can''t... can''t trouble my family..." Without the needles, the pain melted away like snow and ice. After taking a few breaths, Zhou Xia, still filled with lingering fear, looked at Hao Jian and trembled out his words. "That depends on whether the information you provide is valuable enough to be worth your and your family''s lives." Fiddling with his fingers, Hao Jian smiled lightly, though to Zhou Xia, that warm smile resembled a devil''s grin, making him dare not conceal anything. Over the next half hour, Zhou Xia finally spilled everything he knew without holding anything back. As he spoke, Hao Jian''s expression shifted from a smile to a blank stare, his eyes flickering with thoughts unknown. From the side, Spice Ginger watched Zhou Xia as if he wanted to divulge even the fact that he wet the bed as a child, feeling an increasing admiration for Hao Jian. After all, Zhou Xia was a fierce character with incredible willpower that even amazed him. Yet, Hao Jian subdued him with just three needles, leaving Spice Ginger somewhat resigned. Truly, Young Master Hao is impressive, Spice Ginger thought, shaking his head privately. He listened to Zhou Xia''s words, and when Zhou Xia finished, Spice Ginger pulled out a small notebook, took out a pen, and began to record Zhou Xia''s key information. Once Zhou Xia''s last word fell, Hao Jian expressionlessly turned and headed for the door. As Spice Ginger saw him leave, he quickly followed, closing the door behind him, ignoring Zhou Xia inside for the time being. "Young Master Hao, is it true what you said about troubling his family?" Once the door was closed, Spice Ginger couldn''t help asking, sliding his hand across his neck, "If you need, I can send someone to check it out right now; we should get news back quickly." "Haha, do you think I, Hao Jian, would use someone else''s family as a threat?" Upon hearing Spice Ginger''s words, Hao Jian couldn''t help but laugh, turning to look at him with a broad smile, "I was just using psychological warfare with him just now." Upon hearing this, Spice Ginger''s eyes narrowed slightly, a glimmer flashing in them as he seemed to have an inkling, hesitantly asking, "What do you mean by that?" With Hao Jian''s words, a suspicion formed in Spice Ginger''s mind, but he wasn''t sure it was accurate and wanted to confirm it with Hao Jian. "The limit for most people to withstand my Nine Heavens Life-Claiming Needle is three needles. Although his willpower is stronger than the average person, he still can''t stand the ravaging of a fourth needle. If I were to pierce him with a fourth needle, I can be sure he''d be dead for sure!" "Since we can''t use the fourth needle on ourselves, why are there so many needles?" After hearing Hao Jian''s words, Spice Ginger became more confused, being only a gang leader; the methods of Hao Jian sounded somewhat mystical to him. "Those beyond the fourth needle are not for ordinary people but are meant for those you''ve never seen, those who are much stronger and far more terrifying than average people..." With Spice Ginger''s prompting, Hao Jian chuckled and shook his head, unwilling to elaborate further. Since the fourth needle couldn''t be used on Zhou Xia, the advantage had to be seized through psychological warfare. After enduring the pain of three needles, the only thing that could breach Zhou Xia''s psychological defenses was threatening the ones he cared about the most. Although this approach was somewhat low, he couldn''t care less for those clues'' sake. Ultimately, it must be said that his method was very successful, as he learned the details of the incident from Zhou Xia''s mouth. The reason he didn''t discover Ye Wenying entering Hua City was that someone was secretly assisting Ye Wenying, erasing traces of his arrival in a short time. And that person was Ye Wenying''s cousin named Zheng Yuanjie, a mid-level businessman in the country with a branch office in Hua City. Previously, when Hao Jian investigated notable figures in Hua City, he also looked into Zheng Yuanjie but found no connections to the Ye Family or other influential families; thus, he overlooked him. If it weren''t for learning from Zhou Xia that Zheng Yuanjie and Ye Wenying collaborated against him, he would''ve remained in the dark. "Young Master Hao, should I go capture that guy now?" Walking along the road, seeing Hao Jian silent for a moment, Spice Ginger couldn''t help suggesting. "Let''s not take too much action for the time being. Just proceed as usual. They should be on guard, especially since you captured Zhou Xia. If they find out any information, they will surely devise counteractions, which would mean losing our advantage." Contemplating for a moment, Hao Jian slowly shook his head and solemnly said, "I''ve just returned to Hua City and haven''t determined yet whether your men have been exposed. Perhaps they''re even watching you here..." "This time, I''ll handle it myself. You just position your men at key points; I''m worried Ye Wenying might slip away. You must heighten alertness regarding this aspect." Upon saying this, Hao Jian clapped Spice Ginger on the shoulder with a gentle smile, "Don''t feel guilty for not being able to assist me. Doing these is the best help you can offer right now." "Yes! Young Master Hao!" After hearing these words, Spice Ginger nodded vigorously. "Oh, and give me a car key; I need to drive back." Seeing Spice Ginger nod, Hao Jian walked delightedly but paused after a few steps, turning back to Spice Ginger, hand outstretched and said helplessly. "Okay!" Immediately, Spice Ginger pulled a set of BMW car keys from his pocket and tossed them over to Hao Jian. Catch in hand, Hao Jian grabbed the keys and walked out of the building, pressing a button on the car key as the car''s sound echoed from a corner. He stepped toward the sound''s direction... "Vroom!" Moments later, the roaring of a car engine emanated from the parking area, and a BMW 5 Series 528li sped out from the lot, merging onto the road and swiftly disappearing alongside traffic. "Heh, can''t believe that guy was right under my nose." Glancing at the small notebook, Hao Jian''s lips slowly curled into a sly smile, eyes flickering coldly. He slammed the gas pedal as the car sped down the scarcely traveled road. This notebook, taken from Spice Ginger, contained critical information from Zhou Xia, including the whereabouts of Zheng Yuanjie and details of how many mistresses he kept, all recorded. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Now, Hao Jian didn''t borrow the car to drive back home but to head to Zheng Yuanjie''s place to scout out, potentially gaining some useful information for planning his actions. Even without such information, he could directly capture him and use the Nine Lives Claiming Heaven Needle to extract the truth. The car, swift on the road, soon entered a wealthy villa district in the city. Although not the best in Hua City, it was still costly and scenic enough. At least, people worth billions could afford it, though it was inferior to the one Hao Jian bought for Xiao Qiang, given the price difference. Chapter 901 - 900: Searching for Zheng Yuanjie Parking the car in a supermarket lot outside the villa area, Hao Jian then carefully avoided the guards at the gate and the surveillance cameras as he quickly approached the villa where Zheng Yuanjie resided. But as he neared the villa, he noticed that there wasn''t a single light on, leaving Hao Jian feeling a bit puzzled. "Ssshhh¡­" Scaling the villa wall, he entered the small courtyard, stepping carefully across the lawn. With a light push off the ground, his figure rose, landing silently on the second-floor balcony. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he peered through the glass inside to assess the situation¡­ No one? The second-floor living room was completely empty¡ªnot even the slightest hint of a sound could be heard. Shifting his gaze slightly downward, he realized that the floor-to-ceiling window could be opened. Reaching out, he gave it a gentle push, slowly sliding it open. One step forward, and he was inside the villa. Still no one?! Once inside, Hao Jian opened several doors in succession, only to confirm that not a single soul was present. His eyes flickered uncertainly. It was already past one in the morning¡ªby all logic, Zheng Yuanjie should have been back at the villa long ago. It didn''t make sense for no one to be here... Never mind, better check what Brother Spice Ginger thinks first! Shaking his head lightly, Hao Jian cautiously erased any traces of his presence before leaping off the balcony into the expansive Night Color, disappearing without a trace. "Spice Ginger, Zheng Yuanjie isn''t at his villa. Can you help me track down his location?" Seated in his BMW, Hao Jian dialed Spice Ginger''s number. His deep voice carried a subtle intensity as it traveled through the phone to reach the other end. "That''s simple¡ªjust leave it to Zhou to sort out. Boss, hold on a moment, I''ll get him to check right now!" Spice Ginger was momentarily taken aback by Hao Jian''s call. Hearing that Zheng Yuanjie was absent from his villa, his expression grew tinged with doubt as he promptly ended the call and rang up his contact. "Brother Spice Ginger¡­ it''s so late already, and you''re calling me? Can''t a guy get some sleep around here¡­" Rudely awakened in the middle of the night, Zhou Yong grumbled in annoyance as he gently pushed the woman lying atop him aside. Rising groggily, he muttered his complaints under his breath. "Haha, sorry, brother, I didn''t mean to interrupt your lovely dreams, but Young Master Hao needs your help. He wants you to locate Zheng Yuanjie''s current whereabouts ASAP¡ªcan you handle it?" Disregarding Zhou Yong''s complaining, Spice Ginger let out a dry laugh. After all, Hao Jian urgently needed the information, and time was of the essence. He was confident that just by invoking the name of Hao Jian, Zhou Yong would jump into action without delay. After all, Zhou Yong owed Hao Jian a great deal of gratitude for mentoring him. Asking him to get out of bed and look something up was nothing¡ªhell, even if Hao Jian wanted Zhou Yong to hack into the national security network, he''d probably do it without hesitation. Hearing Spice Ginger''s request, Zhou Yong''s eyes snapped open as he gasped, "Young Master Hao''s back from the Capital City?!" At this, Spice Ginger could only offer a wry smile and respond, "That''s right. He just got off the plane. He''s discovered some clues and is currently investigating. He''s waiting for your intel, so hurry up and take care of it!" "Got it! Give me a minute! As long as he''s using a phone, I can pinpoint his location!" The news of Hao Jian''s return bolstered Zhou Yong''s energy. Without wasting a second, he powered on his computer¡ªa lightning-fast six-second boot-up¡ªand connected to the headquarters'' main server. Downloading some data, he swiftly opened a program that projected what looked like a digital map onto his screen. Studying the map intently, Zhou Yong announced aloud, "Zheng Yuanjie is at his company right now. He hasn''t left since ten o''clock tonight. He should still be there. I''ll send his location to you immediately¡ªjust forward it to Young Master Hao!" "Got it!" In under a minute, the task was complete. Spice Ginger couldn''t help but marvel at the speed of modern tech. If he had to find this information using his own methods, it would have taken him at least half an hour. But in Zhou Yong''s hands, the whole thing was resolved in less than 60 seconds. "Ding!" Just as he hung up, a text message arrived on Spice Ginger''s phone. Quickly hitting the copy button, he forwarded the information directly to Hao Jian. Watching as the words "Message Sent" displayed on his screen, Spice Ginger exhaled a small sigh of relief. Hopefully, this wouldn''t delay Young Master Hao too much. The reason for going through such a convoluted process to get the intel to Hao Jian boiled down to his habit of changing his phone number every time he traveled. Unless he was the one initiating contact, nobody ever knew which number he was currently using. The call Hao Jian had made to Spice Ginger left an encrypted record on his phone, ensuring that any subsequent communication followed the correct protocol. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Without Hao Jian''s explicit permission, even Zhou Yong couldn''t access his encrypted phone details. This is why the message had to go through Spice Ginger first before reaching Hao Jian directly. "Not too far, just a few kilometers. He should still be inside." Looking at the information on his phone, Hao Jian smirked faintly as he started the car. Flooring the gas pedal, the car shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow. "We''re here¡­" In just three minutes, Hao Jian arrived at the building where Zheng Yuanjie''s company was located. Parking his car in a nearby lot, Hao Jian scaled the outer wall and evaded the security cameras with practiced ease, quickly making his way to Zheng Yuanjie''s office floor. Stepping out of the elevator, Hao Jian''s eyes narrowed slightly. At the end of his line of sight was a sealed office, faintly emanating some peculiar noises. Moving cautiously, Hao Jian controlled even his breathing as he approached, taking care not to make the slightest sound that might alert whoever was inside. Reaching the door, Hao Jian noticed it was slightly ajar. Extending a hand, he gently pushed it open a fraction, enough to survey the scene unfolding within. The rhythmic sound of "slap-slap" filtered through the gap in the door. Shifting his focus, he spotted three figures inside¡ªtaking a closer look, it was a stocky, lecherous-looking middle-aged man and two young women, about twenty-five years old each. What a gluttonous bastard this Fatty is¡­ Watching the scene, Hao Jian''s lips curled into a sinister smile. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and opened the camera app. Switching to video mode, he slowly placed the phone on the floor, angling it perfectly to capture everything happening through the crack in the door. The trio inside remained blissfully unaware that they were being recorded, still engrossed in their sordid activities. "Haha! My little darlings, keep it up! Promotions and wealth will be no problem at all!" Naturally, the Fatty was none other than Zheng Yuanjie. Completely oblivious to the fact that his performance had been observed and recorded, he continued his charade, much to Hao Jian''s advantage. Chapter 902 - 901: I am Hao Jian "Phew! That feels good!" It was finally sorted. Zheng Yuanjie let out a deep breath, looking at the two female subordinates sprawled over him. He reached out to slap their buttocks and laughed heartily, saying, "Not bad, not bad! You really drained me dry tonight!" Obscene laughter spilled from Zheng Yuanjie''s mouth. The two female subordinates also gave him sultry smiles, exchanging a glance before reaching out to him again¡ªbut just then... "Clap! Clap!" sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Haha! Thanks, President Zheng, for letting me catch quite the show. Although, let''s be honest, the male lead''s stamina fell somewhat short¡ªit''s already over so quickly..." A sudden, light clapping echoed from behind the door. Right after, with a loud bang, the door was abruptly pushed open by Hao Jian. In the next instant, two sharp screams rang out inside the office. The two naked women, faces filled with panic, hastily grabbed their clothes to cover their private parts, though the alluring scenery of their exposed bodies was utterly unstoppable... "Who are you?! What the hell are you doing here?!" Upon seeing the man at the doorway, Zheng Yuanjie''s expression shifted dramatically, but he quickly composed himself, grabbing some clothes to shield his private parts while glaring furiously at Hao Jian and snapping in a low voice. At the same time, his hand discreetly reached behind him toward the desk, where his phone was lying silently. Closer¡­ closer! As his palm inched closer to the phone, Zheng Yuanjie''s face remained full of anger, deliberately trying to distract Hao Jian. Meanwhile, the two female subordinates hiding in the corner stayed silent, their faces full of expectation after noticing Zheng Yuanjie''s actions. They knew that downstairs there was a security guard station¡ªan area where the guards regularly resided. As long as Zheng Yuanjie managed to send out a message, it would only take ten seconds for the guards to arrive and resolve the situation with this unwelcome intruder. "Heh, if you''re planning to reach for that phone, I can guarantee that this little video of mine will be headlining every major platform by tomorrow morning..." Hao Jian chuckled lightly at Zheng Yuanjie''s sneaky maneuver before casually pulling out his own phone. He unlocked it to reveal a video he had just recorded and then turned the screen toward Zheng Yuanjie, his tone strangely calm. "Ah~ ah~ ah~" With the video playing, the sounds and images on-screen struck Zheng Yuanjie like a hammer. The footage showed his repulsive encounter with those two female subordinates¡ªthe very scene he wished could remain buried. With his outstretched right hand just barely a centimeter away from the phone, his movements froze abruptly, entirely motionless. "You... you better delete that video right now!" Moments earlier, Zheng Yuanjie had been radiating fury, but after seeing the video in Hao Jian''s possession, his complexion turned ghostly pale. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, yet he dared not wipe it away. He knew¡ªif that video went online, his life and career would be utterly ruined. He couldn''t risk offending Hao Jian now, not even slightly. "Delete it? Do you think you''re entitled to make demands like that?" Hao Jian sneered, his gaze fixed on Zheng Yuanjie, before his expression turned icily cold. With piercing eyes, he stared at him: "You and Ye Wenying conspired against me, forcing me into a confrontation with that old bastard Dong Aiguo¡­ and I haven''t even settled the score with you yet. Honestly, I was considering just killing you outright, but now? I''ve changed my mind." Hao Jian broke out into a sinister smile, saying, "I''ve decided that before I kill you, I''ll make sure this video spreads far and wide. Let the world witness your disgrace, and then, without me even laying a finger further, the people above you¡ªwanting to guard their reputations¡ªwill see to it that you''re done for." "You¡­ you''re Hao Jian?!" Zheng Yuanjie was horrified. So this was the infamous Hao Jian. With a derisive snort, Hao Jian suddenly appeared in front of Zheng Yuanjie. He grabbed his neck with an iron grip, and, with sheer physical strength, lifted him into mid-air. "Mmmph! Mmmph!" When his neck was seized, Zheng Yuanjie''s face twisted in shock as an overwhelming sense of choking washed over him. His terrified eyes locked onto Hao Jian. "Correct, I''m Hao Jian. The enemy you intended to harm. Shouldn''t you at least familiarize yourself with the appearance of the one you''re plotting against? Honestly, your lack of respect here¡ªit makes me angry. Do you understand how much that irritates me?" Hao Jian smiled lightly, his expression warm, as if talking with an old friend rather than confronting an enemy. Yet beneath that warmth, a subtle taste of blood lingered. As time ticked by, Hao Jian''s grip began tightening slowly, the suffocating sensation growing stronger. Zheng Yuanjie''s right hand could no longer hold onto the clothes shielding his private areas. The garment tumbled away, exposing everything for the room to see. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look at you, all worked up over that measly little¡­ Golden Needle mushroom. You''re actually trying to hide it? Honestly, if you''d left it uncovered, I might have just thought it was an oddly misplaced fungal growth." With a brief, disdainful glance, Hao Jian''s face broke into mockery. His scornful words reached Zheng Yuanjie''s ears as the man teetered on the verge of passing out. Hearing that ridicule, Zheng Yuanjie''s eyes snapped open, glaring furiously at Hao Jian. He wanted to speak, but even the act of opening his mouth was a struggle now. He knew it wasn''t as Hao Jian described¡ªjust an intentional humiliation to belittle him. He wanted to fight back, but in this moment, he was nothing but a lamb awaiting slaughter, unable to escape his fate. "You two better not move a muscle. Otherwise, I won''t guarantee your safety." Planning on taunting Zheng Yuanjie a bit longer, Hao Jian''s eyes suddenly gleamed. Shifting his gaze to the corner of the room, he locked onto the two women. His icy tone carried an edge of lethal intent... "¡­" Caught by Hao Jian''s sharp eye, the two women''s faces paled instantly. Instinctively, they had been about to say something, but in the next second, Hao Jian''s killing intent enveloped them, leaving them trembling. Their bodies shuddered so violently that they nearly fainted from fear. "Haha, now let''s discuss our terms, shall we?" Hao Jian''s grip relaxed. Casually, he tossed Zheng Yuanjie onto a nearby sofa. With a wave of his left hand, the abandoned clothes on the floor were swept onto Zheng Yuanjie''s body, landing precisely over his exposed area. "Huff... huff... huff..." Finally freed from that terrifying choking sensation, Zheng Yuanjie gasped for air desperately, no longer caring about his dignity. He didn''t even bother getting dressed as he breathed heavily, looking fearfully at Hao Jian, who stood calm and composed in the room. His eyes betrayed incomprehensible dread. Just moments earlier, when Hao Jian had grabbed him, Zheng Yuanjie had thought he was going to die. Under Hao Jian''s verbal abuse, he had even resigned himself to death. But as he braced for the end, relief came unexpectedly¡ªthe tightening grip released, and heavenly air poured into his lungs. "You¡­ you''re a Demon!" "Thank you. You''re not the first to call me that, and I doubt you''ll be the last." Hao Jian responded to the horrified exclamation with a faint smile. He had grown accustomed to people fearing him over the years, so this interaction barely fazed him. Besides, Zheng Yuanjie was responsible for harming not just him but also his brothers. If Hao Jian hadn''t determined that Zheng Yuanjie still held some utility for him, he would''ve killed him outright upon walking into the room. The only reason he spared him now was to take Zheng Yuanjie to Dong Aiguo, reveal the truth, and clear his own name. "Don''t try any tricks, or I promise you won''t enjoy the outcome." Hao Jian''s frosty gaze locked onto Zheng Yuanjie, his tone brimming with icy menace. "Since you know my identity, you should also understand why I''m here." "It''s¡­ it''s about Li He, isn''t it?" Still rattled from nearly choking to death, Zheng Yuanjie hesitated but finally spoke, his face full of lingering fear. "Half and half. What I want is for you to go to Dong Aiguo, clarify this entire matter, and expose your collaboration with Ye Wenying." Hao Jian gave Zheng Yuanjie a sidelong glance, his voice calm as he spoke. Meanwhile, faint Qi Force swirled gently in Hao Jian''s palm. "No¡­ no¡­ absolutely not!" Without hesitation, Zheng Yuanjie rejected Hao Jian''s demand. If he confessed everything to Dong Aiguo, it would mean certain death for himself! "Heh, if you refuse, then I''ll simply upload this video online and see how long you last as a so-called ''internet celebrity.''" Hao Jian''s face darkened at Zheng Yuanjie''s defiance. His gaze grew sharp as he pointed at the phone in his hand. "Let''s see whether you can keep your position as a high-ranking official after that. After all, having an affair with your subordinates, coupled with undeniable evidence, is a massive scandal in the political field. I guarantee you''ll be buried under waves of public condemnation before the day is over. And those who supported and elevated you to this position? To protect themselves, I doubt they''d let you off the hook either..." "You¡­ you can''t do this!" Hao Jian''s words completely stunned Zheng Yuanjie, draining the color from his face. His greatest fear was Hao Jian posting that video online. If he went to Dong Aiguo, his death would be swift. But if Hao Jian followed through, it would mean total disgrace. Even in death, he''d be left with nothing¡ªjust widespread scorn. Posthumous ridicule would stain even his family''s reputation, leaving them vulnerable to unchecked retaliation from his past enemies. "Heh, if you agree to my terms, I promise to vouch for you in front of Dong Aiguo later. Whether you believe me is up to you, but you''re welcome to take the other route instead." Chapter 903 - 902: Do It or Die! Zheng Yuanjie, to Hao Jian, was a dispensable figure. If he agreed to go to Dong Aiguo and clear things up, that''d be fine; otherwise, it would be just as good to kill him outright. However, even if he chose to explain things to Dong Aiguo, Hao Jian wouldn''t honor what he promised. After all, this guy was the chief culprit who nearly got his brother killed. "You..." To Zheng Yuanjie, the options laid in front of him were all roads to death. It was merely a difference between dying sooner and dying later. If he went to Dong Aiguo and Hao Jian actually showed up, perhaps he could keep his life. But if he stubbornly refused, then he''d be dealt with here¡ªand his distant nephew might not even bother to attend his funeral. "I... I''ll agree to it!" After thinking it through, Zheng Yuanjie reluctantly agreed to Hao Jian''s demands. The fact that Hao Jian had silently infiltrated his office floor was evidence of extraordinary skills. Even if he managed to escape Hao Jian''s grasp today, one day he might end up dying mysteriously. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He believed this kind of thing could happen¡ªfor no other reason than because this man was Hao Jian, the shadow ruler of Hua City and a figure known to everyone at the top of Huaxia society. Only a clan like the Ye Family would dare to constantly test Hao Jian''s limits. And Zheng Yuanjie? He was merely a relative connected to the Ye Family, getting to his current position thanks to their backing. "Haha, since you''ve agreed, then everything will be easier to handle." Seeing Zheng Yuanjie yield, Hao Jian burst into laughter and threw a folder onto the desk in front of Zheng Yuanjie. "When the time comes, hand this to Dong Aiguo and deliver the message." "This is..." Still wearing an expression of terror, Zheng Yuanjie hesitated before picking up the file and scanning its contents. As he read, his complexion suddenly changed, and he roared angrily, "You''re deliberately sending me to my death, aren''t you?!" "Oh? Are you backing out now?" Hao Jian remained unperturbed by Zheng Yuanjie''s fury. Instead, he smiled warmly, his tone teasing¡ªbut behind that surface was an unmistakable threat. This file was compiled from his own research combined with information he obtained from Zhou Xia. It summarized the entire trajectory of the matter from beginning to end. On the way over, Hao Jian had broken into a closed print shop through the window and printed the document. When he held it in his hands, the paper still felt warm. "If Dong Aiguo gets his hands on this document, then there''s no doubt¡ªI''ll die for sure!" Though terrified of Hao Jian, Zheng Yuanjie couldn''t ignore the fact that this was now a matter of life and death for him. "Heh. I''ve already said, if you do it right, I''ll save you. But if you continue being obstinate, then you''re better off trying to become a social media influencer." Hao Jian chuckled, shaking his head lightly. Danger radiated from his eyes, spreading slowly. The reason he went to such lengths to push Zheng Yuanjie into clarifying matters with Dong Aiguo was because Hao Jian wanted to demonstrate his innocence to Dong Aiguo. Having the culprit explain it directly lent a bit more credibility to the narrative. While Ye Wenying remained beyond his grasp for now, targeting Zheng Yuanjie was still a solid choice. Additionally, Hao Jian felt some unease. Given Dong Aiguo''s influence as a General, he controlled half the military districts in the Capital City. With Hao Jian having bested Dong Aiguo this time and avoided being subjugated by Dong''s forces, Dong''s anger toward him was sure to intensify. Perhaps Dong wouldn''t march straight to Hua City to confront him. But if any of Hao Jian''s family or friends ventured outside Hua City without his protection, there was no guarantee they wouldn''t meet a fate similar to his previous shipment¡ªintercepted by Dong Aiguo''s people. This was precisely what Hao Jian feared most at the moment. "I... I agree!" Feeling the icy presence emanating from Hao Jian, Zheng Yuanjie bitterly surrendered again. He had originally thought his scheme against Hao Jian would remain undetected¡ªhe had even paid Zhou Xia a substantial hush fee and covertly controlled the man''s family. Under those circumstances, Zhou Xia certainly wouldn''t betray him. The only possibility was that Hao Jian had unearthed everything on his own, as evidenced by the contents of the file. The moment Zheng Yuanjie held the document, he had an impulsive desire to tear it to shreds. But his rationality stopped him¡ªthe file was merely a copy, not the sole version. If he tried that, he''d likely be killed on the spot by Hao Jian before getting a word out. And then there were the women he''d kept around... thoughts of them made him unwilling to die. "Well then, I''ll await your good news!" Seeing Zheng Yuanjie relent, Hao Jian let out another hearty laugh. He turned and walked toward the two women in the corner. "You... what are you going to do?!" Watching Hao Jian approach his female subordinates, Zheng Yuanjie''s face filled with nervousness, and he instinctively voiced his concern. "Nothing special. Just ensuring they forget things they shouldn''t have seen." Hao Jian responded with a slight smile, finding Zheng Yuanjie''s protective reaction amusing¡ªit seemed this man wasn''t a complete monster after all. "Oh..." Even though Hao Jian''s words sounded strange, Zheng Yuanjie sighed in relief. These two women were his subordinates¡ªthey had families, and he had shared intimate moments with them. If Hao Jian decided to "deal" with them, Zheng Yuanjie wouldn''t know how to handle the aftermath. "Whoosh, whoosh!" Standing before the two women, Hao Jian''s gaze sharpened. With quick precision, he flicked his fingers, causing four Golden Needles to appear between them. In an instant, his hand moved like lightning, and the needles embedded themselves into precise points on the women''s heads. After a moment, Hao Jian withdrew the needles. "I hope you won''t disappoint me..." Having finished, Hao Jian turned to face Zheng Yuanjie, his words carrying an implicit warning. "I suspect Ye Wenying is already watching over you. If you plan to meet Dong Aiguo, you''ll have to get past Ye Wenying first..." "And when you speak with him, knowing Ye Wenying''s temperament, there''s a chance he might kill you outright." "You could prepare a hidden camera to record your conversation with Ye Wenying. If he does try to kill you, you can use the footage to blackmail him¡ªit''ll give you some leverage." "Here''s a micro-camera we recently developed. Once activated, it automatically blocks all signal tracking. You might find it useful." With that, Hao Jian pulled a small device from his pocket and tossed it to Zheng Yuanjie. Then he launched himself out of the window, vanishing into the darkness beyond. Now it was up to Zheng Yuanjie to decide how to proceed. Everything Hao Jian said and did aimed to maximize the chances of success in this matter. Moreover, the micro-camera Hao Jian handed over had no altruistic intentions. Inside, he had Zhou Yong install a GPS tracker. As long as Zheng Yuanjie brought the device near Ye Wenying, Hao Jian would be able to pinpoint Ye Wenying''s exact location¡ªessentially seizing control. Even if Ye Wenying, angered, killed his uncle, the device would still record everything. And even if the camera wasn''t actively recording, Hao Jian had remotely activated the switch, turning it on. Zheng Yuanjie was now under surveillance. "Finally... finally, he''s gone..." As Hao Jian disappeared, Zheng Yuanjie slumped onto the desk, his face drained of color. He gasped heavily, his breaths coming in huge gulps. Hao Jian''s aura had utterly overwhelmed him, and his words had paralyzed anything Zheng Yuanjie wanted to say or do. Only now, with Hao Jian gone, did his mind and body begin to relax. "Tap tap tap!" Once he steadied himself, Zheng Yuanjie rushed to the two unconscious women in the corner, frantically checking them. After confirming they were fine, he let out a deep breath. "Thank goodness, they''re okay!" Grateful for their safety, Zheng Yuanjie collapsed onto the floor. He wasn''t a man with lofty ambitions¡ªhe simply wanted to ensure the safety of those tied to him. Although these two women had seduced him before, they were now his, his responsibility. And with his rise in rank and status, he''d seen enough of the ugliness in the world. Once, he had been discarded by the Ye Family and had to beg for survival along the western frontier. Later, Ye Wenying found him and helped elevate him to his current position. At the time, he regarded Ye Wenying as a savior. But one day, he overheard Ye Wenying speaking, and he learned that he was merely a pawn¡ªa piece set near Hao Jian to keep an eye on him. Now, his cover blown, and with Hao Jian''s discovery of his role, Zheng Yuanjie had lost all value to Ye Wenying. What awaited him was inevitable darkness. Ye Wenying wasn''t someone who tolerated useless people... "Maybe this is my one chance at survival..." Looking at the micro-camera in his palm, Zheng Yuanjie sighed deeply, shaking his head as conflicting thoughts consumed him. Chapter 904 - 903: How Much Benefit Did You Receive? The next day at noon, Zheng Yuanjie made a phone call to Ye Wenying, using a pretext to persuade Ye Wenying to meet him. He needed to talk about clearing things up with Dong Aiguo... Over the phone, Zheng Wenjie didn''t say much, and Ye Wenying agreed. The two arranged to meet at two o''clock at a small mountain on the outskirts of Hua City. "Awen, get the car ready for me." After hanging up, Zheng Yuanjie sought out one of his staff members and then strode downstairs. This meeting could be considered a gamble. A gamble with his life at stake. Hao Jian had already discovered him, and if he didn''t address this matter, he would die immediately. But if he took action, perhaps Ye Wenying would consider his years of dedication to the Ye Family and show mercy. He hated it! He hated himself for being powerless! Hao Jian and Ye Wenying thoroughly outmatched him in every aspect of strength. People like him lived like floating debris, swaying amidst the storms created by them. "Awen, in a moment, hide in that patch of grass, and take this. Record every scene in clear detail. No matter what happens to me, don''t you dare come out!" Upon reaching the destination, Zheng Yuanjie instructed his subordinate, Awen, to hide in a patch of grass at the mountaintop. The peak of this mountain was small, with only a few steps leading to its edge. Hiding Awen here was not only secure but also ensured that the entire mountaintop scene could be captured. "Boss¡­ you''re not thinking of something desperate, are you?" Awen had been raised by Zheng Yuanjie from a low-level employee to his trusted aide, and so he felt deeply grateful to him. Upon hearing such somber remarks from his boss, Awen felt his heart tighten. His face was tense as he stared at Zheng Yuanjie, hesitating before speaking. "Haha, perhaps there are certain things that must bear consequences once done. Even the heavens know I''ve committed too many wrongs and now want me to go for a chat." Zheng Yuanjie laughed wistfully, extending his hand to pat Awen''s shoulder. In a soft voice, he said, "Awen, in all my life, I have no family. You are the first person I''ve ever recognized, and I trust you absolutely." "Boss, don''t talk like that¡­ I''m really worried!" Awen''s expression changed drastically upon hearing what seemed like his boss preparing final words. His nervous voice carried a hint of pleading as he stared at Zheng Yuanjie. "If anything happens to me, remember to call this number¡­" Zheng Yuanjie dismissively waved his hand before pulling a piece of paper from his pocket. On it was a phone number. This was the number Hao Jian had given Zheng Yuanjie before leaving, along with that miniature camera. Now, Zheng Yuanjie handed both items to Awen. "Boss¡­" "Enough, don''t say another word. Hide well now¡ªwhether I live or die, don''t make a move, or we''ll both die!" Zheng Yuanjie''s face turned serious as he patted Awen on the shoulder again and pointed toward the patch of grass serving as a hiding place. "Y-Yes¡­" Seeing Zheng Yuanjie''s demeanor, Awen realized he couldn''t persuade his boss. He reluctantly agreed, carefully parting the grass and lying beneath it. Once he was hidden, Zheng Yuanjie meticulously cleaned the area to erase any traces before positioning himself at the spot where Awen could capture the clearest shot. He stood silently. *Beep¡­* Once he saw his boss leave, Awen pressed the small button on the miniature camera. He secured the camera amidst the leaves of a small bush, pointing its lens precisely at Zheng Yuanjie. Time ticked away moment by moment. It was now only five minutes until the scheduled meeting with Ye Wenying. Sweat slowly formed and rolled down Zheng Yuanjie''s forehead. *Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop¡­* Three minutes later, from the one and only narrow path up this small mountain, three figures gradually appeared, walking steadily toward Zheng Yuanjie. The commotion behind him quickly caught Zheng Yuanjie''s attention, prompting him to turn around. When his gaze met those three figures, his expression subtly changed before nodding slightly. "Wenying¡­" "Uncle!" The lead figure was none other than Ye Wenying, trailed by his two bodyguards. He came with few men because this was merely a meeting with Zheng Yuanjie; there was no need for a large entourage. Moreover, he was currently in Hao Jian''s domain. Any overt presence might tip off Hao Jian''s informants. Even coming here in secret carried risk, as being discovered by Hao Jian wouldn''t just mean standing here exchanging words¡ªit could mean death. Hao Jian could very well kill him. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Uncle, what''s the purpose of summoning me out here this time? If you have something to say, make it quick. You know my situation¡ªlingering too long might get me spotted by Hao Jian''s people." Upon seeing Zheng Yuanjie, Ye Wenying showed no hint of politeness. Despite their familial connection, the prideful Ye Wenying exhibited no respect. First, their blood relation wasn''t close; they were merely distant relatives. Second, in his eyes, Zheng Yuanjie was a complete fool. Anyone who didn''t stand at his level was unworthy of a proper look. After all, he was a member of the Ye Family¡ªthe Young Master of the Ye Family. Furthermore, at this point, Zheng Yuanjie was no more than one of his subordinates. Using this tone with him was already more courtesy than he bestowed on others. "I want to clear up matters between us and Dong Aiguo¡­" Zheng Yuanjie swallowed hard before confessing his decision. "Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Ye Wenying''s eyes slightly narrowed as he clasped his hands behind his back. He let out a cold laugh and said, "Are you joking? After taking so many benefits from me, you now intend to betray me?!" "Go ahead, tell me¡ªhow much did Hao Jian promise you?!" Ye Wenying couldn''t believe Zheng Yuanjie would betray him out of the blue. There had to be external influence behind this. And the most suspect individual was undoubtedly Hao Jian. "This decision is mine alone!" Having started, there was no point turning back. Zheng Yuanjie stared directly at Ye Wenying without flinching and said, "I''ve grown sick of the things you''ve done over the years. The families you''ve destroyed to achieve your goals¡ªruined lives and shattered homes!" "Hahaha! Excellent, excellent! Never thought I, Ye Wenying, would live to see the day my own subordinate pointed at me in accusation!" Ye Wenying erupted in anger, laughing bitterly. No one had ever dared talk to him like this before¡ªno one except Hao Jian. Now, this minion of his¡ªa relative he had personally uplifted¡ªdared point fingers at him, condemning his actions! This experience made Ye Wenying furious¡ªa fury he had never known. "You orchestrated this entire plan to frame Hao Jian¡ªhaving me find someone to crash Li He''s car, then arranging for the vehicle to end up parked near Dong Aiguo''s deceased son''s villa, so a grief-stricken Hao Jian would lose control and kill Dong Aiguo''s child, knowing he wouldn''t bother analyzing the details in his rage!" Zheng Yuanjie''s eyes locked onto Ye Wenying as he slowly exposed the plan they had concocted together to entrap Hao Jian. He had to spell it all out in Ye Wenying''s presence for Awen''s footage to hold real weight. "Uncle, do you think spilling this will make anyone believe you? Uncle, you''re still too na?ve!" Though unsure why Zheng Yuanjie was saying these words, Ye Wenying sneered and shook his head, unleashing a cold chuckle as he stared at him, his voice sharp. *Clack, clack¡­* The two bodyguards behind Ye Wenying seemed to pick up on his dark mood, stepping forward with sharp gazes fixed on Zheng Yuanjie. One of them discreetly reached for his waist¡ªwhere a handgun lay waiting. "Hao Jian already has evidence against me. If I don''t clarify this situation, he''ll ruin me. At that point, death is inevitable. I''ve served the Ye Family for so many years¡ªI may not have achievements, but I''ve endured countless hardships. Now that I''m only trying to plan for my own future, is that truly so unforgivable?" Unfazed by the scene, Zheng Yuanjie pressed on. He had already resigned himself to open defiance; nothing could scare him now. Zheng Yuanjie continued, "Hao Jian did exactly as we plotted¡ªhe killed Dong Aiguo''s son. And you tipped off Dong Aiguo''s men afterward about Shu Ya Group''s cargo locations, fueling the feud completely." "But you never expected Hao Jian to triumph over Dong Aiguo! That misstep falls squarely on you, Wenying! You didn''t foresee Hao Jian coming after me either. Now, I''m trapped¡ªdamned if I act, damned if I don''t¡ªand it''s all your fault!" "Enough!" As Zheng Yuanjie''s words grew more brazen, Ye Wenying''s expression darkened further, silencing him with a low growl. "Who does that man think he is to speak to Boss like that¡­" Hidden in the shadows, Awen''s mind swirled with disbelief and simmering anger. His beloved boss was being scolded by a younger man. If it weren''t for Zheng Yuanjie''s earlier commands, Awen would''ve jumped out by now to confront him! "But those two bodyguards of his¡­ They look incredibly intimidating¡­" Shifting his gaze, Awen studied Ye Wenying''s two bodyguards, gulping nervously. Fear gripped him, yet Zheng Yuanjie''s revelations shocked him more deeply. They had conspired together to harm others! As he watched the unfolding drama, Awen understood what his boss meant with those cryptic instructions earlier¡ªit was because his boss intended to confess! Chapter 905 - 904: The Boss is Dead! "I wonder if the boss will be in trouble..." In the midst of the shifting tension, Awen, hiding in a corner, looked at Zheng Yuanjie with a face full of concern. To him, the situation on the field was clear: his boss intended to surrender, but the young man currently present wouldn''t allow it, sparking a conflict between the two. What followed was a war of words, and so far, all he''d heard was a lot of meaningless talk. Apart from the parts relating to their plan, the young man''s endless empty threats did nothing but frustrate him. The things Ye Wenying said, in Awen''s eyes, were to assert his sense of superiority. Awen had come across plenty of people like this in all the years he''d been assisting Zheng Yuanjie. But what shocked him most wasn''t their plan¡ªit was the relationship between these two people. They were uncle and nephew! In his understanding, it was always the uncle that scolded the nephew, never the other way around. Yet, this absurd turn of events was unfolding right in front of his eyes, leaving him with the impression that the entire world had turned upside down. "I hope the boss stays safe..." Shaking his head to clear these thoughts, he focused on recording the situation instead. Since his boss had told him not to act rashly, he dared not make a move. "Uncle, hearing what you''ve said, I feel like keeping you alive is too great a threat to me!" Their conversation had reached its climax. Ye Wenying''s patience had been worn thin by Zheng Yuanjie. His eyes glinted with a frosty chill, and a cruel smile curved at the corner of his mouth. In Ye Wenying''s eyes, Zheng Yuanjie''s existence posed too great a threat. This man knew everything about his dealings in Hua City. If he were to make these matters public, Ye Wenying would surely face Dong Aiguo''s wrath. If Zheng Yuanjie were to leave today and approach Dong Aiguo, revealing the truth about his son''s death, the enraged Dong Aiguo would make life unbearable for the Ye Family''s Young Master. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian might not fear Dong Aiguo due to the distance shielding him¡ªHao Jian was entrenched in Hua City, making it difficult for Dong Aiguo to act against him. But Ye Wenying existed in the same Capital City as Dong Aiguo. As a figure of authority in the military district, he was indeed capable of exerting significant leverage over the Ye Family under certain circumstances! "Hahaha! You''ve finally bared your fangs. All these years, I''ve watched as you dismantled my power bit by bit. I''ve seen it all¡ªafter all, I''ve only ever been your dog! A dog without any dignity!" Zheng Yuanjie''s face twisted with rage as he laughed maniacally. "You''ve never treated me as family, so naturally, you wouldn''t face Dong Aiguo to save me!" Seeing Zheng Yuanjie''s deranged state, Ye Wenying sneered coldly. "The Ye Family values only those with power and status. Although you are nominally my uncle, if I hadn''t pulled you out of that beggar''s den back then, do you think you''d have the position and influence you have now? I gave you everything, yet you betrayed me. And you think I shouldn''t kill you for this?" "Kill me, chop me up¡ªdo as you please!" Zheng Yuanjie closed his eyes in despair. He already knew there was no escape for him. "Then, die you shall!" Ye Wenying had no desire to waste more words on this man. A frosty glint flashed through his eyes as he turned and walked down the hill. While turning, he gestured lightly to the two bodyguards. "This is what happens to those who cross Young Master Ye!" With permission granted, the two bodyguards grinned wickedly. One of them swiftly drew a pistol and, with a sharp motion, aimed it at Zheng Yuanjie and pulled the trigger! "Bang!"................... The gunshot echoed sharply across the silent hill, reverberating far and wide. "B-Boss..."............... Hiding in the bushes, Awen hadn''t even had the chance to react before witnessing his boss being shot dead by one of the bodyguards! "Boss!" An anguished roar echoed inside Awen''s mind. He clenched his teeth so hard that blood trickled from his lips, staining his teeth crimson. He didn''t dare make a move. Those men were armed, and if they spotted him, his fate would be the same as his boss. If that happened, everything his boss had tasked him with would be in vain. No wonder his boss had repeatedly stressed the importance of his role¡ªhe must''ve anticipated this grim outcome... "Hah, to think anyone would dare threaten me, Ye Wenying. They must have a death wish!" Walking to the edge of the trail, Ye Wenying chuckled coldly upon hearing the gunshot. With a slight glance, he saw his two bodyguards rushing toward him. "Is it done?"................ "Young Master Ye, it''s done!" The two bodyguards quickly reported, then trailed closely behind Ye Wenying as they descended the hill... Upon hearing this, Ye Wenying nodded slightly. Then he instructed the two bodyguards, "Now that guy is dead, we''re no longer safe in Hua City. We need to get back to the Capital City before Hao Jian finds us!" "Big Dragon, book the earliest available flight. Second Dragon, come with me to pack. We leave immediately!" "Yes!" The two bodyguards nodded heavily. The trio soon reached the foot of the hill. Big Dragon jumped into one vehicle and sped off toward the airport, while Second Dragon drove another car, taking Ye Wenying to a remote suburban area. To evade Hao Jian''s spies, they seized an isolated villa in the suburbs, kidnapped the residents, and kept their hideout a complete secret. In this way, they went into hiding in Hua City. "Hao Jian, this time, I''ll ensure your death!" Sitting in the car, having eliminated a threat, Ye Wenying was in high spirits. He pulled out a small memory card from his pocket, laughing gleefully as he examined it. Stored here was the video of Hao Jian infiltrating Dong Aiguo''s son''s home, killing those soldiers, and eventually murdering Dong Aiguo''s son. Having battled Hao Jian for so long, Ye Wenying had certainly made his own preparations. Not even Zheng Yuanjie knew about this, for Ye Wenying never trusted anyone but himself entirely¡ªthis was why he had such a hidden plan in place. To simplify, Ye Wenying had bribed a soldier within that villa to quickly install a small surveillance camera in Dong Aiguo''s son''s room. That day, when Hao Jian arrived, the camera captured everything. While it didn''t record Hao Jian''s fight with the soldiers, it captured the most critical moment¡ªHao Jian killing Dong Aiguo''s son! Ye Wenying firmly believed that with this video and Dong Aiguo''s cooperation, no matter how strong Hao Jian''s connections were, he could be sent to prison. Once Hao Jian was jailed, the Ye Family''s influence would ensure Hao Jian faced the death penalty. No matter how skilled or resourceful Hao Jian was, he couldn''t possibly oppose the state! After Ye Wenying and his men departed, Awen, who had been hiding in the shadows unnoticed, cautiously emerged from the underbrush, his face pale as a sheet. Looking at the pool of blood on the ground, his eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his face, sliding across his cheeks. "B-Boss!" A choked sob escaped from Awen''s lips, his clenched fists trembling with rage that burned fiercely in his chest. Those bodyguards had only done a half-hearted job of handling Zheng Yuanjie''s body. They dragged it to a secluded spot, stacked some wood over it, and burned it to ashes. Just like that, all traces of him were erased. "Boss, I swear, I will avenge you!" After crying for a while, Awen wiped away his tears. His furious gaze turned in the direction Ye Wenying had fled toward. He hadn''t forgotten what Zheng Yuanjie had tasked him with doing before his death. Taking out his phone, he dialed the number written on the slip of paper... "Hello..." Hao Jian''s lazy voice immediately came through, startling Awen, and clearing his mind for a moment. With a hint of hesitation, he asked, "Are you...?" "Haha, for you to be able to contact me right now, you must be one of Zheng Yuanjie''s men. What''s the issue?" At that time, Hao Jian was still at the hospital chatting with Li He. After all, the recent car accident had nearly cost Li He his life, so being under observation for a while longer seemed wise. Hao Jian had even joked, "If money isn''t an issue, stay as long as you want!" "The boss...the boss is dead..." Awen''s voice, thick with anger, reached Hao Jian''s ears. His eyes flashed with a sharp light as he exchanged a glance with the injured Li He, then coldly declared, "I''ll make sure Ye Wenying dies without even a grave to bury him in!" "The boss told me to record something before he died and asked me to pass it to you. How should I get it to you?" Awen asked, with little doubt in Hao Jian. "Alright, three days from now¡ªgo to Room 303 at Rumeng Bar in the city. Hand it over to the person waiting there." Hao Jian considered for a moment before deciding. "Alright!" Awen agreed to Hao Jian''s arrangement, then hung up. He looked down at the micro-camera in his hand, clenched it tightly, then gazed at the bloodstains on the ground and muttered, "Boss, rest assured, I''ve achieved what you entrusted me with!" "Haha, I''d like to see if Ye Wenying can escape this time!" After ending the call, Hao Jian laughed aloud and shared a triumphant glance with Li He. Chapter 906 - 905: Whats Inside This? After hastily returning to the Capital City, Ye Wenying barely had time to prepare before getting into a car and speeding toward the military base. The first priority was to make it to the military base and show Dong Aiguo the video he had, then gauge Dong Aiguo''s reaction. "Restricted military zone, halt immediately!" Upon arriving at the gate of the military base, Ye Wenying was stopped by two soldiers stationed there. But faced with this situation, Ye Wenying remained calm and simply gestured to one of his bodyguards behind him. Seeing the signal, the bodyguard promptly stepped forward, taking out a card from his pocket. Addressing the two soldiers, he said, "This is Young Master Ye from the Ye Family. He''s here to meet General Dong regarding an urgent matter. I kindly ask for your assistance in relaying this message. We''d be truly grateful!" "If you''re here to meet someone, just say so! Why bother with such pompous talk? It''s irritating to listen to." One of the soldiers frowned slightly upon hearing the overly formal tone and waved his hand impatiently before picking up his walkie-talkie to contact the messenger inside. Their distaste for this style of speaking stemmed primarily from Hao Jian''s prior antics at the military base. Not only had Hao Jian come and gone freely, but he had also caused Elder Dong, someone they deeply respected, to lose face. Coincidentally, the major contributor to resolving that incident had been Secretary Zhang, whose scholarly airs had left a bad impression on them. Although the soldiers couldn''t openly express their displeasure toward Secretary Zhang, they harbored resentment in secret. Now, hearing this bodyguard mimicking the same tone, their attitudes soured immediately. However, given that the person before them was the young master of the Ye Family, they couldn''t afford to offend him too much. After all, reprimanding the bodyguard and upsetting Ye Wenying could have consequences. "You don''t punish the dog in front of its owner," as they often said, and dealing harshly with the young master''s entourage wouldn''t sit right. Moreover, considering the Ye Family''s considerable influence, it wouldn''t take much for them to get rid of lower-level soldiers like these. "Yes, yes, understood." A moment later, the soldier received a reply from inside, nodded several times, ended the communication, then slowly looked up at Ye Wenying and his two companions. Gesturing with his mouth, he said, "Elder Dong has permitted you to enter." With that, the soldier and his companion lowered their rifles and opened up a path, opting to stay silent afterward. "Let''s go!" Seeing this, Ye Wenying gestured for his two bodyguards to follow him and led the way inside. Their car, however, remained at the gate. External vehicles were not allowed to enter military zones¡ªa tacitly understood rule. In high-security bases like this one, even vehicles belonging to the base must undergo strict inspections before passing through the gates. Otherwise, entry would be denied. "Get in the car!" Once inside, a transport vehicle designated for pickups was already waiting at the entrance. When Ye Wenying and his companions approached, the military driver opened the door and spoke to them. This level of treatment offered a sharp contrast, illustrating just how unwelcome Hao Jian had been during his visits to the base. At least Ye Wenying was afforded the courtesy of military transport. The vehicle sped along, the driver maintaining silence as he focused on the road. Ye Wenying, too, remained expressionless, his thoughts unfazed. Instinctively clenching the memory card in his hand, Ye Wenying''s lips curled into a faint smile while his eyes gleamed with an ominous light. Dong Aiguo, no matter who you are, with this card in my possession, I refuse to believe you''ll stay indifferent! Ye Wenying knew better than anyone how much Dong Aiguo cherished his son. Otherwise, Dong Aiguo wouldn''t have gone to the lengths of orchestrating a trap to frame Hao Jian, or even committing murder. Given Hao Jian''s meteoric rise in domestic stature, few dared to challenge him openly anymore. But Dong Aiguo was an anomaly. Everyone in the inner circles knew he had an only son whom he adored. Yet curiously, few knew where his son lived or even what he looked like¡ªsuch was the extent of Dong Aiguo''s protective measures. By sheer happenstance, Ye Wenying discovered the son''s whereabouts while hiring bodyguards. One of the recruits had recently retired after working at Dong Aiguo''s son''s villa. Through this man''s account, Ye Wenying learned the location. Later, Ye Wenying shared this information with the now-deceased Zheng Yuanjie. Together, they devised a swift plan to entrap Hao Jian, leading to an irreparable rift between Hao Jian and someone of Dong Aiguo''s standing. "We''ve arrived. Elder Dong is waiting inside the courtyard; you''ll see him as soon as you pass through the entrance." After a thirty-minute drive, the vehicle pulled up outside Dong Aiguo''s compound. The soldier driving motioned toward the courtyard entrance before casting a quick glance at Ye Wenying and his two companions, saying, "Only you are allowed to go further¡ªthe other two must stay outside." Not just anyone was allowed to meet Dong Aiguo. Regardless of rank, unless someone outranked him, bodyguards were strictly prohibited from entering. Visitors could only enter alone. The military personnel had privately established this rule for Dong Aiguo''s safety, with his tacit approval. "Young Master Ye¡­" Hearing this, the two bodyguards exchanged hesitant looks with Ye Wenying. Without their presence beside him, they couldn''t guarantee his safety, especially in such a heavily guarded military zone. "Wait for me here, don''t wander around. This is not our territory¡ªif anything happens to you here, I won''t be able to protect you." Unconcerned, Ye Wenying cast a cold glance at his bodyguards before stepping out of the vehicle and heading toward the gate. "Let''s wait here!" Faced with Ye Wenying''s detached response, the two bodyguards shared a bitter smile before reluctantly climbing out of the vehicle. They waited quietly by the roadside, though their eyes periodically scanned the courtyard beyond the fence. "I''ve heard since childhood that Elder Dong loves plum blossoms. It seems to be true. Yet why does Elder Dong have such affection for this bare plum tree¡ªnothing but branches?" Approaching the courtyard, Ye Wenying noticed a stone table surrounded by several stone stools. Dong Aiguo sat alone at the table, sipping tea from a tray placed atop it. To one side of the tea tray sat a flowerpot containing a solitary, branch-only plum tree, stark and desolate. "Hmph!" Having his quiet moment interrupted, Dong Aiguo snorted in discontent before turning his head and casting a dismissive glance at Ye Wenying. His lips twisted into a terse expression as he said impatiently, "My Ye Family has little to do with yours. What brings you here? If it''s trivial, don''t blame me for showing you the door." Still bitter from Hao Jian''s previous provocations¡ªespecially the embarrassment at the base¡ªDong Aiguo had been reluctant to let Ye Wenying in. After deliberating, he finally agreed. Otherwise, he might have ordered the soldiers to throw them out at the gate. "Perhaps it''s best if Elder Dong takes a look at this first¡ªwe can talk afterward," Ye Wenying replied, producing the memory card from his hand and placing it on the stone table with a heavy tone. "What''s on this?" Upon seeing the tiny memory card, Dong Aiguo''s expression shifted to one of solemn thought as he lightly tapped the table with his finger, his voice cold. "A video of Hao Jian killing your son," Ye Wenying said outright without preamble, knowing the truth would come out eventually and preferring to reveal it upfront. "Crash!" "What?!" The teacup in Dong Aiguo''s hand shattered instantly. Tea spilled through the cracks onto his palm, yet he ignored the mess. Carefully placing the broken shards on the table and flicking off the remaining tea from his hand, he fixed his gaze intently on Ye Wenying. "Watch it first, then we can talk." This time, Ye Wenying opted not to answer Dong Aiguo''s question directly. Instead, he calmly seated himself at the stone stool, fully aware that the emotions Dong Aiguo had displayed meant his goal had already been achieved. "Get someone here!" Still glaring at Ye Wenying, Dong Aiguo didn''t lose his temper further. Instead, he shouted toward the entrance. Soon, a soldier carrying a submachine gun rushed in, snapping to attention with a sharp salute. "Sir!" "Process this for me." Dong Aiguo casually tossed the memory card toward the soldier before instructing him in an unhurried tone. "Understood, sir!" The soldier saluted once again before jogging to a corner of the courtyard gate. There, he pressed a slightly raised stone block. Moments later, various slots emerged, and he located the appropriate port before inserting the memory card. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Buzz¡­" A faint hum echoed as the memory card was inserted¡­ Chapter 907 - 906: Tomorrow at 12 PM Noon A projection screen slowly unfurled from a corner of the courtyard. Soon, the surveillance video stored on the memory card began to play... "This... this¡­" As time passed, the scenes in the video changed repeatedly. From the beginning, Dong Aiguo''s son appeared nervous upon realizing someone had broken into the villa, to Hao Jian wordlessly killing Dong Aiguo''s son with bloodshot eyes and an expressionless face. "Because you hit my brother..." "But I don''t know how to drive!" "Beep!" When the video ended, the soldier removed the memory card. The projection screen was slowly rolled back up. Placing the memory card on the stone table, the soldier respectfully departed from the courtyard. He knew that he couldn''t stay to hear the conversations that would follow. After completing his task, he turned and left Dong Aiguo''s premises. After the soldier left, the courtyard fell silent once again. Only the soft breeze rustling the leaves broke the stillness, accompanied by the gradually heavy breathing of Dong Aiguo. Sitting at the stone table, Ye Wenying smiled faintly as he gazed at Dong Aiguo. His eyes occasionally flashed with a keen glint. After watching the video, he was no longer worried that Dong Aiguo wouldn''t cooperate. "Huff¡­" After a few minutes, Dong Aiguo let out a heavy sigh. Unlike other fathers who might fly into a rage upon learning how their son had died, he remained composed. He knew that anger wouldn''t resolve anything now. He was a soldier, trained to remain rational in any situation. A wrong decision could lead to irreparable consequences, especially with Ye Wenying present... "Tell me, what''s your plan?" Since Ye Wenying dared to show him this video, it signaled they shared the same goal. Presently, Dong Aiguo''s strongest desire was to deal with Hao Jian. He hated Hao Jian for killing his son and was confident Ye Wenying''s hatred for Hao Jian was no less than his own. After all, the Ye Family had recently suffered a blow from Hao Jian, not to mention prior disputes. It was safe to say the animosity between the Ye Family and Hao Jian had escalated beyond reconciliation. "With Elder Dong''s power, we can capture Hao Jian swiftly and use this video to convict him¡ªget him sentenced to death!" Ye Wenying''s lips curved into a cruel smile as he spoke grimly. Upon hearing this, Dong Aiguo''s eyes flashed coldly, his expression growing even darker. He paused for a moment before nodding, then sneered, "I was wondering why a Young Master of the Ye Family would approach an old man like me. Now I see your plan: borrowing my forces for your ''borrowed knife'' strategy." "The entire Capital City and even the upper circles of major cities know about the Ye Family''s feud with Hao Jian. You people can''t wait to eliminate him. And now, you come seeking help from this old man¡­" At this, Ye Wenying chuckled, his gaze fixed on Dong Aiguo as he tapped his fingers lightly on the table. Staring intensely at Dong Aiguo, he said slowly, "Does Elder Dong really intend to pass up this opportunity to eliminate Hao Jian once and for all?!" "Ha ha!" Dong Aiguo burst into laughter upon hearing this. Ye Wenying followed suit with his own laughter, but suddenly, Dong Aiguo''s gaze sharpened abruptly. He locked his eyes on Ye Wenying and smirked, "I''m just curious, how did Ye Shao get hold of this video?!" "Over a hundred highly-trained soldiers guard my son''s villa. I don''t believe someone with your abilities could infiltrate it and install a camera there!" From the moment he first saw the video, Dong Aiguo had been deliberating how Ye Wenying might have obtained it. Now that he decided to ask directly, he didn''t hold back. "I don''t think it''s necessary to go into detail, Elder Dong. What''s critical now is using this video to capture Hao Jian!" Startled at first by the question, Ye Wenying quickly composed himself and replied with a cold glance at Dong Aiguo. Ye Wenying knew that if Dong Aiguo learned the truth¡ªthat everything had been orchestrated by him¡ªhe wouldn''t live much longer. The Ye Family wouldn''t dare defy Dong Aiguo to protect him, considering Dong was the commander of a military district, while the Ye Family was merely a clan. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If Dong Aiguo uncovered the truth, he might even spare Hao Jian. Thus, Ye Wenying couldn''t risk revealing any details. "Hmph!" Seeing Ye Wenying''s refusal to elaborate, Dong Aiguo didn''t press further. The video in Ye Wenying''s possession held the leverage to implicate Hao Jian. Dong Aiguo knew he must capture Hao Jian to prove no one could challenge him without paying the price. "Since Elder Dong has agreed, I''ll go prepare now. I hope you can expedite preparations on your end; after all, delays invite complications!" Relieved to have swayed Dong Aiguo, Ye Wenying exhaled quietly, smiled, and reached out his hand. "I don''t need your instructions; I know what to do! My men will head to Hua City by noon tomorrow to arrest Hao Jian!" "Bring in my guest''s escort!" Dong Aiguo snorted coldly, swatted away Ye Wenying''s extended hand, and slowly got up, retreating into his room without a backward glance. "Hmph!" Ignored in such a manner, Ye Wenying''s face darkened. After watching Dong Aiguo shut the door, he let out a heavy snort, turning to leave the courtyard with the military escort leading him out. "Ye Shao, are you alright?" Two bodyguards who had been watching anxiously from the entrance rushed over as they saw Ye Wenying emerge, their faces filled with concern. "Let''s go!" Ye Wenying didn''t want to say anything further. Casting a cold glance at the courtyard behind him, he snorted and stepped into the car. The two bodyguards exchanged glances before hurriedly climbing in after him. "Phew!" Once everyone was seated, the driver started the car and sped off from the military district... "Tomorrow at noon..." As he left the district, Ye Wenying sat in his car, pondering Dong Aiguo''s timeline. After a long while, his lips curled into a sinister smile, and his fist clenched slowly as he muttered, "Hao Jian, Hao Jian! This time, you''re caught in my net!" "You eliminated my informants last time, forcing me to train new ones! You owe me countless debts that I''ll make sure you repay!" The car sped down the road as Ye Wenying''s thoughts raced to Hua City and Hao Jian, already scheming how he''d torment Hao Jian after capturing him! "Hao Jian, enjoy your remaining time alive. With this video and a little maneuvering, I''ll eliminate you in the blink of an eye!" Meanwhile, back in his sparsely furnished and simple living room, Dong Aiguo swung his fist heavily into a nearby marble column. The entire house shook violently. When Dong Aiguo withdrew his fist, he was astonished to see a shallow fist imprint left on the marble column, faint traces of killing intent lingering there. ..................... "Beep beep beep beep¡­" Early next morning, Hao Jian, still keeping vigil over Li He in the hospital, was abruptly awakened by the sound of police sirens blaring downstairs. Irritated, he muttered, "Damn it, who the hell isn''t letting people sleep at this hour? This is a hospital! How can they disturb the patients'' rest? Can they afford to face the consequences?" "Finally had a chance to sleep anytime I want, and now I''m rudely awakened first thing in the morning. Damn it!" Li He, lying in bed, opened his weary eyes in frustration and cursed loudly upon hearing the constant sirens outside. "I''ll go take a look!" Equally annoyed, Hao Jian stood up, told Li He he''d check it out, and started toward the hospital room''s door. Just as he approached the door... "Bang!" The door suddenly flew open with a loud crash. A group of Special Forces soldiers armed with assault rifles stormed in, instantly surrounding Hao Jian. Both Hao Jian and Li He stared in stunned disbelief. "Hao Jian, what''s going on? Why are they targeting you?" The soldiers were clearly focused on Hao Jian, prompting Li He to comment in surprise, though his tone carried a hint of mockery. "How the hell would I know what they''re up to?" Annoyed by Li He''s jest, Hao Jian shot him an irritated look. If not for his injuries, Hao Jian would''ve broken through the soldiers'' ranks and given Li He a beating. "Explain yourselves. Why are you doing this?" Facing the soldiers, Hao Jian''s expression hardened. He scanned them calmly, his tone laced with restrained anger. "Under orders from General Dong to apprehend murderer Hao Jian!" One soldier quickly uttered the command before aiming his weapon at Hao Jian without a trace of hesitation. "Dong Aiguo?" Upon hearing the name, flashes of recognition sparked in Hao Jian''s mind... Chapter 908 - 907: Whats the Matter? "Boss!" "Don''t worry about me..." Hearing Li He''s voice, Hao Jian also turned his head towards Li He with a slight smile, giving him a reassuring look. "Uh... no, I was just wondering when my breakfast will arrive?" Li He scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. Hao Jian''s face instantly stiffened. This bastard, even in such a situation, he''s worried about his breakfast? Actually, Li He wasn''t worried about Hao Jian''s safety. After all, from what he knew about Hao Jian, there wasn''t anyone in this world capable of killing him yet. He knew Hao Jian still had many tricks up his sleeve. "Spice Ginger will bring food in a while." Shaking his head helplessly, Hao Jian said as he extended his hands, allowing the soldier to cuff him. Then he glanced at these soldiers, saying, "Let''s go. Don''t keep your superior waiting!" "Hmph! A murderer dares to speak to us like that?!" Seeing Hao Jian''s attitude, a couple of soldiers appeared displeased and cursed as they lifted their feet, about to kick Hao Jian''s body. But suddenly, they felt an icy cold chill rising from their feet, spreading throughout their entire body in a blink of an eye. "You better not do anything stupid to me. Otherwise, I can''t guarantee that you''ll live to see tomorrow''s sun." Slowly retracting those cold eyes, Hao Jian sneered lightly. His icy words landed in the ears of those two soldiers, making them tremble all over. "Oh, by the way, Li He, remember to mention that matter to Secretary Zhang. I haven''t told him yet..." As he stepped forward, just as he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something and paused, causing the soldiers around him to shudder. The earlier fear from Hao Jian''s killing intent still lingered in their hearts. Even though they hadn''t experienced it directly, the faint killing intent that seeped out was more than they could bear. "Don''t worry, I know what to do, even though I''m just a patient!" Li He impatiently waved at Hao Jian, then suddenly shouted towards the door, "Why hasn''t my breakfast arrived yet?!" "This kid!" Seeing this, Hao Jian also shook his head with a chuckle before walking outside. As he stepped out, the people in the hospital corridor immediately focused their gaze on him, pointing and whispering. However, Hao Jian didn''t pay them any mind, his face calm as he walked forward slowly. The soldiers following him dared not say anything. When coming to arrest him, their superior had instructed them not to use force against this guy. Initially dismissive of this, Hao Jian''s casual display earlier had stunned them. It seems this old guy must have found some key clue to come directly to arrest me... Walking along, Hao Jian fell into contemplation. Logically, during the previous commotion in the military district, Dong Aiguo hadn''t said a word. But now suddenly sending someone to arrest him seemed suspicious. Could someone have approached Dong Aiguo? Such a thought suddenly emerged in Hao Jian''s mind, causing him to slowly curl the corners of his mouth into a subtle arc. Whether true or not, he would find out in time. ..................... "Sir! The troops sent to Hua City report that they''ve captured Hao Jian as per your orders!" With Hao Jian''s capture, Dong Aiguo soon received the message from the messenger. "Did he resist in any way?" Sipping tea by himself, Dong Aiguo didn''t lift an eyelid but asked casually while drinking his tea. "According to the reports from there, no, he didn''t!" The pressure emanating from Dong Aiguo remained strong. Even as he appeared indifferent, the messenger reported earnestly. "None?" Upon hearing this, Dong Aiguo''s eyes narrowed slightly, a glint flashing through them. After a while, he picked up the teacup in his hand, tilted his head back, and drank the tea in one gulp. "Dismissed!" After finishing the tea, Dong Aiguo waved the messenger away. "Yes, sir!" The messenger respectfully saluted, then swiftly exited Dong Aiguo''s courtyard. "No matter what tricks you have, now that you''ve fallen into my hands, don''t think you can escape my grasp!" Unclear about Hao Jian''s intentions, Dong Aiguo didn''t dwell on it. Looking at the empty teacup in his hand, a cold gleam flashed in his eyes, followed by a cold snort. "Someone, bring Ye Wenying here!" Having captured Hao Jian, the next step of the plan needed to be implemented. In this plan, Ye Wenying''s role was crucial. The key evidence was in Ye Wenying''s possession, and it could only succeed with him involved. Though Dong Aiguo disliked Ye Wenying, who was treacherous and ruthless, sometimes even killing his own people, he had no choice. To let his son rest in peace, Hao Jian needed to be captured and dealt with. The key figure to achieve this was Ye Wenying. As he barked his order, a soldier at the door quickly relayed Dong Aiguo''s command through his radio, glancing slightly towards the courtyard gate after finishing. Two hours after Dong Aiguo''s order, the roar of an engine echoed at his courtyard gate. As the view zoomed in, a military vehicle could be seen parked steadily a hundred meters from the front of Dong Aiguo''s courtyard. With a click, the car door opened, and Ye Wenying''s figure slowly emerged. After getting off the vehicle, Ye Wenying tidied his clothes, then leisurely approached the courtyard gate. Seeing the still simple and unadorned courtyard, a cold smile played on his lips. Who would know that within this seemingly humble courtyard resides someone with an aura and mind a hundred times more formidable and profound than himself? "Elder Dong!" Upon entering the courtyard, Ye Wenying saw Dong Aiguo sipping tea on a stone bench. Walking up, he nodded and greeted him. "Have a seat!" Dong Aiguo raised his eyelids slightly, nodded, and gently gestured to the stone bench in front of him. "May I ask why Elder Dong summoned me this time?" "Let''s not beat around the bush. I brought you here to inform you that I''ve already captured Hao Jian. Now I''m just waiting on you!" Waving his hand dismissively, Dong Aiguo was uninterested in sparring with Ye Wenying. Fixing his keen gaze on him, he said in a deep voice, "I''ve captured Hao Jian, but without the corresponding evidence, given his influence, I can''t keep him. Hand me your video evidence now!" "Alright!" Knowing Hao Jian''s significant influence, Ye Wenying didn''t hesitate and tossed the memory card containing the footage of Hao Jian committing the crime to Dong Aiguo. "Elder Dong, to sentence Hao Jian, you''ll need to personally take charge!" In order to swiftly have the judge use this video to convict Hao Jian, Dong Aiguo''s status was essential. Considering his rank as a general, even those at the first court had to afford him some respect. "Hmm!" Dong Aiguo nodded, then called a soldier guarding the door and casually tossed the memory card to him, saying, "Take this to the first court in the Capital City and tell the judge he has two days to sentence Hao Jian to death. If he claims it''s not possible, tell him his position is at its end!" "Yes, sir!" The soldier memorized Dong Aiguo''s instructions, took the memory card, left, and rode his motorcycle towards the military district gate. "Seems you really trust your subordinates!" Ye Wenying couldn''t help but remark, seeing Dong Aiguo casually hand such crucial video evidence to a subordinate. In his eyes, everyone had the motive to betray him, and he never trusted anyone entirely. Major matters usually required his personal involvement. "Don''t use those you doubt, don''t doubt those you use." Dong Aiguo didn''t bother explaining to Ye Wenying, speaking plainly as he picked up the kettle, pouring hot water into the teapot and slowly brewing tea... At the same time, the soldier, speeding as fast as possible, drove through the military district, gradually approaching the gate. "Little Er, lend me a vehicle!" Reaching the gate, the soldier immediately tossed aside his motorcycle, approached a military armored truck, grabbed the keys nearby, and shouted to a soldier guarding the gate. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Come back early." The soldier called Little Er smiled lightly, agreeing to his request. Although the soldier didn''t have the authority to drive military vehicles, with Dong Aiguo''s orders, no one dared to trouble him. "Haha, I''ll complete the task assigned by the superior quickly!" The soldier laughed heartily, then started the vehicle and drove off. Assigned by Dong Aiguo, no matter how challenging, they strived to complete the tasks. This time, it was merely visiting the court to urge the judge to expedite Hao Jian''s case. He believed talking with the judge would suffice. Chapter 909 - 908: Eyes Can Be Deceiving "Kid, walk faster! Quit dawdling around!" At 4 p.m., Hao Jian''s military vehicle arrived at the Capital City. The vehicle twisted and turned, ultimately pausing at a secluded location in the suburb. Nestled there was a prison, infamous throughout the nation. As soon as he got off the vehicle, two soldiers armed with AK-47 rifles approached and started cursing at Hao Jian. To them, anyone sent to this place was a heinous criminal not worthy of basic decency. After all, when they were hurting others, they never considered the victims'' feelings. Now that they''ve landed in this infamous prison, it''s just their comeuppance. "Heh, looks like the warden here isn''t much either. What kind of dogs does he train that don''t even know how to see people properly?" Hao Jian deftly sidestepped one soldier''s shove, his gaze coolly sweeping over the man as he sneered. "What the fuck! Kid, what did you just say?! Looking for trouble?!" The soldier''s face turned dark as he roared in anger upon hearing Hao Jian''s unapologetic taunt. "Enough, this man is under orders from General Dong to be brought here. You two better not start anything¡­" At that moment, a soldier disembarked from the vehicle as well¡ªhe was the team leader in charge of Hao Jian''s arrest. Seeing the commotion, he shook his head and spoke firmly. "General Dong''s orders? What did this guy do to make such an important figure send him over?" Hearing Dong Aiguo''s name, the two soldiers visibly faltered. "Don''t ask questions you''re not supposed to. Otherwise, you''ll find yourself reassigned to border duty instead of guarding this prison!" Even the squad leader wished to avoid discussing the matter further. After all, he himself didn''t have a clear picture. Capturing Hao Jian had been strictly a matter of following orders. "I''ll just warn you two: this man alone could take on all of us together. If anything happens that angers General Dong, save yourselves¡ªI won''t be able to help you!" In order to prevent these two from provoking Hao Jian unnecessarily, he emphasized the danger. Earlier that morning, he had felt an intense aura emanating from Hao Jian¡ªa visceral threat that no handcuffs could truly neutralize, despite being tightly secured around his wrists. The handcuffs, in this case, were mere psychological comfort for them, making them feel marginally safer throughout their journey. The squad leader had been on edge the entire ride, fretting over the possibility that Hao Jian might lash out unexpectedly. "What''s taking so long? I want to rest, hurry and take me down!" Watching them chit-chat endlessly, Hao Jian felt speechless. Was his face really that frightening? Why were they all so scared of him? "Hmph!" Convinced by the squad leader''s warnings, the two gate soldiers merely snorted in response to Hao Jian''s tone. Leading him forward, they brought him through a small door beneath the main prison entrance¡ªso narrow, only one person could pass through at a time. In the past, any criminal showing such disrespect toward them would''ve been gunned down without hesitation. Hao Jian''s behavior might''ve earned him no chance to stand upright. Once inside the prison, Hao Jian was escorted to a small, barren room. The room contained nothing except a table and chair, the only sound coming from footsteps tapping on the floor. Inside the room sat a forty-something man holding a file. Waves of intellect flickered occasionally within his gaze as he reviewed the documents. Upon spotting Hao Jian enter, he nodded and smiled faintly. "Hello, I''m Mairui, a judge from the Capital City''s First People''s Court. You can call me Mairui¡ªMairui is my surname. Please don''t mistake me for a foreigner." The man''s humorous introduction made Hao Jian chuckle internally. All the judges he''d encountered before were unfailingly stern and reserved. None had ever spoken as casually as this one. "What might Judge Mairui want with me?" Leaning against the wall, with the two soldiers waiting vigilantly by the door, Hao Jian curiously considered the judge''s demeanor. Even those brash soldiers showed visible trepidation toward Mairui. What kind of person could elicit such caution from them? S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "And you didn''t even bother to restrain me. Aren''t you afraid I might deal with you here and now?" "Ha! Mr. Hao Jian, you sure are entertaining. But let me assure you¡ªI know for a fact that you wouldn''t dare!" Mairui''s eyes narrowed momentarily, a sly glimmer flashing by as he laughed heartily¡ªhis behavior breaking every mold of typical judicial decorum. His conduct left Hao Jian¡ªa man keenly attuned to others'' motives¡ªunable to decipher Mairui''s intentions. This unexpected unpredictability was somehow disconcerting. "Quite bold of you, it seems," Hao Jian remarked with a faint chuckle, shaking his head lightly. Indeed, he didn''t plan to stir any trouble now¡ªthe consequences would be meaningless, adding nothing but extra charges to his record. "Tell me, Mr. Hao Jian, why is it that after stepping into prison, you don''t share the grim expressions most convicts wear? Instead, you seem indifferent, almost as if this doesn''t bother you at all." Mairui was intrigued by Hao Jian''s apparent lack of concern. After all, the document in his hands was an official death sentence for Hao Jian¡ªhis fate, sealed without a trial. Hao Jian hadn''t even made it to court before being handed his execution notice¡ªa decision expedited solely because of the incriminating video Dong Aiguo had supplied. "I have a strong destiny¡ªI don''t die easily." Unwilling to elaborate further, Hao Jian glanced at Mairui nonchalantly and said, "If Your Honor has something to say, make it quick. I''ve been on the road all day and I''m exhausted. I need rest." "Haha! Mr. Hao Jian, here''s your judgment report!" Suddenly bursting into laughter, Mairui flung the files toward Hao Jian. In that instant, the soft A4 sheets transformed into razor-sharp weapons, slicing through the air like deadly arrowheads aimed at him. "Clack!" Yet against such a fierce maneuver, Hao Jian calmly extended his hand, effortlessly catching the papers. His steady hand remained motionless, showing no signs of strain¡ªas though Mairui''s attack hadn''t registered at all. "Who could''ve guessed a mere judge would possess such remarkable strength!" Mairui''s display surprised Hao Jian. With such competence, why had this man chosen a career in law? "Haha, Mr. Hao Jian¡ªmy strength is irrelevant. What matters is that in two days, you''ll be executed! Shot¡ªto death!" Watching Hao Jian dismiss his move so nonchalantly, a flicker of astonishment passed through Mairui''s eyes. Recovering quickly, he laughed while standing up and sauntered over to Hao Jian''s side, staring down at him. "Although this is our first meeting, I can tell¡ªyou''re no murderer." "Sometimes, appearances deceive!" "Heh, don''t let me see you out." Hao Jian chuckled lightly at Mairui''s cryptic comment. Politely opening the door for him, he gestured for Mairui to leave. "..." ........................ "Execution? I can''t count how many times I''ve faced such nonsense¡­" In his prison cell, Hao Jian lay on the bed flipping through the documents. Full of presumptuous accusations and fabricated claims, the papers brought a smirk of mockery to his lips. The tone of the report bore an unmistakable resemblance to Ye Wenying''s rhetoric. Even if Ye Wenying hadn''t personally drafted it, his fingerprints were all over it¡­ "I wonder what Ye Wenying''s face will look like two days from now¡ªit''ll be priceless." In his possession was something crucial: Ye Wenying''s Achilles'' heel. Earlier that morning, his enigmatic words to Li He had instructed him to contact Secretary Zhang to retrieve Ye Wenying''s incriminating video evidence. With these materials in hand, how could Hao Jian''s death sentence possibly stand? Absolutely not. Once Dong Aiguo learned the full truth, the betrayal by Ye Wenying¡ªwhom he "closely collaborated" with¡ªwould provoke his wrath, ensuring Ye Wenying''s downfall. As for Hao Jian, even if he had personally murdered Dong Aiguo''s son, Dong Aiguo wouldn''t dare retaliate¡ªnot with the high-ranking officer behind Hao Jian protecting him. Without concrete evidence, Dong Aiguo couldn''t touch him! Time raced by, quickly arriving at the day of Hao Jian''s execution. On this day, Hao Jian was brought out by execution police, blindfolded with black fabric, and taken to a vehicle designated for transport. Inside the vehicle were four armed policemen with weapons¡ªthey were tasked with escorting him. Trailing behind their transport was another vehicle, inside which sat Mairui, officially present to narrate Hao Jian''s crimes. The route they traveled didn''t lead toward the city but rather a remote suburban area. Upon reaching the base of a small mountain, the convoy stopped. What would ordinarily be deserted land was unusually lively today. Dong Aiguo and Ye Wenying had been waiting there for hours, eager to witness Hao Jian''s face sink into despair. Chapter 910 - 909: Who Do You Think You Are?! "Ha ha! Didn''t expect you''d fall into my hands someday, did you?!" As soon as Hao Jian, with his head covered, was dragged down by four armed police to the small hill ahead, his black hood was yanked off, revealing his slightly contemptuous face. Upon seeing this, Ye Wenying''s face twisted into a hideous grin, his laughter echoing in the desolate wilderness. "Heh, indeed, I didn''t expect to get bitten by a dog one day." Hao Jian chuckled softly, shaking his head. His eyes carried a trace of disdain as he moved his hands slightly, feeling the handcuffs that, for him, were no more than toys. Hao Jian didn''t believe these two people were ignorant of the fact that these handcuffs were useless against him. Knowing this and still choosing to cuff him clearly was meant to humiliate him. "Hmph! Now that you''re in my hands, don''t dream of escaping. If you want to curse me, curse all you want! Remember, this will be the last time in your life that you get to insult me!" Ye Wenying sneered coldly at Hao Jian. Despite not seeing despair on Hao Jian''s face, just witnessing his struggle after falling into his grasp was satisfying enough! He knew that once this man was eliminated, his standing in the family would rise considerably. These thoughts made Ye Wenying''s mind race with possibilities, and he cast a glance at Dong Aiguo, who stood behind him with an equally smug expression, pondering for a moment. If possible, it would be best to secure Dong Aiguo''s support. With his backing, Ye Wenying''s position in the family could become unprecedentedly strong. But... The thought unsettled Ye Wenying. Recently, he had caught wind of Dong Aiguo conducting some investigations in Hua City, seemingly searching for something. No doubt about it, he was looking for the true cause of his son''s death. Previously, even someone as powerful as Dong Aiguo couldn''t extend his reach into Hua City while Hao Jian was still around. But now that Hao Jian had left, Dong Aiguo had the chance to send people in to search. After some careful consideration, Ye Wenying believed he had erased all traces of evidence. Even if Dong Aiguo flipped Hua City upside down, it would be impossible for him to uncover Ye Wenying''s scheme to frame Hao Jian. Hopefully, no major trouble arises... Shaking his head silently, Ye Wenying dismissed his worries. He was confident he had tied up all loose ends. With Zheng Yuanjie already dead, the only person who knew the truth was himself. Under such circumstances, it was unlikely anyone could uncover the truth. "Oh? Why has Young Master Ye suddenly gone quiet? Perhaps you''ve just remembered doing something you shouldn''t have?" Seeing Ye Wenying stop talking, Hao Jian''s eyes sparkled faintly, and the corner of his mouth curved into a slight smirk. He chuckled softly. "Shut up..." Being subtly called out by Hao Jian made Ye Wenying''s face falter slightly. However, he quickly noticed his own lapse and rushed to steady himself, letting out a cold snort: "A man at death''s door, still spouting nonsense?" Whenever confronting Hao Jian, exposing any weakness would immediately be noticed by Dong Aiguo. Thus, Ye Wenying dared not continue the exchange. If he were surrounded by his own people, he wouldn''t mind flaunting his superiority before Hao Jian a little longer. But now, Dong Aiguo was present, and even with the boldest courage, Ye Wenying wouldn''t dare push further. This deranged father was highly sensitive, and even the slightest issue could send him over the edge. "Hmph!" Seeing Ye Wenying retreat, Dong Aiguo snorted coldly. It was originally Dong Aiguo who captured Hao Jian, and he had been planning to reprimand him before proceeding. But to his irritation, Ye Wenying had beaten him to it¡ªand in their exchange, had even ended up at a disadvantage. What a useless individual! "I really wonder how you became the Young Master of the Ye Family!" The straightforward nature of Dong Aiguo as a soldier meant he spoke his mind openly. Considering Ye Wenying''s demeanor, Dong couldn''t suppress his disdain and mercilessly insulted him, leaving Ye Wenying''s expression sour. Furious, Ye Wenying wanted to lash out, but remembering Dong Aiguo''s intimidating status, he shrank back, silently stepping aside. "Hao Jian, today, I will avenge my son! His spirit in heaven shall finally rest in peace!" Dong Aiguo''s expression turned unbearably grim as he glared at Hao Jian, his wrath practically uncontainable. Finished speaking, he ignored whatever Hao Jian might respond with and waved toward the nearby vehicle. Four armed officers stepped out from the car they arrived in. Carrying pistols, they lined up five meters away from Hao Jian, took out their weapons, pointed them at him, and stood still without taking further action. For execution scenarios, it was customary for four armed executioners to be present. However, among the four, only one of their pistols contained a bullet. None of the executioners knew whose weapon held the live round, so every one of them treated their gun as lethal. This arrangement was meant to prevent certain contingencies, like attempts to rescue the condemned. "Stop wasting words! Even if you say more, to my ears, it''s all just noise!" Hao Jian became irritated with Dong Aiguo''s chatter. "You lost a son, and you''re so eager for vengeance. Now you''re rambling like this¡ªis it to show off your sense of superiority?!" "Hmph! Even at death''s door, your mouth remains as insolent as ever. Reflect well on the Netherworld Road!" Dong Aiguo''s face darkened further, his cold snort followed by a slight lift of his hand as he prepared to issue the execution order. "Vroom-vroom!" Suddenly, a car''s roaring engine sounded from the distant trail, approaching rapidly. Within seconds, a Mercedes-Benz van burst onto the execution site, almost running over the executioners. "Who?!" Witnessing this unexpected intrusion, a murderous gleam flashed in Dong Aiguo''s eyes as he shouted furiously. "It''s me." Dong Aiguo''s voice had hardly faded when another voice, one that caused both Dong Aiguo and Ye Wenying''s expressions to change drastically, rang out. A soft click was heard, and moments later, Secretary Zhang appeared, impeccably dressed in his signature suit and tie, carrying his ever-present briefcase. Adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, he strode forward with measured steps. "What are you doing here?! Hao Jian''s crimes have been decided, and even if you claim that the higher-ups forbid me from killing him, I won''t yield an inch!" Upon seeing Secretary Zhang, Hao Jian''s lips curled into a sly smile, whereas Dong Aiguo and Ye Wenying''s faces turned sour. A sudden uninvited guest at this critical moment was nothing but annoying. "Oh, really? Well, I need to inform you, Elder Dong, that Hao Jian will be spared today!" Secretary Zhang declared, making Dong Aiguo''s rage boil over and Ye Wenying shout angrily at him: "What gives you the right to save him?! Who do you think you are?! Secretary Zhang, you''re just a lowly secretary under the higher-ups¡ªyou think you have the authority to order us around?!" Ye Wenying''s loud retorts momentarily wiped the pleasant expression off Secretary Zhang''s face, but he quickly regained composure with his usual smile. Turning to Ye Wenying, he responded calmly, "I am speaking to Elder Dong right now. As for you, Young Master Ye, I''m afraid your rank falls short." "I may be nothing more than a secretary serving the leadership, but you¡ªyou''re only a Young Master from the Ye Family, lower in rank than both Elder Dong and myself. I wonder, Young Master Ye, where you found the courage to argue with someone of my standing?" Even a mud Bodhisattva has its limits, let alone Secretary Zhang, whose rank and stature far exceeded Ye Wenying''s. Normally courteous and mild-mannered, his demeanor was reserved for worthy company. To someone like Ye Wenying, who wasn''t even the Ye Family Head, what right did he have to speak out? Even the Ye Family Head would address him respectfully as "Secretary Zhang," let alone the lesser Young Master Ye! Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You won''t stop this today! Hao Jian will die here!" Ye Wenying despised Secretary Zhang deeply because, on the day Hao Jian massacred the Ye Family''s secret division, Secretary Zhang intervened and blocked the Ye Family Head''s response. Without his interference, Ye Wenying wouldn''t have needed such intricate schemes, nor risk implicating himself in the murder of Dong Aiguo''s son, just to capture Hao Jian! Everything had led to this moment; therefore, even if it meant defying Secretary Zhang, Ye Wenying was willing to go all the way to ensure Hao Jian''s death. "Secretary Zhang, your behavior seems rather imprudent!" Dong Aiguo''s tone was calm but carried a subtle edge. Unlike Ye Wenying, Dong Aiguo understood better how to converse with someone like Secretary Zhang. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his words delivered evenly. Although the tone was collected, anyone could sense the simmering anger beneath. Secretary Zhang smiled lightly before replying, "If undeniably conclusive evidence existed, I absolutely wouldn''t stand in the way of Hao Jian''s execution..." "Conclusive evidence? Ha ha, the reason I dared to act is precisely because I have sufficient evidence! Now you want to talk proof with me, Secretary Zhang? I''d say that''s rather misplaced, isn''t it?" Dong Aiguo was slightly puzzled by Secretary Zhang''s remark, though his outward appearance betrayed nothing. Instead, he responded casually, his tone subdued. "Right and wrong¡ªElder Dong, I ask that you look at this video before making a final decision!" Secretary Zhang didn''t argue further. Instead, he calmly retrieved a tablet from his briefcase, opened a video file, and handed it over to Dong Aiguo with a faint smile. "I believe that once you watch this, the truth behind everything will finally be revealed!" "Hmph!" Dong Aiguo snorted coldly. ............... Chapter 911 - 910: What Did I Do? See For Yourself! "I hope you won''t keep wasting your efforts on pointless things!" Taking the tablet handed over by Secretary Zhang, Dong Aiguo still couldn''t bring himself to believe Secretary Zhang''s words. To him, it was nothing more than the desperate struggle of his opponent before defeat¡ªafter all, he''d already seen the video of Hao Jian personally killing his son! "This... this..." But when Dong Aiguo put on the headphones and played the video, his expression began to slowly change, until finally, his mouth hung open and his face turned grim. "Does Elder Dong still doubt my words now?" Watching Dong Aiguo''s reaction, Secretary Zhang exhaled deeply in relief. A subtle smile spread across his face as he looked at Dong Aiguo, chuckling softly. "Elder Dong, just what did this guy show you? Why are you reacting so strongly?" With Dong Aiguo still wearing the headphones, Ye Wenying couldn''t tell what he was watching or hearing. But upon seeing Dong Aiguo''s peculiar behavior, his heart sank, and he couldn''t resist speaking up out of curiosity. "Guards!" What appeared at first to be a simple command took a shocking turn¡ªDong Aiguo suddenly gestured toward the four executioners who were still armed but hadn''t pulled the trigger yet. Then, he pointed fiercely at Ye Wenying, roaring, "Arrest this man!" "Elder Dong, what are you doing?!" The executioners promptly obeyed Dong Aiguo''s order and turned their guns on Ye Wenying. They began closing in on him, quickly restraining him. It wasn''t until his arms were forcibly restrained by the special forces that Ye Wenying fully processed what was happening. Confused and furious, he shouted at Dong Aiguo, "Why are you arresting me?! What did I do wrong?!" "What did you do? See for yourself!" Dong Aiguo stormed over to Ye Wenying, rage evident on his face. He thrust the tablet at Ye Wenying and played the video for him. "This... this is impossible!" Watching the contents of the video, Ye Wenying''s face morphed from puzzlement to ashen pale, and finally to utter terror. His lips trembled as he attempted to deny the evidence. "They framed me!" The video, given to Secretary Zhang by Awen, was footage taken by Zheng Yuanjie right before his death. It meticulously documented the scheme to frame Hao Jian, the responsibilities of various parties, and ultimately pointed to the true mastermind behind the plot and Dong Aiguo''s son''s murder¡ªYe Wenying''s voice and Zheng Yuanjie''s incriminating confessions made everything crystal clear. "Scum! You''re nearing death and still refuse to admit it?!" Seeing Ye Wenying continue to deny his guilt even now, Dong Aiguo erupted in fury and punched him hard in the face. Ye Wenying was sent flying, collapsing on the ground. "I already had doubts back when you came to me," Dong Aiguo sneered, stalking toward Ye Wenying, whose fear-filled face was once again restrained by the special forces. Casting a sideways glance at Secretary Zhang, Dong Aiguo continued coldly, "But at that time, I was desperate to deal with Hao Jian. That''s why I didn''t question the authenticity of the video you provided." "Later, while Hao Jian was away from Hua City, I took advantage of the city''s weakened security and had my people infiltrate. They searched my son''s villa for clues." "That''s when I started wondering¡ªhow could someone like you have obtained such a video? It was as if you predicted Hao Jian would go straight to the living room and then to the bedroom to kill my son!" "Did you really think I was too old and senile to notice?!" Dong Aiguo''s voice rose with every sentence. By the end, he was furiously roaring at the terrified Ye Wenying. "...." The scene was now filled with Dong Aiguo''s enraged roars and Ye Wenying''s trembling explanations. Yet Ye Wenying''s voice was quickly drowned out by the volume of the anger aimed at him. Meanwhile, Secretary Zhang and Hao Jian stood quietly with smiles, watching the unfolding drama unfold. Sitting in a nearby car, Mairui the judge had also been closely observing the situation. From believing Hao Jian was doomed, to witnessing Secretary Zhang''s intervention, he realized that Hao Jian''s fate wasn''t so easily sealed. "I wonder just how many secrets this man carries..." Mairui cast a long, thoughtful look at Hao Jian as he slowly left the execution grounds. From the very first time he saw Hao Jian in prison, Mairui had known he wasn''t an ordinary man. For someone to overturn their guilty verdict at the execution grounds¡ªit was unprecedented. This exception occurred solely because of Hao Jian. In fact, this entire trial seemed like a farcical stage play involving overlapping agendas: a Military Department bigwig, a prominent elite family Young Master, a trusted executive''s prot¨¦g¨¦, and a mysterious figure from faraway Hua City. When these players gathered, only a military tribunal would have the power to untangle their lies. "Elder Dong, didn''t I tell you there''s nothing you can do to me? Are you convinced now?" Hao Jian approached Secretary Zhang, looking disdainfully at the furious Dong Aiguo in the distance. Chuckling triumphantly, he lifted his handcuffed wrists and sneered, his expression filled with mockery. "Kid, you''re still a condemned criminal. Even with a video capable of overturning your conviction, it means nothing to me!" Dong Aiguo''s cold gaze locked onto Hao Jian. His voice mingled with fury as he retorted, "Do you seriously believe that I can''t have you killed here with a single command?!" Hao Jian glanced sidelong at Secretary Zhang, his mocking smile unwavering. Slowly, he raised his restrained hands and wagged his finger at Dong Aiguo, replying calmly, "I don''t believe you." "You..." Dong Aiguo almost choked with rage at Hao Jian''s audacity. He snarled, "Even if this was Ye Wenying''s conspiracy, my son still died by your hand. This isn''t over!" Dong Aiguo couldn''t ignore the video, especially since Secretary Zhang had brought it, implying that the higher-ups were aware of it too. If Dong Aiguo acted rashly to carry out Hao Jian''s execution despite this, the repercussions from above would be swift. Although reinforcements from the capital might take time to reach this remote execution site, Secretary Zhang''s presence alone made Dong Aiguo hesitate. The mere thought of the Minister behind Zhang was enough to make Dong Aiguo tread cautiously. "Men! Take him away¡ªwe''re leaving!" Unable to continue targeting Hao Jian, Dong Aiguo signaled his men. Turning abruptly, he began walking toward his car. Trailing behind him, the four executioners dragged a defeated, pale-faced Ye Wenying toward the vehicle''s back seat. "Bang!" Ye Wenying was unceremoniously tossed into the car as the door was shut tight. One man kept his gun trained on him, ready to intervene should Ye Wenying try anything. "Haha! Seems like this time, you''ve really riled up Dong Aiguo!" Secretary Zhang recollected the sour expression Dong Aiguo wore as he left the grounds¡ªlike he''d swallowed a fly. He chuckled, "Even though he caught the real culprit Ye Wenying, his hatred for you won''t go away." "After all, as he said, regardless of how you''ve been set up¡ªwhat he witnessed was still you killing his son!" Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a slight shake of his head, Secretary Zhang sighed. Dong Aiguo''s stubbornness was famous throughout the Military Department. The speed at which Dong left today was purely due to two reasons: making an indictment before the Ye Family could intervene, and respecting the unseen hand of the Minister behind Secretary Zhang. Under different circumstances, if Secretary Zhang hadn''t appeared, Hao Jian might still have been executed despite the video. But that begged the question: would Hao Jian have simply surrendered? "Crack!" With subtle effort, Hao Jian snapped his handcuffs as if they were made of plastic. As the pieces fell away, he casually flicked the remnants into the nearby woods. Watching Hao Jian dismantle the handcuffs with such ease, Secretary Zhang bitterly chuckled. "I wonder what kind of lunacy made the old man think this tactic would work to capture you..." "Haha! If such restraints worked on me, I wouldn''t be talking to you here¡ªI''d be chatting with King Yanluo!" Hao Jian chuckled lightly, glancing in Dong Aiguo''s direction as he walked away. A slight smirk tugged at the corners of his lips as he mocked, "For all his scheming, Ye Wenying finally got a taste of self-inflicted karma." Years ago, shortly after Hao Jian retired from the mercenary scene, a feud erupted with Ye Wenying over certain events. Back then, the Ye Family had seemed untouchable. Yet as time passed, Hao Jian steadily rose through the ranks domestically, eventually surpassing even Ye Wenying''s once-formidable influence. "Come on, you troublemaker. Wherever you go, chaos seems to follow!" Secretary Zhang shook his head slightly at Hao Jian''s remark before turning toward his car."Let''s head back to Capital City. We''ll find a better place to talk there. I''ve spent hours flying just to bail you out this time." Recalling the call from Li He earlier, notifying him that Hao Jian had been captured by Dong Aiguo, Secretary Zhang''s initial reaction was confusion. But realizing the urgency, he set off for Hua City without delay. Though his irritation toward Li He grew... Chapter 912 - 911: Consider Yourself Lucky Secretary Zhang''s appearance, along with the video evidence he brought, completely shattered all of Ye Wenying''s plans, leaving her with no room to resist Dong Aiguo in his fury. Given the solid evidence this time, even the Ye Family wanting to rescue Ye Wenying seemed nearly impossible. Moreover, even if they wanted to try, Dong Aiguo would never agree, as Ye Wenying was the primary culprit behind his son''s death. Hao Jian''s side had the backing of a minister, and under the current circumstances, he had no opportunity to mess with Hao Jian. Since he couldn''t target Hao Jian, all his anger could only be vented onto Ye Wenying. As for Hao Jian, he''d have to wait for another chance in the future to deal with him! And now, Ye Wenying, the mastermind behind this entire ordeal, had become his outlet for rage. If she were rescued now, how could he face his deceased son? Thus, no matter what methods the Ye Family used, rescuing Ye Wenying from Dong Aiguo''s hands was utterly impossible. As a result, under Dong Aiguo''s manipulation, Ye Wenying''s case was finalized. Ye Wenying was sentenced to death, with a two-year reprieve, and was subsequently thrown into prison. Although the Ye Family managed to secure the two-year reprieve for her, if Ye Wenying could behave well, she might still have a chance to get out. However, two years would be long enough. Dong Aiguo didn''t care one bit, as within those two years, he believed it was enough time to ensure Ye Wenying met her end. Two days later, Hao Jian left the prison under Secretary Zhang''s guidance. Looking at the prison that had confined him for several days, Hao Jian couldn''t help but feel a bit helpless. Though he''d been in quite a few prisons before, and even escaped from some, he had never experienced being released so quickly like this. "Alright, this time you''re lucky. That Awen kept his promise and handed over the video evidence to me. Otherwise, Dong Aiguo definitely wouldn''t have let you off so easily." Secretary Zhang reached out to pat Hao Jian''s shoulder, smiling faintly. "Do you think I wouldn''t be able to handle Dong Aiguo?" Suddenly, Hao Jian turned his head, his eyes fixed on Secretary Zhang, then burst out laughing, saying, "If you looked at these problems from my perspective, you''d realize that none of them are really problems for me!" "Because I know that old guy won''t¡ªand doesn''t dare¡ªto abandon me. So, Dong Aiguo absolutely can''t kill me!" "You''re quite optimistic!" Hearing that, Secretary Zhang was left speechless. He could only chuckle and say, "Indeed, the minister values you highly. He said you possess the skills of an emperor, capable of taking on thousands single-handedly¡ªyou must be groomed properly." "Haha, no more talk, no more talk. I haven''t been home for days; I bet those folks are anxiously waiting for me!" Seeing Secretary Zhang wanting to speak further, Hao Jian quickly waved his hand, then got into a nearby car. Smiling, he said to Secretary Zhang, "Secretary Zhang, thanks a lot this time. Just have the driver take me to the airport; you should head back and report to that old guy." Hao Jian wasn''t eager to keep the beautiful women waiting; he worried they might be concerned about his safety. Though he''d sent Li He and Spice Ginger to explain things to Shu Ya and the others, now that he was out, he naturally wanted to get back to Hua City and reassure them as soon as possible. "Alright, let''s stay in touch!" Hao Jian prepared to leave, and Secretary Zhang did not try to hold him back. With a nod, he got into another car of his own and, accompanied by the roaring engines, departed from the prison. Hao Jian then instructed the driver to take him to the airport... ..................... Hua City, suburban airport¡­ "Boss, how was it? Enjoying prison life?!" Now mostly recovered, Li He had already brought Spice Ginger and others to the airport, waiting for Hao Jian''s flight. When they saw him coming out, they grinned widely and approached him. Li He immediately reached out to squeeze Hao Jian''s arms, teasing him. "You brat, already daring to act cocky after healing up? Do I need to put you back in bed for a bit longer?" Casually tossing some luggage to Spice Ginger, Hao Jian extended his arms and gave Li He a bear hug, smiling as he spoke. "No, no, no! I used to dream of eat-sleep-repeat life, but now I realize that sleeping all the time is no different than a pig''s life. You can keep that lifestyle¡ªI don''t want it!" Hearing Hao Jian bring it up, Li He quickly waved his hands, shaking his head in fear at Hao Jian''s implied threat. "Alright, let''s stop standing around and head back!" Although their kind of crowd at the airport wasn''t uncommon, Spice Ginger had gathered a group of fifty to sixty people. This large gathering drew quite a bit of attention. Hao Jian nodded at Spice Ginger, smiling as he said, "Spice Ginger, you did great this time. Anything you want, just tell me. As long as it''s achievable, I''ll make it happen for you." In this situation, Spice Ginger and his underlings had contributed the most effort. Now that everything was settled, it was time to reward them properly. "Young Master Hao, solving your troubles is our duty. There''s no need to ask for anything¡ªbeing able to help you is already our greatest reward!" Spice Ginger spoke while showing a bitter smile. Though it seemed they''d done the most during this ordeal, many details had been single-handedly handled by Hao Jian. They had merely assisted with the cleanup afterward. Such behavior from them was nothing new to Hao Jian. However, Li He couldn''t stand it. Upon hearing them refuse Hao Jian''s reward, he glared at Spice Ginger and said firmly, "Spice Ginger, I''m telling you! If Hao Jian says he''s going to reward you, you need to accept it obediently¡­" Hao Jian glanced at Li He in surprise. Words like this coming from Li He were rare; was the sun rising from the west today? Just as Hao Jian thought Li He might have changed, he was immediately stumped by what came next¡­ "If you don''t want it, then give it to me! If you refuse, I''ll gladly take it!" "Go to hell, will you!" Hao Jian raised his leg and aimed a kick at Li He''s backside. Li He, expecting it, dodged just in time. He turned and smirked at Hao Jian, laughing triumphantly, saying, "Do you think I don''t know your tricks?!" "Enough, let''s go!" Leaving Li He behind was almost embarrassing, so Hao Jian didn''t hesitate to stride forward, stepping into a nearby car. Li He quickly followed suit, while Spice Ginger climbed into the passenger seat, one of his subordinates acting as the driver¡­ Over the next few days, Hao Jian finally enjoyed a somewhat normal life¡ªwaking up, going out for meals, driving around leisurely, then returning home at night to fool around with Sister Lan and the other women. Life felt relaxed. At times, he''d visit Xiao Qiang and check on her grandmother, which would invariably lead to passionate encounters. This afternoon, Hao Jian drove a BMW 2-Series that he''d casually taken from Spice Ginger and sped toward Tongtong''s elementary school. Not knowing exactly when Tongtong would be released, Hao Jian deliberately left home half an hour early. Since he had some time to spare, he slowed down, cruising at a leisurely pace. As he approached an intersection and prepared to turn, a Ferrari 488 suddenly rushed out from a nearby alley, swiftly accelerating. While Hao Jian was making his slow turn, the Ferrari had already reached his side, attempting to overtake him and make its turn. *Screech...* A sharp, ear-piercing sound of friction abruptly filled the air. Hao Jian''s car shook slightly in response, prompting him to glance at his rear-view mirror in confusion. His face darkened¡ª The Ferrari had hit his car! "Damn it! Don''t you have eyes when you drive?!" Before Hao Jian could react, the middle-aged driver of the Ferrari stormed out, cursing loudly. He first glanced at the minor scrape on the rear of his car, then angrily yelled at Hao Jian. His son, who still showed some filial piety, had spent more than four million yuan to buy this Ferrari for him. Now it was scratched by a car worth less than a million¡ªa BMW. His heart bled thinking about it. He had meticulously maintained this car to avoid any blemishes or damage. Of course, had he realized the car that collided with his was worth more, he might have approached with more civility. But here, judging by the apparent modest value of the opposing car, he assumed the owner''s status wouldn''t be that impressive¡ªthere was nothing for him to fear. Lowering the car window, Hao Jian''s eyes lazily swept over the middle-aged man before slowly starting the car engine. He had no interest in wasting time with this kind of person; it was just a BMW after all. He figured Spice Ginger could take the car back and deal with it himself. "Hey! Are you deaf or blind?!" S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing Hao Jian start the car, the middle-aged man''s face immediately turned sour. He rushed to block Hao Jian''s car, forcing him to lower the window again. Hao Jian coldly snorted and said, "If you know what''s good for you, move out of the way now, or don''t blame me for running you over!" "Damn it! You think it''s that easy to leave after hitting my car?!" The middle-aged man grew even angrier after hearing Hao Jian''s words and shouted profanities. Their commotion quickly attracted attention, and within minutes, a crowd had gathered around to watch the spectacle¡­ Chapter 913 - 912: Boy, Wait for Me! "Huh? Isn''t that Old Man Zhang? And his Ferrari..." Among the crowd watching the commotion, quite a few people recognized the man, and they were equally puzzled. But when they noticed the tiny scratch on the body of Old Man Zhang''s Ferrari, they immediately understood. "Heh heh, isn''t it just because that guy was in a rush and ended up scratching some young man''s car? Now look, he''s trying to flip the blame onto the young man instead..." "That old bastard''s just relying on his thug of a son, isn''t he? Lately, a lot of people have suffered because of him. If the cops hadn''t happened to show up in time back then, he might have really gotten away with it." "Seriously, just the other day, he was showing off his Ferrari to the rest of us. Damn, if he didn''t have power now, I''d hardly even bother listening to his nonsense!" With his sharp hearing, Hao Jian filtered through the noisy chatter around him. He more or less pieced together what kind of person this middle-aged man was, and the corners of his lips slowly curved into a subtle smile. A thug for a son? Now that''s some entertainment... "Kid! Hurry up and pay me! Ten grand!" Ignoring the crowd''s chatter, Old Man Zhang waved his hand dismissively and pointed at the small scratch on his car. At the same time, he stretched out his other hand towards Hao Jian, making a "money-grabbing" gesture with his fingers, his tone brimming with arrogance. "What if I don''t?" Resting his arm on the car window, Hao Jian leaned forward, smiling as he looked at Old Man Zhang. His smile was light, but his tone made Old Man Zhang''s expression instantly darken, and he snorted coldly. "If you don''t... then this is what happens!" "Boom!" Old Man Zhang lifted his foot and kicked straight at Hao Jian''s car headlight. His leather shoe made direct contact, smashing the headlight instantly. "Damn it!" As the headlight shattered, the smile on Hao Jian''s face froze bit by bit. He opened the door abruptly, stepped out of the car, and walked right up to Old Man Zhang. "You think you can just kick my car whenever you feel like it?!" "Bang!" Without hesitation, Hao Jian threw a punch straight at Old Man Zhang''s face. He didn''t hold back at all, landing punch after punch, venting all his recent frustration. While Hao Jian showed no mercy, the crowd watching from a distance began to cheer silently. Old Man Zhang was the epitome of a heartless, wealthy bully, always using his money and influence to oppress ordinary folks. Now seeing him get beaten up, an inexplicable sense of satisfaction spread among the onlookers. But after the initial enjoyment, worry crept in. They all knew Old Man Zhang''s son was a thug, and not just any thug ¡ª he''d made quite a name for himself. Considering the circumstances, it was almost certain that Old Man Zhang would call his son for help. Just thinking about his son made a few people want to warn Hao Jian, but worried about the consequences, they suppressed the urge. "Kid! You''re looking for death!" Old Man Zhang, battered and bruised, climbed up from the ground clutching his face, his anger visible as he pointed at Hao Jian and roared, "A worthless little punk dares to hit me?! Are you out of your damn mind?!" "Oh? So how exactly do you plan to end my life?" Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Hao Jian showed no signs of leaving. Instead, he smiled nonchalantly at Old Man Zhang, his gaze deep and angry, with a faint trace of killing intent beneath it all. "Just you wait!" Hao Jian hadn''t held back in his punches ¡ª the bruises and aches all over Old Man Zhang''s body were excruciating. Driven to madness by the pain, he kept yelling at Hao Jian, until finally, he pulled out a gaudy gold smartphone studded with diamonds from his pocket and dialed his son''s number. "Son! Your dad got hit by someone at XX crossroads! Hurry over and teach them a lesson! Your dad''s been beaten up!" "Yes, yes! Bring your people here right away!" Old Man Zhang kept nodding, his eyes brimming with rage as he glanced at Hao Jian. A cruel grin started forming, and his gaze gained a menacing edge. "Kid, just you wait!" Hanging up the call, Old Man Zhang chuckled darkly, glaring at Hao Jian as he guffawed, "When my son gets here, I''ll see how cocky you still are!" Hearing this, Hao Jian chuckled lightly and nodded, saying, "Well, since we''re here, I might as well see how capable your son really is." Everyone in Hua City who mingled in the underworld knew Hao Jian. Unless it was someone who didn''t pay attention to such matters, most of them avoided provoking him at all costs. Moreover, Hao Jian felt like this was an opportunity to deal with another nuisance. He had no patience for people who relied on their power to bully others. To Hao Jian, people like that caused more harm than some criminals. "Tongtong hasn''t finished school yet, has she..." Stealing a glance at the time, Hao Jian noticed it was still about twenty minutes until Tongtong''s scheduled dismissal from school. He paused momentarily, then shook his head and pulled out his phone. He sent a quick message to Tongtong''s homeroom teacher asking her to keep an eye on Tongtong. Soon after, Hao Jian received the teacher''s reply, assuring him it was taken care of. Hao Jian breathed out a short sigh of relief, pocketed his phone, and turned back to Old Man Zhang, who was still waiting for his son''s arrival. Sneering, Hao Jian said, "So... why hasn''t your son shown up yet? If he doesn''t hurry, don''t blame me for leaving. I''ve got things to do." "Hmph!" Rubbing his swollen face, Old Man Zhang snorted at Hao Jian''s comment and replied coldly, "What''s your rush? Even if my son isn''t here yet, do you think you can walk away?" "If you dare leave, you''ll regret it!" "Heh heh..." Hearing that, Hao Jian let out a quiet chuckle. Just as he was about to say something else, a sudden roar of car engines echoed from afar. His gaze sharpened slightly. Here they come! "Haha! Kid, my son''s here! Let''s see how you plan to leave now!" Recognizing the distinctive engine sound and familiar paint color, Old Man Zhang had never anticipated his son''s arrival so eagerly. The moment he spotted his son''s car, his face lit up with excitement as he stumbled onto the street, waving his hands frantically. "Dad!" A mid-range Mercedes sedan worth fifty or sixty thousand dollars rolled up as a young man, probably around twenty-six years old, sat behind the wheel. Spotting Old Man Zhang, worry spread across his face as he quickly reduced speed and carefully maneuvered his car into the gap in the crowd. Old Man Zhang''s son had been out having dinner with his boss, negotiating for more jobs. It seemed like he was about to close a deal before this sudden phone call from his dad jolted him. He''d rushed away without signing anything, jumped into his car, and raced to the given location as fast as he could. But as soon as he arrived and saw the current situation, he scrambled out of the car and hurried to his father''s side. His eyes widened upon seeing his dad covered in bruises, his face clouding over with fury. "Dad! What the hell happened to you? Are you okay?!" Seeing his father in this state, the young man still hadn''t paid the least bit of attention to Hao Jian, not even glancing at his face. All he cared about was inspecting his father''s injuries. "Son! You have to avenge me! This kid didn''t just scratch the car you got me ¡ª he straight-up beat me up! Look at my face, my hands, my legs ¡ª these bruises were all his doing!" Upon his father''s dramatic appeal, the young man nearly forgot his primary task. Rage ignited, he spun around abruptly and shouted, "Kid... is it you?!" He pointed a finger arrogantly at Hao Jian, his tone dripping with menace. The sharpness of his voice caused the surrounding crowd to shift uneasily, retreating slightly; nobody dared step closer. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Everyone knew Old Man Zhang''s son was notorious in the underworld. If dragged into this, they''d lose their lives without even knowing how! The young man was livid, but as he fully turned towards Hao Jian, his voice cut off abruptly like a duck being throttled when he saw Hao Jian''s teasing expression... "What''s wrong? Yes, it''s me..." With an ambiguous smirk, Hao Jian stared calmly at the young man. Judging by his startled reaction, it seemed this guy knew exactly who he was. Hao Jian''s words carried an undertone of danger as he added, "So? Are you planning to stick up for your dad?" "Yo¡ªYo¡ªYoung Master Hao!" Meeting the familiar face, the young man trembled uncontrollably, his outstretched hand quivered as his voice faltered, "I... I didn''t know it was you here..." Holy crap! How did Dad provoke someone like this?! This guy was infamous ¡ª even my boss wouldn''t cross him and prayed his lackeys wouldn''t provoke him either. Yet now, my father''s gone and dragged me into it?! The young man''s heart sank. While he hadn''t personally witnessed Hao Jian''s methods, he couldn''t ignore the reverence his boss showed whenever his name was mentioned. This was not someone to mess with! "Oh? So you''re this old man''s son..." "Let''s see how you''re planning to deal with me now..." Chapter 914 - 913: Where Did You Go Wrong? "Old Man Zhang''s son is here! This young guy is in danger, hurry and call the police!" The surrounding crowd noticed Old Man Zhang''s son appear. Some were puzzled, while others showed deep unease. Some even hastily reached for their phones to call the police. "Old Man Zhang''s son is mixed up in gang circles! How could this lanky young guy possibly be his match? There''s trouble brewing..." "Well, if there''s trouble, he brought it on himself. Would you dare intervene? Old Man Zhang''s son is not someone to mess with!" "Alright, tone it down. If Old Man Zhang''s son hears us, it won''t be a joke. Since someone''s already called the police, let''s keep our distance and wait for them to handle it." Perhaps someone noticed the comments were getting a bit too loud. They stepped in and stopped the chatter... The onlookers had no idea of the young man''s situation. If they knew what was happening now, maybe they wouldn''t be so concerned... "Young Master Hao, I... I was wrong!" Faced with someone like Hao Jian, the young man felt bitter inside and stumbled over his words. Cursing his father for getting him into this mess, his face showed both respect and fear. "Oh? What exactly did you do wrong?" Hao Jian chuckled lightly, as if he didn''t care much about the situation. But seeing Hao Jian act like this, the young man''s cold sweat started to pour even faster. "Damn it! Did my son get bullied by you?!" Old Man Zhang was furious when he saw the look of terror on his son''s face in front of Hao Jian. His expression darkened even further upon seeing Hao Jian''s smug demeanor, and he roared angrily. To him, his son had always been fearless in the gang world. But now, he was acting submissive toward this young man. Old Man Zhang felt humiliated. He wanted to shout to remind his son: "I, your father, have never been afraid of anyone, and neither can you!" "Dad, can... can you just shut the hell up?!" As Old Man Zhang spoke, the young man''s expression shifted abruptly. Forgetting about pleading with Hao Jian, he turned back suddenly, grabbed his father, covered his mouth, and shouted at him in panic: "Dad, are you trying to get me killed?!" "Even my boss would greet Young Master Hao with respect and call him ''Young Master Hao.'' Now you''re saying this nonsense¡ªare you trying to get your son killed?!" "This kid? Your boss is actually scared of him?! He''s barely twenty¡ªhow strong could he be?" Old Man Zhang, whose mouth was covered by his son, heard the words and his expression changed slightly. Then he pried his son''s hand away, shouting defensively. "My... my pride... my car!" To Old Man Zhang, nothing was more important than his pride, except maybe his car, which ranked even higher. Hao Jian scratched his Ferrari, which felt to Old Man Zhang like a slash to his pride¡ªlike he''d been cut, twice! "No matter what you say today! I lost face because of him, and I have to get it back even if it costs me my life!" The more he thought about it, the more emboldened Old Man Zhang became. In the end, he waved his hand angrily at his son and roared, "If you won''t help me, I''ll find someone else to!" "Dad... this... this isn''t child''s play!" The young man grew more anxious, seeing his father''s stubbornness escalate at this critical moment. Glancing at Hao Jian, he noticed the man''s gentle smile hadn''t wavered and instantly felt a chill inside. This was definitely a bad sign! "Get lost! I don''t have a son like you!" Old Man Zhang had initially thought his son had changed, buying him such a car. But now it became clear the guy was still the same! Without giving his son any room, he roared furiously. "This bastard has bullied me, and you''re taking his side instead of defending your father? It''s like your heart''s leaning toward him! Get lost! I... I!" "If you don''t get lost now, I''ll... I''ll break your legs!" Old Man Zhang grew increasingly enraged, even contemplating taking off the expensive leather shoes his son bought him and throwing them... "Alright, alright... I''ll go!" The young man was utterly undone by his father''s sudden stubborn streak. He quickly waved his hands, stepped away, and turned to Hao Jian, bowing repeatedly with apologies spilling from his lips. "Young Master Hao! Please, be magnanimous. Don''t stoop to my father''s level..." "If there''s anything you''d have me do, just name it¡ªI promise I''ll get it done!" After finishing his plea, the young man rushed toward his car, got in, started it immediately, and hit the gas, fleeing the scene while praying his father wouldn''t do anything reckless... "Heh, at least the kid''s not so bad!" Watching the direction the young man had fled, Hao Jian chuckled lightly. Then he turned to Old Man Zhang and sneered, "What kind of luck do you have? You managed to raise such a good kid, but now you''ve chased him away when he was trying to help you..." Stubborn people really don''t think things through. In Hao Jian''s eyes, Old Man Zhang was a prime example. His son had wanted to save him, but Old Man Zhang refused. "Hmph! Brat, don''t rejoice just yet! My useless son won''t help me, but I still have people in the police station!" Old Man Zhang remained defiant, glaring at Hao Jian with hostility. Hao Jian didn''t even know how to respond to such behavior. This guy had crashed into Hao Jian''s car, and Hao Jian initially hadn''t planned to make a big deal out of it. Yet here they were, with things escalating beyond all reason. With this turn of events, Hao Jian couldn''t help but wonder how this stubborn old man might look after getting thoroughly humiliated. "Uh... why did Old Man Zhang''s son run off? And he seems pretty afraid of the young guy..." "Yeah! Judging by their interaction earlier, it looked like Old Man Zhang''s son was trying to convince him of something and got driven away instead. Just who is this young man?" "We''re just here to watch the drama unfold, not get involved..." The onlookers, witnessing the argument between the young man and his father and the former''s submission to Hao Jian before fleeing, wore expressions of disbelief. In their eyes, Old Man Zhang''s son was a formidable figure. Otherwise, how could he have carved out a name for himself in gang circles? After all, Old Man Zhang''s son worked for a famous boss in Hua City and was even a trusted lieutenant. He was reputed to be fearless, not even intimidated by certain officials. "Ha! Your son can''t help you, and now you''re looking for outsiders¡ªwhat a joke!" Hao Jian didn''t mind rubbing salt in the wound. He sneered mockingly, looking at Old Man Zhang with contempt. "I can''t imagine how you manage as a father, acting like a stubborn teenager..." "You... YOU! Brat, you''re asking for it!" Old Man Zhang grew increasingly furious, glaring at Hao Jian with fiery eyes and gritted teeth. "Fine, I''ll admit my son''s a failure. But you''ve thoroughly pissed me off!" "Oh? Haha! Don''t make me laugh. Seriously, that''s one of the funniest things I''ve heard today!" Hao Jian''s face remained carefree and amused, a stark contrast to Old Man Zhang''s rage. Earlier, Old Man Zhang''s antics had riled Hao Jian. But the stubborn man''s absurd actions deflated Hao Jian''s anger, leaving him with nothing but a bemused smile. Even if Hao Jian wanted to stay mad, just thinking about Old Man Zhang''s ridiculous behavior dissipated any anger, leaving only amusement... "You''ll regret this, boy!" Seeing Hao Jian''s reaction, Old Man Zhang suppressed his urge to raise a fist. He knew deep down that no matter how angry he was, he couldn''t defeat Hao Jian. He''d already sensed this earlier. "Hey! Big Dragon! Your bro is getting bullied. Get over here, now!" Old Man Zhang pulled out his phone and dialed the number for one of his buddies in the police force. Once the call was answered, he hung up with satisfaction. But as he thought about Hao Jian, his expression dimmed again... S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Mark my words. This debt won''t be settled until I''ve squared accounts with you today!" Old Man Zhang grinned cruelly at Hao Jian, folding his arms as he positioned himself to block the nearby alley, lest Hao Jian tried to flee... Old Man Zhang''s actions didn''t escape Hao Jian''s sharp gaze. He shook his head inwardly. If I wanted to leave here, I would''ve done so long ago. Do you really think you can hold me here? Glancing at his watch, Hao Jian checked his phone for an update from Tongtong''s teacher. He nodded slightly; Tongtong''s school dismissal was still about ten minutes away, and the school was just a block away... I''ll give this old man five minutes. If the time''s up, I''ll go pick up Tongtong first. As for this stubborn fool, I''ll let Spice Ginger handle the rest... Hao Jian shook his head lightly. Chapter 915 - 914: Get back there immediately! "Woo woo woo..." Just a minute after Old Man Zhang made the phone call, the sound of police sirens began to echo from the distant streets. Soon after, four or five police cars, sirens blaring, appeared on the block... Huh? How did they get here so fast? Upon hearing the sirens, Old Man Zhang''s face revealed an expression of confusion. Normally, his buddies would need at least four minutes to get here from the station, but now it had only been a minute. That didn''t make sense! "The police have arrived..." Upon hearing the sirens and seeing the speeding police cars barreling their way, the spectators by the roadside quickly cleared a path. Even the drivers of private vehicles stuck at the intersection hurriedly adjusted their positions, fearful of blocking the police cars. Thus, the police cars faced no obstacles as they arrived at the intersection where Hao Jian and Old Man Zhang were facing off. The cars spread out and came to a steady stop. "Click..." Doors opened, and approximately twenty police officers emerged from the vehicles. Leading the group was a middle-aged man around forty years old. As soon as he exited the car, his eyes landed on Hao Jian, and his gaze brightened. He quickly walked toward Hao Jian... Old Man Zhang also recognized this middle-aged man, and his expression slightly shifted as well. This man was a bigwig at the local police station and happened to be his brother''s superior. But why was he here? "Level 1 Police Commissioner, District Bureau Director, Jiang Jianyun. I greet you, sir!" Next, the answer came to light for Old Man Zhang, as Jiang Jianyun approached Hao Jian, bent forward respectfully, and introduced himself. "I don''t recall inviting you guys over..." The district police bureau director? Hao Jian had only ever dealt with Raojin District''s police chief. As for Jiang Jianyun, he had never crossed paths with him. Hao Jian rubbed his nose slightly and smiled faintly. He hadn''t called the cops, nor did these officers seem to be summoned by Old Man Zhang. That left only one explanation: a civilian had reported it. Still, what puzzled him was how this man knew he was here? "Haha, Mr. Hao Jian, our bureau has a rule that when someone reports an incident, we act in two steps. One: we assemble manpower. Two: we pull up the surveillance cameras nearby the caller''s location. And during this review, we spotted your presence. That''s how I knew you were here." Though Director Jiang Jianyun was from a district-level bureau, he fully understood that Hao Jian was not someone to trifle with. Even the chief of the Hua City Police Department, his superior, would show respect and reverence upon meeting Hao Jian. "Seems like you guys do have some tricks." S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Upon hearing Jiang Jianyun''s explanation, Hao Jian nodded knowingly, chuckled lightly, and then turned to look at the subtle change in Old Man Zhang''s expression. Shrugging, he commented, "Why do I feel like when your brother arrives, he''ll act just like your son did?" "Kid... You better not get cocky!" "Haha, I''m already cocky. What''re you gonna do about it?!" To be honest, toying with someone like this was incredibly entertaining. Hao Jian was thoroughly enjoying himself¡ªthis "playing dumb to catch the prey" strategy was sometimes hilariously satisfying. "You..." Seeing Hao Jian''s smug expression¡ªthe very face he wanted to tear apart¡ªOld Man Zhang could only extend a trembling finger to point at Hao Jian. He tried to say something threatening but found that the words simply wouldn''t come... Because the man standing before him, Jiang Jianyun, was the district police bureau director¡ªhis brother''s boss. And now, even this high-positioned figure showed so much respect toward Hao Jian. When his brother arrived, would that change anything? It wouldn''t... Realizing this, Old Man Zhang''s face brimmed with hatred but even more with frustration. Could it be that his dignity was truly irretrievable?! "Sir, what''s going on here?" Following Hao Jian''s gaze, Jiang Jianyun also noticed Old Man Zhang in the distance. His curiosity piqued, he turned to Hao Jian and asked for an explanation. When he had hurried to the scene upon spotting Hao Jian on the surveillance footage, he hadn''t paused to gather further details. All he knew was that someone reported an incident. But specifics weren''t mentioned before the call was disconnected... Now that he was on-site, he could only rely on Hao Jian for clarity. Regardless of what happened, Jiang Jianyun had already put himself squarely on Hao Jian''s side, even if such behavior might have technically violated his procedural duties. After all, safeguarding his career came first. Besides, judging by the situation, it didn''t seem like Hao Jian had caused the trouble. Instead, it appeared to be the doing of the older man standing before him. Jiang Jianyun''s sharp eyes casually glanced at the Ferrari nearby. His attention quickly landed on the scratches along its body. Smirking slightly, he glanced at Old Man Zhang''s pale face and guessed what had likely transpired. "Nothing much. Just a lunatic tried to bite me and ended up getting beat up instead. Even then, he wouldn''t give up, and I had no choice but to endure his nonsense..." Hao Jian spread his hands as if in helplessness and gave Old Man Zhang a pointed look while shaking his head. Though his words carried undertones of exasperation, it was clear he was enjoying the drama. Jiang Jianyun immediately caught on that Hao Jian was deliberately messing with the man... "Woo woo woo..." Just as Jiang Jianyun was about to respond, another round of sirens suddenly rang out, drawing everyone''s attention, including Hao Jian and Jiang Jianyun. "How strange. I only brought this team with me..." Looking toward the distance where three more police cars were arriving, Jiang Jianyun''s face showed a spark of confusion. He recognized these cars as the last remaining vehicles from his station. As the director, he knew better. The confusion spread amongst his subordinates and even the onlookers. Police arriving in successive waves was almost unheard of unless the first arrivals had requested reinforcements. Otherwise, such scenes weren''t common in Hua City... Damn it, damn it! Now my brother''s getting dragged into this... Among those present, only Hao Jian and Old Man Zhang understood the reason¡ªit was because Old Man Zhang''s brother had arrived! "Haha, Director Jiang, sit back and enjoy the show!" At this, Hao Jian simply reached out, patted Jiang Jianyun''s shoulder, burst into laughter, and then smirked slyly at Old Man Zhang, teasing, "Looks like your backup''s here. Shouldn''t you call them over?" "You..." Hearing Hao Jian''s arrogant remarks sent Old Man Zhang into a near meltdown. Trembling with anger, his fingers pointed at Hao Jian once again as he tried to spew threats. But facing his brother''s boss standing alongside Hao Jian, what could he possibly say or do? What now?! At this moment, regret flooded Old Man Zhang''s mind. Why didn''t he heed his son''s advice? Why did he insist on throwing a tantrum now of all times? "Xu Ming!" The three newly arrived police cars smoothly parked up ahead. An older man, with an age surpassing Jiang Jianyun''s, stepped out, catching Jiang Jianyun by surprise. "Boss, why are you here?" Called Xu Ming, this man was none other than Old Man Zhang''s brother. The moment he noticed Jiang Jianyun staring him down, he nervously ran over to his superior. "That''s what I''d like to ask you..." Jiang Jianyun didn''t need to guess; he instantly understood what was going on. Narrowing his eyes, his voice took on a threatening tone that instantly drained the color from Xu Ming''s face. To outsiders, their age difference made Xu Ming''s submissive stance toward Jiang Jianyun seem odd. However, those familiar with the dynamics knew why: Jiang Jianyun was a district bureau director, whereas Xu Ming was merely a junior officer¡ªa Level 1 policeman. When it came to matters like this, rank overshadowed age. "Boss, I¡­ I was just here to handle this incident," Xu Ming stammered, swallowing nervously and glancing quickly at Old Man Zhang. His eyes revealed a helplessness. What he''d thought was a petty dispute had suddenly involved his superior and even seemed to favor the young man standing opposite his brother... "Get back to the station immediately!" Jiang Jianyun barked at Xu Ming in a cold tone, "I''ll personally handle this issue. Next time I catch you meddling like this, pack your stuff and prepare to leave!" Were it any ordinary case, Jiang Jianyun might''ve turned a blind eye. But since Hao Jian was involved, he had to intervene directly. First, this was a golden opportunity to build rapport with Hao Jian. Second, he needed to deliver results before Hao Jian''s impatience flared. "Sir! Understood!" Xu Ming dared not argue, quickly ushering his men back into the police cars and speeding away from the scene... "Mr. Hao Jian, what''s your next move?" The spectacle seemed to have reached its climax. Glancing at Old Man Zhang, Hao Jian cracked a faint smile. Seeing the man''s defeated, despairing look gave him a sense of closure. It was clear this guy was out of options. With no tactics left to exploit, Old Man Zhang had lost his appeal for amusement. Once it stopped being fun, Hao Jian felt no reason to linger. Besides, he had to dash off and pick up Tongtong from school... "Rough him up a little, then lock him up at the station for a while. Let''s see if he learns anything from this and dares to act like this again in the future." "Understood!" As soon as Hao Jian issued his command, Old Man Zhang turned pale as a sheet, his lips trembling uncontrollably... Without sparing him a second glance, Jiang Jianyun decisively nodded, motioning to his officers to take action... Chapter 916 - 915: Have a Meal After smoothly resolving Old Man Zhang''s issue, Hao Jian got back in his car and drove to the school to pick Tongtong up at the school gate. After chatting briefly with Tongtong''s homeroom teacher, Hao Jian took Tongtong and left the school, rushing home. By the time they arrived, Wen Lan had just returned as well. Hao Jian barely had time to get comfortable before receiving a phone call from Li He. He had no choice but to hand Tongtong over to Wen Lan and dash out the door again in a hurry. Li He had said that he''d just been discharged from the hospital and wanted to properly celebrate with a feast. Considering this was obviously a good thing, Hao Jian agreed without hesitation. Wen Lan, knowing the situation, didn''t bother asking Hao Jian to stay home for dinner. Tongtong, however, wanted to tag along with Hao Jian. But before she could act, Wen Lan scooped her up in her arms and shot Hao Jian a withering glance. If Tongtong went along too, she''d be the only one eating dinner at home tonight¡ªnow that was absolutely not an option! "Haha, this is killing me! What you did this afternoon really had me laughing nonstop!" The moment Hao Jian arrived at the food stall and saw Li He, Li He erupted into laughter before Hao Jian could even say a word. His exaggerated mirth had Hao Jian itching to go over and smack him. "Seriously, what was up with that old guy¡­?" Hao Jian pulled out a chair, sat down, and rubbed his face in exasperation. Then, reaching over to pat Li He on the shoulder, he smiled faintly and said, "But keep laughing like this, and you might end up worse off than that old guy¡­" "Gah¡ªcough, cough, don''t joke like that! I just recovered from illness; the doctor said I shouldn''t get too worked up¡­" Although Hao Jian was still smiling, Li He''s boisterous laughs suddenly cut off, like a duck with its neck clamped, replaced by an embarrassed chuckle. "How did you even hear about this?" Li He chortled awkwardly and replied, "Someone told me about it, of course. The moment I saw you, I couldn''t help thinking about it, and then I just couldn''t stop myself from laughing¡­" "Hm¡­" Hearing Li He''s explanation, Hao Jian was about to nod when, suddenly, laughter rang out again like an explosion¡­ "Haha! I can''t take it! I remembered it again, it''s killing me! Haha!" Li He was clutching his stomach with laughter so contagious that others dining nearby began casting curious glances. Hao Jian''s expression turned slightly awkward. Sighing in resignation, he grabbed Li He''s shoulder, pressed him down onto the table with force¡­ "Ow, ow, ow!" "Bang bang bang! You think it''s funny? Laugh! Go on, keep laughing! Oh, it''s hilarious, huh?!" Hao Jian followed up by punching Li He repeatedly in the face. His punches appeared fierce, but their actual strength was perfectly measured¡ªnot too heavy, nor too light¡ªexecuted with precision. The food stall''s owner watched Hao Jian''s actions but didn''t step in, knowing him well. He also knew Li He and understood that the two were close friends¡ªbrothers, really. Hao Jian wasn''t actually going to hurt him. Otherwise, Li He wouldn''t be putting up such dramatic cries. Li He''s howls sounded as pitiful as possible, but underneath the theatrics, it was clear most of the agony was for show¡­ "Ahh, ahhh!" Li He''s cries grew progressively more exaggerated, morphing until, unbelievably, they started to sound rhythmic¡ªalmost like he was beating out a tune with his voice. "Alright, that''s enough. Get up already!" Finally fed up, Hao Jian ceased his mock punitive assault, stomped his foot on the ground, and caused Li He''s prostrate body to jolt upward. With a small flick of his toe, Hao Jian nudged Li He back onto his chair. "You''re too cruel! You''ve ruined my incredibly handsome face! It''s going to take me days before I can go out again!" Sitting in his chair, Li He gingerly rubbed his panda-like bruised eyes, looking plaintively at Hao Jian with an air of protest. Faced with Li He''s exaggerated grievance, Hao Jian suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. While rarely fazed, this ridiculous display managed to shake him slightly. Rolling his eyes, he shrugged and explained flatly, "You brought it on yourself. I didn''t force you. If you''re going to act like a fool in front of me, be prepared to face the consequences." With that, Hao Jian turned and gestured toward the busy stall owner, yelling, "Boss, bring us a dozen ice-cold beers and all your best barbeque skewers!" "Got it! Coming right up!" Responding cheerfully, the stall owner instructed a waitress to bring over the beer while he quickly threw the best ingredients he had onto the grill. "Wait a second¡­ The boss has at least dozens of different dishes here. Judging from how he''s served us before, he''ll probably bring four or five skewers of every dish. You¡­you don''t seriously expect me to eat all this, do you?" Li He pointed at Hao Jian, then himself, his eyes widening as he swallowed nervously. This guy was clearly trying to make him eat until he burst! "Cut it out, you definitely eat the most out of anyone here. If you don''t finish everything tonight, don''t bother coming to me again!" Hao Jian was deliberately messing with Li He. Ever since Li He had been discharged, his liveliness had reached a new height. If he didn''t rein him in soon, the guy would probably start flying. The two bantered jovially back and forth, as the stall owner soon served up their order. Seeing the variety of barbeque dishes now laid out before them, the duo immediately dug in, their mouths watering. Although someone fresh out of the hospital should ideally be cautious about their diet, such concerns scarcely crossed Li He''s mind¡ªand, evidently, neither did they trouble Hao Jian. Don''t forget, Hao Jian also dabbled in medicine. With his expertise, he could precisely assess Li He''s physical condition and knew exactly what he could and couldn''t eat. The two guzzled beer and devoured skewers with great gusto, savoring every bite just as time began to slip by. They ended up eating and drinking for over two hours straight¡­ "Alright, it''s getting late¡ªwe should head back." Hao Jian tilted his head back, taking a final swig to finish the last bottle of beer. Setting it down on the table, he burped, his cheeks flushed from the alcohol. He shook his head lightly, ignoring the mild pressure in his stomach and brain, and addressed Li He. Given Hao Jian''s physical fitness, drinking was no big deal. Even after all that beer, the worst he felt was a bit bloated and dizzy¡ªnothing serious. As for Li He, the guy was a complete alcoholic. No matter how many bottles he downed, he''d burp once and act as if nothing had happened. Between the two, they had polished off two dozen beers, with occasional breaks to dash to the restroom. Their bottomless consumption left many diners nearby somewhat unsettled. Were these two even human? How could they drink so much without any consequences? Only the food stall''s owner knew just how special these two were¡ªhe''d never seen either of them falter from overdrinking. "Boss, here''s payment for the meal. Thanks for the hospitality!" Hearing Hao Jian announce it was time to go, Li He pulled out his wallet, retrieved eight crisp bills, and slapped them onto the table before laughing, stepping over the chair, and heading for his sports car. The owner was surprised to see Li He leave so much money. Attempting to call him back, he shouted, "Young Master Li, that''s too much! There''s no need for this!" "Hah! Boss, you know how this guy is, right? Once he hands over money, there''s no way he''s taking it back. Just keep it!" Hao Jian stopped the stall owner from chasing after Li He. He chuckled and said, "Better take it. Otherwise, next time we eat here, you can''t blame us for skipping the bill." "Young Master Hao, if you''re eating here, I wouldn''t charge you anyway!" The owner''s words made Hao Jian pause in disbelief. For a moment, he felt he had sabotaged himself with his own cleverness. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Alright, now that we''re stuffed, it''s time for my beauty sleep. See you!" Hao Jian ignored the owner''s reaction and swiftly stepped over a chair, sprinting toward his car. Once inside, it took him a mere three seconds to start the car, slam the accelerator, and head toward home. Li He, who had left earlier, took a different route since their destinations didn''t align. "Ah¡­" Listening to the fading sound of engines, the stall owner sighed helplessly, grabbing the pile of cash from the table and tossing it into the register without another glance. "Hao Jian, Shu Ya is coming over for dinner tomorrow night. I''ll need to go shopping with her¡ªwanna come?" Wen Lan asked when Hao Jian returned home. "Sure!" Hao Jian paused for a moment while kicking off his shoes. Then he smiled warmly and nodded in agreement. Seeing that Hao Jian had no objections, Wen Lan also nodded. She didn''t bother him further, continuing instead to watch a children''s cartoon with Tongtong on the couch. Hao Jian, on the other hand, went to the bathroom to shower, eager to rid himself of the smell of alcohol and the lingering odors from the food stall. No matter how immune he was to alcohol, the overwhelming stench of booze and grilled food clinging to his clothes was unbearable. "Hello, Shu Ya? Let''s meet tomorrow at 3 PM. Should your work schedule permit it?" While Hao Jian took his shower, Wen Lan dialed Shu Ya''s phone number... Chapter 917 - 916: How to Sell Lobsters Three o''clock in the afternoon, the next day... Hao Jian, Wen Lan, and Shu Ya, the three of them drove Spice Ginger''s BMW¡ªstill yet to be returned¡ªto the largest market in Hua City. Here, as long as you can name the ingredient, they have it. If you have money, you can buy whatever you want. Of course, state-protected animals aren''t on sale here. First, this place falls under Spice Ginger''s jurisdiction, and second, Hao Jian would never tolerate such transactions taking place in Hua City. The primary reason, though, is that the women around him wouldn''t tolerate seeing anyone illegally trading such items. Though this stance sacrifices certain profits, since it''s Hao Jian''s rule, even Spice Ginger wouldn''t dare violate it. And anyway, given Hao Jian''s current circumstances and wealth, he simply doesn''t need those profits anymore. If you''re going to stop doing it, then stop it entirely¡ªconsider it an act of benevolence for your next life. "Grouper, flounder..." They started at the seafood section, where Shu Ya was instantly overwhelmed by the sheer variety on display. Wen Lan, however, casually named the ingredients one by one, leaving Shu Ya thoroughly impressed. "Sister Lan, you''re amazing!" Shu Ya practically glowed with admiration. She barely recognized any of the species on display, let alone their names. "You just pick it up once you cook often enough..." Wen Lan, caught off guard by Shu Ya''s words, responded modestly. But after exchanging compliments, the two quickly devolved into endless chattering, leaving Hao Jian¡ªsandwiched between them¡ªrolling his eyes. He inwardly cursed himself for agreeing to accompany them last night. Was it the alcohol? Did I get so mixed up that I didn''t know what I was doing? But at the moment, Hao Jian had little time to dwell on anything else. The two women had suddenly dragged him to a seafood stall, where his gaze fell on the creatures gliding through the tanks, his eyes narrowing slightly. When it came to familiarity with ingredients, Hao Jian wasn''t far behind Wen Lan. Back when he was the "God of Death," he''d deliberately learned culinary skills, even acquiring a foreign chef''s certification¡ªthe five-star chef level. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Of course, he never used his real identity to register for that certification... As a top-notch assassin, blending into normal life meant effortlessly becoming a regular Joe who could chat about anything with everyday people. When engaging with the upper crust, you''d need to display your sophistication, your elegance, an array of social etiquettes¡ªwith utter finesse. ... "Wow, that''s a lobster! Look how huge it is!" Suddenly, Shu Ya exclaimed, spotting a monstrous crustacean pacing leisurely in a one-meter-long, fifty-centimeter-high tank, its claws poised like sentinels. "That one''s decent. If you like it, just buy it. We''ll make it tonight''s centerpiece dish!" Shu Ya''s exclamation caught Hao Jian and Wen Lan''s attention. After a brief look, Hao Jian nodded and proposed the idea. "Hmm, sounds good. But buying it now seems a bit inconvenient¡ªwe still have a lot of groceries to pick up. Let''s buy it but leave it with the shopkeeper for now." Nodding at Hao Jian''s suggestion, Wen Lan agreed. She''d never cooked lobster before and even considered skipping it entirely. But since Hao Jian had spoken, she''d leave it to him. "Boss, how much for the lobster?" "Eight hundred yuan!" The shopkeeper gestured with his fingers, cigarette dangling from his lips, and grinned. "Bro, this lobster is Boston lobster, shipped here early this morning right from the coast. It weighs six pounds and two ounces¡ªa premium lobster. It''s normal for it to be pricey..." Clearly, the shopkeeper''s explanation intended to avoid them questioning the price. But for people like Hao Jian and his group, money wasn''t an issue! "Alright, it''s not too pricey. Here''s eight hundred," replied Hao Jian, pulling eight crisp bills from his wallet and handing them over with a smile. "Boss, we''ll keep shopping. Leave the lobster here for us, and we''ll pick it up when we''re ready to head back." "Sure!" Taking the cash, the shopkeeper nodded before grabbing a repeatedly-used adhesive label from a box behind him. He stuck it to the outside of the lobster tank, where the words "Sold" were marked in bold characters. Requests like Hao Jian''s were common in the market, so such practices gradually became the norm and worked smoothly. "Thanks for the trouble, boss!" Smiling at the shopkeeper''s actions, Hao Jian nodded and expressed his thanks. Then he led Wen Lan and Shu Ya deeper into the market. "Ouch!" Just as Shu Ya turned around, a young man, seemingly around twenty years old, bumped into her before continuing ahead without pause. "Stop right there!" Before his feet fully stepped forward, a hand lightly landed on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Hao Jian''s serene expression as the hand gripped his shoulder firmly¡ªclearly, those words came from Hao Jian. "Hao Jian, it''s nothing. He just accidentally bumped into me," said Shu Ya hurriedly upon seeing Hao Jian block the man, asking him to let go and not make a fuss. Beside her, Wen Lan also chimed in, "Hao Jian, he probably just wasn''t careful walking around. Shu Ya didn''t get hurt, so let it be." In their view, the young man had likely been distracted by his phone while walking, causing him to bump into Shu Ya¡ªa common occurrence in crowded markets. "You two airheads!" Hao Jian sighed and lightly tapped each of their foreheads, provoking eye-rolls and playful indignation from the women. "Kid, hand over what you stole, or don''t blame me for what happens next." After dealing with the women, Hao Jian turned to the young man, fixing him with a faintly threatening gaze and extending his free hand. His tone was calm yet unyielding. At Hao Jian''s words, the young man''s face twisted with defiance. Hands shoved into his pockets, he tilted his chin arrogantly and sneered. "Hand over what? You blocked me, and I didn''t even bother arguing¡ªthat shows how gracious I am. I don''t want you losing face in front of two stunning beauties here, so let go and take back your accusation!" "Some things can be said; others shouldn''t." The man had tried shaking off Hao Jian''s grip earlier but found himself utterly immobilized. No other option but to demand his release now. "Hao Jian, what are you even talking about? He only bumped into me!" Shu Ya, thoroughly baffled, rubbed her forehead and chimed in again. Wen Lan shared her confusion, echoing Shu Ya''s perspective. "Next time you go grocery shopping, remember to put your phone in your bag, not your pocket," replied Hao Jian, rolling his eyes before pointing at Shu Ya''s back pocket. "Pocket?" Still confused, Shu Ya reached for her back pocket¡ªonly to discover her phone was gone! "What?! My phone is gone!" Shu Ya exclaimed in panic, frantically searching her pants. Her newly purchased high-end phone worth over twenty thousand yuan was gone! "Airhead!" Watching Shu Ya finally piece things together, Hao Jian shook his head, exasperated. "Did he steal my phone?!" "Finally caught on for once!" Hao Jian snapped his fingers and chuckled. "Hey! Accusing people in front of all these witnesses¡ªdo you even feel any shame?!" The defiant young man''s anger flared upon being ignored while Hao Jian, Wen Lan, and Shu Ya analyzed the situation amongst themselves. Seeing the trio dismiss him entirely in public was intolerable. He lashed out, catching everyone''s attention. Soon, they were surrounded by onlookers, suffocating him with anxiety. Hearing his outburst, Hao Jian finally remembered the person in his grasp. Smiling, Hao Jian turned back and muttered, "My bad, my bad. Got caught up chatting¡ªit seems I forgot about our ''main character'' here." "You''re asking for it!" The young man roared, his rage exploding and instinctively throwing a punch at Hao Jian''s face. "Soft as a pillow¡ªworse than a girl''s punch." The attempted punch felt like nothing in Hao Jian''s eyes. Calmly, he extended his palm to catch it effortlessly, making him laugh aloud. "Aaah!" The young man suddenly let out a scream of agony. His entire body weakened, his legs buckled, and he nearly collapsed¡ªwere it not for Hao Jian''s firm grip on his shoulder. Chapter 918 - 917: What Are You All Doing Gathered Around Here?! "What? Trying to fake an injury to win my sympathy?" A faint Qi Force flowed out from Hao Jian''s palm, spreading through the young man''s meridians¡ªthis was the reason behind the young man''s sudden change. Upon hearing this, the young man''s previously pale face flashed with a trace of venomous resentment. He forced himself to endure the pain in his body, his trembling legs trying hard to stay upright as he glared furiously at Hao Jian and roared, "You punk, you''re going to regret this!" "You''ll remember... my name... Sun Hongyuan!" "Oh?" Hao Jian was a bit surprised to see that Sun Hongyuan could even stand after enduring his attack. However, he hadn''t used much force this time; anyone with strong enough willpower could still rise. What caught him off guard was the unexpected level of determination this man exhibited. "You''ll definitely regret this! Mark my words!" Sun Hongyuan locked his gaze onto Hao Jian, revealing his sinister white teeth in a cruel, vicious grin. Suddenly, his expression shifted to one of utter terror, and he screamed up at the sky: "This guy''s trying to steal my phone!" "Help! Robbery!" His outburst left the crowd of onlookers dumbfounded. Wasn''t this young man just saying the other stole his phone? So now it''s the other way around? What''s going on? This... Everyone had seen oddball situations before, but nothing quite like this. Hao Jian finally understood why Sun Hongyuan claimed he''d make him regret it. That "theft accusation" reversal was truly something. Hao Jian was starting to regret not gagging this guy''s mouth at the very beginning. He regretted not outright disabling or knocking this man unconscious earlier to retrieve the phone. Now things had taken a turn¡ªthis kid had flipped the narrative to shout "thief catching thief." Those gathered around were clueless about the true circumstances between them. They''d been far enough away that they couldn''t clearly hear their conversation. What''s more, it seemed that Sun Hongyuan was on the losing end now; his shouted claim lent him a certain credibility in the eyes of outsiders. As for Hao Jian''s side, although he was accompanied by two women, the crowd considered that it might just be a cover-up. Still, no one among the onlookers wanted to interfere, following the usual mentality of sticking to their own business and watching from a distance. Instead, they wore expressions of curiosity, eager to see how the situation would develop, like spectators enjoying a spectacle. "Hao Jian, how could someone behave like this?!" Shu Ya stomped her foot in frustration, visibly angry. After all, she was the CEO of Shu Ya Group. Rarely did she ever experience something as mundane as grocery shopping, let alone encounter situations like this. Normally, when she went out, she had a driver take her everywhere. Walking around places like this was a rarity, and when she did go out, it was typically to well-known tourist destinations. Even then, she always had bodyguards sent by Spice Ginger for protection. Any potential thieves wouldn''t even dare come near her, much less engage in anything else! Seeing Sun Hongyuan''s shameless accusations left her utterly flabbergasted. Hearing her words, Hao Jian laughed softly, patting Shu Ya''s head as he reassured her in a gentle tone, "Don''t worry. No matter who he is, I''ll make him kneel in front of you and apologize¡­" As his words trailed off, the smile on Hao Jian''s face faded away. A faint anger began to emanate around him. On his turf, there were still people who didn''t know who he was?! Clearly, Spice Ginger''s underlings hadn''t done a thorough job... If Spice Ginger learned of Hao Jian''s frustration, he''d surely feel aggrieved. After all, he''d only instructed some minor ringleaders to recognize Hao Jian, not bothered handling small-scale independent thieves like Sun Hongyuan. In a place like Hua City, there were far too many petty crooks to count¡ªeven Spice Ginger, the local boss, couldn''t possibly keep track of them all. It was inevitable that some would slip through the cracks. But unfortunately for these clueless individuals, if they offended Hao Jian, their fates would likely be easy to predict. "Hey! Hey! What''s with the crowd here?!" Just as Hao Jian was about to deal with Sun Hongyuan, an angry shout startled everyone nearby. Immediately, the onlookers dispersed, as if they feared the speaker. "This is a marketplace! Stop blocking others from doing their shopping!" Soon enough, a burly man with a brutish face swaggered over. He wore a security guard uniform and appeared to be around thirty-five years old. His presence quickly came into Hao Jian''s group''s view. Though he sported a security guard uniform, the air of thuggery around him was undeniable. From a distance, Hao Jian could sense the aura of rogue behavior emanating off this man. Compared to him, Sun Hongyuan resembled nothing more than a newborn baby. Feng Jin? Brother Jin? The petty thief, initially pale-faced, lit up with excitement upon seeing the security guard arrive. That familiar face¡ªone he''d seen countless times in the past¡ªsuddenly seemed so endearing. Immediately, Sun Hongyuan began gesturing wildly at Feng Jin, shouting, "Brother Jin, help! This guy''s stolen my phone and is now trying to beat me up! Please come quickly!" S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Huh? Hongyuan?" Feng Jin had initially come to clear the crowd out, but his gaze quickly fell on Sun Hongyuan. Seeing him trapped in Hao Jian''s grip, half kneeling on the ground, a flash of anger flickered across his eyes. Then, shifting his gaze to Hao Jian, he sized him up¡ªhis skinny build, the second-rate clothes on his body¡ªand Feng Jin''s lips curled slightly. Unless this guy had an incredibly high status, Feng Jin reckoned he could definitely rescue Sun Hongyuan. Feng Jin was well-acquainted with Sun Hongyuan''s tricks¡ªusing Feng Jin as a backup to cover for his petty thefts in the marketplace. In return, Sun Hongyuan handed over a portion of his spoils to Feng Jin. If not for that arrangement, Feng Jin would''ve kicked him out long ago. But seeing that Sun Hongyuan had slipped up this time, Feng Jin cursed him inwardly for being useless. However, now wasn''t the time to dwell on the matter¡ªhe had to focus on saving him. As Feng Jin pondered his next move, his gaze shifted toward Shu Ya and Wen Lan. His originally dull eyes abruptly shone with an unmistakable glint, quickly masked again. Yet, Hao Jian caught this fleeting moment of interest. His lips twisted slightly; this guy needed dealing with, too. "What stunning ladies!" Swallowing back a wave of saliva, Feng Jin''s mind was racing with ideas. Judging by Hao Jian''s unimpressive attire, he didn''t seem to be someone of decent status. Feng Jin saw no reason to be intimidated. After all, wasn''t there a saying: A strong dragon cannot crush a snake in its lair? Although Feng Jin wasn''t exactly a kingpin, he considered himself the dominant local figure compared to outsiders like Hao Jian. If they''d come to his turf, they shouldn''t blame him for cashing in! His eyes fixed on Shu Ya and Wen Lan, Feng Jin moved right up to Hao Jian and the others. He looked down at Sun Hongyuan, still pinned to the ground, before glaring at Hao Jian angrily: "Let him go already! Or do you really want me to step in?" "Heh, who''re you supposed to be?" Shrugging, Hao Jian showed not the slightest concern over Feng Jin''s tone. Even Shu Ya and Wen Lan paid him no attention, instead revealing faint disdain. A mere marketplace security guard daring to bark orders at them? Not only Hao Jian; even Shu Ya''s company''s security guards could easily put this guy in his place. Their wages alone would probably dwarf both his salary and his ill-gotten gains combined. Someone like this didn''t inspire fear or concern in the least. Earlier, Shu Ya and Wen Lan had been rattled by Sun Hongyuan''s antics, but thanks to Hao Jian''s reassurance, they were back in form. And frankly, Shu Ya and Wen Lan were formidable women themselves... "I''m the security guard for this marketplace! Name''s Feng Jin¡ªremember it, thief!" Feng Jin sneered at Hao Jian, grimly introducing himself. Then, narrowing his eyes at Hao Jian, he taunted, "Stealing someone''s phone and beating them up? I really haven''t encountered such a brazen thief before!" "And bringing two women along as accomplices, huh..." "You''re calling me a thief with no evidence at all?" Hao Jian''s tone turned icy as he locked a deadpan glare on Feng Jin. From the moment Feng Jin had leered at Shu Ya and Wen Lan, Hao Jian had mentally marked him as a target. With contempt in his voice, he rebuked, "You call yourself a security guard, yet you can''t even analyze the situation properly!" "Which eye of yours saw me stealing his phone?!" "You weren''t stealing¡ªyou were robbing!" Sun Hongyuan snorted coldly at Hao Jian''s words, echoing Feng Jin''s accusations. From certain angles, the two were in cahoots¡ªFeng Jin handled the fence work and cover, while Sun Hongyuan carried out the thefts with his nimble skills. "Let him go already!" Feng Jin was growing impatient and didn''t want to waste time on chatter. Seeing Hao Jian''s hand gripping Sun Hongyuan''s shoulder, he raised a wooden stick, ready to strike. "Ah!" But just as he swung the stick, Hao Jian''s hand suddenly disappeared from Sun Hongyuan''s shoulder. Without time to register what was happening, the stick landed squarely on Sun Hongyuan''s shoulder instead... The marketplace instantly buzzed as Sun Hongyuan''s scream echoed loudly, catching the attention of curious onlookers who turned to see what had happened... Chapter 919 - 918: Welcome to My Turf! "Brother Jin... you''ve hit the wrong person!" Feng Jin''s strike showed no mercy. The stick landed solidly on Sun Hongyuan''s shoulder, immediately causing his eyes to turn blood-red¡­ "Damn it! Kid, you still dare to dodge?!" Seeing that he had hit the wrong person, Feng Jin was furious. He quickly raised the stick again, pointed it at Hao Jian, and roared angrily while hurriedly helping Sun Hongyuan up with one hand. No matter how you look at it, Hao Jian letting go of his hold could be considered a step forward. Now that Sun Hongyuan was saved, they could pour all the blame on Hao Jian without restraint! Hao Jian shrugged and let out a mocking laugh. "What? Should I stand there and stupidly stretch out my hand for you to hit? Haha! You''ve lived so many years, and yet you can still say something so brainless!" "You¡­ Fine¡­ Fine! Since you have insulted us guards like this, we can only invite you to our security office!" Feng Jin was trembling with anger from Hao Jian''s words. His hand gripping the stick shook uncontrollably as he scanned the onlookers, who were keeping their distance yet still watching attentively, with a cold snort. Behind him, Sun Hongyuan¡ªwho hadn''t yet recovered from Feng Jin''s earlier blow¡ªsaw Feng Jin''s suggestion and instantly brightened up. His gaze darted past Feng Jin to Hao Jian, his lips curling into a sinister grin, revealing his stark white teeth as he let out a cold laugh. As long as they dragged Hao Jian into the security office, even the truth could be twisted into lies. They had done this countless times before and were well-versed in such manipulations. "The right or wrong of the situation can be clarified with a simple search, and not just you¡ªthis guy too will have to undergo inspection!" Feng Jin glanced at Hao Jian and then at Sun Hongyuan behind him, extending his stick to point at Hao Jian. His voice was low and threatening as he said, "If you don''t cooperate, then it proves you''re the thief who stole his phone." "Do you think you have that kind of authority?" Already aware that the two men were in cahoots, Hao Jian sneered coldly, shaking his head slightly as his gaze brimmed with mockery. After this statement, Hao Jian reached out to hold Wen Lan and Shu Ya''s hands and calmly walked toward the conspicuous security office outside the market, casually saying, "You truly don''t have that authority. But this time, I''m willing to visit your so-called security office, and personally conduct searches¡ªto see if the real thieves are you two instead." Hao Jian disliked the prying gazes from the onlookers and especially the fiery stares directed at Shu Ya and Wen Lan, which he found intolerable. Moreover, considering the current situation, if things weren''t clarified or resolved quickly, he wouldn''t have enough time to prepare dinner. To keep up with his schedule, he needed to wrap this matter up promptly¡­ With so many people around, it wasn''t suitable for him to openly display his strengths. But in the security office¡ªit would be a different story. A little pressure there would be all he needed to deal with both of them. Why bother staying here, being surrounded and dragged into a pointless argument? Hao Jian had no interest in wasting such efforts, nor in stooping so low... "Hmph! Once you step into my office, I''ll see if your arrogance still holds up!" Hao Jian''s earlier, untraceable way of evading Feng Jin''s grab had puzzled him, making Feng Jin hesitantly wary. After all, in this market, no one had ever dared to disrespect him. But when it came to actual fighting, well¡ªthat wasn''t his strong suit. As the market''s security guard for years, the abundant free food from the merchants had caused him to grow sluggish. His strength hadn''t improved, but his body had become increasingly feeble... These days, even Sun Hongyuan could overpower him in a fight, let alone someone like Hao Jian, who easily subdued Sun Hongyuan earlier. Feng Jin had no intention of being embarrassed in public. Besides, once inside the security office, he could always find an excuse to make a move on the two women. Although inviting them to a room might not be feasible, groping under the guise of a search wasn''t out of the question. He just needed to deal with this man first. After all, the security office housed plenty of tools¡ªincluding a concealed replica gun Feng Jin had hidden for desperate moments. If the situation called for it, he wouldn''t hesitate to use it. With such backup options available to him, Feng Jin wasn''t afraid of whatever tricks Hao Jian might have. His mind was busy plotting how to lure Hao Jian into the security office, though he hadn''t expected Hao Jian to agree so readily. Subsequently, Feng Jin smiled coldly and followed Hao Jian closely while keeping a watchful eye on him to prevent any escape attempts. Behind him, Sun Hongyuan kept his hostile gaze locked on Hao Jian, his expression both smug and venomous. Hao Jian had humiliated him in front of Feng Jin earlier¡ªhe wouldn''t forget this slight! Sun Hongyuan had already decided that once Hao Jian entered the security office, he''d teach him a thorough lesson. He was well aware of all the hidden weapons Feng Jin had stored¡ªseveral watermelon knives, for instance. Although he didn''t know about the replica gun, Sun Hongyuan was confident that even if Hao Jian was skilled, no one could face a few sharp watermelon knives without fear! The saying "No matter how skilled you are in martial arts, you can''t beat a kitchen knife" wasn''t just empty talk! And as for those watermelon knives, Feng Jin had taken them from fruit shops around the market when they sent over whole melons. Although such occurrences were rare, they did happen occasionally. Feng Jin''s reputation in the market, however, wasn''t exactly stellar. Half the merchants despised him or held grudges, but no one dared call him out due to his status as the local hegemon. Any dissent was limited to whispers behind his back, never said openly. That''s precisely why the crowd always scattered in fear whenever Feng Jin approached¡­ Many people didn''t even want to visit this market because of Feng Jin''s presence. Yet, Hua City''s largest market¡ªwith the best ingredients and widest selection¡ªnaturally attracted visitors from all over the region. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The profits kept merchants tied to the place, and out-of-town buyers were often unaware of Feng Jin''s reputation. On top of it all, Feng Jin rarely ventured outside his security office on regular days without cause. Stable customer flow and high profits¡ªfactors that cemented the merchants'' reluctance to leave this market. "Bang!" When Hao Jian led the two women into the security office, the sound of the door locking echoed behind him. Looking back, Feng Jin grinned while pressing down the lock on the door. Calling it a security office felt like an exaggeration¡ªit was practically a hall. The space spanned over a hundred square meters, akin to a small residence, despite being merely a security office... This was yet another perk of being the local hegemon¡ªliving comfortably while indulging luxuriously. It also revealed just how much corruption Feng Jin had engaged in over the years. How could a mere security guard afford to claim such a vast area as his office? No matter how you looked at it, Feng Jin clearly had underhanded means. "A security office? This kind of place qualifies as one?" Hao Jian, now on Feng Jin''s turf, clearly didn''t care about decorum. As soon as he heard the door lock click shut, he scanned the surroundings and let out a cold laugh. "The location isn''t important. What matters, kid, is that you''re now standing on Brother Jin''s territory!" Feng Jin hadn''t even spoken when Sun Hongyuan cracked his knuckles loudly, flashing a sinister grin at Hao Jian. "I can''t tell if you''re brave or just stupid!" "You knew I was Brother Jin''s partner, yet you still dare step into the lion''s den?!" "Such a small, lousy place¡ªcalling it a ''den of dragons and tigers''?!" Hao Jian smirked at Sun Hongyuan''s arrogant words, his tone dripping with disdain. If this cramped security office was what they called a dangerous den, then what about the truly perilous places that once nearly claimed his life? Should they be referred to as Hell? "You''ll experience whether it''s a lion''s den soon enough!" Sun Hongyuan wanted to retort, but Feng Jin held a hand up to stop him. Feng Jin''s gaze lingered on Wen Lan and Shu Ya, igniting a lecherous, uncontrollable heat in his eyes. Smirking salaciously, he turned his attention back to Hao Jian, saying coldly, "He accused you of stealing his phone, and you accused him of stealing yours. Now that we''re here, is your story still the same?" His tone bristled with menace, as if one wrong word from Hao Jian would provoke immediate retaliation. "Hand over my phone! You stole it, and now you dare accuse me?!" Before Hao Jian could respond, Sun Hongyuan stepped forward, glaring smugly at Hao Jian with a twisted grin. Sun Hongyuan had indeed lusted after Wen Lan and Shu Ya''s beauty before, but he knew their turn belonged to Feng Jin first. Only after Feng Jin was satisfied would he possibly get his chance¡­ Yet beauty mattered less to him than the grudge against Hao Jian¡ªthis guy had cost him immense pain earlier. At the crowded market, his lack of strength had left him no chance to retaliate. Now, with Hao Jian voluntarily entering Feng Jin''s territory, this golden opportunity was something he wouldn''t waste! "That phone is definitely with you! If you hand it over and admit your wrongdoing, we might let you off with just a few bruises. Plus, if the two beauties behind you serve Brother Jin well, then this matter can blow over smoothly!" Chapter 920 - 919: Lets Start with These Two Women! "Bang!" As soon as Sun Hongyuan finished speaking, his vision suddenly went dark. A violent pain exploded from his abdomen, spreading throughout his entire body. The world spun as he was slammed hard against the wall, the pristine white paint now stained with the darker fabric of Sun Hongyuan''s clothes. "Say the wrong thing again, and it won''t just be this mild." Slowly withdrawing his foot, Hao Jian glanced at Sun Hongyuan and spoke indifferently. "Kid! What the hell are you doing?! This is my turf!" By the time Hao Jian walked back to Wen Lan and Shu Ya''s side, Feng Jin finally snapped out of his daze and shouted angrily at Hao Jian. Swinging the stick in his hand through the air, he entirely ignored the Sun Hongyuan who had been kicked against the wall¡ªafter all, it wasn''t him being beaten. "Just teaching someone who spoke out of turn a lesson." Hao Jian reached out, taking Wen Lan and Shu Ya''s hands gently, turning slightly while flashing a faint smile. His eyes narrowed, a cold glint flickering within as he inwardly pondered how Feng Jin planned to handle this situation. If things escalated too far, he''d simply deal with him¡ªpeople like this were nothing more than parasites society would gladly cleanse. "Haha, stealing someone''s phone, beating them up¡ªand now you think you''re justified?!" Feng Jin''s anger flared at Hao Jian''s words, gripping his stick firmly but not daring to step closer. He knew well from Hao Jian''s earlier show of skill that, without a gun or a heavy blade, he didn''t stand a chance. All he could do now was lash out verbally. "Kid, since you claim I stole your phone, why don''t you try calling your number? Let''s see if your phone rings." Sun Hongyuan, still clutching his aching stomach, staggered to his feet. His pale, trembling legs struggled to hold him up, while one hand discreetly slipped into his back pocket to power off the phone he had stolen from Shu Ya. Though his motions were subtle, Hao Jian noticed them instantly. Hearing Sun Hongyuan''s remark, Hao Jian narrowed his previously squinting eyes even further, a cold smirk playing at his lips as he shook his head. "He''s already turned off the stolen phone. How exactly do you expect me to call through?" With the phone powered down, even Hao Jian had no way to reach it. Watching Sun Hongyuan attempt to cover his tracks so deceptively tickled Hao Jian''s cynicism, igniting a flame of anger within him. Pitting himself against two thugs who were only marginally stronger than ordinary men didn''t warrant using real power. Playing with them was more than enough. The only reason he didn''t deal with them violently was simple boredom¡ªhe wanted some amusement. "Sophistry!" Feng Jin roared furiously at Hao Jian''s retort, his eyes filled with malice. "I think you''re the one trying to snatch his phone!" "These days, even thieves have gotten fancy¡ªdressing in designer clothes, hanging out with beautiful women. If my sharp eyes hadn''t seen through it, I wouldn''t have realized you were a thief myself!" "Brother Jin, you see now, right? There''s no way I''d steal a phone! Besides, I have a legitimate job¡ªwho has idle time to steal stuff?!" Feng Jin''s voice had barely finished when Sun Hongyuan chimed in eagerly, his gaze dripping with venom as he stared at Hao Jian. Inside, he prayed Hao Jian would retaliate against Feng Jin. If Hao Jian struck first, Feng Jin, unable to hold his own, would surely grab a machete and slice Hao Jian apart! "I''ve always known you wouldn''t stoop to theft!" Feng Jin nodded fervently and fixed his gaze on Hao Jian, his jowly face trembling. "Know your place and hand over whatever you stole. I don''t believe you only took Hongyuan''s phone!" "Given how long you''ve been lingering around the market, I bet your haul is pretty impressive by now, huh?!" Hearing this, Hao Jian chuckled faintly. The corner of his mouth twitched as he broke into a mocking smile. "I can''t tell if you''re the market''s security guard or a petty gangster..." "The tone you''re using sounds exactly like..." Shaking his head, Hao Jian paid no mind to Feng Jin''s increasingly dark expression, instead continuing to speak nonchalantly. "Dreaming up excuses to pin this theft on me¡ªa clever little scheme, isn''t it?" "Even if I were missing a limb, you''d probably spin it into a story that blames some thief. After all, people do hate thieves with a passion in this society..." "Enough with the nonsense! You''re boring me to death¡ªhand over what you stole right now, or we don''t play nice anymore!" Before Hao Jian could finish speaking, Feng Jin interrupted him loudly, his voice filled with rage though his eyes betrayed hesitation. But as his gaze flitted past Wen Lan and Shu Ya, who stood behind Hao Jian with apparent indifference, a perverse gleam appeared in Feng Jin''s eyes. His expression twisted into depravity as he said, "If you won''t cooperate, I guess I''ll have to do a body search!" "And I''ll start with these two beauties!" With that, Feng Jin stepped closer to Hao Jian, gripping his stick tightly before relaxing his grip. He advanced toward Hao Jian and Wen Lan just as his sight locked onto the two women''s seductive figures. The surge of testosterone clouded his mind as a lecherous glare lit up his eyes. Hao Jian, observing Feng Jin''s lascivious reaction, felt the smile on his face gradually fade into darkness. He watched Feng Jin intently, sneers swirling in his thoughts. Even now, you''re daring enough to flaunt your disgusting desires? Clearly, you''ve learned nothing from Sun Hongyuan''s earlier punishment! "Take one more step, and you''ll regret it dearly..." A soft, almost detached voice escaped Hao Jian''s lips, tinged with a faint aura of killing intent. The words halted Feng Jin abruptly, his raised foot frozen mid-air as cold sweat burst from his forehead, trickling down his cheeks. Sun Hongyuan remained unaware of the chilling tension. After all, the killing intent exuding from Hao Jian was solely directed at Feng Jin. The farther Sun Hongyuan was, the less he could sense it. When he saw Hao Jian threatening Feng Jin, Sun Hongyuan immediately interjected, yelling and pointing accusingly at Hao Jian: "You son of a¡ªthreatening me, hitting me, sure, whatever! After all, Brother Jin has decided to let it slide. But now you dare threaten Brother Jin like this?!" "Kid, let me tell you! Your life ends here!" For reasons unknown, Sun Hongyuan was incredibly arrogant at this moment. Chin raised high, he jabbed his finger toward Hao Jian, threatening: "Brother Jin''s got someone backing him who you''d never dare cross!" "Oh? And who would that be?" Since Feng Jin was paralyzed by Hao Jian''s killing intent, Hao Jian turned his gaze to the cocky Sun Hongyuan instead, the hint of a playful smirk tracing his lips. "Hmph! He''s none other than the true boss of this market¡ªLi Yuchen, Brother Chen!" Sun Hongyuan had been waiting for an opportunity to summon Li Yuchen, using Feng Jin''s anger as a pretext. In his mind, this was it¡ªthe perfect moment! Watching Feng Jin''s hesitance, he believed that Feng Jin must be furious... "What nonsense is this?" Hearing this, Hao Jian chuckled coldly before darting toward Feng Jin as fast as lightning. Within seconds, he stood before the terrified Feng Jin, glancing at his panic-stricken, speechless expression. Hao Jian smirked and said, "Three times you dared look at my women like that. Looks like it''s finally time I settle with you..." Hao Jian couldn''t care less about "Brother Chen" or anyone else. As far as he was concerned, he could wipe this entire market clear of people if he wished; no one would dare step foot here. He simply lacked the motivation... S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Initially, he planned to give Feng Jin three chances¡ªa sign the universe might forgive this man''s sins. But now that he''d exceeded those chances, there was no other option but to say goodbye... Li Yuchen, the market''s overseer and a small-time criminal boss with nearly a hundred cronies, counted Feng Jin as one of his subordinates¡ªa low-ranking one, at that. Li Yuchen had just received a distress message from Feng Jin about an incident at his security post. Swinging a machete wrapped in layers of newspaper, Li Yuchen stormed toward the post in an imposing fury. The text message was Feng Jin''s backup plan; after witnessing Hao Jian''s skills, Feng Jin secretly sought help as a precaution. Though Feng Jin owned a replica firearm, he refused to use it lightly. If word about it leaked, he''d be arrested and interrogated. After all, such items are strictly prohibited¡ªthe punishment severe upon discovery. With the fake gun off-limits, calling for backup became his best option. Once Brother Chen arrived, Feng Jin thought Hao Jian would surely be beaten into a pulp! Afterward, Feng Jin planned to capture the two women and indulge in his desires. The plan might''ve sounded promising, but reality was brutally unkind. Feng Jin couldn''t fathom what technique Hao Jian employed¡ªa mere glance overwhelmed him with an icy chill, akin to plunging into an arctic wasteland. Even his blood seemed to freeze... This man... terrifying... Could the boss truly stand a chance? Only by experiencing Hao Jian''s suffocating killing intent firsthand could someone realize how precious warmth was¡ªthe body immobilized, jaw locked, tongue stiffened, completely speechless... Chapter 921 - 920 You Messed with the Wrong Person! "Bang!" Just as Hao Jian was walking toward Sun Hongyuan, the security room''s door was suddenly kicked open. The door slammed against the wall with a loud crash, and then, under the glow of the sunset, a shadow slowly emerged... "Brother Chen!" Seeing the figure standing at the doorway, Sun Hongyuan''s face immediately lit up with joy, though it quickly turned to fear. That was because he noticed Li Yuchen''s expression¡ªit was exceptionally grim... Whenever Li Yuchen wore that look, blood would inevitably be spilled, and someone would suffer! Sun Hongyuan had seen this happen many times while following Feng Jin. Though his methods were always directed at enemies, the brutality of it still made even his own people feel a chill in their hearts. Li Yuchen never cared about rank or status¡ªanyone he set his sights on was sure to meet a bad end... After all, he was merely a neighborhood gangster in charge of about a hundred men in Hua City, hardly comparable to someone like Spice Ginger, who controlled operations across the city and surrounding areas. Sun Hongyuan couldn''t tell who would come out on top in a match between Li Yuchen and the boss... Perspective shapes perception; in Sun Hongyuan''s eyes, Li Yuchen was already a formidable figure. Likewise, the newly recognized boss he followed, Si Youyuan, was also someone he considered immensely powerful. This person, like Li Yuchen, also led about a hundred men, and the area under his control was only separated from Li Yuchen''s marketplace territory by a single street. Sun Hongyuan had come across him purely by chance, and without hesitation, he joined his team. Technically, Sun Hongyuan was still under Feng Jin''s command, though he hadn''t revealed this yet. He still intended to rely on Feng Jin to continue his petty thievery at the marketplace. He had mentioned this to his new boss, who agreed without concern. As long as his loyalty lay with him, the rest didn''t matter. "Hm!" Li Yuchen merely gave a faint nod before turning his icy gaze toward Feng Jin and asking, "Feng Jin, what''s going on here?!" "..." S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seconds passed, but Feng Jin didn''t respond to Li Yuchen''s question. Sun Hongyuan dared not speak either, and Hao Jian simply stood off to the side, smiling. At some point, Hao Jian had moved, though one thing remained the same: the space surrounding Feng Jin. Hao Jian''s killing intent had never left Feng Jin¡ªit wrapped around him, suffocating and paralyzing him with fear. Given the circumstances, it was impossible for Feng Jin to open his mouth, let alone answer Li Yuchen. "He merely crossed me..." The oppressive silence was broken by Hao Jian''s slightly amused words, which echoed into Li Yuchen''s ears. Hearing the voice, Li Yuchen shifted his gaze to Hao Jian. It was only then that he realized someone else was present... Why does this man''s face look so familiar? It''s as if I''ve seen him somewhere before... The anger in Li Yuchen''s eyes transformed into confusion as he stared at Hao Jian, a vague sense of familiarity stirring in his gut. But try as he might, Li Yuchen couldn''t recall where he''d seen him... Three seconds later, Li Yuchen''s eyes widened abruptly. His gaze locked onto Hao Jian''s face as the image in his mind aligned with the man before him. In that instant, his body trembled involuntarily. At first, the tremors were subtle, but within moments, even Sun Hongyuan, standing a meter behind him, could see them clearly. Brother Chen... What''s wrong with him? Is he cold? Sun Hongyuan, a petty thief who had always lurked in the shadows, had never even heard of Hao Jian''s name¡ªlet alone encountered the man himself. Watching Li Yuchen tremble, he felt a pang of doubt but dared not voice it. After all, Li Yuchen was a figure comparable to his own boss... Damn it, Feng Jin''s getting me killed! How could he provoke someone like this?! "Shhrip!" As recognition dawned on Li Yuchen, he strode purposefully toward Feng Jin, who remained motionless. While walking, his hand moved to clutch the watermelon knife he held. He gently tore away the newspaper wrapped around it, revealing the blade''s cold, gleaming edge... "Shhhunk!" "Ahhh!" Standing before Feng Jin, he swung the knife down swiftly. With a single strike, a bloodied hand flew into the air and landed on the ground with a dull thud. A few fingers twitched slightly before falling still. A blood-curdling scream echoed. Feng Jin clutched at his bleeding arm, his face ashen as he crouched in pain, desperately resisting the unbearable agony. He opened his mouth to ask his boss in a trembling voice, "Why?! Why did you do this?!" "I... I''ve never wronged you, Li Yuchen! Why did you sever my hand?!" Blood gushed from the wound as Feng Jin''s complexion grew paler. His lips began to lose their color, and beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead endlessly. Sun Hongyuan, who had been watching from afar, felt a surge of excitement when he saw Li Yuchen draw his watermelon knife. But moments later, his expression shifted from exhilaration to stunned disbelief, then to sheer terror. Brother Chen... he actually chopped off Brother Jin''s hand?! What the hell is going on?! Sun Hongyuan wanted desperately to flee but couldn''t move a muscle under Li Yuchen''s bloodstained glare. Fear rooted him in place. "You provoked someone you shouldn''t have..." Li Yuchen''s voice was tinged with pain. Although he felt sorry for his subordinate, this had to be done. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to protect him. If Hao Jian acted, it wouldn''t just be a severed hand¡ªit would be the end of Feng Jin''s life. Right now, Li Yuchen was taking the blame upfront, choosing to tackle the problem this way. Bitter at heart, he knew the truth. Despite being a neighborhood boss, Li Yuchen was only a speck in comparison to figures like Hao Jian¡ªa mere ant in the grand scheme. If not for the photograph of Hao Jian shared recently among Spice Ginger''s ranks, he might have already met his end... "Stay here and await Young Master Hao''s disposition!" After issuing this command, Li Yuchen no longer paid attention to Feng Jin''s agony. Instead, he turned toward Hao Jian. His demeanor changed instantly, the authority he once held disappearing as he bent at the waist, showing complete deference... "Young Master Hao, my apologies! It''s my failure in managing my subordinates that led to this incident. I''ve already disciplined him. I hope Young Master Hao can be magnanimous and let this matter rest..." To be honest, Feng Jin was quite skilled despite his lustful tendencies. Li Yuchen had trusted him to oversee security precisely for his competence, though Feng Jin might have misunderstood that as an insult... Throughout all Li Yuchen''s actions, Hao Jian watched carefully. When he saw Li Yuchen cut off Feng Jin''s hand without hesitation, a hint of approval flickered in his eyes¡ªthis was a man who understood the bigger picture! Bloodshed was no stranger to Hao Jian; he''d seen plenty of it before. But Wen Lan and Shu Ya, standing behind him, weren''t as composed. The sight of blood everywhere seemed particularly jarring to them, draining the color from their once rosy cheeks. Still, as their eyes met Hao Jian''s towering figure before them, they instinctively exchanged glances and smiled faintly. With this man here, everything would be fine... "I didn''t expect anyone in this small place to recognize me, Hao Jian. But you... you surprised me." In response to Li Yuchen''s apology, Hao Jian simply waved his hand dismissively. He wasn''t one to hold grudges endlessly. Although he had intended to deal with Feng Jin, he decided to let it drop since Li Yuchen had taken such drastic action. If it had been someone else, Hao Jian wouldn''t have let it go so easily. However, he appreciated Li Yuchen''s decisiveness, even feeling a touch of admiration for his abilities... "Your failure to manage your subordinate is indeed your fault. But I, Hao Jian, am not unreasonable. You seem to have some talent, so I''d like to recommend you to Spice Ginger''s organization. What do you say?" Smiling slightly, Hao Jian spoke and then casually waved his hand. A gust of wind inexplicably formed, sweeping up the spilled blood and severed hand. With a subtle twist of his finger, the wind carried the mess into a nearby trash bin... Shu Ya and Wen Lan didn''t enjoy scenes of gore, and Hao Jian felt it his duty to clean up. After finishing, he gestured toward the slumped, increasingly lifeless Feng Jin, casting a few glowing needles into the gaps of his mangled hand. The blood that had been pouring out slowed to a trickle, then stopped completely... "Thank you, Young Master Hao!" Hearing Hao Jian''s intent to recommend him to Spice Ginger¡ªa position he never dared to dream of¡ªLi Yuchen felt ecstatic. Yet the feats Hao Jian performed next filled him with chilling awe... Such methods were entirely beyond the imagination of someone like him... "I don''t enjoy the sight of blood, so there''s no need to thank me. The grudge your subordinate held against me is resolved now after your decisive actions," Hao Jian said with a faint smile. Sparing Feng Jin while gaining a potentially useful ally¡ªhe felt the tradeoff was well worth it. Li Yuchen remained bowed in reverence toward Hao Jian, never once raising his posture. This display left the others present utterly stunned... Chapter 922 - 921: I Leave It to You! Who... Who exactly is this person?! Isn''t he just some kid in his twenties? Why... why would even Brother Chen act like this toward him? And what are these Golden Needles? How could the pain disappear the moment they were stuck into my hand! At this moment, Feng Jin couldn''t comprehend why his own boss would behave so humbly toward Hao Jian, like a dog devoid of dignity in his eyes, even showing a servility he would never display to anyone else! Feng Jin couldn''t figure out the identity of this young man. Could he be the son of some high-ranking official? But now, he didn''t dare utter a single word. With Li Yuchen present, and considering Li Yuchen''s attitude toward Hao Jian, he was afraid of saying the wrong thing and losing his other hand¡ªor worse, even losing his life. He trusted that his boss, Brother Chen, was capable of such actions. After all, there had been precedence¡ªonce, a subordinate who committed a grave mistake was executed on the spot when seeking forgiveness from Li Yuchen. "Thank you, Young Master Hao! It''s all my fault for failing to properly educate my subordinates, which caused these two ladies undue grievance." Though Hao Jian spoke these words, Li Yuchen would not let the matter go so easily. He continued bowing and scraping, then directed his attention toward Wen Lan and Shu Ya, the two women beside Hao Jian. Looking at the two women, Li Yuchen''s eyes flashed with admiration, though it quickly faded away. He was smart enough to know which women he could touch and which ones he couldn''t. "Hao Jian, it''s just a problem with his subordinate, not his fault. Besides, that guy already lost a hand¡ªlet''s leave it at that..." The two women''s cheeks flushed slightly when hearing Li Yuchen address them as "Madams." Sharing a glance, Shu Ya took the lead in speaking up, effectively letting Li Yuchen off the hook. Since the two women had spoken, Hao Jian, of course, respected their judgment. He nodded and said, "Since you two said so, let it be..." Upon hearing this, Li Yuchen''s face lit up with delight. He promptly nodded and bowed, saying, "I will devote myself wholeheartedly to serving you, Young Master Hao!" "No need. As long as you handle things well under Spice Ginger, I won''t force you into anything else..." Hao Jian simply waved his hand at Li Yuchen''s pledge. It was only because Hao Jian saw potential in him that he let him off lightly. Otherwise, he would''ve dealt with him long ago. After speaking, Hao Jian slowly turned his head toward the distant Sun Hongyuan, who seemed unsure of what to do. The corners of Hao Jian''s lips curled slightly as he shook his head and said, "There''s still another person¡ªI almost forgot. Let me take care of this guy first..." Li Yuchen, hearing Hao Jian''s remark, remembered Sun Hongyuan was still there. He immediately turned his gaze to follow Hao Jian''s, locking onto Sun Hongyuan''s figure. Coldly laughing, he then bent slightly toward Hao Jian and respectfully said, "Young Master Hao, let me handle this matter. There''s no need for you to dirty your hands. After all, this guy''s status is incomparable to yours¡ªit''s not worth your effort. Please allow me to take care of it!" "Fine, I''ll leave it to you." Whether he handled it himself or handed it to Li Yuchen, it made no difference to Hao Jian. Passing it to Li Yuchen spared him some effort and allowed him to observe Li Yuchen''s way of handling things. Li Yuchen nodded, then stepped forward, his expression slowly twisting into a sinister grin as he approached Sun Hongyuan step by step. Looking at him, Li Yuchen grinned and said, "Kid, you''ve had truly bad luck today¡ªstealing something from Young Master Hao of all people? Do you even know the meaning of death?" Sun Hongyuan was well-acquainted with Li Yuchen''s reputation; in his mind, Li Yuchen represented pure power. He couldn''t believe that someone he viewed as a symbol of authority would act so subservient, like a dog, toward another young man who seemed unremarkable to him. Now, seeing this figure walking toward him with an intimidating expression, Sun Hongyuan''s body began trembling uncontrollably. This man was someone on par with his own boss! "You... What are you doing?!" Hands trembling, Sun Hongyuan pointed at the approaching Li Yuchen but instinctively stepped backward, his lips quivering as he stammered. "Why so much nonsense?! If you dare to act, you should dare to take responsibility!" Taking a large step forward, Li Yuchen ignored Sun Hongyuan''s protests entirely. He grabbed Sun Hongyuan''s outstretched finger and twisted it with a sudden motion, breaking the bone. "Ah!" The searing pain spread through Sun Hongyuan''s entire body as he let out a blood-curdling scream. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, but he had no time to collect himself before a massive fist slammed into his face. "Bang, bang, bang!" Punch after punch landed on Sun Hongyuan''s body. Li Yuchen''s expression remained unchanged. Having trained for years, dealing with someone as weak as Sun Hongyuan felt like child''s play. Each blow targeted Sun Hongyuan''s abdomen¡ªthe best place to amplify pain... S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Enough! Enough!" The excruciating pain reverberated throughout his body, and Sun Hongyuan, now pale-lipped, struggled to rise after being thrown against a wall. Fighting through the agony, he locked eyes with Li Yuchen, shouting furiously, "Damn it, Li Yuchen! Don''t think you can beat me up just because you''re the boss of this area!" "Let me tell you something; I have a boss now! My boss, Si Youyuan, is every bit your equal. You dare hit me? You''re disrespecting him! Do you really want to start a turf war over some kid?!" Fueled by his own words, Sun Hongyuan grew increasingly bold and exhilarated, as though speaking his mind had lightened some of the pain brought on by the beating. Imagine that¡ªhe was insulting Li Yuchen! Opportunities like this were rare for someone in his position. And judging by Li Yuchen''s hesitance, maybe¡ªjust maybe¡ªhe''d succeeded in intimidating him... Seeing Li Yuchen pause in his actions, Sun Hongyuan felt emboldened. "Ha! Scared, aren''t you? I''ll have my boss here in no time! Then we''ll see how pissed off he gets at you for beating me!" "Moreover, if you don''t want to risk a conflict with my boss, you''d better hand over those three behind you! Let''s see if you dare!" The more he spoke, the more arrogant Sun Hongyuan became. Li Yuchen''s expression shifted from ferocity to indifference, then finally to disdain. At last, he cut Sun Hongyuan off with a cold laugh, saying, "Go ahead, call that guy here! Let''s see if he dares talk like that in front of me!" Si Youyuan, the local boss just one street over, had been pushing boundaries recently, trying to claim territory. This conflict had been a major source of frustration for Li Yuchen. Now, with Young Master Hao present, Li Yuchen felt confident handling Si Youyuan. Let''s see if that man dared act tough in front of Hao Jian... With this thought in mind, Li Yuchen crossed his arms and scoffed at Sun Hongyuan. "Go on, call your boss. Don''t waste time with all the chatter!" "You..." Hearing these words, Sun Hongyuan''s face twisted in anger. He reached out instinctively, only to be jolted by the pain of his broken finger, which he had momentarily forgotten... Shaking his hand violently, he snorted in frustration, "Fine¡­ fine! Hmph!" With that, Sun Hongyuan quickly pulled out his phone and called his boss. He described the situation and his location in detail before respectfully hanging up. Now, all his hopes were pinned on Si Youyuan. If anything went wrong, no one could help him. Thus, when speaking to Si Youyuan, his tone was as deferential as it could possibly be. Si Youyuan, upon hearing that one of his newer subordinates was being bullied on Li Yuchen''s turf, became furious. Gathering over fifty men, he led them on a charge toward the security room near the marketplace. Seeing such a spectacle, pedestrians quickly cleared the way, allowing Si Youyuan''s group to approach unhindered. Within minutes, they''d reached the security room¡ªa swift journey given the proximity of their territory and the central marketplace location. "They''re here! Just you wait!" Hearing the commotion outside, Sun Hongyuan''s face lit up with joy. Glaring fiercely at Hao Jian, he huffed in annoyance¡ªit was all because of this guy that things had escalated! "Ha ha!" Watching Sun Hongyuan open the door and head outside, Li Yuchen burst into laughter, then turned to check on the unconscious Feng Jin. Seeing Feng Jin''s steady breathing, he withdrew his gaze and bowed slightly toward Hao Jian. "Young Master Hao, forgive my presumptuousness..." "It''s fine. Since I left this matter to you, it''s yours to solve. But honestly¡ªyour leadership isn''t up to par. To let someone like that stand and curse you to your face... you''ve still got a lot to learn." Hao Jian waved his hand dismissively, his demeanor unaffected. Having dealt with powerful families in the Capital City for years, his perspective had long outgrown such trivial matters. "You mock me, Young Master Hao..." Li Yuchen could only chuckle awkwardly at Hao Jian''s remark, knowing Si Youyuan''s methods were on par with his own... Chapter 923 - 922: Kneel Down and Apologize to Me! "Who the hell dares to touch my little brother? And beat him to this state?!" The figure had yet to appear, but the voice had already carried over, causing Hao Jian to chuckle lightly. This person certainly knows how to make an entrance. Clearly aware that Li Yuchen was in the security room, he intentionally said this to provoke him, making it obvious he doesn''t take Li Yuchen seriously and aims to incite anger. After all, the two of them had been rivals battling for years. Li Yuchen could predict the kind of tricks Si Youyuan would pull even with his eyes closed. Therefore, faced with such confrontational words from Si Youyuan, Li Yuchen responded coldly with nothing more than a sneer and said, "Yeah, I hit him. So what?" "Bastard!" Li Yuchen threw those words right back without hesitation, making Si Youyuan, who had just stepped one foot through the door, darken his expression. He let out a low growl, strode forward angrily, glared at Li Yuchen, and snorted coldly, "You hit my subordinate. How are you planning to settle this debt?!" Si Youyuan''s strength was on par with Li Yuchen''s. If they fought, it would end in mutual destruction¡ªa result neither of them wanted to see. But what Si Youyuan failed to notice was that Li Yuchen was no longer the man he used to be. Recommended by Hao Jian to join Spice Ginger''s crew, Li Yuchen was now also under Hao Jian''s protection. With a backing as formidable as Hao Jian, why would Li Yuchen fear Si Youyuan?! After all, Si Youyuan didn''t have a powerful ally on Hao Jian''s level! "Oh? How do you intend to settle this?" Crossing his arms across his chest, Li Yuchen grinned mockingly, staring at Si Youyuan. "Kneel! Kneel down and apologize to me!" Before Si Youyuan could say anything, Sun Hongyuan''s venomous sneer cut through the moment. Standing beside Si Youyuan, his face contorted with malice, Sun Hongyuan glared at Li Yuchen with deep hatred. It''s because of him that I ended up like this. And those two damn women! I swear I''ll make you all pay dearly! Hearing this, Si Youyuan furrowed his brows and side-eyed Sun Hongyuan, anger flickering in his gaze. As the boss, when had he ever allowed a subordinate to speak out like this?! Still, considering this guy had just recently joined his ranks, Si Youyuan said nothing. In any case, he''d fought Li Yuchen countless times before, and such harsh words had been thrown around again and again without ever becoming reality¡ªwho knows when that might actually change? "Is this your place to speak?" Li Yuchen didn''t respond directly, glancing indifferently at Sun Hongyuan before turning his attention to Si Youyuan. The corner of his mouth lifted in disdain as he mockingly said, "You call yourself a boss, yet you allow your subordinate to overstep like this? Truly an eye-opener for me, haha!" "Enough with the nonsense. Settle this already. I don''t have time to waste here." Amid their back-and-forth, Hao Jian''s laid-back voice suddenly echoed through the security room, causing Si Youyuan''s eyes to narrow slightly. His gaze quickly shifted; he''d been focused entirely on Li Yuchen earlier, forgetting the presence of others in the room... "Yes, yes, Young Master Hao, I''ll take care of it right away!" Si Youyuan heard Hao Jian''s impatient tone, and Li Yuchen jolted as if struck by lightning. He promptly turned and bowed toward Hao Jian, completely disregarding Si Youyuan. "Young Master Hao?" Li Yuchen hadn''t lowered his voice when he spoke, allowing Si Youyuan to hear every word clearly. At that moment, Si Youyuan saw Hao Jian and looked at his face. For some reason, that face seemed vaguely familiar. But when Li Yuchen uttered the name "Young Master Hao," Si Youyuan''s eyes widened in panic, his lips trembled, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his entire body began shaking uncontrollably... Hua City''s undisputed kingpin, Hao Jian?! As the image in his mind overlapped with Hao Jian, Si Youyuan''s legs gave out, and with a loud thud, he dropped to his knees. His eyes radiated fear as he stared at Hao Jian, incessantly kowtowing and pleading, "Young Master Hao¡­ Young Master Hao¡­ it''s my fault! It''s entirely my fault! Please, have mercy and¡­" "Heh, Si Youyuan, you recognize Young Master Hao now? Weren''t you just cursing me loudly earlier?!" Li Yuchen wouldn''t dare slack off with Hao Jian''s orders. Seeing Si Youyuan kneel immediately did surprise him, but knowing who Hao Jian was, it made perfect sense. In Hua City, anyone who knew Hao Jian''s identity wouldn''t dare cross him. Even if the city''s combined forces faced him together, it would still be futile! This was the consensus among everyone who knew Hao Jian''s true power. No one understood how vast his influence might be; they only knew he was untouchable! "Damn! How could I screw this up?!" Yet Si Youyuan wasn''t in the mood to spar words with Li Yuchen at this point. He suddenly sprung up and threw a punch directly at Sun Hongyuan, whose face froze in shock. "Bam!" His fist landed heavily on Sun Hongyuan, throwing him to the ground. Lying there, Sun Hongyuan stared at Si Youyuan, covering his cheek with one hand, and asked, "Boss, why are you hitting me?!" "Shit! You caused this mess! Should I not hit you and have a chat with you instead?!" Si Youyuan was beside himself with rage. What kind of trouble had he stirred up? How had he managed to provoke even someone as high-level as Young Master Hao?! If he didn''t give Young Master Hao appropriate restitution, he knew his life was as good as over. He had no doubt Hao Jian was capable of following through! The dignity of the strong leaves no room for ants to mock them! "Bam! Bam! Bam!" Blow after blow landed on Sun Hongyuan''s body until Si Youyuan grew tired. He then summoned a few subordinates and pointed at the bruised and bitter-looking Sun Hongyuan, yelling, "Beat him to death for me!" "Yes!" The henchmen didn''t dare delay and quickly took over, raining punches on Sun Hongyuan. As for Sun Hongyuan, lying beaten on the ground, his heart was filled with regret. What had he done?! All he wanted was to steal a phone, and now he''d ended up like this! Who the hell was this kid? Why did his boss kneel to him, and why was he even facing such consequences¡ªwasn''t it just a phone?! Even if Sun Hongyuan wanted to express his grievances, none of the people present had the time or inclination to listen. Immediately after ordering his men to continue the beating, Si Youyuan knelt again, his trembling eyes pleading as he gazed at Hao Jian. "Young Master Hao, please, spare me just this once!" "Oh? How have you offended me?" Hao Jian would let Li Yuchen walk free, but Si Youyuan was an entirely different case. Even with all his supplications, it wouldn''t help. Hao Jian let Li Yuchen off because he saw potential in him. To recruit talent, it''s best to win both the person and their loyalty. But Si Youyuan? Hao Jian saw nothing worthwhile in him¡ªthe greedy look in his small eyes was enough to make Hao Jian despise him. Even now, those eyes hadn''t ceased their lecherous scanning when looking at both Wen Lan and Shu Ya. People like him were the ones Hao Jian hated the most! Thus, Si Youyuan wouldn''t be given any face or opportunity to explain. Turning to Li Yuchen, Hao Jian spoke coolly, "Cut off one of their fingers. Provoking me, Hao Jian, isn''t something that can be brushed off with a few words." "Yes!" Without hesitation, Li Yuchen grabbed a blood-stained watermelon knife resting on the table, stepped forward, and approached Si Youyuan. "What are you doing?!" Upon seeing Li Yuchen walking over with the knife, a few of Si Youyuan''s subordinates rushed toward him, ready to block Li Yuchen. But before they could move, an overwhelming force bore down on them as if from above, making them freeze in place, their faces filled with horror. They could only watch Li Yuchen advance... Seeing the lack of movement from the group, Li Yuchen was slightly puzzled. However, he didn''t dwell on it. If there were no obstacles, it saved him the trouble¡ªas there were only so many he could handle in one go... "Young Master Hao! Please don''t!" When Si Youyuan realized Hao Jian had ordered his finger to be cut off, his face turned pale with terror. He begged frantically, but Hao Jian merely glanced at him indifferently and paid him no mind. Meanwhile, Sun Hongyuan, realizing he was about to lose his hand, pissed himself in fear. A yellowish-white liquid with a foul stench slowly soaked his pants, staining them with a noticeable mark. In an instant, the security room reeked of the stench, making Hao Jian frown lightly. He waved toward Li Yuchen and said, "Wrap it up. Disgusting!" Upon hearing this, Li Yuchen quickened his pace and reached Si Youyuan, ready to sever the fingers of the two men. "Hao Jian, let''s just leave it here..." But just as he was about to act, Shu Ya''s gentle voice sounded. Covering her nose with her hand, her eyebrows furrowed as she tugged at Hao Jian''s arm. "Hao Jian, just get my phone back. Don''t make it so bloody..." sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I can handle it, but Sister Lan might not..." Hearing that, Hao Jian chuckled lightly and nodded. Grasping the hands of both women, he smiled and said, "Since my ladies wish it, I, Hao Jian, shall honor their wishes!" With that, Hao Jian turned to Li Yuchen and said, "You heard them. You know what to do now, right?!" "Got it! Rest assured, Young Master Hao!" Hao Jian''s words carried the weight of authority, and Li Yuchen quickly nodded in compliance. Chapter 924 - 923: Whatever You Say Goes! "Never thought that a simple grocery trip would lead to this kind of situation!" Walking down the street, hands full of bags, Hao Jian grumbled at the two beauties walking beside him. Hearing his complaints, the two women covered their mouths and chuckled lightly. Exchanging a glance, the two of them each tightened their hold on Hao Jian''s arms, their ample chests pressing firmly against him. An unusual sensation surged straight to Hao Jian''s heart, making his emotions ripple with excitement. "At least nothing bad happened to us, right?" Wen Lan spoke with a smile, though her expression shifted suddenly as she remembered Sun Hongyuan''s earlier fate in the security room. Her delicate brows furrowed, and she muttered, "That man who stole Shu Ya''s phone was so repulsive¡­ disgusting¡­" Hearing this, Hao Jian thought back on the incident involving Sun Hongyuan. He shook his head slightly, freed up one hand, and gently tapped Wen Lan''s forehead, saying with a smile, "We''re about to head back to cook; why bring up something so gross now?" "Oh, right, Shu Ya¡­" As he said this, Hao Jian seemed to remember something he hadn''t done yet. He quickly turned to Shu Ya and asked, "Did you invite Xiao Qiang to come over for dinner?" "I did! Told her to come by six o''clock. It''s five o''clock now, so we can head back to cook. By the time she arrives, everything should be ready." Yesterday, Shu Ya had already called Xiao Qiang, asking if she wanted to join their dinner. Her response was a definite yes, so Shu Ya had mentioned it to Hao Jian earlier. Now, hearing him bring it up, Shu Ya nodded with a smile, even rolling her eyes at him in amusement. "Even without you reminding me, I know well enough what to do. Xiao Qiang is my close friend, after all. Where would you find a person like you, only remembering about her now¡­" "Hehe, as long as everything''s sorted!" Hao Jian naturally understood the meaning behind Shu Ya''s eye-roll. Awkwardly rubbing the back of his head with a dry laugh, he looked down at the bags in his hands¡ªthe ingredients were enough to cook more than twenty dishes. He couldn''t help but feel a little overwhelmed. There were only about five or six of them at most; how could they possibly eat so much food? "Hmph! When we get back, you''re in charge of cooking!" Seeing Hao Jian like this, Shu Ya scrunched her nose and huffed lightly, lifting her head in an adorable display of pride. Wen Lan, standing nearby, quickly chimed in upon hearing Shu Ya''s words. One of her hands subtly rested around Hao Jian''s waist, ready to pinch him mercilessly if he dared to say no. "That''s right, tonight you must cook!" "Alright¡­" With a light chuckle, Hao Jian nodded, then tapped each of the women lightly on their foreheads, teasing with a smile, "But you''re not allowed to slack off either. How about you help me wash the ingredients? Be sure to soak the vegetables in saltwater for fifteen minutes to rinse out the pesticides¡ªeating unsafe produce would be bad for your health¡­" "As for handling the lobsters, leave that to me," Hao Jian added. Lobsters, especially large ones, can be annoying to deal with if you''re unfamiliar with their anatomy. The smaller ones aren''t too much trouble, but the huge ones they bought this time are a real challenge. It was only natural for rough tasks like this to be left to him¡ªthe man of the house. "Whatever you say!" Given Shu Ya''s near-zero aptitude for cooking, she couldn''t even comprehend what Hao Jian was talking about. Instead, she shook her head dismissively, choosing not to bother with it. Wen Lan, on the other hand, understood him but was intent on slacking off too. In any case, Hao Jian''s cooking skills were leagues ahead of hers. Pedestrians passing by took note of the trio''s intimate demeanor, momentarily stunned. The men, in particular, stared in slack-jawed awe, feeling envious of Hao Jian. This was the kind of man they idolized¡ªa true legend. Just look at how he managed to win over such stunning beauties: not one, but two at once. For most of them, even having one woman of such caliber would be the stuff of dreams. Seeing the bags Hao Jian was carrying, their envy grew deeper. They could already imagine the two women pampering him after dinner. Just thinking about it was thrilling. Unfortunately, all they could do was watch and fantasize... Back home, the two women quickly divided up the bags and organized the contents, taking out the items. First, they sorted and cleaned the vegetables before moving on to the fish and meat, which were left entirely to Hao Jian. Knife in hand, he got to work at the chopping board... The women handled the vegetables, while the man did the cooking¡ªa harmonious scene... Thanks to their efficient teamwork, all the ingredients were cleaned up in just half an hour. With the prep work done, it was all on Hao Jian now. Meanwhile, the two women tidied up the trash, washed their hands, and sat in the living room to watch TV. Hao Jian, on the other hand, remained busy in the kitchen¡ªlighting the stove, heating oil, adding ingredients, and plating the dishes in smooth and practiced motions. His hands moved swiftly as he transformed various ingredients into beautiful arcs in the air, releasing tantalizing aromas as they landed on the waiting plates. The responsibility of serving the food fell naturally to the two women. After all, Hao Jian couldn''t possibly cook and carry dishes out at the same time¡ªthat would be overwhelming for him. The women were aware of this, so after watching TV for a while, they returned to the kitchen to carry the dishes out, one plate at a time, carefully setting them on the dining table. "Done!" When Hao Jian finally brought out the last dish¡ªa gigantic lobster¡ªand placed it in the center of the table, he felt a wave of accomplishment. Looking at the table full of food, a sense of pride welled up inside him. This was his feast, prepared for two incredible women! "It''s already twenty past six. Why hasn''t Xiao Qiang arrived yet?" After washing his hands and glancing at the clock, Hao Jian asked the two women, who were nearly salivating at the sight of the food on the table. "No idea. I just called her earlier, and she seemed to still be at her store. It sounded noisy over there; I couldn''t tell what she was doing¡­" Hearing Hao Jian''s question, Shu Ya quickly snapped back to reality and pondered briefly before replying. She had called Xiao Qiang about ten minutes ago, but the call was drowned out by loud background noise, making it hard for Shu Ya to understand what Xiao Qiang was saying. She just assumed the store was busy. After all, Xiao Qiang''s store was strategically located in a prime spot, attracting heavy foot traffic. With affordable prices and excellent products, it would actually be odd if her store wasn''t bustling with customers. "I see¡­" S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian stroked his chin as he looked at Shu Ya and Wen Lan. "I''ll head over to her store and check things out. If she''s still there, I''ll bring her back. Shu Ya, meanwhile, could you call Li He and invite him over? We''ve got way too much food; there''s no way we can finish it all by ourselves. Besides, if we don''t invite him, he''ll definitely give me grief about it later..." As he spoke, Hao Jian shook his head. Knowing Li He, he''d definitely give him an earful if he found out about the feast and wasn''t invited. Rather than deal with his complaints, it was better to invite him over from the start¡ªit would also help with finishing off the mountain of food. Even with Li He joining, it was doubtful they could eat everything. "Alright, but be careful on your way and come back soon¡­" Shu Ya nodded, then hugged Hao Jian closely. Her soft chest pressed unabashedly against his torso, prompting Hao Jian to pet her hair gently. He kissed Wen Lan''s forehead before waving goodbye to both of them. "Stay here; I''ll be back soon..." With that, Hao Jian stepped out the door, took the elevator down, and hopped into his Enzo, speeding off in the direction of Xiao Qiang''s store. Xiao Qiang''s store was situated in the prime mid-section of Hua City''s best pedestrian street. In that ultra-expensive area, she''d managed to secure three connected storefronts¡ªa feat largely thanks to Hao Jian''s resourcefulness. Without his intervention, Xiao Qiang, despite her wealth, wouldn''t have gotten three premium spots in such a location. The annual rent for those three storefronts exceeded tens of millions, yet the landlord had willingly lowered the price as a courtesy to Hao Jian. It wasn''t that Hao Jian didn''t consider buying the storefronts outright¡ªit''s just that Xiao Qiang had insisted it wasn''t necessary. Respecting her decision, Hao Jian hadn''t pushed the matter. In his mind, even if things went south and the business failed, it wouldn''t matter. At most, he''d lose a bit of money¡ªwhich didn''t concern him much given he had plenty of it. His bigger challenge, ironically, was figuring out how to spend it all. Especially since Xiao Qiang''s store specialized in jewelry, most of her inventory came from Shu Ya Group. Even if she faced losses, it wouldn''t affect her much. However, losses seemed highly unlikely. Shu Ya Group''s jewelry was renowned not just across Huaxia but abroad as well. Domestically, many preferred Shu Ya Group''s products due to their superior quality and slightly lower pricing compared to competitors. Much of the credit for the jewelry''s popularity went to Shanshan, a top-tier jewelry designer. Plus, behind the scenes, they had Hao Jian, a highly influential figure backing everything. Driving at high speeds, it didn''t take long before Hao Jian reached Xiao Qiang''s newly opened storefront. As he parked outside and looked toward the shop, he noticed a commotion inside. The shop was packed with people, but it didn''t seem like regular customers¡ªinstead, it looked more like a crowd gathered to watch some drama. Seeing this, Hao Jian furrowed his brow in confusion. He stepped out of the car, his movements fluid and deliberate as he wove through the crowd. With practiced ease, he reached the front of the group. But when his gaze fell on the scene before him, the puzzlement on his face slowly shifted into a dark expression¡­ Chapter 925 - 924: Never Heard of It...... "Clang!" "If you know what''s good for you, hand over the money now!" At this moment, the store was filled with more than a dozen burly, fierce-looking men. Some of them grabbed chairs, constantly smashing the glass that protected the jewelry. But they didn''t take any of the jewelry inside ¡ª not because they didn''t want to, but because they didn''t dare. After all, these items were gold and silver. Plus, with so many people watching, if they took anything, they''d be considered thieves, and theft in Hua City is usually cracked down on harshly. They were well aware of this, so all they could do was vandalize the shop without daring to actually take anything. Apart from those smashing the shop, five others surrounded the store''s employees with menacing looks on their faces, including Xiao Qiang. At this time, she was tightly clutching her hands, her phone already knocked to the ground by the others, and no one dared to pick it up. "This is too much!" Upon hearing that the other party persisted relentlessly, Xiao Qiang shouted angrily, "We do legitimate business here, when was there ever a practice of paying protection money?!" S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Heh, heh? Not paying?!" The leader was a man about six feet tall with a shaved bald head and a deep scar on his face. He looked to be around thirty-five years old. His face was full of fierceness as he looked at Xiao Qiang, with no lewdness, only anger. He suddenly waved his hand with force and shouted, "Brothers, smash it! Smash it hard! I want to see whether this woman will pay the protection money or not!" "Yes!" All the underlings laughed sinisterly at their boss''s words, looking at Xiao Qiang with a bit of ** in their eyes. Unlike their boss, who had no interest in women, they ogled Xiao Qiang unabashedly, and upon hearing their boss''s shout, intensified their actions. "Bang! Bang! Crash!" Many pieces of jewelry turned into fragments under their iron rod chairs. Seeing the jewelry being damaged, Xiao Qiang''s pretty face was full of frost. Although the jewelry wasn''t very expensive, usually around seven or eight hundred, the sheer quantity was the issue! Each swing of the rod broke at least three or four pieces of jewelry. Just in this short moment, Xiao Qiang saw no fewer than a hundred pieces broken, almost a hundred thousand yuan lost... "Make them stop!" Xiao Qiang couldn''t help but shout in a low voice, her pretty face full of anger as she coldly said to the boss, "If you don''t make them stop, I guarantee you won''t see the sunrise tomorrow!" In Hua City, no one dared to mess with them like this! She had Hao Jian backing her up, and as long as he was there, Xiao Qiang believed that dealing with these thugs would be a piece of cake. Although Hao Jian wasn''t here at the moment, as long as she could hold on now, she would definitely find Hao Jian! She wanted him to help her get justice. She wondered how long this kind of person could stay arrogant! "Oh? Why don''t you tell me how I won''t see the sunrise tomorrow?!" Upon hearing Xiao Qiang''s words, the boss wasn''t concerned at all. Instead, he laughed mockingly. The lackeys beside him also laughed along. But their eyes, looking at Xiao Qiang and others, were filled with lewdness as they licked their lips. They had never seen such a stunning woman. If they could drag her to bed for a wild time, they''d be willing to lose even ten years of their life! Unfortunately, their boss wouldn''t let them do that, much to their dismay... Their boss seemed to have no interest in women at all. No matter how beautiful a woman was, in his eyes, they were just tools for making money. Sometimes they even suspected that their boss had a peculiar sexual orientation. But eventually, they realized that not only did he dislike women, he had no interest in men either. So, although they really wanted to tease Xiao Qiang, they didn''t dare risk a beating from their boss for opening their mouths. A few of them had once said disrespectful things to women right in front of their boss, and they had been severely beaten for it. "I think not only will you not see tomorrow''s sunrise, but you won''t even see the moon tonight!" Before Xiao Qiang could refute, a plain voice suddenly rang out. Hearing this voice, Xiao Qiang''s previously frosty face melted into a smile as she quickly scanned her surroundings, trying to find the source of the voice, but after a while, she found nothing... "Haha, no need to look for me, I''m right here beside you..." Hao Jian''s figure gradually emerged from Xiao Qiang''s side. Where he originally stood, a barely visible afterimage slowly dissipated... "Hao Jian! How did you get here?!" Seeing Hao Jian appear, Xiao Qiang was filled with surprise and said, "I remember not calling you to come!" "Haha, you were late to meet Sister Lan, so I got worried and came to check on you." Hao Jian chuckled and said, "Didn''t expect you''d get into trouble. Looks like your shop, which has only been open for a few days, needs another renovation soon!" At Hao Jian''s teasing, Xiao Qiang couldn''t help but roll her eyes. This guy, instead of helping immediately, joked around upon arriving. "You...you''re courting death?!" Seeing a man with a smile appear out of nowhere and then chat with the woman, completely ignoring his presence, the boss''s fury erupted as he shouted at Hao Jian and Xiao Qiang, "Kid! Who are you?! How dare you interfere in Chang Zeliang''s business?!" "Chang Zeliang? Never heard of you..." Hao Jian dug his little finger in his ear, full of disdain, and sneered, "I don''t care what Zeliang you are. Since you''ve trashed this shop, don''t think you can leave tonight!" "Perfect! Your Lord Zeliang would like to see how you plan to keep me here! Playing hero isn''t for everyone! Don''t get yourself killed in a moment of impulse!" .............................. As Chang Zeliang and Hao Jian confronted each other, the onlookers were filled with worry, watching the scene unfold. Some had already discreetly taken out their phones and called the police station responsible for the city, reporting the incident. The police station responsible for the city was, naturally, the city bureau. Upon receiving the report, they immediately organized a team and rushed towards the pedestrian street. In the police car was Lin Nantian, the police bureau chief. Typically, he would not get involved in such matters, like this dispute reportedly over protection money. He generally wouldn''t get involved in such things. The main issue was the location. He had mentioned this place to Spice Ginger during one of their meals. It''s the shop opened by Hao Jian''s woman! If it''s trashed right under his nose and he can''t handle it, he might not hold onto his job if Hao Jian wants answers! "Nothing must go wrong!" In the police car, Lin Nantian prayed repeatedly, unaware that Hao Jian was already inside the store, confronting Chang Zeliang. Chang Zeliang had no idea of Hao Jian''s identity; after all, he was just a small-time Gangster. When he saw Hao Jian daring to stop him from collecting protection money, he immediately grabbed a pipe from one of his lackeys, patting it in his hand to make a sound. He then looked viciously at Hao Jian, grinning ferociously, "Kid, you look so scrawny. Guess how many hits you can take from my rod?" "Do you really think your little pipe can hit me?" Forget pipes; he didn''t even know how many bullets he''d taken before. With his skills, why would he fear this guy? With a mocking smile, he tapped his foot on the ground, instantly appearing in front of Chang Zeliang before he could react... "Whoosh!" The sound of rushing air was heard as Hao Jian reached out, lightly touching the pipe in Chang Zeliang''s hand. One pull and one tug, and he had the pipe out of his grip. Then Hao Jian, tapping his foot on the ground again, quickly moved back to Xiao Qiang''s side as if nothing had changed. But now Hao Jian had a pipe in his hand, while Chang Zeliang was without his... "You...you..." When Hao Jian returned to his original spot, Chang Zeliang finally regained his senses. He looked at his empty hands, then at the pipe in Hao Jian''s grasp, his face showing panic but mostly anger. He pointed at Hao Jian, growling, "Kid, what did you just do?!" "Nothing much, just don''t like people pointing at me..." Hao Jian casually bent the pipe with his hands, easily bending it. "If I had applied that force on your neck, do you think your head would still stay on?" Hao Jian''s face was innocent as he said this casually, as if it were the most normal thing. But to Chang Zeliang and his men, the words carried a heavy, bloody implication... Chapter 926 - 925: No Wonder You Would... "Clang..." Casually tossing the pipe in his hand aside, Hao Jian let out a light chuckle as he glanced at Chang Zeliang and his men, who were frozen in place, too afraid to move. Then, turning his head, he looked at Xiao Qiang, reached out to touch her hair, and smiled, "I won''t let something like this happen again." "Kid... don''t... don''t think we''re scared of you!" A few of Chang Zeliang''s henchmen, who had been smashing things earlier, hurried over as they saw their boss being bullied. Seeing this, Chang Zeliang''s spirits were lifted, and he tried to muster some courage to shout back at Hao Jian. But as he focused his gaze on Hao Jian, a wave of cold fear suddenly struck him, and even his voice trembled. "Oh? Did I ever say I wanted you to be afraid of me?" Hao Jian wrapped an arm around Xiao Qiang''s waist, wearing a sly smirk on his face as he said, "If you want to make your move, then go ahead." "Hao Jian, isn''t this a bit too dangerous..." Hearing her words, Hao Jian raised a finger and lightly tapped Xiao Qiang''s forehead, smiling as he said, "Do you think your man would be the kind of useless guy who can''t handle this?" "I meant that they might be in danger. I''m worried you''ll kill them," Xiao Qiang corrected. "Woo woo woo..." Just as Chang Zeliang was about to continue bickering with Hao Jian, police sirens suddenly sounded from outside the door. A moment later, the crowd originally gathered by the entrance quickly dispersed, leaving a clear path. No one dared block the police''s way; they weren''t gutsy enough for that. Upon hearing the police had arrived, everyone immediately moved aside. "Looks like a kind soul called the cops on our behalf. So, are you still planning to stand around here?" Hao Jian also heard the sirens outside and flicked his eyes toward Chang Zeliang, chuckling lightly. "Hmph! Then let''s see whether these cops are on your side or mine!" Unlike other low-level gangsters, Chang Zeliang didn''t fear the arrival of the police. In fact, his eyes seemed to light up with expectation. Seeing this, Hao Jian chuckled knowingly¡ªit was clear Chang Zeliang had some scheme brewing. Behind Hao Jian, Xiao Qiang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the police were coming. At least she knew about Hao Jian''s influence in Hua City. As long as the cops showed up, no matter how dominant these people were, they wouldn''t dare act tough in front of the authorities. Only Chang Zeliang remained confident. He was well aware that this area fell under the jurisdiction of the city police department, and he happened to know the director. All he had to do was reveal his relationship with the director, and the matter would be resolved. "Who dares make trouble on my turf?!" Lin Nantian hopped out of the car and stormed into the shop, bellowing as he went, his face showing urgency. As he stepped inside and took in the wrecked display cabinets, his expression darkened. Then, shifting his gaze to the group in the corner, his face turned pale as his eyes landed on a twenty-something man in their midst. "Director Lin!" Hearing the commotion outside, Chang Zeliang quickly turned around. When he spotted Lin Nantian, his face lit up with joy. They hadn''t expected Lin Nantian himself to show up. Immediately, he called over his men and strode toward Lin Nantian. "Director Lin, why did you personally come?" Chang Zeliang greeted obsequiously as he pointed at Hao Jian across the room. "If that guy hadn''t stopped me, I''d have already handled things here!" "Hmph!" Lin Nantian''s face turned icy as he shot a frosty glare at Chang Zeliang. He waved at the officers behind him and barked, "Take these idiots who''ve lost their minds¡ªarrest them all!" Lin Nantian was sweating bullets. Damn it! This fool''s going to destroy me! If Young Master Hao sees me associated with this nitwit, will he lump me in as one of them? If that happens, my career is over! S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yes, sir!" The officers behind Lin Nantian responded immediately, well aware of the weight behind his words. The only person capable of commanding such specific instructions from Lin Nantian had to be Hao Jian. As his subordinates, they naturally recognized Hao Jian and treated him with respect. If any of them accidentally offended Hao Jian due to ignorance, the consequences would be disastrous¡ªthere were already too many lessons learned from people underestimating him. "What are you... what are you doing?!" Chang Zeliang watched in horror as the police swiftly subdued his henchmen and locked handcuffs around their wrists. His face turned pale as he pointed at the officers in fury, bellowing, "Director Lin told you to arrest him, not my men! It''s that punk, that punk..." "Click..." Before Chang Zeliang could finish, an officer stepped forward swiftly and cuffed his hands. Staring at the handcuffs now binding his hands, Chang Zeliang looked at Lin Nantian in confusion, blurting out, "Director Lin, what is the meaning of this?" "What''s my meaning?" Lin Nantian burst out laughing, mockery dripping from his tone. "You don''t even know Young Master Hao¡ªno wonder you''ve ended up like this." "For minor matters, I wouldn''t bother dealing with you. But now you''ve gone and provoked Young Master Hao. Even if I wanted to save you, there''s nothing I can do." Though Lin Nantian''s words reflected reality, Chang Zeliang refused to believe them. He couldn''t fathom how Lin Nantian, after all the payoffs he''d handed over yearly, could now turn against him! "Lin Nantian, I don''t care what you mean. Just unlock these cuffs right now, or don''t blame me if my people..." Chang Zeliang intended to threaten Lin Nantian, but before he could finish, a black gun barrel pointed directly at him, cutting his words short. Frightened, he immediately shut his mouth, too scared to utter another word. If he dared speak another word, that gun might spit fire, and the life it claimed would be his. "Say one more word, and I''ll put a bullet in your head!" Seeing Chang Zeliang zip his mouth shut, Lin Nantian gave a cold snort, then marched him over to Hao Jian. Standing before Hao Jian, Lin Nantian saluted and said, "Young Master Hao, we''ve apprehended the culprit. He''s ready to face your judgment." "Lin Nantian, why... why?!" Damn it! How could his life now depend on this punk?! Absolutely not! Chang Zeliang, unwilling to let his fate be dictated by Hao Jian, turned abruptly despite the gun at his temple, glaring at Lin Nantian as he spat the question out word by word. "Damn!" Lin Nantian slapped Chang Zeliang across the face, his expression icy as he sneered. "Originally, I wasn''t going to tell you Young Master Hao''s identity. But you refuse to shut up¡ªso now I''ll spell it out. After you hear it, I''d like to see if you dare question me again!" With that, Lin Nantian cast a glance at Hao Jian to ensure he wasn''t bothered, then coldly scoffed at Chang Zeliang. "I assume you''ve been around here long enough to have heard of Hao Jian, right?!" Hao Jian?! Upon hearing the name, Chang Zeliang''s initial confusion quickly morphed into sheer terror, his whole face drained of color. The name Hao Jian wasn''t unfamiliar to him. He''d heard bits and pieces¡ªhow formidable this man was, how no other Hua City bosses dared so much as cross him. Back during a drinking session, someone of decent status had mentioned Hao Jian casually. That had prompted Chang Zeliang to probe further, hoping to learn more about this figure. The more he learned, the more his fear grew. Admiration, too. He longed to one day meet Hao Jian. But now? Well, now he had indeed met him. But instead of the meeting he''d dreamed of, he found himself on the wrong side¡ªdragged into opposition he had foolishly initiated! The defiance in his gaze instantly evaporated, replaced by sheer panic. The person he''d provoked today was none other than the undisputed overlord of Hua City! Someone like him¡ªa nobody scraping by on protection rackets¡ªhow could he possibly go up against such a figure?! "Young Master Hao! Young Master Hao! Please, have mercy! Spare someone as insignificant as me! I''m blind¡ªI didn''t realize this was your turf! If I had known, even a thousand lives wouldn''t have given me the guts to trespass!" Now knowing Hao Jian''s identity, Chang Zeliang threw caution to the wind. With a loud "thump," he fell to his knees, terror etched across his face. Trembling, he kowtowed repeatedly, begging for forgiveness. Seeing their boss groveling, his henchmen quickly kneeled as well, mimicking their leader as they pleaded desperately. Witnessing the scene, Lin Nantian wasn''t surprised at all. In fact, he had anticipated such an outcome... Chapter 927 - 926: Sort it out tomorrow! After all, in the entire Hua City, anyone who knows Hao Jian wouldn''t dare speak to him the way Chang Zeliang does. Didn''t you see that even the bureau chief talks to Hao Jian with the utmost respect? Not to mention, aside from those like the mayor who aren''t afraid of Hao Jian, even the Deputy Mayor would nod and bow to him. As for why the mayor isn''t afraid, it starts with her daughter. Lin Nantian only heard some rumors about it. Apparently, the mayor''s daughter is one of Hao Jian''s companions. If that''s the case, as Hao Jian''s mother-in-law, how could she possibly be afraid of him? Does she even need to nod and bow to him? No need, she just needs one word from her daughter, and Hao Jian would go all out to help her... It''s precisely because of this that she can sit securely in the mayor''s seat without anyone daring to make a move against her... "Hehe, you want me to spare you?" Watching Chang Zeliang constantly kowtowing and begging for mercy on the ground, Hao Jian coldly shook his head, saying, "Since you''ve offended my woman, do you think I''ll let you off so easily?!" Clearly, this is a blatant challenge on Poria Cocos'' head. Let him off? That''s not in Hao Jian''s nature! Hao Jian has always known that some people in this world need a lesson, and this fool in front of him is one of them. If he doesn''t show him some color, he wouldn''t know how many eyes Lord Ma has! "Obviously, this is simply impossible!" Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Chang Zeliang''s face immediately stiffened, and a cold chill surged within him, stopping even his kowtowing motion mid-air... So handsome... Xiao Qiang''s jewelry store hadn''t hired a single male employee¡ªall were female. Otherwise, Chang Zeliang wouldn''t have dared to be so arrogant. Now, seeing Hao Jian making someone like Chang Zeliang constantly kowtow and beg for mercy, they felt a sense of admiration. Their bright eyes lingered on Hao Jian and then turned to Xiao Qiang, their boss. Some faces turned dejected. Hao Jian is the White Prince of their dreams, yet this White Prince already belongs to someone, and that someone is their boss. Therefore, they stand no chance at all. He''s her man! Xiao Qiang had already noticed the heated gazes from her employees. With a slight curl of her lips, she looked at Hao Jian, feeling a surge of pride. Whenever Hao Jian is by her side, an indescribable sense of security wells up in her, as if this man can hold up the sky if it ever falls, ensuring she remains unscathed no matter what. "Young Master Hao, it''s all up to you!" Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Lin Nantian fawningly pointed at Chang Zeliang on the ground, saying, "With just one word from you, this guy''s fate¡ªwhether life or death¡ªrests in your hands!" This guy dared to bully Young Master Hao''s woman? He''s truly courting death! Perhaps everyone in Hua City knows about Hao Jian''s reputation, but there''s one thing none dare touch, and that''s anyone close to Hao Jian, especially his romantic companions. Hao Jian''s women are untouchable in Hua City. If anyone dares to mess with them, regardless of who they are, the outcome is either death or a life behind bars. Now, Chang Zeliang''s fate hinges on Hao Jian''s word, and his only options are death or prison, with no third path available. Hao Jian never shows mercy to those who bully his women. The reason Feng Jin at the marketplace only lost a hand was merely to save face for Li Yuchen, who had just joined Spice Ginger''s ranks and to convince him to stay with them. As for those unrelated to Hao Jian, like Si Youyuan, who clashed with Li Yuchen for a long time, and his dim-witted subordinate Sun Hongyuan¡ªthese two are prime examples of those who bullied Hao Jian''s women and ended up with miserable fates. As the bureau chief, Lin Nantian was aware of all these incidents. The district-level police chiefs reported Hao Jian''s movements to him daily. "I don''t want to kill today, so let''s send these people to prison. Anyway, their accumulated crimes over the years should be enough to keep them locked up for life, right?" Hao Jian nonchalantly waved at Lin Nantian and said, "I assume you have evidence of his crimes?" "Yes!" Lin Nantian nodded quickly. After all, Chang Zeliang conducted all these shady dealings right under his nose. Without holding some incriminating evidence, he wouldn''t dare release such a person, even while receiving money and gifts from him annually. The reserved criminal records are meant for a day like this¡ªwhen Chang Zeliang was no longer needed¡ªleverage these records to arrest him and prevent him from harming others. Now that Hao Jian brought it up, Lin Nantian had no choice but to hand over the files. As long as this guy offended Hao Jian, even without these records, he could find a reason to lock him up for life. Though Lin Nantian, as a bureau chief, didn''t have that much authority, many people outside backed Hao Jian. It would take just one word from them to settle the matter. Therefore, Lin Nantian wasn''t concerned at all. He casually waved at his subordinates to take them away, as he said to Hao Jian, "If anything happens next time, remember to call me, I''ll handle it!" "Mmm, thank you for this time..." Hao Jian nodded lightly. If Lin Nantian hadn''t come by this time, he might have ended up casually killing these guys. What chance would they have to sit in jail? "No, no worries!" Upon hearing Hao Jian''s thanks, Lin Nantian quickly waved his hands, wiped the sweat off his face, and said respectfully, "I won''t disturb you anymore, Young Master Hao. I''ll take my men and leave..." Although he wished to stay longer and cozy up to Hao Jian, he couldn''t. The situation didn''t allow it¡ªafter all, a beautiful lady was waiting for Young Master Hao beside him. If he overstayed his welcome, he risked earning Hao Jian''s disdain, rendering all his efforts over the years in vain. Afterward, Lin Nantian took his police officers and Chang Zeliang''s men back to the police station, while the onlookers, after witnessing Lin Nantian''s reverent treatment of Hao Jian, hurriedly left the area. Each one who departed would subconsciously engrave the store''s name in their minds... "Rose Jewelry Store..." "Alright, the matter is settled. Tidying up the shop can wait until tomorrow. Let''s head back; Sister Lan and the others are waiting for you to join them for dinner..." Seeing that everyone had left, Hao Jian turned to Xiao Qiang and spoke softly. Then he glanced around, shook his head slightly, and said, "The store has been quite damaged. Tomorrow we''ll find some craftsmen to repair it, and it should be ready to reopen the day after tomorrow." "Mmm, I know." Upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, Xiao Qiang nodded obediently, then turned to her female employees, smiling, "You all must have been scared today. Let''s call it a day; go home. We''ll handle the store''s matters tomorrow." "Boss, what about the jewelry here?" one of the employees nodded, then pointed hesitantly at the scattered jewelry around and spoke, "Though the jewelry is broken, it can be sent back to the factory for re-manufacturing. However, scattered like this, there''s a risk of thieves intentionally targeting us..." Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Xiao Qiang nodded. The employee''s concern was valid. Though she wasn''t particularly concerned about the store''s jewelry, given it''s just one of many branches. There were plenty of outlets at better locations in other cities. In other cities, she might worry about theft, but in Hua City, she had no such concerns due to Hao Jian''s presence. "Don''t worry about this. Those who dare steal from me in Hua City likely haven''t been born yet. So, rest easy!" Upon hearing her employee''s concern, Hao Jian softly chuckled, nodded, and said, "Go home now..." "Well... in that case..." Frankly speaking, hearing such a dominant statement directly, few women could resist the allure. The female employees promptly collected their belongings and left. When Hao Jian pulled down the three shutters of the store, he took Xiao Qiang into the sports car, floored the gas pedal, and sped toward their destination. At home, there were delicious dishes waiting for him. However, Hao Jian felt a bit anxious thinking about it, considering he''d invited Li He this time. Perhaps by now, the dining table has been swept clean by Li He... Thinking of this, Hao Jian instinctively pressed down harder on the gas pedal. The car roared with breathtaking explosive noise and sped away. But when Hao Jian reached home, he found everyone sitting in the living room, chatting and watching TV, including Li He. "Hao Jian, you''re back!? Yay! I can finally stop staring at the dishes and drooling!" Seeing Hao Jian return, Li He, sitting watching TV, burst into laughter... Chapter 928 - 927: Lets go for coffee! "Beep... beep... beep..." "Hello... who is it..." Hao Jian, still half-asleep, was suddenly jolted awake by the ringing of his phone. He rubbed his eyes groggily, fumbled for the answer button, and pressed the phone to his ear. "Hao Jian! A new internationally renowned coffee shop just opened in Hua City. Will you go with me to check it out?" The moment he answered, Shu Ya''s bell-like laughter rang through the speaker, making Hao Jian shake his head to wake up fully. Puzzled, he asked, "Coffee shop? Which one?" "Starbucks, of course! Globally famous!" "Alright, what time?" Hao Jian nodded with a smile and asked. "Three o''clock. I''ll wait for you outside the company. Don''t be late!" After saying that, Shu Ya promptly hung up, leaving Hao Jian shaking his head helplessly. He muttered to himself in confusion, "Three o''clock? Is it late already?" Still puzzled, Hao Jian grabbed the watch sitting on his bedside table and checked the time. His face froze. Damn it! It was already almost two! Flipping the corner of his blanket with one hand, he leapt out of bed and rushed to freshen up. As for the rest of the people in the house, like Wen Lan, they had already gone out, leaving Hao Jian alone at home. After spending half an hour getting ready¡ªwashing up, eating, dressing¡ªHao Jian grabbed the keys off the table, dashed out the door, and sprinted down the stairs. With one swift step, he jumped into his Enzo, inserted the key, fired up the engine, and sped off in the direction of Shu Ya Group! Last night, because there were so many dishes, Hao Jian and Li He kept eating through three rounds¡ªstarter, main, and dessert¡ªuntil they''d finished everything on the table. As for Wen Lan and the other women, they ate only a little before deciding not to overindulge, fearing weight gain. Toward the end, they even went downstairs to the convenience store to haul two cases of beer upstairs for Hao Jian and Li He, saying that, because it was a happy occasion, they would "allow" Hao Jian to drink. In fact, Hao Jian couldn''t even recall when or how Li He left. All he knew was that he had slept quite well, though his waist was a little sore¡ªstrange, considering someone of his "stature" shouldn''t experience such discomfort. Shaking his head, Hao Jian pushed those thoughts aside and focused on driving toward Shu Ya Group as fast as possible. Shu Ya had told him to arrive before three, and he''d already spent thirty minutes getting ready. With only twenty-something minutes left, driving at a normal speed wouldn''t get him there in time. But with the Enzo''s top speed, he could still make it in a few minutes. Ignoring everything else, Hao Jian floored the gas pedal, relying on his extraordinary senses to assess the road conditions, weaving left and right, overtaking cars one after another. At several intersections, traffic officers were conducting vehicle checks, but Hao Jian''s car blew past them so fast that they immediately mounted their motorcycles to chase him¡ªonly to give up after a short pursuit. "Damn it! Who would dare chase a car like Hao Jian''s?!" Recognizing the familiar-looking car after comparing it with their records, the officers realized it really was Hao Jian''s vehicle and were too scared to continue pursuing. "What a joke! In Hua City, who''d dare to chase down Hao Jian''s car?!" "Phew! Finally made it!" Seeing the gates of Shu Ya Group ahead, Hao Jian checked the time and found he was five or six minutes early. He let out a small sigh of relief. At least this time, Shu Ya wouldn''t tease him for being late! As he drew closer, Hao Jian eased off the gas. When his car finally came to a stop at the entrance, Shu Ya was already there, waiting by the roadside. The moment she saw his car pull up, Shu Ya smiled slightly, walked briskly to the car, opened the door, and slipped into the passenger seat. Glancing at Hao Jian, she teased, "I thought you''d decide to keep on sleeping..." She knew full well how hard Hao Jian and Li He had hit the drinks last night¡ªeach of them had heroically downed an entire case of beer! Toward the end, it was the women who had to clean up the mess... When Shu Ya had called earlier, it was just to check if Hao Jian was awake. If he hadn''t been, she would''ve scrapped today''s plan. To her surprise, though, Hao Jian was actually up... "Hahaha! A bit of beer isn''t enough to knock me out!" Scratching his head and chuckling awkwardly, Hao Jian laughed it off. In truth, he couldn''t even remember how he ended up falling asleep last night... "Yeah, right!" With a roll of her eyes, Shu Ya pointed ahead and said, "The coffee shop is near Yajing Park¡ªit should take around twenty minutes to get there..." "Leave it to me!" Hao Jian burst into laughter, slammed on the gas, and zoomed toward the destination Shu Ya had mentioned. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yajing Park was not a natural park¡ªit was a massive project, funded by the government to the tune of ten billion, covering more than a thousand acres. The picturesque site featured an artificial greenhouse filled with a variety of off-season plants and flowers. It was a popular spot, attracting plenty of visitors daily. Since the government had sponsored it and made entry free, they also assigned hundreds of cleaners to maintain the park''s cleanliness, ensuring it stayed pristine. This had naturally driven up the land prices in the surrounding area. For Starbucks to open a store here, it must''ve taken an enormous investment¡ªthe annual rent alone wasn''t a small figure. Still, the payoff was worth it. The foot traffic alone brought lucrative returns. Combined with Starbucks'' reputation as one of the top ten coffee brands in the world, the location attracted coffee lovers, couples, and casual visitors alike. And today, this particular Starbucks was Hao Jian and Shu Ya''s destination. After a fifteen-minute drive, they finally arrived. Seeing the familiar decor at the entrance, Hao Jian smiled faintly. Sometimes, taking a stroll in the park and then stopping by this coffee shop for a cup of coffee felt like a blessing. Even though they hadn''t gone for a walk, simply enjoying a coffee brought its own bit of happiness¡ªespecially with such stunning company by his side. Each of them ordered a mocha and found a quiet, cozy seat by the window. They sat down and began chatting softly, smiling and laughing as they talked. Unlike their usual lively conversations, their voices were noticeably lower, as if the serene atmosphere of the coffee shop had subtly influenced them... That was perfectly normal¡ªmost customers who stepped into this kind of coffee shop instinctively lowered their voices, tiptoeing almost unconsciously, as though afraid any slight noise might shatter the tranquil ambiance. "Clang!" "Welcome!" This time, however, the quiet didn''t last. A group of young men and women suddenly barged through the door. If you counted, there were over ten of them. They laughed loudly, their manners unrestrained. Some of the men openly groped the women by their sides, their hands wandering without any care for appearances. Surprisingly, the women being teased giggled flirtatiously, seeming to enjoy the attention. The boisterous group instantly caught the attention of everyone else in the coffee shop. "Get us something good! Money''s no object!" shouted the leader, a red-haired man whose speech was brash and insolent. Judging by his looks, he seemed to be around twenty-three or twenty-four years old... Hao Jian also noticed the commotion, giving them a brief sideways glance before looking away. He didn''t care¡ªhe''d been in noisier places than this. He went back to chatting and joking with Shu Ya about trivial matters... The server, hearing the red-haired leader''s demands, quickly nodded, took the man''s card, processed the payment, and handed the card back. "Sir, please take a seat while we prepare your order." The red-haired man snorted, waved his hand dismissively, and the rowdy group began looking for seats¡ªeventually picking the table right next to Hao Jian''s. What had originally been a table for two or three people was forcefully rearranged as they shoved several tables together, taking their seats noisily while talking and laughing without any regard for their volume. "Brother Rong! There''s nothing interesting in Qingya Park! Just some lame plants¡ªhow can they call this a 4A-rated tourist spot? Honestly, your mansion''s garden is ten times more extravagant than this dump!" One of the younger guys in the group, around twenty years old, eagerly flattered the man they referred to as Brother Rong. "Haha! Of course! My villa cost over ten billion to build¡ªthis park is nothing compared to that! If I weren''t so bored, I wouldn''t even come here. And this so-called Starbucks coffee? Barely good enough for me." Brother Rong''s voice, filled with disdain, was loud and clear¡ªeveryone in the coffee shop could hear it. Not far from their table, a middle-aged man, about forty years old, abruptly shut his book with a dissatisfied expression. He got up and walked toward the counter... "Excuse me, could you kindly address this situation?" Chapter 929 - 928: Get Lost! "These people are so uncivilized! How dare they make such a commotion in a place like this? I think your caf¨¦ has an obligation to deal with this matter!" The man spoke without lowering his voice, even intentionally raising his tone. He glanced at the group of men and women not far away with a look of disdain. People like that¡ªdo they even deserve to be here drinking coffee?! They''re treating this place like some low-level sugar water shop! People like them shouldn''t even be allowed to stay here and drink coffee! The man''s words were clearly heard by Brother Rong, and his face immediately darkened. However, he didn''t say anything. Instead, he raised his hand and gestured to those who were about to stand up and confront the man to remain silent. Seeing Brother Rong do this, the men sat back down angrily. They caught the intention behind Brother Rong''s gesture. As for the women, they remained indifferent. Whatever happened in this caf¨¦ was none of their concern. After all, none of the men here had simple identities. Anyone from this group could easily resolve whatever conflict arose here. Or perhaps, with the money they casually spent, they could outright buy this caf¨¦. It''s laughable that the old man dared to offend these people. Does he even understand the meaning of the word "death"? In response to the man''s attitude, a male staff member immediately stepped forward and said to him, "Sir, please allow us at the caf¨¦ to mediate this situation..." "Hmm!" Seeing someone handle the matter, the man snorted. He had come here to read, and just as he was engrossed, his mood was ruined by the disturbance. His desire to read vanished completely, leaving him no choice but to ask the caf¨¦ staff to intervene. The male staff member approached Brother Rong and his group, wearing a face full of apology as he said, "Dear guests, could I ask you to lower your voices a bit when talking? After all, there are other guests in the caf¨¦ who prefer a quieter environment..." "Get lost!" Brother Rong waved his hand dismissively at the man with a sneer. "Who do you think you are to talk to me, Bai Herong, like this? Are you planning to shut down this place or what?!" "Sir, if you''re unwilling to cooperate with us, it''ll make things very difficult for us..." The staff member was no stranger to dealing with difficult customers. He understood that reacting too aggressively would be pointless, so he tried to mediate patiently. Unfortunately, Bai Herong had no intentions of wasting words with the worker. "Who among you wants to handle this?" Bai Herong clapped a few of the men on their shoulders, glanced at the staff member and the middle-aged man in the distance, and curled his lips into a chilling smile. Upon hearing Brother Rong''s cue, several young men burst into laughter and said, "Brother Rong, leave this to us! We''ll make sure to ''take good care'' of them!" The emphasis on "take good care" made their meaning obvious. They sneered as they stood up, stepped past the sofa, and simultaneously headed toward the staff member and the middle-aged man. "Since you had the audacity to embarrass us earlier, let''s see how you plan to fix this now!" One of the men reached the middle-aged man and grabbed his collar, laughing maniacally. "Time to show you what our skills are!" With that, the man flung the terrified middle-aged man onto the ground. Without wasting a second, he raised his foot to stomp down on him. Another man stepped forward and also stomped hard onto his body. "Thump, thump, thump!" The caf¨¦ was immediately filled with muffled sounds. Not only was the middle-aged man struck repeatedly, but the staff member who had called out Bai Herong was also punched and kicked by the gang. His once-decently handsome face was bruised and even had one eye swollen shut. Scenes like these sent most of the caf¨¦ patrons into shock. Some wanted to take the chance to escape but froze in their tracks when they felt a chilling gaze burning into their backs. A cautious side glance revealed it was the gang of young men watching them. They quickly straightened up and didn''t dare move a muscle... "Hao Jian, these people are awful!" Shu Ya watched the ongoing chaos with anger etched across her face. She had brought Hao Jian to enjoy a peaceful day together, but these people ruined the carefully planned atmosphere. Worse, it happened in a place she''d chosen. She couldn''t help but feel embarrassed. She worried Hao Jian would mock her for picking such a place. Precisely because of this concern, her frustration toward the group intensified! When it came to her identity, though, Shu Ya had never feared anyone. No matter how powerful these young men''s backers might be, could they surpass Hao Jian? Absolutely not! "Haha, let me handle this. My beauty has spoken; how could I turn a blind eye? Just wait for me¡ªit won''t take long." Hao Jian didn''t hesitate to resolve the issue for Shu Ya. Moreover, this was Hua City¡ªthere was no one here he couldn''t deal with! "Damn it! Let''s see if you dare ask us to quiet down again!" The group continued their assault on the middle-aged man and the staff, hurling curses throughout. Female staff members looked on in terror, frozen by fear. None of them had ever encountered a situation like this before. After all, who would''ve thought these young men would be brazen enough to cause such havoc in a caf¨¦? The fear rendered them too disoriented to even think about calling the police... "Hehe! Die, bastard!" Growing bored, the young men raised their feet again. This time, they aimed directly at the victims'' heads with enough force to cripple or kill. "That''s enough!" Just as their feet hovered inches from the middle-aged man''s head, a calm yet commanding voice echoed from a corner of the room. Hearing the voice, the young men sneered dismissively, intending to continue their attack¡ªbut were shocked to find their feet wouldn''t budge any further! "You''ve caused enough trouble. Time to stop, don''t you think?" Hao Jian rose from his seat, strode across the caf¨¦, and looked at the young men with calm eyes. Then, his gaze shifted to Bai Herong, knowing that stopping the group meant dealing with their leader first. If they refused to cooperate, Hao Jian wouldn''t mind resorting to violence. However, to avoid ruining the atmosphere of his day with Shu Ya, he decided to hold off on using force... "Who the hell are you?! Get the hell out of here!" Bai Herong sneered as he noticed Hao Jian''s gaze land on him. He turned to face him with scorn, snorting, "Playing the hero for losers, huh? I advise you to back off before someone messes up that girl you brought along!" "Heh..." Hearing this, Hao Jian chuckled softly, though a glimmer of murderous intent flashed in his eyes. This guy had just threatened him! "Poor bastard, you''d be wise to listen to Brother Rong. Otherwise, we won''t go easy on you!" The young men noticed Hao Jian''s attire¡ªa collection of what they perceived as second-rate or third-rate brands, with a total value barely reaching 3,000 yuan. In their eyes, his clothes were equivalent to street stall goods. But to ordinary people, they were rather impressive. After all, brands like Nike and Adidas were global names. Ironically, Shanshan and her friends often bought these for Hao Jian, calling them "pajamas." Little did they know Hao Jian didn''t care about appearances¡ªhe wore whatever was nearby. And this always became a source of ridicule during encounters like this. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Such shabby attire meant his status couldn''t be high. "Not moving?" Seeing Hao Jian remain smiling without a sharp retort, the men exchanged curious glances but soon burst out laughing coldly. "Do you actually plan to take these two losers away by yourself against the likes of us?" "Hahaha! Don''t blame us for not warning you! Someone like you doesn''t stand a chance. A penniless fool like you, even if your assets multiplied a hundred times, still wouldn''t have the right to boss us around!" They continued mocking Hao Jian while Bai Herong deliberately stayed silent, allowing them to insult him. After all, this meddler deserved punishment. Whether they dealt with two or three people, it made no difference! On top of that, young women in the group began joining in the verbal attacks on Hao Jian. "Haha! Look! That poor fool doesn''t even dare respond!" Despite their jeers and insults, Hao Jian maintained his faint smile, as though he wasn''t bothered in the least. This demeanor caught the attention of the young men soon after. Chapter 930 - 929: Ive Said It, Dont Mess With Me... These young men, upon seeing the situation, assumed Hao Jian was scared of them... "Haha! Look at him, this kid who wants to save the bear cub is actually terrified!" A young man pointed at Hao Jian and burst into laughter, sarcasm evident in his words, "With someone like you, if you''re trying to play the hero in front of a beauty, you better think twice about your abilities! Step out and you''ll have no chance to regret it!" "Haha!" Seeing Hao Jian still unmoved, everyone on Bai Herong''s side laughed aloud. Even the women looked at Hao Jian with mocking gazes, as if saying, "Is this the kind of useless man you are?" "Hey, Miss Beauty, your man isn''t very reliable! How about joining me instead? I promise to treat you ******** well!" After ridiculing Hao Jian, one of them immediately jumped out and approached Shu Ya, who was sitting nearby sipping coffee. Lust filled his face as he laid eyes on the stunning woman. "Sure, as long as you can defeat him, I''ll agree..." Shu Ya''s lips curved slightly into a smile as she stretched lazily. Her slightly fitted clothing outlined a captivating silhouette. Defeat Hao Jian? Unless the Martial Saint Lord Guan himself were reborn, these spoiled brats wouldn''t even come close... Shu Ya was angry with these guys. If she weren''t mad, she wouldn''t have let Hao Jian step in to teach them a lesson. Now they even dared to flirt with her? Did they really think her reputation as the cold-faced CEO was for show? "Really?! Haha! Then I''ll do it!" Originally just an offhand comment to mock Hao Jian for being unable to protect his woman, this man was unexpectedly met with Shu Ya''s agreement. In that moment, he felt as if springtime had come for him. Such a gorgeous beauty, actually agreeing to his demand? Beat this kid, right? He turned his head and looked at Hao Jian, who stood in the middle with an unwavering smile. Curling his lips dismissively, he snorted and walked toward Hao Jian. Standing in front of him, he raised his chin, extended a finger, and sneered arrogantly at Hao Jian, "Kid, you heard your woman. If you don''t want to get hurt, you''d best kneel before me now and hand your woman over!" "Brother Yu, your words might scare this guy senseless!" A man who had been mocking Hao Jian earlier pretended to pull on Brother Yu''s sleeve. In his eyes, Hao Jian was already terrified. They had seen many guys like him before. At first, they might show some resistance, but over time, they''d lose all intrigue. Now was the perfect moment to mess with Hao Jian while their interest hadn''t faded. Brother Yu glanced respectfully at Bai Herong and asked, "Brother Rong, you won''t mind if I play around with this guy, right?" Among their group, Bai Herong was the most distinguished. After all, he was a member of the Bai Family¡ªnot one of those freeloaders but someone with actual authority. His parents were high-ranking members of the Bai Family, a fact that alone elevated his pride and aura around those with mere millions in assets. "Do as you please. Just deal with this quickly. We''ve spent all day in Hua City and haven''t even visited all the sights. Once we''re done with coffee, we''re heading out¡ªdon''t delay my schedule..." Unbothered by Brother Yu''s words, Bai Herong lazily waved his hand, but his tone still hinted they should wrap this up. On a whim last night, this group had flown their private jet to Hua City. Today, they''d only visited a few renowned sights and had some left to explore... "Yes!" Upon hearing Bai Herong''s response, Brother Yu trembled slightly, then turned abruptly. Grinning cruelly, he walked toward Hao Jian and sneered, "Kid, today''s your lucky day. You won''t have to suffer. I''ll give you a chance right now..." As he spoke, Brother Yu grabbed a nearby chair, propped one foot on it, spread his legs wide, and pointed at the space beneath him, grinning maliciously. "Just crawl through here and offer up your woman. Then we''ll be done with this!" "Oh? Is it really that simple?" Hao Jian''s eyes flickered with a cold light. His lips curled into a smile, his deep gaze revealing none of his thoughts... "Why are you talking so much crap?! If Brother Yu says crawl, you crawl!" Before Hao Jian could finish speaking, another man stepped forward. His face full of menace, he grabbed Hao Jian by the shoulder and sneered, "Now go crawl!" "You touched my shoulder..." Hao Jian''s gaze flicked briefly toward the greasy hand on his shoulder. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he spoke flatly. "So what if I touched you?!" The man responded scornfully, cursing while forcefully trying to shove Hao Jian toward Brother Yu so he could crawl under him. "I hate it the most when garbage like you touches me!" With a glint of frost in his eyes, Hao Jian''s calm yet chilling voice escaped his lips. The man instinctively wanted to retort, but suddenly, his world flipped upside down... Huh? What''s happening to me? "Bang!" The next instant, the man crashed grotesquely into a nearby table, breaking it into smithereens. Curiously or perhaps intentionally, his trajectory took him flying straight toward Bai Herong''s table! "Kid! You''re courting death!" Brother Yu''s expression darkened, his teeth clenched as he glared at Hao Jian, bellowing, "You''ll pay for your idiotic actions!" "Oh? Really? Then go ahead and try!" Unperturbed, Hao Jian merely smiled faintly, beckoning with a finger as if inviting Brother Yu to come closer. "You''re dead!" Seeing Hao Jian''s arrogance, the surrounding group turned grim simultaneously. Everyone except Bai Herong shouted in anger and charged at Hao Jian! "Ah!" Many women gasped at the chaotic scene, covering their eyes nervously, too frightened to watch the carnage about to unfold... "Bang! Ah!" "Bang bang bang! Ah ah ah!" "Bang bang bang bang! Ah ah ah ah!" What followed was a symphony of fists colliding with flesh and agonized screams. Hearing those odd noises prompted the previously terrified women to cautiously part their fingers. When their gaze landed on the scene, their mouths fell open in disbelief... Hao Jian moved leisurely. A single step would take him past an opponent, and without any apparent action, that man would suddenly be launched into the air, accompanied by the sound of fists thudding into flesh. "I told you, don''t mess with me..." In the end, all five men, including Brother Yu, were sprawled on the ground, groaning in misery. Hao Jian stood nearby, feigning innocence as he spread his hands and sighed, "I warned you not to cause trouble. This is the result of your own doing¡ªyou''ve brought it upon yourselves." Damn it! Who could''ve known this guy could fight like this?! If we''d known, we would''ve begged Brother Rong to help us flee! At Hao Jian''s seemingly innocent remark, the battered group was overcome with the urge to cry. Each of them resembled pitiful wives, looking at Hao Jian with resentful eyes that sent shivers down his spine. Just what sort of freaks were these guys?! "Shut the hell up! Keep staring at me like that and I''ll beat the lot of you to death!" Cursing under his breath, Hao Jian suddenly kicked them hard. His Qi Force enveloped his right foot, delivering devastating blows that sent them flying once again... "Bang bang bang!" What followed was a chaotic cacophony¡ªsounds of bodies hitting the ground and furniture shattering. To everyone''s shock, the men landed in the same spot as the earlier victim: Bai Herong''s table. "Ah!" The women accompanying Bai Herong screamed in terror, clutching one another tightly. Their frantic movements inadvertently revealed glimpses of their spring skin¡ªunfortunately (or perhaps intentionally), none of them were wearing bras! sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The brief flashes of skin went unnoticed. Under different circumstances, someone might''ve taken a moment to appreciate the scene. But given the intensity of the current events, everyone was fixated on Hao Jian, their faces incredulous instead of admiring. What kind of person was this guy?! He could take on six people single-handedly?! Looking at Hao Jian''s seemingly slender frame, those present couldn''t help but think, "Impossible..." Though shocked, most guests showed even greater concern. Judging by the exchanges earlier, it was clear this group wasn''t ordinary. To them, Hao Jian''s identity might be insignificant, perhaps not even remotely prestigious. Someone like Hao Jian provoking these individuals? The aftermath wouldn''t be pretty. The harassment alone might be unbearable, not to mention the possibility of imprisonment! "Clap clap clap..." Suddenly, the sound of applause rang out softly, directing everyone''s eyes toward the source. Upon seeing who it was, their expressions shifted dramatically. No need to guess¡ªBai Herong was about to make his move... ............... Chapter 931 - 930: Yes, My Name is Hao Jian "I can''t decide whether to call you bold or just plain foolish," Bai Herong sneered coldly as he glared at Hao Jian. His eyes briefly flicked to the lackeys lying among shattered tables and chairs, groaning in pain, before he let out a disdainful snort and barked, "What are you whining about?! It''s just a beating, and you''re all acting like women! Get up this instant!" "Y-yes, yes!" The men, startled by Bai Herong''s roar, promptly shut their mouths, forcing themselves to endure the excruciating pain as they struggled to rise. They staggered to the sofa, sitting in silence, not daring to utter another word. Even so, the cold sweat dripping from their foreheads betrayed the agony they felt. Their trembling legs couldn''t support them, their fury-filled eyes glaring at Hao Jian. Yet, when they turned their gaze to Bai Herong, sparks of hope lit up their faces. Others in the room might not know Bai Herong''s identity, but they did. As a member of the Bai Family, his status far surpassed anyone present. "Say whatever you want; it makes no difference to me. Soon, you''ll end up just like them..." Hao Jian, indifferent to Bai Herong''s taunts, simply shrugged, his gaze calm as he briefly glanced at Bai Herong. Chuckling softly, he said, "I hope you don''t scream as loudly as those wasteful fools did. I don''t like noise¡ªit gets on my nerves." When Hao Jian had sent those men flying earlier, he deliberately struck their pain points. It amplified their sensation of pain tenfold, coursing through their entire bodies¡ªa torment that would last for thirty full minutes. In other words, for the next half-hour, those men would endure pain tenfold worse than the original injury. This was Hao Jian''s idea of a fitting punishment for their lewd behavior. After all, their offense¡ªharassing Shu Ya¡ªwas more than enough for Hao Jian to sentence them to death. He didn''t end their lives only because he''d recently been practicing self-restraint and temperance. His murderous intent had diminished substantially. More importantly, they were nobodies, men of low status. Killing them brought no sense of accomplishment, making it a waste of effort. If those men could hear Hao Jian''s thoughts, they''d probably faint right there¡ªwithout needing any further physical torment. After all, weren''t they heirs to billions? And yet, in Hao Jian''s eyes, they were nothing more than worthless trash?! "Clack..." "Scrr..." As Hao Jian suddenly took a small step forward, the men he''d beaten instinctively shuffled backward on the sofa, making scuffling noises. Even this involuntary movement made Bai Herong''s face darken sharply, his eyes glowing with ominous light. "Idiots!" He growled in fury, glaring at Hao Jian. "Punk, don''t get too cocky!" "Am I being cocky?" Hao Jian spread his hands helplessly in response, his expression filled with feigned innocence. He''d never exhibited any arrogance, so why did everyone keep accusing him of it? "I won''t lower myself to your level!" Bai Herong, momentarily caught off-guard by Hao Jian''s reply, quickly dismissed the matter. Snorting coldly, he pointed at Hao Jian and demanded, "Kneel and beg for mercy right now, and maybe¡ªjust maybe¡ªI''ll give you a chance. Otherwise, you''re as good as dead." "If you die, that pretty little lady of yours will be left for someone else to enjoy!" Bai Herong gleefully gloated, completely oblivious to Hao Jian''s true identity. Hao Jian turned to look at Shu Ya upon hearing Bai Herong''s words. His gaze lingered on her momentarily, his eyes widening slightly, as if to say, "See what happens when you drag me into your mess? It''s always people with a scrap of status playing the self-important fool." Shu Ya, leisurely sipping her coffee, met Hao Jian''s gaze and giggled behind her hand... "Say what nonsense you need to say¡ªin one go, please. Stop wasting my time." Hao Jian withdrew his gaze from Shu Ya and waved dismissively at Bai Herong, stifling a yawn with an annoyed expression. Damn it¡ªthis punk dares to disregard me?! Seeing Hao Jian''s attitude, Bai Herong''s rage erupted like a volcano. His fury surged, pounding against his chest as though trying to tear its way out. His bloodshot eyes locked onto Hao Jian, and he screamed, "You wretched nobody! My status as Young Master Bai of the Bai Family isn''t something you can afford to provoke!" "Have you heard of Huaxia''s Bai Family?!" "The Bai Family?!" As Bai Herong uttered those words, the faces of several people in the room changed drastically, their expressions morphing into sheer terror. The Bai Family¡ªa mighty family in Huaxia¡ªwasn''t to be provoked. Few even had the privilege of meeting someone from the Bai Family, and yet here, in this insignificant caf¨¦, a confrontation was unfolding. And, it involved this young man! "Huaxia has plenty of Bai Families¡ªwhich one are you talking about?" Hao Jian casually scratched his ear, shaking his head indifferently. Even though he knew full well which Bai Family Bai Herong referred to, Hao Jian intentionally pretended ignorance to mock him. "The Bai Family from the Capital City!" With those words, Hao Jian''s gaze turned icy cold. Fixing Bai Herong with a faint stare, he asked, "What relation is Bai Yang to you?" "He''s my cousin!" With a self-important lift of his chin, Bai Herong radiated arrogance as a member¡ªand one of the young masters¡ªof the Bai Family. That air of superiority was something only his family bestowed upon him. "Oh, so you''re Bai Yang''s cousin..." If Bai Herong was Bai Yang''s cousin, that just meant Hao Jian had all the more reason to teach him a lesson... "Wretched nobody! Since you know my Bai Family, you''d better kneel down this instant. Perhaps, if I''m feeling generous, I might let you go..." Having realized Hao Jian was aware of his family¡ªand his cousin Bai Yang¡ªas well, Bai Herong''s demeanor became even more arrogant as he taunted Hao Jian. Not far off, Shu Ya couldn''t help but smile faintly upon hearing that Bai Herong was part of the Bai Family. Her alluring eyes turned to Hao Jian, sparkling playfully, her lips curling into a crescent moon-shaped grin. Regardless of who the opponent was, Hao Jian had never been one to cower... "If you''re from the Bai Family, then you should know the name Hao Jian." Bai Herong froze at Hao Jian''s words. His expression, previously brimming with conceit, instantly drained of color, his complexion paled as beads of cold sweat appeared on his brow. That dreaded name¡ªHao Jian¡ªwas a name whispered throughout the Bai Family, a tale of humiliation, caution, and fear. To prevent further disgrace, the Bai Family Head had forbidden all discussion of Hao Jian''s name. Though the topic had been suppressed, the chilling memories attached to it lingered deep in the minds of every Bai Family member. Bai Herong could never have anticipated that this name would resurface here today¡­ "Could it be that you''re..." The moment Bai Herong heard the name, his confident voice began faltering, each word emerging hesitantly and accompanied by visible tremors. "I am Hao Jian." Seeing Bai Herong''s dramatic transformation, Hao Jian confirmed his identity. His gaze rested on Bai Herong for a moment before he spoke calmly. "Thud!" No sooner had those words reached Bai Herong''s ears that he dropped to his knees abruptly. His face morphed into an expression of pure terror as he stared at Hao Jian and stammered, "Young Master Hao... Young Master Hao..." The Bai Family Head had explicitly ordered that no one antagonize Hao Jian¡ªall due to the catastrophic consequences that would follow. These repercussions were something the Bai Family itself couldn''t afford to bear. And now, Bai Herong had done just that. Not only had he provoked Hao Jian, but he''d also directed degrading remarks at Hao Jian''s woman... No wonder that woman had looked so familiar... Overwhelmed by fear, Bai Herong suddenly recalled why Shu Ya had looked somewhat familiar earlier. The boss of Shu Ya Group, Shu Ya¡ªsomeone frequently seen on major television networks. And now, he realized her deeper identity: Hao Jian''s woman! S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Anyone who understood Hao Jian''s name knew that his favorite thing wasn''t preserving his life¡ªit was protecting his woman! "Now that you know my identity, dealing with you will be simpler..." Hao Jian muttered casually before advancing toward Bai Herong, whose body had grown stiff with fear. "Next time, keep your eyes open. Don''t mess with someone who''s beyond your league!" As he spoke, Hao Jian kicked Bai Herong squarely. This time, no one dared say a word, nor did anyone step forward. For those ignorant of Hao Jian''s significance, the rapid turn of events was startling enough to silence them. Seeing the others remain quiet, they followed suit, keeping their mouths shut. For those who knew the weight of Hao Jian''s name, their fear surpassed even Bai Herong''s. The horror in their eyes intensified. This group was limited to Bai Herong''s lackeys alone. Of everyone present, only they were privy to stories of Hao Jian and his influence. Now watching their leader¡ªnone other than their "Brother Rong"¡ªbeing beaten mercilessly by Hao Jian, none of them dared interrupt. Because they simply couldn''t. This was Hao Jian, after all! ......... Chapter 932 - 931: Do Not Doubt My Words "Why aren''t you talking? Weren''t you shouting quite fiercely just now?" After dealing with Bai Herong, Hao Jian lifted his head and looked at the few people still enduring the pain. A cold smirk curled up at the corner of his lips as he sneered. "Hao Jian... we... we''re not afraid of you!" Seeing Hao Jian looking over, Brother Yu and the others flinched internally, bitter at heart, but still barked back at Hao Jian in a blustering yet hollow manner. "Oh? Looks like you''re planning to keep up the act, huh? Let me see how long you can keep this up!" Hao Jian responded with a chuckle, his eyes blinking slightly as he crossed his arms, adopting a posture as if he were here to watch a show. If these guys gave up and admitted their fear so easily, it would be too dull. With Bai Herong already under his foot, stomping on him didn''t even give him any satisfaction. Instead, he wanted to see how long these guys could keep acting tough. As expected, he soon found out that these young masters were nothing but cowards who preyed on the weak. As soon as he said those words, those few men were so terrified they couldn''t muster up another word, trembling uncontrollably in the corner. Watching this, Hao Jian shook his head in disdain. "Pathetic." "Apologize to them immediately. If not, you won''t be leaving this caf¨¦ today!" Hao Jian, now bored of the situation, impatiently pointed towards the waiter they had assaulted and a middle-aged male customer. "Y-yes, yes!" There was no alternative. Hao Jian was not someone they could provoke. If they didn''t act according to his words, they might indeed never get to leave the caf¨¦ today. Thus, upon hearing Hao Jian''s command, they scrambled over the couch, kneeling in front of him in abject terror. After hesitating for a moment, they gritted their teeth and apologized to the two people they had beaten earlier. Seeing these previously lofty young masters apologizing like this made the waiter and the customer dumbfounded, their fear keeping them from saying a word as they stood frozen on the spot. "And you?!" While Brother Yu and the others went to apologize, Bai Herong remained stubbornly unwilling to comply. Hao Jian''s eyes narrowed slightly as he let out a cold snort. "I am one of the Bai Family''s young masters. There''s no reason for me to apologize!" S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Bai Herong held onto his pride. His arrogance wouldn''t permit him to kneel before those he considered beneath him¡ªnot to the waiter and certainly not to Hao Jian. It was simply impossible! "It seems you''re still not learning your lesson..." Hearing this, Hao Jian shook his head, his eyes flashing mockingly. He feared no one in the Bai Family, least of all someone who wasn''t even part of its upper ranks. "I''d like to see how long you can keep being stubborn." "If you''re not going to apologize to them, then I''ll have no choice but to end you right here!" With a shake of his head, Hao Jian reached out his hand and grabbed Bai Herong by the collar. Using a bit of force in his grip, he twisted his waist and flung Bai Herong violently in the direction of a nearby pillar. Witnessing this, whether it was Brother Yu and his group still apologizing, or the caf¨¦''s customers and employees, everyone''s faces changed dramatically. Some even covered their mouths with their hands, their eyes wide in disbelief. "Ah!" As the victim, Bai Herong had expected Hao Jian to retaliate against him. But he hadn''t anticipated Hao Jian employing such brutality! His face instantly turned pale as he screamed in utter terror. Flying through the air, Bai Herong grew closer and closer to the pillar with every passing moment. In the blink of an eye, his head was less than half a meter away from colliding with it! As the collision seemed imminent, many women covered their eyes with their hands, unable to bear the sight of the bloody scene about to unfold. Some customers even stepped forward in an attempt to stop him, only to discover in shock that their legs refused to move. Meanwhile, Brother Yu and his group just stood there dumbfounded, watching their leader close in on the pillar. "Tap." Just when everyone thought they were about to witness a gruesome accident, Hao Jian suddenly appeared gracefully in front of Bai Herong mid-air. Extending his hand casually, he placed it lightly on Bai Herong''s head, firmly halting his trajectory. At that moment, Bai Herong''s head was merely ten centimeters away from the pillar! "Thud." With the flying momentum halted and gravity taking over, Bai Herong plunged face-first into the ground beneath¡­ "Hah¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­" Striking the ground was painful enough to jar his spirit, but it paled in comparison to the terror he''d felt moments before when teetering on the edge of death. As soon as he hit the ground, he didn''t care about his injuries and began gasping for air with all his might. The crowd, seeing Bai Herong unharmed, collectively sighed in relief. After all, if something had really happened to someone like him, they would have been implicated. The caf¨¦ might even have been forced to close for good, leading to incalculable losses! "So? Want to try again?" At this moment, Hao Jian walked over to Bai Herong, a warm smile on his face. Yet, in Bai Herong''s eyes, Hao Jian looked far more terrifying than any Devil in hell. Moments ago, he had genuinely thought his life would end here! "N-no¡­ no¡­ no¡­" Bai Herong stammered, shaking his head like a rattle, terrified to oppose Hao Jian any further. "Since you''re scared now, do as you''re told and apologize to them. Otherwise, you already know the consequences¡­" Revealing his gleaming white teeth in a smile, Hao Jian''s eyes radiated coldness. "Do not doubt my words!" With the earlier lesson fresh in his mind, Bai Herong didn''t dare defy Hao Jian again, even without the latter saying much. Swallowing his fear, he awkwardly moved towards the two victims. After kneeling, his eyes burned with deep resentment. This bastard Hao Jian had humiliated him so thoroughly that the shame would haunt him forever! As soon as he left this place, Bai Herong vowed to make Hao Jian pay. No matter who he was, anyone who incurred the wrath of Bai Herong would end up in misery! Watching their leader kneel and apologize to the two utterly flustered individuals, Brother Yu and his remaining companions, who had just finished apologizing themselves, knelt obediently beside him, waiting for Bai Herong to rise... A minute later, unable to endure the indignity any longer, Bai Herong suddenly stood and growled at Hao Jian before storming out of the caf¨¦ without looking back... He had no desire to stay here even a moment longer! "Brother Rong!" Seeing Bai Herong leave, Brother Yu and the others hurried after him. The women they brought also rushed to follow, too frightened to linger any longer. They had long wanted to leave this place... "Hao Jian, will there be trouble?" Once Bai Herong and his group had slunk away, Shu Ya walked over, her beautiful eyes scanning the street outside with concern. After all, Bai Herong was a member of the Bai Family, and while Hao Jian might not be scared, the underhanded tricks they might use could be challenging to guard against. Hao Jian chuckled softly upon hearing her worry. Stroking Shu Ya''s hair, he replied with confidence, "In fact, I''m hoping they come after me. On my turf, they tried to besmirch my woman? I won''t let them off so easily!" Blushing slightly at his words, Shu Ya stuck out her tongue and giggled. Taking Hao Jian''s hand, she tugged him toward the door, playfully saying, "Since it''s all handled, you ought to come shopping with me. We haven''t had a proper shopping trip for days now!" "Alright, alright..." The mention of shopping forced Hao Jian to let out a sheepish laugh, remembering his unpleasant experiences from previous shopping trips. Big bags, small bags¡ªhe''d carried them all until he couldn''t take another step, only for the girls to finally relent. Shopping was his nightmare! Though today it was just Shu Ya, perhaps it wouldn''t be so bad? Watching her graceful silhouette, Hao Jian consoled himself. And just like that, the pair left the caf¨¦ without another thought for the mess inside. After going through something like this, Shu Ya likely wouldn''t frequent this caf¨¦ again, even if it was ranked among the world''s top ten. Once Hao Jian and Shu Ya left, the caf¨¦''s waiters and customers finally snapped out of their daze. Observing the injured waiter and the other battered customer, they began discussing the ordeal. Meanwhile, several young, attractive women gazed longingly toward the direction where Hao Jian had exited. If Hao Jian were to ask any of them to follow him right now, they might abandon everything and go with him. After all, such a man was rare indeed! "Ah! We have to call the boss!" Finally, one of the female waiters remembered something and quickly pulled out her phone to inform the caf¨¦''s owner of what had transpired. In the aftermath of the incident, the patrons who had planned to enjoy some quiet reading or relaxation no longer felt in the mood. One by one, they picked up their half-empty coffee cups or drinks and left the caf¨¦. The waiters, seeing this, shook their heads helplessly. Soon, one of them hung a "Closed for Business" sign on the door. Given the current situation inside the caf¨¦, it was clear they couldn''t continue serving customers. While two staff members escorted the injured waiter and customer to the hospital, the remaining employees started cleaning up the caf¨¦. It was during the cleanup that one of them noticed an unmarked bank card left quietly on a table. "So exhausting!" Meanwhile, Hao Jian, after accompanying Shu Ya for just half an hour of shopping, sat in a nearby bubble tea shop, panting dramatically. On the table before him lay numerous shopping bags of varying sizes... Chapter 933 - 932: A Solution to Hao Jians Problem "This matter absolutely cannot end like this!" Walking down the road, Bai Herong''s face was dark as water. He clenched his fists, growling under his breath. Thinking about how Hao Jian had humiliated him in that caf¨¦ earlier, forcing him to kneel and apologize to those lowly people¡ªthis was something Bai Herong had never experienced since the day he was born! But who could have imagined that today, his dignity would be trampled on like this? Hao Jian had utterly degraded him, and even now, just recalling Hao Jian sent tremors through his heart, a mix of fury and fear. However, this only made the hatred in Bai Herong''s heart build up even further. "Exactly! Brother Rong, this matter can''t just be dropped like that!" Brother Yu quickly echoed Bai Herong''s roar, his eyes flashing with the same defiant light. He was Bai Herong''s lapdog, and a master like Bai Herong naturally bred a dog of the same spirit. Having been humiliated by Hao Jian himself, Brother Yu similarly felt no small amount of resentment. Though his family''s standing seemed powerful to outsiders, it was nothing in the eyes of someone like Bai Herong¡ªlet alone Hao Jian! Without external help, Brother Yu knew he''d have no chance of getting back at Hao Jian in this lifetime. No matter how cunning he might be, it was impossible to surpass Hao Jian''s influence... Now, hearing Bai Herong''s intent to confront Hao Jian directly, his thoughts stirred. From Brother Yu''s perspective, the Bai family''s power didn''t lose out to Hao Jian in the slightest¡ªperhaps it even surpassed him. If Bai Herong decided to make a move, this could be the opportunity for revenge! The other rich kids present also had their calculations. Their eyes flickered with subdued glimmers, though one of them hesitated and spoke up: "But this is Hao Jian. Can we really deal with him?" sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The name "Hao Jian" had become an overbearing weight on their generation, a mountain they couldn''t escape from since who knows when, suffocating them with pressure. Just recently, trouble had struck both the Murong family and Ye family, with traces of Hao Jian''s involvement evident in both cases. These families, no less influential than the Bai family, had suffered under Hao Jian''s hand¡ªdeadly news. And for them, still in their twenties, Hao Jian''s age wasn''t much different from theirs. Yet, at this age, Hao Jian could challenge the might of some of Huaxia''s top families, while they still had to rely on their family''s power to make any waves outside. They were indignant! But there was no solution. Hao Jian was Hao Jian¡ªa figure they saw as universally unmatched. But this kind of person couldn''t crush their resolve! "We absolutely can!" Bai Herong''s gaze flickered, and after a short pause, he slowly spoke: "No matter how strong Hao Jian is, in the end, he''s just a person¡ªa human like us. At most, he''s better at fighting than we are. We can use guns against him!" "There''s a saying: ''No matter your martial arts, you''re still afraid of a kitchen knife.'' We won''t use knives now; we''ll use guns!" At his words, a cold wind blew past the group, making their eyes light up. Yes! No matter how skilled Hao Jian was, the threat of firearms¡ªof modern weapons¡ªwould neutralize his power! "But... we don''t have any gun permits. If we get caught, it could be a disaster..." "No need to worry! My Bai family isn''t so weak that we can''t handle this! Just do it¡ªif issues arise, no one will dare touch us! The Bai family stands behind me!" Bai Herong sneered, his eyes sweeping over the gathering. With a dark expression, he said solemnly, "The only problem now is we don''t know where to get guns..." "If we rush to the Capital to get the guns and return, it might be too late..." Though the Bai family''s influence in Huaxia was vast, there were always limitations to matters like logistics. Generally, their family did possess some firearms, but those were stored at the headquarters. Even accessing those required the Family Head''s approval. Completing these formalities would take one or two days, plus travel time¡ªthree or four days round-trip. Bai Herong wasn''t willing to wait that long! Yet, aside from this option, Bai Herong couldn''t think of any other way to acquire firearms... "Brother Rong, no need to head to the Capital to fetch guns. Right here in Hua City, I have connections!" The group fell silent at Bai Herong''s words, but after a moment, Brother Yu suddenly spoke up. "What!? Lin Yu, you say you''ve got connections!? What kind of connections?!" Hearing Lin Yu''s words, Bai Herong snapped out of his contemplation, his eyes widening as he stared at Lin Yu. His tone deepened: "We need a fair number of firearms. Can you really get them?" "Rest assured, Brother Rong. I know a guy here in Hua City. He used to peddle munitions back in the Capital, but after the recent crackdown there, he had no choice but to hit Hua City instead." There''s a bit of irony to this story. Lin Yu had met this arms dealer back in the Capital, where the man had been preparing to strike a deal with the Lin family. But just as they were about to finalize it, the police caught wind, forcing the dealer to flee instantly. The Lin family had been angry but ultimately left with no choice. With the police involved, they couldn''t proceed with the deal either, and both sides discreetly avoided the investigation. From that incident, Lin Yu¡ªserving as his family''s representative¡ªhad gotten this dealer''s contact information. "This is Hao Jian''s turf, though. Will we be safe doing this?" Hearing the dealer was originally from the Capital, Bai Herong relaxed slightly but couldn''t help worrying. He voiced his concern aloud. After all, this was Hao Jian''s territory. Dealing in arms wasn''t exactly a clean business, and without substantial backing, the seller would''ve been locked up long ago. Bai Herong couldn''t believe Hao Jian would allow munitions dealers to operate freely on his turf. If such business continued, there were only two possible explanations: either the dealer had bribed connections to set foot in Hua City, or the dealer was under Hao Jian''s protection. After some thought, Bai Herong ruled out the second possibility. If the dealer had Hao Jian as a backer, the Lin family would''ve discovered it during their collaborations by now. Since no such information had surfaced, the dealer was likely safe! "Don''t worry, Brother Rong. Since when has Lin Yu ever screwed up a deal?" Lin Yu shrugged off Bai Herong''s worries with a smirk. To him, the dealer was just someone who sold guns¡ªunlikely to have any connection to Hao Jian. Lin Yu spoke with unwavering confidence, patting his chest and declaring firmly. "Haha! Then it''s decided!" Listening to Lin Yu, Bai Herong laughed heartily, clapping Lin Yu''s shoulder. He said with a smile, "This matter is up to you now. Tell the guy money is not an issue¡ªit''s all about the goods!" As long as the guns were top-quality, Bai Herong was prepared to spend more; this was, after all, the only way to kill Hao Jian! Imagining Hao Jian¡ªthe man who had become a near-mythical figure in the Capital''s elite circles¡ªbeing taken down by their hands... Then returning triumphantly to the Capital, basking in glories¡ªit made Bai Herong grin uncontrollably, laughing aloud! Seeing Bai Herong laugh, the rich kids joined in, bursting out in exhilarated laughter at the mere thought of seizing such monumental glory... Since it was just nearing six o''clock, many office workers were finishing their commutes. Seeing Bai Herong laughing with his entourage at the roadside, some glanced curiously but quickly ignored them, eager to get home. Only some idle grandpas and grandmas lingered briefly before shuffling away in boredom. "Beep beep beep..." As the group laughed on, a sudden ringtone blared amidst them. Bai Herong, still enjoying his laugh, furrowed his brows slightly, digging into his pocket and pulling out the latest smartphone. Looking at the familiar number displayed, his expression shifted dramatically. "Hello! Cousin! It''s me, Rong!" The call was from Bai Yang, Bai Herong''s cousin and officially the Bai family''s young master. Bai Yang had called to check whether Bai Herong had encountered any problems in Hua City. Since this was Hao Jian''s turf, the family was naturally concerned. As Bai Herong''s cousin, Bai Yang felt obligated to inquire about the situation. Upon hearing his cousin ask about his status in Hua City, Bai Herong smirked proudly. Thinking about their earlier discussions, he burst out laughing: "Cousin, don''t worry about me while I''m here in Hua City. You know your cousin Rong''s style¡ªas if I''d let even someone like Hao Jian make me suffer!" "In fact, I''m planning to gather some firearms with my brothers right now and solve that family headache named Hao Jian for all of you!" Bai Herong''s voice brimmed with arrogance, his tone flaunting as he sought to impress his cousin. After all, Hao Jian was viewed as an impossibly intimidating figure by them all. ........ Chapter 934 - 933: Contact Now! "Idiot!" Originally, I just wanted to call and check how my dear cousin was doing in Hua City, but who would''ve thought this guy is planning to mess with Hao Jian! "Do you even understand what kind of person Hao Jian is?! Don''t tell me you''re unaware of what happened with the Ye Family recently! The Ye Family''s influence was on par with our Bai Family, but thanks to Hao Jian, they''ve plummeted from grace, been berated by the higher-ups, and overnight became a second-rate family. And now you''re telling me you''re going to cause trouble for him?!" Bai Yang was fuming, yelling at Bai Herong over the phone. His voice carried an unmistakable tone of fear. "Heh! Just wait until I take out Hao Jian. You''ll see that he''s not as terrifying as you all think!" Bai Herong, who initially wanted to boast to his cousin, ended up being scolded harshly instead. His previously good mood vanished instantly, and he arrogantly snapped back into the phone. "I''ll prove it! This so-called godlike Hao Jian that you all worship¡ªjust how impressive can he really be? The reason you can''t handle him is because you''re incompetent. I''m not like you. I can and will deal with Hao Jian!" "Just wait for the good news!" After finishing his declaration, Bai Herong hung up the phone and immediately switched it off. He had no intention of letting his phone keep buzzing nonstop afterward. Rather than being annoyed by the noise, it was better to power it off now and enjoy some peace and quiet. That said, the thought of shouting at his cousin like that left Bai Herong with an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. He actually yelled at his cousin! The same cousin who had overshadowed him since childhood! To curse him out like that¡ªit was pure exhilaration! "Clang!" Meanwhile, far away in the Capital City, the sound of shattering glass suddenly erupted in Bai Yang''s room. Upon zooming in, one would see a pile of broken glassware and porcelain scattered across the floor in front of Bai Yang. Bai Yang himself, the man at the center of the chaos, angrily picked up his phone and furiously redialed Bai Herong''s number, only to be informed that the phone was switched off. His frustration exploded instantly. "That idiot! Going after Hao Jian all by himself¡ªdoes he have a death wish?!" With a forceful motion, he flung his pricey smartphone to the floor. His enraged roar filled the room, startling the housemaid cleaning outside, leaving her trembling with fear. What''s going on with the Young Master today? Why is he so furious? Who the hell angered him this much? Terrified, the maid hurriedly rushed through her cleaning and quickly descended the stairs. She couldn''t risk incurring her Young Master''s wrath at a time like this. "If a few guns were all it took to get rid of Hao Jian, that guy would''ve died a million times by now! Do you think someone like you would get the chance to take him down?!" Bai Yang''s furious roars continued to reverberate, his face dark with rage. Only people like them knew just how fearsome Hao Jian truly was. Even a powerhouse like the Ye Family had suffered one devastating blow after another because of Hao Jian. Although the Bai Family was stronger than the Ye Family, they wouldn''t dare provoke Hao Jian recklessly either. Hao Jian wasn''t someone you could handle just because you wanted to. Moreover, he had backing so powerful that even the Bai Family had to tread carefully. That was to say nothing of Hao Jian''s own abilities. And let''s not forget, that man had once single-handedly stormed the Ye Family''s heavily fortified special forces base, slaughtered his way through, and walked out unscathed while everyone else could only watch powerlessly. Such capability¡ªthat kind of man would treat someone like Bai Herong, with his simple-mindedness, as child''s play. To think he would try to confront Hao Jian in his own territory¡­ Bai Yang could only conclude that his cousin must''ve taken a donkey kick to the head! Meanwhile, back with Bai Herong¡ªafter hanging up the phone, a few rich second-generation kids noticed his sour expression. They exchanged glances before Lin Yu hesitantly broke the silence to ask. "Brother Rong, who was on the phone just now? Why do you look so upset?" S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Heh! It''s just my idiotic cousin! That coward¡ªI''ve despised him since we were kids!" Bai Herong let out a cold snort, unwilling to dwell on the topic. In his eyes, his cousin only served to worsen his mood! Hearing this, Lin Yu and the others wisely kept their mouths shut. Still, in their hearts, they had their own thoughts. They were well aware of Bai Yang''s abilities; despite Bai Herong''s dismissive comments, his cousin was far from useless. In fact, Bai Yang was known for his resourcefulness, cleverness, and even instilling fear in some of the older generation. On the other hand, Bai Herong himself was the stereotypical playboy¡ªindulgent, lazy, and reckless, never taking responsibility for his actions. Compared to his cousin, Bai Herong was leagues behind. Yet, here he was badmouthing Bai Yang, which left Lin Yu and the others feeling disdain. That said, Bai Yang was out of their league to even think about befriending, but Bai Herong was gullible and easier to manipulate. All it took was a bit of buttering up, and Bai Herong would be so blinded by ego that he''d think he ruled the world. "Lin Yu, how''s that friend of yours? Did you get his contact info yet?" Having dismissed the earlier matter, Bai Herong turned his gaze to Lin Yu, speaking with an air of haughtiness, as if he had already moved on. "Got it. I''ll call him right now!" Lin Yu jolted upright, nodding hurriedly. He gestured to his phone and said. "Alright!" Seeing Bai Herong nod, Lin Yu quickly dialed the number, his face tense as he anxiously waited. The lack of immediate response made him increasingly uneasy. After all, this was in front of Bai Herong. If he screwed up, there would be consequences. While Bai Herong wasn''t as influential as his cousin, he was still one of the Young Masters of the Bai Family. He could ruin their lives with ease if he wanted. "Ring! Hello? Who''s this? I''m busy!" Thankfully, the call was finally answered. Hearing the familiar voice, Lin Yu quickly replied, "Little Bo! It''s me, Lin Yu from the Lin Family in the Capital City." "Oh! Young Master Lin! To what do I owe the pleasure? If it''s about buying goods, I can''t handle anything in the Capital City right now." Little Bo, full name Cao Bo, was a small-time arms dealer. While technically dealing in imitation firearms, the quality of these replicas was so excellent they rivaled the real thing¡ªsave for the absence of real bullets, that is. "It''s not about the Capital City. My friend, Brother Rong, wants to purchase some goods from you. In fact, we''re already in Hua City¡­" "You''re in Hua City? Alright, then!" Cao Bo immediately agreed to the deal. He had been trying to avoid trouble in the Capital City lately, as the cops had raided one of his hideouts there. If it weren''t for his quick thinking and escape, he''d have been arrested long ago. But Hua City? There was no reason to be as cautious there. "Good. I''ll pass you over to Brother Rong. Whatever he says goes from here." Without waiting for a response from Cao Bo, Lin Yu handed the phone to Bai Herong. "Hello! This is Bai Herong! The ''Brother Rong'' Lin Yu mentioned!" Taking the phone, Bai Herong continued in an arrogant tone, "I want your best goods. Ten or more. Money''s no issue, as long as the products are top-notch!" Since he was planning to use guns to take down Hao Jian, he needed only the best¡ªand lots of them. A barrage of bullets from multiple directions should guarantee Hao Jian''s downfall. "Yes, yes! That won''t be a problem!" Cao Bo immediately replied, though he couldn''t help but inquire, "Might I ask what Brother Rong intends to do with these? With this kind of firepower, you could wipe out a small battalion. But here in Hua City, there aren''t any armies¡­" Cao Bo''s comment might have been slightly exaggerated, but it was exactly the kind of flattery Bai Herong wanted to hear. Bursting into laughter, he boldly declared, "Do you know Hao Jian of Hua City?" "Hao Jian?!" Hearing this name, Cao Bo''s face darkened instantly on the other end of the line. His eyes flickered with a cold, dangerous light. Maintaining his tone, he replied, "Who in Hua City doesn''t know Hao Jian?!" "Haha! Good, then we''re on the same page!" Bai Herong, growing more smug, continued, "The goods I''m buying from you are to deal with Hao Jian!" "Hao Jian isn''t someone so easily dealt with¡­" Cao Bo responded cautiously. "Cut the crap. Now, when can you deliver?" Checking the time¡ªit was already past seven¡ªBai Herong impatiently pressed for answers. "Tomorrow afternoon at three. There''s an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Hua City. I''ll send you the address shortly." Not wanting to waste any more time, Cao Bo promptly gave an address. "Deal!" "But before the delivery, you''ll need to pay a deposit of three million upfront. That''s the rule." "No problem. Give me your account details, and I''ll transfer it immediately¡­" "The account number is XXXXXXXXX¡­" "It''s done!" With no hesitation, Bai Herong transferred three million to Cao Bo''s account, not even batting an eye. Chapter 935 - 934 I think I know now "Brother Spice Ginger..." After ending the call, Cao Bo''s face darkened. He picked up his phone and dialed a number. A heavy voice came from his mouth: "Someone just called me to place an order for a batch of goods. They plan to use these goods against Young Master Hao. What should we do?" "Damn it! What else can we do?! You must let Young Master Hao know!" Spice Ginger, eating takeout in his office, heard Cao Bo''s words. His expression changed dramatically. He hurriedly swallowed his food and asked, "Who are they?" "Not very clear. All I know is one of them is a playboy from the Lin Family, a moderately ranked family in the Capital City. Back when I worked as an informant there, I had some contact with him. Since he seemed approachable, I left him my contact information..." As Cao Bo recounted, Spice Ginger nodded in acknowledgment... It turned out that Cao Bo was one of Spice Ginger''s trusted subordinates, often tasked with critical assignments. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been put in charge of overseeing arms deals. As for these arms deals, Spice Ginger saw them as a way to ensure his men had the ability to protect themselves, not as a core business operation. After all, they worked under Hao Jian, who had no shortage of money. Since money wasn''t an issue, selling arms served more as a method to gather intelligence. Unexpectedly, trying to establish connections in the Capital City recently had led to some setbacks. One incident nearly cost his trusted subordinate his safe return. Despite these challenges, Spice Ginger hadn''t immediately sought Hao Jian''s help. These were minor problems¡ªalbeit tricky ones¡ªthat he had mostly resolved over time with careful handling. Sure, if Hao Jian got involved, he might solve the issue with a single word. But doing so would make Spice Ginger look incompetent. Over time, Hao Jian might view him as useless and stop relying on him. "For now, you''re in charge of this matter. Make sure to stabilize those people first. After I''ve consulted Young Master Hao, we''ll decide our next steps. Prepare the arms, but under no circumstances hand them over! We have our principles!" Spice Ginger contemplated briefly before speaking. Hearing this, Cao Bo nodded and said, "I''ve thought about that too. If not for the fact that they mentioned Young Master Hao, I wouldn''t have bothered dealing with them. Now it seems I''ll need to monitor them even more closely..." Their arms business was primarily a front to collect intelligence, and sales were strictly selective. If the buyer posed a threat to Hao Jian, they wouldn''t do business with them. Even when proceeding with deals, they maintained a delicate balance. For instance, if one family needed arms to stabilize their position, but this would outmatch a rival family and disrupt local order, Spice Ginger''s team might sell discounted arms to the rival side to even the odds¡ªthus indirectly maintaining regional stability. But this time, the buyer intended to use the arms to target Hao Jian. Naturally, there was no way they would deliver the goods. Even if they knew the goods posed no real threat to Hao Jian, they would still refuse! "No need for additional monitoring. In Hua City, I don''t believe anyone can hide from me or slip past my watchful eyes!" Spice Ginger outright rejected Cao Bo''s monitoring suggestion, a confident sneer lingering in his tone. After multiple intelligence lapses in Hua City, he had doubled down on reinforcing their networks. Thanks to the efforts of his subordinates, Hua City was now a fortress-like stronghold under his control. At this moment, he was absolutely confident in his statement. After all, their adversaries this time weren''t elite Special Forces operatives, just some spoiled brats, making them far easier to deal with. "That''s settled, then. I''ll hang up now. Keep tracking the issue, and I''ll consult Young Master Hao to see how he wants to handle it." Spice Ginger spoke deliberately. In the end, the decision lay with Hao Jian. Hua City belonged to Hao Jian... "Understood!" Cao Bo acknowledged, then promptly hung up the phone. Meanwhile, on the other side, Hao Jian was enjoying a steak dinner in an upscale steakhouse with Shu Ya. His phone suddenly rang. Glancing at the caller ID, a slight frown crossed his face. "What''s wrong?" Noticing his change in expression, the attentive Shu Ya asked with concern. However, as her gaze shifted to the mound of shopping bags by Hao Jian''s side... "It''s Spice Ginger. Not sure what it''s about. Let me take this." Hao Jian shook his head, gave a brief explanation, then pressed the answer button. Spice Ginger''s voice came through the receiver. "Young Master Hao! I just got word from Little Bo that someone''s trying to buy goods from us to target you..." "Oh? Buying my goods on my turf to come after me?" Hao Jian chuckled, curious which fools would attempt such a ridiculous plan. "Little Bo only knows they''re trust-fund kids from the Capital City. He''s still investigating specifics," Spice Ginger quickly added. "No need to investigate. If they''re from the Capital City and targeting me, I already know who they are." Hao Jian chuckled softly. With these conditions, it had to be Bai Herong and his ilk. No one else would have the arrogance¡ªor ignorance¡ªto challenge Hao Jian on his own turf. "Then let Little Bo keep an eye on them," Spice Ginger suggested after a moment of thought. "Alright, let him monitor them. By the way, when''s the deal supposed to happen?" Hao Jian asked. "Tomorrow afternoon at 3 PM, at an old warehouse in the suburbs." "Alright, I''ll meet you at noon tomorrow. Bring a dozen brothers with you. I''d like to see for myself how these brats plan to deal with me..." Hao Jian sneered dismissively, clearly unworried by Bai Herong''s group. After all, these were just entitled young men who could only bully those below their league. To challenge Hao Jian? Their families combined probably wouldn''t dare. This was Hao Jian they were dealing with, after all! "Understood!" On the other end, Spice Ginger nodded firmly. After the call ended, he absentmindedly set his phone aside and resumed eating his dinner. Meanwhile, his mind raced, pondering how many men to bring tomorrow. This was a rare opportunity to stand alongside Hao Jian. Too many eager admirers who fawned over Hao Jian wouldn''t be ideal... By noon the next day, Hao Jian arrived at Spice Ginger''s office building as planned. The plaza in front of the building, typically quiet, was now lined with over a dozen cars¡ªmostly BMW sedans and even a few Mercedes sports cars. Each car was flanked by three men standing silently. With over ten cars, the group totaled thirty to forty people. The imposing sight of the cars and men gathered in one spot was undeniably striking. These were the members Spice Ginger had assembled to accompany Hao Jian to the warehouse for the confrontation. A fiery gleam of admiration burned in each of their eyes. Every one of these men had joined Spice Ginger''s crew after hearing stories of Hao Jian''s exploits. They had long dreamed of meeting the man behind those tales. Today, that dream was finally within reach even if they wouldn''t have the chance to speak to him directly¡ªthe mere sight of Hao Jian up close was enough. Standing among them, Spice Ginger wore a calm expression. Beside him, however, Cao Bo appeared a lot tenser. Spice Ginger, being close to Hao Jian and meeting him often, had grown used to his presence. But this was Cao Bo''s first interaction with the legend himself. His excitement was barely contained. "Rumble..." As the group waited, the sudden roar of a sports car engine echoed in the distance. Spice Ginger''s previously half-closed eyelids snapped open. With a low shout, he announced, "Brothers, our boss, Young Master Hao, is here!" "Greetings, Young Master Hao!" As Enzo came to a stop at the entrance, the crowd erupted in a deafening cheer. Their voices vibrated with unrelenting fervor, so loud that even the nearby trees seemed to quiver. "Clack..." Hao Jian stepped out of the car, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. Internally, he sighed. Really, was it necessary for Spice Ginger to create such a spectacle just to handle a few hooligans? But now wasn''t the time for such thoughts. He couldn''t afford to douse their passion. Hao Jian laughed heartily and addressed the group: "Since everyone''s ready, let''s get moving. Follow my lead!" With that, he waved his hand dramatically and got back into his car. The engine roared to life, and he sped toward their destination. The assembled crew gave a loud, unified cheer before piling into their respective cars. Led by Spice Ginger, the convoy of nearly fifteen vehicles began their powerful journey toward the target warehouse... Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 936 - 935 Youre lying to me!? At 2 PM, Bai Herong arrived early with Lin Yu and a few others at the old warehouse that Cao Bo had mentioned. Looking at the deserted warehouse, his brows furrowed slightly. "Brother Rong, did we come too early? After all, Little Bo said three o''clock¡­" Lin Yu also felt they had arrived too early. Seeing Bai Herong''s furrowed brows, he hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "If we''re early, we''re early. We''ll just wait a bit longer." Bai Herong thought for a moment and waved his hand dismissively, deciding not to dwell on it. He had to wait until this deal was finished before addressing any other matters. The last thing he wanted was an unpleasant fallout that eventually escalated to Hao Jian finding out about this. Bai Herong didn''t doubt for a second that Hao Jian would retaliate against him! "Then let''s wait! They should be arriving soon anyway." Lin Yu nodded and quickly retrieved a few chairs from the car''s trunk. The group sat at the warehouse entrance, waiting for Cao Bo to arrive with the weapons. Initially, the group became a little restless from arriving so early. But over time, their minds were consumed with visions of them using those guns to eliminate Hao Jian, returning to their family to bask in admiration. Even Bai Herong was no exception. After all, Hao Jian''s reputation wasn''t earned from boasting but through sheer strength. If they could take Hao Jian down, it would prove their capabilities were even greater than his! Wouldn''t they then deserve everyone''s admiration?! But such pleasant fantasies were destined to remain just that¡ªfantasies. Half an hour after they arrived at the old warehouse, Hao Jian finally arrived, leading a large entourage. "They''re here!" Hearing the commotion outside, Bai Herong slowly opened his half-closed eyes, a glint of light flashing in them. He continued sitting, one leg crossed over the other. He was one of the Bai family''s Young Masters¡ªwould he really go out to greet a mere arms dealer? Obviously not. Status alone made the gap between them insurmountable. Seeing Bai Herong remain seated, Lin Yu and the others hesitated but followed suit. Whatever Bai Herong did, they would do; there was no reason to provoke him. "Clip-clop¡­" Hao Jian slowly parked Enzo by the roadside and stepped out of the car. As he exited, people pouring out of the vehicles behind him followed suit. Under Spice Ginger''s lead, they walked to Hao Jian. "Young Master Hao, this is the agreed location. Bai Herong should be inside now. We noticed tire tracks on the road earlier that don''t belong to our convoy. If I''m not wrong, they should belong to Bai Herong''s group!" Spice Ginger reported quickly. Of course, this discovery wasn''t made by Spice Ginger himself but by some detectives among the people behind him. Apart from them, no one else knew about this old warehouse. Any outsiders showing up here must overlap with those like Bai Herong who had motives to come to this deserted place. After all, only Bai Herong and his group had such intentions right now. "Should we apprehend them immediately?" The group stood about five hundred meters from the warehouse. While Bai Herong couldn''t possibly see them, they could vaguely discern Bai Herong''s position despite the distance and the slight blur. "No rush. This place is deserted; they won''t escape even if they try¡­" Hao Jian smirked, waving his hand to signal Spice Ginger and the others not to act hastily. If Bai Herong and his group tried to flee, they''d still have to contend with Hao Jian''s grasp. At these words, Spice Ginger nodded. Turning to Cao Bo at his side, he smirked oddly and said, "I wonder how their faces will change when they see you later?" Always quiet and reserved by Spice Ginger''s side, Cao Bo let out a bitter laugh. "Brother Spice Ginger, please don''t tease me. I wouldn''t have sold them guns if I hadn''t seen that they were Young Master Hao''s enemies. Idiots like them wouldn''t even get my time otherwise." "Haha! Honestly, whether you intervened or not, they wouldn''t have harmed my boss. Your whistleblowing just expedited their demise!" Having followed Hao Jian for so long, only someone like Spice Ginger understood the sheer power Hao Jian held in Hua City and how terrifying he was in the eyes of the city''s elite scoundrels. "Enough, Spice Ginger. Stop chatting. Let''s go inside." Though Hao Jian was used to being flattered, the pressing matter at hand was to capture Bai Herong and his group. He needed a clear plan of action for what came next, so with these words, Hao Jian strode toward Bai Herong''s location. "Yes!" Seeing Hao Jian take the lead, Spice Ginger immediately followed, accompanied by Cao Bo and the others. At the same time, Spice Ginger''s hand moved subtly toward his waist as he cautiously watched Bai Herong''s group. These young scions might have defensive measures, possibly even firearms. Even if not, it was best to stay alert¡­ "Hao Jian!?" When Hao Jian arrived in front of Bai Herong''s group, their faces turned as pale as a sheet. Bai Herong instinctively gasped in shock. "Why is it you?! How did you know I''d be here?!" S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "On my turf, did you think I wouldn''t be able to find you?" Hao Jian smiled faintly at Bai Herong, though a cold glint seeped from his eyes. Bai Herong''s actions this time had crossed Hao Jian''s bottom line¡ªnot because of Bai Herong''s plot to kill him using firearms, but because he dared to purchase weapons on Hao Jian''s territory! If Bai Herong''s target hadn''t been him but someone intimately connected to him, or if the weapons had been for use against Hao Jian''s subordinates, the consequences would''ve been unthinkable. It was precisely because of this that Hao Jian resolved to crack down hard on anyone privately trafficking arms¡ªor worse, drugs¡ªin Hua City. He would never allow drug trafficking on his turf, though arms dealing would remain an exception¡ªso long as it was under his control. After all, by Huaxia''s strict laws, such activities were explicitly forbidden... "Bastard! You''re one of Hao Jian''s men?! You betrayed us?!" Out of nowhere, Lin Yu''s enraged voice erupted. His face pale, yet full of fury, he pointed at Cao Bo by Spice Ginger''s side and lashed out. "I can''t believe you''ve done this! Do you think you can still operate in Capital City like this?!" "Haha!" Hearing Lin Yu''s words, Cao Bo let out a cold laugh. "I''ve always been Young Master Hao''s subordinate. Dealing with you is only natural. Besides, do you think your Lin Family, with its measly billions in assets, can stop me from operating in Capital City?!" Lin Yu''s words faltered immediately. It was true that the Lin Family only had billions in assets. While Cao Bo might be no match for them financially, Lin Yu hadn''t anticipated Cao Bo''s connection to Hao Jian. Thinking of Hao Jian''s infamous deeds in the Capital City, Lin Yu began trembling, sweat dripping from his forehead. His family''s influence wasn''t capable of stopping Cao Bo from returning to the Capital¡ªmostly because they dared not try. The name "Hao Jian" carried more weight than raw power and was even more influential in Hua City! "Why are you still yapping? You lot, grab those brats for me!" Impatient at Lin Yu''s continued rambling, Spice Ginger waved his hand in irritation and summoned his men to take action. "Yes, Brother Spice Ginger!" Spice Ginger''s men responded promptly, grinning wickedly as they approached Bai Herong''s group. From their jackets, they pulled out pre-prepared ropes. "What¡­ What are you doing?! I''m Bai Herong! A Bai Family Young Master! If you lay a finger on me, my¡­ my Bai Family won''t let you off easily!" He was one of the Bai Family Young Masters! How dare these scoundrels treat him this way?! Damned Hao Jian! Why was this happening? Everything had been carefully planned out on his end. Yet it all fell apart because Hao Jian saw through him. If captured, even his life might not be his own anymore. Worse still, his actions would bring shame to the Bai Family. Even if he survived, his status in the family would plummet beyond recovery. "Heh, I''m curious to see exactly how your Bai Family plans to save you after I''ve captured you¡­" Hao Jian chuckled coldly as he lifted his foot and forcefully stomped on Bai Herong''s face, a bone-chilling coldness in his tone that even made his own men shudder. Hao Jian didn''t care much about the others. Their family ventures were small fries, irrelevant in his eyes. Bai Herong, however, was different¡ªhe represented the Bai Family! If that family came for him in full, it would indeed be troublesome. The best course of action, then, was to strip Bai Herong of the ability to pose any threat. In this cutthroat world, the only solution was to deal with Bai Herong once and for all. If Bai Herong plotted against him this time, who''s to say he wouldn''t do it again to someone else? For that reason, Hao Jian gave Bai Herong no room for dignity. While it wasn''t time to kill him just yet, he had to make Bai Herong taste utter humiliation first! "The rest of you¡­" With his foot pinned against Bai Herong''s face, Hao Jian turned to look at Lin Yu and the others... Chapter 937 - 936: Captured?! "Spice Ginger, notify the families of these guys and tell them to bring money to ransom them back. One person costs one hundred million. As for the Bai Family, ten billion!" "If they don''t plan on paying, just kill these guys directly!" Glancing at the group of spoiled brats, Hao Jian said to Spice Ginger beside him, "Transfer the funds directly into your account when the money comes, then divide a portion among the brothers under you. You know what to do, right?" "Haha, Young Master Hao, whatever you say!" Hearing this, Spice Ginger let out a hearty laugh. Then, giving quick instructions to one of his subordinates to notify the families, he continued standing by Hao Jian''s side, staring at the group of men. Hao Jian didn''t bother concealing his words, allowing Bai Herong and the others to hear everything. Their faces turned ashen, filled with anger at Hao Jian''s methods. But for now, all they could do was pray their families would cough up the money to save them. If not, they were truly going to die! "Take them back. Make sure their families pay up by day''s end to ransom them. If the deadline passes, send them off to hell." Hao Jian chuckled as he lightly kicked Bai Herong lying at his feet. Then, turning on his heel, he walked toward the car waiting outside. Watching Hao Jian''s retreating figure, Bai Herong''s face twisted with fury, his eyes brimming with venomous hatred. When he got back, he was determined to show Hao Jian what he was made of! "What are you all standing around for?! Didn''t you hear Young Master Hao''s instructions? Get moving and bring them back right now!" Seeing his men still frozen in place like idiots, Spice Ginger barked at them. Finally, as the group started to act, he let out a cold snort and hurried to catch up with Hao Jian. Cao Bo followed close behind. Since staying there wouldn''t accomplish anything for him, he figured sticking near Spice Ginger might give him a chance to interact with Hao Jian. .............................. Bai Family¡­ "What?! Are you telling me that my son was captured by that bastard Hao Jian?!" In a lavishly decorated mansion, a man in his fifties shot up from a leather sofa, shouting furiously into the phone he held. Beside him, a beautiful, elegant woman was equally shocked. Worried, she spoke, "Honey, what happened with Rong''er?! How did Hao Jian catch him?!" "That idiot! He went to Hua City to have fun and even planned to buy guns to deal with Hao Jian. I honestly don''t know what to say about him! That bastard Hao Jian didn''t even bother giving us a heads-up and just went ahead and captured Rong''er!" The man was Bai Jingze, Bai Herong''s father, while the woman was Bai Herong''s mother, Zhu Tong. At this moment, Bai Jingze was beside himself with rage. However, hidden deep in his gaze was an undeniable fear. As someone in the Bai Family''s management, Bai Jingze was well aware of Hao Jian''s terrifying reputation¡ªnot only his personal ruthlessness but also the power of the forces backing him. And now, his foolish son had dared to provoke Hao Jian?! Damn it! Hao Jian wasn''t someone a spoiled brat who only knew how to party and indulge could afford to offend! Even the entire Bai Family wouldn''t dare to confront him, yet his son... his son had the audacity to trespass on Hao Jian''s turf to buy guns and try to take him down! Bai Jingze didn''t even know how to scold his idiotic son anymore. With frustration, he turned to his wife and said, "Now Hao Jian demands we pay ten billion to ransom him back..." "Then what are we waiting for? Tell your elder brother to send the money immediately and get Rong''er back! It''s just ten billion! The Bai Family can afford it!" Hearing that ten billion was needed to save her son, Zhu Tong''s expression turned panicked as she urged her husband repeatedly. She was deeply worried that if they were late, Hao Jian might kill her beloved son in a fit of rage. She knew who Hao Jian was and was very aware of his methods! "Hold on. I''ll call my elder brother and let him decide." Bai Jingze sighed helplessly and pointed to his phone. The Bai Family might be wealthy, but ten billion wasn''t an amount he could decide to use on his own. Though it wasn''t much for the family collectively, such a large transaction still needed proper authorization processes. "Right, right, right, hurry up!" Upon hearing this, Zhu Tong quickly nodded. "Hello? Brother, it''s me, Jingze..." When the call went through, Bai Jingze''s tone immediately adopted a respectful edge. "Jingze, what''s up?" The Bai Family Head''s slightly languid voice came through the phone speaker. Hearing it, Bai Jingze''s teeth clenched slightly¡ªhe didn''t believe his elder brother wasn''t already aware that his son had been caught! "Here''s the situation: Rong''er was captured by Hao Jian. We need ten billion to ransom him back..." "If that''s the case, then let Bai Yang take the money and retrieve Rong''er." "Alright!" Stunned for a moment by the smooth response, Bai Jingze quickly agreed, hung up the phone, and turned to his wife with a puzzled expression. "What''s going on with my elder brother today? Why did he agree to hand over the money so readily this time?" "Obviously because of you!" Rolling her eyes at her husband''s question, Zhu Tong retorted, "You''re still one of the Bai Family''s top executives, with nearly half the family''s power in your hands. If Rong''er isn''t ransomed back and you end up having a falling out with him, what good does that do him? Do you think your elder brother wouldn''t worry?" "It''s all about protecting his status, that throne of his. You''ve been at odds with him for so long, and you still fall into such obvious traps!" Listening to his wife''s complaints, Bai Jingze let out a bitter laugh. "I''m just anxious. Even though that brat is always a good-for-nothing, mixing with those other spoiled kids, he''s still my son. Now that something''s happened to him, how can I not care?" "But this is good¡ªwe save some time doing it this way. Plus, sending Bai Yang shows that my elder brother is serious about bringing Rong''er back this time." Bai Yang, after all, was the Bai Family''s other Young Master. Sending him to negotiate and hand over money was a gesture of respect to Hao Jian! Bai Jingze believed this courtesy would compel Hao Jian to reciprocate. Unfortunately, Bai Jingze didn''t realize Bai Yang had crossed Hao Jian several times before. Sending him might end up being a grave mistake instead... Meanwhile, at Bai Yang''s villa, he had just hung up the phone... "Do they seriously want me to ransom that idiot?" Receiving the task assigned by his father, Bai Yang''s face contorted with anger. Even he had to tread cautiously around Hao Jian, yet that idiot dared to provoke him head-on in his domain?! Wasn''t that just asking for death?! "Do I really have to obediently deliver money to Hao Jian?" Bai Yang wasn''t concerned about Bai Herong''s life; what annoyed him was being positioned as merely a "money delivery boy," implying that he ranked lower than Hao Jian! Such a setup was intolerable for someone as proud as Bai Yang. Hao Jian might be formidable, but Bai Yang wasn''t one to be pushed around either. Why should he sit back while Hao Jian waited leisurely to collect money from him? Absolutely not! Bai Yang''s eyes flickered with thought, a dangerous glint emerging. His expression hardened, and he growled, "No way I''m going there without a plan!" "Hao Jian, let''s see if you''re truly as terrifying as the rumors say. If you want to take money from the Bai Family, we''ll see what you''re really made of!" Hatching his scheme, Bai Yang wasted no time calling a gang based in the Capital City¡ªa mid-tier syndicate that ostensibly operated independently but was, in fact, nurtured under Bai Yang''s control. Now was the time to put them to use! "Hey! It''s me, Bai Yang. Get all your members ready immediately. Bring everyone to Hua City¡ªand don''t forget your ''tools.'' This won''t be settled so easily this time!" By "tools," Bai Yang was referring to firearms. If his subordinate gang couldn''t pull together enough weaponry, it would be an embarrassment to his reputation. To maintain his prestige, Bai Yang had spent a fortune assembling over fifty guns in advance. This arsenal was risky business. If discovered, it wouldn''t just mean jail time¡ªit might even result in execution. "Young Master Hao! We''ve received intel. Bai Yang appeared at the airport with over sixty men. Judging from their attire, they seem to belong to the Capital''s Baisha Gang. The boxes they''re carrying are likely weapons. Looks like the Bai Family doesn''t intend to pay us obediently after all!" In Spice Ginger''s office, Hao Jian lounged on a sofa while Spice Ginger angrily delivered the report. Were these fools still trying to play games? "Haha, just as I expected. Assigning Bai Yang for the handoff¡ªgiven his personality¡ªthere''s no way he''d meekly hand over the money." "This isn''t the Bai Family''s collective decision; it''s Bai Yang''s personal choice. Still, it doesn''t disrupt our plans. In fact, it''ll make our strategy even smoother!" The corners of Hao Jian''s lips curled into a menacing grin. Waving a hand casually, he instructed Spice Ginger, "Go have Bai Herong killed immediately. Spread the news to the Capital: Bai Yang refused to pay us and even tried to attack us, so we had no choice but to kill Bai Herong." "Understood!" Spice Ginger''s face tightened. Hao Jian was clearly aiming to dismantle the Bai Family entirely. Outwardly harmonious, the Bai Family was riddled with internal rivalries! Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 938 - 937: They Dont Dare to Look for Me "Young Master Yang, we''ve arrived!" After disembarking from the plane, Bai Yang quickly made his way to the location where Hao Jian was. Looking at the towering building in front of him, Xu Ru, the Baisha Gang''s leader, hurriedly jumped out of the vehicle, opened the car door for Bai Yang, and pointed at the skyscraper with a sycophantic nod. "Hmph! Charge inside!" As soon as Bai Yang stepped out of the car, he let out a cold snort and waved his large hand. Xu Ru immediately led his group of men, armed with weapons, storming into the building''s interior. Once they entered the building, however, they were dumbfounded. They had seen something they should never have seen... "This... This..." Xu Ru''s face turned pale in an instant as he looked at the scene before him. It''s over, completely over! This time, they''re doomed! "Why are none of you moving?! Why are you piling up at the entrance?! Are you waiting for them to surround you?!" Seeing Xu Ru and the others standing numbly in the lobby after entering the building, Bai Yang, who was following behind them, was visibly furious. He barked in a low voice and pushed aside the subordinate blocking his way as he slowly walked inside. "Young Master Yang..." Xu Ru looked at Bai Yang with a bitter expression, unable to answer Bai Yang''s question. Instead, he extended his hand and pointed forward. There, a silhouette was hanging in midair... But what shocked them was not the suspended figure itself, but its true identity. The person was Bai Herong¡ªshot in the head by Spice Ginger, then hung from the ceiling with a rope afterward! Dead Bai Herong''s eyes were wide open, his lips pale, his face frozen in terror from his final moments. Seeing Bai Herong''s tragic state, Bai Yang''s expression immediately shifted, and he roared furiously, "Hao Jian! Get out here! You... You dared to break our agreement!" This is a disaster! That guy Bai Jingze is definitely going to stir things up now! Bai Yang''s face darkened like water, anxiety clawing at his heart. He might belittle Bai Herong, but he would never dare to underestimate Bai Jingze. This man was capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with Bai Yang''s father, an equal force within the Bai Family. From Bai Yang''s father alone, one could deduce Bai Jingze''s power. Now, Bai Jingze''s beloved son was lying dead before him. Once this news reached the Bai Family, Bai Yang could already foresee the chaos that would ensue. But at this moment, no one replied to Bai Yang''s outburst. The entire building was eerily silent. Apart from the noises from Bai Yang''s men, not a single sound could be heard. The building''s occupants had long evacuated... Bai Yang also noticed this. His expression shifted slightly. This was undoubtedly Hao Jian''s scheme! If not, how could he have abandoned this base upon Bai Yang''s arrival, leaving only Bai Herong''s corpse here?! Thinking about the difficulties awaiting him upon his return to the Bai Family, Bai Yang realized that perhaps Hao Jian had already anticipated all of it¡ªor perhaps everything was following Hao Jian''s carefully laid plan. Terrifying! Absolutely terrifying! How could this man predict that I would appear here at this exact moment?! For reasons he couldn''t explain, once Bai Yang understood, an icy chill began spreading from the soles of his feet, rushing upward, and finally engulfing his entire body. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. No wonder that guy was so kind-hearted as to let everyone else leave. It''s all a part of his ploy to set this trap! But now, what should he do? With Hao Jian out of sight and none of his associates visible either, Bai Yang couldn''t even find someone to confront. There was no way forward. After all, this was Hua City¡ªHao Jian''s territory. Bai Yang''s influence from the Capital City was rendered useless in this domain... Could he really leave and return to the Capital City just like this? If Bai Jingze found out what happened, the Bai Family would undoubtedly find itself in peril! "Young Master Yang, what... what should we do?!" Seeing Bai Yang suddenly fall silent, Xu Ru''s face filled with anxiety. Being a subordinate to the Bai Family, he knew that if the Bai Family fell, so would he. There were no exceptions. He wasn''t a fool. The moment he saw Bai Herong''s corpse, he understood¡ªthis was no ordinary problem they were facing, but a crisis that would impact the Bai Family''s future! Being a long-time member of a gang in the Capital City, Xu Ru was well-versed in the various entanglements of interests among the powers there. Especially since he served the Bai Family. "Let''s head back!" At this point, returning to the Capital City was their only option. Though taking such a loss was humiliating, Bai Yang had no choice but to swallow it. Hua City was Hao Jian''s domain; dealing with him here would be next to impossible! He needed to return to the Bai Family immediately, relay everything that happened to his father, and strategize from there. If his father still desired to maintain the role of Family Head, there might still be room for maneuvering! "Young Master Hao, Bai Yang and his group have boarded the plane and are heading back!" In another temporary base, Hao Jian was seated in a chair, sipping coffee, quietly awaiting the news. Shortly after, Spice Ginger burst through the door. "Haha! Wonderful!" Upon hearing the news, Hao Jian let out a hearty laugh. He waved his hand and instructed Spice Ginger, "Spread the word discreetly to Bai Jingze. This time, I want to see the Bai Family collapse!" "Understood!" Spice Ginger responded affirmatively, turned toward the door, and gestured to a subordinate waiting outside. After whispering a few instructions, the subordinate nodded quickly and went off to execute them. As the subordinate departed, Spice Ginger turned to Hao Jian and asked hesitantly, "Young Master Hao, was our decision to kill Bai Herong this time a bit too abrupt?" "Not at all!" Hao Jian shook his head decisively. "This is exactly the result I wanted. If Bai Yang hadn''t brought people here, I would''ve forced him to. Only by provoking him could we showcase his unwillingness to pay up. As for right or wrong, that''s none of our concern; it''s Bai Jingze''s problem to deal with!" "You''re aware of Bai Jingze''s standing within the Bai Family. As long as he and Bai Yang fall out with each other, the Bai Family will collapse without us needing to lift a finger. After all, Bai Jingze wouldn''t dare confront me directly!" Hao Jian sneered coldly. "Since he wouldn''t dare come for me, and without any outlet for his fury, plus the influence of his wife, all that resentment will undoubtedly be directed at Bai Yang. Bai Yang, meanwhile, has his own elder brother backing him. As Family Head, their father would obviously take issue with his elder son tormenting the second son''s offspring. This chain reaction is inevitable." "And as for what follows... I don''t think I have to spell it out for you, do I?" Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Spice Ginger couldn''t help but shiver. To destroy an entire family by targeting one person¡ªa feat like this was surely only achievable by someone like Hao Jian! What he said was also true. In the Land of Huaxia, nobody dared to cross Hao Jian lightly¡ªbecause even if they could overpower him, Hao Jian would still find a way to exact some terrible revenge. "Very well. Make sure our people keep a close watch on developments in the Capital City. Pay particular attention to Bai Yang''s actions!" "Understood!" ................................. "What did you say?! Say that again for me?!" With a furious shout, Bai Jingze abruptly stood up from the sofa, his eyes glinting coldly and locking onto his trembling subordinate. His voice thundered, "You''d better speak clearly!" "Master¡­ I¡­ I''ve just received news from Hua City. They say¡­ say that Young Master Rong¡­ he''s been killed by Hao Jian!" "And now Bai Yang is bringing Young Master Rong''s corpse back..." "Bang!" Upon hearing these words, Bai Jingze slammed his hand down on the solid wooden table, instantly causing spider-like cracks to spread across the surface. It was a shocking sight. As he lifted his palm, a vivid handprint was left behind, silently asserting his rage. "Bai Yang, that bastard!" Bai Jingze growled lowly and swept his arm angrily, shouting, "Assemble everyone immediately! Stake out the airport and bring Bai Yang to me the moment you see him!" "Understood!" Once his subordinate had left, Bai Jingze''s fierce demeanor suddenly waned, and his face flushed red. Then, he opened his mouth and let out a loud groan. A moment later, a mouthful of bright red blood sprayed onto the floor, staining the luxurious fur carpet below. "Husband!" Standing nearby, Zhu Tong¡ªlong overwhelmed by despair¡ªwas horrified when she saw her husband cough up blood. She rushed to grab some tissues and carefully wiped his mouth. After Bai Jingze regained his composure, she began to sob and complain, "You can''t let anything happen to yourself! I already feel like dying after losing our son. If you collapse too¡­ I''ll truly have nothing left to live for!" "Wife, don''t worry! Even if I die, I''ll make sure to avenge our son!" Bai Jingze''s eyes burned with relentless fury as he clenched his fists tightly and growled coldly. "Yes, yes! Hao Jian must die!" Zhu Tong nodded desperately, echoing his sentiment. "No! Hao Jian isn''t our true target. It''s Bai Yang!" Surprisingly, Bai Jingze shook his head, his expression laden with venomous hatred. He continued, "You know what Bai Yang''s personality is like. He had clashes with Hao Jian before. And I''ve said it before¡ªhe''s arrogant and proud. He would never bow to Hao Jian." "I suspect he never intended to pay the ransom in the first place, hoping instead to rely on brute force to rescue Rong''er. But Hao Jian''s strength far surpasses anything we¡ªlet alone Bai Yang¡ªcould muster!" "Knowing he couldn''t defeat Hao Jian, he still chose to bring people along. It''s clear he never cared about our son''s fate! All that mattered to him was saving face! In this, he''s just like his father¡ªa man obsessed with pride!" Chapter 939 - 938: You Are My Woman! Everything that followed unfolded just as Hao Jian had predicted. Bai Jingze initiated a confrontation with Bai Yang, demanding an explanation from him, but Bai Yang simply avoided seeing him, which made Bai Jingze even angrier. In the end, he directly ordered a forced entry into Bai Yang''s villa. However, Bai Yang''s father appeared, leading to a war of words between the two brothers over Bai Yang''s matters, but the issue ended unresolved as they couldn''t agree. Failing to reach an agreement, Bai Jingze decided to resolve it on his own by taking away half of the Bai family''s members and establishing a new Bai family of which he became the new head. Seeing Bai Jingze taking away half of the Bai family''s power without a word, the old patriarch of the Bai family was enraged to the point of coughing up blood and eventually fainting from anger... From then on, the Bai family became the laughing stock of everyone, and the families they had previously offended began targeting them, seeking explanations. However, they did not go after the Bai family under Bai Jingze''s lead, as they didn''t want to force Bai Jingze back to the Bai family, which might lead to its revival... Far away in Hua City, Hao Jian, upon receiving the news from the Bai family in the Capital City, merely snorted in amusement, tossing the documents aside, ignoring them. He looked up at the vast starry sky and let out a light chuckle. "Finally, Bai family has tasted some bitterness. Now, they probably won''t dare to act recklessly in front of me for a while. Who should I deal with next?" Hao Jian stretched lazily, with a gentle smile on his lips, his eyes reflecting the profound and enchanting starry sky. "However, it seems I haven''t visited Linglan in a long time. I wonder how she''s doing at school..." He stroked his chin, suddenly recalling this matter, and upon counting, it had indeed been quite some time since he last met with Ye Linglan. Perhaps he should find a time to visit her; otherwise, that girl might throw a fit again... Scratching his head, Hao Jian sighed helplessly. Having so many beauties around sometimes isn''t an easy affair! "Looks like I''d better go see her tomorrow. If I delay any longer, who knows what might happen!" Thinking it over, he decided to go as early as tomorrow. Hao Jian picked up his phone, telling Spice Ginger to prepare a car for him to use tomorrow. As for his Enzo, it was currently taken for a routine check-up, leaving him without a means of transportation. Therefore, borrowing from Spice Ginger wouldn''t be a problem, as it would only be for a few days. Learning that Hao Jian needed a car, Spice Ginger readily agreed and immediately had his subordinate bring a car from the garage to Hao Jian''s office, waiting for Hao Jian to pick it up later. The next day, Hao Jian drove the recently acquired Lamborghini Aventador from the building. Watching Hao Jian drive away in the Aventador, Spice Ginger internally prayed that this car wouldn''t run into trouble... For whenever Hao Jian drove his cars, they always came back slightly damaged or worse, broken completely. As a countermeasure, Spice Ginger had to acquire a new car from the dealership again and again. All these cars were luxury vehicles, with the cheapest ones costing at least a million. If they weren''t that expensive, it would be disgraceful for Hao Jian to be seen driving them! As Hao Jian''s top lieutenant, Spice Ginger would never allow such situations to occur. Not only his boss''s reputation was on the line, but indirectly, his own was too¡ªthis he couldn''t permit! "Linglan should be out of class by now, right?" Checking the time and cross-referencing with Ye Linglan''s schedule, he pondered briefly, then floored the accelerator, racing towards the Business School where Ye Linglan was. The Lamborghini Aventador''s engine roared through the street, drawing countless onlookers. Most, however, could only catch the fleeting glimpse of a yellow blur passing by, quickly disappearing from sight, leaving them wondering if the driver wasn''t afraid of being caught by the traffic police. "Vroom, vroom, vroom!" A traffic officer on duty at an intersection suddenly heard the engine''s urgent sound from afar, his face changing dramatically. He rushed out to see the speeding Lamborghini bearing down the road without slowing, his expression turning furious. He promptly activated his siren, attempting to make Hao Jian stop. Though he felt some fear, his duty as an officer compelled him to act, despite knowing that someone who could afford such a car likely had a high status! "Hey! Officer, we meet again!" Just as the officer was about to pull his motorcycle onto the road to stop Hao Jian''s Lamborghini, he suddenly heard Hao Jian''s voice. Hao Jian stuck out his head, looking at the officer with a light-hearted laugh. Hao Jian''s voice caused the officer''s body to stiffen suddenly, his face going pale. He dumbly watched Hao Jian leave, too intimidated to pursue him... S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Oh shit! It''s Young Master Hao again! And he''s changed cars yet again!" In Hua City, nobody dared to be bold enough to stop Hao Jian. If his superiors found out he had intercepted Hao Jian, he would likely be scolded terribly. Hence, he felt a wave of relief, thankful that Young Master Hao had spoken up, thankful he remembered Young Master Hao''s looks and voice... As for the traffic officer''s predicament, Hao Jian paid it no mind, unaware the officer was currently berating himself for almost blocking his way. "Finally here..." Seeing the school entrance bustling with people, Hao Jian chuckled softly, then gently drove the Lamborghini Aventador through the gates. The guards, upon seeing that luxurious car, quickly raised the barrier without registering him. People driving such luxury cars were not the type they could afford to offend, and besides, how could such individuals cause trouble inside the school? Clearly, they wouldn''t... Driving the Lamborghini slowly along the campus path, Hao Jian continued searching for Ye Linglan''s figure. Meanwhile, the students gazed in admiration at the luxury car, with some female students even fantasizing about how to win over its owner... "Linglan!" After searching for a while, Hao Jian finally spotted Ye Linglan by the roadside. He hurriedly accelerated, stopping the car smoothly beside her, and quickly jumped out of the car, running to her, and pulled her into the car. "Hey! I''m here!" After closing the car door, Hao Jian''s face was filled with excitement, but seeing Ye Linglan''s displeased expression, his heart suddenly sank, oh no... "Hmph!" Ye Linglan snorted softly, looking at Hao Jian with a hint of displeasure in her beautiful eyes, she said, "Do you even know how long it''s been since you last came to see me?! Did you know my roommates thought I got dumped? That I''d been dumped! I''m the School Beauty, how could I be dumped?" "So long and you didn''t even give me a call, what do you have to say for yourself?!" Recently, Ye Linglan was very angry with Hao Jian, because it had been so long since he last reached out to her. However, just as her class ended, she got a call from Hao Jian, saying he was coming to pick her up from school. It startled her into rushing back to her dorm to change and put on some light makeup before heading out. But after only waiting a few minutes on the street, she got impatient, also wondering why her anger dissipated just because of his call, even though she was clearly upset with him!? For the sake of pride and wanting to teach Hao Jian a lesson, she put on her angriest face, which successfully intimidated Hao Jian into speaking cautiously. "Lanlan, I''ve just been busy, you know..." But as soon as he spoke, Hao Jian regretted it, wishing he could slap himself. Can you reason with a woman?! Clearly not! So he quickly amended, under Ye Linglan''s gradually dangerous gaze, "I mean, recently I''ve been handling some matters concerning you. I was worried they might harm you, which is why I had to deal with them and didn''t contact you to keep them away..." This reason was partly true. The recent issues Hao Jian dealt with had some potential threats to his romantic interests, so including Ye Linglan was not entirely wrong... "After all, what kind of person is Hao Jian?! Don''t you know?!" After finishing, Hao Jian directly pulled Ye Linglan into his arms, speaking firmly, "You''re my woman, Hao Jian''s woman. This life, you''re already mine, and even if you want to leave, you won''t get the chance. If I go into a gunfight, you''d better be ready to load the bullets for me!" "My woman, Hao Jian''s woman, doesn''t come and go as she pleases! Not only this life belongs to me, but the next life, and the life after, and every moment in between, all belong to me!" Hao Jian''s words were strong and forceful, his eyes fixed on Ye Linglan, deep and gentle, causing her to fall into a trance. Her cheeks blushed swiftly, and she lightly hit Hao Jian''s chest coquettishly, saying, "Why are you hugging me? Everyone''s watching, you might not mind, but I do..." "Haha! What''s there to be shy about!? They''re all single, anyway. I just want to show off that you''re my woman!" Chapter 940 - 939: Unreasonable! Seeing that Ye Linglan had finally been coaxed out of her anger, Hao Jian let out a sigh of relief, planted a big kiss on her forehead, laughed heartily, and said, "Let''s go! Chunliang should be waiting for us at the mall!" "Chunliang? You invited my brother too?" Ye Linglan was a bit surprised upon hearing this. She gave Hao Jian a strange look and said, "You won''t settle for just the two of us, and you want to drag my brother along too?" "Uh¡­ no..." When Hao Jian came here, he was worried that Ye Linglan might lose her temper excessively, so he decided to ask Ye Chunliang to come along and help smooth things over so he could get through this situation safely. However, he hadn''t expected that just a few of his words had calmed Ye Linglan down, which surprised him greatly. He thought about calling Ye Chunliang to tell him not to come, but then reconsidered. It wasn''t like he was lacking opportunities for dates, so Hao Jian decided not to care too much and said casually. "Anyway, it''s your brother, not someone else. It''s fine; your brother is like my brother¡ªwhat''s the difference?" Hao Jian said with a grin as he drove, "We''ve got plenty of time to hang out alone in the future. This time, let''s take your brother along for a good time, just the three of us!" "Mm!" Listening to Hao Jian''s explanation, Ye Linglan obediently nodded and tried to lean on his shoulder. But since he was driving, she just smiled sweetly and chatted jovially with him. Perhaps they hadn''t seen each other in too long or hadn''t talked in ages. Once they started chatting, they couldn''t stop. By the time their banter wound down, the school gate was already in sight. "Damn it! Just watch, I''m going to beat you to death!"...... Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As the two were enjoying their tender moment, a furious, menacing voice abruptly yanked them back to reality. Hao Jian''s expression darkened with a flicker of irritation as their good mood was rudely shattered. Unhappy, he pulled the car to the side of the road and said to Ye Linglan, "Let''s go see what''s happening. I''m curious who dares to ruin my mood!" "Hehe, okay!" Finding Hao Jian adorably childish when he was upset, Ye Linglan nodded without objection. She reached for the door handle and opened it, stepping out of the car alongside him. "Let''s go!" After getting out, Hao Jian took Ye Linglan''s hand and led her toward the crowd ahead. Using some clever force, he subtly maneuvered a few people blocking his way. They only noticed a blur before realizing two new figures had appeared in front of them, leaving them baffled and bewildered. Hao Jian and Ye Linglan reached the crowd and saw the scene unfold before them... Before them was a group of people: a policeman in uniform, a sharp-suited man, and a young man dressed like a student. Surrounding them were several school security guards, whose cautious expressions showed their apprehension. After all, the man beating someone up was a police officer! "Sigh, Teacher Zhou really got bullied badly this time..." "Who wouldn''t say so? That beast Jiang Hualiang tried to harass a female student but was caught and reprimanded by Teacher Zhou. Nursing a grudge, he called his father, who''s a cop, to retaliate against the teacher. This father-son pair is truly a scourge!" "That policeman dares to cause trouble at the school gate because he must have some backing. Haven''t you noticed our school leaders haven''t shown up yet? Clearly, they''re scared!" Listening to the murmurs around him, Hao Jian gradually pieced together the situation. Jiang Hualiang had tried to harass a girl from their academy on a secluded path yesterday and was caught and sternly admonished by Teacher Zhou. Jiang then fled in disgrace. The incident quickly spread, and by the afternoon, the entire school knew Jiang Hualiang''s true character. His classmates began avoiding him like the plague. Unexpectedly, the following day after school, Jiang Hualiang brought his father Jiang Bin, straight from work, to the school gate to ambush Teacher Zhou Ning. "Damn it, how dare you mistreat my son? Think being a teacher makes you so great?! My son is so precious I wouldn''t dream of scolding him¡ªwho are you to meddle?!" Jiang Bin''s face twisted with rage as he mercilessly kicked and punched Zhou Ning on the ground, feeling a cruel satisfaction. His resentment toward teachers began in his own schooling years, when he''d been expelled from elementary school for fighting. Since then, Jiang Bin had become hostile toward educators, often gathering thugs to attack teachers he saw outside. Over several days, he was eventually arrested by police staking out the streets. After some ideological correction, the authorities released him since he was a minor. Later, he joined the army, trained for a few years, and eventually stumbled into a police academy. Although he cleaned up his act somewhat in the academy, he still refused to apply himself. After graduation, he worked at Hua City''s police department as a local officer, earning a modest salary supplemented by extorting money from small-time gangsters. Life was passable for him. But this afternoon, right in the middle of playing poker, he received a call from his son claiming he was bullied by a teacher. Enraged, Jiang Bin stormed to the school without even changing out of his uniform. "Pah! A teacher? Just look at you¡ªa disgrace! You''re actually proud to be a teacher? Don''t make me laugh!" Spitting on the ground, Jiang Bin jeered while stepping on Zhou Yu with smug superiority. "You¡­ You''re unreasonable!" Zhou Yu''s once-tidy suit was now smeared with dust, footprints, and fist marks. His previously neat face appeared disheveled and worn-out. "Ha! If you can''t talk your way out, just shut up!" Jiang Hualiang stepped forward grinning maliciously at Zhou Yu, sneering, "Yesterday, if you''d passed by and pretended not to see anything, this wouldn''t have happened! But you just had to ruin my plans!" "You even destroyed my reputation in school overnight!" The father-son duo continued to mistreat Zhou Yu. Poor Zhou Yu, a defenseless man, had no way to stand up to Jiang Bin, who had trained in the military. Though Jiang Bin''s physical condition had deteriorated somewhat since joining the police force, Zhou Yu still couldn''t hope to match his strength. "Hao Jian, deal with this, please..." Ye Linglan couldn''t bear to see her teacher being bullied, so she turned to Hao Jian and quietly pleaded. "Since you''re asking me, how could I refuse?" Hao Jian grinned. He''d already planned to intervene but hearing Ye Linglan''s request made him laugh. He gently squeezed her hand and said, "Wait here; I''ll handle this quickly!" "How dare you ruin my mood! Watch me beat the crap out of you!" Jiang Hualiang prepared to throw his feeble punch at Zhou Yu''s head, his face twisted with malice¡ªdisgusting to the onlookers, though they didn''t dare intervene. If they stepped in, they risked being charged for assaulting a police officer, a serious crime in Huaxia with potential sentences including life imprisonment or even execution! As such, the crowd could only watch helplessly, unwilling to get involved. Seeing no resistance emboldened Jiang Hualiang, making his strikes even more reckless. He knew that with his father present, no one would dare to stop him! "Bang!" As the punch neared Zhou Yu''s head, he reluctantly closed his eyes, bracing for impact. But instead of pain, all he heard was a dull thud, followed by a gust of wind... "Kid! Who the hell are you?!" Jiang Bin''s furious roar suddenly erupted. Zhou Yu hesitantly opened his eyes and saw a young man standing before him. In front of the man, Jiang Bin glared at Hao Jian with rage, while Jiang Hualiang struggled to get up from the ground¡­ Witnessing the scene, Zhou Yu froze for a moment before urgency overcame him. He anxiously warned Hao Jian, "Young man, leave while you can! Don''t let me drag you down. These two, while despicable, have connections¡ªyou''ll suffer if you stay!" "Haha, Teacher Zhou, even if I wanted to leave now, I can''t!" Hao Jian chuckled, pointing toward Ye Linglan. "If I walk away now, wouldn''t my girl yell at me afterward?" "Sigh¡­ Enduring a scolding is better than suffering physical pain!" When Zhou Yu glanced toward where Hao Jian gestured, he saw a graceful woman standing elegantly. Admiration briefly flickered in Zhou Yu''s eyes before fading away. After all, he was old enough to be indifferent to such things. "Haha! Don''t worry, Teacher Zhou, I''ll be fine!" Chapter 941 - 940: Then Change to Another One... "Damn it! Kid, are you looking for death?!" Jiang Hualiang struggled to get up from the ground, dusted off his clothes, a cruel glint flashing in his eyes. He pointed at Hao Jian and shouted angrily. This bastard dared hit him right in front of his father! There''s no way he could let this go! He must make him pay! "My life-long pet peeve is when someone points their finger at me..." Seeing Jiang Hualiang pointing at him, the gentle smile on Hao Jian''s face instantly vanished. His eyes turned icy cold, and his calm voice carried a tinge of killing intent as it struck Jiang Hualiang like a whip: "If you don''t put your hand down right now, don''t blame me for being merciless." As if on instinct, Jiang Hualiang retracted the hand he was pointing with. However, he soon realized what he had done and tried to extend his finger again, only to discover, to his horror, that his hand was no longer responding to his will... Suddenly, a chill surged up from his feet, rapidly spreading throughout his body. His eyes widened, his lips turned an eerie shade of purple, and his teeth began to chatter. Even in the heat of summer, he exhibited symptoms more befitting of a harsh winter. "Hey! Kid, what are you doing?!" Noticing the strange phenomena occurring to his son, Jiang Bin''s face darkened. He stepped towards Hao Jian and growled, "Asking for a beating, huh?!" "I detest people like you¡ªself-important, pompous fools! Young and ignorant, yet meddling in adults'' affairs without the slightest qualm. What, life''s too comfortable for you? You itching for some excitement?!" Jiang Bin cursed as he strode up to Hao Jian, reaching out to shove him in disdain. He sneered, "Since you''re so eager for a thrill, let me show you what it''s like! Let''s see if you dare pull this crap again!" Although Jiang Bin was a policeman, he refrained from escalating to manslaughter. Otherwise, Zhou Yu would''ve been beaten senseless long ago and wouldn''t be standing upright now. When Jiang Bin saw Hao Jian''s wiry frame, paired with his unimpressive brand-name outfit, he gave him even less thought. Had he seen Hao Jian''s Lamborghini, perhaps he wouldn''t dare utter such arrogant words. "Move your hand even an inch closer, and you''ll regret it..." Just as Jiang Bin''s pudgy hand was about to reach within a centimeter of Hao Jian''s shoulder, the latter finally spoke again, his tone faint yet laced with killing intent. These chilling words made Jiang Bin''s hand tremble uncontrollably, stopping him from making further contact. Yet Jiang Bin, dismissing this threat, snorted coldly in reply: "Who the hell do you think you are, threatening me?! Don''t you know? Threatening a police officer is grounds for immediate arrest!" "Acting tough, huh? Let''s see how tough you are after this! My son isn''t someone just anyone can trample on!" His hand shoved Hao Jian''s shoulder, expecting to send the man flying. Instead, Jiang Bin felt sharp, stabbing pains in his palm, while Hao Jian''s body remained unmoved as solid as a rock. "You touched me..." The coldness in Hao Jian''s eyes deepened as he glanced at the dust on his clothes, a faint smirk appearing on his lips. He spoke icily. "Touched you and so what..." Before Jiang Bin could complete his sentence, he suddenly felt the world flip upside down as searing pain coursed through his body. Furious, he scrambled to his feet, about to erupt into curses. But Hao Jian had no intention of giving Jiang Bin time to speak. Stomping on the ground, he shot forward like a cannonball, his foot extended mid-air, delivering a fierce kick that sent Jiang Bin flying. Immediately after, Hao Jian pressed his hand to the ground for balance, spinning both legs to send Jiang Hualiang¡ªwho had just come over¡ªflying as well. He landed motionless on the ground, unconscious. "Pa... Pa..." Dusting off his clothes, Hao Jian cast a glance at the two men lying on the ground, a cold smile on his face. "I''d like to see how you, a so-called cop, plan to arrest me after this beating." "Damn it! You''re begging for death!" Jiang Bin spat multiple times, ridding his mouth of sand from his fall. His face contorted with rage as he caught sight of his unconscious son lying nearby. His eyes flared with fury, blazing with unrelenting anger! "To be beaten by a punk like you!" Seething with rage, Jiang Bin reached for his waist and drew a gun, its pitch-black barrel pointed directly at Hao Jian. "A gun?!" The crowd, previously ecstatic to watch Hao Jian beat up Jiang Bin and his son, froze in shock upon seeing the weapon. Panic broke out as everyone scrambled to retreat, including Ye Linglan, whose face was etched with worry. A gun! No one wanted to risk their lives. Defying television dramatics where a single shot could kill, they had no desire to experience this firsthand. To avoid any accidents, the crowd distanced themselves further while the school security guards fled to their office. Peering nervously from behind windows, they refused to risk their lives. They weren''t heroes willing to take a bullet. "Do you think a gun will scare me?" Hao Jian, unfazed, sized up the weapon. For him, this low-level handgun posed no threat. As long as he could catch the moment Jiang Bin pulled the trigger, he could easily dodge the bullet. "It''s more than enough for you!" Killing Hao Jian here and now? No problem! Jiang Bin figured he could fabricate the story later. Surely the crowd wouldn''t go out of their way to defend a corpse. "Try it..." Before Jiang Bin finished his thought, his ears registered Hao Jian''s lazy, teasing voice. Stunned, Jiang Bin turned to find Hao Jian inexplicably standing right next to him, holding the gun he''d just drawn... This guy¡­ how is this even possible?! "A policeman, huh? Think you''re tough with a gun, huh?!" Hao Jian casually tossed the gun down, then stomped on it, smashing it completely. He looked at Jiang Bin with a wicked grin and said, "If I recall correctly, losing or tampering with a firearm is a serious offense, isn''t it? Now that I''ve destroyed yours, what are you going to do about it?" "You bastard!" Jiang Bin turned beet red at Hao Jian''s words, finally recalling the regulations forbidding police from losing their weapons. His clenched fist raised in blind fury, swinging towards Hao Jian. "Without a gun, what else do you have to fight me?" S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Effortlessly catching Jiang Bin''s punch mid-air, Hao Jian chuckled, applying pressure to his palm. With a light push and pull, he sent Jiang Bin flying again. The spectators, stunned by the dramatic turn of events, stared at the beaten cop. As Hao Jian delivered another round of punishment, laughter erupted among the crowd. "Haha! Truly one bull meets another¡ªlooks like Jiang Bin found his match today! I wonder which academy this young man attends. If I get a chance, I''d love to meet him!" "You? Ha! With his skills, I bet even the Martial Arts Association president wouldn''t stand a chance against him!" "Kid, you better wait¡ªI''ll find someone to deal with you!" Jiang Bin''s face turned darker with humiliation at the crowd''s chatter. These people dared mock him, a police officer?! "Go ahead, go ahead! Bring whoever you want¡ªI''ll take them down one by one!" Hao Jian waved dismissively. He''d heard this kind of threat countless times before, and now it barely registered. "You¡­ You¡­ Hmph! Fine, you wait!" Struggling to find something sharp to say, Jiang Bin stammered before admitting defeat, his words left hanging. "Brother Xiong! It''s me, Xiao Bin¡­ I¡­ I''ve been humiliated at my son''s school! Bring the crew to help me out!" Though the request shamed him, Jiang Bin swallowed his pride for reinforcements. Teaching Hao Jian a lesson was all that mattered now! Everything else could wait until after his revenge. Bleeding dignity had to be avenged first! "This student, you can''t mess with the police! I think you''d better leave. Civilians shouldn''t fight the officials; you won''t win..." Among the impassioned crowd, Zhou Yu spoke with pessimism. Limping towards Hao Jian, he advised him with a hint of concern in his voice. "Teacher Zhou, don''t worry. I trust the police will handle this matter impartially!" Seeing Zhou Yu hadn''t fled, Hao Jian softened his stance. Offering him a relaxed smile, he shook his head gently as if he hardly cared. In fact, Hao Jian had yet another thought left unsaid¡ªif this police station couldn''t operate impartially, then it''d just have to be replaced. After all, in Hua City, Hao Jian was the undisputed overlord. No one¡ªpolitician or otherwise¡ªcould defy his word. Not even those so-called officials held such privilege! ...... Chapter 942 - 941 My Woman Upon hearing this sentence from Hao Jian, Zhou Yu shook his head with a bitter smile in his heart. This young man has decent strength, but his thinking is somewhat naive. Doesn''t he know the concept of officials protecting each other? Or does he think his status can suppress these people? Compared to Zhou Yu''s anxiety, Hao Jian seemed much more at ease. Not only did he not stop Jiang Bin from calling people, but he also closed his eyes and waited quietly. Seeing Hao Jian acting this way, Zhou Yu became even more anxious. He wanted to open his mouth to tell Hao Jian to leave, but when the words reached his mouth, he swallowed them down. Perhaps... perhaps this young man really had a way to solve it? For some reason, after this thought appeared in his mind, the originally anxious heart gradually calmed down, and then a feeling of inexplicable trust followed. As this change happened to Zhou Yu''s body, a subtle smile appeared on Hao Jian''s lips while his eyes remained closed, as if he had thought of something delightful. Then, everyone waited for the arrival of the so-called reinforcements called by Jiang Bin. As the news of the incident spread, more and more students from the school came, and it even reached the nearby school, prompting their students to come over and watch. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As Jiang Bin saw the growing number of onlookers, his expression grew increasingly sinister. He glanced at his son, who was still unconscious, and his fists clenched subconsciously, his eyes filled with resentment as he looked at Hao Jian. When Brother Xiong arrives, I''ll make sure this guy learns his lesson, even though he''s just a small-time policeman, not someone these students can mess with. Not to mention, Brother Xiong is a small team leader in the city bureau, far superior to me, a village-level policeman. Thinking this far, Jiang Bin''s heart settled down. His eyes remained fixed on Hao Jian, as if afraid he would disappear the next second. This was the only opportunity to avenge himself and his son, and it must not be missed. Otherwise, once this guy leaves, finding him among the sea of people would be nearly impossible. After all, he''s only a small policeman in the bureau and doesn''t have the level to access identity information unless he pulls some strings. Time passed bit by bit, and half an hour later, Hao Jian, who had been keeping his eyes tightly shut, slowly opened them. He then moved and looked towards the school gate, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly, thinking to himself. Finally, they''re here... "They''re here!" A police car siren suddenly rang out in the distance, and upon hearing this sound, Jiang Bin''s face immediately showed a look of joy. He quickly turned his eyes to the avenue in front of the school gate, where a police car was speeding towards them, siren blaring, before stopping beside Jiang Bin. "Brother Xiong!" Upon seeing a slightly chubby policeman stepping out of the car, Jiang Bin immediately shouted in delight. Although this policeman had gained some weight, the muscles in his arms were bulging like a bodybuilder''s, with barely visible explosive lines hinting at his power. Xiong Wei, a small team leader of the Narcotics Unit in the city bureau, used to be on the frontline of narcotics work in Hua City during his younger years. To complete tasks faster, he trained every day. However, after reaching his fifties, he moved backstage to lead and teach newcomers the methods of narcotics enforcement. Unlike Jiang Bin, who was an idle dummy since childhood, Xiong Wei had his own goals early on. But ever since he moved to the backstage, not having to fight criminals anymore, he gradually gained weight thanks to his wife, and, as a small team leader, became a reliable protector in the eyes of some small and medium businessmen. Invitations to meals were not uncommon, causing him to gain weight, and now returning him to the frontline might make catching even a single criminal a challenge. If Jiang Bin hadn''t happened to be childhood friends with Xiong Wei and kept in touch all these years, Xiong Wei might not have wanted to come at all. Jiang Bin thought all his dirty dealings were flawless, but they were, in fact, full of loopholes. If it weren''t for some higher-ups suppressing things and seeing him as just a small police officer, Jiang Bin would likely have been in jail for a long time, rather than being carefree here. "What trouble have you stirred up this time, you guy?" Seeing Jiang Bin run over, Xiong Wei slightly chided after getting out of the car, then asked, "As long as it''s nothing major, I''ll help you sort it out!" "Brother Xiong, it''s absolutely nothing major!" Jiang Bin quickly said, "My son was just knocked out by this guy, and he hasn''t woken up yet..." Saying this, Jiang Bin pointed his finger towards Hao Jian. Seeing the dust-covered Jiang Bin and the unconscious Jiang Hualiang not far away, Xiong Wei''s eyes flashed with some anger. After all, these were people he knew and sheltered. Who dared to treat them this way?! "Huh? How did the gun get damaged?!" As Xiong Wei shifted his gaze halfway, he suddenly saw a handgun in pieces on the ground not far away. His face darkened immediately, and he snorted angrily, saying, "Destroying a gun is a serious offense that requires punishment! I want to see which bastard has the audacity to act so recklessly!" Anyone who destroys a police-issued gun would not only face a sentence, but the gun''s owner would also bear joint responsibility, and it''s not a light responsibility. Of course, the relationship is key in this matter. "Hao... Young Master Hao!" When Xiong Wei shifted his gaze to Hao Jian, seeing Hao Jian''s face that suddenly flashed in his mind, his complexion turned pale, his eyes widened, and a trembling voice came from his mouth, "Why... why are you here, sir?" Xiong Wei''s extreme change left many present unable to comprehend, and Jiang Bin''s heart skipped a beat upon seeing this from Xiong Wei. This attitude from Brother Xiong only appeared when facing his superiors. Wasn''t this person just a student?! "Heh, I came to pick up my woman, I didn''t expect to encounter such a thing at the school gate..." Seeing that this Xiong Wei recognized him, saving him a bit of explanation, Hao Jian sneered as he pointed at Ye Linglan in the crowd and at Jiang Bin and Jiang Hualiang lying on the ground. Damn! Is Jiang Bin trying to get me killed?! How dare he mess with Young Master Hao! Upon hearing Hao Jian''s statement, Xiong Wei wished he could put a bullet through Jiang Bin, who looked utterly confused beside him. This guy used to provoke small-time gangsters that were easily dealt with, but now he encountered Young Master Hao, how could he handle it?! Their director themselves handed each one of them a photo of Hao Jian and strictly warned them never to provoke Young Master Hao. Xiong Wei, too, conducted his undercover narcotics work cautiously. Fortunately, Hao Jian had no penchant for trafficking drugs, or rather, he detested it, so there was no intersection between him and Xiong Wei. But now, due to Jiang Bin, these two paths had crossed. However, it wasn''t a good thing¡ªinstead, they stood on opposite sides of Hao Jian. Cold sweat suddenly broke out on Xiong Wei''s forehead, eventually dripping down his cheeks onto the ground. "Brother Xiong, what nonsense are you speaking?! Just arrest this kid!" Though he was puzzled by Xiong Wei''s situation and wondered why he spoke so respectfully to the young man, his desire for revenge was too strong for him to stop and think about the relationships. Right now, he just wanted Xiong Wei to arrest Hao Jian so he could stomp on his face! After all, earlier, Hao Jian had beaten up him and his son quite nicely! Now it''s time to let this brat know that fortunes change! "Idiot!" Seeing Jiang Bin still unaware of the situation, spouting nonsense, Xiong Wei immediately turned his head angrily and yelled at Jiang Bin, "What''s in your head?! Is it full of crap?! Young Master Hao is not someone you can just say you''ll arrest?! " Damn it, what is this fool thinking?! Didn''t his police station provide any introduction about Young Master Hao?! "Is... is this young man of high status? Isn''t he just a student from this school? How could he have status? Is it that his parents have high positions?" Jiang Bin, his head buzzing from Xiong Wei''s yell, subconsciously asked. "Young Master Hao is on his own." As far as Xiong Wei knew, Hao Jian had no family; his family were his close female friends and companions. Still, this did not negate Hao Jian''s status issues. At least Xiong Wei knew he had to treat someone like Hao Jian with the utmost respect. "Then what''s there to fear?!" Hearing that Hao Jian is alone, Jiang Bin thoughtlessly spoke up. Isn''t he just one person? He didn''t believe that one person could contend with their police station. No matter how skilled Hao Jian''s martial arts were, he couldn''t fight multiple people simultaneously. They could exhaust him even if it came to that! "Idiot! Get lost!" Xiong Wei didn''t dare to let Jiang Bin continue talking. He directly kicked Jiang Bin away and hurriedly ran to Hao Jian, kneeling down without a word. He looked up at Hao Jian with utter fright and said shakily, "It''s my lack of discipline, I hope Young Master Hao won''t take offense..." In the scene, a man about fifty years old kneels in front of a young man in his twenties. This scenario immediately overturned everyone present''s worldview, and many men were filled with endless admiration, thinking that life should be lived like this! As for those young female students, seeing this, their eyes filled with twinkling little stars, and as Hao Jian was already attractive, he became even more attention-grabbing. Chapter 943 - 942 Are You Satisfied? "I, Hao Jian, never like to repeat myself. I don''t care for this guy. If you can''t resolve this for me, I''ll just go to your superiors. I''m sure they''ll find a way to handle it." Hao Jian simply narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze shifting to the confused Jiang Bin in the distance. Turning back to Xiong Wei, he spoke softly. Although his tone was light, the chilling undertone within his words struck Xiong Wei like an icy blade, sending shivers through him. Immediately, he slammed his head to the ground and stammered, "Y-Yes! Whatever Young Master Hao says goes. There''s no need to trouble the higher-ups; I can resolve this on my own!" If the higher-ups were to get involved, they might not hesitate to throw his childhood companion in jail; even his nephew could end up behind bars. For a young man like him, that would be far from fortunate. Without hesitation, he quickly took charge¡­ "Someone, come here!" Seeing Hao Jian nod in approval, Xiong Wei urgently waved at the officers by the patrol car and barked, "Take Jiang Bin, who violated police regulations, back to the station. Process his dismissal. As for his son, take him as well. And notify the school administration to expel Jiang Hualiang." "Yes, sir!" The three officers quickly responded and approached Jiang Bin and Jiang Hualiang, escorting the two into the patrol car. Strangely, Jiang Bin offered no resistance. He couldn''t comprehend how his childhood friend could arrest him and even grovel so obediently before a young man, almost sycophantic in manner. "Young Master Hao, does this decision meet with your satisfaction?" After the pair was loaded into the car, Xiong Wei nervously asked Hao Jian, forcing the words out despite his apprehension. Surely Hao Jian could see the intent behind his actions. But, Xiong Wei had no choice. Jiang Bin was a childhood friend, with an elderly mother at home. If he fell, it wouldn''t bode well for his family. Jiang Hualiang was young, and Xiong Wei couldn''t bear to see him lose his future either. He was gambling on Hao Jian''s indifference, banking on the matter being considered insignificant. If he won, he could rest easy. If he lost, his position could very well be at stake. "As long as those two never appear in my line of sight again, it doesn''t matter how you handle the rest. They''re mere nobodies¡ªletting them go or not is of no consequence to me." Hao Jian gave Xiong Wei a long, pointed look, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint smirk. He spoke with a lightness that conveyed how little he cared about Jiang Bin and his son. They were insignificant, swiftly dealt with and forgotten. "Oh, and by the way, the injured party here is Teacher Zhou Yu. I expect you to provide adequate compensation. After all, your people are responsible for this¡­" While Hao Jian himself couldn''t be bothered, Zhou Yu behind him wasn''t in the same position. Zhou Yu was just an ordinary person without Hao Jian''s influence. He got hurt while standing up for justice, so compensation was only fair¡ªand that burden fell squarely on Xiong Wei and his people. "No problem! No problem at all!" Grateful for Hao Jian''s decision not to pursue the matter further, Xiong Wei''s eyes gleamed with relief as he nodded repeatedly. "Alright, there''s nothing more for you here. I have other matters to attend to, so I won''t linger. I''ll trust you to handle the rest. But if I return to my woman''s school and hear any more negative talk about you people, don''t expect mercy from me." Once Xiong Wei nodded, Hao Jian waved his hand, dismissing him. Then, turning to Zhou Yu, he smiled lightly and said, "Teacher Zhou, this matter is settled. Sorry you had to suffer some pain because of these people. I''ve arranged for them to compensate you. If you have any dissatisfaction, let me know¡ªor you can find Ye Linglan, and she''ll contact me." "No, no, it''s fine!" Zhou Yu, still dazed from the whirlwind resolution, quickly waved his hands in response to Hao Jian''s words. "Just getting some justice is more than enough¡ªthere''s no need for compensation¡­" "Haha! It''s fine! If it''s free, you might as well take it, right? Just accept it!" Hao Jian chuckled, shaking his head. Then, he turned and started walking toward Ye Linglan, waving dismissively. "Alright, everyone can go now. Do your jobs properly..." "Yes, sir!" Xiong Wei saluted Hao Jian and hurriedly got into his car. He left one subordinate on-site to manage things, while he went to handle the matter with Jiang Bin first, planning to return later to wrap up here. Though Hao Jian had said to deal with it however he liked, Xiong Wei dared not truly take that lightly. Whatever the case, this matter had to be thoroughly resolved. Hao Jian had emphasized multiple times that this was his woman''s school! Xiong Wei believed that if word of this reached his superior, Lin Nantian, the man would probably rush over without hesitation. Among the upper echelons of Hua City, there wasn''t anyone unaware of how much Hao Jian valued the people closest to him. With a simple directive from Hao Jian, this school might go on to achieve notoriety¡ªor perhaps even infamy, should things take a darker turn that required intervention. "Haha, finally resolved!" As Hao Jian walked toward Ye Linglan, a few students stood in his path. Upon seeing him approach, they scrambled out of the way, parting to form a clear path. At the end of the path stood a strikingly beautiful woman, poised and elegant. "You made quite the spectacle at our school today!" Ye Linglan playfully extended her hand, gently pounding Hao Jian''s chest, her tone slightly proud. "Did you see how my classmates were looking at you? They practically wanted to eat you alive. Be honest¡ªwere you tempted?" "Heh, having you is more than enough. Those other women don''t interest me at all!" With that, Hao Jian ignored the onlookers and confidently took Ye Linglan''s hand, leading her toward the Lamborghini Aventador. The women around them, seeing him hold Ye Linglan''s hand, instantly wore expressions of jealousy and fury, as if they wanted to kick Ye Linglan aside and take her place. "It''s all your fault! I''m probably going to become public enemy number one at school now..." Once in the car, Ye Linglan pouted in mock annoyance, but the crescent shape of her smiling eyes betrayed her happy mood. "Haha! Isn''t that great? Now everyone knows you''re mine. No one else dares to fight me for you anymore!" Hao Jian laughed heartily and reached out to ruffle Ye Linglan''s hair. He focused back on the road ahead and continued, "We''ve already delayed quite a bit of time with this incident. Chunliang is probably getting impatient. Let''s get moving¡ªif he complains, I''ll push the blame onto you, haha!" "He wouldn''t dare!" At Hao Jian''s words, Ye Linglan let out a soft snort. "If that kid dares to say one word of complaint, I''ll kick him out immediately!" "Heh!" Hearing her response, Hao Jian let out a mischievous chuckle. He slammed on the accelerator, the car roaring to life as it sped down the empty streets. Though less agile than the Enzo, the Aventador still offered exhilarating speed, putting Hao Jian slightly out of his comfort zone. Feeling the sudden surge in speed and the rush of wind through the car, Ye Linglan squealed in excitement, prompting another hearty laugh from Hao Jian. Wanda Plaza, a landmark of Hua City, was bustling with activity as usual. The plaza drew a mix of middle-class professionals and small business owners, many of whom frequented its upscale stores. Items here came at a premium but promised quality and safety. Most tenants in the plaza were renowned international brands, offering everything from luxury fashion to dining and entertainment. It was a place designed to ensnare its patrons, provided, of course, that they had money to spare. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Those less inclined to spend frivolously often settled for a Starbucks coffee near the entrance, sipping slowly as they watched people pass by, reading or simply enjoying the atmosphere. But today, Hao Jian and Ye Linglan weren''t here for coffee. They had come to shop, particularly to visit a highly anticipated store: the dedicated Apple Store. Known for drawing lengthy lines during product launches, its patrons often braved harsh weather just to get their hands on the latest releases as soon as the doors opened at midnight. "We''re here." Hao Jian smiled faintly as they arrived at the bustling plaza. Following the security guard''s directions, he parked the car in the underground lot, got out, and took Ye Linglan''s hand as they headed for the exit. "Honk, honk!" Just as Hao Jian and Ye Linglan were about to leave the parking lot, a BMW 3 Series suddenly appeared. Reflexively, they tried to step aside, but before they could, the driver aggressively leaned on the horn, blaring directly at them... Chapter 944 - 943: A Good Dog Doesnt Block the Way! Upon hearing the honk, Hao Jian and Ye Linglan instinctively moved aside, but even after they stepped out of the way, the car horn continued blaring relentlessly, as if dead set on antagonizing Hao Jian. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "F*ck! Is this guy nuts or what?!" Seeing this, Hao Jian''s face instantly showed impatience, as a faint anger slowly spread over him. No matter where he went, there always seemed to be these annoying flies buzzing around! "Alright, don''t bother stooping to their level. Let''s go find Chunliang first; there''s no point wasting your energy on people like this." Ye Linglan, next to him, was also irritated by the driver''s attitude, but she didn''t want their day ruined by such nonsense and tried to coax Hao Jian. "Fine, I''ll listen to you!" With Ye Linglan tugging on his arm, Hao Jian let out a cold snort toward the car and then pulled Ye Linglan along to leave. "Let''s go..." "Oh! Blocked my way and now think you can walk off?!" Just as Hao Jian took a step forward, the BMW suddenly switched lanes and faced him head-on. At the same time, an arrogant male voice rang out from the car. The car window slowly rolled down, revealing a man around twenty-five or twenty-six years old who poked his head out. His face was full of smugness and arrogance. When his gaze landed on Ye Linglan, a flash of amazement showed in his eyes, but when he saw Hao Jian, his expression turned into disdain. Judging from his clothes, he looked completely outdated and full of dirt! "You ever heard of ''a good dog doesn''t block the path''? Blocking my way now and thinking you can just leave? In the entire Hua City, nobody dares disrespect me, Wang Hui, Young Master Wang!" Wang Hui grew increasingly self-important as he spoke, while Hao Jian maintained that same smile, his gaze resembling the kind reserved for watching a clown''s performance. "Young Master Wang?" Hearing this, Hao Jian chuckled. Was there really anyone in Hua City who could talk like that? Is this guy oblivious to the real powerhouse in Hua City or simply living under a rock?! Judging by the situation, it seemed this man knew neither his bounds nor who truly ran this city. After all, driving a mere BMW worth a few hundred thousand in Hua City was hardly a spectacle. There were plenty of such cars, with even Spice Ginger''s underlings driving BMWs and Mercedes. The truly wealthy drove Porsches and the like. And now, this guy¡ªsomeone who wouldn''t even rank among Spice Ginger''s lackeys¡ªdared claim nobody in Hua City would dare offend him? Hao Jian was genuinely tempted to burst out laughing, but just as the thought crossed his mind, Ye Linglan shook her head silently, signaling for him not to stir up trouble. With that, Hao Jian had no choice but to suppress his amusement. "That''s right, Young Master Wang is me!" Wang Hui stared at Hao Jian smugly. Suddenly, his expression shifted as if realizing something, and with a snort, he continued, "But judging by your appearance, you''re probably some broke loser who''s never heard my name. Talking to you is a waste of breath!" "Now get lost, or I''ll break your legs!" As he spoke, Wang Hui reached for the car door, preparing to come out and teach Hao Jian a lesson. But just as his hand gripped the door handle, a shrill, syrupy voice suddenly pierced Hao Jian''s ears, making him shudder involuntarily... "Brother Wang¡­ Let''s not bother with this kind of person. He''s just a poor bastard. Why ruin your mood over someone like him, don''t you think, Brother Wang¡­" The cloying voice came from a heavily made-up woman in the passenger seat. Hao Jian''s first instinct upon seeing her was to gag¡ªhis stomach churning violently. It wasn''t that she was ugly¡ªfar from it¡ªbut her makeup was so thick it seemed like you could scrape off a layer of powder with your hand. And as luck would have it, Hao Jian detested women like this the most. If they were older, it might be slightly more forgivable, given their age. But judging by her appearance, this woman couldn''t have been older than twenty-two. Women her age were just starting to figure out makeup, but those who painted their faces this thick right from the beginning were indeed rare. At this age, a light, natural look, like Ye Linglan''s, was far more eye-catching. Sure, this woman would draw attention¡ªbut the kind of attention filled with disgust and bemusement, like how Hao Jian was looking at her. "Brother Wang¡­ Aren''t you supposed to meet with the manager of Wanda Plaza to discuss business? Don''t let these two delay your important work. People like them don''t deserve your energy!" Through the car window, Hao Jian could clearly see the disdain in the woman''s eyes and her ridiculously arrogant demeanor, puffed up like a peacock in vain pride. Calling her a peacock was probably too generous... "Alright, alright, Little Yuyu, Brother Wang listens to you. I won''t stoop to this poor loser''s level. If you hadn''t reminded me, I might''ve even forgotten my meeting. It''s almost time, so I''ll drop you off here and head over to talk cooperation with President Wu. Meanwhile, stay here at Wanda Plaza and have fun. If there''s anything you want to buy, just let me know!" Thanks to Cen Yu''s reminder, Wang Hui remembered his business appointment and promptly pushed Hao Jian and Ye Linglan out of his mind, focusing entirely on sweet-talking Cen Yu. But his overly affectionate tone made Hao Jian and Ye Linglan cringe. The disgust churned their stomachs so violently they wanted to throw up, yet couldn''t¡ªan excruciating sensation. "Hao Jian¡­ Those two are so gross¡­" Ye Linglan muttered under her breath, her gaze fixed on the BMW with evident revulsion. "Brother Wang, give me a kiss! See you later!" Just as Hao Jian was about to speak, Cen Yu, still in the BMW, suddenly kissed Wang Hui, grabbed her bag, and stepped out of the car with a cheerful wave goodbye. "Little Yuyu, enjoy yourself, alright? I''ll be back soon. If anyone dares to mess with you while I''m gone, just throw out my name. I doubt there''s anyone who''d dare disrespect me!" With a warning glance at Hao Jian, Wang Hui quickly shifted his attention back to Cen Yu, whispering to her lovingly. It was unimaginable that a grown man who wasn''t even fragile, could speak in such a nauseatingly sweet tone¡ªbut Wang Hui did it unabashedly. "Off you go!" Cen Yu smiled and nodded coyly. "Hey, broke loser, what the hell are you staring at?!" As soon as Wang Hui drove away, the woman who had been acting all sweet and demure moments ago transformed. Spotting Hao Jian still nearby, she snapped furiously, hands on her hips in a posture befitting a street shrew. "Me? Was I even looking at you?" Hao Jian had been glancing at something else entirely. He had zero interest in women like her¡ªmuch less the kind that made him want to puke¡ªand could think of nothing he''d want less than to lay his eyes on her for too long. "Hick! Is this your first day in the city? Never seen a beauty before? Or maybe the only ''beauty'' you know is that ugly companion of yours?" Women like her instinctively held animosity toward women who outshone them, and upon seeing Ye Linglan, her hostility flared up instantly. To her, someone like Ye Linglan was a natural rival! "Keep staring, and I''ll gouge your eyes out!" She flipped her hair, in what she evidently thought was a glamorous gesture, then shot a taunting smile at Hao Jian, mockingly adding, "Country bumpkin is all you are. Can''t even put together a sentence properly!" Hao Jian had just opened his mouth to respond, but Cen Yu cut him off before he could utter a word, leaving him visibly annoyed. This woman was a self-centered lunatic through and through! "Heh! If you weren''t still technically a woman, just based on the crap you''ve said to me, I''d wager you''d be dead and dumped in the streets by tomorrow!" As soon as Cen Yu finished her tirade, Hao Jian immediately responded with a cold sneer. He could tolerate almost anything, but one thing he couldn''t stand was anybody insulting his woman¡ªeven if that person was a woman herself. "Linglan, let''s go! There''s no point stooping to this ugly hag''s level!" Without waiting for Cen Yu''s reaction, Hao Jian grabbed Ye Linglan''s hand and walked away decisively... "Dammit! Just wait until Brother Wang gets back¡ªthen we''ll make this bastard regret everything!" By the time Cen Yu realized what was happening, Hao Jian and Ye Linglan had already disappeared into the crowd. When she stepped out to search for them, she was met only with a sea of strangers, with no trace of the pair. Frustrated, she stomped her foot angrily, snorted, and strutted into the plaza with exaggerated self-importance. "Heehee! Those words you said just now will definitely infuriate her!" Walking through the shopping mall, Ye Linglan recalled the moment she glanced back at Cen Yu''s stunned expression. Covering her mouth to suppress her laughter, her crystal-clear voice inadvertently drew the attention of passersby. And when they saw such a beautiful woman as the source of the enchanting sound, awe and admiration flickered in their gazes. How could the world hold a woman of such unparalleled beauty? "You¡ªstop stressing over stuff like this. Don''t let little things affect our mood. Right now, the priority is finding Chunliang. Who knows which floor that kid''s wandering around¡ªit could take ages to locate him! You should just call and ask." Listening to Ye Linglan''s words, Hao Jian shook his head, lightly tapped her forehead, and then gently squeezed her hand, smiling as he spoke. Chapter 945 - 944 Disgust "Sis!" When Hao Jian and Ye Linglan arrived on the third floor of the shopping mall, Ye Chunliang, who was waiting at the staircase, immediately spotted them and waved excitedly to signal them. "Chunliang!" Seeing her younger brother, Ye Linglan walked over to him. "Hehe, brother-in-law, you''re here too?" Ye Chunliang''s face lit up with surprise upon seeing Hao Jian, then turned into a wide grin as he looked at him. His reaction made Ye Linglan seethe with irritation¡ªwas this really her brother or Hao Jian''s brother? Why was he more excited to see Hao Jian than her? Although a bit annoyed, she couldn''t help but blush slightly when she heard the word "brother-in-law." "Alright, now that everyone''s here, let''s shop! Take whatever you like, today your brother-in-law''s footing the bill!" Hao Jian chuckled as he patted Ye Chunliang on the shoulder, then turned around to pull Ye Linglan toward the mall. But just as he was about to take a step forward, Ye Chunliang hesitantly spoke up. "Well¡­ uh¡­ brother-in-law, I¡­ I need to wait for my girlfriend¡­" "What?! Girlfriend?! Chunliang, when did this happen?!" Upon hearing that her younger brother had a girlfriend, Ye Linglan''s face lit up with joy. She grabbed his hand in excitement and exclaimed, "My brother''s finally grown up! He finally has a girlfriend!" Hearing this, Hao Jian couldn''t help but roll his eyes. This girl really was oblivious about such matters. "Sis¡­ I think I mentioned it before!" Caught off guard by his sister''s reaction, Ye Chunliang forced himself to contradict Ye Linglan''s words. "You mentioned it?" Ye Linglan paused, puzzled by her brother''s statement, then thought for a moment before smacking her forehead in realization. "Oh right! You did say you had something to tell me, but I was busy at the time and didn''t listen¡­" "¡­" Hearing this, Hao Jian and Ye Chunliang exchanged glances and fell silent. Hao Jian broke the silence with a laugh and said, "Well, let''s wait for your girlfriend then. It''ll give me and your sister a chance to check her out¡­" "Yes, yes!" Ye Linglan quickly chimed in, temporarily setting aside her other thoughts. Right now, all that mattered was her brother¡ªafter all, he had a girlfriend now, and that was a big deal! She began to act like a mother selecting a bride for her son, which made Hao Jian smile softly before rubbing her head and teasing, "Just make sure you don''t scare her off, alright?" "Hmph! What do you know!" Ye Linglan pouted and huffed, but her crescent-shaped smile betrayed her happiness. The three of them waited in the mall for a bit. A few minutes later, Ye Chunliang suddenly started waving fervently toward a specific area. Seeing this, both Hao Jian and Ye Linglan knew the person had arrived¡ªwho else could make Ye Chunliang this excited but his girlfriend? The two instinctively turned their attention toward where Ye Chunliang was waving, but their expressions quickly changed. Hao Jian''s eyes even glimmered with a sharp, cold light. As he looked at the woman, a thought crossed Hao Jian''s mind: "I''ll let it slide because you''re a woman, but your actions have already crossed the line, and I can no longer view you as one." Meeting the woman''s gaze, Hao Jian turned to Ye Linglan. Their eyes met, and Hao Jian saw a flicker of anger in her expression. He shook his head and gave her a reassuring look. The woman was none other than Cen Yu, the one who had just been involved in a conflict with Hao Jian and Ye Linglan in the parking lot. It turned out she was Ye Chunliang''s girlfriend, yet still entangled with another man elsewhere! A hypocritical woman! Ye Linglan''s eyes mirrored Hao Jian''s disgust. She hated this type of woman the most, especially since Cen Yu had insulted Hao Jian earlier, making him out to be worthless! "Haha, what a coincidence! Miss Cen, your arrival truly surprises both of us!" Before Ye Chunliang could introduce Cen Yu to Hao Jian and Ye Linglan, Hao Jian broke the silence with an icy laugh. It seemed fate had intervened, giving Hao Jian the chance to settle accounts with her. "No one messes with my brother!" What?! This broke ass?! As Cen Yu was led to Hao Jian and Ye Linglan, her heavily made-up face twisted in an instant, then flared with anger. The sudden presence of the two threw her off, but with Ye Chunliang by her side, she quickly regained composure. She was aware of Ye Chunliang''s martial skills and his deep affection for her¡ªhe''d obey her every word, and she''d exploited this countless times before, always successfully! "Brother-in-law, do you know Yuyu?" Ye Chunliang hesitated upon noticing some familiarity between Cen Yu and the others, but his attempt to introduce her fizzled out when Hao Jian raised his hand to stop him. At the same time, Ye Linglan grabbed Ye Chunliang and pulled him closer. Brother-in-law?! Cen Yu immediately understood their relationships from Chunliang''s address. Her lips curled into a triumphant smile. Her manipulative tactics could turn even siblings against each other, let alone in-laws like this. Surely blood ties couldn''t compete with siblings, right? But perhaps her undefeated methods would fail today. After all, her opponent was Hao Jian¡ªnot someone she could easily manipulate! If someone like her could handle Hao Jian, he''d have long been ruined. Unsurprisingly, Hao Jian didn''t give her a chance to speak. Cutting straight to the point, he gestured toward Cen Yu and smiled at the puzzled Ye Chunliang beside him. "Chunliang, you should leave this woman as soon as possible. She''s not worthy of being your girlfriend. Not only does she have you as her partner, but there''s another man she''s even closer to than you!" "Brother-in-law, what¡­ what do you mean?!" Initially confused about his sister and brother-in-law''s behavior, Ye Chunliang was now utterly stunned by Hao Jian''s words. He turned to Cen Yu and questioned her directly, "Yuyu, is what my brother-in-law said true?!" Her plans were far from executed, but Cen Yu felt everything unraveling due to Hao Jian. Glaring momentarily, she quickly forced a sweet smile, her eyes brimming with tears as she began to sob and plead, "How could I possibly have another man? I only love you! Don''t listen to your brother-in-law; he¡­ he tried to touch me inappropriately in the parking lot earlier. Now that I''m here, he''s making up lies to cover his tracks!" Cen Yu believed her exaggerated claims would sway Ye Chunliang, but her words only darkened his expression. His brother-in-law harassing Cen Yu? What a joke! Hao Jian, with his status, would never stoop to someone like her¡ªespecially with his sister, Ye Linglan, right by his side! "Yuyu, tell me the truth!" Ye Chunliang''s tone grew stern as he fixed his gaze on Cen Yu. "There''s no way my brother-in-law would do something like that!" To Ye Chunliang, whatever his sister said was the absolute truth, and his brother-in-law carried even more admiration and respect. Hao Jian''s achievements at his age were something to aspire to, and Chunliang felt pride knowing Hao Jian was part of his family. But now his so-called girlfriend dared insult Hao Jian, spouting lies that he couldn''t possibly believe. How could he not be suspicious? "He¡­ he''s not impossible! He''s just a clueless bumpkin who''s never seen a woman like me. It''s normal for him to act out!" Growing desperate at Ye Chunliang''s refusal to believe her, Cen Yu rushed to defend herself. "Haha! My brother-in-law''s a bumpkin? Then what does that make my sister? And me? Bumpkins among bumpkins?" "You¡­ you don''t believe me?!" "Believe you? Your lies are full of holes! Anyone with half a brain can tell you''re deceiving me. I, Ye Chunliang, am not the type to bend for beauty, especially since your attractiveness isn''t even a fraction of my sister''s. Why would I care for you?!" S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Complex emotions flickered in Ye Chunliang''s eyes. He wanted to believe Cen Yu, but his heart rejected her claims outright. He couldn''t explain it, but an overwhelming sense of disgust suddenly bubbled up inside him¡ªstarting from the moment Cen Yu began her false accusations, he felt an inexplicable aversion¡­ Chapter 946 - 945: If Not You, Then Who Should I Hit? "Yes! That''s right! Every word this pauper says is true!" Realizing that no matter how she explained, Ye Chunliang wouldn''t believe her, Cen Yu decided to drop the pretense. Enraged, she let out a piercing scream, drawing the attention of a number of nearby customers. "I do have someone else outside!" Cen Yu glared at Ye Chunliang with anger and disdain written all over her face. "I got with you because I wanted your money. But who would have guessed? Sure, you live in a villa, but you''re just a poverty-stricken nobody! I wanted you to buy me a house, but you wouldn''t. I wanted a BMW, but you refused, too!" "Every day it''s just shopping, dining out, and going to the movies! Is this the life I deserve? Absolutely not! The life I, Cen Yu, am destined for is one where I stand above others, looking down on pathetic paupers like you. There''s no way I''d stay with someone like you! That''s why I found Brother Wang!" The more Cen Yu spoke, the more agitated she became. By the end, she''d completely abandoned all decorum, roaring, "Do you even know who he is?! He''s the owner of a multimillion-dollar company in Hua City! And after his latest business deal, he might even become a billionaire! Do you think you can compare to him?!" "Ha!" "Smack!" As soon as Cen Yu finished her tirade, Ye Chunliang, pushed to the limit, laughed coldly. With a quick step forward, he raised his hand and slapped her. A crisp sound echoed as Cen Yu clutched her left cheek, staring at Ye Chunliang in stunned disbelief. Trembling, she pointed at him and said, "You... you actually hit me?!" "Who else should I hit?!" Ye Chunliang snorted angrily, his voice stern. "I''ve never wronged you, Cen Yu. I always thought your words were just jokes, but it turns out they were your true feelings. I''ve barely started my career¡ªI was never going to have the kind of wealth you want..." "Even though I have a successful and well-connected brother-in-law, I just want to build a good life through my own efforts. I thought you were willing to walk this path with me, to fight alongside me. But I was wrong..." He glanced reflexively at Hao Jian behind him but chose to keep some things unsaid. Deep down, he felt nothing but relief¡ªrelieved that Hao Jian and his sister had exposed Cen Yu for who she truly was. With someone like Hao Jian in his corner, Ye Chunliang could indirectly get almost anything he wanted. He knew full well that his brother-in-law was a true wealthy man, far richer than the man Cen Yu kept boasting about! But Ye Chunliang''s pride wouldn''t allow him to rely on others. He wanted to earn his own daily bread through hard work. And in love, he hoped for someone willing to stand by him and earn that bread together... Maybe one day in the future, he''d find that kind of woman. But it certainly wasn''t now, and most definitely not this woman in front of him. The very woman he''d cherished with all his heart, who in reality had never seen him as worthy. Alas, it was his own blindness that stopped him from realizing her true nature earlier. Still, even if he''d realized late, it wasn''t too late yet! Lowering his hand, Ye Chunliang turned decisively and strode away, heading toward Hao Jian without sparing another look at Cen Yu. His heart was completely done with her; he no longer wanted anything to do with such a wretched woman. Her true colors had been revealed, and in return, he could only answer with complete detachment. "You''re just going to walk away like that?" As Ye Chunliang approached, Hao Jian chuckled lightly, tilting his head toward the seething Cen Yu in the distance. "You''re not planning on taking some revenge?" "Forget it. Consider it my own poor judgment this time. I understand my place¡ªI know how hard it is to find a good woman..." Ye Chunliang waved his hand dismissively, managing a small, bitter laugh. His gaze flickered toward Cen Yu, a brief flash of sadness crossing his eyes before he regained his composure and turned back to Hao Jian. "Finding a good woman isn''t hard. What''s hard is seeing if she truly is one. Let this be a lesson to you: just because a woman likes you doesn''t mean you should blindly treat her well. At the very least, you need to truly understand her and learn about her..." Hao Jian furrowed his brows slightly as he spoke, prompting Ye Linglan to open her mouth to say something, only for Hao Jian to hold up his hand, stopping her. This kind of matter, he felt, was better handled by him. "Leave the rest to me. Stay by your sister''s side." After saying this, Hao Jian waved at Ye Chunliang, signaling him to stop talking. Then, without hesitation, he turned and began walking toward Cen Yu. "I wasn''t planning on holding you accountable. But you deceived Chunliang''s feelings, and this matter might not end so easily..." Hao Jian sneered, his eyes cold as they swept over Cen Yu. Seeing these two paupers daring to discuss her so openly, saying such awful things about her, Cen Yu could no longer contain her rage. As Hao Jian approached, she snorted derisively, her tone venomous. "Hah, just a couple of broke fools pretending to be big shots! And you even dared to hit me! My Brother Wang won''t let you off!" "Ye Chunliang, how dare you hit me! This won''t end here. I''ll make sure you lose the hand you used to slap me!" "Hah! Don''t you think what you''re saying now is just a load of crap?" Hao Jian retorted, his expression filled with scorn. Only a woman who thought the world revolved around her could spout such ridiculous words! "You... you¡­ I''ll call Brother Wang right now!" "Go on, call him! If he dares to come, I''ll deal with him too!" "Just you wait!" Enraged, Cen Yu pulled out her phone and quickly dialed Wang Hui, who had just finished his meeting. At the same time, she watched Hao Jian warily, as if worried he might pounce on her. "Hello, Brother Wang..." The call connected quickly, and Cen Yu''s voice instantly softened, intentionally sweet and coquettish. "Someone''s trying to bully me¡ªit''s those two paupers from earlier. They see I''m alone and want to pick on me..." S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The meeting had gone smoothly¡ªPresident Wu, the head of Wanda Plaza in Hua City, had been very accommodating, wholeheartedly agreeing to Wang Hui opening a flagship store there. Though the annual rent was a bit steep, having a presence in Wanda Plaza¡ªa hub of international luxury brands¡ªwas a great opportunity to boost his company''s reputation! He envisioned the massive returns he''d reap in the future, far surpassing the costs today. In his mind, he was already seeing himself as a billionaire within five years! But his daydream was interrupted by the sudden ringing of his phone. Irritated, he picked up, only to hear Cen Yu''s words. His expression immediately darkened. He''d known Cen Yu had a pauper boyfriend. In fact, he''d brought her here specifically to break up with that loser. But for that loser to dare hit his woman? Outrage flared in his eyes, and his fury burned hot. "Have them wait for me in the parking lot!" He hung up abruptly, then dashed downstairs to his car, speeding toward Wanda Plaza''s parking lot. His reasoning for moving things to the parking lot was simple: there were too many people in the mall. If something happened, it would be harder to avoid responsibility. The relatively empty parking lot was the perfect place to act without consequences¡ªno witnesses, no accountability. He was well-versed in this kind of situation, having done similar things countless times before... "The parking lot?" Hearing this, Cen Yu froze for a moment. Looking around, she noticed that a crowd had gathered at some point. Piecing things together, she quickly figured out why the location needed to change. She turned to Hao Jian, sneering, "Brother Wang is on his way! Do you dare follow me to the parking lot? Let''s settle everything there!" "Why wouldn''t I dare?!" Hao Jian chuckled coldly, then turned and grabbed Ye Linglan''s hand, heading downstairs. It didn''t matter where they solved this; the outcome would be the same. If the other party wanted to switch locations, so be it. Watching Hao Jian and his companions leave, Cen Yu let out a low, derisive laugh. "Let''s see how long you broke fools can keep up the act!" A pauper will always be a pauper, no match for Brother Wang! Before long, the group arrived at the nearly deserted parking lot. Shortly after Hao Jian''s trio entered, Cen Yu followed behind them... "Hao Jian, are you really planning to take things this far?" Watching the situation escalate, Ye Linglan grew worried¡ªnot about Hao Jian, but about her brother. She was afraid the whole ordeal might leave a lasting scar on his heart... "Since I said I''d handle this, then trust me to handle it. Right, Chunliang?" Hao Jian smiled, gently ruffling Ye Linglan''s hair to reassure her. Then he turned to Ye Chunliang, adding with a laugh, "This is me helping you clean up this mess. A woman like that doesn''t deserve to take up space in your heart!" "I understand, brother-in-law..." Ye Chunliang nodded and looked toward Ye Linglan, shaking his head lightly. "Sis, I''m fine. If I agreed to let brother-in-law handle this, it means I don''t mind anymore. I''m your brother¡ªdon''t you know me well enough by now?" "But¡ª" "No buts! Let''s leave it to brother-in-law!" When his sister tried to object, Ye Chunliang quickly cut her off, his tone firm. However, a flicker of emotion passed through his eyes, betraying the fact that he hadn''t quite let go of everything... Chapter 947 - 946: Just a Car "Rumble!" The roar of a car engine suddenly echoed across the parking lot. Moments later, a BMW 3 Series slowly rolled down through the lot entrance and came to a steady stop beside Cen Yu. "Fuck your mother! Who the hell dares touch my woman?!" After the car stopped, an angry shout erupted as the car door swung open. Wang Hui stepped out, slammed the door shut with a wave of his hand, his face flushed with fury. Pointing directly at Hao Jian, he roared, "You broke-ass loser, did you hit my woman?!" "Goddammit! Did you lay a finger on my woman? If you''re smart, you''ll get on your knees right now and apologize to her! Otherwise, don''t even think about walking out of here alive!" "I''m Wang Hui, a damn big deal in Hua City. When I speak, my word is law! Poor bastard, you better regret it now while you still can. If you wait until it''s too late, don''t even think about begging for mercy, because no one''s coming to save you!" A torrent of curses spilled out of Wang Hui''s mouth as soon as he got out of the car, leaving Hao Jian momentarily stunned. His eyes blinked a few times¡ªa flicker of disbelief. Was this guy''s brain malfunctioning? "Cough, cough. I didn''t hit her..." "What the fuck are you yapping for?! I say you did it, so you did it! You dare argue with me? Do you believe I won''t smash your face in right now?!" "A broke-ass loser like you, thinking you can go up against me? You better wait for your next life!" Hao Jian initially wanted to remind Wang Hui of something, but he hadn''t expected this guy to be so undeniably obnoxious. Hao Jian''s eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flickering as the corners of his lips curled up slowly. "I don''t believe you¡­" "You!" Wang Hui had been waiting for Hao Jian to collapse in tears and beg for mercy, but what he got instead was a response he couldn''t even comprehend. All the other broke losers he''d stepped on in the past¡ªjust a flash of his family name or the sight of his luxury car was enough to have them kissing the ground he walked on. Why was this guy different?! "You what?!" Hao Jian sneered coldly, not giving Wang Hui a single chance to catch his breath. "I recall warning you earlier. If you dare point your finger at me, you might as well say goodbye to it." "Fuck! A broke bastard like you dares to threaten me?!" When had Wang Hui ever been humiliated like this? This nobody¡ªa dirt-poor loser¡ªhad the guts to threaten him right to his face?! What the hell kind of backing did this guy think he had? Heh, doesn''t matter. Whoever you are, you''ve crossed me. Don''t even think about walking out of here alive. With that thought, Wang Hui lunged forward, sprinting toward Hao Jian. During the rush, he raised his fist and slowly began gathering whatever strength he had. After all, he had spent some time learning Taekwondo at a gym. Sure, he couldn''t hack it when it came to the hard training, but he''d picked up enough basics that could deal with someone like Hao Jian¡ªa broke loser. In his mind, this was more than enough! "Trifling skill!" Watching Wang Hui charge ahead without the slightest sense of rhythm, Hao Jian shook his head disdainfully. His soft mutter, nonetheless, drifted into Wang Hui''s ears, making his face darken as a frigid light flickered in his eyes. Stupid poor punk. Soon enough, I''ll make you understand that what you dismissed as "trifling skill" can leave you a fucking wreck! "Smack!" The sound of fist meeting flesh resounded clearly. Feeling his punch connect with Hao Jian''s body, Wang Hui couldn''t help but smirk triumphantly. Still doubt my so-called trifling skill?! But just as he was about to brag, his expression twisted as a sharp, unbearable pain erupted from his fist. The agony surged like an unrelenting tide, overwhelming his senses, and a blood-curdling scream tore through the otherwise silent parking lot. "Ahhh!" The searing pain was too much for Wang Hui, whose mental threshold wasn''t very high to begin with. He howled, as if hoping his screams would somehow dull the pain. But no matter how loudly he yelled, the torment persisted, unforgiving¡­ His clenched fist was still pressed against Hao Jian''s chest. Hao Jian lowered his gaze, looked at Wang Hui screaming in front of him, and curved his lips into a grin. "Didn''t I tell you that you''d regret it? But you just wouldn''t listen. Hurts now, doesn''t it?" Shaking his head, Hao Jian reached out, grabbed Wang Hui''s fist, and jerked it away from his chest. As a Martial Artist, and a man notorious in the mercenary world under the title of the "God of Death," his body wasn''t something a regular person could just touch. With his Protective Qi Power circulating within, ordinary attacks couldn''t breach him, and weaker individuals¡ªlike Wang Hui¡ªwould end up ensnared by that Qi, unable to pull away. This Protective Qi wasn''t just for show. Unless Hao Jian released it voluntarily, anyone who touched him would be stuck until the Qi had vented its energy. And until that happened? More pain was inevitable. Now that Hao Jian had pulled his hand away, the Qi dissipated back into his body, freeing Wang Hui from its effects. But this wasn''t Hao Jian showing mercy¡ªhe was merely making it easier to deliver the next blow. "Let''s see you act tough in front of me again!" With that, Hao Jian sent a solid kick into Wang Hui''s body, launching him straight into his BMW. Wang Hui''s palm accidentally touched the car''s sweltering exterior, causing him to spring up and roll on the ground, clutching his burnt hand in anguish. "Hahaha! Even the heavens can''t stand your bullshit anymore!" Hao Jian laughed. The mishap was unintentional¡ªhe''d only meant to knock Wang Hui away. But Wang Hui was convinced Hao Jian had done it on purpose! "Brother Wang¡­ Are¡­ are you okay?!" Seeing that Wang Hui couldn''t get the upper hand against Hao Jian, Cen Yu''s face grew anxious. If Wang Hui couldn''t deal with him, guess who''d be next on the chopping block? Her! "I''m fine!" Struggling to his feet, Wang Hui glared at his reddened left hand, gritting his teeth as he growled at Hao Jian. "You broke bastard, do you have any idea how much this BMW is worth?! Fifty grand!" "If there''s even a single scratch on my fifty-thousand-dollar car because of you, you''re going to owe me thousands! Can you even afford that?!" This BMW wasn''t the best car Wang Hui owned, but it was his first car. He treasured it deeply, and now that Hao Jian had dared to defile it¡ªthankfully without any actual damage¡ªhe was fuming nonetheless. Repairs would''ve cost a fortune! "Oh, so this is a BMW, huh?" Hao Jian glanced over at Wang Hui, pretending to be surprised. "A broke-ass bitch who doesn''t even recognize a BMW?!" To Cen Yu, Hao Jian''s reaction signaled ignorance. Seizing the chance to save face, she sneered derisively. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "A BMW? Is that supposed to be impressive?" Tilting his head with a smirk, Hao Jian let out a mocking laugh before turning and walking deeper into the parking lot. After a few steps, he turned a corner, and not long after, the unmistakable roar of a Lamborghini Aventador erupted as Hao Jian drove it out with a thunderous rumble¡­ "W-What¡­" At first, seeing Hao Jian leave, Wang Hui and Cen Yu thought he''d finally chickened out. But before they could smirk in satisfaction, the sound of a sports car engine tore through the parking lot. "Sis¡­ that sound¡­ don''t tell me that''s a supercar?" Ye Chunliang, who prided himself on recognizing car engine sounds thanks to his online habits, couldn''t help asking his sister in disbelief. "Could it be his car?" "I don''t know what he drives. It''s yellow, though¡ªsuch an ugly color¡­" Ye Linglan was clueless about cars and hadn''t cared to ask Hao Jian about his. He''d never mentioned it either. "There are plenty of yellow supercars¡­" Shaking his head, Ye Chunliang realized he was asking the wrong person. Still, what was his brother-in-law doing driving a supercar now? Running away? Hah, as if. His brother-in-law, running away? Fat chance. The truth soon revealed itself. With a sudden screech, a yellow Lamborghini Aventador appeared at the corner. Ye Chunliang''s eyes widened in disbelief at the sight. Holy shit, isn''t that an Aventador?! Fuck me, the base price in this country is seven million! A top-tier supercar! But why is brother-in-law driving it¡­ faster and faster? After appearing, the car didn''t slow down. Instead, it sped up, the engine''s roar shaking the heavens. Under Wang Hui''s terrified gaze, the Lamborghini smashed into his BMW with ruthless force! "Boom!" Wang Hui''s BMW was sent flying to the parking lot''s entrance. As the door to the Aventador opened and Hao Jian stepped out, he leisurely adjusted his jacket before strolling back toward Ye Linglan. "Holy shit, bro-in-law! That''s an Aventador! And¡­ you just rammed it into a fifty-thousand-dollar BMW?!" "Eh, it''s just a car. No big deal¡­" Chapter 948 - 947: Do You Like It? "This... my car..." Seeing his beloved car get directly smashed aside by Hao Jian, Wang Hui''s face turned drastically pale. He wanted to confront Hao Jian, but when his gaze shifted to the Aventador, he hesitated. This kind of luxury sports car was something even he couldn''t afford. At most, he could only buy a car worth one or two million yuan, and to afford something like this would take him several years. Yet here the car was, in Hao Jian''s hands, treated as just another ordinary car, even used to crash into his own BMW worth only five or six hundred thousand yuan. A person like Hao Jian, he''d never even heard of, let alone seen before. But now, right in front of him, this scene was something he could never have imagined... "Brother Wang... your car..." Cen Yu also stood there in stunned silence, pointing stiffly at the smashed BMW and speaking with difficulty. Although she didn''t know much about cars, she could tell that the yellow car in front of them was very valuable¡ªat least worth much more than Brother Wang''s BMW. Otherwise, Brother Wang wouldn''t have shown such a facial expression. "I... I know..." Prompted by Cen Yu''s statement, Wang Hui finally snapped back to his senses. His face froze for a moment, and he spoke hesitantly, glancing toward Hao Jian with a forced laugh, "Sir, you''re quite bold, using such a car like this..." At this point, Wang Hui had no choice but to swallow his pride. Who would''ve thought that this supposed pauper could afford to drive such a car? Not only that, but he had the nerve to use that car to smash his own. Looking again at Hao Jian''s nonchalant demeanor, it seemed as though even if the car were totalled, Hao Jian wouldn''t care. "Haha!" Hao Jian let out a hearty laugh at Wang Hui''s change in attitude, his eyes flashing with mockery. He tilted his head slightly, raised his hand to point at Wang Hui, and laughed arrogantly, "If this car weren''t so valuable, I wouldn''t have crashed into your car¡ªI would''ve hit you directly instead!" The underlying meaning was clear: if Hao Jian were driving a cheap car, he wouldn''t have bothered crashing into Wang Hui''s car and would''ve just run him over. "Hmph!" Hao Jian''s blunt words were obviously a show of contempt. Wang Hui''s forced grin gradually faded and was replaced by a frosty expression. He snorted coldly, glaring at Hao Jian as he growled under his breath, "Don''t think that just because you drive a car like this, you can look down on me!" "Me? Laughing at you?" Hearing this, Hao Jian''s face took on an odd expression. He chuckled softly, tapping his own head before sneering, "Laughable!" "Brother Wang... this guy... doesn''t really seem like a pauper after all..." As Wang Hui prepared to confront Hao Jian, Cen Yu spoke up uneasily. For some reason, ever since Hao Jian showed up, she''d felt deeply unsettled. Initially, she thought having Wang Hui around would give her a sense of security, but even after he joined her, her anxiety lingered. "It doesn''t matter who he is; as long as he causes trouble in Hua City, there''s no way I''ll let him off!" Wang Hui snapped, thinking things through. This was Wanda''s territory, and he''d just finished a business discussion with Wanda''s representative. If anything happened here, Wanda wouldn''t be able to shirk responsibility, would they? After all, Wang Hui was one of Wanda''s merchants. If trouble befell him here and Wanda didn''t step in, what would other merchants think? Would it lead to concerns about their safety in the future? Even though the likelihood was slim, the idea itself could plant seeds of doubt, which might grow over time. Wanda would never allow such uncertainty to persist! "But this man..." No matter what Wang Hui said, Cen Yu still felt uneasy. Initially, she had the courage to confront Ye Chunliang directly, but now her gaze was visibly faltering. Wang Hui picked up on her shift immediately, which only irritated him further. He snorted coldly and snapped, "Don''t overthink! Just trust me. I''ve already said it¡ªanyone who dares provoke me, Wang Hui, won''t walk away alive!" "This is President Wu''s domain, and there are only three of them. Do you really believe we can''t handle this?" Hearing Wang Hui''s implied confidence, Cen Yu''s eyes lit up. She realized he was right¡ªthis was President Wu''s territory. As long as he agreed to help, the opposing side wouldn''t pose a problem, no matter how wealthy they looked! President Wu wasn''t just rich; he wielded significant authority as the chief overseer of Wanda in all of Hua City. Was such a figure incapable of dealing with three men? "History is written by the victors. As long as we take care of them and our numbers are stronger, even if what''s black could be twisted into white, you''ve got nothing to worry about!" Wang Hui suddenly reached out, pinched Cen Yu''s chin, and gazed at her intoxicatedly, saying, "This is what power feels like. Do you like it?" "Brother Wang, I... I like it!" Although Wang Hui''s words left her a bit dazed, her initial unease was beginning to fade away. She nodded obediently, her voice dripping sweetness in reply. "Haha! Good! That''s the kind of woman I, Wang Hui, deserve!" He laughed heartily and then glared at Hao Jian coldly, growling, "Kid, I don''t care who you are, but I stand by my word¡ªsince you''ve stepped in here, don''t even think about leaving!" Hearing this, Hao Jian shook his head, unsurprised by Wang Hui''s attitude. If the man had simply backed down quietly, Hao Jian would''ve suspected he was plotting something behind the scenes. This way, it was straightforward¡ªdeal with him now and eliminate future problems. "Oh? And how do you plan to stop me? With your pitiful skills?" Hao Jian tilted his head mockingly, his eyes filled with disdain. He let out a cold laugh and sneered, "Don''t make me laugh; you can''t even come close to stopping me!" "Bastard! Who said I can''t stop you?! Just wait! I''ll call someone right now!" Wang Hui yelled, his face growing darker. How dare Hao Jian belittle his influence? "Go ahead!" Hao Jian casually waved his hand, signaling Wang Hui to make the call. Then, with a mocking shake of his head, he smirked and said, "I really don''t understand¡ªyou''re dragging others down with you just to bring disaster on yourself..." "What did you say?!" "Nothing much. Are you calling someone or not? If not, don''t waste my time!" Hao Jian chided, brushing his hand dismissively. "Who says I''m not calling?!" When Hao Jian acted as if to leave, Wang Hui snorted coldly, quickly pulling out his phone. He wanted to ensure Hao Jian wouldn''t actually leave, glancing at him nervously as he dialed. At this moment, Wang Hui wouldn''t dare try stopping Hao Jian physically. If he did, he''d undoubtedly be the one sprawled on the ground¡ªthere was no question about it. This was obvious from how Hao Jian had just casually floored him with one punch... "President Wu, hello, it''s Little Hui!" Upon connecting, Wang Hui''s tone instantly softened. Seeing this, Cen Yu''s eyes briefly flickered with undisguised disdain. "Little Hui! What''s up? Are you dissatisfied with the business deal we discussed earlier?" Sipping tea in his office as he handled trivial matters, Wu Kai asked calmly. Wu Kai only vaguely remembered Wang Hui from recent dealings. Originally, he hadn''t planned on letting him open a flagship store in Wanda, as his brand paled in comparison to others. However, he was pressured by senior management and begrudgingly signed the contract. After all, Wanda only cared about collecting rent. Whether the store thrived or failed was Wang Hui''s problem, though its success or failure might slightly impact Wanda''s reputation¡ªnot that Wu Kai minded. Assuming Wang Hui was calling about contractual dissatisfaction, Wu Kai''s expression darkened as soon as Wang Hui exaggerated the situation. Causing trouble in my territory? Trying to test my patience? "Little Hui, stay there and don''t let him leave. I''ll be right over!" Wu Kai immediately issued the command. Wang Hui didn''t oppose it, as he also wanted Hao Jian kept firmly in place. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Got it, President Wu!" Hanging up in servile tone, Wang Hui immediately regained his inflated arrogance, glaring at Hao Jian and his group with a sneer, "You lot better wait right here. Someone will be here soon to deal with you!" "Wen, call the security office and have them send twenty guards over¡ªI need all of them!" Wu Kai spoke quickly to his secretary after ending the call. Grabbing his blazer off the chair, he strode toward the elevator. Wanda''s office building wasn''t located at the main Wanda Plaza entrance but in a separate building about a kilometer away, exclusively for Wanda employees. Just moments earlier, Wang Hui had been there signing contracts, which explained why he''d needed to drive away from the parking lot again afterward. Within minutes, Wu Kai arrived with twenty security guards at the front of Wanda Plaza... Chapter 949 - 948: Dont Want to Live Anymore?! "President Wu, you''re here!" From afar, Wang Hui spotted Wu Kai at the parking lot entrance, accompanied by twenty security guards. His face lit up instantly, and he quickly approached with his woman, Cen Yu, in tow. "What the hell! Wang Hui actually pissed off Young Master Hao?!" As soon as Wu Kai stepped into the parking lot, he scanned the area and immediately spotted Wang Hui. But even more striking was the sight of Hao Jian and his companions not far ahead. When Wu Kai laid eyes on that unforgettable face, his eyes widened abruptly, and a palpable sense of fear surged through his body. Without hesitation, Wu Kai hastily led his twenty guards toward Hao Jian''s direction. Initially, he was walking briskly, but soon, he broke into a full-on sprint. His guards watched in stunned confusion¡ªwhat was happening to Wu Kai? Could the man approaching him be some incredibly important figure? "What the hell! Why''s Wu Kai in such a rush? Could it be that I hold a high position in his mind?!" Wang Hui, who had been walking quickly at first, suddenly spotted Wu Kai running toward him. His face lit up with a subtle smile as countless theories raced through his mind, and he convinced himself of this conclusion. Haha! My days of success have finally arrived! Wang Hui hurried his pace toward Wu Kai as well. Since even President Wu was sprinting to meet him, how could he take his time strolling? Wouldn''t that be disrespectful to Wu Kai? His entire fortune and future hinged on Wu Kai''s support. If Wu Kai favored him, he might not even need five years¡ªperhaps three or two would suffice¡ªto become a billionaire! But... When Wang Hui was just a meter away from Wu Kai, he stopped. However, Wu Kai didn''t. Wu Kai completely ignored Wang Hui and brushed past him... This sight left Wang Hui dumbfounded, and even Wu Kai''s guards looked puzzled. Wasn''t Wu Kai racing to greet this enthusiastic fellow? "Young Master Hao!" Wu Kai paid no attention to these people''s thoughts, nor did he care. In his eyes, Wang Hui didn''t warrant such an honor. Only someone like Hao Jian deserved it... Seeing Wu Kai bow respectfully to Hao Jian and speak in a deferential tone shattered Wang Hui''s worldview. Cen Yu''s eyes widened with disbelief... This... is that supposed to be the broke loser?! How could even President Wu treat this guy with such reverence? From the way it looks, Wu Kai seems completely desperate to curry favor... The guards, seasoned at reading situations, processed their shock quickly and returned to their neutral expressions. Wu Kai''s affairs were none of their business¡ªit wasn''t their place to discuss or intervene. Their sole responsibility was to ensure Wu Kai''s safety, while everything else was best ignored. This pragmatism was a survival skill honed over years of working for competitive companies. After all, corporate politics were intense¡ªnot only for employees but also for the security team. Offending someone in a higher position could mean losing their job entirely. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Who are you?" Looking at the bowed Wu Kai, Hao Jian asked in confusion. He truly didn''t remember him¡ªWu Kai wasn''t one of the top figures in Hua City, and Hao Jian couldn''t be bothered to know such people. Showing interest in them was just a waste of time. If there was an issue that needed fixing, Hao Jian would simply let the top-tier players handle it. Those individuals would mobilize their resources to resolve it, leaving Hao Jian free from unnecessary concern. If Spice Ginger were here, he''d probably know who Wu Kai was, given he dealt with these types regularly. However, Hao Jian was alone today and hadn''t brought Spice Ginger along... Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Wu Kai merely responded with a slight, unconcerned smile. Yet, the guards and Wang Hui behind him were utterly shaken... This guy doesn''t even know President Wu, yet Wu Kai treats him like this?! What kind of world is this? How could such a thing happen? If they didn''t know Wu Kai personally, they might have suspected an impersonator! For a moment, their gazes toward Hao Jian shifted¡ªfrom initial shock to outright disbelief. Wang Hui''s expression grew even grimmer. Wasn''t this guy supposed to be poor? Even if he could afford an Aventador, how could he possibly know President Wu? But then... He doesn''t recognize President Wu, yet somehow, President Wu recognizes him! At that moment, Wang Hui couldn''t suppress pangs of regret¡ªthe kind of regret that gnaws at the soul. He regretted offending Hao Jian, realizing he was merely someone clinging to Wu Kai''s support for survival. As for Hao Jian? Judging by Wu Kai''s deferential demeanor, there was likely little he wouldn''t do for Hao Jian... Even more regretful was Cen Yu standing beside Wang Hui. She felt like dying. Had she known Ye Chunliang''s brother-in-law was so influential, she wouldn''t have left Ye Chunliang no matter what! Staying with Wang Hui in hopes of becoming a wealthy wife might take ages¡ªand now, there might not even be such a chance. If she''d stayed by Ye Chunliang''s side, his brother-in-law could likely make her a rich wife in mere moments with as little as one word! Didn''t Wu Kai himself just treat Hao Jian with such reverence? "I''m the branch manager of Wanda Group in Hua City. My name is Wu Kai!" Hao Jian didn''t recognize him, so Wu Kai promptly introduced himself while bowing respectfully. "I had the privilege of witnessing your charisma once at a gathering, Young Master Hao. I also happen to have connections that made me aware of your illustrious identity..." "Oh? Alright, alright!" After hearing Wu Kai''s introduction, Hao Jian smiled faintly. He figured Wu Kai probably knew only some superficial details¡ªbut for now, that was enough. With a chuckle, Hao Jian said, "It''s an honor to meet President Wu. However, your territory here does seem a bit problematic. I simply went shopping with my woman and ended up encountering such a rabid dog..." Upon hearing this, Wu Kai''s eyes flashed. Among all of Hao Jian''s concerns in Hua City, the people he cherished most were undoubtedly his women. Hao Jian was famed for losing his temper for their sake¡ª"raising hell for a beauty" accurately described him. From past incidents, nearly eighty percent were related to his women... Now that Hao Jian had spoken to this extent, it was clear this matter wouldn''t be resolved peacefully. Wu Kai quickly nodded, then snapped his head toward Wang Hui and Cen Yu, letting out a cold snort: "Wang Hui, I just signed a contract with you today, yet here you are causing trouble with Young Master Hao! Do you even want to stay in Hua City anymore?!" "President Wu... I... I didn''t mean to!" Upon hearing Wu Kai''s words, Wang Hui''s complexion changed drastically. His knees buckled, and he fell straight to the ground, his expression filled with despair. "I... I didn''t know he... he was such an important figure!" "You didn''t know?! Haha! What a convenient excuse!" Wu Kai sneered with anger masked by laughter. This was a golden opportunity to perform well in front of Hao Jian¡ªand he wouldn''t waste it. He let out a sharp snort and said, "Even Hua City''s mayor wouldn''t dare treat Young Master Hao like that, yet you, a mere small-time entrepreneur, dare to disrespect him!" "Are you asking to die?!" Hearing this, Hao Jian''s face showed a peculiar expression. Hua City''s mayor was none other than his mother-in-law¡ªand Wu Kai''s remark made things awkward for Hao Jian. The usually fearless Hao Jian dreaded these delicate scenarios involving family affiliations. As Che Xiaoxiao''s mom, Hao Jian couldn''t push things too far... "The... The mayor?!" This guy was someone even the mayor wouldn''t dare offend? Wang Hui''s face turned from despair to sheer terror... As for Cen Yu, she was already drowning in regret, wishing for the ground to swallow her whole. The more Wu Kai revealed, the deeper her remorse grew. How could she have failed to anticipate how powerful Ye Chunliang''s brother-in-law truly was... "Young Master Hao, how do you wish to deal with him?" Wu Kai didn''t presume to decide Wang Hui''s punishment. After all, offending Hao Jian was Wang Hui''s transgression¡ªit was only right for Hao Jian to determine the outcome. Having scolded him for a bit, Wu Kai turned to Hao Jian and asked for instructions. "President Wu! Mercy! Please have mercy!" Upon hearing about his potential punishment, Wang Hui''s face turned deathly pale. Desperation overtook him, and he stopped caring about dignity, smashing his forehead against the concrete with loud thuds. In mere moments, Wang Hui''s forehead was bloodied... "It was all her fault! She caused all of this¡ªI''m not to blame at all!" Seeing his pleas ineffective, Wang Hui''s restless eyes darted around until they landed on Cen Yu beside him. Seizing the opportunity, he clung to her like a life preserver. He shifted all responsibility onto Cen Yu... "If it weren''t for her wanting to be with me, none of this would''ve happened!" "Heh, what I, Hao Jian, despise the most are those unwilling to bear their own responsibility while groveling relentlessly and lacking even an ounce of dignity. I abhor even more those who push their companions off cliffs just so they can survive." "And you? You embody both traits perfectly. So tell me, how should I deal with you?" Hao Jian didn''t grant Wang Hui the chance to respond but instead gazed at him with a sardonic smile... Chapter 950 - 949: Very Easy! "Ten million. As long as you give me ten million, I won''t pursue this any further!" Seeing Wang Hui remain silent, Hao Jian scoffed disdainfully, then slowly extended one finger toward him, letting out a cold laugh. "That ten million will be compensation for the damage done to my car. As for you hurting Chunliang, I''ll let that slide. After all, even if I did want to hold you accountable, you wouldn''t be able to afford it!" In Hao Jian''s eyes, these two probably couldn''t scrape together much more than ten million anyway. Even if he wanted more, they wouldn''t be able to pay it. Besides, Ye Chunliang probably wouldn''t care much about compensation from these two people. "Ten million?! How could I possibly have that much money?!" Even if Wang Hui sold himself, he wouldn''t be worth that much. His company was just a small enterprise valued at around ten million, but now Hao Jian was demanding that exact sum. How could he possibly come up with it?! What''s more, Hao Jian''s demand had no basis in reason! Who crashed into whose car?! Clearly, it was Hao Jian who crashed into his car, yet now Wang Hui was being asked to compensate Hao Jian for his losses. How did that make any sense?! "Haha!" Upon hearing this, Hao Jian burst into laughter. "I''m asking for ten million out of kindness. If you truly can''t pay, then I can only make you disappear from this world..." Saying this, Hao Jian''s gaze suddenly turned icy, his voice chilling. "Don''t doubt what I say. In Hua City, dealing with someone like you is child''s play for me!" "You..." Sweat poured down Wang Hui''s forehead as his heart trembled in fear. He truly didn''t have the money to pay Hao Jian. But right now, it was either pay or die. Even if he had no money, he had to find a way! Noticing Wang Hui''s reaction, Hao Jian''s lips curled into a slight smirk. Ten million was nothing but pocket change to him¡ªtruthfully, he couldn''t care less. However, while the money meant little to Hao Jian, it was enough to ruin Wang Hui completely. Since that was the case, it had to be done. It was a punishment for daring to harm Ye Chunliang. Those who hurt someone close to him would never escape easily¡ªno matter who they were. "Humph! Wang Hui, I suggest you hand over the money quickly!" Wu Kai, standing beside Hao Jian, noticed Wang Hui''s hesitation and his face darkened. He snorted coldly and said, "Do you really think Young Master Hao wouldn''t dare kill you?!" "Or is your life worth less than ten million?!" "To you, ten million might seem significant, but to Young Master Hao, it''s mere loose change. After all, Young Master Hao''s wealth is far beyond the imagination of a small-time entrepreneur like you who operates on his turf!" Wang Hui''s face shifted slightly upon hearing Wu Kai''s words. He believed Wu Kai''s words, if only because Wu Kai had no reason to deceive him. Wu Kai wasn''t someone on the same level as him, and at this point, Wang Hui had nothing left worth deceiving him over... "I''ll pay... I''ll pay..." Bitterly, Wang Hui reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and made a call to his finance department to ask how much money they could free up. As expected, they told him they could gather six million. The remaining four million would have to be borrowed from acquaintances. After a chaotic half-hour of scrambling, Wang Hui managed to borrow the additional four million to make up the ten million that Hao Jian demanded. He urgently wired the ten million to the account Hao Jian provided, finally relieving himself of the threat to his life. Once everything was settled, Hao Jian took Ye Linglan and the greatly admiring Ye Chunliang with him as they left the area, heading upstairs. He hadn''t forgotten the reason they came here in the first place, which was to shop and buy things. After receiving the money from Wang Hui, he paid no more attention to him. Wu Kai watched Hao Jian leave and hurriedly followed with his security guards. Now that Hao Jian was leaving, staying to talk with Wang Hui was unnecessary. Why waste time talking to someone like him? Wu Kai had little interest in entertaining Wang Hui. As for their business collaboration, Wu Kai intended to cancel it. From the beginning, he''d been reluctant about this partnership, and now with Wang Hui offending Young Master Hao, it was the perfect time to sever ties. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Still, as he departed, Wu Kai cast a glance at the despondent Wang Hui, shaking his head helplessly. This was the price of being both ignorant of Hao Jian''s status and arrogantly self-important. If Wang Hui had known Hao Jian''s identity, perhaps he wouldn''t have met such a miserable fate. But fate is unpredictable¡ªwho can say what lies ahead? Wang Hui''s enterprise, worth only around ten million, now had all its liquid assets drained and was burdened with enormous debt. He was destined to face severe hardships, and to top it off, the probable dissolution of his partnership with Wanda meant his career was over. The road forward would be a long one of working tirelessly to repay his debts. His firm, now deprived of liquid capital, was inevitably going to collapse. Having offended numerous people over the years, he could count on no one to lend him a hand, making his situation even worse. As for the freshly signed agreement with Wu Kai¡ªperhaps, after this incident, it would no longer take effect. To outsiders, contracts like this seemed legally binding; but to people like Hao Jian and Wu Kai, they were nothing more than scraps of paper. Their positions had never been equal to begin with, and their relative strength was worlds apart. Wang Hui couldn''t delude himself into believing he could challenge Wanda. Thus, even his last shred of hope was crushed in this moment. Regardless of whether Wu Kai explicitly stated it or not, Wang Hui wouldn''t dare raise the issue with him... In Hua City, offending Hao Jian was a death sentence. Hence, once Hao Jian and the others left, Wang Hui''s face twisted in fury. His eyes burned with rage as he turned on the equally distraught Cen Yu, swinging his fists violently at her with a wild expression. His furious roars followed each brutal strike... "You worthless ****! It''s all because of you that I''m in this mess! Why didn''t you tell me those people had such powerful backgrounds?!" "I... I didn''t know either!" Cen Yu collapsed on the ground, trembling in fear, unable to speak. How could she have known that Ye Chunliang''s family had such deep connections? "Now I''ve lost everything¡ªdoes that make you happy?! Damn it! My company, built from the ground up with so much effort, is about to collapse before my very eyes! On top of that, I''ve accumulated a mountain of debt, all because of you!" As one fist followed another, Cen Yu let out cries of anguish. She wanted to speak¡ªto fight back¡ªbut lacked the strength to resist. Wang Hui had studied taekwondo; his amateur skills might be worthless against someone like Hao Jian, but against a defenseless woman like Cen Yu, they were more than enough! .................. Hao Jian was unaware of what occurred in the parking lot after they left. After finishing their shopping with Ye Linglan and Ye Chunliang, Wu Kai drove them home. The ten million was transferred into Ye Linglan''s account. After all, the siblings had been the ones hurt¡ªthe damage done to Hao Jian himself was negligible. At first, Ye Linglan wanted to refuse. But when she saw Hao Jian''s slightly sullen expression, she quickly changed her mind and accepted the money. She understood that Hao Jian didn''t lack money, and that sometimes it was best not to oppose his decisions. His mood alone was enough to convey that to her. While walking, Hao Jian couldn''t shake the feeling that he''d forgotten something. Shaking his head and fixing his expression, he finally remembered! He pulled out his phone and made a call to Spice Ginger... At that moment, Spice Ginger was eating dinner in his office. Seeing Hao Jian''s call, he quickly swallowed his food and answered. "Spice Ginger, your car is still in Wanda''s parking lot. Send someone over to deal with it. I crashed it into another car¡ªsee if it can still be fixed." "Alright, alright, I''ll handle it!" Hearing Hao Jian''s instructions, Spice Ginger responded quickly, though his face showed a hint of resignation. He had anticipated this kind of situation but still felt frustrated now that it had actually happened. The main issue was Hao Jian''s sheer audacity! Even Spice Ginger didn''t dare casually crash cars into other vehicles. What if the crash impacted a specific area, like the gas tank? The resulting explosion would be catastrophic! But upon further thought, Spice Ginger let it go. He didn''t possess Hao Jian''s skills and had no idea how strong Hao Jian truly was. In his experience, Hao Jian never acted recklessly¡ªunless some incident greatly provoked him. Hmm¡­ It seemed the nearby 4S dealership recently stocked some new luxury cars. Perhaps he should visit soon. At this rate, with Hao Jian destroying vehicles one after another, his garage inventory wouldn''t last long. Restocking was a necessity! "Alright¡­ Go ahead!" Hao Jian said this casually before ending the call. He flagged down a taxi on the roadside, got in, and gave the driver an address before closing his eyes. After a half-hour''s ride, Hao Jian returned. He tossed three red bills to the driver without bothering about change, stepped out of the car, and walked upstairs without hesitation. Chapter 951 - 950: You Will Regret This! "Phew! Pretty tired..." As the sun set in the west, Hao Jian leisurely walked out of Spice Ginger''s office building, stretched lazily, and greeted the security guard at the entrance before leaving the place. On a quiet stroll, he glanced at the passing scenery and smiled faintly. It had been a long time since he felt this calm... "Let''s buy a pack of cigarettes!" His eyes casually scanned the surroundings and found a 24-hour convenience store not far away, although there seemed to be quite a few people inside at the moment. "Welcome..." As he stepped into the convenience store, a mechanical electronic voice chimed. Hao Jian smiled faintly and then joined the line behind the other customers, waiting for his turn. Convenience stores typically stock cigarettes near the cashier, and since there was already a line at the counter, Hao Jian had no choice but to wait. "Move! Move aside!" Just as Hao Jian had settled into the queue, an arrogant voice suddenly came from behind him. He then noticed someone abruptly cut in front of him. "Hey!" Seeing someone cut the line, Hao Jian''s eyes immediately darkened. He reached out, pushed the man''s shoulder, and said, "Go to the back of the line. Don''t cut in randomly!" "Say that to me again!" Hearing Hao Jian''s words, the man turned around immediately. His burly figure towered over Hao Jian''s relatively lean frame, creating a stark visual contrast. He growled in a deep voice. A fleeting, sinister glint appeared in the man''s eyes¡ªsomething even Hao Jian failed to notice¡ªbut it quickly disappeared. Snorting coldly, the man said, "Looking at your scrawny build, I doubt you could even take one punch from me. Be smart and stand obediently in line. If you want to keep standing here, you should be prepared for a beating!" As he spoke, the man clenched his fists, and the sharp cracking of his bones sent an intimidating signal. The commotion drew the attention of the store owner and other customers, who turned to see what was happening. But upon noting the man''s burly physique, their expressions shifted slightly, and they quickly averted their gazes. Best not to provoke someone like this. As for the young man, well, they silently wished him luck and supported him in spirit. "If you''re smart, go to the back of the line. If you continue standing in front of me, I can''t guarantee you''ll remain standing..." Raising an eyebrow slightly, Hao Jian repeated the man''s words back to him verbatim. The color drained from the man''s face, turning red with fury. Rage flickered in his eyes, and a faint killing intent emanated from him. Seeing this, the corners of Hao Jian''s mouth curled into a slight smirk. Just this little bit of killing intent, and you want to challenge me?! "Kid! You''ll regret this!" For some inexplicable reason, the man suddenly let out a feral grin, stunning Hao Jian momentarily. Taking advantage of Hao Jian''s brief pause, the man reached behind his back and pulled out a ten-centimeter dagger, thrusting it viciously toward Hao Jian''s chest... Damn it! Snapping back to reality, Hao Jian instinctively cursed under his breath. With a quick tap of his toes against the floor, his body shifted just enough for the stabbing dagger to miss its intended target and head toward his underarm. Simultaneously, Hao Jian''s palm shot forward. "Smack!" The dagger plunged into the space under Hao Jian''s arm, but at that moment, he clamped it tightly, pinning it in place. His other hand gripped the man''s arm like an iron vise, completely immobilizing him. "With such pathetic assassination skills, you think you can take me on? Still too green," Hao Jian remarked casually, casting a cold glance at the man. Then, with a slight exertion of his arm, he hoisted the man off the ground before flinging him out of the store. The witnesses¡ªboth the shopkeeper and the other customers¡ªwatched the scene unfold with expressions of utter disbelief. Just how strong was this young man? To effortlessly toss someone with one hand... But soon enough, everyone feigned ignorance, gazing at their noses or their shoes, unwilling to involve themselves further. Provoking someone like that would only lead to trouble; it was better to stay out of it. "Speak up. Who sent you to kill me?" Looking down at the man sprawled on the ground, Hao Jian''s face remained calm. There was no such thing as an unmotivated assassination. If this man dared to attack him, it meant someone was behind it. But who? Hao Jian had to find out through him. "Ha! You want information?!" Pinned beneath Hao Jian, the man showed no trace of fear, only a twisted, maniacal grin. He sneered and said, "Hao Jian! I know who you are. I know everything about you. I may have failed to kill you this time, but next time, someone will finish the job!" "Your title as the God of Death won''t last much longer. Get ready to step down!" As soon as he finished speaking, a black trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. His head slumped to the side, his pupils dilated¡ªhe was dead... Realizing what had just happened, Hao Jian cursed himself for being careless. He crouched down immediately, rifling through the man''s belongings in search of any clues. After a few minutes of searching, Hao Jian stood up, crestfallen. The man had nothing on him except the dagger he had tried to use to kill Hao Jian¡ªnot even a single penny. There were no other clues. "Another headache..." Looking at the corpse on the ground, Hao Jian shook his head slightly. He grabbed the body by its shoulder and slowly dragged it behind a nearby Big Tree before dialing Spice Ginger''s number. "Spice Ginger, send someone to the Meiyijia convenience store near Xihui Road. There''s a body under a tree nearby. Make sure the team is sharp¡ªdon''t mess this up!" "Yes, yes, yes!" Initially, Spice Ginger was confused as to why Hao Jian would call within minutes of leaving. But upon hearing the reason, he snapped to attention. This kind of cleanup was simple enough¡ªhe promptly ordered a few of his men to handle it. He didn''t ask why Hao Jian had a dead body on his hands. His role was to cover Hao Jian''s tracks, including dealing with the convenience store witnesses... At this thought, Spice Ginger decided he needed to handle this personally. Grabbing a suit jacket, he put it on and rushed downstairs with his men, driving to the location Hao Jian had mentioned. Meanwhile, after finishing the call, Hao Jian flagged a cab and headed to a Western restaurant to grab a quick dinner. He had no company tonight. Shu Ya was tied up with additional orders at her company, Wen Lan, Yuan Shanshan, and Xiao Qiang were occupied with other matters, and Ye Linglan was busy preparing for an upcoming test. With no one free to join him, Hao Jian opted to dine alone. "Whoosh!" After finishing his meal, Hao Jian took a leisurely stroll near a Big Tree. Suddenly, a sharp, whizzing sound reached his ears. Instinctively, he tapped the ground with his toes and dodged back, evading the oncoming projectile. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Thud!" A muffled noise followed. Fixing his gaze, Hao Jian saw a dart lodged firmly into the tree trunk ahead, with a piece of white paper attached. "Strange..." Muttering under his breath, Hao Jian approached. With a quick motion, he retrieved the dart and the paper without being noticed by anyone nearby. He lightly tossed the dart aside, letting it sail into an unknown distance. Then, carefully unfolding the piece of paper, his eyes narrowed as he read its contents. After committing everything to memory, he channeled his Qi Force, turning the paper to dust, which then scattered into the wind. "The Hilton Hotel, huh..." The paper turned out to be an invitation for Hao Jian to visit the Hilton Hotel. There was no indication of who had sent it¡ªonly a vague warning about dire consequences if he didn''t show up. Although Hao Jian wasn''t particularly fazed by threats, he decided it was worth investigating. After all, causing a commotion in Hua City could lead to complications. It was better to see for himself who had managed to elude Spice Ginger''s extensive network. Hailing another cab, Hao Jian told the driver the address. Closing his eyes, he began devising strategies in his mind. He had no idea who the opponent was or their capabilities, so he had to be prepared for anything. While few could pose a real threat to him, it never hurt to tread cautiously. As the saying goes, "You don''t stand by the river without getting your feet wet." After a 20-minute drive, Hao Jian arrived at the Hilton Hotel. Just as he stepped through the door, a waiter approached him and asked, "Are you Mr. Hao Jian?" Chapter 952 - 951 Sword Technique, None! "Yes, it''s me!" Looking at the waiter, Hao Jian was somewhat surprised, though his eyes flashed briefly with gloom. This person clearly recognized him, indicating they were no ordinary character. After Hao Jian nodded, the waiter extended his hand toward the entrance, gesturing for Hao Jian to follow before setting off ahead to lead the way. Hao Jian watched the waiter leave and then followed. The waiter twisted and turned through the hallways, eventually arriving at the door to a conference room. He raised his hand, knocked, and called toward the inside, "Sir, the person you requested has arrived." "Come in!" "Click!" A deep voice echoed from within. The door then creaked open, and the waiter extended his arm, inviting Hao Jian to enter. Quite an extravagant display... Hao Jian sneered slightly and shook his head sarcastically. Without sparing the waiter another glance, he stepped forward, pushed open the door, and walked in... "Mr. Hao Jian has graced us with his presence. We greet Mr. Hao Jian!" As soon as Hao Jian stepped inside, the voice from earlier rang out again. Raising his eyes, he saw that the conference room was almost empty¡ªonly five or six people sat there. Their gaze as they looked at Hao Jian carried faint traces of mockery, subtly hidden. "And who might you be?" Though their expressions were discreet, Hao Jian caught the mocking undertone and sneered inwardly. Keeping his demeanor composed, he asked with apparent curiosity. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ye Haozhi, the newly appointed Elder of Ye Heavenly Mansion. These here are my subordinates; there''s no need for me to introduce each one." "Ye Heavenly Mansion?"....... Upon hearing Ye Haozhi introduce himself, Hao Jian instantly deduced their identities. Chuckling coldly, he said, "So what significant business brings Elder Ye here?" From past experience, Hao Jian knew the high-ranking members of Ye Heavenly Mansion rarely moved with only four or five individuals. Today''s setup felt unusual, and when Hao Jian saw Ye Haozhi, an unease settled in his heart¡ªsomething bad seemed to be looming. "Haha, it''s nothing major. We just want you to stop protecting Ye Linglan. After all, this is a matter for Ye Heavenly Mansion, and we kindly ask Mr. Hao Jian not to interfere!" Though Ye Haozhi''s words carried the tone of asking for assistance, his intent bordered on the unquestionable and reeked of arrogance. Hao Jian had already anticipated trouble from these people but hadn''t expected them to be so brazen. His lips curled into a cold smirk as he retorted, "Ye Linglan is my woman. You''re asking me not to protect her¡ªthen, what do you intend to do?" Ye Haozhi''s face showed no surprise upon hearing this, as though he had already predicted Hao Jian''s response. He laughed boisterously, saying, "Hao Jian, I am giving you some respect here. Don''t overstep; otherwise, no one will save you. The foundation we possess is beyond your imagination..." "Haha, since that''s the case, why should I care about your so-called respect? Besides, those ''few scraps'' of respect you''re offering mean nothing to me¡ªI''d rather have a few pieces of bread, which feel more practical." Hao Jian sneered, his gaze fixed on Ye Haozhi as he scoffed coldly, "Ye Haozhi? More like a family rodent!" "With that rat-like pointy mouth and monkey-like face of yours, I can''t help but feel disgusted. Sure, being ugly isn''t your fault¡ªbut using your ugliness to annoy others is clearly a choice." "They always say Hao Jian has a sharp tongue and can leave others speechless with every word. Now that I''ve witnessed it firsthand, the reputation is well-deserved," Ye Haozhi chuckled lightly, seemingly unfazed by Hao Jian''s provocations. "Had I taken your remarks to heart and let anger cloud my judgment, I''d likely be unable to think rationally right now." "Haha, Ye Haozhi, when it comes to Ye Linglan, you''d best stay out of it. As for your talk about whether or not I protect her¡ªI don''t think you''re in any position to command me!" Hao Jian''s eyes gleamed coldly as he enunciated each word sharply, "I, Hao Jian, am a former God of Death and will never submit to anyone''s orders! Be it Huaxia''s leader or Ye Heavenly Mansion, none of that makes a difference!" Hao Jian''s gaze intensified, and he continued, "Tonight, you''d better get out of Hua City, or never leave at all. I''ve never had goodwill toward anyone from Ye Heavenly Mansion." His declaration made the enemy''s intent clear¡ªthose aim to harm the woman by his side would not be forgiven. "Hao Jian, don''t think that your strength gives you the right to be arrogant! Ye Heavenly Mansion''s full might is beyond your comprehension!" Infuriated by Hao Jian''s words, Ye Haozhi''s expression turned dark. He bellowed, "Ye Heavenly Mansion''s Guard, form the array now!" As his voice fell, shouts of killing intent erupted in the conference room. The walls on either side suddenly bulged outward, and from the hidden space emerged silhouette after silhouette. Within seconds, figures clad in yellow surrounded Hao Jian from all directions. "I thought Ye Heavenly Mansion had turned a new leaf, but clearly you''re still as cowardly as ever¡ªbringing so many people along for backup. Looks like you have no intention of letting me leave peacefully today," Hao Jian sneered, gaze sweeping over the encircled guards. "Fine then, saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one. Come, show me everything Ye Heavenly Mansion has to offer¡ªI, Hao Jian, will deal with it all!"...... Those murderous vibes from the walls had been palpable the moment Hao Jian stepped into the room. This setup came as no surprise to him¡ªif they still believed he was the same Hao Jian from before, their naivety was laughable. Every person has room for growth, and Hao Jian had grown leaps and bounds since his last clash with Ye Heavenly Mansion. "Haha! Hao Jian, I thought you were someone worth fearing, but clearly you''re a fool to let yourself be ensnared in our Revolving Great Array so carelessly. With your strength, escape is impossible!" Seeing Hao Jian allow the array to be fully formed without resistance, Ye Haozhi chuckled gleefully. Initially, Ye Haozhi had anticipated using heavy tricks, even prepared to sacrifice his subordinates. Yet, against all expectations, Hao Jian had recklessly let their grand array manifest uninterrupted! Legendary Hao Jian now seemed underwhelming and overrated... Shaking his head, Ye Haozhi sneered at Hao Jian, "This is what happens when you fail to recognize the power dynamics. Our offer to let you protect Ye Linglan was generous, yet you rejected it outright." "And refusing Ye Heavenly Mansion comes with consequences¡ªno one escapes unharmed, not even you, Hao Jian. Now, taste the might of our Revolving Great Array!"........ "Revolving Great Array! Activate!"... At Ye Haozhi''s command, the forty-person formation began spinning at a peculiar rhythm, resembling a wheel of fate, distorting the air with a strange aura. "The Revolving Great Array of Ye Heavenly Mansion? It''s nothing special..." To Hao Jian, this supposedly formidable formation seemed riddled with flaws. Curling his lips in disdain, he stepped forward slightly and swung his hand upwards... "Clang!"........... A crisp sound rang out, and as the focus zoomed closer, a yellow-clad figure emerged before Hao Jian. The man held a slender blade, but its handle was firmly gripped by Hao Jian... "Haha, borrowing your weapon for a moment!" With his other hand, Hao Jian thrust his palm forward¡ªQi force swirling violently around his palm. It slammed into the man''s chest with a heavy thud, leaving behind a gaping hole... "Ye Haozhi!" Grabbing hold of the slender blade, Hao Jian bellowed toward Ye Haozhi with a laugh, "Ye Heavenly Mansion''s so-called power means nothing to me! Destroying you would be effortless! Yet you¡ªa so-called Elder¡ªhave the audacity to act superior in front of me? Do you really think you''re the masters of this world?!" "Tonight, I''ll show you what true disparity looks like!" Hao Jian sneered coldly, "There''s a blade, known as ''None.'' And this sword technique, my own creation, has never been displayed. Today, you''ll serve as my experiment!" S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The essence of the technique lies in its single word¡ªNone!" As his words resounded, Hao Jian''s gaze grew sharper, his killing intent thickening by the moment. In the blink of an eye, the aura condensed into countless invisible sword qi, swirling like razor-sharp phantoms near him... Witnessing Hao Jian''s transformation, Ye Haozhi¡ªseated at the head of the conference table¡ªwidened his eyes, a sense of foreboding coursing through him... Chapter 953 - 952: Ridiculous! "Slash!" With a low growl, Hao Jian''s eyes suddenly sharpened. Holding the blade tightly in both hands, his waist twisted, and then he spun fiercely. The small blade erupted with an overwhelming surge of Sword Qi as Hao Jian swung it out in a violent arc! "Boom! Boom! Boom!" The ferocious Sword Qi rampaged through the area, sweeping through everyone in its path without exception, leaving them all unconscious and coughing up blood. "This... how is this possible?! Our Ye Heavenly Mansion''s Revolving Great Array¡ªhow could it have been broken by you?!" Looking at his subordinates who were all now spitting blood and unconscious on the ground, Ye Haozhi''s face was full of disbelief. This array was something even the combined strength of several Great Elders in Ye Heavenly Mansion couldn''t defeat! And yet now, Hao Jian shattered it so effortlessly with a single strike. This level of power... when had he become this formidable?! "Now, it''s time to settle our business..." After cutting down the last opponent, Hao Jian''s eyes flashed with wicked intensity. His heavy footsteps thudded rhythmically as he slowly approached Ye Haozhi. "Stop right there!" Just as Hao Jian drew near the conference table, several of Ye Haozhi''s subordinates recovered from their shock and leaped down, positioning themselves to block his path. Eyes brimming with malice, they stared at Hao Jian cautiously. The energy subtly accumulating in their hands hinted at an imminent storm of attacks should Hao Jian take another step forward. But would Hao Jian stop? Clearly, he would not... "Move aside!" With a broad sweep of his hand, a surge of Vigorous Qi burst from his palms. In the next instant, his body launched forward like a cannonball, blitzing through the five men as fast as lightning. Each time he passed one, his hand would subtly graze their chest... "Bang! Bang! Bang!" As Hao Jian''s hand brushed past the chest of the last man, explosions echoed sharply through the air, and the five individuals were sent flying backward, spewing blood like broken kites disconnected from their strings. "I warned you to move aside. Since you wouldn''t listen, you''ve earned the consequences." Hao Jian''s icy voice emerged slowly, his gaze fixed firmly on Ye Haozhi seated at the head of the table. "Speak. How do you want to die?" His eyes held a detached coldness as he regarded Ye Haozhi. The decision to kill had already been made. Though Ye Linglan and her brother were members of Ye Heavenly Mansion, they were treated as thorns in the side by it. These people here had even come to kill them. Given that, Hao Jian felt no need to show mercy. He knew well that sparing them would only result in their return to enact revenge. Better to uproot the threat completely¡ªquick and decisive. Yet at that moment, Ye Haozhi''s lips curved into a smug grin, his eyes taking on a peculiar gleam as he laughed and said, "Hao Jian! Hao Jian! I thought you were smart, but now I''ve realized I was wrong. You''re such a fool¡ªa truly, incredibly foolish fool!" "Have you not guessed the true purpose of Ye Heavenly Mansion''s presence in Hua City this time? We came to kill those siblings, and I knew you would intervene on their behalf. So why do you think I called you here?" "Haha! Hao Jian, have you ever heard the phrase ''lure the tiger away from its mountain''? Ye Haozhi''s expression grew increasingly triumphant, breaking into laughter so loud and frenzied that his face turned manic. "This trip to Hua City involves more than just me as a Great Elder!" "What¡ªthere are others here in Hua City?" Hao Jian''s expression stiffened. Had he fallen into a trap? "Correct! Moreover, a captain from Ye Heavenly Mansion''s hidden forces is here! His strength far eclipses mine by several folds! With his abilities, he may already have captured Ye Linglan and her brother!" "Or perhaps, in the mere minutes you''ve wasted here, our men have already killed the siblings!" "What did you just say?!" Initially planning to spare the lives of these men, Hao Jian''s face contorted sharply at Ye Haozhi''s words. Slamming his foot onto the floor, he appeared before Ye Haozhi in the blink of an eye, grabbing his collar and yanking him up with fury as he roared, "Say that to me again!" "Haha!" Despite the fiery redness of Hao Jian''s eyes, Ye Haozhi felt triumph brimming in his heart. No one in Ye Heavenly Mansion had ever managed to force such an outburst from Hao Jian before. Yet he had succeeded. If the boss were to witness this, perhaps he''d gain newfound recognition... However, what he now faced was solving the problem of Hao Jian''s unquenchable rage. Seeing Ye Haozhi daring even to laugh aloud, Hao Jian''s expression grew even darker. His low voice, like a beast''s guttural growl, rumbled: "If you don''t want to end up like the others, you''d better explain everything to me now!" As he spoke, Hao Jian slowly stretched out his hand toward the Void and snapped his fingers. Instantly, a horrifying scene unfolded before Ye Haozhi''s panic-stricken gaze... "Puff, puff, puff!" The unconscious members of Ye Heavenly Mansion on the ground suddenly had their heads explode one by one, scattering brain matter across the floor. Nearly fifty heads burst apart, transforming the conference hall into a blood-splattered Asura Hell, thick with the stench of gore... S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Now... do you feel like dying?" ........................................ "Sis... run quickly!" In a deserted small supermarket in Hua City, Ye Chunliang clung to Ye Linglan, his face filled with fear and panic as they fled desperately. Behind them, a group of men dressed in black wielding long blades relentlessly pursued, their faces displaying sinister amusement as they toyed with the siblings like cats tormenting mice. "Chunliang! Don''t lose hope! We''ll escape together!" Ye Linglan''s face was fraught with panic. Glancing behind her at the black-clad figures, her heart was consumed with terror. ......... Though these men wore disguises, their movement patterns, walking postures, and habits betrayed their true identities... Ye Heavenly Mansion! .......... Having once lived there, Ye Chunliang and Ye Linglan were intimately familiar with its members. The aura emanating from these attackers was undeniably recognizable... "Sis! Why are these people in Hua City?! Why hasn''t Brother-in-law shown up yet? Could something have happened to him?!" Ye Chunliang''s face darkened with fear. He knew Hao Jian had always stationed protectors with them, but none had appeared, nor had Hao Jian himself. This could only mean one thing: Hao Jian was completely unaware of the situation here, and those hidden protectors might already be dead. With their current strength, the siblings couldn''t even handle one of the pursuers. If this continued, they wouldn''t last long. "Haven''t you noticed? These people weren''t part of Ye Heavenly Mansion during our time there. Their aura might be similar, but compared to the members we knew, they''re far stronger. If it had been those members we used to know, we wouldn''t be in this much trouble." Ye Linglan analyzed calmly, detecting something unusual. "Moreover, if it were the members we knew, they wouldn''t even have been able to breach the defenses your brother-in-law established in Hua City. These assailants were clearly chosen specifically to overcome those barriers." "Sis! Watch out!" ......... Suddenly, Ye Chunliang''s shout interrupted Ye Linglan''s thoughts. His figure swiftly pivoted, moving from the front to position himself behind her, spreading his arms wide... "Bang!" The dull sound of a bullet hitting flesh rang out. Though faint, Ye Linglan caught it immediately. Her face turned pale, and she hurriedly twisted back, grabbing Ye Chunliang as she cried, "Chunliang! Are you alright?!" "Your hand!" When Ye Linglan focused her gaze, she saw Chunliang''s hand drenched in blood. A bullet hole punctured deeply through his left hand, with crimson blood gushing continuously from the wound... "Sis... run! Run!!! You must find a chance to esca¡ª" Ye Chunliang staggered on, urging Linglan to flee. But before he could finish speaking, a black shadow flashed before their eyes, and suddenly, they were surrounded by black-clad figures... It''s over... Seeing this, Ye Chunliang felt an overwhelming sense of despair sink deep in his heart... "Haha! How does it feel to sink from hope into utter despair? Does it make you feel completely helpless?!" After encircling the siblings, a man who seemed to be the leader broke into hearty laughter. "Who... are you?! Why haven''t I seen you before in Ye Heavenly Mansion?!" Ye Chunliang stared darkly at the bald man with the scar on his face, gritting his teeth as he narrowed his eyes aggressively. "Haha! It''s natural that you haven''t met me!" The bald, scarred man sneered in response, breaking into laughter as he said, "I am the captain of Ye Heavenly Mansion''s mysterious Zero Squad. You may call me Ye Tianguang!" "Ye Tianguang?!" The moment his name was spoken, confusion flashed across Ye Chunliang''s face¡ªand Ye Linglan''s as well... Chapter 954 - 953: Youll be alright... "I''ve always wondered just how beautiful Ye Linglan could be. Now that I''ve seen her in person, she truly is otherworldly!" Clearly, however, Ye Tianguang wasn''t interested in wasting time in conversation with Ye Chunliang and instead shifted his gaze to Ye Linglan. The mockery in his eyes was instantly replaced by an awe-struck admiration... "You¡­ what are you doing?!" Noticing Ye Tianguang''s eyes slowly change, Ye Chunliang instantly sensed impending danger. He roared in anger, stepping forward and shielding Ye Linglan behind him... She is his sister. He could die¡ªbut his sister must not! "Move aside, now!" Ye Tianguang''s mouth twisted into a lecherous grin. With a casual wave of his hand, a long blade appeared in his grip. Grinning wickedly at Ye Chunliang, he chuckled darkly, "You''re about to taste what real pain feels like!" As soon as his words fell, the long blade struck down under the horrified and desperate gazes of Ye Chunliang and Ye Linglan. It cleaved into Ye Chunliang''s left arm without hesitation, slicing straight through and severing it completely! "Ahhh!" A piercing scream of agony erupted from Ye Chunliang''s lips. His eyes widened in shock, cold sweat poured down his forehead like a rainfall, and his severed left hand fell to the ground, twitching feebly. Blood gushed from the severed stump of Ye Chunliang''s arm, pooling rapidly beneath him, painting the ground a horrifying crimson within mere seconds. "Chunliang!" Ye Linglan''s heart-wrenching cry reverberated through the room. Her shrill voice was filled with sorrow and despair; her tear-filled eyes had turned bloodshot. At that moment, her only desperate hope was for Hao Jian to appear by their side, to shield her from the storm and bring the light back to her sky... "You¡­ you''ll¡­ be¡­ alright!" Her hands trembled as they frantically worked, fumbling over Ye Chunliang''s body, especially around the gaping wound. She tried desperately to stanch the flow of blood with torn fabric, but no matter how hard she tried, the blood continued to flow, unstoppable like a bubbling spring. "Sister¡­ I''m fine!" Lying on the ground in unbearable pain, Ye Chunliang forced a smile. He reached out with his only remaining right hand, grinning through clenched teeth. "Sister¡­ my brother-in-law¡­ Brother Hao¡­ will avenge me!" "Don''t talk! Stop talking!" As Ye Chunliang''s words spilled out, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The sight filled Ye Linglan with terror. Her head shook frantically, her tears falling like a broken string of pearls, landing on Ye Chunliang''s pale face. His pallor darkened further, guilt roiling within him for making his sister cry! "Hahaha! So this is what they call sibling love? How touching!" Watching the siblings'' desperate exchange, Ye Tianguang smirked triumphantly. He slowly bent down, grabbed Ye Linglan by the collar, and hoisted her up. His vile grin reappeared. "Kid, what would happen if I forced myself on your sister right in front of you? Would it make you furious enough to drop dead?" "Hahaha! Boss, that''s a great idea! It''d be a waste to simply kill her. Better to let us brothers have some fun first¡ªat least then she''d die knowing some pleasure!" "Precisely! Boss, we''ve been secluded in the back mountains training for years, far from any women. Now that such a rare beauty is in front of us, it''s just too tempting to resist!" "Heh, heh! Doing this in front of the little brother¡­ imagining it is already exhilarating!" "Fools!" Suddenly, Ye Tianguang slapped the heads of the men who had spoken, causing them to grimace in pain. They went silent instantly, their expressions confused. Was the boss angry over what they said? Realizing this possibility, their faces stiffened nervously. They knew when their boss got angry, it was no joke! But Ye Tianguang''s next words made them all breathe a sigh of relief: "Do you think a fragile beauty like her could survive if you bunch of brutes handled her so carelessly?!" "If you''re going to do anything, at least find a better place to do it. How could you enjoy yourselves in such a filthy environment?" "Haha! Boss is right! Let''s relocate!" As these men shamelessly discussed their atrocities, Ye Linglan''s once-beautiful face turned absolutely ghostly. White as a sheet, her expression was filled with grief and despair. She had only intended to take her brother out for a casual outing, but she never imagined things would turn into such a nightmare. Now, she was about to fall into the clutches of these despicable villains... Hao Jian, where are you right now?! "You¡­ you dare hurt me? Hao Jian won''t let any of you escape!" At this moment, Ye Linglan could only invoke Hao Jian''s name in a desperate attempt to frighten them into caution. "If anything happens to me, your deaths will be miserable!" All she needed to do was hold on until Hao Jian arrived. Once he was here, even if these people wanted to escape, they wouldn''t stand a chance. She knew Hao Jian''s strength better than anyone¡ªno matter how powerful Ye Tianguang seemed, he was no match for him! "Hao Jian?" Ye Tianguang''s expression turned strange when he heard that name. But then he burst into laughter. "You''re actually waiting for Hao Jian to save you? Haha! You shouldn''t bother clinging to false hope. He''s probably already dead by now. We''ve set up an inescapable net. With his abilities, there''s no way he could''ve gotten out alive!" "You¡­ you''re saying Hao Jian is dead?!" Upon hearing about the trap designed for Hao Jian, Ye Linglan''s face turned even paler. Her hand clutched Ye Chunliang''s remaining right arm tightly, her palm slick with sweat... "That''s right! He''s as good as dead!" Relief and satisfaction filled Ye Tianguang as he thought about finally eliminating Hao Jian, along with the two siblings. These three had always been a dangerous thorn in Ye Heavenly Mansion''s side. Ending them brought him immense comfort, like dislodging a knife jammed in his throat. "Who are you saying is dead?" Suddenly, a calm voice came from outside. Ye Tianguang didn''t initially process it and casually chuckled in reply, "Obviously, Hao Jian!" "That little pest dared stand against Ye Heavenly Mansion. It''s a blessing he''s disappeared now, or I would''ve ensured his death was one hundred times slower!" Although Ye Tianguang hadn''t met Hao Jian or heard his voice, Ye Chunliang and Ye Linglan, who were on the brink of losing consciousness, recognized it instantly. Their faces lit up with excitement upon hearing that voice. Ye Linglan exhaled shakily, feeling her heart finally settle. He''s finally here¡­ As long as Hao Jian was present, they''d be safe. This was an unshakable truth in their hearts¡ªHao Jian had always been the one who resolved every crisis completely, regardless of who his enemies were. He was always the last one standing with a victorious smile. "Hao Jian!" Ye Linglan exclaimed in joy... "Shwoosh!" Before her words fell completely, a gentle breeze brushed past her. In the next moment, a figure appeared in front of her. Although slender, his presence felt towering in her eyes... "Who did this?" Hao Jian crouched down slowly, examining the wounded Ye Chunliang. His expression shifted drastically. Extending his fingers, he pressed several acupoints around the stump of Ye Chunliang''s severed arm. Instantly, the once-gushing blood ceased entirely, as though someone had shut a floodgate. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This sight made Ye Tianguang''s pupils contract sharply. Such masterful acupoint pressing¡ªnothing in Ye Heavenly Mansion could match it! To stop bleeding from a wound this severe with a few precise presses¡­ it was unthinkable! "Hao Jian?!" Ye Tianguang finally connected the dots, his face now etched with shock. "How is this possible?! Ye Haozhi was supposed to be targeting you. How could you escape our inescapable net?!" Ye Haozhi had been leading a team poised to deploy the Revolving Great Array! A formation of forty martial artists¡ªpowerful enough to trap him. Could it be that Ye Haozhi never encountered Hao Jian?! "Ye Haozhi?" Hao Jian allowed himself a faint smile. Casually, he lifted his hand, revealing a blood-soaked head. With an indifferent motion, he flung it in front of Ye Tianguang. "Are you talking about this guy?" "I took care of him on the way here. Along with all forty of his men¡ªthey''re all dealt with¡­" "You¡­ that''s¡­ impossible!" The Revolving Great Array... how could he have dismantled it?! And he seemed utterly unharmed¡ªhow could such a person even exist?! "Nothing is impossible!" Hao Jian, now visibly irritated, waved his hand impatiently. Then, reaching out, he ruffled Ye Linglan''s hair gently, smiling. "Don''t worry. I''m here now..." "Mhm¡­" Ye Linglan nodded obediently, her panic subsiding at last. Just having Hao Jian beside her was enough to make her feel completely secure¡­ "Now then, it''s time to settle this score¡­" After comforting Ye Linglan, Hao Jian straightened himself. Turning gradually to face Ye Tianguang, the corners of his mouth curled into a chilling grin. "So, tell me, should I flay you¡ªor burn you alive?" "Or maybe I should sever all your limbs and toss you into an anthill, letting them strip your flesh piece by piece. What do you think?" "Brat! Watch your mouth!" One of Ye Tianguang''s men, enraged, drew his blade and charged forward. Swinging his weapon down toward Hao Jian, the lackey yelled furiously, "You''re just some overconfident kid! What kind of power could you possibly have? Let me deal with you myself!" "No!" Catching sight of his subordinate''s rash action, Ye Tianguang hastened to shout¡­ Chapter 955 - 954: Use Whatever Tricks You Have! "Ignorant!" Seeing this person running over, Hao Jian sneered coldly, lightly tapped the ground with the tip of his toe, his figure flickered like a phantom, appearing in front of the person, then gently waved his palm towards him... "Bang!" The palm carried Qi Force, like a sharp edge, slicing across the person''s neck, a trace of blood appeared, followed by a spray of blood and the slowly collapsing body... "Now I say, no one here today should expect to leave..." Hao Jian slowly raised his hand, stained with a bit of blood, to his mouth, gently licked with his tongue, his eyes suddenly turned icy cold, a frosty voice slowly spreading out. "Afraid of you?!" Witnessing Hao Jian killing his subordinates like this, Ye Tianguang felt his cheeks flush red, being disgraced like this in front of his own people! Can''t let this guy go! Heh! I don''t believe it, just you alone, you think you can defeat so many of my subordinates! You really think my subordinates can be compared to that fool Ye Haozhi''s?!........ "Full team, follow orders! Form up!" With Ye Tianguang''s command, his enraged subordinates shouted in unison, each pushing the nearby containers onto the ground, turning to stand on them, although the distances between them were scattered, there faintly seemed to be a pattern aligning. A thin, dangerous aura emanated from these people, while in front of them, Ye Tianguang''s eyes flickered with dark light, he snorted coldly, shouted towards Hao Jian, saying, "Hao Jian! You''ve killed my Ye Heavenly Mansion people, today let me, Ye Tianguang, take your mongrel life!" As Ye Tianguang''s words fell, those people shouted in unison, their shouts echoed in the small supermarket, tinged with a faint Killing Intent. "Haha! Let me see how powerful you''ve become with the support of these people!" With one glance at this Formation, you could tell it was a support-type Formation, and Ye Tianguang''s previously clear eyes had turned pitch black. "It doesn''t need to be powerful, it''s enough to take your mongrel life!" Ye Tianguang snorted coldly........... "Big talk, you think this is your Ye Heavenly Mansion? Challenging me in Hua City, your death is not to be pitied!" Hao Jian roared angrily, waving his hand towards the back, a surge of Qi Force emanated, sending Ye Linglan and Ye Chunliang with his severed arm to a corner of the small supermarket. Their battle wouldn''t affect them there, he didn''t want to get this sibling pair killed in the process. Luckily, it was Ye Chunliang''s arm that was severed, as long as these people were handled timely and sent to the hospital, the arm might be reattached, combined with his medical skills, aside from the arm not being as flexible as before, it could still be used normally. With this assurance, Hao Jian wasn''t too worried, as long as they were alive, everything else would be manageable, and he felt somewhat fortunate that he had timely extracted the location of these people from Ye Haozhi, otherwise, by the time he found out, Ye Linglan and Ye Chunliang might have already become cold corpses...... "Can you mind your own business? The rest follow orders, find a chance to kill that sibling pair!" Ye Tianguang said with a sinister smile. "You''re seeking death!" Hao Jian was completely enraged, sprinting out wildly, thinking to himself: absolutely cannot spare these Ye Heavenly Mansion scum! "Annoying brat!" Seeing Hao Jian''s irritated look, Ye Tianguang''s expression also turned rather unsightly, although this Formation was strong, it also required some time to prepare, after all, it transfers the power of these people into his body through some medium, thereby enhancing his strength... However, using such a Formation would mean he''d be bedridden for over a month post-battle, a Qi-Gathering Formation that injures the enemy by a thousand, but self-damages by eight hundred! Yet during this preparation time, Hao Jian''s aggression and terrifying Killing Intent made his heart waver, never having been looked down upon like this before, he had to show Hao Jian his power!. Once defeated, Hao Jian would be made to kneel at his feet, begging for mercy! "Boom!" sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just as this thought flashed through his mind, an immensely powerful aura burst out from Ye Tianguang''s body, instantly, all his subordinates around him, like leaves in a storm, were knocked down into every corner. This was another downside of the Formation, after the power transfer, those forming the Formation would enter a period of weakness, unable to move... "Haha! This is my power!" Clenching his hands, feeling the massive power within, an unmatched confidence surged crazily from his body, his pitch-black eyes fixed tightly on Hao Jian, snorted coldly, saying, "Hao Jian, you will regret letting me complete this Grand Formation! Next, you will feel the vast distance between you and me!" Hearing this, Hao Jian shrugged, spread his hands, and said, "With so much time to waste talking, better start quickly, my time is very precious, each minute worth hundreds of thousands, you know?" "Don''t worry, it won''t take long for you to die, won''t waste much of your time." Ye Tianguang laughed heartily, looking utterly confident. "A mere broken Qi-Gathering Formation can make you so confident, I really don''t know whether to call Ye Heavenly Mansion ignorant, or just downright poor?" In Hao Jian''s memory, none of the strong foes he encountered back when he was the God of Death were as weak as Ye Tianguang. Whether using their own strength, or by leveraging tools and formations, Ye Tianguang and his third-rate kind couldn''t compare. "Hehe, somewhat nostalgic for the old times... those days when even sleep was risky..." Thinking of this, Hao Jian also chuckled self-deprecatingly, since deciding to retire, this world had become very distant for him, but now, the immediate issue was dealing with the guy in front of him... "No worries..." First signaling to the worried Ye Linglan from a distance that he was fine, Hao Jian slowly withdrew the Qi seeping around him back into his body... "Boom!" As the Qi retreated into his body, what emerged was an incredibly intense Killing Intent, icy cold as the polar chill... "This kid... able to refine such a level of Killing Intent, must''ve killed at least tens of thousands, huh..." Sensing the Killing Intent emanating from Hao Jian, Ye Tianguang''s previously arrogant face gradually turned serious, fame casts shadows, after all, it still had some impact on him. "The stronger you are, the more confident I become! Once I defeat you, no one in Huaxia or my clan will dare oppose me!" Thinking this, a surge of confidence welled up from within... "So much nonsense!" Ye Tianguang hadn''t finished speaking when Hao Jian impatiently shook his head, then suddenly stomped the ground with his foot, his figure shot towards Ye Tianguang like a bullet! "Seeking death!" Seeing Hao Jian dare to move first in front of such overwhelming power, Ye Tianguang, enraged to laughter, snorted furiously, and with a low roar, stomped his foot on the ground, charging towards Hao Jian. With a wave of his hand, a long blade appeared in his hand, with a thought, a black Qi immediately coiled around the blade, emanating a faint dangerous aura. Then, he slowly extended the blade to his waist, and as if drawing it, slashed fiercely at Hao Jian, an immensely dark Sword Qi erupted from the blade, cutting at Hao Jian''s head with lightning speed! "Such a minor trick, are you proud to show it?!" Seeing this Sword Qi, Hao Jian coldly laughed, maintaining his momentum, his previously behind hand reached out, aiming at the incoming Sword Qi... "Fool!" Seeing Hao Jian intend to block his refined Sword Qi with his palm, such a naive thought, truly ignorant! "Break!" As the Sword Qi approached within ten centimeters of Hao Jian''s palm, a faint Qi Force suddenly swirled in Hao Jian''s palm, followed by his low shout, the dark Sword Qi instantly collided with the palm''s Qi Force... Then, the anticipated explosion sound did not occur, only the sound of silent dissolution... "How... how is it possible!? This is a Sword Qi of formidable power!" Seeing Hao Jian effortlessly take his Sword Qi, Ye Tianguang''s face turned ugly, his dark eyes filled with disbelief... "A small character is still a small character, having power but not knowing how to use it..." The power within this Sword Qi, as Hao Jian recalled, could have rivaled some strong opponents, with proper use it might have cost him more time to handle. But evidently, Ye Tianguang did not know how to use such power... "What did you say?!" Hearing Hao Jian''s words, Ye Tianguang''s bald head suddenly bulged with veins, appearing hideously furious, those words of being a small character particularly mattered to him... "Haha!" How Ye Tianguang thought mattered not to Hao Jian... Chapter 956 - 955: Dont Think About Leaving This Place! "Is that all? Then I must say I''m very disappointed." Hao Jian suddenly stomped the ground, his figure leaping forward like lightning. As he passed a certain place, he reached out and grasped the ground, and a slender long knife appeared, finally being firmly held by Hao Jian... If he continued wasting time with this guy, Ye Chunliang might not hold on any longer. Even though he had stopped the bleeding and passed some breath to him, it wouldn''t last long. To ensure his life was safe, it was best to solve these people immediately, then take him to the hospital! "You deserve to die!" Being underestimated by Hao Jian again and again, Ye Tianguang''s face turned ugly. Feeling the boundless power within his body gradually fading with time, his eyes flashed with ruthlessness. No matter what, he had to keep Hao Jian here today! "These people can''t be let go either..." Stepping over a weak, unconscious man in black, Hao Jian paused slightly. His foot pressed down lightly, instantly shattering the man''s heart. Around this man in black, there were still others. Hao Jian lightly swung his long knife, sharp Sword Qi burst forth from the blade, accurately severing these people''s necks, heads falling, leaving headless corpses... These guys didn''t have the slightest ability to resist. "Bastard! Stop!" Seeing Hao Jian start reaping his subordinates'' lives while he was stunned, Ye Tianguang angrily shouted. These people were all his subordinates! These people over the years had spent a lot of effort to cooperate with him in cultivating this Qi-Gathering Formation. Now they were being reaped by Hao Jian like this. His heart was bleeding. These subordinates were his painstaking efforts. Even if the Qi-Gathering Formation wouldn''t be lost without them, to use the current technique again, he''d have to retrain a group capable of setting up the formation, which would take several years. Considering his current age, he didn''t have many of those years left... "Haha! I already told you, none of the people from Ye Heavenly Mansion will leave here today!" Hao Jian''s lips curled into a cruel arc, coldly sneering, his long knife swinging faster and faster. The Sword Qi slashed out more and more frequently... In just a few seconds, Hao Jian had already reaped more than ten lives. This speed of reaping was terrifying, but in Ye Linglan''s eyes, it was supremely satisfying! These were the ones who had just been chasing them, her and her brother, playing with them like a cat playing with mice. Now they were being slain by Hao Jian; it was their own fault! "Brother, soon we can leave here... Your brother-in-law is avenging you..." Looking at the unconscious Ye Chunliang in her arms, Ye Linglan didn''t shed tears. Her red eyes, however, told of tears long dried... "Your brother-in-law, he''s very strong..." Her eyes shining, seeing Hao Jian standing invincible on the battlefield, Ye Linglan unconsciously clenched her small hand. This was her man, an invincible man! In the field, Ye Tianguang couldn''t stand watching Hao Jian recklessly reaping his subordinates'' lives. He finally couldn''t bear it any longer. He stomped the ground fiercely, his body rising directly to the ceiling. His figure spun in mid-air, feet lightly touching the ceiling, then suddenly stomped the ceiling again. A slight exertion sent his body hurtling towards Hao Jian like a cannonball! "Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" The sound of tearing through the air rang out constantly. Hao Jian stopped swinging the long knife, watching Ye Tianguang descending from the sky. Hao Jian''s lips also slowly curled into a smile, coldly laughing. This works too, solve you first, and then slowly wipe out the lives of these guys! "Come on! Let me see if your so-called empowered strength can withstand a slash from me!" At that moment, Hao Jian laughed heartily, raising the blade forcefully, paused slightly, and then swung it towards Ye Tianguang! "Buzz buzz!" Immediately, faint, colorless Sword Qi slowly appeared, and then, following Hao Jian''s swinging direction, slashed out from the blade, heading fiercely towards Ye Tianguang! "Hmph! Such weak Sword Qi, how dare you wield it?! It''s an insult to the word ''blade''!" Ye Tianguang, falling in midair, saw the flash of Sword Qi in his eyes. After a slight feeling, he sneered coldly, mocking. This Sword Qi, without any threatening aura, he could block with his bare hand. How laughable that Hao Jian tried to use this level of Sword Qi to block his attack, how could such foolish people exist in this world?! "Trifling skill, I can block it with one hand!" As he got closer to the Sword Qi, Ye Tianguang laughed loudly, then suddenly extended the palm he had behind him, mimicking how Hao Jian had blocked his Sword Qi earlier, extending his palm right in front of the incoming Sword Qi! If even Hao Jian could block his powerful Sword Qi, and he couldn''t use his palm to block Hao Jian''s incredibly weak Sword Qi, wouldn''t that mean he was useless?! Though only he, Hao Jian, and Ye Linglan were present to see this scene¡ªhis subordinates were either unconscious or killed by Hao Jian and wouldn''t possibly know how he blocked Hao Jian''s Sword Qi¡ªthe importance lay within his heart! "Idiot." Seeing Ye Tianguang attempt to block his Sword Qi with his palm, Hao Jian chuckled. True power is always unadorned, and the more dazzling the appearance, the more it suggests the power is superficial! This Sword Qi might seem weak, but it used up thirty percent of his power. Even a team of a hundred people couldn''t block it, yet this guy dared to be so arrogant?! No saving him! S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. That was all Hao Jian could say to describe Ye Tianguang. He really wondered what heavens gave this guy a head for, did Hao Jian really need to use weak Sword Qi to block Ye Tianguang''s attack? It''s unbelievable, yet to this guy, everything becomes possible... Thinking like this, Hao Jian couldn''t understand how this guy became the leader of Ye Heavenly Mansion''s mysterious unit. Could other leaders be like him? "Haha!" Fast as lightning, as Ye Tianguang''s ferocious face was lit by the faint glow of the Sword Qi, his palm reached the "incredibly weak" Sword Qi... "Sizzle sizzle..." As soon as his palm touched the Sword Qi, instead of the expected shattering sound, all that was heard was the sound of flesh being cut... "How... how is this possible?!" The Sword Qi instantly slashed through Ye Tianguang, then dissipated in midair. The originally descending Ye Tianguang maintained his outstretched palm position, falling straight from the sky, finally crashing heavily to the ground, buried in a pile of snack wrappers. A few seconds later, blood suddenly flowed out from that pile of snacks. Upon closer look, Ye Tianguang, eviscerated and silent, lay in the middle of the snack heap... "The result of arrogance is often losing one''s life..." Shaking his head, Hao Jian casually waved, Sword Qi emanating from the blade, slicing through the necks of the still-living men in black, heads dropping to the ground, releasing a heavy bloody scent, much stronger than before those killed in the conference hall. This might be because these people were stronger than those in the conference hall, thus their blood was more potent. "Finally done!" Checking the time, realizing it only took a little more than three minutes, Hao Jian exhaled slowly, then sped towards Ye Linglan... "I said it''s nothing, see?" Reaching out to rub Ye Linglan''s hair, Hao Jian grinned. These were just small fry, easily handled. Hao Jian was more concerned about those still lingering in Hua City from Ye Heavenly Mansion, but there was no way to deal with them now. He had to wait until Ye Linglan and Ye Chunliang recovered before dealing with them... After all, once Ye Heavenly Mansion''s people disguised themselves, even Hao Jian would find it challenging to root them out from all of Hua City. The city''s population was simply too large! "Okay!" Ye Linglan nodded, but looking worriedly at her brother, she spoke anxiously, "Hao Jian, what about my brother like this?!" "It''s fine, it''s fine, let''s leave this to me!" Thinking she wanted to say something else, Hao Jian breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, quickly waving his hand and pulling out his phone. Once he dialed a number, Hao Jian''s slightly somber voice slowly emerged, "Spice Ginger, I''m giving you five minutes. Send someone to my location immediately. We need to go to a hospital! Give me the best one nearby!" "Got it, Young Master Hao, give me two minutes, I''ll be there in two minutes!" Receiving the address from Hao Jian, Spice Ginger spoke seriously. At this time, there happened to be an information-gathering squad near Hao Jian''s location... Chapter 957 - 956: Becoming More and More Lethal "They should be okay now¡­" Seeing the red light of the emergency room turn off, Hao Jian slowly exhaled a breath of relief. When the doctors came out, he stepped forward and asked, "Doctor, how are the two of them doing?" "Mr. Hao, Miss Ye''s condition is merely a case of severe shock. Her emotions have stabilized now. However, Mr. Ye''s condition is less optimistic. Although we''ve performed an initial reattachment of the severed arm, there are several surgeries needed ahead. Until they are completed, we can''t give you an accurate answer..." The doctor removed his mask, his eyes heavy with concern, and spoke to Hao Jian in a somber tone. "Thank you, doctor." Hearing an outcome roughly in line with his expectations, Hao Jian felt a slight sense of relief. As long as their lives were not in danger, the issues could be dealt with¡ªhe would personally resolve Ye Chunliang''s severed arm. After all, he himself was a doctor. Not just any doctor, but one with exceptional medical skill. While a severed arm was troublesome, it was far from unmanageable. For now, the primary task was to have the doctors stabilize Ye Chunliang''s physical condition. The critical upcoming surgeries would be handled by him. Hao Jian had little trust in other doctors for such pivotal procedures. After arranging for Ye Linglan and her brother to rest comfortably in the hospital, Hao Jian picked up his phone and dialed Spice Ginger. "Spice Ginger, how is the task I assigned you coming along?" "Young Master Hao, we''ve preliminarily tracked the movements of over a hundred members of Ye Heavenly Mansion in Hua City. Now we just need to close the net we''ve spread before they leave Hua City!"... Spice Ginger''s voice carried a weight of seriousness. "However, the hundred-plus people are somewhat scattered. Even if we''ve pinpointed their whereabouts, it''s not easy to eliminate them all in one strike. It''ll take some time. I''ve already secretly sealed off several routes out of Hua City, but if we keep dragging on, they''re bound to grow suspicious..."... "If they start suspecting, it''ll be harder to capture them. After all, these hundred-plus individuals blending into the multi-million population of Hua City would barely create a ripple..." "If they''re refusing to gather, find a way to make them cluster together. This time, I will ensure Ye Heavenly Mansion suffers irreparable damage." Chilling words escaped Hao Jian''s lips as his deep eyes gazed at the pitch-black night sky. His hand gripped the railing with a bit of force, and with a creak, a deep handprint appeared on the metal. Ye Heavenly Mansion was never a massive organization to begin with. Hao Jian had already taken out two of their groups. If this hundred-plus people were eliminated next, the mansion''s manpower would take a critical hit, losing nearly three hundred members. It might even prompt Ye Heavenly Mansion''s enemies to strike without Hao Jian lifting a finger. This kind of opportunity to cripple Ye Heavenly Mansion''s strength was not something that came around often. In its full form, none of their enemies could overcome Ye Heavenly Mansion. But a weakened version? That might prove a different story. "So, Young Master Hao, how do we lure them together this time?" "Plant a little hint for them¡ªspread the news that Ye Haozhi and Ye Tianguang failed their mission and were captured. They''re being held in an abandoned warehouse on the western outskirts of Hua City." After a moment of thought, Hao Jian slowly spoke out. On the other end of the line, Spice Ginger paused briefly, hesitation creeping into his tone as he tentatively asked, "Young Master Hao, wouldn''t it be unlikely for them to fall for this?" "They will. They absolutely will!" Hao Jian declared firmly, "And the moment they get the news, they will move tonight. Why? Because we''re dealing with Ye Haozhi and Ye Tianguang¡ªthey might lose their lives, but these two must not die!" "If those two perish, then the rest of them will have to die as well. The current leader of Ye Heavenly Mansion is no one to mess with." "If that''s the case, I''ll have my subordinates spread the word now. The rest is up to you, Young Master Hao!" Since Hao Jian sounded so confident, Spice Ginger didn''t ask further. His role was simply to assist Hao Jian and deliver information. "Get to it! I trust you!" Hao Jian nodded and hung up the phone. Turning, he glanced at the resting figures of Ye Linglan and her brother in the recovery ward. Exhaling deeply, he headed downstairs, entered the parking lot, got into his Enzo, and drove off toward the address he''d just shared with Spice Ginger. Considering Spice Ginger''s resources in Hua City, relaying this piece of information to those hundred-plus individuals might take mere minutes. From there, all that was left was to wait for them to gather and arrive at the location¡ªeverything would unfold according to plan. "Ye Heavenly Mansion, this time, I''ll make you suffer. Let this be your punishment. For Lanlan''s sake, I won''t destroy you completely. But if Lanlan decides to wipe you out, don''t blame me for showing no mercy." Eyes fixed on the deep night sky, Hao Jian''s gaze turned icy, and faint killing intent surrounded him. The aura seeped through the car window, spilling onto the road beyond before quickly vanishing into the world. The road left an echo of red light in the wake of the speeding car. Ye Heavenly Mansion members would likely never imagine that Hao Jian''s strength had grown far greater since their past clashes. If they continued underestimating him based on prior encounters, they might lose even more members. Forget capturing Ye Linglan; they might struggle just to protect themselves. In this era dominated by the internet, transmitting a message was ridiculously easy. As soon as Spice Ginger set his subordinates to spread the news, Ye Heavenly Mansion members received it almost instantly. Their temporary leaders immediately decided to investigate the warehouse in the western outskirts, regardless of whether the news was true or false. Better safe than sorry. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Spice Ginger, send over a few brothers to clean this up later..." Upon arriving at the warehouse, Hao Jian suddenly thought of something. He quickly placed a call to Spice Ginger. Over a hundred people meeting their end here would be no trivial matter. True to his nature, Hao Jian preferred others to handle such clean-up tasks¡ªespecially corpse disposal. He wasn''t about to dirty his own hands. Hearing this request, Spice Ginger hurriedly ordered ten or so specialized subordinates to take care of the matter. He figured this number should suffice. "But Young Master Hao''s bloodlust has been deepening lately..." Recalling how his subordinates had previously cleaned up the aftermath of Hao Jian''s fights, Spice Ginger could still vividly imagine the brutality of those scenes. The sheer, overwhelming stench of blood was etched in the reports his men had submitted. Over a hundred lives extinguished on a whim. Hao Jian killed without hesitation. But upon second thought, Spice Ginger understood. Anyone in Hua City familiar with Hao Jian''s reputation knew his reverse scale: his loved ones and brothers. Whoever crossed that line would face catastrophic consequences¡ªas evidenced by this incident. Passersby alarmed by the chaos had called the police, leading to a major crime operation initially being set up. Yet upon learning Hao Jian was involved and understanding the backstory, authorities promptly canceled the action without hesitation. They even sent personnel to assist in tidying up the scene. No one dared provoke Hao Jian when he was furious¡ªit was an act akin to courting death. The time passed swiftly. An hour slid by, yet Hao Jian showed no impatience while waiting in the warehouse. He knew they were bound to arrive soon. "Rustle, rustle!" A faint sound caught Hao Jian''s ears, causing a corner of his lips to curl into a faint smile. Finally, they had arrived! He stepped forward, heading toward the warehouse entrance. "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" The faint noise was quickly followed by rapid bursts of movement slicing through the air. In the space before the warehouse, shadowy figures began landing one after another. Counting carefully, there were at least 150 of them. "Welcome, everyone. Now¡­ be prepared to offer your heads!" Standing in the doorway, surveying the crowd, Hao Jian nonchalantly stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest, a mocking glint in his eyes. Just as he predicted, concern over their elders had forced these people into action. Judging by the turnout, most of them had shown up. Though the headcount differed slightly from the intelligence provided by Spice Ginger, 150 was plenty. As for the remaining individuals, perhaps they were simply lucky this time. If this world truly harbored karmic retribution, their escape might have lightened Hao Jian''s burden. Yet as someone who had once been the God of Death, such notions of karma never made it into his lexicon. "Kid! You alone...? Hahaha! Better hand over our elders willingly, or don''t blame us for being rude!" "If you want to live, you''d best heed the words of Boss Ye Yu! Otherwise, prepare to die here!" Chapter 958 - 957: Why Dont You Go Die?! "Drip... drip..." Threads of fresh blood dripped from the long knife in Hao Jian''s hand onto the ground, emitting a ticking sound. Before him lay countless corpses, sprawled across the open space in disarray. The blood from everyone pooled together, forming one crimson puddle after another, blending with the chilly night air. A hellish tableau unfolded in the human world, stark and unforgiving. Yet Hao Jian''s clothing remained spotless, free from even the slightest trace of blood. Apart from the long knife, neither his shoes nor the pristine white shirt bore any marks of the carnage. Coupled with the perpetual, gentle smile upon his lips, he was akin to the God of Death... "Buzz buzz buzz..." At that moment, the ringtone of a mobile phone sounded. Hao Jian retrieved it and pressed the answer key. Soon after, Spice Ginger''s voice came through. "Young Master Hao! A few of my men just called to report that there was intense gunfire at your location that only recently ceased. Are you alright?" "Haha! I''m fine. Tell your men to come over and help me clean up the aftermath. I''m heading out -- killing so many people tonight has drained me." Chuckling lightly at her words, Hao Jian smirked. These people were hardly capable of even grazing him ¡ª his level was simply untouchable. Standing idly would suffice for him to annihilate them purely by instinct. Let alone when he engaged in combat intentionally. If anyone managed to get so much as a scratch on him, Hao Jian might as well bash his head against a block of tofu in disgrace. "Understood! I''ll inform them now to head over for cleanup." Spice Ginger nodded as her thoughts suddenly pivoted. She added, "Oh, by the way, Director Lin from the city bureau just called, asking if we need his assistance?" S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Lin Nantian? Hao Jian''s lips curved into a faint smile. "Tell Lin Nantian to stay at the police station and focus on calming the witnesses. Some may have been victimized by the people from Ye Heavenly Mansion; have Lin Nantian handle that as well. Offer comfort where it''s due, pay reparations where necessary ¡ª after all, this is on us." "As for his help, don''t bother. At the end of the day, he''s a police bureau director. Collaborating with us cannot be done openly. Let him stick to what''s within his capacity. I''ll make sure to thank him personally later." It was clear Lin Nantian served as the bureau director, while Spice Ginger was an underworld kingpin. To outsiders, these two factions seemed like fire and water ¡ª one championing the law, the other bending or outright breaking it. They could hardly seem more at odds. But amidst their dynamic stood one individual to whom both were compelled to bow: Hao Jian. "Alright! I''ll relay that to him!" Receiving Hao Jian''s orders, Spice Ginger promptly hung up and made the call to Lin Nantian. Meanwhile, she also sent one of her cleaner subordinates to lead a team to inspect the sites of the incidents, ensuring nothing was left unresolved. "This time, consider yourselves lucky..." Leaving the warehouse, Hao Jian drove his Enzo, navigating through the bustling city streets. His lips held a slight smile as he observed the ebb and flow of life, though his eyes flashed with a fleeting cold glint when passing train stations or airports, only to extinguish moments later... If Hao Jian had been more decisive, no member of Ye Heavenly Mansion present in Hua City would have escaped this time. But for reasons unknown, he refrained from sealing off these crucial points of departure. The car sped swiftly onward, bringing Hao Jian to the hospital, where Ye Linglan and her brother resided in their room. Gazing at the two figures still sleeping peacefully on the bed, Hao Jian finally let a genuine smile surface. "Whimper, whimper, whimper..." Suddenly, as Hao Jian marveled at the scene, Ye Linglan''s delicate brows furrowed slightly. Her lips trembled, emitting soft noises that snapped Hao Jian out of his thoughts. He hurried over to her side, took her petite hand in his, and gently stroked it. Leaning close to her ear, his warm, soothing voice followed. "It''s okay. I''m here. No one can hurt you." "..." Upon hearing his words, Ye Linglan''s tightly knit brows gradually eased. Her lips curved slightly, as if dreaming of something joyful. Seeing her like this, Hao Jian let out a sigh of relief and a quiet chuckle. Holding onto Ye Linglan''s hand, he refused to let go, pulling up a chair to quietly watch the sleeping beauty on the bed. "Daybreak..." Before anyone realized, the distant sky turned pale, heralding dawn. In mere minutes, sunlight streamed through the glass panes, illuminating the hospital room with its gentle warmth, enveloping the three in a tranquil embrace... "A new day begins. This day marks not only a fresh start for you siblings but also a new chapter for me. Your enemies will now be mine to obliterate!" "I will never allow last night''s horrors to repeat themselves upon you two. This is my vow, my choice. My love and family ¡ª I will protect them!" Standing on the balcony, Hao Jian gazed at the rising sun outside. His eyes flicked towards the siblings still asleep, as his low and resolute words echoed softly in the morning light... ................................................ In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Following the recent incidents, Ye Heavenly Mansion ceased all talk regarding Ye Linglan and her brother''s actions. The next morning, the remnants of Ye Heavenly Mansion still lingering in Hua City received orders from their family to withdraw discreetly from Hua City. The repercussions of this operation were monumental for them. Not only had they lost a significant number of men, but they had also come face-to-face with Hao Jian''s overwhelming power. In a single night, he obliterated nearly thirty to forty percent of their forces. If this were to happen a few more times, Ye Heavenly Mansion, an ancient sect, might vanish entirely! Ye Linglan remained hospitalized for three days during her recovery before finally being discharged. As for Ye Chunliang, his severed hand posed surgical challenges far beyond Hao Jian''s expectations. Even so, Hao Jian persevered, managing to reconnect ruptured veins from other parts of Ye Chunliang''s body to his hand. While it restored function, his arm couldn''t be fully repaired. This ordeal saw extensive efforts in bone alignment, completely exhausting Hao Jian. Though initial procedures performed by hospital staff established a foundation, gaps remained, owing to discrepancies in medical expertise. Fortunately, Hao Jian promptly detected and addressed these issues. Over the past two weeks, multiple subsequent surgeries were performed to optimize Chunliang''s arm. By the end of the period, Chunliang was discharged from the hospital. However, that hand remained unable to lift heavy objects. Recovery would take years of herbal treatment before complete normalization was possible. During this time, Ye Chunliang enjoyed a glimpse of indulgence, truly living the life of a pampered "young master." His injury ensured his sister lavished him with care, halting her own studies temporarily to attend to him wholly. Seeing this, Hao Jian refrained from intervening. Ye Linglan''s academic performance was solid enough. With his support, the siblings would graduate without issue, even if schooling paused temporarily. .............................. While Hao Jian dedicated himself to the siblings'' welfare, Yuan Shanshan''s affairs quickly turned grim... Since that incident where she was belittled by a relative, Yuan Shanshan impulsively purchased a villa on the outskirts of Hua City, spending over thirty million yuan. The luxury was undeniable, though its vastness seemed overwhelming given that only the three of them lived there. Upon her mother''s suggestion, Yuan Shanshan hired several housekeepers through an agency, bringing vitality to the otherwise empty villa. But today brought aggravation. It wasn''t the spaciousness¡ªtoday, a dozen housekeepers stood at her villa''s entrance, holding banners and signs, accusing her of wage theft... Famous as Yuan Shanshan was, the notion of her withholding wages seemed absurd. She would never do such a thing. Yet public opinion quickly swayed. With those dramatic demonstrations, even reporters from the district''s TV station arrived, claiming she had refused to pay the staff their dues. It didn''t matter that Yuan Shanshan had not only paid their salaries punctually but also offered raises on some occasions out of empathy for their hard work. Trust, however, proved fragile. She hadn''t foreseen such betrayal. As a public figure, Yuan Shanshan knew the repercussions of bad press. Online dissemination of these accusations would severely damage her reputation! On a grander scale, even the Shu Ya Group could feel the impact. As their chief jewelry designer, her controversy would indirectly taint the company. "Yuan Shanshan! Wage thief! We housekeepers struggle to survive, yet this woman dares to withhold our pay! Everyone, speak up¡ªwhy doesn''t someone like her simply die?!" "Ladies and gentlemen watching from home, we have shocking news¡ªthe world-renowned jeweler Yuan Shanshan has allegedly failed to compensate her housekeepers, prompting them to publicly demand payment!" The crowd of housekeepers, reporters, and onlookers swelled at Yuan Shanshan''s doorstep, the commotion growing deafening... Chapter 959 - 958: Too Much! "The renowned jewelry designer, Yuan Shanshan, has been cornered at her doorstep by nannies she allegedly owes wages to. We will provide live updates on this developing situation!" At the very moment this uproar was unfolding at Yuan Shanshan''s residence, Hao Jian, who was lounging at home, happened to swipe his palm across the remote, landing on the local TV channel broadcasting the news of Yuan Shanshan''s wage dispute. "Whoosh!" Seeing this news, Hao Jian, who had been leisurely munching on snacks on the sofa, suddenly shot to his feet, his eyes locked intently on the banner-waving, cursing nannies behind the reporter... "Damn it! These people dare to mess with my woman?!" Hao Jian, who knew Yuan Shanshan better than anyone, simply couldn''t believe she would commit such an act of withholding wages. Though she might be a little penny-pinching, she had her principles in such matters. For her to do such a thing would require the world to turn upside down. Cursing under his breath, Hao Jian hurried to his bedroom. After quickly getting dressed, he dashed downstairs, started his Enzo, and sped toward Yuan Shanshan''s new villa. "Sis, what do we do now?!" Yuan Zhibang peered through the window at the increasingly chaotic scene outside, his face showing deep concern. He then turned to Yuan Shanshan and asked, "Should we call my brother-in-law to handle this? With his capabilities, it might not take long to resolve the situation..." "Let''s not bother your brother-in-law for now. He''s already busy as it is, and things haven''t escalated to an unmanageable level just yet. Let me see if I can handle this..." Hearing Yuan Zhibang''s suggestion, Yuan Shanshan pondered for a moment before shaking her head slowly. The situation was still within her ability to control, and besides, she didn''t want to rely on Hao Jian for every problem ¡ª it would make her appear incompetent. "But those nannies are going too far! We clearly paid their wages, yet they''re biting back at us like this. How can their hearts be so sinister?!" Understanding his sister''s reasoning, Yuan Zhibang nodded reluctantly. However, when his gaze shifted toward the nannies at the doorway, his expression turned into a cold sneer, his anger boiling over. When the nannies worked in their home, they weren''t even burdened with heavy tasks, only light cleaning duties. In fact, for half the month, there was hardly any work to do. Such a cushy, high-paying job was rare to come by. One would think they''d be grateful, but who could''ve imagined these people would not only turn down such a great job but also fabricate baseless claims to extort money from them! Had their consciences been eaten by dogs?! "Zhibang, don''t worry. Con artists like them won''t get away with this for long!" Glancing at her brother''s enraged expression, Yuan Shanshan offered a soft comfort. Yet deep within her strikingly radiant eyes hid a seething fury far greater than Yuan Zhibang''s. After all, anyone in her shoes would be livid. While the siblings in the villa deliberated on how to resolve the situation, outside, the nannies continued waving their banners and shouting defamatory accusations through a loudspeaker, tarnishing Yuan Shanshan''s reputation. A short distance from the reporters, a teenage girl ¡ª barely 15 years old ¡ª gripped her phone tightly, nervous and trembling. "Boss, Yuan Shanshan is a world-renowned figure. Are you sure this won''t backfire on us?" "Relax. Our plan is seamless. No one except Yuan Shanshan herself knows the truth. And even if she does, it''s useless. As long as we stick to our story, there''s nothing she can do!" A voice laced with smugness and disdain came from the phone, instantly calming the nervous nanny. If the boss had such confidence, all they needed to do was follow orders. After all, they had pulled stunts like this plenty of times before ¡ª though in the past, it was only against minor wealthy families with limited media attention. This was their first attempt at targeting a world-famous figure like Yuan Shanshan, so it was natural to feel a bit jittery. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As the chaos outside escalated, Hao Jian arrived near Yuan Shanshan''s villa. He parked the Enzo quietly on a secluded roadside, then stealthily leapt into the property''s yard. Casting a quick glance at the commotion by the front gate, he smirked and shook his head. Then, he slowly pushed open the front door... "Who''s there?!" Inside the villa, Yuan Shanshan, who had been discussing solutions with Yuan Zhibang, suddenly turned her head toward the noise at the entrance. "It''s me..." Wearing a faint smile, Hao Jian gently pushed the door open. His gaze landed on the siblings in the living room as he chuckled, "If I hadn''t caught the news on TV, I wouldn''t have known you were in such deep trouble..." "Hehe, brother-in-law!" Seeing who it was, Yuan Zhibang grinned sheepishly. He then glanced at Yuan Shanshan, who had lowered her head slightly, and teased, "Sis, I told you he''d come. Even if you didn''t call him, he''d find out on his own..." "Now, better focus on how to deal with him... I''ll leave you two to it!" Before Yuan Shanshan could shoot him an annoyed glare, Yuan Zhibang darted upstairs, leaving her no chance to react. "That brat!" Watching her brother scamper off, Yuan Shanshan waved a delicate fist in mock frustration. Then, sighing in resignation, she turned to the smiling Hao Jian. "As you can see, I''m in quite the mess..." "Haha, I thought the great Yuan Shanshan wasn''t planning to ask for my help anymore," Hao Jian teased, ignoring her complaint. "Hmph! Who''s asking for your help? Weren''t you the one who came running unsolicited? I can handle this myself!" Hao Jian laughed softly, flicking her forehead playfully. "Why not take the easiest route to solve your problems?" "Besides, you''re underestimating this situation. Do you think these nannies started this uproar without reason?" "What are you implying?" Rolling her eyes at him, Yuan Shanshan hesitated. In her earlier agitation, she had overlooked that detail. Now prompted by Hao Jian, she started piecing things together. Seeing her quick realization, Hao Jian smiled faintly. The girl wasn''t too dim after all ¡ª just a push in the right direction was enough. "There''s likely a force behind these nannies orchestrating everything. Otherwise, they wouldn''t dare challenge someone of your stature on their own." "What''s more, I bet the compensation they''re demanding isn''t a small sum..." "They''re asking for a million..." Yuan Shanshan admitted awkwardly. She hadn''t expected Hao Jian to deduce so much at a glance, while she''d foolishly believed she could handle it on her own. How na?ve of her... "A million?" Hao Jian''s gaze turned icy. While that amount meant little to him or even Yuan Shanshan, it was outrageous to demand such a sum over nonexistent claims. This was blatant extortion ¡ª and they thought they could pull it off without consequences? "Leave this to me. You should stay home; getting swarmed by reporters would only make things worse." "Alright!" Relieved, Yuan Shanshan didn''t protest. If Hao Jian was taking over, she trusted he''d handle it far more effectively than she ever could. "Spice Ginger!" Hao Jian quickly dialed Spice Ginger''s number. After a moment''s thought, he spoke firmly, "You''ve seen the news this morning, I assume?" "News?" Spice Ginger, who was about to leave for an errand, paused upon hearing Hao Jian''s call. Realizing what he meant, she smacked her forehead and exclaimed, "Young Master Hao, you''re referring to Miss Yuan Shanshan''s story, right?" "Exactly. Investigate this for me. You''ve got three days to uncover who''s behind it all." "I want to know who dares target my woman like this!" "Understood!" Receiving his orders, Spice Ginger immediately canceled her plans, drove back to her office, and tasked her team with the investigation. "Now we wait for results..." Chapter 960 - 959: Leave It to Me! "Young Master Hao! We''ve got it!" An hour later, Hao Jian received a call from Spice Ginger. As soon as the call connected, Spice Ginger''s slightly excited voice came through. "Speak!" "The ones targeting Miss Yuan Shanshan are part of a black-hearted agency. Those troublemaking domestic workers are employees of this agency. Based on the information I''ve gathered, this agency has been pulling similar extortion schemes against employers for years. After doing some rough math, they''ve scammed millions over the years." Spice Ginger paused briefly to organize his thoughts before continuing, "They target businessmen or wealthy individuals with mid-level assets. These people care deeply about their social reputation. They usually avoid stirring up trouble, pay the demanded money, and move on without escalating the situation." "Because of this, the black-hearted agency has gradually expanded its scope. Especially in the past six months, they''ve targeted quite a few individuals worth billions. This time, their meticulous planning brought their scheme directly onto Miss Yuan Shanshan!" "So, that''s what''s been going on..." Listening to the details, Hao Jian rubbed his chin, glanced at the domestic workers still making a fuss outside, and after hanging up the call, looked at Yuan Shanshan and smiled, "This won''t be too hard. I''ll go out and give them a warning. If they''re smart, they''ll leave, and I won''t pursue it. But if they persist, I won''t show mercy." "Don''t escalate it too much¡­" Seeing the anger simmer in Hao Jian''s eyes, Yuan Shanshan didn''t try to stop him but instead spoke with some concern, "Try not to let it turn physical. There are quite a few journalists out there¡ªif they capture anything, you''ll go viral online by tomorrow." These days, even the smallest incident can go viral, let alone something involving Yuan Shanshan. The situation had already stirred up online discussions. After all, a world-famous jewelry designer allegedly withholding wages from domestic workers¡ªthough many might find it unbelievable¡ªwould certainly become a juicy gossip topic for days to come. "Leave it to me!" Hao Jian chuckled, reached out to ruffle Yuan Shanshan''s hair, stood up, and walked toward the door... As soon as Hao Jian stepped outside, the commotion in front of the villa instantly intensified, surprising both the domestic workers and the journalists. They had expected Yuan Shanshan or her younger brother to appear, but instead, it was a young man¡ªwhose expression was anything but pleasant. "So it''s you claiming that Yuan Shanshan owes you wages?" Hao Jian strode out, waved to block the journalists, and then approached the dozen domestic workers with a cold smile. "That''s right! Yuan Shanshan owes us wages and refuses to pay! She''s not fit to be a jewelry designer!" one fiery-tempered domestic worker yelled upon hearing Hao Jian''s derisive laugh. Hearing this, Hao Jian''s gaze darkened slightly. He let out a cold snort and said, "Whether she''s fit or not isn''t for you to decide." "If you still have some decency left, you best turn around and leave!" "You know damn well if Yuan Shanshan owes you wages or not. Don''t think that just because your actions are sneaky, you can act with impunity!" "Just because no one stopped you before doesn''t mean no one will now! You better think twice¡ªif you keep this up, the consequences won''t be pretty!" Hao Jian''s threats were crystal clear, and the journalists keenly caught onto a deeper implication in his words. When they tried to question further, they were met with Hao Jian''s dangerous glare. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You''d best keep your mouths shut, or I can''t guarantee how long you''ll last in Hua City..." Hao Jian sneered at the gossip-driven journalists. He loathed their habit of distorting the truth in pursuit of clicks and profits. "Little boy, let me give you some advice," a forty-something female domestic worker sneered at Hao Jian, "I understand you''re willing to do anything for a woman at your age, but before you go all in, think carefully¡ªsome people are out of your league." "Especially if you think you can make us leave and swallow the wages we''re owed!" "Who do you think you are?! Trying to stop us from reclaiming what''s rightfully ours?!" As she spoke, other domestic workers chimed in. Their initially restrained remarks escalated into outright invective, resembling a full-blown debt collection clash by the end. "Click! Click! Click..." The heated confrontation only fueled the journalists'' sense of intrigue. Cameras of all makes began flashing, capturing the escalating tension. "So you really want to keep this going?" Hao Jian said, addressing the domestic workers. Their behavior clearly reflected the black-hearted agency''s backing¡ªwithout their support, this "wage dispute" wouldn''t even exist. "Get lost! If you''re not giving us the money, then move aside! Otherwise, we''ll find someone to deal with you!" "Haha! You want to deal with me?" Hao Jian burst into laughter, then his eyes turned icy cold, and he stared them down, enunciating each word: "If you haven''t left by today, you''ll regret everything you''ve done here!" "Regret?! Haha! A kid like you?" Over the years, anyone targeted by these extortionists dared not speak such words, knowing full well that doing so would only provoke them into further ruining their victim''s reputation. "Heh, just wait¡ªyou''ll regret it soon enough." Hao Jian had no intention of continuing the pointless verbal sparring. To him, they were mere pawns who''d soon regret their arrogance. Though they didn''t believe it, Hao Jian would make sure they did. After finishing his words, he turned and walked back into Yuan Shanshan''s villa, closing the door firmly to block the encroaching journalists. "How did it go?" Back in the living room, Yuan Shanshan looked expectantly at Hao Jian. She glanced nervously at the still-chaotic scene outside before asking, curious about the exchange that seemed to further provoke the workers. "Don''t worry, I''ll clean them up by tomorrow!" Hao Jian smirked at the scene outside and shook his head. "The way things look, they''ll be right back blocking your door tomorrow." "Yeah, if you hadn''t come, I''d have paid them off already. A million really isn''t a lot for me¡ªanything to get rid of trouble," Yuan Shanshan sighed helplessly. "Silly girl, you can compromise in some situations, but never with people like them. If you give in, someone else will suffer their schemes next. If everyone caves, who''ll stop them?" "They''ll keep extorting people, ruining lives. For the rich, it may be minor, but what about someone in genuine need? I, Hao Jian, may not have lofty ambitions, but I won''t stand by when I can stop something within my ability." Hao Jian gently scolded Yuan Shanshan, tapping her forehead in mild frustration at her attitude. "So, what''s your plan?" "Simple¡ªan eye for an eye!" Hao Jian chuckled softly, his deep gaze fixed on the chaos outside as his lips curled into a sly smirk. "Since they use underhanded tactics to harm others, I''ll turn their own methods against them." "You mean...?" With Hao Jian''s clue, Yuan Shanshan''s eyes lit up with realization. "Spice Ginger..." Hao Jian immediately dialed Spice Ginger''s number... "Young Master Hao, what''s the matter? Did something happen over there? Should I send men right now to deal with them?" Spice Ginger answered eagerly, waiting for instructions. "Uh..." Momentarily caught off guard by Spice Ginger''s urgency, Hao Jian quickly regained his composure, smiling, "Nothing urgent¡ªjust something I''ll need your help with tomorrow." "Help?" Spice Ginger responded instantly, "Anything you need, Young Master Hao! Just say the word, and I''ll do my best to make it happen!" "Tomorrow morning, send a sharp person over here. Someone smart! Remember, absolutely sharp! Also, have a few capable fighters back them up¡ªthere might be some confrontations." "Got it!" ............................ Chapter 961 - 960: Put on a Show! "Young Master Hao, hello. My name is Qi Jin. Spice Ginger asked me to come help you!" Early in the morning, several men in their thirties showed up at the gate of Yuan Shanshan''s villa. One of them, appearing to be the leader, immediately brushed off the dust on his clothes upon seeing Hao Jian step out. He bent slightly and greeted respectfully. "Hmm, come in first." Hao Jian nodded, then opened the door and allowed the group to enter. Once in the villa''s living room, Hao Jian gestured for the men to sit before speaking first. "I assume you''re already aware of the situation here, right?" "Yes, we know! Do you need us to chase away those housekeepers?" Qi Jin nodded quickly in response to Hao Jian''s question as soon as he sat down. "Even if we want to chase them out, we need a reason. The reason I had Spice Ginger send you here is to help me create such a reason..." Hao Jian shook his head gently with a sly smile, speaking slowly. After all, Yuan Shanshan is a public figure, and with the media''s eyes currently focused on this place, sending Qi Jin and the others to beat up the housekeepers outright would inevitably result in Yuan Shanshan taking the blame, no matter how it''s explained. After all, other than her, there''s no one else with such a motive to resort to violence. That''s exactly why Hao Jian wanted to fabricate a justification. Otherwise, no matter what he did, he couldn''t shield Yuan Shanshan''s reputation from taking a hit. Only by finding a reason and exposing the corrupt agency behind these housekeepers could they leverage the media to clarify Yuan Shanshan''s situation. This way, not only could her previously damaged reputation be restored, but it might even improve. "Young Master Hao, just tell us what you need us to do," Qi Jin scratched his head awkwardly. Despite usually being a sharp guy, he couldn''t help but feel a bit nervous in the presence of someone as notable as Hao Jian. After all, Hao Jian''s name carried weight. He''d heard it from his boss and others countless times. Stories about Hao Jian''s various methods had left a lasting impression on him over time... And it wasn''t just him; the few men with him had also familiarized themselves with Hao Jian as soon as they joined the gang. More accurately, their introduction to the gang included being shown a photo of Hao Jian. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I need you to help me stage a performance..." With a slight chuckle, Hao Jian spoke. "A performance?" Qi Jin''s eyes lit up upon hearing those words. Hesitating slightly, he asked, "Young Master Hao, are you suggesting we pretend to be the employers of those housekeepers? That way, we''d have an excuse to deal with them?" "Exactly! That''s precisely my plan!" Hao Jian hadn''t expected Qi Jin to immediately predict his intentions after just a hint. He gave Qi Jin an approving look, inwardly becoming even more impressed with Spice Ginger. He only requested someone sharp to help, but Spice Ginger had outdone himself by sending someone this clever. "Since you already know, you should understand what to do, right?" "Yes! Understood. Leave it to us, Young Master Hao. You just stay here and enjoy the show!" Having received Hao Jian''s approval, Qi Jin felt reassured. Clapping his chest, he made his promise with confidence. "Haha! Great! Then I''ll leave it in your capable hands!" With that, Hao Jian stood up, approached Qi Jin, and patted him on the shoulder with a smile. "When you leave later, make sure to climb over the wall. Judging from the current time, those housekeepers and reporters are likely gathering at the gate. You can''t afford to be seen by them." "Understood!" Feeling the reassuring weight of Hao Jian''s pat, Qi Jin''s body seemed to lighten up considerably. He quickly replied with a sense of seriousness. The same solemnity also appeared on the faces of the men standing behind him. This was their first task directly assigned by Hao Jian. No matter what, they had to pull it off flawlessly. Failure would result not only in dissatisfaction from Hao Jian and their brothers back home but also in their own shame. Success, on the other hand, could mean the start of their journey to prosperity. Soon after, Qi Jin and his men found a corner of Yuan Shanshan''s villa wall and climbed over it. Checking their surroundings to ensure no one was watching, they hurried over to a nearby caf¨¦. From there, they kept an eye on the villa''s gate, waiting for the housekeepers and reporters to arrive so they could act. "Is everyone ready?" Qi Jin repeatedly stressed the importance of the mission to his team. This was a high-stakes task that allowed no room for failure¡ªfailure simply wasn''t an option. "Brother Jin, we''re ready!" ........................... "Who were those people just now?" As Qi Jin''s group left the villa, a yawning Yuan Shanshan emerged, leaning over the railing on the second-floor landing. Looking down at Hao Jian, who was calmly sipping tea on the sofa, she asked. "They''re here to help, as I mentioned yesterday. It''s part of my plan." Noticing the movement behind him, Hao Jian glanced at Yuan Shanshan upstairs, a hint of admiration flickering in his eyes. Smiling, he said, "Honestly, I''d love to kick out those nuisances myself. This roundabout way of dealing with them is such a waste of time..." "Oh, please. Like you''d actually get your hands dirty. It''s those poor guys doing the work for you, yet you have the nerve to complain," Yuan Shanshan scoffed, rolling her eyes at Hao Jian. It wasn''t like he was the one taking direct action against the housekeepers, yet he spoke as if he were front and center. "Heh, I totally can complain!" Much to Yuan Shanshan''s surprise, Hao Jian nodded earnestly with a cheeky grin. "Pfft, whatever. I''m going to freshen up. Prepare breakfast for me¡ªand for my brother and mom while you''re at it." She waved a hand dismissively at him before yawning again and heading toward the bathroom. Downstairs, Hao Jian, now left speechless, stared into the distance. Since when was it the guest''s job to cook for the host? Then again, it was hard to argue, especially when Yuan Shanshan was his woman. Not to mention her brother and mother¡ªone was his future little brother-in-law, and the other was his potential mother-in-law. Shaking his head in resignation, Hao Jian put down his teacup and reluctantly made his way to the kitchen. After rummaging around for a while, he finally found the ingredients and started preparing breakfast. ........................ "Boss, we''re almost at Yuan Shanshan''s villa. Should we stick to the plan from yesterday?" At 9:30 a.m., on the road leading to Yuan Shanshan''s villa, a group of a dozen women dressed as housekeepers slowly approached. One of them, seemingly the leader, spoke on the phone. "Yes, stick to the usual routine. I''ve also tipped the media off, so reporters should be arriving shortly. Keep your eyes peeled, and if anything seems off, call me immediately," the voice on the other end of the line replied sternly. "And remember, keep those housekeepers safe. They''re our bread and butter¡ªnot a single one can be lost!" "Got it, boss!" The woman nodded before hanging up. Leading the group, she advanced toward Yuan Shanshan''s villa gate. Meanwhile, in the caf¨¦, Qi Jin and his team noticed a group of women dressed as housekeepers rounding a corner. Some carried megaphones, while others held banners. Immediately, Qi Jin confirmed the targets for their operation and gestured to his companions. "Guys, the targets have arrived. Now we just wait for the reporters, and then it''s showtime!" "Got it!" The men nodded, their eyes gleaming with excitement. This was their first mission for Hao Jian, and they couldn''t help but feel a surge of adrenaline. After waiting six or seven minutes, several cars suddenly drifted around the corner at breakneck speed¡ªeasily topping 100 km/h. The vehicles bore media logos, signaling the arrival of reporters. "Go!" Qi Jin sprang into action, throwing open the caf¨¦ door and leading his group toward the targets. From their pockets, they pulled out telescopic batons, which extended with a swift flick of their wrists. With an intimidating aura, the group charged straight toward the housekeepers! Before the women could start badmouthing Yuan Shanshan, Qi Jin delivered the first blow with calculated force¡ªfirm but controlled. After all, these batons were made of steel; a heavier strike could easily end a life. These housekeepers weren''t men; they lacked the resilience to take a beating. With their fragile frames, even one strike could prove too much to bear. "Ahh!" A series of anguished screams rang out, quickly turning heads all around, including those of the reporters. By the time the journalists processed what was happening, Qi Jin and his men had already delivered at least two or three strikes each. What... what''s going on here? Stunned, the reporters watched as Qi Jin''s group relentlessly attacked the housekeepers. For a moment, everyone was utterly lost for words. Chapter 962 - 961: With This Stupid Look of Yours... "What are you doing?!" Compared to the nannies, Qi Jin and his group were fewer in number. As a result, they only targeted the ones closest to them. The others, witnessing the sudden chaos, froze momentarily, but as soon as they came to their senses, they shouted loudly. "What are we doing?!" Hearing that, Qi Jin feigned being enraged and laughed sarcastically before roaring, "I was kind enough to hire you to work at my villa recently, and you had the audacity to steal my most prized possession!" "Do you even know what that treasure is? It''s an exquisite jade, worth tens of millions! And now, after I caught you red-handed, you still dare to play dumb?!" "You... you''re lying!" These nannies couldn''t recall ever having such an employer, let alone stealing a jade worth millions. They''d never engaged in outright theft, though they didn''t hesitate to leverage public pressure against employers. Upon hearing this, Qi Jin let out a cold laugh. "It seems you''re determined not to confess, huh?" "You¡­ you¡­ you there! Yes, you! Exactly you!" As he spoke, Qi Jin pointed at a few nannies, snorting coldly. "You lot¡ªI''d recognize you even if you''d turned to ashes! You''re the frauds pretending to be nannies who stole from my home! And now, you have the nerve to parade around and pull more scams?" "What?!" The nannies were thoroughly confused. They didn''t recall a boss like him, but they held back from retorting immediately, worried that it might really be the employer of one of their accomplices causing trouble. Truthfully, Qi Jin had randomly pointed people out. He didn''t even know their names. His goal was just to blow the situation out of proportion. The more aggressive he appeared, the more believable he''d seem. After all, who would suspect someone so furious to be acting?... Now Qi Jin was piling accusations onto the nannies, ensuring that the reporters in the distance caught every word he said¡­ What those reporters would think after hearing him wasn''t something Qi Jin cared to deliberate. But he figured it wouldn''t deviate much from what he expected: the story would soon spread online. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Meanwhile, those reporters didn''t care about verifying the truth of the news. All that mattered was attracting enough traffic... "Since when did we ever have a client like you?!" After conferring among themselves and finding no such person, the nannies were infuriated. Though they''d scammed quite a few clients, they could swear they''d never encountered this man before. Especially those whom Qi Jin had singled out¡ªthey were utterly baffled. It soon dawned on them that Qi Jin must''ve been sent by Yuan Shanshan to retaliate against them. But by this point, the situation had already turned against them. Even as they tried thinking of ways to counter Qi Jin, they realized that nothing they said would be believed. They were now cornered just like Yuan Shanshan had been before. Even if they knew they were innocent, who would believe them?... "Boss, why waste words on these whores? You''ve gotta teach them a proper lesson¡ªotherwise, they won''t know their place!" Qi Jin''s accomplices joined in enthusiastically. After landing a few more punches on some of the nannies, they waved their fists menacingly, aiming straight for the others'' faces again. Soon, the dull thuds of fists meeting flesh resounded continuously, accompanied by the relentless clicking of cameras and the hum of camcorders held by the reporters. "That should just about do it..." Inside the villa, Hao Jian, who had been keeping an eye on the situation, nodded slightly. He pulled out his phone, dialed Spice Ginger, and said, "Spice Ginger, send me twenty of our toughest guys. There''s going to be some serious action here." "Young Master Hao, do you need me to join in?" Upon hearing that Hao Jian required fighters, Spice Ginger slapped the table and asked. These days, any random punk dared to mess with Hao Jian¡ªwere these people tired of living?! Spice Ginger was livid. Not only because these nannies had stirred up trouble for Hao Jian, but also because they didn''t even know who they were dealing with before acting recklessly! Harming Hao Jian meant disregarding Spice Ginger entirely. In Hua City, Spice Ginger was the undisputed king of the underworld. Anyone who knew of him wouldn''t dare disrespect him. But now, someone had dared to humiliate Hao Jian. And humiliating Hao Jian was as good as slapping Spice Ginger in the face! Not a soft slap, either¡ªbut a thunderous, echoing one! "No need. Just send people over to back me up. As for the actual fight, there''ll be plenty of opportunities later. Since these pests dared to provoke me this time, I''ll deal with them myself!" Without hesitation, Hao Jian rejected Spice Ginger''s offer. "Alright, Young Master Hao, I''ll send them over right now!" Spice Ginger, unfazed by the refusal, wasn''t surprised. He understood Hao Jian''s personality¡ªonce he made a decision, there was no changing his mind. So instead of pressing further, he focused on his job. In situations like these, doing his part well was the most important thing. "Boss, there''s trouble on our side! Get help over here immediately!" One of the nannies frantically called her boss, her eyes twitching as she watched her comrades being ruthlessly beaten with batons. Though she hadn''t been targeted yet, she knew it was only a matter of time. Panicked, she urgently called the shady agency. "What? Which blind fool dares ruin my operation? I''ll be there in two minutes!" The nanny''s boss, hearing the news, darkened his expression. It had been a long time since his subordinates were last attacked. These nannies were women, and he''d always assumed that even if someone wanted to retaliate, they wouldn''t go too hard. He hadn''t expected this group to strike with full force¡ªand with telescopic batons, no less! He was personally familiar with the pain those batons inflicted. That bone-deep agony wasn''t something just anyone could endure. Most of his nannies wouldn''t last beyond two hits! "Stall them as best you can. I''ll be there in two minutes!" Although the nanny was shaky, her boss heard her loud and clear. Besides, his informants nearby had already reported the commotion. By the time she called, he was already seated in a prepared van. "Got it!" Knowing they''d just have to endure for two minutes, the nanny''s eyes lit up. She felt a surge of relief. At least she wouldn''t have to go through the suffering herself¡­ But as she relaxed, she failed to notice a pair of eyes fixing on her from not too far away. The eyes'' owner, upon seeing her hang up the phone, widened his gaze slightly before the corner of his mouth curled into a smile. So, you''ve finally passed the word along? Now that it''s out, it''s time I deal with you! The owner of those eyes was Qi Jin. He took a step forward, gripping his telescopic baton as he approached the nanny. Behind him, over a dozen other nannies lay unconscious at his lackeys'' feet. Fortunately for them, being women, they hadn''t been hit too hard¡ªjust knocked out. "What are you doing?!" The nanny, who had been trying to hold out until her boss''s arrival, turned pale when she saw Qi Jin approach and spoke in a panicked voice. "What am I doing?! You know full well!" Qi Jin snorted coldly and swung his baton toward the woman''s stomach. Striking this spot would deliver maximum pain without causing serious harm! How dare these people frame Young Master Hao''s woman? No way they''d get away with it! "Stop!" Just as the baton struck and the nanny doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach and sinking to the ground, a gray van screeched around the corner. A furious roar erupted from inside the vehicle. "Bastard!" The driver jumped out of the van, wild-eyed at the sight of nannies sprawled across the ground, while reporters stood idly by, clicking and filming the scene nonstop. Veins bulged on his forehead in rage. These were his carefully groomed subordinates! Now they all lay scattered on the ground as if dead, and the medical costs alone would be astronomical. Damn it! "Hahaha, looks like we''ve finally baited the big fish!" Seeing the man, Qi Jin narrowed his eyes and laughed. He recognized this guy¡ªa small-time mafia boss in the area. During reconnaissance, Qi Jin had investigated him but dismissed him due to his insignificance. Yet now, this oversight had allowed the man to target Hao Jian indirectly. And that was Qi Jin''s gross negligence. "Ding Li, looking at your stupid face, I''m honestly at a loss for words..." Chapter 963 - 962 Acting Without Regard for Consequences! "Qi Jin!" Just as Ding Li stepped out of the car, he heard a familiar voice. He abruptly turned his head and caught sight of Qi Jin, exclaiming in shock. "I was wondering who''d dare mess with my plans. Turns out, it''s you!" Ding Li glared at Qi Jin, his eyes gleaming with menace. He sneered coldly and said, "Didn''t you latch on to some bigshot boss? What''s this¡ªgotten rich and now you''re here to stomp on me?" Ding Li and Qi Jin originally came from the same village. Back then, they operated under the same underground faction. But during a major power struggle, the two chose opposing sides and ended up leading rival crews. For years, the factions clashed endlessly until Qi Jin''s side seized an opportunity and crushed Ding Li''s faction for good. Shortly after that, Qi Jin''s faction was absorbed into Spice Ginger''s organization, becoming part of its core units. Meanwhile, Ding Li, after a narrow escape, stumbled his way into founding his shady intermediary business... "I thought after that incident you''d find a steady job and live out your days in peace. But no, you''re still the same, committing these heinous acts!" Qi Jin''s stare bore into Ding Li, his piercing gaze mixed with disdain. He chuckled coldly and said, "For the sake of our old camaraderie, I''ll advise you¡ªdrop this disgusting line of work now. If you don''t, you won''t be able to handle what comes next!" "What a joke!" Hearing this, Ding Li was so enraged he started laughing. Where did this guy''s audacity come from, ordering him to quit his business? What, just because he had a handful of men? "Qi Jin, you''ve really fallen off. You think anyone in our line of work has the luxury of leaving? Spare me your self-righteous act. I, Ding Li, have never worried about consequences!" "If that''s the case, we''ll have to settle this with blood." S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing that his plea was futile, Qi Jin sighed deeply. Did Ding Li really think he could afford to provoke someone like Hao Jian? All of Hua City was essentially Hao Jian''s turf. Snuffing out a guy like this would be laughably easy. Qi Jin had already offered Ding Li a way out¡ªonly for Ding Li to toss it aside. "You''re still the same fake, sanctimonious bastard! I''ve had enough of your face!" Seeing Qi Jin sigh, Ding Li felt a burning rage flare from deep within, surging to his mind. "Keep running your mouth, and Young Master Hao''s going to get pissed. Let''s just end this now..." Qi Jin shook his head slightly, his eyes sweeping over the thirteen men standing behind Ding Li. He clapped his hands loudly... "Vroom-vroom!" As the clapping subsided, the sudden roar of powerful engines erupted from behind Qi Jin. Moments later, two sleek Mercedes business vans rolled out from the roadside and parked firmly behind him. "Brother Jin!" A group of nearly thirty men jumped out of the vans. Their leader urgently walked up to Qi Jin and nodded before asking curiously, "Brother Jin, isn''t Young Master Hao supposed to be here? I heard the boss say he was..." "Haha, Young Master Hao should be showing up any moment now." Upon hearing this, Qi Jin chuckled, his eyes narrowing sharply as they locked onto the villa''s main entrance. Down the road, a relaxed figure strolled leisurely into view. "Young Master Hao!" As Hao Jian appeared, everyone immediately bowed toward him in unison, their voices reverent. "Alright, we''re all brothers here. No need for formalities," Hao Jian said with a slight smile as he walked past the group, stopping directly in front of Ding Li. "So, you''re Ding Li?" "You little punk, who do you think you are to say our boss''s name so casually?" Before Ding Li could respond, one of the subordinates behind him cursed at Hao Jian. "Hmm?" Hearing the insult, Hao Jian''s men instantly radiated killing intent. How dare this guy curse at Young Master Hao? "Ridiculous! There isn''t a single soul on this planet that Young Master Hao doesn''t dare to cross!" Qi Jin let out a cold laugh first. He raised his hand and flung a Telescopic Baton toward the offending man with lightning speed. The action was so swift that even Ding Li couldn''t react in time. By the time he realized what had happened, the baton had already smashed into the man''s head, leaving him bleeding profusely. "Bastard! What the hell are you doing?!" Ding Li glared at Qi Jin furiously, though deep inside, he was wary. After all, he only had a dozen men on his side, while Qi Jin had thirty. Such a disparity in numbers wasn''t just intimidating¡ªit was devastating. "What am I doing? Punishing someone for daring to insult Young Master Hao. This, believe it or not, is the lightest consequence. Otherwise, I''d have ended him already..." Qi Jin spoke calmly. "Enough with the chatter..." Hao Jian waved dismissively at Qi Jin, then pointed a finger at Ding Li, his voice tinged with amusement. "Teach them a lesson." "Understood!" Following Hao Jian''s orders, Qi Jin and his men sprang into action, brandishing their weapons as they charged toward Ding Li''s group. In an instant, the chaotic sounds of shouting and fighting filled the air. "As for you nosy journalists, stay put." Hao Jian had no interest in small-time fights like this. For him, men like Ding Li were as insignificant as an ant. But for Qi Jin and his crew, even a brawl like this carried some weight¡ªalbeit not one that would cost any lives. As Hao Jian pointed toward the stunned journalists, he smiled faintly. His gaze grew icy, and his tone became commanding: "You should know there are things better left unsaid. If you don''t want to end up like those guys on the ground, you''d better comply..." With a slight gesture toward the downed subordinates of Ding Li, Hao Jian''s meaning was unmistakable. If Hao Jian despised anyone more than rival thugs, it was reporters. Their meddling tendencies always complicated matters for him. Without them, his plans could''ve been executed effortlessly. "Understood! Understood!" The journalists, bold as they usually were, chose to suppress their curiosity in the face of such a clear threat. One look at Hao Jian told them this was no bluff. Most of them were only here for a juicy scoop, something that would get their outlets more views or attention. The ethical side of things? They hadn''t thought that far ahead. "Director Lin, send a few officers over. There are some criminals here that need rounding up..." Satisfied that the reporters had quieted down, Hao Jian pulled out his phone and dialed Lin Nantian. He hadn''t wanted Lin Nantian involved earlier¡ªfearful that the reporters would paint him as colluding with criminals. But now, all that was left was cleanup. With everything done by the book, the journalists wouldn''t suspect Lin Nantian was working for Hao Jian. "Got it. I''ll send a team over immediately." After listening to Hao Jian''s instructions, Lin Nantian responded without hesitation. Hanging up, he left his office in a rush, quickly assembling over ten police officers to head to the given address. Before they left, Lin Nantian made sure to remind his officers repeatedly: grab the suspects, and don''t meddle in anything else... By now, the fight had reached its final stage. Half of Ding Li''s men were already down at the first clash; the rest were putting up a desperate but futile resistance. Some journalists tried to sneakily capture footage of the scene, but before they could even raise their cameras, an ominous chill washed over them. Turning their heads, they met Hao Jian''s cold, piercing gaze... "If I catch anyone else playing dirty, don''t blame me for being ruthless." The words sent shivers down their spines. Who *was* this young man? His expression was terrifying. Could it be¡ªwas he Yuan Shanshan''s man? But did Yuan Shanshan really have someone like this? The police arrived quickly, their sirens wailing in the distance just as Qi Jin''s men subdued Ding Li''s group. Hearing the wail of police sirens, the journalists'' faces lit up with joy. The cops were here! That meant safety! "Officers!" Throwing Hao Jian''s threats to the wind, the journalists scrambled toward the police, talking over each other in their eagerness. "Officer, that young man just threatened us!" "And those people¡ªthey''re openly brawling in the streets! Such a disgrace to Hua City''s public image!" "Exactly, exactly! Reporter Liu is right. It''s them!" All of the journalists'' accusations were aimed squarely at Hao Jian''s group, conveniently ignoring Ding Li''s crew. At this point, they weren''t after journalistic truth; they just wanted payback for being threatened. Humans are selfish creatures. No one is truly impartial, least of all reporters in situations like this. That said, Lin Nantian had warned his officers multiple times before sending them out¡ªnot to mess with Hao Jian. Hearing the journalists'' complaints now, the officers'' faces grew awkward. Hao Jian was not someone they could afford to offend. These journalists¡ªwere they clueless or just plain stupid? Did they really think they could criticize someone like him from a moral high ground? Did they want to get blacklisted from the media entirely? "Ahem, dear media friends, let''s all calm down. How about we let us do our jobs first?" ... Chapter 964 - 963 Solved... "Oh, oh... Please!" Upon hearing the police officer''s words, the reporters immediately nodded and stepped aside to clear a path. In any situation, these reporters wouldn''t dare go against the police, let alone in a situation like this. If the police were even scared of Hao Jian, then the reporters knew they''d end up being beaten up by Hao Jian. Who told them to speak ill of him earlier in their rashness? "Arrest all of these people for me!" S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In no time, Ding Li and his dozen or so people were captured by the police. Looking at the handcuffs on his wrists, Ding Li glared venomously at Qi Jin but said nothing. "And you all, come with us to give a statement!" After arresting Ding Li and the others, a policeman walked up to the reporters, stretched out his hand, and said, "After all, you''re eyewitnesses at the scene. We need your statements, and we hope you''ll cooperate with us in our investigation." "Sure, sure!" At this moment, even if the reporters wanted to leave, the police definitely wouldn''t allow them to. They all nodded and soon moved back a bit, turned a corner, and drove their news van out. Seeing these people ready to go, the police cars started driving off slowly, taking Ding Li and his people far away. As for Hao Jian, the police officers around him acted as if they hadn''t even noticed him and made no demands of him. The reporters noticed this and felt a little puzzled, but they didn''t say anything about it. After all, this was the police''s operation. "You might be wondering why I didn''t arrest those people earlier, right?" Once at the police station, after the other officers escorted Ding Li and his crew to the interrogation rooms, the lead officer stayed behind and addressed the reporters with a calm expression. Hearing this, the reporters nodded. Indeed, they were curious, though their doubts mostly stemmed from their simmering anger at Hao Jian himself. After all, he had just threatened them earlier... "They are undercover operatives sent by our department for this case. That young man, in particular, is the leader of this operation. For someone young, being a bit edgy is understandable; otherwise, he wouldn''t have survived such a risky undercover mission." "As for Miss Yuan Shanshan''s matter, that was also a setup to take down the people we''ve arrested today. We hope you go back and clear Miss Yuan Shanshan''s name. If you don''t, we''ll have no choice but to make statements to the public ourselves." The policeman spun his lie seamlessly, speaking as though Hao Jian and his team were truly undercover operatives. Right now, this was the only way to ease the reporters'' wariness and get their support in proving Yuan Shanshan''s innocence, ultimately restoring her reputation. Of course, this idea wasn''t his own¡ªit had come from Lin Nantian, who had made the suggestion over the phone while they were on the road. Whether or not Hao Jian''s group was truly undercover didn''t matter much. These reporters couldn''t uncover the truth anyway, but this narrative was far more convincing. "With that said, you should understand now why I didn''t arrest the others earlier. They''re one of us¡ªwhy would I need to detain them?" "Makes sense..." The reporters nodded in agreement, subconsciously accepting this narrative. Perhaps only undercover agents would take on such perilous tasks... "With that, I won''t keep you any longer. As for the statements, no need to trouble yourselves. Just remember to keep this matter confidential when you go back. And while keeping it under wraps, ensure Miss Yuan Shanshan''s reputation is restored. Otherwise, you might not get to see any more of her perfect creations." Clearly, the policeman knew how to appeal to the reporters. Yuan Shanshan wasn''t just anyone¡ªshe was renowned as a world-class jewelry designer, a multiple-time international competition champion whose skills were undeniable. Even the policeman''s wife owned a few small accessories Yuan Shanshan had designed and cherished them immensely. Moreover, among these reporters, several were women who likely followed or owned designs from Yuan Shanshan''s collections. The notion that someone capable of crafting such flawless works could be embroiled in wage disputes was both absurd and preposterous. If not for trying to boost their media outlet''s reputation, the reporters themselves wouldn''t have made such accusations. "Officer, we''ll leave now..." The reporters replied hastily before promptly boarding their news van and speeding back to their respective headquarters. "Didn''t expect it to be resolved so easily..." Watching the reporters drive off in the distance, the policeman shook his head slightly and then picked up his walkie-talkie, saying, "Boss, it''s been taken care of." "Good work. Thanks for your effort..." Lin Nantian''s low voice came through the device. "Hao Jian, is it settled?" At the villa, Yuan Shanshan and Yuan Zhibang, who had been waiting for Hao Jian''s return, immediately asked as soon as they saw him. This matter concerned her reputation, and any mishap was unacceptable. Hearing this, Hao Jian smiled lightly, then nodded slowly under their expectant gazes and said, "It''s resolved. I think there''ll be some clarifying news this afternoon. Just wait and see." "Yay!" Finally, everything was settled. Yuan Shanshan breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, Hao Jian had stepped in to help this time; otherwise, she wouldn''t have known about all the intricacies behind the scenes, let alone that the shady agency had so many personnel. If they had continued smearing her reputation, it would have been impossible for her to clear her name. "Haha, since it''s resolved, I''ll head out now..." Hao Jian reached out to tousle Yuan Shanshan''s hair, chuckling as he said, "You''ve been exhausted these past few days, so take a good rest. I won''t bother you anymore. If you wear yourself out, I''ll feel bad." "Okay!" Although she felt reluctant for Hao Jian to leave, Yuan Shanshan was aware of her own condition. She hadn''t had proper sleep over the last few days because of this matter¡ªher dark circles had nearly become visible. Now that everything was resolved and her mind was at ease, a wave of drowsiness crashed over her... And just like that, she softly collapsed onto the sofa and fell into a deep sleep... "This girl..." Seeing Yuan Shanshan fall asleep so quickly, Hao Jian shook his head with a smile. Turning to Yuan Zhibang, he said, "Zhibang, I''ll carry your sister to her bedroom. Make sure to find someone to clean up the bloodstains at your door. Blood at the front entrance isn''t exactly auspicious." "Okay!" After Yuan Zhibang nodded, Hao Jian picked up the slumbering Yuan Shanshan and headed upstairs to her bedroom. Gently placing her on the bed and tucking her in, he quietly left the room. That afternoon, the city''s police department held a press conference, primarily leveraging their official platform to restore Yuan Shanshan''s reputation. The focal point of the session revolved around exonerating Yuan Shanshan, while Ding Li''s shady agency was only briefly mentioned. They announced that due to the severity of the crimes, Ding Li had been imprisoned, but refrained from elaborating on the duration or specifics of his sentencing. The reporters didn''t pay much attention to this and were instead captivated by discussions about clearing Yuan Shanshan''s name. "Hmm... Seems like it''s handled," Hao Jian had intentionally turned on a local TV program that afternoon. Once he heard the concluding remarks about restoring Yuan Shanshan''s reputation, he stroked his chin thoughtfully. Lin Nantian''s swift handling of the matter had surprised him. "Since it''s wrapped up, I should go get some sleep..." Stretching, Hao Jian turned off the TV, with plans to head back to his bedroom for rest... "Beep, beep, beep..." However, just as he was about to leave, his phone suddenly rang... .......................................... Time rewinds to half an hour earlier... "Beep, beep, beep..." While taking care of Ye Chunliang at home, Ye Linglan heard her phone ringing. She walked over and picked it up... "Is this Ye Linglan?" "Yes, who''s speaking?" Listening to the somewhat familiar yet unrecognizable voice, Ye Linglan couldn''t help but ask hesitantly... "Yan Ming, your senior in college." "Yan Ming, Senior?!" As soon as she identified the voice, Ye Linglan''s expression changed slightly, and she questioned, "Weren''t you doing your internship? Why are you calling me now? I thought you didn''t have my number." Yan Ming was her senior during university, nicknamed the "Little Prince." Not because of any fairy tale resemblance, but because of his remarkable piano skills, earning him the title Piano Prince. Naturally, most people simply referred to him as Little Prince... Back before Ye Linglan met Hao Jian, Yan Ming pursued her fervently. But at the time, Ye Linglan, who was the leader of a gang, loathed what she considered Yan Ming''s "pretty boy" type. She had her people teach him a lesson and then disregarded him entirely. If it weren''t for his call today, Ye Linglan would have almost forgotten about this passerby in her life... "Senior, is there something you need?" "Actually, yes. In a few days, I''ll be holding a piano performance at Hua City''s opera hall, and I was hoping to invite you to attend." Chapter 965 - 964: Perform on Stage! "Watching?" Ye Linglan froze for a moment. "To be precise, it''s not just watching. I want to invite you on stage to perform with me..." Yan Ming''s lips curved into a smug smile. If he could get Ye Linglan to perform with him this time, the audience would naturally think of her as his woman. Afterwards, with a little pressure, maybe she would stay by his side... "But it''s been so long since I last practiced..." Due to the matters surrounding Ye Heavenly Mansion, Ye Linglan had already set aside singing to focus entirely on caring for Ye Chunliang. Suddenly being asked to perform on stage made her worry about not delivering her best. "I believe in your talent! Alright, it''s settled then! Three days from now, I''ll have someone pick you up from school..." With that, Yan Ming didn''t give Ye Linglan a chance to refuse and directly hung up the phone... "Haha! With so many fans supporting me this time, I don''t believe I can''t win you over!" After hanging up, Yan Ming stared at his darkening phone screen and a flicker of light flashed in his eyes. He reached out to grasp the air as though he was capturing the woman he longed to conquer. "This is¡­" Seeing that he hadn''t given her the opportunity to decline, Ye Linglan could only force a bitter smile and shake her head. It seemed that whether she wanted to or not, she''d have to go. But now that she had to go on stage and perform¡­ and she hadn''t practiced singing for so long, what was she going to do? Only three days left¡­ it seemed a bit rushed... "Oh, right, Hao Jian!" Suddenly, Ye Linglan thought of Hao Jian and immediately called him. As long as this guy was around, nothing seemed difficult. With him present during the piano concert, she could perform with peace of mind, without worrying about unexpected situations. Any mishap could easily be handled by Hao Jian. With him by her side, she didn''t have to fear anything. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hello..." ..................... "Isn''t it boring just to watch the performance from the side without participating?" Three days later, Hao Jian followed Ye Linglan into a stadium in Hua City. The venue, which could seat 5,000 people, was originally for athletes sweating it out on the field but now resembled a concert arena. Just setting up the stage had taken two days. With Yan Ming''s rising fame in recent years, coupled with his impressive talent and the title of "Piano Prince," all the tickets for the concert were sold out within two or three hours. Ye Linglan was able to enter thanks to the tickets given to her by Yan Ming. As a performer herself, she didn''t need tickets, which also allowed Hao Jian to get in easily. "Let''s sit here!" In response to Hao Jian''s complaints, Ye Linglan laughed softly, took his hand, and led him to their seats. She didn''t tell him about her upcoming performance and instead mentioned that she had invited him to join her for the concert. The reason for her secrecy was to surprise Hao Jian¡ªto give him a delightful surprise. The song she was about to perform was one that Hao Jian had composed just for her... "Wow, it looks like you pulled some strings to get us seats in the front row!" Upon seeing their seats, Hao Jian smirked and teased Ye Linglan, saying, "Hey girl, don''t tell me the performer is a man this time?" "Yes, his name is Yan Ming. He''s an upperclassman of mine. The other day, he invited me to his concert to show support. But now I realize I underestimated his popularity¡ªfive thousand seats, all filled." Ye Linglan hadn''t paid much attention to Yan Ming''s stardom. She only knew him as a pianist and assumed that few people would attend his concert. But to her surprise, his popularity had sparked such fervor... At her words, Hao Jian raised an eyebrow, then smirked knowingly at Ye Linglan, saying, "If I''m not mistaken, this guy probably likes you. Looks like my Linglan is quite the popular beauty, huh¡ªeven someone like him is smitten with you." "Hmph, shut it, or I won''t let you on my bed anymore..." She wasn''t a naive girl anymore. Ye Heavenly Mansion had given her experiences beyond many people''s lifetimes. Now, with Yan Ming suddenly inviting her to his concert, combined with his previous efforts to pursue her¡ªeven a fool could see through his intentions. But considering Yan Ming''s reputation and with Hao Jian at her side, Ye Linglan wasn''t too worried. Yan Ming might be impressive, but could he possibly rival Hao Jian? Her man had even walked over Ye Heavenly Mansion. Yan Ming, a mere pianist¡­ he wouldn''t stand a chance¡ªnot even against someone casually sent out by Ye Heavenly Mansion, let alone Hao Jian. "No, no, no..." Upon hearing her remark, Hao Jian''s expression quickly changed to one of playful servility. He lightly tapped Ye Linglan''s shoulder and chuckled. "My beautiful goddess, I was wrong..." "Hmph!" Her playful remark didn''t bother Ye Linglan, and just as she was about to tease Hao Jian further, the venue suddenly burst into cheers. The deafening noise startled Ye Linglan. "He''s here..." Patting Ye Linglan''s hand gently, Hao Jian smiled while watching the stage. A tall man in a black tailcoat appeared, strolling onto the stage. The man''s handsome features were accentuated by the confident smile on his lips, driving many female fans into hysterical screams. If Hao Jian hadn''t known better, he might''ve thought he was at a soccer match rather than a piano concert. "These women are too wild..." Hao Jian shook his head ruefully, remarking on the obsession of diehard fans. "The performance is starting¡­ just listen closely," Ye Linglan said with a smile, brushing off Hao Jian''s complaints. She knew his disdain for Yan Ming, since Yan Ming was pretty much Hao Jian''s rival in love. Disliking him was only natural. However, Hao Jian''s confidence far outweighed his irritation, as he firmly believed Ye Linglan was his alone. Yan Ming, in his eyes, was nothing more than a passing figure. "Dong..." Yan Ming seated himself at the piano, letting his fingers glide over the keys. Instantly, the sound of the piano resonated through the room. The audience''s cheers died down as they delved into the world of Yan Ming''s music. The piece was a tale of love¡ªa man''s relentless pursuit of the woman he adored. Although the woman left him at first, the second crescendo illustrated the man''s eventual triumph in winning her heart. "Decent technique¡ªbetter than many overrated musicians in the country. But the composition itself is riddled with flaws, giving it an incomplete feel. That said, the average listener wouldn''t notice," Hao Jian commented on Yan Ming''s performance, his view steeped in the authority of a world-class musician. For one to receive such an assessment from someone of Hao Jian''s caliber was no small achievement for Yan Ming. Still, Hao Jian''s judgment was a private one, shared only with Ye Linglan. Hearing it, she simply smiled. She understood the extent of Hao Jian''s musical genius¡ªsuperior to countless masters around the globe. While Yan Ming appeared extraordinary to others, Hao Jian merely regarded him with lukewarm approval, a modest acknowledgment of Yan Ming''s talent. After listening to one or two more pieces, Hao Jian closed his eyes with a faint sigh, finding the repetitive melodies more of a burden than an enjoyment. "Piano Prince! Piano Prince!" Just as Hao Jian was about to doze off, the room erupted once more, pulling him reluctantly back to attention. A glance at the stage revealed Yan Ming stepping away from the piano and basking in the roars of the crowd. "Thank you, everyone, for attending my concert. I know you''ve been waiting for something special tonight, haven''t you?!" With a few chuckles, Yan Ming raised his hand, gesturing for the audience to quiet down. The crowd complied, anticipation lighting up their faces... "What''s going on?" The sudden change puzzled Hao Jian, prompting him to turn to Ye Linglan and ask. "You''ll find out soon enough..." Rather than explaining, Ye Linglan cheekily teased him with suspense... "Next, I''d like to invite tonight''s special guest. I think you all know who it is by now, don''t you?!" Yan Ming stoked the crowd''s excitement before extending his hand toward Ye Linglan''s direction and bowing slightly. He then exclaimed, "Let''s welcome the intelligent, beautiful Ye Linglan!" "Ye Linglan! Ye Linglan! Ye Linglan!" "Uh¡­" Hearing Yan Ming announce her name, Hao Jian chuckled bitterly. "Hehe, now you can sit back and enjoy the song you wrote for me!" Ye Linglan stuck out her tongue playfully before straightening her outfit. With elegance, she rose and walked toward the stage... "Now let''s invite the lovely Ye Linglan to perform her song for us!" "Let''s give her a big round of applause!" Chapter 966 - 965: I Dont Like You! "Since everyone is so enthusiastic, I''ll sing my favorite song, Sky City, for you all..." Ye Linglan smiled slightly, slowly securing the microphone onto the piano. It was clear she intended to sing while playing the piano... "Great!" The audience couldn''t help but cheer when they saw Ye Linglan preparing to perform a song. Not to mention Ye Linglan''s singing ability, her beauty alone was enough to captivate many of the men present. Some women even began to envy Ye Linglan. How could such an excellent woman stand by Yan Ming''s side?! Melodious music slowly filled the room, causing everyone to instinctively close their mouths. The elegant melody flowed out under Ye Linglan''s slender fingers, akin to the bright moonlight, filling everyone with a sense of tranquility and joy. As the prelude played, what followed was a voice akin to the sound of nature, gently resonating with each rise and fall of the piano keys, as if it spoke of the reluctant separation between lovers or their affectionate embrace. The music and the singing seemed tailor-made for Ye Linglan, and she did not disappoint Hao Jian''s expectations. She was completely immersed in the beautiful and moving music. Her captivating voice spread as her lips parted slightly, and unconsciously, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. Like the shyness of a young woman and the sweetness between lovers, these emotions were fully infused into the music, enveloping everyone present, even Yan Ming. From his seat, Hao Jian listened to her music, and a smile slowly curled on his lips, as if proud, as if sweet... Resonance! The resonance between music and people''s hearts was fully achieved with Ye Linglan''s song. In this incredibly beautiful and sweet music, couples embraced, and everyone was captivated... "My woman is still the best!" This song was originally composed by Hao Jian for Ye Linglan. However, reaching such a level requires countless days and nights of practice. After all, even if a song is made for you, without practice, it''s hard to resonate with it deeply. If you can''t resonate with the song, how can you resonate with the audience? This particular song hadn''t been sung by Ye Linglan before, but the performance she delivered now was enough to earn Hao Jian''s admiration and even pride. This was his woman, one who could independently lead in her own domain! Hao Jian had tried singing this song, but he couldn''t capture the same feeling Ye Linglan did. It''s not that Hao Jian was worse at singing than Ye Linglan, but the song wasn''t tailor-made for him, making it hard to immerse himself in its essence. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. There are many examples of singers being better at singing than the songwriters. After all, he''s not a woman, and with his lifestyle, it was difficult to emulate the youthful joy and excitement that a woman like Ye Linglan lives with. It''s impossible for Hao Jian to learn to embody that youthful exuberance, right? If he sang like that, it would probably disgust a large number of people! "This girl still claims she hasn''t been practicing. At this rate, with a bit more effort, she could very well become a top-tier singer..." Seeing Ye Linglan still immersed in her world on stage, Hao Jian also smiled slightly. It had been a long time since he''d seen Ye Linglan perform, and such a successful performance at that. "It looks like I''ll have to write a few more songs for her next, to help her stand out in this circle..." Stroking his chin, Hao Jian pondered, but was quickly drawn back to Ye Linglan''s beautiful singing voice, unwilling to look away. As time passed, the beautiful singing gradually came to an end. As the music faded, the audience remained still. If someone could survey the entire venue now, they might see that everyone''s eyes were closed, and even some had tear stains at the corners of their eyes. Clearly, no one present had yet emerged from the emotional resonance of Ye Linglan''s song, each person lost in the musical world, enjoying every moment. Ye Linglan observed this, and with a gentle smile, quietly looked at the audience on stage. No one could tell how much time passed, but the first applause suddenly erupted, awakening many of the audience members. Slowly, the applause spread, one person to ten, ten to a hundred... The applause grew louder and louder, ultimately crescendoing into thunderous applause... Sitting quietly, Hao Jian continued wearing a gentle smile as he listened to the applause and the fervent screams of admiration ringing out. These shouts only chanted three words, Ye Linglan''s name. The unceasing shouts and the persistent claps prompted Ye Linglan to elegantly rise, then calmly walk towards the center of the stage. As Ye Linglan proceeded closer, Yan Ming, who had been absorbed in her singing, finally came to his senses. Seeing Ye Linglan receiving all the attention, a fiery light flickered in his eyes. As the woman of Yan Ming, she had to be this exceptional! He stepped forward, slowly approaching Ye Linglan. His shoulder happened to brush against hers, giving outsiders the impression of an inseparable couple. "Everyone, did you enjoy the song Miss Ye Linglan gave us?!" Standing beside Ye Linglan, Yan Ming shouted to the audience, the curve of his lips revealing his inner pride. He believed that with this performance, his popularity would soar, bringing him closer to his goal of becoming a top-tier pianist! "We loved it!" There wasn''t a single person in the audience who didn''t love Ye Linglan''s song. It was a song that resonated with them deeply¡ªthey could hardly deny such a piece, nor did they have any reason to... "Would you like to always listen to Miss Ye Linglan''s voice?!" Yan Ming''s next words caught many by surprise, including Ye Linglan, who was watching Hao Jian on the stage below with a smile. Hearing Yan Ming''s words, the smile on her lips slightly faded, replaced with a hint of coldness in her eyes. This guy just couldn''t hold back, could he? "Together! Together! Together!" Many in the audience quickly grasped the deeper meaning behind Yan Ming''s words, cheering in response. As their calls echoed, more spectators joined in, and soon the voices on stage were like a thunderous storm. Seeing this, Yan Ming felt even more triumphant. This was the scene he had longed to create, and today it was finally happening. Of course, even if the audience couldn''t understand his intent, it didn''t matter, because he had planted several stooges among them. If the audience didn''t cheer, they would, and once they started, the audience would join in, achieving his desired effect. He planned to use the cheers of five thousand attendees to pressure Ye Linglan... "No... not..." Seeing this unfold, Ye Linglan panicked a little, wanting to explain. But before she could speak, Yan Ming suddenly clapped his hands... As he clapped, a staff member hurriedly brought a bouquet of ninety-nine red roses onto the stage, handing them to Yan Ming, along with a jewelry box... The audience realized Yan Ming''s intentions instantly, fueling the clamor! "Yan Ming, what are you doing?!" Seeing the situation unfold, Ye Linglan''s delicate face flustered as she asked. "Clap..." However, Yan Ming did not respond to Ye Linglan''s inquiry. Instead, he knelt on one knee before her, extending the bouquet towards her and letting the fiery passion in his eyes speak. "Linglan, you know my heart. My love for you has never changed from then until now, don''t you know?" "I wish to become an all-powerful little fairy so that I can enter your heart, to listen to your inner feelings. I could hear your heartbeat and your enchanting breath, experience your thoughts and wishes. In this way, you and I can connect deeply." "Could you give me a chance to love you properly? You rejected me so many times before, denied me so many times. This time, can you move a little closer, embrace me, lean on me, and let me love you deeply, let our hearts entwine tightly." "Give me a chance, and I will show you that you and I, at this moment, are the most beautiful sight in our lives. You won''t regret today''s choice!" As his words fell, the eagerly awaiting Yan Ming opened the jewelry box, revealing an exquisitely crafted diamond ring. Though the diamond wasn''t large, it was still worth tens of thousands, the most expensive such ring Yan Ming could afford... "Together! Together! Together!" Following Yan Ming''s confession, the audience responded, continuously shouting... "This..." Faced with such a scene, Ye Linglan felt awkward. The once-smiling expression on her face gradually receded, replaced by a soft, calm voice that echoed outward... "I''m sorry, I don''t like you..." Chapter 967 - 966: Compare with me... Ye Linglan''s face was slightly awkward. Under Yan Ming''s astonished gaze, she slowly shook her head and reached out to push away the bouquet and ring... "Shhh..." The audience, full of anticipation to see this golden couple come together, never expected this to turn into a tragedy of unrequited love. Instantly, the room was filled with murmurs and sighs. "Why! Give me a reason! I''ve chased you for so long¡ªdidn''t you ever feel anything for me?!" Yan Ming couldn''t accept such an outcome. He had been preparing for this recital for ages, and to put it another way, this entire event in Hua City was orchestrated to ensure Ye Linglan would attend. Otherwise, with his talent, hosting even a small recital in Capital City would have been more than feasible. Why waste time doing it in Hua City? Even a small recital in Capital City would have yielded far more impactful results, considering the city''s significance as a political hub¡ªwhere you could randomly run into someone with astonishing status just walking down the street, if only you knew how to spot them. In the audience, Hao Jian glanced briefly at Yan Ming''s darkened expression and secretly shook his head. If this man could act with more dignity, perhaps he wouldn''t be so thoroughly embarrassed, but under these circumstances, embarrassment was inevitable. "To become the man of Ye Linglan, it can''t be you, Yan Ming. It has to be someone who surpasses me!" With Hao Jian present, Ye Linglan certainly wasn''t going to spare Yan Ming any face. She wasn''t a naive woman. She understood Yan Ming''s feelings well, but she understood even better his deeper, hidden nature. A heart as dark as pitch, filled with chilling malice¡ªsuch a person, not only did Hao Jian despise him, but she also felt the same. Her attendance at this recital was merely to show some courtesy, with Hao Jian accompanying her. Furthermore, Yan Ming hadn''t given her a chance to refuse by abruptly hanging up the phone, otherwise, she wouldn''t have bothered coming. "You... you! Ye Linglan! I, Yan Ming, am absolutely worthy of you!" Yan Ming''s face grew increasingly unpleasant. For the first time, he was publicly rejected and belittled by a woman. If he couldn''t turn the situation around, then the title of Piano Prince would mean little to him. After all, fans dislike stars who are humiliated by women, preferring idols who can handle everything with ease, godlike in their demeanor. "Even if you were worthy of me, you''d have no chance because I, Ye Linglan, am already spoken for!" Ye Linglan had no intentions of continuing this pointless conversation with him. With Hao Jian standing right next to her, even if Yan Ming wanted to push forward aggressively, there was nothing he could do. "What?! You have a boyfriend?!" Upon hearing these words, Yan Ming''s expression drastically darkened, and his eyes flashed with a jealous fury. Yet, constrained by his public figure status, he couldn''t fully unleash his emotions, though his facial expressions betrayed the turmoil within him. She was taken! The woman he had painstakingly pursued for so long chose today, such an important occasion, to tell him she already had a boyfriend?! "And he''s right here, watching you confess to me..." Before Yan Ming could recover, Ye Linglan threw yet another heavy bombshell at him. Her words caused a flicker of light in Yan Ming''s eyes. Soon after, he scoffed coldly toward the audience, grabbed the microphone, and said, "I''d like Linglan''s boyfriend to come forward! I, Yan Ming, want to see who dares to compete with me for her!" "Ridiculous..." In the audience, Hao Jian glanced disdainfully at Yan Ming and smirked. He had long expected something like this might happen, but he still felt it was a waste of time dealing with someone like Yan Ming. Yan Ming might carry some weight as the "Piano Prince" in others'' eyes, but to Hao Jian, he was merely an ordinary man¡ªone even more pathetic than most. As long as Yan Ming remained in this industry, his secrets would never be safe. Furthermore, laws governing public figures were vague at best, leaving them exposed. Ordinary people, at least, had the law to protect their privacy to the greatest extent possible. Public figures, on the other hand, while nominally enjoying the same rights under the law, had no privacy protection. The world was fair in that sense¡ªyou gain something, but you must also lose something. Take Hao Jian as an example: had he not come to the academy, he likely would never have met Ye Linglan or ended up with her. But to gain her love, there were also sacrifices he had to make. "Step up! Step up!" Before the outcome was finalized, Yan Ming''s fans naturally rallied to protect their idol. None of them knew who Hao Jian was or where he was among the crowd. Faced with choosing between their favorite celebrity versus an unknown stranger, the decision was obvious. As the cheers in the venue grew louder and more passionate, Yan Ming''s expression regained a hint of composure. Feeling reinvigorated, he swept his gaze across the room confidently and shouted, "Still not coming forward? Your woman is waiting for you on the stage¡ªare you too scared to appear?!" The crowd joined in, echoing Yan Ming''s mockery with chants that insinuated Hao Jian''s cowardice. This caused Hao Jian''s expression to shift slightly. "Ha! Linglan, it seems your man lacks the courage..." "Haha, sir, I suggest you watch your words. Otherwise, you might find life outside this venue a bit difficult moving forward..." Now that Yan Ming had shifted his offensive toward Ye Linglan, Hao Jian could no longer sit idle. With an icy smirk, he rose from his seat and strode to the stage. Facing Yan Ming, he sneered and said, "I don''t care who you think you are¡ªa star or a fool. If you continue to bother Lanlan, you might find yourself unable to work in this industry ever again." And at this moment, Hao Jian certainly had the authority and power to say such words. Not for any other reason, but simply because he was Hao Jian! "Hmph! You''re being ridiculously arrogant!" Yan Ming wasn''t the kind of person easily intimidated by a single remark from Hao Jian. Besides, he had no idea who Hao Jian was and merely assumed he was someone with minor means to capture Ye Linglan''s heart. Nobody would believe her man lacked connections. Ye Linglan had been notoriously assertive during her school days, her fierceness rivaling that of men. When people at school mentioned Ye Linglan, they thought of her ruthless dominance rather than her current delicate demeanor. "I had thought Linglan''s boyfriend would be someone remarkable. But now that I see, you''re so shockingly ordinary¡ªeven the audience considers you beneath them!" Now that Hao Jian had stepped forward, Yan Ming wasn''t about to let him get off lightly. Even if he couldn''t win Ye Linglan over today, he was determined to humiliate Hao Jian. If he could tear down Hao Jian''s dignity, Ye Linglan might deem him unworthy as well, opening up new opportunities for himself! He simply refused to believe that, with his skills as the Piano Prince, he wouldn''t be able to capture Ye Linglan! "Those clothes you''re wearing¡ªthey''re utterly tasteless. If I had to describe you, I''d simply say you''re unworthy of Linglan! I suggest you leave her now; otherwise, don''t blame me for being merciless!" "Here, there are 5,000 fans backing me. Do you think you can go against 5,000 people?!" "Piano Prince! Piano Prince!" As Yan Ming''s words echoed through the venue, his fans followed suit, chanting loudly. Microphones picked up the noise from various corners of the hall, amplifying the sound. Soon, the entire event space became deafening. "Get off the stage! You dare compete with our Piano Prince for a woman?!" "Haha! Our Piano Prince would never lose to someone like you over a woman! Just look at yourself¡ªthose clothes you''re wearing, were they salvaged from a trash heap?!" "Buddy, do yourself a favor and leave the stage now! Standing here disgraces the platform. The only one fit to stand here is the Piano Prince!" "Heh, more delusional fans, I see..." Seeing the situation unfold, Hao Jian sneered, a trace of mockery in his eyes as he regarded the outraged crowd. Shaking his head slightly, he thought, chasing celebrity idols isn''t dangerous¡ªthe danger lies in blind devotion that turns flaws into virtues. "Since you''re called the Piano Prince, I assume you''re quite skilled at playing the piano?" Hao Jian''s lips curled into a subtle smile. To truly strike someone down, you must target what they''re most proud of. And since Yan Ming excelled on the piano, Hao Jian would crush him precisely in that realm! "Of course!" Hearing Hao Jian mention his piano skills, Yan Ming proudly lifted his chin, his gaze tinged with condescension, sneering, "I''m one of the top ten most promising young pianists in all of Huaxia today!" "Then, let''s have a competition on the piano. Show me if your status as one of Huaxia''s top ten is truly deserved..." The higher the pedestal on which his opponent stood, the more satisfying it would be for Hao Jian to knock him off. Though this pretentious fool wasn''t standing on too lofty a perch, it was certainly high enough... Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 968 - 967: A Gift for You! "Overestimating yourself!" Hearing that Hao Jian wanted to compete with him on the piano, a mocking smile appeared on Yan Ming''s face. His eyes swept over Hao Jian as he sneered, "With someone like you, do you even know what a piano is?!" "You don''t need to know if I can play or not. You just need to answer whether you accept or decline!" With a slight shrug, Hao Jian wasn''t one to argue over details. As long as he displayed his abilities, they would naturally understand his skill level. Given that, why waste energy on arguments? Action is the only way to prove your worth. Empty words are of no use, proving only that you''re a better talker. "We''ll have a single match. If I lose, I promise not to interfere in Lanlan''s life anymore. In other words, whoever wins gets to be with Lanlan!" With Hao Jian''s declaration, Yan Ming''s face stiffened abruptly. This bombshell from Hao Jian hit him hard. Faced with such an opportunity, how could he let it slip away and regret it later? As the person involved, Ye Linglan was somewhat surprised by Hao Jian''s statement but quickly understood. Clearly, Hao Jian intended to resolve the nuisance of Yan Ming in one decisive move. If Yan Ming lost this competition, he likely wouldn''t dare show up in front of her again. This was good news not only for her but for Hao Jian as well. "But if someone loses, that person must never approach Lanlan again or disrupt her life..." "Haha! Kid, you''re doomed to lose!" Yan Ming laughed smugly. This guy was foolish enough to challenge him in his strongest field. It had been a while since he''d encountered such idiocy. Knowing full well it was his opponent''s strength, Hao Jian still chose to clash his weakness against it. Of course, this "weakness" was only Yan Ming''s assumption. After all, he had no idea about Hao Jian''s piano skills or his standing in the music industry. "I was once the champion of the Hua City Piano Competition, and in the national novice piano competition, I ranked in the top ten!" "In addition, I received the Best Pianist award in the Capital City''s piano competition!" "Just from these accolades, you can clearly see the gap between us! Get ready to hand Lanlan over to me!" Yan Ming was full of self-satisfaction. His gaze toward Hao Jian carried nothing but indifference. In his eyes, even if Hao Jian knew how to play, his skill level couldn''t possibly match his own! Hearing this, the corner of Hao Jian''s mouth lifted slightly into a subtle arc. Scoffing, he shook his head and retorted in a mocking tone, "I really wonder if something''s wrong with your head. You''re actually proud of these petty accolades in front of me?" "These so-called honors are dime a dozen across the Land of Huaxia. I truly don''t understand why you treat them like major achievements." "Remember, there''s a saying: a person''s accomplishments depend on their vision. As for your vision, I can clearly see today just how ''extraordinary'' it is!" "You!" The disdain and mockery in Hao Jian''s words were evident to everyone. Yan Ming''s face darkened, and he wanted to shout angrily at Hao Jian, but the presence of five thousand spectators held him back. If he lost his temper now, it would tarnish his image. In the end, even if he won, losing the support of the audience would make it meaningless. Preserving his status was the precondition for this match with Hao Jian! "Haha, I can''t be bothered to argue meaningless nonsense with you!" Noticing Yan Ming still attempting to engage in verbal combat, Hao Jian shook his head, shrugged, and chuckled lightly. "You''ve already played several pieces earlier. I''m sure the audience is familiar with your skills. Now, I''ll play." "If, after I finish, the audience still supports you, then you win. Otherwise, you lose..." "Do you have any objections?" "Let''s do as you say!" Objections? How could Yan Ming have any? This fool was practically handing Ye Linglan over to him. Among the five thousand spectators present, the majority were his fans, not to mention the plant audience members he had arranged earlier. When the time came for them to cheer, the rest would follow suit... Let''s see how you manage to win then! A smug expression spread across Yan Ming''s face, his lips curling as if he''d thought of something particularly delightful. "This piece is something I composed especially for you. You''ve never heard it before, so listen carefully. If you can grasp even thirty percent of it, I''ll teach it to you." Disregarding Yan Ming, Hao Jian walked over to Ye Linglan, gently ruffling her hair. His soft and soothing voice made her eyes glimmer. She nodded sweetly, signaling her agreement. That bastard! Seeing Hao Jian publicly flaunting his affection right in front of him enraged Yan Ming. His gaze toward Hao Jian grew colder by the second. He had already resolved that once Hao Jian lost Ye Linglan, he would thoroughly mock him in front of her! "Haha!" Seeing Ye Linglan nod, Hao Jian burst into a hearty laugh before turning and leisurely walking toward the piano. The piece he was about to perform had been long-composed. In terms of difficulty, it ranked among the top ten most challenging pieces in the current piano world. This was why Hao Jian stated earlier that Ye Linglan would need to grasp thirty percent of the piece before he could teach it to her. It wasn''t because he was unwilling to teach, but because failing to understand enough of it would render learning futile. In such a case, it would be better to focus on other pieces instead of wasting time on this one. Reaching the piano, Hao Jian slowly sat down. His hand lightly brushed over the keys, the elegance in his movements perfectly complementing the intense focus on his face. The moment he touched the piano, his expression underwent a profound transformation. This change gradually silenced the previously noisy audience, and soon the entire venue was quiet. It was as if Hao Jian possessed some sort of magic power. In his moments of concentration, he unknowingly exerted an influence over his surroundings... Ye Linglan had already returned to her seat in the audience, staring admiringly at Hao Jian. This man was hers... In that instant, Ye Linglan''s mind was void of all other thoughts. Gazing at Hao Jian, her eyes radiated a love so deep, it was accompanied by an enchanting, sweet smile. Hao Jian''s hands rested gracefully on the piano keys before flowing across them like water, touching each and every note all the way to the ends, where they paused. That slow, gentle motion resonated in the form of a tender and beautiful sound. At that moment, it felt as though the melody delved into everyone''s heart, calming and soothing it like an unbroken expanse of peace... "This piece is called ''City of Love.'' I dedicate it here and now to my woman¡ªthe beautiful Miss Ye Linglan..." On stage, Hao Jian smiled softly as his gentle laughter reverberated throughout the venue... As his words faded, his hands began to move across the keys. The soft, sweet sounds of the piano filled the space. The prelude carried a tranquility, as if narrating the story of how a couple came together. The moment the melody touched the audience''s ears, it was followed by a spontaneous round of applause. This piece had captivated their hearing the moment it started. How could such a masterpiece not deserve applause?! S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The venue sank into utter silence, with only the enchanting music weaving through the atmosphere. Everyone was engrossed in the world the melody created, unwilling to leave even for a moment. As the audience journeyed through the song''s imagery toward a distant, unattainable dreamscape, Hao Jian''s hands suddenly shifted. His fingers glided across the keys to unleash a fresh, distinct melody. The new tune, radiant as dawn''s first light, shattered the hearts of those lost in their own worlds. This passage was pure, as if depicting the world''s most exquisite love. Some in the crowd heard the bittersweet entanglements of lovers; others imagined the tender conversations of young couples; still others envisioned solemn wedding vows. The composition was so exquisite that everyone present was spellbound. Even Yan Ming couldn''t help but be drawn into the world Hao Jian''s music had constructed. "Drip, drop..." Tears welled up in the audience''s eyes. They blessed the lovers within the piece and marveled at the love it embodied... As the song''s volume diminished, like a flickering candle in the wind, many in the crowd sighed at the prospect of its imminent conclusion, their faces filled with regret. But just when they thought it was over, a third movement began abruptly, taking everyone''s breath away. Every note of this music was perfect, and the chance to hear such a melody was a blessing beyond words. The composition painted scenes beyond what any of them could ever imagine. In that moment, it felt as though they had experienced a lifetime, leaving them fulfilled. Yet all good things must end. The piano''s sound gradually faded to silence, but the audience remained unwilling to let go. Even as they longed to hear more, they realized Hao Jian was already rising from his seat... Chapter 969 - 968: A Kiss! "Wow!" "Clap... clap... clap..." As Hao Jian stood up, the room suddenly erupted with thunderous applause, so intense that many people whistled and shouted. The enthusiasm from the audience was even more intense and lasting compared to when Star Yan had performed earlier. If it weren''t for Hao Jian motioning with his hand after a few minutes, the audience might have continued cheering and clapping endlessly... "Do you like it?" At this moment, Hao Jian approached Ye Linglan, with deep affection in his eyes, smiling, he said, "This piece was composed just for you, though I never had the chance to play it for you until now. But looking at it today, it seems like the perfect moment..." "I love it..." As Hao Jian walked over, Ye Linglan had slowly stood up. Her eyes were filled with such infatuation, and her smile was so enchanting that it left many people in a daze. At the same time, the audience erupted once again into deafening cheers, eventually turning into a wave of sound rolling away... "Kiss her, give one! Kiss her, give one! Kiss her, give one..." Seeing the sudden explosion of enthusiasm in the room, Hao Jian chuckled softly and didn''t disappoint everyone''s expectations. He gently wrapped Ye Linglan''s slender waist, and as the waves of sound surged, he slowly bent his head down and kissed Ye Linglan. "Good! Good!" "Good!" "..." Hao Jian''s kiss response made the applause and cheers from the audience even more intense. Some people even wanted Hao Jian to do it again. However, Hao Jian just smiled and did not act further. He''s not a monkey, and kissing once was the best response he could give them. Besides, couldn''t they see Ye Linglan''s face turning as red as an apple? If this teasing continued, Ye Linglan might faint from embarrassment. "That bastard! How dare he do such a sneaky thing right in front of me!" At this moment, Yan Ming, who had been lost in Hao Jian''s music, snapped back to reality. His eyes, slowly clearing from a dazed state, caught Hao Jian kissing Ye Linglan at the audience''s request. Instantly, his heart roared with anger... Ye Linglan is his woman! No one but him can touch her. Even if he lost this time, he can still renege on the deal because most of the audience here are his fans, his people. No one would interfere if he did something to Hao Jian, as this was his territory! Even though he was angry at how these spectators were bewitched by a single piece of music from Hao Jian, the urgent matter was to deal with Hao Jian first. If he couldn''t handle Hao Jian, he could only watch as Hao Jian and Ye Linglan embraced intimately, without being able to do anything. "All of you, be quiet!" Feeling anxious, Yan Ming shouted angrily at the audience, "You''re all my fans! How can you let this guy treat my woman like this?!" "Do you not want to be my fans anymore?! Do you not want to hear my songs, which are way better than this guy''s garbage tunes?!" "Now, shut your mouths immediately. I am the only star you should idolize! And you have the nerve to worship this guy?!" "This guy played a very ordinary piece, and you responded like this. Are you being fair to me?!" To Yan Ming, if they are his fans, they should listen to him and only adore him. Even if he berates the audience harshly, they should just accept it with silly smiles. As he finished speaking, he stood on stage with a smug expression, waiting in silence for the audience to repent aloud. At the same time, he thought that as long as someone immediately said something to agree with him, he would not pursue the matter further... "Idiot!" Hao Jian also heard what Yan Ming said and, with a look of disdain, shook his head. Someone as self-centered as that would soon learn what suffering truly meant. These spectators are living, breathing people and are just as intelligent as Yan Ming. Moreover, in this society, everyone is supposed to be equal. From another perspective, Yan Ming isn''t some high-and-mighty celebrity, and these spectators aren''t people of low status. So when the audience heard Yan Ming''s words, treating them like small animals, their expressions all turned sour simultaneously. This star they adored had already made many mistakes today. Competing with Hao Jian for attention was just for show in front of a beauty. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Some of them had experienced rivalries themselves and understood the situation, so they hadn''t said anything. However, Yan Ming''s subsequent behavior had grown increasingly poor, to the point where the audience didn''t even want to speak. But now, remaining silent was no longer an option, especially after being insulted. They had to react; otherwise, they would be proving themselves to indeed be fools... "What did you say, you brat?!" Upon hearing Yan Ming''s words, the spectators became irritable, and they spoke up, condemning him with all sorts of remarks! "What did I say?! You dare to ask what I said?!" Yan Ming, consumed by rage, smiled sarcastically. These spectators were truly amusing! They dared to question him like this! Weren''t they supposed to be on his side? If they weren''t going to speak up for him, they certainly shouldn''t oppose him?! Since his debut, no one had ever dared to defy him in this circle! "Damn it! A guy who doesn''t even qualify as a musician dares to talk to us like this!? Do you really think that just because you''re a star, we all have to follow you unconditionally?! Damn, I''m not your clueless fan!" Yan Ming''s words incited overwhelming anger among the spectators, some even throwing their water bottles toward the stage in fury. However, their throws might have lacked strength, as the bottles only landed shortly before the stage. Looking at the offensive bottle, Yan Ming''s expression turned icy. He vowed never to allow these people into his concerts ever again! "Get out, all of you! In the future, none of you will be welcome at my concerts." "Who cares about your concerts?!" "But before we leave, let''s make sure we get back at you!" With that, more than a dozen spectators stood up from their seats and started rushing toward the stage, clenching their fists and eager to strike. "What do you think you''re doing?!" Seeing these burly men rushing over, the arrogant Yan Ming was startled into a shout, calling out to the nearby security guards, "Security! Security!" But the security guards paid no attention to Yan Ming''s calls; instead, they stood around casually chatting, as if they hadn''t heard him at all. In this situation, Yan Ming had angered the audience present, and some people were rushing down to beat him. For the guards to intervene would be to court disaster!? After all, if Yan Ming got beaten, they could shift the responsibility to the audience. Even if the police showed up, they would have to diplomatically handle the situation given the hostility of five thousand people against Yan Ming, not to mention guards without firearms. "What do you think you''re doing?!" Thus, the dozen or so burly spectators reached Yan Ming without any obstruction, sneering at him menacingly, "What do you think?!" "We pay attention to you, considering it a favor! You don''t even understand the basic rules of this circle; you truly are a newbie! And claiming to be one of the top ten newcomers? Haha! That''s laughable!" "Maybe your career ends here. Now I''m going to beat you up; otherwise, I won''t be satisfied!" "My girlfriend said I should hit you, so I must hit you..." "You... you all..." A moment later, all Yan Ming could see were the fists of over a dozen men raining down on his face, and then everything went dark... "Ah!" A scream tore from Yan Ming''s throat as blows rained down on his head, face, arms, and legs. Every part of his body was pummeled by those men''s punches and kicks, repeating the process over and over again. In the end, the previous anger in Yan Ming''s expression was replaced entirely by sheer terror. These guys are crazy! All of them are crazy! "Alright, everyone, if you keep beating him like this, you might end up killing him. After all, our dear Star Yan is still a star..." Seeing the pitiful state Yan Ming was in, Hao Jian''s lips curled into a faint smile. It seemed he didn''t even need to lift a finger to make Yan Ming look foolish... Amid the attack by the burly men, no one came to Yan Ming''s aid. He looked several times toward the audience, hoping to find the people he had secretly planted there, the ones he arranged to support him. But who knew that those people had quietly slipped away from their seats, gone to who knows where, when he needed them? There were five thousand people here, and those he planted numbered around a hundred. They had been paid by Yan Ming just to stir up the crowd, not to get into fights. Even if there was fighting, they wouldn''t dare join in¡ªthere were five thousand people here! Just a few hundred could wipe the floor with them... Chapter 970 - 969: Dont Think Youve Won... "Sir, we''ll give you face today and not hold this guy accountable. But could you please play that previous piece again? Such an incredibly beautiful song¡ªus simple folks can''t be satisfied hearing it just once..." Hearing Hao Jian''s words, the group of burly men stopped what they were doing. Among them were fitness enthusiasts, gym instructors, and a few trained in martial arts. Otherwise, they wouldn''t be so well-built... But once they stopped moving, a big muscular man seized the opportunity to ask Hao Jian eagerly, his face full of anticipation. It was evident how much he hoped Hao Jian would agree to his request. It wasn''t just him, either. All his companions around him wore the same expression of hope. And in the audience seating, countless spectators shared the same sentiment¡ªthey, too, wished Hao Jian would play it once more... This kind of music¡ªso wondrous, so heavenly¡ªwas something they were hearing for the very first time in their lives. It transported each of them into a dreamscape of resonance. If they could hear it again, they''d die with no regrets! "Haha, everyone, this piece was originally composed for my woman. So I''ll only perform it this once¡ªafter all, I''m not a professional in this field..." Faced with their request, Hao Jian could only refuse. Not just because the piece he composed for Ye Linglan was only meant to be played once in front of others, but also because he wasn''t in the mood to perform it today. That was the primary reason. If he were in the mood, and if Ye Linglan nodded, he''d eagerly play it again. Alas, Ye Linglan could tell Hao Jian wasn''t quite in the mood today, so she didn''t push it. Instead, she just held onto his arm, her face adorned with a sweet smile, resting her cheek against his shoulder in quiet support. "Alright then..." Hearing Hao Jian''s response, disappointment and regret washed over everyone''s faces. However, upon a moment''s reflection, they understood. Music this extraordinary¡ªsomething so otherworldly¡ªif played too often, wouldn''t it end up as commonplace as a street kiosk? S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "But while I''m not in this line of work, my woman is. If you want to hear it in the future, you can follow Lanlan. After all, I''ll be teaching her this piece¡ªnot just this one, but many more in the future..." Disappointment often gives way to hope. Now, Hao Jian''s words were like a lifeline to the five thousand audience members present, worth more than life itself! After a brief moment of stunned silence, the crowd erupted into cheers of excitement. Thunderous applause filled the venue as shouts echoed endlessly. The intensity of this moment surpassed anything from earlier in the performance¡ªsomething Hao Jian had just dropped was a true bombshell! The sheer beauty and magic of Hao Jian''s music were beyond words. And now, the thought that there would be many more pieces like this in the future left them beyond thrilled. "Thank you, Sir!" The group of over ten burly men, upon hearing Hao Jian''s words, became visibly emotional. They promptly bowed their heads and bent their waists in gratitude, showing utmost respect to Hao Jian. "Haha, alright, thank Lanlan instead. After all, I''m not the one performing..." Seeing this, Hao Jian shook his head and waved his hand, gently patting the shoulder of the man in front, helping him back upright. Then he joked with a chuckle, "If you''re going to bow, it''s not to me, alright?" After saying this, Hao Jian turned his head, his gaze softening with deep affection. He chuckled softly and said, "Don''t you think I''ve hogged the spotlight a bit too much today?" "More than just a bit! Can''t you see how these people are staring at me? And yet, you''re shameless enough to leave this whole burden on my shoulders. Those songs of yours¡ªeven just learning one is hard enough, and now you''re saying there''ll be more..." Ye Linglan pouted. Though her words carried complaints, there wasn''t a trace of resentment¡ªonly an overwhelming sweetness. Since Hao Jian had promised to give her his music, she knew she had to work hard to bring out her full potential. After all, Hao Jian''s compositions were beyond the reach of ordinary people. Every piece he wrote was challenging enough to earn a place on the world''s most difficult music rankings... But she did have one secret weapon, and that was Hao Jian himself. With the composer at her side, as long as she studied seriously, she was confident she could eventually master them. "Hehe, don''t worry. I''m here!" Hao Jian fully grasped the meaning behind Ye Linglan''s words. He laughed, his tone light as he continued, "But let''s hold off on going back for now. Since I''ve already stolen the spotlight today, a little more won''t hurt. This way, I can help you rid yourself of that annoyance Yan Ming..." In Hao Jian''s mind, if Yan Ming embarrassed himself enough today, he wouldn''t dare pester Ye Linglan any longer. After all, who would shamelessly stand before the person they like after losing so much face? "I think you''re just using me as an excuse to deal with him for yourself." Hearing this, Ye Linglan couldn''t help but shoot Hao Jian a playful glare. This guy always enjoyed making remarks like that... "Heh, don''t expose me, or I''ll be embarrassed..." "Go on, hurry up..." Ye Linglan playfully huffed. "Ladies and gentlemen!" With a bold step forward, Hao Jian strode to the front of the stage, lifted the microphone, and spoke in a calm and commanding tone. Instantly, all eyes in the room turned toward him. After casting a glance at Yan Ming, who was panting on the floor, Hao Jian''s lips curled into a small smile. Then, addressing the audience, he raised his voice, "I just have one question for everyone. Do you all still support Yan Ming?!" A celebrity can only maintain their position in the industry with the wholehearted support of a strong fan base. Without it, they''re like a rootless weed adrift in the wind, destined to fade out and leave silently... In this moment, Hao Jian aimed to scatter all those who supported Yan Ming, effectively destroying his career. If Yan Ming wanted to survive, he''d have to rely solely on his skills to earn a living¡ªand leave this industry. "..." As Hao Jian''s question echoed, the room fell into complete and utter silence. Not a single person made a sound¡ªthey simply stared at Hao Jian on stage. Yet their eyes betrayed their true feelings: they no longer supported Yan Ming! "Done!" Seeing the audience''s silence, Hao Jian nodded slightly, turned to glance at Ye Linglan, and smiled faintly. He could see the answer he desired in their eyes. At this moment, the aura Hao Jian exuded deeply captivated Ye Linglan. Her delicate face was overtaken by admiration, and she tightened her grasp on his arm. Her actions made Hao Jian slightly distracted. He playfully tapped Ye Linglan, causing her to pout and let out a soft hum of protest. "But I almost forgot¡ªthere''s still one star of the show left today..." Suddenly, Hao Jian smacked his own forehead as if remembering something important. With that, he stepped forward, heading toward Yan Ming, who had just managed to stand, attempting to sneak out amidst the shift in attention. Seeing Hao Jian approach, Yan Ming''s face stiffened nervously... "Oh, Star Yan, why are you only now thinking of leaving?" Hao Jian looked at the awkward Yan Ming with a mocking expression, but beneath the discomfort on Yan Ming''s face burned a flicker of intense rage. If not for Hao Jian''s appearance, he wouldn''t have ended up like this today. He''d still be the Piano Prince, still the man who made women across the country scream in adoration! Now, he was nothing but a shadow of his former self... a humiliation. "Hao Jian, don''t you think for a second you''ve won!" If he couldn''t leave with dignity, Yan Ming at least had to save face with some parting words... "Heh, you''re truly delusional. Knowing you''re no match for me, you still insisted on going head-to-head. Your greatest pride was your piano, yet I defeated you at what you valued most. Not only that, but I crushed you so thoroughly that you''ll never recover. And yet you still spew such shameless words..." Hao Jian scoffed, shaking his head slightly. Then, his expression turned cold, his voice dropping into a menacing tone as he continued, "Someone like you dares to pursue my Lanlan?" "Better not show up in front of us again, or things won''t end like today¡ªwith others hitting you. It''ll be far worse!" "My woman is beyond the reach of someone like you!" "You... you..." Hao Jian''s harsh words left no room for mercy. Yan Ming, his complexion darkened, found himself silenced by the mocking turn of events. Words he had once directed at Hao Jian now came back to haunt him. The irony of such a reversal was too much for Yan Ming to bear. "What? Still not convinced? Want to go another round?" Hao Jian caught the glimmer of fury in Yan Ming''s eyes and let out a cold snort. "You just wait!" Finally abandoning the last shreds of his dignity, Yan Ming turned and bolted toward the exit. He wanted nothing more than to escape from this scene, from Hao Jian''s relentless words and his inability to fight back. This humiliation¡ªit was worse than death. "Tsk..." Watching Yan Ming flee in disgrace, the audience couldn''t help but shake their heads. The hall erupted in unanimous booing... Chapter 971 - 970 "The ''Piano Prince'' competes in piano skills with his rival, suffers a humiliating defeat, and flees the scene!" Early the next morning, this headline dominated the front pages of major online news outlets, entertainment platforms, and forums everywhere! "Brother Ming! Brother Ming! Something terrible happened!" Inside a hotel in Hua City, at Yan Ming''s temporary residence, a man in pajamas suddenly burst out of one of the rooms in the presidential suite, then dashed as if possessed toward Yan Ming, who was sitting on the couch reading sheet music. "Along, what''s the matter? As my manager, you need to maintain your composure at all times. Don''t lose your cool over every little thing..." This person was Yan Ming''s manager, the one who had slowly nurtured Yan Ming from an unknown nobody to his current level of fame. However, as Yan Ming''s status rose, he increasingly looked down on this manager. After all, the celebrities Yan Ming knew mostly had beautiful female managers, while he was stuck with a man over forty years old... "You... you''ve made the headlines!" "What did you say?!" Yan Ming''s first reaction to the news was excitement¡ªhe was about to become famous! But within the next second, his expression suddenly grew grim, his eyes filled with contemplation. Then, a flash of rage erupted in his gaze. Recently, he hadn''t done anything noteworthy that would land him in the headlines. The only possibility was the incident yesterday with that guy! Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "See for yourself..." Realizing Yan Ming''s reaction, Along quickly handed him the tablet in his hand. Displayed on the device were the headlines from several websites, all covering Yan Ming''s debacle with Hao Jian the day before! Seeing the title of the headline, Yan Ming''s face instantly darkened. The hand clutching the tablet tightened visibly. Nonetheless, he managed to hold back for the moment. He clicked on one of the pinned websites, opened the headline about himself, and slowly scrolled down to the comments section. As he read one comment after another, Yan Ming eventually couldn''t hold back any longer... "Yan Ming? Who''s that? Is he even a figure in the piano world? Never heard of him. And yet, the editor has the nerve to feature this kind of low-tier nobody?" "Tsk tsk, one of the so-called top ten piano newcomers, but he lost a piano battle to his romantic rival¡ªand even lost the girl. Looks like this guy completely embarrassed himself this time!" "Top ten newcomer? More like an idiot. He had the nerve to curse at the audience who were cheering for him. He deserved to get hit for saying those things!" "Honestly, this rookie has hit his limit. Even his supporters have abandoned him. I have no idea how his brain works¡ªdid he lose it when he was born?" "..." "Damn it! How dare these people say such things about me?!" When Yan Ming finally reached the bottom of the comments, the fury in his eyes ignited into full-blown flames. With a vicious swing of his arm, the tablet in his grip was hurled out the window to the ground below, where it shattered into countless pieces with a heavy clatter. Fortunately, it was still early morning, and the plaza beneath the hotel was empty. Otherwise, not only would Yan Ming be making headlines today, but his reputation would likely worsen further in the coming days. After all, no one appreciates this level of uncivilized behavior... "It''s all that bitch Ye Linglan''s fault! If she hadn''t rejected me, none of this would have happened! And that guy, that bastard, I swear I''ll find a way to destroy him!" Yan Ming''s face twisted with fury as he directed his hatred toward Ye Linglan and Hao Jian. He had once been a "Piano Prince" with a promising future. But yesterday, all of his honors had turned to ash and disappeared, leaving an irretrievable void. Sitting silently on the couch watching it all unfold, Along shook his head internally. If only Yan Ming could change his attitude and start over, perhaps there would still be hope. But seeing him like this, it was clear that comeback was unlikely... Yan Ming was not a patient man. If not for his talent and Along''s resourcefulness, Yan Ming would never have climbed to where he was now. But now, he had fallen from that height with a resounding crash. If it had simply been a case of losing to someone else, it wouldn''t have been such a big deal. The problem was that Yan Ming had dared to make those outrageously arrogant remarks to his own supporters! Without his piano skills, Yan Ming was just an ordinary person. Yet he had the audacity to speak to his supporters so condescendingly and even demand things from them. Even Along couldn''t figure out when Yan Ming had developed such an insufferable personality... As for why Yan Ming had come to Hua City to perform, Along knew full well¡ªit was all for Ye Linglan. And now, not only had he failed to win the woman he desired, but he had also suffered a crushing defeat in front of his rival. To top it off, he had made a complete fool of himself in the process. It was the classic case of losing both the battle and the war. Instead of using this plan to win over Ye Linglan, he had ruined his reputation. Restoring his image would likely take three to four years at minimum. But no one in this industry is willing to waste resources on someone who can''t generate profit for three or four years. Especially not when that person is as cold and jagged as a rock. In other words, Yan Ming was now a hard, unwanted stone. "No, I can''t let those two wretches enjoy their happy lives. I have to teach them a lesson!" A crazed look gradually spread across Yan Ming''s face as he muttered lowly, "Ye Linglan, since you don''t want to be with me, I''ll make sure the rest of your life is steeped in misery..." "And that man, Hao Jian, right? I''ll make sure someone takes care of you too. No one dares to cross me, Yan Ming, and gets away with it. I refuse to believe you''re good at anything besides playing the piano. Can you even fight?!" Yan Ming''s muttering was quiet, so quiet that even Along didn''t catch it. However, Along did notice the changes in Yan Ming''s expression and sighed internally¡ªthis guy was beyond saving... "Along, I''m heading out. I won''t be back tonight..." Acting on his thoughts immediately, Yan Ming did not hesitate at all. He grabbed his suit jacket and wallet, threw out those words, and left the presidential suite in no time. "This won''t take long..." Meanwhile, Ye Linglan, who had risen early to help her younger brother with his rehabilitation, smiled as she watched his body improving day by day. She felt an overwhelming sense of joy. After all, his hand had been broken, but they had managed to piece it back together¡ªthanks to Hao Jian''s help. Thinking about how her brother would soon be able to do what he loved again, Ye Linglan couldn''t help but look forward to that day. However, determining exactly when that day would arrive depended on Hao Jian. Since Ye Chunliang''s rehabilitation exercises were under Hao Jian''s guidance and overseen by his superb medical skills, they had to follow his instructions to the letter. Today, like every day, Ye Linglan carried out the exercises Hao Jian had taught her. If done daily at 8 o''clock, it would only be a matter of time before her brother could move normally again. "Sis, you get up so early every day to help me. Thank you¡­" Ye Chunliang, noticing the faint dark circles beneath Ye Linglan''s eyes, felt a pang of guilt. But with his injured hand, he could only sit on the sofa, setting his arm on the armrest. "You''re my brother; taking care of you is my responsibility. Besides, it was because you protected me that you got hurt in the first place. Don''t you ever say such things again. Otherwise, not only will I want to hit you, but your brother-in-law will probably come over and smack you too. Do you want him to slap you?" Ye Linglan''s slight anger at her younger brother''s words took on a teasing tone as she pointed this out, causing Ye Chunliang to stiffen in awkward silence. At his sister''s words, Ye Chunliang''s expression froze. He quickly pleaded, "Sis, please don''t tell Brother Hao about this! If he finds out, it''ll be more than just broken hands and feet¡ªI''ll be done for!" He recalled past instances where he had gone against Hao Jian and ended up on the receiving end of some nastily creative punishments. Even when Hao Jian didn''t hit hard, the places he hit would ache for days afterward, making Ye Chunliang deeply cautious about antagonizing him. Now, just the mention of Hao Jian was enough to make Ye Chunliang beg for mercy. Internally, he couldn''t help but grumble about his sister''s tendency to use her husband to threaten him, even though he also knew it was because Hao Jian disapproved of overly polite formalities from close family members. "Then behave and listen to me..." "Buzz buzz buzz..." Before Ye Linglan could finish speaking, her phone began to ring... "Hehe, you''d better take that call!" Grateful for the interruption, Ye Chunliang heaved a soft sigh of relief. At least he no longer had to worry about his sister''s teasing threats. But curiosity soon piqued him¡ªwho could be calling his sister so early in the morning? "This is..." Pulling out her phone and glancing at the familiar number on the screen, Ye Linglan''s face gradually darkened... Chapter 972 - 971: Apology "Hello, Linglan, it''s me..." After contemplating for a while, Ye Linglan ultimately pressed the answer button¡ªnot because she cared about Yan Ming, but because she wanted to see what this guy was really up to. Once the call connected, a calm voice slowly came through. Hearing that exceptionally calm tone, Ye Linglan was momentarily stunned. Yesterday, Hao Jian had taught him a harsh lesson, leaving him miserably defeated, and the matter even hit the headlines today. She had expected Yan Ming''s call to bring a storm of rage, but unexpectedly, the man''s tone was so calm, as if yesterday''s events hadn''t mattered at all. "Speak directly." No matter what this guy was thinking or planning, Ye Linglan didn''t care. She only wanted to know what he wanted from her. "Well, it''s like this..." Driving his sports car through the streets of Hua City, Yan Ming''s face was dark, but his tone remained unnervingly calm. As soon as Ye Linglan''s impatient words reached his ears, the corners of his mouth curled slightly, a cold laugh seeping into his thoughts. Fine, I''ll let you play innocent for now. I want to see how long you can keep up this facade. And as for that man of yours, I may not be able to beat him, but dealing with you? That''s well within my capabilities! Yan Ming wasn''t entirely sure of Hao Jian''s true strength. All he knew was that Hao Jian''s skills far exceeded his own. For safety''s sake, he decided to approach Ye Linglan first instead of Hao Jian, not that he had Hao Jian''s contact information anyway. Hence, his first target was locked firmly on Ye Linglan. His lips moved slightly, and the calm voice emerged from his mouth, tinged with an air of apology: "Sorry to disturb your rest. I''m just a little too anxious. What happened yesterday... I was truly out of line. My recklessness caused an unpleasant outcome between us..." "You know, when a man likes a woman, he might do things that are utterly unbelievable, and that''s something most people can understand. But I didn''t expect myself to lose control the way I did yesterday. Today, I just hope to sincerely apologize to you..." Upon hearing this, Ye Linglan''s expression shifted slightly. She couldn''t help but wonder¡ªis it possible that all of Yan Ming''s actions yesterday were merely impulsive jealousy? Such reasoning from Yan Ming had Ye Linglan partially believing him. After all, people often make unpredictable, outrageous decisions in the name of love. Hao Jian himself had done plenty of things for her that she could hardly believe. She understood this well. So, she responded hesitantly, "You don''t need to apologize..." She had said quite a few harsh words to Yan Ming yesterday, and now seeing him trying to apologize with such sincerity, Ye Linglan felt a twinge of guilt. She had ruined his prospects and caused him great harm. How could she justify accepting his apology? "No, a proper apology is necessary. If it weren''t for my impulsiveness yesterday, none of this would have happened. I just hope you can forgive my actions..." Yan Ming wasn''t surprised by Ye Linglan''s response. If she had easily agreed to meet, he would''ve had reason to doubt her motives. "Besides, we haven''t had a proper conversation in quite a while. Let''s use this opportunity to catch up." Playing the emotional card is always useful, and Yan Ming''s phrasing was flawless¡ªespecially given Ye Linglan''s personality, which made such sentiments challenging to refuse. As the words left him, Yan Ming''s eyes flickered slightly, then his voice carried a faint trace of amusement: "I hadn''t expected that shortly after I graduated, you''d already found yourself a boyfriend¡ªand such an impressive one at that. Had I known earlier, I wouldn''t have made such a poor display yesterday, confessing my feelings to you on stage..." "At the time, I assumed you were still single. When I learned you had a boyfriend, I was indeed taken aback. But what I felt more than anything was rage. Losing my cool that way is what led to the unfortunate series of events that followed..." "I see..." Listening to this, Ye Linglan believed him more and more. Hearing Yan Ming''s calm tone, she couldn''t help but think that he really didn''t care much about yesterday''s events. If that were truly the case, then there was no point in letting their relationship become too strained. After all, having more friends rather than enemies is always the better choice in life¡ªeven if someone like Yan Ming might scarcely register within Hao Jian''s radar. But from Ye Linglan''s perspective, Yan Ming was still her former senior. It wouldn''t bode well to let things become too confrontational between former classmates. "Alright, tell me how you want to apologize." "I''ll wait for you today at noon, on the second floor of Lainer Hotel''s restaurant. You must come. But it''s best if you come alone..." The corners of Yan Ming''s mouth curled into a sly arc, his calm voice delivering the message: "Yesterday, your boyfriend left me in a miserable state. If I saw him today, it might create an awkward situation and ruin the sincerity of this apology. That wouldn''t be ideal..." "Fair enough." Ye Linglan found Yan Ming''s reasoning understandable. She''d feel similarly in his position. After all, they were rivals in love, and apologizing in front of one''s enemy would indeed conflict with Yan Ming''s overwhelming pride. The fact that he could maintain such calmness and clarity while discussing things with her today was already an impressive display of restraint. If she refused him now, it might make her seem unnecessarily difficult. "Alright, I''ll go..." Ye Linglan agreed. She didn''t want Yan Ming and Hao Jian''s dynamic to become too antagonistic. One was her senior, and the other was her partner¡ªit was crucial to balance the connections delicately. "Sis, who was that?" Watching his elder sister slowly put down the phone, Ye Chunliang became curious, quickly asking with a curious expression. Earlier, he had witnessed firsthand his sister''s angry face transform into a faint smile. That shift piqued his curiosity greatly¡ªwho could possibly affect her mood so dramatically? "Just a friend who wants to apologize to me. I''m heading out for the meeting soon." Ye Linglan didn''t elaborate. She simply chuckled and then reached for her phone to dial Hao Jian''s number... "Huh..." Noticing she dialed Hao Jian''s number, Ye Chunliang couldn''t help but utter a small sound of realization. It seemed his sister intended to have his brother-in-law accompany her to the meeting at noon? After all, Ye Linglan was just a woman¡ªand given the uncertainty surrounding Yan Ming''s intentions, she thought it best to inform Hao Jian and play it safe. If anything undesirable happened, at least she''d have Hao Jian''s protection. Moreover, she didn''t want to risk running into any mutual acquaintances who might misunderstand her meeting Yan Ming alone, only for the rumors to reach Hao Jian and cause him distress. And besides, the idea of meeting Yan Ming alone felt inappropriate. Setting aside his personality, he was still a man, and she was a married woman... "Lanlan, what is it now? It''s so early. Can''t you just let me sleep in a little bit longer?" sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The moment Hao Jian answered, his groggy voice came through, prompting Ye Linglan to roll her eyes. Here she was, stressing about everything, yet this guy was happily snoozing away until now... "Listen to what I have to say first. If you can still sleep soundly afterward, then go ahead." "Hehe, alright, spill it. I was just kidding! Nothing in the world matters as much as my Lanlan does." "Hmph, at least you know your place." Ye Linglan snorted softly, then proceeded to recount the entire situation to Hao Jian in detail. By the end, she added, "I''ve already agreed to meet him. If you don''t think it''s wise, I won''t go." "If it''s really as you''ve described, then meeting him shouldn''t be a problem." After hearing everything, Hao Jian rubbed his chin thoughtfully before responding. What is Yan Ming up to? That question had emerged the moment Ye Linglan mentioned him, growing sharper with every detail she shared. No matter how much Hao Jian tried to anticipate Yan Ming''s intentions, he couldn''t figure them out. For now, he decided to let Ye Linglan go first and assess the situation. He''d keep watch from behind the scenes, ensuring Yan Ming wouldn''t get away with anything. Hao Jian simply couldn''t trust that someone could remain so calm after having their future ruined. Especially someone like Yan Ming¡ªwhom he''d only interacted with during yesterday''s incident but had already pegged as arrogant and petty. "Alright, I''ll go then..." With Hao Jian''s approval, Ye Linglan felt reassured. Now she could head to the meeting without worrying about dealing with a slew of aftermath issues later. ...... Chapter 973 - 972: Cant Help But Click! "Spice Ginger, send a few guys to keep an eye on the Lainer Hotel. Lanlan is over there. If anything happens, you''ll have me to answer to!" No matter how much Hao Jian trusted sending Ye Linglan alone to the meeting, he couldn''t shake off the worry gnawing at the back of his mind. After all, that Yan Ming was no good person. Yesterday, when dealing with that bastard, Hao Jian had shown no mercy. If it weren''t for Ye Linglan stepping in and saying it was enough, Yan Ming would''ve been finished right then and there. How could he still be alive now? "If anything happens to Lanlan, don''t hesitate to open fire. If there are any consequences, I''ll take full responsibility!" "Understood!" When Spice Ginger received Hao Jian''s command, he immediately tensed up, then gave a firm acknowledgment before hanging up. Gathering over ten of his best fighters, he stormed out towards the address Hao Jian had given, ready for action. In Hua City, Hao Jian''s reputation preceded him¡ªespecially when it came to the women he cared about. It was said he valued them even more than his own life. Thus, given such an urgent command, Spice Ginger took it very seriously. If any mishap occurred during this mission, he was fully aware Hao Jian wouldn''t hesitate to obliterate all of them. Valuable subordinates were cherished by Hao Jian, but useless ones? They were either sent packing or outright "removed." Being sent packing was self-explanatory¡ªjust packing up and leaving. But "removal," well¡­ that meant leaving your life right there and going off to meet King Yan. After hanging up, Hao Jian pondered briefly. Then, shaking his head, he muttered to himself, "No, relying solely on Spice Ginger''s methods still leaves me uneasy. Looks like I''ll have to go personally..." It wasn''t that Hao Jian doubted Spice Ginger''s capability, but Yan Ming was unfamiliar to him, leaving room for unpredictability. And in combat, having gaps in information was often fatal. This time, Ye Linglan absolutely could not suffer any harm¡ªnot even the slightest! Because Ye Linglan was his woman. And in Hua City, or for that matter, all of Huaxia, no one could touch his woman. Moreover, he had already ordered the tech team to take over the city bureau''s SkyNet temporarily. With their surveillance, no matter how small or subtle Yan Ming''s moves towards Ye Linglan might be, nothing could escape Hao Jian''s watchful eye! "Rumble..." The Enzo Car roared out of the parking lot, merging onto the street and into the endless flow of traffic. Soon, it became a shadow that disappeared from sight. "Yan Ming, let''s hope you don''t do anything you''ll regret this time. Because if you so much as think about laying a finger on Lanlan, I promise you''ll regret every choice you''ve ever made..." His dark eyes bored into the pitch-black asphalt ahead as a cold smirk curved Hao Jian''s lips. A faint chill began to swirl around him. This time, if the opportunity arose, if Yan Ming dared make any move at all, Hao Jian was ready to eliminate him on the spot. The thunderous roar of the engine echoed through Hua City''s streets, gradually fading into the distance until it vanished beyond the horizon. "This is the place, right?" Stepping out of the taxi, Ye Linglan glanced at the renowned four-star hotel. Its opulent exterior and sprawling grounds spoke volumes about its upscale status. "She''s here!" From inside the hotel, Yan Ming had been waiting for Ye Linglan. Through the window, he caught sight of her approaching the building downstairs, a faint smirk forming as his eyes narrowed slightly. Rising to his feet, he made his way downstairs. Just as he descended, he met Ye Linglan coming up the stairway. "Linglan!" Seeing her, Yan Ming called out. On the other end, upon hearing someone address her, Ye Linglan turned towards the voice and saw Yan Ming waiting at the staircase. A faint smile graced her lips as she strode forward. "Let''s go. I''ve reserved a table upstairs. I''m glad you agreed to meet me. Also, I must apologize for yesterday¡ªI didn''t mean to¡­" "Enough. Whatever it is, say it at the table. This is the hotel lobby¡ªnot the place for a chat. Besides, it''s inappropriate to talk here." There was no expression on Ye Linglan''s face as she spoke indifferently, walking past Yan Ming without a second glance and heading upstairs. Though she had come to meet Yan Ming, it didn''t mean she owed him any pleasantries. After all, what he did yesterday had indeed crossed the line. "Alright!" Seeing Ye Linglan act this way, a flicker of anger flashed through Yan Ming''s eyes. But soon, his lips curled into a smile as he quickly followed her. Glaring at Ye Linglan''s figure, his gaze burned with desire¡ªtinged with a sinister, lecherous intent. Hmph! Go on and keep acting proud for now. But once I have you in my grasp, let''s see if you can still hold your high and mighty attitude! By then, you''ll just be a pathetic woman writhing under me! These thoughts flickered rapidly through his mind as Yan Ming quickened his pace to overtake Ye Linglan. Leading her to a quieter corner of the restaurant, the spot they arrived at was secluded yet next to a window, offering a spectacular view outside. Ye Linglan didn''t mind¡ªit fit with her assumption that such restaurants were designed to provide the best views, even at the cost of some privacy. Little did she know, Yan Ming had chosen this spot deliberately, ensuring that when the time came for him to make his move, the disturbance would be minimal and attract fewer onlookers. Still, when Ye Linglan entered the restaurant, her striking beauty immediately turned heads. She became a breathtaking sight that drew nearly every man''s gaze in her direction. Such stares were nothing new to her¡ªover the years, Ye Linglan had grown used to them and didn''t pay them much attention. Yan Ming, on the other hand, had only one thing on his mind: how to get Ye Linglan into his bed. With Hao Jian absent, this was his golden opportunity. He had specifically arranged for Ye Linglan to come alone to avoid any interference from Hao Jian, increasing his chances of success. As for Hao Jian? Yan Ming knew all too well he couldn''t handle him. Having experienced his power firsthand yesterday, he harbored a burning grudge. Given the chance, he''d deal with Hao Jian first instead of Ye Linglan. "Waiter!" Once they were seated, Yan Ming waved over a server. The young man, noticing Yan Ming''s gesture, immediately grabbed a menu and rushed to their table, smiling as he greeted them. "Good evening. What would you like to order?" "What''s good here?" It was Yan Ming''s first time dining at the Lainer Hotel. If not for an acquaintance working here, he wouldn''t have chosen this place. Having someone on the inside not only made it easier to deceive Ye Linglan but also ensured he''d be quickly notified if anything went awry. From a safety perspective, the Lainer Hotel was the perfect pick. The waiter assisting them was, in fact, someone Yan Ming had bribed¡ªan accomplice to improve his odds of seducing Ye Linglan. Whatever it cost, getting her into bed would be worth it. "Our specialty is French-style steak¡­" "We also offer a variety of fresh fruit and vegetable salads, all featuring ingredients flown in from France just this morning to retain authentic flavors." "I highly recommend trying these dishes. We also carry an extensive selection of fine wines shipped directly from prestigious wineries." Hearing this, Ye Linglan smiled faintly but didn''t comment. She left the decision to Yan Ming; what she ate didn''t matter. Whether or not she actually ate later was another question entirely. Besides, she found no appeal in this place. Given Hao Jian''s status, whenever he took his women out to dine, it was always at the finest establishments¡ªunless they explicitly requested otherwise. In his words: "Money is not an issue." Although this hotel appeared high-class, it fell short of Ye Linglan''s current standards. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What do you want to order?" After listening to the waiter''s recommendations, Yan Ming gave him a quick wink¡ªa silent signal¡ªand turned to Ye Linglan, asking as he handed her the menu. "Whatever you decide. I''m fine with anything," Ye Linglan replied softly, shaking her head without taking the menu. Yan Ming wasn''t surprised. He never expected Ye Linglan to pick her own dishes. This act of offering the menu was merely a formality to save face for both of them. Seeing her refusal, a discreet smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. Turning back to the waiter, he ordered. "Two portions of filet steak¡ªone medium rare, one medium well. A fruit salad, a croissant, and a bottle of ''82 Lafite." The other items, while slightly overpriced, were expected in a place like this¡ªit was all about ambience, not food. But that bottle of ''82 Lafite? That was on a whole different level. Even at the peak of his fame, Yan Ming had never been able to justify splurging on such an extravagant wine. But today, he had no choice if he wanted to win Ye Linglan''s trust. Chapter 974 - 973 You Know What You Ate! "Alright, sir..." After recording the dishes, the waiter retrieved the menu from the two individuals and walked toward the front desk. Placing the menu there, he then turned and headed toward the wine cabinet. "Pop!" Taking out a bottle of 1982 Lafite, the waiter uncorked it. Then, from a nearby cabinet, he fetched two tall wine glasses and a decanter. He poured the wine into the decanter to let it breathe. Twenty minutes later, he meticulously poured the wine from the decanter into the two glasses. "Ah, I almost forgot about this..." As he spoke, the waiter discreetly flipped out a small pink pill, resembling a tablet. He dropped it into one of the glasses and gently swirled the wine. The pill dissolved seamlessly, leaving no trace that the glass had been drugged... "What a pity, such a stunning beauty..." The waiter had been bribed by Yan Ming and, having worked at the hotel for years, was no stranger to similar shady deeds. He no longer felt the tension of being caught; instead, he lamented that such an extraordinary beauty would fall victim to a man like this tonight... More than once, he fantasized about being the one with that woman, but he knew it was nothing more than a pipe dream. Not to mention the benefits Yan Ming provided, his years of discreet work had kept him from being exposed. His "integrity" was the only thing keeping him from landing in jail multiple times over. "Here are your wines, sir and madam." Carrying two glasses of wine, the waiter approached the table where Yan Ming and Ye Linglan sat. He placed the untainted glass in front of Yan Ming and the drugged one in front of Ye Linglan. He then positioned the decanter to the side of the table. After completing these tasks, he began delivering the dishes, one by one. "Enjoy your meal..." Finishing his duties, the waiter smiled faintly and left. As he departed, he made a discreet hand gesture toward Yan Ming, signaling that everything was ready. Yan Ming, catching the gesture clearly, felt a knowing satisfaction. Now, all that remained was to find a way to make Ye Linglan drink the wine. Once that happened, his plan would be complete... Meanwhile, Hao Jian slowly drove his Enzo car into the parking lot. After parking the vehicle, he scanned the area and spotted Ye Linglan and Yan Ming seated by the window. Noticing the lecherous glint in Yan Ming''s eyes, Hao Jian''s expression darkened slightly. "Spice Ginger, are you guys in position?" While glancing upstairs, he picked up his phone and called Spice Ginger. As the call connected, Hao Jian''s slightly low voice came through. Moments later, a response came from the other end. "Young Master Hao, we''re already here. Do you need us to come to you now?!" Even before Ye Linglan arrived at the hotel over ten minutes ago, Hao Jian''s team had already infiltrated. With combat experience, they had selected the most advantageous observation points, securing the perimeter while Spice Ginger dispatched ten operatives into the hotel to surveil various floors. "No need. Just focus on your tasks. If I need you later, I''ll call. If I don''t, stay on surveillance and interception¡ªit''s all up to me!" Hao Jian reflected briefly before speaking. Acting alone would reduce his chances of being spotted. If Spice Ginger and his team followed, their presence would likely give away their position immediately. If Yan Ming caught wind and reverted to his fake, gentlemanly facade in front of Ye Linglan, Hao Jian''s hands would be tied. On the way here, Hao Jian had already planned to let Yan Ming make the first move. Ideally, he wanted Yan Ming to create a situation where Hao Jian could justifiably eliminate him in front of Ye Linglan. He didn''t want to kill Yan Ming without providing any justification to reassure Ye Linglan afterward. If that happened, Ye Linglan might feel nothing but guilt, an outcome Hao Jian sought to avoid. "Understood!" Spice Ginger immediately responded, summoning the only subordinate nearby and murmuring instructions into his ear: "Go now and have headquarters send over ten more people. With Young Master Hao present, the odds of failure are slim, but we must be prepared to clean up any mistakes. Go quickly!" Spice Ginger, unwilling to waste more time explaining, knew this subordinate was unlikely to fully grasp the situation anyway. Better to focus on getting the job done. Yan Ming, however, remained oblivious to what was happening outside the hotel. His attention was glued to Ye Linglan as she slowly lifted the glass of wine. Under his eager and feigned concern, she brought the glass to her lips... What''s happening?! After drinking, Ye Linglan''s heart began to pound uncontrollably. Her face flushed crimson, and her eyes started clouding, losing focus... "Rustle, rustle..." A sudden yearning radiated from her lower body, overwhelming her with an unbearable desire. Instinctively, she wanted to touch herself to alleviate it. Just as her hand moved, she bit her tongue sharply, suppressing the sensation temporarily. But only for a few seconds¡ªthen, the intense wave crashed back, even stronger than before! You think you can resist my potent drug with just willpower? Watching her reaction, Yan Ming''s lips curled into a cold smile. The drug provided by the USA was his secret weapon. A mere half-dose was said to drive a cow insane with lust. Ye Linglan? She''d consumed a full pill. Without a cure, the drug would either kill her or burn her alive from within. The so-called cure wasn''t overly complex: a man and a woman needed to "neutralize" the drug through intimacy gradually. Even if Ye Linglan discovered later what he had done to her, Yan Ming wouldn''t face repercussions. The drug left no traces; once metabolized, not even advanced medical tests could detect it! Over the years, Yan Ming had used this drug to ruin countless women, always targeting those beneath him in status. For safety, he avoided challenging high-profile targets¡ªuntil now. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Linglan, are you alright?" Seeing his opportunity, Yan Ming leaned closer, his breath warm against Ye Linglan''s ear. The sensation only deepened her daze until, finally, weakened, she pointed at him and asked hoarsely, "What... What did you give me...?" "You should know better than anyone," Yan Ming sneered. "How is it? Enjoying the effects of this drug?!" He reminisced about his first time using it¡ªhow misjudging the dosage nearly left him incapacitated after being ravaged. The woman had spiraled into insanity afterward, reduced to a shell of her former self. Giving Ye Linglan the same dose meant only two outcomes: death or complete ruination. Either way, his actions would remain hidden, preserving his reputation. As everything unfolded according to plan, Yan Ming''s satisfaction grew. You think you can stay pure, huh? Let''s see how long you last under the drug''s effects! "You... You..." Ye Linglan already understood the horrific truth. How naive she had been to believe this man could change. She had stepped right into his trap... "He won''t forgive you..." With those faint words, Ye Linglan''s head drooped onto the table with a soft thud, seemingly unconscious. But it wasn''t the drug that knocked her out. Instead, she had sealed her energy points to delay its effects. Fortunately, her training made this possible; without it, she wouldn''t have had any recourse. "Finally!" Gazing at the unconscious Ye Linglan sprawled beautifully, Yan Ming felt a surge of heat in his stomach. He eagerly called the nearby waiter... On the ninth floor of the hotel, Yan Ming had reserved a room. With the waiter''s help, they carried her there, placing her on the bed. After paying the waiter, Yan Ming approached the room with a lecherous grin. Unbeknownst to him, every move he had made was under Hao Jian''s surveillance. The only oversight? Yan Ming''s use of the drug¡ªit had been too subtle for Hao Jian to detect from outside the restaurant. Chapter 975 - 974 "Hmm? That bastard!" Hao Jian, who had been keeping his eyes glued to Ye Linglan outside, suddenly saw her collapse weakly onto the dining table. When he caught sight of the unabashed lustful glint in Yan Ming''s eyes, a cold gleam flashed violently in Hao Jian''s own. Faint killing intent began swirling around him. "Spice Ginger, have the brothers inside keep an eye on them immediately! I''m headed over there now!" Hao Jian then saw Yan Ming and that waiter carrying Ye Linglan away. Without hesitation, he dialed Spice Ginger''s number. Upon hearing Hao Jian''s directive, Spice Ginger quickly instructed the people inside to monitor Yan Ming''s movements. "Got it!" Spice Ginger responded and promptly added, "Young Master Hao, Yan Ming''s room is on the highest floor of the hotel¡ªthe ninth floor, room 911. Once you''ve taken the elevator up, my men will meet you there!" "Alright!" Ending the call, Hao Jian turned off his phone, quickly stepped into the hotel, surveyed the lobby layout, and then walked toward the elevator. He entered, pressed the button for the designated floor. Yan Ming¡­ Yan Ming! I let you off last time, and yet you haven''t learned your lesson. Now you dare set your sights on Lanlan again? Seems like I absolutely can''t let you go this time. Yesterday, out of consideration for Lanlan and your shared history as classmates, I didn''t kill you. But now¡­ unless I finish you off, I won''t be able to quench this hatred in my heart! As the elevator ascended, the killing intent in Hao Jian''s eyes grew increasingly intense. Finally, it crystallized into two icy, colorless pupils¡ªthe cold fury within them almost tangible, flitting back and forth like a vengeful echo¡­ "Young Master Hao!" As the elevator doors opened onto the floor, a man, approximately twenty-five years old, was already waiting respectfully at the entrance. Taking a step forward out of the elevator, Hao Jian nodded slightly and said, "Lead the way!" "Yes!" The man nodded quickly, suppressing the excitement of meeting Hao Jian. Wearing an eager expression, he started guiding Hao Jian, twisting and turning down corridors until they approached Yan Ming''s room. "Haha, I used way too much of the drug this time¡­ Looks like this woman won''t be waking up anytime soon..." Yan Ming chuckled as he gazed at Ye Linglan lying motionless on the bed, her breathing unnervingly rapid. His face wore a grimy grin, both smug and filthy. In his mind, nothing could rival the thrill of possessing Ye Linglan''s body. Although the means to achieve it were far from honorable, as long as he cleaned up afterward, leaving no trace, he could remain untouchable. He even contemplated opportunities to revive his reputation as the Piano Prince. After all, these sorts of scandals were commonplace in this circle. He could always hire cyber mercenaries to rebrand the narrative, making it appear as mere sensationalized gossip. Over time, people would forget the ugly truth he had tried so desperately to conceal¡­ Imagining an unblemished future awaiting him, Yan Ming couldn''t help but revel further in his delusions. "After tonight, you''ll no longer be the untouchable Goddess in my eyes!" Yan Ming''s fingers brushed lightly against Ye Linglan''s cheek. His eyes burned with desire, and as he traced the captivating curves of her figure, heat surged uncontrollably through him. Such irresistible allure! Finally, the moment had come to savor his prize! "My beauty, let me help you out of these clothes¡­" Yan Ming''s hands trembled uncontrollably as he extended them toward Ye Linglan, shoulder-bound. Lust and excitement overwhelmed him as he anticipated finally seeing the woman of his dreams in a stripped-down state. In his warped mind, pride swelled for his "achievement." "Bang!" At the exact moment Yan Ming''s hands neared Ye Linglan''s shoulders, a thunderous noise erupted from within his room, startling him out of his sordid trance. He instinctively dashed to the living room, only to see five individuals steadily filing into the room¡­ Leading the group was a face that burned into his memory like a scalding brand. Yan Ming''s rage flared as he recognized Hao Jian. If it weren''t for this man, he wouldn''t have ended up in his current predicament! He had been mere moments away from claiming the woman he had longed for¡ªso tantalizingly close. But at that pivotal juncture, this man, of all people, had reappeared in his life. The fury that consumed Yan Ming defied words. "You damned bastard!" Overcome with anger, Yan Ming bellowed furiously at Hao Jian, pointing an accusing finger. "Why is it that every time I''m on the verge of success, you show up to haunt me like a persistent ghost?!" "Heh, you dared target my woman. Did you really think I''d let you get away with it? This time, I''ve only got one thing to say to you¡­" Hao Jian smirked and shook his head mockingly, his face a mask of derision. Coldly, he sneered, "You''ve provoked me, so don''t even think about escaping unscathed like last time. You might never return to this world again¡­" "What do you mean?!" "What do I mean? You''ll know soon enough!" Hao Jian retorted icily, waving his hand dismissively toward Yan Ming and calling out, "Take him down for me!" "Yes!" The four men behind Hao Jian responded immediately, rushing forward to subdue Yan Ming. Poor Yan Ming tried in vain to resist¡ªhe figured they were just four ordinary men, and evasion seemed feasible. However, little did he know, these individuals were specifically handpicked by Spice Ginger from his elite ranks. Each one of them had the combat prowess to be ranked among the best fighters. Against someone like Yan Ming, who had only dabbled in fitness but lacked martial arts training, they easily restrained him without breaking a sweat. "What are you doing?! Let me go!" Unable to move, Yan Ming barked indignantly at Hao Jian, seething with rage. "Brat, let me go now! Or else, don''t even dream of saving your woman!" Desperate to find any leverage, Yan Ming''s voice took on a nervous urgency: "She drank the drug I smuggled from the USA¡ªif another ten minutes pass, the effects will fully kick in. By then, forget the hospital¡ªthere won''t even be time to make a move!" Hao Jian''s face darkened slightly upon hearing this. With a swift push-off from the ground, he darted into the room without sparing Yan Ming so much as a glance. Inside, he saw Ye Linglan sprawled on the bed, her breaths growing increasingly labored. Hao Jian''s pupils constricted as he moved decisively to her side. Placing a hand on her forehead, he released a faint qi force from his palm, guiding it into her body. "Red Powder Skull?!" The sensations transmitted through the qi allowed Hao Jian to instantly identify the drug''s composition. Breathing a slight sigh of relief, he muttered to himself. Thank goodness it wasn''t a more potent aphrodisiac; otherwise, Ye Linglan might have already torn her clothes off or exhibited even more erratic behavior. Red Powder Skull¡ªone of those obsolete drugs from America, long abandoned in favor of stronger alternatives. Clearly, only someone as clueless as Yan Ming, who had never even stepped foot in the USA, would think this stuff was some sort of dangerously effective concoction. "Tap tap tap!" Using two joined fingers, Hao Jian rapidly pinpointed several acupoints on Ye Linglan''s body, temporarily suppressing the drug''s effects circulating within her. Straightening his posture, he reassured her softly: S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Rest assured, those who''ve harmed you will pay¡ªevery last one of them¡­" While the immediate effect of the drug was subdued, its lingering pain continued to resonate throughout Ye Linglan''s body. As Hao Jian watched her furrowed brows tense from the discomfort, his chest tightened with regret. If only he had anticipated this, he might have prevented her from coming here¡ªor entered the hotel earlier instead of keeping watch outside! Modern medicine had no answer to this drug. The sole antidote lay in physical intimacy between a man and a woman¡ªthere was no other solution. The current setting, however, was far from ideal for such an intervention. First, Yan Ming had to be dealt with. Afterward, Hao Jian could move Ye Linglan to his residence, where at least he had some medicinal ingredients to work with. "Kid, release me now! You''ve seen the state your woman''s in¡ªher life and death rests in my hands. You either let me go, or your woman dies with me!" Overconfident, Yan Ming believed he had found Hao Jian''s Achilles heel. He played this card relentlessly, convinced that Hao Jian''s attachment to Ye Linglan would force him to compromise. Yan Ming smugly assumed there was no way Hao Jian could determine the precise drug she''d consumed. "Idiot!" Returning from the room, Hao Jian hadn''t even crossed the threshold before he heard Yan Ming''s gleeful threats. Shaking his head slightly, Hao Jian extended a finger toward Yan Ming and snorted disdainfully: "You guys¡ªthrow this trash over here!" "Yes!" Responding quickly to Hao Jian''s order, the four men tightened their grip and effortlessly hurled Yan Ming toward him, sending him sprawling face-first onto the floor. "You piece of shit!" Clutching the pain of his fall, Yan Ming''s face darkened as he instinctively attempted to stand. But suddenly, he felt something press against his head... "Click..." Chapter 976 - 975 Im Here to Save You! "How does it feel to be stepped on?" Hao Jian''s smirk lingered as he pressed his foot firmly against Yan Ming''s head. However, his eyes were overflowing with an unbridled killing intent, and his sole steadily increased its pressure. "You... you bastard!" Feeling the escalating force from Hao Jian''s foot and hearing his taunt, Yan Ming''s face turned visibly dark, rage boiling to the surface as he bellowed, "You brat, take your foot off me! I''m the Piano Prince! How dare you hit me?! Do you believe I can''t find someone to take you out?!" At this, an odd look appeared on Hao Jian''s face. Had this guy not learned his lesson from what happened yesterday? Did he genuinely think of himself as some kind of untouchable celebrity? That the whole world revolved around him, letting him do as he pleased? Never mind whether Yan Ming could rally anyone to deal with Hao Jian, but even his fans, after yesterday''s incident, had deserted him completely. The so-called "Piano Prince" was abandoned by those same supporters who once stood behind him. And yet, laughably, Yan Ming still clung to the delusion that they''d back him without falter! "Take me out? Well then, let''s see who ends up lying in the dirt!" Hao Jian snorted coldly, gripping Yan Ming and hoisting him up. A terrifying gleam flashed across his gaze, becoming sharper and more relentless as he rose, like a ravenous tiger about to lunge at its prey. His eyes shimmered with an eerie, chilling aura. "W-What are you doing?!" Yan Ming stammered, suddenly consumed by fear as he looked at Hao Jian in terror. "Don''t worry. This will all be over soon." In the instant Yan Ming felt utterly cornered, Hao Jian abruptly grinned. Though he was smiling, Yan Ming swore he had never seen a grin more horrifying in his life! "Bang!" Hao Jian''s fist smashed brutally into Yan Ming''s abdomen. A faint surge of Vigorous Qi swirled from Hao Jian''s knuckles, finally penetrating Yan Ming''s body through his clothes and coursing deep within him. "Ahhh!" Yan Ming''s scream erupted as a breathtaking, sharp pain exploded in his abdomen. It was the sort of agony that obliterated any strength to resist, forcing a shrill cry from his throat! "I call this punch the Meat Grinder Fist," Hao Jian said with a sinister smile. "The idea is simple: every punch I deliver will bring nothing but torment¡ªnever death. What I just hit you with was only half my power. Half! I believe that''s just about your tolerable limit. Now let''s see, how many punches can you survive¡­" With this, Hao Jian launched another blow. Everyone must pay the price for their actions. As for Yan Ming? He would bear the consequences of provoking Hao Jian. Whether Hao Jian would spare Yan Ming''s life ultimately depended on the resilience of his body! "Linglan''s situation can''t wait. I''ll give you one minute. If you can endure a full minute, then congratulations, your pathetic life is still yours. If you die, well, tough luck..." Ye Linglan could only hold on for thirty minutes, and to detoxify her, Hao Jian needed to get her home quickly. Only there did he have some rare, specialized medicines¡ªremedies unavailable in ordinary pharmacies¡ªto minimize the harm she had suffered. Only with these resources and Hao Jian''s skills could the damage to Ye Linglan''s body be drastically reduced. "Boom!" Another punch struck Yan Ming''s back, emitting a dull impact. A familiar, torturous pain radiated from the bones near his spine. With a choking sound, a mouthful of blood spewed violently from Yan Ming''s lips. Already pale, his face lost even more color. "N-No¡­ please, no more! I won''t dare again¡­" The unending torment and anguish drove an expression of stark fear into Yan Ming''s eyes. Desperation clung to his voice as he tried to plead for mercy. Hao Jian had only landed two punches, and a mere few seconds had passed. The thought of enduring the next several dozen seconds made Yan Ming feel as though he had plunged into the depths of Hell itself. This kind of suffering was beyond what an ordinary person could bear. Even for someone as unspeakably arrogant as Yan Ming, the fear overtook his insufferable pride and crushed his will. He was keenly aware from these blows that they carried not only raw pain but a tangible stench of death. Hao Jian intended to beat him to the brink. "You think begging can stop me? Where''s my dignity then?" Hao Jian sneered. Yan Ming had dared intend harm toward his woman. If he let this go lightly, would he still deserve to call himself Hao Jian? "I..." Yan Ming stammered but couldn''t find the words. "Oh? Still got something to say? Then let''s continue!" Though Yan Ming''s terror clearly showed his desire to beg for his life, Hao Jian was in no mood to grant him the chance. His right hand rose again, Vigorous Qi swirling lightly around it, before slamming down onto Yan Ming''s head, sending him flying across the room. He crashed onto a sofa. "Ahhh!" Collapsing onto the sofa, Yan Ming barely had time to catch his breath before yet another wave of searing pain burst from his skull. This time, a heart-shattering scream tore from Yan Ming''s throat, louder than any of his previous cries¡­ Pain from the head inflicted damage on an entirely different level than those earlier strikes. The agony intensified exponentially when struck in vulnerable areas. "Feels good, doesn''t it?" As a doctor, Hao Jian knew precisely how to inflict maximum pain with minimal lasting damage. And nothing in this world terrified someone more than enduring unbearable agony without the release of death. "You... you''re a¡­ Demon!" Trembling uncontrollably, his lips quivering and his ashen face devoid of blood, Yan Ming stuttered in terror. The word slipped from him as he finally gave voice to the nightmare in his heart. "Demon? I prefer the title ''Enforcer of Justice,''" Hao Jian mocked. His words were accompanied by another raised fist that dropped mercilessly onto Yan Ming, all while his cold, detached voice slowly echoed in the terrified man''s ears. "Please¡­ stop torturing me¡­ I can''t take it anymore¡­" Yan Ming sobbed bitterly. "What, bigshot celebrity running out of steam already? Didn''t you claim your fans would save you?!" Hao Jian laughed icily. Within the next thirty seconds, Hao Jian punched Yan Ming five more times. With each strike, the force built up farther¡ªfrom half power to a staggering five-tenths. By the end, Yan Ming collapsed into unconsciousness under Hao Jian''s relentless barrage. "Only a few punches, and you''re down for the count? What a useless wretch," Hao Jian scoffed, shaking his head in disdain. Turning to the four calm observers standing nearby, he waved a hand at Yan Ming''s limp body. "You guys, take this sorry excuse of a man to Spice Ginger. Tell him to hold onto this one for me." "Let Spice Ginger know I''ll drop by after I settle my business. Oh, and have him prepare some tools for ''entertaining'' people. He''ll know what kind," Hao Jian added curtly before pivoting to head deeper into the room. "Yes, sir!" Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As Hao Jian began walking away, the four subordinates snapped to attention, hurriedly lifting Yan Ming''s unconscious form and carting him off without delay. "This time, I''ll make it up to you," Hao Jian murmured softly. In the next room, his gaze softened upon Ye Linglan''s still-sleeping figure. His expression darkened with concern as he carefully gathered her into his arms, leaping into action as he rushed down to the car. Gently placing her inside, he wasted no time. "Vroom!" The engine roared as Hao Jian slammed the accelerator, the car tearing through Hua City''s streets at breakneck speed. Swerving and speeding through every shortcut, Hao Jian managed to reach his home in just ten minutes flat. "Don''t worry, Linglan. You''ll be fine!" In his embrace, Ye Linglan began reacting more to the poison''s effects. His expression remained steadfast and calm, yet the urgency in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil. Though Hao Jian was confident he had everything under control, the sight of his woman in such pain sliced through him like a knife. Her anguish was his anguish. He was desperate to ease Ye Linglan''s suffering as quickly as possible¡­ "Lanlan, hold on just a little longer¡ªit''ll be over soon..." One minute later, Hao Jian burst into his home, racing up the stairs to the bedroom. He placed Ye Linglan gently on the bed before dashing back out. With swift precision, he rummaged through cabinets, pulling out an array of strange medicinal ingredients. Though bizarre in form, these herbs all shared one critical quality: they were full of vitality! Water boiled, medicine simmered, and under Hao Jian''s intense skill and focus, a process that would typically require three hours had been compressed into just thirty minutes. All the while, the growing distressing sounds from the bedroom spurred him to work faster. "Done!" At last, the concoction was ready. Hao Jian poured the herbal broth into a bowl, setting it on the table to cool. "Linglan, I''ve got you now!" He bolted into the bedroom, all his focus on saving the woman he adored. "Gulp..." But the instant he stepped inside, Hao Jian froze. His throat worked nervously as an uncharacteristic hesitation flickered across his face... Chapter 977 - 976: Amorous Aura "Hmm..." The drug''s effects began to resurface, and a sound escaped from Ye Linglan''s lips. Just then, Hao Jian suddenly pushed open the door. The dazzling light made Ye Linglan furrow her delicate brows slightly. After an active yet reluctant passionate encounter, Ye Linglan, whose drug effects had dissipated, sank into deep sleep. Just as she started to collapse, Hao Jian quickly fed her the prepared medicine. "Phew... Finally resolved this..." Watching Ye Linglan sink into a deep sleep, Hao Jian finally exhaled in relief, feeling like he''d successfully handled the girl''s situation. "You might''ve got your problems solved, but mine just started to give me a headache..." However, because he was concerned about Ye Linglan''s fragile state, Hao Jian didn''t dare act recklessly. After all, he was a man who cherished beauty. "Let''s make some congee for Lanlan first. She can eat it when she wakes up..." Shaking his head, Hao Jian emerged from the bathroom and headed to the kitchen. He began preparing congee for Ye Linglan to eat upon awakening, quickly grabbing ingredients from the market before starting his cooking journey. Who knows how much time passed, but Ye Linglan finally stirred awake from her deep sleep. Upon sitting up, she suddenly felt her entire body weak and sore, with no strength at all. Then, as if recalling something, her face abruptly changed. "What''s wrong?" Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hao Jian, who was in the kitchen at the time, suddenly heard movement coming from the bedroom. He immediately put down what he was doing and ran toward the room. When he pushed the door open, he saw Ye Linglan hurriedly dressing and carefully getting up. "Hao Jian!" Ye Linglan, who was preparing to sneak away, froze for a brief moment when she saw the familiar face at the door. She paused, then cried out in surprise! "Why are you here?!" "Uh..." Hearing this, Hao Jian let out a wry smile, shook his head, and stepped closer to Ye Linglan. He reached out and lightly tapped her forehead with his finger, chuckling, "Take a look around yourself¡ªwhere do you think this is? This is my room. You''re in my house now. If I hadn''t arrived in time, Yan Ming would''ve already had his way with you!" "Are you saying that guy didn''t succeed?!" "Is that even a question?! As my woman, if you were to get into trouble in Hua City, I might as well not exist anymore. Besides, that Yan Ming is nothing but trash in my eyes, completely harmless. Someone like him, I can deal with him with just a flick of my wrist." With a grin, Hao Jian sat beside Ye Linglan, rubbing her head as he spoke with laughter, "Alright, your body''s been through a lot. Go to the kitchen and have some congee. I made you medicinal congee¡ªit''s very nourishing!" "Mm!" As long as everything was fine, Ye Linglan didn''t have to worry. But her body still lacked strength, so she let Hao Jian carry her to the dining table. "Here, eat this and then rest some more..." Hao Jian served a bowl of congee and placed it in front of Ye Linglan, smiling as he said, "If your brother finds out you suffered even a bit while under my care, he''d probably come at me with a knife!" "He wouldn''t dare?!" "Heh, let''s not talk about that. Hurry up and eat." ......................................................... Once he finished dealing with Ye Linglan''s matters, Hao Jian left her to rest and got back into his Enzo. He sped toward the address Brother Spice Ginger had given him earlier. It was the same old, dilapidated, abandoned warehouse. When Hao Jian''s car pulled into the clearing in front of the warehouse, two lackeys came forward to greet him. "Young Master Hao!" "Hmm, where''s Spice Ginger?" Hao Jian nodded and immediately asked. Previously, after letting four of his men take Yan Ming away, he had instructed Spice Ginger to arrange things at this abandoned warehouse. After all, this warehouse had always been Spice Ginger''s go-to spot for disposing of people in the past. It was located in the outskirts, surrounded by wild grass, making it highly secluded. "Brother Spice Ginger is inside interrogating that guy..." "You two keep guarding the entrance. Don''t let anyone come in." Hao Jian nodded again and then lifted his legs, walking into the warehouse. The warehouse contained some interrogation tools left behind from the past. Currently, Spice Ginger was using those tools, along with some new ones he''d brought, all for the purpose of completing the task given by Hao Jian. "Young Master Hao!" When Hao Jian reached a point where he was near Spice Ginger, the other lackeys spotted him and immediately called out respectfully. Spice Ginger also noticed the commotion outside, quickly set down the tools in his hand, and ran out of the room. Seeing Hao Jian approach, Spice Ginger respectfully greeted him. "How''s it going?" "That punk''s body is too weak. I barely used a few of the tools, and he''s already passed out. I''m planning to wake him up now so I can continue interrogating him." Hearing this, Hao Jian nodded. Then, he stepped into the room¡ªthe only one inside the warehouse. Inside... Chapter 978 - 977: I Dont Want to Die Yet! "Get some water and wake him up!" When Hao Jian entered the room, the first person he saw was Yan Ming, and Hao Jian''s expression immediately darkened. "Yes!" Upon hearing this, Spice Ginger quickly nodded and then pointed at one of his subordinates, saying, "You, go get a basin of water and wake this brat up for me!" The subordinate immediately dashed off, returned with a basin of water, and, following Spice Ginger''s nod, fiercely splashed the entire basin onto Yan Ming. "Splash!" The icy water instantly soaked Yan Ming''s clothes, snapping him out of his unconscious state as he jolted awake, his eyes slowly opening in confusion... S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "How''s life treating you here?" Seeing Yan Ming awake, Hao Jian took a step forward, peering at the still-dazed Yan Ming. Smiling as if he were addressing an old friend, he spoke these words, his tone deceptively light..... However, only Yan Ming knew just how terrifying this man''s methods could be. Hearing Hao Jian''s voice, he immediately widened his eyes in fury, flames of anger igniting within as he roared furiously, "Hao Jian, let me go!" "Oh? Being tortured to this extent and still having the energy to shout; looks like we haven''t pushed far enough." Seeing how Yan Ming still had some vigor left in him, Hao Jian curled his lips into a smirk before casting a glance at Spice Ginger, laughing lightly, "Spice Ginger, looks like your torture methods have really weakened lately. Even a brat like him refuses to buckle under pressure; he still dares to act fierce with me!" "Young Master Hao, rest assured. I''ll make sure this bastard learns the true meaning of Hell." Spice Ginger, provoked by Hao Jian''s words, felt his pride stung. Yan Ming''s fear grew even more intense upon hearing this, fresh memories of Spice Ginger''s cruel methods from the previous night flashing vividly in his mind....... Damn it, this bastard still dares to challenge Young Master Hao?! I''ll make sure he begs for death! Spice Ginger rolled up his sleeves as he strode toward Yan Ming, grabbing a whip along the way. He snapped it in the air, the sharp crack echoing loudly through the warehouse... "Brat, hurry¡­ hurry up and let me go!" Seeing Spice Ginger approaching, Yan Ming''s fear finally broke through as he angrily howled at Hao Jian, attempting to threaten him, "Don''t you want to save your woman?! Whatever she consumed, the antidote is only with me!" "Are you really willing to watch her die right in front of your eyes?!" Realizing that other threats wouldn''t work on Hao Jian, Yan Ming tried to exploit Hao Jian''s feelings for Ye Linglan, hoping to strike at his soft spot. Whether his words were true or false was something only Yan Ming himself knew. What mattered was preserving his life for now¡ªanything to survive. And only once he managed that could he plot against Hao Jian instead of remaining his captive! Hao Jian cast him a faint glance but showed no sign of care, strolling over to a tea table laden with tea sets. Nearby, a subordinate was diligently brewing tea...... Spice Ginger had few hobbies, but tea was his one obsession. If it could be acquired by proper means, he would spare no effort to get it. After all, Hao Jian had once instructed him that while it was permissible to engage in shady dealings, harming good people was strictly forbidden. When a problem could be solved through proper channels, he had to stick to them. If those failed, alternative options, like taking from the corrupt, could be explored... Spice Ginger had adhered to these principles for years without fail....... "Let me go! Damn you all¡ªevery one of you bastards will face retribution one day!" Seeing Hao Jian ignoring him and Spice Ginger advancing with torture tools, Yan Ming''s face turned desperate. Only he, the victim, truly understood the pain these implements inflicted¡ªevery session left him wishing for death... Previously, Spice Ginger used methods like coating wounds with chili oil or beating him with wooden rods. Now, with a whip in hand and clutching a small glass bottle, Yan Ming''s terror grew exponentially. The unknown was the most horrifying thing. Yan Ming had no idea what was inside that glass bottle, but he could tell that Spice Ginger wouldn''t resort to ordinary torture tools. The contents of the bottle might very well be something horrifying... "Heh heh, what if I whipped you, smeared some honey on your body, and then introduced you to my hornets? I''m sure they''d love your blood," Spice Ginger sneered cruelly, raising the bottle and shaking it lightly as icy words escaped his mouth. The bottle contained hornets¡ªspecifically, venomous ones he''d had his men capture from a nearby mountain hive. If the hornets stung Yan Ming, mere pain would be the least of his worries... "No... no... let me go! Please! I don''t want to die yet!" Yan Ming''s expression grew increasingly panicked upon realizing the bottle contained venomous hornets. He had heard tales of how a few hornets could kill an ox... He didn''t have the robust stamina of an ox and imagining those hornets swarming over honey-coated wounds filled him with dread! "Hao Jian, do you really not care about your woman? Without my antidote, she''ll certainly die!" Yan Ming abruptly turned his gaze back toward Hao Jian, shouting angrily in desperation. "Tsk. And you think your amateurish tactics could ever threaten Hao Jian? Using outdated aphrodisiacs on Linglan? You clearly lack creativity," Hao Jian scoffed, lifting a freshly brewed cup of tea. Despite its scalding temperature, he downed it in one go, curling his lips into a faint smile and signaling Spice Ginger to halt. If Hao Jian couldn''t resolve even Yan Ming''s petty aphrodisiac, he wouldn''t deserve his reputation as one of the nation''s top doctors¡ªlet alone his title as a Martial Artist! "Young Master Hao, what are your orders?" Seeing Hao Jian''s gesture, Spice Ginger immediately halted his actions and asked earnestly. "Go get a fishing net. You should have one here, right?" "We do!" Fishing nets weren''t stored directly at the warehouse, but there was a nearby fishing village, so obtaining one from the locals would be easy. Upon hearing Hao Jian''s request, Spice Ginger instructed a subordinate to fetch a net promptly. The fishing village wasn''t far, and within ten minutes, the subordinate returned with a thick net, presenting it to Hao Jian respectfully: "Young Master Hao, the net you requested has been brought." "Good." Spotting the net, Hao Jian beamed and pointed toward Yan Ming, whose face was now painted with fear of the unknown. With a smile, he said, "Wrap this guy from head to toe with the net¡ªdon''t miss a single spot." "Understood!" Responding swiftly, the subordinates joined forces to bind Yan Ming tightly with the net. Spice Ginger, still puzzled, walked up to Hao Jian, asking curiously, "Young Master Hao, what''s the purpose of this net?" "Are you familiar with the ancient punishment called ''lingchi''?" Hao Jian smirked coldly, his lips curling into a cruel arc. "Lingchi?" Spice Ginger paused briefly before nodding, asking in awe, "Young Master Hao, do you plan to use lingchi on this guy?!" "That''s right..." "You¡­ you... What are you planning to do to me?!" Seeing the men wrapping a net around him, fear engulfed Yan Ming''s face. He had initially thought Spice Ginger''s earlier threat was terrifying enough, but now, this seemingly unremarkable net left him trembling with an even deeper dread. "Nothing much¡ªjust letting you experience a punishment that modern times rarely allow," Hao Jian finally responded, his smile sharp and unyielding. "Lingchi¡­ Surely your knowledge hasn''t failed you on that?" "Ling... Lingchi?! Upon hearing the word, Yan Ming''s expression instantly collapsed. Panicking, he pleaded, his voice trembling: "Let... let me go! I¡­ I don''t want to die!" "I was wrong! I shouldn''t have harbored desires toward Ye Linglan! Please let me go... I''ll never interfere in Ye Linglan''s life again¡­" "It''s all my fault! I beg you! Please don''t let me die!" "Heh. I told you back on stage: touching my woman and surviving was a rare stroke of luck. But instead of treasuring that luck, you threw it away and dared cross my path again. You''ve given me every reason to kill you..." Hao Jian said coldly, picking up another freshly brewed cup of tea. Despite its searing heat, he drank it with indifference, glaring at Yan Ming in disdain. "Plea¡ª" "Shut up!" Yan Ming tried once more to beg, but his words were cut short as a subordinate landed a fierce slap across his face, followed by an irate growl! Chapter 979 - 978: Why? "Use that propeller to slowly kill him..." Hao Jian pointed casually at an engine in the corner of the room. There was something resembling a propeller at the edge of the engine, and this was exactly the propeller Hao Jian was referring to. "Yes!" Spice Ginger grinned, his face displaying a cruel expression. It had been a long time since he had seen Hao Jian use this kind of torture on someone else. This guy must have really asked for it by provoking Hao Jian. "What... what are you going to do?!" Yan Ming, who was originally draped with a fishing net, was already filled with immense fear. Now, seeing Spice Ginger move to lift the engine, he was filled with even more dread for these objects. In his heart, he was extremely regretful, regretting why he went to provoke Hao Jian?! "Nothing much, just taking your life. After all, I''ve tortured you enough. Now I''m sending you to meet King Yanluo. When you see him, remember to tell him it was the God of Death who sent you..." Hao Jian''s face also showed a chilling smile. In Yan Ming''s eyes, he was like a God of Death who had slain countless people. That intense fear and coldness made him unable to move a muscle. Although he was not a Martial Artist, people naturally have a sense of danger. Usually, this feeling is low, but subconsciously, Yan Ming had now amplified this feeling to the maximum. "You... you can''t do this! I am the Piano Prince. If I die, you definitely won''t be able to escape the consequences!" Apparently finding some backer, Yan Ming suddenly felt safe and shouted at Hao Jian, though it was more bravado than bravery. "Haha, here in Hua City, there''s nothing that I, Hao Jian, can''t handle. Even if Huaxia''s top celebrity provokes me and I solve it, no one would discover it''s related to me..." Hao Jian''s lips curled into a disdainful smile, his mocking eyes staring at Yan Ming. Then he signaled to Spice Ginger, "Get started. Don''t waste time, I still need to get back..." "Alright!" "Roar roar roar!" Spice Ginger nodded, then directly hit the engine''s switch. Instantly, the engine roared to life, with a buzzing sound, and the next moment, the propeller started rotating slowly, wrapping the fishing net bit by bit... "Ah!" The space within the fishing net was gradually consumed by the rotating propeller. At first, Yan Ming only felt the fishing net tighten slightly, but soon, he realized that these nets were starting to cling tightly to his body... When a strand of the fishing net directly sliced through Yan Ming''s skin, tearing flesh and embedding deep into his flesh, a surge of intense pain flashed through his mind like lightning, followed by his screams of agony. "..." Finally, when the fishing net severed Yan Ming''s throat, the screams abruptly stopped... Three minutes later, the engine propeller finally wrapped up all the fishing nets, and in front of it lay the already deceased Yan Ming. His eyes were rolled back, silent, his body weakly collapsed on the ground. The blood flowing from his wounds had already gathered into a small pool of blood. "Spice Ginger, clean up this place. Dispose of this guy in the nearest sea and give the fish some nourishment. Remember, be discreet." The room reeked of blood, and Hao Jian''s brow furrowed slightly. He waved his hand to disperse the overwhelming scent of blood, then shook his head and instructed Spice Ginger before leaving the room expressionlessly. He wasn''t sure how many times he had witnessed such scenes, long accustomed to it. Seeing it once more today, his heart didn''t stir a bit, at most, he just found it somewhat disgusting. Seeing Hao Jian leave, Spice Ginger nodded, gesturing to a few people to clean up, and then he also left the room. As for the few people left by Spice Ginger to tidy up, they exchanged bitter smiles. Without choice, they gathered their tools and began cleaning up. After dealing with Yan Ming''s matter, Hao Jian drove back home. He first checked on Ye Linglan, who was still sleeping in the bedroom. Seeing her peaceful sleeping expression, the usually expressionless Hao Jian showed a smile. As long as she''s alright and happy, it''s all worth it for him. His original desire to retire was slowly tucked away. Now, all he cared for were these women, as long as they were safe, everything was fine. But if any harm came to even one of them, his God of Death persona would emerge... Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. On the way back, Hao Jian received a call from Wen Lan, saying that she took Tongtong back to her hometown for a visit and wouldn''t be back that night, so Hao Jian had to handle dinner himself. She would only return the next day. Hearing this, Hao Jian showed a helpless smile, realizing that he''d have to do the cooking that day and the next. He just hoped it would suit Ye Linglan''s palate... On the next day, Ye Linglan recovered. Upon waking, she snuggled with Hao Jian for a while, arousing a desire in Hao Jian''s lower abdomen. However, considering Ye Linglan hadn''t fully recovered, he rationally suppressed these desires. Around nine o''clock, after breakfast, Hao Jian took Ye Linglan home. Instantly, Hao Jian substituted for Ye Linglan and did rehabilitation massage for Ye Chunliang. He only left Ye Linglan''s home after lunch. "Hmm, since there''s nothing else to do, I''ll drop by Spice Ginger''s place..." After pondering, it was still early, so Hao Jian turned the car toward Spice Ginger''s office building. Just as he turned, a call came in. "Young Master Hao, please come over here quickly. Someone wants to meet you!" Hearing Spice Ginger''s slightly anxious voice, Hao Jian responded with a sound, then stepped on the gas pedal, speeding towards the building where Spice Ginger was. "Be right there!" ........................ "Young Master Hao!" When Hao Jian parked the car and arrived at Spice Ginger''s location, Spice Ginger was already waiting at the door for Hao Jian''s arrival. Seeing Hao Jian coming over, Spice Ginger hurriedly came up to greet him. "Hmm, what''s so urgent?" Hao Jian nodded and curiously looked at Spice Ginger, asking. "Uh..." Spice Ginger''s tone halted, his face was also showing a strange expression, shaking his head, he said, "Young Master Hao, you should come upstairs with me first. Once you go upstairs and see that person, you won''t need my explanation, you''ll know what''s going on..." "Person?" As he spoke, Spice Ginger quickly turned around and walked into the building, and seeing this situation, Hao Jian helplessly shook his head and followed behind Spice Ginger, stepping onto the elevator to the floor where his office was. "Young Master Hao..." "Young Master Hao..." "..." Getting off the elevator, they encountered many of Spice Ginger''s subordinates. Those people seeing Hao Jian''s appearance quickly greeted him respectfully, and Hao Jian also responded with a smile. "Young Master Hao, we''re here, the person is inside..." Arriving at the door of his office, Spice Ginger quickly opened the door to his office and then slightly bent over, indicating for Hao Jian to go inside. "Yeah." Nodding his head, Hao Jian walked into the room, and seeing him enter the room, Spice Ginger gently closed the door, showing a somewhat relaxed expression on his face after the door closed. Just afterwards, he was a bit puzzled as to why that person would come looking for Hao Jian? "Who are you?" When Hao Jian walked into the room, he saw a woman dressed in white clothes. Her graceful figure would make anyone''s desires aflame at first sight, but Hao Jian was not one to think with his lower half, so upon seeing this person, he nonchalantly found a sofa and sat down. "Bai Yanrou..." When the woman turned her head, her crisp and pleasant voice slowly came from her mouth, and hearing these three words, Hao Jian''s face slightly stiffened a little. "Bai Yanrou?!" Suddenly turning his head to Bai Yanrou, looking at this familiar face, Hao Jian''s face carried a faint anger, he snorted coldly and said, "I have been in an adversarial state with your Bai Family for some time now, what are you here for now?" Bai Yanrou was indeed Bai Yang''s sister, but just a few days ago, Hao Jian had already caused a split within the Bai Family, originally thinking they wouldn''t dare to bother him anymore, but unexpectedly today, Bai Yanrou came all the way to Hua City to find him?! "Seems I need to go down and tell Spice Ginger not to send anyone my way for me to solve..." Hao Jian snorted coldly again, giving a sidelong glance at Spice Ginger chatting with a few of his underlings outside, his eyes slightly cold. "Don''t blame Spice Ginger, it was me who asked him to do this..." To be able to see Hao Jian, Bai Yanrou had made quite the effort, first finding Spice Ginger, asking him for a long time before Spice Ginger agreed to let her come see Hao Jian. "Humph! Speak, whatever it is, I''m listening..." Seeing Bai Yanrou''s eyes suddenly turn red, Hao Jian''s heart softened slightly, and his tone became much gentler. "I came to beg for mercy, hoping you could spare my Bai Family..." Bai Yanrou also noticed the change in Hao Jian''s tone, and felt happy inside, quickly speaking up. "Beg for mercy? I don''t seem to have done anything to your Bai Family, why ask me to spare you?" Chapter 980 - 979: I am yours! "Hao Jian, why has the Bai Family become like this? You must be aware. Even if you say you haven''t done anything to the Bai Family, I''m afraid even you wouldn''t believe it, right?" Bai Yanrou''s eyes, red and swollen, stared intently at Hao Jian. Her voice, choking, came out, making Hao Jian''s expression somewhat awkward. At this point, Hao Jian gave an awkward smile, shook his head, and said, "I''ve always believed in not provoking others unless they provoke me. If you want to blame someone, blame Bai Yang, blame the leaders of your Bai Family. They decided to provoke me, Hao Jian, so they should bear the consequences of angering me." "I am here now to plead with you to spare them, to spare the Bai Family!" As she spoke, Bai Yanrou walked up to Hao Jian. Her beauty, not losing to the likes of Shu Ya, made Hao Jian''s heart somewhat unsettled. In the past, Hao Jian regarded them simply as enemies, and he usually had no fondness for enemies. However, now the balance of power had shifted. The Bai Family had fallen apart and posed no threat to Hao Jian. Moreover, Bai Yanrou came to find him, and in this office, with just the two of them, even if something happened, no one would care. After all, this was Hao Jian''s territory, and Bai Yanrou apparently came prepared today. "Actually, from the beginning, I never considered the Bai Family as enemies, nor did I plan to deal with you. It was you who provoked me, so I retaliated." Hao Jian scratched his head. Dealing with enemies was easy for him; a simple wave of his hand could solve it. But dealing with women was not his forte. Of course, if they were still enemies, he would''ve just thrown Bai Yanrou out. But now, Hao Jian''s heart no longer regarded the Bai Family as significant, so Bai Yanrou''s approach left him a bit at a loss, although he outwardly appeared indifferent. Thus, Bai Yanrou couldn''t see what Hao Jian was truly thinking. She assumed his words were just a fit of anger, and it seemed he had no intention of sparing the Bai Family. At this thought, Bai Yanrou''s heart was quite conflicted. How powerful the Bai Family used to be, intimidating even other families, but now? After falling apart because of Hao Jian, enemies of the Bai Family watched hungrily. They couldn''t believe how many enemies they had. But due to Bai Yang''s issues, there was no reconciliation between the split sides. "Let''s not talk about this anymore. I don''t want to hear it. If there''s nothing else, I''ll be leaving. How long you want to stay here is up to you..." Finding himself here for this reason, Hao Jian was quite helpless. Seeing Bai Yanrou still intending to speak, he waved his hand to stop her. "Hao Jian!" Hearing this, Bai Yanrou''s face turned pale, her legs went weak, making her body tilt. Fortunately, she took a step back to steady herself; otherwise, she might have fallen. "No more words, it''s over here..." Shaking his head, Hao Jian turned around, about to walk towards the door. "Forget it, after guarding my virtue for so many years, compared to the future of the Bai Family, it''s not important..." Seeing Hao Jian about to leave, Bai Yanrou''s face showed urgency. She clenched her teeth, determination flashing in her eyes, as if she''d made a major decision. "Wait!" Then, Bai Yanrou hurriedly called out to Hao Jian, and upon hearing her voice, he turned back impatiently, saying, "What else is there! I''ve told you, I have nothing to do with the Bai Family anymore! Your fate is up to yourselves!" Hearing this, Bai Yanrou''s body stiffened slightly, her delicate face hung low, and after a moment of silence, she steadied her heart before speaking softly, "Now the Bai Family is at a life or death moment. Our side, led by my father, received a challenge from a mid-level Capital City family the day before yesterday. But our Bai Family''s strength is far inferior, and most likely, we will lose this challenge." "If we lose, even my uncle''s side of the Bai Family will face attacks from various families. To them, our disbanded Bai Family is like a beggar with wealth, open to bullying by anyone." In the quiet office, a faint fragrance filled the air, and the young woman''s gentle voice resonated. At some point, the office''s glass windows were covered with black curtains. Bai Yanrou bit her lip, tears already gathered in her eyes. Seeing her like this, Hao Jian didn''t know what to do. Leaving wasn''t an option, nor was staying, yet he couldn''t rest easy about this woman. Moreover, he disliked seeing women cry. Speaking of which, Bai Yanrou was, after all, a member of the Bai Family, Hao Jian''s former enemy. But from another perspective, she had set aside her proud demeanor to beg him for mercy, showing her complete surrender. This attitude softened Hao Jian''s heart a little... After all, Bai Yanrou was just a woman. "I''ve already told you, I hold no enmity towards the Bai Family anymore..." Hao Jian had emphasized this countless times, but she wouldn''t listen, still believing he was hostile towards the Bai Family... "I know you still dislike the Bai Family, I''m begging you, please don''t target the Bai Family anymore, can you?! Our Bai Family cannot hold on anymore..." Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Bai Yanrou still didn''t believe Hao Jian''s words. She couldn''t imagine the hatred dissipating so quickly. Looking at Hao Jian, her beautiful eyes filled with mist, she bit her lip, saying, "Aren''t you fond of women? As long as you spare my Bai Family, I... I... I am yours!" "Don''t think I''m that kind of woman. I''ve never been touched by anyone from the beginning until now..." Finally saying what she wanted to all along, Bai Yanrou had refrained due to her pride. But now, she had no choice but to act. Uh... this woman is still a virgin?! Hearing this, Hao Jian was stunned. What is this woman trying to do?! It''s true that Hao Jian liked women, but those around him were deeply connected with him; he wasn''t one for random encounters... Thinking of this, Hao Jian subconsciously stroked his chin, contemplating with surprise. He thought Bai Yanrou, with her proud and untamed nature, would''ve long lost her virtue, yet she still maintained it at her age and in such a prominent family. It was remarkable for her to stay a virgin, which from another angle, suggested Bai Yanrou wasn''t as dislikeable as Hao Jian once thought. However, Hao Jian''s face remained calm, showing no sign of disturbance; even Bai Yanrou''s words didn''t stir any waves in his heart. Seeing Hao Jian''s reaction, Bai Yanrou seemed to anticipate it, letting out a quiet sigh. "Hao Jian, I know you''re finding it hard to decide, but to help the Bai Family out of trouble, I''m willing to give myself to you, as long as you agree..." Bai Yanrou suddenly took a deep breath. Then, Hao Jian took a deep breath, forcing himself to look elsewhere. His voice, a bit dry and heavy, came out, "Don''t think you can make me compromise with such a method..." As Hao Jian spoke, the mist in Bai Yanrou''s eyes turned into countless tears, eventually cascading down her cheeks.